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swordmaid · 3 years

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creator tag meme

tagged by the local angel @giuseppearcimboldo thank you so much lizzie!

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

VERY happy i can fill this out because i’ve been so productive this year lol. also this is all gonna be jb bc ive been RELENTLESS and spamming and i would apologize but i wont lmao

1. jb eros/psyche au.

i am talking about everything i have done for the au btw, because i’ve done quite a handful of things and honestly i really love all of them--even the doodle ones which rarely happens. anyway, i love this au in general. i think the tale is perfect for them, and i’m happy with the works that i managed to put out most esp this one that’s based on canova’s sculpture of eros and psyche. translating sculpture into digital art was interesting since it was all about converting the weight and structure of the sculpture into the screen and i think i managed to do it imo! i love how brienne looks heavy in his arms, i love how strong jaime looks holding her up and i especially love the way i shaded her dress to mimic the lines that the statue has. all in all, this au slapped and i actually want to do more of it but i have no inspiration right now.

2. jb as classical art series.

honestly i never thought that this was going to be a series lol i thought it was just a two time thing, but then i did another one, and then another one, and then another one and now here we are. i love all the pieces that i’ve done for it actually. my favourite thing is that they’re all not direct translations of the original art. there are some aspects that i’ve taken and adapted while also putting my own flair into it. i love the reverse colour scheme with klimt’s kiss and my own rendition of it. the gold being the accent highlight in a field of murky brown/black whereas klimt has the black squares present to emphasis the richness of the gold and yellows. i also like the little thing i did where i put the geometric shapes outside of the subject instead of inside (what he did). i put on the tags that i didnt like how it turned out but i actually like it lol i just didn’t like how long it took me i get too impatient with my art i think. anyway. i love this whole series sm i think all the pieces have their own character, and tbh i always get nervous adding another piece into this just because all the ones that i’ve done has been so well received i don’t want to be a disappointment lool. regardless, i love classical art and i love jb and i love being able to put the two together hehe we love to be self indulgent

3. la belle fleur sauvage commission.

aka THIS commission that was based from SD’s fic, la belle fleur sauvage. some behind the scenes with that one--that one took me SO long to do, like it was taking longer than i had wanted and i felt very bad and i am forever thankful for sd’s patience 😭😭😭. i really can’t be too mad though since i was working on the third year of my degree, but i still would’ve wanted to finish it sooner than i did. but as for the art itself---i actually love it lol. i always say to zoom in on my stuff to see all the details but i WISH folks would zoom in on that because it’s so big and so intricate. i love how everything turned out; i love how rich the colours are, i love the composition for all three panels, i love how the SKY looked like actually that’s the first time i sat down and painted clouds with that technique and i am so happy and pleased with how it looked im using it for everything LOL, i love jaime’s outfit in the 2nd panel---i actually designed a whole outfit for that and he DOES have his pouches and daggers, etc. stuff that he would have with him if he was a mercenary, but because of the cropping, those details were taken out but it’s THERE. i love the colours and the shading on the 3rd panel. it looks so soft and romantic and it’s everything 😭😭. honestly i didnt know if i was able to finish whole three panels just because of how big the project seemed, but tbqh this piece really pushed me as an artist and im really happy that i had the chance to work on it (-’:

4. early morning.

this one is a more recent piece and i was thinking post canon jaime/brienne married and either living in casterly rock or evenfall hall. originally the sheets were gonna be red with the gold brocade but i just made it green to make their location more ambiguous. they’re in a castle because of the finery, but which castle i have no idea. anyway i love their faces here in particular--jaime because it’s not often that i draw him old (this is the second time i drew old jaime i think?) and i love how he turned out here. i love how he looks like a silver fox and a dilf and we really do love that for brienne. full disclosure, i have no idea how to draw older folks since i don’t have a lot of practice in that area so im glad my lack of experience doesn’t show lmao. i also love how soft brienne looks here! the little smile on her lips is very sweet, her body language and how relax she seems is very telling abt her confidence in this scene also i think i drew her hands hella well haha. all in all i think it’s a really sweet art! and the full version is not so bad either jaime’s ass was referenced from marble sculptures so you know im aiming for Quality. but i love this headcanon of a younger brienne tiring jaime out, i’ve read a handful fics about it and im happy i can do my own version of it hehe

5. unravel.

wow we love domesticity. someone said that if you compile all my ns*w art of them together it’s like they haven’t left their bed ever since they got together and you know what? love that for them it’s what they deserve. anyway i chose this one because of how sensual and simple it is. their body language really does all the talking ; jaime’s hand pulling on the ties on her shift, her hand on his hair, how soft and lazy their kiss looks--it’s enough to tell the story me thinks! i just love how simple this whole thing is but it’s very effective. there’s really not much to it besides what you see but that’s really enough.

i am actually very proud of myself with how productive i’ve been. it’s really not often that i get as much drive and energy to post so much art. iirc my art tag is nearly 200 content already (i think it’s 180 ish rn?) and honestly that’s a LOT if you told me ill be making more than 100+ content for jb i would’ve been like nah im too lazy for that lmao. but im really proud of myself this year! i think i pushed myself as an artist and i’ve familiarized myself more with my strengths as well as my weaknesses. i have a clear idea on the areas that i need to work on, and i’ve really gotten more comfortable with being happy with my own pieces and i’m trying not to put myself down more if something doesn’t go the way i want it to. also, i’ve had the opportunity to work with more people this year--so for the people who has commissioned me or IS commissioning me rn--- thank you so much for trusting me with your visions 😭😭 ive never expected to get this kind of reception with my art but i am very grateful for all of it.

anyway as for the tagging i tag -- @na-bruma-leve / @dreadwulf / @dilfjaime / @fawnilu BUT i would highly recommend you to come along and snatch this tag meme up like a little raccoon because we all should start being proud of our own works imo !!

#long post /#this whole ass essay is me gushing about myself how gemini can i be

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hoochieblues · 3 years

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100 Days of Writing: Day 7

Do you have a writing day? Or a writing hour? When do you get most of your writing done?

for @the-wip-project

I have two answers here. Sharing both in case one or more helps someone.

First off, this is a tough one for me. I’m chronically ill, juggling CFS, The Big Sad and The Big Anxious, and riding out the tail end of two successive periods of life completely falling apart, not to mention trying to be there for fambly and friends also collapsing under the weight of late stage capitalism and post-millennial burnout. In short: I don’t even have set meal times anymore, let alone a writing schedule, and I can tell you exactly what color the sky is over the laurel trees in my yard at 4:41am in any given season.

I used to be intense. I used to be attached to my computer for hours at a stretch, chewing through outlines like a G and reliably punting out 2-5k daily. I wrote like 7 [deeply questionable] novels and ~40 short stories that way and got paid [a very small amount] for about half of them. [full disclosure: I am reliably informed this may have been inattentive type ADHD in action, but I don’t have a diagnosis so fuck if i know]

And then, at some point, I broke. I used to be the kind of person who sneered at writer’s block and said ‘you just have to push through it’ but then, boom, I was sicker than I’d ever been in my life and - for about 3-4 years - almost totally creatively bankrupt. No ideas, no sentences, nothing. I’d look at old stuff and it was like it was written by a different person bc I just didn’t see the world that way anymore. It was the second most horrible period of my life (so far~)

I’m getting better, though. I’m currently doing a writing challenge that involves coming up with short stories for specific prompts (my traditional kryptonite!) and I’ve made it to round 3 of 4 so far. I’ve outlined a lot of the WIPs that have been stuck for years as nebulous half-done things, and I’m revisiting the guilt-free joy of fanfic as a creative safe space that - I truly believe - is helping me fall in love with writing again.

So, there’s really two answers here, and it would be easy to answer this really shortly and say “I usually get my best work done between about 1am and 9am, when there are no other distractions or drains on my time, and I can curl up in bed with laptop, tea, foster dog(s) and farm kitty (Miss Goblinface; she lives with me bc the other colony cats are assholes) and listen to the rain and the chickens scratching around outside, and I feel really lucky that I’m able to have that” but that - while true - is charmingly aesthetic bullshit.

The reality, imo, is that we mostly all do our best in whatever ways we can. Whether it’s getting the time to concentrate, or scratching out a great idea that comes when you least expect it. We all have creative tanks that need filling and get depleted, whether by the hard and visceral graft of writing itself, or by life wearing on us until we’re running on fumes.

And that’s okay. What looks like good productive practice - lots of words, big output, deadlines hit - one month won’t be the same every month. Sometimes you’re going to be sitting back taking in ideas, inspiration and just breathing... even if you’re not aware that’s what you’re doing at the time.

Sometimes, deadlines and pressures and expectations spur you on... and sometimes they chase the ideas right out of your head. Sometimes Thursday is dim sum and five thousand words of perfect cohesion, and sometimes it’s just the day before Friday.

I guess what I’ve learned is not to judge or gauge myself by when/where/how I’m doing my best or most ‘productive’ work... just that I’m doing it at all, in whatever ways I can and at whatever means and speed work for me.

And one day, maybe I’ll be kicking out high-gear output again. But if not, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I showed up, and did what I could. And I didn’t quit.

#100daysofwriting #writeblurble #personal #behold my life #yaaaay #writing #tbf the chickens are noisy assholes #and they bully the cats #and the current foster dog #but he has chronic anxiety anyway

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sraawrats · 5 years

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🦇🎃Kana’s Halloween Hangover Rec List🎃🦇

Love Halloween? Not ready for it to be over? No worries! Old and new, these are some of my favorite spooky, suspenseful, and supernatural Kylux reads--perfect for drawing out your favorite month a little longer!

which is 100% why i’m posting this on november 1st, definitely not because i didnt manage to finish it before yesterday. nope, not at all

My Baby’s a Devil in the Bedroom | @callmelyss

- E - 4/5 chapters, 14 645 words - “Oh, obviously.” Kylo let out a shaky laugh and ran both hands through his hair. “Wait, no, you’re serious. You’re a fucking demon.”

“Well, yes, not to put too fine a point on it.” Hux smiled, clearly pleased with himself at the joke. “Or more accurately, I’m a succubus. A sex demon.”

—

Kylo has an unusual squatter. He's pretty fine with it. -

This fic is seriously amazing. It’s a super fun idea, the dialogue is hilarious, and it perfectly balances the sweetness and humor with angst/intrigue. Plus, I’m absolutely taken with snarky, smug, candy-tasting succubus Hux <3 <3

strange phenomenon | @brawlite, @kyluxtrashcompactor

- E - 8/8 chapters, 65 756 words - Kylo Ren is haunted by recent tragedy. He answers an ad posted by one Armitage Hux for a roommate, and he thinks a fresh start will help him begin to heal. He brings next to nothing with him from the past when he moves in.Or so he thinks. -

This fic is wonderfully suspenseful, and perfect if you’re looking for something to keep you on the edge of your seat. I also had a lot of Han feels when reading this one. Overall it’s just really nicely well-rounded with heartfelt and genuine characterizations, good spooks, and some searing sexual tension.

Something Wicked | @marlonbookcase

- G - 7/7 chapters, 22 514 words - Kylo and Armitage have been friends since they were kids. Now in university, they run a semi-popular YouTube channel called "London Below" where they investigate all sorts of haunted and paranormal happenings in and around London and try to answer the question, are ghosts real? When they take on the mysterious and tragic case of the Pendle Witches, they come face to face with the spirit world in a way they never have before. Will they make it out of Pendle alive? Are ghosts real? And most importantly, does Armitage return Kylo's affections? -

I love Buzzfeed Unsolved. I love Kylux. I love this fic. A lot. As it says in the description, it’s not an exact Unsolved AU, but it really captured the format/feel of the “paranormal investigator” genre, so if you’re a fan of that, you’ll love this. Bonus points for some mutual pining and sugary fluff 👀👀

Second Spring, First Fall | @huxandthehound

- T - 5/? chapters, 7 018 words - Nothing brings people together quite like the holidays. Well, maybe not Halloween... After a scare, Hux has to confront his neighbor. Lucky for him, Kylo might be a little sweeter than his tricks let on. -

A cute multi-chap made of Huxloween prompt fills! Lighthearted, but it’s still got that Halloween spirit. Plus I’ve got a soft spot for sweet modern AU Kylo :))

Some Strange and Unnerving Events | @longstoryshortikilledhim

- E - 10/10 chapters, 158 815 words - As a boy in a dreary school on the moors, Kylo Ren had only one friend, a red-headed boy whose sharp tongue and wit drew Kylo to him. But that friend was taken from him. Now grown, Kylo goes into the service of the master of Stormfield Hall, the enigmatic Lord Arkanis, who is seeking a tutor for his charge. Kylo's past will come rushing back to him, both in his new employer and some unusual circumstances that bring to the fore powers that Kylo thought long-suppressed. -

This fic hit me like a ton of bricks. This fic hit me like TWO tons of bricks. Start this one when you’re ready to be feeling it for a few days afterwards. It’s an incredible historical AU with magic and a great murder mystery--it basically pushes, like, all of my buttons. And it’s /genuinely/ spooky, I had to start keeping a light on while I read it. Oh, and it features definitely my favorite Millicent ever. If you’ve got the time for something long, go for this one.

Reach Out in the Darkness | unicornsandbutane

- E - 2/2 chapters, 9 321 words - Having spent a decent amount of time researching the history and folklore of Arkanis, Cadet Hux strikes out one chilly evening in search of some legendary creature that's supposed to be extremely powerful. If the myths aren't true, all he's wasted is time. But, if they are based in some actual fact, then what a boon such an entity would be to his cause. He doesn't know what he will find, but he is prepared for any (absolutely ANY) eventuality. -

Tentacle monster Kylo. I am unapologetic. It’s really good.

Witchfeather | Whatever21ism

- E - 14/? chapters, 16 015 words - Armitage Hux is a new witch trying to establish himself in a new town. One day he goes out seeking a familiar, particularly a cat, somehow instead he ends up with a raven who is much more than they appear to be. -

A favorite of mine! Apothecary witch Hux & his crow familiar Kylo. There’s some really nice worldbuilding and crow Kylo is super cute. Possibly abandoned, but defs worth checking out what’s there & showing the author some love.

First Order Investigations | @mistresseast

- Unrated - series, 3 works, 58 094 words, incomplete - Hux and Phasma have been running First Order Investigations since high school, and Dr. Snoke's metaphysical research graduate program seemed like the perfect opportunity to pursue their interests under the protective umbrella of academia. Unfortunately, that meant allowing Snoke's personal project, a taciturn medium named Kylo Ren, to join their team. Hux and Kylo mix like oil and water, or, more accurately, like fire and gasoline, and Hux is convinced that working effectively with Kylo is absolutely impossible. They hate each other, and Hux is content to leave it that way.

But then, a case in the sweltering heat of South Carolina begins to change things between them, and Hux finds himself questioning not only Kylo's feelings, but his own as well. -

Paranormal Investigator AU of the highest quality. The detail and thought put into each investigation site is incredible. I love this fic to pieces, and if you like ghost stories, you will too.

