#spare media literacy please?

[demonzoro]

maybe he's not showing his emotions to YOU. i'm different

i browse ao3. i see zoro described as emotionless. i exit ao3.

[jthepearlord]

On a lukewarm take.

I'll tell you right now, most adult mainstream media is not more "subtle" in is subtext than children's mainstream media.

Why is that? Children's entertainment can't get away with a lot of literal imagery.

Like queer rep, ND rep, and or most political issues.

So it requires the use of symbolism and subtext to get through it to it's audience with enough deniability to not upset the status quo.

Symbolism I've found to be much more powerful in a lot of all ages media than in adult and YA entertainment.

That is to say, all media should be consumed with our own biases in mind.

Instead of saying, X was bad and irredimible, people should be asking themselves, "why does this character make me FEEL this way about them, how much of that is intentional and how much of it is my own interpretation, why Y character forgave them so easily, what reasons do they have".

I consume all sorts of media, and most adult media I enjoy is adult media produced by artists mostly known for children's entertainment, they more often understand nuance and earnestness that a lot of newer adult guested media does not.

Do you think kid shows are black and white? Boy, I have bad news about cop thrillers.

I jest tho it's easier to extrapolate character from simplicity and earnestness than from media that is constantly embarrassed of being "too weird and unserious".

Some people consume only adult media, (not cartoon adult media like, just in general mainstream media) and have the media literacy of a fish.

I do think is important to watch everything you find mildly interesting, wether or not it's withing your preferred générés, demographics, and styles.

But I find it iffy to imply that all ages media is mostly not nuanced, because "they have to appeal to children black and white mentality" when that's just a big misconception.

Any weird vibes check my tags

[keepthisholykiss]

Dracula Daily Research Survey for Upcoming Conference

Hello internet friends! I come to you yet again, hat in hand, to request your input on your experience with Dracula Daily. If you read Dracula Daily, participated in the memes or discussions, if you stopped reading Dracula Daily, or if you looked at it and thought it was cool but too daunting please let me know. I have had a conference proposal accepted to discuss this project and how it can set the stage to better impact learning and literacy. As some of you know from my previous research on Hamlet, gender, and social media this is an overarching body of research I am continually participating in. Not only do I write these pieces and produce this research to help me in preparing for my eventual Ph. D. dissertation but I also use it to (hopefully) help educators become better at what they do.

If you have a spare 10 minutes please fill out this survey. It is anonymous and will greatly help with my research. I will STOP taking submissions on Feb 1, 2023. So please fill it out ASAP! Again, I want to hear from anyone who even passingly participated in Dracula Daily. Share it with everyone you know who did, I am seeking a diverse set of answers for valuable and wide data.

I am also tagging some of the big Dracula Daily accounts in hopes that they can help spread the word. @draculadailytracker @draculadailyreactions @draculadailybracket

ETA: Due to the overwhelming response I will be closing this survey on January 1, 2023 instead. I expected and accounted for 250 responses which it has now far surpassed. Please feel free to continue sharing and submitting.

Also to answer some comments, DMs, and questions: I am my own (disabled) researcher and the way I collect, process, analyze, and discuss data is my own choice. Commentary on how I research is not something I am looking for, thank you! Partial results, data, and analysis will become publicly available in late Spring or Summer 2023. Until then I will not be of liberty to disclose anything else. If there are any other frequent comments or questions I will edit this post to reflect the answers.

[trashratsaws]

Something I've been finding quite irritating about the lack of media and culture literacy we're seeing - because of course the least educated people speak the loudest I fear - is that it's almost forced me to become an advocate for art I don't particularly enjoy. I don't enjoy modern or contemporary art. I don't like it, I think it's overblown, and I think a lot of modern/contemporary movements are juvenile, underdeveloped, and crude. I will also defend modern and contemporary art until I die from white tiktok women who claim that they could make better art from the comfort of their upper middle class couches because apparently despite pretending to be cultured by going to the museums where modern art is housed and proclaiming to their thousands of followers that they have done so - which was a choice, by the way, they could have really gone to any museum that served their one-note tastes all the better - they simply cannot be bothered to do any sort of research or reading on what the modern/contemporary art actually means, how it was created, the backgrounds of the artists who create it, etc., or even to read the plaque next to the piece while they stand next to it making their videos about how lifeless and uninteresting they find it.

There is a huge difference between disliking something because you understand it vs. because you don't. Please for the love of god, if you're going to loudly dislike something, please be the person who dislikes it because you understand it, and spare me the trouble of trying to shout just as loudly that, well, yes, Jackson Pollock was the worst, but please leave his genre alone because you sound like quite the toad when you speak.

Anyway I lied before, so here are some avant-garde movements/artists/pieces I really like/find very interesting to do some more research on for yourself.

the Die Brücke (The Bridge, German expressionist group)

Mexican Muralism (Mexican artistic movement post-revolution of 1910)

Brasilia (failed Brazilian capital city with some crazy architecture. Also utopianism in general)

Neo-Dadaism/Post-modernism (generally cheekier movement than the abstract expressionists who took their work and mission far too seriously)

Marjorie Strider (woman pop artist who critiqued a lot of sexism in the art world with her work. See also The Girlies Exhibition)

Liberation of Aunt Jemima and Betye Saar

One and Three Chairs and Conceptual Art (this is the one people like to complain the most about)

Yayoi Kusama (particularly Narcissus Garden. Very good stuff)

Felix Gonzales-Torres (if you don't already know him. Tell me you can look at Perfect Lovers without crying)

Rhythm 0 (imo the single most impactful, raw, gut-wrenching work Marina Abramovic ever produced. Performance art. Devastating)

Shigeko Kubota (Vagina Painting. almost a direct fuck-you to Pollock's macho vibe)

Earth Art (exactly what it sounds like - work that relies on nature. The Lightning Field is on my bucket list)

[humandisorderincarnatedean]

how in god's name are people thinking that the show wanted you to see bela's death and be like 'don't you think she deserved that :)' like shfghjdf no!! a little media literacy please <3 spare media literacy please

[smutpuke]

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ INTRO ࿐ྂ

┊

┊i. basics !

