#this has motivated me even more to keep sending get out the vote mail and do everything i possibly can

[sepdet]

I am still fuming on President Zelenskyy's behalf over how DISGUSTING Trump was to him on Friday, doing the same damn thing he was impeached for again, using Zelenskyy as a prop to bolster his presidential campaign, implicitly threatening to withhold support from Ukraine if Zelenskyy didn't say and do what he wanted.

So Zelenskyy had to answer his summons to Trump Tower and butter him up and just STAND THERE next to him while Trump ignored the plight of Ukraine, literally "both sides"ing a war which Putin stsrted. insulted Zelenskyy by calling him only "the president" in the same breath as "President Putin," making his bias crystal clear, and spent most of the presser boasting about himself and claiming Zelenskyy had exonerated him during his impeachment.

Zelenskyy, who knows we might elect this asshole so he has to stay on his good side, managed to bite holes in his tongue until Trump started congratulating himself on his great relationship with Putin, at which point Z. tersely reminded him that they also had a relationship, yes? (the pretext for which he was there, which Tump had forgotten )

The last time i saw someone give Trump a look like that was Greta Thurnberg. Proving looks cannot, in fact, kill.

Thankfully, Harris also met with Zelenskyy and in a few remarks laid out the usual US foreign policy, explained why we can't reward Putin every fucking time he takes another chunk out of his neighbors, and spoke like a president of the country the rest of the world used to respect.

So many people depend on us keeping Trump out of the White House. There are lives riding on this. Putin, too, has been conducting a war of genocide, trying to erase Ukrainian culture, its landmarks and history from existence, killing the adults and abducting thousands of children to be educated as Russians, just as his hero Stalin nearly wiped out the Tatars who had lived in Crimea since antiquity.

[whump-a-la-mode]

Nemesis - Part 4

Based on the votes from Part 3, option B was chosen-- Hero will lie to Leader, and trust Hacker. But time is running out, and they must make their move fast. Perhaps, however, they have moved too fast.

Thanks so much to everyone for reading, and special thanks to @whumpilicious​ for coming up with Hero’s plan!

CW//Mentions of breakups, mentions of concussions, crude jokes, shapeshifting, forced sedation

“No. They need to be here.”

“And why would that be?”

Hero’s attempt to suppress a shiver failed as a single bead of frigid sweat ran down the back of their neck.

They could tell Leader the truth. Hell, they would likely never get a chance as good as this one. The leader of an entire team would be an incredibly powerful asset, an incredibly powerful ally. They could have Villain out of there before Hero could blink.

Or, they could lock them away in some underground bunker, never again to be seen by human eyes.

It was an untenable risk. If Villain was ever going to be saved, Leader needed to remain ignorant.

When had they started thinking of this as a rescue mission?

They expected that realization to make them feel sick, but it did anything but. Instead, it reaffirmed their decision.

“There’s a reason the rehab facility is in the city.” Hero finally replied, after a long moment of shaky-eyed staring. “If anything happens, we’re close by. I’m sure the villains housed there are well aware of that fact. Moving Villain farther away... it’d put them even further out of my sight. It’d make my worries far worse, I assure you.”

Leader raised a brow, looking down at Hero a moment, as if studying a particularly interesting piece of artwork. At last, they nodded.

“I may not understand why you are so worried about this hypothetical escape plan, but I will humor you.”

“You won’t say anything to Director?”

“I will not give Director my opinion on the matter. But it is my duty to report your performance. The terms they outlined are very clear. If you do not stop distracting yourself with this silly venture within the week, Villain’s transfer will go ahead. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Hero bit their lip.

“Do you report... everyone’s performance?”

“Everyone under my command? Yes.”

“But there’s dozens of teams.”

“I am aware.”

“Surely Director does not look over everyone’s performance reports.”

Leader’s mouth pursed.

“They are very busy, so I assume they do not.”

“Did you mention my performance to them?”

“No.” A crescendo of discomfort seemed to reach its peak within Leader, whose gaze quickly moved downwards, to the table.

Hero felt their ears grow red, yet they could not stop themself from pushing.

“They noticed on their own.”

“Yes.”

“The others have had slips, before. Remember when Teammate broke up with their partner? Or when Other Teammate had their concussion?”

“Of course I remember.”

“Did Director say anything then?”

“No. What’s with all the questions? I don’t know why Director is so worried about you, but it’s not my job to question their motives. It’s my job to make sure that the city stays safe, and that you keep your eyes on the road.”

Hero suddenly felt awfully lightheaded.

“Can I ask you one more question?”

“Just one.”

“Have you ever met Director?”

A moment of silence resounded as the gears in Leader’s head ground.

“No. No one has. We communicate only over E-mail.”

“Wait, one more question.”

Leader frowned.

“Do you have any pictures of Director?”

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“This is like, the equivalent of walking into the White House and pretending to be the President. You know that, right? You get that?”

Hacker’s voice was even more high-pitched and anxiety-twinged than usual.

“I am well aware.” Hero nodded.

They were well aware of how stupid the idea was, but they hoped that wasn’t evident in their voice. That was the only thing that really mattered, considering that they were currently speaking to Hacker on the phone, though it didn’t stop them from struggling to keep their shoulders level and their gaze steady.

“And you still want to do it. You still want to walk into the White House and pretend to be the President.”

“You’re really proud of that metaphor, aren’t you?”

“A little. Answer the question, though.”

Hero exhaled, exasperated.

“Yes. I’m doing this. There’s no choice.”

“Your hesitation went away really fast. Did you finally grow a pair of balls or-”

“We only have a week.”

“Oh, god. There’s a time limit now?”

“It’s a long story, but, TLDR is, Villain needs out of there in the next week.”

“Otherwise?”

“They’ll be transferred out of the city. Out of our reach.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah. Damn indeed.”

“Well, then, what do we need to do?”

“Did you grow a pair, too?”

“Maybe. I’m not about to go guns blazing with you, but... Let’s just say I’m invested in how this all turns out. Any help I can offer from behind a screen, I’ll do it. Are you sure we only have a week? Is there any other option?”

“Well... The ultimatum is that if I don’t get my performance up in the next week, they’re going away. The Organization’s director thinks it’ll help me.”

“Then just get your performance up?” Hacker sounded perplexed.

“It’s not going to happen.”

“Why not?”

Hero gritted their teeth.

The way Hacker spoke, it made the situation sound so simple. As if Hero could just decide to forget years of fighting, of... of whatever they and Villain had. They couldn’t just go on. They should have been able to. Anyone else would have been able to.

But they couldn’t. They knew that their best efforts would not be enough to keep Villain within striking distance, no matter how much sweat they poured in.

“Because... Because I know it isn’t. And, besides, the sooner we get them out of there, the better.”

“If you say so, boss. What do we gotta do?”

“Can you send a fake email? Make it look like it’s from someone important?”

“In my sleep. What do you need?”

“Tell the rehab unit that they’re to expect a very special visitor.”

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It was a stupid plan. Just as stupid as walking into a hostage situation pretending to be a reporter.

But, in the end, that plan had worked. Just not quite in the way they had wanted it to. 

On the outside, the appearance of the rehab center had not changed a bit. Even the childish artworks in the windows remained static, untouched by the hands that had supposedly created them.

Yet, despite the appearance remaining unmoving, when Hero gazed upon the brightly-painted structure and its white picket fence, they could not help but feel as though they had swallowed a stone.

It all felt so wrong. A vicious Villain contained in such a cutesy building. If Villain themself knew, they likely would have been sick. Or furious. Or sick and furious.

If everything went right... they would know, soon.

That was all the plan that Hero had worked out. They had an entrance plan, and a car. Thinking ahead of that made them feel awfully lightheaded. Besides, future thinking like that was far too optimistic for their tastes. If, and only if, they made it out of this alive, then they would think ahead.

Until then, their future plans consisted only of what step they were to take after the current one.

“Do you have visual?” Hero whispered.

“You don’t have to be so quiet.” Hacker’s voice crackled in their ear. “You’re still in the car, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah. I just don’t want them to think I’m talking to myself like some kind of nutcase.”

