#but they had their own biz so 9 40

[artunderwraps]

If it’s any consolation I got a fuckin 68 on my biology test because the teacher APPARENTLY said to study using the resource on a different site, which we have used once, instead of the notes that we literally took a few days ago in this ESSAY I WILL

Blegh I have a math quiz tomorrow and I’ve been too busy complaining abt school to fully prepare for it. this week is tiring me out and idek why it’s not that it’s been bad or anything I just haven’t wanted to go to school at all and some other stuff that’s just like. Nvm idk LMAO I just need to go to bed and sleep in and turn my empty brain off

[nickgerlich]

Food For Thought

It’s a familiar refrain in my blogs, one my students will pick up on after a few weeks of reading. To know me is to know I am a storyteller. I love to hark back to my wonder years and spin yarns about how life was like back in the good old days.

So without any further ado, I’ll start today’s blog with my favorite opening phrase: “I remember when…”

Oh yes, I remember. The late-1970s and early-1980s were tough economically. If you think inflation is bad now, ask your parents and grandparents what it was like then. And if you think that getting a mortgage today is simply out of the question, ask them about that too. Why? Because both inflation and mortgage rates were double-digit. It took a long time for everything to settle down. Heck, I bought my house in 1989 at 9%, and I thought that was a good deal.

Can you imagine the political football that would have been in last night’s Presidential Debate?

Anyway, back to the story. I was finishing up my undergrad degree, and moving to Indiana University in Bloomington to start grad school. My buddy and I had an apartment, so there was no cafeteria at which we could seek culinary refuge. We were on our own. And buying groceries was a tough proposition.

Things were so bad that manufacturers launched what was known as generics, food products in bland packaging without any kind of branding whatsoever. They were much cheaper than the nationally-branded products, as well as the private label products many large retail chains offered. The food was good, even if we were getting all of the irregulars, like the oddly-shaped peach halves, beans, and other canned items.

There was a stigma attached to buying those plain white or yellow cans with the black stripe. Your shopping cart may as well been screaming “I’m poor! I’m poor!” Generics became the butt of jokes back then, and at the expense of the people who needed them the most.

Once the economy recovered, generics went away, leaving us with national and private brands, with the latter recently coming into prominence once again during the current round of inflation. Walmart and Target have doubled down on their private label brands, launching several successful lines. Chains like Aldi and Trader Joe’s are about 85% private label.

And now Amazon has joined the fray. While they have also had private label goods in both their food and non-food products, they announced the arrival of a new line of even cheaper private label foods, Amazon Saver. One look at the packaging and I was transported back in time 40 years to generics, because these very closely resemble them, aside from the subtle Amazon branding at the top of the label.

In other words, these are “almost generic,” and positioned to appeal to the most cash-strapped customers. They will be available in Amazon’s small but growing number of grocery stores, as well as online. Most items come in under $5. Of course, only dry goods can be shipped, although if you live within range of their store, home delivery can be arranged for everything in the new line.

Amazon’s entrant signals their longstanding desire to break into the grocery business in a big way, something it has had limited success with so far, aside from its Whole Foods division. Groceries are an evergreen category, meaning that we buy them year-round. While margins in the food biz are low (think 20-22% gross profit on products, and 1-2% net profit at the store level), volume makes up for it. We have to eat.

These new items have to be good, though, or at least good enough to pass consumer muster. Consumers might be willing to sacrifice a little, but not a lot. After all, what we put in our mouth is of high importance.

As with private labels, Amazon must contract with food manufacturers to purchase their unused capacity. While there are some food companies that produce only private labels, the majority of the private labels (and the generics of yore) are from very familiar companies who find it in their best interests to utilize their capacity, even if it effectively means they are creating their own competition.

Still, the stark, blunt wording on the packaging reminds me of the generic days during grad school. “Pancake Syrup,” “Sweet Peas,” and so forth merely tell us what’s inside. Marketing hyperbole is kept to a minimum, with only the Amazon Saver micro-branding visible. That’s another way of saying they didn’t waste any money hiring graphic designers to craft fancy logos, characters, and so forth. Just the food, ma’am.

One other thing to consider: For those who don’t have an Amazon Fresh store near them, online ordering is the only other option. But the poorest among us are also the least likely to shop online, because that requires credit and debit cards. While Amazon has ventured into accepting state- and federal assistance payments for food, it’s a clunky proposition. Thus, the new line will likely appeal most to those a little less stressed financially, like the middle class.

The bottom line, though, is that this is a solid move by Amazon, and even if inflation stays relatively low, it is highly doubtful that prices will go down, except for promotions. That leaves everyone else trying to catch up, no small feat when all the other costs of living have skyrocketed. Good on Amazon for seeing an opportunity, and seizing it. I can only wish we had this in the early-80s.

Dr “What’s On Your Plate?” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[thetopben]

Every fifth question.

..WELL OKAY THEN! 😂 Someone's curious!

5. Whats your favorite color? Green! I do make it kind of obvious haha.

10. What shoe size are you? Like about an 8 and a half to a 9

15. What talents do you have? I've got a photographic memory! I can remember anything I've seen pretty damn clearly. Also I'm a lot more athletic than I look but people expect that from the whole superheroing biz. Though some people don't, they think the alien forms mean I don't have to strain much. Running for ten minutes as Humungosaur might make me cover a whole lot more ground but it's not any easier than running for ten minutes as myself!

20. Are you a good actor? No 😌 Tried to go undercover and was successful for a couple months but that was because they were all frog aliens that were used to straightforward war and combat and not so much subterfuge. And also Gwen knew who I was like immediately but she doesn't count so much she's Gwen.

25. Whats the furthest you’ve ever been on vacation? I spent a weekend on my partner's home planet a couple times. Though we have been talking about taking a vacation to a different universe! That'd be cool we can just be normal tourists for once.

30. Whats your favorite sport? Soccer!! ⚽ I used to play on my school's team from elementary to like the first year of high school! I was a pretty good goalie ngl

35. Do you want children? WHOA NOW I THINK I GOTTA FIND A GOOD LIKE GIRLFRIEND OR SOMETHING FIRST 💦 but like uhhh.. Kinda? Maybe? Being a dad could be pretty cool.

40. If you could go back in time to change one thing what would it be? I have had my fill of time travel, thanks.

45. Have you ever had any brushes with the law? I have been locked up in like 4 or 5 different government's jailhouses. The longest was four days so it's not like it was super long but yeah. Not so much anymore, at least.

50. If you could live anywhere, where would that be? Like, any possibilities? I still have daydreams about making my own city. Alien capital of Earth, a way to bring people from across the galaxy together. Kind of like what Asmuth was thinking when he made the Omnitrix, only a little more literal haha! But yeah if I could get enough money and like. Get someone to teach me how to make your own town and stuff. And have someone else to run it because I can't be mayor and a superhero at the same time like that just wouldn't work out. Too many scheduling conflicts.

55. How many Pillows do you sleep with? Like three. Though two sometimes wind up on the floor by the time I wake up so. Some nights just one! 😄

60. Do you like scary movies? Sure! I like action movies a bit more but scary ones are usually pretty fun

65. What’s your favorite condiment? That's. A thing people have? Uhhhhhh mustard maybe? Good for fries and for chili and for chili fries. Okay I guess ketchup is more versatile. Oh wait no ranch, ranch can go on like ANYTHING, it even makes celery taste good and celery tastes like dirty water.

70. What football team do you support? Bellwood's 'cause I'm basic 😌

75. If you could change anything about yourself what would it be? Hmmmmm nah. I think I've hit a pretty good balance with everything.

80. Have you ever had a secret admirer? Insert that meme picture of the guy with the cigarette. I'm a celebrity so it kind of. Goes without saying? Look some people get real damn creepy

85. Can you solve Sudoku puzzles? Probably yeah but I usually do the little picture ones instead. You know the ones where you color in the squares based on like five in this row six in that column? Them ones!

90. What has been your worst haircut/style? I may or may not have had that hairstyle that was like short in the back but everything pushed up front into some real hard sideswept bangs when I was like. 13. Y'know like that guy in the basketball slash theater movie. Or that one singer when he was a teenager and every guy hated him but every girl loved him. Yeah like that. Except it looked crap on me LOL

95. Whats your favorite TV commercial? I feel like I answered this one once before? I'll have to go through and see if I can find it now because I'm pretty sure I did. It was a Japanese one about a breakfast drink and people like rappel down from the ceiling and it's great.

100. Do you have a strong local accent? Hhhhhow local are we talking? Bellwood doesn't really have it's own accent. It's. American? Not like Southern though. Not really midwestern. I don't know it just sounds normal to me?? How do you quantify a strong accent when you're not comparing it to anything else anyway?

105. Whats your favorite saying? You know what I'm just going to be lame and cheesy and pick the things that I say like "going hero" or "it's hero time" like both of them are things I say a lot. No those aren't sayings those are catchphrases aren't they? Uhhhhh.

Oh I know.

Helping people isn't about the rewards. It's just the right thing to do.

My grandpa said that to me a lot when I was little and wanted people to think I was the coolest for having the watch. He made sure I kept doing things for the right reasons.

110. What is your dream? This was a LOT of questions so I'm just going to be lazy and go back to the where I wanna live one. Build a city! But that's not like a goal or anything it's just a fun daydream.

[rejjiashowarchive]

Before I had my own solo radio show (The Rejjia Show), I had a collaboration radio show with my friend, Alexis Kline (Lexi). We did music of the Oldies genre. When we had our very last show together, we threw a party and this was the playlist. It’s literally a little over 100 songs. Yes, play them in order please!

1, Just a Friend - Biz Markie

2. It Wasn’t Me - Shaggy ft. Rik Rok

3. Smack That - Akon

4. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

5. Party Up - DMX

6. Let Me Blow Your Mind - Eve, Gwen Stefani

7. Don’t Cha - The Pussycat Dolls ft. Busta Rhymes

8. Jump by Kris Kross

9. Gold Digger - Kanye West ft. Jamie Fox

10. Jump Around - House of Pain

11. O.P.P. - Naughty By Nature

12. Insane in the Brain - Cypress Hill

13. Mary Jane - Rick James

14. Intergalactic - Beastie Boys

15. Work It - Missy Elliott

16. Poison - Bell Biv DeVoe

17. Get ur Freak On - Missy Elliott

18. Lip Gloss - Lil Mama

19. It Takes Two - Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock

20. Crank That - Soulja Boy

21. Fergalicious - Fergie ft will.i.am

22. Pony - Ginuwine

23. Lean Back - Terror Squad ft. Remy

24. Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani 

25. Caught Up - Usher

25. Fantasy - Mariah Carey ft. O.D.B.

26. Touch It - Busta Rhymes 

26. Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See - Busta Rhymes

27. Doin’ It - LL Cool J

28. Still Not A Player - Big Pun ft. Joe

29. The Humpty Dance - Digital Underground

30. This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan

31. Get Low - Ying Yang Twins, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz

32. It Was A Good Day - Ice Cube

33. My Name Is - Eminem 

34. Foolish - Ashanti

35. Be Faithful - Fat Man Scoop

36. Drop It Like It’s Hot - Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell Williams

37. The Real Slim Shady - Eminem 

38. Milkshake - Kelis 

39. Dilemma - Nelly ft. Kelly Rowland 

40. Hot In Herre - Nelly 

41. Run It! - Chris Brown ft Juelz Santana

42. Never Leave You - Lumidee

43. Tambourine - Eve

44. Move Bitch - Disturbing Tha Peace, Ludacris, Mystikal, I-20

45.  Let Me Clear My Throat (Live) - DJ Kool, Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie, 

46. The Way I Are - Timberland ft. Keri Hilson

47. Kiss Kiss - Chris Brown ft. T-Pain

48. My Prerogative - Bobby Brown 

49. Carry Out - Timberland ft. Justin Timberlake 

50. Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake 

51. Ruff Ryders’ Anthem - DMX

52. Mrs. Officer - Lil Wayne ft. Bobby V. & Kidd Kidd

53. Love, Sex Magic - Ciara ft. Justin Timberlake 

54. Rude Boy - Rihanna 

55. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas

56. Just A Friend - Mario

57. SexyBack - Justin Timberlake 

58. I Get Around - 2Pac, Digital Underground

59. One, Two Step - Ciara ft. Missy Elliott

60. Buy You A Drank - T-Pain ft. Yung Joc

61. Glamorous - Fergie ft. Ludacris

62. Umbrella - Rihanna ft. JAY-Z

*63. E.T. - Katy Perry ft. Kanye West 

64. My Humps - Black Eyed Peas

65. Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson

66. Just Lose It - Eminem 

67. Beautiful - Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell Williams 

68. Roses - Outkast

69. So Fresh, So Clean - Outkast

70. Stand Up - Ludacris ft. Shawnna

71. Pass The Courvoisier Part II - Busta Rhymes ft. Diddy and Pharrell Williams

72. I’m a Slave 4 U - Brittany Spears 

73. Temperature - Sean Paul 

74. London Bridge - Fergie 

75. In Da Club - 50 Cent 

76. Get Busy - Sean Paul

77. Promiscuous - Nelly Furtado ft. Timberland 

78. Naughty Girl - Beyonce 

79. Don’t Phunk With My Heart - Black Eyed Peas

80. Lose My Breath - Destiny’s Child

81. Lose Control - Missy Elliott ft. Ciara and Fat Man Scoop

82. Closer - Ne-Yo

83. Murder She Wrote - Chaka Demus & The Pliers ft. Sly & Robbie

84. Yeah! - Usher ft. Lil Jon and Ludacris

85. Get Back - Ludacris

86. Candy Shop - 50 Cent ft. Olivia

87. American Boy - Estelle ft. Kanye West

88. Rich Girl - Gwen Stefani ft. Eve

89. Hey Ya! - Outkast

90. Always On Time - Ja Rule ft. Ashanti

91. My Boo - Usher ft. Alicia Keys

92. P.I.M.P. - 50 Cent

93. Shortie Like Mine - Bow Wow ft. Chris Brown and Johnta Austin

94. I’m Real (Murder Remix)- Jennifer Lopez ft. Ja Rule

95. Get Right - Jennifer Lopez ft. Fabolous 

96. Gin and Juice - Snoop Dogg ft. Daz Dillinger 

97. Stuntin’ Is A Habit - David Banner, Jim Jones, Yung Joc, Chris Brown

98. Upgrade U - Beyonce ft. JAY-Z

99. Goodies - Ciara ft. Petey Pablo

100. Salt Shaker - Ying Yang Twins ft. Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz

101. Hypnotize - The Notorious B.I.G.

102. Big Poppa - The Notorious B.I.G.

103. Mo Money Mo Problems - The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Puff Daddy and Mase

104. Whatever You Like - T.I.

105. Get Money - The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Junior M.A.F.I.A.

*definitely an odd one out 

[ocsongthesoulsinger]

Raw Brilliance Media

Let Love Shine is so fitting a song at this time in my life. Stepping outside of your normal habits and movements in your life can be scary and overwhelming.

