#I also found out that including links in post can reduce visibility so while the underline is cool; i'd like my posts to show up

[rosewheresheshouldntbe]

Rose on the bridge of the starship Enterprise? (Star Trek)

Rose shouldn't be a crewman aboard the Starship Enterprise, but she sure does look the part!

@hs2-rips for the original sprite, sprite edit & recolor by me. Background is from https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Bridge

[blindbeta]

Your Content and Accessibility For the Blind

Hello everyone! I was thinking about accessibility and wanted to make a post to help creators. This is going to cover general accessibility for blind people interacting with your content. Some of it may be obvious to some and this is by no means comprehensive, so feel free to add anything you think of that is helpful. Also, I wanted to include some ideas for DeafBlind people, but I am not DeafBlind or D/deaf, so I simply listed some general accessibility ideas. If anyone has any other tips or things to consider, please add them in a comment or message and I’ll include it here.

Remember, blindness exists on a spectrum. This post will focus on making things accessible for totally blind people, although these tips can also be beneficial for people with residual vision who use screen readers to reduce eye strain, for small text, for clarity, etc. D/deafness and DeafBlindness are also on spectrums. Some DeafBlind people have some hearing, some vision, a little of both, or none of either. If someone asks you for better or different accessibility services for your content, listen and try to accommodate them as best you can. I have provided some links and resources here to attempt to explain accessibility for blind people, which will include blind people who are DeafBlind. The point is accessibility issues can come from both sides whether it be the audio or visual sides.

Some general helpful links:

AFB’s Advice for image descriptions here

Screen-readers here

Improving Accessibility for the DeafBlind community here

How DeafBlind People Use Technology and The Importance of Braille and Transcripts: Understanding Assistive Technology

Online Content:

GIFs, Pictures, Fan-art, PSA and info posts, Memes, Screenshots of Text Posts or Screenshots of Twitter Threads- Provide an image description on your original post! This is the best option, as you probably know your content best and what you wish to draw attention to. More importantly, every reblog will include an image description, which means the blind person doesn’t need to hunt for an image description in the reblogs! If you know more than one language, include image descriptions in those languages.

Note: Always include descriptions when you post images with or about blind people or characters. Particularly fan-art you made of blind characters. If you don’t, consider why and think about how it would feel to be shut out of something about yourself.

What should you include?

Write Image Description in brackets and include End of Image Description at the end for clarification. As for what you should describe, it depends on what the picture is. Include where it is from. For example, “a screenshot of a Twitter thread by BlindBetaIsAwesome”. Include the text and describe any GIFs or images it includes. Write everything out as they appear. Describe emojis as well. When writing out screen names or hashtags, capitalize the first letter of each word. Otherwise screen-readers read it oddly. For example instead of #accessibilityfortheblind try #AccessibilityForTheBlind. If you think someone will want to search a name, include a link.

You should describe what is important in the image, especially for conveying information or humor. General ideas include: image origin, who is in the image, what they’re doing, any relevant colors or clothing, objects they’re holding, their facial expression, any emojis, and any text in the image. Blind people do like to know about color. For NSFW stuff, include ‘NSFW’ at the start, but other than that, yes, blind people also generally like NSFW things described.

Fanfiction:

Generally, fanfic is very accessible to screen-readers and Braille Displays. However, there are a few ways you can make it more accessible.

Pictures: Include alt-text for any images you post such as artwork or character social media posts. Describe it like you would any other image. Alt-text is different from an image description because instead of a screen-reader saying “image” when it finds an image, it will describe the image. An image description is the text included beneath the picture that everyone can see. Including some kind of description, especially for plot-relevant images, can allow all blind readers to experience the fic.

Chat conversations: Again, for hashtags and screen names, capitalize the first letter of each word for the ease of screen-readers. For characters who don’t use capitalization much, you can add a hyphen between each word to make it easier to read like this: blind-beta-likes-fanfic-too.

Emojis: Screen readers can’t fully read emojis like this one that uses keyboard slashes and symbols to create an image ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (image description: emoji of a person shrugging with both palms lifted upwards. End description.) However, they can read emojis that come on a phone such as 🧁which screen readers read as “cupcake”.

Podfics are also good for hearing people with no vision or reduced vision. Having a podfic with good quality (maybe one that can describe images found in the story) will reduce some of the issues listed here and give blind people another, fun way to interact with content. However, I would try to keep in mind the things I mentioned above for the sake of screen-readers and Braille Displays, which are particularly important for some DeafBlind people who may want to read your fanfic and may not be able to hear well enough to use a screen-reader.

Lastly, keep in mind that any kind of comic may be inaccessible to some blind people. Write with them in mind. Include a message at the start of the story, maybe that it contains material from the comic, graphic novel, or print cartoon. If you know of a comic dub, link to it. If there is none, include details in the story so that a non-manga or non-comic reader would be able to understand.

Web-Comics/Web-Graphic-Novels:

First, I did research and found a comic book store for the blind called Comics Empower. Unfortunately, when I click the link provided on Twitter and the articles I read, the site seems to be down.

However, this is about you all and sharing your comics with blind readers. You have a few options:

Alt-text. This is descriptions directly ‘inside’ the image, which is not visible to everyone. You can read about alt-text for comics specially here and you can read general info for alt-text for screen-readers and Braille Displays here.

Image descriptions. These are descriptions of each comic page (hopefully with a paragraph for each panel) that can be visible to anyone. You can describe your comic, who is in it, what they’re doing, and what they’re saying, probably beneath the image.

Comic Audio Performances. These are accessible to both blind and sighted audiences. These are videos using actors for the dialogue, sound effects, and moving comic panels. Pros for this style include increased viewership, increased accessibility for the blind, and perhaps more revenue if you have a way to monetize the content. Cons include that it is more work, could potentially cost money when hiring actors initially, may not be accessible to anyone with hearing loss, and may still require a bit of audio description for some panels that are hard to follow with only sound effects.

What can you do?

A few ideas I had were to use a combination of image descriptions and audio performances to make the comics accessible to a number of people who may be blind, or DeafBlind. Having options is helpful. For ther issue of some panels needing extra description in order to make sense, I thought of including time-stamps and descriptions in the description section, labeling it as image descriptions for the blind. Include dialogue for reference. Or an audio description could be added such as:

Audio narration: “Bee sits on a couch writing.”

Sound Effect of a purring cat.

Audio narration: “Blind Beta picks up an orange cat and puts him on the couch next to them.”

Dialogue: “I’m so glad I have a cat to cuddle with!”

I will touch on this in the video section, but while it is sadly not possible to add audio descriptions onto YouTube as of 2021, you can add them manually through websites you like YouDescribe. For your comics, I suggest, reading about YouDescribe, downloading the app, creating a narration transcript for your web comic performance, and posting the described audio performance onto YouDescribe. Post both versions as close to the same time as you can, and include a link to the described version in the YouTube description. A glance at YouDescribe will tell you not all videos are available with descriptions and not all blind people are aware of this service. Not all videos are searchable in their library either. However, it is an option I wanted to include.

You could also simply include the audio narration in your main YouTube video if you would like. Or any combination of my suggestions you feel comfortable with.

YouTube Videos/Video Clips:

I wanted to cover YouTube videos and video clips shared on websites like tumblr. For small clips, image descriptions and transcripts could probably be listed together. I have seen this done and it seems to help people.

Again, the original poster should post the description with the video. This is because they know the most important parts and because all reblogs of the post will include the description, so no one will have to hunt down a description that may not exist.

For the clip or clip compilation, mention where the clips come from, who is in them, and what they are doing. You could probably have a separate paragraph for each clip and include times-stamps if possible.

For videos you post on YouTube, descriptions can be very helpful! Unfortunately, YouTube does not support adding an audio description track at this time. Ideally, YouTube would have a description track one could turn on and off such as with subtitles. Until then, if you want to add a description, you should add one yourself when you post the video onto YouTube or any other website.

Before I get into how, let’s go over something else.

What videos need descriptions?

-Recipe videos - especially ones with only text. Ingredients, steps, measures, methods, any flourishes or special scenery (such as when shopping for ingredients) should be described. Blind people don’t just want you to read the recipe to them. They want to know what is happening in the video and how it is being done.

-Tutorials - These often contain a voice-over and accompanying images to demonstrate. A creator can opt to simply include more visual description along with the other information in the voice-over or add extra narration later (see the “How?” section below). For these videos, make sure to avoid or expand on any visually dependent parts such as “click here” or “fold here” or “when you finish, it should look like this”. Videos that contain only text and demonstration, however, will need a more traditional audio description the same as any other video.

-Silent aesthetic videos - Sometimes containing music or focusing on natural noise, these videos are usually vlogs with soothing activities or daily routines. They often show scenery, pretty things, or tours. Because these videos are silent, sometimes containing only text, they are not accessible. However, they can be easy to describe, perhaps in a soothing or educational fashion.

-Music videos - Because these videos are by nature visual, they may not be accessible. They may also have inconsistent, poor, or changing lighting for aesthetic purposes or set changes. This means audio descriptions would be helpful.

-Text-based videos - Obviously these are not accessible or may be difficult to read depending on font size, style, or background. For these, putting the text in the description may suffice. Label it so that blind people are aware they are getting the same material. If the text includes pictures or short clips, you could also simply include your own narration on the video itself or see the “How?” section below for another alternative.

-Game Play-Throughs - Games can sometimes be completely inaccessible pe very difficult depending on the person’s level of site. A lot of video games a not accessible or difficult to play, with quick-moving graphics, perhaps small text, or other difficulties. Because of this, blind people may enjoy game plays on YouTube for video games and mobile games.

-Skits or other performances - Think of these as Netflix shows with audio description tracks. Blind people may miss out on some visual humor, plot elements, or other fun visual aspects like costumes.

-Original Films, Animation, Clips From Shows - Again, think of it as any TV show that needs to description to cover visual aspects of what is happening. Scenery, characters, what they’re doing, any text, facial expressions, etc.

Pet videos- Because pets are cute and they should be described! Especially because these videos are sometimes hard to follow, such as a pet doing a trick.

How? How Do We Provide This?

There is always the option to add your own audio descriptions. However, that way confuse already-existing narration or may not be possible for already-published videos. You may also have trouble speaking and wish for someone else to provide audio descriptions. The video may be a music video or one you want to remain silent for the aesthetic. You may want to add a description to a video you enjoy that is not one you uploaded personally.

A free website and mobile app called YouDescribe can help with that. It allows people to add audio descriptions to videos on YouTube. You can even describe videos on a wishlist. Find out more here.

If you describe your video or have it described, be sure to link to the YouDescribe video in the description of your YouTube version so that people can find it easily, or note that it is available on YouDescribe.

Here is a link to the website

And a link to the app.

This site may be a bit too niche, but I figure if it helps one person, I’ll be happy. My entire blog is niche, when you think about it- targeting writers who specifically want to write and read about blind characters. It’ll be fine.

Keep in mind that audio descriptions may not be accessible to all DeafBlind people. An inclusive option could be to include a description under your video so people with Braille Displays can read it.

Print Books, Audiobooks, Large Print Books, or Braille Books?

Let’s get into something you writers might be interested in. Books! Let’s say you wrote a book with a blind character. How do you make sure it can be accessed by blind readers? You want to have a few options.

Print books - These are accessible to people with reduced vision. It is also possible to scan print books to read with voiceover, but I can’t imagine many people buying books simply to scan unless they borrowed/found it. So it could be an option, I suppose. Scanning books also takes time because you need to do each individual page.

Audiobooks - Audiobooks are great. They are accessible to blind people who can hear. They are cheaper to produce than Braille books, take up less space, and are better for the environment. They can be expensive when you buy them. Libraries have extensive collections now, however, because libraries don’t usually have any Braille books and very few large print books, not all blind people use them, even for digital access. However,many blind people love audiobooks so it a good way to make sure your content is accessible.

As of now, my library app is accessible with a screenreader, so reading audiobooks is possible. E-books are not currently accessible with a screen-reader on this particular app.

Make sure to release your print books and audiobooks at the same time or as soon as possible. It isn’t fair for blind people to have to wait, although there are cases where not having an audiobook is understandable. Keep in mind that the less options you have, the less accessible your content will be.

Large Print Books - I used to get large print books myself. I would say it is less likely publishers will want to publish large print books because they are, of course, larger and take up more space. (Not as much as Braille books, but we’ll get into that.) As you may assume, they are also less popular with readers. Publishers make exceptions for textbooks, so if you are making a textbook or an educational book, particularly one with drawings, publishers might allow it. They also might consider making large print editions of children’s books. Large print books can sometimes be found at libraries, although they are usually crammed into their own limited section. That shows how rare it is for large print books to be printed compared to regular-sized books. I have an extra note about this in the children’s book section, but for the most part, I think you can get away with not having a large print edition of your book.

Braille Books - I should you one doesn’t just make a Braille book. Feelings toward them are generally complicated. They can wear down over time, cost a lot, and take up a lot of space. One volume of a book is several volumes of Braille books. Libraries don’t generally have them- you have to request them from various places like The National Library Service for the Blind (NLS). For more information about obtaining or borrowing Braille books, look here.

Braille Books have largely been replaced by refreshable Braille displays and audiobooks. However, they are still important. They can also help DeafBlind people, if a book cannot be read on a Braille display (see the section on e-books below). My suggestion would be to skip Braille books unless you are writing for children (see the Children’s Books section) or your book contains many diagrams that need to be embossed.

Children’s Books -

I wanted to briefly discuss children’s books. With children’s books, you will, of course, want to have a print book and an audiobook available, perhaps even someone reading the book on YouTube. If the book has pictures, descriptions of the pictures would be nice. This is also where I think large print and Braille books may be not only possible or more likely, but important. Children are just learning to read and will continue to explore a love for reading. Therefore, a lack of reading material can be challenging.

If possible, you may want to consider asking your publisher if large print or Braille versions are possible. While websites are available so that children can get books, you may want to ask for your book to be published in these formats if your story has a blind MC.

Braille literacy is declining in the blind community, with children (and frankly many others) choosing to use VoiceOver and audiobooks to read rather than Braille. Being able to read helps reinforce spelling, grammar, meaning in ways that are not possible with having things read to you. That said, children should also be encouraged to learn technology and use audiobooks when they feel comfortable.

If you are publishing a children’s book, particularly with a blind MC, consider what your options are for increasing accessibility.

E-Books:

This is one of the more accessible options, as it can be read with a screen-reader or Braille display. E-books are also common enough that they are released at the same time as print books. The text can usually be adjusted and readers usually have a Search feature. However, accessibility is still a problem with e-books. While authors cannot fix this, they should be aware of it. You can read about accessibility issues here.

-

I hope all this helped somewhat. I provide sensitivity reading for blind characters for anyone who is interested.

[frustrated-writer-skyeknight]

Afterstory

Read here

For a moment, can we just talk about how Tony pretty much claimed a home not his as his new boyfriend’s family’s home? This kid is living the thug life lol.

"Thank you for letting us stay here, till the next birthday, Frederick. Oh, and do tell if you're planning on snacking on the humans. I call dibs on the adorable munchkin."

Rudolph placed a hand on his forehead, with Tony hiding behind his shoulder. "Auntie, for the last time; they're friends. Besides, we have that 'no biting humans' rule, right?"

"Wasn't that for before? When we were lying low, right?"

Frederick chuckles, "Regardless, the rule still stands." he says.

"We just made our peace with the mortals," Freda interjects, "no need to start it up again." she says.

After the interesting events that transpired for the last three days, Tony managed to convince his parents to prolong their stay, and  the Sackville-Bagg family got used to their new home and the old couple more or less come to terms that the vampires are not so bad. It took a while and a whole lot convincing (Anna not to do it using her spell, included.) But after a few nights, and with their necks still free from being bitten, they came to a compromise, thanks to Tony; that every Halloween, the family would act out and role play to attract some tourists annually, insinuating that they would be moving statues or vampire actors, similar to the attraction in Disneyland, so that The Bed and the Breakfast could attract more tourists. Tony was already begging his parents to let him take a week off from school to come visit during Halloween for their debut. Rudolph was just glad that the old humans let his family stay without reporting them to any vampire hunter.

Considering they got Rookery thrown into a mental asylum with his claims of vampires are real, it wasn't really a problem. Nevertheless, Frederick and Freda found that they liked their new home.

The Thompsons were more or less accepting the fact that vampires exists at all.

Tony Thompson was more or less psyched about the entire thing. Definitely more.

(Except when Rudolph's relatives tried biting him the first few times. But that was an understandable exception.)

────────────────────────────────────

Rudolph and Tony were now hanging out in the human's room. Apparently, Rudolph hasn't chosen a room for himself yet. While his friend was there, he decided to stay with him. The only change was that they got an actual coffin for Rudolph now. They were exchanging stories... well, the vampire was. Tony's sharing was mostly information, some explained in anecdotes. Half the time, he had to stop in the middle of it to explain some expressions.

"Okay, how about this." Tony starts, nibbling on some chips. He got Rudolph to fly him into the nearest town to buy snacks that this castle was severely lacking. "he looks like one, and she looks like one, but just to confirm, is your father an alpha, and mother, an omega?"

Rudolph frowns, scratching his head. He was only familiar with that term when it came to werewolves, and even he hasn't met an actual one yet. "My parents are vampires; those terms are used on those canine creatures. A counterpart to our patriarch and matriarch term referring to male and female heads of family."

"Ah, no, no. Not that kind of alpha, omega." Tony said, waving his head dismissively. "Hmm, maybe it doesn't really apply to vampires, anyway. I can explain it better if we just have some internet, and I can show you this link that popped out on my Facebook News feed just before coming here..."

Every time Tony says something, Rudolph has a new word to learn. "Facebook?"

"Oh, and this is what we call Facebook." Tony explains, showing the vampire his phone and pointing at an icon. "I can't use it right now because I don't have any data, and this castle doesn't have any internet. Well, yet. I heard mom and dad convincing those old folks to get it installed since tourists would be expecting that in order to post on their timeline. Or Instagram it, which is getting popular these days."

Rudolph nods, "Hmm, interesting technology. But," he frowns, "what is internet? And... 'Instagram'?"

"Heh, we should have one day where I dedicate explaining internet and apps alone." Tony chuckles, "Basically, it's some special features on a this device we call mobile phones."

Rudolph examines the device, "So these days, humans don't use phones for calling?"

"We do, but we also use it for other stuff. Like... Well, just think of it as... a very advance phone. You've seen phones, right?"

Rudolph hums, "A bit... But yours is way different than what I saw before father moved us to the vault, and pretty much just stayed there since. So I never really got to use it since I wasn't human anymore by then." he shrugs.

"Huh, human..." Tony repeats, thoughtful. "you say that... So that means you weren't a vampire from the start. And your parents...?"

Rudolph turns to Tony, "Still my parents. Only ones I've ever known, anyway." He says, "Whoever my parents were, they couldn't keep us. Too poor, or so Gregory remembers. I definitely don't remember, not after being turned anyway, only wondered if I've ever met them at all. Gregory was the only one who really cared for me and Anna, till our parents, the ones now, took us in."

"Oh, I didn't think that... I'm sorry, Rudolph."

However, the vampire just raised a brow at this. "Why do you apologize?"

"Well, it's just that... You're technically all dead, after all." Tony points out, "and it's a shame; somehow... you never got to meet your parents."

Rudolph just shrugs, "Don't know if it even counts as being dead, we still sort of do what the 'alive' does. As for my birth parents, well, no point on dwelling on what I never knew. Older brother was sent to the workhouse at one point. We never saw him again until after he was turned, and had father change us as well so we could be a family with Frederick and Freda Sackville-Bagg. Those were my parents then, and they're still my parents."

"Well, if you say so," Tony manages to smile, "it's kinda cool, that you all look alike even if you aren't related. Well, to your parents, that is."

Rudolph shrugs, "Father says that those turned tend to develop some semblance to the one who turned them." he says.

"So how about your parents then, who turned them?"

"In their case, they were born as vampires." Rudolph told him.

Tony frowns, "Born... As in babies?" he repeats, "I thought vampires don't age. Aren't you guys stuck the way you were when you're turned?"

"How do you explain me being thirteen then?" Rudolph made a look, "of course we age, just differently. Have you seen my aunts and uncles?"

Tony scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, that did raise some questions for me." he admitted. "But how does aging work for you guys? I mean, I really thought vampires were immortal. Timeless."

"We are immortal, in the sense that time means nothing to us." Rudolph waves a dismissive hand, "as for why my aunts and uncles look like who you humans would call the 'elderly' is because of the blood they've consumed. I don't drink blood except for animals', both mother and father haven't had a drop since... well, since they turned us."

