#i am not a professional (or remotely trained) artist

[stergeon]

i also write exclusively with fountain pens (cursive anon)

anyways i liked your recent comic, i feel like edelgard's cuteness is amplified by her short statue. makes me want to pick her up like a cat lol (says someone who is also short)

Byleth: Like a cat, huh...

Edelgard: ... can I help you?

Byleth: Tada

Edelgard: UNHAND ME THIS INSTANT

anon, you really shouldn't give her any ideas. for edelgard's sake.

[stephofromcabin12]

I’ve spoken positively about National Novel Writing Month before and so I am sad to have to take it all back.

If you’re not aware, NaNoWriMo recently endorsed the use of generative AI in writing practices, and their statement even went as far as to say that anti-AI views are “classist” and and “ableist”.

There is no ethical use for generative AI, as we speak. Using AI, even for something as simple as rephrasing an email or generating a profile picture, means that you’re actively using thousands of stolen works, a lot of which are copyrighted and/or protected in some way. (That’s why most companies behind generative AI’s are currently facing multiple lawsuits from various artists and companies who’ve found their work was used to train the AI models without their consent and without promise of compensation)

I’m an artist. I’m a writer. I cannot in any way endorse generative AI as long as it’s built on stolen artwork by my fellow artists, and possibly even myself. There is no world in which using generative AI makes you an artist. Currently, it just makes you complacent in art theft at worst and lazy at best.

It’s not classist to say that, and it’s not ableist either. Lot’s of writers and artists have physical or mental disabilities and/or come from a middle-to-low-class background. Your financial standing, and whether or not you’re disabled, does not define your ability to create art, as so many incredible artists throughout history have proven by continuing to make art on their own terms. I used to say that there’s no wrong way to make art. I was wrong. Generative AI proved me wrong.

The statement specifically emphasized AI as a way to get proofreading and editing done without needing to pay for a professional editor. But beta-readers have always existed for this very reason; it’s just another human connection AI seeks to eliminate in the name of “efficiency”.

There are books on editing that can be found and read in libraries, if you don’t have money to buy them. There are articles and videos made by actual experts in their field that can be found for free. I trust them far more than whatever botched mosaic of words AI spits out, which might not even be remotely correct, as most AI models openly allow errors.

So, my point is: Don’t use NaNoWriMo.

There are other ways to track your progress. There are other places to find community and writing groups. There are far better ways of creating art that won’t compromise the ethics of being an artist and, most likely, the law.

It sucks that I have to say this. It sucks that NaNoWriMo apparently has had a nosedive in it’s quality and moral standings that was steep enough that nearly all their employees quit.

But that’s where we are now, apparently. And so that’s where I stand.

That’s all.

[just-horrible-things]

'Verse: BBU

PSA: Stop taking your human pets to the vet!

Human pets are biologically human. It's right there in the name. When they are sick they need to be seen by a human doctor. 

Don't bring them to your local vet! I am more qualified to treat an emu than a human pet, and I'm not a specialist in birds or exotic animals. 

We learn about the common ailments of all kinds of animals in veterinary school because you never know when someone's going to bring you a critically ill sugar glider or a deer they hit with their car and as a generalist I'm expected to at least be able to provide the very basics before a specialist can get to the scene. But do you know what one animal we don't study? 

Humans! 

Because there's another profession for that and they're called doctors!

Okay, yes, there are optional modules on human anatomy in a lot of courses, and yes humans are mammals and there is some overlap. Don't be a pedant about this.

I am not trained or qualified to treat humans, regardless of their legal status. Don't bring me your human pets. I can't help them, and I don't want to see them. It's a waste of everyone's time, including yours. But especially mine. 

On the same topic, please stop referring to doctors who will treat human pets, and “pet medical specialists”, as vets.

It's insulting to vets, it's insulting to the doctors, and it encourages this misconception that it's okay to bring a human pet to an actual vet.

Obviously I personally think that veterinary medicine is just as challenging and intellectual a discipline as human medicine, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a doctor who's okay with being called a vet just because they treat human pets. Especially if that's only a part of their business, as it is for many “pet-friendly” practices.

I know people say this as a joke, or because they think it's cute or funny, but it's just a way to distance yourself from the reality that you are keeping a biologically human person as a pet.

If you can't handle that reality, you really shouldn't be owning one in the first place.

While we're at it:

“Pet medical specialists” – also called “Pet health specialists”, “Pet health advisors”, and “Pet vets” – are not real medical professionals. They do not have medical degrees, or veterinary degrees, or nursing qualifications. Calling them vets is an insult to my entire profession. 

And don't take your human pet to a “Pet health specialist”.

They do not know enough medicine to safely make diagnoses or prescribe treatment. It is not safe to take your human pet to these clinics. 

They exist in a legal gray area where they claim to only be giving “health and lifestyle advice”, which is only remotely permitted because human pets lack any effective right to adequate medical care.

If they tried this in the regular medical sector they would very rapidly be prosecuted for practicing medicine without a license. 

So don't entrust the health of your human pet to these people. They're effectively scam artists, passing themselves off as medical professionals to human pet owners who don't understand the difference.

Especially do not rely on these services if you think there is any risk your human pet may have a serious injury or illness. They need to see a real doctor. If you can afford to keep a human pet, you can afford insurance for them that covers actual medical care.

If the problem is minor – like a superficial cut or a head cold – and you absolutely must take your human pet to one of these “Pet clinics”, at least insist on seeing a real nurse. They should at least know enough not to make the problem worse, and enough to know whether an actual doctor needs to get involved.

This has been a PSA from a vet who is sick and tired of being asked to provide illegal or borderline-illegal medical care to the wrong species. Please stop doing this to me. Thanks.

[kamastar39]

Remote Job Search

Okay so I know this might be an insane place to ask… but who’s hiring for fully remote roles. I am trained in PR, visual art, and international relations and of course graphic design and have worked as a flight attendant. I have plenty of transferable skills and like most young people around my age who have graduated college, the job search market is trash. From the online search engines (linkedin, indeed, etc…) I always either 1. Hear that the role was filled months later, 2. Hear that the role was taken down, 3. (And this one usually takes some digging) find that the roles was filled in house. I always see posts talking about nepotism in the entertainment industry but no one wants to speak about it on a small scale, like the local restaurant who hires their kids as the chef, the principal who hires their nephew as a teacher. I don’t mean to complain about fairness, because if my parents handed me an opportunity I wanted i absolutely would take it, but I’d fight to make sure that I was capable and worthy of it.

I am well aware that we do not live in a meritocracy, but that does not mean I do not have the merit. I hate to complain here as this account is supposed to be my escape, but I know plenty of professionals have accounts here as well. I have had comments off for the sake of my mental health but reblog and I’ll check your tags. Believe me if I am turning to TUMBLR of all places for job search I have EXHAUSTED my options.

And I know I am not alone in my search. I am specifically searching for fully remote roles for personal reasons but you guys feel free to reblog with new info and tag! If this post can help any of us get what we need then my job here is done ✅

So as of right now…

Support a small artist

[hologramcowboy]

You're one of the most pathetic people here. You overanalyzing someone from acting to personal life. You have no life outside and your fave is boring, that's why you're here blogging about someone you don't like. The funniest thing is that only jared fans think that he's a good and highly trained actor when in reality people know him as a joke outside of the fandom. Maybe read some critics reviews and comments on imdb, twitter and reddit, most people there are not from the fandom and they are likely unbiased. Maybe you don't want to see it because you're delusional.

Maybe you don't see it because you have no experience when it comes to acting or the industry. Have you ever considered that? 🤣🤣🤣 Wow, gaslighting done by a Jared hating Jensen stan, I am shook. 🤣 Such intelligence. Much class. My fav is Jensen so are you saying Jensen is boring? Or are you playing the bully and deciding who my favorite really is? Wow, such power. I could care less about what GA thinks, I judge an actor by the impact the creates, the humanity he has and the professionalism he demonstrates. Being an Actor goes deeper than just embodying a role, do you even know what the origin story of actors is and WHY actors are important to society? Of course not, that kind of knowledge and awareness is way out of your league. All you know is bullying out of frustration due to living a limited, unfulfilled life.

I have no life outside? As in if i step outside I die? lol Might wanna brush up on your grammar and logic there, buddy. So not only do you get to make up who my fav is you also get to make up what my life is like and yet I'm supposed to be the delusional one? Entertaining. 🤣

Let's look at reality, for a moment, together:

Is Jared repped by one of the biggest agencies in Hollywood? Yes.

Is Jared a Leading Man? Yes.

Is Jared highly respected within his industry by his peers? Yes.

Is Jared is a privileged position as an actor who is also an e.p. on his dream project that gets shot in his home town, something some will only ever dream of during their lifetime and never achieve? Yes.

Is Jared one of the most attractive and admired tv stars of his generation? Yes.

Is Jared a highly trained actor? Yes, Jared is a professionally trained actor.

Does Jared exemplify great humanity as an artist? Yes. In so many ways, I can't even begin listing them because this post will become endless.

