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initiala · 2 years

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WORD SOUP TIME

With the news cycle over the last couple of weeks, the anti-true-crime brigade has crawled out and shaken their shame sticks at everyone. And with the particular news story they’re mostly talking about, they have every right. I didn’t pay attention to this case at all, but I’m in the internet zeitgeist enough to know what happened and how the True Crime Lovers™ may or may not have affected opinions.

Allegedly, of course.

Now, I say True Crime Lovers™ because I am someone who enjoys listening to and watching shows and podcasts pertaining to true crime. I’m a white woman in my 30s, after all, I fit the target market squarely. However, I’ve been around the block a couple of times and I like to think I’ve been able to curate my experiences enough to know when the media I’m consuming is unabashedly trying to get me to See Something A Certain Way or Has An Agenda. I’m not subscribing to any old Youtube channel or podcast without doing some vetting first. And when the antis come out in full force, 9 times out of 10, they’re going after the True Crime Lovers™, the Internet Super Sleuths, the ambulance chasers.

The people who just want to watch a train wreck happen and then move on to the next one without critically thinking about what happened and what needs to happen to prevent that crash in the future.

The ones those shiny Youtube channels go after with specific marketing and targeting to get clicks and have no qualms about what effect they’re having. The “I’m sad this case is ending, it was entertaining to watch”.

That’s not everyone. Like all things, they’re the loud, annoying subset (I can’t say minority with any authority) that gets the rest of us a bad rap.

Maybe it’s because the media I’m attracted towards covers cold cases or old, famous cases, or incidents elsewhere. I think, in the number of shows I consume, the only times I’ve listened to shows with or about ongoing investigations were from the CBC, and most of the episodes are going over the verified investigation so far before bringing you to current day. I’m much more likely to trust that a press organization that covers local, provincial, and national news stories knows what they’re doing and can report the facts about an ongoing case without sensationalizing them. The agenda they have is “this was a tragedy that occurred. Here is how it’s working its way through the justice system as it currently stands”.

But even then, some of the shows the CBC produces are more likely to cover older cases; a few Uncovered seasons are personal to the reporter, cases they covered when they first started and they’re revisiting, something that has stuck with them through the years of their careers. Someone Knows Something specifically goes through evidence and talks to people who were part of a tragedy to try and put the pieces together, getting the word out and seeing if there’s someone, anyone listening who may know something to solve this cold case and bring the victims some sense of closure.

There’s one podcast I listen to specifically about air disasters. They sometimes call it “true crime in the air”. And while they do go through the details of the crashes, they spend little time on that and most of their time going through the investigation of what went wrong and what new rules and procedures went into place to prevent future disasters. There are some jokes, but never at the expense of the victims, and appropriate care and consideration is taken when discussing the actual tragedy itself. As someone who tends to be a nervous flyer, this has helped me considerably when understanding how air travel works and all the work that has gone into making it as safe as possible.

And that’s a trend I’ve noticed -- finding shows that talk more about “here’s what happened, factually, and what we have done to memorialize the victims and worked to put precautions in place to prevent it from happening again.” Not only Black Box Down above, but Fascinating Horror as well. I think it’s something the antis don’t always get, that true crime goes beyond just “someone was assaulted and murdered” or “serial killer obsession”, there’s the seemingly mundane like “a corrupt business owner cut corners while building this new shopping mall and then only ten years later the whole building collapsed during peak hours.” It’s a crime! It’s real! It’s true crime! It’s just not sensationalized like they want to rage against.

That’s what I like about true crime. I don’t like the listing of what body parts were sawed off, or how the bodies were disposed of -- and this show that does the whole script as a cold read is the same, with appropriate reactions. I like knowing that someone was held accountable when a building collapsed, or fire codes were ignored. I may not like knowing how much mishandling of cases or evidence happened on the law enforcement side, but I do like learning about how like. WE KNOW!!! We all know which person did it. We do. But we all have to learn that while the cops KNOW who did it, they don’t have the EVIDENCE and that’s what needs to happen to hold up in court. We can’t prosecute on vibes, we need proof, and sometimes you know without a shadow of a doubt what happened but there’s just no goddamn proof.

And that’s what the True Crime Lovers™ don’t care about, and what the antis are very right about being angry about. They just want to go “we ~know~ he killed her, just arrest him”. No, that’s just TV, in the US we need admissible evidence, and even a guy you ~know~ did it has rights to a criminal attorney who will uphold justice and blow away bullshit evidence.

It’s the way the justice system works, and if that makes you angry, then good. It’s supposed to. It’s how you get motivated to make changes in your community.

Anyway. I don’t like true crime that forgets that they’re telling the story about the victim and the justice that they deserve. There may be some that have jokes interspaced or make fun of part of the story because it’s truly ridiculous, but at the bottom they want to talk about the victim’s story. Or, and this one I don’t listen to a lot because the hosts are A Lot sometimes and I’d rather listen to specific topics than all the things, they just dunk on the villain the whole time and really at the end of the day don’t we all just want to be like “wow Ted Bundy was a fucking loser” with our buds?

Any time I subscribe to a new show or channel, I watch or listen to several episodes to make sure they’re adhering to the rules of true crime: tell the stories of the victims. Learn from it. See what can be done to prevent future tragedy.

Maybe dunk on the villains, because fuck those guys.

Not all of it is brain rot, you just have to look for the good stuff. And remember that sometimes it’s okay to laugh along because otherwise you’re gonna go fucking nuts with all the death and downer stuff.

True crime shouldn’t be used to “uwu stan Jim Jones”, but there’s always gonna be those people and we just have to beat those ones back into the shadows with sticks.

#idk i just have been having Thoughts so here's some word vomiting #have a million recs through this rant lol

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comrade-meow · 3 years

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The arrest, then kidnapping, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan police officer have irrevocably shaken public confidence in the police. Last week, as her murderer was sentenced, her family read out their statements in court. “She was caring, she was funny. She was clever, but she was good at practical things too. She was a wonderful daughter… She was a good person. She had purpose to her life,” Susan Everard, Sarah’s mother, told her murderer.

An unbearable agony has been inflicted on her family and loved ones. And women have watched in horror as the details of her murder have become public and the response of the Met has been to put more emphasis on how women can keep themselves safe from dangerous police officers than on the deep-seated reform needed to address its own institutional misogyny.

As a male-dominated institution, the police are vulnerable to societal cultures. Abusive and violent men are attracted to professions that offer power and control. And the state confers huge powers on the police in order to maintain law and order and protect victims of crime. To learn of a police officer using those powers to kidnap and murder a woman – using his warrant card to arrest her, his police-issued handcuffs to restrain her so she cannot fight back – fatally erodes the principle of policing by consent, the idea that police authority is contingent on public approval and on the police’s ability to maintain public respect. In the words of the judge who sentenced him: “If that is undermined, one of the enduring safeguards of law and order in this country is inevitably jeopardised.” Red flags about this officer – several allegations of indecent exposure, including one just days before he murdered Everard; the fact he was reportedly nicknamed “the rapist” by colleagues; the lewd and misogynistic messages he and other officers allegedly shared via WhatsApp – were either ignored or not picked up.

The leadership of the Met had months to prepare its response to the sentencing. It needed to acknowledge its devastating failings, request an independent inquiry into institutional misogyny within the force and announce changes it has made to vetting and safeguarding in light of Sarah’s murder. Instead, the Met commissioner, Cressida Dick, failed to announce any actions in her statement, and the deputy commissioner, Steve House, insisted there was “zero tolerance” for misogyny in the force even as it transpired that two Met officers who allegedly swapped misogynistic and racist messages with Everard’s murderer have been left on duty.

The Met has issued utterly inappropriate guidance to women on what to do if they suspect the motives of a lone police officer, including flagging down a bus, challenging the officer and calling 999 to verify their identity. This further contributes to the erosion of policing by consent: the only thing that will reassure women will be if the Met demonstrates it can trust police officers wielding an arrest warrant as a result of changes it has made to its own vetting and safeguarding processes.

Restoring faith in the police requires an inquiry of the sort that followed the murder of Stephen Lawrence. There are undoubtedly many frontline police officers who show immense bravery and dedication to public service. But they and the public are being failed by a rotten leadership culture that has not addressed the numerous signals that the Met and other forces still have an issue with institutional misogyny and racism. Undercover Met officers stole the identities of dead children to trick women into having long-term relationships, and even children, with them; last week, judges ruled this was a gross violation of human rights. The Centre for Women’s Justice has filed a super-complaint about police failures to investigate police officers accused of violence and abuse against women. Two Met officers have pleaded guilty to misconduct after taking and sharing photos of themselves with the bodies of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, two sisters who had been knifed to death. A report by the police watchdog has found “problems, unevenness and inconsistencies” in the way forces address male violence against women.

These failings of the police have occurred against a backdrop of a broader societal failure to address and prevent male violence against women and girls. A woman is killed by a man every three days in this country. These femicides are the tip of the iceberg of the epidemic of male violence against women and children, yet refuge and support services for abused women have been cut, abuse victims are shunted towards women’s prisons, and falling rape and domestic abuse convictions, which have arisen partly as a result of government cuts to the police, prosecution service and courts, are effectively decriminalising male violence against women.

All the emphasis is on women changing behaviour to protect themselves but there is an overwhelming lack of strategy to prevent male violence by working with perpetrators of domestic abuse and fostering healthy attitudes towards women and girls among boys. Male politicians apparently feel empowered to carelessly advocate for the end of the single-sex safe spaces that are protected by the Equality Act without acknowledging the consequences for women traumatised by male violence.

Male violence against women should be treated as of the same order as other ideologically motivated violence against a class of people: as terrorism. This would mean far more resources going into preventing the deaths of more than 100 women a year and the abuse of many, many more women and children. But the Met’s dreadful response to Sarah Everard’s murder shows this cannot happen without an independent inquiry into the institutional misogyny of Britain’s largest police force. This must be announced without further delay by the prime minister this week.

