#also it ties in with beau's experience of a local and a lot of the people he's encountering are queer folk who have | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

theantitote · 4 years ago

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A Call to Action + A Few Resources for These Times of Unrest in the US

On the Recent Unrest and Our Worst Fears (Is a civil war brewing?)

These times are uncertain, dire even. A mismanaged pandemic has and will continue to claim many lives and ravage our economy, yet several Republican governors still stand poised to reopen schools in the fall, and economic woes potentially put millions at risk of falling victim to mass evictions. Police and government brutality has long plagued our nation with near impunity and in the wake of George Floyd’s death and the violent crackdowns on protests, we seem to be reaching a breaking point. Police have been seen on numerous occasions assaulting the media, and federal agents sent to Portland, Oregon have been responsible for among other things, shooting Donavan La Bella in the head with “less lethal” impact munitions, cracking his skull and nearly killing him, arresting protesters into unmarked rental vans, and striking a Navy vet with a baton after he attempted to confront them on their oath to the constitution, breaking his hand. Now as anger swells in the streets and fears rise of an apparently fledgling secret police force due to the actions of federal agents, recently threatened to be deployed to more cities as part of Trump’s Operation Legend, a question thought unthinkable just a few months ago seems to be becoming uncomfortably plausible - are we heading for a civil war?

Anyone with even the slightest bit of morality and an inkling as to what such an event would entail should be struck with terror at the mere thought of the possibility. So it is imperative in these times that we do our due diligence as citizens of this nation to learn from history and do everything in our power to deescalate such a situation before our worst fears are realized, all without loosing sight of the problems and what must be done to solve them. To this end I have compiled a fairly brief list of videos, podcasts, articles, and webpages that I recommend all Americans observe and heed the messages and warnings found therein.

Top Recommendations

Note: All podcasts link to Spotify pages however you should be able to find them elsewhere if needed, including most popular podcasting apps from my experience.

1) The Youtube channel Beau of the Fifth Column, and his recent covering of the events in Portland.

I link his playlist of videos covering Portland and how the federal response runs counter to the guidelines of their manuals because it’s most relevant however I can’t recommend his entire channel enough. For further reading, here are a few links related to what he discusses in those videos:

FM 3-24 - Insurgencies and Countering Insurgencies - FAS PDF link

Federation of American Scientists - their website hosts a sizable amount of information some of which is relevant, including the aforementioned pdf

The Rand Corporation’s website, which has more public documentation and who also plays a large role in the making of classified documents for policy makers on the subject.

The nonprofit archive.org free online library

2) It Could Happen Here - A podcast from 2019 by Robert Evans, who has a background in investigative journalism on the conflicts in Iraq and Syria and Ukraine among others, exploring the possibility of a Second American Civil War, what might cause it and how it could be prevented. Though he is rather open about his own leftist bias he does not shy away from addressing the valid grievances rural America might have with the government as well as areas where the true left of America and rural conservatives might share some surprising common ground.

3) Behind the Police - Another podcast and a recent spinoff of “Behind the Bastards” that covers the history of American policing and how it has led to the often corrupt institutions we have today. Also hosted by Robert Evans and joined by the hip-hop artist Jason Petty aka Propaganda.

A few reminders of recent state violence

Tweeted video of the moment Donavan La Bella was shot in the head by a US Marshal

Tweeted video of the immediate aftermath (CW: profuse bleeding)

An update on Donavan La Bella’s condition (CW: distressing images) - “His mother, Desiree La Bella, previously said her son’s face and skull were fractured and that he underwent facial reconstructive surgery in the hours after the encounter. She said he had a tube in his skull to drain blood and had vision problems in one eye.” - the good news is the article says he’s recovering better than doctors expected.

Tweeted video of Navy veteran Chris David being struck with a baton by federal officers, breaking his hand, dubbed by some as “Captain Portland” after the viral video showed him taking the blows unflinching

A Newsweek article with an interview with Chris David - "I want to use my 15 minutes to put out a message to my fellow vets. I also want to use my 15 minutes to try to refocus this whole discussion back to Black Lives Matter as opposed to an old white guy who got beat up because I don't think I'm worth the attention, to be perfectly frank" - He states in the interview that he sought to confront the federal agents on their oath to the constitution when the beating happened, after hearing of the seemingly random arrests using unmarked rental vans.

NowThis News compilation of police violence against journalists from June 1st

Another NowThis News compilation of more police violence against journalists from June 3rd

Vice coverage of the protests in the wake of George Floyds death, posted on June 2nd. This includes a rather emotionally intense moment when the crew is assaulted by police with pepper spray and tear gas along with a small family who were attempting to protect their local business.

What Now? A Few Words of Advice

The times ahead are uncertain and fraught of dangers to say the least, but if we wish to avoid the worst we have to act. So, what do we do? Don’t just hope but organize, strategize, plan, and fight for the best, while preparing for the worst. At the very least and most simple take the advice from Beau’s videos and make your voice heard. Demand the government start following their own manuals and stop escalating tensions even further.

Yet distressingly enough, it seems unlikely that the onslaught of violent federal crackdowns will slow down anytime soon regardless of what we do. Preparedness seems more important now than ever, so here are a few basics. Try to get at least a month's worth of food if you haven’t already and still can. There are several sites for such things, such as Mountain House as one example, however much of this might be sold out or unaffordable so you might have to consider buying canned goods little by little as you can. Prepare a bug out bag, especially if you live in the city. There are countless tutorials and advice on this topic but try to stay focused on what you might need - things like a first aid kit, water, a filtered straw and other purification methods, a way to light a fire and cook, and so on. If you’re sane and responsible and wish to acquire a firearm for self defense if you haven’t already, and want to train but don’t want to have to involve yourself with the toxic conservative dominated gun culture, look into the SRA (Socialist Rifle Association) as they might be offering range days and training in your area.

But most importantly, start networking and organizing. No matter what comes to pass it will be imperative that we develop close ties with those within our communities which we can call upon not only to help try to prevent the worst, but also for protection should our worst fears become a reality. You might consider joining your local IWW if you’re an advocate for democratic unionization and workplace democracy like myself, or you might look into and maybe get into touch with folks like Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, and see if there’s any local to your area or what you might be able to learn from them. Regardless, try to find some group you at least somewhat fit in with and organize with them together.

A quick final note on my blog

I started this blog spontaneously on July 3rd hoping to ease my way into amateur blogging first and hopefully a career in journalism later, however current events have left me anxious of the future and uncertain of what new tragedies might lurk around the corner of tomorrow. I am however, highly privileged. I live at home in a rural town in the South Eastern US far away from the unrest with a supportive family who have at least for the time being a fairly secure income, and am currently unemployed, meaning that while I have no income of my own at the moment I do have a lot of free time, which I plan to spend much of on my amateur blogging pursuits. So if you want to see more blog posts like this in the future, give me a follow and consider turning on notifications and you’ll certainly be seeing more posts like this from me in the days ahead.

#portland #pdx #operation legend #trump #fascism #antifascism #antifa #police brutality #police state #blm #black lives matter #blacklivesmatter #civil unrest #protests

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eziocauthon89 · 5 years ago

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Mighty Nein Cyberpunk AU

This thought occurred to me the other day after hearing Amaranthe’s song “Digital World”, and I spent yesterday’s downtime at work working on it in tidbits, and here it is! Mostly put under a Read More, cause there’s A Lot! (Tagging @criticalrolo, who let me randomly blurt the parts out at her over the day!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Consider, if you will, an Exandria very akin to the one shown in the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 game; very post-transhumanism world, cybernetic augments are beyond accepted, they're virtually expected.

It's a world of corporations, where The Company is all, and the little guys either work with them or get ground up in the gears. The most powerful one is the Rexxentrum Assembly. They've stood solid For decades, having fingers in every profitable venture imaginable.

The only ones to oppose them are the Xhorhasian Conglomerate, a collection of smaller corporations who've banded together to survive, and possibly someday defeat, the mega-corp that is Rexxentrum.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beau works for the Cobalt Soul, an ancient order of hackers that have existed since before the transhumanism event began, keeping their eyes in every corner of the web. They used to be activists, but these days, they're largely archivists and data/info brokers. Beau thinks they should return to their roots and join with the Conglomerate against the Assembly, and is actively working to that end.

Like much of the party, she's an expert hacker, specializing in getting access through stolen info. Physically, she is the least augmented of the party, save for a few tweaks to make her blows a bit faster, and an analysis system to be better able to determine weak points and the "stats" of her enemies.

Her hacking signature is the sigil of the Cobalt Soul, positioned in front of a pair of wrapped fists crossed at the wrist as though over a chest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jester Lavorre is a young and fresh hacker. Daughter of the owner of that digital and physical smut empire, known only as The Ruby, and heir to the vast network of anything one could want in that arena. After inadvertently destroying the career of a local prominent politician with a cyber-prank, it was decided that she needed to get out and experience more of the world.

