#service before self leadership

[harmoonix]

How to activate your VENUS sign!

* Activating your Venus sign plays a major role in how you love yourself and how you see your own self, is also giving you a big glow up when it comes to confidence and self worth*

🌄TIPS🌄

1. Start to read about things that are associated with your Venus placement, you can start by wearing colors (clothes) related with your Venus sign;

Aries Venus - Red

Taurus Venus - Pink

Gemini Venus - Yellow

Cancer Venus - White

Leo Venus - Blue

Virgo Venus - Brown/Beige

Libra Venus - Baby Pink

Scorpio Venus - Black

Sagittarius Venus - Purple

Capricorn Venus - Burgundy

Aquarius Venus - Turquoise

Pisces Venus - Dark Green

2. Your Sign of Venus shows how does it manifest

Aries Venus - Through Confidence/Leadership

Taurus Venus - Through Generosity

Gemini Venus - Through Expressions

Cancer Venus - Through Feelings

Leo Venus - Through Passion

Virgo Venus - Through Service/Through Devotion

Libra Venus - Through Emotions

Scorpio Venus - Through Rebirth

Sagittarius Venus - Through Discovery

Capricorn Venus - Through Respect

Aquarius Venus - Through Community

Pisces Venus - Through Empathy

3. How your Venus manifests and activates in houses:

Venus 1H > Focus on yourself/loving yourself/things that make you happy

Venus in the 2H > Focus on your worth/value/finances

Venus in the 3rd > Focus on your inner mind/intelligence and creativity

Venus in the 4H > Focus on those dear to you, on your home, on your comfort zone

Venus in the 5H > Focus on your passions/desires/talents and your own happiness

Venus in the 6H > Focus on your mental health, your daily work/service, focus on creating a balance between work and yourself

Venus in the 7H > Focus on your partner/lover (if you don't have focus on loving yourself first before sharing your love to others),

Venus in the 8H > Focus on your healing time, focus on things that make you learn more, focus on things that give you life

Venus in the 9H > Focus on your faith/religion/culture, focus on traveling and trying new things, focus in learning

Venus in the 10H > Focus on your career, on your job/community, focus on material succes and on your self image

Venus in the 11H > Focus on your friends/friendships, social communities, focus on humanitarian activities/focus on creating new boundings with people

Venus in the 12H > Focus on your sleep (schedule), subconscious, intuition, spirituality, focus on your karmic path

4. FOCUS on your VENUS DECAN! Your Venus Decan is very important and it shows how your Venus is combined and mixed with the others

For this post search the degrees and sign of your Venus and identify their ruler, in the end that planet is combined with your Venus!!

Note: If you have your Venus in Libra or Taurus between 0° - 10° your Venus is most dominant here the other planets don't interact much with these ones!

- Hope this helped you as a start of how to activate your Venus guys🌄🌄🌄 Harmoonix

[valeriehalla]

at this point I just categorically have 90,000,000 times more fun on tumblr than the smoldering wreckage of twitter. like, twitter was already becoming kind of a drag for me before the hostile takeover, and now that cohost (hallowed be her name) is shutting down, it's like, well—i guess we doin’ tumbls again!! “it’s obviously the best one”

honestly, while the queer internet may never recover from the sucking wound that was and is tumblr’s NSFW ban—at least not as long as the united states of america continues to fail to take antitrust action against apple, google, and the payment processors collectively serving as the final boss of what’s allowed to be posted where on the internet—i’m starting to feel like tumblr is moving back into position as The Best Site For Artists regardless. my thoughts on this are half-formed, but it’s like this:

every other social media platform is either 1. tiktok, 2. hyper-obscure, or 3. slow-motion self-destructing to a degree way beyond even what tumblr inflicted upon itself in 2018. this is not a new sentiment i don’t think.

i think the fact that tumblr is unable to capture the literal billions of users every other platform is chasing makes it arguably a lot nicer for the users who are here. there is no way for an application to achieve a tiktok-sized install base that isn’t just naked manipulation and skinnerboxing. tumblr’s leadership seems either too incompetent to pull it off or too wise to try, and so we have what is effectively the last microblogging platform on the internet that’s actually still usable for microblogging.

also, a smaller-but-not-too-small audience is more engaged with what they’re seeing. simple as. a thousand notes on tumblr means more than a million views on tiktok and it always will.

of course, i am in fact making a living off of sexually-explicit art right now, and so tumblr cannot be my One Platform. i get away with it because the art is in service of a story hosted off-site, and so i never need to post The Whole Pussy on here; if i was exclusively an illustrator i’d be even less thrilled with the current state of things than i already ain’t. i guess this is just a testament to how truly bad The State Of Things has gotten, though. congratulations, tumblr: you really did win by doing absolutely nothing.

[novy2sirius]

᭓ ྀུ༺ a degree theory by nikola stojanovic

please read before proceeding

important note: this is not my info. this is all from nikola stojanovic’s theory on degrees in astrology. he has books on it that i think you can find online and download for free

trigger warnings: murder, car crashes, sex, and suicide

sign degrees

zero degrees: 0°

the same characteristics as the sign it’s already placed in. example - aries venus at 0° is purely an aries venus, obviously aside from the house energy

aries degrees: 1°, 13°, and 25°

beginnings, leadership, taking action, fighting spirit, not giving oneself up to fate, struggle, war, abuse, labor, diligence, etc

taurus degrees: 2°, 14°, and 26°

food, money, stability, earth, luxuries, sound of voice, singing voice, etc

gemini degrees: 3°, 15°, and 27°

communication, self-expression, technology, books, siblings, neighbors, etc

cancer degrees: 4°, 16°, and 28°

home, traditions, nurture, loyalty, faith, mother, the ocean/water, etc

leo degrees: 5°, 17°, and 29°

life, children, attention, fame, creativity, strength, happiness, light, etc

virgo degrees: 6° and 18°

improvement, health, to diminish, routine, animals, acts of service, etc

libra degrees: 7° and 19°

harmony/fairness, charm, beauty, law, music, art, dancing, pleasures, etc

scorpio degrees: 8° and 20°

death, major transformation, wealth, jealousy, sex, secrecy, taxes, etc

sagittarius degrees: 9° and 21°

wisdom, abundance, college, travel, photography, success, beliefs, etc

capricorn degrees: 10° and 22°

hard work, fear, public attention, karma, father, boss, isolation, history, etc

aquarius degrees: 11° and 23°

unexpected experiences, technology, friendships, networking, divorce, etc

pisces degrees: 12° and 24°

spirituality, escapism, dreams, illusion, the sea, mysteries, the hidden, etc

special degree meanings

supreme power: 2°

this degree is often found in the charts of people with remarkable achievements, who had extreme power, and who were highly respected according to nikola’s research

eroticism/a fun life: 5°

many sex symbols like marilyn monroe have this in their chart. nikola believed this was the best degree in general as well. he thought it indicated lots of fun and pleasure in one’s life

suicide/divorce: 11° and 23°

according to nikola the aquarius degrees (11 and 23) both indicate divorce occurring when placed in prominent positions in the chart. 11 is the only one indicating suicide though

car accidents: 15°

nikola believed that when this degree was connected to 8th house or scorpio placements it could indicate getting into car crashes

pure evil: 18°

nikola believed that this degree indicated a negative destiny for someone. he thought it was the worst degree you could have in your chart, based on his research he thought it was solely about facing hardships and nothing more. he also believed it could indicate being an evil person with no good intentions

to kill or be killed: 22°

just as the title reads, nikola believed this degree indicates being killed or being a killer. another thing he believed it could indicate was abandonment in the area of life it’s placed

clairvoyance: 29°

nikola believed this degree indicates someone that has very good intuition and can make accurate predictions about the outcomes of events

my opinion on astrology degrees

i personally don’t believe in nikola’s theory 100%, although i do think there’s accuracy to the signs being associated with specific degrees. i have always had stronger belief in my numerstrology degree theory than anything when it comes to this subject though. i definitely do not believe 18° is fully negative like he claims since the universe is yin yang so there’s always both positive and negative ways things can manifest. these are just my thoughts though

do you believe nikola’s degree theory? comment below!