Name: Nawbii/Fuu/Travis/PG

Age: 19

Pronouns: he/they

Gender: cis male

Sexuality: gay

Mbti: entp

Languages: norsk/english

⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣

┊ii. dni

basic criteria

dreamnoblade shippers

minors

sensitive people

people who lack media literacy

anti-reality checkers/anti-recovery

self diagnosers (some exceptions)

Also, please do not vent to me! I do not care. (:

﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀ᵒᵒ⁷﹀﹀﹀﹀

┊iii. interests

Music:

Machine girl, sewerslvt, Vocaloid, bladee, twenty one pilots, limp bizkit, lovejoy, Pierce the veil, Nero’s day at disneyland, korn, softwilly, mf doom, tame impala, my chemical romance, food house, goreshit, Depeche Mode, queen, etc.

Misc.:

Writing (mainly poetry and short stories), chemistry, philosophy, everymanhybrid, bungo stray dogs, project sekai, esmp, smplive, anime, ranfren, object shows, Star Wars, lookism, rayman, South Park, danganronpa, the catcher in the rye, mystreet, the walten files, cookie run, your turn to die, etc.

⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣⌣

┊iv. me

these are me ^_^ I don’t mind doubles !

Shuichi Saihara (Drv3, Pregame/Ingame, Usaihara)

Yuri Briar (Spy x Family)

Kuusuke Saiki (Saiki K)

Randal Ivory (Ranfren)

Kaworu Nagisa (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Shin Tsukimi (Your Turn to Die)

Fuuta Kajiyama (Milgram)

…And these are kind of me! I think.

• Idate (WATGBS)

• Arlan (Honkai Star Rail)

. . . I also have a loooot of kins, but I’ll spare your eyes from witnessing those horrors.

﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀﹀ᵒᵒ⁷﹀﹀﹀﹀

┊v. socials

backdoor.smvt on discord

stiff_cocks on insta

repvlsive on twitter

backdoorsmvt on pinterest

nawbii on spotify

- - - Aaand many more! But I’m most active on the ones mentioned above.

. o7

꒰ BEFRIEND ME ꒱

[sirensoftheweb]

BRITNEY SPEARS CLONED AND REPLACED?!?!?!

By: Hydra 🐍

Looks like you fell into the trap of conspiracies with that title huh?

I would like to start this discussion with the quote provided by Bridle saying, “We’re all looking at the same skies, but we’re seeing different things.” 

When I first read this, I was immediately transported back to a memory of visiting the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City. One of the “exhibits” (I put the word ‘exhibit’ in italics here because it feels wrong to describe these pieces as merely “art” on display for the public) was a wall filled with squares identical in size, yet significantly different in colour. The idea behind the installation is that many different people saw the sky that day, but all viewed it differently (almost exactly what Bridle mentioned in their quote!). Bob may have woke up, looked at the sky and said, “What a nice clear blue sky we have today,” but our perception of the colour blue may not be the same as Bob or anyone else for that matter. 

I guess the point I am getting at here is: no matter what we are presented with, we will each perceive (insert item) in a completely different way, unique to our individuality. 

Take Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain for example. Where I may be disgusted that someone has simply turned a urinal on its side, signed it, and called it “art,” someone else may view as beautiful; An everyday item that we don’t think to appreciate. If anything, the piece opened up major discussion of what “art” meant to each individual. Trust me when I say the artists and intellectuals of the world took little time to get their grippers on the “clearest” explanation of Fountain’s purpose and importance. 

As an Arts and Humanities student (advanced at that! Thanks SASAH!) that feels the pressure of abiding to the intellectual lifestyle, I can’t help but call upon notable philosopher: Immanuel Kant. Kant has this crazy in depth theory about individual taste… but to spare some time, I will just bring up his critique of the aesthetical judgement. Kant’s critique states, “In order to decide whether anything is beautiful or not, we refer the representation, not by the Understanding to the Object for cognition but, by the Imagination (perhaps in conjunction with the Understanding) to the subject, and its feeling of please or pain” (OSU Library). 

So what main stream, controversial, opinionated, subject can we apply all of this to?? 

CONSPIRACY THEORIES 

I’m going to bend Kant’s critique to fit my argument and you can’t stop me (!) because guess what? This is my post and you are simply a mere voyeur to my biases hehehehehe

Conspiracies are the ideal beautiful object in this scenario. We spend time listening to them and forming our own opinions on them (whether good or bad), not because of the “logic” provided from them, but because they free our imagination. They allow us to think and discuss beyond popular and imposed upon beliefs (I’m talking societies of control type shizzz), but all though we can express freedom of speech within this, it can lead to dangerous outcomes. 

Elise Wang’s TED Talk “Why some conspiracy theories just won’t die,” describes the dangerous outcomes of conspiracy theories. Where one may think they are silly and lighthearted, another may use certain conspiracies to validate a negative opinion (Wang mentions violence and racism) to commit crimes. Do you remember that time a mob invaded the U.S. Capital because they believed that the Democrats were “rigging” the election against Donald Trump? Well the FBI considered that to be an act of domestic terrorism, proving that people act upon violence when applying specific conspiracies. 

So what is the solution? Wang suggests that media literacy is the solution that has been proposed, but she does not agree with this. Wang says, “[...] being presented with information that contradicts a firmly held belief is more likely to back fire, making you cling to that belief harder than it is to change your mind” (4:56). When confronted with evidence that challenges someone’s beliefs, they will most likely respond defensively, even if it means ignoring or distorting evidence to fit their prejudgments. Instead Wang’s call of action is: work as an activist. Instead of falling down the rabbit hole of trying to debunk people’s theories (because at the end of the day we have realized media literacy doesn’t work), we must stop giving a platform to radicalizers (14:54). → “[...] proactively protecting the people that conspiracy theories target” (15:02). I agree with Wang in the sense that this has worked in the past. I hate to bring up Trump twice, but he did become a lot more irrelevant once he was put in time out and banned from Twitter.

You may be wondering how we went from talking about a urinal to serious societal issues, and I am also wondering the same…. I guess I am leaning into my yapper characteristics. Anyway’s with all this said, I hope Wang’s solution won’t prevent me from being provided with a good ole’ video about how Chuck E. Cheese reuses old pizza…

[chestharrington]

I saw this take even here on tumblr, they went so far that Steve set up cameras in his bedroom for some kind off revenge porn thing bc they took the comment a guy said to Nancy (something like can't wait to see your movie) too literal. Like this comment was directly related to them spraying the message on the cinema thing. Plus why tf would Steve, who called Jonathan out for being a creep, be a creep himself. It doesn't make sense like there is no indication of him for A setting up cameras and B when they actually had sex and Nancy stopped for a second he asked if everything is okay and then Nancy initiated the next kiss to keep going.