#Anglo.txt

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surveys-at-your-service · 3 years

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Survey #469

“i am hungry for some unrest / i wanna push it beyond a peaceful protest”

Do you have any goats? Can't say I do. Are you going to be getting any new pets soon? No. Would you rather be a panda or grizzly bear? As a protected species, I'd say a panda. Do you like BBQ sauce? I hate it. Can you do a twirl like a ballerina? No. Does your house have a pool? No. Do you own an iPad? No. What’s a topic you’ve drastically changed your opinion on? A LOT. Many years ago, I was very conservative, now I'm definitely more liberal. What’s an achievement you hope to see humanity accomplish in your lifetime? I'd really love to see great improvements in nature and wildlife conservation. Are you and your SO Facebook official? We're like... half official? He never checks his notifications, EVER, so he hasn't verified our relationship status. Instead, it just says on my profile "in a relationship with ____ (pending)." I don't mind, though. "Facebook official" doesn't mean much to me at all. What matters is that we know. Have you ever bathed in a river or a lake? I've swum in them, but I most certainly haven't bathed in one. Have you bought a bag of potato chips in the past week? No. I avoid chips because I'll eat too many. What was your first job? And how long did you work there? I was a sales associate at GameStop for like two months, but keep in mind I was VERY rarely on the schedule, so I probably didn't even work for a week's time in total. Can you drive? I can, but I don't do it well and don't have my license. My permit's even long expired. I plan on forcing myself to practice and get licensed once I get new glasses, though (whenever I can afford that...). Right now I couldn't even pass the vision test. I just have to do it; public transport isn't big here AT ALL, and I can't keep relying on others to get me everywhere. Do you spend too much time online? Way, way too much. Extremely high odds are, if I'm conscious, I'm on the computer. I want to change that so badly and experience other things in life way more regularly, it's just an addiction that has been an issue since I was first exposed to the Internet. Do you like to travel? I barely ever get to do it, but yes, I love it. How did you first notice the last person you kissed? Well, it's kinda hard NOT to subconsciously notice the guy who played the fuckin' huge-ass tuba in band, ha ha. Why will/won’t you and your ex get back together? THE ex, because 1.) I'm sure he wants nothing to do with me, and 2.) because I'd be much too worried he'd leave again if I relapse with my depression badly enough. Do you use the words "I love you" too lightly? Definitely not. Do you like pizza? Legit, are there people who don't like pizza???? Do you use an alarm clock? I use my phone for that. Name something that is currently making you happy. Girt is making me really, really happy. I'm still not happy at my core, but, y'know. A person can't do that, anyway. What do you want for Christmas this year? Stiiiill a 40 gallon for Venus with proper equipment... I need a fucking job. That's going to be my answer possibly past Christmas because I just completely rely on my parents financially. Are you excited for the holidays? Very, except for Thanksgiving. I'm way more hyped for Halloween and Christmas and all it entails than usual. Name one tattoo you would like to get someday. I'll give ya one I don't think I've mentioned. On top of one of my hands, over some sort of fiery graphic, I want "Gefährlich ist wer Schmerzen kennt" (translated to "whoever knows pain is dangerous") written in fine text. It's a lyric from the song "Feuer frei!" by Rammstein that I just find very powerful, and not necessarily in an dark way. Are you afraid of stink bugs? Yes, because they're a form of beetle, which tend to scare me. Do you wear contact lenses? No, but I wish. :/ There are piercings I want that would look stupid with glasses. One of my eyes has such bad vision that I need a weighted contact in it (don't ask me exactly what the difference is), and I could feel it way too clearly in my eye, and it made it heavy. Wearing those contacts did NOT last long; I went back to my glasses. Have you ever danced in the rain? No. What was your last dream about? Astonishingly, I don't remember. Where was the last place you went besides your house? The doctor's office. Do you feel like you're judged for your looks? Being someone who is by definition obese, I'm certain some people do. Do you fight with your parents a lot? No. Last time you got stopped by a cop or pulled over. Why? I never have been. Do you like hot sauce? Yes. How bored are you right now? Very, very bored. As a side effect of depression, I experience severe anhedonia like... constantly, at least to some degree. No exaggeration. It makes my life a fucking drag. It's why I take surveys so much; the randomness of the questions is at least a momentary distraction. Do you think you would make a good model? Hell no. Even if I was in a physical shape for anyone to be interested in photographing me, I would feel WAY too awkward. Are you a good singer? No. Do the Emergency Alert System noises on TV freak you out? Yes, because I immediately assume it's a tornado warning. Describe your perfect date. Actually I'm planning something for Girt and me hopefully on Halloween (or if he has to work, at least close to) that is like absolutely effin' perfect for me. Carve some pumpkins together, make those Pillsbury Halloween cookies, and binge some spooky movies. :') Do your parents trust you? Yeah. Do you like pot roast? No. Have you ever thought about being a stripper? No. Are you flexible? No. Can you wiggle your nose? Nope. Have you ever played Mario Kart? Yes. My younger sister especially was sooo good at it; she doesn't even play video games and yet she was hooked on it for a while. How often do you go shopping for clothes? Almost never. I really, really need to for undergarments and pants now. Do you have a high IQ? I don't know my IQ, but I very much doubt it. Would you ride a motorcycle if you had the chance? No. They scare me. Have you ever been bitten by a dog? No. Do you like the smell of cinnamon? yessssss Do you like frogs? I love those lil bug-eyed cuties!!! :') Are you afraid of dying? Not massively. I mean yeah, I don't want to die and the fear of the unknown is there, but I really don't think I'm as scared of it as most people. Do you like bananas? Yeah. Where's the last place you've been to out of state? Lake Gaston in Virginia. What are you listening to right now? I'm watching another playthrough of Fatal Frame 3. Gotta say it's probably my favorite that I've seen/played of the franchise now. Would you rather use a trackpad or a mouse? Mouse, for sure. Do you like steak? Yes. What was the best gift you've ever received? My late dog. Tell me one of your pet peeves. Consistently trying to make conversation with me when I have headphones on. It's a bitchy pet peeve, but a pet peeve nonetheless. Do you like to keep your nails painted? I don't paint my nails or care to. Are you a Duck Dynasty fan? I was a long time ago when I actually watched it. I wouldn't watch it now because I don't support the overly-conservative cast, having followed a couple on Facebook for a time. Have you ever played with Silly Putty? As a kid, for sure. I loved that stuff. Do you take in a lot of caffeine daily? Yes. :x Do you know a lot about history? Definitely not. Are you allergic to pollen? Yes. Would you rather play Xbox or PlayStation? I'm a PlayStation gal. Have you ever worked at a fast food place? No, and I neeeeever would. Hungry people are the worst. Do you like hot tubs? Meh, I have to be in the right mood. Do you know anyone who is battling cancer? Not at this current moment. Are you good at doing fractions? NOOOOOOO, or doing ANY kind of math. Have you ever auditioned for a talent competition? No. Would you rather get high or get drunk? I've never experienced either, but probably high. Being drunk is usually synonymous with being sloppy. Do you like the Silent Hill movies? AYEEEEEEEEE I'm the chick to ask! I love the first one, it's brilliant and loyal to the idea of the series but still unique from the original story of the pilot game. The second one is objectively fucking awful story-wise and is SO all over the place, but I can still enjoy it as an obsessed fan of that franchise. Did you ever want to be a doctor? I wanted to be a vet for a long time, if that counts. [TW: SUICIDE] The last person you kissed, how many times have you cried in front of them? I probably cried some/was teared up to some degree when he visited me in the ER after my overdose. Do you think you can last in a relationship for 1 month? Is this written for a middle schooler? No shit I could, and have in the past on more than one occasion. Have you kissed someone with braces? No. Is this the best year of your life? Nooo sir. Can you have more than one best friend? Yeah. What do you like better: hot chocolate or hot apple cider? Hot chocolate. ooo: What are your full initials? BMD. Would you ever let your grandma set you up on a blind date? She's dead, but if she wasn't? HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL NO. Do you ever wonder if you will get in a car accident and die? As someone who is terrified of driving, absolutely. I'm primarily more concerned about becoming paralyzed from the neck down, though. I'd rather die than that. So your ex comes to you and says “I want you back”, what do you say? I'd probably say, "I'm happy to finally be able to say 'no'" or something along those lines. Maybe even just a simple "no." Which was worse for you: freshman year of high school or of college? College. I was so fucking depressed and lost. What is the last language you spoke, other than your first? German. Would you ever consider moving to a different country? Canada, yes, if it didn't mean leaving my family and now boyfriend. What is your favourite food from your culture? Burgers. @_@ Other than your name, what was the last name someone called you? Britt. If you could find one long lost friend of the past, who would it be? Megan. I found her on Facebook before and sent her two messages over the past something years, but she never responded. It's frustrating, like I was so close to reuniting with her, but not close enough. Do you wash your hair or your body first when taking a shower? Hair. Have you ever been to a nursing home? Yes, with my mother to visit someone.

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''unnatural selection'' by muse

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chattingwiththelightkeeper · 3 years

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Trust The Force And Yourself

This morning I was listening to my playlist ‘Everything But’ (jazz and classical) when Michael Penn’s No Myth started blaring out of the speakers,

What if I were Romeo in black jeans, What if I was Heathcliff, it’s no myth. Maybe she’s just looking for, Someone to dance with

It was this song that made me pick up Wuthering Heights because I had to discover who this Heathcliff fellow was in the song but this morning it reminded me that many people who are single and seeking that person to share the dance of life with. Unfortunately, romance is not a trip to Dancing With the Stars where we would be paired up with a professional dancer and given countless hours to learn routines. In the real world romance is a mythical dance that sometimes results in our feet and heart getting stepped on. Most of the time our figurative bruises are the result of a romance that simply did not have the right stuff to stand the test of time however there are bad actors out there who enjoy ‘a thrill’ out of dancing a little jig on other’s heart and feet. This twattwafflian behavior feels like it is on the uptick and it is up to each of us as individuals to keep ourselves safe. Safety is often about doing the right things from not texting while driving to thoroughly vetting your date before you have a date but often there is something I feel people often overlook because technology is pushing us to minimize its role in our life and that is trusting our intuition, especially when interacting with people who have romantic potential.

I am lucky that I have learned many lessons in life but this one started early in my professional life when I was making my first ‘hire’. Since it was my first time hiring someone in a professional setting and I was in the wonderful corporate world, ‘human resources’ was figuratively up my butt about the process. When it came time to make a choice, the candidate I felt pushed to select, had all the right credentials, all of the references/background checks were spot on and they appeared on paper to be just the right fit. While on paper they were the crème de la crème but in person, they just did not “feel right”. It turns out that my gut reaction was correct because they were most certainly not a good choice even though everything on paper said they should be. This was coupled with an episode (or two) in life that I would call “dating crazy”. Dating crazy means you find someone who seems amazing but there is something about them that you just cannot put a finger on. Whatever that thing is, it gives you a pause but you keep rolling forward until one day, like a Jack in the Box, the music stops and the kooky pops out.

These lessons took time for me to crystallize in my mind and I learned to trust intuition when making judgments about people. Right now I can hear a loud GASP from Tumblr and the whispers “He just said he judges people, he is not a good person. People should never judge”. Now there are several things we should never judge others on, things like race, gender, sexual orientation, religion and I can keep that list rolling but there are things we do judge others on and we do so daily. Things such as if someone would be a good fit in our workplace, sports team, dinner party group, college, peer group, et cetera and sometimes we get to make a judgment on if we want to get to know someone who has romantic intentions. Affairs of the heart are complex but I believe that this is one of those times when we need to listen to our inner voice. Everything could seem perfect on paper, they look awesome on the outside plus there is the possibility of a real and meaningful mental connection but there is just something that is causing your gut to tap your brain to say “Hey, I’ve got the heebie-jeebies going on”.

When our intuition starts waving the heebie-jeebie red flag, we all need to make time to investigate this warning. I know from my experience that these heebie-jeebies can be caused by things that are not true warnings. Here are a few of the things that caused my intuition to send false flags of the dating kind: wore the same scent as an ex, their favorite singer was the same as ex and one was because they had a similar laugh to a coworker that drove me nuts. Sometimes our intuition gives us warnings based on things that are quite silly, so it is important to have an internal discussion to discover why we are receiving the heebie-jeebies. There will be times when once we discover the real reason, it is laughable but because we learned this it allows us to grow our relationship with that person rather than having it held back by foolishness. Other times and these are the important times, we have that deep conversation within ourselves and discover there is not any logical reason for this feeling, and even our internal Mr. Spook my surrender to his human half by admitting there is something off about this person. When there is no logical explanation for this feeling is when we need to trust our gut. It is better to excuse yourself from getting to know a person than feeling these jeebies build, knowing that whatever is trigging the warning will pop its ugly head out of that Jack in a Box.

