I convinced my mom to try the live action One Piece, because she's the type to like this style of show even though she isn't into animation and would never read manga, but I didn't think I'd be able to convince my dad because he's usually a stickler for more grounded and realistic stories (his favourite genre is war movies, his favourite movie is Saving Private Ryan, for reference). But, when I brought up with him how I figured it probably wouldn't be his thing because it was fantasy, he mentioned to me that he does enjoy some fantastical stuff if it has like an internal universe logic, like Star Wars, and the more I thought about it, the more I remembered that he also enjoys campy fun action adventure stuff that doesn't take itself too seriously like Indiana Jones or Pirates of the Carribean.

And One Piece has both that internal logic for why people can perform crazy feats (even if it isn't explained right away) which I mentioned to him (just that there is a reason why people can do crazy things in this world), as well as the campy fun action adventure thing going for it, especially in the Live Action (the fight against Morgan's base even has a major Indiana Jones vibes ngl). So I explained that to him and asked if he wanted to try it, and he agreed to watching the first episode with me to decide if he'd watch it with my mom and me.

AND HE ACTUALLY SAID IT WAS INTERESTING SO FAR!! Like, he is NOT the kinda guy to enjoy anime or manga or even western cartoons, always refuses to watch anything anime and doesn't show any interest when I talk about it (I've managed to convince him to watch a few movies like Sword of the Stranger but it's obvious that even when he's not bored or doesn't hate it, it still doesn't catch or keep his interest), and he's really picky about anything fantasy or SciFi, if it like sets off his bullshit meter too much he starts nitpicking the logic behind certain abilities, or decisions, or explanations, etc. I once tried to get him to try Gravity Falls and he wanted to stop after the first episode. He's THAT picky.

So the fact that he actually laughed several times while watching the first episode of OPLA with me, commented about Luffy's character positively several times (he seems to think Luffy is really funny which surprised me cause I thought he'd be the most entertained by Zoro but I mean I can't blame him it is Luffy after all), never cringed or criticised or said anything about how ridiculous it was, means a lot coming from him cause he's always really blunt and honest about his opinion on this sort of stuff (which is fine I don't want him to pretend to enjoy stuff when he doesn't). He actually watched the whole first episode without it losing his attention, and seemed to have fun! And he agreed to watch the rest with my mom and me!

This sort of thing is one of the reasons why I dislike when people just dismiss the idea of live action adaptations entirely. I get that people are jaded with past failures, and don't like when live action is treated like a replacement for or improvement from animation when it isn't. But it is a valid medium just as much as animation or comics or writing are, and can be used to produce some amazing things. And the fact is, there are people who have a hard time connecting with other mediums who will otherwise never engage with this media in its original forms. Live Action, when done well and done right, can reach new audiences and welcome them into the fold in ways the original formats never can.

One Piece didn't need the live action to be popular, obviously, and the live action cannot and will not replace the original, nor should it. But I love that we get to have it alongside the manga and anime. It's just more of what we love, it's the cherry on top of an already stellar multi-layered cake. It complements the original rather than taking anything away from it. And for the first time in over a decade I might be able to share One Piece with my parents, who would only ever have a chance of experiencing it and enjoying it in live action. There's just something so awesome about that for me personally. I just wish more live action adaptations would understand what the One Piece live action understood about the adaptation process, and that's how to keep the heart of the story in-tact, so more people from more fandoms could have a chance to share something they love with more people who it would otherwise not reach.

Anyway, thank you Oda and the OPLA cast and crew for doing live action right for once!

Hubble Uncovers a Celestial Fossil by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Via Flickr: This densely populated group of stars is the globular cluster NGC 1841, which is part of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way galaxy that lies about 162,000 light-years away. Satellite galaxies are bound by gravity in orbits around a more massive host galaxy. We typically think of the Andromeda Galaxy as our galaxy’s nearest galactic companion, but it is more accurate to say that Andromeda is the nearest galaxy that is not in orbit around the Milky Way galaxy. In fact, dozens of satellite galaxies orbit our galaxy and they are far closer than Andromeda. The largest and brightest of these is the LMC, which is easily visible to the unaided eye from the southern hemisphere under dark sky conditions away from light pollution. The LMC is home to many globular clusters. These celestial bodies fall somewhere between open clusters – which are much less dense and tightly bound – and small, compact galaxies. Increasingly sophisticated observations reveal the stellar populations and characteristics of globular clusters are varied and complex, and we have yet to fully understand how these tightly packed groups of stars form. However, there are certain consistencies across all globular clusters: they are very stable and hold their shape for a long time, which means they are generally very old and contain large numbers of very old stars. Globular clusters are akin to celestial ‘fossils.’ Just as fossils provide insight into the early development of life on Earth, globular clusters such as NGC 1841 can provide insights into very early star formation in galaxies. Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Sarajedini #NASA #NASAGoddard #NASAMarshall #NASAGoddard #HubbleSpaceTelescope #HST #ESA #globularcluster Read more Read more about NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope NASA Media Usage Guidelines

my head is all currently midnight burger podcast so here's everything i like about this wonderful piece of media:

it's pretty fun and very funny!! i smile like an idiot on public transport and on my way to class at least once a day listening to this.

the characters are so. idk how to describe them but theyre so full of life and you can tell that they are loved greatly by the creator(s)

the WRITING. i could seriously pluck a quote from damn near every episode to carry me through the day. i don't need affirmations i need gloria to talk me through my problems.

i was doing a lil analysis of the themes in this show and i came up with "the best thing you can ever do is the best thing you can do right now" and it is FUEL, babey.

The el triste monologue. also just gloria being a POC and being proud of herself and her culture. there's a lot of cultural mish-mash in podcasts, so this is very refreshing.

