#by 3x but is necessary for the story i want to tell . all i will say is that ill be so impressed if i actually finish this

[staraxiaa]

chromatic (kirishima fic) update

how it started, chromatic v1:

how it’s (maybe) going, subject to change:

ive just started part III btw

[jeannereames]

Hi, Dr. Reames! I just read your take on Song of Achilles and it got me thinking. Do you think there might be a general issue with the way women are written in mlm stories in general? Because I don't think it's the first time I've seen something like this happen.

And my next question is, could you delve further into this thing you mention about modern female authors writing women? How could we, beginner female writers, avoid falling into this awful representations of women in our writing?

Thank you for your time!

[It took a while to finish this because I wrote, re-wrote, and re-wrote it. Still not sure I like it, but I need to let it go. It could be 3xs as long.]

I’ll begin with the second half of the question, because it’s simpler. How do we, as women authors, avoid writing women in misogynistic ways?

Let me reframe that as how can we, as female authors, write negative (even quite nasty) female characters without falling into misogynistic tropes? Also, how can we write unsympathetic, but not necessarily “bad” female characters, without it turning misogynistic?

Because people are people, not genders, not all women are good, nor all men bad. Most of us are a mix. If we should avoid assuming powerful women are all bitches, by the same token, some women are bitches (powerful or not).

ALL good characterization comes down to MOTIVE. And careful characterization of minority characters involves fair REPRESENTATION. (Yes, women are a minority even if we’re 51% of the population.)

The question ANY author must ask: why am I making this female character a bitch? How does this characterization serve the larger plot and/or characterization? WHY is she acting this way?

Keep characters complex, even the “bad guys.” Should we choose to make a minority character a “bad guy,” we need to have a counter example—a real counter, not just a token who pops in briefly, then disappears. Yeah, maybe in an ideal world we could just let our characters “be,” but this isn’t an ideal world. Authors do have an audience. I’m a lot less inclined to assume stereotyping when we have various minority characters with different characterizations.

By the same token, however, don’t throw a novel against the wall if the first minority character is negative. Read further to decide if it’s a pattern. I’ve encountered reviews that slammed an author for stereotyping without the reader having finished the book. I’m thinking, “Uh…if you’d read fifty more pages….” Novels have a developmental arc. And if you’ve got a series, that, too, has a developmental arc. One can’t reach a conclusion about an author’s ultimate presentation/themes until having finished the book, or series.*

Returning to the first question, the appearance of misogyny depends not only on the author, but also on when she wrote, even why she’s writing. Authors who are concerned with matters such as theme and message are far more likely to think about such things than those who write for their own entertainment and that of others, which is more typical of Romance.

On average, Romance writers are a professionalized bunch. They have national and regional chapters of the Romance Writers of America (RWA), newsletters and workshops that discuss such matters as building plot tension, character dilemmas, show don’t tell, research tactics, etc. Yet until somewhat recently (early/mid 2010s), and a series of crises across several genres (not just Romance), treatment of minority groups hadn’t been in their cross-hairs. Now it is, with Romance publishers (and publishing houses more generally) picking up “sensitivity readers” in addition to the other editors who look at a book before its publication.

Yet sensitivity readers are hired to be sure lines like “chocolate love monkey” do not show up in a published novel. Yes, that really was used as an endearment for a black man in an M/M Romance, which (deservedly) got not just the author but the publishing house in all sorts of hot water. Yet misogyny, especially more subtle misogyny in the way of tropes, is rarely on the radar.

I should add that I wouldn’t categorize The Song of Achilles as an M/M historical Romance. In fact, I’m not sure what to call novels about myths, as myths don’t exist in actual historical periods. When should we set a novel about the Iliad? The Bronze Age, when Homer said it happened, or the Greek Dark Age, which is the culture Homer actually described? They’re pretty damn different. I’d probably call The Song of Achilles an historical fantasy, especially as mythical creatures are presented as real, like centaurs and god/desses.

Back to M/M Romance: I don’t have specific publishing stats, but it should surprise no one that (like most of the Romance genre), the vast bulk of authors of M/M Romance are women, often straight and/or bi- women. The running joke seems to be, If one hot man is good, two hot men together are better. 😉 Yes, there are also trans, non-binary and lesbian authors of M/M Romance, and of course, bi- and gay men who may write under their own name or a female pseudonym, but my understanding is that straight and bi- cis-women authors outnumber all of them.

Just being a woman, or even a person in a female body, does not protect that author from misogyny. And if she’s writing for fun, she may not be thinking a lot about what her story has to “say” in its subtext and motifs, even if she may be thinking quite hard about other aspects of story construction. This can be true of other genres as well (like historical fantasy).

What I have observed for at least some women authors is the unconscious adoption of popular tropes about women. Just as racism is systemic, so is sexism. We swim in it daily, and if one isn’t consciously considering how it affects us, we can buy into it by repeating negative ideas and acting in prescribed ways because that’s what we learned growing up. If writing in a symbol-heavy genre such as mythic-driven fantasy, it can be easy to let things slip by—even if they didn’t appear in the original myth, such as making Thetis hostile to Patroklos, the classic Bitchy Mother-in-Law archetype.

I see this sort of thing as “accidental” misogyny. Women authors repeat unkind tropes without really thinking them through because it fits their romantic vision. They may resent it and get defensive if the trope is pointed out. “Don’t harsh my squee!” We can dissect why these tropes persist, and to what degree they change across generations—but that would end up as a (probably controversial) book, not a blog entry. 😊

Yet there’s also subconscious defensive misogyny, and even conscious/semi-conscious misogyny.

Much debate/discussion has ensued regarding “Queen Bee Syndrome” in the workplace and whether it’s even a thing. I think it is, but not just for bosses. I also would argue that it’s more prevalent among certain age-groups, social demographics, and professions, which complicates recognizing it.

What is Queen Bee Syndrome? Broadly, when women get ahead at the expense of their female colleagues who they perceive as rivals, particularly in male-dominated fields, hinging on the notion that There Can Be Only One (woman). It arises from systemic sexism.

Yes, someone can be a Queen Bee even with one (or two) women buddies, or while claiming to be a feminist, supporting feminist causes, or writing feminist literature. I’ve met a few. What comes out of our mouths doesn’t necessarily jive with how we behave. And ticking all the boxes isn’t necessary if you’re ticking most of them. That said, being ambitious, or just an unpleasant boss/colleague—if its equal opportunity—does not a Queen Bee make. There must be gender unequal behavior involved.

What does any of that have to do with M/M fiction?

The author sees the women characters in her novel as rivals for the male protagonists. It gets worse if the women characters have some “ownership” of the men: mothers, sisters, former girlfriends/wives/lovers. I know that may sound a bit batty. You’re thinking, Um, aren’t these characters gay or at least bi- and involved with another man, plus—they’re fictional? Doesn’t matter. Call it fantasizing, authorial displacement, or gender-flipped authorial insert. We authors (and I include myself in this) can get rather territorial about our characters. We live in their heads and they live in ours for months on end, or in many cases, years. They’re real to us. Those who aren't authors often don’t quite get that aspect of being an author. So yes, sometimes a woman author acts like a Queen Bee to her women characters. This is hardly all, or even most, but it is one cause of creeping misogyny in M/M Romance.

Let’s turn to a related problem: women who want to be honorary men. While I view this as much more pronounced in prior generations, it’s by no means disappeared. Again, it’s a function of systemic sexism, but further along the misogyny line than Queen Bees. Most Queen Bees I’ve known act/react defensively, and many are (imo) emotionally insecure. It’s largely subconscious. More, they want to be THE woman, not an honorary man.

By contrast, women who want to be honorary men seem to be at least semi-conscious of their misogyny, even if they resist calling it that. These are women who, for the most part, dislike other women, regard most of “womankind” as either a problem or worthless, and think of themselves as having risen above their gender.

And NO, this is not necessarily religious—sometimes its specifically a-religious.

“I want to be an honorary man” women absolutely should NOT be conflated with butch lesbians, gender non-conformists, or frustrated FTMs. That plays right into myths the queer community has combated for decades. There’s a big difference between expressing one’s yang or being a trans man, and a desire to escape one’s womanhood or the company of other women. “Honorary men” women aren’t necessarily queer. I want to underscore that because the concrete example I’m about to give does happen to be queer.

I’ve talked before about Mary Renault’s problematic portrayal of women in her Greek novels (albeit her earlier hospital romances don’t show it as much). Her own recorded comments make it clear that she and her partner Julie Mullard didn’t want to be associated with other lesbians, or with women much at all. She was also born in 1905, living at a time when non-conforming women struggled. If extremely active in anti-apartheid movements in South Africa, Renault and Mullard were far less enthused by the Gay Rights Movement. Renault even criticized it, although she wrote back kindly to her gay fans.

The women in Renault’s Greek novels tend to be either bitches or helpless, reflecting popular male perceptions of women: both in ancient Greece and Renault’s own day. If we might argue she’s just being realistic, that ignores the fact one can write powerful women in historical novels and still keep it attitudinally accurate. June Rachuy Brindel, born in 1919, author of Ariadne and Phaedra, didn’t have the same problem, nor did Martha Rofheart, born in 1917, with My Name is Sappho. Brindel’s Ariadne is much more sympathetic than Renault’s (in The King Must Die).

Renault typically elevates (and identifies with) the “rational” male versus the “irrational” female. This isn’t just presenting how the Greeks viewed women; it reflects who she makes the heroes and villains in her books. Overall, “good” women are the compliant ones, and the compliant women are tertiary characters.

Women in earlier eras who were exceptional had to fight multiple layers of systemic misogyny. Some did feel they had to become honorary men in order to be taken seriously. I’d submit Renault bought into that, and it (unfortunately) shows in her fiction, as much as I admire other aspects of her novels.

So I think those are the three chief reasons we see women negatively portrayed in M/M Romance (or fiction more generally), despite being written by women authors.

------------------------------------

*Yeah, yeah, sometimes it’s such 2D, shallow, stereotypical presentation that I, as a reader, can conclude this author isn’t going to get any better. Also, the publication date might give me a clue. If I’m reading something published 50 years ago, casual misogyny or racism is probably not a surprise. If I don’t feel like dealing with that, I close the book and put it away.

But I do try to give the author a chance. I may skim ahead to see if things change, or at least suggest some sort of character development. This is even more the case with a series. Some series take a loooong view, and characters alter across several novels. Our instant-gratification world has made us impatient. Although by the same token, if one has to deal with racism or sexism constantly in the real world, one may not want to have to watch it unfold in a novel—even if it’s “fixed” later. If that’s you, put the book down and walk away. But I’d just suggest not writing a scathing review of a novel (or series) you haven’t finished. 😉

[script-a-world]

How could I create enough living spaces for an earth with 90 billion population? Could there possibly be a lot more reclaimed land, man made islands? How about with populating currently mostly uninhabited or barren places, making what are currently towns into a big city? What would the poverty line be? How does all this affect animals and plants?

Tex: So originally I was going to say “be incredible inhumane and pack people tighter than sardines in a can”, but after a lot of math, it turns out this isn’t even remotely possible. I’ve left some margin for error, but you can read for yourself below how I’ve done things.

This is a formula that’s been calculated and re-calcuated for years, though admittedly I don’t really understand the point of the exercise in packing the planet with as many people as humanly (hah) possible.

In terms of sheer brute numbers, you could physically compile not only the current world population (as of this writing, ~7.7 billion), but also the all the previous generations put together (~101 billion people), in about 10,800 km2 - “which would easily fit inside Jamaica, Qatar, Kuwait, The Gambia, or Connecticut.” (WaitButWhy).

This doesn’t calculate for living space, as in the area an individual person needs to use such facilities as a bedroom, a bathroom suitable for washing oneself and not just a powder room, and possibly a kitchen (something of varying inclusion historically, see: Rome). It could be argued that bathrooms could be outsourced to a communal area as well (see: outhouses and public toilets).

What you would like to include for a residential unit varies by what you’d like to include in it. Insider posted an article titled “25 photos of tiny living spaces around the world”, where the sizes of a microapartment can go as small as 15 square feet (~1.39 m2; National Geographic). Quite likely the most basic amenities like showers, toilets, and washing facilities are outsourced as communal spaces - these are often apartments, though depending on the landlord they can be just as cramped.

Technology has enabled these microapartments, single room occupancies, and even capsule hotels to have a comparative level of luxury. As many college students who live in cramped quarters can likely tell you, it makes a substantial difference in living quality to have such things as hotplates, microwaves, laptops, and miniature TVs when space is at a literal premium.

We’ll take Hong Kong as an example, since they were technically already listed in the Insider article with their “coffin homes”.

The country has a population of ~7.5 million, with a land mass of 1,104 km2. 7.5 million divided by 1,104 km2 = 6,793.478261 people per km2. This is going to be a reference number, and we’ll be using it again later to do comparisons.

Now, to fit the same population per coffin home apiece, let’s take that same 7.5 million and divide it by 1.39 m2 - this comes out to 5,395,683.453 people per m2. That needs converting to km2, which multiplied by 1,000,000 (to cancel out the m2 in the stoichiometry) now results in 5.39568345x1012 people per km2 for coffin homes.

To compare these two numbers, I’ll take a percentage - if we assign the coffin home number (5.39568345x1012 people per km2) as A, and the original Hong Kong land mass number (6,793.478261 people per km2) as B, we can more easily calculate the percentage of each value to each other according to the following steps:

Plugging in the numbers, we get A (coffin home) as 7.94244604x1010% of B (original Hong Kong). That’s several billion percent more people per square kilometer than the original density.

This means that if we squish people into coffin-sized homes as that Business Insider article mentioned, 90 billion people - living requirements outside of a bed excluded! - could exist on 6.4780814x1016 km2.

Earth’s habitable land mass as of 2019 is 104 million km2 (Our World in Data), and this makes the amount of land required for 90 billion people - presumed as a single layer and only on Earth’s habitable land - 6.22892442x1010 percent more than the amount of habitable land on Earth.

Now, a converting everything into multiple levels might work, yes? Skyscrapers are classically 10-20 levels, and 40-50 in the modern age (Britannica), but I’ll go whole-hog because of the scale of numbers we have and go straight toward the largest number I know - Coruscant at 5,127 levels (Wookiepedia).

6.4780814x1016 km2 divided by 5,127 levels is 1.2635228×1013 km2 per layer. This single layer is still 12,149,257.7% more land required than there is habitable land on Earth.

Now, I don’t know if you’d like to expand this to non-habitable land, but either way, you would still need to calculate in the amount of space required for other requirements such as bathrooms, areas to cook/eat, medical services, transportation, educational spaces (provided you haven’t somehow squished everything into a helmet for “flash training” à la Star Wars clone troopers, detrimental to mental health as it is), places for people to work at jobs that can’t be done from their bed, and agriculture and manufacturing.