Finally, since you are clearly an AA, stomach this:

Is Jared more successful than Jensen at the moment? Yes. Yes. Yes. Jared is at Leading Man tier while Jensen is at Guest Star. For your reference, Jared is at the highest tier a tv actor can reach, not only that but the success of his show rested solely on his image initially before people got acquainted with the story. So that's how powerful and recognizable Jared's brand is, he did a remake of a show that strays from the original and the show survived because people love to see him on screen telling stories.

"People know him as a joke outside of fandom" is a blatant, gaslighting, shameless lie and the only pitiful one here is you for even remotely needing to make anyone less in any way, especially someone as successful and appreciated as Jared Padalecki, who has earned the respect of his audience so deeply he is the single reason his show is thriving. Jared is the very definition of a Leading Man.

[theremina]

I fully expect to get shouted at for saying this. I still think it’s worth saying. ❤️‍🩹

The amount of reasonably well-off white people I’ve observed losing their entire shit over crappy AI theft these past couple months is… well, it’s completely understandable, of course.

But let’s unpack the fervor pragmatically.

As a classically trained full-time professional musician who has been honing their own craft since early childhood, and as someone who is used to being taken for granted, undervalued, even exploited, by folks who literally have no idea how much work and expense goes into doing what I do, I keenly relate to frustrations concerning algorithmic AI theft.

That being said, never have I ever observed a single one of the most reactive, aggressively angry white professional artmaking chums lashing out blindly over this problem come anywhere close to the same level of agitation regarding far more brutal atrocities: systemic racism/sexism/transphobia/homophobia, the climate crisis, Roe being overturned, anti-science / antivax rhetoric, etc. Yanno, shit that’s literally, directly killing people and the planet.

Some of the same dudes screaming “unfriend me if you’re going to post that garbage, and btw FUCK YOU” at the world right now are the same men who’ve opined in the past that I shouldn’t “get so worked up” over various systemically violent, directly life-threatening issues faced by millions, even billions of us.

Listen, I’m not saying artists don’t deserve to be concerned or upset. I don’t use any art generating AI myself, in large part bc I’ve seen how much needless pain and stress it’s causing a lot of my loved ones. For me, personally, it’s not remotely worth it.

That said, a lot of the same white, predominantly male artists we’re all watching yell at Cloud right now use Spotify, right? No judgement. I do, too! And a lot of you enjoy music with synths or samples that reproduce piano or string or drum or horn or choral vocal sounds? And you’ve probably watched a bootlegged television show or two in your day, yeah? Or resorted to 12 foot dot io?

Meanwhile, you’re out here literally damning random non-artists to hell for making corny-ass AI selfies? That’s the hill you’ve decided you wanna die on? Okay…

OR! Or, hear me out, what if you allowed your personal frustration over this issue to radicalize you less selectively? Mebbe? Could ya try showing up with a fraction of this passion to support reparations for Black Americans, or the safe and legal reproductive rights for half the population, or combating climate crisis, or disability rights, or universal income, orororrr, etc?

Look, I dunno. We live in an abattoir. Times are only getting tougher. Maybe before you decide to have another Totally Normal One that involves howling directly in the faces of disabled and low-income folks who aren’t in the fine arts or commercial arts industry and probably can’t afford a boardwalk caricature right now, let alone a $1K commission for you, you could try hitting the pause button, take several deep breaths and ask yourself: “am I picking healthy battles?”

(This is the exact same advice I try to give myself every single time I get worked up about something that isn’t literally life-threatening. I do not always succeed, of course. My shit stinks, too!)

Butt. Maybe next time you observe a friend getting excited prompting images for their own personal pleasure by using AI, consider restraining yourself from calling them a “lazy thieving scumbag”? Remember, not everyone can afford decades of training and school. How is your Facebook buddy who’s happily making endless Beksinski/Moebius/Ryden-derivative computer doodles for their own personal satisfaction managing to trigger your biggest, scariest threat response?

There gotta be some middleground between “woo this AI fad is fun and harmless” and “my barista friend sharing Meitu-lookin cybercosmonaut selfies on IG is stealing food directly out of my family’s mouth” worth exploring.

Sincerely, I get why folks are upset. But maybe don’t bring a nuke to a knife fight.

I promise you, this is a lesson I have personally learned the hard way. Maybe it doesn’t have to be so hard for you? Or —and this is my main concern, tbh— so hard on people who don’t deserve to be your punching bag.

I dunno. I’m just a bit shocked at how emotional some of you are able to get about this specific issue when your chosen line of work is largely run by rapists and racists and robber barrons. (Oh my!)

[ethicsgirls]

Legal English Lecturer and Co-Founder of M2 Legal Services, Monica Migliarotti Teaches New Ways to Learn, Be Curious, Participate and Create

Monica is a legal English lecturer and has worked at various universities around the world. She has been a lawyer for over twenty years. She is currently working on a new book about her unique approach to teaching Legal English and is also the co-founder of M2 Legal Services, a new concept law firm that also offers linguistic and legal technical training services.

She has a background teaching human rights cases both in the UK and Spain and prioritises teaching cases with strong political and historical contexts to encourage her students to look beyond their national borders, see themselves as world citizens and see the bigger picture in everything they learn. We catch up with her and ask her about her legal background, her unique approach to teaching legal English, international law, the future of humanity and human rights and her exciting new book project.

1) Have you always wanted to be a lawyer?

In truth, my desire was to become a performer. Before enrolling in Law School, I was studying dance professionally and my initial intention was to continue along that path. My other choice was to choose languages, another one of my interests. My father is a lawyer, so eventually he persuaded me that Law school was the best choice. After graduating, I then decided to pursue a career as a lawyer. So summing up, no I haven’t always wanted to be a lawyer. Let’s say I found a compromise between my creative/artistic side and the more “serious” one: I managed to nurture my passion for the arts while practicing as a lawyer since I studied acting in parallel and joined a theatre company in the end. So, I was practicing as a lawyer during the day and performing on stage at night. After, since I had been practicing yoga for many years I studied to become a yoga instructor. Therefore, I replaced the theatre with yoga classes and maintained my double life. I still teach yoga now, but at the moment I have taken up singing and I am really glad I did.

2) How important is it do you think to have a legal background to teach legal English?

I think it is in fact a plus. In my experience, I have come across several teachers, and to my surprise, none of them were legal practitioners. Let me put it this way: most of the materials and cases I use in my classes are real cases I have worked on in my twenty years as a lawyer. That has proved to be much more effective than using some random article or some remote case from old Law Reviews. Of course, landmark cases and statutes are regularly used in the classes. Now, my perplexity has always been the fact that, to explain these concepts (whether about somebody’s practice or not), somebody without a legal background would certainly have to struggle. Is it then necessary to be a lawyer to teach Legal English? Maybe not, but it would most definitely be preferable. In any case, it is essential to have a solid legal background and I would add: a solid background in both civil and common legal systems.

3) What is the ordinary way to teach Legal English and what is the approach to teaching it in Europe compared to the US? 

Most of the Legal English books used by teachers are written by English or American authors or in any case somebody coming from an English-speaking country where the legal system is based on Common Law. Those types of works then, refer to concepts and terms typical of that system. There are indeed references to corresponding Civil Law concepts when available, which tend to be, as said brief and concise. Now, one of the main problems I have encountered in my own experience is precisely teaching Legal English to civil lawyers (including myself in the learning process) and explaining Civil law concepts to Common Law practitioners using Legal English. Some would say that this is quite an insuperable problem since Legal English is based on common law. But is it? I noticed that most of the time civil lawyers are mainly interested in explaining to their common counterparts what the Civil law system is really about and what they should be aware of when, for example, having clients planning to invest in their country. Can they do that after taking a Legal English course of the ones available now? Not so much in my opinion. In my experience, there isn’t a text where various areas of the law are analysed and compared from both perspectives fulfilling what the needs of the civil lawyers are. After all, common lawyers don’t need to do that since they already study Legal English when they study at U. K, U.S or Australian Universities for example.

4) What ethical issues do you include in your teaching and how do you teach ethical aspects of controversial issues to your students?

Ethics are a very important part of the things I teach.

“I like to awaken young and older students’ consciences and make them face ethical issues.”

(photographer: Alexander Grey)

I believe that an important part of studying law is to learn what rights we all have and how to protect them in every field. I don’t think that learning law provisions by heart or seeing this profession as a way to become wealthy and powerful is more valuable than becoming passionate about protecting and advocating people’s rights. Therefore, if one, as a lawyer, does not have it in his/herself this lack of passion will eventually show. The law can be very dry and quite dull, to be honest. It’s mainly in the aspect of protecting people’s rights that it becomes challenging and interesting.

“It is sadly true though, that areas like Criminal law, Human Rights, Public International law, etc, are less remunerative than Company law, Contracts, M&A, Banking and Finance but that is the way the world goes. It makes me think about the Arts too. How badly remunerated are they? Very. In particular when you compare them to other professions. It is indeed funny how the most interesting things are the most neglected ones.”

