#esin speaks

[esinofsardis]

omegaverse, even at its most dystopian, requires worldbuilding where capitalism is forced to bow to people's physical needs. society needs to be reordered to prioritize a physicality that is not only uncontrollable, but irrational and emotional. in a real world where emotional needs are devalued, irrational needs are dismissed, and physical needs are met with a "just push through it", omegaverse offers an alternate reality for disabled people. here, we can imagine a world where society is oriented around bodily, mental, emotional, and sexual needs, regardless of political or economic system. this can be intensely comforting to those whose needs are not met in real life. in this essay i will...

[esinofsardis]

On the flip side my parents literally both carry a book wherever they go. I'd walk into a room and they'd be like "shhhh we're having a reading party, get a book or go play somewhere else". And my siblings and I all read a ton. Even my youngest brother who doesn't really like reading is still very well read. My dad read aloud to us every night before bed.

I don't read a ton because it's good for me or something. I read because my parents do. Because my mom would ask "did you remember to bring your book?" Because my dad would brag about how he even had a copy of Return of the King in his pocket at their wedding.

Yeah I read a lot on my phone now, but if I had a different upbringing I'd probably also be playing candy crush.

im so done with seeing articles about kids and screen time that doesnt mention parent behaviors even once. “kids are always on their phones” so are the parents! which the kids look to for how they should behave! ipad babies didn’t chose to only play on their ipads, thats what their parents gave them!

an anecdotal example: when i was a kid, all my parents would do in their minimal free time was watch tv and then they would be surprised when in my sister and i’s minimal free time we would also only watch tv/play video games. they scolded us for not reading books, but they never read books. they scolded us for not going outside but they never went outside.

“kids are always on their damn phones” my mom is in her 60s and opens up candy crush anytime she’s sitting — it isnt just the kids

[icy-watch]

Speaking of next season, I don't know if anyone's told you yet, but TOH did get cut short so, they did what they could. It's 3 episodes long, and somewhere around the 40-50 minute mark iirc? You might need to split the watch time.

I think someone may have told me early on or I read it somewhere, but yeah. I've heard. And I'm sad that that happened.

I'll def be splitting up the episodes, so if anyone knows of a good spot to break the episodes in half, just let me know.

*shakes fist at corporate Disney* This is somehow Bob Iger and Michael Esiner's fault.

[esinofsardis]

okay vampire chronicles friends. so i know anne was like vampires are sensitive everywhere so they don't have sex cause genitals aren't anything special yeah yeah okay

but what if we took that "sensitive everywhere" part to its natural conclusion and Daniel's playing with Armand's hair and like "did... did you just cum from that"

[esinofsardis]

And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy,

and God, I know I'm one

fun fact! did you know that you can gain extra ‘forbidden time’ by staying up late in the night? but Watch Out

[esinofsardis]

Okay so I've been saying for literal years that one of the most traumatic things about growing up evangelical was how they expect you to perform emotional spirituality at all times

It was also super traumatic to be taught that if I loved anything more than I loved God, he would take that thing from me to teach me to love him more. And that it would be a blessing

And like

I was today years old when I realized how similar this is to the Jedi??? Like my mom had this book and read it over and over. And my dad was into Stoicism around the same time and I literally thought as a young child that the more like a Jedi I could be the more Christian I would be

The Jedi might have surface level similarity to Buddhist monks but tbh I think they map better onto American Evangelicals. The emphasis on not forming strong attachments (with the exception of heterosexual marriage, which is just a symbol of your relationship with Christ) but strict adherence to the rules of the community. Of living in the world but not really being part of it while also playing the role of justice and morality police for the entire planet.

Even the idea of taking children and training them young so they don't fall to the "dark side" (read: sin) is so ingrained in Sunday school and VBS and the way you're supposed to get your friends to come to youth group.

There's also a complete lack of acknowledgement of people this system doesn't work for. But also if you fall away you were tempted by the Dark Side (read: Satan) and don't really have agency in the matter cause of course you would never ever choose to leave of your own will.

Even the way they talk about the Force is textbook Holy Spirit. There's a reason it feels like the response to "May the Force be with you" should be "And with your spirit". The idea of meditation/prayer to discover the will of the Force (read: God) uses very evangelical language.

tl;dr evangelical Christianity is traumatizing and I have feeling about Star Wars

Also I really want to read fic about the Jedi being relationship anarchists about attachment instead of evangelicals

[esinofsardis]

In light of the recent drama, I think it would be a nice if we could focus on fics we are loving instead? Would love to know of any fics you’d want to highlight so we can spread some positivity! Thanks!

