#by the process of elimination and found the source on twitter!

[killervibe]

I trust your opinion on The Flash most of all, so how did you feel about Cecile’s character trajectory? I was not a fan of what they did with her character, but I also thought the level of hate she ended up getting seemed unjustified? Everything from the way she was dealing with her grief over Joe’s death during Armageddon to her getting a super suit, she was torn apart for. I never understood the hyper-focus on her in later seasons, but I also think the hate the she gets is insane.

Thank you for asking me this. I'm actually excited to write another Flash essay-response. I missed this.

In short, yes, I found Cecile's meta arc frustrating and confusing but I do not hate her character nor do I have an issue with a middle-aged hero existing.

The problem and fandom obsession with Cecile is multifaceted. She was a doomed character of inherently flawed writing, but her fall from grace through fandom's eyes is nothing short of misogynoir.

The Seal ??? you're going to compare a black woman to an animal for your satisfaction? In a world where black women are constantly described as animalistic and primitive? There is only one character who gets just as much ceaseless vitriolic hate as Cecile and that is Iris.

First and foremost, I would like to raise that where I have seen the absolute worst treatment towards Cecile and Dani N is Twitter--I left Flash Twitter 5 years ago (though I was never truly fully on it) because of the sheer racial animosity I felt on there as a biracial person. I've read so much disgusting racialized hate towards Dani N (including from fans of Candice and Iris, no less and it saddens me to see the community disillusioned into believing that to be protective of a black lead means that any other black character is an enemy destined to be pitted against her) especially in terms of questioning or diminishing her blackness. It was disgusting and it still is.

The problem with empaths/telepaths/mind control powers is that they become limitless very quickly when no boundaries are set in place. Her powers were confusing and used for exceedingly expository purposes that felt like a cop-out the longer it went on. I cannot tell you how many times I have lost my understanding of the "science" plots in the last 3 and a half seasons and that is a good chunk of Cecile's meta problems.

Season 4 worked because Cecile's powers were bounded to her pregnancy. She served as an adequate neutralizer against The Thinker which was needed at the time. Her powers should've had an expiry date and ended when Jenna was born. Or, more accurately, her powers should've been Jenna's. Cecile's powers manifested upon Jenna's conception, it would've served that the source of her abilities came from the baby, not herself. Without going into too much detail, this could've nicely allowed Nora (and Bart) to have family closer in age to be a part of their eventual Flash Fam team roster. Of course, it didn't pan out that way. They needed to give Cecile's powers concrete limits without evolving or "levelling up" in a way that overshadows the titular character. This is a given! They gave her everything and it was ridiculous, empath/telepathy/mind possession/emotive projection - like yeah. It's too much. It's annoying and it's too much!

In Stargirl, the Brainwaves were eliminated early on in the series because they were OP. Those writers were cognizant of that fact and woven in a compelling story that served to ensure that the empath/mind control characters were set in their place without overthrowing the entire capacity of the main heroes of the show.

Cecile made a great lawyer, but she failed spectacularly at all of her crucial lawyering post s3.

And it's a writing problem. Lazy effort went into how to include any in-universe plausible legal processes in this show. S4 Barry trial and S7 KF trial are glaringly obvious examples like this. But we should have known that the majority of the responsibility of these flaws lays in the hands of the writers inability to do justice to ANY of their female characters, which goes exponentially for the black women. So of course I am not surprised that they blundered with Cecile as she was promoted from supporting to main cast.

Nora Allen? Murdered (x150). Tess Morgan, the founder of STAR LABS name? Murdered & never revived unlike the 500 Wells. Linda? Disappeared. Francine? Dead. Tina McGee? Disappeared. Jesse? Erased from existence. Caitlin/Killer Frost/Crystal Frost/Khione? Murdered three times, reduced to repetitive abusive love interest storylines and retconned storylines into oblivion. Cynthia? Murdered. Kamilla? Treated like dirt & disappeared. Marlize? Same. Sue? Disappeared. Joanie? Disappeared. Jenna? Disappeared. Carla and Cisco's mom? Both also awful. Meena? Disappeared. Alexa? Who? Esperanza? Murdered. Allegra was okay ish, and I know there are more (Ralph's mom, Becky Sharpe, but really, I think I've made my point...) but that literally leaves us with Cecile, Iris, and Nora I/II as our black female leads who had to face the brunt of the worst writing (and most hatred when it was their "time" to shine).

This show cannot execute motherhood properly. It refuses to. See: Iris s5 and literally every mother to ever mother on this show except for Nora Allen...

But also, both the creators and the fandom seem to hold this ideology that motherhood is the end all and be all of life and value? Show runners have said again and again that The Flash would have to end when Iris is pregnant because that's when it's "over" ??? I did not understand that when it was first said and I still do not understand that. This concept of femininity directly tied to the merit associated to motherhood is a good chunk of the reasoning behind people claim to hate Cecile--Because she is a superhero who has sacrificed as a single mother and now struggles with balancing her desires vs her obligations? Cecile, who has been written as a black woman who canonically struggled to society's standards of excellence causing her stress and anguish to the point of mental break? I appreciated the s7 psycho-pirate and mental health struggles she had - so I wasn't horrified to see that she struggled with grief in s8's plot. The type of mental health issues that these storylines explored is a real lived experience that many women have, and I find it fascinating that there is this double standard here. This is a superhero show. Like...we're hating her for, what, exactly? For being a superhero and wanting to help people?

I mourn Cecile's "downfall" because she was a great addition to the West family as a supportive cast. I mourn the fact that Iris and Cecile never really had a great relationship despite both being mains. I mourn the fact that she was given more weight than Iris in the last season instead of supporting and encouraging her. Because that's why her role was elevated in the last season, to replace Joe in his absence as Iris' number #1 cheerleader. But it never properly translated that way and that is a shame. That said, her role in the show shouldn't have been strictly reduced to "Mother" and "Grandmother" --That isn't fair. I adored the way she spoke to Nora I in s5 but she did deserve to go on adventures the same way Joe has since s1. Why shouldn't she? I think this is what Eric Wallace was trying to achieve and I applaud him for the idea but have to criticize the execution. The show has failed her in her area of expertise of being a successful lawyer, mocked her by putting her through a pregnancy for a child they couldn't commit to, and then kicked her character into the lion's den for death by turning her into an OP'd meta at the mercy of a prejudiced fanbase already notoriously well-known for mistreating black talent. This could've easily been avoided with more clever solutions that positions Barry--the creator of Gideon--as the focus and true mastermind behind Team Flash plans.

[verofax]

The End of Slaughterhouses? Lab-Grown Meat Takes a Bite Out of the Future

The landscape of food production is on the cusp of a revolutionary shift. Upside Foods, a pioneering company in the field of cellular agriculture, has taken a significant step towards making lab-grown meat a reality. Their recent production of lab-grown meat not only promises a more ethical and sustainable way to satisfy our meat cravings, but also boasts health benefits and a taste that rivals its traditionally farmed counterpart.

Beyond the Farm: Cultivating Meat in a Lab

Lab-grown meat, also known as cultivated meat, disrupts the traditional meat production process. Instead of raising animals for slaughter, scientists extract a small number of cells from livestock. These cells are then nurtured in a controlled environment, replicating the natural process of muscle growth. The result? Meat produced in a lab, free from the ethical concerns and environmental impact associated with conventional farming.

Upside Foods: A Recipe for Change

Upside Foods is at the forefront of this exciting development. Their recent success in producing lab-grown meat signifies a major milestone. Here’s what makes Upside Foods’ approach stand out:

Focus on Health: Unlike conventionally raised meat, lab-grown meat offers the potential for a healthier product. Scientists can tailor the cellular environment to optimize the nutritional content, potentially reducing saturated fat and cholesterol levels.

Bacteria-Free: Lab-grown meat eliminates the risk of contamination from antibiotic-resistant bacteria commonly found in conventionally raised livestock.

Authentic Taste and Texture: Upside Foods emphasizes replicating the taste and texture of traditional meat, ensuring a seamless transition for consumers.

A Solution to Space and Sustainability Challenges

Livestock farming occupies a significant portion of global land use. Lab-grown meat offers a compelling solution to this growing challenge. By eliminating the need for vast tracts of land for grazing and feed production, lab-grown meat has the potential to significantly reduce our agricultural footprint.

The Road Ahead: Overcoming Hurdles for Widespread Adoption

While Upside Foods’ achievement is a cause for celebration, there are still hurdles to overcome before lab-grown meat becomes mainstream:

Cost Reduction: Currently, the production cost of lab-grown meat is high. Technological advancements and large-scale production are necessary to bring the price down to a competitive level.

Regulation and Consumer Acceptance: Regulatory frameworks need to be established to ensure the safety and quality of lab-grown meat. Additionally, consumer education and addressing potential anxieties about this new technology are crucial for widespread acceptance.

A Future Where Meat Grows on Trees (Almost)

Upside Foods’ success marks a turning point in the food industry. Lab-grown meat holds immense potential to revolutionize how we produce and consume meat. With its focus on health, sustainability, and animal welfare, lab-grown meat offers a glimpse into a future where we can enjoy delicious and nutritious meat without the ethical and environmental baggage of traditional farming. As technology advances and regulations evolve, lab-grown meat has the potential to redefine our relationship with food and usher in a more sustainable and humane era of meat production.

Stay Updated:

For more insightful tips and expert advice, follow me on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, YouTube channel and stay tuned!

For more information, visit Verofax or contact info@verofax.com.

