#((double brackets mean that I am talking out of universe.))

[cottage-trainer]

Would anything have changed if the past Anon knocked before entering?

(#howdareyouanon)

"I would have come to the door and been more polite, so yes it would have been different." ((the text of the mysterious orb would be yellow but if it would not be in a drawn post it will be an orange unless I am wrong here and yes, I would have made it so that if the first anon had knocked first then the mysterious orb would be way more calm and polite sounding. Thanks for the ask. That was a good question. Bonus, if you have a character that you want featured in the series then either, describe it in the ask and what it is asking, doing etc, or at the least make it easy to find if you already draw it as it would help if I had a reference and I will my best to draw it. If I mess up then I apologise in advance and beg for forgiveness. Long message over, hope you like the response. Extra, don't be upset if it takes a while, somethings take longer due to procrastination or just how hard it is.))

[tlcwrites]

By A Nose

Submission for Writer Wednesday 5/12

Summary: If you're going to talk the talk, you better be able to walk the walk. Or, proof Poe Dameron is a terrible loser.

Word Count: 1528

Tags/Warnings: Poe Dameron x Reader, Modern AU. Implied smut but mostly in passing. Some bad words. Poorly edited because as usual I finished this at like 11 and my kids get up at 5 so I need to go to sleep.

Author’s Note: THREE FICS IN A WEEK WHO AM I?

Okay, so I cannot be the only one who saw the photo for this week's Writer Wednesday (thank you once more for hosting, @autumnleaves1991-blog!) and went the direction I did. If I am the only one, well, just further proof my brain is certifiable. Make sure you comment on when you figure out where this fic takes place.

There will also be an accompanying headcanon coming for this probably tomorrow, because there was SO much material I wanted to use but couldn't make fit. Thank you @paper-n-ashes for brainstorming with me and being the best hype-woman ever.

“AAAAHHHHH.”

“WE’RE GONNA DIE.”

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!”

“FINN!!” You smack him. “There are small children here!”

But he’s too busy screaming to pay attention.

On the other side of you, Kaydel looks decidedly green. She lets out a pained moan as your vehicle makes a particularly hard turn. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this…”

You pat her knee as you fly through a kitchy town. “Hang in there, honey. It’s almost over.”

The village elder’s well wishes still ringing in your ears, you pull up next to another idling transport. From the driver’s seat, your boyfriend winks at you.

“You’re going down, Dameron!” you holler at him.

He makes the universal ‘I’m watching you’ gesture. “Eat my dust, losers!”

Finn yells back something that has you smacking him again, shooting an apologetic glance to the second row of Poe’s transport, where Snap and Karé are sitting with their daughter Nora. Snap’s hands fly to cover Nora’s ears while Karé laughs heartily.

Next to Poe, Rey holds her thumb and forefinger up to her forehead in an ‘L’ shape. “Second place is the first to lose!”

Before any more trash talking can occur, you see a flash of red out of the corner of your eye and then both vehicles take off, bursting out of the dark into blinding sunlight.

You both fly over the rusty terrain, neck and neck as you navigate under rocky overpasses and around hairpin turns. From the second row of your car, you can hear Maz lobbing profanities at Chewie in the other ride. He’s yelling back in his native tongue (which you still only understand half of). Beside Maz, Leia and Han are both laughing like kids.

A shriek of joy erupts from you as you fly over a series of hills, the momentary weightlessness thrilling. Finn has both hands in the air, while Kaydel grips the safety handle with white knuckles.

Finally, you come out of a turn to see a sharp drop. You look to Poe, who grins back at you, his vehicle slightly ahead of yours. Damnit, you HATE losing to him. He’s the worst winner.

At the last moment, your ride leaps ahead, crossing under the checkered banner by a nose. The passengers of your car cheer and high-five in victory, while Poe’s passengers groan in good-natured defeat.

As you roll through the red-lit cavern, you laugh as you catch sight of Poe’s face. He’s a terrible winner, but he’s an even worse loser. Even if his loss comes at the hands of an algorithm.

Anthropomorphic cars wave you off as both vehicles enter the unloading zone. On the other side of the platform, Chewie is lifting Rey out of the front seat as she pretends to collapse in agonized failure, her laughter completely destroying the illusion. You accept Finn’s hand as he helps you up, both of you turning to support Kaydel as she crawls out of the car.

A ride attendant watches her warily. “Does she need assistance?” he asks Han.

Han waves him off, wrapping an arm around his wife’s shoulders as Maz and Chewie beeline for the ride photos. “She’ll be fine. No protein spills here.” At the cast member’s astonished look, the charming rogue gives his trademark grin. “Ain’t my first rodeo, kid.” As he and Leia stroll past you towards the exit, he catches your eye and winks. “That, and they haven’t changed the lingo since the 70’s.”

Laughing, you rub Kaydel’s back as Rey swaps places with Finn and helps bracket your green-tinged friend. “Let’s get you some water, yeah?”

Kaydel manages a slight nod, and the three of you make your way towards the exit.

Behind you, you can hear Poe and Finn bickering, as they’re wont to do.

“It’s a ride, dude,” Finn is saying, the exasperation clear in his tone.

“It’s physics, dude,” Poe shoots back. “There’s NO way the car on the outside of the turn would be able to finish first.”

Worst. Loser. Ever.

Your rag-tag alliance eventually makes it out of the exit tunnel. Ben’s waiting across the walkway, those ridiculously long arms crossed over his chest as he leans against the guard rail and steadily ignores whatever Armitage is ranting about.

On the bench next to them, Rose perks up, a smirk crossing her pretty face as she sees Poe’s expression. “Well, I don’t need to ask who won.”

“Don’t wanna talk about it,” the most-competitive-pilot-in-the-galaxy grumbles back, adjusting his backpack. You help Kaydel to a bench, where she quickly curls up.

Rey rolls her eyes as she forces her way into the circle of Ben’s arms. “It’s not like any of us could have actually controlled the outcome, you noodle.”

“Not without some kind of magic,” Ben intones dryly, resting his chin on his girlfriend’s head.

“How cool would that be, though?” Rey’s getting her Down-The-Wormhole-We-Go eyes. You and Rose exchange a Look™️ as she starts gesturing wildly with her hands. “Like, imagine if you could just look at something like rocks and, like, make them fly. Or make someone do whatever you wanted them to do. OH!” She looks up at Ben with a slightly manic expression. “Lightning bolts from your fingers!!”

Well-used to these kinds of rambles, Ben gently captures her hands and wraps her into a hug that doubles as a straight jacket. “No more SyFy channel before bed.”

Rose slides her arms around her husband as Finn joins her on the bench. “Did you behave?”

Nora, in all her 6-year-old innocence, giggles. “Mr Finn said a whole lot of swear-jar words.” She casts a critical eye on the young man. “You probably said enough you could buy an Elsa doll.” The ‘for me’ is unsaid, but implied.

Karé rapidly turns her laugh into a cough.

Finn glances down at his wife as Rose smacks him upside the head. “Hey! That tractor thing is terrifying. And Maz said WAY more than I did!”

“Age before beauty, Finnigan,” Maz says haughtily, waving off Finn’s ‘m'name’s not Finnigan, damn it’.

Giggling, you tune out the ridiculousness that is your found family and turn your attention to your still-sulking boy toy. “You know,” you murmur, wrapping your arms around his waist, “you make that face for long enough and it’ll stick that way.”

He huffs. “This is just how my face looks.”

“Uh huh.” Considering yourself quite the expert in his face, having spent countless hours studying every crease and line until you could have drawn him blindfolded, you call bullshit, but say nothing further.

“It is,” he insists.

“Okay,” you agree.

The King of Sarcasm narrows his eyes. “You’re doing that thing.”

You widen your eyes innocently. “What thing?”

“That thing where it sounds like you’re agreeing with me but you’re really telling me I’m a dumbass.”

“What?!” You bring your hand to your chest. “Moi?! I would never.”

He huffs again, but you can see the hint of a smirk starting to break though.

“C’mon, First Runner Up,” you tease. “No sulking in Disneyland. Let me buy you a drink at Trader Sam’s, and then we can sneak off to the Haunted Mansion and make out like teenagers in our Doom Buggy.”

He tilts his head, considering it.

“Or-“ You brush an inky curl off his forehead and stand on your toes until your lips are just about caressing his ear and whisper, “-we could get back in line right now and go again.”

Even before you’ve finished speaking, Poe’s grabbing your hand and hauling you back towards the entrance, tossing a “See you jerks later!” as he pulls you under the Radiator Springs Racers sign. Their laughter echos behind you as he leads the way through the mostly empty line (thank goodness for parade lulls).

As you wait in the queue, only a few dozen people stand between Poe and his (re)shot at victory. You see that competitive gleam in his eyes start to come alive again.

“Hey.” You tug on his tee shirt until he looks at you. “If our car doesn’t win, tonight I’ll do That Thing you love.”

“Babe.” The look he gives you is one of pure torture. “You are killing me here.” He really loves to win. But he really, really loves That Thing. “What about when we come in first?”

You shrug demurely. “Then you wear Those Pants™️ tomorrow.”

Hm. Poe’s always been quick to calculate his odds, and this is quickly turning into a win/win situation. If you lose, he gets That Thing. But Those Pants™️ turn you about feral, and when you’re in that kind of mood- let’s just say Poe still has the scars on his shoulders to prove it.

“Are those terms acceptable, Flight Commander Dameron?” You smile sweetly up at him.

His licentious grin says it all. “Hell yeah.”

For the record, your car does lose a second time. And the next morning, Poe hardly has Those Pants over his ass when you’re ripping them back down his legs and shoving him backwards onto the bed.

Oh, yeah, he thinks to himself. This is better than any dumb kid’s ride.

…doesn’t mean he’s not going to ride it as many times as it takes to win.

A/N: I almost titled this “Tell me you have children without saying you have children”. I am so fucking sick of ‘Lining McQueen’. Yay 4-year-olds.

Thank you for reading; likes and reblogs feed my soul.

[studiopeachz]

Task Brainstorm & Research

What am I passionate about?

Food

Cultures

Traveling

Music

tattoos/illustrations/designs

art/painting/drawing

Mental health

Self discovering/acceptance/explorations/expressions

What do you wish more people understood?

I wish people understood more about the different forms of self expression through different ways such as art, design, fashion, literature, etc. 

I wish people understood more about human rights, or general personal choices without judgement

What do you feel strongly about?

I feel strongly about self love and acceptance because the factors of accepting ourselves can be hard but can make us flourish, and gives us opportunities to express how we feel 

What makes you feel good?

Art in different forms makes me feel good has it drives my curiosity to learn and dig deeper for meaningful things

Beauty and self acceptance, embracing our imperfections

Wise words/sayings that inspire and impact me and others in a positive way

What makes me unhappy?

As an empathetic person, I feel unhappy for the one who also feels unhappy or any certain unstable emotions.

Making mistakes also make me upset as it is hard to admit our own wrong doings

Stereotypes, because it gives us an invalid label to individuals which do not define us as a whole

I don’t like when people judge you right away without knowing you

If you could fix something, what would it be?

I would want to fix the past mistakes i have done, wishing i could of done better

I would of want to fix the moments that I wish i could of done or fulfilled which leads to present regrets

What would you like to see in the future?

I would like to see everyone in the world to be kinder, and more understanding towards each other as it gives opportunities to get to know individuals truly, without having to judge them right away.

I would also like to see people normalizing natural and imperfect things and different creations of forms of self expression without any judgement, but curiosity instead. 

What would you like to shine a light on?

I would like to raise awareness about the beauty of differences and self expression, even in peculiar artistic ways

What do you see that others don’t see?

As an optimistic person, I like to see the good in everything, therefore I have this willingness to listen and to understand situations, stories, and journeys of others.

I find the most imperfect things to be beautiful. 

Things about Gen Z

https://www.livingfacts.org/en/articles/2020/meet-gen-z 

https://danschawbel.com/blog/39-of-the-most-interesting-facts-about-generation-z/ 

Demographics

Gen Zers are also the most diverse generation. Research by the Center determined that nearly half (48%) of 6- to 21-year-old Gen Zers are racial or ethnic minorities, compared with 39% of Millennials in that age bracket in 2002 and more than double the percentage of early Baby Boomers in 1968.

Attitudes

In many instances, the youngest generation’s views follow Millennials’ social attitudes, and are in stark contrast to the oldest group, the Silent Generation, with Baby Boomers and Gen Xers falling in the middle.

For example, 70% of Gen Zers say government should do more to solve societal problems, rather than leaving it to businesses and individuals. By comparison, 64% of Millennials and only 39% of Silents say government should do more. Similarly, roughly 6 in 10 Gen Zers and Millennials say increasing racial and ethnic diversity is good for society, compared with about 4 in 10 Silents.

Gen Z’s as consumers 

55% of Gen Z would rather buy clothes online and 53% would rather buy books and electronics online. [JWT]

Their favorite items to spend money on are food and drink (36%), going out with friends (32%) and clothes (18%). [Visa]

66% want to own both houses and cars in their lifetimes. [Deep Focus]

Gen Z’s most used tech devices are the smartphone (15.4 hours/week), TV (13.2 hours/week) and a laptop (10.6 hours/week). [Vision Critical]

50% would look on their phone to look for a better price while shopping at a retail store. [Gen HQ]

63% are concerned when it comes to protecting their identity when paying with a debit or credit card online or in a retail store. [Gen HQ]

Gen Z values

76% are concerned about man’s impact on the planet. [JWT]

79% of display symptoms of emotional distress when kept away from their personal electronic devices. [University of Maryland]

90% would be upset if they had to give up their Internet connection while only 51% would give up eating out and 56% would give up downloading music. [JWT]

84% multitask with an Internet-connected device while watching TV. [Forrester Research]

They have more than 10 apps on their smartphone with 10% having more than 40. [Visa]

60% of Gen Zs say “a lot of money” is a sign of success. [Deep Focus]

What are some general Gen Z issues/behaviours/values: 

Social anxiety (mental health)

Racial equality

Gender identity

Self esteem

Political and social issues

Technology/ social media content

Personal beliefs and values in comparison to older generations 

Speaking up/inner voice

Stress response

Optimistic attitude “it is what it is”

Three Campaign Ideas relatable to Gen Z demographic In Aotearoa:

(self expression)

gender identity / fashion & style / art & design / illustration / ink / skin art - tattoos

(self acceptance & confidence)

Body Image & Positivity / cultural roots / growth / well-being / 

(cultural diversity)

Culture / tradition / ethnicity / foundation / 

Research Gen z with self expression, self acceptance, and cultural diversity

WHAT DOES SELF-EXPRESSION REALLY MEAN TO GEN Z?https://www.havaspeople.com/project/what-does-self-expression-really-mean-to-gen-z/ 

We always knew that Gen Z would be distinctive. They are the first true digital natives, and grew up during times of uncertainty (the wake of the last financial crisis and Brexit in the UK). But over the last year the identity of this generation has been further shaped in a profound way as some of their most formative years are taking place against the backdrop of a global pandemic, with the significant interruptions that has wrought to school, university, and early working lives, as well as social connections. Gen Z were on the precipice of progress when COVID hit “pause” on life. And yet many Gen Zers are emerging as resilient, energized, and eager to express themselves and have their voices heard.