I get not liking Steve, prefering Jonathan or whatever but please don't make up harmful things to "justify" your hate for a character. Fucking hate the Duffers for bringing back the love triangle because all of those weird ass takes come from Jonathan or Jancy stans.

Media literacy is so low.

The point I made to @demogordon about this is like— when they wrote season 1, they fully intended for Steve to die at the end. The average viewer would’ve seen his typical jock asshole behavior (some of which I find to be understandable, ie: breaking Jonathan’s camera) and even like “oh, yeah, he was a jerk. I guess him dying is understandable.” Apart from the study scene that they use to show it was SA, Steve’s season one crimes are use of the word queer along with insults to instigate a fight with Jonathan, breaking Jonathan’s camera, prioritizing self preservation over Barb’s disappearance, and aligning himself with Carol and Tommy, who slutshame and bully Nancy and others. Of these, I’d rank his allowance of Carol and Tommy’s behavior and what he said to Jonathan to be the worst offenses, both of which he holds himself accountable for by breaking off that friendship and going to the Byers’ house to personally apologize to Jonathan (also, he didn’t even know Nancy would be there). Hold onto the study scene bc I’ll come back to that.

Compare this to the characterization of 2 other jock-asshole characters who were slated to die— Billy and Jason. Billy Hargrove is a character who in the simplest of terms is a violent racist. They don’t shy away from this in season 2 (he attempts to hit Lucas, Dustin, and Mike with his car, he attempts to physically assault Lucas because he’s racist, he terrorizes Max, he’s a misogynist, he’s gross). We watch him die in season 3 (spared of continued violence and racism because he’s being puppeted by the mindflayer) and it’s understandable. This is a bad person, and bad people are going to die on this show.

Of the two, I find Jason’s motives easier to understand in the context of the story of s4, despite him still leaving a sour taste in my mouth. He creates a witch hunt for an innocent person and sics a group of primarily white grown men on two black children. He threatens Lucas with a gun and violently attacks him. Jason’s motives are born from grief, loss, and a desire to reassert his power and authority. When he dies (in a graphic, fucking brutal way) we pretty much get it. Good riddance to that guy.

Compare Steve’s actions in season 1 to either of those, and it feels weird that he was going to die in the end of the season. Billy and Jason’s actions border on psychotic and sociopathic, in Jason’s case, extremely unhinged. Steve Harrington’s actions reflect the actions of an insecure boy who has yet to grow up and out of the hole that has been dug for him. There is accountability and shame in his story that we did not see in Billy or Jason.

Onto the study scene. What’s important to understand before watching is the context of the scene itself. Nancy’s intentions are to place herself outside of the other girls steve has been with. She’s not a slut, she’s a suburban, all-American good girl. She is coy in her deflections leading up to that night. Insisting that the date is to study, wink wink nudge nudge, before smiling and leaving. Steve shows up at her house and they do study! But the undertones of the scene are leading up to the sneaky make out they planned earlier in the episode. Nancy says no, she needs to focus, Steve suggests they strip study. It’s a push and pull flirtation that ends in a mutually initiated kiss. When it goes further and Steve moves his hands to her shirt and she says no, he backs off and plays it off cool.

The duffers don’t shy away from portraying shitty jock assholes. We see it in Tommy, Jason, Billy, and the nameless men in Jason’s posse. If Steve was supposed to die and they’re painting steve as an unsympathetic asshole, why shy away from portraying SA if that was their intention? Stranger things has shown depictions of non-consensual voyeurism, domestic abuse, loss, homophobia, eating disorders, PTSD, and more I’m probably forgetting while I sit here typing this. If that scene was meant to portray SA, it would be overt, and we would collectively know and agree.

[miazeklos]

love what you said about the scripts and I think I may be with you on the not-hating-D&D train. on one hand, I appreciate their unapologetic support of JC and all the content we got out of it. on the other, I do think that they fundamentally misunderstood the characters and the overall story, and that made for some questionable creative choices throughout the years. even on the JC front, I’m conflicted. I love having a version of the story where my OTP doesn’t take the beating that they do in the original, but I also think that that beating is essential to their story. I won’t bore you with the intricacies of my interpretation of asoiaf but, suffice to say, I’m not a big fan of D&D’s interpretation. that said, I used to be much more critical of D&D’s writing until I started thinking about GoT like a big budget, canon divergent, lannicest-centric fanfic. which isn’t ideal, but it’s fine. no adaptation could have pleased every subgroup of a huge fanbase and tbh it’s pretty obvious at this point that most people are just parroting the critical talking points as a way to justify the hissy fit they threw over their ships not being endgame. the average audience member doesn’t actually have an ounce of media literacy and you can tell that simply by asking them WHY the things they didn’t like about season eight* fall under “bad writing” and not under “I personally didn’t enjoy this”.

*it’s also ironic how they only ever talk about the final season, despite the fact that GoT’s storytelling problems started around season 3. it’s almost like they don’t know what “bad writing” means and don’t care to find out.

so, that’s it lol. sorry about that long ass rant it’s just that you’re literally one of the first people I’ve seen being critical of the mindless GoT hate.

much love <3

Hello! Honestly, you make a great point about the 'good writing' and 'bad writing' thing being largely affected by whether people actually liked what was happening on screen. I recognise that my own point of view might be affected by that because, again, a good bit of the show was tailor-written for me in a way that the books, as much as I enjoy them, are not, so it only makes sense that I'd approve, and that goes for the people who were dissatisfied, too. To top liking the content, I enjoy their writing style, too, so that helped.

I'd love to hear your interpretation, to be honest! They definitely have a whole different view of the characters, separate from GRRM's vision, and it does occasionally feel heavy-handed in a way fanfic does - and I say that with a lot of love in my heart, because it's what I do when writing those characters, too, even if it's obviously on a much much smaller scale.

IMO the divide mostly stems from the fact that D&D want to present the Lannisters as fundamentally right in their choices and the rest of the narrative is spun around that*, which doesn't happen in the books because, as you said, their harsh/generally bad decisions have much worse consequences in the books and they get away with essentially everything (until the very very last minute) in the show. Tyrion actively gets away with everything, even, and the twins are remembered well, and the narrative shoves all those things in your face really smugly, which, again, I enjoy and was inordinately gleeful about, but I do realise that it's not for everyone.