It's very, very sweet and heartfelt. kind of like wolf 359 if they communicated more instead of dodging their issues until they came to a peak (love them for it.)

the PHYSICS of it all. i'm a physics/astrophysics major because i think space and looking at the stars is my lifeblood so i won't shut up about it. i don't want ava and leif (certainly ava) to shut up about it ever. HOW much reasearch did they have to do to get this kinda grasp on it. im in awe, i'm LEARNING actual things from them. i could go on. the gravity waves, the stellar nuclear fusion, the time dilation of it all. and all without using over-flowery language!!! i can actually follow a good chunk of the time. are we sure ava didn't take one of those science communication seminars. maybe 5 phds does it. when she and leif talk i vibrate like an electron in a lazer. wonderful.

star sequencing??? stellar nucleosequencing??? right up my alley. thats my kinda stuff. the romanticization of space, i've seen. the romanticization of physics, however, is not something i haven't seen in such a beautiful modern fashion. (Ie, not oppenheimer or even richard feyman)

and it's not too science-y to the point that they think they can't have fun. yes they discuss the implications of gravity waves and wax poetic about space and pulsars. (it beats for you, berts) but they have FUN! they meet their parents because they can. they get a plant drunk. there's an atmosphere(?????) around the diner that allows them to fly around and mind-numbing speeds and look at the curvature of spacetime and also sit on the roof. (I imagine the entire place is the temperature of a summer night.) they have a whole wild west planet. leif builds things inexplicably. how? where does he get the materials??? shhhhh don't question it just let him have the gravity wave detector. nobody actually knows what engineers do, not even engineers. let him be. also time crystals??????

ALSO ava being a woman in stem and being so blunt yet covert about it. she's been dealing with it for so long. why are all (recognized) physicists a)white b) men c) both. it's such a sucky thing to work into because of the outward appearance. ava is a proud mad scientist which i aspire to so much. i am keeping her in my little arsenal of people to think about when i don't want to study. (picture the do it for her meme but it's pics of ava) I don't think i aptly put how much i love her. i'm not all the way finished yet but i've heard she was forced to marry someone? i think it would be a thing for sure if she cheated on him. so many physicists cheated on their spouses (wives ): ) and i think ava should also do it. as a treat. if that's what she'd like.

when people have done bad, bad things but show/are capable of redemption upon reflecting on their past/current shortcomings is just something that gets me so much directly in the heart. the hiddenness of people. the tragedy. we contain MULTITUDES and this show demonstrates that so well. how they support each other! they are everchanging and that's good for them. Leif the engineer the ex criminal the diner cook.

leif exploding a man in cold blood. if i could draw i'd draw that. maybe i will anyways.

food as a form of affection/way to bond. grief. doing your best. making amends. using the time you have. death is inevitable but that's okay.

And if time and tide roil you too harshly, or diurnal courses leave you with no safe havens, just remember we’re out there, somewhere, lookin’ for ya’

they open at six

Out of every single TF2 character, Soldier and Scout are the hardest for me to write for because they have parody baked into their characters.

Soldier is a red-blooded communist hating american meant to satirize the aggressively jingoistic attitudes of Cold War-era America, and Scout is a loud-mouthed Bostonian hooligan who thinks he's gods gift to humanity.

Both of these characters would be the most ear-grating things imaginable in any other piece of media, but they work in tf2 because they're walking parodies. It also helps that both characters are shown to be...less than intelligent and other, more reasonable characters are Sick Of Their Shit tm.

Soldier would be an unlikable douchebag in, say, Call of Duty, but because the comics make it clear that he's a lead-poisoned idiot and more sane characters are either annoyed, frustrated, or confused by his presence makes his antics hilarious rather than annoying. His relationship with Zhanna would also be extremely questionable, but because Zhanna's been stuck in the mountains most of her life, her social skills are...less than stellar, so it makes sense she'd fall for the first man who jumped into bed with her.

Scout works the same way, but to a much less severe extent.

And me, being someone who's really bad at writing parody, can't actually write for either of these characters for obvious reasons. Outside of small bit roles and jokes, I genuinely cannot figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do with Scout or Soldier in fanworks.

Compare this to characters like Heavy or Medic, who I am very good at writing (at least, I think so). Heavy is shown to have a great deal of depth as a character and his past is so dark that it can't really be joked about or parodied despite his otherwise funny persona. He's serious and reasonable, which makes him perfect for my writing style, which focuses more on slapstick and dry wit for comedy than tf2's over the top satirization.

Medic on the other hand is just as nutty as Soldier, but because he's not really a parody (I don't think, anyways), he's much easier to write. He's also part of a character archetype I'm incredibly familiar with (the mad doctor), so that helps. Medic is also an extremely static character and this means that he can take a central or supporting role at any time and it work out perfectly. His brand of comedy is eccentric and crazy, but there's just enough depth there to explore.

Spy is another character I'm comfortable writing for. He's a Cold War-era parody of France through an American lens; a not-so-manly backstabber who doesn't fight fair. But, just like Heavy, the comics gave him enough depth that I can spin a story about him relatively easily without worrying too much if I'm writing him out of character.

Weirdly enough, despite my love of tf2's comedic style, I can't actually replicate it all that well. If a character can take on a serious/reasonable role (Heavy, Spy, Engineer, Pauling, etc) I can write a story pretty easily. But if a character is wholly dependent on tf2's specific brand of comedy (Soldier, Scout, Saxton Hale, etc), then I'm shit outta luck.

Again, my style of comedy is all about dry wit, slapstick, and dumb non-sequiturs. Think Gravity Falls, but with more swearing and blood. Parody is not my strong suit, so the characters in tf2 that rely most on parody and satire just end up falling flat in my works because I literally don't know what to do with them.

It's a similar situation to Pinkie Pie from MLP (hold on I'm going somewhere with this)

Pinkie Pie is interesting because, despite being a main character, she's at her weakest when an episode focuses on her. Because she's built to be the comedic relief, she's at her best when playing off other characters because those other characters are allowed to be the straight arrow to her bullshit.

