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enduringsea · 4 years ago

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( rules: you can usually tell a lot about a person by the kind of music they listen to! put your music on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, then tag 10 people! no skipping! ) / tagged by @yellowcrumpet ╭( ･ㅂ･)و )))

Thanks for the tag! I LOVE these things-- I don’t rlly have a playlist either though, just a mess of music files on a device I haven’t updated so I’ll be checking my YouTube history too lol. There’s a uhhh.... pattern to be found, mainly relating to Code Vein or other OCs.... which isn’t surprising ._. ;; I made it a separate post bc I knew this was going to get long and rambly with lyric snippets and crying about fictional characters, sorry :D

1. Repeat Until Death - Novo Amor don’t go / you’re half of me now / but i’m hardly stood proud / i said it, almost oh i’ve been low / but damn it i bet it don’t show / it was heaven a moment ago oh i can’t seem to let myself leave you / but i can’t breathe anymore This one gives me Loubeth vibes ok, partially bad end route ;-; While Elizabeth is a very strong person, her friends are the most prominent reason she tries to do anything at all & isn’t living day-to-day in a monotonous grind to survive without a solid purpose other than ‘help random ppl bc it’s the right thing to do’. If she loses them, it’d ruin her & hammers into her head how everything she’s ever done has been a failure. She suffered a major betrayal by her boss before the Collapse, she was unable to fully participate in proj. queen despite her incredible test results, she failed to defeat Cruz and take her blood during Operation Queenslayer, and if she fails to protect the people she’s finally found meaning with? She’d break down completely & destroy herself to save them. She’s always had some level of abandonment issues, and without her family around it’s so much worse, even if it isn’t the most obvious because she’s generally seen as very well put together-- I really can’t express how much it would hurt her to lose Louis, Yakumo, and the others. She’s just not one to show just how bad it can truly get for her mentally and emotionally-- she’s resilient as hell, she’s been through hell repeatedly and survived it all, so it’s easy for others to assume she’s fine all things considered. It makes her feel weak and ashamed of herself if she shows any level of vulnerability, so she doesn’t; she swallows it down and is afraid of disappointing those who look up to her as a fighter and friend-- of course, no one at Home Base would blame her for being vulnerable, they all have their moments, Bethy just sets herself to such a high standard it’s difficult for her to talk about her own suffering in spite of how well-versed she is in getting her thoughts and feelings across otherwise. Louis is the one most keen to how deeply she’s hurting, but he doesn’t understand just how deeply until she finally does fall apart. The final swell of the song and its desperate lyrics really relays the pain they both feel-- Louis too would not fare well if something happened to Elizabeth, because he blames himself she was even involved in Operation Queenslayer for a long time, I honestly did so bad in explaining coherently, this song just has so much emotion and hurt behind it adklfjdfdff </3

2. Looking Out For You - Joy Again this is a love song for a girl who will never know it’s about her she's beaming that smile / all the while i’m all tripped up on my own throat i guess there is no hope This song reminds me of Elizabeth & my friend’s character Takashi Fujioka, who gets-- vERY...FRIENDZONED, for lack of a better word, by Elizabeth in his story, it’s really summed up best as tragic (;﹏;) Before the Collapse they were hitting it off, then the Collapse happened, they were separated, he lost his sisters, Mido happened, he was experimented on + became a revenant, etc, etc; years have passed since then & she’s gotten her life together as much as one can in a world like Vein, but for Takashi it’s like no time has passed at all. Elizabeth is subtly older in appearance, she’s been working w Lou & Co. for a long time; Loubeth blatantly have a connection, & rather than bringing up his feelings + making it awkward bc he values their friendships, he just kinda. chokes on them & does his best to help out the team. It doesn’t help he can’t even be jealous bc Louis is a really solid friend to him too, IT’S JUST A MESS OF A SITUATION & the death of what could have been if things were different.

3. Closer - Teagan And Sara ( no lengthy explanation for this one thank goodness, I’ve just been watching BoJack Horseman again and I really like some of the songs they add in, I like listening to this one on loop when mindlessly coloring something )

4. Brutal - Olivia Rodrigo all I did was try my best / this the kind of thanks I get? they say these are the golden years / but I wish I could disappear ego crush is so severe / god, it's brutal out here I have it on a playlist for Elizabeth somewhere, not all of it applies to her but it reflects some of her struggles she has both before & after the collapse. She’s-- always kind of been a mess while under immense pressure + has serious self image issues, this song hits that side of her well. She’s been held to humanly impossible standards by both herself and her family bc frankly? She can reach them, she’s NOT exactly human. She was born into her position as a hunter & intends to keep it for as long as she lives (like revenants, her kind is very much ‘either gets killed or lives 5ever), even if some days she really feels how heavy the burden can be. She didn’t have a normal childhood and she’s fine with it for the most part, but it alienates her from most of her peers-- she never got to date anyone, never had a close group of friends, never went to parties that weren’t formals, etc., while she feels a little childish about it, she does envy ‘normal’ and understands the pressure she’s lived under her entire life has caused damage-- she has been exploited for her abilities, there’s just not much she can do about it but to keep going, rlly.

5. Freaks - Surf Curse don't kill me / just help me run away from everyone i need a place to stay / where i can cover up my face don't cry / i am just a freak / i am just a freak UhhhHHH this song really makes me think of Oliver Collins :D;; thank TikTok for showing it to me. It makes me think of how scared he was, of both the world and the revenants who captured him. The song’s use of the word ‘parasites’ really makes me think of Revenants and the BOR parasites XD I’m hoping when I poke my video editor again, I can record some Oliver footage to make a short video to this song. Oliver deserves so much better, I wish you could save him, but that’s what AUs are for, hahah.... The second half of the lyrics make me think of the AU I have where he lives and has to grapple with the guilt of surviving and the things he did to other revenants to get by too.

6. All Eyes On Me - Bo Burnham you say the ocean’s rising / like i give a shit you say the whole world’s ending / honey it already did you’re not gonna slow it / heaven knows you tried got it? good / now get inside I haven’t seen the Netflix special yet but I’ve had this song on repeat since my move started. The lyrics hit too hard & resonate with my existential dread, covid exhaustion, and extreme burnout in my 20s, but bc I have Damage I can also relate it to CV ._. ‘you’re not gonna slow it, heaven knows you tried. got it? good now get inside’ makes me think of--;; the bad end route again, and Elizabeth’s desperation to keep her found family together. It’s not like her to completely stop caring about an issue, but in the moment she realizes what’s being taken from her? She doesn’t want to save all of revenant-kind if it means she’s going to wind up alone all over again, her world is effectively over if she’s forced to be alone again. The MC frenzying means the only immediately identifiable hope she had of saving everyone else is gone, so why not just go home? If they’re all doomed, she wants to at least be together for a little while longer, it’s fine if they use her blood to survive & everyone else in the mist is out of luck, it’s soul-crushing bc I’ve never had her in a situation where she’s been this reckless, despondent/hopeless, and thinking irrationally where it’d impact more than herself-- especially when she’s normally goal-oriented, organized, meticulous, so on so forth: she’s not one to act without thinking something through first, but that last breath of light just got sucker-punched out of her. All she wants is home, comfort, and family, and ultimately in the bad end route she does manage to preserve their lives, maintain the mist, and supply blood beads, but her own condition leaves her on the throne-- it’s a mix of the bad, neutral, and true ending rlly ldkfjdf BUT YEAH enough rambling on that :D;; This song’s really good and touches a lot of different thoughts and ideas both in real life and my ocs, kind of embarrassing--;; thank u bo burnham for ruining me with this beautiful song

7. Yellow - Coldplay look at the stars / look how they shine for you / and everything you do your skin / oh yeah, your skin and bones / turn in to something beautiful do you know / for you I'd bleed myself dry Does this song make me think about JackEva? Yes. Yes it does. Star / night sky symbolism? Bam. Sappy lyrics about love and finding the person you’re with absolutely mesmerizing and worth dying for? BAM. If JackEva were capable of using their own blood to save each other, I can see it-- hJNGn they just care about each other so much, Jack cries for her even though they both knew that eventually one of them would succumb to their duty, and if the roles were reversed I can see Eva doing the same, I adore them beyond human language. On my CV RP blog, my Jack’s not shippable bc-- Eva, my friend even have them looking after his nephew (an oc--) at one point. I should seriously drop some headcanons down eventually....

8. Louder Than Thunder - The Devil Wears Prada are we meant to be empty-handed? / i know i could, i could be better i don't think i deserve it / selflessness, find your way into my heart all stars could be brighter / all hearts could be warmer

LMFAO throwback to my middle school playlist, I’m old-- I’ve applied this song to a lot of things back in the day, but I really connect it to Loubeth now, especially Louis. Lou & Bethy are both functional idiots who are too hard on themselves & have trouble recognizing their worth beyond what they can do for others. They’re trying to be better-- to make up for what they perceived wrongs they’ve done, but it’s hard, they don’t believe they’re worthy of the love and support the other gives, but they still yearn for that sense of security. After Louis’ memories are returned, he finally understands the guilt he’s felt since he became a revenant and it really skews his self-perception; he blames himself for so many things & Elizabeth, who has always been able to kill when necessary, sets it straight-- “It’s not your fault”, and it takes Louis some time to properly absorb that message. He thinks she’s just trying to comfort him, which she is tbh, but she’s not wrong: “It’s not your fault you couldn’t kill someone. It was never your job to kill anyone.” It’s up to people like her to do those sort of things-- Elizabeth may not have been present when Cruz frenzied, but if she had been? It would have been over before it started, that’s something she has regrets over, even if nothing could have been done since she was already on the field. Actually, she’s actually really quite angry that security failed to monitor Cruz properly and has a few select words for the ones there who could have actually done something before it got out of hand-- civilians and doctors are exempt from her shtlist bc they’re not meant to be killers (so don’t worry Artorias, she’s not ready to bite your head off!), but they had to have some kinda security detail rite o-q??? They’re probably hiding from her wrath-- BUT ANYWAY, she insists she’ll never blame Louis for not being able to do something as serious as killing another person. He was a normal human being who cared about his friend, not a failure, and he couldn’t have been expected to do something that shouldn’t have fallen on his shoulders in the first place. As many times as it takes, she’ll reaffirm that it wasn’t his fault, she’s not angry, he’s always done his best and her opinion of him hasn’t changed. He’s a good person and she loves him through all the hurt, though she doesn’t drop the word ‘love’ for a long time. It just-- takes Louis a while to accept she views him as someone worthy of the love and respect she has for him. It’s kind of ironic she’s so adamant on Louis not blaming himself considering she’s the one privately blaming herself for-- wow there’s too much to unpack, she feels guilty she was even born?? im so broken over these two. I love them and yet they SUFFER...

9. What I’ve Done - Linkin Park i'll face myself / to cross out what i’ve become erase myself / and let go of what i’ve done today this ends / i'm forgiving what i’ve done

I have Louis Amamiya brainrot and I’m so glad I’m not the only one who thinks that this song fits him super well & it needs to become an AMV dsjfkldsfd. I’m a near life-long Linkin Park fan and this fits with Lou so well thematically. As much as I’ve gone on about Louis’ guilt, he does steel himself to keep going forward in spite of it and make things right, for everyone. Maybe it wasn’t really his fault, but at the end of the day his inability to kill Cruz in that moment left a disaster in its wake that got a countless number of people killed-- the MC included with Karen and Aurora. He doesn’t want to run away from the truth, doesn’t want to make excuses, he wants to take responsibility for it and he’ll work himself to death if it means things will be better-- it’s both admirable he’s got a strong resolve and VERY concerning with how willing he is to die for the cause, please don’t overdo it, Lou, you’ll break mine and Bethy’s hearts ._.;; It won’t always be easy, there are moments the grief gnaws at him, but in the end he does overcome it (and uh. as in the bad ending, we know he can actually do it this time). I know we can’t see everything, but I would have loved deeper character interactions, especially with Louis with an emphasis on grieving + forgiving himself properly-- but this song really is nice with the whole ‘I’m going to face my mistakes head on, forgive myself, and keep moving forward’. It’s what Louis deserves: self forgiveness and a damn break ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚

10. Call of Silence - Hiroyuki Sawano you will know you're reborn tonight / must be rough but i’ll stay by your side even if my body's bleached to the bones / i don't want go through that ever again so cry no more / oh my beloved ngl idk if those are the correct lyrics, buuuuuuut....... im a weenie and am internally weeping abt loubeth after midnight, what else is new lmfao- i’ll at least try to be brief :D I also used to really like Attack on Titan when I was in high school, I dropped the anime years ago because I was waiting for s2 and never got back to it once it started airing again, I thought I’d finish it once the anime was complete since I eventually caught up with the manga, such a good series BUT ANYWAY-- I think it’s a really pretty song and Loubeth fit with the tender lyrics. IT’S LATE, idk what to say about them other than what I’ve said already dsklfjdslf im sorry I really ramble a LOT and I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t had the chance to >w>;;

#i do not know how 2 b quiet #long post #personal text #yellowcrumpet

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sciencespies · 4 years ago

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Our Ten Most Popular Stories of 2020

https://sciencespies.com/nature/our-ten-most-popular-stories-of-2020/

Our Ten Most Popular Stories of 2020

SMITHSONIANMAG.COM | Dec. 30, 2020, 7 a.m.

The year 2020 will go down in history as one of the most extraordinary in modern recollection. A devastating pandemic dominated conversations and our coverage, which detailed why the race for a coronavirus vaccine runs on horseshoe crab blood, explained how to avoid misinformation about Covid-19 and drew lessons from the past by examining diaries penned during the 1918 influenza pandemic. This summer, when a series of protests sparked an ongoing reckoning with systemic racism in the United States, we showed how myths about the past shape our present views on race and highlighted little-known stories about the lives and accomplishments of people of color. Toward the end of the year, amid one of the most bitterly divisive elections in recent history, we delved into the lengthy debate over mail-in voting and the origins of presidential concession speeches.

Despite the challenges posed by 2020, Americans still found reasons to celebrate: Ahead of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, we profiled such pioneering figures as Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman nominated as vice president by a major party, and Fannie Lou Hamer, who fought to secure black voting rights. In the cultural sphere, the discovery of dozens of intact Egyptian coffins thrilled and amazed, as did the reemergence of a long-lost Jacob Lawrence painting. From murder hornets to Venice’s new inflatable floodgates, Catherine the Great and the Smithsonian’s new open-access platform, these were Smithsonian magazine’s top ten stories of 2020.

Our most popular story of 2020 underscored the value of skillful art restoration, presenting a welcome counter to the many botched conservation attempts reported in recent years. As the National Museum of Scotland announced this December, experts used a carved porcupine quill—a tool “sharp enough to remove … dirt yet soft enough not to damage the metalwork,” according to a statement—to clean an Anglo-Saxon cross for the first time in more than a millennium. The painstaking process revealed the silver artifact’s gold leaf adornments, as well as its intricate depictions of the four Gospel writers: Saint Matthew as a human, Saint Mark as a lion, Saint Luke as a calf and Saint John as an eagle. Per writer Nora McGreevy, the cross is one of around 100 objects included in the Galloway Hoard, a trove of Viking-era artifacts found by amateur treasure hunters in 2014.

Curators used an improvised tool made of porcupine quill to gently clean the cross, which features engravings of the four Gospel writers.

(National Museums Scotland)

While most of England was on lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, archaeologist Matt Champion unwittingly unearthed more than 2,000 artifacts beneath the attic floorboards of Tudor-era Oxburgh Hall. Highlights of the trove included a 600-year-old parchment fragment still adorned with gold leaf and blue lettering, scraps of Tudor and Georgian silks, and pages torn from a 1568 copy of Catholic martyr John Fisher’s The Kynge’s Psalmes. Detailing the find in an August article, McGreevy noted that British nobleman Sir Edmund Bedingfeld commissioned the manor’s construction in 1482; his devoutly Catholic descendants may have used the religious objects found in the attic during secret masses held at a time when such services were outlawed.

In March, when the world was just beginning to understand the novel coronavirus, researchers learned that the SARS-CoV-2 virus—the pathogen that causes Covid-19—survives for days on glass and stainless steel but dies in a matter of hours if it lands on copper. (In later months, scientists would find that airborne transmission of the virus carries the greatest risk of infection, rather than touching contaminated surfaces.) The metal’s antimicrobial powers of copper are nothing new: As Michael G. Schmidt, a microbiologist and immunologist at the Medical University of South Carolina, told writer Jim Morrison this spring, “Copper is truly a gift from Mother Nature in that the human race has been using it for over eight millennia.” Crucially, copper doesn’t simply dispatch unwanted pathogens at an incredibly fast rate. Its bacteria-combating abilities also endure for long stretches of time. When Bill Keevil and his University of Southampton microbiology research team tested old railings at New York City’s Grand Central Terminal several years ago, for instance, they found that the copper worked “just like it did the day it was put in over 100 years ago.”

The Asian giant hornet, the world’s largest hornet, was sighted in North America for the first time.

(Washington State Dept. of Agriculture)

Another unwelcome surprise of 2020 was the rise of the Asian giant hornet, more infamously known as the “murder hornet” due to its ability to massacre entire hives of bees within hours. The first confirmed sightings of the insects in North America occurred in late 2019, but as Floyd Shockley, entomology collections manager at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, pointed out in May, observers need not panic, as the hornets don’t realistically pose a threat to human health. Honey bees are more susceptible to the predators, but as Shockley said, “[I]s it going to be global devastation? No.” Still, it’s worth noting that officials in Washington state have since found and eradicated a nest thought to contain about 200 queens. Left unchecked, each of these hornets could have flown off and started a colony of its own. Efforts to contain the invasive species are ongoing.

In October, an engineering feat saved Venice from flooding not once, but twice. The barrier system of 78 giant, inflatable yellow floodgates—known as Mose—can currently be deployed to protect the Italian city from tides measuring up to three-and-a-half feet high. Upon its completion next year, Mose will be able to protect against tides of up to four feet. The floodgates’ installation follows the declaration of a state of emergency in Venice. Last year, the city experienced its worst floods in 50 years, sustaining more than $1 billion in damages and leaving parts of the metropolis under six feet of water. Built on muddy lagoons, Venice battles both a sinking foundation and rising sea levels. Despite the floodgates’ current success, some environmentalists argue that the barriers aren’t a sustainable solution, as they seal off the lagoon entirely, depleting the water’s oxygen and preventing pollution from flowing out.

While Hegra is being promoted to tourists for the first time, the story that still seems to get lost is that of the ancient empire responsible for its existence.

(Royal Commission for AlUla)

Desert-dwelling nomads turned master merchants, the Nabataeans controlled a broad swath of land between the Euphrates River and the Red Sea for some 500 years. But in the millennia following the civilization’s fall in the first century A.D., its culture was almost “lost entirely,” wrote Lauren Keith in November. Today, little written documentation of the Nabataeans survives; instead, archaeologists must draw on clues hidden within the empire’s ruins: namely, two monumental cities carved out of rock. One of these twin settlements—the “Rose City” of Petra in southern Jordan—attracts nearly one million visitors each year. But its sister city of Hegra remains relatively obscure—a fact that Saudi Arabia hopes to change as it shifts focus from oil to tourism. As several scholars told Keith, the Middle Eastern nation’s renewed marketing push represents a chance to learn more about the enigmatic culture. “[Visiting] should evoke in any good tourist with any kind of intellectual curiosity,” said David Graf, a Nabataean specialist, archeologist and professor at the University of Miami. “[W]ho produced these tombs? Who are the people who created Hegra? Where did they come from? How long were they here? To have the context of Hegra is very important.”

