#so there's like 99% certainty I will also be neg

[damnfandomproblems]

"Ok but the ask you’re responding to is specifically saying that there’s a difference between depiction or endorsement and endorsement is a problem that many self-identified proship people are just refusing to acknowledge because it’s more convenient to argue every anti is against any bad thing being depicted ever. "

Here is the definition of endorsement: an act of giving one's public approval or support to someone or something

Here is the definition of depiction: to show or represent by a drawing, painting, or other art form

Please take notice of how the definition of depiction does not mention realism and how the definition of endorsement is specified as an act of giving public support/approval. If someone writes/draws something themed around abuse but portrays it wildly inaccurate, but they do not specifically say, "Hey yeah, I support this thing IRL," it is not an endorsement of that thing. It is just a depiction, however inaccurate, however inappropriately inaccurate

"You do get that pretty much all stories that depict murder, terrorism, torture etc. don’t portray it positively, right. Heck, terrorism is something people famously define by whether it’s justified or not, and there’s a fair few common terrorist tactics most will agree cannot be justified at all like bombing civilians and the like regardless of your cause (not the least because because they aren’t even going to further said cause). If a story said that someone was objectively in the right for doing a 9/11 analogue I doubt most “antis” would be cool with that."

Maybe it's because I don't engage with children's media, but most stories I read or watch flip-flop between portraying all those topics either accurately or inaccurately, and either positively or negatively. Children's media portray things as is because children's brains aren't fully developed and they need to be taught right from wrong, truth from lie, and reality from fiction. Once your brain is developed enough to separate the difference, bad things can be portrayed as good and good as bad because a strong moral framework that won't waver on just stories alone should have already been developed

Saw movies are just gore porn, same with slashers and most horror in general. You root for the villain because you watch those movies special for the brutal unexcusable violence, violence portrayed purely for entertainment and thus can absolutely be considered "romanticize" if not just straight up sexualized. John Wick, you root for him to kill all these people because one person hurt him, you root for him to take countless humans lives over the grief and pain of a singular animal life. You root for the glorified romanticized violence, cheer for it, in fact.

Also, with the attitude towards America today, I can already bet there are people already out their claiming that 9/11 was deserved, and those kind of people exist everyone, and that includes within anti groups. This argument is just a straw man fallacy. Also, more so than anything, if someone was to write a story from the perspective of someone who believes the attack was deserved, I can guarantee that it would most likely be, with 99% certainty, be aimed at adults. Adults, that I remind you, should be developed enough to understand that this is a story with an unreliable narrator, and that just because they the character glamorize the tragedy doesn't mean that they the person should too. Most proshippers and antis and everyone else not sucked into that toxic waste pit of shipping/censorship discourse would be able to accept that, and even if they think it's distasteful, understand at the end of the day it's just a story that trys to take into the mind of someone horrid to try and make sense of their horridness

"Also there’s a key factor you’re ignoring here. There are circumstances where it is justifiable to kill someone. Most concede at least self defense cases."

Definition of murder: the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another.

Definition of manslaughter: the crime of killing a human being without malice aforethought, or otherwise in circumstances not amounting to murder.

In most places, killing self-defense isn't murder, it's manslaughter.

Murder very, very rarely is considered justifed by most people. Manslaughter, however, tends to be more debatabled. But even then, debatable is the key word. Their is no definited, absolutely line in the sand of accepted manslaughter and unacceptable manslaughter. People absolutely do argue about self-defense killings. Some believe it's just as bad as murder. Some feel it's a gray thing where the killer still needs some of consequence, some believe it's fully excuseable.

What you see in movies more often than not, though, is murder, not manslaughter. It is deliberate and/or done after the threat has been lifted. More often than not, from my experience, it's revenge killings, not self-defense.

This argument is just morality wank and the "key factory" of "justifiably" is completely subjective. It's a variable, not the control

"Like, another ask tried to use John Wick as a gotcha because it’s a “toxic love and bad actions portrayed positively” or smth because John Wick being motivated by into killing several gangsters who broke into his home, killed his dog, and are shown to murder people (including a priest who worked for them), by his love for his dog. And somehow that’s just as bad as someone being in an abusive relationship and that being seen as a good thing."

Are you talking about a real being in an abusive relationship and being told that's good, or about a fictional character in a fictional relationship experiencing fictional abuse portrayed inaccurately? I am assuming it's inaccurate fiction you're talking about, fiction, that once again would be aimed at adults, who can understand that this depiction is inaccurate. Just like how they can cheer on for John Wick and his romanticized violence in the context of a story and hate that same violence when acted out in real life, they can cheer on for a fictional inaccurate abusive relationship in the context of fiction and hate that same abuse when acted out in real life

Not only that, once again, whether abuse or murder is worse, be it in fiction or reality, is debatabled. Many can argue that romanticized and/or real murder is worse than abuse because murder is final wherest abuse can be healed from with time and effort

"Like, absurd as that comparison is on its own, it also relies on that killing being equivalent to any other form of killing regardless of context. And that’s silly because obviously there’s a difference between killing someone in self defense or as justified retaliation (again, the mobsters in this example are in fact murderers of people too) versus just murdering innocent people. "

The difference is subjective, "justiced retaliation" is extremely subjective, all of this argument is subjective

"You can’t say that with rape, incest, pedophilia etc. There’s not a circumstance where that can be justified. Every case is horrible and unjustified, there are not types you can rightly portray as a good thing or as morally acceptable."

Don't get me wrong, I agree that real life rape, incest, pedophilia is all wrong, but there are people who disagree. Justifiably is always subjective in the real world, and laws in many places reflect that justifiably, child marriage is still legal in many places, so incest, and so is rape. If I was to really push and play the devil's advocate and come up with a 1 in a trillion bullshit argument, how justifiable would rape be if their was a gun to your head, maybe even to your familes heada too, and you werw told to either assult this person or be murdered? I could easily agrue that rape in that situation is justifiable under the argument that preserving life is more important than preventing momentary trauma

"I never thought I’d have to explain this but here we are."

You didn't have to do anything. You felt like a little knight, a ray of light, the hero abmist the icky villains who just couldn't stand aside. We're here because of your egotistical sense of self-righteousness, not of genuine necessity. Don't conflate the two

Posting as a response to a previous ask.

[child-of-the-danube]

Ok, I need to preface this with saying that I have not read any of the Doom Patrol comics so I have no idea how well or in what quantity the show follows the comics so I have no concpet of spoilers/certainty as to how it will all end after next episode.

This is gonna be a long ass post so buckle up motherfuckers.

I am thoroughly worried with how it will all be wrapped up in a single episode. They have not gotten their longevity back, Immortus is still out there now planning world domination, Rita's basically dead, the Buttpocalypse future is on their doorstep etc. Either it will be all to quickly concluded with a Deus-ex-machina solution to everything given that Laura in one episode said that the future they saw was only one possible version of it and in this episode future Vic seemed way too calm finding out that his past self is being helped with the time portal thingy and saying it'll work out OOOOR the future they saw is really it and it's all a lost cause. I'm going to focus on my thoughts about the other one.

I would kind of prefer the sadder ending cause it would be more, I guess, poetic that these people turned mutant-turned superheroes who more than once saved everyone around them, the world and eachother, could not, despite all their effort, save themselves this one last time. Well, except for Vic but depends in what version of it.

Digression: I am also 99% sure the Immortimas episode was the one where Michelle and April kissed (which they mentioned in their insta live) cause if you look closely at the "Best friends" scene when they're really close together but we see Michelle's face more, April has her lips pursed and only switches back to a smile when Michelle moves her head away and I am so very calm and normal about this, not wanting to rip my skin off and scream into the void at all. It's fine, it really is :))))))))))))

I'm skipping talking about Rita since she wasn't in this episode at all. I'm assuming that they will either find her dead or on her last breaths once they return from the time stream unless, again, some magical solution falls from the sky immediately.

LARRY: I think of all the characters, Larry seems to be the one who's most prepared for his death. I feel like he always knew, no matter the longevity, that his body would give up on him at some point and was kind of always ready to go. He worries way more about Keeg than he does about what end is awaiting him. I love that he got to experience fatherhood once again through Keeg and I get his frustration about the Negative spirit not wanting to take care of Keeg, but if his end is set in stone, I could see him embrace the fact that he becomes "a new Sun". His journey started in space and ending it there as a new star would be full circle. In a way by becoming a star, a permanent part of the sky, he'd always be, though in new form, there for Keeg to see and visit.

CLIFF: I was wondering when and if it would be explained how Niles broke his back and I have to say I absolutely hate that it was Cliff given that, especially this season, a lot of shit seems to be portrayed as purely Cliff's fault. Like anything he touches or is given the role to take care off goes to shit. He has always been unlucky in that regard but I feel like the last thing in the "how can we fuck Cliff's already declining mental health up some more" arsenal should have been the fact that the first thing he felt in years wasn't his grandson but the blood and insides of another being he just killed. Like, I truly think that was the tipping point to break him completely, the rest is overkill. I hope if the spirit loop Buttpocalypse future is the end that he at least got to see and feel Clara and Rory once before returning to the Doom Patrol and accepting his end.

JANE: Similar to Larry, I feel like Jane got her resolution this episode. She finally said it out loud and accepted what truly happened to her. She became, both literally and metaphorically one with her whole self and can now be at peace, however long that might be, with the people she loves. She got her clarity in a way.

VIC: Vic being alive, well and teaching kids in the version of the future that saved them from the time stream is giving me hope that it might not all be set up to end tragically. That he might find his purpose and happiness after all. Cause of what use is it for him to be the last man standing in the future when everyone he loves is gone or soon to be gone. It's just survival, not life.

LAURA: Oh, boy. Oh, Lord. Here we go. Bare with me.

It's no secret she's my absolute favourite character and the one I have the most feelings and thoughts about. First of all, hats off to Michelle Gomez and her acting once again. You could feel the difference in past and present Laura not just by the way they are dressed but the mannerism, the speech, the body language, everything. The fear in past Laura's eyes not due to being beaten but due to the fact that she HERSELF is saying, or better, admitting, that she's in fact not a good person no matter how much she tries to delude herself or others. I love this character so deeply and that's why I am losing my mind over her.

Present day Laura saying she hasn't changed broke my heart into a million of peaces cause in the same way past Laura deluded herself into believing she's good, present Laura kept that same self hatred and turned it into convincing herself that no matter how much she tries, she'll never be good, she'll never escape her past, making people weapons or fucking it all up for the ones she truly cares about. For my Doctor Who fans, are you all reliving Missy's plot and the pain her end brought as much as I am???? And the "WE'RE THE FUCKING WEAPON" part??!!?!? Holy fucking shit. Her whole life and career she was hiding her abilities for her own safety and partially for the sisterhood's safety, declaring others as weapons, sending them off to fight and die but it truly was her who was the weapon. When you fire a gun, yes, the bullets are what ends up doing the job but they're disposable, you always need new ones to reload. What remains is the gun itself, needed for further firing of shots. Well, Laura was the gun and all those she branded weapons were just the disposable bullets.

It pains me inexplicably to say it, but I simply don't see any kind of happy ending for her. She has no one else but these bumbling idiots she met only a little while ago, who I'm not entirely sure would YET go to the lenghts she does for them for her, and Rita who:

a. Still hasn't fully forgiven her (I mean shit she called her a monster like 2 episodes ago)

b. Is on her death bed

c. I doubt would use her last breaths to tell her she's forgiven or admit that Laura does mean a lot to her

Nobody knows where she's in the future and I have a crippling feeling that it might be caused by Rita's death. If you think about it, all of them love Rita and will be there to comfort eachother after she's gone/as they inevitabely each go. Laura isn't dying. She has whatever natural time is left there for her still to go. She does not share their fate. And, as I've already said, they have known eachother for decades. Laura is someone they've basically just met, learned to trust even later, and in their mind to some degree the one who caused the Immortus stuff. If Rita dies, I have a feeling she will either immediately distance herself from them (or be distanced) or she'll end up watching all of them but Vic die one by one and then leave or worse...

So unless by some miracle everything turns out fine or after they're all gone she encounters Shelley and the Sisterhood and they embrace her, I see no bright ending there

Anyways, I'm booking therapy in advance cause I'm going to need it after next week more than I already did...