“Maybe Director is a nutcase. No one knows. That’s what you’re basing this whole gimmick on, right?”

Hero sighed. “Just about.”

They pulled down the car’s sun visor, flipping up the little panel that covered the miniature mirror embedded within. Even with how long they had had their powers, they did not think they would ever get used to looking in the mirror and staring upon a face that was not their own.

Director’s face looked awfully like it belonged on the front of a magazine. Well-cropped black hair, a curling, defined jawline that led to ears adorned by modest steel studs.

“What time is it?”

“Can’t you look at a clock?”

“I want to make sure I have the disguise right.”

“Well, they’re expecting you in about five minutes. Do you think Director is early? Or punctual? Or-”

“I think if I sit in here for another second, I’m going to lose it.”

“Guess they’re gonna be early, then.” A nervous sigh. “Are you ready for this?”

“I think so. You’ve got point, right?”

“Yep. They’ve got their security stuff pretty well protected from remote infiltration, but so long as you’re nearby the building itself, I should be able to see everything the cameras can see.”

“What are you... what are going to do if I fail?”

“I think I’m the last thing you should be worrying about, in that scenario.”

“No. You’re a civilian.”

“Aw, that’s sweet, and last time you were calling me a criminal.”

“That’s not... don’t worry about that. Right now, you’re a civilian, and you don’t need to get yourself wrapped up in all this nonsense. So, in the very real event that I fail, what are you going to do to protect yourself?”

“I... I can cut the connection. The thing in your ear, it’ll look like nothing more than a normal earbud. Is that good enough for you?”

“Yes.”

“And, once you’re in there, don’t reply to anything I say. Not unless everything goes terribly wrong.”

“Got it.”

“Now, we ready for real?”

Hero gave a sharp nod.

“Let’s do this.”

Stepping out of the vehicle, they forgot just how tall they were in this form. They could change into all forms of animals, operate just fine as bird or beast, but existing in the form of another person never ceased feeling terribly odd to them.

They didn’t do it very often. But, this time, it was the only choice they had. And if no one had heard Director’s voice before... then their plan should work just fine.

It was far too many ifs and shoulds for their taste, but that wasn’t important. Not while Villain was still in there.

Hero slammed the car door as authoritatively as they could manage, keeping their gait even and steady, even as they moved in an uncomfortably restrictive suit.

They were at the door far too quickly. They settled their jaw, then, and entered the White House, pretending to be the President.

Behind the front desk was seated the same labcoat, though, now, they had a far more formal posture to them. Upon Hero’s entrance, they seemed confused on whether to salute or bow. After a few nervous moments, they settled for a simple:

“Hello.”

Hero flashed Director’s pearly white smile.

“Good afternoon. I hope I’m not too late?”

“O- Oh, of course not. It’s an honor to have you visit our humble facility.” Labcoat’s ears grew rapidly red in hue. “Would you like a tour, maybe? Or to meet with our head doctor? Or-”

“Oh, no, none of that will be necessary. I am sure we are both far too busy for all those formalities. You must run a very tight ship, here. It is very nice.”

“Thank you! Thank you, sir.”

“Of course. But, no. I do not need the tour. Perhaps another time. For now, I do not have all too long. Would you be kind enough to show me to Villain’s room?”

“Of course, sir.” Labcoat leapt up from their seat, still looking as though they wanted to bow. “It’s just this way, if you would please follow me. If that’s okay.”

Hero nodded in gratitude, following Labcoat through the steel door that led to the rest of the facility.

There was considerably more life to the building’s various rooms, compared to the last time they had visited. The common room at the front saw a group of villains stiffly sitting around a board game, moving the pieces at an agonizingly slow pace. Another watched an old movie on the television, their posture oddly perfect.

Hero tried their best not to show their discomfort.

Instead of leading them straight, into the dining hall, Labcoat turned left to one of the patient wings. The two of them walked past what must have been twenty doors, each of which had a name plaque upon its surface, stating proudly who resided within.

The door at the end of the hall did not have such a name. Instead, it had a simple label.

‘43′

Room 43. Villain’s own personal hell.

“Would you like company? Or would you like your visit to remain private?” Labcoat ducked their head as they spoke.

“Private, if you would not mind.”

“Of course not! Whatever you say, sir. When you are ready to leave just knock, uh, on the door. I’ll let you out. If that’s okay, um, or I could- Actually, no I don’t want you to have to knock. How about this.”

Hero felt their stomach twist, the organ confused about just how well the plan had turned out. To their great surprise, Labcoat reached within a pocket, producing a small metal key.

“Just use this.”

“Thank you very much.” Hero dipped their head, taking the key in turn. Like a mouse skittering from a cat, Labcoat was gone in an instant.

Hero was alone, outside the door. Their stomach sickened, though this time it was not from surprise.

Their plan was going perfectly! They couldn’t have hoped for better. They even had a key, and...

And they couldn’t do it. They felt their legs to be frozen in place, their mind instead filled with a spiraling cascade of images. Images of what their nemesis used to be.

And now...

“Hero.” The voice in their ear was soft. “Villain needs you.”

Hero nodded. They placed their hand upon the knob, and turned.

A gust of sterile air wafted out. Hero entered, closing the door behind themself.

Leaving themself alone with Villain. Some small part of them expected a witty one liner, a passive-aggressive joke. But there was none; only the mechanical whirring of medical machines.

And the slightest rise and fall of their nemesis’ chest.

They did not tell their legs to bring them to Villain’s bedside, but that is where they ended up. On the security footage they had seen, it had been nearly impossible to see their unconscious nemesis’ face.

Now, they had the best view in the world.

Some part of Hero had expected peace. Expected their former foe to have been spending their unconsciousness in a state of bliss. Certainly not an ideal state, but a comfortable one.

Instead, Villain’s closed eyes twitched, tiny movements flickering through their fingers. 375 days, and they were still fighting.

Of course they were. They would never stop fighting.

Hero didn’t notice as their hand reached out, practically on its own. Villain’s hand was cold.

Their face... everything about their face was too perfect. Too clean. Their mouth was locked in a permanent, blank frown. Their brows twitched, but did nothing more than that.

Villain’s eyes did not open.

Hero squeezed their hand tighter. The heartbeat monitor registered the slightest quickening of pace.

It was a knocking that broke Hero from their trance. They dropped Villain’s hand, stumbling backward, turning just as the room’s door opened to reveal a pair of blue scrubs.

Head Doctor smiled.

“Friend.” They chirped. “I’m so glad you could come visit. I missed seeing you, last week, but I understand how busy you are this time of year. How are you finding everything?”

Hero gulped.

Their imitations were perfect. They knew that, and they were quite proud of that fact. Just about any animal, they replicated with ease, and they could morph their face to match that of anyone they so chose to copy.

Appearances were easy. But there was one limit to shapeshifting.

Hero could not imitate voices.

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Thanks so much for reading! Just like last time, there are two options along with every part of this story. Alongside each options is a question, so that you guys can give more specific suggestions if you so wish. The option that receives the most votes will be the choice that our Hero makes!

A.) Hero is too far in. Keep up the ruse - How should Hero explain their voice?

B.) There’s no way to get out of this. Take the risk and run! - How should Hero make their escape?

[ahnsael]

I literally do this every election (I think this is my fourth national election doing this? Maybe fifth? Either way, it’s a long-time tradition for me), as mentioned in the tags of my last post. Whether you agree with me politically or not (and I’m pretty open about my political beliefs), if you need help figuring out how to vote -- the process, I mean; I’m not here to tell you WHO or WHAT to vote for, at least as far as this offer is concerned (I mean, I have STRONG opinions, but those are moot as far as this offer is concerned because this IS NOT about getting you to agree with me, it’s about getting you to vote whether you agree with me or not).

I will try to explain the differences between a “yes” or “no” vote on local measures, or explain fairly what candidates stand for. I will do this in a non-partisan way, and just explain what local measures would mean for you. I’m not here to influence your vote (at least in the context of this offer -- if you look at my posts you know where I stand, but -- in this context this is only about educating those who want to understand the issues; it’s up to YOU to make your own voting decisions). Again, I will keep my personal feelings out of it and point you to resources from both sides so you can make up your own mind based on your own personal values.

