#Can’t link right now because my country hates reddit

[thatlittleegyptologist]

Hi, welcome to this blog! Here’s a few things you should know:

I’m from the UK, and have only experienced the UK education/University system. I can’t help you with getting into College/University in the US or any other country. 

I’m over 18 (in my 30s), so if that makes you uncomfortable then don’t follow. In fact, I'd strongly advise you didn't if you're under 18

Yes I am aware of and have watched/played: The Mummy/The Mummy Returns/Stargate/Stargate SG-1/Night at the Museum/Assassin's Creed Origins. No, I don't really want to give you my opinion on them.

I don't follow Kemeticism, and thus know nothing about Kemetic religious practices. Please direct your asks to someone better suited to help you with those, as I'd rather you got advice from the right people. There are plenty of lovely Kemetics out there willing to help though!

I block blogs that have no title/default avatar or pfp/no content/no likes/no explanation for why the blog is blank like 'this is my main but I use my secondary blog mostly'. This site has too much of a problem with Pr0n bots for me to allow random no content blogs to follow that later use my content as a way to legitimise themselves.

My knowledge base is pretty secure up until the end of the New Kingdom and some of the Late Period. Don't ask about anything after 500BCE because there's a higher chance of me being wrong.

That being said: Don't use the answers you find here as answers to essays or arguments with teachers/professors. Not only could I very well be wrong (so potential for you to look silly), but I'm also not a legitimate academic source. This is a tumblr blog not an academic journal. If you want to use the academic sources provided to then write your own essay, go ahead. Source analysis is key, and this blog is not a good source.

No, the search function isn't broken I just don't have that function turned on for my blog.

This is a personal blog, not a pure Egyptology blog. I will just reblog whatever amuses me, and it won’t always be about Ancient Egypt. 

I don’t work in Egyptology currently...or maybe I do? You'll never know! That's the beauty of me not telling you. I do have a working background in the field, but this gives me no power or influence. I won't tell you what I do for work, regardless of what it is I actually do, because I value my privacy. So if you want to think of me as working in Egyptology, cool. If you want to think of me as having an office job, also cool.

I will get things wrong because I don’t know everything. If you've got some helpful information please share! If me being wrong somehow upsets you, just block and move on.

If you’re here due to the Animal Headed Gods post here’s a link to an ask explaining it. Hint: they’re not furries. That post was originally made in 2017, and I deleted the original to save myself from the notes.

If you’re here because of the Pub Quiz post. Please know that it took place in 2016 and I am very much done talking about it. I don’t care if you believe it happened or not, and I’m aware it was posted to multiple ‘Tumblr Lies’ instagram/reddit accounts. Save your breath because I got enough ‘and the whole bus clapped’ comments and anon hate at the time simply for drunk posting what happened to me. Please know that I thought I was relaying a story of something that happened to me, to the friends and the 200ish people who followed me at the time, and never anticipated it was going to go viral. I’d also appreciate people not posting it off this site as I get a lot of grief for it.

Yes I am aware my posts are on reddit/instagram/facebook etc etc. No I don't want to be made aware of where they are.

As for the FAQ,

In the interests of preserving my sanity, and now providing a response to ‘I can’t get your FAQ on mobile’ you absolutely can here’s a nice big ol’ link to my FAQ that’s now a pinned post at the top of my blog (iOS users only- Android users see below).

HERE IS A LINK TO THE FAQ

For Android users, you might want to copy the following url

 thatlittleegyptologist.tumblr.com/FAQ 

and paste it into your Chrome browser and then select ‘request desktop site’ from the meatball menu (the three dots) as the above link only works for those on iOS and there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s a tumblr issue, not a me issue. If you don’t know how to ‘request desktop site’ in Android, here’s a link to a tutorial.

Finally!

This blog is trans-supportive. Trans women are women and trans men are men. If you are straight trans you are as valid as queer trans folks, and you don’t need to be dysphoric to be trans. It’s likely that I may still make honest mistakes when talking about these things I am always open to be corrected politely. TERFs caught co-opting any of our explanations about Hatshepsut in order to invalidate the trans experience will be blocked and reported. I do not and will not tolerate hatred towards trans people, or the wider LGBTQIA+ community, in any shape or form.

[queequegsleash]

GOT Fandom Fundraiser for SameYou

The FreeFolk on Reddit are doing a charity drive on JustGiving for Emilia Clarke’s SameYou charity as a thank you to Emilia and as a show of love and support for the cast and crew.

Fundraising link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/justicefordaenerys

Text from FreeFolk post: 

Since there's been so much negativity flying around, especially with that petition gaining traction to the point it provoked misguided responses from castmembers, I thought maybe we could do something really decent that can make a difference in peoples' lives, and show a little love for one castmember in particular.

Incase you weren't aware, Emilia wrote a personal essay for the New Yorker in March about her experience suffering two brain hemorrhages, the first of which happened shortly after wrapping season 1. Posted below are excerpts from interviews she's given since the finale aired which I found particularly moving, although both are worth reading in full. Bear in mind when you read, D&D did not bother to inform her in advance about Dany's turn. It was a complete shock.

It's abundantly clear that Emilia invested much of herself into Dany and in turn drew strength from her when she needed it. The fact that the showrunners did not even care to inform her of her character's turn, let alone write a properly fleshed-out script that did her character (and others!) justice, is unforgivable. They've since scurried away to avoid the backlash they knew was inevitable, but the actors are getting the brunt of it. And I just thought... how wonderful a gesture would it be for Emilia to see fans of the show coming together, in aid of a cause that is so dear to her heart, and to know that we appreciate her and this character she's inhabited for the better part of the last decade?

On a personal note, as someone who suffers from chronic illness, Emilia's portrayal of Daenerys means so much more to me since finding out what she went through. The fact that she stared her mortality in the face and did not give up, did not give in, and was able to come through with such a stellar performance.. is beyond inspiring. I can't wait to rewatch the entire series again and stop at season 6.

here's the link to the fundraiser if you would like to donate! Please note that the fundraising is for the CHARITY FOUNDED BY EMILIA called SameYou, in partnership with the Stroke Association, which helps young people recovering from brain injuries like the ones she suffered while filming the show - not for Emilia herself. If you're having trouble donating via Paypal, make sure the currency is set to GBP as it's the only way the Paypal option will come up.

UPDATE: We broke 5k with less than 300 donations. Thank you so much to each and every one of you who donated, upvoted, shared, boosted. I'd love to see this keep building momentum!

If you don't mind helping us call the banners over at r/asoiaf, I made a crosspost.

Here are the excerpts from her interviews I found particularly touching.

Entertainment Weekly May 19 2019

“I have my own feelings [about the storyline] and it’s peppered with my feelings about myself,” she admits. “It’s gotten to that point now where you read [comments about] the character you [have to remind yourself], ‘They’re not talking about you, Emilia, they’re talking about the character.”

*Like many actors who have played the same role for a long time, Clarke identifies with her character and has put much of herself into the role. She believes in Daenerys’ confidence, idealism and past acts of compassion. As the actress wrote in a New Yorker essay in March, she played the Breaker of Chains through some life-threatening personal hardships, secretly enduring two brain aneurysms during her early years on the show. “*You go on set and play a badass and you walk through fire and that became the thing that saved me from considering my own mortality,” she wrote. Clarke has drawn strength from Daenerys and infused Daenerys with her strength.

“I genuinely did this, and it’s embarrassing and I’m going to admit it to you,” Clarke says. “I called my mom and—“ Clarke shifts into a tearful voice to perform the conversation as she reenacts the call: “I read the scripts and I don’t want to tell you what happens but can you just talk me off this ledge? It really messed me up.’ And then I asked my mom and brother really weird questions. They were like: ‘What are you asking us this for? What do you mean do I think Daenerys is a good person? Why are you asking us that question? Why do you care what people think of Daenerys? Are you okay?’”

“And I’m all: ‘I’m fine! … But is there anything Daenerys could do that would make you hate her?’”

Taken from the New Yorker, May 19 2019

Concerning your medical trials: you had to perform during Seasons 2 and 3 in the aftermath of brain surgery each time. Can you describe that?

I just felt weak and consistently in this mode of “Please don’t fire me. Please, please don’t let me fuck this up. Please don’t let anyone have an opportunity to think I’m anything other than beyond capable of taking on this role.” Every day I would fight my own demons of thinking, You’re sick, you can’t do this. You’re tired, give in. Stop. I just bulldozed through. There were a couple of seasons where I just questioned everything and struggled through everything and felt a tremendous amount of guilt at not being able to fully inhabit this role of a lifetime that I was given when I had many friends who were still knocking on casting directors’ doors. It left me fatigued and exhausted and anxious and worried and fearful every day.

What was your worst day on the set?

The first couple of seasons we would film in hot countries a lot, and we would film in quarries and other places that were incredibly unforgiving with regards to heat. We had very long days, and I’m in this enormous wig over a bald cap glued on to my head. You’re paranoid you’re going to die all the time, because you’ve had two brain hemorrhages. I’d feel incredibly faint and want to pass out. I got headaches and thought I was dying. But I just didn’t ever say anything.

So a difficult day would be a long day with lots of people, lots of heat, and I was just trying not to cry, just trying not to pass out, trying not to think I was going to die. And, at the same time, deliver lines in Dothraki. And then turn up for dinner and say hi to the cast and try to keep friendships alive. That was really hard. I’m sure lots of people will read that and go, “You prissy child, that’s nothing, that’s nothing at all.” But it just felt incredibly dark and tricky when you kind of can’t be honest with the people around you and say, “I’m struggling a bit.”

Did you ever feel in real danger? I mean, did you ever think, I’m on the set, I’m riding a dragon, my head hurts, and I’m about to have another episode?

Oh, yeah, a hundred per cent! In moments of extreme stress, my fear of dying was dialled up to a million. There were many moments where I would just take one of my hair or makeup girls aside and just go, “I think I’m dying, and I’m not. Can you just hold my hand? Could you just look at me and tell me that I’m all right?” And they would look at me like I was mad and try and help me breathe through it.

[secretsofthemasquerade]

What the fuck is happening with V5, neonazis, and shits.

So, first, terminology. Everything I am going to be talking about here concerns the company White Wolf Publishing, which is the Swedish company created by Paradox Interactive for when they bought back the IP from CCP. 

This DOES NOT include Onyx Path (with whom I have grievances, but they are mostly a question of taste and some of their business practices I am somewhat disapprove of, but this has nothing to do with them), and their classical authors, whom have nothing to do in the thing. So don’t go about telling Richard Thomas he’s a Nazi asshole okay? They’re clean in this matter and their statement is genuine and honest, and their statement matches their actions and publications. This also does not involve By Night Studios. 

Basically, White Wolf Publishing (new version, the one in Sweden, owned by Paradox) has released a preview for V5 (corebook, which is due in three weeks), and they presented neo-nazis in a way that is controversial to say the least, in the clanspread Brujah for V5, which is in their V5 preview.