Reaching out and connecting with other people, and sharing your creative ideas can also be a bit overwhelming. In 2017 I began re-thinking my approach in my music career. A different way as an independent woman in music I mean. After years of flailing around and wondering why I wasn’t moving in the way that I wished, it would seem obvious to some to just quit.

However, I could not quit. This is the breath in my lungs. The beat in my heart. But, I was getting tired and jaded. When I had a conversation with a friend about work and needing money, she invited me to work down in El Paso,Texas.

It was one of the most grueling jobs I’ve ever had. Literally working 15 hours a day not including the 30 min ride to and from the worksite. However, I learned a ton of lessons in that 4 month stint. Here’s at least ten things off the top of my head:

1. Music is part of who I am. No matter where I go music somehow gets involved.

2. Amazing people are everywhere. You have to just speak and listen to them.

3. If you can work 15 hours a day 21 days straight for someone, then you can certainly apply the same energy and time to your dreams and passion, in my case music.

4. If you decide to do it and then just begin, the rest will come.

5. I did not have 15 years experience in the music business, but instead I repeated the same year about 12 times and really only had about 3 solid years experience in the biz. I have a lot to learn.

6. I wasn’t really hustling correctly, I was “burning calories” as a friend of mine once said to me.

7. Not everyone wants to see you succeed.

8. If you believe it will happen, it often does.

9. What is for you NO ONE can block.

10. Never let a person change your spirit.

These lessons and a few others that I learned seem simple and common sense, but that wasn’t the case for me. I am an emotional empath and I move by “feeling”. Often I just want to “feel” good, and therefore would follow what felt good, instead of what was actually good for me. I lacked focus on one initiative, and entertained many ideas long enough to be disappointed by them. I would then go back to whatever I thought was the best course of action.

Throughout my career two things remain true and haven’t changed. One I knew I wanted to write and sing my own lyrics and story. Two I wanted to create high art, not just bubble gum music. Two simple ideas that thrust me into a world of confusion. That is a story for a later date.

Anyway, while I was in El Paso, TX working with the children from South America crossing into America, I met many wonderful people. One of those very special persons I met was Jeremy Johnson AKA Mansa_JK. You would never have known that this young man was a filmmaker in the making by just looking at him. His job was 12 hours of picking up trash in our tent city of 2,000 people. Quite a job! It was July and temperatures started at 98 and went up to 108 for 2 months straight. We chatted many times while I served him coffee and I told him I would shoot my own music videos. He didn’t laugh. He asked me how I planned to do it.

For weeks I told him all of my ideas. Showed him my sample shots my framing etc. And then one day he said I will help you. I was so geeked, and couldn’t wait to contact him when I got back to San Marcos, cause he lives in Austin! It was kizmit!

Here we are 3 years later and he is working on our third video together. Turns out he is UBER talented and has a lot to offer. When he told me the name of his company “Raw Brilliance Media” it seemed ordained by God and the Universe because his talent is RAW and Brilliant.

On this video I let go. I am relinquishing a little of my crazy creative control. Part of my evolution and growth as an artist. I see this next music video as a real beginning to something awesome.

This is my last year in the 40’s. When I was younger I thought 40 was the beginning of the end, and 50 was the end of young life. Now I see 50 as my beginning and the 49 years before as the lessons and stories that have been given to me to tell through music. God willing I will prepare for my 50 th birthday (July 1, 2021) this year by working on me and doing things I would never do. I will

LET LOVE SHINE

Thank you @MansaJK

#OcSong

#Shooting

#JeremyJohnson

#RawBrillianceMedia

#LetLoveShine

#NewBeginnings

#WomenInMusic

#IndieArtist

#SongWilliamson

#ComingSoon

#NewMusicVideo

#DontStop

[tweetcando]

twitter likes should we know?

Twitter's origins lie in a "daylong brainstorming session" held by board members of the podcasting company Odeo. Jack Dorsey, then an undergraduate student at New York University, introduced the idea of an individual using an SMS service to communicate with a small group.[25][26] The original project code name for the service was twttr, an idea that Williams later ascribed to Noah Glass,[27] inspired by Flickr and the five-character length of American SMS short codes. The decision was also partly due to the fact that the domain twitter.com was already in use, and it was six months after the launch of twttr that the crew purchased the domain and changed the name of the service to Twitter.[28] The developers initially considered "10958" as a short code, but later changed it to "40404" for "ease of use and memorability".[29] Work on the project started on March 21, 2006, when Dorsey published the first Twitter message at 9:50 p.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST): "just setting up my twttr".[4] Dorsey has explained the origin of the "Twitter" title:

s Angeles Lakers' victory in the 2010 NBA Finals on June 17,[48] and then again at the close of Japan's victory over Denmark in the World Cup when users published 3,283 tweets per second.[49] The record was set again during the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup Final between Japan and the United States, when 7,196 tweets per second were published.[50] When American singer Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, Twitter servers crashed after users were updating their status to include the words "Michael Jackson" at a rate of 100,000 tweets per hour.[51] The current record as of August 3, 2013 was set in Japan, with 143,199 tweets per second during a television screening of the movie Castle in the Sky[52] (beating the previous record of 33,388, also set by Japan for the television screening of the same movie).[53]

Twitter acquired application developer Atebits on April 11, 2010. Atebits had developed the Apple Design Award-winning Twitter client Tweetie for the Mac and iPhone. The application, now called "Twitter" and distributed free of charge, is the official Twitter client for the iPhone, iPad and Mac.[54]

From September through October 2010, the company began rolling out "New Twitter", an entirely revamped edition of twitter.com. Changes included the ability to see pictures and videos without leaving Twitter itself by clicking on individual tweets which contain links to images and clips from a variety of supported websites including YouTube and Flickr, and a complete overhaul of the interface, which shifted links such as '@mentions' and 'Retweets' above the Twitter stream, while 'Messages' and 'Log Out' became accessible via a black bar at the very top of twitter.com. As of November 1, 2010, the company confirmed that the "New Twitter experience" had been rolled out to all users. In 2019, Twitter was announced to be the 10th most downloaded mobile app of the decade, from 2010 to 2019.[55]

2011–2014 On April 5, 2011, Twitter tested a new homepage and phased out the "Old Twitter".[56] However, a glitch came about after the page was launched, so the previous "retro" homepage was still in use until the issues were resolved; the new homepage was reintroduced on April 20.[57][58] On December 8, 2011, Twitter overhauled its website once more to feature the "Fly" design, which the service says is easier for new users to follow and promotes advertising. In addition to the Home tab, the Connect and Discover tabs were introduced along with a redesigned profile and timeline of Tweets. The site's layout has been compared to that of Facebook.[59][60] On February 21, 2012, it was announced that Twitter and Yandex agreed to a partnership. Yandex, a Russian search engine, finds value within the partnership due to Twitter's real time news feeds. Twitter's director of business development explained that it is important to have Twitter content where Twitter users go.[61] On March 21, 2012, Twitter celebrated its sixth birthday while also announcing that it had 140 million users and 340 million tweets per day. The number of users was up 40% from their September 2011 number, which was said to have been at 100 million at the time.[62]

In April 2012, Twitter announced that it was opening an office in Detroit, with the aim of working with automotive brands and advertising agencies.[63] Twitter also expanded its office in Dublin.[64] On June 5, 2012, a modified logo was unveiled through the company blog, removing the text to showcase the slightly redesigned bird as the sole symbol of Twitter.[65][66] On October 5, 2012, Twitter acquired a video clip company called Vine that launched in January 2013.[67][68] Twitter released Vine as a standalone app that allows users to create and share six-second looping video clips on January 24, 2013. Vine videos shared on Twitter are visible directly in users' Twitter feeds.[69] Due to an influx of inappropriate content, it is now rated 17+ in Apple's[needs update][70] app store.[71] On December 18, 2012, Twitter announced it had surpassed 200 million monthly active users. Twitter hit 100 million monthly active users in September 2011.[72]

On January 28, 2013, Twitter acquired Crashlytics in order to build out its mobile developer products.[73]

On April 18, 2013, Twitter launched a music app called Twitter Music for the iPhone.[74] On August 28, 2013, Twitter acquired Trendrr,[75] followed by the acquisition of MoPub on September 9, 2013.[76] As of September 2013, the company's data showed that 200 million users sent over 400 million tweets daily, with nearly 60% of tweets sent from mobile devices.[77] On June 4, 2014, Twitter announced that it would acquire Namo Media, a technology firm specializing in "native advertising" for mobile devices.[78] On June 19, 2014, Twitter announced that it had reached an undisclosed deal to buy SnappyTV, a service that helps edit and share video from television broadcasts.[79][80] The company was helping broadcasters and rights holders to share video content bo

...we came across the word 'twitter', and it was just perfect. The definition was 'a short burst of inconsequential information,' and 'chirps from birds'. And that's exactly what the product was.[30]

The first Twitter prototype, developed by Dorsey and contractor Florian Weber, was used as an internal service for Odeo employees.[31] The full version was introduced publicly on July 15, 2006.[13] In October 2006, Biz Stone, Evan Williams, Dorsey, and other members of Odeo formed Obvious Corporation and acquired Odeo, together with its assets — including Odeo.com and Twitter.com — from the investors and shareholders.[32] Williams fired Glass, who was silent about his part in Twitter's startup until 2011.[33] Twitter spun off into its own company in April 2007.[34] Williams provided insight into the ambiguity that defined this early period in a 2013 interview:

With Twitter, it wasn't clear what it was. They called it a social network, they called it microblogging, but it was hard to define, because it didn't replace anything. There was this path of discovery with something like that, where over time you figure out what it is. Twitter actually changed from what we thought it was in the beginning, which we described as status updates and a social utility. It is that, in part, but the insight we eventually came to was Twitter was really more of an information network than it is a social network.[35]

The tipping point for Twitter's popularity was the 2007 South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) conference. During the event, Twitter usage increased from 20,000 tweets per day to 60,000.[36][37] "The Twitter people cleverly placed two 60-inch plasma screens in the conference hallways, exclusively streaming Twitter messages," remarked Newsweek's Steven Levy. "Hundreds of conference-goers kept tabs on each other via constant twitters. Panelists and speakers mentioned the service, and the bloggers in attendance touted it."[38] Reaction at the conference was highly positive. Blogger Scott Beale said that Twitter was "absolutely ruling" SXSWi. Social software researcher danah boyd said Twitter was "owning" the conference.[39] Twitter staff received the festival's Web Award prize with the remark "we'd like to thank you in 140 characters or less. And we just did!"[40]

The first unassisted off-Earth Twitter message was posted from the International Space Station by NASA astronaut T. J. Creamer on January 22, 2010.[41] By late November 2010, an average of a dozen updates per day were posted on the astronauts' communal account, @NASA_Astronauts. NASA has also hosted over 25 "tweetups", events that provide guests with VIP access to NASA facilities and speakers with the goal of leveraging participants' social networks to further the outreach goals of NASA. In August 2010, the company appointed Adam Bain from News Corp.'s Fox Audience Network as president of revenue.[42]

twitter followers buy

2007–2010 The company experienced rapid initial growth. It had 400,000 tweets posted per quarter in 2007. This grew to 100 million tweets posted per quarter in 2008. In February 2010, Twitter users were sending 50 million tweets per day.[43] By March 2010, the company recorded over 70,000 registered applications.[44] As of June 2010, about 65 million tweets were posted each day, equaling about 750 tweets sent each second, according to Twitter.[45] As of March 2011, that was about 140 million tweets posted daily.[46] As noted on Compete.com, Twitter moved up to the third-highest-ranking social networking site in January 2009 from its previous rank of twenty-second.[47]

Jack Dorsey, co-founder and CEO of Twitter, in 2009 Twitter's usage spikes during prominent events. For example, a record was set during the 2010 FIFA World Cup when fans wrote 2,940 tweets per second in the thirty-second period after Japan scored against Cameroon on June 14. The record was broken again when 3,085 tweets per second were posted after the Lo

[way-down-meme-town]

The Prom (Act I) Lyric Meme

Changing Lives 1. "When I'm in character, I go insane." 2. "I make the audiences feel my pain, and if they don't leave depressed, then I've not done my job." 3. "Even the people who are dead inside will shout bravo." 4. "It means that this tour de force will not be forced to tour." 5. "Cheers to a show that's so inspiring it's almost too much to sit through." 6. "In two words, it's history-making." 7. "That's why every actor strives for adulation and compensation that comes from nightly changing lives."

Changing Lives (Reprise) 8. "We're gonna prove that in this day and age, being gay isn't a crime." 9. "This is our moment to change the world one lesbian at a time." 10. "We're gonna help that little lesbian whether she likes it or not." 11. "When you're a legendary thespian, first you help the distressed then you help the distraught." 12. "Why sing and dance when you can take a chance and know you're truly changing lives." 13. "We're gonna match until that town looks like the end of act one of Les Mis." 14. "You don't gotta have a Ph.D in psych to know that people kowtow to the folks in the biz."

Just Breathe 15. "Note to self: don't be gay in Indiana." 16. "There are places where it's in to be out, maybe San Francisco or thereabout." 17. "If you're not straight, then guess what's bound to hit the fan." 18. "Just breathe. Not everyone is that repressed." 19. "Just breathe. It wouldn't be high school without a test." 20. "Just close your eyes and count to ten. Go to your happy place." 21. "Who's this girl you're gonna bring to the prom, anyway?" 22. "I didn't know we had more than one lesbo in town." 23. "You don't know her. She's new here." 24. "Note to self: people suck in Indiana." 25. "Leave today. Pray the grayhound isn't full." 26. "Who knew asking out a girl to prom would go over just like an atom bomb." 27. "Just breathe. Picture a beach with golden sand." 28. "Okay, I just got off the phone with the states attorney. Like I suspected, they think this is a civil rights issue." 29. "Just breathe. Remember that thing called oxygen." 30. "Just breathe. Look at the crazy state you're in."

It's Not About Me 31. "I wanna tell the people of whatever this town's called I know what's going on here, and frankly, I'm appalled." 32. "Unless I'm doing The Miracle Worker, I won't play blind, deaf, and dumb." 33. "Listen, you bigoted monsters, just who do you think you are?" 34. "How do you silence a woman who's known for her belt?" 35. "Go on then, threaten to riot. It won't phase me in the least." 36. "I understand furious townsfolk. I did Beauty and the Beast." 37. "Equality should be this country's norm." 38. "This is how actors intervene, through fiery song and dance breaks." 39. "Although I'm rich and famous, publicity is not my final goal." 40. "Wait, this is not about me."