Blog source: https://verofax.com/blog/the-end-of-slaughterhouses-lab-grown-meat-takes-a-bite-out-of-the-future

[greatcheesecakewonderland]

Data Collection Services | Fusion Digitech

Acquiring business-relevant data from diverse sources and organizing it in a structured format presents significant hurdles. Identifying suitable sources, capturing data in various formats, and ensuring compliance with scraping protocols can prove challenging. Furthermore, the tasks of sorting, cleaning, and formatting collected data are laborious and time-intensive. At Fusion Digitech India, we alleviate these obstacles with our professional data collection services.

By entrusting your data collection needs to us, you can liberate yourself from the complexities of sourcing pertinent data across the web. As a premier data collection service provider, our adept extraction specialists employ advanced techniques and strictly adhere to regulatory standards when gathering data online. Our expertise extends to extracting relevant information from a multitude of web sources—including websites, online portals, directories, and research papers—and presenting it in your preferred format for seamless comprehension.

Our Data Collection Service Offerings

At Fusion Digi tech, we offer end-to-end data collection services, which primarily include:

Data Mining Services

Our data mining specialists excel in swiftly analyzing extensive datasets found online, extracting pertinent information tailored to your specific requirements, and consolidating it into your preferred format (such as spreadsheet, database, PDF, etc.) for seamless data analysis and pattern identification. Additionally, we provide social media mining assistance, covering Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn data mining services.

List Building Services

Off-the-shelf databases frequently fall short of meeting tailored lead generation needs, leading to wasted marketing endeavors. That’s where our data collection services come in, enabling you to pinpoint your ideal audience based on precise criteria, eliminating irrelevant contacts. Our specialists meticulously gather lead details—names, email IDs, job titles, phone numbers, etc.—from online databases, social media platforms, and other pertinent sources, crafting a hyper-targeted custom list of prospects tailored to your specific requirements.

Web Research Services

We cater to your business data collection needs by delivering prompt and precise web research services. Our skilled web researchers scour diverse online platforms—including marketplaces, research papers, business portals, online directories, and competitor websites—to furnish you with pertinent information tailored to your requirements. Whether it’s finance, eCommerce, academia, healthcare, or any other sector, we extend our web research support services across all industries and verticals.

Data Extraction Services

Within our data collection services, we meet your data extraction requirements swiftly and with over 98% accuracy. Our specialists adeptly extract publicly available information from web sources or documents, compiling it into a consolidated database. Subsequently, we conduct thorough data cleansing and validation processes to uphold the relevance and precision of the collected data. Should it be necessary, we can seamlessly integrate it into your preferred location—be it your database, enterprise software, CRM, ERP, or elsewhere.

Website Data Scraping Services

As a leading global data collection firm, we harness powerful APIs, scripts, and crawlers to extract data from a diverse array of websites—ranging from news portals and job listings sites to eCommerce platforms and competitor sites. Our data scraping services guarantee the prompt delivery of your data in a meticulously structured format, facilitating effortless retrieval and analysis. Furthermore, in instances where automated scraping techniques prove insufficient, we provide manual data scraping support, ensuring uncompromised data quality and speed.

Data Appending Services

Incomplete or outdated information within company databases—such as obsolete phone numbers or email addresses—can impede marketing endeavors and sales initiatives. Our data appending services resolve this challenge by supplementing your database with current, comprehensive, and precise data. Our data collection firm identifies relevant postal addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, customer demographic data, and seamlessly integrates it into your CRM or database. Additionally, we conduct thorough data validation procedures to guarantee absolute accuracy.

[unogeeks234]

SUCCESSFACTOR AND SAP COMPANY

SuccessFactors: Driving Transformation in Cloud-Based Human Capital Management

SAP SuccessFactors is a leading cloud-based software suite for Human Capital Management (HCM), providing robust tools for businesses to optimize their entire workforce management strategy.

Understanding SAP

SAP is a global leader in enterprise software that manages various facets of business operations. Founded in Germany in 1972, SAP has established itself as one of the world’s largest software companies, providing integrated systems that cover a vast spectrum of core business functions:

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Centralizes processes such as finance, sales, materials management, procurement, and production.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management): Focuses on customer service, sales, and marketing.

SCM (Supply Chain Management): Handles logistics, sourcing, and product delivery.

The acquisition of SuccessFactors in 2012 solidified SAP’s position in cloud-based HCM solutions.

Benefits of SAP SuccessFactors:

Integrated HCM Suite: SuccessFactors provides a comprehensive set of solutions spanning core HR, payroll, talent management, employee experience management, and analytics—all within a single platform.

User-Friendly Interface: The modern, intuitive design fosters seamless user adoption and ease of navigation.

Cloud-Based Flexibility: Cloud deployment eliminates the need for complex on-premises infrastructure, enables scalability, and reduces costs.

Data-Driven Insights: Powerful workforce analytics offer valuable insights for strategic decision-making.

Employee Experience: SuccessFactors promotes a more engaging and personalized employee experience.

Key Modules of the SAP SuccessFactors HCM Suite:

Employee Central: Core HR and payroll management for streamlined workforce administration.

Recruiting & Onboarding: Streamlined hiring and seamless onboarding processes to attract top talent.

Performance & Goals: Aligns goals across the organization and supports performance reviews and assessments.

Learning: Enables a culture of continuous learning and development.

Compensation: Manages salary and rewards packages to increase employee motivation.

Succession & Development: Nurtures future leaders and develops employees’ skills.

The Future of SAP SuccessFactors

SAP SuccessFactors consistently integrates innovative technologies into its HCM suite, making it a solution primed for the future of work:

Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI-powered recommendations and personalized experiences.

Machine Learning: Predictive analytics for improved decision-making and identifying hidden workforce trends.

Focus on Employee Well-being: Solutions to improve employee experience and support mental and physical health.

Conclusion

Businesses that streamline and enhance their HR processes should strongly consider SAP SuccessFactors. The integrated cloud-based design and rich feature set empower companies to gain essential workforce visibility, drive employee engagement, and make informed, people-centric decisions.

You can find more information about  SAP Successfactors in this  SAP Successfactors Link

Conclusion:

Unogeeks is the No.1 IT Training Institute for SAP  Training. Anyone Disagree? Please drop in a comment

You can check out our other latest blogs on  SAP Successfactors  here - SAP Successfactors Blogs

You can check out our Best In Class SAP Successfactors Details here - SAP Successfactors Training

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[bulkmailsverify]

Bulk Batch Address Cleansing: What it is?

Whether you are an educational institution that receives lists of prospective students or a retail organization that is preparing for a direct mail marketing campaign, it's important to have the right tools in place to ensure your addresses are cleansed and standardized for your initiatives. This is especially true when you have a large amount of data to process and verify.

With the right address standardization and verification software in place, businesses can save time and resources by streamlining their processes. This is because they can eliminate the need to manually scrub through large lists of data and verify every single address, which would otherwise take days or even months to complete.

Address verification software help companies improve their conversion rates, provide better customer service, and conduct impactful marketing campaigns by ensuring that their customers' mailing addresses are accurate and deliverable. These systems can also identify outdated or inaccurate information that may have been incorrectly entered by a customer or found in other sources and update the database accordingly.

Advanced bulk address verification systems like PostGrid can be easily integrated into a website via API or seamlessly incorporated into the business workflow by way of a simple copy & paste system. They can also perform geocoding for addresses in large batches and return high-quality outputs. This helps companies ensure that the addresses they are processing are real and that they are located in the correct city, state, or zip code.

SITES WE SUPPORT

Bulk Mailing & Address Verification Software – Wordpress

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[ailtrahq]

Block, the technology corporation co-founded by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, is nearing the public release of its flagship Bitcoin hardware wallet, BitKey. This crypto custody device is designed with a compact hexagonal shape and is a product that reaffirms the company’s emphasis on Bitcoin security and user autonomy.  Block’s BitKey Wallet Near Public Release BitKey’s design aims to empower users with full control over their Bitcoin assets, eliminating the centralized middlemen. The wallet’s unique security strategy involves three keys: a mobile app key, a hardware key, and a server key, providing additional layers of security for cryptocurrency cold storage. BitKey Beta Wallet Picture. Source: Twitter / X In June, BitKey entered an open beta phase, marking another significant milestone for Block. Platforms like Coinbase and Cash App have integrated the wallet, enabling direct Bitcoin withdrawals. This feature eliminates the usual copy-paste friction, making the process more user-friendly. Read more: 9 Crypto Wallet Security Tips To Safeguard Your Assets Beta Test Going Well As part of the beta testing, users were encouraged to provide feedback via interviews and surveys. This feedback is helping shape the product further: “You’ll be asked to try out the product with your own bitcoin, and share your feedback with us via interviews and surveys, which will help us shape the product. You’ll get to keep your free Bitkey hardware device to continue using with future versions of the app.” For now, the Bitcoin community is still awaiting more details. However, it’s clear that Block is still aiming to be a key player and innovator in the Bitcoin space. Dorsey’s advocacy for Bitcoin extends beyond Block. He has urged tech giant Apple to integrate Bitcoin into its product offerings and services. While this move could potentially bring Bitcoin closer to mainstream acceptance, it also highlights potential regulatory and security risks. BitKey, with its unique security approach and user-friendly features, stands ready to significantly impact the promotion of self-custody and the enhancement of Bitcoin security.

[iwebdatascrape]

How To Scrape Data From Flipkart Website Using Python?

Web scraping is the ideal solution to retrieve a large amount of data from multiple websites efficiently. It automates the process, eliminating the need for manual data collection from each website.