The May killing of George Floyd spurred nationwide protests against systemic injustice, acting as a call to action for the reformation of the U.S.’ treatment of black people. As Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch wrote in a short essay published in June, Floyd’s death in police custody forced the country to “confront the reality that, despite gains made in the past 50 years, we are still a nation riven by inequality and racial division.” To reflect this pivotal moment, Smithsonian magazine compiled a collection of resources “designed to foster an equal society, encourage commitment to unbiased choices and promote antiracism in all aspects of life,” according to assistant digital editor Meilan Solly. The resources are organized into six categories: historical context, systemic inequality, anti-black violence, protest, intersectionality, and allyship and education.

Human relationships can be difficult, but at least they don’t involve copulating until your inner organs fail. Yes, you read that correctly—death is the unfortunate fate for the male antechinus, a pint-sized marsupial that literally fornicates until it drops dead. Take similar comfort in the fact that humans don’t need to drink urine to start a relationship, as is the case with giraffes, nor inseminate each other via open wounds, as bed bugs do.

youtube

Today, stories of Catherine the Great’s salacious, equine love affairs dominate her legacy. But the reality of the Russian czarina’s life was far more nuanced. Ahead of the release of Hulu’s “The Great,” we explored Catherine’s 30-year reign, from her usurpation of power to her championing of Enlightenment ideals, early support of vaccination and myriad accomplishments in the cultural sphere. As Meilan Solly wrote in May, “Catherine was a woman of contradictions whose brazen exploits have long overshadowed the accomplishments that won her ‘the Great’ moniker in the first place.

For the first time in the 174-year history of the Smithsonian Institution, the organization released 2.8 million images from across all 19 museums, 9 research centers, libraries, archives and the National Zoo into the public domain. This initial release represents just two percent of the Smithsonian’s total collection, which boasts 155 million items and counting. It was part of an ongoing effort to digitize—and democratize—the Institution’s collections.

• An excerpt from Jennet Conant’s new book, The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster That Launched the War on Cancer, in which she details how an investigation into a devastating Allied bombing of an Italian coastal town eventually led to an innovation in cancer treatment.

• A time-capsule story from the end of March about how and when we thought the pandemic might end. We were too optimistic about how long Americans would need to “flatten the curve,” and unmentioned in the story was how soon a vaccine would be developed.

• Another entry in our “True History of” series that looked at Tom Hanks’ World War II film from earlier this year, Greyhound

• An exploration of new research that rewrites the demise of Doggerland, a prehistoric land bridge between Britain and Europe

#Nature

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kari-izumi2-electric-boogaloo · 6 years ago

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From what I gather, this is just to help cover costs as they grow. The free beta is slated for next year, and there's talk of bringing back icon purchases like LJ had to cover costs for this exact reason.

For me, it's worth it to:

Have a functioning website

The option to turn off reblogs and make mutural-only posts. Not that I've had to do that as of yet because the community so far are LJ expats who never got into Tumblr to begin with.

Actual mature conversation instead of pissing matches. I realize that will inevitably change open beta goes live, but after the last year and a half since I finally came here kicking and screaming once LJ sold out to Russian I'd rather have a lower traffic site with actual discussion than fifty reblogs of noise

A functional website

A good block feature (unless said person you're blocking is the mod of a community you're a part of, which is understandable)

Speaking of which, there are moderated spaces there! No more having to be afraid to ship what you fucking want and getting reported over some Shiro/Pidge platonic hug pic you liked 👍because if someone comes showing their ass, they can be shown the door!

It also helps for if you don't want to flood your main blog with stuff most of your other muturals won't care about (like shitty car mods, in my case)

The site works!

Unlike the Writscrib fiasco, the creators there are taking their time to make the interface user friendly and working before opening the floodgates. That's part of what the $5 and staggered sign up schedule is for

Neat feature: reblogging the post only. Like LJ you can comment below the post , but there's no more having to repost five miles of chain blogging to have a conversation only two other ppl care about.

They're actively recruiting volunteers to help work on the site (particularly those familiar with Ruby on Rails, which IIRC is what AO3 uses too) and have a comm specifically for suggestions and bugs that need fixing.

No intrusive ads as of yet

Did I mention the site actually has a great degree of fuctionality? Cuz it does. It's not perfect (I hate that mobile doesn't display the quote block text on my phone in comments), but most of what it doesn't have--like a queue/save draft feature, no ability to upload video directly or GIFs over 1 MB and a somewhat wonky way to view reblogs and likes--are more nitpicks that I except will be resolved in the future once there's a server capable of hosting such things.

The cool thing is PF just offered a risk-free trial of the site not that long ago that allowed ppl to check it out with a full refund if they weren't happy after three weeks....but they do have a demo log-in that has access to most of the site features so you're able to look at how it works before making a financial commitment.

That's ultimately what got me sold: the level of dedication to a user-friendly set up.

I don't know how deep you are into fandom, but Tumblr was never designed for that purpose, or for anyone who doesn't want every waking thought being broadcast into the air. If you're an artist, this site works (unless you post tagged NSFW, evidently 😐). But like I said, I personally never loved this place to begin with, so its pretty easy for me to walk away from here and the other blog I had that was mostly reblogs which got purged. I fully expected to get scrapped cuz of my pro-shipper stance anyway eventually.

But frankly, I can't trust a site that didn't put the most minimal amount of effort to clean up an issue that's been going on since I've been here (and probably longer than that) to put any effort into doing right by anyone who sticks around after this. I've already been there, done that with FF.net, LJ and countless message boards before that and just like in all four remakes of A Star is Born, the ending is exactly the same.

So…

Someone tell me.

Is pillowfort truly worth paying for?

I just have a deep aversion to paying for personal blog space. It’s been less than a year since something that required a fee would have completely excluded me, and I do not like the idea of a fandom space that shuts some people out–especially people for whom fandom might be the one happy spot in a stressful time of their life.

Yes, really. Five dollars would have been too much. I’m still struggling to grasp that I can afford that now.

I’m just not fully onboard with this idea, but on the other hand, I don’t want to be left alone here, either.

#pillowfort #long post is long #and thats the tea on that 🍵#my two cents #i get the money thing i do #but long story short yes its worth it to not put up w this level of complete incompetence #likewise dreamwidth is also still there and completely free too #a little outdated but still fuctions well

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infinitesolarflare · 5 years ago

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10-1-0: An Incarnate’s Tale

Oh, forgive me, I see there is some information you'd need for this, well my name is Sullivan Koji. I am the one who has taken over the quest of saving our lives, in our world man has been turning a blind eye for too long. There are few selected humans to be one of the "World Walkers". Being a World Walker means you have achieved the highest level of concentration, determination, and compassion.

I guess you should understand, the common conception of time, and the universe as we know it are wrong. Long ago mages, like us humans were created, there purpose was to save the earth from certain destruction. They lived long lives, and as the mages grew old, they became corrupt. This is when man truly entered the dark ages. As the mages battled one another they discovered that after killing a mage he would burn a bright red, then dissolve. The particles of what once made up the mages were thrown farther than any human could ever imagine. These particles are what humans know as stars. Gazing at stars is a human activity with a far greater importance than they know. The mages attempt to communicate with the World Walkers through this, to find if there are any left.

Now, this is where things fall into place. There were 10 mages each holding a section of the Portal. The Portal is the one thing given to the mages so they can infinitely travel in all directions. My mission, embody the mages, become the one and only Mage left. I have been chosen because what the common man takes as a dream, or nightmare is actually a tool. A tool so useful it takes years before one can even view another world.

The one goal for man is to reach the year, ZERO. Once there man can live at peace, without war, death, poverty, hunger, and hatreds. The ones who the mages see fit to achieve peace are reincarnated every 400 years or so, these souls have purpose, they are meant to reach ZERO. Common people are pawns in the world games of chess. Those souls are reincarnated almost every second of every day. Useless people, unworthy of the true paradise, some call it heaven, others don't believe in it. I have not been there, but I've seen it. My goal for now is to build the portal, show humans what life is supposed to be....

This is almost the end of our lesson together, I Sullivan Koji, have been reincarnated only 3 times so far. This is my story, these are my trials, my tests, and my tears. To reach ZERO I must concentrate once within each universe of the infinite universes. The Old Mages War took place on an open plain, which was the only universe at one time. When the High Mage Geishino was murdered his energy, not only burned a hole into time itself but also exploded into all directions, which we know as The Big Bang. Now there were 7 mages after the High Mage. They traveled throughout all universes, battling one another, the 10 portal pieces are somewhere within them, I WILL find them....

The radio in Sullivan's room is playing Good Times Bad Times by Led Zeppelin. He has been awake for 3 days, his eyes are bloodshot, his eyes water as he sits up. "where do I go today?" his thoughts seem as though they were talking to him aloud. Sullivan has only a few friends who understand his destiny. His life long friends, and blood brothers, James Blackard and Micheal Himaru. Sullivan, from an early age displayed signs of being the World Walker this universe needed. His friends thought he was short a few screws. As we entered highschool, I stared to understand what I was...who I was. I confided in them all that I discovered and they wanted to join me in my quest. Before they could do this I needed to explore how to travel through universes.

FEBRUARY 13, 2019

Friday, 06:17

"Its already time to start, ugh this will be a long day." I focused harder and with more energy than the day before, I attempted to complete my first Walk. I sat in complete silence, in a dark room. Which was located in the basement of my parents house, I was only 17 still. As my breathing slowed, and my pulse crawled to almost a complete stop, the very first visible portal appeared in front of me. And just as quickly as it came, it was gone...vanished into the abyss. "All that fucking work, just to have it amount to nothing" I was beyond frustrated at my poor performance at keeping my cool.

FEBRUARY 13, 2019

09:14

I walked out of the basement room, my eyes squinted almost completely shut from the glow of the sun. It was an abnormally warm and sunny day, usually the frozen tundra of which was once new England was gloomy, and around 10* at all times and just a terrible place to be. This is where I called home, this depressing wasteland of no bodies. Today the sun was in full force and it was a scorching 47*. It reminded me of when I was younger, in 2013 there were swimming pools, beach days, and ice cream trucks. That all became history in 2016, the poles reversed their magnetic fields and plunged the northern hemisphere into an ice age, at the same time causing uncontrollable droughts in the southern hemisphere. With scientific advances skyrocketing in the previous years, we genetically enhanced the human races' ability to adapt to changing environments. 22% of Earths population took to the adaptations well, the other 78% died. They all just died, deteriorating to unknown people of what seemed like a time long ago. These are the most important people to my research, proving most humans are just pawns in a war they could never comprehend.

FEBRUARY 13, 2019

11:43

"uh, I am stuffed" there was no response from my abandoned kitchen. Everyone I know, everyone I loved, gone, they never made it through the treatments. There was no known location of James or Michael, or even if they were alive... I thought of them everyday, they were my drive, the reason I kept myself from killing myself. "Today is the day I find my location for my new home, a research lab, something I can control completely. Underground, deep, safe from the environment, somewhere I can keep myself and others I find alive. I gather my gear, put on my jacket, and leave.

FEBRUARY 13

13:17

I walk through the wasteland and look at the building that were once stores, shops, restaurants, and malls. " I wonder which of these will be my lab? These all were places I used to go as a kid, I even worked at a few of them. I can't believe this was all destroyed in just 3 years.. I miss my old life." I came upon the WalMart near what used to be Springfield Massachusetts. I searched for an entrance, everything was locked, boarded up, and chained together. I wander around, coming across the outdoor section of the garden center. I look through the prison like gate, which once housed flowers, lawn mowers, and all the things you could ever need for gardening. "this is how I'm gonna do it!" I pry the gate open at one of the sliding sections of gate. I squeeze through and the gate, clashes against itself as I stand up. I walk to the door and discover a door, no chains, no boards...no locks. I back up about 30 yards, sprint full force into the door. It crashes open, when I readjust to the new surrounding, I am overcome with joy, hope, and a feeling of accomplishment. The abandoned WalMart was lit up, it had power! "Finally, I have found a suitable place to get started on my lab!" The shelves were still stocked with tools, electronics, food (which was mostly useless at this point), and clothing! I wander the empty store, looking for tools to aid my needs. I go to gardening and grab a pickaxe, shovel, and a wheel barrel. I go to the shoes section of the store, rip the shelves down and throw the shoes aside. After I clear myself a space of about 30ft by 30ft I begin my tunneling.

FEBRUARY 13

15:25

"Wow, this is harder than I expected" I had only accomplished a depth of about one foot on the square area. I knew I needed help...but from who? No one was around, I hadn't talked to a human in 743 days. "Fuck this, it'll never work, its not worth it!" I through down my shovel, stormed out of WalMart and hiked home.

I was tired from my failed excavation, I felt disappointed, like I had just failed my drivers test. "SULLIVAN!?" said a familiar sounding voice as I walked down my dirt road. I snapped around with intent to shoot whoever it was, as I drew my gun I smiled, shed a tear, and dropped it. "Michael? I have been searching for you since the day the world froze over...is it really you?" "yes sully, its me. I left my home in Florida to come see if you lived through this nightmare." "wow, I can't believe it, your actually here, you came back..." "well believe it, I'm here and I know James is around still, he told me he was going to his vacation house for a few years, I knew we would all meet up one day." well we need to find him! I hope he's alive.." as we entered my house, Micheal stopped at the front door, and he removed his shoes, just as my mother always wanted. "so where are your parents?" Michael said with a caring tone. "dead. They died once the ice appeared." Michael's face dropped to one of guilt, "I'm sorry Sull..." "Don't, its fine." I just

finished making tea, I went to the cabinet and grabbed the sugar. "still drink yours with 3 sugars mike?" "I see you haven't forgotten a damn thing sully, sharp as always."

CHAPTER 2

A SUCCESSFUL ENDEAVOR

As the sun rose from what seemed to be an unending night, Mike and I unbolted the lock's from our shelter, which had finally been w q the week before, the WalMart was now the number one safezone for surviving. Or so I thought, as we entered the isles of rundown old equipment, the smell of stale food and the sound of mice filled the store. Everything that was once civilization has been turned to rubble, the common man no longer has beliefs, morals, or

#writing #concepts #why bother

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nobodies-png · 6 years ago

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Biphobia warning: Can we get Larxene, Aqua, Naminé, Kairi, or Xion dealing with a "well-meaning" person telling her she should break up with her bisexual S/O because "obviously" they'll just cheat on her with a guy? And then some fluff when she comforts the reader? (My GF is bi, I'm lesbian. I've gotten this line a few times. The nerve of some people!)

yIKES - fuck those people, nonnie ! i’m sure you and your gf are lovely, ignore those d u m b comments - like mAN, SHIT LIKE THIS MAKES ME SO MAD, ITS 2019 GUYS, OPEN YOUR EYES

Larxene :

Long story short : Larxene doesn’t deal well with people patronizing her or judging and shit talking her choices in partners. Love is a really touchy subject for her, so you can tell she’s about to get violent by the sudden rise in electricity in the air. And because she’s already summoned her weapons as a w a r n i n g, idly fiddling with them through gritted teeth.

If the person keeps up with their nonsense, Larxene won’t hesitate to pick them by the collar of their shirt, pulling them to her eye level before chewing them out with her harsh words. Who are they to insult you so freely ? What kind of shitty accusations are those ? “Well-meaning” her ass ! Larxene can tell this person is full of bullshit from miles away.

If they’re someone you don’t particulary care about or know, Larxene w i l l shock them - so you’ll have to drag her away somewhere more private before things get out of control. But even if she tells you that she’s okay, you know she’s not. Before you can even get a word out, she’s already talking, her back turned to you - trying to brush off this entire ordeal.

“The world is full of assholes, isn’t it ?” It’s extremely hard for Larxene to be so casually affectionate or show her more vulnerable side - yes, even to you - but she’ll give you a hug after this, burying her face in the crook of your neck so you don’t see her pitiful expression. “They don’t know shit about you, I do. And I know you’d never hurt me or anyone else like that.” Larxene is fully aware you’re bisexual, so what about it ? She’s the one y o u chose to love and she’s happy with that.

Aqua :

It would be fine if the insult was directed at her - she’s mature enough to know not to reply and to be the bigger person. But this ? This disrespect is directed at you and she will not tolerate it. If you let her, Aqua would give the person a s t e r n lecture, so classy and savage they’ll be left speechless and embarrassed for saying such stupid things about you.

But if you don’t want any confrontation, Aqua will merely give them a fake smile, say something like “Understandable. It must be hard to be so closed minded. Get well soon and have a nice day !” and lead you away from this person. To wash away the bitter taste of this encounter, Aqua would treat you to lunch - pick anything you want, it’s on her !

She shows no signs of being affected by any of this, but she doesn’t let go of your hand. There’s an unspoken vow between the two to pretend nothing happened, but you decide to confront Aqua about it anyway - she taught you to be open about your feelings and share them with her anytime you needed, so you want her to do the same.

“It’s embarrassing, I should know better than to get mad. But I have to admit, I can’t stop thinking about it. You don’t deserve to hear such cruel words.” Aqua would take your hands into hers and give you the most sincere look, explaining that no matter what the world says, she’s proud and happy to be with someone wonderful like you ! She’s fought for the safety of this entire world, so she doesn’t comprehend why there’s people so hellbent on putting boundaries on how the rest should love or live.

Namine :

Namine despises confrontation, so she’ll ignore whoever is saying that to her as best as she can - either by changing topics or just pretending they don’t exist. She doesn’t want them to get into details, but she doesn’t have the courage to properly tell them to shut up and mind their own business either. If you’re with her, Namine will give you an apologetic look - she’s really sorry that she couldn’t do more for you.

In the end, the person would leave thinking they’re in the right - but at least there were no arguments or fights. The moment you two are alone, Namine would apologize over and over, fussing over all the things she could’ve done instead to defend you - it’s not okay to fight, but it’s not okay to let others insult you like that either ! Maybe she should go back and give that person an actual piece of her mind ?

You’re gonna have to stop Namine from actually doing that, convince her that you’re fine - but h o o o boy. Her face is red from all the frustration building up in her chest. Namine wants to worry about what you two are going to have for breakfast tomorrow, about how to decorate a house if you two ever live together, about the name of the future pet you might adopt - not about what strangers and outsiders think of your relationship.

She thinks it’s not fair, for you and for the rest of bisexual people in the world. How could someone say something so mean ? They don’t even know you ! Namine would pull you in for a hug, listing all the things she loves about you to remind you that you’re valid and appreciated.

