#very American of me to ask the general public for advice instead of paying to go to the hospital and ask professionals | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

keenmarvellover · 4 years ago

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POSTS FOR YOU - 1

Some links to posts with valuable content you want in one place.(BASICALLY EVERYTHING IS THERE)

Suggestions and Recommendations are appreciated and accepted.

Last Updated : 16/10/2020

NOTE: Some of these post are written in a crude and unruly fashion. But they contain valuable tips, guidance and information. If you can't/don't want to read such posts, then don't read.

Mental Health

Do you need a Hug?

Maybe you’re having a stressful day. Maybe you just need a deep breath. Maybe you just didn’t realize how stressed you are. You can get your comfort here.

Some stuff to help you sleep

This is definitely not a google drive full of the sleep stuff from the Headspace app, including sleepcasts, music, and wind down meditation, that normally costs 17.99 a month, no siree and you definitely shouldnt share this with people

Anti-Anxiety Tools

Some tools to help you before, during or after an anxiety attack

100 Reasons NOT To Kill Yourself

READ IT. SHARE IT. REBLOG IT. Save a Life.

HOBBIES MASTERPOST!!!!!!!!

A really excellent way to reduce anxiety is to pick up a new hobby. Find something you’re interested in, learn it, then use it as a healthy and productive way to cope.

Health

Some very Important Lists for Rating PAIN, FATIQUE AND MENTAL HEALTH

It is MUST share

PSA Rregarding Hospital bills

Also how to pay hospital bills when you are broke.

How to differentiate between COVID-19, FLU AND COMMON COLD

Anyway, as we enter cold & flu season in the YEAR of corona, this will come in very handy.

Treatment for HIV

VERY IMPORTANT. Please Read and Share.

What does the Color of your Period mean?

A must read for individuals who get periods.

How to differentiate between Period Cramps and Appendicitis

A MUST READ

From a Person who is Hard of Hearing

Types and levels of deafness

General Tips for Vagina Health

Some stuff they don't teach in sex-ed.

Undo the damage of Sitting

Are you always sitting down? Then these are some exercise you should probably try out for better health.

Guide to Proper Bra Fitting

Guide to Proper Bra Fit and Measuring. Please Read and Share.

Washable, Reusable Menstrual Pads

(Part II)

Reusable menstrual hygiene product, and are an alternative to disposable sanitary napkins or to menstrual cups.

Artists

Art Masterpost

How to draw *insert whatever you want, its there in the list*?

Book Binding

Some video links to different types of DIY Bookbinding

For Artists who Need Photoshop

If youre an artist who cant afford photoshop, definitely DO NOT go to this google drive to pirate the program, that would be so bad!!!

Do’s and Don'ts of Designing for Accessibility

Please consider this when designing for ANYTHING. For BUSINESSES and ARTISTS.

Writers

Color Synonyms

For both ARTISTS and WRITERS

How to make a Masterlist

Simple but efficient instructions to make a masterlist

ULTIMATE NOVEL WRITING RESOURCE MASTERLIST

This is an ultimate masterlist of many resources that could be helpful for writers.

List of AUs and Ship Tropes

For when you run out of ideas.

AUs

Ship Tropes

Legal sites to get some much needed Info

If there was only a way to find out all of this rather edgy information without getting yourself in trouble…

Resources for Describing Characters

For writing about physical appearances, character traits, talents,and skills and other related stuff of your characters, here is a comprehensive list.

Resources for Describing Emotions

Having trouble writing jealousy, happiness, motivation. Here you go!!

Some Resources for your Writing

Body Language

Reverse Dictionary

Character Traits

Things to Keep in mind when naming Characters

Valuable advice. Trust me

Words to Use when Writing Smut/Romance

This is for smut/romance writers. Kinda like a thesaurus.

Tips to write Pain

How are you supposed to write about pain you’ve never experienced before?

References for Greek Mythology Characters

Link to an extensive site every single detail of Greek Mythology from Gods to Family Trees.

Tips to write Blind Characters

Some tips that might be invaluable when writing character that are near-blind or blind

Things to Remember when writing a Highly Emotional Scene

Just small things that could make a great difference

How to write with Multiple POVs

Tips on how to write multiple POVs with diverse characters

Synonyms and Antonyms

The person who made this list is a blessing to writers. Just saying.

Good Qualities for Female Characters

Females don't always need to be protected and be weak. Make them more realistic.

Words to Use instead of ‘Said’

Every single situation is listed. Check it out.

Limits of the Human Body

All extremities listed

Readers

Legal Sites to Download Literature

From children’s books to rare books, from philosophy and religion to nonfiction. I guess you can find anything here.

The Rights of the Reader

And some (lots of) bashing of Helicopter Parents.(You want to read only the rights. Here it is)

Wet Book Rescue : Steps to save a Wet Book

Valuable information if some of your prized books were affected by recent flooding. The video even shows you what to do if you can’t dry the book out right away.

Cheatsheet to Navigate AO3

Makes your time on AO3 a little more easier and interesting

How to trick Writers into giving you More Fanfic to read

Works for Comics and Art as well.

Get a Book Suggestion

This book website gives you the first page of a random book without the title or author so that you can read it with no preconceptions

Books written by POC Writers

Only POC authors included in the list.

Students

Basic ASL (American Sign Language) Movements

ASL Hand Movements for beginners.

Tips for studying with ADHD/a>

Made by a person with ADHD themself.

Resources to Learn New Languages

Ten fairly useful general language resources

How to properly take notes

It helps. It really helps.

FREE ONLINE LANGUAGE COURSES

Here is a masterpost of MOOCs (massive open online courses) that are available, archived, or starting soon. I think they will help those that like to learn with a teacher or with videos.

A Thread of Tips

A thread of tips to help High School and College students academically

LEARN THINGS FOR FREE

FREE ONLINE COURSES (here are listed websites that provide huge variety of courses)

Google like a BOSS

Some life hacks which make student's lives easier.

625 words to know in your Target Language

If your learning a new language, these words will help you build a strong foundation.(Some tips and sites are include too)

Miscellaneous/Life Hacks

How to add music to your Blog

How to add your very own, custom homemade playlist to your blog?

How to Walk with Purpose?

Some tips on how to hold yourself in public and why.

Cheatsheet for Laundry Rooms

Saves a lot of money in the Laundry Room

How to Gird up your Loins?

A lesson in how to gird your loins.

How to Disappear Online

Please read and spread for the sake of abuse victims or stalker victims.

What to do during a Nuclear Attack

I hope you never have to use it but here are some guidelines to follow in the event of a nuclear attack

How to pull an All-Nighter.

A to-do list

Write a Thank You letter after your Interview

It leaves a good impression on your interviewer and increase your chances of passing the interview.

Laundry Tags: Meanings

A life hack that you’ll definitely need at some point.

Where to find free Movies and Series Online

Lots of sites. Lots and Lots of sites. I am not Kidding. Now go and chill without netflix. (Part II)

How to get a Refund?

Get your stuff or a refund.

HOW TO DO EVERYTHING FROM SCRATCH

This starts at the most absolute basics of gardening and planting, provides definitions, and hopefully is easily understandable. This is a MUST-READ. (Farming)

Discuss your wages

It’s your right to share your salary, not doing so could be holding you back.

Youtube Tutorials for Basically EVERYTHING

This is a big, giant list of Youtube tutorials that will teach you all the basic life skills you need to know in order to be a functional adult.

Safety

Emergency Evacuation - Items to Gather

A text list of suggested items to acquire in the event of an emergency.

If someone you know is in an abusive relationship

AN ABBREVIATED GUIDE TO ‘Holy shit!!! My friend is in an abusive relationship what do I do’ and what not to do.

Defense Tips for Women

Defense and Safety tips a woman MUST know. (Part II)

An app that informs your Emergency contacts if you are inactive in a set period of time.(Could prevent rape attempts if used correctly)

If a Man gets Physical

How to check if a mirror is one way or two-way

If you are trapped in a smoke-filled apartment: What to Do

How to get out of Hand-binds

How to get out of the bunker of a Car

How to track Anonymous asks.

How to pick a Lock

Traits and Warning signs of an Abuser

What to do if a bigot pulls your Hijab (from behind)

What to do if someone pulls of a Muslim Woman's Hijab? (To do List for both Men and Women)

#safety #health #mental health #writers #readers #micellaneous

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arcticdementor · 3 years ago

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Imagine that the US was competing in a space race with some third world country, say Zambia, for whatever reason. Americans of course would have orders of magnitude more money to throw at the problem, and the most respected aerospace engineers in the world, with degrees from the best universities and publications in the top journals. Zambia would have none of this. What should our reaction be if, after a decade, Zambia had made more progress?

Obviously, it would call into question the entire field of aerospace engineering. What good were all those Google Scholar pages filled with thousands of citations, all the knowledge gained from our labs and universities, if Western science gets outcompeted by the third world?

For all that has been said about Afghanistan, no one has noticed that this is precisely what just happened to political science. The American-led coalition had countless experts with backgrounds pertaining to every part of the mission on their side: people who had done their dissertations on topics like state building, terrorism, military-civilian relations, and gender in the military. General David Petraeus, who helped sell Obama on the troop surge that made everything in Afghanistan worse, earned a PhD from Princeton and was supposedly an expert in “counterinsurgency theory.” Ashraf Ghani, the just deposed president of the country, has a PhD in anthropology from Columbia and is the co-author of a book literally called Fixing Failed States. This was his territory. It’s as if Wernher von Braun had been given all the resources in the world to run a space program and had been beaten to the moon by an African witch doctor.

…

Phil Tetlock’s work on experts is one of those things that gets a lot of attention, but still manages to be underrated. In his 2005 Expert Political Judgment: How Good Is It? How Can We Know?, he found that the forecasting abilities of subject-matter experts were no better than educated laymen when it came to predicting geopolitical events and economic outcomes. As Bryan Caplan points out, we shouldn’t exaggerate the results here and provide too much fodder for populists; the questions asked were chosen for their difficulty, and the experts were being compared to laymen who nonetheless had met some threshold of education and competence.

At the same time, we shouldn’t put too little emphasis on the results either. They show that “expertise” as we understand it is largely fake. Should you listen to epidemiologists or economists when it comes to COVID-19? Conventional wisdom says “trust the experts.” The lesson of Tetlock (and the Afghanistan War), is that while you certainly shouldn’t be getting all your information from your uncle’s Facebook Wall, there is no reason to start with a strong prior that people with medical degrees know more than any intelligent person who honestly looks at the available data.

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I think one of the most interesting articles of the COVID era was a piece called “Beware of Facts Man” by Annie Lowrey, published in The Atlantic.

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The reaction to this piece was something along the lines of “ha ha, look at this liberal who hates facts.” But there’s a serious argument under the snark, and it’s that you should trust credentials over Facts Man and his amateurish takes. In recent days, a 2019 paper on “Epistemic Trespassing” has been making the rounds on Twitter. The theory that specialization is important is not on its face absurd, and probably strikes most people as natural. In the hard sciences and other places where social desirability bias and partisanship have less of a role to play, it’s probably a safe assumption. In fact, academia is in many ways premised on the idea, as we have experts in “labor economics,” “state capacity,” “epidemiology,” etc. instead of just having a world where we select the smartest people and tell them to work on the most important questions.

But what Tetlock did was test this hypothesis directly in the social sciences, and he found that subject-matter experts and Facts Man basically tied.

…

Interestingly, one of the best defenses of “Facts Man” during the COVID era was written by Annie Lowrey’s husband, Ezra Klein. His April 2021 piece in The New York Times showed how economist Alex Tabarrok had consistently disagreed with the medical establishment throughout the pandemic, and was always right. You have the “Credentials vs. Facts Man” debate within one elite media couple. If this was a movie they would’ve switched the genders, but since this is real life, stereotypes are confirmed and the husband and wife take the positions you would expect.

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In the end, I don’t think my dissertation contributed much to human knowledge, making it no different than the vast majority of dissertations that have been written throughout history. The main reason is that most of the time public opinion doesn’t really matter in foreign policy. People generally aren’t paying attention, and the vast majority of decisions are made out of public sight. How many Americans know or care that North Macedonia and Montenegro joined NATO in the last few years? Most of the time, elites do what they want, influenced by their own ideological commitments and powerful lobby groups. In times of crisis, when people do pay attention, they can be manipulated pretty easily by the media or other partisan sources.

If public opinion doesn’t matter in foreign policy, why is there so much study of public opinion and foreign policy? There’s a saying in academia that “instead of measuring what we value, we value what we can measure.” It’s easy to do public opinion polls and survey experiments, as you can derive a hypothesis, get an answer, and make it look sciency in charts and graphs. To show that your results have relevance to the real world, you cite some papers that supposedly find that public opinion matters, maybe including one based on a regression showing that under very specific conditions foreign policy determined the results of an election, and maybe it’s well done and maybe not, but again, as long as you put the words together and the citations in the right format nobody has time to check any of this. The people conducting peer review on your work will be those who have already decided to study the topic, so you couldn’t find a more biased referee if you tried.

Thus, to be an IR scholar, the two main options are you can either use statistical methods that don’t work, or actually find answers to questions, but those questions are so narrow that they have no real world impact or relevance. A smaller portion of academics in the field just produce postmodern-generator style garbage, hence “feminist theories of IR.” You can also build game theoretic models that, like the statistical work in the field, are based on a thousand assumptions that are probably false and no one will ever check. The older tradition of Kennan and Mearsheimer is better and more accessible than what has come lately, but the field is moving away from that and, like a lot of things, towards scientism and identity politics.

…

At some point, I decided that if I wanted to study and understand important questions, and do so in a way that was accessible to others, I’d have a better chance outside of the academy. Sometimes people thinking about an academic career reach out to me, and ask for advice. For people who want to go into the social sciences, I always tell them not to do it. If you have something to say, take it to Substack, or CSPI, or whatever. If it’s actually important and interesting enough to get anyone’s attention, you’ll be able to find funding.

If you think your topic of interest is too esoteric to find an audience, know that my friend Razib Khan, who writes about the Mongol empire, Y-chromosomes and haplotypes and such, makes a living doing this. If you want to be an experimental physicist, this advice probably doesn’t apply, and you need lab mates, major funding sources, etc. If you just want to collect and analyze data in a way that can be done without institutional support, run away from the university system.

The main problem with academia is not just the political bias, although that’s another reason to do something else with your life. It’s the entire concept of specialization, which holds that you need some secret tools or methods to understand what we call “political science” or “sociology,” and that these fields have boundaries between them that should be respected in the first place. Quantitative methods are helpful and can be applied widely, but in learning stats there are steep diminishing returns.

…

Outside of political science, are there other fields that have their own equivalents of “African witch doctor beats von Braun to the moon” or “the Taliban beats the State Department and the Pentagon” facts to explain? Yes, and here are just a few examples.

Consider criminology. More people are studying how to keep us safe from other humans than at any other point in history. But here’s the US murder rate between 1960 and 2018, not including the large uptick since then.

So basically, after a rough couple of decades, we’re back to where we were in 1960. But we’re actually much worse, because improvements in medical technology are keeping a lot of people that would’ve died 60 years ago alive. One paper from 2002 says that the murder rate would be 5 times higher if not for medical developments since 1960. I don’t know how much to trust this, but it’s surely true that we’ve made some medical progress since that time, and doctors have been getting a lot of experience from all the shooting victims they have treated over the decades. Moreover, we’re much richer than we were in 1960, and I’m sure spending on public safety has increased. With all that, we are now about tied with where we were almost three-quarters of a century ago, a massive failure.

What about psychology? As of 2016, there were 106,000 licensed psychologists in the US. I wish I could find data to compare to previous eras, but I don’t think anyone will argue against the idea that we have more mental health professionals and research psychologists than ever before. Are we getting mentally healthier? Here’s suicides in the US from 1981 to 2016

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What about education? I’ll just defer to Freddie deBoer’s recent post on the topic, and Scott Alexander on how absurd the whole thing is.

Maybe there have been larger cultural and economic forces that it would be unfair to blame criminology, psychology, and education for. Despite no evidence we’re getting better at fighting crime, curing mental problems, or educating children, maybe other things have happened that have outweighed our gains in knowledge. Perhaps the experts are holding up the world on their shoulders, and if we hadn’t produced so many specialists over the years, thrown so much money at them, and gotten them to produce so many peer reviews papers, we’d see Middle Ages-levels of violence all across the country and no longer even be able to teach children to read. Like an Ayn Rand novel, if you just replaced the business tycoons with those whose work has withstood peer review.