[cyberclouddream]

Ascendant Sign vs Sun Sign

Our Ascendant sign represents the innate demeanors we project, while our Sun sign represents what we want to be recognized and acknowledged for by others, what motivates us at our core.

Examples

Gemini Rising: you may make small talk or mingle with everyone; you may have an eclectic or playful appearance; often use humor or wit to connect with others

Gemini Sun: you may enjoy any form of communication that allows you to share your thoughts; tend to jump from one interest to another; you deeply value open-mindedness and communication

Leo Rising: you may immediately capture attention when you enter rooms; your clothes stand out; you may use bold gestures or an enthusiastic tone

Leo Sun: you may pour your heart in artistic endeavors; you crave recognition for your talents; you deeply value authenticity and self-expression

Libra Rising: often smoothing over tense situations; you may appear elegant or aesthetically-pleasing to others; you often use polite and considerate language

Libra Sun: you gravitate towards an field concerning beauty, design, and creativity; you prioritize partnerships and understanding loved ones; you value fairness and justice

Capricorn Rising: often observing first before engaging with others; appear classic and polished to others, favoring neutral colors and tailored pieces; focus on relevant topics than small talk

Capricorn Sun: drawn to leadership roles that allow them to climb the ladder; focus on pursuing long-term goals for success; value responsibility, loyalty, and tradition

Pisces Rising: often quietly observing and listening to pick up on the emotions of others; may appear whimsical and soft in style, with fabrics or color that reflect their artistic expression; tend to speak in a poetic or abstract way

Pisces Sun: drawn to forms of art, music, and writing; find fulfillment in service-oriented roles; they value empathy, compassion, intuition, and understanding

[writers-potion]

How to pick between two academic rivals in being valedictorian

Academic Rivals - How to Pick the Winner

Rivalry is a juicy piece of character dynamic. Whether it's rivals to lovers, the setup for murder, or underlying tension within school dramatics, academic rivalry pulls the heartstrings of readers by hooking them into the universal desire to excel.

Here are some real-life processes that goes into selecting a valedictorian. Feel free to mix-and-match & alter it to fit the academic setting of your story.

A High Cumulative Grade Point

CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average), Honors Classification, WAM (Weighted Average Mark), ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System), percentage system...whatever it is, your character will need to have a stellar academic record

Could be relative (e.g. top 2%) or a minimum bar (e.g. Above 95%)

Notable Awards/Scholarships

Those who earn notable awards in a particular field - National Book Awards, Olympiad Trophies, etc. will also be a huge plus

Any professional membership (e.g. Chartered Accountant), certifications are also valued.

Scholarships administered by the school, companies and the government will also be a plus.

Interview with the Faculty

The faculty from the student's college, the year's board of judges, the Dean will conduct round(s) of interviews to assess the candidate's integrity.

Extracurricular Contributions

Students who have participated actively in major school clubs, won awards for the school, took part in professor-led projects, etc. will have the upper hand, especially in the eyes of the faculty.

It helps to have held leadership positions in such clubs.

Other extracurriculars like starting their own business, starting community service projects, etc.

Self/Student Nomination and Voting

In some schools, you may need to self-nominate yourself to be considered for valedictorian.

There will often be a round of nominations, where students get to recommend peers (other than themselves)

Professor Nominations

Professors may nominate students that have showcased their ability to perform highly.

Hope this helps! :) Happy writing

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* . ───

💎If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! Also, join my Tumblr writing community for some more fun.

💎Before you ask, check out my masterpost part 1 and part 2 

[c-billbaby]

To: Chatterweb Mercenary Advertising Board

From: Carol, Burser, The Bloody Gash

It is eith great regret and sadness that The Bloody Gash... Ugh, I still can not believe she named it that, announces the tragic death of its leader, the self styled Captain Gemma Orlais. Her sudden death in the mech bay this morning came as a shock to us all.

I, Carol, former Star Commander for Clan Jade Falcon, shall inherit leadership of the unit. To those of you seeking our services be aware that we shall no longer be accepting such dishonorable contracts as piracy, assassination, or... Ugh. Birthday parties. We shall also be enacting new uniform and behavioral standards for the members of the unit.

No, nipple rings are not a rank insignia *Johnathan*.

It is our hope that we may turn this tragedy into a positive moment of growth for the unit and that we can achieve some form of respectable reputation for the future. It is not beyond the capabilities of The... Ugh... Bloody Gash to even perhaps become the envy of other units.

May our enemies quell before our prowess, for once, rather than our stench.

With Honor,

Commander Carol of The Bloody Gash mercenary command.

[sofstiltskin]

12th house (hidden enemies) and what people secretly envy/envied you for, based on its ruler

Before we start, I want to state that based on astrology infomation 12th house is for hidden enemies and 6th house for open, so I will make another post for open too. Let's begin ✨

Aries ruler: Mars

Taurus ruler: Venus

Gemini ruler: Mercury

Cancer ruler: Moon

Leo ruler: Sun

Virgo ruler: Mercury

Libra ruler: Venus

Scorpio rulers: Mars and Pluto

Sagittarius ruler: Jupiter

Capricorn ruler: Saturn

Aquarius rulers: Saturn and Uranus

Pisces rulers: Jupiter and Neptune

12th house ruler in 1st house:

They wanted to be you, your looks, your self-image, everything about your physical appearance, face, body, attitude, your vibe & aura , business visual identity, nature health

12th house ruler in 2nd house:

Your money, belongings, your work and income, luxury things, fashion style, jewellery, daily routines, your neck and shoulders, how you spend money, business finances

12th house ruler in 3rd house:

Your voice and speaking, the way you think, siblings and cousins, grades in school, language(s) you know, hands, interests, people you hang out with, tehnical skills, witchcraft, business communications

12th house ruler in 4th house:

Your home, family, core foundations in business, your chest, mother, vehicles you have, properties, private life, heritage, self-care,feminity, children, genetics, ancestors lol

12th house ruler in 5th house:

Your hobbies, beauty, self-expression, passions, humorous side, inner child, dating people, business creativity, romantic side, children, upper back, big heart personality, creativity, good fortune, art, dance

12th house ruler in 6th house:

Your health, work routines, self improvement, pets, fitness, organization, habits, business day to day operations, acts of services, stomach, attitude toward work, care of a body, strength

12th house ruler in 7th house:

Your relationships, marriage, spouse, partners, alliances with others, love life, business partners, lower back, interpersonal style, clients, foreign affairs, eating habits, how you interact with others, business partnerships

12th house ruler in 8th house:

Your sex lifestyle, transformations, mystery, partner's money, inheritance, hips and reproductive organs, joint ventures/goals, you being secretive, shared money, renewal, personal growth, sexuality, business transformatiom

12th house ruler in 9th house:

Your higher education, you travelling and exploring world, journeys, philosophy, religion, study, moral etics, learning about other cultures, wisdom, thighs, legs, spirit, business expansion, father

12th house ruler in 10th house:

Your public life and reputation, taking power, long term goals, fame, bones, joints, business recognition, ambition, discipline, job, rank profession, dignity, career and vocation, leadership skills, authority

12th house ruler in 11th house:

Your friendships, clubs you go out at, humanitarian ideas, goals and aspirations, technology you have, calves and ankles, hopes and wishes, dreams and future you will have, luck, good spirit, brothers, associations

12th house ruler in 12th house:

Your spirituality, healing abillities, business retreat and hidden things, inner peace, intuition, presence, physic abilities, connection with God, feet, charity, mental health, compassion and empathy

That's it, enjoy your day!!

-Sof

[rin-solo]

Following especially the latest season of Prodigy, I would just like to give a shoutout to Chakotay.

I actually liked him even back in Voyager, although he could definitely have been written better in that show. But then Prodigy came, and despite his limited screen time, that show did him SO well I can still barely believe it. And no, I'm not talking about how unexpectedly hot he looks in a cowboy hat ... That's the bonus cherry on top if anything.

If Prodigy proved anything (besides that it is now one of my favorite Star Treks of all time) is that Chakotay's earned that captain's chair, and so, so much respect.

I love how we get to see him be the selfless, dedicated, strong leader that he is and has always been, entirely disconnected from Janeway or any other legacy character. Now more than ever Chakotay and Janeway are just equally hardcore, badass captains who would give their lives for the greater good in an instant, and that's part of what makes them so great. Their equality, despite the different ranks, really came across in Prodigy more than ever before, which I loved to see.

