#global experience

[reasonsforhope]

If you're feeling anxious or depressed about the climate and want to do something to help right now, from your bed, for free...

Start helping with citizen science projects

What's a citizen science project? Basically, it's crowdsourced science. In this case, crowdsourced climate science, that you can help with!

You don't need qualifications or any training besides the slideshow at the start of a project. There are a lot of things that humans can do way better than machines can, even with only minimal training, that are vital to science - especially digitizing records and building searchable databases

Like labeling trees in aerial photos so that scientists have better datasets to use for restoration.

Or counting cells in fossilized plants to track the impacts of climate change.

Or digitizing old atmospheric data to help scientists track the warming effects of El Niño.

Or counting penguins to help scientists better protect them.

Those are all on one of the most prominent citizen science platforms, called Zooniverse, but there are a ton of others, too.

Oh, and btw, you don't have to worry about messing up, because several people see each image. Studies show that if you pool the opinions of however many regular people (different by field), it matches the accuracy rate of a trained scientist in the field.

--

I spent a lot of time doing this when I was really badly injured and housebound, and it was so good for me to be able to HELP and DO SOMETHING, even when I was in too much pain to leave my bed. So if you are chronically ill/disabled/for whatever reason can't participate or volunteer for things in person, I highly highly recommend.

Next time you wish you could do something - anything - to help

Remember that actually, you can. And help with some science.

[productiveandfree]

Unlock Growth Opportunities with Online English Tutors

Continuous professional development is very important for success in today’s changing work world. Online English tutoring provides a valuable learning experience. It helps professionals improve their language skills. By choosing online English tutoring, professionals can stand out in global workplaces. This makes it a wise choice for growing their careers.

Employing Online English Tutors for Professional Growth

In today's connected world, good English communication is very important for career growth. Online English tutors offer personal help that makes learning easier. Whether you want to write strong reports, give great presentations, or work well with others around the world, targeted language training is important.

So, where should you start? It's crucial to plan your language learning. First, set clear goals and know your current skill level.

Identifying Your Development Goals

Before you start online English tutoring, you need to set clear goals for your development. Think about the work situations where better English skills will help you the most. Is it for giving a big presentation to international partners, writing strong research papers, or managing a global team better?

Knowing these learning goals will help your private tutor support you every step of the way in making a custom teaching plan with a perfect English tutor today. If you want to improve your essay writing skills with private tutoring and write more convincingly, your lessons will focus on grammar, vocabulary, and telling good stories. If you're looking to get better at speaking, the lessons might include practice for everyday job conversations.

By sharing your goals, you help your online English tutor create lesson plans that meet your special work needs.

Assessing Current English Proficiency Levels

An honest look at your current English language skills is very important for your English studies and language studies, especially as you prepare for your journey into secondary school. It helps to set clear goals for your progress and determine the right fit for your learning needs. You need to know your strengths and weaknesses in different areas of English, like reading, writing, listening, and critical thinking skills. Many online platforms offer tools to assess your skills or have tutors who can evaluate you at first.

Maybe your writing is good, but you find conversations hard. Or perhaps you listen well, but you get nervous about giving presentations. Knowing these differences helps you go into online English tutoring with a clear plan.

When you spot the areas that need work, you help your tutor adjust their teaching. This way, they can focus on improving specific skills, which leads to a better and more effective learning experience.

The Benefits of Online English Tutors for Professionals

Online English tutoring with engaging tutors gives many benefits that go beyond regular classroom learning. You get personalized attention and flexibility. It is very convenient and fits well with a busy work schedule.

This way of learning helps you improve faster. It lets you use your new language skills directly at work. So, online English tutoring is a great investment for professionals.

Customized Learning Paths for Each Professional

Online English tutors are great at creating personalized learning paths that fit each person's needs. Instead of using the same courses for everyone, tutoring sessions focus on your strengths, weaknesses, and career goals. This allows you to spend less time on things that don't matter and helps you learn faster.

For example, a marketing executive working on international campaigns might need to improve their persuasive writing and create strong marketing text. A software engineer who works with teams around the world may need to learn technical terms and how to communicate clearly in online meetings.

Skilled tutors can spot these different needs. They make unique lesson plans that fit your exact work situation. This tailored way of learning helps you achieve quicker and more useful results.

Flexibility and Convenience of Scheduling

Balancing work duties and personal tasks usually gives you little time for regular classes. Online English tutors provide great flexibility and convenience in setting up lessons. This is very helpful for busy people.

There’s no need to rush in traffic or change your plans. With online tutoring, you can learn from any place that has the internet. You can have lessons during your lunch break, early in the morning, or late at night. This lets you comfortably fit learning into your daily routines.

This kind of flexibility helps you focus on your professional growth without changing your life too much. It allows you to keep to a regular lesson schedule, which helps you make steady progress.

Access to a Global Pool of Tutors

Online platforms have changed how we access education, including English tutoring. Now, you can connect with many qualified English tutors from all over the world.

This broader access has clear benefits. You can learn from native English speakers who have different accents and cultural backgrounds. You can also select a tutor based on your specific job needs.

Having a variety of tutors helps create a rich learning experience. You will get to know different teaching methods and the subtle differences in English communication from around the world.