[eruhamster]

yknow people talk alot about fujoshi being fetishists but as someone who regularly consumes romance manhwa i think i can say with absolute certainty that BL is just like. consistently the best manhwa and there's no other option if you want something good

there's good WLW but it's rare. Kill Me Now is a good one.

there's straight romance manhwa that are good but they never have porn, they're always based on porny novels but they always remove the actual porn for the comics.

the straight comics that DO have porn are, 99% of the time, aside from like... The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway(great, perfect, no notes) are basically the equivalent of reading a hate crime against women. The majority of the rest of that 1% dare to call themselves smut when they have no actual sucking and fucking, just a lot of talking while nude and maybe one or two panels where you don't even really see anything. Negative 5000 points if they don't draw nipples on womens' tits.

the only stories, at least in manhwa, that are consistently compelling but also with acceptable amounts of porn(bc rly what the hells they point of romance stories if they dont suck and fuck, speaking as an aroace person) are BL. Bongchon Bride. High Clear. Dead or Alive. An Abyss. Ennead. 1 to 10. The Ghost's Nocturne.

Like there's plenty of BL crap but there is so much more good shit you just do not get with het or WLW stuff

[knights-of-221b-privet-drive]

.

[alexromero]

The thing about Ted & Rebecca is that if she was 15 years younger (not even both of them, just her) there would be no doubt that the romantic set up was there. They make my heart hurt in the best way.

I was going to stay silent in regards to the onslaught of tags “I love their friendship” on my gifsets but anon... you hit the nail on the head.  As someone who’s been internalizing how middle-aged romantic narratives are written in our media landscape, it doesn’t surprise me at this point that there’s always a good number of people who want to peg older couples as “friends”. More importantly, female middle-aged characters are one of two things: a. the motherly figure b. the friend. 

So yes, if Rebecca’s character had been 15 years younger, I wouldn’t see so many people default to friendship when it comes to two older characters, especially concerning a younger woman with an older man. Don’t get me wrong, every great narrative of older couples that I’ve seen starts as friendship, but it develops into something more. What is so concerning is the negativity or the unconscious denial that these two characters could EVER develop romantically. 

Let older characters fall in love. Let them be sexy. Let them be the leads of a show where they are the focus of interest in a romantic way. There are shows dedicated to catering to younger romantic couples every other day and in almost every network. I can say with the utmost certainty that 99% of middle-aged romantic narratives are never handled properly or they’re sidelined. Either one of the characters is killed off or one of them does something so out of character in terms of characterization just to break them apart.  

So, don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining (not referring to you anon). I’ve been through this before. I had people ship incest as opposed to letting that same female character be with someone that heals her. I’ve seen people want another character to be with a younger woman, as opposed to a character of his own age. I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen writers flick a big fuck you to every single middle-aged couple because in their minds older = tragedy or impossible. So, if Ted Lasso is making an attempt at breaking that trope... I applaud them. I applaud them for taking a very nuanced interest in this middle-aged couple, especially casting a woman like Hannah who doesn’t conventionally fit the aesthetic of the “love interest” for any Hollywood actor. Also, she’s hot as f*ck and I want to see this woman be her dynamic self fall in love with a character like Ted Lasso. 

In conclusion, older couples deserve to occupy this space in romantic narratives. They also deserve to have a fucking happy ending, and if Ted Lasso is the show it seems to be... they will and I’ll be there to watch it. Friendship is many things but it’s not the added extra effort of Ted wanting to throw a dart into Rupert’s head for disrespecting Rebecca, or consistently feeling like Ted needs to step in to be her support system. Or, Rebecca visually short-circuiting when she sees Ted in a suit for the first time or every other time they’ve flirted. Do I need to remind everyone of the “Hi Boss” scene?  I could go on but I think if you see the first season.... you get the point. 

So, thank you anon. A lot of people’s ageism is showing. 

[phoenix1410200]

Well, here is the post clarifying my thought process for the next few cards and the characters I'm unsure on. (Hope you'll enjoy it and that you may can help me with the decisions.)

Here are the remaining cards I still need to do (four of the cards I've already decided on a character/event with 99% certainty, regarding the rest I'm quite torn on which character/event/object I want to depict):

• The Magician (Card 1)

• The Hermit (Card 9)

• Justice (Card 11)

• The Hanged Man (Card 12)

• Death (Card 13) -> The Titan (probably)

• The Devil (Card 15)

• The Star (Card 17)

• The Moon (Card 18) -> Amity Blight

• The Sun (Card 19) -> Luz Noceda (I am waiting for the reveal of her palisman)

• Judgement (Card 20) -> The Day of Unity (probably)

• The World (Card 21)

[Note: Firstly, I'm not an expert in Tarot, so not everything will be 100% correct (especially due to the fact that Tarot is highly symbolic). Secondly, I'm using the Rider Waite deck, so the characters I chose are mostly fitting the description of that deck.]

Now, let's get to the potential candidates and my reasoning behind them.

Card 1 — The Magician

Keywords of "The Magician":

• UPRIGHT: Manifestation, resourcefulness, power, inspired action, willpower, desire, creation, skill, ability, concentration

• REVERSED: Manipulation, poor planning, untapped talents, wasted talent, cunning, trickery, illusions, deception, out of touch

First of all, I need to explain some symbolism regarding this card. In this card the four suits of tarot are shown (wands, pentacles, cups, sword). Each one stands for one of the classical four elements (wands = fire , pentacles = earth, cups = water, sword = air) and represents how the Magician is a master of the elements ("he has all the tools (and elements) he needs to manifest his intentions into being"). This of course would translate to (elemental) glyph magic and a master of glyphs.

Candidates for "The Magician":

• Luz Noceda — Luz wants to be a witch aka a magic user. She rediscovered glyph magic and is very skilled in using glyph magic. Also, a snake is usally depicted in this card (which might be Luz's palisman).

• Eda Clawthorne — Eda is (or at least was) one of the most powerful magic users on the Boiling Isles. She was a master of all kinds of magic and currently learns glyph magic. Eda can also be deceptive and manipulative. Her plans aren't always the best, but she's still very cunning and skilled.

• Augustus "Gus" Porter — Despite his young age, Gus is a very skilled witch (especially or rather mainly in illusion magic). In "Through the Looking-Glass Ruins" he felt down and how he felt like he was useless and wasted his talent. Also in this episode, Gus started to use glyph magic which he could still used later down the line.

• Hunter — Hunter is a very skilled person, both physically and in regards to his magical abilities. He also can be manipulative and deceptive (as shown in his appearances so far). He is also interested in wild magic and knows about 'elemental magic used in the Savage Ages'. Not to mention the potential of him learning glyph magic.

• Philip Wittebane — Mostly for his potential as a character and the fact given that he must have learned some sort of magic (probably glyph magic) during his life on the Boiling Isles.

Card 9 — The Hermit

Keywords of "The Hermit":

• UPRIGHT: Self-reflection, introspection, contemplation, withdrawal, solitude, search for self, search for truth, inner guidance, being alone

• REVERSED: Loneliness, isolation, withdrawal, recluse, being anti-social, rejection, lost your way, returning to society

Candidates for "The Hermit":

• Eda Clawthorne — Eda lived a long period of her life in solitude and isolation. She had to do a lot of introspection in order to get where she is now. This card also sometimes represents a mentor figure and is sometimes considered the mature and wiser version of "The Magician".

• Hunter — Hunter is quite a lonely character that needs to do a lot of introspection. Also, he has potential to fit this card quite well.

• Philip Wittebane — Mostly for his potential as a character.

• "King's Father" — He seems to travel alone in a chariot, so the descriptive term 'hermit' does seem to fit. This card often depicts a star which fits the astronomical symbolism found in King's orginal home. There is also a lot of potential for him as a character. (We really don't know much about this guy, so he's kinda a wild card.)

Card 11 — Justice

Keywords of "Justice":

• UPRIGHT: Justice, fairness, truth, cause and effect, law, clarity, karma, consequence, honesty, integrity

• REVERSED: Unfairness, lack of accountability, unaccountability, dishonesty, injustice, retribution, corruption

Candidates for "Justice":

• Augustus "Gus" Porter — Gus is a very juste and morally good character as we see in "Through the Looking-Glass Ruins". He has a very explicit moral compass in that episode, though he isn't flawless in that regard as shown in "Something Ventured, Someone Framed".

• Warden Wrath — He works as an enforcer for the Emperor's Coven.

• The Coven Heads — Mostly for their potential as a characters.

• The Emperor's Coven — They are basically the police system of the Boiling Isles, just extremely corrupt and founded/controlled by Emperor Belos.

• "Statue of Hekate" (S1E19)

Card 12 — The Hanged Man

Keywords of "The Hanged Man":

• UPRIGHT: Pause, surrender, letting go, new perspectives, sacrifice, release, martyrdom, waiting, uncertainty, lack of direction, contemplation

• REVERSED: Delays, resistance, stalling, indecision, needless sacrifice, fear of sacrifice, avoiding sacrifice, disinterest, stagnation, standstill, apathy

Candidates for "The Hanged Man":

• Augustus "Gus" Porter — Gus did sacrifice quite a bit during his episodes like "Something Ventured, Someone Framed" and "Through the Looking-Glass Ruins". In the latter episode, he expressed the desire to learn new kinds of magic.

• Raine Whispers — Raine sacrificed themself for Eda in "Eda's Requiem" and created the BATS, a resistance movement against the Emperor. So, they fit quite well.

• King — Mostly for his potential as a character.

• Hunter — Mostly for his potential as a character (e.g. Titan Sacrifice Theory).

• The Bat Queen — Mostly for her potential as a character.

• "King's Father" — Mostly for his potential as a character.

Card 15 — The Devil

Keywords of "The Devil":

• UPRIGHT: Shadow self, attachment, oppression, addiction, obsession, dependency, excess, powerlessness, limitations, restriction, sexuality

• REVERSED: Independence, freedom, revelation, release, releasing limiting beliefs, reclaiming power, reclaiming control, exploring dark thoughts, detachment

For people who do not have much knowledge of tarot and this card, I should explain something. This card does NOT stand for a literal devil or an evil person. The most common and basic description for the card is about an unhealthy bond with someone or something that's (usually) not for the greater good like an addiction, an obession or a toxic relationship. This card also symbolizes instant gratification, even if it is at the expense of your long-term well-being.

Candidates for "The Devil":

• Hunter — Hunter has clearly a very unhealthy bond with Emperor Belos. This is especially shown in "Eclipse Lake" and how badly the relationship to Belos affects him (Hunter literally dug his own grave due to the negative influence Belos had on his sense of worth). Also, both the upright and reversed keywords of this card do fit him quite well. He is a powerless witch that works for the restrictive and opressive Emperor's Coven and is dependent on Emperor Belos in regards to his own self-worth. And we know from "Hunting Palismen" that Hunter wishes some personal freedom and independence for himself (especially regarding his future). There is also the potential of Hunter's possible redemption arc in S2B and his breakaway from Belos.

• Emperor Belos — Emperor Belos is a dictator that causes a lot of opression and limitations on the Boiling Isles. His relationships with characters like Lilith, Kikimora and Hunter and his treatment towards them is quite unhealthy and even abusive. He himself is also very dependent on the essence found within palismen for his well-being. (So, most of the upright keywords fit him quite well.)

• Alador & Odalia Blight — Like Emperor Belos, Amity's parents are quite unhealthy people to be around (especially Odalia). This was shown in regards to their treatment of Amity. They also seem to be quite materialistic which this card can symbolize.

• The Titan — Mostly for his potential as a character and his design.

• "King's Father" — Mostly for his potential as a character and his design (a horned demon with wings).

Card 17 — The Star

Keywords of "The Star":

• UPRIGHT: Hope, faith, purpose, renewal, spirituality, rejuvenation, inspiration, positivity, healing

• REVERSED: Lack of faith, faithlessness, discouragement, despair, hopelessness, self-trust, disconnection, insecurity, negativity, despondent

Candidates for "The Star":

• King — King is quite interesting character. We know his hopes in regards of meeting his father. He also felt a lot despair and distress due to absence of his father. In his original home, there is also a lot of astronomical symbolism like stars.

• Augustus "Gus" Porter — Gus is a very positive character. And he has insecurities and he felt discouraged in "Through the Looking-Glass Ruins".