Rinsta (real) and Finsta (fake) social media accounts, often to keep certain aspects of their life hidden from family, potential employers, and others outside of their close social circles). Yet – on the whole – they trust the technology brands and platforms themselves.

69% of Gen Z believe that brands should make their stance on social and political issues known publicly. I believe this is what Gen Z mean by brand authenticity. 

showing us that authenticity does not just mean having a clear point of view, but also using your clout as a brand to share and amplify the causes that matter to you. 

showing your own alignment with the purpose and intent of a brand. Gen Z see the brands who they follow, ‘like’, and buy as a personal reflection of them as individuals, which is why they are prepared to pay more for brands that they believe support sustainability. If that’s how profoundly Gen Zers believe the impact of their consumer choices can affect the way they express themselves, it stands to reason that this will cut even deeper with regard to career choices, which is one of the reasons

This seems an important aspect of self-expression. Gen Z share a willingness to discuss issues in an open reflective way, and to seek out different opinions, which is one reason social channels are increasingly viewed as credible sources of news. To give another example, Gen Z are more comfortable talking about mental health issues than previous generations. While this can be attributed in part to the overall rise in awareness and acceptance of mental health issues over the last fifteen years, it is a noticeable shift from previous generations.

https://extremereach.com/blog/for-gen-z-consumption-is-about-self-expression/ “Consumption for this generation is an expression of individual identity.”

“Some people are angry and resentful because they feel like their voice isn’t heard, so clothing is a space where they can be self-governed.”

They’re experiencing brands in every corner of their online life and so these same “brands need to beware this generation’s discernment because they have a bloodhound-like nose for inauthenticity.”

We’ve been more empowered than ever, so why are Gen-Z the least confident generation yet? https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/gen-z-least-confident-generation 

Indeed, statistics show that, instead of a defining feeling of hope among Gen Z, there is a groaning sense of pessimism - of hopelessness. Long running research from University College London, revealed earlier this year that depression levels are two-thirds higher than millennials. The study found 14.8 per cent of 14-year-olds in 2015 said they were depressed, compared to 9 per cent in 2005. While 14.4 per cent of young people said they had self-harmed, compared to 11.8 per cent a decade ago.

“I feel like Gen Z and millennials occupy a really interesting place in politics,” says Nogia, 20 “- we’ve only known austerity, we’ve only know casual work, we’ve only know life long sentences of debt for getting an education and we’re living in an age of populism and hatred in politics.”

So, is this having a detrimental effect on a generation’s mental health and personal confidence? Pretty much.

Youth Engagement Officer at YoungMinds, “Young people today have to navigate a huge range of pressures, from school or university stress, to worries over their career and housing prospects, to the rise of social media, which can make problems like bullying or body image issues more intense than they were in the past.”

Social media is - predictably - a major cause of generational anxiety. Not only is it connecting us to the world’s most depressing news stories, it is also connecting us to a plethora of airbrushed, Facetuned accounts making us feel terrible about ourselves. No wonder confidence is low.

Gen Z demands more diversity and inclusion from brands https://www.campaignlive.com/article/gen-z-demands-diversity-inclusion-brands/1705491 

Gen Zers made clear throughout the study that they want brands to step up their efforts around representation. For example, 76% of Gen Zers said they feel diversity and inclusion is an important topic for brands to address, compared to 72% of millennials, 63% of Gen Xers and 46% of Baby Boomers who felt the same.

“Consumers don't want to see brands making an effort to be inclusive just for means of publicity,” said Jenna Stearns, researcher at quantilope and lead on the report. “They want to see something that's authentic and consistent.”

But brands that resonate most with Gen Z consumers are consistent in their support of social justice. Target, for example, has been vocal around LGBTQIA awareness and Pride month for years, said Steph Rand, senior research consultant at quantilope. 

“These brands are rising to the top because they are sustaining and consistently making [these issues] a priority, either in their communications or around the content they produce,” Rand said.

Responses regarding representation also varied by race, gender and sexual orientation. Individuals responded they feel their gender is more represented in mainstream media (70% male; 66% female) and brand advertising (71% male; 68% female) than their sexual orientation or ethnicity.

In 2021, consumers hope to see more individuals with disabilities represented in advertising and media, as well as more authentic PR backed up by action.

Integrated Awareness Campaign Examples:

Self Expression Campaign example: https://www.lsnglobal.com/youth/article/24865/a-kombucha-campaign-that-celebrates-self-expression 

Los Angeles – Health-Ade Kombucha’s latest campaign targets a new generation of health-conscious drinkers.

The campaign, You Brew You, introduces the brand’s new flavour and packaging concepts, as well celebrating the popularisation of kombucha. Diverging from traditional drinks advertising, it features a series of young models in bright clothing with colourful, neon-lit backdrops.

While kombucha brands tend to communicate in a way that focuses on health, wellness and fitness activities such as yoga, Health-Ade Kombucha is on a mission to change the image of the beverage and target a new generation of digitally-native consumers.

As the younger generation look to the future and consider how drinking impacts their health, they are turning towards soft drinks with additional health benefits. For more, explore the insight section of our macrotrend Anxiety Rebellion.

Self love/acceptance Campaign Example: https://fredandfar.com/blogs/ff-blog/banksy-made-me-do-it-transforming-everyday-ads-into-self-love-campaigns 

This stunt can have multiple meanings, as Banksy often uses his art to comment on such structures as capitalism, power imbalances, and corruption. 

Wrapped up in the Banksy frenzy ourselves, we started questioning art and its subjective worth. What makes art valuable? What qualifies as art? In what way can art be used or manipulated to impact our everyday lives? We live in a world saturated by advertisements, media and marketing targeting and manipulating us to be passive consumers. Thinking about what we are subjected to daily by multimillion dollar companies is eye opening, as is Banksy’s take on copyright laws and advertising.

Banksy urges, “any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.”

So let’s take back the power. We got the ball rolling by taking some campaigns and slogans you might recognize, and turning them into campaigns for self love and acceptance.

Join us by creating your own better slogan and use the hashtag #banksymademedoit. What we need is more self love in the world. Let’s saturate the world with our mission.

Cultural Diversity Campaign Example: https://www.refuelagency.com/blog/examples-of-brands-who-got-multicultural-marketing-right/ 

Rihanna’s brand, Fenty, is all but synonymous with authentic inclusive marketing, created on the foundation that everyone woman is beautiful and should feel included. In 2017, Fenty Beauty launched 40 shades of foundation, and that has since grown to 50. Chaédria LaBouvier wrote in Allure that Fenty Beauty’s sheer number of foundation colors is “a statement that women of color deserve complex options”. 

Rihanna shared that, “It’s important to me that every woman feel included in this brand.” Once this campaign launched, it had a ripple effect called “The Fenty Effect”, a movement calling for brands to challenge the status quo in advertising.

[stlplaybox]

Top 10 Transformers of 2019 - Part 1

If you’ve been following, it’s been two years since my last one of these. Technically more given that we’re now deep past the winter of 2020. But end of year lists have a wistful character. They keep ajar a casual window into that tricky thing that is memory lane. They crystallise memories, feelings and journeys into something that attempts to qualify and quantify the experiences of some arbitrary tract of time in our lives. When life comes faster at you with each passing season, where each year seems faster than the last, lists offer some solace, some sense of growth, some recognition of where we’ve come from. 

I guess that’s why despite 2019 seeming so distant, I’ve persisted with making this list of my top 10 Transformers of 2019. There is something different this year though. Something I’ve been plugging away at for awhile now. This year I bring together my nerdy side with my collecting and underpin it with a Transformers scoring system. Yes, I’ve developed and calibrated a scoring system for Transformers. Why you ask? Well the easy answer is I’m a data person and I like to frame the way I look and understand the world through code and data.

The longer answer is I like to understand myself, understand why I collect and like what I like. With so much available these days, it’s easy to lose track of what really resonates with us, chasing that new shiny thing, that new experience, and quickly forget why we’re buying what we buy. This scoring system is my attempt to track this and quantify not just what I have purchased but also what I purchase going forward. So this year, you’ll see me provide two scores. My “weighted”  / subjective score and an ”objective” score in brackets. Both are out of 100.  

Where does this difference come from? In designing my system I recognised that how we value things differ from person to person. For instance some people place high emphasis on transformation and handling while others adore articulation and sculpt. So my scoring system attempts to factor this in by providing a “weighted” score to reflect my personal subjective leanings. The objective score is how it ranks objectively on each of the metrics scored. So that’s some context but I won’t bore you with too many more details. If there’s enough interest, I’ll write more about it sometime. But I will say this scoring system is great as I already what my top 10 for 2020 is at this stage!

A part of me was going to separate the list into transforming and non-transforming toys but I decided against it. They’re all Transformers in the end, it’s the reason we buy them. Whether its a plushie, a statue or articulated action figure they all have their merits.

One last note is I’ve also added to each figure a section called “a moment” where I try to capture a moment of where I was, how I felt when experiencing this figure. I spend a lot of time with these figures behind the camera and posing them, often in lovely natural places where I’m reflecting on a lot of things about the world, life and whatnot. There’s a range of feelings that come with that and for me that’s part of what collecting is about, the emotions these figures stir in you.

So without further ado, let’s roll out!

Honorable Mentions:

MP-44: Convoy

Weighted Score: 89.0% (88%)

Why: While its where my love for Transformers comes from, G1 is no longer where my collecting heart lies. The price, the over-engineering, and QC issues… there were a lot of reasons I didn’t want to buy this. But we lost a dear member of our community @TCracker/@hirohitokusanagi last year and this was a figure he was desperately trying to hold on for. That he couldn’t made this something I felt I had to experience. Even more so as I struggled with my own battle with cancer. This figure is a good figure but sometimes we buy things and they mean more because of the people we’ve met along the way. Simon brought so many sparks of joy with his photography and the opportunity to dedicate a shoot to him was the best way I could honour him. Whenever I shoot this figure, I think of Simon and am grateful for the inspiration he provided and his contribution to our community.

The Moment: It was early spring when this figure arrived. We were due in NZ the day after and I was in a horribly weakened state after my sixth round of chemo. But I hobbled the 2km to my post office to pick it up and shoot it that sunset. My process is to normally spend time experiencing a figure before trying to transform and photograph at sunset as its a small window of 20-30 minutes at best. But I knew time was against me and that with a few weeks in NZ it’d really bother me not being able to have a crack at it given how much it meant to me. So in the days preceding that day, I’d watched video after video of the transformation. I started sunset with the video on the big screen TV in case I needed to refer to it. It was one of my most intense shoots of the year and a lot of that pressure self-imposed. But emotionally, it was one of the most fulfilling.

Iron Factory Blue Flash

Weighted Score: 89.5% (86.7%)

Why: The only thing I owned of Bluestreak as a kid was a jigsaw puzzle. In it he was depicted in this sleek and flashy blue. From that moment, I’d always dreamt of owning an awesome blue Bluestreak. And despite happily owning the Masterpiece and Collector Club version, this was the one for me as it combined that essence with a neo-G1 design.     

Moment: Sitting by our local waterfall not long after I’d been diagnosed with cancer it was quite emotional. I remember staring blankly at it and not starting the shoot as the water cascaded in the background. Thinking about that puzzle, the life I’d led in primary school and how far I’d come. 

With that let’s get into slots 10-6!

10. Amazing Yamaguchi N-14: Optimus Prime 

Weighted Score: 90.1% (86.9%)

Why: Expressiveness is an area that’s increasing at the top of my want list for a figure and this has it in spades. Between the different hands, the stellar ab crunch and butterfly shoulder, it maximises its pure action figure focus to give us a figure that’s so much fun to pose with emotion. It’s really one torso swivel away from greatness.  

Moment: The moment comes from this year where I combined a shoot with Siege Omega in base mode where it captured all the emotion of leaving your home, being unable to stay because you need to seek refuge elsewhere. Something that I think that’s understated about Transformers is that they’re refugees and that shot really captured the weight of emotion of having to leave. 

9. Master Made SDT-06: Overlord

Weighted Score: 90.5% (90%)

Why: For as long as I’ve been doing these lists, there’s not a year I remember when Master Made did not make an entry. They continue to put out some of the most beautifully engineered and fun figures on the market and Overlord was no exception. The sharp edges of the jet half combined with the bulk of the tank are top notch. Add the extra non super-deformed head so that one can use it with Iron Factory legends and combine that with their neo-G1 take on it, this thing hits all the right spots.  

The Moment: I remember setting in for sunset in late autumn with the jet mode on an evening after I’d come home after bouncing in and out of hospital as they hadn’t been able to work out what was going on with my body other than it was failing. This sense of soaring as I photographed him was something that put a smile on my face in that moment of uncertainty.

8. TLK Hot Rod (Unique Toys K-03 La Hire)

Weighted Score: 90.7% (98%)

Why: This is the first figure where I want to talk about the difference in the weighted score and the objective score. This figure is objectively one of the best Transformers in my collection at 98/100. It scores so high across articulation, engineering, handling, aesthetic, paint job that it actually is the highest scoring figure in 2019. However it gets brought down because of one thing: connection. I gave up on watching the Bayverse movies as I just weren’t enjoying them anymore and so as great as this figure is, that’s why it ends up scaling down to 90.7. Maybe if it had more elements of G1 Hot Rod I’d have connected with it despite not seeing the movies but that’s not to be. With that, you’re right to guess that one of my strong subjective weightings is “connection“.    