How to Find the Right Online English Tutor

Finding the right online English tutor can seem hard with so many options out there. But, if you focus on getting recommendations, checking qualifications, and thinking about how well you fit together, it can make the selection easier.

Take your time to choose a tutor who suits your learning style and career goals. This will help you a lot in improving your language skills.

Utilizing Professional Networks for Recommendations

Finding the right online English tutor often begins with using your professional network. Friends, colleagues, or mentors who have used English tutoring can give you helpful recommendations.

You can contact your connections on LinkedIn, or ask groups and organizations you are part of about their experiences with online tutors. Hearing first-hand feedback about teaching styles, how well the tutors work, and their platforms can be really useful.

Recommendations give you insights that are better than online profiles and reviews. They provide a personal view, making it much more likely that you will find a tutor that fits your specific needs.

Evaluating Tutor Qualifications and Experience

While personal recommendations can help you start, it's important to study a tutor's qualifications and experience. Check for certifications like TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA to see if they know how to teach English as a foreign language.

Think about their years of experience, especially if they teach professionals, and learn about their teaching style. Some tutors are great at structured lessons focused on grammar, while others focus more on conversation and how to use English in real life.

Understanding these details helps you pick a tutor whose style fits your learning needs. This can boost your progress.

Conducting Interviews and Trial Sessions

Most reputable online tutoring platforms offer trial sessions, allowing you to interact with potential tutors before committing. Utilize this opportunity to gauge their communication style, personality, and teaching approach. Prepare a few questions beforehand to understand their experience working with professionals in your field.

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Key Questions to Ask Potential Tutors What is your experience teaching English for professional purposes? How do you tailor your lessons to meet individual learning goals? What interactive tools and resources do you incorporate? What is your approach to providing feedback and tracking progress?

These initial interactions are crucial. They help you determine if you feel comfortable with the tutor and confident in their ability to support your professional development.

Setting Up a Structured Learning Plan

Once you pick your online English tutor, it is important to create a clear learning plan together. A good plan acts like a guide for your journey to learn the language. This will help you make steady progress and use your time well.

You should regularly check and change this plan with your tutor. This way, it will always fit your changing work needs and learning goals.

Establishing Clear, Achievable Objectives

A clear learning plan is very important for good online English tutoring. Start by setting clear goals that you can achieve on your journey to learn the language. Break your big goals into smaller steps that you can track.

For example, instead of saying you want to "improve English fluency" in general, set specific goals. You could aim to "learn 200 new professional words in three months" or "give a 10-minute English presentation with confidence in six weeks."

These goals, which are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound), will keep you motivated. They will show you how far you have come and give you a sense of success as you move through your lessons.

Integrating Professional Scenarios into Lessons

To make your online English tutoring more helpful and relevant, add real-life work scenarios to your lessons. Talk to your tutor about how you can include situations from your job, like mock presentations, negotiations, or conference calls.

For example, if you are in marketing, focus on writing catchy marketing content, giving pitches, or joining online talks about trends in your field. By practicing with real-life examples, you will build confidence and get useful skills to use your improved English at work.

This hands-on approach helps you learn better, connecting theory with real use.

Regular Monitoring and Feedback Mechanisms

Consistent checking and feedback are very important for improving over time. You should work with your tutor to set up a way to track your progress and find areas that need more focus.

This could include regular tests, practice presentations, or looking over written work. Helpful feedback from your tutor is very useful. It helps you improve your pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and communication style as a whole.

By seeing feedback as a chance to grow, you create a way of thinking that supports ongoing improvement. This will help you get the most out of your online English tutoring.

Maximizing the Benefits of Online English Learning

Using interactive tools and finding real-world chances will boost your online English learning. Online platforms give you the chance to use many extra resources.

By including English in your daily life and looking for ways to practice, you will learn faster and make better progress.

Embracing Interactive Technologies and Resources

Modern online English tutoring uses more than just textbooks and worksheets. It includes fun technology that makes learning engaging and effective. Many platforms have tools like virtual whiteboards for teamwork, voice recorders for practicing pronunciation, and large libraries of articles, videos, and podcasts.

You can also explore apps and websites for language learning that work well with your lessons. Try to engage with English media, like movies, TV shows, or music, to help you naturally learn the language.

By using these lively resources, you change your learning experience into an enjoyable journey.

Encouraging Real-world Application

While structured lessons give you a good base, using English in the real world is very important for strengthening your English skills. Take every chance you get to speak English outside of your tutoring sessions.

You can volunteer to give presentations or lead meetings at work. You can join international online forums related to your field. You can also start conversations with English speakers. Trying these things, even if they feel scary, will help you become more fluent and confident.

The more you use English in everyday situations, the easier it will feel. This real-world practice is essential for turning your English skills into something useful in your job.

Leveraging Feedback for Continuous Improvement

Feedback is very important for getting better at learning. Look at feedback from your tutor, classmates, and yourself as a chance to grow in your online English learning. Don't avoid helpful criticism. Instead, use it to improve your skills.

Keep a journal to watch your progress. Write down where you have improved and where you need to focus more. Review your work often and ask your tutor for help with challenges. This cycle of asking, thinking, and improving is key to getting better.

When you include feedback in your learning, you turn each lesson and meeting into a step forward for your growth. This effort to keep improving leads to great benefits in your English skills.