Pinkie Pie is absolutely hilarious in episodes like the Cutie Map and the Gift of the Maud Pie because her antics are being contrasted against more reasonable characters like Rarity and Twilight. Their reactions are what make Pinkie Pie's jokes land. But she fails in episodes that center entirely around her like Yakkity Sax and and Pinkie Pride. And that is entirely because she just doesn't have the depth necessary to take on a protagonist role. She's trying to be the comedy relief when she's the main central character, and it just flat out doesn't work. She comes across as a complete bitch in these episodes because the framework that made her funny in the first place just isn't there anymore.

Soldier and Scout work the same way. These characters are relatively shallow when compared to the rest of TF2's cast and because they are so heavily reliant on being parodies, it's damn near impossible to write anything with them unless you are VERY familiar with tf2's brand of comedy. Soldier and Scout work best in comedic situations where the writer understands that these two are dumbasses that annoy the shit out of more respected characters. But put them in a central role and suddenly everything falls apart because the framework needed to make them likable isn't there anymore.

I can only theorize that this is the reason Miss Pauling is the real main character of the comics. She's morally dubious and certainly mean, but she has her head on straight when compared to the mercs, so when Soldier does something stupid or says something xenophobic, her annoyed reactions are enough to let the audience know that yes, this is one massive parody. Laugh at the satirical red-blooded American, dammit!

Anyways uh. This post went in a lot of different directions. But I read someone's analysis of tf2's parody and satire-centric comedic style and how almost everything was created through an American Cold War-era lens and it got me thinking about why certain characters in tf2 are so difficult to write while others aren't, and most of it comes down to "Are you, as a fanfic writer, good at writing parody? If not, good luck!"

Basically, if a tf2 character can hold a competent conversation, I can handle them. I like to think I can write in-character fairly well, just with some added extrapolation if I want to explore specific motives/how they view the world/beliefs, or just good old-fashioned deconstruction.

I tend to write some of the tf2 characters as relatively progressive as a primary means of doing that and Heavy, Engineer, Medic, and Spy are clearly educated, so they would be the most likely to be liberal-minded. Assholes? Yes. Selfish? Yes. But they don't strike me as dyed-in-the-wool bigots. They might be more preoccupied with other shit but not actively malicious.

Also it's just funny to write Medic absolutely tearing a fascist a new one.

✮⋆˙ Hello˙⋆✮

Preferred name: Stellar

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Sexuality: Aroace

Neurodivergent - Autisim+ADHD

Proud self shipper ^v^

Creator of the Astro shifts Au.

This is a multi-fandom (and probably multi-media) blog! I do Writing and drawing, and I also make character audios (Request rules + drabbles and interact rules below)

I’m doing f/o Vember with multiple characters! Pay attention to mentioned names:

Rie - Morro speaking

Meiyou - Wukong speaking

Scarlet - Macaque speaking

Xing - Redson speaking

First off! (F/O list >:3) 

Current: Morro wu

Past: Redson, Sun wukong, (six eared) Macaque.

Request rules! - Writing edition

Go ahead ✔

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Angst

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x (Specific) Reader

x Reader

x Character (Please link to a character description! I will use my own hc’s if you don’t have a personality for your OC-)

Platonic Nezha

No, Sorry! ❌

NSFW

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Anything beyond platonic with Nezha

Audio Requests!

Open Characters:

Sun Wukong

Macaque

RedSon

Morro Wu

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Fandom’s I’ve been in, or are in.

Been Inuyasha FFVII Gravity falls TDP

Are in Ninjago (I don't post about it much BC Sunny is in LMK) LMK

All character descriptions can be found on my Au post, but for now, Take their pictures:>

Protective Redson x reader

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Morro x sick reader

LMK Scarlet Queen (Comic & Script)

TBA…

Redstar (Comic)

TBA…

Gust (Tell me weather or not you want this too continue please!!)

Parts 1-4/5

Interact! LGBTQIA+ Neurodivergent LMK fans Selfshippers Furries

DNI Pro/Comship NSFW blogs If you are about to harass me for the HCs I use in my Au If you're about to make a petty angry comment at any of my works (It's literally useless.)

Banner and divider source: firefly_graphics + cafekitsune

OOOH WHAT'S THE POP CULTURE LIKE?? Any common references?? ALSO TELL ME ABOUT THE MUSIC WORLD!! I'm very curious.

Well, to get the background, we need to understand what we brought with us. Sailor moon, Marvin the Martian, star trek, wolf 359, star wars everything space sci-fi or fantasy! We wrote about this place and now we're in it!

And as for what we found: glass domes, blue suns, vast desserts, a mountain so tall it breaks the atmosphere, broken down robots, sand storms, and two moons that will eventually drift away from and crash into us. But we have four million years before that happens, don't we? So let's enjoy the view

The music is wild: a thousand genres, some as old as Chinese opera, some as new as astruca pop. It's all new wave if you think about it, a new era of humanity. There's a lot of synth.

Astruca pop is founded on the concept of 'we are in love with the stars, and we sing about it' upbeat pop, things like 'messages from the stars' and the likes. Themes of celestial bodies, relationships, and insane amounts of synth.

Other genres are not yet named. I've mainly been focusing on the fashion if I'm honest. But here's another space themed one: it has a lot of vocalisations, wacky instruments, and lyrics about how in the vast expanse of space we are alone. Kind of outdated since we discovered aliens. Like... imagine listening to some song about how we are unique in our sentience meanwhile your nextdoor neighbour is a 7'1, six armed alien, from a planet in the neighboring solar system. Embarrassing.

As for media, there's a show called 'mandy mystery' it's a teen girl solves mysteries type show. Similar to Sally Bollywood. Does anyone remember that? Idk. There's also one called 'star racers' you're getting the star theme right. It's like five guys and they all have names like 'red moon' and 'black saturn' cuz. It's space themed who cares. They're drag racers. They wear funny little outfits and pose on top of cars. A lot of these were made up for so I could design group Halloween costumes for the gang. There's probably more shows than that. I just haven't thought of them yet.