Moment: It was a warm morning in September last year when I got this figure. I was sitting on the balcony with my partner and feeling awful as it was not long after a round of chemo but I remember repeatedly going “wow”, “holy crap”, “wow” as I step by step learnt all the nuances of this beautiful figure. 

7. Cross Dimension Metallic Optimus Prime (MTCD-01P Striker Manus)

Weighted Score: 90.8% (88%)

Why: The Cross Dimensions line epitomises everything I love and want from Transformers. Fresh designs that take from various parts of the expansive TF universe without being slavish to any particular part. Despite already owning the first iteration of this figure, the dark metallic red, golds and blue elevate what was already a great figure way ahead of its time. Add the extra weapons pack all tinged with orange translucent highlights and you have yourself an absolute winner.

Moment: The joy of having him wield the translucent axe was magical. While the smokestack axes look nice, they don’t pack that same punch. I spent many hours in front of the TV posing him over and over.   

6. MMC Senator Ratbat (R-42 Ultio)

Weighted Score: 91.3% (90.7%)

Why: Since Takara did the Senator Ratbat in the TG line all those years back from the United Scourge mould, I’ve loved the idea of a Cybertronian Ratbat and boy did MMC deliver. If you’d ask me whether they could’ve done it from the Stray mould I’d have laughed but its executed so perfectly and keeps a lot of the great engineering and articulation present in the core Stray design while adding the wings that double as a cape in robot mode and pincers in alt mode. It’s a menacingly alt mode and that purple is just fine.

Moment: I’d had the figure for a little while and was itching to shoot it but between treatment and friends who were visiting it took awhile for me to get to it before and when I did I was thwarted by many boring sunsets. It took me almost a whole week where the days would be fine but then offer not that much by the way of an interesting sunsets. But when I got the chance, I loved shooting that alt mode from all of its glorious angles. I remember finishing and feeling an overwhelming sense of contentment. Things were looking up, I was a healthier, a bit stronger, and fortunate enough to have a great friend come visit.

That rounds out the first half of my top 10 list. Join me back in a few days when we work through the top five and I make some other interesting data driven observations about my collection in 2019. 

[risrielthron]

Who We Were

This took a good long while because there was a retcon in November of 2015 that kinda forced Risri into hiatus. When I brought her back for the paper in 2016, some details changed but still this was an eye-opening exercise of how I’ve grown as both an RPer and a writer. Anything that does not have brackets is the same.

Take a trip down memory lane, pull up the oldest ‘about’ post you can find for your character, and annotate what has changed and what has stayed the same in {Curly brackets}. 

(I borrowed this from @alyssa-ward​​ because what a cool exercise)

Originally posted October 4, 2015

Character’s full name: Risri Elthron Reason or meaning of name:  combination of Mother's best friend's name (still alive) and her mother's sister who died - Rislana (best friend) and Kiari (sister). The Elthron family have mostly played a back seat in the history of the Kaldorei. {Both of these origins have kind of changed. Risri’s name became a place that her parents named her after, something that was important to her father’s family in an RP with her aunt. The last name Elthron was chosen by Risri during her exile her original family name is Kal’serrar.} Character’s nickname:  Ris Reason for nickname: just a short form of Risri

Physical appearance

Age: 403 {she has aged 1 rl year each year since 2015 she is currently 408 years old} How old does he/she appear: to a human about 20ish {I actually think now she probably seems a little older to people) Weight: We don't ask ladies this! Though she looks healthy and toned. {I figure she’s whatever the average weight is for female elves} Height: Average for a Kaldorei {This has changed a bit. I have her just a tad shorter than Dragaur in human form so she’s 6’2” which apparently is short for an elf} Body build: She's not a body builder but her activities keep her in shape. Shape of face: Typical Kaldorei {She did not have a face claim at the time nor did she have art.  Her face looks like this art the most.}

Eye color: White {I list it as silver now} Glasses or contacts: none Skin tone: light purplish Distinguishing marks: Claw tattoo (gained during her Druid initiation ceremony) Hair color: Purple Type of hair: Long Hairstyle: up in a ponytail or straight down her back {when I first made Risri I had her in the pigtail hair style. I quickly didnt like how it looks and changed it to the long style she sports now. It has not changed since} Voice: typically soft {I imagine her voice and accent a bit like Gal Gadot’s natural voice} Overall attractiveness: again not really caught up in her appearance so someone may need to tell her and even then she will more than likely blush and stammer a thank you. {This has changed so so much from when I first created her.  She knows she is lovely and she will probably think you want something from her if you flatter her appearance.} Physical disabilities: none Usual fashion of dress: For events: dresses...she has discovered she likes pretty pretty dresses.  For class: simple black pants and a simple shirt  {So this too has changed from when I first created her.  She aims for comfort and style. She most often will be found in one of these} Favorite outfit: Dresses, she found a lovely gold and white dress that has become her favorite {I dont even know what dress this was but Im sure it was something from my early days on wra-I would say her favorite outfit is probably one of the ones above} Jewelry or accessories: She wears a button on a string around her neck. She fondles it every so often. {The button on a string has actually moved to her bag, she now sports a ruby necklace from Dragaur, her bracelet with several charms on it, and always has her camera}

Personality

Alignment: Good {I think I would classify Risri now as more neutral these days} Good personality traits: Loves animals, children, books, meeting new people (even though she can be shy, she enjoys it), giving, loyal  {This is all true except for the shyness, I don’t actually rp Risri as shy. She may be standoffish but thats cause IRL I am shy but Risri most definitely has no fear of talking to people} Bad personality traits: shyness can sometimes stop her from joining in, when she is caught up in research she may ignore others not to be hurtful she just gets caught up  {I think this one goes with the other, as for bad traits today, I usually say she can be stuck in her ways at times and can be over protective} Mood character is most often in: happy {I would say this is still true but she’s had her share of pain} Sense of humor:  silly things make her laugh {Not so much silly things but she definitely has a more snarky is funny sense of humor} Character’s greatest joy in life: running in the forest as a cat {Taking pictures and being a druid are equal} Character’s greatest fear: the death of her mother {This has actually come out in RP as a fear of mind control.  She would fear the death of her mother but mind control tops it.} Why?  Her mother and her are very close (unusual for Kaldorei, as they grow up communally typically), travelling with her mother in her formative years they relied upon each other What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil? Ris would be devastated if something happened to her mother  {I think the death of Latilda, and then when she thought Dragaur was dead, and subsequently the death of Suzi in the office are three of the most profound things that made Risri change some. Her fel contamination would come a close fourth Currently, if something was to really happen to Dragaur, Sky, or Selise it would mess up Risri for a while} Character is most at ease when: Researching {Funnily enough this might still be true, but I would say taking pictures is probably more} Most ill at ease when: at war {This is true, but as she found out both at Darkshore and recently when there are forsaken involved she has no hesitation in killing.} Enraged when: witnessing senseless destruction of sacred places or artifacts {I completely forgot that I chose that, but I would say it has not changed. She also does not stand for people she cares about being hurt, this one is tricky though and I often have to tame it down because of interactions with others.} Depressed or sad when:  she is a pretty positive individual, depression and sadness are fleeting if they happen at all. {This has matured over time. She gets very introspective at times and definitely will seek alone time when she is sad.} Priorities: Learn about as many cultures as she can, current focus is Treants. {So long ago… Her priorities currently are her studio, Dragaur, and helping the Kaldorei still homeless.} Life philosophy: Learn, Learn, Learn then share it all!  {This was definitely written back in my Stormwind University days. Her philosophy “Be kind. It’s worthwhile to make an effort to learn about other people and figure out what you might have in common with them.”} Character’s soft spot: her Sprite Darter "Flutter" {Also a certain worgen} Is this soft spot obvious to others? Sometimes {while I dont play it up too much she is very attached to Flutter. As for the worgen, yes when they are together it is clear she has a soft spot for the gruff one} Greatest strength: Passion for learning {This is probably still true but I would say she also is a pretty good photographer and a loyal friend.} Greatest vulnerability or weakness:  Naivety of how the world really works even though she has travelled the two main continents extensively she has been sheltered by her mother. {This was one of the things I retconned out of her when I brought her back for the paper. Risri may be unknowing of some human interactions but she is far from naive in most cases.} Biggest regret: That one time at band camp...seriously she is young so right now she doesn't have one but this may play into her development and story later. {HUGE change here... in fleshing her out in RP the biggest regret is and always will be the incident that forced her out of the Sentinels but not the results because it let her become a druid so its a double edged regret} Minor regret: she forgot to tell her mom about the time she ...oh that might not be appropriate for here {Again a change that came about from RP, that she threatened Dragaur with turning him in. She would never do that and she said it in a moment of frustration with him during a fight. It hurt them both too much.} Biggest accomplishment: coming soon  {Running the paper. Opening her studio. either} Minor accomplishment: joining the University! {so many things, her writings, some of her photographs, saving people at Teldrassil, helping the Kaldorei in Stormwind.} Past failures he/she would be embarrassed to have people know about: she was almost not able to become a druid...story for another time {This also changed with the retcon, but I would say the time she spent before coming to Stormwind would be something she would not want others to know about and will probably not talk about to anyone.} Why?  She loves being a druid so not being one… {I have thoughts about what she was doing but its not fleshed out. Maybe someday and I can revisit this.} Character’s darkest secret: She is a pretty open book. Maybe later she will have a "dark" secret.  {So this dark secret is the fact that she killed 10 Sentinels. That also came with the revamp.} Does anyone else know?  {Several people.}

Goals

Drives and motivations: Curiosity unusual for a Kaldorei and need to have answers to questions  { I would say this is somewhat still there and aided her when she was a reporter, but her drives and motivations are deeper now and the result of RP. She wants to make amends and sees her work with the Kaldorei refugees as part of that.} Immediate goals: Make friends with the treant she met at the Grove of Ancients {Keep her business running, aid the Kaldorei} Long term goals: Become an expert in as many cultures as she can {Live} How the character plans to accomplish these goals: Locate writings and interviewing others, spending time with treants ((her contact will be sending her around Azeroth and Draenor to meet with others)) {So her plan for her immediate goals are tied together. She takes a good portion of her profits from the studio and the two books she’s published to fund her relief efforts} How other characters will be affected: may be pestered for any little detail they have about treants  {Most of the people she interacts with in RP would not be impacted.}

Past

Hometown: Darnassus  {God I was such a noob.  Feralas is her home.} Type of childhood: travelled both continents with her mother {so noob. She spent her youth in Feralas, Ashenvale, and Darkshore.} Pets: Sprite Darter named Flutter and a curious little white kitten {I retconned the kitten. Its only Flutter} First memory: Leaves above her (could be why she is fascinated with the treants...) {I think I’ll leave this one.} Most important childhood memory: Her and her mother on a ship talking into the night {This can stay too} Why?  The closeness she felt to her mother {Because of this reason}

Present

Current location: Elwynn Forest, Jazimina Amberstill's "Ranch" {Stormwind City, either Dragaur’s apartment or her studio} Currently living with: Jazimina Amberstill and Ritti {Dragaur} Pets: Sprite Darter "Flutter" Religion: Follower of Elune {no change, add wild gods} Occupation: Researcher {Photographer} Finances: moderate {no change though she has more wealth than she lets on}

Family

Mother:  Kahrysta Elthron  {Oh wow I totally changed her mother’s name.. Its Alistra Kal’serrar } Relationship with her: good {excellent} Father: Brezlin Elthron Relationship with him: vague memories, he died when she was still a child Siblings: none Relationship with them: Spouse: none Relationship with him/her: Children: none {though she briefly adopted Ritti before they found the gnome’s family} Relationship with them: Other important family members: Mother's best friend Rislana is like an aunt  {her aunt Tara, cousins, and another aunt I dont have a name for.}

Favorites

Color: Green and Purple {blues could be added} Least favorite color: Orange {sorry Drag, but I dont think its true anymore} Music: any Food: Chocolate Cookies {See answer here} Literature: Any Form of entertainment: stories {plays, dances could be added} Expressions: "Indeed!" {Its not often I get to use it but I do like it} Mode of transportation: Winterspring Frostsaber, given to her by her mother when she hit adulthood (about 50 years ago) or flight form  {Flight form.  The frostsaber went away in the retcon} Most prized possession: her journal {Camera}

Habits

Hobbies: Dabbles in alchemy {more than dabbles now} Plays a musical instrument? No Plays a sport: no How he/she would spend a rainy day: reading a book, any book {taking pictures} Spending habits: thrifty {for herself this is probably true, for others she can be extravagant} Smokes: no  Drinks: not normally  {no change, but she will drink} Other drugs: no What does he/she do too much of? Read  {Take pictures} What does he/she do too little of?  Socialize just for fun {This is probably more true now since giving up the paper} Extremely skilled at:  Keeping a team alive when faced with challenges when exploring  {Photography, writing could be added} Extremely unskilled at:  a lot of things but she does hate cooking {LIES...I retconned this. She loves to cook. I don’t know...but I am sure there is something. It would probably be something she doesn’t do and has no desire to do.} Nervous tics: not sure someone may need to point that out to her  {She plays with the bracelet on her wrist when she’s nervous. } Usual body posture: relaxed and happy Mannerisms: polite {extremely so} Peculiarities: …  {hmm, I am sure there are some that have manifested over the five years I’ve been RPing her. Perhaps how she will always address a human as their full name unless she has been asked not to and will still use Ms. Mrs. Miss. Mr. with that name unless she feels close to you.}

Traits

Optimist or pessimist: Optimist Introvert or extrovert: Introvert until she gets to know you then she might not be quiet {I would say shes more mixed now.} Daredevil or cautious?: A little of both Logical or emotional: Emotional  {probably more mixed now though she can be emotional she just normally doesn’t let it show unless she is very comfortable with you} Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat: somewhere in between, depends on how wrapped up she is in her research but she does have a habit of cleaning up if there is a mess  { I would say she is very neat. Sky drives her crazy.} Prefers working or relaxing:  working {definitely would say this is still true} Confident or unsure of himself/herself: unsure internally, others probably see her as confident  {a little of this still lingers but unless you are close to her you wont see it} Animal lover: indeed

