#at least the carpet is less than 25 years old because as a kid our water heater exploded and flooded the basement so newwww carpet!

[barstoolblues]

being an adult stoner in your parents basement is all fun and games until the heater stops working 😖

[ibtk]

Book Review: THE ANIMALS IN THAT COUNTRY by Laura Jean McKay (2020)

(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through Edelweiss and Library Thing's Early Reviewers program. Content warning for violence, including that against animals. Caution: this review contains a spoiler in the form of an excerpt.)

'Well, I’ve got a secret for you, Miss Kimberly Russo.' She digs her sharp little nails into my skin. ‘What is it?’ ‘This flu means people can talk to animals.’ Her head shoots up. ‘I want the flu, Granny. Don’t you?’ ‘Grown-ups don’t wish they had diseases, and neither should you.’ ‘But don’t you?’ Outside, Wallamina and Princess Pie are nose and beak to the sliding door, trying to press their way through. Eyes shining. ‘Course I bloody do.’

I can see the wild in her. She looks and acts like any dog. Plays, wags, stares into my eyes with her baby browns; does chasey, catch, begs for biscuits. Then the dusk comes and she lifts her neck and howls the saddest song in all the world, and there’s that wild. Dingo, owl, night thing — that sound is a warning. Loneliest you’ll hear. Wraps around your face, your sleep, your dreams. She’s saying: ‘Hey, hey. There’s something coming.’ The rangers here are always telling me, don’t talk like that. They say how dingoes are just establishing territory, checking on their pack. Dingo admin. But stand on the hot road that runs from the gift shop to the enclosures, and listen to the dingo in her cage call out to the packs on the other side of the fence. Tell me that’s not special. Tell me she doesn’t know something about the world that you and me haven’t ever thought of.

Jean Bennett isn't you're typical grandma - unless you're picturing Gemma Teller Morrow, that is. Jean drinks, smokes, swears, and sleeps around, usually all at the same time, and occasionally with her gay and committed coworker, Andy. She's got a tiger tattooed on her boob, and a dingo named Sue imprinted on her heart.

A lowly guide who dreams of becoming a ranger, Jean works at an Australian wildlife park, run by her son's ex-girlfriend Angela and owned by Angela's father. Jean and her husband Graham landed there years ago, after bouncing around the world for a while. Eventually Graham left Jean to shack up with another woman; their only child, Lee, jumped ship too, but not before hooking up with - and impregnating - Angela. Now Ange mostly keeps Jean around for the free child care (and maybe also because Ange feels sorry for her).

As for Jean, she stays stuck in this weird, awkward morass for her granddaughter Kimberley - one of the few people she can tolerate, let alone love. Jean prefers animals of the nonhuman variety, and the Park's residents/captives are her found family. She has a special place in her cockles for Sue, a dingo mix who she helped rescue as a wee little pup.

Jean's precarious life is already teetering on the edge of chaos when THE FLU arrives - first in southern Australia, then at the Park's gates, thanks to none other than an infected Lee, as charming as he is irresponsible.

Zoanthropathy (from Greek: zóo, “animal”, anthroponis, “human”, pathy, “disorder”), aka zooflu, otherwise known as "the talking animal disease," allow humans to understand and communicate with other animals:

'The strain known as zoanthropathy affects cognition in humans, and it is believed that enhanced communication between humans and nonhuman animals is possible. Zoanthropathy is hosted and spread by humans. [...] The disease is very high in morbidity and very low in mortality. Infected humans appear able to communicate (encode) and translate (decode) previously unrecognisable non-verbal communications via major senses such as sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound with nonhuman animals.'

When Lee runs off with Kimberley - to commune with the whales on the southern coast - Jean embarks on a cross-country road trip to find them. Riding shotgun is Sue, whose keen nose points the way to Tomorrow (Tomorrow being Sue's conceptualization of Kimberley. Jean is Yesterday, and Lee is Never There. Scathing, yet accurate.)

As with most potentially animal-friendly tales, I was equally nervous and excited to dive into THE ANIMALS IN THAT COUNTRY. As it is, the book both thrilled and disappointed me; I almost feel like it deserves two separate ratings, one for the idea and actualization of the dystopian zooflu future - which is breathtaking - and another for the human-centered plot that propels the audience's journey into this world - which is decidedly less so.

Let's start with the zooflu. It seems like it would be awesome to be able to talk to animals, right? Think again. I mean, really turn the idea over in your head, sit with the superpower, and try to envision what this might entail. Given that most of the nonhumans we encounter on the daily are exploited, oppressed, or otherwise negatively impacted by humans -

be it the 25 million farmed animals we create, torture, and kill for food every year in the US alone; the "wildlife" (read: free-living animals) we displace, starve, and kill through habitat loss; the dogs and cats we buy, neglect, and then abandon at shelters; or the animals we unintentionally hit with our cars (or the bugs we trod on just walking down the street); etc. x infinity

- we are weapons of mass destruction. To most of our nonhuman kin (and sometimes our fellow humans, too). Instead of words of wisdom and messages of hope, we'd be more likely to hear cries of terror. Confusion. Pain and agony. Hellfire, everywhere. Created and fueled by us and our own.

Heck, I'm not even sure it would be beneficial to always know exactly what our beloved, nonhuman family members are thinking. I have a fifteen-year-old dog named Finn who's going deaf and blind and battling dementia. More often than not, I suspect that being privy to his innermost thoughts would freak me the fuck out. Not to mention break my damn heart.

And then there's the mode of communication: not just just verbal, as we're used to, but all-encompassing: "sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound." Think pheromones, sound waves, scratches and ticks. The beating of countless tiny wings, all bombarding your brain and trying to tell you something. That kind of thing, coming at you uninvited and from all directions, is apt to drive a person mad. And it does, as evidenced by zooflu sufferers who stuff their orifices with whatever's handy to block incoming stimuli - or, at the more extreme end, the pseudo-religious trepanners who invite strangers to drill holes in their skulls in a misguided attempt to relieve the pressure.

Talking to animals sounds like the stuff of dreams - but in McKay's hands, it's a nightmare.

And a pretty trippy one, at that: fittingly, the incoming messages that Jean's left to decode aren't quite what you'd call straightforward. There's a lot of translation required, and Google hasn't yet caught up:

I’m reading her body like some language I barely remember from a high school textbook. Bonjour madame, connaissez-vous le chemin de la gare? Let’s go to the station. Or, where the hell is the supermarket? I can parrot the words, but the meaning is in scraps.

Copies of this book should be sold with a sheet of acid, or maybe some edibles. I kid, but also not.

If, like me, you assumed that increased understanding and compassion would surely spring forth from this newfound ability to communicate with nonhuman animals, you'd be wrong. While some people do indeed embrace the flu, many others lash out: animal-free zones are established, and hungry citizens start hunting former pets, since they make for easy prey (apparently they've never heard of fruits and veggies?).

There's one especially excruciating scene that I don't think I'll ever be able to forget. Jean takes refuge in a makeshift church, only to catch a glimpse of how the missionaries make their sausage (stew):

A small fluffy dog has pelted out a kitchen door, thin bit of twine tangled around its legs, body blonde fire, screaming, Hello. Please. Please bite its soft. Quick. Help me. I jump up, calling the poor little bugger, but the parishioners shriek louder, climbing on their chairs like that dog is the snake from the garden of Eden. The woman rushes for her daughter and hauls her by an arm out of the room. It’s funny, for a second, until the laugh dies in my throat. The little dog, too tangled in the twine to move, slumps panting in the aisle. It’s not just m e. Where’s other me. She’s still — The god-botherers are faster than me. They grab that dog with WWF wrestling passion, using real lumps of wood, real knives. The little dog has enough time to issue a thick whiff of terror from its undercarriage, Help her, before they’ve slit it ear to ear right there in the pulpit. There was no blood with Lee. He didn’t even look that drowned. He might have come alive any moment. He might be alive right now in his grave. This little dog, though, is bleeding out on the beige carpet. The door to the kitchen is open. Matthew the soup cook leans on the jamb, then turns back. A fluffy tail on a chopping board. The steaming pots. Pain like a stab to my guts — he stirs a soup very much like the one he was serving up in the park.

Of course, this scene is so repulsive to most of us - Jean included - only because the animal being killed and consumed is designated for "companionship" instead of "food," at least in this particular culture. Chances are you've known and loved a dog or two yourself - and so the doomed beast transforms from a something to a someone. Not an unfeeling object to be used and discarded at will, but a sentient creature with her own feelings, desires, and loved ones. Had it been a chicken or pig, the result wouldn't be quite so horrifying; Jean herself eats meat, and justifies doing so, on several occasions.

Yet an earlier scene - in which Jean comes upon an abandoned tractor trailer truck packed with pigs destined for slaughter - will hopefully challenge readers to expand their circle of compassion:

I’ve seen battery hogs before — of course I have. But not out and about. Not staggering around and trying to walk, calling to whatever they think is ‘more’. Glazed eyes that strain like they’ve never seen sunlight. Skin stretched over bodies fed to the point of bursting — something between swine and meat. Saw some animal liberationists on the street in the city one time, saying factory farms were the same as Nazi camps. I called them bloody racists too. The pigs clatter past me down the ramp, fucked-up eyes on the road ahead, calling, Hello is it more. Those animal nutters were wrong, but not in the way I thought. It’s not the same as the Nazis: that was us doing to us. What’s this? [...] A hurt sow sits on her haunches, then lies down on the verge, panting unevenly under the slathering sun. Another weaves blindly over the asphalt toward her, flies spinning around her head. They push their noses into each other. Send me a postcard, the sick one says. Postcard, indeed. What the fuck. I watch more closely. The meaning bright off that tight skin. All the little bits saying, Leave me, and, I’ll hear about it, and, Don’t you see it. Move on. There’s more. The ones that can walk stretch their legs, for, More, more, more. I stand at the top of the truck ramp watching them break into a group trot toward the next paddock. Skin rippling. Hooves carolling. Know that heart-in-your-mouth run. Know exactly what ‘more’ is. I’ve seen it in Lee and I’ve had it too, at times. These pigs are half dead, they’re stumbling around, blind, mad, and fucking hopeful.

Even if many of the characters in this book resist the humanity clearly evident in nonhuman animals, I hope that readers will hold these passages close - especially at the dinner table.

Sue, our main nonhuman protagonist, is a fascinating character; like many of the semi-domesticated animals in the park, McKay paints her as a series of conflicting impulses: safety or freedom. Hunger or satiation. Dingoes or humans. She is fiercely loyal, much to her own detriment. She has wants and needs of her own, and she's often satisfied to set them aside for the good of her (adopted) pack.

And I guess that brings me to the second half of this review: the humans, most of whom are awful. Jean, exponentially so.

Initially I thought that Jean would be my people: she's a hard-drinking, mold-breaking badass broad who gets on better with animals than people. She has a mini-rescue in her backyard where she keeps some of the park's doomed relinquishments. (The public treats the park like a rehab facility when in fact it's in the business of entertainment - old, sick, injured, and "common" animals are routinely killed.) She and Kimberley spend their afternoons together designing the animal rescue they hope to build one day.

But Jean is kind of a terrible person. To call her a misanthrope is half the story: she's also senselessly mean and cruel, especially when drunk, hungover, or frustrated (in other words, 90% of the time). I don't fault Jean for her substance abuse problem - alcoholism is a mental health issue and should be treated as such - but nor is it an excuse for being such an asshole. (There's even a scene where she trolls people discussing the zooflu online, like a fucking American redhat.) She's shit to everyone around her, except for Kimberley and Lee (Lee, who could use a good ass-kicking).

And then there's Sue: Sue, who followed Jean across the damn country when she should have been settling into a dingo pack of her own. Sue, who found Kimberley and saved Jean's life. Sue, who is nothing but good and true and trustworthy. Sue, who Jean assaults on multiple occasions: kicking her in the ribs, binding her with rope to prevent her escape, and even trying to shoot her (with a gun that's thankfully empty of bullets). At one point, she "forgives" Sue for saving her life - as if Sue's the one who needs forgiveness!

Despite the abuse, Sue continues to stick by Jean's side, which galled me endlessly. Towards the end of the story, following the attempted murder, Sue gets revenge of a sort, dominating a delirious Jean and forcing her subservience. However, the book ends shortly thereafter, cutting any sense of satisfaction far too short.

I really felt cheated with Jean: I thought she might be my avatar in this world - but she's just another terrible human who doesn't deserve the company of animals.

Likewise, the whole subplot involving Kimberley's parentage is way over the top dramatic and unnecessary; it seemed like we were being plucked from a dystopia and dropped into a soap opera for a minute there. Just, gross. So yeah, there are definitely some aspects of the book that I appreciated more than others. THE ANIMALS IN THAT COUNTRY may be imperfect - but I'd still wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking to explore our relationship to nonhuman animals in a dystopian setting.

[hardforbenhardy]

love at first sight | rogerxfem!reader

summary: roger regrets offering to help out his band mate after waking up with a hangover. though it all washes away when he meets a woman who he thinks may just be the woman of his dreams (i’m awful at summaries i’m so sorry)

warnings: none really, mentions death like the tiniest bit but tbh it's just fluffy

word count: 3.3k

this was one of the first fanfics i ever wrote, and i don’t know it got to this but i’m posting them! i’m always a little nervous to post because i’m afraid people will never read them but oh well, i enjoy writing and i’m kinda proud of them soooo here we go :) i hope you enjoy it

rogers outfit inspiration ^

Rogers POV

Of all the favours I have ever done for John, hauling his children to and from school for the next week may be my least favourite so far. Veronica just having given birth to Laura, and having to look after Michael at the same time all by herself because John had gone on a stag-do holiday (which I, the life of the party, still don't understand why I wasn't invited); I gracefully offered to take Robert, who was now 4 years old, to nursery and pick him up. Robert had said it many times before that I was the best uncle he had, which of course I knew was true; and I can't deny that Robert was my favourite nephew. He listens to me much more than Jimmy or Michael, meaning it is very easy to sway him into becoming the coolest little kid, just after his Uncle Roger. Though, I swear Brian has hardwired his child to be the most boring human ever; all he does is read books and act polite.

Of course, Monday came around quicker than I realised, meaning I had 30 minutes to make myself at least a little bit presentable, for any hot single mums I may run into in the playground of course, before picking Robert from his house. It didn't help at all that I had a tumultuous pounding residing in the back of my head after a night out with Freddie and Brian the night before, and I had woken up to find I wasn't alone in my bed; which was truly expected of myself. The woman, who laid spread across the bed, was snoring lightly as her bare chest rose up and down with every nimble breath she took. I gazed at her up and down, taking in the sight of her flowing blonde hair which was pressed against the material of my silken pillows. Not a bad pull, Rog. Knowing I had to leave in what was now 25 minutes, I grabbed my notebook and pen which I always kept in my bedside table, and quickly scribble a note.

Good shag - call me ;)

Keys under the mat; lock the door behind you babe

I was a little wary to leave this complete stranger in my house and trust her to not steal anything and lock the door behind herself, but I wasn't about to let John and V down because I had a good shag; even though I wanted oh so desperately to maybe go for another round. I paced over to my closet, searching and scanning through the racks and racks of clothes, finally settling on a black and pink striped blazer that I threw on a black shirt and some blue pants. I looked amazing. Ruffling my hands through my hair, I ensured it looked as perfect as it usually did, before rushing down the stairs to save Veronica from the little terror that is Robert.

By the time I had made it to their front door, I could already hear the cries of little Laura and Michael, the shouting of Veronica and the tune of Robert playing his violin. I knocked on the door, in which it immediately swung open revealing the woman who literally looked like she had just given birth again.

“Sorry I took so long V, woke up with a bit of a hangover" – Of course, I was under exaggerating, I could still feel the migraine in the back of my head, and the scratchy sound of the strings on that shitty little violin was not helping.

"Rog, thank you so much for offering to take him – I don't know how I would have coped with all three of them in one morning." She smiled brightly, despite her dishevelled appearance. She moved to the side slightly, allowing me to walk through the door, though I didn't bother removing my shoes as I now knew I had only 10 minutes to drive Robert down the road. She was holding Laura in her arms, rocking her gently back and forth as she attempted to calm her from whatever trouble she was in; Laura was much feistier than the first two, constantly being awake and always crying about something, and it displayed well in Veronica's appearance. "Michael, would you please stop crying! I'll come and change you in a minute!"

"I'd learn to cope – Deacy's been talking of having another!" I chuckled, seeing V roll her eyes and scoff at even the suggestion of having more than 3 children. In her eyes, why would anyone have more than 3? She would never go beyond it. "Fucks sake, of course he is. Robbie, Uncle Rog is waiting – will you please put that blimming thing down and put your shoes on!"