Yes, even if you like Donald Trump and wear a MAGA hat...I may despise that, but I will help you figure out how to cast your vote against my own interests, because it is your fundamental right to cast such a vote, and I think that voting is THAT important that I will aid you in casting a vote against what I believe.

Because elections are meant to be free and fair. And I am 100% behind that. So you want to vote for Trump and don’t know how to do so? Tell me in which state you live (I don’t need an exact location, just the state) and I’ll tell you whether voter registration is still available (in some states the deadline has already passed; in some states voting has already started -- I already have my mail-in ballot and am just waiting until I learn more about other local candidates and measures before I just throw in a vote for President), and how to register if you still can. Already registered? Worried about mailing in a ballot? I’ll find out where you can securely drop it off without sending it through the mail, if such an option is available in your state (because states DO have different rules, but I’ll look it up so you don’t have to).

Just looking to test me to see whether I’m telling the truth, and want to pretend to need help to see whether I give you legit advice? Cool. Bring it on. I got you. I’m not here to trick anyone. If you just get in touch to fact-check me and see if I give you accurate info that you already know? I’m good with that. I’ve got no nefarious motives.

Voting is a fundamental right. I truly believe that, even though the person with less votes won in 2016. But people need to make their voices heard. And if they don’t know how to do that, then it’s on me and others to educate them, whether we agree or not. I’m not just here to tell you how to vote for Biden. I’m also here to tell you how to vote for Trump if that’s your inclination. It’s important that ALL voices are heard, even those with whom I disagree. It’s the foundation of democracy, and I still believe in democracy.

So, if you have any questions about voting, whether you’ve never voted before, or whether you just aren’t sure how voting will work in your area during a global pandemic, just send me an ask or reply to this (an ask is more likely to be seen, but I’ll do my best either way), just ask me and I will help in any way that I can.

And I usually make posts like this earlier in the process, but this year has been one slap in the face after another, and I’m a little late. But the election is still over a month away. There may still be time for some of you to register if you aren’t already. Some states offer same-day registration on election day (again, just tell me in which state you live and I’ll find the answer for you). It would be a provisional ballot, in that case (meaning that it wouldn’t be counted until your info was confirmed), but it would still count if you gave accurate info.

Because again, voting is a fundamental right. And whether you’re on “my side” or not, I will help you navigate the waters because this is a democracy and it would be wrong for me to deny ANYONE their fundamental rights to agree OR disagree with me when it comes to election day.

I WANT you to vote. Even if you disagree with me (and I’ve said that many times, but it’s never PAINED me as much to say it as it does this year, but...again, whether you agree with me politically or not, your vote is important.

I try very hard to be impartial in my “please vote” posts like this.

And this is the post with the most “delete that, re-type it with different words” that I’ve ever had to do.

I still promise to be impartial if you need help voting, even if we disagree. Unless you’re a white supremacist, in which case don’t even bother to reply. If you’re one of the “very fine people” in Charlottesville, don’t even bother wasting both of our time.

I’m here to help people navigate the voting process as a whole, not to push an agenda.

[conniejoworld]

DAVE LIEBER Our test of the post office delivers sad results O K, we know the mail is late. Often very late. Now The Watchdog can prove it. I ran a mail test last week by sending letters across Dallas-Fort Worth. The results are an embarrassment. The post office is looking at what could be its worst service breakdown in its 228-year history. You know most of the reasons: Overtime was halted. Blue collection boxes were taken off the streets. Sorting machines were disconnected and decommissioned like old Navy ships taken to a scrap yard. But The Watchdog has discovered another reason for mail not getting delivered on time. You probably didn’t hear about this reason. Starting in late July, before the delivery crisis began, the U.S. Postal Service launched a surprise test for mail carriers. The test came with a name that’s just mumbo-jumbo enough to confuse you. It’s called the Expedited Street/Afternoon Sortation test. A better name would be “the Carriers Only Get 15 to 30 Minutes to Get Out the Door Test.” Its purpose, according to top officials announcing it, is “to assist in reducing the morning office time for city letter carriers by enabling them to get on the street earlier.” The goal was “to enhance customer service by providing more consistent delivery times.” But here’s what happened. The test was unprecedented because it disrupted the normal flow of mail delivery. Almost 400 branches across the nation were ordered to participate, but I’m told that many other branches ended up testing some aspect of it. Inside the post office, it was nicknamed “Grab what’s there and go.” Carriers had 30 minutes (in some cases only 15) to finish prepping their mail for delivery, checking their vehicle, grabbing their scanner and keys and departing. Whatever mail was not sorted before that new grab-and-go deadline was left behind. There was always tomorrow to deliver the rest. Maybe. Within days, mail got backed up almost everywhere. With the elimination of overtime, no one was getting paid to finish the daily delivery. Undelivered mail was stored inside or left on loading docks. USPS’ own delivery standards were ignored. Among the late arrivals: medicines, income checks, bills. (Cue the dying baby chicks.) “The mail being processed was drastically delayed,” said Kimetra Lewis, president of the Dallas chapter of the National Association of Letter Carriers. The stress among her carriers was palpable. “The carriers were calling me on a regular basis” to complain, she said. “Nearly every office was implementing their own version of the test,” she said. “This test was totally different from ones in the past,” says Yared Wonde, president of the Dallas branch of the American Postal Workers Union. “This one is, if the mail is not cleared by 9 a.m., leave it on the floor for the next day.” You may have noticed my sources for this information are two local union presidents. That’s because for the first time in 15 years covering USPS, their media representatives are not allowed to talk to me. “We are not currently providing any interviews,” usually helpful spokesman Albert Ruiz told me. He didn’t give a reason, but I found it in a USPS directive that could have been titled “Our Bunker Mentality.” ‘Consistent message’ Vice.com first reported contents of the order: “The Postal Service continuously strives to project a positive image, protect its brand, and present a unified message to the customers and communities it serves,” the memo begins. “It is imperative that one person speaks on behalf of the Postal Service to deliver an appropriate, accurate and consistent message to the media.” And that one person is new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, whose fast retreat from enacting his supposed reforms included everything but waving a white flag. After a people’s revolt led to bipartisan criticism from lawmakers, DeJoy issued a statement that he was pulling back. In one of the biggest retreats since Gen. Robert E. Lee fled the Battle of Gettysburg, DeJoy, who has donated more than $1 million to President Donald Trump’s campaign funds, promised to halt drastic actions that he and his minions had pushed in his first weeks on the job. In a forced change of heart, DeJoy vowed to maintain post office hours, leave mail sorting machines and blue collection boxes alone, keep facilities open and restore overtime. DeJoy vowed in his published statement: “To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded.” That sounds counter to Trump’s motives. He has said that he initially opposed more funding for troubled USPS and hoped to avoid “universal mail-in voting” in his reelection bid. Yes, the postal service has massive short-term and long-term problems. But is now the right time to break the vast system into dysfunctional pieces? Ellis Burgoyne, who ran the Texas region as Southwest vice president 15 years ago before his promotion to USPS’ chief information officer, is now retired in Irving. He told me, “Holding mail a day to process was always a no-no. ... Total elimination of overtime and intentionally leaving first-class mail behind was never an option. We never had that, and I worked there for 35 years.” Sorting machines Why would you remove and dismantle working sorting machines in the midst of all these other changes unless you wanted to bog down the system, maybe even make it harder for mail-in election ballots to reach their destination before deadlines? Aside from the people in the processing plants, mechanical sorters are the heart of mail delivery. Wonde of the postal workers union estimates that between Dallas’ Main Post Office near Interstate 30 and the North Texas Processing and Distribution Center in Coppell, a dozen sorting machines have been removed in recent weeks. “They didn’t give any specific reason for that,” he said. “I officially requested how many machines were removed and how many were decommissioned.” He hasn’t heard back. Wonde said workers tried to put one of the machines back in operation at the Dallas plant, but they were missing important parts. My test I mentioned my test. Until a few years ago, a first-class letter mailed within North Texas, from and to a local address and dropped off before 5 p.m., usually arrived the next day. Now USPS service standards allow for a letter mailed locally to arrive in two days instead of one. How’s that working? I took addresses for 50 Dallas Morning News employees who live in Dallas-Fort Worth. On Monday night, I mailed 50 envelopes to them from my city post office. I also emailed my lucky 50 to let them know they’d been drafted into my experiment. Under USPS standards, all letters should have arrived in two days — by Thursday’s mail. But more than half didn’t. Only 21 arrived on time — or 42%. That’s a failing grade. Five more arrived one day late on Friday. As of Saturday morning, as I complete this, I’ve yet to hear back about 24 others, or 48%. Admittedly, this is no scientific survey. But with half of the sent letters failing to meet the goal, it’s an indicator. (The Watchdog wants to check again during early voting.) Burgoyne, the retired former USPS vice president for Texas, added that when he was in management, “Election and political mail, including ballots, had the highest priority.” (We’ll see if that tradition holds.) Lewis of the letter carriers’ union says she worries about the cost of this mess to USPS’ reputation: “We don’t know if our customers lost confidence in us. It’s frightening.” If you desire a mail-in absentee ballot, contact your county elections office for information. You can also request one online. Requests for mail ballots must be made before Oct. 23. Make sure you fill out your ballot and send it back as soon as possible. To qualify, you must be 65 or older, disabled or out of your home county on Election Day. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 5. Twitter: @DaveLieber