Some see it as "wwp trying to make neo nazis play their game", some are saying "lol sjw are being sensitive and ruining everything", some are saying "it's ok to explore dark themes but this is poorly worded and looks like they're glorifying it", and some are all censorship and stuff. 

The spectrum of answers are very wide, with assholes on both sides, and death threats being sent to everyone by everyone. Including OPP people who are completely out of the loop on this one (altho some may argue that since they’re licensing the IP from WWP that makes them a level of complicit/quiet acceptance; that argument can be heard, but I am pragmatic and I understand they don’t want their company and their livelihood to sink into oblivion because Ethics are superior to Food)

Here’s the catch. People aren’t pissed just about the Brujah issue, that places neo-nazis at the same level as any other character concept and definition of the Brujah, without an ounce of self awareness, and using terminologies that clearly appeal to gamer gaters (the use of terms such as “fourth wave feminists” and others...). They’re pissed and worried because this isn’t the first WWP offense, they have multiple times allowed themselves to poke towards such people, more or less willingly. 

There's been plenty of other signs by the WWP crew that they may be integrating alt-right and neo nazi elements in their games, not because they are saying they're a thing, but also somewhat inserting (willingly or not) some propaganda elements, not as a way to criticize them, but normalizing them or even misrepresenting them as "rebels with a cause" (aka Brujah, which makes little sense nowadays, current day neo nazis and alt rights are in positions of power and are very much accepted if not encouraged by our political systems, much to my screaming French ass). 

They somewhat normalize and even glorify them. Despite being a game about monsters (lol u know what vamps are?? have said many people on those threads), it isn’t a game about BEING a monster. It is a game about Dealing with It and their Humanity. 

WWP says it's to "acknowledge the state of the world today" but other elements such as dog whistle elements for neonazis, as well as the use of hate groups types of phrasings (euphemisms, like, clearly derogating terms like "fourth wave feminism" mocking tone like) are pushing non-straight non-white, non-male players out of their base. And oddly, almost everyone defending their edge-approach are.. yes, regular white dudes.

Add in their hiring of Zak S for their video game from February 2017 and the overall lack of research, + their apology / non apology / defense about all of these issues altogether up to now about the whole ordeal when people bring out the issues, and you've got a massive shitstorm of suspicion about whether they are actually openly welcoming neo-nazis and alt-righters into the games, especially when public comments made by WWP staff implies "they are very fine people” and “both extremes are horrible”, putting into equal footing antifascists and neonazis. That in and out of itself is suspicious, but arguable to some degree. Plenty of comments have been made both by the horrid fanbase, but also by WWP staff on the matter, as such they cannot really deny their hands being dirty (looking at you, MR-H and Ericsson, receipts are provided all over reddit and the FB threads from WWP but also from the VtM groups, including this one).

Just because they state they condemn racism, sexism and xenophobia, doesn’t mean that their writings and actions match those statements. They still sign “Blood and Souls,” their letters and posts, which is ODDLY similar to “Blood and Soil”, a known Neo-Nazi chant. The integration of 1 4 8 8 as a dice roll result may be completely meaningless and a sad occurrence, but there are SO MANY other occurrences that giving them the benefit of the doubt is hard. Especially when you add the fact that the lead dev has written books about nazis (so has done research, and when you research, 1488 comes up easily). 

I’m always willing to blame ignorance and stupidity over Malice, and I am doing it for V5 write-ups, but their apologies and defense instead of listening to our concerns takes away their credibility. Their reaction should have been to listen and fix it.

In Game, there is also a BIG BIG PROBLEM that the authors didn’t even research. The Alt Right and neonazis are NOT in a marginal position of protesters anymore. They are in power. They are very much allowed, encouraged, protected by the system, at least in most Western Societies. They are no Brujah hunting ground, they are great Ventrue targets! 

There’s a difference between allowing the themes be used and explored very darkly and grimly and glorifying them as a good thing (the little red book or Leni Riefenstahl’s movies), and doing the same but with careful research, expert consulting and making sure your intent is clear as a content creator (like the Handmaiden’s tale or 1984). You can’t objectively say that Wolfenstein is a game that approves of nazis despite being all about nazis, nor Far Cry 5 about wtf is going on in Far Cry 5, or that Just Cause approves of American Intervention in island nations or Latin American countries, or that Tropico approves of banana island dictatorships. Cartel Ciudad Juarez or many modern warfare games, on the other hand, do not manage this and are clearly not aware of what their game is saying (not unlike a RPG like Fatal... :p).

Then the article archived and linked above was made and shared, and that’s where all shit hit the fan. I do not believe the author is fully right about everything in the contents, especially when it comes to Zak S (who is an asshole by all means, but he is neither a gamer gater nor an alt righter), but there are solid elements that put together some of the various “uh” moments. The article has since been removed due to the harassment, death threats and worse. 

Oddly, Reddit is doing okay (x, x) but Twitter has also given us frowny things about upcoming W5...

Do I think they are openly and willingly trying to pull one past us? No. Do I think the WoD has brought in lots of neonazis as players and has been a problem since the 1990s? Yes, for Vampire and Werewolf for sure. (Werewolf in particular is plagued with them despite the Revised attempts at fixing certain things...). Do I believe the 20th anniversary edition were made to glorify those days? No. Not at all. Do I think Ericsson and co are neonazis? No. They’re not. Do I think WWP is trying to be edgy to cater to anti-sjw and unapologetic show offs? Yes. Do I think WWP wants to openly cater to neonazis? No, but they’re not doing anything to make a stance against them buying and using their games. If their idea of Mature Themes is punching down and glorifying monsters, they are wrong and we should let them know. If a mature theme is exploring the dark sides of the world in a thoughtful manner, having Horror as a key component of VTM, then yes, that is what we want, but it has to be presented properly and fine-tuned. Right now, it’s “oh, wouldn’t it be cool/grim if...?”. They need to consult experts. They need to hire sociologists. Psychologists. Game Theorists. They need to SEE what Chaosium has done with Call of Cthulhu. They need to 

I’m just also going to say that the two FB WWP threads are insane (here and here), full of fanboys and fangirls defending WWP and telling them they shouldn’t apologize, they even made a petition saying they did nothing wrong. I do not want to give up, and I do not want to let my voice be silenced by these assholes for a game I love and care about even if I am such a critic of it.

Let me be very clear. The problem is -not- the inclusion of asshole character concepts in the write up, it is the WoD after all... The problem is that they are presenting them under a good, acceptable, apologetic light even. The problem isn’t exactly the content of the game, the problem is how little research and how little awareness they’ve had about their publication, and the responses that they have given when we have raised questions and concerns about these issues. The problem is Accidental Indoctrination. The problem is Propaganda Games. What are your mechanics saying? What are your actions saying? What is your game saying?

https://youtu.be/4jKsj345Jjw

https://youtu.be/UP4_bMhZ4gA

(Yes they’re video games but it’s he same thing)

And in opposition, extra credits did also an episode about the Shoah book for Wraith. https://youtu.be/EDEgXUqHL9Q

So, do we want great quality mature content, serious gaming material, or shock for shock value? Do we want This War of Mine, Papers Please, Dead of Winter, CupidVN, Spec Ops the Line, Bury Me My Love? Or do we want Hatred, DARK, WoD Preludes, Ciudad Juarez or even Dante’s inferno?

Games Matter.

Education Matters

We matter.

Tyvm

If you have any questions, they’re going to do an AMA on Twitch on July 13, here’s the info.

Let’s try and be numerous to voice our concerns. EDIT: Blood and Souls actually references Elric, it was my bad and I apologize for it, but you’ll understand that sometimes, when it sounds and moves like a horse, it’s hard to see it’s a zebra. Especially considering all past elements from the different eyebrow raising worth of edge for edge’s sake.

I still do not believe they’re deliberately calling neo-nazis but considering their AMA’s comments of people who just don’t want to be respectful and do basic research when treating mature content in an adult way, and be like “hell no, DARK STUFF, don’t steal my dark stuff!”, there’s honestly all the proof we need that that’s the kind of crowd they’ve accepted was using their games as entertainment. Jason’s answers were clear, and did not bite the whole “but what about antifaaaa”. I’m cautiously optimistic, and I’ve chosen, like many others, to keep publishing in the Vault to show them we can do better, and that it’s in the community’s best interest they listen.

They also confirmed Mark Rein Hagen was just a “consultant” and isn’t part of the team in anyway ;)

[sohelpmejack]

Personal vent - lgbtqia+ stuff

Since this is my most "out" space, and the only sideblog not linked/connected to my main, I figured it's the right place for this.

I mentioned this to a friend on a small close-knit Aspec discord, but I kinda want to elaborate and throw this out there semi-anonymously.

I'll preface this by saying that on a grand scale, we've certainly made a hell of a lot of progress, mostly before my adulthood, and we all have our elders to thank for that. So thank you.

But we still have so far to go, and that is becoming glaringly obvious lately.

It seems like people are being shittier lately. I don't know if it's because I've been in an online bubble safe from that, even more so during the pandemic, for the majority of the time since I realized I'm biromantic, and so I'm only just now *experiencing* the "real world" through the lens of a bi person, or are things actually getting worse lately?

It's to the point that, while I kind of already knew I would never come out to my family, and most likely not in my hometown either, suddenly that hits hard. Because there's "micro aggressions" and cultural homophobia everywhere. (By cultural I mean inherent bias and being dismissive or grossed out, etc. As opposed to actively malicious. Both are bad, but there is a difference.)

I've been actively being more out without being out (if you're here then you know what I mean by that), like especially with clothes. Because now, two years since I realized I'm bi, I'm finally comfortable in my identity and consider myself part of the queer community. There's a quote like "find out who you are and then do it on purpose". Basically I'm embracing it.

And society is internally slapping me in the face. The fact that I can't just be out is actually hitting me now and feels like it really matters. I didn't think it mattered at first, since I'm in a relationship with a man who I believe I will marry. (Don't even get into how to the larger lgbtqia+ community practices bi-erasure there.) But, I can't even listen to stuff like this or this (you're welcome) without headphones because I live in a homophobic house.

I think discovering Cockles/JenMish has made this hurt more because it's beautiful, to me, to all of us in this dumpster. But based on people's profile descriptions, most of us in the dumpster are Bi or Aspec, or other queer identities. It is beautiful to us. Outside of that, there is so much hate out there 😥.

I saw a post last month, during Pride, about a survey that showed 55% (or 45%) of people were ok with having lgbtqia+ coworkers. I thought that sounded low and there was no way that was this year/last year, since AGT for example has all sorts of queer contestants on with no fanfare whatsoever (which is ideal, imo, everyone can just be).

I came home from Kindergarten talking about a cute girl for crying out loud. People tend to assume something "made" you queer and that it is a damage that you have sustained somehow. It's all so fucked up.