"Robert, come show me your violin – maybe we can start own band!" I shout through, grabbing Robert's attention immediately as he pulls his shoes on extremely quickly and races towards me, wrapping his arms around my tightly as I squat down to his level.

"Unca Wog, you'wl never guess what happened wast night – I was watching TV with mumma, and we had popcorn and bwankets and evewything, and she said I can get my own dwum kit so I can wearn drums just wike you Unca Wog! She said I have to pwove I can wearn how to pway the viowin first (because she thinks I'wl get bored of it but mummy is vewy siwwy to think that!)" Robert exclaimed, whispering the last bit into my ear before giggling slightly, before picking up his backpack and shoving it into my arms. My heart melted a little at the way he was unable to say his l’s so he replaced them all with w’s. I chuckled lightly, ruffling my fingers through his curly, brown hair – which he claimed to be growing out just like his father because, and I quote, 'Daddy has the coolest hair in the world!' – "That sounds absolutely amazing Robbie, we have a mini Roger in our midst!"

"You are still okay to pick him up?" V smiled, now holding Laura over her shoulder and handing over Robert's surprisingly heavy violin case. "Of course – 2 o'clock?"

"Yep, and Robert will show you where to pick him up from. Just let Miss Y/L/N know you'll be picking him up as well for the rest of the week, just so the school knows."

"Miss Y/L/N?" I questioned, the name having such beauty and elegance to it. I thought I may be recognised the name from somewhere, but I couldn't put name to face until I had properly met her for the first time. "Yeah – she's Robert's teacher and supervisor. Oh and Rog, try not to flirt with her"

I nodded my head slightly, taking in her words; does that mean she's good-looking? And now she's 'off bounds'? I drove Robert down to the school, it not being too far away – thankfully, considering we were running slightly late. Robert dragged me over to the classroom door, where I looked through the window to see around 30 young children running around screaming and laughing. How anyone could do this job I had no idea, I could barely handle Robert alone, as much as I loved him. I opened the door, the noise and energy still remaining despite the interruption. I looked to Robert, who hung his bags on the coat rack before joining a group of boys who looked familiar; one had scruffy, blonde hair (although he totally rocked it), one had untamed, curly brown hair, and the other was a young Tanzanian lad who seemed extremely flamboyant and a character in his own right. Then my eyes were drawn directly to who seemed to be the only adult in the room. She was squatting down beside a young girl, plaiting her delicate blonde hair carefully, ensuring she didn't pull too hard and hurt the small girl. The girl was giggling lightly, eyes flicking between the woman and Robert, while the woman wrapping the hair band around the tail of the plait one last time, before rising. She ushered the girl towards the group of boys, who were air playing all kinds of instruments, making up their own tunes and singing. Though my eyes remained solely on the woman now heading towards me, who I could only describe as the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her long Y/H/C locks were flowing down her back as her brow-grazing fringe shaped her face perfectly; especially since they emphasised her mesmerizing gold-flecked eyes, the type you could stare into for hours on end and never get bored. She had the most gorgeous beam of a smile, which made my stomach drop at the sight. Clothed in a floral yellow summer dress, it perfectly sculpted her curvy body, showing what I would consider too much skin for a nursery teacher – but then again, I certainly wasn't complaining. I was snapped out my trance when she finally reached me, holding out her hand – "You must be the famous Uncle Roger?"

"That's me" I breathily chuckled, rubbing my hand on the nape of my neck, using my other one to shake the woman's hand. I never struggled to speak to women, it was a natural skill of mine and everyone knew it; yet here I was, barely able to look in her direction without feeling overwhelmed. She smiled brightly again, which sent shivers down my spine and butterflies to my stomach. "And you must be the famous Miss Y/L/N"

"Famous, eh? Call me by Y/N – much less formal" She laughed, taking her hand out of mine and tucking them in the pockets of her dress. The dress in which I was desperately trying to pry my eyes away from. "I assume you'll be collecting Robert after school as well?"

"Oh, yeah – for the rest of the week. V said she mentioned it?"

"Oh my, of course! How could I forget – John's away on some stag do right? Well, I'll be looking forward to seeing you again this afternoon, but I should get back to the kids before they end up setting a fire or something!" She giggled, smiling at me before wandering back into the mass of small children, who immediately crowded round at her feet as she sat cross-legged on the plush carpet. I watched them carefully, seeing how she so easily interacted with the children and kept their undivided attention while Robert retold the story he had told me earlier. The children's laughter suffused the room, one child setting off the next like a chain of dominoes. I noticed Robert was sitting next to the small blonde girl, cuddling quite close and his cheeks blushing when she complimented his brightly patterned button-up shirt; a shirt in which he had begged V to buy for him after seeing the same one in my closet.

When the time came around to pick Robert up, a wave of excitement washed over me as I realised I would get the chance to see Y/N again and maybe ask her out. When I arrived, all the other parents had picked up their child already and left, leaving just Robert and the little girl Y/N was plaiting the hair of earlier; though, I was 5 minutes late. I jogged over; worried I was keeping Y/N behind for longer than needed, scooping Robert into my arms as he hugged me tightly. "Hey Unca Wog!"

"Hey Robert – how was school?" I asked, smiling brightly at his adorable antics to immediately come over and hug me. He squealed loudly, a grin spreading across his face as his brain racked to decide what he should tell me about first – "Wewl, Miss Y/L/N told us a stowy, and we did some painting, a-and I wearnt to count awl the way to 20 – I don't even have that many fingers, I had to use my toes!"

“That's amazing! You may have to teach me, I don't think I can get past 10 yet!" I chuckled, seeing Robert cover his mouth in shock and giggle at the idea he knew something I didn't. He zipped open his Flintstones backpack and pulled out a large piece of card, which was when I noticed the remnants of paint that had stained his hands a bit matching the image on the card.

"Miss told us to paint our hewoes – so I painted daddy and the band! Look there is your messy hair, and that's your dwum kit, and that's all the giwrls daddy says you go on pwaydates with!" Robert exclaimed, pointing out each aspect of the painting that I could only describe as... abstract. I grinned at Roberts painting, realising just how much impact we, as a band, had on younger children. Though my eyes widened at the innocence of his last point, feeling slightly embarrassed considering a beautiful woman was standing just behind us. "Oh, and this is Wosanna! She's my best fwiend!"

Robert turned and pointed at the young girl, who was anxiously hiding behind Y/Ns legs, peeking her head around them and letting a shy smile grow on her face. "It's very nice to meet you Rosanna; I'm Roger – Robert's uncle" I politely grinned, holding my hand out to shake hers and hoping not to frighten her away. She bashfully accepted the offer, her petite hand wrapping around two of my fingers and shaking lightly, her cheeks blushing from sheepishness and giggling lowly at the attention.

"Come on Wosanna; wet’s go play on the swings! Uncle Woger, please can we stay a wittle wonger?" Robert begged, pouting his lips and batting his eyelashes in an attempt to sway me, though I just laughed. Rising back onto my feet, I nodded towards Robert, seeing him shoot off over to the swing set with Rosanna hot on his heels, making me laugh breathily at his urgency.

"I believe we have a budding romance in the works" A soft voice behind me bubbled, making me jump slightly, having forgotten Y/N was stood behind me. "Rosanna told me she has a secret crush on Robert, and I promised not to tell anyone but it's just too adorable not to share. I have a feeling that Robert might like her back, but that's for you to find out"

"It is very adorable, I must agree." I chuckled, going to stand next to Y/N and placing my hands into my blazer pockets.

"Have you any of your own?" She asked, nodding over to the two toddlers who were racing after each other around the playground, turning to face me with a gorgeous grin plastered from cheek to cheek on her face.

“No not yet, I guess I haven't found the right woman to settle down with yet, you know." I explained, feeling slightly defeated with the knowledge I had met the right woman, but it had only been a day of knowing her and it seemed a little forward to already ask her to practically marry me; no matter how much I wanted to. "What about you?"

"That little one is mine" she conceded, gently pointing to the blonde girl playing with Robert. My eyes widened at her admittance, not expecting her to have children when she seemed so young.

"Oh really? You look quite young to be the mother of a child that age" I exclaimed, hearing Y/N giggle beside me. "Well, I did have her at quite a young age, I'll admit, but I think we had her at the right time. I'm so lucky to have her"

"We?"

"Me and my husband" She expanded, and I felt my heart drop. She's married. "Well, my then husband." I furrowed my brows, looking at her with a face of confusion as I tried to decipher what she exactly meant - she was divorced? "He passed away a few months before I gave birth to Ro, I never got the chance to tell him the news. But Ro and I have moved on, you know. Or at least I thought she had - she asked me the other day if she'll ever get a daddy like all the girls in the class. I had no idea what to say, I mean I'd love to find someone new, Ben has been gone for years now. But I'm just afraid of finding someone and then having the exact same thing happen. I couldn't bare to go through losing the one person you love most in the world for a second time. And I don't want Ro getting her hopes up in finally getting a father. God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to start being all sentimental like this, it's just nice to have someone to talk to about it y'know"

"I'm so sorry, no one should have to go through that" I comforted, turning to see a tear or two rolling down her smooth cheeks which she quickly swiped away with the sleeve of her baggy teal sweater she had pulled on over the top of her dress as the day went by. I pulled her in for a consoling hug, rubbing my hand up and down her back to soothe her. She shortly pulled away, not too much further though as I felt head rest on my shoulder. "Rog?"

"Yeah?"

"I know this might seem a bit weird, considering I've only known you for a day, but I was wondering if maybe you'd like you go out for a drink tonight? It's just, like I said, I've wanted to get back on the dating scene for a while and you seem like a genuinely sweet guy and I was just hoping to get to know you a little better, plus Ro seems to really like you, I know she may have seemed nervous but she only does that when she really likes someone and she's afraid they won't like her back, a little like me I guess right now except she's usually a lot more quiet whereas I get very chatty, and I tend to talk a lot, which I know can get a little annoying but I guess it's just a force of habit by now and sorry this is probably really weirding you out, forget I even said anything-"

And with that, I planted my lips urgently against Y/N's, a wave of passion and lust washing over me as I realised the one thing I had wanted all along; she liked me too. As our embrace finally met, I felt the whole world around me fall away. It was slow and gentle, soothing in ways that words could never be. And what was even better was that she didn't hesitate, didn't pull away; she deepened the kiss, placing her little hands on the nape of my neck to pull me in closer. I never knew a kiss could so good, so perfect. The kiss was broken by the cheers of the youngsters from the other side of the playground, the sounds of "Go Uncle Woger!" and "Yay mummy!" ringing in our ears as we broke apart, chuckling softly at the animated reactions.

"I'll see you tonight then?" I breathed, staring deep into her enchanting eyes as she gazed back up at me. She beamed widely, nodding and taking out a small notebook from Rosanna's backpack and jotting down her phone number, before scrunching it up and placing it gently in my hand.

I had heard the saying a million times before. John always said it about Veronica. Brian about Chrissie. And I always thought it was complete and utter bullshit. There was no such thing. But I was proven wrong. I guess it truly is love at first sight.

[whimsically-ominously-auspice]

This is the last human mimic alien we have to fight.

He's realized he's lost because you people aren't running wild having orgies and you're listening to the DNA4U

And further more You all don't want to share.

When i posted the video of Miss Shawntae telling snoop it was time to snoop her body up... And then Snoop went all seductive to the camera...

122895x1000= men that said "Nigga ima beat your ass you know my wo/man gonna see that. You ain't need to be showing yourself!".

76584284×1000= said "ew i hope i don't have my any asking me to do anything tonight after what i just seen. My imagination gonna kill myself! And i know that's just wrong wrong wrong!"

Now multiply the digits together before the multiplication sign and that is approximately minus 1000 That supported Snoops message.

I did all 3. I had to advert my eyes even. Although he couldn't even see me.

Now Snoop and i know each other over 8000zillion years. So i can easily put myself in his shoes.

So he would walk in and I be having sex and he just sit down and start having a conversation. Like we having BBQ ribs and not sexual intercourse.

His wife tho .... He would make sure "the white boy was covered" and tease her don't look. She look at the carpet... Eventually it kept going on so i took a picture off the wall and put it on the floor where she always sat.

She said "why you do that?"

"I realize the kids keep jumping on the bed and knock it off. Snoop stare at you If you move your face. And unless you're on LSD it's no fun staring at the carpet. So i gave it to you where it seems you always be looking although i had to take a pretty healthy guess. I just felt you was having the most miserable time of all and as my friend it was my honor to trip out and give you a gift"

She used the reflection to put on her makeup and slept in bed later.,Snoop quit being so paranoid. Cause she would face the wall and lean against him.

Point is... Snoop be all like he was watching sports to make sure we got the score.

I mean. Man. Earth. We tried everything we could to stop these aliens from wanting to habe orgies. Even,took,away,their dicks!!!

We did everything. Planet.

Y'all locked up with your soulmates made little difference on this kick of his.

I been doing it. I been riding like I been going around the world 500 times. I love sex.

82% of y'all all around the Earth been having sex.

4% have watched porno

18% have had 1 wild orgies of those 18% -- 32% had s second one. Of those 0.00004981% have gone onto a third.

Of those having 2 or more orgies 92% were aliens

Leaving 8% Of 18% of the entire world interested enough in watching or having sex with other people than their soulmate.

Who saved the world?

100% of humans.

You all get $5 and that includes children.

He's done all he could and he's failed. 100%

I think Edgar might be human... Looking at his alien structure in the film.

But he treated me like an alien. Im still a POW.

Alex had to sell a bed because he acted non human. And Alex worked hard on it to make it perfect for me.

I would been fine gloating from it. Fighting and being sassy to aliens.

But then someone claiming to care about me,most of all abandoned his son and law and daughter. And i hear stories of him being evil.

Some time ago they asked me "do you want a dad or mom?"

"No"

"We need to know because the future of the,Earth,depends on it. And the future of you. Now do you want a dad or,not?!"

"The question is will i remain needing a dad or father figure in the future. No i am fine. I have male role models to keep the species alive. Males. (Species not gender) I also have my mom in Mrs Harriet Tubmam. And if that fails then at that time i should be able to get the rest of me. But she's fine. I'm fine. I just got to remain stable. But adding a father or another mother i don't know just yet can remain disasterous."

Luckily Alex didn't burn the bed down. But it was,bugged and bombed by "Edgar", to me 'its just another one of those things we have to clean"

Do i care? Nothing. He doesn't affect me. I worry about Alex having to,deal with it. But,hes being,and,staying clean,and,then when he's,scared he stays by other cold turkey or non users. He was,around Crystal meth yesterday and he tasted 1/4 of a gram. Like when you would put your finger in the sugar jar. Then lick it. The other guy smoked 4.9876 ounces and blew it all in their faces including the babies. Thus Alex got 7.698 grams ingested via second hand smoke.

I didn't notice but we got in a fight with each other. Just like we always do.

Alex and i power punched him and his eye socket -- ocular bone -- was crushed like glass in 17 cracks.

His jaw I punched more alone but with Alex and total both sides he lost 9 teeth. And had to be wired shut after 72 stiches because i split his upper palate in two. I cracked his lower palate in 8072 places. So if you found a skull it would rest on powder of his lower jaw and then you'll find the upper. After decaying..

Then Alex on the top of his head had 49 stitches to repair his soft tissue from his frontal lobe when he crashed to the floor after the super punch to eye hit the coffee table.

He did get one "good" punch in -- his skull hit Alex right in the right eye.

It fucking hurt but it hurts in a good way. Its weird it's like "reward!" Pain. No suffering. Fucking got him good tho. We feel it every now and again. May be it is when he realises we will kill him for good. He keeps remembering that sudden silence of death.

He's currently on life support. "Medically induced coma" is our non panic code words. But it's basically life support but usually not full life support. It isn't 100% life support medical machines. Its 75% or less.

So technically it's life support and coma mixed. So we csll it medically induced coma. This way you understand if your family is the one on the machines -- it's only 25% body life.... However there's a 75% of recovery via healing machines.

The CIA. Willl decide when to pull the plug. Usually medically induced coma is someone evil or someone bad with the ability to be good. Usually aliens go straight to coma status.

If an alien will die it's 1st life support then coma. Your friend or family will die.

They said medically induced coma. But at this time. His brain is incapable of human thought so I am putting him on life support.

This makes it the family's wishes.

Most of the time "next of kin" is spouse then parents/siblings. Then children last.

Which is wrong. It should be the future. Thus Erica and Steven will ask the babies. And together they will decide.

Last night as a CIA operative while he was in a medically induced coma i was told by at least 1 child and 2 adults to pull. I reviewed. While they spoke from shock and relief their true feelings.

Knowing that the children escaped life with Eric once. I don't feel the right to allow Eric to live. I know the consequences of his actions caused two children to leave my planet in fear and terror and disgust because of Eric.

