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fulokis · 3 years

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Thoughts on Wandavision

Spoilers duh.

I started this out as a boredom watch as in eh why not. I was not really invested until Evan Peters showed up. Evan Peters aka the guy who played quicksilver in the X-men fox universe. With DoFP being my favorite partially because of quicksilver. So naturally I became way more invested in the show, not only that but I became hyper-fixated on X-men as a result.

So marvel brings in this actor and all the fans of the X-men are like yeah duh that makes sense, especially considering Wanda is heavily involved with MoM, the movie about the freakin multiverse. So fans of X-men and doctor strange (of which I am both) become exited for the possibilities that this opens up. Excitement builds and as a result people end up watching more content on Disney+ whether it be the movies shows ect.

And then they go and say nope it’s not. And even if they do retcon it it’s still a really crappy thing to have done. And what do I mean, this is part of marvel trying to surprise fans through subverting expectations. And yes sometimes it’s nice, but other times you end up with a mess that leaves more questions than answers.

Take Endgame and Infinity war. Now I knew that Thanos was going to win in infinity war. It was a matter of how he would win. But part of my issue with infinity war is that it felt like it barely spent time exploring how the different characters would interact with each other because there were too many and it would have blocked the narrative from moving forward. Endgame had a similar issue but on top of that they were so focused on keeping everything locked up that it didn’t exactly feel like a cohesive movie. And as a result the character interactions and relationships fell quite short. Not only that but some of them made no sense, but taking a look at endgames flaws has happened enough.

So taking a look at wandavision I’m not upset that my therory is incorrect. I’m upset that one they literally did this to subvert expectations because they hate when their shows are predictable, and two people are rubbing it in our faces that we were wrong and we shouldn’t be upset because it was a theory. And what’s more is that they had an example of fans being correct and it was still surprising.

My mouth still dropped at the reveal that it was Agatha. I still was surprised even though I knew it was coming. I know a lot of people were. And I can say it was because of the fact that we got it right that we knew where it was going and it was executed in a way that still made it feel like a big reveal. So why then are they trying to surprise the fans with well it was Ralph duh haha got you.

Because for some reason marvel hates when people can predict something. Which makes me wonder why they went with the infinity war storyline and are seemingly going with the Skrull storyline if they don’t want fans to predict what’s happening? Why are they going with well known storylines from the comics if they don’t want anyone to guess what is happening? Especially if the fans know the storylines and end up becoming disappointed if you don’t include this one specific moment.

And this is an issue because it sets up fans to know how something will play out, then turning around to subvert expectations ending up with something that doesn’t quite make sense with the narrative they had set up and teased and the characters. It doesn’t work to take pre established stories and adapt them to the screen while trying to subvert expectations. You need to pick one or the other, you simply can not do both.

There’s a reason that people are so finicky when adaptations of books are brought to the screen. It’s because they enjoy those stories and they want to see it as close up on the screen as possible. They want to see how they imagine it. And yes it’s tricky because people imagine it many different ways, but with comics honestly you have a story board right there. And yes you will need to change certain things especially to fit in the budget and physics of real life. Not to mention erase some of the problematic social injustices found in the earlier comics.

And yes wandavision isn’t based on one comic story line. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have to be predictable. Take a look at some other examples that I can think of that either were predictable and good or subverted expectations in a positive way that didn’t confuse people.

Mandalorian: Luke Skywalker being brought in was a surprise. We knew that a Jedi might come, in fact it seemed quite likely that a Jedi would come to train Grogu. But the thing was we didn’t know who, we didn’t know if it would be Luke or another Jedi. Potentially it could have been one we hadn’t met, but we knew that one was coming and that still didn’t stop us from being surprised. And if it wasn’t Luke people wouldn’t have been mad because they left it ambiguous who the Jedi was until he was onscreen (unlike deliberately casting an actor that is known for a role then saying nope not him).

Mandalorian: This one is short but it’s a way to do both predictability and subverting expectations. The first episode of the second season was legitimately the plot from the 2003 game Knights of the Old Republic or Kotor for short. Fans of the game knew exactly how it would turn out, or at least how they would attempt to kill the dragon. They did do that, but unlike expected it didn’t work. So they tried a different tactic that paid off. As a kotor fan I expected this, I also expected the pearl at the end of the episode, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it, and honestly I rather enjoyed it and it was fun. And I think most kotor fans would agree.

A series of Unfortunate Events: The Netflix show not the movie. In the books Olaf’s bench people get killed off, in the show they made it so that these people survive. I didn’t expect that, and it was good. The writers were still able to make something that fans of the book knew exactly what was going to happen and the general way that things were going to happen. But they adjusted things so that there were some surprises to viewers who read the books. And none of the changes were done specifically to subvert expectations they were done to enhance the story in certain ways. And they do even if they weren’t completely expected. And it still allows me to enjoy the show.

Kotor: yes I’m talking about the game and yes I’m still obsessed with it despite it being so old but also spoilers for it follow so skip if you don’t wish to know.

Kotor follows the story of a human being, they discover slowly that they were once feared across the galaxy known as the Sith Lord Darth Revan. Now can you figure out the twist through context clues absolutely. But it was not only revolutionary for the time but also knowing it still doesn’t take away the surprise feeling for a lot of players (I’m still surprised pikachu face no matter how many times I play or rewatch the cut scene).

There are many more examples but these are the ones off the top of my head.

I’m not angry at the fact that they were trying to make it surprising. I’m angry at the fact that marvel knowingly did this, and there’s no resolution at all. It’s a throwaway scene for a throwaway character played by a known actor who is known for his role as quicksilver. If it was someone else and they did this it would not be as upsetting. But the fact that marvel did this and knew exactly who they were casting to just mislead the fans is inexcusable. And maybe this isn’t the end of the storyline, but right now it is. 12 hours after the finale it absolutely seems like the end of the storyline. And that’s why people are upset because it was such a clear this is what is happening, then they develop it into just this dude. They led on it was quicksilver and we don’t even get to see the rest of the conversation that Monica has with him. We get no resolution whatsoever. And that’s what hurts the most, if they had explained hey Agatha did this and managed to somehow do X Y or Z to have this random person have powers and these memories. Now it would be cheep and people would still be upset but not as much with the incomplete explanation and the throwing it in there because they had to.

If they really wanted to subvert expectations they one shouldn’t have brought Evan Peters in to play a quicksilver (I hate saying this because I was so exited). Two shouldn’t have gone with anything to do with Agatha or even Mephisto. And a lot of people would probably wonder who they could have gone with and Tbh I don’t remember who I saw said it but Mojo would make sense. Or hell they could have brought in Evan Peters and an alternate version of Wanda who is causing this to happen and stir the pot. Either way the way they executed it was extremely poorly done and that’s why people are upset.

So please consider that for people this would have made a huge statement for. X-men fans are drawn to the X-men for many reasons. And I would say that some of those reasons are that they belong to a minority group and feel represented in the X-men. Me I’m LGBT+ and despite having grown up in a very progressive area, there are people I interact with where I don’t feel like I can be myself or even feel comfortable coming out to. And that’s why I personally am attached to the X-men. And I’ve seen other people say similar things.

For people the X-men and mutants aren’t just characters. They’re characters that marginalized groups can relate to. They’re characters that they can see themselves in. This goes much more deep than my fan theory wasn’t correct. It’s a combination of crappy writing and Marvel attempting to be surprising and the fact that they had the perfect opportunity to introduce a cast of characters that represent struggles of marginalized communities and recognize that yes the world isn’t just filled with hero’s that are cis straight abled men and women. And even if it was people from another universe it still was a step in the right direction.

So please if you’re fine with this and took the time to read this don’t make fun of the people who are quite upset with the developments of the episode. A lot of us are upset for a deeper reason and seeing people go “haha you’re wrong you idiots.” Makes this feel that much more upsetting.

#wandavision spoilers #wandavision #peter maximoff #peitro maximoff #X-men #multiverse #Kotor #Mandalorian #asoue #a series of unfortunate events #wanda maximoff #marvel

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calliecat93 · 5 years

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Top 5 Things That I Disliked ABout RvB: Singularity

(Top 5 Likes Post Link)

Well, it’s been about four months since RvB17 concluded. The shortest season in the series thus far, RvB17 has had overall very positive reception with good humor, compelling drama, and nice character development. I enjoyed it… but I would be lying if I said I loved it unconditionally. And I’d be lying even more if I said that it was better than the sadly often derided S16. The season has its pros and it has its cons, as every season of the show does. The cons this time probably annoy me more than some due to what I like and dislike, so that’s important to know before going further into this post.

So, it’s time for another Top 5 Likes/Dislikes about the recent RvB season! Now normally I do this shortly before the upcoming season, so why am I doing this now and not when RvB18 starts? Well, I’ve had a lot of these on my mind for a while, and after completing a recent rewatch, I want to go ahead and get it all out. To compensate, when RvB18 does roll around I’ll likely do a post about the past three seasons, and maybe some other stuff like what I’d like to see. And of course, as always, this is just my opinion and I will be as fair as possible, so take everything that I say with a grain of salt.

Anyways, let's get the part that I always hate doing done first: the Top 5 Dislikes.

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I hate being negative. I really, really do. Overall, S17 was a very enjoyable season and I liked it in spite of its flaws, as I do with most media that I get into. But I do have issues, more so than I did 15 and 16, and I do want to talk about them. Most of you who’s followed my blog probably already know them, but I’m gonna try to be more detailed about why I disliked it. So we’ll start with something nit-picky, and work our way up. So let's get started with...

#5. Execution of the time travel/The Everwhen

This one is probably the most minor, but the whole thing just… confuses me. So for those unaware, the Everwhen is essentially a giant time portal that allows you to possess your past self at any point in time. This is… not a bad concept at all. It’s a really cool one and they use it to great effect by going to various points in the show’s history. Then using the past variations of Halo also makes us more invested since we recognize those periods. And while I wish we got to see more moments in those periods that we didn’t see, the few that we got in Episode 5 with Wash and Carolina was very well done. I only have two real issues with the Everwhen. First being an excuse for the mass amount of nostalgia banking, but at least it served a purpose… well, the Freelancers did. The Mercs were totally unnecessary. But that can easily just be a me thing and I get that it made a lot of fans happy, so I won’t harp on it. The other reason though is the reason why it made this list.

The execution is confusing as Hell when you really think about it.

First, how does this exist? I guess we’re supposed to believe that Chrovos made it, which I guess that I can buy. But aside from a line in Episode 1 about how the Reds and Blues time period was the backswing that caused the paradox, there isn’t really anything about how this gateway suddenly exists. Which presents another problem, the Reds and Blues inside it. Okay, so the paradox happened and it messed their memories up. That I understand… but why are they having deja vu in the past?! Shouldn’t they have been like Wash was? In some period where they did and didn’t break time? I get that they were in the middle of the paradox while Wash had been in the present, but in that case, how did they get knocked back to the past? At first, I assumed that Chrovos put them there, which would have made sense in order to keep them out of the way. But that’s never said. The implication is that they just got put there randomly, but because of Wash’s state, it really doesn't make any sense for them to be there.

But I think I get why it was like this. On The SHizno Podcast, Jason explained how the original pitch was that the Reds and Blues were going to be in a simulation of Blood Gulch that Chrovos put them in. Think S9 when Epsilon was in the Memory Unit… which it being too similar is one of the reasons why that plan got rejected. It probably explains why they used Halo 2 Anniversary in the S16 finale if the simulation plan was still in effect when Joe wrote it. But that would explain why they were in the past and having memory issues while Wash wasn’t. And it being a simulation is what I thought it was... until Huggins was able to move through it without going through the portal, which made everything even more confusing. As much as I get being too similar to S9, I can’t but feel that it would have been the better move and not given me a headache over how this stupid Everwhen worked. Because it being a simulation and not the actual timeline made a heck of a lot more sense.

Ultimately, this is Number 5 because as I said, it’s nitpicky. Time travel is a mess no matter how it’s utilized, so I’m pretty lenient on it because thinking about it too hard is painful and not worth it. Plus it may just be my own stupidity confusing me. Still, it DID bother me and it made Episodes 7 and 8 especially a pain in the ass to watch through. But since again it’s overall more nitpicky, I’ll leave it at Number 5.

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#4: The Simmons Labyrinth

Yeah, we all knew that this was going to be on here. What’s left to be said that I haven’t talked about already? I think we all know why this was hated. First, it isn’t funny. I mean don’t get me wrong, the delivery of the joke was fine, but the joke itself sucked and made no sense for Simmons’ character. Say what you want about Grif’s Labyrinth, whether you saw it as good or terrible, but at least it made sense for his character. Simmons… is afraid of aliens cutting off his private parts. I’m…. fairly sure that RvB has done a joke like that before, and it was likely better there. Plus it didn't fit the tone. All the Labyrinths, even Grif’s, were portrayed as either serious or at least uncomfortable for the victim. I guess they wanted something to lighten the mood, but… it failed. Badly. It just took me out of it until we got back to Carolina’s. Even knowing Jason’s original plan of the alien being Simmons dad, while that would have been more impactful, still would have been treated as the final cut was and still would have taken me out of it.

What could have been done instead? IDK. Could have had Simmons relive one of his many embarrassments in high school. Could have been focused on the test anxiety that made him fail and get shipped off to Red Boot Camp. It could have been one of the many traumas that his dad inflicted on him, like being forced on the women’s volleyball team or something. All of those are still lighter than some of the other Labyrinths and could have had a comedic edge, but it still tells us something about Simmons and would make sense for him. I… am still trying to figure out how what we got fits Simmons at all or tells us anything about him. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

The reason that this is Number 4 is because the scene was ultimately brief and Simmons didn’t exactly have a major role up to that point. It was incredibly stupid and not funny, but IDT it ruined his character or anything. Plus at this point, I and many others have gone on about it and there is really nothing left to say until we see what happens in the future. Jason seems to be aware of the critiques, and I imagine that others behind the show would also be aware by now. Maybe it'll be taken into account in future seasons and they’ll finally give Simmons the attention that he deserves.

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#3. Huggins

Ho boy, I’ve been waiting to let this out since the season ended. So for those who were reading my blog when S16 was airing, you know that Huggins was one of my favorite parts of said season. She was likable and fun, her friendship with Grif was adorable and helped his character massively, and she was just a bundle of joy who made me smile every time that we saw her. Her death, while I knew even then it was likely a fakeout, was a huge shock and had me praying that it being a fakeout was correct. Which it was! I was so happy… until we saw how she was actually handled this season.

Personality-wise, Huggins was fine. Her being able to go through time made sense and was even referenced in S16. But… well, she’s used to discovering that Black Holes lead to the beginning of time, goes through time to find the paradoxes that Genkins made, and… that’s it. In other words, Huggins was nothing but a damn plot device. I have a problem with character shafting, but this one was just unfair. Maybe Jason couldn’t think of anything else to do with her? Maybe her VA wasn't available for much? Maybe they didn’t have the budget to animate since Miles did say that they had a slightly smaller budget at RTX? IDK. There’s any number of reasons why, but it was annoying nevertheless. I mean Huggins only appeared in THREE EPISODES, and the first was only at the very end. After Episode 8, she just… disappeared.

There’s a lot of reasons why I hated this. First, just dropping a character like that despite her clearly being important and prominent is an insult to the character. I have issues with how the Reds and Blues were shafted aside from Donut, Wash, and Carolina, but at least they were still around. Huggins leaves to go find paradoxes in Episode 8 and then is gone. Last we hear of her is in the finale from Donut. But the bigger issue is that, if you remember, she was understandably angry at Grif for deciding to go with the plan to save Wash, even though he knew what would happen. It happened and… there’s zero reconciliation. None. Yes, Grif was happy to see her. Yes, he clearly felt remorseful. Yes, he did apologize. But Huggins never really forgave him, saying that she can't be mad at him at the moment because of the larger picture. But it was pretty clear that, while not enraged, she was still unhappy with him… and they don’t allow the two to talk? At all?! After everything in S16, we couldn’t get closure on that?! Really?!