As a hacker, she predominantly focuses on digging up embarrassing secrets of high-level individuals, and then broadcasting them on the web, in her signature saccharine pink and unicorn-decorated infodumps. In the real world, she does her best to make sure her team is in the best shape they can be, getting supplies to help with that whenever she can.

As mentioned, her trademark is the infodump, usually in the form of a bullet-pointed video, coated in sickly sweet pinks, with unicorns and the like dancing in the background.

Aside from the usual strength and endurance mods that basically everyone has, she also has a mod in her skin that lets her shift colors and patterns to almost anything. It's usually not good enough for any proper stealth, but it's fun as hell! She has a similar mod on her horns, but stronger, where she can brighten them and basically become a living rave lighting system. The tips of her horns can also become the most literal version of "headlights" ever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fjord is one of the more interesting party members. Heavily augmented, he once followed the orders of his patron, an entity named Uk'otoa who he only had contact with through the deep web. This entity led him to great troves of augmentations, each with a nugget that Uka'toa itself desired. These troves helped to find the efforts of the party, leading to at least tolerate the presence of the outside force.

Recently, however, his new circle of friends led him to realize that Uk'otoa was, in fact, an incredibly malicious AI from beyond The Walls. With effort and some excising hacks from his friends, he cut off his ties with Uk'otoa. Unfortunately, many of his augments required an external AI to continue to function, and so he let himself be connected to another AI, dubbed the Wildmother by another of his party, one with a far more gentle motivation.

Fjord remains the least hack-savvy member, preferring reality to anything cyberspace can offer. Among his augments, he can deploy a macro-molecular bladed sword seemingly out of thin air, sharp enough to slide between the molecules of most materials, neatly slicing them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Caleb's story is simple enough. He was a Company Man. See, though, the thing about being a Company Man, is you can't ever really stop being a Company Man. Especially when that Company is the Assembly.

After one of his tests to enter the upper ranks resulted in the immolation of his family, he snapped. Gathering what he needed, he disappeared, a truly impressive feat in such an interconnected world, and doubly so when not even the Assembly could find him again. Now, he seeks a way to burn them down from the inside out.

Caleb's hacking signature has been dubbed "Scorched Earth", because when he's finished getting what he needs from a target, if he so chooses, he will burn them down, leaving them nothing behind, right down to the system files, and even the hardware itself if he can swing it.

Physically, his augmentations reside chiefly in his arms and his head. Highly experimental neuromods that boosts his already almost eidetic memory, letting him pick out any memory since installation and recall it in perfect clarity, and even overlay filters to uncover further information. Additionally, mini-producers across his body and microjets imbedded in his forearms allow access to his secret weapons: nanites and plain ol' fire.

The micro-producers scattered across his body can generate a cloud of nanites under his control, allowing him much of his near-magical feats. As a way to maintain an at-hand supply of them, he usually forms them into the form of a small animal, granting a measure of hivemind capabilities to allow it to impersonate said creature. The microjets allow him to be as near to a pyromancer as he can without using actual magic. Additionally, he has two small computers, resting in holsters under his arms, that together hold enough power to brute force hack into nearly any system he needs to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where Caleb's story is one of the simpler ones, Nott's can be argued to be the most tragic. On the face of it, she appears to be a Goblin, a faction of heavy augmenters who actively renounce form over function, and typically change their bodies as far from conventionally attractive as they can. Sure, the way Nott openly despises other Goblins is a bit odd, but who's to say what that kind of modding does to ones brain?

Except. She isn't a Goblin by choice. Due to some unknown reason, perhaps for an experiment, or as recompense for some perceived slight, Nott's original form was destroyed, and her brain and mind supplanted and locked into this Goblin form. Now, she follows Caleb, in the hopes that someday, he can learn how to let her leave this body behind and return to one more like her original.

Not to say this form is without it's pros, of course. An enhanced stealth suite and active targeting means that when she hits you, you won't have a clue where it came from.

Typically, Nott doesn't do much hacking, favoring the real world and protecting Caleb (and eventually, the rest of the party) as they do their deep dive hacks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Molly and Yasha were strangers, drifting in from another distant city, claiming to be entertainers, but far more capable at defending themselves online and off. The pair came together and bonded over their lost histories. Yasha, having had a section of hers stolen and sealed away, unsure what she was or did during that time. Molly, having no recollection at all before waking up in that shallow grave.

Molly's mods were as flashy as the man, able to produce holographic fancies from his fingertips on command, making for a handy show (and distraction) as needed. When he fell, on a mission to rescue their fellows, it nearly broke the team apart.

Yasha's mods were more straightforward; she relied largely on brute strength to overcome her foes, both in reality and in the web. Nobody cheered when her memories were finally unlocked, as they changed her, turned her on them. The team still hopes that, someday, they might bring her back from that dark place she found herself sucked into, but they know, that day may well be far off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Caduceus was something of an enigma. Where Beau was one of the most human of the group, Cad was very much the most inhuman. Not even he was entirely sure how much of himself was still organic, but he doubted it was even near 15%. He spent nearly all of his time plugged into the web in some capacity, resulting in a more distracted and absent-minded demeanor than the others were used to.

Nobody was quite sure what all his mods could do. One thing that they were (relatively??) sure about, was that he had a direct line to some powerful AI, one that he called the Wildmother. She seemed to have good intentions for those who followed her, but the party was still wary. They'd been burned before, with Uk'otoa.

Cad's hacking signature was... Well, actually, nobody was quite sure what his signature was. Every now and then, he'd take credit for some random hack, usually one that someone else also claimed shortly after, and always it turned out to have farther reaching implications than anyone else thought it might have.

#Critical Role #CritRole #Cyberpunk #Cyberpunk AU #Beauregard Lionnet #Fjord #Jester Lavorre #Mollymauk #Yasha #Caduceus Clay #Caleb Widogast #Nott The Brave #My Post #This was fun to come up with

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covid19worldnews · 4 years ago

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Guide to the 2020 Election

Election Updates

Today’s Polls

Paths to 270

When to Expect Results

Tracking Misinformation

How to Vote

It’s Monday, Nov. 2. The election is tomorrow.

Tensions are mounting as the race hurtles toward a close, with threats of violence and street demonstrations hanging over the final day of the campaign. Read live election updates.

What You Need to Know Today:

More than 96 million Americans have already voted, over two-thirds of 2016’s total.

Worries escalate as a historic campaign races to an uncertain close.

A federal court will weigh the fate of 120,000 Texas ballots that the G.O.P. is trying to throw out.

Joe Biden ›

Democrat

Donald Trump ›

Republican

Election Updates

Updated

Nov. 2, 2020, 2:41 p.m. ET

Biden campaign: ‘Under no scenario’ will Trump be declared a winner on election night.

Around the country, the National Guard prepares for Election Day deployments.

Today’s Polls

Updated

Nov. 2, 2020, 2:40 p.m. ET

The NYT needle will be back in 2020 (sort of).

What Trump needs to win:

Tracking Misinformation

Updated

Nov. 2, 2020, 11:19 a.m. ET

Battleground States See the Most Voting Misinformation

Instagram Tries Clamping Down on Misinformation

Paths to 270

The Battleground States Biden and Trump Need to Win 270

When to Expect Results

How Long Will Vote Counting Take? Estimates and Deadlines in All 50 States

How to Vote

Plan to Vote? Here’s What You’ll Want to Know

Keep up with Election 2020

Highlights

Photo

CreditStephanie Keith/Getty Images

Trump Backers Block Highways as Election Tensions Play Out in the Streets

Law enforcement authorities are increasingly worried, not just about what they have already seen, but also about what has been threatened, especially online.

By Rick Rojas, Jennifer Steinhauer and Emma G. Fitzsimmons

Photo

CreditAnna Moneymaker for The New York Times

Win or Lose, Trump and Biden’s Parties Will Plunge Into Uncertainty

No matter who wins, Democrats will be split between younger progressives and a moderate old guard. And a Republican Party redefined in President Trump’s image will start weighing where it goes next.

By Lisa Lerer

Photo

CreditRuth Fremson/The New York Times

‘It’s Just Crazy’ in Pennsylvania: Mail Voting and the Anxiety That Followed

A county northeast of Pittsburgh is a microcosm of the high tension, confusion and deep uncertainty that have accompanied the expansion of mail-in voting.

By Trip Gabriel

Photo

CreditChang W. Lee/The New York Times

Wisconsin Faces a Challenge: Getting Out the Vote When Most People Have Already Voted

Early voting has soared in Wisconsin, as have coronavirus cases, moving most campaigning online. But volunteers are working hard to reach the dwindling number of voters who have yet to cast ballots.

By Reid J. Epstein

Continue reading the main story

Voting in 2020

Photo

Credit

Plan to Vote? Here’s What You’ll Want to Know

Many rules have changed during the pandemic, so this interactive guide can help you ensure your vote is counted.

Photo

CreditLennard Kok

Confused About Voting? Here Are Some Easy Tips

This year’s election will be a little different from past ones, given the pandemic, but with planning and a few precautions, voting shouldn’t be any more difficult.

