#Best online store California

[kgbuapparel]

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[jjphillipsart]

Website : https://www.jjphillipsart.com/

Address : Barrington Hills, Illinois, USA

JJ Phillips online Art Gallery offers oil paintings from travels around the world.

The paintings reflect the many places JJ Phillips has travelled over the years with his wife and family.

Each painting tells a story - a setting or a moment.

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/jjphillipsart

Twitter : https://twitter.com/jjphillipsart

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/jjphillipsart/

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[synerchii]

Improve Your Overall Health with Vegan Omega 3 Supplements

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Looking for a way to get your omega-3 fatty acids without having to eat fish? Synerchii is here to help! We offer a variety of Vegan Omega 3 Supplements in California that are perfect for those who want to get the benefits of omega-3 without consuming animal products. Our Vegan Supplements are made from a variety of plant-based ingredients, including flaxseed oil, chia seed oil, and hemp seed oil. Each of these oils is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for maintaining heart health, brain function, and more. 

Want to improve your overall health? Consider adding an omega-3 supplement to your diet. Synerchii offers a variety of vegan-friendly options that are sure to meet your needs. There are a few different types of vegan omega 3 DHA supplements available on the market, but not all of them are created equal. When choosing a supplement, it is important to read the label carefully to make sure that it is made by a reputable company and that it contains 100% pure DHA. Also, be sure to check the expiration date to ensure that the supplement is still fresh. Not only are our supplements vegan-friendly, but they're also made in the USA. So, you can be sure that you're getting a high-quality product when you purchase from us. So what are you waiting for? Order to Buy Fish Oil & Omega-3 Supplements Online today! We offer fast shipping and extensive customer service. Contact us with any questions or concerns you may have, and we'll be happy to help.  Give us a call at (888) 440-4842 !

[ms-demeanor]

sorry if you've answered this before, and i hope you don't mind me asking, how do you know so much about computers and what seems to me like everything in the world? how did you become so knowledgeable? it's amazing

i just know a little about a lot of things and I probably have a fair number of things that I've dug into more than most people and less than people who actually focus on that stuff! It's kind of an illusion!

I do know a lot about computers and that's because I've worked at a computer company for 12 years and have been deep into a computery subculture for about 20 years - I do genuinely know a lot about consumer computers. That I'll own and that's experience.

I know a fair amount about literature because I've got a degree in it!

I know a fair amount about journalism because I've got most of a degree in it and I worked with journalists for a long time!

I know a fair amount about nutrition because I've got most of a degree in it and because I've been focused on reading a lot about nutrition for more than a decade because of my own food issues!

But mostly I'm just someone who falls down rabbitholes and has a decent ability to recall what I find when I run down them.

Also I get curious about things and will just go. Experience them.

Like at some point i came across a site for people who own and use RealDolls and I got interested in learning more. The site required an application because they didn't want people just trolling so I applied and I ended up reading through the whole site and reading the magazines they sent out for years after because it was just interesting. The way these guys bought clothes or compared repair techniques and cleaning techniques, the way they constructed identities for their dolls - it was all interesting! So now I know about the proper way to store a RealDoll and how their skeletons are put together and the best way to prevent rips or clean inserts.

Now imagine that with everything.

I got interested in quack medicine so I ended up reading the entire back catalogs of quackwatch and science-based medicine.

I got interested in the history of aspartame as a scare-word and I ended up reading a couple of books, SEVERAL entire blogs with decades-long runs, purchasing a military magazine from the 90s, and submitting a FOIA request.

But, like. I don't own a RealDoll or work in that industry. I am not a medical professional. I am not a chemist who works with aspartame. So I get these weird little collections of information where I know what *seems* like a lot to someone who hasn't looked into it but I know a lot less than someone who has taken the time to actually dedicate themselves to that topic.

And sometimes it's a years-long dive and sometimes it's a months-long dive and sometimes it's a few hours of me digging online until I feel satisfied with what I've learned and I never come back to it, but I've got three more talking points than your average joe at a party would.

(Also though I've attended various colleges at various levels for ten-ish years now and I've taken probably more college-level classes on a lot of subjects than most people have because I've now spent several years just kind of kicking around at community colleges and deciding that a cartooning class sounds fun or that a mesoamerican art class fills certain transfer requirements or that I might as well brush up on spanish, french, and german. Access to low-cost college classes in california is a big part of this, and having the time and money to take classes while i'm working is something that I've been very lucky with)

I've also worked pretty much continuously since I was 18, sometimes holding multiple jobs at once, and I know a lot of interesting people who do a lot of interesting things and I ask them about their interesting experiences and if they offer me a chance to go do cool shit with them, like launch a high altitude balloon or blow up some dynamite that's about to expire or join a band, I do it!

I was also one of those kids who had no friends and spent too much time at the library so I'd do things like read through medical textbooks or pull a book of home chemical formulas out of the trash and read it or take it into my head that I was going to read all of Shakespeare before I got to high school so I was a really annoying twelve-year-old and that kind of thing never really let up.

I don't know! I don't think it's that unusual and I think most people do this kind of thing I just happen to have less focus than a lot of people and talk a lot more.

[mariacallous]

In March 2007, Google’s then senior executive in charge of acquisitions, David Drummond, emailed the company’s board of directors a case for buying DoubleClick. It was an obscure software developer that helped websites sell ads. But it had about 60 percent market share and could accelerate Google’s growth while keeping rivals at bay. A “Microsoft-owned DoubleClick represents a major competitive threat,” court papers show Drummond writing.

Three weeks later, on Friday the 13th, Google announced the acquisition of DoubleClick for $3.1 billion. The US Department of Justice and 17 states including California and Colorado now allege that the day marked the beginning of Google’s unchecked dominance in online ads—and all the trouble that comes with it.

The government contends that controlling DoubleClick enabled Google to corner websites into doing business with its other services. That has resulted in Google allegedly monopolizing three big links of a vital digital advertising supply chain, which funnels over $12 billion in annual revenue to websites and apps in the US alone.

It’s a big amount. But a government expert estimates in court filings that if Google were not allegedly destroying its competition illegally, those publishers would be receiving up to an additional hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Starved of that potential funding, “publishers are pushed to put more ads on their websites, to put more content behind costly paywalls, or to cease business altogether,” the government alleges. It all adds up to a subpar experience on the web for consumers, Colorado attorney general Phil Weiser says.

“Google is able to extract hiked-up costs, and those are passed on to consumers,” he alleges. “The overall outcome we want is for consumers to have more access to content supported by advertising revenue and for people who are seeking advertising not to have to pay inflated costs.”

Google disputes the accusations.

Starting today, both sides’ arguments will be put to the test in what’s expected to be a weekslong trial before US district judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia. The government wants her to find that Google has violated federal antitrust law and then issue orders that restore competition. In a best-case scenario, according to several Google critics and experts in online ads who spoke with WIRED, internet users could find themselves more pleasantly informed and entertained.

It could take years for the ad market to shake out, says Adam Heimlich, a longtime digital ad executive who’s extensively researched Google. But over time, fresh competition could lower supply chain fees and increase innovation. That would drive “better monetization of websites and better quality of websites,” says Heimlich, who now runs AI software developer Chalice Custom Algorithms.

Tim Vanderhook, CEO of ad-buying software developer Viant Technology, which both competes and partners with Google, believes that consumers would encounter a greater variety of ads, fewer creepy ads, and pages less cluttered with ads. “A substantially improved browsing experience,” he says.