*One thing that immediately comes to mind is how they said that Dany killing Viserys - who, while terrible, was her caretaker as a child - was one of the earlier signs of something being wrong while also explicitly showing Cersei - who has actively been antagonistic towards her brother for the majority of their lives - sparing Tyrion's life with no real gain from it twice because none of the three of them actually want each other dead. I think one of the Ds specifically said it in the commentary for 8x04, where the above happens, and the parallel shoved my third eye open with a crowbar. I don't even know if it was a conscious decision they made, but it was... telling about why the show's narrative is what it is.

'I used to be much more critical of D&D’s writing until I started thinking about GoT like a big budget, canon divergent, lannicest-centric fanfic' I love that, haha. With a generous sprinkling of Starks! Honestly, at their core, all adaptations are just that, and you really can't win 'em all. I do think that they could have probably been at least a bit more neutral about it, but then I bounce back once I look at even a fraction of the bitter, thinly-veiled misogynistic venom fans a-la r/freefolk spill to this day, and think that this is exactly what they deserve.

That being said, I agree that the characters are fundamentally different in the show from what they are in the books and, as you said, they diverge very early on - earlier than most people would admit, so what happens in the books would have never worked once the show went on its merry way and shaped its own canon, and while the bare skeleton of the ending is very likely the same, I'm sure a lot was lost in the process and was padded with their own bias and 'lessons' for the audience, which are definitely a whole other thing from what he clearly has in mind.

I don't know if that makes much sense, but the thing that D&D had that GRRM didn't when he was in the process of writing was all the material that he has, all at once, so they sidestepped several corners that he's definitely written himself into by just doing something completely different so that they'll have a finished product even if they're done before him - which they, in the end, were. And again, I love that product, but there's no way the rest of the books will follow even remotely the same storyline, other than a few bigger points, and that's fine, too. It's a rather unique situation to be done with the adaptation before the source material and, whatever the latter ends up being, I'm sure I'll enjoy it, even if the show will now always be the true canon in my heart - for no other reason than because I love what it did with the characters, which takes us back to your point about how for most people 'good' or 'bad' is less about the actual quality and more about their tastes.

You don't need to apologise! Especially not since I ranted in response. ;D Much love right back! ;3

[hawkandbard]

Hello everyone, 

I have an amazing opportunity ahead of me to help teach media literacy to children in Chiang Mai, Thailand. While Thailand has fully embraced the digital age, I will be working with disadvantaged communities who have not yet had the chance to fully connect and share their creativity and passions. Myself and a small group of volunteers will be working with the children to teach them photography, filmmaking and a number of other creative practices with a view to inspiring the children. 

I’m very excited to help out, but as you can imagine, the charity running this trip require a substantial donation in order to cover their running costs, my flights and accommodation. I have already raised £230 of my £2250 goal, which is a great start. I will be running multiple fundraisers throughout the year like bake sales and events to earn this money. However, if there are any kind souls around these parts who can spare anything to help me reach my goal, please don’t be shy clicking on the link. I’d be more than a little grateful. 

Thank you for reading. 

[bethestaryouareradio]

Mentoring with Henna Hundal, Nicholas Donzelli, and Cynthia Brian

https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/118595/mentoring-with-henna-hundal-nick-donzelli-and-cynthia-brian

"Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction."  John Crosby

Henna Hundal returns to Express Yourself!® to host this important episode focused on mentoring. She reads The Gift of Mentoring by BTSYA volunteer Karen Kitchel from the book, Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers Celebrating Gifts of Positive Voices in a Changing Digital World. Henna interviews her personal mentor, Founder of Be the Star You Are!® and producer of Express Yourself!®, Cynthia Brian, to find out why mentors are necessary to success and how to establish a beneficial mutual relationship. Cynthia finds out more about Henna’s radio show where Henna is currently interviewing 2020 Presidential candidates. (www.thehennahundalshow.com) De La Salle high school junior varsity water polo coach and Founder of Green Air, an energy solutions company, Nicholas Donzelli, converses with Henna about his philosophy about the importance of mentoring. Both guests agree that to achieve your dreams and goals, it is essential to have a mentor to guide and ground you, holding you accountable, focused, and on the right path.  Mentorship empowers us to accept the struggles that are inherent to achieving greatness.  There’s no progress without struggle.   

Guests: Nicholas Donzelli

Nick Donzelli graduated from the United States Naval Academy as a systems engineer with a minor in nuclear engineering. He is an entrepreneur, founder, and CEO of an energy solutions company in Northern California called Green Air. It is time to Go Green! As head coach of the De La Salle junior varsity water polo team, Nick strives to mentor and empower his players with integrity, truth, confidence, and a can-do attitude. Nick is happily married and the father of four children who inspire him daily to make a difference on the planet. In fact, Nick’s son Isaiah who is now 19, was the youngest reporter ever on Express Yourself at age 12 with a segment called Nature Calls. Be the Star You Are! 501 c3 charity is grateful to Nick for being a supporter of outreach programs. Nicks definition of Proverbs 12:15 is:  “A man who counsels with himself, counsels with a fool.” Don’t be a fool and think you can achieve your goals and dreams on your own; seek guidance, be willing to sacrifice, and never quit working towards your dreams! Find a mentor! www.gogreenair.com

Guest: Cynthia Brian

Cynthia Brian is a New York Times best selling author of several books, TV/Radio personality/producer, lecturer, and enrichment coach specializing in acting, media, writing, speaking, and life success. Cynthia is the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 empowering women, families, and youth through increased literacy and improved positive media messages. (www.BTSYA.org) Since 1998, she has produced and hosted the radio broadcast, StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® heard LIVE Wednesdays from 4-5pm PT on the Voice America Network. (www.voiceamerica.com/show/2206/be-the-star-you-are) She is the creator and producer of Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio broadcasting Sundays at 3pm PT. (www.voiceamerica.com/show/2014/express-yourself) She is honored to have mentored thousands of teens and adults, including her own two children. In her spare time, Cynthia can be found working in her garden or playing with her barnyard of adopted animals. www.CynthiaBrian.com

Listen at Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel: https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/118595/mentoring-with-henna-hundal-nick-donzelli-and-cynthia-brian

BTSYA IS A TOP ON PROFIT!