I love this idea so much!! Here are a few recent faves, in no particular order:

Is This Too Much? by WeatherMood (@thatgothicgay)

Rated E || Complete, but sequels are still going! || 48k+

Sweet, healing, AMC!canon exploration If you haven't read this fic and its sequels yet, please drop everything and do so. It's about what Louis and Lestat's relationship might look like if instead of turning Louis in the church, they waited until Louis was sure of his decision. It's so beautiful to see these two actually have a relationship with a healthy basis. Lots of Loustat and really dives into his relationship with Grace too!

Before I Spill Myself by NinasBlues

Rated M || Incomplete & Updating || 50k

Polyamory, past trauma, learning trust All human, modern AU. Main ship is Louis/Armand/Jonah with past Loustat Louis is a singer in San Francisco, trying to leave his breakup with Lestat in the past. Jonah and Armand seduce him into joining their relationship.

Angle of Incidence by @apoptoses

Rated E || Complete || 9k

Devil's Minion kink, sensory play, surprisingly intimate Okay so please do read the tags on this one. But I'll have you know that this fic contains things that are usually hard no's from me, but I adore it here. I was ready to back the fuck out, but was surprised by how tender and overwhelmingly intimate it was. Basically Armand decides that he truly wants to know all of Daniel's body so they break into a doctor's office and earn the tag "inappropriate use of an ultrasound machine". Because of course this gremlin has to ruin every piece of technology ever. It's rare to find a fic that really understands how much trust there is in a D/s relationship and how vulnerable having a body can be. I was blown away.

Treat Me Gently by DeepRedBells

Rated M || Incomplete & Updating || 23k

Old Maniel, blood and lust, Armand caring for Daniel by renovating his kitchen After the interview is over, Armand returns with Daniel to New York, determined to take care of him until he either consents to becoming a vampire or dies. And now Daniel's daughter thinks her dad illegally brought a twink back from Dubai.

Please go show all these authors some love!! Thanks anon for suggesting this--I think celebrating fics is exactly what's needed rn.

And a bonus cause it's so cool: GWS 9450 TOPICS IN QUEER THEORY - NARRATIVE/POWER/EROTIC - STUART, A by king_edmund (@trinity996)

[mlmdarkfiction]

GIFT FIC- Extra Credit?

Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Ship: Edelgard Von Hresvelg/Byleth Eisner 

Description: After Dorothea finds out Edelgard has a B in Professor Eisner's class, she tells Edelgard to ask for extra credit, knowing the other woman has a crush on the Professors Daughter who's also his teaching assistant.

Content Warning: Modern AU, College AU, Teachers Assistant Byleth

Authors Note: This fic was a gift for one of the kind people who donated to help my friend pay medical pills for their dog!

Read Below:

“...”

Silence interrupts the once cheerful conversation between the four girls. The other three had been waiting on a response, and were instead met with nothing.

Edelgard had, admittedly, stopped paying attention to the conversation at hand as soon as she’d gotten an email about their midterm grades being released.

She had to check immediately!

She expected what she always did.

Perfection.

Her whole life Edelgard had been kept to an impossibly high standard, and things truly hadn’t changed much now.

Really, the only change was that it was now Edelgard herself expecting too much of herself.

And when she checked her grades and saw that everything was not perfect and that they didn’t meet her regular perfection she was crushed.

There was no way she had made a mistake.

With all her studying, and the amount of hard work she put into every assignment, there was no way she’d earned only a B in Professor Eisner’s class.

Edelgard had never gotten a B before.

And it was unacceptable.

“Ede?”

Dorothea finally calls gently, breaking the silence.

All three women were capable of understanding that something was wrong, based both on Edelgard’s silence in turn of conversation, and the sour expression that had slowly taken her face as she looked at her phone.

Just seeing that expression on Edelgard’s face was enough to make Bernadetta nervous by proxy, her leg beginning to bounce under the table in an attempt at self-soothing.

“Sorry.” Edelgard says at the realization their lunch time conversation had halted because of her.

“What were we talking about?”