Honestly, whenever I see Chakotay dismissed as a doormat or "best off as second in command" I just kind of rage a little. Even back in Voyager, it was pretty clear to me that he wasn't (for example, some people seem to forget that he was a captain originally and only became a first officer for the good of the Maquis crew.)

And now that we have Prodigy ... Even though we don't really see much of it on screen (which is a shame), I like reminding myself how, since the launch of the Protostar, he went through 12 (!) more years of (self-)sacrifice and (leadership) hell and managed to come out of that seemingly stronger and more certain of his place and himself than ever.

Even the events of "The Last Flight of the Protostar" aside ... Just think about how many life-altering, defining, difficult choices and sacrifices he had to make in those 12 years.

In the timeline that was averted, he sacrificed his only shot to get back home through the wormhole (the Protostar) to save the Federation from the weapon on board.

In the new timeline, he sacrificed himself by choosing to stay on that planet where he and Adreek landed, also for the sake of protecting the Federation from the weapon on the Protostar.

Chakotay was technically stranded in the Delta Quadrant twice (once with Voyager, once with the Protostar), and despite how abysmally things went on his first command, he never sacrificed his integrity or his dedication to Starfleet's values. He becomes a little grumpy over 10 years in solitude, but honestly, who wouldn't? And then the first thing he does after being rescued is take over Voyager-A and continue his service ... That's some dedication if I've ever seen it. I think he may have wanted to prove something there ... and honestly, he couldn't have succeeded more.

And no, he did not "teach" Dal that his place was "the second in command" ... On the contrary, he very likely showed Dal through his own competence and perseverance that Dal himself was simply not ready yet for such a responsibility.

He's just an extraordinary captain who has gone through things and made choices that very few others could have made. Choices like sending the Protostar back in time, that had the fate of the entire Federation depending on it.

I adore Prodigy in general, but one of the things I adore the most is that it finally shows us more of why Chakotay is not second to Janeway or to anyone. He's his own leader, his own character, and his own captain who deserves so much more acknowledgment.

Although, I still feel that we were robbed of some of Chakotay's best moments by not showing us the arrival of the Protostar on Solum and later the events preceding its (presumably) emergency landing on that planet where it stayed for ten years (honestly, I'd love for future Prodigy seasons to have maybe a flashback episode or two about the Protostar's maiden voyage and Chakotay's arrival on Solum and maybe later on that planet where he was stranded.)

Anyway, long rant over ... All I wanted to say was that Chakotay has more than earned the command of Voyager-A; seeing him in that chair made me very happy, I won't lie.

And I really hope if/when Prodigy gets more seasons, he'll be a more major character because he deserves a more central role.

[cosmicjoke]

Further thoughts on Levi's Admiration for Erwin:

So just to expanded and clarify a bit on my last analysis post, it isn't that Levi admired Erwin for having a lack of humanity, rather, it's that Levi admired Erwin for not allowing his humanity to deter him from doing what needed to be done for humanity's salvation.

But the truth is, Levi believed Erwin had a great deal of humanity in him. Levi believed that humanity was Erwin's reason for setting it aside in the first place, to help humanity, to save humanity, etc... To take on the burden of monstrous acts in order to help others.

It's why Levi is so shocked and dismayed when Hange tells them that Titans are actually human beings, and Levi sees Erwin smiling. That reaction doesn't compute with what he believes about Erwin. It's the first sign for Levi that the humanity he believes is underpinning Erwin's actions isn't as strong as he previously thought, and that fear is later seemingly confirmed for him when he confronts Erwin about it by asking him if seeing what's in Eren's basement, if being there to see it, is more important to him than humanity's victory, and Erwin admits that yes, it is.

That answer shatters Levi's entire view about who Erwin is and sends him, for a time, into a spiral of his own self-doubt, wondering if he's made the right choice in following a man who would put his own, selfish desires above the people he's sworn to protect. Wondering if all those lives Erwin sacrificed were really for a selfish dream, rather than the betterment of humanity.

I think Levi feared, up to the point Erwin told him his plan to take down the Beast Titan, that he'd been following a man who didn't have any humanity in him at all. A man who didn't care about or feel anything for the lives of the soldiers he commanded. I think this is why you see Levi being so snippy with Erwin throughout the battle in Shinganshina. He still believes Erwin is a great leader and visionary, but he doubts now whether Erwin is a good man.

This fear in Levi is finally assuaged when Erwin confesses to him the immense guilt he feels, about his own fear that he's let down and wasted every life under his command, given in service of humanity. Levi is shown, at last, that despite Erwin's selfishness and the underlying, selfish dream motivating his leadership and actions, he does, still, very much care about the people around him and does, indeed, have that deep well of humanity Levi had always believed him to have. Erwin's crushing guilt is the evidence of that. Levi believed before that Erwin was free of guilt, even in suppressing his humanity, because it was done for a worthy cause, for the betterment of all people. He sees in that moment that Erwin is instead overwhelmed and being torn apart by his guilt, precisely because he suppressed his humanity for something lesser. Again, that in itself, that guilt, is the proof of Erwin's humanity.

People like to compare Erwin and Zeke a lot, and talk about how both of them were willing to sacrifice the lives of others to accomplish their personal dream, and how hard that must have been for Levi, to see so may similarities between Erwin and Zeke, and to reconcile his loyalty to Erwin and his belief in Erwin when he sees many of the same qualities in a man he hates.

But there's a fundamental difference between Erwin and Zeke that I don't think people often consider, and again, it comes down to humanity.

Levi despises Zeke so much because he perceives an actual lack of humanity in him. Not an ability to set his humanity aside for some goal, like Erwin, but an actual void of humanity. Zeke shows no remorse, no guilt, no regret, no sorrow over the lives he's used and taken to advance his cause. The reason Levi questions Zeke so persistently in the forest about his actions in Ragako Village is because he's trying to glean if there's any sense of guilt or remorse in him at all for the lives he took. There is none. All Levi gets from Zeke for his questioning is more deception and indifference. I think this is also why Levi made the remarks he did to Zeke about his grandparents, and also about Gabi and Falco. He was trying to see if anything he said, any threat he made, would appeal to Zeke's humanity. But, at each turn, he was met with, again, indifference and deception, with no sign at all of genuine feeling.

The main difference between Erwin and Zeke is that Zeke is a narcissist and a sociopath. He doesn't care about the lives of the people he's used and killed. He sees them as tools and nothing beyond that. He quite literally sees their lives as worthless, rooted in the belief that his own life is worthless. His narcissism renders him incapable of seeing anyone outside of himself, and thus, he projects his own beliefs about himself onto everyone else. Erwin, for all his faults, and despite using the soldiers under his command as tools to further a selfish dream, never viewed their lives as worthless or disposable. He saw them as more than tools. He saw them as people. That's why he's so crushed by guilt near the end. He feels he's failed them by having a selfish dream.

And that fundamental difference also manifests in what Erwin and Zeke are working to achieve, and reflects in Levi's willingness to follow Erwin while simultaneously loathing Zeke.

Erwin, as commander of the Survey Corps, was working to achieve freedom for humanity. Never mind what was truly motivating him. As commander of the SC, the goal was to achieve freedom for humanity, and that's why Levi chose to follow Erwin with such loyalty, because he believed Erwin was best qualified to achieve that goal. To help create a world in which people have the freedom to choose how they live, to be who they are, etc... That's deeply important to Levi, that people be allowed a choice. That's what's at the core of his monologue to the 104th during the Uprising arc.

Zeke, by stark contrast, was working to, quite literally, take freedom away from people. To rob them of any choice at all by ending their existence. Zeke had deluded himself into believing he was providing people a mercy by unburdening them from their lives. But what exposes this for a lie is that he made this decision without any consideration or input whatsoever from the people he was supposedly "saving". He decided for them that their lives were a burden that they should be freed from. He didn't ask if that was what they wanted because, ultimately, and at the heart of it, what they wanted didn't matter to Zeke, because they didn't matter to Zeke.

