#last time it was a http error i had to wait days to be resolved. now it's their shitty ass website not recognizing my webcam

[gammaraydeath]

the way that every single time i sit my ass down and commit myself to doing this math course circumstances outside of my control prevent it from happening

[trylonandperisphere]

Battle over mail-in voting could leave both parties with doubts about results in November | WPMI

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — President Donald Trump again accused Democrats of trying to “steal” the November election Monday as Democrats continued to question his willingness to abide by the results, and new polls suggest the public is growing increasingly concerned about the security of the process and the credibility of the outcome as Election Day draws nearer.

“In an illegal late night coup, Nevada’s clubhouse Governor made it impossible for Republicans to win the state,” Trump tweeted Monday morning. “Post Office could never handle the Traffic of Mail-In Votes without preparation. Using Covid to steal the state.”

A bill approved in a special legislative session over the weekend would empower Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak to direct the secretary of state to send mail-in ballots to all active voters. Seven other states are already planning to do the same, despite objections by the president and some Republicans.

President Trump’s latest complaint about states shifting toward voting by mail due to the spread of the coronavirus came days after he floated the possibility of delaying November’s election entirely. He backed off that suggestion after bipartisan backlash, but he continues to predict it will be “the greatest election disaster in history.”

The pandemic has already presented unprecedented challenges in the primaries, bringing a massive surge in demand for absentee ballots, a shortage of volunteers willing to work at polling sites, and long delays in tabulating results. Voters in Georgia waited in lines for hours to cast votes in person, more than 20,000 ballots submitted by mail were rejected in Wisconsin, and New York election officials have taken over a month to determine who won some races.

“It is irresponsible for political officials to suggest that the United States cannot conduct a valid and legitimate election during a pandemic,” said Elizabeth Bennion, founding director of the American Democracy Project at Indiana University South Bend. “At the same time, it would be irresponsible to assume that it should be business as usual.”

In three months, state election systems will be tested again, with many more ballots and much higher stakes. Election officials are racing to rectify errors, establish safeguards, and prepare for an expected onslaught of early voting and absentee ballots as Americans aim to avoid gathering at crowded polling locations on Election Day, and some say the president’s rhetoric is not helping.

"I think it really shatters peoples' confidence in the process," Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman, a Republican, said in an interview with NPR Saturday. "We need to make sure we're inspiring confidence in the public that this is a fair election. And the way you do that is balancing access and security."

While some election integrity experts appear confident states will be able to resolve the problems that emerged in the primaries and hold safe and secure elections in November, voters do not share that faith in the process. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Friday found a majority of Americans are afraid the 2020 election will not be fair.

About half of respondents, including 80% of Republicans, echoed the president’s complaints that increased use of absentee ballots would result in widespread fraud. In addition, about three-quarters of registered voters expressed concerns about voter suppression and “organized voter fraud by political actors.”

Still, 67% of voters said they expected their ballot would be counted accurately if they voted by mail, including six out of 10 Republicans. GOP voters were twice as likely as Democrats to worry ineligible people would cast ballots, but even 40% of Democrats believe voter fraud is a widespread problem.

A Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll released last week showed 70% of voters support having a mail-in ballot option, but 78% are concerned about vote tampering. About 80% of respondents opposed the practice of ballot harvesting, in which partisan groups can collect mail-in ballots door-to-door and submit them in bulk in some states, and 60% worried ballots would erroneously be sent to people who have died or moved away.

“The new normal of questioning legitimacy for the candidates has now been extended to the process of selecting a winner,” said Michael Cohen, CEO of the Cohen Research Group. “This is far worse. It solidifies political polarization and gives reason to those who opt-out of democracy that it’s all rigged, anyway.”

Republicans and Democrats are locked in litigation in 18 states over attempts to expand access to absentee ballots in light of the pandemic. Democrats maintain anyone who wants to vote by mail to protect their health should be allowed to do so, but the Trump campaign and its allies insist blindly sending ballots to all registered voters will result in rampant fraud.

Though election security experts say mail-in ballots are somewhat more susceptible to fraud than voting in person, states have protocols in place to mitigate those risks and there is no evidence any kind of voting fraud is common. That is why many have called for the federal government to provide more money to states for election administration to ensure they have the resources to distribute, collect, and count votes accurately.

House Democrats approved billions of dollars to assist states with vote-by-mail in the HEROES Act in May, but a Senate Republican stimulus proposal released last week included no such funding. Election funding is just one of many contentious issues Democratic leaders and the White House are trying to hammer out a compromise on this week, and there is no guarantee additional money is coming for elections.

At least 16 states have made changes to voting procedures because of the pandemic, and 77% of all voters will now have the option of voting by mail without an excuse beyond fear of the coronavirus, according to a Washington Post analysis. Only eight states will require voters to provide a reason besides the pandemic to obtain absentee ballots, and none of those are likely to be decisive states in the presidential election.

Still, election night will likely look a lot different this year than in past cycles because of the reduction in in-person voting, and experts say the media and political leaders should be preparing the public for days or weeks of uncertainty. Barring an overwhelming victory by Trump or Biden, several key states could be too close to call on Nov. 3, with millions of mailed ballots not yet counted or still in transit from voters.

“It seems likely that people who disagree with the outcome of the election will question the integrity of the process, especially if they are primed and prompted to do so by candidates, campaigns, and opinion leaders,” Bennion said. “This is why it is important for politicians and election administrators on both sides of the aisle to promote voter access and ballot security.”

Leaders and pundits have instead, at times, stoked voters’ fears about this scenario. According to The Washington Post, President Trump has attacked the integrity of voting by mail more than 70 times since March, often with little or no evidence to support his claims, and undermining his party’s efforts to encourage supporters to use absentee ballots in the process.

“I want to have the election. But I also don't want to have to wait for three months and then find out that the ballots are all missing and the election doesn't mean anything,” Trump said at a press briefing last week. “That's what's going to happen. That's common sense, and everyone knows it.”

As Trump wavers on whether he would trust the results, top Democrats have voiced concerns he might rig the election or somehow refuse to leave office if Biden won. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., suggested Sunday the president does not support “fair and unfettered elections.”

“I believe that he plans to install himself in some kind of emergency way to continue to hold on to office. And that is why the American people had better wake up,” Clyburn said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Appearing on the same CNN program, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams—who has often alleged the 2018 election she lost was stolen from her due to Republican voter suppression—warned President Trump is “doing his best to undermine our confidence in the process.” She also accused him of trying to weaken the Postal Service at a time when reliable mail service will be integral to ensuring a fair election.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., tweeted Monday that Republicans would “lie, cheat and steal to stay in power.” Her comments highlighted reports that new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s efforts to slow down mail delivery in the name of cost-cutting could prevent voters from receiving and submitting ballots on time.

“Trump put Postmaster DeJoy in charge of the postal service to dismantle the USPS & sabotage vote by mail. New procedures are causing massive delays,” Waters said.

None of this is going to give partisans in either party much reason to believe their candidate truly lost once all the votes are counted. Cohen predicted a disputed election is “a near-certainty” at this point, and he cautioned that chipping away at the foundations of democracy, even if lawmakers see valid cause for concern, could weaken the nation in the long run.

“Leaders should be dialing down the rhetoric for members of their political tribes so there is confidence in the process, and so, if they win, they can be viewed as legitimate,” Cohen said. “Putin and Xi are rooting for Trump and Biden to fail on this.”

Foreign interference is another potential complication. William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, warned in a statement last week that foreign adversaries are “seeking to compromise the private communications of U.S. political campaigns, candidates and other political targets,” as well as attacking state and federal election infrastructure.

Evanina also accused China, Russia, and Iran of using social and traditional media to spread disinformation and undermine confidence in elections.

“As Americans, we are all in this together; our elections should be our own,” he said. “Foreign efforts to influence or interfere with our elections are a direct threat to the fabric of our democracy. Neutralizing these threats requires not just a whole-of-government approach, but a whole-of-nation effort.”

These are not new problems. President Trump has governed for three-and-a-half years under a cloud of liberal suspicion over Russia’s role in the 2016 election, and some Democrats still openly claim his election was illegitimate. Trump was among those suggesting the same about his predecessor based on false allegations that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya.

Many Democrats still harbor resentment and doubt over the outcome of the 2000 election, in which the Republican majority on the Supreme Court halted a recount of votes in Florida, allowing President George W. Bush to declare victory. President Bill Clinton faced legitimacy questions, as well, after winning the 1992 election with only 43% of the popular vote.

If the 2020 election is close, experts foresee lawsuits, protests, and massive media campaigns waged by both parties intended to convince the American people they won before all the votes are counted and the results are certified. If the litigation reaches the Supreme Court and two Trump-appointed justices—including one who secured his seat only because Republicans refused to consider President Obama’s nominee in 2016—cast deciding votes that afford him another term, the outrage from the left would be deafening.

No matter who wins in November, though, the president who is inaugurated next January will likely find much of the country harboring deep doubts about his legitimacy, and that could make enacting his policy agenda and leading the nation far more difficult.

“Neither president will have a honeymoon, meaning it will be extremely challenging to get big legislative wins in that crucial first year,” Cohen said.

However, the fact that the United States has gone through several disputed and divisive elections in the past provides Bennion with hope that American democracy can weather whatever happens this November without suffering deep institutional damage.

“We have survived terrible crises and periods of great division before, and we will survive it again,” she said. “Public officials can lead the way by showing a shared commitment to free and fair elections.”

[trinity-blood-translations]

Trinity Blood Prequel 1999 Sneaker Edition Translation

Translation by Kaidou See original post and comment / discuss on the community forum: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/trinityblood/trinity-blood-prequel-1999-sneaker-edition-transla-t3101.html#p40001009

                                                  Prologue

The man who came from the Vatican and— The beautiful woman swordsman— Under the full moon, the "hunting" begins— Trinity Blood prequel ---  in the Slovenia history of slavic people, a vampire fights to protect a region because they [krusnik] (kr(e)snik) safeguard those who exist in faith. ('slavic vampire folklore' Kurihara Shigeo).

The chapel was filled with light. In the room of this tranquil God it was as if time had stopped. Dozing in the pure atmosphere, pigeons everywhere rested their wings for an afternoon nap, and for the beautiful woman in a red clerical robe, she casually sat down on a bench. [Your Excellency ......] From the direction of the corridor came a reserved voice, and behind a monocle, a thin eyelid opened. Languid ash-colored eyes raised. [Sorry to disturb the height of your prayer. A report about the "hunt" is here.] [The Lutetium matter, isn't it?] While looking up at the fresco paintings decorating the colossal dome, the woman responded with an indifferent voice. At the center was God's child crucified, the sacred work drawn with splendid brushwork. [The parish priest and twelve civilians murdered in a blood robbery...... what is the progress?]  [In fact, a small difficult thing happened...... the "Empire" has emergency information.] Before the eyes of the woman, there was nothing in the vacant space until a hologram floated to the surface---a transparent white, young woman with a handsome face. [It's the only daughter of the Paris Earl murdered thirty years ago. When the mansion was attacked by Hunters, this daughter escaped by means of a cliff to the "Empire" for asylum, but they no longer know her whereabouts from before January. Presumably, it seems she returned to her homeland for revenge.] [Oh my. Of all the bad things at a time like this...... did you take any measures?] [Yes, we dispatched a hunter to Lutetium yesterday. Hopefully, the case will be resolved before the arrival of the daughter. If not in time, the daughter will be "dealt with"......] [Good. By the way, who is the hunter?] In regards to the question, there was a brief period of hesitation from the corridor. But, suppressing those feelings the voice soon returned. [According to the discipline report, <Krusnik>...... scheduled to arrive tonight.] [Very well. Also, please let me know if there is any movement.] [Yes......] Eyes closed again as the woman returned to meditation, but the person in the corridor seemed to remain uncomfortable. [What is it?] [N, no, that...... can we use a person who is forever cursed like that? If the other cardinals know this important state matter, what is to be said......? ["We" refers to who?] [We — we the Vatican.] [Is that so...... and the Vatican? What is the Vatican?] [Those who protect the Son of Man, humanity's last line of defense to destroy the devils with a sword of justice, the leaders in the recovery of "Armageddon"......] [And from the ancient times of God.] From a skylight poured the soft autumn sun to dye the nearby cross alter white. The lips of the woman who looked at it raised in a sharp smile. [Yes, we are the divine enforcement of this world. What people on earth have the ability to blame us? Not to mention, the result is a holy war if the night race accomplish an attack on us.] Shaking out her luxurious golden hair, the clerical robe of the woman who stood up fluttered gorgeously like a Valkyrie war costume, and her delicate fingers carried a high-office staff that glittered sharp like the sword of the archangel Michael. [Report that Krusnik is to give strict pursuit! A city disturbed at night, the authority of our God stained by the faithless, exterminate them regardless so not one person is spared!] [Yes!] The chapel was full of white light. Countless pigeons all at once fluttered. [Deus, misereor nobis Tortuna Invincem ...... amen.][1] Looking up at the flock fly away to the light of the blue sky, the woman in a clerical robe murmured quietly. 

[1] What do you guys think? The Latin at the end is a bit confusing for me despite being directly lifted from the Sneaker I think there was a translation error by the publishers. I wasn't sure if I should have corrected it on not, but the Kanji reads [O Lord, Have Mercy on the Fate Crossing Us... Amen].