• Hunter — In "Eclipse Lake" Hunter is shown in his most despaired state so far, as well as his mindset in regards to one's purpose. He has also a lot of potential as a character.

Card 21 — The World

Keywords of "The World":

• UPRIGHT: Completion, fulfilment, wholeness, integration, achievement, accomplishment, travel, sense of belonging, harmony

• REVERSED: Incompletion, feeling incomplete, seeking personal closure, lack of closure, lack of achievement, short-cuts, delays, emptiness

Candidates for "The World":

• The Boiling Isles — The main setting of the series.

• The Titan — The Titan makes up the Boiling Isles which is the main setting of the series.

• The Bat Queen — Mostly for her potential as a character and her design.

• "The Collector" — Mostly for her potential as a character and her design.

If any of you have other suggestions regarding the remaining cards and the placement of the characters, please let me know. I would love to hear your ideas. :)

[warriorbarnes]

hi! under the cut is a long rant about discussing politics with people who disagree with me, and why i think it’s often difficult. it got a lot longer than i thought it would. read it if you want to, and please PLEASE discuss it with me if you feel like it. even if you disagree with me!! it’s important to talk to people who disagree, even if it’s hard. (also it is completely random that i’m posting this right after the presidential debate. although some points might count there too, i know way too little about that to actually say anything with certainty).

i often struggle when discussing politics with people that disagree with me. i’m quick to get angry or frustrated, and i struggle to communicate my thoughts in a way that resonates with whoever i’m discussing with. or, in an attempt to not show my anger or frustration, i just back away, even though i have a lot to say.

i think that a lot of the time, the frustration and the miscommunication comes from the fact that the discussion is happening on different terms. i’m an idealist; 99% of the time my political stances are how i think the world should be, how it should work. in my experience, a lot of people on the left side of politics are the same, and i rarely have issues in discussing with them, even if we do disagree on different subject. however, if whoever i’m discussing things with is more of a realist, it gets harder. they’re more concerned with how the world works right now. with what’s realistic, and what’s fair within the current societal standards. i’ve found that this is more common in the right side of politics.

an example:

in norway we’re currently seeing over 8000 bus drivers on strike. the main goals of the strike are a)better, more fair pay and b)better working conditions. it’s been going on for over a week, and it’s mainly affecting the major cities. where i live, trondheim, all buses stopped running on saturday. there is very little communication between the two parts, in fact up until today (10 days since it started) there hasn’t been any communication.

a couple of days ago i was discussing this with my roommate. i said something along the lines of “of course i support the bus drivers fully” to which she replied “oh, i don’t”

i was a bit shocked, because i do live in an echo-chamber of my own thoughts and in my head supporting a strike i just what you do. of course you support the strikers, the workers, the employees, and not the corporations that profit of them. of course that’s what you do. however, clearly i had to reevaluate the obviousness of the situation, because here was this person, my friend and roommate, who just didn’t see it that way. my first instinct was to back out of the discussion, because i knew that i wouldn’t be able to keep a level head, not when it was something i felt so strongly about. and i think it’s important to talk about political issues, i do, but also, it’s important for my sanity to fight as little as possible with my roommates. anyways, i said “oh alright we don’t need to get into it.” but she clearly wanted to get her point across, which is fair, so the discussion went ahead anyway.

“i just don’t think they deserve a higher pay. they earn more than we will when we start working, and they won’t even have the same amount of education that we have” (we’re both studying to become social workers).

and, the thing is, she’s not wrong. those are facts, and in our society (at least in norway, i can’t really speak for the rest of the world) a higher education = more money. 

so, in a realistic sense, she’s kind of right. the issue is, i don’t care. because i don’t think that’s what the world should be like. i think that the many negative effects that the bus strike has had on our society should show us how important bus drivers are, and that they do deserve a higher pay. i don’t think someone should earn more than someone else just because they have a bachelors degree or a masters degree. i’ve got a bachelors degree, and i’m not nearly as important as bus drivers are. 

“i disagree,” i said. “they’re not worth less just because they don’t have a masters degree.”

“but that’s just how the world works.”

“but it shouldn’t be how the world works.”

this was when i realized that we were discussing the bus strike on completely different terms. not only did we disagree on the political issue, but we also fundamentally disagree on how politics should be discussed.

i obviously think that we should never just settle and accept societal rules for what they are. we should always look for ways to improve the social world, ways to make it more equal and fair. the second we start saying “that’s just the way the world works”, we lose.

i could... do a deep dive into marxist theory now and talk about how we all need to realize that we’re oppressed before we stand any chance of a social revolution. but that’s not really the point of this. i’m not even sure i know what the point of this is, it’s mainly just a long rant about a discussion i had with my roommate that made me frustrated and angry. it’s also a desperate cry from a sociology major turned social work major who misses these kinds of discussions.

but i think my point is this: if you’re discussing something, anything, and you feel yourself getting angry or frustrated because the other person just doesn’t understand, take a step back and figure out if you’re talking about the same premises. and try to clear it up, try to communicate that you need to be on the same page in order to have a productive discussion. i think that’s an important tool to fight polarization that’s happening in politics.

that being said it’s fucking hard to do so, and it’s something i’m only just starting to realize myself.

anyways, big disclaimer: this is all based on personal thoughts and beliefs. i don’t have any data to back any of this up, so read it critically and make up your own mind. as i said, i’m just a girl with a bachelor in sociology who misses talking about sociology and political science. peace out.

[theparaminds]

Is the shape of an individuals’ existence one which must always be positive? Must the weight of modernity be ignored for falsehood happiness? If you were to ask P.H.F. he’d say: fuck that. Curse the idea that one cannot explore their own emotions freely and without judgment. Curse the notion that there is a constant joy we all must produce. Instead, P.H.F., and his art stand as testaments to the power of emotional catharsis, to the moments unhinged and life-altering. It’s not angst, it’s a way of healing. 

Having been refining his sound and style for years, tides of change have landmarked an artistic journey that caresses both ends of the stylistic spectrum. The harshness of rebellious beliefs juxtaposed by intertwined hearts and self-reflection so currently rare, but so currently in need. As a new project exists nearby on the horizon, P.H.F. has found the sonic foundation on which his future ideals may grow. The aforementioned balance within his audio-centric universe has come to a perfect equilibrium. 

Across the world’s oceans, the kids are much alike in their uncertainties. They often lay in bed crying and waiting for an answer, waiting for something to give them peace. And through that, through that confusion, exists the power of P.H.F.. In their sound exists an understanding and an indescribable hope that every adolescent so desperately clings on to daily. An environment of certainty is developed in uncertain and tension-ridden times. And while P.H.F. himself does not have every answer, as truly none do, they understand that the very act of connection is of importance; to reach a hand, hold it tight and remind you that all will be alright.                                                       

                                                                 -

Our first question as always, how’s your day going and how have you been as of late?

I’m pretty good. I just moved homes for the 5th time in 2 years, but other than that I’m all good.

To start at the beginning of your journey, what would you say were the defining characteristics of your environment growing up and how do you feel it put you upon the artistic path you traverse currently?

My environment at home was always pretty supportive, I think I always gravitated towards creative shit because it was the most intuitive. I’m not really that good with being patient so if something doesn’t stick quickly I usually drop it. The more I went through school it got worse and worse, but it gave me self motivation to actually start doing music and art on my own and then it just kind of clicked. I was also super introverted and liked being alone 99% of the time, So as soon as I had Garageband and a keyboard I started figuring out how to write a song and produce.

What experience or memory within adolescence and growing up had the largest impact upon you and why does it stand out above others?

It kind of sucks that the main ones I remember are traumatic, but my half brother used to let me steer the car going 100km down our street when I was real young. I don't know, I loved it though.

And in looking at that time, how would you compare those who influenced you back then to who shape you currently? Do you find that your tastes have grown with time and how do you feel it reflects upon your personal growth?

Actually, that kind of makes sense then because I’m still obsessed with cars and stupid shit like that. I think my tastes have definitely grown over time, but there is like a base level that stays the same. Same canvas different paint. Personally, I think I have grown a lot but I don't know if that has anything to do with music or art and more just the people I’ve surrounded myself with through the last 10 years. Shout out to my friends because I would never say this to their face.

Currently, what do you find to be the defining characteristics of your personal state both interpersonally and within your work? What is it that overarches through daily life?

Honestly trying to take some negative shit and turn it into something uplifting or motivating. Maybe more so in my work because I’m not out here trying to be on some motivational speaker shit. I like it when people tell me my music helped them get through some shit because that’s why i make it. Even though the content is depressing or sad or whatever, the songs are supposed to make you feel good about that and to feel less isolated.

And with that, do you find it to be what you have been pulling from most while approaching the new work you’ve been creating? Or is the inspiration more so cemented in abstract ideas and memories?

It goes in between both actually. I like the oscillation between extremes of abstraction and minutiae. For some reason lately, I've really been responding to lyrics that are almost completely uneventful but there's something about them that captures the vibe.

What strikes you as the largest shifts in your process to approach music and art as a whole from when you began to currently?

I hope I'm getting better, that's all I can say really. Also, my gut instincts are way stronger and quicker the more I make. Also, it’s not rocket science. People like to place a lot of importance and intellect on art, which I think is fine sometimes, but it ruins it for me and I think it sucks because it becomes less and less egalitarian. You can write, record and produce a song in under an hour if you wanted honestly.

Does it matter for you to have a piece of art received by an audience the same way it was crafted or is there peace in allowing others to form their own answers and truths from a work?

I hope they hang their own shit on it! Sometimes my stuff can be quite specific lyrically, but like I said before, I try to make it pretty open. I honestly don’t care if you know the lyrics or not but I want you to sing-along. There are so many songs I LOVE and have no idea what they actually saying. It doesn't matter.

What to you does the ideal studio space look like and what aspects do you think are key within any sort of creative space?

The ideal studio is open and light! I actually don't really like recording studios because they are so dark it's its just a weird vibe. I just finished recording the new album with my friend Nick Nonneman in LA. it was perfect because we just did it at their house - their roommates were fucking angel. My friend Nick Santana was on drums and we just thrashed it out in a week. It’s essentially just hanging out with your mates, but your sort of working. Plus I could always hear Nick’s dog, Pete, who is deaf and blind, claw on the floor and it made me smile.

At this stage of your life, what do you find to matter most on a day to day basis? Is it simply happiness or is the constant ability to create? Or, is there something even more so essential for you?

Feel like my happiness comes from the ability to create. I can’t think of a better feeling than when after a few hours you finish something you didn’t even know existed, like from conception to execution - you just did that. Also, even though I work alone a lot - when you’re creating with other people and you lock in, shit is peak.

Looking into the horizon of the future, which ideas and milestones do you hope to touch on and eventually achieve as you continue to grow?

I definitely want to make more music videos. It’s a part of this that I really want to explore more but it’s a lot more organizing and structure, which is something I suck at now.

As a wrap-up, what is a mantra you feel you have been living by and how has it helped you find peace?

Not super positive, I guess but nihilism in the grand scheme.

Do you have anyone you want to say thank you to or truly anything to say into the air at all? The floor is totally yours.

Thank you to whoever reads and let alone finished this, I love you. Also, new album drops start of next year on Danger Collective Records. And thank you to you for asking me these buzzy ass questions. P.L.U.