That was what pissed me off. It pissed me off for Grif’s character, but trust me I’ll be going more into that shortly. But for Huggins, it pretty much just says ‘yeah, we are only bringing this character back for exposition and nothing more’. I know many hated S16, but Huggins was easily one of the factors that people enjoyed. I enjoyed it. As I said, her and Grif’s relationship was easily my favorite part of it and I still enjoy rewatching all of their interactions. IDK if she’ll be back in later seasons. I really hope so because, at the very least, she and Grif should reconcile. But even so, she deserved better than what she got. She was a good character, and she deserved better than what she got. I shouldn't be wondering if her remaining dead would have been a better alternative afterwards. I really shouldn’t. So… hopefully future seasons can maybe fix things, but for now, this remains a major problem for me.

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#2. Grif Character Shafting

In general, Season 17 had a BAD case of character shafting. Now it’s a huge ensemble cast, so not everyone is going to be able to get attention. I wasn’t that upset that characters like Sarge, Caboose, and Simmons (even if that doesn’t excuse his Labyrinth) not getting much attention because they had already been more lowkey in this story arc. I didn’t mind it with Tucker wither since he got PLENTY of attention with Chorus. Hell, I honestly wish that they kept Wash and Carolina more lowkey because they ALWAYS get the majority of the focus, but for S17’s story it’s understandable why they would so I can forgive it. But you should probably NOT shaft a character who has been one of the central focuses in an ongoing story arc and still had a ton of character development that had to be wrapped up.

You know… like Grif.

Yeah, I won’t lie. While I thought that Grif acted IC and everything… they really dropped the ball with him. I wouldn’t mind that much had S15 and 16 not happened. Those are two seasons that gave Grif a ton of character development. He was essentially the main protagonist in S16, the one most involved in the plot despite how much he tried not to, and began resolving his issues. He went from doing everything in his power to avoid the plot, to openly confronting it and even rejecting the pizza that he had wanted so bad. He was the only one who knew what was about to happen after openly being mocked by Genkins, and despite his best efforts, he failed to stop it…

...and this got aBSOLUTELY NO FOLLOW UP? WHAT THE HELL?! THat’s like if, after Season 11, Tucker acted like none of the events during S11 affected him and didn’t grow as a leader and a soldier. It would come off as super weird since 12 followed the aftermath of S11 and would have been a huge disservice to the character and his development. That’s how it felt here with Grif. At first, it looked like they may show stuff since Grif DID believe Donut at first. But he had to ignore it since Donut isn’t allowed to be listened to. When he got his memory back, everything should have been hitting him then and there. There should have been more anger and probably some guilt about how even when he tried, he still failed and now they have even more bullshit to deal with. But they just… bizarrely ignore it.

I wouldn’t say that Grif regressed, but the fact that there is NO follow-up to his development in a storyline that allowed said development to begin with is a disservice. I get it, they only had 12 episodes and Donut and Wash were the more important. I understand that. And hey, S18 could follow up on it. But there still should have been something. Maybe the reveal about him lying about the enlistment was supposed to be that. Which I did like that… but that was not enough imo. He didn’t reconcile with Huggins. There’s no follow-up about how he failed to stop the paradox. Even for someone as lazy as Grif, we should still be seeing some emotions there. His Labyrinth, while I ultimately don’t hate it and I do see how it can apply to his character, probably should have been something stronger like being stuck back on Iris with the volleyballs mocking him or something.

Character shafting does have to happen in an ensemble cast. But Grif should NOT have been one of them. IDK how they could have incorporated him better while still keeping everything intact, but it’s still frustrating. Again, maybe S18 can provide something. I hope that at least Grif is allowed to reconcile with Huggins and realize that he should actually talk about his issues because I do think that his scene with Kai was an important moment for him. Whether you like to hate the retcon, it makes sense for his character to run away and he’s actually offering to talk about it. Okay, it’s more for Kai’s sake than his own, but he’s still willing to talk about his feelings, which is not something that I could have seen him done without his S15 and 16 development. Hence why I think that is S18 has him be more willing to talk to say Kai or Simmons and about how much S15 and 16 really did affect him instead of trying to brush it aside by calling himself hateglue, he can have a complete character arc. But as far as S17 goes, there’s no excuse for it and was a big problem for me.

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Honorable Mentions

Aka, the things that annoyed me, but not by much or I didn’t feel were bad enough to add onto the list.

Tucker not taking responsibility/talking to Wash: It was his idea to go and save Wash despite knowing the consequences, so he’s as guilty as Carolina imo. There should have been more focus on that, and about him reconciling with Wash and accepting what had to happen. The fact that they had zero interaction was bizarre tbh. But it isn’t as big of a deal as other things, so I kept it off. Consider this Number 6.

Character shafting: I hated it, and everyone outside Donut, Wash, and Carolina felt wasted. But it’s already a huge cast, so it was bound to happen and Grif’s was the one that manly pissed me off. So I spared it.

Nostalgia banking: That’s a me thing, so I didn’t feel it was fair to add it, especially since it overall did serve a purpose.

Carolina guilt trips need to die: I forgive it here because it worked for the story and was well executed. But... writers, you’ve done Carolina guilt trips since at least S10. It’s lazy and boring now. Come up with something new for her. Let it die.

Donut being ignored: Mainly, I think they played it up too much. DOnut displayed no noteworthy flaws in this season, and pretty much everything revolved around him. On rewatch, this was annoying and made him seem better and more important than everyone else. That’s unfair. But after all the years where he got shit treatment, he earned it honestly, so I forgave it.

And that’s it! So onto Number One!

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I thought long and hard about what Number One could be. Grif Shafting almost made it, but again the finale scene did actually make me happy. As such, I had only one real option left…

#1. The 12 Episode Count

Imo, this is I think the cause of many of the problems with S17 that I have. This should not have been a 12 episode season. 15 maybe, like last time. But not 12. Now there’s any number of reasons that they decided to go with that. Miles did say at RTX that they had a slightly smaller budget, so maybe they just simply couldn’t afford to do more than what they were able to do. Maybe they just thought that 12 episodes wrapped up the story and that there was no need to exceed that number or try to avoid stressing themselves and others out more. Production is hard and not cheap and you’re not going to be able to do everything that you want or even need to be able to do. As such, I’m not angry at them for deciding this since most likely, they had to work with what they had available.

That being said, it is still a problem. A 12 episode season has both its pros and its cons. With the pros, they were able to keep an overall steady pace and focus on what needed to be focused on without having to extend it or cram in filler. But the cons are you have to cram in as much as possible with limited time and put aside the things that aren’t as important. Grif wasn't as important as the other things. Huggins wasn't as important as the other things. They didn’t have time to elaborate on all the time travel, so they did as much as they could and then focus on the story. And Simmons Labyrinth was just a bad idea and would have still sucked even with a longer episode total, so nothing to say there.

My point is, while I do think that 12 episode seasons could work for RvB, they probably shouldn't have done it in the middle of a story arc. Again, they might not have had a choice, but it’s still an annoyance. The first half was fine and the best of the season. But the second half felt much more rushed and overstuffed. Episodes 7 and 8 shoved in exposition and it came across as more confusing than informing. Donut forgave everyone FAR too easily and it didn’t feel like they genuinely felt sorry after being called out. Which made the moment where he did call them out feel slightly less impactful. Only slightly, Then we rush through fixing the paradoxes and The Labyrinth within like four episodes, which when watching all the episodes together really makes it and the ending feel really anti-climactic. It’s like they shoved a ton of character stuff within like ten minutes, but we don’t get to explore it naturally. A problem that I think 15 episodes would have helped solve, but 12… it just… was not enough.

If they do go with 12 episodes again, I think it’ll work better since they’ll have a new story arc that they cal plan properly for. They didn’t have that luxury here. That, on top of Joe having to leave and Jason having to take over writing duties. Which is another annoyance. IDK the circumstances obviously and not to diminish Jason, but Joe should have been allowed to finish his own damn story, the fans' opinion on if he was good or not be damned. But again for all I know he chose to walk out, so I’m not going to go any further than that. Considering what they did have, the fact that they did make a good product is to be admired. But there’s still a lot of problems imo. Ones that I think that the episode count ultimately caused most of. As such, it is the thing that I dislike about RvB17 the most.

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Again, this is only my opinion. There was a lot that I did like about RvB17, and when I write the Likes post I’ll gladly talk about them. That being said, I do think that this wasn't as good as 16 and IDC how many people think I’m insane for saying that. It had story issues, character issues, and the second half was ultimately just a mess. A fun mess, but still a mess. No, IDK how any of these could have been done better and IDT it’s so bad that it can’t be amended in later seasons. But overall, these issues did damper my enjoyment and things that I hope to see improved in the future.

Okay! Dislikes are done! Thank God! Now I can do the happy stuff! Hopefully, the Likes post will be ready in a few days. But thank you all for reading, and I hope that you enjoyed~

#rvb #rvb reviews

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consciousconscience1011 · 5 years