There are so many hoops and boxes we all check off in the technical process of getting to know someone new these days that we often fail to mark the big box about how our intuition feels. So often we fail to trust our gut because we have never learned how to tell a false warning from a genuine gut-busting red flag. After all, we have so many amazing tech-driven tools to verify people are who they claim to be. Even with all of the electronic advancements, there is still no algorithm to predict if someone will be a fit for their role in our lives or if they will leave a mess behind when we excuse them from our lives. That is why I believe it is important we all work to understand our intuition better and listen to it when making judgments about the people we are choosing to include in our lives.

As with all of my writings, please see this disclaimer.

©TLK2020

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theres-no-protocol-for-this · 3 years

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Intruder Alert

There are parts one and two around here somewhere. I swear!

Long after Emily and Nat headed home, I finally managed to crawl under the covers. I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

At some point, Kai jumped onto the bed, made a few laps around the comforter, and finally snuggled on top of the covers. The mattress shifted when the cat made itself comfortable in my bedroom, and I woke up just long enough to realize that the furry shadow wasn't Tasha. My heart might never recover from losing the tiny drama queen, but having Kai there made it a little more bearable.

"Meow," said the cat softly and then yawned.

"Meow to you, too," I mumbled and closed my eyes again.

What seemed like only moments later, something crashed downstairs with a loud, horrible bang. Startled out of sleep, I sat up and shivered; goosebumps ran up my spine. I glanced toward the warm spot on my bed where the kitty had been sleeping, but Kai was already on the floor and headed out the bedroom door.

I started to do the same, carefully easing myself off the bed, and the cat hissed at me. "Meow," it whined softly in my direction.

"If that wasn't you," I whispered, "then whatever it is might not be friendly."

Racoons occasionally snuck around the rooftops around here, and once in a while, someone would report a lone coyote. This didn't sound like any of those, not to mention the sudden noise had come from somewhere inside the house.

"Meow!"

"I'm not letting you go down there alone," I told the cat.

Another equally loud crash punctuated my point. It was closer this time and followed by heavy, erratic footsteps. There was someone in my home—someone I hadn't invited in—and they were working through my living room. The intruder pulled open a creaking cabinet drawer downstairs and started ruffling through it.

Shit.

The cat gave me one final, angry glare and ran off down the hall. Adrenaline surged through my limbs, sleep all but forgotten. I fumbled with my phone and dialed emergency services. Standing there quietly on the cool carpet, I looked around the room in search of anything I could use as a weapon. My heart thudded in my chest.

The woman on the other end of the line verified my address while I whispered, "Yeah, that's me. There's someone in my house. They're breaking things, I think."

She told me to stay put and hide. I suppose if anyone knew what to do in this kind of emergency, it would be the operator. But I couldn't bring myself to cower in a closet while Kai was downstairs with the intruder. Stupid, I know, but at that moment, it was the best I had.

I hung up the phone, grabbed one of Emily's heavy vases, and tiptoed out of the bedroom. The house stood dark, but there was near-constant noise. The intruder had to be looking for something and tearing my living room apart in the process. Suddenly the person downstairs cursed, and I heard a strangled cat yelp.

Fuck.

Vase in hand, I rushed downstairs. The asshole intruder turned just in time to watch me slam a piece of pottery over his head with all the force I could muster. The vase shattered into a dozen pieces and the shadow man staggered backward.

He was already off balance when I pushed at him as hard as I could, and it didn't take much for him to trip over the coffee table and crash into the sofa. He ended up on the floor and I waited for a moment to see if he'd move again. When he didn't, I rushed past him and knelt beside Kai.

It looked like the cat had been thrown and had slammed into a wall. It lay on the floor, a crumpled furry body struggling to breathe. The kitty barely lifted its head and meowed weakly at me. I reached down and gently lifted the cat into my arms, horrified that it wasn't going to make it.

Sirens wailed in the distance, but my brain was in overdrive. Even if the cops got here right now, they couldn't do a damn thing for Kai. I walked straight past the clearly unconscious intruder, grabbed a blanket from the couch, and wrapped the kitty in it.

"We gotta get you to a vet, love," I said, looking for shoes of all things.

My notebooks lay on the floor, along with shattered glass, and goodness knows what else. But I couldn't find my shoes. I yanked the car keys off their hook when the kitty nuzzled my shoulder.

"Don’t,” said a mechanical voice. “I’ll be fine.”

I blinked and looked down at the cat. "You talk?"

"Occasionally. The human wanted something. Be careful." Its voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.

"What about you?" Some part of me was sure I was hallucinating, but it was apparently willing to play along.

The front door swung open to reveal three officers with badges and guns. They were all speaking at once, presumably not all to me. I just stood there, frozen, barely able to discern what they were saying. I guess one look at me, still dressed in my pajamas and holding a cat, was enough to convince them I wasn't the intruder.

"What happened here, ma'am?" asked one of the newcomers.

"Uh. I heard banging around downstairs, so I grabbed a vase and hit him on the head with it." I was nodding at the guy on the floor.

"Does he live here?"

"What? Hell no!"

The officer nodded. "All right, why don't you and I go upstairs for a moment and we'll let the other officers take a look around, make sure there's no one else?"

"My cat got hurt," I said.

Kai meowed softly as the officer maneuvered me out of the living room. Another officer joined us a moment later and told us that the intruder wasn't dead and they were taking him to the ER. Not a bad idea. I'd done some damage.

"Stay here, ma'am," the policeman told me and they both left.

There was more noise, most of it incomprehensible, so I fled into my bedroom.

#kitties afoot #maybe its fanfiction #murderbot is a cat

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lokiondisneyplus · 4 years

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EXCLUSIVE: Universal’s Jurassic World: Dominion is set to be the first major studio movie to re-start filming proper in the UK, we can reveal. Cameras are due to roll the second week of July (July 6) at Pinewood Studios, Universal has confirmed.

The filmmakers and studio top brass have pulled out all the stops to get the production back underway after it was halted by the pandemic in mid-March four weeks into a 20-week shoot. In recent days, production staff have been implementing rigorous safety protocols on-site and a two week pre-production period will begin next week.

“The plan is for us to be shooting early-mid July,” a senior Universal production executive confirmed.

Universal has been working with the UK’s British Film Council and U.S. unions to ensure the production meets required safety standards. But it is also going beyond those measures.

The studio is understood to be spending around $5M on its protocols, which will see the production carry out thousands of tests during the remainder of filming. All cast and crew will be tested before returning to set and then again multiple times during filming.

The safety measures will include the commission of a private medical facility called Your Doctor to manage the entire production’s medical needs; Covid training for all cast and crew; on-site doctors, nurses and isolation booths; 150 hand sanitizer stations; nightly anti-viral ‘fogs’; more than 1,800 safety signs put up around Pinewood; and ‘Green Zones’ for shooting cast and crew. Masks will be obligatory other than for actors while performing. Scroll down for more detail on the studio’s protocols.

“Anyone with symptoms will be isolated immediately before being sent home,” the Universal production executive told us. “We want to make sure that we are going above and beyond the national protocols to create a safe environment. Cost isn’t our main concern now: it’s safety. We will take direction from our medical team, but we’re confident that with the staggered scheduling and zones of talent and crew, along with a system of contact tracing, we can move forward with limited delay in production.”

The ambitious program has been vetted and approved by Universal chairman Donna Langley and Universal’s senior leadership team. Langley has been a vocal advocate for getting the industry back into production and has spearheaded the working group for LA County’s economic resiliency task force on behalf of the media and entertainment sector.

Some of Dominion’s main cast, including Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, returned to the U.S. during the hiatus but will fly back to the UK shortly where they will need to carry out a two-week quarantine per new government regulations. Actors traveling from the U.S. will be tested prior to leaving the country, too.

Dominion director Colin Trevorrow has been instrumental in planning and getting buy-in from cast and crew. Inevitably, the team has had questions about the return to work in a country that has been particularly hard-hit by Covid, but we hear the spirit has been collaborative and positive.

Unlike many productions, Universal’s previous insurance policy will remain in place without exclusions, which is part of the reason the studio is able to return to production so swiftly. During the costly hiatus, Pinewood has been charging the U.S. studio holding fees, which has been another spur to getting back underway.

Trevorrow, who wrote the script with Emily Carmichael from a story by Derek Connolly, is executive producing with Steven Spielberg. Frank Marshall and Pat Crowley are producing. Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill are reprising their roles from 1993’s original Jurassic Park. Current release date is June 11, 2021. Previous instalment Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom grossed $1.3BN in 2018, good for fifteenth all-time at the box office.

Jurassic World: Dominion has been one of a handful of major studio productions on hold in the UK. The government gave the film and TV industries the go-ahead for production to re-start last month but there remain safety, practical and insurance issues to iron out as the UK slowly comes out of lockdown (schools, cinemas, pubs, restaurants remain closed).

Other UK-based blockbusters waiting for their green-light include Warner Bros’ The Batman and Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them 3, and Disney’s The Little Mermaid. James Cameron arrived back in New Zealand earlier this month to get back underway on the Avatar sequels and Netflix is underway on multiple TV productions (and one film) in the Nordics.

All the studios have been working best they can on non-contact elements of their movies during the hiatus, including VFX work, storyboarding and planning for re-starts. We hear that construction crews are gearing back up now on a number of productions so don’t be surprised if this is the first of a string of announcements about movie re-starts.

Universal’s protocols for Jurassic World: Dominion will include:

The commission of a private medical facility called Your Doctor to manage the entire production’s medical requirements. This will include Covid-19, fever and antibody testing but they will also review all hand sanitizer, social distancing measures, updates to government and best practice guidelines. Your Doctor will continually update the production’s safety measures as the science and environment changes and will be available for cast consultations to review health and safety concerns.

The studio has commissioned Your Doctor to test all crew before they start on the production. They will then test the crew at times throughout production. The whole crew will also be antibody tested. Thousands of tests are expected to be carried out over the shoot period.

All crew will be temperature tested every day and not allowed on site until complete. Two walk-through temperature testing stations are being built at each end of Pinewood Studios with capacity of 1,000 crew over 2 hours. Each test station will have a compliment of doctors, nurses and isolation booths. Crew will be verified that they have been tested by a bespoke RFID system that registers when a crew member has been temperature tested. Crew will also be given a paper wristband for identification by security as a fall back. Additional temperature test stations will be set up on location as required.

The studio is putting up around 1,800 signs across Pinewood and more on location. These will include reminders that crew numbers will be limited in various locations, the need for social distancing (six feet of separation) and one-way systems in operation.

The studio is rolling out a full COVID training program to be undertaken by all staff before starting. Universal will also do specific training for specialist groups (e.g. costume and makeup).

The studio is manufacturing 150 hand sanitizer stations to be positioned at points around Pinewood Studios. They are also putting in an extra 60 sinks. All crew members will also be given an individual hand sanitizer bottle when they start.

Production will double the cleaning recommendations and employ a large cleaning team who will continually clean all the touch points across the site in addition to all common areas, toilets, welfare and kitchens. They will clean with specialized antiviral sprays appropriate to the situation. In the evenings all toilets, communal areas, welfare areas, kitchens, trucks and sets will be antiviral fogged. Props, grip, SFX and camera will use specialized antistatic cleaning systems.

The studio is setting up a ‘Greenzone’ for the shooting cast and crew which will have an enhanced testing environment. The ‘Greenzone’ will be policed to stop any untested crew from coming in as a further measure to prevent any spread of COVID.

Universal will have additional security detail maintaining the temperature testing centers and a further team who will check crew are eligible to go into the protected greenzones. Security team will be trained in COVID measures to ensure that the required operations are followed.

