#if anyone interacts with this and fails to use reading comprehension i will block you and go to your house to personally slap you 👍

[mx-paint]

"you could not pay me to care that people wouldn't willingly turn themselves over to their oppressors and are being killed over it" are you okay?

[femboy-catgirl]

homestuck-tech-psy-fan ==> femboy-catgirl

Hello there! I don't believe we've been properly introduced, I'm Linus (/reference), also go by Gumi! he/it/she/xe (preferably it/xe, they/them aux), él/ella/eso in spanish! I'm bodily 17.

Sylph of Breath, Derse dreamer.

We are a plural/multiple system.

This is the place where we post and reblog shit, if you want to see our art (drawings, music, projects, code) go to:

@catgirl-creative.

our website: https://achromatic-azurevizor.neocities.org

BEFORE YOU INTERACT:

keep in mind that we support all good faith identities, all beings rights to belong in society, all religions and belief systems, are fully against censorship and harassment, do not condone glorified/romanticized abuse depictions in media and basically live and let live, if it doesn't hurt anyone it should be ok.

ABOUT US

we are a 17 year old, chilean, nonhuman catgirl/boy/enby :3! severely disabled, fibromyalgia, are autistic and severely mentally ill, abinary/agender femboy demigirl, bi/omni lesbian, polyam, queer.

we like Homestuck/MSPFA, retroware, FOSS, art, content creation, rabbit holes/deep dives, psychology and medicine in general, queer stuff (history, pride, coining, etc.) and some others

I tend to become defensive and aggressive when confused, so if we ever get into a misunderstanding, please be patient and explain things calmly and explicitly, I do not mean any harm and I try to be open minded, I'm just unable to understand things sometimes due to my disabilities.

System side

We are a fictive and nonhuman heavy.

we have our own blogs:

Willow: @willow-is-missing (tw for detailed descriptions mental health issues, nsfw/suggestive themes, grief, not fully screenreader accessible, +16 only, sometimes mentions of eating disorders)

@dirks-striders (for the many dirk striders and kin stuff)

Important info

As previously stated we are very mentally ill and you are adviced to interact with caution, if you try to befriend us or have any sort of meaningful relationship please be aware that you must be able to handle the intensity and commitment that it entails, otherwise don't waste our time.

Please use tone tags for us.

We use typing quirks, when untranslated they are tagged with #cw typing quirk. block them if you use a screenreader or have a hard time reading leet or similar, since these post won't be translated.

# I THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT TO ADD

we do not reply to mutual aid *asks* we do not have the energy or the time to check if it's true nor the money to donate. all blogs begging for shout outs, money or other things we cannot provide will be blocked, we don't have energy to deal with them. we don't reblog or support guilt tripping content, as important as it could be.

we reblog untagged politics and suggestive (textual) posts at times, we can tag things if asked but we may fail at it as we usually don't think much when rebloging, we don't have much energy to double check and apply much critical thinking on several posts multiple times a day, we are here for fun. if we post or reblog weird stuff it's probably that or us impulsively posting whatever's on our mind (which are barely comprehensible strings of thought that if interesting enough get lose into the physical realm, regardless of quality)

[quindolyn]

who are some of your closest mutuals and what do you love about them? (i’m sending this to a bunch of bloggers because i think it’s such a wholesome thing to talk about!)

I’m always really bad at this and this is by no means a comprehensive list of all the mutuals I love and adore

@st0nesnglitter I could and have spent hours talking to Bo nonstop, she never fails to make me laugh or swoon or just stare goofily down at my phone with each message. There are so many things to adore about her but one of my favorite things she’s done is that one day she randomly sent me a post on Instagram, we’d exchanged emails and snaps but never Instagram’s meaning she saw something that reminded her of me and went out of her way to show me. She’s the kindest, purest soul I’ve ever met.

@randomoutsiders it wasn’t until recently that I learned that Isa can read me like a fucking book and while slightly frightening is also a reflection on her caring, observant nature. She’s able to pick up on the smallest details and is always there to comfort and nurture you. I love her more than anything else. And in an objective way, she’s hot as fuck.

@pinkandblueblurbs Gilli is very likely a gift from another world with her unbelievable kindness that she bestows upon people day after day. Always quick to help you when you need it or just sit and talk with you. She was one of the first people who made me feel beautiful in my body and I will always be grateful to her for it, I love her more than I can express.

@shadesofvelma Velma is everything that is good about life, she is brave and strong, energetic and funny, I’m not quite sure how to put it but she is alive. She pulses with life like very few people do and being around her is like a drug because she shares a little bit of her life with you. Anyone lucky enough to get to be a part of Velmas life should be forever grateful.

@luci-n-lyssa Lyssa makes me so so happy, every interaction, no matter how small has me feeling so much better than I did earlier. Her sarcastic comments and dry sense of humor are addictive and conversation between us always flows. She’s also the closest thing I’ve ever gotten to a big sister and I can’t complain because she is one of the most compassionate people I’ve ever met.

@daisyyy2516 I always get a good morning ask from daisy and it never fails to brighten my night right before I go to bed. Even from the other side of the planet she’s been able to forge a meaningful connection with me and that is something I will always be grateful to her for. I can’t help but love the sweetness about her that just makes you melt.

@philocxlyy Jennn, my baby. I think we’re very similar in ways we don’t always address but they’ve been a key building block of our friendship. This bitch read an entire book in a day just so she could read six of crows with me. She’s so sweet and compassionate that I can always talk to her about my day or about hers and have a lovely experience.

@arcaneslut to but it plainly she is a badass. I’ve never been more in awe of a person while also completely and utterly in love with them. From her strong, opinionated views to her ridiculous sense of humor and her fucking beautiful face there is so much to love about her that I’ll consider looking past her foot fetish. Fun fact. A male teacher once told her she had nice feet.

[go-go-girl]

11 tips FROM HOW *I* learned MANDARIN IN 14 DAYS (number 1 will SHOCK you):

It's not possible to become fluent in a language in less than a month. That said, what I did set out to do was to complete the entire Duolingo Chinese tree in a week or less. I failed at this, primarily because to do so would be to put finishing the course over learning it and therefore I had decided to instead up the time limit to two weeks which I had completed. First, I had zero interests in learning how to write in Chinese; Second, I had zero interests in learning how to speak Chinese. These preconceived thoughts are not healthy for learning a language and I quickly learned that sort of thought-process is unacceptable. Writing in Chinese is very helpful to understand the context of a word and although I have not physically written any words in Chinese in the past 4 years (probably), I still had to learn logogramic structure and radicals.