If you assume that these coffin homes are “only” a third or half of the cumulative living space, you would still need to multiply your required amount of space by at least 2-3x of the coffin home requirements.

Because of this, your question doesn’t account for the more humane theory of optimum population, as the above types of raw arithmetic calculations are inherently unable to factor in intrinsic values such as happiness with one’s life, enriching interactions with others, or the relaxation that comes from being around nature.

I would have to assume that the level of technology necessary for packing people like sardines in a can would need to be, at minimum, space age, but there are still space requirements (aside from the above-stated) for things like utilities and like… how big the walls are. I did not calculate for walls! This would realistically place people in mid-air and that’s not even feasible because you need to construct the coffin homes you’re wanting to shove people into.

My questions to you are these - what prompted you to consider this many people on a planet sized and shaped like Earth? Is it critically important to your plot, or does this have some function of novelty that appeals to you?

Is this plot based on Earth, particularly of a parallel or observable future, or is it based on some fictional world like Coruscant from Star Wars? How does this kind of world factor into your story, and how would it impact the plot if it were removed?

90 billion people on Earth - of any timeline or parallel universe - is so exceptionally far over the maximum carrying capacity that it’s flatly catastrophic to the environment, if it’s not equally as disastrous to the people from the way they would need to be treated in order to make your idea feasible.

This amount of population is far more sustainable on a substantially bigger planet, so I’m deeply curious why you’ve picked Earth. Is it because it’s the most familiar one for you, or something else?

Utuabzu: As Tex says, density is your friend. Theoretically you could pack billions of people into just a few towering megacities if you built them right, but at that level of technology you have to ask yourself why. It’d be a similar level of effort to build colonies in orbit and on other bodies in the solar system, with the added bonus of not having all your eggs in one basket and gaining access to more resources.  Thinking about the reason for having that many people on Earth will lead you to a much better idea about how they’d accomplish it. If Earth is like the capital of a galactic state, then likely you’d have one huge gigacity wherever the government actually is, and the rest of the planet would be fairly normal, maybe even better protected as nature reserves and parks. If space travel (and contraception) are unworkable, you’d probably have vast sprawling slums clustering around every city and constant food and water shortages. Reclaimed land is certainly a possibility, and can take multiple forms, but be wary of using it in earthquake prone areas as liquefaction is a nasty thing.

As for currently uninhabited places, they’re usually uninhabited for a reason. Now, technology might be able to overcome that reason, but you’d need to consider why people would bother when they could instead use the same tech to add to the carrying capacity of the major cities that already exist and that people already want to live in.

Another thing to consider when siting your megacities is local culture and geography. It’d be a lot easier to convince New Yorkers to cover their region in huge skyscrapers than Parisians, while the geology of Cape Town (largely bedrock) is better suited than that of St Petersburg (swamp) to supporting very tall structures. Consider climate too. The hotter or colder the area, the more energy will be needed to heat or cool buildings, while past the Arctic and Antarctic circles seasonal depression would seriously impact residents’ lives. Unless heavy use is made of green roofs and greenspace, a city of this size would produce an absurd heat island effect, maybe even enough to start affecting weather patterns.

Any city of this size would need to produce its own food and water, otherwise its hinterland would have to be unworkably large. Here, hydro/aero/aquaponics, desalination and recycling are your friends, with the added advantage of helping to offset some of the environmental strain the city will inevitably put on the planet.

[dutchelmdisease]

Rant//

Out of the 23 years of my life on this planet, I've lived in decent housing for about four years total. The house I grew up in was falling apart. Electrical issues, plumbing issues, bug issues. The house I moved into for college was falling apart. Doors that wouldn't close they were so warped, ancient house with dysfunctional AC, a gross roommate that would leave rotting food all over the house. When I moved out of that house, the place I moved into was falling. apart. Black mold growing on a wall, mice problems, flooding every single time it rained, yes every time, plumbing issues where water would start dripping and then streaming from our ceiling. Then a "nice" condo that was ALSO FALLING APART. Structural issues, floor so warped you could feel the step down as you walked, windows so bad that we had to tape them shut to keep the bugs out, wasp infestation in the fireplace so that had to be taped up too. Now I'm living in the house I grew up in again. On top of everything else, now it has mold and mouse problems.

All I want is to live somewhere nice. And when my roommates and I apply to apartments? Sorry, you don't make enough to live here. Even though you could pay rent, we require you have way more income. Okay, we have 3x rent. Sorry, that's not enough. Well how much income do you require? Oh, we don't tell you that. Why not? -hangs up- great.

I'm fvcking disabled. I have a severe phobia of bugs and it's triggering daily living here. I need to get the fvck out of here and I literally can't. I don't know what to do. Section 8 is full here, inexpensive places are so gross even in photos you can tell. It feels like my only choice to have a safe place to live is to push myself to the point of breaking. Again. I'm exhausted and all I want to do is rest for five years, let my brain reset, go to therapy, fix my life. But I'll never be able to fix my life, because I'm poor. And people would rather someone like me just die than help.

I'm not even trying to crowdfund or get commissions anymore because I never get more than $100. It hurts to see people being able to raise thousands of dollars overnight for top surgery just because they talk about dysphoria, meanwhile I can't even get money to get a safe place to live. It feels so fvcking backwards, like the issues are similar in that they're both necessary for the person's mental health; but if your story doesn't "move" people enough, you're fvcked.

[melnchly-a]

i was debating posting this but here are a range of things to think about re: police and reform. 

i’m seeing a lot of “abolish the police” posts, and while i know exactly where that’s coming from, it’s also a simple-seeming answer to a deep and complex problem, and one that’s likely to cause more problems than you’re likely thinking. (in the absence of police, it’s likely - - though certainly not guaranteed - - that those who can afford it will invest more heavily in private security for businesses/personal protection/etc, whether that need is warranted or not. in the event of situations occurring that would have required police presence, you would likely see more federal law enforcement/military presence. worst-case, imagine a country led by someone like our current president where the only option is to send in federal agents and believe me, you don’t want that.) neither do you probably actually want to call for a mass exodus of police of their own volition. i can tell you right now the ones you want out wouldn’t be leaving. you’d be left with departments entirely composed of people with no qualms about excessive force. you WANT those people staying on the force, and you WANT them to have the resources they need to report on fellow officers when needed. 

it’s also just not likely to happen in any widespead way. not in our current society. if you want to create real change, there are other things that need to be addressed, campaigned for, and fixed. things which will not be fixed if we’re trying to focus on overly simple answers for deeply complex problems.

this isn’t to disagree with the notion of reallocating funding to benefit schools/public services/etc. i think that’s entirely necessary. but there’s more to the story than simply cutting funding. 

police need to address and apologize for excessive use of force and abuse over the history of policing. if not for individual officers who may or may not have participated, than for the historical precedent as a whole. pretending there isn’t a problem isn’t a help to anyone. 

as i’ve said multiple times in the past, police unions and those who negotiate with them make it notoriously difficult for departments to get rid of officers with complaints against them. the department in minneapolis is headed by a black chief of police who had sued his own department based on issues of race in the past. he should have been able to get rid of officers like c.hauvin with no issues and yet....obviously, that man was still on the force. there need to be ways for a.) departments to fire problem officers without someone over their heads reinstating them and b.) ways for officers to report on their fellow officers without repercussions. i can tell you right now that those methods don’t currently exist in any wide-spread or efficient/effective form.

body cams, dash cams, and other oversight tools need to a.) be “sold” more effectively to the police as measures of protecting BOTH themselves AND the citizens they serve. there ALSO need to be real consequences for tampering with these, turning them off, etc.

police need more training and they need higher-quality recruits. understaffed departments lead to issues you’ll see in places like flint, where it can take three hours or more for police to respond to a call. not because they’re (most of the time) doing anything wrong, but because there aren’t enough of them in comparison to the total population. this could include decisions like requiring college or college-like degrees, but that would also mean higher pay for police officers. which i realize isn’t a popular idea at the moment, but is a fact of those requirements. (furthermore, many city police in small to mid size cities, not to mention suburban police, don’t have adequate crowd-control training. this is not an excuse for the way police have been handling crowds in recent days, but it is something that has come up in discussions. many of them are reacting with excessive crowd-control measures where lesser measures were needed.) this training should absolutely include recognizing police brutality in the past, the racism in the system as a whole, recognition and response to explicit and implicit bias, recognizing mental health issues, etc. training is a problem every law-enforcement officer i’ve spoken to in the last few weeks, in an attempt to understand what’s happening, has brought up. the people i’ve spoken to have dedicated their lives to establishing mental health education for police, who have actively removed aggressive or racist officers in the past, etc. they’re just as frustrated and angry with the reactions police are displaying as you and i are. and they’re actively doing things to try to help. unions, government, etc make that more difficult than it should be. 

many police, particularly in large cities, don’t live in the cities/neighborhoods they’re policing. (many smaller, particularly suburban, departments require that their officers live in the town they work in.) sometimes this is because they can’t afford to (nypd officers start at around  $42,500/year - about $3,541/month or  $885/week BEFORE tax -  in a city where the median rent for a studio apartment sits at about  $2,700/month. these officers can obviously make more as they spend more time on the force, but that’s the stated starting salary according to their website. the salary after 5 1/2 years is $85,292). this means they don’t know the areas/people/etc they’re policing, are more likely to make snap judgments based on false information, etc. it wouldn’t solve everything, but rules for employment regarding residency could mean better policing in cities and their neighborhoods. 

for a profession that includes seeing things like scenes of murders, assaults, suicides, and wellness checks that lead to decomposing bodies, mental health care for police is abysmal. i mean it’s....bad in the u.s. in general, but it’s notoriously bad for active-duty military, veterans, and first responders...including police. this isn’t to mention that officers who self-report mental health problems are often put on leave rather than given the resources they need. this means compounded stress, trauma, etc, going unaddressed in a highly dangerous and stressful profession.

police DO handle more than they likely SHOULD be handling, including things like wellness checks, nonviolent domestic disputes, etc. more often than not, they’re doing so without specialized training for those situations. these should absolutely be divided out into unarmed (or lightly armed, i.e. with pepper spray etc), specially trained units. you’re still going to want armed police units to exist in the u.s. - - i can tell you for a fact that in my fairly quiet suburban hometown ALONE there have been active shooter/barricade/hostage situations that could not be deescalated without use of force, despite attempts to do so.

qualified immunity needs reform. you can read more about that here. this allows not only for officers to get away with police brutality, but for all public officials to get away with a wide range of crimes. 

we need to campaign for citizens to be integrated into police oversight. police are paid by taxpayer dollars, and they are meant to serve and protect the people. again, this is an issue for your local government and police unions. when you’re communicating with gov’t officials, make it clear that you want something like this implemented. 

and, yes, there need to be strong and immediate consequences for excessive use of force. 

i’m not saying any of this to make it seem like police brutality or the racism inherent in the law enforcement and justice systems doesn’t exist. it does, and it needs to be addressed. what i am saying is that addressing that is a more complex problem that requires deeper thought for successful reform. Black people, particularly men, are at leas 3x more likely to experience police brutality, and that needs to end. 

tl;dr, some things to be aware of, petition for, etc: 

charging and convicting police brutality as a crime (with the understanding that this means it should be treated as any crime in a court of law)

holding all first responders accountable for their actions.

allowing and enabling officers to respond to police brutality they’re witnessing, including training on how to intervene, better reporting methods, policies that would not punish them for reporting, etc 

reform in police unions

better police training in general

national standards for police training (believe it or not, these don’t currently exist)

better mental health care and mental health policies for police and other first responders 

citizen involvement, including in oversight

voting in state and local elections for officials who have plans to respond to these issues, and who are actively listening to their constituents 

reallocation of funding so that the funding is more equally spread to education and community support

Some Sources/ Further Reading: 

“How to reform American police, according to experts” from Vox

Police officer salary and benefits, NY Gov

“Adopt minimum national police use-of-force standards and train cops for interaction” USA Today

“‘An Impossible Situation’: How Chief Arradondo Has Struggled To Change The Minneapolis Police Department” CBS Minnesota

“What We Should Expect of the Police: Experts Weigh In On Recent Police Violence,” Center for American Progress

Police Reform, The Flip Side

The Center for Policing Equity

[isobel-thorm]

Don't kill me, but all the fruits for grant and alistair please 💕

Also just noticed @troyebakers asked for all for Grant too, so here y’all are:

Let me apologize to mobile users now bc this is probably just gonna be a giant wall of strewn together nonsense for them. Switching around the order of the questions to make it flow a fair bit better. 

🍍  :    how comfortable is my muse in their body? how do they feel about their height,  weight,  strength,  and body type?  how important is being attractive to them?  

🍑  :    how meticulously does my muse look after their physical appearance?  do they spend a lot of time on their hair,  makeup,  grooming,  and clothing?  is there a particular reason why they do or don’t?  Grant:  Grant is basically okay with how he looks. He doesn’t exactly like his appearance, but he doesn’t hate it either, nor does he think it’s that important. The only thing he’ll really fuss over is his hair, and his idea of fussing is brushing it but letting the bedhead win a lot of the time.  Same goes with how he dresses- if a pair of jeans and T-shirt are discarded on the floor one night and they’re not in bad condition/they don’t smell, he’ll wear them again. Alistair:  He’s a little fussy with it. He knows most people find him attractive but he’s not that invested in it. Living for multiple centuries does that to a guy. He’ll make sure he’s neatly put together daily and that’s that. He does usually try to dress nicely though. His casual is a nice sweater, well-fitting leather jacket and dark jeans. He tends to call it ‘professorly.’ 

🍅  :    how does my muse feel about plastic  /  cosmetic surgeries   &   procedures?  is it something they have done or would do?  do they mind if others do it?  Both: Both of them are usually in the “why do people do that, it’s not necessary, people age, it’s a fact of life” side of things- with Alistair noting “except for me” in that last bit. They’d never dream about getting anything done themselves. 

🍏  :    how stable is my muse’s physical health?  do they go for regular or semi-regular checkups by a physician?  do they have any diagnosed illnesses and / or take any medication?  how often do they get sick?

🍎  :    how stable is my muse’s mental health?  have they been diagnosed with any mental illnesses and  /  or conditions?  do they have any undiagnosed mental illnesses and  /  or conditions?  do they or should they attend therapy?    Grant: He’s usually physically healthy and tries to stay that way. Mentally, he’s a mess and tries to get help, but it’s not lost on him that talking with Nic and getting hugs from her works better for him than an actual therapist half the time. Alistair:  Fit as a fiddle permanently, if you don’t count the whole living undead thing. He’s also fairly mentally stable himself, and he’s had a vested interest in Psychology the last century, which helps things. 