                                                           -

Cover photo by Lizzie Klein

                                                           -

Follow P.H.F. on Instagram

Listen on Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Music

                                                          -

Words and Interview by Guy Mizrahi

[topicprinter]

Research has shown that the fastest way to increase happiness is by becoming more grateful. This post will give you three scientific experiments to prove the importance of gratitude, then explain to you exactly how to become grateful, which will make you healthier and happier.All you need are these: certainty of judgment in the present moment; action for the common good in the present moment; and an attitude of gratitude in the present moment for anything that comes your way. — Marcus AureliusWhat Is Gratitude?When I think of gratitude I think of it as a way of living. It has been proven to benefit many (and some unexpected) areas of our lives - from health to happiness to the way we interact with others. I think because of its origin in Buddhism, I automatically associate it with mindfulness. Gratitude and mindfulness are very similar: focus on the present moment as well as appreciation for what we have now instead of always wanting more.Feeling and expressing gratitude shifts our focus onto the positive things in life, compensating for our brain's natural inclination to focus on threats and worries.Image.Because of this, gratitude creates positive emotions like joy, love, fulfilment which all undo the grip of negative emotions like anger, anxiety and sadness.The ProofThe world’s leading expert on gratitude is Dr. Robert Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California. Dr Emmons examined the effects of writing gratitude diaries on almost 200 college undergraduates. Students were divided into three groups, and each group wrote 10 weekly diaries focusing on gratitude (blessings), hassles and annoyances, or neutral events. Those in the gratitude group were told:“There are many things in our lives, both large and small, that we might be grateful about. Think back over the past week and write down … up to five things in your life that you are grateful or thankful for.”At the end of 10 weeks, those in the gratitude group were feeling more positive about their lives as a whole, more optimistic about the upcoming week and spending more time exercising. Yet the gratitude group did not lead to a more positive mood, as the researchers had anticipated.Perhaps focusing on gratitude only once a week was not frequent enough to change mood. Therefore, the researchers conducted a second study which increased the frequency of the diaries to once daily (for two weeks).Results showed that, as the researchers had predicted, those in the gratitude condition experienced a more positive mood during the two-week period than those in the other groups, and they were also more likely to report doing acts of service, such as helping someone solve a problem or offering emotional support to others.The researchers then wanted to test the effect of gratitude on long term health. The third study asked 65 adults with neuromuscular disease either to write gratitude diaries for a 21-day period or to just fill in the assessments of mood, well-being, and health without actually having an intervention (control condition). Those in the gratitude condition also had their partners rate their mood and life satisfaction.Results showed that the gratitude group had more positive views of their life as a whole than control participants. They also reported a more positive mood and less negative mood on a daily basis during the study period. Their partners also reported that the gratitude participants had a more positive mood and greater satisfaction with life. With respect to health, the gratitude condition actually improved participants’ sleep — both amount and quality. Perhaps focusing on life’s blessings reduced the worry and angst that keep people awake at night.In summary, writing gratitude diaries seems to be beneficial no matter what. Just two or three weeks of filling out gratitude diaries each evening seems to improve mood, optimistic outlook, and life satisfaction, as well as making you more likely to help others. If you want to gain a health benefit from gratitude, you may need to persist with the diaries for two or three months. This practice takes only five or 10 minutes a day, but when done repetitively, reorients your mental compass towards focusing on the positive.How To Be More GratefulWhen I was researching for this, almost everything I read had a list something like "12 ways to become grateful". Just look at this Google search. It is now more clear to me than ever that writers don't care whether their readers actually implement the advice given: no one is going to pick one out of twelve and actually execute repetitively.So I told myself I wouldn't stop looking until I found the best way to become more grateful, and after using this method for a month I think I've found it.The five minute journal.Now, you don't have to purchase, you can do it all at home, but you should include all six features of the five-minute journal. The journal that Tim Ferris uses.This is my whole routine (includes gratitude practice).1. Inspiring QuotesYou can get inspiring quotes for free on Chrome, your Facebook timeline, or on your iPhone.2. Be GratefulQuality questions create a quality life. That's why I love questions like "What am I grateful for?". Write down, every day three things that you're grateful for. Then spend 2 minutes dwelling on these things, you see, you've gotta feel grateful not just logically grateful.This is a really important point so I'll elaborate a bit more. All that I've talked about, this whole "being grateful" thing is not a logical thing. You can't reason with your mind by saying "I'm better off that 99% of the world so I'm grateful" or "I have a nicer car than my brother so I'm grateful". You must feel grateful. I know this is weird, especially if you pride yourself on being a "logical man". But in this case, you've got to give that up and let yourself feel. So keep looking for things that you're grateful for until you feel it in your core.3. What Would Make Today Great?Now, I'm kind of going on a tangent away from Gratitude, but the five minute journal is such an incredible part of any morning routine that I'll just say exactly what I do every morning.Have you ever heard of the Reticular Activating System?It's the thing responsible for determining the lens through which you perceive reality.It's why anorexic people ignore all the evidence that says they're overweight and focus on the evidence that says they're overweight.When you ask yourself "What would make today great?" you are influencing your RAS to point out and engage in activities that will improve your wellbeing; you're building new pathways in your brain that allow you to "see" what you can do to improve your happiness every day.4. AffirmationUh oh, if I didn't scare you manly man away with the poem I've definitely scared you away now. Hear me out.Imagine for a moment you want to build more self-confidence.So, every day, you wake up and write down, “I’m confident and comfortable in my own skin.”On your way to work, you pass a beautiful stranger. Your eyes meet. They smile, flirtatiously. You return the favor.As you continue to about your day—and take note of more reference experiences that further your new belief—you comment to yourself, “Ah, this must be happening because I’m confident and comfortable in my own skin.”This isn’t fantasy; this is how you prime your brain to accept new beliefs.The Daily Affirmation is for this very purpose: to commit to writing the person you’re committed to becoming.Do this often enough, and in time, you become the very person you once wrote about.**5. (Evening) 3 Amazing Things Happened TodayThrough rigorous analysis of nearly 12,000 diary entries provided by 238 employees in 7 companies, Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer discovered a remarkable discovery:Employees who experienced consistently positive emotions, strong motivation and favorable perceptions of their organization were those who celebrated their small-wins.In their own words,"Our research inside companies revealed that the best way to motivate people, day in and day out, is by facilitating progress—even small wins."The best time to celebrate small-wins?In the evening before bed.A book recommendation from a friend. A beautiful walk in the park. The barista remembering how you like your cappuccino … there are countless small-wins in your life each day.Are you taking note of them?6. What Could I have done to make today better?Every evening, after putting his things in their place and enjoying a meal with friends, Benjamin Franklin would examine his day by asking an important question:“What good have I done today?”Similarly, in the Five-Minute Journal, you’re invited to ask yourself, “How could I have made today even better?”Here’s why:Let’s imagine, returning to the previous example of building more self-confidence, you wanted to approach the beautiful stranger you passed on your way to work, but couldn’t muster the courage.Maybe you didn’t know what to say. Or, you did, but your existing habit of shyness prevented you from doing so.In response to, “How could I have made today even better?”, you might write down, “I could have complimented them,” or, “I could have asked them their name.”Over time, completing exercises like the above shift how you look at obstacles and help you automatically take the action you actually want to take.FinTry this out - see the results. They only take a couple weeks to roll in.

[recoveryposts]

Are Home Drug Testing Kits Trustworthy

Marijuana has never been more accessible than it is today. Restrictive laws are constantly revisited under the suspicion that cannabis has medicinal powers, and legal distributors are turning profits of incredible magnitude. And yet, drug testing is still considered a vital step in the hiring process for many companies.

Employers want sober workers, and they are well within their rights to impose this requirement. But that also means plenty of potential hires who are crippled by the fear that their recreational habit will cost them an amazing opportunity. At home drug tests are helpful in determining the presence of illicit drugs in one’s body. But the question is: do they work?

Types of tests

The presence of illicit drugs can be tested at home or in a laboratory. Tests are taken by saliva, urine, hair, or blood sample. Salvia is not used very often because the window of detection is so small. Instead, laboratories rely on hair, urine, and blood samples to extract the most accurate information. Home tests are done through a urine sample, which is then compared against a key.

Where can I buy a drug test kit for home?

Home drug test kits can be purchased at most drug stores, like Walgreens or CVS. If you are wondering how much is a home drug test, well, they can cost anywhere from $5 to $35 USD. But, because home testing does involve some complications, it is smart to buy more than one kit.

How to test drugs at home?

Home drug testing kit are highly sensitive to the presence of drugs, which means results will note any and all abnormalities. This is why it is so important to verify positive results with a laboratory. Only a lab will be able to determine, with absolute certainty, the presence of illicit drugs. Samples are collected through urine, and the results are substantiated by a corresponding test card or strip.

It’s important to note that urine must be kept somewhere within the optimal temperature range of 96 and 99 degrees Fahrenheit.

Complications?

Using a home kit to test for drugs is a risk. Kits can be easily misused or misinterpreted, and the tests do not account for an array of factors that can compromise results. Factors like diet, weight, consumption type and prescription medications can affect the results in a urine test. Faulty kits and improperly stored urine samples can also lead to false reports.

The best course of action is to ask for professional advice and rely on the services of a laboratory. Lab testing utilizes a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) device, which detects the presence of different substances in samples. A GC/MS machine, which is considered the gold standard of testing, is also used in explosives investigations and airport security. Lab tests are also verified by a medical review officer.

The bottom line

Home drug tests do work. They fulfill their one duty that is to detect abnormalities in samples. They are not, however, sophisticated tools that can verify with certainty the quantity or exact nature of those abnormalities. There are far too many factors that can lead to false information.

Illicit drugs, more specifically marijuana, affect everyone differently. Thus, it’s impossible to know how long a drug will stay in one’s system. The best course of action is to be smart. If you are a heavy cannabis user, it’s best to start with laboratory testing. Results will come back with total certainty, which means less money wasted on a home kit.

If you are not a heavy user, it is smarter to begin with a home kit or two. If the results are negative, it is up to your discretion to make the choice you feel is right. If the results are positive, it’s extremely wise to seek the services of a lab. Only laboratory testing will be able to confirm results.

To read more articles like this, check out our news section or reach out to our counselors at United Recovery Project if you have additional questions.

Contact us today

Learn more about drug testing, what it entails to get you clean, and the popular methods that are used to beat a drug test at United Recovery Project. At United Recovery Project, we offer a wide range of drug rehab programs including medical detox, inpatients programs, outpatient programs, intensive outpatient programs, Partial Hospitalization Programs. We also offer after care services through our sober living and alumni programs.

Research shows that patients who visit inpatient rehab centers away from their cities report higher rates of long-term recovery. Our drug and alcohol rehab is located in Hollywood, Florida. We admit patients struggling with drug and alcohol addiction from across the United States.

[filmature]

The reason why people turns to film photography instead of digital

Film photography is not extinct. Far beyond that, The world is increasingly digital, yet this makes people want to remain true to their analogue tastes. Vinyl is still selling more than mp3s, and there is still cash. The world of analogue photography is still thriving and will continue for some time to come.

Something we forget is that film photography is the root of every single part of the digital. After all, we are still using the insane numeric method for ISO, shutter speed, and opening. 

Photoshop and other digital editing tools for editing film photography are based on darkroom techniques. We flame and escape, incorporating and stopping light from reaching the message.

The film camera is not expensive

There are Leica cameras that are super rare and expensive but the other film cameras like Canon, Nikon, Konica, or Pentax, are inexpensive. You can afford with 1,000-2,000 baht that also work nice. 

Medium format cameras such as Hasselblads or Bronicas aren’t much cheaper than their original price. But that is because they are used in particular photographic genres as they provide excellent quality.

The digital cameras have a high-cost when they are the new release but the price will go down when they are not the latest version. But if you want a high-quality camera, you have to spend more money, like mirrorless or DSLR. 

On top of that, you need memory cards,  chargeable batteries. Other extras are optional, but a computer is necessary. Digital isn’t forever.

Film camera does not need electricity.

One of the biggest essentials of using film cameras is not dependant on electricity. A few may need batteries, but they are for the in-built light metre and if we not necessary to use, the film camera still works.

With a film camera, you don’t need to buy extra batteries, nor keep them charged. They aren’t needed. And their weight will not be missed.

You are slowed down by the film

Most people are using a digital camera as they can immediately see the images. We can also take a hundred photos, just in case we don't figure out the other 99. For a 35 mm camera, a roll of film contains either 24 or 36 exposures. For medium format, depending on the size, a roll of the film holds either 8, 10 or 12 exposures. One picture at a time will be taken by a large-format camera. A 32 GB memory card can hold more than 10,000 images. The argument here is that you are slowed down by using a film camera. It makes you think about every shot, making sure you've thought through everything. You're going to be a better photographer You're going to see the scenarios differently and be more vigilant, causing you to carefully approach that scene.

The resolution

Film vs. digital's age-old issue is about resolution. How many megapixels can you consider negative in a film? Photographers from both disciplines would like to know that their photo is sharp and of high quality and resolution.

Digital sensors measure the number of pixels they house in their resolution. The film is not using pixels, so we have to use what we call' angular resolution.'