Dance With You 41. "I don't want to start a riot." 42. "I don't want to blaze a trail." 43. "I don't want to be a symbol or cautionary tale." 44. "I don't want to be a scapegoat for people to oppose." 45. "What I want is simple as far as wanting goes." 46. "I just wanna dance with you. Let the whole world melt away." 47. "When we're through, no one can convince us we were wrong." 48. "All it takes is you and me and a song." 49. "I don't need a big production, streamers hanging in the air." 50. "I don't need to spend the night with confetti in my hair." 51. "I don't need a room of people that I don't really know." 52. "I just want to hold you and never let you go." 53. "Two people swaying slowly, nothing more and nothing less. Why anybody fears that is anybody's guess."

The Acceptance Song 54. "Flowers accept the rain and grow more beautiful." 55. "Babies accept their mother's breast so they can grow strong." 56. "I accept that I was born a handsome man." 57. "Bigotry's not big of me and it's not big of you." 58. "Let's all work together to make rainbow dreams come true." 59. "Acorns accept the sun and turn to mighty oaks." 60. "Let us accept one another. Join our fight today."

You Happened 61. "Since JV football I've been adored, big man on campus but oh so bored." 62. "My life was perfect, but so routine. I prayed for someone to intervene." 63. "Something new happened and turned my life around entirely, and that's cause you happened." 64. "There's not one subject that I could pass before you walked into my Spanish class." 65. "Life without you was no bueno." 66. "I won't hide if you're by my side."

We Look To You 67. "My days have little glamour." 68. "That's why I love theather. It's how I escape." 69. "Theater is a distraction? Is that what you're saying?" 70. "A distraction is momentary. An escape helps you heal." 71. "We look to you in good times and bad." 72. "The worlds you create make the real ones seem less sad." 73. "The curtain goes up and every now and then, it feels as if we're coming home again." 74. "We need a place to run to when everything goes wrong." 75. "We look to you, as strange as it seems, when reality goes to scary extremes." 76. "This I guarantee. Next time you think no one cares, you can look to me."

Tonight Belongs To You 77. "He can turn this butch-y duck into a swan." 78. "Your whole look could use a shake-up. You can borrow all my make-up." 79. "Treat the whole world like your runway." 80. "Make it fierce but in a fun way." 81. "I don't mean to be rude, dear, but you could use some attitude." 82. "Let's show the school that tonight belongs to you." 83. "One things universal, life's no dress rehearsal. So why not make some waves before it's through?" 84. "Go big or you've blown it." 85. "It's time that you own it." 86. "Let's make it clear that tonight belongs to you." 87. "I can guess your whole agenda." 88. "You be Elphie. I'm Galinda." 89. "It's makeover time, so why not just give in?" 90. "Oh, god. I can't believe this is finally happening." 91. "She almost ruined it for all of us." 92. "I hate to sound conceited, but the boys get overheated when I strike a pose or two like thus." 93. "You have to hand it to me. I mean, even I would do me." 94. "I have worked very hard on this night and I have a right to enjoy it, too." 95. "You are going to have a wonderful prom. Like a normal girl. I made sure of that." 96. "Trust me, fixing little problems is what I do." 97. "You're my superstar. Now get your ass in the car." 98. "Make it clear that tonight belongs to us."

[weekendwarriorblog]

30 Minute Experiment: Work #30ME

So I’ve already gone through a couple Pink Floyd titles and one from The Cult, so I might as well start working my way through The Godfathers’ Birth School Work Death in terms of topics for this 30 Minute Experiment. (For anyone just joining, the idea is that I pick a topic and write about it for 30 minutes straight, without interruptions. When the time is up, I post. No edits, no re-reads, probably many regrets.)  Okay, let’s do this...

It will surprise absolutely no one that I’m a bit of a workaholic and I’ve been one for most of my life. I think my first job must have been when I was 14 or 15 or so when I got a bicycle and started delivering newspaper, a job that I quite liked because it was a quiet suburban neighborhood in Westport where not a lot happened. (I do remember one day being flashed by an older woman who came to the door wearing absolutely nothing not realizing I was on the other side leaving her newspaper.)

One of the weird things going on in this pandemic is that after losing a writing gig I had just started, it gets harder and harder to push myself to do the much-needed work I have to do, whether it’s doing these #30Mes or writing my weekly Weekend Warrior column or cleaning or working on some of my long dormant screenplays or even writing to my imprisoned penpal (who I just got a letter from so I need to get back to him fairly soon.)

At a certain point, everything seems like work, even if it’s just scheduling time to hang out on Zoom with friends or family, which is something I did far less of in the days pre-pandemic (Can we maybe start a new numbering system so that 2020 is Year One and every year that follows would be 1 Post-Pandemic for 2021, etc? It feels suitable.)

But this whole time and even over the past four years I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to find some form of steady work, and sadly, things were so unstable pre-pandemic that it’s only gotten harder as more of my movie-writing colleagues are losing jobs and there are far more opportunities. I mean, anyone who reads my Weekend Warrior every week (or EVER!) will know that there are still movies being released, even if not all of them are getting any kind of theatrical release. Some of them are even quite good. 

I was talking to one of my colleagues last night about the work situation and how everything just came to a stop in March when most of us had things planned or in the works, which unfortunately revolved mostly around movies. 

But the current situation has become a great equalizer in terms of people needing to cover a lot more smaller indie movies, TV series and streaming stuff if they want to keep their jobs. I’m pretty sure that the job market is going to look very different in a few months as the country starts slowly reopening, and I think the people who don’t want to do the actual work like going to see movies and having varied tastes, won’t survive. They’ll just give up and go take one of those regular 9 to 5 desk jobs that are out there.

Believe me, I’ve been ready to make that transition for a couple years as I lost a lot of freelance outlets, some being closed, others just going in a different direction. It’s tough out there, and it’s really hard for me to take any sort of dog-eat-dog mentality when it comes to work, because I don’t like seeing my friends struggling. That hurts me almost as much as my own struggle (which I’m happy to say has taken an interesting and slightly positive turn this week).

Sure, I’m definitely ready to be done with this and to get back to work, even though it’s been some time since I’ve had any steady work hours -- probably the Tracking Board where I was doing a 9 to 5 shift five days a week -- and I’m going to have to get back into some of the good working habits. I already try to go to sleep at a reasonable hour and don’t stay up past midnight playing video games (or Android games) or doing some of the other distractions that would keep anyone else from getting work done.

I mean, if you read today’s Weekend Warrior, you’ll see that I spent a lot of time watching and writing about a bunch of movies just so that people will have some idea that there is good movie entertainment still coming their way which hopefully they’ll look into it. I don’t want to too far down the tangential wormhole of the movie biz right -- I’ll have plenty of time to talk about that over the next few months -- but the pandemic equalizer that I mentioned hasn’t really helped the smaller indie movies as I’d hoped since people still would rather throw on Netflix or Hulu or HBO and binge watch some show or another. 

I have a LOT of stuff that I’ve been meaning to watch but my desire to keep my brain in gear and stay motivated in terms of my writing has led to things like this experiment, which I’ve done a pretty good job keeping up with. If I really look at this to see how it helps me in terms of earning a living, I think I can say fairly that it’s a daily job that forces me to think and write quickly, which is something that’s important for most of the better writing jobs out there. And it only takes 30 minutes a day, so it’s not like it’s taking me away from any of the time-wasting activities I’d love to do instead.

Sure, I’m definitely trying to use this time productively even if the “work” I’m doing doesn’t do much to help me financially, although I will say that doing this stuff helps me both mentally and emotionally, which is half the battle when you’re dealing with a job and people you have to work with. I learned that the hard way at a few of my recent jobs post-CS, but I’m not going to get into all of that. I believe very strongly that sometimes you just have to do something to maintain your own mental health even when it’s not the best decision on the grand scheme of things.

I do miss having some of the structure of a job in my life even though I feel my calendar is just filling up with other things, even if it’s just doing things to help support my friend’s own mental and emotional health by taking part in their activities. Believe me, as much as the monotony of the day-to-day may have been getting to me a few weeks back, I feel like I’ve moved past that, and now I’m so focused and disciplined about getting things done, who knows? Maybe I’ll even have a few screenplays done by the time I’m allowed to go to a movie theater or press screening again.

I can only imagine how much harder this is for my friends and family who have gotten used to going to an office five days a week and have built their entire lives around that structure. Of my immediate family, only my sister and her husband and kids were doing anything in that vein, since both my brother and I have always been homebodies for the most part.

Right now, I’m not sure if I could even deal with going on the subway every day to go to a job, but thankfully, more businesses are figuring out how to stay running while allowing employees to work from home. At least as a writer, I don’t necessarily have to be anywhere, although as I’ve said before, I still prefer to see movies on the big screen... preferably without my own name watermarked across it. (This is done to avoid piracy, obviously, since it can be traced right back to me.)

Although I’m slowly inching towards a point in life where most people are ready to retire, I think I’ll be good to keep working in some capacity or other for at least the next ten years. The down time in between jobs these past few years has made it far easier for me to be thrifty so it’s no like I’m trying to support a ridiculous comic book habit anymore and have less need for consumerism. 

I can’t remember if I discussed during the “money” topic but I do feel better when i know i have money just in case I want to do something fun when that’s allowed again. There have been too many times in recent years where I’ve had to decline an invite to go somewhere just because I was worried about how even spending $20 might affect my ability to eat for that week. (Yes, things got that bad!)

I guess we’ll see where things go in the next few months, but I don’t think you’ll meet another person who is more than ready to go to work for 40 to 60 hours a week once again, since I’ve also gotten better at scheduling my time. I mean, it’s still not great but when it comes to working, especially as a writer, I feel that I’m always getting better at facing new challenges, and I do hope some will still come my way.

I have about five minutes left to go in today’s #30ME, and I’m not sure if I have that much more to say about “work” right at this moment, but I do want to say that if you got far into today’s ramble, I hope you’ll drop me a line with some suggestions and opinions. It doesn’t mean I will change what I’m doing since as I’ve said, these are more for me than anyone else, but it would be nice if someone is reading them and maybe it changes their opinion of me (hopefully in a favorable way). 

That’s it for me today but I’ll be back tomorrow..maybe talking about the “Birth” or “Death” part of that Godfathers song. 

[thesportssoundoff]

“Look there’s Holloway vs Edgar and you’re watching this so don’t even give me any of your shit” UFC 240 Preview

Joey

July 22nd, 2019

Every once in a while, about once a year or so, the UFC has a PPV that's utterly pointless. It's just a show on the schedule designed to make up for a cancelled show or just a PPV "make some money" cash grab. This card is a little bit column A, little bit column B and so there's really not much to say in the lead in. The UFC lost a show in January when they had a bunch of main events fall through and they needed to move Cejudo and Dillashaw to ESPN+. In response to that happening, the UFC wound up needing to fill a schedule slot and SO we get two July PPVs (we were originally going to get two October ones but they reconfigured the sched). To further complicate matters, they loaded up July (two title fights plus a crazy undercard) and loaded up August (DC/Stipe, Romero/Costa, Nate/Pettis, Heinisch/Brunson plus all sorts of goodies) so this PPV sandwiched in the middle got a whole bunch of nada. This is basically a three fight card and if we're being honest, it just might be a one fight card if you consider Neal/Price and Cyborg/Spencer pointless.  The next three cards after this are all going to be pretty special in their own ways (DC/Stipe, Khabib/Dustin and Israel/Whittaker) so we're just here to kill some time at an unfair price point.  This card is a collection of spent shell casings on the Old West that is MMA. The summer is basically the UFC's seasonal fuck up session; more people are willing to spend money in the summer but fighters don't like fighting and the schedule is so packed that you run the risk of just burning all your bullets. Barring something unforseen, this will be the worst PPV of the year but ya got Holloway/Edgar so I'll be there. OH and it's a Canadian card! Cursed!

Fights: 12

Debuts: Giacomo Lemos, Tanner Boser, Yoshinori Horie

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 1 (Lauren Murphy vs Mara Romero CANCELLED)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 4 (Frankie Edgar, Max Holloway, Cyborg, Alexis Davis)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 2 (Alexis Davis,Erik Koch)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 3 (Geoff Neal, Hakeem Dawodu, Alejandre Pantoja)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2017 (in the UFC): 22-12

Frankie Edgar- 2-1 Max Holloway- 3-1 Cyborg- 3-1 Felicia Spencer- 1-0 Geoff Neal- 3-0 Niko Price- 4-2 Olivier Aubin-Mercier- 2-2 Arman Tsarukyan- 0-1 Marc Andre Berriault- 0-1 Kryztsof Jokto- 1-3

Fights By Weight Class (yearly number here):

Featherweight-  3 (37) Welterweight- 2 (41) Women’s Flyweight- 2 (21) Middleweight- 1 (24) Flyweight- 1 (9) Women’s Featherweight- 1 (7) Heavyweight- 1 (22) Lightweight- 1 (45)

Bantamweight- (39) Light Heavyweight-  (29) Women’s Bantamweight- (13) Women’s Strawweight- (19)

2019 Number Tracker

Debuting Fighters (20-43)- Tanner Bosse, Yoshinori Horie, Giacomo Lemos

Short Notice Fighters (20-27)-

Second Fight (40-16)- Kyle Stewart, Sarah Frota,  Sueng Woo Choi, Viviane Araújo,  Marc-André Barriault, Arman Tsaryukan

Cage Corrosion (Fighters who have not fought within a year of the date of the fight) (14-27)- Gavin Tucker, Frankie Edgar

Undefeated Fighters (25-29)- Giacomo Lemos

Fighters with at least four fights in the UFC with 0 wins over competition still in the organization (9-8)-

Weight Class Jumpers (Fighters competing outside of the weight class of their last fight even if they’re returning BACK to their “normal weight class”) (20-17)-  Erik Koch, Sarah Frota, Max Holloway

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1-  In no small part, I think it's fair to acknowledge that moving PPVs to ESPN+ has, at least for me, dampened the enthusiasm fans have for PPV. Maybe that'll ultimately be a good thing but on principle alone, these cards seem a tick below the old school "gather round and party" UFC PPV events. Beyond that though, are we not giving Edgar vs Holloway its just due as a title fight? Max Holloway is still in my opinion the greatest featherweight of all time and this fight would be yet another step towards solidifying a potential hall of fame resume. It's not wrong to suggest that a stoppage over Edgar would be yet another step towards solidifying Holloway's spot among the GOAT. On the other hand, we just saw him get beaten up by Dustin Poirier up a weight class. Going up and taking a risk didn't impact BJ Penn and Conor McGregor but those two had a different sort of legacy and a more dedicated fanbase to make sure those things didn't matter. Frankie Edgar earned a title shot with wins over Jeremy Stephens and Yair Rodriguez before risking it all in the pursuit of being the ultimate company man. A short notice loss to Brian Ortega seemed to put him further to the back of the line but Edgar returned a little over a month later to decision Cub Swanson and has laid low since. In many ways, Edgar getting put back into the title picture is a rare example of the UFC doing something nice and fair. Edgar should've gone to the back of the line but instead the UFC rewarded him for doing them a favor in taking the Ortega fight.