Erica was my 3rd pregnancy to abort and hold souls.

I hate Eric. That's why i punched him in the fucking face. I was happily surprised that Alex did it. Too in person.

Since the infants are involved and already resurrected. And had a nightmare of a time in less than 36 hours on Eaerth.

I allow them to be there to pull the plug, they can actually yank and pull the plug themselves.

So that is what i want and what the children need.

It will show Eric he doesn't belong here and has no,reason to,be at 25%

It makes life easier for all of us.

Eric was an outdoor kid. Like John and Jason and Greg. Etc. He never went into my school.

They didn't have to. And actually weren't ever enrolled. They liked the man work to learn to survive on their own.

While i taught the children the indoor stuff. The expansion of the mind.

I taught them the economy so the men working to increase their own economical structure could be helped to be taken in under their wings.

I left no one behind.

But he refused confirming.

1. Alcoholic system to drop other drugs. -- he uses crystal meth. Without cut backs. Without moderation

$5 if yoh remember and realized i said make smoothies without alcohol to share with your kids.

2. He blew it in their faces on purpose them injesting over 2.4 grams each.

Erica and Alex would cover their faces with thick blankets when the smoke came towards them.

It was quite a hostage situation. Knowing he could take the newborns and kill them in front of them.

Its happened to me 985 Point 2 times. I'm 35 years old.

875.8 times it's been with a knife.

Take the numbers and multiply by 10 million. For the last some kinda lots of 8 thousand zillion years.

It even happened to Alex. He he has the scars. From,this and last life., it,has happened.

So for me they're terrifying. Unless I'm there... I have saved 900 billion times 30 thousand. I those situations.

But i always remember the ones i lost.

So don't worry when I'm suicidal. Just leave me alone. Don't talk to me. I need silence.

So dead babies y'all.

Dead aliens.

It will be done

I seen that actually quite beautiful meme of April 2020 the clouds and UFO.

I don't get mad or violent because I'm stepped back to watch y'all cope.

But I say to y'all "fuck no that's not happening" I say to that UFO "Fucking try it you will all die" i just scroll on because I get so angry. I get so mad. Its a beautiful photo but i refused to repost it because it isn't something i support.

Most reposts of memes are supported unless i type something on the bottom. Saying it's not.

So my dad. I didn't care until i saw The Rock, "her dad is alive" all happy and in support.

Then i was bothered. Then I cared. Then i felt something about it. But until then i felt nothing.

I didn't feel shame..i felt that were all made of glass.

Because I was happy to have a dad.. One that seemed good. I was actually happy.

And it was kept personal to me... But then I saw the Rock felt it. Then I began to feel..

Broken. But Alex kept it together and started getting rid of the bed. Taking it down. Removing bombs. And fixing all that ass hole did "my dad"

I know the Rock.. He can handle. His dad just died. And we did a lot for him.

So for him to be elated. I get through the day thinking no one really cares what i feel and they don't pay kuch attention..but the Rock in that moment in time.

He was happy. And i knew then i had to Destroy a light of happiness inside him and he looked away from the camera to say "we are all happy. The while world"

DNA4U list one person as my father. He's my uncle..

Edgar claimed it was his 18th cousin.

You know, it doesn't matter.

Donate. Mr Lee Tubman. And more. They're my dads. They kept me safe. Taught me to be wiser and more caring about myself. Donte was 2 years younger than me. But he was a father figure. Guy was the fun dad. Fred Flintstone i called one friend's dad was the fishing buddy. We were not close but he was a silent father figure.

I stole all my friends dads. Borrowed them. Their moms, too.

I have 1800 moms that I call mom.

I know who my moms and dads are.

Just like Erica called me mom the other day and Brittany will too. And Alex my cousin's son. Candy. Brandy. Declan.

So i know i have a family that understands it doesn't matter how I got here. It matters who treated me well. Matthew McCognohey. Kid rocks. They're like my dad's and my kids. Uncles and Cousins.

Blood doesn't matter. Shit half the time Snoop is my God or dad or bother or husband or little kid i have to save. He's my friend.

Snoop is too much of everything. He is my co-nigger. My partner in many crimes against humanity (practical jokes)

I call him my Friend. But my family wouldn't be complete without him and Shawntae.

Harriet. I call her momma all the time. It feels natural. Sometimes i call her old lady.

So while i was joyful for a moment thinking I found someone that actually cared to find out he didn't.

I myself wasn't affected until i knew others would be

Its just a lesson in life. Don't trust people.

I told Alex abandon ship, fuck that place. Ain't no one can go in there!!

He understood and agreed then took the role "no,one is driving me and her from our home." He decided to defend the homestead. That is the role a man takes

Im all you gotta sweep the whole place,then,rest and do,it again,2 more times at least.,Then,again when,I,get there. If i get there.

But i feel good to know my lover isn't gonna let anyone drive him down. Just turn around. Learn a lesson. Clean the mess.

Why do i need a father when i have a man?

Clearly i am an independent woman and always have been.

But i need a family. Otherwise I have no point to live.

And that is why i am suicidal.

I don't see s point to live. Not when Alex and i fight and i don't want him to talk to me cause some alien got in our way once again.

He was double attacked by aliens.

So if their desire is for me to die... Then they should keep,doing it.

If,not they need to stay out of my way so i can,get my family,together again.,in,real life.

My family that I know is my family. Not aliens. Not fans. Not someone that needs to apologize to me or needs an explanation.

People that can think on their own and not be reminded they need to have love in their spirit.

Now Snoop sometimes plays the role of my brother. And we are competitive. It just makes us proud of each other and ourselves for surviving a challenge. I do it to him too but I play old hard skill. He plays old new remember when. I do ancient V-Ball and he does pop and country experience.

So his spirit is of an ego -- which salutes the fact we will grow.

Often we do the spirit of mischievous. To remind danger still exists but we will have fun and love in the end.

Friend. Someone that is gonna fry you but the end od what matters.

Sometimes we relax and chill. But them old cogwheels of the mind never quit rolling. Advance. Advance. Lets keep it going don't stop.

He's like me. Suicidal.

But he used to release his inner poison. Now he makes it not exist by doing something else ....

But me? Nothing helps but the mimic of death itself. Silence.

People are what causes it. Alien people.

So you humans. Keep on being you.

Its you that is gonna save the world

I gave you guidelines to help us out this mess.

Because I can't even see y'all because the aliens surrounding me trying to get my last breath.

Show me you. Save us. You're doing good

I got $5 on y'all that we make it.

[marceltash]

Marcel Ash

Professor Lunday

ENGL 1301

19 Apr 2020

At the Gates

            “I, Marcel Ash, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of all the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." Reciting this sovereign oath has the same brilliance that it possessed over a decade ago. For a Marine, it foreshadows the unity we have the privilege to be a part of. I’m thankful for all the diverse personalities that effortlessly meshed with my own. Ok, maybe effortlessly isn’t the best choice of words. Our brotherhood is forged through blood, sweat, tears, and a little bit of “positive” reinforcement. I was able to persevere and grow into a fine marine; it all anxiously started August 28th, 2010. I still remember seeing all the 25 faces those many years ago, seeing the expressions of nervousness, excitement, and an overall state of unknowing as to what the future will hold. As we lined up shortest to tallest right before preparing to march onto the red carpet inside the MEPS building room. I was to march into room with the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard crest hanging so proudly high on the wall to the rear of the room, with a mesmerizing look of old glory swaying ever so boldly through the elements of the sky. As we marched in, everyone’s parents and other families were standing there crying tears of pride, waves at us vigorously, and taking pictures as if they were capturing the last remnants of the innocence of their child to be preserved, because they knew that once the oath of enlistment had been spoken; no longer stood their child, but now an young adult setting down the path of adulthood. Once we all entered and were appropriately positioned , the commander of Military Enlistment Processing Station walked in and delivered a passionate and intense speech about being honored, becoming brothers and sister in arms, and have the distinct pleasure to call of calling us his fellow future service member.

After hearing and feeling the passion in the voice of what the MEPS commander had to say to us, raising my right hand, and speaking that oath to the nation, I couldn’t help but feel an intense state of belonging to an great organization resonate inside, and that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, I would call them all a part of my family one day soon. 30 minutes after they marched us out of the swearing in room, they took us to through a series of different hallways a offices depositing all 25 of us to our respective branch offices as if we had been the payday they been waiting for, I stood in surprised that only 6 of us remained from the 25 await the drop off to Marine Corps office to get our next set instruction well to what to expect now. At that very moment, I finally understood why it was that the Marine Corps was always referred to was the Few And the Proud, and why everyone I would tell told about my future endeavor would smile so loudly and hug me so tightly .

When we finally reached the office, we were greeted by at the time what I thought to be the epitome of the Marine Corps at time: a mountain of a Marine standing at least 6’5, jacked and with a demeanor that demanded nothing less than the up most respect from those both below and above alike. Whenever he spoke, whether it be issuing a command of orders, or it be a simple response, with every word spoke had whoever hung on every word because of his shear confidence. He led us over to the recreation area full of theater chairs and a projector with the most up to date movies out at the time, and congratulated us on becoming future “Devil Dogs” before telling us he would call us one at a time so that we could get our Military Occupational Specialty, finish signing contracts, and giving us each a 23 dollar food voucher for the food court at the airport. When it was finally time for me to finish my process before heading off to boot camp; the Gunnery Sergeant looking in a perplexing, and puzzled manor looked at me, as I walked in to greet him. As he stared into his computer monitor intently, 5 minutes went pass before he would finally break the silence lingering to address my choice of MOS. He wanted to know why someone with a score of 53 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, and had qualified for 75% of the jobs available to me, decided that I  wanted to be a Food Service Specialist instead of  a helicopter mechanic or everything else. He felt that it would be a great injustice not only to the Marine Corps, but also to me as well if I were limit myself to being a Food Service Specialist.

GySgt said to trying to gain a clear understanding of my thought process “Hey killer, I’m just going over your contract and looking at it I understand that you want to be a cook? With everything that the out there, did your recruiter not tell you what the Marine Corps has to offer to you? Because if he didn’t, luckily for you I have the last say so for your future career, and I can most defiantly change it for you no harm no fault right now just give me the word.” It took me a moment to process everything and contemplate what he had said, I responded with asking him what else was available and the wait time for each of the different MOS. He then said “Well if you were take Aviation Ordinance school will not be picking up for another year which means you wouldn’t be going to boot camp today, but you would have a better job. Or we can put you in warehousing or as an armorer were you can handle weapons all day. I just didn’t want a smart kid like you wasting after in someone’s chow hall making eggs and flipping spatula for the next 4 or however many years you stay in this gun club.” I told him “GySgt I would love to be ANYTHING other than a Food Service Specialist, but if it means staying in Texas another day I cannot do it.” He looked at me somewhat shockingly as I continued. “Boss It’s time for me to get out of here, I mean if I had another place to stay I most defiantly would take you up on your offer, but I just quit my job and my aunt will let me come back to her house, so Food Service Specialist it is for me 100% sir.” Understanding the severity of my situation, but still trying to get me the best “bang for my buck” as he put it said, “My final option would be to offer an open contract. What that entails is a contract where you go to boot camp today just like you want. He then leaned forward, crossed his hands and continued with, “Now while you’re there, the Marine Corps is going to look at your ASVAB score and what’s opened or going to be open by the time you graduate and place you a MOS of their choosing. Now the powers that be can put in the Infantry, or you can get lucky and get placed in meteorology” he laughed and then replied, “Yes, the Marine Corps has weather men or Food Service Specialists, because that’s the only thing open right now, but it solely up to the Marine Corps.” My response to him was very simple and would lighten the tone of would seem like an intense bargaining of careers with, “GySgt you lost me at Infantry sir, thank you for trying to convince me though, but I’ve been shot at enough in life and I’m not too keen on going half way across the world for someone to play target practice with my butt.” After a brief chuckle, and a few head nods of comprehension of my standing on position for my career, the Gunnery Sergeant had me sign a few pages, initial some other ones, handed me my food voucher, and told to head back to the lounge and chill out until it was time to head to the airport.

Heading back to the lounge, an unsettling feeling of nervousness began set in as I wondered if I made the right decision. I began to wonder if talking to the two Staff Sergeants that set all of this in motion had been a mistake an just a rebellious act against the status quo that a was my family, and all their disapproving rants with the exception of a few of how I was “going to throw my life away” or worst “get my fool self-killed” fighting in a war I had no business being in. But through the mist of the somber memories clouding my every thought, an over bearing ray of positivity would expunge all remaining doubts from my mind in the form my brother and words to me about my decision. My brother Shawn, who was the first to know of my intentions, said “well bro you know if that’s what you want to do then you know I support you all the way. No matter what the rest of the family says, it’s your life not theirs. If they didn’t like your decision, then to hell with them, just know your big brother will there how somehow to see his baby brother graduate damnit!” After reminiscing on the conversation between my brother and myself, I realized that no matter how hard basic training would be or get, as long I made my oldest brother Shawn proud, that’s all that mattered to me. After returning back to the lounge and surveying inside the room, I ran into a familiar face in a friend named Benjamin going to basic as well. After both he and I locked on to one another, a sense of relief and security befell the both of us because instead of going to another state with complete strangers, and having to get to know everyone in an instant, we a fellow face and to fall back in case of the moments when one of us was in need of moral support and reassurance.

By the time we finish catching up on lost time, as well as bantering back and forth an hour in a half had past and gunnery came to inform us that the bus taking us to the airport would be arriving shortly, and decided that he would tell us about the different states and countries he had the pleasure of going to. “I many of have ever been outside of Texas, or even the country? Well I can tell that the Marine Corps is probably the perfect place to go for traveling. The reason why I say this is because I’ve been to places you can only dream about. Places like Japan, New Zealand, Morocco, Brazil, Dubai, and so many more places gents. You what the craziest part about all this, I went to all these different countries absolutely free. That’s right guys, the Marine Corps paid for everything from the travel cost down even having maids to clean for you so you don’t have to worry about nothing, but going to work your 5 the 8 hour shift you are scheduled to stand, then its liberty and fun time people. If you aren’t sold on that fact, then listen to this; they also provide you a professional chief as well so you dot have to worry about cooking and feeding yourself as well. Speaking of chiefs, where’s my future Food Service Specialist?” I looked up and raised my hand hoping not to be ridiculed by the others for my choice in job selection. “Here I am Gunny, don’t go in on me to hard please and thank you.” His reply was “Why would I do that? No I was actually going to ask you if your recruiters told about the potential of you being able to go to the Culinary Institute of America?” he could tell from the bewildered look on my face that I had no inclination of what he was speaking about. “I didn’t think they did either. So for Marines with your MOS, you can go to the CIA while in the Marine Corp completely free of charge, provided you can win a completion between the Marine Corp and a civilian team of cooks like yourself. What that means for you should you win is that the Marine Corps will fly you to New York on special orders called Temporary Assigned Duty, or TAD and set you in a 5 star hotel, provide you with transportation, give you Per Diem, it’s just a fancy word for spending money, and allow you to go site seeing when you’re not at school. Just make sure you do your homework, because you will not have a babysitter telling to make sure you have your work done.”

He then also mentioned to us that even though we had sworn in we could still back out and go home. “Another thing for you ones that decide that at Boot Camp you really don’t want to be there; If by some chance you get there and start to realize that it’s not go for, you can most definitely leave and go home. But do understand that best way and fastest way out of the Marine Corps Recruit Depo is to graduate in 3 months. If you decide you want to leave prematurely, you will sit there at MCRD for at least 6 months before they be able to get you back home because of the process. So please I implore you, just suck it up, every day is not going to be roses, and finish boot camp.” After sharing a few more stories about the provocative things that some of the countries have to offer while there, he told us that bus would be arriving within the hour and told us to start cleaning the lounge, make sure we didn’t leave anything, and wished us luck once again and hoped he’d see some of us as Marines in the fleet. Roughly about 45 minutes later, the Gunnery Sargent sent one of the Administrative Assistant working in the office to notify us that the bus was here and guided everyone down stairs to insure we made it down to the bus. Once we arrived at the buses, she stop in front of them and told us to pair up, but not before appointing me in charge of everyone until we reached our final destination. Her only requirement of me was to make sure we all reached the gate on time, to board our flight to San Diego to be received by the Drill Instructors at MCRD.