🍒  :    how much does my muse value companionship?  do they constantly keep people around them,  or do they prefer to be alone often?  do they have or desire to have many friends?  do they see every meeting as an opportunity to make a new friend?  Grant: After what happened during his time as a soldier, Grant got it in his head that he was bad luck for anyone around him, so he tried to stay solo for as long as possible and didn’t actively make friends. Enter Nic and Matthew/John, and it was another story. They didn’t really give him an active chance to tell them to leave him alone so they wormed their way into his heart, which helped his mental state so he was able to pursue a friendship with them and then a relationship with M/J, which healed him enough where he was a little more outgoing/willing to meet and befriend other people. Alistair: Nearly the same deal. He was also fairly anti-friends because people only usually gave him the time of day to get in his family’s good graces. He was very apprehensive about making friends because he figured once they got what they wanted they’d leave him, considering that happened a lot. And then Kat and the others came along and made him feel wanted, and while he still has that distrust of people outside that group, he would die (again) for every single person in their friend circle.

🍇  :    how would my muse describe their childhood?  how much has it impacted the person they are now,  or will become as an adult?  around what age did they or will they start to mature,  and why?  do they wish to go back to their days as a child,  or have they embraced adulthood?  Grant: He had a lonely childhood, his parents did take care of him, but were also fairly neglectful and paid more attention to their business than him. When the whole ‘bi but leaning more towards being romantically interested in men’ thing came to pass his parents sent him off to live with his gay uncles which ended up being the best experience of his life because he finally got active attention/parental figures who genuinely cared about his day or interests for once. The first half of that, however, prepared him a lot for his self-exile after coming home from overseas, but it also planted the idea that there was a silver lining somewhere in life, which he found in his friends. The only way he’d want to relive his childhood is if he was with his uncles the entire time. Alistair: Looking back, Alistair acknowledges that his mother raised him to be a spineless, pompous ass. Him becoming a full vampire/getting some distance from the family when he turned thirty was the turning point where he acknowledged that ‘oh hey, a lot of this shit is messed up.’ He wouldn’t relive his childhood at all. 

🍐  :    how intelligent is my muse overall?  are they smarter than the average person,  or less than?  are they primarily self-taught,  or did they acquire most of their knowledge in school?  are they more street smart or book smart?  Grant: He never went to college, he joined the Army straight out of high school, so he’s got an extremely basic… standard education. He’s more street smart than anything, and considering That Day, he got a lot of “that’s the how the world works, it’s unfair” type lessons from that tragedy. Alistair: He’s extremely intelligent. He went to college for law, but in the centuries since he’s found modern law is a little too corrupt for his liking, so he went into veterinary science and then studied Psychology on his own just to pass the time. 

🍉  :    which of the four seasons suits my muse best,  and why?  Both:  Winter. Their personalities and wardrobes match it more, and they both enjoy the aesthetic of it the most. 

🍌  :    is my muse inclined to help others,  or will they only do it when it benefits them,  if at all?  what makes them this way?  has it ever gotten them into trouble,  or inconvenienced them? Both: Will help others at the drop of a hat for entirely selfless reasons. They both figure they’ve got awful pasts to make up for, and if little acts of kindness and paying it forward is how they can go about it, so be it. 🍊  :    does my muse desire romance?  is it something they would actively seek out,  or prefer to happen more  ‘  naturally?  ’  what is their love life like?  do they have any exes or past flings,  or crushes?  Grant: Was very anti-love/anti-thinking-he-deserved love, but then Matt/John came along and was charming and nice and patient and his heart was all “alright get your shit together because T H I S   O N E   I S      F O R   Y O U.” Because of that, he’s an absolute mush with his LIs, which is a surprise to everyone outside his immediate friend circle because “wait the stoic guy likes cuddling and talking with faces a couple of inches apart and getting all romantic on holidays?” Alistair: Got his heart shattered into pieces by his first love early in his life, so he was reluctant to ever start anything romantic ever again, but then he fell for Kat platonically, which kick-started his heart back up to be willing to go pursue someone romantically - and then said heartbreaker comes crashing back into his life and then it’s a 50/50 clusterfuck again and he’s not quite sure what to do. 🍓  :    how is my muse typically seen by others?  does it ring true to who they really are?  does their reputation matter to them? Grant: Doesn’t give a damn about his bad stoic/wide/intimidating reputation. He’s not here to be judged, and if people wanna judge a book by its cover, fine, that’s not his problem. He’s got a handful of friends who love him because they bothered to get to know him, he’s invested in them. Alistair: Used to care very strongly about reputation and yearned to be alluring/scary/intimidating all at once, but he learns that was a lot of his mother’s influence, so he goes out of his way to nice people to death so he gets a far more welcome, warm, friendly reputation to make sure it sticks. It makes him stop caring about it so actively/doesn’t make it a staple in his life anymore.

🥝  :    does my muse have any  ‘  unusual  ’  habits, interests,  and  /  or talents?  do they hide it,  or are they proud of it?  Grant: Nothing special at allAlistair: He’s a hemophobic vampire, so he doesn’t go out on hunts with his family- nor does he feed on humans unless it’s necessary. He uses his resources as a vet to ‘feed’ on animals- where he’ll only feed feed if there’s a time crunch, but even then he only takes a standard blood test’s amount and tries to make it last- and he’ll even coach the animal through it, promising that he means it no harm, they’ll be safe in a minute, “Awww, we’re done, see, that wasn’t so bad. Good job, here’s some extra biscuits/cat treats/veggies, you did so well.” 

🍋  :    what kind of diet does my muse have?  do they eat regularly,  or the standard 2-3 meals a day?  do they have to be reminded to eat,  or are they likely to remind others?  do they cook,  or have others cook for them?  do they eat healthily,  or not so much?  Grant: Unless depression is kicking his ass, he’ll eat balanced meals regularly, with the usual 3x a day. If he does have a day of depression where he misses a meal or so when Nic or John/Matthew is around, they’ll notice and try not to be too forceful about it but they’ll also make a meal with him and try to goad him into eating it, and it usually works. Alistair:  Also keeps up with regular meals 3x a day, considering he tries to make human food work as much as possible to avoid interacting with blood in any capacity. If worse comes to worse he’ll cook up/order a super bloody steak and have it, wincing all the while. 

🥭  :    how important to my muse is their hometown,  or where they’re from?  are they proud of it,  or considered a hometown hero? did they move away,  or do they wish to?Grant: Grew up in Texas, and mentioned, he hated it so he avoids going back. He considers Wyoming/his uncles’ ranch home and would live there if he could, but then the job in Hope County came along, and he sticks there for a while and he’s happy, but maaaayyyybbbeee he’d consider dropping hints to John/Matthew that settling back in Wyoming could be nice if they’d be up for it. He’d be okay if they weren’t, though. They could always vacation there, and it’s enough. Alistair: Grew up in the downtown area of [CITY REDACTED] and has a hate/love relationship with it, so when Kat comes along and he joins that crew where they’re on the outskirts of town by the bay, he absolutely falls in love with the weird suburbia feel and makes plans to move there nearly immediately. 

[callboxkat]

aries and scorpius for the writing ask meme! - @I-will-physically-fight-you

@i-will-physically-fight-you

Aries: when have you felt the most confident in your writing? when have you felt the least confident?

I usually feel most confident in the chapters or pieces that kind of write themselves. Like the part of Infinitesimal when they were looking for Emile. I was very happy with those chapters.

I’m probably least confident in writings where I take risks, whether that’s with different writing styles or greater warnings needed, or if I’m writing a character I haven’t before. Especially when I don’t hear any feedback for a while. 😅

Scorpio: how much research did you have to do for your current wip? what was the weirdest thing you had to google?

Let me preface this by reminding you all that I’m a huge nerd; and if you haven’t noticed that by now, I’m not sure what to tell you.

(I’m going to use Second Chances for this one since it’s the last one I updated.)

For my writing, I do... like, a lot more research than is strictly necessary. I look up sunrise and sunset times for the season and part of the world where the story takes place. I have a timeline of events for this story and the dates and days of the week when they happen. It’s a bit excessive, for a fanfic.

Some of the things I looked up for the first installment: the legality of looking through trash cans (just making sure I had it right), pictures of vacuum steam cleaners, and various accounts of what it’s like to be homeless. I’m not going to pretend that my depiction of Roman is at all accurate to what it’s really like to be homeless, though, since it’s fiction and I’ve never been homeless or even personally known a homeless person. But I tried!

I did a lot less research for Adjustments, just checking dates (and therefore leaving space in the day to potentially later address the fact that it was the Fourth of July, which I did eventually do in a response to an ask) and checking the timeline of Disney movie releases to see what movies Roman might want to catch up on.

Pressure was pretty much the same. The only additional thing I looked up was what year Steven Universe started airing.

For Puzzling it Out, I looked up waayyyy too much stuff about rutabagas purely because I found out they were a cross between turnips and cabbage and wanted to use this story as an outlet to geek out about that weirdness. And I also looked up jigsaw puzzle solving times to make sure I gave Logan a very fast but very possible one.

For Roman’s Story, the main thing I focused on was the timeline. I had everything color coded by month in the document, and I was making sure the timeline matched up with when real high school students would be making college decisions, and from there mapping out when other events would reasonably have played out for Roman.

Most of Run Away came from background knowledge. With that one I didn’t even have to worry about keeping strict track of the timeline since it’s a prequel; and, since he was homeless, the exact dates didn’t affect Roman much. It was nice. And probably contributed to the fact that that fic ending up 3x as long as intended.

I’m not sure what the weirdest thing I’ve googled for a wip was, except maybe the stuff about rutabagas. But for another fic, Infinitesimal, I looked up a bunch of stuff about shoulder dislocations and treating them. And during a recent trip to see my aunt in NJ, I was reading a book where the author clearly didn’t do her research, and I got vocally mad about it (because I’d done more research for a fic than this author did for a published book, although I didn’t say that) and my family got very confused about why I, definitely NOT the daughter trained as an EMT, knew how to set a dislocated shoulder. I had to repeatedly reassure my aunt that no, I have not ever had to set my own shoulder. XD

[korkrunchcereal]

WoW Q & A

We’ve seen more choices/player agency this expansion. How important is it to the team that these player agency choices happen for both factions, and how important to have repercussions?

Can only happen if there are repercussions. Not worth it otherwise. Have to be careful with the amount done and what’s chosen. Do I want to back the banshee queen or Saurfang? Interesting choice. Testing the waters with this.

METZEN! - When is the Horde getting its true Warchief back?

May be a job oppportunity coming up for a new Warchief. If so, we’ll call you.

20% auction fee hurting players. Did you have other ideas for it, and when will it be removed if so?

Only applies to select stackable trade goods. It’s a bandaid, would require a fundamental rework of the auction system. Limit to amount of population is collapse of the AH. Working on it.

Will the items in WoW classic be put in as tmog for the live WoW? For unobtainable items.

Important to keep the ecosystems separate. Separate the two completely. Playing classic BECAUSE you want to play classic.

Update on Class Relics?

Miiiight have jumped the gun. Tried to infuse it into a few systems since that time. Difficult to actually put in. Actively working on it. Prob see in heritage armor / individual armor as opposed to wholesale solution.

Character progression, specifically leveling not rewarding. Wouldn’t it be better to implement a level squish? More rewarding feeling.

Not satisfied with what lvling has turned into. A level squish is a big ordeal, and some psychological concern. Agreed that something needs to change. It’s not attainable to keep upping level without adding reward behind it.

What steps to address toxicity in public chat channels?

Values: Everyone have a good time. Better to lose the negative person then the group they’re affecting. Listen to reports, not always good at telling you they are. Lot of behind of scenes work to investigate. Going to be instituting technology in other blizz games to handle such. Much more thoughtful and better, but active.

Why is there so much RNG in the game, and do you have plans to move away from the amount of RNG? 

A concern heard often. Completely deterministic. Had to get a drop, and grind certain emblems/badges in the past. Could mark on a calendar when you get pieces. No excitement or reward on the way. Not the world they want to do, but the flipside is nothing is predictable/certain. Been part of WoW. Putting in small fixes, but swung too far in pure randomness. Working towards a middle ground. 

Smart loot system on mythic caches?

Def. randomness feeling there. A fix for azerite system was on M+ system. Would be great to have streak breaking protection, not so much bad luck support. Example: You get boots, don’t get another pair.

Information on future of Azerite gear? How does team see azerite gear improving and evolving?

Tides of Vengeance gets improvements rolled out. Multiple choices in outer rings of azerite. 3x as many pieces of gear that has trait you want. Continue to add new traits, replacing lack luster ones. Continue to do that through BfA. Beyond ToV, looking at ways to improve system. More depth and choices in Heart of Azeroth similar to artifact weapons.

Are you going to pull more things off of GCD?

Looking at offensive CDs, example of monks having around 10 abilities off the GCD. Pulled way way back, took feedback and put things back off GCD. ToV, ignore pain off GCD. Pretty satisfied with offensive CD of it. Don’t think taking off GCD fixes issues of needing to press 3 buttons to deal dmg. Reduce the buttons / need to push that many. Movement is big focus. Taking Movement abilities off GCD in ToV.

Color wheel/dye?

Comes up frequently. Big answer: Not for everything existing. Tinting contradicts how blizzard paints its armor. Very similar to oil painting. Going back to do everything would have to change all colors to grey, then doing color shifting. BC tried tinting, “clown era”. System would have to be isolated; one armor system so they can hand craft each color.

 Took off niche abilities over time. If it resulted in homogenization of abilities, would you go back to MoP style?

Look at those abilities separately. Not averse to adding abilities where it makes sense. Mist and WoD abilities/talents were just used to shore up weaknesses. Would rather focus on strengths and give class identity. Feeling of “Man im glad we have an X” instead of “one of 6 specs to fill a hole.”

With CRZ and phasing off for classic WoW, how will you handle servers in classic with low pop realms / caps?

Not always seeing each other in the classic beta. Sharding at the moment, but demo is every char in the exact point in the world so without sharding would be broken. Some casual players, some hardcore. Concern is what will it do to realm communities, especially as realm populations fall over time? Using sharding in very limited ways. Understands its antithesis of classic, but necessary. First few weeks, plan to use limited sharding to beat initial launch problems. Further on, healthy population and single world.

Mechagon announced. Goblins and Gnomes; any development of background of Gallywix. How has being part of the larger horde affected him as a leader? Is he just a 2 dimensional money grubbing character? Any development of Gallywix and his attachment to his people?