Of course, all depends on the outcome of the case. Over the past year, Google lost its two other antitrust trials—concerning illegal search and mobile app store monopolies. Though the verdicts are under appeal, they’ve made the company’s critics optimistic about the ad tech trial.

Google argues that it faces fierce competition from Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and others. It further contends that customers benefited from each of the acquisitions, contracts, and features that the government is challenging. “Google has designed a set of products that work efficiently with each other and attract a valuable customer base,” the company’s attorneys wrote in a 359-page rebuttal.

For years, Google publicly has maintained that its ad tech projects wouldn’t harm clients or competition. “We will be able to help publishers and advertisers generate more revenue, which will fuel the creation of even more rich and diverse content on the internet,” Drummond testified in 2007 to US senators concerned about the DoubleClick deal’s impact on competition and privacy. US antitrust regulators at the time cleared the purchase. But at least one of them, in hindsight, has said he should have blocked it.

Deep Control

The Justice Department alleges that acquiring DoubleClick gave Google “a pool of captive publishers that now had fewer alternatives and faced substantial switching costs associated with changing to another publisher ad server.” The global market share of Google’s tool for publishers is now 91 percent, according to court papers. The company holds similar control over ad exchanges that broker deals (around 70 percent) and tools used by advertisers (85 percent), the court filings say.

Google’s dominance, the government argues, has “impaired the ability of publishers and advertisers to choose the ad tech tools they would prefer to use and diminished the number and quality of viable options available to them.”

The government alleges that Google staff spoke internally about how they have been earning an unfair portion of what advertisers spend on advertising, to the tune of over a third of every $1 spent in some cases.

Some of Google’s competitors want the tech giant to be broken up into multiple independent companies, so each of its advertising services competes on its own merits without the benefit of one pumping up another. The rivals also support rules that would bar Google from preferencing its own services. “What all in the industry are looking for is fair competition,” Viant’s Vanderhook says.

If Google ad tech alternatives win more business, not everyone is so sure that the users will notice a difference. “We’re talking about moving from the NYSE to Nasdaq,” Ari Paparo, a former DoubleClick and Google executive who now runs the media company Marketecture, tells WIRED. The technology behind the scenes may shift, but the experience for investors—or in this case, internet surfers—doesn’t.

Some advertising experts predict that if Google is broken up, users’ experiences would get even worse. Andrey Meshkov, chief technology officer of ad-block developer AdGuard, expects increasingly invasive tracking as competition intensifies. Products also may cost more because companies need to not only hire additional help to run ads but also buy more ads to achieve the same goals. “So the ad clutter is going to get worse,” Beth Egan, an ad executive turned Syracuse University associate professor, told reporters in a recent call arranged by a Google-funded advocacy group.

But Dina Srinivasan, a former ad executive who as an antitrust scholar wrote a Stanford Technology Law Review paper on Google’s dominance, says advertisers would end up paying lower fees, and the savings would be passed on to their customers. That future would mark an end to the spell Google allegedly cast with its DoubleClick deal. And it could happen even if Google wins in Virginia. A trial in a similar lawsuit filed by Texas, 15 other states, and Puerto Rico is scheduled for March.

[omg-snakes]

Do you know if there are ways to know if a snake from a pet shop has been properly taken care of or not? Asking since i've been visiting some and i saw one with a boa that had some kind of sinking or deformity on his tail, so i'm kinda wary now.

Hello, friend! I'm sorry to tell you that there is not.

I've worked in multiple areas of the pet industry and I've met the full gamut of types of shop owners, and while I don't consider all of them wicked people, some certainly are. Even the best of them have a bottom line to consider. This means that they won't divulge where their animals are coming from so that you can look into a breeder before making a choice, and they're likely buying animals from backyard breeders or bulk importers. This also means that it's unlikely that the animals they're selling will have established health histories.

Having worked at one of if not The biggest reptile chain in Northern California, I saw some horrors that scarred me for life. Among the lesser sins that took place there:

Folks who bred reptiles but didn't have incubators set up could bring their eggs in for incubation services, the price of which was half of the clutch, and the store owner would then sell the resulting babies as "born on-site," which was technically true! But we didn't know the parentage or health potential of any of these animals. We didn't sell incubators in the store for this specific reason.

Surrenders came in regularly from owners who didn't have the time or resources to care for their pets any longer. They went on the sales floor with a price tag the second the previous owner walked out the door. No veterinary care, no health evaluation, no observation period, nothing. If they looked okay they were priced at regular retail price and we were explicitly told to never admit that they had been surrendered. 100% profit.

Any animal that was injured or sickly, no matter where it came from or how it got injured, was tagged as a "surrender" that we would claim was dropped off by a bad former owner and we'd had them cleared by a vet so that we could rehome them. This was a lie. None of them ever got veterinary care, ever.

Enclosures were cleaned regularly but were never properly sterilized between animals. We sold veterinary-grade cleaner in the store but we were not allowed to use it because it was too expensive. We used diluted Lysol!

Again, this is a large reptile chain with multiple stores and mostly positive online reviews* and I wouldn't trust them with a pet rock, let alone anything breathing.

You're much better off getting a snake from a reputable breeder, or at least someone who can answer reasonable questions about feeding, parentage, genetics, any possible health issues, etc.

*the owner actually reported negative reviews and would have employees write good ones while I was there.

[magz]

The posts from 2022 when Maus was banned in government attempts to censor, are going around again.

About how you shouldn't pirate Maus, and instead buy it or get it from the library; because Art Spiegelman is still alive and it steals from artist. Because it's immoral to.

1. Art Spiegelman himself did not say to stop pirating because he's losing money. At most his *publisher* (Penguin Random House) wanted to put down the internet archive's copy of Maus thru forced request - then contributing as part of a lawsuit to shut down archiving efforts and Internet Archive as a whole (dangerous). Because publishers are greedy and realized the book was profitable again. The scans of his book online in GDrive and Online Archive are low quality - the same types that get printed at schools while having 1 or no copies. He did not lose money from this, he got more.

2. When Maus was (and is) banned n censored in specific states + districts in u.s. for inappropriateness (like Tennessee) -- in many places it barred minors from buying, being lent in library, getting Maus and other books. Getting it legally n by the books was not an option for the people most affected. This was why some stores tried to go around this by donating the books for free to them.

3. Maus isn't and wasn't available in many places, even as an option. Even if you want to get it. Even in places where it "can" be bought - it being banned made people buy more of it from fear of censorship, often always in demand in library and store supplies - always sold out in many places or with huge waiting list. It is less bad now, however there still issues exist. And thats assuming you even have a library, or that your library even has it.

4. Piracy doesn't "steal" income from artists. It is a symptom of inaccessibility and/or avoidance. When people want to support someone or something, they buy it after pirating when possible. The banning ended up being good marketing - going on 2022's best sellers list 40 years after it was published, even with inaccessibility. Especially with efforts to raise money by Tennessee comic book store, and even with California book store donating free books at deficit.

5. The actual logical conclusion to not pirate or archive banned stories, is for people without access to it - to not be able to read any version of it at all. Along with other less fortunate banned and censored books that are even harder to access. This does the intended result for censorship. Limiting information, limiting awareness and power of those that need it most.

We've already criticized the logic before.

If gonna cyclically be smug about "people needing critical thinking" and end up being reactionary about censorship and piracy, even years later... well. Am not gonna complete that thought.