Once we reached the airport, Benjamin and I instantly linked ourselves together, as if we were links of a steel chain that refuse to be broken, and would somehow manage to remain that way throughout the entirety of basic training. When we finally reached the boarding gate, we had a little over 2 in half hours before we would began the final trek to claim the title of Marine. Everyone looked to me for instructions of what to do because of my early appointment, me sensing that this would probably be to last time we all would get to enjoy the freedom and simply replied with, “Gents for and enjoy yourself, don’t do anything to stupid, and be back 15 min before its time to board the plane, but stay with your partners please and thank you.” After my statement, everyone’s eyes lit up as I had opened the flood gates, and allowed them to do what their wildest minds could imagine. As they disappeared in different directions, Benjamin and I went to the horse shoe shaped food court were we would remain until it was time to head back eating the 23 dollars’ worth of McDonalds double Cheese Burgers and Hot N Spicy’s we could get.

Boarding the plane I didn’t realize how much I had an unhealthy fear for fling as I had only flown 1 time before that very moment. The only thing that got me onto the plane was the fact that once I had reached MCRD, only few would have the chance in life to become Marines, and of that less than 1% would actually claim that title. Boarding the plane, we would encounter a future service member that as a part of the United States Army that as was more than happy to share with us his multiple stories about being in Afghanistan and seeing different parts of the world as well. Listening to the Army Specialist stories and adventures up to that point current moment, I realized that he manage to keep all our minds off the fact that we were 30,000 feet in the air, and kept our minds off the various bumps and shakes that the turbulence had to throw at us while we in the air.

When we finally landed in San Diego and had gotten off the plane, we had made our way to the USO in the airport were we signed in and given further instruction to wait on the bus coming to get us from the Depot. We were told to wait outside the USO because we haven’t become service member yet. We only waited for no less than 10 minutes out in the mid night air, before a bus with black out windows would pull up to collect us and deliver us to the hands of the men that would shape us into the men we needed to be. When the doors opened, a tall slender Drill Instructor disembarked the bus and addressed by saying, “listen up gents, from this point forward you will all be referred to as recruits and the word I is no longer a part of your word will. My name Drill Instructor Staff Sargent Jones and that is what you will refer to me as.” He began to pace back forward and continued with, “The first word out your mouth will be sir, and the last word will be sir. When you get on my bus, you will file out from left to right until all the seats are filed. When we get to MCRD, you also get off my bus from left to right, do you understand me?” Looking timid for unsure what the next few months would offer, answered him with a loud and pride “SIR YES SIR!!” SSgt Jones grinned and replied with, “Some of you will not make it through, and some of you will get hurt and can’t make it through. To the ones of you I say, good luck when you get back home, the Marine Corps wasn’t for you. The of that do make it through congratulations; I’ll happily call you my brothers. Until when I will be challenged and tested in ways you never have before, and you’ll want to quit.” He stopped in the middle of us all and said peering into all our eyes collectively, “The next 3 months will not be easy gentlemen, welcome to your own personal 13 week hell, now get on my bus!!”                           

[distanceiskillingmetoo-blog]

Brighter - Shawn Mendes (3)

Juliette Petit is a 25 years old French artist, who’s performing at the grammy’s. After meeting one of her best buds after her performance, she met someone new. Everything is history after that.At first, I wanted it to be a one shot. But I got carried away.

English isn’t my mother tongue, so I’m sorry if I made mistakes.

“Can I ask you a question?” Shawn asked on the phone. “If I say no, would you still ask your question?” “Yep!” He laughed. “So go ahead.” “I know that you came to London to work on your music, but before that, what were you doing?” “I was working with children by day, and singing in bars by night. Not as crazy as you being discovered!”

“You probably were so exhausted doing all of this.” “At that time, I didn’t think it was exhausting, because I was having fun at night,” I smiled a bit too much explaining this to Shawn. “My friends were there, and I could do anything I wanted, either it was my own songs or covers. Plus it included a lot of free booze, and I was so down for it.” “I bet you were.” “Are still missing those vine days?” I asked. “I mean the days when you were just at home?”

“As crazy as it sounds, sometimes I do. Because being away all the time can be hard because I miss my mom, my dad and my sister.” “I know what you mean… Sometimes I think I miss a lot of my nephews and niece’s lives. I talk a lot to my brothers and my in-laws, but the kids they’re still pretty young.” I sighed. “But living your dream doesn’t come with no effort. So I made peace with myself about it now.” “Juliette, you’re such a strong person!” “That’s because I am older than you, I’m wiser.” I laughed. “You wish you were. Miss I-drunk-to-much last night.” “Heyyyy that’s not fair!” I said. “You’re just jealous, you can’t drink as much as me and the boys. You’re bitter because you’re underage to be able to drink in the US, so you can’t drink wherever you want. But don’t blame us people, who are old enough to drink anywhere they want in the world, because we are drunk sometimes.” He laughed. “Especially after a hard day at the studio. We needed a way to loosen up a little.”

Me and Shawn were on the phone.. We didn’t talk about music anymore, but I decided the boys didn’t need to know about that because they would have teased me non stop.

“I have to go to sleep, I have a meeting tomorrow morning!” “Okay, have a good night.” Shawn said. “Have a great day Mendes!” “Bye Juliette.”

-

I was up at 10 am for an appointment with a tattoo artist. I was getting a new tattoo today and I couldn’t wait. I was in a rushed on the busy streets of London. As it was beginning to rain, I opened the door of the saloon a bit too hard.

“I’m sorry Vic, it’s not me, it’s ‘cause of the rain.” “Don’t worry Juliette!” He laughed. “Are you nervous?” “Nope, it’s not my first one, but I just can’t wait to have it!”

I had a few tattoos already, but the one I was getting today, was one I wanted for a long time. A rose on my forearm. It will complete my forearm.

“So, I just done this draft with the colors and everything.” Vic gave me the paper. “What do you think of it?” “Wow,” I smiled. “That’s beautiful, don’t change anything. I love it like that.” I couldn’t stop smiling. “You’re so talented! Just do it already damn!” Vic laughed. “Let me getting ready and we’ll do it.”

I sit down in the waiting room while he was getting ready. I was on instagram liking pictures and scrolling. I decided to film me to post on my story.

“Hello everyone, it’s not even 11am in London town, and I’m already up. No studio for me today. I am about to do something I wanted for a while in a few minutes. And just can’t wait. As soon as I can I’ll let you know what it is. Mwah Mwah Mwah!” I finished the video by sending kisses to the viewers of my stories.

Vic said to me, he was ready and in a little less than 1 hour he was done. His work was so good. It wasn’t the first time he worked his magic on me, and I knew it wasn’t the last time either. Wherever I was in the world, if I wanted a tattoo, I would go see him or one of my friends.

“That’s beyond what I imagined you were going to do. Thank you Vic, seriously! That’s perfect,” I smiled. “I love it! You always blow my mind with your talent.” “Always a pleasure to work on you.” He smiled.

It was a good time to enjoy London, as it didn’t rain anymore. We even got a little sun. It was a perfect Wednesday. I was going to go to lunch with one of my girl friends on her lunch break. We find each other in Soho next to her work place.

“Hey girl!” “Juliette I’ve missed you!” She said hugging me. “Missed you too,” I answered smiling a bit. “I know i’ve been a bit MIA since I came back from the grammy’s but-” “You had this song in your head, and you had to work on it.” she smiled. “I know you, don’t worry! I’m so proud of your performance!” “Thank you,” I smiled. “You have to tell me everything about the red carpet and your performance!! and damn I knew you were bold, but giving up your heels to Sarah to put your vans at the grammy’s, I was so proud!”

“awww Lisa, you don’t even know how scared I was walking the red carpet with those heels”, I said laughing. “But when Seacrest told me I could do it, I didn’t wait another minute. That’s not the best part. You know who I met on the red carpet?” “Who?” “I met Diplo. He was so sweet with me.” We laughed. “But I almost fainted when Katy Perry and Lady Gaga walked through me.” I smiled. “Oh shit,” she laughed really hard. “And nobody has any footage of it, that’s a shame!” “Thank god! I think with my vans’ story it’s better to not have anything more on my plate at the grammy’s.”

“Any good after parties?” “I didn’t go to any official after party.” “But? Because there is a but.” “After our performance, I talked a bit with Josiah and he invited us at the party to his friend’s home.” I smiled. “So we went to his friend. His friend being Shawn Mendes.” Lisa blinked a few times. “You mean, you went to his house?” “Yep,” I said laughing. “The video of Josiah and me singing to Bon Jovi was at Shawn’s house in LA, the house he rented when he’s more than just a few days in town.” “Oh my god, Juliette!” “andweretalkingeverydaysincethen!” “What?” She asked smiling. “Don’t make me say it again.” “You have to tell me everything…” She said. “Now!”

I explained everything to her. As much as I loved my guys, I couldn’t talk about Shawn to them. But I could with my girl friends. Especially Lisa. She’s been here with me through thick and thin for years now. I told her our session on Skype working on Paralyzed.

I told her how sometimes he said something cute to me, and I didn’t respond as it mades me uncomfortable and comfortable as the same time. I told her how it happened a few times that I fell asleep being on the phone with Shawn and I knew that in the morning because he was saying it by text.

“This guy is so cute!” “That’s the problem… This guy is cute.” “Is it really a problem?” She asked. “I don’t see one.” “But he’s way younger than me…” I sighed. “Juliette, seriously…” “I’m 25 and he’s 20. That’s young. I can’t go too deep into this thing going on.” “You should ask him.” she smiled at me. “Be bold and ask him…” “You know me, you know it’s easier for me to write a song and sing, than just talk to someone.” “I know, but if you ignore him, that would be awkward as hell.” “I don’t want to ignore him,” I sighed. “That’s the worst part.” I laughed. “You have a crush on someone.” “I won’t deny it to you, but I will deny it to the guys!” I laughed. “They’re already giving me a hard time about him. No need to give them anything more.” “I still think, you should clear everything with him…” “Maybe I’m just a fool, and I’m just assuming things.” I sighed. “I’m sure that’s it. No big deal.” “Juliette….” “I’ll see him in Paris at his show…” I sighed once again. “I’ll try to grow some balls and talk to him!” “Ok, now I have to talk to you about something work related.”

She told me she had a promotion at work. I was so proud of her. She was doing amazing at work and with her boyfriend Tim. They were great together. One of my favorite couple ever, with Josiah and Sami.

If one day I was in a relationship like both of my friends were, I will be so happy. We ate and talked happily about anything too important, just catching up on our favorite tv shows and the bands we both like.

“Lisa, I didn’t even show you my last tattoo,” I said to her while taking off my hoodie. “Look it’s beautiful!” “Oh damn Juliette! This rose is a very elegant one, I love it. And the colors are beautiful.” “Yeah I agree with you,” I said putting my hoodie back on. “Vic has done an amazing job! It’s really perfect!”

We finished our lunch together and she went back to work. And I kept walking around London. I loved this city. Paris will always be home because my family are there, but London will always be MY home, where I’m truly feeling like myself. When I came here for the first time for my music, it was pretty intense. I didn’t sleep much, because I was always either at the studio or walking around the city. Discovering every neighborhood, every street, every park. I couldn’t let myself rest for a month. I was living the beginning of my dream, and I wanted to live it at 100%, at least. So yeah, Paris is home because it’s where I grew up and where my family is. But London it’s where my heart is.

It was time to put a new story on instagram. I took my phone out of my leather jacket and began recording myself.

“It’s me again people! I had lunch with one of my fav gals ever earlier and now I’m just daydreaming while walking in London. I can’t let you speculate over what I was doing this morning. So in the next story you’ll know! I love you all! See you very soon! Mwah mwah mwah!”

And I decided to upload this picture of my new tattoo.

FROM SHAWN: your new tattoo is hot you woman. Can’t wait to see it soon.

I didn’t respond to Shawn’s text as I really didn’t know what to say. He tried to call me 3 times right after that, but I didn’t answer his calls either.

FROM SHAWN: You must be busy, really wanted to hear you. Tomorrow?

TO SHAWN: sorry Mendes, I’m at a party right now. tomorrow I’ll be in Paris with my family, raincheck?

FROM SHAWN: no probs

What Shawn didn’t know was that I wasn’t at a party. I wanted nothing more than talk to him, but it was getting hard to not fall for him. I needed to distance myself a bit from him. At least for a few days. And being in Paris will help me. Because I will have a reason to not answer him all the time.

[bastardtravel]

August 11, 2018. Manchester, New Hampshire.

After seven hours on the road, pausing only to explore an Old Ones cult site, storm a terrible castle, and eat distressingly dry corned beef at a Greek diner that still advertised one of their menu items as “Michael Jackson’s favorite grinder”, we were in dire need of respite.

Establishing a forward operating base was our first priority. For my part, I can sleep anywhere. My bonfire days in the Frozen North frequently necessitated pitching a $10 K-Mart tent over gravel, then drinking bottom-shelf whiskey until you didn’t realize you were sleeping in a puddle of rainwater and broken glass. That’s not a knack you lose. It’s like riding a bike. The Girl was always more discerning, and became doubly so after our experience in Phoenix with the inept criminal front halfway house hotel. We agreed that she can veto any of the lodgings I book. Sometimes, late at night, I’ll hold a flashlight under my chin and tell her spoOoOoky stories about hostels in Ireland.

She insisted on the airport Super 8. I was hoping to stay in a quaint deep woods motel called “Unsmiling Jed’s Sleepaway”, attached to sister business “Unsmiling Jed’s Discount Plastic Surgery Silo and Chili Kitchen”.

If I can’t protect it, I don’t deserve to have it. That goes double for life.

A friendly foreign woman checked us in at the Super 8, then proceeded into utter bafflement when I asked for a first aid kid. I chewed myself up pretty good climbing Bancroft’s Castle, and I’d spent the last half hour bleeding into an oily dog blanket to avoid ruining my upholstery. I’m pretty sure that’s how plagues start.

There were no band-aids here, or antiseptics, or possibly medicine as a concept. There was a three gallon tub of hand sanitizer. I thanked her for the offer but gently declined.

We went up to the third floor. The hallways were lined with people sitting on the carpet outside their rooms, shouting and smoking cigarettes. The room itself was clean and the air conditioning worked. All my boxes were checked. The bathroom reeked of weed, which some would interpret as a bonus. I scrubbed my wounds raw in the sink, tucked away the precious cargo of wine and peaches, and set out to investigate downtown Manchester.

Streetlight technology has not yet made its way to Manchester, so we spent twenty minutes missing exits in ocean-floor darkness. It looked worryingly like Wilkes-Barre, which is not where one would choose to vacation, were one sane.

Downtown erupted from nowhere like graphic pop-in on a video game running at its lowest resolution. One second you’re in leatherface country, with nothing breaking the abyssal darkness but the occasional half-broken Jiffy Lube sign. The next, you’re on vibrant neon market strip, replete with hipsters and the homeless.

We knew we had hit downtown proper when we passed by the “craft grilled cheese bistro”.

only programmers will understand!!!! like and reblog if u get it

Since I am an adult man, grilled cheese cannot be dinner. Both “gastropubs” we tried, despite their bitchin Greek mythology names, offered generic terrible burgers and a draft list that consisted of Coors Light.

“I’m so hungry,” the Girl told me. “I’m gonna die.”

“We all will,” I assured her. “Soon.”

Yelp claimed there was a brewery five blocks away. We walked off the only lit street, into absolute, encompassing blackness. It would’ve been spooky if I didn’t always kind of hope some Putty Patrol mook would lunge at me from the dark while I’m far away from home, having told no one where I’m going and left no paper trail.

There were no incidents. No one was murdered in self-defense. No one knows what we did last summer. The Stark Brewing Company was in the basement of a grim looking office complex, and it was vacant save for two other wanderers.

We sat at the bar and ordered a flight and an imperial stout. I was pushing for finding an actual restaurant, but the Girl ordered “Penne with vodka sauce”, which was not the right color, flavor, or texture to be anything but penne bolognese. The Girl didn’t seem to mind. I ate a pulled pork sandwich.

The beers were warm, but I didn’t care. It didn’t matter what the beers were, so long as they were beers. And not Coors Light. The brewery themed all of their beers off of dogs, for some reason, which I believe to be the ideal business model. According to the bartenders, the brewery had been open for 25 years, but hadn’t yet received their big boom. I was outraged. The beers were excellent, and would probably be even better if they weren’t room temperature, and the taps were not only named for specific dogs, but also provided pictures.

To say nothing of the bathroom, which was covered in sharpie beer lore.

The bartender and waitresses swore a lot more than you would normally expect in this context. The Girl maintains they were swearing at us. I disagreed.

“They were swearing <i>with</i> us,” I mansplained.

“We weren’t swearing,” she countered.

“But if we HAD been.”

As I’ve grown larger and more sinuous, I’ve tried to cut back on how often I cuss at strangers. Cultural relativism is the understanding that not everyone grew up among the coalcrackers, and good-natured oaths like “how the hell are you” or using the fuck-word as a conversational placeholder, while subjectively soothing, can set off fight-or-flight in the small, soft, and bourgeoisie.