Going back to my teaching, I usually choose topics related to historical happenings but not only. I’ll give you an example of the topics I dealt with in my last course. As for Masters students I had them deal with ethical issues concerning the treatment of IRA prisoners during “The Troubles”. For the bachelors their first exam was a presentation chosen amongst: 1) Looted art by the Nazis during World War II, 2) Human rights violations related to waiting time for convicted felons on death row, 3) The theory of the innocent bystander. Witnessing bullying, abuse and violence without doing anything. We are indeed bystanders in that case, but are we innocent?

So, as you can see there is a lot of ethics involved.

5) What do you think about the lack of international law present in this humanitarian issue in Gaza right now? Isn’t international law the solution to achieving peace on all sides? Doesn’t the conflict in the Middle East prove yet again that people’s rights correspond to their power and wealth? What is the future for humanity and human rights?

(photographer: Lübna Abdullah)

This is a very interesting yet painful topic. The Israeli-Palestinian situation is an old thorn in the side. At this time, the problem of violation of Human rights has gone beyond all expectations. You would think that all or most countries would get involved to solve this problem but just like the Russian-Ukrainian conflict where diplomacy and action by most States in the world have lacked, we are witnessing a very tepid international reaction to what is happening.

“Power and wealth indeed correspond to people’s rights and people who have less in that respect, are considered to have fewer rights even if not openly. We are now witnessing a situation where human rights violations happen daily in many areas of the world.”

(photographer - Mati Mango)

However, the current pressure and hardship of everyday life have made us turn a blind eye to most of them. The only possible future is to awaken consciences to what is really important, to stimulate people to know, to get interested and passionate, to open their minds. Most minds are too closed on the world right now and open only to volatile and superficial values (if we can even call them that). I am an optimist by nature although I cannot help but be realistic and honestly, the situation does not look good at all.

“However, I think that we can still believe, we can still change but we need to take action even in our small sphere, and we need to step up and do something otherwise we will be the makers of our own destruction.”

6) Congratulations on your new book publishing contract with Cambridge Scholars Publishing. What inspired you to write this book about your different approach to teaching Legal English?

Well, I have been doing this for a long time now and I have seen that in this field there is very little innovation. The methods are very standardized and have been so, for as long as I can think. The approach to this topic has always been very schematic and based on the same texts all along. As I mentioned before, everything connected to the study and teaching of legal subjects is by definition very hard and quite dry (not to mention extreme dullness at times). I have experimented with a new way to learn legal subjects throughout most of my studies in the past and I have decided to put it into practice. We have now a lot of different resources to learn Legal subjects: half of the series on the market deal with legal situations, lawyers, courts, etc, there is a lot in the literature that we can use for these topics and an incredible amount of movies whose plot deals with legal concepts and believe it or not songs’ lyrics (fewer materials there but still there are quite a few examples). That’s what my book is going to be based on. It’s still Legal English but with another approach to legal concepts and terminology.

7) How do you inspire your students and bring to life legal concepts and legal terms in your teaching methods?

I always encourage my students to reflect and reason on legal concepts. There is no point in knowing legal definitions and legal terms if we don’t know what they mean in practice. I prefer to explain with situations and examples. And again, I use the resources above. I show them videos, film clips, literature excerpts, etc. I encourage them to put everything into practice.

8) How important are creativity and innovation in teaching at the moment?

They are both essential.

“The old method is still valid to some extent but without creativity and innovation the new generations in particular are less inclined to learn.”

Again, these resources and encouraging participation, group and individual activities in the classroom is a much more effective and productive method. Seeing is believing. I have used the old method with students who asked me to use it, books, exercises, listening practice, etc, especially lawyers and consultants and I can assure you that that has turned out to be less effective than the innovative and creative method.

Creativity and innovation are, in Monica’s opinion, a very good choice and what we need at the moment.  It is indeed important to have firm beliefs and methods, but at the same time change is necessary in every field and creativity brings that change even in the most traditional and "stiff" areas. 

In celebration of the launch of Monica’s new book ‘The Ultimate Legal English Manual: A Different Approach,’ she will be running a pre-book launch webinar to give a sneak peek into the book. Anyone interested will have to register and they’ll be a recording of the live version. Watch this space.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-migliarotti-461b721a/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m2englishlaw/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@M2englishlaw

Website: https://www.M2legalservices.com

[impostoradult]

I agree that the means by which CURRENT AI models make (particularly) visual art involves uncompensated forms of...I hesitate to call it plagiarism or theft in a straightforward way because I think it's a tiny bit more complex than that. But I do think it is using art to profit without compensating the artists whose labor made it possible for the AI to make the output it does.

And I said as much in my original response.

BUT, that isn't INHERENT to AI as a technology. It's how current AI models have been developed, but other methods, which properly compensate those whose work went into training them, could be developed.

AI doesn't HAVE to steal in order to exist. That's just capitalism being greedy because it can be. And that is something we can intervene on and change without rejecting AI wholesale.

This is one of my big issues with this debate. People keep being like "well the way the AIs were made is bad, therefore AI itself is bad." And I'm like...we could make different AIs without using theft. That's a thing we can do. The theft is not INHERENT to thing.

(Whether or not the AI is 'creating' is a wholly philosophical question and frankly, the notion that a machine cannot "create" smacks of anthropocentrism in a way I have skepticism about)

But nevertheless. The issue of artists being able to make a living off of their art is a worthwhile debate (and I have extensive, complex thoughts about that). On the one hand, I am sympathetic to the argument that people want to do a job they enjoy and they don't want to lose their profession to a machine. On the other hand, a lot of labor has become more and more mechanized over time, and plenty of people have lost their jobs to machines over the last 2 centuries. Even people who loved their jobs. No one is inherently entitled to make a living in any particular profession (including creative ones) just BECAUSE they enjoy it. It'd be nice if that were the case, but it's not. Just because you WANT to be an artist professionally doesn't mean that's a thing the world owes you. Fundamentally, that argument relies on the logic of "AI art is bad because it would be bad for me personally." But the fact that synthetic diamonds are bad for the people who own diamond mines doesn't mean synthetics diamonds are bad as such. A thing can be bad for you personally, and still not be bad AS SUCH. (And I am NOT remotely suggesting being a professional artist is morally equivalent to being someone who owns and operates a diamond mine. I'm simply making the point that just because a development is bad for you doesn't automatically mean it is Bad per se)

And i understand not wanting your hard work to be devalued and feel disposable. I get that. But you live inside capitalism. That was kind of already true, even before the AIs. If it ever FELT like it was not, that mostly good fortune and a very fragile illusion.

And I'm not saying that to be dismissive. I am saying that to make the point that art isn't as special as everyone is making it out to be in these debates about AI and devalued labor. When people make art out to be a ~special~ form of labor that deserves extra protection from mechanization they are A) treating creative labor as inherently superior, which it is not and B) treating the people who do creative labor as being uniquely entitled to protection, which they are not (IMO)

I think a lot of people have unexamined biases about artistic labor and how it relates to capitalist production. Art is imagined to be this elevated, quasi-spiritual form of labor that, if you are lucky enough to have made it into the elite inner circle of The Chosen Who Get to Make Art for a Living, you are of a particularly special breed and what you do has an almost mystical quality that we need to have super double extra reverence for.

And while I don't wholly disagree that making art probably adds a bit more to human flourishing than, say, being an insurance broker, that isn't the same as artists being a special labor class whose work must be defended in radical excess of everyone else.

[citrineghost]

Avoiding Scams on Freelancing Sites

Hi there! I almost just got scammed today, and I’m going to take the LITTANY of red flags from this interaction and use it to teach you all about how to avoid scams.

I am not making very much money right now. I just lost one of the accounts I was writing for, so I am not not even making enough to pay my rent. So I am desperately looking for work. And, like many people desperately looking for work, my panicking subconscious is willing to see a red flag and brush it under the rug because

“I’m probably being paranoid.”

So, to all of my lovely artists, writers, editors, and other types of freelancers who are desperately looking for work, I would like to create a comprehensive list of things that you should NOT FUCKING IGNORE while looking for a job. Actually, the list will be formatted as things you should expect from your employer/interviewer and if these things are missing, get the fuck out of there.

1. Reputable Platforms

The first thing you should be expecting is to use reputable platforms. If you’re being asked for a virtual interview, you should expect your interviewer to invite you via Skype, Discord, (Maybe slack if they’re middle-aged), perhaps Whatsapp, or whatever website you’re using to find your job.

DO NOT go for interviews on Telegram. This app has been reported as very commonly being associated with scams. This is where my recent experience took place.

2. Willingness to Verify Legitimacy

The first thing you should do when being in contact with an interviewer or HR is ask them to verify their identity. 

This may not be necessary if doing a video call with someone pictured on an official company website, receiving emails or texts from addresses/numbers that are listed on an official company website, or if the job you’re being interviewed for was applied to directly on the company website. In these cases, you are not likely to be scammed, as you’re working with verifiably information.