[rotationalsymmetry]

Why it’s bad — not just not helpful, but actively harmful — to go out on your way to shit on* people who might not vote Biden:

(Premises: truth is good and important, kindness is good and important, my audience is generally left of center and does not like Biden’s opposition, anybody reading this basically wants to do the right thing, the idea that the means justify the ends is kind of situational: sometimes how important your end goal is does actually affect what methods of getting there are appropriate (pushing someone away from you is excessive if they said something you didn’t like but appropriate as defense against assault), but also some things are always just wrong. Also, that climate change is a global existential threat, covid-19 is real, imperialism is bad, Black lives matter, there is no moral justification for the US to restrict immigration at all let alone anything about how undocumented immigrants are being treated, the prison system is extremely racist in practice and not actually a good idea in theory either, etc.)

People are stubborn cusses who don’t like being told what to do. Personally I’m not going to hold up “be nice to me or I might do the opposite of what you want just to spite you” as a threat because fuck I’ve got more self control than that and I know the stakes are sky high. But realistically: some people really are contrary enough to do that. So, demanding rather than asking or arguing for a thing is always a risk. (Demanding often feels safer. But that’s an illusion.)

People are stubborn cusses who don’t like being told what to do. And especially certain kinds of people — people with a history of being bullied or abused — tend to be very sensitive to being pressured, manipulated, or coerced into doing what other people want them to do. So it can harm relationships between people and between factions of the Left when some people/factions are demanding that others act a certain way, especially when the demands come attached to negging-like statements. (I get there’s a place for eg just shutting down terfs or Nazis. This isn’t that kind of thing; no one’s argument is based on the idea that other people aren’t really people here. At least not on the “don’t tell me what to do” side of this. Also, it’s possible to deplatform people without telling them they don’t really believe what they say they believe.)

It’s not polite and is not really ethical either. Consider: “if you cared about me you’d wash the dishes”, vs “hey, it’s your turn to wash the dishes.” “If you really held progressive values, you would vote Biden (and by implication, not criticize him until after the election)” follows the same pattern. “The fewer people vote Biden, the more likely it is that (the Republican candidate) will win the election” is a neutral statement of fact, and not one of the things I’m objecting to. It’s also not something I’ve actually heard anyone say this election cycle.

It’s not constructive, because getting people who are already likely to vote Democrat to actually vote is a better use of everyone’s time than trying to persuade someone who has already decided not to.

It’s not constructive, because if you want to change someone’s mind this is not how you do it. See point 1.

It’s not necessary: it’s possible to express support for Biden as a candidate and encourage people to vote for him without mentioning the existence of people who might not vote for him at all. Even if in the moment you feel motivated to express support for Biden because you read a post by someone expressing a lack of inclination to vote for him.

If you’re not sure about that claim that it’s not constructive (fair — you should be suspecting me of motivated reasoning), look at what people who actually run campaigns do. Is Biden insulting people who don’t want to vote for him on Twitter? Is the Democratic Party asking volunteers to insult people who don’t want to vote Democrat, as a way or contributing to the campaign? Is it paying people to do that? No? I wonder why that is? Maybe that’s because insulting people who don’t want to vote for a candidate doesn’t actually win campaigns?

Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Remember a time when someone insulted you for not agreeing with them. How did you feel? Conversely, think of a time when you changed your mind about something. How did that happen?

Why it’s actually OK to talk about being unenthusiastic about voting Biden (even if you really want him and not his opposition to win the election):

Well, fuck, look for another post on the subject I guess.

Some notes on impulse control:

Sometimes, another person says something on tumblr and you’re like “fuck yeah” and it just feels right to you and you reblog it. Maybe that’s where some of this is coming from: people who’ve decided to definitely vote for and fully support Biden (reservations notwithstanding) see a post, feel frustrated, go “yeah that’s right,” and reblog without really thinking about how it’s going to come across. That’s understandable. People tend to use social media to relax and unwind; we don’t necessarily bring our full game to it.

If that’s going on, maybe learn to recognize this pattern (recognize when a post that’s a feel-good vent to you is really hurtful to someone else, because it’s manipulative af) and think twice before clicking post? Maybe in general get in the habit of taking a breath/five seconds before posting or reblogging something? I realize for many of us that’s easier said than done, and it can be a work in progress. I’m not proud of everything I’ve hit post on even after I’ve given it some thought.

Maybe some people have an attitude of “well, if anyone is hurt by this, I don’t want them on my blog anyways.” I’d suggest, as an in between measure, tagging this stuff. “Biden” or “us politics” or “election 2020” or something. Explanation for why people who might have this kind of reaction might still be people who share your values either right before this post or right after, depending on what order I decide they’re done in.

Now, I messed up here. My first five or six reactions to this sort of post was not a positive one, but I wasn’t sure whether I had a good reason to not like them or was just...reacting. I have mental health issues and sometimes have much stronger reactions to things than the things warrant. So I just...didn’t say anything or do anything until it got to be too much and I lost my shit. Not ideal. If I had to do it over again, I’d send politely worded messages to people I wanted to keep following who were posting this stuff, asking them to not do that and briefly explaining why. But, I’m at a point where I can’t do the politely worded thing, which makes actually directly addressing the people who are doing this a much trickier proposition. So. Here we are. And I’m blogging to whoever the fuck reads my blog (other than my husband, who really doesn’t deserve any of this) like that’s actually going to help.

At least it’s making me feel better.

* “shit on”: this isn’t about the sort of posts that are all “vote for Biden!” Or “vote for Biden because ... ” or “I’m voting for Biden because...” or “here’s some non-straw-man arguments for not voting Biden that I’m going to disagree with in a way that basically respects that someone can make one of those arguments and be a fundamentally decent person also.” This is about the posts that are all “if you’re considering not voting Biden you are a tentacle monster from the dimension of non-Euclidean geometry, and also incredibly stupid because the only reason someone might do this is this tissue-thin straw-man argument.” And it’s certainly not about the posts that are “you might want to deliver your mail in ballot in person if that’s possible where you live” or “check to make sure you haven’t been dropped from the voter registry” or other posts that actively address barriers to voting or getting one’s vote counted. Those are good, keep doing those.

[charlieharry1]

How to run social media competitions (and stay inside the rules!)