Self-Perception

How he/she feels about himself/herself: an introvert who is more bookish than social  {This is still kinda true.} One word the character would use to describe self: shy  {Quiet} One paragraph description of how the character would describe self: A passionate learner and studier of peoples, loves animals, enjoys outdoors, and exploring is exciting.  {A memory keeper, lover of animals and the outdoors, her passion for photography as a way to preserve memories is high.} What does the character consider his/her best personality trait? her passion for learning  {her compassion for others} What does the character consider his/her worst personality trait? her shyness ((its all in her head too, she really can be quite un-shy when meeting new races or investigating something though in social entertainment type situations she is at a loss)) {so retconned, she would say her possessiveness when it comes to the people she cares about.} What does the character consider his/her best physical characteristic? She is unaware of her appearance most of the time  {She likes her hair.} What does the character consider his/her worst physical characteristic? She hates her feet...not really  {I’ll keep this if only cause I dont know} How does the character think others perceive him/her: She sometimes thinks too much about this and sometimes it doesn't bother her at all  {She is very conscious of being a Kaldorei business woman in a human society. She strives to show that her people are trustworthy and kind.} What would the character most like to change about himself/herself: her shyness  {Since I retconned the shyness...I don’t know...Risri believes she can be a better person but its something that you work on each day.} 

Relationships with others

Opinion of other people in general: opportunity to learn  {She is still curious about others and likes people watching. She thinks most people are good at heart.} Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others: hmm, I think this will depend upon the relationship and situation  {Oh most definitely, this was honed during her time as a reporter where she hid a lot of her thoughts about things.} Person character most hates: no one (yet)  {Elyza Morrowbranch} Best friend(s): her mother / Jazi  {Sky Stoneseat} Love interest(s): none (yet)  {Dragaur} Person character goes to for advice: her mother / Dean Crowelley  { Dragaur, Sky, Selise} Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: Ritti  {Dragaur, Sky } Person character feels shy or awkward around: cute boys...oh ok anyone in an entertainment social situation, when she is meeting others for what she calls "research" she emulates her mother's ambassador ways as much as possible  {So such a noob.  She really doesn’t except older Kaldorei...she worries what they know of her past.} Person character openly admires: her mother and Rislana Silverwind  {Who is Rislana Silverwind omg I totally forgot this was a thing. Will have to think of someone else as Rislana is a Draenei now.  As for who she admires?  Her mother, Selise, Sky, Eilithe, Feyawen, Anegorn, and a few others.} Person character secretly admires: Dean Crowelley {I don’t think there is anyone she secretly admires, if she likes you, you know.} Most important person in character’s life before story starts: her mother  After story starts:  Ritti, Jazi, and the university faculty  {Dragaur, Sky, Selise}

If you made it here thanks for looking at the changes of Risri over the course of the last five years.  Its been a long, strange, crazy trip but I wouldn’t change much about it. If you want to do this, I encourage you to! And tag me cause I wanna read!

[mimmerr]

How jobs in retail and hospitality make us better employees (and people.)

Unions last week called for shops to stay closed on Boxing Day after complaints of some employees being asked to start work at 3:30am. And as much as online shopping now dominates our spending habits, shoppers were still expected to spend £4bn in Boxing day sales, with a large proportion of these purchases in store. Everyone loves a bargain but surely we can give everyone, including those in retail and hospitality a well-needed break? I think that’s more important than getting 20% off something I don’t like or need. 

Anyway, the public outcry for holidays for all brought me back to my days in hospitality, where I worked both Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. It was pants not being able to relax properly on Christmas Eve or day, where I had missed half the fun by being at work and then had to cut some of said fun early to go back. The pay was similarly pants. Pants galore that Christmas. After all, employers aren’t legally required to pay their staff double on bank holidays but some kinder ones thankfully do. And as much as there was pants galore that Christmas, I do look back at my days in hospitality with some positivity. There were bleak times like the above but the experience overall taught me the life skills I use today. I would even go as far to say that my job in hospitality made me a much more rounded person than University did, resulting in my mantra, there’s nothing wrong with cleaning a toilet. With resounding bitterness, I accept that not everyone agrees with everything I say, so let’s research my ‘Pants galore but worthwhile’ thesis.

The reason I believe this is worthwhile to write about is that 2.9 million of us work within retail and over three million of us work in hospitality. From the sales assistant in Tesco to the barista in Costa, these employees contribute to a massive part of our economy, feeding and clothing our families and putting a caffeinated spring in our working day. There are a lot of people working in these industries, effectively keeping the country running but they are not treated as such. Only ⅗ retail employees believe their manager cares about their well being and 24% of hospitality staff have sought psychological support or medication from the stress of the job. I am concerned that we are not making these industries attractive and safe; there will be less people to make our coffee and stock our shelves; we’ll have less well-rounded people in other jobs too.

So I created a survey for those I know and follow. 31 very kind people answered questions about their experiences in the sector, the majority of them being between 20-30, which is not shocking because I myself am in this bracket but also a third of retail employees are under 25. So it’s representative at least and an indication I may need some older friends. 

Why aren’t the industries attractive/‘pants galore’?

When asked about the difficulties of their respective jobs, one issue that arose was the amount of pressure and duties for a given role. Participants felt they had to go above and beyond their pay and position; working overtime as a given; fulfilling the jobs of two or more people due to understaffing; meeting unrealistic sales quotas. This. Doesn’t. Work. Setting unreasonable tasks sets teams and their managers up for failure and less productivity. And also, let’s keep in mind that selling sandwiches, a very important issue for me, is not a life/death situation, let’s not behave towards people serving and making them that it is. There is room to breathe and also some for error. The negativity revolving around pressure often linked with disrespectful, ungrateful managers who sometimes had little experience of the job themselves. Considering that most of these employees are at their first job and don’t know what to do, an open door policy and persona is key to engaging and training young people. Whereas, a harsh leadership or management style is counterproductive, leading to resentment, apathy and ineffective communication 

I even know of a few people that left their jobs solely because of their boss. One person. A whole career and paycheck. It fills me with sadness.

Another prevalent item was customers, who were ‘horrible’, ‘rude’,  ‘arsey’ and demanding but still expected high quality customer service. This is a big factor in high employee turnover and stress. Why do we treat fellow human beings this way? There is a difference with being dissatisfied and yes, I have definitely had some difficult phone calls or conversations with companies, but did I assume it was the fault of the underpaid employee I was speaking with? Even if it was, did I treat them like fox poo? Na-uh and neither should anyone else. That stuff stinks for weeks.

Thirdly, was the physical aspect of the job. This one is quite tricky to pull apart, a job is a job and it needs to be done. However, standing on your feet for many hours at a time with little or no breaks, when research shows breaks lead to better productivity isn’t ethical and in some cases, legal. Unionise, people! 

People also pointed out the unsociable or tricky nature of shift times, often starting very early or ending very late, not allowing much time for a social life outside their work. Shift work has been proven to worsen health but I understand that the job needs to take place at a time where the company can make the most money e.g. dinner service at a restaurant. I think if the pay and role matched the hours, people would see the upside of working at these times. Yes you might need to work 3 nights in a row, but on that day off you are going shoppingggggggg, honey!

The reason I wanted to question people on these negativities was to see if regardless, they still thought their job was worthwhile to them in the long run and as per usual, I was right! Almost! 41% said their work experience had a bigger impact on their career compared to their qualifications at 19%. 38% * didn’t answer this question, meaning both were equal or none were important, you people fascinate me! Also, two of those surveyed said their job in retail/hospitality was integral to their current career through networking and progression. 

What skills did people learn/why was it worthwhile?

You will not be shocked that the top three here are qualities employers look for. 

1. Resilence 

The quality of keeping that smile on your face after relentless hours on your feet and dealing with demanding customers and managers. Fun, horrific and true story: I kept smiling after spilling a pot of cold milk over an entire family (of five) after it flipped off a tray I accidentally elbowed. 

2. Customer service & communication skills

The quality of handling conflict, responding to clients’ needs and requests without getting it wrong (as much as possible). Most people work in jobs that involve talking to people in one way or another and we all know someone who doesn’t quite get it right. You should have got your waiter/waitress hours in, babe!

3. Time management 

Not being late, getting food and products to customers quickly whilst multitasking. Unfortunately, that lie in until 10am at University is short-lived in the world of work.

4. BEING NICE TO PEOPLE IN THESE INDUSTRIES!!!

Possibly the most important one and the reason for me writing this biblical length article. See more in conclusion. Directly below for your convenience. 

People in these industries work exceptionally hard for poor pay and treatment. We have all seen, or possibly been, that person who has gone out of their way to make another human’s day a misery. I don’t care if they’ve forgotten your panini for the second time in the row or don’t have that disgusting orange kitten heel in stock. Be annoyed, be angry, we all deserve great customer service. I don’t think that means being aggressive and difficult to staff. Vent to your friends not to the person who hasn’t sat down for six hours. Yes, be constructive but aggressive - no. And that includes online feedback too. Although I’ll fully admit I lost my temper over soya yoghurt on Twitter last year. But even reading that, do you see how ridiculous that is? I publicly apologise and accept that a lack of soya yoghurt isn’t the end of the world. We move on.

Anyway, my main point is that some of the ‘pants galore’ stuff we, the public, can change. Whether that is simply being kinder to our staff or not losing our minds over soya yoghurt. Some of the issues, we need to consider as an economy. Do we really need our stores open around the holiday period? Is it right that companies can under pay and also under staff? I think if we worked on these bigger aspects more, we’d not just have people see these industries as a pathway to something else, which they for many, are. But, we’d have people seeking out senior positions leading to a career in these areas because they can see the pay, the rewards and respect.

*All three percentages were rounded down. Maths baby!

[ncstings]

“Welcome, ladies, and gentlemen!” Vincent bellows as he stands at the front of the living room. “Thank you once again for joining us on this fateful evening.”

“Wait, wait, I have wine!” Maggie calls out form the kitchen, running in carefully with two bottles in one hand, and a collection of glasses in the other.

Benjamin clicks his tongue. “Now why didn’t you ask for help.”

“You were busy getting the board from the car.” Maggie defends, gesturing to the giant white board behind the coach.

In an instant, Luke’s eyes gape from the doorway, hands deep in his pockets as Charlotte begins to take off her shoes. He’s been to this home maybe once or twice. He barely understood the invitation over text, but he was trying to push himself to be more open, and to spend more time, not only with Charlotte, but the people she cared about.

“You’re here!” A small brunette said from the couch. “We can get started!”

He didn’t even know who the hell she was, and normally, he’s all for social situations where he can charm everyone. But he’s well aware that most of the people in this room weren’t his biggest fan.

“Finally.” Georgia huffs, standing from the couch to give Charlotte a kiss on the cheek.

“Sorry, we were running late.”

And by late, that meant a distraction in the bathroom when he stopped by to pick her up. A detour, he called it, stuck between her thighs. Said he couldn’t do anything at work when all he could think about was tasting her.

“But Luke brought food.” She gestures behind herself to him, as he held up the two plastic bags of access food from the restaurant he grabbed on their way over. “And I brought an extra wine.”

“You’re forgiven.” Ben says right as Georgia’s about to speak, so she turns on her heel and goes back to sit between Ben and the brunette.

“Come on,” Charlotte whispers, “Take off your shoes and get comfy.” She waves him over, and he does as instructed, right as Maggie swoops in to take the bags of food with a polite thanks.

He had a feeling tonight would be intense.

“Can we get started? The show’s going to start in fifteen.” Vincent looks at his watch. “Not that I’m not thrilled to have you over, Luke, take your time getting comfortable, but we gotta go over the rules for you.”

“Rules?” He looks puzzled, shrugging off his jacket. “I thought we were just watching some show tonight.”

Benjamin snorts, while both Georgia and the brunette gasp.

Suddenly, there’s a beep to the latter woman’s phone, and she stands. “He’s here, just a second.”

She darts to the door, swings it open, and gives a large wave as if this is some fifties classic and she’s Hepburn. Luke’s quite certain he’ll be burnt out on that kind of energy, and fast.

“I thought she said Elijah couldn’t make it.” Maggie looks to her fiance. “I would have gotten more wine.”

“Last minute change. I can spare some beer for him. I think he likes that better, anyways.” Vincent puts a hand to her hip, looking at her with warmth.

Charlotte talks of the world when it comes to those two. Luke’s not too familiar with ideal couples. His parents love each other, but everything from the past is worn with rose-tinted lenses. And even when his dad re-married, they were far from the kind of sugar-sweet-sickening like the two before him. He wondered if Charlotte expected to have something like they had. If that’s what she wanted, it was probably time to make his exit now.

“Sorry for the sudden appearance, guys. I pushed back some appointments, I really wanted to make this.” The ridiculously tall man he figured to Elijah stepped in, following the tiny brunette. “I don’t totally know what this is but Zebby hyped it up a lot.” He grins, extending a hand to Benjamin, “Good to see you.”

Ben says a greeting, shaking his hand, and now Luke feels slightly clued in. At least to the party members. The tall gentleman is polite enough to greet everyone at the party, even stopping to shake Luke’s hand and introduce himself before going back behind the couch to lean over it’s edge, behind where the brunette, he gathered named Zebby, of all things, sits.

“Okay, we gotta start.” Vincent huffs.

Luke hoped they would, he’s extremely confused.

“Maybe the sparknotes, babe.” Maggie rubs his shoulder.

“Right, okay.” He nods, grabbing a market and walking over to the whiteboard behind the couch, and wheels it beside the television. “Thanks to Benjamin, who sneaks up this from the university, we can keep track a lot easier. So, new season of the Bachelorette. Episode one is tonight. Everyone watches, we take notes down of all the men’s names, and after it all, we all create out own bracket. Who will go how every week, until the end, who will win. Whomever has the closest bracket to reality, get’s the coveted prize.” Vincent holds up a decorative gold box with it’s lid undone. “We’ve all chipped in, and since there’s more of us playing than ever, we get a pretty gnarly prize.” He steps forward to hold out the box. “Benjamin, as last season’s champ, you get to decide the prize for this season.”

Ben stands, a stoic and serious look on his face. “Yes, once again, I want to thank you for my win.” A lip twitches in a smirk as he looks down to Georgia, who rolls her eyes. “This was my third time playing and I especially want to thank Georgia for giving me all of her secrets.”

“The little shit fucked it out of me.” She huffs, casting a glance to Zebby, who was blushing, but couldn’t help her giggle. “He’d be nothing without me.”

