#this applies to any media with one of those ‘we cannot give up hope’ speeches | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

skippyv20 · 1 year

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Benjamin Smallbrook · ex- Sheep Farmer, Bray, Berkshire41m A super-injunction I was offered the opportunity to meet up with a freelance journalist who works closely with a well-known national newspaper. Yesterday, we had lunch together at Misto, a small Italian restaurant in central London. I was hoping to come back to Quora and give you some news. I have a nasty feeling, because of the subject, I’m still going to be writing in riddles! All I can do is urge you to read between the lines. I asked him about injunctions. He explained that they are very powerful. A super-injunction is seldom used, and it offers a massive layer of protection to those who want to avoid defamation, and prevent the publication of private information – but more importantly, it also prevents media outlets from even publicising the existence of the injunction. The rich, the famous, A-list celebrities – and even Royals, can pay (it appears that a requirement is that you need to be very wealthy) to have a super-injunction put in place. Costs are put at £200,000 plus. Journalists, in general, are against injunctions, claiming they ‘stifle free speech’. It is usually celebrities who opt to pay a lot of money to use the law - to prevent information being published. But people need to understand the difference between public interest and what the public are interested in. Everyone likes to hear juicy gossip, but the bottom line is - Is it going to be of any benefit to those who want to hear it? Due to the nature of super-injunctions, it is nigh on impossible to reveal details to the public. Our Members of Parliament can get round this by using ‘Parliamentary Privilege’. MPs are not bound by injunctions so therefore do not face contempt charges if they reveal information, simply because ‘restricting free speech’ would be a hindrance to democracy. Frustratingly, my journalist friend explained over and over again that a super-injunction forbids any mention that the injunction even exists. Newspaper editors naturally know how many injunctions are in place, but they cannot say what the injunctions are all about, or who placed them! So, in a nutshell, it’s a form of secret justice which has been applied by those amongst us who have enormous amounts of money. It is not open to scrutiny by the public. I’ve known the journalist for several years. His father, who died five years ago, was a working colleague of mine. I wanted to know if one particular injunction was in place. My question to him was straight to the point, and what surprised me the most, was that he confirmed it wasn’t the first time he’d been asked about this. I’ve always wondered why the newspapers avoided writing about the subject of Markle’s suspected surrogate children. After all, there are many smart investigative journalists who could get to the bottom of this with just a few phone calls and a couple of emails to the right people. I asked him outright, “Is there a super-injunction in place that prevents the Press from giving details about her supposedly fake pregnancies?” He told me he didn’t know anything about it. But then added, “Well if it exists, and it’s only a guess, of course, it was put in place early, while ‘they’ decide how to deal with it.” He stressed again that it was only his guess. What a convoluted answer! He told me that every UK newspaper editor knows the answer to the surrogate question. I was also told that none of the top journalists will present such an article to their editors for publication. I again asked if a super-injunction was in place to stop any mention of surrogates, and Meghan Markle’s pregnancies. He said he didn’t know. This journalist agreed to have a chat with me. He specifically said he wasn’t prepared to give any details in an email. I thought this would mean I would hear everything ‘off record’. He’s one of the UKs top reporters. He would definitely know, but he insisted he could only make a guess, and his guess would be as good as mine. I suggested we should forget all about my interest in injunctions, and I asked him his personal opinion. He said, “My personal opinion is that she wasn’t pregnant with either Archie or Lily, but what do I know, I’m only a scribbler!” He told me the Royals know everything about Meghan Markle. He said, “Do you really think that somebody could marry into the Royal Family without MI6 making criminal checks. There would also be checks on nationality, parents and other family members. They would have interviewed friends of friends of her - to see whether all stories stack up. Their report would have been handed to the Queen.” My final question to him was, “Have newspaper editors agreed not to produce articles questioning the validity of the two Sussex children?” He said, “Of course not. What a ridiculous thought!” But he paused, looked me in the eye, and gently nodded his head. Please read between the lines, and form your own opinion

Thank you…..I have seen this before and so happy to see it again…thank you!❤️

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foreverlogical · 3 years

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Donald Trump will not be getting his social media megaphone back just yet, but a decision by Facebook’s handpicked Oversight Board on Wednesday opens the door for a possible comeback.

Facebook banned Trump indefinitely following his Jan. 6 incitement of supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol building as lawmakers voted to finalize the results of the 2020 U.S. election, which he lost.

On Wednesday, Facebook’s Oversight Board issued a ruling that called the company “justified” in its suspension of Trump’s accounts after the Capitol riot—but said the company must decide whether to permanently ban the former President, or give him a path to getting back control of his account.

“Given the seriousness of the violations and the ongoing risk of violence, Facebook was justified in suspending Mr. Trump’s accounts on January 6 and extending that suspension on January 7,” the Board said in a statement Wednesday.

The Board appeared to focus narrowly on Facebook’s decision to impose an “indefinite” ban. “It was not appropriate for Facebook to impose an ‘indefinite’ suspension,” the Board said. “It is not permissible for Facebook to keep a user off the platform for an undefined period, with no criteria for when or whether the account will be restored.”

The Board ordered Facebook to “justify a proportionate response that is consistent with the rules that are applied to other users of its platform” within six months—potentially opening the door to Trump returning to the platform before the end of the year. Facebook could still decide to ban Trump permanently.

Wednesday’s news came a day after Trump launched his own “communications” website, with a feed of posts that are labeled as “from the desk” of the former President. “There won’t be any Big Tech censors trying to muzzle Conservatives for sharing FACTS,” said the Republican National Committee in an email sent to supporters.

Read more: Facebook’s New Oversight Board Is Deciding Donald Trump’s Fate. Will It Also Define the Future of the Company?

Though Trump still wields great influence in the Republican Party, his public profile has been relatively small since he left office and had his social media access cut off—relying on radio and TV interviews and public appearances, which don’t give him the same unfiltered access to millions of people.

“If he is no longer on these platforms, you know, memories fade,” says Shanto Iyengar, a professor of political science and communication at Stanford University. “Trump may just disappear into semi-oblivion and someone else may emerge as the populist standard-bearer for 2024. For a political figure, not being in the limelight is a liability, period.”

Why Facebook stripped Trump of his megaphone

Facebook’s decision to suspend Trump came just days before the end of his presidency, during which he had used Twitter, along with Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to spray a daily torrent of misinformation—including lies about COVID-19 and baseless claims of election fraud. Instead of banning him for those untruths, the platforms only went as far as labelling some of his statements as misinformation and removing several others. The free speech implications of banning a sitting President outright were clear—and so was the threat of retaliation from Trump, who had long complained of anti-Conservative bias at Facebook and other Silicon Valley firms. (In fact, research shows that Facebook tends to benefit far-right voices more than other news sources.)

But after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, each of the big platforms finally ejected the President, casting their decisions as last-ditch measures aimed at protecting American democracy. “We believe the risks of allowing President Trump to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great,” Facebook said in a statement at the time, announcing the President’s ability to post new content would be suspended indefinitely. (His pages and old posts have still been accessible for the duration of the period.)

On Jan. 21, Facebook passed the Trump case to its new Oversight Board for adjudication. The Board was set up by Facebook in May 2020 to adjudicate the company’s most controversial decisions.

Announcing the decision, Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice president for global affairs, cast the decision as good for democracy. “Many argue private companies like Facebook shouldn’t be making these big decisions on their own. We agree,” he said, adding that the company believed it would be better for lawmakers to set the rules. “But in the absence of such laws, there are decisions that we cannot duck. This is why we established the Oversight Board.”

So, what is the Facebook Oversight Board, and who gave them the right to make such a momentous decision?

What is the Facebook Oversight Board?

Mark Zuckerberg first publicly floated an idea for a Supreme Court-style body for Facebook in 2018. “I’ve increasingly come to believe that Facebook should not make so many important decisions about free expression and safety on our own,” he said in a blog post.

In May 2020, that idea became reality when Facebook announced the creation of an Oversight Board, with 20 members with experience in fields including government, media, constitutional law, and human rights.

The Board is funded by a $130 million trust, set up by Facebook. The trust pays each of the Board’s members a six figure sum, according to the New York Times. Facebook says the board is legally independent, and that its rulings will be both binding and transparent.

In January, the Board ruled on its first six cases. It overruled Facebook’s original decision in five of them, forcing Facebook to reinstate content that it had removed.

Facebook is bound by the Board’s bylaws to abide by its decisions. But there are several limits on what the Board can currently rule on. It cannot tell Facebook to remove Groups, just individual pieces of content or pages. And it cannot tell Facebook to change the algorithms that decide which content is amplified in users’ newsfeeds.

Already, at least one member of the Facebook Oversight Board has publicly criticized its limited remit. “I think the Board will want to expand in its scope. I think we’re already a bit frustrated by just saying take it down or leave it up,” Alan Rusbridger, former editor of the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper, told a parliamentary committee in March. He also said the Board would eventually demand to see Facebook’s content-ranking algorithms, “At some point we’re going to ask to see the algorithm, I feel sure,” he said. “Whether we can understand it when we see it is a different matter.”

While some observers have welcomed the increase in transparency, the Oversight Board has also come in for criticism. One leading critic is Rashad Robinson, president of the civil rights group Color of Change. “Zuckerberg and Facebook want us to believe they’ve given real power to the Oversight Board, when in fact they have essentially made these people, who have deep credibility and years of work, into hall monitors,” he says.

Read more: Facebook’s Oversight Board Is Reviewing Its First Cases. Critics Say It Won’t Solve the Platform’s Biggest Problems

“Trump’s absence from Facebook has created more room for conversations that are not centered around Trump. But this is not about Trump,” Robinson says. “It’s about platform design, and the incentive structure that benefits from a Trump. It’s like thinking we’ve dealt with racial injustice in policing after George Floyd’s murderer Derek Chauvin was convicted. That doesn’t change the incentive structure. So we’ve ended up with a charitable solution to a structural problem.”

How did the Oversight Board make its decision on President Trump?

In making its decision on Trump, the Oversight Board was confined to a narrow question: had the former President broken any of Facebook’s rules, and if so, was his ban justified?

To deliberate that question, the Board followed a process identical to how it tackles all its cases. First, it randomly selects a panel of five members, including at least one from the country where the content originates (in this case, the U.S.). The identities of the panel members are not disclosed to the public.

The Board calls for evidence from the people involved; in the case of Trump, both Facebook and the former President submitted written arguments. (A spokesperson for the Board declined to comment when asked by TIME in February if Trump’s statement would ever be made public.) For each case, the Oversight Board also calls for input from the public. The Trump case garnered more than 9,000 public comments—many times more than all the Board’s previous cases combined.

Next, the panel then looks at how the decision fits with Facebook’s existing policies. When panel members come to an agreement, they submit the decision to the rest of the Board’s 19 members, who vote. If the ruling receives a simple majority, the Board announces its decision.

In allowing Trump back on Facebook, the Oversight Board ruling affirmed the company’s decision earlier this year. “We look forward to receiving the Board’s decision,” Clegg said in January. “We hope, given the clear justification for our actions on January 7, that it will uphold the choices we made.”

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queenofallwitches · 3 years

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Why I hate people who spend their adult life arguing online;

1. Well it’s juvenile , I personally prefer to leave any and all pseudo intellectual social discourse in my 6th grade debating class...