If you meet someone on Indeed, Fiverr, Upwork, or any other freelancing/job site, keep your contact within the website’s chat system, email system, or whatever. This is how you remain protected under the hiring site’s TOS/Legal whatever. If you get scammed because you took your hiring process elsewhere, they will not help you.

That being said, if you DO take your interview off the site, it should be somewhere reputable and you should ask for your interviewer to verify their identity before doing literally anything else. The best way to get them to verify their identity is to ask them to email or text you from an address or phone number listed clearly on the official company website, by asking them to show you their state ID and checking it for photoshop influence, or by asking to do a video call for the interview and seeing for yourself that you’re being interviewed by someone who is pictured on the official company website as an employee.

3. Clear and Professional Procedures

Any professional working as an interviewer or human resources personnel will have a skillset related to communication and organization. When being interviewed you should expect a number of questions about your skills and how you’re valuable to the company, etc. However, this is easy to fake, as a scammer. What you need to look out for is that they show a clear amount of structure.

If you’re asked for an interview, no real company will demand you be quick about responding. If they’re interested in an interview, a legitimate company is not likely to ask you to do the interview immediately. They will ask you to schedule an interview time with them. They may ask if you have availabilities that day, but they will not just start interviewing you immediately.

After the interview, any professional company will tell you that they will get back to you when they’ve made a decision about your interview. No professional company will tell you to wait for an indefinite amount of time while they talk to HR peers. If a company Does want you to wait, because they intend to make a quick decision, they will give you an expected wait time, as that is the courteous and professional thing to do. They will not expect you to be on-call for this period of time. A time projection is simply to give you an idea of what to expect. For example, “I’ll be in touch within the next 1-3 hours about the results of your interview. Thank you for your time.”

Furthermore, if you are accepted for a job, any professional company will make a clear outline of exactly how they plan to introduce you into company life. They will respect your time and ask you to schedule things with them. For example, “Is there a period of 2-3 hours within the next few days where you would be available for an orientation?” 

No professional company will demand you do anything at any particular time. That is not how legitimate professionals treat new employees. You will be asked to schedule things with them. Even when you’re assigned work hours, if the exact hours you’re applying for are not listed in the job description you applied for, they will ask you to fill out some kind of time sheet to outline your availabilities, then schedule you for times within that outline.

4. Doesn’t Show Signs of Money Scamming

There are two major red flags when it comes to money scams. Your interviewer should never ask you what bank you use and your interviewer should never ever tell you they’re going to send you a check, unless they send your paycheck as a check.

One of the more common scams at the moment is run by people pretending to be members of legitimate companies, hiring freelancers for things like proofreading and editing. These remote positions may require home office hardware, right? The interviewer will tell you you’re missing some hardware and software that are required for the job. Then they’ll tell you that they will send a check that you can cash and use to buy the required materials.

This is even sketchier if they email you front and back images of the check and tell you to print it and then deposit it through mobile banking. The way this works is that, if you cash the check successfully, you will then buy the list of software, which is usually completely unrelated to the job you’re being hired for, then they will cancel the check, which hasn’t cleared completely. That leaves you with ~$2k dollars less in your bank and their money right back where it started in theirs. Presumably, the scammers are the ones selling the software. So, that $2k dollars you just spent is also going into their bank account.

Professional companies will never offer to send you checks to buy products. If they have official hardware or software that they want you to use, they will buy it themselves and then send it to you. There is never a reason why a new hire should buy hardware or software out of their own bank, whether they have been given money for it or not.

Furthermore, a legitimate company will never ever pay you before you have signed and sent your contract to them. One of the obvious giveaways of the scam I was almost caught in was that I was sent the contract last night and I asked if I could send it in today, since it was getting late. The interviewer agreed. I signed it in the morning and then asked him if I should send it in a reply to the email I got the original contract from or if there’s another email I need to send it to. He completely ignored my question, asked me how I was doing, and then went into the check-related information so I could buy software.

The issue was bothering me ALL DAY. I knew there was something extremely weird about that, so I asked again a few hours later. His response? “You have nothing to worry about.” ?????? I was aghast. I wasn’t worried at all! I just wanted an answer! If he had simply told me to respond to the email I’d gotten the contract from, I might have fallen for his scam! What a terrible scammer smdh

A Non-Exhaustive List of Other Red Flags

Your interviewer shows a poor grasp on the language

If your interviewer is making frequent grammatical errors that are glaringly obvious to any native speaker, that is a huge red flag. HR reps and interviewers are hired because of their communication skills. It is highly unlikely that someone who makes non-native-like errors is legitimate unless they are actually openly non-native, in which case, it’s not so alarming.

Your interviewer is showing impatience or demanding you at certain times

If your interviewer is telling you to “report back by 8am tomorrow” without any kind of prior agreement that this is an acceptable time for you to meet, that is extremely unprofessional and shows a lack of patience. Scammers want to get to the meat of their scam quickly and will use an air of professional superiority and authority to scare you into moving faster than necessary.

Your interviewer shows a lack of opening and closing statements

Along the lines of the clear processes that I mentioned above anybody who is initiating you in the job you’re taking should show clear opening and closing statements. What I mean by this is: professionals in human resources or management positions will not keep you as a social hostage. If you’ve been discussing how you’ll begin training or somesuch, they will not just leave you hanging. You should have a dedicated time slot where you will have your discussion and, at the end of it, your supervisor should make a closing statement. For example, “It looks like our time is running out for today. What would be a good time to pick this up tomorrow?”

If you feel like you are “on-call” and unable to leave the room because the interviewer or supervisor keeps messaging, has not outlined a time slot for you to talk in, won’t seem to let you go, or shows no indication of stopping, that is a really bad sign. Either the company is legitimate and TERRIBLE at professionalism (a great sign you should run anyway), or this is a scammer intent on getting you to follow their instructions as soon as they can.

Your interviewer ignores time zones or gets them wrong

When I was contacted about doing an interview yesterday, it was 4:30pm. I did the interview and was told I got the job. Immediately after, without asking if I was free, he began listing off instructions and things I was to expect. It wasn’t until 7:30pm that he sent me the contract and asked me to review it, sign it, and send it back that I finally asked if I could do that tomorrow. The interviewer was supposedly on the west coast and knew that I was on the east coast. He agreed by saying “Alright” and then told me to report to him “by 8am your time.”

There are 3 things about this that are weird. The first is that he demanded I show up at 8am to continue where we left off. Any professional would have asked when I’m available the next day to continue. the second is that he said “your time” instead of saying EST, as most professionals in the US would be apt to do. And, lastly, I showed up at 7:50am, ready to continue, because I’m that desperate that I’m willing to be pushed around, and he showed up at 9am on the dot. He had gotten the time wrong. Nobody who works professionally on the west coast is incapable of adding 3 hours to their time. It was a rookie mistake, or a mistake made by someone in a completely different time zone than they say they are.

When asked to verify their identity, your interviewer attempts to reassure you or refuses

When I finally was fed up and knew this must be a scam, I politely asked my interviewer to verify his identity by either showing me his US ID or by contacting me from his email or phone number listed on the official company website. He sent me a photoshopped nametag with a completely different person’s name and photo on it and said it was the company ID of the HR director. 

I have never seen a facade fall so pathetically. Why would literally any even remotely legitimate person do such a thing? It was sad, really. He deleted the message in less than a minute - no doubt to keep me from looking at it long enough to see how badly it was photoshopped - and then aggressively reassured me that the company meant me no harm and would pay for everything, etc. Any real professional would have simply sent me an email from the legitimate address, stating that they’re legitimate, and then continued on with the initiation process.

Learn from My Mistakes

I hope some of this was helpful for all of you lovely freelancers trying to find work. I thought I would know a scam when I saw one, and I did have a Bad Feeling about this whole thing, because it did feel too good to be true, but I was desperate enough that my judgement was heavily clouded, and that could happen to anyone.

Don’t ignore red flags - especially these ones. Stick up for yourself. Avoid confirmation bias. I looked things up repeatedly to confirm that the company was legitimate and that it’s normal to do things like mobile deposit a printed check and so on. Every time, I found an explanation that suited me. I even tried to cash the check. The only reason it didn’t work was because there was an error with the name on the check because I recently legally changed my name and PayPal was having some kind of issue updating in some areas of its website. It was after that that I realized this was all crashing down and I needed to reassess it all. Don’t let yourself get that deep into it.

[heroicadventurists]

Comic-Con @ Home Friday Schedule 7/24/2020

10:00am • The Mandalorian and His Many Gadgets

10:00am • Cosplay - the Spice of Life!!!