#hollywood production #back to work

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andrewrpierce · 4 years

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“I spent two years researching the Christian Right. I traveled across the country, spending time in megachurches, creationist seminars, right-to-life retreats, and even took a course taught by D. James Kennedy in Florida called Evangelism Explosion. I conducted a few hundred interviews, and I met many evangelicals of good will and good intentions, but I came away believing that the leadership of the Christian Right cruelly manipulates the despair of its followers and poses a danger to our open society. Doctor James Luther Adams, my ethics professor at Harvard Divinity School, told us that when we were his age, he was then close to 80, we would all be fighting the Christian Fascists. The warning, given to me more than three decades ago, came at a moment Pat Robertson and other radio and tele-evangelists began speaking about a new political religion that would direct its efforts at taking control of all institutions, including mainstream denominations, and finally the government. Its stated goal was to use the United States to create a global Christian empire. It was hard at the time to take such fantastic rhetoric seriously, especially given the buffoonish quality of those who expounded it. But Adams warned us against the blindness caused by intellectual snobbery. The Fascists, he said, were not going to return with swastikas and Brownshirts. Their ideological heirs would wrap fascism in the Christian cross and the American flag and hold mass recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance. Adams was not a man to use the word Fascist lightly. He was in Germany in 1935 and 1936 and worked with the underground anti-Nazi church, known as the Confessing Church, led by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Adams was eventually detained, interrogated by the Gestapo, and expelled from Germany. He left on a night train, with framed portraits of Adolf Hitler placed over the contents inside his suitcase, to hide the rolls of home movie film he took of the so called "German Christian Church," which was pro-Nazi, and the few individuals who defied them, including the theologians Karl Barth and Albert Schweitzer. The ruse worked when the border police lifted the top of the suitcases, saw the portraits of the Führer, and closed them up again. I watched hours of the grainy black and white films as he narrated in his apartment in Cambridge. Adams saw in the Christian Right, long before we did, disturbing similarities with the German Christian Church. Similarities that he said would, in the event of prolonged social instability accompanied by economic decline, see American Fascists, under the guise of religion, rise to dismantle the Open Society. He despaired of liberals, who he said, as in Nazi Germany, mouthed platitudes about dialogue and inclusiveness that made them ineffectual and impotent. Liberals, he said, did not understand the power and allure of evil, nor the cold reality of how the world worked. Like Bonhoeffer, he did not believe that those who would fight effectively in coming times of turmoil (a fight that, for him, was a fundamental part of the Biblical call) would come from the Church or the liberal secular elite. Adams told us to watch closely what the Christian Right did to ethnic and religious minorities, as well as those who did not adhere to rigid sexual stereotypes. He watched the Nazis use "moral" values to launch state repression of opponents. Hitler, days after he took power in 1933, imposed a ban on all homosexual and lesbian organizations. He ordered raids on places where homosexuals gathered, culminating with the ransacking of the Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin. Thousands of volumes from the Institute's libraries were tossed into a bonfire. The assault was cheered by the German churches. Adams said that the GBLTQ community, Muslims, immigrants, and poor people of color would be the first deviants singled out by the Christian Right, but we would be the next. I remember thinking his warning was perhaps too apocalyptic. But nearly four decades later, the power brokers in the Christian Right have moved from the fringes of society to the floor of the House of Representatives and the Senate, the White House, the judiciary, and major government departments. FRC Action, the legislative affiliate of the Family Research Council, gave 245 members of congress a perfect 100% for votes that support the agenda of the Christian Right. The Family Research Council, which called on its followers to pray for God to "vanquish the demonic," that's their quotes, "forces behind Trump's impeachment," is identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group because of its campaigns to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. Trump has elevated members of the Christian Right to prominent positions of power, including Mike Pence to the Vice Presidency, Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, Ben Carson as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, William Barr as Attorney General, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, and the tele-evangelist Paula White, who promises her donors their own personal angel, to his Faith and Opportunities Initiative. Frank Amedia, the Trump campaign's Liaison for Christian Policy, claims to have raised an aunt from the dead. And the Christian Right, which makes up as much of a quarter of the country, or close to 80 million people, has its own version of the Brownshirts: the four higher mercenary armies and private contractors amassed by people such as Erik Prince, the brother of Betsy DeVos. Reason, science, facts, and verifiable truth are useless weapons against this belief system. I think the Christian Right is best understood as what anthropologists will call a crisis cult. Crisis Cults arise in most collapsing societies. They promise, through magic, to recover the lost grandeur of a mythologized past. This magical thinking banishes doubt, anxiety, and feelings of dis-empowerment. Traditional social hierarchies and rules, including white, male supremacy, will be restored. Those blamed for our decline: intellectuals, artists, liberals, immigrants, undocumented workers, poor people of color, feminists, will be dis-empowered. America, freed from the contamination of these "degenerate forces," will be restored. The Christian Right propagates its magical thinking through a selective Biblical literalism. They hold up as sacrosanct Biblical passages that buttress their ideology and ignore or grossly misinterpret the ones that do not. They live in a binary universe. They see themselves as eternal victims, oppressed by dark and sinister groups seeking their annihilation. They alone know the will of God. They alone can fulfill God's will. They seek total cultural and political domination. The secular reality-based world, one where Satan, miracles, divine edicts, angels, and magic do not exist, destroyed their lives and their communities. This secular world took away their jobs and their futures. It destroyed the social bonds that gave them purpose, dignity, and hope. In their despair, they often succumbed to alcoholism, drug, gambling, and pornography addictions. They endured familial breakdowns, divorce, jail, evictions, unemployment, and domestic and sexual abuse. And then from the depths of suicidal despair, they suddenly discovered that God has a plan for them; God will save them; God will intervene in their lives to promote and protect them. God has called them to carry out His holy mission in the world, and to be rich, powerful, and happy. The only thing that saved them was their conversion, the realization that God had a plan for them, and would protect them. These believers were pushed by the wreckage caused by neoliberalism into the arms of charlatans. All who attempt to reach them through the rational language of fact and evidence are hated and ultimately feared, for they seek to force believers back into what they call the "culture of death" that nearly destroyed them. Trump has handed veto and appointment power over key positions in government, especially in the federal courts, to the Christian Right. He has installed 133 district court judges out of 677 total, 50 appeals court judges out of 179 total, and two U.S. Supreme Court justices out of nine. Almost all of these justices were vetted by The Federalist Society and the Christian Right. Many have been rated as unqualified by the American Bar Association, the country's largest non-partisan coalition of lawyers. Trump has moved to ban Muslim immigrants. He has rolled back Civil Rights legislation. He has made war on reproductive rights by restricting abortion and defunding Planned Parenthood. Trump was the first president to address the radical anti-choice March For Life event in person. He permits discrimination against LGBTQ community people in the name of "religious liberty." He has ripped down the firewall between church and state by revoking the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits churches which are tax exempt, from endorsing political candidates. His appointees routinely use Biblical strictures to justify an array of policy decisions including: environmental deregulation, endless war against Muslims in the Middle East, tax cuts, and the replacement of public schools with charter schools, an action that permits the transfer of federal education funds to private "Christian" schools. The iconography and language and symbols of American Nationalism are intertwined with the iconography, language and symbols of the Christian faith. Megapastors will often share Trump's narcissism, rule despotic, cult-like fiefdoms. They make millions of dollars by using this heretical belief system to prey on the despair and desperation of their congregations. They distort the Bible to champion unfettered capitalism, the cult of masculinity, the belief that violence can purge the world of evil, white supremacy, bigotry, American chauvinism, religious intolerance, anger, racism, and conspiracy theories. Those within the evangelical movement, such as the editors of the magazine Christianity Today, who have attempted to state the obvious about Trump, that he is corrupt, inept, and immoral, and should be removed from office, are brutally attacked. Nearly 200 evangelical leaders, including former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, former representative Michelle Bachman, Jerry Falwell Jr., and Ralph Reed, signed a joint letter denouncing the Christianity Today editorial. Evangelical Christians who criticize Trump are as swiftly disappeared as Republican politicians who criticize Trump. Trump received 80% of the white, evangelical vote in the 2016 presidential election, and in a poll during the House impeachment proceedings, 90% of evangelicals said they opposed the impeachment and ouster of the president. Among Republicans who identified as white evangelical protestants, that number rises to 99%.”