“That’s true.” Benjamin nods, “Which is why she helped me pick the prize for this season. Which is a hundred-and-fifty dollar certificate to Gouche, that new restaurant on downtown everyone keeps talking about.”

There’s a collective oos and ahs as Benjamin fishes the certificate from his wallet and drops the piece of plastic into the box.

When Benjamin meets Luke’s gaze, who’s sitting back in his chair, legs crossed, it’s not long before the rest of the room falls silent, and looks directly at him. “What?” He looks around, panicked. Did he do something wrong?

“Is it... okay?” Maggie says, softly, like he might cry.

“Is what okay? Gouche? Shouldn’t you ask the critic?” He gestures to Charlotte, who’s covering her face with her hand.

She looks up from her fingertips only to shake her head. “They think they’re hurting your feelings for having a gift card to another restaurant.”

“Oh!” He barks, beaming out into a grin.

Truthfully, that was the kindest thing anyone’s ever considered. To think, both he and Charlotte being in a world were people were not that thoughtful. No wonder she chose to hang around this group after so long.

“It’s fine.” Luke waves a hand. “Even if I hated the people who run the place, which I don’t,” Luke didn’t even know them, shockingly. “You enjoying food to another restaurant is not going to hurt my feelings.” Luke looks around, seeing them all relax. “But, if you’re all so concerned.” He lifts himself from the seat to grab his wallet. From there, he pulls out a business card. “Do you have a pen, Charlie?” He says, holding out his palm. She places one only moments later, and he scribbles down on the card. “To raise the stakes, you can also have a two-person dinner at my place. On me. Wine and all.”

He gets up, placing the business card in the box, only to find that, once again, they were staring at him, completely dumbfounded.

“What did I do this time?” He looked around, seeing Charlotte with her cheeks pink.

“She lets you call her Charlie?” Maggie whispers.

“Yeah?” Luke looks puzzled.

“Anyways!” Charlotte chimes in, “The rules, Vincent, please.” And she lunges forward to snag Luke’s wrist to sit back down in the chair.

“What did I do?” He whispers to her, and she just shakes her head.

“Yeah. Yes!” He says, getting himself back into the groove. “Well, now there’s double the prizes this year. Double the players, double the prizes. The rules are simple. You have to have your bracket locked in and submitted before you leave tonight.”

“No exceptions.” Georgia wags a finger. “Six years ago when this was at my place, Maggie and Charlotte couldn’t decide and they had to sleep on my floor that night because no one would pick.”

“There is also no couple conspiracy. I don’t want to see any plotting between anyone here tonight. That’s an instant disqualification.”

“Couple conspiracy?” Elijah says with a raised brow. 

“That’s when we’d team up to make both of our brackets as versatile as possible, so that we’d have a victory between the two of us.” Zebby turns around to explain to him.

“Okay, so every man for themselves. Got it.” He nods.

“Now normally I’d say don’t stress too much, newbies never win. But we took Zebby in a year ago and she won her first season. So, I mean, anything’s possible.” Vincent shrugs.

“I take this show very seriously.” She points out.

“Those are basically the rules.” Vincent shrugs. “Am I forgetting anything?” He looks to Maggie.

“No. We’re just here to have fun!” She says, grabbing one of the bottles of wine. “Shall we start?”

There’s a cheer all around the room, and everyone scrambles to get their respective notebooks, pens, pencils, tablets, within minutes before the show airs, everyone is ready. 

Luke looks to Charlotte, who’s fixed on the television with her own tiny notepad that he normally sees reserved for her critiques. “Since when do you care about reality tv?”

“It’s been a tradition for over a decade.” She shrugs. “They both took it really seriously and then got me roped into it.” She peels her eyes from the screen to look up at him. “It’s just good fun.”

“Have you ever won?”

“Oh god,” She laughs, “I’m awful at this. I think I won once by dumb luck about eight years ago and haven’t claimed a victory since.”

“You? Letting a win go for so long? Sounds impossible.”

“I’m usually pretty drunk here, and it’s always so ridiculous, I forget I’m trying to compete.”

The show starts, and all of them appear to be glued to the television, making quiet comments to one another, notes being jotted down. Luke stands up from his seat to grab some of the food he brought and bring it into the kitchen. When he finds a plate, and dishes himself some, there’s a call from behind him. “Mind serving two plates up?”

He turns, looking to see Elijah step forward in the doorway. “Oh yeah, sure.” He nods, grabbing a second plate. “You’re not taking notes?” He care hear the tv go to commercial break, and multiple conversations erupt at once.

“I’m absolutely confused.” He laughs, “I’ve never watched an episode of this show. I just came because Zebby was so excited and I like being apart of the things that make her happy.”

Well isn’t that nice?

Luke puts one of the plates in the microwave and presses a few buttons, leaning back against the counter to look over the much taller male. Covered in tattoos. Looks rather gruff if he hadn’t just seen a bubbly, tiny woman dressed in a blush pink dress cling to him at the door. “I’m sure she really appreciates that.” He nods.

“And what about you? Did you get overwhelmed?” He asks, genuinely.

Everything about this was overwhelming to him. Not just the show, this game, but the sheer kindness they were showing him. Hadn’t they known he hurt Charlotte countless times? Hadn’t they known that she’d said he was terrible for her before. He was a prick, and he’s only known other pricks. Friends weren’t really in the cards for him before. It was always getting to the top. The people who helps him get there, they weren’t much of friends either.

“I guess so, yeah.” He nods, taking out the heated plate and handing it to Elijah, who thanked him. “I’m not really used to this.”

“You mean watch parties?” He laughs.

“More like, hanging out with my girlfriend’s friend’s kind of parties.” He confesses. It seems easy. They’re all so nice, he knows opening up is more than welcomed. For a guy who towers over him, and looks like he could knock him out in a single punch, Elijah looks like he’s genuinely listening and caring.

“I see.” He nods, taking a bite of potatoes. “Wow, this is really good.” He points. “You make this?”

“I mean, I didn’t make that with my own hands, no, but I came up with the recipe.” 

“Shit, well I hope Zebby wins this year and we can try your place.” He furrows his browns and nods at his plate, humming again when he takes another bite.

Luke chuckles. In truth, he could give any of them a free meal. It didn’t just have to be some prize in the box. It was nice being around a group of people who weren’t so enthralled by the food world. That him bringing cold leftovers wasn’t repulsive. 

“But hey,” Elijah continues, “If it makes you feel better, I don’t think they’re giving you one bit of attention.” He gestures behind them. “Zebby didn’t even notice me leave.”

At the mention, he hears a light shout at the television, an airy voice he can only imagine is coming from Elijah’s partner. The man smiles, and shakes his head. “I should probably go back to her, actually. Thanks for the food, man.” He nods, and turns around to go back to the livingroom.

Luke waits until his own food is heated up, then he joined the party again, to no shock, no one takes not of his return. Even Charlotte. It isn’t until the next commercial break that she looks up, finishing off her glass of wine. “Oh, food.” She says, fingers picking a piece of potato to bring to her lips.

“You want me to get you a plate?” He laughs.

“You’re not watching?” She gestures towards the television. 

“Can’t say that I am.”

“Just you wait,” She pats his leg. “First one is always hard. I mean, Vincent’s perfect so of course, he jumped right into it with no issues. Ben required a lot of explaining, but I think he just likes making Georgia miserable. You and Elijah will come along.” Giving him a smile, she picks up another potato. “I will take that plate though.”

“Of course you will.” He says, swooping in to press a kiss to her cheek before standing up again. He imagined she was right. Luke got the sense that he’d want nothing more than to be part of this group.

[republicstandard]

Sometimes a Great Nation

“Africa doesn’t need a savior—America needs to save itself.”-Boniface Mwangi

“Europe belongs to the Europeans.”-The Dalai Lama

While it is all well and good to decry the damage being done to the West, there must be an adult, mature, considered alternative to not only the various civilization-destroying ideologies of the Left, but to the mainstream conservatism that has conserved nothing. When you accept the Left’s premises, as most mainstream conservatives have done, you’ve already lost. And we have, in fact, lost. We lost a long time ago. We now live under an occupation government.

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The Left uses idealism and utopian rhetoric in order to mask their cravenness, greed, and malice. The Left has been wildly successful in not only framing the “debate,” but in defining its terminology. This is particularly vital when we consider that the highest ethical organization of peoples is along hereditary national lines (ie-Hungary for Hungarians, Quebec for Quebecois, Cyprus for Cypriots, etc.), but the frame is that the highly disruptive movement of peoples—which is also terrible for the environment—and “humanitarian” regime change wars are defined as moral and virtuous; similarly, the Chinese, with their deplorable human rights record, highly censorious regime, and mass amount of pollution are given a pass simply because they have moneyed interests and they are non-Western. The only two non-white ethnicities that have enough cultural over-lap to be called nominal allies in the Japanese and the Igbo have each been constrained by the globalist forces in their own right. There is perhaps another discussion to be had about certain groups in the Egyptian Coptics, Syriacs, Armenians, Georgians, and Persians, but this would be too much of a digression from the present point, and anyway, we can see the intense global pressures to “liberalize” on all of those groups, while some of them are massacred by their ethnic and/or ideological enemies. The Coptics in particular have almost been totally ethnically cleansed from an Egypt that rightfully belongs to them. There is also a discussion to be had about whether or not these groups classify as “white,” but again, that is for another time.

Japan is now targeted for the same level of population-replacement immigration as the West, and the Igbo were starved and massacred in the millions in order to remain slaves of the ramshackle entity known as Nigeria. China also does not countenance the progressive platitudes used to wear down normality and resistance to the neo-liberal project as seen throughout Western Europe and the Anglosphere. Eastern Europe remains a wait-and-see proposition.

This is where we find ourselves today, as Anton Fedyashin and Anita Kondoyanidi write: “Solzhenitsyn played the double role of a dissident in the Soviet Union and a critic of Western materialism, which made him equally unpopular with the Soviet government and the Western liberal media.” Very clearly the false dilemma between communism, capitalism, or “the third way” of neo-liberalism is what we aim to break out of. In order to extricate ourselves from this false dilemma, we must understand that there are other options. The Third and Fourth Positionists have the best arguments at present, though personally, given my embrace of the nation-state as the ideal conduit to resisting globalism and universalism, as well as its expression of the people in state form, I hew toward the Third, though this is not to say the ideas of the Fourth are without merit. Contention over the nation-state is probably the key here. Regarding the Third Position, it is important to remember that political systems are also a product of their times and should be, though they are not always, a reflection of their people. Greg Johnson makes the astute point in The White Nationalist Manifesto that while the Old Right had its application then, to simply try and re-create the systems of 1930s Germany or Italy, for example, is an anachronistic absurdity. It does not, however, mean that we cannot learn from these systems and that much of their ideas can’t be applied to modernity. They can.

Organizationally, the only moral and practicable means to resist globalism and ensure maximal stability and peace is through the creation of nation-states for each ethnos. Of course we project empathy and identification with our race beyond national lines, but there are hard limits to what we can affect past the nation. Of course you can empathize with others and you can certainly identify with your race (in fact, racial identification is an evolutionary necessity as inclusive fitness), however we reach practical limitations on what we can do outside of the confines of our geographic area and outside of our particular ethnicity, for a myriad of reasons. Thus we reach my idea of a comity of peoples: racial solidarity, national loyalty. Each man and woman commits themselves fully to their ethnos, and just as the group secures the rights and security of the individual, so, too, does a pan-Indo-European comity do the same for our individual nation-states. It’s what the European Union could have been had it not been hijacked by greedy and genocidal lunatics that literally want to submerge Europe under an African tide. Look at Guy Verhofstadt’s proposal to create a single Euro-African economic area, which would have free movement of goods, yes, but also people. With Africa’s population set to quadruple by the end of the century, and Europeans’ populations falling, that is the end of Europe as we know it…and they know it.

Racial and civilizational markers are a good proxy when we are talking about the issues confronting Indo-Europeans internationally. Plus, as I’ve stated before, a comity of peoples is the only way each ethnicity gets its own homeland. It might seem like a paradox to say that we must work collectively to realize our individual aims, but it’s not. Just as the group or tribe guarantees the safety and the rights of the individual, the same applies as Australians and Americans and Germans and Russians all mutually support each other as they de-colonize and re-conquer their nations. It in no way implies a strict universalism but rather acknowledges common interests, origin, and, yes, some universal principles/values unique to the cultures whites build.

We often discuss “Western civilization” and its hallmarks, but such a discussion remains bracketed by ideological constraints. Where do “Western values” come from? The sky? No, they originate from Westerners who are Indo-European, or white. There are also racial proclivities, for evolutionarily the propagation of one’s genes is of primary importance. A Slovakian will therefore feel a much closer bond to a Spaniard or Scotsman than they would a Turk for this simple reason. But can you organize a nation on race only? Short answer: no. You can project past the limitations of the nation-state, but you cannot consanguineously organize past it without sacrificing some essential part of who you are. Understand that our preference for our own is literally encoded in our genome.  

Mother Europe should have explicit ethno-states that always remain if not a totality, then an extreme majority of at least 90% for each specific ethnicity. Belgium, Switzerland, and the other few multi-ethnic countries could decide to remain intact, but it is clear that they must retain a racial super-majority for social cohesion and national solvency. Multi-culturalism must be rejected wholesale, and as far as multi-racialism, in Europe, there is no such discussion. It is the racial homeland of whites, and must be preserved as a white racial totality with no concessions or equivocations.

Race is a fine (temporary) proxy in multi-racial societies such as many Western nations have become. Ultimately, however, we will need to re-establish stringent codes for what defines an American, a New Zealander, a Canadian, an Australian, et cetera. Understanding history and context, both the limitations of civic nationalism and the impracticalities of White Nationalism in the United States and other former colonies at the present time, among other considerations, what I am proposing for the United States and other former colonies is a racially-backed nationalism that seems to me to be the best way forward for now; it would be an explicitly racial constitutional amendment whereby the white proportion of the nation should never fall below a set number, say 75-85%. It would be a kind of Singaporean model. In the future, it may be revised upward, but this could work as a temporary detente until we can capably manage the return of alien peoples to their homelands and arrive at a final decision on what to do with the culturally-distinct black population whose ancestors came as indentured servants and slaves. This also allows for the presence of non-whites who share our beliefs and values but does not jeopardize the general consensus through multi-cultural atomization. I believe former colonies like Australia, New Zealand, and Canada should adopt similar policies but, lacking the philosophical flexibility of the United States and sans a large multi-generational population of former slaves, ought to aim for a 90% white racial floor.