2- Is the UFC being overly presumptious/optimistic in believing that the winner of this fight can make a quick enough turnaround to fight Volkanovski in early October? As champion, I think the quickest turnaround Frankie Edgar ever made was early October to late February but he was also 7 years younger then. For Holloway, December to March WAS supposed to be his quickest turnaround but he got hurt and the fight got scrapped.

3- Does Holloway have to finish Frankie Edgar to get his buzz back or would a win suffice for most fans?

4- Has any other fighter lost five straight title fights in the UFC? If Edgar loses to Holloway, I think he'll officially break his own record (that he holds with Urijah Faber who lost to Cruz and Barao twice).

5- I wonder IF the UFC could do it over, would they still go through with trying a female featherweight division. It got them a few Cyborg fights (which at the very least gave them a salvaged PPV or two) but overall, you have to wonder if this is what they expected when they (lazily) fell into the division. Although Felicia Spencer is probably a far more reputable opponent for Cyborg than when Cyborg was trying to get the UFC to sign Pam Sorenson.

6- The entire UFC/Cyborg situation could be done over the course of a few days but allow me the opportunity to try and paint the numbers here briefly:

Cyborg was signed because the UFC still had designs of Ronda (now vanquished by Holly Holm) making the comeback, rising up and facing Cyborg once before she'd go on to do other things. It didn't QUITE work out that way and so the UFC had a fighter they had no interest in taking up space on their cards. At this point Brazilian MMA was on a serious slump and Cyborg represented someone who could headline a card or two there, give the UFC some depth on PPVs. Then the UFC wound up deciding to go full bore with a 145 lb division----without Cyborg in the opening fight. It seemed like they were trying to set up Cyborg for the winner but GDR/Holm was a PPV bust and GDR didn't want the fight so they scrapped THAT and tried again with Cyborg as the lead dog. From there, Cyborg turned into a pretty decent PPV draw even though it always felt like this was an arraigned marriage more or less. Her two headliners did well enough (210K-ish vs Yanit, 375K-ish with Holly Holm) but the UFC never seemed to like her much and the feeling was mutual seemingly. Cyborg supported Leslie Smith's Project Spearhead on multiple occasions and would accuse the UFC of bias against her on a number of occasions. The UFC would in turn tell her to stop worrying about things that don't matter and for her to stop trying to act as her own matchmaker. There was a borderline embarrassing moment where Cyborg had a member of the media during a press conference ask Dana White to unblock her on Instagram. Both sides were in a convenient set up where they needed to at least tolerate one another and they could barely pull that off.

Things came to a head when the UFC finally sacked up (at the demands of Amanda Nunes seemingly) and gave us the champ vs champ fight. If Nina Ansaroff deserves a ton of credit for being a liason between the UFC and Amanda Nunes, Cyborg deserves an equal amount of credit for giving them a reason to get over Nunes wiping Meisha Tate and Ronda Rousey while also being a pest about doing media. Nunes wiped Cyborg out and the entire narrative on her changed in an instant. With the changing narrative though emerged the challenge; Nunes wanted a rematch, Cyborg wanted a rematch while the UFC had no interest in Cyborg vs Nunes II with one fight remaining on her deal. Cyborg flirted openly with leaving the UFC, said pretty much as such recently and just when the UFC felt like they were out of the Cyborg business, Amanda Nunes stirred it back up by wanting to REMATCH Cyborg still although I'd suppose the UFC doing a Cyborg fight by and large was bound to make it an issue regardless. Now the only buzz to the co-main is whether Cyborg can win to set up a potential rematch that 90% of the people watching probably have no belief in actually happening.

I think if everybody was on truth serum, you'd probably get a breakdown where everybody agrees that this has no chance of panning out in a positive sense. The UFC on a truth serum would probably be fine with Cyborg not fighting for them after this unless it was on some sort of team friendly deal so to speak (although all MMA contracts are team friendly given the nature of the biz). Cyborg would probably be just fine with fighting in Bellator and being some kind of a novelty act for her remaining fans unless the UFC paid her greatly and made some concessions on their protocol for fighter relations. Amanda Nunes is fine with whatever happens but she probably knows a Cyborg rematch as a co-main trumps trying to convince fans that a GDR rematch or a fight with Macy Chiasson or a fight with Yanit Kunitskaya is must see programming. Cyborg makes the most money in the UFC in theory, the UFC makes the most money with Nunes-Cyborg 2 and Nunes' career resume becomes GOAT regardless of gender if she finishes Cyborg again. It just requires too many ifs, buts or unless' to feel like it has any probability of happening.

7- Which does the UFC want more; a Cyborg win so they can quietly do away with 145 lbs or a Felicia Spencer win where they can stick to Cyborg one last time and maybe give Amanda Nunes something to do?

8- Even if it's probably an ESPN PPV prelim headliner on a more complete card, I'm really excited about Niko Price vs Geoff Neal. Of all the DWTCS guys signed, it could be argued that Geoff Neal is the best so far. He's an insanely good striker with stout takedown defense and some of the best in the pocket combinations you'll see at 170 lbs. He's developing more and more into someone who should be remembered as 170 lbs continues to amass depth in the middle rankings. I have some concerns about his ability to rally in a tough fight and I do think he'll struggle with the bigger welterweights but so far so good. Conversely Niko Price has gone from ultra exciting prospect to a solid proven action fighter who looks set to make the mantle of violent finisher at 170 lbs from the likes of Tim Means and Matt Brown. He'll be a great test for Neal and at the very least, this should be an exciting fight.

9- Is the bloom off of the Hakeem Dawodu rose or are we still holding on? He's 2-1 in the UFC but none of those performances were really of the standout variety. The fact that he's facing a debuting guy and not a proven 145 lber after beating Kyle Bochniak suggests the UFC is looking to slow it down, reassess and see if they can rebuild him again.

10- Can a fighter who is 16-5-1 be a prospect? I suppose that'll have to be the case with 27 year old HW Tanner Boser. Canada needs SOMEBODY to emerge from the mess and Boser, who has been fighting out in Russia, is probably one of their better chances unless you're sold on Gavin Tucker or Hakeem Dawodu. He kicks off the show vs Giacomo Lemos on ESPN+.

11- Erik Koch has fought in the UFC since 2011. He was one of MMA's weirdest resumes with elite names like Dustin Poirier, Rafael Asssuncao, Clay Guida, Ricardo Lamas and Bobby Green on it. He was a former title contender for Jose Aldo's featherweight title. He's got 21 pro fights, fought in three different UFC weight classes and is just NOW 30. You want to ask "Why are they bothering?" but clearly there's something they like there. Maybe Koch just finally needed to get healthy or maybe the UFC just feels some sort of compulsion towards having a guy who WAS going to be a #1 contender get on the right track. Just feels weird at this point. Koch faces Kyle Stewart who made a short notice debut in January as the first ever fight on the first ever ESPN card.

12- Three fighters on their second fights to keep an eye on; 1) Arman Tsarukyan on short-ish notice gave Islam Makhachev some serious problems as a quick scrambler who had some power in his hands. He was outwrestled but kept going at a pretty hot clip and made a good enough account of himself that he's on the MAIN CARD here against Olivier Aubin-Mercier. 2) Viviane Araujo looked fantastic against Talita Bernardo in a short notice fight up two weight classes. After beating Bernardo up for two rounds, she finished her with a flying knee in the third round to pick up the upset short notice win. She gets one of those "Let's see what they can't do!" step ups against the insanely slow but insanely strong veteran Alexis Davis. That one has potential to be messy. Lastly Sarah Frota looked pretty impressive in her UFC debut which was hampered by her completely blowing the 115 lb weight limit at 123 lbs. She's got some Thiago Silva-esque vibes in terms of being a powerful slow stalker who wings power shots at will and bets on her chin being better than yours when things get tough. She'll be facing Gillian Robertson who will offer nothing on the feet but is a tremendously adept grappler who can snag subs at will. Remember Livia Souza almost subbed Frota with an armbar.

[trinitysmagick]

The Witch Challenge

Saw this going around, figured I’d poke at it... keep it going with your own answers and enjoy!

1. Are you solitary or in a coven? Can I say both?  I practice with my coven and I also practice as solitary - to better myself and for magick or intent that I cannot share with others.

2. Do you consider yourself Wiccan, Pagan, witch, or other? Pagan… witch...

3. What is your zodiac sign? Pisces (Sun and Rising) Sag (Moon)

4. Do you have a Patron God/dess? Yes, Cerridwen.

5. Do you work with a Pantheon? Yes - a couple actually.  I work closely the Welsh/Celtic pantheon, but I also work with Greek and Norse gods as well.  I’m eclectic at heart, so I am open to any of the god/desses that call to me.

6. Do you use tarot, palmistry, or 
any other kind of divination? Yes - tarot, astrology, mediumship are my go to’s.

7. What are some of your favorite herbs to use in your practice? (if any) Rosemary, Cedar, Mugwort

8. How would you define your craft? Eclectic at heart, and it has morphed over the years.  Right now, it seems to be a form of Celtic Shamanism with a dash of Strega (which surfaced over the past year as I started to study where exactly I came from).

9. Do you curse? If not, do you accept others who do? This seems a rather personal question and in my honest opinion, is only the business of the practitioner… that being said, I do accept others that do, as long as they do responsibly.

10. How long have you been practicing? Actively practicing, 10 years - although I did start dabbling closer to 20 years ago.

11. Do you currently or have you ever had any familiars? Yes… he’s a black and white ‘water’ cat - his name is Boo. :)

12. Do you believe in Karma or
Reincarnation? Yes.  Both.

13. Do you have a magical name? Yes, a few actually - know to most as Trinity, initiated as Cerridwen Cauldronborn in March of 2017 - and the other names are only know to those in my closest circle.  

14. Are you “out of the broom closet”? Yeah, for the most part...

15. What was the last spell you performed? Feb. 16… well after ritual that night.

16. Would you consider yourself knowledgeable?

Yes, but with still countless things to learn.

17. Do you write your own spells? Yes.

18. Do you have a book of shadows?
If so, how is it written and/or set up? Yes, have a family BoS and 2 personal ones.  Family book is wood bound, personal one is leather and the other a 3 ring binder.  Not all that organized except to the people who use them.

19. Do you worship nature? This seems like a silly question...

20. What is your favorite gemstone? Septarian

21. Do you use feathers, claws, fur, pelt, skeletons/bones, or any other animal body part for magical work? Yes - hair, feathers, bone, cat claws and whiskers - all naturally ‘given’.

22. Do you have an altar? Several.

23. What is your preferred element?

Water.

24. Do you consider yourself an Alchemist?

Yes.

25. Are you any other type of magical practitioner besides a witch?

As in what exactly?  A witch is a magick practitioner - there are categories and types of magick, but if you practice magick, you’re some type of witch.  

26. What got you interested in witchcraft? The husband - he grew up Pagan.  And my folks never really liked him because he identified as a witch and, you know, that’s bad.  So, after we got married, I figured, well he can’t be all that bad and did some research.  Nothing has ever resonated more with me in my life!

27. Have you ever performed a spell or ritual with the company of anyone who was not a witch? No.

28. Have you ever used ouija? Yes, often.

29. Do you consider yourself a psychic? Yes.

30. Do you have a spirit guide? If so, what is it? A couple actually - my animal guide is an otter.

31. What is something you wish someone had told you when you first started? I don’t really know - don’t have an answer to this one.

32. Do you celebrate the Sabbats? If so which one is your favorite? Yes - the slope of Mabon/Samhain/Yule - those are my favs.

33. Would you ever teach witchcraft to your children? Yes, and I do.

34. Do you meditate? Yes.

35. What is your favorite season? Fall.

36. What is your favorite type of magick to preform? Invocative, Sympathetic, and Divinatory

37. How do you incorporate your spirituality into your daily life? Meditation, almost daily.  I also have crystals/herbs and other magickal items placed throughout and outside of the house for various magick things.  I also do a lot of candle work, at least once a week.

38. What is your favorite witchy movie? Mists of Avalon

39. What is your favorite witchy book, both fiction and non-fiction. Why? Nonfiction is a toss up between Crone Magic and Cauldronborn… fiction, I enjoyed Harry Potter and the Witch and Wizard series.

40. What is the first spell you ever performed? Successful or not. It was a banishing - and it was successful.

41. What’s the craziest witchcraft-related thing that’s happened to you? When I was researching Paganism, trying to decide if it was horrible or not, I put a call out to the Goddess - told her, if she wanted me, she would have to give me some kind of undeniable sign.  That night, I woke three different times, to a woman’s voice yelling my name.  My husband heard nothing.  That’s when I decided to dedicate myself to the work of the Goddess.

42. What is your favourite type of candle to use? All of them, I’m really not prejudice ;) I’m a candle maker myself...

43. What is your favorite witchy tool? Again, all of them - I don’t use anything for my Craft that I don’t love.

44. Do you or have you ever made your own witchy tools? Yes.

45. Have you ever worked with any magical creatures such as the fea or spirits? Yes, all the time.

46. Do you practice color magic? Yes.

47. Do you or have you ever had a witchy teacher or mentor of any kind? Mostly books and experience - and the husband, who simply just let me explore.

48. What is your preferred way of shopping for witchcraft supplies? Shopping small biz!

49. Do you believe in predestination or fate? Yes, but I also believe it can be changed.

50. What do you do to reconnect when you are feeling out of touch with your practice? This usually happens when life gets busy and I don’t make time to meditate - and I need to just get back into it.

51. Have you ever had any supernatural experiences? Yes, quite a few actually

52. What is your biggest witchy pet peeve? The hypocrites… those who claim to be a witch just because it’s trendy or they’re a rebel.  Those who walk around like they know everything there is to know, and and look down their nose at others because they’ve practiced longer/trained in whatever/older/younger/different path/etc.  

53. Do you like incense? If so what’s your favorite scent? Yes, but I usually make my own - love frank and myrrh resins tho!

54. Do you keep a dream journal of any kind? Yes.

55. What has been your biggest witchcraft disaster? Doing magick during a voc moon - smoke alarms blaring at midnight, almost set ablaze my altar!

56. What has been your biggest witchcraft success? This is a tough one, and there’s a few that come to mind… but I think the biggest ‘success’ is me.  As I get to know myself and better myself, the stronger I become, and with magick, that makes all the difference!

57. What in your practice do you do that you may feel silly or embarrassed about? Not really - I have my practice, you have yours.  I don’t judge others, and could care less if they judge me.