Or you can just assume that expertise in these fields is fake. Even if there are some people doing good work, either they are outnumbered by those adding nothing or even subtracting from what we know, or our newly gained understanding is not being translated into better policies. Considering the extent to which government relies on experts, if the experts with power are doing things that are not defensible given the consensus in their fields, the larger community should make this known and shun those who are getting the policy questions so wrong. As in the case of the Afghanistan War, this has not happened, and those who fail in the policy world are still well regarded in their larger intellectual community.

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Those opposed to cancel culture have taken up the mantle of “intellectual diversity” as a heuristic, but there’s nothing valuable about the concept itself. When I look at the people I’ve come to trust, they are diverse on some measures, but extremely homogenous on others. IQ and sensitivity to cost-benefit considerations seem to me to be unambiguous goods in figuring out what is true or what should be done in a policy area. You don’t add much to your understanding of the world by finding those with low IQs who can’t do cost-benefit analysis and adding them to the conversation.

One of the clearest examples of bias in academia and how intellectual diversity can make the conversation better is the work of Lee Jussim on stereotypes. Basically, a bunch of liberal academics went around saying “Conservatives believe in differences between groups, isn’t that terrible!” Lee Jussim, as someone who is relatively moderate, came along and said “Hey, let’s check to see whether they’re true!” This story is now used to make the case for intellectual diversity in the social sciences.

Yet it seems to me that isn’t the real lesson here. Imagine if, instead of Jussim coming forward and asking whether stereotypes are accurate, Osama bin Laden had decided to become a psychologist. He’d say “The problem with your research on stereotypes is that you do not praise Allah the all merciful at the beginning of all your papers.” If you added more feminist voices, they’d say something like “This research is problematic because it’s all done by men.” Neither of these perspectives contributes all that much. You’ve made the conversation more diverse, but dumber. The problem with psychology was a very specific one, in that liberals are particularly bad at recognizing obvious facts about race and sex. So yes, in that case the field could use more conservatives, not “more intellectual diversity,” which could just as easily make the field worse as make it better. And just because political psychology could use more conservative representation when discussing stereotypes doesn’t mean those on the right always add to the discussion rather than subtract from it. As many religious Republicans oppose the idea of evolution, we don’t need the “conservative” position to come and help add a new perspective to biology.

The upshot is intellectual diversity is a red herring, usually a thinly-veiled plea for more conservatives. Nobody is arguing for more Islamists, Nazis, or flat earthers in academia, and for good reason. People should just be honest about the ways in which liberals are wrong and leave it at that.

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The failure in Afghanistan was mind-boggling. Perhaps never in the history of warfare had there been such a resource disparity between two sides, and the US-backed government couldn’t even last through the end of the American withdrawal. One can choose to understand this failure through a broad or narrow lens. Does it only tell us something about one particular war or is it a larger indictment of American foreign policy?

The main argument of this essay is we’re not thinking big enough. The American loss should be seen as a complete discrediting of the academic understanding of “expertise,” with its reliance on narrowly focused peer reviewed publications and subject matter knowledge as the way to understand the world. Although I don’t develop the argument here, I think I could make the case that expertise isn’t just fake, it actually makes you worse off because it gives you a higher level of certainty in your own wishful thinking. The Taliban probably did better by focusing their intellectual energies on interpreting the Holy Quran and taking a pragmatic approach to how they fought the war rather than proceeding with a prepackaged theory of how to engage in nation building, which for the West conveniently involved importing its own institutions.

A discussion of the practical implications of all this, or how we move from a world of specialization to one with better elites, is also for another day. For now, I’ll just emphasize that for those thinking of choosing an academic career to make universities or the peer review system function better, my advice is don’t. The conversation is much more interesting, meaningful, and oriented towards finding truth here on the outside.

#richard hanania #substack #afghanistan #read the whole thing

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uncloseted · 4 years ago

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So, I’m in my 20s. I’m 22 right now but I just don’t feel like I have any direction in my life. I just got a new job at a hospital as a patient transporter and I’m excited about that. I wanna save my money there, but I don’t know what I wanna use it for. I kind of wanna take a small course in something and get a better job, but I also just wanna move away from where I live, because it’s not a good area and not good for me mentally or emotionally. I just don’t know what to do, and I’m getting tired of feeling frustrated and directionless. What are your thoughts? I love hearing from you. You always give the most thoughtful and wise advice. Thank you Christina.

I think it’s totally normal to feel directionless at 22. You’re still figuring out who you are and what you like and what you don’t like and what you want when you’re 22, so I think it makes sense that you’re not sure what your passion is yet. It does sound like you’ve figured out that you want to save money and move away, which seems like a really great goal to me. As far as classes go, Coursera (https://www.coursera.org/) has about 3000 classes that you can audit for free, and a lot of universities post their classes on YouTube as well. You don’t necessarily need to pay money in order to gain the skills to get a better job.

In terms of the idea of passion more generally, here’s what I think. I’ve talked about this before here with regard to finding a career, so apologies to anyone who’s seen my thoughts on this before.

First, I would look into the Japanese concept of ikigai- your “reason for being”.

When searching for your ikigai, I would suggest making a list (no matter how short), of the things you love, the things you’re good at, the things the world needs, and the things you can be paid for. Look for overlaps in each category, and try your best to think creatively about how you can combine the different categories. For example, maybe you love movies, you think the world needs to know about global warming, and you’re good at organization. Your ikigai in that case might be to be a coordinator on documentaries that focus on global warming. It’s a job that pays pretty well, and also incorporates the other sections on your list, so it’s likely to feel fulfilling. For help figuring out what your strengths might be, I like the VIA Character Strengths Survey. It’s not methodologically perfect, but I think it can help to point you in the right direction, or at least give you a set of options to consider when thinking about what your strengths might be.

Moving away from ikigai, there’s this story that I think about a lot. One of my great uncles told it to me, and I always assumed it was a story from his life until one day I discovered it was actually a chain email called The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman and the Banker. I still think about it a lot, though, and it’s shaped the way I view work, so maybe it will be useful to you as well. It goes like this:

An American investment banker was taking a much-needed vacation in a small coastal Mexican village (in my uncle’s story, the fisherman is from Kalymnos and he dives for sponges) when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. The boat had several large, fresh fish in it.

The investment banker was impressed by the quality of the fish and asked the Mexican how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, “Only a little while.” The banker then asked why he didn’t stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican fisherman replied he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs.

The American then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman replied, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos: I have a full and busy life, señor.”

The investment banker scoffed, “I am an Ivy League MBA (in my family the school is always Harvard), and I could help you. You could spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat, and with the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats until eventually, you would have a whole fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to the middleman you could sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You could control the product, processing and distribution.”

Then he added, “Of course, you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City where you would run your growing enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But señor, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15–20 years.”

“But what then?” asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You could make millions.”

“Millions, señor? Then what?”

To which the investment banker replied, “Then you would retire. You could move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

The question that this story prompts for me is, if you had unlimited time and resources, what kind of life would you lead? Where would you live? What would you spend your time doing? Who would you be with? Would you have pets? Kids? What would your daily routine look like? Maybe the answer for you isn’t a university degree or an office job. Maybe it’s not millions. Maybe it’s diving for sponges on a Greek island or being a fisherman in Mexico. I think it can be helpful to put together an image of that perfect life and then try to reverse engineer the best way of getting there.

I would also think about the opposite- what kind of life could you absolutely not stand living? Knowing what your “hard nos” can help you to narrow down the potential field of options. For example, my hard nos include anything to do with venipuncture, jobs that require me to be organized on behalf of other people, anything that’s heavy on performing/public speaking, jobs where people have high expectations of me (incidentally, this is the reason I’m not a therapist), and any environment that wants me to work more than 40 hours a week. For some people, all of those are totally doable, but for me they’re not, and that’s okay. There’s no reason to spend your life doing things that make you miserable.

The last thing I’m going to suggest is the CareerExplorer quiz. I like this quiz in particular for a few reasons. First, it’s a really comprehensive test, and so I think it can help you find the language to describe what you’re going through, what your hard yesses and hard nos are, and what you need in a work setting. Even if the answers the test gives aren’t perfect, I think it provides a framework to think about career options because of the questions it asks. The other reason I really like this test is because so far it’s been 100% correct for everyone I know, even those with more obscure careers, so it seems to be more exact than other career aptitude tests out there. And the user interface is really nice as well, which is a bonus.

Hopefully all of this can help you begin to think about what you want and how you might be able to achieve it. And I’m always here to help if you want to run ideas by me :)

#Anonymous #effys-closet #effys closet

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douchebagbrainwaves · 3 years ago

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WHY I'M SMARTER THAN UNDERGRADUATES

One of the cases he decided was brought by the owner of a food shop. Don't be discouraged if what you produce initially is something other people dismiss as a toy, it makes us especially likely to invest. Seeing a painting they recognize from reproductions is so overwhelming that their response to it as a tautology. There's nothing more valuable than an unmet need that is just becoming fixable. You have to show you're impressed with what you've made. Google, companies in Silicon Valley already knew it was important to have the right kind of people to have ideas with: the other students, who will be not only smart but elastic-minded to a fault. Being good art is that it will make the people who say that the theory is probably true, but rather depressing: it's not so bad as it sounds.

The founders were experienced guys who'd done startups before and who'd just succeeded in getting millions from one of the reasons artists in fifteenth century Florence to explain in person to Leonardo & Co.1 If Microsoft was the Empire, they were the Rebel Alliance. In every case, the creation of wealth seems to appear and disappear like the noise of a fan as you switch on and off. One often hears a policy criticized on the grounds that it would increase the income gap between rich and poor? Perhaps this tends to attract people who are bad at understanding. It would work on a moon base where we had to buy air by the liter. It seemed obvious that beauty, for example, as property in the way we do. It could be the reason they don't have to wait to be an adult.

The answer, I realized, is that my m. And passion is a bad way to put it, because it's so hard for rigid-minded people to follow. That's to be expected. An eloquent speaker or writer can give the impression of vanquishing an opponent merely by using forceful words. But valuable ideas are not quite the same thing; the difference is individual tastes.2 Don't talk about secondary matters at length. When we launched Viaweb, it seemed to be nothing more than a tenth of your time working on new stuff. Now a lot of people in the Valley is watching them. In either case you let yourself be defined by what they tell you to do.3

Of course, space aliens probably wouldn't find human faces engaging. Rebellion is almost as stupid as obedience. The next level up we start to see responses to the writing, rather than something that has to be the most common complaint you heard about Apple was that their fans admired them too uncritically. Does anyone believe they would notice the anomaly, and not simply write that stocks were up or down, reporter looks for good or bad?4 Inc recently asked me who I thought were the 5 most interesting startup founders of the last 30 years.5 Simplicity takes effort—genius, even. But unlike serfs they had an incentive to create a giant, public company, and assume you could build something way easier to use.

Putting undergraduates' profiles online wouldn't have seemed like much of a startup called Friendfeed. That would definitely happen if programmers started to use handhelds as development machines—if handhelds displaced laptops the way laptops displaced desktops. Taking a shower is like a form of exemplary punishment, or lobbying for laws that would break the Internet if they passed, that's ipso facto evidence you're using a definition of property be whatever they wanted. Back in the 90s. Franz Beckenbauer's was, in effect, that if you tried this you'd be able to say about such and such market share. The average person looks at it and thinks: how amazingly skillful.6 It's still a very weak form of disagreement, we give critical readers a pin for popping such balloons. If one blows up in your face, start another. Ten weeks is not much time. Everyone at Rehearsal Day. Merely being aware of them usually prevents them from working. If I could tell startups only ten sentences, this would be one of them.

What counts as property depends on what you mean by worth. It would have been. I don't think people consciously realize this, but one person, but secrecy also has its advantages. Honestly, Sam is, along with Steve Jobs, the founder I refer to most when I'm advising startups. It's also true that there are quite a few marketplaces out there that serve this same market. Obviously the world sucked, so why wouldn't they? There was not much point. There are always great ideas sitting right under our noses. England in the 1060s, when William the Conqueror distributed the estates of the defeated Anglo-Saxon nobles to his followers, the conflict was military. When I ask people what they regret most about high school, I now realize, is that I was ready for something else. The old answer was no: you were supposed to pretend that you wanted to make pages that looked good, you also have to discard the idea of good art, there's also such a thing as good art, and if one group is a minority in some population, pairs of them will be a minority squared. You have to show you're impressed with what you've made.

For describing pages, we had a template language called RTML, which supposedly stood for something, but which in fact I found my doodles changed after I started studying painting.7 We are having a bit of a debate inside our partnership about the airbed concept. It was thus subjective rather than objective. Don't fix Windows, because the school authorities vetoed the plan to invite me. You can see wealth—in buildings and streets, in the sense that hackers and painters are both makers, and this question is just to do what they did.8 It's dangerous to design your life around getting into college, because the only potential acquirer is Microsoft, and when you're not paying attention, you keep making these same gestures, but somewhat randomly. No matter how much to how many voters, and adjust their message so precisely in response, that they tend to split the difference on the issues have lined up with charisma for 11 elections in a row?

So is it meaningless to talk about it publicly till long afterward.9 The way Apple runs the App Store is full of half-baked applications. If I were talking to a roomful of people than you would in conversation.10 The problem is, it's hard to get the gold out of it. Where does wealth come from?11 You can demonstrate your respect for one another in more subtle ways.12 So for example a group that has built an easy to use web-based spreadsheet and see how far we get.13 If success probably means getting bought, should you make that a conscious goal? While young founders are at a disadvantage when coming up with a million dollar idea. I'd like to reply with another question: why do people think it's hard?

Notes

But it is generally the common stock holders who take the term whitelist instead of themselves. There's comparatively little from it. I couldn't convince Fred Wilson to fund them. I've come to you about it.

Peter Norvig found that three quarters of them could as accurately be called unfair. We don't call it procrastination when someone works hard and doesn't get paid to work on what you learn via users anyway.

They're often different in kind, because some schools work hard to say that the investments that generate the highest price paid for a startup in a more general rule: focus on building the company down. Enterprise software sold through traditional channels is very visible in Silicon Valley.

In many ways the New Deal was a kid that you'd want to get jobs. Philosophy is like starting out in the US, it might seem, because they have zero ability to change. If the rich paid high taxes? The two guys were Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston.

Don't be evil. And especially about what other people in return for something that flows from some central tap. I'm convinced there were, we found Dave Shen there, only for startups to have suffered from having been corporate software for so long. I think investors currently err too far on the dollar.

The fancy version of everything was called the option pool as well use the local stuff. Philosophy is like starting out in the postwar period also helped preserve the wartime compression of wages—specifically by sharding it.

This is everyday life in general. So, can I make it easy. Believe it or not, under current US law, writing and visual design.

But which of them agreed with everything in exactly the opposite: when we say it's ipso facto right to buy your kids' way into top colleges by sending them to justify choices inaction in particular.

An influx of inexpensive but mediocre investors. Comments at the start of the things I find myself asking founders Would you use in representing physical things. These points don't apply to the ideal of a rolling close usually prevents this.

If you're sufficiently good bet, why are you even working on what people will give you fifty times as much income. When a lot of money around is never something people treat casually. No one writing a dictionary from scratch, rather than giving grants.

For similar reasons, avoid the topic. It's not only the leaves who suffer. They act as if you'd invested at a 5 million cap, but that we know exactly how a lot of reasons American car companies, like the bizarre stuff.

Foster, Richard and David Whitehouse, Mohammed, Charlemagne and the exercise of stock the VCs should be designed to live in a request.

Odds are people who are good presenters, but to do certain kinds of work the upper middle class first appeared in northern Italy and the first version was mostly Lisp, Wiley, 1985, p. So during the 2002-03 season was 2. Possible doesn't mean the hypothetical people who need the money so burdensome, that must mean you should seek outside advice, before realizing that that's what you're doing.

Thanks to Robert Morris, Sam Altman, Chris Dixon, Jessica Livingston, Paul Watson, Geoff Ralston, Sarah Harlin, Dan Giffin, and Alexia Tsotsis for smelling so good.

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chaotic-archaeologist · 6 years ago

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Any advice for an aspiring archeologist?

Greetings!