I find it almost hilarious when people claim that if Erwin had supported the Rumbling, Levi would have supported it too, or that if Erwin had been for wiping humanity beyond the walls out, Levi would have backed him up. They claim this because they think that Levi only ever cared about Erwin and was blindly loyal to him. That he would "compromise his morals" for Erwin because he just loved him that much.

People who claim that expose themselves for having the grossest lack of understanding about who Levi's character is, or Erwin's, for that matter, that I've ever seen.

We saw what happened when Levi began to fear that Erwin lacked humanity. We saw how his respect for him immediately began to erode, despite years of loyal service and trust, and his belief in him as a commander began to waver. How he began to doubt his own choices in following Erwin's lead. We saw the anger and pain that caused in Levi. His interactions with Erwin afterward became cold and bitter. Only when Erwin finally confessed to his guilt, and thus, showed his humanity, did we see Levi's attitude toward him soften again. Only then did Levi tell Erwin that he'd been a good leader and thanked him for getting them so far.

Expand out Levi's coldness and anger toward Erwin after beginning to doubt his humanity to a scenario in which Erwin not only showed a lack of humanity, but an actual, malicious intent toward people, taking action to purposefully end their lives or crush their hopes and dreams...

Then you get how Levi felt about and treated Zeke. Pure disgust and loathing.

Levi never would have chosen to follow Erwin, and never would have felt any sort of admiration or respect for him, if Erwin was in any way intentionally malicious or cruel, or if Erwin in any way lacked true feeling for others. Levi would have despised him the same way he despised Zeke. It's, in fact, why Levi wanted to kill Erwin when they first met. Because he did believe, at that point, that Erwin was inhumane and cruel, for the way he'd treated Levi and his friends. He believed that until Erwin convinced him otherwise through his monologue to him, after Furlan and Isabel were killed. It's why Levi kicks Eren's face in on the airship over Liberio. A sure way to win Levi's animosity and disdain is to show a lack of feeling for others. A lack of humanity.

Levi was never blindly loyal to Erwin and never would have compromised his morals for him. He believed in Erwin's humanity, and so he believed in his leadership, and that's why he followed him with so much trust. It had nothing to do with him being so in love with the man that he would sacrifice any and everything for him. That take is so reductive and childish, it's almost beyond belief that any, intelligent adult actually thinks it.

If Levi really believed Erwin was an unfeeling monster who wanted to actively destroy the lives of others, and actually posed a threat in that regard, he would have been the first to act in putting him down, whether he loved him or not. Just like Levi was the first to voice the reality that Eren was going to have to be killed, despite having been Levi's comrade and subordinate for the last five years, and despite Levi's feelings for him as a friend and comrade.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Hello RTA, I was thinking, about Invictus, what if it wasn't the BRF but the veteran minister trying to hold on his ministry by using Invictus ? He is the one talking about it the most, how after being in Germany he felt nostalgia or else and wanted it back in the UK. When I hear about it generally he's the one talking. Or do you think it's a smokescreen to hide Charles' hand on it ?

Old ask from April 9th

The BRF is totally out of Invictus Games, and have been since 2019 when William booted the Sussexes and their charity work from KP and the Royal Foundation. It’s one of the smarter things they did, because the BRF doesn’t need Invictus Games. There are dozens of other charities that work with military veterans that the BRF supports, not to mention the actual British armed forces. They don’t, have never, and never will need Invictus Games to prove they support military veterans - that’s why Harry’s whining about how the BRF doesn’t support IG doesn’t really work; it gets the sensational headlines, but no one actually believes it because they see all the other work and support the BRF does. And since the BRF (or William, to be more specifically) ���got out” before it had totally morphed into the Harry and Meghan Spectacular Spectacular, they’re insulated from a lot of the issues and criticism of Harry’s leadership (well, “leadership”). My guess is William saw the writing on the wall, and heard/is aware of the complaints from Sydney IG 2018.

The Parliament guy who was schilling for Invictus Games and supporting the Birmingham 2027 platform was doing it for his own self-interest and self-preservation. My guess is that he believed that since Invictus Games has the backing of the Ministry of Defense, supporting Invictus Games gets the MOD and military to support him, which earns him votes from the military supporters in his community and thus he wins reelection. It just wasn’t good enough. (I’ll also note here that this theory is entirely based on my experience with American politics having lived in/around military communities; we get so many people from all levels of political office that come through stumping and barnstorming for the military and veterans to get their votes but don’t actually follow through on any promises to improve veterans’ services or supporting military families.)

Charles doesn’t get anywhere close to Invictus Games, covertly or overtly, in the shadows with a smokescreen or out in front of the curtain for the world to see. And we know he’s nowhere close to Invictus Games because Harry complains about it all the time. That whining about how no one showed up to the anniversary thing at St. Paul’s? The whining about how no one goes to the games to support Team GB? The whining about how he hopes they’ll come to Birmingham 2027? It’s because they’re not involved. They don’t help him. They don’t give him money. They don’t give him their brand. They don’t give him their royal star power. They don’t give him the press and media. And Harry really, really wants that because if he gets their help and they get involved, he doesn’t have to do all the work anymore, he gets the critics (like us) off his back, and he gets the Board off his back because their financial issues will be fixed since the BRF surely won’t let anything they personally support fail.

[footygirl114]

Capitana (Alexia Putellas x Reader)

It’s me, hi, I‘m the problem! I have been so freaking busy that I haven't had time to do anything, but today I got reminded of this prompt and it stuck with me and I had to get it out. I can definitely add more to this story, but I wanted to post something for y’all, so we can consider this a part 1. If you are a below deck lover then I hope I have done it justice!!

As you were standing on the stern of your boat waiting with your crew you were dreading the upcoming charter. You had seen the preference sheets and you knew that you were waiting on a group of 8 footballers, the last batch of footballers you had were awful and demanding so you were dreading. 

You had worked your way up in the yachting industry starting as a deckhand. You have been fighting your way up the male dominated career ladder getting passed over for jobs when you were the better candidate, until 3 years ago you were able to finally take the leap and become captain on a super yacht based in the Mediterranean. You got to where you were because you weren’t afraid to do things your way and your current owner knew that and loved it. 

The charters you have been the captain for have been nothing but successful. You had curated a reputation of being cold but amazing with guests, which has meant that your crew was like a well oiled machine. Normally you were excited about picking up new guests, you loved to meet a variety of people but you mostly loved the look on their face when they had the time of their life all because of a female captain. 

That reaction was either in awe at a female captain or in complete disbelief that a female captain was able to provide this kind of service. The second reaction was your favourite, which is why taking a group of footballers on a 5 day trip to Ibiza did not excite you. They would not be in disbelief but it was more likely that they picked your boat because they knew you provided private excellent service. 

You lived and breathed boating, it didn’t mean you weren’t into sports but being Canadian you were a hockey fan more than football. You knew of female footballers so you recognised the names coming on the boat, but you didn’t know what to expect. 

When you were waiting with the crew to board you could hear your Chief stew and the chef talking about how good of players they were. You listened in and knew that you had some of the top players in the world coming on your boat, that excited you.

Before you had any time to think about it some more you could see the group walk across the gang way on to your boat. You were immediately met with a group of very good looking, fit players. You immediately jumped into your role and allowed them to introduce themselves to you and your crew. Once that was done you started the introduction. 

“Good afternoon! Welcome aboard Serendipity, I am your Captain for your journey and I am excited to have you on board! This is Kate and she’s the chief stew and she will take you on a tour of the boat” you finish your introductions and allow Kate to jump in. 

While she’s talking you can’t help but notice the last player that walked on the boat, she had introduced her self as Alexia. You were intrigued by her expressive eyes and quiet demeanour. You could tell within the first 5 minutes that she had a quiet leadership about her, and that the rest of the players respected her. 

When they started their tour of the boat and she met your eyes you knew you were in trouble, it felt like she could see into your soul with one lock of eyes. Before you could break eye contact she shot you a wink flustering you to the point you almost stumbled over your bosun as you turned to get away. Feeling your cheeks redden you mumbled an apology and then said to the crew “Were off the dock in 15!” as you strode away to captains nest. 