Sports is really popular too, low gravity leads to muscle atrophy so you gotta stay active, (god ain't it awful) so there's lots of parks, sports places, etc. So fun ways of getting around are also popular, roller skating, cycling, skate board, they're going places on wheels. Absolutely insane.

And fashion magazines! There's tons, mostly for nouveau futurism, retro futurism, stellar dessert, and random other shit that I haven't named it. They like cowboys too. Astral outback my beloved. There's also thing like 'elegano frill' which is based around black undergarments and white lace/chiffon things, focused on unique silhouettes and fancy hairstyles, it's seen at a lot of weddings. Its counterpart, jangle frill, is much less refined. Seen at concerts, there's the black undergarments again, but this time the veil things are less layers, and are lined with tassels! The hair is much more droopy and more colours! The songs performed are generally made with the jangle of the audience in mind, completing the song.

That's pretty much all I got. Theres a musician called 'vallicent' I'm pretty sure. One called Xiro. Various others.

Here are some of the major (and minor but interesting) ‘Teen Mom’-related things that happened over the last week or so…

Kail Lowry Says She’s Getting More Plastic Surgery; Wants Her Butt Reduced

Kail said she regrets letting Dr. Miami inflate her rear end with a Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) years ago, and now wants to get the procedure reversed.

On Friday’s episode of her Barely Famous podcast, Kail talked about the plastic surgery she’s gotten over the years, including a tummy tuck, Lipo 360 and the BBL she had done live on Snapchat by Dr. Miami in 2016. She told her friend Bone that her posterior has grown too big for her liking.

“In January, I am going to start looking into surgeons for a butt reduction,” Kail said. “Because it is so outrageously big. It hurts, it’s uncomfortable, it doesn’t fit into anything.” 

Kail admitted that she was told when she had her 2016 BBL and other surgeries that if she gained weight post-surgery her butt would get bigger. (If you’ve managed to somehow block out the memories of Dr. Miami carving up Kail’s caboose live on Snapchat, allow The Ashley to remind you that Kail had the surgeries after her son Lincoln was born. She has gone on to have five more kids since then.) 

During the podcast episode, Kail told Bone that she is afraid to try to lose weight through diet and exercise.

“I don’t know how crazy [my butt] is gonna look if I start losing weight,” she said. “Is my butt going to sag? So I need it to be, like, surgically done.”

Back in June, Kail mentioned that her BBL results were less-than-stellar.

“I love plastic surgery,” Kail said on the Dumb Blonde Podcast. “The only regret I have is not waiting until I was done having kids. I had the Mommy Makeover after my second son and I could definitely go for another.”

She said of all her cosmetic procedures, her BBL has aged the worst. 

“I don’t love [my BBL]. I want it removed immediately,” she said. “Gravity is kind of pulling it down a little bit….Dr. Miami did mine and I asked him about it. He said when you gain weight, you’re going to gain wherever your fat cells are. He moved [fat cells] to my butt. My butt has grown exponentially.

“When I did the BBL and I did the Lipo 360 I wanted everything to match because I felt like, ‘I can’t have a huge butt and then have my waist be small and my arms big.’ So I had it in my arms. My butt and my arms have grown insane. But now what? I don’t know what I can do about it. Gravity pulls down your butt a little bit and it just looks crazy and I can’t find jeans that fit me.”

Kail said in June that she didn’t want to have any more surgery until she was (finally) done having kids. (She recently stated that she wants to get her tubes tied now that she’s birthed her twins— aka Babies No. 6 and No. 7.)

“I maintained it for a long time, but I got pregnant the same year that I got my Mommy Makeover. So that was my biggest mistake,” Kail said. “I should have had all the kids I wanted to have and then got it.”

Farrah Abraham Calls Out Jenelle Evans For Latest CPS Drama; David Eason Accuses Farrah of Letting Daughter “Tag Along” While “Tricking” 

Let the battle of bad parenting–- featuring fired ‘Teen Mom’ stars–- continue! 

Less than a week after fired ‘Teen Mom OG’ star Farrah Abraham and fired ‘Teen Mom 2’ star Jenelle Evans took swipes at each other over social media regarding their respective parenting decisions, the Backdoor Teen Mom and Lady of The Land are back at it. 

Farrah told TMZ this week that, while she’s basically nailing this whole parenting thing, she can’t say the same for Jenelle, given Jenelle (and husband David Eason’s) latest drama with Child Protective Services (CPS). 

“I am not shading Jenelle but I think ‘Teen Mom’ fans or haters still get it confused at where I am at in my life,” Farrah told TMZ in her signature “Farrah Speak” style. “There is other teen moms who have CPS issues, like Jenelle presently. I think we need to leave some of that CPS messy stuff out of my family and out of my dating dynamic. That definitely upsets me.

“I work very hard to be the best single parent that I can ever be,” Farrah said before seemingly taking a swipe at Jenelle’s decision to stand by David despite him being charged with child abuse recently. 

“I can’t say the same for others and their dating lives and the men they choose to date who seem to be abusive,” The Big F said. “I’m not welcoming that into my life at all.” 

As The Ashley previously told you, Jenelle and David are currently under CPS investigation; however, just last week, it was Jenelle who took to Instagram urging for a “welfare check” to be conducted at Farrah’s home.  

David was clearly not happy that Farrah spoke about the CPS situation he and Jenelle are currently dealing with. He fired off some talkin’ words in the comment section of TMZ’s Facebook post, claiming (just as Jenelle recently did) that it’s Farrah who CPS needs to be keeping a watchful eye on. 

“I think CPS would love to know why Farrah let her child tag along while she was allegedly escorting or ‘tricking’ as some would call it,” David wrote. “I call it prostitution but hey, I only know what I’m told by close sources.” 