I try to maintain direct proportionality between my barbarism and my well-heeledness. Neither the wait staff nor the other two customers shared my bond, and the middle-aged guy on my right proceeded to tell me how his hometown of Denver, Colorado is the greatest fuckin’ city in America, next to maybe Southern California. Which is not a city.

We talked about our homes and travels for a while, then I got my pulled pork sandwich and they left. The sandwich was slightly warmer than the beer, which beat the alternative.

An armada of children came into the bar.

“Oh, shit,” the woman tending bar said. They were visibly teenagers, and on the wrong side of it. They had that gangly awkwardness you get around fourteen or fifteen, and if they were trying to play it off, they were woefully bad at it. There were also nearly twenty of them. It looked like a field trip.

People in their twenties don’t travel in packs of more than six. It’s hard to transport a throng, unless you have a party bus, and why do you have a party bus when you’re twenty-eight? You’re twenty-eight and party buses have always been sad. Get a job. Also, it’s hard to get that many adults to agree on something.

It can be done. You can say, “Hey, adults, you want to do some drugs?” And in a sufficiently sized crowd, you’ll manage to pull twenty or so who will follow you to your house or whatever. This is called an “afterparty”. It doesn’t go to bars at 9pm.

Have you felt out the social zeitgeist recently? Look at a random handful of current memes and it’ll be pretty clear that most adults consider socialization to be a required burden, like paying emotional taxes. “Going out” is the price of living in a civilized society. You’re not going to scare up twenty people, then put them in a party bus, then take them to an abandoned bar half a mile outside of where the actual nightlife is.

“Hey, we’re just about to close,” the bartender said.

A reedy blonde in a top that seemed to consist mostly of straps screeched, “But your WEBSITE said you were open til ONE!”

Screeched.

The bar fell silent. Well, more silent. The Girl and I traded looks, her horror for my delight.

“Uhhhhhh,” the bartender said, but with excellent elocution, as though that were the word she had deliberately chosen. “Okay.”

They sat the itinerant mall food court in an enormous corner table, whereupon they requested shots.

The waitress who had sworn at/with us the least came back to the bar and said, “You guys said you were from Pennsylvania, right?”

We nodded.

“Can I see one of your licenses quick?”

She compared mine against the obviously fake ID one of the tweens had given her. After a moment she said, “Yeah, you can see, the font is different. And the picture looks like it’s photoshopped.”

“Yeah, no one’s license picture ever looks this good,” the Girl said, studying the fake ID.

“Except mine,” I added. They ignored me. I didn’t take it personally.

The waitresses disappeared into the back. Five minutes later, the only dude working at the place was gendered into being the bad cop. He sulked over to the teens.

“You guys gotta leave,” he said. “We know your ID’s fake. We’re not trying to get fined. You gotta go.”

For maximum accuracy, imagine this said in Toby’s voice from the Office. Shamefaced, the flash mob of children dispersed.

We paid for our room temperature beers and left the poor, foul-mouthed brewery to close at 9:30 on a Friday. The Girl and I accidentally stalked the battalion of teens through the street, but only because we were all moving back toward the only lights in the city, not unlike moths. They turned a corner and vanished, presumably to find an arcade or laser tag or some sort of large carousel.

The Girl and I followed the sounds of some obnoxious bros announcing, “It’s like a fahkin sketchy ally, dewd”.

It was, in fact, the least sketchy alley I’d ever been in. Cat Alley was the best lit venue in all of New Hampshire. It was clean and well-maintained, and it was covered less in graffiti and more in an outdoor art gallery dedicated to cats.

There were more, but they didn’t all warrant a picture.

Portland Pie Co loomed from the endless darkness like a beacon in the night, hearkening back to those days lost in Maine during the Great Lobster Drought of 2017. We split a bourbon barrel ale which did me in. It was bedtime.

On the way back, toward the end of the main drag, a man made of pure light rode by blasting EZ-Listenin from his Tron bicycle, also made of pure light.

I can’t prove he wasn’t Jesus.

Heartened, we returned to the hotel, where no one was smoking or yelling in the hallway anymore. Excellent.

Next stop, Portsmouth.

Love,

The Bastard

Into the Abyss August 11, 2018. Manchester, New Hampshire. After seven hours on the road, pausing only to explore an Old Ones cult site, storm a terrible castle, and eat distressingly dry corned beef at a Greek diner that still advertised one of their menu items as "Michael Jackson's favorite grinder", we were in dire need of respite.

[lindoig8]

Friday to Sunday, 23-25 July

Friday

It was an interesting day. We got on the road slightly earlier than usual but by the time we had topped up with fuel and wine, it was pretty much a normal start.

We headed south on the Dajarra road but detoured 90 kms to Urandangi, almost all of it on gravel. The road wasn’t too bad, but it was very dusty. We were almost halfway along the road when we stopped and discovered that the back window of the van had worked itself open and the inside of our cubby was thick with layers of dust. The worst of the dust is always outside the back window and we have been having some trouble with that window winder and it obviously came adrift and invited a few kilos of dust to come in.

We duct-taped the window closed and continued on to Urandangi where we drove out to the great Georgina River, currently almost dry, but braided and possibly a kilometre or more wide after a bit of rain. We then called in at the quaint old pub for a cold one. The settlement seems to be largely aboriginal but the woman publican has apparently formally adopted 11 of their kids. She is a real character and is probably central to the town (such as it is) but has a great sense of humour. All along the road for at least 50 kms, there were old car hoods painted with very clever and often humorous messages, some advertising the pub, but most just cute sayings or comic quotes. We saw dozens of them on the two roads we travelled but there must be at least a hundred between all the roads in and out of the settlement.

We each bought a can of drink at the pub and they came with stubby holders tat she said we should keep. She said that was her method of advertising! She also told us to go on to Dajarra via a different road that she said was more scenic – and it was – more varied, a few bad patches of road, but generally better than the road in, and with a long stretch of bitumen toward the end of the route. There were quite a few birds along the track and I reckon we saw more than 20 Wedgies in the first 50 kilometres. There was quite a lot of road-kill and all the raptors were making the most of it.

In due course, we reached Boulia and checked into the caravan park and did a fairly basic sweep and clean inside the van – just enough to let us cook and eat and climb into bed. We just removed a few kilos of red dust with a much bigger clean waiting for us tomorrow.

Saturday

We had a huge job after our disastrous dust-filled van of yesterday. We did a big load of machine-washing, plus several buckets of hand-washing and everything got dry in the warm and windy day. I took all our carpets and mats out and vacuumed them and Heather wiped down everything inside the van. We also vacuumed our seats and shook the dust out of our bedding - in fact almost everything had to get the once-over. The bathroom got a good clean and we even had to clean in many of our cupboards and drawers because the dust had infiltrated almost everywhere. It was a massive job - and no doubt, we will have to do it again (and again) after similar incidents before we get home again.

After lunch we went for a drive, initially to visit the local Heritage Centre (more on that tomorrow) only to find it had closed an hour earlier. We then drove out of town, only about 20 kms, to see an area of Waddi wood trees. These are very ancient and quite rare, with extremely hard wood and only grow in 3 places in Australia. We were surprised to see how many were growing in this area. It only grows in very localised areas and although we have seen them in their other two territories, there are a lot more of them in this area.

Sunday

We left the caravan park about 10am and drove around to the Heritage Centre. It had a real variety of ‘ye olde things’ there - all the usual stuff plus a few other things. There was an old stone house completely set up with all the original furniture, equipment and utensils, a stable with all sorts of tools and saddles, a big yard of farm and industrial gear, a small hospital, a post and telegraphy unit, a fire station and various other historic and commemorative items. But the main reason we were there was to see their aquatic fossil display. Most of Australia was once under a shallow sea (estimated at no more than about 100 metres at the deepest), all very rich with plesiosaurs. Hundreds of fossilised remains have been found around Boulia and they have set up a big room with lots of info and specimens to see. It was very interesting and addded to the fossils and pre-history, meteorites and archeology that seem to have been features of our travels this year.

By the time we left, it was almost noon, so we put a little more fuel in the tank and headed east towards Winton. There were a few things to see along the way, mainly the sites of a couple of old pubs that were part of the string of nine Cobb & Co stops along this road, interesting enough, but with very little left to see. One of them had a huge area of broken glass, tens of thousands of broken bottles, with numerous colours including many purple shards created by a century of exposure to strong ultraviolet light.

About halfway to Winton is Cawnpore Station and there is a great lookout beside the road. The views are quite spectacular - I will post a couple of pics but photos never come close to doing justice, particularly for landscapes. The colours are extraordinary with dozens of shades of red, yellow, orange, grey, brown, green and more. The hills are fantastic and even the areas that have been ‘sculpted’ by man are spectacularly coloured. We visited this lookout when we came through 11 years ago and I was hugely impressed and have tried to remember where it was on many occasions since. Now that I have seen it again, I will certainly remember it.

We called in at the Middleton Pub for a drink a few clicks further on. It was the middle Cobb & Co waypoint and is now 145 years old. Last time we were here, I recall hundreds of bras hanging from the ceiling, but Heather thinks that was William Creek. I think William Creek's claim to fame was hundreds of caps hanging from the ceiling, but we might never resolve that one. We had a yarn with a couple of the locals and then drove a further 20 or 30 kilometres and set up camp 50 metres off the side of the road. It is ages since we had a campfire and we have been carrying a big bag of pine ones in the back of the car for the past 13,000 kilometres and I wanted to get rid of them so we had a wonderful campfire to enhance our Happy Hour. It was actually still quite warm so we sat in the shade of the van for half an hour before it got cool enough to enjoy our fire.

While we were sitting in the shade, we heard what sounded like the wings of a crested pigeon - a very familiar and distinctive sound, but this time it didn’t sound quite right. A couple of birds flew in to the road verge and then a couple more on the other side of the road and the sound of their wings was intriguing so I went to get my binoculars. By then, they had flown away, but I saw some movement a hundred metres away in the paddock across the road so set off and climbed under the fence to pursue them. It took some time to get a good view because more and more flew in but they kept flying further away. I eventually caught up and crept near enough for a good view. There were more than 30 of them, perhaps up to 50 - Spinifex Pigeons that we have only seen a couple of times before. I got a really good look at them but didn’t have my camera with me so have nothing to show beyond the great feeling of having seen something really special. (I will post a pic of one I photographed in Winton the following day.)

With our fire going, Heather decided to make some bread in our camp oven - and it was a great success, certainly our best effort by far after numerous less than perfect attempts in previous years.

We then made roast chicken and potatoes in our double-sided pan and that was also a great success - it is always delish, but not everything tends to cook at the same rate and come together as good as it did this time. A really wonderful day, topped off with a superb dinner. And after it got completely dark, the stars.......!!!

[francetaste]

I’ve been reading news about “Medicare for all.” For people outside the U.S., it’s a no-brainer. Of course everybody gets health care. Of course the cost isn’t based on how healthy you are. Of course it’s affordable. Of course you choose your doctor.

I can only really tell you about the French system, which, in nearly 15 years of experience, has been excellent.

Helicopter landing at the hospital. Courage to whoever was inside.

Who qualifies?

All French residents get a Carte Vitale, a green chip card with your French social security number (kids under age 16 are on the card of one of their parents). The card itself doesn’t cost anything. Coverage is obligatory. If you are a tourist, however, you aren’t covered and have to pay out of pocket or get your insurance to pay. But the bill won’t be anything like what you’d confront in the U.S.

  Emergency room waiting area. Efficient. Carcassonne’s hospital is fairly new.

Who pays?

Everybody. The government insurance covers 77% of health expenses. A further 14% is covered by complementary insurance and almost 9% covered by individuals (co-pay, if you like, but not for everything; it’s mostly for glasses and dental work). The government funding comes from employer and employee payroll taxes (50%), income taxes (35%), taxes on tobacco, alcohol, the pharmaceutical industry and voluntary health insurance companies (13%) and state subsidies (2%).

I was talking to someone in the U.S. who was turned off by single payer, saying that he didn’t want to pay in for lazy people who don’t work. Of course, there are some freeloaders in France, but the cost of keeping them healthy is nothing compared to the taxes evaded by the rich using offshore shell companies. They are the real freeloaders. But psychologically, humans pick on those with less status than us and turn a blind eye to those with more.

Also in France, there’s a list of 30 health conditions that are 100% covered–hospitalization, treatment, doctor visits, medication, etc. These include diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, incapacitating stroke, cystic fibrosis, HIV, malignant cancer, etc.  A friend had a kidney transplant–something stressful enough, and at least she didn’t have to worry about the cost.

Where emergency patients get wheeled in on gurneys for triage. Not fancy.

What is this complementary insurance?

Complementary insurance covers all or most of the fees not covered by the government program. It’s voluntary and paid individually. It’s private mutual insurance, meaning it’s nonprofit. Patients lose if profits win. The average in 2017 was €688 per person annually or about €57.33 a month.

Patient room. The screens are for TV and Internet; you have to buy time.

How high are the taxes?

Employers pay 13% of salary for health care, maternity, disability and death insurance. Self-employed people making under €43,705 a year pay between 1.5% to 6.5%; over that you pay 6.5%.

In the U.S., the average worker contributions are $1,213 a year for a single person and $5,714 for a family. Worker premiums have gone up about 75% over the last 10 years, vs. about 48% for the employer share. About 80% of workers’ employers pay at least half the premium for both single and family coverage. The average cost of insurance for employers is $6,435, with a $6,000 deductible. (Excuse me, I just fainted at that deductible.)

Other view of a room. The brown column is a closet.

How does it work?

If you’re sick, you call your doctor. Around here, we sometimes can get in the same day, sometimes not. If it’s urgent, one of the other doctors in the group will take us. We don’t have many emergencies, so we usually make appointments for a week or two in advance for routine checkups. Our long-time doctor moved away, so we shopped around for a new one, trying a few recommended by different friends before settling on someone we liked a lot. The idea of in-network or out-of-network doesn’t exist because there’s just one network. While people are free to shop for a doctor when thinking about switching, the French system does require picking a primary-care doctor to limit abuse, such as how much people can shop for somebody to write them a prescription they might not need.

If you have to go to the hospital, there are no surprise bills from out-of-network doctors you never met or who worked on you when you were unconscious. Some doctors can demand a surcharge, but it’s usually in the tens of euros.

How is it different from the U.S.?

Everything is less fancy. This might be in part because we are in the sticks and not in Paris, but I saw the same thing in Brussels. It’s all nice, but not luxe. One hospital in my hometown had a grand granite entry with a grand piano, carpeting in the halls, sofas and armchairs in the rooms. Here, the hospital is brand-new, heavy on the linoleum, only one hard plastic chair per patient room.

However, granite (or carpeted–EEEWWW) floors don’t make anybody better. All that matters is that the place can be kept clean and that it’s arranged in a functional manner.

Vintage formica table in one room. Must have come from the old hospital. Or even the hospital before. Waste not.

The doctors’ offices are pretty simple, too. Always nice, but never fancy. One thing that I found unusual was that the office and examining table are in the same room. You go in, sit at the desk across from the doctor, then get undressed (no paper gowns), get examined, get dressed, your Carte Vitale is read, you pay your €25 and leave. No little exam rooms in a line where a nurse charges in for your vitals, then the doctor comes by for two minutes and disappears. I told one doctor about this, and how the little exam rooms would save a lot of the doctor’s time by not waiting for patients to undress/dress, and she was horrified. Especially with the elderly, she said, it’s important to observe how patients move as they’re dressing. She saw the U.S. system as penny-wise, pound-foolish.

French health care is of very high quality despite being lower cost. France has 3.2 doctors per 1,000 people, fewer than some European countries but more than the U.S., which has 2.5 per 1,000.  Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births dropped  to 8 in 2015 from 15 in 1990, whereas in the U.S. they rose to 14 from 12 in the same years. Check out this article about dying mothers. Life expectancy at birth is 82.4 in France, among the highest in the world, compared to 78.6 in the U.S. Infant mortality is 3.7 per 1,000 live births, vs. 5.9 in the U.S.

In addition, a number of preventive campaigns aim to keep costs down by catching problems early, including free mammograms every two years after age 50, as well as free tests for colorectal cancer.

In the lobby, a piano. Not grand. Nor is the lobby.

Isn’t it weird having the government decide what’s covered?

Well, somebody has to do it, and it’s probably better that it’s decided by society at large rather than by your employer, non? Most people don’t realize that larger companies self-insure–in fact 60% of U.S. workers covered by their employers are literally covered by their employers through self insurance. It’s called captive insurance, and it’s a way of using the risk of employee health costs or death benefits (which would be low risk if you have healthy employees) as a hedge against other corporate risks. The company sets aside a pool of money as its own insurance. It contracts with an actual insurance company to administer claims. The employer can decide what to cover or not, although the Affordable Care Act set some standards on that.