                                                   Part I [So, I said—once in a while I want to breathe fresh air outside......] The tall young man pushed up his glasses, round like the bottom of a milk bottle, and swung his old-fashioned briefcase. On the chest of his simple black priest cassock, a large cross idly swayed. [Then "Come smoke to your heart's content." I was told among other things, and that same day a business trip to a country like this...... it’s a terrible story. I wonder if there's no God in this world?] [The work of a traveling priest is odd] The woman walking beside the young priest chimed in poisonously. The extremely beautiful woman was encased in a high dress that exposed her explicit body. This lonely street at night was a suitable distance from the party venue. [But, Father. I want to give thanks to that superior. Because it's thanks to that I was able to leave together with the Father like this...... my companions at that place had become annoying, but if it’s just the Father, I feel relieved truthfully. You see, there’s a lot of ruckus now don’t you think? A woman shouldn't walk the streets at night] The beautiful woman entwined her fingers on the arm of the priest gently. Sending him a seductive smile, she whispered meaningfully. [Truthfully, to be able to meet the dreamy Father like this just now...... surely, this also appears to be a summon from God] [A, ahahaa! N, no, dreamy, not really...... no, truly the wisdom of the Lord is infinite! The sons of man to speculate a matter is the height of disrespect! B, by the way......] While speaking of the various little aspects of religious consideration just now, the priest wiped away non-existent sweat. Taking the opportunity, he pointlessly looked around. [By the way, what is this place? Why hasn't the town church come yet?] [Very soon...... very soon it will, Father] The priest and the beautiful woman — the somewhat unbecoming couple was walking up a slightly elevated hill. Below, the tall steeple illuminated by two moons dropped a long shadow. Rising from the plaza on the other side of the river was the Arc de Triomphe, built by the generals and emperors of ancient times. The main street preceding "Armageddon" — the old town called the blockade district, had kept the vestiges of the ancient era when this poor remote region city was called the 'Capital of Flowers'. [Err, strange eh? Away from the new city misfortune increases...... um, is it really this road?] [This place is called Shadow Hill...... alias the Devil's Hill. Formerly, it was the residence of the evil demons that ruled the city Lutetium. Look at that] On the hill huge ruins towered — it was an old mansion halfway burned down. [Once, three evil demons lived there...... the demons ruled the frightened people for a long time, and if someone opposed them even just a little, the defeated met a miserable death] [The Earl of Paris household...... over hundreds of years, those people of the night reigned in Lutetium] Even if corrupt he was still a clergyman. The young priest nodded with a knowing look. [However, thirty years ago, brave hunters attacked the last head of the family, and I heard peace and the glory of God came to this land?] [Yes. The family head and his wife certainly died...... but, you know the daughter to the spouses?] The cobble street had come to the front of the mansion. The shadow of the ruins was terrifying, and thin fingers firmly entwined on the arm of the priest as the woman whispered quietly. [After the fight, the body of the daughter wasn't found in the end. Shaking off pursuit, she succeeded in escaping. And now, the grown daughter has come back to this town in order to get revenge on her enemy......] Since last month, twenty-three victims had already appeared. In addition there is nobody, not one person, that goes out after sunset. Except the attacker herself — and the clueless traveler. [T, that's it!? Wait a minute please? That mansion...... u, um, is it safe for us to approach that place? Perhaps it's very dangerous?] [Yes...... it's very dangerous here] Right then, the woman's steel-like fingers caught the sleeve of the priest. Within her white face, red lips painted with blood split. [Very dangerous, Father] White fangs peeked out of a crescent-shaped mouth, and the young priest was paralyzed in fear. [A Paris vampire!?] Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! From split lips burst out a savage yell. Leaving a trail of saliva to shine in the moonlight, sharp fangs neared the priest. For the canines about the size of a little finger, his neck seemed soft under the collar...... [...... boorish] Noise split the air, echoing in the night. The strength of her arm quickly disappeared, and the clumsy priest toppled over. [Owowow! W, what...... eek!] Before the eyes of the priest, the vampire raised herself to full height with eyes flared wide open. That terrible angry look grew at the strange long shadow in her neck, and the priest was once again paralyzed in fear. [Ouch......] Casually the dagger piercing her neck was extracted, and the vampire cast a look at the half-collapsed ruins. Eyes not blinking she stared at the shadow that stood motionless there. [Who interferes with my meal?] [...... a moon-viewing visitor] Black robe, black boots, and a black hood…… the swordsman dressed entirely in black replied coldly while a rapier was slipped out of the scabbard at their waist.

[brazil-also-loves-rwby]

To move on 6 - RWBY FANFIC

Hello everyone. This is my fanfic Para Seguir Em Frente. I translated it because I received many visits from countries with English language. MY ENGLISH IS BAD AND YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Please comment.

PS: This fanfic should be just an Oneshot, so it’s slowly developing in my mind. Please be patient. Suggestions are always welcome. Originaly posted here https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13256016/1/To-move-on

- Ruby ?! - Oscar exclaimed, not believing his eyes. Ruby populated his thoughts and suddenly she was there, in the flesh.

- Um, hi Oscar, I know it's late but ... Can I come in? - She lowered her eyes, her face red. Oscar noticed that he was in fact with his bare chest exposed before her. He stumbled backward, making way for her to enter.

- Yes of course! Feel free! Just ... Give me a minute, I'll be right back.

She went in and went to sit in front of the fireplace, rubbing her hands together. Oscar sprinted up stairs and came back fully dressed and with two cups of tea in record time. He sat down on the soft rug beside Ruby and handed her a cup.

- Sorry for the delay. Drink it, you're blue with cold. - He said.

- Thanks. - She took a long drink and sighed with satisfaction. She finished the tea with three more long sips.

-I thought you were still at Anima. - he started softly without warning, probing why Ruby was there. - When we spoke last week you were in the middle of a subjugation.

- Yes, but things got ... complicated. - The lack of Ruby's eternal joy and contagious energy was beginning to cause Oscar to panic. It was not often that he had seen her friend like that.

- Tell me what happened, Ruby. Whatever it is, I'll help you sort it out. - He said, taking her small hands and nestling them between his. Her eyes filled with tears.

- It's a baby Oscar! A baby! - She cried, freeing her hands from his to cover her face. - I do not know what to do!

Oscar's mind went completely blank. Gods, Ozpin would not know what to think at a time like this! Was Ruby pregnant?! When did this happen?! Who...?! Questions stacked chaotically in Oscar's mind and he needed all his willpower to dig them out.

- The father...? - He started, trying to form a coherent question in shock.

- There is nobody. The grimms ... - She choked on a sob.

She was pregnant and she had lost the child's father to the grimms?! Oscar did not know what to do other than pull her into a tight hug. She hugged him back, wetting his shoulder with warm tears. They stood for a long moment like this, with Oscar cradling her in his arms as they reassembled. When Ruby's tears finally broke, Oscar spoke softly.

- Do you want to keep this child? - She sniffed.

- I would if I could, but I'm a huntress, Oscar. I could not take care of her and work at the same time. - He swallowed hard.

- I could help you ... - He took a deep breath, taking courage to say what he intended. - I'll never replaced her father, but ... I could help raise her.

- I knew you'd say that. - Ruby laughed softly, moving away to meet his eyes. - But the baby is not the only Oscar. We found dozens of children.

- What? Did you find it? Are not you pregnant?! - Ruby's eyes widened, as confused as he.

- What? Not! Why did you think that?!

- You come to my house out of nowhere, asking for help and crying over a baby! What did you expect me to think?!

- Well I...! I...!

They stared at each other in amazement. Ruby's lips quivered, coming dangerously close to a smile.

- Ruby Rose, don't you dare laugh at it. - She let out a small, strangled chuckle at his anger. - That's not funny! You almost gave me a heart attack- oh great.

He gave up rebuking her as she burst out laughing. He tried to look angry, but the cheerful sound took a weight off his chest. As long as Ruby could laugh like that, everything would be all right. He waited for her laughter to die before continuing.

- Now that you've finished laughing at me, tell me: What's the problem? - She took a deep breath, losing some of the laughter in her eyes.

- In recent months we have visited several villages destroyed in the war and escorted the refugees to the capitals. However, most of these refugees were children, Oscar. Adults and even teenagers were left behind to protect the younger ones and died. - She twisted her hands. It was difficult to explain to another child, again and again, that her parents would not come back.

- Oh Ruby...

- And that was not just in Anima. All other kingdoms are suffering the same fate. And now, orphanages have no more room for new children. On my last mission, I came back with a baby in my arms and the principal told me she could not keep it. If they put a child beyond their capacity, the government could close the place for irregularity. - Her voice trembled. - So I brought her to Vale, but the orphanage here is close to the same problem. I did not know what to do to resolve this, but I thought maybe you could.

- I?

- Yes, Oscar! I understand battles and grimms, but you know how the world works! Please tell me you can help us. - She begged, grabbing him by the sleeves of his pajama shirt.

Oscar stopped to think about it. This was a serious government problem. All kingdoms were weakened after the war. All investments were focused on rebuilding cities and farms. Homeless people arriving from shattered villages were immediately hired for labor. So they could pay for their own food and housing, avoiding beggars piling up on the streets. However, this could not be done with children. They were a non-return expense whose governments could not cope with. And from what Ruby said, there were many of them. Oscar sighed, rubbing his temples to ward off a headache.

- Yes, Ruby, I think I can help. - Ruby smiled broadly, but he promptly rebuked her. - But it will not be easy. I'll have to deal with something that Ozpin fled like the plague.

- What do we have to do, Oscar? - She asked apprehensively.

- We'll have to deal with politicians.

And Oscar did it as soon as he woke up the next morning. He came in contact with all his acquaintances who had some influence. He got favors. He analyzed everything he could from the situation in which the kingdoms were, discovered what they needed, and analyzed what he could offer. Oscar put all the cards he could in his sleeves and set up a meeting.

Politics itself was a battlefield like any other and entering it uninvited was like a war. He needed to gain the confidence of mayors, be introduced to senators, show his potential to the county itself, before they were willing to listen to his ideas. All this would have been impossible, but he did it in little more than a month, thanks to his magic and prestige.

- Are you telling us to cut part of the budget for agriculture and civil construction for social assistance?! - One of the faunus of Vacuo exclaimed. - If we do that, the economy will break!

- That will not happen if we reduce spending in these sectors considerably. - Oscar explained calmly. Regardless of his fame, the young man was having difficulty gaining the confidence of men and women twice his age.

- And how do you suggest we do that? - One of the councilmen of Atlas questioned skeptically.

- Our society has become extremely dependent on machines. They are expensive, consuming money in their construction, maintenance and fuel. The amount of Dust that a simple tractor consumes to plow one acre of land is already a waste per se. This reflects on the value at which the product will be sold in the market and the lives of the people in the city who consume it. So if we replace the machines with man labor, we will be saving hundreds of thousands of liens.

- But a person can not possibly do the work of a machine. - Another Atlasian said, laughing at Oscar's foolishness. - The cost to employ the number of people needed to replace a single machine would already be similar and they would never do the service at the same speed the mechanism.

- That would be true in the old world. Today we have magic. - Oscar said simply. - Many began to notice on their own, but a single person can command the land to plow itself in half of the time of a tractor. More than that, it is possible to force the shoots to grow in hours, rather than days, creating flowers and fruits in the middle of winter, if necessary. With some training, a bricklayer can build a house like building blocks. You know this is possible. Glinda Goodwitch herself did, before she even received the gift of magic. Now anyone is capable of the same, if taught so.

- And this is a knowledge you're willing to share... - One of Vale's councilmen asked cautiously. - At a price, I suppose.

- But any of us can develop these techniques without his help. - A Mistral's councilwoman disdained.

- Yes, but there are advantages to accepting my help. Oscar countered. - Following my instructions will save you all accurate months of searching, trial and error. And all I want in return is for the children to be properly cared for. Imagine the source of despair they are at the moment. All terrified, mourning the loss of their families, piled in tight houses, without any structure to keep them happy and healthy. They are a beacon to any grimm in miles. Ensuring their happiness will improve citizens' morale, create respect for government, and keep society whole. And I believe that we all want to avoid the utmost to deal with even more destruction when we not even finished rebuilding our cities.

The councilors argued among themselves. One by one, they voted. And one by one the realms agreed to the terms of Oscar.

There was a great explosion of progress. Oscar took a month to educate a team of instructors and it took them another month to form their first class of wizard farmers and builders. After that, the world exploded in motion. Ruined streets were repaved in days. Walls erected in just minutes. People stopped to admire the builders working, seeing houses rise in a matter of hours.

And the councils took Oscar's warning about keeping the population's happiness a priority. Public squares were founded, with playgrounds full of toys. Entertainment venues, such as theaters, cinemas and museums, were prioritized in the restoration queue.

But above all this, the first project of all kingdoms was the reform of their governmental orphanages. Oscar made it a point to watch, with Ruby, the reconstruction of Vale's orphanage. Oscar recognized Ms. Poppins, whom he had seen months ago, along with the little blond girl who had approached him on the street. He even tricked them out of the orphanage, announcing that the government had financed a tour of the city's new amusement park, and had put them all inside a bus. At the end of the day, when everyone returned, the orphanage was completely different. The building now was twice the size, completely remodeled, and stocked with new sectors like a library, infirmary, and a large playground outside.

While the children rushed in, being followed by their caretakers, Miss Poppins followed directly to Oscar. He and Ruby said goodbye to the workers and appreciated the happiness they brought the children. Poppins carried Amber in her lap, the little girl Ruby had brought from Anima.

- I have no words to thank you for what you have done for us. - The woman said to Ruby, her voice startling melodious, even on the verge of tears. - When you said you were going to do something to help us, I would not have imagined anything like that.

- Nah, I did nothing but ask for Oscar's help. - Ruby dismissed the thank-you, suddenly terrified of her attention, as was typical of her. - He had all the trouble dealing with the county.

- Thank you, Master Oscar. - Poppins whispered, a single tear trickling down her pretty face. - We will never forget your goodness.

They left feeling light and even when Ruby left again the next day, Oscar did not suffer as much as the first time. He had the feeling that she would return again, with or without a request for help, as reliable as the arrival of spring after winter. All he had to do was wait.

What he did not expect, however, was to answer the door a week later to find Miss Poppins waiting for him where Ruby was once before.

- Good morning, Master Oscar. - She greeted him with the sweetest of her smiles. - Could you spare me one minute of your time?

[imagine-loki]

Light Lost

TITLE: “Light Lost” CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT:  Chapter three: “Worst day ever (?)”

AUTHOR: apandorasboxofstories

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki competing with Thor for your attention. http://imagine-loki.tumblr.com/post/74350440578/imagine-loki-competing-with-thor-for-your

RATING: I think it should be alright for everyone as of now. NOTES/WARNINGS: I have been trying to write this fic for a few years now. I have never been happy with how it has turned out any time I tried to write it, so I have given up each time. This time, I have been given some (loose or more than that) inspiration from part of a few different imagines that I have seen. As well as some songs I’ve been listening to. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy it as I try again.

Feedback would be GREATLY appreciated and encouraged. <3 (Please also note, there will be some sad stuff in this story – which is now also on AO3, here!) 

… … … … . .

By the time Emily was waking up the next morning, she had no idea what time it was. It took her a couple minutes to register it when she saw the clock in her kitchen, and by then she had to make her choice on whether or not she was going to call in to work to let them know she’d be late, or just get ready and hurry herself to get there. On top of that, she had to decide if she wanted to waste time on eating or not. In the middle of trying to decide these things, Emily came to the realization that she hadn’t made dinner. Her dog, Carole, needed to go out. And Her cat, Billy, needed to be taken care of as well. She was also wondering how in the world that she’d slept so long. Usually, she couldn’t sleep that long without being incredibly exhausted first.

In her rush to get herself ready, Emily went to take a shower and almost forgot some of her clothes. Each thing she did wrong or perceived herself to have done wrong, only stressed her out that much more. Blood circled the drain from all the times she’d accidentally cut herself shaving, an untied shoelace nearly tripped her. It was a small amount of things, building up into a mountain; not one thing was going right.

At the very last second - after she remembered that Loki was still here - she scribbled a note apologizing for not having made breakfast this morning..or dinner the night before. She felt so horrible for it, and was hoping that she could make up for it.

On her way out the door, Emily forgot her purse. Having no time to even realize that, she ran to work as quickly as she could.

Upon arriving, her stomach churned at the sight of her boss. Cursing her out for being late, he threatened for the millionth time to fire her - she half suspected, because he was looking for any reason to get rid of her. Not because she was a bad employee, but because she was an ‘eyesore.’ Something unappealing to look at, in his opinion. That, and he had someone prettier wanting to work there, anyways - his cousin.

“I’m sorry, sir.. I.. I overslept. I did my best to get here, and..” Emily ran her hand through her hair, trying to gather her breath. Shutting her eyes for a moment, she felt a first pang of pain in her chest. It was unlike normal pain, and for some reason felt a little familiar to her. As if she’d felt it before.