David’s comments come just a week after Farrah (sort of) debuted the new man in her life on Instagram, which resulted in haters speculating within the comment section of her post that her new boo was actually a “John”. (Farrah recently denied the claims that she was a paid escort, stating in an interview that “there are no illegal activities going on in my life.”)

Still, several commenters on the post suggested that CPS be called on Farrah for allegedly leaving her teenage daughter at home alone on Thanksgiving while she was living in up in the Caribbean with her new man. 

As The Ashley told you last week, the comments ultimately inspired Farrah to fire off a(nother) dig at Jenelle, seemingly due to Jenelle’s familiarity with the agency. 

Farrah has yet to respond to David’s latest accusation. 

Nathan Griffith’s Ex Ashley Lanhardt Dodges the Bullet Ties the Knot

Ashley Lanhardt, ex-girlfriend of former ‘Teen Mom 2’ dad (and former swolemate of Jenelle Evans) Nathan Griffith, is officially married. 

Ashley and her husband, Richard “Lee” Runion–- who announced their engagement in November 2022–- were married in a ceremony last weekend held at the Powel Crosley Estate in Sarasota, Florida. 

While Ashley mostly stayed out of the spotlight during her relationship with Nathan, fans of ‘Teen Mom 2’ may remember her appearing on a few episodes of the show. One of Ashley’s most memorable ‘Teen Mom 2’ moments happened during the Reunion taping in 2017, during which Ashley hugged Jenelle’s mom, Barbara Evans, resulting in Jenelle becoming enraged and causing a huge scene in the hallway backstage. 

The Ashley revealed in March 2021 that Nate and Ashley had gone their separate ways after more than three years of dating, with Ashley reportedly being the one who ended the relationship. While Nate initially denied that he and Ashley split, he went on to confirm the breakup four months later on social media. Nathan even gave a shout-out to the new man in Ashley’s life at the time. 

“He’s a very attractive guy,” Nate said. “Him and Ashley are together right now.” 

As of this week, Ashley and her man are together forever. 

Ashley spoke very HIGH! HIGH! highly of Lee in October while sharing a photo on social media of the two of them obtaining their marriage license. 

“ … I have never been more excited for anything in my life,” she wrote. “I can’t wait to marry this handsome man. God knew I needed him. I’m so grateful for such a patient, loving, reassuring person to spend my life with.” 

As The Ashley previously reported, Nathan has moved on from his long relationship with Ashley as well. Last year, he married May Oyola. However, it appears their on-and-off-again relationship may be “off” again, as May recently deleted all photos of Nathan off her Instagram account. In August, May and Nathan had celebrated their joint move to Las Vegas with a family photoshoot. (Those photos have since been deleted from May’s Instagram.)

Corey Simms Wins For ‘Teen Mom’ Dad of the Year

Ali Simms isn’t letting her Muscular Dystrophy stop her from doing anything she wants— and her dad, Corey, is right behind her to lend a helping hand, literally.

The ‘Teen Mom 2′ dad warmed fans’ hearts over the weekend when an Instagram video posted by his father, Jeff Simms, circulated the Interwebs. In the video, Ali (whose mom is Leah Messer) can be seen playing her clarinet with her school’s marching band during a holiday parade.

Ali, who usually uses an electric wheelchair to help her with mobility, was obviously unable to play the clarinet and use her hand to control the wheelchair, so her dad Corey stepped in to push her in a wheelchair during the parade.

“Corey has stepped up so much since they were babies; you can tell he’s had a great role model in Poppa Jeff,” one person wrote in the comment section of the video. “I’m glad she got to participate and if y’all don’t notice he’s perfectly in step with everyone else!”

“I’m so glad Corey was there, he sure is an awesome daddy,” another person wrote. “The girls are blessed to have him.”

Ali was diagnosed with a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy in 2014. Last year, Leah posted an update to Instagram on Ali’s condition, following her bi-annual checkup with Ali’s specialist Dr. Tsao.

“All great things- [Dr. Tsao] sees more of an improvement than he ever has, mind & body,” Leah wrote on Instagram. “He said what he sees is remarkable because she seems a lot stronger… He gave a lot of credit to her love, hard work and dedication to reaching horseback riding goals that she sets for herself.

“Reflex is still the same but strength is better- pulmonary is better- weight and growth chart is better than it has ever been,” Leah wrote.

'This summer, theaters were drowning in blockbusters, whether it was “Asteroid City,” “Mission Impossible,” “Indiana Jones” or “Spiderman: Across the Spider Verse.” Yet no other blockbusters have caused the same commotion as what fans on the internet popularly nominated the “Barbenheimer” double feature, which, for all hardcore cinema fans, meant their entire calendar for July 21 was taken up.

Trying to capture the essence of what seems to be a marketing phenomenon that organically developed from two highly anticipated blockbusters has been an extremely challenging task for the media. “Barbie Land,” a pink paradise where women can literally be anything they want to be, was compared to Oppenheimer’s cold palette that embodies the grim picture of “death, the destroyer of worlds” in the middle of Los Alamos, New Mexico.

It is important to acknowledge the role that social media played in the success of both films. Once the release dates were announced, people quickly turned them both into memes and fans made posters and recolored sneak peeks from each movie to fit the other film’s aesthetic. Curious Refuge, a blog that has released several AI trailers including one for “Barbenheimer,” gained a lot of popularity among fans. The trailer combines the neutral beige aesthetic of “Oppenheimer” with hot pink and takes on the Barbie movie’s humor, giving us a snippet of what it would be like if the iconic doll added “Mother of the Atomic Bomb” into her infinite list of jobs and skills.

Additionally, both movies had relatively big names attached to them that helped attract fans. Many movie and TV show fanatics recognized most of the actors on screen and got excited to see some of them work together on these projects. A specific TikTok trend showed different clips of actors who made an appearance in “Oppenheimer” and paired them with the meme of Leonardo DiCaprio in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

It should not come as a surprise that these films became the event of the summer. Besides the obvious advantage of modern-day media, these two were beyond movies being premiered on the same date — they were two original screenplays by critically acclaimed directors.