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LionsHeart Podcast: Lions Heart Podcast interviews Cynthia Brian about Be the Star You Are! charity and volunteerism. Tune in. Episode #39 Inspirational, motivational, informational. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/toby-talk-all-things-teens-and-volunteering/id1434233808?mt=2&uo=4

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Express Yourself! Teen Radio is produced by Cynthia Brian of Starstyle Productions, llc as an outreach program of Be the Star You Are! charity. To make a tax-deductible donation to keep this positive youth programming broadcasting weekly to international audiences, visit http://www.bethestaryouare.org. Dare to care!

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[stufffromthemouse]

Learning Skills for Tomorrow

So, I’m looking at heading back to Uni next year. I’m intending on doing a Masters in Educational Studies - Majoring in Youth, Digital Culture and New Learning. Basically I see this as a way to incorporate my two interests - education and technology. 

I’m on the hunt for some relevant blogs to read up on before I start to get myself into the academic groove. I’d appreciate any suggestions. 

From the reading I have done so far I’m pleased to see that the focus has shifted from simply getting pieces of technology into the classroom, to one of realising the importance of actually teaching students the skills and attributes required to function in a tech-savvy world.  Often called 21st Century Skills (Robinson.K 2015)  and including skills such as computational thinking, virtual collaboration, sense making and adaptive thinking, society has turned to teachers to impart media literacy skills to students in a seamless, embedded manner.

 I am interested in looking at the way schools, and more specifically teachers, are skilling themselves to meet these requirements.   Because 21st century homes are often equipped with more technology than most schools there is often a disconnection between student’s thinking and the demands placed on them in the classroom. To successfully impart new media literacy traits to students it becomes necessary for schools to keep up with technological changes, and for teachers to show an active interest in gaining the skills to successfully embed new technologies into their teaching. This is certainly a big ask of teachers who are already required to juggle so many balls in their position.

That’s not to say that every new piece of technology, or newly developed application, has it’s place in the classroom. Knowing what to introduce and what to leave out is part of the process.  This act of decision making  in itself requires that teachers possess a level of current understanding and flexibility regarding evolving technologies and their capabilities.  

I’m interested to know where do teacher’s turn to to gain these necessary skills. Is it something they are expected to do ‘in their spare time’, or are schools currently offering teachers training in areas of new technologies and new media literacies? If we expect students to effectively grow into skilled workers and global citizens then it is necessary to provide them with opportunities to discover and develop Media Literacy from an early age.  Schools are at the forefront of this task - I’m curious to find out if they are taking their responsibility seriously.

[topinforma]

New Post has been published on Mortgage News

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Should you micromanage your teen’s summer job money?

Larrisa Rawlings interviews for a summer job with the College Board at Ballou High School in Washington. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)

This is going to be a great summer. All three of my children will have well-paying summer jobs. No more camps. No more camp fees. Hallelujah!

But now comes a question of parental authority. Do I have the right to tell my children how to spend their income?

My husband and I have decided that even though our children are earning their own money they still need guidance. So yes, we are all up in their business.

Every dollar doesn’t have to be accounted for, but they have to save a great percentage of what they earn. For us, working is way to teach them how to be good money managers not shoppers.

So you won’t find my kids hanging out at the mall spending their summer earnings as if they didn’t have a financial care in the world.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants on its site 360financialliteracy.org offers some practical tips for helping your teen become money smart.

“Once your teenager gets a steady paycheck, demonstrate how to save and spend,” the organization says. “In other words, help them develop a budget. Establish three categories: essential purchases, savings, and discretionary items. Discuss and agree upon the essential items you expect your teenager’s paycheck to cover. This may include car insurance, gas, telephone bills or school lunches. After establishing essential expenditures, set a savings goal with your teen, but be sure money is left over for fun. Your teen will be quickly disillusioned with working if there’s no money to play with.”

NerdWallet’s Lauren McMullen offers advice for parents on helping teens learn good money management habits with their summer income: Help your teen use summer job earnings wisely

“Teens with summer jobs might be earning their own money for the first time — but it won’t be the last,” McMullen writes. “The money habits they learn now could last for decades.

Here are some additional articles I think will be helpful in your assisting your teen in managing their summer money.

— Teen jobs and tax issues “A youngster who is a dependent of another taxpayer generally doesn’t have to file an income-tax return unless the youth makes more than the standard deduction amount for a single filer,” writes Kay Bell for Bankrate.com. The standard deduction for 2017 is $6,350 for single taxpayers.

— Why kids should stash summer job cash in a Roth IRA

— U.S. teens lack basic financial literacy. Let’s change that.

— What to Do When Your Teenager Is Wasting Money

Color of Money question of the week How far should parents go in telling their teenagers how to spend their summer earnings? Send your comments to colorofmoney@washpost.com. Please include your name, city and state. In the subject line put “Summer Job.”

Kendrick Lamar gave his sister a car. Some on the Internet thought it wasn’t fancy enough. People are a trip. Rapper Kendrick Lamar bought his sister, who was graduating from high school, a 2017 silver Toyota Camry for graduation. She was grateful.

Thank you big brother for my graduation gift! ❤️ @kendricklamar

A post shared by Kayla Duckworth (@silnovia) on Jun 2, 2017 at 11:05am PDT

Others were haters.

As Lisa Respers France wrote on CNN, people took to Twitter to call him cheap.

“LMFAOOOOO Kendrick can’t buy his sister a better car than a Toyota Camry ” pic.twitter.com/K8GdHKvr0v

— . (@CuhWristChin) June 3, 2017

“Some commenters on social media jumped on him for buying her such a dowdy car,” wrote a former Post colleague who couldn’t believe the audacity of some people. “As a Camry owner, I can tell you — it’s a great car! The only new car I’ve ever bought in my life, 12 years ago, and it’s still got plenty of life in it. I thought it was such a smart gift for a brother of means to give to his sister. I know very little about Kendrick Lamar but it says a lot about his financial smarts and his priorities.”

Toyota had Lamar’s back, says TMZ. “A rep told us Toyota sees the choice as more ‘smart and thoughtful’ than cheap, since Camry has a good track record for longevity and reliability. Plus, they’re made in the U.S. — so props for buying American! Sorta.”

To the haters I would ask: When was the last time you got a free car?