Addressing Challenges in Online English Learning

Online English learning can work well, but it comes with some challenges. You might face technical issues, distractions, or problems staying motivated. To keep moving forward, it is important to tackle these issues head-on.

You can use simple strategies and keep good communication with your tutor. This way, you can deal with the problems easily and have a rewarding learning experience.

Overcoming Technological Barriers

While technology helps with online English learning, it can also cause problems. Make sure you have a strong internet connection. You will need a device that has a microphone and camera. It's important to know how to use the features of the tutoring platform.

You might face some technical issues, so get ready to fix minor problems. If you have ongoing tech issues, talk openly with your tutor. It’s smart to have a backup plan too, like making a phone call or changing the session time if needed.

Solving these tech challenges will help you learn without avoidable disruptions. This way, you can focus on what matters: improving your English skills.

Ensuring Consistent Motivation and Engagement

Maintaining motivation is very important when learning anything, including English online. The convenience of online learning can sometimes make people puts things off or feel less involved.

You can handle this by setting realistic goals. Break your learning into smaller steps and celebrate your wins along the way. Mix up your study materials. Use interactive tools, real English content, and chances to apply what you learn to keep lessons fresh and exciting.

Always remember that putting in consistent effort leads to the best results when learning a language. Keep in touch with your tutor and share any problems you have. Look at this learning journey as a way to grow in your career.

Conclusion

In conclusion, using online English tutors is a smart choice for your career growth. It helps you reach your language goals step by step. You can create personalized learning plans that fit your needs. You also have access to many tutors from all over the world. Learning online has many benefits because you can learn flexibly and conveniently. Real-life examples and getting feedback are important for improving your skills. Although there might be problems like tech issues and staying motivated, having regular check-ins can help you keep track of your progress. By choosing online English tutoring, you can boost your language skills and enhance your career. Begin your journey to learning today.

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[michaelclementswindward]

Michael Clements Windward - A Leader At Windward

Michael Clements graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology, where he graduated with his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.

[inkskinned]

you have to go to work so you can pay for your doctor, who is not taking your insurance right now, and if you say i can't afford the doctor's you are told - get a better job. it is very sad that you are unwell, yes, but maybe you should have thought about that before not having a better job.

(where is the better job? who is giving out these better jobs? you are sick, you are hurting - how the hell are you supposed to be well enough for this better job?)

but you go to the doctor because you had the nerve to be hurt or sick or whatever else. and they tell you that it is because you have anxiety. you try your best. you are a self-advocate. you've done the reading (which sometimes pisses them off worse, honestly). you say it is actually adding to my anxiety, it is effecting my quality of life. so they say that you are fat. they say that all young people have this happen to them, isn't it a medical marvel! they say that you should eat more vegetables. they say that you probably just need to lose a little more weight, and that you are faking it for attention.

(what attention could this doctor possibly give? what validation? that's their fucking job, isn't it?)

there is always a hypochondriac, right. someone always tells you about a hypochondriac. or someone who is unnecessarily aggressive during the worst days of their life. or someone looking "for a quick fix". or some idiot who wasn't educated about how to properly care for themselves who just abandons their treatment. and again, the hypochondriac, the overly-cautious hysteric. these people don't deserve to be treated like humans (right), and since you might be one of these people, you also don't get treated like a human. because those people can really fuck with the system, you now have to pay for it. and besides. you're actually probably faking it.

(more often than not, you find a 2:1 ratio of these stories. for every "hypochondriac", there are 2 people who knew something was wrong, and yet nobody could fucking find it. the story often ends with pointless suffering. the story often ends with and now it's too late, and it's going to kill me.)

you are actually just making excuses. someone else got that procedure or that diagnosis and he's fine, you should be fine too. someone else said they watched a documentary about other inspirational people with your exact same condition, maybe you should be inspirational, too. you're just too morbid. your pain and your experience is probably just not statistically concerning. it is all self-reported anyway, and you're just being a baby.

(once, while sitting down in the middle of making coffee, you had the sudden, horrible thought - i could kill myself to make the pain stop. you had to call your best friend after that. had to pet your dog. had to cry about it in the shower. you won't, but that moment - god, fuck. the pain just goes on and on.)

you know someone who went in for routine surgery and said i still feel everything. they told her to just relax. it took her kicking and screaming before they figured out she wasn't lying - the anesthetic drip hadn't been working. you know someone who went in for severe migraines who was told drink water and lose weight. you know someone who was actively bleeding out and throwing up in the ER and was told you're just having a bad period.

in the ER there are always these little posters saying things like "don't wait! get checked today!" and you think about how often you do wait. how often the days spool out. you once waited a full week before seeing the doctor for what you thought was a sprained wrist. it had actually been broken - they had to rebreak it to set it.

but you go into the doctor. the problem you're having is immediate. the person behind the counter frowns and says we're not taking your insurance. you will be paying for this out-of-pocket.

they send you home with tylenol and a little health packet about weight loss or anxiety or attention deficit. on the front it has your birthday and diagnosis. you think about crying, and the words swim. it might as well say go fuck yourself. it might as well say you're a fucking idiot. it might as well say light your money on fire and lie down in it. and the entire fucking time - the problem persists.

it's okay. it's okay, it's just another thing, you think. it's just another thing i have to learn to live with.