10:00am • Last Gasp: 50 Years of Publishing the Underground Part I The comics, moderated by Jon Cooke and mainly focused on the period 1970-1995

10:00am • Howard Cruse: The Godfather of Queer Comics

10:00am • Pixel Stories - Reimagining Video Game Narrative

10:00am • Lights, Camera, LGBTQI-dentity! Never Alone

10:00am • "Crazy" Talk: Mental Health, Pop Culture, and the Pandemic

10:00am • Reclaiming Indigenous History and Culture Through Comics

10:00am • HBO Max: The Cartoon Network Studios Collection

10:00am • DC@Home Day One

10:00am • The 2020 Black Panel

10:00am • Charlize Theron: Evolution of a Badass - An Action Hero Career Retrospective

11:00am • Decoding the Kirby/Lee Dynamic

11:00am • TragiComics

11:00am • Star Wars Audiobooks: Doctor Aphra

11:00am • Blade Runner Comic Panel

11:00am • Make Your Own Felted Friends!

11:00am • Vikings: Celebrating 6 Seasons of The Series

11:00am • Entertainment is Female: a Conversation with Hollywood Executives

11:00am • Marvel Comics: Next Big Thing

11:00am • Think Big!

11:00am • Raina and Robin in Conversation

11:00am • HBO Max and Cartoon Network Studios: Adventure Time: Distant Lands

11:00am • Hot Wheels: Designing Fans' Exclusives

12:00pm • TOKYOPOP: Manga for Everyone

12:00pm • History Goes Graphic

12:00pm • Lucasfilm Publishing: Stories From a Galaxy Far, Far Away

12:00pm • Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes with Undiscovered Country

12:00pm • The Undiscovered Art of Jack Kirby: Architect

12:00pm • Zombies and Coronavirus: Planning for the Next BIg Outbreak

12:00pm • HBO Max and Cartoon Network Studios: Infinity Train

12:00pm • AMC's Fear the Walking Dead

12:00pm • Collider: Quibi's Don't Look Deeper Panel

1:00pm • From Idea to Hired: Books, TV, Film, and Comics

1:00pm • IDW: Draw a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!

1:00pm • Harryhausen100: Into the Ray Harryhausen Archive

1:00pm • Make Mine Marvel: Bringing Back Marvel Classics for Today's Readers

1:00pm • Water, Earth, Fire, Air: Continuing the Avatar Legacy

1:00pm • [adult swim] YOLO: Crystal Fantasy

1:00pm • LMGI - Hollywood Location Scouts

1:00pm • Mattel Creations: Designing Pop Culture

1:00pm • AMC's The Walking Dead

1:00pm • Spotlight on Darcie Little Badger

2:00pm • [adult swim] 12oz Mouse

2:00pm • GirlsDrawinGirls: Industry Professional Women Artists in Quarantine: Balancing work, art, homeschooling, and life

2:00pm • I Am Not Okay with This - From the Page to the Screen!

2:00pm • The Psychology of Star Trek vs. Star Wars

2:00pm • Your Secret Weapon: How Friendship Saves the Day

2:00pm • Real Weird Science Alive and At Home!

2:00pm • UnMasked: Rhapsody PR's Behind-the-Music panel

2:00pm • Entertainment Weekly: Brave Warriors

2:00pm • AMC's The Walking Dead: World Beyond

3:00pm • Zoom into Xadia: The Dragon Prince

3:00pm • Get It On the Table: Designing Your Tabletop Game

3:00pm • The Annual Jack Kirby Tribute Panel

3:00pm • The Vortex opens AGAIN- Vortex 2.0 launches Storm King Comics

3:00pm • Observational Drawing by Controlling Angles

3:00pm • Reimagining Mandrake The Magician with Erica Schultz

3:00pm • Galaxy Grrls, or the Female and Non-Binary Authors who Bridge the new Frontier of Space Fiction

3:00pm • Hermes Press and Gothic Comics in America

3:00pm • Latin American Horror Cinema 2: Sometimes They Come Back

3:00pm • First Look at Hulu's Helstrom

3:00pm • HBO MAX: Adult Animation Panel

3:00pm • Peacock Original Series: The Capture

4:00pm • Fantasy & Sci-Fi Authors

4:00pm • How to Make a Comic From Start to Finish

4:00pm • Remote Real-Time: The Age of Virtual Production

4:00pm • The Nacelle Company: Pop-Culture Under Quarantine

4:00pm • Vampirella 50th Anniversary Finale

4:00pm • Sinless, Fearless, Ruthless - A look at science and social science in a YA sci-fi book

4:00pm • Comic-Con: Robert Kirkman at Home

4:00pm • Crossing Swords

4:00pm • Legendary Spawn Creator Todd McFarlane Talks Toys, Comics, and More!

4:00pm • Bob's Burgers

4:00pm • VIZ: A Haunting Conversation with Junji Ito

5:00pm • Unboxing Pandora: Season Two On The CW This Fall

5:00pm • Read Manga and Learn Classics Literature!

5:00pm • The Living Dead: Celebrating the Legacy of George Romero

5:00pm • No Strange Bedfellows: The Relationship Between Pro Wrestling and Comics

5:00pm • Archer @Home

5:00pm • A Zoom with Joss Whedon

5:00pm • IDW: The Mueller Report in 10-minutes

5:00pm • Deep Blue Sea 3: The Panel!

6:00pm • Travel Through Time with Comics

6:00pm • TV Guide Magazine Fan Favorites

6:00pm • Klingon Lifestyles the Home Alone Year

6:00pm • The Wonderful, Horrible World of E.C. Comics

6:00pm • The Famous Monsters Podcast

6:00pm • Hip-Hop And Comics: Cultures Combining

6:00pm • Building Your Own Themyscira: Connecting With Other Geeky Bosses

6:00pm • SYFY: TZGZ's Adult Animated Originals

7:00pm • 32nd Annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards

[tashyrasvoice]

I Said What I Said: The Age of Voice Technology

Do you know what I have in common with Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington, Keith David and Aniko Noni Rose??  We all use the power of our voices to transform written content to audio masterpieces!!  

1.      Have you considered adding a professional voiceover to your social media ads and marketing campaigns?

2.      Have you considered converting your hardcopy book or eBook into an audiobook??

3.      Do you know you can increase your hardcopy or eBook sales by 25% by adding an audiobook option? (Source: www.voice.com)

Audiobook sales generated over $1.2 billion dollars in revenue in 2019, and in 2018 audiobooks generated $940 million, an increase of 25% from 2017 to 2018. For the first time ever, US audiobook sales have eclipsed eBook sales – an increase of 16% in the United States in 2020. (Source: www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org)

Get some of this billion-dollar pie!!

As a voiceover entrepreneur, I am committed to servicing Black entrepreneurs and authors with voiceover and audio production excellence. Through the power of voice, I bring the words of your hardcopy or eBook to life, and breath the breath of generational impact on the pages of your story. I voice online and social media ads, and radio and TV campaigns for your next big drop, promo, or awareness campaign.

We are all living in a moment where the voice of the Black Community and Culture has been elevated globally. Unfortunately, its not under ideal circumstances, but the circumstances are necessary for evolution and change.  As we maximize the moment where the eyes of the world are upon us, we want to be sure we are utilizing all our resources to increase the income, visibility, and awareness of our own products, services, and creativity.  Technology and voice are now, they are the future, and one of the primary ways we can ensure our creations are accessible to our target audiences, while being trendsetting entrepreneurs.

Think about it…

Voice technology is used in more ways than you realize; from Alexa – where Samuel L. Jackson’s voice is an option in the settings – to Google Home, Apple Homepod; our home security systems, the smart remote, and Siri to our favorite audiobook, our children’s gaming system, and the ‘on-hold lady’ while you’re waiting to be transferred to a live representative, voice technology surrounds us DAILY.

So, here’s the deal…

As an author, entrepreneur, and visionary who offers your clients hardcopy books and eProducts, I will provide you with an opportunity to hear what your product would sound like in an audio digital format.  I will convert your e-product into an audio product with a 15-second demo. FREE.

Here’s more perspective…

During the pandemic downloaded materials including books and eBooks increased drastically.  Platforms like Apple and Audible – an Amazon company – are offering free downloads on select titles, while memberships to their audio platforms, as well as individual purchases of audiobooks increased. Apple has long sold audiobooks on their Books service, but during the pandemic, they have done something different. In the past few weeks, they are experimenting with something new with spoken-word content. US listeners can stream 13 audiobooks based on books by musicians including Questlove, Rakim, Patti Smith, Pete Townshend, Kim Gordon and Debbie Harrie. They’re part of the main Apple Music service and offered with their subscription system.

In short, mainstream players continue to capitalize off new technology and cultural advancements – as they should – and I want to be sure we continuously do the same. QuestLove (shout out to Philly) and Rakim?? That’s the culture!!! Each artist and their work receive a percentage of the sales from their audiobooks, and you will too.  But you have options!! Sell the audiobook on your own platform for full return and/or on the platform of Apple, Audible, and iTunes for partial return, but greater exposure. The choice is yours.

Reality check…

You do not have the choice of placing your audio products….if you don’t have an audio product. Simple. You need the product to place it on the platform – whether yours or a third party. So, let’s get to it!!