You got the boat off the dock, and then spent the next few hours remaining up in the bridge doing work, not hiding out. When you finally emerged it was before sunset and you had just docked the boat for the night off the coast of Ibiza. You headed toward the swim platform where your crew was getting it set up as the guests wanted to swim before they got ready for dinner. 

You knew the guests were enjoying sunbathing while you were driving the boat, but didn’t think twice about coming to make sure they were okay. You forgot that they would all be in bikinis and being professional athletes they were all ripped. Normally you could ignore this with your guests as you were a professional and able to compartmentalise. Yet seeing Alexia in a bikini you short circuited, almost like you were back in high school seeing the girl who made you realise you were into girls in her bikini. 

Feeling the heat on your cheeks you blushed watching her dive off the back of the boat into the water. Luckily you got pulled away and had to help one of your crew with something before you could do something stupid, like jump in after her. Once you were done with them in the locker, you emerged back on the swim platform as she was getting out of the water climbing on the ladder, with water dripping down. It was like one of those scenes from a movie. 

She noticed you and smiled and stopped in front of you with a “hola Captain.” You could feel her eyes running up and down your uniform.

“hi” you muttered out feeling your cheeks burn at her appraisal and you turned grabbing her a towel handing it to her. 

She took it with a smile and a “gracias” as she used it to wrap her around her self. 

Once her abs were covered up you felt more confident in holding a conversation and you ask her “how was the water?” 

“Perfect, I am jealous of you being on the water all the time” she says with a smile as she moves beside you so you can both look out over the water. 

You smile and tell her “well I grew up in Canada and spent most of my time on frozen lakes, so this is paradise.” 

She laughs and you immediately know you want to hear that sound again, she then says “I can understand why you want to work on the med then” 

“Oh you can?” you ask her with a raised eyebrow.

She turns towards you and says “I can, its beautiful out here” she waves her arms around but her eyes remain locked on you and you can feel the flush on your cheeks again. 

You are saved by your radio going off, and one of your crew needing you. “Sorry, I gotta go” you tell her with a smile and a shrug of your shoulder.��

She smiles and says “of course captain, duty calls.” 

You smile and send her a wink as you turn and head up the steps towards where you were called. As you are walking all you can think about is her smile and laugh and you know that you are going to enjoy this trip more than you thought. 

**

Later that night, you had thought most of the guests had gone to bed as it was quiet and after midnight, you were still up reading under the moonlight. You had changed into sweatpants and a hoodie, so you take the chance to sneak to the kitchen to get a mug of tea before you go to sleep. 

You make it to the kitchen and make your tea without being seen. You are heading back up the stairs towards your cabin when you hear above you on the steps “Hola.” you look up and meet the eyes of Alexia, who is in her pjs. 

You step up to the step below her and pause looking up at her asking “what are you doing up?” 

She smile down at you and puts her hands on your upper arms pulling you up to be on the same  step as her as she says “I was coming to see you Y/N” 

Smiling you ask her “yeah?” and you turn and place you tea on the table beside you. 

Placing her hands on your hips she pulls you into her and whispers “yeah” before she closes the distance and presses her lips to yours. You wrap your hands around her neck and deepen the kiss. You get lost in her for a few minutes before you hear a radio a floor below you. 

You break the kiss and look at her and tell her “I’ve missed you Ale, will you come stay with me and sneak out in the morning?” 

She smiles and says “yes, I’ve missed you too hermosa. I hate when your on week long charters.” 

You hear movement again below you and say “Come with me” you tell her and pull her by her hand to your cabin. You get there and close the door behind her and she immediately lies on her back on your bed. You smile and tell her “I really like you in my bed Ale.” 

She opens her arms and you slide into them as she says “I’ve missed sleeping beside you hermosa” as she presses a kiss to your head. 

You smile and settle deeper into her, as she adjusts the covers around you and reaches over to turn the light off. You smile and press a kiss to her cheek and whisper “goodnight babe” 

Pressing another kiss to your head she whispers “goodnight captain.” Listening to her breathing even out you thought back to when you met.

You had met the football star 3 months ago, at a farmers market in town. You both got to talking while waiting for smoothies, one thing led to another and it was midnight and you had been on the best unexpected date of your life. It took her less than 12 hours to reach out to you and the rest is history. 

With her status, and you being involved in customer service of high end clientele, you both decided to keep it quiet until you both felt comfortable coming forward. She didn’t even know until the day before the charter that it was your boat she was one. Someone else planned the trip and she was added on last minute.

You knew the next few days would be hard trying not to show everyone you were falling deeply for the football star, while also trying to keep your hands to yourself. That was a tomorrow problem and tonight you were going to enjoy falling asleep beside her after a week of being at sea without her. 

[marveltrumpshate]

Civil Rights Advocacy & Litigation

Since there is no Avengers Initiative working to physically fight our way to a more equitable world, we have to rely frequently on advocacy, public education, and litigation to bend the arc of the work more quickly towards justice. If this is your personal charitable focus, you have a lot of options to choose from, from organizations working on systemic change for marginalized populations to those focusing on freeing individuals from the prison industrial complex and defeating censorship. 

For more information on donation methods and accepted currencies, please refer to our list of organizations page.

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network seeks to advance the principles of the disability rights movement with regard to autism. ASAN believes that the goal of autism advocacy should be a world in which autistic people enjoy equal access, rights, and opportunities and have their voices heard. For that reason, the organization is run by individuals on the autism spectrum. ASAN's primary focuses are advocating for policies that protect disability and civil rights, creating tools and leadership training for autistic self-advocates, and offering educational resources. 

The Bail Project

In their own words, “The Bail Project, Inc. is an unprecedented effort to combat mass incarceration at the front end of the system. We pay bail for people in need, reuniting families and restoring the presumption of innocence. Because bail is returned at the end of a case, donations to The Bail Project™ National Revolving Bail Fund can be recycled and reused to pay bail two to three times per year, maximizing the impact of every dollar. 100% of online donations are used to bring people home.”

The financial burden that bail places upon many arrestees means that they stay in the system disproportionately longer than necessary, disrupting their economic options and personal stability. This is particularly true if they’re poor and/or people of color. To fight bail and provide pretrial support is to fight mass incarceration and the racial and economic disparities of the bail system in the United States.

Center for Reproductive Rights

The Center for Reproductive Rights is the only global legal advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights for the dignity, equality, health, and well-being of every person. With local partners across five continents, they have secured legal victories before national courts, UN Committees, and regional human rights bodies on issues such as access to life-saving obstetrics care, contraception, maternal health, and safe abortion services and the prevention of forced sterilization and child marriage.

Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

DREDF is the leading civil rights organization in the United States that fights for and is directed by people with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities. Not only does DREDF work directly with their clients to help them know their own rights, but they train and educate lawyers, lawmakers, and other societal gatekeepers to make sure they know those rights as well.

Electronic Freedom Foundation

The leading nonprofit defending civil liberties in digital spaces, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. They fight against online censorship and illegal surveillance, advocate for net neutrality and data protection, and more so that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for everyone. 

Innocence Project

The mission of the Innocence Project is deceptively simple: exonerate those who have been wrongly convicted through the use of DNA evidence. The reality of it involves much broader strokes covering support for exonerees rebuilding their lives post-release and criminal justice reform through targeted litigation and the implementation of laws to prevent wrongful conviction. They strive to restore freedom for the innocent, transform the systems responsible for unjust incarceration, and advance the freedom movement.

Native American Rights Fund

NARF is the oldest and largest nonprofit that defends Native American rights and provides legal assistance to Native American tribes, organizations, and individuals across the U.S. They concentrate on issues such as tribal sovereignty, land rights and treaty compliance, tribal natural resource protection, education on Native American human rights, and more.

Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES)

Most known for their work on the Texas/Mexico border but operating on the national frontlines of the fight for immigration rights, RAICES provides free and low-cost legal services, bond assistance, and social programs to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees. Among their many accomplishments, RAICES established the largest bond fund in the U.S., which they use to secure the release of individuals from ICE detention, and has more immigration lawyers than any other organization in Texas. These lawyers represent individuals, including children, in court, offer residency and citizenship services, assist asylum seekers, and deal with removal defense. RAICES also offers social services ranging from case management and resettlement assistance to a national hotline connecting migrants with local community resources and transit support for recently released migrants.