Tony raised a brow, "Blood ages you?"

"Not exactly. We choose the form we wish to stay as, which is why I've been thirteen all my immortal life so far. It's a bit like that expression you said the other day, uh, 'Time flies when you're having fun?' Did I say it right?"

Tony nods, "So... you guys don't age when you don't have... fun?"

"No, not that either. But it's like the breeze, sometimes you don't notice it among other more visible things in your surroundings. Especially in our case, nothing special ever happens, as if we're stuck doing the same thing all over again when the next moon rises." Rudolph tells him, "Basically, we can choose not to rush our aging. According to Gregory, mother was in the form of a fifteen year old till she met father." Rudolph says, "But human blood, while a pleasurable nourishment to us, also acts like a drug. Likewise, too much of it weakens the willpower needed to maintain the form of our choice." Tony still looks thoroughly confused. "All right. Think of it this way. You mortals have lifelines, think of the numbers of age a human would miss out on once they're drank, or turned." he explains further, "the 'growing old' part of mortal living transfers to the vampire who drank it's blood. My aunts and uncles can no longer will themselves to maintain a youthful appearance because some of them drank too much human blood. Then again, not so bad a thing; that's why our clan is so big. However, for the same reason, father and mother don't like having human blood as much anymore, Well, aside from the initial plan of maintaining a low profile. They prefer and are contented with their form right now."

Tony nods, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I get it now... I guess." he says.

"Hmm, that reminds me..." Rudolph starts, frowning suddenly. "you're gonna die someday, too, right?"

Tony gapes, staring at his friend. "Wow, this took a bleak turn fast." he says. "But yeah, technically. Still young though, so my lifespan still has some ways to go." he elbows Rudolph. "you're gonna see me hanging around for at least a hundred years, if I'm lucky to live that long."

"Huh, yeah..."

Rudolph suddenly felt apprehensive, something he hasn't felt in a long time. That thing he dealt with when Rookery invaded his old home didn't compare. Even while he was afraid for his family, some small part inside him still knew he wasn't going to lose his family and maybe Tony had something to do with that small part. But the thing with Tony being human, like others, growing old and eventually dying, being buried while vampires wait for their bones to disintegrate to occupy their coffins... It left a cold ache in him.

He didn't want Tony to be reduced to that.

After being turned, Rudolph never knew anyone close to his age. Or sort of his age, in Tony's case. He had Anna, sure, but she was his sister. She was family, like Gregory was, and like the whole Sackville-Bagg clan was. But he never had a friend, a real friend like Tony. Someone who would go through lengths to help him without family ties and responsibility compelling him to. Even when they just met, and even when Tony didn't know exactly what he was getting into by fighting against vampire hunters, he still did. Because Tony had a good heart. Which was one of the things that Rudolph loved about him.

Loved? Rudolph blinks, shaking his head. He blushes, No, like... It's like. Friends like each other after all...

Which was why he was thoroughly annoyed with Anna, who tried stealing his friend with her spell, didn't even let it come naturally. Rudolph may not remember much of his old human life, but he does remember that it wasn't right. Besides, Tony was his not hers... his friend and not hers. And Rudolph knew there was only one way he could keep his friend for a very, very long time.

But Rudolph had a feeling that Tony wouldn't agree to that idea, not just yet. Plus, there were his parents to think about. And while Tony seemed to find vampires cool, it didn't seem like he wanted to be one himself. For one thing, while the blond enjoyed their night excursions, Tony would probably miss going out in daylight freely. He did want to drag him and Anna to swim down the lake earlier in the morning till he remembered that vampires burn in the sun.

So maybe not now, Rudolph thought. But... maybe someday.

Because for some reasons, after meeting Tony, even while he couldn't explain why, Rudolph couldn't imagine spending more than one hundreds without him.

"Hey look, I think the sun's going down." Tony approached the curtains, and opened them. True enough, the sun has finally set. He grins, turning towards Rudolph. "Hey, I just remember the old lady mentioning something about a natural hot spring somewhere up the mountains. Better than the chilly lake those jerks dumped me in last week; how about that swim, huh?"

Rudolph grins, getting on his feet. He walk towards the window and they both pushed it open. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's fly."

"Right on! Oh," Tony pauses, thinking. "how about your sister? She might want to join—woah!"

The blond didn't get to finish his sentence as Rudolph drags him out into the night.

────────────────────────────────────

The weeks of summer seemed like days by how fast they went by, and the next thing Tony knew, it was time to return to America. While he was disappointed that summer was coming to an end, like most boys his age would be, he was especially upset now. After everything he's been through... Everything he and Rudolph's been through, it was hard for Tony to imagine going back to his normal reality.

More to the point, it was hard that he needed to say good bye to Rudolph.

He's never had a friend, not quite like Rudolph, and not just because said guy was a freaking vampire. While he did have some friends back home, no one really understood his obsession with vampires. He didn't understand it himself, to be honest. Most kids his age didn't strongly believe in the supernatural anymore, unless they were conspiracy theorists or the like. But even Tony knew that wasn't it; he was drawn to the concept of vampires. Even his mom said his first word was vampire. (Vam-vam, technically.) And while he would cry easily when anybody tried scaring him when he was a baby, seeing vampire movies just made him laugh, even the not-safe-for-kids type of movies.

He even wished his future soulmate would be a vampire at one point, no matter how his parents kept telling him that they didn't exist.

Speaking of, it was almost his time for that. Although it didn't necessarily happen every single time, but a person would usually end up meeting a soul mate prospect by the age of fourteen, since fourteen was the age people usually started presenting their secondary gender. More often than not, the first prospect doesn't always work out because both individuals weren't mature enough to understand the concept of soul mates, so they break it off by mutual agreement. And just like that, the link is broken, giving the individuals freedom from the bond, and to find the next prospect without ties to the past. But the thing about soul mates is that the first prospect is the most ideal, if it was managed properly the first time.

Nowadays, most people don't end up with their ideal soul mates. Tony knew his parents weren't each others' ideals, after all. But maybe it came with his obsession with the supernatural, but Tony was hoping to get it right the first time. At first, he thought it had been Anna. But when he looks at her, when she wasn't looking back at her or talking to him to use her spell, he didn't really feel connected to her at all, not the way his mom would describe the soul link sensation.

Then again, he wasn't fourteen and has yet to present as a beta, like his parents, or the unlikelihood of being an alpha or omega.

"Tony, dear, hurry." Dottie Thompson calls out to her son, "we need to catch our flight."

Tony waves at her from where he still stood, near the castle's entrance. "Give me another minute, mom!" he turns back to the Sackville-Bagg family, but mostly Rudolph. "So, remember how to log into Skype. Cause that's the only way we're talking till next summer."

"Or Halloween." Rudolph says insistently.

Tony chuckles, "Fingers-crossed." he literally did just that. He saw the confusion on, not only Rudolph's, but the family's faces. "Oh, uh, it means... Something along the lines of 'Hopefully, it happens'."

"Oh, well, in that case," Anna smiles, showing off her perfectly white teeth, "Fingers crossed."

Tony smiles back at her, enchanted for a moment again. Gregory rolls his eyes before purposefully getting between his sister and the mortal, to which Anna made an opposing cry. Undeterred, Rudolph steps forward and holds Tony in an embrace. The first time the vampire did it, the human was too startled by the gesture to react, and maybe a little awkward. But this time, Tony returned the hug, finding that he was already missing the vampire, and he hasn't even left yet.

Rudolph pulled back first, "I'll see you in the skies." he says.

"It's Skype, but pretty close." Tony chuckled before stepping back, practically walking backwards to the car until finally reaching it. He inhales, and turns towards his parents. "Can I please—"

Bob Thompson sighed, expecting. "Your mom and I discussed it, yes, we'll let you off for Halloween IF" he pauses, "you get mostly A's or A+'s on your card before then."

"But that's—" Tony starts before sighing, "Fine." He gets in, and Bob drives off as the first ray of dawn starts showing.

The youngest looks back to the castle, already shrinking as they got farther and farther into the road. He wished to catch one more glance of his friend, but he knew the family already returned into the castle for refuge from the sun.

Soon... Fingers-crossed.

[f-nodragonart]

Vertebrate Wings, PART 2: Membranes and Feathers

Return to main post + TOC >>HERE<<

Membranes and Feathers TOC

  Membranes

  Feather Arrangement

  Feather Layering

  Feather Shape

  Combinations

Membranes

A common question I see in relation to bat-like (and sometimes pterosaur-like) wings: Can a creature fly if the wing membrane only attaches to the armpit of the wing? Can massive wings make up for the lack of membrane?

Short answer: No.

Long answer in the form of a numbered list of problems with these sorts of wings:

 1)      Wing membranes (and feathers) need to SUPPORT and STABILIZE the whole animal’s body in the air. Without membrane attached along the length of the body, the torso is left to dangle limply and awkwardly below the wing shoulders. This couldn’t work because:

    a.      As I explain in more detail in the Full-body Integration section, flight is a ~primarily~ horizontal affair (the obvious exception being hoverers, but I cover this in the Flight section). A limply-hanging body would increase drag and air resistance to an absurd degree compared to the typical streamlined body position of a flying bird or bat. While flight is primarily driven by the wings, it really is a full-body affair.

    b.      The weight of the ENTIRE creature would be localized to the wing shoulder, which would make for excruciatingly painful flight at the VERY least. The membrane helps distribute the weight of the body over a wider surface area so that no one centralized point is pulling too much weight. (again, hovering flight is an exception to this, but this is largely due to the tiny body weight of a typical hoverer)

 2)      ~Generally~ evolution is lazy. The theoretical length of the wings necessary to make up for the lack of membrane would use up a ridiculous amount of energy—energy that evolution isn’t likely to waste. Especially considering that the length of these theoretical wings would have to be accomplished through lengthened fingers, which are more complicated and use up more developmental energy than simple membrane extension.

 3)      These lengthened wings would theoretically be freakin’ MASSIVE to make up for the lack of membrane. I can only imagine they’d be too heavy and/or too long to realistically function. They’d more likely drag uselessly along the ground as the animal attempted to use too-long muscles and tendons to lift them up.

 4)      “The creature wouldn’t be able to flap their wings when flying. Wings act like a lever; the less wing membrane you have close to the body, the further out lift and air resistance act on them and the more force you need for each wingbeat. If you attach wing membrane at the armpit, then so much force would be needed that the dragon would have difficulty moving them on ground, never mind during flight. Adding more arm strength to overcome it is not an option because there’s only so much muscle you can add without running into many more problems,” thank you Rahjital~

This all applies to feathered wings as well—bodies need support during flight, and these sorts of feathered wings aren’t gonna provide any.

The back edge isn’t the only important part of the membrane—the front edge is highly important as well! This section of the membrane is known as the propatagium.

It provides a smooth, sloping curvature to the front edge of the wing (something the bare arms could not provide on their own), and helps stabilize the position of the wing through the tendon connecting the shoulder and wrist (or thumb/pteroid, depending on the wing).

This structure is present in ALL vertebrate wings—bats, pterosaurs, and yes, even birds.

It’s simply not very apparent in birds because this membrane is covered by feathers. Remember kids, bird arms aren’t rounded noodles—it’s the propatagium that gives bird wings their smooth outline!

Bats wings have hair-thin muscles across their membranes to help tense and otherwise manipulate the wing shape as needed. I actually had a hard time finding good diagrams of these muscles, sans this one EXCELLENT reference for the muscles and major veins (+skeleton) via edited versions SammyTorres drew of photo of a museum reference.

(had to cut it off to preserve image quality, but u can see the original reference photo at the link)

As for pterosaur wings, there’s still debate over how exactly the membranes were structured, but there is at least agreement on the existence of multiple layers of actinofibrils embedded in the membrane. As quoted from exdraghunt, “Pterosaur wings were stiffened with unique fibers called “actinofibrals”. These fibers can be thought of as being like the wooden battens of a paper fan, or the quills of bird’s feathers. They allowed the wing to spread out to full span, or to fold up tightly against the body, while keeping the membrane stiff enough for flight. These fibers became shorter and less regular closer to the body, so that the membrane closer to the body of the animal had more flexibility compared to the parts out at the wingtip. The fibers start out perpendicular to the arm, and shift to parallel with the wing finger out at the wingtip.”

(via)

This made pterosaur membranes much stiffer than bat membranes, but still more flexible than bird feathers in terms of delicate maneuvering and camber-control.

Also, here’s a cool diagram dissecting the layers of pterosaur membrane~

Feather Arrangement

The first thing we need to get straight here is that the main flight feathers of a wing—the remiges (singular: remex)—sprout EXCLUSIVELY from the “hand” and lower arm sections of the skeleton.

The shoulder may be the source of thrust in the wing, but the “hand” and lower arm are the actual “paddle” used to beat against the air. As we can see in the below diagram, the tertiaries (which are embedded in the FLESH of the upper arm, NOT the bone) simply fill in the space left between the remiges and the main body.

In my own research (of Googling reference photos), I’ve found that the secondary remiges tend to gradually decrease in length closer to the elbow, tapering down until the tertials are able to fill in the gaps. This may not necessarily be true for all wings, but this is the trend I’ve picked up on.

idk what the deal is, but there are almost zero references for the underside of a bird wing, so I took the liberty of making my own reference, traced/edited from these photos of crow wings. (“edited” in that I emphasized a few feather bits that aren’t quite as “pronounced” on actual crow wings, but were drawn in for the sake of illustrating their general position. the axillaries, for example, were referenced from plovers.)

The coverts (when it comes to flight) exist to smooth out the transition from arm to remex, covering the entire arm/hand section and then some.

It’s important to note that the lesser/median primary coverts DO EXIST on the dorsal side of the wing, they’re just reduced compared to the much longer greater primary coverts, so the lesser/median coverts are usually covered by the alula (this is another detail I emphasized/edited in the above ref—the lesser/median primary dorsal-side coverts aren’t actually visible with the current position of the alula on a crow wing). I don’t have references for why the feathers in this section are sized/arranged in this manner, but I think it may be due to the presence of the alula. Either way, you can usually get away with not including the lesser/median primary coverts in most wings/positions, but it is important to know they exist for those special occasions they do make an appearance.

(via^)

The alula is the section of feathers that sprouts from the “thumb” of the underlying skeleton (this can be seen in the remex skeletal of the wing I posted higher up), and helps to increase lift by smoothing out air flow over the primaries. The feathers of the alula are situated on the topside on the wing, over the primary coverts and under the secondary coverts.

As a side note, the wing reference I drew is just a BASIC guide to feather arrangement. Depending on the shape and flight style of the wing, the feather “sections” can vary quite a lot, as can be seen below.

The reference I drew is just a guide to help you identify these sections of feathers in other wings more easily, even if they look quite a bit different than the wing I drew.

Feather Layering

Now for the information I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for—the detail that artists the world over struggle desperately with: feather layering.

I could just tell you all that the LEADING edge of the remiges is seen on the TOPSIDE/DORSAL view, while the TRAILING edge of the remiges is seen on the UNDERSIDE/VENTRAL view, and that will be correct.

(via^)

HOWEVER, I find that I much more easily retain design information if I know WHY a particular structure is designed that way in the first place. So, here I leave you a very informative analysis of remex arrangement and how it effects flight.

While I do highly suggest watching the whole video—especially for the helpful animations—I understand that it's a long sit with dry delivery, so the main takeaway is this:

Remiges are arranged as they are in order to minimize drag on the upstroke by allowing air to filter through the feathers and under the body, thereby pushing the body up in the process.

If the remiges were theoretically arranged opposite from this, they would filter air AWAY from the body on the upstroke, thereby sucking the body down and rendering the thrust on the downstroke null.

Now, it’s important to keep in mind that this reasoning applies more strictly to the remiges compared to the other feathers. While it’s incredibly important for the remiges to be in proper arrangement, the coverts are a little more lenient, considering they just smooth out the wing. The median/greater coverts do follow the arrangement of the remiges per which side of the wing they sprout from (and lesser coverts are layered in a more-or-less “shingles” pattern), but real-life coverts tend to be a lot messier than “ideal” coverts.

Covert arrangement (particularly that of lesser/medians) can be “goofed” a little without too much problem; It’s remex arrangement that can make or break flight.

Also note how this feather layering effects the layering of wing “sections” when the wing folds up (which will be discussed in more detail in the Positions section).

Feather Shape

Feather shape is also a critical factor in wing design (and even full-body design), BUT to tackle shape, we must first understand some basic feather anatomy.

There are quite a few bits here that I’m not rly gonna get into (mostly because I myself understand feathers more in the greater scheme of a wing/body than individually), but it is important to note a few specific features, here.

The shaft is the base upon which the barbs sprout from, and where the feather itself connects to the body via the calamus(quill). Note that the barbs (at least in the pennaceous portion) ALWAYS sprout from the shaft at an outward angle. They do NOT point at a 90 degree angle straight out from the shaft, nor point backwards towards the quill, but FORWARDS towards the feather tip. This is most likely a mechanism for both reducing drag and creating a more stable interlocking of barbs.

The pennaceous portion is what’s visible to the open air, so the barbs must be designed to handle what is required, such as a relative stability/stiffness for the remiges of the wings, a drag-resistant design for feathers of the body, etc. etc.

The plumaceous portion is typically hidden beneath other feathers, so isn’t necessary to draw in most designs. It’s just important to know about the fluffy plumaceous bits that exist underneath for those occasions that the feathers are lifted apart.

*note-- not all feathers have an afterfeather/shaft as shown in the first diagram-- this is most common to grouse, and is kind of like having extra down.

This is just a basic rundown of feather anatomy I’d reason to be useful to artists, but if you’d like a more in-depth discussion of feathers, I suggest this page.

Now knowing this basic feather anatomy, we can look at the diverse shapes and forms feathers can take. As has been shown in the feather types above, feathers can vary quite a lot depending on their purpose. The primary remiges, in fact, have a unique set of anatomical terms to help describe the shapes they can take.

(via^)

It’s important to note, here, that at least part of the reason that the primary remiges in particular are so diversely shaped is due their being the “flight manipulation” feathers of the wings. While coverts smooth out the wing and secondary remiges provide ample surface area, it’s the primary remiges that really determine a bird’s particular style of flight (I’ll get into some of these basic flight types more in the Flight section).

It’s also important to note that the “drag direction” for any feather—remex or otherwise—is essential in planning their shape (it’s just much easier to identify in remiges). See how the barbs on the leading side of these primary remiges is much shorter than the barbs on the trailing side?

(via^)

This is because the leading side, as can be assumed, must meet air resistance head-on, so the shorter barbs provide a stiffer, more stable surface to push against oncoming air currents. The trailing side, on the other hand, provides the main surface area of the feather, so the barbs can be longer.

This asymmetrical balance of barb length changes depending on where the feather is on the wing, so it’s no surprise that the primary remex barb lengths are much more asymmetrical compared to the secondary remex barb lengths, since these barbs don’t directly push against the air on either side of the feather.

(via^)

Though keep in mind that the shafts still “lean” more towards the leading edge here, so as to properly tilt against the air on the upstroke.

This feather diversity doesn’t just apply to different feather types—even the exact same feathers of the exact same basic type can vary DRASTICALLY when compared between different species. Just look at the differences between the above wood duck primary remiges and the primary remiges of a sharp-skinned hawk below.

(via^)

Thus, when designing the feathers (particularly the remiges/rectrices) of a creature, you need to understand the creature’s specific form of flight, and the purpose of certain sets of feathers.

(The USFWS Feather Atlas provides EXCELLENT scans of the remiges and rectrices (main tail feathers) of TONS of different bird species, if you’d like to see more scans like these.)

Combinations

Combination feather/membrane wings are somewhat popular, and while they’re improbable I wouldn’t say they’re impossible. Improbable, because evolution would likely choose one or the other for a full wing (taking into account the energy available during development, as we’ve discussed). Or, at the very least, make the feather bits more fur-like than the rounded, complicated designs of typical coverts.

The only impossible combo-wings I could think of are webbed wings that have ALL the wing feathers—remiges included. Remiges are meant EXCLUSIVELY for flight—if the wing already has a membrane (a membrane which takes up much more energy to build than feathers), then there’s no need for additional remiges. In fact, these lengthy feathers would detract from what makes the bat wing so practical—its ability to “collapse” and otherwise bend and stretch in precise movements. Remiges would only block the bat wings’ ability to properly bend.

Not to mention, these feathers would break up the smooth/streamlined quality of these wings if they were to reach that far out over the membrane. Think about it—bird wings only have one layer of remiges, creating one smooth surface, and bats only have one layer of webbing, also creating a single smooth surface. Webbed wings with remiges on BOTH sides (or even on ONE side) would create multiple surfaces that would somehow need to lay flat against each other (but likely wouldn’t due to their nature). And that isn’t even to mention that remiges need a stable bone base to properly attach to, which the bat wrist/hand couldn’t provide, considering it already must support the fingers themselves, let alone primary remiges.

