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shijiujun · 3 years ago

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on the danmei twitter fight

okay guys i didn’t wanna say anything about this and yes it’s that hot danmei twitter translations saga thing that’s going on, because honestly i feel like there’s nothing much to say but when i see dumb posts on tumblr taking about that, by people who present a misleading hot take and their friends or moots run off with it without even knowing what exactly is going on - it really pisses me off.

and also if you shit talk translators for not continuing their translations or locking their translations whatever - the door is that way on your right and left, but anyway here’s a rundown on what happened because i am seeing people make comments without two brain cells put together, without the slightest bit of consideration for the people who bring them translations

here’s my hot take and thesis: if you enjoy english translations made by fan translators, you don’t, in any way, no matter happens, shit talk fan translators. fan translators do this for free, and whatever their intentions are, whether genuine sharing or like some of you like to say, for clout, if you consume, and you enjoy these translations, i’m sorry, you’re not uninvolved, and you don’t get to sit on a high horse and say translators should or shouldn’t do something. you should just keep quiet, honestly, because someone else is doing you a favour, a favour that you are enjoying and taking. that’s what respect is.

i’m presenting both sides or i guess three sides of the story as objectively as i can, altho my support is still for fan translators who were just minding their own business before this blew up.

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🔺 what happened:

so it started because one of the bigger translators in the fandom did this poll - i’m not blaming her at all, i doubt she had any intentions of shaming anyone or causing any controversy and was plain curious, but her poll asked english speaking danmei twitter how many people buy the digital, print copies of the danmei they read, and who did not.

in my honest opinion, it’s not strange at all for her to have created that poll, considering just how much work she’s put into making sure things are accessible for the eng-speaking danmei fandom. i mean i’d be curious too, to know out of my thousands of readers, what the reading and buying behaviour is like. do yourself a favour and don’t read too much into it.

obviously in an era where a lot of people do consume content for free whether the underlying content is profit-making (like anime, donghua, manhua, manga etc.) or not (fanfiction etc.), it was unsurprising to see that the last option - the ones who consume danmei without paying a single cent, came out as the majority. i don’t think this is a surprising result at all, for all sorts of reasons that i will not get into now.

anyway, this is obviously kind of a sore point in the fandom especially for translators who want a wider audience to support their fave author’s works - i won’t get into that for now, but the issue began because other translators or fans started to criticize the majority of people who don’t pay for objectively rather affordable danmei and just consume things for free.

and yes, i don’t deny that the argument on both sides got really heated and emotionally charged with both sides calling each other names which i believe is uncalled for, but it totally derailed the crux of the issue, which basically is that the majority of english-speaking danmei fandom - consumes danmei for free.

anyway this whole thing escalated and fan translators were brought into this for no fucking reason at all except that the people who didn’t want, or were unable to pay for the danmei they usually consume, made what i call a LOGICAL FALLACY in argument by going to the extremes, i will explain why later.

the end result is that fan translators were brought into this (most of them, the bigger ones i know at least) without even participating in the direct crossfire. and obviously, you can see why they’re hurt and decided to lock their translations. let me explain why

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🔺 kind of like four camps:

(1) translators and fans who criticized those who consume danmei liberally but do not pay for them in any way - no merch, no digital copies, no physical copies, no audio dramas whatever

*** their arguments:

danmei is so cheap right, that technically people should be able to pay for it in one way or another, even if not all

danmei and its authors are, at the end of the day, out here to earn a living, and the industry, like any money-making industry, is a for-profit enterprise - and unlike public goods, if you cannot afford danmei, then there is no obligation for others to make it free for you (fan translators or otherwise, it wasn’t super clearly stated while this shitshow happened) when it is inherently a for-profit industry

yes, i don’t deny that some of them did call the peeps who don’t pay at all, “leeches” and other sort of names. personally, i wouldn’t go that far or even like venture there to be honest because in general, if it’s something that i’ll get punched in the face for if i called someone that in real life i tend not to do it, but i’ll leave my opinions, whatever they’re worth, for later

(2) the readers and fans of danmei who do not pay in any sort of way for them

*** their arguments:

some of them really cannot afford, even the dollar or more, to spend on danmei for several reasons: upbringing, culture, money-spending mindsets, real poverty, struggling to make ends meet etc. - some definitely more valid than others (and when i say not valid, it’s because SOME, a minority or like those few stragglers, say they cannot afford and then you see them like idk, throwing $50 on other merch on kpop and stuff - i’m just bringing up ONE example. not shaming anyone for spending more money on one aspect rather than the other, but yeah you can see why some of them, when making this same argument, are a little invalid, that’s just a small number of them tho)

if translators are blaming them for consuming free of charge, then the fault lies, at its foundation, fan translators who translate illegally, which i mean, in that definition, all of them including me

did i mention that we were called illegal translators like you know in response to being called leeches? anyway-

(3) others translators who literally were just minding their own fucking business before some smart alec dragged them into it

i don’t think most of us had an argument. we were just quietly munching on popcorn and staying out of it and yeah, can you imagine, we provide a service, however illegal it is, for free on our own time, we don’t even check whether people support legally or not, we just... provide, and pray that those who are able to, at least support in some small way or another do so, on their own time. i mean i don’t check, most of us don’t, not the bouncers at your local club before COVID happened do, and then suddenly, to be used to derail an argument, we were called illegal translators. and that we should stop translating, and that it is our fault that there are free riders in the fandom

(4) people who offered to provide JJWXC credits to those who said they couldn’t afford it etc.

honestly i think they were just trying to help - no different than a gofundme. there’s no shame in taking a free thing that people already weren’t intending to pay for. it’s there, just take it!

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🔺 the shitshow that led to fan translators locking their stuff up:

i would provide some actual examples in the form of screenshots but i’ve blocked most of them, and i don’t want to direct any sort of traffic to them so i guess you’ll have to take my word on it or go search on twitter yourself but-

(1) the affordability issue: i can understand the frustration at being called leeches, and some if not a majority of people, do have valid reasons for not being able to afford something or anything and end up pirating content they enjoy. hey, i am not about to crucify anyone for pirating at some point in their lives. we all have done it at some point, or for example hate disney+ and that $30 they were trying to rip off us for a subpar Mulan live action. i don’t have anything to say about that. inherently, is it wrong and illegal? yeah sure of course it is. do we call people leeches? i wouldn’t go that far.

if anyone cannot afford, cannot access for whatever reason, fine, i’m not gonna go check if jjwxc truly is banned in your country, or is your postal service so terrible that you definitely won’t be able to receive a hard copy of the book you like at affordable rates.

and if you have to pirate? go ahead. i mean it’s always been a rampant thing. the only thing fan translators and fans can do is encourage, motivate and incentivise as much as possible to get people to support legally. they can only put up REALLY COMPREHENSIVE guides as to how to access jjwxc or taobao or whatever.

and if you still cannot afford it and pirate, honestly no one cares about the story behind it. you owe no one justification, just as how no other person is obligated to take it into consideration or understand you or empathize with you. i don’t say this in a malicious way - i do think that in general, you just do you.

(2) the poor people don’t deserve nice things argument: honestly, this was not the point of this entire debacle, altho yes, people were rude to those who could not afford to support legally. but this is not the point of this whole thing.

main point - there are free riders who can support but choose not to because they choose to just consume it for free and if you are able to you should support

everyone going off on a tangent - you guys hate poor people / you guys are leeches

well guess what, no one wins in this argument.

there were a lot of people saying “reading danmei is our only source of happiness, are you saying poor people who can’t access legally don’t deserve to read danmei” (this is just one example i’ve seen, there are other variations), and it wasn’t put across perhaps in the right way, but the other camp of people were saying “you’re not entitled to it for free if you cannot afford it”, which raised a lot of hackles and anti-poor yellings

altho i do not deny that there are those who mean it maliciously, i think what everyone is trying to say is - the danmei industry, like any other profit-making industry, is looking to make profits. the people working in the industry, the authors even, are looking at numbers - traffic to jjwxc or other legal platforms, how much revenue they’re making from their live actions etc., comments, rankings, etc. i think @/hunxi-after-hours made a really succinct post on this aspect which yall should read.

it’s the same as - if you wanted to purchase a standee which costs $20 USD, but you cannot afford it = you don’t get it. there’s no way you can get this standee unless some gifts it to you for free. what the camp trying to ask people to support legally is saying, is that danmei is NOT A PUBLIC GOOD. it is a private, for-profit product. it might be intangible, but it is a PRODUCT that has a price that needs to be paid.

if you cannot afford it, you either don’t get access entirely (i’m saying this objectively and honestly from an economic standpoint). if someone gifts that standee to you for free, count yourself lucky - if someone makes a danmei accessible to you for free, COUNT YOURSELF LUCKY. you don’t have to be grateful and treat them as gods or like obey their every word, but it’s not rocket science. someone did you a favour that you accepted and consumed, show some respect.

if you cannot afford to buy the standee - you do not go on twitter demanding that someone ensures that you have access to the standee for free. do you see how ridiculous this sounds once it’s a tangible product? and danmei novels ARE PRODUCTS. they are not FREE CONTENT. if someone cannot afford the standee, this is the equivalent of people going “we didn’t get the standee for free because poor people don’t deserve nice things”

totally missing the point. i don’t even know how it got to this. once again, i do admit that some users were unnecessarily mean, but going to the extreme of this is ridiculous. in argumentative essay writing we call this a logical fallacy:

e.g. “if you cannot pay for merchandise or danmei, it is a fact that you might not have access to it” morphing into “if we cannot pay for food, does this mean we cannot have access to it?!” - this is a slippery slope, and factors are not equivalent!!!! do they not teach people anything in school

don’t confuse fanfiction with danmei - danmei novels ARE PAID PRODUCTS unless for free chapters, just because it’s released online doesn’t mean it’s free public property, and also selected novels (did you guys know the WHOLE of SCI novel is free? about 500 chapters sorry, random, just a tidbit)

there are of course nuances right, like if anyone told me they were pirating disney+ content i’d be like yeah hey get one over those bloodsuckers, they take enough of our money and produce shit content anyway. the difference is that danmei authors, and the danmei industry itself can still be considered a nascent and not-yet matured industry, with a majority of authors if not all, depending on monetary flow, likes, comments, virality on the sites their content is hosted on, for a living, unlike hugeass MNCs trying to squeeze us dry for content that isn’t even interesting.

danmei is priced rather reasonably - and this brings me to another argument that was made, that the value of money is not the same for everyone. i don’t want to make comments on this because yes this is correct to a large extent. a $6 book might be cheap to most of us, but might be expensive to someone else. i’m not gonna comment on how cheap or whatever it is, if you gotta use your money for other things, definitely! i still maintain however, that a novel less than a dollar should be affordable to most people, a majority of people. and i definitely side eye some users who obviously have money but are just creating noise because they wanna continue free-riding

(4) the “they’re losing out on their international audience” argument: honestly, i feel like english-speaking danmei fandom gives themselves a bit too much credit. danmei has long thrived in china in its domestic market - sure the international audience is a plus to have and i’m sure the authors are grateful and flattered that people who don’t understand chinese love their content and love it a lot, but do they and their companies care about fans who basically don’t bring in money? i’m not sure (okay i’ll get to the fan translators doing illegal shit later okay i got it don’t be impatient)

and international fans are great, i don’t deny that - but when i see arguments like “oh but it’s their loss if they don’t cater or deny access to us, they get more popularity and sharing overseas”, i honestly think they don’t care as much as you think. once again, hunxi made a really good argument regarding non-sinophone audiences, but it really irks me, because this is the same as:

an instagram influencer saying they’ll give a restaurant exposure for free to their followers, if they get a free meal

it’s par for par - danmei authors wants earnings, popularity, tangible results that show that they are succeeding. this is life. if i put something out there for sale, i better be getting returns, simple economic logic. they probably don’t care that a non-paying reader is bringing them greater ‘exposure’ - once again, i mean this objectively.

and yes if they’re thriving without the international market then why should it matter that people are pirating right? which brings me to the next point~

(5) it’s fan translators faults for so many people pirating, and fan translators are the ones doing the “illegal” work: this one is like... wow where do i unpack this and how-

firstly, we are talking about assholes who can pay but decide to free ride and not pay for danmei, and we assume that if you really cannot afford and have to pirate, no one’s saying anything as long as you don’t go around spreading how to pirate, how the hell did it get to fan translators from “you guys are anti-poor” and whatever

yes, fan translations are indeed illegal, i don’t deny that, and i also don’t deny that there are translators who translate for clout and popularity but putting these aside - here’s what i have seen from people who ran their mouths and made this argument

“if you guys care about us pirating the book so much than fan translators shouldn’t have translated in the first place” and “if you wanna come after us for reading illegally, then fan translators, you guys should go get the copyright for the book and then translate it cuz what you guys are doing is also illegal”

hooooo i’m telling ya, i am all for translators locking up their translations at this point. see how fucking hurtful that is? you eat from my hand and then now you biting at the hand that fed you the gays in love?

honestly if you’ve made this argument or supported this, you can basically go to hell. yes this is personal because what, you think fan translators don’t take out their personal time and effort and hard work to make translations accessible to you? if you’re ever consumed and read translations, don’t be a hypocrite and make this argument. you benefitted from it, now you wanna say it’s their fault?

most translators want to share and spread the love they have for a novel right, want to show you how wonderful all these authors are, how much enjoyment u get from reading these wonderfully thought out stories of gays in love. yes we all know we are illegally translating, which is why on top of sharing we first, purchase the novels legally ourselves first, and then we try to encourage people to buy etc. and actually put their money to use. it doesn’t make it any less illegal, but we are bridging the gap between danmei and basically the english-speaking fandom, albeit illegally

we aren’t that self-important to ask for gratefulness but some respect would be nice. like i said, you read it, you consumed it, you enjoyed it, you can only access it because of illegal translators - a bit counter-intuitive to yell at these translators, who are simply telling you, if you can, please support. and none of us went “if you cannot afford, begone!”

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🔺 some people tried to help by offering jjwxc credits so people who cannot afford as they say, can get legal access: honestly, just take it right, guess what some of these users did in response

they said the people giving away credits are trying to redeem themselves for their comments by giving away free stuff

they also said that we are trying to shame the people who cannot afford it with this handout to them, to show that they are the bigger person - the fact that they think this is a handout to them is TELLING. the people offering this is giving their money not to these readers, but to the authors! that’s the point of this exercise!!!

one of them even said “instead of trying to do these giveaways, here, there are greater world problems out there, donate instead to these causes” - love the initiative, but how did we get from being able to afford danmei and entertainment content to saving the world? i just- i cannot

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🔺 so why i get why fan translators are locking up their translations, because wow, so hurtful:

you have no idea how many fucking assholes went “sure, lock up your translations, deal with the consequences” - ermmmm firstly, thanks for making a threat. like who the fuck do you think you are?

the consequences is... the authors still don’t get the money these free riders weren’t going to give them anyway, so no loss, and they weren’t reading on jjwxc anyway so you know, the authors don’t lose or gain any readership numbers or traffic they didn’t already have. instead, it WILL push and force people to pay for the PRODUCT. once again, it’s a product.

this works, and i’d say Word of Honor’s payment model worked marvellously for Youku, because they fucking forced everyone to pay to access content. ALL OF THEM. sure ok some people still pirated it, but how many MORE people paid on Youku, on Youku Youtube, watched on Viki etc. than if they didn’t? even english-speaking fandom were wracking their brains trying to purchase a Youku pass even if there were no subs initially - and other examples that lovely hunxi brought up in her amazing piece

and for translators?! honestly me for one, i’m glad i don’t feel pressured anymore to churn out a chapter every week since we get called names etc. most of us are glad to have a break to be honest. we’ve lost all motivation to translate because it’s a free service, at the very least we don’t expect like hate, or rudeass fuckers. for those who are doing a proof of purchase thing - go for it honestly!

hopefully it’ll minimize the free rider problem - some people for whatever reasons really cannot buy or support legally, that’s totally cool and they don’t have to justify it, i get that. but for others making the same argument but obviously are just unwilling to pay because they can’t read chinese, think it’s too troublesome when there are guides and translators provide it for free anyway so what’s the point - we all make concessions and make decisions to grab what we like (not talking about the ppl who have their various troubles and difficulties!)