2. You aren’t anyone important and not saying novel things, you are using people who have put information that is novel and trying to spin it into your own agenda.

3. Waste of time, fools will be foolish, and if you enjoy the discourse, toastmasters or academic debating would be more productive uses of time

4. You lack self insight

5. You are self aware and doing it due to your own egotistical, sadistic, cunning desires. (Trolls, deep fakes)

Why I never take anyone who loves to argue on menial topics seriously: (spiritually or mentally)

I am high iq and high eq. I am also “attractive by the conventional measures of society” I deal with the most pathetic and malicious idiots who cannot understand a woman who has aesthetic appeal, that can also hold a stimulating and intelligent conversation.

I don’t argue. I problem solve. Arguing online was faded out when I was 14 years old.

But people who are almost 40, ar still out there pretending that they are the most unique and authoritative source of blogging bullshit. When the world media and journalism is where we are today. The academic literature speaks a plethora more than an adult in the hamster wheel, unable to see they are playing checkers in a left vs right, design by social engineering and the think tanks of Tavistock, you play the part they put you to be.

A dialectic of irrational and repetitive arguments is never productive.

It lacks a solution or a higher order of resolution, why are you behaving to destroy when you are claiming to want to create a world better?

So unconscious and unexplained lack of self awareness in adults who are obviously insecure and ignorant becomes old quick.

I comprehend why it’s important but the level of the argument is basic, and been recycled 1000000 times.

Why am I writing this? Free speech is not free. If you can discourse over the same shit and never find a solution you are part of the same fucking problem.

How I know?

Life experience. Learning.

Love of learning and living and devouring the higher level of what if, how can we, let’s move into a better solution.

I have many years of experience that is beyond the understanding of most people and I have gone through things nobody understands.

One time I was a young teen, but was already too smart, too sassy, too aware and that left my life a wreck after I went too far.

I DID get expelled in the 11th grade. I’m no idiot, I am actually genius, by measures of conventional iq.

So I was academically talented without effort, not to boast, because I hated being smart.

But I did get the internet social discourse I needed to say; on things that we should be all knowing are social engineering in a designed dichotomy to divide and conquer.

I was in a program in high school called cum laude. I cannot recall the meaning. But we were advanced academics, not only skilled at learning but sports, extra curricular things like musicals, choir, crusade survivor camps (duke of Edinburgh), debating, tutoring/mentoring younger students & more. I won many awards without trying. Mostly for geography (social science), design tech, visual art & creative writing. I was learning university level things in year 8. And examining and analysis to debate in scholarly discourse about topics that were familiar when I was in 1-2 year of my bachelor degree. An example is philosophy, as this was mandated in the GT program. Smart is my sense of knowing how to balance the logical and the emotional. This is ONE percent of my life but one I did not follow through on and as a result I walk this path now, and I put up with the educated and intelligent “idiots” (like conformity, bullying, bitching kids in the same class) and refuse to stoop to low iq, low eq and low level idiots.

You waste time. I am not saying I am only exclusive to educated or academic professionals, that is not what this is about. This is about me being underestimated and undermined and never taken seriously because I get the most inhuman torment if I do start to speak my truth.

Lucky I found comfort in solitary rebellion. So. Let’s see what I am that is always going to be a work in progress but what my enemies forget all the time.

To remind you:

I am a born, intuitive empath, psychic and ancestral lineages of many esoteric paths play into my natural ability. I used to hate feeling, knowing and perceiving things that I could see happening, in my dreams, visions and “gnosis” before they happened. I felt powerless.

But now I know how to harness it, things change.

And yet still I have to sit back and observe, as I did for years in school, and then in the fucking shithole employment situation that was my consequence of 2 expulsions from schools. (They value conformity over fucking intelligence) I had a gang of kids in my last high school sign a petition to have me expelled and that is one example of how people in my life come to attack, hate, misunderstand and spit venom for no reason.

I never push that energy myself. But I call things as I see them. I am real , and my perception is primed to pierce the veil on those who lack authenticity, who are bullies, cunning, cruel, conformists, deep fakes, fraudulent, following orders for the sake of fear, or just narcissistic or psychopathic “organic portals” who carry out the agenda for the black lodge.

I have no issue if these people want to live a life away from me and what I protect. But when my sphere is crossed into on a repeated basis, I will study the situation in silence. I won’t speak of what I see, without objective and subjective factors weighed in a careful, cautious but not closed minded, way. See you and I are probably not the same because I’m the kind of human who always gives people the benefit of the doubt and believes that people are better, that is my detriment and my strength. I see the good and hope that others carry a genuine heart and soul. But my experience shows me that I am not wrong when I feel off, or intuitive feelings are ignored due to my “dismissal”.

When I find the truth, I always say, I knew I needed to listen to my heart and head.

That’s why I can never be broken, or betrayed, or backstabbed worse than before. It is always a learning lesson I am open to growing from.

I am always open to being wrong, or told how to be better, my flaws are on open display and I am not scared of that. I want to be more helpful to grow and nourish the people and places I interact with.

In my world, arguing online was a dying medium by my 18th birthday. For many reasons. But the enemy is a sucker for this divide and conquer, drama bred social and political bullshit that’s all just opinion and speculation. It creates a negative tone and teaches nothing of novelty or wisdom. It just shows how weak, insecure, paranoid, and self obsessed people who are too old for the high school bullshit, by miles, are. my enemies could even spit out the first longing to follow the death cult of the black lodge, I was already aware of what 95 % of you found out in 2020. I don’t mean to be pretentious or pompous, I’m not. I’m actually the most passionate, loving and open minded human I know. But the people who come into my spaces to play to prey. Imposters and the immoral, A siphoning sickness in a role to ruin, how could anyone do that but someone who is a soul-devoid parasite? That’s real fucking discourse. Let’s talk about morality, moral principles and how they are applied and actualised into the metacogition of your own microcosm.

Suggestions and solutions?

How about discourse on the metaphysics of mystic, magick, the mind and the method to mend the mundane world into a manifestation where a symbiotic system of mutually beneficial prosperity, peace, collaboration, creation & harmony can be lived on a daily basis?

How about solutions and sitting with your own shadow in the darkness to see your flaws.

how they only give me a free pass to watch the shit show. when push comes to shove and patterns that are seen in your behaviour, cyclically, are the key that unlocks the truth of anyone’s hidden motivation.

Why is deception and destruction never noted by the deceived, unless someone like me comes to break the wall of ignorance to say “hey this is the truth and it hurts and looks vile but fucking wake up”. No I don’t like the ripple impact this has but at the same time I am aw woman of strength. I will stand up for the real, authentic and genuine truth and speak my mind.

I don’t sugar coat this bullshit.

Nor will I indulge it.

Let alone be a person who lets it seep it’s tendrils into my life and what I love.

Not ever. Never.

As someone wise once said “despair ends, tactics begin”

You cannot claim any authentic path without putting your soul, blood and spirit to the test of facing your demons, slaying the darkness. I am not sure that comes with what I and others see these action and behaviour presenting to be.

I rarely write things like this, and only want to address this because i walk on a path of “rose and thorn”. My thorn will eventually slay whatever is a threat, a charlatan or a sheep in wolves clothing. By accident. Because what you are lacking is always looking to attack, I am always having to protect and defend my life from the evil.

I see you. I know the hidden hand x64. I am always open to forgiving people if they are sincere but will play reflection of the adverse if passive people are coming to what to me, is a beautiful and amazing thing, and to be acting as agents of sabotage? Shame on your lack of soul, and it’s lack of seeking to steal, stain and shit all over the things of substance, spirituality and sincerity will always be seen when I am the seer seeing the undertones.

So where is the moral compass?

Find yourself, and then you can find something real that is yours to be into and love. Maybe even this. But to fuck with what is real, while being fake, and following orders, is by far, fence sitting and fraudulent, insidious & infantile activity. Why not spend time looking inside to see why you are following this order from who for what? What is your genuine purpose? Soul mission? Higher self ? Or are you all still stuck in the love is the law is the law love under the will of the guy who wrote a book last century.

Fucking even Crowley lived his great work, and he has flaws and did things many would dispute to be “evil”. But he didn’t copy another clone from 100 years prior, following the mantra that someone else made up. That’s the stupid thing, the whole “do what thou wilt” was not do what you want but that is not a strong point for the sheep of the worst. I know as I see both sides, and as a child in the 90s I saw the dark, evil and insidious. To see that again, here, 3 decades later, playing coy but really carrying rancid intent.. is my call to commune what many will never see, because you all are complicit, and tell these fucking lies and divert productive progress by your stupid discourse. These people LOVE senseless debating. Semantics. Solutions, self awareness or seek a soul inside the empty cavern that the black lodge will set inside your sadistic serpentine, slimy soul.

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tonystarkstan · 4 years

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The noise is the worst part.

The inescapable noise, everywhere he goes. The pounding in his eardrums, the echoes in his skull, the talking the talking the talking, and god he wishes everyone would shut up and he knows that’s not fair, because it’s not their fault it’s not their fault, they’re just scared, everyone is scared but god, if everyone could just shut the fuck up.

But Peter also knows that his maximum capacity for noise is not their responsibility. So he does he only thing he can think to do.

He holes up in the basement of an abandoned building, the closest thing he can get to solitude.

“Karen, Do Not Disturb,” Peter grits out, curling into a tight ball. “Black Out Protocol.”

He nearly sobs in relief when a solid shield falls over his eyes and everything goes blissfully quiet.

(But it is not entirely silent. It never fucking is.)

“Spider-Man, we need your help! We’re completely out of food and I’m too scared to go to the store.”

“Spider-Man, please! I can’t pay for medical assistance.”

“Spider-Man, you have to save my daughter!”

A whimper works its way up Peter’s throat, and he clasps his hands over his ears tightly, as if that’ll silence the noise in his head. As if that’ll fix this mess. As if he can save everyone. As if he can save anyone.

He can pull people from burning buildings, but he cannot pull viruses from cells.

“Fuck,” he chokes out, barely aware of tears soaking his mask as he tries to get a grip of himself. He squeezes his eyes shut for a desperate, selfish moment wishing he could be back at MIT, complaining about his next lab report that he procrastinated and stressing over his next exam.

He wishes he were back in his tiny apartment with his two roommates, watching movies at night and studying Grignard reactions during the day, eating brownies for dinner and eight eggs at 2AM just because he can.

Not being sent home, forced back into a suit that feels just a little too tight right now, because he didn’t even have time to pause and think about slipping back into it before the college sent out emails ordering the students off of campus, before racing home and immediately trying to fix the collateral damage of everyone’s panic.

He loves Spider-Man, but he’d give anything to go back to just being Peter Parker.

He’s not sure how long he stays there, curled up on the cool cement, eyes squeezed shut and hands gripping his head, when a hand touches his shoulder and he flinches back violently.

“Karen, disable Black Out Protocol!” Peter says frantically, and even the dim lighting of the room is enough to make him wince. He blinks blearily, even as his body coils with tension.

“Easy, kid, it’s just me,” Tony says in a low voice, hands raised.

Peter looks at him with wild eyes as the noise comes rushing back in, and he lets out a stuttered, “T-Tony?”

Tony keeps his movements slow, trying not to startle the kid any more than he already his.

“I’m here, Peter,” Tony reassures. “You’re okay. It’s okay.”