Covert feathers, on the other hand, are mainly there to create a smooth transition from the front edge of the wing to the remiges (and are embedded in flesh rather than bone). Thus, I could see their potential use in bat-like wings for the same reason, so long as they aren’t large enough to interfere with membrane/finger flexibility.

-Mod Spiral

[dustedmagazine]

Punk’d History, Vol. VIII: This Machine [blank] Fascists

Photo by Richard Young

It has the appearance of a worrisome pattern: any number of punk rock’s founding figures embraced the symbolics of Nazi Germany. Ron Asheton, an original and indispensable member of the Stooges, played a number of gigs wearing a red swastika armband, and liked to sport Iron Cross medals and a Luftwaffe-style leather jacket. Sid Vicious loved his bright scarlet, swastika-emblazoned tee shirt, and Siouxsie Sioux, during her tenure as the It-Girl of the Bromley Contingent, mixed her breast-baring, black leather bondage gear with a bunch of “Nazi chic.” And how many early Ramones songs (inevitably penned by Dee Dee) referenced Nazi gear, concepts and geography? “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World,” “Commando,” “It’s a Long Way Back to Germany,” “All’s Quiet on the Eastern Front,” and so on—for sure, more than a few.

“Appearance” is the key term. Poor Sid lacked the sobriety and smarts to have much of a grasp of fascism as an ideology. Siouxsie was just taking the piss, and gleefully pissing off the mid-1970s British general public, for much of whom World War II was still a living memory. Asheton and Dee Dee? Both were sons of hyper-masculine military men. Asheton’s father was a collector of WWII artefacts, and the guitarist shared his father’s fascination. When the Stooges adopted an ethos and aesthetic hostile to the late-1960s prevailing Flower Power rock’n’roll subculture, the Nazi accoutrement seemed to him fitting signs of the band’s anger and alienation. Dee Dee hated his father, an abusive Army officer who married a German woman. Dee Dee spent some of his youth in post-war West Germany, in which Nazi symbols were highly charged with anxiety and vituperation. Casual veneration of Nazis was a convenient way to reject the triumphal ennobling of the Good War, and of the military men associated with its traditions. And (as Sid, Siouxsie and Asheton also noticed) it really bothered the squares. 

None of that makes the superficial use of the swastika or phrases like “Nazi schatzi” any less offensive — it simply underscores that in the cases noted above, the offense was the thing. The politics weren’t even an afterthought, because the political itself had been dismissed as corrupt, boring or simply the native territory of the very people the punks were striking out against. If that’s where the relation between punk and fascism ceased, there wouldn’t be much more to write about.

The post-punk moment in England provided opportunities to rethink and restrategize the nascent détournement of Siouxsie’s fashionable provocations. Genesis P-Orridge and the rest of Throbbing Gristle were a brainy bunch, and their play with fascist signifiers was a good deal more complex. The band’s logo and their occasional appearance in gun-metal grey uniforms clearly alluded to Nazism, with its attendant, keen interests in occult symbols and High Modernist representational languages. TG’s visual gestures were also of a piece with an early band slogan: “Industrial music for industrial people.” Clearly “industrial people” can be read as a highly ironized coupling: the oppressed workers marching through the bowels of Metropolis were a sort of industrial people, reduced to the functionality of pure human capital. TG seemed to impose the same analysis on the middle-managers of Britain’s post-industrial economy, and their uncritical complicity in capital’s cruelties. But it’s also possible to argue that industrial people are industrious people; like TG, industrial people (middle managers, MPs) can get a lot of stuff done. They can produce things. They can make the trains run on time. And what sorts of cargo might those trains be carrying? What variety of conveyance delivered the naked “little Jewish girl” of “Zyklon B Zombies” to her fate?  

To be clear: I don’t mean at all to suggest that TG was a fascist band. Like their punky contemporaries, TG traded in fascist iconography in a spirit of transgressive outrage, expressing their hot indignation with equally heated symbols. And other British post-punk acts flirted with fascist themes and images, ranging from ambiguous dalliance (Joy Division’s overt references to Yehiel De-Nur’s House of Dolls and to Rudolph Hess; and just what was the inspiration for Death in June’s band name?) to more assertive satire (see Current 93’s appealingly bonkers Swastikas for Noddy [LAYLAH Antirecords, 1988]). But a more problematic populist undercurrent in British punk persisted through the late 1970s. The dissolution of Sham 69—due in large part to the National Front’s attempts to appropriate the band’s working-class anger as a form of white pride—opened the way for a clutch of clueless, cynical or outright racist Oi! bands to attempt to impose themselves as the face of blue-collar English punk. And literally so: the Strength through Oi! compilation LP (Decca Records, 1981) featured notorious British Movement activist Nicky Crane on its cover. It didn’t help that the record’s title seemed to allude to the Nazis’ “Strength through Joy [Kraft durch Freude]” propaganda initiative.  

Of course, it’s unfair to tar all Oi! bands with an indiscriminate brush. A few bands whose songs were opportunistically stuck onto Strength through Oi! by the dullards at Decca Records — Cock Sparrer and the excellent Infa Riot — tended leftward in their politics, and were anything but racists. But for a lot of the disaffected kids sucking down pints of Bass and singing in the Shed at Stamford Bridge, it wasn’t much of a leap from the punk pathetique of the Toy Dolls to Skrewdriver’s poisonous palaver.  

In the States, a similarly complicated story can be recovered:

In numerous ways, hardcore intensified punk’s confrontational qualities, musically and aesthetically. The New York hardcore scene made a fetish of its inherent violence, which complemented the music’s sharpened impact. So it’s hard to know precisely what to make of the photo on the cover of Victim in Pain (Rat Cage Records, 1984). If inflicting violence was an essential element of belonging in the NYHC scene, with whom to identify: the Nazi with the pistol, or the abject Ukrainian Jewish man, on his knees and about to tumble into the mass grave?  

Agnostic Front seemed to provide a measure of clarity on the record, which included the song “Fascist Attitudes.” The lyric uses “fascist” as a condemnatory term. But the behaviors the song engages as evidence of fascism are intra-scene acts of violence: “Why should you go around bashing one another? […] / Learning how to respect each other is a must / So why start a war of anger, danger among us?” That’s a rhetoric familiar to anyone who participated in early-1980s hardcore; calls for scene unity were ubiquitous, and the theme is obsessively addressed on Victim in Pain. But the signs of inclusivity most visibly celebrated on the NYHC records and show flyers of the period were a skinhead’s white, shaven pate; black leather, steel-toe boots; and heavily muscled biceps. Those signifiers clearly link to the awful cover image of Strength through Oi! The forms of identity recognized and concretized in the songs’ first-person inclusive pronouns have a clear referent. 

Agnostic Front wasn’t the only NYHC band to refer to and engage World War Two-period fascism. Queens natives Dave Rubenstein and Paul Bakija met at Forest Hills High School—the same school at which John Cummings (Johnny) befriended Thomas Erdelyi (Tommy), laying the groundwork for the formation of the Ramones. Rubenstein and Bakija also took stage names (Dave Insurgent and Paul Cripple) and formed Reagan Youth. But unlike the Ramones, there was nothing tentative or ambivalent about Reagan Youth’s politics. Rubenstein’s parents, after all, were Holocaust survivors. The band’s name riffed on “Hitler Youth,” but specifically did so to draw associations between Reagan and Hitler, between American conservatism’s 1980s resurgence and the Nazi’s hateful, genocidal agenda. Songs like “New Aryans” and “I Hate Hate” accommodated no uncertainties.  

Still, it’s interesting that Victim in Pain and Reagan Youth’s Youth Anthems for the New Order (R Radical Records, 1984) were released only months apart, by bands in the same scene, sometimes sharing bills at CBGBs’ famous matinees of the period. And while Reagan Youth toured with Dead Kennedys, it’s Agnostic Front’s “Fascist Attitudes” that’s closer in content to the most famous punk rock putdown of Nazis.

It’s odd what comes back around: Martin Hannett, whom Biafra playfully chides at the track’s very beginning, produced much of Joy Division’s music, moving the band away from its brittle early sound to the fulsome atmospheres of the Factory records, and to a wider listenership. “Nazi Punks Fuck Off” similarly addresses a formerly obscure, tight scene opening to a greater array of participants, some of whom were attracted solely to hardcore’s reputation for violence. Like “Fascist Attitudes,” the Dead Kennedys’ song itemizes fighting at shows as its chief complaint, and as a principal marker for “Nazi” behavior. Biafra’s lyric eventually gets around to somewhat more focused ideological critique: “You still think swastikas look cool / The real Nazis run your schools / They’re coaches, businessmen, and cops / In a real fourth Reich, you’ll be the first to go.” The kiss-off to punk’s vapid romance of the swastika (it “looks cool”) complements the speculative treatment of a “real fourth Reich.” Both operate at the level of abstraction. The casual, superficial relation to the symbol’s aesthetic assumes a sort of safety from the real, material consequences of its application. And the emergence of a fascist political regime is dangled as a possible future event. That speculative futurity undoes the “real” in “real Nazis.” The threat is ultimately a metaphorical construct. The Nazis are metaphorical “Nazis.”  

Still, it’s the song’s chorus that resonates most powerfully. So much so that the song has found its way into other artworks.

Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room (2015) is frequently identified as a horror film on streaming services. We could split hairs over that genre marker. The film gets quite graphically bloody, but there’s no psychotic slasher killer, no supernatural force at work. And cinematically, the film is a lot more interested in anxiety and dramatic tension than it is in inspiring revulsion or disgust. It terrifies, more than it horrifies. What’s especially compelling about the film (aside from Imogen Poots’ excellent performance, and Patrick Stewart’s menacing turn as charismatic fascist Darcy Banks) is its interest in embedding the viewer in a social context in which the Nazis are a lot less metaphorical, a lot more real. In Green Room, the kids in the punk band the Ain’t Rights are warned about the club they have agreed to play: “It’s mostly boots and braces down there.” And they understand the terms. What they can’t quite imagine is a room — a scene, a political Real — in which fascism is dominant. Their recognition of the stakes of the Real comes too late. The violence is already in motion. In that world, the Dead Kennedys song provides a nice slogan, but symbolic action alone is entirely inadequate.  

OK, sure, Green Room is a fiction. Its violence is necessarily aestheticized, distorted and hyperbolized. But perhaps the film’s most urgent source of horror can be located in its plausible connections to the social realities of our material, contemporary conjuncture. You don’t have to dig very deep into the Web to find thousands of records made by white nationalist and neo-fascist-allied bands, many, many of which deploy stylistic chops identified with punk rock and hardcore. You can listen. You can buy. (And yeah, I’m not going to link to any of that miserable shit, because fuck them. If you do your own digging to see what’s what, be careful. It’s scary and upsetting in there.) It feels endless. And the virulent sentiments expressed on those records are echoed in institutional politics in the US and elsewhere: Steve King (and now Marjorie Taylor Greene, effectively angling for her seat in Congress), Nigel Farage, Alternative für Deutschland, elected leadership in Poland and Hungary. Explicit white supremacist music also has somewhat more carefully coded counterparts in much more visible media (the nightly monologuing on Fox News) and in very well-positioned, prominent policy makers (Stephen Miller, who’s on the record touting “great replacement” theory and is a big fan of The Camp of the Saints). It’s a complex, ideologically coherent network, working industriously to impose and install its hateful vision as the dominant political Real. 

Sometimes it feels as if no progress at all has been made. Maybe we’re moving toward the reactionaries. Contrast Skokie in the late 1970s with Charlottesville in 2017. And now if the Neo-Nazis have licenses for their long guns, they can strut through American streets wearing them in the name of “law and order.” It’s even more disturbing that a subculture that wants to clothe itself in “revolution” and “radicalism” is so tightly in league with institutional politics. Say what you will about Siouxsie’s Nazi-fashion antics, no one suspected that her prancing echoed political activity, policy-making or messaging in Westminster.

So what’s a punk to do? It’s certain that a vigorously free society needs to preserve spaces in which unpopular speech can be uttered and exchanged. Punk should pride itself on defending those spaces. But speech that operates in conjunction with an ascendant political power and ideological agenda doesn’t need defense or energetic attempts to preserve its right to existence. In October of 2020, that speech (in this case, speeches being written by Miller, texts by folks who have spent time in Tucker Carlson’s writer’s room and songs by white supremacist hardcore bands) has become synonymous with political right itself.  

So now more than ever, it’s important to be active in the public square, to stand up to the fascists and to say it, often and out loud:

Jonathan Shaw

[mariaonion4]

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Numerous sports athletes turning to SARMs for performance enhancement.

Posted: Tue, 05 Nov 2019 08:00:00 GMT [source]

These bicycle-shaped peptides can be produced in chemically-constrained phage-display libraries, which makes it possible for the choice of peptides with high target specificity. Conjugation of the peptides to imaging agents makes it possible for high-contrast, tissue-selective imaging. The peptides can likewise be made use of to provide cytotoxic representatives to tumors with extensive efficacy. Remarkably, the peptides show very rapid tumor penetration as well as retention paired with quick clearance from systemic flow. If you have any kind of questions or issues about the products and services used on linked third party internet sites, please get in touch with the third party straight.

Anavar Fasted Cardio, What Are Human Development Hormone Supplements.

Whilst molecular self-assembly is not a procedure special to peptides, peptide self-assembly displays some unique features. One example is something called the 'polar zipper', recommended 25 years back by Max Perutz. This has actually formerly been shown to develop in between beta strands of peptides using side chain interactions, as well as linked in some types of neurodegenerative condition. Peptides work quite possibly when combined with various other effective active ingredients, like vitamin C and niacinamide.

Ky. pharmacy owner guilty of federal charge - Kentucky Today

Ky. pharmacy owner guilty of federal charge.

Posted: Fri, 30 Oct 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]

In this post, we'll provide you the 101 on peptides, so you can determine if they're worth including in your charm bag. At Vapourtec, throughout a cooperation with New Path Molecular, we have actually optimized as well as scaled-up the synthesis of ACP (65-74). We discovered that the optimised problems translated to the large synthesis with no result to the purity of the unrefined peptide (94%).

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Currently I train Crossfit, I took it for toughness as well as endurance in addition to Cardarine.

Peptides containing cysteine, tryptophan or methionine are particularly vulnerable to oxidation as well as should as a result be dissolved in oxygen-free water. Please make use of the 3 letter or single letter Amino Acid code when making queries or getting artificial peptides. Must you require any kind of assistance or recommendations we will enjoy to answer any type of concerns you might have. My family, buddies and also I are all really satisfied with the products we on a regular basis order from MM Active ingredients. Distribution is fast as well as effective, even to Europe, as well as the manager is incredibly helpful.

Skin Support Range.

The UK NEQAS Guildford Peptide Hormones operates in collaboration with the Supra-Regional Assay Solution Peptide Hormonal Agents Laboratory. Your e-mail address will be utilized only to send you Clinique e-newsletters and info regarding Clinique products, occasions and deals. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe web link in each newsletter. For more details on the privacy techniques of Clinique (a trading name of Estée Lauder Cosmetics Limited) your civil liberties as well as just how to exercise these rights, please see our Personal privacy Policy. I would love to get info regarding Clinique items, deals, events as well as more. https://pharmalabglobal.com/product-category/aod-9604/ up Gain access to Federal government generates compelling and also interesting items for a wide audience.

Are SARMs healthy?

SARMs can pose a risk when taken for performance enhancement and without consulting a health care professional. SARMs should be avoided, as they can result in potentially life-threatening consequences. SARMs may be listed on the product label (with names like “ostarine” and “andarine”).

This method makes it possible for the user to utilize a small amount of resin for an initial synthesis and optimisation. The optimised problems can be equated to the currently well understood big range synthesis. Developing a clear image of how peptides accumulation is challenging because the procedure generally entails a variety of heterogeneous and also transient actions. Over 150 attendees operating in peptides and also oligonucleotides, representing global pharmaceutical organizations, leading biotech companies and globally popular academic establishments.

Gentle On The Skin.

Each "designer" peptide can be created to particularly turn on a vibrant element of skin, as an example a peptide to make more collagen, or shut down a trouble in skin, like stop making so much unusual melanin. Hey there, I'm Paula Begoun, owner of the skin care line Paula's Selection, and today I start my role as the Marie Claire Skin Care Master. In my columns I will certainly be de-bunking skin myths, allowing you know skin care keys and telling you specifically which components the skincare industry is currently consumed with and why. Serums have a light-weight appearance and also a high portion of energetic ingredients, so they're a terrific way to get a dosage of peptides, try Radical Skincare Advanced Peptide Antioxidant Product. A good example is copper-- a naturally happening mineral within our body that helps to bind collagen as well as elastin with each other.

Tags can be conjugated to peptides to assist purification or discovery in a speculative system. and also Albertson N. F. New amine-masking teams for peptide synthesis. Carbodiimides form such a reactive intermediate that racemization of the amino acid can happen. As a result, reagents that react with the O-acylisourea intermediate are frequently added, including 1-hydroxybenzotriazole, which creates a less-reactive intermediate that lowers the danger of racemization. Biomimetic peptides can be included in cosmetic formulas in an effort to achieve certain results like crease decrease, moisturization, or skin obstacle healing. Biomimetic peptides are synthetic peptides that are lab-crafted to imitate naturally-occurring peptides. (" Biography" indicates "life" and "mimetic" implies "mimicing.") In skin treatment, biomimetic peptides can be found in targeted therapies like facial products to help reduce the appearance of skin aging.

Possible For Growth Of Microbial Resistance To Amps.

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Given that the development of this additional structure may be advertised by salts, the peptide must initially be liquified in sterilized distilled or deionised water. At this phase the concentration of the peptide ought to be maintained more than the called for last focus to allow for enhancement of various other solubilising agents as well as buffer salts which should be added just after the peptide is totally liquified.

Super Product which is anti-bacterial, making it truly good for oily, spot-prone skin types, as well as any type of slightly a lot more fungal-type problems. I have actually created thoroughly regarding my love for NIOD CAIS, yet it is that excellent-- copper peptides are also anti-bacterial as well as splendidly invigorating on the skin. A safety peptide that is naturally generated in the body, carnosine obstructs skin-damaging sugars from binding to collagen in the skin, stopping the development of wrinkles. Special peptides which aid to part the trend for the remainder of the 30% peptide blend formulation to penetrate via the skin. MATRIXYL ™ 3000tricks skin cells into creating more collagen, while Argirelox blocks signals for contraction to reduce the appearance of expression creases.

We make no depiction or guarantee relating to the precision of the info included in the connected sites. We suggest that you always verify the details obtained from linked web sites prior to acting on this information. Making a positive assessment of favorable or negative results requires synthesis of details from your staining, such as signal strength, background, as well as localization. Control slides are one more important tool that can be made use of to examine the performance of discoloring reagents and also IHC approaches. Our custom IHC control slides include a favorable and an unfavorable pellet of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cells, and also each set includes 5 slides.

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Discover solution to typical inquiries concerning our items and also firm. The second structure of peptides is frequently a hindrance to its dissolution, specifically with hydrophobic peptides.

[thesweatzone]

BACKSTORY and FITNESS PROGRAM

BACKSTORY:

I have always struggled with my weight. I was never overweight to a point where I would have troubles with my health but it did limit some of my abilities and it lowered my self-esteem. I was really overweight as a child but then my rapid growth caused me to look slimmer than before and I was only round. Basically I was and still pretty much am skinny fat.

About two years ago I decided I wanted to become skinnier, so I started working out more. I realized now that being skinny is far from my goal and I truly want to be healthy and have a strong body but working out did give me solid foundation on which I explored my interests in sports, which I never liked before. I found the ones I actually enjoyed and the ones I did not enjoy quite that much. I started losing some fat. But then I became lazy and the fat came back.

This repeated itself many times throughout those two years. I slowly realized my biggest problem were my eating habits. I was really picky when it came to food and I always chose the wrong one. I also binged, then ate very little for a while and binged again. I even contributed to the weight gain with drinking smaller amounts of water than I should have and my sleeping schedule was all over the place. I realized only working out won't do that much. At least not for me.

I slowly started incorporating better foods into my diet and changing up my lifestyle but I never committed enough to see it through until the end and obtain obvious results. I was also very confused where and how to start, because there is so much information out there about what is right and wrong. The main problem was that I didn't give any program I created for myself time so that I could actually see results and see if it works.