Petra and Dorothea share a look between them.

Clearly something was bothering the other woman.

Instead of answering her so that they could continue their mundane conversation, Dorothea decides instead to pry.

“Is something wrong?”

“Wrong? Why would something be wrong?”

Dorothea and Petra share another look.

The sharp, somewhat rushed tone of Edelgard’s voice was enough to give away that something truly was bothering her.

Exasperated Dorothea sighs a little, shaking her head.

“Well you were looking at your phone like it killed your whole family.”

A pause.

Edelgard simply sighs.

No matter what she does or says there’s no way Dorothea is going to let this go, it’s simply not in the other girl's nature not to pry when she thinks there is something wrong with one of her friends.

Although an admirable trait, in this specific instance, Edelgard hates it.

“I got a B in one of my classes.”

“A B?”

Bernadetta finally speaks up, it’s clear by the confusion in her voice she doesn’t understand the problem. For someone like Bernadetta, someone who doesn’t keep themselves mounted on a pedestal, a grade like a B is no problem.

However the meek girl immediately regrets speaking up at all when she gets a sharp look from Edelgard.

“Yes, Bernadetta a B. I got a B.”

Sensing the tension, and Bernadetta’s rising anxiety, Petra finally interferes, wrapping an arm around the other woman.

“We are going to have to be going now!”

Edelgard sighs as the other two retreat, leaving her alone at the table with Dorothea. She makes a mental note to apologize to Bernadetta later.

“Well...Which class is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” The look on Dorothea’s face, that teasing smile that’s slowly taking over her expression, makes Edelgard regret this entire conversation.

“Is it the class with that cute Teacher’s Assistant you like so much?”

“...”

The silence is all the answer the other needs.

She practically squeals in delight, clapping her hands together.

“Oh Ede! You stupid Lesbian! No wonder you have a B in that class! You’re too busy staring at her!”

“No. I am not- That is- That is ridiculous.”

It’s not ridiculous.

Dorothea is right, she knows she’s right, and Edelgard knows she’s right. Still, even if they both know the truth, that doesn’t mean she has to admit to it.

“Well it’s only a midterm.” She points out, knowing there’s no use to get Edelgard to admit she’d slacked off due to her crush on the Professor's daughter.

“If you’re saying it doesn’t matter because it’s only a mid-” “Relax.”

Edelgard’s spiel is cut off by Dorothea gently resting a hand on top of hers, and gently squeezing.

“All I meant is you still have plenty of time before grades are final to turn that B into an A.”

She smiles gently at the other.

Dorothea can never entirely understand why Edelgard is the way she is, but she tries her best to be supportive.

“And for someone like you that’s easy right?”

It’s barely noticeable, but...Edelgard does relax a bit.

“You’re right…”

“And besides!” Dorothea chirps out, “If you really want it fixed now, you could always ask Byleth for some extra credit!”

And as if worried Edelgard wouldn’t understand the extra meaning in her statement, Dorthea winks for emphasis.

Ignoring the pink that comes to her cheeks in response, she just rolls her eyes at her friend's statement.

Although the idea wasn’t entirely a bad idea.

Professor Esiner would never give out extra credit, but his daughter, the TA, might.

It was worth asking about if nothing else...even if that means humiliating herself by admitting that she needs the extra credit in the first place.

The next time Edelgard has Professor Eisner’s class she once again struggles to focus. She is, as usual, distracted. Although for once her distraction has less to do with Byleth’s existence, and more to do with her extra credit.

Instead of actually paying attention to the lesson Edelgard is trying to figure out how she can ask Byleth about extra credit without embarrassing herself, or without making herself out to seem like some kind of idiot who’s failing the class.

When all the other students start piling out of the classroom, Edelgard stays. For a while it’s just the four of them; Edelgard, Byleth, Jeralt, and Leonie.

And the longer Edelgard finds herself waiting on Leonie to leave, the angrier she finds herself becoming, until she’s firmly glaring at the redheads back.

It really doesn’t seem like she’s going to leave at all, still talking the Professors ear off, and so instead Edelgard makes the decision to take the L on this.

After all, Dorothea was right when she said there was time before grades finalized.

She gathers her things, heads to the door, but then she’s stopped, a hand reaching out to grab her wrist.

It’s a subtle action, gentle but firm, but still enough to cause her to jump, whipping around quickly to be met face to face with Byleth.