But, first allow me to  say…

…congratulations on your accomplishments! Our culture and our world need your expertise, talent, and ingenuity and I commend you for executing it in the form of books, coaching, classes, entrepreneurship, investments, as a social activist, etc. Like never before, our culture needs consistent voices, creativity, and innovation as we move through these unprecedented, history-making times.  I love to see it!!

So, what are the benefits to adding audiobooks to your product offerings? Glad you asked….

Find the complete list of benefits and details here, but in the meantime, here are the top 10 reasons you should add audio products / convert your hardcopy or eBooks:

1.      Enhance your product mix and add depth to your product line

2.      It’s a cost-effective way to offer your customers a value-add

3.      No over-head costs for your printing, manufacturing, or delivery/mail services

4.      Your product shelf-live has no expiration date

5.      Create your customized audio logo and brand identity with sound (voice and/or music)

6.      You become a marketing innovator with audio technology

7.      Your customers experience nostalgia and longevity

8.      Increase familiarity among your customer-base

9.      Be heard even when you’re not seen

10.  Your customers/clients experience a strong cognitive connection between their memory and your sound

So now…get this dance!!

Digital audiobooks continue to be the fastest growing segment in publishing. Edison Research national survey of American audiobook listeners ages 18 and up found that the average number of audiobooks listened to per year increased to 8.1% in 2020, up from 6.8% in 2019 (Source: goodereader.com). People are listening to books in the car, on their smart speakers including Alexa, Google Home, and Apple Homepod.

Get in the mix while this trend is on the rise. Audio technology and voiceover is recession-proof and is here to stay. Be a standout entrepreneur, author, and visionary. Click here to get a FREE 15-second demo, professionally produced, of your hardcopy or eBook, manual, or training guide. It costs NOTHING to click here to listen to what your product will sound like in the hears of your audience.

Be heard even when you’re not seen.

***

“Use your voice. It’s your choice. Be vocal. Be heard. Be intentional.’’

Tashyra Ayers | Instagram & Twitter: @TashyrasVoice

Voiceover Entrepreneur | Media Personality | Speaker

[nancypullen]

Monday Morning

This day dawned sunny, bright, and breezy, just the way I like ‘em.  I missed posting yesterday but it was a banner day.  My sister and I had a delightful video chat with Mom and we laughed ourselves silly.  It was so good to see their faces and share some giggles.  My hat is off to my mother for whipping out her iPad and knowing how to FaceTime.  Most folks her age are scared of technology but she’s always willing to give it a whirl.  I should have posted a long, heartfelt Mother’s Day post, but isn’t it better just to reach out to the person and tell them you love them?  And speaking of heartfelt Mother’s Day activities, my guys spoiled me rotten.   The mister served me breakfast in bed, complete with his killer Eggs Benedict and chocolate dipped strawberries. YUM!  Then my guys presented me with a rug for the porch, pillows for the deck, craft supplies, books, and organizing tools. Oh my!  Every gift was EXACTLY right.  Mickey installed the rack and I spent a good portion of the afternoon re-bottling (is that a word?) and organizing my spices to go into this awesome pull out rack. It holds 30 bottles and solves my dark cavern of a spice cupboard that I may have complained about a few hundred times.

Hallelujah!  I haven’t decided whether I should alphabetize the bottles or just put the most used herbs and spices toward the front.   Did I mention books? 

This is one I’ve been dying to read.  Every return trip to Salem I learn a bit more about the oh-so-interesting Peabody sisters. They’ve been called America’s Brontës.  All three were intelligent, passionate, and continually urged society to be better, kinder,and wiser. Elizabeth was a “mind-on-fire thinker” according to historians, and was a powerful progressive influence on friends Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne. She was a teacher, a writer, a publisher, business owner, literate in ten languages, and founded the country’s first English-language kindergarten. I feel accomplished when I dust and vacuum in one day.   Middle sister Mary was a writer, teacher, fluent in several languages, and a passionate reformer - she took on prisons, insane asylums, etc. She fell madly in love with and married Horace Mann, educator and politician, and they devoted themselves to promoting the belief that in a democratic society, education should be free and universal, nonsectarian,and reliant on well-trained professional teachers.  The youngest sister, Sophia, was frail and often ill.  Rumor has it that her father, a dentist who loved to experiment, treated her infant teething pain with mercury and caused her lifelong health problems.  Still, Sophia was an illustrator, painter, as smart and progressive as her sisters, was handy in Latin, French, Greek, Hebrew, and German.  She won the heart of author Nathaniel Hawthorne, though he’d paid attention to all three sisters, causing some rivalry.  Elizabeth met him first and swooned, declaring him “more handsome than Lord Byron.”   When she urged Sophia to come downstairs to meet him, she laughed and said, "If he has come once he will come again" After meeting her, Nathaniel wrote the tale Edward Randolph’s Portrait, which included an artist character inspired by Sophia.  Although he was smitten by her, Sophia never planned to marry due to her health. Still, they were married five years after meeting and Nathaniel wrote to his sister, “We are as happy as people can be, without making themselves ridiculous, and might be even happier; but, as a matter of taste, we choose to stop short at this point."  They were quite a romantic couple, head over heels for each other, and their union produced three children, two daughters and a son.  When Nathaniel died, Sophia wrote,"My darling has gone over that sapphire sea, and these grand soft waves are messages from his eternal rest."  Isn’t that beautiful?  So now that I’ve shared more than you ever cared to know about the Peabody sisters, I’m going to bury my nose in that book. The other book addresses my love of sky watching, it’s filled with both scientific information and whimsy. Each type of cloud is detailed and explained, but there are also chapters devoted to clouds in illustrations and clouds that look like things (people, animals, etc).

And look! I didn’t even know this existed - and now I need my own cyanometer.

I love this book too! It feeds my soul. I received new rolls of washi tape for crafts, and you can bet that this gal will be decorated with a strip or two.

She was actually holding a big stick or a bat or something and I lopped it off to suit my purposes.  She doesn’t look sorry and neither am I.  ha! I’ll post pics of the porch rug and the new deck pillows just as soon as I  fluff everything up and get it just the way I like it.  But here’s a peek at the pillow covers.

Kind of fabulous, huh? I love them! Alright, I’ve probably bored you to tears and it’s time for me to get back to painting rocks.  Very important work I’m doing, this fairy village ain’t going to build itself.  I just wanted to share a bit of my Mother’s Day fun.  Every year I tell them to dial it back because I feel guilty - I’m no longer an exhausted mother, still in the trenches. Yet every year they make me feel so very special. Who on Earth would I be if not for the two souls who made my life so wonderful?  They were my focus during hard times and my absolute joy all of the time.  They made me stronger, smarter, more creative, and I’m more proud of them and their accomplishments than anything I could have ever done on my own.  They’re truly the best people I know.  This photo snapped after Tyler’s arrival sums it up - my whole world in my arms.

                   Motherhood, the greatest adventure of all.   Hope your day was special too, and that you spread some love around.  Take care of yourselves, stay safe and well.  See you tomorrow and we’ll talk about rocks (I never promised you excitement or anything remotely cool). XOXO - Nancy

[hastayatag-us]

hasta yatağı

"It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily," murmurs Marlene Dietrich in Josef von Sternberg's film 1932 adjustment of Harry Hervey's book Shanghai Express. She unquestionably has her very much manicured claws sunk into a greater number of men than she can include right now Eastern, chiaroscuro-cinematographic experience. Among her kindred travelers on the Shanghai Express are her embittered previous life partner', enduring British clinical official Clive Brook; over-energetic preacher Lawrence Grant; dope runner Gustav von Seyffertitz; and mysterious Eurasian specialist Warner Oland. Coincidently, Oland showed up in other China-themed motion pictures, most strikingly as Charlie Chan, the kind and chivalrous Chinese investigator situated in Honolulu just as a future film character for this article hasta yatağı.

As the train chugs through the more misleading sections of war-torn China, Oland uncovers himself as the pioneer of a renegade gathering, who intends to hold the travelers prisoner to make sure about the arrival of his detained constituents. In Boule de Suif style, Dietrich, who depicts an infamous "Chinese napkin" has remained explicitly remote all through the outing, offers herself to Oland to spare the life of Brook, the man she genuinely cherishes. Coordinated by Josef von Sternberg at his generally orgiastic (look at the long, waiting breaks down!), Shanghai Express is 80% style and 20% substance.

Tickets, please....

This article is about China's 3 biggest and most noticeable geriatric consideration advancements to date. I caution you ahead of time, this article is horrendously long however the data passed on is significant for those intrigued by senior living in China. Every one of these ventures has been in the market for at any rate 2 years and in one case almost 5 years. I call them CCRC's (proceeding with care retirement networks) since, well, that is the thing that they set out to be and in some part that is the thing that the engineers have accomplished...or, even better, are unmistakably attempting to achieve. One of these improvements had the advantage of restricted outside help, the others didn't. The one that did plainly profited and therefore has the best matured consideration program in China today. All are chugging alongside basic shortcomings and every ha their qualities. In whole, it is a diverse assortment and to the unpracticed eye (read: China senior living experience, not western senior living experience; I state this as almost all western geriatric consideration professionals who see their first China venture quickly presume that all China senior consideration is a train wreck) it may appear as though the possibility of senior living in China is simply off kilter. However, it is early and the train hasn't left the station, in any event not right now.