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Conscious Conscience

Friday 12th July 2019 To whom it may concern: I enclose a copy of a letter I sent to EVA services, the first minister Nicola Sturgeon, the Navigator Service and Mayim Bialik beginning in October 2017. This follows my own journey through abuse and PTSD, however my focus has been continual reflection on my experiences, in an effort to personally bring about some fundamental societal change. However I believe it is of the utmost importance that this is brought to your attention if social justice is to be maintained, not merely on a national but a global capacity by all individuals and organizations. All inequalities and abuse threaten the very fundamental fabric of any civilized society. Please bare with me in reading my lengthy personal opinions and recommendations. I will now go on to document my previous ongoing correspondence as I feel very strongly and passionately that we all have a humanitarian duty to instigate change no matter how small that may be. IT IS TIME TO ASK YOURSELF – WHAT CAN I CONTRIBUTE TO CHANGE! 1st Letter Written on 9th of October 2017 Dear Nicola, Mayim Bialik & #MeToo & Navigators. I Hope you don’t mind me writing to you, I realize how hectic your daily schedule must be. However, I believe it is of the utmost importance that this is brought to your attention if social justice is to be maintained. Clearly past legislature from other political bodies has failed to learn any valuable lessons nor disseminate any useful knowledge gained between all concerned relevant bodies and has therefore negated to protect society as a whole. This is evident on a daily basis, with cases of the abuse of trust and power coming to light in many instances after decades and decades of historical abuse. I am currently a staff nurse with 15 years of experience in the acute setting mainly trauma and head injuries as well as general medicine. Since 2010, I have experienced 3 nervous breakdowns which I had attributed to severe anxiety and depression. This current episode has finally enabled me to clearly see and understand the root cause of my problems. EVA Services in Coatshill hospital has been an invaluable source of support to me in dealingwith my PTSD. Jane’s knowledge and skills have been paramount for me to be able to identify psychological and behavioural coping mechanisms I have unknowingly adopted for the past 40 years. EVA has a dedicated psychological counselling service which provides a timely additional resource if required in house. A very important factor given the great sensitivity of these cases, not to mention the severity of PTSD symptoms and the grave adverse effects this has on the individual and society as a whole. As I am a nurse, I am fully aware of the value of reflection on practice to avoid a task orientated approach which is very often ineffective and depletes reserves of limited resources. I have been informed by Jane that the EVA Service is being made defunct from November, a great travesty, as this service plays a vital role in being an educational advocate for people experiencing these distressing circumstances as a direct result of exploitation, violence or abuse. I have recently listened to the actress Mayim Bialik’s podcast relating to the ongoing proliferation of these incidents. I have concluded that for more than 40 years +, we as a society have and continue to neglect our duty of care to each other and ourselves. My own experiences have only highlighted the many factors that come in to play which enables these situations to be effectively carried out time and time again. Despite the efforts made to prevent re-occurrence. It is highly evident that a different approach requires to be taken if we are to effectively learn from past experiences. The Scottish Government has worked intensely to rectify many of the unjust imbalances of power within society as a whole, despite continued monetary constraints from the Westminster allocated budget e.g. NHS prescriptions, care charges, tuition fees and investment in society which will benefit everyone living in Scotland. The commitment to the future of our young people is unquestionable, a new passion and fervor for change was clearly evident throughout the approach to the independence referendum. Indeed, I have been fortunate to have personally witnessed the impact that the new Navigator service has had directing many individuals (who had been existing in chaotic lifestyles) towards life choices which they believed were previously unobtainable to them. The recent #MeToo movement only emphasizes the continued prevalence of this phenomenon within the global community as a whole. Periodic examinations and debate will continue to occur as they have done before, whenever the occasion arises. More funding will be “Squandered” focusing only on trying to mitigate the devastating effects these experiences have on both individuals and society. The fragmentation of community and the eagerness of many to exist and experience life through an increasingly virtual reality, only serves to isolate and divide human beings physically and socially. In effect the world will continue to voice condemnation and disgust when the need arises. In short shutting the stable after the horse has bolted. My experiences, (through extensive reflection), have only made me more aware of how ignorant we truly are regarding these matters, this ignorance only serves to perpetuate the manipulation, disempowerment and abuse of others, whilst providing warped justification for the behavior of many through victim blaming. Our refusal to accept the inherent flaws within every individual human being, which given the correct circumstances, will manifest in the abuse of the vulnerability of others. The World Health Organization’s definition of health details the areas which have the power to influence the individual’s health and beliefs and in turn their behavior for better or worse, “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 1948). It can therefore be asserted that educational, economical, physiological, cultural, spiritual, environmental, social, political and psychological circumstances/perceptions will shape the individual’s viewpoint and their reality at any given moment. Perhaps justification for their choice of behavior at that given point. However, it is imperative that there is an appreciation and acknowledgement of the dynamic nature of being able to justify our choices. The acquisition of ongoing knowledge enables people to make a more informed choice regarding the consequences of a particular behavior in comparison to previous misconceptions. The EVA service had been funded by lottery cash, the people involved within this organization have a wealth of knowledge and expertise gained through counselling and dealing with many people devastated by violence and abuse. The Navigator Service has been quite rightly extended to other areas due to the success they have had guiding people away from a life of violence/crime and addiction. Yet stopping the EVA service will prevent many victims of crime/abuse from continuing to be active functional members of society through no fault of their own. Many will have to endure a very lengthy period trying to deal with the symptoms of PTSD whilst waiting for mainstream psychological input. There should be permanent dedicated Navigator and EVA services addressing both ends of the spectrum perpetrators and victims only then can be appreciate the factors which manage to manipulate/shape behaviors and identify the factors which serve to explain/excuse these behaviors. Until we do educate society this will sadly continue to occur. Far from stopping funding for the EVA service, both should work in conjunction with each other to learn invaluable lessons so that our claim as a “civilized society can in fact be justifiably extolled globally”. Both services should be intrinsic within schools and community centers, to instill valuable lessons and knowledge into the heart of society, this is the only option to ensure change in perceptions because only this change can protect all of our sons and daughters from exploitation of their vulnerability and naivety, manipulating them into perpetrators or enabling them to become victims i.e. train the horses while they are still in the stable. I can only relate my theoretical knowledge gained as a nurse to these types of experiences, in an effort to perhaps make some valid recommendations which might hopefully instigate a small foundation of societal change. Being in a position to personally evaluate what assists or what hinders someone living through this type of phenomenon. Rather than focusing on the who, what , when and where of my experiences, instead assessing what enables these types of situations to be repeatedly carried out. Hopefully learning valuable lessons which can shape our understanding of how to thwart the levels of re-occurrence in the future. Worth Further Research/Questioning More of My Personal Thoughts For instance, MASLOWS hierarchy of needs, the main goal being self-actualization which results in being able to harmoniously exist and satisfactorily function within society, with a high level of self-esteem, perception, health and well-being. However, being able to attain this goal relies on many factors, many of which are out with the individual’s control. For example, Roper, Logan and Tierney’s theoretical framework comes to mind, whatever position the person is placed in the lifespan, or dependence/ independence continuum will determine how effectively they are able to maintain and satisfy their activities of daily living adequately. Again economical, political, educational, psychological, social, physical, spiritual and environmental circumstance will all impinge upon life choices available to each individual. It is too simplistic to assume that deprivation in any sphere will result in negative behaviour. The persons sense of self-worth or contentment with their level of self-actualization, (or lack), will inevitably shape their behavior for good or bad, in the quest for additional power. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is another fascinating concept which explains how traumatic experiences can be stored on an emotional level, in the subconscious (primitive brain) having bypassed the evolved rational part of the brain responsible for executive functioning, because of this there is no associative narrative nor descriptive memory of the incident, only the feelings associated with the trauma. In effect the individual dissociates. Other examples of this are being hypnotized, when dissociated, the person can walk talk and physically follow instructions, but has no memory narrative of the experiences occurring. The same can be seen in hypnotherapy. The power of suggestion works in the same way, one only needs to look at the influence of the media on public perceptions and behavior. In addition, how much revenue does advertising (developed by psychologists) accumulate? Surely you can’t make someone do something they don’t want to ? Well how does that work with treating phobias – enabling through suggestion, within a short period of time, the person to conquer their greatest long held fears. Many phobias are very often of an inexplicable cause to the person affected. Perhaps they developed in early childhood prior to the child’s executive functioning part of the brain being mature enough to rationalize a narrative, as the language centre of the brain had still to learn how to verbalize. Or when speech had sufficiently developed was there an episode of distress/trauma whereby the child had dissociated. Interestingly many young children speak in the 3rd party a trait of an adult dissociating. Therefore, we should all be aware that there is in fact a widely known scientific based rationale why on individual may have no awareness/recollection of events they have experienced on a succession of episodes due to dissociation. Perhaps before they are judged, or victim blamed this fact should be taken into consideration. Given the number of cases which have been highlighted throughout the decades and the total amount of people involved, we cannot continue to classify perpetrators as highly unusual/strange monsters, these are in fact anyone given the right circumstances or indoctrination. That being the case why does society allow its youth to be indoctrinated into believing displaying this type of behavior is acceptable? Why can someone work within trauma receiving without understanding the concept of dissociation related to “PTSD”? Why are high school pupils not forewarned educated about being aware of when they might be or friends of theirs might be in the process of being manipulated into a particular way of thinking? And why don’t they have an intrinsic support network they can consult for advice ? EVA? Navigators? The consequences of choosing to exploit, violate or abuse another individual should be regularly made known through rehabilitated offenders. The devastation caused to victims and their families should be graphically discussed regularly. An empathy for the welfare of others should be nurtured through a humanistic approach. The EVA service, Navigators, Rape crisis and Moira Anderson Foundation should be extended internationally/globally! Maybe its time society put its money where its mouth is and donated funds to ensure the infinite viability and growth of these services. If not, society should hang its head in shame on a regular basis when these devastating experiences continue to occur. Dr Elaine Carr and Jane are passionate about the work that they do to the extent if Jane had won the lottery she said she would endeavor to find a suitable building to rent and try and continue to operate the service from there. Jane is now to be redeployed into an IT Post!!! Gender stereotyping needs to be challenged. People who have benefitted from the input of these invaluable services should be used as positive role models to educate young people PRIOR to them finding themselves faced with the decision of how they would behave, empowering them to make, hopefully the correct justifiable choice before it is too late. Please give generously to these invaluable services in order to prevent what happened to previous generations continue to happen to those you love and care about. Leave that as OUR LEGACY Focus on a holistic approach. Without acting to change perceptions we FAIL ourselves and every other human being in the PAST PRESENT and FUTURE. We will all merely serve to satisfy and encourage the salivation of the grapevine in our complicity and inaction to protect the vulnerability of others. The proliferation of this phenomena is happening and will continue to occur in our refusal to acknowledge the FLAWED nature of the human psyche. We can therefore continue to focus on gender stereotypes which can only perpetuate sadly division and victim blaming in effect re-enforce these negative false beliefs and stereotypes. The masculinity or femininity of the individuals involved should not be held as the focus of why these instances occur. Indoctrination of the developing psyches vulnerability shapes the individual’s belief system and serves for them to justify their decision-making process. People cannot be educated unless it is through a holistic perception acknowledging their lived existence and the factors which influence it. However, the implementation of these services, at the earliest developmental stage for children would provide a foundation which would nurture empathy and understanding of the gross inequalities within society. Highlighting the consequence of actions fosters foresight. Education enables informed decision making and the Navigator emphasizes the individual’s power to enhance their circumstances by guiding them to available resources which can only optimize theirs and in affect others quality of living. Social inclusion should appreciate diversity and multi-culturalism, the encouragement of displaying ( and acting upon) concern for our fellow human beings should be nurtured at an early age. Peer pressure should be used to condemn/educate young people that no matter how small, it is never justifiable to abuse/violate the vulnerability of others in attempt to gain “power”. Materialism should be substituted by humanism. Group norms should be encouraged to question, reverse and stand up to inequalities. Only then can every individual truly empower themselves in their journey to self-actualization irrespective of circumstances they may live in. A worthy sense of self is all that can create self-satisfaction prevent victimization and create a civilized just, human society for all to enjoy. NHS Lanarkshire Ending Violence and Abuse (EVA) services commissioned a Scottish company, media co-op.net to develop an animation to explain to professionals!!! The impact trauma experiences have on the brain and how this affects memory. This company specializes in social and health messages. They quite rightly won the Royal Television Society Scotland Animation Award 2016 and also the Herald Digital Award 2016. Why is this animation not globally promoted regularly in the media? Why have we neglected to incorporate these services to instill this factual information throughout every educational facility to ensure all children are aware of the natural psychological and physiological human response to trauma and abuse? As a society we have failed to inform and educate our children and teenagers. We have left them unprepared to make an informed choice regarding whether a certain behavior would be justifiable or not, nor have we emphasized the dire consequences of such actions or traumatic events upon those who enact or experience this phenomenon. It is highly important that victims have a solid established support network available to help them deal with the aftermath of current/historic abuse. A new service has been conceptualized by NHS Lanarkshire named Gender Based Violence (GBV). This is a much-needed service given the abuse and gender inequalities within society. A major problem affecting many. HOWEVER, this should not be at the expense of losing the EVA Service. Exploitation, violence and abuse does not occur merely as a result of gender inequalities. As can be seen in recent news we can NO LONGER only concentrate on dealing with the aftermath of these situations when they arise or come to light. Always after analysis, close scrutiny and resulting in widespread anger and condemnation and ? Ongoing disbelief!! Every human being at some point in their lives has contributed to maintaining this paradigm, weather consciously or subconsciously. We have and continued to unwittingly ignore the root causes which aid and abet these situations. Given the complexities involved this has to concentrate throughout the ongoing developmental stages of each individual human psyche, irrespective of any other factors. Cultural perceptions and social norms can only be changed by influencing and educating on a subconscious level. The only way to achieve this to ensure that these services are implemented, or we continue to allow others to easily access and negatively indoctrinate our children’s limbic and reptilian primitive brains into actions or decisions they may regret forever. ANYONE who has a shred of humanitarian value has a duty to ensure a basic foundation of knowledge and education is provided within our culture for our children and in effect all future adults. Jane can be contacted : EVA Psychological Services She at the moment has been redeployed to an IT Post. Assist her to achieve her passionate ambition to save and protect the future of this service not only for her but for us, our children and all our future generations. Thank You Continuation of previous further correspondence to Nicola Sturgeon, Mayim Bialik & #MeToo. I thought I would send you a further instalment of my personal views on why abuse is rife and continues throughout history! Linking my experiences and any theoretical ideas about WHAT HAS TO CHANGE if this is to stop. We continue to concentrate on each individual case separately, a lot more could be learned by combining everything together to come to relevant conclusions. This is the only way to educate ourselves if we are honest then we could see that initially people are manipulated in a certain mindset until they are mature enough to oppose these beliefs as being wrong. Until that pint the belief system is based on stereotypes, scapegoats, prejudice and discrimination. The EVA service, Navigators, rape crisis and Moira Anderson Foundation should all work in liaison disseminating these findings which are needed to help shape ALL of societies knowledge and education. These types of abuse are evident in every sphere of society. There are NO differentiations irrespective of education, cultural, monetary or spiritual circumstances of victims or perpetrators. This abuse occurs in every society/institution or groups where people amass, it is impossible for teenagers or children to share the same just viewpoint of adults, if everybody thought back to their developmental years, they can acknowledge the extreme difference in their personal perceptions. Yet we expect that as we become more mature our choices and beliefs will “naturally” become more just and wiser. This can only happen through lived experience and knowledge. Teenagers are not in a position to acquire lived experience nor have they accumulated the knowledge required which would change their belief system until they are much older. This is why it is imperative to educate the formation of the developing psyche at the earliest opportunity in every case. That way all inequalities in society could be addressed and would prevent the normalization of cruel behavior towards others. It would also foster personal responsibility in regard to life choices and perhaps reduce levels of suicide. Thank You Continued thoughts and ideas thought provoking issues for International Women’s Day! There are many circumstances/factors which serve to question the validity of what victims describe and whether this is deemed absurd or the truth by others. This, due to a lack of education/knowledge leads to the inevitability that there is extreme difficulty in believing what happened to the victim being possible. Isn’t it strange that the ongoing victims’ cases which are brought to light share many questionable discrepancies? The people very often appear to have been living a relatively “normal” life for long periods of time between/during the incidents occurring and them actually becoming aware of the abuse at all. Disturbing flashbacks are triggered. The individual has NO logical context in which to place these experiences, there appears to be NO narrative/ explanations to justify them occurring at all. There Is NO relevant circumstances surrounding why the situation should in any way have naturally arisen or progressed. The persons memory remains fragmented they are unable to remember many factors surrounding the images adequately, no matter how hard they try. They experience ongoing anxiety, an extremely heightened startle response they exist day to day in a hyper-alert state. They begin to isolate themselves, stop socializing and become increasingly distrustful of others. Post traumatic stress disorder and dissociation have been theoretically proven to explain all of the above. Just world theory, poor attachment and an inability to self soothe make it more probable that the person will go on to develop ongoing episodes of dissociation as a coping mechanism to their traumatic experiences. Whilst they find it natural to empathize with the plight of others and view it as their responsibility to help and care for people, they have learned through experience that NO ONE is obligated to meet their own needs. They might develop a type of self-preservation, viewing themselves as being strong enough to tackle whatever may be required at any given moment for themselves or others needs. At the same time, they have developed the ability to remain emotionally numb, a barrier prevents them from having to deal with the aftermath of emotions brought about by poor treatment by others. Never having given any consideration to their needs being met or acknowledged makes it difficult to identify choices or preferences or any defined lack of fulfillment. The person may have difficulty prioritizing or making a subjective choice. The accumulation of possessions can lead to hoarding as a coping mechanism. This only complicates matters by creating a chaotic environment, impossible to manage or organize, this goes on to feed feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem and perpetuates the cycle. So, it can be concluded that ALL human beings have an inherent physiological and psychological safety mechanism, which effectively if traumatized enough will trip the full