“Hey-”

Edelgard hopes she doesn’t look stupid, she can already feel the heat rising to her cheeks, lavender eyes flickering from her wrist and the fingers around it, to Byleth’s calm face.

“You waited all that time,” Byleth says softly. “Did you need something?”

Getting defensive is an instinct, something that triggers before she’s actually able to stop it. “Need something? Why would I need something?”

But Byleth keeps looking at her, obviously not buying it, expression blank as ever, and it’s enough to make Edelgard crumble apologetically.

“I was...just wondering about extra credit.”

“Extra credit?”

Edelgard curses Byleth.

Curses how cute she is.

Her thoughts immediately drift from the topic at hand, and to the way Byleth always seems to tilt her head just slightly to the right when expressing confusion. She wonders if the other woman is even aware she does it.

“Extra credit, yeah…” Edelgard clears her throat, using the moments pause to regain her composure.

“My grade fell from an A to a B for seemingly no reason, and so I thought…”

“I won’t sleep with you.”

…

What.

Edelgard’s composure quickly falls apart.

Although that’s what Dorothea had originally been joking about when she’d told Edelgard to ask about extra credit, she had no intentions of actually-

Surely Dorothea hadn’t talked to Byleth about this?

But then...how else would she have known to say that?

“I-I don’t understand what-”

“That’s...That’s what happens in movies, right?” Byleth seems just as confused as Edelgard, at least.

“Someone asks for extra credit, and then they have sex?”

Edelgard is even more perplexed.

That sounds like a bad porn plot more than a movie.

Does Byleth watch porn?

No! Bad horny brain! Focus on the task at hand.

“I was…thinking something more like worksheets.”

Her entire face has become engulfed in red, and she finds it more difficult to actually look at Byleth.

“Oh.”

The other woman pauses and then turns to call out to her father, “Hey, can Edelgard do extra credit?”

Great.

Now not only did the Professor end up finding out she wanted extra credit, but Leonie overheard as well.

This is becoming worse and worse, more humiliating by the minute.

“I...think I am just going to leave.”

She hadn’t realized until she tried leaving again that Byleth hadn’t released her wrist. It’s easy to tug free of her hold now that the surprise of being grabbed has long past.

Edelgard quickly makes her way out of the class room and down the hall. She just wants to go back to her dorm.

It’s likely irrational, and she realizes it, but she feels like she was made a fool of both by, and in front of the girl she likes.

The girl who probably is completely unaware she likes her.

She’s trying her best to avoid the heat in her cheeks, and the tears threatening to spill from her eye due to the humiliation of it all.

“Edelgard! Wait!”

Byleth jogs down the hallway, catching up with the other easily.

“I brought you these.”

Worksheets. She’s offering Edelgard a handful of work sheets.

Clearly Jeralt must have agreed to the extra credit work.

She’s relieved if nothing else, at least all this humiliation hadn’t completely been in vain.

“Thank you.”

Edelgard takes the worksheets, but notices that Byleth seems to hesitate for a moment. She raises a brow, waiting for the woman to speak.

She’s usually not the type to show any form of hesitation, and so she gets Edelgard’s full attention.

“I’m sorry about before,” She says softly. “I was trying to make a joke but...I’m bad at jokes.”

That is an understatement, but it at least makes Edelgard feel a bit better about the entire situation, knowing that it was just an attempt at humor.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Byleth continues.

“And...Dorothea told me you like me?” It’s said with just the tiniest bit of emotion in it, a curious, hopeful upturn to the last word.

Edelgard decides in that moment she has to kill Dorothea.

“So...I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date?”

Edelgard decides that she will not kill Dorothea.

When she doesn’t get an immediate answer Byleth panics a bit.

“Not like- Not as extra credit! Just like...in general. Just a normal date?”

“...I’d like that.”