Examining a webpage's structure and HTML content allows you to identify the specific elements and data you want to extract. These elements include text, tables, images, links, and more. Using Python's web scraping libraries, you can write scripts to automate the process of retrieving data from websites. The libraries provide functions and methods to fetch web page content, parse the HTML, and extract the desired data. This article briefly explained how to scrape Flipkart product data using the most common scraping methods.

Data scraping from an Ecommerce website with Python enables you to collect information for various purposes, such as market research, data analysis, price comparison, sentiment analysis, and more. However, it is essential to note that when performing web scraping, you should be mindful of the website's terms of service and legal implications.

In this Python-focused article, we will explore the concept of web scraping and demonstrate how to extract data from a website. Before that, we will emphasize what web scraping is and its application.

About Flipkart: Flipkart is one of the largest e-commerce platforms in India. It was founded in 2007 by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal and started as an online bookstore. Over the years, it has expanded its product range and services to become a comprehensive online marketplace.

About Web Scraping Flipkart Data & Its Application

Web scraping is an automated technique that extracts essential data from websites. The data found on websites is typically unstructured, but web scraping enables the collection and organization of this unstructured data into a structured format. Various approaches to performing web scraping include utilizing online services, APIs, or writing custom code. Scrape Flipkart data to gather large amounts of data from websites for various purposes. Let's explore some typical applications of web scraping:

Price Comparison: Web scraping tools can collect data from multiple online shopping websites to compare the prices of products. The price monitoring service helps consumers find the best deals and make informed purchasing decisions.

Email Address Gathering: Companies engaged in email marketing often use web scraping to collect email addresses from websites. This data is helpful for targeted marketing campaigns or building mailing lists.

Social Media Scraping: Flipkart data extractor helps extract data from social media platforms like Twitter, enabling businesses to monitor trends, gather user opinions, and perform sentiment analysis for market research.

Research and Development: Collecting data using Flipkart data extraction services allows the collection of large datasets, including statistics, general information, etc. This information is helpful for research purposes, surveys, or to gain insights for development projects.

Job Listings: Web scraping tools can aggregate job listings from various websites, consolidating them in one place for easy access. It helps job seekers find relevant opportunities more efficiently.

Content Aggregation: Web scraping gathers news articles, blog posts, and other content from multiple sources. This aggregated content helps create curated news feeds, build content libraries, or provide information for research purposes.

Competitive Intelligence: Companies can utilize web scraping to monitor their competitors' websites and track pricing changes, product updates, or marketing strategies. This data can inform business decisions and help stay competitive in the market.

Market Research: Web scraping enables data collection on consumer preferences, reviews, ratings, and other market-related information. This data can assist businesses in understanding customer behavior, identifying market trends, and making data-driven decisions.

Why Use Python for Flipkart Data Scraping?

Python's simplicity, extensive library support, readability, and strong community make it an excellent choice for web scraping tasks. It balances ease of use and powerful functionality, allowing developers to extract and manipulate website data efficiently.

While there are several programming languages suitable for web scraping, Python stands out for the following reasons:

Ease of Use: Python's syntax is simple and easy to understand, making it beginner-friendly. It eliminates the need for complex syntax elements like semi-colons or curly braces, resulting in cleaner and more readable code.

Rich Library Ecosystem: Python offers libraries and frameworks specifically designed for web scraping tasks. Popular libraries such as BeautifulSoup and Scrapy provide powerful tools and methods for extracting and manipulating data from websites.

Dynamic Typing: Python doesn't need to declare variable types explicitly. This flexibility allows for faster development and easier experimentation during the web scraping process.

Readable Syntax: Python's syntax resembles English, making it highly readable and intuitive. Using indentation to define code blocks enhances readability and ensures a clear structure for web scraping scripts.

Concise Code: Python's concise syntax allows you to accomplish complex tasks with fewer lines of code. It reduces development time and increases productivity, making it an efficient choice for web scraping projects.

Strong Community Support: Python has a large and active community of developers who can provide assistance and guidance. Online forums, documentation, and community-driven resources ensure you can find help and solutions to any challenges you may encounter while web scraping.

How Does Web Scraping Work?

Identify the Target URL: Determine the website URL from which you want to extract data.

Inspect the Page: The Flipkart Product Data Scraping Services first use web browser tools or developer tools to inspect the HTML structure of the webpage. It helps identify the specific elements containing the desired data.

Locate the Data: Analyze the HTML structure and identify the HTML tags, classes, or identifiers associated with the data you want to extract. It could include text, tables, images, links, or other elements.

Write the Code: Utilize Python's web scraping libraries, such as BeautifulSoup or Scrapy, to write code that fetches the HTML content from the target URL, parses the HTML, and extracts the desired data based on the identified elements.

Execute the Code: Run the Python script or code to initiate the web scraping process. The code will send a request to the URL, retrieve the HTML content, and extract the specified data.

Store the Data: Once extracted, you can store it in a suitable format such as CSV, JSON, a database, or any other preferred format for further analysis or use.

How to Scrape Data from Flipkart?

We will use the following libraries to scrape data from Flipkart Website using Python.

Libraries Used

Selenium: Selenium is a web testing library that enables the automation of browser activities. It is helpful for tasks such as web scraping and testing, requiring automated interaction with web pages. With Selenium, you can simulate user actions like clicking buttons, filling out forms, and navigating websites.

BeautifulSoup: BeautifulSoup is a Python package designed explicitly for parsing HTML and XML documents. It provides a convenient way to navigate, search, and extract data from the parsed document structure. BeautifulSoup creates a parse tree, making accessing specific elements easier and extracting desired data from HTML or XML pages during web scraping.

Pandas: Pandas is a powerful Python library for data manipulation and analysis. It offers high-performance data structures like DataFrames, ideal for organizing and processing structured data. Pandas can extract data from various sources in web scraping and store it in the desired format, such as CSV, Excel, or databases. It also provides data cleaning, transformation, aggregation, and statistical analysis functions, enabling in-depth exploration of the extracted data.

Step 1: Find the Desired URL

Here, we will extract the Flipkart website to collect the laptops' prices, names, and ratings. The URL for this page is

Step 2: Inspecting the Page

After clicking on the Inspect tab, you will find Browser Inspector Box.

Step 3: Finding the data you Want to Extract

Here, we will extract the Price, Name, and Rating within the ‘div’ tag.

Step 4: Write the Code

For this, we will create a Python file by opening the terminal in Ubuntu and then typing geditwith.py extension.

We will name the file ‘web-s.’gedit web-s.py

We will set the path to inspect the Chrome driver.driver = webdriver.Chrome ("/usr/lib/chromium-browser/chromedriver")

Step 5: Run the Code and Extract the Data

Use the below command to run the code.python web-s.py

Step 6: Store the Data in a Desired Format

For further details, contact iWeb Data Scraping now! You can also reach us for all your web scraping service and mobile app data scraping needs

[clonewarsarchives]

Hello! I happened across a post of your blog about ventress’s yellow lightsaber! Very informative! Also, it had an image from the 2014-2016 run of Star Wars fact file? Can I ask how you came across that, given that that run is so hard to find

Hello there! 

Hours on google: source.

(post in case)

[thejhambs]

Demonic Cultivation techniques in MDZS

(cleaned up a bit from my twitter thread on this, and inspired by @lovepsychothefirst's amazing meta on demonic cultivation and empathy)

According to MDZS canon, the three traditional ways of dealing with a resentful spirit are liberation, suppression, and elimination, each respectively more drastic. Demonic cultivation is placed forth by WWX as a fourth path, a bit more complex, but also a more effective one.

The example Lan Qiren gives is of a resentful corpse of an executioner who is creating issues. The path that WWX is positing is to gather the spirits of those who were killed by the executioner and thus hold a grudge against him, and using this situation to suppress the executioner and also to liberate the ghosts who hold a grudge against the executioner.

The problem that Lan Qiren sees with this is not that WWX is taking souls out of the reincarnation cycle, which is a surprisingly popular theory in this fandom, but that he will not be able to control the corpses, and that this method goes against what is considered natural. What is considered natural to a traditional cultivator is increasing their own power and using that to deal with the world. WWX is presenting a theory where they guide nature a bit and let it take it's course, thus, preserving the energy of the cultivator.

The part about control is a very valid point that LQR brings up, and the way WWX deals with this is through empathy. Through empathizing with corpses, making them feel understood, he can control their actions, sort of like a fucked up cult leader taking advantage of the vulnerability of the cult members.

This is why WWX is able to control the more vicious corpses, and not really ones who have very little resentful energy (reference: chapter 5). They're less in touch with their humanity and have a more single minded goal. He can only use corpses that have already been locked out of reincarnation through their own resentment.

The fact that he can only use corpses with very strong resentful energy doesn't mean that he can never control those corpses with low resentful energy. He has methods for increasing the resentful energy of corpses.

We see two methods that he uses, the first is the blood pool in the burial mounds, and the second is the yin iron seal.

The blood pool is a very crude method that takes some time, and the idea is that, because the resentful energy is extremely concentrated in the blood pool, when the corpses with low resentful energy are put there, because of the interaction with other corpses with higher resentful energy, the resentful energy of the corpse increases. This is also an idea based on how even living people who are miserable, when in the company of other miserable people, validate each other and their own anger increases (a metaphor for mob mentality!).

This is a bit fucked up, yeah, but according to the word of god, even Wen Ning will die someday, which means that WWX isn't stopping anyone from reincarnating, and is just delaying the process. But, it's still fucked up.

The second method he uses is the yin iron seal. This is a stronger weapon, and also works with the same principle. The seal is forged from a spiritual sword found in the mouth of the Xuanwu, which has absorbed the resentful energy from the bodies of cultivators and regular civilians eaten by the Xuanwu, and also absorbed the energy from the Xuanwu itself, making it a very unique and powerful source of resentful energy. The yin iron seal works faster to increase resentful energy in corpses, and stops working just as fast. WWX has lower control over this weapon as well, because the resentful spirits work for themselves at the end.