Kairi :

Whoever told her that kind of bullshit is in for a wild ride. If the person who told her that seems decent enough, Kairi will patiently explain that those rumours are just a lie and that cheating isn’t inherent to any romantic or sexual orientation. That’s like saying all pitbulls are awful raging beasts. Or that all left handed people are evil.

However, if they seem like the type of asshole with a close mind who just refuses to get properly informed, Kairi w o n ‘ t hesitate. Even a princess has her limits and those limits have been c r o s s e d the moment they talked shit about you. You kinda have to remind her to use her words instead of her fists when you see her roll her sleeves.

Kairi grew up in a fairly accepting and safe enviroment, so she has a somewhat naive and hopeful view on the world. “We have better things to worry about than who loves who.” She wants to assume everyone is a good person, so everytime she encounters these types of people, her blood just b o i l s. Of course, that laced with her strong sense of justice can lead to her getting hurt - so you’re gonna have to drag her away before things escalate.

For the rest of the day, Kairi will latch onto you like a koala, being extra sweet with you. The last thing she wants is for you to doubt your identity because of some dumb comment. She loves you just the way that you are and no one can change her mind ! If the two of you stay strong, one day you’ll show the entire world that your love is worth fighting for.

Xion :

Xion is s o confused. Like, legitimately confused - asking the person who told her to break up with you a thousand questions. Where did they get this information ? What does it mean ? Don’t same gender and straight couples hace the same risk of being cheated on or cheating ? Doesn’t that depend on the person ?

In the end, whoever gave her that unnecessary advice will just. Leave, because they have no actual information to back up that accusation. You’ll have to sit her down and explain what that nonsense meant - the moment she understands, you’ll see her face go red in anger. Like Namine, she’d want to find the person just to set things right, but instead, Xion would focus on never letting anyone else talk about you like that.

She immediately takes you to have some ice cream in some secluded calm spot so you two can just rant till your hearts content, joking about the situation. “I can’t tell Axel or Roxas about this. They’ll probably kill that person if we see them again!” The two of you would move on and continue with your lives !

But of course, Xion tends to overthink. So at the end of the day, before you go back home, she’ll awkwardly tell you that you’re the strongest person she knows, dealing with shit like that on a daily basis. You helped her find out her own identity and individuality as a person, so no matter what, she’ll stay by your side !

#kh headcanons #reader insert #kairi #xion #namine #aqua #larxene #Anonymous #biphobia

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jeanjauthor · 6 years ago

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This article gets a little bit into the science-y math-y side of food flavor combinations, but only a little bit, so it’s still quite easy to understand.

I stumbled across it trying to find out if almonds are popular in Indian cuisine. (Basically, I was having takeout leftovers and thinking “mmm, slivered almonds would go good with this saffron & cracked mustard sauce on basmati rice”...turns out almonds come from South Asia & the Middle East, so yes, it’s definitely in the cuisine, just not that particular dish I’d ordered.)

Sometimes you just fall down into a rabbit hole of “I wonder if...” and some days you just get super-lucky in your research, finding a really fascinating article.

How does this relate to writing?

Uh, duh, almost every story will contain protagonists that eat, right? (Not all, but the vast majority.) Food is vital to life as we know it...but the same old food day after day gets very disheartening. Therefore, flavoring your food in new and different ways is a major impetus for travel, trade, warfare, and economic power.

Plus, food as medicine is important. Not just in the literal sense (lemon juice contains vitamin C, chamomile is a calmative, etc, etc), but in the sense of, if your character is in a great deal of pain, or suffering from an illness...their appetite will be diminished.

One of the medicines I”m taking kinda...kills my appetite. I still get hungry...but I have no cravings for anything. It’s not stimulating. It comes across as same old same old, nothing appeals, I don’t know what to eat, it’s all just fuel that makes me go “meh.”

Except...the myriad plethora of scents in Indian cuisine can stimulate my appetite. Not every time, but more often than not, when my appetite has been dull for a while, that’s when I’ll just go smell curries and so forth. (American chili recipes have similar highly complex flavor profiles, so sometimes a good texmex chili will stimulate my appetite, too.)

It may be simply because there are so many different scents and flavors, something catches my gastronimic senses. Or it may be that only in combination can my body find whatever micronutrients it needs.

In most cases, your body craves certain foods because it’s trying to tell you what nutrients it needs. (Of course, it could be an emotional craving that needs fulfilling, but I’m talking nutritional cravings, the kind where you feel satisfied after you eat the whatever-you-crave, which doesn’t happen with an emotional hunger...and sometimes you’re just thirsty and think you’re hungry, so try drinking something first, then checking in with your body in ten or so minutes.) This is why pregnancy stirs up the weirdest food combinations; it’s literally the uterus telling its person, “I need X, Y, G, W, E, D, and Z to make a baby, GIMME!” and anyone else hearing that combo would go, “you don’t pair E, D, and G, with W, let alone X, Y, and Z!!” (Aka the pickles, peanutbutter, yogurt, and chocolate all at the same time syndrome, or the “send the partner out to get cottage cheese at 3am, please!” cliché.)

So when you’re building your worlds, your nations, your cultures, their resources...what flavors do they have? What flavors do they crave that they have, versus what they crave that they don’t have? Can they afford exotic flavors from far-flung corners of existence? Is it common to find in their local market, or something that costs half a year’s wages for the average peasant/peon...?

What combinations do your people put together? How do they react when traveling to other lands?

...I want to point out one more thing about flavors. The reason why Western (European-influenced) cuisine uses so many “similar flavor” spices and herbs is because exotic spices started getting transported in such great quantities, that it no longer was a status symbol to be able to afford to consume exotic flavors from far-flung nations.

This pissed off European nobles. Whereas before cumin and coriander and nutmeg and so forth were exotic and costly, literally a single meal’s worth of spices costing a peasant’s wages for a week or a month or even a year...became so affordable that even *gasp* the farmer-class colonists in the Americas could afford to have a personal supply of nutmeg and use it in every meal!! (Well, not quite, but...)

So they had to distance themselves from the peasants...and switched on the “national pride” stuff and started insisting that herbs grown in France were the best flavoring for foods, far superior to that foreign stuff--aka the “your tastebuds are too coarse and unrefined to appreciate the delicate subtleties found in similar-flavor-profile seasoning!”

...Also, better food preservation techniques had a hand in it, because they got better at keeping meats fresh rather than spoiled, and didn’t need strong flavored herbs & spices to cover up any gamy or starting-to-go-off flavors. All of which had the peasantry wanting to imitate their local nobles, etc, so they, too, started going for the locally grown stuff as the “fancy food”...and of course everyone wanted to be thought of as “fancy” in their class/caste level, fancier than they actually were so...recipies emphasized “French cuisine” influences with all those local-grown herbs...

This is literally why it took generations for curry restaurants to get a foothold in Great Britain, even if it was popular in the British colonies of South Asia. People who lived in colonized India loved the food flavors over there, but when they got back home, the Upper Crust weren’t touching that “foreign food stuff” because it wasn’t “national pride” enough, and “belonged to the overseas subjects (subjugated peoples) of the Crown” who weren’t “British enough” to have it be considered “noble enough”...and just...ugh. Just trust me that there was a LOT of racist bigoted bullshite going on underneath the surface of a seemingly simple “preference” for one style of seasoning versus another.

Anyway, this is why American Colonial cuisine was...pretty bland and boring, really, until they started experimenting with flavor profiles of the Americas. The first major complex food flavoring developed in America was...well, chili. Chili con carne (sans/con frijoles, doesn’t matter) has a gazillion different flavor profiles. Sweet, salty, spicy, fatty, acidic, creamy, sour, peppery, oniony, meaty/umami...incredibly complex flavors that seem like they would clash and not go together, yet so much ends up going into them that they meld together into a melange of deliciousness.

(Seriously, if you want to know just how complex a dish can be, try this link for Oaxacan mole negro, 30-ish various different ingredients, takes hours and hours of preparation, different methods of evoking flavors (smoking, frying, baking, grinding, etc...: https://youtu.be/ysiEyAQ27P4 Mole can be just as complex as chili, but it’s very much a thing developed in Mexico, not in the U.S.; I’m just saying that in the United States of America, chili was the first truly complex dish that we developed with our own explorations into developing our own complex flavor profiles...of all the dishes that got written down. I’m sure we lost a lot of complex dishes due to the slaughter of indigenous peoples and/or the destruction or suppression of their cultures & local knowledge of non-agriculturally-based food resources../)

So food needs to be considered when you’re creating cultures. Flavoring food needs to be considered. Are there specialists who grow and/or process foods? Are the recipes written down and widely available, or are they controlled by only a few producers? Which areas produce the best local sauces (everyone knows that the best garum (ancient Roman fermented fish sauce) came from such-and-such port town) or the best spice blends, or the best... On and on and on, these things drive trade, commerce, wealth, warfare, exploration, travel, and more.

Don’t be afraid to have one or more of your characters be a culture-appropriate foodie. Don’t be afraid to have your characters be hesitant about new foods...but make sure to have them like at least some things, and even like it enthusiastically. (Whatever you do, don’t promote cultural isolationism & bigotry/xenophobia...because what we write, others absorb and emulate. We got waaaay too much of those things in the world. We need to open people up to new experiences...and not do it in conquest-minded genocidal ways. Waaaaay too much of that in the world already. That trope’s been done, so move along & pick something new.)

Anyhoo, long digression short, this is a complex mix of fun food science and good background ideas for both your own personal food exploration & experimentation, as well as a healthy consideration for your worldbuilding and/or characterization efforts.

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amisbro · 7 years ago

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Year’s End and New Beginnings

Fandom: Uta no Prince-Sama Rating: G A/N: This is the final fic for the end of the year/beginning of 2018 and its been a pleasure writing again for this fandom and I hope you are ready for the next year so w/o further ado…let’s begin! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “And with that Ladies and Gents its time for us to say goodbye and good night for a little while. It was fun to be here to celebrate the new year with you all BUT I must go away for now so I will see you…” But Joshua stopped himself when he noticed that the crowd that was in the sold out Tokyo Dome stood as one and Joshua was wondering what in the world was going on! He wouldn’t have long to wait to find out…. Let’s begin the road to New Year’s Day in the Dome…and the shocking surprise that came at the end of his concert ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ December 26th It was 2 days after the Christmas Eve Concert and all through the house Not a HEAVENS member was stirring Not even Nagi (Okay that didn’t rhyme but let’s go with it) It was a few days removed from the Christmas Eve concert that Joshua had put on and the “Musical Lunatic’ of “Raging Entertainment” was back at it rehearsing and practicing his songs for the upcoming concert that he was performing in about 5 days time in the Tokyo Dome to finish off one of the busiest times of the year for him EVER! First it all started back early December when Shining recruited him for a show in Fujioka which was something that he hadn’t expected. While The area was becoming his home for his Summer shows he was a bit surprised to be able to do the show in this city while also working with Tokiya for the first time. The fact that he got to do that was an honor and despite all of their problems that they might have had in the past the two worked them out and put on a performance that not many could have seen coming…or the surprise at the end of the show! When Joshua saw STARISH with QUARTET NIGHT and HEAVENS to do an update to “Shining Star Xmas” it was far and away one of his greatest gifts ever and it was something that he couldn’t have expected and that alone would have made a grand December but then of course he remembered his first voyage to America and AT&T Stadium when Himura and Seiichirou pulled a rabbit out and HEAVENS appeared again to help out a friend and colleague as it was believed that Joshua was in some kind of distress! Whilst Joshua wouldn’t admit it himself Himura knew and got Raging to allow HEAVENS to appear at the concert which was something they wanted to do for their friend. But of course now we talk about today and it was getting even crazier! Because of the unusual schedule Joshua had just under 5 days before his first ever New Year’s Eve concert in the dome. It was a decision that HAD been planned in advance and Joshua knew well about it but because of the extra shows he had just under 3 days worth of practice to get things right and ready for his big day and he KNEW this time that HEAVENS was going to be in attendance in some form. He hoped in some ways that they would be able to do a song or two because he didn’t know how long his song list was going to be for this show because of the short time to prepare it proper. But HEAVENS knew… Turns out that during the time that Joshua was away in America the group went through and selected the songs they thought would be interesting for their “8th Angel” (as Eiichi now calls him whenever he appears with them) to perform and interestingly enough they went the route of picking out some songs for him that took him back to his roots for when it came to music from the 1980s. When Joshua was given the list by Himura a big smile came across his face because there were some great classics from his childhood in there…not the least of which were at least two songs from a Prog Rock group called GENESIS and when Joshua saw one of the songs he really lit up because it was an unusually powerful song for him but how would he perform it if he was going to be solo? I THINK…we all knew! Joshua spent the majority of the day working on the songs leading up to the “Finale songs”. He wanted to leave them for last because of a few reasons and not the least of which would be “How can he try those songs out without the proper backing?” but nonetheless…Joshua soldiered on and made a grand day out of it and Himura was always amazed at the energy he put in even if he knew he needed to pace himself. Yes this WAS a sprint but that didn’t mean he could just go 110% because of the fact that he was concerned he would wear out before the concert…and Himura knew in the back of his mind that HEAVENS was concerned too! When Joshua got home that night from the rehearsal everyone was asleep. Joshua didn’t bother staying up late and hit the sack hard himself because he knew in the back of his head those extra songs on the list were looming and he needed to work on them SOON! December 28th Another day and another practice but this one was unusually short…I say unusually because you see Himura watched Joshua practice the “Bonus Songs” on his list non-stop the day before and he knew that was going to be his focus today also. The thing was that Himura didn’t want him to “really get it” before the big show because there was an “Ingredient to this stew” that needed to be added for it to be PERFECT! This, as you would expect, puzzled Joshua but then again when it came to his friend there was a lot of mystery to him and any possible connections to HEAVENS that he never asked about. See Joshua had kind of figured out at this point that Himura was working with Raging and HEAVENS after hearing about some matters that hadn’t gone their way in the past. Himura asked the President of his company for permission to work with Raging and his group to ensure that they could start to reach the level that Tokiya did as HAYATO…just without the double identities. The President agreed to it as long as Raging didn’t pull any funny business within his company and The elder Ootori made his promise (and kept it) that he wouldn’t meddle with the man that was allowing his boys the exposure they deserved. When it was publicly announced that these two leaders of the music industry were working together initially Shining wanted to find a way to stop them but there were things that prevented this. The first was that Tokiya was a part of STARISH and after graduating Shining’s Academy while also leaving his former life as HAYATO behind he knew he still respected the Agency for which he originally worked at. He also knew that Joshua learned of his “twin” and that if Joshua EVER needed THAT again he would do everything he could to make sure HAYATO was ready to appear to help his friend. The second one was ALSO kind of tied to Tokiya Both men remembered the Duet Project and when Tokiya and Eiji started it. Joshua had heard about the “advances” that Raging made and personally apologized for those on his behalf but Tokiya ultimately forgave. He explained to Joshua that “Given what Shining was trying to do to you in the past it only seems fair that Raging seek revenge and he would do it through him.” and whilst Joshua still understood this he still felt that he had to properly apologize between that and what happened with Otoya. THAT was unforgivable but Eiichi had told him personally that he was sorry for what happened and he would endeavor for it to NEVER happen again. Tokiya believed this because after hearing about what happened at the Agency with the father and son he was legitimately disgusted but didn’t know what course of action to take. Joshua told him that if it came down to it that he would officially defect to Shining full-time and find a way to bring HEAVENS with him no matter the cost! Now Tokiya seems to be an integral part in all of this…why? RESPECT Tokiya respected Joshua even when he was “just a radio DJ”. There are many untold stories about times when Joshua worked in America and even his early stint at Japanese stations that they had occasional interviews together but the ones that became the most “famous” of the STARISH members were the ones with Ren and Masa. It wasn’t that Joshua hated interviewing Tokiya…far from it but the reality was that for some reason the interviews that always did the best numbers for the station would be the ones with the “STARISH Brothers” which was why they were booked more often than Tokiya. Did this annoy Shining? Hard to say because he never made a public statement about it one way or the other but one thing that shocked everyone was that back in the day when he first had HEAVENS on as a trio long before the UtaPri awards. The fact that Raging could get the group on Joshua’s show did lead some to think it was a “bias” but at that time Joshua had never heard of the group so that complaint was thrown out immediately. There WAS a famous interview a day before the awards when they (HEAVENS) made an offer for Joshua to join their Agency but at that time wanted to stay neutral…this didn’t last long because he was eventually brought in to work with QUARTET NIGHT at Saotome’s and then eventually work with Camus as a PA. Now WHY did I go over all of that at this time? WELL! Everything I just mentioned has to do with why Tokiya prevented Shining from interfering with Joshua’s work. Despite the fact that he might think that Joshua would ALSO be better suited working at Shining’s Agency he wanted Joshua to work in an environment that he felt could be more of a “Family” for him and he felt that they were the best place and Tokiya wanted his friend to be happy first and foremost so there is no issue there! One thing that DID weight on the young man’s mind was how Joshua was doing getting ready for the big show in 3 days…then again…EVERYONE was wondering that! December 30th T’was the last day before the show And all through the agency Last minute prep was being done And there was a sense of urgency A/N: I suck at these I know…leave me alone It was the day before the big show and usually by now Joshua had done two run throughs of the show and the gate checks. He had to at least do that to make sure that everything was going to be kosher for his big show and the gates passed with flying colours…worst case was the concert was being pushed back a day if there was a malfunction but with the wrestling show 3 days after New Year’s that would be asking a lot of the audience so they HAD to get it right on the first shot and fortunately for them they did…although the tech DID say that if there was a problem he would have stayed overnight to fix it because of how important things were for the show…thankfully that didn’t happen! As the crew worked on the gates and the set Joshua went and watched the sound check for the show. He found out through a member of his team that they had done at least 3 in the building before Joshua came and they were going to do one more before show time at 9 PM. The concert was originally slated to go on at 6 PM but they got special permission to run this show from 9 to at least Midnight and 1 AM if need be. It was going to be a grand event and as Joshua double and triple checked his setlist he noted the songs that appeared on there that he had practiced with the backing tracks at the studio and everything went accordingly but he wasn’t told who would be performing the live set with him for those songs…he did notice one extra but he knew he could nail that one with his eyes closed so that was no big deal. Joshua stayed at the building extra late and went over how his entrance was supposed to go for the first entrance and then his intermission because he WAS being granted one. Typically for him if he knows they are in a time crunch he would forego the typical break he got but everything was set up so he could get one as need be. When Joshua got home he went straight to his room as it was past 10 PM and crashed hard…alone as it turned out that HEAVENS wasn’t there again and this was getting familiar for the “Angel” as he knew they had SOMETHING up their sleeve! And this brings us to December 31st…the big show at the end of the year! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Show Day It was early afternoon and everyone was filing in to the Tokyo Dome with a song in their heart and the joy to be there for the final show of 2017 and as Joshua was getting prepped and loosened up Himura came in to greet him before show time. “Afternoon Curtis-san. You seem ready and eager for tonight’s big show. Its only been a few days since you came back from America but your spunk and desire to put on a good show for your audience always seems to carry through. How do you do it friend?” Himura asked and his friend/client stopped what he was doing and smiled before answering his friend and manager “Ahh that is a very good question and its one a lot of people have asked. ‘Joshua…how do you do this even on a semi-occasional basis? Joshua don’t you think about the fact that you might be getting held back by being a manager?’ and I have to tell them each and every time that I love what I do. HEAVENS is my priority yes and I look forward to working with them each and every time out of the block but don’t let that make you think that the fire and passion that I have when it comes to walking out a dressing room and performing no matter how BIG or small the venue my passion and desire comes from the people in the arenas all over the country and all over the world. I come to that stage each and every time with the desire to make damn sure that the next show I put on does what it needs to do and that is entertain ALL of the assembled be they here OR the ones that get to see this on a stream or DVD. I’m not in this for the money but I am in this for the love and the passion that is brought to us and Mr. Cameraman don’t be afraid to walk in here cos look…I’m a little hype right now…it’s the end of the year for me but I promise you that tonight I will leave EVERYTHING out there because that is what these end of the year shows do for someone like me…then come Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day we do it all over again!” Joshua told both Himura and the cameraman and they were just as pumped after the talk. And then “Show Time” came! 9 PM and Joshua powerwalked his way to his entranceway and as he did he had one thing to tell the audience “Tonight Ladies and Gents, Boys and Girls and children…of all ages! You have been cordially invited to seeing a show unlike any other because if there is one thing I do around here its throw a party for my friends and fans alike so to all of you let’s go and tear this house down ONE MORE TIME!” And with that Joshua took a dead sprint to the elevator down the ramp as the show began…while the show was going on though those extra songs WERE in the back of his mind but they didn’t affect his performance as he worked the crowd before the first intermission and when he went back the crowd started chanting something that would be very familiar to Joshua…he just didn’t know it yet! After the intermission Joshua came back and performed what he THOUGHT was the end of his show as the clock struck midnight and everyone wished each other a “Happy New Year” and with that…Josh went into his goodbye speech “And with that Ladies and Gents its time for us to say goodbye and good night for a little while. It was fun to be here to celebrate the new year with you all BUT I must go away for now so I will see you…” But Joshua stopped himself when he noticed that the crowd that was in the sold out Tokyo Dome stood as one and Joshua was wondering what in the world was going on! He wouldn’t have long to wait to find out…. “Alright …EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENS you boys and girls have a surprise for me…what do you have this time my friends?” Joshua asked and held out his microphone to hear what his audience had to say Because Tonight, Tonight, Tonight…Oh No! Yes we’re gonna make it right And then Joshua figured it out…but he knew he was going to need backup…where was it going to come from? As if he DIDN’T KNOW! The building blacked out for about 30 seconds and then they started to come back up and Joshua again nearly lost it! Kira, Eiichi, Yamato along with OTOYA FROM STARISH appeared and after a 5 second shock Joshua quickly regained his composure and performed one of his personal favorites from one of his favorite bands in “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight” and when the song ended you THOUGHT the concert was over but well…nope…nah! “Curtis-San” Eiji began “that was a fun song to do BUT…we’ve all wondered if you could educate us on something.” He finished and Joshua had to scratch his chin for a second and then asked his question “And what would that be dear Eiji…I can teach you about a lot of things but what one thing tonight would you like to know about?” Joshua asked and this is when Otoya spoke up “Could you teach us about the ‘Domino Principle’?” Otoya asked and Joshua couldn’t help but smile “You got it Otoya…okay SO! You see these fine folks on the right side of the dome right now right Otoya? Well what would happen if something happened to them?” Joshua asked the red head whom had to think and then he got it “Oh it would affect someone else correct?” Otoya asked and Joshua nodded “Very good…you been in Mad Scientist Tokiya’s textbooks again?” Joshua asked jokingly and the crowd chuckled. “I’m glad you all got a kick out of that but he is right because see if something happens to these people over here then that effects this and that and then these people up over here!” Joshua exclaimed and the crowd gave a roar of approval even at nearly 12:30-1 AM “Now we have a simplified version of the ‘Principle’ BUT there are occasions friends when it affects the people that sit right down here!” and as Joshua pointed the crowd cheered even LOUDER! “What about the people in the back Curtis-San?” Kira asked and Josh almost forgot about them “Well the good news is it RARELY affects the people all the way in the very back.” And the crowd had minor boos. “But usually it affects the people over here, the people over here and the people down here. Now I’m guessing that because of this and you wanting to see this IN ACTION and IN PERSON well you wanted to hear my favorite song called “Domino” which is two parts: Part 1 is ‘In the Glow of the Night’ and part 2 is ‘The Last Domino’ so let’s do this!” And with that the gang performed the song and it was interesting because for the part with the rather fast past part…how would they do that? Did ya think Eiichi came unprepared? Joshua was hoisted up into the air on Eiichi’s pillar and performed the part flawlessly…which was amazing cos he wasn’t allowed to do a run through with it but he did it and then when he came back down he went on without a hitch and completed the song flawlessly. As the song finished all the boys stood at the front of the stage and took a bow and Joshua knew one thing This might have been the end of HIS YEAR…but it was definitely a NEW BEGINNING FOR EVERYONE NOW!