Lamar didn’t have to give his sister anything.

The answer to entitlement is always gratitude.

Live chat today I’m live and taking your personal finance questions at noon (Eastern). The main theme for today is about retirement planning.

Jeanne Thompson is senior vice president at Fidelity Investments will be available to answer your questions. To join the discussion click this link.

Would you buy a $21.99 Covfefe T-shirt? So much more has happened with President Trump’s twitter account that this seems eons ago. Nonetheless last week, Trump tweeted, “Despite the constant negative press covfefe.”

By morning Trump had deleted the tweet and then posted this: “Who can figure out the true meaning of “covfefe” ??? Enjoy!”

But the jokes keep coming about what Trump meant. Was it a typo or his teasing the American public? Who knows?

Some entrepreneurs saw an opportunity. On teespring.com you can buy a black T-shirt with #covfefe for $21.99. Last week I asked: Would you spend money to be part of the President’s Trump’s twitter typo history? There was an overwhelming response. So many I can’t include them all, but here’s a sampling of what you had to say:

Cindy Bunker of De Pere, Wisc., wrote, “Too funny! I’m not buying. But, this one is tempting: ‘Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my covfefe.’ At least we’re starting to chuckle about his misadventures. #It’sBeenBrutal”

Dana Stripling of Austin, Tex., wrote, “I will spend extra money to be part of specialized Twitter posts, t-shirts, mugs, etc., if proceeds go to combat this administration’s un-American and destructive agenda.”

“No, I would not want to buy any covfefe-wear,” wrote David Toberisky of New York. “First, I’m not interesting in highlighting anything Trump has to say. Second, Trump is bound to try to copyright the word (if you can call it that) and send the entire FBI out to arrest anyone wearing or owning stuff not authorized by and directing revenue to Trump Enterprises.”

Deborah L. Jacobs of Brooklyn, N.Y. wrote, “I would gladly buy one of these t-shirts if I could choose to have the profit donated to a cause that helps people who will be harmed by the policies of our incompetent and illiterate leader.”

Barrington Lloyd-Lovett of Oakland, Calif., said, “I would not spend money to commemorate the ‘covfefe’ kerfuffle. While it’s a funny typo (made more hilarious by how long it took for Trump to address the mis-tweet) it’s also yet another example of how off-the-rails this administration is. The fact that the president was attempting to address accurate media coverage, via Twitter, in the middle of the night, then didn’t address his mistake for many hours, says much more about the situation at the White House than the typo itself. It’s not worth the dough.

“No,” says Michal Kelly Miller of Oregon. “Because it is the promotion of stupidity.”

Richard Watt of New Rochelle, N.Y. wrote, “Would I buy one? Not on your life. I rather use spare money for charitable giving than more junk; something Donald Trump would know nothing about.” How Donald Trump Shifted Kids-Cancer Charity Money Into His Business

Donna Landwehr of Highlands Ranch, Colo., wrote, “I would not buy. But I do get great joy reading all the takes on how to interpret covfefe.”

Russ MacDonald of Salem, Mass., wrote, “I would not spend money on the T-shirt. [But] we finally have evidence of Trump creating jobs – T-shirt manufacturing.”

Trump’s tweeted typo covfefe becoming vanity license plates

Color of Money columns this week Knowledge isn’t power. The right knowledge is power.

Stay informed about your money. Read and share my columns for this week. — A new rule on retirement savings advice is in your best interest

— College grads face next hurdle: Paying back student loans

Have a question about your finances? Michelle Singletary has a weekly live chat every Thursday at noon where she discusses financial dilemmas with readers. You can also write to Michelle directly by sending an email to colorofmoney@washpost.com. Personal responses may not be possible, and comments or questions may be used in a future column, with the writer’s name, unless otherwise requested. To read more Color of Money columns, go here.

[weblistposting-blog]

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The Observer view on training and social mobility

Government cuts to high school budgets will certainly dominate debate at the annual instructor union meetings this weekend. And with a suitable cause: faculties in a few regions are set to lose nearly a 5th of their in keeping with-scholar investment by 2020. This is the sharpest cut to schools funding since the 1970s, coming as six in 10 academies are going for walks average annual deficits of £350,000.

But there may be lots else to talk about. The schooling secretary, Justine Greening, elaborated on the Government’s plans to expand grammar faculties final Thursday. The week earlier than, Jeremy Corbyn launched a brand new schools policy: unfastened faculty lunches for all number one faculty children.

Grammars and loose lunches are being championed from contrary ends of the spectrum, However, both symbolize the failure of the political established order to address the most severe troubles dealing with the English school gadget. Social history remains a much more potent predictor of educational overall performance than within the pinnacle acting school structures, together with Canada and Finland. by using international standards, a large proportion of young human beings, usually from poorer backgrounds, leave college without fundamental literacy and numeracy competencies. kids from the richest backgrounds are twice as probably to go to wonderful schools than those from the poorest.

There are massive geographical disparities: at the same time as every secondary college in several London, boroughs is rated true or fantastic, now not an unmarried younger person going to secondary faculty in Knowsley attended a terrific college in 2016. at the Isle of Wight, the figure changed into simply one in four.

So a truthful test for our political leaders is simply this: what, precisely, would possibly their pet schooling initiatives attain for children in Knowsley, who remaining 12 months located themselves with a precisely zero in step with cent hazard of attending a decent country secondary college of their borough? What will they do to ensure that bad youngsters have at the least an equal, if no longer better, the chance of an excellent schooling?

Michael Gove’s four-year tenure at the Branch for education became spent obsessing approximately structural reform for its own sake. Significant amounts of energy were invested in changing huge numbers of neighborhood authority faculties, overseen via councils, into academies run by way of multi-academy training trusts. As many expected, this indiscriminate rearranging of the deckchairs has so far proved an ineffective college development approach. The worst multi-academy trusts carry out as badly because of the poorest performing local government. Gove’s reforms sincerely did little for education in Knowsley, where properly over half of secondary students attend academies.

In pledging to boom the variety of grammar colleges, Theresa May has proved no much less dogmatic. The argument is that via offering the brightest youngsters with a good schooling, irrespective of social background, grammar schools enhance social mobility. The proof absolutely contradicts this. In Kent, where selection at eleven exists, youngsters from poor backgrounds do worse than someplace else within the country. In the assessment, in London’s complete system, youngsters from each social background outperform their peers in Kent.