Undead | @heyktula, @splinteredscript

- E - series, 2 works, 6 855 words, incomplete - They’ve been circling around each other for years. Kylo Ren, the most powerful vampire in Supreme Leader Snoke’s house, and Armitage Hux, the human liaison between the world of mortals and that of eternal darkness. Baiting, taunting, the cord between them growing ever tighter.Sooner or later, one of them is going to snap. -

A lovely and dark vampire AU~~ Gives off some real classic Kylux vibes, and is an absolute pleasure to read :D

Fixer Upper | @irisparry

- T - 5/7 chapters, 10 034 words - When Armitage Hux starts with First Order estate agents, he thinks the house on Alderaan Drive is an insult, a patronising set of training wheels for the new boy. He is ... not correct. -

Adorable haunted house AU! I love both of their characterizations in this one, especially shy, grumpy ghost Kylo~

Hair of the Dog That Bit You | @theweddingofthefoxes

- M - 9/9 chapters, 21 597 words - Ren owns a popular tavern, and Armitage is a respected physician in town and the surrounding villages. Their years-long friendship will survive anything -- even the bite of a werewolf. Won't it? -

Full disclosure, I haven’t actually finished this one-- I have a tendency to get distracted unless I finish something in one sitting, rip. But I remember being SUPER stoked about starting it, and anything by weddingofthefoxes is guaranteed to be a treat, so I’m putting it on here anyway :D tbh now that I’m thinking about it again I’ll probably finish it tonight.

The Eldritch Effect | @generallyhuxurious

- E - 17/17 chapters, 67 899 words - For the last three years Major Donal A. Hux, formerly of the British Army's Parachute Regiment, and Kylo Ren, estranged son of US Defence Secretary Leia Organa, have been tooling around North America investigating "weirdness"- and they're plenty weird themselves. Their latest tip off is leading them towards a haunting in rural Alabama. But first they need to make a stop in Trinity, South Carolina... -

A real goofy Paranormal Investigators AU that I super love (but I also need to catch up on rip). It’s an American Gothic AU, but you don’t need to have any knowledge of the show to follow along (I don’t). It also comes with a series of oneshots set in the universe but outside the main plotline, so when you finish the fic and inevitably want more, you’re covered ;)

blackbird, fly | @acroamatica

- M - 19 265 words - One sunny afternoon in the mountains of Washington state, Ben Organa-Solo walked out into the woods.

He never came home.

Six years later, a journalist specialising in missing-persons cold cases decides to follow his footsteps and see where they might lead. -

This is a sad beautiful horror AU that is very close to my heart. The writing is just gorgeous and the suspense is beautifully done. Also, it about doubled the amount of emotions already attached to the song Blackbird for me (I still get a little heart-squeeze every time I hear it)

what’s real or isn’t | @brawlite

- E - 12/12 chapters, 57 398 words - Hux's new house is not haunted. It isn't. -

Super surreal haunted house AU. There’s also monster sex. This is definitely a staple of spooky Kylux fics :D

How to Kill a Living Thing | hedgerowhag

- E - 10/10 chapters, 25 394 words - It starts like any other horror movie: a young man moves into a strange old house full of relics of the past and becomes haunted by some strange entity. However, Ren doesn't find the monster that he expects. -

This one has got some of the most stunning, spooky visuals I’ve ever read. I could picture every scene and character so clearly. Plus, I love Hux’s characterization--he’s kind of a shit, and it’s beautiful.

Twenty-Six Weeks | @vmprsm

- E (eventually) - series, 4 works, 28 539 words, probably complete - Two mature adults need to do two things: live an a house with a stranger for six months, and keep their secrets to themselves. How hard could that be?

Apparently very. -

The author made a point of trying not to give too much away in the summary/tags, so I won’t either :D I’ll just say it’s one of my favorites, and definitely worth a read if you haven’t already~~

The Brief Wondrous Return of Vampire Boy | @hollyhark

- T - 21 190 words - Two days before Halloween, Hux hears a rumor that Ben Solo is back in town. While Hux does not believe the sensational version-- that his estranged childhood friend/enemy escaped from an asylum and is out for revenge --he is left on edge as to how to proceed. -

One of my favorite Halloween fics; it really encompasses the feel of fall/Halloween but also, like, good ol’ ~teenage bullshit~. There’s a lot of creepy Snoke stuff, some dealing with the fallout, and a nice hopeful ending :))

Ghost Encounters of the Hux Kind | carefulren

- T - 9/9 chapters, 25 610 words - Kylo purchases an old, abandoned house in order to get away from his family. He just wants the chance to be alone for a while, and he considers this house as the start of his new, isolated freedom.

Everything is going as smoothly as possible, until it's not.

Perhaps, Kylo isn't living alone after all.-

A sweet and soft ghost story AU. I adore the ending <3 <3

Spookylux Huxloween 2018 | @nofootprintsinsalt

- T - series, 31 works, 36 896 words, complete - Huxloween 2018 - 31 benarmie fics in 31 days -

A series of benarmie fluff/horror for the Huxloween prompts this year! These were so so fun to read throughout the month and I adore the little universe that develops as they go on :))

Of Our Time | @ezlebe

- E - 15 297 words - “Do you know how many people would think it’s weird you walk around in the day?”

Hux grits his teeth in vain against an uncanny sensation, his own words digging and clawing up his throat to leave behind the taste of blood and bitterness thick on his tongue. “I could care less. I was made this way before there were movies – before fucking Stroker. Call me a demon if it makes you feel better.” -

I only read this really recently, and I was BLOWN AWAY. Seriously, this packs so much into 15k--it’s got feels, it’s got lore, it’s got steamy smut. What more could one ask for?

Shiver The Whole Night Through | @theweddingofthefoxes

- T- 5/5 chapters, 7 977 words - Ren's always loved hunting, so when he's told his paid time off won't roll over into the next year, he decides to take a week, get his gun and rent a cabin in the woods. But it takes no time at all for the hunter to become the hunted. -

This one’s very accurately tagged “Mind Games,” which really made it stand out to me--I do love a good spooky woods story~~

The Ghost Under My Bed | @longstoryshortikilledhim

- E - 19 525 words - Amateur witch, aspiring actor and full-time family fuckup Ben Solo discovers that his house is being haunted. Best part? His very own poltergeist, Armitage Hux, is kinda cute. Worst part? Well. He's dead. -

THIS IS THE SWEETEST GHOST STORY. I love it so so much. The sweetness of their relationship set against the sad backdrop of both of their histories gives this one a really unique feel. And the ending is guaranteed to give you the warm fuzzies <3

aaaand that’s all, folks! Lord, this post turned into a behemoth lmao. I just. really love supernatural stuff. (on that note, if anyone has read/written anything even tangentially spooky/supernatural, feel free to send it my way. I will happily give it a read ;)))

Happy reading! ^_^

#kylux #fic rec #halloween #huxloween #spookylux

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enonoforion · 5 years

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Last updated on 2/26/2019 at 4:30 AM CST

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Most YouTube videos on this site are songs with still images. The music is an integral part of the project and is strongly recommended for the lyrics and mood it provides to accompany the articles. (And there’s more on Spotify!) For the optimal experience, listen while you read instead of pausing and watching, if possible. The exception is the Who Am I? section on the main page. Start there and then come back here if you haven’t already. All links on this website are either cross links within the site, or outside links to supporting evidence. The inside links are completely optional, but the outside links can be quite rewarding, even if you just read the first parts without scrolling down and then close them out. Click the first one in the next paragraph if you don’t believe me. =)

Like most intellectually curious and spiritual people, I spent the first 31 years of my life wondering what my job is here on Earth. Why am I here? Why was I born? What is my purpose in life? Like many others, I finally discovered my purpose in something unconventional. Everything you are about to read is 108 percent real to me. I don’t expect it to be real to anybody else. This website is my personal journey, transformed into a free art project to assist myself and others on the road to spiritual healing in this dying world.

It probably will sound crazy to most people. Galileo and Darwin were considered crazy in their time as well. I do not claim to be on their level of genius, but to me, what you’re about to read feels more natural than any other explanation for life that I’ve found so far. I am not paranoid, I have no desire to harm myself or anyone else, and I am completely at peace with whatever may happen to me as a result of this project. Even if I end up locked in a cage or worse, I will be okay! The Holy Spirit is with me!

It’s chill. I have friends upstairs on the way. =)

My body is 100 percent human. I was born to human parents in 1986 and am, in most respects, a normal guy. I like to browse the web, stay up late to gaze at the stars, and hang out with my friends and family. I had a brief stint as an Internet humor writer in the early 2000s and am the author of two published books. I am what you might call a “radical moderate” politically (for reasons I will soon discuss), and I believe in teaching people to focus on loving what they have in common with others, rather than hating what divides them from others.

It was during this time doing research for my writing in my 20s that I began to research the corruption in Big Pharma and the unhealthy side effects of the ineffective psychiatric drugs that the elite use to mind control the human population and keep their “worker bees” docile and obedient, as I was for many years. (Total disclosure: I’ve been on just about every psychiatric drug in the book – including antidepressants, mood stabilizers, typical and atypical antipsychotics – over the past 22 years…and none of them have ever stopped the s I talk about on this site.) Lest you think this a mere conspiracy theory, remember that the CIA popularized the terms “conspiracy theory” and “conspiracy theorist” in 1967 to discredit criticisms of the highly flawed Warren Commission Report on the Kennedy Assassination. These terms have been used by almost all groups with any kind of power to silence debate over controversial topics ever since.

I was in for another rude awakening when, at the age of 10, I began receiving intense voices and visions of the End Times we are now in. These voices and visions, often accompanied by demonic psychic attacks, intensified dramatically over the past two summers when my true purpose was revealed to me while I was homeless. Fortunately, I have recovered, and for the first time in my life, I am happy, mentally stable, and in full control of my mind and body. I am ready to begin serving humanity again, as I was originally meant to. Life with these voices and visions isn’t easy, of course…but life isn’t easy for any of us! I thank the Divine Universal Oversoul (DUO) every day for this opportunity to serve.

My quest began when I incarnated into this world as a human being from the Orion Empire: the invisible 96 percent Multiverse, filled with a race of immortal, multidimensional, extremely evolved human beings trying to save the 4 percent Universe which includes Earth from the United Federation of Planets, also known as the Galactic Federation of Light, a tyrannical intergalactic empire intent on enslaving planets to fuel their thirst for Universal conquest.

“Dark matter”: science’s way of saying, “We’re completely clueless, but listen to us anyway, you stupid rubes.”

Science fiction writers are insiders. Truth in the Myth. The Prophecy of the Xel’Naga. The Co-Creators of Orion. The Fallen One, Amon (Ra).

This Invisible, non-physical 96 percent Multiverse is accessible through several stargates hidden in the middle of stars and planets, including one in Alnitak, a triple star system in Orion’s belt. It is a realm where Awakened beings act as Co-Creators and can use their minds alone to manifest whatever they please, similar to Q in Star Trek. Beings in this realm primarily interact with Awakening humans on Earth non-physically through visions and voices, as they did with Jesus Christ, St. Paul of Tarsus, John of Patmos, and many other great prophets throughout history. I am simply the latest servant in a long lineage of them.

Shining golden fences are so last millennium.

#OnlyTwoRules!

When I prayed at this altar in New York City on 60th and Columbus, I had a vision of an army of demons surrounding me. I did not surrender.

The Empire is aligned with the True God and Goddess of the Divine Universe, whom I call the Divine Universal Oversoul (DUO). DUO includes this Universe (the 4 Percent), and the Multiverse (the “Missing” 96 percent), which I refer to collectively as the Omniverse or Creation. This God and Goddess are everything and everyone in all of existence, including each and every one of you! All of Creation is the body of DUO, and vice versa. What the ancients said is true: the True God and Goddess are within all of us.

What is God’s Formula?

This is #GodsFormula.

As I continued my research into Big Pharma – being the insatiable sponge for knowledge that I am – I discovered that Big Pharma is controlled by the global elite, or more specifically, The Council of 13 and the Committee of 300, popularly known together as The Illuminati. These elites are descended from an ancient Middle Eastern/North African bloodline of powerful priests (there’s a reason they keep fighting each other over that region), and follow a secret Egyptian mystery religion whose roots they keep hidden from the public. The monotheistic religions that Western culture are based on are primarily based on ideas that began in the Eighteenth Dynasty during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten, the true founder of monotheism. The Book of Exodus takes place during the little known historic events surrounding this influential Egyptian dynasty. The global elite have gone to great lengths to obscure, manipulate, and edit historical accounts of these events.

Ancient depiction of Pharaoh Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti (parents of Tutankhamen) worshiping the sun God (Amon Ra). Biblical propaganda aside, this dude was totally Moses and Abraham’s best bud.

Our culture is full of Egyptian symbols, and the elite constantly strive to hide the fact that the founders of Judaism – and by extension, Christianity and Islam – were Egyptian. This shadowy Cabal of ridiculously rich and corrupt elites also control the media, government, military, banks, education system, and nearly everything else on Earth. As powerful as they are, however, they are merely a puppet government of the Galactic Federation of Light, which goes by various names including the Thuban Council, the Sphere Being Alliance, the Allies of Humanity, etc.

At the top of the pyramid are the Council of 13 and the Committee of 300, popularly known together as “The Illuminati”.

To understand the conflict between the Empire and the Federation, you must understand their respective philosophies.

The Orion Empire believes that less is more, and values being over doing. They are strongly in favor of quality over quantity. Populations of planets are kept limited and efforts are taken to preserve resources. Family bonds are strong and typically permanent. Because of this, their galactic population is much lower than that of the Federation. But what they lack in numbers, they make up for in skill, social influence, and intelligence. They have strong psychic abilities and use these abilities to communicate with both each other and people on planets they are attempting to influence, such as Earth. Imperial planets are typically good at negotiating with new, non-Federation civilizations, and their economies are primarily based on intergalactic tourism and trade. Their military is considered one of the most elite and efficient fighting forces in the Universe, but it is rarely used unless there is a grave threat to the Empire.

The Federation has the exact opposite philosophy. Their philosophy could be summed up as, “the more, the merrier”, or as I see it, everything is never enough. They value doing over being. We see this mindset exemplified in the culture pushed by our elites, always pushing us to think, do, and consume more. They push this culture because the Luciferians feed off of the energy we produce – literally and figuratively. Federation planets have high populations and tremendous economies, but typically deplete their resources very quickly, necessitating a mindset of conquest. Abuse, corruption, infighting, and addiction are all commonplace on most Federation planets, as they have been on Earth since the beginning of recorded history.

It goes without saying that most politicians, be they conservative or liberal, are merely pawns of the Illuminati, who in turn are pawns of the Federation. There are exceptions, of course, but most politicians are bought and paid for by the elite. That much is a given. It seems, though, that anti-establishment politicians are currently in vogue across the globe, and for good reason.

These sleazy Luciferian characters need no introduction for most.

The primary conflict on the political scene right now is not conservatism vs. liberalism, or Christianity vs. Islam, but globalism vs. nationalism. However, ALL of these conflicts are really just a rehash of a much more ancient conflict: Enki / Ea / Lucifer / Satan vs. Marduk / Ra / Horus / The Antichrist, his son. (These are not their true names; these beings are billions of years old, and have gone by thousands of names over the course of history. I use the Sumerian / Egyptian names simply because they are the oldest in the surviving public records of this era.) The globalists are mostly loyal to Ea and want to unite humanity under the banner of a One World Government. The nationalists, knowingly or unknowingly, serve Marduk, who believes that a fractured humanity will be easier to conquer than a united one. Ea currently holds the upper hand, but the tide is turning in Marduk’s favor. (It’s important to note that Enki is merely a title, meaning “Lord of the Earth”; the Luciferian “gods” have used many names throughout history to deceive humans, a phenomenon known as syncretism.)

