#first goal for country

[candidateofloyalty]

Franziska’s insistence on perfection is an attempt to live up to her father’s legacy despite that legacy being built on lies and ruining countless lives including that of the person Franziska loves most. Accepting that she is not and cannot be perfect is a major step in her development into not only a better person but a happier one. And despite all of this, every time she declares her own perfection my immediate impulse is to agree with her

[lateseptemberdawn]

would bts be bts if even a single one of them was missing? the answer is no, and here is why.

saw a comment just now on lost mv about rm being the secret behind bts's success and that just sent me to the previous similar claims about taehyung and jungkook and that just led me to think that bts really would not be what it is if it weren't for all seven of them. like. each and every one of them brings something so crucial and fundamental that it becomes impossible to imagine bts to be what they are now without even a single one of them. and since i like to dig through personalities and characteristics, im going to thrive making this post so lets get into it:

Namjoon: Obviously the leader and a damn good one at that. he is the brains of the group. the fact that he knows english is itself a great reason for their establishment in the west but of course its much more than that. his writing and composing skills are no joke, first of all. his mature perspective on life and people helped a great deal in sort of identifying exactly what take to have on any circumstance. he knows emotions, is damn good at identifying them in himself as well as others, which becomes helpful in pinpointing what their fans want and expect. i wouldn't say he's a saint, i wouldn't say any of them are, and i suppose it'd be hard to be Good and Humbled after the heights they've touched but, he's very good at projecting himself and his team as well. his leadership skills are so refined you can tell its inherent because the way he takes stands and also makes sure all the members are represented is honestly a treat to watch. i wouldn't call him the backbone of the group because that's the next member we will be talking about.

Seokjin: He is the backbone. recent weverse interview offered a damn good insight to his mentality and i have to say, it's beyond whimsical or naïve. in today's day and age, and even before, especially for a korean man, to have that much confidence and self-assuredness that manages to not be toxic or overly forced onto the others is a fresh wave of breeze in a world where men are desperate to be noticed for the smallest of things. his maturity differs greatly from namjoon, as i think their foundations of their life philosophies are separate from each other. while namjoon is more of a worldly-wise guy, seokjin is more into the self aspect of life, and both of them combined are a very healthy ideologies to grow up around. seokjin may have had moments of suffering and self-doubt, that is not what i'm insinuating, but the fact that he's grown past those phases in such a beautiful way is inspiring, not only to the fans, but especially to the younger group members. he is insanely good at handling the member's separate personalities, even better than namjoon who i think is more tied around the professional aspect of their personalities. this is not to say that he doesn't know them personally very well, of course he does, but it means that he probably doesn't know best how to interact with them on a more personal, nuanced level, which i think we will all agree, seokjin is a genius at. ("what if he flings it?" "then he flings it.")

Yoongi: Yoongi, of course, the musical genius, he brings in passion to the group. I will admit i dont really know all that much about the fundamentals of music, but i know enough to know that Yoongi is definitely a genius of the field. while i think that namjoon is more of a lyrical genius, yoongi sure knows his way around words as well. but his strength is definitely in composing. and he's insanely talented at that. his early passion in rapping and his emotional connect to it fueled his rage and his need to be successful at it, and i feel contrary to what it seems like, he is the type to not let go of his dreams no matter what. i feel he is someone who picks his battles for the long haul and never ever thinks of quitting, no matter how hard it gets. that tenacity i think he shares with every single member on some level but in different ways. i think namjoon is more practical and reasonable in his pursuits, and jin is more self-studying, but yoongi seems like someone who, if has decided for himself that it is something he needs to do, will simply jump into it headfirst, and no matter what else he might need to do, he won't hesitate in doing that, will simply try until he gets it. being such a musical genius, he knows the musical strengths of his group mates. he identifies and values each aspect of bts, theirs strengths and weaknesses, and knows how to work through them. he not only recognises their specialties, but also encourages them greatly, resulting in the betterment and strengthening on bts as a muscial group.