To learn the meaning of kangxi radicals; Also has information on other languages as well: https://www.lexisrex.com/Chinese/Radicals

Chinese dictionary by radicals: https://www.chinese-tools.com/tools/sinograms.html?r=

Another Chinese dictionary that sorts by character structure as well: https://www.yellowbridge.com/chinese/adv-character-dictionary.php

Another Chinese logogram search tool that includes Traditional Chinese radicals as well as pinyin: https://www.xiaoma.info/bushou.php?ext=1

A JAPANESE multiradical tool which also works for many Chinese logograms as well: https://kanji.sljfaq.org/mr-old.html

***

To learn the structure of sentences, I used the Chinese course on Duolingo but Duolingo isn't perfect and is generally not recommended by a lot of Chinese teachers. What it does enforce is discipline which is important when anyone wants to learn a language--to keep learning and to never give up. Even if you finish your course, you will still be learning from the outside world.

https://www.duolingo.com/

Although Duolingo doesn't officially have interactive stories to learn from in Chinese, you can use the unofficial stories created by fans and linked below to test your comprehension: https://carex.uber.space/stories/index.html?lang=zh&lang_base=en

Another helpful guide I used is the Chinese Grammar Wiki. This website is useful for understanding Chinese sentence structure which is explained by Duolingo but isn't always clearly defined.

https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Chinese_word_order

↑ I consider this website to be especially helpful in explaining the Subject + Time + Place + Verb + Object format that is very different from English's Subject + Verb + Object + Location + Time (and English's unstructured word salad format in general.)

This website is also helpful for a bunch of miscellaneous stuff that someone might find interesting: https://www.chinese-tools.com/

One thing I DON'T recommend is to try to finish the entire Chinese skill tree and 5/5 it in 14 days because not only is it grueling, exhausting, boring, an eye-strain, and joyless, I also barely remember anything because I rushed through it.

Lastly, if you're on Windows, you can activate the pinyin keyboard by going to: {Windows 7: Control Panel> Clock, Language, and Region > Region and Language > Keyboards and Languages > [Change Keyboards...] > General-[Add...] > Chinese (Simplified, PRC)/toggle: "Chinese (Simplified) - Microsoft Pinyin ABC Input Style" > [OK] } You can then toggle it by pressing ctrl+SHIFT (I have it set to ctrl+Alt or by clicking on the icon in the Windows taskbar There are more than one Chinese keyboard but that's the one I use. You can play around with it yourself if you'd like :)

Anyway, now that I'm finished listing resources, I'll try to make up some tips uhhhh...

Make sure you're rested

Take notes

Remove any distractions

Eat plenty of grains

Don't be afraid to take rest breaks

Don't overwork yourself

Do plenty of stretches before, during, and after studying

Consume media containing the language if it helps (I follow a Chinese cuisine Youtube channel and I already own a lot of stuff that has Chinese writing on it--unfortunately, most American-Chinese stuff will be in Traditional script so I can't read it :))

Study the radicals! They are the building blocks of the language

Don't forget to learn pronunciation; the reason why I don't recommend skimping on learning auditory Chinese is because it makes it difficult to type in pinyin if you can only remember what a logogram looks like

Sentence structure is different; really hammer in how Chinese sentences are formed in comparison to English and Romance languages

[toko-ton]

Kizuna novel ch.3-4 notes

Ch. 3:

- Back in chapter 2, when Yamato asks the 02 group to investigate Menoa, Ken mentions that he's heard of her, and he specifically says that he knows she's a prodigy who skipped grades to get into college early and has a doctorate and some patents. I didn't think of it until I realized that she's actually close in age to the Adventure kids, but the part about skipping grades reminded me of this:

I wonder if maybe Ken first heard about Menoa because people insisted on comparing him to her back when he was the Kaiser?

- Menoa wasn't blocked from entering the Digital World, so presumably anyone with the tech to open a gate can go there, regardless of whether they have a Digimon partner or not. Which means that partner Digimon do cease to exist in both worlds when their bond disappears, because otherwise, she'd be able to reunite with Morphomon.

- I know it's supposed to be a serious scene, but it's almost comedic when Taichi and Yamato brag about having the edge in numbers and experience as Greymon and Garurumon finish off Eosmon, only for Menoa to casually snap her fingers and summon an entire swarm.

- Menoa indirectly explains the origin of Eosmon's name. She spent years trying to bring Morphomon back, but failed trying to bring the data to life. Then on the day the mysterious aurora appeared three months ago, she was suddenly able to create Eosmon, who was presumably named after the aurora. (I'm kind of surprised that the book doesn't point out that Eos and Aurora were equivalent Greek and Roman goddesses. I guess they assumed that people already know that?)

- If Menoa only made Eosmon three months ago, why has Imura been investigating her for years? It's never hinted that she did anything illegal or even unethical before that point, unless people have a problem with her trying to create a Digimon.

- Sora is the only one of the original Adventure kids missing from Menoa's neverland. Even without Koushirou's list, Menoa knows who all of them are, so I guess it must have already been too late by the time Menoa tried to send an Eosmon?

- If Menoa and Eosmon can't reunite people with Digimon partners who have already been lost (or at least illusions of them), then this scene confirms that Meicoomon did come back to life at some point.

- Menoa insists over and over that all the Chosen are there of their own free will, no mental influence involved, but the fact that they all turn silent and emotionless with glowing red eyes makes that a little bit difficult to believe.

Ch. 4:

- Eosmon start popping out of internet-connected devices all over the world and attacking Chosen. Despite Hawkmon warning that it's probably a bad idea, Miyako uses her laptop to try to find information on what's happening in the confusion, and of course, she only ends up letting another one through.

- Yamato must have given them a partial explanation at some point, since Daisuke knows enough to guess that the Digimon they're fighting are Eosmon. Likewise, Iori worries that the chaos means that something has happened to Yamato and the others, but they're too busy fighting off Eosmon to do anything to help.

- The entire 02 team seems to be calling Yamato "Yamato-senpai" now, or at least Daisuke, Ken, and Iori all do. (I don't think Miyako ever says his name, so I'm not sure about her.)

- Taichi and Yamato are hiding, uncertain of what to do. After some encouragement from Gabumon and Agumon (who says he gets the feeling that they'll be with Taichi and Yamato forever), the two of them resolve to fight. Taichi, who had been wearing his old goggles around his neck, finally puts them up on his head and says "We'll show them the bonds we have. Let's do this!"

- The kids with Menoa are back to playing with their Digimon, and still acting extremely creepy: The children gazed at Menoa with eyes filled with adoration. Perhaps she seemed like a goddess or Madonna to them.

- Daisuke and Ken don't evolve Paildramon or Imperialdramon even though the 02 team is having a rough time fending off all the Eosmon. I guess Yamato must have warned them to avoid unnecessary evolutions, even if he didn't say why? They're much too upbeat to have been confronted with the full truth.

- This just occurred to me... The Eosmon aren't invisible, so back in chapter 1, how did one of them steal Ayaka's consciousness in the middle of a restaurant without being seen?

- After Eosmon defeats Omegamon, the other Adventure kids restrain Taichi and Yamato to keep them from running to Agumon and Gabumon (Hikari and Koushirou for Taichi, and Takeru, Mimi, and Jou for Yamato), and then their partners start attacking the two.

- As soon as they come to their senses, Hikari and the others return to their present-day appearances. Koushirou is fascinated by the evolved Eosmon, and Tentomon has to exasperatedly remind him that he really doesn't have time to stand around lost in thought.