 RIGHT NOW:

Now I want to stick to my plan for longer than one or two months at a time. I want to achieve results that will last and work on my confidence too. I am currently 173 cm tall (which is roughly 5,8 feet) and I weigh 65 kg (roughly 143 pounds). Though I am tall I feel like I am quite heavy since I do not have that much muscle mass so the lbs are higher than I wish they would be, because of fat. I have stubborn belly fat while I'm not really visibly round in any other areas of my body as much. Of course you cannot spot reduce (I will write about that in one of my future posts too) so I will have to lower my body fat percentage and gain a lot of muscle mass in general to see the belly fat disappearing too, since I am striving for a stronger not skinnier body.

Right now I'm in a good place, though I still have many things to focus on to perfect my daily routine. I've been working since the start of the year (6th January, 2020) and lost 4,5kg (roughly 10 pounds) in five weeks. I constructed a workout and diet plan for me as well as I could, since I haven't got that much control over a lot of things going on in my life because I'm still in school and have work to focus on besides my fitness goals, though I am trying to make them a bigger priority in my life.

Some people said that this program seemed a bit challenging for a beginner when they took a first look at it. That's why I wrote a short paragraph in which I spoke about my work out habits above. They are not that bad and I tend to work out quite a lot so I’m not in such a bad shape - food will be a bigger issue for me. If the program seems though for you and you do your workouts completely differently, I encourage you to continue doing it your way. The same goes for if you think it is too easy. I designed this the way I did, because I know what I am capable of right now and what I would like to be capable of in the future.

 MY PROGRAM:

Duration: 8 months (until the end of August)

Goal: Build strength and muscle mass, achieve a flatter belly and leaner physique, gain confidence, build better habits

 Workouts:

I've tried many workouts on the internet already and I decided to follow some good fitness channels on Youtube and follow their work out videos, since I don’t have time to go to an actual gym. I will link them in some future posts. I made a weekly workout schedule too.

On Mondays I do half an hour to an hour of yoga targeting my core (abs), on Tuesdays I do body weight exercises targeting the legs and the glutes, on Wednesday I have another day of body weight exercises targeting the abs and on Fridays I have weightlifting to strengthen my arms and back.

I also have one active rest day every week when I am allowed to do nothing or just some light cardio. That is Thursday for me, because I arrive home late (around 7 p.m.) and it's the day that is the most tiring for me in the whole week.

On weekends I have one scheduled full body workout on Saturdays. I usually do pilates or some HIIT workouts. On Sundays I can take a day of if I feel like it, because I don't want to push myself over the edge but if I feel alright I do an hour of cardio.

Speaking of cardio, it is one of my favourite workout categories because I love to run, dance, hike, swim… and these are all workouts that fall into the category. I try to do cardio at least three times a week even if it isn’t scheduled (just because I actually enjoy doing it) but if the weather is nice I take a walk everyday anyway, since I like some peace to think and be alone.

Through the week I work out at around 6 p.m. and on the weekends in the morning or at least before noon.

 Dieting:

For me it is really hard to meal prep since I am in high school and I have a lot of my meals prepared for me by other people. I evaluated my eating habits and realized I consume too much sugar and carbs and my diet lacks fiber. I can’t completely follow a low-carb diet but I will be aiming towards consuming less carbs and try to eat food which is low in sugar and high in protein and fiber.

I also challenged myself to eliminate all sugar I could from my diet for at least 40 days but I can happily say that I'm already on day 45 (I started on the 6th of January) – I decided to just continue with it and try to reach 70 days. I planned it for a long time and I can say I am quite satisfied with the outcome. I've tried including a lot of healthy foods, vegetables and high protein foods and minimize foods with a lot of carbs but there are days when I just don't have the option to eat anything but something high in carbs or not as healthy as I would wish it would be. 

If you want to, I will definitely write a post about what I eat in a week after I test it out, see how effective it is and perfect it completely. 

I have already tried intermittent fasting (will be explained in future posts) in the past once and it worked miracles for me. I felt more energized, way less bloated and I felt better in general. I will incorporate it into my diet again I decided to do a 16:8 ratio – I eat in a time frame of 8 hours. That equals 16 hours of fasting where I don't consume any food I just drink a cup of green tea in the morning.

 Drink:

I used to drink very small amounts of water throughout the day but I carry my water bottle with me everywhere I go now and I try to drink as much as possible. These are my main rules for drinking:

-drink 2 water bottles of water a day

-one cup of green tea in the morning (or lemonade)

-don't drink milk in the evening

 Sleep:

I try to go to sleep before 11 pm and get up around 6 or 7 am. For me it is pretty hard, because I am a night owl, but I do try, since I see a big difference in my energy and ability to work efficiently throughout the day.

…

That is how I designed my workout and diet program. All details will be specified in further chapters since it is still a bit rough around the edges (especially the diet part), but I cannot meal prep since it is really hard for me to prepare my own food. 

I thought I should explain what and how I'm doing everything, since I will be writing about it. This is a basic overview and I didn't really go into detail. If you want me to be more precise, especially about my eating habits and how I'm trying to change them, I will make a post about it. This is just my story and my program. I can't guarantee any of these things would work for you or your body but maybe you will get any idea or find some useful information. You now know my story and my goals.

I always struggled with my self-esteem and body image but I am on the path to changing everything and I want to share the lessons I'm learning and my story with you. I hope it motivates you and you can see you are not alone. You should also remember that even though my measurements and fitness goals don't match yours and you maybe see different numbers than me, you aren't working any less hard or doing anything wrong nor should you be discouraged. We are all on our individual journeys and you have the exact same chance of reaching your goals as I do or anyone else reading this blog.

Whenever I start doubting myself I just avert my thoughts somewhere else because I am positive we all can do this. Remember to love yourself no matter your weight. We are all beautiful and what we are doing and the changes we're making are only to better ourselves physically and mentally but our weight or appearance doesn't define us nor does it define our worth.

Thank you for joining me on this journey!

-M

[nevergiveupneverrun]

Bodyguard - Chapter Forty-Two “The price of my promise”

Hello everybody, how are you? Here is chapter Forty-Two of my Story Bodyguard. I’m sorry I didn’t post for a decade but I had a lot of work to do... Now, the new chapter is ready so let’s go!

I’m sorry in advance for the mistakes… English isn’t my first language and I do my best. Here is the link to the previous chapter: Click Here.

I hope you will enjoy this chapter :) 💛

                               –––––––––––––––––––––––

Eighth awakening in the chalet of my childhood.

But a particular awakening because it will be the last: I had decided the night before that it was time to go down to Seattle, Nathan having found an apartment with all the necessary security features. 

The feeling that greets me for this day is a mixture of apprehension and regret.

The return to Seattle was inevitable, we could not hide here indefinitely especially that officially Amelia had left to relax after the death of Richard. The threat to her was still unknown to the general public and the media, and a prolonged absence would have been difficult to justify. 

To return to Seattle was to find the “playground” of the crazy: his observations, his messages… even his actions. The last one was quite tragic so I would be twice as alert and focused. I was hoping for one thing only, the next time he acts, I’m here at the right time to stop him or play my role as protector… until the end.

Regret was also mingled: regret to leave this soothing and quiet atmosphere that offered us this remote locality of Canada.

Who had offered me a bubble of serenity that I had been deprived for many years… not to mention the complicity that was created with Amelia.

Our relationship was no longer the same.

The barriers had fallen.

The barriers are visible first of all with this familiarity that now reigned in our exchanges. 

And the barriers that are less easy to detect but which are present in more frequent, more natural contacts… until this unexpected kiss of the day before.

I tried to chase these seconds of my mind but it is clear that this moment came back to me regularly. And stirred up a whole series of questions about myself and Amelia… but I buried this event in the back of my mind, putting it on the account of spontaneity. Reducing it to a gesture where I did not have to read any particular meaning…

I close the wardrobe of my room by removing my leather jacket.

I take a last look in this room that has marked many memories of my childhood.

A burst of light then captures my gaze on my coffee table.

I go forward and my fingers automatically draw the piece of metal in question.

I slide my fingers on the chain on which this object was clinging.

I watch it for long seconds.

I had always left it on this small piece of furniture.

At this place.

Having never had a reason to change it. To use it.

Until now…

A smile spontaneously appears on my face, as I place the object in my jean pocket and I leave the room closing behind me.

I quickly perceive noise in the living room and go down the stairs.

I see Amelia back leaning over the coffee table.

She is dressed in jeans and a white lace tank top.

I notice clothes on the couch behind her while a lively sound of tape echoes in the room. 

- Do you need help? I asked as I came up to her while posing my jacket against the edge of the sofa.

She had just closed a box and a second was open in front of her, ready to be filled. As we travel by motorbike, we had to leave with few belongings, a backpack at most. I had told Amelia that she could make boxes with the clothes and things she wanted to bring back to Seattle. Boxes that we would send to Nathan’s office to avoid any leak on the new address of Amelia… we are never too careful…

- Yes, if you want. Can you write the address on the box while I fill the second? She suggests to me in a smile.

- No problem. I’m doing this for you.

I move the box on the side of the coffee table and get the marker pen next.

I write the address that I knew by heart while watching Amelia fold clothes to place them in the second box. I recognize a dress she bought at the market and the sweater she holds in her hands captures my attention. What she immediately notices.

- Uh…yes… I wanted to ask you… in addition to the two dresses that I have already worn, I spotted this sweater and two tops that belonged to your mother, she said showing me the clothes in question. Do you allow me… well… I mean, it doesn’t bother you… I understand you want them to stay here and nobody wears them…

She is obviously embarrassed by asking me: her gaze flees mine and her words are hesitant. She was particularly touching in those moments. 

- You don’t need to ask me for permission. If you like them, take them…

- Are you sure? You might want someone else to benefit?

- And who would you like me to reserve these clothes for? You’re the only person who knows this place… and who saw my mother’s creations… except for Rosie.

She looks at me for a moment, as if she still doubts her gesture.

To support my words, I decide to go beyond the words and gently take the sweater she holds in the hands and I put it in the box by raising the eyes directly to her in a smile.

- Thank you, she whispers, smiling back to me.

She focuses on the clothes on the couch and puts them in the box on the coffee table.

- You’ll have those two little boxes to send?

- Yes, just those two. I don’t really have the dressing of a princess you know, she replies in a laugh.

- You’ll quickly fix that back in Seattle.

- I don’t really need it anyway. Especially when I see the wonders that I will be able to carry thanks to the talent of your mother… perfectly to my size. It’s amazing, chance makes things right.

- Chance or something else, I whispered.

Amelia scrutinizes me after my remark but I remain immersed in my thoughts.

I never really believed at the chance: for me, everything happened for a reason.

The death of my father, it was a trial to punish me for my lack of gratitude and my carelessness. Just like my mother’s. Trials that had made sense to me for my life: giving my life for others. For my country first of all. Then for people in danger by protecting them. And all that had revealed to me our stay in this place so important to my past had given me a certain conviction: my meeting with Amelia was not trivial…

- Something else? She finally asks me after a few seconds while closing the box in front of her.

- Do you believe in destiny Amelia?

She looks at me with big eyes and then laughs weakly.

- Destiny? Are you serious?

- Well, I have my answer, you’re not a fan of the concept, I answer, smiling slightly.

- Saw my story you know, I don’t really want to tell me that all the misfortunes and all the difficulties that I lived were planned in advance. It would mean that someone up there, is really annoyed with me or plays with a little voodoo doll to my effigy.

- Should I include myself in the difficulties that you quote? I asked with a teasing air.

- No… of course not… she resumed quickly while I make her a false look shocked. You, it’s… different… I didn’t want to hurt you.

- I’m kidding Amelia, I answer laughingly.

- You’re making fun of me, she said, tapping my shoulder. You take a lot of liberties, Mr. Hunt, I think, you would never be allowed you to do that to me a few weeks ago.

- And you preferred before Miss Shepherd?

She looks down at the box, then takes it off with a big smile.

- No, I prefer a thousand times… now, she says. But watch out for yourself! And for the trouble, you’ll tape up me this box and put the address, she adds while slipping into the kitchen in a slight laugh.

I watch her go away while smiling.

I end up looking down at the box in front of me: I tape it and write the address as she had asked me.

I put the two boxes next to each other and join Amelia in the kitchen.

She is facing the bar, a glass of orange juice in her hand which she takes a sip.

- The boxes are ready. Do you have other things to finish?

She puts her empty glass in front of her before answering me.

- No, I already filled the backpack with two, three things I wanted to take.

- Okay, so you’re more or less ready to take the road?

- Yes, I am ready, just my jacket to recover. Even if…

I approach her by putting myself directly to her side, intrigued by this remark that she doesn’t finish.

- Even if…what?

She remains silent for a few seconds, eyes down and then finds my eyes.

- I would like to stay here, she finally whispered.

- Amelia, you know we can not stay here indefinitely…

- And why not? She insists with a touch of defiance in her eyes.

- Because your life is in Seattle…

- I can change my life, she announces without hesitation. 

- Your music and your career, it can not be done here… you’re not going to tell me that you want to stop the music anyway?

She stares at me but doesn’t respond directly… a shock for me.

- Amelia? You don’t seriously consider what I ask you?

- No, but I think about it sometimes… and more and more with what happened…

- But it would show him that he won if you did that. So we’ll go back to Seattle and you’ll go back to your life, your career, go on stage and prover to him that you are the strongest.

- But… I was fine here…

- And you can come back. And when you want, when this story with this crazy will be over…

- I would not bother you…

- You will not bother me because you will be free to come… without me…

- Without you?

I smiled at her before plunging my right hand into the pocket of my jeans and removing the object I had installed a few minutes earlier before leaving my room.

I take hold of Amelia’s left hand and slide this object into her open palm.

- With that, it will be more convenient, I explained.

She lowers her eyes to her hand, then instantly looks up at me.

Wide-eyes. As stunned.

- It’s…it’s a key to the house?

- Yes, it’s the third key of the chalet. I have one. Rosie has the second. And instead of letting this copy sit idly on my coffee table, I thought it would be more useful to you.

She listens to my words, but I have the impression that she doesn’t hear me.

Her face is gradually falling and watching this key in her hand.

- The house is not entitled to so many visits, and it will be good if there is a little more life.

A silence settles between us and the fact that I don’t distinguish her face makes me uncomfortable. This proposition was ultimately perhaps a bad idea, given her lack of reaction.

- I thought you liked it a lot here, that’s why I thought you might want to come back but you don’t have to take it…

I felt a little stupid at this moment, to justify myself and then try to go back on this idea that had seemed perfect a few minutes earlier… when the face of Amelia reappears.

Unveiling a completely unexpected image with bright eyes where I detect nascent tears.

- Hey… I didn’t want to make you cry…

- Excuse me… it’s stupid, but I’ve never… been lucky enough to have a special place like this… where I know I can take refuge, rest… it was only when I was an adult that I had a “real” home, but it was still different, because I was quickly in the spotlight, not really in anonymity… so this key that you offer me means a lot to me… but I’m not sure I can accept…

- What would stop you?

- It’s your story, Owen… your house… not mine…

- Well, you know this story, you know this house and you knew how to appreciate it and I would like you to take refuge there if you need it. So do me a favor and accept that key, okay? And above all, feel free to come back here whenever you want…

She wipes the corner of her wet eyes with her fingertips and then makes her look back and forth between this key and my face.

She ends up passing the chain around her neck, letting the key slip under her tank top, while placing a hand against the piece of metal now in contact with her skin.

- I’ve never been offered something like that… something so strong… whereas I’ve never had the pleasure of having a real family, and there you offer me almost that…

- I told you that you had to get used to living new things, right?

She nods, while approaching a little more of me, until invaded my space a few millimeters in front of me.

- That’s what scares me… I get used to these things too easily with you…

I watch her in front of me, my attention fixed oddly on her mouth as she speaks.

She moves her head a little more towards me and then speaks again in a weak voice, almost like a whisper.

- You told me that the moment you should let me sound as obvious… but the problem is that I don’t even consider this moment… because it is your presence near me that is become obvious… my dependence…

Given her proximity, I feel her breath near me, her smell fills my nostrils, the warmth of her presence shine in front of me.

- What makes me deserve such attention?

She looks at me intensely.

Her question echoes in me, but I can not think of the last answer.  As if my brain was paused, paralyzed by the stimuli that resonate all around me.

Her eyes support mine and I almost felt she was trying to read inside me, to find that answer that I did not express her.

I suddenly feel her right hand shyly pose on my shirt against my chest, then slide gently back against me.

I see her face erase the millimeters that separate us, get dangerously closer to mine.

But I am incapable of the slightest movement, as hypnotized by her, and by the slightest gesture that she initiates.

And when the softness of her lips falls on mine, I welcome her without résistance. 

Captivated by this contact that awakens the stealthy sensations of the day before.

But this time, they do not disappear as fast: our mouths are connected for several seconds… several seconds during which they guess and then activate slightly.

I forget all the surrounds me except for that sensation of her lips which constitute my only reference point in the real… a reference that I want to prolong… that I do not want to lose.

The ringing of the entrance sounds suddenly and my conscience is revived immediately… violently…

I pull myself away from Amelia, surprised to notice that one of my hands slipped on her back to hold her against me during this moment.

The reality of what just happened between us strikes me in the face.

I avoid her gaze and rush towards the front door.

I breathe a big blow before opening as if to get a grip on myself.

It’s Rosie revealing herself behind the door.

- Hello Owen, you’re still here, I was afraid you were already gone! She exclaims, taking me in her arms.

- Hello Rosie, I answer weakly.

- I see you’re on the start, I arrived on time, I wanted to make you a kiss… Owen?

She looks at me with big eyes, I must have looked completely in the clouds at the moment.

- Yes… uh, actually we will leave in the next few minutes, it’s nice of you to be here.

- And where do you hide Amelia? She continues smiling.

- I’m here Rosie, announces Amelia advancing in the room.

- Hello Amelia, Rosie answers by kissing her.

Rosie detaches herself from Amelia for a few moments, then stares at her.

- You have a fabulous mine this morning, sweetie… I see that the stay has done you good…

Rosie’s remark leads me to look at Amelia naturally, who observes me in return.

- Yeah, this stay will remain unforgettable, she says, staring at me.

- This house has always worked miracles to demonstrate to all who live in it how beautiful life is, says Rosie.

Rosie’s last words bring me back to the promise I made to April as I notice Amelia nodding at her words.

Did I actually succeed and honor my promise?

But at what price?

Tingling runs through my lips.

The memory of the kiss that had just been exchanged.

At what price?

At the price of a different relationship between us.

Incredibly dangerous.

Destabilizing the bodyguard and completely cracking the man I am.

As a new test of destiny…

                               –––––––––––––––––––––––

Thank you for reading. Tell me what you think and have a great weekend 💛

[thequeenofindie]

°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°  The Queen Does A PS Tutorial: Tumblr Size Limits!  °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

In this tutorial, I will show you how to adjust a GIF so it stays under Tumblr’s 3MB upload size.

What You’ll Need:

Mac

Photoshop (I’m using PS CC 2019)

Knowledge on how to make a GIF (my tutorials can be found, here)

As always, if you find this tutorial helpful, please like/reblog and consider donating to a good cause over < HERE >

             Long Video = A Lot of Frames = A Big GIF File                            ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ Solution: Skip Frames ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Note: I’m assuming you’re making your GIF using the standard “video frames to layers” method...

So you open up Photoshop, do your usual ‘File > Import > Video Frames to Layers > select your video file’ routine and are met with this little warning window:

This should be your first sign that your GIF File size will be bigger than 3MB. If you click continue, it’ll only load the first 500 frames of the clip— which, depending on the length of the clip, could be 1/2 of the video or less. Save yourself a future headache and skip frames!

1. Check the box that’s next to “Limit To Every 2 Frames”. Play around with the number. I’ve gone as high as 7 frames and have produced good-to-excellent quality GIFs.

Tip: If you select the standard 2 Frames, I recommend changing the frame speed to anything between 0.07 and 0.1 seconds. (Speed will vary with each video/clip.) Tip: If you change to 7 Frames, I recommend changing the frame speed to anything between 0.12 and 0.2 seconds. (Speed will vary with each video/clip.)

If you still get that warning window, try shortening your clip by selecting the “Selected Range Only” option and moving the little tickers under the video preview so that ONLY the specific scene/reaction will be converted to frames. You can also try deleting frames after the conversion is complete.

Tip: My preference is to keep GIFs under 100 frames; you can make excellent quality GIFs with as little as 15 frames. (I’ve gotten away with as little as 8 frames).

          ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ Type of GIFs ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Alright, so now that you’ve converted your clip to frames, it’s time to take into consideration what kind of GIF you want to make. While the file type is the same for all (.GIF), there are at least three types of GIFs/GIF Projects to take into consideration when making GIFs.