system into shutdown of the consciousness and only let the subconscious experience this and future disturbing and emotive experiences. In so doing attempting to protect the conscious realization that these disturbing experiences have ever taken place. Its about time that psychologists, neurologists, sociologists, the medical and healthcare professions, educationalists, and all governmental bodies NETWORK and communicate their research findings related to this phenomenon in order to pool the collective individually disseminated rationales. Each of these spheres when brought together can scientifically prove that anyone having experienced these types of experiences would indeed display these bizarre types of responses. THERE ARE MANY QUESTIONS UNANSWERED The human race has developed its knowledge base throughout time and evolution, resulting in an extremely broad and diverse foundation of educational knowledge. This has resulted in growth and expansion of the cerebral hemispheres ( executive functioning, decision making). It can be deduced that the primitive limbic system is the origin of the safety shutdown mechanism. Therefore, this has always been the case since the inception of people’s brains. It is absurd to think that when primitive people experienced extreme traumatic events and this mechanism triggered that NO ONE within the vicinity would learn that it affected the ability of the traumatized individual to recount their experiences or that none of their adversaries would capitalize on this human vulnerability for their own ends. Maybe NO ONE has noticed yet! Research – primitive brain, anatomy and function of the limbic system, neurological changes in the brain – anxiety, depression, trauma, cerebral anatomy & function -> executive functioning memory –dissociation – PTSD – familiarity + emotions ie Attachment ? provides context has this knowledge only had exclusivity to certain individuals or groups throughout the ages, initially this would give power to a mainly paternalistic society ( hmmm ! ) Given society’s indoctrinated acceptable gender stereotypes which are still encouraged globally: i.e. – nice girls and what denotes bad girls/boys. Trauma and abuse very often result in the development of PTSD. The dissociative characteristics of the limbic system enable the person to have these traumatic experiences without conscious knowledge or recollection. That being the case this means whether the victim was Mother Theresa or Mary Magdalene initially the outcome would be the same and the person would remain oblivious – in effect the individual does not require to be completely incapacitated by drugs/sedatives each time. Perhaps society needs to acknowledge that the subconscious has never been related to being literally unconscious. Therefore, being outside of conscious awareness, without occurring with any plausible naturally occurring context/relationship, the individual is carrying out behavior in an automatron capacity which invalidates any consensual agreement. Therefore, seeing can never be deemed believing. All of these factors give false credence to any claims that these experiences “were between consenting individuals/groups despite any appearances to the contrary. So this means “Good girls” have no control of being manipulated into stereotypical bad girls with no subjective awareness/narrative. This means one individuals’ actions/reputation has always been able to be artificially manufactured/shaped and directed outwith the conscious control of that person. The initiation and perpetuation of gender stereotypes enables society to excuse abuse and in effect try to justify the actions of many through the ages through pathetic victim blaming. The legal system needs changed! Why is reputation a relevant factor to character? This makes the individuals reputation irrelevant to the facts of the situation occurring as claimed, no matter any apparent absurdity. The judicial system, society, the media, educational facilities in fact every sphere imaginable has upheld these false mythical beliefs and stereotypes. Salivating whilst falsely condemning others. IT makes you question exactly WHAT was previously passed from fathers to sons; during the birds and the bees talk! Phrases like “boys will be boys” or “boys can’t help themselves” etc. “sowing your wild oats”, “Gagging for it”. The Presidents Club fiasco shows ALL of the concepts of previous brain washing being displayed openly. WHY would it detail a pre-selected dress code down to “Heels matching black panties”? WHAT about all of the men only organizations/establishments who continue to oppose female membership – WONDER WHY?! Perhaps if the girls had been wearing nuns habits it would have been more difficult for members of this club to excuse their behavior as “boys being boys” not being able to help themselves as these “Bad girls were tempting them with their provocative dress, (stereotypical beliefs have often come in handy). For e.g. “Offered on a plate and gagging for it” I am sure cropped up a lot in family conversations following media speculation. The truth is maintaining these stereotypes has allowed the truth to be hidden in plain sight for many decades. It perhaps explains many fathers’ anxieties when raising a teenage daughter. It is also more understandable why previous generations required a “Courting Couple” to be chaperoned by the girl’s family. I’m sure many of the members of the president’s clubs’ partners have defended their men from the behavior of these “Loose Women”. Perhaps the dress code was requested so the men could really test their upstanding resolve! Whilst these facts can all be scientifically substantiated, they alone should not be believed to be true in every case. However, what this knowledge should allow is victims to be able to present their experiences without being victimized, labelled, stereotyped, prejudged and discriminated against, every time an allegation is made. Instead disseminating this knowledge at the earliest opportunity makes the public aware of the natural consequences physiologically to traumatic events. Dissociation can explain how these experiences can occur repeatedly without any conscious knowledge or awareness. More research should be concentrated on the study and function of the limbic system in regard to attachment and familiarity, emotional bonding and contextual relationships _ ? association (as seen in advertising). Dissociation – also seen in hypnosis, traumatic events, repetitive actions e.g. driving on the motorway with no memory of the journey on reaching the destination. Hypnotherapy – pain management, operations, addictions and phobias etc. All of these natural occurrences to many factors all resulting in some extent of dissociation from consciousness. Another point worth noting is the success of several modalities which again focus on accessing the subconscious, eye movement desensitization reprogramming – tapping. Reiki energy field clearing –tapping. The treatment of phobias and addictions through the use of tapping techniques which have resulted in students improving self-esteem and performance marks as well as behaviour. The capacity of the limbic system has been highly underestimated. This powerful emotional store house controls and edits our perceptions of our reality very often creating anxiety and depression which has shown on images to affect the neurological structure of the brain. SOCIETY it appears has helped maintain and been victim of the most devious cunning plan since the inception of human kind, and despite the massive expansion of our cerebral hemispheres, we still haven’t educated ourselves about our natural physiology and neurology. This ignorance is what has enabled this to continue because we refuse to believe the bizarre symptoms and recollections we repeatedly see in these cases and prefer to blame the victims because all the MAN-MADE STEREOTYPES SHOW that they must have DESERVED or ASKED FOR IT. Then years later society is proved wrong again and again. Yet we still don’t educate our children about the facts, but they will find out eventually. Will they educate their children before it’s too late? The ongoing encouragement and maintenance of stereotypical discrimination only serves to provide scapegoats time and time again. Objectification and depersonalization of those who are vulnerable is a PLOY to provide the perpetrators with some false sense of warped justification for their actions and serves to continue to repeatedly dehumanize society in every case. Until we examine question and change our unequal misconceived man-made gender stereotypes from the earliest developmental stages, NOTHNG can change. We need to educate our children to always view each other as first and foremost human beings. Males and females should always be respected equally. All human rights should be upheld irrespective of gender. All human beings have naturally variable libidos throughout their lifespans and whether male or female this fact should be respected as the individual’s right and choice. Their gender has NO RELEVANCE and never has. Prejudice and discrimination continuing can only result in the proliferation of abuse globally. The expansion of the cerebral hemispheres has enabled humanity to develop each individual’s conscience, by providing the ability to reason prior to action by assessing consequences. However, we ignore the function of the limbic system to our own detriment. Prior to the ability to executively reason, we will have already subconsciously learned through nurture and socialization on a deep emotional level i.e. – attachments, association also learning through example, the dynamic of relationships. What role males and females are EXPECTED TO PLAY levels of power/status, gender stereotypes etc., self esteem and sense of self-worth and individual responsibility of others e.g. care giving. So the psychological brain washing will have shaped the persona on a subconscious level the media and further socialization only serves to IMPRINT these false belief systems. On reaching adulthood the discrimination becomes blatantly obvious/apparent. Society tries to rectify the imbalance through new legislation etc. The big mistake we continue to make is we neglect to change early sociological perceptions. So, in effect we have missed the boat. No matter how much, people want to rectify the gross injustices especially between males and females they will never succeed unless they concentrate on preventing indoctrination of the early sociological and psychological development of each child! Hence Weinstein, the presidents club and the numerous cases seen in politics and the media !!! Male or female NOBODY can argue that each and every one of us has not experienced or witnessed throughout the developmental years ( and far beyond), in most cases Presidents club, Hollywood, media, politics, economics, religion and more disturbing global society as a whole, in the objectification of women. Isn’t it rather telling that a large proportion of men revert to a sniggering juvenile adolescent stereotypical mentality when left to their own devices. Or would the exposing of genitalia have been justified in the presence of their female relatives. Would the dress code have been the same request if couples were invited to the event Hmm!! EVERY MALE AND FEMALE has contributed to belief systems which support or try to justify the continuation of abuse. Depersonalization and stereotypical viewpoints serve to justify pathetic behavior and WRONGLY placate the conscience that this treatment of another human being (irrespective of gender) is in some preposterous way acceptable. So, this occurs again and again There are many women adept at using angle grinders, vibroplates, whackers, handsaws etc. and there are many men who couldn’t so much as change a light bulb. Skills, lightbulbs, interests, occupations in fact every activity of daily living should never be extolled as gender specific as these outdated views/beliefs have only served to create division of the sexes by creating and upholding myths and stereotypes. Until we acknowledge that gender should play NO PART in defining the ability, choices, level of power/status of ANY individual, gross inequalities will persist in society. This will only foster abuse of those less fortunate “Weaker”. Respecting the rights of every human being as valid would help to create a fairer more just society. Abusing the perceived or assumed vulnerability of others, could then be seen for what it truly is a despicable attempt to gain “power”. Further correspondence to Nicola Sturgeon, Mayim Bialik & #METOO & Human Rights Commission Washington DC Some of my further personal ideas regarding the fluidity of gender in regard to inequalities and abuse. The human race has limited gender assignment to the mere physiological genitalia at birth. Mankind has ALWAYS had free reign to designate ALL human attributes as predominately “naturally” within one gender or another thereby attempting to Pidgeon hole human beings as being “Masculine or feminine”. WE HAVE FAILED to acknowledge the fluidity of each human beings’ personal predominant gender identification or affiliation. This is a HUMAN RIGHT from birth. It is time the SOCIAL CONSTRUCT of the concept of gender is scrutinized , challenged and changed. EVERY human being should be allowed to express the essence of their uniqueness on the GENDER CONTINUUM IRRESPECTIVE OF ANY OTHER FACTORS. So, while we continue to set FALSE RESPONSIBILITES/EXPECTATIONS on an individual based SOLELY on that persons PHYSICAL ANATOMY, we fail to appreciate the natural inherent unique attributes and qualities that make up the very ESSENCE AND SPIRIT OF EVERY HUMAN BEING. Perhaps gender should always have been viewed within a continuum of alignment for both boys & girls. e.g. MASCULINE|--------|FEMININE “Masculine” and “Feminine” based traits are present within every human to varying degrees. Early humans commenced the division. Primitive man could just as easily stayed in the cave looking after the children and let the women hunt and fish.(Maybe it wasn’t as appealing to him at the time) Societies proceeded to “advance” through the ages MEN CHOOSING which sphere should be seen as pertaining to males(high powered roles) and females domesticated subservient roles. Thus, ensuring that men had the power to shape the NORMS of any given society. These choices could not be challenged as power within education, politics, employment, trade and commerce, religious bodies, civil society in general and finance ALL depended on the VIEWPOINTS OF MEN. Thus, ensuring the continuation of power remained with them. The problem is MALES and FEMALES have been brainwashed into accepting a MALE VIEWPOINT of what the role and aspirations SHOULD NATURALLY BE if you are male or female. ANY divergence out with your designated gender role has always been questioned and vehemently ridiculed as abnormal and the individual has been shunned, punished or shamed to the current day. IT IS TIME we valued each individual. Human beings’ position within the GENDER SPECTRUM as we have witnessed the societal benefits gained as a result, throughout history. Men have proven that they can effectively raise and nurture children, show immense sensitivity empathy and compassion. Appreciate beauty and convey this ability to others. They have been responsible for the creation of many beautiful pieces of art and literature which touch the hearts of many. Women are equally adept at the above. However, some women feel no maternal/nurturing instincts, and many have shown their desire and attainment of power, wealth and influence has been achievable despite the barriers. There are many sensitive and caring little boys, as there are many argumentative boisterous “tomboy” girls who have always shown keen competitiveness. Think how many more there might have been if society had acknowledged and appreciated GENDER DIVERSITY FROM INDIVIDUAL TO INDIVIDUAL rather than forcing attributes, qualities, preferences, skills opportunities to reside solely with ANATOMICALLY EVIDENT boys or girls. Humankind has adopted these stereotypes as being the ideal “NATURAL” order of things. However, everyone forgets these norms were FORMED , DEFINED and continue to be MAINTAINED by those in power (MEN). If gender identification of the individual is indeed placed upon a LINEAR CONTINUUM think of the mental health issues created due to ignorance of this possibility. STEREOTYPICAL VIEWS Females – Nurturers, Care Givers, Passivity, Non-Confrontational, Non-Aggressive, Non-Competitive, Weaker, Needing Support and Protection, Dainty, Feminine, Less Intellectually Able, Neurotic, Emotional, Hormonal, Menopausal, Post-Natal, Pregnant, Irrational Mood Swings. Males – Strong, Aggressive, Competitive, Difficult/Unable to Control behaviour due to Desire, High Libido, Breadwinner, Protector, Goal and Power Orientated, Non-Domesticated, Need Cared For, Main Provider, Responsible for All Heavy MANual Labour ALL of these attributes have been WRONGLY associated with men or women and every society has worked extremely hard at encouraging and maintain these FALSE HYPOTHESES from cradle to grave. There is no longer a dire need for men to be the provider, like the hunter gatherers. Nor the main bread winner. Cooking a Sunday meal, styling his little girls’ hair, or crying at a film, WILL NOT lead to emasculation. There is no longer a need for women to be solely responsible for nurturing babies. Nor is there a need for a female to stay at home and disregard participation in Law, Finance, Education or Politics if she wishes for fear of her LITTLE BRAIN being overwhelmed to the point of destruction. Its time society allowed ALL human beings to openly define their position within the gender spectrum/continuum by being allowed to express their inherent attributes. IRRESPECTIVE of anatomy, physiology, sexual orientation NOR any other persons VIEWPOINT of FALSE STEREOTYPICAL IDEOLOGIES. Surely this should ALWAYS have been a HUMAN RIGHT. Women entering the workplace can only encourage change hopefully WITHOUT it being seen as TOKENISM. Men who remain at home to raise, nurture and care for their children should be encouraged for opposing society’s FORCED discriminatory stereotypes ALL CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE MANIPULATED into believing PERCIEVED GENDER ROLES which seek to limit an individual’s qualities, life choices and attributes, but ENSURE we do NOT assign any one attribute to be solely male or female oriented. Women have continuously had to fight MAN MADE barriers which were put in place to ensure that the domination and power of men could not be challenged. In effect this ensured MOST WOMEN would REMAIN within their DEFINED “FEMALE” ROLE by believing and not challenging the status quo of the pre-set boundaries men initially created. Feminism should not be viewed as an effort to emasculate men; just as new age men should not be viewed as effeminate and antagonistic to a “man’s man persona”. They are in effect efforts to reclaim the right to express the essence of the diversity in each individual human being wherever that may be on the gender continuum without prejudice or discrimination Male or Female people should ALWAYS HAVE BEEN ALLOWED to develop into THE PERSON THEY WERE INTENDED TO BECOME. The theoretical idea of a gender continuum would appreciate the DYNAMIC NATURE OF EVERY PERSONA throughout each individual’s lifespan with regards to EVERY ACTIVITY OF DAILY LIVING OR EXPRESSION. Due to the complexity of human beings the position which is held on the continuum would depend on WHAT ATTRIBUTE WAS BEING EXPRESSED at any given time. An appreciation of the effects of nature and nurture on lived experience would further highlight the UNIQUENESS of each individual’s placement in regard to each separate attribute being expressed. GENITALIA & SEXUAL PERSUASION should be IRRELEVANT when any human being to expressing the essence of who they are. The NATURAL ORDER of things should always have been FREEDOM of each individual’s expression. Educators need to TEACH and PROMOTE this at the earliest psychological and sociological opportunity if societal culture is to change for the better. FAIR distribution of power and opportunity was meant for ALL HUMAN BEINGS, greedy power-hungry MANIPULATORS FED OTHERS IN SOCIETY LIES TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE would be maintained by fostering stereotypical viewpoints that females were naturally subservient, dependent and weak. THIS SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ALLOWED As women have shown their strength in all spheres of society and continue to do so. Men should be encouraged to be sensitive, compassionate and empathic. HAD A GENDER CONTINUUM BEEN CONSIDERED AT THE BEGINNING then it would have been IMPOSSIBLE TO DISPUTE. THE BALANCE OF POWER SHOULD BE SHARED as each individual possessed “masculine” and “feminine” traits to varying degrees. Neither chromosomes nor anatomy promote strength or weakness. MEN initially were responsible in PUTTING VALUE ON CERTAIN ATTRIBUTES and DENOTING WEAKNESS TO OTHER ATTRIBUTES. MEN then COVENTED THOSE THAT THEY VALUED, (led to power), and women were TAUGHT that the role women “instinctually” should adopt is that of carer, nurturer etc. Had men not been allowed to choose their “Masculine” attributes, the label would never have existed. All these labels have created, is division of the Sexes. The creator did not package newborn babies with a list of pertinent attributes attached to their umbilical cord’s dependent on whether male or female. That is how absurd man is to make assumptions based on the need for a control and power grab. SOCIAL COMPLIANCE WAS THEN ENSURED through law, government, power, wealth, peer pressure and gender stereotypes. MEN CREATED GENDER STEREOTYPES and division of the sexes in order to dominate and control. They indoctrinated all of society to believe these false discriminatory ideologies. SOCIETY CONTINUES TO UPHOLD THESE MYTHS This only maintains prejudice discrimination and inequalities GENDER and its inherent division SHOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED. Babies when born should be termed boys in reference to their genitalia and girls in reference to their anatomy. HOWEVER - : If we are to care for others holistically with a humanistic approach. EVERY HUMAN BEING whether boy or girl SHOULD HAVE HUMAN RIGHTS UPHELD by being able to express the ESSENCE of their individuality concerning qualities and attributes. The UNIVERSAL nature of the GENDER CONTINUUM ENABLES HUMANITY TO EVOLVE NATURALLY INTO WHAT IT SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE BEEN WITHOUT FORCED LIMITATONS OR SOCIETAL RIDICULE OR SCRUTINY. Boys and girls have only ONE life to be who they were born to be, then abuse might stop finally. All of these topics if not addressed can only increase ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES. The proliferation of ACEs is undeniable, the COST on a MICRO and GLOBALLY MACRO SCALE TO SOCIETY is UNQUANTIFIABLE. Every single one of us in the present and future have a HUMANITARIAN OBLIGATION to rectify this injustice NOW. We all need to adopt a conscious conscience by substituting materialism with humanism, nurturing a holistic, compassionate, empathic world where we seek to alleviate the distress or assist with the welfare of others, instead of seeking to take the power from people, to boost our own sense of importance/ego when it actually has the OPPOSITE effect. PREJUDICE, DISCRIMINATION, ABUSE, PEER PRESSURE,BULLYING, IGNORANCE, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, GENDER STEREOTYPES, OBJECTIFICATION, DEPERSONALIZATION, MYSOGYNY/SELF ENTITLEMENT,VICARIOUS LEARNING, POOR ATTACHMENT, INABILITY TO SELF SOOTHE, MATERIALISM/GREED, FRAGMENTATION OF COMMUNITY, NO SENSE OF PURPOSE /CONTROL, ALL INEQUALITIES INITIATE AND PERPETUATE ADVERSITY THROUGHOUT THE FABRIC OF SOCIETY, Imagine a just and fair society where women could display as many or as little “masculine traits” as were NATURALLY developing within them. Or the sensitive nurturing empathic boy was able to openly be himself without ridicule from his peers. Where a woman could stay at home as main carer without the dynamic goal orientated working woman calling her lazy. While the woman who is a carer views her as a “poor mother”, or the stay at home father being viewed by his peers as “Henpecked” and “Under the Thumb”. What about ALL the young men attending A&E with injuries sustained when trying to prove their dominant masculinity? Through displaying violence and aggression How many girls sacrificed their career and prospects to be “Stereotypical” stay at home mums in order to placate acceptable societal norms. Imagine if the CONTINUUM HAD EXISTED: MASCULINEFEMININE TRAITSTRAITS ß-----------------------------Boys and girls Life Span -------------------à