- Menoa lost her partner when she got into college... because she wanted to be self-sufficient? It looks like they're trying to portray partner Digimon as existing solely for the kids' personal growth, and that's why they disappear when the kids are sufficiently mature? I'm not a fan of the idea. (Just to be completely clear, the the scenes of the Digimon disappearing strongly gave me this impression, but it isn’t explicitly stated anywhere. So it’s entirely possible that this isn’t what the creators intended.)

- I mean, I don’t think that the sudden and traumatic loss of one of your closest loved ones is a good metaphor for the struggles of becoming an adult.

- I'm also not fond of the way it reduces the Digimon to literal props for the kids, in-universe, even if the original anime never did a particularly good job of treating them as individuals.

- "Menoa! I'll save you!" Taichi yelled. Yamato shouted, "Your choice wasn't a mistake!" "But even if a choice leads to something happening..." "We have to live in the future we chose!" (This dialogue would work better for me if the kids had any meaningful choice in the first place. Menoa was going to lose Morphomon before long, no matter what she did.)

- "We may not be able to change fate*..." "But we can change our destiny**!" * 宿命 = absolute, unchangeable fate ** 運命 = destiny/fate in general (Why are they so sure that losing their Digimon is the latter and not the former? What makes Taichi and Yamato’s refusal to accept the loss of their partners optimism, while Menoa’s is just denial?)

- Sorry if this has been a little too negative! I do like Kizuna overall, especially for the character interaction. I’m just disappointed in this particular element of the plot.

- I’ve now finished the book, and they never do explain the aurora that allowed Eosmon to come to life. I wonder if it’ll be brought up again if there’s a sequel?

- I can’t think of anything else I want to comment on right now, so just in case anyone reading this hasn’t seen it yet, I’ll link to Onkei’s summary again:

https://pastebin.com/hqVwmAaS

It’s much more comprehensive than my notes here (especially since I tried to focus on things that weren’t already covered there), so if you haven’t already, go read it!

- Also, I’ll be glad to answer any questions about the story (if I can), so if there’s anything you’re curious about, please feel free to ask!

[knadire]

Art Theft Committed by CreepypastaDotCom and Chilling Tales for Dark Nights

Hey everybody. I just wanted to tell an important story to anyone out there that’s an artist or a fan of horror media. In the wake of the mess last weekend surrounding Twitter account @RareHorror failing to attribute art they reposted to the creator and having a massive and embarrassing meltdown (which you can read more about here, language warning: http://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/rare-horrors-twitter-meltdown-ignites-debate-over-artist-rights.php), I want to share a similar experience I’ve been having. It’s going to contain some disturbing (but fake) Photoshops and paintings so I’m sorry in advance if this sort of thing upsets you.

 So about a month ago, while talking with some friends, one of them drew my attention to how the Twitter page for CreepypastaDotCom was tweeting out about a story on their main website using an image that looked a little familiar. There was no credit to be found. After a little digging we realized that it was the work of a rather well known, found footage-style artist who goes by SlimeySwampGhost, which many of us were familiar with. After discovering this, we collectively began filling their comments section with remarks about this lack of attribution. SlimeySwampGhost himself eventually asked for credit.

After a full day with no further response from CreepypastaDotCom, I decided to scroll deeper. I discovered that for the past few months, ALL their Twitter content was made up of uncredited artwork. Every post contained an excerpt, a link to the story it was from, a handful of hashtags, and an uncredited piece of artwork. Through this, I found another account called Chilling Tales for Dark Nights. They themselves are a horror audio drama/narration channel I’ve known about for a while. Not only did they have posts identical to those made on CreepypastaDotCom’s Twitter page, but they had made even MORE promoting their podcasts, audio recordings, and YouTube videos, still using artwork that they had no ownership of.

I want to put it into perspective how much of a profit these websites are making. If you visit CreepypastaDotCom (which I do not recommend), it is filled to bursting with ads. Their most recent story, which is only 1500 words long, contains four standard and one video ad to the right, a banner across the side and bottom, and three built right into the story, between every four paragraphs or so. I have seen an even higher number on longer stories. Though not an exact number, the site Worth of Web estimates that nearly 10 000 people visit CreepypastaDotCom and it earns nearly $150 USD daily. Though their site’s lack of ads is a little less apparent in its source of income, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights offers a subscription service starting at $5 USD a month and capping at $79.99 a year, locking many of their stories and recordings behind a paywall . On top of this, Social Blade estimates their channel earning between $144 and $2.3K USD monthly. These are not small groups making a mistake; these are large companies making the active decision to omit credit, at times going out of their way to do so.

So, I decided to spend a free afternoon going on a little crusade of using a combination of Google Images and other backwards image searching services to find and credit nearly ALL of the art they reposted in their respective comments section.

The most disturbing cases I’ve seen are:

-a few artists that I was able to tag directly that stated that they hadn’t permitted them to use their art nor was it free for anyone to repost or use (at bare minimum without credit)

-multiple artists who were selling the piece they used or others as a print

-several drawings that had logos, names, signatures or watermarks cropped out of the image to even further remove credit

-a handful of concept art from indie games

The most disgusting one I found was an advertisement featured on both Twitter feeds for a book on Amazon by K Banning Kellum. Attached to this was a piece that I discovered was hand painted by François Baranger for a crowdfunded book, cropping out the full resolution to hide the space where the text was meant to be placed. They were using art from an unrelated book to advertise another. Both Banning and Baranger have made statements asking that the advert be taken down.

It took a few hours before I heard any word from either of them. CreepypastaDotCom initially excused all this to Twitter’s word count, citing that their Facebook page properly attributed the specific artist I was referring to (which they mentioned was a “friend” of theirs). I pointed out that though yes, they did credit that very specific artist on that other social media, they failed to do so with a good majority of the art they were sharing, and that they had no issue adding an additional tweet to that chain after I mentioned it but still to none of the others.

Both pages did eventually remove all of the incriminating posts, but not before blocking me immediately after this interaction.

I had this on the back of my mind until a month later, when I decided to check up on both of them after the RareHorror incident occurred. When plugging their most recent text-based stories they began using (what I hope to be) stock photographs, and most of CreepypastaDotCom’s Facebook feed now consists of memes. But all of the images that they had removed on Twitter had not ben touched on this social media page, and I also discovered an Instagram page for Chilling Tales doing the same thing. While going about making similar remarks on these respective pages, I recognized the watermark of Omega Black, who’s work was stolen by them before, directly used in a thumbnail for their podcast, which is one of the ones currently hidden behind their paywall. In fact, a majority of their recent thumbnails on their website, as well as on YouTube, have art done by other people that they have not credited. They only credit the artists that they commission art from, which they can, have, and CONTINUE to do. I have made efforts to properly attribute and ask that they remove these images as many places as I have been able.

In the middle of writing this, CreepypastaDotCom has removed ONLY the post about post about K Banning’s book, leaving up everything else, and has banned me from commenting on their Facebook page any further. Chilling Tales yet to make any sort of statement about this behaviour. Since posting this to Facebook, I have now been officially blocked on both Chilling Tales for Dark Nights and CreepypastaDotCom on there, as well as CTFDN's Instagram. The posts that got the most negative feedback over theft (belong to Francois and OmegaBlack respectively) have all been completely removed, BUT all the others are still there. All my comments linking back to their respective portfolios, ArtStations and DeviantART profiles have been wiped clean and they are left uncredited once more.