This infographic, though quite biased in Lucifer’s favor, gives you a small sampling of the family tree.

He is a jealous god for a reason. Throughout history, he has woven in lie after lie with what remains of the truth.

Needless to say, the apple does not fall far from the tree.

The Federation is aware of the existence of the DUO, but prefers not to pass detailed information on DUO to its subjects. What knowledge it does pass on regarding DUO is limited to the elite class of its occupied worlds. The little information that does reach the masses is hidden in the form of occult symbols. Anybody who attempts to pursue this knowledge in further detail is often ridiculed and viewed as a dangerous heretic. This is true not just on Earth, but on Federation occupied planets throughout the galaxy.

The Federation genetically modified the Orion Queen’s evolving guardians (known today as Homo Erectus) so that they could be used as slave workers to build up their empire on Earth. The royal princes of the Federation’s leadership – also known as the Anunnaki or Fallen Angels – set up several initial bases on Earth in what is now the Middle East and Africa, and began fighting each other over resources and power.

Mostly true, with two caveats: Niburu is an artificial planet/mothership, and the gold is a drug that the hybrids use to stay young.

These two clans of Anunnaki – the Cult of Marduk and the Enkiites – have been fighting each other ever since. Using today’s terms, Marduk (leader of the world religions) is a strict conservative, while Lucifer, leader of the Enkiites, is a radical liberal. They have each hijacked various religions and ideologies (Enkiites = Catholicism, Judaism, Feminism, Communism; Cult of Marduk = Protestantism, Islam, National Socialism, Neoconservatism), which they each use to further their own agendas among humans. Ultimately, though, they are merely two sides of the same coin and both have the same end goal: the total enslavement of the human race and the ultimate conquest of the galaxy and eventually the Universe by the Federation. We humans have been fighting their wars for them ever since.

“A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” Matthew 7:18

This is why we need to focus on Christ the Philosopher…not Jesus the “god”. The Gnostics had Jesus right, not the Roman pagan founders of the Catholic Church. Christ is a principle, not a personality.

That being said, anyone can be led astray if they don’t actually read Christ’s words. Humility, compassion, and growth are the key. I pray for them for myself every day, as I too have been deceived in the past. Believing in Jesus’ divinity is not a magic ticket to heaven.

Muslims are no better…

And neither are Nazis…

Or Communists…

Or Neocons.

This is my personal favorite version of Christ’s words, inspired and hand crafted by none other than the primary author of the Declaration of Independence – one of our greatest, smartest, and most independent Founding Fathers.

The Fallen Ones regularly interbred with humans and this is the reason why different races exist. Native Africans are currently the closest genetic match to the original prototype homo sapiens sapiens that the Annunaki created to serve them. All races are mutations caused by Lucifer’s experiments on the original guardians. My views on race have evolved over time, and I now prefer comparing them based on strengths vs. weaknesses rather than superior vs. inferior. We all evolve across multiple lifetimes at our own pace, often between races, regions, archetypes, and genders depending on where our energy is focused. Reincarnation and karma are real and often run within families, but in the end are still a trap invented by Lucifer preventing us from returning to the Kingdom of Heaven. Our past reincarnations are different people than we are, but simultaneously the same, because All of Us are DUO and vice versa.

I refer to this collective of powerful non-human individuals (The Federation), their leaders (Ea and Ra), and their human puppets in the Council of 13 and the Committee of 300 (the Illuminati), by a single term: the Controllers.

Both the Empire and the Federation are led by multidimensional beings who have transcended time and space and thus are in all points in time at once. They have mastered time/space travel and are able to change various timelines at will. However, with the election of Trump – a rogue Illuminati out for revenge – this has become a prime timeline, meaning all timelines are merging, and alternative timelines where Earth has already fallen are disappearing. (It took the Empire multiple timelines to figure out that the 2016 American election was the turning point in the Federation’s conquest of Earth.) The history of Creation is changing before our eyes, and we humans are privileged to witness this grand transformation.

Naturally, the mindsets of these two intergalactic empires are not compatible, and for the past million years or so, the Federation and the Empire have been at war on and off. The Federation scored a big victory 432,000 years ago when they captured Earth, the site of the Orion Queen’s Living Library experiment. What is the Living Library, exactly? Original and current humans are the ONLY beings in the Universe that are body, mind and soul in one unit. Other beings in Lucifer’s 4 percent Universe can be one or two, but never all three. That distinction is unique to humans. This means that humans can use their imaginations alone to create new worlds and gather information over long distances of space and time, which other star races cannot do. Also, our minds can move back and forth between any points in the past or future that we desire! This is what ancients mean when they say that linear time is an illusion and there is only the Eternal Now! Our creativity truly is our greatest asset! On top of that, we can also have sex to reproduce and experience orgasms, which is also very rare in Ea’s Universe. Oh yeah, and the entire Universe is encoded in our DNA! The Controllers are actually quite jealous of our divine bodies!

The farther back in time you go, the more traces of us you find.

It was then, during this long revelation of exopolitics spanning several months in 2017 and 2018, that I was informed of my true purpose. I am a channeler for the Orion Empire, just as many other humans channel extraterrestrial entities. I was not born to be a warrior, nor a worker bee. I was born to be a scout. A reconnaissance expert. My job is to gather intel and send it back to the Empire for the purposes of planning a near future liberation of Earth and humanity. (I am not concerned about the Controllers targeting me, as they have had plenty of chances already.)

Fortunately, humanity is making tremendous progress on seeing through the facade of lies that the Fallen Ones have projected onto this beautiful planet. Citizens are tired of the divide and conquer rhetoric fed to them by the Controllers. The rise of populism in Europe, the growth of grassroots Internet movements, the increasing popularity of holistic lifestyles, and the global protests against inequality are but a few examples of this Great Awareness.

You are seeing through the lies more and more. Great work!

The Controllers are scared and are attempting to push for another world war, but it is too late. The people are wise to their act and they know any major action they take will be met with a global revolution. To top it all off, the Empire is watching and waiting to make their move. The timeline of the liberation is uncertain and dependent on global political developments, but it is definitely in the works.

This is perfect timing, as the Controllers are waiting for their artificial planet, also known as Niburu, to return and fulfill their “prophecy” so they can continue their game of galactic conquest. (They have done this on many other planets already.) But humans are not playing along anymore, and that scares them. Contrary to Hollywood movie propaganda, aliens are NOT invincible, and a unified human resistance would pose a formidable logistical challenge to keeping Earth occupied.

The plan of the Controllers is to sufficiently weaken humans using divide and conquer tactics to the point where they will be docile, obedient slaves looking for a savior. At this point, the Federation will swoop in, “punish” the corrupt Luciferian Annunaki and their puppets, whom they call the “Dark Ones”, among many other names (in reality, they will merely be relocated), and usher in a new era with their “messiah king” where a standard global Federation government will assume control, led by a One World Religion where Lucifer and his family are worshiped as gods.

It may not look like this at first…but make no mistake: this is what they want.

In the beginning, though, it will probably look like this. Note the hand sign.

The Federation also includes Reptilian shapeshifters…

And above them, the Fallen Ones themselves, the Anunnaki, AKA the Tall Whites. (As depicted in the movie Prometheus)

This is the true New World Order (which I prefer to call the One World Government, or OWG) that the Controllers are planning for. Once the human population has recovered, the Federation will augment humans with cybernetics and genetic engineering, giving them an instant, multi-billion soldier army that they can use to conquer the galaxy and perhaps eventually the Universe. But this plan will only work if the Empire does not interfere before Niburu comes, AND if the entire human population is oblivious to the Controllers’ agenda.

At least one of those prerequisites is already out the window, meaning that there is still hope to liberate Earth. If humans are not sufficiently weakened by the time Niburu comes, the Federation will have to defeat two armies to reconquer Earth – the Empire and the native humans. The Empire is at the height of its power in this timeline, and will not allow Earth to fall again.

My advice to my fellow humans in these End Times would be to have faith and to stay positive. Remember to smile and laugh! Treat the ridiculous political developments here in America and elsewhere as a grand comedy of sorts. I personally like to visit web sites that poke fun at both sides of the political spectrum, just to laugh at the absurdity and the hypocrisy of the global elite and their incompetent puppets. A little humor goes a long way towards easing the soul of its burden. And what better cringe humor is there than the crazy reality TV show that is modern day news – brought to us by none other than the “reality TV president”?

This headline provided a MUCH needed laugh while I was homeless on the streets of New York City during my visions. God has a sense of humor alright, and by His grace, I made it back home alive!

I know this guy is a meme, but the joke’s on you: his world is far less boring than ours!

Rest assured, though, my friends: your best times are ahead of you. The insanity will not last forever. Stay strong, stay open, and believe.

If you have enjoyed this Introduction, the rest of the blog for MUCH more information. Unless one of these links already caught your attention, I strongly recommend that you just scroll down and make your way through the posts chronologically. There are only less than a couple dozen articles on this site, and most are much shorter than (but just as colorful as) this one, and don’t take long to read.

If you want to contact me directly, you are more than welcome to email me at the address below. I am looking to have positive conversations about my work and the issues I discuss, and I’m not interested in trying to argue. In other words, please don’t email telling me that I need to “get help”, go back to school, get a “real” job, buy your product/services, join your political movement, convert to your church to avoid God’s wrath, etc. I’ve heard and tried it all already, and I’ll stick with what I’m doing, thanks.

That being said, I work from home and have a lot of free time, so I always look forward to discussing my work with open-minded, humble, spiritual individuals. Doubly so if you found this site through one of my business cards, which means I’m probably close to you in some way, and I’d be more than happy to have a friendly chat over coffee! DUO gave you that card for a reason

Un KHAA re om la de ANTANUMATA. (God and Goddess guide us to Heaven.) Thanks for reading, friend. You will hear from me again soon.

–[[[ [[[DAYDOG]]] ]]], Ambassador of the ORION EMPIRE.

This Introduction to the #BookOfEnon explains the #forbiddenhistory of our world - and the problems we face today - in a fun, colorful way, with a #scifi twist. Enjoy! (Updated 2/22/19) #QAnon #MAGA #Illuminati Last updated on 2/26/2019 at 4:30 AM CST Most YouTube videos on this site are songs with still images.

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ellayvonne · 3 years

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I Tried Intermittent Fasting for a Month | Something New

Hello, friends! I've been trying to keep up my something new project each month throughout quarantine in an effort to develop better habits and work on self improvement - even during this weird time. Especially when it comes to health and work-life balance, my habits were all over the place at the beginning of quarantine, so I've spent the better part of 6 months trying to develop better ones! Enter intermittent fasting.

What is intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is where you fast for a long period of time and only eat within a shorter eating window usually in the hopes of achieving some sort of health benefit. The theory of how intermittent fasting works is that when you fast, your body is in a state of ketosis where you are using the extra fat in your body as energy. Intermittent fasting purports to put our bodies into this state of ketosis and also boasts a ton of other health benefits. Intermittent fasting can be done for days at a time or only within certain hours of the day. Some people choose to fast for 2 days and eat for 4 days, some people choose 20 hours of fasting and a 4 hour eating window, but the most common intermittent fasting routine is 16 hours of fasting and an 8 hour eating window - usually somewhere around 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm

While there is a long history of fasting in humans (e.g., certain religions have been fasting for periods much longer than this throughout history), the research on intermittent fasting specifically is more sparse.

The Science:

Based on what I could find, the TL;DR of the science behind intermittent fasting is that there really aren't enough studies about it for us to understand the full benefits or harms of intermittent fasting. There are studies on rats (not the same as humans) and there are studies on intermittent fasting in small samples of humans for short periods of time, but none of these are truly indicative of what long-term effects intermittent fasting might have on us. Therefore, if you choose to try intermittent fasting, know that it's truly experimental in nature and that the effects that people claim to experience from intermittent fasting might be specific only to that person, so listen to your body and make sure that anything you do is best for you.

Why I wanted to do it:

To reduce bloating and re-establish healthier eating habits.

Pre-quarantine, I wasn't necessarily the perfect eater, but I was busy enough running around on campus that I didn't have the opportunity to sit in my living room and eat 24/7 🙂. Since quarantine, my eating habits have truly been aaaaaaalll over the place. I'm already generally a healthy eater (thank you, mom) BUT I am also 100% one of those people that eats when I'm bored and has very little self control around potato chips and ice cream (it's all about balance right? 😜). The only strategy that usually works for me is getting out of the house to keep my mind busy and banning junk food from my apartment because I know as soon as it enters the apartment, it's as good as gone. So, I wanted to try intermittent fasting to see if I could reset my brain into less snacking, better eating habits, and hopefully less bloating.

The Rules:

There aren't clear guidelines on what to eat during that intermittent fasting period and how long you should fast. This is part of the reason why the evidence behind intermittent fasting is spotty - there are no rules for how to do it, so the effects are inconsistent. I opted for the most common 16:8 fasting rule and fasted for 16 hours with an 8 hour eating window. I am an early bird so I chose an earlier eating window - from 10:30 am to 6:30 pm.

Since there weren't really any hard and fast rules for what you could or could not eat during intermittent fasting and what was supposedly okay to eat during your fasting period, I decided to do what I affectionately called "lazy" intermittent fasting - AKA I let myself drink coffee with creamer in the mornings before my fasting period was over because...let's be honest. I am a nightmare pre-coffee and I wasn't going to put myself (or my partner) through that 🙂

My Experience:

Alright, so I tried it for 30 days. What was it like?

The mornings were tough for a while: Hunger-wise, the mornings were tough for me. For the first 2 weeks, I was pretty hungry by 8:30 or 9:00 but had to wait another 1-2 hours to eat. Full disclosure, I wake up at around 5:30 in the mornings so waiting until 10:30 is a whole 5 hours!

Your body adjusts: Even though those first couple of weeks were difficult for me, my body started to adjust over time. I'd still be pretty hungry by the time 10:30 rolled around but over time, I was no longer hungry at 8 or 9 and it became easier to wait it out. Eating first thing in the morning has been a longtime habit of mine and it was interesting to see how quickly my body seemed to adjust.

Reduces the need to make decisions: As a social scientist, I'm all about the psychology here - and intermittent fasting definitely helped to reduce the amount of decision-making power I needed in the mornings. Studies have shown that your willpower is a limited resource so if you're using that making decisions about when, what, and how much to eat you have less willpower to make other decisions.

Challenges the assumption that you have to eat three meals a day: Another good thing I experienced from intermittent fasting was that it challenged my assumption that I needed to eat three meals a day. Don't get me wrong, I love eating any chance I can get but I often eat a meal at the "right" time just because I've been taught that I should be eating at that time - not because I'm actually hungry.

Listen to your body: There were a couple of days during my intermittent fasting period where I woke up with a headache or didn't feel 100%. On those days, I completely ditched fasting and took care of my body first.