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cashflowguys · 3 years

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310 - Keep Your Asset Covered

In this episode, I’m going to tell you a true story about a situation that happened to me recently regarding one of my properties.

We have owned this one since 2014 and currently operate all the apartments as short-term rentals. In 2016 when we made the switch from long-term to short-term tenancy I met with my insurance agent at the time to be sure I had adequate coverage for the change of use.

I figured that the property would be subjected to a bit more use and abuse due to the short-term nature of our tenant’s stays.

My agent suggested that I simply purchase an additional liability policy that would cover any claims of damage or liability that stemmed from the short-term occupancy. The cost of the plan was only $1200 a year which was well within my budget since the property consistently cashflows 10x that or more each month.

In 2020, my insurance agent sold his practice to another agent and retired. I did not find this out until 6 months after the sale which irked me a bit I must admit.

After chasing down the new agent for well over two months, I finally received a call back where he explained he has been “busy” with the takeover of the agency.

I ask that my policy be reviewed to be sure it still provided adequate coverage for my short-term rental which he acknowledged that it did.

This fall, while speaking with one of the agents in the office on an unrelated issue the conversation came up about policy renewal. I asked if it was still necessary to have three separate policies due to the Airbnb situation which she replied that my wind policy would not offer any coverage in the event of wind damage from a hurricane or likewise if I was using the units as short term rentals.

You can imagine my feeling when I discovered that all along I have been underinsured!

If I had suffered a loss at any time over the last 7 years due to a storm or wind damage I would have zero coverage available to me. Let’s not even get into the wasted money of paying for the wrong policy, EVEN after being proactive about full and unsolicited disclosure about exactly how I operate that property.

The agent determined that I had to switch to a commercial insurance policy because of the AIRBNB element. This increased my annual insurance costs by over $6,000 per year.

As you might imagine I wasn’t real pleased about receiving this news but at the same time, I am thankful the issue was discovered and hopefully corrected.

I must say, after this debacle, I am very insecure about whether or not I have the proper coverage. I certainly don’t want to pay for coverage I don’t need, nor do I want to risk being under-insured.

Clearly, I need to have another licensed insurance agent take a look at this situation which has proven to be a challenge all by itself. It seems no insurance agent in Florida needs more customers. They don’t answer the phone, respond to email or website inquiries. Even those who referred to me simply will not respond.

After about trying over two dozen companies I finally got one to call me back only to learn that they would not consider quoting the policy without me proving my roof was under ten years old. I was dumbfounded to hear this because the effective age of a pitched shingle roof in Florida is 20-25 years, yet now the insurance companies have decided that they no longer like that timeframe.

Fortunately, the roof was on schedule to be replaced this year anyway so needless to say we expedited that process and are now awaiting the materials to arrive for the roofer to begin the project. Once that’s done the roofer will provide me a 4 point inspection form and proof the job was completed that I can turn over to my current and future insurance companies.

In the end, it’s the cost of doing business. I could choose to get all upset about it, sell off my portfolio and trade crypto in my Mom’s basement, yet that would be foolish.

When I consider the $100,000’s of thousands of dollars of legally tax-free income I have earned from this investment property over the years, the costs I mention in this episode become small and insignificant.

In summary, how you choose to interpret things that happen will make you or break you. Those that crack under pressure are generally the same people whose property I wind up buying at a bargain price because they simply chose to fail. Instead, choose to succeed, find a solution because I assure you there is a solution for each and every problem you face.

Check out this episode!

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rentabombcarhire · 3 years

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How Rental Car Channelize Your Budget & Comfort Ness

Having a vehicle is something incredible, however, keeping up with them takes a ton of time. Aside from the necessity of ideal upkeep and fixes and their ensuing expenses, fuel charges are likewise one of the numerous elements concerning the issue of claiming vehicles. Rental car Melbourne airport gives alleviation from all these and makes driving and voyaging fun and even issue-free.

Like the presentation of the minimal effort aircraft which has empowered individuals to go to any urban areas across the world, vehicle rentals are currently filling in moving individuals starting with one area then onto the next area with less cash. This short review is composed to assist individuals to know the advantages of employing the vehicle rental administrations given by many specialist co-ops on the whole pieces of the world. Presently it is the ideal opportunity for you to utilize this office and set aside cash generally.

Cost-Efficient

Vehicle rentals offer more opportunities to individuals who need transport. It offers a better opportunity in picking the correct vehicle they need. Since these administrations are offered in any event, for significant distance objections, it ends up being a lot less expensive than possessing a vehicle. The net expense of utilizing these vehicle rentals is significantly less than the costs brought about in claiming a vehicle that can just have an expostulating value year on year. Indeed, new vehicles devalue quicker than before. Maybe this is one of the primary reasons which make individuals who own a vehicle, switch over to vehicle rentals.

Solaces The Work

Vehicle rental programming effectively interfaces individuals who are needing assistance and the administrator can screen the entire stream likewise the exhibition of the framework in a solitary screen. As it is advanced assistance will be accessible day in and day out, it calm reachable right!. A rider who wishes to get the vehicle for rentals can book their ideal ones with or without an affirmed driver. The vehicle proprietor can see cash with the unused, a better working vehicle with it.

Completely adjusted and kept up

At the point when you're taking out a corporate tenant contract, regardless of whether it's a short or long haul, you realize that the vehicles will have full assistance and support history. The added advantage of picking a corporate rental over buying a vehicle for your armada is the critical investment funds it can incorporate. These remember the putting something aside for operational expenses, saving money on spontaneous armada personal time, and saving time on superfluous organization.

Easy Booking

The rental organization will deal with upkeep booking, so you don't need to. On the off chance that it's essential for your understanding, you may likewise get a civility vehicle should one of yours stall. You can without much of a stretch reserve the spot of your vehicle from your home, and select the kind of protection that best suits your requirements.

Finally,

You pay at the counter for car rental at Melbourne airport, and if there should be an occurrence of any episode you generally have the security of realizing that you can drop the booking for nothing out of pocket.

#Rental car Melbourne airport #Car Rental Melbourne airport

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georgecmatthews · 4 years

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Gold mining equities—solid performance in a volatile market

The gold and precious metals mining equities have rallied sharply off their March bottom to 15% higher year-to-date through June 1 and 77% in the last 12 months.1 They have meaningfully outperformed both stocks and bonds during those time periods. Recent changes in the macroeconomic and geopolitical environments have made both bullion and precious metals equities more attractive in the eyes of many investors. Those seeking a non-correlated asset class that can provide potentially attractive total returns in a volatile market may want to consider adding gold and precious metals equities to their overall portfolios.

A challenging macroeconomic environment has created tailwinds for gold. A convergence of factors has helped push gold prices higher over the last two years, although performance has not been linear. Gold is a hard asset that has typically performed well in a slower growth environment when equity markets are facing higher volatility, geopolitical turmoil is brewing and/or investors fear weakening currencies. Many of these factors have been manifesting themselves episodically since mid-2018. Because gold is a negative carry asset with no cash flow or dividend, it has traditionally performed well when real interest rates are stable or falling. The Federal Reserve (the Fed) cut rates three times in the second half of 2019 and then cut them to zero in mid-March while simultaneously launching a $700 billion quantitative easing program. Although we don’t know when the Fed will hike rates again, we do know that it left rates at the zero boundary for seven years in the wake of the global financial crisis.2

Additional support for gold has come from massive fiscal and monetary stimulus implemented in response to the coronavirus pandemic. As the virus spread and the capital markets collapsed in March, gold tumbled more than 12% while the gold mining equities fell by 35%. Central banks raced to cut rates and provide liquidity in an effort to stabilize markets and support asset prices. Governments also enacted major spending programs to support their economies. Fortunately, these coordinated efforts worked. The selloff abated, the markets began to recover, and gold has since climbed 18% through June 1 while the gold miners have risen by 75% through that date. Although the longer-term impact of these hyper-accommodative policies is unclear, we do expect soaring budget deficits and bloated central bank balance sheets for the foreseeable future, both of which historically, have supported the price of gold.3

Furthermore, several astute commodity strategists have noted that the response of central banks to the pandemic could have the unintended consequence of normalizing what would otherwise be market risks borne by investors.4 In particular, they note that the size of major central bank balance sheets has been relatively stable at ~25% of GDP for the last decade. However, as economic output contracts sharply, fiscal outlays surge, and central bank balance sheets effectively double in size, fiat currencies could come under pressure, which could be bullish for gold. They note that gold has outperformed every G-10 currency as well as major emerging market currencies both this year and in 2019.5 The combination of all these factors helps explain why gold prices are up 14% year-to-date through June 1 and 33% over the last 12 months, meaningfully outpacing both US and global stocks and bonds.6

Inflation is a potential wildcard. Market watchers have been predicting inflation in the US since the Federal Reserve first cut rates to zero and implemented QE1 back in 2008. They are still waiting—at least according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, some strategists are now making the case that the country could finally face meaningful inflation. Their reasoning tracks as follows: We are currently in the midst of a deflationary shock, but looking ahead 1-2 years, there are significant inflation risks.7 This view is predicated on the expectation that unemployment remains at very high levels and the steep increase in economic inequality (either real or perceived) persists. Governments will likely respond by keeping fiscal stimulus in place long after the strict economic case for such measures expires. In short, excess government spending will be used to temper the social impact of the pandemic, lockdowns and riots. If fiscal support remains in place as demand recovers, and especially if new supply problems emerge, these strategists expect the US to face higher inflation.8 While it remains to be seen if this view proves correct, we would expect any bout of inflation to provide additional support for gold prices. This is especially true if the Fed is slow to raise rates in the face of inflation, which is a reasonable expectation since the Fed has made clear that it is targeting a 2% average inflation rate through the cycle even though inflation has remained stubbornly below that level.

What’s good for gold can often be very good for the gold mining equities. With respect to gold and precious metals equities, the primary driver of their strong performance over the last year has been the rising price of gold and other precious metals. Because the mining equities have both earnings and operating leverage to metals pricing, the gold and precious metals equities have historically outperformed the price of gold by twofold to threefold when both bullion and precious metals mining stocks are rising. While that has not been the case so far this year as investors have shed risk (both gold and the XAU Index have climbed ~14% year-to-date through June 1), it certainly has been true since gold hit a decade low of $1,051 per ounce on 12/17/15, and it was also true in 2019 when the XAU Index outperformed gold by more than 2.8x.9 (See Figure 1).

There are other reasons for the recent solid performance of mining equities as well. The health of the precious metals sector is significantly better than the last cycle—balance sheets are stronger, miners are generating cash and management teams are staying more disciplined in terms of both capital expenditures and acquisitions. Regarding the latter, management teams are pursuing sensible deals at fair prices using rigorous return metrics. As a result, shares of acquiring companies are often trading higher upon the announcement of new deals.

In addition, there are reasons for investors to be encouraged about operating results for the gold and precious metals miners going forward. Many of the major producers have reported quarterly results recently, and companies with mines in the western hemisphere have tended to lower guidance for 2020 or withdraw guidance due to Covid-related mine shutdowns. However, for many companies, the shutdowns were due to government restrictions, not because of virus infections. Moreover, in the currently low production-cost inflation environment, efficient operators have the potential to capture significant margin expansion from even modest increases in the price of metals they produce. In other words, higher quality operators have significant leverage to rising metals prices, and have benefitted greatly over the last five years as the price of gold has risen by more than $600 per ounce while major input costs have declined. This dynamic has been amplified in 2020 as gold prices have appreciated while the costs of oil, diesel, natural gas, steel and copper have fallen sharply. Several companies noted on their quarterly calls that they were seeking to hedge certain input costs at multi-year or even multi-decade low prices. Looking beyond the near-term operational hurdles due to coronavirus, we believe that many miners could be poised to generate significant free cash flow going forward.

To be clear—we do not know whether the next $100 move in gold will be up or down—short term moves in precious metals are notoriously difficult to predict on a consistent basis. In addition, leverage can work both ways; when precious metals prices fall, the mining equities may decline by even more. We also recognize that ETF holdings of bullion are relatively high on a historical basis, and an accelerating economic recovery, falling volatility, rising real interest rates or a hawkish change in monetary policy would likely be bearish for the gold price. What we do know is that multiple factors have come together this year to push the gold price higher. We also know these factors are complex, varied and geographically dispersed—and what is good for gold is often very good for the gold mining equities.

Figure 1: Performance of Gold Mining Equities vs Gold

Source: Morningstar Direct June 1, 2015-May 31, 2020. SPDR Gold Shares represents Gold. PHLX Gold and Silver Index represents Gold Mining Equities.

What about combining gold with the gold miners? There are several reasons why investors might consider blending positions in both gold and the gold mining equities. For investors with a constructive view on precious metals prices, gold and precious metals equities have traditionally outpaced the upside performance of bullion because of corporate operating leverage and amplified earnings. Simply put, the defensive characteristics of gold blend well with the upside optionality of the gold equities. In addition, while both gold and the precious metals mining equities have low correlations to traditional stocks and bonds, mining equities exhibit even lower correlations, potentially making them attractive to investors seeking overall portfolio diversification.10 Furthermore, precious metals equities offer investors access to dividends, mineral diversification and the opportunity to benefit from corporate actions, none of which is available by investing in physical gold.

Making room in a portfolio. In our view, gold and precious metals equities can be effective portfolio diversifiers and have the potential to deliver attractive total returns, but they are volatile and sector timing is difficult. Consequently, we favor a longer-term strategic allocation over a shorter-term tactical one. Investors need patience to capture the total return potential of this asset class, and we believe they need appropriately sized positions so that they can look beyond the day-to-day volatility of commodity prices and the price movement of precious metals mining stocks. For investors who allocate 10%-20% of their portfolio to alternatives as they pursue diversification and non-correlated return streams, we believe a position in gold and precious metals equities should represent a component of that allocation.

Investors seeking information about Invesco Oppenheimer Gold & Special Minerals Fund can find additional information here.

Footnotes

1. Source: Bloomberg, 6/1/20.

2. Source: Bloomberg, 6/1/20.

3. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the federal budget deficit is expected to reach $3.7 trillion in 2020. In addition, some market analysts now expect that assets on the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet will reach $9.0 trillion by December 2020, double the prior peak of $4.5 trillion reached in the wake of the global financial crisis. See P. Swagel, CBO’s Current Projections of Output, Employment and Interest Rates and a Preliminary Look at Deficits in 2020 and 2021, 4/24/20; E Hyman, et al., Evercore ISI, Truly Massive Stimulus, 5/29/20.

4. Source: Michael Widmer, et al., BofA Global Research, The Fed Can’t Print Gold, 4/20/20.

5. Source: Michael Widmer, et al., BofA Global Research, The Fed Can’t Print Gold, 4/20/20.

6. Source: Bloomberg, 6/1/20.

7. See I. Frazer-Jenkins, et al., Bernstein Portfolio Strategy, Global Metals and Mining: Scrap 60/40 and Go Mining for Gold, 5/27/20.

8. See I. Frazer-Jenkins, et al., Bernstein Portfolio Strategy, Global Metals and Mining: Scrap 60/40 and Go Mining for Gold, 5/27/20.

9. Source: Bloomberg, 6/1/20.

10. The XAU Index has a correlation of 0.17 to the S&P 500 and 0.24 to the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index for the 10-year period ending 3/31/20. The S&P GSCI Gold spot price has a correlation of 0.02 to the S&P 500 and 0.38 to the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index over the same period. Source: Morningstar, 6/1/20.