#Amisbro #uta no prince sama #fan fic #New Year's Fic #Its a day early but I wanted to make sure its done before Nagi's Birthday #Happy Early New Year's UtaPri fam

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cryptodictation · 5 years ago

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Against catastrophism (but the EU will come out slower) | Economy

Spain's President Pedro Sánchez talks to German Chancellor Angela Merkel before a meeting of European leaders in Brussels in October.Nicolas Economou / EL PAÍS

The 20th century achieved the feat of being the most prosperous and at the same time the most barbarous of the centuries. The XXI does not start badly. In 2001 we saw the Twin Towers fall in a terrorist attack directly into the heart of the United States; never seen before. In 2008, a super bubble exploded, turning capitalism and the European project upside down; a black swan, something very rare. 2020 is the darkest of all swans and never: One and a half million people have been infected with coronavirus in 180 countries, 100,000 have lost their lives and the global economy is on the road to disaster. 2001 forced the world to choose between freedom and security and 2008 questioned the foundations of the system: 2020 is a compendium of all nightmares. The world is closing in on itself to try to contain the pandemic, and only glimpses the tip of the iceberg of the coming economic titanic. The IMF and OECD predict a depression like the one in 1929, and analysts sketch apocalyptic scenarios. Excessive pessimism is already the hallmark of these times, as excessive optimism was the norm until recently: how long has it been since an American political scientist raged with that absurdity? end of story?

That funeral fashion has its logic: the world seems doomed to choose between the bad and the worst. In Madrid and Lombardy, doctors have to choose who they give a respirator to; there is not for everyone. And in the same way, governments make decisions that influence the lives and deaths of citizens, and also the life and death of the economic fabric. “These are times full of uncertainty, fear, and darkness animal spirits“Summarizes the historian Luuk Van Middelaar.

The virus strain comes from Asia, but the tectonic fault has

its epicenter in Europe and it moves to the USA. The global economy has entered an induced coma. Because there is no instruction manual for this. And because the positive numbers are fuzzy: without reliable data, the models don't work. We are groping, and groping, economic responses can only be intuitive, experimental, stammering.

Economic indicators have experienced a drop in auger. Stock markets rise one day and fall the next day. But the worst is the unemployment data, dark as a Goya picture: to the thousands of lives harvested by the virus, those cut by the crisis will have to be added. Unprecedented measures of confinement have been imposed in peacetime: China came to cover the streets, Russia threatens seven years in prison if the closure is not complied with and the North Atlantic pulls a mixture of fear and awareness of society to maintain a closure To the point that he would need another Dickens to count it well. With very few exceptions, and Spain is not counted among them, the governments have underestimated this crisis until it was too late. And then they have imposed severe measures to tame the contagion curve, “which inevitably leads to an economic hole of a caliber yet to be determined,” says Ken Rogoff of Harvard. Oil consumption in Europe has fallen 88%; 73% of American families lost income in March; German car sales are at a low point, and Spanish hotels are closed to the brim. The crisis is systemic and quite symmetrical: it affects two thirds of the planet. And it works as a kind of perverse domino.

Domino effect

The mechanism is more or less as follows. The virus sneaks into a country and begins to spread at full speed until it saturates the health system and forces states to order confinement. As contagion is controlled, the induced hibernation of the economy is the start of the recession: we are at that point. If that break is relatively brief, we will have a devil's quarter followed by some recovery in the fall, and a possible relapse in the winter depending on what happens with the vaccines. The profile of the economy thus draws a kind of lame W, in which the initial levels are hardly recovered.

Nothing guarantees, yes, that the critical phase lasts a single quarter. If the virus becomes entrenched and forces confinement to extend to six months, the risks will skyrocket and the domino effect will be reactivated. Fear inhibits entrepreneurs and consumers; disruptions in the supply chain spoil the economy and with it the resilience; the fall in demand and the dislocation of supply destroy the most vulnerable jobs first, but the crisis would spread in that scenario like an oil slick, would send more people to unemployment and force them to close businesses: the animal spirits Negatives – mistrust – are pure poison for the economy. With unemployment and bankruptcies, delinquencies would infect banks, and at some point in that chain a morrocotudo mess would start in the markets.

But that is the apocalyptic scenario, and the apocalypse almost always disappoints its prophets. “This crisis is never seen before. It is logical that a pessimistic pessimism is now being imposed, but the health and economic responses are being correct: we must throw away the economic policy manuals, and the plain policy manuals, and trust that we are doing the right thing, “he explains. historian Adam Tooze. Right now we are at the bottom of the hole and, what is worse, we have truly discovered the true face of “radical uncertainty”. Normality will not return in years, and there will hardly be anything like a recovery in V: the crisis will leave a deep scar. “But there is a way out,” says political scientist Mark Lilla. We must prevent fear from settling in societies and leaders; “We must flee from national-populist withdrawals and short-sighted responses such as austerity,” adds Tooze. The greatest risk today is not taking risks.

To get the economy out of the induced coma, you have to spend as if there were no tomorrow. But there is always a tomorrow: if the confinement lasts forever, the debt will end up rising rapidly and investors will begin to ask themselves questions about its sustainability. Markets always attack the weakest gazelle: the one whose debt is too heavy and seems unsustainable. Among the emerging ones there are several candidates for gazelle, but among the developed ones it is worth mentioning Italy, Portugal and Spain, sheltered, for the moment, from the bazooka of the ECB.

“This is like playing football in fog: if the fog is still there in the fall it will be almost impossible to continue, but if the data improves and the fog dissipates, and if in that time the governments have done everything necessary to prevent growth potential collapses and the equilibrium unemployment rate goes through the roof, there is a party, ”says economist Ángel Ubide. Barry Eichengreen, from Berkeley, stresses that the EU is giving the right health response, but the ambition of its economic policy remains to be seen: “The risk is a solidarity deficit like the one we saw with the euro crisis: if that returns to happen, Europe is lost. ” Olivier Blanchard, a former chief economist at the IMF, says that the worst that can be expected from Brussels, Frankfurt and Berlin “is to do too little, like 10 years ago.”

That is the fear shared by a dozen experts consulted. “There will be brutal increases in debt, but that's what states are there for, to help the economy adjust when they are badly given. And that's what the EU and the ECB are for: to help states when curves come, “summarizes economic historian Kevin O’Rourke of Trinity College.

The risk is to be shy about the United States, which has built an impressive monetary and fiscal firewall (in an election year, that is). If that happens, some experts predict fuss in the markets despite the crutches of central banks. And not only in Europe. Global debt has doubled in the last 15 years, to some 240 trillion, 320% of global GDP. It may not be, but that looks a lot like a bubble. The first signs of stress in March were contained with hoses from central banks. But from now on, the most probable thing is that it will always happen: part of the private debt will be assumed by the public sector, as Mario Draghi himself has suggested and as it already happened during the Great Recession; and the need to stimulate economies will also fatten public debt. When the emergency passes, the markets could put some country in their sights.

There are four ways to deal with debt relief. One is to grow at full speed: discarded. Another is with inflation: ruled out with an ECB created in the image of a Bundesbank terrified, rightly so, by hyperinflation a century ago. The third is monetize —Forgiveness— the debt: print money as if money were short of going out of style. In some way the ECB already does, although less than the US Fed, which has come to directly buy the bonds issued by its states. The last option would be to restructure, forgive part the debt. It has been impossible to do it with Greece, and Europe would only allow it if it saw the ears of the mother of all wolves; the alternative could be some eurobonds that are beginning to be on the table. With the great crises certainties disappear and taboos are violated, red lines are crossed and the rules are rewritten: that makes the European debate fundamental.

In the eurozone, whatever happens, it will be difficult to see a strong recovery like the one expected in the US. That has tremendous implications for debt, especially if the ECB is ever reluctant to take risks. Spain has weaknesses out there, although less than Italy and Portugal. Debt is at 100% of GDP. But tourism – 12% of GDP – has volatilized, it is not clear when the 80 million tourists of yesteryear will return. The automotive is at a standstill. Not even the export dynamism, the jewel in the crown after an internal devaluation of aúpa, is the shield that was promised to us by the collapse of global trade. With these wigs, it is very possible that the profile of the Spanish recovery is that of a long U, with an almost inevitable fiscal adjustment unless the ECB and Brussels do everything necessary, including Eurobonds without conditionality, something very improbable. That is the great battle of the coming times.

A half trillion patch

And that battle has already begun. The Eurogroup took a first step in the right direction on Thursday, although with the usual shyness: “The pandemic is at its highest; solidarity at a minimum ”, sums up Paul de Grauwe of the London School. There will be 200 billion in guarantees from the European Investment Bank. There will be $ 100 billion in credits to pay unemployment benefits. There will be 250,000 million of the rescue mechanism (Mede), conditional loans Light. The total figure works like a rattle: half a trillion euros, which in reality are, almost entirely, credits and guarantees. So far solidarity has come for now, waiting for a future Recovery Fund that could borrow in the markets with the support of all countries. But that will only come if things get complicated and Angela Merkel “decides to save the role of leader who took the European project,” attacks Charles Kupchan, former adviser to Barack Obama.

Politics is the art of the possible. But if you don't try, there are things that will never see the light of day: risk-sharing and ECB activism are, in short, Europe's window of last resort, but they need a political consensus that does not exist today. In the great debates, and this is it, timing is essential: although everyone knows that the solution is to communitarise the debt, the countries of the North cannot now afford that anathema with their contrary public opinions; its leaders fear the rise of the extreme right. For Italy and Spain, however, the emergency is now; without impact measures, the lack of love for Europe will permeate the South. The Union cannot afford to be late again. That is almost the EU motto: find answers only when you are on the brink of the abyss. “And beware, because the abyss is back there close,” closes the economist Charles Wyplosz.

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lindafrancois · 5 years ago

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The Beginner’s Guide to the Carnivore Diet: 5 Questions on Following an All-Meat Diet

So you’ve decided it’s time to learn about the Carnivore Diet?

Well my friend, you’ve arrived at the right place!

We dissect different nutritional strategies for our coaching clients and we are really freaking good at it!

Is an all-meat diet right for you? Let our coaches help you decide!

Here’s what we’ll cover in our guide to the Carnivore Diet:

Question 1: What is the Carnivore Diet?

The history of the Carnivore Diet (Surviving on an all-meat diet)

Question 2: What are the benefits of the Carnivore Diet?

Question 3: What do you eat on a Carnivore Diet?

Question 4: Is the Carnivore Diet safe? Is an all-meat diet healthy?

Bowel movements on an all-meat diet (I know you’re curious)

Question 5: How do I start the Carnivore Diet? (Magnesium and potassium recommendations)

Next steps for adopting a healthy diet.

Alright, it’s time to fire up the grill. Let’s talk meat.

What Is The Carnivore Diet?

In simple terms, the Carnivore Diet is the following: Eat meat. Drink water. Consume nothing else.

If you like steak, and not much more, this could be the diet for you.

The Carnivore Diet—as the name implies—is eating only animal products. Meat, more meat, topped with meat.

An all-meat diet would avoid:

Vegetables

Fruits

Grains

Legumes

Nuts

Seeds

Again, you just eat meat.

Dairy MIGHT be included, depending on your interpretation of the diet. Yes, it’s from an animal. However, lactose is a sugar (carb), which might be frowned upon. It depends on who you talk to. We’ll touch on different versions of meat-eating later.

The big point of the Carnivore Diet is to eat no plant products.

The literal opposite of a vegan diet.

If you thought the Paleo or Keto Diet were restrictive with regards to carbs, welcome to the next level. Eating only one food group, meat, is about as restrictive as you can get. Right up there with the Potato Diet or the “30 Bananas a Day” Diet, which are both real things, but for another day.

You might have also heard of the Carnivore Diet as the “Zero Carb Diet.” However, this is a little bit of a misnomer, because there are actually some carbs in meat. They come in the form of glycogen. Although this could be nitpicking because the total carb content is minimal, but it’s worth noting.

No matter what you call it, this diet of only animal products has grown in popularity in the recent past.

But its history actually goes even farther back…

THE HISTORY OF THE CARNIVORE DIET (SURVIVING ON AN ALL MEAT DIET)

If you’re going to have a debate on the merits of eating only meat, we should probably discuss the Inuit.

The Inuit are an indigenous tribe inhabiting the Arctic. What’s important about the Inuit, for this article, is that they have traditionally eaten a diet high in meat.

There’s not a whole lot of fresh plants in the icy Arctic. Especially in the winter months, when sunlight becomes scarce. So in order to survive, the Inuit traditionally had to subsist on a diet of seal, walrus, fish, and other animal products.

There just wasn’t much to eat outside of what you could hunt.

The interesting thing: the Inuit have traditionally held low rates of heart disease coupled with no nutritional deficiencies.[1] That is until, sadly, they were introduced to a more Western diet: including pizza, chips, and soda. Then as you would predict, diabetes and obesity rates rise.

The health of the Inuit, despite their restricted nutritional choices, is often referred to as the “Inuit Paradox” of a high meat, high fat diet.

So let’s bring things into a more modern era and chat about Vilhjalmur Stefansson.

Stefansson was a Harvard-educated Arctic explorer born in 1879. If you’re imagining some type of wiley-Indiana-Jones-like character, you wouldn’t be wrong.

When exploring the Arctic, Stefansson lived off the land, by adopting the Inuit way of eating mostly meat. At first, Stefansson did it out of necessity. But then a Carnivore Diet became his preference. When he returned to his home, Stefansson commented on how an all-meat diet made him feel the leanest and healthiest.

Stefansson may be one of the first proponents of a “no-carb diet,” as he gave many interviews and reports on his experiences eating like a carnivore.

He even wrote an article where he discussed his adventures in the Arctic, including why he adopted an all-meat diet.[2]

An important point on Stefansson: he prized the fattiest cuts of meat he could find, and ate unconventional parts of an animal, just like the Inuit. Stefansson explained that he varied between, “steaks, chops, brains fried in bacon fat, boiled short-ribs, chicken, fish, liver, and bacon.” So yeah, not just ribeyes…

Why is the Carnivore Diet becoming popular now?