I feel it now in a way I've never really felt it before. I'm only out in semi-anonymous online spaces, with my S.O., and a couple of really close irl friends from grad school.

I engage in some activism on tumblr and reddit, but I would love to just BE, you know? So so many people are in similar and also much fucking worse positions, and we're all Just Trying To Cope With Shit, and wanting to love through loudspeakers.

Thankfully I'm not in a position where this prevents me from even being with my partner. Or from even just being seen with him being ourselves, etc. (I dealt with that shit in high school because of my over-protective family, I know it hurts a fucking lot.)

Others have it far far far worse than I ever will. But I still feel it. And I empathize.

I fully intend to use my "straight passing" (🤢 biphobic terms) life position for activism, but it isn't safe for me to do so until I can afford to live on my own.

I know this is U.S. - centric. I live in the south. I don't mean to presume anything about life in other countries. Like I said, I know it is worlds worse in other places. It's just the effect of suddenly not being sheltered from it and it hitting like a truck.

So yeah, this got too long.

/rant

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT NEWS, RESOURCES & STUDIES, April 6, 2021

Welcome to my latest summary of recent ecommerce news, resources & studies including search, analytics, content marketing, social media & Etsy! This covers articles, podcasts, videos and infographics I came across since the early March report, although some may be older than that.

I am hoping to launch a new ecommerce resource page on my website in May, although that is looking a bit ambitious with everything else I have on the go. (I've released the latest version of my Etsy search ebook, and am working on updating the keyword research ebook this week as well as still drafting a few new blog posts on Etsy search.)

If you have any questions, please drop me a line here on Tumblr, reply to this post, email me, or contact me on Twitter.

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES

Etsy Ads have been turning themselves on without sellers taking any action. There are threads here, here, here, and here. There is a video here with more people reporting the issue in the comments. A few cases seem to be related to using vacation mode, and at least one person reports a much higher budget than they would have chosen. So go check to make sure they ae still off (unless you want them running).

eBay, Etsy and some other marketplaces have formed a coalition to lobby against proposed laws they say could harm small sellers and microbusinesses. The Coalition to Protect American’s Small Sellers (PASS Coalition) is currently fighting the INFORM Consumers Act, which “would require online marketplaces to disclose third-party seller information to consumers, including name, address, email and telephone, or face civil penalties.” An Etsy rep said that this would be problematic because it would affect the privacy of sellers, and could potentially move communications off-site meaning Etsy would have less “ability to ensure seller integrity and consumer protections.”

PayPal is now allowing Americans to pay using cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin; this is rolling out over the next few months.

ETSY NEWS

Remember when Etsy Ads got way more expensive and stopped working for some people? Here’s the technical explanation of what they changed. [It is very technical in some parts, so most people will struggle with a lot of it] Note they explain that the Etsy Ads algorithm “ranks listings based on their bid price, multiplied by their predicted click-through rate”, and that they added contextual factors such as the time, the day of the week, and the buyer’s platform to tailor the bidding, and the expected order value is supposed to be part of the final bid calculation. They also mention that the current system is using the “30-day listing purchase rate” as a factor. The results of testing: “[t]he buyers saw more relevant results from ads (+6.19% CTR), the buyers made more purchases from ads (+3.08% PCCVR) and the sellers received more sales for every dollar they spent on Etsy Ads (+7.02% ROAS).” It’s clear that Etsy Ads are designed for the really big spenders, not small shops.

April’s attribute updates include candles and desks.

In their latest sustainability initiative, Etsy will now offset carbon emissions from packaging.

Etsy’s “disaster relief fund” has launched, but it is only available to US sellers, which is something not stated until you click to the application form. The FAQs actually state it is available to “all sellers”. Because everyone on Etsy is American, right?

Etsy donated $500,000 to two groups working against Asian hate. Ironically, they also got called out for having an algorithm that was surfacing “erotic” photos of Asian women as recommendations on listings that were completely unrelated items with only “Asian” as a common keyword. The issue was also noted in searches for “Asian photo”. Etsy’s response was to remove 3 listings and to promise to “continue to work on improving our algorithm to avoid surfacing recommendations where not relevant or appropriate.”

The Spring and Summer Trend Report is out, with the usual detail on trending items and keywords used. Some of the search trends:

“143% YoY increase in searches on Etsy for checkered prints”

Things like mushrooms, and “waves and squiggles” are hot

Outdoors, plants and gardening, staycations & decor related to travel are all expected to continue to be popular

“286% YoY increase in searches on Etsy for vintage colored glassware”

“42% YoY increase in searches on Etsy for pendant necklaces”

“86% YoY increase in searches on Etsy for clothing patterns”

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES

If you are fairly new to SEO for search engines such as Google, you may find that it seems way too complex, and you might worry that you are missing something. Here is a great basic checklist for websites. Most of these items will not apply on marketplaces such as Etsy; e.g., Etsy rewrites the file name, and doesn’t allow you to create an URL separate from the listing title, or a meta description different from the listing description.

One of the most common questions I get is “how do I get backlinks”? Fortunately, Moz just came out with the Beginner's Guide to Link Building.

You know that links are very important for Google ranking, but do you know how Google decides that? Read this, and you will. [text with lots of graphics]

If you really want to know everything about SEO, Search Engine Journal compiled a fabulous list of resources. Some get very technical, so this list is definitely not for everyone.

A new study says that ⅔ of Google searches do not result in a click; people are getting the information they seek from various Google features on the search page. The study does not separate out simple searches such as the temperature outside, or a spelling check, in which users wouldn’t benefit from clicking. But while the click rate is dropping, users are still growing, so the total number of clicks continues to increase. Here’s a bit of commentary on the study.

Although Google says it likely won’t change ranking much, here’s a good overview of the upcoming Core Web Vitals algorithm update.

Good news! Bots don’t hurt your Google ranking.

SEO for videos on Google, appropriately in the form of a video. [links and highlights in the video’s description]

Former Google employees are involved in Neema, a subscription-based search engine which will protect users’ privacy. The site is currently in beta and there is a waitlist.

(CONTENT) MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA (includes blogging & emails)

Trends in the best headline/caption/title for sharing have changed. BuzzSumo’s review of 100 million posts shows that emotional phrases are no longer as big as they were in 2017, and the most shared headlines are now shorter: only 11 words/65 characters. There is a lot of analysis of Twitter and Facebook as well as general info here.

Ideal image size is different on every social media platform; this infographic gives you all the sizes for the major sites.

Reminder: don’t buy Instagram followers. A lot of the services sell bots and inactive accounts, which means you won’t get any engagement. The article ends with a few tips on how to get authentic followers that will actually help you.

Coming to Instagram: the ability to save drafts of Stories.

Reddit has opened a Canadian office, a logical decision since Canuck Redditors are the third-largest country base, and are increasing by 40% a year.

Which app was downloaded the most in the first quarter of 2021? You will be unsurprised to hear it is TikTok.

ONLINE ADVERTISING (SEARCH ENGINES, SOCIAL MEDIA, & OTHERS)

You can’t know how successful your ads are, or how they could be improved, if you aren’t paying attention to several different metrics. Here is what to watch on Facebook.

Here is an overview of what we know about how Google is doing away with advertisers’ third party cookies; the new set up is called Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC).

Ad design can be tricky; here are 11 tips for creating Facebook ads that will work.

TikTok is forcing users to see ads related to their TikTok history; as of April 15, you will not be able to opt out of ad personalization. You can still refuse to let them use your activity on other sites, though.

STATS, DATA, OTHER TRACKING

Here’s an overview of how the new version of Google Analytics works.

Facebook Analytics will be retired June 30, 2021, and some people do not feel there are adequate alternatives.

ECOMMERCE NEWS, IDEAS, TRENDS

Poshmark now has listing videos. Any videos added also show up on a seller’s Posh Stories. eBay is also rolling out videos on listing pages and storefronts.

Walmart’s Marketplace now allows sellers from outside the United States; the first new group is from China.

Hudson’s Bay Company is the latest to invite third-party merchants to sell on its site, the Hudson’s Bay Marketplace. There isn’t much there yet, though.

BUSINESS & CONSUMER STUDIES, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE

Half of Americans hate seeing the same ads all of the time. 40% were interested in learning about deals through ads, while almost as many want ads that are “entertaining”.

Make sure you are using the correct words to get buyers to convert. This infographic lists some of the most useful psychological trigger words, depending on your goals.

Increasing the average order value is a smart way to increase your income without adding more new customers. Here are 4 pricing strategies to get you there.

Ecommerce spending is projected to continue increasing, and installment plans have been popular early in 2021.

How fast a website loads is directly related to sales and conversions. “If a page’s load time slowed from one second to three seconds, the chances of a bounce increased by almost a third (32%). And going from one to five seconds increased bounce rate by a whopping 90%!”

[jessi-31days-blog]

Day 3, Tuesday, October 3rd

I wake up at 9:30 am, attack my phone alarm with a vigorous "fuck that" and set it again for 10:30 am. My alarm goes off at 10:30 am, and I officially wake up.

I fell asleep around 1:00 am last night, and I mentioned yesterday how I love my 9 hours. I'll try to go to bed earlier tonight. I had a dream that someone was trying to force me to drink blood, so if any of you super cool dream interpreters can guess what that means, let me know.

Yoga class - "Pranayama Yoga To Move Energy" - 12:34:

SIKE!

 Apparently while doyogawithme.com has lots of free classes, but a few videos are subscription only. So when I click on the link to this video and see "subscription only" I simultaneously roll my eyes and harshly exhale out of both nostrils at this minor inconvenience. Ah, yes, minor inconveniences; the bane of any millennial's existence. The same video is provided for tomorrow, so I will have to find yet another replacement for it for day 4. Okay, now for real this time...

Yoga class - "3 Yoga Breathing Exercises for Anxiety" by Caren Baginski on YouTube - 7 mins:

If you try this video, you'll noticed I picked a pretty easy video for today. It was very helpful, especially the switching nostrils one (forgot what that one was called). I'll need to remember these when I have anxiety.

Guided Meditation - "Transform Yourself" - 15 mins:

Okay guys, I have a confession to make on this one. My brain could not shut off and I was too restless, so I only made it through 8 minutes of this guided meditation. I tried to follow the imagery of imagining light flowing through my body, and I did my best but it didn't help much. One thing the speaker said that I will mention is that you choose how you think and feel about yourself, your life, and your surrounding. And while people with mental illness such as myself can often think the opposite, that you can't control how you feel or think, in many ways you actually can. More often than not it's within the means of actually forcing yourself to replace the negative intrusive thoughts with positive or realistic thoughts than actually making yourself feel something, but if and when you continue to make yourself think healthily, you'll start to feel better emotionally. This is easier said than done, but it is true.