Important Information

Blog Header Image: John W Banagan / Getty

Fiat currency is legal tender whose value is backed by the government that issued it.

The G10 currencies are the names given to a group of currencies that are among the most used and traded currencies in the world. The G10 currencies list includes the United States Dollar (USD), Euro (EUR), Pound sterling (GBP), Japanese yen (JPY), Australian dollar (AUD), New Zealand dollar (NZD), Canadian dollar (CAD), Swiss franc (CHF), Norwegian krone (NOK), Swedish krona (SEK).

Carry is defined as the profit investors gain from selling a certain currency with a relatively low interest rate and using the funds to purchase a different currency yielding a higher interest rate.

Changes in the value of two investments or asset classes may not track or offset each other in the manner anticipated by the portfolio managers, which may inhibit their risk allocation process from achieving its investment objective.

US equities are represented by the S&P 500 Index.

The Philadelphia Gold & Silver Index is an index of 30 precious metals mining companies that are traded on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange.

The PHLX Gold/Silver Sector Index (XAU) is a capitalization-weighted index composed of companies involved in the gold or silver mining industry.

The S&P 500 or Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index of the 500 largest U.S. publicly traded companies.

SPDR® Gold Shares (“GLD”) reflects the performance of the price of gold bullion.

Index performance includes total returns.

An investment cannot be made directly into an index

Index performance is shown for illustrative purposes only and does not predict or depict the performance of any fund. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

The opinions expressed are those of the author, are based on current market conditions and are subject to change without notice. These opinions may differ from those of other Invesco investment professionals.

In general, stock values fluctuate, sometimes widely, in response to activities specific to the company as well as general market, economic and political conditions.

Fluctuations in the price of gold and precious metals may affect the profitability of companies in the gold and precious metals sector.

Changes in the political or economic conditions of countries where companies in the gold and precious metals sector are located may have a direct effect on the price of gold and precious metals.

Commodities may subject an investor to greater volatility than traditional securities such as stocks and bonds and can fluctuate significantly based on weather, political, tax, and other regulatory and market developments.

Asset Allocation cannot eliminate the risk of fluctuating prices and uncertain returns.

Diversification does not guarantee profit or protect against loss.

To the extent a fund invests a greater amount in any one sector or industry, there is increased risk to the fund if conditions adversely affect that sector or industry.

The mention of specific industries or sectors does not constitute a recommendation of any investment strategy or product for a particular investor.

Investors should consult a financial professional before making any investment decisions.

Before investing, investors should carefully read the prospectus and/or summary prospectus and carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. For this and more complete information about the fund(s), investors should ask their financial professional or a prospectus/summary prospectus or visit invesco.com. constitute a recommendation of any Invesco investment professionals.

from Expert Investment Views: Invesco Blog https://www.blog.invesco.us.com/gold-mining-equities-solid-performance-in-a-volatile-market/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gold-mining-equities-solid-performance-in-a-volatile-market

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mysageukinbio · 7 years

Photo

How have KBS’ Daeha* dramas reached this point?

Some terms before reading:

*Daeha dramas (and Japan’s Taiga dramas) are the longer, ‘authentic’ historical dramas. From the Hanja 大河, or ‘Great River’, the genre is named as such to describe the flow of events in the story, likening them to a great river that flows slowly. They will hereafter be referred to merely as ‘historical dramas’

Snack Culture: The term given to the trend of quickly accessing content that can be watched in as little time as possible.

An article from the Hangyere website (www.hani.co.kr) on September 9th, 2016

I’ve only translated the full content of some of the article. I have however, translated the summary.

As usual, I may have faults in my translation here (especially considering this is my first time translating an article), so please bear and notify me of any mistakes found in translation

The chart shown above shows the trends of KBS’ historical dramas over the years (With Choi Su Jong in his role as Dae Jo Young~)

The first chart shows its episodes lengths, and describes the trend as follows:

The Great Command (1981) with 43 episodes

The Dazzling People (1995) with 100 episodes

Taejo Wang Geon (2000) with 200 episodes

Age of Warriors (2003) with 158 episodes

Dae Jo Young (2006) with 134 episodes

Empress Cheonchu (2009) with 78 episodes

Jeong Do Jeon (2014) with 50 episodes

The Book of Correction (2005) with 50 episodes

Jang Young Shil (2016) with 24 episodes

The second looks at average (not highest) ratings, and show the following data:

Tears of the Dragon (1996) - 20%

Taejo Wang Geon (2000) - 39.7%

Dae Jo Young (2006) - 26.8%

Great King Sejong (2008) - 15.3%

King Geunchogo (2010) - 10.9%

Jeong Do Jeon (2014) - 15.8%

Jang Young Shil (2016) - 11.5%

The final graph covers budgets:

The Dazzling People (1995) - $1 billion won, or US $918,630

Tears of the Dragon (1996) - $1.6 billion won, or US $1,469,808

Taejo Wang Geon (2000) - $2 billion won, or US $1,837,260

Age of Warriors (2003) - $3 billon won, or US $2,755,890

The Immortal Lee Sun Shin (2004) - $3.5 billion won, or US $3,215,205

Dae Jo Young (2006) - $3.5 billion won

Great King Sejong (2008) - $2 billion won

Jeong Do Jeon (2014) - 1.35 billion won, or US $1,240,150.50

The Book of Correction (2015) - 1.1 billion won, or US $1,010,493

Beginning of article:

Summary

“With production for Jeong Yak Yong killed off... the crisis of authentic historical dramas*

The Korean Broadcasting System, who broadcasted Tears of the Dragon, Taejo Wang Geon and Dae Jo Young, is cancelling production of historical dramas, due to “little profit in comparison to production costs”.

The production environment of authentic historical dramas has changed to a ‘path of decline’.

A reduction in editing and a deduction in funds for action scenes.

“Seeing the value of public broadcasting stations”

50 years of Japanese network NHK’s broadcasting of Taiga historical dramas.

Body

‘Despite the efforts of the production crew over the past month, the final decision came out today. It falls to me to alert you first of the news via this letter.’

Such was the letter sent yesterday to PD Han Jun Seo, director of KBS1′s historical drama Jeong Yak Yong (scheduled for next (2017) January), and the show’s cast. At around the middle of this month, the aim was to have the first shoot and release scripts up to Episode 12. With a script reading on the 4th, the production was suddenly cancelled. On the 29th, KBS’ investment company was informed on the final decision. In summary, the grounds were as such: “There were a lot of things to pay for, but due to a breakdown in management there was no money, so due to little profit in comparison to production costs, the show has been postponed.” (Senior officials of KBS) Broadcasting has been postponed, but many are actually looking at discontinuation. Historical dramas are in a growing crisis, their existence hanging by a thread.

The decline brought by a change in media environments from 2008. Since 1981, with The Great Command, a drama telling the story of Prince Bongrim (later King Hyojong) and General Kim Sang Hyeon, KBS has made 40 historical dramas over 35 years. On the other hand, Munhwa Broadcasting Company (MBC), who broadcasted the 500 Years of Joseon series, did away with historical dramas and maintained its position as a public broadcaster. Tears of the Dragon, recording an average rating in the 20th percentile opened the doors to an age of full-scale historical dramas. With ratings of 39.7% for Taejo Wang Geon (2000~2002), and 26.8% for Dae Jo Young (2006~2007), these shows have been treading on red carpet for nearly a decade. 2000′s Taejo Wang Geon‘s highest rating reached 60.2%. But with 2008′s Great King Sejong experiencing an average rating of 15.3%, they have reached a decline. Most recently, Jang Young Shil ended on a rating of 11.5%.

The fall of historical dramas correlates with a change in media environment. With a rising interest in fusion dramas since 2008, and the impact of consumption of YouTube’s Snack Culture* (short content) from 2010, the breath of historical dramas becomes ever more drawn out. Limits on content have also been reached. The politics of 2010′s Reputable Family have been cast into suspicion, and the weightiness of the past has been cracked.

Another crisis theory of different production environment has arisen. After 2008, the craze over Korean Wave actors has skyrocketed, and the easy exportation of foreign content has been poured into dramas. One KBS drama PD has said: “The financial crisis has worsened the economy, and the ad profits of cable have been falling, making it difficult to manage terrestrial television.”

#KBS #sageuk

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airoasis · 5 years

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The Unexplained Murder Of Mobster Bugsy Siegel

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/the-unexplained-murder-of-mobster-bugsy-siegel/