“Oh, is that so?” her boss barked out at her, arms folded. “Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Because if you want to keep your job here, you’re pulling a triple-shift..” he gave her the most evil look, almost looking to be reveling in her shock. “If you mess up, you can just kiss going to see that no-good sister of yours goodbye for awhile. Today’s not the only time I’ll have you do it if you come in late again. It’s that, or you’re fired, Garnet. I’d keep that in mind, if you even think about objecting. Just so you know.”

Emily froze, a swirl of emotions welling up in her chest. She was getting sick and tired of her boss taking shots at Rayna, who couldn’t say anything to the contrary to defend herself. However, she also knew that he wasn’t playing when he kept telling her that he was going to fire her. So, she swallowed those feelings, muttered an occasional, soft ‘yes sir,’ or ‘no sir’ in reply, and waited until he was gone to let a shaky exhale go. Mentally, she was furious.

Some days, I wish you were the one stuck in the hospital in a coma..

Emily thought bitterly, before she stopped herself, imagining a whole family of people who felt like she did because someone that she cared about was stuck in a coma, unable to do anything, and on life support. As hard as it was to imagine it, she guessed that there might be people who cared about her boss the same way that she did about Rayna, so she now felt bad for wishing such a  horrid thing upon innocent people - whether she was angry with him, or not. His family had done nothing to her.

To help calm herself, Emily hummed to herself as she worked, and slowly was able to get her mind off of things. For a little while, anyway.

The resolve that Emily had able to get herself to, to remain calm and at least reasonably pleasant, weakened as time went on. Customers were apparently feeling particularly picky and rude today, and especially with her. Her boss kept hanging around, reminding her of all his threats; even without saying a word to her. It was in the looks he gave her - his body language.

Around the end of her first shift, which had actually been a shorter one, one of her co-workers came to her to let her know that a phone call had come in for her. She was in the middle of cleaning the floor at the time, so she pushed herself up off of it slowly. Drying her hands, Emily went to the phone. She’d just found out that it was the hospital calling her, when her boss came around the corner.

“I pay you to work, Garnet. Not yack on the phone!” He stated, an angry expression on his face.

Emily made a face, and tried to gesture to him that it was important. To wait. He was quiet for only a few seconds, before he started in again.

“Sir, please..this is important..” Emily sighed sharply, furrowing her brows together, as she tried to hear what the phone call was for. He was still ranting and raving, when the reason for the call finally reached her ears. All other sounds faded out, as a numb, sick feeling rose through her body. It started with what felt like the hardest punch in the stomach; the pain in her chest returning with a vengeance afterwards.

“What..?” Emily finally was able to croak out, her throat feeling tight. The voice on the other end of the phone repeated itself, hitting her harder the second time. All color washed out of her face. Her grip on the phone would have been enough to strangle it if it were alive - her knuckles were turning bleached white.

“N-no..you’re wrong. I payed that already! Put it back! Y-you have to..please!” A shakiness entered her voice, as hot tears pricked at the edges of her eyes. The answer of ‘we can’t, she’s already gone’ and ‘you have our utmost condolences’ did her no good. Nor did the sound of the phone clicking as her boss took it from her and hung it up.

Frozen by her pain, Emily’s mind reeled. She was trying to process it. Trying to figure out how a hospital could make such an error - not checking their systems a second time, before taking someone off of life support. Still trying to process everything, she barely registered that her boss was yelling at her.

“This is the last time I put up with you,” he was saying.

Pain shot through her chest, causing her to recoil as if stabbed. Breathing shaky, rattly at best, her glance finally meeting his. “She’s dead..”

Her voice trembled, as tears fell down her cheeks. “My sister is dead.. They took her off life support.. They said I didn’t pay it, but I did..” Emily shook her head. “A..a malfunction with the system, or..something..I..” She tried to make sense of it, and had trouble. Meanwhile, her boss wasn’t hearing any of it. And customers were wondering what was going on. What all the commotion was.

“You’re making a scene,” was the callous remark that her boss gave her, before continuing to agitate the situation by beating down on her sister. On Emily’s work ethic.

At last, she had enough.

“This..this is all your fault!” Emily finally accused, pointing her finger at him. “If you had paid me what you’re supposed to, I could have put more money in there and then there would be no mistake!” Her voice shook, and more tears fell.

“You’d better watch it,” he warned, an angry scowl on his face. “You are way out of line. You know I pay you as much as you’re worth here–you’re lucky you get anything at all! You’re no better than that sister of yours. If she was here, I’d fire her and then fire you, too!”

Co-workers frowned, unsure what to say or do. Their attention was drawn from the loud argument, to the flickering lights all around them. Fear filled many of them and of the customers, who could do nothing but watch.

…

Outside, a feeling of uncertainty and concern was filling someone else.

Having found and read the note that she left him, Loki had been busy taking care of the undone things at Emily’s apartment for her. It was supposed to be a surprise - something to make her smile. If not for that, he would have noticed her purse sitting in the kitchen, and went to take it to her sooner.

Clutching the bag tighter, Loki was cautious as he went into the restaurant. The flickering lights did not seem a good sign to him. But before he could even try to piece together what might be going on, he heard Emily screaming at someone else. At least, he thought it might be her - he’d never heard her scream at anyone; not in the few days of knowing her now, anyway.

A sudden explosion of light and the sound of someone hitting a wall, drew his attention towards the kitchen area. People were panicking, there was a man laying in the floor groaning in pain, and not far from him, so was Emily. Aside from the obvious remnants of tears on her face, she seemed to be clutching at her chest in pain. Her nose was bleeding, and she looked paler than usual.

In a not-completely-instant act, more than one thing happened: the restaurant began to piece itself back together, as Loki carefully picked her up. Memories began to be drawn out of as many people as he could - or changed, for those who proved more difficult to do so with - as he carefully picked Emily up. Given he was still learning how to do a lot of this, it took more out of him than he would have liked. A last bit of magical energy was used, to put them somewhere else, so he could safely call up to Heimdall to bring him back.

This hadn’t been the way that he wanted to tell her, or to show her.. But it seemed that things were out of his control, now; as they usually ended up being anyway. Nor had it been his intention to have to leave her pets behind - they meant so much to her, which he could see. Leaving them was a hard choice to make, to get her to someone that he knew could help her. Seeing as he didn’t trust the so-called doctors of this realm to see to it that she was helped properly, it meant taking her to Asgard now; to see a healer.

The thought that perhaps he could come back and get them while she recovered, crossed his mind. Surely, by the time she were to wake up from this, enough of his magic would have returned to be able to retrieve two pets.. This in mind, he looked up to the sky, took a breath, and called up to Heimdall to bring them back.

All the time, hoping that this wasn’t going to all end up being a big mistake. After all, she’d just shown an enormous amount of power - something that he’d felt coming off of her since having first re-met her - so he was fairly certain that she wasn’t human. That had to count for something, didn’t it?

[beinglibertarian]

New Year’s Resolutions Suck! – Red Dirt Liberty Report

Welcome to a new year, everyone! I’m not a big fan of the New Year’s holiday, but I wish you well, all the same.

It seems a little odd to me that people celebrate the passing of one time to the next, to celebrate having to remember to use a different year when dating every signed document. I really hate having to recreate a document just because I used the wrong year!

This is also the day of the year that many people decide to make resolutions to determine some better outcomes in their lives. According to Business Insider, 80% of such resolutions fail by the end of January. I strongly suspect the other 20% resolved to do something simple — like getting a haircut or eating some pizza. That’s the real way one sticks to a resolution. I personally hate making promises that I know I won’t be able to keep, and I treat myself as I do others in that regard. So, I make no New Year’s resolutions.

In truth: Real, significant, and lasting change does not come by neat little dates on the calendar. Instead, real changes come from taking advantage of the daily opportunities that come our way. Truly good resolutions come in the form of resolving to do something about something as it occurs. For example, instead of telling myself that I am going to lose weight this year, I tell myself at my next meal that I’m going to choose some smoked fish instead of of a burger, and I don’t worry about the rest of the year (or the month, or even the rest of the day).

There’s nothing wrong with having goals, but don’t lie to yourself by saying that you’re going to achieve them by resolving to do something for the rest of the year that you are likely to fail at keeping. It isn’t even really about making shorter-term smaller goals. It’s about deciding to do something differently at a time when an opportunity to do so has presented itself.

I’m sure that if you have read this far, you are wondering why this article is appearing in a publication devoted to libertarian philosophy and ideals.

Libertarians often complain that the world is not changing quickly enough. They complain that it seems like only a few care about reinstalling liberty into our lives and the way we govern ourselves. It can seem like a hopeless cause and, sometimes, a waste of time.

So, forget about the larger concerns. If you want to do something big, that’s wonderful, but those larger gestures aren’t a necessary focus altogether.

You don’t have to resolve that this year, you will work for a campaign to make a change. You don’t have to resolve that this year, you will write all your government representatives every week until they change their ways. When an opportunity for something comes your way, do things a little bit differently than you would have done them before.

If someone you know loses his job and is in a bind financially, perhaps you could offer something to help — even $20 is something. By doing so, you have contributed $20 less than what might have been stolen from someone else if they had to rely on public assistance.

If your government representative makes a great error in the way he votes on a particular law, make a single call or write a single email to voice your concern. You’ve spoken your mind and said your piece.

If you love to debate, that’s fine. Find people who are open to it. But for those of us who don’t seek out debates, it’s okay to mention your opinion on a particular subject when it comes up. You don’t necessarily have to back it up with a long dissertation and make everyone angry.

I have noticed that grand gestures and broken promises to oneself rarely get much accomplished in the way of making significant change. It is most typically the small things that inspire others to do more. Show other people with a small gesture that they don’t need government assistance, and others will be inspired by it. Forget about waiting around for someone to lead you into a new revolution.

It’s by focusing on the small things that you can do yourself, that really makes substantial changes as those around you become inspired by these small acts. Take advantage of opportunities as they come and don’t worry so much about the world picture of things.

Forget silly resolutions you aren’t going to keep. You become the person you want to be on a daily basis — even an hourly one. You apply that to your personal life or to your political aspirations. It doesn’t matter, as long as you apply it to those things you wish to change.

This article represents the views of the author, and not those of Being Libertarian LLC.

The post New Year’s Resolutions Suck! – Red Dirt Liberty Report appeared first on Being Libertarian.

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Wineskin Winery Mac Yosemite

Wineskin Winery is a free, open-source tool for running uncomplicated Windows apps in a window under OS X. Based on the free Wine (Wine Is Not an Emulator) software, Wineskin Winery automates the. Wineskin is a tool used to make ports of Windows software to Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (or later). The ports are in the form of normal Mac application bundle wrappers. It works like a wrapper around the Windows software, and you can share just the wrappers if you choose (that is the strategy used here). Re: Wine doesn't work with Mac Os 10.15 Catalina Post by Gcenx » Wed Oct 09, 2019 4:34 pm @dimesio maybe you could edit the packages thread to mention it’s 10.8 10.14.

In a previous article, I have shown you how to install OS X El Capitan GM (golden master) or other Beta version without developer account. As I sometime still need Windows-based program such as Mikrotik Winbox, I need to have WINE (Windows Emulator) on my Mac. In this post I would like to guide you how to install Wine on OS X El Capitan. At the time of this writing, the latest version of OS X is OS X 10.11 El Capitan GM (Golden Master).

Overview Wineskin is a tool used to make ports of Windows software to Mac OS X. The ports are in the form of normal Mac application bundle wrappers. It works like a wrapper around the Windows software, and you can share just the wrappers if you choose.

UPDATE: If you also want to install Microsoft Visio on Mac, you can follow our post how to install Visio on Mac running OS X El Capitan.

Requirements

1. Latest version of OS X El Capitan (Golden Master build at this time of this writing) 2. Latest version of Xcode (Xcode 7.0 GM, you can download it from https://imzdl.com/osx.html if you are not a registered Apple developer. 3. Homebrew package manager for OS X. We will install Wine using Homebrew package manager.

I assume that you have done installing point 1 and 2 in the requirements above. So we just go to install Homebrew package manager.

Install Homebrew

Wineskin Mac Catalina

Run the script below to install Homebrew:

Once it is installed, run the below command to install Wine.

Install WINE using Homebrew

The format to install package using brew is “brew install package_name”:

To run a Windows program, use “wine /path/to/program.exe”.

Example below is to run Mikrotik Winbox using wine

Hopefully this post is helpful for anyone who want to install wine on OS X El Capitan.

Wineskin Winery Download For Mac

in Community Support

Hello all, I've successfully installed CC3 on my Mac OS 10.8.2 system using the following technique: 1. Download and install XQuartz. http://xquartz.macosforge.org/landing/ 2. Download and install Wineskin Winery http://wineskin.urgesoftware.com/tiki-index.php 3. Open Wineskin Winery and configure a New Blank Wrapper - add wine engine WS8Wine1.2.3 - add wine engine WS9Wine1.5.13 (or latest if newer version is available) - highlight WS8Wine1.2.3 to use that engine for your CC3 wine install (we will change this after it is installed) - choose Update under Wrapper Version to download the latest version - click Create New Wrapper and save your wrapper as 'Campaign Cartographer 3.app' 4. Open the file Campaign Cartographer 3.app wine wrapper. 5. Choose Advanced to configure your installation with the following options - Options > Force use of system installed XQuartz instead of using built in WineskinX11 (prevents Mission Control bug) 6. Click Install Software to install CC3 into this wrapper - Choose Setup Executable - browse to your downloaded CC3_Install.exe and open it - you will walk through the CC3 installer process - at the end of the process, do not check 'launch CC3 now' 7. Back at the Wineskin Advanced page, finalize the wrapper configuration - Configuration > Windows EXE > Browse, find the fcw32.exe installed into your wine dos_device c drive. It will be nested inside Campaign Cartographer 3.app/drive_c/ - Tools > Change Engine Used > choose latest version, as of this document it was 1.5.13. 8. Choose Test Run - CC3 should open. 9. Click around and go into Help. Wineskin will download and install the gecko framework to view html files inside CC3 (Help files) I just got this up and running and will report any serious bugs and instructions to install Symbol Sets, Annuals, and expansions.

How To Update Wineskin On Mac

Comments

Download Wineskin Winery 2.6.0 For Mac

To install expansions such as Annuals, Symbol Sets, or otherwise do the following: 1. Browse to 'Campaign Cartographer.app' and right click the file. Choose Show Package Contents 2. Open Wineskin.app at the top of the package contents folder. 3. Choose Install Software and browse to the expansion .exe 4. Install as normal.

🖼️ 16 imagesMapmakerAdministrator, ProFantasy

Excellent, thank you very much for posting your experience.

4 months later

First, thank you sturtus for your excellent instructions. They've worked flawlessly for me for a while. Today, though, I've been struggling to install the 2012 Annual . . . and consistently failing. The InstallAware program starts up well, but when I click on Next, instead of receiving the license page and a chance to input my serial number, I get External Exception 80000100, then a series of Access violation errors. I'm wondering if anyone else has had similar problems and, if so, how you've resolved them. I'll keep working at it myself, and if I succeed I'll post the steps that led to my success, but I'd definitely be interested in others' experiences.

I have found a workaround: I set Wine to use an earlier engine (1.3.?; I'm afraid I can't remember which exactly, but a little experimentation should do the trick). With that earlier engine chosen, I was able to run the InstallAware program for the 2012 Annual without difficulty. I then set Wine back to the current engine, and all is good!