I found it difficult to stick with it: Only being able to eat within an 8 hour window sounds easier than it actually is - especially during non-COVID times. If you're interested at all in socializing and eating/drinking with people outside of your eating window then you have to either break your fast or be the party pooper that doesn't eat. Since I decided to try intermittent fasting during COVID it wasn't as difficult since socializing is limited, but there were certainly still times where I broke my fast in order to have a glass of wine while watching the Bachelor 😂

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So, What Happened?

Well, not a whole lot changed in my body after trying intermittent fasting. This could have been partially because I was doing it "lazily" but I truly felt that a lot of the benefits I experienced from intermittent fasting were more psychological than anything.

Greater awareness of the things I ate: Because I was doing intermittent fasting, I was more aware of the things I was putting in my body. The process drew awareness to what I was eating so I definitely ate healthier than I normally would have.

More intuitive eating: I was also listening a lot more to my body when it came to when I was hungry and why I was eating! Because I was intermittent fasting, my brain would do a double take every time I decided I was hungry and realize I was hungry only because I was bored...not because I was actually hungry 😛

I bloated less: Although nothing about my body really changed (e.g., weight, exercise routine etc), I definitely bloated significantly less than I normally do. I think this was mostly due to the fact that I like to enjoy snacks and a bit of booze in the evenings- which really didn't mix with intermittent fasting! Having an eating period that ended at 6:30 meant I snacked a lot less in the evenings and had to give up a drink I might've normally had at 8 pm ☹️

Will I continue?

Sort of. I'm a creature of habit and I like having a mixed drink while I'm watching my trashy reality TV, okay?! It's the simple things in life haha! The reason I say I'll sort of continue is because intermittent fasting has made me a lot more aware of when I'm actually hungry and when I'm not. Being more aware of my actual hunger cues has made me realize I'm actually not that hungry at 5:30 am - contrary to what my habits might tell me. So, while I won't be adhering strictly to an intermittent fasting schedule, I've tried to stick with eating later in the day when I'm actually hungry and trying to only snack when I'm hungry and not when I'm bored.

Long story short, while I think intermittent fasting was a valuable experiment, I think the primary driver of people seeing actual changes in their body is really driven by reducing their calorie intake because eating in a shorter window of time just means you're going to end up eating less overall.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope this was helpful for you! If you've tried intermittent fasting, leave me a comment below - I'd love to hear what your experience was like!

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samdukewieland · 4 years

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Stuck Inside Media Diary Week 4

On my birthday I made a 100 song playlist for myself with the criteria of choosing my Top 20 favorite bands/musicians, five songs from their catalog-preferably only one song per album-and that was it. This was part-exercise-part-how-do-I-celebrate-myself-and-my-excellently-unique-tastes-on-the-one-day-this-is-allowed. I had already gone through the painstakingly unasked for “challenge” of whittling down of a Top 5 for a project in college and it’s gone unchanged in the past four years, and being the way that I am, I am generally always considering what the Top 10 would be. Anything beyond Top 10 is egregious, but because I was deeply unsatisfied with a 25 song playlist, I just kept going until I settled on 20 and 100.

It then dawned on me (I couldn’t sleep that night, BIRTHDAY JITTERS and all that) afterwards that this is technically a list of what I’d consider to be the top 100 songs and that was just all wrong. I love every song on that playlist; I chose obvious songs and I chose obscure deep cuts that would make yer average me chuckle and say “heh, that one huh?” But if I were asked to make a list of the 100 greatest songs ever recorded, I don’t think I could leave off something like “Hey Jude” (The Beatles) or “Wonderful World” (Sam Cooke) or “The Champ” (Ghostface Killah) and yet I did. What a dweeb.

Sunday, April 12

Starship Troopers, Verhoeven 1997

Listen, I love Paul Verhoeven. This is my least favorite Paul Verhoeven movie and it’s still incredible. And it’s a me issue too (though, I’m not taking all the blame here-this obvious issues here are that there’s no good actor here besides Michael Ironside, Jake Busey and Neil Patrick Harris), though I think that’s part of the point of it. Or at the very least there’s been enough revisionist history and nostalgia slapped onto this thing that Denise Richards gets a pass-“well yeh, she’s bad on purpose” they’ll say; this movie is lemonade.

Three Busy Debras, “Sleepover!”

Probably the biggest difference between Three Busy Debras and Stella (which is what Three Busy Debras reminds me of the most) is that Stella was so unconcerned about saying anything about anything. This is not a knock on Debras, not in the least bit, but that’s ultimately what I landed on when I was thinking about the two next to each other. Three Busy Debras is very good and very, very funny and reminds me of one of my favorite television comedies to ever exist.

Beef House, “Boro”

When I went and saw Tim And Eric’s live tour back in January they were going to show the first episode of Beef House after the main show, but then they surprised us by having John C. Reilly come out as Steve Brule and do a bit with an audience member for like 15 minutes, probably less time. Watch Beef House if you like Tim and Eric, but you already know that if you do.

Joe Pera Talks With You, “Joe Pera Lights Up The Night With You”, “Joe Pera Talks to You About the Rat Wars of Alberta, Canada (1950–Present Day)”

At this point you can tell that I probably just turned on Adult Swim after finishing Starship Troopers and just kept it on, because a Sunday night on Adult Swim is the only thing that could rival an HBO Sunday night. Alright, so I had only ever seen one episode of Joe Pera Talks With You before these two episodes and I liked it fine, but didn’t have great context for it and was probably just not in a great headspace for it. Sure, I liked it fine back when I had watched that episode, but I was not motivated to continue watching it and I didn’t. Until this particular night. I know for sure that I’ll be writing more about it next week, so I’m just going to say now that this makes for incredible “watch before bed” programming.

Mad Men, “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” [Series Premier]

And thus the great Mad Men re-watch has begun. I’ve only watched this all the way through once and that’s when I got caught up on the DVDs for season 4 back was when I was in high school. This pilot is one of the most pilot-y pilots I’ve seen/re-watched in a long while, and maybe it’s so glaring to me because of what I studied in college and how I just generally spend a lot of my time as a person. But it’s a very old fashioned pilot, maybe the last prestige TV classical pilot? You just don’t see very many shows now that have their first episode be as thirsty for another shot as this one is. Not bad, but more just very in your face.

Monday, April 13

Rashomon, Kurosawa 1950 [this might be available on Criterion-I just DVR’d it]

Baby’s first Kurosawa. This one has really stuck with me, just in its simplicity in telling a story and I’m going to stop talking about it here, one because like we really need another 26-year-old white dude talking about Akira Kurosawa movies and two, should I continue to talk about this movie, I will turn even more into what I hate and who I consider to be my arch-enemies: the film school kids.

Parks And Recreation, “Rock Show” [Season 1 finale]

Whenever I start a Parks re-watch, I always start with “Rock Show.” It’s now just in full fledged Simpsons territory that I wouldn’t be able to tell you how many times I’ve seen certain episodes and that it is incredibly comforting to watch where I can turn off brain while watching, but know exactly when to start re-paying attention because of jokes I like. I don’t know when it’ll be as recognized as The Simpsons (maybe it never will be?) or seen as the true predecessor, but it’ll feel good once it does. Though if there’s a show that demonstrated how irrelevant recognition for hard work was, it was Parks.

Tuesday, April 14

The Wicker Man, Hardy 1973 [as of now this is available on Netflix]

I feel confident that I’ve lied to friends of mine about having seen this movie. Pretty easy to do, considering it’s a pretty straight forward story and you can get by with saying stuff like “I mean yeh, it’s just like a pretty fucked up movie.” And it is! on both accounts. Though I guess not as unsettling as I figured it would be, but as soon as the animal masks come out I did get squirmy. That and choir singing folk music with vaguely disturbing lyrics juxtaposed over not totally right images-it’s like the opposite feeling when someone uses “Perfect Day” too ironically.

Better Call Saul, “Bad Choice Road”

Kim. Wexler. I guess what I love about Vince Gilligan is that he zags (though zagging in this case is kind of old fashioned) and saves his big thing to happen for a season’s finale and not the penultimate episode. But he doesn’t rob you of a wild penultimate episode either-just kind of nice and takes confidence.

Parks And Recreation, “Pawnee Zoo”

Wednesday, April 15

Obvious Child, Robespierre 2014 [as of now this is available on Netflix]

Got sick Wednesday night, ralphed twice!, and needed something I absolutely didn’t have to think about. I had started watching this probably like a year and a half ago in a waiting room while my mom was getting some kind of dental procedure done and had never picked it back up after putting 20 minutes down. It’s good, though I think it resonates better for other people than it did with me, but that’s no knock. Loved very dialed in Gaby Hoffmann and it feels like Max Silvestri mighta supposed to originally have the Jake Lacy part, but Jake Lacy is contractually obligated to play this sort of part whenever it is written into existence every year or so. Tough break.

Parks And Recreation, “The Stake Out”

Thursday, April 16

Targets, Bogdanovich 1968

I caught this recommendation from....I think Matt Singer on twitter and also @nextontcm (which is a first tier twitter follow) and man, this thing is great! I forgot that Bogdanovich comes from the Roger Corman school of directing, but ole Rog doesn’t let you forget with this one. It’s a movie I would imagine Steven Soderbergh really likes (and I say that, because The Limey is the only other movie that I know of that uses another movie’s footage in reference to one of the characters in the movie-like I’m sure there’s other, I haven’t seen every movie, leave me alone). TCM’s apparently doing a podcast series on Bogdanovich, which is kind of weird, but he did a short interview with Ben Mankiewicz afterwards and it was hilarious, because surprising no one, Peter Bogdanovich really doesn’t give a shit about what he says anymore.

Top Chef, Season 17 episode 5

This was the first time in Jen’s Top Chef career where she didn’t fall victim to the yips, which shows progress. But it’s also helping make the case that Jen Carroll might be the worst evaluated draftee in all of Top Chef? That sounds harsh, and I have no doubt that Jen Carroll is phenomenal, this just doesn’t seem to be her strength; there’s no rule that says competitive people have to always be good at what they get competitive about.

Mad Men, “Ladies Room”, “Marriage Of Figaro”

It’s weird seeing Don not as partner, but just a dude who’s really good at his job that people respect, but is also not in charge of everything and doesn’t aspire to be in charge of everything. Though not without trying to be in control of everything. I haven’t watched this since I was in high school, so I’ve both forgotten a lot of stuff and also just like know more about life and characters and didn’t realize how sad of a character Pete is. Man, Vincent Karheiser really doesn’t get enough credit for how good he is as Pete Campbell, a character who could’ve easily been just another Christopher Moltisanti (full disclosure: Christopher is in contention for favorite Sopranos character) and is so much sadder in a different way.

However, I’m still just dumb guy, and maybe that’s not the complete reason, but there’s some Betty stuff that is just like not very interesting. I think if they had gone down an avenue of “let’s try and radicalize her with Kennedy” story, that would’ve worked better than other stuff, but I don’t know. Betty’s complicated! But that she has to be the character that bridges Glen’s story to the main one is incredibly detrimental.

Friday, April 17

Parks And Recreation, “Beauty Pagent”

Brooklyn Nine-Nine, “Ransom”

Every season needs at least one Cheddar episode. This is not at all a controversial opinion, but it’s worth saying out loud in case anyone thought differently.

Big Night, Scott & Tucci 1995 [as of now this is available on Amazon Prime]

When Ian Holm isn’t running away with this, Isabella Rossellini (Big Beef and Cheddar in hand) is and when Isabella Rossellini isn’t running away with this, Minnie Driver is and when Minnie Driver isn’t running away with this, Tucci and Sheloub just keep passing it back and forth to each other while Liev Schreiber just silently stares at them from afar. This is a fantastic way to spend a Friday evening.

Mad Men, “New Amsterdam”, “5G”

Saturday, April 18

Parks And Recreation, “Practice Date”, “Sister City”, “Kaboom”

“Practice Date” is the first “modern” episode of Parks. “Sister City” feels like one they had drafted for S1 and just couldn’t figure out how to get it in there (it’s definitely not a bad episode, but it feels way more like steps backward than forward). “Kaboom” is a wonderfully silly episode and a great debut for Aisha Muharrar (who is a Tier 1 Parks writer-please don’t ask me to rank them).

Defiance, Zwick 2008 [as of now this is available on Netflix]

I had never watched this movie, because in the back of my head I’ve always suspected it would be real dumb and bad, because a WWII movie with Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber, on paper, should be something people talk about more, but nah, this thing’s real dumb and bad. But not even fun-bad, just forgettable bad. It’s dumb-guy-Munich.

Mad Men, “Babylon”, “Red In The Face”, “The Hobo Code”, “Shoot”

The Dick Whitman childhood really suffers from Al Swearengen just having a much better “raised by whores” story and also you can tell that Matthew Weiner thinks he’s doing important work by writing this stuff. And not to sound like a blog from 2007-2015, but Rachel really was the perfect match for Draper, holy shit. It’s also this stretch of episodes where Peggy starts to shine and Elizabeth Moss is definitely someone I take for granted, because I don’t really have to think about how good she is, because I know she’s good, but man she is really good at playing Peggy Olson. What an MVP.

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junker-town · 4 years

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Building a better USMNT together: We made the Olympics and George Bello is a god

The young core we’ve built for the USMNT is on its way to proving it can compete with anyone in the world.

Welcome back to “Building a better USMNT together,” a series where I play Football Manager 20 to build the USMNT of our dreams with your help. If you’re new, start from the beginning here.

Last week, we rebuilt FC Dallas while also running into some of the game’s MLS-specific bugs. This week, we play some important competitions for the USMNT’s future, and also make a big decision about where the club side of this project is going.

Our next destination: The Eredivisie

I was really hoping that I could play with FC Dallas for a decade and develop a starting XI completely made up of USMNT squad players, but MLS really is unplayable on Football Manager 20. Look at this absolutely nonsense scheduling.

Additionally, we’re steamrolling the league. I assure you I am not particularly good at this year’s game. I have rage quit or been sacked in several different saves. But because the AI is so bad at salary cap management and trades, gifting us excellent players, we’re just a lot better than everyone else. My tactics don’t even need to be superb.

Last week, I asked y’all where in Europe you wanted me to go to develop young American players. I was leaning towards one of the second-tier teams in Portugal, but readers overwhelmingly voted for me to move to the Netherlands. So at the end of the season, we’ll be taking over at a Dutch club. I haven’t decided which one is best yet.

Full disclosure: I will be “cheating” and using the in-game editor to do this. I’m trying to tell an enjoyable story, not prove how great I am at FM, and I don’t want to wait around for a good job to become available. I understand that opens up all kinds of questions about whether I’ve done attribute editing or anything else in the back end. I haven’t, and I hope you’ll believe me.

OK, on to the USMNT.

Miss the Olympics, my ass! (I will not miss the Olympics)

In real life, the Olympic qualifying tournament falls outside of FIFA dates, and several clubs do not release players to compete in it. In FM, clubs are obligated to release players, and I can call in anyone who is under 23. So I called in all of my first-team players who are Olympics eligible and made a team that was much better than I needed to qualify for the Olympics.