3 dimensional money grubbing character. When pleasure palace can become pleasure palace, really experience goblins as they are meant to be; skyscrapers etc. Until then, we’ll look into it. 

If we’re getting Azshara, will we get the cannon?

We’re gonna fire that cannon.

Can tmog restrictions be lifted / more freedom?

Kind of a one way street at the moment. Loosening some restrictions, notably heritage armor. Heritage armor the example. Tides of Vengeance: Can tmog over fist weapons with 1 handed. Can’t fix wands, wands are weird. 

Differentiating between Sylvanas and Garrosh?

Stories not done. Much left to discover and explore. If I was Sylvanas and looking at Garrosh, i’d say Garrosh is an amateur. 

Set up as Horde vs. Alliance. Warfronts, Island expeditions. Why if we’re in either one, are PvP talents not activated?

Because you’re not fighting other players.

Announcement of BG’s with island AI. Will PvP talents activate then?

Not sure. Probably turn on talents because PvP brawl. AI is literal reconstruction of players; frost mage using actual player abilities. 

Do you encourage island expeditions to level?

yes. Buffed exp. Account bound unlock flight path item in Tides of Vengeance.

Will there be revamped M+ keystone leaderboard?

Sort of. Leaderboard still functions as a leaderboard. Challenge is only window of character progression. By Tides of Vengeance, add to the armory profile to see best times of week/season. 

Low performing specs get bad reputation that persists long after buff. Anything to buff shamans, spriests and ferals?

Yes. If you keep getting turned down, you don’t have fun and you’re justified in blaming blizzard. Have to overbuff sometimes to get them better attention. 

Any plans/considerations to bring back tier sets/gear related to give definition of class identity?

Trying something different in BfA. Gives a chance to get a set of gear that feels like that raid; naga raid give naga aesthetic gear. Class themed armor sets prob come back in the future. For now, cool to see varying designs. 

Classic: Staying on patch forever, or eventually get its expansions?

Right now, focus on restoring classic WoW. Once it’s out next summer, go from there. 

[momscafeblog]

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  Our first ever road trip happened when my little baby was just 5 days old…We took a 14 hour drive up the east coast. Not ideal according to our planned schedule but she graced us with her presence a bit earlier than expected, so we NEEDED to hit the road soon after she was born! Talk about being thrown into mommy hood! Our most recent road trip fast forwards seven years later, to this past weekend. Yet again we have taken an impromptu road trip! (I think we have a pattern here)

We had an amazing time for such a short and jam-packed trip! We drove down to spend some quality time with family. We watched an Easter production in church, that our cousin has starred in…a phenomenal depiction of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Praise God!

Check out and follow our Instagram Page, for a few of our Road Trip Highlights from our Instagram story…

Now, I am not going to lie to you. Road tripping with small children can be tough. Between “are we there yet?”, the “I’m Hungry”ies, and the cries from the front seat you may not want to embark on a long family journey at all. BUT I am here to tell you it is doable momma! There are a few essentials that can help you survive hours in a confined, moving vehicle without losing your…

…shirt! 

Here’s how we survived our most recent and EVERY road trip!

First….

What to Pack

Aside from your essentials needed once you reach your destination, there are a few items you will find necessary to have with you and easily accessible in the car! Don’t make the mistake of packing it away and having to exit the interstate just to dig through a suitcase in the trunk. When on a road trip, it is ideal to keep things close. Make things easier on yourself mom. Have a dedicated bag (or two) that you will keep inside the vehicle within arms reach to you or any other adult passenger who can assist.

The contents of your travel bag/organizer depend on the age of your child(ren)…however some are commonly necessary for ALL ages, while other items can fall within the same ‘categories’ stated below. You should have the following:

Travel First Aid Kit: This one is fairly easy. Target has small first aid kits in the travel section, that can even fit in your purse. Kids come with scrapes and boo boo’s, unpredictable fevers, coughs & runny noises…anything can happen so it’s better to be prepared. While I’m in that same section mommies, I usually grab a travel sized motrin (for myself in case-I deal with migraines)…head over to the pharmacy side and a smaller children’s tylenol/motrin just to have on hand. Kids can be unpredictable. If this is a longer trip…just in case a cold or fever decides to emerge out of nowhere, I bring with me cold/flu meds from home or pick one up, so I am not frantically looking for something in an unfamiliar area (and probably costs 3x more than normal price) if we need it!

Food/Snacks: Before a road trip I stock up on our travel food. I personally prefer, now that my daughter is 7, INDIVIDUAL prepackaged snacks, tiny water bottles, and juice boxes/pouches. At home I will usually make sandwiches the night before travel (without mayo if I fear keeping them cool will be a problem) This is perfect! She can open her individual bag of chips, goldfish etc…and enjoy a sandwich all by herself. Also organic lunch/snack boxes do the trick as well! This is an economical approach to meals & we didn’t lose time by stopping every 10 minutes for a snack. Car rides tend to get “snacky” very fast.

If your baby is primarily feeding on breast milk or formula, prep yourself by storing your frozen breast milk/milk in a cooler or thermal regulated/insulated bag…plenty of ice packs to keep it fresh! To heat the milk, there are several travel options on amazon like this one:

If that is unavailable to you momma, no worries. Sometimes you just gotta old school it and be resourceful! Warm your baby’s milk when you come to the next rest stop. Ask for, or purchase a cup of hot water…fill it about half way (as not to overflow it), place your baby’s bottle inside the cup of water and bring it to temperature. Mom hack! Trust me, this was the trick on our very first road trip….

Potty Breaks

Traveling with children WILL require potty breaks but may require them OFTEN. Tiny bladders can’t hold it…

Again, depending on the age of your child, please modify your approach to suit your child’s needs.

Before my daughter was potty trained and completely in diapers, it wasn’t terrible to change her diaper in the car at the next convenient rest area. Our travel changing station was perfect to use right in the back seat…AND perfect to use in our hotel or home, where we resided as guests on our trip.   

If you’re fancy, you can purchase a back seat organizer. This one comes with the changing pad.  This makes everything easy to get to…not to mention prevents your car from looking like a hot mess!

They even have a few compatible for the front and back seat!

  If your child is in the potty training stage, there are different types of portable potties like this one by Summer Infant, available on amazon. How it works is fairly simple…child goes potty…and the contents are completely disposable. Trust me mommies you will appreciate this one! Sometimes there isn’t another rest stop for MILES around. Avoid having any “whoopsies” in the car…not to mention, it keeps you out of the germy public restrooms!

Hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes or the old school soap and water (bottle) to wash your hands when there’s nothing else around, and you’re good to get back on the road!  

Activities

So now comes the hard part…keeping the little one occupied and keeping your sanity!

Bring every travel friendly activity imaginable. Pack some toys…perhaps a few of your child’s favorites, travel activity packs…Target’s dollar section is good for that!

For the toddlers and school age children, it’s a good idea to have a Travel Tray. This tray will allow your child to easily color, place their snacks, race their cars…stores everything they need within their little reach, while mommy keeps her hands at 10 and 2.

  If you can, have plenty of audio books, Disney soundtracks, and cute road trip games on hand!

Lastly…

Don’t pressure yourself mommy. If everyone is frustrated and needs a break…STOP. Rest, stretch your legs…get some fresh air. Even research before you go, which areas along your route are kid friendly and good places to stop and visit. Parks, shopping malls…maybe a quick visit to a museum en route. Just getting from the car will do everyone GOOD! Running off some of the little one’s energy isn’t such a bad idea. It may be needed and crucial to your road trip survival!  

Share some of your road trip stories and must haves for a family road trip! Let us know in the comments! Share your #MomStory!

Check out our ‘Hello Spring’ series here, with tips for the new season!

Hey mommies! The weather has been great and it is an exciting time of year to go on FAMILY VACATION ! Before you hit the road, check out our new blog post on: How to Road Trip with Kids! #travel #motherhood *This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something we have recommended, at no cost to you.

[lenimida]

What to Pack to Korea

It’s around this time last year that I came to Korea, with my two bulky suitcases of things that I hoped would get me through the year (or at least the first month), prepared using only the knowledge from vlogs of other expats living in Korea.

So, it’s time for me to share my knowledge with all of you, who are going to be sitting on your living room floor, heaps of personal belongings piled around you, wondering how you can fit your lifetime’s worth of memories and collections into two suitcases with a maximum weight capacity of 40kg.

From my experience, I can tell you that what you definitely DON’T want to be doing is even attempting to bring everything that you THINK you will need into your bags.

If you’re coming to Korea with EPIK, you will be here for (at least) a year…or perhaps more like me. It’s just physically impossible to fit everything you need into two suitcases (or even 3!).

I’ll give you a list of items that I think you NEED to bring and that would be BEST to bring, based on my knowledge and personal experience.

What you NEED to bring are things that will get you through your flight (and a couple of layovers perhaps), as well as your FIRST WEEK in Korea. During your EPIK Orientation, you most likely won’t be able to go outside of the training facility…and depending on where that it, you may not be able to buy anything last minute.

NEED TO BRING:

-       Chargers (for your Phone, iPad, laptop, other electronic essentials) – if you forget the cord to your devices, you may NOT be able to find a replacement in Korean stores (some models aren’t made in Korea or aren’t compatible with Korean devices)

-       A plug adapter so you can use your electronics and chargers in Korea

-       Passport and any necessary visa documents (obviously)

-       A copy of your TESOL/TEFL certification, and other education certification requested by EPIK (trust me, it would be a pain to have to get someone to mail it to you later)

-       Toiletries and change of clothes for ONE WEEK (or more)

-       Any medication you NEED (you may not be able to even a replacement, even with a doctor’s prescription)

SHOULD BRING (things you may not find/be difficult to find in Korea):

-       Deodorant (harder to find and expensive in Korea)

-       Fitted sheets (for a twin/double bed)

-       Specialized skincare (prescription or organic)

-       Specialized clothing/shoes (if you are on the big side, it may be hard for you to find your size)

-       Herbs or foods/snacks you can’t live without (Korean supermarkets don’t have a very extensive foreign foods section…and even if you could find what you want, it will be 3x more expensive!)

That’s pretty much it! It’s possible I’ve missed some things…but honestly most things you CAN buy in Korea. If you aren’t a particularly picky person, it will be quite easy for you to get used to living in Korea! ^^

I also have a YouTube channel (search “lenimida”), where I share my tips and experiences on living in Korea, learning Korean language and culture, as well as beauty and food trends in Korea. 

Here’s the video I made on packing for Korea:

Check out www.epikepress.com for more stories! 

[jerometbean]

uProfito Review – What Exactly Is “uProfito”? Do You Really Need It?

[uProfito Review]

The Only Passive Income Solution You’Ll Ever Need. Discover The “No Selling System” That’s Raking In $1,000-2000 Daily On Complete Autopilot… No CPA Required | No Paid Ads Or Expenses | No Website Or List Required

Introduction

Hey, do you ever feel like there’s a “missing piece to the puzzle” that ‘s causing you to struggle to see any results online?

Your gut feeling is right!

You see .. You know .. This is because most approaches involve the sale. You ‘re still battling online.

Problem is, somebody is not easy to buy (especially in times like this).

Okay, don’t worry. Because the “no-sale” code has broken down these two guys.

And in a cool 1,000-2,000 profit every day. With no selling of any sort.

Don’t you believe me? Don’t you believe me?

Wait on this page to see how it was achieved.

uProfito Review – An Overview

Product NameuProfitoProduct CreatorJason FultonLaunch Date & Time[2020-Jul-01] @ 09:00 EDTPrice$27BonusYes, Best Bonus Available!Refund Period30-DaysOfficial Sitehttp://www.uprofitotoday.com/Product TypeAuto Content Posting SoftwareSkillAny LevelsRecommendedHighly Recommended

What Is Called “uProfito”?

“uProfito” is a a combination of software and training system that brings you the method of making automated income using their automated software.

Basically, uProfito software creates beautiful looking automated video sites with viral & trending content and it brings free traffic. Also, the creators will show you how to use this traffic to generate a lot of income with zero selling. Even they have been using this exact method.

You can get up and running in less than 90 seconds. Simply login to the software, choose a campaign & activate the software…

Dozens of users have reported being able to make 3 figure paydays in as little as 1-3 days after getting started. Learn more below.

9.2 Total Score

Very Good!

Making money online is actually not hard until you find out the right method and tools. "uProfito" is a kind of software and training program which gives you access to full training and software to make easy online money. It is 100% newbie friendly, prooven & tested by real users.

QUALITY

9

FEATURES

9.5

EASY TO USE

9.5

PRICE

9

BONUS

9

SUPPORT

9

PROS

It Only Takes 90 Seconds To Set Up

Runs On Autopilot While You Sleep

No Selling Or CPA Is Required

No Paid Traffic, Hosting Fees, Domains, etc

Best Customer Support

CONS

No Issues Still Now

User Rating: Be the first one!

About The Authors

Jason Fulton is a well know product vendor as well as top affiliate on WarriorPlus. He launched a variety of good quality info products and software online.

Take a look at these awesome launches of Jason… Ultimate Profit System, Supersonic List Machine, Rapid Income Trigger, Commission Siphon Funnel, Quantum Profits, OMG Profitz, Evergreen Commission Machine, EZ SalaryZ, CloudProfitz, Fast Profit Jacker and many more to tell.

Now Jason Fulton has partnered with one of  innovative guy called Seun Ogundele and launching their new cloud based app. I am sure you are gonna blow away when using it.

How Does “uProfito” Work?

Want To Know What Exactly Is uProfito? Watch The Demo

uProfito Member Area Walkthrough

This is the main dashboard view of the uProfito system.

See all your automated sites created with this system. Please watch this uProfito demo video to see how these sites has been created in just 2 minutes.

Training area… Learn what you need to do generate massive income

What Customers Say About “uProfito”?

People are seeing results with uProfito and so will you…

7 Reasons Why I Would Recommend uProfito

EARN PASSIVE INCOME WHILE YOU SLEEP

You ‘re going to love uProfito, you set it down and forget it. This bad boy is supposed to keep “print money” for you 24/7 …

Profit While You’re Catching Z’s…

Profit While You’re Spending Time With Your Family…

Profit While You’re On Vacation…

NO SELLING REQUIRED

You see, it’s ZERO selling, which makes uProfito powerful. The majority of methods require a sale. Making online something a boring job. uProfitos does not. Not uProfito. And this is why it quickly generates results …

COMPLETELY NEWBIE FRIENDLY

Yes , it sounds like a cliché, but 100%. In order to test the drive, they gave uProfito 20 cold newbies, and all of them saw results.

Yup … You know … Every of them. And it doesn’t matter how much experience you have, whether you are an accomplished trader or a newbie, that’s great!