I have a lot of advice, and I’m going to frame it with the preface that I spent two years figuring out that I needed to not be a psych major, so my path might look a little different than someone who started out as an anthro major.

Now let’s begin:

Narrow down your area of interest: Think carefully about what areas/ periods of history you like the best and resonate the most with. For example, Medieval Europe is a thousand years and a whole continent, so try to narrow it down to a specific region and time span (I specialize in Wales 800 CE- 1300 CE and England during the War of the Roses). Ancient Rome is very big and very long too. Break it into political periods (Republic/Empire/Rise/Fall) and geographic areas.

One thing I’ve found that helps a lot with this process is reading a lot of historical fiction. Read some books to see what kind of people you’re drawn to (peasants/royalty/merchants/aristocrats/etc). I can personally recommend a lot of books on England that helped me figure out who pulled on my heartstrings and who I didn’t care about.

Depending on what you choose you’ll end up in one of two categories 1) Prehistoric Archaeology, or 2) Historical Archaeology. These will be important for some undergrad classes but it’s mostly a grad school thing that you can sort out as you get on with your education.

Classes: There will be some classes that you need to take for an archaeology/anthropology major. They might vary depending on your institution, but expect to take at least an Introduction to Archaeology class (which is exactly what it sounds like), and a Methods class (how to identify what kind of artifact is what, and how to record and research. You will probably have to scratch ceramics with dental tools, which I personally hated).

Now, it may not count towards your major, but I would strongly recommend taking at least one history class that focuses on your period and area of interest. It’ll give you better in depth knowledge and context and help with your research skills. These classes may not necessarily be found in the history department, for example: I’ll be taking a Jewish Studies class on Eastern Europe sometime in the next year or so because I plan on studying the archaeology of pogroms.

Field School*: I’m putting this in a separate category because field school is a doozy. This is something that will be required to grad school and for your major. Field school is where you learn the technical skills of how to dig and excavate. I personally loved it, but some people hate it.

It is okay to hate excavation, and if you do you have two choices 1) suck it up for the field season or 2) choose to work on analyzing collections that already exist. The good news is that there are zillions of pre-existing collections out there that someone has already kindly dug up for you, but the bad news is that there’s way more funding for excavation than there is for lab work (this is messed up but everyone loves to find things and no one loves to catalogue them).

Because you might not like fieldwork, please, please, please take my advice and try to do your field school early in your undergrad years. That way if you don’t like it there’s plenty of time to take other classes or change your major.

Now there are a lot of options for field schools, and many of them are abroad in Fun Exotic Places. Personally, I steered clear of those because 1) they are more expensive, 2) they’re higher stakes because they’re more expensive and you are dealing with potentially Very Special Precious Things, and 3) you will be tempted to sightsee and consume alcohol and neither of those things are great to do during field season. I took my field school at the state university right next to where I live and it cost me around $4,000 USD, as opposed to perhaps $8,000 USD to go to Rome.

*Be advised that field school is much more like the movie Holes than it is Indiana Jones.

Grad School: The bad news is that if you want to work as an archaeologist you’re going to have to suck it up and go to grad school, and it might steal a little bit of your soul. The good news is that your soul will grow back.

Going into grad school you should know one thing: most archaeologists are not employed at a university teaching or doing research. Most of us will have jobs out in the real world working for companies that do contract archaeology for construction companies, the state or federal government, or some sort of private organization like a tribe.

Okay, good. You have two choices with grad school 1) a PhD, or 2) a Masters. If you want to be a professor and do research and teach you’ll need to get a PhD. You do not necessarily need a PhD to work in the private sector. There are some pros and cons to both. A Masters is faster but you’ll need to pay more, but because it takes less time you’ll be out in the real world making money sooner. A PhD takes a couple of years longer, but generally the university will pay you, so it’s cheaper and it means that you might have more chances for higher up jobs in the future. You can also start a PhD program and decide to leave with just a Masters instead, but it’s complicated.

Jobs: Being an archaeologist doesn’t always mean you dig. You can do survey work (radar, magnetic resistance, LiDAR). You can do stuff with computers like GIS (I know nothing about GIS because I hate computers with a passion, so go ask someone else.) You can work in a museum curating artifacts (there are museum studies degrees), or work analyzing things people have already found like I mentioned above. You can look at specialized fields (pollen analysis, pottery analysis, osteoarchaeology, etc)

If you do want to dig, you have to decide where. If it’s an exotic location like high altitudes in Peru, chances are that you’re going to need a University to back you up on that, so you’ll need to be a professor. But there are also places that will pay you to dig. England has an archaeologist for pretty much every country, and they get called in when construction finds something old. American construction companies also have similar clauses in their contracts, and if they find something they hire a private firm to come and mitigate the damage of said construction.

Some counties/states will also have archaeologists on hand. Please check out @archaeologistproblems and @anglo-saxintrash because they both know quite a lot about digging.

Some disclaimers: You need to love this work, because it’s hard. Digging is hard on your body, and I know a lot of older professionals who have back, shoulder, elbow, or wrist problems because of it. I also know several who have skin cancer, so for the love of all that is holy please wear sunscreen. During field season you will be in pain, end of story. If you’re in a situation where you can’t dig for part of the year you’ll spend time sitting at a desk analyzing and writing about what you found.

You won’t get rich. The private sector can pay more than the university gigs, but no one is making bank off of this. The other day I had to inform a 9 year old at public outreach that 1) I wasn’t going to find any gold and 2) even if I did, I don’t get to keep what I find.

Sometimes you won’t find anything at all (as one of my professors would say “absence is presence!!!”) and that’s very disappointing. I know of a dig that went on for two field seasons (two years) and the found one. single. coin. It’s a huge bummer but you can’t find a crystal skull every day.

People will endlessly mistake you for a paleontologist and ask you about dinosaurs. At some point this will make you want to stab your eyes out with a spork. Either tell them what your favorite dinosaur is and move on, or get good at patiently explaining that you research dead humans, not dead lizards.

Lastly, don’t give up: I know that this is a long post and it looks daunting, but if this is what you love, there’s no substitute. I dream of dirt at night. I make ooh and ahh sounds at little fragments of ceramics and get giddy when someone mentions that there might be a privy somewhere. I want to know about what people in the past ate and used and threw away, and even though it’s a lot less lucrative than being a therapist I wouldn’t chose anything else.

Keep your trowel sharp and your heart hopeful,

-Reid

#archaeology #archeology #grad school #academia #field work #archaeology advice #history #he speaks #screamingaboutgirlsandboys

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mostlysignssomeportents · 5 years ago

Text

Pluralistic: 18 Mar 2020 (Ethopia's Jack Ma infatuation, Charter's infect-the-world plan, Trumpist firefighters dismiss covid, Flatter Me, aviation bailouts need strings attached, the only way through is together, ventilator sharing, explainers, patents vs respirators, covid stimulus, DIY TP, 1665 plague orders+

Today's links

Ethiopian factory sports Jack Ma quotes: Global trade currents are shifting fast.

Charter orders all workers to keep showing up: Even the 15% of its workforce who could work from home.

MAGA firefighters dismiss coronavirus as Democrat hoax: And/or a Chinese bioweapon.

Flatter Me, a compliments card game: Kickstarting now.

American Airlines blew billions, now it wants a bailout: Socializing losses, privatizing gains.

John Green's mutual aid manifesto: The only way through is together.

How to split a single ventilator for four patients: Peer-reviewed simulations.

Bigoted Republican Congressjerk votes against coronavirus relief because it might cover same-sex partnerships: Rep Andy Biggs wants to send us all to meet Jesus.

Epidemiology and public health in 14 minutes: An epidemiologist and an sf writer make an outstanding science communications team.

3D printed ventilator hero got a patent threat: Human rights vs property rights.

If nothing is for sale, how will covid stimulus work? Can you fix a supply shock with stimulus?

How to make your own toilet paper: A craft for your isolated kiddos.

Plague precautions from 1665: No feasting, but you can tipple in a bar until 9PM.

This day in history: 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019

Colophon: Recent publications, current writing projects, upcoming appearances, current reading

Ethiopian factory sports Jack Ma quotes (permalink)

This pic was taken by researchers from Caribou Data at a textiles factory in Ethiopia. Every curtain on every window bore silk-screened quotes from Jack Ma's book (the name of the factory has been redacted to preserve the owner's privacy).

The researchers told me that 72 hours after Alibaba moved into Rwanda, every coffee farmer using the platform had sold out of their inventory.

It's a potent and visually arresting reminder of how global trade currents are shifting.

Charter orders all workers to keep showing up (permalink)

My local monopoly ISP is Charter. They're terrible in every single way. What's more, my city, Burbank, owns 100GB fiber that runs under my home's foundation slab, but I can't access it because of Charter's deal with the city. In addition to delivering slow-as-molasses connectivity at nosebleed prices (and relentlessly advertising upsells, dozens every week, print and digital), the company is also forcing all workers to show up in person during the pandemic – even those who could work from home.

They basically forced Nick Wheeler, an engineer who complained about this, to resign, calling his short, measured complaint about the policy "irresponsible," accusing him of "inciting fear."

https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/16/charter-coronavirus-work-home/

Charter gives its workers a single annual week's worth of sick-leave. Workers have to use that leave time if they are worried about contracting or transmitting coronavirus. Medical advice for coronavirus infections is to self-isolate for two weeks, though.

Even other telcos (AT&T, Comcast) are asking workers to work from home. Charter CEO Tom Rutledge has doubled down on his infect-the-world policy, because "While back office and management functions can be performed remotely, they are more effective from the office."

Charter is a tremendous beneficiary of public largesse. It gets access to our rights-of-way, something they couldn't hope to afford at market rates. It received billions in tax-cuts (which it squandered on stock buybacks). The company got Net Neutrality dismantled, and is given monopolies wherever it operates.

This largesse is predicated on the idea that Charter views itself as a steward and can be trusted with monopoly self-regulation. If you had any doubt that the company can't be trusted to pour piss out of a boot with instructions printed on the heel, this should dispel it forever.

What I'm saying is, if you ever have a Charter exec in your home, count the spoons before you let him leave.

MAGA firefighters dismiss coronavirus as Democrat hoax (permalink)

"IAFF Union Firefighters for Trump" is a 27,000 member Facebook group of first responders who split from their union over its endorsement of Biden; Trump himself has endorsed the group.

Today, it is full of firefighters and EMTs who say that coronavirus is no big deal.

Some of the group's members are posting evidence to the contrary from their working experience, talking about the devastation they're witnessing firsthand. Their colleagues reply with poop emojis and "Trump2020."

https://www.propublica.org/article/facebook-firefighters-corona#179168

The group is infected with the conspiracy theory that coronvirus is a panic cooked up by Democrats to discredit Trump, or that it's a Chinese bioweapon, an idea that Trump and his Congressional and Senate supporters have tacitly (or explicitly) endorsed.

This is especially worrying as EMTs and firefighters are at high risk of contracting coronovirus. If they don't take the risk seriously, they could spread it to vulnerable people, or reduce emergency capacity while they are quarantined (they also risk their own health).

Group founder Kelly Hallman told Propublica that "There's never been this much hoopla given to the other things. They're doing it to crash the economy and make Trump look bad…If you had to point a finger at why the leftist media and the left in general has a smile on their face about this, it's the Dow. My wife and kids are scared, believing what they're seeing on TV. I'm telling them it's not as bad as the media makes out."

Flatter Me, a compliments card game (permalink)

Flatter Me is Ami Baio's latest kickstarted card-game: "a two-player game for all ages with 250 unique compliments to play with friends, family, and partners."

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/amibaio/flatter-me-a-compliment-battle-card-game

Its creator Ami Baio specialises in games that turn on kindness and connection; her last project was "You Don't Know Me."

https://youthinkyouknowme.cards/

A $20 pledge gets you one Flatter Me deck, $35 gets a two-pack. The cards are also designed to be given as gifts: "given to friends who need a boost, tucked into cards or gift bags, or left for friends to find."

Baio is seeking $12k in pre-orders and is delivers in Oct.

American Airlines blew billions, now it wants a bailout (permalink)

Since 2014, American Airlines has accumulated a $30B debt. It did so while paying its shareholders $15B through stock buybacks, and while raising prices on fliers, nickel-and-diming on bag charges and other extras. Now its industry group – whose members spent 96% of their free cash-flow on buybacks – is seeking a $50B coronavirus bailout, with no strings attached. That's 300% more than the industry got after 9/11.

This is shareholder capitalism working as intended. As Matt Levine writes, "it is optimized to extract money for shareholders when things go well and minimize the amount of shareholder money that is at risk when things go very wrong."

http://link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/join/4wm/moneystuff-signup

But as Tim Wu writes, bailouts should come with strings attached. The airlines engineered this situation for themselves. If we let them socialized their losses and privatize their gains (again), they'll do it again (again).

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/opinion/airlines-bailout.html

"Change fees should be capped at $50 and baggage fees tied to some ratio of costs. The change fees don't just irritate; they are a drag on the broader economy, making the transport system less flexible and discouraging otherwise efficient changes to travel plans."

"We should end the airlines' pursuit of smaller and smaller seats, which are not only uncomfortable and even physically harmful, but also foster in-flight rage and make the job of flight attendants nigh unbearable."

"Finally, we have allowed too much common ownership, permitting large shareholders to take a stake in each of the major airlines, creating incentives to collude instead of compete."

As Naomi Klein has reminded us, the Shock Doctrine (can) cut both ways: the Great Depression catalyzed transformative change and the New Deal. Let's not permit this disaster be seized by the people responsible for it.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/17/pluralistic-17-mar-2020/#disaster-socialism

John Green's mutual aid manifesto (permalink)

This video from John Green is a tonic: a reminder that humanity has a shared destiny and that cooperation is the human condition. and that mutual aid is key.

"The only way out is through, and the only way through is together."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh23nwxpfe8

How to split a single ventilator for four patients (permalink)

In 2008, Greg Neyman and Charlene Babcock Irvin published "A Single Ventilator for Multiple Simulated Patients to Meet Disaster Surge" in the peer-reviewed Society for Academic Emergency Medicine journal.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1197/j.aem.2006.05.009

In this video, Dr Babcock demonstrates how to split a single ventilator to safely and effectively treat up to four patients.

As she points out, there have been no studies of this, but it has been (temporarily) used successfully in the field.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uClq978oohY

Bigoted Republican Congressjerk votes against coronavirus relief because it might cover same-sex partnerships (permalink)

You may not get paid leave during the coronavirus crisis in part because Rep Andy Biggs (R-AZ) voted against it because his homophobia was more salient than his empathy.

https://theintercept.com/2020/03/17/coronavirus-stimulus-bill-andy-biggs/

He claimed (wrongly) that this was novel federal legislation in that it included domestic partnerships.

He was objecting to the provision of assistance to family members, including "biological, foster, or adopted child, a stepchild, a child of a domestic partner."

As Lee Fang writes, "The exact same legislative text around domestic partnerships and committed relationships is found in several bills in Congress, including paid sick leave legislation proposed as far back as 2015."

Biggs also lied and said that he objected to coronavirus relief because it would repeal the Hyde Amendment ("Two provisions that have nothing to do with the coronavirus are basically thrown into this thing. That's par for the course for the left").

The bill does not repeal the Hyde Amendment.

The Republican Party, folks. The party of death and poverty and tragedy and hate. Remember that in November.

Epidemiology and public health in 14 minutes (permalink)

Epidemiologist Dr. Ross Kauffman and sf writer Tobias Buckell teamed up to produce this short video explaining the costs of a runaway coronavirus epidemic to explain the need for drastic measures to their local Ohio town council.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqgINxGQB5w

It's a spectacular piece of science communications: grave without being alarmist, calm and measured, informative and plainspoken. It's a really important piece of video and I hope you'll watch it.

3D printed ventilator hero got a patent threat (permalink)

Remember the heartwarming story of the Italian makers who volunteered to fix their hospital's busted ventilators with 3D printed parts that they designed and produced on the spot?

https://pluralistic.net/2020/03/16/tiktoks-secrets/#3dp-breathfree

It turns out that these makers weren't just saving lives, they were also taking a legal risk. That's because when they asked the manufacturer for help with the project, the manufacturer countered by threatening to sue them for patent infringement.

https://it.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-manca-la-valvola-per-uno-strumento-di-rianimazione-e-noi-la-stampiamo-in-3d-accade-nellospedale-di-chiari-brescia/

The part they printed cost them 1 euro, while replacing the system would cost a reported EUR10,000.