In the end I just want this sort of thing to end. It’s not right that these pages are piggybacking off of the artwork of others to generate more interest and clicks, to earn a profit that the original creators will not see a cent of. As an artist myself who has had their art mistaken for free clipart in the past I can’t image what it must be like to have your work used on a much larger scale. So if anyone from the CreepypastaDotCom or Chilling Tales for Dark Nights team is reading this, please consider removing all these. It’s neither legally nor morally right.

If anyone following me is able to, I ask that you consider addressing all this yourselves on your social media of choice. I don’t want any outright harassment, but it seems like as with most large corporations, a large group of people expressing their dissatisfaction is the only way to incite any change. As only one person there’s only so much I’ve been able to do.

Any artists following me should be extremely cautious of who is using your art and for what purpose. If this is happening to anyone I know personally I’ve got your back and I’ll do everything I can to get it removed or appropriately attributed.

If you intend on doing anything like Chilling Tales in the future, even tangentially related, the Creepypasta Wiki is a better while still expansive resource for stories. Here are also some resources you can use for royalty free or public domain photographs and images:

https://pixabay.com/

https://unsplash.com/

https://stocksnap.io/

https://www.pexels.com/

If you want to use art that you like, at least ask permission first. The worst they can say is no, and no response is NOT approval. Credit the artist, and Google Images is not a source.

Below is a list of all the artists I was able to find who’s work has been stolen and left unattributed. It is not completely comprehensive since backwards image searching only goes so far, and as only one person I have only been able to track their posts back to the beginning of January due to their absolutely massive backlog of images.

https://www.deviantart.com/drfaustusau

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2331644373749140/?type=3&theater

 Gary Pullin

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2330164767230434/?type=3&theater

 Joe Webb

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2329562920623952/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/jflaxman

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2328831980697046/?type=3&theater

 *https://www.deviantart.com/koidl

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2326650480915196/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2326647174248860/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsnqEW_lpsc/

  https://www.deviantart.com/almanegra

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2326866630893581/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2445654418787737/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxYy84xFsc6/

 Masahiro Sawada

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2324896661090578/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/daverapoza

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2324062071174037/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/chromattix

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2324881584425419/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2440420665977779/?type=3&theater

 Emil Melmoth

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2322323768014534/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/kumpan/

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2322322098014701/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2433247106695135/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/jasonedmiston

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1955865917993656/2313320382248206/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/panchecco/

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2290413431205568/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2349352058417974/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2294791423874038/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2255315011155013/?type=3&theater

  https://www.deviantart.com/loish

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2286125321634379/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2338187819534398/?type=3&theater

 Ares Dragonis

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2284644478449130/?type=3&theater

 Matteo Ascente

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2282149892031922/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2327855437234303/?type=3&theater

 Klaus Wittmann

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2274267342820177/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2307437519276095/?type=3&theater

 Miklós Ligeti

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2272191189694459/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2302082193144961/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2442398692446643/?type=3&theater

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiT77ezGfzY

 Eric Felten

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2271754523071459/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2301019089917938/?type=3&theater

 Jay Zhou

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2268483903398521/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2292754607411053/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/danielgrzeszkiewicz

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2265915273655384/?type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2286888337997680/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/nrjin

https://www.facebook.com/creepypastadotcom/photos/a.1890769041170011/2260490967531148/?type=3&theater

 Alex Monge

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2354560677897112/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvIqWUTl76c/

 OmegaBlack

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2433720263314486/?type=3&theater

 https://www.deviantart.com/dloliver

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2414995095187003/?type=3&theater

 Fernando Acosta

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2262643733755474/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bss96BaFaC1/

 Pedro Silvia

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2238916129461568/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsEgbuqFJRD/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVeESsQbBl4

 https://www.deviantart.com/dominikbroniek/

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2458696254150220/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BxsD7zXli7y/

https://audioboom.com/posts/7265417-the-art-of-imitation-chilling-tales-for-dark-nights

 https://www.deviantart.com/eemeling

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2454194474600398/?type=3&theater

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_zvU9u1epc

 https://www.deviantart.com/s-caruso

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2346953118657868/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu7Wkr1FseL/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jae1pm4ui0

 Dario Puggioni

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2326173137402533/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuWnJ93lLjp/

https://youtu.be/kaLO87La0q0

 Clint Nitkev

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2309484632404717/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt7iHxDlFzm/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97ZFM1EyBFQ

 https://www.deviantart.com/emerald-depths

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2273329246020256/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs_DQ9nlKMe/

 Blaz Porenta

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2249680588385122/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsWkhdDldGI/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd0o6Lfac9o

 https://www.deviantart.com/jflaxman/

https://www.facebook.com/chillingtalesfordarknights/photos/a.684108731608990/2244718002214714/?type=3&theater

https://www.instagram.com/p/BsOEvcVleCu/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qOOCS49RVM

[griseovis]

SUPER IMPORTANT PSA.  

I hoped to avoid this, but it appears as if it’s unavoidable.

I don’t want to call this a callout post because the point of this is to prevent others from becoming involved in similar situations with this particular person. So, instead, this is an official cautionary post informing people of the behavior of user tax//idoitis. Although they keep changing their url a lot because they have a notable tendency to do so, you can always discover what it is by looking at the tag pilgri//mbound ( a former url of theirs ). I warned them I’d have no choice but to do this if they kept visiting my blog, and they did precisely that.

I met this individual back in Summer / Fall of last year. They discovered my multimuse blog and approached me. We started writing and everything seemed okay. Until it didn’t. Eventually, odd things started to occur. For instance, another user accused them of stealing their OC’s backstory and they ( the problematic person ) came to me about it. Not knowing I’d find myself in the shoes of the accuser / victim months later, I comforted them but pointed out the fact that they didn’t respond as well as they could have to the accusation by further pestering the accuser. This recent situation has made me 100% sure that accusation was correct, by the way. Anyhow, after that, they then started doing odd things regarding me. For instance, changing their url to resemble mine. When I approached them to address the matter, they even revealed an awareness of the potentiality of me being made uncomfortable by the change prior to making it and after. As is their tendency to do, they “apologized” but tried to justify it. They did end up changing their url to something else, but the conscious creation of the problem and the manner in which they handled it didn’t sit well with me at all. Not too long thereafter, they did something else that basically served as the final straw and I told them we needed to part ways. We did go our separate ways. Or so I thought. It should have ended there.