Read a Proverb - Proverbs 3:

This is a pretty famous chapter of Proverbs for Christians and Catholics of the world. In it are these verses, 5 & 6: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." I first read these verses in early 2010. The fact that I can actually remember the year is pretty cool, since my memory pretty much sucks. Actually, my memory basically works of it's own will, selecting at random what information I will and will not remember. Anyways, these verses have always had a lot of meaning to me. It pretty much sums up God's intended experience for a person who believes in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His salvation. That's why I don't worry too much about how my life goes and the way I choose to live it. As long as I'm saved, and I believe I am, regardless of what happens to me, I know how things will turn out for me in the very end.

The rest of the chapter reiterated the theme of Proverbs, which is to delight in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, so that you live a good life. It ends with some good general pieces of advice for life: use common sense, when you see someone who needs help, don't hesitate to help them, don't hurt people, don't pick petty fights with people, don't act like violent people act, and if you dedicate your life to wisdom, you will "inherit honor".

Blog post - TWLOHA - "Beyond Shades of Gray" by Sharleigh Thomson:

At the beginning of this article, Sharleigh defines how we as a society talk about something clear and defined. "You've either attempted or you haven't." But then she begins to describe what she calls a gray zone as the place where you desperately want to escape from the pain and being willing to die to do so. "A place where you might have the means, the will, the plan, the note—everything but the follow through." And good fucking god, I know what the gray zone is like. I instantly identified with the author of this blog post. She proceeded to describe how she was once unable to find the words to truly explain her experience and her pain. That there weren't enough syllables in the English language to describe just how hard what she was going through was. She started talk therapy, but had trouble opening up and finding the words to explain herself to her therapist. He suggested that she start writing down how she was feeling. My therapist told me to do the same thing, and I reacted the way Sharleigh did: with stubbornness. At that time she believed that writing was some sort of cop out. I used to believe that if I couldn't find a way to say it out loud, how the hell can I get it one paper? Well, as I've discovered, the opposite is true sometimes. If I can get my thoughts, whether they are complete sentences or not, out on paper (or most likely, the notes app on my computer), then I can form the way to say it out loud. As a matter of fact, writing down my train of thoughts has lead me to more epiphanies than I ever expected... I've got to start doing it again.

Finally, after another suicidal episode, Sharleigh gave in and began writing. She said that it started out dark and emotional, but eventually became something personal, beautiful, and hopeful. She found a way to break down her problems in her writing. Then she began to write plays, poetry, and blog posts about her experiences with mental health and suicide. Hey, I'm doing that last thing now! What a coincidence.

I haven't written poetry since I was a teenager. My poetry back then varied in quality, a good portion of them being angsty emo depression poetry about how much I hated my life. But I'm sure if I looked back into my old journals (which I somehow still have after losing the rest of my belongings over the course of a few months before moving to Florida), I could find two or three good ones. I wish I remembered how to write poetry. Not that it's all that hard, so long as you're good with words. But I have no idea what to write a poem about. I don't want to write one about my depression or anxiety, because I have grown to enjoy poetry that ends on a positive note, and I have yet to find a positive note for a poem about depression. It's not that I'm this huge pessimist, I know there's a light at the end of this dark ass stanky ass tunnel, but I just don't know how to end a poem anymore. I don't like writing poems about nature, because those are boring. I have a sense of humor, but for some reason I'm put off by funny poems. Oh well, maybe I'll find something to write a poem about someday.

As the blog post starts to near it's end, Sharleigh tells of how she rebuilt herself through writing, and how while she still feels darkness, she's still willing to keep creating things and searching for hope when times get hard. I'm trying to have that same attitude. Practice makes perfect, I suppose. She ends the post with some encouragement to stay alive, to find a way to make your voice heard, and most importantly, to find what you were made for. I appreciate the encouragement she offered, and I hope others who read that article find comfort in them, but more often than not I read inspiring words and ideas and they have little to no affect on me. It's the reading equivalent of "in one ear, out the other" (in one eye, out the other? I don't know). But when push comes to shove, I do get it. Really, I do. And she's not wrong. I suppose one day I'll find myself smack dab in the middle of what I was made to do. Maybe I'm doing it now. Regardless, though I don't feel encouraged, I'm choosing to be encouraged. I'm making it my state of mind rather than waiting to feel warm and fuzzy. It's all I've got right now.

Encouraging someone on reddit - r/anxiety:

I found an easy one. And when I say easy, I mean I had the experience to give to this person who was nervous about increasing their dosage of their antidepressant. They said they were afraid that increasing their dose from 10mg to 20mg would make them feel "weird". I let out a light chuckle when I read that, because if any psychiatric drug is gonna make you feel "weird" (or in my case, a fucking zombie), it's not the antidepressants; it's the antipsychotics. I told them about how I was misdiagnosed a year ago during my mental breakdown and was put on some VERY HEAVY antipsychotic drugs, which made me act like a robot. Ask my dad, he saw me a lot at that time. I had no emotions. My mother, who at this point lived across the country from me, even noticed that I was different. Now I'm not saying antipsychotics are bad, because some people really do need them. But if you don't need them, they definitely make you more numb than anyone needs to be, and not the "high" kind of numb, but the "I feel literally nothing; good or bad" kind of numb. I then told this person that I have had times in my life where I was only on an antidepressant. I've tried a bunch, and coincidentally, along with my vast experience with psychiatric medications, I've also experienced being on Lexapro alone. So I told them it doesn't make you feel weird, and that it is more likely to help them than anything. Or a bit less likely (but still possible), it could just not work for them at all and they need to try a different antidepressant. All in all, I hope I at the very least encouraged them not to be afraid to increase their medication, so long as the doctor says it's best.

Walk:

The neighbors came by today to let us know a few sex offenders live in our neighborhood. One guy even lives just a few houses down. Fortunately, all the ones closest to us are child sex offenders, so I'm pretty sure I'm too old for them to want to assault. Regardless, my mom made me take her stun gun with me while I went for my walk. I listened to another one of my favorite bands, Gazpacho, this time. It was nice and peaceful. On my way back a dog started following and barking at me for a few yards, until its owner got it to go back to its house. I laughed as this was quite amusing. Instead of getting followed by creepy sex offenders as my mother fears, I was getting followed by a medium sized brown yapping dog. When I got home I felt refreshed, and my depression went from like a 8 down to a 6, so there was some improvement. End of Day Notes: I don’t know if I feel any different yet. But then again, it’s only the end of day 3. Any noticeable improvements seem small: the morning pranayama yoga centers and calms me for the day, I’m starting a routine which always brings a sense of accomplishment, I’m learning a few things from what I’m reading, and I’m getting better at giving encouragement or advice. So at least it’s something. P.S. I promise I’ll make this blog look pretty at some point. I could have done it today, but along with all my goals, I spent 3 hours cleaning to whole house, so I didn’t have time to work on this blog’s appearance. 

[khalilhumam]

Baloch journalist found dead in Sweden

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/baloch-journalist-found-dead-in-sweden/

Baloch journalist found dead in Sweden

“They depart because their government failed to protect them”

Sajid Hussain, 39, was a prominent journalist hailing from Balochistan. Screenshot from YouTube by Balochistan Times.

Baloch journalist Sajid Hussain was confirmed death by Swedish police after his body was found in a river outside the city of Uppsala on April 23. The police said that their initial investigation did not show ‘ any foul play’ and that they would continue their investigation and further autopsy results were expected, however Baloch and Pakistani activists are pointing fingers at the Pakistani intelligence services.

‘Sad news’

Hussain, aged 39, was pronounced dead by the Swedish Police after he went missing on March 2nd from Sweden where he was living in self-imposed-exile. The police found his dead body on April 23 and were recently able to match his finger prints, confirming his death to his family and colleagues on Friday, May 1, 2020.

Thread: Body of #SajidHussain, our varsity friend, and a fellow journalist, has been found today in Sweden. I am sharing some of his explosive journalistic work (among many others) published in The News about #Balochistan that has landed him into trouble. 1 — Zia Ur Rehman (@zalmayzia) May 1, 2020

Prior to his death, Hussain was the editor of The Balochistan Times, a news website currently blocked in Pakistan. According to rights groups, the Pakistani government routinely blocks websites and information coming out from Balochistan. The Balochistan times tweeted screenshots of its story on the death of its editor:

Screenshots of the sad news for those who can’t access our website from Pakistan Sajid Hussain found dead pic.twitter.com/Fyb5Igp1hq — Balochistan Times (@BaluchistanTime) May 1, 2020

Reuters Pakistan bureau chief Gibran Peshimam, who previously worked with Sajid, tweeted an old picture of Sajid from his wedding in Balochistan.

Sajid. My friend. Not like this… https://t.co/le5dFowgeC — Gibran Peshimam (@gibranp) May 1, 2020

Mama Qadeer, a leading human rights activist from Balochistan who in 2014 marched on foot for +2000km from Quetta to the capital Islamabad against enforced disappearances in the region tweeted:

It is a sad news for us, renowned Journalist Sajid Hussain, the chief editor of @BaluchistanTime is no more among us. His dead body was discovered from a river in Uppsala, Sweden. The unfortunate death of Sajid left a vacuum in Baloch Society which will take years to be filled. pic.twitter.com/PkCcL9fTCJ — Mama Qadeer Baloch (@QadeerMama) May 1, 2020

What happened to Hussain?

Hussain was a young and bright journalist from Balochistan, a conflict zone in Pakistan that has seen more than 6 insurgencies since 1947. For decades, the Baloch nationalist movement has been fighting for cultural and economic rights, and greater political autonomy, including “outright secession and the creation of an independent state of Balochistan.” Dissident voices and young intellectuals in the region are subjected to enforced disappearances, torture and even murder. Others are forced into exile. Since 2010, the bodies of hundreds of Balochistan’s “missing people” have turned up bearing torture marks, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). In 2013 alone, 116 bodies were found across the province, 87 of which were identified by families who accused Pakistan’s security agencies of abducting their loved ones. Hussain left Pakistan in 2012 after unidentified people stole his laptop and notes which is a modus operandi of spy agencies. He then moved to Oman then the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Uganda for his safety, before applying for refugee status in Sweden in 2017. His wife and two kids were expected to join and reunite with him this summer. He moved to Uppsala from Stockholm to start a new chapter in his life. Last time he was seen was when he boarded a train from Stockholm to Uppsala on March 2. When the journalist went missing, Reporters without Borders (RSF) pointed fingers at the country's notorious spy agency ISI for his disappearance. “Considering the recent attacks and harassment against other Pakistani journalists in Europe, we cannot ignore the possibility that his disappearance is related to his work,” Erik Halkjaer, the president of RSF's Swedish section, said in a statement on March 30. “He left and we were relieved that at least he would be safe,” recounts his brother Wasif Khalil about his departure. But that was not the reality.