I’ve been getting requested by way of a number of my customers currently approximately walking competitions on social networks like fb & instagram. Social media competitions are an area wherein i see humans get harassed and often by accident break the diverse social community’s guidelines. And i experience like such a party pooper when i permit clients or buddies recognise that their competition is breaking promotional hints and need to be removed or changed. So what are the authentic social media opposition rules besides and how are you purported to play inside them? Right here’s the direct phrase from fb itself:

 “promotions can be administered on pages, organizations, events, or inside apps on facebook. Non-public timelines and buddy connections must no longer be used to administer promotions (ex: “proportion on your timeline to go into” or “proportion to your pal’s timeline to get additional entries”, and “tag your pals on this submit to go into” are not authorized).”

 did you get that? You may’t ask people to percentage on their timeline or proportion in your buddies timeline or tag your pals to go into a publish. Yet many people do. Why? Most of them don’t realize the regulations! To recap in bullet factors what’s allowed versus what‘s no longer allowed in relation to running competitions on your social pages:

 good enough to do:

like this put up

comment on this publish

like comments on this put up (i. E., vote by liking)

post on this web page’s timeline

message this page

not adequate:

percentage this publish for your timeline

tag your friends

proportion this post to your buddies’ timeline

some other downside of going for walks facebook competitions immediately to your web page is that it is able to be hard from an administration attitude. There’s no fb supplied equipment that will help you draw a winner randomly or fairly whereas a number of the 1/3 birthday celebration equipment noted below offer this. So with these rules in thoughts, how do you run fb competitions/contests/promotional campaigns that are absolutely compliant with fb recommendations and nonetheless get consequences? Here’s the lowdown. 1. Keep in mind the usage of third birthday party apps

way back while we first began doing facebook commercials for customers, we frequently did competitions and lower back then, the most effective choice become to actually use a 3rd celebration app! Third celebration apps are nonetheless round, and a few had been around some time. Right here’s a few you could like to check out:

 woobox – wooboox helps you easily manage fb, youtube, & instagram comment giveaways and offers all of the abilties you need to export likes, export comments, and select winners. Due to the fact that is something else you may want to reflect onconsideration on – the way to choose a winner pretty and squarely. Plans start are loose for as much as one hundred entrants, $37/mth for up to a thousand entrants and pass upwards from there. is also one of the originals when it comes to 1/3 birthday party apps to run facebook competitions on. It permits you to create unique landing pages, run social contests, send emails and examine outcomes and claims to be ‘the most customizable all-in-one contesting software’. Pricing begins at $99/month for up to 50,000 views and 10,000 entries so may be a piece of overkill for small enterprise use. Pagemodo – pagemodo has also been round for years. It allows you edit facebook cover pix, make custom tabs, time table and design your social media posts and create contests in your facebook. If you want to run contests, you’ll need to start at their pro plan for $thirteen. 25 /month (that’s usd). These men haven’t been around so long as woobox however claim to be one of the maximum famous systems for facebook contests. The agency provide numerous functions (even though i ought to admin to by no means having run one on this platform before) and also numerous assets in case you need to look at up similarly than this weblog on social competitions. See:. To be honest there are actually dozens of other 1/3 birthday party  Digital Marketing Company in Newcastle apps for strolling contests on facebook. Simply search ‘fb competition software’ or similar on google and click on the ‘functions’ + ‘pricing’ web page of each to length them up. 2. Don't forget the usage of fb commercials.

Read Also:-  “Domain name scam”, what is it, and how it works?

certainly one of my fellow fb network trainers dan nikas of gearbunch is strolling competitions using the facebook lead advertisements objective. He receives humans to choose in with their email, then engages them with an email go with the flow to present them bonus entries on messenger. He then runs the draw on a fb stay of their private group that the entrant desires to be gift directly to be eligible to win. To me this waft is a first-rate clever way of the usage of the commercials function. You’re benefiting from gaining their e-mail cope with and full decide in alongside the way, being enticing by for my part messaging them thru messenger and encouraging more entries after which the usage of the live technology and a bit exclusivity with regards to assertion time. If you want assist jogging a competition the usage of fb advertisements, test out this page. Three. Bear in mind using chatbots

probably our all time fave manner of jogging competitions on the creative collective is strolling remark to bot chatbot competitions. Why? Due to the fact aside from getting the entries and consequently the e-mail deal with or cell of entrants to market to in the future (with all vital disclaimers in of direction and the potential to unsubscribe at any time), we can normally also develop the likes of a web page + the engagement of a page  Digital Marketing Agencies in Newcastle fairly considerably within the system. For that very motive we’ll frequently propose a remark-to-bot opposition inside the early a part of our engagement to win a few brief brownie factors with a patron, and also for brand new commercial enterprise launches (or relaunches submit special events like covid!)

Follow US:-  Facebook,  Twitter,  LinkedIn , YouTube

[doomsdayartificer]

A (Not So Brief) Quasi-Eulogy to Net Neutrality

By the time most of you read this, the Internet as we all once knew it will probably be dead. Unless some miracle happened where a Republican switched sides and crossed the party line in the FCC’s December 14th vote, Net Neutrality will have died. However, as I am – sometimes against my own better judgment – a skeptical optimist, I’m putting this out there in an effort to restore some shred of hope for the Internet.

The battle for the net – or maybe we should call it a war for the net instead; the term “war” sounds more appropriate at this point – is going to continue, and we the people have the power to fight it. But we’re going to have the will to get up and fight that war – even when everything seems stacked against us – because if we give up now, when the war is only just starting, we’re admitting defeat to the Internet Service Providers and their minions in Washington. We cannot let that happen. So, with that in mind, here’s a few things that you, the Internet user, can do to continue the crusade for Net Neutrality:

1 – Vote. Elect representatives that support Net Neutrality, and hold them to their word. Keep in mind, however, that this will take active participation on your part. It involves watching your representatives in Congress closely, watching how they talk and (more importantly) how they vote. Make sure they understand that you support Net Neutrality and voted for them with the understanding that they would do the same. Which brings me to point number two…

2 – Demand that Congress write Net Neutrality into law. The main reason that the Obama-era FCC had to instate Net Neutrality protections through executive authority was because Congress couldn’t be bothered to get its act together and pass laws preserving Net Neutrality. However, over the past few months tens of thousands of people flooded Congress with calls and emails urging them to oppose Pai’s moves to butcher Net Neutrality. Those calls to protect Net Neutrality seem to be paying off, because on December 7 the House of Representatives introduced bill H.R.4585, which is essentially a “Saving Net Neutrality” bill (it has currently been assigned to the House Energy & Commerce Committee; read about it here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4585/actions and here: http://multimuu.tumblr.com/post/168372429869/spread-this-like-wildfire). That same fervor, if applied once again with equal or even greater vigor, can motivate Congress to pass Bill H.R.4585 and further Net Neutrality protection legislation, placing Net Neutrality protections on the books and forcing the FCC to enforce them.

    And before anyone retorts, “Well Trump would just veto any Net Neutrality bill that landed on his desk,” I agree he undoubtedly would. However, I point you to Congressional Override: if two thirds of the people in both the House and the Senate vote to overturn Trump’s veto – say, for example, their constituents demanded it of them through a continued flood of calls and emails – then it wouldn’t matter if Trump vetoed the bill.

3 – The lawsuit. Pai intends to shift things from a proactive crackdown on ISPs abuse of Internet users to a reactionary one, so take advantage of that. When your service provider starts charging you additional rates for using an Internet service they don’t want you to use or slowing down your Internet speed or any of the other dozens of ways they plan to milk Internet users for every penny they possibly can, retaliate by suing the shit out of them for unfair business practices. Reach out to other people who have been screwed over in similar ways and start a class-action lawsuit. Hell, if ISPs start restricting your access to speech they don’t like – which they can and probably will try to do – you can sue them for infringing on your First Amendment rights and might even be able to get the American Civil Liberties Union involved – I’m sure they’d jump on something like that in no time.

4 – Divest yourself of ISP stock. Sell off any stock you have in ISPs that take advantage of Net Neutrality’s death. More importantly, request that whatever mutual fund company you own stock through (Vanguard, Fidelity, etc.) divest of their stock in ISPs. Individual people selling off shares won’t put much of a dent in an ISP’s stock values, but when large investment companies get flooded with demands from their clients and divest themselves of millions or even billions of dollars in ISP stocks as a result, that’s when ISPs bottom lines will start being affected negatively, which will send a clear message to them: screwing over your customers is not in your financial best interest.

5 – Use the Almighty Dollar. Donate to organizations and causes that support Net Neutrality, whether that’s a nonprofit organization like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) or American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), someone’s political campaign, or something else.