The moral imperative of eliminating slavery as an institution was spear-headed by Western nations, who committed great time, energy, and resources to bringing about its terminus, though you’d be hard-pressed to say they’ve been justly rewarded for their trouble. One of the central fixtures—perhaps the central fixture—of the “black experience” in America is “the struggle”: for emancipation, for freedom, for equal rights. The problem with this trope of “resistance” and “the struggle” is that it hasn’t been relevant for at least fifty years, and yet it lurches on, zombie-like, led by the rotting corpses of Emmett Till, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the like. The most telling image is of a mulatto Colin Kaepernick and his then-$19 million annual salary, the same Kaepernick who was adopted and raised by a white family, who had never registered to vote, kneeling to protest the national anthem. It became a rallying cry for “social justice,” but it was nothing more than spectacle. It was pure theater, and poorly-executed at that. If blacks are not out burning their own communities down or wantonly attacking people they’re being induced to agitate for us to do more for them. There’s something very anti-liberal there, and you should think long and hard on that.

In order to reverse the demographic calamities that have befallen the West, I am wrestling with how exactly this is to be done in the most humane way possible. Step one is obviously close the borders, stop inviting people in, and stop the welfare payments that incentivize people coming and staying. Build massive double-walls that would make Constantinople blush. Shift the rhetoric to pro-nationalism, which will make many feel uncomfortable and leave. Prioritize nationals in hiring and government programs. Ban seditious NGOs. That's a start. It won't solve everything but if we also get birthrates back up, and stop subsidizing non-whites having more children, we can still shift the percentages where the minority are essentially irrelevant. You could also (should also) restrict voting to nationals only and even create a specific definition of citizenship that honors the nation's ancestry. The US and Canada must end birthright citizenship. Not only should illegals not be given a path to citizenship, they should be categorically barred from ever entering the country again, and if they are caught trying to cross the border again, we can only assume the worst of intentions and they should be shot on sight. This is called a deterrent.

We have now before us a choice: burying our heads in the sand as sea-change demography transforms us into Brazil or worse, Africa, which will necessarily lead to our oblivion, or the reassertion of not just our right to exist but to flourish. As William Gayley Simpson wrote:

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Every eruption of great vital strength is a danger to the weak…All are equal, is the cry...[but] it is the suicide of a people when they allow themselves to be made into a “melting pot,” where you no longer have a people but a hodge-podge of peoples, a stew of conflicting bloods, traditions, values, and tastes. It is the betrayal and surrender of those differentiations that their ancestors painfully achieved through many thousands of years, and which give their existence on the Earth all its worth and meaning…Our belief in equality…[is] a betrayal of life—I should say, rather, of quality of life. Where all are believed equal, the voice of the superior man is drowned in the roar of the mob, and taste tends to gravitate to the level of the gutter. This is happening all over America. Furthermore, wherever this belief in equality spreads, there goes a disbelief in the importance of heredity, of blood…It is no less than a crime against life when the superior is sacrificed to the inferior, a crime that is in no wise mitigated nor its effects alleviated when the sacrifice is made by a man’s own free will and choice.

The presumption of equality—outside of the law—is ludicrous. Blind justice is essential to a just and healthy state, but to extend this notion beyond the legal sphere, and to imbue it with sentimentalism, is a recipe for disaster and a violation of both nature and divine Providence. Do not throw your life away as a pearl before swine. Do not allow yourself to get bogged down in the trash. Every second on this earth is precious; most don’t understand the gift they’ve been given and they squander it for trinkets and false promises. Hierarchies are not only natural, they are inevitable. Embrace it and re-claim your birthright, or someone else will.

from Republic Standard | Conservative Thought & Culture Magazine https://ift.tt/2JPMA9R via IFTTT

[captain-spookycandycollecti-blog]

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However i have got insurance and so when i go to the station to have the form stamped so i can go to the compound and collect my car back, The police tell me i have to produce my licence as well...problem is i cant find it.. so i go to dvla internet site and order form to get a new licence....But this can take 3 weeks to come back and unfortunately the car gets crushed in 2 weeks, But the law says i can continue driving even tho i havent got my licence card ...because i do have a licence but its been lost and im waiting on my new one coming.A Please dont answer if you are only speculating on what you think you know i havent got time to read brain dead answers from all you dick eds on here. Nor do i want your personal opinion on the situation as it is a Question.. put on a Question Board wanting an answer...Not a message board asking for your opinion so use the board as it should be used and stick to the rules...answer the question ...if you cant ...then dont waste my time and yours""

Does anyone know where i could get a car for my driving test? I need insurance as well. I am 16 years old?

I am going to go get my licence. I am 16 years old in California. The problem is, i don't have a car. Please don't ask me what i'm going to do with my licence if i dont have a car (it's a long story). I need a car i can take with me to do my road test. The DMV also needs proof of insurance. Please tell me where i could get a car and get the proof of insurance. Thanks!!!!!!!!""

What happens if I want Homeowners and Car insurance with the same company?

Say my car insurance is with Company C and expires October 31 and my homeowners insurance is with Company H and expires January 31. I saw somewhere that if I have both insurances with the same Company then I save money. How do I line up the two insurance renewal dates so that I do not waste the money I paid for homeowners insurance between October 31 and January 31?

State Farm insurance?

I have my own insurance and it was. 230 a month now I am getting a new car and I need collusion I am getting a Honda civic sedan 2012 white can anyone tell me an estimate on how much my insurance will go up Ps the car is financed . I have State Farm, I am 20 years old I reside in ny and I have had no accident""

""If healthy foods were more affordable, would health insurance be cheaper?""

It irritates me beyond words that people these days are almost forced to have a poor diet because junk food is more affordable. Then, the health risks associated with eating junk food cause more people in the hospital, more money being shucked at pharmaceutical companies for medicine to treat the diseases cause by poor diets, and health insurance and taxes we all have to pay for regardless of how healthy we try to be. I mean, if a packet of Ramen noodles is 50 cents and an apple is $1.50, the majority of the financially stressed nation is going to reach for the Ramen. I would love to eat mostly raw fruits and veggies all day long, but I simply can't afford that and it makes me feel like the government is forcing me to eat crappy foods in order to survive. Why are healthy foods so expensive? And wouldn't it factor out in the end to reduce the price of healthy foods knowing a lot of money would no longer have to be forked out for doctor's visits?""

What is the cheapest car insurance for me on my own plan???

i have a 2005 dodge stratus coupe 5 sp. sxt. almost 19 yrs old. i have a failure to yield ticket in feb. of 07. i live in Porter County, IN what is the best insurance for me???""

When is it the cheapest car insurance rate based on age?

I forgot when I got my license, freshmen in college though in NY. I was told that the older you are the cheaper your rate, like if you start at 25 you pay less. Is that right? I was told the opposite??????? I think I was 18.""

Best health insurance for young single people?

I'm looking for informaiton about health insurance for a single, young man...he is 27. Are there any affordable policies out there that may provide minimal coverage (annual well visit, a couple sick visits, one prescription, some emergency?)""

Which auto insurance company is better? Geico or Mercury? Please share your personal experience.?

Which auto insurance company is better? Geico or Mercury? Please share your personal experience.?

How much do you pay for full coverage car insurance?

i'm 19 and going to buy a car soon but i'm trying to get a ball park figure on how much i can expect to pay

What are short-term life insurance needs?

I currently have a 5 year term life insurance policy with State Farm and I was wondering if it were possible for me to make a withdrawl or loan from this policy. I researched this some and on some websites it said it wasn't possible; however whenever I look on State Farms website it says the below: The State Farm 5 Year Term policy provides affordable life insurance protection for a five year period and is renewable for subsequent 5-year periods until age 85 (age 80 in NY). It is great for covering any short-term life insurance needs you may have. Short-term life insurance needs may include such things as: * Car loan * College tuition * Home equity loan * Mortgage loan * Business loan * Student loan * Key employee Term insurance may also be appropriate when your life insurance needs are great but your budget is tight. Does this mean I can make a withdrawal so that I can pay off my student loans? Also, it seems that my policy has ended in December; however, I was still charged this month. The policy started in 2005.""

Insurance on a Motorcycle.?

I am 16 and I am wanting to purchase an '08 250 Ninja. What would I expect to pay every year in insurance? I live in MS if that would make a difference in insurance.

Is ehealth insurance good?

i just bought insurance there. then checked out scams im freaking out a little but my mom says in no big deal. its just other broker trying to compete. I called ehealth and asked if i was to buy from the medical place myself would it cost me less? They said no"",I might suggest one to try this internet site where one can compare rates from different companies:""

Auto insurance estimate?

new driver ( Licensed in 2013), accident free When I go to pick up the vehicle at the dealership, will they ask me if I want to pay the insurance monthly or annual? ( or do I have to ask ) Id really prefer monthly payments instead age 20. use of vehicle - work/school less than 15km 2011 Audi S4 Thanks.""

Is it legal to have two different auto insurances on two different cars but are both in my name?

I have 2 cars, I just bought one cash. So I already have full coverage on one car and its paid for 6 months, and I want to add insurance on the other but with a different insurance company because it is cheaper and I will be getting only liability. Is it legal to be carrying different insurances or are they required to be both with the same company? I live in Texas!""

""I am 18 and can't find car insurance under 2000, does anyone know anywhere?

its insurance for a toyota yaris 2003 Y reg 3 door hatch back for an 18 year old boy with a 1 month old full uk lisence.

When i turn 21 can i change my car insurance details for cheaper car insurance?

so im 20 now and as we all know your insurance drops when you turn 21 basically im insured now but my policy doesnt run out for like 8 months when i turn 21 can i ring them up and say im now 21 can i change this detail to get cheaper car insurance whilst not cancelling the policy

Insurance on a 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa......?

Wow dont ask me how, but I lucked up and found some RIDICULOUSLY cheap insurance. I have been looking for about a day and a half. Every last MAJOR insurance company you can think of. For some reason everyone on here kept saying check out Progessive. They were one of the MOST expensive. If you have a SUPER sport bike. Meaning either the Kawaski 12 or 14 or the Suzuki 1300 Busa, everyone is quoting you between $6,000 to $8,000 for a year. Thats like $400-$500 a month. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my life. But then my salesman told me to call State Farm. He said trust him, that he used to race sportsbikes and always insured through state farm. So I call them and get a quote for $767 for the year. The same Bike that EVERYONE else quoted at $1000. Honestly I could not belive the lady. I do not understand how the price is that different. My salesman said that it is because State Farm is the only comapny that doesnt run the vin number of the bike and put it in the""

Whats the cheapest car insurance for a 16 y/o boy?

I'm getting my liscense soon and we have allstate and its expensive as hell! I live in texas and i dont plan on buying a sports car so how much would my insurance be you think and where should i go for cheap insurance?

""I can't afford NJ car insurance, what should I do?""

I just turned 25 and I never drove a car before because of the high car insurance rates and the fact that my parents refuse to help me pay it. I have a job, but I'm also in college. I got my driver's permit this year, but no license yet. I got a quote on how much it would cost me to drive if I get the license, and it came out to roughly 5-6 thousand dollars a year, insanity! I don't plan to ever get a job that makes THAT type of money. Is there anything I could do, or did my parents screw me by not letting me drive all these years? I have to either walk or beg a friend for rides anywhere -- Granted all my friends are 'funded' by their parents, of course.""

Medican Insurance after 21 years old???????

I am 20 years old i will be 21 soon , i heard that my medican insurance will be cut when i am 21 years old ... Can some one please tell me what i can do to keep my insurance ???? WIll going to school full time help, working ... anything please just tell me anything that u know.""

How can i finance a car and pay insurance? help?

hi, im an 18 year old student, i work part-time and make around 400-500 a month after tax. im looking to buy a car (doesnt have to be brand new) for less than 4k and insurance is ...show more""

How much would I be paying in insurance if I become a CRNA?

How much would I be paying in insurance if I become a CRNA?

Can anyone recommend a good dental insurance company that offers orthodontic coverage? ?

I have to get braces for my daughter and would like to get a good dental plan for her so that I can get as much the cost for her braces covered as possible. I know that there are few good plans out there that cover any significant amount when it comes to braces, but there must be one or two out there that are the best for orthodontia services. HELP!!!""

How much would my insurance be for a mustang GT if im 18 and no tickets or bad credit?

How much would my insurance be for a mustang GT if im 18 and no tickets or bad credit?

Will my license hike my parents insurance?

I live in Florida with my parents, and I'm 19. I don't have a permit and want to get my license, but I'm not sure if it'll raise my parents' insurance rates. I won't own a car for at least a month or so, and I probably won't be driving theirs frequently, if at all. Will it affect their Progressive insurance at all? Thanks so much.""

Average comprehensive car insurance for teenagers in 2010?

Hi, I am just wondering how much teenagers are paying for full comp car insurance in 2010. Thanks Jboy""

Full Coverage Insurance?

is full coverage insurance suppose to follow u to your next vehicle for the first 30-60 days?

Car insurance? will it go up if no claim is made?

son had car accident, was on partners polcy, wrote car off, no other vehicle was involved, insurance company have found out about the accident somehow (due to one of these no win no fee companies getting his details as he had a passenger in the car who was not injured, but who had not contacted them ) son is 18, wants to get on the road again, but we are worried about how much insurance will cost him. we havent claimed for his car either, can any please advise""

Moving out and my father says my insurance rate will go up some $80 or so. Hmmm?

Im 19 years old, and moving out of my parents house within the next month. Im already paying $140/month full coverage through State Farm, and my father says that if I move out, my insurance rates will rise approximately $80, to $220/month. Im just curious as to know if he wants the money himself rather than the insurance company? Fact or Greedy Father?""

What would be an inexpensive car insurance company for drivers that dont have the best record due to speeding?

i live in Jacksonville,Fl if anyone knows a cheap insurance company""

WHAT IS THE CHEAPEST CAR INSURANCE? AND THE BEST...?

WHAT IS THE CHEAPEST CAR INSURANCE? AND THE BEST...?

How much is Ontario car insurance for a cheap car (<$1000) for a teen driver with a G2 licence?