[beardedmrbean]

Schreiber Foods Inc. of Green Bay, WI, is recalling 836,721 units of various cream cheese products because of potential Salmonella contamination. The recall includes Dutch Farms, Fareway, Happy Farms, Hy Vee, Kroger, Our Family, Schnuck, Essential Everyday, Dunkin, Piggly Wiggly and Schreiber Foods cream cheeses.

According to the details posted online by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), the recall was initiated on May 3, 2024, and is ongoing.

The recalled products were distributed in California, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. The recalled products were also shipped to Puerto Rico.

Recalled products Whipped Cream Cheese Spread. Net Wt 8 oz. (226g) Keep Refrigerated, packaged under the following brands: 

1. Dutch Farms, Net, UPC 0 919145-67990, Distributed By: Dutch Farms, Chicago, IL 60628. — EXP 14 AUG 24, EXP 17 AUG 24. 

2. Fareway, UPC 0 21333-83051 5. Packed for Fareway Store, Inc. Boone, Iowa 50036. — USE BY SEP 03 24, USE BY SEP 13 24, USE BY SEP 21 24.

3. Happy Farms, UPC 4099100101881, Dist & Sold Exclusively by Aldi, Batavia, IL 60510. — SELL BY 08/30/2024, SELL BY 08/31/2024, SELL BY 09/01/2024, SELL BY 09/03/2024, SELL BY 09/04/2024.

4. Hy Vee, UPC 0 75450-09613 2. Distributed by Hy-Vee Inc. West Des Moines, IA 50266. — BEST BY 08/07/24, BEST BY 08/14/24.

5. Kroger, UPC 0 11110-58088 7. Distributed By The Kroger Co., Cincinnati, OH 45202. — BEST IF USED BY AUG 08 24.

6. Our Family, UPC 0 70253-50994 0. Distributed by Pique Brands, Inc. Grand Rapids, MI 49518. — BEST BY 08/08/24.

7. Schnuck, UPC 0 41318-58005 1. Distributed By Schnuck Markets, Inc., St. Louis, MO 63146-6928 — BEST BY 08/08/24.

Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread. Net Wt 8 oz. (226g). Keep Refrigerated, packaged under the following brands: 

1. Fareway, UPC 0 21333-83053 9. Packed for Fareway Store, Inc. Boone, Iowa 50036. — USE BY SEP 13 24, USE BY SEP 22 24, USE BY SEP 01 24 

2. Essential Everyday, UPC 0 41303-00625 2. Distributed By Supervalu Inc., Eden Prairie, MN 55344. — BEST BY 09/01/24

3. Schnuck, UPC 0 41318-58005 1. Distributed By Schnuck Markets, Inc., St. Louis, MO 63146-6928. — BEST BY 08/08/24

4. Hy Vee, UPC 0 75450-09606 4. Distributed By Hy-Vee Inc. West Des Moines, IA 50266. — BEST BY 09/13/24, BEST BY 09/22/24

5. Our Family, UPC 0 70253-50100 5. Distributed By Pique Brands, Inc. Grand Rapids, MI 49518 — BEST BY 09/01/24

Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread, Net Wt 8 oz. (226g). Keep Refrigerated, packaged under the following brands: 

1. Fareway, UPC 0 21333-83052 2. Packed for Fareway Store, Inc. Boone, Iowa 50036. — USE BY SEP 08 24

2. Happy Farms, UPC 4099100 101744, Dist & Sold Exclusively by Aldi, Batavia, IL 60510. — SELL BY 09/08/2024, SELL BY 09/15/2024

3. Hy Vee, UPC 0 75450-09616 3. Distributed by Hy-Vee Inc. West Des Moines, IA 50266. — BEST BY 09/08/24

4. Schnuck, UPC 0 41318-58007 5. Distributed By Schnuck Markets, Inc., St. Louis, MO 63146-6928 —  BEST BY 09/08/24

Blueberry Cream Cheese Spread, Net Wt. 8 oz. (226g). Keep Refrigerated, packaged under the brand Essential Everyday. 

UPC 0 41303-04876 4. Distributed By UNFI, Providence, RI 02908. — BEST BY 09/19/24

Variety Tray Chive Onion (UPC 4099100 101751), Strawberry (UPC 4099100 101744), and Plain Cream Cheese Spread (UPC 4099100 101737), each container Net Wt. 8 oz. (226g). Keep Refrigerated.

Packaged under the brand Happy Farms, UPC . Dist & Sold Exclusively by Aldi, Batavia, IL 60510.

Warehouse Level Codes only – Not consumer facing SELL BY 07/19/2024CH SELL BY 08/02/2024CH SELL BY 08/04/2024CH SELL BY 08/09/2024CH SELL BY 08/17/2024CH SELL BY 08/23/2024CH¿ SELL BY 08/25/2024CH 

Consumer Facing Codes: Chive & Onion SELL BY 09/13/2024 SELL BY 09/22/2024 Plain SELL BY 09/01/2024 SELL BY 09/08/2024 SELL BY 09/15/2024 Strawberry SELL BY 09/08/2024 SELL BY 09/15/2024

Ranch Garlic Cream Cheese Spread, Net Wt. 5 lbs. 

Manufactured By Schreiber Foods, Inc., Green Bay, WI 54301. —EXP Aug 15 24

Cream Cheese Spread. Keep Refrigerated, packaged under the following brands: 

1. Dunkin, Net Wt 8 oz. (226g), UPC 0 29244-01497 0. Manufactured Exclusively for Dunkin Brands Inc. 130 Royal St. Canton, MA 02021 — USE BY SEP 01 2024, USE BY SEP 15 2024

2. Happy Farms, Net Wt 8 oz. (226g). UPC 4099100101737, Dist & Sold Exclusively by Aldi, Batavia, IL 60510. — SELL BY 09/01/2024, SELL BY 09/08/2024, SELL BY 09/15/2024

3. Hy Vee, Net Wt 8 oz. (226g), UPC 0 75450-09610 1. Distributed by Hy-Vee Inc. West Des Moines, IA 50266. — BEST BY 10/01/24

4. Hy Vee, Net Wt 12 oz. (340g), UPC 0 75450-09612 5. Distributed by Hy-Vee Inc. West Des Moines, IA 50266. — BEST BY 10/01/24

5. Piggly Wiggly, Net Wt 8 oz. (226g), UPC 0 41290-1066 9. Distributed by Piggly Wiggly LLC, Keene NH 03431. — BEST BY 10/15/24

6. Schnucks, Net Wt 8 oz. (226g). UPC 0 41318-58023 5. Distributed By Schnuck Markets, Inc. St. Louis, MO 63146-6928 — BEST BY 10/08/24

7. Bulk Culinary Cream Cheese Spread, Net Wt. 30 lbs. Manufactured by Schreiber Foods, Inc., Green Bay, Wi 54301 — PKD ON APR 16 24

Consumers should not use this product. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to their place of purchase.

[mxtantrights]

the shopping incident

this is a snippet from the famous dc! au that started with The Greatest Hits [read here] you don't have to read it but a lot of things would make sense if you do!

The whole pap thing started happening after there was buzz about the video with you and Jason. You know that Jason said his brother handled it as best he could online but these things have a way of rearing its ugly head anyways.

Which is why you can't leave the thrift store you are in now because there is a small swarm of paparazzi outside waiting and biding their time. They wanna ask you about the video, they wanna ask you about Jason. They wanna take a picture of you when they do so they can say they caught you off guard.

You don't know what else to do besides not leave. Leaving means facing the wrath of camera lenses and mics and hidden mics and raunchy questions and baseball capped people trying to make a living off your privacy.