We won our first two group games, meaning the final match of the group was meaningless. I rested the first unit against Mexico so that they could be fresh for the match that mattered for qualification. Our second-unit defense stunk in a 3-3 draw, but at least we got this stunner out of Matt Olosunde.

That result was annoying, but with the first team rested, we beat El Salvador, 5-0, to comfortably qualify for the Olympics. I played most of the stars in a rematch against Mexico in the final, and we absolutely whooped them.

I plan on taking a nearly first-choice USMNT lineup to the Olympics, so I don’t think it’s impossible to win a medal, depending on which three over-age players other countries bring to Japan.

George Bello is already a USMNT legend

A 2-1 win over Costa Rica in the Nations League semifinal set up a meeting with Mexico in the final. Our one big concern was at left back: Antonee Robinson was injured, while Chris Gloster was struggling for fitness. I had to turn to 18-year-old Atlanta United prospect Bello, who had a rollercoaster of a match.

Bello set up the opener with an absolutely beautiful ball that Christian Pulisic only had to touch in.

But he also gave away the equalizer in extremely controversial circumstances. And by controversial, I mean COMPLETE BULLSHIT, HOW MUCH DID YOU PAY THE REF, MEXICO?

This is the cleanest tackle I’ve ever seen. It is 100 percent ball, no contact, no dangerous play. I’m baffled.

But the boys battled back, and Bello was involved once again. After clearing a Mexican set piece, he picked out a perfect pass to Josh Sargent, who put us back on top with a spectacular run and finish.

In an attempt to hold onto our lead, I put Gloster on for Bello, because his tackling attribute is five points higher. So here’s Gloster whiffing a tackle as Mexico set up its late equalizer to force extra time.

The match went to penalties, which came down to Mexico midfielder Hector Herrera as the decisive taker ...

Zack Steffen, legend.

Beating Mexico to win Nations League is a nice accomplishment, but we were far from convincing. Conceding late was disappointing, and El Tri finished the game with more shots. I want to get to a point where we’re consistently outplaying Mexico, because that’s a good benchmark for whether or not we can compete with top teams. I’m hoping for a much better performance in World Cup qualifying, or we’re going to have a bad time when we get to Qatar.

Previous: Episode 4 / Episode 3 / Episode 2 / Episode 1

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greatawakeningreport · 4 years

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WEEKLY REPORT: Australian Wild Fires /// Iran Downs Airliner /// Global Alliance Update

Published Date: January 13th, 2020

WEEKLY REPORT

TRUTH///AWAKENING///DISCLOSURE

AUSTRALIA WILD FIRES, IRANIAN MISSLE DOWNS AIRLINER, GLOBAL ALLIANCE UPDATE

Pelosi Releases Articles of Impeachment, 5 Legal Battles To Follow, New Volcano Eruptions, Dutchsinse Youtube Account Suspended, Navy Releases New UFO Reports, Central Bank Alerts, Buffett Market Crash Warnings Apocalyptic Australian Wild Fires

Record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought have fuelled a series of massive bushfires across Australia. Although recent cooler conditions have brought some respite, the states of New South Wales and Victoria are once again braced for the return of severe fire danger - with high temperatures and gusty winds forecast over the next few days. Some 27 people have so far been killed - including four firefighters - and an estimated 10 million hectares (100,000 sq km or 15.6 million acres) of bush, forest and parks across Australia has burned. SPACE.COM - Videos from Space Satellites https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLhy6Pm8pgo Australia is promising $2 billion for the fires. I estimate recovery will cost $100 billion The bushfire emergency that began in Australia in September 2019 and has worsened steadily since then has already cost at least 24 lives, destroyed thousands of homes and other buildings and burned millions of acres of forest and farmland. And the economic costs are only just beginning to emerge. The Australian government, which only a month ago was treating the crisis as a state-level rather than national problem, has announced an emergency package of 2 billion Australian dollars (about $1.4 billion USD). While it is promising that the government has finally abandoned the fiction that such disasters can be managed by state governments alone, this is just a drop in the bucket. When environmental and health costs are taken into account, I estimate that it will probably cost the country more than 100 billion Australian dollars (about $70 billion USD). In a country of just 25 million people, the impact of the fires will loom much larger than the effects of Hurricane Sandy, which hit 12 US states. So far, insurance claims arising from the fires have totaled 700 million Australian dollars (about $500 million USD) alone. But this will be a tiny fraction of the total damage to private property. Many properties are uninsured or underinsured and many of those affected haven't even found out whether their homes have survived, let alone filled out claims. And, of course, we are only part of the way through the bushfire season. With 2,000 homes damaged or destroyed, along with vehicles, fences, farmland and commercial forests, the final damage to private property is likely to be between 5 billion and 10 billion Australian dollars (between $3.5 billion and $7 billion USD). As a comparison, the much less damaging Queensland floods and hurricane of 2011 produced insurance claims of more than 3.6 billion Australian dollars ($2.5 billion USD), many of them coming in weeks or months after the disaster took place. Damage to public infrastructure, including roads, bridges, electricity and water supply systems will be of a similar magnitude. The need to rebuild to a higher standard in preparation for future disasters will add greatly to the cost. Again, the Queensland experience, where capital expenditures of 5.6 billion Australian dollars (about $3.9 billion USD) was raised in part through a special nationwide levy, provides a guide. The bushfires have effectively wiped out the tourist season for much of Southeastern Australia and have dealt a huge blow to its international image as a tourist destination, worth $20 billion a year in international income. All sorts of other activities have also been affected, as dangerous smoke levels have made outdoor work unsafe and closed many offices. Less tangible, but equally severe, are the health effects of the crisis. Exposure to high levels of air pollution is likely to lead to hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of premature deaths. Using standard health valuation measures employed in Australia, which estimate a cost of 4.2 million Australian dollars per life lost (about $3 millon USD), the implied cost will be in the billions. Perhaps largest of all, but impossible to measure, is the destruction of natural ecosystems. It has been estimated that 480 million native animals have died, and whole species have almost certainly been wiped out. The results of billions of dollars spent on preserving these ecosystems have been wiped out in just a few weeks.

Iran Says It Unintentionally Shot Down Ukrainian Airliner “The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake,” President Hassan Rouhani said, as Iran reversed its claims that mechanical failure was to blame 1:09 Iran Admits to Shooting Down Ukrainian Plane The Iranian military announced on Saturday that it had accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, blaming human error at a moment of heightened tensions.CreditCredit...Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times. Iran’s military announced early Saturday that it had accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet, blaming human error because of what it called the plane’s sharp, unexpected turn toward a sensitive military base. After days of tension since the jet crashed near Tehran on Wednesday, the same day that Iranian missiles struck American bases in Iraq, the admission was a stunning reversal. Iran initially maintained that mechanical issues had brought the Boeing airliner down, killing all 176 people aboard. “The Islamic Republic of Iran deeply regrets this disastrous mistake,” President Hassan Rouhani said on Twitter soon after the military released its statement. He offered condolences to the victims’ families and said investigations were underway. The military said the person responsible would face legal consequences. UPDATES The Iranian military blamed human error for the tragedy but accused the United States of “adventurism.” International pressure had been building on Iran to take responsibility. American and allied intelligence assessments had already concluded that Iranian missiles brought down the plane, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, most likely by accident, amid the heightened tensions between the United States and Iran. Protests continue into second day in Tehran after Iran admits it mistakenly shot down plane UPDATED ON: JANUARY 12, 2020 / 2:05 PM / CBS NEWS Protesters gathered on Sunday for a second day of demonstration in Tehran despite heavy police presence. Protesters called for the ouster of senior government officials after Iran's Revolutionary Guard admitted it accidentally shot down a Ukrainian International Airlines passenger jet, killing all 176 on board.President Trump has been tweeting support for the protesters. The jetliner crashed early Wednesday in the hours after Iran launched missile attacks on two Iraqi military bases housing American troops. The attacks were a response to the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani days earlier. On Saturday, the head of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division said his unit accepts "full responsibility" for the crash on Monday. Iranian officials had earlier denied that it had shot down the jet.

Rescue teams on January 8, 2020 at the scene of a Ukrainian airliner that crashed shortly after take-off near Imam Khomeini airport in the Iranian capital Tehran. Global Alliance Update By Cobra Report Age of Aquarius Activation Preliminary Report The critical mass has been reached. Full report will be posted within a week. In the next few days, it is very important to stabilize the planetary energy grid every four hours with the following meditation: https://www.welovemassmeditation.com/2019/09/flower-of-life-meditation-every-4-hours.html You might also want to do the same meditation at the moment of quadruple Sun-Saturn-Pluto-Ceres conjunction which comes on Monday, January 13th at 2:30 pm GMT (equals 9:30 am EST). Question: How Can I Help The planetary situation? Pick up the ones more connected to your soul will. "Primary focus on the evolvement of personal and mass mediations". Idea 1 - Help me creating other lists. Idea 2 - Spread THE RIGHT information to the ALREADY awakened. Idea 3 - Create chat and interaction groups (online or not online). Idea 4 - Organize protests via facebook, twitter, youtube and others. Idea 5 - Write books. Idea 6 - Help people in need YOURSELF. Idea 7 - Help animais in need YOURSELF. Idea 8 - Help the environment YOURSELF. Idea 9 - Participate on the weekly meditations and others, organize group meditations also. Idea 10 - Stop supporting false spiritual teachings. Idea 11 - Revoke your contracts with the darks. Idea 12 - Exercise your free will. Idea 13 - Guide activists groups. Idea 14 - Create objects for the benefict of all. Idea 15 - Create websites. Idea 16 - Use your artistic capacities. Idea 17 - Create atmospheric balloons . Idea 18 - Vibrate love, joy, hope and etc. Idea 19 - Spread love. idea 20 - Use alternative means of locomotion. Idea 21 - Become a vegetarian. Idea 22 - Record youtube videos. Idea 23 - Participate on internet forums, guiding the already awakened according to cobra's messages. Idea 24 - Visit the orphans, giving them love. Idea 25 - Watch less TV. Idea 26 - Help the light forces in astral projections. Idea 27 - Translate cobra's messages to other languages. Idea 28 - Pray and talk to God, asking what you want (free will being used). Idea 29 - Adopt a pet. Idea 30 - Unite and hang out with those more connected to your soul. Victory of the Light! This Week's News At a Glance Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said passed away on Friday, leaving no apparent heir as the monarch had no children and never appointed a successor. Iran’s Priests admit: B737 unintentionally shot down because of “human error”, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Saturday. The Iranian military also confirmed in a statement on state TV that the jet was brought down unintentionally as it flew close to a sensitive military installation. According to the statement, the parties responsible will be held accountable by the judiciary. The Tor Missile System that downed the B737, (also called the SA-15 Gauntlet by NATO), is a short-range “point defense” system that integrates the missile launcher and radar into a single tracked vehicle—is designed to be mobile and lethal against targets at altitudes up to 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) and at ranges of 12 kilometers (7.5 miles). Airports have flight paths in case of severe problems after takeoff that require immediate landing, these tracks avoid interfering with incoming traffic; someone might say the aircraft was turning back to land due to tech problem and was shoot down because they thought it was under attack, very unlikely. Instead, the Clones in Iran did what they had to do, period. Time to go for the Iranian Priests of the Inquisition, time to go back to the dark age where they belong and give back the Power to the People, Iran’s Patriots Unite! Soft Disclosure: TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) discovered the first known Earth-sized planet in a zone where liquid water could exist on the surface of a terrestrial planet. Millions of Taiwanese cast votes Saturday in a closely watched presidential and parliamentary election that has seen the island’s fraught relationship with China take centre stage. Japanese authorities have requested the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) for an Interpol wanted notice for the wife of former Nissan Motor. They are stuck in Lebanon, the former Swiss of the Middle East. David Drummond Chief Legal Officer of Alphabet Inc. resigned amid investigation into his relationships with several women at the company, including one who said he fathered a child with her and then neglected them. Network Solutions (NS) took down 88 other domains belonging to Jim Watkins because they don’t like 8kun.top. The 88 were listed with NS but 8kun is not and thus will be much harder to take down. Middle East expert Michael Doran slammed former Secretary of State John Kerry in a series of tweets exposing the Obama administration’s dealings with Iran. “I must become a whistleblower,” Doran tweeted Friday in response to a self-serving opinion piece by Kerry published by The New York Times. “I know for a fact that the Obama admin sent letters – plural – directly to Soleimani.” Impeachment was becoming irrrelevant so fast, Pelosi decided to end her self-imposed hold on the articles and turn them over. New Tech Soft Disclosure: Army scientists have developed a radically new quantum device that can store many quantum excitation patterns at once, opening the door for the creation of a quantum network. A quantum network is the Holy Grail for scientists because it likely can never be wiretapped and it would offer extraordinarily powerful computing and sensing capabilities. US President Donald Trump has appealed directly to the protesters in the streets of Iran. “To the brave, long-suffering people of Iran: I’ve stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency, and my Administration will continue to stand with you. We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage,” Trump wrote both in English and Farsi, addressing the protesters in Iran. Strongest EQ in Europe M4.9 Marmara SeaStrongest EQ in US M3.9 AlaskaStrongest EQ on the Planet M5.9 Puerto RicoDeepest EQ M4.8 518 km Fiji Islands Thank you to our readers and subscribers for your continued support. If you would like to further help the Great Awakening Team and our efforts, you can donate, sign up for a paid subscription, or purchase something from the GAR shop. - The Great Awakening Team FEATURE DOCUMENTARIES DOCUMENTARY LIBRARY / 32 UNIQUE CATEGORIES / 300 DOCUMENTARIES https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fkHtjm-JDU Arts /// Photography /// Music /// Videos Speaking Truth To Hollywood / by Ben Garrison

The Journey of Awakening The Great Awakening Map https://stillnessinthestorm.com/2020/01/6-days-of-meditation-a-lead-up-to-the-the-grand-transformation-mass-meditation-event-on-1-12-20/ User Guide Menu User Guide /// Our Positive Outlook /// The Big Picture /// Overview - Summary /// Topic Descriptions /// Great Awakening Map /// Deep State Map /// Programming /// Article Classification

"Hot Topics"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb9KhSHC4cY

Global Awakening

Impeachment Inquiry / Spygate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_qVo03C7LU Global Trafficking & Corruption https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJgt6yii9Ks George Webb / Deep State Investigations Geopolitical The Deep State Map https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADTZ1UR3beI Global Weather https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDbEbd0vEek Health Watch The Healing Web https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEdlAvhN9jU

True History https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYTgRUy92ng