Pentex production, a YouTube channel dedicated to making video essays about movies, put similarities between the two features in a nutshell. Both films had an amazing theme working not only behind and on the screen, but all the way from the pre-production with Oscar-nominated directors/screenwriters and backing from two of the biggest studios in the business. Similarly, each film revolves around an extremely noteworthy character that has had significant repercussions in history.

All of these allowed for an overlap in the audiences’ demographics which provided an even bigger discussion before and after the premieres. Greta Gerwig made it clear from the first “Barbie” preview ever released, which depicted a parody of “2001: A Space Odyssey,” that “Barbie” wouldn’t just be a chick flick, but a film that everyone should enjoy.

On one hand, there’s “Barbie.” The film went beyond what anyone could have expected based on what has been made with past adaptations of “Barbie.” Gerwig used the absurdity of Barbie Land to make a self-aware film that addressed a greater issue without losing the comedy that the ideas of a Barbie living today facilitated.

Then there’s “Oppenheimer,” which, to quote the director, Christopher Nolan, revolves around “the most dramatic situation ever.” With a stellar soundtrack, Nolan helps the viewer mimic the tension of this historic time and utilizes the gravity of the plot’s topics — war, the atomic bomb and the probability of the end of the world — to produce a film that quite literally leaves you shaking.

It’s unfair to compare one to the other because they both shine in their own way, making an excellent use of their resources to emphasize what, from the start, were strong storylines. Both directors did an amazing work that leaves the audiences thinking about moral, social and interpersonal dilemmas that encourage a greater reflection once you leave the theater.

Part of what really worked for this double feature was that at its core, they both deal with the lifelong question about men and the power they hold in society. Barbie works with it in a very clear-cut sense, but “Oppenheimer” equally questions the place of men, focusing on scientists and the repercussions of their power even when one does have the best intentions.

What made it especially captivating was that it went beyond an everyday movie experience. People were hyped and planned entire outfits to spend what felt like more than a day at the movie theater. In a way, the other aspects of fashion and social media discourse were more anticipated than the films themselves.

According to Variety.com, as of Aug. 14, 2023, on the fourth weekend upon its release, “Barbie” has made over $526.4 million in the U.S. and Canada box offices while “Oppenheimer” is reporting around $264.3 million. Both films have broken various records. Additionally, Insider.com reports that “Barbie” now holds the record for the biggest opening weekend for a female director in history, surpassing the $1 billion mark in early August — making Greta Grewig the first female director to ever hit that mark, and around that same time, “Oppenheimer” became the highest-grossing Nolan movie internationally.

With the occurrence of an event such as “Barbenheimer,” it leaves the industry wondering if something similar could ever be successfully replicated, especially considering how much of it was possible thanks to both films’ organic appeal.'

Call for Podficcers!

As happens every year, Purimgifts has far more requests for podfic than podficcers to fill them! Below is a list of all fandoms in which podfic is requested. Numbers in parenthesis indicate number of requests, when greater than 1.

Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers

Archive 81 (Podcast)

Arrested Development

Babylon 5

Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)

Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)

Charmed

Chasing Liberty (2004)

Community (TV)

Dance of the Vampires (Broadway 2002/03) - Steinman/Ives/Kunze

DCU (Comics)

Elementary (TV)

Enchanted Forest Chronicles - Patricia Wrede

Everwood

Fallen London | Echo Bazaar

Farscape

Football RPF

Galavant (TV)

Glee

Goncharov (1973) dir. Martin Scorsese - beelzeebub

Gravity Falls

Hellspark - Janet Kagan

Hockey RPF

House M.D.

Hunger Games Series - All Media Types

Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins

Injustice: Gods Among Us

Iron Widow Series - Xiran Jay Zhao

IT (Movies - Muschietti)

Jane Austen's Fight Club

Jessica Jones (TV)

Jewish Hero Corps - Oirich/Randall (Comics)

Jewish Legend & Lore

Jewish Scripture & Legend

Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons)

Killing Eve (TV 2018)

Leif & Thorn (Webcomic)

Leverage

(2) Leverage: Redemption

Malevolent (Podcast)

Mediator Series - Meg Cabot

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Miraculous Ladybug

October Daye Series - Seanan McGuire

Only Murders in the Building

Orange is the New Black

(2) Original Work

Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types

Post-Biblical Jewish RPF

(2) Power Rangers

Primordial Deep (Podcast)

Rabbinic and Talmudic Judaism RPF,Abrahamic Avatars - Fandom

Robin (Comics)

Sam Jones - Leslie Fish (Song)

Schitt's Creek (TV)

Sense8 (TV)

Shadow and Bone (TV)

Shadow Unit

(2) She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)

Sherlock (TV)

Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo

Star Trek RPF

(2) Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)

(4) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Enterprise

(2) Star Trek: Lower Decks (Cartoon)

Star Trek: Picard

(2) Star Trek: The Next Generation

(4) Star Trek: The Original Series

(5) Star Trek: Voyager

Stellar Firma (Podcast)

Stranger Things (TV 2016)

Succession (TV 2018)

Tennis RPF

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci - Diana Wynne Jones

The Defenders (Marvel TV)

The Godshead Incidental (Podcast)

The Librarian (Movies)

The Librarians (TV 2014)

The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells

The Owl House (Cartoon)

The Penumbra Podcast

The Transformers (IDW Generation One)

Thor (Movies)

Transformers - All Media Types

Transformers (Bay Movies)

Transformers (IDW 2019)

Transformers Animated (2007)

Transformers: Prime

Unseen (Podcast)

Victoriocity (Podcast)

Wednesday (TV 2022)

Welcome to Night Vale

What's Up Doc? (1972)

Wicked - Schwartz/Holzman,League of Legends

Women's Hockey RPF

Yentl (1983)

Young Justice (Cartoon)

Zero Escape (Video Games)