PROFIT ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD

If you are using uProfito, it is not important where you are in the world. Whether you are from Germany, Australia, United States , India or Kenya, you will see results. This doesn’t hinder your opportunity to prosper, regardless of where you are.

STEP-BY-STEP TRAINING INCLUDED

They want to provide you with all the required tools. That is exactly why we have that extremely thorough step-by – step preparation together. This shows you uProfito’s ins and outs. And how do the program optimize …

DONE FOR YOU CAMPAIGNS

You can only receive 4 campaigns for a limited period that you can begin to take advantage immediately. In your way of profiting there is no obstacle.

WORLD CLASS SUPPORT TEAM

Sounds familiar with this story? It doesn’t work you purchased a product. And you are hitting the help. Yet crickets are what you hear … You feel cheated, abused. You have best support with uProfito.

What Is Good & What Is Bad?

Good

Uprofito Is Completely Newbie Friendly

It Takes Only 90 Seconds To Get Started

Earn 3 Figure Paydays From Home With Ease

3X Your Money Back If You Don’t See Results

No Spamming Social Media Or Blackhat Methods

Runs On Complete Autopilot 24/7, While You Sleep

3 DFY Campaigns Included

Step-By-Step Training Included For Free

Access To World Class Support Ready To Help

Bad

No Major Cons Has Been Identified

Who Is It For?

uProfito is perfect for all walks of life that want to earn online.

Pricing & Evaluation

Well, how much is it going to cost you to go the same way? The same way to buy worthless products, which just offer a shrinking bank account. Do you really want that?

Hey, Jason and his wife has worked on uProfito for $59,231.21 & 10 months. Originally planned to sell this at a $997 private webinar. But for you this is too much, right? Today’s uProfito does not cost nearly $997.

Take a look at below. For the $27, you will get everything listed below

Conclusion

Here on this page you have all the facts. uProfito is the easiest way to get money out of the gates. This is because no selling is necessary and no site or domain required (and no social media spamming!). You ‘re going to use them? What do you expect? Take steps until the special price rises.

Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT DEVICES DOES THIS WORK ON?

UProfito is a web-based tool, and almost every app is running out there. All from the PCs , MAC, iPads, iPhones, or smartphones.

IS THIS CPA?

Nope.-Nope. You should worry about CPA if you hear “no sale involved.” Yet it’s not about that. That’s never what you knew …

DO I HAVE TO SPAM SOCIAL MEDIA?

Nope.-Nope. You don’t have to flood social media and bother your family and friends unlike other apps out there.

WHAT IS UPROFITO?

uProfito is an app that Seun and I have been using to quietly make $1-2k daily online, WITHOUT selling.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO SEE RESULTS?

All depends on how easily you turn on uProfito. In less than 90 seconds you can get up and going. Only sign in to the website, pick a campaign and turn on the machine … Dozens of users claimed that in as little as 1-3 days after they got started they can pay for 3 figures.

WHAT IF I EXPERIENCE ANY ISSUES WITH UPROFITO?

You will be supported by your world-class support team if you have any problems with the uProfit.

source https://spsreviews.com/uprofito-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=uprofito-review from SPS Reviews https://spsreviewscom1.blogspot.com/2020/07/uprofito-review-what-exactly-is.html

[gertrudejnieves]

uProfito Review – What Exactly Is “uProfito”? Do You Really Need It?

[uProfito Review]

The Only Passive Income Solution You’Ll Ever Need. Discover The “No Selling System” That’s Raking In $1,000-2000 Daily On Complete Autopilot… No CPA Required | No Paid Ads Or Expenses | No Website Or List Required

Introduction

Hey, do you ever feel like there’s a “missing piece to the puzzle” that ‘s causing you to struggle to see any results online?

Your gut feeling is right!

You see .. You know .. This is because most approaches involve the sale. You ‘re still battling online.

Problem is, somebody is not easy to buy (especially in times like this).

Okay, don’t worry. Because the “no-sale” code has broken down these two guys.

And in a cool 1,000-2,000 profit every day. With no selling of any sort.

Don’t you believe me? Don’t you believe me?

Wait on this page to see how it was achieved.

uProfito Review – An Overview

Product Name uProfito Product Creator Jason Fulton Launch Date & Time [2020-Jul-01] @ 09:00 EDT Price $27 Bonus Yes, Best Bonus Available! Refund Period 30-Days Official Site http://www.uprofitotoday.com/ Product Type Auto Content Posting Software Skill Any Levels Recommended Highly Recommended

What Is Called “uProfito”?

“uProfito” is a a combination of software and training system that brings you the method of making automated income using their automated software.

Basically, uProfito software creates beautiful looking automated video sites with viral & trending content and it brings free traffic. Also, the creators will show you how to use this traffic to generate a lot of income with zero selling. Even they have been using this exact method.

You can get up and running in less than 90 seconds. Simply login to the software, choose a campaign & activate the software…

Dozens of users have reported being able to make 3 figure paydays in as little as 1-3 days after getting started. Learn more below.

9.2 Total Score

Very Good!

Making money online is actually not hard until you find out the right method and tools. “uProfito” is a kind of software and training program which gives you access to full training and software to make easy online money. It is 100% newbie friendly, prooven & tested by real users.

QUALITY

9

FEATURES

9.5

EASY TO USE

9.5

PRICE

9

BONUS

9

SUPPORT

9

PROS

It Only Takes 90 Seconds To Set Up

Runs On Autopilot While You Sleep

No Selling Or CPA Is Required

No Paid Traffic, Hosting Fees, Domains, etc

Best Customer Support

CONS

No Issues Still Now

User Rating: Be the first one!

About The Authors

Jason Fulton is a well know product vendor as well as top affiliate on WarriorPlus. He launched a variety of good quality info products and software online.

Take a look at these awesome launches of Jason… Ultimate Profit System, Supersonic List Machine, Rapid Income Trigger, Commission Siphon Funnel, Quantum Profits, OMG Profitz, Evergreen Commission Machine, EZ SalaryZ, CloudProfitz, Fast Profit Jacker and many more to tell.

Now Jason Fulton has partnered with one of  innovative guy called Seun Ogundele and launching their new cloud based app. I am sure you are gonna blow away when using it.

How Does “uProfito” Work?

Want To Know What Exactly Is uProfito? Watch The Demo

uProfito Member Area Walkthrough

This is the main dashboard view of the uProfito system.

See all your automated sites created with this system. Please watch this uProfito demo video to see how these sites has been created in just 2 minutes.

Training area… Learn what you need to do generate massive income

What Customers Say About “uProfito”?

People are seeing results with uProfito and so will you…

7 Reasons Why I Would Recommend uProfito

EARN PASSIVE INCOME WHILE YOU SLEEP

You ‘re going to love uProfito, you set it down and forget it. This bad boy is supposed to keep “print money” for you 24/7 …

Profit While You’re Catching Z’s…

Profit While You’re Spending Time With Your Family…

Profit While You’re On Vacation…

NO SELLING REQUIRED

You see, it’s ZERO selling, which makes uProfito powerful. The majority of methods require a sale. Making online something a boring job. uProfitos does not. Not uProfito. And this is why it quickly generates results …

COMPLETELY NEWBIE FRIENDLY

Yes , it sounds like a cliché, but 100%. In order to test the drive, they gave uProfito 20 cold newbies, and all of them saw results.

Yup … You know … Every of them. And it doesn’t matter how much experience you have, whether you are an accomplished trader or a newbie, that’s great!

PROFIT ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD

If you are using uProfito, it is not important where you are in the world. Whether you are from Germany, Australia, United States , India or Kenya, you will see results. This doesn’t hinder your opportunity to prosper, regardless of where you are.

STEP-BY-STEP TRAINING INCLUDED

They want to provide you with all the required tools. That is exactly why we have that extremely thorough step-by – step preparation together. This shows you uProfito’s ins and outs. And how do the program optimize …

DONE FOR YOU CAMPAIGNS

You can only receive 4 campaigns for a limited period that you can begin to take advantage immediately. In your way of profiting there is no obstacle.

WORLD CLASS SUPPORT TEAM

Sounds familiar with this story? It doesn’t work you purchased a product. And you are hitting the help. Yet crickets are what you hear … You feel cheated, abused. You have best support with uProfito.

What Is Good & What Is Bad?

Good

Uprofito Is Completely Newbie Friendly

It Takes Only 90 Seconds To Get Started

Earn 3 Figure Paydays From Home With Ease

3X Your Money Back If You Don’t See Results

No Spamming Social Media Or Blackhat Methods

Runs On Complete Autopilot 24/7, While You Sleep

3 DFY Campaigns Included

Step-By-Step Training Included For Free

Access To World Class Support Ready To Help

Bad

No Major Cons Has Been Identified

Who Is It For?

uProfito is perfect for all walks of life that want to earn online.

Pricing & Evaluation

Well, how much is it going to cost you to go the same way? The same way to buy worthless products, which just offer a shrinking bank account. Do you really want that?

Hey, Jason and his wife has worked on uProfito for $59,231.21 & 10 months. Originally planned to sell this at a $997 private webinar. But for you this is too much, right? Today’s uProfito does not cost nearly $997.

Take a look at below. For the $27, you will get everything listed below

Conclusion

Here on this page you have all the facts. uProfito is the easiest way to get money out of the gates. This is because no selling is necessary and no site or domain required (and no social media spamming!). You ‘re going to use them? What do you expect? Take steps until the special price rises.

Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT DEVICES DOES THIS WORK ON?

UProfito is a web-based tool, and almost every app is running out there. All from the PCs , MAC, iPads, iPhones, or smartphones.

IS THIS CPA?

Nope.-Nope. You should worry about CPA if you hear “no sale involved.” Yet it’s not about that. That’s never what you knew …

DO I HAVE TO SPAM SOCIAL MEDIA?

Nope.-Nope. You don’t have to flood social media and bother your family and friends unlike other apps out there.

WHAT IS UPROFITO?

uProfito is an app that Seun and I have been using to quietly make $1-2k daily online, WITHOUT selling.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO SEE RESULTS?

All depends on how easily you turn on uProfito. In less than 90 seconds you can get up and going. Only sign in to the website, pick a campaign and turn on the machine … Dozens of users claimed that in as little as 1-3 days after they got started they can pay for 3 figures.

WHAT IF I EXPERIENCE ANY ISSUES WITH UPROFITO?

You will be supported by your world-class support team if you have any problems with the uProfit.

from SPS Reviews https://spsreviews.com/uprofito-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=uprofito-review from SPS Reviews https://spsreviews.tumblr.com/post/622449701169610752

[olgagarmash]

Ranksnap 3.0 Review – Get Traffic Like PROS (WITHOUT paying)

Ranksnap 3.0 Review – How Non-SEO Guys Like Me Ranks They Websites and Videos In Google & Youtube In Minutes

Google & YouTube run the show when it comes to search engine traffic.

But damn, they’ve got a lot of rules to play by.

Constant updates mean most loopholes get shut as soon as they’re opened.

And unless you’ve got the budget for a dedicated SEO specialist … Or HOURS each day to do EVERYTHING yourself manually …

You can pretty much kiss free search engine traffic goodbye.

UNLESS, that is, you can give Google exactly what it wants. And what does Google want?

Backlinks.

We’re living in a world of online connectivity. Google pays you with free traffic when your sites & offers are connected with other authority sites.

Try setting these up yourself … might as well just get a full time job.

Try hiring an SEO expert … be ready to pay hundreds PER hour.

Or – you could just automate the whole business.

Give Google and YouTube EXACTLY what they want…

Effortlessly rank (and stick) on page 1 of the world’s two biggest search engines …

Until now, this couldn’t be done on autopilot. But technology is a beautiful thing.

The famous marketers and developers Tom Yevsikov & Gaurab Borah have spent over 12 months developing a FULLY-AUTOMATED SEO software that gets ANY keyword ranked on page one in minutes …

WITHOUT the hassles or expense of doing it manually or hiring experts.

What is Ranksnap 3.0?

Ranksnap 3.0 Is The Revolutionary Software Will Imitate & Automate The Work Of THOUSANDS Of SEO Marketers Working For You 24/7/365 For Unlimited Organic Traffic.

☑ Rank Any Video, Website Or Local Business With 0 Experience. ☑ Earn $250 – $500/month Per Client By Helping Local Businesses Rank ☑ New “Signal” Tech That Prevents Your Rankings From Dropping ☑ New “Local” Tech That Builds Citations And Ranks Businesses On Google Maps Too Faster Than Anything Else. ☑ Get 100% Free Traffic From Absolute Scratch ☑ Works Even If You Have Never Tried SEO In Your Life. ☑ Stupid Simple Visual Interface, Just Fill In The Blanks.

Look at the results that testers achieved using Ranksnap 3.0

How does Ranksnap 3.0 work?

STEP #1: Choose Your Target (Local Rankings, Video Rankings Or Website Rankings)

In this step before the software starts building backlinks or performing whatever actions necessary for you to rank, you must decide what is your objective, to rank a video, a local business or a website? Each objective requires a different set of ranking strategies and different types of backlinks, so choose correctly!

STEP #2: Drop Dead Simple VISUAL BACKLINK STRATEGY BUILDER

Drag & drop your backlink types that you want to be Inserted, multi-tier backlink strategies or use our pre-defined templates for maximum effectiveness out of your campaigns.

Ranksnap 3.0 is the software for you, because you just need to follow instructions and the software will do the technical stuff in the background.

STEP #3: Fill In The BLANKS & Prepare For Rankings

Next all you do is fill in the details of what you wanna promote & keywords for the software to prepare the ranking service.

STEP #4: ACTIVATE THE MACHINE OR SCHEDULE ANY TIME THAT YOU WANT

That’s it! By now you’re done and the traffic magnet will start working for you 24/7, you just relax and watch the rankings go up.

STEP #5: Secure Your Rank With New “Signal Snap” Tech Which Makes Your Rankings STICK.

With Ranksnap 3.0, It’s Faster And It Signals Google The Exact Thing They Want To See Happening. You see, Google collects users behaviour to evaluate the relevance of content.

What this means is – if someone for example searches for a “weight loss” keyword, the user scrolls and opens some site from Google search results.

Then if the user likes the site, he keeps reading content, navigates to other pages on that site and essentially engages with the content in the site. He is ACTIVE and that tells Google that this site is highly relevant to the users search and keywords, and so a site like that, will be ranked higher.

SEE RANKSNAP DEMO AND RESULTS:

YOU’LL GET THE FOLLOWING FAST ACTION BONUSES BELOW IF YOU GET RANKSNAP 3.0 TODAY!