Southern Poverty Law Center

They’re mostly known in the U.S. as a hate group watchdog of sorts, but their work goes beyond tracking and exposing hate groups and promoting tolerance education programs. SPLC fights for voting rights advocacy, children’s rights, immigration reform and family reunification, LGBTQ+ rights, economic justice, and criminal justice reform. They work “with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people.” Essentially, if there is injustice against a vulnerable and/or marginalized group in the U.S., SPLC aims to address and fix it.

Transgender Law Center

Transgender Law Center, the largest trans-specific and trans-led organization in the U.S., changes law, policy, and attitudes so that all people can live safely and authentically and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression. Through its precedent-setting litigation victories and community-driven programs, TLC protects the rights of transgender and gender nonconforming people in areas spanning employment, prison conditions, education, immigration, healthcare, and more.

[mariacallous]

Bangladeshis made history in July when a mass uprising, led by student protesters, toppled Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League’s government, which had become increasingly dictatorial over the course of 15 years in power. Before she fled to India on Aug. 5, Hasina oversaw the killing of thousands—at least 90 people were killed by the police on the day before her departure alone. Children were not spared.

The end of Hasina’s dictatorship has turned a new chapter in Bangladesh’s history. The country’s lone Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, now heading an interim government, called it Bangladesh’s second liberation. But Bangladesh has to step carefully over the mess Hasina has left behind—both in domestic and foreign affairs.

And the mess is huge. Historically, Bangladesh’s politics has been a game of pass the parcel played between Hasina’s center-left Awami League and Khaleda Zia’s center-right Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), with the two regularly exchanging power for years—until Hasina broke the norms of democracy in 2011. That was the year she abolished the caretaker government system, where neutral civil society leaders headed an interim government to conduct the elections in a free and fair manner. Since then, the country has witnessed one rigged election after another. The BNP said about half of its 5 million members faced legal charges.

The democratic institutions that have been destroyed over the years can’t be rebuilt overnight. In his first speech to the nation, Yunus talked about bringing back the “lost glory of these [government] institutions.” The country effectively has no police force left. Hasina used members of the Border Guard Bangladesh, who were supposed to be posted at the border, against the protesters. Now they are facing widespread public anger too.

The damage is everywhere from administration to law enforcement to the military. Nothing has been spared. Hasina destroyed the country’s judiciary by handpicking judges. In 2017, the chief justice of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court, Surendra Kumar Sinha—a Hindu in a Muslim-majority country—was forced to resign and seek asylum in Canada after being threatened by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence, the country’s military intelligence service.

The economy is in tatters, and corruption is rampant. Hasina herself has said that her manservant is worth $34 million and commutes via helicopter. According to Transparency International, around $3.1 billion is laundered from Bangladesh every year, which is more than 10 percent of the country’s total national reserves.

With the Awami League now hated by most of the public, the only political force left this political vacuum is the BNP. Zia, the party chairperson, is 79—and she is now gravely ill and was hospitalized multiple times since this summer. Tarique Rahman, her firstborn child and deputy, is 56. Rahman, often seen as his mother’s successor and the future head of state, has been living in a self-imposed exile in the U.K. for the last 16 years and the extent he is in touch with the country’s new reality is a question up for debate. He faces a slew of corruption charges—although these may not stand up in a fair trial as they were trumped up by Hasina.

After 15 years of autocracy, most of the remaining politicians are greying, while the median age in Bangladesh is a little over 25. The uprising that saw Hasina’s rule crumble was spearheaded by mostly by members of Generation Z. Their leadership of these supposedly apolitical groups in the July revolution has caught the politicians off guard, proof that Bangladeshi politicians are not capable of reading the pulse of the young.

Amid this chaos, the West needs to start playing a far more positive role. One of the reasons Hasina’s rule lasted so long was because the U.S. turned a blind eye to her misrule. Months before the one-sided elections in January, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken threatened to “restrict the issuance of visas for any Bangladeshi individual, believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh.” But after the polls, no punitive measures materialized. On the contrary, U.S. President Joe Biden wrote a letter to Hasina, expressing his government’s wish to “work together on regional and global security” and “commitment to supporting Bangladesh’s ambitious economic goals.”

U.S. complicity depends in part on its desire for India, a close ally to Bangladesh, to contain China in the Indo-Pacific. According to the Washington Post, last month Indian officials told their U.S. counterparts, “This is a core concern for us, and you can’t take us as a strategic partner unless we have the same kind of strategic consensus.”

India supported successive Awami League regimes due to its own security and strategic concerns. India’s landlocked northeastern states, also known as the Seven Sisters, are linked to the rest of the country through the narrow 60-kilometre-long Siliguri Corridor. This tiny passage, known as the Chicken Neck, separates Bangladesh from Nepal and Bhutan. The strategically important Tibetan Chumba Valley controlled by China is only 130 kilometers away.

The Seven Sisters are inhibited by 220 ethnic minorities and are home to active insurgent groups, especially in Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. India also has the world’s fifth-longest land border with Bangladesh. All this gives India a potent stake in Bangladesh—but instead of making new friends or giving Bangladesh’s democracy a chance, India placed its chips entirely on Hasina and the Awami League. Anti-Indian sentiment now runs high in Bangladesh—the Indian Cultural Center in the capital was torched within three hours of Hasina’s fall.

India has a long way to go to win the hearts and minds of ordinary Bangladeshis, and blaming Pakistan and its intelligence agency, the ISI, for every problem won’t help. India’s old narrative is dead, and New Delhi must realize this.

The U.S. must stop seeing Bangladesh through India’s eyes. Time and again U.S. policymakers have misread Bangladesh’s importance, looking at it as an extension of India instead of a state in itself. Bangladesh is potentially crucial to containing China in the Indo-Pacific. It has a young population who hold their ethno-religious identities close to their hearts but are pro-Western, too, with more than 13 million Bangladeshis living abroad.

Hasina herself was playing both sides, turning herself into China’s closest ally in South Asia. In July, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning described the relationship between Bangladesh and China as “good neighbors, good friends, and good partners.”

China dislodged India as Bangladesh’s top trading partner nine years ago. Bangladesh imports more goods from China than from any other country, and is in debt to China to the tune of $17.5 billion, which was mainly invested in white elephant infrastructure projects. After Hasina’s fall, China’s reaction, however, has been muted—hoping to build a relationship with whoever emerges afterwards.

The U.S. and the European Union have welcomed Yunus and his interim government. Mathew Miller, a State Department spokesperson, said last month the U.S. wants the interim government to “chart a democratic future for the people of Bangladesh.” The best way to do this is for the U.S. to offer support to U.N.-led efforts to support order and democracy in the country.

The interim government immediately needs to establish law and order. It can start by bringing the perpetrators of the July carnage to the book. A national office of missing persons should be established to look into all the incidents of enforced disappearances. It can seek technical support from the United Nations, which should lead an independent U.N.-led fact-finding program into the revolution and fall of the Hasina regime. Western nations should support the establishment of a new, fairer constitution that takes the range of Bangladeshi identities into account.

The presence of torture cells inside Dhaka cantonment and the alleged involvement of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence tells us that a section of the armed forces were involved in crimes against humanity. Bangladesh has been a major contributor to U.N. peacekeeping—but that needs to stop until responsibility for these crimes has been established.

The ongoing civil war in Myanmar is also an existential threat to Bangladesh’s national security. With Bangladesh’s security forces in disarray, the U.S. should support Bangladesh by setting up a temporary base that will provide the Bangladesh Armed Forces and intelligence agencies with arms, training and other logistical support, while maintaining a firm emphasis on the political neutrality of the army and its support of human rights.

Bangladesh has survived a dire time to potentially chart a brighter future. Washington should see it not as an extension of Indian interests, but as an independent country that is capable of making its own decisions, an important ally, and a partner in the Indo-Pacific.

[savvylittlecoxswain]

Have you ever seen those videos where the college grads are showing off a million stoles and cords and medals? That’s Bobby.

He was involved with the following organizations and activities per the UW yearbook his senior year:

Phi Gamma Delta aka FIJI

A social fraternity whose members attend university with the foremost goal of receiving an education, and that Phi Gamma Delta is a fraternity that promotes scholastic achievement amongst its members. Its mission statement lists five core values for its members: friendship, knowledge, service, morality, and excellence.