Something inside of Peter that had been sitting in his stomach like hot acid bubbles to the surface, and he can’t stop himself before snarling, “It’s NOT! It’s not fucking okay, Tony!” He ignores the look of alarm on the man’s face in favor of yelling more, because at least that’s louder than everything in his head. “Have you seen the world outside? Don’t—don’t tell me it’s okay when I have people screaming at me because they’re sick and need help and I can’t do shit. It’s not—fuck—I can’t—I keep thinking I want to go home but I am home, but I want the home I had before—before this mess. And I can’t—Spider-Man isn’t enough, it’s—”

Peter cuts off abruptly with a swear, swaying in place as he tries to catch his breath. He looks up at Tony with wide eyes, mortified at his outburst.

“Fuck—I’m sorry. I—”

“Peter, you need to breathe,” Tony tells him.

“I can’t—”

“You can,” Tony says firmly. “You know the drill. Inhale. Hold. Exhale.”

He waits, watches attentively as Peter tries to rein in his helplessness, and Tony can’t help the flash of pride he feels as Peter slowly takes a deep breath, holding it for few seconds before exhaling.

“Good, Peter. You’re doing great,” Tony encourages. “Do it again.”

They stay like that for a few silent moments, Tony crouched in front of Peter as he collects himself again, trying to tame the raw panic that’s been coursing through him for the past week.

Eventually, Tony sees some of the tension seep from his bones, and Peter sags back against the wall tiredly. Tony moves to sit next to him, shoulder to shoulder, and Peter takes comfort in the solid presence next to him.

“What time is it?” Peter eventually asks into the silence.

“Nearing three in the morning,” Tony tells him, and Peter darts a surprised look at him.

It was around six in the evening when Peter took off. “Fuck.”

“You’ve gotten liberal with that word,” Tony observes, his lips quirking with amusement, and Peter gives him a sheepish look.

“It applies,” he answers simply, and Tony hums in agreement.

For a moment, they just sit in the comfort of each other’s presence, and Peter’s chest aches with how much he’s missed this. How much he’s missed Before. Before the virus, before college, before the Snap. Back when it was just him and Tony, working in the lab and tweaking his suit and bouncing theories back and forth like currency.

How did life get away from them so fast?

“I read this post once,” Peter says suddenly, and Tony doesn’t look at him, but he does press a little bit closer, everything inside of him stilling as he listens to his kid. “It was about tornadoes. It was talking about how if you see a tornado and it doesn’t look like it’s moving but it’s getting bigger, it’s because it’s moving towards you.”

“That’s.... horrifying,” Tony comments when Peter doesn’t immediately continue.

“Yeah,” Peter agrees. Then, “This is what that feels like. It feels like you’re watching a tornado and you think you’re a safe distance away, but then you realize it’s getting bigger and bigger, and there’s the awful realization that’s it’s because it’s getting closer, and there is nothing you can do to outrun it. You just have to sit there and accept that it’s going to hit and it’s going to wreck your life and you’ll either survive it or you won’t.”

Tony looks at Peter, then, but the kid is staring at the ground, jaw clenched as if regretting his outburst. Tony nudges him gently and waits for him to look up. When he finally does, there’s a fear in his eyes that Tony hasn’t seen since Thanos. It makes him sick.

“That’s been building for quite awhile, huh, kid?” Tony says gently, and Peter shrugs.

“I... I like coming back to Queens but...”

“But not under life-threatening circumstances and in the midst of global tragedy,” Tony finishes for him. “I get it, bud. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed by all of this. Hell, even I had my meltdown with Pep already. Because god if I don’t feel like I’m doing enough. Every second not spent in the lab feels like I’m letting the world down. But that’s just... it’s not sustainable. You’re allowed to take a break, to get away. In fact, you need to, sometimes.”

Peter nods, swallowing thickly. “It’s just... it’s so loud,” he says, wincing at how whiny it sounds coming from his mouth. But he’s tired. The topic has flooded his entire life, both Peter Parker’s and Spider-Man’s and he just wants to escape it. It’s in his group chats and plastered all over the news and social media and in memes and it never stops. It never stops.

“I know, buddy,” Tony says sadly, and Peter can’t help but feel a flash of guilt, because he knows that out of all people, Tony really does get it. “But listen to me.” He waits until Peter is looking him straight in the eye. “The world has survived every disaster it’s faced so far. It has survived mass extinctions and it’s survived us. And we have survived mad Titan gods, we’ve lost half our population, and we’ve come back. We have survived plagues and natural disasters, and these things—yes, they’re inevitable. They’re devastating. But we will rebuild. We’re going to wake up one day, just like we always have, and we’ll find that we’ve survived again. That the tornado has torn through our lives and we’ve survived it against all odds, and we’ll be okay. And for those who aren’t—we’ll be there for them, too.”

There is silence as Peter lets his mentor’s words sink in, letting them curl inside his chest and plant a little bit of hope there. After a minute or so, he looks up at Tony and gives him a small smile.

“You steal that inspirational monologue from Pepper?” Peter teases, but Tony sees the gratitude in his eyes.

“Oi, none of that,” Tony protests, giving Peter a little shove. “I’ll have you know I’ve gotten much better at writing my own inspirational speeches. It’s the therapy.”

“Well, it’s... it’s definitely helped,” Peter admits, and he finally lets himself sink into Tony’s side, taking comfort in his warmth. Tony wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.

“Yeah?”

Peter closes his eyes are a moment, feeling hope grow inside of his chest.

“Yeah.”

(Hang on tight. Because even though the bad things feel inevitable, so are the good ones.)

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whitehotharlots · 5 years

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Handicapping the 2020 Dem primary

Tier Four

The Tom Vilsack Memorial “No Chance in Hell” Tier

These are the candidates whose family members won’t even vote for them. They will drop out either before or immediately after Iowa. Some of them will be working specifically to plant the seeds of a 2024 run, while others are auditioning for an MSNBC gig.

Joe Kennedy

Any person who is simultaneously old enough and illiterate enough to have any fondness for the Kennedys is 100% in the Trump camp. Joe has zero appeal outside of this voting bloc, which literally does not exist. He won’t even win Massachusetts--won’t even be in the top five in Massachusetts.

Michael Avenatti

My man ain’t even announced his run and he’s already facing domestic assault charges. A potential Avenatti run had a mystical WWF vibe to it. I will admit, I was excited, the same as I’d be excited to finally pull alongside the accident that caused the pile up. No one has any idea what his policies are, because neither does he. He might honestly beat Trump in the general, as he is far and away the most likely candidate to physically assault Trump if the two ever share a stage (any Dem who punches Trump will be automatically 100% guaranteed to win the election). But he probably won’t even run.

Mitch Landrieu

Mitch will appeal to that small demographic of erstwhile independent voters who were drawn to Trump solely because he is an openly corrupt grifter. By May he will be a panel participant on a new MSNBC show that’s like Shark Tank but but all the contestants are trying to get the panel to fund their medical gofundme’s.

Eric Holder

Like every other member of the Obama administration, his faults are glaring and the relatively good stuff he did takes way too much context for most voters to understand. Under his leadership, the DoJ began began to litigate hate crimes, which had been almost completely neglected under Bush. That’s good. Also, under his leadership, the DoJ stalwartly refused to prosecute the war criminals who lied us into Iraq or the bankers who tanked the world economy. That’s bad. Politically, he has the platform of a Republican circa 1992. Personally, he has the charisma of a very dry snail.

Steve Bullock

He looks and sounds like the dumb guy sidekick of an old cartoon villain. He is therefore the Bebop/Rocksteady of the field. His policies are indistinguishable from any other civil moderate/fiscal conservative candidate, and his moistness will drive away both donors and media . (NOTE: With Bullock, the Avenatti Rule applies: if he threatens to physically assault Trump or any member of Trump’s family--especially including Baron--he will rocket to the top of the pack. If he actually assaults them, he will win the general election and usher in a glorious Centrist Utopia)

Kristen Gillibrand

She was once considered a front-runner for the same reason Corey Booker kinda sorta still is a frontrunner--because she looks similar to a previous Dem nominee, and many liberal strategists and commentators cannot conceive of a politics beyond identity markers. Trouble is, unlike Booker, Gillibrand pissed off her donor base by leading the the charge against Al Franken. I don’t for a second think that Gillibrand’s efforts had anything to do with principles. She just leaned into the wrong direction of the skid of cynicism: if there’s one thing Democrat donors hate, it’s a candidate who appears to adhere to any kind of moral framework. And Gillibrand is not the sort of candidate who stands a chance without full institutional support.

Tier Three

The “Gormless Dweebs” Tier

These people might stick around until late in the game for the same reason they’d stay at a house party until well after they were no longer welcome. Each also possesses a very particular strain of weirdness that might resonate with voters in New Hampshire enough that they’d finish in the top 3, but none has a realistic chance to live past Super Tuesday.

Martin O’Malley

O’Malley is the Democrat John Kasich. He’s mostly running because he wants to have people to talk to. Several New Hampshire people will nod at him and that will be it.

Terry McAuliffe

Imagine if Joe Lieberman were a governor and slightly less physically repulsive. He is still a very moist man, and his only moments of attention will come when he criticizes one of the more left-leaning candidates after they point out that the Iraq war didn’t go so good. (Let me ask Senator Sanders a question. We he says that global warming is the biggest threat we face... has he ever heard of ISLAM?” *Tufts University crowd goes wild*) Terry might come in top 3 in Virginia, and he also might stick around if a frontrunner is facing some kind of big scandal. But his main effect on this debate will be that of a zebra mussel on the side of a leaky rowboat, hoping it fills with just enough water that he’ll be able to slither aboard for the last few minutes before it sinks.

Elizabeth Warren

Warren is one of small handful of Dem candidates whose economic politics fall to the left of Margaret Thatcher. That doesn’t really work for her, though, because it’s hard for a quiet dweeb to project any sense of populism. She’d be a significantly less horrible president than most on this list, probably. But there’s no way she would beat Trump head to head. He can bait her with literally any claim and her response will always be “golly gee I will refute this man with logic and evidence and then those who repeated his taunts will surely see the error of their ways.” By August, it would get to the point where she’d be sending out topless pics to prove she really doesn’t have several teats and therefore is not a pregnant dog, as Trump suggested. But thankfully she will have flamed out long before that.

Tier 2

The “Viable Candidates Who Are Gonna Get Rat Fucked Really Hard” Tier

Sherrod Brown

Same general platform as Bernie, only without the voting record, name recognition, or widespread appeal. We are also living in an age where crudity is now taken for a sign of sincerity, and while he does kinda give off a “disheveled history teacher” vibe, that’s not enough to really combat Trump. Trump can only really be beaten by a platform, not a personality, so Brown might have a chance. But he’ll also almost certainly bow out before Super Tuesday. My guess he won’t be able to take the heat nearly as well as Bernie and he’s gone before Iowa.

Bernie

Bernie will win New Hampshire. He will win for the same reason he won it in 2016: he’s well-known there, he will be the only believable candidate running on a civil libertarian platform. He will win it by a bigger margin, because the Establishment field will be more split. He will win Iowa for the same reasons: much more name recognition now. Pledged delegates-wise, he will be far and away the frontrunner after the first two contests, although on-screen graphics will continue to present him as a longshot, due to superdelegates. He will then square off in a contest between 1-2 of the following candidates, whom the establishment will rally behind. He could win the nomination, but you and I literally cannot imagine the absurdity of the smears he will face. If he wins the nomination he wins the general Reagan vs. Mondale-style, and we might narrowly avoid civilization collapse. There’s only about a 25% of that happening, though.