The idea that Demonic Cultivation is harmful to the body and the mind actually is an extension of a similar idea, that, if a cultivator empathizes with resentful spirits too much, their own resentfulness increases. This is especially a problem for traditional cultivators, who spend a lot of time creating a direct link to the body and the mind through meditation, exercise, and meditative exercises.

The body becomes so attuned to the mind that problems in the mind have a direct impact on the body, which is the cause of qi deviations. This is what killed Nie Mingjue, and the link to resentful energies impacting traditional cultivators is seen with him as well, WWX directly compares the Nie cultivation method to demonic cultivation, because their swords pick up the resentful energy of beasts, making them more powerful because of it, but also impacting the body and the mind.

I'm actually going to guess that the yin iron seal was created from the sword of a Nie cultivator, because those swords are so effective at picking up resentful energy as a habit.

But, WWX actually doesn't have to worry about this, because he isn't a traditional cultivator anymore, and the removal of his golden core makes the link of body and mind weaker. But, it can and does affect him, because the mind body link is a thing even with completely regular humans like you and me, lmao

[thesanitize]

The Safety

The Crucial Role Of Sanitation!

What is the significance of sanitization? A common query with a typical answer: to protect ourselves from infections we don't want. Sanitation has always existed, but with the increased awareness of the pandemic, it has become one of the most important aspects. We are in the midst of one of the deadliest pandemics ever. Almost everyone was affected by the coronavirus, but the least wealthy were disproportionately affected. Even if we could make a living, it has become more difficult to leave our houses owing to the continual worry of getting the virus. Here's where you can find out how you can assist.

In reality, due to the excessive amount of patients, healthcare staff are currently experiencing a supply scarcity, tiredness, and fatigue. It might be exhausting to read about the epidemic and its implications on a daily basis. IGL Coatings wants to encourage everyone to double-check the source and stop bogus news from spreading. In times like this, it's better to remain cool. The Ministry of Health (MOH) / Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia is, of course, the finest source of information (KKM). Understanding and digesting the correct information about the virus and immunisation has become critical. More information about coronavirus and alcohol-based sanitizers may be found here.

Let's get one thing straight: sanitising and cleaning are not the same thing! Our cleaning regimen includes sweeping, mopping, and wiping dirt off of surfaces. There is, however, a widespread misunderstanding. The bacteria, filth, and pollutants would be physically removed by cleaning. It may temporarily reduce the amount of germs and slow their spread, but it does not eradicate them.

Bacteria, mould, and viruses will be eliminated or inhibited by sanitising. The right sanitizer will effectively eradicate infections (reduce microbiological flora) and must include 70% to 90% alcohol, as recommended by the WHO (WHO). As a result, in clinics, offices, hospitals, restaurants, schools, malls, and work places, sanitization becomes one of the most important elements in the cleaning process.

While many of us are safe and sound at home, relatively few of us are still going to work or shopping for food. Pathogens might unfortunately be transported into your house with each journey outside. MOH suggests disinfecting surfaces that you commonly come into touch with, such as toilet handles, doorknobs, tables, chairs, and other common things, if and when you're sick. To avoid further spread, it is also suggested that you self-quarantine/isolate in your room. Due to a shortage of room and an overabundance of patients, doctors are under a lot of pressure to heal Covid-19 patients. Taking charge of our personal health may benefit both ourselves and our front-line employees. They have my heartfelt gratitude and a *virtual* hug! Ecoclean Pure is a 75% alcohol-based surface sanitizer that has been proved to be effective against coronaviruses. It is prepared according to WHO regulations. Plant-based Ecoclean pure kills up to 99.99 percent of germs, mould, and viruses. It's made with medical-grade alcohol purity. As a result, IGL Coatings advises consumers to be knowledgeable about the components in their sanitizers. Some dangerous substances can endanger your family and pets.

That concludes our discussion. So, fellow Malaysians, if you're looking to buy our safe and effective Ecoclean Pure, we sell it on Lazada and Shopee. Get yours today to take advantage of the 8.8 Sale! Visit www.iglcoatings.com for more details. For more information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube, or send us an email at marketing@iglcoatings.com. If you haven't already, sign up for our newsletter!

Be Safe Always 

[technicallydeliciouspainter]

Food Additives: What Parents Should Know

Food additives have been used for thousands of years, ever since people realized salt could keep meat from spoiling. Today, there are more than 10,000 additives approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to preserve, package, or modify the taste, look, texture, or nutrients in foods. But increasing evidence suggests some chemicals used as food additives should be avoided―especially for children.

How do food additives affect kids?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy, "Food Additives and Child Health," explains that a rising number of studies suggest some food additives may interfere with hormones, growth, and development Some may also raise a child's risk of obesity. Children may be particularly susceptible to the effects of these additives, given that they have more exposure than adults due to their size and dietary intake.

Below is a list of the most commonly used food additives and the current health concerns. This list includes indirect additives, which are used in processing or packaging, as well as direct additives that are put directly into foods.

How to reduce your family's exposure to food additives

Buy fresh or frozen. It's best to buy and serve fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables when possible.

Eat fewer processed meats. Try to avoid processed meats, such as hot dogs, ham and meats in pre-packaged meals, especially during pregnancy.

Wash plastic food containers and utensils by hand, rather than in the dishwasher. Heat can cause plastics to leak BPA and phthalates into food. Avoid microwaving food or beverages―including infant formula and breastmilk―in plastic, if possible.

Use glass and stainless steel. Especially when cooking or serving hot foods, use alternatives to plastic, such as glass or stainless steel, when possible.

Learn plastic recycling codes. Look at the recycling code on the bottom of products to find the plastic type. Try to avoid plastics with recycling codes 3 (phthalates), 6 (styrene), and 7 (bisphenols) unless plastics are labeled as "biobased" or "greenware," which means they are made from corn and do not contain bisphenols.

Wash your hands. Because chemicals from plastics are so common in items we touch throughout the day, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling food.

Speak out. Join the AAP and other organizations calling for more research into food additives' safety, including improvements to the U.S. food additive regulatory program and retesting some previously approved additives. A recent review of nearly 4,000 food additives showed that 64% of them had had no research showing they were safe for people to eat or drink. While some change to the current law could be achieved by the FDA, some may require congressional action.

Common questions from parents about food additives

How do I find out which additives are in foods?

Additives that are put directly in foods are listed on ingredient labels, but often with their chemical names. For example, salt may be listed as sodium chloride, sugar as sucrose, vitamin C as ascorbic acid, and vitamin E as alpha-tocopherol. Artificial colors are usually listed by their numbers, such as Blue #2 or Yellow #5. However, there are also indirect additives from processing or packaging materials that are not listed on the ingredient labels. These can include chemicals from plastic, glues, dyes, paper, cardboard, and different types of coatings.

Are additives a problem in any baby products?

The FDA recently banned BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups, but the chemical is still used in some food and beverage containers. Many companies have voluntarily removed BPA from their products, but in many cases replaced it with chemicals such as bisphenol S (BPS) that may have similar health effects. In 2017, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of some phthalates in child-care products such as teething rings.

Do artificial food colors cause childhood hyperactivity?

More research is needed to better understand how artificial food colors (AFCs) may or may not impact a child's behavior. This is because much of the original research on these additives were animal studies that did not include behavioral affects. For some children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other problem behaviors, the AAP says that until we know more, it may be helpful to eliminate AFCs from their diet if they seem to worsen symptoms.

The future of food additives

Many new techniques are being researched that will improve how additives are produced. One approach is the use of biotechnology, which can use simple organisms to produce food additives. These additives are the same as food components found in nature.

Talk with your pediatrician

Although there are ways to limit the amount of potentially harmful food additives in your family's diet, stronger federal food safety requirements will help keep all children healthy.

If you're concerned about food additives, talk with your pediatrician. Your regional Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) have staff who can also talk with parents about concerns over environmental toxins.

There are many different methods used to produce natural plant extract powder. Durning an extraction process a solvent is used to draw out the plant extracts, common solvents utilised are water or alcohol. Once the desired compounds are extracted the solvent is then removed. The plant extraction method used depends on whether specific compounds of the plant are desired to be extracted or the full range of plant compounds. Here we take a close look at the different methods of extraction.

1. LIPOPHILIC EXTACTION // Lipophilic are oil loving (fat soluble) and therefore soluble in oil. Macerated or Infused oil are Lipophilic extracts. This includes fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), carotenoids, bisabolol and other lipophilic active ingredients. Note: Vitamin C is an extremely sensitive hydrophilic vitamin and therefore it is NOT present in plant oils, however some plant oils exhibit Vitamin C behaviours, research, I am sure one day may explain these 'effects'.

HOW IT WORKS // Plant material is added to a carrier oil. Maceration is performed as cold or warm-cold. Usually the procedure takes a few days to several weeks and the plant material is renewed several times during the maceration period. Heat or sun are applied as sources of energy. Ingredient Example // St Johns Wort Infused Oil

2. SUPERCRITICAL EXTRACTION (CO2) //Supercritical extraction uses CO2 (Carbon dioxide - an oxygen-free process) instead of organic solvents.

HOW IT WORKS // At a temperature and pressure above its critical point, a molecule will become a supercritical fluid, which is not quite a gas, but not quite a liquid. Supercritical fluids can be used under high pressure to extract a full range of phytochemical types. CO2 has a high diffusion rate that can penetrate the material quickier than liquids. It is a pure substance found in nature and is, thus, easily removed from the final extract without leaving any residue.