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🔺 and those who are saying why is it the ‘rest of us suffer’ from locked translations just because of a few bad apples:

IT ISN’T ABOUT YOU. where the hell were all of ya when we were getting called illegal huh? it’s about us fan translators getting shot at for no reason, and then people still demanding things for free. i don’t see any of the people i’ve seen on tumblr complain about fan translators stopping or locking translations defend any of us in any way. instead, you’re complaining.

it is the translator’s prerogative to start, stop and end translations, unless of course the original author starts to sue i suppose. i see people on tumblr going like if they were gonna do this, they shouldn’t have started in the first place etc. - i don’t what world you live in, but when i do something for free, then get called names and am attacked or get dictated on how i should do something that’s already like free, i tend to be less generous.

i’m sorry, do us illegal and free translators owe ANY OF YOU? i wasn’t aware any of us were being paid for this hobby. readers, especially those who CAN and just refuse to support, don’t get to say SHIT. translators deal with so much shit and so many entitled readers, i say they get to lock whatever they want as long as they aren’t profiting off of this monetarily.

let me give you an example - nan chan, which is translated by lian yin, completed translations by the way for all chapters. it is all free for viewing, and she only locked up one extra and asked for proof of payment. some dumbfuck quotes that locked up extra chapter tweet and said “honestly, this turned me off reading this novel because they restricted access”.

the. fucking. entitlement. the whole of nan chan is free, that’s like what more than 80 chapters. she locked up the EXTRA and the money goes to the author, she doesn’t earn anything. AND HERE THAT BIJ is (yes, i’m going to call them names because you know, fucking asshole who didn’t bother to check) going “yeah i didn’t wanna read because 1/80+ chapters were locked”.

AN EXTRA. LITERALLY AN EXTRA!!!!!!

at the end of the day, translators are not like DYING to translate, not like some of you are DYING to read the translations. once again, this isn’t a “BE GRATEFUL” message, it’s a please be respectful to the people who put in time and hard work for free and share the goodness ya know? what’s the use of yelling at fan translators as if we owe you anything?

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🔴🔴🔴 TOO LONG DIDN’T READ 🔴🔴🔴

some people may need really need to pirate - and no one needs to justify why they cannot afford to purchase etc. pirating happens all the time, translators only hope that when you can, and in whatever way you can, to support legally - in general we don’t ask and we get it! we’re just annoyed that some people think that it SHOULD BE FREE, when it is a paid product, especially for those who CAN afford it

readers are not entitled to shit on translators for what they do with their translations - once again, you’re not OBLIGATED to have it. so what if i start and stop? i’m the one doing the work, i get the only say. don’t be a hypocrite and shit on translators, whose works you’ve read - it’s no loss for translators, we read and enjoy danmei just fine

yes, fan translations are illegal, but you can’t read and enjoy them like some of you have, and then turn around and point the finger at translators - a lot of us are happy to stop translating - this isn’t a threat, but at the end of the day, shitting on translators simply decreases access, and sure, some people can indeed live with you know, MTL or shitty translations from people who’ve learnt chinese for only six months or whatever, but you’re gonna be reading an entirely different book tbh

the people saying illegal translators are at fault - funnily enough, most of them consume the translations, so what the fuck? i mean we know it’s illegal, we’re trying to share the love and trying to minimize the illegalities of it by redirecting people to hopefully support legally. it’s still illegal yes, but i think it’s hypocritical for people who have read translations, stab translators in the back. and now that translators are indeed ‘restricting’ and ‘removing’ their ‘illegal translations’, yall yelling again? and threatening?

fan translators aren’t “elitist” or “classist” - just looking for some respect in a community which seems to have taken them for granted, and also looking for support for their fave authors - and honestly a lot of us were caught in the crossfires truly, don’t be an asshole and demand things from fan translators - who are you talking about? do you know why they decided to lock? do you know know what their locking system is like and what for?

it’s not EASY to lock the translations up - it’s more admin work, it’s putting together a whitelist of people, if given the choice i’m sure translators would prefer to share everything. but not when there are assholes who have a comment on how they should translate etc. and yeah!!! calling us illegal!! i mean we are but still!!

the last straw was seeing that post on tumblr and people in the comments going like fan translators shouldn’t or should do something, without getting the whole picture, without even considering how hard it is for fan translators being caught in this situation.

whoever puts in the work gets to decide, and everyone else should leave them alone.

be nice to the people who really cannot afford as they say so (or just don’t think about it), be nice to the translators feeding you content, and the people who free ride and shit on translators - honestly, i’d say ready the pitchforks.

edit: i forgot to mention this is my hot take and i’ve tried to like present all the arguments i’ve seen so far. i’m definitely not doing all of it justice and i don’t claim to speak on behalf of any of them except maybe one or two- and i’ve definitely left out stuff, but anyway, lmao we’re just tiny people doing what we love. i wish we could solve you know inequality or poverty or hunger or other pressing concerns. if i was that great i wouldn’t be stuck on tumblr or twitter or have to make posts like these like a loser.

thanks for coming to my ted talk.

#danmei #danmei twitter #rambles #long post #literally cannot take the stupidity of some people anymore

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unholyeverything · 3 years ago

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About Obey Me! apparently not being F2P anymore.

I just wanted to say something about this. Because I’ve seen so much outrage in the fandom especially about their recent anniversary celebration.

Sorry if this might end up being long.

It’s just, so many people cry and complain about the game allegedly not being free to play anymore. But that is where the lie is.

And that’s also what will bring down the game a lot faster. Them constantly getting complaints and feeling like they’ll lose their player base will make them start to milk the game out of the last cent a lot sooner then knowing they have a few more years.

The game is free to play. You download it for free. You play for free. You have to pay nothing and to be honest, if you invest some time you get a lot.

This is a gacha game after all, you also need some luck, but in comparison to a game like Genshin Impact, that a lot of players seemed to have started to pick up as well you get a lot of materials to get the most out of your luck.

I’ve been playing for 432 days and those are all my cards. I haven’t given them a single cent. Did they get a lot of my time? Yes- but I was willing to pay that price.

I’m not trying to show off with that in any way, I just wanted to show that you indeed get a lot. As an F2P.

So it’s a lie saying the game is starting to become Pay to Play. Because it is not.

You don’t have to spend anything if you don’t want to.

Could they have handled the celebrations differently, like letting everyone chose their desired background at the end of the login? Sure- they could’ve done that. But they simply decided not to.

And that is their right as the company paying for the servers you use for free, paying for the artist that do a super good job providing about 14 brand new hand drawn cards per month, plus the voice actors, plus the animations, plus the story writers. That is a lot of work. That’s a new card every two days. They pay for promotions. They pay for all the IT working on the game, programming it, customer support, social media managers. Do you think this is free? Do you think that’s payable with just some advertisement here and there? Fun Fact: It’s not.

Small rant in the rant: A lot of people also make money off of their copyrighted materials and therefore take more income from them. As they would have to pay for usage right to be legally allowed to sell fanart. Just saying :D

How’d you like someone take your character and makes money off of them, not really, am I right? I don’t know why people think it’s okay since it’s a company. Their designers want to have a wage too.

So it is definitely not P2P.

I will however agree that the events are Pay to Win.

And apparently most of you don’t understand the difference of pay to win and pay to play. And listen, there is a big one.

I don’t know why the Obey Me! Fandom seems to think they are entitled to getting every single card that’s been put out there, to find it in their inventory. Like you can even see it and download the art from the Wiki. Heck spend 5 minutes on YouTube and someone uploaded the Devilgram too. The visibility of the Card is not behind a paywall. Is the additional story or animation that cost additional money sometimes behind a pay wall? Yes- and that is ok.

I don’t know if you noticed, but aside from the Lucifer Paws and Claws UR there is not a single Pop Quiz UR in my cards. Not one. And I got Lucifer’s grinding my ass off in Lonely Devil, spending weeks doing my daily battles. Because that card was worth it to me. In the normal events I can max get the Memory SSR, spending all of my savings on nightmare beforehand. I have like two of those. Two of which we got completely free. Leviathans UR was completely free. You realize they could’ve converted the points and taken the card from everyone, which tbh was the move I would’ve done but long term the realized it would make them lose more people and therefore money. Amos UR+ was completely free. Lucifer’s raindrop card I just got in this rerun, spending all of my savings from the past two months or more. Mammons was my guaranteed BDay card. 3 of those completely free so to say. The 14 were all I got with 432 days of playtime. That’s about a card each month. Doesn’t seem that much anymore don’t you think? Also most of the gacha cards I got from after they raised the odds to 3%. That also needs to be mentioned. They did that. 2 are character birthdays. Again with savings and time you got them. All the old cards I got doing that free pull you get every two days. That’s 4 of them as well. Only 8 of them being from limited gachas, in about 1 and a half years of playing.

But especially in gachas you should know that you can’t have everything. I don’t know why people got that impression? I don’t have every card that comes out because I don’t pull on every nightmare. I use the time there is a character I don’t like to save up. And with Obey Me! you can save up a lot.

Bringing up Genshin again: It’s fandom seems to be aware that as a Free to Play you just can’t get every character, and they seem to be fine with it. They save and manage their resources. I’ve been playing since 4 months and I have 2 5 star characters and one 5 star weapon. 2 of those I didn’t want and lost the 50/50. But that’s just how it is. I enjoyed what I got since I only spend my time how it is worth it to me.

I have to admit I had a lot of time to spend on games and if you don’t you won’t get as much, but that’s also normal. OM dailies take about 10 minutes and you get your 18 DP and can work on your cards. That is a lot to save up. And so far I pretty much got every card I wanted as long as it wasn’t an event card. And I could get those too if I invest even more time. I am just simply not willing to.

There is too much to do in this game already for me to keep up. So I really can’t understand what more you could ask for. I am home all day long and I can’t keep up with everything, so why are people complaining about not getting everything? There is so so much to get. Just focus on what you want and don’t turn into miniature Mammon’s that just want everything. And also like: Have you noticed? Most of my cards aren’t even close to being fully leveled. What do you want to do with even more of them? That won’t bring you anywhere?

But anyways I’m losing track of my own rambling where were we?

The fact that people here seem to confuse Pay to Play and Pay to Win, that was actually all I wanted to ramble about.

Manage your resources and you get a lot. If you want an F2P game that has no aspects to generate money? Well go make one. Teach yourself how to do everything, consider how much time you spend on all that before even starting. And then not getting a single cent back.

I also probably forgot half of what I wanted to say again, my body can’t keep up my big brains idk.

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raleighliving · 4 years ago

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Budget Living Raleigh

Living in any city you’re gonna look at higher costs of living. Rent, utilities, and insurance all add up before you even factor in groceries. But just because you’re living in the city doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have nice things.

If you find all your money is being eaten by rent, and your bed is supported by the ground itself, then this article is for you; cause we’re going to talk today about bargain hunting in Raleigh and what to look for when you want a good deal on good furniture. Maybe I’ll do this again for groceries or other such things but for now we’re just focused on general niceties.

Best part of this is it’s gonna be fairly general too. Anything I mention here you could probably find or do in any American city or small town since the institutions are fairly ubiquitous.

If you find yourself lacking furniture, decorations, or just general quality of life enhancers my answer boils down to two main points: Thrifting and Resale stores. At times they can seem similar enough but there are fine differences that separate the two using fairly recognizable criteria.

“RL,” I hear you say between fistfuls of knockoff Cheetos and self-loathing, “Of course if you want bargains you go thrifting! Did you JUST hear about Goodwill recently?”

Yes, in terms of hot takes this is especially dull but what I can lend to the conversation isn’t about how prices at thrift organizations are cheaper than retailers, how you should support your local thrift organizations, or even the general good they provide to low-income communities; what I’m looking at is knowing what you have and what you can expect to find when visiting.

Take Goodwill, for instance, since everyone has seen at least one in their life. Outside of their larger outlets where you’ll find more furniture, walk into any Raleigh Goodwill and you’ll have seen all of them. 90% of the floorspace is dedicated to cheap clothes with a backwall full of knickknacks and a small bookshelf. If you’re lucky, there may even be a sofa or two and some paintings along the wall but most of what you’ll find is cheap clothes.

Now, if that’s what you’re looking for that’s great! However, I’ve grown to have a deep distaste for the homogeneity of local GCF stores. Customers can donate their clothes, toys, and other items to GCF at any store locations; but those items are shipped to processing and then distributed to other GCFs across the country based on inventory need and sales patterns. What you see in one donation center/store you’ll likely see in every other with maybe the odd rare find if you’re lucky.

GCF aside your options for Raleigh include org thrifts, mom and pop stores, and discount thrifts to provide some much needed variety in your day-to-day shopping. Each with their pros and cons, yet all sharing the glorious benefit of providing furniture and clothing for a fraction of the price of bigger brand stores.

Org thrifts (short for organization thrift stores, creative I know) are exactly what they sound like. Thrifts run by an organization or charity, similar to Goodwill's, with a stated goal of helping others and supporting the organization financially over seeking a profit margin.

Cause 4 Paws, Raleigh/Durham Rescue mission, and Dorcas thrift stores all provide a wide variety of products while using the store proceeds to help the less fortunate; but with phenomenal prices. It’s not uncommon for a thrift store run by one of these organizations to have fifty cent books, clothing sold by the pound, and furniture/power tools under the $40 price tag if you’re lucky. Plus, not to sound like a broken record but, your proceeds go towards good causes like animal adoption and feeding the homeless.

Most thrifts of this nature are run by religious organizations, so if you’re at odds with supporting that sort of thing you might be more interested in the other two options; but otherwise this type of thrift store typically comes with very few downsides.

|Image Credit: Dorcas Thrift on Nextdoor

Of course, one of those other options is the standard mom and pop operation. Not linked to any specific organization or franchise, these tend to be small businesses run by local families serving a smaller radius.

Prices as a result tend to be a little higher than your average thrift store since it’s, y’know, a business; and the selection can be a little below average, usually consisting largely of estate sale leftovers, but this also works to their favor.

There’s no central distribution center for these businesses, so what people sell/donate to these stores comes from nearby communities typically. So if you find one near an upper class area like Honeycutt Rd or Ebeneezer Church Rd, they’ll typically have nice furniture, art, and electronics for thrift store prices.

There’s not too many of these, but my personal favorite is Fabulous Affordable Treasures in Southwest Raleigh. A decent assortment of clothes and decorative pieces (and a very relaxing general environment) makes it a positive visit even when I’m just browsing.

|Image credit: Affordable Treasures Facebook

Finally there’s Discount thrifts. They’re not too common, and are usually supported by an organization additionally although not all are, but if you find one check back with them regularly because it’s almost guaranteed to be worth it.

These thrift stores operate by having a degrading price scale; setting prices when the object comes into inventory, and then lowering them based on how long its been with them or the condition it was received in.