Cosmic Disclosure

Hidden Truths https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqN-KLOCS5k&feature=emb_logo The Event https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoSbF1EbOFM&list=PLEpr4aa9rk9qaLAlsYin-cqXnsmHmqWBj&index=2 Spirituality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIuuirVAJqQ Path of Awakening https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfdvbZFXbNA WATCH LIST 2020 Predictions; Global Economic Crisis beginning with failures of Goldman Sachs/Deutsche's Bank, Global Debt Bubble Crash, US Dollar Currency Gold Standard Reset, Partial Disclosure Fake Alien Invasion / Introduction of AI Cryptocurrency controls, Mega Earthquakes, 2020 US Presidential Election, Global Protest Escalating. Impeachment Articles, Pelosi withholds articles of Impeachment completing a rigged Inquiry moving into the Judiciary Committee and the Hearing Phase. The House Committee Chairmen Adam Schiff having changed the rules regarding whistleblower testimony to include "hearsay" and the exclusion/barring of any Republican Congressional questioning of all witness subpoena to testify before all committees regarding Presidential Impeachment Inquiries. Having now moved into Chairman Nadler's Hearing phase setting up the Full House Vote for Impeachment. Congressmen Adam Schiff and Jerrold Nadler a stone-cold traitor guilty of spearheading a highly organized conspiracy to commit treason and overthrow the POTUS, Schiff is also guilty of lying testimony in front of Congress with regards to Trump's phone call with Ukraine's President and fomenting war with Russia based on a patently false pretext and bogus allegations. The Mueller Report exposes Adam Schiff who "Knowingly" leaked and reported false information to the press. Global Trade Wars are a cover for neutralizing all tariffs in order to usher in new global currencies backed by gold. The Global Reserve Banking System will be dismantled and the SWIFT Global Trading platform will be replaced with GESARA. Internet and Social Media Alternative News Censorship lockdown continues across all platforms. Google, FB, and Twitter. Look for President Trump, the DOJ and 30 plus US State AG's to file class-action and anti-trust lawsuits in Federal Courts. New Earthquake swarms in northern CA increase predictions for the Cascadia Subduction Zone and New Madrid Fault Line. New Government Reports on the increase in midwest earthquakes and oil fracking effects. A Russian scientist has issued a new prediction for the US to experience a 9.0 earthquake in 2019. UFO Disclosure is heating up, as daily sightings are being reported by US Navy and Airforce pilots. There is insider talk of a Fake Alien Invasion set for October? Timing is tied to change the MSM narrative upon negative breaking events; FISA Declass, Clinton Foundation, Comey IG Report, etc. Nick Pope reviews all the evidence. Antarctica continues to reveal anomalies and evidence of advanced civilizations. Disclosure of Pre-adamites going back 55,000 to 65,000 years ago. Testimony suggests well-preserved cities and advanced technologies. China Lake earthquakes to reveal the destruction of a large underground city. Run by the Deep State using the cover story of a secret Navy Weapons Military Base. New testimony will reveal a secret MK-Ultra mind-control training lab for 10s of 1,000s of kids held in cages. Facebook whistleblower blows the lid-off in a newly released Mark Zuckerberg Dossier. Sighting abuse of the child prodigy using MK-Ultra techniques, and a controlled asset of Larry Summers President of Harvard, Financial Advisor to President Clinton, connected to DARPA and CIA programs. Sheryl Sandberg assistant to Summers, COO of FB and Mark's direct handler inside FB. IG Report on James Comey, Comey got a pass from AG Barr on leaking classified information to the press but will be indicted and prosecuted for multiple criminal violations dealing with his signing off on 4 FISA requests. This will begin the process of disclosing Spygate, and all its conspirators. The Structure Change / Alliance Exposure Mass Corruption Now Ready to be Revealed to the General Public, starting with economy crisis looming, closing the Federal Reserve/Central Banking System, voter fraud in key Congressional & Senate seats, FBI & DOJ false Russian collusion, and the release of 300 pages of the Carter Page FISA redactions will lead to the much greater exposure of the Obama Administration's corruption, treason, and evil practices from the Deep State/Shadow Government. As of 4 Quarter 2019, the IG and DOJ Investigations have been completed by John Huber/IG/Horowitz/AG Barr on the Clinton Emails Scandal & Foundation Violations, FISA Abuse, and Spygate/Obama Administration Collusion. FISA Report Presidential Order to release 300 supplemental pages of redactions to AG Barr, said to be released in the Fall of 2019. Mass Arrests total 121,848 + Sealed Indictments, 35 US Judicial Districts (increases in indictments averaging 5,000 a month) Continued Mass Global Resignations 9,334; Government Senators & Congressmen, Fortune 500 CEO's, and Banking Execs. Global Peace Initiatives vs War Threats: North Korea, Venezuela, Ukraine, Iran, Syria, and Israel/Saudi Arabia signs of the total collapse in Deep State controlling influence in 3rd world governments. Exposure & Defeat of The Deep State/Shadow Government/Cabal/Illuminati/Syndicate Global Deflationary Markets Crisis / Global Currency Reset/return to the Gold Backed Standard Currency / RV / Replacement of NESARA/GESARA for SWIFT Trading System / Global Debt Jubilee / Refund of 21 to 71 trillion in confiscated Deep State/Cabal funds Global Trade Agreements Naturalized tariffs with EU, Stalled Talks with China, Russian, Canada, and Mexico agree to neutralize all trade in a new agreement. Trade War with China exposing more than just Trade, global naturalized tariffs, Technology Thefts, Political Tampering with US Elections and US Congressmen and Senator's payoffs. Congress Approves Legislation to release sealed 911 documents, exposing the Deep State inside job. Remaining Sealed CIA Kennedy Assassination Papers to be released, along with 911 Saudi Arabia collusion docs & Pearl Harbor papers from WWII Rouge Planetary System moving through our Solar System, bringing CME's, Planet X Solar System, Nibiru, Meteorite Showers, EMP, Alien SpaceCraft Sighting, Closings of Planetary Observatories, questions regarding New Mexico's Observatory Increasing Global Geophysical Volcanic & Earthquake Activity, Hawaii, Pacific Rim, Latin, and South American, Antarctica (Galactic Energy Waves increasing Sun's activity) Global Geomagnetic Storms increase in larger magnitude CME's from Sun (The 1000x Galactic Flash in the nearest star system Alpha Centauri was recorded by NASA) Global Weather: 2019 escalating Droughts, Hurricanes, Sahara Sand Storm, Heat Waves, Rising Oceans Levels, Flooding, Solar System Planetary Climate Change, Chemtrails / Terraforming, HAARP Weather Wars. Health & Wellness: Truth About Cancer, The Plant Paradox, Truth About Vaccines, Big Pharma Industrial Complex. Earth History: 3,000 Global Pyramids, the cover-up of Ancient Giant skeletons by the Smithsonian Institute, Ancient Civilizations Ruins discovered between 1,000 to 6,000 feet below Sea Level. Disclosure: Secret Space Programs, 10 Programs, DOD $6.5 - $21 trillion missing. Partial vs Full Disclosure, Alliance agreement as to Solar Warden partial disclosure. Science/Technology: Department of Defense suppression of 6,000 patents, reversed technology, antigravity, warp drive, zero-point energy, cures for all diseases, age regression, replicators (all foods/clothing/metals, etc.) NASA: Plasma Energy Cloud, Energy Waves, Galactic Flash, 26,000 Year Grand Cycle The Path of Awakening: Global Mass Meditation, Jared Rand participant count now over 500,000 worldwide. DISCLAIMER: All statements, claims, views and opinions that appear anywhere on this site, whether stated as theories or absolute facts, are always presented by The Great Awakening Report (GAR) as unverified—and should be personally fact checked and discerned by you, the reader. Any opinions or statements herein presented are not necessarily promoted, endorsed, or agreed to by GAR, those who work with GAR, or those who read or subscribe to GAR. Any belief or conclusion gleaned from content on this site is solely the responsibility of you the reader to substantiate. Any actions taken by those who read material on this site are solely the responsibility of the acting party. You are encouraged to think for yourself and do your own research. Nothing on this site is meant to be believed without question or personal appraisal.

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waqasblog2 · 5 years

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19 SEO Tips To Increase 📈 Your Search Rank🔍👍 [With Proof!]

Last Updated - 2019-03-11

One of my 2018 New Year's resolutions was to make organic search traffic a top priority.

And you know what it worked!

For transparency sake in March 2018 this site appeared almost 180,000 in Google search results. This translated to 61,000 page views. For any given month in 2017 I was lucky to earn 5000 impressions.

By November 2018, 8 months later, I had improved my organic search traffic to over 160,000, which continued to climb in December, despite the holiday lull.

The good news is you can follow my lead and improve your organic traffic and Google results. You may not see the large numbers I had, but you will see improved traffic.

The actual traffic volume will vary by niche and target market. My numbers increased because there is a lot of search volume for web development. But if you have basically 0 visitors from Google each month, which most sites experience, 100 or 500 new visitors could make a positive impact on your business.

After making many deliberate technical changes to this site and changing my content strategy things improved. My next goal is to reach 1 million monthly search impressions.

These tips are not related to building backlinks, at least not directly, they are mostly related to on-page and technical SEO. This means how you can clean up your site's code to make it faster and easier to use. These tips

After reading these tips you will want to audit your site to see how many of these tips can be applied to your site to make it rank better.

How did I do it? How can you replicate my success?

In this article you will learn 20 actionable tips you can implement today, for free, to start reaping the rewards of increased traffic to your web site.

Full disclosure, my results are mine. Your results can and will vary. I do use some paid tools, but you can implement these tips for free. The services and tools I use help me scale and complete tasks faster.

Intentional Effort and Motivation

I wont lie, I invested 10-20 hours a week for the first two months of 2018 making changes, one by one. I have not stopped making changes and will continue to make upgrades.

Good SEO is hard and takes a lot of intentional effort. But anything worth doing does.

The good news is there are many FREE things you can start doing today that will have an immediate impact.

Last week I got involved in a conversation with fellow Microsoft MVPs about our annual contributions. You see we were in the last week of our award renewal period, which means everyone is evaluating what we have done the past year.

A key area for MVPs is their blogs. How many, how much reach, how to get more reach etc.

Of course great content is the goal, but reaching the developer and IT community is more important for our MVP award status.

If no one reads the content we pour our soul into then does it really matter?

The good news is you can get the eyeballs you are after. And you don't have to be a Microsoft MVP to win big.

As MVPs we are motivated to reach others and provide good advice so everyone can succeed. Hopefully that is your first goal.

The second goal of course is to use our platforms to confirm our expertise and work ethics to earn great paying gigs and sell our products. Right now my main revenue goal is to enroll students in my Progressive Web App Course.

So between the MVP program, developer projects and my course I have lots of motivation to make this blog popular.

Organic Search Engine Optimization

Over 93% of web traffic originates with search.

The best news is that traffic is FREE! But it is not easy to earn.

That means a solid SEO strategy is important for anyone wanting to reach folks with their message. Compared to all the paid traffic channels, organic SEO is by far the best source of traffic.

Search engine optimization or SEO is the art of creating content and earning good placement on tarageted search or keyword phrases in search engines.

I emphasize earning because you can't buy your way to the top. At least not for a reasonable return.

The algorithms used by Google, Bing and other search engines are highly gaurded trade secrets. But they boil down to these requirements:

That's it!

Simple, right?

Win these two categories and you will earn things like backlinks, etc.

The tips I share in this article are designed help you meet these two requirements. Plus this is not limited to just Microsoft MVPs. These tips will work for any web site.

Here is the Proof

I had neglected my SEO for a few years. I neglected checking my analytics and just assumed things were still humming along like they were several years ago.

After an MVP meeting in Boston I went and checked my analytics. I was sad, because there was almost no traffic.

Last year I made an intentional effort to grow my reach, but honestly I went down the wrong path. I listened to successful marketers talk about their channels, mostly paid.

So like them I spent a lot of time and money trying to grow an audience through things like Facebook ads. And to be honest I grew an audience. I have over 6000 Facebook fans and an email list I grew from 0 to 1400+ in the past year.

What was I doing wrong? I mean I try to author content I think other developers need to know. My site is fast, That is something I preach about, so I have to load fast!

Turns out despite writing good content (yes that is arbitrary 😃) no one was reading the content.

Bad search rankings were the big reason why. So over Christmas I decided to focus 100% of my effort to grow my organic search.

It was not an overnight success, but so far it was close.

I really started to see results in mid February. That is roughly when the items I am sharing in this post were fully implemented.

Over the course of the year my traffic gradually improved as articles accrued better rankings. I also added more articles over time.

Note: There were a couple of short periods where I made changes and the analytics code was omitted. Also, note a seasonal drop off over the Christmas holidays. Tech traffic drops when developers go on vacation, who knew!

Not every article is a success by my standards, most are. A few seem to be stuck on page 2-4. But over time I tweak the content and they gradually improve.

So what did I do?

Author Greenfield Content

Back in the 2010 time frame I was challenged by my manager to author more 'thought leadership' content.

What does that mean?

I wrote what I will call vanity content. These are articles I felt others needed to hear or that I felt were important.

Often they are more op-ed than substantive or actionable.

In short, developers really want to know how to get their job done, not theories.

Anyway, I wrote a lot of articles that were more editorials than practical. An example of these areticles is one I wrote about Mark Zuckerberg comments at TechCrunch Disrupt.

Lots of pontifications and yeah it tells you what I think.

But who the heck cares?

That page ranks for absolutely 0 keywords!!!!

Turns out I had hundreds of URLs ranking for 0 keywords, which means they were just dead weight.

Unless I share those articles on social media no one will ever read the article. And even then it is questionable. Most tweets and Facebook posts have little to no engagement to speak of.

Heck I am looking over that article and just see words, lots and lots of words.

I don't even want to read it!

I may apply one of my later tips to this article, I will let you guess which one!

Up to that point (2010) I typically wrote about things I thought were helpful. Typically it was how to write code, which should be what I write about! I want to help developers write better code.

At the same time I want business decision makers to know what they need to use for their business. So explaining technology is the other key content area.

But I can't just write things I get a fancy for. I need to write for what others are searching for.

So, in mid February I switched back to focusing on that strategy. I started writing on topics I would have never dreamed of 4 months ago. And you know what, people are reading those articles!

These articles fall in the category of Greenfield content. The difference between these articles and the vainity posts are they have a long traffic life. Sometimes vanity articles get a great initial bump, but quickly fade into obscurity.

Greenfield content targets common search phrases with decent or large volumes. Those searches are pretty steady over time.

The HTML Input Placeholder Color article is just an example. That page basks in 5-20 victors a day.

Did you know most web sites can't even get 25 real visitors a day!

Aggregate those view over 365 days and I should have 1,825-7,300 readers over the course of the year.

And you know what, I should get even more. I am not fully ranking as high as I can for that page's keywords yet. I am almost there! I am betting I can get to 30-50 readers a day by the end of April! #BOOM

To target these topics I needed to discover what people were searching for. This means keyword mining.

The best place to start is the Google Adwords keyword planner. You will need an Adwords account and I think it needs to be active for a while before you have full access. I also think they recently changed the rules to require some paid activity.

Bing has a similar tool, but it not near as good.

There are great paid services like AHrefs, which I now subscribe and SEMRush.

These tools should give you a good idea what phrases people are entering in search engines to find answers to their questions. They will also tell you estimated volumes, etc. The paid services will also help you understand how stiff the competition is, so you can target simple topics first.

There are other free keyword tools available online. Even with the paid services you will need to take time to identify target keywords to create content.

Key takeaway: Write What People Are Searching For

Write Differently Than Your English Teacher Taught, Write for the Web

I have mixed feelings about my experiences in English classes. I enjoyed the reading, but not the subsequent book reports. To this day I still get 'critiques' about my grammar and writing style. Somehow it never seemed like it followed a formula like math and chemistry.