Photo

Credit

Will You Have Enough Time to Vote by Mail in Your State?

Yes, but in 35 states, deadlines to request a ballot are so close to Election Day that it’s risky to procrastinate.

Photo

Credit

Where Americans Can Vote by Mail in the 2020 Elections

More Americans will vote by mail this fall than ever before, as states expand mail voting laws in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Photo

Credit

Record-Setting Turnout: Tracking Early Voting in the 2020 Election

More than 90 million ballots have already been cast in the general election. More Democrats are voting early by mail than Republicans.

Polls

Photo

CreditEve Edelheit for The New York Times

In a Swing County in a Swing State, the Verdict Is In: It’s Going to Be Close

Pinellas County, Fla., has it all: Jeep clubs for Biden, Trump fans who think Fox News is too mainstream — and the potential to decide the race.

Photo

Credit

It’s Not Just Suburban Women. A Lot of Groups Have Turned Against Trump.

Independents are swinging toward Biden, a large survey shows.

Photo

Credit

A Stable Race’s Volatile Finish

The polls are pretty steady. Voters’ nerves are another matter. This is your morning tip sheet.

Photo

Credit

A Viewer’s Guide to Election Night

How to understand the results as they roll in on Tuesday.

Photo

CreditDave Sanders for The New York Times

What Trump Needs to Win: A Polling Error Much Bigger Than 2016’s

Several factors that led to the misfire last time are no longer in play.

Vote By Mail

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CreditGetty Images

Battleground States See the Most Voting Misinformation

Pennsylvania, Ohio and Texas topped the list of places seeing the most vote-by-mail distortions, according to new data.

Photo

CreditDave Sanders for The New York Times

1.1 Million New Yorkers Voted Early. Lines and Covid Didn’t Stop Them.

New York City residents were enthusiastic about their first chance to cast early ballots in a presidential election, but 88 polling sites weren’t enough.

Photo

CreditBridget Bennett for The New York Times

Americans Surge to Polls: ‘I’m Going to Vote Like My Life Depends on It’

Anxious but determined, Americans are pushing through challenges like the pandemic and long lines to cast their ballot. The country is on course to surpass 150 million votes for the first time.

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CreditDoug Mills/The New York Times

Who Will Win Florida? What Polls Say About an Eternal Mystery

Joe Biden has cut into President Trump’s edge among suburbanites and older voters, but his support from Latino voters appears weaker than Hillary Clinton’s was.

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How Three Election-Related Falsehoods Spread

The lies took off so rapidly on Facebook and Twitter that local election officials could not contain them.

Health Care

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CreditThe New York Times

How Trump and Biden Differ on Health Care

Let’s look at where the candidates stand on pre-existing conditions, Medicare, Medicaid and more.

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CreditPhyllis B. Dooney for The New York Times

A Chance to Expand Medicaid Rallies Democrats in Crucial North Carolina

The legislature in this battleground state could flip to Democratic control, a prospect that is bringing out lower-income voters who stayed home in 2016.

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CreditMichelle Gustafson for The New York Times

5 Policy Issues Where Trump and Biden Diverged at Final Debate

The debate on Thursday night had long stretches of illuminating policy discussion on climate change, health care, the coronavirus, immigration and criminal and racial justice.

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CreditAmr Alfiky/The New York Times

Trump and Biden Differ on Health Care Plans

President Trump and Joe Biden took different tacks on a health care plan to deal with pre-existing conditions.

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CreditRuth Fremson/The New York Times

Biden Says He’ll ‘Take Care of Your Health Coverage’

Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic presidential nominee, campaigned in Southfield, Mich., Friday, and spoke of his personal experience with the health care system when his son Beau Biden was ill. He vowed to take care of Americans’ health coverage the same way he would his own family.

Economy

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The Quiet Architect of Biden’s Plan to Rescue the Economy

Ben Harris is not a household name, even in economics. But he helped develop a package of tax and spending increases that has not spooked Wall Street.

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CreditHector Retamal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

U.S. Says Virus Can’t Be Controlled. China Aims to Prove It Wrong.

China’s approach to keep Covid-19 at bay has helped restore confidence and allowed businesses to reopen. But it is a strategy steeped in authoritarianism.

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CreditErin Schaff/The New York Times

In Building Economic Team, Biden Faces Tug From Left and Center

The Democratic nominee is seeking to balance experience and diversity in preparing a team for a potential administration if he wins in November.

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CreditErin Schaff/The New York Times

Trump and Biden Converge in Florida, an Elusive Prize Still Up for Grabs

The presidential rivals both appeared in Tampa, confronting their vulnerabilities and courting a range of voters, a clear sign that both see their political fortunes tied to the state.

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CreditErin Schaff/The New York Times

Here Are the Policy Advisers Who Have Joe Biden’s Ear

Mr. Biden has sought advice across the Democratic Party’s ideological spectrum, but his core advisers on the coronavirus, economics, foreign policy and climate change are familiar figures.

Campaign Contributions

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CreditDoug Mills/The New York Times

Trump Camp Uses Online Gimmick to Fuel Donations Into December

The Trump campaign is now automatically checking a box to create recurring weekly donations from supporters until mid-December.

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CreditErin Schaff/The New York Times

The 2020 Campaign Is the Most Expensive Ever (By a Lot)

The total cost of the races for the White House, the Senate and the House is expected to hit nearly $14 billion.

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CreditSean Rayford for The New York Times

Black Senate Candidates in the South Tell Democrats to ‘Meet the Moment’

Several Black Democrats are running competitively in conservative states, and they are doing so by talking explicitly about race.

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Credit

The Two Americas Financing the Trump and Biden Campaigns

For the first time, data reveals not only when Joe Biden overtook President Trump in the money race, but also what parts of the country powered his surge.

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CreditAnna Moneymaker for The New York Times

Trump’s Cash Crunch Limits His Options and Prompts Finger-Pointing

With far less money than anticipated, campaign officials are scrambling to address a severe financial disadvantage against Joseph R. Biden Jr., producing something of an internal blame game.

Continue reading the main story

Latest

Needle Update: What to Expect on Election Night

We’ll have live estimates for Florida, Georgia and North Carolina.

By Nate Cohn, Josh Katz, Matthew Conlen, Andrew Fischer, Alice Park, Ben Smithgall, Charlie Smart and Miles Watkins

Macy’s, Saks and Small Stores Brace for Potential N.Y.C. Unrest

On the eve of Election Day, stores in Manhattan shopping districts boarded up, reflecting an anxiety among retailers across the nation.

By Michael Gold and Ali Watkins

TimesVideo

N.Y.C. Businesses Are Boarded Up Ahead of Election Day

Buildings across New York City have been boarded up as businesses brace for Election Day results that could bring unrest in the city.

By Reuters

Election Cake, a Forgotten Recipe, Rises Online

Searches for this cake, which dates to colonial times, are gaining steam ahead of Election Day.

By Becky Hughes

Trump vs. Biden on Policing, Crime and Guns

Some of the candidates’ sharpest policy disagreements have been on these issues. Here’s where they stand.

By Maggie Astor

Election Night Parties? How About Not?

With in-person gatherings verboten, results likely delayed and anxiety high, some Americans are saying “wake me when it’s over.”

By Alyson Krueger

The Checkup

In a Stressful Time, Knitting for Calm and Connection

The yarn in my fingers connected me to the past, beyond this strange and terrible year, and to the family members far away.

By Perri Klass, M.D.

DealBook Newsletter

As California Goes, So Goes the Nation’s Business?

Some of the state’s ballot propositions could have profound implications for companies.

By Andrew Ross Sorkin, Jason Karaian, Michael J. de la Merced, Lauren Hirsch and Ephrat Livni

The 2020 Vote Preferences of 102 Common First Names

We found some unexpected trends when we sorted our polling data by first name.

By The New York Times

Peak Anxiety? Here Are 10 Ways to Calm Down

If the one-two punch of pandemic stress and election stress feels like more than you can handle, try these tips to help you cope.

By Tara Parker-Pope

Continue reading the main story

http://www.covid19snews.com/2020/11/02/guide-to-the-2020-election/

#covid19

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funface2 · 5 years ago

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Tony Romo’s wild week, Phil Mickelson’s funny chat with Larry David, and my meeting with Tiger Woods(!) – Golf Digest

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we may never wash our right hand again. Yep, that’s right, it happened. After more than a decade of lurking around Tiger Woods, I finally got an official introduction to the GOAT. And a couple co-workers were able to document this historic occasion:

No, I won’t reveal what we were talking about. That’s private. I also can’t remember because it was such a blur. But basically, it was just two dudes yucking it up over golf. No big deal. Kidding. It was a BIG deal. And Tiger, I was also kidding about not washing my hand since our encounter. Totally kidding … I swear … so let’s do it again sometime. In the meantime, here’s what else is going on in the world of golf.