Simply put, a man named Shawn Baker.

Baker literally wrote the book The Carnivore Diet.

Now, before you send me an email explaining that Baker’s license to practice medicine in New Mexico has been revoked, let me say that I’m aware. And it is noteworthy.

However, I don’t want this fact to prevent us from looking at the ideas and evidence of an all-meat diet, especially considering the fact that you’re reading this to get the real story!

Despite the controversy surrounding Baker, there does seem to be anecdotal evidence on the benefits of eating only meat. There’s an entire subreddit of people consuming only animal products, claiming it’s helped them in all sorts of ways.[3]

Folks report losing weight, curing autoimmune diseases, and raising testosterone. All by forgoing any kind of plant product.

Which is a good segway into our next section…

What Are The Benefits Of The Carnivore Diet?

The benefits of the Carnivore Diet rests on two points:

Potential for weight loss.

To identify food intolerances or allergies.

Let’s look at both of those:

To lose weight, you need to expend more calories than you consume. And if all you are consuming is meat, you’re cutting out most major food groups.

Like, all of them, except one.

And meat can be very satiating, meaning it’ll keep you feeling full and under your calorie intake goal for the day. So I imagine a lot of folks following the Carnivore Diet are just subconsciously eating fewer calories than they were in the past.

That’s why I believe a lot of the anecdotal evidence of people achieving weight loss success with this diet.

However, as I point out in the “Which Diet is Right For Me?” article, any diet that results in calorie restriction will likely work when it comes to weight loss – at least in the short term.

You can lose weight on the Twinkie Diet, but that doesn’t necessarily make it sustainable or healthy!

So, whether it’s the Carnivore Diet or Intermittent Fasting or Paleo, if you have a plan and can sustain it indefinitely, permanent results will probably follow.

We’ll touch on this again later.

Onto Point #2: How about eating only meat to fix food allergies or intolerances?

If you have a food intolerance, it means you have some sort of negative reaction to a specific type of food. Gluten or dairy or nightshades, for example. Eliminating these potential causes for illness or discomfort in an attempt to see how your body responds makes logical sense.

And in fact, many scientific studies rely on some sort of elimination or oligoantigenic diet (another term for an elimination diet), to identify potential allergy issues in patients.[4]

The big difference is, a lot of these elimination diets are designed to be temporary, with the goal being to reintroduce many safe food groups over time. Conversely, the Carnivore Diet aims to eliminate these permanently. In other words, there is no reintroduction stage. You just keep eating meat.

What’s so special about meat, and why eat only animals? The argument goes something like this:

#1) Meat protein is highly bioavailable. Animal protein has all the amino acids you need to live. And since you yourself are animal meat (weird to think about), the thought is your body doesn’t have to do much conversion for utilization.

Also, some nutrients like creatine, carnosine, and vitamin B12 are only found in meat. The argument goes, that eating meat is the easiest thing to support your own meaty body.

#2) Meat is a low allergen threat. Except for some seafood and shellfish, most people are not allergic to meat, especially red meat.[5] That’s often why elimination diets okay red meat, as long as it hasn’t been processed and pumped full of additives (potential allergens).

However, it is worth noting there is a tick whose bite has been linked to creating an allergic reaction to red meat specifically.[6] Nature can be cruel. However, for the most part, people are not very allergic to meat.

#3) Phytonutrients in plants can be pesticides. Since plants don’t have legs to run away from a hungry critter, they have to rely on other means to escape being eaten. Sometimes, it’s an outer barrier, like bark. However, it can also be chemical warfare, with plants producing toxins to poison, kill, or just bother whatever animal is eating them.[7]

The theory goes that people can be allergic to these chemicals. Now, we’ve evolved to handle these phytonutrients, and they actually provide health benefits for most.[8]

That’s why many health professionals encourage the consumption of vegetables, fruit, and grain. However, people can indeed be allergic to certain phytonutrients, so the argument from the pro-all-meat camp states to avoid them completely.

There’s a counterargument for each point above, which we will get to. However, the carnivore community does have some interesting objections to eating plants.

Okay, so we’ve discussed why people would eat only meat.

What’s this Carnivore Diet actually look like?

Is it as simple as it sounds? We’ll explore the ins and outs of an all-meat diet in just a moment.

First, if you are trying to lose weight and wondering if the Carnivore Diet is the solution, I’m proud of you for at least THINKING about different nutritional strategies that might align with your lifestyle and goals.

Lots of our coaching clients come to us with all sorts of different fitness questions, like what to eat and how to exercise, proving we all start from unique situations. The important thing is that you’re beginning to ask questions and looking for answers.

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WHAT DO YOU EAT ON A CARNIVORE DIET? WHAT’S ALLOWED ON A ZERO CARB DIET PLAN?

I thought about answering this section’s question with one word, “meat,” and moving on. However, there are some specifics and alternatives worth discussing for the Carnivore Diet meal plan.

First, if it’s an animal, it’s allowed on the Carnivore Diet:

Beef. The primary meat of choice for those on the Carnivore Diet seems to be beef. Shawn Baker practically lives on ribeye steaks at home and ground beef patties when he’s out and about.

Lamb. Another red meat often consumed on an all-meat diet.

Pork. You have permission to eat bacon on the Carnivore Diet, or other pork products.

Fowl. Our feathered friends are acceptable on an all-meat diet. Chicken, turkey, duck, etc.

Fish. If it swam, go for it. Even if it didn’t (muscles, oysters), if it’s an animal from the sea it’s fair game.

A good rule of thumb: if a Tyrannosaurus rex that’s escaped from its pen would eat it, you can eat it too.

Just a little dino humor here. Though Triceratop Tri-Tip would also fit the menu.

I know your next question: “Steve, how about dairy? It’s an animal product. Yay or nay?”

Technically, dairy can be allowed, as it’s from a cow.

However, some advocates of the Carnivore Diet say skip it altogether, because of the possible concern of lactose intolerance.

It’s not the only gray area on an all-meat diet.

How about coffee or tea? Well, they aren’t from an animal, that’s for sure. But the calories they contain are practically zero.

Allowed? Eh, I’d say it depends on your goal.

If you’re experimenting with a Carnivore Diet for weight loss, yeah, why not? Because again, there are almost no calories there.

If you’re doing an all-meat diet to determine possible food intolerances, it should be noted that people can be allergic to coffee or tea. That’s why many elimination diets advise against them for a while.

The same argument could be made for spices or herbs to season your meat. No calories, but again, potential allergens. Outside of salt, any kind of seasoning allowance will depend on who’s advising you on the Carnivore Diet and why you’re doing it.

And you might want to think about proper advice when following an all-meat diet.

IS THE CARNIVORE DIET SAFE?

Most dietitians would advise against eating a Carnivore Diet. Because, you know, the whole no fruits or veggies thing. And while here at Nerd Fitness, we believe in questioning everything (Rule # 8), the medical community might have a point on this one.

Now, I personally don’t put tremendous stock in the sensationalized headlines that state red meat is the most dangerous thing you can eat.[9]

However, I don’t think this provides a giant green light to live on nothing but red meat either.

There are some things you really need plants and vegetables for. Some examples:

Betaine is a vital nutrient needed for liver function. The best source? Spinach.

Potassium is an electrolyte needed to help regulate blood pressure. Bananas, avocados, and leafy greens are great sources for potassium. While there is some potassium in meat, it’s debatable if it’s enough.

Magnesium is a mineral that your body requires for literally hundreds of bodily functions. The best source? Greens, like spinach.

Fermentable fiber is critical for our stomach’s microbiome. And in recent years, our knowledge of how important gut health is for overall wellbeing has grown.[10] Eating an all-meat diet could have a big impact on gut health, because of the complete lack of fiber found in animal flesh.

And let’s circle back to both the Inuit and Harvard explorer examples from above. There are two things they did that most modern Carnivores probably aren’t doing:

They ate all sorts of different cuts and pieces of meat. The Inuit and Stefansson did not just eat lean pieces of caribou. They’d eat eyeballs, brains, and other organ meat, where a lot of extra nutrients can be hidden. They would also eat whale skin, which contains vitamin C.[11] These “unconventional” cuts of meat hide a lot of extra nutrients the Inuit needed to thrive.

The Inuit traditionally did eat some plants. While granted, there’s not a lot of fresh greens up in the Arctic. There are some though, which the Inuit would eat when available.[12] The Inuit would dine on berries, sea vegetables, and certain mosses when in season. While these plant products made up a small portion of their overall diet, it still provided them with additional vitamins and nutrients to complement their carnivore leaning ways. So it would be inaccurate to say they ate only meat.

So they’re not just eating lean chicken breast and grass-fed fillets. They’re eating the organs and other portions of animals that are LOADED with nutrients.

But let’s get back to the challenge at hand.

Who knows what a diet devoid of vegetables can do to the body? The scary thing about that question is the answer: no one knows. That’s because there are no clinical trials done on a long-term Carnivore Diet.

Some in the pro-all-meat camp will cite this a defense. No one has studied eating only meat. Perhaps their potassium requirements are different?

While an interesting counterargument, I veer away from the extremes when it comes to diet, especially if you don’t plan on making the changes permanent. Double especially with diets as extreme as a Zero Carb Diet.

I try to keep things simple, and not vilify or deify certain foods.

Carbs are not inherently evil.

Fat is not a health food.

Butter is not a superfood just because you put it in your coffee.

Protein is just one piece of the equation.

Our stance: I would advise against the Carnivore Diet, especially in the long term. And no diet should be started if it’s only going to be done temporarily. This creates temporary results. And the idea of only eating meat seems incongruent with a healthy, long lifestyle.

Maybe one day, the anecdotal claims of the benefits of an all-meat diet will be verified. For now, I don’t think there’s enough evidence in support, but enough to be concerned about pinning one’s health future on it

You do you, but be careful.

Sigh, you’re gonna try it, aren’t you?

Welp, I’ll get to my advice in a moment.

But there’s no way we can’t talk about…

BOWEL MOVEMENTS ON AN ALL MEAT DIET

Eating only meat is going to impact how and when you go to the bathroom. There’s no way out of it. Every person who writes about their experiences on a Carnivore Diet addresses it.

For one, the lack of fiber means you are going to poop less frequently.

Poop is made out of mostly water (75%), but it’s also composed of bacteria, protein, and fiber.

If you eat no plants, you aren’t getting fiber, which means less poop.

Also, when you go #2, it will likely be mushier (gross). Again, the no fiber thing.

It should be noted, however, that followers of an all-meat diet claim that while they don’t go to the restroom as frequently, they do not feel constipated. They simply don’t have to go.

So, ah, yay, less bathroom time?

I’ll also add some confusion to this section, by addressing a study that demonstrated people actually eased constipation by reducing or eliminating dietary fiber.[13]

My thoughts on this study come back to balances and extremes. You need some fiber, but with anything, you can have too much as well.

Okay, I think we talked about poop enough today. We had to do it though. You know in your heart this is true.

HOW DO I START THE CARNIVORE DIET?

If you don’t heed my warning and decide to try the Carnivore Diet anyway, there are some things to consider.

Mark Sisson from Mark’s Daily Apple[14] has some great suggestions on ways to potentially make a Carnivore Diet more sustainable:

Take magnesium. As I said a little bit ago, it wouldn’t be a joke to say your body runs on magnesium. I would hedge my bets and take a supplement.

Consider a potassium supplement. If you start to experience light-headedness and cramps, you may be deficient in electrolytes. Outside of magnesium, potassium would be a likely culprit since there isn’t much in meat. Bone broth would be a good source, but you might have to make your own because it’s normally mixed with veggies.[15]

Eat eggs. It’s an animal product. Plus, it’s got all the ingredients (and nutrients) to make a bird. This could help with some of your potential nutritional deficiencies.

Eat liver. The liver is one of the most nutrient-dense organs found in the body. Mark Sisson calls it “nature’s most bioavailable multivitamin.”

So think about a supplement or two and don’t just live off ground beef. Animal organs are very nutritious. And maybe sneak in some occasional greens as the Inuit did.

Lost?

No worries, we got your back. Whether you’re following an all-meat diet or heading the opposite direction and eating only plants, we can provide the support and guidance you need to make it work!

Have a Nerd Fitness Coach guide your nutrition and answer all your fitness questions!

EATING A HEALTHY DIET PERMANENTLY

I don’t advocate diets that are designed to be unsustainable or short term.

And don’t even get me started on cleanses.

In the fitness world, we call them “crash diets.” While they may indeed help followers lose weight, they are not designed for the long term. If you go back to your normal way of eating after your temporary change in diet, you’ll likely regain all the weight you lost. This can prove to be a frustrating step in the fitness journey.

That would be one of my main concerns on the Carnivore Diet. It just doesn’t seem sustainable to me, which means any benefits you derive from it would disappear as soon as you go back to how you formerly ate.

The other concern would be not eating vegetables.

Now, if you are trying the diet to identify food intolerances or allergies, that’s one thing. However, if you’re after weight loss, I would STRONGLY advise a different path.

Try one small incremental change. Something you can stick with. Not eliminating most food groups.

Here’s some small changes you can consider, as we cover in the 5 Rules of Weight Loss:

Try drinking one less soda a day.

Grab a side salad instead of french fries.

Make it exercise-related and begin with just taking a five-minute walk at first.

If it’s something you can imagine doing continuously, it’s a great start. We can then work on building you a second healthy habit.

If your change seems like an impossible lifestyle for years and years, likely to be abandoned, maybe try something else.

If you are experimenting with the Carnivore Diet as a potential temporary elimination diet: track everything!

Track what you ate and how you felt each day. Even note bathroom behavior. Track it all. Then, once you have some data, you can start to reintroduce foods to see if they create an impact.

That about does it for my thoughts on the Carnivore Diet.

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Now, your turn:

Am I way off on this one? Should we all be eating steak for every meal?

Is this diet even crazier than I am alluding to?

Have you tried it? Know someone who has?

Let me know in the comments!

-Steve

PS: Make sure to read the rest of our guides on maintaining a proper diet:

How to Start Eating Healthy

Which Diet is Right for Me?

The 5 Rules of Weight Loss

###

Photo Source: T-Rap, Tiger, Godzilla, BBQ, Wrong parcel, Deception Island’s, Stefansson, Steak, Cyclist

GIF Source: Seal, Ron Swanson, Mickey, Science Dog, Bad Idea, Mr. Bean, Simpsons, T-Rex, Owl .

Footnotes ( returns to text)

Check out this interesting article on the Inuit Paradox from Discover Magazine

Check Stefansson’s fascinating report here.

Check out r/carnivore here.

Check out one such study on migraine patients and another on children with food allergy.

Check out this report from the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

Check out WebMD’s article on the Lone Star Tick.

You can check out this report from Plant Physiology for a great summary.

This is an interesting study on the health benefits of phytonutrients.

Check out this article for a thoughtful examination.

Check out these reports on gut health and immunity, metabolism, and liver health

This article is an interesting look at where the Inuit obtain their vitamins

Check out this article on foods of indigenous people

Check out this study on dietary fiber

Check out Mark’s great article on the Carnivore Diet here

Throw some bones into a slow cooker, add water and salt. Mix in additionally seasonings that you’re okay with.

The Beginner’s Guide to the Carnivore Diet: 5 Questions on Following an All-Meat Diet published first on https://dietariouspage.tumblr.com/

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republicstandard · 6 years ago

Text

Arbeit Macht Goy

In our travelling circles the question of the value of labor has been finely discussed. There are even subjunctions of the movement entirely dedicated to its cause; you have National Socialism and National Bolshevism, with individuated parties ranging in size and scope. The Traditionalist Workers Party is the most notable example that comes to my mind.

More often than not, the analysis directed toward the question of labor is (unsurprisingly) one of critique and pragmatism. It is noted, with acuminous alacrity, that a man’s identity is tied into and integral with what he does. It could be further said that a man *is* what he does. The main problem with this associative thinking being that when a man is, say, robbed of his work or his lot, than he shrivels up and blows away in the industrial gust.

That, obviously, is a serious concern. To that end, many of our guys have, with beneficent intent, stipulated that man must have a core identity beyond mere work and lot. A man may work, he may be married, but he is more than that. One would, I think, be a fool or the worst kind of AmCap to legitimately and unironically argue that point.

However, there is an opposite side to that coin. In the wake of Modernism, in the wake of Post-Modernism and the increasingly futile isms that have come in their wake you delve increasingly, and by necessity, into the reactionary realm. I do not use the word flatteringly. In this case reactionism is a harmful influence, for it causes a pendular effect on the White psyche in which decidedly extreme outcomes are repeatedly traded in an utterly futile attempt to reclaim the now forgotten center.

You cannot reclaim the center from the extremities. You have to, and follow this revolutionary thought Brothers, meet it in the middle. What is the center? It is balance, equanimity, stability and consistency – overall. The center is not a particular ideological component beyond the necessity of having an even keel to retreat to, if for nothing more than to formulate your direction and directive. The center is a state of being. It is one of the major contributors to the formation of a lasting Folk Soul which have all been robbed us.

In the life of an individual man there are a collective of passing achievements that God or Nature, or Nature’s God have conditioned him to measure his worth and progress by. A man should have a stable, productive and contributory job. A man should have a stable, productive and cooperative marriage. A man should have a stable, positive influence in his selective community. These fulfill basic sociological needs as imposed by Maslow’s Hierarchy; they should also satisfy the ego of those who tout “common sense.” (As if there were such a thing.)

Evolution inclined man to labor. To the same degree that ideologically, society is owed the artist and philosopher, society is likewise owed structurally to the workingman. The workingman is the Greek Atlas to Rodin’s Thinker. The Workingman with his hands has built everything. I may begin with the house in which you sit, the chair upon which you read this article from. If you sit in your car and read this on a phone, the end is the same. There should be a degree of glory involved in the realization that we, workingmen, build the physical trappings of the world.

Of course, you may enter tragedy. The workingman is a slave to the capitalist system. There is little way around this. Unless you are some (((magnate))) of some kind or other, you are a slave. Even the (((magnate))) is a slave, for their worth is wrapped up in the acquisition of shekels. Your skills are utterly neglected: society refused to acknowledge the contributions of the worker. He has no respect. On the basic, preconscious sociological level, the implications cannot be overstated. A man who works with his hands uses his body. His entire physical being is his primary tool.

I am a carpenter. I enjoy decidedly real aches and pains – they are the primary reward for my efforts. Men who toil, they hurt. And pain, in the long term, can erode you. It can wear you down. When you go to bed in pain, and wake up in pain; day in and day out, come spring and winter gone, in pain, you begin to lose your sense of humour. A clever man like himself reminds himself that this pain makes him stronger, that he is better off than soft-palmed weaklings. And this is true, I endure what lesser men recoil at. An injury that would make me grunt, I have seen stop weaker men for the better part of a day. Workingmen are a breed upon themselves.

Yet, no credence is given to this. Our strength and our endurance have no merit in a victimocracy, nevermind the pain. Society values transvestites. Society values visible minorities of every stripe. The workingman knows his blood and sweat have paved the way for this pathetic spectacle. His efforts contribute to that mess. His taxes, the token of his hard work robbed by a greedy, filthy and unquestioning monetary (((system))). And what does the (((system))) do with his wealth? Redistribute it, of course.