Each different digital sensor provides different resolutions, and the same applies to different types of films. You can find analogue film ranging from 4 to 16 million pixels looking at different types of film.

Polaroid

Everything was produced by film or analogue photography. Not only do we have cameras of large, medium and small size, we also have a film to go with. All these dimensions we have combinations.

Taking, for example, Polaroid. This film has been institutional It's been groundbreaking. Not only could you take photos of a scene, but a few minutes later you could see it. It only took a couple of shakes. You can achieve the same effect with digital photography by printing the image on Polaroid film. 

With certainty, I can confirm that there are no digital camera sensor songs. However, there are many of them, including Polaroid. Claim you immediately!

Digital is easy to lose

In the digital age, we are likely to unintentionally lose or delete stuff. I deleted photos that I felt I had backups of. And once it's gone, it's gone.

There are ways to get information as long as you have the money to back it up. Then you have to choose between hundreds of dollars and family memories that you can't replicate.

In fact, saving all of your pictures on your device or hard drive would give hackers a chance. A friend of mine had hacked her computer and lost all her pictures because she was unable to pay thousands of ransom fees.

I can guarantee they won't take your negatives if someone breaks into your house. And if you drop a film canister, it's going to work just fine.

[occupyvenus]

Who do you think LF is talking to when he said "the last best hope against the storm"? Because I think it's not just about the fight against the White Walkers, but also Euron first-and-last-storm Grayjoy, and Daenerys STORMborn.

Hi anon! You are right, isn’t it a funny coincidence that the White Walkers bring the storm, right when Euron, who is the first-and-last-storm teams up with Cersei, while Daenerys Stormborn starts her conquest of westeros? It’s almost as if the word “storm” might has some negative connotations and is associated with a more general atmosphere of doom. (If someone knows of any “storm”-imagery related to Cersei, please tell me.)

As for your question, I have some guesses but that is one of the things I have no clear idea on… You probably expected a short answer, but since “reading too much into things” is one of my most favourite things in the world: Pack some provisions for the road and let’s go, shall we? 

His exact words are: “Your father and brothers are gone, yet here you stand… last best hope against the coming storm.” 

While I agree that he could be simultaniously talking about all possible threats (political or wintery), I do think his little speech will be more specificly about one of them. Which one depends entirely on who he is talking to. 

My candidates for that are one of the starklings or - in a better world, that could have been - Dany. Yes, I have a headcanon that will never manifest itself in the real world (considering the leaks, spoilers, set photos), where that could happen. I will list all of them from least to most likely, while shouting my opinion into the void. 

Last place: Dany | he’s talking about the White Walkers

If there is one thing in the leaks I really believe, it’s that Littlefinger will stay in the north, cause some trouble for the starks and is killed by Arya/Sansa at the end of the season. This won’t happen, but I love this idea so much, I’m going to talk about it anyway.

Why Dany?

Even though I am just as happy as everyone else to see LF go, I also think it’s a bit of a waste to have one of the most capable political players in the series causing some family drama in Winterfell, without really being involved in the “grand political plot” of the season (alliences/rivalry between Team Dragon, Team Iron Throne and Team Stark). I like that Sansa’s creepy fake father will be the stark sisters/siblings common enemy and that bringing him down together will “unite them as starks” - as if that was necessary - and they’ll get some sweet, sweet revenge for their dad, but still.

I think that LF’s first instinct when hearing about Dany landing in Westeros would be to get to Dragonstone asap and scheme and manipulate her to further his own agenda. I just don’t think he would pass up that chance, even if he had to leave Sansa behind. 

Calling on her “grandiosity” by saying she’s the last best hope against some supernatural threat (DESTINY! PROPHECY!), while reminding her that she is the last targaryen would make sense.

I just always liked the idea of it and seeing tyrions desperation about LF worming his way into Danys good graces would be quite entertaining to watch. At least in the show (a bit in the books to) I would have loved Tyrion and Sansa, the “background” political schemers, to team up and take down a threat their respective “foreground” leaders are blind to. Dany, because she lets LF get into her head (she’s new to westerosi “lobbying” and has so many desires a little shit like LF could exploit) and Jon, because “the great war is here. We have more important things to worry about”. 

I would love the political scheming to have a bigger impact on the war of the dawn, because that’s just how humans are (see global warming). You first have to take out the human trash, before taking care of the supernatural one. 

Why not Dany?

One thing that doesn’t quite fit is that “last best hope” sounds a bit … disappointed? Maybe that’s just me but it has this “You aren’t that much, but better than the other shit options we have.” “your father and brothers are gone” … but implying that the mother of dragons isn’t clearly our best chance against the white walker doesn’t really make sense. 

If he had said “only hope” or “the / our best hope or even “the / our last best hope” … it would be feel less ambigious. I know this is such a small, probably meaningless detail but not using an article/pronoun gives me these meeehhh-vibes, somehow.

Well, they won’t meet on the show with a 99% certainty. So last place for Dany. 

Third place: Arya | he’s talking about politics (mostly)

Why Arya? LF will (unsuccesfully) attempt to drive a wedge between the stark sisters. Pretending that he’s the one working in the starks best interest, whereas Sansa’s loyalty can’t really be trusted will definitely be part of his scheme. (But I don’t buy into those stupid “letter to robb from s1″ leak. Stupid letter is stupid.) In this scenario he would “warn her of southern threats and influences” embodied by sansa, since this would clearly be an attempt to emphasize Arya’s “starkness”.  

Omitting Jon as one of her “brothers” could mean three things: “gone” doesn’t mean dead, but simply “not in winterfell right now”, he’s a bastard and not her true “brother” OR R+L=J WAS ALREADY REVEALED.

Why not Arya? This would only work if Bran and Jon both aren’t around yet/anymore and I’d say it’s pretty unlikely anyway. I just wanted to include it for the sake of completeness. Third place for Arya.

Second place: Bran | he’s talking about both (mostly politics)

Why Bran ?  LF is trying to manipulate the “young lord stark” into turning against his bastard brother who’s threateting to steal his birthright. Omitting Jon as one of his “brothers” is something LF would do out of spite, but maybe ~ just maybe ~ it could hint at Jon’s true parentage as well. 

He could try to pull another “Robin Arryn”, and try to get into a vulnerable, young boys (teenagers?) head. I really think that getting Jon out of the picture - completely - is LF’s main priority in Winterfell right now. 

Bran might actually be the rightful ruler of the north (despite your opinion on the matter), but eliminating him would be way easier if he didn’t have an older (half)brother around to watch over him. At least in LF’s mind, Bran is nothing but a child, who knows nothing about ruling and can’t walk anymore. Getting Bran on his side would make it pretty easy to get rid off Jon. After that desposing of a crippled boy shouldn’t be to hard and Sansa & Winterfell are ready for the taking. 

Why not Bran?Well, Bran isn’t really “standing” anymore. This could just be a very mean jest (saying that to Bran would be very much intentional). If Littlefinger had said “yet, here you are” Bran would be sharing first place with sansa, but instead he’s sharing second place with Jon. 

Second place: Jon | he’s talking about the White Walkers

Why Jon? He is trying to manipulate him into doing some dumb shit (like going on a stupid wight hunt, for example). LF wants jon gone. He needs jon gone. Pretending to be on his side would be a smart move. 

Why not Jon?Littlefinger would never ever call Robb, Bran and Rickon Jon’s brothers without making it sound like “brothers (but not really, because you’re a bastard)”. As I said above he could be trying to kiss jon’s ass, but I honestly think that’s rather unlikely. I don’t think his ego would allow him to be so nice to the man who snatched “his sansa” away right from under his nose. But I could be very wrong about this, so second place for Jon. 

First place: Sansa | he’s talking about the political threats

Why Sansa? Well, when has Littlefinger not tried to manipulate Sansa? His reasoning for saying this to Sansa is the old “you, my love, are the future of house stark” . Those two statemens feel so similar, it could just be more of the same old.  

Until proven wrong I am going to assume LF thinks the White Walkers are complete bullshit. He will try to convince sansa that jon is wasting his energy on the wrong threat and take the “look at our idiot king worrying about fairy tales, when all this real shit is going down in the south. you have to stand up and take care of the real problems, or the north is doomed” approach. 

What doesn’t sit quite well with me is that he simply says “brothers”. His previous interactions with sansa make me believe he wouldn’t miss an oppurtunity to openly throw some shade at jon’s bastard-y. 

If “gone” only implies that all her “male relatives” aren’t in winterfell anymore, he would say “your father, brother, even your half-brother are gone …” or something like it. If “gone” means gone, as in dead, he would have said “father and true brothers”. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but compared to arya and bran, he would emphazise jon being their half-brother more directly when talking to Sansa. It’s just a gut-feeling I have. I might be wrong about this, since we only get this one, out of context sentence . The next thing sansa says could very well be “jon is ..” and LF finishing her sentence “… your half-brother. A bastard, not a true stark.” Omitting Jon could be a set-up for such a conversation.

OR: They know about R+L=J - can we have that, pretty please? The sentiment behind it would actually be the same, Jon isn’t a true stark and he “stole” sansas birthright.

(Some fandom wank on the side: Can you believe that some people give sansa so much shit for ~ maybe ~ being a tiny bit frustrated about being looked over as heir to winterfell, while simultaniously cheering for a certain dragon queen “to take what is hers with fire and blood, because she was born to rule the seven k-doms” Fucking hypocrites.)

Why not Sansa? It would be a bit too obvious, maybe? I honestly can’t think of  a single reason that would feel out of place, so first place for sansa. 

[coin-river-blog]

Switzerland – a country famous for its banks – is voting on one of the boldest monetary reforms ever devised. If passed, the Vollgeld Initiative will amend the Swiss Constitution to destroy fractional reserve banking, which may have significant implications for the world’s financial systems.

Most of us think that our checking account balances represent the money we own – the money we have "in the bank."

In thinking that, we are wrong.

We haven't been lied to, per se. Like with our social media, we just haven't read the fine print closely enough. We fail to understand the terms of service because it does not seem relevant: Using Facebook does not require that you understand what it does with your data. In the same way, you do not need to understand how banking works, or how it has come to work in the digital era, to do your banking. In both cases, it seems we have allowed ourselves to be duped.

Is this what it felt like for the illiterate peasants of medieval Europe, lorded over by the more highly educated? Indeed, "computer literacy" has become increasingly important for those wishing to affect, or even understand, the systems that shape the world and our lives. Carl Sagan once cautioned that technological illiteracy "is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces." 

We would do well to be cognizant of the ways in which these technologies shape systems, so that we are not blindsided by the limitations, side effects, failures, and misdeeds of these systems and the actors who control them.

Thomas Jordan, chairman of the governing board of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), noted that after the financial crisis of 2008, which threatened to bring the global economy to its knees, people began to take a greater interest in their personal finances and the "global financial system."

While it may seem difficult to envision now, the financial carnage that could have ensued after the Lehman Brothers collapse, had the banks not been bailed out with taxpayer funds, would have virtually wiped out Wall Street and its investors.

If not for emergency action by regulators, the financial tsunami would have crippled marketplaces worldwide, just as it threatened to during the dot-com bubble. It sounds sensational, but every facet of society is interconnected in this extraordinarily complicated global financial system.

In some ways, the fact that markets are enmeshed with each other is nothing new. "Money," both predicated on and enabling humanity's interconnectedness, is one of our first inventions.

Recognizing the dangers of potential domino disasters, Switerland's central bank has a monetary strategy to combat the negatives of resurgent crises called the countercyclical capital buffer. This pattern is key to understanding the heart of the Swiss Sovereign Money Initiative, commonly known in Switzerland as the Vollgeld Initiative. While the near certainty of the next financial crisis has been recently espoused by prominent figures such as Bill Gates, on June 10, 2018 – today – the people of Switzerland will have the opportunity to vote on the Vollgeld Initiative, which some hope will allow the country to avert such a crisis. If passed, the bill would do away with fractional reserve banking by creating a sovereign money system.

Monetäre Modernisierung and the Vollgeld Initative

A Swiss nongovernmental organization known as Monetäre Modernisierung (MoMo) created and stewarded the Vollgeld Initative, from inception to today's vote. Founded in 2011 after Hans-Ruedi Weber read a German translation of "Creating New Money" by Joseph Huber and James Robertson, MoMo seeks to reform the banking system, "to ensure that the financial system serves the real economy and that money is not the master of our society, but its servant."