In a heartfelt, and soul-searching post, one of the people behind the project says he won't try to distribute the files he created.

https://www.facebook.com/Ing.Cristian.Fracassi/posts/10222339428782713

I can't help but wonder if he's hoping to mollify the corporation whose threats he ignored to help save lives.

Postscript: If you're pondering the issues of open source/homebrew respirator design, check out this excellent thread on the material constraints and challenges of med-tech.

https://twitter.com/turzaak/status/1239544498553860096

If nothing is for sale, how will covid stimulus work? (permalink)

I'm a believer in Modern Monetary Theory and the idea that state deficit spending is not intrinsically inflationary – only when the state is trying to procure things the private sector wants, so they get into a bidding war.

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/16/18251646/modern-monetary-theory-new-moment-explained

In theory, the covid contraction is a great candidate for MMT stimulus. If people are stockpiling cash and thus eliminating their discretionary spending (40% of US GDP!), then the state can procure the discretionary items without triggering inflation.

Or there could be a hybrid, such as distributing vouchers to the public, redeemable for discretionary purchases – instead of bailing out aviation, we could buy people plane tickets, for example.

But that runs into a big problem: there's another reason people aren't making discretionary purchases, which is that those goods and services aren't available (manufacture has been disrupted by social distancing) or aren't safe (flying is incompatible with social distancing).

In this case, it seems to me that stimulus spending runs the risk of being inflationary (when everyone tries to redeem their plane ticket vouchers at once) or useless (people throw away their vouchers). Stimulus + supply shock = ??

That's not to rule out stimulus altogether, but it does suggest that the stimulus needs to be targeted, especially considering the size of the bailout that Wall Street is bandying about: trillions, in a matter of days.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-coronavirus-calls-for-wartime-economic-thinking

The GOP is calling for a $1,000/person bailout, but as @yvessmith says, this isn't much when it comes to the immediate expenses that affected people need to cover, like rent, mortgage, and, of course, treating covid-related illness without insurance.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2020/03/why-sending-1000-checks-to-everyone-wont-solve-the-coronavirus

Maybe, instead, help to cover mortgage and rent, along with anti-eviction/foreclosure rules; help with utilities, expanded food aid, and swift Medicare for All. Then, once the crisis is passed, a big stimulus package – for people, not banks – that gets us buying stuff again?

TBH, I don't know. It's weird to feel skeptical of stimulus, given how valuable demand-side relief would have been over the past decade+. Obviously we don't want another 2008 plute bonanza giveaway, but we also don't want to inject ever more money to chase ever-fewer goods.

How to make your own toilet paper (permalink)

Making toilet paper at home is a pretty on-the-nose craft to try with your covid-isolated kiddos. You need newsprint, leaves/grass (as a cellulosic binder) and baby oil.

https://www.ehow.com/how_4514690_make-toilet-paper.html

Soak the paper until ink is mostly gone, slowly boil with leaves/grass, simmer 1h, bring to boil for 30m, adding water and skimming foam. Remove, ladle out excess water. Mix 4tbsps of baby oil in with pulp. Scoop pulp onto a towel, press with a rolling pin.

Gently beat out lumps with a rubber mallet, add another towel on top. Cover with a board and add weights. Wait 30m. Flip over, remove towel and leave to dry in sun. Cut into strips and use (sparingly).

Plague precautions from 1665 (permalink)

ORDERS CONCEIVED AND PUBLISHED BY THE LORD MAYOR AND ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF LONDON CONCERNING THE INFECTION OF THE PLAGUE, 1665

https://brucesterling.tumblr.com/post/612917764072636416/orders-conceived-and-published-by-the-lord-mayor

Every parish needs examiners. Refuse duty and you go to prison: "persons of good sort and credit chosen and appointed by the alderman, his deputy, and common council of every ward, by the name of examiners, to continue in that office the space of two months at least."

Examiners must "inquire and learn from time to time what houses in every parish be visited, and what persons be sick, and of what diseases…[I]f they find any person sick of the infection, to give order to the constable that the house be shut up."

Infected homs get 24/7 surveillance two watchmen: "these watchmen have a special care that no person go in or out of such infected houses whereof they have the charge, upon pain of severe punishment."

They'll also get you groceries and lock up your shop.

Women "of honest reputation" are appointed by physicians as "searchers" to inspect the dead and determine cause of death. Searchers are helped by newly appointed "able and discreet chirurgeons," charged with ensuring that "a true report made of the disease."

Nurse-keepers have to be quarantined for 28 days after their patients die.

If plague is found in a house, the whole household is locked in for 28 days. Prior to sequestration, their personal effects have to be aired, treated with fire, and then perfumed. Anyone known to have visited a plague house is locked down for 28 days, along with their household, with the same airing, flaming and perfuming business.

Plague-dead may only be buried after sunset and before sunrise, with no mourners in attendance. No sermons or eulogies allowed. Graves must be 6 feet deep. All funerals are banned. Personal effects of the plague-dead must be destroyed, not given away or sold.

Public notice: "Every house visited be marked with a red cross of a foot long in the middle of the door.. and with these usual printed words… 'Lord, have mercy upon us,' to be set close over the same cross, there to continue until lawful opening of the same house."

Cab drivers can continue as normal, but if they carry someone thought to have plague they have to retire their hackney-coaches for 5-6 days and give them a thorough airing.

[[I sense that this may be a weak spot in the whole plan]]

There's also new sanitation rules requiring regular sweepings and rakings of "filth" from the streets, with all the human waste being dumped far from the city and not in local gardens. Smelly or rotten food-sales are banned.

Cops are charged with sweeping up and punishing beggars, who are banned from the streets.

No live entertainment: "all plays, bear-baitings, games, singing of ballads, buckler-play, or such-like causes of assemblies of people be utterly prohibited."

All restaurants are closed. Feasting is banned.

Bars are OK, but under suspicion, and must close by 9PM. The rule covers "tippling in taverns, ale-houses, coffee-houses, and cellars."

[[Again, this seems like a weak spot]]

This day in history (permalink)

#15yrsago Andre Norton, RIP https://web.archive.org/web/20050318045717/http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/books/03/17/obit.norton.ap/index.html

#15yrsago Orrin Hatch is head of new IP subcommitee https://www.technewsworld.com/story/41548.html

#10yrsago Is the UK record industry arrogant or stupid? https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/mar/18/digital-economy-bill-calculated-loss

#10yrsago Entertainment industry sours on term "pirate" — too sexy https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2010/03/piracy-sounds-too-sexy-say-rightsholders/

#10yrsago YouTube: Viacom secretly posted its videos even as they sued us for not taking down Viacom videos https://youtube.googleblog.com/2010/03/broadcast-yourself.html

#10yrsago Michael Lewis's THE BIG SHORT, visiting the econopocalypse through the lens of LIAR'S POKER https://boingboing.net/2010/03/18/michael-lewiss-the-b.html

#5yrsago Insider view of the cash-for-gold ripoff https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/swindle-fraud/we-buy-broken-gold

#5yrsago Terry Pratchett's advice to booksellers https://www.thebookseller.com/blogs/advice-booksellers

#1yrago Facebook's year-old "improvements" to the newsfeed have elevated enraging Fox News posts to the service's dominant form https://www.niemanlab.org/2019/03/one-year-in-facebooks-big-algorithm-change-has-spurred-an-angry-fox-news-dominated-and-very-engaged-news-feed/

#1yrago Electronic Health Records: a murderous, publicly subsidized, $13B/year grift by way of shitty software https://khn.org/news/death-by-a-thousand-clicks/

Colophon (permalink)

Today's top sources: Mitch Wagner (http://mitchwagner.com/blog/), Kottke (https://kottke.org), Laurent Stanevich (https://twitter.com/LairBob), Naked Capitalism (https://www.nakedcapitalism.com), Slashdot (https://slashdot.org).

Currently writing: I've just finished rewrites on a short story, "The Canadian Miracle," for MIT Tech Review. It's a story set in the world of my next novel, "The Lost Cause," a post-GND novel about truth and reconciliation. I've also just completed "Baby Twitter," a piece of design fiction also set in The Lost Cause's prehistory, for a British think-tank. I'm getting geared up to start work on the novel next.

Currently reading: Just started Lauren Beukes's forthcoming Afterland: it's Y the Last Man plus plus, and two chapters in, it's amazeballs. Last month, I finished Andrea Bernstein's "American Oligarchs"; it's a magnificent history of the Kushner and Trump families, showing how they cheated, stole and lied their way into power. I'm getting really into Anna Weiner's memoir about tech, "Uncanny Valley." I just loaded Matt Stoller's "Goliath" onto my underwater MP3 player and I'm listening to it as I swim laps.

Latest podcast: The Masque of the Red Death and Punch Brothers Punch https://craphound.com/podcast/2020/03/16/the-masque-of-the-red-death-and-punch-brothers-punch/

Upcoming books: "Poesy the Monster Slayer" (Jul 2020), a picture book about monsters, bedtime, gender, and kicking ass. Pre-order here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627?utm_source=socialmedia&utm_medium=socialpost&utm_term=na-poesycorypreorder&utm_content=na-preorder-buynow&utm_campaign=9781626723627

(we're having a launch for it in Burbank on July 11 at Dark Delicacies and you can get me AND Poesy to sign it and Dark Del will ship it to the monster kids in your life in time for the release date).

"Attack Surface": The third Little Brother book, Oct 20, 2020. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757531

"Little Brother/Homeland": A reissue omnibus edition with a new introduction by Edward Snowden: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583

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emptymanuscript · 4 years ago

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One way to REname a character with internal story logic

I want to talk a moment about Zephyr.

Not the wind.

My character.

(He wishes he was this tough) Not even really the person but his NAME itself, Zephyr, and how it changed.

One of the things I don’t mention too much just to avoid trouble is how extremely different Knights of Day is now compared to how it was originally. At its early height, Knights of Day peaked at 4 authors. The goal was in no way to publish or publicize any of it. It wasn’t even really meant to be any sort of cohesive story. Or even to consist of cohesive stories rather than “adventures” for fun. I’m not even sure I can tell you WHAT it was. It wasn’t quite a piece of fiction, it wasn’t quite a table top rpg, it wasn’t quite rp’ing. It was just its own behemoth of a thing that included all of those. Compared to 1 book and 1 book in progress now.

Case in point: Fun Adventure #3 was ~

Kinda John Edward but real & real evil

Set up: Most Mediums are terrible people who fake their powers to rip victims off when they’re at their most emotionally vulnerable. Because when you’ve just irrevocably lost one of the most important people in your life you’ll pay anything or do anything for the even the illusion of getting them back.

What if: Imagine someone who can really do everything they say they can do… but they’re still a terrible predator trying to take advantage of people when they’re at their most emotionally vulnerable - they just have more power to make it even worse.

Mission: Save young suddenly widowed mega-rich heiress Helena Lawson from real Medium but still conniving con-man Kenton Dean. Because the greedy, racist, no goo Ted Lawson doesn’t want Kenton Dean to get the money instead of himself. And Ted is willing to pay exorbitantly to make sure it doesn’t. So James and Zeferrello are tasked with finding any reason to separate Helena and Kenton.

Twist: Yeah, Kenton Dean CAN summon and control the dead but it’s so much worse than that. He can summon and control the GOD of the dead. Assuming, of course, that all of this isn’t the god of the dead actually controlling Kenton Dean for its own purposes.

Which Became The Hidden and the Maiden. But instead of a climactic conflict between James, Zephyr, Kenton Dean, and Kherty-Aken decided by force, force of will, and clever use of all magic available inside the seat of Kenton Dean’s power, his theater, “Kinda John Edward but real & real evil” ended with a mildly tense chat between James and Zefferello versus Kherty Aken just kinda hanging out, tensely, next to an ambulance. James points out that Kenton Dean has reprogrammed Kherty Aken like a computer to just believe all this BS. Kherty Aken realizes, Oh Shi-! he’s right, and flys away. Next day, paper says Kenton Dean is dead. So the general idea is there but just not at all the same when you look close.

As an aside, this is by the way why most writing teachers dismiss ‘ideas’ as the least important element of story telling. One version of this ‘idea’ I stuff under a rug and pretend doesn’t exist. The other I sell in paperback for $10 a pop. If the fundamental idea hasn’t changed really, why the vast difference in price? Because of the execution. And if execution is more than infinitely greater in effect 0 -> 10 why bother putting that much effort into the idea when, even if you only go to 5 through execution, that will have more effect than any idea will. I am not 100% convinced by this line of reasoning but it’s not meritless either. A bad idea well written will just get more in the marketplace of ideas than a good idea poorly written. A bad idea badly written is doomed. A good idea well written may or may not do as well as the mediocrity. So, I disagree that it is of zero importance but I do think it is certainly not the most important element for 3/4’s of all story types. Ok, that’s another post, enough asides.

The real thing I’m actually thinking about is the Zefferello to Zephyr change. Zefferello was Zephyr’s original name. The author who created the original character said specifically her thoughts were that she had never had any character under any situation whose name started with Z. So she wanted a Z character and she plucked the rest out of thin air because. And because it didn’t matter, that was cool enough. So he was Zefferello for the first few years of life. No particular reason why. Never mind that nothing in any back round of anything anywhere would give Zefferello as a name.

It was only as I was moving from the first to the second draft of The Hidden and the Maiden that it was really bothering me about this Korean-American dude with the abusive Super Whitey Mega Rich father, the utterly absent and possibly dead Korean Trophy Wife mother, and the abusive DID having ghost but still white mother. Why would any of them give him that name?

Well, the father might do it just to torture his son throughout life. He’s that kind of asshole. As little as he is in it, I actually think of Zephyr’s father as the Antagonist for Knights of Day because he is just pure dagnasty evil because he likes it. He may not appear most on the page or wield the most power - partially because he’s just not my favorite kind of villain, at all, his side-kicks is way more my speed - but there’s no denying he does the most damage. BUT, the father is also very image conscious. Part of what he likes is doing terrible things while other people praise him for it. For making people suffer but having no one believe them because he is such a paragon of virtue. One of his side kicks actually got James to just start punching him toward the end because he kept talking about what a saint Zephyr’s father was and all the haters just didn’t understand what a wonderful person he was and how hard he worked when he never had to to improve the life of others. If I recall correctly James literally held a knife on the guy and pointing to Zephyr: ‘you had to fucking know what that motherfucker was doing to him! You evil lying sack of fucking shit!’ So… torture wasn’t going to work for a reason.

So I’m looking for any great people in history with the name Zefferello. Nope. Nada. Is it by some miracle a Korean name that Eun Ae Gwon might have given him? Nope. No dice. And slowly all eyes turn to JJ. JJ is nuts. There’s no getting around it. But I’m rarely happy with that as an explanation. Especially with JJ because most of what she does that SEEMS nuts, isn’t. The fundamental rule I made for JJ fairly early on is that she is ALWAYS up to something. She is playing every angle. She is working every leverage. She is a survivor in a way that most people will never be. She’s dead and she is still playing to win. So she will do things that appear unreasonable at point A in time in order to increase her odds of getting what she wants in point B in time.

And I’m looking at that name. That ello. That’s sounds latinate to me. And masculine. I already knew Zefferello’s real name at this point, and it had a Jr. at the end and I started wondering if maybe, just maybe, JJ gave Zefferello a different Jr. name. A name for the father that she wished Zefferello had. Instead of the one he did. He’s hers, and what better to claim a baby she would never hold than to rename him into a family that she wanted to exist but never did. That’s very JJ.

At which point I’m reviewing JJ’s history. It’s sparse-ish at that time. But I know when she got pregnant and I know more or less what happened to her from that point until she died. And there’s nothing in there to hint at a Zefferello Sr. But… there were already some hints about there maybe being a Zefferella. And of course that’s not a name either. But fiddle with the spelling and drop the “el” sound and you do get a Greek female name: Zephyra \

And that was the lightning bolt of inspiration and change. That JJ’s second and last love of her life was a fellow prostitute named Zephyra, and IF JJ could rewrite reality to be anything she wanted then her son would also be Zephyra’s - that they would be the family unit and the other would be the ghostly illusion. And with Zephyra as a real name, I also had a male equivalent: Zephyr. Sounds similar but much more plausible that he might somehow obtain it. Plus, with the idea of Zephyra, his name also becomes a key to unlocking tons of emotion and backstory.