Dissidents in exile targeted

While it still remains a mystery what happened to Hussain, Baloch and Pakistani activists are pointing fingers at the military, which has previously been accused of targeting dissidents living abroad. Taha Siddiqui, Pakistani journalist in exile and founder of safenewsrooms.org said:

In the past, the Pakistan army has suggested killing dissidents abroad and it seems like they are now putting that plan in action. This is following the Saudi, Chinese, Turkish and Russian playbook. They have been doing this in the West against their dissidents. I hope the Swedish police can solve this but hostile intel agencies usually work without leaving traces. As an exiled journalist myself, I have been advised by Western law enforcement agencies too to stay vigilant in France.

Siddiqui narrowly escaped abduction in 2018 in Pakistan, and blames the Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for the attempted abduction. He left the country immediately after that attack. He was informed by the French Police of serious threats against his life in France. In recent months, several Pakistani activists and bloggers living in Europe have also claimed to have been targeted for speaking up against human rights violations in Pakistan. An RSF report published in February said a Rotterdam-based Pakistani blogger, Waqqas Goraya who was kidnapped and tortured while in Pakistan three years ago, was attacked and threatened by two people believed to be Pakistani intelligence agents. An old interview of former president General Pervez Musharraf has resurfaced on Twitter in which he mentioned killing voices of dissent living in exile. The interview was conducted in 2017 in Dubai, where Musharraf has been living since 2014 to ‘seek medical treatment.’ In December 2019, Musharraf became the first army general in Pakistan to be sentenced to death, after a special court declared him a traitor for suspending the constitution in November 2007 when he was president. However, he still retains support within the current Pakistani government and military. His sentence was overturned in January 2020 by the Lahore High Court. Dr. Allah Nazar Baloch, President of BSO (Baloch Students Organisation) mentioned the reference and video of the interview:

The death of Sajid Hussain is a huge loss for Baloch nation and journalism. Swedish authorities must trace all the links behind his two month’s disappearance that lead to his untimely death. Musharraf's words should be included & analyzed in the investigation. @SweMFA pic.twitter.com/LaHvZ5g5YI — Dr Allah Nizar Baloch (@AllahNizarNizar) May 1, 2020

Malik Siraj Akbar who is a journalist from Balochistan and took refuge in the US wrote a heartfelt obituary and highlighted asylum- seekers predicament:

Sajid’s case has drawn attention to another critical issue: asylum-seekers’ relationship with their home countries. People apply for political asylum not because they hate their country or have committed a crime there. They depart because their government failed to protect them, and they face persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion

Pakistan dropped three ranks down to 145th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2020 World Press Freedom Index. According to RSF, the media is ”under the military establishment's thumb.” The influence of the military on free speech and press has increased dramatically since Imran Khan became prime minister in July 2018.

Written by Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman · comments (0) Donate · Share this: twitter facebook reddit

[wetrumpfeed]

I am now proud to call myself a Trump supporter.

I know I'm not unique at all when I say that this weekend's events have urged me to vote Trump next year, but I still thought I'd just make a post to appreciate Trump, you guys, and this sub.

Like many others who drank a little too much Kool-Aid over the past few years, I never came into this sub, believing it was a stronghold for the crazy right. I never thought for a second Trump colluded, but that's what Reddit would have you believe, that's what the media would have you believe.

But then the Mueller report was released. Now, as someone who always considered themselves republican and conservative (voted for Romney), I already was well aware of how sensitive and whiny the left can get. I had frequently checked in on r/politics and had a pretty good sense of the strength of that sub's bias.

But holy shit, nothing could have prepared me for how irresponsibly they have handled all of this. The goal shifting, the denial, the oppression of differing opinions, the lack of responsibility or accountability, the continuation of blaming Trump.

Either they are still flat out denying the report--"ReLeAsE tHe FuLl RePoRt," or as dipshit Bill Maher said, "I don't need Mueller's report to know that Trump colluded w Russia,"--or they are writing a new story.

The story is now suddenly about how it was never about collusion, it was about indicting anyone at all! The story is now that Trump is "weaponizing" the report for 2020. The story is now that Trump had an opportunity to heal the country but he's being a bad dude.

This morning, 10 of the top 10 hottest posts on r/politics was a gross spin on how there is still collusion. I mean, almost the entire dem party and mass media witch hunted the guy for 2 years and he's not even allowed to tweet, "Good morning, have a great day!" (legendary tweet btw)

Over the weekend I've been visiting T_D for the first times ever, thinking "you know what, I'm gonna see what this place is about for myself."

Turns out, you guys are actually a bunch of level headed, cool folks who just love a good meme and aren't too sensitive. I haven't seen any racist, bigoted, sexist remarks in the past few days and I've been trying to find them.

For example, I sorted by controversial the comments from the top post in the last 24 hrs, https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/comments/b59kc2/you_guys_were_right/?sort=controversial

"If you really want to apologize, stop being a leftist." 13 downvotes.

"Get fucked" 2 downvotes

"No forgiveness - the same way you preached about those who voted for Trump.

You helped tear this country apart and you can get bent, you fucking traitor.

We hate you just as you hated us. It's your turn to be on the receiving end now." 24 downvotes

and the top comment under that, "Naw. We don’t have to be like them. You’re acting like a fool." 15 upvotes.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised at how civilly T_D treats the other side. This is what true fairness, what true level headedness looks like. If this went the other way, I can not imagine any scenario where r/politics would even come close to this level of logic and rationality. For that, I truly applaud this sub.

On top of discovering that T_D is filled with genuinely good folks, it's also by far the funniest subreddit I've ever seen. The memes here are the dankest of the dank and the highest of quality. Two of my favorites were the "Trump, Russia, possible collusion" remix and the 'leaked' full report that was 281 pages of 2 nothing-burger buns. That is some abdominal pain inducing material right there.

The final piece of this eye-opening experience is the current stickied post encouraging users to send CNN hq a bunch of $8 25lb bags of Morton salt from Amazon. I can't understate how fucking funny the syntax and diction of this sub is.

"We are overstocked at r/The_Donald. All excess salt must go. Deliveries to begin ASAP."

I'm lolling even as I type it.

That is some priceless and high level trolling, and to learn that NYT donated 2625 lbs of salt in 2016 to charity, makes it even better.

So in summary, I'm thankful for the events that transpired over the weekend because they opened my eyes and brought me here. I didn't vote Trump in 2016, but you better believe I will in 2020. So with that,

TRUMP 2020. MAGA. Damn that feels good to say.

Edit/Spez: WOW thank you everyone for this warm welcome!

submitted by /u/An_x_Ju [link] [comments]

[robgrayofficial]