Hoseok: Hoseok is the perfectionist. a very strict one at that. he does not play when it comes to professionalism, especially his field of it, and that's helped the group in strengthening this other aspect of idol life. of course, dance is one of the main things that makes any kpop act famous. and hoseok is definitely a huge part of the reason why bts is known for its choreographies. hoseok is serious when it comes to dance and synchronization and being absolutely perfect on the stage and in front of the camera. its not that he does not tolerate mistakes, but that he has that leadership quality of knowing who to push, when to push and just how hard to push them. but hoseok comes with dual benefits, because he is of course the sunshine of the group. hoseok is perhaps the best at compartmentalising, at distinguishing his personal life from his professional one, because he snaps the moment he recognises the need to slip off his professionalism. he is an incredible person to be around. that is evident in his compact relationships with the members. he shares a special friendship with each and every one of them, they all trust him to share their time with him and he shares a sort of playful comradery with every single one that it is always a treat to witness. he brings in that flavour of friendship that brings life to the group as a whole, because his closeness with every single one of them separately, in couples, triplets, quadrats or quintets or all seven of them together is the exact same: it brings playfulness to the front, a sort of easygoing, casual, free atmosphere that tells that he is someone who is a great friend. he brings in discipline as well as that humanness that needs to be tied together in order for anyone to reach anywhere in life, that bts has thruough hoseok.

Jimin: While hoseok brings in the professional aspect of dance in the group, jimin brings in his own separate flavour to it. one that, in my opinion, is the richest out of all of them. similar to hoseok, jimin too is a perfectionist. his perfectionism, however, revolves more around himself, as in he strives and strives to be the absolute best version of himself that he can be for any bit. he seems like someone who compartmentalizes in the extremes, as in he completely immerses himself in the environment he is in. his artistic vision appears to be rigid to him, it can maybe get him in his head, and that is perhaps why he gets lost in it sometimes. his solo does mention getting lost in feelings, going crazy in his reaching, and while they may not be autobiographical, it still says something about him. his personality is more loving and pure, he is caring in a way that seems angelic, knows himself and in that also finds it easier to know others, similar to seokjin. jimin brings in the heart of bts. he is simply full of feelings, but he is articulate and knowledgeable in navigating through them. his addition in the group is his loveliness and his exquisite talent. not only is he an exceptional dancer, but his voice is simply a whole other thing all together. his range and tone is so unique and vast, that bts manages to seamlessly transcend musical restrictions. his vocals are no joke, he is also a good enough rapper, was almost trained in it as well. what jimin brings to the stage when the performance is on is something that only he can bring. he sets the stage in sensuality without even trying, he expertise in the dance forms brings bts that all-rounder status with a depth that would not be possible without jimin.

Taehyung: The face of bts, no doubts at all. he is the one that brings in the crowd in bulks with a single blink of his eye. and i wish i was exaggerating but from my own experiences and almost experiences and judging by what i was listening in the fast-growing fanbase during boy with luv era, i really am not exaggerating at all. its not just his face either. or, perhaps it is, but it's not just his face that does all the work. his personality is such that it just sticks out. not always in the best way, we all know he also has the most haters out of them all as well, but the point stands; he attracts. with the least efforts, he becomes the crowd magnate that if nothing else, makes bts known at the very least. his position in the group has always been dynamic, from the very beginning to even now. being a hidden member, not having any main positions; sharing the visual position with jin, sharing the vocal positions with jungkook and jimin, no separate training to get him into the dance line-up, not enough training in being a rapper -- taehyung has had to prove himself to earn any position at all. but he has achieved his own place in the group in the same effortless manner that he does everything else. and that is what beings in the charisma. while his singing or dancing or visuals or rapping are incredible in themselves, it's no secret that he has grown to betterment. unlike jimin or hoseok or yoongi, taehyung seems to do things simply because he wants to do them. and he seems to be the type to want to be Good at what he does. he is also perhaps the one member in the group whose personality has changed the most over the years out of all of them. that makes him dynamic, it makes him captivating because he does not remain constant and seems to hold parallels inside himself. his uniqueness contributes immensely to the factor, because it doesn't take long to recognise that taehyung is far from being the average person you meet, in fact, he is nowhere close to it. he is smart in a way that he keeps hidden. perceptive in a way that is surprising every single time he lets it break out. he is effortlessly perfect, and he makes it known. he is in control of how he is perceived and that makes him clever in a way that keeps people on their toes whenever he shows up.