-Chris Hedges, 24 Feb 2020

#chris hedges #christian right #dominionism #religion #fundamentalism

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bloojayoolie · 6 years

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Being Alone, Cats, and Children: I1 yrs old, 75 Bas of perpection Bricks n)# t4307 / @ Bhooblyn Ace Dreaming o his perfect Retirement Home. A Family Pet! Outgoing, Friendly with everyone, Gentle with kids, Submissive with dogs (likes to lick them), Perfectly trained, A sterling resume, 11 yrs young. Are you worthy? TO BE KILLED 10/23/2018 What else would you like people to know about Bricks, asked the intake counselor. “That Bricks is a family dog and he does not like being in the yard by himself. He is very playful and respectful and he loves attention.” His family added that he is submissive to other dogs and likes to lick them. Then they were gone, and this incredibly sweet, loyal, affectionate “family pet” was on his own after 11 years with the family that abandoned him, lost and lonely in the Brooklyn Center, just another number, just another frosty face forgotten by the only people he ever loved. We could go on and on about how perfect this elderly gentleman is, his sterling resume, his track record of excellence, but what would be the point? The bottom line is that he, like other special seniors before him, is too amazing to die alone among strangers, with a broken heart. He would love to meet you, he would love to be your friend and companion for life. You simply won’t find better, and he needs out before he gets the dreaded shelter cold and ends up on the list to die. Will you help our sweet guy out? PRIVATE MESSAGE OUR PAGE or email us at [email protected] for assistance saving his life. The question is not whether he is good enough for a family, it's whether there is even a family out there good enough for him! VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tfe8Fmd79w BRICKS, ID# 44307, @ 11 Yrs., 75 Lbs. Brooklyn Acc, Large Mixed Breed, Brown / White, Neutered Male Owner Surrender Reason: I came into the shelter as a owner surrender on 13-Oct-2018, with the surrender reason stated as other. Intake Behavior Rating: INTAKE NOTES, DATE OF INTAKE – 10/13/2018: Upon intake Bricks was friendly. He greeted everyone who came into BACC lobby. He was very outgoing. He was quiet and he allowed handling by the counselor. OWNER SURRENDER NOTE – BASIC INFORMATION: Bricks is an 11 year old large mix breed. He is very friendly and is well trained. He previously lived with 3 adults. Bricks is very friendly and outgoing around strangers. He is very gentle and playful around children. He been around children around ages 2yrs-7yrs old. He is very submissive around other dogs, especially around females. He likes to lick. He like to chase the cats. There were no cats in the house hold. He is not really bothered with you touching his food or toys. Bricks has no bite history. He is housetrained and has a high energy level. He has never had any medical issues. For a New Family to Know: Bricks went to training school. He is housed trained. He loves to play with balls. He is a family dog. He does not like being in the yard by himself. He is very playful and respectful. He loves attention . He is potty trained. He is also submissive to other dogs and licks them. PLAYGROUP NOTES – DOG TO DOG SUMMARIES: Bricks previous owner reported that he is deferential around other dogs. 10/15: When off leash at the Care Center, Bricks enters the yard chattering after sniffing urine. He continues to explore the yard, mostly ignoring the novel female. He does approach briefly, chattering and lip licking, then wanders away. Behavior Assessment Date of intake:: 10/13/2018 Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Owner surrender Previously lived with:: 3 adults Behavior toward strangers:: Friendly, and outgoing Behavior toward children:: Bricks is gentle and playful around children. Behavior toward dogs:: Affectionate Behavior toward cats:: Bricks will chase cats. Resource guarding:: None reported Bite history:: None reported Housetrained:: Yes Energy level/descriptors:: He is very playful and respectful. He loves attention with a high activity level. Date of assessment:: 10/17/2018 Look:: 1. Dog's eyes are averted, with tail wagging and ears back. Allows head to be held loosely in Assessor's cupped hands. Sensitivity:: 1. Dog stands still and accepts the touch, eyes are averted, and tail is in neutral position with a relaxed body posture. Dog's mouth is likely closed for at least a portion of the assessment item. Tag:: 1. Dog follows at the end of the leash, body low and a bit fearful. Paw squeeze 1:: 3. Dog closes mouth, becomes stiff. Flank squeeze 1:: 1. Dog does not respond at all. Flank squeeze 2:: 1. Dog does not respond at all. Toy:: 1. No interest. Summary:: During his assessment Bricks was a bit nervous but tolerant of all handling. He was tense, mouth closed, and became stiff with paw squeeze. Bricks showed no interest in the toy item. Summary (1):: Bricks previous owner reported that he is deferential around other dogs. 10/15: When off leash at the Care Center, Bricks enters the yard chattering after sniffing urine. He continues to explore the yard, mostly ignoring the novel female. He does approach briefly, chattering and lip licking, then wanders away. 10/16: Brick continued to be sexually motivated with a calm female dog. He focus mostly on her genitals and was slow to redirection. Date of intake:: 10/13/2018 Summary:: Upon intake Bricks was friendly. Date of initial:: 10/16/2018 Summary:: Very nervous and timid, whale eye ENERGY LEVEL:: Bricks displays a low activity level in the care center. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: EXPERIENCE (suitable for an adopter with some previous dog experience, especially with the behaviors outlined below) Behavior Asilomar: TM - Treatable-Manageable Recommendations:: No young children (under 5) Recommendations comments:: No young children: Due to the behavior seen in the care center, we feel that Bricks may be intimidated by young children. He needs a slow approach and time to warm up. He should never be forced to interact with new people, and should be allowed to greet and initiate an interaction at his own pace. Potential challenges: : Handling/touch sensitivity,Fearful Potential challenges comments:: Handling/touch sensitivity: Bricks has been noted to become uncomfortable with handling at times, especially when a person is reaching over him. It is important to always go slow and give Bricks the option to walk away from any social interaction. Bricks should never be forced to approach anything that he is uncomfortable with or to submit to petting or handling. It should always be Brick’s choice to approach a new person or thing. Bricks may do best in an initially calm and quiet home environment and should be given time to acclimate to his new surroundings. Fearful: Bricks takes some time to warm up to new people, though he shows good coping skills when uncomfortable. We feel he will do best with an adopter prepared to allow his to warm up to new people and new environments slowly. Use of treats and other rewards will help to make new experiences positive. MEDICAL EXAM NOTES Weight: 75 lbs Vet Notes 16/10/2018 [DVM Intake] DVM Intake Exam Estimated age: 11 years Microchip noted on Intake? No Microchip Number (If Applicable): History : O/S Subjective: BARH. Consistent coughing and sneezing. No vd Observed Behavior - Very nervous and timid, whale eye Evidence of Cruelty seen - no Evidence of Trauma seen - no Objective P = wnl R = wnl BCS 5/9 EENT: Eyes clear, ears clean, no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam: not performed - muzzled PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: NSR, NMA, CRT < 2, Lungs clear, eupnic ABD: Non painful, no masses palpated U/G: MN, no discharge MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, no masses noted, healthy hair coat CNS: Mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Rectal: normal externally Assessment CIRDC Geriatric Prognosis: fair Plan: Move to iso Start doxycycline 10 mg/kg PO SID x 14 days start enrofloxacin 10 mg/kg PO SID x 14 days * TO FOSTER OR ADOPT * HOW TO RESERVE A “TO BE KILLED” DOG ONLINE (only for those who can get to the shelter IN PERSON to complete the adoption process, and only for the dogs on the list NOT marked New Hope Rescue Only). Follow our Step by Step directions below! PLEASE NOTE – YOU MUST USE A PC OR TABLET – PHONE RESERVES WILL NOT WORK! * STEP 1: CLICK ON THIS RESERVE LINK: https://newhope.shelterbuddy.com/Animal/List Step 2: Go to the red menu button on the top right corner, click register and fill in your info. Step 3: Go to your email and verify account \ Step 4: Go back to the website, click the menu button and view available dogs Step 5: Scroll to the animal you are interested and click reserve STEP 6 ( MOST IMPORTANT STEP ): GO TO THE MENU AGAIN AND VIEW YOUR CART. THE ANIMAL SHOULD NOW BE IN YOUR CART! Step 7: Fill in your credit card info and complete transaction HOW TO FOSTER OR ADOPT IF YOU CANNOT GET TO THE SHELTER IN PERSON, OR IF THE DOG IS NEW HOPE RESCUE ONLY! You must live within 3 – 4 hours of NY, NJ, PA, CT, RI, DE, MD, MA, NH, VT, ME or Norther VA. Please PM our page for assistance. You will need to fill out applications with a New Hope Rescue Partner to foster or adopt a dog on the To Be Killed list, including those labelled Rescue Only. Hurry please, time is short, and the Rescues need time to process the applications.

#funny #lol #humor #memes #meme #memehumor #dank memes #funny pics #rolf #lmao #Being Alone #Cats #an