I am 17 years old and recently obtained my G2 licence (Ontario) and I want to buy a cheap car (under $1000). However, I don't have a clue how much monthly insurance would be. I would be under my parents' benefits, but I would be primary driver on the vehicle... Any input is appreciated :)""

16 years old looking for car insurance?

I live in miami florida and i plan to get a pontiac Solstice. I want to know how much car insurance will cost per month. My mom has statefarm and her credit history is good but i have no credit history. how much will it cost on average?

Is there a federal law that requires us to buy car insurance? Why or why not?

Is there a federal law that requires us to buy car insurance? Why or why not?

Why want the Republicans work with the Democrats to get a good health care system in the U.S.?

Is it because the Republicans are behind big business?

How does the insurance company know what Annual Mileage I am actually doing?

I bought a car last Sunday from a private seller, but was not able to drive it home because of no insurance. The person kindly offered to keep the car in his garage till I get an insurance cover. Today I went to pickup my car, but that guy was not there, his friend was there to hand me the keys and drive back home. When I test drove the car it was 87k miles exact, now today when I collected it, it went upto 87,806 miles, +806 miles extra. The seller is not answering my calls, the only thing worrying me is that I quoted my Annual Mileage up 6000miles, but already my car raked up 806 miles in one week. Please help, and don't abuse coz I am already down being cheated? Why bad things happen with do-gooder?""

Cheapest car insurance?

new drivers

Is ehealth insurance good?

i just bought insurance there. then checked out scams im freaking out a little but my mom says in no big deal. its just other broker trying to compete. I called ehealth and asked if i was to buy from the medical place myself would it cost me less? They said no"",I might suggest one to try this internet site where one can compare rates from different companies:""

""Does anyone here use cancer insurance? If so, which kind?""

Does anyone here use cancer insurance? If so, which kind?""

Is it possible to get a national insurance number when you are under 16 years old?

I am applying for a job at a cafe, but the application form requires a national insurance number, I am 14 years old.""

Names of good CHEAP! Auto insurance companies in New York State ?

I'm trying to look for cheap insurance companies for my bf who is way over the age of 25 and had two accidents. Due to the accidents from the past, their charging him an exorbitant amount. Could you please name a few.""

Health Insurance - too expensive - should I ditch it and will it get cheaper in 2014?

So I got health insurance about 6 months ago - BCBS. As a 38-yr-old female with a BMI that is(was) borderline obesity, I pay $278 per month (about twice the original quote on the website which was about $140.) I freelance. One of my jobs collects contributions from my employers into an account that I can use to reimburse my premium payments, and I was hoping that I'd be able to make enough to use that account to really pay toward my monthly health insurance. My financial situation has plummeted, however, and I am really struggling to keep my head above water for the first time since I moved out. Just looking for some outside input here. Should I ditch my health insurance? Will the options be more manageable for me in 2014?""

""What is the best Health insurance, with good maternity coverage?""

I would like to get insurance before I get pregnant because I know they won't give it to you when you're pregnant. So I would like to know who has the best coverage, hospital, pre-natal....etc! Would really like to hear from mothers, and there experience with the providers!!!! Thanks in advance""

What is the best insurance company to work for?

I'm 19 and i have also thought getting into sales would be exciting. there is other reason but doesn't really matter. Anyway I'm hoping that there is a good Insurance company that has a good training program and allows entry level people to work hard and succeed. A company that wants people to succeed. So far every agent i have talked to has said their business is the one to be in so i just want some not so bias opinions. seems like all the insurance companies just want to get UN knowing teens ( like myself ) in and work them for 6 months to a year and suck them dry of all the money they have. i understand that you have to work and its not just six figures in the first year.

How much auto insurance must I have?

I want to know what are the legal limits on car insurance in the state of Ohio for a financed vehicle? I have an 06 Mazda and an 07 Hyundai. They are both financed. How do I go about figuring out the lowest limits I can legally have? Thank you!

Do you have to pay for a full year of car insurance if your car is written off part way through that year?

I pay my car insurance every month as a direct debit out of my bank account. My policy actually expires in March each year and I'm sent a renewal letter saying that if I wish to continue with my policy I just need to keep paying it monthly as I always have. Then come July my car was total written off. According to the insurance compay I still need to pay for a full years insurance, that is I need to pay all the insurance premiums up until March next year as this is when the policy expires. I figure if I don't have the car any more as it's a write off, and I'm able to cancelled the rego on it, why should I have to pay. I would have thought that if I'd paid a full years insurance in March that I would be entitled to a refund if my car was written off part way through the year. Any help would be appreciated.""

How much is medical insurance?

I plan on moving to the U.S some day but how much would i have to pay per month for medical insurance? Strange how its free here but costs over there.

How much i will paid from insurance Vauxhall Astra DR5 1.4 1995 year and where is the cheaper??

Vauxhall Astra DR5 engine1.4 made in 1995 year.I am looking from something cheap but good.

How much do I pay monthly to insurance to cover a Acura rsx?

I am 19 thinking of buying an Acura rsx but I've been doing research & noticing that the insurance for that car is very high? Does anyone know how much a month would I have to pay & if anyone knows the best insurance company to get for the car? I'm looking for the cheapest deal? Help please

Who has the cheapest auto insurance?

I'm about to come back from active duty overseas and I just bought a 2004 Ford F150 4x4. I'm 28 and havent had any accidents or driving infractions in the past 5 years. Which provider is generally the best to use? Thanks.

Any recommendations for affordable individual/family dental insurance?

I already looked on google and found a few affordable dental plans for myself...Is there anyone who is currently enrolled? How are the prices? Any recommendations on where i should enroll, or insurance plans i should stay away from? I was interested in Aetna dental plan. Is there anyone whose enrolled with them?""

How much is insurance for a moped for a 17 year old?

I wanna get a moped and im17 years old, can someone tell me the procedure of getting a moped,do i go for a test, and how much will insurance cost for a 50cc ped, thanks in advance""

Any ideas how i could get my car insurance quotes lower? 18 year old female driver?

Okay so every time i go on price comparison sites etc, my quote will not go below 2300! no matter what car i put in with a small engine, nothing chages what else can i do? i must be going wrong somewhere because lots of people get insurance below 2000! i cannt add any additional drivers because noone in my family drives thanks! :)""

""HELP! My insurance has been cancelled, need a new Auto insurance company thats cheap?""

ok i have a BIG problem, my mother's auto insurance has been cancelled 3 times in the last 3-4 years cuz of late payments, she's a single mom and can't always make the payment on time. Now we are having a HARD time finding an insurance company that will either A) Give us insurance or B) Cheap monthly and/or quarterly payments. We can't afford to pay $2500 for the whole year. Does anyone have any ideas on what to do? or where to get a cheap/understanding insurance company in Canada, specifically in Ontario. Thanks!""

Will a medical suspension raise car insurance rates?

My wife has a medical suspension and is trying to get her license back. She has 0 points on her record. I know if you are suspended for stupidity (DUI, reckless driving, ect) then your car insurance rates go up, but do they go up for a medical suspension??""

Affordable health insurance?

i am 34 , i pay over 400.00 a month , im single , does anyone know of some possible cheaper insurance . does anyone know of better insurance that i can afford . please help , male nonsmoker also""

The best insurance for mommy and baby?

Right now, Im about 5 weeks preggers and I have no insurance and Im not able to find a job since no one is hiring. I just been doing some babysitting jobs while my boyfriend works two jobs for the baby and me. What will be the best insurance for my baby and me? One that covers ultrasounds, doc appoinments and hospital bills? Help me please.""

What are some cheap Home/Fire insurance offers for a house in Southern California?

ABSOLUTELY NO SPAM REPLIES PLEASE!!!

What will have the cheapest insurance payment? 2003 escalade or a 2012 camry hybird?

It will be my first car which one is easier to afford and which one looks better

I need car insurance help... now......?

ok... i was thinking of getting insurance on a 1998 5 door ford fiesta 1300cc.... i am 18 (male) and only had my full license a few months... trying to get an answer out of any insurance company is..MURDER.. i go through pages of junk just to click get quote and then there is a list of 50 questions... i need... an... estimate... i dont wanna see ONE link to another website... speak in numbers please =]... and... state if it is monthly or yearly!!... because i got answers that say... 1000... and im like... is that a month =o??.... so yer... average or estimate insurance for me!!... gee thx =].... i feel this is in clear violation of the age discrimination act but warever....

How do the payment work if a bunch of people are being sued by a auto insurance company?

1 insurance company is suing another insurance company, and 6 people. If the 1 insurance company wins how do they split of the amount sued for? If they do at all... I need answers please""

Tail lights and coop's young driver insurance?

I live in the UK and have been getting decent quotes from cooperatives young driver insurance However if I tick a box on the online quote saying that I have modified the car from the manufacturers specification (but does not let me say what it is that I have changed, ie the taillights) it will not give me a quote. Should I contact them about this or will it be ok to say that I have not modified the car and if I were to have an accident which would damage the tail lights that they would only replace them with manufacture tail lights?""

How much is car insurance per month for a 16 year old?

I really want to get a Pontiac G6 on my 16th Birthday, I`m just curious as to how much the car insurance would be on it !""

Is ehealth insurance good?

i just bought insurance there. then checked out scams im freaking out a little but my mom says in no big deal. its just other broker trying to compete. I called ehealth and asked if i was to buy from the medical place myself would it cost me less? They said no"",I might suggest one to try this internet site where one can compare rates from different companies:""

Best place for car insurance? (uk)?

I passed my driving test a couple of days ago and i need to insure my car. I realise the insurance is going to be 'through the roof', but can anybody reccomend places worth trying where i might get the best quote? thankoooooou""

""If u wrote-off a $5000 car, on average how much would ur insurance company give you back?""

If u wrote-off a $5000 car, on average how much would ur insurance company give you back?""

My teenager (17) just got her permit. Would she be covered under my insurance?

I have not added her specifically to my insurance policy. I only have PLPD on the vehicle. Would she be covered if she hit anything... anyone , yikes! Or do I have to call to add her? It will raise my policy a LOT but she's almost 18 and when she gets her license she will have to pay for her own insurance. So for now I am trying to fly under the radar but legally. Is that possible?""

Can insurance companies be trusted?

Just wondering whether people view their insurance company positively or negatively. And why.

Is 39.56 pounds every month good scooter insurance?

hey guys i have a yamaha maxter 125cc scooter but i cant get cheap insurance :/ the lowest one is 39.56 do you think i can get cheaper? am 19 am in london please suggest cheaper companys

I need a cheap car insurance?

car insurance

VERY URGENT! Buying car insurance by telephone  heeeelp!!!!?

Hello thank you for entering in my post I'm buying an insurance for my car by phone call so far I have the best deal from a company called Admiral Tomorrow I'm going to call this insurance company back to settle the agreement I've never done a contract by phone call I believe they should obviously send me a contract by e-mail with all my details and all the details of my purchase and the details of the company  until here it's quite clear my question is: How should I pay for this contract? Should I give my debit card details by phone call? Is buying an insurance by telephone safe? Any advice according this matter will be very appreciated thank you in advance for your help

Why do Women get cheaper car insurance?

Thats the biggest joke going! they are safer my ar*e

How can i make my car insurance cheaper?

im finding it more expensive this year than in 2010 to buy my car insurance and yet that was closer to the claims i've had to include (one in july for an sp30 speeding and the other for a none fault accident in my unoccupied vehicle in october). i dont understand this at all and its really bugging me as im finding it hard to get a decent quote. my car also has a rear spoiler which was there when i bought it which is also causing me hassle. is there anything i can do to get the best quote for my car, i'm going insane lol. im in the uk also""

How come I can't keep my health insurance coverage?

President Obama stated that under the Affordable Health Care Act that any American that wanted to keep their existing coverage or doctor would be able to. I signed up today and they ...show more

Will it cost more on car insurance to tow a trailer tent?

Will it cost more on car insurance to tow a trailer tent?

""Which car for a 18yrs old driver, for cheap car insurance?""

Hi, I'm a 18yrs old french girl, who have my full english driving license since January. I would like to buy a car, but I would like to know which one have cheap car insurance. I already know that the car shouldnt be higher than 1.6L. I have some idea for my car like Fiat 500, Nissan Micra, but the insurance is expensive. Thank You""

In need of Car Insurance Sr22?? Who is best 2 go with??

I am looking for a cheaper but reliable insurance 2 go with for an SR22.. Does anyone have companies? IT is 4 a: 18 & 19 year old Male. In the IL area. Please and thank you

Auto insurance: Found Wawanesa cheaper than Mercury?

Anyone in California find that Wawanesa is much cheaper than Mercury. For our two infiniti family the rates for 1 year was WaWa-$1150 vs Mercury ($1,650) What gives here?? Why the big disparity?""

How much is the average annual insurance for a mitsubishi evo?

How much is the average annual insurance for a mitsubishi evo?

Buying a used car and auto insurance?

I'm looking to get a used car in the US, but I have several questions regarding this: 1) I will have to get auto insurance before buying the car and driving it on the road. How can I do this if I haven't bought a car though? 2) I'm a non-US citizen, and I have no credit rating at the moment. Will insurance companies deny my application or will my premium go up? 3) I will be relocating to another state after getting the car. Therefore, can I purchase auto-insurance in my current state first for a month, and then purchase it again once I reside in the new state? What's the best way to handle the insurance matters in this situation? Thanks for all the help.""

Do you have health insurance?

if so, How much is it per month. What kind of deductable do you have? How old are you? feel free to answer also if you do not have insurance and if you support obamacare?""

Car insurance question?

my car insurance was due yesterday.. i'm 17 years old and yesterday the difference between my dads car insurance and mine was due and i forgot to pay it.. am i still allowed to drive my parents car? im going to pay it on monday thanks.. let me know

California State Disability and Insurance?

Hi, I am trying to figure out how much of a % I will be getting back from the state. I have short term disability but I havent called them yet to figure out how much I will get every month. Also, I have insurance through work and apparently not all the hospital fees are paid for. For example, my coworker just had a baby and cost her about $1500 out of her own pocket. Altogether was $9000 (rest was billed to the insurance). My doc is telling me I might have to have a C-Section. How much do those usually cost? What the heck is the point of having insurance if there not even going to pay for crap! BTW I am 29 weeks""

""ATTN: New drivers, How much is your insurance a month??