The Unexplained Murder Of Mobster Bugsy Siegel

This week on BuzzFeed and noticed we investigate the homicide of Bugsy Siegel the infamous mobster who helped launch the mega casinos that we companion with Las Vegas at present let’s be rolling oh you rolling the dice faucets table you recognize what which you can Scott talking of rolling the cube we are taking a risk here with the aid of doing a further mob episode getting gutsy yeah that is by and large grant doesn’t really topic how old you are pulling the trigger is just as convenient but you already know what i don’t must sleep in ok geez that convenient okay let’s do it all correct Benjamin Siegel used to be born on February 28 1906 in Brooklyn new york there together with childhood friends Meyer Lansky and Morris Moe stated approach Siegel began a crook profession extorting local street companies in alternate for security from different gangs in the field fellow gang member started calling him Bugsy a slang term for crazy on the time due to his violent temper allegedly Bugsy was not a nickname that Siegel cared for and people who knew him would never call him that to his face now that is anything I to find interesting about most mob nicknames practically all of them that is the guideline that applies you do not call them you do not name them their nickname to their face but when talking about them you utilize the nickname i suppose I could see if someone have been calling you babyface or tiny or tiny who else was i am seeking to suppose of different fashionable that’s embarrassing that those are the one two that come to mind you realize good appear i’m now not i am not embarrassed to not comprehend a lot about the mob put them in the back of bars ultimately Siegel sedway and Lansky transitioned to different crimes like vehicle theft bootlegging and gambling rising by way of the ranks of new York’s organized crime world it is greatly idea that Bugsy was once one of the 4 guys who in 1931 achieved Joe Masseria and an Italian restaurant in the big apple main fortunate Luciano to take the throne as the chairman of the board of the American Mafia in 1937 Lansky sent Bugsy and Moute to l. A. To build up the mobs presence on the west coast at the same time the mob had been closely worried in bootlegging throughout the 20s by the time seagull landed in California the 21st amendment had put a stop to money to be made on importing unlawful hooch it feels like the West Coast is continuously painted as like this identical to do excellent coasts like we had been always always like we acquired to take the crime syndicate over to the west coast some over there he never began it over here an excessive amount of crime right here let’s put some over there and says we might under no circumstances begin whatever on her possess over right here yeah we’re too distracted by way of the sunshine Bugsy made up our minds to center of attention on playing he invested in the SS Rex a playing ship that used to be docked three miles external of Santa Monica to check out and hinder California anti-gambling laws at the same time authorities finally shut it down Bugsy set his points of interest on Las Vegas Nevada had legalized gambling so there would not be as many complications trying to hinder police in 1945 with cash from the syndicate again east Siegel took over a struggling development undertaking outside of Las Vegas metropolis limits the Flamingo lodge and on line casino at the time Vegas used to be nothing like we think of in these days the Flamingo will be the first luxurious inn on the strip Siegel hosted the grand opening of the inn on December 26 1946 while the assignment used to be nonetheless unfinished nevertheless mega superstars like Judy Garland and Clark Gable have been at the opening for shadowing Vegas his glamorous future after this social gathering Siegel closed the hotel to conclude construction and the mob again east grew to be antsy I i’ll say building a significant giant luxurious luxury inn in the middle of the desert yeah you already know what it looks as if a bit of a chance it’s just right it is relatively first-class it can be just right stuff bit of of venture by this time the challenge’s rate had ballooned from siegels at the start budgeted 1 million to up to 6 million greenbacks much of the overruns believed to be as a result of Siegel’s skimming from the top if there may be one factor to recall concerning the mob it is that you don’t steal from it for the duration of a assembly of mob bigwigs in Cuba an agreement was once reached on the ft of Bugsy if the Flamingo proved to be successful he’d be able to make matters proper luckily for Bugsy with the aid of may just of 1947 the Flamingo had already made 250,000 greenbacks in profit alas for Bugsy that it sounds as if wasn’t adequate $250,000 a profit that is like a decent corporation right there i would say not just right sufficient for me now not enough so that you can be stealing yeah i would not be completely satisfied with him yeah on June twentieth 1947 Siegel was once sitting on a chin sofa in the residing room of his mistress Virginia Hills residence in Beverly Hills at 10:45 p.M.From a rose protected pergola simply 14 toes from Bugsy a 30 caliber navy rifle fired at the least 9 photographs on the mobster 4 rounds hit him killing him instantly simply moments later three of Meyer Lansky’s henchmen strolled into the Flamingo lodge and declared the on line casino was once now theirs despite his popularity coroner’s misspelled Siegel’s title on his toe tag and his funeral lasted a mere five minutes with handiest about six folks in attendance i don’t see i do not believe that is a testomony to how widespread he used to be as so much as it was a testament to probably the mobs power get him in the floor well it is like don’t show up good i’ll go to a funeral yeah you know the mob whacked this character yeah maybe don’t show up in help of him yeah you do not want so as to add yourself to an ever-developing record if I get murdered no person come to my funeral do not suppose you are gonna ought to put that disclaimer out it can be gonna occur on its possess now that I’ve put the disclaimer around yeah yeah sure the motive why there it’s they need anybody at my funeral you here but according to Beverly Hills Police Chief Clinton H Anderson quote we spent many man-hours investigating the Siegel case and have been satisfied that he was killed by means of his possess acquaintances however there was once in no way adequate proof to pinpoint the identity of the assassin finish quote with that it’s time to looking at theories at the back of who murdered Bugsy Siegel concept one the mob see you next week our first conception is Eddie Cannizzaro aka the Cat Man Cannizzaro was once a former errand boy for Jack dragna who was as soon as described in a document via the State Crime fee because the Al Capone of California end quote Cannizzaro died in 1987 of heart failure however earlier than he passed on he called a reporter and federal dealers to his dying bed the place he confessed to seven murders including seagulls in keeping with Ken Azura’s confession quote it was a smooth hit I used to be picked given that I knew seagull and would not make a mistake end quote I don’t know if a murder being individual always makes you less likely to make a mistake however i suppose if he is on his deathbed let him have the sentiment uh you may also in the sense that you know them higher you realize might be how they react you already know probably the place they but wouldn’t that additionally like carry into emotion what if you happen to like bear in mind like you’re about to do the hit i’ve the scope proper at your gigantic head and i’m considering we did have some excellent instances on the street maybe I should not do that yeah you already know that form of factor but then you’re but then I obtained a job some wins over rationalist ones over and also you pull that trigger Mike Gallagher your head yeah so casting doubt on Ken Azhar was confession are just a few inconsistencies in his story Cannizzaro claimed he was questioned in connection with the homicide at the time but there isn’t a document of an interview with him in the bugsy case file as well Cannizzaro claimed that after the murder he drove off in the path of Wilshire Boulevard a neighbor query after Bugsy used to be killed nonetheless told police that after the gunshots a car was once heard hurtling within the reverse path in the direction of sunset Boulevard on the time of his demise Cannizzaro used to be dwelling along with his mother and over 30 cats within the Agoura Hills local of Western LA County he was once hoping to create a beginning manipulate serum for cats and had requested a few of his old buddies in Las Vegas for funding very funny that this man has 30 cats and is attempting desperately to discontinue them breeding yeah perhaps like I wish to suppose he had two cats and then a yr later had 30 cats is like I bought a I obtained to shut this down yeah I simply i don’t consider like that is some thing you disclosed to your mob neighbors like you’re tossing again beers i am like you know I received 30 cats working on it everybody’s usually like telling them crazy reports like good you know I received 30 cats and used to be like k I mean i’m trying to introduced the can seeking to discontinue him i’m seeking to stop them bounine controlling my mind I received a serum you need to take a look at it i’m engaged on it also I hate that he calls it a serum it makes me feel like he is doing a little like extra bizarre science lesson slightly juice that I injected that testicles Eddie get out of the storage it can be not working to your rattling Cyril shut up mother the 2d concept is a world struggle two vet Robert McDonald this concept comes from Warren hall an govt assistant in Nevada who said MacDonald’s function in Siegel’s murder had been a loved ones secret for a long time on his deathbed hall’s father entreated his son to study the story and get it out there hole obliged the death man’s request occurring to create a four hundred slide PowerPoint presentation laying out the points of his case yells ah who’s he displaying that to yeah yeah who is he showing that i suppose investigators perhaps you just inviting friends over for margaritas yeah I got a while oh certain it’s loopy Oh believe about 4 and a half of hours due to the fact your trip to Niagara Falls hope you went to the lavatory when you consider that there isn’t any breaks McDonald was once married to holes mom’s cousin and excellent buddy Betty Anne McDonald Betty Ann’s mom Gaynor Rockwell labored at metropolis corridor in l. A. There she met Jack dragna the Al Capone of California from our earlier idea gaynelle told dragna her daughter was once having troubles along with her husband McDonald who would be violent now and then McDonald additionally happened to oh the mob $30,000 dragna went to McDonald explaining his debts can be forgiven if he offed Siegel consistent with entire MacDonald’s time in the navy made out of an proficient marksman together with with the 30 caliber carbine the alleged murder weapon again nonetheless the neighbors record of a speeding automobile forged doubt on this conception whole thinks that McDonald who lived just on the opposite part of a golf course from Virginia Hill would have escaped walking sneaking back to his residence not up to a mile away at the hours of darkness he simply lived on the other part of the hill he’d sneak you recognize by way of the dark covert like conflict mm-hmm so unless he desired to throw them off sure why would I drive when I would simply walk you particularly consider he went that deep into it he’ll double bluff just three months after Bugsy’s murder McDonald would go on to shoot himself and his wife Betty Ann hall says there’s no evidence that Beverly Hills police ever investigated McDonald as a suspect in Siegel’s homicide besides the fact that children that McDonald allegedly used the equal form of weapon to kill himself and his spouse as he did on Siegel less than a mile away and most effective three months after Bugsy’s homicide all believes it is even feasible that Howard Hughes can have pressured police to not investigate McDonald as he had labored closely with the person’s father how he got here in and a majority of these mob ones I consider adore it’s like might be he did it behind the barn and buried him and then you already know doc tossed his physique within the river whereas this one sincerely has things that linked him to the crime I feel like complex factor is the mob is just right at protecting their tracks that’s actual that’s what they’re built on yeah a 3rd idea comes from be mentioned way the wife of Mo said manner Bugsy’s childhood friend developing within the mob in step with be mo had been sending on line casino numbers back to Meyer Lansky on the East Coast together with gambling winnings and crucially building bills Bugsy conducted a assembly in March of 1947 without Mo there he reportedly said he used to be looking to get rid of Moe saying quote i’m going to have Moe shot chop his physique up and feed it to the Flamingo inns kitchen rubbish disposal finish quote I inspiration you were gonna say he was once gonna feed him to the flamingos and that may have been cool as hell one of the most attendees advised Moe who called his wife and asked her to force from LA to Vegas the 2 then drove out into the desert after which walked even further to make certain a private automobile precision going for walks into the desolate tract to have a personal conversation good cuz that’s the only method that you could ensure good day I get it also now not gonna lie in the event you do have a demise risk for your head probably now not nice to walk out where nobody could in finding you or see you good point let’s prepackaged ourselves for this homicide make it real first-class and handy there is me real fine they can’t hear us at all let’s have a private dialog you realize what we have to do dig a gap for ourselves they’ll certainly not to find us down right here six toes down I consider that’ll be beautiful it would be excellent it’ll be first-class when Moe told his wife of the hazard against him be right away referred to as Matthew moose Panza a crane operator and bees lover Moen be who married when he was once forty one and she or he just seventeen had an awfully unconventional marriage for the time they have been very honest with one another and knew about one an extra’s extramarital companions in fact Moe had insisted that upon his dying moose used to be to marry B after their assembly moose arrived in Las Vegas to defend Moe after the mob boss meeting in Cuba were cost overruns on the Flamingo were discussed nevertheless Lansky gave Moe his blessing to take concerns into his own hands moose volunteered to do the job and spent weeks practicing his marksmanship I obtained a question about my boy strikes yeah see somewhat man Oh cuz you believe quite often in the mob it can be form of like yeah yeah yeah like a significant colossal tall lanky man like me could be a brief stack or something they’re fan of boxy they’re a fan of boxing yeah i like i love a i love you be like oh wait until moose gets here big knock on the door they opened the door and although it used to be from it was once in obstacle let me have it the moose ‘cell pressure down in step with B after pulling the trigger moose hurried to the auto and drove straight to Santa Monica where he broke down the rifle leaving the butt of the gun on a rooftop and throwing the barrel into the ocean as his wellness was failing B’s son Robbie reached out to her reporter to tell his mom’s story when that reporter reached out to the Beverly Hills Police department to investigate whether moose had been viewed a suspect they responded quote it’s within the excellent interest of the town of Beverly Hills not to speak to you and quote i really like the truth that that posh workplace could be in all probability beat soiled yeah that is just I think that’s simply how the whole thing in California back then was once just filthy quite though oh yeah i assume Beverly Hills I continuously saw as a situation of like i do know plenty of LA was corrupt all of it Oh each all of it so you go by the principle that the more glamorous the extra soiled maybe but another theory suggests the Chicago mob took down Bugsy with the help of Siegel’s mistress Virginia Hill Hill had been viewed a relied on mob courier and in keeping with author Andy Edmonds the Chicago mob used Hill as a supply of understanding on Bugsy’s dealings at the same time Siegel was building the Flamingo the Chicago mob was financing a competing resort the dunes on the present website online of the Bellagio Siegel’s homicide also took position at Hills residence he would had been competent to inform an assassin about Siegel’s addiction of studying the paper in her residing room at night and Hill had conveniently skipped city for Paris that day he’ll finally move to Europe to prevent expenses of tax evasion the place she died at the age of forty nine her death was once deemed an overdose however some have their suspicions that the mob was concerned Chicago mob heard of what they do i know you’re gonna come to this shocker as someone who was once born underneath the beam let me tell you a cog oh we all know what we’re doing I comprehend it’s exciting a lot of mob movies you look at Goodfellas stuff like that definite all takes place east coast but you rather need something done go to those boys in Chicago man you recognize I received a say in a shocking flip of hobbies Shane talked about Chicago once more in an episode frankly what an upset oh and the pizza as one expects with mob killings there are a lot of alternative theories in the market most of the time unsubstantiated to this day no one has ever been prosecuted within the death of Benjamin Bugsy Siegel and while what occurs in Vegas stays in Vegas what occurred to the person who helped start latest Vegas remains unsolved i know I’ve busted this out earlier than however this is very so much a case of oh boy just gonna ought to let it be mr.There it’s it took us three episodes to get to that and now we have arrived some things will just certainly not uncover and also you just obtained a yeah that is the best way of the world if there is one the place the evidence seems essentially the most robust i would say that it can be the one that entails mo mousse and Lansky and simply love mousse do love me some giant moose and a moose fan but both that or the hill one additionally makes sense too yeah but if I needed to go together with one i’d go along with them free all in on what do you put it in all the new you slide them all in so I might go is that okay to finish on a fine Vegas reference yeah there you go see you next week .

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latinalesbi · 7 years

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there was no Danny Nucci name in the opening, right ? They fanally decided to get rid of him... ? It's funny I thought "no Mike means no Ana"... but you know, Gabe is there so they can hang out in Stef and Lena's house while they are not there.

Correct. I have been suspecting this might be the case for a while. His time has been cut each and every season. Last couple, he’s been on as much as other side characters. I do think that Freeform’s budget has really cut his time down as they extend into season 5. He also was not in the cast pictures. I believe that they cut the money and insisted on one less regular. I think letting Danny direct is a concession to the fact that he is no longer a regular. There is an outside possibility that Mike leaves at some point. Or maybe he’ll be listed as a regular on the episodes he is in.

Anonymous said: It’s completely horrifying to see how much wasted screen time Ana and Gabe took on last nights episode! Babies! They say there and cried and complained like two immature toddlers! And where was Mike? Shouldn’t Ana be with him? Then Gabe trying to act like the hero for helping Jesús! Bull-hockey! They don’t belong in the show at all. In fact, it’s so hard to watch their scenes and it’s almost as if I should wait until the next day to fast forward thru them. I agree with you 100%!

It’s like they’re 20 years old instead of the middle aged people they should be. I guess maybe immature people are into that, but I am not. Babies. And Gabe acting as if it’s some big huge burden that he gets to live in a nice home for fucking free. I wonder if they’re buying his beer. Probably Jesus steals from Lena so Gabe can have his beer. Ana is so thirsty for Gabe. I mean really. There was no need for her to be all up his ass at their house. Why was she there? If I was Mike I wouldn’t like that at all. If you want to arise jealousy, don’t act a fool. I should have waited, but I really wanted to see the promo and well ugh. Thanks for your thoughts!

Anonymous said: I know Jesus is sick or whatever but I’m also sick of him. I’m tired of him yelling at Lena. And Gabe is all cool with him he doesn’t say anything and now what, Lena is going to be the bad guy because she’s actually parenting HER son ? what happened to her being the mom the kids went to ?

Here’s the thing, like I’ve always said. I would take care of my aging mom (dad’s dead) till the end with pretty much any disease, except if they had dementia and were trying to hurt me. No one deserves abuse. If a condition is causing irrational behavior it has to be treated. I saw a real life show where a man had a stroke and changed his personality so much he ended up murdering his wife, his adult daughter and his grandchild. It’s no joke and Jesus, intentionally or not, is going to hurt Lena. I see Lena running towards Jesus and Brandon fighting, it’s not going to end well.

And sure Gabe was effective this time because he’ just about the only person physically able to stop him. That isn’t a solution. Emma can’t possibly deal with him like that. So what Gabe did is not a solution. Lena is right as always, he needs to be able to manage or he can’t live with them. It’s just that simple.

Anonymous said: As for the writers being ridiculed? LMAO! I write and am ridiculed! It comes with the territory, and honestly, they are practically turning a deaf ear to the audience! This show should have ended in season 1 because that season was where it was truly at!

Honestly, what’s the point of asking how people are feeling and to discuss the show if all you actually want an echo chamber of how amazing the show is? Don’t ask for opinions if you don’t like them. They aren’t turning a deaf ear to their audience, just a certain segment. I can’t say that I would have liked the show to have ended in s1. I just wish that in what could possibly be their final year, they would focus on their main characters. This was essentially a Gabe and Ana episode and that’s wrong. No matter how you slice it. Even when they have done that for Girl’s united, I could at least say, well they really haven’t had a voice. Gabe’s woes are like the stuff of every tv show novel. Daddy regret. Heck we’ve had enough of that with Mike.

Anonymous said: This is fast becoming about how two moms can’t raise their 5 kids and need help! I’m pretty sure, “It takes a village,” isn’t referring to bio humans helping the parents! UGHHHHHH

I always make this point, you never see biological families needing the local homosexual for some nice homosexual bonding with their children. No, it doesn’t take a village, most of the time out there in the real world, it often just takes one mom.

Anonymous said: I’m really, really tired of the show acting like Gabe, Ana or Robert do or should have any say in decisions made about the kids. Mariana, Jesus and Callie are quite literally Stef & Lena’s kids. They don’t need anyone’s permission to parent their kids. Honestly, I worried we’d end up here when the show had Robert constantly making a point of calling Callie “his” daughter as if she wasn’t Stef & Lena’s and the show never acknowledged that was wrong of him. I didn’t think it would be this bad tho.

They all think they have a say because they put their penis in a vagina. That’s all Gabe did. He can be there in whatever capacity Jesus and his moms allow, but he doesn’t get to dictate. For people who don’t understand how Callie could choose her moms over her rich bio daddy. Lena took one look in her eyes, saw her soul and took her home, straight from Juvy. Stef saw her value after just like a day. Bio daddy needed a DNA test to even see if he wanted to get invested. Tell me which connection would feel more real to you? No worries though, in case you missed it, Robert is right there disciplining Callie, though I am sure he takes a crack at Stef and Lena’s parenting.

Anonymous said: I love The Fosters, but I can’t get over how much I hated tonight’s episode. The unnecessary focus on Ana and Gabe totally contradicts what’s supposed to be the message of this show (that love makes a family, not DNA). It struck me as disrespectful. The idea that Lena and Stef aren’t enough for their own kids? Who they raised? Nah. I’m equal parts mad (the idea that Jesus needs a man is offensive, full stop) and confused (who asked for this?). Have TPTB forgotten the premise of their own show?

Yeah, it wasn’t just like their point of view, it was entirely their episode. It is disrespectful to lesbian moms in particular. Here’s the thing, I don’t know where they are going with this. Even if they have a point to make, the visuals have already been made. You’ll have tons of people swooning over Jesus’ dad. The only thing I liked in an interview with Noah, was him saying biological father, instead of the “dad” the insensitive interviewer kept using. These visuals, these words will be the ones that stick with the people, and there are many, who think lesbians can’t raise kids without male role models.

Anonymous said: The worst thing is that the episodes are already done. Even if we tell Bradley or Peter that Gabe being around in Stef and Lena’s house is wrong , it’s too late. And I think that the worst is yet to come. I knew I wasn’t going to like the first episode but I didn’t know it was going to be like this the whole 5A part. I can’t stand Jesus anymore.

Well, they supposedly change the tone next episode, but we will see. I still see this show as too depressing and too unhappy. The dykes can’t just raise their kids and be happy in a family, it has to be constant misery. I think the worse is yet to come too. I am going to try to ignore Gabe, but that’s going to be hard. And yes, I can’t stand Jesus anymore either. It’s not even the TBI, he was already aggressive and drooling over his daddy before that.

Anonymous said: How do people know Stef is going to cuddle with another woman? I get they need drama to keep the show interesting but Stef would never do that.

Ahh, yes, no, we don’t know that. I think there was a misunderstanding. We are saying, Tess is the woman Stef cuddled with on the couch when she was a teen. CUDDLED in the past, not going to cuddle with. I agree that Stef would never do that. We just know it’s going to bring up interesting issues, especially if Lena is frustrated with being a stranger in her own house as the bio takeover continues.

Anonymous said: Callie said she can’t forget about the past and she’s right but she told Jude to use the pain in a positive way. Callie needs to do the same. Which is why I’m happy she’s wanting to do art. Just that pain to make a project.

That’s a good point. I am living for people yelling at Callie. She needs it. That’s why AJ was good for her, too bad.

Anonymous said: I hated that Stef and Callie scene. But that’s something they really needed. Callie needed to her that. I’m glad they had that talk.

I am glad that least Stef was the one parenting Callie. Yay! It was needed, but it did feel cold but behind it was a lot of love. Stef will get emotional next episode. I am sure we’ll get some scene with them later on in the season that is warmer.

Anonymous said: Freaking Kamar ordered a bunch of sushi while Sherri is out of town and he’s eating it on their bed. He posted a pic on Instagram. Sherri replies he better not get it on her favorite sheets or he’ll be punished and now all I have in my head is a visual of a dominatrix Sherri dressed in all leather and a riding crop and to be honest it’s kinda weirding me out. LolAhh, my instagram monitor! Lol, Sherri’s funny and I am not sure my mind would have gone there, but it would not surprise. Sherri’s bossy. I instead will focus on all the lovely things Sherri said about Teri and Stef and Lena last night! Maybe I’ll make a post later since there’s NOTHING to gif.