As you can guess, it didn’t. Someone followed my multi not too long ago and the mun inquired about writing together. As mentioned in my rules, I’m terrible at recognizing people. I always treat the mun of a new blog / a blog I’ve never interacted with before as if they’re a new person / a stranger. Unless they tell me otherwise ( which most usually know to do ) or I just so happen to get lucky and recognize them. So, especially since they ( deliberately ) made themselves seem like someone I’d never interacted with before, I assumed this was someone new. They said they were interested in interacting with my Rey, so I directed them to this blog. Something I now deeply wish I hadn’t done. They followed and for a good amount of time, it was just silence. I hadn’t followed back because they hadn’t approached. When they did, I browsed their blog to try to get a good understanding / awareness of their writing style. I needed to figure out whether our styles were compatible. I noticed something odd that made me backtrack and decide against interacting with this person. Not only were they incorrectly using fundamental words such as its and it’s, but they were using complex words that I use but haven’t seen anyone else us. They were also incorrectly using those words. Like wielding a sword without having had any practice at all or really understanding how to use it. Typically, those who aren’t native English speakers but write in English stick with what they know and they use proper grammar. Their writing is smooth, comprehensible, and tasteful. At least, this is the case with those I’ve written and met. Yes, native and non-native English speakers alike make mistakes. However, there is an enormous difference between the occassional blunder and consistently making the exact same mistakes. Also, combining poor grammar with complex words ( when used incorrectly at that ) is jarring. Something is fundamentally wrong with that, but it’s difficult to sufficiently put it into words. In any case, I politely declined and told them our styles were incompatible. To which, they said they understood. At that point, they could have mentioned I’d written with them in the past, but they didn’t. Why? I strongly believe it’s because they remember I told them in the past we couldn’t interact and were trying to manipulate my perception so that I’d unknowingly write with them again. Unknowing in the sense that I’d be under the impression I was writing with someone else. Anyhow, I thought we were done and that that would be the end of that. I blocked, because what I saw on their blog sent off warning flags in my mind. It was the natural assumption, but I failed to realize there’s nothing natural about this situation or what they’re doing.

Skip ahead several days later and I receive an anonymous message from this same person. Once more, pretending to be someone aside from the roleplayer I’d interacted with in Summer / Fall. Saying they were the same person I told no just days ago from then, they said that ’ while they understand I’d declined due to incompatible writing styles, they were asking if I’d reconsider’. What exactly did they understand? From where I stand, they merely acknowledged that I said ‘no’ but decided to disregard it. This is the point where I should mention that they have nothing against disregarding the wishes of others. They’re not against showing disrespect and justifying it. If that weren’t enough, this same person sent that message on anon because I blocked them. Instead of bothering to respond to a message that would have forced my hand in responding publicly, I made a PSA under a read more. This person deliberately went on to the blog, clicked the read more, read the PSA, and wrote an indirect response to it on their blog that basically treated my post as a callout post, which it wasn’t. Nowhere at all - neither in the post itself or in the tags - was their url mentioned. At that point, I installed a tracker that a good friend here recommended. I mentioned the situation, and guess what happened? Apparently, this person has made 50+ visits to my blog underneath around 12 or more IP addresses over the past week alone. Since I’ve been blocking IP addresses of theirs as they’ve come along, they’d had to somehow make a plethora of IP addresses to bypass the blocks as if they see it all as some game. If that isn’t unsettling and intrusive behavior, I don’t know what is. Since this mess is becoming ridiculously exhausting and tiring, I decided to message them and resolve things civilly. Turns out, they have no shame about sending that pushy message. They tried to justify it. In that same conversation, they made a false accusation about me despite not having a shred of proof at all and then revealed who they were. They only mentioned then that we’d written before. When I suggest parting ways with someone, I don’t mean come back in a number of months and I’ll give you another chance. I mean stay as far away as possible for the sake of my health and happiness. Regardless, they said they’d stop visiting my blog, but then blocked me for some reason.

Guess what they did this morning? Not once, but multiple times under two new IP addresses did they visit before I had to get up and leave for work. I took a moment to politely ask them to stop from a different account, but they blocked. The person is incapable of guilt, shame, and regret.

In summary, this isn’t a traditional callout post, but rather a cautionary post to other people since no one deserves to go through this. I’m not saying don’t interact with them. The decision is yours to make, of course. I just want people to be aware of the kind of trouble they might encounter should they decide to interact with them. Odds are, given their growing track record of stalking my blog, they’ll inevitably seek out this post and read it unfortunately. It’s just a matter of time. Also, this blog of mine isn’t the only one they’ve been “visiting” too much either. 

Here are just some of my receipts. Ironically and unsurprisingly, the problematic person stopped by the blog while I was putting this together. Although it probably doesn’t make much of a difference since they keep inventing new IP addresses, I’ve blocked out the IP addresses. As you can imagine, having to see this each day is infuriating. 

[therealnakedgardener]

Is it really Distance Learning that’s failing your children?

Everyday there’s new stories about how Distance Learning is failing, and how kids are missing out on so much, and how our children are going to be psychologically crippled forever because they can’t be at recess with their friends. I would like to help change the narrative on this, if I may. 

Shouting from the rooftops, and any media source willing to broadcast or publish your opinion (yes, I get the irony here) about how “distance learning is failing” only creates a narrative that schools are failing our children; that teachers are failing your children. And I am pleading for this to stop! Distance learning is not what is failing your children right now – poor management of an out of control pandemic is what has created the situation that is failing your children right now. Unfortunately, when this pandemic was approached as political agenda issue – instead of a sneaky, resilient, always-looking-for-it’s-next-host virus – the institutions your tax dollars pay for (like schools, medicare, emergency services, etc) were maxed out immediately. This is why March 13, 2020 will stand out as a “where were you” moment for generations to come; because for many of us it marked the end of a “normal” we may never see again.

On March 13, I was in my office at the local high school, working furiously and desperately with the other counselors to make a plan. We had until 3pm on Friday the 13th to take what we thought we might need for the next few weeks (which is what we all imagined quarantine would be at the time.) Yes, there was some sitting and staring, “What will I need? What should I bring with me to work from home?” We grabbed files from our drawers, forms that we might need, we downloaded a bunch of files from our hard drives, grabbed brochures for community resources, and crisis resource information. We created shared drives and converted hard copies of forms to digital formats we could access from home. We took handouts and materials related to our seniors who were already behind in credit and working double time to graduate on time. In short, there was a lot to process. Everyone did the best they could with the information we were given. School districts all over the State, and later – in the entire nation, were building a band-aid to bridge the gap from March 13 to late April….as that was the initial announcement.

But then the information changed. We weren’t returning end of April, and would continue Distance Learning for the remainder of the 2020 school year. Graduation Ceremony? No one knows. Mind you, the life of a high school counselor from the months of April-June include regular phone calls from parents who have kids who “might not make it” for various reasons – usually related to it just not being a priority for the student. Parents want to know if they should plan graduation parties, or if they should be planning to fly grandma in – and she doesn’t travel well. They want a guarantee from me before they invest time and money into a celebration. And if you are asking yourself “No way, do parents really call and ask that?” I would say what we always say in this business, “You can’t make this shit up.” Which should also explain why the latest, and most persistent, slogan of the pandemic is that “Distance Learning is failing your children.” 

Fast forward to July, and we are experiencing a second wave of Rona – she’s surging from 4th of July weekend and summer vacations with friends and family. Because we’re entitled Americans and you can’t tell us “No BBQs on the 4th of July” – hell, this is what makes us Americans, right? Lots of beer, fireworks, and 911 calls…which, again, overtaxes a system that is already maxed out (as stated above.) But it was the height of summer – and people were tired of being in quarantine for 5 months. I am not saying I agree, or was partaking in anything other “we need to go to the store” – just replaying the facts. 