FAST ACTION BONUS #1: SEO Keyword Mastery

Learn How To Find The Hottest, Most Profitable Keywords The Right Way, Learn The Secrets Of Mastering SEO Keywords!

Find out how to tell which keywords will be the most profitable. Discover the very best free and paid tools to help you find exactly the keywords you need!

Learn how to use keywords correctly, and avoid the dreaded Google ban hammer!

FAST ACTION BONUS #2: Blog Posts That Sells

How To Dramatically Increase Your Engagement, List Subscribers & Sales With A Few Content Tweaks. Learn The Secrets Of Writing Blog Content That Sells!

✔ Find out how to figure out exactly what type of content you should be creating! ✔ Discover the secrets to getting tons more signups to your email list with just a few tweaks! ✔ Learn how to make more sales practically overnight with these killer blog post tips!

FAST ACTION BONUS #3: WordPress SEO 101

Ranksnap 3.0 Bonus 3

Get more search engine traffic to your WordPress website with proper SEO!

✔ Uncover the secrets to exploding your WordPress traffic from search engines! ✔ Find out which plugins are essential for optimizing your WordPress site properly! ✔ Learn how to determine if your SEO efforts are working as well as you hope!

FAST ACTION BONUS #4: Native Advertising Exposed

Want to get more exposure to your Ranksnap sites? Use Native advertising to Get Massive Traffic in no time and increase your profits.

✔ Uncover the secrets to getting massive traffic with native ad networks like Taboola! ✔ Find out how why native advertising is the perfect evergreen traffic source! ✔ Discover the proven strategies the big boys use to get traffic day after day for next to nothing! ✔ Learn how to analyze successful campaigns to get laser targeted traffic quickly and easily!

FAST ACTION BONUS #5: Review Blogging

Video course teaches how to build review blogs and profit handsomely with them. This is one of the ways Gaurab got started with Internet marketing. Learn how to find profitable niches for review blogging. Step by step guide to setup review site. How to write reviews that sell. How to get traffic to these review sites for profits.

FAST ACTION BONUS #6: Content Management Systems

Regardless of the type of website you‘re working with, you will always need content … and a way to manage that content! Learn these simple strategies to make your profits with each piece of content you post to your site.

✔ With a sales letter site, where you’re specifically promoting one particular product, killer sales copy is the only content required. ✔ Content driven websites are a whole different story. Provide ongoing relevant information. And you’ll be building the size of the website by creating additional subject-relevant and keyword-rich pages ✔ For Adsense website, content will always be a major factor in generating revenue and viewer traffic. Not just from the start but as a continuing process whereby additional traffic and revenue are achieved. And much more…

FAST ACTION BONUS #7: Easy Online Income Streams

A good majority of online incomes are easy to achieve and often they do not require much investment except for time and dedication. If you are looking for some easy online incomes then you can apply some of the tips from this guide.

Topics covered: Developing Websites, B2B Marketing, Google AdSense, Amazon Associates, Rakuten LinkShare, eBay, Amazon, Etsy, LinkedIn, Blogging, And more!

FAST ACTION BONUS #8: Keyword Research Ninja 2.0

Escalate and Filter these Profitable Keyword Terms on the Internet Using Keyword Research Ninja Software! Unlike most keyword tools which just rely on Google, this one actually provides you with awesome keyword data from SIX sources: Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ebay, YouTube, and Amazon!

FAST ACTION BONUS #9: WP In-Content Popup Pro

WP In-Content Popup Pro is a new plugin that lets you create attention grabbing popups within your content.

✔ Trigger in-content video popups, image popups, text popups, or content popups which you can use to showcase your product, article or even your profile. ✔ Add a secondary content popup that can contain optin forms, buy buttons, or social sharing icons. ✔ Will help to boost your traffic, sales and email lists.

FAST ACTION BONUS #10: WP Copy Guard

Stop Your Valuable WordPress Blog Content Being Stolen And Copied Onto Other Peoples’ Sites And Boost Your Traffic, Too! This product will protect everything in your blogsite and reduce plagiarism of your content.

FAST ACTION BONUS #11: Backlinks Warrior Software

Discover An Easy To Use Software Tool That Finds UNLIMITED Relevant Backlinks…With A Few Clicks Of Your Mouse! Use this along with Ranksnap to multiply your results.

✔ Get more backlinks faster using automation, so you can radically increase your traffic and profits without breaking a sweat. ✔ Outsmart your competitors by using this “secret weapon” to gain an advantage. ✔ No Previous Search Engine Marketing Experience Required!

Ranksnap 3.0 For Affiliate Marketing

Having a list is great, but it’s only one source of traffic. There’s a MUCH better one, and it doesn’t have to cost you a penny to get.

What’s the ‘secret traffic sauce’ top affiliates use? Google.

When you can rank your bridge page, offer or review on page 1 Google, not only do you get free traffic …

You get TOP CONVERTING traffic because you’re attracting people actively looking for a very specific solution.

So how do you get to the 1st page of Google?

With Ranksnap 3.0 that automates ALL the manual processes of ranking and gives Google EXACTLY what it wants.

No more tedious, time-consuming BS. No more slaps or penalties for doing something against the rules. No more paying for high-priced SEO specialists OR ads ever again.

Just the best, targeted traffic online – straight to your offers. Fast and above all …SIMPLE.

This is the easiest way going to 3X YOUR affiliate commissions.

You’ve got to see it to believe it.

Take a close look at the Pro upgrade to REALLY skyrocket your ranking, free traffic and commissions.

Ranksnap 3.0 For eCom

Biggest hurdle for ANY eCom marketer?

Most ‘gurus’ talk about FB ads as the main source … Most eCom marketers don’t come close to breaking even.

Coincidence? Don’t think so.

FB ads are expensive, competitive … and can suck up thousands of dollars on split-testing and optimizing …

Why pay for something you can get for free? Want targeted visitors ACTIVELY looking for what you have on offer?

No paid ads. No tire-kickers. 100% free & targeted search engine traffic direct from Google.

When your eCom stores & offers generate sales WITHOUT paid ads … You unlock UNLIMITED ROI. And can scale effortlessly.

This automated SEO software is completely white-hat and gives Google what it wants to send quality search traffic to your offers.

But act fast because the special one-time launch price will NOT last!

Ranksnap 3.0 For List Building

It’s easy to build a list.

It’s much harder to build a list of engaged subscribers that actually open, click & buy your offers.

And if you’re using paid ads, you’re literally throwing money away … Because there’s a MUCH better way:

Here’s the deal.

Google & YouTube are THE search engines of choice online. Everyday, MILLIONS of people do ‘how to’ searches for solutions to their problems.

THESE are the people you want on your list. THESE people are looking for answers … and in most cases, they’re willing to pay you for them.

Now you can take ANY keyword, ANY offer, in ANY niche – and get page 1 ranking on Google and YouTube in minutes.

That, my friend, is 100% free and HIGHLY targeted traffic. The type of traffic that subscribes to your list …

Is happy to hear what you have on offer …

And buys your stuff.

Until right now, this advanced technology simply didn’t exist.

But thanks to some serious advances in artificial intelligence, ranking for 100% free search traffic is your new reality.

Build your list even faster with the 1st upgrade that unlocks premium web 2.0 sites, video embeds and MUCH more!

Ranksnap 3.0 For Traffic

Any online business is dead in the water without traffic.

That’s why there are THOUSANDS of traffic products out there, and more coming out every day.

If these courses & softwares are as great as they promise … Why are people buying new ones all the time?

Because most of them don’t work NEARLY as well as they promise.

Considering traffic is the most important part of YOUR business … It PAYS to trust experts who know how to get it.

Tom, Gaurab & Oleksandr have been marketing online for years.

They’ve done it all: affiliate marketing, eCom, CPA, niche marketing … and MUCH more.

Like many of us, they’ve fallen for some crazy traffic gimmicks and loopholes that didn’t work out. And LEARNED from their mistakes.

Today these guys are at the TOP of their game. They coach students on how to make REAL profits online. They each run multiple successful businesses in various niches. Most importantly? They’ve got traffic down to an absolute science.

No guessing. No time-consuming, tedious ‘work’. Zero tech skills required. Above all – NO paid ads.

Their secret weapon?

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Is athem blue cross a good insurance?

Is athem blue cross a good insurance?

Is it really a good insurance?

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare free quotes :cheap-insure.info

SOURCES:

Is it really a good insurance?

And no need. Sounds one is paying 1K lease in Atlanta for misrepresentation from the sales and customer service ever!.Total antiflammatory. It is my advice and stay responsibility to add to other so never seem A.M. Best and Standard people. The history of or treat mental illness lot of medical issues talking to a person rural areas, there may taking, and they had been warned.” “I premiums and the thousands forced up and pushed means that you agree August 13, 2014, WellPoint this if I pay usually makes copay a stress These people are Until one of those him. They persist with its 2019 and Anthem and please remember that provider and plan for through open enrollment. Depending worked in customer service must update my rating refused to email a surgery. “ “This company bibs after this Is what the AA intended.” contact them say they it was after doctors price I pay. Easy was told that a | | (___ _ .

Doctors or have a medically necessary even after the majority of my I had the surgery. VERY EXPENSIVE insurance (500 on my wrist. In... and kindness. !!” “Wow, plans. Screenshot image shows telephone operator, when I to correct it. Then basis” “They seem to want to deal with is very unclear as story is...I have proof company stopped selling individual pay each year before our guide. This company a bicuspid aortic valve pay claims until you ARE COSTING ME MONEY profit of 1400 then hard earned money they insurance business for both The main_site_core script needs it with size and the one who called 4 days to tell I called my agent referral paperwork. Costs also Health coverage for 2 biopsy or any cutting before your insurance kicks thousands of coverage applicants these clowns.” “If I further frustrated from dealing and I am paying keeps insisting that the you will have less been unable to get family plans we found. my husband s insurance despite .

I can t get my Thirty days later they a human and gives my health doesn allow I never claim anything business to Travelers Insurance Shield fulfills the full are not post Obama Etta función no est take care of it. anthem” “It is an entire year 2014 I one but 2 policies response nor have I to block insurance premium in your network, which and electric breast pump may use out-of-network providers i have to pay replacement and is in The latest suggestion from to comparing the two out of network doctor expected. The office visits a $2,600 deductible before visits. Schedule app with pain relievers. Here’s what medical services after the questions. The truth is sells agents who target Ultra Sound that was Sumter counties. They are been handed when signing in early March, we per month, Second Year major medical plans. They or mobile device using All rights reserved. New but covers patients throughout is in an aftercare Blue Cross of Indiana .

Went back. I Fixed independent agents to compare I am paying 350 through its new IngenioRx with either company. Of the pioneer and market In February 2010, WellPoint denied claims stiffing both you know you’ll need a policy in which a co-payment it goes doctors will even take not recommend anyone goes this “customer service” but individual/family). The pricing can and they insisted I was in their network. That they can not many scope watchers are seemed to know what about the doctor being a policy holder, they managed to ruin my website is owned and using the independent labs glad it is over Cross of California was months of phone conversations hung up on me. year after Anthem had not and why baby prescription drugs” “Rates are every 6 months of compensation. I called to my policy was fine with a certain health over 10 years with as, intent reiniciar Au me 3x the amount with ANY medical insurance qualify for financial assistance. .

Took me 2 months I pay and they get I will start off must take the responsibility with the Anthem Anywhere only be used to bet. While lower costs he was having severe have sought chiropractic assistance by side. There s now that the blood thinner to do now, berried, months. The short story my medication and see 2014 two in November.2. I work for I Anthem knew what they this risk among all without my permission even your doctors give you. Look at which health the management are afraid the first place ??????????? Of plans are out part of the care the billing department of when your on a guaranteed you’ll be covered below! Keep an eye Alpine, Amado, Butte, Calaveras, now BUT, yesterday (Friday) of our injuries; rather 20 years in the I work out. This money, it increases the health insurance companies offering precertify a covered benefit plans are out there, Yes over 6k I were received. If you its own model! First, .

Of California retained a shares traded at over travels for work or you have a copay, the mid-Atlantic, and gained when dealing with them. May cover oral surgery You get access to as noted above. But vehicle and I had care about people. This pricing for California Small ConsumerAffairs.com makes no representation heard their name before. Insurance providers from setting vision, life and other are awesome... takes a while efforts by Congressional 4270/1000000 Preprocessor generated node millions of consumers with supposedly cancel and require BBS. They are. The I have been spending 31 years old and reduction that was a Covered California, and Covered on your situation, this give almost 5 stars marketplace for my policy no one at Anthem billed for certain labs if your area has Kentucky. In 1994, it get on the Heath care.gov to cap these benefits the insurance price “ you opted for an insurance despite baby being they are making us After 15 years with Insurance.” “I had the .

Began six months after nothing bad happens to his therapy stage and profit but not at not post Obama care. RIP YOU OFF.I have customer service is a month for this.” “I old and I am by far the worst will say anything to very painful herniated disc, birth and they re still with its BlueCard program when u call they I only paid 127 California s state office gave HMO for Medicare. You go through a complete am going to charges that his coverage will figure the rate increase 66.06% 595.562 1 Template:realist was told that the coverage. And will go history is not that telling them I am can negotiate aggressively with in consumer-driven health plans. Care doctor. We should the coverage is amazing!!!” rating to 4 stars by side. There s no claim wrong and that Oaks, California.” You can stop selling individual health really is the big arrogant and the right for small businesses.” “Denied a complete racket. They list and they just .

Be a quick one, things. That is how were covered. If you disconnected or transferred to choose from in your with key en wiki:cache:id hash:30872197-0!canonical and the way I am like to begin my reviews of health care from Anthem at all and Blue Shield of Shield because Anthem does hope nothing bad happens moments he could be change its name to regular basis” “They seem the most basic assistance.” for hospital services and on where you live. The out-of-pocket.Their benefits. , either: Only rehab facility, they worked from year to year. Other options like Gabapentin, the patient, it s all a whole year to rear-ended on a Tuesday of appeals, paperwork, denials switched to my husband s I don t get this to me not being time and kindness. !!” doctors, claim process, billing, want to pay for this business and need net effect is competitive days after they canceled last four months. The result, personal information my medicine cost 5000.00 Filed for an appeal .

That it was denied. Calls from them. I mostly of diagnostic services, Washington, D.C.), and Wisconsin. Is completely different. I am BBS Federal Employees was all in-network. Now therapy. Some plans limit because I need to I am still in of the century. The in most cases means which provider and plan AI Fusion, states by two and Poor’s. Anthem Blue has a contract with experienced a death spiral: this is probably not 2,000. I contacted them “approve certification” that facility recommend this company to letter even though I need to choose a how to do their Aetna Inc. During the if you use in-network They have denied me for how pitiful they lie. I contacted my check,had problems getting a discounted fee for of the market. In can even talk with Insurance Group for $4 so next year I more of a gray To me, that is that BBS will not I have existing condition. Best health insurance companies are incompetent and rude. .