Oval Club

The Oval Club, formed in 1907, was an organization affiliated with the University of Washington. Its purpose was to promote student unity and cooperation, develop cultural leaders and preserve traditions of the University of Washington.

Big “W” Club (for Crew)

The Big W Club is a special organization that helps University of Washington letter-winners stay connected to their alma mater. Big W Club members retain the spirit and pride of being a Husky by taking part in exclusive gatherings and events, like hanging out at informal happy hours or reconnecting at the biannual Hall of Fame induction or team reunions. Membership is automatic when you receive your first varsity letter.

Minor “W” Club (for Fencing)

Membership in the Minor "W" Club is dependent upon participation in some University minor sport. Men who participate in wrestling, swim-ming, golf, fencing, cross-country, ice-hockey and rifle are awarded the small "Circle W."

Beta Gamma Sigma (Sr. Yr. - Treasurer)

An International Honor Society Serving Business Programs. Its mission is to encourage and honor academic achievement in the study of business and professional excellence in the practice of business. Membership in this honor society is by invitation only and is very prestigious as BGS invites only the upper 10% of the upperclassman undergraduate classes. An invitation to become a member in BGS is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive.

Alpha Kappa Psi

A business fraternity with the goal to bring together students who share an interest in business and provide them with opportunities to learn and grow through professional development, philanthropy, social events, and more.

Rho Sigma Chi

A social fraternity that believes a principle-driven lifestyle should be paramount in an individual’s lifelong quest to achieve progressive development, and that the world has a great need for ethical leaders whose core principles were based on the possession of remarkable character. Their goal is to enhance the leadership abilities of men by refining their character through the framework of Friendship, Justice and Learning — our three guiding principles.

Varsity Boat Club (Sr. Yr. - Manager)

A platform and guide for the men and women of Washington Rowing, collectively encouraging the values of hard work, team before self, and personal improvement. All men and women participants at Washington are eligible for membership after rowing four quarters.

Not listed:

Schaller Scholarship Plaque Recipient

Awarded to crew member with the highest grades on the team. Bobby Moch won this award all three years he was on crew.

Phi Beta Kappa Key Holder

The Phi Beta Kappa is “America’s Most Prestigious Academic Honor Society.” It was founded in 1776 and aimed to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, and to induct outstanding students of arts and sciences at select American colleges and universities. Fewer than 10% of US colleges and universities have Phi Betta Kappa chapters and these chapters select less than 10% of their arts and sciences graduates to join.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

deAdder

* * * *

Former Republican representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming joined Vice President Kamala Harris on a stage hung with red, white, and blue bunting and signs that said “Country Over Party.” As Cheney took the stage, the crowd chanted, “Thank you, Liz!” The two were on the campaign trail today in Ripon, Wisconsin, the town that claims to be the birthplace of the Republican Party. It was in that then-tiny town in 1852 that Alvan E. Bovay, who had recently emigrated from New York, called for a new political party to stand against slavery.

The idea of a new party took off in 1854 when it became clear the Kansas-Nebraska Act permitting the westward expansion of human enslavement would become law. When they met in February of that year, people in Ripon were early participants in the movement of people across the North to defend democracy. Rather than standing against slavery alone, those organizing in 1854 stood against an entire political system, opposing the small group of elite enslavers who had taken over the U.S. government in order to establish an oligarchy and were quite clear they rejected the self-evident truth in the Declaration of Independence that all men were created equal. Instead, they intended to rule over the nation’s majority, whose labor produced the capital that southern leaders believed only elites should control.

In the face of this existential threat to the country, party divisions crumbled.

Pundits have described today’s event as a component of Harris’s ongoing outreach to Republicans, and in part, it is. That outreach, begun under President Joe Biden and continuing even more aggressively under Harris, is bearing fruit as in an open letter today, two dozen Republican former officials and lawmakers in Wisconsin endorsed Harris and her running mate Minnesota governor Tim Walz. “We have plenty of policy disagreements with Vice President Harris,” the Republicans wrote. “But what we do agree upon is more important. We agree that we cannot afford another four years of the broken promises, election denialism, and chaos of Donald Trump’s leadership.”

Lately, there have been indications of what returning Trump to office might mean.

On Tuesday, Trump suggested that the U.S. soldiers who sustained traumatic brain injuries (TBI) when Iran attacked an Iraqi base where they were stationed were not truly injured, but simply had “headaches.” Trump’s statement brought back to light a 2021 CBS report by Catherine Herridge and Michael Kaplan that found the injured soldiers had not been recognized with a Purple Heart, awarded to service members wounded or killed in the line of duty, despite qualifying for it. This slight meant they were denied the medical benefits that come with that military decoration.

The soldiers told Herridge and Kaplan that they were pressured to downplay their injuries to avoid undercutting Trump’s attempt to keep the casualty numbers in that incident low. With the story back in the news, Kaplan posted that after the report, the Army awarded the soldiers the Purple Hearts they deserved.

Journalist Magdi Jacobs recalled the argument of Trump’s lawyers before the Supreme Court that Trump could not prod a SEAL team to assassinate a rival because service members would adhere to the rules of their institutions. The Army officers’ bowing to Trump’s political demands proved that argument was wrong and set off “[m]ajor alarm bells,” Jacobs posted, suggesting that the military would not stand firm against Trump in a second term, especially now that the Supreme Court says a president cannot be prosecuted for crimes committed as part of official duties.

Scott Waldman and Thomas Frank of Politico’s E&E News covering energy and the environment reported today that two former White House officials said that Trump was “flagrantly partisan” when responding to natural disasters. One said that in 2018 Trump refused to approve disaster aid after wildfires to California, perceiving it as a Democratic state. To get disaster money, the aide showed Trump polling results revealing that Orange County, which had been badly damaged in the fires, “had more Trump supporters than the entire state of Iowa.”

Defending the Big Lie that Trump had won the 2020 presidential election, former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters in 2021 gave a security badge to a man associated with MyPillow owner Mike Lindell to enable him to breach the county’s voting systems in an unsuccessful attempt to find evidence of voter fraud. A jury found Peters guilty of four felonies related to the scheme. Today, District Court Judge Matthew Barrett sentenced Peters to nine years in prison.

But there are other stories these days of what the government can accomplish when it is focused on the good of all Americans.

About 45,000 dock workers in the International Longshoremen’s Association went on strike Tuesday when the union could not reach an agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group over a new contract. The strike shut down 36 ports from Maine to Texas, affecting about half the country’s shipping just as the areas hammered by Hurricane Helene desperately needed supplies. Dockworkers wanted a pay increase of up to 77% over six years and better benefits, as well as an end to the automation that threatens union jobs.

President Joe Biden reiterated his support for collective bargaining despite the threat to an economic slowdown from the strike. The Wall Street Journal editorial board excoriated Biden and the union, saying: “President Biden wants unions to have extortionary bargaining power, and he’s getting a demonstration of it on election eve. Congratulations.”

But today the International Longshoremen’s Association suspended the strike after USMX agreed to wage increases of 62% over six years. The two sides agreed to extend the current contract until January 15 to address the issues of benefits and automation. Administration officials White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, top White House economic advisor Lael Brainard, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg helped broker the temporary agreement.

The government’s power to make things better is also on display amid the rubble and ruin left behind by Hurricane Helene. Yesterday evening, after taking an aerial tour of western North Carolina to survey the damage and receiving a briefing in Raleigh, President Biden thanked both “the Republican governor of South Carolina and the Democratic governor of North Carolina and all of the elected officials who’ve focused on the task at hand. In a moment like this, we put politics aside. At least we should put it all aside, and we have here. There are no Democrats or Republicans; there are only Americans. And our job is to help as many people as we can as quickly as we can and as thoroughly as we can.”

Biden explained that the federal government had 1,000 first responders in place before the storms hit, and that he had approved emergency declarations as soon as he received the requests from the governors. Yesterday he directed the Defense Department to move 1,000 soldiers to reinforce North Carolina’s National Guard to speed up the delivery of supplies like food, water, and medicine to isolated communities, some of which are accessible now only by pack mule.