[ladyofspoons]

of course you have a blue kanohi and pronouns

[skippingthroughfields]

one thing that's missing from these convos about amc not submitting assad zaman for a golden globes nom that makes it 10x more malicious on amc's part is that a nomination isn't just like oh... ~simple appreciation for an actor's performance. even if there's no win, it results in a profile boost for these actors & them being able to command a higher salary when it comes to future projects. it's something that gets notice on their CV. these studios and networks love being able to market their shit with things like "starring golden globe nominee john doe" or "emmy winner jane doe." the emmys are more prestigious than the golden globes which are more prestigious than the critics choice awards (the one they submitted him for with two other actors lol). actors get nominated and have the opportunity to get attention from social media posts, article mentions, attending the red carpet, having their name announced and a little clip of their acting shown. that's not nothing! attention from possible new fans, publications, execs, peers, producers, directors, fashion houses & other industries which could lead to $$$ and sponsorships. I won't make any presumptions about the cast's finances but I do know amc is probably not paying them their worth, least of all the bangladeshi muslim who barely had any major roles in tv/film prior to the show.

there are fees and costs associated with submitting for awards consideration and FYC ads. the network basically took a look at assad's brown skin and name and said they don't think he's worth the money over the white actor who had less screentime and narrative importance (to the season ig) which is absolutely crazy lmao. it shouldn't be controversial to say that and you can't not discuss this without bringing up sam's name. this has nothing to do with whether he "deserved" to be submitted (and even if I said he doesn't deserve it over assad who's gonna beat my ass?). this white man isn't being persecuted by conversations about blatant racism. but I'd expect nothing less from this fanbase x.

[pencilnewt]

New Jersey Devils v Buffalo Sabres - NHL Global Series, 4 & 5 Oct 2024.

& so the regular season begins! or it did, two days ago

[corpsentry]

breaking the law and outing myself on the internet because i'm showcasing my senior dance thesis on april 28 at 6:30 and 8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time and i want You to see it

we don't have a livestream link yet but we will. in the meantime look at these cool posters and this cool blurb. ok now save the date SEE YOU SOON

[thedisablednaturalist]

Guys we need to fight climate change so more dogs get to have their first snow day

[probably-not-a-rutabaga]

when i was a kid i used to have warriors cats naming ceremonies for me and my friends cats.

like i have a distinct memory of sitting alone in my room on facetime with my friend at 3 am and doing the whole speech and then giving our cats (who already had normal names) warriors names

idk why i just suddenly remembered that but i thought y’all should know

[hussyknee]

Seeing characters in romance stories just jetting between countries at a moment's notice with no thought for visa; seeing airports as sites of triumphant climaxes and romantic denouements instead of places of fear and danger where a sword hangs above your head— it all breaks off little pieces of my heart. They're constant reminders that my people will never be human enough in the colonial world order to be allowed to move freely around it. No matter what your race, those non-refugees living in the Global North will never understand what it's like to be part of a global ghetto where your passport is nothing but a trembling supplication and humiliation.

[cloutchaserkineme]

bluebeard's racing partners

a.k.a.– the astrology of Max Verstappen's number two drivers.

Daniil Kyvat (3rd from left) never became Max's racing partner as it was his seat that was offered to Max after one year as a 17 y.o. dynamo on the track. However, since Max is also currently dating his baby mama, and has been dropping hints about retiring soon to focus on family, Daniil therefore faces constant, low-level emotional terrorism from this guy. That makes him an honorary wife in my books. Final girl energy, in its own way.

10:12 p.m. Nov. 3 2024 after the Interlagos driver's parade but before the race itself

A good teammate is a bit like a wife, I suppose. You are two people who share a house (equal machinery) and you work together as a unit until the end. But when you are driving alongside one of the best athletes in the sport of the moment, it is easy to feel neglected in your own house, to the point where you start looking for clues and try to break free. Max, for all he is a great driver, is not the best at team orders, and Red Bull would never give him team orders now, especially since he kicked up a fuss from the start, expressing his desire to go solo. Max is Bluebeard in that he kills the dreams of any of his partners who even dare attempt to sniff out his secret to being a world champion.

This post was inspired by two particular rookies whose fates are question-marked for next season. Namely, Liam Lawson- who confidently answered that he can handle* being given the other seat at Red Bull after this year- and Franco Colapinto, whose name is being passed around the paddock like a hot potato and is rumored to be poached by Christian Horner, the original dreamkiller and one of the many stirrers of the hot mess that is Red Bull Racing management.

These racers (aside from Pierre Gasly) do not have confirmed birth times, but Max's is good enough. So we'll see how their charts affected him, and what their planets/presence trigger in his chart.

This is also a quick and dirty read because I literally just started watching F1 a few weeks ago and I don't know how these people interacted with each other on their races or PR videos. But anyway.

Versainz / 3355 (2015-2016) 🏷️ An Arranged Marriage

Toro Rosso kiddos. Carlos was a good first teammate for Max, because Max based his racing style according to his. Sainz's Sun-Saturn opposition fell in his 10H-4H axis of foundation and career (and 10H being the house where Max's champion-status indicators are located.)