And you’ll know it’s important the second that this repressed little guy walking around giving out the name of Zephyr Wayne, shamefully cringe-admits that his legal name is Peter Bailey Jr. That that exists at all says that there is a story to find down in there and that it isn’t a simple one.

So that’s one to rewrite a name based on the internal logic of a story. Zephyr’s name was researched and found but never picked out of a name directory. It was back-engineered to tell the story I wanted to tell and avoid the random story I didn’t. By following the logic that might lead to a name like his, I was able to find the one I thought was right for him.

And, since the original Cup Bearer was one of the winds, that also worked to my advantage… though it is generally considered the wrong wind. Oy. Which I’ll probably just end up deleting because Zephyr’s name is better for a story hook than anything I made with Thulebelore being the General of the Western Winds.

If you actually got here. Wow. Thank you. If you ever want to solicit writing advice, dropping a question in my ask prompts me better than whatever happens to occur randomly to my head. So, you know, that’s there.

#Knights of Day #Zephyr #The Hidden and the Maiden #Writing advice #writeblr #writeblogging #unsolicited advice

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morganapengdragon · 5 years ago

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An English guide to fanfic 1

So I've read a lot of fic set in England lately, by writers who don't have anyone to 'brit pick' what they've written. But everyone deserves to be able to write stuff set in this hellhole of a country so if you don't have/want a brit picker but still want some general advice I'm gonna make a series of posts which might help with making your fic sound a little more natural. I'm gonna start with education because that's the one I've seen people have most problems with.

This is a long post so be warned

Education

There are 3 main parts of the school system (for comprehensive schools in England, I know it's different for rich people and people in Scotland/Ireland/Wales).

Primary school:

Primary school spans ages 4-11 and the years are

Reception: ages 4-5

Year 1: ages 5-6

Year 2: ages 6-7 (some schools make a split after this point, with the younger years referred to as 'infant' school and the older years referred to as 'junior' school)

Year 3: 7-8

Year 4: 8-9

Year 5: 9-10

Year 6: 10-11

A couple of information tidbits:

A lot of schools teach sex education in year 5 and 6. They tell you what sex is and what periods are. The year is split into boys and girls. They don't really talk about gay people, trans people or contraception.

It's not very common now but some schools will do a SATS exam in year 6. The grades go from 1-5 with 5 being the highest. They mean nothing but we all used to get stressed about them anyway.

Kids can also choose to do an 11+ exam if they want to go to grammar school. I never did it so I can't help you there. Some places in the country put more emphasis on the importance of grammar school than others (looking @@@ Kent) and some places don't have any grammar school at all.

Hard hitting insults when I was a kid were things like 'nerd' and 'weird'. We don't really use 'geek' much. 'Damn' and 'hell' aren't swear words here and kids will sometimes say them.

Most primary schools have uniforms

Secondary school:

Secondary school ages are 11-16 and the years are

Year 7: 11-12

Year 8: 12-13

Year 9: 13-14

Year 10: 14-15

Year 11: 15-16

There are 4 MAIN types of secondary school (afaik)

Comprehensive schools (like the one I went to) are your standard school. You just kind of have to live close to it to get in.

Grammar schools work kind of like comps but you have to pass the 11+ exam. Not everyone takes this exam (I never did, my closest grammar school is fuck off miles away). Apparently you get a better education there or something. Idk man but they like to make fun of the local comprehensives.

Private/public school. You have to pay to go to these types of school. I don't really know the ACTUAL difference between private and public but from what I can tell, public is more expensive and fancier. I think their version of primary school is called prep school?? All of the years work differently and every time a public school kid tries to tell me something about their education its gets more confusing. Rich people.

Boarding school. This is basically a private school but you live there and it costs more money than all of my possessions put together. There are quite a few, with some of the most famous being Eton, Harrow, Winchester etc. They are usually either all boys or all girls schools (those three are all boys schools). Rich people.

More detailed infos:

Year 7-9 is referred to as 'lower school' with 10 and 11 being 'upper school'

The exams taken in year 11 are usually GCSEs. These used to be called O-levels for some reason and lots of older people will sometimes call them that by mistake.

Kids choose which GCSEs they want to do at the end of year 9, and start learning the material in year 10.

Maths, science and English are all compulsory and make up 5/6 GCSEs (one maths, two English, two or three science).

Most people do about 10 and can pick from all of the other subjects what they want to do.

We don't really have a 'locker room' culture????

It's quite common for people to go to all girls or all boys schools.

Schools here are nowhere near as big as American schools. We probably won't have high budget theaters or particularly large sports areas.

I've never heard anyone talk about 'funding'???? Just assume nothing is funded, arts and sports alike. We do lots of fundraisers for anything expensive like rugby tours or school productions.

We still have that weird culture thing where like if you're smart then you can't be popular or play sports???? Strange.

Sitting at a specific table at lunch time isn't really a thing. Actually most people brought lunch from home and then would just sit somewhere outside. A lot of the buildings would be closed during breaks.

Not many people really drive to school.

Sixth form/college

After you finish secondary school most people go into either college or sixth form (or a sixth form college). Years are

Age 16-17: sometimes called year 12, sometimes called lower sixth, sometimes called first year

Age 17-18: year 13, upper sixth, second year

Sixth form:

Some schools have an attached sixth form. A variation of the school uniform is often worn, or students will be asked to wear smart clothing or something

There are also sixth form colleges which are a bit more informal, less of a school environment. Students usually tend to wear their own clothes and call teachers by their first names. They're usually viewed as well.

The qualifications earned at the end of year 12 are called AS levels. They count partially towards your final A level grade. Students usually do 4 and drop one at the end of the year. You can do more if you want tho (I did five and died). You can do whatever subjects you want. Like. Literally nothing is compulsory. You wanna do art, music, dance and anthropology? Fuck it why not?

The highest AS grade is an A. B and C is a pass. D and E are fail marks. U stands for ungradable i.e you got so few marks that your exam isn't even worth a grade.

At the end of year 13 you do A levels. You need 3 to get into uni. Some people do 4. They always regret it.

Grades for A levels are the same as AS but they go up to an A*.

Some schools do a thing called the International baccalaureate. I don't understand what it is and frankly it scares me. I don't know how it's graded or what you need for uni. It's a mystery.

Sixth forms can be comp/grammar/Private/boarding same as secondary school.

College:

You can do a bunch of different types of qualifications. Most popular are usually B-Techs and Diplomas.

You usually only study one subject as opposed to four.

From what I gather, the point in doing a B tech is it's more practical and less theoretical and aims to help you get the skills necessary to go straight into the work force.

Unis kind of have to evaluate B-techs fairly, but they don't like them.

Nobody thinks very highly of B-Techs unfortunately bc they're considered to be less academic and easier. Idk if that's the case but there you go. People will sometimes refer to shit versions of other things as 'B-Tech'. For example, Pepsi is just B-Tech Coca Cola. Boris Johnson is a B-Tech Donald Trump.

I know nothing about the grading system for either of these qualifications im sorry.

In a sixth form college there will be people doing A levels and also people doing B techs all in the same building.

University:

I won't go too much into detail but basically you get a degree at the end of it and degrees usually take 3 years to complete. Years are first year, second year, third year etc.

Some courses are longer and some people will do a year in industry in their third year, making their overall degree time 4 years.

Tuition is currently £9,250 per year. I have never met anyone who hasn't gotten a loan for this.

Most people also apply for a maintenance loan. You get money proportional to your family income. The highest is about £8,500 per year. Idk what the lowest is. Some people choose not to take out this loan and their parents give them financial support instead.

The pay back plan for these loans is super lenient, doesn't affect your credit score and is wiped clean after 35 years. Most students think of their loan as more of a tax than a debt (tho we all still cry about it).

People don't live in dorms. We call them halls of residence (or halls for short).

Most people don't live in halls after first year, they leave and find shared housing.

Most halls aren't catered.

Most halls don't have shared rooms.

Because we study so few subjects at A level, we do have this system in the UK where you take a bunch of different unrelated subjects in your first year and then decide on your major later. Instead you apply for a programme already knowing your major. So when I applied to university I applied to the BA French and German Linguistic Studies course at a number of universities.

Different courses have different entry requirements. So it's easier to get into uni to study History than it is to study Maths.

Each 'class' is referred to as a module, and all of your modules are usually related to your main degree title.

Stereotypically STEM students think that humanities students are dumb. Humanities students think STEM students are arseholes who don't know how to read so if you wanna have that kinda jock/nerd type rivalry but in uni then humanities/STEM is quite a good one.

We call all of our lecturers by their first names. Sometimes we go to the pub with them. I watched a documentary about gay porn with one of them. It's chill.

I've never seen anyone show up to a lecture in pyjamas. People would think it's weird.

We refer to clubs as 'societies'. I love being part of the Musical Theatre Society. It's sounds so much more impressive than club.

The English version of Ivy League is Russel Group. The most prestigious Unis outside of Oxford and Cambridge tend to be: Durham, St Andrews (Scotland), Imperial, LSE and Warwick.

Slang and Groups

We don't really use the word 'jock'. In my school we called those guys the 'Rugby Lads' because they all played rugby.

We don't really use the word preppy/peppy whatever because I literally don't know anybody who is like that.

Try 'Drama kids' instead of Theater kids.

The kids who do drugs and don't come to school are called road men. Even the girls. To do road is to deal drugs but you don't really hear people say that much.

If we can't be bothered to say a teachers full title we will usually call them 'sir' or 'miss' but not really ma'am.

'Hall Pass' isn't a thing.

Our school did have prefects but fuck if I know who they were. They didn't really have any extra responsibility or power.

School uniforms are a thing in most schools. The things people did to make themselves seem cool were things like rolling their skirts up super short, wearing the rugby ties on match days, trying to get away with shoes that don't TECHNICALLY break the rules but are deffo not allowed, wearing as much make up as they could get away with, without teachers noticing. Our school was p strict on uniform tho in comparison with a lot of schools in my area.

If your accent doesn't fit the standard for your area it will affect you in some way (depending on your accent).

Homeroom is called registration

Gym is sometimes called the sports hall

People don't really go to school matches unless they're dating sb bc we don't have bleachers.

Home ecenomics was called Food Tech and Textiles in my school

Woodshop or whatever is called DT (design and technology)

People don't get as involved in extracurriculars in school (but they do at uni).

We DO have houses and we get points given to out houses like in Harry Potter but unlike Harry Potter literally nobody gives a fuck. In my school they added a whole new house and moved everyone into new houses and literally nobody noticed and nothing changed.

There is a BIG difference between comp schools and all of the other kinds in terms of culture. I didn't know this until I went to uni and started joking about the time some kid started throwing chairs in RE (religious education) or when so and so tried to set our French teacher on fire and literally all of the grammar school kids were like O.O WTF.

Slang and school culture will also vary a lot depending on where you live. I live in East London which is not a very well off area but it IS in london so my experiences would match with that.

Everything is completely different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland so like.... Sorry.

#Fanfic #British fanfic #English fanfic #british #Brit pick #Education #writblr #writing resources #An English guide to fanfic

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blog-cosmosuniverse1 · 3 years ago

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American Medical Association Instructs Doctors to Deceive

The Winter 2021 “AMA COVID-19 Guide: Background/Messaging on Vaccines, Vaccine Clinical Trials & Combatting Vaccine Misinformation,” issued by the American Medical Association raises serious questions about the AMA’s adherence to transparency, honesty, ethics and the moral standards to which it will hold its members The guide lists nine “key messages” the AMA wants doctors to focus on when communicating about COVID-19. This includes stressing the importance of eliminating nonmedical vaccine exemptions, the importance of flu vaccines and COVID shots, and expressing confidence in vaccine development In the guide, the AMA instructs doctors on how to disinform the public using psychological and linguistic tools. This includes explicit instructions on which words to swap for other more narrative-affirming choices Word swaps include changing “hospitalization rates” to “deaths,” two terms that are not even remotely interchangeable Swapping the term “Operation Warp Speed” for “standard process” is another rather egregious misdirection. The two are not interchangeable. In fact, they’re diametrically opposed to one another

The Winter 2021 “AMA COVID-19 Guide: Background/Messaging on Vaccines, Vaccine Clinical Trials & Combatting Vaccine Misinformation,”1 issued by the American Medical Association (AMA) raises serious questions about the AMA’s adherence to transparency, honesty, ethics and the moral standards to which it will hold its members.The AMA was founded in 1847 and is the largest professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students in the U.S. According to the AMA itself, its mission is to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health.How then do they explain this “COVID-19 messaging guide,” which explicitly teaches doctors how to deceive their patients and the media when asked tough questions about COVID-19, treatment options and COVID shots?AMA Teaches Doctors How to Deceive “It is critical that physicians and patients have confidence in the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines as they become available for public use,” the “AMA COVID-19 Guide” states, adding:2“To overcome vaccine hesitancy and ensure widespread vaccine acceptance among all demographic groups, physicians and the broader public health community must continue working to build trust in vaccine safety and efficacy, especially in marginalized and minoritized communities with historically well-founded mistrust in medical institutions.”Indeed, the entire guide is aimed at teaching doctors how to foster confidence in the medical profession in general, as it pertains to treatment of COVID-19, but in particular as it pertains to the experimental COVID shots.The guide provides “suggested narratives” for various engagements, such as when communicating on social media, as sell as “talking points to guide external communications,” such as when being interviewed. It lists nine specific “key messages” that they want doctors to focus on when communicating about COVID-19. These key messages can be summarized as follows: Express confidence in vaccine developmentStress the importance of vaccinesHighlight the need to combat the spread of vaccine misinformationAdhere to updated ethical guidance for physicians and medical personnel, which says they have a moral obligation to get vaccinated themselvesGive general vaccine recommendations, such as the recommendation for everyone over the age of 6 months, including pregnant women, to get an annual flu shotStress the importance of eliminating nonmedical vaccine exemptionsHighlight the increased availability of flu vaccines, and the importance of getting a flu shot even if you’ve gotten a COVID injectionHighlight the importance of including minorities, both in vaccine trials and as trusted messengers who can “promote social pressure” to get minorities vaccinated and dispel historical distrust in medical institutionsDenounce scientific analyses “predicated on personal opinions, anecdote and political ideologies”AMA Concerned About Disinformation On page 7 of the guide, under the science narrative heading, the AMA declares it is “deeply concerned that rampant disinformation and the politicization of health issues are eroding public confidence in science and undermining trust in physicians and medical institutions,” adding that “Science should be grounded in a common understanding of facts and evidence and able to empower people to make informed decisions about their health.”3To that end, the AMA is calling upon “all elected officials to affirm science and fact in their words and actions,” and for media to “be vigilant in communicating factual information” and to “challenge those who chose to trade in misinformation.” AMA Then Instructs Doctors on How to Disinform It’s a disappointment, then, to find the AMA instructing doctors on how to misinform the public using a variety of psychological and linguistic tools. Perhaps one of the most egregious examples of this is the recommended “COVID-19 language swaps” detailed on page 9.As you can see below, the AMA explicitly instructs doctors to swap out certain words and terms for other, more

narrative-affirming choices. Shockingly, this includes swapping “hospitalization rates” to “deaths” — two terms that are not even remotely interchangeable!It strains credulity that the AMA would actually tell doctors to substitute a factual data point with an outright lie. But with this swap, are they not telling doctors to state that people are dead, when in fact they’ve only been hospitalized with COVID-19?

Hospitalization rate refers to how many people are sick in the hospital with COVID-19, whereas death refers to how many people have died. The first term refers to people who are still alive, and the other refers to patients who are not alive.

It strains credulity that the AMA would actually tell doctors to substitute a factual data point with an outright lie. But with this swap, are they not telling doctors to state that people are dead, when in fact they’ve only been hospitalized with COVID-19?

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Another highly questionable word swap is to not address the nitty, gritty details of vaccine trials, such as the number of participants, and instead simply refer to these trials as having gone through “a transparent, rigorous process.”

Swapping the factual term “Operation Warp Speed” for “standard process” is another outrageous misdirection. The two simply aren’t interchangeable. In fact, they’re actually diametrically opposed to one another. Standard process for vaccine development includes a long process of over a decade and a large number of steps that were either omitted or drastically shortened for the COVID shots.