In creaming off vibrant children from predominantly prosperous backgrounds, grammars undermine the schooling of different kids, similarly polishing social inequalities. Grammars could make little difference to Knowsley, which already suffers from a shape of selection, with a lot of its maximum upwardly cell families deciding on to send their youngsters to colleges out of doors the borough. They would probably dominate any new grammar colleges, transferring the nature of selection, sure, But doing nothing to deal with the issues they invent.

The prime minister’s grammars policy comes on top of cuts to high school budgets that will hit colleges with the poorest intakes the toughest. On her watch, free faculties are establishing disproportionately in greater affluent areas with greater spare school locations than common.

Corbyn’s flagship training policy – pledging to spend almost £1bn on providing loose college lunches for all number one college children – appears ways much less objectionable. However, it fares little better at the tests that depend. The principle of loose and time-honored public offerings rightly sits in the coronary heart of our NHS and kingdom faculty device. But universalism is pricey and should be reserved for whilst it is clear that presenting two-tier, method-examined services might erode first-rate and ranges of provision and create harmful social stigma.

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No such argument exists for faculty lunches: there may be no evidence that it would be a value-effective way of boosting vitamins and attainment for scholars from negative backgrounds. Furthermore, Labour has sincerely not anything to say on how it would improve colleges in regions such as Knowsley. Corbyn is a long way extra associated with scrapping university training expenses, a highly high-priced coverage that might offer a huge subsidy to younger human beings from prosperous backgrounds and unavoidably come on the cost of those failed by using the training gadget lengthy earlier than the point of applying to university.

The combat in opposition to social inequality will not be won with the aid of commencing new grammar schools or by way of paying without spending a dime school lunches inside the suburbs. The pinnacle precedence for education funding should be attracting and growing the exceptional nice teaching in disadvantaged and underperforming areas. Political capital needs to be reserved for reforming admissions rules to deal with the backdoor choice with the aid of house fee, which lets in the maximum prosperous households to dominate the nice state colleges.

Neither the Authorities nor the opposition has significant answers to the fundamental query of how they’ll improve faculties in regions where there aren’t enough proper ones. So both keep failing the youngsters of Knowsley. It’s a shameful indictment of our politics.

Your Smart Cellular Phone Revolution Starts – The combination of Social mobile Media Cellular Phones We’ve got all heard as lot approximately social media going cellular and some of us have become impatient. I’m here to inform you now not to get too impatient because the powers that be are merely working out the bugs, getting the mobile Smart Phone devices prepared with the modern day technologies, and running with fundamental carriers to get their act together with better 4G coverage in more areas. The fact is – your telephone revolution, the only you have been waiting is set to start.

The combination of social media into your Mobile Smartphone is set right here. It is going to be robust, insanely artificially Smart, and even scary to a great many human beings, till which time the come to accept as true with it all. The privacy advocates are involved, however, the up and coming X’ers who’ll be using these gadgets for social networking inside the actual global, merging it with their online social networks love the prospect and are positive to be pretty glad early adopters.

One of the amazing new packages at the way, that is made possible with cell Smart Telephone GPS exploits, will permit you to fill out your “private profile” after which others who’re at the same social networking software and have agreed to take part, also fill out their profiles. when someone comes within a variety of you 50-feet, with a similar profile as a % of the overall profile, your Cellphone will ring to look if you are interested in meeting a person such as you, with similar pursuits.

in case you say “yes” you may preserve your Cellphone up and it takes a picture of you, and the machine calls the opposite party and asks them the identical component. Then you definitely every have each other’s photo and may find them inside the crowd. Believe that? This is simply one hypothetical application that the social cellular smartphone media Phone parents are looking to carry to marketplace the use of your Mobile Phone. There’ll, of course, be loads of ability versions alongside this subject matter, and you could make actual-international contacts with others using your cell communication.

Face it, the destiny is coming and you are going to need to decide how a great deal privacy you are willing to ditch on the way to meet new humans and make new pals within the real global, sure, the usage of your Clever Cell Telephone because the tool of desire for increasing your personal community and social realm of latest pals. My query to you is are you equipped? Due to the fact, if you are, there may be a whole new global waiting in case you dare to take it. Please recollect all this.

[swordarkeereon]

Guest Post: A Kingdom's Fall #horror #newreleases #newfiction

Author Interview

What genre(s) do you write and why?

My work resides in the horror realm and all its subgenres. A gross-out gag, splatterpunk shock, or spine-tingling chill makes us remember we’re alive. And knowing my work makes some people’s genitalia retract into their innards gives me wood.

What was the most difficult part of writing your most recent book?

Finding time to write the third book in The Human-Undead War trilogy proved a chore. I had to decline offers for short story contributions, deny requests to beta read and edit fellow writers’ work, ignore submission calls, and limit my social media presence for about 8 months. With my wife back in school full-time and unpredictable daily work hours at my day job, I was lucky to scrape by with 30 minutes a day for writing. It drove me to the brink of madness!

What do you feel your books offer readers?

An intriguing escape from reality, and a fresh take on vampires. Anyone tired of pussy-ass, sparkly vamps ought to see merit in The Human-Undead War series. I’d love to think I’m revitalizing the genre like Brian Lumley did with his Necroscope series, but sales and exposure beg to differ. Some day, perhaps…

What was the first book you ever had published? How much time did it take from writing your first book to having it published?

The first book was Dark Intentions, Book 1 in The Human-Undead War Trilogy. From concept to publication, it took approximately 8 years. That included some snags in the publishing process (infamous “kerfuffles”) which set me back almost 2 years.

What other careers have you had?

I’ve been a paper boy, grocery bagger, a fast food cook/cashier, pot dealer, phone operator for a taxi company and multiple telemarketing gigs, gas station attendant, obsessive plasma donor, pizza delivery driver, warehouse laborer, and I’ve held management positions at multiple businesses, including my current employer.

Many won’t admit this, but pizza delivery can be quite lucrative. I miss that cash-in-hand every night, and the crazy fucks you meet along the way are great story fodder.

How would you describe yourself if you were “speed dating” your readers?

A chubby bald guy who’s rough around the edges, likes to tease and titillate, and has a dark sense of humor.

Where are you from?