1. GIFs for GIF Packs or Reactions aka RP GIFs.

There isn’t a set dimension size for these and honestly, it depends on the clip/scene. Sometimes you’ll get a full screen focusing on the FC of your choice. Other times, they’ll be stuck in between two other FCs or in the background. My preference tends to be 268px wide and 150px height. For smaller GIFs, I use 177px wide and 150px height. For GIF Icons, I use 100px wide and 100px height— GIFtangles and smaller dimensions are a thing now, so play around with small dimensions. Just be sure that the GIF is visible and clear (know when too small is too small....)

Tip: The more you crop out of the clip (kind of like I did in that 2nd GIF), the smaller your GIF File Size will be. If you insist on having more than 50 frames in your GIF, then I absolutely recommend cropping as much as possible from the scene/images that is NOT relevant to what/who you’re GIFing. ie. background, other people, etc. Tip: Don’t make GIFs wider than 268px; they will automatically stretch (to 540px wide) and distort in posts. The height can be as large as you like, but avoid making stretched GIFs like this (original dimensions were 300px wide by 200px height):

Tip: Do not make GIFs 540px wide (or wider). I get it. They’re a nice aesthetic...for photosets and edits. But you’ll be limiting yourself a lot if you make RP GIFs that large. Trust me, save yourself future frustration and stick to small/medium GIF sizes. Tip: To avoid making GIFs like this one:

Use the Crop tool’s W x H x Resolution setting. Not only will it save you time when making GIFs, it’ll also keep your GIFs looking proportionally correct. Press the C key on your keyboard (or clip on the crop tool from the left panel). At the top, you’ll notice a new tool bar with a drop down that looks like this:

I think the default is Ratio. Click the drop down and select the W x H x Resolution setting. The first box is your width. The second is your height. The third is the resolution. I think the default is 72 and will automatically be 72 regardless of whether or not you enter something in the box. 

Do yourself the added favor of saving whatever numbers you enter as a preset— click the drop down again, select “New Crop Preset” and then either rename it or just save it as is. Here’s preview of my presets:

2. GIFsets aka Photosets.

a. They come in a wide set of varieties. #1 and the most common type is the 2 x 4/5 photoset. Kind of like > this one < If you’re doing a full scene (with or without captions), I recommend making all of the GIFs 268px wide. Remember to make all GIFs the same height!

b. Second to follow is the 2 x 2 photoset. Kind of like > this one < Again, I recommend making all GIFs 268px wide and the same height. (For square-like GIFs, make the height 268px.)

c. Third are probably “moodboard” GIFs like > this set < They tend to strictly follow a 3 x 3 photoset format. I recommend cropping GIFs with 177px width and 177px height.

d. Full width Photosets. I love these and I typically do these for small scenes. They look like > this one <  In order to avoid the GIFs from getting stretched too much or pixelated, the width should be 540px. Since your dimensions will be bigger, this means that each GIF will be bigger in file size and therefore limits just how “long” you can make each GIF. I’m not saying that it’s impossible to make a 540px GIF with 80 frames; but it will take some tinkering. My recommendation is to limit the amount of frames you use either by skipping frames or by limiting yourself to a max of like 60 frames.

3. Edits

This includes GIFs with special coloring, captions, or inspo/musings ON THE ACTUAL GIFs. They can look like > this < or > this < Since you’re adding additional stuff to the GIFs, you’re automatically making the GIFs larger in size. Again, I recommend skipping frames or keeping your length short by doing a max of like 60 frames.

        ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ Coloring ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

Easiest way to shrink size is to restrict your coloring. The more colorful the GIF, the bigger the file size. Most people opt to make black and white GIFs. Others like myself just tinker on the “Save for Web” pop-up.

These are my usual settings (and you’ll note that the color table is FULL):

Tip: Try restricting the colors. Click the drop down next to “Colors:” and select 128. 64 is the lowest I ever go and the lowest I recommend as this is the point where you’ll notice quality changing. — I only recommend restricting coloring as a last resort. Tip: You’ll note that you can also change the GIF dimensions here! Try making the GIF smaller. Make sure the link is connected, or else you’ll end up with a funky looking GIF.

  ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ GIF Optimization ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

GIF Optimizers help reduce GIF size by doing all of the above (and more)! They reduce size by limiting colors, skipping frames, adding/removing dithering and noise, and lastly, by optimizing transparency.

The most popular site for this is EZGIF. Here’s another: GIFGIFs Optimizer.

         ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ Questions ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧ ✧

When all else fails and you find yourself stuck with a huge .GIF file or are unwilling to sacrifice quality/GIF or video length:

Ask yourself, would it really be that hard to split the GIF into 2-4 GIFs? Why not make a GIF set? How about cropping everything to focus on one FC/specific thing? Or how about making the GIF’s dimensions a little smaller?

If you’re still in rut, you can always feel free to drop the GIF in my submissions and ask for help.

Well, that’s all folks; happy GIF making! Don’t forget to like and/or reblog if you found this tutorial helpful and consider donating to a good cause over < HERE >!

[zen-garden-gnome]

Understanding Soil Basics

Some recent, introductory horticulture projects have brought my attention to the regenerative nature of ecosystems. One of the most basic and important aspects of plant cultivation is the health of the soil. Good soil is alive, an ecosystem unto itself. Industrial agriculture (and plenty of horticulture) functions with a narrow and exploitative understanding/prioritization of the soil ecosystem--a holdover of colonialism, now built into capitalism, excused out of desperation. Our reliance on synthetic fertilizers, destructive tilling practices, excessive pesticides/herbicides/fungicides, monoculture “efficiency,” and deforestation (for more monocultures!) has resulted in abysmal global soil quantity and fertility levels, largely related to loss of biodiversity in and around the soil ecosystem. Now climate and agriculture experts predict our soils can produce approximately 60 more harvests. Speaking of which, check this out:

So I’m learning about soil. Not just because I’ll need to in order to help a community enjoy food security, but also because... I dunno, I just really like it. Putting my fingers in some dirt feels good and right. Currently I’m reading The Ultimate Guide to Soil by Anna Hes, and I’m summarizing important content as I go back and review sections (especially stuff I know I’ll want to reference later). Rewriting it helps me remember it, so I’ll be dumping that stuff here. along with any extra research I wind up doing in the process. As I work my way through the sections of the book, I’ll make more posts!

First up: Understanding Soil Basics...

Healthy soil is dark with humus. Humus is stable organic matter that’s decomposed into a mix of waxes and lignins, held together by microbial gums and starches, and loaded with nitrogen. Humus bonds readily to heavy metals and excess elements/nutrients, too, thus improving food safety. Organic decomposition into humus even increases carbon dioxide near the soil’s surface, which stimulates plant growth.

“Wild” plant growth can reveal aspects of soil health. Since weeds often thrive in low-nutrient soils and are less susceptible to diseases and pests (since they grew based on what was appropriate for the soil/area), observing them may make it easier to filter out non soil-related variables in overall garden health/output. Of course, these correlations tend to be region-specific and don’t indicate much by themselves. Regular tending is the best prevention, but some general weed-to-soil conditions are as follows:

Nitrogen-fixing plants thrive in low-fertility soil (legumes, dandelions, nettles, comfrey, horsetails, watercress, parsley, plantains, chamomile, chickweed, autumn olives, alders, temperate list here).

Sedges (Cyperaseae grass-like flowering plants with triangular cross-stems) and rushes (Juncaceae grass-like erect stems with tufted tops) thrive in wet, waterlogged soil.

Mosses thrive in damp, shady, compacted, low-fertility/nutrient, and/or acidic soil (pH < 7).

Pfeiffer (found reliable) claims acidic soils (pH < 7) are often linked to poor drainage and tend to grow sorrels, docks, fingerleaf weeds, lady’s thumb, horsetail, hawkweed, and knapweed.

Pfeiffer claims crusted or hardpan soils tend to grow field mustard, horse nettle, penny cress, morning glory, quackgrass, chamomile, and pineapple weed.

Pfeiffer claims overcultivated soils with excess nitrogen tend to grow lamb’s quarter, plantain, chickweed, buttercup, dandelion, nettle, prostrate knotweed, prickly lettuce, field speedwell, rough pigweed, common horeground, celandine, mallow, carpetweed, and thistles.

Soil order relates to the origins of a region’s soil:

*It seems notable that the author focuses on a soil region’s “agricultural” use. A soil’s agricultural value doesn’t necessarily relate to its cultivation prospects. On the contrary, if Oxisols in Hawai’i and Puerto Rico can support indigenous cultures and hosts of wildlife with lush year-round vegetation, then perhaps agriculture isn’t the most reasonable, sustainable, or appropriate means of obtaining food from the land.

Note, regional soil is more than just regional bedrock. It also contains naturally and unnaturally imported soils, like sand used for human developments sand or windblown silt (loess).

Dominant soil order map (as seen below)

Soil order images (as seen below)

All USDA soil data/maps

Soil texture relates to the various sizes and types of particles in a soil sample. The three soil particle types are clay (smallest), silt (mid-size), and sand (largest).

Sandy soils can be useful for early growth and for root veggies that excel at pushing through tough earth, but water flushes through too quickly to maintain hydration, and big dry pores make it easy for microbes to churn too quickly through organic matter additives, leaving no time for humus to form. Try no-till gardening in sandy soils and add heavy mulches and bio-char. In areas with droughted, sandy soil, try sunken pit gardens.

Clay soils have small particles and therefore small pores, causing a tendency to drain poorly and clump up when worked too wet or too dry. However, the small particles bond readily to nutrients better than do sand or silt. Clay gardens can be quite productive, albeit damp and heavy. Adding organic matter helps create larger aggregates and therefore more pore variety, thus improving air and water circulation. Try raised beds.

Silt soils can appear similar to clay soils on the microscopic level, and their medium particle size has its benefits. However, silt soils aren’t sticky like clay, so erosion is often an issue. Utilize cover crops and/or mulch.

Loamy soils are the ideal texture because they contain relatively balanced quantities of the three particle types. Adding compost, mulch, and cover crops to sandy, clayey, or silty soils improves diversity of particle, aggregate, and pore sizes; increases overall water retention while providing balanced aeration; creates balanced microbial activity; and provides nutrients. Simply blending the 3 soils textures together does not yield the same results and is a resource-intensive process.

(Check out comparisons here.)

Moistening and manipulating the soil makes it easier to identify. In the ribbon test outlined below by the Australian Department of Primary Industries, if a ribbon is unable to form then soil contents are sand or loamy sand. If the ribbon is less than an inch, its contents are loam, silt, silt loam, or sandy loam. If the ribbon is 1 to 2 inches, it’s sandy clay loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam. If the ribbon makes it up to 2 or more, it’s made of sandy clay, silty clay, or clay.

To perform a jar test, pour one-part soil and two-parts water in a clear jar. Separate aggregates by lidding and shaking vigorously, before allowing the particles to settle at the bottom for at least 24hrs. The largest, heaviest particles are sand and will sink to the bottom. Small, light clay particles remain at the top, while silt rests in the middle. 

Measure the thickness of each layer and calculate the percentage of sand, silt, and clay using a soil triangle (or enter calculations here).

Online soil surveys like https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/HomePage.htm are also available.

Soil aggregates clump together as soil particles (waxes, minerals, lignins) interact with the weather, organisms, and each other. Soil aggregates vary in size depending on their circumstances. A sandy texture of mostly uniform aggregates suggests the soil sample consists primarily of its original mineral particles. It lacks organic content, including vegetal, fungal, insect, and microbial activity. Without this variety of shapes, sizes, pores, or biological activity, the particles don’t hold moisture and provide no avenues for soakage. Meanwhile, a chunky texture with large aggregates, hard clods, and/or a thick crust suggest soil compaction, again resulting in a loss of bio-pores. These issues are often man-made, resulting from excessive tilling, or from tilling/harvesting/planting in wet/dry soil, all of which break down natural soil aggregates. A healthy soil texture contains a variety of aggregate sizes, thus supporting a variety of pores. Ideally, good soil texture no longer requires tilling for the purposes of artificial pores. The best solutions are to increase organic matter, especially compost; introduce cover crops to create pores, attract biological activity, hold moisture, and prevent leaching/erosion; and reduce tilling.

Soil color reveals clues about soil health, too. Heavy rainfall soaks through paling topsoil and pulls clay and nutrients into the darkening subsoil. This separation of soils may call for a season of deep-rooted cover crops to bring nutrients back to the surface, hold soils together, and add organic matter. Grey or whitish soil (gley) in waterlogged areas indicates soils high in iron. The loss of oxygen leaves iron colorless and soil color visible. Patchwork grey and brown suggests waterlogging during part of the year which has now drained and regained some color. (Note, anaerobic activity releases hydrogen sulfide for a tell-tale swampy odor. Mounding up soil can help in waterlogged areas. Try a percolation test, first.)

While loamy soils are dark with humus, soil color is also heavily affected by mineral content:

Know your minerals. Iron oxides, sodium, and calcium can disrupt soil structure or kill plants outright.

Professional soil tests may be necessary if learning about and adapting to your soil doesn’t seem to increase fertility. All testing centers have their own requirements for collecting and sending samples, and not all labs offer the same types of tests. Unfortunately, most soil tests don’t look for heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, selenium, or zinc. But this one does!

Soil pH describes a measure of potential (/power/percentage) concentration of hydrogen ions in a sample. The higher the number on a scale of 0.0 to 14.0, the fewer number of hydrogen ions available in the soil. Soils with a pH under 7.0 are have more hydrogen ions, making them acidic or “sour.” Soils with a pH over 7.0 have fewer hydrogen ions, making them alkaline, “basic,” or “sweet.” (Note, while a soil pH of 7.0 is considered neutral, a slightly acidic range from 6.0 to 7.0 is considered ideal for most garden soils.) Hydrogen concentration affects the mobility and availability of nutrients to plants and the structure of the soil itself due to the interactions between mostly negatively charged soil particles (anions) and mostly positively charged nutrient particles (cations). (Note, not all soil ions are anions and not all nutrient ions are cations, but many of the most important nutrients like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and hydrogen are cations.)

Cation-exchange capacity (CEC) is the amount of positive charge (most major nutrients) that can be exchanged per mass of soil. Specifically, the CEC of a soil sample measures how many nutrients can be retained on soil particle surfaces. CEC levels are higher in soils rich in organic matter and clay because these negatively charged particles have more surface area to attract positively charged nutrients. Therefore, CEC levels also indicate the soil’s quantity of negatively charged ions. Soils with a low CEC are low in organic matter and clay, and therefore nutrients won’t readily magnetize to the soil particles, leaving them to leach away from plant roots whenever water passes through. Furthermore, different nutrients have different quantities of protons and electrons and thus different bond strengths. With its neutral charge, hydrogen has the lowest cation, and so it tends to bond with soils only if there aren’t enough other cations available. Higher hydrogen bonds means there aren’t enough other cations bonding with the soil anions, resulting in lower pH and higher acidity. Ideally, hydrogen only fills “excess” bonds and otherwise moves freely in the water. For example, adding lime (calcium carbonate) to soil introduces more calcium, which has a stronger charge and thus can knock hydrogen ions loose from soil particles. Loosed hydrogen bonds with the carbon in the lime, producing H2O and CO2, which washes readily out of the soil and leaves it more alkaline than before.

Organic matter is a vital part of healthy, fertile soil. Diseases, fungi, poor water retention, and even pests are less likely to cause problems in healthy, living soils rich in decomposing organic matter. While small/weak plants can often be attributed to low nitrogen or improper pH, both issues tend to be caused by a paucity of organic matter. Nitrogen gets used up/washed away in the dirt quickly, but decomposing matter releases nitrogen constantly, slowly and steadily feeding plants and microbes alike. Soils need only be composed of around 5% organic matter to produce around 100lbs of available nitrogen per acre, per year. Perfect for veggie gardens.

Organic matter breaks down faster in hot, sandy soils, so it’s harder to sustain healthy levels and may require more. Organic matter is so active in cooler climates that the slower decomposition produces less nitrogen, and so faster-acting nitrogen amendments (diluted urine, compost tea, etc) may be necessary.

While soil’s cation exchange capacity only concerns positively-charged nutrient ions, the organic matter used to increase these nutrients will also improve soil’s ability to attain and hold onto negatively charged nutrient particles, too. Good soils have a CEC of at least 11 mEq/100 g. A milliequivalent is 1/1000th an equivalent, which is the measurement of the number of ions needed to total a specific quantity of electrical charges in another substance (100 grams of soil). These CEC levels may be difficult to attain, as they’re affected by ratios of passive, slow, and active organic matter:

Passive organic matter is very stable and takes a long time to decompose, sometimes hundreds or thousands of years. This includes the “browns” in compost, like the cellulose, lignin, and even charcoal of woody debris. Fungi and bacteria convert these into the humic substances in humus. Lingering passive organic matter affects texture and helps the soil water nutrients and prevent nutrient leaching, making it vital for maintaining CEC levels. Tough-stemmed cover crops are helpful.

Slow organic matter includes finely divided plant tissues high in lignin and other materials that take decades to decompose. These provide “slow-release” nitrogen and other nutrients, and feed the soil microbes that affect the breakdown of active organic matter.

Active organic matter breaks down readily into nitrogen and other nutrients. This includes the “greens” in compost, which provide sugar, starches, and proteins. They have high carbon-to-nitrogen ratios and break down within a few months to a few years. Decomposition of active organic matter also feeds the microbes that help determine aggregate variability and therefore soil texture. AOM includes living biomass, detritus, most of the polysaccharides, non-humic substances, and the more readily decomposed fulvic acid.

Sustainable soil amendments of organic matter (especially nitrogen) essentially run in two phases: development and maintenance. Development consists of adding large quantities of slow-acting organic matter, including burying logs and other organic debris; extensive cover cropping for the added biology, interactivity, and green compost; and at least an inch of compost before every planting. Depending on soil conditions at the outset, it can take anywhere from 2 to 10 years to reach the maintenance stage. At this point, maintaining around 5% organic matter in the soil just requires adding enough to replace whatever’s lost to decomposition each year—that is, approximately 2,000lbs (one cubic yard) per acre. A well-planned garden can eliminate wasteful amendments around low feeders (beans, peas) and ensure greater quantities for heavy feeders (squashes, tomatoes, garlic, bananas). Whew! This post may be updated as I amend relevant info for my own records.

[lanceprance-blog]

The Best SEO to 2019

A web site that would like to remain relevant these days must certainly minimal SEO. Local SEO can be the bit technical to some individuals. You are already aware great content ranks higher on record of SEO. I actually avoid think you need to modify much of your local SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION optimization for local search. When deciding exactly what search topics to focus on and just how best to focus your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION efforts, treating keyword querying such as an investigative tool is where you will likely have the best results. To understand how SEO works to improve search engine rankings, we'll need to break it down a little. Many of the SEO methods we've been using for many years are still worth our marketing and advertising dollars — blogging, social press, and inbound marketing — such as. For years, links have got been the trust signal regarding search engines — one that will SEOs spent the most period on optimizing (and often manipulating). It makes sense therefore that will focusing on brand relevance plus prominence will result in rating higher in local SEO. SEO offers never been about rankings just. SEO is actually heating up with regards to brands plus businesses competing for backlinks making use of well-crafted custom content that attempts to solve a certain issue that people may be looking for. Yet with professional curiosity and the particular assistance of trained SEO professionals, your business can leverage SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION trends to come out upon top in 2018 and further than. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a process of enhancing positions in organic (non-paid) lookup engine results in search motors. An SEO method is considered white hat in case SEO 2019 Slide it conforms to the research engines' guidelines and involves simply no deception. While keyword analysis and optimisation still dominates SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, experts are seeing a change to natural language and contextual search over the last various years. Although many prominent numbers in SEO believe that RankBrain isn't something for which a person can specifically optimize, it continues to be a concern for many individuals.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, while still search engine search engine optimization, encompasses so much more procedures in 2018. Consumer experience has never been even more important to SEO. In this blog page post, I am going in order to share a few On-Page SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION techniques with you, that may be done completely through White colored Hat method. Meta descriptions have simply no impact on your WordPress SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION when it comes to search positions. But if a person engage in genuine conversation plus your site is helpful in order to users, you're on the correct track to boosting off-page SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. With social videos producing 1200% more shares than textual content and images combined, according in order to WordStream, look for video revealing to be a big SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION trend in 2018. It can exciting, but my mind-set regarding SEO has changed… I utilized to over-think it, trying in order to develop the right” variety associated with periods to utilize key keywords. I've been doing SEO for the last 5 years, and throughout those years, I've attempted to consume all the information about SEO which i could get my hands on. This blog post is all that information plus new ranking techniques that work in 2018, condensed.