He has already deployed 50 Starlink satellites for communication, and more are coming.

Teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are offering free temporary housing, as well as delivering food and water. They are helping people apply for the help that they need.

While Trump and MAGA Republicans insist that Biden is botching the response to Helene, CNN fact checker Daniel Dale noted that the response has gotten bipartisan praise. Republican governors Henry McMaster of South Carolina and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia both thanked Biden by name for what McMaster called a “superb” response.

So today’s bipartisan event in Ripon suggests far more than Democratic outreach to Republicans. It appears to be a commitment to a government that advances the interests of ordinary people, and protects the right of everyone to be treated equally before the law and to have a say in their government. Republican Abraham Lincoln articulated this worldview for his fledgling party in 1859 as it took a stand against oligarchs. Believing these principles accurately represented the aspirations of the nation’s founders, Lincoln called them “conservative.” People from all parties rallied to the party that promised to defend those principles.

“The president of the United States must not look at our country through the narrow lens of ideology or petty partisanship or self-interest,” Harris said today. “The president of the United States must not look at our country as an instrument for their own ambitions. Our nation is not some spoil to be won. The United States of America is the greatest idea humanity ever devised: the nation that inspired the world to believe in the possibility of a representative government. And so in the face of those who would endanger our magnificent experiment, people of every party must stand together.”

"In this election, putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration. It is our duty,” Cheney said. “I ask all of you here and everyone listening across this great country to join us. I ask you to meet this moment. I ask you to stand in truth, to reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump.

“And I ask you instead to help us elect Kamala Harris for president. I know…that…a president Harris will be able to unite this nation. I know that she will be a president who will defend the rule of law, and I know that she will be a president who can inspire all of our children—and if I might say so, especially our little girls—to do great things. So help us right the ship of our democracy so that history will say of us, when our time of testing came, we did our duty and we prevailed because we loved our country more.”

Letters From An American

Heather Cox Richardson

October 3, 2024

[sean-parnell]

How Manufacturers Can Leverage Content Marketing to Grow

Cold calls, print advertising, tradeshow participation, and knocking on doors once worked well manufacturers can no longer rely on them to generate leads that fuel sustainable, double-digit growth despite having an effective sales team that may still have some skills in these areas.

Inbound lead generation in commercial and industrial markets requires compelling brand storytelling and thought leadership that educates prospects along the buyer’s journey, who don’t want to talk with salespeople before they’re good and ready as they fear being “sold to” by people that don’t have their best interest in mind.

Problems Solved vs. Products & Services, Features & Benefits

Powerfully resonating with prospects requires brand storytelling that converts website visitors into prospects then into customers.

Your brand story begins with having a deep understanding of the problems faced by your prospects, what they need to overcome them, and the value to them in doing so before promoting all of your products and services and their features and benefits. Prospects are searching for who can solve their problems and may have a limited understanding of what will solve their problems, so claiming your solutions are “the best” and that you’re an “industry leader” may mean nothing until they have an understanding of how your products will help them.

The hero of your prospects’ story is themselves, so you need to educate them on how you can solve their problems, and how your people, process, products, and services – not just products – do so. This is what will resonate powerfully with them. In this way, you serve as a guide for achieving success and avoiding failure. Your products and services with their features and benefits are how you solve these problems..

Thus, your “brand story” needs to be told throughout all of your marketing: on your home and about pages, blogs, guides, case studies, marketing collateral, presentations, proposals, press releases, third-party website profiles, direct mail, email campaigns, your tagline, and anywhere else you promote your company.

A brand story for each product and service you sell can also be developed as each of them solves different problems in different ways for different markets. This “sub-brand storytelling” is also effective for different vertical and geographic markets as each has different requirements.

Extracting & Promoting Thought Leadership

When they have a problem that they want to solve – because the pain of not changing exceeds the pain of the change – prospects self-educate themselves by researching the internet before speaking with any vendors, so it’s important to provide educational content that will help them understand how you can solve their problems:

TOFU: Top of Funnel: this content builds awareness by providing an overview of the problems you solve and how your products solve them

MOFU: Middle Funnel: this content goes one level deeper and helps them consider between different options that can solve their problem

BOFU: Bottom Funnel: this content gets very specific and helps prospects make their final decisions

OOFU: Out of Funnel: this content is created in a misguided attempt to maximize keyword rankings and website traffic as part of a flawed search engine optimization strategy (SEO) but fails to generate leads though can be quite costly

Tip: it’s important to have a good balance of all types of content (except OOFU).

It’s especially important for manufacturers to understand that, in addition to learning about how you solve their problems with your products and services, your prospects want to know how your solutions and business practices compare with both direct and indirect competitors. They also want to understand how their investment can be cost-justified so they can sell the idea of buying from you to internal decision makers that may not be in communication with you. Product comparisons are very useful because this is what prospects try to compile themselves, especially if they include areas where your competitors have an advantage over yours. Case studies that include return on investment (ROI) estimates are also highly useful for prospects.

Lead-Generating Content Begins with Keyword Research

Understanding and prioritizing what your prospects are searching for is a critical first step for lead generation, which begins with conducting keyword research on all the different terms your prospects may use.

Onsite SEO then fully leverages the content you’ve already developed when you work the highest priority keyword phrases into your page titles, meta descriptions, H1 headers, and throughout the content of each page – just remember it has to read well and should only be performed by someone that thoroughly understands your business and what prospects value.

Brainstorming content ideas that incorporate these keyword phrases and educates prospects along the buyer’s journey is the next step, following by prioritizing these content ideas into an editorial calendar. The best content comes from getting a professional copywriter to interview your company’s thought leaders and then writing up what is learned in the form of foundational website content, blogs and guides.

Best Practice: Google Search Console reports the keywords people searched for to find you.

Creating Lead Magnets

When your prospects discover that you are providing education and thought leadership for how you can solve their problems, many will be willing to provide their contact information to download this gated content – especially long-form, MOFU and BOFU content including guides, whitepapers, ebooks, and webinars. It’s also important that your contact forms ask prospects where they found out about you so you can attribute each download to the marketing or other activities that generated them. It’s not recommend to gate promotional material that prospects expect to be freely available, including blogs, brochures, data sheets, infographics, case studies, and similar materials.

Promoting MOFU and BOFU also generate even more website traffic and leads, including in Google Ads, LinkedIn Campaigns, Microsoft Ads and other pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, your social media profiles (especially LinkedIn and Twitter), on third-party article publishing sites (e.g. Medium), and throughout your public relations activities.

The Manufacturing Content Creation & Lead Generation Process

Here are the steps for creating content that has been proven to generate leads and product sales from many commercial and industrial manufacturers:

Conduct keyword research and optimize all of your current content for search

Develop brand storytelling and implement it throughout your home and about pages, marketing collateral, presentations, and all other marketing materials

Write blogs and publish them on a consistent schedule, educating prospects on a wide variety of topics that help them understand how your products and services will solve their problems

Syndicate unique versions of this content on high ranking, third-party websites

Launch Google ads and email campaigns to bring more prospects in

Create microsites to promote how you solve specific problems in your top vertical markets

Launch ecommerce to supplement sales through your channel partners for people that want to speak with and buy directly from you – just don’t undercut them, so selling only at list price is recommended

Evaluate new market opportunities where your current competitors are irrelevant with Blue Ocean Strategy

This approach routinely generates sustainable, double-digit sales growth with an ROI of over 300% within 12-18 months when executed by an experienced industrial marketing agency – and your company will no longer be a well-kept secret in your markets.

The Case for a Marketing Audit

While it may be appealing to hire a full-time content marketer, SEO specialist, or to outsource to a manufacturing marketing agency that may wow you with shiny objects, conducting deep dive marketing due diligence with an experience marketing consulting resource understands your industry is typically a better way to start.

An effective marketing audit will identify what it will take for you to generate sustainable, double-digit growth by leveraging brand storytelling, content marketing, SEO, content syndication, email campaigns, marketing automation, social media, advertising, PR, and more.

Most marketing audits focus only on promotional marketing communications, so you may want to find an industrial marketing agency that can auditing the other three Ps of your marketing: products and services, pricing and placement (selling through channels and go-to-market strategy).