WE’RE BUYING

Cameron Champ: I wasn’t expecting the end of the Safeway Open to get me to cry, but there I was tearing up watching a young golfer hug his father in celebration while on the phone with his dying grandfather, PaPa Champ, who got him into the game. What a moving scene. As someone whose own grandfather did the same (RIP Poppa Myers), it hit me about as hard as Champ hits a golf ball.

Daniel Shirey

Speaking of which, Champ became just the eighth golfer in the past 20 years to win a PGA Tour event while leading the field in driving distance and scrambling. And he showed off both those aspects of his game on the 72nd hole with a 369-yard drive down the middle and a beautiful chip to set up his winning birdie.

https://twitter.com/PGATOUR/status/1178478887271096321

That was a special moment, and Champ is a special player. And with the Sanderson Farms rooster to go along with the Safeway Open wine barrel, he’s got quite a special trophy collection already.

Tony Romo: I’ll admit, I thought the Tony Romo PGA Tour experience had worn out its welcome a bit with him accepting his fourth sponsor’s exemption into an event where he had no local ties. But Romo had the sports world talking (Hence, why tournaments keep inviting him) following an opening 70 that put him in great shape to make the cut. Romo beat his first-round playing partners—PGA Tour members Beau Hossler and Michael Gellerman—by a combined 10(!) shots on Thursday. How ‘bout that Cowboy!

Jonathan Ferrey

Of course, his Friday performance, a four-over 76, wasn’t quite as spectacular, but Romo did beat a dozen tour pros even while missing the cut. He returned to his day job for CBS on Sunday, and after watching parts of that Bears-Vikings game he and Jim Nantz were forced to sit through, I can see why the former QB wanted to get out of work so badly.

Rory’s bunker lessons: A couple weeks ago, Rory McIlroy gave Justin Timberlake a bunker lesson. Now Timberlake is doing things like this:

https://twitter.com/EuropeanTour/status/1177222413760835584

Sign me up for a lesson, Rors.

WE’RE SELLING

Rory’s “course setup” complaints: I love Rory McIlroy. I love that he speaks his mind. I just think in this case, he’s not properly representing the whole story. McIlroy roasted the European Tour for its easy setups, but the timing was bad considering he had just finished the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which is a pro-am. A pro-am in which Rory played with his dad, Gerry, who shot a gross 69 (three under) at Kingsbarns!

Ross Kinnaird

Can you imagine being so good at golf that you complain about a course being too easy? Must be nice, am I right? Also kudos to Gerry for carrying his son to a T-1 finish in the team competition. Sadly, the McIlroys lost on a tiebreaker to Tommy Fleetwood and his partner because Fleetwood shot a lower score (64) on Sunday than Rory (67). Way to let your dad down, Rory. Kidding. Sort of.

“Spitgate”: Romo’s score had sports fans abuzz on Thursday, but a shot he hit on Friday wound up setting Golf Twitter aflame. The QB accidentally hit into triple coverage (the threesome in front) on a par 5 with a 3-wood from 278(!) yards to five feet. Then this happened:

https://twitter.com/jasondean2000/status/1177755076028321792

Here’s how PGA Tour rookie Kristoffer Ventura explained it:

https://twitter.com/krisventura95/status/1177799074566696962

We’ll take your word for it, Kris. A (OSU) Cowboy wouldn’t do that to another Cowboy.

“Flipgate”: Former PGA Tour pro and current Korean Tour money leader Bio Kim was suspended for three YEARS for flipping off a fan whose cellphone made noise during a tournament he eventually won:

https://twitter.com/ryanlavnergc/status/1179044209648705537?s=12

Allow me to echo Ryan’s sentiments. A THREE-YEAR ban for this?! Wow. That is harsh. And how about that photo of Kim kneeling before the Korean media begging for forgiveness? Geez, it’s not like he killed the fan with the cell phone. Anyway, let’s just say it’s a good thing Sergio Garcia doesn’t play on the Korean Tour …

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to Las Vegas for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, AKA that tournament Smylie Kaufman won. Man, I can’t believe four years have passed since that. Keep grinding, Smylie. Hopefully, you’ll be back on tour full time next year.

Random tournament fact: Patrick Cantlay has won and finished runner-up the past two years in Vegas. That’s a lot of money to play with at the blackjack tables.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

—Someone will spit on Brooks Koepka’s golf ball this week: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds

—Phil Mickelson will win the Shriners Open: 100-to-1 odds (Actual odds. Wow.)

—Vegas casinos will get a boost this week: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Jonathan Ferrey

Again, what a scene. All the best to the Champs during this bittersweet time.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK

This compilation of PGA Tour stars hitting tee shots over the corner of the Old Course Hotel on the famed Road Hole is mesmerizing:

https://twitter.com/GolfDigest/status/1178304741648080896

Juuuuust a bit different from this video that made the rounds a couple weeks ago:

https://twitter.com/lads_golf/status/1171368583819157504?s=21

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“No matter if I win one more tournament, 10 more tournaments, whatever it may be, this will be the greatest moment in my golfing career for sure.” —Cameron Champ

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITY GOLFERS (NOT NAMED TONY ROMO)

Michael Strahan participated in Tiger Woods’ newest charity golf event, the Nexus Cup, and challenged the host to a putting contest on Liberty National’s 18th green. Not only did Woods roll a 20-footer in on his first attempt, but he celebrated like he had just won the Masters. Check it out (40-second mark):

https://twitter.com/GMA/status/1177569369930420224

That and Strahan arguing with Lawrence Taylor over QB sack supremacy were the highlights of the event. Well, other than meeting Tiger. Did I mention I met Tiger?

THIS WEEK IN PHIL BEING PHIL

Mickelson struggled at the Safeway Open, missing the cut in his first event of the 2019-’20 season, but he really stepped up his game when it came to his latest “Phireside With Phil” video.

https://twitter.com/PhilMickelson/status/1176523612532236289

Larry David?! After playing golf (Would that be called a “Round and chat”?) with the comedic legend? Pretty, pretty, pretty good. Yeah, yeah, everyone else already made the same joke, but I don’t care. The part when they talk about Phil’s Hall of Fame jacket was particularly good. Netflix, pick up this show already!

THIS WEEK IN EDDIE PEPPERELL BEING EDDIE PEPPERELL

https://twitter.com/GolfDigest/status/1177670054877507584

He should legally change his name to Eddie PeppereLOL.

THIS AND THAT

M.J. Hur won the LPGA’s Indy Women in Tech Championship by four shots at Brickyard Crossing Golf Club. You could say she “raced away with the title.” Get it? Sorry. … Congrats to Victor Perez on winning his first European Tour title at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Perez shot a final-round 70 and still finished (Look away, Rory!) 22 under par. … Five golfers, according to a Reuters report, had their drivers fail tests ahead of the Safeway Open now that the PGA Tour has really started to crack down. Kinda makes you wonder how many hot clubs have been in players’ bags in recent years. … China’s Yuxin Lin won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, earning an invitation to next year’s Masters. It will be the second trip to Augusta National for the 18-year-old. Impressive. … And finally, Costco had to refund its latest batch of golf balls because they were cutting too easily. Bad job making the balls, but good job reacting by my favorite store. And if they are looking to hire someone for quality control their golf balls, I have just the person:

My daughter needs to start earning her keep at some point.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Did anyone test Tony Romo’s 3-wood?

Is Costco ever going to bring back chocolate froyo?

Should I go for the bro-hug with Tiger next time?

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Bài viết Tony Romo’s wild week, Phil Mickelson’s funny chat with Larry David, and my meeting with Tiger Woods(!) – Golf Digest đã xuất hiện đầu tiên vào ngày Funface.

from Funface https://funface.net/funny-news/tony-romos-wild-week-phil-mickelsons-funny-chat-with-larry-david-and-my-meeting-with-tiger-woods-golf-digest/

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thanatophania · 8 years ago

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Sera, Cass, Lottie? :3c

WOW this got very long.

Full name: Seraphina Lucia Rosenvinge

Gender/orientation: Female, bi. All hail the heartbreaker, she’s been through her share of beaus and likes to change things up.