Thus, schools had to scramble to put together Distance Learning 2.0 for the Fall. The expectation was that it would be less of the band-aid that was built in the Spring, and more of a comprehensive digital platform. Mind you there was no extra funding for this, and districts had to make tough decisions – like using money from transportation or food services, since those departments were not as active during the school closures. Our district chose a 3 period day, as a response to the “too many emails” and “too much to manage remotely” concerns from our community. All totally legit – I believe our district has the best plan around, and I don’t get paid to say that. I truly believe it. 

Again, as high school counselors, we had to answer questions like “how do we make this work for students?” For example, for those who don’t know, Advanced Placement (AP) courses have testing in May. And since periods 4-6 didn’t start until Feb 2, we needed to offer all of our AP courses in periods 1-3 – which happens Sept-Jan.  This means students could only take 3 AP courses this year. And yes, three college level classes for a high school student may sound like more than enough, but you’d be surprised. I could bore you with more details, and the play-by-play of difficult conversations and impossible decisions, but just know that trying to figure how and when to offer classes for the children was like riding a rollercoaster that never stops. And yes, twists, turns, upside down, makes you want to puke…all of it. But we got there. And the school year began! 

Then news reports and articles about how Distance Learning is failing our students began to appear. And it makes my heart ache for the teachers who spent their summer break watching webinars and instructional videos so that they were familiar with the various digital formats our district selected. Teachers, who are running on fumes – because no one ever stopped working after March 13 happened. No one has had the opportunity to totally unplug, or make the incessant thoughts about how we can do better stop from keeping us awake at night. Teachers just have to keep….teaching. They create lessons for both synchronous and asynchronous learning, they stretch out of comfort zones to be fun and exciting on camera. They sacrifice time with their family – because work/home lines are so blurred right now, and it’s too easy to get tunnel vision. Especially when all you hear on the news is how Distance Learning is failing our children. 

So they work harder. Districts tell principals there needs to be more accountability as to how teachers are spending their time. Did you know that if a teacher wants to give a student an F, they have to fill out a packet of paperwork – documenting “multiple and varied attempts” to contact the student and parent. And then they have to collect ALL the work the student chose to not do, and put it in a file – so that the student has the opportunity to make the work up later, and replace their F with a passing grade. If the voice in your head is saying “wait, if a kid fails, don’t they just get an F and have to make it up in summer school?” Thirty years ago, yes. Today? No way. In today’s world of litigious parents, high stakes testing, and accountability to the federal government which is linked to funding – things have changed a smidge. So, as the proverbial poop rolls downhill, teachers get squeezed more and more. Do more. Help more. Be more. 

Has anyone read statistics about how many children are participating in remote learning? Consider that in a school setting, they are a captive audience and “have to be there.” And yes, they are more likely to engage when the socially acceptable thing to do is attend class when the bell rings. And, for the most part, pay attention. Maybe learn something. Maybe even participate and turn stuff in! But at home, when your existence is a picture of your face in a box, that motivation and structure isn’t there automatically. 

Distance Learning has required that students want to learn. They now get to make a choice each day to login, or play video games. Imagine you’re fifteen years old, and your parents went to work for the day, what would you choose? Or imagine you’re ten years old, and your parents are out of work – and the climate at home isn’t great. Everyone is having to pitch in more, or maybe the arguing has turned to fighting, or worse. How important is it to login for class? 

More and more teachers are reporting that, even when students do login for class – they block video. So all of these “fun and exciting” lessons they have prepared, and summoned the courage to do on camera from an empty classroom at school, is done to a screen of avatars instead of live humans. Anecdotal reports indicate that “turning your camera on isn’t cool.” Which makes it even harder on teachers, who are working harder than they ever have in their careers. School employees are living in a world where we are working double-time with all of the parts of the job that are impersonal, and not fun; and the part that makes this job worth doing – the student interaction, and the amusing randomness of a school day – doesn’t really exist right now. 

So is it really Distance Learning that isn’t working? Maybe. Or maybe it’s just the most convenient way to measure how bad things have gotten since March 13. Perhaps it’s easier to make education the scapegoat when people have to make sacrifices and forgo holidays with extended family and friends, or listen to their children complain about missing out on “everything.”  This is the United States of America, and outside these borders, we’re known for our entitlement – it’s kind of our thing. But inside the borders, instead of acknowledging an inherent entitlement that is part of the fabric of American culture, we’ll just say Distance Learning is failing our children. 

[alexsmitposts]