So, with not know what to do you call the only person you know who can help you. You tap away on your phone until you get to his contact and then you send him a text.

you: tips on how to deal with paps?

Three ellipses show up hurriedly. You're not sure what Jason's up to these days but he's probably busy. It makes you feel guilty for even reaching out to him. You want to unsend the text but you can't, he's already seen it.

Jason: are you okay?

you: yeah yeah, just wondering how I can get from this store to my car without doing anything stupid.

Jason: just don't answer anything. are you alone?

you: yeah I just wanted to look in this store for a moment but I forgot I wasn't exactly a browse-in-the-store normal person.

Jason: happens to the best of us

you: including you?

Jason: well with a face like this I kinda can't forget I'm not normal

you: how do you walk around with a head that large?

You laugh at his joke. And when you pick your head up you are face to face with a man. A regular looking man, about your height. He's got a smile on his face.

"Sorry I'm not here to intrude or anything, I just wanted to know if you are gonna buy something?" he asks.

That's when you look down at his shirt. More specifically the tag on his shirt that reads: Manager and his name underneath the title, Ron.

You take a deep breath, "You know what, I really was looking around and I saw some things that I liked but the group outside is really getting to me."

He nods his head as if he understands. In your mind you think, maybe he does. This is California, he's most likely had this shop for a while now. He has to know what it's like. Yeah.

"Well you're free to wait them out however long you want, I just don't have a back-door option at the moment since construction is happening in the next building over." he explains.

Well, there goes any plan of sneaking out of here. You choke down a sigh and smile anyways.

"Thanks Ron. I think I should shop anyways, why let them get the best of me?" you rhetorically ask.

He gives you a thumbs up and then he's walking away to assist another customer. You look back down at your phone. Its on silent meaning you didn't see all the texts coming through from Jason.

Jason: learned from my father

Jason: you should ask the owner if theres a backdoor.

Jason: I promise it's not a big deal hun

Jason: hey?

Jason: Did something happen??

Jason: Hello??

You are quick to reply back, worried that you made him sick with his own worry.

you: Sorry was talking with the owner. no back door.

Jason: that's okay. do you wanna wait it out?

you: honestly no. I'm hungry and I have food at home waiting for me

Jason: okay pick up the phone

You're confused why he says that. Then that confusion is met with realization when his caller ID pops up on your phone. You hit accept faster than you have before and raise your phone to your ear.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asks.

You snicker, "Oh I'm feeling like I'm in a gilded cage. How's your afternoon?"

"Well I was stuck in a meeting for this role I didn't want so thanks for getting me out of that." he answers.

With the phone tucked into your ear by your shoulder you can look around the store now. Its filled with things that you like. Trinkets that couldn't be explained in your home, shoes that you have no business wearing. Things like that.

"You keep calling me when you're busy and people are gonna think I'm the bad guy." you speak.

On the other end you can hear him laugh. A sound you like to hear, a sound you miss not being on set with him for a while now. That's soon to change with pre-production ending in the coming weeks and filming set to start in a month after if all goes well.

In front of you is an assortment of things. Your hand reaches for a motorcycle helmet first. It's a cherry red color. And it's a bit scraped up but you think that adds to the velour of it all. It's funky looking. You have no use for this other than it would look bad ass in your home.

"Too bad. Anyways, when do you plan on leaving?" he asks.

You pick up the helmet and examine it with both hands now. It's not shiny, but you can see your reflection in it nonetheless. Pretty cool.

"As soon as I finish what I came here to do, which is shop." you answer.

"Do tell, is this the sexy time kind of shopping or is this groceries?"

You laugh and place the helmet back carefully. Your hand reaches for the next thing. A green book that looks worn out a bit but still in good condition. You read the spine and your eyes go wide.

Oh this is gonna be good.

"I'm not buying anything you can think dirty thoughts about you creep. Besides I think groceries can be sexy." you reply.

"Very sexy hun." he retorts.

You grab the book with your hand and walk over to the register. This was it. You needed something to say that you weren't unnerved by the paps outside, that they didn't manage to derail your plans. And you needed also to get the hell out of here.

So you slide the book onto the cashier table.

"Hey are you still free two weeks from now?" you ask.

"Yeah, I thought we had plans." he answers.

"We do, we do. But maybe we just move them to somewhere private." you speak.

"Of course, we can. Your place or mine?" He asks now.

You realize how you might answer in the privacy of your own home is a bit scandalous for the public setting you're in right now. So you erase the joke you have for him in your head and go for something appropriate.

"Mine." you say simply.

You sigh out your wallet from your bag. The cashier prompts you for your card and you give it to them. A quick swipe and then your book is getting wrapped and put into a regular brown back.

"Good. Tell me when you're about to leave." he says.

"I'm checking out at the register now." you answer.

The cashier gives you your card back first. You put it back into your wallet and drop it into your bag. Then you are handed the shopping bag.

"Okay stay on the phone with me when you walk out." Jason says.

You mumble a thank you to the cashier. And then you gussy up the courage to walk out the front door. You opt to hold your phone up to your ear, giving your shoulder a break.

"Walking out now." you say as you push open the glass door.

As soon as the California air hits you, the cameras do too. The questions are shouted. Yelled. Thrown at you. You keep your head down a bit. Where you parked your car is at the forefront of your mind.

So much so that you don't fully register what Jason is saying to you on the other end of the phone. You just hum along until you are finally at your car. Then you unlock your doors, set the bag down in the passenger seat and get inside.

The car door closes and you let out a breath. The paps are still outside but they are immediately less loud. And they can't come in here. Some seem to back off a bit.

"Okay?" you finally hear Jason ask.

"Yeah yeah, I'm in my car now. I'm good." you speak.

"Good. Good. Okay. Do you want me to let you go now?" he asks.

You put your phone on speaker and put it into the cup holder. Silently you let out a ragged breath. It's rough and you sit back into your seat.

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine." you answer.

"Text me if you're not. And text me when you get home." Jason says.

"I will. Thanks again Jay."

"No problem. Gotta go."

"Alright, bye."

Your phone buzzes. Call disconnected. Your mind is able to calm down now being in the vehicle of transportation to get you away from the madness. And after hearing Jason-wait a minute.

That's when it hits you. Jason. Jason, on the phone. As you were walking out to your car in the flurry of paps, questions and snapping cameras, he called you something.

He called you baby.

[llittletingoddess]

WHERE THE WILD ROSES GROW 🥀

«When the night comes, the stars begin to shine and the greatest crimes begin to come into life»

part 1 of multiply

°•○ warnings: age gap, slow burn, original character, cursing, smoking, drinking, mentions of death, mentions of murder, mentions of abduction, manipulation, abuse, national hate, politics mention, discrimination

°•○ Note from Author: Here it is, my first-ever work that was written on English! I'm so excited to finally share it with you all. This was a spontaneous idea but it came out so good so far! I'm really can't wait to show you what I'm cooking for the final, and truthfully - you've already seen a spoiler, but shh! Hope you will enjoy this very first piece I did, and I promise - I won't forget about updating it! Have fun and leave your comment if you'll like the text! I love you all <3

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

1. From The Start

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles.. the city of stars, dreams, fame and lights. The image of the perfect american life as they could tell. Money rivers, cameras, the most popular people are living here, basking in the Californian sun and sipping their thousands dollars-worthy drinks. The perfect picture of a Hollywood life perfectly hid its other side, that Los Angeles tried to hide so desperately. 