There is no amount of niggling, dickering, mansplaining or Boomer TALKING LOUDER THAN THE OTHER GUY AND REMINDING HIM HOW WRONG HE IS EVEN THOUGH HE HASN’T SAID ANYTHING BECAUSE MIGHT IS RIGHTing that will change the fact that this is true, and proponents of welfare statery are wrong to imply their will in the form of such taxes without consent… and certainly without representation.

So the workingman shrinks into an abyss of ingratitude. He becomes angry, bitter, cynical and despondent, effete, and flagrant. Why wouldn’t he? He must put his body on the line to support a world that certainly neglects him, if it doesn’t outright hate him. After all, the White Workingman can count on this: to at some point hear about the evils of White “Supremacy,” White “Privilege,” and White “Advantage” while the blisters inside his calloused hands are festering, his knuckles bleeding and his migraine quite throbbing. He looks at his gnarly hands where his hard earned money should be, sees an ungrateful indigent in his mind that the government saw fit to redistribute his wealth to for “social justice.”

It is easy for the workingman to despair, in this world. If the White Workingman protests he is met with the battlecry of the Eternal Boomer which sounds a little bit like this: “I don’t care if you’re Black, White or Purple if you come here, speak English and work!” Yes. Work. The Workingman knows his lot becomes increasingly harder because of immigrant labor. He knows that his wage will probably be cut someday to keep that edge against the invading foreign, colored hoards. Yet he is preached to by a generation that has secured their existence and doesn’t have to fear so much the colored hoard they invited. If the workingman is clever he sees the irony in the infinite repeat of history that tells the story of a bloated fiscal oligarchy that is destroyed by the foreigners they invited to line their own pockets.

Of course, the ignorant generation that will not see the plight of the younger is not safe in their hubris. The multicultural virus will spare no man. I shall tell you a tale that haunts me even as my callous crusted fingers press the keys that make this article. My Grandfather worked. He worked until he retired. His wife died, he remarried. By all accounts, he was a damned good American. He followed the rules. He donated a fair sum of money to civic causes he believed in. When he was young, he had served in the United States Navy. He had worked as an engineer. I am told he had passed several patents. But like many American he had his stresses. The long and short of it was this, his wife, when he developed Alzheimer’s, condemned him to nursing homes. And this I shall never forget: I went to visit one day. And there are days you know you’re in for trouble, sixth sense, if you will. Nurses were moving in on a scene. And there they were, huddled around my grandfather. His forehead was bleeding. He was hollering: “take me to the Embassy! I am a United States Citizen and I have rights! I don’t know what country this is, but I want to go home!” Oh, the mystery! The nurses all cobbled and cawed as I arrived. “What does he mean? I don’t understand!” I knew. It was obvious to anyone who isn’t a brainless shill. The nurse closest to him was blacker than coal, with space alien dreadlocks, and if she was capable of uttering a complete thought with proper English diction… she wasn’t. What was there to question? When you give a man with dementia a creature that in his honest mind doesn’t look quite right, like a foreigner than you will have a confused man! Astounding.

I have other stories in my arsenal, but let that be a lesson to White Men who think that their defensive posturing to the ‘moral’ authorities on race and relations will save them in the end… it won’t. Our (((greatest allies))) will make sure the last things you see are things you won’t. They will rob your pensions, destroy your retirement – they will then pay for the third world nurses that neglect you in a nursing home you didn’t choose.

Diversity, I’m told, *is* our greatest strength.

I’d ask my Grandfather, but I can’t, because he is dead. But you’re not dead, and theoretically, neither am I. So what do we do with all this depressing truth? It is something to bear in mind, something to help us keep track of all the factors. When some moron with a caved in head entertains the favourite American pastime of feigning ignorance to avoid the plight of being thought to agree with you, you may remind them why the worker suffers. Tell them stories. It might not make a difference, but we can’t let these pixie-faced, limp-wristed know-nothings get away thinking there’s absolutely no reason for a problem. Because they will – if you let them.

We are American Citizens. We have Rights. We will, all of us die. Some at home, some in a home, others, hell, at work. But we have a right to die in America. What did my Grandfather do to deserve feeling like he was abandoned to a third world country?

The average workingman today, though, has no overarching purpose. He did not see the bright, White America my Grandfather knew. So he passes his time for the reasons we have discussed, in indignity. Maybe he copes with alcohol, or drugs. I am told that the Opioid Crisis has reached unparalleled proportions. A comrade of mine by the name of Emil Kraepelin goes to distinct lengths to dispel the myths and educate our guys regarding this plight.

One of the major problems in the laborial sphere is a sense of manifold purposelessness. It is part and parcel with the blackpill phenomenon. You work for people with more money than you to give them things you can’t have. It is a sense of backwards thinking, the fault of early education and a poorly managed modern culture.

Here is my advice to White Workers. Keep this in mind. Learn a skill, learn a trade. You’ll have to start small. You’ll have to weather insult and injury. Keep heart. If the American Dream is ever going to be ours, than we have to start collecting bargaining chips. We need to do that now. The reasons for this are as diverse as the reasons for being depressed. If you learn a practical skill: carpentry, masonry, plumbing, wiring, than you become more solvent. The eternal call for working revolt has never changed. Without us, what would all the pampered, rich and effeminate do, exactly? Here’s a scenario: without leeching off our skill, the rich would die of sepsis in crumbling mansions that they can’t fix, squatting in a shallow hole they dug themselves because they couldn’t fix the plumbing. They would be reduced very quickly. They owe us, dearly.

The present system in which we live will not last forever. It cannot, by definition. When infinity immigrants have finished crippling the labour economy and all that’s left is coding… you will still have your skills. There will unquestionably be other citizens in a position to need you. And, if, God(s) willing we of our persuasion ever achieve a degree of separation… we won’t much be able to survive on coding, computers and being a generic Millennial or Zoomer, will we? No. Civilization is a complex organism that needs every single skill we have to maintain any modicum of resemblance to the comfort and complexity it presently yields.

Unless you want #VargNat now.

You learn a trade. If you’re good, you can go to work for yourself. It may not be immediate, and you might lose a little at first, but any degree of independence makes a difference. That independence makes a difference in your life. Working for someone else can eat your soul. Work for yourself? It’s a gamble. In the current year, there are no guarantees. But if you make a successful business name for yourself, you can hand that off to your children someday. That used to be part of the European Dream. Families inherit from familial progress. It is not impossible to reclaim that. I don’t think any of our ancient cultures ever intended us to live hand to mouth at the will of a globalist agency because ‘muh capitalism.’

If in mass numbers the Nationalists reading this began to take their own reins, rather than being self-hating service workers, became plumbers, electricians or what-have-you than we could, as a movement, increase pour capital gains. We could become self-sufficient. Right now, our bread comes from ZOG. Why is this bad? You know (((why.))) You place five of our guys in one County: one of them is a carpenter, one of them is an electrician, the other three are generic Millennials and Zoomers. The carpenter and the electrician can build business names independently, and even start to work together. Carpenters frequently call on electricians as subcontractors. Those other three chuckleheads? Why not hire them as apprentices. Now you have five of our guys collecting shekels directly, rather than having them handed off by some retarded system job.

Those same five guys, if the SHTF scenario ever happens, would be better off. They not only have friends, but vital skills. With their money they can support our causes. As our numbers grow tighter and larger, we can call on our guys, rather than some guy. That means money will begin to stay with us. This is important because the ability to hold onto material wealth is integral to any cultural reform. Skill and finance are bargaining chips much harder to resist than tattoos and memes.

But more than that, returning to the original point of this article, labour is part of a man’s identity. If you haven’t been proud of something you built with your hands, I’m sorry my friend, but you haven’t lived. I think I shall you another anecdote or two in this vein before I sign off and go make myself and my wife some bacon and eggs.

On a job site, another client, brother to the one we were working for, came to visit. He talked a while before addressing me. “I wanted to save the work for you, because, you know, you’re so goddamn strong.” I couldn’t help but smile, and he went on to say, “ah, I’ll never forget seeing you carrying that big fucking rock up the hill. Nobody else could’ve moved it!” I won’t lie, and I don’t care if it marks me guilty for the sin of vanity. It feels good to know in some cases that my name precedes me. He’s told the story to others, I’ve heard him do it (while I was carrying big beautiful rocks.) On another job I did for a relative, there was concern moving this and that and the guy that hired me said, “don’t worry about the weight, this one’s stronger than an ox.”

So it goes.

It all brings us back to the Havamal. Cattle Die, and so do Kinsmen – God(s) know anyone over age 20 has seen more death than they care to. But we know what does not die: the name of a good man dead. I know that I want to be known as a keen philosopher when I die, but I shall settle for being another Sisyphus.

To a degree, pride cures pain. Knowing my work is appreciated, it makes it worth the while. Knowing my deeds are worthy of someone else’s time in the form of a story told to strangers (to me) is an incredible ego boost. That is why we are supposed to work: our skills are pooled into larger projects and our endeavors are to be respected. Our strength and skill are to be respected. We are not just workers and helpers. Without us, your service economy would have nothing to house it, your wealth would evaporate, and you would most likely not be here to undervalue us.

Something to think about.

from Republic Standard | Conservative Thought & Culture Magazine http://bit.ly/2OYUFbm via IFTTT

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mollyalicia3 · 6 years ago

Text

5 Questions That You Need to Ask Yourself, as a Small Business Owner

The most successful business owners see themselves as lifetime learners. They live in a mode of asking questions, listening to people, including family, friends, employees, industry peers, management experts, mentors and others with valuable knowledge and ideas to offer. Here are some essential questions that every small business owner should ask, to check yourself for blind spots in your way of thinking about your business and your future plans for it. When you can answer these well, you’ll feel more sure of the track you’re on with your business and your strategic plans for its future and yours.

1. What Don’t I Know? How much do you know about what you need to do to succeed? You’ll need to ask yourself some pretty big questions to figure that out. What am I missing in my self-education, or in my formal education about doing business? About my industry? About business finance management? About strategic planning? What more do I need to know about my competition? My suppliers? My target market? For most newer business owners, these kinds of questions can have many answers. There’s certainly a lot to know, and you probably still have quite a bit of it left to learn. Start with the essentials. Read industry magazines, especially small business growth success stories. Join an industry peer group. Join your local chamber of commerce, business persons organization, civic group, local recreational sports league, etc.. Read service business management books and articles. Watch YouTube videos on entrepreneurial risk-taking, small business financial planning, business technology advancements, industry-specific product innovations and other relevant topics. Discuss business with trusted, knowledgeable family members, friends, vendors and local entrepreneurs. Talk to your local SBA representative about any and everything you care to learn about local resources for lending, business learning and networking. Ask clients about your services and what they recommend for further optimizing them?

2. How Big Should I Think? Different entrepreneurs think on different scales. Vision varies by personal perspectives on what constitutes a good life. Many entrepreneurs set staggering goals for themselves and their businesses. Daring to dream such dreams is daunting, and perhaps even excessive-seeming to those with less amped-up ambitions. Scaling a service business indeed starts with the size of the ultimate goal. Around the country, there are many satisfied, happy portable restroom business owners, loving their lives, running a few trucks and a couple of hundred rental units. Their lives are rich. They know what they want. Others have tunnel-vision on building major regional companies. Many have achieved that and aspire to continue growing. Others have become national mega-providers, employing hundreds of administrative and support employees and dispatching thousands of local service contractors coast-to-coast. Ask yourself a few key questions, to determine on what heading you want to put your business in terms of growth. Ask yourself, “Is the scope of my long-business plan appropriate to realize a level of success that is commensurate with my abilities and my company’s full potential for market share?” The answer could include assessment of short- and long-term market indicators that you should be aware of, projected future inventory costs, shifting employment market factors, diversification options for adding revenue channels, broader economic factors, financing costs, and other key considerations in long-term strategic growth planning. Ask yourself if you’re taking the proper steps to ensure that your early operational and financial positioning are sound, for purposes of enabling and guiding the extent of long-term growth you envision. Get help. Seek consultation about the necessary tech development and growth financing. As your first order of tasks in pursuit of growth, conduct an analyses of the industrial and business consumer markets for your industry in the area you’re targeting for expansion. Additionally, complete a competitive market analyses of those areas. Remember to include in your deliberations a healthy amount of mulling over what you really want out of your life. For you, is it all about living a charming, simple, quiet life doing the work you enjoy? Or, do you want an epic adventure, striving to meet the challenges of growing a business into a regional, or even a national player.

3. Can My Business Run Itself? Can your business can run without you for a day? A week? Two weeks? Ask, “What people and standardized processes and policies do I need to put in place, to ensure that my business operations will be uninterrupted and profitable, if I’m away due to illness, family obligation, vacation, etc.? You need to position your portable restroom field staff and administrative office team to operate independently of you, whether you plan to take a family vacation, or to visit new markets, as part of your methodical take-over of the lower forty eight states with your business growth strategy. So, is your staff ready to fly on their own? Of course, like so many great business questions, this one opens up a vast array of other inquiries. Are your employees dependable to show up? Are they clear on established processes? Can they field issues and provide solutions? Do they know when to contact you for decisions or larger problem resolutions? Do they understand the big picture of the business’s goals well enough to manage their tasks in ways that guide operations in the general direction toward those goals? The first time you find that you really need or want to leave your staff on their own, you become acutely aware of the importance of having already prepared them for the challenge. Provide thorough training along the way, as a high priority. Spend a bit of time every day in brief instructive coaching moments with all, or as many employees as possible. Every week, conduct short group training meetings. Every month, present policy and procedures training. Every year, provide staff and systems reviews, and set improvement objectives. Business team success requires a system of training, to develop the best possible support around you. Systematic training maximally multiplies your efforts, to ensures that the strongest possible progress continues, uninterrupted, in your absence.

4. Do I Face Down Tough Decisions or Avoid Them? Entrepreneurs are confronted by myriad daily decisions and many larger, longer-term ones that can add up to overwhelm the average risk-averse individual. So, it’s important to recognize that some hesitance to incur the kinds of risks that are inherent in business decisions, large and small, is natural. The resolve to stare down risks, make challenging decisions and move forward, despite fear of being wrong, is leadership courage. That particular form of courage is the foundational requirement for business management success. Adopt a simple approach to making business decisions. When faced with major decisions, there are some essential considerations to weigh. Check yourself to ensure that you’re following a winning decision-making formula. Especially, weigh the pros and cons, to ensure that any short-term gains for which you’re trading off long-term benefits are really worth it. (Hint: In business, they’re usually not.) Further, cure yourself of the dreaded “paralysis by analysis” syndrome, if you happen to have that. If you find yourself taking excessive lengths of time to make decisions, or stalling out and not making them at all, seek input from trusted friends, relatives, industry peers in other regions, experts, etc.. Let others provide a sounding board for your deliberations, and get some free advice from them to add to your helpful considerations.

5. Am I Making Sense of Work / Life Balance? Are you burning the candle at both ends, per the old cliché about workaholics? People who do that sometimes achieve spectacular things in business for a while, and they’re confident that they’ll never run down. But, then they burn out a little. Confidence falters, and they may become increasingly uncertain about their aspirations and abilities. Business ownership tends not to be a hospitable place for those who lunge at their objectives like indefatigable human business management machines. All too often people who throw themselves at their goals with such unrestrained force find themselves, at some point, doing what they would have sworn was impossible for them—feeling fatigued and even burned out. So, by any means, measure your routine. Come up for air frequently. Listen to your spouse and friends when they say you need time off. You need some evening and/or weekend periods of relaxation and recreation, and yes, you do actually need the occasional vacation. Running oneself into the ground is a rookie mistake made by some unproven corporate middle managers struggling to demonstrate to the boss their incomparable commitment and super-human energy. Since you are the boss, it’s up to you to live well the life you’ve chosen for yourself and your family. That refers to a balanced, maturely measured way of being an independent business owner. Notwithstanding the need for spending time with family and friends, to help you maintain some healthy balance and perspective on what it is that you’re working for in the first place, it’s true that many entrepreneurs are of the type who simply enjoy running their businesses more than doing any kind of personal activity. No problem. Doing what you love is the whole point. Balance, however, is about being able to recognize when it’s time to shift over to enjoying other things temporarily. Preserve the sense of joy you feel in your work, by not over-exploiting it until one day you find that it feels more like drudgery that you want to escape, than the exhilarating adventure it once was for you. For people whose work is their favorite thing to do, spending time relaxing and doing something different than work invariably makes getting back into the office even more satisfying.

Take-Away There’s an easy business case for conducting the kind of self-examination suggested in the question series above. Use this simple set of inquiries to evaluate your current positioning and its liklihood of leading to achievement of your goals. Create a professional development plan for yourself. Give yourself some developmental tasks to accomplish daily, weekly, monthly and yearly, to help you advance your essential business management skills, and knowledge of your field and your market. Forge your path to optimal business success and happiness by committing to life-long learning, self-examination, training your team and balancing your personal and professional life.

http://www.americanliquidwaste.com/2019/03/business-trends/5-questions-that-you-need-to-ask-yourself-as-a-small-business-owner/

from Septic Tank Pumping Pros https://septictankpumpingpros.wordpress.com/2019/03/12/5-questions-that-you-need-to-ask-yourself-as-a-small-business-owner/

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adambstingus · 6 years ago

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Bangkok: Insider Travel Guide

(CNN)So, you’re in Thailand on a mission to cram the best of Bangkok into a weekend? It’s a big task — there’s no city in the world like this one — but it can be done.

But you’re in luck. This quick guide ensures you can at least hit the highlights on your quest for the best of Bangkok.

It’s worth keeping in mind that hotel prices vary dramatically depending on the time of year. High season runs from October to April, so the best bargains can be had May to September.

Hotels

Luxury

The Siam

This stunning, antique-laced property on the Chao Praya River recalls the time of King Rama V (1853-1910), a period when Bangkok was a tranquil, smog-free riverside idyll.

Since opening in 2012 the accolades have been rolling in from travel rags around the world.

With great restaurants, a poolside bar, muay Thai gym and spa, this 39-room resort set on three acres is almost a vacation unto itself.

Though a bit of a hike from the city center, there’s a regular hotel-operated ferry that shuttles guests to the Taksin pier, where they can jump on the BTS Skytrain.

Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

This Bangkok institution is a step back to a time when luggage was carried in trunks, dinner dress was de rigueur (tropics or not) and tea on the veranda was served with a stiff G&T to ward off mosquitoes.

More than 100 years old, the Oriental’s Author’s Wing retains its magical aura with its picturesque parlors, each named for a scribe they once hosted, including the likes of Somerset Maugham, Joseph Conrad and Ernest Hemingway.

The Garden Wing offers similar heights of nostalgic luxury, while the modern River Wing and Tower have a more contemporary design.

And if it weren’t patently obvious from the never-ending stream of awards rained upon this five-star, best of Bangkok landmark, high tea in the Mandarin Oriental’s library is simply too civilized for the mere words of us regrettably non-famous authors.