Tier 1

The “If the Establishment Unites Behind Any One of These People They Will Beat Bernie for the Nom Then Get Stomped by Trump” Tier

None of these candidates would have a realistic chance against Trump, but each of them is well positioned to take advantage of the unique corruption of the Democratic Party. Our only real hope--as a society and a species--is that they manage to split the vote between themselves.

Kamela Harris

Did you watch HBO’s The Jinx? It’s about a weird, repulsive millionaire serial killer who keeps evading justice. She was the prosecutor who tried to convict him. To stress: she could not convict Robert Derst. She’s running in the right direction, though, (disingenuously) espousing some populist positions while hoovering up donor cash. She could very well wait this thing out and then see the donors line up behind her enough so that he "victory” is called by the AP right before the California primary.

Beto

Centrism couldn’t win in Texas, even with a candidate who was immensely more appealing than his opponent. That’s exactly what Centrism is designed to do, and it didn’t do it. It failed. It will always fail. Still, Beto is very handsome and very shameless and not Republican-level evil, which means he will make some money and also sway some idiots. But he’s not nearly connected enough, yet, to win the nom. He will come close however, and bow out at the right time so as to not burn any bridges. Beto will be the nominee in 2024, when he will narrowly win the popular vote but lose the electoral college to Immortum Joe.

Corey Booker

Laugh if you must, but Booker appeals strongly to the exact strain of idiocy that controls the strategy within the Democratic Party: He is a black male... like Obama! That means he will win, since Obama did. Yes, anyone who spends a few minutes studying Booker will realize he lacks Obama’s intelligence, wit, and oratorical ability. But that’s not how the Democratic establishment understands politics: they believe, genuinely, that the way to win is to raise the most money while being in possession of the correct identity markers. Should a candidate do this and lose, as Hillary did, it was the inevitable result of machinations outside of their control. Ergo, we must appoint the anointed one and see if he pleases the gods. Plus, if you mute the TV and squint, Booker totally looks like Obama!

Hillary

The main benefits of wokeness--why it has so many adherents, so far as I can tell--is that it allows certain people to skirt all responsibility for everything they say and do, even as it forces others to attempt to adhere to literally impossible programmatics of speech and comportment. And so Hillary’s recent nativist turn will be forgiven (it will most likely go unmentioned), while Bernie’s wardrobe and posture will be used as evidence of his sexism. She can continue making jokes about Colored People Time, while any of her competitors will be crucified for not using the exact right terms in describing whatever happen to be the Woke Cause of the Day. This insulation from criticism is Hillary’s biggest strength with the Democrat electorate, while her fiscal conservatism will continue to help her with donors. She will get beaten horribly in the general, but still stands a strong chance in the primary.

Joe Biden

I have no idea how this man is leading in some polls other than name recognition. Which--don’t get me wrong, name recognition is huge, especially in early goings within a crowded primary field. But what does Biden bring to the table, policy-wise or personality-wise? I realize the people who bleat about how they don’t want any more OLD. WHITE. MALES. running for president are just trying to make their cruel centrist politics appear radical--but could they be shameless enough to actually throw their support to Biden? Biden, the dude who most certainly would have been MeToo’d were he still in a position of power? Biden, the pro-war economic conservative who repeatedly says that young people just need to stop whining? That’s the guy you’re gonna run against Trump? Probably. I would take a 50/50 bet on him winning the nomination.

Final odds:

Biden: 1:1

Hillary 1.5:1

Bernie 4:1

Booker 8:1

Beto 10:1

Harris 12:1

Field (including only aforementioned candidates): 30:1

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amphtaminedreams · 4 years

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We Voted for Murderers

65.2%.

That’s the percentage of people who voted for the Conservative candidate in my constituency, and I feel completely heartbroken. See, things have properly gone to shit.

If we’re talking numbers?

Local councils estimate the number of people sleeping rough on any given night between 2010 and 2018 has risen from 1,768 to 4,677, a 165% increase. The Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest food bank charity, has reported a 5,146% increase in emergency food parcels being distributed since 2008. An 8% cut in spending per school pupil since 2009. Funding from central government to local government cut by 60% in that same period. £37 billion less spent on working-age social security compared to over a decade ago by 2020. A 90% fall in the number of social homes being built since 2010. A £7,300,000 decrease in funding for women’s shelters between 2011 and 2017. Don’t even get me started on the government’s treatment of the NHS.

I’ve heard stories of individuals applying for PIP due to mental illness being berated about suicide attempts and the likelihood of another as part of a “formal interview” process to see whether they qualify. People collapsing in job centre queues, freezing to death on the streets and the elderly in their homes, suicides whilst on never ending mental healthcare waiting lists. In fact, 17,000 sick and/or disabled individuals have died whilst waiting for PIP payments to come through, and in total, UCL researchers have linked 120,000 deaths to austerity (I’m not going to comment on the irony of my former university that’s notoriously lacklustre when it comes to giving a fuck about the wellbeing of its students publishing this unless...I just did?). 8 years of negligent homicide of the most vulnerable people in our society under the Conservative government and we voted them back in.

So I ask, are people really stupid enough to believe that the politicians responsible for this mess are the ones who are going to fix it just because they make a few characteristically empty promises on TV or does the British public at large really give even less of a fuck about other people than I thought? As in actually not give a fuck about people dying?

I have to tell myself it’s the former. The press’ treatment of Jeremy Corbyn and Labour was scathing.

Corbyn, a man who has stood by the same principles of fairness, justice, and equality, for the entirety of his career, was criticised by the likes of The Sun, The Daily Mail, and The Telegraph, for being indecisive and a threat to this country whilst Boris Johnson, a man who can barely string a sentence together when he is asked to give a straight answer to something and blocked the release of a report covering Russian interference in British politics, was held up as the one people should put their faith in.

I know, the press are never going to be completely neutral. But shouldn’t they at least be committed to integrity? And the truth? Isn’t that the WHOLE FUCKING POINT of journalism? I’ve been hearing the phrase “post-truth world” thrown around a lot and it’s probably an indication of my privilege that it was only with this election that I properly understood what that meant; it was found by the NGO First Draft just 2 days before the election, damage way past the point of done, that 88% of the Conservative Party’s Facebook ads (compared to 0% of Labour’s ads) contained misleading information. The repercussions were non-existent. After Boris Johnson’s claim that Jeremy Corbyn wanted to raise corporation and income tax to the highest levels in Europe was publicised, only Channel 4′s Factcheck website published the actual statistics (France, Belgium, Portugal and Greece all have much higher corporation tax rates than Labour’s proposal). Similarly, in many constituencies, the Lib Dems were posting fliers where Labour candidates were, in the previous election, the runner ups to the Conservative candidate, claiming that it was instead THEIR party’s candidate who had the highest chance of unseating the latter. Days before the election, the headline of one of Britain’s most highly circulated papers claimed that a Corbyn government would plunge us into a crisis the likes of which “we haven’t seen the Second World War”, which is kind of wild considering that 130,000 preventable deaths have been linked to austerity under the Conservative government compared to 70,000 civilian deaths in said war. Not that either is good, obviously, and I can’t believe I have to point that out. But then, right-wingers did paint Jeremy Corbyn as a monster for passing up watching the Queen’s Christmas Day speech to volunteer at a homeless shelter, so I thought I’d just cover my back, y’know.

Shouldn’t there be standards that the media is held to? You know, like not making slanderous statements about some politicians that have no actual basis in fact whilst brushing over the statements of others. Whilst the PM’s father Stanley Johnson was on nation television calling the public illiterate, and Jacob Rees-Mogg was blaming the Grenfell victims deaths on their “lack of common sense”, and Michael Gove was stating that people who needed to use food banks had brought it on themselves because they were not “best able to manage their finances”, it was Jeremy Corbyn who was being called an enemy of the people, accused of trying to plunge us into a “Marxist hell”...I mean, if Denmark and Norway and Finland with some of the highest living standards in the world are “Marxist hell”s then sure, that’s what he’s doing. But that’s a hell I’m sure a lot of people would find much comfier than a freezing cold pavement. Before Labour had even released their (fully-costed!) manifesto, barefaced lies were being published about how much it would cost and how it would plunge us into trillions of pounds worth of debt, as if it hasn’t increased from £1 trillion to £1.8 trillion in the years since David Cameron took office. Meanwhile, when Labour did publish their manifesto and the Financial Times published a letter signed by 163 prominent economists and academics backing their spending plans? Crickets. Nothing sums it up better than the debate around Jeremy Corbyn’s alleged anti-semitism, discussed ad-nauseam whilst Boris Johnson’s actual racism, islamophobia, misogyny and classism, RIGHT OUT OF THE HORSE’S MOUTH, was completely ignored by most news outlets.

You know what, maybe people earning £85k just DON’T want to pay an extra £3 in tax a week to make sure children get an education. Maybe everybody IS just as selfish as that one twat on Question Time who got all red in the face over the prospect of having to give up an amount less than the cost of a tub of Ben and Jerrys a week. But if that’s true, this isn’t a country I want to live in at all, or a planet I want to live on, really. I hope it’s not. I hope it’s a case of a need for some kind of collective realisation that the Sun ain’t shit. Merseyside did it. The younger generation are catching on. And look at the results there.

Labour probably couldn’t fulfil ALL of their promises. No political party is perfect. I was told again and again how unrealistic those promises were as if that was enough to make me go ”oh...I guess I’ll vote for 4 more years of people dying in the streets instead”. Yes, in an ideal world, the entire manifesto would be made a reality, but it depended on far too many rich people being good and honest. Let’s be real-the elite will always find a way to avoid paying their fare share on the premise that they “earned it”, as if anybody earns billions by sheer hard work alone and past a certain point, not off other people’s backs. As if there aren’t nurses and teachers and firemen and other public sector workers who don’t put in just as much energy and as many hours and emotional labour as CEOs and business owners and investors. But the point is that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn acknowledged this, and their manifesto aimed to give the power back to the average person, from the vulnerable to the supposedly middle class still struggling to make ends meet, and give them the quality of life they deserve. It was built on the simple premise that the people should use their government, not the other way round, and that everybody deserves the basic human rights of shelter, nutrition, safety and dignity, regardless of their fortune in life. However many of Labour’s policies would actually have been fulfilled, it would’ve been a shift in the right direction.

Now the election’s been and gone and I’m scared. Already, the narrative is being rewritten by the billionaires in control of this country that a manifesto like the one we saw this year will never sit right with this country, when it is what so many desperately need. The people putting this information out there know the truth: that Labour’s membership trebled in size under Corbyn (more people voted for him than for any Labour leader since Tony Blair), that most of the safe labour seats were lost because of Brexit, and that if the manifesto had been represented accurately, there’s a good chance that Boris Johnson would no longer be our Prime Minister. I’m scared a person like Jeremy Corbyn will never front Labour again.

Because I do not want a tory painted red who’s friends with Jacob Rees-Mogg behind the scenes, I do not want a war criminal who thinks that bombing innocent people is ever acceptable, I do not want a person who doesn’t see people of colour as part of the working class and indulges in the occasional bit of TERF-ism.