That means employers have an interest in whether you’re healthy. A few years ago, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong announced to employees that he was cutting employees’ retirement benefits because of self-insurance payouts for two “distressed” babies.

With single payer like in France, employers help pay in, but risks are spread across the entire country. There are no questions about pre-existing conditions, because participation in the system is obligatory.

While there are certainly cases of people abusing the system (I know a couple who would go for a weeklong “cure” for “arthritis” every year at a spa), for the most part nobody gets surgery for the heck of it, nobody has chemotherapy just because they can get it for free. Health care is one of those things you want to not have to need. It shouldn’t be available only to those who can afford it, certainly not in developed countries.

Single Payer FAQs in France I've been reading news about "Medicare for all." For people outside the U.S., it's a no-brainer. Of course everybody gets health care.

[jakehglover]

A Curious Reason to Wash Your Hands

By Dr. Mercola

Hand-washing is a simple and effective way to reduce your exposure to disease-causing germs, thereby lessening your chances of getting sick. Regular hand-washing may also reduce the risk associated with chemical exposures. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), you may decrease your child's exposure to flame retardant chemicals using simple hand-washing techniques.1

These chemicals are added to your furniture, insulation, construction materials and electronics to make the item less prone to burn. Alas, not only are they ineffective, but they also escape from the products into the air and attach to dust. In addition to being inhaled, these chemicals may also be ingested after being transported by your hands onto your food and into your mouth.2

The EPA understands the dangers inherent with flame retardant chemicals and encourages parents to have their children wash their hands frequently to reduce risks associated with exposure. If flame retardant chemicals were able to save lives from fire as the chemical industry leads you to believe, then firefighters would be the first to encourage their use.

Unfortunately, they do not save lives. Instead they become a source of chronic chemical exposure that can raise your risk of health problems. Firefighters are also exposed to unnecessary risks when fighting fires.3 Firefighters have disproportionately high rates of cancer compared to the general public and the International Association of Firefighters found exposure to fumes from burning flame retardant chemicals are at least partly to blame.4

Reduce the Presence of Flame Retardant Chemicals with Frequent Hand-Washing

A recent study examined two potential ways you may use to reduce your exposure to flame retardant chemicals.5 Researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health6 found washing your hands and cleaning your home frequently may lower your absorption or consumption of flame retardant chemicals. This was the first study to assess if performing these tasks would effectively lower exposure.

Senior investigator Julie Herbstman, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental health sciences, designed a behavioral intervention and enrolled 32 women, all mothers of young children. The participants were assigned to one of two interventions, either house cleaning or hand-washing. The researchers were intent on analyzing these two behaviors as dust is believed to be a primary method of exposure for getting into the human body.7

In the first week of the study, one group was asked to clean their homes thoroughly and regularly use microfiber mops, vacuums and microfiber cloths supplied by the researchers. The other group was instructed on hand-washing techniques, given instruction on the necessary length of time to wash and encouraged to wash more frequently, particularly prior to eating.8 

During the second week, each group added the other tasks to their duties. Researchers used urine samples and hand wipes to measure the amount of flame retardant chemicals in the body before the interventions and after each week. They discovered both interventions significantly reduced exposure.

Women who were cleaning the first week of the study had a 47 percent reduction in chemicals measured in their urine, while those who were washing their hands had a 31 percent reduction.9 Women who started the study with a higher than average level of flame retardants saw the largest reduction — up to 74 percent after just one week.

Manufacturers Forced to Switch

To comply with fire safety standards, flame retardant chemicals have been added to furniture and electronics since the 1970s. Originally, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were used as flame retardants in textiles, plastics, wire insulation and cars.10 As concerns rose the EPA issued a significant new use rule regulating the phase out of two common PBDEs.11

Concerns included the persistence of the chemicals in the environment, bioaccumulation in wildlife and toxicity to humans and the environment. The EPA defined the critical endpoint for concern as neurobehavioral effects in humans as well as ecotoxicity in fish, mammals, birds and invertebrates.12

New organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) have been substituted in consumer products since 2005. OPFR chemicals are linked to endocrine disruption, thyroid dysfunction and decreased fertility.13 The focus of the featured study was to evaluate how you may reduce your exposure to chemicals that pose a significant health risk to you and your children. Herbstman commented on the use of OPFRs, saying:14

"As people replace their old furniture, we've seen a reduction in exposures to the earlier generation of flame retardants, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. Going forward, it's important that we continue to study new organophosphate flame retardants to understand what they do to our health and how to protect ourselves, both on an individual and population level."

Flame Retardant Chemicals Persist in Your Environment

OPFRs are also persistent in the environment. A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives15 used adult volunteers from North Carolina who completed questionnaires and provided urine and hand wipes samples as well as dust samples from their home. An analysis of the data showed the presence of OPFRs were widespread and hand-to-mouth contact or dermal absorption was likely an important pathway of exposure.

A study16 published four years after the move from PBDEs to OPFRs showed a high prevalence of OPFRs, sometimes greater than levels of PBDEs, in household dust. Researchers measured levels as high as 1.8 milligrams per gram of dust and recommended further studies to evaluate the potential health effects from dust exposure, particularly in children. A comprehensive study17 led by Duke University found organophosphates in urine, and demonstrated a steady rise in samples collected between 2002 and 2015.

The rise also may be attributed to the use of the organophosphates as a pesticide. OPFRs are structurally similar to organophosphorus insecticides, which are known to be neurotoxic.18 Although different organophosphates are used for each purpose they share structural similarities.

According to National Geographic,19 “Organophosphates attack the nervous system in the same way as nerve agents like sarin … [and] are so toxic to humans that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken steps to limit their availability to the public.”

OPFRs are an additive to a material, meaning they are not chemically bound and may more readily leach into the surrounding environment. Results of other studies20 suggest the replacement of aromatic OPFRs have levels of toxicity comparable to PBDEs, previously removed from furniture, carpeting and toys due to their toxicity.

Risks with Exposure to Flame Retardant Chemicals in Your Home

Mitigating factors for risk to organophosphates are age and exposure. Children are not able to eliminate the toxins from their system as easily as adults. Additionally, as noted by the Environmental Working Group:21

“Flame retardants can build up more in the bodies of younger children than in older kids or adults because they breathe in more air and are exposed to more dust particles relative to their body size than adults. The chemicals, widely used to treat upholstered furniture and even cushioning in baby products, can escape and accumulate in household air, and in dust on floors where toddlers and babies play. Children's frequent hand-to-mouth activity can also increase their exposure.”

Bioaccumulation of flame retardant chemicals over the course of a lifetime may have serious health consequences. Human and animal studies have linked organophosphates to cancer, hormonal changes and problems with fertility.22 One study23 demonstrated adverse effects in the development of the early life stage of the zebrafish.

Another24 demonstrated a negative effect on Leydig cells, found in the connective tissue surrounding sperm-producing tubules of the testicles, to a greater extent than the brominated flame retardants they replaced. Researchers found bioaccumulation in rainbow trout and effects on the hormonal system of the fish.25 Yet another study found exposure to OPFRs affected the function of sphingolipids, believed to protect human cell surfaces against harmful environmental factors.26

Dendritic cells, those in contact with the external environment found in the skin, lining of the nose, lungs, stomach and intestines, are also affected by OPFRs. Specifically, Triphenylphosphate (TPHP) and Tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) demonstrate immunotoxicity.27

The number of thyroid cancers diagnosed in the U.S. has risen significantly in recent years.28 Rates have nearly tripled in the last date decade, making papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) the most rapidly increasing cancer in the U.S. Research29 presented at the Endocrine Society's 2017 99th Annual Meeting revealed exposure to flame retardants in the home is associated with this common type of thyroid cancer.30

The researchers analyzed household dust and found those living in homes with elevated levels were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with PTC. Exposure to organophosphate flame retardant chemicals is also linked to neurodevelopmental delays, reduced IQ scores and behavioral problems in children.

Research31 demonstrated children whose mothers were exposed to flame retardant chemicals during pregnancy had a lower IQ and were more prone to hyperactivity disorders. The researchers measured levels of PBDEs in women at 16 weeks pregnancy and then monitored the children's health until age 5. Older carpeting and furniture are major sources of flame retardant PBDE.

Steps You May Take at Home

There are several steps you can take to reduce your OPFR burden. As you replace PBDE-containing items in your home, select products naturally less flammable, such as leather, wool and cotton. Look for organic and green building materials, carpeting, baby items and upholstery free from toxic chemicals to help reduce your overall exposure.

As the featured study indicates, consistent cleaning with materials to trap dust, such as microfiber cloths and mops, help reduce your exposure from inhalation, and consistent hand-washing, especially before meals, helps to reduce your absorption from hand to mouth exposure.

It is important you don’t use hand sanitizers and wipes with triclosan as they increase the permeability of your skin, trapping the chemicals present and ushering them cross the skin barrier. Application on mice demonstrated absorption32 and others have measured percutaneous absorption through urinary excretion.33

You may spend up to one-third of your life sleeping, snuggled in your mattress and pillow. However, this sanctuary may be a major source of OPFR toxicity as all mattresses sold in the U.S. are required to be highly flame retardant, often accomplished using flame retardant chemicals.

The manufacturers are not required to reveal the chemicals used to make the mattress flame retardant. Since most mattresses use petroleum-based, highly flammable polyurethane foam, they may be treated or wrapped in flame retardant chemicals. When choosing a mattress, look at the labels. Some terms like “natural” mean virtually nothing, while others like “organic” may be misleading. Instead, consider these labels Consumer Reports compiled and what they really mean.34

Best Mattress Labels

Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): At least 95 percent of the mattress materials must be certified organic. Certain substances, including flame retardants and polyurethane (common in memory foam products), are prohibited.

Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS): Applies to latex mattress and ensures only organic latex is used.

Good

Oeko-Tex Standard 100: This label sets limits on the emission of toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Chemical flame retardants, colorants and allergenic dyes are prohibited.

Labels with Some Value

CertiPUR-US: Applies only to polyurethane foam and prohibits certain substances, such as PBDE. Testing is required for formaldehyde and other toxins.

Greenguard: The finished mattress must be tested for specific emission limits of formaldehyde and other VOCs.

Greenguard Gold: The same as Greenguard but with tighter emission limits.

Organic: A mattress may be labeled organic even if only parts of it are organic (and other parts contain harmful chemicals). For instance, the label may read "made with organic cotton."

Organic Content Standard 100: This applies to the percentage of certified-organic materials in the mattress. It also ensures proper tracking of organic cotton from its source to the finished product.

Once you purchase a new mattress a simple way to reduce your exposure to toxic emissions is to allow the mattress to air out before you sleep on it. According to Consumer Reports:35

“Prices for mattresses with green claims run from as little as $600 to more than $25,000 for luxury versions. In general, expect to pay around $2,000 for a queen-size mattress — more for one meeting GOTS or GOLS.

Whichever mattress you buy, to reduce your exposure to potentially harmful chemicals, air it out for at least 48 hours before using it. That probably means you’ll have to dispose of the old mattress yourself (rather than letting the retailer haul it away when it delivers the new one), but you might thank yourself in the long run.”

from HealthyLife via Jake Glover on Inoreader http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/07/11/hand-washing-may-lessen-chemical-exposure.aspx

[sherristockman]

A Curious Reason to Wash Your Hands Dr. Mercola By Dr. Mercola Hand-washing is a simple and effective way to reduce your exposure to disease-causing germs, thereby lessening your chances of getting sick. Regular hand-washing may also reduce the risk associated with chemical exposures. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), you may decrease your child's exposure to flame retardant chemicals using simple hand-washing techniques.1 These chemicals are added to your furniture, insulation, construction materials and electronics to make the item less prone to burn. Alas, not only are they ineffective, but they also escape from the products into the air and attach to dust. In addition to being inhaled, these chemicals may also be ingested after being transported by your hands onto your food and into your mouth.2 The EPA understands the dangers inherent with flame retardant chemicals and encourages parents to have their children wash their hands frequently to reduce risks associated with exposure. If flame retardant chemicals were able to save lives from fire as the chemical industry leads you to believe, then firefighters would be the first to encourage their use. Unfortunately, they do not save lives. Instead they become a source of chronic chemical exposure that can raise your risk of health problems. Firefighters are also exposed to unnecessary risks when fighting fires.3 Firefighters have disproportionately high rates of cancer compared to the general public and the International Association of Firefighters found exposure to fumes from burning flame retardant chemicals are at least partly to blame.4 Reduce the Presence of Flame Retardant Chemicals with Frequent Hand-Washing A recent study examined two potential ways you may use to reduce your exposure to flame retardant chemicals.5 Researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health6 found washing your hands and cleaning your home frequently may lower your absorption or consumption of flame retardant chemicals. This was the first study to assess if performing these tasks would effectively lower exposure. Senior investigator Julie Herbstman, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental health sciences, designed a behavioral intervention and enrolled 32 women, all mothers of young children. The participants were assigned to one of two interventions, either house cleaning or hand-washing. The researchers were intent on analyzing these two behaviors as dust is believed to be a primary method of exposure for getting into the human body.7 In the first week of the study, one group was asked to clean their homes thoroughly and regularly use microfiber mops, vacuums and microfiber cloths supplied by the researchers. The other group was instructed on hand-washing techniques, given instruction on the necessary length of time to wash and encouraged to wash more frequently, particularly prior to eating.8 During the second week, each group added the other tasks to their duties. Researchers used urine samples and hand wipes to measure the amount of flame retardant chemicals in the body before the interventions and after each week. They discovered both interventions significantly reduced exposure. Women who were cleaning the first week of the study had a 47 percent reduction in chemicals measured in their urine, while those who were washing their hands had a 31 percent reduction.9 Women who started the study with a higher than average level of flame retardants saw the largest reduction — up to 74 percent after just one week. Manufacturers Forced to Switch To comply with fire safety standards, flame retardant chemicals have been added to furniture and electronics since the 1970s. Originally, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were used as flame retardants in textiles, plastics, wire insulation and cars.10 As concerns rose the EPA issued a significant new use rule regulating the phase out of two common PBDEs.11 Concerns included the persistence of the chemicals in the environment, bioaccumulation in wildlife and toxicity to humans and the environment. The EPA defined the critical endpoint for concern as neurobehavioral effects in humans as well as ecotoxicity in fish, mammals, birds and invertebrates.12 New organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) have been substituted in consumer products since 2005. OPFR chemicals are linked to endocrine disruption, thyroid dysfunction and decreased fertility.13 The focus of the featured study was to evaluate how you may reduce your exposure to chemicals that pose a significant health risk to you and your children. Herbstman commented on the use of OPFRs, saying:14 "As people replace their old furniture, we've seen a reduction in exposures to the earlier generation of flame retardants, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. Going forward, it's important that we continue to study new organophosphate flame retardants to understand what they do to our health and how to protect ourselves, both on an individual and population level." Flame Retardant Chemicals Persist in Your Environment OPFRs are also persistent in the environment. A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives15 used adult volunteers from North Carolina who completed questionnaires and provided urine and hand wipes samples as well as dust samples from their home. An analysis of the data showed the presence of OPFRs were widespread and hand-to-mouth contact or dermal absorption was likely an important pathway of exposure. A study16 published four years after the move from PBDEs to OPFRs showed a high prevalence of OPFRs, sometimes greater than levels of PBDEs, in household dust. Researchers measured levels as high as 1.8 milligrams per gram of dust and recommended further studies to evaluate the potential health effects from dust exposure, particularly in children. A comprehensive study17 led by Duke University found organophosphates in urine, and demonstrated a steady rise in samples collected between 2002 and 2015. The rise also may be attributed to the use of the organophosphates as a pesticide. OPFRs are structurally similar to organophosphorus insecticides, which are known to be neurotoxic.18 Although different organophosphates are used for each purpose they share structural similarities. According to National Geographic,19 “Organophosphates attack the nervous system in the same way as nerve agents like sarin … [and] are so toxic to humans that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken steps to limit their availability to the public.” OPFRs are an additive to a material, meaning they are not chemically bound and may more readily leach into the surrounding environment. Results of other studies20 suggest the replacement of aromatic OPFRs have levels of toxicity comparable to PBDEs, previously removed from furniture, carpeting and toys due to their toxicity. Risks with Exposure to Flame Retardant Chemicals in Your Home Mitigating factors for risk to organophosphates are age and exposure. Children are not able to eliminate the toxins from their system as easily as adults. Additionally, as noted by the Environmental Working Group:21 “Flame retardants can build up more in the bodies of younger children than in older kids or adults because they breathe in more air and are exposed to more dust particles relative to their body size than adults. The chemicals, widely used to treat upholstered furniture and even cushioning in baby products, can escape and accumulate in household air, and in dust on floors where toddlers and babies play. Children's frequent hand-to-mouth activity can also increase their exposure.” Bioaccumulation of flame retardant chemicals over the course of a lifetime may have serious health consequences. Human and animal studies have linked organophosphates to cancer, hormonal changes and problems with fertility.22 One study23 demonstrated adverse effects in the development of the early life stage of the zebrafish. Another24 demonstrated a negative effect on Leydig cells, found in the connective tissue surrounding sperm-producing tubules of the testicles, to a greater extent than the brominated flame retardants they replaced. Researchers found bioaccumulation in rainbow trout and effects on the hormonal system of the fish.25 Yet another study found exposure to OPFRs affected the function of sphingolipids, believed to protect human cell surfaces against harmful environmental factors.26 Dendritic cells, those in contact with the external environment found in the skin, lining of the nose, lungs, stomach and intestines, are also affected by OPFRs. Specifically, Triphenylphosphate (TPHP) and Tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) demonstrate immunotoxicity.27 The number of thyroid cancers diagnosed in the U.S. has risen significantly in recent years.28 Rates have nearly tripled in the last date decade, making papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) the most rapidly increasing cancer in the U.S. Research29 presented at the Endocrine Society's 2017 99th Annual Meeting revealed exposure to flame retardants in the home is associated with this common type of thyroid cancer.30 The researchers analyzed household dust and found those living in homes with elevated levels were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with PTC. Exposure to organophosphate flame retardant chemicals is also linked to neurodevelopmental delays, reduced IQ scores and behavioral problems in children. Research31 demonstrated children whose mothers were exposed to flame retardant chemicals during pregnancy had a lower IQ and were more prone to hyperactivity disorders. The researchers measured levels of PBDEs in women at 16 weeks pregnancy and then monitored the children's health until age 5. Older carpeting and furniture are major sources of flame retardant PBDE. Steps You May Take at Home There are several steps you can take to reduce your OPFR burden. As you replace PBDE-containing items in your home, select products naturally less flammable, such as leather, wool and cotton. Look for organic and green building materials, carpeting, baby items and upholstery free from toxic chemicals to help reduce your overall exposure. As the featured study indicates, consistent cleaning with materials to trap dust, such as microfiber cloths and mops, help reduce your exposure from inhalation, and consistent hand-washing, especially before meals, helps to reduce your absorption from hand to mouth exposure. It is important you don’t use hand sanitizers and wipes with triclosan as they increase the permeability of your skin, trapping the chemicals present and ushering them cross the skin barrier. Application on mice demonstrated absorption32 and others have measured percutaneous absorption through urinary excretion.33 You may spend up to one-third of your life sleeping, snuggled in your mattress and pillow. However, this sanctuary may be a major source of OPFR toxicity as all mattresses sold in the U.S. are required to be highly flame retardant, often accomplished using flame retardant chemicals. The manufacturers are not required to reveal the chemicals used to make the mattress flame retardant. Since most mattresses use petroleum-based, highly flammable polyurethane foam, they may be treated or wrapped in flame retardant chemicals. When choosing a mattress, look at the labels. Some terms like “natural” mean virtually nothing, while others like “organic” may be misleading. Instead, consider these labels Consumer Reports compiled and what they really mean.34 Best Mattress Labels Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): At least 95 percent of the mattress materials must be certified organic. Certain substances, including flame retardants and polyurethane (common in memory foam products), are prohibited. Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS): Applies to latex mattress and ensures only organic latex is used. Good Oeko-Tex Standard 100: This label sets limits on the emission of toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Chemical flame retardants, colorants and allergenic dyes are prohibited. Labels with Some Value CertiPUR-US: Applies only to polyurethane foam and prohibits certain substances, such as PBDE. Testing is required for formaldehyde and other toxins. Greenguard: The finished mattress must be tested for specific emission limits of formaldehyde and other VOCs. Greenguard Gold: The same as Greenguard but with tighter emission limits. Organic: A mattress may be labeled organic even if only parts of it are organic (and other parts contain harmful chemicals). For instance, the label may read "made with organic cotton." Organic Content Standard 100: This applies to the percentage of certified-organic materials in the mattress. It also ensures proper tracking of organic cotton from its source to the finished product. Once you purchase a new mattress a simple way to reduce your exposure to toxic emissions is to allow the mattress to air out before you sleep on it. According to Consumer Reports:35 “Prices for mattresses with green claims run from as little as $600 to more than $25,000 for luxury versions. In general, expect to pay around $2,000 for a queen-size mattress — more for one meeting GOTS or GOLS. Whichever mattress you buy, to reduce your exposure to potentially harmful chemicals, air it out for at least 48 hours before using it. That probably means you’ll have to dispose of the old mattress yourself (rather than letting the retailer haul it away when it delivers the new one), but you might thank yourself in the long run.”