St. Regis Bangkok

Nearly a quarter of the 227 guest rooms at this elegant property are suites — this should give an idea of the level of comfort to which the St. Regis aspires and generally attains.

A specialty is off-site activities geared toward “the artistic visionary, the epicurean voyager, the passionate connoisseur.”

Care for a deep-sea fishing trip with one of the hotel’s celebrated chefs?

A private Fendi shopping trip?

The hotel will arrange it.

W Hotel Bangkok

The stylish W concept remains intact at this 407-room hotel (“chili-hot nightlife” is advertised) located on Bangkok’s Embassy Row near a vibrant commercial district.

Rooms are basic but fully wired and come with good robes and a Munchie Box.

Bathrooms come with rainforest showers.

City-view room views are nice.

Mid-range

Mode Sathorn

With the opening of Mode Sathorn, Siam@Siam gets the second design hotel in its Bangkok portfolio, which the brand is somewhat predictably characterizing as “fashionable lifestyle.”

The property has 201 rooms and suites in five categories, each featuring a different design concept, plus a presidential suite on the 36th floor.

F&B offerings come in the form of three restaurants and three bars.

Theatre Bar is the standout thanks to a circular TV screen and three areas segregated by your poison of choice, be it wine, beer or cocktails.

As with its sister hotel, Mode Sathorn features a rooftop bar.

If live DJs in al fresco vogue settings aren’t your thing, Secret M has a private indoor dining cove one floor below.

Galleria 10 Hotel Bangkok

Formerly the Ramada Encore, the Galleria 10 is a 188-room, chrome-and-glass hotel with modern furnishings.

It’s geared toward “always-on-the-go” business travelers, with high-speed Internet access included in the room rate, 40-inch LCD TV with satellite channels, good-sized working areas, direct dial telephones and HDMI easy plug-in.

There are some nice outdoor spaces for drinks around the pool.

Bangkok Treehouse

Inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden,” the 12-suite Bangkok Treehouse allows guests to get back to nature in Bang Krajao, the “green lungs of Bangkok.”

Guests arrive via a dedicated shuttle boat across the Chao Phraya, disembarking onto a floating pontoon overlooked by the hotel’s gourmet organic restaurant.

Each standard suite is divided into three levels (living room, bedroom and roof deck), offering views of the surrounding river, mangroves and coconut plantations.

Inside, the rooms are comfortable and cozy, with all the expected features (TV, DVD, Wi-Fi) and optional air-conditioning.

Loy La Long

Quirky and comfy, the seven color-coded rooms at this two-story wood property on the edge of Chinatown range from a four-bedroom family dorm (guests pay per bed) to the river-view suite that allows you to wake up to the sight of barges floating past — along with the occasional roaring longtail engine.

There’s a fantastic “living room,” where guests can park on a floor cushion and watch the life on the river pass by.

Near Tha Tien Pier, Loy La Long is hidden behind a temple complex right on the edge of Chinatown.

Not easy to find, but the payoff is worth it.

Budget

Lub D

Lub D proves that being on a budget doesn’t have to mean losing out on style or location.

There are two Lub D “hostels” in Bangkok, both rocking an industrial chic design.

The original is on Decho Road, off Silom.

The newer Siam location is opposite National Stadium, close to the BTS SkyTrain and a short walk to Siam Square and the malls of Rajaprasong.

It has four-bed dorms, economy twin rooms, doubles and, our favorite, a queen-bed suite with a private bathroom and LCD TV.

The Wi-Fi is free and the beer cheap.

You won’t find those attributes in too many five-star establishments.

Dining

Nahm

Offering Thai fine dining with exquisite attention to detail, the best ingredients and authenticity, Nahm provides the best of Bangkok culinary experiences.

Head Chef David Thompson, who received a Michelin star for his London-based Thai restaurant of the same name, opened this branch in the Metropolitan Hotel in 2010.

If that doesn’t sell you, perhaps the fact it’s the only Thai restaurant to crack the top 10 of the world’s 50 best restaurants list will.

Through recipes based on archaic Siamese cookbooks and other dishes passed down in “funeral books,” you’ll receive both perfect renditions of Thai classics such as tom yum goong, as well as fresh surprises difficult to find outside the Thai home.

Issaya Siamese Club

Issaya Siamese Club is internationally acclaimed Thai chef Ian Kittichai’s first flagship Bangkok restaurant.

The menu in this beautifully restored colonial house features traditional Thai cuisine combined with modern cooking methods.

There a few misses but for the most part everything on the menu is unique, delicious and oh-so-pretty.

We recommend the banana blossom Thai salad, chili-glazed baby back ribs and massaman lamb.

Bo.Lan

Bo.Lan has been making waves in Bangkok’s culinary scene since it opened in 2009.

Serving hard-to-find Thai dishes in an upscale, hip atmosphere, the restaurant is true to Thai cuisine’s roots, yet still manages to add a special twist.

Located on Sukhumvit Soi 24, Bo.Lan stars include the smoked Chiang Mai river trout salad, green curry stuffed egg yolks and stir-fried beef with dried shrimp paste.

This place is good for a romantic dinner or a work meeting with colleagues who appreciate fine food.

For the especially ravenous, there’s a large set menu

Gaggan

Earning first place on the latest “Asia’s 50 best restaurants” list, progressive Indian restaurant Gaggan is one of the most exciting venues to arrive in Bangkok in recent years.

But don’t go into this place thinking you’re going to be enjoying the usual Indian dishes like butter chicken or mutton biryani.

El-Bulli-trained chef Gaggan Anand uses molecular technology to put a funky twist on classic dishes from his native India, rendering many of them unrecognizable while giving you that “a-ha!” moment as the connection hits your taste buds.

The best table in this two-story colonial Thai home offers a window right into the kitchen, where you can see Gaggan and his staff in action.

Culinary theater at its best.

Supanniga Eating Room

If you want more from Thai cuisine than green curry, pad Thai and papaya salad Supanniga Eating Room is a great new Bangkok option.

It’s located in a narrow, three-story Thonglor shophouse, decked out with raw cement walls, yellow booths and outdoor sofas on the top floor.

Inspired by Trat province on Thailand’s southeastern coast and the northeast Isaan region, the menu has rewards for the uninitiated.

Highlights include yam pla salid thod krob (sweet and sour salad with crispy fish) and sweet and herbal moo chor muang (fatty chunks of pork in an earthy curry of sour leaves).

Almost every dish here is colorful — yes, you’ll be taking pictures of it before you eat — and the mood is casual.

Somtum Der

At this little eatery you get personal service and authentic Isaan-style street food without the street.

The restaurant is air-conditioned, which is a good thing since dishes have plenty of spice.

Chicken, pork and seafood are grilled nicely and come with sticky rice. Veggies are fresh and crisp.

A great quick, flip-flop-friendly pit stop.

Soul Food Mahanakorn

An expat favorite, low-key lighting and wood finishing define the cozy interior of this three-floor shop house.

Soul Food Mahanakorn’s kitchen revolves around what’s fresh in the markets — seafood from Sam Yan one day or meat from Or Tor Kor another.

Healthy organic foods, such as rice, meats and some vegetables, are sourced from organic farmers in the northeast.

Recommended dishes: everything. It’s all good here.

The cocktails are fantastic, too, especially the “Bangkok Bastard,” a mojito-like drink with a Thai-style twist.

Shop houses and street food

Bangkok is famous for its street food and shop-house restaurants, which makes picking just one vendor difficult.

To experience the best of Bangkok street food, we advise hitting some of the more famous eating neighborhoods and start sampling.

Most shop houses or street vendors specialize in one dish, whether it’s duck noodles, pad Thai or red pork on rice.

Some of the best Bangkok street food zones to hit include Bang Rak (between Taksin BTS station and the junction of Charoen Krung and Silom Road), Victory Monument (BTS: Victory Monument), Soi Ari (BTS: Ari), Chinatown, Wongwian Yai and Ratchawat.

Nightlife

The Speakeasy

An upmarket bar with great views, The Speakeasy at Hotel Muse is set in a beautiful space on the 24th and 25th floors.

Designed to bring back some Prohibition Era nostalgia, it consists of two bars, a cigar lounge, private salas and a boardroo.

Sukhumvit Soi 11

In recent years, this busy Bangkok street in the city’s Nana area has been pumped full of hotels, tourist-friendly pubs, nightclubs and restaurants.

Soi 11 newcomers worth checking out include Apoteka — great live music, stiff drinks and craft beer — and Levels, an enormous, high-ceilinged room whose centerpiece is a circular, glowing bar with a jazzy LED chandelier overhead.

The latter has house-heavy DJs every night, with the occasional visiting big deal international act.

RCA

Another great place for bar hopping — if you don’t mind hanging with the under-25 set — the numerous clubs and pubs that line Royal City Avenue (taxi drivers all know it as RCA) provide a congregation point for youngsters looking to chill out.

Named for the historic American highway, Route 66 is the mother of all clubs here, where the ghetto riche and urban fab descend in throngs to dance to a variety of music.

For live music, there’s Cosmic Caf.

WTF

Curious name aside, WTF on Sukhumvit Soi 51 lives up to its multi-faceted concept of food-drink-art-friendship, attracting the city’s intellectual and creative class.

WTF is comfortably tiny, with a few tables scattered around on the first floor near a well-stocked bar, while the second floor serves as a gallery space.

Maggie Choo’s

It may be located in the basement of a hotel (accessed via a separate, dark entrance), but this speakeasy-like bar with a Shanghai opium den vibe comes with the solid pedigree of nightlife mogul Ashley Sutton.

Sutton is behind several of the city’s time warping establishments, such as Iron Fairies and Fat Gutz.

At Maggie Choo’s, you get live jazz, leather armchairs, bank vaults and Queen Victoria busts juxtaposed with cocktails, tile work, lattice and heavy wooden doors.

Beautiful women clad in cheongsams hang from swings and drape themselves across the bar.

Bangkok bars can please the eyes; here are 9 of the most stunning

Shopping

Thai fashion designers

Beyond the city’s many Louis Vuitton, Herms and other big-brand boutiques at high-end malls are some talented local designers earning global praise as well.

So where to find Thailand’s hottest young designers?

Gaysorn Plaza has popular brands like Sretsis and Issue, while celeb favorite Kloset has shops at Siam Center, Siam Paragon and CentralWorld.

To check out the designs of up-and-comer k and i, head to Zen at CentralWorld.

Jatujak Weekend Market

Bangkok’s Jatujak (or Chatuchak) Weekend Market — JJ for short — is one of the biggest in Asia. Covering 35 acres, it has thousands of vendors and attracts as many as 200,000 shoppers on weekends,

It’s the place to go for Thai handicrafts, artwork, clothing, household goods and even pets.

The downside? It’s hot. It’s crowded. And it’s easy to get lost amid the labyrinthine network of stalls.

Yet that’s why some people love it.

The rest of us avoid the madness by going early in the morning, before 9 a.m., or later in the day, at about 4 p.m.

Jatujak Weekend Market, BTS, Mo Chit station; MRT: Chatuchak Park Station

Asiatique The Riverfront

Asiatique The Riverfront is a huge shopping and entertainment complex beside Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river.

Inspired by the city’s days as a riverside trading post in the early 1900s, it resembles a traditional pier with rows of warehouses.

The restaurants and bars include a mixture of upscale bistro-style restaurants serving Thai, Japanese, French and Italian, as well as an Irish pub and a wine bar.

There’s also an outdoor, covered food court.

The best way to get there is to hop on the free shuttle boat that runs regularly from the BTS Thaksin pier.

Attractions

Ancient City

This is the only way to tour Thailand’s most significant historical sites in a day.

About a 45-minute drive from the city, this Samut Prakan attraction features replicas of dozens of major Thai landmarks, from the Grand Palace in Bangkok to the contested Preah Vihear temple on the border with Cambodia.

Given Ancient City’s size, walking isn’t recommended.

Better to rent a golf cart or a bike to cruise around the park.

Siam Niramit

A well-designed stage production featuring more than 100 performers, Siam Niramit crams seven centuries of Thai culture into a fantastic 80-minute show that’s heavy on special effects.

Shows start daily at 8 p.m. and there’s an onsite restaurant offering a fairly standard Thai buffet dinner from 5:30 p.m.

After the show, families can check out onsite attractions like elephant rides, a recreation of a traditional Thai village and other cultural displays.

Jim Thompson House

The legend of Jim Thompson is outlined in every Thailand guidebook, while the iconic brand’s products are in 13 shops around Bangkok and two factory outlets.

For the true experience, head for the historic Jim Thompson House and learn about the brand’s mysterious namesake, an American who gained worldwide recognition for rebuilding the Thai silk industry before disappearing in the Malaysian jungle in 1967.

The traditional Thai-style teak house, surrounded by plants and trees, is filled with Southeast Asian antiques that he acquired through his travels.

But don’t let us convince you of its quality.

Somerset Maugham, who dined with Thompson at this house in 1959, summed it up best: “You have not only beautiful things, but what is rare, you have arranged them with faultless taste.”

Museum of Contemporary Art

For a look at Thailand’s modern art scene, you’ll need to head out of the downtown core to Bangkok’s new Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).

A five-story space owned by a Thai telecommunications magnate who wanted to share his huge Thai modern art collection with the masses, MOCA offers a great introduction to those who want a primer on Thailand’s art scene.

Most of the country’s leading artists of the last 50 years are represented, as well as some lesser-known greats.

Museum of Floral Culture

This is one of Bangkok’s gorgeous surprises.

The creation of Thai floral artist Sakul Intakul, the museum is for flower and nature lovers and those with an interest in Thai flower culture.

It features exhibits of important floral cultures from civilizations across Asia such as India, China, Japan, Laos and Bali/Indonesia.

It’s housed in a beautifully preserved, 100-year-old teak mansion with colonial architecture.

Lush grounds have been transformed into an impeccably landscaped Thai-meets-Zen-style garden.

Temples

As Thailand is 95 percent Buddhist, there are of course hundreds of Bangkok temples — known in Thai as “wats.”

For a look at how locals worship, head to any one of the glittering neighborhood wats, often located far down tiny sois and well out of the way of tourist traffic.

Some are actually in massive complexes filled with halls, schools and revered statues.

The three big ones on the tourist trail — the Grand Palace, Wat Po and Wat Arun — should be a best of Bangkok stop on any first-timer’s itinerary, as they are genuinely impressive and loaded with historical significance.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/bangkok-insider-travel-guide/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/178867443262

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allofbeercom · 6 years ago

Text

Bangkok: Insider Travel Guide

(CNN)So, you’re in Thailand on a mission to cram the best of Bangkok into a weekend? It’s a big task — there’s no city in the world like this one — but it can be done.

But you’re in luck. This quick guide ensures you can at least hit the highlights on your quest for the best of Bangkok.

It’s worth keeping in mind that hotel prices vary dramatically depending on the time of year. High season runs from October to April, so the best bargains can be had May to September.

Hotels

Luxury

The Siam

This stunning, antique-laced property on the Chao Praya River recalls the time of King Rama V (1853-1910), a period when Bangkok was a tranquil, smog-free riverside idyll.

Since opening in 2012 the accolades have been rolling in from travel rags around the world.

With great restaurants, a poolside bar, muay Thai gym and spa, this 39-room resort set on three acres is almost a vacation unto itself.

Though a bit of a hike from the city center, there’s a regular hotel-operated ferry that shuttles guests to the Taksin pier, where they can jump on the BTS Skytrain.

Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

The Garden Wing offers similar heights of nostalgic luxury, while the modern River Wing and Tower have a more contemporary design.

St. Regis Bangkok

Nearly a quarter of the 227 guest rooms at this elegant property are suites — this should give an idea of the level of comfort to which the St. Regis aspires and generally attains.

A specialty is off-site activities geared toward “the artistic visionary, the epicurean voyager, the passionate connoisseur.”

Care for a deep-sea fishing trip with one of the hotel’s celebrated chefs?

A private Fendi shopping trip?

The hotel will arrange it.

W Hotel Bangkok

The stylish W concept remains intact at this 407-room hotel (“chili-hot nightlife” is advertised) located on Bangkok’s Embassy Row near a vibrant commercial district.

Rooms are basic but fully wired and come with good robes and a Munchie Box.

Bathrooms come with rainforest showers.

City-view room views are nice.

Mid-range

Mode Sathorn

With the opening of Mode Sathorn, Siam@Siam gets the second design hotel in its Bangkok portfolio, which the brand is somewhat predictably characterizing as “fashionable lifestyle.”

The property has 201 rooms and suites in five categories, each featuring a different design concept, plus a presidential suite on the 36th floor.

F&B offerings come in the form of three restaurants and three bars.

Theatre Bar is the standout thanks to a circular TV screen and three areas segregated by your poison of choice, be it wine, beer or cocktails.

As with its sister hotel, Mode Sathorn features a rooftop bar.

If live DJs in al fresco vogue settings aren’t your thing, Secret M has a private indoor dining cove one floor below.

Galleria 10 Hotel Bangkok

Formerly the Ramada Encore, the Galleria 10 is a 188-room, chrome-and-glass hotel with modern furnishings.

There are some nice outdoor spaces for drinks around the pool.

Bangkok Treehouse

Inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden,” the 12-suite Bangkok Treehouse allows guests to get back to nature in Bang Krajao, the “green lungs of Bangkok.”

Guests arrive via a dedicated shuttle boat across the Chao Phraya, disembarking onto a floating pontoon overlooked by the hotel’s gourmet organic restaurant.

Each standard suite is divided into three levels (living room, bedroom and roof deck), offering views of the surrounding river, mangroves and coconut plantations.

Inside, the rooms are comfortable and cozy, with all the expected features (TV, DVD, Wi-Fi) and optional air-conditioning.

Loy La Long

There’s a fantastic “living room,” where guests can park on a floor cushion and watch the life on the river pass by.

Near Tha Tien Pier, Loy La Long is hidden behind a temple complex right on the edge of Chinatown.

Not easy to find, but the payoff is worth it.

Budget

Lub D

Lub D proves that being on a budget doesn’t have to mean losing out on style or location.

There are two Lub D “hostels” in Bangkok, both rocking an industrial chic design.

The original is on Decho Road, off Silom.

The newer Siam location is opposite National Stadium, close to the BTS SkyTrain and a short walk to Siam Square and the malls of Rajaprasong.

It has four-bed dorms, economy twin rooms, doubles and, our favorite, a queen-bed suite with a private bathroom and LCD TV.

The Wi-Fi is free and the beer cheap.

You won’t find those attributes in too many five-star establishments.

Dining

Nahm

Offering Thai fine dining with exquisite attention to detail, the best ingredients and authenticity, Nahm provides the best of Bangkok culinary experiences.

Head Chef David Thompson, who received a Michelin star for his London-based Thai restaurant of the same name, opened this branch in the Metropolitan Hotel in 2010.

If that doesn’t sell you, perhaps the fact it’s the only Thai restaurant to crack the top 10 of the world’s 50 best restaurants list will.

Issaya Siamese Club

Issaya Siamese Club is internationally acclaimed Thai chef Ian Kittichai’s first flagship Bangkok restaurant.