The End of the Trump Presidency is Here Exactly as with Watergate, it is a simple thing. Trump, aided by Rudy Giuliani, his personal lawyer and US Attorney General Robert Barr, a former CIA “fixer,” have, according to some news sources including the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, been caught bribing and blackmailing a foreign leader in something miles beyond RussiaGate. From the Daily Beast: “President Trump asked Ukraine’s president to investigate Hunter Biden, son of 2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden, eight separate times during one phone call this summer, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. According to the Journal’s sources, Trump told President Volodymyr Zelensky in that July phone call to work with the president’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani on probing the former vice president over allegations he shielded from investigation a Ukrainian gas company with ties to his son. “Mr. Trump didn’t mention a provision of foreign aid to Ukraine on the call, said this person, who didn’t believe Mr. Trump offered the Ukrainian president any quid-pro-quo for his cooperation on an investigation,” the Journal added. Trump’s interactions with the Ukrainian president have come under scrutiny following news of a whistleblower’s complaint about the president’s communications with a foreign leader and a “promise” Trump allegedly made in those conversations.” What puts the icing on the cake, as it were, is that directly tied to this, Trump held up a $260 million military aid package which was eventually released after the blackmail attempt came to light. Also,from the Daily Beast: “A source with direct knowledge of the situation says that in recent months he has informally advised Trump on how to approach Zelensky. That advice came around the time rumors started flying that the president was withholding aid to the Ukrainian government until he received assurances the Biden investigation would move forward. “He’s a question mark. There are a lot of good things, but there are these people he surrounds himself with,” Giuliani said of Zelensky in a conversation with The Daily Beast in late July. “He’s been there too short a period of time to know how he’s going to act. But I think there are very good signs and I have an open mind.” On Thursday evening, when asked about the latest Ukraine revelation and if it was related to his well-publicized efforts, Giuliani simply said, “Don’t know and don’t care. Let them [the Democrats] knock themselves out.” Asked whether anybody had been in touch with him yet about the whistleblower complaint, the Trump attorney responded, “No, it’s total bull[shit].” He then claimed that “Biden did bribery, and you don’t cover it. I did my job as a good lawyer [for President Trump] and Corrupt Media gets excited.” The Trump administration ultimately did sign off on a major military aid package, releasing it on Sept. 12. Zelensky spoke to Trump in late July. The readout of that call from the Ukrainian camp reportedly noted that Trump was focused on Ukraine’s ability to ‘complete investigations into corruption cases that have hampered Ukraine-US cooperation.’” This is where it ties up neatly, 8 requests to investigate the son of a political rival and the blackmail, holding up funds based on blackmail which has been officially acknowledged by the Ukrainian government. Then it gets deeper, particularly if you watch the press. We have two platforms, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post reporting the story. Behind it all, where the story gained official standing as a criminal investigation against Trump is the law that protects federal “whistleblowers” who bring evidence of wrongdoing, in this case by President Trump. That evidence is, we are told and it could be nothing else, an intelligence intercept of conversations either directly with Trump and Zelensky or, and these are not protected in any way, multiple confirming intercepts that cover not only Zelensky discussing the blackmail but others, which could well include Giuliani and Barr, discussing criminal aspects of the conspiracy. Where it stands, the White House is blocking congress from evidence that has already been judged substantive in establishing the guilt of Trump and many of those around him in crimes well beyond Watergate. The whistleblower materials have already been verified by intelligence officials at the White House and congress has been informed that they are considered valid and of vital interest to national security, that Donald Trump is considered by the National Security Council, a “threat against the United States.” While we see some media outlets reporting some parts of the story, others are censoring it entirely and others still, like the “Trump hating” New York Times, simply accepting Trump’s denials and accusations as proof the charges are false. You see, Trump has said the individual charging him is a known operative of the opposition party. Problem here, Trump has no idea who this individual is, he simply reached into his bag of tricks learned from mentor Roy Cohn, the infamous mob boss that Trump spent his early years “clubbing” with, always deny, always attack, this was the Roy Cohn way. Cohn’s vindictive and combative ways aided Trump but Cohn himself succumbed to liver cancer as a complication of AIDS in 1986, leaving Trump to eventually find, years later, Rudy Giuliani as a legal guide, but never anyone to replace Cohn, his lifelong closest associate. We are looking at this one incident because it represents one leak, one highly documented leak, that exposes the way Trump has done business since day one and that blackmail and bribery have been a part of White House day to day operations since Trump moved in and, according to our sources, years before. Let us look at the situation in the Persian Gulf. The US has just sent military units to “protect” Saudi Arabia, the 4th largest military on earth, from Iran, a nation with a handful of aircraft. The problem here, Trump and his family have hundreds of millions in overt and even more in covert private business deals with Saudi Arabia, including deals for hotels, night clubs and even “adult relaxation” facilities, a term we take to mean “brothels” which are invariably tied to human trafficking. Let us remember that on two occasions, Trump attacked Syria based on reports he received from his daughter who read them on social media. On both occasions, Syrian air defenses handily defeated American attacks, a huge humiliation for the Pentagon. The result of this, something not reported, is that the Pentagon is unwilling to accept orders from Trump, orders continually issued, then rescinded then reissued, the altered then forgotten. Military leaders speak of nothing else, “Trump has advanced dementia.” Then we have the recent revelations by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. From Politico: “Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday that Israeli officials “played” President Donald Trump in their conversations with him, warning that a “healthy amount of skepticism” is needed in dealings with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The comments came during a panel discussion at Harvard University in which Tillerson, who was fired by the president last year, touched on a variety of themes from his tenure, including Iran, his hiring freeze at the State Department and the unpredictable nature of Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Netanyahu. ‘They did that with the president on a couple of occasions, to persuade him that ‘We’re the good guys, they’re the bad guys,’’ Tillerson said, according to the Harvard Gazette. “We later exposed it to the president so he understood, ‘You’ve been played.’” He cautioned that skepticism is necessary when dealing with Netanyahu, whom Tillerson called ‘a bit Machiavellian.’” In fact, every action Trump has been involved in starting with breaking the nuclear treaty with Iran which has virtually destroyed NATO is based on Trump being “played” by Netanyahu. Inside sources also say Netanyahu had a hand in Trump backing out of the INF treaty as well, putting the US on a war footing with Russia and in an arms race that has potentially disastrous consequences, particularly since Russia’s weapons tend to work better than America’s, a fact the Pentagon has not been able to keep from the public. From Tass: “Missile defense systems all over the world sometimes fail to demonstrate the intended result, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said, when asked by a reporter why Saudi troops, armed with US-made Patriot missile defense systems, failed to repel the recent drone attack on the kingdom’s oil facilities. ‘We’ve seen air defense systems all around the world have mixed success,’ the Department of State press service quoted Pompeo as saying upon his arrival to Jeddah. ‘Some of the finest in the world don’t always pick things up. We want to work to make sure that infrastructure and resources are put in place such that attacks like this would be less successful than this one appears to have been.’ The US top diplomat lashed out at rumors that the attack on Saudi Aramco oil facilities was a result of US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program.” One must remember, Israel is protected by a lightly modified American system, far less costly and elaborate than the one that failed in Saudi Arabia. The same thing is true for Saudi Arabia and for much of Western Europe except nations like Turkey that use Russian systems. Others are likely to follow as well. And we must remember, Iran has a Russian air defense system. Conclusion Washington faces an analog of Watergate with these exceptions, the media giants that took on Nixon and his gang no longer exist. Washington is a city of “small men,” not just Trump, Barr and Giuliani, but opposition as well. Few alive today remember Senator Sam Ervin. The real question here isn’t so much the those we have thus stated, that the military no longer finds Trump credible and has taken on presidential power, the worst kept secret imaginable, that America as we know it ended some time ago. There are so many others. I mention Senator Ervin but let us read his opening address from 1973 courtesy of Rolling Stone: “A Black Cloud of Distrust, May 17th, 1973. We are beginning these hearings today in an atmosphere of utmost gravity. The questions, that have been raised in the wake of the June 17th break-in, strike at the very undergirding of our democracy. If the many allegations made to this date are true, then the burglars who broke into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate were in effect breaking into the home of every citizen of the United States. If these allegations prove to be true, what they were seeking to steal was not the jewels, money or other property of American citizens, but something much more valuable—their most precious heritage, the right to vote in a free election. Since that day, a mood of incredulity has prevailed among our populace, and it is the constitutional duty of this committee to allay the fears being expressed by the citizenry, and to establish the factual bases upon which these fears have been founded. The Founding Fathers, having participated in the struggle against arbitrary power, comprehended some eternal truths respecting men and government. They knew that those who are entrusted with power are susceptible to the disease of tyrants, which George Washington rightly described as “love of power and the proneness to abuse it.” For that reason, they realized that the power of public officers should be defined by laws which they, as well as the people, are obligated to obey. The Constitution, later adopted amendments and, more specifically, statutory law provide that the electoral processes shall be conducted by the people, outside the confines of the formal branches of government, and through a political process that must operate under the strictures of law and ethical guidelines, but independent of the overwhelming power of the government itself. Only then can we be sure that each electoral process cannot be made to serve as the mere handmaiden of a particular Administration in power.” Remember, this was 1973. The Vietnam war was nearly ended, America has stopped what had seemed an endless war, one brought to a close by combat veterans, not “activists” or “leftists.” Nixon, as with Trump, both acolytes of Roy Cohn, was seen as a sinister individual, a pathological liar, malevolent and “unclean.” His destruction was seen as a victory for justice at the hands of men who fought and won World War II, leaders that simply don’t exist anymore, leading an America that fewer and fewer Americans have faith in. Trump didn’t cause this. Did it start with 9/11, or the Kennedy killings or the fake terror wars? What is left is simple, Trump is now a placeholder, not a president, powerless, clownish, a buffoon and embarrassment. Opposing him, to a large extent, are those who will never be able to find what we used to call “the American spirit.” It could have been that Trump might well have been the cure to the disease of engineered cynicism that infects America. Instead, the president who promised to “empty the swamp” became, as so easily predicted, the worst of its creatures.