GOOOOOOD AFTERNOON PATRIOTS!This is your girl u/Ivaginaryfriend here back at it again with your weekly Presidential Recap! It's been such a TREMENDOUS week of winning I was almost started to get tired of it all..... almost. Then I watched GEOTUS at his DRAGON ENERGY style rally and realized we'll NEVER get tired of it!Before we get this recap started, if you happened to miss any past recaps you can catch those at this link here!Sunday, May 6th:SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:Giuliani: "I'd rather have the Hillary Clinton Treatment - No under oath, only a Q/A, we get the questions in advance, and they write the report two weeks before."SILENCE IS DEAFENING. The media won't cover Allison Mack TRAFFICKING CHILDREN. The media really is covering for the Elite Pedophiles. PIZZAGATE/PEDOGATE IS REAL.UK: Lauren Southern successfully enters London through refugee method🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:Hate SpeechSunday Gunday: Trump .45Tra la la lala lala fuck McCain.I'm just going to leave this here........Monday, May 7th:TODAY'S ACTION:Vice President Pence Delivers Remarks During a Protocolary Meeting at the OASFirst Lady Melania Trump's Initiative LaunchFifteen Nominations Sent to the Senate TodayPresident Donald J. Trump Proclaims May 7, 2018, as Be Best Day🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:To the great people of West Virginia we have, together, a really great chance to keep making a big difference. Problem is, Don Blankenship, currently running for Senate, can’t win the General Election in your State...No way! Remember Alabama. Vote Rep. Jenkins or A.G. Morrisey!My highly respected nominee for CIA Director, Gina Haspel, has come under fire because she was too tough on Terrorists. Think of that, in these very dangerous times, we have the most qualified person, a woman, who Democrats want OUT because she is too tough on terror. Win Gina!The Russia Witch Hunt is rapidly losing credibility. House Intelligence Committee found No Collusion, Coordination or anything else with Russia. So now the Probe says OK, what else is there? How about Obstruction for a made up, phony crime.There is no O, it’s called Fighting BackThe 13 Angry Democrats in charge of the Russian Witch Hunt are starting to find out that there is a Court System in place that actually protects people from injustice...and just wait ‘till the Courts get to see your unrevealed Conflicts of Interest!“The Great Revolt” by Salena Zito and Brad Todd does much to tell the story of our great Election victory. The Forgotten Men & Women are forgotten no longer!Good luck to Ric Grenell, our new Ambassador to Germany. A great and talented guy, he will represent our Country well!Lisa Page, who may hold the record for the most Emails in the shortest period of time (to her Lover, Peter S), and attorney Baker, are out at the FBI as part of the Probers getting caught? Why is Peter S still there? What a total mess. Our Country has to get back to Business!Is this Phony Witch Hunt going to go on even longer so it wrongfully impacts the Mid-Term Elections, which is what the Democrats always intended? Republicans better get tough and smart before it is too late!The United States does not need John Kerry’s possibly illegal Shadow Diplomacy on the very badly negotiated Iran Deal. He was the one that created this MESS in the first place!National Prescription Drug #TakeBackDay numbers are in! Another record broken: nearly 1 MILLION pounds of Rx pills disposed! Let’s keep fighting this opioid epidemic, America!I will be announcing my decision on the Iran Deal tomorrow from the White House at 2:00pm.SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:Breaking at The New Yorker: Four Women Accuse New York’s Attorney General Eric Schneiderman of Physical AbuseHillary R. Clinton Part 21 of 21 - Detailed analysis of her server accessDHS to push for criminal charges against all border-jumpersBlack Panther on RefugeesPRESS BRIEFINGS, INTERVIEWS, RALLIES:Press Beating🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:Women's rights movement post 90'sSocial Justice Warriors are reaching levels of hypocrisy not previously thought possibleStay On Top Of The Red Wave!My son said he wanted to be a princess and dress up like his sister, so I explained to him...son, you’re a king. The king rules over all-and then I made him this costume. I did not give him hormones. This is good parenting.Tuesday, May 8th:TODAY'S ACTION:Be Best: First Lady Melania Trump's InitiativePresident Trump Gives Remarks on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of ActionCeasing U.S. Participation in the JCPOA and Taking Additional Action to Counter Iran’s Malign Influence and Deny Iran All Paths to a Nuclear Weapon🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:Gina Haspel, my highly respected nominee to lead the CIA, is being praised for the fact that she has been, and alway will be, TOUGH ON TERROR! This is a woman who has been a leader wherever she has gone. The CIA wants her to lead them into America’s bright and glorious future!I will be speaking to my friend, President Xi of China, this morning at 8:30. The primary topics will be Trade, where good things will happen, and North Korea, where relationships and trust are building.John Kerry can’t get over the fact that he had his chance and blew it! Stay away from negotiations John, you are hurting your country!Statement on the Iran Nuclear Deal:(Retweeting The White House) "At the heart of the Iran deal was a giant fiction: that a murderous regime desired only a peaceful nuclear energy program. Today, we have definitive proof that this Iranian promise was a lie."(Retweeting The White House) "Finally, I want to deliver a message to the long-suffering people of Iran. The people of America stand with you."The Iran Deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing, we know what will happen. In just a short time, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapons....SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:Schneiderman Is A Hardcore 19th Century Democrat: "He called me his ‘brown slave,’ would slap me until I called him ‘Master’" Somebody Forgot To Tell Him the "Democratic Plantation" Is Only Supposed To Be A Metaphor!Jordan Peterson: “People are talking about Trump voters as if they’re a tribe from another planet. Wait a second: This is half of your population. This isn’t some fringe group. Maybe sit and think about it and not just assume they’re all stupid. Because they’re not."Eric Schneiderman, powerful NY Democrat accused of violence against women and drug abuse, RESIGNS AS STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL!President Trump: "I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal."🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:PRESIDENT TRUMP REEEEEEEEEEMOVES THE U.S. FROM THE IRAN DEAL - REDDIT ONCE AGAIN ON SUICIDE WATCHRIP Muh LegacyLet’s get it trending, folksProud of Our First Lady Melania Trump!!!!!!!Wednesday, May 9th:TODAY'S ACTION:President Trump Holds a Cabinet MeetingVice President Pence Hosts a Working Lunch on U.S. Engagement in the Western HemispherePresident Trump Participates in the Celebration of Military Mothers and Spouses EventExecutive Order Enhancing Noncompetitive Civil Service Appointments of Military Spouses🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:The Republican Party had a great night. Tremendous voter energy and excitement, and all candidates are those who have a great chance of winning in November. The Economy is sooo strong, and with Nancy Pelosi wanting to end the big Tax Cuts and Raise Taxes, why wouldn’t we win?The Fake News is working overtime. Just reported that, despite the tremendous success we are having with the economy & all things else, 91% of the Network News about me is negative (Fake). Why do we work so hard in working with the media when it is corrupt? Take away credentials?Candace Owens of Turning Point USA is having a big impact on politics in our Country. She represents an ever expanding group of very smart “thinkers,” and it is wonderful to watch and hear the dialogue going on...so good for our Country!Congratulations to Mike Dewine on his big win in the Great State of Ohio. He will be a great Governor with a heavy focus on HealthCare and Jobs. His Socialist opponent in November should not do well, a big failure in last job!I am pleased to inform you that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in the air and on his way back from North Korea with the 3 wonderful gentlemen that everyone is looking so forward to meeting. They seem to be in good health. Also, good meeting with Kim Jong Un. Date & Place set.Secretary Pompeo and his “guests” will be landing at Andrews Air Force Base at 2:00 A.M. in the morning. I will be there to greet them. Very exciting!The Failing New York Times criticized Secretary of State Pompeo for being AWOL (missing), when in fact he was flying to North Korea. Fake News, so bad!Looking forward to greeting the Hostages (no longer) at 2:00 A.M.Gina Haspel did a spectacular job today. There is nobody even close to run the CIA!SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:Study: Trump's Polls Improve Despite 90% Negative Media CoverageOh the irony: Trump said he will not allow a regime that chants “Death to America” to gain access to nuclear weapons. AFTER the announcement Iranian lawmakers burned a US flag and chanted “Death to America”.John McCain confirms he gave Trump dossier to James Comey in book ‘The Restless Wave’Boy Scouts Lose 425,000 Boys 1 Week After Announcing Name ChangeWhite House Sources: John Kerry’s Stealth Lobbying Backfired, Helped Kill The Iran DealPRESS BRIEFINGS, INTERVIEWS, RALLIES:Press Beating🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:It's ok if you make a lil mistake, cuz we'll just dab a lil Muh Legacy Green and fix that right up.Now that Obama’s legacy has been removed, we can focus on making America GREAT again instead of fixing prior mistakes. It is a brand new dawn, pedes. Let’s make the future of America, for all Americans, together.The Obama LegacyOutside of my old office in Tel Aviv, Israel. Roughly translated: You’re the man.BREAKING NOW! 9TH DISTRICT RULES KOREAN PRISONERS MUST BE RETURNED!Thursday, May 10th:TODAY'S ACTION:President Trump and Vice President Pence Welcome the Secretary of State and Three American ReturneesPresident Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump Welcome the Three American ReturneesPresident Donald J. Trump Announces Fourteenth Wave of Judicial Nominees, Thirteenth Wave of United States Attorney Nominees, and Eighth Wave of United States Marshal NomineesFive Nominations and Two Withdrawals Sent to the Senate TodayPresident Donald J. Trump Proclaims May 11, 2018, as Military Spouse DayPresident Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Personnel to Key Administration Posts🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:On behalf of the American people, WELCOME HOME!Senator Cryin’ Chuck Schumer fought hard against the Bad Iran Deal, even going at it with President Obama, & then Voted AGAINST it! Now he says I should not have terminated the deal - but he doesn’t really believe that! Same with Comey. Thought he was terrible until I fired him!Five Most Wanted leaders of ISIS just captured!The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!Thank you Indiana! #MAGA🇺🇸SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:If you voted for Trump you helped achieve thisReddit liberal edits Wikipedia page to win an argument. The definition of fake news. Sad!Based Ted Cruz on N. Korea Prisoner Release: Trump Ended Obama Policy of 'Weakness and Appeasement'THEY WERE BRIEFED! Dishonest attacks on Trump CIA nominee Haspel over enhanced interrogation techniques. Congress, including Pelosi, knew and was on board. Judicial Watch found the proof.Fake News Network; New York Times!!!!!!!! Busted Again!🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:Quick!!! Bring GEOTUS more shit to fix!!!LOL! Obama Got Called Out on Twitter with Deadly AccuracyI’m staying up to see our President greet the very last US prisoners held by North Korea.He had a future. Barack Hussein Obama left him to die. His only legacyFriday, May 11th:TODAY'S ACTION:President Trump Attends a Roundtable with Automaker CEOsPresident Trump Gives Remarks on Lowering Drug PricesPresident Donald J. Trump Proclaims May 13, 2018, as Mother’s DayPresident Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Appoint Personnel to Key Administration Post🔥🔥TRUMP TWEETS🔥🔥:Today, my Administration is launching the most sweeping action in history to lower the price of prescription drugs for the American People. We will have tougher negotiation, more competition, and much lower prices at the pharmacy counter!The American people deserve a healthcare system that takes care of them – not one that takes advantage of them. We will work every day to ensure all Americans have access to the quality, affordable medication they need and deserve. We will not rest until the job is done!Big week next week when the American Embassy in Israel will be moved to Jerusalem. Congratulations to all!Why doesn’t the Fake News Media state that the Trump Administration’s Anti-Trust Division has been, and is, opposed to the AT&T purchase of Time Warner in a currently ongoing Trial. Such a disgrace in reporting!SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:HE'S BACK BABY! ‘Last Man Standing’ Revived by Fox for Season 7 :: Well Done Pedes!!!The Death of Journalism: ABC and NBC Nightly "News" spent 0 minutes last night covering the capture of 5 ISIS leaders last night. Stay ignorant normies.Trump orders FDA to require PRICES of DRUGS in TV ADSJim Acosta thought he could shame her, but just sold out Pepe on Amazon and made her famous instead! Total failure.Ouch!PRESS BRIEFINGS, INTERVIEWS, RALLIES:Press Beating🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:DRAGON ENERGY TONIGHT IN ELKHART, INDIANAYou fucking know it!We Be Like... Our President at 2 AM Preparing To Meet The North Korean PrisonersLawn mower boy pitches inWho Killed Seth Rich?Saturday, May 12th:SIGNIFICANT TWEETS AND NEWS:Barack Obama worked with heroin traffickers to arm cartels and terrorists. While being the president of the United States.‘Melania’ surges in popularity for baby girl namesEU statement opposing US embassy move to Jerusalem is blocked by Hungary, Romania and Czech RepublicMore Winning! North Korea to dismantle nuclear test site May 23-25🐸 TOP SPICE OF THE DAY 🐸:AWOOOO!!!! This week was a good week!!! MAGA!!! God bless the USA.Border Wall Upgrades Include New Artwork Inspired By Der SpiegelWords cant describe my love for this photoIt's amazing what a REAL man in the White House can do.If Hillary Was PresidentSOOO MUCH WINNING, STILL NOT TIRED!!!!As always; some tunes to help you go through all of this WINNING:The FreshmenTiny DancerFast CarTalk Is CheapDoses & MimosasDrop The GameMAGA ON PATRIOTS! #robgray

[adelearcherwrites]

I’ll admit straight away that I’ve written about the various social media platforms before (here). I’ve written about everything before. But I wrote about them a month into my blogging career (which is almost exactly 2 years ago – I might write a post about that in early February, I’ll definitely be scratching around for ideas by then…). And I didn’t know jack-sh*t in those days. I mean, I don’t think I quite understood how all the various platforms worked back then. Of course, I knew Facebook like the back of my hand – who doesn’t (actually, there are still a few souls out there who, understandably, avoid it like the plague)? But my aim back then (as a newly self-published author and blogger) was to have a social presence on everything. It’s all in the game. It’s my job to publicise myself on the internet; to spend much of my life on social media (much to my husband’s chagrin). But all the other social media sites were fairly new to me back then – now I can pick and choose. Some platforms I literally couldn’t do without, some I can take or leave, others I won’t touch with a barge pole.

You may be a social media junkie or you may utterly detest that kind of thing. I use it more than most – I have no choice. So, I’m going to briefly discuss the social media platforms with regards to their usefulness to me as an author and a person (because authors are people too). I never say never; if you know something I don’t, I’ll happily eat my words. But I’ve been in ‘the game’ for nearly two years (writing, not prostitution). I won’t bore you with details regarding what each site is for (I’ve put Wikipedia links in each title, I’m so good to you), we’d be here all day…

Won’t Touch with a Barge Pole

Reddit:- There’s only one site on my ‘Won’t Touch’ list. Reddit. It’s elitist, prescriptive, unfriendly, antagonistic, and a thoroughly horrible place to be. I have no clue how many followers I have, or if one even has followers. I can’t remember. I dislike it so intensely, I’ve forgotten my password, so I can’t even look for research purposes. I’ve never had any hassle there, but I know plenty of people who have been ‘told off’ for not posting to Reddit’s strict guidelines. I hate Reddit. I loathe it. Sorry if you don’t, but that’s just the way I feel.

Take it or Leave it

Tumblr:- Now Tumblr means no harm but I just can’t get into it. It’s just another way of having a blog, I think. And if you already have a blog, why do you need Tumblr? So your blog is just duplicated somewhere else. My blog is automatically shared on Tumblr, but I only have about 2-3 followers (can’t remember my password to check). But as with all sites, you only get out what you put in. And I don’t put anything in.