Already, the Conservative party are backpedaling on the few promises they made to increase NHS spending, and I am scared. I am scared for myself, in the event that I need urgent mental health care again, and I am scared for those less privileged than me who don’t have a family to support them, who don't have a roof over their head, who weren’t fortunate enough to be born in a country with relative economic and political stability, who cannot physically go out and work to earn a living. I am worried about the bigots that this election has already emboldened, the Katie Hopkins and the Tommy Robinsons of the world, who think the things that blind luck have graced them with they somehow earned, who pride themselves on ignorance and cruelty and selfishness.

So for now, what can we do?

Join trade unions. Organise. Write to your MPs. Bring attention to those who are vulnerable. Be vocal with your criticism of the establishment. Call out those in politics for an ego-trip hiding behind “personality”. Do your research. Keep an eye on the numbers. The “it doesn’t matter who you vote for, just vote” sentiment is old, because it does. No “as a feminist, I exercise my right to vote for whoever I want”, because as a feminist, you should care about ALL women, not just the white, middle class, able-bodied ones.

And if anyone has any more suggestions, let me know. Because I am sick and tired of living under a government who doesn’t give a fuck about the people it’s supposed to protect.

Lauren x

[DISCLAIMER: The photo is not mine. Just devastated and trying to find the words to express it.]

#socialism #labour #politics #british politics #feminism

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rudeinterrupti0ns · 5 years

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Amazon Prime Concert

ok here are all my thoughts about the gig. i've already posted a few thoughts such as how brilliant the audience were before taylor even came on, chanting her name and then screaming to high hell when appeared, and a few other things, but i've sort of decided to live post a bit in one post to be less annoying. so here is my terrible stream of consciousness, live from my bed and thanks to a total lack of sleep!

omg she's starting with me! yay!- i loved that she played this first. her first song released which is, at the end of the day, owned by her and it's so happy and cheery and it's such a positive start to this era. love it. also the video is unbeatable. suddenly thinking about benjamin. been distracted brb.

blank space - hell yeah after the last few weeks taylor's gonna play blank space! another great big fuck you to the media's opinion of her. god i love this song. she so smort. this song will never age because the media will always be this dumb. this is why taylor's timeless.

owh she's giving a speech about everyone already being the most supportive crowd. good work gang. that's what we were aiming for tonight.

ikywt - i felt it was really interesting she played ikywt, especially given that it's one of the few songs sc**ter changed on apple music. to me it felt like she was reminding everyone that it was HER song, no matter what he did with it. ooh a slightly funky ending! ooh taylor yeah mix it up!

'I wrote all of it'' YES TAYLOR! fucking tell em! we will never forget this. and i love that this is how she's dealing with it. cause she's right. tbh it's not like she needs the money from them and although i'm sure it fucking HURTS to a) be backstabbed by someone so close to her and b) have her musical children in the hands of someone else, she knows that in the world's eyes and in the fans' eyes and especially in her eyes the music is hers. and that's so important. we're not under any pretences that entire albums were ghostwritten like some singers do. we know that taylor's work is her own and so we accredit it to her. so i'm glad she's reminding everyone publicly again who wrote those somgs because she deserves to reiterate that no matter whose hands those songs are in...that she wrote them. good for you taylor.

love story yay!! - i cried during the intro lmao happens every time. and oh my god. there's a guy in the backwards cap during the first verse and he is so intensely singing the words and staring at taylor and it is amazing someone please find him. and oh my god PAUL SIDOTI YES BB show him the love he deserves.

"A little me and you time one on one on the guitar" YES PLEASE AND NEW YORK CITY HOOOOOLD UP WHAT YOU SAYING-

"I get inspired by lots of things in life, not just my own life but books and relationships between characters... but then there's being inspired by a place. That definitely happened to me when i spent a lot of time in new york city... this is the FIRST song that I wrote which was inspired by new york city" OK GUYS SHE HAD A MAJOR INFLECTION ON THE WORD "FIRST" I BET THERE'LL BE ANOTHER IN LOVER!!!!!!

ok side note i've just noticed yellow stars on the frets of taylor's guitar WHAT IS THE STAR THING?? so many easter eggs, so few brain cells.

AND YOU CAN WANT WHO YOU WANT BOYS AND BOYS GIRLS AND GIRLS yes taylor you show them that yntcd isnt queerbaiting you've been publicly supporting lgbtqa+ for yonks give them the receipts!! also this has got to be a shout out to the us womens soccer team. so cute. so deserving.

well that was bloody beautiful taylor. what a lovely version of that song. we have been blessed.

DELICATE 123 LGB!!! her face when everyone screamed it oh my god. she loves it. she fucking gets it. i love that amazon didn't censor it in time lmao, they weren't stan enough to know it was coming. i bet there was at least 1 swiftie working there keeping their mouth shut just so we could get an hq version of 123lgb lmao. brilliant.

also isn't delicate just so fucking good? ahhhhh the switch from acoustic to the backing track! love that. the kick into the 2nd verse is my favourite bit. great stuff.

STYLE. i s2g i hear the tiniest part of the beginning of the backing track and my whole body lights on fire. there really is no song like style. it is a pop masterpiece.

she's talking about lover!! - a love letter to love itself AHHHHHHHHHHHH!! love is complexity, struggle, pain, joy, hope... love is EQUALITY YEEEEEEEEET god she's such a good precious lil bean!!!! so much support for the queer community this era i am so here for it.

"would it be ok if for the first time ever we play yntcd live?" lmao taylor WHAT DO YOU THINK? hooooly shit. i love it.

ahh she's dancing! aha omg the little boxing motions taylor u geek. owh her lil choreography ugh, soft bean. MUST HAVE TAKEN ALL NIGHT lmaoooo her face. CAUSE SHADE NEVER MADE ANYBODY LESS GAY yes the crowd went IN! well done bbs. and omg why does amazon keep cutting to people standing there being miserable??? they've done it the whole show like what are these camera people doing?!?! maybe focus on people actually obviously having fun lmao. um also i see the beachballs in the background video... is that a wango tango reference? who knows maybe she's somehow made it another easter egg, incredible work.

last song?? noooo! but SHAKE IT OFF yes!! you literally feel the vibe in the room change. there's something about that song man. you literally cannot help but dance. god i wished i lived in nyc. for so many reasons. but also so i could have attended this. so much fun!!

LIARS AND DIRTY DIRTY CHEATS OF THE WORLD yes taylor fucking TELL THEM. these are your words!!! and you own them and you can apply them to whoever you want. because you are the rich man!! you are so strong and powerful and don't you forget it!

also whenever i see the shake it off rainbow confetti i just die. the love in that room.

oh she's going around holding everyone's hand!! TAYLOR!!!!!!

ok that was so much fun. now just 2 more days til july 13th 👀 and 4 days til my birthday, what a life we lead. hope you enjoyed my stream of connsciousness it probably reads terribly but i'm very excited and underslept. CONGRATS @taylorswift you KILLED it as usual!! @taylornation

#amazon prime concert #prime concert #taylor swift #taylornation #taylurking

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hanabigaildavid · 4 years

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A Call for Unity

#WeHealasOne

We often hear this campaign against COVID-19 in the news, most of the time in the president’s speeches. It is a call to unite the Filipinos to do their part during this quarantine period to prevent the further spread of the virus. But how can we really achieve unity at a time when everyone wants to be heard? Last night, while I was browsing through my newsfeed, I was baffled to see people post their opinions expressing either admiration or dissent to the speech. I too am affected and could say that the speech made me angry - as to why I am angry is a different story. What I would like to share today are three biblical principles about unity which I have learned long before this global pandemic happened.

1. Consider others better than yourself

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:1-4

I found this at Keiko Necessario’s twitter account: “as we all fear to be exposed with the virus, we all clearly forget that this virus is exposing us instead; our true intentions, our hearts, our flaws, our faith.” While it is true that we all need to be healthy to survive, we should also check our privileges and help those who are struggling. This verse applies not only to the ordinary people but to the government officials as well. It saddens my heart that many people are hoarding, for fear that they might run out of necessities while on a lockdown, while there are literally those who have no means and are struggling to put food on the table. It saddens me to think that there are frontliners who, despite risking their lives to save people and the fact that they can’t even stay at home, are struggling with discrimination because there are people who fear that they might be carriers of the virus. It breaks my heart to see some asymptomatic politicians run multiple VIP testing for themselves and for their families while there are those who die without even getting tested. It’s also disheartening to see people try to get ahead of others in lining up for rations while there are those who are literally forgotten by the government. What’s worse is that some government officials, instead of being quick to help the unprivileged, looks out for their own political interests and hidden agendas. You see, materialism is the enemy of unity. It’s really hard to achieve unity when no one is willing to be the last; when everyone wants to be served than to serve. Let Jesus be our best example, “who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:6-7).” We live in one nation. “If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it (1 Corinthians 12:26).”

2. Focus on using your God-given spiritual gifts

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. - Romans 12:6

There are diversities of gifts. Individually, the Lord has given us different or unique set of gifts according to His will. There are people who are good at leading, some are good at administrating, some are good at giving, some are good at giving encouragement and some are good at serving. One can’t have it all. Since we are created differently from each other, we might think that it could be challenging to associate ourselves to people especially to those we barely knew but, the truth is that, our differences draws us together as we are forced to depend on each other. I have been working for 3 years in a wellness and transformation destination in Alfonso, Cavite and for 3 years, I have been coordinating mostly team building events in the resort. One thing that strikes me the most whenever I sit-in in our head facilitator’s talks, is the statement “maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses”. Sometimes we tend to try to do both our strengths and our weaknesses because we do not want to ask for help. I am not saying that we shouldn’t try to improve on our weaknesses but to focus on what we do best and allow others with different set of strengths to help you with your weaknesses. I admire those mayors who are copying each other’s best practices. Let us be like them, who are not intimidated by another person’s strengths. If we are working as one body, we need each other’s strengths to succeed in our goal and for us to come together in unity. No matter how small you think your gift is, there will come a point when somebody will need you for that gift of yours. We may not be frontliners but simply obeying the policies s.a. staying at home would greatly help in flattening the curve. If you have the gift of giving and are good at organizing donation drives while using the social media as a platform, why not focus on doing it instead of trying to be a know it all on social media?

Lastly,

3. Pray unceasingly.

More than relying on each other’s strengths, God wants us to rely on Him. It is true for me that what happened last night is frustrating and infuriating, that for the first time, it made me cry seeing the news. But as I pondered on what happened, I realized that there is no perfect government and that we aren’t perfect as well. I am not saying this so that the government (or we) can have an excuse to be incompetent, corrupt or ignore the injustices that is happening around us. What I mean is this: There is no great or little sin – only sin. This is one thing that is hard to admit, even for me, because the reality is that no one wants to be condemned. No one wants to be blamed. In fact, our nature is to find anyone who we can blame for the injustices that's happening around us. But this is the truth: There is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10). We all sinned and fell short of God's glory. OUR sins are the reason why there is suffering and we all ALL bound to destruction if we do not repent. BUT to those who are willing to humble down, turn away from their wicked ways and pray, this is God’s promise: that He will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). God’s hand is not short that it cannot save and His ears are not dull that it cannot hear (Isaiah 59:1). What great comfort it is to know that we have an authority higher than our government who is righteous, just and is wise. It is indeed comforting that even though everyone of us is limited, we have one God who is sovereign. This is the hope that we have. Remember the parable of the persistent widow? Because of the widow’s continuous coming to trouble and weary the unjust judge, the unjust judge avenged her. How much more if we will be persistent in praying to a just God? Shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him? (Luke 18:1-8) We can speak out for those who can’t as much as we can, we can call out corrupt practices of the government and we can help the unprivileged with what we have but it can only do so little. We cannot do everything but I believe everyone can pray. That's why if we are going to be united, prayer is the best thing we can do as one. Assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst if them (Matthew 18:18-20).