58. Do you believe that you can be an atheist, Christian, Muslim or some other faith and still be a witch too? Indeed!

59. Do you ever feel insecure, unsure or even scared of spell work? I used to, not anymore.

60. Do you ever hold yourself to a standard in your witchcraft that you feel you may never obtain? I hold myself to getting better with every ritual/spell.

61. What is something witch related that you want right now? Tattoos… looking to get a Celtic knot cuff on my wrist and the bard symbol on the back of my neck with “Ní neart go cur le chéile” - There’s no strength without unity.

62. What is your rune of choice? Jera

63. What is your tarot card of choice? The Fool

64. Do you use essential oils? If so what is your favorite? Aromatherapist here!  My favorite is clove.

65. Have you ever taken any kind of witchcraft or pagan courses? Yes - online and in person.

66. Do you wear pagan jewelry in public? Yes.

67. Have you ever been discriminated against because of your faith or being a witch? Yes.

68. Do you read or subscribe to any pagan magazines? Yes.

69. Do you think it’s important to know the history of paganism and witchcraft? Yes.

70. What are your favorite things about being a witch? Everything...the freedom to just be yourself.

71. What are your least favorite things about being a witch? The instant fear in someone’s face when they find out I’m a witch...and then the preaching that follows.

72. Do you listen to any pagan music? If so who is your favorite singer/band? Yes - Damh the Bard/Blackmore’s Night

73. Do you celebrate the Esbbats? If so, how? Yes - with coven when they have ritual and at home during the full moon.  We light up the candles, make offering to the nature spirits, re-ward and cleanse the house, sit out crystals in the moonlight and sometimes sing to the moon herself.

74. Do you ever work skyclad? Yes, but only at home.

75. Do you think witchcraft has improved your life? If so, how? Yes - I’ve done A LOT of self work in my Craft, not that I’m anywhere near done!  My confidence has improved greatly, ,my understanding of people and the world in general has shifted, I’m empowered, I’m a healer, and I am free, spiritually.  I’m still working thru physical and mental health issues, but it’s easier now - and I have a family that supports my growth.

76. Where do you draw inspiration from for your practice? My daydreams, walks out in nature, and late nights - after a certain hour, I’ve found that I think and perceive things a little different… and I’m more comfortable with myself as well.  

77. Do you believe in ‘fantasy’ creatures? (Unicorns, fairies, elves, gnomes, ghosts, etc) Yes.

78. What’s your favorite sigil/symbol? Triquetra

79. Do you use blood magick in your practice? Why or why not? Yes, and just began recently - not for just anything tho.  It started because someone gave me an idea, so I did my research and tried it.  Blood magick is a powerful tool and it works, so I use it when needed.

80. Could you ever be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t support your practice? No.

81. In what area or subject would you most like your craft to grow? Right now, my magickal goal is very personal.  

82. What’s your favorite candle scent? Do you use it in your practice? See, I make candles, so this is a rough one :/ I have one called Witches Brew, which is a blend of amber and ylang ylang,,, that’s probably my favorite… and yes!

83. Do you have a pre-ritual ritual? (I.e. Something you do before rituals to prepare yourself for them). If so what is it? Bath or shower with salts/oils/incense

84. What real life witch most inspires your practice? I don’t really have one.

85. What is your favorite method of communicating with deity? Invocation/channelling

86. How do you like to organize all your witchy items and ingredients? Drawers and boxes - organized so that I know where everything is and disorganized enough so that others can’t ;)

87. Do you have any witches in your family that you know of? After a bit of research, I found a few on both sides of my family - but my family did a decent job hiding it, to the point where I’m not even sure my parents know about them.

88. How have you created your path? What is unique about it? Tbh, I believe everyone’s path is pretty unique - and yes, I do not follow a particular path because I’m eclectic.  My path shifts and changes when the need arises… kinda like that river thing, you never step in the same river 2x because it’s always moving and changing?  That’s kinda what my Craft is like.

89. Do you feel you have any natural gifts or affinities (premonitions, hearing spirits, etc.) that led you toward the craft? If so what are they? Empathy and premonitions are things I grew up with and evolved naturally into my practice.  Spirit communication, energy healing and divination came very easy to me, once I woke up to them.

90. Do you believe you can initiate yourself or do you have to be initiated by another witch or coven? It’s a personal decision, really.  I believe it can be done either way.

91. When you first started out in your path what was the first thing or things you bought? Candles

92. What is the most spiritual or magickal place you’ve been? Sedona, AZ

93. What’s one piece of advice you’d give someone who is searching for their matron and patron deities? Let them come to you - meditate and pray, keep an open heart and mind - then do your research!

94. What techniques do you use to ‘get in the zone’ for meditation? Not a lot, noise cancellation headphones work well tho (don’t even need the music, just the silence)!

95. Did visualization come easily to you or did you have to practice at it? Visualization comes very easy to me.

96. Do you prefer day or night? Why? Late night; it has been my experience that the mind works better the later it gets.

97. What do you think is the best time and place to do spell work? Dusk; outdoors

98. How did you feel when you cast your first circle? Did you stumble or did it go smoothly? Well, I clearly remember feeling the shift - whether or not it was ‘smooth’, I have no idea lol - but I considered it a success when I felt the shift.

99. Do you believe witchcraft gets easier with time and practice? Yes.

100. Do you believe in many gods or one God with many faces? Both.

101. Do you eat meat, eggs and dairy? Yes to meat, no eggs or dairy (mostly because I have crappy reactions to them)

102. What is your favorite color and why? It’s a toss up between midnight blue and forest green… and it’s just because I like them really.

103. What is the one question you get asked most by non-practitioners or non-pagans? How do you usually respond? So, what do you do exactly?  And tbh, the answer all depends on who’s talking to me...

104. Which of your five senses would you say is your strongest? Toss up - hearing/smell. 105. What is a pagan or witchcraft rule that you preach but don’t practice? Are there really rules?  And I try not to teach/preach things I don’t practice...and when I do, someone promptly throws my words back at me!

[stepdownonhell]

Questions, questions

1: How tall or short do you wish you were? A:I’m fine with my height:) 2: What’s your dream pet? (Real or not) A: A ferret  3: Do you have a favorite clothing style? A: Grunge/Indie. Or basic white bitch 4: What was your favorite video game growing up? A:Can’t remember  5: What three things/people do you think of most each day: My hawt bf, a certain amazing, gorgeous girl that’s my cute lil rabbit ♥, and my future. 6: If you had a warning label, what would yours say? A: “Warning asshole” 7: What is your opinion on Trump]? A: Kill it.  8: What is your Greek personality type? [Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic] A: Sometimes Sanguine (Rarely tho lmao. working on it sh) But Phlegmatic mostly.  9: Are you ticklish? A: Uhhhh..no? 10: Are you allergic to anything? A: Cute rats. sad.

11: What’s your sexuality? A: Pansexual (save the pan jokes) 12: Do you prefer tea, coffee, or cocoa? A: Coffee  13: Are you a cat or dog person? A: Dog 14: Would you rather be a vampire, elf, or merperson? A: A very tall elf. 15: Do you have a favorite Youtuber? A: Zane Hijazi 16: How tall are you? A: 5′10 17: If you had to change your name, what would you change it to? A: Octavia 18: How much do you weigh? A: Too much. 19: Do you believe in ghosts/spirits? A: Yes 20: Do you like space or the ocean more? A: Space. 21: Are you religious? A: Religion? What’s that? 22: Pet peeves? A: Everything a human can do with their nails. flick flick  23: Would you rather be nocturnal or diurnal? A: Who doesn’t wanna be a vampire? 24: Favorite constellation? A: Aquarius  25: Favorite star?  A: Sirius 26: Do you like ball-jointed dolls? A: No 27: Any phobias or fears? A: Spiders 28: Do you think global warming is real? A: Maybe? 29: Do you believe in reincarnation? A: Depends 30: Favorite movie? A: Love, Simon 31: Do you get scared easily? A: Naaah 32: How many pets have you own in your lifetime? A: 15 33: Who do you hate most? A: Um, trump and a certain some one. 34: What is a color that calms you? A: Yellow 35: Where would you like to travel and/or live? A: I would like to travel to the UK(And live there but..) I would wanna live in Cali.  36: Where were you born? A: A very cold place. 37: What is your eye color? A: Dark brown 38: Introvert or extrovert? A: Introvert. Why do you think I’m on tumblr? 39: Do you believe in horoscopes and zodiacs? A: Yeah boy. 40: Hugs or kisses? A: Um neither, gross. 41: Who is someone you would like to see/visit right now? A: My love 42: Who is someone you love deeply? A: My sweet boi 43: Any piercings you want? A: My septum plz. I need her back in my life 44: Do you like tattoos and piercings? A: Yes 45: Do you smoke or have you ever done so? A: I don’t smoke, but I have ew. 46: Talk about your crush, if you have one! A: I gots a mans honey 47: What is a sound you really hate? A: NAIL FLICKING 48: A sound you really love? A: My mans voice ;) 49: Can you do a backflip? A: no but how rad would that be? 50: Can you do the splits? A: ^ 51: Favorite actor and/or actress? A: Idkkk 52: Favorite movie? A: You asked me this already 53: How are you feeling right now? A: Nostalgic  54: What color would you like your hair to be right now? A: Blue 55: When did you feel happiest? A: When I went to Florida. 56: Something that calms you down? A: Talking  57: Have any mental disorders? A: Um 58: What does your URL mean? A: That’s a secret ;) 59: What three words describe you the most? A: Nostalgic, Lonely, unproductive.  60: Do you believe in evolution? A: Yes 61: What makes you unfollow a blog? A: If they’re a douche 62: What makes you follow a blog? A: If they’re rad 63: Favorite kind of person: The nice kind. Only in stores. 64: Favorite animal(s): Rats :) N snakes 65: Name three of your favorite blogs. I follow noone;) 66: Favorite emoticon: Emojis r gross 67: Favorite meme: Whats a me me  68: What is your MBTI personality type? A: Whut 69: What is your star sign? A: Sagittarius  70: Can your dog roll over on command, if you have a dog? A: Yes 71: What outfit out of all your clothes do you like to wear the most? A: Red and white adorable, soft ass crop top, with my black skinnies. 72: Post a selfie or two? A: Neither  73: Do you have platform shoes? A: Wishing 74: What is one random but interesting fact about yourself? A: I wanted to be a ballet dancer or a scientist.   75: Can you do a front flip? A: No 76: Do you like birds? A: Yes 77: Do you like to swim? A: ofc 78: Is swimming or ice skating more fun to you? A: Swimming 79: Something you wish didn’t exist: Anti lgbt + trump 80: Some thing you wish did exist: Teleportation my dear 81: Piercings you have? A: First+second lobe, nose. 82: Something you really enjoy doing: Makeup 83: Favorite person to talk to: My boiii 84: What was your first impression of Tumblr? A: gey  85: How many followers do you have? A: 0 86: Can you run a mile within ten minutes? A: 10:01 87: Do your socks always match? A: Not a chance 88: Can you touch your toes and keep your legs straight completely? A: Nope 89: What are your birthstones? A: Tealllll? 90: If you were an animal, which one would you be? A: a birb 91: If a flower could aesthetically represent you, what kind would it be? A: A white rose 92: A store you hate? A:  Hyvee? 93: How many cups of coffee can you drink in one day? A: 6 lmao  94: Would you rather be able to fly or read minds? A: read minds 95: Do you like to wear camo? A: Depends 96: Winter or summer? A: Summer 97: How long can you hold your breath for? A: 57 seconds 98: Least favorite person? A: a certain person 99: Someone you look up to: My boiii 100: A store you love? A: Spencers 101: Favorite type of shoes A: Converse 102: Where do you live? A: not ur biz 103: Are you a vegetarian or vegan? If so, why? A: No 104: What is your favorite mineral or gem? A: Um idk 105: Do you drink milk? A: No i think it’s gross 106: Do you like bugs? A: no 107: Do you like spiders? A: do u even have to ask? n O 108: Something you get paranoid about? A: Everything 109: Can you draw: No lol 110: Nosiest question you have ever been asked? A: do yOU PLAY BASKETBALL??????????? 111: A question you hate being asked? A: ^ 112: Ever been bitten by a spider? A: probably 113: Do you like the sound of waves at the beach? A: yes 114: Do you prefer cloudy or sunny days? A: Cloudy  115: Someone you’d like to kiss or cuddle right now: the boi :( 116: Favorite cloud type:  Arcus cloud 117: What color do you wish the sky was?  A: Yellow 118: Do you have freckles? A: I wish 119: Favorite thing about a person: Smile or humor 120: Fruits or vegetables? A: Fruits 121: Something you want to do right now: dieieieeie 122: Is the ocean or sky prettier? A: Both are endless  123: Sweet or sour foods? A: Sour 124: Bright or dim lights? A: Dim 125: Do you believe in a certain magical creature? A: No 126: Something you hate about Tumblr: The “I think murders are cute” Side. 127: Something you love about Tumblr: Pretty photos  128: What do you think about the least? A: Responsibilities ;))  129: What would you want written on your tombstone? A: “Dance on me”  130: Who would you like to punch in the face right now? A: A lot of people 131: What is something you love but also hate about yourself? A: My face 132: Do you smile with your teeth showing for pictures? A: Maybe 133: Computer or TV? A: Comp. 134: Do you like roller coasters? A: YEEES

135: Do you get motion sickness or seasickness? A: Motion sickness sometimes :((

136: Are your ears lobed or attached? A: Lobed 137: Do you believe in karma? A: A little 138: On a scale of 1-10, how attractive would you say you are? A: 3 139: What nicknames do you have/have had? A: Princess, hoe, rikku 140: Did you have any pretend or imaginary friends? A: When I was younger I thought Danny phantom was my bf.  141: Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink? A: Never 142: Would you say you are a good or bad influence to others? a: Bad.woops 143: Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts? A: Giving  144: What makes you angry? A: Homophobs  145: How many languages do you speak fluently? A: 2 Engrish n jibberish 146: Do you prefer boys, girls, and/or non-binaries? A: All of the beautiful people ♥ 147: Are you androgynous? A: Too much so 148: Favorite physical thing about yourself: My brows n hair 149: Favorite thing about your personality: Too tough to answer  150: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person. A: My love, A rabbit n Hobo Johnson.  151: If you could go back into time and live in one era, which would you choose? A: Stone age my dudes 152: Do you like BuzzFeed? A: Ew no 153: How did you meet your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend/partner? A: A game 

154: Do you like to kiss others’ foreheads or hands for platonic reasons? A: umno

155: Do you like to play with others’ hair? A: Yea 156: What embarrasses you? A: My mother 157: Something that makes you nervous/anxious: Too many peoples 158: Biggest lie you have ever told: Lets not bring that up 159: How many people are you following? A: Dunno 160: How many posts do you have on your blog(s)? A: Like 2 161: How many drafts do you have on your blog(s)? A: none 162: How many likes do you have on your blog(s)? a: nONE 163: Last time you cried and why: A few days ago for reasons  164: Do you have long or short hair? A: Shoulder length 165: Longest your hair has ever been: To the bum 166: Why do you like, dislike, or have neutral feelings about religon? A: Because religion scares people into thinking if they do something bad, they’ll go to an imaginary place called hell. If your God loved you so much he would never do such a thing ;/// + Many other reasons 167: Do you really care how the universe and world was created? A: I really do 168: Do you like to wear makeup? A: too much 169: Can you stand on your hands or head for more than thirty seconds? A: No 170: Did you answer the questions you were asked truthfully? A: Yuh

[edreamcatchers]

On pivoting

So I think I’m on the path to the “uber word” of the day - pivoting.