The menu in this beautifully restored colonial house features traditional Thai cuisine combined with modern cooking methods.

There a few misses but for the most part everything on the menu is unique, delicious and oh-so-pretty.

We recommend the banana blossom Thai salad, chili-glazed baby back ribs and massaman lamb.

Bo.Lan

Bo.Lan has been making waves in Bangkok’s culinary scene since it opened in 2009.

Serving hard-to-find Thai dishes in an upscale, hip atmosphere, the restaurant is true to Thai cuisine’s roots, yet still manages to add a special twist.

Located on Sukhumvit Soi 24, Bo.Lan stars include the smoked Chiang Mai river trout salad, green curry stuffed egg yolks and stir-fried beef with dried shrimp paste.

This place is good for a romantic dinner or a work meeting with colleagues who appreciate fine food.

For the especially ravenous, there’s a large set menu

Gaggan

Earning first place on the latest “Asia’s 50 best restaurants” list, progressive Indian restaurant Gaggan is one of the most exciting venues to arrive in Bangkok in recent years.

But don’t go into this place thinking you’re going to be enjoying the usual Indian dishes like butter chicken or mutton biryani.

The best table in this two-story colonial Thai home offers a window right into the kitchen, where you can see Gaggan and his staff in action.

Culinary theater at its best.

Supanniga Eating Room

If you want more from Thai cuisine than green curry, pad Thai and papaya salad Supanniga Eating Room is a great new Bangkok option.

It’s located in a narrow, three-story Thonglor shophouse, decked out with raw cement walls, yellow booths and outdoor sofas on the top floor.

Inspired by Trat province on Thailand’s southeastern coast and the northeast Isaan region, the menu has rewards for the uninitiated.

Highlights include yam pla salid thod krob (sweet and sour salad with crispy fish) and sweet and herbal moo chor muang (fatty chunks of pork in an earthy curry of sour leaves).

Almost every dish here is colorful — yes, you’ll be taking pictures of it before you eat — and the mood is casual.

Somtum Der

At this little eatery you get personal service and authentic Isaan-style street food without the street.

The restaurant is air-conditioned, which is a good thing since dishes have plenty of spice.

Chicken, pork and seafood are grilled nicely and come with sticky rice. Veggies are fresh and crisp.

A great quick, flip-flop-friendly pit stop.

Soul Food Mahanakorn

An expat favorite, low-key lighting and wood finishing define the cozy interior of this three-floor shop house.

Soul Food Mahanakorn’s kitchen revolves around what’s fresh in the markets — seafood from Sam Yan one day or meat from Or Tor Kor another.

Healthy organic foods, such as rice, meats and some vegetables, are sourced from organic farmers in the northeast.

Recommended dishes: everything. It’s all good here.

The cocktails are fantastic, too, especially the “Bangkok Bastard,” a mojito-like drink with a Thai-style twist.

Shop houses and street food

Bangkok is famous for its street food and shop-house restaurants, which makes picking just one vendor difficult.

To experience the best of Bangkok street food, we advise hitting some of the more famous eating neighborhoods and start sampling.

Most shop houses or street vendors specialize in one dish, whether it’s duck noodles, pad Thai or red pork on rice.

Nightlife

The Speakeasy

An upmarket bar with great views, The Speakeasy at Hotel Muse is set in a beautiful space on the 24th and 25th floors.

Designed to bring back some Prohibition Era nostalgia, it consists of two bars, a cigar lounge, private salas and a boardroo.

Sukhumvit Soi 11

In recent years, this busy Bangkok street in the city’s Nana area has been pumped full of hotels, tourist-friendly pubs, nightclubs and restaurants.

The latter has house-heavy DJs every night, with the occasional visiting big deal international act.

RCA

Named for the historic American highway, Route 66 is the mother of all clubs here, where the ghetto riche and urban fab descend in throngs to dance to a variety of music.

For live music, there’s Cosmic Caf.

WTF

Curious name aside, WTF on Sukhumvit Soi 51 lives up to its multi-faceted concept of food-drink-art-friendship, attracting the city’s intellectual and creative class.

WTF is comfortably tiny, with a few tables scattered around on the first floor near a well-stocked bar, while the second floor serves as a gallery space.

Maggie Choo’s

Sutton is behind several of the city’s time warping establishments, such as Iron Fairies and Fat Gutz.

At Maggie Choo’s, you get live jazz, leather armchairs, bank vaults and Queen Victoria busts juxtaposed with cocktails, tile work, lattice and heavy wooden doors.

Beautiful women clad in cheongsams hang from swings and drape themselves across the bar.

Bangkok bars can please the eyes; here are 9 of the most stunning

Shopping

Thai fashion designers

Beyond the city’s many Louis Vuitton, Herms and other big-brand boutiques at high-end malls are some talented local designers earning global praise as well.

So where to find Thailand’s hottest young designers?

Gaysorn Plaza has popular brands like Sretsis and Issue, while celeb favorite Kloset has shops at Siam Center, Siam Paragon and CentralWorld.

To check out the designs of up-and-comer k and i, head to Zen at CentralWorld.

Jatujak Weekend Market

It’s the place to go for Thai handicrafts, artwork, clothing, household goods and even pets.

The downside? It’s hot. It’s crowded. And it’s easy to get lost amid the labyrinthine network of stalls.

Yet that’s why some people love it.

The rest of us avoid the madness by going early in the morning, before 9 a.m., or later in the day, at about 4 p.m.

Jatujak Weekend Market, BTS, Mo Chit station; MRT: Chatuchak Park Station

Asiatique The Riverfront

Asiatique The Riverfront is a huge shopping and entertainment complex beside Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river.

Inspired by the city’s days as a riverside trading post in the early 1900s, it resembles a traditional pier with rows of warehouses.

The restaurants and bars include a mixture of upscale bistro-style restaurants serving Thai, Japanese, French and Italian, as well as an Irish pub and a wine bar.

There’s also an outdoor, covered food court.

The best way to get there is to hop on the free shuttle boat that runs regularly from the BTS Thaksin pier.

Attractions

Ancient City

This is the only way to tour Thailand’s most significant historical sites in a day.

Given Ancient City’s size, walking isn’t recommended.

Better to rent a golf cart or a bike to cruise around the park.

Siam Niramit

A well-designed stage production featuring more than 100 performers, Siam Niramit crams seven centuries of Thai culture into a fantastic 80-minute show that’s heavy on special effects.

Shows start daily at 8 p.m. and there’s an onsite restaurant offering a fairly standard Thai buffet dinner from 5:30 p.m.

After the show, families can check out onsite attractions like elephant rides, a recreation of a traditional Thai village and other cultural displays.

Jim Thompson House

The legend of Jim Thompson is outlined in every Thailand guidebook, while the iconic brand’s products are in 13 shops around Bangkok and two factory outlets.

The traditional Thai-style teak house, surrounded by plants and trees, is filled with Southeast Asian antiques that he acquired through his travels.

But don’t let us convince you of its quality.

Somerset Maugham, who dined with Thompson at this house in 1959, summed it up best: “You have not only beautiful things, but what is rare, you have arranged them with faultless taste.”

Museum of Contemporary Art

For a look at Thailand’s modern art scene, you’ll need to head out of the downtown core to Bangkok’s new Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).

Most of the country’s leading artists of the last 50 years are represented, as well as some lesser-known greats.

Museum of Floral Culture

This is one of Bangkok’s gorgeous surprises.

The creation of Thai floral artist Sakul Intakul, the museum is for flower and nature lovers and those with an interest in Thai flower culture.

It features exhibits of important floral cultures from civilizations across Asia such as India, China, Japan, Laos and Bali/Indonesia.

It’s housed in a beautifully preserved, 100-year-old teak mansion with colonial architecture.

Lush grounds have been transformed into an impeccably landscaped Thai-meets-Zen-style garden.

Temples

As Thailand is 95 percent Buddhist, there are of course hundreds of Bangkok temples — known in Thai as “wats.”

For a look at how locals worship, head to any one of the glittering neighborhood wats, often located far down tiny sois and well out of the way of tourist traffic.

Some are actually in massive complexes filled with halls, schools and revered statues.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/bangkok-insider-travel-guide/

0 notes

unadulteratedrebelrunaway · 6 years ago

Text

WE'RE GOOD PEOPLE TO WORK FOR

[7/27/18].

Alexander W. Benson II

What is the definition of the law?

It is when a bunch of career politicians get together to make a bunch of laws that apply only to other people.

This story isn't about politicians, but it does have something to do with illegitimate authority. The bad leader is one who doesn't understand he is leading, so he forgets he is only as good as those who serve under him. An even worse leader is one who thinks he can take the glory without earning it first. The worst kind of leader does these things as he takes without serving for the betterment of the whole.

***

Stinky and Piglet own a landscaping company called Fat Appetites. I would call Stinky a man, except he is really a spoiled rich kid who looks and sounds like a hillbilly. This wannabe looks like Fat Bastard, but without the comedic personality. Flatulence is one of his defining traits; the other is pigheadedness. I swear he passed gas every thirty seconds. That's no exaggeration. His wife, Piglet, is short, fat, and also smells, but not as bad as he does. She lacks the first of his two defining characteristics, and everybody she meets welcomes that.

The two of them shared yet another distinctive attribute: they were running a company without having any idea of what they were doing. Everyone knows the way to learn something is to acquire it because nobody is born with knowledge. Then the next major stepping stone is to be tested out. That way the person should make sure they know what they're doing. How often have you run into somebody who assumed they knew what they were doing? Well, that was these two in a nutshell. No apprenticeship, no learning, no testing, no legitimate experience, yet they assumed they knew everything. Such is the way of the know-it-all. Back to the story.

They are interviewing a bunch of people to be the new supervisor of their company. They had a bunch of people who already worked hard and knew what they were doing, but that wasn't good enough. To Stinky and Piglet, bringing in an unqualified outsider would be the best solution to a problem that didn't even exist. They didn't know it yet, but they were about to meet their match. Lucky for this outsider, their ignorance, coupled with the rule that employers tend to hire people who remind them of themselves, worked in his favor. His name was Bobcat Gay.

A legitimate company would have hired him on in an entry level position which he might have been qualified for. The proprietors in question happened to lack the qualifications themselves, so they never saw his deficit in skills and abilities. As a result, they went ahead and called him in for the interview for supervisor of the entire workforce.

"Can you tell me about your experience?" says Stinky.

"You could pay me $30 per hour and I'll be worth every penny," says Bobcat. "I am the Harley-Davidson of landscaping foreman."

"We're looking for a supervisor," says Stinky, "not a foreman."

"I am the Harley-Davidson of supervisors," says Bobcat. "I know how to do everything."

"Where did you get your experience?" says Stinky.

Bobcat throws his shoulders back like he thought he was a general and looks out the window. His favorite song is playing in his head. Two minutes of silence. "From the people I worked for."

"Can you elaborate?" says Stinky.

"I didn't have too much education because they didn't teach me nothing no how," says Bobcat. "So I worked from sunup to sundown seven days a week. I spent a lot of time doing all the different trades, so I know a bunch of things."

"You sound like you really know what you're doing," says Stinky.

"That's right," says Bobcat. "You learn by doing."

An intelligent person would have asked, "Did you apprentice anyplace? Where? How long? How many hours? What comprehensive exams did you pass? Are you a journeyman now?"

Stinky wasn't intelligent, though, and neither was Piglet. Three people sat in that room, and had Captain Kirk and Doctor Spock been there, one of them would have said, "Beam me up Scotty; there's no intelligent life down here."

"Ron?" says Piglet.

Nobody answers.

"Ronald," says Piglet, "I'm talking to you, moron. You forget your own name?"

Bobcat folds his arms behind his neck while he leans back in the chair. He is thinking, if they make me a supervisor, I'll be able to impress some of the girls I pick up. That'll get me laid a lot.

"I think she's talking to you?" says Stinky to Bobcat.

Bobcat snaps to attention. "You talking to me?"

Stinky and Piglet both say, "Yes!"

"Yes?" says Bobcat.

Piglet smiles and looks over at Stinky, "This guy presents a strong case."

Bobcat folds his arm like he thinks he is a proud member of the First Nations and just stares at the two of them.

"I think we just found our new supervisor," says Piglet.

"Agreed," says Stinky.

Stinky reaches over and shakes Bobcat's hand and says, "You're in charge of those people. When you show up tomorrow you only answer to me and Piglet. You earned this job."

Bobcat walks out the door where all the guys with tenure and seniority are standing. They all look at him.

A guy who knows his job really well walks up to shake his hand and says, "Hello, my name is Orville. If you need any help from us we'll be there for you. We want to welcome you aboard. Just because you're the new guy doesn't mean we're going to treat you any different than the rest of our team members. Welcome to the team."

Bobcat Gay avoids the handshake and looks past everybody. Then he points his finger at them and says, "I am not on anybody's team. I'm your boss. I'm easy to work with as long as you don't piss me off."

"What would that be?" says one kid.

"Just do exactly what I say and nobody's going to get hurt," says Bobcat.

The whole crew is at the work-site the next day. Everyone on the job knows what he is doing, but that doesn't stop Bobcat from pushing his puppet position on anyone who stands in his way. He pulls each man off the job he does best, and then puts them in something they are not qualified for. He fails to see the error of his ways. Everything that could go wrong does. Stinky drives up and looks at the mess.

"What are you nitwits doing?" says Stinky.

Bobcat runs up to him and says, "You gave me the dumbest workers on the planet. You can't expect me to make a masterpiece out of garbage."

Stinky walks up to one kid and tells him to wait in the truck. He turns on Bobcat and adds, "Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel with cow turds."

Bobcat has no idea who that guy is. "Good for him, whoever that guy is."

"You suck, man," says Stinky. Then he runs up to a midget who works for him and grabs that guy by the shoulders: "Get your ass in my truck right this minute. You're going home." The midget smiles from the relief to be free from the current disaster.

Stinky walks up to Bobcat. "I'm giving you a day to turn things around."

"If you gave me the right guys to work with I could turn this whole company on its ear," says Bobcat.

"Please don't," says Stinky. "I made $200,000 in sales last year. I was counting on you to keep the music playing."

Bobcat doesn't understand what that means but wouldn't care even if he did. If I was in Hollywood. I could be like those guys in the movies. Easy money. And lots of it. I deserve it. I'm Bobcat Gay, and I'm worth every penny I make. I'm the boss because I'm the smartest guy around. I dropped out in the fifth grade because school wasn't teaching me nothing. I never read or study because only dummies have to study to be smart. I was born intelligent. Why do I always have to work with a bunch of retards?

Bobcat starts passing the buck in classic fashion. "How could you be so stupid? Why do I have to bust my ass so hard?" His cell-phone rings for the hundredth time that day. He answers it.

Jim walks up to Bob. "Ted and Martin are getting written up because of that idiot. Why do Stinky and Piglet keep hiring people guys like that?"

"Because they're morons," says Bob, "that's why. They have the right guys for the job standing in front of them, but they don't see it."

"We've been working here since Stinky and Piglet started this company," says Jim. "Everybody here knows we understand this job inside and out. Plus, we've been busting our asses off. I don't see why he didn't make one of us the supervisor."

"That's because they are a couple of hypocrites," says Bob. "You ought to know by now that there's no justice when you work for people like that."

Jim laughs. "Hey, maybe we're the morons. Why don't we find decent people to work for?"

"Hey, you two," says Bobcat. "Get your asses over here and do what I say. I'm sick of always standing up for you people. Do I have to do everything around here?" Ray's phone rings again so he sits in the truck to make small talk with somebody else who doesn't have a life."

Jim and Bob get everyone together and say to them, "Hey, why don't we give Stinky and Piglet an ultimatum?" Everybody looks interested. "I say we kick that stupid lazy bastard out of the truck, and we all drive the trucks back to the shop. Then we tell Stinky to make one of us the supervisor or we all quit." Everybody likes the idea.

Al walks up to Bobcat. "Hey, numb-nuts, we need your hand over here." Bobcat steps out of the truck while he does what he does best, with the exception of passing the buck and assuming authority, talking on that phone of his. Everybody jumps in the trucks and drive off. Bobcat realizes he's been fooled, so he calls Stinky and tells him that the crew just mutinied.

Stinky and Piglet pull into the driveway. The two of them climb out the front while the other two guys jump out the back. All four start walking to the office, and Stinky turns on them. "I'm like a father to you two, yet you repay me by screwing off. I'm giving you both a write-up."

"Is that like a write-up in the paper?" says Ted, "or is that one of those things you two got form one of those idiot conventions you attended back in the late nineties?"

"A father figure?" says Martin. "Doesn't a father feed, clothe, and house his children? All without the kids having to work for it. We're employees so we work for that money. You pay us $10 per hour so we can make you $100 per hour. We make you a profit. How are you a father figure? My mother would shoot you before you even got within fifty yards. You're too fat and disgusting. That's why you're with Piglet. She's the only one that would take you."

Stinky turns around again. "I'm warning you." Stinky sees the crew pull in. He waddles toward the trucks as they pull up. "What the hell are you doing here? It's only noon, and you're all scheduled to work until 8:00 tonight."

"We're on strike," says Tim.

"On strike?" says Stinky. "This isn't the UAW."

"This is America, isn't it?" says Tim.

"Yeah?" says Stinky.

"You told us we should be proud to be Americans, right?" says Tim.

"That's right," says Stinky.

"We're a democracy, aren't we?" says Tim.

"What are you implying?" says Stinky.

"You support democracy, don't you?" says Tim.

"Yes," says Stinky.

"People who don't like freedom hate America, right?" says Tim.

Stinky looks indifferent, but after a brief pause says, "I guess so."

"We put it to a vote," says Tim, "and we've decided to fire Bobcat. The guys elected me the new supervisor."

"You can't override me like that," says Stinky.

"I believe we just did by exercising our right to vote," says Tim.

"Well, guess what?" says Stinky. "This is my company, and you're all fired. I'll just hire a bunch of other monkeys to do the job."

"What do you think the customers are going to say when their lawns aren't getting mowed?" says Tim.

"I'll tell them what I always tell them," says Stinky. "I'll say I'm just an honest businessman who got screwed over by his workers. My monkeys didn't appreciate all I've done for them, so they formed a union and demanded I pay them wages I couldn't afford, unless I raised my prices to where the customers couldn't afford to pay me. So in the interests of the customers, I fired all the leeches and hired honest men to do an honest day's work for an honest day's pay from an honest man. I'll tell them I'm doing it all for them. I don't care about what happens to me. I always put others first."

"What about your new boyfriend?" says Bob.

"Which one?" says Stinky, "I mean, what boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend."

"The one we shoved off back in the city," says Bob.

"Screw him," says Stinky. "Hey, my phone's ringing. Hello? Mister Gay? Where the hell are you? Still want your job? You'd better hurry your ass back here on the double or I'll be looking for a new supervisor. What? I don't care if you have to walk through the drug dealers and gangs. Just ignore those gangs and get here, okay? If you get mugged that's not my problem. We're good people to work for."

THE END

0 notes

captainalwayslazycollectort-blog · 7 years ago

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