Los Angeles.. the city of crime, blood, money and murders. When the night comes, the stars begin to shine and the greatest crimes begin to come into life. No one knows who it is, no one knows how deep and long this network is and especially - how to stop it.

And while famous people represent the golden side of the city, its darker side getting their weapons ready to kill them all.

How could you possibly have any agreements with Russia being American in such dark and dangerous times? No one knows. Not the President, not the Government, and not even the Pentagon. But when you have money and the possibility to break the system - surprisingly everything’s possible. Especially when you have friends in the FBI that could easily cover you, one of the best PR managers in the world and the perfect reputation, at least you think so. And even the danger of World War can’t stop money going into your pocket when you are one of the richest people in the world. Actually, it has many advantages.

  Living on the golden side of this life was a pleasure. He worked hard for years to get what he was now. Interviews, luxury meetings with the first class people of the world, a place in the Forbes’ lists of the richest, the most influential people of the planet, the prettiest girls to spend nights with, rivers of alcohol, a few yachts and a successful business - his life was perfect. The name of James Hetfield was known and he was so proud of who he has become. 

It all started from a small project that should’ve failed on the day of its release. A small network of musical markets that were developed into the biggest music store in the world. James was passionate about music. He loved to play guitar and in his younger days he wanted to have a band to play. But with lots of circumstances this idea was scrapped but not forgotten. Instead, he decided to invest in music. It all started with a small instrument market that had a low percentage of sales. It was meant to die from the start, but everything changed when his markets began to make custom instruments. 

And now, decades later, he was the owner of the biggest music market in the world which continued to develop. The network of markets, online-shops, custom salons, music labels - it all came from one passionate idea. Was James proud? Oh hell yeah he was.

James was a good-looking man, though he didn’t think about himself in such a way. Though he was one of the richest people on Earth, he was pretty down to it, and for that he was loved even more and had his perfect reputation he was proud of. No one knew about his connection with the FBI, which he hid so carefully. Though he was in his late fifties, his age wasn’t a problem for him. He was married to one of the most popular models of America, but it was obvious that this marriage had nothing with things they called “love” and “happiness”. 

Truthfully, he never was really happy. His parents never supported his passion for music, they never supported him at all. When he said that he’ll start his own music market his father yelled at him for being stupid and investing money in “crap”. If only he could see who his son has become.. Sadly, James’ parents died in a car crash, and that made his persona even more hard-working and cold-hearted.

His latest concept, the music app that gained one billion customers in half a year, was that one project James wanted to move to Russia, avoiding all the sanctions. It was planned to be big! Whilst James’ rivals kept losing their customers, his brand will keep growing. All he left to do was to have a private meeting with Russian investors and sign the deal. Just a touch of the pen and he will create history - getting american dollars from silly Russian people. 

The only problem his brand could possibly meet was its own Russian market. Their culture provided the support of motherhood products, and having a new rival on the monopoly would be an experience. He should know what to expect from this opportunity, so now he spends all his days in his office, reading information about the Russian market, its opportunities and advantages. But even though he acted legally, the promo campaign of his app was started way earlier to prepare people for the upcoming sensation. And how he was satisfied when he fooled Russian investors and got the client base from Russia! But now, to avoid all the problems, he needed to make it official. All he saw now is the biggest deal in the history of his brand with perfect terms and conditions and big investments for its development in Russia. Pure perfection.

But James didn’t know that perfection is a lie.

• • •

Moscow, Russia

While everyone thought that Russia is a cold and unfriendly place, Moscow proved that it could greet everyone with some style and grace. Old Soviet buildings mixed with modern skyscrapers, lots of cultural and historical monuments that were slowly fading in the time and nature gave the megapolis some charm that make Russia so popular for foreign tourists. Everyone was curious to see the Kremlin’s House, The Red Square and Lenin's grave. Russia had a lot of story behind it and it definitely had a lot to show to the one who was interested in it.

But she wasn’t.

Modern Russia was different from its big ancestor. Now it looked like an infamous nineties era, with its bands and leaders of all classes, but there was one big difference - now these leaders were one of the world’s biggest mafias, setting their own rules and killing everyone who was against their politics. Russia was a big totalitarian country which despised any western innovations. But more than that, they despised America as their main rival. And their newest position against America worked so damn good for them as a plan to get rid of the western stuff they hated. They thought it influenced their children, doing an american propaganda for the zombified Putin’s nation. And sanctions were the perfect plan for the russification of the youth and the younger generation.

Things got different though when they got a private partnership suggestion from Blackened Ltd, a private American musical brand which was focused on music. A nice business partnership to avoid politics and sanctions, to bring good money to the States and give Russian customers some quality service avoiding sanctions. It was a good idea, right? But the Russian mafia didn’t think so. After a big council meeting with russian musical directors from Yandex and VK it was obvious that the american suggestion was declined. But it turned out that the American businessman wasn’t that easy when Russian services began to lose their audience during the VPN usage for the Blackened App. After some investigation they found out that Blackened Ltd. created a promo campaign that was focused on the russian audience, and it was the point when the unofficial world monopoly war began.

She sat in the crowded carriage, listening to the useless Russian small talks and smirked at how easy life was for them no matter that the country was one leg in a world war. Someone was worried about a gift for his girlfriend, another one shared their opinions about other nations, races and even sexuality of people. Why do they care so much? She didn’t understand why Russians were so cold and mad. She lived there for five years and she felt like she was the slave of the regime. No right to love who you wanna love, you can’t say anything provocative cause you’d be in a prison immediately, and the police officers everywhere she went just made her feel herself tensed. Even if she worked for the first heads of Russia now, it didn’t make her feel less protected when she was just a simple citizen. Even though, she was an American, and this whole nation hated America. They thought that the american nation should die and it didn’t make the situation better.

She was known as “The Wild Rose” for her abilities to plan her murders and her clean work. Every loud political murder was caused by her and she was still untouchable. Police couldn’t find her and when she was almost caught her boss covered her with a big bag of money. They called her one of the best when it came to observation and spying, they called her one of the best when it comes to the murder. And even though she had some serious rivals to contest with, they always rooted for her. 

Leah Bennett was a quiet girl from the Florida coast. She was the only child in her family, and somehow, her parents weren’t too joyful with her presence in their family. Her dad was an alcoholic, her mother was an animal. She always said that Leah is not enough, whatever she did - if she did not get the highest grade in the school, if she didn’t take out the trash immediately after her mother told her, if she didn’t help, doing her own business and so much other stuff. Her father yelled and beat her, telling that she would never become a big person and would never do anything good for her family. But she did. 

Killing her parents was the first time Leah tried blood in her life. Even though it was spontaneous, she felt a relief when she cut her father’s head in pieces with an axe. Police began an operation to neutralise her, to make her suffer for what she did, and that’s when her journey began. She needed to run away. Leah was hidden within homeless people, fighting for a plate of soup and killing some more people to stay alive. This time she did way better, without witnesses and blood stains on her clothes. When her parents’ story calmed down she came back home, living without electricity to not cause neighbours to call the police again. 

She was an average girl - blue eyes, dark curly hair, the type of girl high school boys would like but they never did. Leah was a quiet girl that preferred to stay alone than enjoy big companies of people, reading detectives and showing surprisingly good results in Sports and Maths. If only she knew how these skills will help her in her future..

When she was 18 she was kidnapped by a russian agent and deported to Russia to be trained by the best killers in Russia. At first, Leah did small kills for small money that didn’t make any sense, but the better she became the more she wanted. And that’s how her international fame as “The Wild Rose” began. Leah didn’t know why Russians picked her as their great weapon against the world's biggest money networks, but as long as she was paid and she was safe - she didn’t care. 