While he has 12H and 8H synastry with Max due to his Water placements, Carlos doesn't seem like he is at that interested at partner-building with Max as Max was with him, which would indicate that he was focused on a solo career. Add to that, RBR as a company is a very unstable Fire-Earth dominant chart, or a very Martial one depending on which is the inception for the current team. Carlos as a dependable, intuitive person would have made for a good friend for Max outside of the racing track, but not in it- RBR likes fire and chaos. Carlos is too much like Alain Prost** in that regard to ever shape up.

Carlos' Virgo Sun is on his Node, and they have Sun-Moon synastry with Max as the Moon person. All "breaking open" synastry, like how light gets in through a crack in the roof. It must have been fun to be teammates with Carlos if Max were not 17 and WDC-less at the time. Carlos would have liked chatting with Max too, if the talk wasn't limited to racing and race cars.

Max was partnered with Carlos when Saturn was transiting his 1H in Sagittarius- indicating a period of time when he was called to shape up and restrict himself, building a solid foundation (Saturn) to his racing (Mars in Sagittarius 1H).

(From left to right) Carlos Sainz, Jr., Carlos Sainz, Jos Verstappen, and Max Verstappen. Both Carlos and Max have natal Sun-Saturn oppositions, which is a common natal aspect found in legacy*** racers who had a father or a father figure who also raced, as both Sun and Saturn (and their conditions) represent the father in traditional astrology. However, Max's Sun-Saturn has less dignity than Carlos, and Carlos' Sun-Saturn makes direct aspects with his own father's Mars (racing), while Max's doesn't. I don't think Max looked to him as a parallel the way he does Charles, but perhaps he noted the difference between how Sainz Sr. and Verstappen Sr. raised and raced their boys.

Maxiel / 333 (2016-2018) 🐥 The Canary in the Coal Mine

Daniel Ricciardo. My baby, my baby. He is the only one of Max's partners that had Gemini placements sitting in Max's 7H of partners, marriage, contracts, open enemies, best friends, enemy- the person in front of him. No wonder that the PR stuff they did together has Max giggling like a kid freely and without weight- that's the closest thing he has to a big brother/bestie figure on the grid, even though Danny saw him as an enemy too highkey (Max's Mars in the derivative 7H of his Moon, Mercury, and Jupiter).

Again, he also has a Sun-Saturn opposition at the same orb as Max's previous teammate, but here it is even more dignified than Carlos'- Saturn is in its home sign of Capricorn, and his Sun's final dispositor is Mercury at home in Gemini, again, in Max's 7H of partners****.

I'm pretty sure Danny's the only one who won several grands prix while partnered with Max too. I'm still on season one of DTS, and they only show Max at his most teenage-self as he could ever be. The framing of the show puts him as this rookie that doesn't care about Daniel at all, which I don't think is true for the most part. I think he cared about Daniel the most, mostly because Daniel cared in return. And Danny's Leo Mars-Venus falls in Max's 9H of higher learning and philosophy- while Max might've imitated or looked to Carlos as a template, Daniel was in a mentor position to Max. Perhaps not as strongly as other influences in his life, but he got some life lessons from Danny's racing.

If there was ever a successful Maxwife, it would be him. But days after I got into F1, RBR announced and botched his departure from racing as a whole. That company does not like stability at all. They have pinned their hopes solely on Max, to the point of letting their cars and riders go because shit machinery or not, fucked teammate or not, Max is the championship clincher- he'll drive that thing home every time.

Gasly (2019) ✨ The Rebound

Could NOT cut it from the get go, I'm sorry. In some astrological traditions, sharing a Moon sign with someone (in a partnership context) indicates a sort of spiritual taboo, in the way that cannibalism and incest is taboo in modern society. Too much of the same temperament leads to disaster, because the people are just intensifying each other without the nuance and differences needed to make relationships work.

Now, put Pierre and Max's Virgo moons in an arm wrestling contest and Pierre would lose. Aside from the fact that his Moon does not vibe well with his racing planets (can't see Mars, opposite Saturn), Max's Virgo Moon is powered by Mercury exalted, and the North Node conjunct there too. Chewed up, spit out, with the marrow sucked from the bones.

It was a case of bad timing in Pierre's part. If he had been Max's partner a few years later, they would've vibed well, given that his Gemini rising and Saturn-ruled planets in theory would not clash with Max's chart. But as it is, their placements needed time to mature (such as now, with him mid-Saturn return*****, and Max firmly out of his own Saturn square).

2019 was also the same year that Pierre suffered a personal loss in the death of his friend Anthoine Hubert, who was racing in F2 at the time. It is not astrology's job to explain or justify grief and death- it is a method of keeping and tracking time through the stars. It just so happens that death, grief, loss, life, celebrations, and milestones are all tied to and given meaning because of time.

Albon (2019-2020) 🔔 La Belle Dame Sans Merci

Could Cut it Even LESS. It does not escape me that all three of the 2024-2025 Saturn return team right now (Albon, Gasly, and Sainz) have all been partnered with Max Verstappen during a weird point in Max's own life, and had all come out for the weirder.

When it comes to racing planets, all of Max's previous partners had their Mars in varying dignities- but Saturn, that old taskmaster, was only dignified for Daniel and Checo (both falling in Max's 2H of self-esteem, personal values, and money/own resources).

The Saturn in Pisces team had their planets of structure and foundation in Max's 4H of home, family, ancestry, and privacy. They provided him some sort of springboard or structure, or echoed some parts of his own childhood or his karting days to him.