The individuals who look to lead the senior consideration business in China are all around encouraged to recall a couple of significant standards of the China senior consideration experience: first, China senior living is the place Western geriatric consideration was in 1950 however assembling steam rapidly; second, never judge a task outside of any relevant connection to the subject at hand, which means: contrasting a venture in Chongqing with an undertaking in Santa Barbara is futile as the purchasers of the Chongqing venture don't have that decision substantially less that point of view; third, the higher one remains in the sharpness chain, the more influence one has...which converts into progress; lastly, remain in the first class mentor, period.

Before this train withdraws, I might want to mention one final objective fact. My contemplations beneath are a somewhat basic examination verging on abstract assessment and now and again, some artistic satirizing. In case I be kept by the People's Senior Living Police at Beijing Nan Zhan (FYI: a huge train station), I ask tolerant thought that these considerations be seen not as pitiless judgment, malevolent denigration, adverse editorial or, paradise deny, Confucian lewdness of any CCRC talked about here or China's senior living potential as a rule. A remarkable opposite, I am no backslider; I see a brilliant future and if these three networks indicate what the Chinese can achieve directly out of the container, at that point the following decade will be extraordinary for experts in the China geriatric consideration business.

Lastly, as the whistle blows, for those perusers not so much acquainted with a CCRC, they are typically characterized as a grounds style private complex gathering a blend of free living arrangements for dynamic yet senior grown-ups, helped living units for more seasoned grown-ups requiring some help with their day by day exercises and talented nursing care for delicate or weak grown-ups requiring successive help or intense clinical consideration. Moreover, there are frequently an assortment of social pleasantries, practice offices and business bolster administrations which offer fundamental necessities and arrangements, for example, hair salon, clothing/cleaners and assortment store.

[nyfacurrent]

Introducing | Meet NYFA’s New Development Team

Katherine Delaney, Kimberly Goodis, and Hannah Berry are equal parts artist and non-profit professional.

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) takes pride in supporting artists of all disciplines and career stages. Many of our staff are artists who bring a unique understanding and approach to their nonprofit work on behalf of artists everywhere. As such, we’re thrilled to introduce you to NYFA’s new development team: Katherine Delaney, Director; Kimberly Goodis, Senior Officer of Individual Giving and Special Events; and Hannah Berry, Development Officer of Individual Giving and Foundations. Equal parts artist and non-profit professional, their backgrounds and experiences make a great contribution to NYFA. Take a moment to learn more about the team and why NYFA’s mission matters to them.

In January 2019, Katherine Delaney joined NYFA as Director of Development, bringing with her over 19 years of fundraising experience, particularly in the areas of Board Development, Major Gifts, Annual Fund Development, and Foundation and Corporate Giving. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Delaney immigrated to Canada at the age of four. Her mother was a painter, and her arts immersion began at a young age. As she puts it, “The arts have been my passion ever since I sat down at my first piano when I was five years old, and performed my first dance on stage when I was eight.” She carried this passion with her, later attaining a Bachelor of Music degree and a Master of Arts degree in Musicology while working professionally as an accompanist for choirs and singers. In her development experience, Delaney has been responsible for initiating a new major donor campaign at the Canadian Opera Company and conceiving of the Alumni Arts membership at The School of the Arts at Columbia University. Prior to NYFA, she served as Director for the Major Gifts Department at the Metropolitan Opera Guild, and was responsible for increasing Board and Individual Giving by 85%. When asked why Delaney chose to join NYFA, she said: “After I graduated with a music degree, I had very few resources to help me navigate a career as a working musician. Something like NYFA didn’t exist where I lived.” Delaney recognizes the vital role NYFA plays in the cultural community, and as Director of Development she hopes to underscore the importance of this work and help to inspire engagement from donors, NYFA-affiliated artists, and art-lovers alike. Her dedication to fundraising is motivated by an appreciation for “being around people who are philanthropic, who truly give of themselves.” As she says: “Year after year, my interactions with donors fill me with joy and love for humanity – thank you to all of you who give!” Delaney currently resides in Montclair, NJ with her husband and three children.

Though both Delaney and Kimberly Goodis are new to NYFA, they’ve worked with each other for the past five years, and bring with them a strong sense of camaraderie. Before joining NYFA in March as Senior Officer for Individual Giving & Special Events, Goodis spent over a decade at Lincoln Center, serving as Assistant Company Manager and Manager of Audience Development at New York City Opera, and most recently as the Manager of Public Programs at the Metropolitan Opera Guild. She holds a Bachelor’s in Music Business degree from Rutgers University and a Masters in Arts Administration degree from New York University, and developed her nonprofit administrative skills at the American Repertory Ballet, George Street Playhouse, and Westminster Choir College. Goodis’ career path is inspired by her personal experiences. “The arts have played such a huge part in shaping who I am as a person, and I’m passionate about its ability to positively impact people’s lives,” said Goodis. She is enthusiastic about her new role at NYFA as she has “seen first-hand how groundbreaking the right funding and support can be.” She is looking forward to building up initiatives and creating systems that will increase NYFA’s impact and success. Beyond her professional experience, Goodis is also a trained clarinetist, and has played for nearly 15 years. In addition, she loves musical theater and feels strongly connected to classical ballet and orchestral music: “New York has always been the place where I go to experience art – I love that NYFA supports that artistic community!”

While Hannah Berry has taken on the new title of Development Officer of Individual Giving and Foundations, she’s been a part of the NYFA staff since August of 2017. Berry previously worked in the NYFA Grants department, assisting in the administration of the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship. She says: “My experience at NYFA has really helped me grow professionally, and I’m proud to now be able to serve such a vital role in the development of the organization.” Originally from Alaska, Berry was raised by a family of artists including her late grandfather, the esteemed wildlife artist William “Bill” Berry. She moved from remote Alaska to bustling New York City in 2015 to pursue a graduate education, and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting & Drawing from Pratt Institute in 2017. After graduating, she participated in the Trestle Artist Residency in Brooklyn, NY. Her recent group exhibition history includes Brooklyn-based galleries such as La Bodega Gallery, Trestle Gallery, NYFA Gallery, Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, and The Boiler | Pierogi. Berry confesses that her life as an artist is complemented by her work at NYFA: “In my nearly two years here, I’ve witnessed first-hand how important our services are for the arts community, and have received so much praise on behalf of NYFA. This experience has infiltrated so much of my own artistic life, and I find myself inspired almost daily by the the artists we support.”

Meet Delaney, Goodis, and Berry at The New York Foundation for the Arts’ 2019 Hall of Fame Benefit honoring Sanford Biggers, Karl Kellner, and Min Jin Lee. Taking place on April 11 at Capitale in Manhattan, the event will feature cocktails, dinner, a live/silent auction of art, and much more!

You can purchase tickets to the benefit here. For more information about NYFA’s Hall of Fame Benefit, please contact Kimberly Goodis at kgoodis@nyfa.org or 212.366.6900 x 207.

All tickets to NYFA’s 2019 Hall of Fame Benefit come with a limited-edition signed print by Sanford Biggers. Learn more about NYFA’s Hall of Benefit here. Sign up for NYFA’s bi-weekly newsletter, NYFA News, to receive announcements about future NYFA events and programs.

Images: Hannah Berry, Katherine Delaney, and Kimberly Goodis, Image Credit: Amy Aronoff for NYFA; and NYFA’s 2018 Hall of Fame Benefit, Image Credit: Jay Brady Photography

[mainaisikyunnhoon-blog]

a life of danger

haHA idk what this is guys but. i was too impatient to actually write the whole thing before posting so!!! here have a snippet of some jungkook-the-agent and jin-his-handler fic

rated t for ‘totally rad’ and the genre is honestly just ‘jin and jungkook bantering to express their love’ (w Feelings to come in later installments) 

title is (of COURSE) from ‘secret agent man’ 

i’m not a secret agent so uhhh none of this is even remotely realistic i’m invoking artistic license here 

One of the first things you learn at the academy is how to tune out distractions.

There’s always too much going on in the world, which is why the ability to take it all in, pick out all the relevant information, and tune out everything else is so important. Distraction at the wrong time — focusing on something stupid rather than what you should be focusing on — can, and has, led to death. All good operatives practice doing this until it’s ingrained.

Jungkook’s a good operative. A fantastic one. One of the best, even, and that isn’t arrogance, it’s just the truth.

There’s one thing, however, that all his training, all his instincts, all his will can never tune out:

“You know, you need to go out more often,” Jin says through the earpiece. “It’s unhealthy, the way you refuse to socialize with anyone.”

“You know what else is unhealthy?” Jungkook says, voice a hush as he continues trying to crack the safe. Safe-cracking isn’t his expertise — those are more long the lines of get in, kick ass, get out — so frustration’s welling within him as it takes longer than he wants, and Jin isn’t helping. “Your obsession with me. Why are you even keeping track of my socializing habits?”