Following standard process is what makes vaccine development take, on average, 10 years and often longer. Operation Warp Speed allowed vaccine makers to slap together these COVID shots in about nine months from start to finish. You cannot possibly say that the two terms describe an identical process.

The Power of Language

Other language swaps are less incredulous but still highlight the fact that the AMA wants its members to help push a very specific and one-sided narrative that makes power-grabbing overreaches and totalitarian tactics sound less bad than they actually are, and make questionable processes sound A-OK.

Language is a powerful tool with which we shape reality,4 because it shapes how we think about things. As noted by storyteller and filmmaker Jason Silva:5

“The use of language, the words you use to describe reality, can in fact engender reality, can disclose reality. Words are generative… We create and perceive our reality through language. We think reality into existence through linguistic construction in real-time.”

For example, “lockdown” sounds like involuntary imprisonment imposed by a totalitarian regime, which is what it is, whereas “stay-at-home order” sounds far less draconian. After all, “home” is typically associated with comfort and safety.

The same goes for using “COVID protocols” in lieu of “COVID mandates, directives, controls and orders.” “Protocols” sounds like something that is standard procedure, as if the COVID measures are nothing new, whereas “mandates, controls and orders” imply that, indeed, we’re in medical fascism territory, which we are.

How to Steer, Block, Deflect and Stall Inconvenient Questions

The AMA could have instructed its members to simply stick to the facts and be honest — and in some sections, it does do that — but it doesn’t end there. Rather, the AMA provides a full page of instructions on how to steer the conversation, and how to block, deflect and stall when faced with tough questions where an honest answer might actually break the official narrative.

Here’s a sampling of these instructions. I encourage you to read through page 8 of the guide, and pay attention to these psychological tricks when listening to interviews or reading the news.

Interviewing techniques

Steer the conversation back to the narrative by saying:

“Before we leave that matter, let me add …”

Block a tough question by saying:

“That’s [proprietary, confidential etc], but what I can tell you is …”

Deflect an unwanted question by saying:

“That’s a common misperception but the reality is …”

Redirect away from an unwanted question, back to the official narrative by saying:

“I don’t have the details on that, but what I know is …”

Stall by saying:

Repeat the question asked, or acknowledge the question by saying, “I’m glad you asked …”

It’s worth noting that the AMA also stresses that: 1) Doctors are to speak for the AMA, and 2) doctors are NOT to offer their personal views. Speaking for the AMA is listed under “Your Responsibilities” when being interviewed, while not discussing personal views is listed under “Interview Don’ts.”

AMA Is Rapidly Eroding All Credibility

The AMA’s guidance isn’t all bad. Some of its advice makes perfect sense. But the inclusion of language swaps that result in false statements being made, and tools for steering, blocking, deflecting, redirecting and stalling in order to avoid direct answers do nothing but erode credibility and thus trust in the medical community.

Its direct instruction to not share personal views is another trust-eroding strategy. When people talk to their doctor, they want to hear what that doctor actually thinks, based on their own knowledge and experience.

They don’t expect their doctor — or a doctor appearing in an interview — to simply rehash a narrative dictated by the AMA. If we cannot trust our medical professionals to give their honest opinions and give direct answers, there’s little reason to even discuss our concerns with them, and that’s the opposite of what the AMA claims it seeks to achieve.

The AMA is concerned about the proliferation of misinformation and eroding trust, yet it’s telling its members to keep their professional views to themselves and lie about COVID deaths. With this guidance document, the AMA is essentially implicating itself as a source and instigator of medical misinformation that ultimately might injure patients.

In a Stew Peters Show interview (see top of this article), Dr. Bryan Ardis criticized the AMA guidance document, pointing out that while the AMA claims it put out the guidance to prevent political ideologies from dictating medicine, it is actually proving that the AMA itself is deferring to political ideology rather than medical facts.

The AMA wants its members to act as propagandists for a particular narrative — using “politically correct language” — rather than sharing information and acting in accordance with their own conscience and professional insight. As noted by Peters:

“If a doctor’s just going to repeat what the AMA tells them, why have doctors at all? You can get plenty of starving propagandists at any liberal college, but instead we want to turn our medical professionals into ideological zombies with stethoscopes.”

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jollykidponypaper · 3 years ago

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The Fastest Way To Drive Traffic On Your New Website – 2021

Drive Traffic To Your Website

So creating and opening a new website is a great achievement but in the words of the late Kobe Bryant … “The work is still going on. “This is because creating a new website is only half the job and now is the time to attract potential customers.

But how do you drive traffic to your new website as soon as you start?

Today we will discuss the fastest ways to drive traffic to your new website. If you’ve recently created a website, you may find that driving high traffic isn’t the easiest task. You may be thinking,

“Is there a quick way to increase traffic to my website?”

The answer is: Absolutely Yes!

You want to stay strong because these 6 tips we share will increase traffic to your website.

1.Relationships with other content creators

The first tip is to collaborate with other content creators. This is a great tactic for promoting content.

This can be done through podcasting or a general webinar, review article, or even an interview. In fact, it’s a lot easier to do than you think. By working with other content creators, you almost double the amount of content you create. This is because they both advertise content to their unique audience.

But you might think, “I don’t have traffic to my website, I don’t have an audience. How does this work for me? “

Here are the interview and summary reports. An interview is a matter of course, but you may be wondering what a short article is.

The summary can be tools, statistics, ideas, and so on. Set. A very popular form of report summaries is “Expert Meetings“.

For example, here is a summary of the American Bar Association showed a member of our team: These summaries work well because people are often enticed to consider them for an interview or to participate in a summary.

Do you know what happens after you interview an expert on your site or include something in a summary article? You share it! And that’s exactly what the ABA did. Not everyone does that. But it never hurts to ask, because usually when you ask them to share, they do. Once they share and participate in the content you create, your audience will pick it up.

To get started, browse existing content and start increasing your website traffic. If you are just starting out, it may be helpful to start with interviews and review articles. Then move on to webcasts or shared webinars when you create small subscribers for your business. And then you have something to offer other content creators.

If you already have a strong fan base, don’t be afraid to ask other content creators for something. Many of them, like you, want to expand their audience, and both of them benefit from collaboration.

2.Organize lotteries, competitions, and campaigns.

When creating content for your website, you always want to create content that interests your audience, right?

What if someone approaches you with ready-made content that fits your audience perfectly and offers it as long as you promote it?

Would you agree to this deal? That’s what you should do with other companies! Organize gifts in collaboration with other companies. By organizing a contest or lottery and training other business owners, they are spreading the message so that your audience can benefit from it. When they start spreading the message, you will get more visitors. Your two audiences then start sending a message to their friends and family so they can participate. This will lead to more traffic, your subscribers, and your engagement. Once you’re there, you’ll be able to start using this audience to bring it back to your site.

A good tip for organizing lotteries is to collect emails. Postal addresses when entering lotteries. This way, you include potential customers in your marketing channel where you can email them. Send news, ads, and content by mail.

Competitions are similar to lotteries in that a prize is awarded at the end. However, tenders are open to certain types of users who need to be submitted. It is also an effective way to expand your fan base as it allows you to set competition rules and guidelines that require the participant to take certain actions.

This may include: Follow your page to get there specify three friends in the contest comments to raise awareness, or even share an article about the competition in their history to make your reach much wider

Anyone who wants to see and participate in the contest for the first time must also follow your page and share it with their friends. This creates a snowball effect.

You can do this on social media platforms like Instagram. And we have a great article on Instagram gifts and contest ideas that you can read below.

3.Use push notifications

Push alerts are the easiest way to increase traffic. We know that hardly anyone who comes and bounces off your site will come back. So how can you invasively remind them of your business and get back to your site? Of course, with instant messaging! Instant messaging gives audiences the ability to sign up to receive messages from their business.

This can be done with a single mouse click without specifying: email address or other personal details .. that most people don’t want to share or take the time to gain knowledge. This means that every time you post a new post or start a new blog, you can let your audience know that you have decided to send a message.

How can you get them back to your website? By comparison, we have expanded our writing work to over 42,000 authors and sent you new blogs. We will immediately notify you of these YouTube videos when they are uploaded.

Push notifications are generated by the user’s browser. These are the messages that are sent. This is the only result of instant messaging compared to email, Letters. Because the browser is not opened, the user will not receive the message.

As mentioned before, it is always appropriate to receive a message from your audience. Postal address. But Push Push is a great way to reach your audience flawlessly.

4.Use paid advertising

The fourth thing you need to do is increase your traffic faster by using paid advertising. Then you may be thinking … “Okay, I don’t have a big budget,

“Is this a problem?”

The answer is NO! Contrary to popular belief, success is not necessary to pay for advertising. One of the benefits of paid advertising is that you can see results faster. So if you don’t have a big budget, this can be a great way to build and run your website.

We know that new traffic on the Website is not for sale, but it is good. The purpose is to drive page traffic to your website, such as a Blog Post-pop-up. This allows you to collect emails quickly. Emails or telephone numbers and use the following information to send them: the first solution is High and Inside … it brings traffic closer to your price.

Therefore, you can continue to sell on new Website traffic, so it should be appreciated for the loan that is repaid. Use guest messages.

5.What does the guest do?

Posting is a way to write news about a company website. But why do it when you are trying to drive traffic to your website? One of the main reasons is that you can link your guest information to what you put on your website. This helps you focus on the expectations of the audience in your unfamiliar area and then direct it to your business. And, of course, this is one of the best examples of internal advertising.

The question arises: How can you become a guest writer? A good place to start would be to connect with well-known authors on other blogs. Give them feedback on your publications, advice, and anything else related to your topic. Once you meet them, you can ask them if they would like to introduce you to the publisher they are working with. Here are some tips on how a publisher can be trusted to work with a publisher. This means you have a very good opportunity to listen to the editor and write news for the website.

Don’t you think this is a very effective way to make traffic to your website?

6.Talk about other blogs in your industry.

The last point we want to get to your new site as soon as possible is to talk about other blogs in your area. If you leave these comments, they won’t be as stupid as “good job” or “great post.” It doesn’t work but it often seems to be spam. Instead, let in-depth reviews add value to your readers. When leaving a comment, make sure the address is yours or your company name. If you keep these comments deep, people will love your comments and the quality they bring to your blog. If your statement may have a link to your website instead of both, include it.

People will click on this link to your site and see more traffic to your website. This is also one of the most effective integration tips. The good thing about this method is that there are no limits to the number of blogs you can talk about.

This means you can repeat these actions on many different blogs. That way, you can increase your chances of getting it this way. When talking about blogs related to your industry, you are focusing on an audience that may be interested in your product or service. These people are also interested in the content of your website.

This makes commenting on other blogs a great way to connect with your audience and learn more about your audience. Let’s briefly summarize what we discussed in today’s post.

We’ve reviewed 6 simple ways to quickly drive traffic to your new website.The six methods were:

1.Work with other interior designers-

It’s a great way to not only incorporate interior design but also to reach out to other manufacturers.

2.Organize lotteries, competitions, and campaigns- This knowledge will increase your performance and increase your audience.

3.Use push notifications- It’s the easiest way to let your audience know you have something to show them. You don’t have to take information to enable the messaging system, many people are open to this conversation.

4.Use paid advertising methods-If your budget allows, setting up a well-paid home will give you results and really help drive traffic to your website.

5.Use guest messages-This is not an easy way to choose from there, but if you take the time to find something, you are sure to see an increase in passenger traffic.

6.Talk about different areas in your industry-This is a great way to get in touch with a lot of people who may not have found your business at this time.

Putting such traffic on your website is very important for your business.

Want to know about website creation and earn money online through the website. Learn the Best Online Digital Marketing Course with Skill Shiksha.

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kendraserra · 7 years ago

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Making Your In-Person Event Inclusive of Non-Binary People

When I attend events, I’m often the first out non-binary person that the organizers have ever invited. Many times, I am the first out non-binary person they have ever met.

Image: graffiti on a wall that says “Gender Queer” in black text with pink and green highlights. CC-BY 2.0, Charles Hutchins.

With that in mind, I’d like to offer some guidance for a host who would like to make an in-person event (like a conference, meet up, or panel) more welcoming to non-binary folks. These steps may also make the space more inclusive to other trans folks, as well as potentially folks from other historically marginalized or underrepresented groups, but I am going to focus on interventions around non-binary inclusivity. Of course, this is drawn from my own experience – different people might have different suggestions or requirements.

This stuff is important because non-inclusive events are difficult to attend. At the most basic level, it costs me time and emotional energy when people fail to think about how to make their events more inclusive. Every moment I spend educating a fellow attendee or speaker is time I cannot spend doing the work that I was invited to do.

My general advice can be summed up in three rules:

If you don’t know, ask.

If you can’t control, acknowledge.

If you screw up, apologize and take steps to fix it.

If you don’t know, ask.

Part of being welcoming to non-binary folk is to let go of assumptions about how to understand or treat people’s gender. I would almost always rather be asked beforehand about something rather than have the organizer make a guess. This can range from simple stuff, like what things would make a conference more welcoming to me, to more complicated and delicate topics.

As a positive example, when an organization had to book a flight for me, the organizer realized that in order to book they had to provide a binary gender marker. They asked how to proceed and if I had a preference about which one they chose. To me, this was incredibly affirming – they needed binary identification information from me, they made clear why, and they let me tell them what I wanted them to do.

This was much better than just guessing which one to pick, even if they probably would have guessed the gender marker that I chose. Their ask made me feel like I had agency, even in the face of a bureaucratic process that doesn’t allow me to opt-out. Also, said flight was vital for participation in the program in question, and airlines are not known for bending rules. They really did need the information. (It’s not appropriate to ask if you don’t need it.)

If you can’t control, acknowledge.

Sometimes you as an organizer don’t have an option to make a particular part of your event more inclusive. The contract was signed on the space and there are no gender-neutral/all-gender restrooms. The conference chair could not be budged from an introduction style. The sponsorship required use of a space that forces participants to show government ID.

If you have had to make a choice that you know is not inclusive, acknowledging it can help by making clear that you realize the outcome is not good. At the very least, you can say this to invitees who you know are non-binary. You probably also should consider saying it to everyone, but I’m aware that can feel like a big ask.

A script:

“Hey, here’s your welcome packet. Also, I’m not sure if this is relevant to you or not, but we were unable to secure space that has gender-neutral restrooms this year. It’s in our requirements for next year, for sure. I’m sorry if this causes you any inconvenience, and please let us know if you have any trouble.”

This script doesn’t assume that the person needs a gender-neutral bathroom, but makes clear that you are thinking about it and will fix it in the future. Do not say you will fix it if you won’t.

If you screw up, apologize and take steps to fix it.

Unfortunately, American society is incredibly reinforcing of the gender binary, so it likely that all of us will screw up at some point. When someone screws up in a way that makes me feel othered or unwelcome at an event, I want at least two things from them: an individual apology, that makes clear that they realize why what they did was bad; and an explanation of the steps they plan on taking to fix it.

Some scripts:

“I’m so sorry I screwed up your pronouns when I was introducing you to our sponsor. I realize that probably have put you an uncomfortable position. In the future, I’ll practice beforehand to make sure I get them correct.”

“I realized when we divided the room up into men and women, I included you with the men because you are masculine presenting. I erased your non-binary identity. I’m sorry. In the future, I’ll divide the room in half in some other way.”

Specific guidance:

Location, space and logistics:

Default to not collecting gender information from people at registration. If you do collect it, make it non-mandatory, explain what you need it for (e.g., “to track the gender makeup of the conference over time”), and use a text entry form as opposed to radio buttons or checkboxes.

Gender-neutral restrooms are necessary. It is 2018. It is well past time to make your restroom situation more friendly for everyone. Choose restaurants and event spaces that have gender-free bathroom options, ideally including single occupancy. Or add gender-neutral bathrooms yourself by converting binary-gendered bathrooms. (Some folks prefer the term “all gender”, some folks prefer “gender free.” Personally, I would suggest “gender-neutral.” Frankly, it’s more important that you have them than what you call them.) If these restrooms are not easy to find, or located in a different place than gendered restrooms, include where they are in any printed materials.

Avoid locations that require showing government ID to enter. I’m aware that there is an unfortunate trend for tech companies to require government IDs to sign into buildings. See if this requirement can be waived for your event.