Stumbleupon:- If I’m honest, I don’t even know how to use Stumbleupon. I have 2 followers – which pretty much reflects my lack of effort.

Pinterest:- I try to like Pinterest. I do. It’s definitely grown on me. Whenever I see useful stuff on the internet about writing or exercise, I will endeavour to ‘pin it’. But it doesn’t seem to be terribly helpful to a writer, as such. I have 20 followers – nothing to write home about.

LinkedIn: – Now, you’re probably thinking ‘LinkedIn is for business; people get headhunted or find jobs on there. Adele doesn’t need to be on LinkedIn‘. And you’re probably right. My blog has a setting which will automatically share my posts on other sites the moment they are published (Facebook, Google Plus, Twitter…and LinkedIn is one of them too). I have no dislike for LinkedIn; I keep my profile updated, I chat to a few authors over there. I have 40 ‘connections’ – not too shabby. It’s harmless, it’s innocuous. But as an aside, did anybody in the history of the world ever get a job through LinkedIn? No. Never.

Me on Facebook…

Me on Google Plus…

Me on Twitter…

Me on Instagram…

Literally Cannot Do Without

Twitter:- I’m in a very small minority when it comes to Twitter. As an author and a blogger, I just have to have a Twitter account. Anybody who is anybody has a Twitter Account. As we speak, I have 631 followers – pretty nifty. I check my Twitter account on a daily basis (which can’t be said for the two aforementioned categories). But do I actually like Twitter…? Well… I mean, it’s alright. But it’s a pretty cold and loveless place to be. All my author friends are over there, and some of my real-life friends too. But it doesn’t send a huge amount of traffic to my blog. Maybe that’s because it’s too fast-paced, it certainly is for me. The timeline  moves too quickly, and I never spot any tweets from the people I really interact with. I’ll always have a Twitter presence, but I don’t have to enjoy it.

Facebook:- Now, I like Facebook. I’ve been using it long before I ever deigned to call myself an author. I have two accounts; the real me, and the writer me. Facebook is great for sharing photos, sharing blog posts, and conversing with friends in the ‘messenger’ app. I don’t have a tonne of ‘FB friends’ but it sends the majority of my readers to the blog. Without question. The author me has 129 friends on FB (the real me has marginally more), but that’s because even the author me is a bit more careful who I’d befriend on FB. Still, no writer could do without it. But Facebook has it’s dark side. During the British General Election and Brexit (and to a lesser extent as a British person, the American General Election), Facebook was an unpleasant place to be. Everybody had an opinion, not necessarily the same one. It got ugly over there; people fell out, people deleted one another as friends. During these rough times, I had to retreat to Google Plus and Instagram where there was little to no political agenda or aggression. I like Facebook, I couldn’t do without it. But I know people who hate it; they hate the constant stream of photos of people showing you how wonderful their lives are, and how much better an existence they lead than you. It’s all fake, of course. Most of us only post the good things that are happening to us, not our bleak days (I tend to post photos of fridges [private joke]). Facebook is fine. It certainly has it’s place. But if you use it, take it with a pinch of salt. Or use another platform from time to time.

It was just like this…

  Google Plus:- I’m a big fan of G+. I’m one of a few rare Brits over there (it never really took off in my country). As an author, it has been a lifeline. I’ve met the majority of my author compatriots on G+. To date I have 522 followers – also pretty nifty. It doesn’t quite send the large amounts of readers to my blog that Facebook does, but that’s partially because I’m now friends with my G+ buddies on Facebook too. So they’re more likely to see I’ve published a blog there first. But it’s easier to chat to my author friends on G+. This is where my connections are made and I wouldn’t be without it.

Instagram:- This is a surprise one. I only joined Instagram exactly 40 weeks ago (that’s as precise as I can be). I couldn’t see the point of it. I’m not a hugely talented photographer. What pictures could I possibly share that would be of interest? How could it be helpful to a writer? Well, that’s where I was wrong. I only have 146 followers, but I’m still a relative newbie. Instagram doesn’t send a huge amount of readers my way, but it’s such an affable place to be. There is no political agenda. There doesn’t seem to be that ‘look at how wonderful my life is‘ ethos that Facebook has, either. I’m a fan. And the filters you can use to spruce up your photos are sublime!

Now, not everybody reading this blog is an author or somebody who requires a big internet presence. So a lot of these sites will be of no interest to you. In fact, this entire blog may be of no interest to you. Oh. But to those people all I can say is, if you like using social media at all, there’s more to life than Facebook. I’d recommend G+ and Instagram to anybody. Give it a whirl, you might even see me there. But then, you’re going to see me everywhere. I’m pretty much unavoidable (apart from on Reddit).

PS: I can be found in numerous other places too, I just couldn’t be arsed to put in any more links which virtually nobody will bother clicking on.

  All in the Game I'll admit straight away that I've written about the various social media platforms before (here…

[wetrumpfeed]

MEME MAGIC FRIDAY: CASUS BELLI EDITION AND VALENTINE'S DAY CONTEST WINNERS!

GREETINGS CENTIPEDES!

WELCOME BACK TO YET ANOTHER EDITION OF...

MEME MAGIC FRIDAY!

I AM YOUR SHITPOSTMASTER GENERAL AND RUSSIAN TROLL FARMER /u/D4rkd3str0yer COMING IN HOT WITH SOME BRAND NEW SPICY MEMES, AS WELL AS OUR VALENTINE'S DAY CONTEST WINNERS!

BUT FIRST, LET US THANK OUR SPONSOR, AS ALWAYS, ALL BOLD ALL CAPS TEXT: FOR MEMEING AND USING YOUR OUTSIDE VOICE. ALSO A SPONSOR THIS WEEK, BRAWNDO: IT'S GOT ELECTROLYTES!

THESE PAST FEW WEEKS HAVE BEEN NUTS. GEOTUS ABSOLUTELY KILLED IT AT THE SOTU, THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY IS UNDERWAY, THE COVINGTON KIDS ARE GOING TO DICK THE WASHINGTON POST HARDER THAN BEZOS WAS DICKING BIMBOS, AND OUR VERY OWN /u/CarpeDonktum HAD HIS MEME TWEETED BY GEOTUS HIMSELF! TWICE!

HOWEVER, IN THE MIDST OF ALL THIS WINNING, I'D LIKE TO LOOK AHEAD. THE DEMOCRATS ARE ALREADY BEGINNING THEIR 2020 RACE, AND BOY IS IT A SHITSHOW. IN LIGHT OF THIS, TODAY ON MEME MAGIC FRIDAY...

WE ARE LOADING UP THE MEME CANNONS AND FIRING THE FIRST SHOTS!

THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, ALL THESE CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENTS HAVE MADE ME GIDDY. I'M GOING TO SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST OBVIOUSLY, BUT WE'RE GONNA TAKE SHOTS AT EVERY SINGLE SIGNIFICANT DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE, STARTING WITH...

JOHN KASICH

GOLLY GEE LMAO, GO BACK TO CNN

SNOWWOMAN

THE ONLY DEM CANDIDATE THAT WANTS WOMEN TO STAY IN THE KITCHEN

POCAHONTAS

YOU CAN'T BE 1/1024TH PRESIDENT...

SPARTACUS

LOOKS LIKE HE'S TAKING A PAGE OUT OF SLICK WILLY'S BOOK. CAREFUL, CORY, THEY REMOVED THE GLORYHOLES FROM THE WHITE HOUSE AFTER RAPIN' BILL LEFT. LISTEN AND BELIEVE!

AN ACTUALWHORE

SHE SHOULD LOOK IN THE MIRROR.

FIDEL

HIS FACE GIVES CREEPY JOE A RUN FOR HIS MONEY.

HILLARY 2

THE FUCK IS EVEN HER APPEAL? SHE'S SO BORING I DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY MEMES FOR HER.

"/ourgirl/"

ANYONE THAT THINKS TULSI IS ANYWHERE CLOSE TO OUR SIDE IS A SHILL AND CAN GET FUCKED.

AND FINALLY...

FUCKING COMMIE BASTARD

I HAVE LITERALLY BEEN WAITING FOR 2016 FOR THIS ASSHAT TO RUN AGAIN. THE OTHERS ARE MEME CANDIDATES, BUT FOR YOU BERNIE, IT'S ALL OUT WAR. I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN THAT RULE 6 USED TO READ "NO BERNIEBOTS". I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOUR INSUFFERABLE DISCIPLES DESPERATELY TRYING TO CHANGE MATH ITSELF TO MAKE SCENARIOS WHERE YOU COULD STILL WIN. I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOUR ARROGANCE, THE POST FROM REDACTED4PRESIDENT ON THE NIGHT AT THE HEIGHT OF OUR VICTORY TRYING TO CLAIM "BERNIE WOULD HAVE WON". HE WOULD NOT HAVE. HE WOULD HAVE TURNED THE COUNTRY I LOVE INTO VENEZUELA, BECAUSE HE HATES THIS COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE. SO, BREADLINE BERNIE, I'M GLAD YOU'RE RUNNING AGAIN. YOU'RE GOING TO SCAM A BUNCH OF RETARDED LIBERALS OUT OF THEIR MONEY ONCE MORE. THIS TIME, THOUGH, I HOPE YOU MAKE IT TO THE DEBATES. I WANT TO SEE GEOTUS CRUSH YOU LIKE THE COCKROACHES PEOPLE EAT IN YOUR BELOVED COMMUNIST SHITHOLES.

TO THE DEM CANDIDATES, TO REDDIT, THIS IS A DECLARATION OF WAR. THE SECOND MEME WAR. THERE WILL BE NO QUARTER GIVEN TO COMMUNISTS, AND AS IT HAPPENS EACH DEM CANDIDATE IS BASICALLY A COMMIE. THANKS BERNIE, YOU BRAINWASHED YOUR ENTIRE PARTY INTO GOING SO RETARDEDLY LEFT YOU ALL BUT GUARANTEED A SLAM DUNK FOR GEOTUS IN 2020; THEREFORE, YOU WILL BE TROLLED. YOU WILL BE MADE FUN OF. YOU WILL BE MEME'D. ALL WHILE OUR FAVORITE PRESIDENT KEEPS AMERICA GREAT. THIS IS THE FUTURE YOU CHOSE. SEE YOU IN THE TRENCHES.

THIS WEEK'S MEME DUMP!

ALSO, A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO /u/mad-liberals FOR MAKING MY DREAMS INTO MEMES! /r/IndiaSpeaks, CONSIDER THIS A DOWRY.

AND NOW FOR THE CONTEST WINNERS!

FOR THE BEST CATCALL CONTEST, OUR WINNERS WERE...