The strategy that I’m using may have been wildly popular for my coach with his team-building, but I’m starting to understand why. When I asked about whether I should be focusing on my customer avatar, he told me he failed with his first avatar and that he finally struck gold with “already in network marketing for several years, earning less than xxx, and risk-takers.”

The missing ingredient for me is “risk takers.” Generally, people in my circles are those in the money trap: still firmly ensconced within, and kinda refusing to budge, actually. 

I’m looking from their perspective. If I had nothing but the money in my savings, I would be extremely risk-aversed too. And all they’ve ever known is the comfort zone of a 9-to-5. And they want back in, 40/40/40 or not. 

Today I had a few a-ha moments.

After VT’s webinar (he always gives such great actionable content), I decided I had to switch gears. They don’t want to know about the comp plan bla bla bla.  When I asked for feedback, I was told the 4 customer type calculations was confusing because numbers was not their strong suit. VT spends almost half the entire presentation time on storytelling (building credibility & trust).

So the money angle didn’t work on those who needed the money desperately. They don’t see the credibility and they don’t trust. It’s just what you’re claiming, you have no proof it works.

No matter how good it looks, it’s just on paper. And even though they may admit the potential is there... they won’t bite.

Although it seems almost counter-intuitive -- “you don’t have a job, you have very little savings, and you’re not able to find a new job - don’t you want to earn ridiculous amounts of money?” But I totally understand it. Those in desperation will certainly be in denial and self-pity. 

1. Very little savings - got to make it last till I find my next job.

2. Can’t find new job - I’m sure someday I will.

3, Ridiculous amounts of money - I don’t believe I can / too good to be true.

So VT said - you have to make it as risk-free as possible.

In mulling this briefly, today, I came up with 1 possible way - to let them “tag along” and pretend to do the business, with the tools I’m giving them, and show them that conversion is a real thing.

So I have to get my own system to work first. Obviously, my so-called proven system has not even been able to convert the jobless/financially troubled. 

I’m going to go with VT’s system now - storytelling to build credibility and trust.

It needs to move away from the money aspect because (and this is another a-ha moment I had today) the $$$ is the “sleazy” part about MLMs. People are scared of it because they don’t want to be sleazy and sell to their friends for their OWN benefit. It’s one thing to wax lyrical about your favourite chicken rice stall, but oh-so-humiliating to sell an obviously good product that has been shown to help even people with serious diseases! So I have to take the “selling”out of the equation. I have to be really creative about it - how do you take the selling out of marketing?

AND to test my skills even more -- it needs to be duplicable!

Wooh! I have my work cut out for me.

Another a-ha moment -- why the heck am I putting so much effort to learn all this stuff to do network marketing, when I could just start a business selling my teaching skills or writing skills or whatever?

And I reminded myself -- it’s because this is the best way to help others in financial difficulties. I believe this!! And so I will persevere. 

I won’t give up because so many people can benefit from this, if I could come up with a system that sells without “selling.” The only way I can see is to come from the “save the world / worthy cause” perspective. I may need to revisit my archetype. I chose adventurer at first, but I think maybe evangelist may be more suitable. 

Time to go back to the drawing board, and I’m going to hold off any biz opp presentations till I figure something out. T wants us to move ahead with conversion events, and for me he recommended a truncated 1-on-1, and I also think 1-on-1s may be the way to go too. But maybe not exactly in the way he has taught us. 

I’m going to work on the lead magnet, and on Instagram (signed up for Kat Coroy’s course and just the brand soul essence stuff is worth the price of the whole course because it clarifies my stand and I’m able to draw from my “true names” so much more effectively).

Her course is 6 weeks long, and I’m so thankful to God that S is able to work and give me time to work this out.

[allenmendezsr]

Crafts To Make And Sell

New Post has been published on https://autotraffixpro.app/allenmendezsr/crafts-to-make-and-sell/