“First of all,” Jin starts, and there’s so much indignation in his voice, Jungkook’s lips twitch as he thinks about the way Jin’s probably gesticulating, the expression he’s wearing as he talks to a set of computers in a dark room with no one around, “I’m not obsessed with you, and honestly, if you think this is obsession, says more about you than it does about me. Second of all, I know about your socialization habits because gossip is currency and secret agents are even better at it than the old woman that used to live across the street when I was growing up, so I don’t go looking for this information, it just appears in my lap.”

“Just appears in your lap.” Imagining Jin’s face as Jungkook scoffs — Jin hates being scoffed at; this is why Jungkook makes sure to do it as often as possible — makes the smirk grow on his face, and he adds for the finishing touch: “Is that the defense you use when accused of anything? ‘No, no, sir, I wasn’t bothering this woman, she just appeared in my lap.’”

Seconds go by as Jin makes incoherent, outraged sounds. “I know how to respect women! I’m not a disrespectful, rude brat like you! I have never had a complaint, thank you very much, and never will, because I’m capable of interacting with normal people like a normal person, not like an emotionally constipated — constipated asshole.”

“You? Normal?” This time, scoffing is even easier. “Right, of course.”

Mission accomplished — Jin is now ranting about Respecting your elders and Learning some manners and Not being a mouthy smartass — Jungkook has an easier time focusing, Jin’s voice washing over him, bringing familiar words with it, and it isn’t too long before he finally cracks the safe.

Showy celebrations are amateur, so all he allows himself is a small, “Nice,” nodding in satisfaction as he reaches in to grab the paper documents, the content of which he was told he ‘didn’t need to know.’ The urge to look is hard to resist, but he shuts the safe and slips the documents into his pocket, straightening out his suit jacket and running a hand through his hair, checking his reflection out in the window to make sure he looks good.

As always, he does.

Most of the building is glass — he hates it, hates feeling so exposed, hates the bullshit bougie modern art concept it’s designed on — which means the walls serve as one giant window; as soon as he leaves the room with the safe, he’s assaulted by sunlight and he wrinkles up his nose, says, “Too bright.”

“Yes, sunlight is bright. Maybe you’ll finally grow old enough to develop object permanence and retain this information.”

“Sunlight isn’t an object,” Jungkook says, “so what does object permanence have to do with anything?”

There’s silence for a beat. “You know what,” Jin says, and then stops.

“Yes, I know ‘what’ — it’s a word often used to ask about information.” The building’s a maze of hallways, as if M.C. Escher himself designed it, and then Jungkook realizes he just thought about M.C. Escher outside of an art history class and resolves to spend less time with Tae.

“Actually,” Jin says, “ ‘what’ has sixteen different definitions, and you only gave me one, which means you don’t know what.” The best part of it is, he sounds smug.

“Did… did you seriously look up ‘what’ in the dictionary,” Jungkook says, offering a polite nod to the woman who passes him by in the hallway, looking him up and down.

“Yes,” Jin says, “and I don’t see why you’re asking me as if I’ve done something ridiculous.”

“You are ridiculous. Everything you do is ridiculous, because you are ridiculous,” Jungkook says, taking the stairs down. The interview he’s here for is on the third floor; he only has five minutes to make it down from the fourteenth, so he sprints, footsteps echoing in the stairwell.

“No, I’m Jin.” A beat passes as Jungkook sighs, and Jin starts laughing.

A cackling Jin in his ear isn’t the most conducive to a professional interview, so he says, “Stop laughing or I’m gonna have to cut the line,” and steps out of the staircase, discreetly slipping the documents into the recycling bin where someone will come to collect them.

“Don’t you fucking dare cut the line. I will surgically sew an earpiece to your ear if you try to do that again,” Jin says as Jungkook smiles at the lady at the front desk, excuses about how he got lost and how confusing the building is pouring out of his mouth, and the lady — Jan, her nametag reads — waves them all away.

“Don’t worry! You’re just in time, please have a seat as I inform them you’ve arrived,” she says, chipper, and Jungkook nods at her.

Taking a seat in the corner chair, Jungkook covers his mouth, whispers, “Then stop talking, and I won’t cut the line. Also, we’re sure I have to actually go through with the interview?” It isn’t that he’s nervous or anything — he just knows he’s completely out of his depth here, knows he’s going to bomb it because he doesn’t really know enough to convincingly bullshit, and he hates feeling incompetent, even if it doesn’t really matter.

Silence.

“Jin.”

More silence.

“Jin, answer.”

“Oh, you want me to answer?” Jin says, voice dripping with mock surprise. “But you said stop talking.”

“Jin.” If he’s whining a little bit, well, it’s justified.

“Yes,” Jin says, “we’re sure, because if anyone happens to find out today was the day the documents were taken, an interviewee disappearing after ‘getting lost’ would be suspicious.”

“That’s crossed paranoid and landed straight into conspiracy theory territory.”

A pause, and they both sigh, “Namjoon.”

“If he wasn’t such a good person, I’d hate him,” Jin says, and Jungkook makes a small hum of agreement, eyes scanning the room. The lady reappears, then, followed by a man in an expensive-looking suit and an I’m more important than you vibe, and Jungkook smiles, stands, holds out his hand.

The customary greetings are exchanged, and before Jungkook’s led into the back, Jin says, “You’re probably going to make a fool of yourself, but remember — you don’t actually have to do good, you can just bullshit and fail.”

Since Jungkook’s still talking to the man, nodding along with what he says, he can only grit his teeth at Jin’s words. A couple moments later, Jin says in a high-pitched voice: “Wow, Jin, you’re so smart and encouraging! I wouldn’t be able to tie my shoelaces without your guidance.” A pause. “That was you, by the way.”

“Yes, Jungkook, I am smart and encouraging and you would fail at life if not for my generous guidance,” Jin continues, deepening his voice enough Jungkook has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing. “I’m also handsome and hilarious and cooler than you’ll ever be.”

“Oh, Jin, you’re so right! As always! I promise to listen to you more often and give you the respect you deserve.” Jin’s Jungkook impersonation has Jungkook biting down harder, hoping he can pass off the smile threatening to break out on his face as excitement for the job.

“Ah, and here we are,” the man says, flashing Jungkook an insincere smile as he opens the door to a conference room.

There are two men, one woman seated at the table, all looking at Jungkook as if he just burst in wearing a clown suit and honking a horn. Anxiety buzzes under his skin, no matter how hard he tries to ignore it — he fucking hates feeling stupid, especially in front of assholes.

“Alright, brat. Remember you can kill all of the people in the room within a matter of minutes if they start laughing at you, and maybe take this opportunity to fuck with them instead of actually trying.”

Jungkook wants to say thanks — a sarcastic thanks, even if he means it sincerely — but instead he takes a deep breath, breaks out his most charming smile, and introduces himself.

Jin knows how Jungkook feels, anyway; he doesn’t need to say it aloud. It’s why they work so well together.

i’ve never actually written jungkook and he's kind of the member i’ve thought about the least?? idk how i feel about his characterization but. he’s a fun character to explore let’s see where this leads 

anyway thanks for reading!!! pls lmk what you thought 

[kseniiadesign]

I have been designing professionally since 2006. Since December 2021 I live in Oulu (Finland). Due to the situation with Russia and Ukraine, I no longer have the opportunity to work with Russian customers. Previously, I had scheduled working hours months in advance. Now I have left the base of Russian customers in the care of my assistant, who works with them under my supervision. And now my working time is free for new clients who want to get a quality design for a reasonable price. My specializations: - branding, logos, corporate identity - graphic design - menu, price list - catalogs - presentations - web design My first acquaintance with Photoshop was in 1994, from the first versions of Photoshop on our home personal computer. Now I know Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma, InDesign, After Effects and a lot of small additional applications to work with. I have a system of work built up. Learning something new is easy for me, I love doing it! I graduated from high school with a gold medal, and from the university with a red diploma of an advertising specialist. And also I have studied for 4 years as an artist and received a secondary art education. Now I periodically take training and refresher courses. In 2010, with the help of a state subsidy, I opened my own company: a design studio and a printing studio. The company was developing well and making a good profit. But in 2018, due to family circumstances, I completely went freelance and began working remotely with clients from Russia and around the world: China, Great Britain, USA, Canada, Norway, Italy, Thailand. With some of them on a long-term basis (from USA, China and the UK) Now I carry out projects officially on behalf of a company based in Finland. I am the marketing director and co-owner of Helppo hotelli and I will do all the necessary paperwork. Our prices and work quality will pleasantly surprise you! My taste and watchfulness are constantly evolving. I am fond of music, cinema, animation, ballroom dancing. I like to communicate. I treat all my clients with warmth and care. Write to me on any question in direct, we will talk) #designer #desinerfinland #eurodesign #presentation #branding (at Oulu, Finland) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc-Y-mltT-c/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=