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alexschurick-blog · 5 years

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I’ve dabbled with Buddhism for over a decade now.

I read a book here, a book there, meditate almost every day, have attended a couple of Buddhist retreats and taken a handful of online courses.

Even though the Buddhist philosophy/religion aligns more closely than any other religion with not just my beliefs and values, but those of science too, I’ve stopped short of calling myself a Buddhist for various reasons.

Firstly, I eat meat and although that doesn’t mean you cannot be a Buddhist, in fact, the Buddha himself would sometimes eat meat if it were served to him, it still seems slightly antithetical to Buddhist best practice.

Secondly, and although I’ve quit drinking at the moment, I do enjoy a nice glass of wine. Again, this isn’t prohibited, but I think using any substance that reduces the ability to think clearly isn’t quite in keeping with a Buddhist lifestyle.

Whereas the above reasons are important, there is another more insidious reason that stops me from saying, ‘I’m a Buddhist’ and that’s Donald Trump.

I am very friendly with the guy who does my grass care.

He’s possibly the happiest, chattiest person I know. He’s always smiling and forever willing to go the extra mile to help me – sometimes even without me asking.

He’s a devout Christian, attends Church regularly and studies the Bible. Much of his demeanor makes you think, ‘Yes! If religion makes people this happy, then I want some of that’.

He left a very well paid job in New York City to move to Florida with his family and set up as a lawn guy who does odd jobs.

He slashed his income by 75% overnight and says that it was one of the best decisions he’s ever made.

He works when he wants (sometimes to my consternation when he doesn’t turn up because the Yankees are on TV) and says his life is almost completely free of negative stress.

There’s a lot to admire about that.

But one thing niggles me, and he knows it as we have had a great many conversations.

He’s a Republican and Trump supporter. And before you jump to conclusions, that isn’t what bothers me. Well, not entirely.

And Then The Election Happened

Prior to the election in 2016, we were friends on Facebook and he kept sharing a constant stream of bullshit stories from Fox News and other right-wing media sites.

He didn’t appear to be questioning anything that fitted with his Trumpist view and he shared more than the occasional link to sources and stories that had been thoroughly debunked.

It got tiresome.

But, it was after the election that I felt the need to minimize our interactions to face-to-face conversations when he moved into a full-on gloating mode.

Meme’s of democratic supporters crying, mocking Clinton and depicting Trump as some sort of political genius were a tad too much, so I unfriended him.

The next time I saw him I explained why.

He was cool, as I knew he would be, but when I questioned him on his Faith and asked something like, ‘How Christian is it to be mocking people you have defeated. Would Christ do that?’

His response surprised me because he said, ‘But that was Jesus, I cannot hope to be like him’

‘But isn’t the point to try? Isn’t being Christlike the whole point of being a Christian? If you know you are not following his teachings, shouldn’t you at least attempt to change your approach’

I never got an answer that made any sense to me.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the expression that knowledge is power.

It’s utter nonsense.

It’s the application of knowledge that is power. Knowing something intellectually is meaningless this side of a trivia quiz. You have to implement that knowledge.

My guy clearly has a lot of knowledge about the Bible and even Christian values and he is indeed applying some of it.

But there seems to be a line over which he cannot shift that knowledge into action.

And that is the reason I would feel like a hypocrite calling myself a Buddhist.

The 8-Fold Path

The Buddha taught the 8-fold path that consisted of:

Right View

Right Resolve

Right Speech

Right Conduct

Right Livelihood

Right Effort

Right Mindfulness

Right Concentration (meditation)

Buddhists should strive to attain all of those things. In fact, if you can nail all 8, then you supposedly get nirvana as an added bonus. Sweet!

I try to adopt all of them as often as I can, but I have to be honest, there are times when I just don’t want to.

There’s a Buddhist meditation called Metta Bhavana or lovingkindness in which you send love in the form of a mantra. They tend to vary from teacher to teacher, but roughly speaking it goes like this:

May you be well May you be happy May you be safe

First, you give it to yourself, by saying ‘may I be well, may I be happy, may I be safe’.

Then you offer it to a close friend. ‘may you be well, may you be happy, may you be safe’

Then a person who you vaguely know but have no opinion on.

That’s followed by an enemy or somebody you have difficulty with.

And finally, you offer it to all those people and yourself at once and then expand to all sentient beings.

For a while now I have chosen Donald Trump of the recipient of my difficult person. For the most part, I find it really hard to hold grudges or dislike people for more than a fleeting moment.

Not Trump though, he’s the one constant.

However, I can send him lovingkindness without much of a problem because I genuinely believe he needs all the compassion that the world can drum up.

Trump Is Not A Happy Bunny

One of the things that I think most people don’t realize with Trump. He’s deeply unhappy.

He’s going through his own private hell every day with his constant need for external validation.

Sadly, he’s taking hundreds of millions of people along for the ride and the collateral damage is enormous and depressing.

And that is where it all falls down for me.

A bit like my Christian friend not really wanting to be Christlike if it messes with some values, and/or beliefs, that aren’t in alignment with his religion, I just don’t want to offer Trump ‘right speech’.

I want to rant about his latest misdeeds, his constant barefaced lying, and his moronic ramblings. I want people to know that I despise him and everything he stands for.

But that is the antithesis of being a good Buddhist.

There is no ‘happy ending’ to this post in which I tell you about my enlightenment, but there is a point.

There’s so much finger pointing and blaming going on in this country at the moment that I think we all have a duty to step back and reflect. Not on other people’s behavior, but on our own.

We’re all responsible for our own actions and for how we feel.

Trump doesn’t make you angry and upset (or even happy if you are the lone Trumpist who made it this far down the post), you make yourself that way with how you interpret what’s happening.

I was having fun with the headline, I know no matter what he does, it’s not Donald Trump’s fault I’m not prepared to call myself a Buddhist.

It’s 100% on me not wanting to shift some of the knowledge I possess into action.

But at least I know it’s on me and surely that’s a start?

I’d love to hear your take in the comments below.

The post How Donald Trump Stops Me Becoming A Buddhist appeared first on A Daring Adventure.

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payment-providers · 4 years

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New Post has been published on Payment-Providers.com

New Post has been published on https://payment-providers.com/updated-non-essential-shops-could-open-as-early-as-june-1-if-covid-19-infection-rate-permits/

UPDATED Non-essential shops could open as early as June 1 – if Covid-19 infection rate permits

Non-essential retail shops could open as early as June 1, as long as coronavirus infection rates are under control, the Prime Minister suggested last night.

Boris Johnson said, in Sunday night’s national broadcast that people could start to take unlimited amounts of exercise, to sunbathe in the park, and to meet one person from another household while maintaining social distancing in the first phase of a relaxation of coronavirus lockdown. He said that the government would be monitoring infection rates and that the country might be able to go further and start to reopen closed shops in the second phase.

“In step two – at the earliest by June 1 – after half term – we believe we may be in a position to begin the phased reopening of shops and to get primary pupils back into schools, in stages, beginning with reception, Year 1 and Year 6,” he said.

“Our ambition is that secondary pupils facing exams next year will get at least some time with their teachers before the holidays. And we will shortly be setting out detailed guidance on how to make it work in schools and shops and on transport.”

Non-essential retail stores will be able to open in phases from June 1, the Government said in further guidance issued on Monday. New advice will be issued on how that reopening will be phased in. It will include the different types of retail business and the timeframes when they can expect to open – as long as the infection rate remains low.

Hospitality and personal care businesses cannot yet open, since the infection rate is not yet low enough. Testing, tracing and monitoring will now be put into place, and workplaces and public spaces redesigned to make them ‘Covid-19 secure’. Guidelines for what constitutes Covid-19 secure will also be issued later this week.

The update came as the UK government unveiled its plan to rebuild the UK for a world with Covid-19.

The plan, says the government report, is to “return life to as close to normal as possible, for as many people as possible, as fast and fairly as possible… in a way that avoids a new epidemic, minimises lives lost and maximises health, economic and social outcomes.”

In the foreword to the document, Our plan to rebuild: The UK Government’s Covid-19 recovery strategy , Prime Minister Boris Johnson pointed to ongoing work and investment aimed at producing a vaccine, before adding: “But while we hope for a breakthrough, hope is not a plan. A mass vaccine or treatment may be more than a year away. Indeed, in a worst-case scenario, we may never find a vaccine. So our plan must countenance a situation where we are in this, together, for the long haul, even while doing all we can to avoid that outcome.”

This, warned Johnson, would not be “a quick return to normality” and it would also be a plan that adapted as more is known about the virus. But, he said, “it is a plan that should give the people of the United Kingdom hope. Hope that we can rebuild; hope that we can save lives; hope that we can safeguard livelihoods.”

So far, 6.3m jobs have been safeguarded by furlough scheme as 800,000 employers applied to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help pay their wage bills. But retail and hospitality sectors are likely to be most badly affected, where many workers are both lower-paid and predominantly female.

The plan now is to introduce two further phases – smarter controls, including continued social distancing, ahead of a more reliable treatment for Covid-19. Each is broken down into a number of smaller steps.

In the first step, from Wednesday May 13, people should continue to work from home where possible but otherwise travel to work in sectors including distribution and logistics – unless they have any Covid-19 symptoms, however mild. Hospitality and non-essential retail businesses remain closed. New Covid-19 secure guidelines will be published later this week. Face coverings can be used in enclosed spaces where social distancing is not possible, including some shops. Priority access to supermarket deliveries will continue to be given to those clinically extremely vulnerable groups who continue to be advised not to leave their homes, while food boxes will continue to be delivered by wholesalers to those who requested help with food.

But, Johnson warned as he ended his speech: “If we can’t do it by those dates, and if the alert level won’t allow it, we will simply wait and go on until we have got it right.”

Non-essential retail shops were ordered to close on March 23, with only those shops on a list of essential retailers able to continue to operate.

Responding to the Prime Minister’s statement on coronavirus, Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “We share the view of the Prime Minister that safety is what counts when determining when shops can reopen. Already retailers around the country are working on plans for reopening safely and with all necessary social distancing measures in place. The BRC and Usdaw have supported this process with our own social distancing guidance, learning from the experiences of thousands of supermarkets and other essential retailers. It is vital that the reopening of stores is based on who can do so safely, as opposed to trying to draw lines in terms of different sizes or types of shop.

“Further clarity is needed in coming days and we look forward to more details from the Government. We need a plan for shopping as well as shops – this means a plan that allows safe navigation both to and through our retail centres – and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the Government to support this process.”

Paddy Lillis, general secretary of the shop workers union Usdaw, said: “Usdaw’s absolute priority is the safety of our members and we have emphasised safety first in all the discussions we’ve had with the Government. Non-food retail should only start trading again when expert public health advice agrees, but even then we must have a guarantee that the right policies and practices are in place to make workplaces safe.