מדרש | Midrash

תלמוד | Talmud

תנ"ך | Tanakh

僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia,

Ultracool dwarf binary stars break records • Researchers identified the shortest-period, low-mass stellar binary system ever observed • The stars take less than one Earth day to revolve around each other • Researcher: ‘It’s amazing to see something happen in the universe on a human time scale’ Northwestern University and the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) astrophysicists have discovered the tightest ultracool dwarf binary system ever observed. The two stars are so close that it takes them less than one Earth day to revolve around each other. In other words, each star’s “year” lasts just 20.5 hours. The newly discovered system, named LP 413-53AB, is composed of a pair of ultracool dwarfs, a class of very low-mass stars that are so cool that they emit their light primarily in the infrared, making them completely invisible to the human eye. They are nonetheless one of the most common types of stars in the universe. Previously, astronomers had only detected three short-period ultracool dwarf binary systems, all of which are relatively young — up to 40 million years old. LP 413-53AB is estimated to be billions of years old — similar age to our sun — but has an orbital period that is at least three times shorter than the all ultracool dwarf binaries discovered so far. “It’s exciting to discover such an extreme system,” said Chih-Chun “Dino” Hsu, a Northwestern astrophysicist who led the study. “In principle, we knew these systems should exist, but no such systems had been identified yet.” Hsu will present this research during a press briefing at the 241st Meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle. “Discovery of the shortest-period ultracool dwarf binary” will take place at 2:15 p.m. PST on Tuesday, Jan. 10, as part of a session on “Stars and Their Activity.” Members of the media can register here. Hsu is a postdoctoral researcher in physics and astronomy at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and a member of Northwestern’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA). He began this study while a Ph.D. student at UC San Diego, where he was advised by Professor Adam Burgasser. The team first discovered the strange binary system while exploring archival data. Hsu developed an algorithm that can model a star based on its spectral data. By analyzing the spectrum of light emitted from a star, astrophysicists can determine the star’s chemical composition, temperature, gravity and rotation. This analysis also shows the star’s motion as it moves toward and away from the observer, known as radial velocity. When examining the spectral data of LP 413-53AB, Hsu noticed something strange. Early observations caught the system when the stars were roughly aligned and their spectral lines overlapped, leading Hsu to believe it was just one star. But as the stars moved in their orbit, the spectral lines shifted in opposite directions, splitting into pairs in later spectral data. Hsu realized there were actually two stars locked into an incredibly tight binary. Using powerful telescopes at the W.M. Keck Observatory, Hsu decided to observe the phenomenon for himself. On March 13, 2022, the team turned the telescopes toward the constellation Taurus, where the binary system is located, and observed it for two hours. Then, they followed up with more observations in July, October and December. “When we were making this measurement, we could see things changing over a couple of minutes of observation,” Burgasser said. “Most binaries we follow have orbit periods of years. So, you get a measurement every few months. Then, after a while, you can piece together the puzzle. With this system, we could see the spectral lines moving apart in real time. It’s amazing to see something happen in the universe on a human time scale.” The observations confirmed what Hsu’s model predicted. The distance between the two stars is about 1% of the distance between the Earth and the sun. “This is remarkable, because when they were young, something like 1 million years old, these stars would have been on top of each other,” said Burgasser. The team speculates that the stars either migrated toward each other as they evolved, or they could have come together after the ejection of a third — now lost — stellar member. More observations are needed to test these ideas. Hsu also said that by studying similar star systems researchers can learn more about potentially habitable planets beyond Earth. Ultracool dwarfs are much fainter and dimmer than the sun, so any worlds with liquid water on their surfaces — a crucial ingredient to form and sustain life — would need to be much closer to the star. However, for LP 413-53AB, the habitable zone distance happens to be the same as the stellar orbit, making it impossible to form habitable planets in this system. “These ultracool dwarfs are neighbors of our sun,” Hsu said. “To identify potentially habitable hosts, it’s helpful to start with our nearby neighbors. But if close binaries are common among ultracool dwarfs, there may be few habitable worlds to be found.” To fully explore these scenarios, Hsu, Burgasser and their collaborators hope to pinpoint more ultracool dwarf binary systems to create a full data sample. New observational data could help strengthen theoretical models for binary-star formation and evolution. Until now, however, finding ultracool binary stars has remained a rare feat. “These systems are rare,” said Chris Theissen, study co-author and a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UC San Diego. “But we don’t know whether they are rare because they rarely exist or because we just don’t find them. That’s an open-ended question. Now we have one data point that we can start building on. This data had been sitting in the archive for a long time. Dino’s tool will enable us to look for more binaries like this.” TOP IMAGE....An illustration shows how close the ultracool dwarf binary stars currently are and how that closeness has changed over time. CREDIT Adam Burgasser/University of California San Diego LOWER IMAGE....This illustration compares the closeness of the two dwarf stars in the recently discovered binary system to other systems. CREDIT Adam Burgasser/University of California San Diego

Thoughts on Marvin Lore - part 4

Marvin loves all of Earth's science fiction. Fantasy he's a little iffy on--depends on the actual source material. But sci-fi... he loves all of it.

This is mainly because he views it drastically differently than people on Earth. Something like "Gravity" he laughs his ass off at because of the dubious orbital mechanics--though he gives credit where credit is due (it looks really great, and there are some stellar performances, no one said a comedy can't make you feel the feels).

Something like the Alien franchise he sees as more of a dramatization of actual events, kinda like how Apollo 13 is based on true events, but it's a little dramatized. To him, a company screwing over its entire crew, a bunch of soldiers, another entire crew, yet ANOTHER entire crew, and then YET ANOTHER entire crew... all in the name of profits... yeah, that's pretty accurate. Marvin's seen that. It's part of why he left Mars. That and the spider worms. Nasty fuckin' things--a lot like the xenomorphs in many respects, just smaller.