1 year later

edited April 2014

Excellent tutorial. Works like a charm. I am installing the full monty of CC3 products (CC3, DD3, CD3, CA3, Annual Vol. 1-7, SS1-4, Source Maps and TUM on Wine on a MacBook Pro 2011. Like stated above by jbbb, you need to change the engine for all add-ons released 2011 and later. I used current version 1.7.4 for Annual Vol.5,6,7, as well as SS4. Only issues encountered so far: broken menu icons (no problem) and all fonts on the example maps are messed up (probably due to system fonts, not available on Wine). All fonts are much bigger. Please beware the Annual Vol. 2-4 have issues in the installer with the fonts. The installer still works, but the describing text is shown in Dingbats. I guess an engine in the middle range between 1.2.3 and 1.7.4 would fix that issue, but I haven't tried this. I am still waiting for CA3 to download, and please note that the webdownloader version does not work on Wine. I am currently downloading the full versions ZIP (3GB) to see if that works. I will install it on the 1.7.4 engine and report back if I have any issues. Performance is compared to bootcamp version much better. Loading time for sheet effects have doubled and mouse movement which was a struggle on the touchpad in bootcamp is not an issue in the WINE version. Even zooming from touchpad works. Thx again for posting this tutorial. It saves me a complete bootcamp partition with Windows 7 (I used only for CC3). EDIT: Can't get CA3 to work. Wine crashes on both 1.2.3 and 1.7.4. Will try to create a seperate wrapper with only CC3 and CA3. /Grimur

9 months later

Hi all. Is this a better method than running CC3 (plus add-ons) in a virtual machine? Presently, I have CC3, DD3, CD3, SS1-4, and two annuals installed on Windows 8.1 on my rMBP running Yosemite and Parallels 10. Jamie

Not a better method, but if you prefer not to have a VM the solution is good. I am currently trying to get it to work with CC3+, but visual C++ 12 is needed for the installer, and that doesn't work well with Wine. Anyone who has had success with installing CC3+ in a Wine wrapper?

13 days later

Personally i use crossover for cc3 and cc3+ , i have found it to be the best of the bunch of wine engines and has a bunch of add ons to help with difficult installers Rob

3 months later

Everything ok with everyone? I haven't looked at this forum in over a year and my friend Steve mentions this post in the blog today. I need to get back into CC3 again. Photoshop has taken over so much of my work as I love to sketch by hand. However, CC3 saves a lot of time for mapping.

6 months later

I seem to have been able to install CC3, two annuals and Cosmographer 3, and everything looks great except the add ons don't show up in the Add On menu? It's there, because I can load menus using the Menu... command, but just wondered why it's not recognizing what is installed?

edited November 2015

Make sure your installation is up to date with the latest update, then run CC3MenuConfig.exe in your CC3 installation directory. Note that running this file does not provide any feedback, you just have to repoen CC3 to check the results.

Have you reinstalled the latest update after you installed the add ons? You always run the latest updater even if it is installed as often needs to add extra files for the add ons. It may need to uninstall the update first, if so just reinstall it.

edited November 2015

I tried running the latest CC3 update last, then the CCMenuConfig.exe. That gives me the a log with this error: err:module:import_dll Library MSVBVM60.DLL (which is needed by L'C:Program FilesProFantasyCC3CC3MenuConfig.exe') not found err:module:LdrInitializeThunk Main exe initialization for L'C:Program FilesProFantasyCC3CC3MenuConfig.exe' failed, status c0000135 Looks like I need a library? EDIT: Ran Winetricks vb6run. and reran CCMenuConfig.exe. No errors. Everything is perfect now. Thanks.

3 months later

Here's how I solved the Visual C++ 12.0 error: (a) Start Wineskin from inside of the newly created Wine wrapper (b) Go to Tools, choose Winetricks (c) Press the Update Winetricks button (d) At the top type xml in the search, expand the dll group and put a check in msxml3, then click Run to install MS XML Core Services 3.0 (e) At the top type vcrun in the search, expand the dll group and put a check in vcrun2013, then click Run to install Visual C++ 2013 libraries (f) Now install CC3+ using the guide posted at the top of the thread --Pion

8 months later

Thanks Pion! I also found that on my El Capitan Mac that there was a black box that followed the hover mouseover tooltip. I was able to resolve this in the latest version of Wine Engine 1.9.21: 1. Browse to 'Campaign Cartographer.app' and right click the file. Choose Show Package Contents 2. Open Wineskin.app at the top of the package contents folder. 3. Choose 'Advanced' 4. Choose 'Set Screen Options' 5. Check ON 'Use Mac Driver instead of X11' and 'Use Direct3D Boost (if available)' and click Done 6. Check OFF Options > 'Force use of system installed XQuartz instead of using built in Wineskin X11' and 'Force use of wrappers quartz-wm for window decorations and not what is on the system'.

[orbemnews]

Asian American diplomats say discrimination holds them back as US competes with China US Rep. Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat and former diplomat, had top-secret security clearance as a State Department adviser to Gen. David Petraeus in Afghanistan but was banned from working in or even on issues pertaining to Korea. “It felt like a very clear signal from the government and my workplace that they didn’t trust me fully,” the Boston-born Kim told CNN. It was, he said, “a painful and hurtful experience.” Michael Young, who calls himself a San Francisco “Chinatown boy,” spent 10 years serving as a US diplomat and, concurrently, in the Army Reserve. During that time, the State Department denied him assignments in China twice. “The second time I got denied, I appealed, and I appealed, and I appealed. It didn’t go anywhere,” he said. “At that point, I’d had enough.” He quit. Asian American diplomats say that as they try to serve their country, they face disproportionate hurdles in the form of extremely drawn-out security clearance waits, restrictions on where they can serve — sometimes based on incorrect information — and a flawed appeals process. Their efforts to change the system have had limited success, but their concerns are gaining traction as the US focuses more intently on the strategic importance of Asia, great power competition with China and North Korea’s nuclear threat. Democrats and Republicans, concerned about the potential loss of cultural and linguistic knowledge that could give the US an edge in global competition, have written legislation to address some of the issues. Asian American and Pacific Islander national security professionals are pressing the case that Chinese Americans in particular are the US’ greatest asset in understanding and countering Beijing’s economic, political and military aggression. In response to diplomats’ concerns, the Trump administration launched a task force to study assignment restrictions just before it left office. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who has begun an ambitious effort to improve diversity and racial equity at the department, picked up the issue and is expected to make an announcement about it in the coming months. “I am very concerned about these reports,” Blinken told lawmakers at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in March. “I’ve spoken to Asian American colleagues in the department about them and, suffice to say, this is something that I’m looking into.” Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu of California told the secretary that assignment restrictions “not only affect an employee’s ability to get promoted to senior leadership, it also affects recruiting and retention. It deprives the United States potentially of cultural and language expertise, and it sends the false message that people who look like me happen to be more disloyal.” While this challenge is decades old, more than 20 current and former AAPI national security professionals who spoke to CNN said they have a strong sense that things have gotten worse in the past few years because, as one Washington-based diplomat said, of “bipartisan and especially Republican fear-mongering about China trying to infiltrate all aspects of society.” Data validates their sense of things. The State Department declined to answer questions, provide comment or share statistics about assignment restrictions, but CNN obtained a sensitive-but-unclassified 2018 letter to House lawmakers that said restrictions had affected 166 employees in 2015 and 168 in 2016. In 2017, that number nearly doubled to 307. When lawmakers asked for an explanation of the stark jump, the Trump administration never responded, a Capitol Hill aide said. Diplomats told CNN they have heard anecdotally that colleagues of Russian or Eastern European descent and some colleagues married to Israeli citizens may also have been restricted from certain assignments. But current and former diplomats, lawmakers and others say Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders appear to be more impacted than any other group. ‘Targeted’ In an open letter published in March, AAPI national security professionals wrote that “the xenophobia that is spreading as U.S. policy concentrates on great power competition has exacerbated suspicions, microaggressions, discrimination, and blatant accusations of disloyalty simply because of the way we look. Many of us have been targeted because we are either ethnically Chinese or simply look Asian.” “This is not to dismiss credible counterintelligence concerns as evidenced through indictments of US citizens — some of whom are White — spying for China. Treating all Asian-Americans working in national security with a broad stroke of suspicion, rather than seeing us as valuable contributors, is counterproductive to the greater mission of securing the homeland,” the signatories said. AAPI diplomats speak of the stress, anxiety and pain the restrictions cause, particularly at a time of amplified anti-Asian hate. A 2020 survey by the State Department’s Asian American Foreign Affairs Association found 70% of respondents believed the assignment restriction process was biased, and 41% believed there were outright errors in the process One diplomat with an assignment restriction found their Diplomatic Security file said they were seeking citizenship in that country. That was “unequivocally false,” this person said. Security officials had not even asked them about it. Another diplomat was restricted from serving in China because the department said she had multiple immediate family members in the country. She has none, she said, and never has. The core issue, Rep. Kim told CNN, revolves around some of America’s oldest questions: “What does it mean to be an American, and whether or not they’re forever going to see people of color, and especially of AAPI descent, as fully American.” “I was always told diversity is our strength and that’s what we want to push forward to the world, but it doesn’t feel that way from my experience,” Kim continued. “Instead, we come at it from a place where my diversity is a threat or potential threat first, and only when that is as clearly resolved as it can be, then it can be seen as an asset.” The current and former diplomats who spoke to CNN, some of whom asked to be anonymous in order to speak frankly, mentioned the fear of speaking out about assignment restrictions and how discussion often gets shut down because the restrictions are framed as a national security issue. “All of us who are currently employed fear there could be deleterious impacts on our security clearances because we’re pushing back,” one said. Losing your security clearance makes it almost impossible to work as a diplomat. But many described this moment as a civil rights awakening for Asian Americans. ‘Where are you really from?’ “We’re starting to wake up and think, wait a minute, should we be putting up with this anymore, this ‘Where are you really from?’ attitude,” a diplomat serving overseas said. “We’re Americans.” Assignment restrictions are largely handled by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the security and law enforcement branch of the State Department, which is overseen by a political appointee who is often a security professional, sometimes a longtime “DS” officer, who reports to the department’s undersecretary for management. The State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual says it applies assignment restrictions “to prevent potential targeting and harassment by foreign intelligence services as well as to lessen foreign influence and/or foreign preference security concerns,” for instance, if an employee or close family members maintain dual citizenship with that country or have substantial financial interests or foreign contacts there. Assignment restrictions can be put in place when initial security clearance determinations are made, before a staffer begins work at the department, during reinvestigations or when a diplomat’s personal life changes because of marriage or other circumstances. They can also be applied weeks before someone is meant to start a job. Restrictions can also apply to jobs focused on a particular country because they “may present vulnerabilities for targeting when there is frequent official contact with foreign individuals.” Temporary assignments in that country cannot last longer than 60 days in any 365-day period. Carol Perez, the director general of the foreign service who oversees personnel issues told a House committee in September that the restrictions aren’t “necessarily that you were born in a country or you have some sort of affiliation, the question is for countries in which there are critical intelligence threats … what are the family connections that you might have that would make you susceptible to some sort of foreign influence.” But Rep. Kim’s experience of being barred from working on or in Korea — assignments he never sought — and the experiences of current and former diplomats CNN spoke with demonstrate that critical intelligence threats aren’t always a factor. Restrictions are applied against diplomats going to close US allies, such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Yuki Kondo-Shah, the California-born daughter of a Japanese American mother, was selected for a position at the US consulate in Fukuoka, Japan, in November 2016. Six weeks before she was to start there in July 2018 — with plane tickets in hand and moving arrangements settled — Diplomatic Security emailed to say she couldn’t be posted there. She was one of several diplomats who recounted the struggle of having jobs yanked at the last minute and recalls the emotionally draining experience of lodging an appeal, including the financial challenge of hiring a lawyer. Kondo-Shah’s file noted that her mother was Japanese, that she had family and friends in Japan, that she had volunteered to help with tsunami relief there. It also said, incorrectly, that she had Japanese citizenship. She appealed and, in a shock to many of her colleagues, won. She flew to Japan weeks later. Diplomats noted other inconsistencies in the way the policy is applied, including that colleagues who are married to Chinese, Japanese and Korean citizens — the definition of a “close family member” — still serve in those countries. Apart from the assignment restrictions, AAPI diplomats sometimes wait so long for security clearances that they lose job opportunities and internships, while non-Asian peers appear to get approvals within months. The net result, diplomats and their advocates say, is a steady erosion of morale and opportunity at the personal level, and a loss for the institution and US national security. Many diplomats told CNN they considered leaving the department; several did. ‘I wanted to serve’ One former diplomat spoke of losing an internship and a department scholarship because her security clearance took almost three years to come through. She watched fellow students get clearances within months and was particularly struck when a peer with an eerily similar background — another American who had gone to a top university, also had studied in China, also had family there — got a clearance in six months. The former diplomat said she and colleagues saw one major difference with this peer: “Their name and their face are not as Chinese sounding as mine.” Her observation echoes one other AAPI diplomats have made: Chinese American diplomats who took Western-sounding surnames on marriage went on to serve in China despite having immediate family there. One diplomat, discussing the hurdles AAPI diplomats face getting clearances, joked bitterly that “it helps immensely to change one’s last name.” The former diplomat said she had quit because the department “just made me feel so small. … I wanted to give back to my country, I wanted to serve, I wanted to be an asset, but the entire time I was seen as a threat and made to feel that I didn’t belong, and that was hurtful.” And there is the invisible career cost. These diplomats meet the criteria for top-secret security clearances, yet the assignment restrictions can create a “stigma,” one diplomat said. “You’re in the department in highly sensitive meetings, or if you are trying to bid on your next assignment, and you have that cloud hanging over you — people think, ‘Can this person be trusted?’ or ‘Maybe we shouldn’t hire this person because they might have a security restriction?’ It definitely prevents people from serving to their fullest ability.” Taxpayer dollars It also costs the US taxpayer. The government spends up to $480,000 per diplomat for two years of language training in what the State Department inspector general calls “super hard languages” — Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Korean — before diplomats start work at a post. It costs millions of dollars when “we could instead be tapping our workforce that already has that ability and language skill, and immediately start going into the field and supporting US policy,” said one US-based diplomat. Despite the challenges, AAPI diplomats are increasingly optimistic about change. They point to bipartisan support in Congress and also to Blinken. Blinken “is familiar with the issue, he recognizes that it is a problem, he has acted on it before and made the only change so far that has helped,” said one diplomat. As deputy secretary of state during the Obama administration, Blinken helped institute reform that required Diplomatic Security to tell diplomats if they had assignment restrictions and why. Before that, diplomats often weren’t aware until they applied for and got jobs in those countries. Led by lawmakers such as Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, Congress passed legislation in 2017 that created a formal process for diplomats to appeal their assignment restrictions within 30 days and required State to explain the number and nature of restrictions and preclusions in the last three years. The process that has emerged is more of a review than an appeal, diplomats and House aides said. If diplomats ask for assignment restrictions to be reconsidered, they go back to the same office — Diplomatic Security — that made the original decision. And instead of explaining the nature of the restrictions, Diplomatic Security just sent lawmakers annual numbers with no elaboration. The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, and the committee’s lead Republican, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, have added language to the Department of State Authorization Act of 2021 calling for an appeals process that wraps up within 60 days and mirrors the steps taken when a diplomat appeals the denial or retraction of their security clearance: The issue goes to another group within State to review. Source link Orbem News #American #Asian #AsianAmericandiplomatssaydiscriminationholdsthembackasUScompeteswithChina-CNNPolitics #China #competes #Diplomats #discrimination #holds #Politics

[krjpalmer]

For the moment I can still at least contemplate leaping at some point from macOS 10.14 “Mojave” to Big Sur (although a grandiose thought has been wandering through my mind to wait for the iMac to be upgraded to an “Apple Silicon” processor and make an expensive upgrade). In the meantime, though, some applications have begun being updated. The only problem there is that over the past several days I’d been unable to upgrade from the “App Store,” receiving an uninformative error message every time I tried clicking the upgrade button. This problem had been showing up intermittently for a while, and at one point I tried deleting old versions altogether from “Launchpad” and then installing them from scratch. When I tried that this time, though, I got the same error message again, which was now ominous. After a first search for information, I formed the idea to try checking my App Store account from the bottom left-land corner of the program’s main window, and then clicked on “View Information” in the upper right-hand corner. After entering my Apple ID password, all of a sudden I could reinstall the deleted application, and upgrade the ones I hadn’t deleted to boot. Managing to resolve a hitherto inexplicable problem has improved my mood, and I suppose there’s the slightest chance trying to explain my solution here might help someone else.