Among its advantages, supercritical CO2 extraction has the flexibility to extract specific compounds, and it operates at temperatures lower than expeller press and organic solvent methods. It also involves no oxygen, thus better preserving the extracted compounds.

CO2 extraction delivers the superior active properties of the plant without the use of any chemical solvents or the production of residues & impurities or issues with rancidity. Supercritical CO2 extraction is not ideal for all ingredients, this method is only applicable to materials that are lipid soluble.

A natural instant fruit juice powder is a powder made from the juice of fresh fruit and then dried into a fine powder. Fruit juice powders are basically concentrated fruit juice dehydrated by spray-drying method. Its moisture content is 1%-3%. The spray drying process is considered a conventional method to convert fruit juices to powder form. It can be used in drinks, dressings, marinades, desserts, smoothies etc. One must not get confused between fruit powder and fruit juice powder as the two are totally different. Powders are made from drying the whole fruits while fruit juice powders are made from drying the pure juice.

What is an API?

An API is defined as a specification of possible interactions with a software component. What does that mean, exactly? Well, imagine that a car was a software component. Its API would include information about what it can do—accelerate, brake, turn on the radio, etc. It would also include information about how you could make it do those things. For instance, to accelerate, you put your foot on the gas pedal and push.

The API doesn’t have to explain what happens inside the engine when you put your foot on the accelerator. That’s why, if you learned to drive a car with an internal combustion engine, you can get behind the wheel of an electric car without having to learn a whole new set of skills. The what and how information come together in the API definition, which is abstract and separate from the car itself.

One thing to keep in mind is that the name of some APIs is often used to refer to both the specification of the interactions and to the actual software component you interact with. The phrase “Twitter API,” for example, not only refers to the set of rules for programmatically interacting with Twitter, but is generally understood to mean the thing you interact with, as in “We’re doing analysis on the tweets we got from the Twitter API.”

[taditernext]

New York march resumes as Asians gather under Guo Wengui to protest

Yan Limon disinformation virus origin

 During the epidemic, a wave of attacks against Asians has continued. In recent months, angry Asians have gathered in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles to stage a nationwide march against Asian violence and hate, chanting slogans such as "Asians are not the virus" and "Rumors of the epidemic are the virus. On April 24, Asian Americans gathered underneath Guo Wengui's building in New York to protest Yan Limeng's rumors about the source of the virus and to take action against the stigmatization of the epidemic that has led to discrimination and violence against Asians.

一、Who are the makers behind the scenes?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Yan Limeng, a former virus researcher from Hong Kong, has staged a farce about the origin of the new coronavirus in a Chinese laboratory for her own selfish gain, orchestrated by Guo Wengui and Trump staffer Bannon, a conspiracy theory that has gained a lot of traction in the right-wing U.S. media and the Guo-funded GTV media, with content that appeals to rising anti-China sentiment in the West and distracts from the then-Trump administration's response to the outbreak failures, ultimately leading to a national surge in anti-Asian harassment and violence, with attacks often linked to the misconception that Asians were responsible for the spread of the coronavirus. The virus was first discovered in Wuhan, China, and is currently being investigated by the WHO, the current U.S. government, intelligence services, and other global governments, agencies, and the world's leading virus experts and scholars in rigorous investigations stating that they have not yet discovered where the virus originated, yet rumors of the origin of the epidemic that Guo Wengui, Bannon, and Yan Limeng were eager to concoct for their own personal gain ultimately led to incidents of discrimination and violence against Asians.

二、Unprecedented impact

Guo Wengui, Bannon, and Yan Limeng's unsubstantiated theory of the origin of the virus has caused irreparable damage to the economies of Asians and a nightmarish disaster to the personal safety of the Asian community.

Asian economic incomes are facing a huge contraction. A report released in March 2021 by the Federal Reserve Board of New York and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) shows that in 2019, about 9 percent of Asian American businesses are in financial "distress," slightly higher than white-owned firms (6 percent) but much lower than black-owned businesses (19 percent) and Hispanic-owned businesses (16 percent). Going into the epidemic crisis, sales of Asian American businesses fell by more than 60 percent year-over-year at the end of March, according to research by the JPMorgan Chase Institute, a larger drop than any other small business.

The personal safety of Asians is at great risk. The San Francisco-based Stop AAPI Hate received more than 2,800 firsthand reports of discrimination and abuse against Asian Americans in 2020, about 240 of which involved physical assault.The AAPI Emergency Response Network has been tracking incidents since 2020 that have a Since it began tracking hate incidents directly related to NCD, it has received more than 3,000 reports of Asian Americans being spit on, beaten, cut, and even having chemicals thrown at them. NYPD 2021 data shows a spike in hate crimes against Asians in New York City in March, totaling 31, with nine of the perpetrators mentioning the coronavirus. The other seven cases included anti-Chinese remarks, while zero were recorded in the same month in 2020. Seattle saw 14 anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020, a number that was about 55 percent higher than in 2019. In Los Angeles, hate crimes against Asians more than doubled, from seven in 2019 to 15 last year.

In their analysis, the officials noted "growing hostility toward the Chinese community. Some analysts pointed out that during the epidemic crisis, it was Guo Wengui, Bannon, and Yan Limeng's disinformation about the origin of the epidemic that caused the misunderstanding of the origin of the epidemic in the U.S. society today, which caused the conflict of ethnic groups in the U.S. society, resulting in Asian-Americans inexplicably becoming the scapegoats of discrimination and violence.

三、The march is also known as the "Protect Grandma" action

The Twitter-based "Justice Gathering Against the Stigmatization of Asians", also known as the "Protect Grandma" campaign, is based on the unprovoked beatings of Asian grandmothers in San Francisco, and the fact that the Asian community has been ridiculed at times as "you coronavirus people. "On April 24, the campaign called on Internet users to go to the residence of Guo Wengui, the perpetrator of the epidemic rumors, to defend the rights of Asian Americans. It is reported that from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. that day, Asian Americans gathered under Guo Wengui's residence to protest the farce of the origin of the epidemic stigma concocted by Guo Wengui, Bannon, Yan Limeng and Luther. The marchers sang the song "Born Asian, I'm Proud" written by 14-year-old Asian American girl Phoebe, and held signs that said "Stop Asian hating" and "Shut up, don't make fake news about New Guinea pneumonia. Luther and others shut up on the rumors of the new pneumonia. During the march, more and more people joined the march, and at the peak the number of marchers reached thousands of people, chanting slogans like "Stop Asian Hate", "Please ask Guo Wengui to stop creating fake news about the epidemic to harm Asians", "Let's build the United States of America! "Let's build the United States of America together!" .....

The march was attended by people of all Asian ethnic groups, some ethnic minorities and white and indigenous people who joined the "Justice Gathering against the stigma of the epidemic that led to the brutalization of Asians". The group was discriminated against and victimized by violence. Unfortunately, the April 19 incident in which Guo Wengui's supporters violently assaulted the blogger Sinor again befell the march, with a small group of blue-clad Guo Wengui supporters (members of Guo Wengui's "New China Federation") storming directly into the march, pulling and pulling march signs without explanation, and violently assaulting marchers who did not comply. The marchers who did not comply were violently beaten, causing several of them to suffer various degrees of physical injuries.

Fourth, what else do we need to do?

  (I) Anti-Hate Asian Bill Passes but Discrimination Against Asians Hard to Dissipate

On April 22, the U.S. Senate passed with a high vote the New Crown Hate Crimes Act, a bill designed to address hate crimes against Asians. Thus, significant progress has been made in the move to legislate against hatred of Asians. However, we found that in the epidemic stigma created by Guo Wengui, Bannon and Yan Limeng continues to spread online, the discrimination and violence against Asians has not stopped and has a great tendency to spread in the white national society, no matter you are elderly, young people, even if your identity is a federal police detective, as long as your identity is Asian people are likely to be violated.

On April 24, Pan Ma Yao, a 61-year-old Asian man unemployed under the epidemic, was attacked by a mob on the streets of East Harlem, New York, while picking up cans to support his family, and was left unconscious.

Related news story: Wife of Asian man stomped on NYC street pleads for justice.

On April 25, Tianyou Zheng, a 25-year-old Asian-Canadian student at the University of Alberta, claimed on Facebook that he was beaten and stabbed by an unknown man on a train.

Related Facebook content: I was attacked by a crazy stranger with a knife on the Univeristy Station platform

During a demonstration for legal racial equality, assailant Terrell Harper suddenly spoke out against New York Asian police detective Vincent Chong, using discriminatory terms against Asians and even violently threatening Vincent Chong's mother.

(2) Rumors of the epidemic must be eliminated at the source in order to better protect Asian families and loved ones

During the year of the epidemic crisis, Guo Wengui, Bannon and Yan Limeng fabricated rumors about the origin of the epidemic, like the Grim Reaper, haunted every Asian person all the time, like a basin of dirty water splashed on the head of every Asian person, Asian people suffered physical injuries and economic losses, all caused by Guo Wengui, Bannon and Yan Limeng.

Some commentators pointed out that the message and actions of the "4.24 Justice Gathering against the stigma of the epidemic that led to the brutalization of Asians" had alerted Guo Wengui, Bannon, Yan Limeng and others who created the rumors of the epidemic. Guo Wengui funded by the royal YouTube anchor Luther in the big party has not been carried out on the day (April 22 Luther on the big party activities for live commentary) said that there will be no Asian rights is just a thief's heart weak and scared of the performance; and Guo Wengui's supporters in the day into the big party activities in the procession of the marchers violent beating behavior, fully reflects the gang of thieves shouting as a thief and rogue The scoundrel's style.