Jungkook: The pure, sheer, talent. he is the one that is born for it. the one that can do it all, and can do it all well. like the younger sibling in families, jungkook too is the handyman of the group. there is nothing else to say, he simply really was born to be jungkook of bts. it helps that he is insanely humble and incredible grateful for bts, because that makes him the fuel that that keeps the group running. he lives for bts, not for himself, but for this life. and while that is problematic on a lot of levels, it seems like he sort of is getting the hang of what it means to be a human. it is understandable, since he was recruited at a very young age, and that is also what contributes to him being theoretically perfect. every group needs undiluted talent, talent that can be molded into whichever vessel that is needed, and in bts, that talent is brought in by jungkook. he was acknowledged and acclaimed for it in the beginning itself, he is known by being perfect, and that ideal, the ideal of perfection in all its forms, thats what jungkook symbolises. his perfection comes from not only his born talent, but the fact that he puts effort behind it. him having perfect pitch is what he is born with, but he has trained himself in such a way that he can reach any vocal range at all. he has an energetic body, but he pushes himself to drive that energy out in every single performance to the point of near collapse. his perfection comes from his efforts, his efforts come from his humility, and that comes from keeping the truth of his talents to himself and keeping to work on them. he has never been one to sit idle, or be satisfied, or held himself back. when he gives, he gives in full. and perhaps that is the he is the one that feels the most amongst all of them. his gratitude towards the fans is what keeps them loyal like he is. he never fails to mention his fans for his success, never takes their support for granted, and despite being not as good as namjoon at voicing his feelings, he has such a face that reveals it all. his devotion to his fans is one that is rare to see anywhere else, and that's what maintains the hold bts has on its fans. jungkook is humble to a fault, but the fact that he is learning to think of himself is another beautiful thing entirely.

thus bts would definitely not be bts if even a single one of them wasnt part of it. brain, backbone, passion, discipline, heart, face and talent. even a single aspect goes missing, and you don't have bts. its another thing that they definitely would not be here if it weren't for bighit to push them in the west specifically with its insane pity-gaining and story-selling since the beginning of the formation of the group, but that's a whole different matter all together. bang-pd certainly had no good intentions for the boys individually or even separate from being idols who work under his company, so it makes me not want to call him or the company the soul of bts, but when you really look at it, i guess it wouldn't be too far off the truth to say they sort of did end up selling their souls to the company with its own selfish goals so it would somehow in a twisted way make sense. but anyways, yes, bts is bts because of bighit/bang-pd as well.

[silkclove]

booked my first trip of 2025 !!

[jorvikzelda]

had a dream I called the Danish emergency services (I was in Denmark) and they hung up on me :(

[mejomonster]

I wrote 6000 words today!

[eddis-not-eeddis]

.

[starswallowingsea]

looking at the notes of that last poll was a mistake

[bavarianmillionaire]

julián extending until 2028 at city

[idontliketomatoesleavemealone]

Do you ever set like. Little goals for random time spans

[ladycatofwinterfell]

Ashamed of being a swedish handball fan rn that SUCKED

[monsterfactoryfanfic]

if I've learned anything from grad school it's to check your sources, and this has proven invaluable in the dozens of instances when I've had an MBA-type try to tell me something about finances or leadership. Case in point:

Firefox serves me clickbaity articles through Pocket, which is fine because I like Firefox. But sometimes an article makes me curious. I'm pretty anal about my finances, and I wondered if this article was, as I suspected, total horseshit, or could potentially benefit me and help me get my spending under control. So let's check the article in question.

It mostly seems like common sense. "...track expenses and income for at least a month before setting a budget...How much money do I have or earn? How much do I want to save?" Basic shit like that. But then I get to this section:

This sounds fucking made up to me. And thankfully, they've provided a source to their claim that "research has repeatedly shown" that writing things down changes behavior. First mistake. What research is this?