[systembra6]

Vivo center Birmingham Reviews

Coolsculpting Fat Freezing Treatments In London

Content

My Skin Tag( S) Has.

Fat Melting Vs Fat Freezing therapy results.

Skin Tag Removal.

Cryopen ™ offers The ideal therapy For:.

Is A Fat Freezing therapy Of stubborn Belly Fat Right For Me?

reserve appointment.

Ultherapy will raise the eyebrow, which in turn decreases excess skin on the eyelids, opens the eyes, and also provides a much more renewed appearance overall. Clients have reported stronger, a lot more toned skin in others locations of the face and neck also.

If this is something you may really feel worried regarding, review this with your consultant who may recommend using a neighborhood anaesthetic before the treatment or recommend on taking control of the counter painkiller to avoid any type of discomfort. Each session will certainly last no longer than 90 minutes and potentially as little as thirty minutes, depending upon the therapy area as well as comparable to body HIFU treatment. HIFU facial has actually generated some wonderful outcomes for our consumers as well as followers and also we would very suggest the treatment, with no reluctance. To do this, the body creates collagen to help in cell regrowth. There can be a small inflammation for a couple of hrs following the therapy. A tiny portion of customers may have small swelling, tingling, wounding or inflammation to touch, yet these are light and also do not last for long.

The cells are heated up to an array between 60-70 ˚C, hence the natural injury healing process is boosted to develop new collagen and also elastin. We have extensive expertise as well as experience in the medical as well as visual appeals sectors, yet we understand that most importantly, the outcomes matter! All of our treatments are vigorously tested internal before we provide them to our customers to guarantee they are risk-free, effective as well as will certainly offer you, our fantastic clients, the results you want.

My Skin Tag( S) Has.

This can cause specific problem around the jawline or dewlaps, the neck and brow location; maturing you past your years. HIFU treatment is called the 'lunch time facelift' as it fasts and you can go back to work nd continue with your day.

Throughout your examination, you will certainly consult with Kate or among our highly educated Aestheticianswho will make you really feel relaxed and comfy during your appointment. They'll listen to your problems as well as overview you with specialist knowledge on which treatments are best fit to aid you reach your distinct goals. The face, neck and also décolletage start to lose tone as well as flexibility and also you often observe your skin ending up being looser or start to sag.

Dr Leah center supplies free assessment to assess whether this therapy appropriates for you. An appropriate candidate is a person that is aged 30+ who has actually discovered that the skin on their face or neck has ended up being more lax and wishes to raise as well as tighten the relevant location. I very recommend Life Aesthetic appeals as well as can't wait to get even more therapies done below. To figure out more about HIFU treatment, book in online for a cost-free examination with our seasoned aestheticians or contact us on or to speak with a member of our team. Our rates begin with ₤ 50 relying on treatment locations and number of sessions.

Fat Melting Vs Fat Freezing therapy outcomes.

The accuracy distribution of a high thickness of power permits your clinician to target specifically where you would love to enhance and also you will certainly see instant results.

HIFU boosts the creation of collagen that gives skin its youthful vigor by keeping it firmed, toned as well as elastic.

For the best training effect it is frequently made use of with Thread facelift to provide an optimum outcome.

The treatment is sometimes contrasted to recording sunshine and also showing it with a magnifying glass to provide a light beam - it delivers ultrasound energy into a targetted area of the skin to promote and also develop collagen regrowth.

MMFU (micro-macro concentrated ultrasound) innovation moves an equivalent distribution of ultrasound energy right into the subcutaneous tissue, applying high-intensity concentrated ultrasound at temperatures of 65-75oC.

This non-surgical facelift deals with the Muscular tissue Fascia deep listed below the skin, which is the location surgeons tighten for face as well as neck lifts.

This is the highest degree of non-surgical innovation available.

Skin Tag Removal.

No downtime, as there is no surgical treatment, so you can go back to regular life instantly. The length of time it lasts varies from person to person and also depends upon the high quality and also age of your skin; your diet plan and consider your lifestyle such as smoking and stress and anxiety. With the new Cooled HIFU treatment you can have treatment anywhere on the face and also body. Our state-of-the-art non-surgical, no needle face lift is the Cooled down HIFU, absolutely nothing short of a transformation in HIFU market.

All the staff members are friendly and also offer you truthful viewpoints when it pertains to items as well as treatments. Therapies are spoken via and also explained carefully, also aftercare. Confidential photos are required to examine development which is excellent. La-Lipo have actually been going nearly a year now and am pleased with all the treatments I've had, wouldn't go anywhere else. I am eagerly anticipating going to the clinic to have some treatments very soon.

Why do facelifts fail?

Failed facelifts and other surgeries like rhinoplasty fail much more often than you think. We frequently see patients for consultation for revision surgery due to a failed outside procedure. Instead, the vast majority are due to errors in thinking and strategy due to gaping deficits in medical/surgical education.

Cryopen ™ uses The ideal treatment For:.

I have actually have had 3 therapies and each time I have actually had great solution. Dr Shirin Lakhani is lovely as well as very professional I have actually advised you to all my friends. They are so friendly as well as welcoming and make you instantly really feel comfy. What establishes them apart is that they go that additional mile - absolute dream team, additionally Charlotte is an illusionist! Elite is an impressive professional clinic with high standard treatments.

Is A Fat Freezing treatment Of tummy Fat Right For Me?

Your joy, wellness and also complete satisfaction go to the really core of every little thing we do here at Elite Appearance, and also therefore we will never over-treat or carry out a procedure that Dr. Shirin, deems unacceptable or risky. Ethical therapy guides our method, as well as we aim to come to be a sector leader in this regard. This means you can always feel great that you remain in secure hands when you choose Elite Aesthetic appeals.

Does insurance pay for facelift?

But some plastic surgery is, in fact, covered by health insurance. With national cost averages ranging from $3,800 for a breast augmentation to upwards of $8,000 for a facelift, cosmetic surgery is no small expense and most treatments (surgical or otherwise) are not covered by health insurance.

It's not an alternative if your cancer cells has actually spread out outside your prostate to various other components of your body. It's often an alternative if your prostate cancer has begun to break out of your prostate, or has actually infected the area just outside the prostate. We constantly offer an one-on-one appointment prior to any kind of treatment. This ensures you have selected the best treatment for your skin appearance objectives. Over time, collagen fibres start to lose flexibility, which in turn creates the skin to shed its firmness and start to sag. https://la-lipo.uk/warwick/ HIFU Med is unrivaled by various other non-invasive cosmetic gadgets, with its capacity to treat the tissues usually attended to throughout medical renovations. Utilizing ultra-sound waves, the shallow muscle aponeurotic system is targeted.

Does a facelift affect your smile?

I perform lip lifts on nearly half of my facelift patients, who are surprised by how much of a difference it can make. In fact, the smile improvement is often the part of their results they are most happy with.

Any kind of regular monthly face treatments not taken during the month will be forfeited. Discounts offered on therapies and skincare can not be utilized along with any kind of various other offers or promos. Must you wish to terminate your membership before completion of your 12-month contract, all therapies, cup therapies as well as skin care obtained will become chargeable at the complete price. Any type of discounts or complimentary therapies will certainly become space as well as needs to be spent for in full prior to the cancellation can be authorised. Any demand to cancel a subscription before the endo of the 12-month term should be supplied in writing with 4 week's notification. The Body Clinic values that making the appropriate choice may take a while, so they're are constantly handy if you have any kind of extra concerns or concerns. The team are enthusiastic about aiding you reach your capacity with the assistance of acclaimed therapies.

A great prospect is someone that is aged 30+ who has actually observed that the skin on their face or neck has ended up being a lot more lax as well as wishes to raise as well as tighten the pertinent area. While the ultrasound treatment does target the deep layer of skin frequently resolved in surgical treatment, it does not include general anaesthetic or cutting the skin at all. Customers might witness some preliminary effect, however ultimately training and also firming will happen over approximately 3 months, as collagen is restored as well as replaced with new, more powerful collagen. As this collagen building process continues, proceeded improvements can stand for approximately 6 months.

We urge clients to organize a free examination with us initially to review the treatment for this problem. Consultation fee needs to be made at factor of booking visit and also is redeemable against any skin blemish therapy you book. If you're battling drooping cheeks, crow's feet, wrinkles, popular lines from nose to mouth, under-eye bags, a heavy eyebrow or sagging dewlaps, after that this therapy is an ideal fit. " Thanks so much for my million dollar facial today. It was my very first experience of a beauty therapy, I enjoyed it a lot and extremely relaxing I will certainly be back quickly, thanks very much."

How do you sleep after a facelift?

After a facelift, it makes sense to sleep on your back. However, you must also sleep with your head elevated for 2 to 4 weeks following the surgery. This position prevents facial strain, swelling, and general discomfort. Prop your head up with a stack of pillows and place extra pillows at the sides of your face.

Typically, only one session is called for as the therapy continuously improves the skin tightens up and cell revival over 6-9 months. As a result, a 2nd if required would not be encouraged for a minimum of one year. As HIFU treatment is non-invasive and for this reason once the session is over, there is definitely no healing time, so you are free to move on with your everyday activities. Some might feel a slight pulse of pressure/heat on the skin for a short moment.

Hormone therapy is often offered for two to three months before HIFU. This can make the prostate smaller sized, and make the cancer cells much easier to deal with. If you have a huge prostate, you could be used various other therapies prior to you have HIFU. Compared to other treatments, we don't called much concerning the risk of adverse effects or exactly how well it operates in the longer term. You may additionally have the ability to have various other therapies after HIFU if your cancer returns, such as surgical procedure or radiotherapy. You may be able to have HIFU once more if your cancer cells comes back after your very first HIFU treatment.

What is the best treatment for deep wrinkles on face?

Wrinkle TreatmentsRetinoids (tretinoin, Altreno, Retin-A, Renova, Tazorac). Alpha-hydroxy acids. Antioxidants. Moisturizers. Glycolic acid peels. Deeper peels. Dermabrasion . Laser resurfacing . More items•

Some individuals might have some light soreness and perhaps light wounding the next day. With the ULTRAFROMER III HIFU tool we can even deal with around your eyes, many thanks to the MF2 slim cartridge, which permits experts to treat your delicate eye area. Ultherapy addresses skin that is mild to reasonably loose or lax, specifically by reconditioning as well as renewing the skin from within.

An excellent HIFU prospect has light to modest skin laxity where the skin starts to really feel as well as look less company. Instances consist of a reduced eyebrow line, loosened skin on the neck, sagging under the chin and also lines as well as wrinkles on the upper body. If you have actually an increased PSA level, you might be used an MRI scan of the prostate to assist medical professionals choose if you require additional tests as well as therapy. HIFU creates the prostate to swell initially which can make it tough to urinate so a catheter will certainly be fitted for the first week or so to drain pipes pee up until things settle down. If you're having focal HIFU you will normally go to a testing consultation first. You'll have a magnetic vibration imaging scan, which creates detailed pictures of the prostate as well as shows the location of the cancer. You might likewise have a prostate biopsy, which reveals the area of the cancer cells as well as how likely the cancer is to grow and spread out outside the prostate.

[arabellaflynn]