Weber's spark of inspiration came in two parts following his reading of "Creating New Money", which was published in the immediate aftermath of the 2000 crisis and advocates for broad monetary reform. Weber's first realization was "that the real cause of the recurring financial crises is that banks can create money in unlimited quantities," which he notes that most people do not understand. Secondly, Weber understood that "Switzerland, with its own currency and system of direct democracy, is the ideal place to bring about a Sovereign Money Reform."

Like Nakamoto's cryptic message in Bitcoin's genesis block, it seems as though Weber had also had enough of the banks acting irresponsibly at the expense of others. This could suggest cryptocurrency is not the sole phenomenon disrupting banking and finance. Perhaps the Vollgeld Initative, cryptocurrency, and emerging meta-level economic theories are all a part of an overarching shift in the financial psychology of our civilization, which could be fed up with money as a master, rather than as a servant.

Dr. Emma Dawnay on the Vollgeld Initative

Switzerland has a governmental system of "direct democracy," which stipulates that citizens over the age of 18 can vote, and that any citizen-launched initiative capable of garnering at least 100,000 valid signatures must be put to a vote.

On December 1, 2015, the Vollgeld Initative was submitted to the Swiss government with 110,000 signatures, which led to today's impending vote. Specifically, the Swiss citizenry is voting on a proposed change to Article 99 of their constitution, which outlines the creation of money in Switzerland.

As mentioned, the "money" in our checking accounts is dubiously classified as "book money." It is not the same as "sovereign money," or money created by a central bank. Essentially, book money is an IOU from a commercial bank, a promise of payment, nothing more. "For the first time, most media outlets are correctly describing how, under the current system, banks can create money out of nothing," MoMo board member and author of the background report on the national referendum Emma Dawnay told ETHNews. "It's just written into the bank's balance sheet as an item under 'assets' and another item under 'liabilities.' Previously, most people had assumed it came from the Swiss National Bank (SNB). This alone is a huge achievement."

The advent of electronic, digitized money has aided in blurring the distinction between electronic book money and sovereign money. Sovereign money is brought into circulation by a central bank, rather than a private or commercial bank. Sovereign money constitutes the paper notes and coins we call "cash." Electronic book money is best understood as the numbers in your bank account. This electronic book money is not "legal tender." It is a virtual, digital promise represented as your account balance. As stated in Dawnay's report: "It's just a promise made by the banks to pay us cash and settle payments on our behalf, when requested. Legally it belongs to the bank, not to the holder of the bank account."

The Vollgeld Initative would destroy the ability of private and commercial banks in Switzerland to create book money, which is normally done by digitally injecting book money into circulation through the issuance of loans.

Members of the Swiss banking establishment, including the SNB and Switzerland's largest commercial bank, UBS, are adamantly opposed to the Vollgeld Initiative, with the SNB's comments being echoed by UBS' chief executive, who recently stated: "I don't expect the Swiss people to be suicidal and approve it."

ETHNews:  Why is sovereign money preferable to book money? What do you say to the SNB's criticisms of the Vollgeld Initative? 

Emma Dawnay: It is true that a financial reform in Switzerland will not make Switzerland immune from global financial crises, and this is not the aim of the reform. However, under the reform, money in people's checking accounts would be 100 percent safe – like treasures in a vault. If a bank were to go bankrupt, this money would not just disappear (as it would under the current system) – so a financial crisis won't bring down the whole Swiss financial transaction system. People will still be able to get paid, pay their rent, and buy their food. Under the current system if a large bank were to go bankrupt this would not be the case, consequently the need to bail out large banks. A sovereign money system in Switzerland would make the Swiss financial system more resilient to financial crises, rather than immune from them.

ETHNews: What has it been like making an argument for the SNB yet at the same time against the SNB?

ED: It is a happy coincidence that under a sovereign money reform, the state (rather than the banks) will profit from creating new money – either from the face value when the money is spent into circulation or the interest if it is lent into circulation. (By the way, this is not new: coins are currently spent into circulation and bank notes are lent into circulation). The amounts are massive – the whole of the money supply "M1" is involved. We've calculated that if the money supply increases in line with economic growth, and economic growth is 1 percent, this would amount to a few hundred Swiss francs per person. This is more difficult to explain, so has not been the main message in our campaign, which focuses on the simple question "Who should create our Swiss francs?"

ETHNews: Do you feel as though the Swiss banking establishment has tried to undermine your efforts?

ED: Unfortunately the Swiss National Bank (SNB) and Swiss Federal Council have not given unbiased factual information about the referendum, which by law they should (a legal case against them is pending). For example the information with the voting papers implies that, under the Vollgeld system, all new money must be spent debt-free into circulation: this is not true as the SNB can also lend money to the banks. Thomas Jordan, the head of the SNB, has gone much further by giving his opinion – that it would be a catastrophe – apparently based on incorrect facts such as the SNB would have to return to targeting monetary quantities rather than interest rates (it is quite possible for the SNB to target interest rates under the Vollgeld system if it chooses). As many people will be influenced by what they say, this is likely to affect the results.

ETHNews: Was the 2008 financial crisis truly the inspiration for the Vollgeld Initative? Most Americans think the crisis was related to bad housing mortgages here in the States.

ED: From our viewpoint the 2008 financial crisis was global, with UBS – Switzerland's largest bank – also needing to be bailed out by the government. Measures taken since the financial crisis are not strong enough. Banks have lobbied hard to water them down, and big banks can invest huge amounts to find out how to circumvent them. The Basel banking rule-book is becoming longer with each new round of rules, yet the banks are always one step ahead. Enforcing the rules becomes ever more costly for the state, and compliance costs are a problem for smaller banks. Ever more rules are not the answer.

ETHNews: Even so, surely there must be rules if financial crises are cyclical?

ED: I believe that history will repeat itself. Banking was transformed by the 1844 banking act in the UK when banks there were no longer allowed to print their own bank notes – something that spread globally. Extending this to the electronic book money that we now all use for the huge majority of our financial transactions makes sense. I hope that Switzerland will lead the way for such a global reform, making the financial system work better for everyone.

ETHNews: So much time and effort has been put into educating the Swiss population about the severity of this vote and its stated goals. Are you ready for the vote?

ED: It is really exciting for those of us that have been involved in this project for the last few years. Having worked for so long – first the constitutional text, then collecting over 100,000 signatures and finally a referendum campaign – it seems almost unbelievable that the Sovereign Money or "Vollgeld" referendum is on Sunday.

It seems that like Nakamoto, proponents of the Swiss Sovereign Money Initiative share a common distrust of banks. Regardless of what happens on Sunday in Switzerland, perhaps questioning the status quo of cyclical financial crises is just the beginning of an emerging, new, global system. History may record that our era, the advent of electronic money, was in fact only a stopgap measure on the way to a new global financial system. Like with Bitcoin, the Swiss Sovereign Money Initiative may be a chapter in the larger story of where we are going with our financial systems.

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[generouslyteenagealpaca-blog]

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BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://salecarinsurance.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

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How much is car insurance in schaumburg illinois?

So is there any health insurance for those with serious medical conditons?

My younger brother who's only 20 years old has a host of serious illnesses: crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, and a few more conditions that has constantly kept him sick for a good portion of his childhood. He's missed at least half a school year on a number of occasions, and despite his maturation he's still heavily affected by his conditions. Obviously, it's practically impossible for him to hold a steady job, he'll work for a while and then he'll have to take off a month or two just to deal with his illness, with that said he surely won't have employee health insurance. Currently, he's using our state's medicaid, however once he turns 21 he's no longer eligible for medicaid. With the health care system being the way that it is, is there any possibility that he could continue receiving health care despite his ineligibility? He takes a ton of drugs daily, and even takes some of the same medications that our grandparents take lol. I know some of you heartless conservatives believe he should provide his own health coverage, but how? His drugs cost thousands, and he's in the ER constantly, thus making his health-care only affordable to extremely rich individuals. When healthy, he does contribute as much as he possibly can, however for someone in his condition it would be downright shameful if he can't continue to receive any healthcare.""

1 day or Weekend Auto Insurance?

Hi Guys, I have a car that has no insurance on it since i am not using it any more but still runs good. I need to travel to NY from Detroit this weekend and again don't need it any more there in NY. Are there any cheap Auto Insurance firms that give us auto insurance for the weekend only. Thanks a lot for the help.""

Insurance for my car?

I'm buying a car from my parents and as of right now the insurance is in their name. Once I own the car, does the insurance have to be in my name or can I continue to use the insurance they already have?""

Can a new driver who is 19 years old get car insurance on a Mercedes Benz?

I have looked on a couple of comparison sites and they don't offer car insurance for a Mercedes Benz for a 19 year old new driver. Could you give me an insurance quote? Much appreciation.

What personal information can be revealed by a car insurance card?

Friend asked me for a copy of my car insurance card, said he needed it for something but didn't tell me what.""

What is a good and cheap insurance for a Acura Rsx 2002?

I just recently got my license and want to know of good and cheap insurance for my car.

CAN YOU GET UNDER YOUR PARENTS CAR INSURANCE IF YOUR CAR IS UNDER YOUR NAME?

I'm looking to buy a new car but I wont be able to afford car insurance on my own plus paying for a car. If i get a car under my name can i still be placed under my parents car insurance? Im 21 btw. Thanks

A question about health insurance...?

Newly married and never had to pay for health insurance on my own before. What is a good price, through work, for health insurance benefits?""

Can Auto Insurance Companies suspend drivers licenses?

Does anyone know for sure if an Auto Insurance Company has the right to suspend drivers licenses at any time or can the BMV only do that? We paid the required 20% down in car accident to get our licenses back, but can Auto Ins. Company suspend us now if we miss a payment after that down payment? Thanks for any help!

Would not getting your permit prior to getting your license increase car insurance costs ?

I know there are many things that increase insurance costs but would not getting your permit prior to getting your license be one if them? If so how can insurance companies tell you didn't get your permit first ?

What kind of car would be cheapest to insure for a teenage driver?

Im 17 yrs old, and about to move out.. My mother is not to happy with this so she is keeping my car. Now I have to buy my own car and pay the insurance as well, what kind of cars should I start looking at? Used of course, but what types of cars would be cheapest to insure?""

Do I need insurance on a 50cc moped/scooter in Oregon?

...and if so how much? I'm looking at a 1986 honda spree and saw that it gets great gas mileage, registration is cheap, it's perfect for me. I'm a poor college student, working part time, and am in need of a money saver. So an estimate of insurance IF I need it would be great! :)""

Car insurance question.?

My half sister is turning 18 in a few days and she wants to use my grandmothers car for the her driver's license test. She doesn't live with my grandmother nor is she related to her, if that matters. So my question is does she need to be on my grandmother's car insurance policy to take the test with her car? If not, would she have to be put on the insurance policy if she were to drive my grandmother's car after she received her license? I live in CA btw.""

Question about teen car insurance?

Question about teen car insurance? I have a couple questions about insurance for teens: 1. If it is a 4 cyl, is insurance lower? 2. Is it cheaper if you have good grades? 3. Does the style/number of doors make a differance? TIA""

Car insurance? cheaper to be on parents plan?

I am looking to make my auto insurance a little bit cheaper and save some money. could I had my mother put my car on her insurance and put me as a primanry driver if i dont live there?

Why my car insurance coming so expensive?

I am in leeds and thinking of buying a car but when i am searching all comparison websites its coming about 1000 pounds a month. I have 3-4 yrs expierience in driving in USA and i was paying there like 30 pounds per month. I talked with insurance company and they are saying that because i just came to UK as well as have international licence its coming that high my car comes in group 17 of insurance. Any other solutions for these? if people are new here i dont think they are paying these much every month Please if you know any good agent who can reduce these let me know. Else can i take insurance from usa or my home country India?

I am trying to find the type of car with the cheapest car insurance for my age and details?

Where online can i find details on lots of cars as gocompare.com etc... need you provide details on a certain car

Can car insurance companies pull your insurance without notifying you?

My girlfriend is at university and just seen that her car insurance has paid a sum of money back into her bank account and after checking the dvla website it currently says her car in not insured! Can an insurance company pull the insurance without notifying her of why its been done and when it was done as the policy was taken out about a month go. Where does she stand legally too? many thanks for your help D.