“The vast majority of our members are key workers in the food and pharmaceutical supply chain and we have worked with employers to ensure that these essential services have been able to continue safely. As and when other retailers are allowed to open they must do so in a measured and safe way. We cannot afford to cut any corners. The last few weeks have laid bare the terrible damage this virus can wreak.”

How retail and related industries have already put safety measures in place

In last night’s address, Johnson also encouraged people who work outside the house in settings and businesses, such as warehouses and logistics, to return to work. These sites have always been able to remain open but some, such as Next, closed for a time before reopening their warehouses with social distancing measures in place.

Some shops that could have stayed open – such as home and hardware shops – initially closed before more recently starting to reopen, following examples set by retailers such as supermarkets on what social distancing means in practice. B&Q, for example, started to open its shops in mid-April, while Homebase has more recently opened its stores. Halfords also closed its shops before reopening more than 300 as ‘dark’ stores where shoppers are served from a desk in the entrance and staff go to collect the items they want to buy.

The British Retail Consortium has worked with the Usdaw shop workers union to produce a guide on reopening non-essential retail stores. The guidance draws on lessons from supermarkets and pharmacies as well as those who have continued to sell online, adding that to government guidance on selling safely in pandemic conditions. Those retailers that are currently trading have taken measures both outside and inside stores. Outside, retailers have marked out two metre queues and use marshals to limit the numbers allowed to go in. Inside stores, retailers are using plexiglass screens at tills and encouraging contactless payments.

Commenting on the Prime Minister’s announcement, Michael Valdsgaard, chief executive of AR specialist London Dynamics, who was previously head of digital transformation for Ikea, said: “If the owners of the UK’s ‘shuttered shops’ were hoping for good news today, what they got was a wake-up call. The UK high street stays closed for three weeks, at the least. There are no guarantees that customers will then return in droves. Retailers simply don’t have this time to lose. Everyone needs to be building new storefronts for a new normal that’s here to stay.

“Innovation and diversification are the cost of survival. As lockdown extends, the online shopping boom for essential products is coming for every other category. Anything that improves isolation living – furniture, garden products, exercise equipment, and bikes,– will be in particular demand. Those who relied on in-store showcases to sell now must find new ways to let their customers sense, explore and size up their products.

“Mobile-based augmented reality is just one technology driving the coming revolution in remote retail. Smartphones are transforming shopping everywhere people can go – and will stay crucial when stores re-open with less inventory and more space for distance-conscious customers.”

Image: InternetRetailing Media/Paul Skeldon

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arizonamansions-blog · 3 years

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Dogecoin being excepted as payment across the globe at an incredible rate.

Last week doge coin had more trades than bitcoin which was the first time bitcoin has ever been beaten. BitCoin got a little too comfortable at the top.

Dogecoin is being excepted as payment all around the globe and they are just getting warm. Trading at six cents a share it would be a very good time to purchase a few million shares by the end of May you will have a portfolio that most people only dream of. Governments across the globe cannot stop the doge coin bull market surge despite their best efforts posting fake news about the popular Cryptocurrency Dogecoin.

Why would the government care so much about a bunch of people purchasing a six cent penny cryptocurrency?

My advice to you is trust your news sources if they are trying to get you to not purchase Dogecoin you have the wrong media outlet

DogeCoin, With so many stores except to get as payment now I just think it’s going to get bigger and bigger and there’s no end in sight. Our firm is going to buy a few hundred million shares today we think it’s going to takeoff like a rocket in me once Banks get set up to except it as a form of payment just like any other type Crypto currency that is excepted his payment.

Right now 1800 ATMs across the nation are now excepting Dogecoin as payment

Buy as much Dogecoin as you can and hold onto it for six months and it would become the next bitcoin it’s that simple. If a $20 gain is going to make your day I say go for it but a $20 million day would make my day.

A LIST CELEBRITIES ENDORSING Dogecoin

#Dogecoincryptocurrency

#dogecoin

#dogecoinovernightbillionaires

They understand the importance of this Currency. Dogecoin is the key to unlock the financial prison we are put in the second we get our first credit card and student loan. That is the moment you are processed. They might as well throw you in a black and white striped outfit at that point. They caught their fish that will be paying interest on those loans until you are 75.

Let’s say you wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer and you needed to get a student loan to get through college. Did you know that if you get a $500,000 student loan you would end up paying back $1.5 million after all said and done. There is a reason banks call interest interest rates it says it right in the name they are interested and ripping you off. Do you think that’s fair to borrow $500,000 to become a pediatrician to have to pay back $1.5 million? Your payments on that loan would be $4000 a month for 30 years. Now if you purchase a home for $500,000 the same exact concept applies. Now you are responsible for paying $8000 a month and that’s not including utilities, water, electricity, Internet, food, and entertainment. Since you are now obligated to pay those loans back in for you would have to make about $13,000 a month just to break even. If you miss a single payment your credit rating will go from an 800 down to a 450 pretty quick.

The United States national debt is $23 trillion and counting. What is their credit rating now? Oh wait, it doesn’t matter they can put their loans in deferment whenever they feel like it. To the federal government does it really matter if they are $23 trillion in debt or $100 trillion in debt? Who is going to oppose us? After Hiroshima and Nagasaki I don’t think any country in the world would dare use force on having us pay back China.

#Dogecoin - it’s not a matter of if it’s going to take off it’s just a matter of time which is why governments across the planet are purchasing more dogecoin than you could possibly imagine.

So it’s OK that the federal government can rack up that kind of debt with absolutely no consequences whatsoever but if we make a mortgage payment late you won’t be able to finance a popsicle after that for seven years. Is that fair? If you think the answer is yes please quick the X button at the top right of your screen.

Governments across the globe are purchasing quadrillion‘s of DogeCoin Cryptocurrency. It is acting exactly like Bitcoin did when Bitcoin first started almost verbatim

#DOGECOINGOINGTOBEBIGGERTHAMBITCOINGLOBALLYQUICKLYBESTBUYOF2021

DOGECOIN CRYPTOCURRENCY SET TO BE BIGGER THAN BITCOIN BY THE END OF 2021

Governments globally are perching quadrillion‘s of shares of DogeCoin cryptocurrency, it’s happening, and set to be much bigger than BitCoin

Governments across the globe are buying quadrillion‘s of dodgecoin Cryptocurrency shares for the next few weeks!

Purchase as many DogeCoin cryptocurrency coins as you can

#dogecoincryptocurrenybillionaires

When you commit yourself to an idea, that’s how legends are made. YOU HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY HERE AND NOW.

Buy DogeCoin Cryptocurrency Today. It’s is set to reach over 1000 dollars quickly. Current Stock Price is less than 4 cents. This is how people become multi millionaires. I personal experienced a 425,000% gain in DogeCoin putting my portfolio well into the millions.

You can purchase DogeCoin here easily: Use my referral link https://lnkd.in/ecR2RJe to sign up for Crypto.com

https://lnkd.in/eKWJP8F

Even if you put 100 dollars in at 4 cents a share and it goes to just 1 dollars you will have just turned 100 dollars in 2,500.

I am 110% right on this one, you have to take a leap of faith on this. I wouldn’t be here telling you all this if this wasn’t the most important thing going on in our lives right now, and this stock being the 7th largest cryptocurrency in the world goes to 1,000 dollars you will have just turned 100 dollars into 2.5 million dollars.

This is one of those stocks that reminds me much of Bitcoin. At one time Bitcoin was trading for 200 dollars a coin. Now, Bitcoin is trading at over 62,000 dollars a share.

DogeCoin is following the same exact pattern that bitcoin did this is a must buy.

The people that purchased hundreds of bitcoin‘s at $200 a share are now billionaires, Bitcoin is trading at around 60,000 dollars per bit coin today. Imagine owning 1000 Bitcoin today purchased at 200 a Bitcoin.

To have the capability of turning $100 into $2.5 million quickly it does not get to look any better than this, do not miss your opportunity to blow, this opponent comes once in a lifetime.

This is bigger than you and I. This is for our kids, and our grandkids, and our great grand kids.

It’s okay if you don’t under Cryptocurrencies. I didn’t, I was a skeptic, until someone explained it to me in plain English. I will do just that, right now.

The programmers responsible for creating the block chain computer programming code or perhaps the most genius coders to have ever existed because they figured out a way to set us free in every way.

You might be working 40 to 60 hours a week making $40,000 a year maybe even $150,000 a year but the point is you are not working for yourself you are a slave to a company that will work you to the bone and then tell you to piss off when you are too old to do the job and younger more talented kids out of college can replace you for much cheaper. You might get lucky and have a small 401(k) and maybe even a small pension that you can live off of the rest your life in a two bedroom two bath and not have to work so you can be on a fixed income that you can barely get bion for the rest of your days.

Cryptocurrency is designed to give the people control of the all mighty dollar not the governments. I have seen governments go to very great links to try to shut down cryptocurrency because they know if it takes off governments lose full control over the financial markets. Whoever controls the financial markets controls your life.

The point of cryptocurrency is to give you the financial freedom to live your life on your terms however you deem necessary not how a government thinks you should live cryptocurrency gives you the freedom to make as much money as you want and the government can’t do a darn thing about it because it is a D centralized financial system that the government has zero control over. No government has control over any cryptocurrency which is the beauty of it all.

In short cryptocurrency gives regular people The ability to turn a few thousand dollars into a few million dollars so that they do not have to live and die underneath the sword of a corrupt government. They say we have the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, and the freedom of press... our first amendment rights... if you honestly feel that is true you should ex out of this window right now.

Cryptocurrency gives people back their right to pursue happiness.

Cryptocurrency is designed to give you your life back and allow you to pursue your dreams. Your dream might be different than mine but whatever your dreams might be this is your opportunity to actually be able to accomplish your dreams and hopes for the future.

My dream personally is to expose the corruption in our medical system, and put the right people in charge of our health and wellness because right now we are getting poisoned with incredibly unhealthy foods that should never have been approved by the FDA, we are drinking water with an incredible amount of chlorine in it, and we are breathing in the most toxic air this world has ever seen and it is causing a battery of different health problems from cancer to auto immune disorders. People like to assume it was all one big coincidence but I can assure you it is 100% intentional.

There is absolutely no money in keeping people healthy at very low costs. There are trillions of dollars wrapped up in keeping people sick and selling them a host of pills and treatments they really don’t need. When I discovered the truth behind our medical system it was at that moment I decided to do some thing about it and cryptocurrency was the light when I was in the darkness.

People that I genuinely loved my whole life passed away because they were eating garbage and drinking toxic water, when it came time for our medical system to save their life they pumped him up full of chemo and radiation took all of their money threw a bunch of pills at them and then killed them after the insurance money was gone and there Bank accounts were liquidated and their houses were refinanced to the point where they owed more in their house than it was worth.

My dream is to make sure our children do not have to endure these medical injustices and I’m doing something about that right here and I hope you can join me in that fight. https://gofund.me/190a3d0c

On a day-to-day basis I am going toe to toe with big Pharma and Western medicine. We are only a few thousand strong at this time and big Pharma alone it’s a multi trillion dollar industry so believe me when I say, they will do just about anything to protect what they have built. Big Pharma has monetized and monopolized every single medicinal plant on earth.

https://www.newsmax.com/t/health/article/691946?section=Natural-Health&keywords=alternative-medicine-doctor-dies&year=2015&month=09&date=16&id=691946

https://www.gazettetimes.com/opinion/letters/letter-conspiracy-targets-holistic-doctors/article_66755c2b-0772-55eb-aaf5-7e18827d837c.html

Our naturalistic and natural path doctors are now forced to work underground they cannot advertise for obvious purposes.