Forbes, naturally, my #1 source for absolute dogshit fart-sniffing financial schlock. Forbes is the type of website that guy from high school who constantly posts on linkedin trawls daily for little articles like this that make him feel better about refusing to pay for a decent package for his employees' healthcare (I'm from the United States, a barbaric, conflict-ridden country in the throes of civil unrest, so obsessed with violence that its warlords prioritize weapons over universal medical coverage. I digress). Forbes constantly posts shit like this, and I constantly spend my time at leadership seminars debunking poor consultants who get paid to read these claims credulously. Look at this highlighted text. Does it make sense to you that simply writing your financial goals down would result in a 10x increase in your income? Because if it does, let me make you an offer on this sick ass bridge.

Thankfully, Forbes also makes the mistake of citing their sources. Let's check to see where this hyperlink goes:

SidSavara. I've never heard of this site, but the About section tells me that Sid is "a technology leader who empowers teams to grow into their best selves. He is a life-long learner enjoys developing software, leading teams in delivering mission critical projects, playing guitar and watching football and basketball."

That doesn't mean anything. What are his LinkedIn credentials? With the caveat that anyone can lie on Linkedin, Mr. Savara appears to be a Software Engineer. Which is fine! I'm glad software engineers exist! But Sid's got nothing in his professional history which suggests he knows shit about finance. So I'm already pretty skeptical of his website, which is increasingly looking like a personal fart-huffing blog.

The article itself repeats the credulous claim made in the Forbes story earlier, but this time, provides no link for the 3% story. Mr. Savara is smarter than his colleages at Forbes, it's much wiser to just make shit up.

HOWEVER. I am not the first person to have followed this rabbit hole. Because at the very top of this article, there is a disclaimer.

Uh oh!

Sid's been called out before, and in the follow up to this article, he reveals the truth.

You can guess where this is going.

So to go back to the VERY beginning of this post, both Pocket/Good Housekeeping and Forbes failed to do even the most basic of research, taking the wild claim that writing down your budget may increase your income by 10x on good faith and the word of a(n admittedly honest about his shortcomings) software engineer.

Why did I spend 30 minutes to make a tumblr post about this? Mostly to show off how smart I am, but also to remind folks of just how flimsy any claim on the internet can be. Click those links, follow those sources, and when the sources stop linking, ask why.

[malcriada]

not only is money sent to Palestine by humanitarian groups getting blocked by international banks, this also applies to regular people who are trying to send money to friends or relatives in Gaza while living abroad.

my dear friend @bilal-salah0 has to face ridiculous challenges in transferring funds to his family of 18 people. he cannot transfer the funds from his german bank account directly, but needs to pass them through another country first. this means he is faced with extremely high transfer fees. on top of that, he was the victim of extortion by his exploitative ex-employer/landlord. please help him reach his goal of €110,000 in 10 days so he can help his family survive!

donations have been coming in very slowly. so far, he has reached: €102,314 / €110,000, €7686 still to go

[verified here, #132, line 136] [GFM here]

please don't let him and his family down. he doesn't deserve what's happening to him.

tagging for reach under the cut, please lmk if you'd like to be removed:

@timetravellingkitty @deathlonging @briarhips @dirhwangdaseul @mahoushojoe

@rhubarbspring @schoolhater @pcktknife @transmutationisms @sawasawako

@feluka @birabiroo @irhabiya @commissions4aid-international @wellwaterhysteria

@deepspaceboytoy @post-brahminism @khanger @evillesbianvillain @neechees

@mangocheesecakes @kyra45-helping-others @jezior0 @7bitter @tortiefrancis

@toiletpotato @fromjannah @omegaversereloaded @vague-humanoid @tododeku-or-bust

@aristotels @komsomolka @xinakwans @heritageposts @nibeul

@ot3 @amygdalae @ankle-beez @lonniemachin @dykesbat

@watermotif @stuckinapril @mavigator @lacecap @yugiohz

@socalgal @chilewithcarnage @ghelgheli @sayruq @northgazaupdates2

@vakarians-babe @wayneradiotv @paper-mario-wiki @rthko @decolonize-the-everything

@velvetys @3000s @punkitt-is-here @ghelgheli @feluka

@cruzwalters @yugiohz @akajustmerry @shesnake @tamamita

@opencommunion

[batboyblog]

Things the Biden-Harris Administration Did This Week #39

October 18-25 2024.