Stores like Habitat for Humanity ReStore and Petersons Consigning Design use this, and typically offer discounts upwards of 60% if you wait long enough. On top of having equally large selections of product from org thrifts, they offer plenty for the savvy shopper.

The downside is, the best possible price you can receive for any given product is a gamble. That sweet leather armchair you have your eye on might be dropped from 40% to 50% in the next two days, but if someone finds the price acceptable where it is then that products gone forever (or at least until something similar winds up in inventory).

|Image Credit: Petersons Consigning Design website

Regardless of which thrift store you choose though, you’re bound to find a bargain in one eventually if you check back every once in awhile. I’ve only mentioned a fraction of the stores available in Raleigh, if you find a few favorites of your own and check back regularly, you’re bound to find something you’ll love at a price you couldn’t find anywhere else.

Of course, if you’re looking for more niche deals you could always use programs like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist for people just looking to get rid of their junk. They’re easy to use and both are incredibly active for the Raleigh area; but if you’re looking for something a little more...interesting then I’d recommend checking out liquidation stores.

There’s not many of them in Raleigh, but recently this past week a store by the name of Treasure Hunt Liquidation opened up with an interesting premise. They buy tons of returned and opened merchandise from places like Amazon and sell them to other people on a degrading price scale similar to the thrift stores we mentioned above.

Fridays the price-per-item is $10, and then day by day it drops till it hits $1 per item on the following Wednesdays (and they close Thursdays for inventory). large bins full of boxed or repackaged goods line the floor with everything from car parts to 3D printing filaments depending on when you can get there.

Additionally, you can purchase pallets of goods as well; with some of the more high ticket items ranging from $300 up to $1500; but generally containing some of the more desirable items like bikes and kitchen equipment.

Overall, the whole experience is like a giant rotating lootbox; you’re never quite sure what you’re gonna get when you go but you’re likely to find something that at least catches your eye, even if it doesn’t come home with you.

|Image Credit: Treasure Hunt Liquidation facebook group

You can’t find everything you’ll ever need at stores like these, but you’ll definitely be able to find affordable furniture and clothes even on a college student’s budget. Even a few dollars saved can make a huge difference though, so if you get the chance or see a store on the side of the road that catches your eye, be sure to at least stop in and see what they have for sale.

Or, if you’ve read this and have some books/clothes/toys to donate please consider donating or selling them to your local thrift location. These secondhand finds can make all the difference in the world to a kid who wouldn’t be able to get them otherwise. Regardless, hopefully at the very least this article kept you entertained, and I hope everyone reading has a great day!

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sunsuenm · 4 years ago

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Get Paid To Take Pictures With Your Phone – 20 Ways That Work（Previous）

This is an article quoting a blogger.For more high-quality content, please go to the subscription blog: https://italiangoat.com/

In the past, high-quality cameras were expensive, fragile devices used primarily by professional photographers. And while you can still spend a pretty penny on a top-of-the-line model, most modern smartphone cameras are more than capable of taking amazing pictures — even if all you know how to do is point and click.

And whether you’re a full-time photographer or an amateur in search of a good side hustle, there are dozens of ways to sell the images from your phone.

All you need is a smartphone with a camera and a good platform on which to sell your photos.

In this post, we’ll run down some of the best ways to get paid to take pictures with your phone, and we’ll answer a few of the most commonly asked questions about the process.

Getting Started

Starting a photography side hustle is not as easy as whipping out your phone to catch a pretty sunset, then selling the image online.

Before you can get started making money from your iPhone or Android photos, you’ll need some equipment, software and basic know-how. You don’t need to be an expert — just cover these basics and you’ll be ready to get started.

Smartphone with a high-quality camera: With technology constantly advancing, a good smartphone camera is essential if you want your images to sell. Even if your images are properly framed and well-lit, they’ll be tough to sell if they’re shot with an outdated lens or in low resolution. Here’s a post that outlines some good quality smartphone cameras that will serve you well.

Photo editing software: You can do basic edits on your phone, but if you’re optimizing photos for print (think wall art and merch), you’re better off editing your images on a computer. Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom have been the industry leaders in photo editing software for decades, but if the price tag is too steep, GIMP (desktop) and A Color Story (mobile) are cheaper alternatives for editing your photos.

#1. EyeEm

EyeEm has some exclusive technological advantages over other stock photo sites. The app’s algorithm analyzes your photos for aesthetic value and relevance and automatically tags their visual elements.

EyeEm also partners with Getty Images, a major stock photo website, which increases the exposure (and potential sale) of your images.

Completing photography “missions” (requests or contests from EyeEm clients) can get your photo licensed by big name brands, get your image shared on EyeEm’s social media channels, or earn you swag.

EyeEm pays a 50% royalty rate for sold images, and you retain all the copyrights to the photo.

#2. Foap

The Foap app offers clear guidelines on acceptance criteria for photos. You can also connect with other Foap photographers and get constructive feedback on your photos.

Foap offers 50% profit sharing on sold images. Payments are sent via PayPal.

Foap’s marketing is not as strong as some other big name stock image companies and apps. This has resulted in some users complaining about a lot of work for minimal pay. However, if you’re a new photographer looking to develop your skills and gain exposure, Foap can be a solid option.

#3. Snapwire

Snapwire has a fairly generous payout structure: you keep up to 100% on client requests and challenges, and you earn 50% on downloads from subscribers.

This app is much more based on client requests than others. Requesters can award points to photos that exemplify the look they’re going for. At the end of the contest, requesting companies buy the photos they want from the winner(s).

Photographers can “level up” with successful images and projects, gaining advantages with each level that helps them gain more exposure and sell more photos.

#4. AGORA Images

Based in Spain, the AGORA app is more like a social media platform than a stock photo website. They offer cash prizes for their weekly photo challenges, with winners determined by app users’ votes.

Payouts range from $1,000 to $25,000, along with the chance to be published in some of the leading newspapers and magazines around the world. Because they focus on a worldwide audience, competition is diverse but also steep.

AGORA is a great way to gain exposure. That said, while you may get lucky and win one of the contests, other apps may be a better fit if money is your primary goal.

Stock Photography Websites

When you see breathtaking landscapes and portraits with personality on stock photo websites, you may think they’re all shot by expert photographers with years of experience. But that’s not necessarily true. Many of these stock photography websites accept and sell images from shutterbugs of all types and experience levels.

#5. Adobe Stock

Formerly called Fotolia, Adobe Stock is woven into the Adobe suite of products. You can upload your photos directly from Lightroom or Bridge. If you’re new to tagging your photos, Adobe Stock’s AI will prompt you with relevant tags. Adobe stock pays 33% royalties to contributors via PayPal or Skrill.

#6. Shutterstock

Shutterstock is one of the most popular stock photo sites on the web. It offers a mobile app to help track sales, submit photos and get notifications of what customers want. Their payout structure is tiered, so the more lifetime earnings you have the greater the percentage of royalties you keep. Earnings top out at 30%.

#7. IStock By Getty Images

A great option for the experienced photographer, iStock by Getty Images requires you to get accepted to be a contributor. This is one of the most well-known stock photo websites, and while royalties start at only 15% (more for exclusive contributors), the high traffic makes it an option that’s well worth your time.

#8. 500XPrime

500X Prime offers high royalties for contributing photographers — 30% for non-exclusive and 60% with exclusive content. Each photo is reviewed prior to licensing for technical quality, originality, aesthetic value, and other requirements.Plus, their proprietary “Pulse” algorithm is designed to surface the submissions of new photographers so they can gain feedback and increase their exposure.

#9. Twenty20

Twenty20 is a part of the Envato ecosystem, which is an array of marketplaces for creative producers that offers everything from website templates to visual assets for use in video games.

If your photo gallery makes the Curated Collections, you’ll gain increased exposure on Twenty20’s website. Check out the Sold Feed to see what photos are selling in real time to help guide you on what to shoot.

Twenty20’s Subscriber Share is a more complicated payout structure than most, but it rewards photographers who have devoted, niche followings.

#10. DepositPhotos

Like Getty Images, DepositPhotos requires photographers to pass a short test and submit sample photos before they start uploading. Their compensation structure is generous: contributors earn 34% to 42% royalties from on-demand photos and $0.30 to $0.35 from subscription files. You can also level up your pay grade based on your overall amount of downloads. The more downloads your photos get, the greater your royalties on all your photos.

#11. Dreamstime

Dreamstime has been selling photographers’ stock photos since 2000. With a worldwide audience, the site supports multiple currencies and languages. It doesn’t require prior approval or testing to upload, but it does vet images to meet standards of commercial and creative appeal. Payouts range from 25% royalties for newbies to 60% for exclusive contributors.

Photos On Merchandise

You can create additional value by turning your photos into items for sale — especially if you have graphic design skills to create fresh, new images. From t-shirts to coffee mugs to wall hangings, there are online markets for all sorts of widgets to sell with your decorative photos.

#12. Etsy

On Etsy, you can sell prints, canvases, framed photos or digital image files — it’s all up to you. Opening your shop on their website is easy and free, and listing each item costs only 20 cents. Etsy handles the transaction while you do all the printing, packaging and shipping.

#13. Merch By Amazon

You can turn your art into t-shirts with Merch by Amazon. Amazon takes care of the business side of t-shirt production (printing, shipping and handling, and payment). Plus, they produce t-shirts as they’re ordered, so you don’t pay anything upfront (and you’re not stuck with boxes of t-shirts you can’t sell cluttering up your garage). Royalties are $1 to $10 per shirt.

#14. MiPic

If you want to go a step beyond t-shirts, MiPic can turn your photos into leggings, swimsuits, towels and more. Open your own customized print store and earn up to 20% commission on the sale of your items. There are no setup fees, and MiPic takes care of all of the manufacturing, sales and distribution aspects of the business.

#15. Society6

Society6 is more than just an online marketplace for selling items with your photos on them; it’s also a community of artists to engage with and inspire you. The website is very artist-focused, which is why they offer 10% commission on referred sales in addition to the 10% you make on your own items.

#16. Redbubble

Redbubble gives you a lot more leeway on setting your own prices than other photo sites. Rather than the website setting the price, then paying you a commission, Redbubble sets the base price, then you choose the markup on your items for sale. They offer a wide range of products to display your images, from scarves to coasters to journals.

#17. Instaprints

Instaprints has several unique marketing tools to increase your sales and exposure. You can sell on Facebook, through retail stores, and even license your art for the walls of TV show sets! The Instaprints mobile app lets customers see how your image will look on their wall before they buy.

Most features come with a free account, but premium members can access additional options like building your own website and sending promotional emails.

I will regularly share the high-quality content of the blog in order to help more people.

#make money online #make money at home #quick cash #money making blog #make money 2021 #investment advice #Investment and financial management #virtual currency #make money on instagram #Hackers make money

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weemsbotts · 4 years ago

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All That Glitters is Not Gold: Stories from the Mine

By: Lisa Timmerman, Executive Director

In 1889, the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine opened and operated, eventually changing ownership from the Cabin Branch Mining Company to the American Agricultural Chemical Company before its closure in 1920. After the devastation of the Civil War, the discovery of “fool’s gold”, aka iron sulfide, was a boon to the local economy as sulfur was an ingredient in items such as soap, glass, rubber, fertilizer, and the production of gunpowder for World War I. While companies and businessmen profited from this venture, the 200-300 laborers, including children, risked their lives for small wages and often unsafe working conditions.

In 11/1899, the Fredericksburg Free Lance described the operations with predictions for its future, “Three shafts have been sunk about 140 feet deep, and tons of ore are gotten out daily by a force of 60 men. The ore is shipped by the company’s own 7 miles of well built narrow gauge road to a point in the Potomac River. The sum of $500 to $600 is paid by this firm [Dedrick & Co.] weekly for labor. The whole surrounding country seems a bed of pyrites ore and a bright future is before Dumfries.” The mine became a major industry to the area with 70 buildings (company store, blacksmith shop, hen house, icehouse) and employed both black and white persons but housed them separately. Crews worked the mine in 10-12 hour shifts as the mine operated 24 hours a day, pay ranging from 50 cents (children’s daily pay) to potentially $4.25 a day/shift. Crews consisted of blasters, persons who ignited the dynamite and supervised others, powdermen responsible for carrying and placing blasting powder, muckers who loaded ore into wagons, cart pushers who transported the ore to the surface, and timberman who provided stability to the shafts with wooden. The mine employed children to sort the ore into piles based on size. The Mine generally assigned black persons to lower positions and the wages did not reflect the reality of supporting a family; instead, the Cabin Branch Community (Hickory Ridge, Joplin and Batestown) supported each other and relied upon being self-sufficient by growing crops, hunting, and taking multiple jobs. One unidentified black woman in her 50s noted, “…His father was one of those that worked in the mines and of course it was hard work. They would go in there and stay for…he couldn’t recall whether it was days or months because he was so young. He remembered his dad going away, staying for a long time, and finally coming. And then, he could see him coming from the distance and he would see him covered with the soot and grime and all. And it just seemed like he was gone forever…” Another person remembered, “Everybody was really blessed an not really deprived…They were a self-contained community. They were pretty proud of…the fact that they pulled together and they could make it together.”

(Cabin Branch Mine Coupon Book, Coupons worth 10 cents)

Accidents certainly happened with reports appearing in local newspapers. On 06/13/1903, the Alexandria Gazette reported “A colored man, named Smith, about 40 years old, was taken to Washington from Dumfries, early last night. Smith was suffering from numerous injuries…In the mine there is an incline railway on which cars weighing 1,200lbs when empty are need to carry the ore to the opening of the mine. Smith was struck by one of these cars, by so severely injured that Dr. William P. Canton surgeon for the company, deemed it necessary to have him taken to Washington.” Mr. Smith suffered from a broken right leg, both shoulder blades dislocated, and a splintered upper jaw. Turning to a transcribed partial list of laborers compiled by Ronald Turner, we find two potential Smith’s – Bord Smith and Robert Smith, both noted as laborers further identified by their race. While the prognosis for recovery was good, deaths also occurred in the mine, and the resulting court cases provide an enormous wealth of information about mine operations.

In the case Quinton L. Hutchinson’s Administrator vs. Cabin Branch Mining Company, Climenia Hutchinson, the widow and mother of their infant child, sued the mine for 10,000 in 1909, “…a large and ponderous mass of stone, slate, mineral and earth fell from the side of the said mine and in and upon said plaintiff’s intestate, without any negligence or fault on the part of said plaintiff’s intestate, and by such falling in of said stone, slate, mineral and earth so negligently permitted to hang loosely in and about said mine and the sides thereof, the said Quinton L. Hutchinson, plaintiff’s intestate, was injured and crushed about the body, back and hips and so injured that he died shortly thereafter, to-wit…” Physicians examining the body noted he had bruising over his entire abdomen along with displaced segments of his spinal column, with ruptured internal blood vessels caused by pressure of the material. The plaintiff called upon many laborers in the mine to testify regarding the day of the accident and the conditions of the mine, including Mr. J. Clarence Williams, born “Well, Dumfries is as close as I could get at it”, as Mr. Williams was present at the time of Mr. Hutchinson’s death and personally knew him. The mine employed Mr. Williams as a mucker, receiving a 1.50 a day/shift, he testified to the condition of the mine and the chain of command – the defense questioning his experience and specifically asking about the race of the men working near where Mr. Hutchinson died. Frank G. Williams, race not identified, worked the machine, and received $2.00 a day/shift – he was with Mr. Hutchinson at the time of his death. “Well, of course, I know he was killed, that’s all. A piece came over on him and he hollered, and for a second or two, I didn’t know hardly what had happed for a second or two.” An estimated two-ton piece of ore or slate fell and pinned Mr. Hutchinson. Based on witness testimonies and mine policies, the court instructed the jury to determine eleven issues, ranging from workplace safety to the possible negligence of Mr. Hutchinson – however, the jury needed to determine if the mine could have averted the accident after discovery of any supposed worker negligence. The jury awarded Mrs. Hutchinson assessing her damage at $1750.00. Cabin Branch Mining Company quickly appealed and won when the Prince William County Court reversed the decision, stating the judgment was erroneous, and ordered Mrs. Hutchinson to pay the costs “…expended in the prosecution of its writ of error”, a total of $357.55. According to our records, the family buried Mr. Hutchinson in Dumfries Cemetery, born in 1882 and died in 1909.

(Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine, 1907, National Park Service)

Many of the men interviewed lived in or near Dumfries and worked in the mine for over ten years – some even continued working for the company but not in the section where Mr. Hutchinson died. White miners lived in Dumfries, some rented from the Merchant family (now the Weems-Botts Museum), while the black laborers in the records noted they lived as close as they could to Dumfries and identified it as home although the town remained segregated. By 1920, the mine no longer operated due to a variety of factors, ranging from a marked decrease in demand of gunpowder after WWI and the discovery of cheaper sulfur elsewhere.

National Park Services owns the property today and you can even walk the Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine Trail leading you to Quantico Creek and other foundations of the Park’s past life as a mining industry. While there are scattered traces of the Mine operations and even a burial of one of the miners, we rely upon oral histories, court records, letters, folklore, and other sources to help tell the stories from the mines.

Note: April is rushing in and The Weems-Botts Museum is ready with three virtual opportunities! From preparing for the cicadas with your family & friends to having a tea basket arranged for you, we are here to provide interesting, varied, and delicious programming! Click here to find links to all of our seasonal programs!

(Sources: HDVI Archives: Cabin Branch Mine Newspapers transcribed and compiled by William Schneck, 04/29/2010 ; Payne-Jackson, Arvilla and Sue Ann Taylor, Prince William Forest Park: The African American Experience, National Park Service National Capital Area, 06/2000; Turner, Ronald R. American Agricultural Chemical Company & Cabin Branch Mining Company Workers Dumfries, VA 1910-1920, accessed on 03/24/2021 via http://pwcvirginia.com/sites-structures.htm; National Park Services: Prince William Forest: Cabin Branch Pyrite Mine (1889-1920), https://www.nps.gov/prwi/learn/historyculture/cabin-branch-mine.htm; )

#community #localhistory #princewilliamstrong #historyathome #museumfromhome #archives #oralhistory #primary sources #virginiahistory #courtcases #mining #foolsgold #worldwarone #localeconomy

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thesolpack · 4 years ago

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So public access is tomorrow

My two cents for incoming PA wolves for things mentioned but not heavily emphasized in any of the guides I personally came across. This is all personal opinion and advise.

Territory Selection

I would personally start off in either the Grasslands or the Deciduous Forest as opposed to the Mountain because the former have a beaver encounter in explore which may reward a beaver carcass (8 uses). Since they don't sell very well at the racoon and have high number of uses, this is almost what my wolves ate exclusively for the first week.

Battle

Each action you take in a battle have an energy cost associated with the action, and more often than not it will require more than 10 energy to complete a battle. When you reach 0 energy, the amount of damage you deal to the opponent will be reduced. This means it is no longer beneficial to battle an enemy at low energy, as the chance of you losing (HP and the battle) are greatly increased.

It may not be worth it to battle enemies of significant lower level than you. The chance of losing the battle and HP is still very present, and the exp gained may not justify the cost in energy and HP. Personally, at level 10 I stopped fighting enemies below level 8, unless for the snake's quest. At level 13 I almost exclusively fight enemies level 15+ with the help of lucky foot.

When you gain the status of bleeding during battle and 1. did not recover using rest and 2. cannot defeat the enemy in the next 2 turns -- run. It does not matter how much energy or HP you've already invested in the battle, the chance of you winning is very slim. Therefore it is not beneficial to waste anymore HP or energy.

Desert is a great place to heal up. It's got many explore encounters that heals large number of HP. The one I recall is eating a flower, which awards you +8HP.

Scout

At some point (for me it was at the swamp), you will notice that your scout cannot be sent to discover a certain biome unless it is at a high percentage of energy. I recall someone at chat not being able to scout swamp unless the wolf was at 100% energy.

This is intentional and can be explained as follows. Each biome has a set number of points that needs to be discovered, depending on the difficulty. For example, an easy biome may have 50 where a difficult one may have 300. For a wolf to be eligible to scout the biome it need to be able to completely explore at least one point. Every 10% energy your wolf have increases the amount they can scout. For example, at 50% energy the wolf may not be able to scout a whole point, which is why it cannot be send. However, at 100% energy the wolf can scout a whole point, which is why it can be send.

How well a scout do depends on their proficiency as well as stats. Therefore, when two wolves with different stats are both at 100% proficiency, the one with higher stats will be able to scout faster and more than the one with lower stats. Exact stat will depend on the biome you are scouting in (refer to Grouse House guides).

#wolvden

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aliyasheikh001 · 4 years ago

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Career In Bioinformatics: Is It Worth?

What is Bioinformatics?

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field concerned with developing and applying methods from computer science to biological problems. For example, the Human Genome Project, which was completed in 2001, wouldn't have been possible without the contribution of intricate bioinformatic algorithms, which were critical for the assembly of millions of short sequences that are molecular.

Bioinformaticians need a background that is solid computer science but also a good understanding of biology. Since bioinformaticians work closely with biologists, they need to communicate complex topics in a way that is understandable to keep up-to-date with new developments in biology.

Studying Bioinformatics

I took part in a preparatory maths course at university before studying Bioinformatics at Saarland University. It turned out to be a smart decision to take that course for university because I realized that my high-school education was not as comprehensive as necessary to prepare me. For example, only in the preparatory time learned about proofs by induction or set theory.

I understood why the university offered preparatory maths courses: the maths lectures were brutal when I started my studies. There would usually be two lectures, each spanning two hours a week. The approach was the following in terms of teaching. The lecturer would scribble definitions and proofs onto the blackboard, and the students would try to keep up with the dizzying pace. Due to the short lecture speed, I always felt that attending the courses didn't help me learn the material.

In my Bachelor's bioinformatics curriculum, roughly 70% of the program's credit points had to be earned in computer science (e.g. programming, algorithms and data structures, concurrency) and maths courses (e.g. Analysis, algebra, stochastics). In contrast, the remainder of the credits could be obtained from the full life sciences. I felt that the first three terms at university were the hardest because each semester featured a maths and a computer science course that is basic. The semesters that are later a more significant share of Bioinformatics courses as well as more hands-on seminars.

Comparing life-science and computer-science courses, I found the life-science procedures much more straightforward and less effort. While life-science lectures just required attending the classes and passing the exam, computer-science methods involved much more work. There are weekly tutorials where the solutions to the assignments are weekly discussed. Additionally, some classes featured short (15 minutes) tests. In these classes, it was usually necessary to reach 50% of the maximum score in the assignments and tests to take the exam (either only a single exam or a mid-term and end-term exam).

What differentiates the Master's through the Bachelor's system is that it is more research-oriented and allows for much greater specialization. Including, I used my Master's to consider machine methods that can be learning as supervised learning or reinforcement learning. The Master's thesis uses up a much more significant element of the total credit points than the Bachelor's thesis. Therefore abilities such as, for instance, literary works analysis, method development, and scientific writing become even more critical in terms of research.

Job Leads as being a Bioinformatics Graduate

Learning bioinformatics, I happened to be often expected where you could act as a bioinformatician. About 80% of bioinformatics place have been in research or the public sector. The issue with research jobs is that they're usually fixed-term (age. g. two years) because these positions in many cases are financed task that is using. Into the public sector, bioinformaticians are often desired in the medical industry (e.g. in hospitals) plus in health-related federal government institutions. The benefit of roles in the public sector is the fact that they've been usually permanent. Nonetheless, employment in an organization that is the general public as being a hospital often involves method administration duties such as, for instance, starting computers and databases - tasks that have little to accomplish with bioinformatics itself. Furthermore, both research and public-sector positions provide fair salaries being low to industry.

In my estimation, no more than 20% of bioinformatics jobs come in the industry. How come the percentage therefore low? The main reason is the only industry sector that employs bioinformaticians is big pharma, within my view. Right here, bioinformaticians are expected to perform tasks such instance:

• Modeling: Estimation of protein structures and simulation of molecular interactions

• Data processing: processing and evaluating sequencing information, for example, from next-generation sequencing or sequencing that is single-cell

• Virtual screening: breakthrough of leads (prospective brand new medications) using computational practices

• Data technology: Analysis and interpretation of data

Since bioinformatics is very research-oriented and industry jobs are few, many graduates (maybe 40%) join PhD programs. The people industry joining work in non-bioinformatics roles is an example, since it consultants, software designers, solutions architects, or information scientists.

Some individuals advise against studying bioinformatics because it is difficult to find an operating task afterwards. I didn't have that experience at all, and I received a job that is numerous from recruiters. I might argue that having a bioinformatics degree, job prospects are acceptable due to the fact bioinformaticians have a particular skill, helping to make them appealing for organizations:

• Bioinformatics graduates exhibit the traits of T-shaped experts. This permits them to execute many different tasks and to behave as facilitators in interdisciplinary teams.

• Bioinformatics graduates often have more experience that is useful software than computer-science graduates.

• Bioinformatics graduates are keen learners. Their proficiency in numerous disciplines shows that they can effortlessly conform to situations being brand new.

Advice to Prospective Bioinformatics Pupils and Graduates

Whether I would study bioinformatics again, I might be torn backwards and forwards if you asked me. Regarding the one hand, I must say I liked the variety of the bioinformatics system, and, with a degree in bioinformatics, many jobs are possible. The economic truth is there are few bioinformatics roles, so when you take a non-bioinformatics work, all your specialized knowledge decreases the drain having said that. Hence, I could also imagine studying a less subject specialized as computer or data science.

If you are thinking about studying bioinformatics, here are a few bits of advice:

• Do not study Bioinformatics if you hate maths. Especially the semesters that are first maths-intensive.

• Do no study Bioinformatics that it is very similar to studying biology if you were to think. Keep in mind that bioinformatics is more associated with computer technology than biology. You will find excessively biologists, which can be a few results in the change to bioinformatics.

• if you aim to operate as a bioinformatician in industry, plan. Remember to take courses that are industry-relevant forge industry connections, for example, through internships.

• Be flexible in your career ambitions. After graduating, you could not act as a bioinformatician. Nonetheless, you won't have problems locating a place when you have good programming and information analysis abilities.

Bioinformatics Versus Data Science

• possibly the most useful definition of "bioinformatics" is processing and analyzing large-scale genomics and other biological datasets to develop biological insights. As a result, other terms are often used, such as "computational genomics" and data that are "genomic."

• Data science is a little broader, mostly a more general term whose meaning is similar to bioinformatics minus the focus of biological processing and evaluating large-scale datasets to produce insights.

• in an article in Towards Data Science by Altuna Akalin, who cites audacity.

An information scientist's primary abilities include programming, machine learning, data, data wrangling, data visualization and communication, and data intuition, which probably means troubleshooting data concerns that are analysis-related.

• What comes up in bioinformatics is domain-specific information processing and quality checking, fundamental information transformation and filtering, statistics and device learning, domain-specific analytical tools and information visualization and integration, capacity to write code (programming), the power to communicate insights which can be data-driven.

• the difference that is key in Akalin's definitions is "certain domain data." The domain is genomic, proteomic, hereditary, and healthcare-related information in life sciences. It does not necessarily add sales and data, which are economical. Another method of putting it's that a bioinformatics professional is probable an information scientist; however, a data scientist is not necessarily a bioinformatician.

Bioinformatics Facts & Figures

• Persistence Market Research recently published a report, "Global Market Study on Bioinformatics – Asia to Witness Fastest Growth by 2020," which valued the worldwide bioinformatics market at $4.110 billion in 2014 but likely to grow at an annual mixture growth (CAGR) of 20.4 % from 2014 to 2020, hitting 12.542 billion in 2020.

• The Future of Jobs Survey 2018 by the World Economic Forum estimates that 85 per cent of surveyed businesses tend or very likely to consider data analytics being big. It also indicated that the revolution that is "industrial create 133 million brand new job functions and that 75 million jobs are disappearing by 2020."

• And yes, you guessed it, many of the jobs which are now in the regions of information technology and bioinformatics. In reality, the #1 top ten job champion ended up being "data analysts and scientists" followed closely by "artificial intelligence and machine learning specialists." The number 4 spot was data that are "big," followed by "digital transformation experts" (#5), "software and applications developers and analysts" (#9) and "information technology services." (#10).

• together with job outlook for bioinformatics for 2018 to 2026? The Bioinformatics Home weblog writes, "The easy reply to this real question is that the overall outlook is excellent, the demand outweighs the supply. However, the devil is within the details as usual. Nevertheless, it's good to become a bioinformatics scientist."

Job Titles and Search Terms

• Although "bioinformatician" could be a certain job, and there are various keywords that are frequently related, including bioinformatics.

Bioengineering, computational science, pc software engineering, device learning, math, data, molecular biology, biochemistry, computer technology, biostatistics, biomedical engineering, engineering, biology, information systems, genomics, computational biology, information science, and epidemiology.

• a search that is single BioSpace developed over 100 jobs mainly using "bioinformatics." The idea being: biostatisticians in the space that is biopharma to have a good comprehension of both data science and particular aspects of the life span sciences.

• Akalin had written, you're kept with most of the information science skillset plus some more "If you eliminate the particular domain needs from the bioinformatics set of skills. Individuals who result in the switch from bioinformatics to information technology will most need that is likely to adjust to the company's information organization and circulation environment. The issues are from a different domain, so they will have to adjust to that also. But the same would be true, at the least to some degree, for the data researchers jobs that are switching various employers."

• Akalin also points out that much of the difference is regarding mindset, particularly in academia to industry. Several information researchers who switched to bioinformatics or vice versa said that the sector is more product-oriented and customer and that the models needed on the market require more maintenance. "Besides," Akalin writes, discussing Markus Schuler, "he shares the idea itself is as important in product-oriented thinking that you don't constantly select the coolest and the most useful models; other factors like operating time, execution demands, scalability and architecture fit and also interpretability for the model. However, in terms of skills, he adds that bioinformatics and data technology is very comparable if not identical."

Job Growth and Median Wages

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics doesn't execute a task that is great of down specializations like data science and bioinformatics, tending to lump everything under Mathematicians and Statisticians. The BLS claims the task outlook from 2016 to 2026 is 33 per cent, much faster than average, and that the median pay in 2017 ended up being $84,760 with a Master's Degree for that category. Statisticians were cited among the fastest-growing occupations, at 34 per cent, and epidemiologists have an improvement rate of 9 per cent and pay that is median of Master's Degree prospect of $69,660.

• In 2018, O*NET OnLine, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, projected task development for bioinformatics researchers within the U.S. to be 5 to 9 % and as high as 12 % in California. They launched that from 2016 to 2026, there is 3,700 new job, and that total employment in 2016 had been 39,000 staffers. Based on the study, the same median wages in 2017 were $76,690 yearly for bioinformatics boffins and $47,700 for specialists.

While the Bioinformatics Home blog correctly notes, "In any case, median salaries give just a proven fact that is vague of because the wages differ enormously between quantities of employment."