Alex, however, was doing the most in Max's chart, with the least resources. While Daniel and Carlos' Sun-Saturn (and to a lesser extent, Gasly's Moon-Saturn) opposition echoed Max's karting background, and Checo and Danny both had strong Saturn as "older" brother figures on the track, Alex had no such common ground with Max to build true understanding with.

He cannot relate to Max in a way that translates to having his back on the track and understanding what to do when the going gets tough. Max might consider him familiar and friendly, might entrust him with some secrets, but due to his own experiences with that (namely, Jos Verstappen's Pisces-Taurus placements) he couldn't feel too safe around him to trust him as a teammate as much as he does the others, or GP.

Here, it is not a case of time and lack of maturity, but simple incompatibility. Alex was not suited to RBR style racing nor its management******- his temperament being more in the line of Mercedes or Renault, and yes, Williams. While I don't have his birth time, with his chart I can see some possible reasons as to why they didn't work (Alex might be a dedicated 6H person with the amount of pets he's had, or perhaps Max's placements fall in a cadent house in Alex's chart so he doesn't see Max the way he does other people).

Max was partnered with Ricciardo, Gasly, and Albon when he was going through his first Saturn square (Capricorn-Aries), indicating a period of hardship and personal challenges.

Alex's non-racing planets are in extremely good condition, and fall into Max's 6H of work, health, and daily routines. A bit fitting that they became partners during the pandemic race season.

Perez (2021-present) 🔑 "If I was to be Bluebeard's wife, I would've preferred to be the last..."

Saturnian longevity 🗣️🔛🔝🔥!!!

True to someone with an exalted Jupiter and who has just finished their Saturn return at this point, Checo is the luckiest bastard out of the all of the wives so far. He got the best of Max, as the previous years did quite a bit to soften the blow and refined this guy's particularly volatile chart. Max had already undergone Saturn transiting in his 1H, limiting his self-expression; the first Saturn square, limiting his own capabilities; and Saturn perfecting a conjunction to Jupiter (planet of luck) in his 3H of driving in December 2020-- which meant that Max was already familiar with that type of energy in December 2021.

Checo was, like most people who found themselves happily married partnered, in the right place at the right time.

Though he has the least social connection with him out of all the previous riders, with the majority of Checo's planets in succedent and cadent house of 2H and 3H, at this point, it does not matter. It was already clear to Max in 2021 that he would go at racing alone, and by this point he already had a partner outside of the grid******* fulfilling the Libra symmetry, and easing up the strain he felt in his Sun-Saturn opposition.

Conclusion:

If we were to Frankenstein Max Verstappen's ideal racing partner, they would have to be:

a Gemini (flexible and smart enough to match his racing freak and go along with him on his journey);

not have too many Mutable placements (support him but never get in his angular houses way);

strong Mars or Saturn (an innate fighting spirit which lasts well beyond one race);

and a Sun-Saturn opposition (you have to either be born to the sport/a literal child of the races OR trigger his daddy issues. It sounds crass but it is true).

No one at the grid currently hits all of these requirements at the same time, which is a shame. The one who gets the closest, however, is Franco Colapinto, who has a natal Gemini Sun-Saturn conjunction, with North Node conjunct his Sun. Along with a peregrine Mars and Saturn condition*******.

He would be fun to race with in equal machinery, considering that Max hasn't had a chance to do that with anyone else who had NN conjunct their luminary (Alonso being the only other racer on the grid, with Leo Sun and NN). Franco is lighthearted and adept in the F1 The Event, more so than F1 The Sport, but that's because he doesn't have any skin in the race so far. Were he put in an RBR next year… well. North Node is a hungry point. We might see something yet.

BONUS: My ranking of which 2025 F1 rookies would survive a season being Max Verstappen's racing partner, from best to worst:

Franco Colapinto - doesn't have a seat yet as of the time I posted this. But come on. There's no fucking way he's not getting that last mysterious seat now that Sauber's given the other Gemini the boot*********. IDC if it's in a tractor, that boy has pace behind him! Even when Jupiter goes into Cancer and leaves his Gemini placements alone he'd have that pileup near his Moon... get him in there! See what happens!!!

Liam Lawson - Saturnian with dignified Mars. The only reason he is behind Franco is because he had fewer significant Gemini placements. Would make a good teammate on the track, but not so much for PR because both he and Max are too alike in temperament and not wanting the cameras to be anywhere when they are having fun.

Jack Doohan - Capricorn with Fire placements. Would put up a fight if he doesn't try too hard. Capricorn energy when mixed with fire tends to be impulsive to a fault, which is good for reaction time on a speedy track with Max hot behind your wheels but not when you're just a rookie going in here for the first time.

Kimi Antonelli - Virgo-Leo stellium. Too much mutability and not enough pace... he would fade in the background of Max's performance. He would be good, great even, but he would go the way of Carlos, except weaker since he doesn't have the Water trine that made Carlos work well with Max in the first place.