Writing has changed in the past 30 years, thanks to the Internet.

In school we were and still are taught to write for print, not for digital.

There is a difference and knowing how to write for online makes a difference.

Most of us were taught a 'Chicago Style' of writing. 5 paragraphs, intro and conclusion. Each paragraph at least 3 sentences.

I still fight to avoid this style today.

But as you may have noticed this article avoids that style.

And for good reason.

Research says it does not work online. I call it 'Internet Style'.

Even if you still read the morning paper or physical books, you no longer need to write for print.

Internet readers don't want long paragraphs, instead use short paragraphs.

Make sure there is margin or spacing between the paragraphs.

You should also 'bridge' paragraphs. Brian Dean has the best advice, I love Bucket Brigades.

Make your content skimmable. This way your readers can scroll down the page before committing to a full article. I often look for lists and main headers to get the general idea before committing.

79% of your audience is only going to skim your content. That’s not likely to change.

Don't be hurt knowing everyone will not read your content.

Instead, create content that is easily skimmable and still provides value. Your goal is to help them, not consume their time.

You should also try your best to tell a story. A problem in my primary niche here on Love2Dev is being too technical. Most the content in the development space reads like documentation.

Over the past year I have authored a new Progressive Web Application book and articles for other publications. At least on two occasions my editors pushed me to tell a story with my content. As a developer my mind struggles with the concept of making technical content read more like a novel.

Don't worry you won't have to write the next Harry Potter, just something that engages your audience. Over the past year I have been working more and more with C# Corner to improve the site's SEO. The idea of producing and updating content from documentation and example style articles into something more engaging has been a struggle.

Since the authors are developers and general learn development concepts from documentation the creative side is often overlooked. But not only will incorporating a story based approach engage more readers, it will help your search profile.

Why?

Because your content will be better quality and over time you will be rewarded.

Appeal to the reader's person, and don't just produce dry content that bores them. Make them engage deeper than just scanning your articles by telling a story they can relate.

Telling a story is also a great way to acheive my next tip, writing long!

Write Long

Research shows longer content ranks better. But this is not the whole story.

Just because this research shows longer articles rank better does not mean this rule applies 100% of the time.

Sometimes short content is the right content. I still try to hit at least 500 words an article.

My workflow is to identify a primary keyword phrase and look at the top 10-20 results. How long are there articles? Especially the top 3 results, they matter the most.

More may not be better.

Sometimes the question (keyword) can be answered in a sentance or two.

This does not mean to write 2 sentance articles! Answer the provide an answer as quickly and succinctly as you can, but always provide more depth to the topic.

Recently I have been producing a series of 'how to' on topics I consider very beginner. For example JavaScript for loops. The funny thing is everytime I start on these 'simple' topics I find some intermediate or advanced topic to cover in the article.

I do find authoring longer articles gives me an opportunity to prove my skill level, show off a little and cover a broad range of keyword opportunities.

If I can produce an article that ranks in the top 30 for 500 or more keyword phrases means I have a winner that will generate traffic for years to come. The CSS Placeholder Color article ranks for over 400 keywords I know about.

Think about that reach?

Bonus : Make sure you mention your primary keywords or keywords in the first two paragraphs. You don't want your primary keyword to show up around word 1500!

Backlinks Matter

There are two types of backlinks, external and internal. Google and other search engines use them to find pages as well as apply value to the page. Basically, they are the most important ranking factor.

An Authority Hacker research study confirms backlinks “are still the most strongly correlated factor for SEO success.” They are not alone, other studies back up their findings.

While the correlation between links and search position is weakening, it does not seem to be completely fading. Until search engines can find a more reliable mechanism to rank content they will continue to be important.

This means you should focus on acquiring links to your content. You should also plan your internal linking strategy. The goal is not just earn a large quantity of links, but earn links from topically relevant pages that also have authority or equity to pass to your page.

Use Media (Images & Videos)

I know we tend to write toward developers, but a picture is worth a thousand words.

Research has shown content with pictures and videos rank better.

Way back in 2009 Moz did a study that found posts with images, lists and videos attracted the most domain backlinks.

But who has time to find and sometimes pay for photos?

I don't.

These are just some of the free sites I use for artwork. Sometimes I pay for photos and design work. It depends on the content and potential pay back.

I was spending time creating illustrations. But honestly there is little return in the time it takes to create a decent illustration. Sometimes it took longer to make the feature illustration than it took to write the content.

Today I have changed to a good photo. I may overlay some text, but that is rare. I limit my effort to uploading the original and then letting a set of AWS Lambdas optimize the image and create a responsive array to include in my pages. The Lambdas even create the HTML, CSS and JSON I need to render any page I might create.

For technical content, which most MVPs produce, you should also include screen shots. Phones have made that super easy. On Android just hold the power and down volume button down.

iPhones are similar, push the power button and home button at the same time and quickly release.

On Windows you can hit the Windows + PrtScn button on most keyboards. Windows also has the Snipping tool. Just hit the start button and start typing snipping and it will show up.

The snipping tool allows you to isolate an area of the screen for a screen capture. You can then annotate the image. There are a few of these in this article.

I have also started making screen captures of source code because I have been having markdown to HTML rendering issues with HTML. I hope to fix that soon.

There are many opportunities for you to add artwork in your content. Images are an easy improvement.

But there are more opportunities...

Start a YouTube Channel

Last year one of the first things I did was get serious about video. I had grand visions of becoming a YouTube star.

I got a green screen, tripod, lavaliere microphones and of course editing software.

Video production is way more complicated than I anticipated. Not to mention getting people to watch developer videos on YouTube is not easy.

In fact, I will warn to not expect much traffic from YouTube in terms of traffic to your channel. Developer topics are not highly sought after.

Which is a shame because there is some great content on how to develop great software.

I got a little depressed about my results. But then I looked at the subscription and view numbers of what I consider to be my YouTube competition. You know what, their numbers sucked too!

I was making my expectations against different niches. So basically here is the honest truth, developers are missing out on great YouTube content.

But the rest of the world loves YouTube. I have learned so much about everything, including development the past year watching YouTube each morning when I get up.

So why I am telling you to start a YouTube channel?

That last point is important, but first what is OBS?

Open Broadcast Studio is a free, open source video recording tool. Thanks to Kevin Griffen for turning me on this great piece of software.

It can record your screen and create the videos you need for YouTube. But that is not where it shines.

You can use it for YouTube Live, Facebook Live, Twitch and other live media platforms!

Live is where the action is.

I still use Camtasia to record my screen for code walk throughs and slide decks. I should probably switch. But when I stream live from my desktop I use OBS.

While I was at the summit I forgot my phone tripod and needed to get creative. So I used OBS from my Surface to interview Greg Whitworth about CSS. I live streamed the interview and now it is a permanent video on my YouTube channel.

The cool thing is when you stream a live video on YouTube you can then post it as a regular video!

Did I say no editing and production involved?

Plus it was all FREE! Heck Yeah!!!!!

But wait there is more! I have not forgotten the SEO part.

Now the hard part starts. You need to write a blog post on the topic. When you are done writing, embed the YouTube video in the article. Google loves this!

YouTube is one of their properties. So they love anyone that promotes their properties. When you embed a video in your blog post you are killing two birds at once.

You are promoting your video on YouTube, but you are also adding multi-media to your article.

Images, videos and anything that adds non-text value to your content makes it rank better.

Users are four times more likely to consume video content than written copy.

In fact anywhere you can, embed the video. Add it to LinkedIn, Google Plus, Facebook, etc. There are literally thousands of sites you can embed your YouTube video.

Make sure you put a link to the blog post in the video's description. Even though it is a nofollow link, it still has some juice. I get site traffic from these links.

Today, I don't worry about my YouTube traffic. Its great if it happens. But I know the real value is embedding the video in the article.

For the record I will record a video for this article and embed it....right here looks good!

I don't always record the video first, sometimes it takes a few days to get around to it. But I try. I can testify when I add that video I typically see a rankings boost within 24 hours. Sometimes that is the difference between a position 25 and a place in the top 10!

Publish to a YouTube channel and embed the videos in your articles, Google loves to promote its own properties!

Video is hot, duh I just wrote about it.

Attaching short videos with your social media posts is a great way to increase your engagement numbers.

But who has time to make all those 15 second videos? I don't.

Initially I signed up for Shakr, which costs $100/month. I made lots of videos using this service. They provide templates for 10-120 second videos. The best part is they render in the cloud, so your computer is not tied up with an intense video rendering process.

Most videos take 5-10 minutes to produce.

But $100, too much for my needs.

Then one day I found Lumen 5. I honestly have no idea how I found it.

They have paid plans, but I don't pay at all. I use the free service.

You can add your RSS feed and they will periodically grab your latest post, extract text and add background images. All that left is you hitting a button to render the video.

You can customize the video, but honestly I don't.

If you have followed my social media the past year you have seen these videos. Maybe you are following me thanks to the attention those videos gave my social channels!

You can also add these videos to your posts for that media bump.

Once you create a Lumen5 account add your RSS feed and it will make promo videos you can add to social media to promote your posts.

Attaching these videos to Tweets, Facebook and other social media posts will increase your aggregate engagement rates!

Emojis Increase Engagement Rates

Add emojis to your post titles and make sure you share the emojis in your social media shares.

Thanks to Kirupa for sharing how to use emojis in HTML. He explains how to get code points and add them to your text.

Go to Emojipedia.com to get the code points, it has a built in feature to copy them to your clipboard. You can then paste the emoji in your text.

The emojis show in the search results, which makes more people click your result, and that will move you up the ranks.

That's right, the number of times searchers click or chose your link in the search results affects how well it ranks. If you are in the top 10 for a week and have zero clicks then most likely you will be dropped down.

Having the visual pop provided by an emoji can grab the attention that earns a few extra clicks. Those clicks translate into better rankings.

The emojis also get better social response rates.

Its all about the visual attraction. Remember we like to look at pictures more than we like to read and emojis are just fun!

Ask Brian Terlson!

Embed Slide Decks

Even if you don't speak at conferences and user groups like I do slide decks can be your SEO friend.

I use PowerPoint to help me outline content. Plus I can create diagrams and currate images.

You can export your slides as images and PDFs. The images can then be repurposed in your written articles or videos.

You may also want to use the slide deck to record a video or do a YouTube live stream. Of course then you can embed the recording!

You should also create accounts on SlideShare and SpeakerDeck and upload your slide decks. Make sure you include a good description with a link back to your article.

You should also include links to your content in the slides. Google can read those links and give you backlink credit.

Exporting to a PDF can be valuable as well. There are thousands of document sharing sites you can upload to, like Scribd. Google can also parse the PDF for those links and give you a backlink.

I also use some of my slide decks as free lead magnets to grow my e-mail list. I typically reformat the slides to make them more 'book' appropriate and keep the content a little different since it is a lead magent.

Slide decks are an often overlooked tool to increase your search engine visibility.

Make Infographics

Just like slide decks infographics can be powerful SEO tools.

People like pictures and infographics are informative graphics (see how they are combined to a cool word?)

You can also share those on image sharing sites and of course earn links back to your site.

Pro Tip: Turn your slide decks into InfoGraphics!

I have created a few infographics and they seem to be well liked. I do pay graphic design specialist to create them for me. I spend about $40-50 for each one, but it is well worth the inevestment.

FYI: I have ordered an infographic for this article 😁

Use HTTPS

As of this summer I doubt any site using HTTP will be listed in any search results.

Google has made it clear in recent years HTTPS is a ranking signal. Chrome and other browsers are getting more aggressive with visual messages when a page does not use HTTPS.

This means consumers will not visit insecure sites.

The evidence is clear, if you are not using HTTPS you probably are not listed in the first page for any search today. There are some exceptions to this rule.

My anecdotal survey says less than 10% of the searches I perform or research include pages using HTTP.

Another observation about sites using HTTTP, they tend to be abandoned. By that I mean the content has not been updated in a year or more, in most cases. Which is probably why they have not been upgraded to use HTTPS.

When I find sites using HTTP I tend to review them and find what they rank for and put that content on my to do list because I know I should be able to out rank that page within a month or so.

Certificates are free today, so there is not real excuse to use HTTP anymore. Upgrade, today if you have not.

Be Fast - Real Fast

I have been saying this for over a decade. I still encounter developers that argue web performance does not matter.

The reality is consumers, real people, want pages to load fast. Like before they click a link fast. On mobile cellular connections no less.

Google has been clear, speed matters for search engine ranking. Marketers know this.

In fact they write more about web performance optimization than developers do. And those are the people that hire developers, think about that...

The first rule is you need to have meaningful content painted on the screen within a second. You should also be usable between 3-5 seconds after the user perceives they requested the page.

At 3 seconds you have lost 50% of the customers that wanted to read or interact with your page.

Mobile makes this harder.

Always test your site and pages on real mobile hardward and by that I mean average mobile phones, not an iPhone X or Pixel 2.

You can use the Chrome developer tools to perform simulated tests. WebPageTest is another great way to audit your pages. Your goal is to achieve a speed index of 1000 or less.

I wont hijack this article with web performance optimization advice. I have enough of that on the site already!

Do Not Use Fast Food Frameworks

I know I get lots of grief about this topic. But I am 100% right.

Sites that use Angular, React, Vue, Ember and other fast food frameworks don't rank well.

The #1 reason is they load too damn slow!

JavaScript is the #1 reason your pages don't render fast.

Plus Google deprecated their AJAX cralwing policy a couple of years ago, which means single page apps and AJAX heavy sites won't index well in the first place.

If you want to rank well, ditch the framework and focus on pre-rendered static web sites using thin JavaScript.

Remember the average web page takes 22 seconds to render on mobile phones. JavaScript is the reason. My pages average 3-4 seconds, just sayin.

Fix Your Broken Backlinks

The first thing I did over Christmas was repairing my backlink profile. These are links to your site. They account for about 33% of your ability to rank, or so the experts say.

I did the research and found about 2000 broken backlinks to my site! That was more than were active. No wonder my organic SEO had fallen so much.

Most were pointing to my original blog engine's routes. I spent about 30 minutes each night going through the list and identifying the URLs they pointed to and setup a 301 redirect to a new page.

Sometimes this was redirecting the link to the new route. Other times I had removed the content all together. I either pointed them to my blog's home page, my home page or a related page.

If you are not familiar with a 301 redirect it refers to the HTTP status code returned from the server when a resource is requested but has been moved to a new address. It tells the client (browser) the resource has permanently moved and what the new URL is. The user agent should then load the new location.

By configuring 301 redirects you are reclaiming these links. For Love2Dev this had a big impact on the domain rating. This is a common KPI different search engine optimization tools have created to indicate the domain's health in terms of SEO. Each service has their own algorithm so I won't try to provide details.

The irony to this story is one of the first blog posts I wrote was how to setup a 301 redirect in ASP.NET.

Claim Your Site in the Google & Bing Web Master Tools

The first place to identify your broken links is in the Google & Bing web master tools.

This is your 'official' window into how the search engines view your site. You can see what backlinks you have been credited, what search phrases you rank for and how much traffic they send.

Just as important you can also see if there are crawl errors. The main thing I look for are 404 or not found URLs on my site.