It gets much better: when you publish SEO-optimized Youtube . com videos, you'll own more Search engines real estate. SEO landscape is definitely dynamic and there is the greater need to stay within touch with the changing developments and adopt optimization techniques that will help you boost your on the internet visibility. nineteen. Page Load Speed @jambad 2018 SEO Trends - 5 Strategies to Stay Ahead of the particular Curve What we already know… 2016 - Slow webpages enhance bounce rate Study by Search engines, (Akamai) 53% of mobile customers abandon sites that longer compared to 3 seconds to load. In a fast plus results-based world, voice search may continue to be a part of SEO's future, and we may observe a moment where it may surpass traditionally written searches. The Future of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is here: Understanding and Advertising to Specific and Defined Viewers through Search Engines. ” flawlessly quoted by Adam Audette, Primary Knowledge Officer, RKG a overall performance Marketing Agency. Whenever people at Internet Retail Expo, came up with the query showing how to do SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION for eCommerce sites, it had been decently answered by a specialist.

The SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION adage length is strength” has been supported by our industry research which found that longer content material has a tendency to position significantly higher on Google's 1st page. Google Traffic is near to non and it's getting difficult to keep investing budget in SEO. I was initially concerned regarding ranking my sites and this was too hard to find out about SEO. Talk to your marketing group about how to include Tone of voice into your SEO plans. While SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION assists with driving traffic in order to your site, the designing component helps in grabbing the interest from the users. Today is the time to pay out more attention to long-tail key phrase phrases and to local SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. As a result, the SEO's job nowadays much more than keywords plus backlinks. Sign up for the weekly SEO and daily SearchCap newsletters regarding a recap of all the particular latest SEO related news, suggestions and tactics from Search Motor Land and other sources just about all over the Web. When it comes to Search engines SEO, the rel=canonical link element has become VERY IMPORTANT over the years plus NEVER MORE SO. So taking time away to accomplish an SEO training training course will only be beneficial regarding your business as it may help you stay ahead associated with your competitors. The team at MyTasker has modelled an infographic upon SEO Techniques and Strategies which gives valuable insights that are essential intended for driving targeted traffic to your own business website. In spite of Google best effort, there's nevertheless a loophole and there's nevertheless more to do with regional search or hyperlocal SEO. This can help businesses set up a good SEO platform that is each user and SEO friendly. SEO is the method associated with increasing a website's visibility plus ranking on search results web pages. Staying on top of the particular changing trends in search motor optimization (SEO) is a need to if a website will likely be observed by targeted customers. SEO in 2018 is usually giving us a brand fresh concept: Instead of typing key phrases on the computer, consumers are usually asking questions. Since you may be able in order to guess from the name, WordTracker focuses in on one component of SEO: keyword research. Just like adding interlinks above, you should also include some external links to higher domain authority sites. ย This assists your WordPress SEO by allowing Google know that you are usually linking out to high-quality articles that is highly relevant in order to yoursย and improves the user encounter by giving them with extra information. 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Taking a few extra moments to make sure your blog post is fully optimized will permit you to harness WordPress' incredible SEO and content marketing strength for your blog post's content material. Search Console (Webmaster tools) is definitely one of the SEO fundamentals. With the increase of voice search, over fifty percent of Google searches coming through mobile devices, the impending mobile-first index, and mobile-friendliness as getting a ranking factor, you merely can't afford to ignore cellular SEO anymore. When you create brand-new content based on your concern keywords, you have several benefits with an SEO online marketing and advertising strategy. On-site SEO can consist of tasks for example adding keywords in order to your titles, images, and link, adding multi-media like images plus videos throughout your content, inner linking, and updating your content material regularly with new information. 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When you are wondering which methods are tossed aside today plus which are important to make use of in your strategy, here will be the list of the greatest SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION trends of 2018. Some SEO specialists may guarantee getting top position; if an SEO firm provides a guarantee for top degree rankings, it may force all of them to use less ethical strategies, or black-hat methods, to obtain those guarantees. However, 2018 is definitely predicted to further prod SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION technicians towards recognising that just talking about a company will be enough to boost your ratings. The following user focused on-site SEO techniques may help you improve position and gain more traffic within 2017 and beyond. New web sites should start their SEO trip with local keywords. Local SEO is usually a branch of SEO that will specifically deals with search motor optimisation for local businesses. Another technique gives a different page centered on whether the page will be being requested with a individual visitor or a search motor, a strategy known as cloaking Another category sometimes used will be grey hat SEO This is usually in between black hat plus white hat approaches, where the particular methods employed avoid the web site being penalized, but do not really act in producing the greatest content for users.

They are the particular exact SEO strategies that have assisted to boost our organic lookup engine traffic (unique visitor) simply by 35. 36% in just thirty days. There exists a great deal of misinformation about what a good SEO campaign (company) can achieve with regards to organic research engine rankings. Of course, key word targeting still matters but because Google's A. I. becomes stronger, SEOs and publishers need in order to think more on task finalization — in which the job is the underlying intent associated with the keyword. The most critical step of most is to write a topic which will inspire people in order to share your post, and that will contains your SEO keyword. Numerous businesses have been tracked spending 80% of their marketing budget on Pay out Per Click Strategies (Search plus Social) and only 20% upon SEO. Investing in quality methods which do take longer yet endure and are also these which generate valuable traffic will be the greatest way to invest your time on SEO. Furthermore, Google will still elevate the particular importance of usability and specialized SEO factors, such as web site security, page speed, mobile friendliness, and navigability. A professional SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION company will verify the regional listing on Bing and Search engines. Like many things in SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, you will need to begin with an extensive keyword study In order to rank for the Brian Bowie question, you also would like to explore what else individuals ask. And remember, various other search engines like google this kind of as Bing and Yahoo depend sometimes even more on exactly what some may call outdated SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION practices. Google Webmaster Equipment is section of Google's best SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION websites package. 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[humansoulsarg]

rescue Solve

This post: http://pangenttechnologies.tumblr.com/post/176040515287/ presented several pictures and a link to a publicly visible Signal and Noise video:

https://youtu.be/RWu28kWRVhc

The video starts with a console-type screen showing attempts to open two videos ‘regret’ and ‘circus’ but errors occur as two files cannot be found. Then we are shown that ‘I accidentally deleted three days of work, so now I’m drunk’ followed by a wine bottle on a counter with Spice Girls albums in the background.

Next, we are shown screenshots of a data recovery attempt. Five videos are highlighted and thumbnail previews appear with a symbol-like font appearing when each is highlighted.

Then, some backmasked audio appears along with an animation which includes a graph of 'millions’ with graphs of 'goal’ and 'actual’ vs. months (JFMAMJJASOND). The audio is from Spice World, talking about Manta Rays and can be found here.

The next video clip opened is of Daveed Diggs giving a 'what’s up’ to Lottie.

We are then shown full screen versions of the same symbol-like font groupings which were shown earlier. There are five different sets of symbols:

Next up is shots of guinea pigs which we’ve possibly seen before, and at one point 'pass word’ in Braille is shown in the corner of the screen.

After the guinea pigs shots, we see several collections of frogs. On shelves, curtains, etc. Then we see kid’s toys around and about, a few shots of the Kate McKinnon issue of Vanity Fair (For which Pangent had created a puzzle we had not solved when this was posted.) before the video ends with the audio glitching out and icon grids along with letter/color grids being shown (with additional glitching effects in the animation.)

This video had a lot to digest. The symbol-like font and icon grids were not recognizable, but the color grids have been used by Pangent before so we started there. It was also noticed that the letters in the color grid contained several occurrences of the Spice Girls’ names:

Noting that the color yellow was only ever contained in a Spice Girl’s name, it was thought to be significant. It was then discovered that by flipping the image horizontally (as suggested by the reversed letters) and taking down the Pangent Color Values for the blocks containing Spice Girls names, reading from left to right then top to bottom of the flipped image, what appeared to be hex was obtained:

3464 363536343639 36313333333 836363 7363631366433 33333337613 463333133 3633383 3323734

Converting as hex this becomes:

4d6564696133386676616d33337a4c3136383274

Which looks like another hex string:

Media38fvam33zL1682t

This mediafire link leads to https://mediafire.com/?38fvam33zL1682t which contains a video with hex title 'what is life’.

The video is a music video to George Harrison’s What is Life? performed by Eric. Shown around and about several locations including a house with kids toys, a Manchester City Event, and a lemon tree. One particular shot of a vtech touch-and-swipe baby phone was of particular interest to our crew as it gave a mapping to the icons shown in the grid:

There was also shots of refrigerator magnets which seemed worth noting as we rarely get anything random or unintentional from Pangent:

Using the mapping from the baby phone, the icon grids were decoded as hex characters:

1st grid:

OURSTZFAXCRANJNMTOVIHTWERJKHQM 2nd grid: RANJNMTOVIHTWERJKHQMQXWFIXAHSZ Noting that the first string ends with the start of the second, the two were combined: OURSTZFAXCRANJNMTOVIHTWERJKHQMQXWFIXAHSZ Vigenere decode with fridge magnet string as the password to get a reduced alphabet string: DNDEDDDIDAFDFFCFFAFMFBCCFMCDFFCJGJGFGFGC Convert those to characters using A=1, B=2… P=f(16):

4D45444941646636616C62336C34663070767673 decoding as hex: MEDIAdf6alb3l4f0pvvs https://mediafire.com/?df6alb3l4f0pvvs

Another mediafire link. This time to a video with hex title 'the entertainer’ which is another video starring Eric. This one is not so chipper as the previous one and appears to show Eric in some pretty hard times. Set to KT Tunstall’s The Entertainer, this starts off showing Lottie and Eric separately, Shots of Mel’s Drive In. Then some scenes start with Eric looking pretty stressed. Going on to show Eric outside with an array of stuff around him and 'homeless selfie :(’ edited onto the shot. We see more shots of less than ideal living conditions with edited text: '30 people live here mostly outside $45/night’, 'PILES OF SHIT EVERYWHERE’, 'sleeping outside on a pile of garbage in the freezing rain $35/night’. Then we get interesting shots of a mirrored/neon lit room, and a rubik’s cube inspired room. Eric crying in a kitchen.

Then we move to Santa Monica pier where route 66 signs show the 'End of the Trail’.  We see shots of Eric on the pier and the ocean. Some Penguins at a carnival type place. Garfiled and Felix Clocks, some arcade games including what appears to be a Colecovision and an arcade version of a penguin-land-ish game. A Soul Caliber arcade game is also shown. Then Eric is shown working with 'dont give up’ and 'think about it before you say no’ added to the edit. Eric running and throwing pieces of paneled furniture into a dumpster. It ends with a scene that suggests Eric boarding a plane with a carry on bag.

This video of Eric is a definite counterpoint to the earlier one. Perhaps these are alternate timelines? Whatever the case, I hope this version of Eric finds some better days.

Back to the solving, and we still had no progress on the symbol-like fonts till it was noticed that Pangent’s twitter had retweeted a post about an alternate tactile font to Braille. Called ELIA Frames, this font can be found here: http://www.theeliaidea.com

Using that font, the five images could be transcribed. It ended up they are grouped in two groups, based on the number of characters shown in each one. the first two having 52 characters, the last three 36.

If you use vigenere key guineapix on the first string, you get only letters “J,A,S,O,N” and you can convert those to numbers 1-5 based on their position in the word and use that as tap code #1 PHIBNNYWGUDWNEJHIGPMRBEJYVXGDWFSJDRPGDABNNPVGTUIWRAD Vigenere key guineapix JNAOJNJOJOJOAAJSAJJSJOAJJNAAJOSOJOJSAJSOJNANJNAAJNAO 1524151414142213211314211522143414132134152515221524 EIEDDDGCFCDFEGDODCFOEJEGEI 595444736346574E436E505759 YTDscFWNCnPWY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DscFWNCnPWY

With title 'r e g r e t’ this video shows Sharon talking about the Cube (artifact 555) and sharing her concerns about the whole thing, as well as her friend Lottie and her tendency to pursue dangerous paths. Sharon says she’s supported Lottie for years, and hopes she never has to regret that.

The second sequence can be solved the same way, this time with vigenere key lancelot

UNNQNYXHLAWPNDXGLJNUEUXHUNFPNDOTLJWQEUGGUONLEUGHUOWL Vigenere key lancelot

JNAOJNJOAAJNJSJNAJASAJJOJNSNJSAAAJJOAJSNJOAJAJSOJOJJ 1524151422151315212321141535132221142135142121341411 EIEDGECEFHFDEPCGFDFPDFFODA 5954753568645F37646F466E41 YTu5hd_7doFnA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5hd_7doFnA

This video has title 'c i r c u s’ and shows Dean (Lancelot) telling the story of the talking penguin circus and the little penguin who wanted to join the show. This story was included a while back as text in an email from Dean to Lottie before his own dangerous (ultimately fatal) interactions with the cube.

The next three transcriptions did not appear to use any of the previously revealed Pangent passwords. But it was assumed they would solve the same way as the first two, so an attempt was made to narrow the solutions of the Vigenere cipher down to just the letters JASON. Some valid keys were discovered by writing the possibilities down and looking for words that repeated in the codes. This image shows the progressions:

So the three passwords were 'daveeddiggs’, 'mantarays’, and 'millions’, all hinted at in the original video. We ended up with three 9-digit values, which were determined to be vimeo links:

https://vimeo.com/275552345 - synopsis

https://vimeo.com/276823116 - wannabe

https://vimeo.com/278426514 - adelescence (hex title)

So we get high resolution links for some great videos long-time Pangent followers have seen in other versions before now, but might be new to a whole generation of Pangent fans.

[designdekko]

Public sanitation: Design interventions lead the change

A 2017 report by the WHO found while 74% of the world’s population used at least a basic sanitation service, approximately 2 billion still did not have access to basic sanitation facilities like toilets and latrines – a rather shocking statistic when weighed against the amount of progress you see in the world today. Another highly disconcerting statistic on the subject is from a UNICEF blog, which noted 673 million people still defecate in the open, for example, in street gutters, behind bushes, or open water bodies.

Most urban millennials are unaware of the actual impact human waste and its incorrect disposal has on life across the planet. But trips around the country highlight the glaring shortcomings of India’s public sanitation system and every successive government’s inability to stick to its pre-electoral promises of improvement on that count. Of course, there has been improvement, but the pace at which we are changing isn’t still satisfactory.

Also Read | Holt Renfrew Ogilvy dazzles as a sustainably forward luxury flagship

In 1999, the Indian government introduced the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) to accelerate sanitation coverage throughout the country, particularly in rural areas. It focused on information and education to generate public demand for sanitation facilities, particularly in schools. The TSC made some progress, but it suffered from its relatively low priority and ineffective deployment of resources. Renamed Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014, the GOI, armed with a barrage of shocking statistics and a revised mandate, took up the cause with renewed vigour, putting a significant dent in the widespread problem of sanitation.

Where to draw inspiration from?

Japan’s spotless, pop-anime, Kawaii-cute, tech-driven toilets are the stuff of legend, with tourists excitedly using them for that perfect Instagram moment. In fact, the country gained global media attention for its Tokyo Toilet project. Who’d think a public urinal would make for a perfect photo-op?

Switzerland is one of the world’s favourite tourist destinations, has toilets so clean that you can lie down in them. In Paris, the City of Light: a monolithic domed structure stood with a few scattered people standing in a queue in the middle of a Parisian cobble-stoned street. A sliding door whooshed open, revealing a clean albeit soaking wet toilet inside. Pictorial instructions outside the loo read: Post a single use, the entire toilet is sealed and sanitized, and only then access is granted to the next person.

Also Read | Marieville Celebrates Its Past While Building for the Future

All this was planned and executed before the pandemic took over the world. Also, it is free. It is definitely impressive but is this a viable option for a country like India with its large populace and disparate economic structure?

Modern problems need modern solutions. I spoke to Rohan Chavan, principal architect at RC Architects and the mind behind Lightbox, a one-of-kind public urinal for women with space for social gatherings. Rohan engages with projects and issues related to public and community sanitation, urban design, affordable and low-cost housing, single-family houses, space design, and institutions. His signature approach to design created the Lightbox. This public urinal redefines the concept of ‘restroom’, taking it beyond just being a public toilet and creating a unique, visually attractive space that caters to the peri-urban female population living in and around the Thane region in Maharashtra (India).

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Over a short phone interview, Rohan spoke of how, as a designer, he took the initiative to design the Lightbox when Agasti, a social enterprise working in urban sanitation in Mumbai, floated a brief.

Wanting to create something to take to the municipal corporations to add to public sanitation infrastructure, in the hopes that it would be a departure from the largely unappealing ones that already existed, Chavan structured his design around a tree, aware that paucity of space in an urban setting was likely and he would have to work with what he was offered. His design was just as adaptable to smaller or larger spaces and could be tweaked to fit different venues.

Also Read | Bright whites, chrome yellows, and curved geometry put together a space that promotes life

Lightbox is covered under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals at #5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Built around a large tree, the 10’ x 30’ restroom features two urinal blocks each at both ends, with a standard washbasin, a nursing room and a toilet for handicapped or senior citizens. The centre of the restroom was a garden measuring 15’ x 10’ that was meant for various activities like a place to rest, a free gallery to display art for amateur artists, a place for lectures and awareness campaigns, celebrating festivals, seasonal activities and events.

The central garden was a metaphor for spaces where people can sit and relax under a tree in the shade and socialize. The restroom with toilet blocks was fitted with a biodigester to reduce freshwater use and improved waste management. It also included a nursing room and amenities like sanitary pads vending machine and incinerator, CCTV cameras, mobile charging points, and a panic alarm system.

Rohan’s efficient use of modern materials resulted in natural light in the restroom, eased the process to keep the toilets clean and ensured high durability and construction within a specific budget. Rohan, however, is quick to point out that the design can be customized to fit a variety of sizes and use different materials, thus making it more sustainable.

Chavan recounted an instance when policemen at the police station across the street from Lightbox were so taken with the concept that they eagerly inquired about why there were no such facilities for men. He was also excited about the amateur artist showcase within the restroom, an unusual venue for an art show but an important one to highlight the accessibility of art and the opportunity to incorporate culture into everyday life.

While Lightbox sees social interaction as the key to the solution, LooCafe wants to hit the root cause of why public sanitation projects fail: Lack of safety, technology, and revenue-generating opportunity.

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With over 450 locations to its name, LooCafe, the brainchild of Abhishek Nath, MD & CEO, Ixora FM, is all set to expand across Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karnataka. The concept is a simple tuck shop with a public urinal attached, sizes ranging from 4x8 ft, 20x8ft and 40x8ft, made of a shipping container or pre-fabricated materials to maintain long-term cost-effectiveness – basically a study in upcycling. And the brand is constantly learning, adjusting its designs and making changes where necessary. A cafe is attached to the front to add a layer of revenue generation opportunity. The attractive facades and cosy, clean interiors are home to thoroughly cleaned and disabled-friendly washrooms which use several sensors and technology to make them sustainable, clean and trustworthy.

With an increase in road trips during the pandemic and transportation of goods and personnel across state lines, initiatives like LooCafe are a viable business model and encourage safe sanitation practices, thereby slowly but surely transforming the nation’s response to public sanitation.

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The societal impact of projects like Lightbox and initiatives like LooCafe was clearly visible. Such unique design interventions represent a burgeoning design collective bent on creating distinctive architectural and spatial perspectives. Some of these are initiatives that governments and municipal corporations across the country must take advantage of and be utilized by the public.

Yes, there have been concentrated moves to build a network of public urinals, with their glossy tiled facades promising better facilities and clean services to its users. But inside, in barely-lit caverns of fetid water, lie disease and stench and the hopelessness of an impoverished citizenry in desperate need of what others might constitute as a fundamental human right.

Also Read | Public sanitation: Design interventions lead the change

However, hope now lies in the hands of a few thoughtful individuals contributing ideas and government bodies prioritizing public sanitation in their regular mandates and worldwide recognition of an endemic issue deeply rooted in neglect.

The article is part of a series of blogs by the writer on public sanitation and design interventions experienced during her travel around India and the world. Views expressed are of author.