Only the super rich can afford the best food, the best air with houses up in the mountains, and the finest water this planet has.

I highly encourage everybody to read the testimonials on X 39 stem cell patches. Again I was a skeptic at first but after being on stem cell patches for a year I genuinely cannot believe how much better I feel. I am 41 years old and I feel like I’m 25 years old X 39 stem cell patches simply activate your own stem cells because they’re being suppressed by chlorinated water and preservatives: https://www.lifewave.com/stemcellcancercure

Once a person loses everything and they have nothing left to lose, they are free to do anything. Someone with nothing to lose is perhaps the most dangerous, better yet, the most real person you will ever know. If you are one of these people, we sympathize with you.

Our Justice system is broken in just about every way. If you have had a case(s) which should have have gone to trial where Justice was actually delivered, I’d really, really like to hear about it. Email me the case at [email protected]

I have been in and out of court more times than I can count. Never once formally charged with anything. Judges don’t read your case, they have too many cases. They make snap Judgment calls with out doing their due diligence, and when Judges do this, and they do not listen, they may not realize it at the time, but it radicalizes a person down to the bone and ignites a fire in them that it impossible to put out.

Think about that for a second. We the people are paying Judges in building federal court houses so that the federal government employees can sit pretty in their new homes in their new cars while having the ability to pass judgment on others without even reading the cases.

These judges make snap decisions without having all the information and those decisions have it detrimental impact on everybody involved, that is, if you are even lucky enough to get a Judge The hear you.

Why are we funding a judicial system that simply does not listen two basic facts? Unless it’s a high profile celebrity keys your case Will be open and shut in 15 minutes in a Superior Court, House. I have seen judges put children back into a home that was clearly unfit for a child putting that child in grave danger. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. We can safely say in Arizona at least our judicial system does not care about us, at all. I watch them drive up in their V 12 venom viper and throw on a black robe.

We have to ask these tough questions. Why are our children hiding behind their i phone 12’s, why are our Schools being shot up, and why are teen suicides going through the roof? Try looking up statistics in the last 6 years. I can’t find any, which tells me it’s really, really bad. It is up 60% between 2007 and 2017. 60 Thousand Teens gone in those 10 years. The last 5 years, God Only knows because they won’t publish those numbers. If you can’t find some thing on the Internet that information is being suppressed.

Our children need time with their parents, love, and be able to take a few vacations a year with their families to make memories that will last a lifetime.

https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/youth-suicide-rate-rises-56-in-decade-cdc-says-11571284861

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/07/us/ten-years-of-school-shootings-trnd/

In the real estate crash around 2009 approximately 45% of America‘s wealth was lost. Ever since then just about everyone I know personally has been doing everything in their power to recover from that crash. That crash was caused by the Clintons and Alan Greenspan giving out incredibly risky loans to people with horrible credit ratings. Why would a bank give a loan to a person with a 400 credit rating and no income on a 3/1 adjustable rate mortgage? Homes were appreciating at nearly 30% a month for two or three years and then when we got to the top and realized it was all a house of cards, that house of cards came tumbling down and America feast another avoidable depression

https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/youth-suicide-rate-rises-56-in-decade-cdc-says-11571284861

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/07/us/ten-years-of-school-shootings-trnd/

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lilschwiebbs · 4 years

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*Aristotle: Ethos and Logos and Pathos*

In this entry, I will examine the critical questions: What is the main purpose of this artifact’s message and how are ethos, pathos, and logos used in this rhetorical artifact to achieve that purpose? Is the way that these rhetorical appeals are used ethical? To investigate these questions, I examined Barack Obama’s speech, “A More Perfect Union.” In this speech, Obama uses ethos, pathos, and logos to convince his audience that the issue of race cannot be ignored and can only be solved through unity, doing so in an ethical way because he calls all people to find a common ground for working together for change.

“A More Perfect Union” was delivered by Barack Obama on March 18, 2008, at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia. At this time, Barack Obama was a United States senator running for the 2008 Democratic Party presidential nomination. In this speech, Obama responds to the widespread disapproval of the controversial remarks made by his former pastor and campaign advisor, Reverend Jeramiah Wright, who was a pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. In various sermons Wright had attacked the United States in fiery and politically divisive terms. Obama attempts to contextualize Wright’s comments and attacks on the United States while applying it to the broader issue of race in the United States. Ultimately, he asks the American people to come together and address the issue of race in order to create a better society for future generations.

In his explanation of Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 BCE) and his rhetorical strategy, James A. Herrick credits Aristotle for being a major contributor to the development of Western thought on rhetoric. Aristotle was first interested in the art of rhetoric in Athens, taking on Plato’s views towards rhetoric. However, he later shifted his study of the art to a more systematic approach. Aristotle believed rhetoric to be an art that combines a logical study, a psychological study, and a sociological study. Herick defines Aristotle’s three artistic proofs that make up the technique of rhetoric and show why Aristotle believed rhetoric to be an art. The three artistic proofs that are taught by the art of rhetoric are as follows: “(1) logos or arguments and logical reasoning, (2) pathos or the names and causes of various emotions, and (3) ethos or human character and goodness” (2013, p. 78). Aristotle believed that logos, pathos, and ethos provide the speaker with the proofs necessary to persuade an audience. By taking a closer look at Obama’s speech we can see how he uses each of these three artistic proofs.

Obama builds his ethos as an honest man by acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of his own religion and relationship to his pastor in context to the broader issue of race in American society. As defined by Herrick, ethos is “the speaker’s character or personal credibility” (2013, p. 80). More specifically, Aristotle divides it into three main categories: “phronesis (intelligence, good sense), arete (virtue), and eunoia (goodwill)” (2013, p. 80-81). In other words, to have ethos, the speaker must portray trustworthy characteristics in order for their audience to believe them. Obama builds his credibility not only by his position as a senator, but more strongly by his virtue of being honest. As mentioned earlier, Obama addresses excerpts from Reverend Wright’s sermons that had been intensely scrutinized by the media and criticized for attacking the government for dishonesty and blaming the country for spreading terrorism. He denounces Reverend Wright’s comments stating that they “were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems...problems that confront us all.” However, Obama does not disown Reverend Wright as a person because those comments are not what solely define him as a person. Obama remarks that Reverend Wright is someone who introduced him to his Chirstian faith, who spoke of the importance to love one another and to care for those less fortunate. He then goes on to describe his first experience at Trinity where he learned about stories of survival, freedom, and hope that members of his black church experienced. He acknowledges that there too is “bitterness and biases that make up the black experience in America.” He goes on to say that he cannot disown Reverend Wright any more than he can disown the black community or his white grandmother, because people like him and people like his white grandmother, who has her own biases, are part of him and part of America. Obama’s explanation and contextualization of his pastor’s comments and his own faith reflect honesty because he is not trying to cover anything up or ignore the flaws that the black community or any community might have. Instead, he recognizes the imperfections and in a broader sense, uses this to help his audience recognize the imperfections that exist in society. He uses ethos to persuade his audience to acknowledge these issues and come together in order to solve them.

In addition to using ethos, Obama uses a pathos appeal by drawing on personal experiences to create the feeling of hope in addressing the issue of race. Herrick defines pathos as “emotional appeals that give persuasive messages their power to move an audience to action” (2013, p. 79). In concluding his speech, Obama leaves the audience to reflect on the story of a young, 23-year-old white woman named Ashley Baia. He explains that she helped organize his campaign in Florence, S.C. and had been working for a predominately African-American community since the start of the campaign. One day she participated in a discussion where everyone was telling their personal stories and why they were helping the campaign. Ashley’s purpose began when her mother got cancer and she ended up losing her healthcare and going bankrupt. Ashley had to support her mother during this time and she explained that her reason for joining the campaign was to help other millions of children who need to do the same for their parents. Obama uses this story to explain that Ashley might have made an alternate choice and blamed her mother’s problems on blacks, Hispanics, or some other convenient scapegoat. Instead, Ashley found allies to help her fight injustice. He then continues the story by saying that an elderly black man who had been sitting and listening to Ashley’s story was asked why he was there, and he answered, “I am here because of Ashley.” Obama uses the emotional appeal of this story to show how a white girl and an old black man found an understanding between each other and how he hopes other people of diverse backgrounds can do the same. The story generates hope that diverse people can work together on racial as well as other issues.

Lastly, Obama uses logos to appeal to his audience by showing past instances when unity has prevailed in the United States. According to Herrick, Aristotle used logos in rhetoric “to refer to proofs available in words, arguments, or logic of a speech” (2013, p. 79). Logos is the implementation of logical proof. It refers to reasoning or formal logic. Obama begins his speech by referring to the Constitution that promised its people a more perfect union over time. However, he points out the fact that the very words of this promise were not enough to free slaves and give every person of color their complete rights and responsibilities as citizens of the United States. Instead, “what would be needed were Americans in successive generations who were willing to do their part – through protests and struggles, on the streets and in the courts, through a civil war and civil disobedience, and always at great risk – to narrow the gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time.” He refers to the people before us who, through their actions, helped pave the way for a more free, equal, and just society. Without the participation of the people, the promise of a more perfect union could not be made. Obama draws on this reasoning to instill in his audience that it is up to the American people to continue this march for a better society by solving these problems together as a people. He continues to refer to the past throughout his speech and reminds his audience “that so many of the disparities that exist between the African-American community and the larger American community today can be traced directly to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.” He then gives various examples of the inequalities that are still evident today: the impact of segrated schools on the acheivement gap between black and white students, legalized discrimination which prevented black families from accumulating wealth for future generations, and the lack of ecnomic opportunity among black men that contributed to the violence and neglect we see today. In referring to this history of the United States, Obama draws on logic to show how racial inequalities began and why they continue to exist today. He does this in the attempt to persuade his audience of the importance of unity in order to promote change for a better society.

Obama’s use of these rhetorical appeals to persuade his audience is ethical because his ultimate desire is to unify the people of the United States. Furthermore, there are no parts in his speech that attempt to mislead or to manipulate information. For example, his reference to United States history and to the Constitution are truthful and factual. In addition, Obama’s willingness to address issues about race that are rarely ever spoken about appeals to his honest and truthful intentions and his desire to direct the country to a better place. When addressing the comments about his former Reverend, Obama does not try to justify the statements in any way, but instead uses them to acknowledge the flaws and inequalities in our society and emphasize the importance and need for change. This speaks to Obama’s good ethics because he tries to remain as neutral as possible and attempts to address all sides on the issue of race, while emphasizing his concern for the people of the United States.

In conclusion, Obama’s speech on race gives strong reasoning for why the issue of race should not be ignored and can only be solved by people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs coming together. He applies all three of Aristotle’s artistic proofs to move his audience in the direction of believing that society can change if the union is strengthened. He does so ethically by giving truthful and factual logic, while avoiding any manipulation of information.

References

Herrick, J.A. (2013). The history and theory of rhetoric: An introduction. London and New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

Obama, B. (2008, March 18). A more perfect union. Eidenmuller, M.E., American Rhetoric. Retrieved from https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barackobamaperfectunion.htm

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