I just got my insurance today and was curious to see what other ppl are paying. Thanks in advance:)

Cost to insure a 1987 Fiero GT?

Hi, I'm 16 and I currently drive a 1999 Honda Civic sedan and I'm wondering how much more money it would cost to insure me driving an '87 Fiero GT? My dad won't let me get it because of the up in price, any suggestions from you guys to persuade him???""

Insurance on a moped (under 50cc)?

i am interested in buying a 50cc or less moped, geared or not geared, it doesnt honestly matter. but i dont have a clue how much the insurance for it could be. could anyone give me a rough estimation of the cost of insurance of this moped, as i am 16. can anyone help?""

No income how do I get health insurance?

I've been reading and looking up info but I can't find exactly what to do. I have no job no saving no money at all I live in Las Vegas Nv I've tried looking for a job for the past 3 years now and I haven't found anything I live with my sister I'm not handicap nor have children or go to school so how and where do I get health insurance?

Most affordable Health Insurance provider for my employees?

I am looking for an affordable Health Insurance Company for my employees. I have 7 employees w/families and no coverage to offer because the prices are outrageous. My compnay is Incorporated, if that factors in. I have already used the sales companies that do this research for me, but I am not satisfied with the results...plus they call every 2 seconds with high quotes.""

""50% fault accident, but my insurance did not need to pay. Will my rate be affected?""

I was recently involved into an accident in a mall parking lot. My car was damaged and the other driver's car was not. I filed a claim with their insurance and received 50% of my claim as they determined comparable negligence, 50% fault . The other driver did not file a claim, and my insurance company did not pay any money to anyone. Will my rate be affected by this accident?""

Is ehealth insurance good?

i just bought insurance there. then checked out scams im freaking out a little but my mom says in no big deal. its just other broker trying to compete. I called ehealth and asked if i was to buy from the medical place myself would it cost me less? They said no"",I might suggest one to try this internet site where one can compare rates from different companies:""

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/first-time-driver-insurance-quote-nathan-fleming/"

[slaborrel]

Reflections

1. Please assess yourself on this LAB trimester.

2. What has this LAB trimester brought you? [professionally and personally]

It bought me the realisation that working on a project on my own completely is not what I want to do in my future. I applied this in Lab but also in my design department where i asked to work with someone in food non food and so far it has really worked out - I actually think I might have stopped doing food non food had it not been for the collaboration. I realise it is also important to have your own personal fascinations and projects but in general i think its much more creative to work as a group/ you don’t feel so isolated and lost. On a practical level  I learnt skills in coding and i also got to explore some complicated theories about dimensions and the universe (which is a topic i realised really interests me). We also had a lot of debates about the school in general and peoples attitudes, I realise that almost everyone I talk to is having the same doubts as me. It is a bit of struggle to decide whether I am staying here because I’m too scared to leave or because to leave would just be worse? But at the same time whether my doubts are just because this school is made to test you which makes you a much better and critical designer so you need to remember to keep fighting against it to find why you are really here. I think there is a  reason why I am here.

3. What specifically have you learnt from the collaboration?

I have learnt how important collaboration is to further your learning - I always like to learn new skills and this is one of the quickest ways to. I actually think knowing this now I should have put more effort into working with other students in other departments because then you really gain more and more experience, something which I don’t think the design departments can provide. From my collaboration with Lola I also learned that people who I think know what they are doing here are also really lost - to the extent that they really want to leave. This in a way was a relief but also a bit scary to realise.

4. Ask your COLLAB partner about your strong points and what you still need to learn. Do you agree?

I was surprised at what people pointed out; particularly what Lola said ‘I think Sorrel is bored of things that are already existing, so she is actively and constantly looking for that new idea that will sparkle her attention,’ I really relate to this and I think it is something which really influences my decisions. I am never satisfied if i feel I am not doing something which is original to me.

she also wrote  'she dares to speak about the purpose of things. Probably she sometimes thinks it is a problem because it can lead to just doing nothing, but I think she is actually always trying to take it to something more meaningful.’ I really relate to this, but i think maybe i have found the solution that while i am searching for this meaning I should spend time just making without thinking - so that i am not just doing nothing during this time.

Fiona wrote;

' I think you really thrive when you are learning new things’ I also think this is really true and maybe even something I should be weary of. I think I am not satisifed if i feel like I’m not learning something new so then i stop doing something which might have a nice outcome. I also liked this 'I think to focus on doing things you like would improve your gratification in school for yourself.’

here is the text in full;

Lola wrote me; I think Sorrel is very aware and very lucid about things : she dares to speak about the purpose of things. Probably she sometimes thinks it is a problem because it can lead to just doing nothing, but I think she is actually always trying to take it to something more meaningful. And when we were working together, she was not afraid of trying new things, or at least discussing it, not judging, which I think is a very stimulating working mood. In the end, it creates unexpected outcomes (like, a double brain !). I think Sorrel is bored of things that are already existing, so she is actively and constantly looking for that new idea that will sparkle her attention, and it makes other people get in the same mood.

Maybe it could help Sorrel to dare more to take other people with her in the excitement of a project (because it was really a great thing that she came to me to team up). I think she works very well with emulation, so she should develop it even more.

-----Waiting for Bram’s feedback----

fiona wrote;

I think that you have a strong aspiration and motivation to learn new things and skills and I know that’s what you feel you miss in Food non Food, so I think the way you applied yourself to Lab was really positive and in a way what you needed for yourself. I don’t mean this is a negative way, but I think you really thrive when you are learning new things, and I really respected how you applied yourself to learning coding and Brackets. I think you filled Lab in a really personal, non-generic way. You can really connect ideas and inspirations and I think this is so important in concept building and having this fun thing which you do well, like how we were talking about how what Youtube videos we like define ourselves, I do think is really applicable to you.(in a good way) I think together we do have this similar way of thinking, but differ somehow when we work, I can’t actually define what the difference in working way is maybe you know, but I think it was a good thing in the short collaboration. I do feel like we are both victims of the concept and over- thinking Food non Food mind set, and we always say this is a strength in a way that we have, but I can see you have an internal conflict between being this and being a maker-maker, do-er etc. Also I think the advice I gave myself, could also be super relevant to you, and how we shouldn’t feel the pressure of find everything a fascination and interesting. And I think to focus on doing things you like would improve your gratification in school for yourself.

5. What are you most proud of this trimester? Why? this year from the second trimester onward i started having a lot of doubts because i had a lot more time to think about my projects but i think now that we’ve reached the end of this year I’m much more comfortable with this fact and i understand more what i need to do to find motivation within projects and enjoy projects. midway through this trimester i started two jobs outside of school because i would rather be earning some money. this also makes me more productive around those hours. This was also the first trimester where i didn’t want to work so hard all the time because i wanted to enjoy the other elements of the school, this past year and a half has been a lot of stress and work and this was the first trimester where i had a lot more balance, i would have like to maybe have been more motivated by my projects so wanted to work harder but I’m proud of my decision to just try and enjoy what I’m doing and not just work because I feel like I need too.

I’m happy that I worked with Lola before she left, because it was nice to know she was leaving and able to properly say goodbye for now.

6. What needs to change to make LAB2 better for the next students? What is good?

For me lab2 really worked because i felt like you as teachers were very sure of what you were doing and how the course worked so it kind of filled me with confidence. I also enjoyed how you had an emphasis on inspiration every week. I  like seeing other peoples inspirations allowing me to discover things I would never on my own. I think as a group of students we are so used to finding our information through google and maybe the library but there is so much rich  information you cannot find this way

7. What are you missing in the academy in general?

I feel like everyone is going through this very necessary but very difficult questioning period. We are realising how  this school really works and kind of what we can gain from it.  This means we start to be critical about whether its enough. At the same time I think the academy is good at being a very flexible place (which is quite hard for a school) and I think if you really want to and have the ambition to do something within the school you always could find the support for it. I think there are a lot of internal complaints but if I look to students I know in other schools they have so much less freedom and so i am thankful for that.  

I am still missing this drive which I defiantly had last year which I think is maybe because I don’t feel a pressure, ( but its also good to learn to self motivate) but I think sometimes the lack of motivation makes you feel like the work you are doing is pointless. I haven’t felt particularly proud of anything I’ve made for assignments and although I have really enjoyed the brain projects with Lola / Fiona I feel I always knew I enjoyed my time outside of the academy more. This sounds really negative to write! But i do really enjoy being creative but i have to admit its most fun making things which people like and compliment because they’re pretty/ cool. whereas a lot of the work i make in food non food is more the result of research so not either of those things. This doesn’t mean its bad and i still value what i learn from making it, you just don’t get a lot of gratification from it.

[viralhottopics]

More middle-aged men taking steroids to look younger

Experts warn about growing number of men in their 40s and 50s taking drugs to fight signs of ageing and boost sex drive

Growing numbers of middle-aged men are turning to anabolic steroids to make themselves look and feel more youthful and boost their sexual performance, experts say.

People who work with users have raised concern about a new trend among men in their 40s and 50s, and some even in their 60s and 70s, who are taking the drug to boost energy levels and fight some of the effects of ageing, such as weight gain and a lower libido. Steroids can cause a range of health problems such as heart disease and blood clots.

We have come across a lot of older men using. Its almost like hormone replacement therapy [used to relieve symptoms of the menopause] for females. Steroids can help you lose body fat as well, said Julien Baker, an applied physiology professor at the University of the West of Scotland.

It is a major problem, but the evidence isnt there about what the long-term impact is yet. We are not sure what these drugs are doing to you at that age, but everyone perceives it as safe.

As men get older their testosterone levels drop, which can sometimes lead to a reduced sex drive, weight gain and muscle reduction. Baker says men get information from magazines and online about the drug, which mimics the effects of testosterone and boosts muscle growth, though some are also prescribed it.

Joseph Kean, visiting research fellow at Liverpool John Moores University, said while over-50s still accounted for only a small proportion of the image- and performance-enhancing drugs population, their numbers have doubled over the past five years. He estimated there were between 15,000 and 30,000 over-40s using in the UK.

Guys are saying they just want to stand a bit taller and feel they can stand alongside the younger generation who are much more aware of how they look, Kean said. He explained that older men typically used smaller amounts of the drug less frequently than their younger counterparts.

A typical steroid cycle can be about three months, starting with less and building up before tapering off. At its peak you could be taking steroids daily and injecting around four times a week, said Kean. Older guys tend to take less, but for much longer one injection every seven to 10 days and sometimes almost consistently.

The Juice Clinic in Sheffield, a service for people using steroids and image-enhancing drugs, has noted an increase in older men asking for help.

Steroid use for older men is often about the youthful effects, and about body image and energy levels, said Sid Wiffen, the clinics team leader. I hear talk of men feeling more pressure now to look good, so they are more likely to go to the gym and dress well.

It can be dangerous and it does worry me. Lots of people we see are keen to make an informed decision about their steroid use, but some get information elsewhere and its not always good.

Once users begin to decrease or discontinue use of steroids, withdrawal symptoms such as low mood and anxiety can occur.

Commentators say the growing popularity of such drugs could be the result of societal changes, with people living longer and expecting more from life.

With an ageing population there are now more key points in peoples lives when they are concerned about appearance, said Jim McVeigh, an expert on steroid use at Liverpool John Moores University.

For men who get to a certain age where they are unable to maintain a particular physique naturally, you can see how they would be tempted to try other means to get a body they maybe found easier to achieve 15-20 years ago. Wanting to look good is no longer just the domain of the young.

But a former user, who asked to remain anonymous, disagreed that there was any more pressure on midlife men now than before. He started taking the drug at 41 and said: Steroids will be attractive to any middle-aged man who can see their youth disappearing and want to fight the inherent vulnerabilities of middle age.

The findings coincide with reports of increasing anabolic steroid use, with a particular focus on younger men. Last year people who worked with steroid users estimated that the real numbers of those taking the drug annually was far higher than the 60,000 people quoted in the Crime Survey for England and Wales.

The drugs, officially known as anabolic-androgenic steroids, were first developed for medical use. While they remain a class C prohibited drug, experts say people are finding it easy to get the drugs online or in gyms. They come in tablet form, although they are more commonly injected into muscles.

Baker said while there could be some benefits for older men under a proper prescription regime, there were risks attached to self-medication and buying the products online. Introducing something your body stopped producing naturally may lead to repercussions or have health implications, he said. Theres not enough research out there to look at that. Someone taking steroids at 50 its not clear what might happen to them in the future.

Getting older gets put on hold for a while

I dont want to look like younger guys; Im taking the drugs for me. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian

The Guardian spoke to a 53-year-old steroid user, who asked to remain anonymous, about why he chose to take the drug.

I am a normal 53-year old guy and I am a non-smoker who eats well and looks after himself. I go to the gym three or four times a week. I drink some weekends and lead an active social life. I have also been taking steroids for the last three years.

I was apprehensive when I started. I am not a bodybuilder and have never wanted to be one. I got the drug at my gym. I wanted to look healthy and have a nice physique, not rippling muscles but just a bit more definition. I never took steroids when I was younger. Now I have a small dosage once a week and its made me feel fantastic. My testosterone levels and other blood levels are normal. I know this because I have my blood checked regularly at a local clinic for users.

Not only have I got the extra muscle mass I wanted, but the drug has also made me feel good about myself and made me sleep better. It has given me an appetite for life and a better sex drive. No one knows Im on steroids except my partner, who is fine with it.

I am not talking about taking massive amounts. I dont have a massive 60-inch chest. I am a normal guy who looks well for his age. I have a slim waist, not a big belly, and train a little bit.

I dont want to look like younger guys. I am taking the drugs for me, to look good and feel happy. Steroids make you feel more youthful, and in a corny kind of way it is like drinking a feelgood elixir. All the characteristics of getting older, such as feeling tired etc, get put on hold for a while.

When you come off it, in my experience, your body goes back to its normal cycle again eventually. Then, I am tired and all the normal characteristics associated with someone over 50 come back.

Anything in excess is bad for you, but if taken in moderation then its not a problem. Its like having alcohol, its all down to drinking and doing things in moderation. Steroids should fall into that bracket.

I suppose I do worry about the long-term impact of steroids on my body. But I also worry about additives in foods and the effect of using mobile phones on my brain. The list is endless. Irresponsible use and abuse is always the main problem.

Read more: http://bit.ly/2nVnGcu

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