Do you want more informational blogs Click here

#career #careeradvice #Careerideas

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blackdreamsoffashion · 4 years ago

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It’s August 7th and unfortunately, things have gotten exponentially worse…. in the U.S. because the rest of the world has generally gotten their shit together.

As things continue to worsen and we wait for the ticking time bomb that is K-12 schools and universities opening for F2F instruction… prior to having a vaccine, there honestly doesn’t seem to be a real end in sight (unless I move to Canada, and I may or may not have been researching how to become a Canadian citizen).

Most of the time, I’m ok with this. I’m a big girl, I understand that life is hard, things happen, “it is what it is” (barf), but there are some days where the realization that I’ll be living through these Covid times indefinitely, truly knocks the wind out of me.

While I’m generally a home body, I do like the option of being able to leave my house. I miss being able to visit family and friends without worrying about infecting each other. I miss the gym, and coffee shops, and Marshall’s, and thrift stores. I could go on and on about what I miss, but I’ll spare you since I’m sure everyone has things they’re missing right now.

On these hard days, and throughout the pandemic in general, I’ve tried to find ways to feel somewhat “normal”, and luckily with the help of my therapist and suggestions from friends, I’ve felt ok most days and I don’t curl up and cry on the floor for hours on the hard days either (even though a good cry is always good for the soul).

So, I thought I’d share my tips.

Being a teacher and all, it’s in my nature.

1. Tip 1: Keep a loose schedule

In the beginning of the pandemic, I found that I was trying to just go with the flow. I didn’t have any sort of schedule and I quickly learning that everything just started to blend together, in a negative way. When you come from a structured life style, i.e. teaching classes, waking up, eating , working out, dissertating, etc. all at a set time, having no structure feels hard after a while! So, I created a very loose, very flexible schedule, as I found it gave me something to look forward to, while helping my life to feel more normal. For example, my days are generally: wake up around 7:30/8, listen to a podcast or two while eating, from 9 until 12 it’s open to what I want (maybe running, going for a walk, reading, cleaning, etc.). 12:30 is lunch followed by coffee and a dessert. 1-5 I try to complete some school/work related tasks. 5:30-6:30 I cook and have dinner. After dinner, we might go for another walk… or another dessert. I might dance to ratchet music for 20-30 minutes (also good for the soul, trust me), or I might do some things around the house. 9:30-11:30 I watch Netflix. So as you can see, it’s super loose, and the only things that are truly set are my meal times… otherwise I’d be eating constantly all day. The first month of covid, we spent about $600 on food….for two people…. and our budget is 250-300 a month #yikes. By having some things to look forward to though, it helps my days to run a bit smoother. But let’s be honest, we all know it’s the dessert after lunch that keeps me going LOL.

2. Tip 2: Find you hobby

Considering the way American culture and society is set up (insert side-eye here), our lives are often centered around work/school and other obligations, and we rarely have time to pursue other things. Therefore, I’ve tried to really take advantage of having to be home by incorporating some old hobbies back into my life, and even trying new ones. I’ve been flying through angsty Mangas and Animes and repurposing/revamping thrifted furniture/ people trash.

I even made a children’s book for my nephew centered around him and my sister!

I’m also trying to expand the inventories of bread I can make. I’m happily at a solid 1.5 different loaves. I say 1.5 because the second type only comes out well 50% of the time LOL.

There are so many things you can do such as an online cooking class, a Zoom paint-with-a twist, drawing, photography, running, gardening, learning a new language or skill, becoming an indoor plant mom, etc.

I am especially biased towards activities that involve moving the body. NUMEROUS studies (no I’m not looking them up/linking them b/c I do enough of that as an academic, so you can look up studies yourself!) have found that exercise helps with anxiety and depression (I can attest to this), with mental clarity and focus (I can also attest to this), it helps you sleep better, and it also helps with your immune system, blood pressure, and hormone regulation. My moods are always consistently better when I exercise vs. when I don’t. When I don’t I can become a crazy bish….

3. Tip 3: Take social media breaks

I do this and I have several friends who do this as well. Yes it is important to be connected and social media can facilitate that. However, it is extremely important to monitor/control what we consume. The world, especially the U.S. is NOT a pretty place right now. Our feeds are filled with Black men and women losing their lives to police, families being ripped apart due to Covid-related deaths, thousands of deaths in Lebanon, a humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and the list goes on and on. Taking breaks from constant exposure to that is crucial to maintaining our mental health. I know it’s easier said than done, and studies have shown that social media is a literal addition, but I find that it helps to set small goals, which can be done easily with i-phones. Simply set a limit to the amount of time you’re able to use social media apps (through the i-phone settings), and it will lock you out of the app once you reach that time limit.

4. Tip 4: The Calm app

I cannot express how in love I am with the Calm app. I believe it’s $70 a year but given that I use it everyday, that’s essentially .20 cents a day. Trust me, it’s wellll worth it. The app includes things like guided meditations, bedtime stories, daily mood check-ins, sound scapes, 7-days of gratitude, and help for anxiety, confidence, relationships, stress, emotions, etc. etc. TBH, you should have bought it when I said .20 cents a day! This app helped me through graduate school as I struggled with stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation, and it continues to help me with those same things as I transition into a new work environment and of course, Covid.

Lastly, I’m not sure whether this is a tip or not due to its broadness but, if I’ve learned anything from all of this craziness, it’s to do things meaningfully and with intention. It’s soooo easy to agree to 1000 Zoom get-togethers when you’re not interacting with other humans, but it gets to a point where we’re just doing things to do them. Like social media. We scroll just because. We binge shop online (maybe just me…), we watch a million shows on Netflix, we eat ALL the cookies/make constant trips just because. Although it’s not easy, I try to be in tune with myself and my needs by being present, and asking myself WHY. Why are you going in the fridge again, Sherez? Are you hungry, or eating to eat? Why did you say yes to that Zoom hang out when you just spoke with that person two days ago (what could have possibly happened in two days during Covid LOL).

I do slip up, often, but I try my damn best. Trying helps me to make it through the hard days, and it makes the other days as close to normal as it’s gonna get, for now.

Any who, I hope this is able to help someone out there in the black void that is the internet.

Goodluck my friends! Sending back the love + light that I’ve received from so many of you. We’ll get through this, poco a poco, and we are in this together…… despite American society’s push for individualism (*cough, cough*).

Until the next one!

S.M.

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Surviving the pandemic hard days: Tips from me + the community It's August 7th and unfortunately, things have gotten exponentially worse.... in the U.S. because the rest of the world has generally gotten their shit together.

#community #Covid #health #society #tips

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capfish8 · 4 years ago

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Leading 10 Finest Dublin Removals For 2020

Man With A Van Dublin

Content

Cost Of Moving Residence

Part Lots Removals.

I Required A Removal Company However My Relocate Is Truly Short Notice.

Elements That Influence Your Moving Prices.

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We Provide Cost Effective Removal Services In Dublin:

While it's an expense that many individuals would rather not bother with, it can be a life saver if unanticipated damages do occur. Depending upon the cover you need for the worth of your valuables, insurance policy can set you back anywhere from $200 to $1,000. We provide a series of services to improve business relocations and give more value for your organization. That being stated, moving in your own vehicle isn't a choice for most individuals.

How do you pack a messy house?

How to Move a Messy Room 1. 1) Organize your home before you pack up. Place your clothes and items into three piles: “Keep,” “Throw Away” and “Donate.” You don't need all that old junk dragging you down, so downsizing can be refreshing. 2. 2) Pack a separate “essentials” bag. 3. 3) Label your packing boxes. 4. 4) Try a moving app.

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Is Mayflower moving expensive?

Mayflower is a full-service, long-distance moving company. Mayflower Moving Costs.Home TypeWeight of Household ItemsAvg. Cost 1,000-Mile Move3-Bedroom House7,500-10,000 lbs.$5,000-$7,5004-Bedroom House12,000-15,000 lbs.$8,000-$10,0005-Bedroom House17,000-20,000 lbs.$11,000-$15,0003 more rows•6 May 2020

It will certainly cost someplace in between $50 and $100 for a complete set of boxes, depending upon how many things you possess. HireaHelper is a marketplace where you can work with movers to aid you on a per hour basis. This is a fantastic alternative if you're just trying to find some added hands to load a rental truck or pack a moving container.

Cost Of Moving Home

You likewise need to think of buying things like bubble cover, sealing tape, mattress covers, and locks. You definitely don't desire your possessions damaging en route!

They were on time as well as with 2 shipment factors they paid attention and prepared their packing of the vehicle accordingly. Many thanks to David and Anthony who were the removal group on the day. The logistics of the relocation had some difficulties but the guys handled it exceptionally well. Moving overseas includes transferring your possessions to a port, having them loaded into a container, unpacking the container at the new area and carrying your valuables to your brand-new house. Therefore, you'll require to get quotes from global removalists to find out just how much it will certainly cost to move your belongings overseas.

Removalists will charge in 15 min increments, so you won't need to pay for a full hr if they take 15 mins or half an hour much longer to complete the job. When you market a residence, moving can be among those concealed prices of offering you fail to remember to think of. It depends on a variety of variables, however it's an expense you don't wish to forget to consider. Relying on your scenarios, moving can be extra pricey than you might picture. But for a 3-bedroom house, you would probably not expect to pay a lot less than $1400.

You can upload anything from a plant you want to transfer to your canine to an excavator. So if you were seeking somebody to deliver your bulldozer throughout the nation, you've located the ideal system in uShip. Obviously, you're most likely to move something like a furniture piece or some boxes. Cargo vans are the suitable alternative for those that desire a Do It Yourself relocation without requiring the room of a moving truck. Making it through traffic and also auto parking is significantly easier in a cargo van than in a moving vehicle.

You need to tip your moving companies $4-5 for every hr they aided you. So if your action just took 4 hrs and you were impressed with the solution, tipping $16-$ 20 to every mover is thought about a suitable total up to pointer.

While it holds true that they are earning money to assist you move, a tiny sum to reveal your admiration for their hard work will certainly make their day. A few of our clients have actually informed us that discovering a moderately valued residence with all the services you have in your current home, plus all the new space you desire in a community you enjoy can be a tricky proposition. Although picking to move or remodel is greater than simply an economic choice, the solution is clear -adding onto the existing home beats out moving from a bucks and also cents viewpoint. If you like your community, and also you don't already have the most significant or most pricey home on the block, you're better off monetarily if you redesign your house to suit your demands as well as stay.

How much do removals companies cost?

For local moves, removal companies charge an average of £50-£60 per hour for 2 men and a van with a 2-hour minimum charge. For long distance moves, removals charge a fixed price anywhere between £450 for a 1 bed flat and £1000 for a 4 bedroom house.

There's man with a van in moving in a vehicle that you're currently acquainted with. You need to locate a way to get your items to the terminal as well as from the arrival terminal. Like a moving truck, you will certainly be charged by mileage and you will certainly be called for to do every one of the training as well as filling on your own.

As you can see, preparing and also carrying out a step for a stone, brick, or block home is a huge offer that requires time, organization, and also money. Nonetheless, the benefits of moving a house, in our experience, constantly exceed the downsides.

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The sector is fraught with dubious moving companies and scammers. If you have the means and aren't interested in doing any of the hefty training, moving companies are your best option. Full-service moving companies will deal with all the loading, driving, as well as discharging. They can even go as far as to pack your boxes for you, however the majority of people opt to do it themselves.

Our group shares a crave quality and also for completing a task right the first time. The average expense for a long-distance moving solution will run you around $4,000. This article is for the house owner with a coming close to move who intends to make certain that their moving team receives a proper idea for their solutions.

Nevertheless, if the action was an all the time venture, tipping a max of $40 each is an excellent general rule. Unless you received absolutely horrendous solution, it is constantly respectful to tip your movers.

One point that a great deal of people neglect to consider is the rate of transferring pets. If you do have area in your auto for your pets, this might not be an issue. Yet if you do not desire your pet cat shouting at you for numerous days, paying to deliver your family pets may be a far better option. Moving your family pets by auto or air will cost someplace in between $200 and also $400.

You can conserve cash by doing some work, but you require to set time apart to do them. Eventually this is for you and also your removalist to figure out. A fair price is not likely to be way too much less than the priced estimate cost, however. Usually removalists. are accountable for moving items from one location to an additional. They're not usually employed to clean up the place you're moving from, or arrange the area that you're moving to.

Penske, Budget Plan, and U-Haul all will certainly price match versus each other, so get quotes from all 3 even if you favor a specific company. The boys called the evening before asking if they might start a little bit earlier prior to the warmth of the day truly kicked in and recommended that they would call half an hour out.

If you are intending on packing on your own, you will require to get packing boxes. These can set you back anywhere from $4 to $17 depending on the dimension and also style of box you desire.

One of the major benefits of this sort of action besides saving cash, is you are moving your vehicle as well as your items. It's also a real advantage that the obligation is your very own.

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This is a good strategy for those who don't have the moment to dedicate to the routine of packaging, or for those who have useful items that should be treated with specialist treatment.

Actually, employing moving companies is one option amongst several as well as probably the most expensive choice.

Just because you're moving, doesn't mean you need to work with a moving company to move your things.

So if you intend to save cash on your action, then take a look at these alternative means to move that can save you money and sometimes, could be the only means you can get your things from your old home to the new place.

This need to cover replacements for any kind of things that are harmed or shed while en route.

Usually you may need to pay a fair little bit extra, particularly if you're proposing than 50 kilometres away, and even interstate. The price will always depend upon the size of the work, the determination of the removalists to supply various rates, and also the variety of moving companies you'll be hiring. Yet a common cost is about $100 per hour for two removalists If you're hiring 3 removalists, expect to pay closer to $140 per hour. Generally, removalists will operate any place you are prepared to pay them to go.

Few people will want to pay the original price plus the cost of the improvements for your residence. It can be a battle to exercise interstate moving costs.

Don't seem like hiking half-way across the country with an automobile packed with valuables? This saves you from long, exhausting days embeded an auto, and will get you to your location a lot quicker. Depending on where you are moving to, it will cost anywhere in between $1,000 and $3,000 to fly a household of 4 interstate. This will certainly transform of course depending on the airline that you choose and if you are lucky adequate to score a deal when flights go on sale. Don't wish to risk having your treasured properties harmed during the relocation?

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You're likewise probably finest off working with someone else to make all the connections - such as gas, electricity, as well as web - at your brand-new location. Primarily, your choice will hinge on the dimension and quantity of the items that need moving. As well as if there's a fair bit that requires to be moved, there's a great chance it'll be worth it to pay someone else to do the task.

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How can I get free boxes from Walmart?

Go to the fruits and vegetables department and ask a store employee if there are any extra boxes in the back that you can have. Grocery store's especially, as well as places like Walmart, Target, Costco, Sam's Club, etc will all usually have a large supply of empty boxes folded up in the back from inventory shipments.

Take a look at our checklist of the best moving container companies and make use of the moving expense calculator to examine container prices. The most inexpensive container prices for delivering cross countries are usually going to originate from the companies with locations near you on both ends of your step. If a company is nearby in your area yet doesn't have an area nearby in the state you're relocating to, that will add a whole lot to your expense. Budget Alternatives 2020 Best Moving Containers & Storage space Companies We invested 260 hours researching moving container and also storage companies to discover the most effective prices, best customer service, and also fastest deliveries so you don't need to. For those that have more than just boxes, you have actually got a lot of choices when it concerns moving your furnishings as well as individual products.