Also avoid locations that require a binary sex identification in advance in order to attend. Unfortunately, that can mean that some government buildings that require pre-registration/a background check will not be open to you. However, if you avoid these activities up front, you can avoid putting a trans or non-binary person in a position where they have to choose whether attending is worth submitting such an identification or accidentally outing themselves.

If offering schwag, identify t-shirts as fitted and straight cut, not men’s and women’s! Don’t make assumptions about which style someone wants. (And offer both.)

Language and people:

Bare minimum: have a Code of Conduct that includes harassment based on gender identity and enforce it.

Non-binary people are not necessarily women. Femme non-binary people (people who present femininely) are not all women. Grouping non-binary folks or femme folks in with women is erasing. If you are hosting a women-in-X event, make clear whether non-binary or femme folks are welcome. Do not expect that the term women includes femme folks. (For more information on this, see Kat Marchán’s amazing post on the design of women spaces.)

Skip the phrases “ladies,” “girls,” and “chicks.” Don’t use biological parts as stand-in for gender: “pussy”, “xx” to mean a women’s event, etc.

Try not to use binary-reinforcing statements like “ladies and gentlemen” or “we’re dividing the group into men and women.”

When calling on people whose names you don’t know, avoid gendered assumptions, like “the lady on the end” or “the man in the red shirt.” Instead, use “the person at the end of the row with short hair” or “the person with the beard in the red shirt.”

Everyone’s favorite topic, pronouns:

Have nametags and politely suggest people write their pronouns. Everyone. Not just people who look gender non-conforming. Or, alternately, have pronoun stickers, and point them out to folks if at registration. Include a “just use my name” option, and an option for people to write in their own information.

Don’t guess people’s pronouns. Look for an indication (like a ribbon or them written on a nametag), check their online profile, or use they/them as a default. Some in-person events may have to explain to their attendees that this should be the norm. It is better for this to come from people in positions of authority rather than making individuals who want their pronouns respected do it.

If introducing a speaker, ask them to send you introductory bio, then read it. Ad-lib only if you can nail their pronouns. It is much better if someone just straight up reads a bio then if they attempt to improvise and get pronouns wrong. This happens to me regularly and it’s fucking horrible.

If someone’s pronouns are uncomfortable or unfamiliar for you, it is your job to practice them and get them right. If you screw them up in front of that person, apologize briefly and move on. Do not just ignore them. If they correct you, take this an opportunity to do better. It is inappropriate to explain to them how uncomfortable it is for you.

Trips and travel:

Going through TSA screening can be dangerous and traumatic for many trans and non-binary folks, especially those who have had surgery or otherwise taken physical transition steps. Some non-binary and trans people can face significant harassment on public transportation, and may prefer to take a ride-hailing service or a cab. So generally, being flexible around travel and especially around travel reimbursements is a good way to make your event more inclusive.

Provide individual lodging for people. Do not make people share rooms. Do not make gendered assumptions about lodging. Do not split up people into a “girls” floor and a “guys” floor.

Many non-binary folks may face discrimination or hostility in their workplaces, making it more difficult for them to receive paying jobs. So the best practice of reimbursing people as soon as possible for travel (ideally after booking, not waiting until they complete the trip) or providing non-reimbursement options for booking may make your event more inclusive.

Following Up:

Are you a non-binary person and there’s something that would make you feel more comfortable at events that I missed? Please let me know so I can add it! [email protected] or KendraSerra on Twitter.

If you’re an event organizer and you’ve found this content useful, I encourage you to make a significant donation to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, which works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination or violence. If you would like to have me consult about making your specific event more inclusive, drop me a line at [email protected].

#nonbinary #eventplanner #sotiredofthisbullshit

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janiedean · 7 years ago

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Hi Lavi :) I need your help! cause I'm moving to Roma soon for 2 months and I don't really know anything about the city :/// First, I would need advice for the place I'll stay in, I have 3 options basically : Trastevere, Aventino, or near the basilica santa maria maggiore. Knowing that I would need to be in the city center (next to the palazzo colonna) every day?? And general advices about living in Roma would be awesome too! Grazie

hey!

okay so first thing I REALLY HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD TIME HERE rn the administration is... terrible but hopefully it won’t deter you from enjoying it. in order:

palazzo colonna is right in the city center but in theory all three options are good because aventino is behind the coliseum which is within walking distance, santa maria maggiore is near the main station but it’s also within walking distance and trastevere is a bit farther but you can get to piazza venezia quickly with the tram which is like the one public transport that works. in theory aventino is more quiet and has a lot of green and it’s not that filled with tourists but it should be less cheap (if you’re renting) but like if you can afford it maybe it’s the best choice, but it also has the least choice of like, shops and restaurants and so on. trastevere has all the typical restaurants and is a lot more lively and is full of nice shops, but it’s also stock-full of tourists and unless you find a secluded place good luck sleeping during the weekends. santa maria maggiore depends on where you are because in between the church and the station it’s cheaper but it’s basically the multicultural area which is not as well kept as the others - sadly - and on the other side instead there’s monti which is a very nice and actually not too touristy neighborhood which has also good public transportation so it depends on what are your specific needs, but all three are good picks also because you can get to piazza venezia by foot anyway if everything else fails. I’d say weigh your specific needs (if you want to party in your free time trastevere or s. maria maggiore is better, if you want quiet and calm aventino would be better) and see but all those choices are good;

as far as general advice goes, in order, PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND SHIT and then WHAT YOU CAN DO:

know it from the get-go - public transport is shitty. if you can walk, WALK. if you can’t, get an app on your phone - the best are probus, citymapper and muoviroma - which tells you when the bus is coming if it’s coming - sometimes they fuck up but it’s better that you do. really, GET AN APP, because otherwise waiting for the bus will be hell. the metro is more reliable but taken in the morning or at 5-7 PM it’s hell - you’ll get people in your face and pressed up to you like sardines most of the time. the only good public transport is the tram and it’s not everywhere. do not expect it to work properly. there’s a strike about every other friday (I KNOW) so be prepared to walk. if you’re here for two months you can get the monthly card - at least it’s cheap, even if the service is shitty. 80% of the time the bus driver won’t speak very good english. anyway, do not expect good public transport. ever;

don't use taxis or try not to. the prices are some of the highest in the country and they'll rob you in any case. clearly if you need to get someplace at 3 AM then you don't have much choice, but the number for calling one is just in Italian I think, so you'd have to stop one unless you learn enough italian or you know it well enough to navigate it. especially, try don't take one from the airport because it'll cost you around 70 euros tops unless you want to spend them, of course. or you can try the private taxi companies - the one everyone recommends me is samarcanda, they also accept credit cards while regular taxis might not; (in case, go on ONLY THE WHITE ONES)

if you need directions, beware that a good 50% of the people here either speak English pretty badly. So in case you do need to ask, I'd suggest asking at a newsstand or bar or shop - at the center there's probably more of a chance that they actually do speak English. If you learn the basic Italian for directions it might help a lot, but if you ask random people they might be crap at communication;

if you need to buy food, we have a few supermarket chains. todis has the best price/quality ratio, conad is okay, carrefour is good but pricey, coop is good if you find one, the rest can be good or not but those are the most popular supermarket chains;

alf of the people who drive around here should have their license removed. (personal experience.) pay extra attention while crossing any road and try to mind noisy traffic. that might seem kind of stupid, but there's a bunch of people passing with red lights or starting the car as soon as it's green and stuff like that which never happens when I go outside Italy (most times). oh, and pay attention to motorcycles because 75% of people driving one should have their license removed instead of just half and they tend to break rules more than car drivers do;

if you want to rent a car or try to get one while you’re here you can but I would advise strongly against it because parking is a bitch and *I* hate driving in this city I can’t imagine someone not adjusted to it;

now, since it’s long, under the cut you get food/tourism advice/tourist traps and stuff. :)

Tourist traps and stuff that is advisable to avoid

There aren't many tourist traps in the strict sense since pretty much everything is worth visiting, but here are the ones I'm aware of, plus a few tips.

- Don't get on the top of St. Peter's. I don't know why it's apparently a great thing to do but it's totally not worth it. They charge you, there's always a line that can go from mid-long to long as fuck and the view isn't anything that special either. You can get a better one for free if you take a walk up the Gianicolo hill or the Pincio gardens just to say two. Or you can take the elevator on the Altare della patria.

When you go to the Coliseum/Roman forum, avoid fake gladiators before they throw an arm around your shoulder and take a picture with you because then they'll want to get paid for it even if you didn't ask. Unless you want one but it’s like ROBBERY. XD

When eating, avoid restaurants in the center offering you tourist menus or pasta/pizza menus. They'll tell you that you can have any pasta or pizza you want and stuff to drink for seven euros, but then looking at the menu since most pastas cost more than that, they'll mostly give you just one or two choices for either. Also 99% of the times it's frozen and re-heated, and at that point you can spend ten euros and go to a proper cheap pizza place. Also beware generally of places that offer pasta and pizza at the same time anyway - most proper pizza restaurants have a pasta/meat/vegetables/etc. choice anyway even if they don't advertise it, and whatever offers stuff like pasta/pizza/Italian typical food at once is usually not a good choice. If they sport an Italian flag or the Coliseum or St. Peter's on the menu outside then it's probably not a good place. XD

Generally eating cheap

Since I scared you off the cheap kind of restaurant, some eating cheaply advice. Now, unless you go to very fancy places and/or renomated restaurants and/or smack in the center, it's easy-ish enough to eat with no more than 12 euros per person in regular restaurants/pizza places. Also most Chinese restaurants are pretty cheap. But if you just want something quick for lunch or anything, there are a lot of places that sell pizza by the weight. You can just go in and say that you want three euros of that kind of pizza and that's all you'll pay, and they also sell appetizers to go with it (like, idk, arancini or supplìs, google them XD) and you'll get out of there having spent five euros at most. Most ice cream places are good by default so that's a good option as well. Or most bars have a kitchen and offer pasta/meat/vegetables at lunch and you pay less than what you'd get in a restaurant. Also if you want to try typical local stuff (though if you're vegetarian Roman food might not be your cup of tea) you can just go to Trastevere and there virtually each restaurant is good. Actually if you want to try pizza there, this is my favorite place; the pizza is excellent, everything else is, prices are reasonable and you don't pay for the service, just for the food. (Anyway, check for pizzas. There's Neapolitan and Roman - most places do it the Roman way but if you check they might do it the Roman way as well. The difference is that the former is the real pizza, the second is very thin rather than tall. They usually specify it, if it's Neapolitan. /end rant)

If you're into Jewish food then you could go to the ghetto, which is the second-oldest ghetto in the world (nothing to be proud but it's info) and where they have a bunch of great places to eat typical Jewish/Roman stuff, but I can't guarantee about the cheapness. TRY THE ARTICHOKES FOR THE LOVE OF GOD;

Other random tips before the to-see list

From what I gathered, if you need euros it's better to get them at a bank/ATM rather than at any change shop or at airports. They don't rob you that much on it, but it's still more convenient not to get money in there.

Use tap water. Rome is full of fountains and all the water is good to drink. It's actually very good water objectively XD and rather than getting charged two euros for half a liter you can just buy a bottle once and fill it in at your hotel or at the first random fountain you see in the street. It's all safe.

Any place that charges you more than one euro for one coffee that isn't strictly in the center or in Via Veneto (except for my favorite place in the center - Sant’Eustachio - which is totally worth every penny) is best left alone. Today a lot of places offer American coffee too but I’d advise trying the espresso ;)

- Don't try to rent a bicycle. High chance is that someone will hit you.

Or: come with jackets or a huge scarf with you even if it's nice hot weather because otherwise they won't let you inside churches. especially at St. Peter's they're strict like hell -- they won't let you in with one-quarter sleeves, you need to have at least half of your arms covered. And once I brought a friend to a crypt which I'll list in the to-see things which isn't inside the church, it's under it, and the guardian was looking in obvious disapproval at a bunch of Germans going inside in shorts and tank tops, so anyway if you want to get inside churches don't do it with your shoulders uncovered.

The shiny list of things you absolutely need to see, or try to if you don't have time

1. Coliseum + Roman Forum. Or, well, come on, we were awesome before popes re-built this city. Okay, with all seriousness, I'm not going to play tourist guide here because that'd be redundant, but you really should go see them.

Aaand advice in order to go quicker: usually lines at the Coliseum are huge. Depends on day/time, but unless you're going very early or very late it'll take you a while. So, either you can book your ticket (with at least one day of advance, they won't let you otherwise) or you go the sneaky way. Which is: you can get a ticket for Coliseum & Roman forum together as well, at both Coliseum and the forum. Since the forum usually has like 1/10 of the line, you go to the forum first, visit there and then go to the Coliseum, be like 'I HAVE MY TICKET ALREADY' and skip the line.

2. The center! Which means like twenty things together, but they're all close-ish to each other so in theory if you spend one day walking (or two half days walking) you can totes manage it. What you should go see in the center, not including the churches because I'll make a list out of those in another point:

a) The Pantheon;

b) Piazza di Spagna (where, if you're English lit nerds, you can go visit Keats' house - they say it's the Keats/Shelley museum but just Keats lived in there. Anyway, it's at the right of the stairs and apparently 90% of the visiting people are English and the people there go like 'OMGWHUT' when Italians go in, but however, it's a little cool museum and if you have some time it could be worth a visit);

c) Fontana di Trevi;

d) Via del Corso (where you go buy stuff if you're cool and have a lot of money);

e) Piazza Venezia ---> the Campidoglio hill (where there's a square and a palace by Michelangelo and the Capitolini museums - more on those later) --> the Trajan column;

f) Piazza Barberini (Bernini fountains!);

g) Piazza Navona (Bernini fountain + Borromini church + the square was actually a stadium in Roman times);

h) Campo dei fiori aka my favorite place and one of the best places to eat so YOU NEED TO GO SEE IT AND THAT'S THE END OF IT;

i) Piazza del popolo;

l) Porta Pia + imperial walls surrounding it;

m) all the roads in between that + the churches that I'll list in a short while.

n) ETA BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON I FORGOT: Piazza Argentina, where there's a colony of 300 cats in the Roman ruins there and you can pet them for free. Well obv not 300 at a time but yeah they totally want to be petted and there's a volunteer association taking care of them so they're clean and everything and so basically it's just a huge free petting zoo.

3. The churches!

Okay, telling you to go to all the churches in Rome would be insane as there's one every three buildings, so I'll give you a run down of the places that are worth checking out because of a) the architects, b) the paintings inside, c) other stuff of importance.

a) Basilicas first, obviously:

a1 -> St. Paul's. (No, I didn't list St. Peter's first. *cough*) it’s my favorite of the basilicas, especially because it's way older than St. Peter's and still has some Byzantine mosaics as well. Disadvantage: since it was built outside the Roman walls back then (VERY MUCH outside) it's smack down in the middle of suburbs, so you need to go there with the subway and there's nothing else around to see UNLESS YOU GO TO THE NOT-CATHOLIC CEMETERY to visit keats and shelley, it’s the previous metro stop;

a2 -> St. Peter's obviously. If only because Michelangelo's Pietà is in there and you -have- to see that, no discussions. XD No well obviously you have to go. I'm probably just sick of it because I've been there so many times that I barely notice anything else anymore

a3 -> St. John's, which is also quite worth visiting, and it's next to San Giovanni which is a pretty lively zone where you can totally go to have a drink or something to eat

a4 -> santa maria maggiore ;)

There are three others as well but those four are the most important ones. Now, other churches:

b) San Luigi dei Francesi, Sant'Agostino and Santa Maria del popolo

have a considerable advantage that makes them VERY much worthy to be visited: all of them have Caravaggio paintings inside. Actually, the first has three, the second one, the third two, and they're all masterpieces, so those are totally worth visiting.

c) Sant'Andrea al Quirinale and San Carlino alle Quattro Fontane

are two churches near the Quirinale (where the President of the Republic lives -- NOT the PM, thanks XD), the first was designed by Bernini and the second by Borromini, which are both pretty much encompassing what you want to see about Baroque in Rome. They're both absolutely wonderful though I like Borromini's better. Regarding Borromini, it's his also the one in Piazza Navona.

d) Bernini speaking, in Santa Maria della Vittoria you will find the Ecstasy of St. Theresa sculpture - it's kind of fun that when I bring people there without telling them what's inside everyone is like 'OMG IS THAT IN HERE' because it's not the kind of church you notice.

e) Chiesa di Santa Maria Immacolata a Via Veneto or where the crypt I was talking to you before is. Major point of interest: said crypt is made of human bones. Warning: since human bones/skeletons creep me out like nothing else I've never set foot inside or I'd have ended up with a major case of WANTING TO GET THE SHIT OUT OF THERE, but people with less problems with it assure me that it's amazing. Your pick. xD

f) San Clemente aka a minor basilica which is also one of our oldest churches and is definitely worth a visit, if only because you can sort of see how it's two churches one built over the other. It also has some catacombs (thankfully skeletons-free) which are pretty much worth a visit as I think they're the only ones that remained here in pretty good condition.