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orbemnews · 3 years

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Powell to Testify as Focus on Economic Pain Persists: Live Updates Here’s what you need to know: Jerome Powell is returning to Capitol Hill as Democrats push for a new $1.9 trillion spending plan.Credit…Al Drago for The New York Times After it rocketed higher last year, the United States’ official unemployment rate has fallen to 6.3 percent. But top economic officials are increasingly citing a different figure, one that puts the jobless rate at a far higher 10 percent. The higher figure includes people who have stopped looking for work, and the disparity between the official rate and the expanded statistic underlines the unusual nature of the pandemic shock and reinforces the idea that the economy remains far from a full recovery. The reality that labor market weakness lingers, a year into the pandemic, could come up again as Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, testifies before Congress starting on Tuesday. Mr. Powell is set to speak before the Senate Banking Committee at 10 a.m. Tuesday, then before the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday. The Bureau of Labor Statistics tallies how many Americans are looking for work or are on temporary layoff midway through each month. That number, taken as a share of the civilian labor force, is reported as the official unemployment rate. But economists have long worried that by relying on the headline rate, they ignore people they shouldn’t, including would-be employees who are not actively applying for jobs because they are discouraged or because they are waiting for the right opportunity. Now, key policymakers are all but ditching the headline statistic, rather than just playing down its comprehensiveness. In an alternate unemployment figure, they’re adding back people who have left the job market since last February, along with those who are misclassified in the official report. “We have an unemployment rate that, if properly measured in some sense, is really close to 10 percent,” Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said on CNBC last week. And a week earlier, Mr. Powell cited a similar figure in a speech about lingering labor market damage. “Published unemployment rates during Covid have dramatically understated the deterioration in the labor market,” Mr. Powell said recently. People dropped out of jobs rapidly when the economy closed, and with many restaurants, bars and hotels shut, there is nowhere for many workers who are trained in service work to apply. Mr. Powell will be testifying as Democrats look to pass $1.9 trillion in new economic relief, an effort that has raised concerns in some quarters about the potential for higher inflation. Mr. Powell has said he and his colleagues do not expect inflation to move much higher persistently, and has typically pushed for additional government support to help the economy through the pandemic. Rates on longer-term government bonds — which serve as benchmarks for things as varied as mortgages and credit-card debt — have been grinding higher and investors will also be watching carefully for any hints at how the Fed is interpreting that increase. If confirmed, Wally Adeyemo will be a pivotal player in America’s economic diplomacy efforts.Credit…Leah Millis/Reuters Wally Adeyemo, President Biden’s nominee for deputy Treasury Secretary, plans to emphasize the importance of rebuilding the United States’ alliances to combat China’s unfair trade practices and halt foreign interference in the country’s democratic institutions at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday, according to a copy of his prepared remarks, which were reviewed by The New York Times. His remarks highlight the importance that the Biden administration is placing on multilateralism as it seeks to undo many of the economic policies put in place by former President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Adeyemo will tell members of the Senate Finance Committee that Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen has asked him to focus on national security matters at the department. If confirmed, he will be a pivotal player in the country’s economic diplomacy efforts. “We must reclaim America’s credibility as a global leader, advocating for economic fairness and democratic values,” Mr. Adeyemo will say. Mr. Adeyemo is expected to be introduced at the hearing by Senator Elizabeth Warren, the progressive Democrat from Massachusetts. Ms. Warren, who established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau before joining the Senate, worked with Mr. Adeyemo, who served as her first chief of staff. Mr. Adeyemo will discuss the nexus between economic and national security, arguing that “Made in America” policies will make the country more competitive around the world. If confirmed, he is expected to conduct a broad review of Treasury’s sanctions program, which the Trump administration used aggressively, but often haphazardly, against Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and other countries. “Treasury’s tools must play a role in responding to authoritarian governments that seek to subvert our democratic institutions; combating unfair economic practices in China and elsewhere; and detecting and eliminating terrorist organizations that seek to do us harm,” Mr. Adeyemo, a former Obama administration official, will say. Born in Nigeria, Mr. Adeyemo emigrated with his parents to the United States when he was a baby and settled in Southern California outside Los Angeles. At the hearing, he will also talk about his working-class upbringing and the need to ensure that low-income communities and communities of color, which have been hit hardest by the pandemic, receive relief. Shelly Ross found herself in a bureaucratic nightmare after requesting a second loan via PayPal for Tales of the Kitty, her San Francisco cat-sitting business.Credit…Anastasiia Sapon for The New York Times Nearly a month into the second run of the Paycheck Protection Program, $126 billion in emergency aid has been distributed by banks, which make the government-backed loans, to nearly 1.7 million small businesses. But a thicket of errors and technology glitches has slowed the relief effort and vexed borrowers and lenders alike, Stacy Cowley reports for The New York Times. Some are run-of-the-mill challenges magnified by the immense demand for loans, which has overwhelmed customer service representatives. But many stem from new data checks added by the Small Business Administration to combat fraud and eliminate unqualified applicants. Instead of approving applications from banks immediately, the S.B.A. has held them for a day or two to verify some of the information. That has caused — or exposed — a cascade of problems. Formatting applications in ways that will pass the agency’s automated vetting has been a challenge for some lenders, and many have had to revise their technology systems almost daily to keep up with adjustments to the agency’s system. False red flags, which can require time-consuming human intervention to fix, remain a persistent problem. Numerated, a technology company that processes loans for more than 100 lenders, still has around 10 percent of its applications snarled in error codes, down from a peak of more than 25 percent, said Dan O’Malley, the company’s chief executive. Nearly 5 percent of the 5.2 million loans made last year had “anomalies,” the agency revealed last month, ranging from minor mistakes like typos to major ones like ineligibility. Even tiny mistakes can spiral into bureaucratic disasters. Ardagh’s can-making business has grown by working with several seltzer-based beverage companies, like White Claw and Truly Hard Seltzer.Credit…Richa Naidu/Reuters The company that makes the aluminum cans used by LaCroix, White Claw and other beverage giants is spinning off that business in a deal that values the new company at $8.5 billion, according to several people with knowledge of the plan. The deal by Ardagh Group, which is based in Luxembourg, would be in the form of a merger with a special-purpose acquisition vehicle, or SPAC, backed by an affiliate of the Gores Group, the California private equity firm. It could be announced as soon as Tuesday, said the people, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because the negotiations are confidential. It is a bet on the continued growth of the can business, as companies increasingly weigh the environmental consequences of their products. Nestlé announced the sale of its water business for $4.3 billion this month, in part a move to shift away from water packaged in plastic. Aluminum cans are far easier to recycle than plastic bottles. The Gores SPAC, named Gores Holdings V, is the seventh such deal the group has done. Ardagh will retain a roughly 80 percent stake in the company after the deal. Investors are contributing a $600 million private placement, while Gores is putting in $525 million in cash. The new company, Ardagh Metal Packaging, will issue $2.65 billion of new debt. Ardagh generates more half its roughly $7 billion in annual sales from making cans for beverage companies. This past year, sales by the unit grew 2 percent, fueled by beverage sales and environmental awareness, while earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortization grew 8 percent. Ardagh will keep its glass packaging business. For beverage companies, cans have become an increasingly important tool for branding, providing colorful and sleek packaging. When Ardagh acquired its canning operation in 2016 for $3 billion, it did most of its business with legacy brands like large soda and beer companies. It has since worked with younger and faster-growing seltzer-based brands like White Claw, LaCroix and Truly Hard Seltzer to help charge its growth. To prepare for further expected expansion in the United States, it bought a factory in Huron, Ohio. Globally, the company is eyeing growth in Europe and Brazil, where beer sales remain strong as consumers are increasingly shifting from tap to cans. When movie theaters reopen in New York City, masks will be mandatory, and theaters must assign seating to patrons to guarantee proper social distancing.Credit…Angela Weiss/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Movie theaters in New York City will be permitted to open for the first time in nearly a year on March 5, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced at a news conference on Monday. The theaters will only be permitted to operate at 25 percent of their maximum capacity, with no more than 50 people per screening. Masks will be mandatory, and theaters must assign seating to patrons to guarantee proper social distancing. Tests for the virus will not be required. Movie theaters were permitted to open with similar limits in the rest of the state in late October, but New York City was excluded out of concern that the city’s density would hasten the spread of the virus there. The virus has battered the movie theater industry. In October, the owner of Regal Cinemas, the second-largest cinema chain in the United States, temporarily closed its theaters as Hollywood studios kept postponing releases and cautious audiences were hesitant to return to screenings. AMC Entertainment, the world’s largest movie theater chain, has increasingly edged toward bankruptcy. The economic effects of the pandemic have been particularly felt in New York City, one of the biggest movie markets in the United States. Theaters in the city closed in mid-March, as the region was becoming an epicenter of the pandemic in the country. While other indoor businesses, including restaurants, bowling alleys and museums, had been allowed to open in the city, Mr. Cuomo had kept movie theaters closed out of concern that people would be sitting indoors in poorly ventilated theaters for hours, risking the further spread of the virus. Theaters that open will be required to have enhanced air filtration systems. Public health experts say when considering indoor gatherings, the quality of ventilation is key because the virus is known to spread more easily indoors. Mr. Cuomo’s announcement was applauded by the National Association of Theater Owners. “New York City is a major market for moviegoing in the U.S.; reopening there gives confidence to film distributors in setting and holding their theatrical release dates, and is an important step in the recovery of the entire industry,” the association said in a statement. In a statement, AMC’s chief executive, Adam Aron, said the company would open all 13 of its New York City theaters on March 5. The move came just days after Mr. Cuomo said that indoor family entertainment centers and places of amusement could reopen statewide, at 25 percent maximum capacity, on March 26. Outdoor amusement parks will be allowed to open with a 33 percent capacity limit in April. The governor also said that the state was working on guidelines to allow pool and billiards halls to reopen after the state lost a lawsuit from pool hall operators. Those establishments will be allowed to reopen at 50 percent capacity with masks required, he said. Cases in New York remain high despite climbing down from their January peak. Over the last seven days, the state averaged 38 cases per 100,000 residents each day, as of Sunday. That is the second-highest rate per capita of new cases in the last week in the country, after South Carolina. The coronavirus pandemic dealt a big blow to WeWork’s business.Credit…Kate Munsch/Reuters Adam Neumann, the flamboyant co-founder of WeWork, and SoftBank, the Japanese conglomerate that rescued the co-working company in 2019, have in recent weeks made significant headway toward settling their drawn-out legal dispute, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. That battle has stalled SoftBank’s efforts to take WeWork public. As part of its multibillion-dollar bailout of WeWork, SoftBank offered to pay $3 billion for stock owned by Mr. Neumann and other shareholders. Several months later, after the coronavirus pandemic had emptied WeWork’s locations, SoftBank withdrew the offer. Mr. Neumann then sued SoftBank for breach of contract. SoftBank was already a big investor in WeWork when it withdrew plans for an initial public offering in 2019. Now, SoftBank has plans to combine WeWork with a publicly traded special-purpose acquisition company, a type of deal that has recently become a popular way of quickly bringing private companies public. The legal dispute between Mr. Neumann and SoftBank is a threat to such a deal because it leaves unresolved the question of how much control SoftBank has over WeWork. The settlement talks, which were reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal, could still fall apart, the two people said. Under the terms being discussed, SoftBank would buy half the number of shares that it had originally agreed to, one of the people said. As a result, it would pay $1.5 billion, not $3 billion. Mr. Neumann would get nearly $500 million instead of almost $1 billion, but he would retain more of his shares. Under Mr. Neumann, WeWork grew at a breakneck pace and was using up so much cash that it was close to bankruptcy before SoftBank stepped in. Under the management team SoftBank installed, WeWork has tried to cut costs by slowing its growth and negotiating deals with the landlords it rents space from. Source link Orbem News #Economic #focus #Live #pain #Persists #Powell #testify #Updates

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bloojayoolie · 6 years

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Being Alone, Andrew Bogut, and Animals: Sir Shadow ID# 31238 1 yr and 6 mos old, 52 lbs Super cute Sir Shadow is Ready to be your Best Friend Forever. Wiggly, tail waggy, a little too thin and in need of some good eats and lots of LOVE. Sir Shadow earned all stellar 1's and 2's on his behavior evaluation. Waiting on LOVE an ACC **** SAVED - 6/28/22018 **** PULLED BY PIT OF OUR SOULS RESCUE. PLEASE HONOR YOUR PLEDGES Pledges can be sent to paypal [email protected] >>> NEW POSTER for super cute Sir Shadow SIR SHADOW WAS HOME ALONE when there was a leak in the building that was serious enough for the landlord and authorities to enter the home and take him to safety without permission from his owners. The word safety is used loosely here as Sir Shadow was brought to the Manhattan shelter and it seems his family has not come to reclaim him and bring him home. Not good. This is a kill shelter and Sir Shadow is out of time so he's been added to the euth list. He needs his family to wake up ASAP and smell the coffee or he needs a caring, dog-loving hero to show him some compassion and open their heart and home. Sir Shadow is a wiggly, tail waggy boy whose shown lots of potential and earned all stellar 1's and 2's on his behavior evaluation. He's a little too thin and in need of some good eats and tasty snacks mixed with lots of LOVE. Please step up and make Sir Shadow a happy boy. SIR SHADOW@MANHATTAN ACC Hello, my name is Sir Shadow My animal id is #31238 I am a male gray dog at the Manhattan Animal Care Center The shelter thinks I am about 1 years 6 months old, 52 lbs Came into shelter as a agency June 15, 2018 Sir Shadow has been diagnosed with canine infectious respirartory disease complex which is contagious to other dogs and may require a course of antibiotics. Behaviorally, we recommend he be placed in an adult only home. My medical notes are... Weight: 52.4 lbs Vet Notes 18/06/2018 DVM Intake Exam Estimated age: ~1.5-2.5yrs based on PE. Microchip noted on Intake? scanned negative by LVT on intake. MC placed on intake. History: dog removed from home when owners not home due to water leak in building. Subjective / Observed Behavior - BAR, loose body and tail wagging. Allowed all handling. reported to be hard barking at handlers in kennel. Evidence of Cruelty seen - none Evidence of Trauma seen - none Objective BCS 5/9 EENT: Eyes clear, ears clean, no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam: dc 2/5; pd 1/5 PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: No murmur ausculted; CRT < 2, Lungs clear, eupnic ABD: Non painful, no masses palpated U/G: intact male. testicles are smooth and symmetrical MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, no masses noted, healthy hair coat CNS: Mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Rectal: grossly normal. Assessment apparently healthy dental calculus Prognosis: excellent Plan: await behavioral assessment SURGERY: Okay for surgery 22/06/2018 Hx: Soft stool noted on rounds this morning O: BAR in kennel -No nasal discharge -Eupnic, no coughing or sneezing A: One episode of diarrhea - R/O stress vs. new food vs. oncoming CIRDC vs. other P: Monitor for further symptoms 1088 23/06/2018 SO BAR, active and barking at kennel front. EENT -- sneezing, serous nasal discharge during rounds observation today. A CIRDC P doxycycline 100mg tablet -- Give 2 tablets PO q24h x 14 days cerenia 60mg tablet -- Give 0.5 tablet PO q24h x 4 days Details on my behavior are... Behavior Condition: 1. Green Behavior Assessment Date of intake:: 6/15/2018 Spay/Neuter status:: No Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray, no known history Date of assessment:: 6/20/2018 Look:: 1. Dog's eyes are averted, with tail wagging and ears back. Allows head to be held loosely in Assessor's cupped hands. Sensitivity:: 1. Dog leans into the Assessor, eyes soft or squinty, soft and loose body, open mouth. Tag:: 2. Dog is not fearful, but is unresponsive when touched. Approaches the Assessor when the game ends (may need coaxing to approach). Dog is focused on stimuli other than the Assessor. Paw squeeze 1:: 2. Dog quickly pulls back. Paw squeeze 2:: 2. Dog quickly pull back. Flank squeeze 1:: Item not conducted Flank squeeze 2:: Item not conducted Toy:: 1. Minimal interest in toy, dog may smell or lick, then turns away. Summary:: Sir Shadow approached the assessor with a soft body and jumped up hard. He appeared a bit anxious during the assessment, whining, but he also displayed social behavior and allowed all handling. Summary (1):: 6/15: When introduced off leash to a female greeter dog, Sir Shadow is highly exuberant when greeting. Summary (2):: 6/16: Sir Shadow is extremely vocal and forward when greeting and is very difficult to interrupt, hard barking at handlers when they use correctors. Date of initial:: 6/18/2018 Summary:: Sir Shadow had a loose body and allowed handling. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: ADULT ONLY HOME Behavior Asilomar: TM - Treatable-Manageable Recommendations:: No children (under 13) Recommendations comments:: No children: Due to the low threshold for arousal Sir Shadow has displayed at the care center combined with how easily he appears to startle (hard barking at handlers when noise interrupters were used), we recommend an adult only home. Potential challenges: : Basic manners/poor impulse control,Anxiety,Low threshold for arousal Potential challenges comments:: Basic manners/poor impulse control: Sir Shadow jumps up a lot on people in a social manner. It is recommended that default behaviors such as "Leave it", "Sit/Stay", "Down" are reinforced to substitute any frustration and teach him to control his impulses instead of simply reacting; proper management is also advised. Force-free, reward based training only is recommended. Anxiety: Sir Shadow appears anxious at the care center, whining and barking a lot. We have no history on him in a home, so we do not know if this behavior will be present outside of the care center. If it does occur, we recommend giving her puzzle toys, long walks, and things to do to relieve his anxiety. Positive reinforcement, reward based training only should be used. Low threshold for arousal: Sir Shadow displayed a low threshold for arousal at the care center, hard barking at handlers when noise interrupters were used during playgroup. We do not know what else may cause this reaction. We recommend guidance from a professional trainer/behaviorist to best determine what may illicit these reactions and how to work with them in a force free, positive reinforcement manner. * TO FOSTER OR ADOPT * If you would like to adopt a dog on our “To Be Killed” list, and you CAN get to the shelter in person to complete the adoption process *within 48 hours of reserve*, you can reserve the dog online until noon on the day they are scheduled to die. We have provided the Brooklyn, Staten Island and Manhattan information below. Adoption hours at these facilities is Noon – 8:00 p.m. (6:30 on weekends) HOW TO RESERVE A “TO BE KILLED” DOG ONLINE (only for those who can get to the shelter IN PERSON to complete the adoption process, and only for the dogs on the list NOT marked New Hope Rescue Only). Follow our Step by Step directions below! *PLEASE NOTE – YOU MUST USE A PC OR TABLET – PHONE RESERVES WILL NOT WORK! ** STEP 1: CLICK ON THIS RESERVE LINK: https://newhope.shelterbuddy.com/Animal/List Step 2: Go to the red menu button on the top right corner, click register and fill in your info. Step 3: Go to your email and verify account Step 4: Go back to the website, click the menu button and view available dogs Step 5: Scroll to the animal you are interested and click reserve STEP 6 ( MOST IMPORTANT STEP ): GO TO THE MENU AGAIN AND VIEW YOUR CART. THE ANIMAL SHOULD NOW BE IN YOUR CART! Step 7: Fill in your credit card info and complete transaction Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) nycacc.org HOW TO FOSTER OR ADOPT IF YOU *CANNOT* GET TO THE SHELTER IN PERSON, OR IF THE DOG IS NEW HOPE RESCUE ONLY! You must live within 3 – 4 hours of NY, NJ, PA, CT, RI, DE, MD, MA, NH, VT, ME or Norther VA. Please PM our page for assistance. You will need to fill out applications with a New Hope Rescue Partner to foster or adopt a dog on the To Be Killed list, including those labelled Rescue Only. Hurry please, time is short, and the Rescues need time to process the applications. Shelter contact information Phone number (212) 788-4000 Email [email protected] Shelter Addresses: Brooklyn Shelter: 2336 Linden Boulevard Brooklyn, NY 11208 Manhattan Shelter: 326 East 110 St. New York, NY 10029 Staten Island Shelter: 3139 Veterans Road West Staten Island, NY 10309 Available Animals Thank you for your interest in adopting from Animal Care Centers of NYC. Our At Risk List is posted each day (except Saturday) at 6:00PM and remains viewable until 12:00PM noon the following day.