Gabriel Bortoleto - Libra stellium ruled by fallen Venus. Would not even register as a competitor on Max's radar on the track, because there is no direct aggression there. There's tactics and strategy, but not initiative, not the need to shove someone over. Also, I think Max (and at a lesser degree, Charles) would hate him off track for some reason lmao, Venus is fallen in Virgo and the requisite karma it gets when the person hates women, or adornment, or connection, or marketing is big. Like he really should watch out for his PR because that's a lot of his planets that's tied to a highly-criticized and critical Venus. And if he has a night chart, where Venus isn't dignified by term or decan? Oof. But I digress.

Ollie Bearman - Taurus stellium much like Yuki Tsunoda. He is stubborn but not aggressive. Max wouldn't even eat him alive, he'd just keep passing him.

(30) Nov. 13 2024 10:42 pm because I finally got a long break from whatever the past few weeks were and now I get to breathe

*The sheer balls on this kid makes me think he has the potential to be bitten by the racing bug. But it's still too young to say- he hasn't yet finished this season, and he shares a lot of patterns with the other partners on this list, who ended up crashing and burning under the pressure of partnering with Max.

**Alain Prost was bitten by the racing bug, at least. While they have the same engineering/behind-the-engine-cover strategy, Carlos doesn't want to win as badly as Alain did, and he will never use his nerdery to push himself to the limits as far as The Professor did, or how Mad Max does.

***I want to call them nepobabies soooo bad because it rolls off the old internal speech tongue, but they have a different connotation than when the term is used to refer to kids of artists. Great artistry, people believe, can be trained, with talent popping up occasionally, while athleticism is a genetics game as much as it is learned skill, and is usually inherited. And with F1, being an old boys' sport, money is also a factor. I don't know the background or history of nepotism in different fields (such as manual labor or sciences-- or the subversion of it, such as when Ada Lovelace invented the first computing system because her mom didn't want her to grow up as morose and romantic as her father, Lord Byron) but it would be such a good case study. As of now, I'm limiting it to F1 racers. And I'm still not finished with that particular Excel page.

****Pending Daniel's ascendant point, I do believe purely on a ship-wise level, Daniel would be a better ship for Max than Charles. Charles is Venusian pretty and that's why he has babygirl syndrome- but he is a true Martial menace, he just loosens the reigns on his monstrous personality on the track instead of outside of it, which is a huge part of why Max respects him. But Max doesn't like attracting chaos outside of the track (Charles' Scorpio 1H is a magnet for attention), and seeks meaningful one-on-one connection with others, hence Sim Racing, his girlfriend, his family. Daniel is the true softie, for all that he is/was dedicated to his career. His most personal placements are making aspects to Max's non-racing planets without compromising his own masculinity, and that indicates a more stable relationship, or at least a more emotionally fulfilling one.

*****There was a pileup of Virgo placements in Pierre's 4H of family and hometown opposing his 10H Saturn (career building) at the time, while Max had those same transits supporting his championship indicators. If I recall correctly, Charles also won a race the day after Anthoine died, when this pileup was in his 11H of dreams, opposite his 5H of childhood. This part of their astrology won't mean the same for others who have the same placements and transits, but 2019 was a harrowing year for their group, as it were. But now, Pierre is in the middle of his Saturn return, and his story is tied to friendship- winning double podium with Esteban in Brazil, five years after his maiden podium at the same place.

******Alex has a beautifully stacked chart, going by normal person standards (racing standards less so). He is too well-rounded as a person, as vulnerable to the racing bug as salt is to ants, to ever be as aggressive as is needed to survive there. RBR likes a bit of daring and unconventional temperament in their driving (and proximity to whiteness in their racers), because they do not make typical cars. They're not a car company. They are dependent purely on faith, money, glory-seeking engineers, Max Verstappen not contracting an illness for the whole year, and a few minutes in the wind tunnel to win races. They are an energy drink company who happens to have a racing team. Alex would've been a good racer in the 80s, possibly, especially under Williams back then, but not with these cars as they are now. However, the sustainable fuel and requisite engine change in the next few years will make a significant difference- Hamilton and Vettel got most of their wins in unconventional/"washed" teams after they switched to hybrid engines, so who knows.

*******Contrary to whatever dudebro sports gatekeeper would say, women actually bring a lot of clout to F1. Women have brought a lot of clout to sports festivals and tournaments since time immemorial, but for F1 as an example, a racer being in a relationship with women (which show up commonly as wives and girlfriends, and on the rare occasions as mothers) trigger a podium, a victory, an additional sponsor, or a milestone. I'm not saying the racers need to partner up in order to win, or that women's sole contribution to motorsport is to be the girl on the sidelines waving their favors, I'm saying that Venus is still the ruler of F1 the Event, and the racers who respect/adore/venerate women in their lives tend to have an easier go of it on the track (although technically, this is true in every aspect of life according to sociological research in the past decade but let's focus on WAG culture here. also more women are watching F1 now... hello). Sure it could be coincidence that Max won his first WDC after he got together with Kelly Piquet that same year, or that Lewis lost the 2016 championship to happily wifed-up Nico the same year he broke up with long-term on-off girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, or that Alonso won his last WDC when he was still married to his first wife Raquel del Rosario, or that Vettel started F1 the same year he dated his childhood sweetheart-now-wife Hannah Prater, or that Checo's performance and sponsors suffered after the cheating allegations on his wife Carola Martinez- but I would much rather believe the whimsy, as it were.