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It’s important to find the craft that’s right for YOU. Finding a craft you love to make and sell is part of finding SUCCESS in this field. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We’re all unique individuals ~~ which is why our handmade items are so special.     For this reason, I’ve included a wide variety of craft options in a vast array of mediums ~~ cloth, leather, wood, tile, paint, yarn, ink, stone, etc. So, if you don’t have a craft you love making, you can find one that’s just right for YOU.     Or if you already have a craft, you’ll learn how to make them more marketable and where to find customers who want to buy them.     Thirty years of experience selling crafts cannot be put into a small pamphlet.     It’s not theory and it’s not fluff. It’s useful information that will help you choose the craft that fits both you and your wonderful future craft-buying customers!

~~~ Testimonials ~~~ Here’s what crafters are emailing in about the ‘Crafts To Make And Sell’ ebook package:

Dusty, I have been looking for a book like this. Thank you so much. I am a professional long arm quilter and I look for ways to expand my business. This book is just what I need. I really love all the very helpful information.

    I do craft shows in addition to quilting quilts for other people. I have been struggling with what crafts to make for craft shows. I have tried several things but I don’t do real well. I think your book gives really great information and I am going to put it to use right away.     Thank you so much for this great book. You did a very nice job. Terrie Hatcher (Colorado) Cozy Country Quilt

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

Thanks, Dusty! We sell soap. Your book validated something I was thinking – how to increase sales and make our product more unique. We sell to both locals and tourists. We do special gift sets that are packaged for easy travel.     The next step – here’s the validation part – will be to offer wrap bands that can go over the bars of soap and be customized, such as for holidays, business promotions, etc. That will help us expand our marketing efforts.     I now see how that can lead to more customized products (non-soap). Hmmmmm – lots of new ideas!     Thanks for your help, Jennifer (Florida) ICEsoaps@aol.com

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

Hello Dusty, Thank you. I have printed the first book and have read half of it. It has been a reality check and inspiration so far. I appreciate the work you have put into writing it.    

I mostly work with silk painting in an impressionistic way and painting and embellishing on cotton fabric.     This book is helping me to realize different ways to produce craft products to sell. And find appropriate outlets to sell them. Thank you again.     Kind Regards, Lynn Marie Violich (New Zealand)

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

No problems downloading the file, didn’t even take that long. I am still reading through it, but have focused on a couple of key areas of interest about filling a niche and doing wood working.

    The Google section was excellent and really helped with marketing research. The types of crafts I want to market receive more than a million search hits a month, so that gives me confidence that I’m on the right track.

    Thanks again! Bill Herr (Kansas)

As you can see from these testimonials, readers of this crafting ebook package are quickly learning how to develop new products and find new customers.     These clever crafters paid only $19.95 for this information. But they’ll earn 10 to 100 times as much money as they implement what they’re learning.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These are the 43 chapters you’ll get just in the main ebook. There’s MORE great information in the bonus ebooks! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Finding crafts to make and sell. 2. Determining what sells — and why. 3. Looking past the ordinary — making something unique. 4. Looking for outlets BEFORE deciding what to make. 5. Using Internet keyword tools to find a good selling craft. 6. Starting with a craft idea THEN looking for outlets. 7. Beware of the biz-ops! 8. You are not an assembly line — but repetition brings perfection. 9. Selling your items to many outlets. 10. Using a portfolio and scrapbook to get future sales. 11. Solving the ‘key-stoning’ problem. 12. Customizing your creation to fit the situation. Working in a variety of mediums. 13. Considering time and materials. 14. Customized logos, badges and coats of arms. 15. Solving the difficulties of working at home. 16. Crafters verses craftsmen — how to increase your profits. 17. Earning money as a crafter by teaching and publishing. 18. Matching handmade items to customers. 19. Determining the price of your handmade item. 20. What size should the item be? Why size matters. 21. A word about business cards. 22. A word about advertising. 23. When to consign. When not to. 24. The Trouble with ‘rent-a-booth’ craft outlets. 25. Better ways of selling at craft shows. 26. Selling at home shows, product shows and art shows. 27. Selling other people’s handmade items. 28. Customers — who are they? Why family and friends pose a unique problem and what to do about it. 29. Repeat business and finding similar outlets. 30. Who are the frequent gift givers? 31. Customers — how do you reach them? 32. Creating a new product. Getting started or getting better. 33. Working with wood. 34. Selling on the internet. Having your own website. 35. Selling your crafts on eBay. 36. Keeping records. 37. Problems are meant to be solved. Solutions to seven the most common problems. 38. Project A 39. Project B 40. Project C 41. Project D 42. Where do you go from here? 43. Resource List.

***New 2019 information: “Internet Marketing for Crafters”

… Loads of Copyright-Free Images to Use for Crafting Ideas … Where to Get More Copright-Free Images to Use Anyway You Want … How to Create Your First Craft Video … The Simplest Way to Edit Your Videos … How to Create a YouTube Channel and Upload Videos … How to Promote Your Videos … Where to Get a Craft Website Created … How to Sell Your Crafts on Facebook, Etsy and Pinterest … How to Set Up a Facebook Auction for Your Crafts

To order the Crafts to Make and Sell Ebook Package for only $19.95 over 100 pages in four books, including all the bonus information, click on this link:

Click Here to Get Your Craft Ebooks

Listen to this personal testimony:    

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here’s MORE useful information you’ll find in this valuable ebook package… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* Read the account of a real novice who earns $75 in one afternoon ~~ and makes new friends doing it! This story begins on page 40.     * Learn why you don’t have to be an experienced professional to make money with crafts… You simply need the right craft to present to the right customers!     * On page 29 you’ll learn why making one important change will cause your craft item to be more appealing to a lot more people.     * Read about the two woman who make and sell bears. One woman makes twice as much money as the other woman. Why is that? Find out on page 38.     * Discover on page 47 how you can know if you’re pricing your items correctly.     * Learn on page 63 how you can make money with handmade items without making any of them yourself!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Maybe you love making crafts but you hate selling them. No problem…. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* Learn how you and your crafting friends can make certain simple items which can generate income for you over and over ~~ without ever selling them! (No kidding.) Read on page 21 what these items are and who will pay you.     * Read on page 51 how to arrange for someone else to do the selling while you stay quietly at home working on your creations.     * Learn how you can make additional income writing articles about yourself and other crafters for trade magazines. Page 71.     * Find out how to make money at craft shows without selling a single item. This is explained starting on page 99.     * Discover how you can advertise your crafts with pictures in the local newspaper ~~ for free! The explanation is on page 28.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Other people are doing it… Why not you? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* Did you know that every city has a type of business that buys handmade items on a regular basis? Read on pages 67 and 68 how to find these businesses and what type of items they’re looking for.     * Did you know there’s a whole world of collectors who are anxious to buy certain items that you can make? Learn about them on page 16.     * Did you know you can get free lessons learning how to make unusual crafts that sell well? Find out how on page 11.     * Did you know it’s fun going to the bank with a fist-full of checks because you make a craft that sells well? ~~ Ya, you probably knew that. But these books explain how that can happen for you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ These ebooks solve the problem FOREVER of finding crafts that sell well. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* You’ll learn about a simple product that you can make that’s used by babies, teens, single adults, mothers, fathers, widows, widowers, grandparents ~ and even pets! Instructions begin on page 91.     * You’ll read about craft items that are sought after by every tourist attraction in the country ~~ actually, in the world!     * I’ll point you to a craft item that never goes out of fashion and is loved by millions of Americans in every generation. The instructions for making this project are found on pages 112 through 115.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And you’ll have lots of fun with your FIRST FREE BONUS booklet…     ~~ The Tale of Mrs. Fox ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read the story of a woman who quickly found a way to make money from home in the crafting world. She began when she was just a newly-wed. And she continued making money with crafts long after her children were grown and married.     The best part of this story is that you can follow in her footsteps! Even if you live hundreds of miles from a city ~~ in any country in the world.     You can do exactly what she did to make money. Or you can use one of the variations presented in this book to customize her plan to suit yourself.     This is another one of those projects that’s not seasonal and never goes out of fashion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And you’ll get a SECOND FREE BONUS booklet, too:     ~~ 101 One Minute Organizing Tricks That Help A Crafter Save Time and Money ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of the crafter’s biggest problems is finding more free time to work on his or her creations.     This booklet teaches you how to implement simple changes that automatically cause you to be more productive! …I know these tricks work because I use them.     Even if you use just one of these tips, you’ll have more time for your crafts, family and relaxation.     And of course, the money-saving tips are very valuable, too. If you implement any of these tips, it’ll be like a raise in pay!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HERE’S HOW TO ORDER this money-generating craft ebook package:     ~~ Crafts to Make and Sell ~~     ~~ Printable Patterns~~     with the 3 free bonuses:     (1) The Tale of Mrs. Fox    

and (2) 101 One Minute Organizing Tricks That Help A Crafter Save Time and Money

    (3) New for 2019!: Internet Marketing for Crafters    

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

You can get all this information today! Don’t wait to start learning which CRAFTS TO MAKE AND SELL!

To order the Crafts to Make and Sell Ebook Package for only $19.95 over 100 pages in four books, including all the bonus information, click on this link:

Click Here to Get Your Craft Ebooks

Remember, it’s all GUARANTEED!    

* If you don’t find a craft that sells well… * If you don’t learn who buys these handmade items… * If you don’t discover how to boost the sales of the craft you’re already making… * If you don’t learn how to make money without selling a single item…

    …I’ll REFUND EVERY PENNY you paid for this information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You’re invited… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You’re invited to ask questions about these books or to comment on this web site by sending me a message at Dusty@craftstomakeandsell.com

I look forward to hearing from you!     Sincerely, Dusty Foster A fellow crafter

Affiliate Marketing Materials

         Review of Crafts to Make and Sell

         History of Crafts

www.Crafts to Make and Sell.com Craft Ebooks and Website by Dusty Foster Copyright (c). All Rights Reserved.

[arplis]

Arplis - News: Great seat, so-so service: A review of KLMs business class on the 787-9 from Amsterdam to Toronto

TPG Rating

80 100

Pros

Beautiful, comfortable seat and bed; ample options for inflight entertainment; greatly improved lounge at Amsterdam airport.

Cons

Slow, disjointed meal service.

16/20 Ground Experience

26/30 Cabin + Seat

12/15 Amenities + IFE

15/20 Food + Beverage

11/15 Service

Dutch flag carrier KLM is a major presence in the U.S. and Canada, with year-round flights to Amsterdam (AMS) from 14 cities. It sends across the Atlantic pretty much all of the airplane types in its long-haul fleet: the Airbus A330 and Boeing 747, 777 and 787. The last one is the only one offering business class with direct aisle access for all seats, while the other types feature configurations with seats in a 2-2-2 layout.

Its a much different story on the 787s, which began joining the fleet four years ago and sport a 1-2-1 configuration in business class, with seats laid out in a reverse-herringbone pattern. On paper, its a totally competitive offering across the Atlantic, at least in terms of seat.

KLM is also a member of SkyTeam, the alliance that includes Delta Air Lines, so flyers can earn and redeem Deltas SkyMiles on all flights, as well as Air France and KLMs own Flying Blue miles.

For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Weve reviewed KLMs business class before several times, including the classic upper-deck experience on the 747. Every time, we found it to be a good, but not great, way to fly at the front of the plane.

What would we find in 2019, which also happens to be the 100-year anniversary of KLM, the worlds oldest airline?

Booking

The Flying Blue program has become complicated lately, but youll be able to navigate it easily using our guides. You can also get Flying Blue miles by transferring points from Citi ThankYou Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

When we found a great award fare from Amsterdam to Toronto (YYZ) for 45,375 Flying Blue miles plus $226.15 in taxes and fees, we went for it without hesitation. We value Flying Blue miles at 1.2 cents each, making this a transatlantic flight in business class for $750.65. You can pay a lot more in coach!

On the KLM app, I was able to select my seat in advance not my meals, unfortunately and I was off for one of the cheapest premium-class Atlantic crossings of my entire frequent-flyer career.

Ground Experience

TPG Rating

16/20

PH-BHP

Tail

1yr

Age

11%

Late

h 16m

Avg. Delay

17:45

Departure

7h 37m

Duration

Amsterdams Schiphol Airport is one of the easiest airports in Europe to navigate. Connections are a breeze compared to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) or London Heathrow (LHR), getting there from the city is easy with plenty of trains and the airport itself is well designed.

When I arrived at the departures hall at 2:40 p.m. for the 5:35 p.m. departure to Toronto, I found the check-in area and departure gate already displayed on the monitors.

Biz-class passengers and elite members of the SkyTeam alliance could check in using a separate gated area, indicated by the SkyPriority logo.

Within this area were both traditional, staffed desks and self-service kiosks, useful if you dont have baggage to check. KLMs institutional blue color, with accents of Dutch orange, appeared in tasteful touches.

Despite having already checked in on the app, I got a paper boarding pass from a desk employee you never know when you might need it. Then I used the priority access to security and the departure gates, clearly indicated within the gated area.

After a quick and painless security and passport check, I was out in the departures area, headed to a duty-free shop for the delicacies I always make sure to bring home from the Amsterdam airport stroopwafels, salty licorice, Gouda cheese and then to one of the KLM lounges.

Even without lounge access, I would have had plenty to see and quiet areas to sit in. Schiphol is a nice airport to be in if you dont have lounge access. Its also a quiet airport, with no announcements on loudspeakers.

TPG contributor Eric Rosen has reviewed in depth the renovated KLM Crown Lounge, one of the two at AMS (the other one is within the area restricted to flights within the European Unions passport-free zone.) Eric explains in detail what you can find there, but I can sum up my time in it with one word: Wow!

This was a far cry from the cavernous, rather boring space it used to be. It had been completely transformed into a large, world-class lounge.

Immediately upon entering, I could see things had changed from my previous visits.

As befits the name, it now had lounge chairs. And much, much better food options, including an la carte restaurant on the second floor, called Blue. (Too bad it was not free, unlike the food and drink in the lounge.)

I spent a delightful hour exploring, and liking, the buffet food and the decor. Another reason to pick a transfer at AMS over other European gateways.

Monitors in the lounge included a mention of how long it took to walk to a specific gate. Armed with that knowledge, I could maximize my time in the lounge and timed my arrival at the gate just four minutes before the start of boarding, long enough to admire the beautiful blue 787-9 that was to fly as KL695 to Toronto.

KLM names its 787s after flowers, and this one, a year-old Dreamliner, was called Tulip. How much more Dutch can you get?

Priority and general boarding lanes were clearly marked, and nobody was crowding the boarding area. At 4:50 p.m., boarding began right on time.

Cabin and Seat

TPG Rating

26/30

1-2-1

Configuration

81in

Bed Length

2

Lavs

KLMs 787-9 has 30 business-class seats, in a single cabin. The longer 787-10 has 38.

It was, even at first sight, a huge improvement over the 2-2-2 biz classes of previous KLM birds. The reverse-herringbone layout and that particular seat type have been around for years, but in KLMs incarnation, they exuded quiet elegance.

Of course, as is usual on this aircraft: No window shades! 787 windows are dimmed electronically, with the touch switch under them.

The inflight-entertainment screen swiveled out with a press of the blue button to the left.

Headrests were adjustable in height and angle, and had adjustable wings. The seatbelts had airbags, as happens more and more in premium seats.

In the lie-flat position, the 22-inch wide seat turned into an 81-inch bed. Though a mattress pad for sleeping was not available, the bed offered enough space in the footwell to move comfortably. The only thing I didnt like about it in bed mode was the clunky airbag belt, and the pillow could have been firmer, too.

When sleeping under a blanket or comforter, fasten your seat belt over it. That way, if theres turbulence and flight attendants come to check if youre buckled in, they can just take a look and not bother you and youll make their job easier, too.

The armrest on the aisle side could be lowered with the blue button. Flight attendants asked passengers to keep them in the lowered position for takeoff and landing.

It would not have been possible to store large electronics like laptops or tablets anywhere other than the overhead bins, but the closed storage cubby next to the IFE remote was ideal for wallets, phones and other small items. Headphones for the IFE were hanging in it from a hook.

I especially liked the clever mirror inside the door, in classy KLM blue.

An international power outlet and powered USB outlet were under the armrest by the window, with a sign indicating their location.

The tray table extended from the same armrest with the press of another blue button. It was a bit small, but still OK for a 15-inch laptop, and once extended it could slide forward, letting the seat occupant get up during meal service. This is a key element that not all airlines get right; for example, Virgins swanky new Upper Class forces you to stay seated when the table is out and a meal is on it.

The seat controls were intuitive, and I didnt see any other passenger have to ask a flight attendant for help figuring things out. From the top, the four buttons are: slide seat forward and back, bed mode, seat back up and overhead light.

Besides the overhead light, which could be controlled from the remote too, there was a reading light built into the seat. Two adjustable air-conditioning vents were above the seat, the latter a feature not found on all aircraft. (Some European airlines, like Lufthansa, are notorious for keeping cabins far warmer than what Americans are used to.)

The bathrooms were more or less normal, save for a KLM classic, the Delft-house decorations. Theyre found all over its branded materials, and even on the escalator to the Crown Lounge.

Amenities and IFE

TPG Rating

12/15

16in

Screen

250

Movies

200

TV Shows

No

Live TV

No

Tailcam

As customary, I found pillow and comforter already on the seat, and headphones in the mini storage locker. Amenity kits were distributed later.

The amenity kit by Dutch designer Jan Taminiau, featuring the colors of the Dutch flag, was distributed to each passenger just after flight attendants closed the overhead bins prior to pushing back from the gate. It had the basics for a long-haul flight: socks, toothpaste and toothbrush, eye mask and earplugs, moisturizer, lip balm and a pen useful for immigration forms.

More toiletries were found in the two bathrooms exclusive to business class, which were spotless throughout the seven-hour, 40-minute flight. Hair gel, body mist and hand-and-body lotion were a limited edition by Rituals for KLM. Besides the pillow and comforter, I didnt receive any other amenities like slippers or pajamas.

These KLM aircraft feature crisp, 16-inch screens, with about 250 movies to watch in at least 14 languages, and a gorgeous moving map: this was a good IFE, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The Wi-Fi internet disconnected a few times, but was otherwise quite usable. I paid 18 euros ($20) for the whole flight, a much better deal than the other choice of 8 euros ($9) for one hour. (If you just wanted to send or receive text messages, that was free.) The Speedtest app kept timing out, but the internet was fast enough for videos, albeit with some buffering.

The headphones supplied by the airline were of the fairly rare three-prong kind, with OK not outstanding sound quality.

The beautiful 3D moving map could also be loaded on the smaller display in the remote, which retained full pinch-and-zoom functionality.

The cockpit-view function is increasingly popular in IFEs, and for aviation geeks its a delight every time. After our takeoff on schedule at 5:45 p.m., I followed on the screen our climb from sea level straight to our initial cruising altitude of 36,000 feet in 25 minutes which happened in near silence, despite my position just in front of the righthand engine.

The flight unfolded entirely in darkness. In late June, say, the views out of the window would have been spectacular, one long sunset seen from the edge of the stratosphere, but in early November we flew at night from start to end.

Food and Beverage

TPG Rating

15/20

2

Meals

Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Rserve

Champagne

No

Dine on Demand

Are you even flying on a Dutch airline if youre not offered a Heineken? Of course not, and a can of the national beer of the Netherlands was on the tray that a flight attendant brought down the aisle as boarding finished. There were also Champagne, orange juice and water. (Incidentally, the two stripes on the flight attendants sleeve identified her as a senior cabin attendant in the KLM rank insignia system.)

At my seat, I found a menu and wine list, with the KLM logo inside a Delft-porcelain motif. The airlines Champagne may have been a midrange Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Rserve, but its taste in graphics was impeccable.

On the wine list, I noticed a cocktail described as a special lighter, crisper version of a Negroni, with Dutch genever (a typically Dutch kind of gin), chosen because both KLM and the Negroni were born in 1919. When the drinks cart arrived at my seat, half an hour after takeoff, I asked for it, with a small bowl of nuts and sparkling water.

The nuts should have been warm and the drink in a wider glass, but those are minor quibbles to have at 36,000 feet, and the Negroni-ish was indeed lighter and crisper than the original, a true pleasure.

For dinner, I could choose among two appetizers, three entrees and two desserts. For the appetizer, I had tomato soup over the other choice, salmon and spicy mango with hazelnut-cucumber-pepper-and-mango dressing.