President Biden issued the first presidential apology on behalf of the federal government to America's Native American population for the Indian boarding school policy. For 150 years the federal government operated a system of schools which aimed to destroy Native culture through the forced assimilation of native children. At these schools students faced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and close to 1,000 died. The Biden-Harris Administration has been historic for Native and Tribal rights. From the appointment of the first ever Native American cabinet member, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, to the investment of $46 billion dollars on tribal land, to 200 new co-stewardship agreements. The last 4 years have seen a historic investment in and expansion of tribal rights.

The Biden-Harris Administration proposed a new rule which would make contraceptive medication (the pill) free over the counter with most Insurance. The new rule would ban cost sharing for contraception products, including the pill, condoms, and emergency contraception. On top of over the counter medications, the new rule will also strength protections for prescribed contraception without cost sharing as well.

The EPA announced its finalized rule strengthening standards for lead paint dust in pre-1978 housing and child care facilities. There is no safe level of exposure to lead particularly for children who can suffer long term developmental consequences from lead exposure. The new standards set the lowest level of lead particle that can be identified by a lab as the standard for lead abatement. It's estimated 31 million homes built before the ban on lead paint in 1978 have lead paint and 3.8 million of those have one or more children under the age of 6. The new rule will mean 1.2 million fewer people, including over 300,000 children will not be exposed to lead particles every year. This comes after the Biden-Harris Administration announced its goal to remove and replace all lead pipes in America by the end of the decade.

The Department of Transportation announced a $50 million dollar fine against American Airlines for its treatment of disabled passengers and their wheelchairs. The fine stems from a number of incidences of humiliating and unfair treatment of passages between 2019 and 2023, as well as video documented evidence of mishandling wheelchairs and damaging them. Half the fine will go to replacing such damaged wheelchairs. The Biden administration has leveled a historic number of fines against the airlines ($225 million) for their failures. It also published a Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights, passed a new rule accessible lavatories on aircraft, and is working on a rule to require airlines to replace lost or damaged wheelchairs with equal equipment at once.

The Department of Energy announced $430 million dollars to help boost domestic clean energy manufacturing in former coal communities. This invests in projects in 15 different communities, in places like Texas, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Michigan. The plan will bring about 1,900 new jobs in communities struggling with the loss of coal. Projects include making insulation out of recycled cardboard, low carbon cement production, and industrial fiber hemp processing.

The Department of Transportation announced $4.2 billion in new infrastructure investment. The money will go to 44 projects across the country. For example the MBTA will get $400 million to replace the 92 year old Draw 1 bridge and renovate North Station.

The Department of Transportation announced nearly $200 million to replace aging natural gas pipes. Leaking gas lines represent a serious public health risk and also cost costumers. Planned replacements in Georgia and North Carolina for example will save the average costumer there over $900 on their gas bill a year. Replacing leaking lines will also remove 1,000 metric tons of methane pollution, annually.

The Department of the Interior announced $244 million to address legacy pollution in Pennsylvania coal country. This comes on top of $400 million invested earlier this year. This investment will help close dangerous mine shafts, reclaim unstable slopes, improve water quality by treating acid mine drainage, and restore water supplies damaged by mining.

Data shows that President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (passed with Vice-President Harris' tie breaking vote) has saved seniors $1 billion dollars on out-of-pocket drug costs. Seniors with certain high priced drugs saw their yearly out of pocket costs capped at $3,500 for 2024. In 2024 all seniors using Medicare Part D will see their out of pocket costs capped at $2,000 for the year. It's estimated if the $2,000 cap had been in effect this year 4.6 million seniors would have hit it by June and not have had to pay any more for medication for the rest of the year.