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With these tips, you'll be much better geared up to make your plans and then enjoy your residence in its new, excellent location. Even in rural setups, communities and also neighborhoods have their own rules and also regulations about the sorts of structures allowed on buildings, as well as they typically rely on whole lot size and zoning. Before moving your residence, you have to make certain that you won't be breaking any kind of building codes or guidelines by moving it to a brand-new location.

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How much does it cost to build a house in California?

Residential Construction Costs by StateStateAverage Cost RangeArizona$200,000 - $625,000California$200,600 - $600,000Colorado$300,000 - $500,000Connecticut$300,000 - $800,00020 more rows

You wish to make certain you have actually selected a reliable removalist that uses insurance policy and has a credibility for delivering on time as well as not harmful personal belongings. Removalists charge by the hour, yet also factor in the problem of the relocation. Prices can vary from $35 to $50 per hour each, yet other charges may use. Transfer prices, insurance and other expenses may not be included in the hourly prices, so be sure to request for the complete price of moving.

Do I get my mortgage deposit back?

Do you get your mortgage deposit back? If the purchase has gone through, then no (unless you want to borrow it and release some of the equity). This is obviously not possible for those with negative equity, but if you sell the property at a profit, you can recoup some of the capital you put down.

What'S The Average Cost To Work With Moving Companies Far Away?

A removalist company will certainly offer a range of services for you to choose from to make your action as easy as you want it to be. A removalist can load as well as unload all your valuables, established your new house for you, and some might even assist with the clean-up process of your old residence. Employing a professional moving company aids alleviate a lot of the stress and anxiety and discomfort related to moving. By choosing a removalist with economical prices, you guarantee your action goes as efficiently as possible-- without breaking the financial institution. When you get quotes, be sure they are itemised so you recognize what you're paying for.

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thecooksjournal · 5 years ago

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The Art of Eating

“The way you cut your meat reflects the way you live.”

Confucius

Enter any restaurant in Hong Kong and it can be a daunting experience due the various beliefs and etiquette surrounding Asian food. Food is regarded as an extremely important part of everyday life and it is believed to be the foundation for all happiness and success. Superstition and tradition play a big part in all realms of Chinese society and dining therefore is no exception. It is always advisable to have a basic knowledge of what is acceptable at the table and perhaps more importantly what is not, so that you can avoid causing offence to your fellow diners. Sometimes even the simplest actions can have deep meanings, which are not always evident to the casual observer.

Look around any Dim Sum restaurant and observe your fellow diners and you will notice how their behaviour differs from Western society. People will talk loudly throughout the meal noisily slurping at their noodles without anyone taking the slightest offence. Likewise slurping your soup in public is considered a socially acceptable way of cooling it down before it burns your tongue, a practise which can take some getting used to. This may give the impression that anything goes, but try leaving your chopsticks facing upwards in a bowl of rice on the table and the likelihood is that at least one of your fellow diners will become visually upset and animated. The reason for this is that at Chinese funerals incense sticks are often left upright in bowls to burn in remembrance of the departed. Chopsticks left in the same way are assumed therefore to represent death and so consequently are thought to be very unlucky. Always place your chopsticks parallel across your bowl or on the side of your plate and never upright and no offence will be caused. Some restaurants even provide little ceramic or plastic chopstick stands especially for this purpose. You can even place them on the tablecloth, don’t worry about any marks, as a few stains here and there show that you have actively participated in and enjoyed the meal. Another point worth considering is that you must never cross your chopsticks across your bowl or plate as this forms the sign of an X, which again is considered very unlucky.

The only time it is socially acceptable to cross your chopsticks is in some of the older Dim Sum restaurants where you will occasionally see a waiter crossing chopsticks on the table to signify that the bill has been presented and settled. If you find an uneven pair of chopsticks at your table this is said to be a sign that you will miss your plane, boat or train. Holding chopsticks very high up is thought to signify travelling far away from home while dropping chopsticks on the floor is thought to be unlucky and the portent of some bad luck coming your way. Interestingly chopsticks should be held in the right hand only, even by a left handed diner although this is not as widely practised as in previous generations. Nowadays this is largely ignored although some members of the older generation still regard the use of chopsticks in the left hand to be bad etiquette.

Hong Kong is actually a very liberal and forgiving place and foreign visitors are quickly forgiven for not knowing the correct table etiquette to follow. If as a visitor you learn a few of the customs surrounding dining then your efforts will be appreciated and you will be made to feel more than welcome. I feel that just finding out about these customs is part of the fun of dining and can be quite rewarding. If you make the effort and ask, most people will be happy to explain their customs and the reasons behind the things they do. I must confess I love people watching and enjoy observing people as they go about their day to day business. A restaurant offers me many opportunities to observe my fellow diners and it is surprising to see how very different Asian and Western cultures are when it comes to food.

Traditionally the Chinese like to dine on a round table so that everyone can engage in conversation and not feel left out. Dining on a round table also allows the food to be placed centrally so that everyone can help themselves and feel part of the meal. Food is served in a family style where everyone shares the dishes on the table and single portions are uncommon. This is reflected in the seating plans in most restaurants where you will find abundant tables for family groups and hardly any cosy tables for two. The host will always sit at the head of the table nearest the kitchen or service area, as this is the least favoured position and often the position where the waiter will serve or present the dishes from. The guest of honour normally sits opposite the host in what is considered the best seat at the table and is always offered the best of the food. In a meal in a Chinese household the host would normally apologise with much humility in a display of exaggerated courtesy for the meagre offerings he has provided. The guest of honour would then insist that everything is acceptable and the meal could begin.

Quite often a whole fish may be served as part of the meal and traditionally this would be placed so that the head faces the guest of honour. This is because the head of the fish is regarded as the most nutritious part and as such should be offered to the guest first. The lips and eyes will be offered to the most senior lady at the table as a sign of respect as these are regarded as a great delicacy. Obviously this may come as a bit of a shock if you are new to the culture so beware if you are a senior lady and are ever invited to eat fish with a Chinese family. Lips and eyes may be nice but perhaps not the most convincing way to win a lady’s heart.

Once the guest has taken his fill of the fish he or she will often turn the dish to face the person on their left to signify they have taken sufficient. One thing to remember however is that once all the flesh is removed from one side of the fish you should never under any circumstance turn the fish over. Usually the host or waiter will remove the backbone with chopsticks allowing his guests to get at the flesh below. The reason for never turning the fish over is that in Cantonese society it signifies the capsizing of a boat and by doing this you would be putting bad luck on the table and the local fishermen as well.

Chopsticks can prove problematic to many Westerners but with practise they can be used adeptly by most people. The best way of holding chopsticks I have found through trial and a great deal of error is by placing your thumb over one stick while holding the other stick between the first and second fingers as if it were a pencil. Keep the tips of the chopsticks together by lightly touching the table and remember to move the top stick when picking up food, the base stick held by your thumb should remain stationary. At first you will probably find it easier to hold the chopsticks lower down but as you get more proficient try to handle them higher up around 3 inches from the top as you will find this gives you greater control. In Chinese etiquette the lower down you hold your chopsticks the lower in the social order you are but too near the top and you are regarded as someone who is false, so take care!

Chopsticks have been used for around 5,000 years and probably evolved from the wooden twigs that were first used to retrieve food from the fire. Nowadays they are commonly made of wood, ivory, bone, bamboo, metal or plastic. It is reported that silver chopsticks were used in the Chinese royal palace to ensure that any food for the Emperor was not poisoned. The silver chopsticks would react with certain toxins turning black in the presence of poison and therefore saving the life of the ruler or as was probably more likely the lives of his food tasters. Some people believe that the great scholar Confucius was also instrumental in the development of chopsticks. As a devout vegetarian he believed knives would remind people of slaughterhouses and so should not be used at the table. It is for this reason that Chinese cuisine is always chopped into bite-sized pieces before it reaches the table. Today chopsticks are used extensively in China, Japan, Vietnam, India Malaysia, the Philippines and Korea; they are also used to a certain extent in Thailand although as a nation they have become more westernized since the introduction of Western style utensils by King Rama V in the nineteenth-century.

Far from being peaceful chopsticks have often been used as an effective weapon. Sharpened to a point and dipped in poison they can be thrown with deadly accuracy towards their intended target. I am not sure how effective a weapon they really would be but hey if it works for Bruce Lee then they must be good! The Chinese word for chopsticks is Kuaizi, which literally means to eat fast. The Western name of chopsticks is thought to derive from the English phrase "chop-chop" which means to hurry or get a move on. Chinese and Japanese chopsticks differ, as in general Chinese chopsticks are longer and taper to a blunt end. Japanese chopsticks are slightly shorter and taper to a pointed end presumably due to the high proportion of bony fish in the Japanese diet, which needs greater precision to remove the bones from the flesh. Japanese chopsticks are traditionally made of lacquered wood while Chinese chopsticks can be made of varying materials. Throughout Hong Kong most restaurants now use disposable wooden chopsticks, which come in sealed packs. The sticks are joined and must be broken apart before use; it is then an accepted practise to rub them together away from the table to remove any splinters before eating. At the end of the meal they are discarded, a practise which in an ecologically friendly society is causing concern as in China alone close to 50 billion pairs are thrown away each year. In an effort to reduce this waste a five per cent tax was added to the price of all disposable wooden chopsticks in April 2006.

In Chinese etiquette chopsticks should not be waved in the air and when picking up food and the back of your hand should always face the ceiling at all times. Twisting your chopsticks so that your palm is in view of other diners is regarded as disrespectful and unrefined. Food should never be stabbed with your chopsticks and you should also avoid rooting round with them for the choicest items in the dish. Perhaps the biggest mistake to be aware of is that once you have taken a piece of food you should never return it to the dish. If you are doing this you are saying that the item is not good enough for you but fine for your dining companions whom you see as inferior to yourself!

It is acceptable in China to eat rice from a bowl by raising it to your lips and pushing the rice into your mouth, however in Korea this is regarded as impolite and your bowl should remain on the table. When dining with close friends or family it is acceptable to pass food with your chopsticks to one another particularly for young children, the elderly or more likely Westerners who have yet to master the art of eating with chopsticks. Once you have finished it is common practise to place your chopsticks across the top of your bowl perpendicular to the direction you are facing as this signifies that you have finished eating.

The use of toothpicks is another frequently seen practise throughout Hong Kong. It is not socially acceptable to place your fingers in your mouth at the table but the wooden or plastic toothpick is therefore regarded as an essential item. It is believed that the taste of one course should not interfere with the taste of another course so toothpicks are the perfect way to cleanse your mouth. The correct procedure is to cover your mouth with one hand while using the toothpick with the other. If you have dentures then it will come as no surprise that it is not socially acceptable to take them out and start cleaning them at the table even if you use chopsticks to get them out in the first place and a toothpick to clean them.

When ordering food in a restaurant for a large group the idea is to achieve a balance at the table by ordering various different tastes and textures with no predominance of one flavour or style of cooking. You should also never order seven dishes as this is regarded as food for ghosts. Cantonese meals can be messy affairs and bones can be left on a plate or even on the tablecloth. Some of the older restaurants will even change the cloth by bundling up all the items including crockery in the tablecloth and then just whisking it off the table. It is very quick and efficient and can appear quite shocking if you are not prepared for it but it really beats the hassle of trying to eat in a posh French restaurant while your waiter crumbs down under your armpit and tries to rearrange your cutlery to his liking.

When paying your bill or offering payment in the shops it is considered polite by some members of the older generation to use both hands to present the payment. Similarly if you accept your change with both hands this is also considered polite. Most people ignore this nowadays although from time to time you may observe this happening. This stems from the Chinese idea that using one hand is impolite. In general if you are polite and try to follow at least some sort of dining etiquette you will be welcomed all across Hong Kong. Show the people some respect and an understanding for their culture and it will be appreciated and you will be rewarded with the friendship of some of the most genuine people on earth. If you are obnoxious and show a blatant disregard for their culture then consequently you will not be shown the same sort of welcome. The choice is yours but remember politeness costs nothing and will always reap its own rewards.

#hong kong #etiquette #dining #chinese #tradition #chinese tradition #feng shui #food #Food Blog #asia #sushi #sashimi #chopsticks #lucky

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nylaaaaa · 5 years ago

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Little Secret

Chapter 1. Your Secret Is Safe With Me

Name and Surname: Natalie Fleur Estelle

Sex: Female

Date of Birth: 19th August 1692

Place ( Registration

of < District Cynthell

Birth ( Sub-District

_________________________________________

"Here's the birth certificate. It has nothing about her parents on it as you suggested." I gave the man standing beside me, who had grown to be a brother to me, a quick, but satisfied, grunt of approval.

"Thank you. Keep this between us and I'll keep up my end of the deal." Quintin gave me a questioning side glance. I knew he didn't appreciate me bringing up the past but I needed him to keep this between us.

"I don't see why you won't be honest to her. For all we know she might be like you..." I knew what he was suggesting, but I refused to listen. She won't be like me. She can't be like me. I waved him away, annoyance clear as day across my face. He will be annoyed too. We both have secrets. I just don't know whose is worth more.

_________________________________________

Today....

Today is possibly the worst day I'll have in my life. I'm honestly not sure.

Today I officially turn 18 which, unluckily for me, means I have to add another thing to my job description.

Isaieth adopted me when I was born because my father died and it caused my mum to become a drunk. I don't exactly blame her for leaving and forgetting her troubles with a drink. But I also can't say I'm fond of it. I love Isaieth with all my heart, he feels like an actual father to me. But I sometimes wish I had an actual mother to help me grow as well.

When I was born my father died. No one told me how, I just know it was traumatic enough to make my mother a drunk. Isaieth adopted me when I was 2 after he had an accident that caused him to be deaf and partially blind. He wasn't fit for work anymore so the second I turned an age where I can go to the toilet by myself he taught me how to tend his farm. He makes a business by selling wheat that he grows and whatever we can get from the few animals we own. When I was 16 I found an abandoned lamb who we later discovered was a merino sheep. Merino sheep are, in my opinion, the best sheep you can get. Their carcasses are smaller than the average sheep so they aren't used for meat but rather for the wool that they grow. The average amount of wool the sheep grows is 11kg which is enough for about 11 sweaters. Aswell as the sheep we have 2 chickens, both of which are female. They were actually, in some ways, a gift from the king. The king and Isaieth are best friends almost from birth. They both grew up in royalty but only the king kept it that way. Isaieth was the son of a knight, and so in turn, Isaieth was also a knight. The king was born a prince and then was assigned a knight who happened to be Isaieth. One of the times when Isaieth was protecting the king he ended up getting seriously injured and the king fired him for his own safety. The king doesn't exactly care for the knight's wellbeing but because they were friends he decided a knight was too dangerous for Isaieth. After the event the king offered him a plot of land on the outskirts of the city that was run down and abandoned but had potential for a farm. Isaieth's dream as a boy was to grow old and have his own farm, so like any friend the king got him his own farm. Because of the friendship and countless times Isaieth saved his life our rent was greatly reduced and we were offered a permanent job to make sure we always had the money to pay rent. The job included selling off our produce from the animals. The eggs given to Isaieth was originally just starter food but Isaieth decided to keep them and let them hatch instead. When they grew to be quite old he kept a few of the last eggs they would hatch and did the same thing. The hens we have now are 1 years old, or will be in a few days. We don't get much from our farm but because of the discount on rent sometimes we have enough money to spare to get nice things. The average price of rent can go up to 100 gold.

(100 gold is like 1k, the money in this story is, bronze= pence or cents or whatever is the lowest in your country, silver= pounds or dollars etc and gold= the hundreds +. In simpler terms, but in GBP ((Great British Pounds)) terms, 1 bronze= 1 pence, 1 silver= 1 pound and 1 gold= 100 pound.)