Google reports these URLs and what source pointed to the missing URL. You can then configure a 301 to direct that traffic to a new URL.

If you have not configured your site in these web master tools you should read the instructions. You will need to either add a special HTML page or a DNS record to verify ownership.

In Google you should also claim up to a combination of 4 variations: http://domain.com, http://www.domain.com, https://domain.com and https://www.domain.com. I can't remember why this is important, but do it. The stats and information will be available for your cononical protocol and domain.

Canonical Tag

Speaking of cononical, you should add a rel="cononical" META tag to every page. Its value should be the final or single source of truth for the page.

You should setup 301 redirects for anyone entering your site using HTTP and the domain configuration you are not using.

For example I route everyone to https://love2dev.com/{slug}. You may route to your www version, it is up to you. Just route them to a single source.

Search engines use the cononical tag to give the authoritative URL all the credit. This keeps your link juice from being distributed to other versions, which reduces your ability to rank.

Open Graph & Structured Data

There is no proven correlation between structured data and your ability to rank, yet. But it can be helpful for social media marketing and the potential to be listed in a position 0 resource.

Position 0 are the useful content boxes above the first listing. The content can be in a variety of forms, like lists, image packs or paragraphs. The content is 'scraped' from one of the top 10 listings, not nessecarily the #1 listing.

I have a few pages benefiting from position 0 right now. I can attest they drive a higher volume of traffic than normal search listings.

Sometimes structure data is used for these resources.

Structured data is also used for local SEO, but that is an entirely different subject.

Re-Purpose Old Content

If you are like me and started blogging over a decade ago you have old, crusty articles. Some of then have some value, they just need to be refurbished.

Before you throw out those old articles, evaluate if their core value or points are still valid today. If so refresh the content.

Not only do you get a new article, but you don't have to start fresh.

Remember to 301 the old URL before publishing to a new URL.

One thing I am doing as I refresh old articles is use shorter URLs, you may want to do this as well.

Delete Dead Weight Pages

Remember that Zuckerberg article I mentioned earlier? Dead weight. I need to delete it.

I wont now, because it is an example for this post.

But I have deleted around 400 dead posts on this blog since the first of the year. I am removing 40 this week alone.

Removing dead pages helps your site rank better because Google has a clearer picture of what your site is about. Plus those old post that no longer have backlinks or talk about technology that no longer exists dont offer value to anyone.

Google Gary Illyes unpacked this topic in a Q&A with Stone Temple Consulting a few years ago. Its about having high quality content. If you think about those pages are not bringing you traffic but they consume spidering time from the Googlebot and create 'noise' that keeps potential visitors from reading your core message.

I think removing those posts was a big reason why my newer posts started doing better.

Make sure you setup a 301 redirect from these posts to something live on your site. For me, most of those URLs now point to my main blog page.

Use Mobile First Responsive Design

This should not even need to be mentioned, but I will anyway. Google is aggresively swapping their mobile index to be their primary index right now. That's because the majority of searches originate on mobile devices.

By June mobile will be the primary index. This means Google will spider or evaluate your site as it renders on a phone more than it will as a desktop. Perform poorly on small view ports and you risk not ranking in search results.

This should emphasize the need to have a mobile first responsive layout on your site. You need to be able to render nicely on any device and any viewport.

Shoot For Big Targets - Hit Long Tails

Its easy to start digging into keyword data. I know I am fascinated by the terms and volumes I am finding in my research. Its important you understand how to read the data to form a realistic strategy.

Remember how I said the placeholder color article ranked for hundreds of phrases? The vast majority of those terms are lucky to see 10-20 searches a month.

Sure there are about 10-12 with over 500 searches a month globally. And yes those are the primary terms I am targeting. But I am careful to identify different 'long tail' phrases.

About 20% of the billions of searches Google handles each day are entered for the first time! This means there was no way for you to know to target those phrases.

For what it's worth this is where their RankBrain AI engine kicks in. But that's another complex topic....

Think about 20% of a billion. That is a lot of potential traffic to your site. And it does not stop with new searches. The vast majority of search keyword phrases are entered less than 20-30 times a month.

Search engines do their best to interpret the user's intention and deliver the best result set. It helps when you know how to pepper your content with latent semantic phrases.

These are words and phrases that relate to the target keyword. For example, writing about Toyota automobiles should be surrounded by phrases related to driving or repairing a car.

Knowing what semantic or contextual phrases helps, a lot.

You can manually try to harvest search suggestions by entering primary phrases in the search to see what the auto suggest tool returns.

But free tools are always better!

Nile Patel's free uber suggest tool is very helpful.

There are also many services you can pay for, and full disclosure, I recommend this if you are serious. I subscribe to aHrefs and it is worth every penny.

I have refreshed and updated dozens of articles with additional phrases over the past few months and seen immediate impacts. But I need to know what to add and these tools help guide me to the right phrases.

I have to say this may be one of the biggest improvements I made. In the past most of my articles would have some rank on 5-10 phrases. Today it is rare I have an article with less than 100 phrases with some SEO ranking.

Wrapping it Up

These tips have focused on how you can modify a combination of on page/technical SEO and your content/editorial strategy.

Some should be obvious, but if you are like most you neglect the easy things more than you should. Others you probably never considered.

I know there are items in this list I never applied till I took a leap of faith. Letting go of hundreds of old posts is a good example.

Organic search should be a primary goal of any content strategy. It is where the majority of web journeys begin. The traffic is free, but not easy to earn.

Writing content people need is important, but making sure you provide the best experience means your great content is sure to rank high and earns lots of free, reoccuring traffic.

This content was originally published here.

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enonoforion · 5 years

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Last updated on 2/26/2019 at 4:30 AM CST

youtube

It’s chill. I have friends upstairs on the way. =)

“Dark matter”: science’s way of saying, “We’re completely clueless, but listen to us anyway, you stupid rubes.”

Science fiction writers are insiders. Truth in the Myth. The Prophecy of the Xel’Naga. The Co-Creators of Orion. The Fallen One, Amon (Ra).

Shining golden fences are so last millennium.

#OnlyTwoRules!

When I prayed at this altar in New York City on 60th and Columbus, I had a vision of an army of demons surrounding me. I did not surrender.

What is God’s Formula?

This is #GodsFormula.

At the top of the pyramid are the Council of 13 and the Committee of 300, popularly known together as “The Illuminati”.

To understand the conflict between the Empire and the Federation, you must understand their respective philosophies.

These sleazy Luciferian characters need no introduction for most.

This infographic, though quite biased in Lucifer’s favor, gives you a small sampling of the family tree.

He is a jealous god for a reason. Throughout history, he has woven in lie after lie with what remains of the truth.

Needless to say, the apple does not fall far from the tree.

Mostly true, with two caveats: Niburu is an artificial planet/mothership, and the gold is a drug that the hybrids use to stay young.

“A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” Matthew 7:18

Muslims are no better…

And neither are Nazis…

Or Communists…

Or Neocons.

The farther back in time you go, the more traces of us you find.

You are seeing through the lies more and more. Great work!

It may not look like this at first…but make no mistake: this is what they want.

In the beginning, though, it will probably look like this. Note the hand sign.

The Federation also includes Reptilian shapeshifters…

And above them, the Fallen Ones themselves, the Anunnaki, AKA the Tall Whites. (As depicted in the movie Prometheus)

This headline provided a MUCH needed laugh while I was homeless on the streets of New York City during my visions. God has a sense of humor alright, and by His grace, I made it back home alive!

I know this guy is a meme, but the joke’s on you: his world is far less boring than ours!

Rest assured, though, my friends: your best times are ahead of you. The insanity will not last forever. Stay strong, stay open, and believe.

Un KHAA re om la de ANTANUMATA. (God and Goddess guide us to Heaven.) Thanks for reading, friend. You will hear from me again soon.

–[[[ [[[RAYDOG]]] ]]], Ambassador of the ORION EMPIRE.

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thousandmaths · 7 years

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semester 4 did not take kindly to my casual dismissal, a.k.a. I have made a Mistake

I mean, I’ve made lots of mistakes, but this semester I done fucked up in particular.

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Over the course of the semester I’ve been writing these posts about linear algebra. I’m not going to bother linking them because I’m deleting them, but here’s what I said about that sequence at the beginning of the semester:

This semester I am teaching a class called “Linear Algebra and Differential Equations” which is rather frustrating because while there are a lot of matrices, it contains next to no linear algebra. The students will at some point see linear independence but they will learn it as a curiosity having to do with shoving column vectors into a matrix and row-reducing it. They will leave the course without knowing what a basis is.

On the other hand, these students are all in the college of Science and Engineering, so (a) there’s really no excuse for them get a degree having never seen eigenstuff done properly and (b) there are no ‘buy-in’ issues; they think they’re going to learn something useful for their major.

So I thought I’d spend a couple minutes at the beginning of classes to talk about linear algebra. Ideally I want to keep these things to about 3-4 minutes apiece, but obviously on the first day there’s more flexibility, so I took it :)

Over the course of the semester, I’d estimate we dedicated about 5 minutes to linear algebra a week, so let’s call that about 100 minutes since I’m probably underestimating that number— for reasons that soon will be clear.

Fast forward 13 weeks. Finals happen. Gradelines are computed. I match them up with my students. I discover:

Seven of my twenty-nine students failed.

To put this in context, I have taught a course in which ten of my students failed, but I was teaching sixty students, and it was business calculus, explicitly designed as a weed-out course for the business major. (Full disclosure: 17 students also withdrew; and 27/77 isn’t quite “normal” but it’s not far off for that course.)

Now, let me be clear: several of those seven knew this was coming. Some were borderline and bombed the final; there’s really nothing to be done about that. But a few of them certainly did not.

[Editor’s note: I wrote this on the day I submitted grades, but decided to delay its posting for a while.]

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Of course, it’s a pre-engineering course. Expectations are tougher than in business calculus, and they should be.

But the last time I taught this course, zero of my students failed (and I don’t think there were any withdrawals either). So I figured, five minutes a week is harmless; we’re all passing anyway, right? Not allowing a student leave a linear algebra course without knowing what a basis is an admirable goal, as long as they do both.

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As an instructor, there are limits on how much you can help your students. There are limits on how much you should help your students, really, because at some point you stop being helpful and start getting in the way of their learning. But you can’t use this to absolve yourself of responsibility. You have to assess the situation carefully, take careful inventory.

So I did that here. After digging through the data, and as much of my memory as I could,

1) The students who will be surprised that they failed have something in common. They did passably well on their first midterm, not very well on the second, even worse on the third, and the final was better but not by much. In other words, they will be surprised, but maybe they shouldn’t have been.

2) On the other hand, I was also surprised, and maybe I shouldn’t have been. Let me be clear, I knew that these students’ performances had dropped off from the beginning of the semester. But I didn’t realize the extent of that drop off, and so was not properly concerned about it. It would have been easy for me to fire off an email saying “Hey, I noticed that you haven’t been doing as well for the last couple weeks as when we started. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” I have done this in the past. I did not do this this semester— frankly, because I barely noticed. I didn’t pay enough attention.

Would they have passed if I had paid attention? Maybe not. But the fact is that I did not pay attention and they did not pass.

3) The linear algebra sketches, were, upon honest evaluation, a modest investment of time. I spent 60–100 instructional minutes out of 2100, i.e. a length of time that could easily have been matched by reasonable absences, idle chatter, and fidgeting for the few minutes before class ended.

4) However, they were also, upon honest evaluation, fundamentally self-indulgent. I mean, of course I would rather that my students learn linear algebra. Of course that was always my top priority. Except that it wasn’t. It never was. The top priority surrounding the linear algebra was that it did not intrude much on the instructional time. On the face of it, this sounds like a good idea, because hey, this is all just bonus material anyway, so let’s not let it eat up too much of the time that they would otherwise be using to practice the required concepts. And my point in (3) is that I roughly succeeded in doing this.

But it’s completely irrelevant, because linear algebra is serious math. Serious math takes time to sink in. Learning it requires space to ask questions. And since I could not afford the time and space to do it right, I really could not afford to do it at all. Sure, if I was very careful about my presentations, and I left no room for doubt, then maybe they could get at least get the idea. But if I have learned anything in six years of seminar talks, it’s this: it doesn’t matter who you are, to think you’re speaking so plainly and clearly that anyone could follow your words as you say them, is nothing less than self-delusion.

5) Did the linear algebra sketches affect the course in any other way? Well, perhaps. I certainly spent a lot of time and energy preparing these mini-lectures. Perhaps this was not an opportunity cost, if I would not have otherwise have spent it preparing the actual lessons. But, if nothing else, it showed that I did have the time and energy to seriously prepare bi-weekly presentations at the board, and so maybe I should have otherwise spent it preparing the actual lessons.

6) Exactly one of my students received an A (there were a few more A-s). This student came every– single– week to my office hours. Most weeks they were the only one. Why did I never bother to figure out why nobody else came to office hours? Perhaps I was being cynical, and I told myself that they didn’t really help anyone. Maybe they didn’t; maybe they would have done just as well if I hadn’t had any office hours at all— obviously, they were quite capable of doing the legwork. But on the other hand, you have to admit, the correlation is pretty strong.

7) If you are concerned that the entire discussion so far has been couched in the language of grades, rather than mastery, you are not alone. I am not ashamed to fail people who do not learn the material. But again, I was not paying attention. Did my failing students sufficiently learn the material? Some of them, clearly not. But for some, I really can’t answer that question. Perhaps they simply needed instruction on how to demonstrate their understanding in writing.

8) My experience has been that homework scores are an outrageously poor indicator of test scores. There are reasonable armchair-pedagogy arguments that this might be true in general. But perhaps I should stop being so passive about this, and see if I can’t do better at grading homework like an exam grader. I should ask around about people’s grading styles.

9) I have some more nuanced analysis about this that would mostly be boring. The gist is that there are certainly some weeks when I could easily have spent more time, and some weeks that I pretended I had time that I really, really didn’t. Which means that maybe there was some way that I could have covered less linear algebra material “properly”. But regardless of the details, the point still stands that I was very careless about planning this project, and ultimately that was probably a Bad Thing.

10) As a remark for future me: whenever you decide to do something experimental in your teaching, give some thought to this scenario. Don’t just think about how it will be received if it goes well. Think about the people who struggle in the course, who work hard, and who still don’t pass. Will they think it is time well-spent? or will they see it as a hijacking of their education by an incompetent, egocentric TA? Probably somewhere in the middle, of course, but: where?

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In light of (4) and (5), I have decided to remove the Linear Algebra Miniatures from the blog. Perhaps I will compile them all together and write them into a single post, or maybe I will publish them after the challenge is complete. But I made a mistake— a preventable mistake, born of my own ego, and paid by my students. And I know I can’t change things for them, and I know I can’t take it back.

But for the sake of all my students in the future, I can’t let this happen again. And I know myself well enough to know that for the lesson to sink in, I need it to sting a little bit.

#math #maths #mathematics #mathema #teaching #learning #failure #it's obviously very uncomfortable to admit a failure like this which goes way beyond just fucking up a math problem or confessing ignorance #but I still have a responsibility to think about these things #becoming a responsible academic #net loss: -5 posts #one work week

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