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leislart · 7 years

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Many skills are shared between speaking on the microphone and speaking live. Both in the studio and on the stage, it’s important to pace yourself properly, minimize filler words, and stay on topic. It’s also crucial to use an appropriate and consistent tone of voice, and avoid habits like “uptalk” and “vocal fry.” Bad habits tend to become amplified and more distracting when done in recording, and only consistent practice can eliminate them. In addition, there’s a separate skillset unique to recorded speech known as “microphone technique,” or how you physically perform in order to get the best possible recording quality. Keeping your mouth at the correct distance from the microphone at all times ensures consistent volume levels throughout the audio file. Enunciating clearly and keeping your mouth open helps prevent bothersome clicking noises caused by saliva.

Use Podcasting as a Marketing Tool

A podcast is an ongoing series of short, episodic audio recordings published on a recurring schedule. Creating a podcast opens up a world of new possibilities for the intermediate public speaker looking to advance to the next level. Though you may be giving frequent talks within your company, city, or Toastmasters club, the number of people who can hear your message is limited to the size of the room you’re in. By contrast, audio recording gives you the ability to share your message online, reaching a worldwide audience. If your goal is to make a career in speaking, podcasting is the perfect way to boost your personal brand.

Most podcasts follow a weekly or bi-weekly release schedule; however, consistency is more important than frequency. Subscribers should know exactly when to anticipate new content from you, and that holds you accountable for sticking to your appointed schedule. When you’re just starting out, it’s best to be pessimistic about how much you can produce. Bi-weekly or even monthly releases are perfectly acceptable; it’s far easier to ramp up the frequency later on than to ramp it down.

When deciding on the content and format of your podcast, keep in mind that in this medium, two is better than one. Either find a reliable co-host who shares your vision for the show, or center your show around interviewing others. A common amateur mistake is to simply create recordings of the same talks you’ve given live. As an intermediate-level speaker, it’s unlikely that you have the level of vocal finesse and microphone technique needed to carry an entire show by yourself — the kind of professional voice talent used in audiobooks and narrations. Without the visual and physical components of your live performance, your speech recording will just sound like a long monologue, and will not engage a remote audience. The dynamic between two people in conversation, however, will be much more engaging to podcast listeners.

How to Get Started

When embarking on any new endeavor, the best preparation is to listen to those who have gone before. Once you choose your podcast’s main topics and themes, be sure to listen to as many other similar shows as you can find. There’s no need to listen to a show's entire back catalogue; for research purposes, simply compare the very first episode to the most recent episode. You’ll start to notice the ways the shows have changed and improved over time, which will give you an idea of the subtle qualities that separate successful podcasts from failed ones.

If you’re still committed to your podcast project after you’ve completed your research, it’s time to invest in equipment. For starters, I recommend spending around $100 on a used or refurbished microphone. Resist the temptation to spend more when you’re just getting started; advanced audio equipment should only be used once you have the skills to unleash its potential. On the other hand, using a low-quality microphone, such as headset or internal laptop mic, will produce a low-quality sound that distracts listeners from the content. Keeping your budget in the $100 ballpark should strike a good balance between quality and financial risk. Some microphones may also require a separate device called a preamplifier, so be sure to do your research before you purchase.

The three basic steps to producing a podcast are recording, editing, and publishing. First, record your episode audio digitally on to a personal computer; then, edit the files using audio software (sometimes called digital audio workstations, or DAWs); and finally, publish the episode when editing is complete. While you record, relax and take your time — you are free to pause, start over, or do multiple takes. You’ll be able to cut out any flubs or bad takes in the editing phase. Audacity is an open-source and relatively easy-to-use DAW, making it a popular choice for beginner podcasters.

Just as you would do in a live talk, structure your episode’s content into a logical introduction, body, and conclusion format. The intro should include the name of the show and its hosts (that’s you), what the show is about, and the topic of this specific episode. At the end, include your show’s Web site address and social media handles, how listeners can best contact you, and if you like, a teaser for the next episode. If you’re unsure how to structure your end matter, feel free to copy what other similar podcasts have done.

As you learn more about audio production and the use of your audio software, the quality of your episodes will improve — but so will the amount of time you spend editing. To maintain the workload at a manageable level, keep the length of a single episode between 30 and 60 minutes. Yet another reason to start out your show with a bi-weekly or monthly episode release schedule is to allow you plenty of time to finish the editing work. You’ll want listeners to be able to enjoy your back catalog long after each episode is released, so make sure that what you put out is of the highest possible archival quality.

In Conclusion

This introductory article only scratches the surface of the wide world of podcasting. Even after you've recorded your best performance on the mic with the best audio quality, there’s still much more that goes into making a show successful — distribution, marketing, monetization, partnerships, audience engagement, and more. However, if you’re eager to take on a new and exciting speaking challenge, I encourage you to take these first steps.

Even though creating an outstanding podcast takes time and dedication, once you get there, the experience is rewarding on many levels. Since I became a podcaster, I have learned much about audio production, improved my social media marketing savvy, been truly moved by positive listener reactions, and yes — become a much better public speaker. To skyrocket your career as a professional speaker, there’s no other method that’s quite so effective and so easily accessible to the average person. Give podcasting a try, and get started on the mic today!

#Public Speaking #podcasting #marketing #speaking #personal branding #audio #recording #audio recording #articles

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vestedbeauty · 4 years

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Did I Just Buy the Best Desk Chair Ever? Or Did I Waste My Money? ALL33 Review

New Post has been published on https://vestedbeauty.com/best-desk-chair/

Did I Just Buy the Best Desk Chair Ever? Or Did I Waste My Money? ALL33 Review

I Paid a Small Fortune for What May Be My Best Desk Chair Ever. Here’s How I Like It.

If they ever make a documentary about me stalking my new ALL33 desk chair, I hope they get Sir David Attenborough to do the narration.

NARRATOR: Tonight, on NOVA: As daylight breaks, we catch our first glimpse of her. Massive mug full of coffee, see her approach her perch. There she will spend the next eight to ten hours, leaving only to move laundry, feed chickens, or sweep dog hair from the hallway. When she does stir, if we watch closely, we will see her rub the tension from her lower back and roll her shoulders to ease soreness and try to reestablish blood circulation. Enter the hidden world of a writer with a bad chair.

[music]

NARRATOR: Our writer friend has stumbled onto an advertisement for a chair that looks only slightly similar to those she has seen before. See as her eyebrow sinks into concave formation as she clicks the link to learn more? This is… her concentration face.

Now, if we watch carefully, cautious not to spook her, we can see her reading the details about this chair. Ahh, there it is. Did you catch her lip curling up with the hint of a smile? It only lasted a moment before her eyebrows shifted into an elevated convex shape, shooting halfway up her forehead.

Clearly, she saw the price.

[music]

Major funding for this blog post comes from the Day Job Foundation, a regular contributor to the writer’s care and upkeep.

This program is also funded, in part, by her own writing firm, which has a long history of feeding her and her brood.

And by readers like you, who, should they purchase anything through any affiliate links on this website, will send a few bucks her way - at no additional cost to you, by the way.

Why On Earth Spend So Much on an Office Chair?

When I first started seeing ads for the ALL33 chair, the company was doing some crowdfunding. So, there was a video, a bunch of info, and the opportunity to buy at a discount - assuming they hit their funding goal. The ad, if I remember right, proclaimed that this was a chair like no other. Completely redesigned to correct for bad posture, and built to cradle your backside for “active” sitting, it definitely looked different. But even then, the price seemed steep (guessing it was like $350?).

So, I shelved the idea and went back to work in the worn-out roller chair I’d gotten from Amazon a few years ago. It was black. It had wheels. Nothing distinguishing at all - unless you count the fact that the arm pads had started disintegrating.

Prior to the most boring office chair in the world, I’d experimented with an exercise ball. It gave me happy flashbacks to playing on a Hippity-Hop. (What color was yours? I remember having a red one.) The issue with that was the level of concentration needed to stay ON the exercise ball. It wasn’t like doing brain surgery, but it did require more attention than I’d like to invest in merely avoiding falling on my butt in the middle of a Zoom call.

How Well Do You Think on Your Feet?

“She who sits most dies first.” That warning hit home when I first heard it. Even though I make the effort to get up and move around during the day, it’s not enough. As a writer, I work best when I enter a flow state of deep concentration.

Picky. That’s probably the best descriptor for me while I arrange my environment. If you’re less charitable, you might call me obsessive instead. That’s okay. In my experience, when I can get into this sublime state of pure flow, the words just drop from heaven into my mind, resting there only long enough for me to tap them into the keyboard. The writing is fast. It’s pure. It’s more aligned with whatever message a piece is meant to convey. The alternative scenario involves something like wrassling. You know, like some crazy guy rolling around in the mud with an alligator, hoping for the best.

My ability to manage my environment is a huge determinant of productivity in my writing day. Every sensory input matters. Not too hot or too cold. Not too bright or dark. Either silence or the right kind of music (typically no lyrics - although I’ve found the trip hop genre to be amazingly conducive to flow).

But getting into the flow state has a dark side, one involving my backside. If I can get into the groove, it’s nothing for me to write for hours on end. Well, at least until someone walks into the space - or if a dog nudges me for pets.

So it made sense for me to try a standing desk. As a teen, I worked at a bakery, spending the whole shift on my feet. But while I can walk for miles without a complaint, standing in one spot has never been comfortable for me.

I was skeptical from Day One. So, my sweet hubby set me up with a workspace on the high counter in our kitchen as a test. If I liked it, it would make sense to buy a legit standup desk.

That was a hard “no.” Not only was it hard for me to get into any sort of creative flow, but my back, legs, and feet hurt. Productivity plummeted because I kept walking around instead of focusing on my work.

The Treadmill Desk

The standing desk debacle gave me an idea, though. If walking worked better than standing, maybe I could work on a treadmill at the gym. All I’d need is a desk surface that stretched between the arms of the treadmill. Sweet hubby had just the answer. He made me a lightweight but sturdy aluminum desk.

It looked like a guillotine. There were lots of questions. I felt a little weird. But once I set it up and set the treadmill to a pace of about 2 mph, I could work and walk at the same time. Sort of.

Actual writing was tough. It was hard to enter the flow state while also trying not to fall off the treadmill and break myself. I could do planning, project management, and invoicing. But it wasn’t ideal.

So, Back to the ALL33 Chair

I’d back burnered the hunt for a better office chair, and that’s when I started getting ads for this crazy contraption again. The list price is $800.

All I could think about was the “Will & Grace” episode where they run all over Manhattan chasing down a Herman Miller Aeron chair. (By the way, the only episode I ever saw.) Who pays that kind of money for an office chair? It just seemed extravagant and pretentious.

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But I had a bit of an internal debate. Then an awakening. That led to a transformation… and a purchase.

Good old blue chair... you've been a faithful friend.

Once You Go Mac...

Several years back, I switched from PC to Mac. I’d been replacing my PC laptops every couple of years. They’d get full - or full of malware. It was annoying. Plus, they were heavy, which kind of put the kibosh on the idea of “working from anywhere.” Macbook Pros ran about $1200 for a base model, easily three times more costly than the PC laptops I bought. But boy, was it worth it. The transition was easy. All my tech works together, making transferring from iphone to ipad to laptop a breeze.

Soon, the idea of getting an iMac desktop seemed like a good idea. A decade into my writing business, I finally had an office and a desk rather than working from the blue La-Z-Boy I’d commandeered back in 2005. (It’s seen much, much better days - but nobody’s got the heart to put it out by the curb.)

This upgrade set a precedent. As a work tool, it made perfect sense to get the best I could afford. The increase in productivity meant the computers more than paid for themselves in the first year.

Surely, the same would hold true for a good desk chair.

Still Practicing an Abundance Mindset

Throughout my early adult life, we were broke. I was married to a pastor who only hit his earnings stride a couple of years before we divorced. We’d scraped by until I started my writing business, which loosened our budget a little. But there were years when he was trying to launch a new venture and not making more than a hundred bucks a week or so. There were years we qualified for free school lunches. There was also a bankruptcy due to my failed go at real estate investing. After leaving my first marriage, things got even tighter. The IRS was also a constant companion, thanks to the turnaround year we’d had in 2011. (It took me nearly eight years to pay that tax bill, but I finally did it!)

Scraping by was the norm. I got pretty good at it, too.

But I knew better. There is no fixed amount of pie out there in the world. It’s not a zero-sum game where if I have a slice, that means someone goes without. Instead, for every slice I take, I can create a whole new pie to share with others. (Shoutout to T. Harv Eker whose book nudged a radical transformation in my mindset here.)

Investing in the best tools I could afford meant investing in my productivity. Could it be that my own health is one of the most crucial tools of all?

Life Or Death? Do I REALLY Need the Best Desk Chair?

I’d recently spent time with some folks experiencing significant mobility issues due to age and poor self-care. Watching them struggle to move well was hard. All I’d really seen was my parents, who are super-active and completely mobile. My dad, at 76, still goes to the gym about five days a week. He can do so many unassisted pull ups that he sometimes draws a crowd. THAT is the kind of mobility I want to enjoy until they put me in the ground.

This chair was more than a frivolous splurge. Mobility and self-care was more than a weak justification for overspending. If this ALL33 chair was all it was cracked up to be, it could be one of the best purchases ever.

So, I Did It

They’ve got a guarantee, which is such a smart marketing tactic. Knowing that either I’d love this chair or be able to send it back for a full refund made it a lot less risky.

They also had a little sale going on when I bought. (If I’d known someone who had one, I could have used their link to get a discount, too. Now I have a link like that - and you can use it to get $75 off if you want one.)

Shipping is included, so that’s good because it’s a pretty big box.

I came home from a work trip and saw the box out at the curb. That meant one thing: My sweet hubby had assembled it for me!

Here’s the Scoop (and the scoop is the seat!)

It looks great. Just a little different from a standard office chair, if you don’t look closely. But when you do look closer, you see that the sitting surface is different. It reminds me of a saddle. It articulates, shifting to support you no matter how you sit. The lumbar support is practically angelic. The back allows for rocking or just tipping backward. The arms fold up so you can scoot into your work surface without obstruction. The wheels are as smooth as a good Target cart. I got the cloth version instead of the leather or faux leather - mostly because I like my butt to stay where I plant it rather than sliding, which seems to be a thing with leather seats.

Initial Impressions

The first few days of working in the chair were blissful. I felt zero fatigue from sitting. For some reason, I also felt so much more energized that I got up more often to putter. Nice.

The next few days felt a little sore. Kind of like when you go to the gym after a hiatus. Even if you take it easy, your muscles gripe about having to work. That’s how it was. Mostly it was my tailbone and mid back complaining. They stopped kvetching within a day or two, accepting that this was the new normal for sitting.

Now, I Don’t Want to Leave Home… Ever!

I’m a homebody anyway. First, of course, there’s the fact that my sweet hubby is there! Also, got to acknowledge the dogs and other animals. This is my home.

The daily routines I’ve created are so soothing and energizing for me. The environment is just what I want. Days just flow as I do work I love and spend my non-working hours with my mate.

And that chair? I actually miss it when I’m working away from home. After all, it is by far the best desk chair my butt has ever sat upon.

Want to Try this Chair for Yourself? Here's a Promo Code for $50 Off ALL33 Chairs

If you have to sit, why not do it in a chair that will help you sit better, move better, stand better, and feel better? Use my special code VESTEDBEAUTY50 for an extra $50 off the chair you deserve!

#ALL33 desk chair #best desk chair

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