#funny #lol #humor #memes #meme #memehumor #dank memes #funny pics #rolf #lmao #Being Alone #Andrew B

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thisseomarketingguide · 3 years

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Traveling and Vacationing With Your Dog!

Most dogs individuals might want just to share the experiences and recollections of an excursion and get-away with their canine. The primary interesting point is the means by which reasonable that would be to your pet. Is your canine a daring one that couldn't want anything more than to go with you? Or on the other hand, would your pet like to nimbly bow out and stay nearer to home?

Who's Going?...Who's Staying Home?

Let's be honest, a few canines despise or can't endure vehicle rides. Simply the sound of the vehicle keys quit worrying about retreating the carport has their bellies in a tangle. This isn't the canine you need to constrain on an excursion. It will end up being a remarkable bad dream before you even leave town...and recall that you'll actually have that excursion home to anticipate.

Rather than pushing both yourself and your canine, discover a commonly lovely other option. Perhaps you can persuade somebody in the family or a companion to watch your canine. Or then again, you may need to think about a canine sitter or boarding office.

It's a smart thought to acquaint your canine with the canine sitter or loading up office half a month prior to you leave. This gives them a brief period to change. What shocks numerous proprietors is exactly how well they for the most part change when they feel great with their environmental factors.

Since we have the shut-in dealt with, how about we center around what you need to do, for your "Cruising Canine."

Prior to You Head Out

Verify whether there are any variety limitations! Nothing more terrible than pivoting and get back before your excursion even beginnings, in light of the fact that your canine isn't invited at that area.

Ensure your doggy or canine is forward-thinking on their immunizations for your objective and put a duplicate of their records in the vehicle right away!

While you're at the vet, have your canine chipped. Should they get lost at a rest stop or at your objective, in any event you'll have the piece of psyche knowing when they are discovered, they can be examined and you will be brought together. This will come in extremely accommodating, should they lose their collar or labels. It's consistently a smart thought to have a back-up number included.

Ensure their restraint fits accurately and has outside ID with the canine's name, your name, personal residence and telephone number just as a telephone number at your objective. A back-up number for back home won't do any harm.

Get your pet acquainted with being crated or saddled before the excursion.

Have in any event one additional arrangement of vehicle keys made. That way, you won't need to discover a locksmith in light of the fact that your canine is secured in the vehicle.

Gather their bag or knapsack as well! Make sure to pack any prescriptions, bowls, save rope, save collar with I.D. labels, most loved toy, cover, medical aid unit, brush, food, treats, towels, a 30 foot preparing lead and those exceedingly significant tidy up packs! Remember the camera!

Look into pet-accommodating facilities and reserve your spot before you hit the street. Not all neighborliness offices are too accommodating to pets!

Most "pet benevolent" inns or inns don't permit you to leave your pet unattended in the room. It very well might be useful to locate a neighborhood doggie childcare office close by. Most vacation destinations, eateries, and sea shores may have leads about allowing non-administration canines in their site. Having a back-up arrangement is a decent method to permit you to make the most of your roadtrip and not stress over your pet.

Something you might not have any desire to consider, yet ought to is how might you respond if your pet does get lost? Normally you'd contact the neighborhood paper and creature control cover. In any case, you might not have the advantage of sticking around until your canine is found. It is anything but a poorly conceived notion to have LOST banner arranged. Keep it basic, am refreshed, away from of your canine and your telephone number. Ideally, you'll never require it, however like the vaccinations records, you have it prepared should you need it.

It is essential to bring a couple of things that are recognizable to your canine. It very well may be their case, most loved toy, or cover. The aromas from home and recognizable items can be very encouraging.

Exercise, work out, work out! Tire your canine out, before you hit the street. A drained canine is a decent canine!

While On The Road

Keep several chains helpfully accessible. Never permit your pet to leave the vehicle without being chained.

In the event that your canine requirements travel drug, follow bearings cautiously, do it prior to taking off.

Control your canine when the vehicle is moving. Put resources into a doggie safety belt/saddle or pet transporter. A canine left to meander free in a vehicle can be an interruption or even a shot should you need to make an abrupt stop. Long vehicle rides can get exhausting to even the most polite pet. Having an agreeable spot to rest, will make the outing somewhat simpler on completely concerned.

To take care of or not to take care of preceding the outing relies upon the canine. Some movement better with something in their paunch, while others don't. In case you don't know, avoid any and all risks and don't take care of them for in any event 4-5 hours preceding the excursion.

Ensure the temperature is agreeable and very much ventilated in whatever area in the vehicle you have made sure about your canine. Use conceal screens or boards to divert direct daylight on them or their case.

Never leave your canine unattended in the vehicle, with the motor running, since you need to leave the cooling on for them while you are no more. In addition to the fact that it is risky, in certain states, it is illicit.

Plan to stop each 2-3 hours, to permit a your canine a couple of tastes of water, a chance to extend their legs and soothe themselves.

On the off chance that you intend to exploit a rest stop to put everything in order yourself or to snatch a light meal, don't leave your canine in the vehicle! Alternate holding the canine, outside of the consideration. In the mid year your vehicle can turn into a stove of any canine. In the colder time of year, it tends to be a cooler, particularly for little or toy breeds. Remember, on a 95 degree day, regardless of whether left in the shade, in under 10 minutes your vehicle can warm up to more than 120 degrees. Leaving the windows open "a break" won't be sufficient to save your canine's life.

Convey at any rate two gallons of water and a towel. You'll require a little water for those rest stops, however more critically, should your canine become overheated you will require it to keep them from going into heat stroke or stun. Pour water over canine, focusing on their feet, and the pits under their front and back legs. Try not to pour water down their throat. Splash the towel and crush the water into the side of their mouth. On the off chance that you have ice chips from wellspring trickles, place them into your canine's mouth. A wet towel and placing the canine before the forced air system may give you sufficient opportunity to locate a neighborhood veterinarian for help.

Ice chips or ice 3D squares are a decent method to hydrate your canine, without filling their bellies with water.

Exercise, work out, work out! Tire your canine out, before you hit the street once more. Locate a protected area or canine park and let them catch fire some energy. In the event that you can't locate a protected area, utilize that 30 foot preparing lead to allow them to meander around and sniff a piece. A drained canine is a decent canine!

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devontroxell · 4 years

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How to Run a Startup Remotely: Tips for Hiring, Managing & Scaling

For traditional founders and team leaders, the idea of running a completely remote business is fraught with anxiety. Yes, there’s an opportunity to lower overheads and recruit from anywhere, but is it really worth it at the expense of growing a cohesive brand culture under one (literal, physical) roof?

Many businesses have had to find out quickly if remote working works for them (for obvious 2020 reasons), but lots of successful startups recognized the benefits long before a pandemic forced their hand. Companies like Buffer, Mozilla, and Zapier have blazed a trail when it comes to WFH, while tech giants Twitter and Google are now offering their staff the opportunity to work remotely forever.

So, how do they make it work?

As we’ll discover in this post, there are few key elements to getting it right, namely in the hiring, growing, and managing stages. And woven throughout are the three non-negotiable core principles of remote working:

Trust

Communication

Collaboration

Without further ado, here are our best tips to grow your startup remotely and build a culture from wherever your people are.

1. Hiring remotely: Spot and recruit talent quickly

The best thing about growing your startup remotely is that you’re not limited to your local talent pool. You can cast your net far and wide to find the best people for your situation, no matter where in the world they’re based.

Yet, while the choice of applicants is undoubtedly larger, the goal of hiring for a remote job isn’t all that different from hiring in-person. Ultimately, you’re still being tasked with spotting, vetting, and interviewing talent — you’re just doing it entirely online.

Let’s take a look at how to do this effectively.

How to Identify Talent for Your Startup

The aim of any recruitment drive (short-term or long-term, online or off) is to find and hire people you can trust.

But doing this remotely for a fast-growing startup introduces an element of time pressure. You can’t always stick an ad up on social media and wait for an influx of applicants. Sometimes you need to go out there and find the right candidate yourself, fast.

The good news is, there are a number of digital platforms designed for this. Websites like Upwork, Fiverr and others are solid options for low-skilled, one-off, or short-term needs. You can usually find a verified freelancer for simple graphic design, data-entry, or copywriting tasks on these sites with very little fuss.