Pronouns:She/herEthnicity/species: Lalaland European; her family background is primarily Norwegian and they’re a small, pureblooded family of swan witches.Birthplace/birthdate: January 21, somewhere in Svalbard.Guilty pleasures: Going on extravagant shopping sprees. Back when she used to flirt a lot more and be a lot more casual with her affections, it was nice to have people buy gifts for her. She certainly knew how to get things she wanted, one way or the other. Sometimes she gets guilty enough to return the stuff she buys, but most of the time she doesn’t. Hey, it’s not like she just leaves them to gather dust; unlike some people, she actually uses them! It’s not a hoarding problem, what are you talking about.Phobias: A bit of a Rich Person First World Problem in some aspects, but she’s afraid of having … nothing. No assets, no ties/bonds to people, being completely cut off and isolated. That’s kinda why she did that to other people before they could do it to her. :’)What they would be famous for: If she had her way and wasn’t stopped by the likes of Ali or Cass, she might’ve gotten famous for having a lot of spouses that died mysteriously. :| Maybe gained a reputation as a black widow or some shit. Not very flattering …What they would get arrested for: Casual property destruction. Assault and battery. She’s got a rather short fuse and some pretty bloodthirsty tendencies if provoked. She tends to get pretty angry on behalf of other people, and her first solution to their problems is usually to beat the problem until it repents.Ship them with: Sho. It’s somewhat complicated, because it seems she might have to gear up to fight Cass for the rights to Sho’s hand in … er, not marriage, but. Certainly something. Neither of them are particularly pleased about sharing. She saw him first, damn it! That said, she still likes to flirt, and totally used to flirt with Alistair’s illegitimate half-sister. Mostly to piss him off. Which is succeeding, to absolutely nobody’s surprise.Most likely to murder them: The Bureau, anyone who hates Alistair enough to want to kill him – and it’s her job to get in their way, alas. Closer to home, Mei has threatened to kill her if she breaks Sho’s heart. Sera thinks it’s kinda cute, that her boyfriend’s old childhood girl/friend is protective enough over him to threaten grievous bodily harm to whoever messes with his feelings, even if she was the one that broke things off first. It’s cute. Mei’s also cute.Favourite movie/book genre: Romances and chick lit/flicks. Whether it’s ironic or not, nobody knows. She seems especially fond of trashy romance paperbacks, a la Chuck Tingle or Danielle Steel. And hey, Bridget Jones’ Diary and The Notebook are all hilarious, don’t judge.Least favourite movie/book genre: Action. She can get pretty critical about things like historical and biological accuracy, and commentates all through it. Do not bring her for action movies or superhero flicks. Just don’t.Talents/powers: Ruthless Monopoly king. She’s not here to make friends, she’s here to win. She’s also got a pretty good singing voice, and gets pretty competitive during karaoke nights, sometimes breaking out the operatic contralto if she’s had enough to drink. That aside, Sera’s also pretty handy with polearms and thunder magic, and has a better handle on casting offensively than her brother.Why someone might love them: Protective as all hell to whoever she likes enough. Never mind the fact that they might be able to do it themselves. Even if she gives Ali a lot of shit and doesn’t seem to respect him, she can and will kill for him. It goes without question she’ll do the same for Sho. Ride or die, my man. She’s all about that life.How they change: Uh, well, she genuinely cares for Sho and he’s the biggest catalyst to her settling down and being? A better person? Maybe? She also eventually becomes more honest with herself and with other people.Why you love them: She’s a vicious blood knight (and sometimes gold digger) dressed up as a fragile blushing rose maiden. What’s not to love. She’s awful and I love her.

Full name: Cassius Isak RosenvingeGender/orientation: Male, bi. If his previous interests are any indication, his preferences lean towards men.Pronouns: He/himEthnicity/species: Lalaland European; he comes from a family of Norwegian swan witches.Birthplace/birthdate: January 21, somewhere in Svalbard.Guilty pleasures: Cass is the type of person who feels obligated to be doing something 24/7, so just. Unwinding and Not Doing Anything is something he considers to be a guilty pleasure. Napping, sitting in the park watching people pass by, going to the local pool/lake/miscellaneous water body and just floating aimlessly watching the clouds drift past … yeah, that’s the life.Phobias: It’s not all that uncommon a fear, but Cass hates the Naraka more than anything else because he’s had some experience with getting too close to it. He doesn’t like the cold, or still waters – together, they remind him far too much of the Sea of Samsara. One of his worst nightmares usually entails drowning, the open sea, deep waters, burial at sea, and shipwrecks.What they would be famous for: Very few people use blood magic, especially in conjunction with healing, and Cass is one of them. He may or may not have gotten a few lessons in between from a certain blood mage snake witch, long before her fall from grace. Take that how you will. :^)What they would get arrested for: Robbery. Mostly by virtue of wandering off without realising he hasn’t paid for something, only to set off the alarms as he leaves. Or can you also get arrested for being too smug, and being snide to whoever arrests you? Cass would probably always be held in contempt of the court, no matter what the original charges.Ship them with: … Sho. Remember when I said it’s complicated. His first love was Alistair but it was rather one-sided and never really got anywhere, and Cass knows he’d be lying if he said he didn’t still kinda hold a torch for everyone’s favourite resident jerk stag. And … re: Sho, he was supposed to be playing wingman (ha) or something for Sera but look what happened. Oh no. Oh no, he’s cute. Most likely to murder them: Anybody who has beef against Alistair, naturally. The Bureau – and the most likely candidate may well be Ren. Hell, let’s not even go that far and think about the Bureau – he’d let Alistair murder him. Wait, come back, he didn’t say that out loud, did he.Favourite movie/book genre:… he likes documentaries and educational videos. They’re good to have as background noise while he’s doing something else, though he always changes the channel if it’s one of those deep-sea specials. He’s also got a National Geographic subscription, and likes the photography spreads.Least favourite movie/book genre: Crime and horror. He’s seen enough shit to last a lifetime, thanks, and his normal life has quite a few dead person horrormonsters in it; he’s not a fan of his entertainment having them too. Nor does he want to be reminded of the depths of depravity the human condition is capable of sinking to.Talents/powers: He’s a good artist, particularly with inks and watercolours! One of his favourite hobbies as a kid used to be sitting at the lake on his family’s estate, painting the scenery. Good eye for detail and figure/gestures, and a pretty dab hand at landscapes. Also an accomplished blood mage/cleric, though that doesn’t come into play quite as much.Why someone might love them: All things considered, he’s pretty honest and to the point, and can be rather direct – he’s just not very good at being subtle. Also has a pretty wry sense of humour, even if it takes a while to show through.How they change: He gets a haircut. HAHAHA. Okay, I’m joking. Gets over his reservations re: demons and demony bullshit, stops being so gung-ho about the blood magic business, stuff like that.

Why you love them: I’m a fan of characters who look serious and foreboding and are actually pretty chill. I am also a fan of those that look deadly serious but have a weird streak. Hypercompetent in some areas, utter dorks in others. :’)Full name: Tilottama KulkarniGender/orientation: Female, bi.Pronouns: She/herEthnicity/species: Lalaland Indian, from a family of snake witches.Birthplace/birthdate: March 6, in Maharashtra. Guilty pleasures: It’s a well-established fact that she likes people-watching, and sometimes making up stories about their lives when she’s bored or surveilling/staking out a mark. It goes without saying that the wilder and more sordid, the more fun. She’s not against sharing said stories, either, especially if the listening party is also involved in said story. The more horrified their reactions, the more fun!Phobias: Going insane and demoning out. Her family has quite the history of demoning out – almost a 100% rate, which is high even for witches. She tries to rein in the Sway from the Spine and mostly succeeds, but fears it getting to her; it’s a big part of why she ignored Eri’s offers of joining her grand demony agendas. She doesn’t need help in that, thanks.What they would be famous for: Setting a new world record for lowest limbo? Don’t look at her like that, it’s a perfectly valid claim to fame. Maybe in another life, she’d have become famous as a traditional dancer (and she used to try teaching Sav a bit too, but their styles are very different), but this is not that life, alas.What they would get arrested for: Cheerful obstruction of justice. She can be frustratingly obfuscating when she wants to be and knows it. I guess technically everyone here would get arrested for murder at some point or another, because, y’know. That’s just the way things are in Quell’s Wonderful Lalaland.Ship them with: Kinda had a casual thing with Millie when they were trainees, though she currently prefers making up her wild and sordid stories to actually being involved in them. At some point, everyone expected her and HP to be a thing since they were childhood friends but they never really got into that; both of them mutually agreed they weren’t each other’s type, and left it at that – though she did admit taming HP would’ve been a fun challenge, had he not eventually tamed himself. Haha.Most likely to murder them: Again, the Bureau is the most likely candidate – and for extra irony or whatever, it could well be Eri. For Science. You know, kill a witch whose family is known for demoning out, demon out yourself, eat the other. She’s also informed the likes of Ming, Lin and Yong to put her down in a worst case scenario, because she trusts in their abilities to put aside personal feelings and end things.Favourite movie/book genre: Historical fantasy dramas, and over-the-top theatrics with terrible effects. Sometimes they intersect and that’s TWICE THE FUN. Sure, serious historical dramas are great and all, don’t get her wrong (and she can get pretty emotional in them HAHA she’s the type of person to connect to the characters and resonate with the storyline or whatever) but she has a huge soft spot for the ones that take their unironic corniness up to eleven.Least favourite movie/book genre: Anything that should, by premise, be ridiculous as fuck, but takes itself too seriously. C’mon, man, where’s the fun in that? There’s way too much media that takes itself too seriously. You gotta be able to laugha t yourself and relish and revel in your cheesiness sometimes.Talents/powers: Can chug a litre of liquid in under twenty seconds. It made for a neat party trick and still kinda does! Just, y’know. Not that often. And uhh I guess even as an archer and a generally ranged caster she’s very good with melee and hand-to-hand and her favourite approach to solving closer-ranged problems is to punch it right in the face. Even amongst water-root witches she’s a very fast and fluid caster, and can use minimal movement and gesture to great effect.Why someone might love them: She’s chill, she’s fun, she’s a good listener. A good budget therapist, in a pinch! She’s pretty perceptive and good at picking up on subtle cues or subconscious hints even if the other person may not even know about them. Guess there’s a good reason she’s trusted with a lot of negotiation stuff and/or recon.How they change: She’ll eventually accept that demoning out isn’t really in her power and she probably won’t get a lot of say in it, and to stop being so paranoid about it happening. It’s okay, carpe diem and all that, and she learns to embrace that fully, and practise what she preaches.