[naijastudio]

Baba Suwe A Veteran Comedy Actor Died At Age of 63 Years

Babatunde Omidina, often known as Baba Suwe, a legendary Nigerian comedy actor, has died. He was 63 years old when he died. On Monday, his son Adesola Omidina confirmed his death on his own Instagram profile @Omo Omidina. "This is to inform you of my father, Mr. Babatunde Omidina's, untimely demise. The fabled and rare jewel " Babasuwe ° More information will be available soon! In the message, Adesola said, "May your soul rest in perfect peace Dad." Since his struggle with the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) eleven years ago, the comic actor has been suffering from a partial stroke. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested the veteran actor in 2011 on suspicion of possessing cocaine-like substances. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency charged him with drug trafficking, an accusation that the Lagos high court of law dismissed as unfounded and defamatory. The late actor said that shots given to him in NDLEA prison disabled him and that he was later discovered not to be in possession of hard drugs. "I have not forgotten about my issue with the NDLEA and I will never forget because I am still experiencing the aches and suffering from that encounter," he stated in a June interview with newsmen. The injuries they inflicted on me at the time continue to affect me. "As I speak with you, I am unable to walk on both legs. I have to be carried to my room's toilet just to use it. Using the restroom is also a difficulty. "Despite the fact that I travel abroad for medical check-ups, my body is still not in good shape." As I previously stated, I am unable to walk to my toilet without assistance. This has been going on for about a week or so. Before that, I couldn't even walk correctly, and everybody who saw me would know I had trouble walking." "When I was in the custody of the NDLEA, they searched me, injected me, asked me to go to the bathroom, but they never found any cocaine inside my system," the veteran actor remarked while describing his ordeal with the NDLEA. They didn't see anything because I defecated there. Omidina began his acting career in 1971 and rose to prominence after appearing in the film Omolasan. After appearing in Iru Esin in 1997, he became more well-known. Written By:- NaijaGenre Read the full article

[esinofsardis]

I'm so torn cause on one hand the Vampire Chronicles has such good fanfic and I'm loving reading and commenting as all these gorgeous fics update

But on the other hand I usually hang out in bigger fandoms and filter for complete fics over 40k

So while I'm loving the community I'm also so overwhelmed by all the stories coming out in small chunks and keeping track of them all. It's becoming a lot of mental work after many months because I usually only read one fic at a time. I read really really fast so I'm following 30+ ongoing fics rn

I haven't dropped off the earth I'm just reading 405k Star Wars fic and might read a few more insanely long things to reset myself. If I'm reading your WIPs you didn't upset me or anything I'll come back soon

(much warmth to @weather-mood @revolution-starter @apoptoses @angstosaur @dancermk I still love you)

tl;dr I'm taking a (hopefully) quick break to go dunk my head in some insanely long Star Wars fic as a pallette cleanser but I will come back I promise

[esinofsardis]

"habsburgs itself into oblivion" is such an unhinged yet perfectly accurate way to describe this

[esinofsardis]

Petunia -- your presence soothes me

Being with you feels like being wrapped up in the softest blanket imaginable, listening to the rain while sitting on a window seat, your hands wrapped around a mug of cocoa. People come to you for advice and it’s almost always sound. You do tend to try to “fix things”–it’s okay for others to be having negative emotions, and sometimes they just need you to sit with them as they go through it. You are very artistic and you shouldn’t invalidate your creativity because you feel like you don’t express it flawlessly. Also, this applies to any medium: painting, drawing, music, singing, crafting, needlework, writing, or even just having a deep appreciation of art. You would be a penpal and get so creative with it. When you give someone a gift, it’s often homemade and intensely personal–you put so much thought into it. At least at some point you thought you would own a bakery or coffee shop when you grew up.

Like wow this is so me and so lovely

Have you ever wondered what flower from Victorian flower language you are? I have! I have a quiz about it! (my credentials are that I have a spreadsheet of over 600 flower meanings)

[edeyorubarewa]

Reposted from @herstoryosng (@get_regrann) - Enikeni lo le jiya ipalara nipase ikolu ifipabanilo, eyi ko niise pelu eya, okunrin ni abi obirin, ko ti le niise pelu esin ati wipe gbogbo wa la ni ojuse bakanna lati boju to. Gbogbo wa le fi owo sowo po lati dide soro tako isesi, iwa, asa towo-dowo ati itan to ngbe ebi fun awon olujiya to si nda awon oludese lare. Kini iyato ti iwo yi o se? Translation: Anyone can be a victim of sexual assault, regardless of their tribe, gender or religion and we have a collective responsibility to address it. We can all unite under a common responsibility to speak up against attitudes, behaviours, traditions and narratives that blame the victim and absolve the perpetrator. What will you do differently? #HerStoryOurStoryNG @HerStoryOSNG - #regrann (at Sheldon, Solihull, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/B52qhtxJCdr/?igshid=yjlyn2buihiu

[newbrandify]

How You Should Hold Your Tote Bag Like a Celebrity?