She missed America though… It was a good moment of nostalgia for her when she had some missions there - from small kill to big, she felt way better being on her own field instead of grey Russia’s panel houses. Her biggest wish was to stay in America and continue her work there, in her Motherland, but Russians always watched her - being an American for them was almost the same thing as being a black man for a white racists. Though they raised her and made her a professional, they didn’t trust Leah - neither did she. 

Leah finally left the carriage with a heavy sigh of relief, slowly walking to the place of her destination. She looked at the people and she understood why everyone called Russians the grumpiest nation in the world. Everyone was just so sad, so grumpy and unfriendly that sometimes it made Leah pissed. She had no mood to live and breathe, she felt like a bird in a cage in Russia, and her masters enjoyed it. She put on her earpods and turned on some metal to try and increase her mood. This was the only way for her to set herself on the right wave before her tasks.. This morning she received a message about her newest victim and it was time to find out some more details. Leah begged for it to be some annoying American when she could kill and finally escape her cage. She didn’t know what she would do there - get herself a house? Adopt a cat? Get a lover? It was boring.. 

Leah knew that she would have some time to think about it on her way to the mission. She put on a smile to annoy some strangers and walked to the headquarters of her bosses. Today she had a big hope for the better…

[kgbuapparel]

Buy Stylish Hoodies Online -KGBU

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

You rock BTW.

Wondering if you could recommend any fics where Stiles meets someone online and falls in love (think like a cinderella story, she loves me) . AU or Cannon is fine. Ships of Sterek, Steter or Stargent preferred but all ships are fine.

 Hi @she-who-reads-fanfiction! @kevaaronday made this list for you.

my heart’s been offline by thepsychicclam (1/1 | 58,893 | Explicit | Sterek) 31/M/New York. Rich, lays in bed all day, likes to read (aka Derek Hale, son of an Oscar winning actress, brother of one obnoxious reality star and one rebellious fashion designer, hates the paparazzi so much he's a recluse)

26/M/California. Boring office job, likes to read (aka Stiles Stilinski, co-owner of a 100 acre organic farm with his dad and two best friends, writer of obits for a newspaper, has absolutely no life)

Or, where Derek and Stiles meet online, and Stiles has no clue Derek's part of a famous family.

if only by petals (1/1 | 46,665 | Mature | Sterek) “I could totally stop talking to him,” Stiles interjects, feeling a sudden overwhelming urge to defend himself and brush the whole thing off as nothing. “I could. Easily. That’s the beauty of talking to someone online; you can just, like, talk to them for however long you want and then disappear for however long you want without any real impact on your daily life. It’s not like I’m going to run into him at the grocery store. I could stop at any moment.”

“But you don’t,” Lydia points out.

“No, he doesn't,” Scott replies, forcing Stiles to scowl at him. “He just got a new one this morning and he hasn’t stopped talking about it.”

Or, the one where Stiles has been talking to some guy that he doesn't know online, but that's the least of his worries when a new pack moves into Beacon Hills, and Stiles suspects the alpha of bringing a coven of witches with him.

Somewhere In Between by amazingpages (1/1 | 33,029 | Teen | Sterek) Derek’s been letting his job dictate his life ever since he was promoted from freelance photographer to official travel photographer. In his five years of travel, he’s built relationships in countries all across the globe, yet he still returns home after each job as lonely as ever. When he decides to try out the pen pal site Laura recommends to him, he doesn't know what to expect. Derek isn't prepared for Stiles, a small town guy with big dreams of seeing the world. And he certainly isn't prepared to fall in love with him. He has to remind himself that this is just a pen pal thing and not to get carried away. It's not like Stiles could ever like him back.

Right?

I Should Meet You Because I Love You by derekstilinski (10/10 | 22,573 | Mature | Sterek) Derek and Stiles meet online, and then in real life.

a voice on the phone by To_fill_the_sea (3/3 | 14,498 | Explicit | Steter) After the Hale fire Peter distances himself from the entire pack. He remains in the pack but travels and keeps in contact. While he is away the pack grows and gains a new emissary. This emissary is one Stiles Stilinski and he develops quite the friendship with Peter over the phone. They've talked almost daily for years and have never seen each other's faces and feelings have been developing along the way, but something happens that forces them to finally meet. What happens then?

Don't Say a Word (Just Dance With Me) by cathcer1984 (1/1 | 11,922 | Mature | Steter) AllHailTheKing has left the following comment on your post I want:

If you're amenable, I want to give this to you. Will you let me?

With a frown Stiles clicks on the link to the post, it opens automatically in a new tab and his faces heats when he sees what he wrote.

I want...

I want someone to woo me. Send me flowers, hold my hand, take me dancing and to dinner. Talk to me about books and movies, intellectual and silly things. 

I want someone to fall in love with. 

I want the excitement of dating without the expectation of sex.

I don't want sloppy hand jobs from frat boys who don't know what they're doing with a dick that isn't theirs. 

I want someone who will wait to take me apart with their hands and mouth. I want to be held at night and wake up next to him the next morning. I want sleepy morning sex and soft kisses, breakfast in bed and comfortable silence. 

*

Or the one where Stiles has a blog and one of his posts makes a reader want to woo him.

The Postman Always Rings Twice by Finduilas (1/1 | 6,583 | Teen | Sterek) Stiles and Derek meet online, through fandom. They share their online life together: fics, fanart, squeeing over actors; but they haven't met in real life yet. Or have they...?

I Settle for Long Distance Calls by iamursforevrmre (1/1 | 4,369 | Gen | Sterek) Derek is the guy who Stiles met on some random band page on MySpace because Derek made a ridiculously hilarious comment and with a spurt of confidence, Stiles had messaged him to tell him just how hilarious it was and they got to talking. Derek is the guy that made a FaceBook account just to talk to Stiles on the messenger so they could talk more when MySpace was slowly dying out. Derek is the guy that changed his text message plan to unlimited when he finally sent Stiles his cell phone number. Derek is the guy that has been on the phone with Stiles at any and all hours through the day. 

And Derek is the guy that Stiles is in love with.

camera shy by rjosettes (1/1 | 3,741 | Teen | Scallison) When Stiles can't bear Reddit anymore, he resorts to Tumblr for his porn and gaming needs. He has no idea what he's getting himself into when he follows photgrapher aargentsf on a whim, but nonetheless...he thinks he's gonna like it.

Two in One by sterekstyles (1/1 | 2,444 | Not Rated | Sterek) Prompt: Some kind of online relationship, where either they don't know each other irl or they do but they don't know it's them who they are talking to (and crushing on) online!

watching you light it up by S3anchaidh and piratetattoos (1/1 | 2,084 | Teen | Sterek) "Light of my life, fire of my loins, you're not getting cold feet are you?" Stiles says, and Derek rolls his eyes. Stiles should be immune to how Derek looks, but damn, he could never be. They've been friends for three years now, and they've been there for each other every step of the way, celebrating the little victories like when Derek got his name legally changed, when Stiles went on testosterone, when Derek got approved for top surgery. 

*

(or: the one where they meet under different circumstances, in a different world, but they still fall in love.)