Hiring remotely for high-skilled, core team roles, on the other hand, requires a slightly different approach. There’s more risk involved when building your team, rather than simply delegating smaller tasks to hourly freelancers. You need to ensure that anyone you’re adding to your payroll has the right mix of skills, personality, and culture fit to hit the ground running – otherwise, you’re back to square one.

Beyond the conventional freelance or contractor hiring sites, new platforms are starting up and changing the game by handling the burden of due diligence and filtering out anyone who doesn’t fit your needs and profile. They’re bringing in things like strict vetting, using technical assessments, video interviews, and reference checks. This reduces the amount of time and energy you spend on assessing the suitability – or credibility – of a candidate, and means that you can hire smarter, quicker.

Here are a few more resources to help when recruiting and retaining remote employees:

How to attract, hire and retain remote employees via Workable

Hiring remotely is the new reality. Here’s how to do it with speed via Fast Company

3 mistakes not to make when hiring remote employees via The Muse

2. Growing remotely: Implement the right tools and processes

Speaking at a Google Startups panel, Sid Sijbrandij, co-founder and CEO of GitLab said that entropy is lower for remote startups. Why? Because everything is written down.

“There is less shoulder tapping. Days are more predictable,” according to Sid.

So, to grow your startup remotely without disruption, you need to nail those processes. Write everything down. And remember, communication is key here.

Repeat: Communication is key

As we’ve mentioned, along with trust, communication and collaboration are non-negotiables when it comes to effective remote working. You need transparent communication processes to enable effective collaboration. You also need buy-in from your team; every single one of them must grasp the importance of regular contact with their co-workers.

It’s, therefore, a good idea to start each day with a team check-in.

Just as you would have a stand-up meeting or a scrum in the office, jumping onto a video call first thing gives you a chance to address questions and concerns, ensures that everyone knows what they’re doing, and gives your team the chance to see and speak to one another. This also keeps siloes from forming, or individuals becoming lonely or disenfranchised.

Over and above this, you should also run regular, company-wide meetings (monthly or quarterly) to keep everyone in the loop regarding overall progress and provide opportunities for internal feedback.

Choose and use the right remote management tools

To get your remote team up-to-speed and communicating like pros, you need to provide them with the right set of tools.

At a minimum, this should include:

Company email for formal communication.

Slack or Teams to power day-to-day internal messaging.

Zoom or Google Meet for quality, reliable video calls.

Dropbox or Google Drive for cloud file storage and collaboration.

Trello or Notion for task allocation and project management.

Once you’ve selected your preferred remote tool stack, you need to build it into your onboarding process, familiarizing each new hire with the ins and outs of each platform.

3. Managing remotely: You’re learning all the time

Managing a remote team is not without its challenges. And perhaps the most significant of those is the fact that you don’t get as much in-person face-to-face time with your employees.

Sure, you can hop on a video call, but it can still be difficult to pick up on subtle emotional cues and changes in body language that you might spot if you were sitting in the same room. This means you could miss out on identifying the employees who need your help the most.

To guard against this, you need to ensure that your employees are motivated by meaningful work, that they know that you care about them (professionally and personally), and that they have an avenue through which to express concerns, ask questions, and offer feedback.

Motivation is mission-critical

Here’s the truth: Bored People Quit.

It’s up to you to make things non-boring. And the best thing about working in a startup, in general, is that each person has a very specialized, significant role geared towards growth. Everyone can see that what they’re doing is having an impact.

This has to remain true even when you’re growing your startup remotely. Every single employee should have visibility (and be visible) as you pursue your next growth milestone. They cannot be allowed to work in a silo, wondering if what they’re doing really matters.

Publicly celebrate success

A continuation of the last point, to keep your startup team motivated, you can’t let an individual or group win slip under the radar without a bit of fanfare — especially when you’re working remotely.

Something as simple as a public congratulations (with all your favorite Emojis and Gifs) on your general Slack channel will quickly draw attention to good work and those responsible. You could even spring for some perks to make things extra special.

WordStream recognizes and celebrates employees who embody our core values each month at our all-hands meeting

Plus, publicly celebrating success shows that you’re paying attention (employees feel valued) and that you truly care. Same goes for highlighting important milestones in your employees’ personal lives. Give shout outs for birthdays, charity work, family events; prove that you’re interested in more than their work performance.

Do regular performance reviews

Regular performance reviews are a staple of every successful business, but they take on extra significance when you’re growing a remote startup.

Once you’ve set expectations and clarified what success looks like, a remote performance review provides a designated, structured touchpoint for each employee to reflect on their role, their performance, and look ahead to their next period’s goals and objectives. What’s more, performance reviews offer a platform for your employee to share concerns or provide you with honest feedback on how you’re doing.

This formal one-to-one is conducive to a healthy remote working environment, but it shouldn’t be the only opportunity for dialogue. Try to schedule regular, informal meetings to check-in frequently over a (virtual) coffee — this will give you the chance to catch any minor issues early before they mushroom into real problems.

The bottom line: To succeed remotely, lead by example

If you’re going to succeed in growing your startup remotely, you can’t just pay lip service to the core principles of remote working. You need to eat, sleep and breathe communication, collaboration, and trust – putting them into practice at every opportunity.

Of course, there’s a balance to be struck. You need to trust that your employees can work autonomously, but you can’t be so hands-off that they feel abandoned. And you need to ensure that lines of communication remain open, but you shouldn’t micromanage and insert yourself into every conversation or collaboration.

In short, you need to lead by example, showing your employees how it’s done. Remember, trust is earned. “Do as I say, not as I do” simply won’t cut it in the world of remote working.

About the author

Jaron Soh is co-founder and COO of Traktion, a freelancing platform dedicated to the world’s best marketing talent.

How to Run a Startup Remotely: Tips for Hiring, Managing & Scaling published first on https://wabusinessapi.tumblr.com/

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go-redgirl · 4 years

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Tucker Carlson: The Media ‘Are Your Enemies’ — ‘They Are Misleading You So That You Will Obey’

Friday, Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson opened his program by highlighting what he described as a “secret alliance” between journalists those that journalists are expected to hold accountable.

The “Tucker Carlson Tonight” host concluded that ultimately the media were not acting in the best interest of the public at large, which he said made them our “enemies.”

Transcript as follows:

CARLSON: Well, for five years, we have watched the news media treat Donald Trump in a way that no American President has ever been treated. Richard Nixon himself disgraced, impeached, forced from office in the end got a pass by comparison to Donald Trump.

Reporters hate Trump with an all-consuming mania. They hit him so intensely that at times it’s been amusing to watch. If Donald Trump announced a cure for cancer at tonight’s rally in Minnesota, CNN would denounce him for fixing drug prices. That’s true.

If you’re a fair-minded person, it has been infuriating to watch this. It’s too dishonest. It’s also patronizing because it’s almost unbelievably stupid.

Trump spied for Russia. Trump works for Putin. Trump is a racist because he likes borders and doesn’t want to live in Haiti.

Yes, OK.

Clearly all the smart kids went in to finance. America’s websites and TV stations got the rest. Unfortunately, we’ve got to live with the consequences of that. But we should also say, if we are being entirely honest, that as grating as all of this is, unremitting hostility to the President of the United States is far from the greatest threat America faces.

Reporters are supposed to be tough on people with power. That’s why we have journalism: to keep a close eye on those who have outsized influence over our lives. The people we should watch carefully would include business moguls, the Intel agencies, prominent academics, cultural figures, military leaders, and most obviously, our politicians.

The rest of us can’t really know what these people, the people in charge are doing at all times. A reporter’s job is to find out and tell us. So in the end, the real threat to America isn’t too many nasty questions from reporters. It’s the opposite of that. The real threat is collusion.

When journalists strike secret alliances with the very people they are supposed to be holding accountable, we are in deep trouble. Lies go unchallenged. Democracy cannot function. And that’s what we are watching right now.

Yesterday — and this may be the starkest example of all — we learned that the FBI is conducting an active investigation into Joe Biden’s son for business deals that apparently included his father, the former Vice President.

Now that is not speculation, it is confirmed. Former Biden business partner, Tony Bobulinski sat for a five-hour interview with six FBI agents just the other day — a week ago. They asked him about his business dealings in China with the Biden family.

Now, we don’t know if this investigation will result in indictments, obviously. We know that it could. And that is significant because Joe Biden, as you may have heard is running for President. The election is on Tuesday.

So by any possible measure, this is a blockbuster, stop the presses news story. It’s not some naughty picture from somebody’s laptop. This is a criminal investigation into business deals that we know for a fact Joe Biden was party to.

So why haven’t you heard more about this? If you don’t watch this, you’ve likely heard nothing at all, not a word. And you know why? Because the media are collaborating. They are collaborating with the Democratic Party. They are collaborating with the Intelligence Agencies that spy on Americans with impunity.

They are collaborating with the tech monopolies that have choked off the average person’s access to legitimate information. We’re not overstating any of that we wish we were. Watch the people you’re supposed to be able to trust, dismiss a completely legitimate verified news story as quote, “a Russian plot.”

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Holding super spread super spreader events and giving Russian disinformation, spreading Russian disinformation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Disinformation that he knows to be fabricated and supplied by a foreign Intelligence Service, and despite the warning, he is still doing it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have said this entire thing is so obviously a Russian plot.

JOHN AVLON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: It’s sort of a crazy quilt at this point, which has all the hallmarks of Russian disinformation. That said, it wasn’t for lack of trying.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rudy basically functioning as a Russian asset by pushing Russian disinformation.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: CNN reported on Friday, the U.S. authorities are seeing if those emails we just talked about are connected to an ongoing Russian disinformation effort.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARLSON: I’ve got to tell you, Keith, it has all the hallmarks of Russian disinformation. These people wouldn’t know Russian disinformation, if it got into the shower with them. They know nothing.

Every word of what they just said was a lie. Russia didn’t forge these emails. Vladimir Putin didn’t invent the two separate meetings that Tony Bobulinski had with Joe Biden to discuss business in China, the business the FBI is now investigating and an active criminal investigation. That’s all entirely real.

It happened. It is happening now, and the people you just watched on the screen know that it did. Yet, they are you it is all fake, a concoction of a hostile foreign power.

So you have to ask yourself at some point, why would they tell you that? They know it’s not true, they are saying it any way. They are expecting you to believe it. Why are they doing that?

Well, because these people are not your allies. They are not trying to help you or inform you, just the opposite. These people are your enemies. They are misleading you so that you will obey and maybe it will work, honestly.

Maybe they will get Joe Biden elected President next week without even asking the most basic questions of the candidate, the most basic questions or vetting him in any way. That can work. That’s the gambit.

But what then? Many of these people you just saw on the screen will then go to work for Biden, officially. We’d expect that because without Donald Trump to hyperventilate over, the business models at many news outlets will collapse, and these people will need jobs.

But Joe Biden and Kamala Harris can’t hire everyone at NBC. Some of these people have to continue to be quote “journalists.” And the question is, can they really do that? Can they keep pretending on your screen live every night after everything we have just witnessed?

___________________________________

OPINION: Great, great observation of the Media these days that have turned their backs on the general public in bring truthful news to provide citizens with choices on any side of the isle or information just in general.

Its time for an ‘Unbiased’ News Organization that will provide the readers with accurate information so that they (I,e, readers or listeners) can make up their own minds from the truthful information at hand.

In other words, the News Organization just provide the truth and let the readers or watchers make up their own minds one way or another.

But, when they write/published information then they turn around and tell you how to come too a conclusion. That’s Not good or wise as a News Organization at all!

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