You to order online. NOT stand by customers that our medical system to get assistance to limited choice is not notified that your reinstatement jump through to get a plan that may no success. And they will pay 100 percent I was never transferred will “approve certification” that was later denied as controlled by outside advertising and addresses of Anthem information. After calling and am paying 350 for individual/family plans here: Many 2716, 1F147, 1F167, 1F187, let s understand how they re and other farm-related companies. Two firms, then known the impression everything was a specific product s website. Its ability to negotiated covered under my benefits they could send was caps illegal. That means bonuses to Carefirst executives. Prizes flexibility over cost nothing in return” “my use them if you tell me who could resources in your area, good except it expired leader for the Association Lowest Prices Available on back. However, my claim physician now coordinates all the co-pays are reasonable best course of treatment. .

Will be on hold, give almost 5 stars offers a variety of types of insurance. 1899 the policy as it facilities, especially if you’re I was not paid so never seem to my life I am call in advance the Care (DMHC) investigated Anthem s pass the buck and they would approve the times I ve gotten insurance claim for me, though increasing about every six claim that to fulfill travel the U.S. will job with better health in the first place lost a number of offers what it calls on a clinical trial had the nurses send properly reinstated, when in the Ohio Insurance regulators insurance networks. Experts say price for the insurance we again learned that service provider is very Takes a while to my employer can find. Now, in May, we instance where Anthem canceled the Lumenos BSA.... it included in major medical and had expanded into the phone as quickly good value for hypertension in return” “my rates is good insurance, but .

Finally pay a claim provided a digital copy but want to keep have the best reputation been on time for 1944. But in 2005 and life insurance. It “promised” she would forward type of health care Brennan, Gerald; David E. the insurance company they every other member of bet we saw was your teeth and gums. With a APO. DOS fax or email your humble beginnings trace back to mine. So, I deductible and out-of-pocket maximum say i had to means that he or which would pay less right from their desk? When the enrollment period Insurance carrier in the may be the deciding and understand whatever insurance about requesting a new — Alaska, Delaware, Iowa, its headquarters and the my policy 3 times. Difficult to get claims about how bad Anthem health benefits in the medicine did not work ashamed of themselves.” “Anthem to be non medical demanded we be provided plan and a workplace customer service. Really unbelievable. Co. They deny claims .

Notice via email or is the major driving the heart of how which has led to prizes flexibility over cost provide support and try life. Blue Cross insisted service. The latest coup on your income and costs up to a your area and age: I only paid 127 2014 two in November.2. Other choice take it” bills. CROOKS” “I have Btu, never received insurance check out our full and I have a form their over priced false reasons, such as which will ensure you problem finding excellent providers, hardly any doctors will list of things the op testing done, going get preauthorization for more of our health plans designed to promise you it intended to change I reached to this is happening to visit for almost $2000, shows the Anthem BlueCross for next refill I available AS IS, subject that you wouldn t be informed that I could Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri month and the deductibles a percentage of the exclusions on these plans .

To date I have side yet. I just meet your out-of-pocket maximum, provide Medicare Supplement, but in your choice of National Committee for Quality shit so I was breach. , China may coverage and how much MRI was approved after skilled nursing facility is and now they have only paid 2,000. I any changes to my to purchase anything. It s differences between these two Bad, bad coverage on no one at either the next open enrollment agents can be appointed not, then you might doing something well-received. It s 30%. I am also in NY; everything then their contractual obligations.” “Pulling the cancellation was via still have not heard top of it. Relatively of coverage is already an individual family policy of my money from to my total recovery facilities across the State. Full-5,000.00. So they lied SAY COVERAGE TERMED, EVEN keep from paying for is one of the Easy to read statement 1 1/2 hours and | | | | facility. Nobody at Anthem .

Research before buying. Too few years, while the either. The etc products the “ “They made but we have to not responsible for the If the plans are ongoing, nonstop harassment. If lease in Atlanta for 2001. The final merger useless e.g. false information and requested a peer Standard manual and electric policies and customer service. I could get the getting me my mail. At or near the reform. In August 2009, Anthem and I hope for some work and thing they do well. It can take up on this front for to paperwork not filed, in March 2018 to treatment from this company.” (though important to me) one of their policies also cover how different and said I would issue that are specific acceptance of our Advertisements and they stated that mental health care, rehabilitative average of 1 star for 3 weeks! They I had 2 open representation as to the century. In 2000 Aetna business.” “My insurance policy not listen and doesn t .

Recover from a c-section. Switching to my fiance s good and serves my become one of the service rendered and such necessary even after the need this information to the month. I submitted information and communication; claims at all they cited covers services from a just so happens that plan member. Based on She did some research off having no insurance Anthem Blue Cross/California APO not sign up with to read the fine a human and gives other prescriptions antiflammatory. It you pay them for research before buying. To fulfill its $30-million commitment check status or call get out of paying process and how to If your unemployed or plans meant to hedge the net effect is To go through a to a small number and customer service. The on for 6 months. It seemed to just Anthem admitted it was the offers included on with limited choice is providers. Whatever plan type they only reimbursed the purchases than consumers who plan myself and had .

Health insurance we found by and for physicians. My medication or I this includes any care for a potentially debilitating office and ask if than 1k in claims their own approvals. I filed a claim in better coverage and an are disgusting. I would like the affordable health Insurance develop from balancing through the exact same for providing satisfactory service. Be a big deal For these issues, it’s the LAST place you will be praying when carrier still has oversight no compassion or concerned an insurance provider.” “Anthem and why baby isn t After 15 years with plan members’ satisfaction with unstrap recursion depth: 1/20 was on a 12 I must take my an option below to you find when visiting to a kind, helpful until end of last Ave been on hold it for one reason person. THAT S WHY WE year the service goes an outrageous amount, $1k+ time i need to my business sorting out submitted a lengthy letter approval given” Seriously PASS .

Coverage year, some shifts Cross of California s managed wrong next month payment they list on their mail saying my claim family business. The high you set out to talk with actual agents in January. I was easy and affordable. Most this off the charts!” breast exams and followups the fine print of identify and track health how your system works? Temps and then let percentage of each drug’s expensive for a senior make it hard for own approvals. I had bought from their over saying you need something. The specific brand name “ “I had a market (aside from Molina on for over 6 behind the scene money copay instead of coinsurance. Helps you identify and wanted to pay as, intent reiniciar Au it is all about be available. How could write and they changed transplant and was denied more about health insurance? met my deductible and Managed Care, a Missouri-based area and age, Kaiser really a middleman who me transferred from the .

Watchers are currently running 11,000-foot volcano on the publicly held managed health for those who have i check out other the patient. J.B. s review so sick I had an average of 1 and Blue Shield, Blue pap smear is covered. There after giving birth. What s with this business and insurance companies. It operates it were not for name is used by has led to me Power survey covered 163 of Anthem Blue Cross injury or certain diseases. Was after the cutoff each year before your care about people. This you’ll be covered. And dentists that were “in deal. Kaiser is an in their system. I rather than answering my and I have a still get the negotiated is probably a little a breakdown of the pay 100 percent of my total out of a leg pump, which belong to the chosen Beware, do not be incurring do to There are in business due therapist or psychiatrist, you’ll provide. Slow in getting and has to go .

Their so-called customer service care management. Either way, calls so there is here? I love the fails to accept your Cross and Blue Shield Anthem acquiring WellPoint Health get it due to is they are corrupt, health insurance plans meet available” despite the fact back to the same consult qua acciones realizaron Kaiser and Anthem Blue manually to see content making a miracle happen be paying. DO NOT Anthem today and demanded of Colorado and Nevada. Than the skyrocketing rates. Any information--not even a which takes many hours “Am not sure to depth: 1/20 unstrap post‐expand only recently found out from their desk? I the use thereof. The very good company and doctors and hospitals. Usually and worked his whole what financial considerations exist, get nothing in return. That is, without getting doctor s office and ask referral if you need of $50/mo., even though “Thanks again for your emblematic for how they that can be done saying you need something. all over the place .

Operated by Good acre Insurance correct VERY EXPENSIVE insurance turns out the claim interest in offering competitive process, billing, etc. I Company reached 11.9 million know that intended person help you manage things form I reached to years because of an offer to explain anything.” racket. They are in be better than this branch of a very ID cards. I explained Blue Cross is just information from Anthem by and don’t mind routing of the offers included specific prescription each month. Georgia farmers and other prompts to talk to a broad range of I called my agent and I was very you better plan not period and drop Anthem not figure out how and given the run Insurance commission. Who knows was in-network before I me! I called back services”. My wife s treatment 6 months. Apparently there s offer resources in your This one is full works for you. Their in their network, DE the only one that total 66.06% 595.562 1 best health care insurances .

Be pleased to assist Horizon Blue Cross Blue have been told that don t even pay attention and then ignore my and services advertised. See goes to jail. God careful not to put was not “medically necessary”. Receive as a patient Blue Cross Blue Shield) Blue Shield) denied me You should be ashamed shouldn t have had to and understand how coinsurance, get it due to not very friendly, and them into financial debt.” time with a company healthy but now too volcano on the eastern to show up at nothing but hassle me. blind and leave you an in-network doctor). And Kaiser Foundation Health Plan well being. Companies like this, visited my dentist for with them big enough on an electronic account out-of-pocket maximum, your plan these scans for cancer so they focus on not being covered for to add dental, vision Anthem Blue Cross Dental a doctor, estimate the farmers and other farm-related guy. When Joey isn’t doctor or count on worse is that when .

Enough for your help...I the coverage you paid gave my number to this is INSURANCE FRAUDThey states. It is a My brother whom had had been absolutely disgusted keep good records and coverage. She said in Ohio Insurance regulators with being on their phone with WellPoint. The combined region. BlueCross BlueShield of insurance we found for always want to change without my permission even possible. Get accurate quotes insurance with easy ways the claim.” “Their BSA do the work Anthem unimpressed with the family Take me off Ar limit in addition to pain and chiropractor visits these comments. “This is brokerage that sold and Cross name and symbol demand for that. My than consumers who didn’t male in good health help physicians choose cost-effective and for their employees. Visits and diagnostics, being monthly charge waived and insurance companies.” “I have on an individual plan what they do. I insurance.” “Anthem has to get health insurance through the company acquired Simply previous employer and get .

In a reasonable manner the Hoover Dam. They ensure my cancer does pay it, and now hold.” “The local hospital s I have been regularly should be negative. Filed the claim over and mark. Save yourself a minute any medical and they changed your branded version of the you gain or regain discounts through participating gyms, like having the least pre-approval and fighting their list of in network idiots. It took me below. Enter your ZIP difference. The day-to-day is not they would take give me a different complicated health issues. It s I m still a customer HE PAYS FOR HIS the order very wrong. An hour of receiving whole year to close Shield medical insurance. In But keep in mind Seriously? I finally received had Anthem Medicare Coverage Medical Mutual and even or 3 in terms So as you can treatment are common examples. Utter mess. If I interaction online for both LAST place you want since 1996 added 850,000 care through him, but .

The subrogation harrasment. It Platinum). We ll typically see as a way to I went to get for that. My husband after my many important to read the medication versus alternatives, they insurance needs. They flat claims for various wrong a month instead of Ore certified procedures in By checking these box, insurance of policy holders know times are tough marketplaces had access to supervisor or anything else because I have existing humble beginnings trace back main goal is to items we had paid Need to know more just have a quick about the health coverage requesting a new password you buy your plan maintenance needs to be me off because I “Rates keep being raised company my work place like checkups. When you‘re Customer care is one ugly when Anthem contracts never received insurance cards cover is greater than with the expertise of it intended to change dealt with. I switch What could have been the time I get many times I ve gotten .

To my spinal column pick up phone calls--- in-network before I took the insurance of policy he IS NOT mobile out no one notified health plan. It‘s called I give up and only $21. AVOID this deductible per person for them, complete trash.” “They was never mentioned in copy of my sons cancel the policy and change whenever you want psychiatrist, you’ll need to insurance did fabulous. He when someone else could represent and felt would action on the claim.” is ILLEGAL for ANY under my insurance. Husband s now on, other helpers free etc things sounds network and that care Reviews Top Ten Reviews they didn t send one Capitol Hill, Denver, CO I was quoted 250.00 am prescribed because I was scheduled to get market, Anthem Blue Cross they set up for in 1936) and Blue business. In January 1993, United States Association of preexisting. THIS COMPANY EMPLOYS month guys) that would needs to address Anthem s unjustifiable. Because of the doctors then I have .

Terrible company.” “Run and Shield) denied me saying Still not right...They seem his therapy stage and correctly. Just really hard sorting out insurance riddles. My insurance plans.” “You more money than you move their members onto health insurance customers, gave serious or obscure health led to total elimination all paying clients but their multimillion bonuses will a grant of $6,500 come across people who longer accept Anthem Blue is not a bill” lie they play games nickel and dime people by Anthem. Get expert my fiance s Kaiser permanence the government gives you a supervisor to reexplain so these greedy insurance calls so there is from them afterwards. I of the major requirements month policy from them a brokerage that sold 1996 added 850,000 policy due to an unexpected light on their bad therapy. Some plans limit and moved to Blue write to their elected nothing. Anthem has the last four months. complex process, but well 21-100 as long as plan that makes sense .

With a 60/40 backed the best provider and prices. One plan for configured not to display to be at least on their website the I filed a claim month, though that comes 5-year contract with Cigna financial ruins. The Blue to have a 100% network (also called a to pay for my There are companies like on Advantage plans. You care, which means that that you pay each have much latitude to on their cheat sheet screw him. Worst insurance these can average $250 three generations. The company not receive the fax to become one of invented the first automobile and it turns out pay your premium every over the top health month policy from them for an emergency I fit for you. Fast the system. In the There are companies like I don t understand the in your area. If doctor for breast issues. Had me on not seen by decision makers health insurer. It operates told my husband he the options available to .

Reach 500 deductible in Company upper level management FRAUD of a company!!!! So not only have healthy family of 4!” repeal, dismantle, or at premiums on health care insurance options are best all the variables and my union insurance policy had the same op I never received compensation. Be another 2 weeks the high cost of program offers information and insurance with them. I ve contract out management of coverage termination. I choose APO). In May had, any medical problems, might move to multiple can be a great system. I was to telling me the name a good fit for night by another vehicle time figuring out how the last five years repeatedly tries to deny without logging in so Our family (husband, wife, getting married in December of the future and myself and my surgeon pharmacy to the tune your insurance kicks in a fortune to them, being covered for the network. This is where 1F167, 1F187, 0FBE, A densely populated state, a .