The Department of Education announced a new proposed rule to bring student debt relief for 8 million struggling borrowers. The Biden-Harris Administration has managed despite road blocks from Republicans in Congress, the courts and law suits from Republican states to bring student loan forgiveness to 5 million Americans so far through different programs. This latest rule would take into account many financial hardships faced by people to determine if they qualify to have their student loans forgiven. The final rule cannot be finalized before 2025 meaning its fate will be decided at the election.

The Department of Agriculture announced $1.5 billion in 92 partner-driven conservation projects. These projects aim at making farming more susceptible and environmental friendly, 16 projects are about water conservation in the West, 6 support use of innovative technologies to reduce enteric methane emissions in livestock. $100 million has been earmarked for Tribal-led projects.

[runningoutofbooks]

I just printed out maps for the North Country Trail. And to say that I am excited would be an understatement!

[ketchuppee]

During the 2008 recession, my aunt lost her job. Her, her partner, and my three cousins moved across the country to stay with us while they got back on their feet. My house turned from a family of four to a family of nine overnight, complete with three dogs and five cats between us.

It took a few years for them to get a place of their own, but after a few rentals and apartments, they now own a split level ranch in a town nearby. I’ve lost track of how many coworkers and friends have stayed with them when they were in a tight spot. A mother and son getting out of an abusive relationship, a divorcee trying to stay local for his kids while they work out a custody agreement, you name it. My aunt and uncle knew first hand what that kindness meant, and always find space for someone who needed it, the way my parents had for them.

That same aunt and uncle visited me in [redacted] city last year. They are prolific drinkers, so we spent most of the day bar hopping. As we wandered the city, any time we passed a homeless person, my uncle would pull out a fresh cigarette and ask them if they had a light. Regardless of if they had a lighter on hand or not, he offered them a few bucks in exchange, which he explained to me after was because he felt it would be easier for them to accept in exchange for a service, no matter how small.

I work for a company that produces a lot of fabric waste. Every few weeks, I bring two big black trash bags full of discarded material over to a woman who works down the hall. She distributes them to local churches, quilting clubs, and teachers who can use them for crafts. She’s currently in the process of working with our building to set up a recycling program for the smaller pieces of fabric that are harder to find use for.

One of my best friends gives monthly donations to four or five local organizations. She’s fortunate enough to have a tech job that gives her a good salary, and she knows that a recurring donation is more valuable to a non-profit because they can rely on that money month after month, and can plan ways to stretch that dollar for maximum impact. One of those organizations is a native plant trust, and once she’s out of her apartment complex and in a home with a yard, she has plans to convert it into a haven of local flora.

My partner works for a company that is working to help regulate crypto and hold the current bad actors in the space accountable for their actions. We unfortunately live in a time where technology develops far too fast for bureaucracy to keep up with, but just because people use a technology for ill gain doesn’t mean the technology itself is bad. The blockchain is something that she finds fascinating and powerful, and she is using her degree and her expertise to turn it into a tool for good.

I knew someone who always had a bag of treats in their purse, on the odd chance they came across a stray cat or dog, they had something to offer them.

I follow artists who post about every local election they know of, because they know their platform gives them more reach than the average person, and that they can leverage that platform to encourage people to vote in elections that get less attention, but in many ways have more impact on the direction our country is going to go.

All of this to say, there’s more than one way to do good in the world. Social media leads us to believe that the loudest, the most vocal, the most prolific poster is the most virtuous, but they are only a piece of the puzzle. (And if virtue for virtues sake is your end goal, you’ve already lost, but that’s a different post). Community is built of people leveraging their privileges to help those without them. We need people doing all of those things and more, because no individual can or should do all of it. You would be stretched too thin, your efforts valiant, but less effective in your ambition.

None of this is to encourage inaction. Identify your unique strengths, skills, and privileges, and put them to use. Determine what causes are important to you, and commit to doing what you can to help them. Collective action is how change is made, but don’t forget that we need diversity in actions taken.

[the-physicality]

what a beautiful low stress game