People are very critical about their appearance and are willing to take all necessary steps to improve the way they look. The clothes that a person wears, the facial beauty, the hairstyle, all have impact on the appearance of the person. And at the same time, the accessories that you use are important as well. This is especially true when it comes to women because they are the ones who use different types accessories. And while speaking of accessories, the most important one is the bag. The fact is that there are countless styles and types of bags available in the market and it is up to you to choose the right one. And one of the most popular type of bags is the tote bag.

Knowing about tote bags:

There are various things to keep in mind while choosing a particular bag. The use of the bag is a very important factor, that is, if the bag is to be used on a daily basis then the durability is something that needs to considered importantly.

In the case of tote bags, there are ones made from light materials and ones made from heavy materials. If the bag is intended to be used daily, then light material bags should be preferred. And if you are looking for a travel bag then the heavy materials should be selected. The most popular tote bags are leather tote bags.

The size of the bag is also very important. Always make sure that you buy a bag which is suitable to the usage. For example if you are about to buy a bag for daily use and need not carry a lot of articles, then buying a large bag would be an unwise decision. Alsothere are specially designed bags for different utilities. For examplewomen’s bucket bags, shoulder bags for work, laptop bags for women, etc are some of the different types of bags available in the market.

Holding the bag in style:

Holding the bag is also a very important thing and there are numerous styles of holding a bag. The MODESTY HOLD is suited to those who think that their short skirts are a bit too short. Holding a small bag by the handles would be sufficient.

The GO LONG style is also quite stylish. bags with long straps can be held in this fashion. This style can also be called the messenger style. The style is suited to those who take bags daily.

The NECKLACE STYLE is wearing the bag around the neck. This can be possible if the bad is light and small. If standing out in a crowd is the aim, then this style would be the right choice.

The CLASSIC STYLE is perhaps the oldest style of holding a bag. The tote bagis held in the crook of your arm and the advantage is that you can use your hands even when carrying a bag with you.

There is an exclusive selection ofdesigner totes, faux leather totes, leather totes and more at ESIN AKAN, check it out!

[esinofsardis]

I have literally sat at a weight loss clinic and tried to explain to the doctor that if I'm getting my food from a food pantry I cannot avoid carbs. That if I don't eat carbs and only eat protein and vegetables that is soooo much more expensive because you have to eat more to be full and energized.

I've had to explain over and over that my insurance doesn't cover a dietitian. That I cannot afford to take a probiotic that my insurance doesn't cover. That the suggested recipes have expensive ingredients. That I can't afford a gym membership or home exercise equipment.

I'm so so glad I got out of that whole program. It was horrific for my mental and physical health. And the doctor had no answers to any of that. None of her training or medical knowledge gave her any insight on how to lose weight on a budget.

i've started looking at weight and health the way i look at class and income and it really puts a lot of things into a new perspective.

let me explain: in america at least, the lower class have significantly worse health outcomes, even when accounting for other factors. just being poor is enough to make your overall health worse. we don't know that being fat makes your health directly worse, like the data just isn't there, but for a moment, pretend it does.

imagine going to the doctor with a health problem and the doctor looking at your chart and saying well, this problem will be less severe if you go up an income bracket. have you thought about becoming rich? it would really help. start by saving a little money every month.

ridiculous, right?? very few people successfully go from working class to rich, it just doesn't happen on a large scale in society. maybe for a time you pick up some overtime hours, spend a little beyond your means, and appear rich. but eventually you burn out, your car needs to be repaired, and you return to being working class.

we do have this data: only some people can successfully lose large amounts of weight, and only a tiny fraction of people who lose that weight actually keep it off for more than a year. telling people to lose weight for their health is just absurd because they almost certainly can't do it any more than they can double their income for their health.

and yet i see it everywhere. a little poster in my work breakroom tells me to improve my blood pressure by losing weight! a psa on the radio says you need to take care of your heart by losing weight! we can't even conclusively prove that weight is the cause rather than just correlated with a lot of these problems but here it is offered anyway: have you tried being rich?