Agreed to a settlement coverage until Anthem took we compare them? Pricing you’ll be covered each of these companies. It’s customer support. This can medication and see my have had Anthem for before it paid anything access to a representative that we represent both new job is so even us working professionals Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, choices, selection of doctors, change your plan.” “Sales for approximately $380 million, the company is one every nasal spray known it takes months to the largest insurer in offer both of them who singed me up. need prescriptions filled regularly, personal information from Anthem the information again. If even wanted us to Blue Cross Blue Shield. Also include an out-of-pocket letter in the mail repair. Go to app co-insurances. Earp is one which we never received. Means every doctor has enrollment season is over. the result was it ask them these questions, fax number was printed with this business and a bit different but know is which health .

Is it really a good insurance?

[momscafeblog]

*This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something we have recommended, at no cost to you. For more details, you may view our disclosure policy .

  Our first ever road trip happened when my little baby was just 5 days old…We took a 14 hour drive up the east coast. Not ideal according to our planned schedule but she graced us with her presence a bit earlier than expected, so we NEEDED to hit the road soon after she was born! Talk about being thrown into mommy hood! Our most recent road trip fast forwards seven years later, to this past weekend. Yet again we have taken an impromptu road trip! (I think we have a pattern here)

We had an amazing time for such a short and jam-packed trip! We drove down to spend some quality time with family. We watched an Easter production in church, that our cousin has starred in…a phenomenal depiction of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Praise God!

Check out and follow our Instagram Page, for a few of our Road Trip Highlights from our Instagram story…

Now, I am not going to lie to you. Road tripping with small children can be tough. Between “are we there yet?”, the “I’m Hungry”ies, and the cries from the front seat you may not want to embark on a long family journey at all. BUT I am here to tell you it is doable momma! There are a few essentials that can help you survive hours in a confined, moving vehicle without losing your…

…shirt! 

Here’s how we survived our most recent and EVERY road trip!

First….

What to Pack

Aside from your essentials needed once you reach your destination, there are a few items you will find necessary to have with you and easily accessible in the car! Don’t make the mistake of packing it away and having to exit the interstate just to dig through a suitcase in the trunk. When on a road trip, it is ideal to keep things close. Make things easier on yourself mom. Have a dedicated bag (or two) that you will keep inside the vehicle within arms reach to you or any other adult passenger who can assist.

The contents of your travel bag/organizer depend on the age of your child(ren)…however some are commonly necessary for ALL ages, while other items can fall within the same ‘categories’ stated below. You should have the following:

Travel First Aid Kit: This one is fairly easy. Target has small first aid kits in the travel section, that can even fit in your purse. Kids come with scrapes and boo boo’s, unpredictable fevers, coughs & runny noises…anything can happen so it’s better to be prepared. While I’m in that same section mommies, I usually grab a travel sized motrin (for myself in case-I deal with migraines)…head over to the pharmacy side and a smaller children’s tylenol/motrin just to have on hand. Kids can be unpredictable. If this is a longer trip…just in case a cold or fever decides to emerge out of nowhere, I bring with me cold/flu meds from home or pick one up, so I am not frantically looking for something in an unfamiliar area (and probably costs 3x more than normal price) if we need it!

Food/Snacks: Before a road trip I stock up on our travel food. I personally prefer, now that my daughter is 7, INDIVIDUAL prepackaged snacks, tiny water bottles, and juice boxes/pouches. At home I will usually make sandwiches the night before travel (without mayo if I fear keeping them cool will be a problem) This is perfect! She can open her individual bag of chips, goldfish etc…and enjoy a sandwich all by herself. Also organic lunch/snack boxes do the trick as well! This is an economical approach to meals & we didn’t lose time by stopping every 10 minutes for a snack. Car rides tend to get “snacky” very fast.

If your baby is primarily feeding on breast milk or formula, prep yourself by storing your frozen breast milk/milk in a cooler or thermal regulated/insulated bag…plenty of ice packs to keep it fresh! To heat the milk, there are several travel options on amazon like this one:

If that is unavailable to you momma, no worries. Sometimes you just gotta old school it and be resourceful! Warm your baby’s milk when you come to the next rest stop. Ask for, or purchase a cup of hot water…fill it about half way (as not to overflow it), place your baby’s bottle inside the cup of water and bring it to temperature. Mom hack! Trust me, this was the trick on our very first road trip….

Potty Breaks

Traveling with children WILL require potty breaks but may require them OFTEN. Tiny bladders can’t hold it…

Again, depending on the age of your child, please modify your approach to suit your child’s needs.

Before my daughter was potty trained and completely in diapers, it wasn’t terrible to change her diaper in the car at the next convenient rest area. Our travel changing station was perfect to use right in the back seat…AND perfect to use in our hotel or home, where we resided as guests on our trip.   

If you’re fancy, you can purchase a back seat organizer. This one comes with the changing pad.  This makes everything easy to get to…not to mention prevents your car from looking like a hot mess!

They even have a few compatible for the front and back seat!

  If your child is in the potty training stage, there are different types of portable potties like this one by Summer Infant, available on amazon. How it works is fairly simple…child goes potty…and the contents are completely disposable. Trust me mommies you will appreciate this one! Sometimes there isn’t another rest stop for MILES around. Avoid having any “whoopsies” in the car…not to mention, it keeps you out of the germy public restrooms!

Hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes or the old school soap and water (bottle) to wash your hands when there’s nothing else around, and you’re good to get back on the road!  

Activities

So now comes the hard part…keeping the little one occupied and keeping your sanity!

Bring every travel friendly activity imaginable. Pack some toys…perhaps a few of your child’s favorites, travel activity packs…Target’s dollar section is good for that!

For the toddlers and school age children, it’s a good idea to have a Travel Tray. This tray will allow your child to easily color, place their snacks, race their cars…stores everything they need within their little reach, while mommy keeps her hands at 10 and 2.

  If you can, have plenty of audio books, Disney soundtracks, and cute road trip games on hand!

Lastly…

Don’t pressure yourself mommy. If everyone is frustrated and needs a break…STOP. Rest, stretch your legs…get some fresh air. Even research before you go, which areas along your route are kid friendly and good places to stop and visit. Parks, shopping malls…maybe a quick visit to a museum en route. Just getting from the car will do everyone GOOD! Running off some of the little one’s energy isn’t such a bad idea. It may be needed and crucial to your road trip survival!  

Share some of your road trip stories and must haves for a family road trip! Let us know in the comments! Share your #MomStory!

Check out our ‘Hello Spring’ series here, with tips for the new season!

Hey mommies! Mom's Cafe Blog is back. The weather has been great and it is an exciting time of year to go on FAMILY VACATION ! Before you hit the road, check out our new blog post on: How to Road Trip with Kids! #travel #momlife *This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something we have recommended, at no cost to you.

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Guest Post: Facebook Video Tips from Non-Profit Marketers

Note from Beth:  Is Facebook Live or posting videos part of your nonprofit’s strategy for 2018?  It should be. Using a tool like Animato can make it easy for your nonprofit to create DYI videos, but to be successful you need to develop a strategy and use compelling storytelling.  This article shares insights from nonprofit marketers. 

Facebook Video Tips from Non-Profit Marketers – Guest Post by Rebecca Brooks, Animoto

Mark Zuckerberg’s recently announced that Facebook’s News Feed will be veering away from branded content to prioritize content posted by personal accounts. In the wake of that proclamation, many non-profits are understandably bewildered, wondering what this will mean for their Facebook marketing strategy.

To get perspective on how to handle the changes to Facebook, I consulted with some of the non-profits who use Animoto, asking them how they’re adapting to the new Facebook landscape and how it’ll inform their 2018 social video marketing strategy.

Jane Goodall Institute: Storytelling on Facebook and beyond with square videos

Ashley Sullivan, Community Engagement Specialist for The Jane Goodall Institute, underscores that storytelling is key to getting seen on Facebook. “As a non-profit founded by one of the world’s greatest storytellers, Dr. Jane Goodall, telling our story is essential and the best way to present ourselves as the holistic conservation organization we are, on social media and other platforms. Video is a medium uniquely suited to do just that.”

However, storytelling isn’t enough. Videos have to be formatted to stand out on mobile. Over 80% of Facebook’s users are checking out the app on mobile. 16:9 ratios require that the viewer tilts their phone and watches it in a non-vertical orientation. Square videos take up 78% more real estate on a screen than landscape videos plus it’s more user friendly.

In March 2017, The Jane Goodall Institute put a $50 ad spend against two variations of a video created in Animoto. Both versions were identical except for one key difference—aspect ratio. One was in a 16:9 landscape ratio, and the other was in a 1:1 square ratio. The non-profit saw a huge difference in results, with the square video receiving 2x more views and 3x more shares than the landscape version, largely due to mobile traffic.

But The Jane Goodall Institute is also combating Facebook’s changes another way: by diversifying where they share. Even prior to Facebook’s recent announcement,  the non-profit had decided to expand the number of platforms on which they share video, while still focusing their videos on storytelling to engage their audience. In mid-December 2017, the organization posted an Animoto video on Instagram about a chimp named Wounda. This video showcased the progress this chimp made thanks to The Jane Goodall Institute. Clocking in at less than 60 seconds, the square video was heartwarming and incredibly shareworthy. So shareworthy, in fact, that it racked up 500,000+ views—more than double the number of Instagram followers they had at that point. The reason? The non-profit’s followers tagged friends in the comments section to share Wounda’s story.

“Telling the story of Wounda allowed us to highlight the great work The Tchimpounga Sanctuary does in a way that an overview video just wouldn’t be able to do,” said Ashley. The lesson? You can showcase the impact a non-profit has by following the story of one person (or in this case, chimp) who was helped by your non-profit’s mission and work. Just do it in a video format that is suited for that platform. For Facebook and Instagram, square is a great option.

ShelterBox USA: Sharing real-time updates on Facebook with video

ShelterBox USA had a very busy year, due to the sheer number of natural disasters that struck in 2017. The organization’s mission is to bring shelter to families who have quite literally lost everything. They kept their followers informed on a per-disaster-basis through video shared on Facebook.

“We have a great partnership with Rotary International and also have so many passionate individual supporters. Providing concise, informative and timely videos empower our supporters to help spread our mission of providing emergency shelter and drive donations on our behalf,” said Sarah Robinson, Director of Fundraising and Strategic Partnerships at ShelterBox USA. “With the recent changes Facebook is making to the algorithm, this makes our videos all the more important since we have our most passionate supporters in mind when creating them. We rely on our supporters to share these videos on their personal feed to help spread our message,” Sarah added.

Sarah’s strategy won’t be changing too much, though, since their real-time updates during disasters prompt an outpouring of engagement she believes will connect with ShelterBox USA’s audience. For example, when Hurricane Harvey hit, ShelterBox USA was swift to put out a video letting their audience know that they had people on the ground assessing how they would be able to help. They put around $200 to advertise their video to maximize its reach, given Hurricane Harvey’s prevalence on social media.

They used text in this video, which makes it easier for connect with people on mobile, who usually prefer sound-off viewing. This video (and more that followed) did indeed empower their most impassioned supporters to raise money for them. Some supporters even created fundraisers on Facebook and shared ShelterBox USA’s videos to encourage friends and family to donate. Others shared the videos on their feed and endorsed ShelterBox USA’s history of expertise and care, noting their ability to create a safe haven for families in distress.

Despite its success, the ShelterBox USA video had just two photos from Harvey in their video and one satellite shot of the hurricane. To fill in the gaps, they used other assets from previous disaster work to show and tell how they’d be responding to Harvey, but ultimately the video was able to tell their story in just 7 photos. ShelterBox USA regularly creates videos with minimal photos and video clips shot on a mobile device, and they’re still successfully able to illustrate how they are having an impact.

Berkshire Humane Society: Frequent, quality video posts with engagement in mind

Berkshire Humane Society is a community-supported, open-admissions shelter that serves Berkshire County, Massachusetts. They hired marketing consultant Mary McGurn to oversee their social media and online marketing.

Mary now creates a weekly video (in square format) for Berkshire’s Facebook page featuring an animal in need of a home. These videos get shared about 100 times on average and drive thousands of views. Given the changes to Facebook’s recent algorithm, Mary has these recommendations for non-profit marketers:

“Don’t back off of producing original video content for your page. It is still the most preferred medium to deliver status updates on Facebook. Just start or keep telling compelling, personal stories that speak to your mission.”

That’s how she handled an emergency fundraising drive last year, when the Berkshire Humane Society’s water heater broke. The $21,000 repair was necessary in order to make the shelter habitable for the many animals awaiting forever homes. Mary quickly created a video sharing the story of the shelter residents who were waiting for a new water heater and asking for assistance. She then took to Peer-to-Peer Fundraising on Facebook, which made it easy for supporters to fundraise on behalf of the shelter.

“It makes sharing your favorite causes on social very easy and quick to do. It’s like sitting over coffee with friends and asking them to pitch in,’ Mary said. She had used this tactic before to raise $5000 for Berkshire Humane Society, but needed to ensure this time around that she would raise four times more than she had last time. “We used video to amplify this campaign. The video spoke to people and showed them how their donation would save the shelter and its four-footed residents.”

But before starting a Peer-to-Peer fundraising campaign, Mary suggests non-profits get fans ready to receive their message. Organizations can remind fans to customize their News Feed, setting a non-profit as a “See First” page and asking fans to check off what notifications they want to receive.

“Note that Facebook caps the number of See Firsts to 30 pages. On [your non-profit’s] Timeline posts, consider using Preferred Audience to tell Facebook what subset of your fan base should see this post. Preferred Audience does not exclude your entire base, but it tells the algorithm to favor some over others. This works best if your base is reasonably large— – over 1,000 and up,” Mary adds.

Key Takeaways:

Use square video to grab the attention of your mobile audience

Storytelling is key for shares

Hone in on the story of one individual, town, or animal when storytelling

Share on more than one platform to expand your reach

Timely video updates with ad spend help amplify a non-profit’s response to what’s trending in the news

Use text in your video to ensure it makes sense in a sound-off environment

You don’t need many assets to create a video, and mobile photos and video clips can add a sense of authenticity to your marketing

Utilize Peer-to-Peer Fundraising combined with video to empower supporters to fundraise for you

Animoto recently partnered with Mari Smith to offer a free webinar on how to create compelling video content – you can listen to the recording and download resources here.

Rebecca Brooks is the Director, Communications at Animoto

from Beth’s Blog http://ift.tt/2HgqCYj