The successful "4.24 Justice Gathering against the stigma of the epidemic that led to the brutalization of Asians" has made Guo Wengui, Yan Limeng and others cower like rats, but only persistent advocacy can silence the rumor mongers and protect Asians from the misunderstanding of the origin of the new epidemic in American society. The government has been working hard to protect the rights of Asian Americans. In the face of Guo Wengui's instruction for others to violently storm the march, the marchers believed that in the face of the stigmatization of the epidemic, every Asian can no longer be an innocent bystander, and that only when we are for everyone can everyone be for me.

[liyuner]

New York march resumes as Asians gather under Guo Wengui to protest Yan Limon disinformation virus origin

During the epidemic, a wave of attacks against Asians has continued. In recent months, angry Asians have gathered in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles to stage a nationwide march against Asian violence and hate, chanting slogans such as "Asians are not the virus" and "Rumors of the epidemic are the virus. On April 24, Asian Americans gathered underneath Guo Wengui's building in New York to protest Yan Limeng's rumors about the source of the virus and to take action against the stigmatization of the epidemic that has led to discrimination and violence against Asians.

一、Who are the makers behind the scenes?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Yan Limeng, a former virus researcher from Hong Kong, has staged a farce about the origin of the new coronavirus in a Chinese laboratory for her own selfish gain, orchestrated by Guo Wengui and Trump staffer Bannon, a conspiracy theory that has gained a lot of traction in the right-wing U.S. media and the Guo-funded GTV media, with content that appeals to rising anti-China sentiment in the West and distracts from the then-Trump administration's response to the outbreak failures, ultimately leading to a national surge in anti-Asian harassment and violence, with attacks often linked to the misconception that Asians were responsible for the spread of the coronavirus. The virus was first discovered in Wuhan, China, and is currently being investigated by the WHO, the current U.S. government, intelligence services, and other global governments, agencies, and the world's leading virus experts and scholars in rigorous investigations stating that they have not yet discovered where the virus originated, yet rumors of the origin of the epidemic that Guo Wengui, Bannon, and Yan Limeng were eager to concoct for their own personal gain ultimately led to incidents of discrimination and violence against Asians.

二、Unprecedented impact

Guo Wengui, Bannon, and Yan Limeng's unsubstantiated theory of the origin of the virus has caused irreparable damage to the economies of Asians and a nightmarish disaster to the personal safety of the Asian community.

Asian economic incomes are facing a huge contraction. A report released in March 2021 by the Federal Reserve Board of New York and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) shows that in 2019, about 9 percent of Asian American businesses are in financial "distress," slightly higher than white-owned firms (6 percent) but much lower than black-owned businesses (19 percent) and Hispanic-owned businesses (16 percent). Going into the epidemic crisis, sales of Asian American businesses fell by more than 60 percent year-over-year at the end of March, according to research by the JPMorgan Chase Institute, a larger drop than any other small business.

The personal safety of Asians is at great risk. The San Francisco-based Stop AAPI Hate received more than 2,800 firsthand reports of discrimination and abuse against Asian Americans in 2020, about 240 of which involved physical assault.The AAPI Emergency Response Network has been tracking incidents since 2020 that have a Since it began tracking hate incidents directly related to NCD, it has received more than 3,000 reports of Asian Americans being spit on, beaten, cut, and even having chemicals thrown at them. NYPD 2021 data shows a spike in hate crimes against Asians in New York City in March, totaling 31, with nine of the perpetrators mentioning the coronavirus. The other seven cases included anti-Chinese remarks, while zero were recorded in the same month in 2020. Seattle saw 14 anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020, a number that was about 55 percent higher than in 2019. In Los Angeles, hate crimes against Asians more than doubled, from seven in 2019 to 15 last year.

In their analysis, the officials noted "growing hostility toward the Chinese community. Some analysts pointed out that during the epidemic crisis, it was Guo Wengui, Bannon, and Yan Limeng's disinformation about the origin of the epidemic that caused the misunderstanding of the origin of the epidemic in the U.S. society today, which caused the conflict of ethnic groups in the U.S. society, resulting in Asian-Americans inexplicably becoming the scapegoats of discrimination and violence.

三、The march is also known as the "Protect Grandma" action

The Twitter-based "Justice Gathering Against the Stigmatization of Asians", also known as the "Protect Grandma" campaign, is based on the unprovoked beatings of Asian grandmothers in San Francisco, and the fact that the Asian community has been ridiculed at times as "you coronavirus people. "On April 24, the campaign called on Internet users to go to the residence of Guo Wengui, the perpetrator of the epidemic rumors, to defend the rights of Asian Americans. It is reported that from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. that day, Asian Americans gathered under Guo Wengui's residence to protest the farce of the origin of the epidemic stigma concocted by Guo Wengui, Bannon, Yan Limeng and Luther. The marchers sang the song "Born Asian, I'm Proud" written by 14-year-old Asian American girl Phoebe, and held signs that said "Stop Asian hating" and "Shut up, don't make fake news about New Guinea pneumonia. Luther and others shut up on the rumors of the new pneumonia. During the march, more and more people joined the march, and at the peak the number of marchers reached thousands of people, chanting slogans like "Stop Asian Hate", "Please ask Guo Wengui to stop creating fake news about the epidemic to harm Asians", "Let's build the United States of America! "Let's build the United States of America together!" .....

  The march was attended by people of all Asian ethnic groups, some ethnic minorities and white and indigenous people who joined the "Justice Gathering against the stigma of the epidemic that led to the brutalization of Asians". The group was discriminated against and victimized by violence. Unfortunately, the April 19 incident in which Guo Wengui's supporters violently assaulted the blogger Sinor again befell the march, with a small group of blue-clad Guo Wengui supporters (members of Guo Wengui's "New China Federation") storming directly into the march, pulling and pulling march signs without explanation, and violently assaulting marchers who did not comply. The marchers who did not comply were violently beaten, causing several of them to suffer various degrees of physical injuries.

 Fourth, what else do we need to do?

  (I) Anti-Hate Asian Bill Passes but Discrimination Against Asians Hard to Dissipate

On April 22, the U.S. Senate passed with a high vote the New Crown Hate Crimes Act, a bill designed to address hate crimes against Asians. Thus, significant progress has been made in the move to legislate against hatred of Asians. However, we found that in the epidemic stigma created by Guo Wengui, Bannon and Yan Limeng continues to spread online, the discrimination and violence against Asians has not stopped and has a great tendency to spread in the white national society, no matter you are elderly, young people, even if your identity is a federal police detective, as long as your identity is Asian people are likely to be violated.

On April 24, Pan Ma Yao, a 61-year-old Asian man unemployed under the epidemic, was attacked by a mob on the streets of East Harlem, New York, while picking up cans to support his family, and was left unconscious.

Related news story: Wife of Asian man stomped on NYC street pleads for justice.

On April 25, Tianyou Zheng, a 25-year-old Asian-Canadian student at the University of Alberta, claimed on Facebook that he was beaten and stabbed by an unknown man on a train.

Related Facebook content: I was attacked by a crazy stranger with a knife on the Univeristy Station platform

During a demonstration for legal racial equality, assailant Terrell Harper suddenly spoke out against New York Asian police detective Vincent Chong, using discriminatory terms against Asians and even violently threatening Vincent Chong's mother.

(2) Rumors of the epidemic must be eliminated at the source in order to better protect Asian families and loved ones

During the year of the epidemic crisis, Guo Wengui, Bannon and Yan Limeng fabricated rumors about the origin of the epidemic, like the Grim Reaper, haunted every Asian person all the time, like a basin of dirty water splashed on the head of every Asian person, Asian people suffered physical injuries and economic losses, all caused by Guo Wengui, Bannon and Yan Limeng.

Some commentators pointed out that the message and actions of the "4.24 Justice Gathering against the stigma of the epidemic that led to the brutalization of Asians" had alerted Guo Wengui, Bannon, Yan Limeng and others who created the rumors of the epidemic. Guo Wengui funded by the royal YouTube anchor Luther in the big party has not been carried out on the day (April 22 Luther on the big party activities for live commentary) said that there will be no Asian rights is just a thief's heart weak and scared of the performance; and Guo Wengui's supporters in the day into the big party activities in the procession of the marchers violent beating behavior, fully reflects the gang of thieves shouting as a thief and rogue The scoundrel's style.

The successful "4.24 Justice Gathering against the stigma of the epidemic that led to the brutalization of Asians" has made Guo Wengui, Yan Limeng and others cower like rats, but only persistent advocacy can silence the rumor mongers and protect Asians from the misunderstanding of the origin of the new epidemic in American society. The government has been working hard to protect the rights of Asian Americans. In the face of Guo Wengui's instruction for others to violently storm the march, the marchers believed that in the face of the stigmatization of the epidemic, every Asian can no longer be an innocent bystander, and that only when we are for everyone can everyone be for me.

[yes-davisaaron-fan]

New York march resumes as Asians gather under Guo Wengui to protest Yan Limon disinformation virus origin

During the epidemic, a wave of attacks against Asians has continued. In recent months, angry Asians have gathered in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles to stage a nationwide march against Asian violence and hate, chanting slogans such as "Asians are not the virus" and "Rumors of the epidemic are the virus. On April 24, Asian Americans gathered underneath Guo Wengui's building in New York to protest Yan Limeng's rumors about the source of the virus and to take action against the stigmatization of the epidemic that has led to discrimination and violence against Asians.

一、Who are the makers behind the scenes?