6 – Speak out. Make your voice heard in any way you can. So you can’t send emails or post angry Facebook rants anymore because your Internet is too slow? Write physical letters to the editor. Organize protests at a local Verizon, AT&T, or other Internet Service Provider’s store. Make use of the free wi-fi in libraries, schools, and Starbucks if you want to email your representatives or post that Facebook rant. Mail a physical copy of your taxes to the government next tax season with a letter explaining that you can’t submit your taxes electronically because your Internet is too slow for that to be feasible.

These are just a few ways I thought up to continue the fight for Net Neutrality. I’m sure other people will think of even more.

I’m not saying this is going to be quick, or that it will be easy. Far from it; wars are rarely won quickly or easily. But they can be won. A free and open Internet is something I value immensely, and I for one do not intend to back down and let it die quietly.

Who’s with me?

[helensclimbingandcakes]

A catch up blog: wrote this 2 years ago for Misty Mountain

Surviving when it all comes crashing down.

Last year (2016) I was working my second season on the Yosemite Search and Rescue team living to climb in the high country utopia, Tuolumne Meadows. 

My job was to help people and I was living the way humans are supposed to live - in a community without screens where evening entertainment is around a camp fire sharing good food and stories. I was healthy and happy and climbed hard, notably; Positivity a 5.13 naturally protected pitch of technical crack and crimpers. 

High on altitude induced fitness I ran up the mountains effortlessly. At the end of the season I was heading back to Colorado to start my dream job and enter into the next chapter of my life. But first, as would be the natural response of any die-hard climber about to enter into a full time career, I went on a massive climbing bender, climbing 59 pitches in less than a week. I drove out of Yosemite Valley, sore and scratched, sad to be moving on, but excited for the future. Then my life, along with American politics came crashing down around me.

The climbing bender started with a lap up Astroman with a fantastic partner Roby, who was keen to do the Rostroman after a day of rest. The Rostroman consists of climbing two classic Yosemite free climbs, The Rostrum (8 pitches) and Astroman (11 pitches) of mostly 5.11 climbing in one day.  It’s a basic Yosemite benchmark for free climbing link-ups. It had been a goal of mine for a couple of seasons, so I was excited to get an opportunity for the tick.  It rained that day, and the rock was slick, friction at an all time low. I fell once out of the Harding slot, which was frustrating because I had freed it last season, and just one day earlier. We ran the decent, and while I was bounding down the steep rock gully I slammed my knee full speed into an unforgiving rock. Gritting my teeth I limped back to the car downed some Ibuprofen, ate a few bars I scrounged from my glove box (after discovering I had forgotten my carefully prepared lunch), and hobbled down to the start of the Rostrum. Despite the knee and rain and the dark on the last few pitches we topped out around 9pm. We finished both the routes in 14 hours.  

Two days later I was climbing again with another awesome partner, Lauren. We were on the Nose in a Day (NIAD) and I was feeling the burn, climbing the free pitches on the first half of the famous route I felt tired and slow. We topped out on El Cap at about 18 hours several hours less than the first time I had climbed it in a day. Despite being sore and tired I felt amazing. Lauren and I had only just met a few days earlier and never climbed together before. While there was a lot we could improve on through the 31 pitches the whole day was super fun and we just kept moving and encouraging and supporting each other. I can’t wait to climb with Lauren again.

Quick side note; I used Misty’s Cadillac big wall harness for these goals. At the risk of sounding like an over inflated advert; it is truly the best harness for the job. There are two rows of gear loops that help keep everything organized. 

The Cadillac is a little heavier as far as harnesses go, but it has this wide support waist that provides tones of comfort in a hanging belay or when a heavier climber takes a whip, and when the gear is heavy and waiting the harness on your hips. Also it’s the only big wall harness I have found that fits my small waist. When short fixing and running the pitches out I place a double rack over 3-4 pitches (the real speed climbers do it over 10 pitches, no way am I that bold!). It can be hours between meeting up with your climbing partner face to face, so all gear for those hours, water bottles, clothing, shoes, etc also has to be clipped onto the harness, none of this switching the pack every pitch. Lauren and I split the Nose into two, I did the first pitches and we swung leads at Eagle Ledge after the King Swing.

Then things got really hard. I failed a selection test after 9 weeks of fire academy, a job I had worked hard for three years trying to get. I can’t say right now about the things I experienced during my time in the academy because the reasons why I was failed are still being looked into. At times I was not treated fairly. Prior to being employed I went through a lengthy application and interview process, I was tested physically, medically, academically, took drug tests, psychological evaluations, had an integrity interview, and polygraph (lie detector) test. I passed them all by being honest and genuine. The fire department wanted people who held integrity in the highest regard; they wanted people whose prime motivation was to help people at all costs. They wanted people who spoke and acted like moral and just members of the community. Then once they hired us the put us into a highly abusive training environment where mistakes (even when learning something for the very first time) were not tolerated.

During my time in the academy I also experienced some of the worst luck imaginable. A young woman stole my mail and started writing herself checks faking my signature and withdrawing all the money I had in my account. My car got crashed into and ended up being taken to the wreckers. I suffered a terrible illness during one of my external testing weeks; I was taking Zofran by day and throwing up by night. As I said before I can’t go into specifics, but after this experience I was crushed. The results of the USA election compounded the situation. For a recent immigrant to the USA the brute that a small percentage of Americans voted for is a horrifying, terrifying future. I went home to New Zealand.

In tough times I climb. I match myself, or sometimes bash myself against the rock.  I suffer and strive, and pull down and fly. I feel the burn, I feel the warm tingling sensation of trying as hard as I can, and I top out and scream into the wind, “I will SURVIVE!” and I heal.

Usually unemployment for me and fellow climbers is a joyous time. I can live off next-to-nothing, and really just want to be climbing rather than working anyway. But I was injured. I obtained a shoulder injury while on the job at fire academy. I have damage to my labrum and possibly need surgery. I can’t climb. Actually I can’t even lift the 2 pound container of laundry detergent off the high shelf to put into the washer. I got informed that my injury will not be covered by the employer where the injury occurred. I will have to cover all of the medical expenses through my own insurance, which somehow means a minimum of several thousand out of pocket expenditure as well as insurance paying the rest of the inflated medical costs that are simply baffling to your average New Zealander.

People kept saying to me, just be positive. Things could be worse. I do understand this, I do still have my health (more or less), I have a loving husband,  family all over the world who are very supportive, and the climbing community. I am not out on the streets, I do have my limbs still intact, and I will recover from this injury. I can even go home to New Zealand if and when things get really crazy here in the USA. But the most helpful thing that anyone has said to me through this was “I don’t know what to say, it just  sucks Helen”. Yes it can always be worse, I understand that. But right now I feel totally worthless, I lost my job  through unfair circumstances, I am injured, I have been robbed of all my money and my car got totaled. My self confidence is at an all time low. Sometimes the acknowledgement of that can be truly healing.

So the climbing community opened their arms to me, and took me in. I am very lucky that my family and the climbing community are one and the same. I went back to New Zealand and traveled with my brother, always the rock in my life, and who I first climbed El Cap with. We went mountaineering, spear fishing, kayaking and snorkeling.

I am back coaching at the Spot Climbing Gym in Boulder. The young athletes I coach there force me to look forward and not dwell on the things that could have been.  It felt like I had left to look for a new family, failed and returned the ever faithful dedicated and loyal climbing community. No matter where I am in the world this group of people have been there for me. Misty contacted me during this time asking for my story, asking what I needed from them. I was dismayed, I can’t climb I thought. But I have to tell myself that just because I can’t send 5.13 crack right now doesn’t mean I am not a climber.

 “It’s not about how many times you fall down; it’s about how many times you get back up”. That sounds a lot like bouldering, and bouldering is fun.

[hellofastestnewsfan]

Staff writer Adam Harris joins Dr. James Hamblin and Katherine Wells on our daily(-ish) podcast Social Distance. He talks about the details of the coronavirus stimulus bill just signed by the president and why, despite its unprecedented size, it's just the start of the government's plan to fight the pandemic-induced economic crisis.