Your Taste by redeyedwrath (1/1 | 1,335 | Gen | Sterek) In which, Derek is Stiles' online boyfriend - even though Stiles doesn't know what he looks like - and they meet for the first time

[lexsang]

My donor and I have agreed that, since I already was considering it as a brtween-class college career, we might try phlebotomy for doning purposes to get more blood at once and have it ready on-demand. However, I had a few questions that I would go to Google for, but I'm unsure on how to phrase them. If you don't know, that's okay, I just thought you might know of a resource that might have more information.

- Where would I get phlebotomy tools, such as needles, bags, disinfectant, etc, without being an actual medical corporation?

- What type of fridge/how cool would the inside of the fridge have to be to keep it from (for lack of a better word) 'expiring'? How long would it be good for?

- Is it okay to heat it up in, say, a microwave? I think I'd pefer it warm if I was drinking a cup of it because it would feel more fresh.

- Is there any law against keeping home-doned blood in your house for any reason, like for a biohazard type of thing? Of course I keep everything about this really private, I'd just like to know. For reference, I'm currently residing in California and will for at least two more years while I get my transfer degree at a community college, and there's a good chance I will stay in-state for university. Otherwise, knowing if any states in the U.S. have a law like this would be good to know. I know Louisiana has a 'no blood drinking' law from the voodoo/hoodoo days when slaves were emancipated, but I doubt anyone would enforce it nowadays.

- I know the environment has to be sterile for safety reasons, and I may just Google this one, but in this instance, what all needs to be disinfected/'sterile'? My partner/donor is autoimmune compromised (still okay for me to feed/for him to give blood) so I want to limit risk of infection as much as possible. Should I get one of those blood-draw specific chairs that have an almost plastic-type material spray its easier to keep clean and so there's the arm to use as the table for the insertion, do you think?

I believe, a long time ago, I read on one of the older sanguinarian websites (may be theredcellar, if I'm remembering properly; it was the one with the old feed directory where you could connect with a vampire/donor, I think, and they had a library section) which had some resources on using medical phlebotomy for this reason, but I never got through all of it at the time. If this type of website rings a bell for you, I may be able to find the PDF of the study someone submitted on it, as I remember it had risks involved and other information, which would be very, very helpful. If you think of any other information you may have or advice to follow, please do leave it. Thank you and have a wonderful day/night!

This is going to be a long one, so here we go.

Sadly, I don't have any actual experience in phlebotomy yet, so I'll keep any phlebotomy-specific parts brief to keep myself from making assumptions. To start with, a decent portion of your questions might already have some answers in articles on theredcellar.com. For anything more deeply sanguinarian, they are one of the best resources you can find. They have multiple articles on phlebotomy that have very in-depth information, and I believe they should have some info on blood-storage so that you can get a feel for how long you can safely store and consume blood you draw. As for the other thing you mentioned you had read, if I'm guessing right, it might be on theblackbooks.net. In the library tab, under miscellaneous, there is a .pdf called Phlebotomy for Sanguinarians.

If you look up 'phlebotomy supplies' on Google, there is a slew of medical suppliers that you can go to. I used to buy supplies from a dental supplier when I was working on fangs, and they can work a little differently from regular online marketplaces, but with some patience, you can find what you need. (Also be sure to become knowledgeable with what different anticoagulants the vacutainers or blood bags you're using come with, there is an article with a bunch of that info on The Red Cellar). If you keep having trouble finding supplies, I'd assume that bloodplay circles have plenty of information on where to find needles at least, and where you can find medical-grade needles, I assume you should be able to find the rest.

You can do your own trials with the microwave, but I don't think that would be the best way to heat blood. You would want to be very gentle while heating blood, and because of the way microwaves work, I'd assume you would be very likely to ruin blood by microwaving it. The one way I've heard that might be best for heating blood without lysing all of the cells and potentially cooking it, is sous vide. Others may have other ideas for this though, when in doubt, check old forums.

As far as legality, I would check for your own state. Generally, the legal issues come in the moment of feeding. Of course taking blood without consent would be illegal. I don't believe storing blood is illegal, but it is also seen as extreme by most people. In my opinion, keeping stored blood hidden isn't a safety precaution against the law, it's a safety precaution against people who are much more likely to be in your house from seeing something they might not be ready to see.

Keeping things sterile is extremely important, and whatever safety precautions you have kept up with whatever type of feeding should be held with just as much respect when taking blood intravenously. Definitely look for legitimate medical sources to brush up on what extra care you should take when dealing with phlebotomy equipment, and think about disposal as well. I can't imagine that you would have to go as far as buying a chair specifically for drawing blood, but keep your space clean, and be aware of how certain materials pick up dust and other things in the air, as well as whatever has touched them in the past. And absolutely everything needs to be sterile. The needles and equipment you end up buying will most likely come in sealed, sterile packaging, but anything that doesn't needs to be sterilized, especially since your partner is autoimmune compromised.

I hope this was helpful, and if there is anything I want to convey throughout all of this, it is to make sure to double and triple check, not only through sanguinarian sources, but also medical sources. Phlebotomy is a fantastic skill to learn as a sanguinarian (and luckily for me, I'm finally in a living situation that could allow me to learn), but donor safety is the absolute most important thing when talking about phlebotomy. Take things slow, and gauge both your and your donor's comfort levels as you go.

[ilthit]

We're currently in the middle of an unprecedented wave of governmental attempts worldwide to control social media through the legislative and regulatory process, often in the interests of protecting children. Unfortunately, the methods being proposed as a solution are dangerous and damaging to everyone. If you live in the US or UK and have a few minutes today, we at Dreamwidth would like to ask you to contact your elected officials and ask them to oppose several of the worst of the pending bills. If you live in the US: KOSA, the Kids Online Safety Act, claims to be a bill that will protect children's privacy and restrict them from viewing harmful material. If you've followed our efforts to help overturn California's AB 2273, you likely already know the problems with KOSA, because they're the same problems: requiring websites to age-gate the internet will require every website to identify, deanonymize, and store information about every single one of their users, not just people under 18, to determine who shouldn't see content deemed "harmful to children". It also politicizes the question of what's "harmful to children" in ways that will disproportionally affect the marginalized. If you don't want to be forced to upload your government issued ID or subject yourself to unscientific, unvalidated, black-box biometric 'verification' every time you visit a website, learn more about the issues with the bill and then contact your elected officials to tell them you oppose its passage. If you live in the UK: The Online Safety Bill will criminalize a large amount of lawful speech, ban strong encryption, and empower Ofcom to block access to websites with no accountability and no recourse. Multiple providers and services have already said they'll stop offering services to UK residents if it passes, including Wikipedia and WhatsApp. Please take a moment to learn more about the issues with the bill and then contact your MP to tell them you oppose its passage. There are dozens of other terrible bills in various stages of the legislative process worldwide that will threaten your right to express yourself and hand the government the power to censor and deanonymize you online: those are only the two biggest threats right now. We will continue to do everything we can to contribute to the legal fights being fought by various organizations that are working to protect your right to be anonymous and speak freely on Dreamwidth and elsewhere online, but the best way to do that is to not have to have the legal fight in the first place. Please let your elected representatives know that you oppose efforts to require age verification to access content online and to force websites to engage in government-mandated censorship.

[statementlou]

Hi, how was your show!!!??