[angrybelieverconnoisseur-blog]

Can anyone recomend some cheap insurance companies for drives who have completed pass plus?

"Can anyone recomend some cheap insurance companies for drives who have completed pass plus?

I'm 18, soon to be 19, and have been trying to get a quote on a 1998 vauxhall corsa, and the only 1 i got before was ridiculously high. I know it being an older model is going to make a difference, but does anyone know from personal experience or whatever which insurance companies offer decent insurance prices to young drives, who have completed the pass plus scheme? Thanks, much appreciated!

BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://freecarinsurance.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

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My brother has a cheap cash car and I just moved in with him. Well apparently since its so cheap, he decided not to get insurance on it, but I have to drive it to work. A cop hiding out saw me do a illegal u-turn, and i quote that because I didn't see any sign saying no u-turn. Anyways, he pulled me over and asked for proof of insurance and I had none, so he gave me this citation and i have some mandatory meeting to go to court? I never been pulled over or issues a citation, and i'm so pissed at my brother for not having insurance! Now i'm going to go personally buy me some when I get home, but I never done this before, is there a way I can get out of this? I would be considered a first time offender, and he told me I had a good driving record, and said something about making a deal with me, by going to the court but I don't remember because i'm so stressed out right now. Then I read something online about a conviction if and something about a surcharge annual for 3 years? WTF is that all about?""

Whats the best insurance company in the u.s.?

i don't have insurance and i really want to do gymnastics (i'm 13) but i guess we have too much money to be able to have kids connection and so i just need a affordable insurance company i can talk to my mom about :) thanks!

What are some cars that look good and are cheap?

Well it's time i can almost actually get a car and drive... I'm a teen so obviously my first car can't be to expensive.. i'm looking for any cars that look good and hopefully people can tell me some that would look good.. i know i shouldn't care as much about looks but basically i'm trying to find a used car around 100,000 miles maybe a little more or less for under $6000... i can't get a real expensive car because of insurance i'll have to start off on basic so i'm wondering if there are any nice looking cars that are cheap... I had in mind an eclipse or something but i'm really not sure if i want something like that but thanks...""

What happens when a car insurance company commits fraud? Please help!!?

I was told by my car insurance that my car was totaled, and would only be good for parts. It was in a MINOR flood, and I called to have it evaluated. They said water was in the motor, fuse boxes, everything was ruined supposedly. I knew they were lying, because I had my fiance check it all out, and there wasn't a drop in it except for the carpeting. I told them so, and said I wanted the car back to fix it myself, but the adjustor said they already paid my bank for the damage (not even the full amount, they came up with about 45% of the payoff amount, but it was worth what I owed on it). They said if I wanted it back, I would have to give them $2,700 for the car. I said to hell with it, and had to come up with 2,600 to pay off the remaining part of the loan, and then go buy another car. Last year, I seen my car in the next town over. Same vin number, same paint chipped bumper, same fist mark behind the passenger door. I was mad, but blew it off. Then, I seen it on a buy sell trade site and decided to inquire about the details. The guy bought it for $800 and didn't have to fix anything on it except for what I needed to fix before the flood (window regulator, wheel baring, and new tires). He told me he thought I had committed insurance fraud to get a pay out from them. So, I called my old insurance company, and the lady took all my information down and gave me the adjustor's number, the adjustor's supervisor's number, and the fraud department's number. I called the adjustor, left a message, and then filed a claim with the fraud department. They said to expect a call from them next week. What exactly happens in a case like this?? I don't expect a hefty payout or anything, but still, I've never known anyone who had this happen to them, but I do know people who committed insurance fraud. They get into huge trouble and pay out fines, but what if its the INSURANCE that commits fraud? Thanks!!""

Where to get updated car insurance papers?

ok so i had no idea about the expiration date on the insurance papers. how do i get updated papers that i can put in the car.

Will my car insurance go up if I was side swapped while driving a friends car?

I was 100% not at fault. We called cops, etc... But my question is will my personal car insurance go up? I was driving my friends car..""

""OK so i previously asked how much is car insurance uk,17yearold/girl, bmw compact sport 318.3door?

I ALREADY HAVE THE CAR...I just need to know roughly how much insurance will be next year

Can I take my soon to be husbands insurance for Pre existing condition?

My fianc and I are getting married in 6 months but my health is going down hill fast. He said we could get married sooner and I could get on his group insurance but will they accept Pre existing conditions on his work plan and I can start to get treated with his insurance and how long does it take to be active? Thanks!

Is there any car insurance companies that offer cheaper than average for young drivers?

I've been looking around at quotes for ages now but can't seem to find any cheap insurance companies that give cheap insurance to young drivers and it's pi**ing me off because i'm not the type of young driver to get excited and show off and then cause a crash. I passed my test a few weeks ago and i'm 18, 19 in december. I heard about those trackers my cousins got one but he isn't allowed to drive past 11 o clock or else his premium will increase and i'll sometimes need to drive past that time.""

How much coverage do you get with salvalge title car? And how much does insurance run with salvage title?

How much coverage do you get with salvalge title car? And how much does insurance run with salvage title?

Does sprint phone insurance cover a cracked iPhone 5c screen?

Help! My Daughter dropped my new iPhone 5c and the screen totally shattered!! Is this covered??

How much would car insurance be under my dad's policy? Or by itself under my name?

I'll be 21 in September and I'm getting a car really soon. I just have no clue how much the premium is going to cost me. I'm getting an older car. 100,000+ miles. So ...show more""

Can my parents add me to their car insurance for a shot period of time?

I'm planning to go on a road trip and I was wondering if it's possible for my parents to add me to their insurance so I can use their car for a week, and whether it will be cheaper that way than to rent a car (I'm 24). They have American Family Insurance.""

Can anyone recomend some cheap insurance companies for drives who have completed pass plus?

I'm 18, soon to be 19, and have been trying to get a quote on a 1998 vauxhall corsa, and the only 1 i got before was ridiculously high. I know it being an older model is going to make a difference, but does anyone know from personal experience or whatever which insurance companies offer decent insurance prices to young drives, who have completed the pass plus scheme? Thanks, much appreciated!

What's the Best Car Insurance?

What's the best car insurance that gives good coverage, good service, and will be cheapest if one has had a minor moving violation in the past 6 months?""

Can i own a bike without insurance or license?

ive got my mod 2 soon and will have my license soon enough. ive seen a bike that i would like to buy and am going to buy it. can i have the bike in the garage? it wont be ridden until i have my license and insurance. just wondering if its against the law yet to own a bike without insurance

Can you drive your parents' car without insurance?

i am 16 and live in Washington and I was wondering if I had to pay my own insurance to drive their cars.

Which is the best website to find cheaper car insurance?

I havent found a quote on-line before, and am not keen on supplying all me personal informtion. Is this standard procedure when requestin a quote? Please recommend the best website to find the best deal. Thanks!""

Help with insurance terms?

Hi, i am having trouble working out what my insurance guy is telling me... what is a premium, and how often is it payed, and what is excess, and how often is it payed? what should i be asking and checking for? Thanks""

False car insurance report?

Me and my boyfriend were in an accident on New Year's Eve in his father's car. Our car was totaled, and since the accident was entirely the other party's fault and their insurance had to cover everything. My family made me go to the emergency room to make sure nothing was wrong with me, and I was told that if I sent the bill to the other lady's insurance they would have to cover it. Well the bill came and when we sent it to his father to send it to the other insurance company he said that he claimed only his son was in the car. Now I'm stuck with a huge bill that I'm trying to find a way out of, but since he lied to the insurance I don't think I can send it to them. There were witnesses and the lady knew I was in the car. Is him lying on the report considered fraud?""

Which is the cheapest car insurance in Louisiana?

Which is the cheapest car insurance in Louisiana?

Do insurance agents get group health insurance?

I am thinking about becoming an insurance agent for one of the large insurers. I was wondering if insurance companies generally offer group insurance for their agents or if they consider them independents and don't offer the coverage. What other benefits do most large insurance companies offer?

Who has the cheapest car insurance in maryland?

Who has the cheapest car insurance in maryland?

Motorcycle Insurance quote?

I'm a femal turning 17 in a month and i really wanted to get a motocycle for my birthday but i wanted to figure out the insurance first and i cant get the quote bcz i dont have my lisence yet so i was wondering if anybody could help me out oh and what the best kind of bike would be.

Health ins. companies can't deny people for pre-existing conditions. Should the same be true of car insurance?

I ask because my car has some pre-existing problems: 1. The brake pedal only works about 1/3 of the time 2. The engine is currently on fire How can these greedy car insurance companies declare that my car is unsafe to drive?

""Minor fender benders, insurance, and suspended license?""

if there is minor fender bender, both parties have insurance and exchange info. what could happen if no police report was made, and driver A reports to their insurance company. diver A insurance company then try to contact you, driver B avoids them (even though Driver B was not in the wrong) by avoiding the insurance company can driver B license be suspended, without proof of accident or proof of who was in the wrong. Its been a month since accident, what should Driver B do""

Best dental insurance?

I need dental insurance for my 5 year old son and maybe myself also. Doe's anyone know the best plan to go with? Thanks alot

Should my wife and I have to pay for your health insurance?

With my royalty checks, my wife's salary and bonus package (she is a Pharm D and a senior Vp at a large nationwide pharmacy retailer) we earn more than 250K a year and are considered Rich by Obama standards .We just paid off our student loans a couple of years ago. We live in a house well within our means, we have three children who we would like to put through University without them incurring debt like we had to. We save, have to drive older models cars and we have a very good but expensive health care plan. Basically we just made it we are in our mid forties. I mean I just got the breaks in my career that I have worked hard through lean years for. My wife was promoted two years ago. Why should we have to pay higher premiums in a national health system for the same coverage of someone else? Why would we be taxed more for earning more? We lived within our means, we don't carry credit card debt, w live in a 2700 sq ft house ( not huge by any standards). If we have to pay even higher taxes and even higher insurance premiums, then we will have to wait to retire three extra years ( or more) Why do we get punished for being industrious?""

Van insurance young driver?

im 20 years old, been driving for 3 years with 1 year no claims, im a qualified tiler but i cant find van insurance cheaper than 6 grand anywhere its a joke, so i cant work cause i need a van wtf can i do""

F450 INSURANCE COST. HOW MUCH?

im thinking of buying new f450. I found out they need to be commercialy insured. its just a pickup. does anyone have a guess at what the cost would be good driver record.would it be more than a regular pickup?

Can you help me find scooter insurance?

Hello I have a 125cc scooter,i live in the u.k,does someone know where I can get cheap scooter insurance and link me to the site you got it from thanks josh""

Which auto insurance companies use Equifax?

My credit score is highest on Equifax. Does anyone know which auto insurance companies use Equifax to provide quotes?

College Question about health insurance?

So i am attending a SUNY school and im going for marketing i know longer want to go for marketing but cant switch out of classes, if i decide to stop going to two of my classes out of five will i loose my health insurance because i will know longer be a full time student, or would i still have health insurance because i paid for my courses, please let me know? Thanks""

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

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

Atv liability insurance?

i am just looking at atv`s, dont have a clue yet which one i want, so i cant get a insurance quote without all the details, if liability insurance is too high i wont be getting one anyone, it seems its Mandatory in Idaho, anyone have a General idea of insurance for a new, say 7,000 one would be, just a estimate. Also i hope i misread that i need to take a course to get a license for the atv, like a motorcycle ? Anybody know of states that do this ?""

Car Question 101: Which car insurance company is the best out there?

I am planning to buy a Toyota Rav4 by next year.Car cost would be between $20-25k. My credit score is ok about 690. How much should I expect to pay on car insurance? And is it per month or per quarter like (2x a year or 4x a year etc). Thanks! :)

Proof of insurance?

Hello I just bought a new car and called my insurance company to insure my new vehicle they have yet to send me my card my question is I need to drive cross country do you have to have an insurance card or can the police tell if you have insurance even if you do not have a card

Is there an affordable health insurance plan?