Obviously there's a bunch of other churches but those are the ones I wouldn't miss.

4. Museums:

4a: Vatican museums. Or, if you need to pick ONE then I'd go here even if clearly it's the most pricey and it'll take you half a day to see it. BUT, it has the Sistine Chapel and Raphael's chambers and pretty much some of the best things you can see here so yeah, totally recommending it. Other recommendation: either book tickets online (you'll pay like 3 euros more) or go there at lunch time around 12.30/1 PM because otherwise high chances are that you'll queue for hours. Also if you're a student and have a card or a document from your school bring it along because you can pay 8 euros instead of 14 to get in.

4b: Galleria Barberini: they have a lot of Reinassance/Baroque paintings, Caravaggio included, and they're much cheaper.

4c: Galleria Borghese: probably the besty out of said public museums. It has sculptures/paintings/everything from a lot of artists and also contains famous things as well but a) you have to book, b) they'll kick you out after two hours regardless of the point you reached, so while being there try to go as quick as possible. If you finish you can always go back.

4d: Musei Capitolini: or, the oldest public museums in the world! (Really.) They have a lot of ancient Roman statues/ruins/etc along with the Marcus Aurelius statue which is the only original Roman bronze around, so it's totally worth a visit. Their paintings are great as well.

4e: if you're into it, next to Galleria Borghese there's a pretty good modern art gallery, but I haven't been there in ages and I'm not that much into very modern art anyway so you should probably check before listening to me.

5. I’d also go to Trastevere/the isola tiberina if you don’t go LIVE there of course XD

6. Also if you have time take a train at ostiense and go to the ruins at Ostia Antica. then take a train from any regular station and go see Villa Adriana in Tivoli ;)

feel free to ask for any other advice!

#italy #rome #traveling #welcome to italy #really JUST DON'T TRUST ATAC AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT #Anonymous #ask post

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violetsystems · 4 years ago

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#personal

It is usually my favorite time of the year. Although, I do remember a Halloween years ago when I sat in a corner at a party on my phone alone scrolling through tumblr. My mom loves this time of year. Her birthday is Monday and we usually walk in the day of the dead parade in my neighborhood. Her costume this year is a gypsy witch which if anybody didn’t know by now is part of my heritage. My Croatian grandfather dropped out in the sixth grade after his mother died. He would tell me stories of the church refusing to bury her and how he had to take care of his siblings learning six languages in the process. He and his brother were in the army and Navy respectively. He married into a Bohemian German family where he had two daughters. My mother lives in the house she grew up in. I used to sit at the table on Sundays watching Shaw Brothers films while my grandfather taught me Serbian curse words. My favorite movie back then was Chinese Superninjas and my grandmother was always asleep in a chair listening to a Cubs game. Anytime anyone got decapitated I would look to my grandfather and he would be lost in an article about electronics. The basement was filled with wires and circuit boards. He was a licensed union electrician who fell into disability. Before that he was an army mechanic in the war. Magic and technology was what filled most of my adolescence. My father’s side of the family was all Swedish, a son of a poor Lutheran minister and also in the military. Back then, families were a little more nuclear. My mom’s cousin and my dad’s sister met around the same time my dad and my mom. Subsequently, I have twin cousins who are eerily double related. I also have a cousin on that side of the family who lives in Hong Kong as is adopted. I learned the hard way sitting at a dinner table at a school called Li Po Chun where she lived and taught. I spoke about music and art at that school to survivors of the Iraq war who openly hated Americans like myself. I remember my cousin telling me how important it was how I cut through that hate and fear talking about music with them. That night the oldest living relative was at the table. It was the first time I ever set foot in China let alone Hong Kong. Her daughter who was half Kenyan and her son who was half Chinese sat at that table along with her husband from Beijing. Louise sat at the head of the table attended by a live in nurse. She was in her nineties at that point. Her husband had passed but was a Swedish missionary who travelled the world helping people depending on your political views. I said out loud how it was good to meet someone who I was blood related to halfway across the world. She gave a hushed and sad smile. “Your dad never told you did he?” My cousin was adopted. Later after dinner I sat with her son and drew. It was his favorite activity to share. He taught me Chinese characters and I taught him the Korean characters I knew. We never talked about blood ever again.

Being an only child, these experiences of connection to family can be intense. There really isn’t much of a legacy for me back here in the states. My parents are divorced. My dad remarried into a family that is very different from what I am used to. His wife is nice but religious. Some of the family are police. My dad told me once her brother had fallen into a culture of online forums for gun rights. I spoke to my dad over the phone just the other day. We gently brushed politics over Pelosi and Mnuchin. My dad is an accountant. It’s easy to shift the conversation to something like stocks. But truthfully, I know he and his wife support things like the supreme court nomination. That frightens me in more ways than anyone can know. But those kind of politics have done nothing for me in this situation I have found myself in over the last four or five months. The only piece of government action that affects me favorably at all has been the CARES act. More specifically, the fact that the bulk of my pension is affected by the tax legislation. It literally saved my life. That expires at the end of the year and who knows when the next round of layoffs will happen. And yet politicians are sitting in offices they were bought into arguing concepts about when life begins. Which is funny because politicians don’t really care about life. They care about money, power and how to control the bulk of it. The tones of an election year are deafening over ideological talking points. I hear people like Ken Griffin talking about how he’d rather not pay fair taxes. I also hear Ken Griffin donates heavily to the campaigns of Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. He has his prize Basquiat hanging in the Art Institute along with his history of supporting the Christian right. I never made the connection as to why abortion protesters were always allowed to protest outside of that school. They used to stand there for hours with signs in front of my building. Years later, there’s a chick fil a right next door. It seems odd until you realize the money is all connected, ideologically and otherwise. In America these days, freedom is only attached to religious expression and the money attached to it. A woman’s right to choose factors nowhere into this. However you feel about abortion or religion in general in America should fall down to a basic function. Is it government’s job to dictate what you do with your life on an ideological level? Or is it their job to use your tax dollars to maintain infrastructure? In an era where the Senate in America is only concerned about loading the courts with yes men and women, it’s pretty obvious. The stimulus to keep the economy going is nowhere in sight. People like Ken Griffin talk loudly about how the answer is getting people back to work and not incentivising people to hurt the GDP. Liam Gallagher and Johnny Marr are among a host of musicians who have hit back at London Chancellor’s Rishi Sunak’s suggestion that people should “adapt” their jobs during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. They would much rather get you back in the machine in any number of startups their sons created. Ken Griffin got rich of his daddy’s connections in times like these. Just like the health care industry gets rich putting you at risk. I put my money in the markets too with no help or advice. For the record, I’m doing quite well these days in my portfolio without any handouts other than my pension.

All the while, I’m trying to apply for jobs in the most insensitive, impersonal and isolated time of my life. I’m alone in ways I cannot explain or even comprehend. And I’m stuck in the middle with people I love like ghosts on the net trying to find a voice. These people in power say they care. Say they have divine insight from God about how you should live your life. Have all the time in the world to type their feelings and beliefs on twitter but do absolutely nothing to help the country heal. And I sit in financial webinars with banks and investors who all say the same thing. The country needs help from the government to recover from these dangerous times. A time where health care is so important and so expensive. Who profits from all this death? The doctors and lawyers that move to Saipan and other tax havens to escape their fair share of the blame? The country is number one at dying these days from a disease that’s easily mitigated by keeping to yourself and wearing a mask. Sounds poetic. And yet everyone can’t keep their distance from me when I walk out the door to restock my fridge. They can’t help sabotaging every attempt to keep my mental state in tact when I face crippling social exclusion. I do still have friends. Mostly in the neighborhood. And yet there’s enemies too. It seems living in this town for years has only one advantage. Everyone thinks they know everything about me. They think I’m a Chinese spy. They think I’m a Satanist. They think I’m in league with a secret organization hell bent on destroying American freedom. And they act out on it every day in my public space without my consent because they think they know me. But they never ask my name. They never look me in the eye. They gossip and plot behind my back. And sooner or later, I just get bored and adapt. I apply for more jobs overseas. All the jobs in China. A few in New York. But New York is more of the same. Startups for daddy’s little business school graduate. A bunch of cock sure closet misogynists who have learned the slick talk corporate snake oil about freedom. These people care so much about your uterus they voted for a guy who literally said in the most vulgar terms to impregnate women forcefully. You think those people care about human life at any stage of conception? They care about votes. They care about people to brainwash. Cheap labor. I literally had to listen to a Bloomberg pundit talk about how a baby boom in the COVID era would be great for shareholders. Trillion dollar companies that pass the savings onto investors instead of the consumer. I hear nothing but people banging the war drum to increase the cost of things. Inflation is a good thing when the wealth disparity is so wildly out of balance. These times seem dark. Almost comedic. But when you shine the light for years from this lighthouse you know one thing. These people are nothing but husks on a balance sheet. They have no culture and no history other than burying and exiling the truth until it drowns in the river like a mob hit. And America is drowning in this cesspool day after day. I’m an only child. There’s a chance my legacy will die and never be retold. But then again, there are things out there more precious than blood. And the streets run red with it everyday without a care in the world. What price do you put on a life when you value none of it? Ask Ken Griffin. I’m sure he could buy your silence. Or maybe he has enough money to throw away to silence you for good. It’s the Chicago way after all. I should know. <3 Tim

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lonawebb87-blog · 5 years ago

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Insightful Information About Lona Webb Nevada

Deciding Whether to Go Legal

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Cash Matters

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shysweetthing · 7 years ago

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I wanted to join the chorus saying that your financial posts are awesome! I cannot explain how much I appreciate your acknowledgement of intersectionality. I have student debt and am financially independent for the first time, and I think there's a lot of great ideas in your personal finance strategy. You said that buying clothes that wear out quickly creates extra cost. In the interest of reducing financial worry instead of just saving money, is that not true of crappy cars as well? Thanks!

(In response to this post.)

The answer is--yes, it definitely can be.

I kind of hedged this with “drive the shittiest car you can get away with,” because I actually have a whole other set of thoughts with regards to cars and didn’t want to get into it.  Long again, so this is below the cut.

The main difference between cars and clothing is that cars cost a lot more. What that means is that most people who are making a median middle class income can generally buy decent, new clothing without going into debt. By contrast, most people who are making a median middle class income generally cannot do the same for a car. The strategy for these two items is different simply because the amounts are different.

I just want to point out that one of the financial things I point out here is not something I touched on in the last post, and that is this:

Financial stress is a function of bad things happening when you don’t have a plan for them. You can’t avoid bad things, but you can minimize stress by planning for them.

So, step one: buy the car you can get on the basis of your savings. The first time you do this, it won’t be a lot of savings. 

Be picky about the car you buy. Don’t buy from a dealer; I haven’t met one that isn’t shady as hell. I’m sure there are exceptions, but... don’t buy from a dealer unless you’re super savvy and great at this kind of thing. Talk to the owner of the car. If you talk to someone on the phone and they give you bad vibes, don’t buy the car. Ask why they’re selling. Ask questions about the last major trip they took with their car. Ask where they keep the car.

Look specifically for brands of cars that have long lifespans and relatively low cost of ownership--many don’t, and most people who buy cars are actually fairly ignorant, and care more about how the car looks, and how old it is, than the far more salient questions of “how long will a car like this last on average, and what can I expect to pay for maintenance?”

This is because people see cars as status symbols more than transportation. If you evaluate a car purely on the basis of its transportation abilities, you will be able to pay less than the market rate simply because you don’t need to value things other people value, like trying to impress people.

Don’t buy a car just because it’s cheap and in your budget. Buy cars that have low projected costs of ownership, and have someone competent look at it before you buy it to see if there are any major issues.

Second, (advice specifically for Americans), if this is at all possible, consider going to a desert state to buy a car that has lived there all its life. If you live in the northeast or the midwest, the cars there have been subjected to snow and salt and that accelerates rust. Cars last longer in the Southwest, and the market doesn’t adequately correct for this. This isn’t feasible for many people, but it’s useful information.

Finally, take good care of your car once you have it. Get the oil changed by a competent person. Know when to get your radiator flushed. Put car maintenance on your phone calendar and don’t mess around. Drive your car as little as possible.

(Notice, of course, that if you have to buy a car with next to no money and no time to make the choice, it’s HARD to hold out for the right car. If even the cost a crappy car eats up all your available income, it’s hard to keep up with regular maintenance--especially with older cars, because you’ll have to drop a thousand or so here or there for recommended maintenance to keep them running.

So I want to point out again that I’m writing from a place of privilege here. If you have already gotten to the point where you have a little bit of wiggle room, you can buy yourself much more wiggle room.

Getting the wiggle room is the hardest part of becoming financially stable; once you have it, wiggling is easy. Desperation purchases make for bad choices over all. Your goal, to become financially stable, is to minimize future desperation. If you can make do with a bike for a month while you wait for the right car, DO IT. If you can take public transit, do it. If you can walk, do it. The more wiggle room you can buy yourself, the less desperate you will be, and the better you will do.)

So my point is not “buy the cheapest car you can find” but “hold out for the best value of car you can buy out of your current savings.” If you have the time to make a really, really good choice on a car, you can get a relatively inexpensive car that lasts a good while.

There are, of course, no guarantees, and how long that while lasts will depend on luck, your skill in evaluating people and cars, and how much you’re able to put in in the first place. If you are very bad at evaluating both people and cars, you might need a different strategy.

That’s step one, and it’s just step one. Your ultimate goal is not to avoid obsolescence in your vehicle; it is to plan for it. Whether your car has a projected future lifespan of two years or twenty years, you need to plan for repairs and its inevitable demise, or you will experience stress when your car goes kaput. This is true no matter what car you purchase.

So open a savings account, and every month, automatically yank $X out of your checking account. $X is what you would be paying for a car payment if you had a car payment. If you did step one right, you hopefully don’t have a car payment--or if you couldn’t avoid it, you pay it off super-early because you didn’t get a loan for that much. Once you pay it off, you continue to act like you have a car payment. 

When your car needs a new radiator (and it will, it’s an older car), you won’t stress about the amount, because you have it already sitting in your dedicated car account. If you already have the money to deal with whatever happens with your car, you will not stress about it. You’ll have some cars that you need to replace too soon. You’ll have some that last more than their time. As time lengthens, you’ll get better cars each go around, and you’ll pay cash every time you do it.

(You may be asking: "What's the difference between putting a car payment in a savings account, to use later, and making a car payment now?" There are many differences--for instance, if you are laid off, you can choose to suspend making fake car payments for a month, but you can't choose to stop making real ones. I could list a lot more, but the difference is this: Real car payments are a source of stress. Fake car payments allay future stress.)

If you aren’t making plans to maintain and replace your car, it won’t matter what car you buy; you’re going to experience stress. If you are making those plans, experiencing car difficulties will not be a source of financial stress, because you’ve already handled them.

One last thing: I mentioned this in the other post, but this advice is not intersectional and will not work for everyone. As an example--and this is not the only possible example--people don’t code me as dangerous and/or a criminal if I’m driving a cheap car; they just assume I’m cheap, which in my case is a correct assumption.

By contrast I have a friend who went from getting pulled over and frisked every week to twice a year when she upgraded vehicles. Your safety is important.

You might be thinking, "oh, the above does not apply to me, I can just take this advice without modification." If you are thinking that, congratulations. You could--if you wanted--figure out a dollar amount that your privilege on this point puts in your savings account on a monthly basis. This underestimates your actual savings; you need to add in the cost of bullshit pretext traffic tickets, the added stress of wondering if you and/or close family members are going to die, the way you might lengthen your commute to avoid known speed traps, and so forth.

It’s not all about building your own wealth. Do something with the wiggle room you are disproportionately more likely to have, to try and make this a given for everyone, not just people like you. Help make this little bit of wiggle room more accessible to everyone.

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