Thank you for asking! It was great, OBVIOUSLY. I saw Louis play a short set in late 2019, but was not able to go to Walls tour, so this was my first time at a proper tour show (in Berkeley last night) and it was brilliant! I have been trying to figure out what to say besides that though cause tbh there are two posts I want to make. So… both? First for my recap- it was so loud, like the music was just normal concert loud but I had to plug my ears against the screaming between songs cause it was way louder- I just figured it was the in person experience difference but no, Louis confirmed, “you guys have been so fucking loud in here tonight, it's actually been hard for me to hear” so GO US! The chokingly thick haze of weed smoke (“I already feel the energy, I already feel the love, I can already smell the weed,” he was not fucking kidding) to usher in HIC in California (and all the other songs lol) didn’t diminish the energy a bit! Truly, there is nothing like the energy of shared live music, and meeting eyes of other fans (through the trees) and sharing that excitement. And seeing actual physical unmediated Louis, just existing in space being a real live human, yeah. Something.

I was like I'm not gonna bother to take pictures or anything, I just want to dance and hear and look, everyone else's pics will be better anyway but then the TECH, you guys know how much I love the fucking aesthetic of this tour and the screens were SO PRETTY in real life!! So in fact I KEPT getting my phone out for that so like... good one tech crew, you got me. Look for many low quality aesthetic posts of the screens incoming, sorry not sorry. Common People was SO PRETTY, his voice was so clear and lovely and I'm so glad that's been added in. WDBHG went HARD live, holy shit, SO FUN (tho tbh me as Louis thinking I know all the words to that song but it turns out there are a lot? And I do not? At least I was in the best possible company fumbling and mumbling through parts.) Heartbroken I didn’t get Saturdays live (honestly the one song I think might have been my exception to the next thing I’m gonna say) but so thankful for BTM🖤

But part two of this post is to say that watching the livestreams with you all is also brilliant and special and also lets me experience the beauty of Louis’ voice and presence and connection and the feeling of experiencing something together. I wasn’t able to go last year, and I know some of you (many many thousands worldwide!) won’t be able to go this year either or maybe ever, and I know you are seeing the posts telling you there is nothing like being there and you can't really know or appreciate Louis/ Louis’ voice/ the experience unless you are there in person and it feels sad and I want to tell you that I have done the research now and I don’t think that is true. Most people who go to the show won’t have a Y/N moment and be Perceived by Louis or be at barricade, and I don’t think the experience we are having online together is less real or profound than the live experience. His voice sounded fucking gorgeous and soaring and I loved it, but even if you are there it is mediated by all kinds of tech; I imagine getting to be present for an acoustic performance really would be something that couldn’t be replicated but I think a really good live through a clear speaker or a nice quality show video is in fact just fine. Some of the songs did hit me harder in person and get my blood pumping in a different way, yes- but others I actually think I get a fuller experience of in a chiller more focused environment when everything isn’t flying by as quickly. Like I don’t think the megamix would impact the way it does (UGH I LOVE IT SO MUCH) if I just saw it live once and done, for example. Anyway I’m just saying if you can’t make your own (go to the show) store bought is fine (hang with us at stream time! or just whatever online content). While I never intend to watch every stream in fact I am usually right here and love to chat and squee with people, come hang out, or just watch some videos and enjoy the magic.

[catastrfy]

Do you know about the Sarah A Thomas grave on the oregon trail? i didn't until i saw this video last week https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om9fazTIbEA

as i watched it i kept thinking the story of her dying sounded familiar -- except i'd never known where the grave WAS. but i'd heard about bill thomas' grandmother sarah who died on the way to california. my late grampa told me about it, and he'd heard it from either his father or his grandfather, who'd known bill thomas.

the part in the video that blew that up in my mind is when randy said it was believed a family member came to the grave in the 1920s and put a new marker there. i never heard about a marker, but the story WAS that bill had gone thru the records his grandfather (and who bill was named for) which included descriptions and sketches, and gone out and found his grandmother's grave in the ealry 1900s. (if the story had a closer year, i don't remember it). but also, as a genealogist who likes proof vs hearsay, what i remember is just hearsay; it's not documentation.

i decided to see if i could find anything. randy said in the video they'd never been able to find anything, so i didn't thnk it was likely, but i LOVED tracking down storme delarverie, so this was another challenge. (plus, despite my body failing, genealogy research online is soothing and doesn't use any spoons at all. and my pattern recognition is ridiculously good)

i started by i looked for a family in 1850 that had a sarah a. thomas w/i 5 years of the age of 22 (which is on the sarah a thomas grave)

the best hit was in linn county, iowa. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ4N-97F

on the 1850 census of linn county taken in october 1850, sarah a thomas is 19, william is 30, and their first son john c is 1. sarah and william were born in ohio & their son was born in iowa. they are not in iowa on the 1860 census. & they have a marriage record! 18 yo sarah ann campbell (a maiden name!) married 28 yo william a. thomas on 15 Sep 1848 in linn county, iowa. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XJKR-RTL

(yes, the age is a year off between the two records. this was not uncommon at the time, ime)

i couldn't find sarah anywhere in 1860, but i found a w.a. thomas in sacramento, california, age 40, born ohio. a wife ursula, age 40, born ny. mary j, age 14, born ohio (not listed as a daughter, but the sons are listed as sons either. i haven't been able to find anything else about her.). john c, age 11, born iowa!! and lee d, age 9, also born iowa. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/GLZF-1FK

then i found a marriage record for mrs w blakely and w.a. thomas in sacto county 15 Apr 1860. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XLDK-261

the thomases werne't in sacto in 1870, but i found william, ursula, and lee in smithville (now loomis) in placer county. william has a grocery and dry goods store and lee works in it. (william's age is off, but ursula's and lee's fit; john is not living with the family) https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN62-32N

i also found william on the 1866 great register of california, full name william alexander thomas. https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNNC-XQS

so next i headed to the california digital newspaper california, which has scans of a lot of old newspapers and looked him up. and i found both a brief obit in the auburn journal and a longer one in the placer argus. here's the placer argus one -- and it names his first wife as sarah ann campbell, which matches the linn co family in iowa! and it says his wife died on the way to california, but doesn't have a date or place beyond 1854 on the oregon trail

but still -- *a* 22 year old sarah a thomas dying on the oregon trail in 1854. yes, ABSOLUTELY there could be more than one, but i was getting excited anyway. and about 6 a.m., i found something else. it's in the press-tribune and dated 14 august 1962. so it's 108 years after sarah's death, but still, LOOK!

it says "mrs thomas died at south pass in the rockies en route to california on july 3, 1854" well, that date is off by 4 days after the date on the sarah a thomas gravestone. (this article also says william and sarah married in 1854 when they married in 1848). and it says "at south pass". sarah a thomas' grave isn't on the south pass section of the oregon trail -- but it's not far away, maybe 12 miles further east. according to https://www.geowyo.com/south-pass.html, the south pass section of the oregon trail starts at burnt ranch and goes west. here's a google map lined up as well as possible with the seminoe cutoff map from the video, and below it an inset section of the top map over google earth. for the 12 mile guess that was t rying to measure across my monitor. my hands are shaky, so it could be 10-14 miles

to me it seems unlikely that two 22 year old women named sarah a thomas died 4 days and 12ish miles apart, especially since i can't find any other thomas family in california that matches william with some john c (the fmaily in roseville DOES match william a who married sarah ann campbell and is on the marriage record and 1850 census; william's obit names her and says they married in linn county) but stilll... anyway, i emailed randy wise @ the museum andincluded the newspaper clippings and what i'd found on the sarah ann campbell and william alexander thomas family, and i hope it's helpful. i wish i knew more about bill thomas, but he died in 1940. i've reached out to the roseville historical society and the concord ditto to see if there are any known descendents. ANYway, that was my fun thing to do the past week except let my eyes and brain put pieces together <3 <3