Can i drive my car with an international licence and provisional insurance?

can i buy a car in the uk and insure it on my provisional licence and drive it with my international licence so i dont need to bring another driver to sit beside me during driving. the reason i'm asking the this Q is because insurance is much cheaper on the provisional licence.

Car Accident in Michigan and no insurace?

I was in a car accident in Michigan and did not have car insurance, police did come, i did not recieve any tickets and it was determined that it was not my fault but my car is messed up pretty bad and so is the other car, now i am wondering even though the other driver said it was his fault and said his insurance would pay for it I know does not neccisarily mean that it will, but I did read somewhere that I might be counter sued, or that i may just have to pay his deductable, does anyone have any insight about this and what I should expect or expect nothing at all, yes i know i should not of been driving a vehile without atleast plpd but the car is not mine and not in my name so please no rude comments just asking for advice about the situation. Please and Thank you ;)""

Can employers in California ask for medical record for insurance risk assessment?

Can employers in California ask for medical record for insurance risk assessment?

What cars are cheap for insurance?

i haven't passed my test, but am thinking about getting a little car. i need it to be cheap on a full uk lisence otherwise i won't be able to afford it. i would also aprreciate your help if you know any cars that have good consumption rates and are cheap to run. thanks in advance""

How much is auto insurance for a simple car?PLEASE HELP?

a 2000 honda prelude,basic need to school,work,home,and full cover?if you know please givr me a estimate amount,thanks ps im 16

If I buy a new car will my auto insurance run my driving record again?

My husband and I currently own a truck and have an exisiting comprehensive auto insurance policy in Texas. If we buy a new car (thereby removing the truck and adding the new car to our policy but not changing anything else) will the insurance company run his driving record again?

Fend off bullying car insurance suit?

i was involved in a car accident. i was at the wheel and the insurance company that insures the car has placed me at fault. i am not the owner, but claim that i had permission from the owner to use the car and therefore, under california law, should not be liable for the damages. the owner is fully insured. i tried to settle this by paying for the deductable. shortly after i submitted a check to the owner he changed his statement to his insurance company and claimed that he in fact hadnt given me permission to use the vehicle (I have a scanned copy of the check with clearing information from my bank). i am now being threatened by two insurance companies: 1) the insurer of the other party involved (this claim is on me, the owner, and his insurer) & 2) the insurer of the car i was driving. what are my options? how can i attempt to prove that he did give me the necessary explicit or implicit permission to use his automobile?""

Are you going to purchase health insurance as required by law ?

Now that the public option is off the table ? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091209/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_overhaul Where's the guarantee that it will become affordable ?

How can I get dental and medical insurance?

I turned 18 back in 2011 and now I'm not on my mom's dental or medical insurance. How do I get dental and medical coverage?

Car insurance under 4000 for 18 year old male?

I passed my test back in november, and completed my pass plus not long after, i have been un-able to acquire a quote which has been under 4000 at all, i have tried all the main comparison websites etc, and im only trying to insure a 1.2L Ford Fiesta Finesse. Ive tried putting parents on as named drivers to lower it etc but nothing works, im not looking for miracles, just an insurance quote that is around the 3000-3500 mark. Im wondering whether smaller insurance companies would be able to offer me slightly cheaper insurance if anybody knows any good ones? Any help is MUCH appreciated as i am getting desperate here!""

Does anyone know about 'Gap Insurance' to cover the cost between ?

the amount owed on an almost new car and the amount the insurance company is willing to settle for (book value).

Car insurance?!!HELPPPP?

I'm from Chicago, IL. i don't know how Chicago road law operate so i hope u guys will help me out a bit.i just found out that my car insurance had stop it coverage with me for the last 3 month for whatever reason. I just called them today to reopen up my account again and the new insurance card is being sent home. today Can i still drive my car even if i don't have a actually insurance card in the car? if a police does stop me and ask for my insurance, can i say that it's being mail home and if he/she don't believe me, they can called my insurance agent??""

Do I need renters insurance?

I've had renters insurance for the past 2 years. The new place I'm at now is not under my name. But I do pay some of the rent to the the person I'm living with (whose name is on lease). Someone told me today that renters insurance is no good and doesn't cover anything if my name is not on the lease. Is this true?

""For a 17 year old, How much about is car insurance (relatively) and which places are cheaper?

We were thinking State Farm or Country

What Are Some Good Health Insurance Companies?

I used to be a 1099 worker but just recently got switched over to a salary but i still do not have health insurance. Are there any affordable health insurance companies out there that ...show more

How much car insurance does a 18years old guy has to pay per month in UK??

I am 18years old i wanna buy a car..lets suppose if i buy a cars that worths about 5000pound how much insurance will i have to pay per month?

Can Auto Insurance Companies suspend drivers licenses?

Does anyone know for sure if an Auto Insurance Company has the right to suspend drivers licenses at any time or can the BMV only do that? We paid the required 20% down in car accident to get our licenses back, but can Auto Ins. Company suspend us now if we miss a payment after that down payment? Thanks for any help!

I heard the weirdst thing about car insurance and red cars?

im thinking of buying a new car and i went to show my mum the car to see what she thought and she told me that with red cars you have to pay more in insurance. Is it true? I think its probably a load of bull, but it still put me off a little""

Test driving a persons car if you dont have car insurance?

I live in Texas. I want to buy a used car from a private party (i.e. another person). Ill obviously want to test drive it before I buy it, but I dont have insurance. If the other person has insurance, is it legal for them to let me test drive it?""

We are a new small business. Where is the best place to get workers compensation insurance?

Just looking for an insurance company (private sector?) who provides affordable workers compensation insurance for small businesses.

Car Insurance for Citroen Saxo?

So i've been looking at cars seeing as im 17 and learning to drive. Well i really like a car ive seen which is a Citroen Saxo 1.1 litre and 2003 model. Round about how much insurance would it be? one of my parents would be on the insurance also and they have no claims. I'm female by the way if that makes much of a difference? Help would b appreciated :)

How to get your Life insuance license in California?

So people told me to take online courses to get pre-license, and then I have to take an exam outside in order to get my license for health and life insurance. That sounds like a long time and very expensive. Can I buy a book to study on my own, then go straight to take the exam outside? Or getting pre-licensed is required before I can take the actual exam.""

Why can't I change my health insurance plan?

I tried calling my health insurance this morning to change to a better plan (Blue Shield) and they won't let me. Why is this? They aren't the ones paying the monthly payment, copays etc.""

My 13 Year old Son got an insurance quote in the mail for my car?

How could they have gotten his name on a quote for insurance on my car? Thanks!

""Pizza delivery driver insurance in own car, where can I get insurance uk?

I have been offered a job as a pizza delIvery driver but I need to insure my car with business insurance I have tried everywhere but know one does it please Help x

We are buying a 1995 mobile home (14X70). Does anyone have any idea how much insurance would be in Alabama?

We are buying a 1995 mobile home (14X70). Does anyone have any idea how much insurance would be in Alabama?

What is the cheapest car insurance for an 18 year old girl?

I am learning to drive and have my provisional. I want to get a car and have looked at many and the insurance is 3000 or more. I don't mind what first car I get but it has to have 5 doors. Can anyone suggest any cars which have cheap insurance. Thanks in advance

Auto insurance for a new driver and a new car?

I got my licenses on March 30th, 5 days after my sixteenth birthday. I was so excited to start driving to school and what not but when i got home, my mom told me she would not buy me insurance because it's to expensive. I asked her how much it would be monthly but she wouldn't tell me. My first question is about how much would insurance be for me, as a new driver, and i have a new car. My second question is if i don't have insurance, can i still drive with my mom or dad or guardian in the passenger seat? (they have insurance for themselves) If i can't drive with them, i don't get how insurance will get cheaper for me overtime if i haven't driven and can't drive since my licenses test.""

How do you get health insurance?

how do u get health insurance if u cant afford it my bf cant get health insurance cux the health insurance ppl say he makes too uch money to have it but he doesnt make enought to afford it how did u get it then

Best site for Home Owners Insurance on California Cooperatives?

Best site for Home Owners Insurance on California Cooperatives?

Motorcycle insurance for a 16 year old?

I was wondering what an average motorcycle insurance rate is for a 16 year old male in VA, good grades, no tickets, i plan on taking the MSF course, no accidents, would drive a substantial amount, play sports (i don't know what really factors into insurance costs, so i just listed some stuff i figured or have heard affects motorcycle insurance)""

Learners Permit and Insurance!?

Can I have insurance while having my learners permit? (I currently live in Orlando, FL)""

Does getting a Health Insurance quote run your credit?

I wanted to know if getting a quote from a health insurance provider (not through a job) runs a credit check? I never actually filled out the application, but I answered some questions to get quotes.""

Currently paying for braces no insurance?

If I get dental insurance could I use it to pay the remaining amount of money I have toward the bill? Or is it to late? Also if it is possible what dental insurance should I go with or orphadontist insurance if it makes a difference

Average cost for motorcycle insurance for a 16 year old?

i know that the rates will be very expensive for a street bike for a 16 year old first rider, but i just want a round about. i have car insurance with state farm so thats who i would get the insurance through. from what i found it will probably be better to start on a dual sport bike rather than a sport bike due to the cost of insurance and the possibility of not being able to get insured due to my age. i want to get a street bike, but i know insurance would be nearly affordable.""

""I just turned 18 and I don't want to take driver's ed, how much will my car insurance go up?""

Due to multiple arrests, I wasn't able to get my license until I turned 18. Well now I'm 18 and able to get my license, I don't have the money for driver's ed though. I was just wondering how much my car insurance would go up if I don't take driver's ed.""

No insurance and expired tags in kentucky?

I got a ticket for no insurance and expired tags in Louisville Ky, I've never neen in any trouble before with anything not even a parking ticket I just could'nt afford the insurance and tags. Whatare the chances of serving jail time for this? I know inKy, it can pack a 90 day sentence please answer I'm kinda freaking out.""

Should I switch my auto insurance this early?

I have Esurance right now.. My policy started in Feb and ends in August. It is $200 a month and I have minimum coverage. I did not have insurance for 15 months until I started my policy, so I settled and did not look at many places for the insurance. I just looked at some quotes today, and Progressive quoted me $140 with more coverage and I probably could get some discounts from them. Should I keep my current policy until it expires in August? Or should I just switch now? I feel like keeping my insurance for 6 months and switching with no gap in my coverage could benefit me more than calling it quits so soon, but I honestly don't know. I'm new to these kinds of responsibilities.""

Where can I get affordable health insurance?

I'm a student and I work, but work does not offer it.""

What car insurance company has the best rates and prices?

i just bought a car and dont know which insurance company to choose

How much would insurance cost for a 16 year old?

I want to buy a 1 year old camaro but was wondering how much insurance would cost for a 16 year old male. I need an estimate for the cheapest insurance. Even if the liability is really small.

Anyone know where to get affordable international health insurance?

I am wondering where I can get some decent health coverage to cover me during my international adventures . Does anyone know where to look for this stuff? Please give websites and phone #'s if you have them. Thank you.

Can Auto Insurance Companies suspend drivers licenses?

Does anyone know for sure if an Auto Insurance Company has the right to suspend drivers licenses at any time or can the BMV only do that? We paid the required 20% down in car accident to get our licenses back, but can Auto Ins. Company suspend us now if we miss a payment after that down payment? Thanks for any help!