♪In northeastern Iowa, born and raised,

On the farmland is where I spent most of my days…♪

Okay, I’ll stop now. The tune’s stuck in your noggin now, though, isn’t it?

What do you do for fun?

Fun? Sorry, I don’t understand this foreign word. Please translate.

Has your life changed significantly since becoming a published writer?

I think I’m poorer now than I was before I started writing for publication! However, my soul has been enriched. I’ve made tons of awesome, supportive writing-minded friends, a few fans, and a few bucks. It makes up for the constant business expenses (books on hand, business cards, advertisements, bookmarks, contests).

Otherwise, no, not much has changed. I’m still just an introvert peon working for The Man.

Do you work on one project at a time? Or do you multi-task?

I must stay focused on one thing at a time. Multi-tasking often results in more white hairs cropping up on my chin and me needing several Snickers bars to calm the fuck down.

What kind of kid were you? Which social path did you take?

In grade school, I was the fat kid who compensated with comedy, but I was a loner outside of school. I lived on a farm, and even with siblings, I could often be found roaming our land alone, talking to myself and acting out scenes in my head. I usually had my nose crammed into a book’s delicious-smelling spine as well. Once I hit middle school, my introvert side kicked into high gear. Since then, I’ve maintained a small group of core friends and tend to avoid large (or popular) groups of people.

Do you have any pets?

Two cats, Tubba and Target, and a wiener, Spot.

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you travel?

I took a few years of Spanish in high school, and I loved everything about it. Spain seems like a gorgeous, culturally rich place to visit.

Please tell us 5 miscellaneous facts about yourself.

-I’m a huge advocate for literacy and will drop spare change every time I go to The Dollar General.

-I once popped what I thought was an Ecstasy pill only to discover it was a horse tranquilizer. Good times.

-Nothing turns me on more than a clean, spotless home.

-When I awoke in my cell after being arrested for drunk driving a decade ago, every county inmate hassled me for my extreme overnight snoring.

-I once masturbated 13 times in one day.

Please share with us your future projects and upcoming releases.

A Kingdom’s Fall, the conclusion to The Human-Undead War Trilogy, will be out later this year. I’ll also have a story in VS: Extreme, a charity anthology pitting US against UK horror writers. I was in the inaugural VS last year and took home some accolades, so I hope to defend my title in style this year. David Owain Hughes and I are also co-editing an anthology titled Fuck the Rules, and that should be out late this year or early 2018. It’s our way of throwing up the middle finger to rules while still exposing raw talent and crisp, finely tuned stories.

After that, I don’t know. Time to pursue my writing endeavors has been limited and will continue to be for several more years. I may disappear for a bit. But I’ll be back.

Please share any links you would like listed in the Interview. Website, blog, Facebook, Twitter, Patreon, Instagram etc.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JondrashekAuthor

Twitter: @jondrashek

Website/Blog: www.jondrashek.com

Instagram: @jondrashek

BRIEF AUTHOR BIO:

Jonathan Edward Ondrashek loves to spew word vomit onto the masses. He’s had an array of poetry, reviews, articles, and interviews published in the past decade. His short stories have appeared in the anthologies Fifty Shades of Slay, Rejected for Content 4: Highway to Hell, Crossroads in the Dark II: Urban Legends, and the highly acclaimed VS: US vs UK Horror. The first two books in The Human-Undead War Trilogy, Dark Intentions and Patriarch, debuted in 2016, along with two co-edited horror anthologies: What Goes Around and Man Behind the Mask. If he isn’t working at his day job, reading, or writing, he’s probably drinking beer and making his wife regret marrying a lunatic. Feel free to stalk him on social media. He loves that shit.

A Kingdom’s Fall (The Human-Undead War Trilogy, Volume 3)

After staking his claim as the rightful Undead patriarch and returning to the United States, Barnaby has sent his followers on missions to eradicate humankind once and for all. He still plots to cast the world into darkness and reign supreme. But to ensure the Undead’s ascent to godhood, he will need to destroy the Human Army and confront his nemesis, Brian Koltz.

However, President Strajowskie understands the stakes involved, and he’s heading to the front line to go all out against Barnaby and his hordes.

Meanwhile, an insurgent army led by the former Undead general, Scott Hammers, approaches Haven. Brian and his people are prepared, but he discovers a traitor in their midst and dark deeds being done against his knowledge. Can he and Haven survive the ensuing battle without being torn apart from within?

As all sides vie for victory, a confrontation between Brian and Barnaby appears inevitable. And both now understand one kingdom must fall if the other is to survive.

BOOK EXCERPT:

“You’re a pilot?” the woman asked.

Lester blushed and ran a hand through his red curls. “Yeah.”

She stared at the center of her shoddy table. Candlelight flickered. Dark bags beneath her eyes devoured her high, protruding cheekbones. “Scar told us wasn’t none of them left,” she said with a slow honey-dipped drawl. “Said no one took to the skies anymore. That’s why he was sailing ‘cross water, before his ship wrecked.”

Lester almost snorted but held his derision in check. Barnaby sure did choose a lame nickname while he was here. He found it unnerving how the Vampirons revered such a devil. Then again, they didn’t know what he was.

Hell, even God doesn’t know what he is.

“Very few still exist,” Roterie said. He meandered away from the humble open-spaced kitchen and plopped onto the chair opposite Mrs. Deekins. He rested his hands behind his head and kicked his feet up. Dirt and sand sprinkled down from the soles of his shoes and cascaded across the table. “That’s why your husband was wise to follow Scar and find us.”

“Well, I can’t thank you enough for coming here and telling me how Zeke’s doing. Me and the kids’ve been worried sick.”

It shows, Lester thought. Mrs. Deekins was bone-thin, though canned goods and somewhat-fresh fruits lined the makeshift countertops inside the kitchen. Grime caked her skin in an oily sheen. Bloodshot, yellowed eyes protruded from their sockets, and her fake fangs jutted out below her upper lip. With thin, frayed hair sticking out at every angle atop her scalp, she looked like a buck-toothed, emaciated vampire hippie.

And the stench was horrendous. The quaint mud hut reeked of rotten eggs, spoiled milk, and decaying meat. Worse still was Mrs. Deekins herself. Even from the front doorway, he could smell the layers of sweat, shit, and piss emanating from her body in sickening droves.

That reminds me. It’s been a week or two since I took a bath, Lester thought, avoiding the urge to sniff his armpits and test his own scent.