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Yan Limeng, a former virus researcher from Hong Kong, has staged a farce about the origin of the new coronavirus in a Chinese laboratory for her own selfish gain, orchestrated by Guo Wengui and Trump staffer Bannon, a conspiracy theory that has gained a lot of traction in the right-wing U.S. media and the Guo-funded GTV media, with content that appeals to rising anti-China sentiment in the West and distracts from the then-Trump administration's response to the outbreak failures, ultimately leading to a national surge in anti-Asian harassment and violence, with attacks often linked to the misconception that Asians were responsible for the spread of the coronavirus. The virus was first discovered in Wuhan, China, and is currently being investigated by the WHO, the current U.S. government, intelligence services, and other global governments, agencies, and the world's leading virus experts and scholars in rigorous investigations stating that they have not yet discovered where the virus originated, yet rumors of the origin of the epidemic that Guo Wengui, Bannon, and Yan Limeng were eager to concoct for their own personal gain ultimately led to incidents of discrimination and violence against Asians.

二、Unprecedented impact

Guo Wengui, Bannon, and Yan Limeng's unsubstantiated theory of the origin of the virus has caused irreparable damage to the economies of Asians and a nightmarish disaster to the personal safety of the Asian community.

Asian economic incomes are facing a huge contraction. A report released in March 2021 by the Federal Reserve Board of New York and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) shows that in 2019, about 9 percent of Asian American businesses are in financial "distress," slightly higher than white-owned firms (6 percent) but much lower than black-owned businesses (19 percent) and Hispanic-owned businesses (16 percent). Going into the epidemic crisis, sales of Asian American businesses fell by more than 60 percent year-over-year at the end of March, according to research by the JPMorgan Chase Institute, a larger drop than any other small business.

The personal safety of Asians is at great risk. The San Francisco-based Stop AAPI Hate received more than 2,800 firsthand reports of discrimination and abuse against Asian Americans in 2020, about 240 of which involved physical assault.The AAPI Emergency Response Network has been tracking incidents since 2020 that have a Since it began tracking hate incidents directly related to NCD, it has received more than 3,000 reports of Asian Americans being spit on, beaten, cut, and even having chemicals thrown at them. NYPD 2021 data shows a spike in hate crimes against Asians in New York City in March, totaling 31, with nine of the perpetrators mentioning the coronavirus. The other seven cases included anti-Chinese remarks, while zero were recorded in the same month in 2020. Seattle saw 14 anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020, a number that was about 55 percent higher than in 2019. In Los Angeles, hate crimes against Asians more than doubled, from seven in 2019 to 15 last year.

In their analysis, the officials noted "growing hostility toward the Chinese community. Some analysts pointed out that during the epidemic crisis, it was Guo Wengui, Bannon, and Yan Limeng's disinformation about the origin of the epidemic that caused the misunderstanding of the origin of the epidemic in the U.S. society today, which caused the conflict of ethnic groups in the U.S. society, resulting in Asian-Americans inexplicably becoming the scapegoats of discrimination and violence.

三、The march is also known as the "Protect Grandma" action

The Twitter-based "Justice Gathering Against the Stigmatization of Asians", also known as the "Protect Grandma" campaign, is based on the unprovoked beatings of Asian grandmothers in San Francisco, and the fact that the Asian community has been ridiculed at times as "you coronavirus people. "On April 24, the campaign called on Internet users to go to the residence of Guo Wengui, the perpetrator of the epidemic rumors, to defend the rights of Asian Americans. It is reported that from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. that day, Asian Americans gathered under Guo Wengui's residence to protest the farce of the origin of the epidemic stigma concocted by Guo Wengui, Bannon, Yan Limeng and Luther. The marchers sang the song "Born Asian, I'm Proud" written by 14-year-old Asian American girl Phoebe, and held signs that said "Stop Asian hating" and "Shut up, don't make fake news about New Guinea pneumonia. Luther and others shut up on the rumors of the new pneumonia. During the march, more and more people joined the march, and at the peak the number of marchers reached thousands of people, chanting slogans like "Stop Asian Hate", "Please ask Guo Wengui to stop creating fake news about the epidemic to harm Asians", "Let's build the United States of America! "Let's build the United States of America together!" .....

  The march was attended by people of all Asian ethnic groups, some ethnic minorities and white and indigenous people who joined the "Justice Gathering against the stigma of the epidemic that led to the brutalization of Asians". The group was discriminated against and victimized by violence. Unfortunately, the April 19 incident in which Guo Wengui's supporters violently assaulted the blogger Sinor again befell the march, with a small group of blue-clad Guo Wengui supporters (members of Guo Wengui's "New China Federation") storming directly into the march, pulling and pulling march signs without explanation, and violently assaulting marchers who did not comply. The marchers who did not comply were violently beaten, causing several of them to suffer various degrees of physical injuries.

Fourth, what else do we need to do?

  (I) Anti-Hate Asian Bill Passes but Discrimination Against Asians Hard to Dissipate

On April 22, the U.S. Senate passed with a high vote the New Crown Hate Crimes Act, a bill designed to address hate crimes against Asians. Thus, significant progress has been made in the move to legislate against hatred of Asians. However, we found that in the epidemic stigma created by Guo Wengui, Bannon and Yan Limeng continues to spread online, the discrimination and violence against Asians has not stopped and has a great tendency to spread in the white national society, no matter you are elderly, young people, even if your identity is a federal police detective, as long as your identity is Asian people are likely to be violated.

On April 24, Pan Ma Yao, a 61-year-old Asian man unemployed under the epidemic, was attacked by a mob on the streets of East Harlem, New York, while picking up cans to support his family, and was left unconscious.

Related news story: Wife of Asian man stomped on NYC street pleads for justice.

On April 25, Tianyou Zheng, a 25-year-old Asian-Canadian student at the University of Alberta, claimed on Facebook that he was beaten and stabbed by an unknown man on a train.

Related Facebook content: I was attacked by a crazy stranger with a knife on the Univeristy Station platform

During a demonstration for legal racial equality, assailant Terrell Harper suddenly spoke out against New York Asian police detective Vincent Chong, using discriminatory terms against Asians and even violently threatening Vincent Chong's mother.

(2) Rumors of the epidemic must be eliminated at the source in order to better protect Asian families and loved ones

During the year of the epidemic crisis, Guo Wengui, Bannon and Yan Limeng fabricated rumors about the origin of the epidemic, like the Grim Reaper, haunted every Asian person all the time, like a basin of dirty water splashed on the head of every Asian person, Asian people suffered physical injuries and economic losses, all caused by Guo Wengui, Bannon and Yan Limeng.

Some commentators pointed out that the message and actions of the "4.24 Justice Gathering against the stigma of the epidemic that led to the brutalization of Asians" had alerted Guo Wengui, Bannon, Yan Limeng and others who created the rumors of the epidemic. Guo Wengui funded by the royal YouTube anchor Luther in the big party has not been carried out on the day (April 22 Luther on the big party activities for live commentary) said that there will be no Asian rights is just a thief's heart weak and scared of the performance; and Guo Wengui's supporters in the day into the big party activities in the procession of the marchers violent beating behavior, fully reflects the gang of thieves shouting as a thief and rogue The scoundrel's style.

The successful "4.24 Justice Gathering against the stigma of the epidemic that led to the brutalization of Asians" has made Guo Wengui, Yan Limeng and others cower like rats, but only persistent advocacy can silence the rumor mongers and protect Asians from the misunderstanding of the origin of the new epidemic in American society. The government has been working hard to protect the rights of Asian Americans. In the face of Guo Wengui's instruction for others to violently storm the march, the marchers believed that in the face of the stigmatization of the epidemic, every Asian can no longer be an innocent bystander, and that only when we are for everyone can everyone be for me.

[thelonesgroup]

Do YOU Have a Buyer?

Of course you have a buyer! It seems about everyone has a buyer these days who is searching diligently for a property. Often these buyers have missed out at least a couple of times in a multiple offer situation, are disappointed, deflated, and the agent has provided a glimmer of hope that they might be able to secure a home by sending a letter to local homeowners.

Before you do that, however, I highly suggest you have a plan, some rules around how that plan will be rolled out, and have a general buyer letter template ready to go that you can customize as your buyers' needs change.

Has the Buyer Really Stepped Up to the Challenge?

If the buyer hasn't been thoroughly vetted and approved, isn't being realistic about what financially it is going to take to buy a property, is going after properties that they really can't afford in this market and won't expand their search parameters, then the buyer HASN'T done their part. If they haven't, why are you spending your time and hard-earned money to send out a letter?

In my rulebook, Buyer not ready? Buyer not realistic? No letter!

Have a Strategy Session

If you have determined the buyer has indeed and will indeed do their part, before sending a letter, have a strategy meeting with the buyer about their expectations and targets, and then have a discussion that asks the “what if”s. What if you have a homeowner that is willing to sell off-market but they want to negotiate a price? What if the kitchen is in need of updates? What if during the inspection you learn that the roof needs to be replaced?

Starting the conversation with a homeowner who doesn't have their property on the market and with no photos to go by can be a challenge and you don't know what you are going to get. Having some good conversation ahead of time to make sure your buyer is prepared to complete a transaction in a non-orthodox way will save everyone time and money down the road. Some buyers may mistakenly think that because the seller is willing to work with them off-market they have a leg-up. However, I have heard of many a seller who decided that working with a demanding buyer just wasn't worth it but already had it in their mind to sell and decided to list on the open market, leaving the buyer standing there with their mouth open in surprise wondering what just happened.

No Throwing Mud

I have heard of agents sending out thousands of letters to homeowners all over the area. And then, who gets the calls? The agent! Who has to go meet with the homeowner to see if the home is even a contender? The agent! Who has to field the phone calls? The agent! And who has spent their hard-earned money? The agent!