Why you love them: I like characters that stay idealistic and true to themselves despite the world being crapsack. She’s not quite on the level of Yuna or Nagi, but she’s also not as jaded as some her age are.

#meme #txt #orig #sera #cass #lottie #THIS GOT REALLY LONG-WINDED LMAO.

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golfnomad · 7 years ago

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Going Back to (Northern) Cali, Part 2: Triple Contrast

Friday of my recent Northern California trip was very interesting because it took me from the coastal region of the North Bay Area all the way out near Sacramento. I played three courses, and each one couldn’t be more different than the last.

The day started with a visit to an old favorite...

The Links at Bodega Harbour • Bodega Bay, CA • 7/21/17

Though I am always trying to play new courses on these trips, I don’t mind revisiting some courses that are near and dear to my heart. Bodega Harbour is one of those courses. I only played here once, probably over 10 years ago. It was long before I had played so many courses (or had this blog), so it was a special treat back then to experience such a quaint and relaxed seaside golf course.

Therefore, I was eager to play it again to see how it would measure up with everything else I’ve played since then. Well, if my first experience at Bodega Harbour was great, then this one was absolutely incredible! I enjoyed it even more than before.

Part of that has to do with the weather. The first time I played here (also on a summer morning), it was cold and the course was entirely socked in by fog. I couldn’t see too far on any given hole and most ocean/bay views were quite obscured. I could still smell the salt in the air and sense the ocean nearby. There is a foghorn that is going off constantly and you can usually hear the sea lions at play on the rocks just offshore. The fog kind of added to the charm of the experience, though I wasn’t able to get many good pictures then.

This time was a complete 180 in terms of weather. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. There was some wind, which certainly added some extra challenge. It was still pretty chilly, but I warmed up quicker with the blue skies above.

I knew there were a lot of ocean views from the course, even if I couldn’t quite see much last time. However, I didn’t realize that there is literally a great ocean and/or bay view on every single hole at Bodega Harbour. Granted, it is basically the same vista throughout as the course is built on a hillside facing northwest. Still, it is pretty gorgeous and the scenery never lets up at any point in the round.

This time, I was also able to see more of the contours of the actual course. This is quite a layout crafted by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., and the two nines have somewhat different vibes. The front nine is very dramatic with a lot of mounding and moguls throughout the fairways/rough and around the greens. There is not a flat lie to be found anywhere and it’s quite demanding.

Most of the back nine feels a bit more open and dare I say “plain” in comparison to the front. It has a similar layout in general, but there aren’t many of the crazy mounds and moguls in play.

Both nines start with an uphill stretch. The front nine is especially brutal from holes 1-4 as you work your way up steeply to the top of the hillside. Then, the 5th hole is an absolute roller coaster of a wacky par-5 as you come back down the hill. It’s kind of a triple-dogleg with some severe angles. Frankly, it’s the one hole most people don’t like here, but it sure makes you think and work for a good score.

My favorite hole on the course is the par-3 6th, which has a nice elevated tee view and a difficult green complex. It is protected by hills and bunkers. The green itself isn’t that deep and has a big shelf in the middle, so it demands an accurate tee shot to get on the right level.

Though the first half of the back nine is less interesting than the front nine, it makes up for it with a very distinctive finishing stretch of holes starting with the 16th. Holes 16 and 17 are down in wetlands area just a few hundred feet from the ocean’s edge. If you are riding in a cart, you are forced to disembark your vehicle and walk these two holes (primarily for environmental protection reasons, I believe). After you hit your tee shot on the short par-4 16th, you leave your cart and then walk across a neat wooden foot bridge. You go through tall reeds and it’s kind of a different world down there. It’s really cool, especially on a windy day where everything is swaying around you. They do have some pull carts set out there if you don’t want to carry your bag for the two holes.

The 16th is a short and fun risk/reward par-4. It is followed by the par-3 17th that has you hitting back over the wetlands hazard toward a slightly elevated green. We had about a two-club wind blowing in our faces when we reached that hole, so it definitely made things tough. You pick up your cart after you finish this hole.

Lastly, the 18th is an interesting finisher with an uphill, semi-blind tee shot (stay left!!!) and then a demanding downhill approach as it doglegs right back down into the wetlands area. It’s a unique hole and caps off a very distinctive finishing stretch. These last three holes are definitely a departure from the rest of the course at Bodega Harbour, but they are a wonderful part of the overall experience.

We were first off as a threesome with nobody pushing from behind, so we enjoyed a relaxed pace and had time to take many pictures.

The conditions were very good tee to green. The tee boxes were nice. The fairways were excellent. I really like the turf here that provides some rollout, but fluffy lies to hit from. The rough was mostly good other than some bare or gopher mound areas scattered throughout. The primary rough wasn't too much trouble, but there was plenty of the deep, deep stuff around the outer edges. Some areas were recently trimmed, so you might be able to find your ball and play it. In other areas, good luck! The greens were pretty good, with maybe some slight inconsistencies and bumps here and there. They were rolling at medium/quick speeds (natural downhill/uphill slopes are such a huge factor here). I wasn't in any bunkers, but most looked nicely maintained.

Bodega Harbour is one of California’s true hidden gems. It doesn’t get the attention it deserves because of its somewhat obscure location. Some people may only know Bodega Bay as the place where Alfred Hitchcock filmed “The Birds”—or they don’t know of it at all. It is a cool area with an awesome golf course that is typically more affordable than most any other seaside/ocean view course in California. It is absolutely a must-play if you are ever north of San Francisco.

Some pictures from The Links at Bodega Harbour (7/21/17):

I went from one of the North Bay’s must-play courses to another on Friday, while continuing the contrast theme for the day...

Northwood Golf Club • Monte Rio, CA • 7/21/17

Speaking of hidden gems, Northwood definitely qualifies in that category (especially the “hidden” part). It is well off the beaten path, but worth every effort to get there. It’s actually not that far from Bodega, so it made for a good combo to play.

Northwood is built in the middle of a large redwood grove along the Russian River. One thing that helps it get overlooked is the fact that it is only a 9-hole course. It is regulation length, however, and it has some other special qualities. Oh I don’t know, maybe the fact that is was designed by none other than Alister Mackenzie!

As a self-proclaimed “Golf Nomad” with personal ties to Northern California, and as an avid supporter of obscure short courses, I almost felt embarrassed that I hadn’t played Northwood until now. It has been eating at me for years, but there just has never been a convenient time to get out there. It’s really not on the way to my hometown of Crescent City on the far north coast, so it never fit into any previous road trips.

Since I grew up in Crescent City, where redwoods reign supreme (my backyard growing up was a redwood grove), I wondered if part of the hype of Northwood was the uniqueness of playing amidst the towering trees. I’ve played golf in and around big redwoods before (Beau Pre, Eureka, Brooktrails, Del Norte, Benbow, Baywood), so how much different could Northwood be?

I have to admit this course is better integrated into the redwoods than any other listed above. Brooktrails is actually more immersed in the trees, but it is a far inferior layout. Northwood gets the attention it deserves because it is a good layout in a spectacular setting.

The golf course was originally built to be an extension of the Bohemian Grove club. The original plan was for a full 18-hole course, with nine more holes situated on the other side of the river. However, the Russian River is known as one of the most temperamental in the state. It tends to overflow in the winter and cause problems for the local residents (and the golf course). Building on the other side of the river proved not to be that feasible, so Mackenzie only crafted the nine hole layout you find today.

Now, if I didn’t come into my round knowing the course had such a design pedigree, I wouldn’t have guessed it. There are a few interesting elements. Primarily the greens, which are small. Some of them are also very tricky with slopes and undulations.

I’m not knocking the layout because it’s a solid course. It reminded me more of Mackenzie’s Sharp Park approach with a simpler “working man’s” design. He let the natural setting and scenery do the heavy lifting and didn’t go overboard with the course features. In other words, don’t come here expecting to find a 9-hole version of Pasatiempo or Cypress Point in the middle of the redwoods.

At one point, the 9th hole at Northwood was regarded as one of the toughest par-5s in the state. It is a double-dogleg through the trees and requires several good shots to score well.

Otherwise, there are plenty of good scoring opportunities at Northwood if you keep the ball in play. The key is to not hit trees. Obviously, that is easier said than done. There are a few narrow gaps and some sharp doglegs.