********The best chart to have as an F1 racer is to have either one of your racing planets be peregrine, and the other in detriment, OR to have both peregrine and have an otherwise Cardinal-led chart, OR have the benefics support your fallen racing planets. Otherwise, good synastry with your teammate and racing team will lead to consistent podiums. A good chart + good synastry will lead to championships.

*********Had they given you the time of day to talk as equals you would've been the best in PR management and yapping at cameras, darling Zhou. I understand you can't get on camera as much due to family business but come on. Racism really won't let us have it all.

[deadlydodos]

I know everyone is reading into the characterisation brought by the masks in Glass Onion, but I love how these clues rely entirely on the audiences shared experiences and connotations made from living during covid. It makes the film so personal, I think.

[saulwexler]

every video I see from vienna has made me cry 🤧 my theorem that swiftism will destroy fascism gets more true every day

[alwaysbewoke]

When I was in college, I let German tourists take pictures with me in my graduation gown. Even at the time I thought it was weird. But since my college years, I haven’t allowed strangers to take pics of me “just because” here or abroad. “Curiosity” means very little to me. People on the clock app were saying in China they actually have been known to post pics of Black people on WeChat to make fun of them. So, maybe not the best idea to let strangers take pics of/with you. Anyway, I wish you all safe, joyous, and comfortable travels. You deserve to see the world in peace just like anyone else.

x

[hauntingofhouses]

Seeing fan discussions about Blue Eye Samurai and especially Mizu's identity is so annoying sometimes. So let me just talk about it real quick.

First off, I have to emphasise that different interpretations of the text are always important when discussing fiction. That's how the whole branch of literary studies came to be, and what literary criticism and analysis is all about: people would each have their own interpretation of what the text is saying, each person applying a different lens or theory through which to approach the text (ie. queer theory, feminist theory, reader response theory, postcolonial theory, etc) when analysing it. And while yes, you can just take everything the authors say as gospel, strictly doing so would leave little room for further analysis and subjective interpretation, and both of these are absolutely necessary when having any meaningful discussion about a piece of media.

With that being said, when discussing Blue Eye Samurai, and Mizu's character in particular, I always see people only ever interpret her through a queer lens. Because when discussing themes of identity, yes, a queer reading can definitely apply, and in Mizu's story, queer themes are definitely present. Mizu has to hide her body and do her best to pass in a cisheteronormative society; she presents as a man 99% of the time and is shown to be more comfortable in men's spaces (sword-fighting) than in female spaces (homemaking). Thus, there's nothing wrong with a queer reading at all. Hell, some queer theorists interpret Jo March from Little Women as transmasc and that's totally valid, because like all analyses, they are subjective and argumentative; you have the choice to agree with an interpretation or you can oppose it and form your own.

To that end, I know many are equally adamant that Mizu is strictly a woman, and that's also also a completely valid reading of the text, and aligns with the canon "Word of God", as the creators' intention was to make her a woman. And certainly, feminist themes in the show are undeniably present and greatly colour the narrative, and Episode 4 & 5 are the clearest demonstrations of this: Mizu's protectiveness of Madame Kaji and her girls, Mizu's trauma after killing Kinuyo, her line to Akemi about how little options women have in life, and the way her husband had scorned her for being more capable than him in battle.

I myself personally fall into the camp of Mizu leaning towards womanhood, so i tend to prefer to use she/her pronouns for her, though I don't think she's strictly a cis woman, so I do still interpret her under the non-binary umbrella. But that's besides my point.

My gripe here, and the thing that spurred me to write this post, is that rarely does this fandom even touch upon the more predominant themes of colonialism and postcolonial identities within the story. So it definitely irks me when people say that the show presenting Mizu being cishet is "boring." While it's completely fine to have your opinion and to want queer rep, a statement like that just feels dismissive of the rest of the representation that the show has to offer. And it's frustrating because I know why this is a prevalent sentiment; because fandom culture is usually very white, so of course a majority of the fandom places greater value on a queer narrative (that aligns only with Western ideas of queerness) over a postcolonial, non-Western narrative.

And that relates to how, I feel, people tend to forget, or perhaps just downplay, that the crux of Mizu's internal conflict and her struggle to survive is due to her being mixed-race.

Because while she can blend in rather seamlessly into male society by binding and dressing in men's clothing and lowering her voice and being the best goddamn swordsman there is, she cannot hide her blue eyes. Even with her glasses, you can still see the colour of her eyes from her side profile, and her glasses are constantly thrown off her face in battle. Her blue eyes are the central point to her marginalisation and Otherness within a hegemonic society. It's why everyone calls her ugly or a monster or a demon or deformed; just because she looks different. She is both white and Japanese but accepted in neither societies. Her deepest hatred of herself stems primarily from this hybridised and alienated identity. It's the whole reason why she's so intent on revenge and started learning the way of the sword in the first place; not to fit in better as a man, but to kill the white men who made her this way. These things are intrinsic to her character and to her arc.

Thus, to refuse to engage with these themes and dismiss the importance of how the representation of her racial Otherness speaks to themes of colonialism and racial oppression just feels tone-deaf to the show's message. Because even if Mizu is a cishet woman in canon, that doesn't make her story any less important, because while you as a white queer person living in the West may feel unrepresented, it is still giving a voice to the stories of people of colour, mixed-race folks, and the myriad of marginalised racial/ethnic/cultural groups in non-Western societies.