Hey, I'm 17 years old and I have a baby. We both have MOLINA insurance. But my boyfriend who's 19 doesnt have any health insurance. He works full time and is about to be going to college part time. Well his wisdom teeth are coming in crooked and he cant get them fixed because it costs so much. Is there any health insurance plan that wont cost us an arm and a leg? And doesnt have a catch?""

Affordable health insurance?

I have no insurance, been unemployed over a year, no dependents, am not pregnant, and have no serious medical issues I'm aware of. If it matters, I'm not a US citizen, I'm a permanent resident alien. Which means I can work and pay taxes, but can't vote and don't get called for jury duty. I live in California. How do I find decent affordable health insurance? Are there any sliding scale clinics in San francisco for someone in my position? There seems to be options if one has kids, is pregnant, has a serious illness, or is a vet. I'm none of those. Also, I'm way past the time period to sign up for Cobra. Thanks in advance!""

Can anyone recomend some cheap insurance companies for drives who have completed pass plus?

I'm 18, soon to be 19, and have been trying to get a quote on a 1998 vauxhall corsa, and the only 1 i got before was ridiculously high. I know it being an older model is going to make a difference, but does anyone know from personal experience or whatever which insurance companies offer decent insurance prices to young drives, who have completed the pass plus scheme? Thanks, much appreciated!

Mazda Miata insurance is wacked?

I got a quote from Geico, which is the best I could find, on a car that I'm thinking about purchasing and financing. The car is a 1996 Mazda Miata with 80,000 miles on it. Geico gave me a quote for $882 for six months, thats $147 a month and $1764 a year. What the heck?! I'm 18 and don't understand why insurance is that expensive. I've never had a ticket or an accident. It also says that I need to get a deductible when the car is selling for $3995. Any advice?""

Do auto insurance companies have authority to require social security numbers for policyholders?

In applying for auto insurance, I note that several companies want social security numbers from applicants. Is this a legal requirement for obtaining auto insurance? or is it the policy of the insurer? or is it optional?""

Who offers cheapest auto insurance in ontario canada?

Please suggest the cheapest auto insurance company in Ontatio, Canada.""

Do you need to show proof of insurance for title transfer?

When you buy a used car and go to DMV to transfer title, do you need to provide proof of insurance? Or is that only for registration renewals. This is for California""

Cheap cars to insure?

What are some cheap cars to insure?

Motorcycle insurance?

about how much should it cost?

Car Insurance For Teens!?!?!?!?!?

I'm about to purchase a used car for $2500. The car will be registered in my name. Do I have to get insurance under my own name or can I get it under my parents name? If I have to do it myself, what is the average rate for 18 year olds. I'll be 19 in December. I live in South Carolina. <When I get the car, do I have to get insurance immediately or do I wait until the temporarily dealer plate expire?""

How do you get health insurance?

I'm try'na get emancipated from my parents, and they said I medical/health insurance. No ******** answers.""

How much does scooter insurance cost in Ontario?

Hello all, I am buying Vespa LX 150ie soon (it has a 150cc engine with a top speed of 95 km/h) and would like to know how much insurance costs in Ontario. I am 18 years old, single, male, and have my M1, and most likely my M2 soon. Let me know if you have any info.""

UK car insurance groups?

Is there a website or some kind of directory that will tell me the costs of different insurance groups? I'm shopping around for a second-hand car and a lot of cars are listed as insurance group 7 or insurance group 14 etc etc, but I don't know what that means, I've been entering the details individually of cars that I'm interested in, but that quite laborious.""

How much is car insurance?

we are moving to newmarket, ontario. we are wanting to get rough ideas about the cost of car insurance. i hear it is quite expensive but was wondering if someone could illustrate in some way or give an example of how it is worked out. also could someone reccommend a trustful dealer?""

Best site for Home Owners Insurance on California Cooperatives?

Best site for Home Owners Insurance on California Cooperatives?

Whats the car insurance trick?

you know the ads that say you could pay $36 a month for car insurance in ga? whats the trick?

Young adult health insurance?

Young adult son cannot find job, not in college, has no health insurance - any ideas?""

Cheap auto insurance for new driver?

I was just wondering of anyone knows of an insurance company that will insure new drivers for a low cost. I know it's hard to find because it always costs more to insure younger drivers due to the likely hood of them getting into an accident. I don't have my license yet, but will have it estimated by June of 2013, by then I'll be 17. I'm going to get my permit sometime in January so I would need the insurance by then.""

How much might my car insurance be?

I want to know how much would my car insurance be if im sixteen and im driving a 94 dodge stealth. I am also a guy. I know sports cars cost more to insure so could you please include the price of insurance for a normal car as well??? Located in Tampa, Florida Thanks for any help you can offer, -Kyle""

Can I get a dealer service department to cash out a check that was written from my insurance company?

I know I can get a repair done cheaper elsewhere. But my insurance company has already left a check at the dealer that is made out to me and the dealer so I have to sign it over to them. The dealer will not have the part in until Tuesday. So can I go to the dealer and just take the part and ask them to cash out the labor to me and I will go elsewhere for the actual repair?

How much does motorcycle ensurance cost?

I am planning on getting a bike. used,street bike probably a 04-07 dont know what kind yet but i was curious if a) is insurance on a motorcycle absolutely needed? b)how much if im 18, but father as a co signer with GREAT credit score c)on a $5,000 bike how much would it be a month overall, insurance and payments.""

What is the cheapest auto insurance for a 16 year old with a 4 door Tacoma?

like allstate, nationwide, geico, progressive.""

What is home owners insurance like in Florida?

I am thinking of purchasing a home in the Kissimmee area that is around $140,000. Some people have told me that homeowners insurance and additionally flood and hurricane additions to my insurance is very very expensive. Can someone give me an example of their real life insurance price that includes flood or hurricane? Please reply only if you have first hand experience in Florida. Preferably in the Kissimmee or Orlando area.""

Insurance on an el camino?

I'm thinking of getting an el camino, late 70s or 80s, and I'm a new 17 year old driver, I was wondering what ibwould have to expect on insurance? From what I've heard it's considered a pick up, so it as close to a muscle car I can get without having to pay super high insurance, how much would decent coverage cost me with a v8? And what if I had gotten an SS model? Im not sure which one ti get and I want to know if there is a huge difference between them, obviously I won't be paying it on my own, my parents are until I get a job, so how much woukd it general cost? Considering one parent is 48 hs dropout, other is 38 graduated college, if it helps any at all. Regardless of the answer thank you for your time.""

Car insurance help please!!?

Basically i passed my test in may and it is my 19th in 2 weeks, my mum just bought a car for my birthday which is in perfect running order and good condition as it was owned my an old bloke. It is a ford fiesta lx 1.2 s plate (98), Ive been searching around and have come to the conclusion that haggling on the phone will get the cheapest quotes. Just wanted to ask if anyone has the same car and how they got on insuring it, and if anyone has any suggestions for the cheapest way of insuring the car and the cheapest providers for all types of cover. All suggestions are welcome apart from the ones about tracking devices as i have seen people being billed incorrectly and in some cases that i have seen, increased the insurance to well over other quotes! Cheers for the help!! :) Mike""

Insurance on my boyfriend's car?

I recently got my license and haven't gotten a car yet. Since my boyfriend has two vehicles I am planning on using his car for work. He has liability on the car but I don't have any insurance and his insurance agent isn't sure if we can be on the same policy if we're not living together. Will I have to get my own insurance or is there anyway I can be covered by his policy? Please help! Any advice on the cheapest way to do this is appreciated. Thank you!

What is the cheapest car insurance?

I'm young and living on my own so I really need car insurance thats good but reasonably priced.

Monthly car insurance?

I've got my driving test in September, and if I pass I would love to buy a car. I was thinking about getting monthly car insurance as this would be easier for me. Now I know that you need insurance before you can buy a tax disc. My car would also be parked on the road outside my house. My question is, if I decide to not use my car for a month do I still need to buy insurance for that month. I know if the vehicle is parked on the road you must have a valid tax disc, but I was unsure whether I need to be insured as well even if I'm not using the car?""

Can anyone recomend some cheap insurance companies for drives who have completed pass plus?

I'm 18, soon to be 19, and have been trying to get a quote on a 1998 vauxhall corsa, and the only 1 i got before was ridiculously high. I know it being an older model is going to make a difference, but does anyone know from personal experience or whatever which insurance companies offer decent insurance prices to young drives, who have completed the pass plus scheme? Thanks, much appreciated!

How does replacement cost insurance work?

I have a 25 yr old harley davidson, and the insurance says full coverage will pay what the county values it at on your tag fee. (like, 800$) I also have a 67 chevy van that is valued at 300$ by the county. Obviously, full coverage is not intended to cover antique vehicles, as the annual premiums are far more than they want to give you should something happen. So what kind of insurance do you need to make you whole again? or, pay the true worth of your vehicles should you be hit by someone or your vehicle stolen?""

What is the cheapest car insurance?

Im a 16 year old boy, have a 2002 chevrolet 4x4 v8 truck.... all i want is liability and right now i pay $159.00 a month through american family. do you know anyone cheaper?""

What is the average cost of motorcycle insurance in illinois for a 21 year old?

What is the average cost of motorcycle insurance in illinois for a 21 year old?

Speeding ticket in D.C. (4 points) affecting Virginia driving record and insurance rate?

I received a speeding ticket (42 in a 25-mile/hour non-school zone; 4 points according to the D.C. DMV website) a week ago. I'm licensed in Virginia. I assume D.C. will notify the Virginia DMV and will trasfer the four negative points to my driving record. I haven't had a ticket since 2003 and currently have five positive points on my record. It is the maximum number of positive points allowed in Virginia. QUESTION 1: Will my State Farm insurance policy go up? Even if not, I will take a safe driver course to offset the four negative points. QUESTION 2: Do I want to wait until the four negative points post on my driving record before I take the course? Thank you in advance for taking the time to reply.""

I need a list of car insurance companies in the usa?

I need a list of all (or as many as possible) car insurance companies in the united states. I need the names and phone numbers and more info on them if possible. Thanks !

How much would my little sister's car insurance be?

Can anybody give me an estimate of what insurance on a Chevy Cavalier would be for an 18 year old girl who lives in Colorado? My little sis is in a tight spot cuz my parents aren't helping her with paying for a car or insurance, but she's saved up enough to buy a car and just got a job, and is asking me to help her with insurance which I'm going to try to do, thus the question above. The problem is awhile back she got a ticket for I think it was either wreckless driving or careless driving. She's matured a lot now and all but I know the insurance companies look into things like that. Please help me with an estimate if you can. Thanks.""

Health insurance premium just went up because i turned 60.?

Anyone know where I can get my own health insurance rather than through my employer?

Most reliable auto insurance company?

How much would my monthly premium be for auto insurance? I'm male and 18, no accidents and responsible. I drive an old sedan, silver. I drive to work, to college, to the market and back home. No joy rides, no trips or visits. What auto insurance company is the best?""

What is best single Premium Insurance Policy?

My father looking Good Return Single Priemium Insurance Policy and father age is 58.Please help me.

Insurance help for teenagers?

I just got my license today and my parents were wondering if i still had insurance coverage or not? We have Grange insurance idk if that makes a difference or not. Help please!=]

What do car insurance companies use to determine car value?

I just bought a 2008 used car. I bought GAP insurance (pays the difference between what the car is worth and the amount of the loan if the car is totaled) for $600. I have 30 days to cancel the insurance for a full refund (to my finance company). Do insurance companies use Kelly Blue Book retail value, private sale or trade-in value to determine the value they will pay for a totaled car? If they use retail or private sale, I can cancel and be okay if I get totaled, but if it is trade in, I will be $3000 in the hole with no car.""

How much do you reacon my car insurance will be?

I am currently taking driving lessons but in a few months I will be taking my driving test. If I pass my test my mum is giving me her car which is a 1.3 litre Toyota Yaris, I will have to pay for the insurance so I was just wondering how much it would be?""

Insurance needed to instruct/run archery?

Hi, If I want to run an archery activity for a school at an outdoor adventurous activity site, what insurance do I need? Cheers""

A question about insurance on a car?

ok i live in england, and i am 27yrs old, i drive and have my own insurance which is fully comp, as i am over 26 i can drive any car third party, my boyfriend is just starting to learn to drive and since neither of his parents drive, hes going to have to get his own car with his own insurance on, which is obviously going to be quite high as hes a new driver, hes 20yrs old. we got told that if he put me on his insurance as a second driver then it would work out a bit cheaper for him, but im wondering if this is true, as i can drive his car anyway on my insurance, so im not sure if its legal to go on his or if they will let me. any advice would be appreciated.""

Need affordable heath insurance in NJ?

I'm trying to find a health insurance plan for me and my fiance. I currently do not have health insurance but I am on Birth Control for cyst prevention and it runs 90$ a month. My fiance will be expunged from his parent's plan in October when we are married. I am a nanny and he is a personal trainer and tennis instructor, both jobs do not offer plans since he is not considered fulltime. I went to ehealthinsurance.com for a quote and the lowest is 375 with a steep deductible and limited coverage. We are also both fulltime college students so we are not able to pay much along with our other living expenses. Does anyone know of anyway of getting low cost insurance? I looked into family care etc, but unless I'm pregnant or have children, I wont be covered. I'm at a catch 22....we really want kids but not without being stable first...so either I pay for birth control or health insurance for prenatal and maternity (ha ha ha) I'm getting a bit frustrated here...Will definitely chose a best answer and thanks for reading this :)""

Car insurance?

my husband has just been sent a letter saying he has been done for doing 38 in a 30mph limit and has encured 60 fine and 3 penalty points. what is the situation regarding his car insurance . does he have to inform them about it? i think he should but my sister says you dont have to.

Insurance for a 17 yr old with Lamborghini(took drivers ed & have good grades)?

me and my sister got a lot of money when my grandpa passed away, he gave it to me and her mainly and then some to my mom and aunt and i wanna get a lamborghini with it but my mom will not change her mind saying that no one would ever insure me for that. moneys not really that much of a problem for it but would no one really insure me? i have enough to pay for it myself and i took drivers ed and have good grades in school how much will that knock off of it if so? thx""

What are the recommended coverage i should have for auto insurance?

i don't know anything about auto insurance, so im trying to figured out what i should include in my policy, not just standard, but recommended coverage, so that if anything happen the insurance company can't say this or that doesn't covered...im a person that rather be safe than sorry later... so far i have statefarm in Florida, and here are my coverage and limit so far: liability bodily injury 10/20, property damage 25 per accident. no-fault coverage comprehensive collision uninsured motorist bodily injury 10/20 is there anything else i need to add or missing? is there different between the personal injury protection and no-fault coverage? is my limit enough? my friend has 50/100 limit and pays much lower premium than me (about 40% less).""

Getting Car Insurance?

I'm getting married and because I'm moving to another state I'm having to switch from one insurance for my car to another. My question is this, how much up front money will it cost to get insurance for me and my wife? For example, will they need a deposit, or expect a certain number of months up front? Also if anyone could refer me to a good insurance company, I live in Alabama near Birmingham I 'm considering either state farm or alfa. Thanks!""

If i change my car insurance will my lien holder be notified?

I want to change to a different insurance company and have a an auto loan through my bank so my question is if i change will my bank be notified? I know it is wrong but for a few months i only had liability and if they are notified they can take my car if they see i didnt have full coverage right? I want cheaper insurance but dont want to get in trouble!

""On buying a new car, should I get insurance for it immedliately?""

I am buying a new car in a day or so. Am I legally required to get insurance before I take it out of the dealership? I heard that dealer should keep insurance for 1 month. Is that true? If it is true, what is covered - just the car? Driver? Passengers? New-car buyer in Texas""

How do auto insurance deductibles work?

How do deductibles work in at fault and not at fault accidents?

Who are affordable auto insurance carriers in southern california?

Who are affordable auto insurance carriers in southern california?

Need help with car insurance?

Needing full coverage auto insurance and I'm looking for the cheapest route, any suggestions on who to go with?""

Will my insurance go up alot?

so the other day I was driving on freeway and slid out and went through a barbed wire fence on the side of the freeway. The cop said he had to do an accident report cuz its a state fence.And that they would send a letter to my house and possibly my insurance company. And the fence was fixed the next day. So do you think they will send a letter to my insurance? Will they charge me for the fence? Will my insurance raise alot? I'm 16 btw and liability only on my insurance.

Can anyone recomend some cheap insurance companies for drives who have completed pass plus?

I'm 18, soon to be 19, and have been trying to get a quote on a 1998 vauxhall corsa, and the only 1 i got before was ridiculously high. I know it being an older model is going to make a difference, but does anyone know from personal experience or whatever which insurance companies offer decent insurance prices to young drives, who have completed the pass plus scheme? Thanks, much appreciated!

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stoughton-wisconsin-cheap-car-insurance-quotes-zip-53589-rodriquez/"