Ye ballroom dance instructor has inadvertently made me re-think an awful lot of things. I suppose this is karma coming back to bite me. I have the occasional, baffling week where all the random shit that falls out of my mouth somehow results in me being the Epiphany Fairy for everyone I meet. I imagine my turn has been a long time coming. Believe it or not, this is the first time I've ever had to figure out what to do when someone I've resolved not to bother with my weird people-dowsing has turned around and decided they needed to be friends with me. On top of that, while I correctly predicted that the inside of his head was an interesting place, I completely whiffed almost everything else I guessed. I am seldom that wrong about that many things, and usually discovering the truth is a much more disappointing process. Inasmuch as nobody I have decided to Not Bother has ever turned around and decided to try Bothering me back, I have no procedure for this. This near-total lack of context gave me conniption fits for a while. What the hell am I supposed to do now? Eventually, I got fed up with my own neurotic waffling and decided I could probably do whatever the hell I wanted, as long as I was consistent. In the culture of performing arts, greeting and parting with a hug is a Thing. I've taken to doing that to him, every time I see him. I asked the first time -- like with actual words wot came audibly from my mouth -- and thereafter just took to telegraphing very broadly. It's a process. Hat pins come out, preposterous summer picture hat comes off so I don't nail him in the face with the brim, and I step out from behind the desk, which is usually where I am when he comes in. I do keep a weather eye out for signs that this is Not The Time, but I've not been dodged yet. He will even juggle an armload of crap to get a hand free, if he has to. I tend to categorize this stuff as Things Arabella Is Allowed To Get Away With. I ask because it's something I want, and when I get it, I assume it's because the person I'm asking doesn't have any real objections. If I quit asking one day, all they'd really notice is one fewer interruption to whatever it else it is they use that arm for. Some people just tolerate me gracefully. The last time he caught me at the desk, I was interrupted early in the Hat Removal Process by a patron asking a question. It happens when you're the receptionist on duty. I didn't really expect him to still be standing at the corner of the desk when I was done doing my job, but he was, so I finished with the hat and got on with my usual greeting, and then we both went back to work. It didn't occur to me until much later that this might have been what he was waiting for. Habits are much like opinions, in that nobody cares what yours are unless they find them distasteful. Catching him when he appears has become my habit, and if I hadn't managed to get a hug before one of us left, I'd have been vaguely disgruntled, in that way that happens circumstances force you to leave a task uncompleted. I've been assuming my pattern of behavior plays no role in his decision-making process, mainly because I've been assuming he doesn't know it exists. Most people would not recognize a pattern of behavior if it jumped up, chomped them right on the nose, and hung on like a cartoon piranha. I've continued to assume this even after discovering he's terrifyingly observant when he decides to pay attention. And at some point, I managed to forget that it was just an assumption. One of the most difficult things to learn when I started deconstructing people was that being wrong is part of the process. It's not a single equation to solve; it's an iterative algorithm, like finding the roots of a function with Newton's method. You are never going to know exactly how someone else ticks, so the aim is to make a series of guesses about the way they think that are progressively less and less inaccurate, until you arrive at a model whose error bars are, as Moggie used to say, 'good enough for government work'. You guesses are based on the information you have -- and when that information changes, your guess should also change. It's not a disaster to guess something wrong, as long as you remember to let go of your wrong guess later when you learn better. There is no way to nail all of your guesses on the first try. People are too different. This is why all those magazine articles on '5 Signs She's Into You' drive me bonkers. For every five things they cite, maybe three of them will be true for any given person, one will be irrelevant, and one will be so wrong they're insulted you thought that -- and there is no way to know which things are which without interacting with them for a bit. On the other hand, Newton's method requires you to plug a previous guess into the equation to come up with your new guess, so you have to start somewhere. With numbers, it's customary to make the first guess zero, for ease of calculation; with people, you have to begin by making some preliminary assumptions based on previous experience. The more experience you have, the more accurate your guess is likely to be, but that's probability, not a guarantee. I start by assuming that people who don't start huggy sorts of things aren't all that keen on them. I know that this is wrong for some people, because it's wrong for me; I am keen on hugging people, but I am also fussy. It's only certain specific people, and only when the stars align correctly. (I actually don't know what makes the difference between 'person I like a lot' and 'person I like a lot and want to hug all the time'. It drives me a bit bats sometimes. It's probably behavioral, but I never have identified all of the cues.) It's a significant gesture from me, but I imagine nobody knows this, because I don't tell them, because that conversation is about 400% weirder than I normally want to get. There are some signs that this assumption might be wrong for ye ballroom instructor as well. I'm generally the one to reach out, but this may be a matter of inhibition on his end, rather than disinclination -- he does start it sometimes, generally after he's had a couple of drinks, or is fresh off performing, or other such state changes that are known to make the neurotic background gibbering shut the fuck up for a few minutes. It's difficult to objectively evaluate what these behaviors look like from the outside when they're directed at you, but the last time he did it, the total stranger I had been just been talking to promptly asked if we were dating. This is all information that that I did not have -- and, in fact, could not have had -- when I made the initial assumptions, which are themselves colored by various annoying anxieties and issues that are peculiar to me. Now, in a purely practical sense, it doesn't much matter whether I change my opinion on what I think is going on here. I can hang onto the initial guess that hugging probably bugs people more than it makes them feel loved, and that they let me do it because they're nice and they like me. If I don't tell anyone, no one will be any the wiser. The problem is that if I act like I think I'm being irritating, despite new evidence that this isn't the case, he's going to start wondering what the hell he's doing to give me that impression. If, as I am beginning to suspect, he is considerably more high-strung sometimes than he lets on, that is really going to fuck with his head. On the other hand, if he is annoyed by all this, he probably needs to know that his behavior is giving me the opposite impression, so he can change it to better communicate his feelings on the matter. Some of my readers are probably mystified as to why I think this analysis is worth writing out. Congratulations on your reasonably normal upbringing! None of this is obvious when you grow up with someone who does not interface well with reality. The idea that the way you behave can actually affect how other people react to you is new and bewildering when your childhood was full of people who treated you according to their own highly-inaccurate, unchanging mental model of who you were supposed to be, and not according to things you actually said and did out here in the real world. I did not figure any of this out until I was like twenty, when I decided to quit listening to my mother and teach myself socialization from scratch. I am about to turn thirty-six and I am still tripping over weird shit like this. I wrote this bit up because it's a rare example of me having to pick things apart because something unexpectedly nice is going on, rather than the universe blindsiding me with some sort of insane interpersonal disaster. from Blogger http://ift.tt/2wvwpHg via IFTTT -------------------- Enjoy my writing? Consider becoming a Patron, subscribing via Kindle, or just toss a little something in my tip jar. Thanks!

[orbemnews]

Indiana man 'begging to be alive' denied stimulus checks because IRS insists he’s dead Bobby Musgrove says in total, the IRS now owes him more than $10,000 because of the mix-up. BROWN COUNTY, Ind. — Bobby Musgrove is in training. This summer, he hopes to become one of the first dialysis patients to hike all 2,100 miles of the Appalachian Trail. For a guy with serious kidney disease, Bobby is in really good shape. But don’t try telling that to the IRS. “They believe I’m deceased,” he told 13News, slowly repeating himself. “The IRS believes I’m deceased.” “Deceased” is the designation the IRS currently has on file for Bobby Musgrove. After just a few minutes talking with Bobby and observing him closely, it’s pretty clear the IRS got this one wrong.  “Yeah, I’m still here. Definitely not dead,” he said while chuckling. Bobby has a good sense of humor, but being killed by the IRS is a serious problem that’s strained his patience. Because the IRS thinks he’s dead, Bobby never got his first stimulus check. Or the second. Or the third. He says the IRS also owes him several years of tax refunds. The Columbus, Indiana resident says in total, the IRS now owes him more than $10,000 because of the mix-up. “That’s a lot of income that I really need,” he explained. “I’m begging to be alive in the system and can’t do it.” Why he’s dead The problem started with a confusing letter from the Social Security Administration offering condolences about Bobby’s death. He immediately contacted his local Social Security office to alert the agency of the error. A month later, Social Security sent an apology, admitting it made a mistake. But the damage was done. Social Security had already included Bobby’s demise in its Death Master File, which is shared with the Internal Revenue Service. And once the IRS thinks you’re dead, you’re essentially dead. “It’s difficult to unwind the information once it’s in the IRS’s system that someone is dead,” said Leslie Book, a Villanova University law professor who also sits on the board of the Center for Taxpayer Rights. “Whatever the source of the problem is, you’d think it would be easier to fix. That’s it’s persisted this long is troubling.” The problem has persisted for two years, despite Bobby’s repeated requests to the IRS to revive him in the agency’s records. He even visited the IRS office in the downtown Indianapolis federal building so he could meet face-to-face with IRS staff. Bobby says he took his birth certificate, state identification and previous tax returns with him to the meeting. That still wasn’t enough to get the problem resolved. “They looked at me and said ‘We believe you,’ but they still couldn’t fix anything,” Bobby told 13News, shaking his head in disgust. “They say it’s a Social Security problem that Social Security needs to fix. I talk to Social Security. They say it’s an IRS problem the IRS has to fix, and I’ve talked to the highest people I can talk to.” Other dead taxpayers are angry too While it is unclear just how prevalent this problem is within the IRS, 13 Investigates has determined Bobby is far from alone. Earlier this year, two Kansas residents reported they could not access stimulus checks or file tax returns because they are also considered dead by the IRS. Veteran Franklin Jackson said the IRS owed him more than $4,000 because an agency representative told him “somebody hit the wrong key,” triggering a 2-year battle as Jackson tried to convince the IRS that he is not actually dead. “It’s hard to speak to a real, live human being,” the 52-year-old told NBC affiliate KSNT. And after that news report, Kansas resident Tyson Vrbas contacted the TV station to say the same thing has been happening to him. Shakira Evans also battled the IRS for years, trying to collect her tax refunds after the IRS classified her as deceased. “Every time I contact the IRS, they tell me to wait. Wait for what? How long will it take to go into their system and change a simple error?” she asked during a 2019 interview with the PhillyVoice. “My children and I are suffering at the hands of the IRS. Someone just needs to do their job and fix this! How much more do they need?” Pat Lowman can relate to those stories. The retired English teacher from central Pennsylvania was declared dead by the IRS, and she thought she had the problem resolved in 2019. But last year when she tried to file her tax return, the IRS notified her that it had placed a lock on her Social Security number because “IRS records show that it belongs to a deceased person.” “I’ve been very frustrated, annoyed, angry,” Lowman told The (Allentown) Morning Call. “I feel like I’ve done all that I could possibly do.” Taxpayers in Tennessee, New York, Utah and other states have reported the same thing happening to them, too. They were all left for dead by the IRS, even after trying to prove they’re very much alive . “We shouldn’t have to deal with a system that requires over two years to prove that you’re alive. That’s frankly just unacceptable,” Book told 13News. The law professor said the IRS has struggled for years to provide adequate customer service—and the COVID-19 pandemic has made things even worse. “Even before the pandemic, the IRS had a challenge in successfully communicating with taxpayers. So you have a perfect storm of circumstances coming together now where the IRS is really having a hard time meeting basic standards of service. We deserve better as a society and as citizens from our government.” The IRS response 13 Investigates contacted the IRS to ask questions about the delay in resolving Bobby’s case. Agency spokesman Luis Garcia responded “…federal law and IRS disclosure regulations do not allow me to comment on the status of any tax matter of a taxpayer.” He did, however, ask for Bobby’s contact information and offered to help find a solution as quickly as possible. Two weeks later, Bobby says he is still considered dead with the IRS, and no one from the agency has even reached out to contact him. “There’s got to be somebody who can fix this,” Bobby said. “I understand mistakes can be made. I do. But the issue is mistakes can be fixed. It shouldn’t be this hard.” “I’m not totally shocked that it would be hard for people to un-do this designation, but I would think the IRS would have to have a way to fix it,” said Keith Fogg, who directs the Harvard Law School tax clinic. He echoed concerns that COVID-19 has seriously reduced the IRS’s ability to assist taxpayers who need help. “The pandemic really set the IRS back and they’re struggling right now. I’m regularly trying to get information about my clients from the IRS, and I used to be able to do it in a few days. Now it takes a few months.” Fogg said taxpayers who cannot resolve their ongoing issues with the IRS can file legal action in an attempt to force the agency to take action and pay money that is owed. But he advised frustrated taxpayers to first contact the IRS Taxpayer Advocate for help. The Taxpayer Advocate is an independent agency within the IRS charged with advocating for and assisting taxpayers with complex matters that they cannot otherwise get resolved with the IRS. “That’s the part of the IRS designed to fix these kinds of problems. That’s where I’d suggest people go,” he said, acknowledging the Taxpayer Advocate has also been impacted by the pandemic. Both Bobby and 13News have repeatedly tried to reach the Taxpayer Advocate. Bobby says the office has not provided him with any assistance. The Taxpayer Advocate’s office has not responded to 13News either. Source link Orbem News #alive #begging #checks #Dead #denied #hes #Indiana #insists #IRS #Man #Stimulus

[thesevenseraphs]

Bungie Weekly Update - 5/25/17

This week at Bungie, our ears are ringing.

Last week was an experience in sensory overload. The aircraft hangar that our friends at Activision built for the celebration was booming. The response from the community has been thunderous. You honor us with your enthusiasm for new action.

Ever since the first reveal at the end of March, we’ve been hyping the “Destiny 2 Gameplay Premiere” on the Internet. Inside our studio, the entire operation was codenamed DRE (or Destiny Reveal Event). The games that were played in that fateful airport hangar came from the DRE Build. The presenters who took the stage ran a gauntlet of DRE Rehearsals.

We knew this moment wouldn’t be complete if we couldn’t share it with our community. If you made the trek to join us, we were humbled and awed to hear you roar as your favorite Class activated a new Super for the first time. If you piled into the stream audience to make the chat run like a raging waterfall, we thank you for helping us to break the internet.

If you missed a single moment of the premiere, here’s the full archive:

https://youtu.be/kmFGetMZi6s

With all the lights and noise and games and conversations behind us, we can safely say that DRE is something we’ll never forget.

Destiny 2 Game Director (and Master of Ceremonies) Luke Smith has his own recollections from the center of that storm.

Last Thursday was a blur. Amidst the fuzzy lines, a few moments crystallized and burned into memory.   I’ll remember the tireless effort on the part of the crew who was there all week building out the hangar, Steph the stage manager helping us prep, the team running the teleprompters (which none of us had ever used before), and a ton of other folks who made that event go. I’ll remember the conversations with guests sharing their own stories of what Destiny meant to them, their friends, families, and communities. It’s another jolt of energy as we enter the final months of Destiny 2’s development. I’ll remember the moment I walked out on stage for the first time for the rest of my life. And the text I received from my mother after it was over wondering if she should “get into these Destiny games when I retire.” She’s 61, and I hope to still be making them when she hangs up her scrubs. See you soon. -luke

Thanks for being the wind at our backs, Guardians. As Luke said, there is more work to do. With DRE fading into memory, we can return to our mission with a belly full of fire.

Code Words

As we moved through the crowd of Guardians last week, many of you asked important questions about how Destiny 2's networking model will work. The technology we use to bring players together in the world of the game touches on so many crucial topics. We know that you’re curious about everything from how your shots land to the protective measures we’ll take to keep the community ecosystem safe. These topics deserve careful statements from the people who own the code, and a noisy aircraft hangar isn’t the best place to do them justice.

Now that the dust has settled and the ringing in our ears has started to subside, I sat down with Matt Segur, Engineering Lead on Destiny 2, to get some answers for you.

Matt: We've seen a lot of people asking about how the networking model works for Destiny 2. Many are concerned by our announcement last week that Destiny 2 doesn't have dedicated servers. While that’s useful shorthand, the full answer is more complex because Destiny has a unique networking model. Rest assured that we’re doing a lot of testing right now with players all around the world, and working hard to make sure that your experience is going to be smooth on launch day.

So why no dedicated servers?

Matt: Every activity in Destiny 2 is hosted by one of our servers. That means you will never again suffer a host migration during your Raid attempt or Trials match. This differs from Destiny 1, where these hosting duties were performed by player consoles and only script and mission logic ran in the data center. To understand the foundation on which we’re building, check out this Destiny 1 presentation from GDC. Using the terms from this talk, in Destiny 2, both the Mission Host and Physics Host will run in our data centers.

Wait, so we do have dedicated servers?

Matt: We don't use that term, because in the gaming community, “dedicated servers” refers to pure client-server networking models. Destiny 2 uses a hybrid of client-server and peer-to-peer technology, just like Destiny 1. The server is authoritative over how the game progresses, and each player is authoritative over their own movement and abilities. This allows us to give players the feeling of immediacy in all their moving and shooting – no matter where they live and no matter whom they choose to play with.

Why peer-to-peer? Are we trying to save money?

Matt: Nope! We've invested heavily in new server infrastructure for Destiny 2, including using cloud servers for gameplay for the first time. We really believe this is the best model for all of Destiny 2's varied cooperative and competitive experiences. Engineering will always involve tradeoffs and cost-benefit analysis, but as a team we’ve got no regrets about the unique technology we’ve built for Destiny 2.

With Destiny 2 coming out on PC, does peer-to-peer networking put players at risk of being cheated?

Matt: The PC platform poses unique security challenges for Destiny 2, but our security Ninjas have spent several years building a plan for how to engage with this new and vibrant community. We have a variety of top-secret strategies to ensure that the life of a cheater in Destiny 2 PC will be nasty, brutish, and short. And, regardless of what platform you play on, all changes to your persistent character are communicated directly to our secure data center with no peer-to-peer interference.

Does this mean I’ll never see a player warp around the map or shoot me through a wall again?

Matt: We think those controller-throwing lag-induced moments will be reduced for Destiny 2, but we can't promise they’ll be eliminated. Fundamentally, we are trying to strike a balance between three hard problems: (1) make the game feel responsive, (2) make the game accessible to players all over the world, and (3) make the game fair for all. We’ll continue to refine that balance as players engage with the Crucible in Destiny 2.