The conditions were good. It was nice and green here, which looked great under the bright blue skies. The tee boxes were fine. The fairways had some weak spots here and there (lots of soft areas and some bare spots), but were mostly pretty good. The rough was more of a mixed bag, but decent enough around greens and in areas that mattered. I wasn't in any bunkers, but they appeared pretty nice (there aren't really too many here). The greens were in good shape, firmer than you might expect and rolling well at medium/fast speeds.

Pace of play was the only negative for me, as it took 2.5 hours to complete the round. I got out right away, but there was a lot of waiting on every shot. The picture-perfect weather brought everyone out in droves and this is just a popular course. It attracts tourists in town who are primarily there for the local arts scene. It attracts traveling golfers like me who want to see what all the hype is about. It attracts locals, who play here just about every day. My price was $35 with a cart, though this would normally be a great course to walk.

I would consider Northwood another must-play and a definite hidden gem in Northern California. Even if you can’t take a 9-hole course seriously, you won’t be disappointed in the setting and you can say you played a Mackenzie course that not everyone knows about.

Some pictures from Northwood Golf Club (7/21/17):

I had hopes of playing Bennett Valley GC in Santa Rosa before heading east, but they had a tournament going on. Instead, I decided to try and beat the worst part of the North Bay Area traffic. It was still a long drive with plenty of traffic, but I made it into Woodland with plenty of daylight to spare, so I tried to squeeze in one more...

Wild Wings Golf Club • Woodland, CA • 7/21/17

This was a geographically convenient option, plus I had heard some decent things about this place. Like Northwood, it is a 9-hole regulation layout. However, it is unlike Northwood in just about any other way.

It’s a solid layout, but the open farmland of this area was a stark contrast to the ocean views of Bodega and the majestic redwoods of Northwood. On this day, Wild Wings did not stand much of a chance to win me over.

I arrived a little after 6:00 and the place was pretty deserted. It was just under 100 degrees at the time and quite stuffy out as there is not much shade out here. I paid my $15 green fee and was hoping to rent a cart for expediency, but the kid in the pro shop told me they weren’t letting them out that late in the day. I told him I would be done super fast, but he was a young teenager. He clearly just wanted to avoid any extra work and close up the shop as soon as possible.

So, I had to walk in the heat at the end of a long day. I survived, but it sure sucked. The sad thing is that when I was teeing up on the 9th hole, I saw that pro shop kid just leaving the parking lot. I also noticed a different guy working the cart barn and still cleaning up carts for the night. I would have been done even quicker with a cart and wouldn’t have hindered their lazy plans in the least. Oh well, it is what it is.

Wild Wings plays to a standard par of 36 and has pretty average distances for holes. From the blue tees, it would total over 6,300 yard for an 18-hole round. Some 9-hole courses will have different tee boxes set up for front and back nine play. That is not the case at Wild Wings. However, they do the more unusual thing of having two holes/flags on every green. I’ve only seen this a couple times and I’m not really a fan. The saving grace here is that the greens are quite large and the two holes don’t ever really infringe upon one another.

Otherwise, Wild Wings features a solid layout. It’s pretty straightforward with a few hazards in play. The routing is kind of spread out after the first few holes. You go back into the residential community and there are some long drives (I mean walks) in between several of the holes. It’s a good, average course design that feels like many other courses scattered throughout the Sacramento area and down in the Central Valley.

Conditions were also pretty decent. The tee boxes were fine. The fairways had good coverage. Plenty of roll-out and mostly good lies to hit from. The rough was a little spottier, but mostly fine. I wasn't in any bunkers. The greens were receptive and rolling at medium speeds. A bit bumpy late in the day showing footprints and lots of ball marks.

For what it is, Wild Wings serves its purpose just fine. The service left a little something to be desired at that time of day, but it was another one in the books for me and that’s what matters most!

Some pictures from Wild Wings Golf Club (7/21/17):

#The Links at Bodega Harbour #Northwood Golf Club #North Bay Area Golf #Bodega Bay #Monte Rio #Woodland #Sacramento Golf #Wild Wings Golf Club

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amtushinfosolutionspage · 8 years ago

Text

A Site Update

OK I feel like today is a good day to update you, the reader, on some things going on around here.

It’s been a slow week. Maybe the slowest local sports week I’ve seen– and that’s saying something after five years of dreck. The lack of content this week is not from a lack of trying. There really wasn’t much worth discussing. Things usually pick back up… and in a big way.

Podcast

I am genuinely blown away by the positive podcast feedback. That’s not just marketing spin or whatever– almost every Tweet, email or personal comment I get has been overwhelmingly positive. People think I’m BS-ing when I say that comments on the site are not indicative of general sentiment. I could post Tolstoy and someone would comment that it sucked balls. So the feedback we’ve gotten outside of the comments section – even from people who usually shit on me about something else on Twitter – has been really positive. We’re trying to give you an almost-daily alternative to sports talk radio with smart and different sports conversations. The biggest request or complaint we get is that it’s not daily. For real. I take that as a good sign. It is our loose plan to go daily in the fall. Right now, we’re still getting into a groove and don’t want to water down the content or stretch ourselves too thin.

We’re not perfect. We’re still figuring out the best way to improve quality. Today we started using a third-party recording platform, rather than Skype, which should give us much better source quality. I’m getting better at editing and intern Bill is helping us get clips on social media. But I’d put the quality and content of our discussions up against most anything on sports talk radio.

Surveys

I get a lot of questions and comments about the surveys that appear on the site. Here’s the deal.

Four years ago, I started using Google Consumer Surveys. These were short, anonymous surveys, from market researchers, that unlocked content for the day. It was win-win-win proposition. Researchers paid to get their questions answered, Google split that money with publishers, and readers got to read sites that might have otherwise had a paywall. There are no ideal monetization efforts for online content. Either you have to pay for it directly (paywall), get bombarded with ads, or, in this case, answer a short survey question. I thought the surveys were better than either a paywall or overly intrusive and obnoxious ads.

About two months ago, the surveys, which usually filled consistently and produced substantial RPM (revenue per thousand impressions), stopped filling. Like, almost entirely. I had always been planning for an eventual slow down in survey revenue and working to better diversify the site’s revenue, but I wasn’t expecting them to just stop. Indeed, t-shirt sales, direct ads and other opportunities were lessening the reliance on the surveys. The t-shirts are a very good source of revenue, but they are less consistent than anything else, especially with the sports teams being so bad. When things are good, they are outstanding. But when things are slow, like now, the sales drop off.

I knew there were alternatives to Google’s offering, so I switched to a company called Survata, which is what you mostly now get. The good news is that they perform reasonably well. They’ve plugged the leak. The downside is that they’re not as user-friendly. They work just as well, and the interface is clean and simple, but they offer longer surveys. I don’t have a choice as to which survey shows up– you just get what’s available. Some are only a couple of questions, some are in the double digits (last night, I answered a 16 question survey about Almond Milk). I know this is not a great experience. Additionally, the first time a reader sees a Survata survey, they get asked their age. You should only get that question once (per device), but since the response is cookied and iPhones don’t save cookies without changing a setting or two… yeah, some people get this EVERY TIME. Also not great.

Here’s how I view the threshold for criticism:

Comment section. This is where the most knee-jerk, nasty, usually anonymous shit gets posted.

Twitter. Most people have their real name or face tied to their account and are critical but more considered in their feedback (I’m grading on a curve here).

Email. It’s rare that I get negative emails. It’s just harder and more time-consuming for someone to send you an email about something they don’t like. The vast majority of emails I get are positive or contain constructive criticism. So when I do get negative emails, I don’t take them lightly. I have gotten emails about the surveys.

Needless to say, I am aware of your complaints.

These surveys pay differently than Google, as well. Google paid per response. It didn’t matter the answer, I got money. Survata pays more per survey, but only for useful responses. In other words, ones where people qualify for the product or business which the survey is about. Believe it or not, and the thing I love about our readers, is that the overwhelming majority of people answer these honestly, or at least qualify as doing so.

So what’s being done? For the time being, the Survata surveys remain. They are still a tremendous source of revenue that I’m not willing to give up. I’m working to customize the experience a bit and see if we can limit the age question or the length of surveys you see. I would love to get to a point where we could use them sparingly or less frequently, by relying more on other revenue sources. But right now they’re still the best option. I’ve also spoken to Google, and they are working to increase their fill rate, which – fingers crossed – should bring their more user-friendly offerings back. In the meantime, if you keep getting the age question on your phone, go to settings->Safari->block cookies->allow cookies from sites I visit. That should resolve the age question issue.

Anyway, I know the surveys are not great and I’m working on other options. Like…

Ad networks

I’ve always used ad networks. Almost every site on the Internet does. For those who don’t know, networks sell to large companies that don’t have the time to deal with every small publisher out there, and their ads get spread around to sites like this one. They’re usually targeted to the user and vary depending on your browsing habits. For a while, I’ve been using ads from the USA Today Sports Network, which is a network essentially for sports blogs. I’ve also used Google Adsense, OpenX and some others.