All three main courses featured potatoes, in an apparent nod to a classic Dutch staple food. My choice was panfried cod and Dutch prawns with herb potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes and broad beans in a mussel gravy. The other two entrees were miso-marinated chicken thigh with carrots, potato puree, Brussels sprouts in an orange beurre blanc sauce; and beef stew with red cabbage, potatoes and cornichons.

For dessert I could have a cheese plate blue cream cheese, Klaver Roem and Leerdammer Caractre, all Dutch cheeses, served with crackers and grapes or sweet bites: brownie with ganache, a chocolate-caramel tartlet and a lemon cheesecake with raspberries. I went with the cheese, and a glass of New Zealand riesling from a simple, five-wine list. It also featured a Chilean chardonnay and three reds: a grenache from France, an Argentinian malbec and a South African shiraz.

Things sounded promising on paper. But when dinner service began, they went awry.

The galley ran out of the salmon appetizer for everybody who wanted it, and flight attendants proposed alternatives to at least two passengers. This happens, I said to myself, no biggie. Space on board is limited, and not everybody gets their first choice on every flight. In any case, I had the tomato soup, which was very good, and though the salad was a bit wilted, it came with a zingy beetroot dressing that was as cheeky as the salt and pepper shakers in the shape of Dutch clogs.

But then I waited 30 minutes between the appetizer and entree, and the flight attendant assigned to my aisle got confused and thought I had ordered the chicken, not the cod.

They hadnt loaded enough cod anyway, he said, seeming a little confused about what was going on in his galley, but after some inquiry he turned up one stray cod entree for me. And good thing he did, because it went beautifully with the riesling.

The silverware had pretty inlaid handles, and the carts were ornamented with the same motif as the menus.

With dessert, the flight attendant brought around a box of chocolates in the shape of, you guessed it, Delft houses. I had two, and I could have had more. They were excellent, and so were the cheeses. By the time I was done with all of it, though, it had been a 90-minute dinner, and when your flight is under eight hours and at night, you may want a service flow that maximizes sleep instead of time spent eating.

A half hour later it was lights out in the cabin, when we were already nearing the southern tip of Greenland, four and a half hours out from Toronto.

Ninety minutes before landing, after some sleep, it was time for the second meal service. The appetizer was a sweet-potato salad with white cheese and pomegranates, followed by either a cheese quiche or an Angus beef burger with cheese, and then by an apple pie. The meal was served with pepper jelly and deep-fried onions on the side. I got the burger and a Coke, which proved to be a good choice. And the apple pie that followed was perfectly warm.

KLM did not let me go hungry. It wasnt top-quality, but it was perfectly competent airplane food, in abundant amounts.

Service

TPG Rating

11/15

No

Extra Pillows

No

Turndown Service

Would you like a house, Mr. Riva? the flight attendant asked me after the last dish had been removed from my tray. On any other airline, I would have thought that a weird question, but in KLM business class it could mean only one thing. It was time for the distribution of the miniature Delft porcelain houses filled with liquor, which the airline gives away as souvenirs to business passengers.

The one distributed on KL695 that day wasnt any old house, either.

Its the house where our king and queen live, he said.

According to the booklet that came with it, Huis ten Bosch is the residence of King Willem-Alexander, Queen Mxima and their children. Thats the very king who occasionally moonlights as a KLM pilot, but there was no royalty at the controls on my flight: His Majesty is qualified on the Boeing 737, not the 787.

That very nice interaction with the flight attendant and the story behind the Delft house ended the flight on a high note for me, but overall, the service was OK, not great. There were moments of slight confusion during meal services, and dinner lasted way too long.

Overall impression

You dont need to be an aviation enthusiast to see how pretty this 787 was on the inside and out, and even a casual flyer notices the Dreamliners smooth, quiet ride. Add a very good biz-class seat, and you have the makings of a very nice Atlantic crossing.

Coming off the flight on a cold night in Toronto, I reasoned that Id just flown in a better biz seat than most Delta One seats, certainly better than any Lufthansa seat short of first class, and on par with the best seats offered on KLMs sister airline, Air France. It would just have needed better service to compete for greatness. That said, you would not be disappointed if you redeemed a reasonable number of miles for KLM biz class on the Dreamliner.

All photos by the author.

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/great-seat-so-so-service-a-review-of-klms-business-class-on-the-787-9-from-amsterdam-to-toronto

[rickhorrow]

10 To Watch : Mayor’s Edition 72919

RICK HORROW’S TOP 10 SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 29 : MAYOR’S EDITION

with Jacob Aere

Forbes named the most valuable franchises in sports, led by the Dallas Cowboys, who for the fourth consecutive year landed atop the list. The study values the Cowboys at $5 billion, with the Yankees second on the list at $4.6 billion, and Spain’s Real Madrid in third with a valuation of $4.24 billion. Rounding out the top ten are Barcelona ($4.02 billion), the Knicks ($4 billion), Manchester United ($3.81 billion), the Patriots ($3.8 billion), the Lakers ($3.7 billion), the Golden State Warriors ($3.5 billion), the New York Giants ($3.3 billion), and the Dodgers ($3.3 billion). The NFL dominates the overall list with 26 teams in the top 50. A major contributor was the league’s lucrative media rights deals with CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN, and DirecTV, which saw each team receive more than $260 million last year. Way behind the NFL was the NBA, which had nine teams on the list. Eight European soccer clubs made the list, as did seven MLB franchises. Cowboys owner and Sport Business Handbook contributor Jerry Jones has been credited with driving up the franchise’s value since purchasing it for $150 million in 1989.

The cost of the Raiders' new Vegas stadium has risen to $1.9 billion. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal (LVRJ), the Las Vegas Stadium Authority has reportedly approved $40 million worth of additions to the build, including 20 more suites and a field-level club area near the venue’s north end zone. The LVRJ report added that close to $1 billion has so far been spent on the construction of the 65,000-seat stadium. The new venue is expected to be ready for the 2020 season, when the Raiders are scheduled to relocate from Oakland to Las Vegas. The construction project, of which $750 million is being funded by taxpayers, has now passed the halfway stage, with the next major task being the installation of the cable steel roofing system that will support the stadium’s translucent roof. The latest update comes a month after the franchise appointed AEG Facilities to operate the new stadium. Right now, the Raiders are reluctantly in the spotlight as HBO’s “Hard Knocks” documents their every move during NFL preseason camp.

World Cup star Alex Morgan looking to launch female-focused media venture. Morgan, co-captain of the USWNT and World Cup champion, is planning to launch her own media venture focused on storytelling, specifically content for girls created by female athletes. The unnamed project is one of many off-field pursuits for the 30-year-old, recently named one of TIME's 100 most influential people. Morgan has written a series of children’s books about soccer called “The Kicks,” and last year acted in her first movie, a sports comedy called “Alex & Me.” Her sponsors include Nike Inc., Coca-Cola Co., AT&T, and Secret, a deodorant brand owned by Procter & Gamble. Morgan reportedly isn’t planning to launch it in partnership with any major media companies – rather, it’s part of a larger push by women on the team to advocate for gender equality in sports and beyond. “We’re authentic to who we are and what we stand for, and we’re becoming more brave and comfortable in our own skin,” Morgan said. This latest venture shows how the women of the USWNT can continue to use their championship platform to speak up about important issues. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder partnered with the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum to unveil their new City Edition uniforms, a "charcoal and gold Nike uniform [that] pays respect to those affected" by the 1995 bombing there. The Oklahoman reported that it has "long been a Thunder tradition to bring each player to the memorial when he joins the team," but now the team will "put its own imprint on the museum." The team "plans to underwrite a permanent exhibit that will focus on the 'Oklahoma Standard.'" The "three values associated with that standard -- service, honor and kindness -- are also printed above the City jersey’s tag." In addition, a time stamp "appears under each: 9:01, the minute before the bombing, and 9:03, the minute after." The "survivor tree, a 90-year old elm that withstood the blast, appears on the waist band of the shorts." The Thunder also "pledged to fund free admission to the museum once a month" during 2020. The jerseys – a touching way for basketball fans to honor those lost in the tragedy almost 25 years ago – will be available to purchase at a later date.

Williamson signs landmark deal with Jordan Brands. Pelicans forward Zion Williamson's deal with Jordan Brand is for seven years and $75 million, according to a source cited by Forbes. In DC, The Washington Post notes for "comparison purposes," LeBron James signed a seven-year, $87 million deal with Nike in 2003. Williamson "arrives in the league as arguably the most-hyped prospect since James." Rockets guard Russell Westbrook and Thunder guard Chris Paul "have signature lines with Jordan Brand, but as an ascendant superstar, Williamson can quickly become the face of the brand." ESPN reported Williamson "ultimately turned down a higher offer from Puma" and as much as $15 million annually from Chinese brands Li-Ning and Anta "in order to wear Michael Jordan's brand." Williamson could see also his already impressive social media following expand after signing the Jordan Brand deal. Jordan has 33.1 million total followers, with 55% of those on Instagram. Williamson became a social media juggernaut due to his high school and college exploits, amassing almost four million Instagram followers and 390,000 on Twitter. Clearly, this sneaker lace up is a win-win for Williamson and the Jordan Brand.

Nasdaq makes a bet on sports gambling. The New York-based stock-exchange group announced a deal with UK betting platform Football Index to help build its trading platform using tools similar to those Nasdaq uses on traditional stock exchanges. The four-year-old, privately held Football Index launched a virtual “stock market” in 2014 in which participants buy shares in star players like Lionel Messi or Harry Kane. The site provides a mix of fantasy sports and regular sports betting with elements of stock market speculation. The Football Index deal will be the first in which the Nasdaq brand will be visible to gambling customers. Nasdaq has other sports-betting clients including the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which has a monopoly on the Chinese territoryʼs sports-betting market. It also has an agreement to provide betting technology for the horse racing unit of Australiaʼs Tabcorp, a lottery and gambling giant. In both those cases, Nasdaq has supplied back-end technology but its logo and branding did not appear on any consumer-facing products. Football Index says the ultimate goal is to create “recreational markets for retail traders in something they understand a lot better than” traditional financial instruments, such as currencies.

MLS WORKS showcases the soccer league’s philanthropy during 2019 All-Star Week. According to Orlando City FC, MLS’ philanthropic group is rolling out a slate of community-focused initiatives and events in the Orlando area for the MLS All-Star Game on July 31. MLS will offset a portion of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with All-Star Week festivities by purchasing 2,600 carbon offsets from a clean cookstove project in Africa. Supporting the Orlando City Foundation’s commitment to urban agriculture, MLS will invest in a community garden as part of the MLS WORKS + Target All-Star Community Day. And in partnership with Fleet Farming and their Edible Landscape service, a garden will be installed at Neptune Middle School. MLS will also provide funding for South Street Urban Farm’s education program in the Parramore area of downtown Orlando. The charity arm of MLS will also team up to combat hunger and support the Special Olympics as the MLS All-Stars take on La Liga’s Atletico Madrid.

Wasserman Media Group launches The Collective with $1 million for women in sports. According to Philanthropy Women, Wasserman unveiled its new program July 13 and the Collective will offer resources for female-focused initiatives, utilizing the full reach of Wasserman entities to support business and client campaigns. Among the Foundation’s grant recipients are Women in Sports and Events (WISE) and the City of Los Angeles’s Evolve Entertainment Fund. Currently, Wasserman represents 56% of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, 26 WNBA players, and “a number of women Olympians who have won a total of 37 gold medals since 2010.” Representing some of the top women in sports such as Megan Rapinoe, Abby Wambach, Mia Hamm, and Katie Ledecky, Wasserman Media Group has furthered its commitment to increasing the prominence of top female athletes.

Kevin Durant helps to send kids from Prince George, Maryland to college. The newly-signed Brooklyn Net has opened the Durant Center, an educational facility in his hometown. According to BET, the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation has committed $10 million over the next decade in a partnership with Prince George’s County Public Schools and College Track to help minority low-income high school students earn a college degree. The Durant Center is the first College Track center on the East Coast, with the inaugural class of the Prince George’s county program totaling 69 students of color. Enrolled students attend the center after school for tutoring and advising where they are taught life skills, including time and stress management. Last year, Durant donated $3 million to University of Texas Austin, in addition to supporting organizations like the Tulsa Dream Center, Larkin Street Youth Services, and Black Girls Code in San Francisco, and was named ESPN’s 2018 Humanitarian of the Year. This only builds on his philanthropy track record.

The Tom Hatcher charity golf tournament raises nearly $100,000. Six years ago, Tom Hatcher had no idea what he was starting when he decided to organize a charity golf tournament. According to The Daily Times, Hatcher is the circuit court clerk for Blount County, Tennessee and was moved to action by his father, who was in the midst of a five-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. At this year’s tournament, more than 300 golfers competed for two causes close to Hatcher’s heart. The sixth-annual event raised roughly $100,000, which will be split up and donated to Alzheimer’s Tennessee, Inc. and the Blount County Boys & Girls Club. The total donations have increased every year, with Hatcher’s inaugural tournament raising $23,000 in 2014. This one’s total bested last year’s by roughly $20,000. By mixing politics, sports, and charity, Hatcher continues to see growing success in raising funds and awareness for the Boys & Girls club as well as Alzheimer’s Tennessee.

[itswhay]

you are going to hate me but... 1-100 :>

lmAo okay... 

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?

Cereal 

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?

yes actually 

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?

shoe laces and ripped paper 

4: how do you take your coffee/tea?

sweet as fuck 

5: are you self-conscious of your smile?

I never smile w my teeth so I guess 

6: do you keep plants?

I gave a lil succ named John Stamos 

7: do you name your plants?

^^^^^

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?

Photography ? I guess I also write on a p blog everyday 

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?

yeah ig

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?

side 

11: what's an inner joke you have with your friends?

you wouldn’t get it 

12: what's your favorite planet?

Saturn 

13: what's something that made you smile today?

This girl said my outfit was cute 

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?

cozy 

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!

All of space is completely silent 

16: what's your favorite pasta dish?

probs anything w cheese and tomatoes and ground beef 

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?

I dont lmao #beentheredonethatoverit

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.

Nothing im perfect lmaooooooooo 

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?

yeeeeeee and none ya fckn biz... but like for real I write about my day in detail and how im currently feeling about people bc I forget things really easily and I want to remember my life ????? 

20: what's your favorite eye color?

i don have one all y’alls eyes are beaut

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that's been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.

I have like this embroidery elephant bag that got at a festival when I first moved to colorado 

22: are you a morning person?

lmao no 

23: what's your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?

I like to sit on the back porch on the couch and drink coffee and nap 

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?

yes @ daron 

25: what's the weirdest place you've ever broken into?

my own house damnnn gurrlll willldddd

26: what are the shoes you've had for forever and wear with every single outfit?

currently pink hightop converses but the shoes I had for the longest time was a pair of purple low tops 

27: what's your favorite bubblegum flavor?

PoLaR iCe 

28: sunrise or sunset?

Sunrise 

29: what's something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing?

lmao ummmmm Nicole holds your hand when you sit near her 

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?

lmao yea 

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.

I nEVer sleep in socks. But like socks are sick, never only wear white socks 

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.

lots of things that if im being honest i dont feel like reminiscing about rn bc im tired  

33: what's your fave pastry?

muffins 

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?

I had this GiaNT mouse I mean lik e it was huge 

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?

I love... I write letters and postcards to people 

36: which band's sound would fit your mood right now?

Probs Elvis like always 

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?

I like it clean but usually it messy

38: tell us about your pet peeves?

People hiding things, acting like a different person than who they are, being a bad friend bc you want to seem cool to someone else 

39: what color do you wear the most?

Pink and Black prob

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what's it's story? does it have any meaning to you?

yeah boi The longest amethyst pendant I wear my grandma gave me, the shorter one my mom gave me. I used to have this moon necklace I would wear literally everyday and was very important to me but I lost it at a show and Im still sad about it  

41: what's the last book you remember really, really loving?

Joel Grey’s book 

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!

Mutiny !!! its really sick and there mochas are so good and they have good heckin shows (also im obvi a starbucks bitch so...) 

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?

myself bitch I tell the moon to protect my loved ones every nite 

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?

On the beach in Savannah like pls take me back  

45: do you trust your instincts a lot?

100%

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.

Imagine if you would hit the clock in the morning and the clock would hit you right back. -I think it would be truly alarming. 

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?

Ketchup 

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?

Needles and yea 

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?

Cds uhhhh last was probs placebo 

50: what's an odd thing you collect?

Musiclas on VHS 

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?

person not named -- song: hold on to me placebo 

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?

the blinky guy

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?

lmao yea they good 

54: who's the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?

I heard it in there voice too and it was last week and It hurts to see someone so sad 

55: what's the most dramatic thing you've ever done to prove a point?

well i can say that I did not join the frisbee team to prove a point 

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

lmao being nice and happy at least some of the time passionate about things and seeks to be happy and fulfilled 

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?

yeah but also that song makes me sad 

58: who's the wine mom and who's the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?

Im both fuck me up 

59: what's your favorite myth?

my love life *that weird drum sound thng when some1 makes a joke* 

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?

yeah 

61: what's the stupidest gift you've ever given? the stupidest one you've ever received?

to tired to answer this 

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?

orange 

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?

leave em be 

64: what color is the sky where you are right now?

dark 

65: is there anyone you haven't seen in a long time who you'd love to hang out with?

yeah I was supposed to see zack but then it fell through so that should happen soon 

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?

d a i s i e s 

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?

I like it 

68: what's winter like where you live?

bad gross cold snow 

69: what are your favorite board games?

clue 

70: have you ever used a ouija board?

nah son dont fuck w that shit 

71: what's your favorite kind of tea?

rasberry 

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you'll forget it?

yea 

73: what are some of your worst habits?

got lots of them 

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.

They are small short fuckn nerd but 

75: tell us about your pets!

I l o v e them 

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren't?

sleeping > 

77: pink or yellow lemonade?

pink 

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?

I hate those yeloow bitches 

79: what's one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?

ew

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?

theres like this giant mountain mural... mountians... just mean,,,, so... much to me, lmao no we rent  

81: describe one of your friend's eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.

pine tree w golden light shining through 

82: are/were you good in school?

this semester im doing pretty good 

83: what's some of your favorite album art?

lmao idfk 

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?

yea a tcb in new mexico 

85: do you read comics? what are your faves?

yea wonder women ones like the old ones 

86: do you like concept albums? which ones?

?????

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?

Boy meets girl (my heart ) and girl happy 

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?

im s o tired im sorru 

89: are you close to your parents?

yea 

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities.

Savannah 

91: where do you plan on traveling this year?

lots of places actually 

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?

drowns 

93: what's the hairstyle you wear the most?

short and out of the way 

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?

Carla

95: what are your plans for this weekend?

work and I have a thing on sunday 

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?

i ignore them 

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?

idr aquarius im slytherin  

98: when's the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?

yes i did 

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

nooooooo 

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?

neither thats a horrible question live life in the present and understand that each day is different and you should just enjoy what you can of them :)))

you right i do kinda hate u but its ok