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[orbemnews]

How White nationalists evade the law and continue profiting off hate At the rally — which turned deadly — he participated with gusto, carrying a banner that, according to court documents, said, “Gas the kikes, race war now!” during a march past a synagogue. But when Robert Warren Ray was indicted in June 2018 for using tear gas on counter-protesters at the event, police discovered he was nowhere to be found. The fugitive, known in far-right circles as a prolific podcaster under a Bigfoot-themed avatar and the name “Azzmador,” has vanished — at least from real life. However, Ray’s podcast, which he calls The Krypto Report, later appeared on a new gaming livestreaming service that has become a haven for right-wing extremists who have been deplatformed from YouTube and other mainstream social media channels. Called DLive, the live-streaming platform with a blockchain-based reward system allows users to accept cryptocurrency donations — another perk for extremists barred from using services such as PayPal or GoFundMe, or who want to raise money internationally. Ray, a 54-year-old Texan, was a hit. He quickly became one of the top 20 earners on DLive, according to an analysis by online extremism expert Megan Squire of Elon University in North Carolina, who studied the period from April 2020 — the earliest data available — through mid-January 2021. It’s not just the police who are searching for Ray. Since September 2019, he has been flouting court orders and missing appearances in a civil case that names him as one of 24 defendants accused of conspiring to plan, promote and carry out the violent events of Charlottesville. “(Ray) has failed to communicate with Plaintiffs and the Court in any manner –even while continuing to participate on social media, post articles on the website of The Daily Stormer, and publish podcasts,” said plaintiffs’ attorneys in court documents filed in June. As for the criminal case, which charges Ray with maliciously releasing gas, authorities have labeled him a fugitive since his 2018 indictment. To be sure, Ray — who mysteriously stopped podcasting from DLive a few months ago — didn’t get rich on DLive. But while he was ignoring court summonses for his alleged role in organizing Unite the Right, he earned $15,000 on the platform in just six months, according to Squire’s analysis. He cashed most of it out, she said. “The idea that he’s wanted for all of this stuff, but then just gets to sit at home behind a microphone and make money on the side — I thought that was just not good at all,” Squire said. Experts say the story of Ray and DLive underscores a reality about people who get chased into the shadows by lawsuits or deplatforming crusades: There will almost always be an entrepreneur who is willing to provide a venue for exiled promoters of hate. “Where there is demand, eventually supply finds a way,” said John Bambenek, a cyber security expert who tracks the cryptocurrency accounts of extremists. A game of cat and mouse Public scrutiny drives alt-right personalities deeper into the bowels of the internet, reducing their visibility. And while their retreat to ever more obscure corners can make it more difficult to monitor the chatter, Michael Edison Hayden, a spokesman for the Southern Poverty Law Center, says the game of whack a mole is ultimately worthwhile. “I have seen firsthand the degree to which figures who were…extremely successful in radicalizing large numbers of people, become extraordinarily marginalized, extraordinarily fast in so-called dark corners of the internet,” he said. There are few neo-Nazi figures who have been as widely deplatformed as Andrew Anglin, publisher of The Daily Stormer, one of the web’s most notorious hate sites — and where Ray gained prominence as a writer and podcaster. Anglin’s Daily Stormer was dumped by Google and GoDaddy after Anglin in a post mocked the protester who was killed in Charlottesville as a “fat, childless 32-year-old slut.” This made it more difficult for laypeople to find his site, though it has managed to stay on the internet, partially through the work of an adroit webmaster. “There was just this ongoing battle of what (the webmaster) would do in order to keep Anglin’s voice online,” Hayden said. Like Ray, Anglin is on the lam. He has evaded attorneys since the summer of 2019, when he lost a spate of lawsuits. In the biggest judgment against him, Anglin was ordered by a judge to pay $14 million to a Jewish woman in Montana who had endured anti-Semitic harassment and death threats from Anglin’s “troll army” of supporters. (One voicemail said: “You are surprisingly easy to find on the Internet. And in real life.”) Anglin, who did not respond to CNN’s request for comment, has said in court documents that he isn’t living in the country. The woman, Tanya Gersh, recently told CNN that she has yet to receive a dime of the judgment and is appalled that people are profiting from hate. “If knowing that doesn’t disgust you, we have really, really been led astray in our country,” she said. Founded in 2017, DLive, which is owned by a 30-year-old Chinese national named Justin Sun, takes a 20% cut of its streamers’ revenue, according to its website. Although DLive initially allowed far-right figures — including Ray — it has purged several amid scrutiny in the wake of the deadly riot at the Capitol on January 6. That day, Anthime “Tim” Gionet, better known as “Baked Alaska,” used the service to live-stream his role in the incursion. In the video, he curses out a law-enforcement officer, sits on a couch and puts his feet on a table, and can be heard saying, “1776, baby,” according to an FBI affidavit. Gionet was suspended from the site, as was Nick Fuentes — part of a White nationalist group of young radicals called the Groypers — who was also at the January 6 rally, though he says he did not enter the Capitol. Both had already been permanently jettisoned by YouTube and other social media outlets, though Fuentes remains on Twitter. “DLive was appalled that a number of rioters in the U.S. Capitol attack abused the platform to live stream their actions,” and when its moderators become aware of the live streams, they shut them down, the company said in a statement to CNN. “All payments to those involved in the attack have been frozen.” Ray’s DLive account, too, has been suspended, a company spokesman said, although the action did not publicly appear on his page until a couple of days after CNN reached out to the company on February 5. The DLive spokesman said the decision to sanction his channel was unrelated to CNN’s inquiry, and that the suspension amounts to a permanent ban. In any case, Ray stopped posting to DLive about four months ago, around the time a judge in the Unite the Right case found him in contempt. He did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment. Gionet was arrested in Houston last month, but Fuentes and Ray have both since popped up elsewhere online. Fuentes — DLive’s top earner, who took in about $114,000 in six months ending in January — has been scrambling to keep his podcast streaming since DLive booted him. For a few weeks, he’d figured out a way to keep using YouTube, even though the platform had dropped him, largely by using intermediaries to embed a livestream from other YouTube channels on his own website. Squire said she spent those weeks engaged in a game of cat and mouse with him, repeatedly finding the 22-year-old Illinois native and notifying the third parties, and YouTube, of Fuentes’ actions. The third parties have mostly acted swiftly and banned Fuentes’ content, Squire said. And while YouTube didn’t act on all of Squire’s initial reporting, the company took action when CNN flagged it. “We’ve terminated multiple channels surfaced by CNN for attempting to circumvent our policies,” a YouTube spokesperson said last week. “Nicholas Fuentes’ channel was terminated in February 2020 after repeatedly violating our policies on hate speech and, as is the case with all terminated accounts, he is now prohibited from operating a channel on YouTube. We will continue to take the necessary steps to enforce our policies.” Following YouTube’s crackdown, Fuentes began experimenting with other blockchain based technologies that enable him to stream his nightly program without being deplatformed. His recent moves have left Squire frustrated. “I don’t have an answer on how to do the take downs — I just don’t know,” she said. Ray, meanwhile, appears to have retreated to another obscure streaming site, called Trovo, which is so new it is still in beta mode. In the chat section of what appeared to be Ray’s new Azzmador page on Trovo, a follower said “we missed u Azz” on January 15. Ray has yet to livestream any podcasts on Trovo. But in recent days — after several months of silence — a Telegram account bearing Azzmador’s logo with a link to his DLive channel burst back onto the platform with a series of racist and anti-Semitic messages. “Harriet Tubman and MLK are both fake historical figures who had Communist Jew handlers/promoters,” read one February 7 message. Some startups see the deplatforming of online firebrands as a recruitment opportunity. “Hey @rooshv, so sorry to see you get censored!” a Canadian company called Entropy — which targets YouTubers and other streamers seeking to avoid censorship — tweeted at Daryush “Roosh” Valizadeh, an online personality in the so-called “manosphere,” who has touted misogynistic ideas such as that women are intellectually inferior and that rape should be legal on private property. Valizadeh — who authored an online post called “Why are Jews behind most modern evils?” — had just been dumped by YouTube less than a week prior, on July 13. “We would be honored to support your streams,” the tweet added. In March 2019, Entropy’s three young founders were interviewed by a podcaster about their new product, and excitedly touted their first big-name user, Jean-François Gariépy, an alt-right YouTuber who frequently featured White nationalists on one of his shows. “He was actually the first streamer to try us out,” said co-founder Rachel Constantinidis. “He tried us out for a number of months, and we were able to really improve the stability of the platform based on his feedback.” In an email to CNN, Gariépy denied a CBC news article’s characterization of him as supporting “ideas of white superiority and white ‘ethnostates,'” saying, “no proper context was provided by the journalist to understand the circumstances in which I discussed these subjects in the past.” Fuentes and Gionet did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment, and Valizadeh declined an interview. How cryptocurrency comes into play Just as far-right provocateurs are driven underground to more niche sites when they are booted from mainstream platforms, so, too, do they often gravitate towards cryptocurrency such as bitcoin when banished from using online payment services like PayPal and GoFundMe. “Cryptocurrencies are indispensable to them at this point,” said Squire. Because many of them were early adopters — and because bitcoin’s volatile value has recently skyrocketed — some are now sitting on vast sums. Most successful in this realm has been Stefan Molyneux, a Canadian vlogger who has promoted ideas of non-White inferiority and has said, “I don’t view humanity as a single species.” Molyneux, dropped by PayPal in late 2019, starting taking bitcoin donations in 2013 and is holding onto a chunk of the cryptocurrency that amounted to more than $27 million as of Thursday morning, said Bambenek, the cyber security expert. (Molyneux — who is still on Facebook and Instagram — has also been expelled from YouTube, and has since shown up on lesser-known platforms such as BitChute, DLive and Entropy, where his audience is considerably diminished. Molyneux told CNN in an email that he stopped covering politics last year, and is now writing about parenting. He declined to answer any questions about his finances.) BitChute, Trovo and Entropy did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment. By publishing their wallet IDs online and urging followers to donate through cryptocurrency, extremists have — perhaps unwittingly — provided unprecedented insight into their financials. In an attempt to cut out the middleman and combat fraud, bitcoin transactions — including sender and recipient identifiers — are all recorded in a public ledger, available to anyone. Individual donations to far-right personalities mostly appear to have been small, and Bambenek said they are shrinking on the whole. One exception: Nick Fuentes received a single donation of 13.5 bitcoin, at the time worth about $250,000, in December from a person whom researchers believe was a computer programmer in France who apparently killed himself shortly afterward, according to a Yahoo News exclusive report. Another notable cryptocurrency enthusiast is Anglin of The Daily Stormer who, in addition to owing Gersh of Montana $14 million, has another $4.1 million judgment against him for falsely branding comedian and CNN contributor Dean Obeidallah — an American Muslim — as a terrorist. He also owes money to Taylor Dumpson, who, after becoming the first Black female student body president at American University, endured a harassment campaign orchestrated by The Daily Stormer. That $725,000 judgment is against Anglin, the site and one of the site’s followers. Anglin, who claims on his website to be banned from PayPal, credit card processors and even his PO Box, has been directing his donations to bitcoin since 2014. Over the years, he received more than 200 bitcoin, but most appear to have been cashed out, according to Bambenek, who said Anglin is holding on to at least 10.1 bitcoin, worth more than $525,000 as of Thursday morning. But Anglin’s cryptocurrency holdings are becoming more difficult to monitor. While Anglin was embroiled in the Gersh lawsuit, his website started advertising donations through a more obscure cryptocurrency called Monero, which — contrary to crypto’s ethos of transparency — keeps transactions private. Azzmador and Anglin sued by Charlottesville victims Demonetizing and deplatforming aren’t the only way to defang groups and individuals who espouse identity-based hate. “You also need to sue them,” said Amy Spitalnick, executive director of Integrity First for America, a nonprofit civil rights group. Ray and Anglin are among a couple dozen defendants named in a lawsuit underwritten by Spitalnick’s group on behalf of several activists who are Charlottesville victims. The two men are accused of being part of the leadership team that not only planned the Unite the Right rallies on August 11 and 12, 2017, but primed the pump for violence. Four of the 10 plaintiffs in the civil rights lawsuit, which is scheduled to go to trial in October, were struck by the car driven by a neo-Nazi into a throng of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer, whose physical appearance Anglin would later disparage. Their injuries ranged from broken bones to concussions to torn ligaments. The other plaintiffs in the suit say they have suffered emotional distress either from physical injuries inflicted during the event or from psychological trauma and have missed work as a result. In the days leading to the Unite the Right rally, much of the planning and coordination happened on The Daily Stormer, which — with Anglin and Ray as principal authors — began to take on a menacing tone, according to the suit. On August 8, the suit says, Anglin and Ray said the purpose of the upcoming rally had shifted from being in support of a Confederate monument of Robert E. Lee, “which the Jew Mayor and his Negroid Deputy have marked for destruction” to “something much bigger…which will serve as a rallying point and battle cry for the rising Alt-Right movement.” “There is a craving to return to an age of violence,” Anglin wrote, according to the suit. “We want a war.” The Daily Stormer advertised the rally with a poster depicting a figure taking a sledgehammer to the Jewish Star of David. “Join Azzmador and The Daily Stormer to end Jewish influence in America,” it said. Prior to the event, the suit says, Ray and Anglin wrote on The Daily Stormer that “Stormers” were required to bring tiki torches and should also bring pepper spray, flag poles, flags and shields. Anglin did not attend the rally in Charlottesville, but Ray did. During the march past the synagogue, the suit alleges, he yelled at a woman to “put on a fu**ing burka” and called her a “sharia whore.” The suit says he then proclaimed: “Hitler did nothing wrong.” Fast forward three-and-a-half years. By January, Ray’s once-prolific podcast had been dark for several months. His fans began to notice. On a forum called GamerUprising, somebody started a thread on January 25 called “What happened to Azzmador????” “He just disappeared and no one even seems to care,” wrote the user, who goes by “Creepy-ass Cracker.” But there are signs that Ray plans a return to podcasting as Azzmador. On February 3, a fan on his Trovo page asked when Azzmador would begin streaming. He responded in a word: “soon.” CNN’s Julia Jones contributed to this story. Source link Orbem News #continue #evade #hate #HowWhitenationalistsevadethelawandcontinueprofitingoffhate-CNN #Law #Nationalists #profiting #us #White

[dipulb3]

How White nationalists evade the law and continue profiting off hate

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/how-white-nationalists-evade-the-law-and-continue-profiting-off-hate/

How White nationalists evade the law and continue profiting off hate

At the rally — which turned deadly — he participated with gusto, carrying a banner that, according to court documents, said, “Gas the kikes, race war now!” during a march past a synagogue.

But when Robert Warren Ray was indicted in June 2018 for using tear gas on counter-protesters at the event, police discovered he was nowhere to be found.

The fugitive, known in far-right circles as a prolific podcaster under a Bigfoot-themed avatar and the name “Azzmador,” has vanished — at least from real life.

However, Ray’s podcast, which he calls The Krypto Report, later appeared on a new gaming livestreaming service that has become a haven for right-wing extremists who have been deplatformed from YouTube and other mainstream social media channels.

Called DLive, the live-streaming platform with a blockchain-based reward system allows users to accept cryptocurrency donations — another perk for extremists barred from using services such as PayPal or GoFundMe, or who want to raise money internationally. Ray, a 54-year-old Texan, was a hit.

He quickly became one of the top 20 earners on DLive, according to an analysis by online extremism expert Megan Squire of Elon University in North Carolina, who studied the period from April 2020 — the earliest data available — through mid-January 2021.

It’s not just the police who are searching for Ray. Since September 2019, he has been flouting court orders and missing appearances in a civil case that names him as one of 24 defendants accused of conspiring to plan, promote and carry out the violent events of Charlottesville.

“(Ray) has failed to communicate with Plaintiffs and the Court in any manner –even while continuing to participate on social media, post articles on the website of The Daily Stormer, and publish podcasts,” said plaintiffs’ attorneys in court documents filed in June.

As for the criminal case, which charges Ray with maliciously releasing gas, authorities have labeled him a fugitive since his 2018 indictment.

To be sure, Ray — who mysteriously stopped podcasting from DLive a few months ago — didn’t get rich on DLive. But while he was ignoring court summonses for his alleged role in organizing Unite the Right, he earned $15,000 on the platform in just six months, according to Squire’s analysis. He cashed most of it out, she said.

“The idea that he’s wanted for all of this stuff, but then just gets to sit at home behind a microphone and make money on the side — I thought that was just not good at all,” Squire said.

Experts say the story of Ray and DLive underscores a reality about people who get chased into the shadows by lawsuits or deplatforming crusades: There will almost always be an entrepreneur who is willing to provide a venue for exiled promoters of hate.

“Where there is demand, eventually supply finds a way,” said John Bambenek, a cyber security expert who tracks the cryptocurrency accounts of extremists.

A game of cat and mouse

Public scrutiny drives alt-right personalities deeper into the bowels of the internet, reducing their visibility.

And while their retreat to ever more obscure corners can make it more difficult to monitor the chatter, Michael Edison Hayden, a spokesman for the Southern Poverty Law Center, says the game of whack a mole is ultimately worthwhile.

“I have seen firsthand the degree to which figures who were…extremely successful in radicalizing large numbers of people, become extraordinarily marginalized, extraordinarily fast in so-called dark corners of the internet,” he said.

There are few neo-Nazi figures who have been as widely deplatformed as Andrew Anglin, publisher of The Daily Stormer, one of the web’s most notorious hate sites — and where Ray gained prominence as a writer and podcaster. Anglin’s Daily Stormer was dumped by Google and GoDaddy after Anglin in a post mocked the protester who was killed in Charlottesville as a “fat, childless 32-year-old slut.”

This made it more difficult for laypeople to find his site, though it has managed to stay on the internet, partially through the work of an adroit webmaster. “There was just this ongoing battle of what (the webmaster) would do in order to keep Anglin’s voice online,” Hayden said.

Like Ray, Anglin is on the lam. He has evaded attorneys since the summer of 2019, when he lost a spate of lawsuits. In the biggest judgment against him, Anglin was ordered by a judge to pay $14 million to a Jewish woman in Montana who had endured anti-Semitic harassment and death threats from Anglin’s “troll army” of supporters. (One voicemail said: “You are surprisingly easy to find on the Internet. And in real life.”) Anglin, who did not respond to Appradab’s request for comment, has said in court documents that he isn’t living in the country.

The woman, Tanya Gersh, recently told Appradab that she has yet to receive a dime of the judgment and is appalled that people are profiting from hate.

“If knowing that doesn’t disgust you, we have really, really been led astray in our country,” she said.

Founded in 2017, DLive, which is owned by a 30-year-old Chinese national named Justin Sun, takes a 20% cut of its streamers’ revenue, according to its website.

Although DLive initially allowed far-right figures — including Ray — it has purged several amid scrutiny in the wake of the deadly riot at the Capitol on January 6.

That day, Anthime “Tim” Gionet, better known as “Baked Alaska,” used the service to live-stream his role in the incursion. In the video, he curses out a law-enforcement officer, sits on a couch and puts his feet on a table, and can be heard saying, “1776, baby,” according to an FBI affidavit. Gionet was suspended from the site, as was Nick Fuentes — part of a White nationalist group of young radicals called the Groypers — who was also at the January 6 rally, though he says he did not enter the Capitol. Both had already been permanently jettisoned by YouTube and other social media outlets, though Fuentes remains on Twitter.

“DLive was appalled that a number of rioters in the U.S. Capitol attack abused the platform to live stream their actions,” and when its moderators become aware of the live streams, they shut them down, the company said in a statement to Appradab. “All payments to those involved in the attack have been frozen.”

Ray’s DLive account, too, has been suspended, a company spokesman said, although the action did not publicly appear on his page until a couple of days after Appradab reached out to the company on February 5. The DLive spokesman said the decision to sanction his channel was unrelated to Appradab’s inquiry, and that the suspension amounts to a permanent ban.

In any case, Ray stopped posting to DLive about four months ago, around the time a judge in the Unite the Right case found him in contempt. He did not respond to Appradab’s requests for comment.

Gionet was arrested in Houston last month, but Fuentes and Ray have both since popped up elsewhere online.

Fuentes — DLive’s top earner, who took in about $114,000 in six months ending in January — has been scrambling to keep his podcast streaming since DLive booted him. For a few weeks, he’d figured out a way to keep using YouTube, even though the platform had dropped him, largely by using intermediaries to embed a livestream from other YouTube channels on his own website.

Squire said she spent those weeks engaged in a game of cat and mouse with him, repeatedly finding the 22-year-old Illinois native and notifying the third parties, and YouTube, of Fuentes’ actions.

The third parties have mostly acted swiftly and banned Fuentes’ content, Squire said. And while YouTube didn’t act on all of Squire’s initial reporting, the company took action when Appradab flagged it.

“We’ve terminated multiple channels surfaced by Appradab for attempting to circumvent our policies,” a YouTube spokesperson said last week. “Nicholas Fuentes’ channel was terminated in February 2020 after repeatedly violating our policies on hate speech and, as is the case with all terminated accounts, he is now prohibited from operating a channel on YouTube. We will continue to take the necessary steps to enforce our policies.”