So what can we expect at launch?

Matt: We have a Beta coming up this summer that will be the first chance for players to get their hands on Destiny 2 and kick the tires on its networking. We have spent a bunch of time working on matchmaking, latency, and responsiveness, and we feel pretty good about it. As with everything we do, we'll be monitoring the situation after launch and reacting to the community's feedback.

To Matt’s final point, the real moment of truth and understanding will come when you get to play. That’s when you’ll know what we’ve built. When you tell us what sort of experience you’ve had, we’ll know too. This is our goal for the Destiny 2 Beta.

Your next obvious question is:

“When is the Beta?”

We’re still tracking toward a summer time-frame. We’re locking down dates and prepping builds. As soon we know for sure, we’ll upgrade the Beta forecast from its current status of “Soon” with exact dates.

We hope to see you there. This is the true test. We’ll need every Guardian on hand to help us launch a game worthy of this community.

Mission Status

Supporting the Guardians is a mission that takes on many forms. Last week, the members of our Destiny Player Support team were part of the Away Team for the reveal event, inverting controllers and hooking players up with their first taste of Destiny 2. This week, they’re back to walking their beat on Bungie.net, looking for players in need of assistance.

This is their report.

Earlier this week, server maintenance was conducted to address some backend issues that were impacting Destiny servers. No changes to gameplay were made. If you are experiencing any issues connecting to Destiny since this maintenance was completed, please post a report to the #Help forum listing the error codes you’re receiving when attempting to play.

Additionally, we are investigating issues preventing various activity statistics from appearing on your Bungie.net Legend. We have confirmed that issues impacting Iron Banner Mayhem Clash stats have been addressed, but we are continuing to investigate issues preventing the appearance of stats from alternate activities. Please note the following:

Third party applications that rely on Bungie.net API for stat collection will be impacted until this issue is resolved.

Some previously-completed activity statistics have begun to appear on Bungie.net, but we are continuing to investigate the issue as it may still impact alternate stats.

Once the issue has been resolved, it may take up to 48 hours for all statistics to be processed.

Additional information and updates on this investigation will be provided through @BungieHelp when available.

[rosponseai]

If you experience a bad customer service, it tends to stay with you for long and leaves a negative impression of the brand which affects your future choices like whether to engage with that brand in future. No one is immune to bad customer experience and there is no doubt the effects are usually both short-term and long-term. I, for instance, had a bad experience while shopping online for presents last Christmas. So as to guarantee that all the gifts are delivered on time, I made all my orders way in advance, but still faced late delivery problems. Well, it’s the peak season and a slight delay wasn’t out of the ordinary. However, things got unexpectantly worst when I contacted the customer service of the e-commerce giant whom I trusted with all my Christmas presents. I couldn’t get past the initial customer service IVR since it was unable to direct me anywhere to resolve my issues! Brands have to know that an IVR system is meant to assist shoppers and not give their service experience a bad image. Most of the time, an AI IVR is the initial touchpoint in a brand’s customer service cycle, and if it is not handled in the right way then it will basically drive away shoppers since today’s customers want immediate satisfaction and will not take errors or delays for granted. So, now the responsibility lies on the companies to take the lead and ensure they give their customers a better experience. If you are in a business-to-customer (B2C) field, then this article might assist you comprehend the basic anatomy of an IVR system and how you can improve your IVR solution to give improved customer experience instead of pushing them away from your business. What is an IVR and Types of IVR As per the simple description, interactive voice response (IVR) is a technology that enables a computer to engage with humans through the use of voice and DTMF tones input using a keypad. An IVR system interacts with callers, collects info and direct calls to the right agent. A modest IVR system for call center flawlessly directs your clients to the best-fitted agent or department using customizable call flow mechanisms. There can be varied forms of IVRs used in a contact center: IVR for Self-Service Artificial Intelligence IVR System, known auto attendant or automated voice as well, enables companies to handle high call volumes at a lower cost. It can detect & categorize callers, and solving their issues without transferring to a human representative. Calls are directed to human agents only when the customer is unable to get the info they seek, enabling call center representatives be more effective and productive by giving them more time to deal with complex engagements. Hosted IVR An IVR solution installed on a hosted software platform that enables companies to access the IVR application online. This allows the business to deliver round-the-clock customer service, even after office hours. Having a hosted IVR System is the most suitable way for businesses to gain loyalty and boost gratification. Agent-Assisted IVR An agent-assisted IVR solution allows the call center to reduce the cost of operations and along with offering a steady customer service. The agent can dynamically direct pre-recorded phrases to start a conversation with the consumer, without the caller knowing an agent is involved. This assists in eliminating customer frustrations triggered by complex-structured menu options. Why IVR System Is Important for Companies Interactive Voice Response software have used pre-recorded voice prompts and menus to present info and options to customers, and touch-tone telephone keypad entry to collect responses. Modern AI IVR solutions also allow input and responses to be collected via spoken words with voice recognition. Businesses are ever more searching for an IVR service provider which assists them in handling their Inbound and Outbound contact centers to lower the cost of common sales, collections, service, inquiry and support calls to and from their business. Here are some of the business benefits of an IVR system: First Call Resolution Organizations have to implement intelligent call routing to the right representative to ensure the consumer’s query is resolved as quickly as possible. Do not force your customers wait on the IVR, rather create your IVR flow in a smart way to lessen customer wait time by accelerating the query resolution. 24*7 Customer Service The main purpose of an IVR is to make sure that consumers are attended even if the live agents are not accessible due to time constraints. Intelligent IVR systems enables you play a pre-recorded message on off-days to allow self-service for the callers. Handle High Call Volume An intelligent IVR system helps creating effective IVR workflows to streamline the calls to aid flawless customer support and decrease customer waiting time to huge extent keeping in mind the contact center resource availability. Handle Multilevel IVR A smart IVR system is one that lets multi-level flow in the IVR. Using numerous pre-recorded messages organizations can make sure the caller is directed to the best-fitted agent for particular product or process related queries without any need for human influence. Automation of Operations An IVR is crucial to automate the routine customer queries resolution to free-up the agents to focus on solving the more important matters. This boost agent productivity and enhances customer support and fulfilment. How much does IVR cost? Between networks, servers and databases, an old-style, in-house IVR system can cost thousands of dollars in hardware, software and maintenance. This is why a lot of organizations choose a hosted system. A hosted service typically charges a once-a-month fee for access to their IVR calling feature. Apart from the clear reduction in cost, most companies select a hosted service since the IVR provider manages everything from personalizing the system to regular hardware maintenance. Hosted services are provided by numerous VoIP providers. Cost varies based on which provider you select. Irrespective of the line of business you're in, IVR is a helpful cost-saving and customer service tool. This feature will assist boost support gratification and enable your staff to focus on more pressing issues. The hosted system option available from most providers enables all kinds of companies to successfully profit from this feature. If your consumers are abandoning the calls due complex or inefficient IVR, find out how Response can help to create a smart IVR flow without any hassle.

[twentysomethinginorlando]

Fairy Tale Challenge Part Two: the Princess Half Marathon

New Post from https://twentysomethinginorlando.com/rundisney-princess-half-2018/

Fairy Tale Challenge Part Two: the Princess Half Marathon

The hardest part of running a RunDisney Challenge isn’t actually running the second race, it’s getting up for the second race. You would think being tired from the Enchanted 10K would make it easy to fall asleep early, but you’d be wrong. (At least in my case.) So sure enough that 2:20 a.m. alarm went off and I dragged myself out of bed for the Princess Half Marathon. I put on my awesome pink skirt that Donna made me, the white tank top I use for Marie, and grabbed the ears and tail. My cat looked at me like I had lost my mind as I headed out the door. 

I had to drive a different route to Epcot this time since I knew the access roads behind Magic Kingdom would be closed, but I still managed to get there right around four. I had one friend who was running the Half as well, and somehow, we managed to park only a few spots away from each other. I met up with Andria and her friend, and we all walked in together. 

The character lines weren’t quite as out of control this time, and we jumped in line for Merida. The person manning the line was saying it was about an hour, but we made it in less than half of that.  

Andria was still waiting on another friend, but I was anxious to get to the start corrals so I headed off by myself. I was in the second to last corral, and I wanted to be as close as I could to the front of it. The more space you put between yourself and the last runners to cross the start line, the more time you have to stop for characters. 

Today would be different. I would stop for characters and not worry about time. Well, try not to worry about time anyway. 

This was a much longer walk to get to the starting corrals, it took about fifteen minutes to get to where they were setup behind Epcot. 

I picked my way around runners and headed as close to the front of Corral G as I could manage without being completely rude. There were a couple of other girls sitting down and I plopped down right behind them, sitting on the jacket I’d brought. It was just chilly enough that I felt it was warranted, even though I knew I’d ditch it before the race started. RunDisney gathers up all the clothes left behind and donates them to charity, which I think is pretty cool. 

The sound system was either working much better, or the speakers were in better places, because this time I could hear everything. Although people still sang along with the National Anthem. Since when is that a thing? 

The Fairy Godmother once again arrived to send off the first batch of runners. She had us all recite “Determination, commitment, and perseverance.” Then she counted down, “Salago-doola, Menchicka boola, one, two, three!”

And off the A corral went at exactly 5:30 a.m. One of the announcers mentioned that there were twenty-seven corrals. No, there were eight corrals and they were somehow being split into twenty-seven waves of runners. I am really not a fan of RunDisney handling their corrals that way, but I understand it. They have to staff less corrals, and this year they would have run out of letters. What would corral twenty-seven be? AA? ZZ? 

I started at precisely 6:26 a.m., thank you runner tracking. I actually thought I would be in the second wave of G and was surprised to find myself in the first wave. I hadn’t put my Running Buddy on my waist yet, I was planning to do it all after I videoed the fireworks but I found myself crossing the start line with it still in my hand. I started strong for a few minutes and then slowed to a walk to try to secure it. 

This is where I started to regret the Marie costume. I had compression shorts, then the skirt, then the tail. I had to get my Running Buddy onto the compression shorts, under the skirt and tail. This was way more of a struggle than I anticipated, and I spent a good five minutes fighting with it. Finally, I got it secured, got my one earbud in, and started to run for real just as I reached the marching band out to cheer us on. 

I came to the first water stop and made a slight error in calculations. I always do Powerade, not water, if it’s available. I moved past the first tables with water looking for Powerade, only to find there wasn’t any. Since I refuse to turn around, I kept going without getting anything. Whoops. 

I was a little way past the first mile marker when I heard cheering. I looked to my left and saw the first male runner headed back, already done with most of the course. The first female runner was about a minute and a half behind him, and she was also met with cheers. They had almost an hour’s head start on us, were moving at a ridiculously fast pace, and had already finished the first ten miles. 

I came down the ramp towards the Magic Kingdom toll booths and found Captain Jack Sparrow and Barbossa in their usual place in the middle of the median. They were in front of what looked like a large rowboat rather than the full-sized pirate ship. Even though I had had vowed to stop for more characters, I had actually met them last year so I was okay skipping them. 

Just past the second mile marker I saw an adorable older couple dressed as Mary Poppins and Bert powerwalking faster than most of the runners were moving. I heard a girl next to me say very loudly, “Okay, how are they going faster than me?” and had to stop myself from saying something snarky.  

There was a heat advisory for the race, announced a few days ahead of time, and I was already dripping with sweat. The fluffy tail against my back was no help, and I found myself hating pretty much everything about my costume. I knew it was only going to get hotter, and I wasn’t sure keeping the costume was going to be the wisest decision. 

I came around the curve past the toll booths into the Magic Kingdom and found the Heroes waiting for me: Flynn Rider, Prince Eric, John Smith, and Phoebus. Normally with the characters you almost can’t see who it is for how long the line is, but this line actually went in the direction we were running, so you could see the characters and keep going to get in line instead of going back. 

I jumped in line. I hadn’t stopped for the heroes group since my first time running the Princess Half, and I wasn’t going to miss them this time. While I was waiting, I moved my bib from my shirt to the skirt. If I wound up ditching my costume, I wanted it to take as little time as possible. I thought about getting rid of it then, but I didn’t want to throw it just anywhere for some random Cast Member to have to pick up. 

Flynn, Eric, Phoebus, and John Smith were wonderful as always, and I kept going. Just around the corner, I’d never been so happy to see a water stop in my life-they even had Powerade this time! I grabbed two cups and kept going, hitting the 5K marker at 7:16 a.m. Not bad seeing as I stood in a long character line and had to stop to secure my Running Buddy. 

A little further down were a pair of Guest Relations Cast Members cheering everyone on. Few people realize this but the sweeper vans are driven by Guest Relations, and they don’t actually want to pick anyone up. I even knew one of them! I jogged through, swinging over to high-five Jeff and yell, “Hi Jeff!” which is something that has happened on pretty much every RunDisney race I’ve ever ran. He yelled “Hi Chelsea! I like your costume!” 

The next character I encountered was the Witch from Snow White, but we met her at the Wine and Dine Post Race Party so I didn’t have to feel guilty about passing her. I turned into the tram entrance to the Ticket and Transportation Center and passed several members of the Hogwarts Running Club cheering on the runners. I chugged up the stupid hill and ran past the monorails where the Japanese Drummers from Epcot were out in full force. The show usually only has four or five performers, and there were at least fifteen out! 

Just past the drummers was another water stop and the fourth mile marker. I headed up the road towards the Contemporary Resort and the dreaded water bridge, resolved that I’d ditch my costume as soon as I got backstage at Magic Kingdom. 

You might be wondering what a water bridge is. It is the connection from the man-made Seven Seas Lagoon to the natural Bay Lake that crosses over the road by Magic Kingdom. If it sounds hard to believe, don’t worry, my mother didn’t accept that it existed until she saw a boat go over it. 

The reason I dread the water bridge is it’s a very tight area with only one lane of traffic and a sidewalk to travel through. It’s uneven, often under construction, and it echoes really loudly under there. Plus, it’s an insanely steep hill down and then back up. I try to always run down hills, but this one is too congested. 

There were only a handful of spectators out in front of the Contemporary, but it’s not an area that’s easy to access unless you’re staying at that resort so it’s to be expected. I passed the fifth mile marker and I was surprised to find us turning to go through the bus loop instead of taking the walkway into the backstage area of Magic Kingdom. This was awesome since it brought us in through the main gates of the park and under the train station, except this messed up my plan to ditch my costume backstage. On the top of the train station they had a bunch of the Main Street characters cheering us on and commentating, including the Suffragettes and the performers from the trolley show.  

I ran up through Main Street U.S.A. past the cheering hoards, surprised I didn’t see more Photopass photographers out. I didn’t want to wait until I was out of Magic Kingdom to get rid of the costume, but I didn’t know what to do. As I turned into Tomorrowland, I decided I’d just have to leave it in a bathroom. The Cast Member in me couldn’t bring myself to just strip in the park and toss it somewhere. I passed Buzz Lightyear next to the Lunching Pad and headed for the bathrooms next to Cosmic Rays. There was a long line out the door and I slid past it, yelling, “I’m sorry, I just need a sink!” 

I went up to the sink and pulled off the ears, the tail, and my shirt. It’s been a few years, but I used to play Ultimate Frisbee in nothing but a sports bra all the time. There was a custodial Cast Member cleaning up and I looked at her, “I am so sorry. I’m leaving these. Can you take them to Lost and Found?” 