Ad networks can suck. There is nothing wrong with advertising, but over the years publishers have gamed the system by cramming many ads on a page, refreshing pages, or hitting you with 30-second video ads (like CSN Philly). This has driven ad rates down and made each impression less value, because advertisers have wised up and begun to track where and how their ads are used.

Ad networks are still very effective and they’re a reliable source of income. The downside, though, is that many ads are slow to load or disrupt the user experience, and some nasty ones slip through the cracks and redirect you to places you didn’t intend to go.

We rely on these (networks) quite a bit, and I’m just starting to work with a company that will handle implementation of our ads. I certainly know about ads, but optimizing them can be a full-time job. Doing this should allow us to extract more from each page view. The goal isn’t more ads– it’s better, high-quality ads, placement and targeting.

Direct ads

I love our sponsors, like Krasno, Krasno and Onwudinjo, TalentFlex, Beau McGettigan, KPS Photo, Michael Parisano, The Conference Group, and some others we have on the way. They support the site directly, and these ads are both more effective and, quite honestly, generate more revenue than any ad network ad. I’m upping our ad sales efforts here, too, because I think there are many local businesses that can benefit from getting exposure to our readers.

Contributors

Yes, Leslie is still contributing. The plan was to have her write weekly, but the Phillies are so God awful right now that there isn’t exactly much to cover. Dan Klausner remains an infrequent contributor and I know he’s stroking himself over the Flyers’ draft prospects as we speak. And I’m always looking for potential contributors.

Going forward

I’ve always said Crossing Broad won’t just be a website in five years– it will produce content for many mediums. The podcast is just a start. Growing will require more money. I’ve had informal conversations with several folks who might be willing to help us get there. I think we have a unique opportunity, and a sizable audience, to become the destination for online Philly sports content– must-read writers, multiple podcasts, good video and social media content. A lot of people ask me if I’m trying to become Barstool. No, I’m not. They’re unique, more humor than sports at this point, and strictly focused on national. I do, however, think that what they’ve done with their investment has been damn near brilliant, and it’s an excellent model that I think could work on a local level. I want to own your day. I want you to listen to our podcast on the way to work, read the website while you’re at work, and watch our videos when you get home, on your phone, and in your bed. I want to get in your bed.

Any questions?

A Site Update published first on your-t1-blog-url

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flauntpage · 8 years ago

Text

A Site Update

OK I feel like today is a good day to update you, the reader, on some things going on around here.

Podcast

Surveys

I get a lot of questions and comments about the surveys that appear on the site. Here’s the deal.

Here’s how I view the threshold for criticism:

Comment section. This is where the most knee-jerk, nasty, usually anonymous shit gets posted.

Twitter. Most people have their real name or face tied to their account and are critical but more considered in their feedback (I’m grading on a curve here).

Needless to say, I am aware of your complaints.

Anyway, I know the surveys are not great and I’m working on other options. Like…

Ad networks

Direct ads

Contributors

Going forward

Any questions?

A Site Update published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

0 notes

lydiamarshall92 · 8 years ago

Text

Southeast Asian entrepreneurs to gain insights into New Zealand food and beverage

Top Southeast Asian food and beverage business leaders and entrepreneurs will speak at this month’s New Zealand Food Summit as part of a programme run by the Asia New Zealand Foundation.

The group will also speak at events in Wellington and Auckland, connect with innovative New Zealand food companies, meet with government agencies, and travel to the Waikato and Bay of Plenty to visit high tech agricultural facilities and specialist dairy company Tatua. Their New Zealand visit takes place from March 22 to 29.

ASEAN Young Business Leaders Initiative project manager Adam McConnochie says the Asia New Zealand Foundation is pleased to be giving Kiwi business leaders the chance to better understand consumer behaviour in Southeast Asia.

“New Zealand has a long history of selling food products to Southeast Asia, but less experience with consumer branded products. What better way for exporters to achieve success than by engaging with people who have a local perspective on what consumers respond to.

“The entrepreneurs we’re bringing to New Zealand are very impressive. They’ve created scalable companies in their own countries and broken into large overseas markets. I’m confident that New Zealand businesses can learn a lot from what they’ve achieved.

“It’s also a fantastic opportunity for these Southeast Asian business leaders to learn about opportunities, best practice and innovation in New Zealand, a country they may not otherwise have visited.

“But mostly, this trip is about building strong networks. As New Zealand’s trade ties to Southeast Asia continue to grow, participants will act as an important resource for New Zealanders doing business in the region, and provide valuable insights into ASEAN markets.”

The participants are:

Ms Ade Permata Surya, Indonesia: founder and owner of Hearty Foodie, a snack company that aims to show food in Indonesia can be healthy and tasty.

Mr Alan Goh, Singapore: global sales lead of Oddle, an online ordering system for restaurants that aims to provide a holistic end-to-end solution for merchants, with a presence in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Mr Bui Quang Minh, Vietnam: founder and CEO of Beta Corp, a company focussed on cinema and restaurant concepts in Vietnam. Bui also founded and later sold Vietnam’s first donut chain, Doco Donuts.

Mr Fuadi Pitsuwan, Thailand: co-founder and CSO at Beanspire, an ethical coffee exporter. Beanspire was the first Thai coffee sold by US company Whole Foods and is their best-selling premium coffee.

Ms Hang Do, Vietnam: vice-president of business development at Seedcom, an investment firm focused on retail, logistics, agriculture and food and beverage.

Mr Luong Ngoc Duc, Vietnam: founder and chair of Roselle, Vietnam’s largest supplier of hibiscus products. Roselle is focused on the premium market and exports to Japan.

Ms Talita Setyadi, Indonesia: founder and managing director of Beau, a bakery brand specialising in European artisan bread and pastries with an Indonesian twist and using local ingredients where possible. Educated in New Zealand as a jazz musician, Talita studied at the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris.

While in New Zealand, they group will connect with innovative New Zealand food and beverage companies, such as Ripe Coffee, CHIA, Wellington Chocolate Factory, Fix and Fogg and Spring Sheep. Those companies have already made connections with Southeast Asian counterparts through the ASEAN Young Leaders Initiative.

“We’ve seen great results from past visits from Southeast Asia with strong ongoing business relationships developing – such as health food company NutriNest using New Zealand Manuka honey for their products in Vietnam,” Adam McConnochie says.

The group will also engage with members of the Foundation’s Leadership Network, a global professional network at the forefront of developing and maintaining strong links between New Zealand and Asia. Its members include Sachie Nomura, the owner of Australasia’s largest Asian cooking school, Sachie’s Kitchen, and others working in a range of sectors.

The seven entrepreneurs are visiting New Zealand through the ASEAN Young Business Leaders Initiative, managed by the Asia New Zealand Foundation for the New Zealand Government. ASEAN is a grouping of 10 Southeast Asian nations with a combined population of more than 620 million. New Zealand has a free trade agreement in place with ASEAN through the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA).

About the Asia New Zealand Foundation

The Asia New Zealand Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organisation with a range of programmes designed to equip New Zealanders with first-hand experience of Asia and to forge valuable links to the region. Founded in 1994, the Foundation works in five main areas – business, arts and culture, education, media and research. It also runs a Leadership Network and takes a lead role in track II (informal diplomacy) bilateral and multilateral dialogues in the Asia-Pacific region. For more information: www.asianz.org.nz

About ASEAN Young Business Leaders Initiative

Since 2012, the ASEAN Young Business Leaders Initiative has brought more than 60 dynamic entrepreneurs and business leaders from Southeast Asia to New Zealand, building business connections and facilitating trade links. The initiative has also enabled New Zealand entrepreneurs to participate in sector-specific programmes in Southeast Asia, including a food and beverage tour to Indonesia, an agricultural visit to the Philippines and a tech visit to Thailand. The Foundation will be taking a group of food and beverage entrepreneurs to Malaysia in May.

For more information/interviews please contact:

Rebecca Inoue-Palmer Media Centre Manager, Asia New Zealand Foundation +64 4 470 8701 [email protected] www.asianz.org.nz

The post Southeast Asian entrepreneurs to gain insights into New Zealand food and beverage appeared first on NZ Entrepreneur Magazine.

Read the original here: Southeast Asian entrepreneurs to gain insights into New Zealand food and beverage

0 notes

amtushinfosolutionspage · 8 years ago

Text

A Site Update

OK I feel like today is a good day to update you, the reader, on some things going on around here.

Podcast

Surveys

I get a lot of questions and comments about the surveys that appear on the site. Here’s the deal.

Here’s how I view the threshold for criticism:

Comment section. This is where the most knee-jerk, nasty, usually anonymous shit gets posted.

Twitter. Most people have their real name or face tied to their account and are critical but more considered in their feedback (I’m grading on a curve here).

Needless to say, I am aware of your complaints.

Anyway, I know the surveys are not great and I’m working on other options. Like…

Ad networks

Direct ads

Contributors

Going forward

Any questions?

A Site Update published first on your-t1-blog-url

0 notes