[easyweight101]

Forma Stanzol Review: Don’t Buy Before You Read This!

What is it?

Forma Stanzol is a topical solution aimed at balancing hormone levels in the body. The makers of Forma Stanzol is an anti-aromatase product, which lowers estrogen, raises testosterone and helps build lean muscles.

Forma Stanzol keeps the body from converting testosterone into estrogen, which is particularly useful for men who are taking testosterone or working out quite a bit. The makers of Forma Stanzol also claim this product is effective in improving sexual desire and function with regular use.

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Forma Stanzol V3 Ingredients and Side Effects

The ingredients for Forma Stanzol V3 are listed clearly on the official product webpage. They’ve opted to keep the ingredient list small, focusing on ingredients that suppress the production of estrogen, rather than boost testosterone like similar products. Here’s a look at what’s inside:

Chrysin Diindolymethane

  Cyclohexylaminoglutethimide (CHAG) Horse Chestnut Seed Extract:

Chrysin: A flavonoid that occurs naturally in a variety of flowers and in honey and bee propolis, chrysin is frequently used in bodybuilding supplements, as it is thought to help increase testosterone levels in the body. Chrysin is also thought to treat erectile dysfunction.

Diindolymethane: A substance formed in a number of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, Brussels sprout and cauliflower, this ingredient is used to prevent cancer, enlarged prostate, and is thought to have an effect on blocking estrogen in the body.

 Cyclohexylaminoglutethimide (CHAG): An anti-aromatase ingredient, CHAG is used to block the conversion of testosterone into estrogen in the body.

Side effects may include rash, hepatoxicity and a decrease in the body’s production of cortisol. There is some evidence this ingredient may cause hypothyroidism as well.

Horse Chestnut Seed Extract: Horse chestnut is a plant used to treat pain and swelling related to eczema, arthritis, muscle pain and more. It additionally is used to treat issues associated with poor circulation. There is evidence this ingredient may treat male infertility, but not much is known about this use.

Side effects may include dizziness, nausea, itching and headache. In some cases, the pollen from the horse chestnut may cause an allergic reaction.

Horse chestnut contains large quantities of a poison called esculin, and may cause death if eaten raw. Most products containing horse chestnut have taken steps to remove this substance from the ingredient.

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Forma Stanzol Quality of Ingredients

In looking at the ingredients of Forma Stanzol, it seems the key ingredients focus more on blocking the body’s natural production of estrogen, rather than boost the production of testosterone.

Unfortunately, because the product itself is hard to find, there isn’t much information regarding Forma Stanzol and what it is that makes it work. We don’t have access to the results of any clinical studies that may have been done, despite the manufacturer’s claims that there have been no reported side effects nor any adverse effects that showed up in clinical studies.

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The Price and Quality of Forma Stanzol

Forma Stanzol V3 is sold through the official website, as well as through a number of other websites like Amazon and eBay. The regular price is $59.99 for a 4oz bottle.

The manufacturer recommends applying the solution on your shoulders, arms, back and abdomen twice daily, ideally using 3-10 pumps depending on surface area.

Forma Stanzol V3 comes in a bottle that is half full, something many customers have complained about, but the official website acknowledges that they use an oversize bottle to prevent leakage. Unfortunately, the four-ounce bottle may only last a couple weeks if used as directed, so it may prove to be a costly solution for a number of people.

Again, while we appreciate the manufacturers have kept the list of ingredients rather short, it is almost exclusively made from anti-estrogen compounds, ingredients known for helping users build muscles and increase athletic performance.

While it seems like people have been pleased with the results of taking Forma Stanzol V3, we’d recommend looking elsewhere if you’re in the market for a product that truly boosts testosterone. The makers of this product recommend using Forma Stanzol V3 alongside a test booster, as it inhibits the production of estrogen. It’s really more of a companion supplement to working out, and some users may need to take a separate testosterone supplement if their levels are very low.

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Business of Forma Stanzol V3

The name of the company that sells Forma Stanzol V3 is known as Muscle Research Supplements.

The Muscle Research webpage looks a bit crowded and appears to be out of date. The company does not provide any contact information aside from a form that can be filled out to answer any questions.

Unfortunately, Muscle Research makes it very difficult to get in touch with anyone that works at the company, failing to provide any contact information aside from a form you can fill out upon selecting “other” from a drop down menu.

Forma Stanzol V3 itself has a product page that breaks down each of the ingredients in the formula and what they do. Unfortunately, this isn’t digestible information for the average consumer, and doesn’t explain much about how the ingredients interact within the system after the skin absorbs the ingredients.

This product comes in a container that is half full, and there are no free trial periods or returns on this item. The reason for no returns, is, according to the website, this product has not been tamper sealed.

Upon further review, there aren’t any readily available complaints about the makers of Forma Stanzol V3, and the company seems to be operating using legitimate business practices.

Customer Opinions of Forma Stanzol V3

Because this product has been banned, most of the reviews are a bit outdated. However, there were many reports of troubling side effects from the mild like acne or increased sweating, to aggression, changes in mood and hair loss. While Forma Stanzol V3 does seem to produce many of the effects it promises, there are some clear downsides involved with taking this supplement.

“Used this product for the recommended 8-week cycle and noticed no effects. It’s really expensive for only 4oz, and you’d have to purchase something like 4 bottles per month to use as recommended.

“This only lasted two weeks, and for a product that’s $60, that’s ridiculous. It feels like a scam because there isn’t much info about the new formula, and the bottle isn’t even filled to the top.”

“I was pleased with the results, it helped tighten up some muscles and get rid of some body fat. The results weren’t mind blowing, but it’s definitely better than some of the other products I’ve tried.”

Reviews for Forma Stanzol V3 were all over the place. While many people were pleased with some gains in the gym, as well as with fat loss others were disappointed with the lack of results.

Also, it seems that this product only lasts a couple weeks when used according to the package. For a $60-a-bottle supplement, the value seems far less than the price.

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Conclusion – Does Forma Stanzol V3 Work?

While it seems that a number of people have been pleased with the results they got from Forma Stanzol V3, it should be known that this formula is not meant to actually boost testosterone on its own, rather block the conversion of testosterone into estrogen, which occurs more often in men who work out quite seriously.

We did like that Muscle Research did include a lot of information on the science behind their product, as well as what each ingredient does. However, they don’t really lay out a good set of guidelines dictating how much of this product one is supposed to use.

Additionally, we appreciate that this product has been subject to cited clinical research, which sets it apart from some of its competitors.

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