[megadarkbouquettidalwavethings]

A weak dollar ‘good’ for the U.S.? It’s complicated

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A dollar rout intensified on Wednesday after U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said a lower greenback was “good for us” – though a weaker U.S. currency may not prove a long-term economic boost.

It was a highly unusual remark for a Treasury secretary, as it is seen as a break from previous White House administrations’ public stance for a stronger U.S. currency, even as they wrangled with trade partners to open up their local markets to U.S. companies.

“Treasury secretaries in the past have always spoken in favor of a stronger dollar, not a weaker dollar,” said Sireen Harajli, currency strategist at Mizuho in New York.

Yet, while a weaker dollar is seen helping American exporters to compete abroad, it may undermine the greenback’s status as the world’s top reserve currency and fan concerns about a protectionist trade agenda espoused by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is set to speak in Davos on Friday. On Tuesday, Trump signed into law a steep tariff on import solar panels and washing machines to counter lower-cost products from China and other Asian producers.

A weaker dollar could also have repercussions on stocks, corporate bonds and other risky investments.

“If the dollar slide were to accelerate, then foreign capital flows could decline rapidly, which would cause a sudden rise in interest rates which could shock markets and lead to unintended declines in risk assets like stocks which could damage growth,” said Guggenheimer Partners’ global chief investment officer Scott Minerd in New York.

In another unusual move, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross later attempted to dial back Mnuchin’s remark, telling CNBC television that the Treasury secretary was “not advocating for a weaker dollar.”

But Ross failed to push back dollar bears.

On Wednesday, the index that tracks the dollar against a basket of currencies on a trade-weighted basis =USD fell 0.8 percent to 89.153, the lowest since December 2014.

The euro EUR= advanced to a three-year high of $1.2415 per euro on Wednesday, Reuters data showed.

The currency of the world’s biggest economy also tumbled to a four-month low of 108.97 Japanese yen JPY= and a two-plus year trough CNY= at 6.3646 Chinese yuan per dollar.

SKITTISH DOLLAR

Prior to Mnuchin’s comment in Davos, the dollar had fallen on speculation about overseas central banks moving away from the extraordinary measures they adopted to combat the global credit crisis in 2008 and the global recession that followed.

Futures markets signaled speculators last week built the most bearish positioning against the dollar since mid-October.

Analysts in a Reuters poll published on Jan. 5 anticipated a tough 2018 for the dollar coming off its worst annual performance in 14 years when it lost 10 percent.

On Tuesday, the Bank of Japan signaled it would stick with its easy policy stance as inflation remains below its 2-percent goal.

European Central Bank policy-makers will meet on Thursday where traders will look for clues on whether the ECB will pave the way to not renew its 2.55 trillion euro ($3.16 trillion) bond purchase program when it expires in September.

The euro’s year-long rise, some analysts say, would offer ECB officials a reason not to change its course.

“The strength of the euro is not something the ECB wants to exacerbate with the euro knocking on $1.24,” said Omer Esiner, chief market strategist with Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington.

Some analysts said the dollar selloff is overdone as the economy remains firm footing and the Federal Reserve is expected to raise rates further in 2018.

Moreover, U.S. yields remain low enough that the greenback remains an attractive currency to fund “carry trades,” or bets on buying higher returning assets such as emerging market bonds with money raised by selling dollars.

DOLLAR‘S STATUS

In addition to anxiety about trade friction, Mnuchin’s dollar remark fueled further questions about the dollar’s status among foreign central banks and sovereign wealth funds as the world’s top reserve currency.

A severe deterioration in the greenback can end up hurting the U.S. economy by ballooning the trade deficit as a result of higher import costs. It might also spur foreigners to pull money out of the country if a further weakness in the dollar sours investing in the United States.

In November, China and Japan, the two largest foreign U.S. creditors, scaled back their holdings of U.S. Treasuries.

Last month, the International Monetary Fund said the dollar’s share of global currency reserves shrank in the third quarter of 2017 to 63.5 percent, its smallest since mid-2014.

Despite these developments and possibly more protectionist rhetoric from the White House, the dollar should remain on its perch as the No. 1 reserve currency.

“I don’t think this will deteriorate the view of the dollar as a reserve currency of that world. That will be radical change,” said Lennon Sweeting, chief market strategist at XE in Toronto.

Additional reporting by Karen Brettell, Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Jennifer Ablan; editing by Diane Craft

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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