HIGHEST UPVOTED:

/u/incometaxdad WITH "ICY INTRODUCTION"

MOD'S CHOICE:

/u/rickybutlersays WITH "BOBBY'S BEAUTIFUL SMILE"!

SPICIEST:

/u/daxion27 WITH "SHE'LL GIVE YOU THE GOOD SUCC FOR VALENTINE'S DAY"!

DEPLORABLE MENTION:

/u/sherman1890 WITH "CATCALL FOR BERNIE"!

AND FOR THE FREE FOR ALL...

HIGHEST UPVOTED:

/u/soberlight WITH "OH BROTHER"!

MOD'S CHOICE:

/u/jomamasophat WITH "WE MISS YOU RBG"!

SPICIEST:

/u/incrediblemre1 WITH "DemoKKKrat LOVE"!

DEPLORABLE MENTION:

/u/mymaga WITH "THEY AREN'T SENDING THEIR BEST"!

BEFORE I ANNOUNCE THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER, I HAVE TO CALL OUT FELLOW GODERATOR /u/joshhawley2018. IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT HE USES MS PAINT AND MICROSOFT WORD TO MAKE HIS MEMES. THIS IS A SHAMEFUL PRACTICE AND HE SHOULD BE SHUNNED AND MOCKED. MOCK HIM.

AND OUR GRAND PRIZE WINNER...

/u/daxion27 WITH "CREEPY JOE'S VALENTINE'S CARD"! THAT'S RIGHT, HE BROUGHT THE SPICE SO HE WON TWICE!

UNFORTUNATELY, I DIDN'T SEE ANY OF THE CANDIDATES RUNNING REPORT ANY SORT OF CATCALLING. GUESS THEY WANTED TO BE CAREFUL THROWING AROUND HOAXES AFTER RECENT EVENTS. IN ANY CASE, THERE WAS NO WINNER FOR THAT PORTION OF THE CONTEST, SO WE ARE EXTENDING IT! THE FIRST PERSON THAT GETS A DEM "CANDIDATE" FOR PRESIDENT TO CALL OUT /r/The_Donald FOR TROLLING THEM ON ANY PLATFORM WILL EARN A FLAIR AND A SPOT IN MEME MAGIC HISTORY!

WINNERS, PLEASE PM ME TO RECEIVE YOUR FABULOUS PRIZES!

AND NOW, FOR YOUR VALENTINE'S DAY MEME DUMP!

submitted by /u/D4rkd3str0yer [link] [comments]

[jessi-31days-blog]

Day 6, Friday, October 6th

I wake up around 10am.

I couldn’t get to sleep last night until around 4am. Normally while I prefer 9 hours of sleep, today my body decided 6 hours of sleep was enough. Oh well. I drink two cups of coffee and have breakfast, then start my day.

Yoga class - “Yoga for Stress Relief“ - 29 mins:

This was a good class. The instructor went through some breathing exercises as well as various poses and stretches that gave me a little bit of a work out. This helped relieve a little bit of depression that I was feeling. Towards the end of the video, the instructor said to lay down on the mat, and lay in silence for about a minute or two, and try to clear the mind. At this point I’m really starting to see how hard it is for me to clear my mind. I’ve known how hard it is for me to clear my mind, but you never truly realize how stubborn something can be until you try to get rid of it. Me trying to clear my mind is like discovering a bad rash on my body, applying creme to the rash, only to discover that I’m allergic to the creme, thus making the rash worse. But I’m sure I’ll find a way to be able to clear my mind eventually. I am going to keep trying. At the end of the video, the instructor said to sit up and face forward. Then he said something that really stuck with me, so much so that it practically caught me off guard. It was something along the lines of “take this moment to thank yourself for the opportunity to take care of yourself”. I know this should have been obvious, but it never really occurred to me that I am doing all this for me. I almost imagine myself as two people (or three, depending on what questions you ask me, but for the sake of this point, two) in one. One of me is taking care of the other me. I’m being kind to myself. Perhaps I should thank myself as an attempt to acknowledge that some part of me is actually taking the initiative to care about myself. I’ve been selfish in the past, not so much caring about myself in a good way but caring about myself in the way that I would do anything to get better, but most of those things were unhealthy, damaging, and did in some way affect the people around me. But now I’m actually caring about my well being. That’s what this is, right? Me caring about myself? I don’t even know if I’d know it when I see it, if I’m seeing it. I’ve been taught to be thankful to God for my opportunities and blessings. I still believe in that. But I’ve never considered thanking myself. Quite the opposite, actually. The two me’s hated each other, and I’d often find myself asking myself “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING? YOU’RE DESTROYING EVERYTHING, YOU IDIOT!” But what do I say to myself now? Should I say, “thank you for at least trying to get things right this time”? I guess I’ll find out.

Guided meditation - “Transform Yourself” - 15 mins:

I went for my walk before this, which I’ll talk about in a little while for the sake of keeping things in my usual order. But I mention it because I was feeling kind of low before the walk, and then my mood just dropped once I was home. So to be honest, I didn’t have it in me to put very much effort into focusing on this guided meditation. But I did play the whole thing and listened the best I could. “Stop resisting life.” I’m trying, I really am. I’m trying to accept life for what it is. “Be fully present.” I don’t know if I can do that right now.  “Allow the tension to release.” No, tell the tension to allow me to be released. “Embrace it all, love it all, simply because it’s you”. How? Literally how do I do this? I don’t love depression. I want it gone. Is embracing pain the healthy thing to do? I really don’t know. Maybe I’m supposed to embrace the fact that I’m doing all I can to recover from it. Half way through the meditation, I just let a few tears out. I’m so tired. In my mind I said “God, help me.” Just as a side note, if you have any interest in beginning to pray, this is a good way to start out if you don’t know what to say. I don’t blame the meditation, but at the end of it I was pissed off more than how I should have felt, which is supposed to be relaxation. I can’t really pinpoint why I’m pissed off. Maybe it’s because I’m tired. Maybe it’s because I’ve finally begun to fight back against depression and it’s fighting back harder. Does it get worse before it gets better? Is this even as bad as it’s going to get? Or will it get worse? I must be missing something. I’m sorry if my response to something that is supposed to help people is negative, but I’ve said from the get go that I’m going to be completely honest with this process, no bullshit allowed. All the effort I’m committed to putting into my self improvement and mental illness relief for these 31 days (and hopefully longer) may end up doing nothing for me. It could also change my life. I really don’t know. But it’s only been 6 days, so I’m trying to maintain a sense of hope about all this.

Read a Proverb - Proverbs 6:

This whole chapter seems like it’s talking about not committing adultery. Well that’s fine because I don’t plan on it, lol. Only one thought split into two verses stood out to me in this one. It was verses 25 and 26: “It [wisdom] will keep you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman. Don’t lust for her beauty. Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.” The word in the brackets is my addition for context. I was reminded of the immoral woman from yesterday’s chapter, and how it reminded me of how I used to take the easy way out in life. So this was just a reminder to me to not let the idea of giving up and doing things the easy (and unhealthy) way seduce me into giving into them. Wisdom will keep me from doing this, so I really do hope I gain more of it. Pause. In order to find today’s blog post, I did a few google searches. Some started out innocent, with “depression relief” or “depression self help”. I’ve already done or am doing most of the shit these articles tell people to do. At this point, still having some left over anger, I got a little aggressive with google. “What do I fucking do?” Nope. “Why?” Now I have relearned the definition of the word why, but that doesn’t help. Then I google search “somebody fucking help me”. The first thing to show up was the Suicide Prevention Hotline website. I let out a hearty chuckle at this. I have a bit of a sense of disdain for suicide hotlines. But you know what? Fuck it, let’s see what the website has to offer. So I ended up on the “stories” page. Each story link had a small paragraph preview of the story with the picture of the survivor next to it. I couldn’t find a story I wanted to read. Back to google. I was a bit more specific with my words this time, as if google were a person that I was asking a question to: “At what point do things actually get better?” Finally, I found something.

Blog post - TheMighty.com - “When You’ve Given Up Hope That Things Can Get Better, Please Read This Letter” by Kerry Magro:

I’ve never heard of this website, but the title was interesting. The writer starts off this “letter” addressed to “To the One That Gave Up Hope”. The writer begins describing a conversation with their friend who they asked if they could name the positives (presumably of this friend’s life or situation). Their response was “What would that do? Instill a sense of hope that things will get better?” Then the writer states that even though we live in a world where it can be easy to give up hope, they believe that hope is something we can all aspire to. I can agree with this. I so badly want to strengthen my sense of hope. The writer talks about how their family’s hope in them led to their progress, even in a time where accomplishments that may seem small to some, such as getting a job, finding a girlfriend, or graduating from school, all seemed unattainable to them. I’ve definitely felt this way. My god, have I felt this way. The writer then goes on to explain that hope gave them motivation, that hope is possible for everyone, and most importantly, to never close the door on hope. Don’t worry Kerry, I won’t (hopefully). Kerry then goes on to explain how hope gets us through tough times and gives us the strength to carry on. Honestly, the last few paragraphs are really superficial. I’m not saying that they can’t inspire someone, but to me, it had no effect. But this article did help me reevaluate my perspective on hope. They did end the article with a great quote, though: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” — Martin Luther King Jr.” I will definitely try my best.

Encouraging someone on Reddit - r/SuicideWatch:

I found a simple post that had yet to be responded to. I’ll leave out the title, but in the context was written one simple message: “I am in pain. I am in such pain.” It had been up for an hour, and a good portion of posts on this subreddit usually receive at least one response fairly quickly. Perhaps people didn’t know what to say. I don’t even know if I said the right thing. But here’s what I said: “I am too. Cry, if your eyes will let you. Sometimes when I need to cry but can't, I find some sad songs. But I try not to stay there too long.Scream into your pillow. Go for a walk. If that doesn't work, get a little unorthodox. Break something of little importance. Punch something, but avoid badly injuring your hands. Buy a cheap ass piece of technology from a thrift store such as a boom box or if you've got a few extra bucks to spend get one of those ancient box TVs, take it home and bring it to your yard, and take a fucking bat to that son of a bitch. If you still feel some pain, have a glass of wine or one or two beers. Smoke a cigar, if you're into that. Those skinny ones, black n milds, are a buck at your local gas station (assuming you're in a country that sells this product). Eat something absolutely fucking tasty, just a wonderful meal that will make you feel comforted. Above all else, try one thing. Write this pain down. You don't need to be perfect. Even if its just single words or phrases. Getting it out on paper is scientifically proven to help process pain. Whatever you do, I hope you feel better sooner rather than later. I wish you the best with your mental health.”

Walk:

As I stated earlier, I went for a long (2 mile) walk. I’m glad I did this, even though initially, when I arrived home, I felt worse than when I left. I feel a bit better now, and my mind feels clear. End of Day Notes:When I was going through these things, I felt in a really low mood. But right now, as of writing the end of day notes, I feel okay. Content. Not happy, but not sad either. Maybe I’ve made an improvement today.Good night, friends.