“Sure, no problem!” 

Thank goodness. I left, hoping I’d get them back but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I didn’t. I think the whole ensemble cost about $15 and this was the second time I’d used it. (Side note: after being on hold half an hour with Lost and Found, my costume never made it there, but that’s okay!) 

I headed back into the park, running towards Fantasyland. I saw the White Rabbit and the Queen of Hearts out by the teacups. I really like the White Rabbit, but I’m not a huge Alice fan and I had a feeling there would be better characters ahead. 

I was right; just outside Gaston’s Tavern was the man himself! With Belle! I jumped in line immediately. It’s hard to find Belle in her blue dress these days, and meeting her with Gaston was too good to pass up. 

I was heading towards my favorite part of the Princess Half Marathon, running through Cinderella Castle. I was extremely surprised to find Photopass photographers on the other side, but without their cameras. No one was taking castle photos unless you wanted to go line up in front of the stage! I was happy to pass on that as I have plenty of standing castle photos, I like running ones! I can only assume it was bottle necking too badly with people stopping so they told the Photopass not to take photos. Coming down the Castle ramp people were trying to stop and the photographers there were yelling at them to keep going. 

I headed into Liberty Square where Tiana, Naveen, and Louis from Princess and the Frog were out. I love Naveen, but I decided I should keep going on this one. It was too close to the line for Belle and Gaston and I needed to make up some time. It was already after 8 a.m. and Magic Kingdom opened at 9 a.m. I figured they would be sweeping people out soon eough! 

Just past the entrance to Frontierland was Woody, and in front of Pecos Bill was Cowboy Goofy. At first, I only saw the hat and I got excited thinking it was Pirate Goofy. When I realized it was a cowboy I kept going. Sorry Goof. 

Right beside Splash Mountain was the sixth mile marker, and as I headed backstage I saw the train parked with an engineer for photos. Ahead of me I could see the Maleficent dragon float from “Festival of Fantasy” and the Princess float from the old “Celebrate a Dream Come True” parade. Prince Charming, Cinderella, Aurora, and Phillip were all in front of it, and the line was MASSIVE. I looked to see if it was the Prince Charming I happen to know in the real world, and it wasn’t, so I kept going happily. None of those are characters I particularly care about. 

There was another water stop behind Splash Mountain, and the 10K marker. I checked my watch as I waited for the text to come to tell me how I was doing, because I once again picked Pokémon Go over using a fitness app. It was 8:12 a.m. I was at a total run time of 01:46:31 and averaging a little over a seventeen-minute mile. I was pretty content with that for the time being. RunDisney requires a sixteen-minute mile, but as long as you’re not at the back of the pack, you have much more time. With another character stop and an emergency costume change, I really wasn’t doing that bad at all. 

Before any serious runners reading this judge me, I also don’t train. I sort of just pick up and run, which I know is not overly smart but it works for me. The last time I went running before the Enchanted 10K was in November. 

What goes up, must come down. Immediately after my favorite part of the course is my least favorite, the stretch behind Magic Kingdom. You exit onto the service road and are squished into one lane of traffic until you get to the Polynesian. It’s miserable, people are loud and complaining about how tight it is, and there’s usually some shoving. Thankfully the Princess Half is almost entirely all women, and I’ve never been hit by a female runner. I have been knocked around by a few male runners, and this was the area that I rolled my ankle during the 2016 Walt Disney World Marathon when I got hit by a guy almost twice my size. I’ve never been overly fond of this stretch since then. 

DJ Elliot, who is my favorite of Disney’s DJs, was just around the bend telling everyone not to worry, because the last runners were just now getting into the park at 8:20 a.m., and that the park had to be clear by 8:30 a.m. We had almost two miles between us so we had plenty of time!  

Outside the Grand Floridian I’m used to finding Mary Poppins, but this time they had Tinkerbell and a few of her fairy friends. Near the Wedding Pavilion they usually have a few guys in tuxedos with a glass slipper, but they were heading into the trailer as I passed them. I saw one girl go over to talk to the manager with them, and I guess they were done for the day. 

I reached the Polynesian Resort where finally the course widened back into a multi-lane road, thank the Mouse. Genie was out in the same place I met him in 2015 with the same Mickey Mouse golf cart, but without his tourist outfit. It was just traditional Genie. He was the only character I saw out on both the 10K and the Half Marathon. 

A little beyond Genie, just before the stop for the energy jelly bean… things, were a couple of attractive gentlemen hanging out with muscle cars. They had microphones and were commentating and cheering on the runners. I’m fairly certain one of them had been posing as a construction worker behind Epcot the day before. 

Lining the road along one side were a series of purple signs with jokes that I am fairly certain were written by a rogue Jungle Cruise Skipper. 

“What kind of blush does Mulan use?”  

About twenty yards down was the punchline, “Mulan Rouge!” 

Another twenty or so yards away, “Why did Jasmine go to the fruit market?” 

“To find a date!” 

It went on like this for quite a while, and I loved it. Such a simple thing to add and it was hilarious. 

Further on down the road I could hear more people on microphones and I perked right up as I recognized the camel from the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. I had passed the famed Adventurer’s Club because I didn’t know who they were until we saw them perform at the Post Race Party, and I stopped dead in my tracks. No one was going to meet them! The Adventurers Club was an amazing night club act that was very Jungle Cruise-esque back in the days of Pleasure Island, and now you can only find them at special events. I raced over, and then had to struggle to get my phone out for the picture. They were all exactly the same as when I met them in November! 

This was when I discovered that the camera on my phone had somehow been on since Belle and Gaston, and my phone was now on 16%. I switched my music off and put up my headphones up. I’d need something for photos at the end! 

I normally don’t mind the long stretch between Magic Kingdom and Epcot so much once you’re on the open race, but the sun was high in the sky and the temperature was climbing. I’ve never ran a race when it was so hot before, and I was so happy I’d ditched my costume. Everyone was hot and cranky, and dripping with sweat. The volunteers and Guest Relations we passed were doing their best to cheer us on, but pretty much everyone was walking. 

I passed Jeff again and could hear him yelling, “Best parade ever!” but I didn’t stop to say hi this time. I was a little embarrassed I’d ditched the costume he said he liked. 

I hit the 15K marker at 8:59 a.m. Now at a total run time of 02:33:41, but I’d brought my average time down to 15:12 miles instead of 17:00. At least it was an improvement! I now had a projected finish time of 10:01 a.m. and I was determined to make it by 10:00 a.m. 

Captain Jack and Barbossa were still out in the same place I had passed them before, but this time their line was much shorter. I still elected to keep moving. How many Pirate pictures does a girl need? 

The next Powerade and water stop I actually got both. The pink sweat band on my arm was so soaked I was actually wiping sweat back onto my face instead of off. In what I thought was a rather brilliant move, I dunked it in the water cup and rang it out so I’d at least be wiping my face with clean water instead of sweat. 

Not twenty yards past the water stop they were handing out wet sponges so we could cool ourselves off and wipe our faces. Well, it can’t be that bad an idea if Disney did it too! 

I stopped for a picture of the tenth mile marker. Since it was the tenth anniversary of the Princess Half, it had its own special mile marker instead of the normal reusable ones. 

When you’re running by yourself you catch random snatches of conversations around you. Sometimes you join in, sometimes you don’t. I heard two women next to me saying they could never run the Star Wars Half Marathon because they wouldn’t survive the heat in April. 

“Oh no, I ran Star Wars last year and it was not nearly this hot. There was a heat advisory then too and it still wasn’t this hot!” 

They laughed and I kept going. 

Ahead was one of the stupid on ramps the course takes you through. Designed for cars, not people, they’re usually at a slant you would never notice in a vehicle but my bad knee hates them. Even if I wanted to run up them, I couldn’t. It’s a long slow walk with my bad knee yelling at me, “WHY ARE WE DOING THIS!?” 

Then right at the top of the hill, where he always is, was the Green Army Man from Toy Story barking orders and telling people to keep moving. I could see one runner doing an impressive number of pushups and I just shook my head and kept going. 

I headed across the overpass and looked back at the runners below. They stretched as far as the eye could see! Clearly, I didn’t need to worry about time! I kept hustling though and jogged down the next hill. I didn’t have a lot juice left and was going to save most of it for when I got to Epcot, but I still had a goal to make. 

I passed a few signs about Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, the official charity group for the Princess Half Marathon and there was another water stop just past the eleventh mile marker. 

One long switch back and I’d be at Epcot. I so just wanted to be done! There was a big teletron screen at the end playing clips from Disney Princess movies. 

My favorite costumes on their way up the hill towards Epcot.

As I came to the final hill that led directly into Epcot, there was a runner who had already finished and was holding up his medal. “You’re almost there!” I jogged down the hill and tried to keep up a run as I started to pass some spectators who were cheering. I got to the Epcot bus area and it was packed. I managed to keep a quick pace through there even though my body was not happy about it. I made my way backstage to find Mrs. Incredible at what I was fairly certain would be the last character stop. I don’t like meeting the Incredibles; I think they should be face characters because they’re a little creepy, so I kept going. 

The final water stop was backstage at Epcot and I headed out next to Spaceship Earth. I just had to run to the start of World Showcase and it would be over! Less than a mile to go! 

Epcot was playing the soundtracks of various Princess movies and “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana came on. I’ll be darned if I didn’t find myself in a sing-a-long with over half the runners in that area. I’ve never tried singing and running before, but it didn’t make it as hard to breathe as I expected. 

I held my skirt out as I passed the Photopass photographers, running pretty much the whole length of Epcot. I’ve never worn my bib anywhere but on my shirt and I was worried they wouldn’t be able to see my number with it on my skirt. 

I made the turn at World Showcase and headed back towards Spaceship Earth. There were plenty of people stopping for pictures there, but it’s the same as the Castle, I much prefer action shots. 

I made my way backstage at Epcot for the final stretch. There was a Gospel Choir on the right and just around the corner from them was the final mile marker! I started running as hard as I could but slowed down when I saw the line for selfies with Prince Mickey. I hopped in line and it only took a moment. I wish the character attendant had been taking photos, I understand they were trying to hurry but I really don’t like selfies with characters. 

I got my picture with Mickey and turned around to sprint the twenty something feet to the finish line. I had a bad feeling I was in between all the photographers, and I discovered I was right when my photos came up on the Photopass app. No finish line photos for me. 

I moved down to where they were once again handing out the medals. I tried not to growl as I took it and put it around my own neck. I was delighted to see that like the Enchanted 10K medal, this one also spun! I hurried to get another cooling towel and start wiping my face off as I checked my watch for the text with my final time. I finished at 9:59:33 a.m. with a time of 3:33:59 and a 16:20 average per mile. Not my fastest time, but definitely not my slowest! 

My poor phone was hanging on at 3% and I hurried to get my Fairy Tale Challenge medal so I could get to the characters. I hopped in line so they could check my bib against the photo from the RunDisney Expo and on I went to get my medal. Thankfully, they actually presented it and put it around my neck instead of just handing it to me. THE WAY ALL MEDALS SHOULD BE GIVEN TO RUNNERS. 

I headed straight out, moving as quickly as my sore legs would let me, to get to the line where Anna and Elsa were switching out. I haven’t seen them since they moved from Magic Kingdom, and I just don’t have the time for their two hour line at Epcot. I checked with the attendant that all characters would be out until 10:45 a.m. and I was thrilled, I had plenty of time. I even wound up with more time than I thought because most the people in front of me were waiting for Anna to leave and Elsa to come out, so they let me jump in front of them. 

I then headed over to Rapunzel’s line. Of all the Princesses available, she is my favorite to meet. While I was waiting, a text from Andria came in asking where we parked. I told her to come join me but they had elected to sit and stretch, which was honestly probably a much smarter decision. Rapunzel’s line moved super quickly and I was up in no time. “Congratulations! It was such a beautiful day to run through the Kingdom!” 

“Yes, beautiful, but hot! Half my costume is still at Magic Kingdom!” 

I don’t think she knew what to say to that. I moved on and jumped in line for Mulan. She was in her Princess dress that I actually don’t like, but I had the time and I’d already seen Merida. While I was waiting, I was eavesdropping on the Cast Members behind me. They were extending characters until 11 a.m. but would be swapping Snow White out for Mulan. Since the Half Marathon medal was Snow White themed, this worked great for me! Most of the line seemed happy about this, and we let the girls who really want to see Mulan head to the front. There were at least two dressed as her, and after my disappointment of not getting a photo with Marie the day before, I didn’t want them to go through that. 

Snow White congratulated me, but she didn’t remember me from the RunDisney Expo. That’s okay though! She had a lot of princesses to meet. 

I finished with Snow White and out of one of the equipment tents wandered my friend Glen! He worked with me on the World Famous Jungle Cruise and lately has been a sounding board for a lot of my video projects. We talked for a minute, and then I began the long trek to my car. I would have hugged him but I was way too sweaty for that. 

I stopped for one last picture with the Princess Half Banner after taking a photo for another group and began the long trudge to my car. 

The Princess Half Marathon is my favorite RunDisney race I’ve ever done. It has the best course, the best theme, and the best characters. I also like that it’s mostly female runners, because I’ve never been hit by a female runner the way I have male runners. I just feel safer on the course. I’ve now run it more than I’ve run any other Disney race. It was my first Half Marathon, and for a little while at least, now my last. 

Some of you might remember I had this whole 30 by 30 plan where I was going to run thirty races by the time I turned thirty, and then the Disneyland Half Marathon should have fallen on my thirtieth birthday. RunDisney has now ruined that plan when they canceled the West Coast races for the foreseeable future. This was my seventeenth race and seventh half marathon, and while I could still easily hit thirty by 2021, I’m not sure I still want to. Even living here and not having to pay for a hotel, the races are a huge financial commitment. They aren’t cheap to being with, and I usually end up having to take at least a four-day weekend if I’m running a Challenge. I’m not complaining, I love four-day weekends, but I’m trying to focus on getting my financial goals under control before I go back to physical ones. So, for the moment at least, I am putting a pause on RunDisney. (I say this now, but I have the registration date for Wine and Dine circled on my calendar so we’ll see how this goes.) I do have a new plan for 2021 that involves the Dopey Challenge and the Disneyland Paris Half Marathon, but it’s not quite the same as running on your birthday. 

I highly recommend the Princess Half to anyone who wants to try a RunDisney race. If you’re not up to the full 13.1 miles, start with a 10K or a 5K. The only thing stopping you from doing it is you. 

Don’t ever let anyone tell you being a Princess is a bad thing because this Princess now has four Disney Challenge Medals and seven Half Marathon Medals. 

Pictured below are the details on the 10K and Half Marathon medals I received. 

Cost: The Disney Fairy Tale Challenge registration was 362.44 including tax. I spent about $45 on skirts and the shirt I wore for Stella Lou. 

Value: 10/10. Just because I’m taking a break doesn’t mean I want to. 

Duration: It’s a solid three to four days with the Expo and two races. 

Add Ons: They have a VIP Runner’s Retreat package for $120 that gives you a private area before and after the race with characters. From following Character Hunter on Twitter, I know they had Disney Villains who were not on the course at all so that’s kind of cool. There’s also snacks included and a padded stretching area.