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/can-i-insured-my-dads-auto-insurance-policy-we-live-different-beach"

[gmmadrid-blog]

Glossary

Nominal Ordinal Interval Ratio Random Sampling Sampling Errors Mean Mode Range Variance Standard Deviation Empirical Rule Chebyshev’s Theorem Bayes' Rule Six Sigma  Lean Manufacturing Decision Tree Hypothesis Testing Type 1 and Type 2 Errors Regression Analysis Statistic versus Probability

Key TermText Chapter , or onlineDefinitionSourceNominalOnlineNominal basically refers to categorically discrete data such as name of your school, type of car you drive or name of a book. This one is easy to remember because nominal sounds like name (they have the same Latin root). http://www.usablestats.com/lessons/noirOrdinalOnlineOrdinal refers to quantities that have a natural ordering. The ranking of favorite sports, the order of people's place in a line, the order of runners finishing a race or more often the choice on a rating scale from 1 to 5. With ordinal data you cannot state with certainty whether the intervals between each value are equal. For example, we often using rating scales (Likert questions). On a 10 point scale, the difference between a 9 and a 10 is not necessarily the same difference as the difference between a 6 and a 7. This is also an easy one to remember, ordinal sounds like orderhttp://www.usablestats.com/lessons/noirIntervalOnlineInterval data is like ordinal except we can say the intervals between each value are equally split. The most common example is temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. The difference between 29 and 30 degrees is the same magnitude as the difference between 78 and 79 (although I know I prefer the latter). With attitudinal scales and the Likert questions you usually see on a survey, these are rarely interval, although many points on the scale likely are of equal intervals.http://www.usablestats.com/lessons/noirRatioOnlineRatio data is interval data with a natural zero point. For example, time is ratio since 0 time is meaningful. Degrees Kelvin has a 0 point (absolute 0) and the steps in both these scales have the same degree of magnitude.http://www.usablestats.com/lessons/noirRandom SamplingOnlinea random sample is a set of items that have been drawn from a population in such a way that each time an item was selected, every item in the population had an equal opportunity to appear in the sample. In practical terms, it is not so easy to draw a random sample.http://www.animatedsoftware.com/statglos/sgrandsa.htmSamping ErrorsOnlineThat part of the difference between a population value and an estimate thereof, derived from a random sample, which is due to the fact that only a sample of values is observed; as distinct from errors due to imperfect selection, bias in response or estimation, errors of observation and recording, etc. http://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=2377MeanOnlinean average; a number that in some sense represents the central value of a set of numbers.https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Mean+(statistics)ModeOnlineThe mode represents the most frequent value in a set of data. For example in the set of data: 3,5,6,7,7,9,8,7,5,6,4,5,3,1 the number 7 is the mode. The mode doesn't have to be the center of a set of data and there can be more than one mode.http://www.usablestats.com/lessons/datacenterRangeOnlinerange is defined simply as the difference between the maximum and minimum observationshttps://explorable.com/range-in-statisticsVarianceOnlineThe variance is a numerical value used to indicate how widely individuals in a group vary. If individual observations vary greatly from the group mean, the variance is big; and vice versa.http://stattrek.com/statistics/dictionary.aspx?definition=VarianceStandard DeviationOnlinea measure of the dispersion of a frequency distribution that is the square root of the arithmetic mean of the squares of the deviation of each of the class frequencies from the arithmetic mean of the frequency distribution; also : a similar quantity found by dividing by one less than the number of squares in the sum of squares instead of taking the arithmetic mean https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/standard%20deviationEmpirical RuleOnlineThe so called empirical rule states that the bulk of the data cluster around the mean in a normal distribution. In fact: 68% of values fall within 1 standard deviation of the mean 95% fall within 2 standard deviations of the mean 99% fall within 3 standard deviations of the meanhttp://www.usablestats.com/lessons/empiricalChebyshev's TheoremOnlineChebyshev’s Theorem tells us that no matter what the distribution looks like, the probability that a randomly selected values is in the intervalhttp://academic.regis.edu/jseibert/SumStat08/Descriptive/DC1-Chebyshev.pdfBay's RuleOnlinea formula that describes how to update the probabilities of hypotheses when given evidence. It follows simply from the axioms of conditional probability, but can be used to powerfully reason about a wide range of problems involving belief updates.https://brilliant.org/wiki/bayes-theorem/Six SigmaOnlineSix Sigma at many organizations simply means a measure of quality that strives for near perfection. Six Sigma is a disciplined, data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating defects (driving toward six standard deviations between the mean and the nearest specification limit) in any process – from manufacturing to transactional and from product to service.https://www.isixsigma.com/new-to-six-sigma/getting-started/what-six-sigma/Lean ManufacturingOnlineThe core idea behind lean manufacturing is maximizing customer value while minimizing waste, thereby achieving manufacturing excellence through the creation of more value with fewer resources.https://www.qualitydigest.com/inside/twitter-ed/introduction-lean-manufacturing.html#Decision TreeOnlineDecision trees are produced by algorithms that identify various ways of splitting a data set into branch-like segments. These segments form an inverted decision tree that originates with a root node at the top of the tree. http://support.sas.com/publishing/pubcat/chaps/57587.pdfHypothesis TestingOnlineProcedure for deciding if a null hypothesis should be accepted or rejected in favor of an alternate hypothesis. A statistic is computed from a survey or test result and is analyzed to determine if it falls within a preset acceptance region. If it does, the null hypothesis is accepted otherwise rejected.http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/hypothesis-testing.htmlType 1 and Type 2 ErrorsOnlineA type I error (false-positive) occurs if an investigator rejects a null hypothesis that is actually true in the population; a type II error (false-negative) occurs if the investigator fails to reject a null hypothesis that is actually false in the population.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2996198/Regression AnalysisOnlineRegression is a statistical technique to determine the linear relationship between two or more variables. Regression is primarily used for prediction and causal inference.http://statlab.stat.yale.edu/workshops/IntroRegression/StatLab-IntroRegressionFa08.pdfStatistic versus ProbabilityOnlineProbability and statistics are related areas of mathematics which concern themselves with analyzing the relative frequency of events. Still, there are fundamental differences in the way they see the world: • Probability deals with predicting the likelihood of future events, while statistics involves the analysis of the frequency of past events.    • Probability is primarily a theoretical branch of mathematics, which studies the consequences of mathematical definitions. Statistics is primarily an applied branch of mathematics, which tries to make sense of observations in the real world. https://www3.cs.stonybrook.edu/~skiena/jaialai/excerpts/node12.html

[bobbynolanios88]

Why Banks Want Us to Believe Bitcoins are Nothing but a Bubble Waiting to Burst?

Why Banks Want Us to Believe Bitcoins are Nothing but a Bubble Waiting to Burst?

Nobody has a monopoly over the proceedings of bitcoin and that is why it is so problematic for the banks. The banks believe in consolidation and making more money from the money they already have and keep tight control over the proceedings of the money through a centralized control over the resources. Due to these measures, banks can have a lot of problems in their running that are beyond their control.

Bitcoin is now eating away into the shares of traditional banking and payment transaction conglomerates. It is the reason why banks are lobbying hard with conventional economists to portray bitcoin as a bubble waiting to burst. Why should bitcoin be considered as a bubble waiting to burst? What is at the back end of bitcoin that imparts value to bitcoin? You surely must have asked these questions yourself and now I will answer them.

Bitcoin is not a big bubble and cannot result in a much heightened crisis like the Wall Street Crash of 2008. The Wall Street and the stock exchanges around the world along with the banking industry giving out debts over money they don’t have are the real bubble.

The stock market is pure speculation and nobody knows the ground realities of the companies they are investing in, there is insider trading, securities fraud, divided fraud and what not in the stock exchange. While the successive government have tried to rein in the stock exchange, the truth is that the stock exchange is the worst example of a free market because it hasn’t learned to autocorrect itself in an appropriate manner.

financial crisis 2008

Same goes with banking. Banks are known to give credits in a biased manner and to the industries that they think won’t make losses. They therefore don’t invest in good promising projects and rather remain interested in conventional ones like real estate, personal loans, energy and infrastructure. Banks go above and beyond in these industries since they consider them safe enough for investment but the truth is that they often end up investing more money that they can hope to reap up in case of a market crash. Take real estate for example.

Real Estate suffered a big crash back in 2008 when the whole system collapsed. As a result, billions of dollars were wiped out from the market and the banks were facing huge losses and not ready to accept the properties back. Since they had invested the money on real estate blindly, they would end up being one of the biggest losers and many of them would end up being bankrupt and would need a bailout package from the government just to start operations again. This leads to consolidation and concentration of human wealth and not at all what the free market should be all about.

Price pf Housing

Free market is about decentralization, small businesses and people coming up with new ideas to solve our problems and innovative solutions. So, first of all, a lesson in “bubble” mechanics from an industry that is very much a bubble in itself and is guilty of violating the free market and blind consolidation, you should take a step back and ask yourself whether they are the best source of information in this. Yes, they are definitely not. They more often that not even know the basics of blockchain and bitcoin and then make tall claims about its eventual failure. Try asking conventional economists about blockchain and decentralization and you would be amazed with the answers pouring from their mouths.

But, still bitcoin needs to address these concerns to counter the negative propaganda being aired on these channels and even taught in universities. It is better to nip the evil in the bud! So, first of all saying bitcoin has nothing on its back end is just not true. It has a lot of infrastructure on its back end and you cannot see it but experience it the way it is being handled.

For those who say they don’t trust a system whose infrastructure they can’t see, they should immediately stop using international transactional companies, Google, Dropbox, etc as you are 99% likely not to see their infrastructure with your own eyes or even have it telecast in your entire lifetime. The reason why you can’t help trusting them is that you have seen how they work and you need them. Now these companies don’t even show how they work to the public. All of it is kept under wraps. Bitcoin however is open-source.

Bitcoin Core

We know a lot about what is happening around the world. We can literally follow each transaction and its confirmation while the blockchain itself is the safest open-source transaction in the entire world. So, bitcoin is not only safe, you can study about it and even start a node yourself to understand and operate its transactions. It bring a whole new level of transparency to the monetary world, one that was absent before in banks and other financial institutions.

Now what is at the back end of the bitcoin? What makes it worth hundreds of billions of dollars in marketcap? Well, for starters, I must ask a counter question.

Why are payment companies like Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, etc worth more than $ 3 trillion in total?

The reason is that you can send and receive money globally in secure transaction due to their good infrastructure. Bitcoin can do exactly that without companies like these keeping track of everything and in a peer-to-peer transaction.

It is also much more secure than any of these companies. So, a better transaction system like bitcoin possesses should be worth a lot more don’t you think? The worth of bitcoin is partly from this role as a payment method which is based on the revolutionary blockchain technology. Each transaction of bitcoin has significant contribution from miners, people who make this network secure. So, at least part of its existence and worth is justified and even justifies astronomical increases in the near future as it eats away into the shares of these companies. It is happening whether they like it or not.

Blockchain Technology

Now what imparts bitcoin’s intrinsic value?

That’s the amazing part. Bitcoin’s worth is entirely calculated by the dynamics of a real free market. That is why it is so volatile. When people see that they can send/receive money in the form of bitcoin and even hold it for the future gains, they understand that bitcoin has the capability to undermine not just transaction companies like Visa, Mastercard and Paypal but also central banks who control the major currencies in the world.

These banks literally control the worth of currency and try to make it as stable as possible using artificial measures. These measures include printing more money for devaluation, holding up new bonds away from the market for stabilizing its worth and much more. The system is rigged because of these hard-handed measures and centralized decision making.

Why is it that devaluing currency is almost a certainty despite the ever-growing economy. Why is it that a dollar in the 90s is worth a lot less when you go out to buy something from the store? The reason is that the system is designed to devalue the paper currency no matter what because they know that they will need to keep printing more and more bills as times goes by. This doesn’t happen with bitcoin.

Bitcoin’s worth will increase or decrease according to the value imparted to it by the free market and that is beauty of it. It doesn’t attach fake valuation to the currency. Coupled with the amazing transaction system, it will always change in the future and that doesn’t happen with the fiat currencies like Dollar, Pound, Euro.

Since the price of the bitcoin is the reflection of the free market confidence in the currency, it is much more real than fiat currencies that give rise to yearly inflation and such. It is perhaps the same reason why governments around the world are cracking down on it. They simply don’t like a currency they cannot manipulate and post made-up statistics regarding the economy and its future. It basically tells the worth like it is.

Bitcoin price

So, due to all these attributes and millions of computers in a decentralized network protecting bitcoin, the worth of bitcoin continues to increase. It is not a bubble but it gives no guarantee what its future price will be. It might decrease rapidly or increase rapidly according to the trade and commerce happening because of it.

Bitcoin was designed to be a currency of the people backed by a stellar infrastructure and driven entirely by the free market. No fiat currency in the world can claim that but it does have competitors that keep its price in check and its own unique currency market as well.

So, the next time a banker or conventional economist tries to portray bitcoin as a bubble, you can analyze his arguments keeping in mind these simple talking points.

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