Ours however got put down to 45 gold. It's still a lot that we just about make each month but we're still thankful that he even gave us this place to begin with. He didn't actually have to.

It's also lucky that our farm works well with rent times. Each month you have to go to the castle and pay your rent. If you dont have enough or you skip it they go to your house and either take a child, that becomes their servent who has to work for the money you didn't pay, or they take some belongings that you don't get back unless you pay extra. Luckily we've never seen it first hand but one of my childhood friends ended up becoming a servent from it. I haven't seen her since. Our wheat takes a month to grow so we've always got that to keep our money up. Unfortunately wheat sells cheap, one wheat grain sells for 30 bronze. Every month we grow, on average, 700 wheat grains but have to keep back 350 to replant so we can get 350 the next month too. So on average every month with wheat alone we make 10 gold and 5 silver. Which by itself is almost a quarter of our rent. Replanting and harvesting wheat is one of the most tedious jobs of farming, but maintaining is by far the easiest. You only have to water the plant at most once in summer but otherwise never. All you really have to do is make sure the plant isn't dying and be on your way. The worst job I have is turning the sheeps pelt into wool. She doesn't like to be milked so doing that is an annoyance but I dread making wool the most out of all the farm jobs I have. Next to maintaining the crop the hens are the easiest too. They lay at least one egg everyday, the only thing I have to do is collect the eggs without breaking them and make sure the hens are well fed and have fresh air. With making wool you have to flatten the pelt completely and then tie the strands together to make a really long piece of wool that I have to cut and ball up. It's the worst job on the entire farm but I can't say I hate doing it. My favourite thing is balling it all up after dying it. I'm just thankful all these things take a month to do or we'd be screwed on rent every month.

(Realistically these don't actually take a month, I researched so much to make the story as legit as possible but for story sake I tweaked the timing. Hens do lay one egg a day at least, if properly cared for and also depending on breed. But wheat takes a LOT longer to grow and you can only shave a sheep once a year. I changed the timing of it all tho or I'd have to be even more creative with money and stuff and tbh I'd rather not. Coming up with these ideas for the farm was hard enough.)

On average you get 2 balls of yarn out of 1kg of wool. Luckily for us our merino sheep produces 11kg of wool giving us 22 balls of yarn. 1 ball of yarn sells for 1 gold, so for 22 balls of yarn we make 22 gold. Personally I think it's extremely expensive but it does make sense considering there aren't many sheep around, which also means clothes, blankets and shoes are harder to get. On average with the hens we get 2 eggs a day. 1 egg sells for 25 silver, meaning the 2 we make in a day gives us 50 silver. There's 28 days in a month meaning with eggs alone we make 14 gold. Altogether in one month we usually make roughly 46 gold. As good of an amount as that is, 45 of it has to go to the king, leaving us with roughly 1 gold left. Because we're human and need to eat, bathe and clothe ourselves just like everyone else, whatever's left gets spent on stuff like that. On average every month we spend about 50 silver on food. I have my own plant pots in my room that we use for our own food. There's only 2 of them but in one plant pot I grow strawberries and in the other I grow raspberries. Truth be told if I sold the strawberries and raspberries we'd probably be richer but honestly, we're both kinda used to this life and although we don't have everything we want, we have everything we need. Besides the fruits take 2 months to grow and because of my reputation people would refuse to buy them for their actual price. They just about accept the other things, if fruits were in the mix I'd probably get death glares and 1 bronze for a batch. It doesn't bother me too much though because with whatever odd bit of wheat we had spare from the 700 odd we plant and sell we use that to make bread or pastry, so every 2 months we make the fruits into a jam or crush them and make a pie. My all time favourite activity is making them into pies or bread and jam with Isaieth. It's the only thing we can properly do together. He helps me replant and harvest the wheat sometimes because there's so much of it but usually he just watches from afar. His eye sight is getting worse the older he gets so he helps less and less. It saddens me because I know he doesn't want to go fully blind, we wouldn't be able to communicate at all and what kind of life are you living if you can't see or hear anything. You might as well be dead at that point or you'd be so throughly confused.

Getting back on track. Today is a bad day because it's the first day where I have to pay for the rent. I've been a few times with Isaieth as a child but I've never gone alone. It's an adults job and should only be done by an adult. But today, aswell as being my birthday, it's also rent day. Isaieth didn't actually want me to do it but I insisted knowing that he would have severe trouble doing it himself. And what's more is that I have to go alone to sell our produce now aswell. I don't put any blame on him and I especially will never complain. But in my head I can feel bitter about the situation.

I look forward to the day.....

...

No I don't.

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teshamorice2467-blog · 5 years ago

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Listen To Ariana Grande’s ‘Sound Of Music’

Genres in music are like branches of a tree. Music means the world to me. Without it, life would maintain no which means. Music is what colours the world. If there was no music, there can be no technique to preserve folks entertained, or completely happy. Life can be gray and flavorless. Everybody has their own type of music that hypes them, calms them or helps them. Pop, rock, classical, rap, reggae techno are only a few varieties of music that fill the world. Music is what I worth most as a result of it's what makes the world go round. The following on our checklist is a well-liked and proficient reggae and dancehall artist Busy Signal. His foremost image is mature lyrics and because of them this musician has gained such recognition across the globe. His dancehall hits include the next works: Stay So", Desk Speak", In every single place", and Go Once more". Sub-genres are sometimes outlined by way of fashion. For example, the style of song has sub-genres such as rock song, polyphonic song, musical theater track, hymn, http://www.audio-transcoder.com and so on. Another example is the connection between opera and rock opera. I actually take pleasure in listening to nation music. I've lived on a ranch all my life and that is what you play in a giant truck. I don't take care of all this rap music. I can not even understand what their saying. With country you'll be able to and it's a story in a track. Banda is a mix of just about all the genres of the Mexican music, like the corridos, boleros, baladas, cumbias, rancheras, and also rock and pop. Banda is basically a giant brass-based mostly type of music that primarily depends on percussion. It originated in the Sinaloa state of Mexico. Around 10 to twenty individuals are present in a band. The American band was banned for a long time in Australia, in 1996 the nation stopped the sale of any Cannibal Corpse recordings and all copies had to be stripped from music stores. The ban lasted ten years until it was lifted in 2006. A sub-genre of pop in UK that extensively used digital keyboards, elaborate arrangements and borrowed components from soul music. Bands reminiscent of Swing Out Sister (above) have been widespread in the Nineteen Eighties. The genre has recently seen a revival, due to artistes corresponding to Jessie Ware. YouTube Music is a new music streaming service with the official audio, official video, playlists and artist stations. Plus, the rest of the story you possibly can't find anywhere else: dwell performances, remixes and extra. Open the World of Music. It is all right here. Now, you understand, when you think about that jazz is nice American music, it's been 4 or five many years, I think 1963, since jazz won record of the 12 months for Grammy presentation. I imply, that is astonishing to me. So maybe there is a beacon of light now that has been shined upon us to maybe make people look a bit bit extra deeply into what art is really about. What it means. And I'm so blissful that Herbie received this document as a result of it was the one jazz record nominated for report of the yr. Indie Music: Do you like in search of out obscure bands and indie artists? Fans of the indie style are typically introverted, mental, and creative. In accordance with researchers, they also are typically much less hardworking and less mild. Passivity, anxiousness, and low shallowness are different common personality characteristics. mento-reggae , as parts of each Jamaican music have been mixed. Some middle interval mento LPs had been fairly bland, corresponding to " Yellow Fowl " by the promisingly named Jamaica Duke and the Mento Swingers, and the aforementioned Wrigglers LP. The good majority of the recordings from the middle period had been of old mento songs, with sundry other covers. Nearly not one of the songs on these LPs appear to have been written during this period. I can chuckle, but when my children someday ask my what I did within the genre wars I'll must admit that there's blood on my hands, too. Earlier in 2000, I might set up Popjustice , a weblog that I hoped would battle the nook for respectable pop music. And early on this was pitched as a battle towards guitar music. Puerile could be one charitable manner of describing those early years: at one point, Popjustice's homepage featured Richard Ashcroft's face with the word TWAT" written across it. While that will or could not have been true, it is clear now that it had no bearing on whether or not or not the third Steps album was a triumph (which, for the document, it was).

Comparing the confusion matrix in desk 10 and the confusion matrix for the quadratic Bayesian classifier utilizing PCA in table 5 , it is attention-grabbing to notice that: in the former, cluster 1 comprises appreciable art works from the four genres (25 from blues, 32 from bossa nova, 46 from reggae and 30 from rock), in a total of 133 art works; in the latter, a substantial number of artwork works from blues (22), bossa nova (23) and rock (31) had been misclassified as reggae, in a total of 146 artwork works belonging to this class. Because of this the PCA illustration was not environment friendly in discriminating reggae from the other genres, whereas cluster 1 was the one that the majority intermixed art works from all courses. 1971 music Hocus Pocus was high within the charts in various nations. It was carried out by Dutch progressive rock band Focus, made up of performers from the pit band for the Dutch production of the rock musical Hair. 3) non-musical sound consists of unstructured noises (we call it noise). When was the final time Brittney Spears or Madonna gave you a free album on-line? 50 Cent helped to revolutionize the music biz by dropping free mixtapes, and ever since, hip-hop followers have gotten some real classics and by no means needed to pay a dime. Projects like Drake' s So Far Gone and Wiz Khalifa's Kush and Orange Juice were literal presents. In actual fact, I see intonation as a type of inverse of rhythm. For classical musicians it is a topic of years of true obsession, and like rhythm in jazz, classical musicians view intonation as a grid. You might think of jazz musicians, conversely, as having a more expressive approach to intonation. It isn't necessarily even aware, however with saxophone players specifically a sort of idiosyncratic intonation can change into an identifiable function. I've seen classical musicians hearken to Coltrane from his quartet interval, for example, and actually burst out laughing on the intonation. But as any Coltrane aficionado with some technical understanding would agree, that sharp, nearly pinched quality in the excessive register is an integral a part of the surging angst of the Coltrane sound.

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dannydehek · 2 years ago

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HyperNation News Update - The Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger

Transcribed using Descript Danny de Hek: I'm recording now. We're live. Rob. Rob Woolley: Hi, my name's Rob. And your name is Ronnie. Oh, not the Hi Ronnie. AKA Danny de Hek: Danny. Yeah. No, I'm Danny de Hek. Yes. Rob Woolley: Yep. Sorry, we're starting this video a little bit late because Danny's head was so big. We had to widen the door to get him in tonight, where I shave my eyebrows. Rob Woolley: He, he was in the New York Times yesterday. Was I? Yes. Danny de Hek: What didn't you tell me? You told me. Oh yeah. Sorry. I woke up. Thought it was a dream. Rob Woolley: So we are gonna be talking about everything, HyperNation, HyperVerse, HyperFund, Hyper HyperBole, even Hyper HyperBolic, whatever that is. Rhetorical devices, we're gonna use them all. Rob Woolley: But actually what we are gonna do is I'm gonna ask Danny cuz I haven't been, I haven't been surfing the Hyper highway of news on what is all up to date on HyperNation in particular. So, Danny, Danny, Danny, Danny, Danny, what have I missed out on in the last four weeks? Well, Danny de Hek: brace yourself. People are now living in the, in the EcoSystem. Danny de Hek: No way. Nah, it's a joke. . No, that's such thing is it? I know. Rob Woolley: Efi, do you know? Did I heard the other day I shot you? Not I heard the other day. Right? There's actually many HyperVerses. Even roadblocks, which my daughter plays is actually a not, No, not a, not a HyperVerse. A MetaVerse. Oh. Danny de Hek: Well, I think I, I don't play games at all. Danny de Hek: I hate games. And I think the gaming people have been doing the MetaVerse stuff for a long time. Mm. And I think the whole thing is bringing the, the 50 year old plus people into the gaming world, because I actually, when I listen to all the stuff that's going on with HyperNation at the moment, I actually, it sounds like a game. Danny de Hek: And they've just bought themselves a ticket for an arcade Rob Woolley: game. It certainly does sound like a game. I'm not too sure anybody's winning from that game so far, but HyperGame. It, it is. Yeah. It's a hope a it was like a squid game, but without squid. No, it's like a gambling. Yes. So any, Anyway, anyway, the last, the last I got involved, they, they were trying to get everybody their one X back. Rob Woolley: Those people that had invested in HyperVerse, they were trying to get their one X back. And there was something about if you Danny de Hek: they've, they've actually already started paying people back their one X. Did you know that that's what they've come out with? Seriously. Just in the last couple of weeks, they have now said that process has begun and everyone's going, Well, why haven't I got any money back? Rob Woolley: So my, my understanding was, That you were gonna get paid back your initial investment, which personally I think is totally impossible. I can't see how they could possibly do that, but has, has that started about Danny de Hek: six, seven weeks ago, they said that they will probably do something like produce some sort of coin. Danny de Hek: And that probably is actually now the fact, and it's called Hyper bond. Rob Woolley: So you paid cash Yeah. To get your initial membership, but people aren't actually gonna get paid Danny de Hek: back cash. No. They, they've decided that they would pay out the rewards in another token that no one knows. And they get this, no one knows the value of this token Danny de Hek: Yeah. Right. However you can do things with this token. Like what? Get into the next Ponzi scheme, Rob Woolley: which is, Yeah. So let's let Wellnation or another thing, Danny de Hek: So originally well, I spoke to a guy who invested 25,000, Yeah. $25,000 of his U S D T. He now has 200,000 plus HU dollars in his HyperVerse account. Danny de Hek: Now they at one point were worth like $7 each on the exchange. I could be wrong, but around about $7 each. Today they are worth 0, 0, 0 0 1 Rob Woolley: cent. Is this the H V T? Danny de Hek: No, this is h u I think. And then there was also H V T. Now I'm not genius on this and I could be saying things wrong, but originally when you went and put $25,000 into HyperVerse, that would give you $50,000 h u and then once, and that would be the, the reward money that grew each day. Danny de Hek: And you would get your rewards and then you would transfer your HU into H V T HyperVerse token, right? Then all of a sudden HU started to be worth nothing. HyperVerse Token was also parallel. Nothing. Rob Woolley: So HyperVerse token is H V T? Yeah. Yeah, because I know there's one you can go on, you can have a look online and it's worth like 0 cent or whatever. Rob Woolley: Yeah. Danny de Hek: Yeah. So is m o f molecular structure or something, or rather, So basically any coin that's been associated with Hyper capital, HyperFund HyperVerse has been pumped and dumped, and now they have Hian D. So what's that? Oh Rob Woolley: H Danny de Hek: and d. Yeah. And there's also an h and t now at the moment, people are accumulating, and I could be wrong, but I think I've got this right cause it is complicated that people are accumulating HyperNation d in the back end of HyperNation and that hasn't even got onto the market yet. Danny de Hek: So there's no such coin on any exchange that people are getting accumulating their wealth. Rob Woolley: So basically this token or dollar, cuz I know Yeah, right. There was an H and Dation dollar and Aian token, H and t and I think one went on an exchange or was launched when they did the launch or something like that. Rob Woolley: But the thing that really interested me when I was watching that HyperNation launch is talking about white papers and yellow papers and basically nothing was gonna be starting until next year. Late, late next year, late 2023. Danny de Hek: Can you imagine that You're an architect and you're gonna build a house, and then halfway through building the house, all right, nice house, the, the the bank says, Oh, by the way, we haven't got the plans of the house ready yet. Danny de Hek: So that's the white paper. Mm-hmm. . And then once you've got these plans ready, you get an idea of the concept of your house. But then those white papers need to go off and they make yellow. So HyperNation hasn't even got a white paper yet, so it hasn't even got a plan of build or structure. And then even if it is like, you know how some designers go far out design and then it goes to the structural engineer. Danny de Hek: The structural engineer goes, No mate, that's gonna cost far too much to build. So that's what the yellow paper is all about. So, Rob Woolley: HIN nation's clean. If I, if I can interrupt you right there, the one thing that I find re really fascinating is that if you read up about HyperFund and what it was supposed to have done is you read up about HyperVerse and what it was supposed to have done and you're reading up now about Iation and what it's planning to do is that it doesn't really matter what iteration it is, they haven't done anything. Rob Woolley: And yet there was a video where Ryan Zoo was saying that they were, I don't quote me on this, I could be wrong. A thousand developers working. What have they, what have they done? Danny de Hek: Yeah, that was I think Hyper H Cash. And, and was he Well he didn't insinuate he said he had a thousand people. Mm. That was just December, 2021 cuz he was in Okay. Danny de Hek: He was in Dubai with Brenda Ch Cal Patel and Keith Williams. That's right. And also Bitcoin Rodney. Right. And my opinion, they are HyperVerse and Hibernian and they were the people that I reckon they went to Dubai and they were planning this whole. Rob Woolley: Yeah, I, I, well, I struggle with a lot of these concepts. Rob Woolley: Yeah. And like, first of all, I struggle with the, the only real thing about crypto involved in any of these schemes is that if you want to get involved, you have to pay crypto, which is basically untraceable. Danny de Hek: Yeah. A lot of people come to me and go, Well, why don't the police do something about it? Why don't we do a, a high court injunction? Danny de Hek: And I just say, They've got the money. There's no proof. It's, I don't even know, I mean, you know, you can't go to court and say, I think they'd have to have proof. Rob Woolley: I, I think you'd have to, like, a lot of people are quite critical, and I find it interesting about the regulation and about normal currency, but the advantage with regulation is that people who are investing in anything I protected and with normal currency there's a paper trail, you know, like, you know, where the money went from one account into another account. Rob Woolley: Yeah. The moment that you're paying anything with crypto, you are paying into a crypto wallet and you have no idea who owns the wallet that you just, deposited money into, like, for example, , anybody who has become a member of any of the, any crypto scheme. Mm-hmm. you don't like, you didn't pay into j blog's account number, blah, blah, blah. Rob Woolley: At certain bank you paid into a massive number. Yeah. And you have no idea who owned that number or who had access, you know, to Danny de Hek: that number. Yeah. I'd like to go back actually to talk about the people that got stuck in HyperVerse, cuz I know there's lots of people who have lost a lot of money. So they've been playing around with them, basically saying they're gonna get their one times back. Danny de Hek: And if you're not familiar with the one times theory, it's basically if you put a thousand dollars in, they're alleging that you're gonna get your a thousand dollars back. But they've created this coin called Hyper Bond. And the Hyper bond can only be used to gain entry into HyperNation. Now, to get into HyperNation, imagine going to a nightclub and there's a, what do you call those guys? Danny de Hek: A bouncer outside. Yep. And he's decided to put a cover charge in just getting into the nightclub. So originally they told everyone that they could pay a hundred H U t U S D T to get a passport, which is labeled A N F T, just to get into the new platform. And if they did that, they could bring over? Danny de Hek: No, no, they couldn't bring over. Cuz they had different levels and you could buy a purple NFT for $10,000 or a platinum NFT for a hundred thousand dollars, which mean you'd be a node and be in charge of making some of the big decisions. But the 10,000 NFD holders basically could bring their, their 20 levels over. Danny de Hek: And I learned a lot about 20 levels just a wee while ago, which I'd like to share later on. I'm glad you did because it's amazing and I realize why they don't care that they're paying $10,000 for an NFT, but the hundred dollars NFT was like the nightclub the bouncers cover charge. Rob Woolley: So my understanding is that there's a green box and a yellow box. Rob Woolley: A purple and a platinum. So just for any viewers to keep up there. Not an expert on this. I Danny de Hek: feel silly explaining it cause it sounds like a stupid thing. I know, I know. We don't, we don't believe this by the way. We don't believe this. We're just repeating what they're teaching people who are believing it in it. Rob Woolley: A hundred dollars U S D T or U S D U S D T I think it is, is the green box, Danny de Hek: which no green box I think is 125 or $130. Rob Woolley: No, you could be right. You could be right. Is it 300 U S D T? Which is the yellow? No, you're Danny de Hek: getting confused. I'll explain it. You, you listen. So if you were an existing member of HyperVerse Yeah. Danny de Hek: You got a discount and you could get in Basical. For a hundred dollars with a yellow box. And then you could get ready and you'd sit there ready to be on the vessel, as they said, off to the Hyper HyperNation. Yeah. Yeah. And people that had got your ticket, no association with any of the Ponzi schemes beforehand who were fresh, they could buy, They let this green box drop and people could then pay, I think it was 125 for a green box and have the same privilege as a yellow box holder hat. Danny de Hek: Except it was a little bit more. So basically, if you wanted to get into HyperNation and you believe that HyperVerse wasn't a company and you believe that I'm gonna go to HyperNation, you were getting a discount of 20% roughly the cause you had already been in HyperVerse. Okay. I Rob Woolley: knew, I knew there was a 20% discount there somewhere. Danny de Hek: I'll tell you that in a minute. Cause you haven't quite got it yet. Rob Woolley: Yeah, yeah. No, I probably haven't. I, I totally agree. I probably haven't. I knew there was a 20% discount if you were moving from HyperVerse somehow to HyperNation. But the other thing that really blew my mind is talking about the gamers and the green box. Rob Woolley: Mm-hmm. Is that I heard it suggested by one of the leaders that a gamer would have heard about the Hypo Nation community yet so excited. Mm-hmm. And they'd be going and paying 125 U S D T, which is around about 200 plus New Zealand dollars at the moment to have a. Yeah. And I, no one, no one would've a lot if you're a gamer, you could go out and buy the best game in the world and own it for less money than that. Danny de Hek: Well, funny story, a lady I know accidentally bought two yellow boxes and then accidentally. Yeah. And you can only own one per person. And she said, I've Rob Woolley: made a mistake. And they're not transferable Danny de Hek: too. Yes. Well they wouldn't even refund her for making the mistake. Classic. Yeah. And I did sort of give her a hard time about why she did it, but anyway, she told me. Danny de Hek: So I thought, don't let the truth get in way with a good story. Rob Woolley: No. Right. Excuse me for drinking on online. It is sweltering hot here in the Danny de Heat. MetaVerse. It's the lighting, isn't it? Yeah. No's. Read the full article

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coolcrusadeland-blog1 · 6 years ago

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Spread Betting - How To Get Poor Quickly?

As I write this, I'm nursing a bit of a sore head and an empty wallet. In the last four weeks I've lost almost £30,000 spread betting for about an hour a day five days a week. So I managed to blow around £1,500 an hour. That's really quite a chunk of cash. Actually, it's not quite as bad as it looks. Fortunately, I was betting using a few spread-betting companies' demo sites. These are simulations of their live betting sites that allow you to practice before you start betting with real money. I realise that I am no financial genius otherwise I would have been rich long ago. However, the fact that I managed to squander so much money so quickly does pose the question - if spread betting seems so easy, why do so many people get completely wiped out extremely quickly?

We're increasingly seeing advertising for spread betting in investing and money management publications. In the one I subscribe to, four or five different spread betting companies take full-page colour ads each week, outnumbering any other type of advertising. Spread betting ads are already common in the business sections of many weekend newspapers and will probably soon start to appear in the personal finance sections. Spread betting could appear deceptively attractive to many savers. After all, money in a bank, shares or unit trusts will at best give us about a miserable five per cent a year before tax. Yet a reasonable run on spread betting can easily let you pocket ten per cent a week - five hundred per cent a year - completely and gloriously tax-free. So spread betting can let you earn in just one year what it would take a hundred years or more to achieve with most other investments.

Spread betters gamble on price movements of anything from individual shares, currencies and commodities to whole markets like the FTSE, Dax or S&P. It is called spread betting because the company providing the service makes most of their money by putting an additional spread around the price at which something is being bought or sold.

Spread betting appears to have many advantages compared to traditional investing:

You don't have to buy anything - It allows you to bet on price movements without having to buy the underlying assets - shares, commodities or foreign exchange.

It's tax-free - When you buy or sell shares, get paid dividends or receive interest from a bank you will have to pay taxes like stamp duty, capital gains and income tax. Unless spread betting is your full-time job and only source of income, there are no taxes to be paid as it's considered to be gambling.

You can go long or short - When you spread bet you can gain just as much whether prices rise or fall, providing you guess the direction correctly. With most other investments, you need the price to go up before you make a profit.

You can bet on a rise or fall at the same time - If the FTSE, for example, is trading at 5551-5552, you can place two bets, one that it will rise and one that it will fall. These only get triggered when the FTSE actually moves. So if it starts going up, your bet that it will rise gets triggered. Similarly if it drops, only your bet that it will fall is triggered. So it can seem that, come rain or shine, you'll probably win.

Huge leverage - If you bet say £50 a pip (a pip is usually the minimum price movement you can bet on), you can easily win four or five times your original bet if the price moves in the right direction. On a really good bet, you can win much much more.

You can wait for the breakout - Prices on many shares, currencies, commodities and other things people bet on tend to experience periods of stability followed by bursts of movement up or down, what spread-betters call 'the breakout'. You can place a bet that is only activated when the breakout comes.

Loss limits - You can put conditions in your bet that prevent your losses exceeding your chosen level should your bet happen to be wrong.

You can adjust mid-flight - With most bets, such as with horse racing or on roulette, once the race has started or the croupier has called 'no more bets' you have to wait helplessly for the result to see if you've won or not. With spread betting you can choose to close your bet at any time. So if you're ahead, you can take your winnings; if you're behind you can either cut your losses or wait in the hope that things will change and you'll be up again. Given all these properties of spread betting, it should be pretty easy to make a fair bit of money without too much effort. If only.

Industry estimates suggest that around ninety per cent of spread-betters lose most or all of their money and close their accounts within three months of starting. There seem to be another eight per cent or so who make reasonable amounts of money on a regular basis and there are around two per cent of spread-betters who make fortunes. I've been to a few presentations run by spread betting companies and at one of these the salesman let slip that over eighty per cent of his customers lost money. Even many professionals lose on about six bets out of every ten. But by controlling their losses and maximising their returns when they win, they can increase their wealth.

Why it can go horribly wrong

There seem to be several reasons why spread betting is so effective at dramatically demolishing most practitioners' wealth:

The companies want you to lose - When you first open a demo or real account, you will get several phone calls from extremely friendly and helpful young men and women at the spread-betting company asking if there's anything they can do to assist you to get going. This is customer service at its very best. Most of the people contacting you will parrot the line that they just want to help and that they're happy if you're successful as their company only makes money from the spread. Some will reassure you that they want you to win as the more you win, the more you're likely to bet and the more the spread-betting company will earn. This may make you feel good, convince you that the company is open, honest, trustworthy and supportive and encourage you to use them for your betting. But it's also a lie. It's true that the company might make a lot of its money from the spread. However, with many of your bets, you're betting against the company and so they hope you lose, big time. In fact, during the last month I've seen several companies change the conditions on their sites to make it more likely that people using them will lose. So, lesson one - spread betting companies are not your friends. The more you lose the more they win. It's that simple.

It's difficult to break even - If you bet say £50 a pip and the price does go the way you want, the spread betting company takes the first £50 you win. So the price has to move two pips in the right direction for you to win your £50 back and three pips for you to emerge with £100, doubling your money. But if the price moves three pips in the wrong direction, you lose your original bet plus £50 a pip, giving a total loss of £200, a loss of four times your original bet.

Losses can be massive - With most gambling, you can only lose what you put down on a horse, blackjack or roulette. With spread betting you can quickly say goodbye to much more than you wager. I forgot to put a stop loss on one bet and managed to lose over £800 with just one £50 bet. Because your bet is leveraged, you can make both fabulous gains and excruciatingly painful losses. Too often it's the latter. The small size of many bets, often £5 or £10 a pip can lull betters into a false sense of security. It's only when the losses go five to ten times the original bet that they realise the risk they have taken. "The spread betting leverage means that you can get rich which is a wonderfully appealing idea, but it also means you can get poor which most people ignore."

You can waste thousands on courses and systems - At one free spread-betting seminar I attended we were more than strongly encouraged to sign up for a two-day weekend course teaching us how to spread bet successfully. This would normally cost (we were told) £6,995, but there was a special offer for the first five people to sign up of only £1,997. There are many such courses and also gurus offering to sell you their special spread-betting systems, guides, webinars and all sorts of other advice. With so many supposed experts apparently making a living teaching others how to spread bet, there must be a lot of takers. But I've found that all you need to know and more is available free on the Internet. As one specialist said, 'Don't bother wasting your money on 'Guru' books written by so-called experts. Those books are crap and not worth the paper they are printed on. Nobody sells a secret trading methodology if they are really successful. The only reason these guys are writing books is because they didn't make it as traders'.

It's the bobbing about that beats you - We often hear on the news that the price of gold has risen by a few dollars an ounce or the FTSE has fallen by a hundred and thirty points or that the pound has risen by two cents against the dollar. These reports make price changes on financial instruments sound like smooth movements either up or down. However, the prices of shares, stock markets, commodities and currencies seldom move in straight lines. They jump about every few seconds. So, if the FTSE is at 5540 and you correctly bet £50 a pip that it will go up to 5545 you might not necessarily win £200. In between going from 5540 to 5545, it might drop down a couple of times to say 5535 or lower. If you have a stop loss on at 5536 or 5535 to avoid losing too much money, your stop loss will kick in and you'll lose £250 or £300 even if the index did subsequently move upwards as you predicted. I've placed over a hundred bets to test whether I won when my bets were right. On about eighty per cent I lost in spite of being right because the fluctuations triggered the stop losses even though the index did actually move from where it was to where I predicted it would go. This creates a rather odd situation where stop losses can unfortunately make you lose even when you should be winning. Yet if you don't put stop losses on and things go in the wrong direction, your losses can annihilate you.

It attracts losers - At the spread betting seminars I've attended, I've been shocked by the number of low-paid workers - waiters, porters, kitchen staff, healthcare assistants and impoverished, would-be writers like myself - who decide to have a go at spread betting as they believe that, apart from winning the Lottery, it may be the only realistic way they have of making any money. These people will be betting with their meagre life savings against extremely sophisticated financial services insiders with vast knowledge, many years experience and extraordinarily deep pockets. It's not difficult to guess who is going to win.

Sucker or smartie?

Spread betting is a 'zero sum game'. Unlike depositing our money in a bank so it can be lent to businesses or house-buyers, spread betting doesn't create wealth. It just redistributes money from the suckers to the smart. When contemplating whether to try your hand at spread betting, you need to work out whether you are likely to be in the ninety per cent who end up as suckers or the ten per cent who make money by being smart. I found it interesting that not a single one of the amiable young men and women from spread-betting companies that I spoke to actually did any spread betting themselves. By the way, when I did eventually open a live spread betting account and managed to win about £100 a day for ten days, the spread betting company started preventing me getting out of losing bets because they claimed I was "betting unfairly". However, if you do manage to spread bet successfully, please drop me an email, I'd love to find out how to do it sakong online.

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