Listen to the full episode here:

Subscribe to Social Distance on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (How to Listen)

An edited and condensed transcript of the conversation:

James Hamblin: I know nothing about what's happening in Congress financially because I can't keep up with everything. Just trying to do the science stuff.

Adam Harris: Essentially what Congress did was pass a $2 trillion aid relief package helping families, education, public health, local governments, and big corporations as well. And it's been hailed as a remarkable act of bipartisanship, but it's already being assumed that this is not going to be enough. [Lawmakers in Congress] are still going to need another injection of funds for families who need to pay rent, for businesses who have had to close their doors.

Katherine Wells: Give me some Government 101, like Schoolhouse Rock-style education on this. So the way Congress votes on a bill is they all have to be there in the same room.

Harris: They have to be at quorum, so a majority of the members have to be there and present an order to have a vote. That is not a unanimous consent—something that they can just kind of say Everyone agrees that this is what we need to pass and they just pass the bill. If you want a recorded vote, then they are going to need a quorum. So right now, essentially, what that means is they need 216 members in order to have a quorum to have the vote.

Katherine Wells: To be in person, in the same room?

Adam Harris: Absolutely. Yes. So they have to be there in person in the same room in order to vote. And there has been kind of some momentum to get that changed because this is an unprecedented crisis that requires some modern thinking. It makes sense for members of Congress to be able to vote virtually. But as of right now, that is how they're supposed to vote.

Katherine Wells: I mean, it seems sort of ridiculous given how we live. But is there a reason I'm not thinking of why that actually is really important?

Harris: The biggest reason is tradition. It's the way that things have been done. But, you know, we don't live in the 18th century anymore.

Wells: I am grateful for that.

Harris: Very likewise. And this has shown some of those fissures in the system. It's shown even with things like voting. [States] have had to postpone their elections and they don't have vote by mail infrastructures set up. It's throwing a monkey wrench into the voting process.

Wells: How could it be that we could have a system that couldn't respond immediately?

Harris: So the levers of government turn slowly, to be as cliche as possible. And essentially what they're trying to do now is speed up a response to an immediate crisis. The systems aren't prepared to deal with a process like this. There were legislators literally driving from their homes in places like Michigan or elsewhere, driving from their homes, trying to get back to D.C. to vote. There is a push to keep the legislators in D.C., but the Senate, of course, is now on recess until April 20th. So that means that a lot of people will be leaving the District to go back home. But as this is a very immediate crisis, if something breaks down next week—I mean we've already seen more than three million jobless claims. If something else breaks down to a significant point next week and members of the Senate have already gone home, then they will have to come back to Congress under these severe travel restrictions.

Wells: Can you give us an overview of the main points in the bill?

Harris: The biggest thing that everyone has harped on has been the cash payments. So it's an estimated total of $300 billion dollars worth of cash payments to Americans. You also have $260 billion for unemployment payments. You have $350 billion allocated for the Small Business Administration to offer loans to small businesses. There's $10 billion for emergency grants, $58 billions for airlines, $8.8 billion for a child nutrition, and $450 million for food banks. So there is a lot in there. This is essentially trying to build a social safety net as people are falling.

Wells: This seems like a good first step. I understand that we're going to have to revisit this. But where are the weak points in the practical execution of this? You know, billions and billions of dollars, trillions of dollars, sounds like a lot of money. But how is this actually going to be implemented? And what do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of it right now?

Harris: The biggest thing is that it may not be enough. Most individuals who are earning less than $75,000 can expect a one-time cash payment of $1,200. [Most] married couples would each get that check and they would get $500 per child. Things like that. But I spoke with Andrew Yang, who ran for president, and one of the things that he told me was What is that one time payment actually going to do? And actually, the check wouldn't arrive for a significant period of time. People who already had their direct deposit setup with the IRS would be able to receive them faster. But for people who are unbanked, it could be up to four months down the road. So there's an argument that there needs to be, for one, more immediate assistance. That they should just start sending out checks to Americans in order to cover those immediate expenses. But also, if you get that check, say, the middle of next month or towards the end of next month, then what do you do the month after? You may have lost your job. You may not have child care. You may have all of these other expenses that you were not prepared for. And you need to figure out a way to deal with those.

Wells: Over 3 million people applied for unemployment last week. Next week is April 1. Rent is due. Is this bill going to solve that problem?

Harris: Probably not immediately. And that's the big problem. Of course, a lot of cities and states have implemented eviction freezes, where they're not carrying out eviction orders. But there hasn't been a national order to freeze rent. There hasn't been a national eviction freeze. It's putting the people who are already most vulnerable to some of these actions in a precarious situation. They won't be able to afford the rent. If they can't afford their rent, then they probably are going to have a difficult time affording their groceries and different things like that. And if the checks aren't coming immediately, you know, the bill does have written into it cash payments and it'll take a little bit of time in order for those to get processed and sent out to the people who need them.

Wells: "A little bit of time" like weeks, or months?

Harris: Weeks. And if you haven't already signed up for direct deposit with the federal government, then it could take months.

Hamblin: We talk on this podcast a lot about emotion, and what is motivating people, and what is causing panic, and what is not. I think, to Andrew Yang's point, and to something we have discussed before, that a lot of this is about certainty. And not so much about the money as about knowing that you're going to at least have a place to stay. You're going to be able to feed yourself. You're going to have a place to go when you get sick. If you gave people even $5,000 immediately, that would not ameliorate the panic in the same way as knowing that you're gonna have a monthly income of much less than $5,000 for the next few months or for the next year, knowing that you're going to have a house, you're going to have food, you're not going to be homeless, you're not going to be without a bed to go to. That's what makes me worry about the one-time payment: I don't know how much it does to get rid of that uncertainty that people will still be facing even when they're not immediately bankrupt. It's that they don't know where this is headed.

from The Atlantic https://ift.tt/2WLkv8J

[ramblings4thehopeless]

Straight Talk Day #1

Everyone is thinking they have great ideas for a blog. And what almost all those bloggers have in common is they think they are important enough for people to pay attention to. I am going to be the exception to this rule. If someone out there reads this and likes it, great - it is no big deal to me. In fact, In this first blog I would expect that most people will send me hate mail, tell me what a horrible person I am, get this, I don’t care about that either. All I care about is spreading the truth that God places on my heart. I’m tired of living where if we feel lead to share a thought or to pray or even harder, challenge the lukewarm beliefs of co-workers that it can cause us to be laid off or fired. So here are my bullet points:

* Although not 100% sure, I got laid off from the best job ever based on a lie. — I did not take the hush money. I stood on my principles.

* After much prayer, I believe I was laid off because I lived out my faith. I was never perfect, but when I felt lead, I would bring Jesus, or prayer into the matter.

* Here is where I will lose many, I voted for Trump and despite his inability to keep His mouth shut sometimes, I think he is doing a good job. (Expecting hate mail, but let me remind you a few words “He who is without sin cast the first stone.”) I don’t care about what Trump (or you reading this) may or may not have done in the past. We ALL will stand before God and be judged by what we have or have not done. I would rather worry about the log in my own eye before I worry about the speck in someone else’s. Hate never gets anything but more hate. Trump is our president so why not try a little love and see where that gets us. Being unfriended on FB because I hold a contrary view seems so petty and stupid. FYI - I did not unfriend any of my friends who loved and still do love Former President Obama.

* The stuff stated when I write will be straight from my heart. There are no shades of gray. It will be exactly how I feel in that moment.

It is my hope that I can create a blog either anonymously or under pseudo identity. I say this because i want to protect my family. Maybe someday, depending on how this all goes, I will be brave enough to come out from behind the words, but for now this is what you get. Some information is slightly altered to also protect my family.

I am married, I have two “adopted” kids. My husband and I did not receive word that we would get the kids till two weeks before we got married. The kids at the time were 9 and 11 and they are a biological brother and sister. Can you say I went from sheer excitement about getting married to being paralyzed with fear. The stats alone on marriages surviving “instant parenthood” are far worse than those who wait to have children. Talk about a God curveball! But like most things in life I jump in and as Dory would say “Just kept swimming.”