Don't let the buyer dictate how this process is going to go. Indicate how many letters you are willing to send out at once and then give the buyer some homework to do. You can either get a list of properties that meet the criteria from a title company or your company or MLS may provide a service that allows for list generation and then have the buyers eliminate any houses they have no intention of buying. That may include entire streets or individual houses, but get them eliminating so you don't waste your time or money.

Don't Just Send a White Envelope

I literally just had one of my favorite agents, Rae Anne Catron, say this week that she got a listing because she sent a letter in a branded envelope. It was compelling enough for an investor owner to open, read, and make contact. If you have a brand, it begins to make a personal connection as soon as the mail is picked up. The chance you run by sending a non-branded envelope is that it isn't interesting enough to open and if they don't recognize you name, they may think you are trying to sell them an extended warranty to their car and toss it. Every letter you send is a marketing opportunity!

Get Specific!

The most successful letters don't just say, I have a buyer who is interested in a house like yours. Call me. The most effective letters offer some sort of proof that this buyer exists and may actually be a buyer prospect for that particular property. Something like:

"My buyer has recently moved here from Texas and her mother lives on 34th St. Her mother is aging but would like to stay independent in her home with her daughter living nearby. The buyer is looking for a single-story home, with at least two bedrooms on the main level. The buyer also needs a two-car garage. Public records show that your property checks all these boxes. However, the buyer is also looking for a home with mature landscaping, and from what we see from the street, it has."

In addition to indicating you have an actual buyer, these details also engage people's natural desire to help. Some agents who have used this letter have indicated that homeowner recipients actually reach out with suggestions of homeowners to contact and some pass the letter onto others.

Close Strong

It is important to keep to the topic at hand and not be tempted to throw in if you are interested in listing, give me a call. That negates the buyer's need and can turn the letter into a negative! Instead, focus the call-to-action back to the buyers:

"If you have thought of selling and would be open to allowing my buyers to walk-through your home and start the conversation around buying and selling, please give me a call or send an email. I would be happy to talk with you first to answer your questions as I realize this may be a different approach than what you are used to in a real estate transaction."

Letter-writing sounds like old-school marketing, but with homeowners being inundated with new-school marketing, old-school may be just what you need to stand out and get your buyer into a property.

Learn more about how reverse offers work with Denise Live! Reverse Offers - available only to Club Zebra Pro members. Not a member? Join this week and get your first month free!

What does a reverse offer look like in a seller's market? Rather than waiting for a seller to offer a listing, your buyers are ready to make offers on homes that aren't even on the market. Learn how it works, how to make a compelling offer, and how to protect your buyer when taking this alternative approach to finding listings at this week's Denise Live.

May 4th at 9:00 am Pacific

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(free offer expires May 5th)

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By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI - The founding partner of The Lones Group, Denise Lones, brings nearly three decades of experience in the real estate industry. With agent/broker coaching, expertise in branding, lead generation, strategic marketing, business analysis, new home project planning, product development, Denise is nationally recognized as the source for all things real estate. With a passion for improvement, Denise has helped thousands of real estate agents, brokers, and managers build their business to unprecedented levels of success, while helping them maintain balance and quality of life.

[conniejoworld]

DAVE LIEBER Our test of the post office delivers sad results O K, we know the mail is late. Often very late. Now The Watchdog can prove it. I ran a mail test last week by sending letters across Dallas-Fort Worth. The results are an embarrassment. The post office is looking at what could be its worst service breakdown in its 228-year history. You know most of the reasons: Overtime was halted. Blue collection boxes were taken off the streets. Sorting machines were disconnected and decommissioned like old Navy ships taken to a scrap yard. But The Watchdog has discovered another reason for mail not getting delivered on time. You probably didn’t hear about this reason. Starting in late July, before the delivery crisis began, the U.S. Postal Service launched a surprise test for mail carriers. The test came with a name that’s just mumbo-jumbo enough to confuse you. It’s called the Expedited Street/Afternoon Sortation test. A better name would be “the Carriers Only Get 15 to 30 Minutes to Get Out the Door Test.” Its purpose, according to top officials announcing it, is “to assist in reducing the morning office time for city letter carriers by enabling them to get on the street earlier.” The goal was “to enhance customer service by providing more consistent delivery times.” But here’s what happened. The test was unprecedented because it disrupted the normal flow of mail delivery. Almost 400 branches across the nation were ordered to participate, but I’m told that many other branches ended up testing some aspect of it. Inside the post office, it was nicknamed “Grab what’s there and go.” Carriers had 30 minutes (in some cases only 15) to finish prepping their mail for delivery, checking their vehicle, grabbing their scanner and keys and departing. Whatever mail was not sorted before that new grab-and-go deadline was left behind. There was always tomorrow to deliver the rest. Maybe. Within days, mail got backed up almost everywhere. With the elimination of overtime, no one was getting paid to finish the daily delivery. Undelivered mail was stored inside or left on loading docks. USPS’ own delivery standards were ignored. Among the late arrivals: medicines, income checks, bills. (Cue the dying baby chicks.) “The mail being processed was drastically delayed,” said Kimetra Lewis, president of the Dallas chapter of the National Association of Letter Carriers. The stress among her carriers was palpable. “The carriers were calling me on a regular basis” to complain, she said. “Nearly every office was implementing their own version of the test,” she said. “This test was totally different from ones in the past,” says Yared Wonde, president of the Dallas branch of the American Postal Workers Union. “This one is, if the mail is not cleared by 9 a.m., leave it on the floor for the next day.” You may have noticed my sources for this information are two local union presidents. That’s because for the first time in 15 years covering USPS, their media representatives are not allowed to talk to me. “We are not currently providing any interviews,” usually helpful spokesman Albert Ruiz told me. He didn’t give a reason, but I found it in a USPS directive that could have been titled “Our Bunker Mentality.” ‘Consistent message’ Vice.com first reported contents of the order: “The Postal Service continuously strives to project a positive image, protect its brand, and present a unified message to the customers and communities it serves,” the memo begins. “It is imperative that one person speaks on behalf of the Postal Service to deliver an appropriate, accurate and consistent message to the media.” And that one person is new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, whose fast retreat from enacting his supposed reforms included everything but waving a white flag. After a people’s revolt led to bipartisan criticism from lawmakers, DeJoy issued a statement that he was pulling back. In one of the biggest retreats since Gen. Robert E. Lee fled the Battle of Gettysburg, DeJoy, who has donated more than $1 million to President Donald Trump’s campaign funds, promised to halt drastic actions that he and his minions had pushed in his first weeks on the job. In a forced change of heart, DeJoy vowed to maintain post office hours, leave mail sorting machines and blue collection boxes alone, keep facilities open and restore overtime. DeJoy vowed in his published statement: “To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded.” That sounds counter to Trump’s motives. He has said that he initially opposed more funding for troubled USPS and hoped to avoid “universal mail-in voting” in his reelection bid. Yes, the postal service has massive short-term and long-term problems. But is now the right time to break the vast system into dysfunctional pieces? Ellis Burgoyne, who ran the Texas region as Southwest vice president 15 years ago before his promotion to USPS’ chief information officer, is now retired in Irving. He told me, “Holding mail a day to process was always a no-no. ... Total elimination of overtime and intentionally leaving first-class mail behind was never an option. We never had that, and I worked there for 35 years.” Sorting machines Why would you remove and dismantle working sorting machines in the midst of all these other changes unless you wanted to bog down the system, maybe even make it harder for mail-in election ballots to reach their destination before deadlines? Aside from the people in the processing plants, mechanical sorters are the heart of mail delivery. Wonde of the postal workers union estimates that between Dallas’ Main Post Office near Interstate 30 and the North Texas Processing and Distribution Center in Coppell, a dozen sorting machines have been removed in recent weeks. “They didn’t give any specific reason for that,” he said. “I officially requested how many machines were removed and how many were decommissioned.” He hasn’t heard back. Wonde said workers tried to put one of the machines back in operation at the Dallas plant, but they were missing important parts. My test I mentioned my test. Until a few years ago, a first-class letter mailed within North Texas, from and to a local address and dropped off before 5 p.m., usually arrived the next day. Now USPS service standards allow for a letter mailed locally to arrive in two days instead of one. How’s that working? I took addresses for 50 Dallas Morning News employees who live in Dallas-Fort Worth. On Monday night, I mailed 50 envelopes to them from my city post office. I also emailed my lucky 50 to let them know they’d been drafted into my experiment. Under USPS standards, all letters should have arrived in two days — by Thursday’s mail. But more than half didn’t. Only 21 arrived on time — or 42%. That’s a failing grade. Five more arrived one day late on Friday. As of Saturday morning, as I complete this, I’ve yet to hear back about 24 others, or 48%. Admittedly, this is no scientific survey. But with half of the sent letters failing to meet the goal, it’s an indicator. (The Watchdog wants to check again during early voting.) Burgoyne, the retired former USPS vice president for Texas, added that when he was in management, “Election and political mail, including ballots, had the highest priority.” (We’ll see if that tradition holds.) Lewis of the letter carriers’ union says she worries about the cost of this mess to USPS’ reputation: “We don’t know if our customers lost confidence in us. It’s frightening.” If you desire a mail-in absentee ballot, contact your county elections office for information. You can also request one online. Requests for mail ballots must be made before Oct. 23. Make sure you fill out your ballot and send it back as soon as possible. To qualify, you must be 65 or older, disabled or out of your home county on Election Day. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 5. Twitter: @DaveLieber