Following YouTube’s crackdown, Fuentes began experimenting with other blockchain based technologies that enable him to stream his nightly program without being deplatformed. His recent moves have left Squire frustrated. “I don’t have an answer on how to do the take downs — I just don’t know,” she said.

Ray, meanwhile, appears to have retreated to another obscure streaming site, called Trovo, which is so new it is still in beta mode.

In the chat section of what appeared to be Ray’s new Azzmador page on Trovo, a follower said “we missed u Azz” on January 15.

Ray has yet to livestream any podcasts on Trovo. But in recent days — after several months of silence — a Telegram account bearing Azzmador’s logo with a link to his DLive channel burst back onto the platform with a series of racist and anti-Semitic messages.

“Harriet Tubman and MLK are both fake historical figures who had Communist Jew handlers/promoters,” read one February 7 message.

Some startups see the deplatforming of online firebrands as a recruitment opportunity.

“Hey @rooshv, so sorry to see you get censored!” a Canadian company called Entropy — which targets YouTubers and other streamers seeking to avoid censorship — tweeted at Daryush “Roosh” Valizadeh, an online personality in the so-called “manosphere,” who has touted misogynistic ideas such as that women are intellectually inferior and that rape should be legal on private property. Valizadeh — who authored an online post called “Why are Jews behind most modern evils?” — had just been dumped by YouTube less than a week prior, on July 13. “We would be honored to support your streams,” the tweet added.

In March 2019, Entropy’s three young founders were interviewed by a podcaster about their new product, and excitedly touted their first big-name user, Jean-François Gariépy, an alt-right YouTuber who frequently featured White nationalists on one of his shows.

“He was actually the first streamer to try us out,” said co-founder Rachel Constantinidis. “He tried us out for a number of months, and we were able to really improve the stability of the platform based on his feedback.”

In an email to Appradab, Gariépy denied a CBC news article’s characterization of him as supporting “ideas of white superiority and white ‘ethnostates,'” saying, “no proper context was provided by the journalist to understand the circumstances in which I discussed these subjects in the past.”

Fuentes and Gionet did not respond to Appradab’s requests for comment, and Valizadeh declined an interview.

How cryptocurrency comes into play

Just as far-right provocateurs are driven underground to more niche sites when they are booted from mainstream platforms, so, too, do they often gravitate towards cryptocurrency such as bitcoin when banished from using online payment services like PayPal and GoFundMe.

“Cryptocurrencies are indispensable to them at this point,” said Squire.

Because many of them were early adopters — and because bitcoin’s volatile value has recently skyrocketed — some are now sitting on vast sums.

Most successful in this realm has been Stefan Molyneux, a Canadian vlogger who has promoted ideas of non-White inferiority and has said, “I don’t view humanity as a single species.” Molyneux, dropped by PayPal in late 2019, starting taking bitcoin donations in 2013 and is holding onto a chunk of the cryptocurrency that amounted to more than $27 million as of Thursday morning, said Bambenek, the cyber security expert.

(Molyneux — who is still on Facebook and Instagram — has also been expelled from YouTube, and has since shown up on lesser-known platforms such as BitChute, DLive and Entropy, where his audience is considerably diminished. Molyneux told Appradab in an email that he stopped covering politics last year, and is now writing about parenting. He declined to answer any questions about his finances.)

BitChute, Trovo and Entropy did not respond to Appradab’s requests for comment.

By publishing their wallet IDs online and urging followers to donate through cryptocurrency, extremists have — perhaps unwittingly — provided unprecedented insight into their financials. In an attempt to cut out the middleman and combat fraud, bitcoin transactions — including sender and recipient identifiers — are all recorded in a public ledger, available to anyone.

Individual donations to far-right personalities mostly appear to have been small, and Bambenek said they are shrinking on the whole.

One exception: Nick Fuentes received a single donation of 13.5 bitcoin, at the time worth about $250,000, in December from a person whom researchers believe was a computer programmer in France who apparently killed himself shortly afterward, according to a Yahoo News exclusive report.

Another notable cryptocurrency enthusiast is Anglin of The Daily Stormer who, in addition to owing Gersh of Montana $14 million, has another $4.1 million judgment against him for falsely branding comedian and Appradab contributor Dean Obeidallah — an American Muslim — as a terrorist. He also owes money to Taylor Dumpson, who, after becoming the first Black female student body president at American University, endured a harassment campaign orchestrated by The Daily Stormer. That $725,000 judgment is against Anglin, the site and one of the site’s followers.

Anglin, who claims on his website to be banned from PayPal, credit card processors and even his PO Box, has been directing his donations to bitcoin since 2014. Over the years, he received more than 200 bitcoin, but most appear to have been cashed out, according to Bambenek, who said Anglin is holding on to at least 10.1 bitcoin, worth more than $525,000 as of Thursday morning.

But Anglin’s cryptocurrency holdings are becoming more difficult to monitor.

While Anglin was embroiled in the Gersh lawsuit, his website started advertising donations through a more obscure cryptocurrency called Monero, which — contrary to crypto’s ethos of transparency — keeps transactions private.

Azzmador and Anglin sued by Charlottesville victims

Demonetizing and deplatforming aren’t the only way to defang groups and individuals who espouse identity-based hate.

“You also need to sue them,” said Amy Spitalnick, executive director of Integrity First for America, a nonprofit civil rights group.

Ray and Anglin are among a couple dozen defendants named in a lawsuit underwritten by Spitalnick’s group on behalf of several activists who are Charlottesville victims. The two men are accused of being part of the leadership team that not only planned the Unite the Right rallies on August 11 and 12, 2017, but primed the pump for violence.

Four of the 10 plaintiffs in the civil rights lawsuit, which is scheduled to go to trial in October, were struck by the car driven by a neo-Nazi into a throng of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer, whose physical appearance Anglin would later disparage. Their injuries ranged from broken bones to concussions to torn ligaments. The other plaintiffs in the suit say they have suffered emotional distress either from physical injuries inflicted during the event or from psychological trauma and have missed work as a result.

In the days leading to the Unite the Right rally, much of the planning and coordination happened on The Daily Stormer, which — with Anglin and Ray as principal authors — began to take on a menacing tone, according to the suit.

On August 8, the suit says, Anglin and Ray said the purpose of the upcoming rally had shifted from being in support of a Confederate monument of Robert E. Lee, “which the Jew Mayor and his Negroid Deputy have marked for destruction” to “something much bigger…which will serve as a rallying point and battle cry for the rising Alt-Right movement.”

“There is a craving to return to an age of violence,” Anglin wrote, according to the suit. “We want a war.”

The Daily Stormer advertised the rally with a poster depicting a figure taking a sledgehammer to the Jewish Star of David.

“Join Azzmador and The Daily Stormer to end Jewish influence in America,” it said.

Prior to the event, the suit says, Ray and Anglin wrote on The Daily Stormer that “Stormers” were required to bring tiki torches and should also bring pepper spray, flag poles, flags and shields.

Anglin did not attend the rally in Charlottesville, but Ray did. During the march past the synagogue, the suit alleges, he yelled at a woman to “put on a fu**ing burka” and called her a “sharia whore.”

The suit says he then proclaimed: “Hitler did nothing wrong.”

Fast forward three-and-a-half years. By January, Ray’s once-prolific podcast had been dark for several months. His fans began to notice. On a forum called GamerUprising, somebody started a thread on January 25 called “What happened to Azzmador????”

“He just disappeared and no one even seems to care,” wrote the user, who goes by “Creepy-ass Cracker.”

But there are signs that Ray plans a return to podcasting as Azzmador.

On February 3, a fan on his Trovo page asked when Azzmador would begin streaming.

He responded in a word: “soon.”

Appradab’s Julia Jones contributed to this story.

[lakelandseo]

21 Smart Google SEO Tips for 2021

Posted by Cyrus-Shepard

Happy new year, readers! We're back with a brand new season of Whiteboard Friday episodes for your viewing pleasure. 

First up: Moz SEO expert Cyrus Shepard shares his top 21 tips for successful Google SEO in 2021, including what to prioritize and what to look out for in the year ahead. He's also included a bunch of helpful resources for your reference in the transcription below! 

Watch and enjoy, and as always, leave your questions and your own suggestions in the comment section. 



Click on the whiteboard image above to open a high resolution version in a new tab!

Video Transcription

Howdy, Moz fans. Welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. I'm Cyrus Shepard. Today, so glad that you can join us. We are talking about 21 smart Google SEO tips for 2021. We're getting ready for a new year, a new year of SEO strategies. These are 21 practical tips that you can implement that should, hopefully, move the needle on your organic traffic. 

These are some of the best tips that I've collected over the past year. Many of them that I'm going to use myself in my own SEO strategies. 

Now we have four categories: increasing clicks, content/on-page SEO tips, technical SEO, and a little bit of link building. There are 21 of these. These are going to go fast. We're trying to do 10 to 12 minutes, so we don't get to spend a lot of time on each one. But don't fret. We're going to link to appropriate resources in the transcript below so that we can keep along and explore a little bit more. All right. Ready to dive in? 

Increasing clicks

Let's start with clicks, specifically earning more clicks from Google without actually ranking higher, because that's one of the great things about SEO. You don't actually have to rank higher to get more traffic if you can get more clicks from the rankings that you already have. So let's talk about some specific strategies for getting more clicks without increasing rankings. 

1. Favicon optimization

First, favicon optimization.

Now I'm surprised more people haven't talked about this in 2020. Google displays favicons in mobile search results, and they can influence your click-through rate if they're high contrast, if they're visible or not visible. Having a good favicon can make a few percentage points difference, very minor, but it does make a difference if you can get it right. Aaron Wall, SEO Book, wrote one of the very few posts about that. 

2. Breadcrumb optimization

While we're optimizing our favicons, let's take a look at breadcrumb optimization. Google displays breadcrumbs in both desktop and mobile search results. They can be keyword-rich breadcrumbs, which can influence your click-through rate. Now Google gets their breadcrumbs from a lot of places. That can be your URL, your schema markup, your actual breadcrumbs on the page.

What you want to do is make sure Google is displaying the breadcrumbs that you want them to display, using those keywords that you choose. The best way to do that, make sure that you have breadcrumbs actually on your page with links, that you're using schema markup. Ideally, it would match your URL structure, but that isn't always necessary. So a great breadcrumb optimization audit. 

3. Meta descriptions

Let's optimize those meta descriptions. This is so old-school SEO. But a recent study shows that 30% of websites don't even use meta descriptions. Now that's understandable because another study shows that 70% of the time, Google will rewrite the meta description, usually because it's not using the keywords that the user is searching for. But if we write a well-crafted meta description, it can compel users to click, and that means using keyword-rich descriptions that people are actually searching for, so when Google does use your meta description, it's encouraging those clicks and acting as marketing copy for your website.

4. Numbers in titles

Along with meta descriptions, titles. Just shared a study recently showing that dates added to titles increased rankings for a particular brand. Numbers are generally one thing that I always test in title tags that usually produce pretty consistent results. Specifically, dates in title tags are often a winner, January 2021.

Don't be spammy about it. Don't include it if it doesn't make sense and don't fake it. But if you can include a number, it will often increase your click-through rate for any given query. 

5. <Title> boilerplate

How about doing a boilerplate audit for your title tag? Tip number five. What's boilerplate? Boilerplate are the parts of your title tag that repeat every single time.

For example, here at Moz, we put "Moz," our brand name at the end of every title tag. We used to put "Whiteboard Friday" at the end of every Whiteboard Friday until we tested it and found out that we actually got more clicks and higher rankings when we removed it. So boilerplate, you want your titles to be unique, provide unique value. So I would encourage you to experiment with your boilerplate and see if removing it actually increases your rankings.

Sometimes it's not going to. Sometimes you need that boilerplate. But do the test to find out. 

6. FAQ and how-to schema

Tip number six: schema, specifically FAQ and how-to schema. Google gave us a huge gift when they introduced these in search results. FAQ schema gives you a lot of SERP real estate. You can't always win it, and you can't always win the how-to schema, but when you do, that can definitely increase or influence people to click on your result, expand those FAQ schemas out.

It's not appropriate for every page. You want to make sure that you actually have those FAQs on your pages. But it is one way, in appropriate situations, that you can increase clicks without increasing your actual Google ranking. All right. 

Content/on-page SEO

Let's move on to some content and on-page tips. 

7. Relaunch top content

All right, number seven. This is the year I want you to look into relaunching your top content.

Content can go stale after a few years. So we launch content. You have a blog, you launch it, and you share it on social media. Most people forget about it after that. So go back, look at your top content over the last two to five years or even 10 years, if you want to go back that far, and see what you can relaunch by updating it, keeping it on the same URL. In some cases, you can see gains of 500% to 1,000% just by relaunching some of your old content with some updates.

So do a relaunch audit in 2021. 

8. Increase internal linking

Number eight: increasing internal linking. Now a lot of top SEO agencies, when they need to quickly increase rankings for clients, there are generally two things that they know are the easiest levers to pull. First, title tags and meta descriptions, what's getting more clicks, but second is increasing the internal linking.

You know that you can increase internal links on your site, and there are probably some opportunities there that you just haven't explored. So let's talk about a couple easy ways to do that without having too much work. 

9. Update old content with new links

Number nine is updating your old content with new links. This is a step that we see people skip time and time again. When you publish a new blog post, publish a new piece of content, make sure you're going back and updating your old content with those new links.

So you're looking at the top keyword that you want to rank for, and going in Google Search Console or checking tools like Keyword Explorer to see what other pages on your site rank for that keyword, and then adding links to the new content to those pages. I find when I do this, time and time again, it lowers the bounce rate. So you're not only updating your old page with fresh content and fresh links and adding relevance. You're adding links to your new content. So make sure, when you publish new content, you're updating your old content with those new links. 

10. Remove unnecessary links

Number 10, remove unnecessary links from your content. Now this is a form of PageRank sculpting. PageRank sculpting is a dirty word in SEO, but actually it works to a certain extent. It's not nofollow link page sculpting.

It is removing unnecessary links. Do you really need a link to your team page on every page of your website? Do you need a link to your contact form on every page of your website? In many cases, you don't. Sometimes you do. But if you remove the unnecessary links, you can pass more link equity through the links that actually count, and those links are a major Google ranking signal.

11. Mobile link parity audit

Number 11, need you to do a mobile link parity audit. What is that? What is a mobile link parity audit? That is ensuring that the links on your mobile site are the same as the links on your desktop site. Why is that important? Well, the last couple of years Google has moved to a mobile first index, meaning what they see on your mobile site, that's your website.

That's what counts. So a lot of sites, they have a desktop site, and then they reduce it to their mobile site and they're missing links. They get rid of header navigation, footer links, and things like that. A recent study showed that the average desktop page has 61 links and the average mobile page has 54 links. That means on the web as a whole there are seven fewer links on mobile pages than desktop pages, meaning a lot of link equity is being lost.

So do a study on your own website. Make sure you have mobile link parity between your desktop and your mobile site so you're not losing that equity. 

12. Invest in long-form content

Number 12: need you to invest in long-form content. Now I am not saying that content length is a ranking factor. It is not. Short-form content can rank perfectly well. The reason I want you to invest in long-form content is because consistently, time and time again, when we study this, long-form content earns more links and shares.

It also generally tends to rank higher in Google search results. Nothing against short-form content. Love short-form content. But long-form content generally gives you more bang for your buck in terms of SEO ranking potential. 

13. Use more headers

When you're doing that long-form content, make sure you do number 13: use more headers. I'm talking about H2 and H3 tags.

Break up your content with good, keyword-rich header tags. Why? Well, we have research from A.J. Ghergich that shows that the more header tags you have, generally you rank for more featured snippets. Sites with 12-13, which seems like a lot of header tags, rank for the most featured snippets of anything that they looked at in their most recent study.

So make sure you're breaking up your content with header tags. It adds a little contextual relevance. It's a great way to add some ranking potential to your content. 

14. Leverage topic clusters

Number 14, leverage topic clusters. Don't just launch one piece of content. Make sure you write about multiple pieces of content around the same subject and link those together. When you do that and you link them intelligently, you can increase engagement because people are reading the different articles.

You can add the right contextual inner links. I have a great case study that I want to show you in the transcript below, where someone did this and produced amazing results. So look into topic clusters for 2021. 

15. Bring content out of tabs

Finally, bring your content out of tabs. If you have content that is in accordions or drop-downs or you have to click to reveal the content, study after study after study shows that content that's brought out of tabs and brought into the main body, so people don't have to click to see, generally performs better than content that's hidden in tabs.

Now to be clear, I don't believe that Google discriminates content in tabs. They seem to be able to index and rank it just fine. But I think people generally engage with content when it's out of tabs, and maybe some of those signals help those pages to rank a little better. 

Technical SEO

All right. Just a very few technical SEO tips. We're going fast.

16. Core Web Vitals

Number 16: this is the year to invest in Core Web Vitals. These are some of the page experience signals that Google is bringing to the forefront in 2021. It's going to be an actual ranking factor very soon. We're talking about cumulative shift layout, hard word to say. Generally, we're talking about site speed and delivering great page experience. Now some of these things are very technical, and Google has some tools, like Lighthouse, to try to help you to figure them out.

One tip I like to share, if you are on WordPress, I highly recommend using Cloudflare, in particular their APO for WordPress. It's a great way to speed up your WordPress website and help you score better for some of these Core Web Vitals. It's very low cost, it's easy to implement, and it's a great way to speed up your WordPress website.

17. Limit sitemaps to 10,000

Number 17: sitemaps. Sitemaps, you're allowed to have 50,000 URLs per sitemap. This is always a question in every SEO quiz. How many URLs per sitemap are you allowed? Instead, if you have a large site and you have indexing issues, tip number 17, limit your sitemaps to 10,000 URLs. You don't have to use all 50,000.

We have some evidence that using smaller sitemaps, compressing those into a limited URL set can actually improve your crawlability of those. It's kind of like Google might prioritize those in some way. The data seems to support it. You also get a little bit better data out of Google Search Console. You can see what's being indexed and what's not.

18. Leverage dynamic sitemaps

Also, leverage dynamic sitemaps. Our friend Oliver Mason shows — that I'll link to in the transcript below — that a dynamic sitemap is a sitemap that changes based upon what you want Google to crawl. So if you have a large corpus of URLs that you want Google to crawl, put the high priority ones in their own special sitemap.

Maybe you limit it to one thousand URLs. As Google crawls and discovers those, remove them and put in additional high priority URLs that you want Google to discover. Keep the sitemap small and tight, and let Google know that those are the ones that you want them to pay attention to. 

Link building

Let's quickly talk about link building tips for 2021, because everybody loves link building.

No, kidding. Everybody hates link building. Link building is so hard. There are some professionals and there are some great people in the industry who do love it, who are great at it. Personally, I'm not that great at link building, but I still am able to build a lot of links. 

19. Passive link acquisition

One way that I'm able to do that is number 19: passive link acquisition. What passive link acquisition means is creating content that passively earns links as people discover it in the SERPs.

It means I don't have to outreach to people. It means that when they find it, when journalists find it, when bloggers find it, they naturally want to link to it. You do that by creating the types of content that journalists and bloggers and web creators are looking for. These are generally data, guides, definitions, how to, such as this video. When you create that kind of content, it generally earns a lot of links as people find it. Passive link building is one of the most sustainable ways to earn links over time. 

20. Page-level link intersect

Number 20, page-level link intersect. When you do have to do outreach, you want to do outreach to the pages most likely to link to you. Now we've known for a long time one of the top SEO tips for link building is find websites that link to your competitors but not to you.

I like to make that a little more specific and find web pages that link to at least two of my competitors but not to me. That means that they are generally a resource page, if they're linking to multiple competitors but not to me, and more likely to link to me if I ask them. We have a great tool here at Moz, Link Explorer, that does page-level link intersect. I think it's the best tool for this specific task in the SEO industry, not because I'm biased, because I actually use it.

21. Be the last click

Tip number 21 for 2021, be the last click. What do I mean by that? I mean satisfy your users. Once you earn the first click, you want to get that first click that people click, but you also want to be the last click. That means they found what they are looking for. User satisfaction is ranking signal number one. Your goal with all of this is to satisfy the user, to give them what they search for.

That's the magic of SEO. They're searching for something, and you're delivering it to them at the exact moment they search for it. When you can be the last click, you're almost guaranteed to rise in rankings and get the traffic that you deserve. 

All right, those are 21 tips. That's your roadmap for 2021. Hope you enjoyed it. Please share this video and share your tips for 2021 in the comments below.

Thanks, everybody.

Video transcription by Speechpad.com

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