Fast-Forward six years...

I have now been married 6 years. I love my kids but they are at times more than I possibly can handle, especially my son who has grown to the towering height of 6’2 and he is only 15. My daughter is now a Senior in high school and she has no idea what she wants to do, has not taken The SAT’s and hasn’t even gotten her permit to drive. My son is angry all the time, he pretty much refuses to listen to me and ultimately he recently got physical with me and used his enormous strength to toss me to the side.

I HAVE FAILED MY KIDS. I keep thinking back, what could I have done differently? How could I have motivated them more, but I was always there, every game, every event I was able to make within my work schedule, I had awards on the wall, but yet they don’t care, nor do they think about the future. I believe part of the problem is TV shows like America’s Got Talent, The Voice, Little Big Shots, and I could name more. Those shows, show me what kind of child “I want” but not what kind of child “God gave me.”

We can’t look back, we can only look at now. Since the incident with my son, I am afraid of him, I walk on egg shells. Some think I should have had him arrested. Trust me, I gave it serious thought, but would that have changed anything? I would still have an angry, upset, teen. I sought medical advice. I can’t tell you how much the city I live in needs more mental health professionals. My son does not get his initial psych evaluation until almost September. However, his primary care physician has not left us out to dry and has started him on a medication to help him and guess what? It is helping. ALOT!

As for my daughter her life choices are endless. She is brilliant. She has one fatal flaw, she has no belief in herself. If it’s drawing she doesn’t think she is good enough (she is amazing and as a mom bragging she has never taken a drawing class). If it’s piano, she thinks she sucks — mind you she has only been playing 3 years and is one of the top students in her class. Or even sports. She is so naturally talented that if she practiced and dedicated herself to the craft she would have her college paid for. But her self-doubt dominates.

Sounds kind of hopeless? Not even close. God is a God who can do anything. For such a time as this. I believe I was laid off because both my husband and I were spending way too much time focused on our careers and not on our children to notice their pleas and cries for help.

If God can part a Red Sea, heal a leper, and raise Lazurus from the dead, He can and will work miracles in my children. It doesn’t start with my kids, it starts with ME. If any of this sounded familiar to you today, I urge you to get on your knees and ask God to forgive you and then ask God to fix you and then ask Him to refresh your hope because his supply of hope is endless!

Just take it all One Day was at a Time

#straighttalkfromtheheart #ramblings4thehopeless #prayerdoeswork #onedayandstepatatime

[aspenrosearts]

Within fitness Vinnie Tortorich

Ask Win is a podcast where you are a VIP. Win wants to focus and teach people more and Cerebral Palsy. You’re welcome to ask questions about anything that you want. CP questions but mainly life questions on how to deal with CP or not. Win can ask you base questions if you want. Please let us know or there will be no base questions. If you have any questions for Win please email her at askingwkelly@gmail.com. In 2018 let be open and honest on Ask Win. To learn more about Ask Win visit http://askwin.weebly.com. Be sure to FOLLOW this program https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wins-women-of-wisdom/id1060801905. To learn more about Challenge Aspen go to https://challengeaspen.org. To learn how Win walk and about Ekso go to http://www.bridgingbionics.org/, or email Amanda Boxtel at amanda@bridgingbionics.org.

On AsK Win today (Monday, January 22, 2018), Best-Selling Author, Win C welcomes Vinnie Tortorich. Vinnie, Celebrity Fitness Trainer, speaker, podcaster and best-selling author of Fitness Confidential: Adventures in the Weight-Loss Game. Some call Vinnie “America’s ANGRIEST Trainer”. Why is Vinnie so angry? Because your good intentions have been stolen! You have been duped! Yes, despite all your good honest efforts you just keep gaining weight and feeling worse. Does this sound familiar? ‘No matter how much I exercise and how ‘healthily” I eat, I can’t seem to keep the weight off or my cholesterol’s too high or my arthritis/allergies are giving me trouble or my knees/back hurts or I have sleep apnea….” Vinnie hear this over and over again and he KNOW it doesn’t have to be this way. There is a solution, they just don’t want you to know it. That, ladies & gentlemen, is why Vinnie is angry. Vinnie have been a personal trainer to people from all walks of life for thirty years. He have trained Hollywood celebrities, captains of industry, stay at home moms, working moms, pregnant moms, ultra athletes, Ironman triathletes, injured and post surgical clients and even children with the beginnings of a weight problem. Vinnie love his work and he live to see his clients enjoying the benefits of Vinnie’s training and the feelings of well being that fitness gives them, they are all thriving. But hey, not everyone is lucky enough to have Vinnie breathing down their neck, yelling “Step away from the pizza!”. As Vinnie look around him and see the American people getting fatter and sicker instead of fitter and healthier, Vinnie wonder what messages they are getting about fitness and nutrition and where those messages are coming from. For decades, the diet industry (and they are not the only bad guys here) has been selling you lies about how to lose weight and get fit. They get you thin fast while simultaneously setting you up for failure just so you can come crawling back to them in a few months. Let’s face it, they can’t make money if you stay thin and fit! Looking at the growing epidemic of obesity and other weight related diseases and the health and financial costs of that epidemic to our country, Vinnie is shocked to see that the message comes directly from the government, the special interest groups, the health care system and pharmaceutical industry, the very people who are supposed to help and guide us. It would seem they are motivated by one thing and one thing only – MONEY. There are several excellent documentaries on the subject and you can watch any of those documentaries on TV or Netflix whenever you choose. Vinnie is thankful that those documentaries exist and grateful to the people that made them, but, whilst they bring our attention to the roots of the issue, they don’t solve the problem. And that’s where Vinnie come in. Vinnie is going to tell you, for fun and for free, what you SHOULD be doing, what they (the bad guys) are not telling you. You don’t have to buy any gadgets, powders or pills. You don’t have to sign up for anything or become a member of any group. You won’t be starving or feel deprived. It’s really pretty simple and you can start right now……Here’s a link to Vinnie’s free podcasts on iTunes where you can hear how it’s done and have a good time doing it. To learn more about Vinnie visit http://vinnietortorich.com/. To learn more about Win Kelly Charles visit http://wincharles.weebly.com/. To follow Win on Twitter go to @winkellycharles. To follow Win on Instagram go to winkcharles. To follow Win on Snapchat go to Wcharles422. To follow Win on Snapchat go to Wcharles422. To see Win's art go to https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/2-win-charles.html. Interview with Mel Marton: http://traffic.libsyn.com/winwisdom/LAF3494_08172017150526412_1189015.mp3. "Books for Books," you buy Win's books so she can purchase books for school. "Getting through school is a 'win' for her fans and a 'win' for her." Win is a professional writer and in 2018 she is going to get a new MacBook to write her books and do the podcast. With every book she sells and the donations from Butterflies of Wisdom will go to her new MacBook. Please support her in getting her new MacBook. Win Kelly Charles’ book “She is CP” will get to the New York Times somehow and to help her either by voting or send her good vibe. Please vote at https://soopllc.com/blog/book-ideas/cp-win-charles/. Please send feedback to Win by email her at winwwow@gmail.com, or go to http://survey.libsyn.com/winwisdom and http://survey.libsyn.com/thebutterfly. To be on the show please fill out the intake at http://bit.ly/bow2017. If you would like to support Ask Win go to https://www.patreon.com/wcharles. If you want to check out what Win’s friend, Dannidoll, is doing (a.k.a. Dannielle) go to https://www.facebook.com/dannidolltheragdollclown/?notif_t=page_invite_accepted&notif_id=1492366163404241. To learn more about Danielle visit http://www.dancanshred.com. For iOS 11 update: https://www.youtube.com/embed/HNupFUYqcRY. To learn about the magic of Siri go to https://www.udemy.com/writing-a-book-using-siri/?utm_campaign=email&utm_source=sendgrid.com&utm_medium=email. If you want to donate Ask Win, please send a PayPal donation to aspenrosearts@gmail.com or aspenwin@gmail.com. Please donate to Challenge Aspen or the Bridging Bionics Foundation. Please send a check in the mail so 100% goes to Bridging Bionics Foundation.

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