On that subject, any piece of media that has to do with Mars he kind of has to turn his brain off because of the scientific inaccuracy. Like, seriously? Mark Watney spent all that time on the surface and he never once came across any of Marvin's people? COME ON!!! John Carter of Mars? ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!! WHY WOULD ANYONE NAME A CITY AFTER AN ELEMENT!??!

Marvin enjoys Star Wars overall. It's got its ups and downs, but he thinks Anakin is a bit of a wimp. Oh, you don't like sand? You think it's coarse and uncomfortable? Bitch... try Martian regolith. That shit is jagged and sharp. Breathing it in can result in micro lacerations of your lungs! Get it in your eyes and you can go blind!

He enjoys Han Solo's absolute goblin energy and respects the capabilities of his ship--to say nothing of having a very large, very strong friend to crew said ship with him.

Marvin rather likes Star Trek--the idea of a collection of cooperative planets all working towards bettering life for everyone involved? C'mon... also some of those aliens are fuckin' hot.

"Dr. T'ana can play cat and mouse with me ANY time... but she's too busy shackin' up with Shaxs... Shaxsin' up. HAH! Get it!?" - Actual quote from Marvin

His favorite movie is Disney's Treasure Planet--because he loves the mashup of colonial era sailing ship aesthetic with sci-fi futurism. To him, it is an absolute underrated gem. (also it's basically canon that Dr. Doppler and Captain Amelia got married--it was Doppler who got pregnant, which the mouse digs).

His favorite TV show is Firefly--the reasoning should be obvious. Captain Mal is a hottie--so are Kaylee, Inara, and Zoe. He wishes Wash was his best friend. Also, the whole stellar-political situation is fascinating to him and he absolutely identifies with the anti-authoritarian folks. To him, it's all real shiny.

Don't get him started on Stargate (the movie, SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe, he hasn't seen the animated series) because he WILL talk your ears off endlessly about the good, the bad, the funny, the bleak.

"You would be surprised just how much they get right. Ancient Egyptian culture from Earth is a WEIRDLY popular trend in the wider galaxy. Especially Anubis. You think Earth has lots of porn of him? Fuck... you should see what the Zenoobians from Klexar Prime make of him. It'll make your asshole pucker REAL fast." - Another actual quote from Marvin, followed by an uncomfortably dreamy sigh

I will create and design a responsive website for your business

About this gig

Greetings!

Unleash A DECADE OF WEB Developer EXPERTISE.

Did you know a standout website can convert a staggering 65% of visitors into customers in just one visit?

Beware - a shoddy website spells business disaster. If you offer a stellar service, shout it from the digital rooftops with a captivating site.

My skills aren't confined to a single platform;

I can work my magic on Wordpress, Shopify, Bigcommerce, Squarespace, Joomla, Blogger, Wix, Prestashop, Drupal, Magento, and more.

Why Me?

4 year Experience

100% money-back guarantee

100% Satisfaction

Unlimited Revision

Will properly Guide you on how to manage

Free On-page SEO

What do we include?

Any kind of Business website

User-Friendly Admin Panel

Theme customization

Free/Premium Themes

Responsive for all devices

Blog includes

Social sharing features

Google map integration

Any kind of contact form

E-commerce

Nice looking layout

24 Hours Customer support

Free SEO

100% money-back guarantee

Clean and Professional Designs

What kind of website we can create?

A website for your

Restaurants

Jewelry Shop

Hair Salon

Beauty Products

Ready for a tailored solution? Custom orders are also available.

Plugins

Adsense

Akismet

All-in-one SEO pack

Amazon

AWeber

ClickBank

Contact form 7

Facebook

GetResponse

Gravity Forms

Instagram

LinkedIn

Mailchimp

Opencart

Paypal

Twitter

Vimeo

W3 Total Cache

WooCommerce

WordPress SEO by Yoast

YouTube

Elementor

Website type

Business

Website features

Marketing

Payment

Forum

Social media

Customer support

Shipping

Inventory

Analytics

Video

Membership

Read More!

🚀 **Navigating the Cosmic Frontier: Off-Page SEO Mastery!** 🚀

Greetings cosmic wanderers! 🌌✨ After embracing the beauty of internal link constellations, let's now explore the vastness of off-page SEO practices. Buckle up for an interstellar journey! 🛰️

**Off-Page Practices to Propel Your Galaxy:**

1. 🌐 **Backlink Nebulas:** Seek out stellar backlinks from reputable sources. Each quality backlink is a star in your SEO constellation, boosting your site's authority.

2. 🤝 **Social Media Orbits:** Engage with other celestial beings across social platforms. Sharing your content in different galaxies expands your reach and draws in new cosmic companions.

3. 🌌 **Influencer Gravity:** Forge alliances with influencers in your niche. Their gravitational pull can attract a diverse audience, propelling your content into uncharted spaces.

**The Cosmic Significance of Off-Page SEO:**

1. 📈 **Authority Beyond Your Atmosphere:** Off-page SEO extends your influence across the digital cosmos. A strong off-page presence signals to search engines that your content is widely acknowledged.

2. 🌌 **Community Constellations:** Join forces with like-minded galaxies. Participate in forums, discussions, and communities to establish your presence and exchange cosmic wisdom.

3. 🚀 **Ripple Effect of Reputation:** A positive reputation ripples through the cosmic waves. Quality off-page practices contribute to a stellar reputation, attracting cosmic explorers far and wide.

Embark on this off-page SEO odyssey, fellow us! 🚀✨ Let's make our digital presence resonate across the galaxies! #OffPageSEO #DigitalExploration #SEOAdventures

3 min read Hubble Looks at a Late-type Galaxy This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features the irregular galaxy, NGC 2814. ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Kilpatrick This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image features NGC 2814, an irregular galaxy that lies about 85 million light-years from Earth. In this image, which was captured using Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys, the galaxy appears to be quite isolated: visually, it looks a little like a loose stroke of bright paint across a dark background. However, looks can be deceiving. NGC 2814 actually has three close (in astronomical terms) galactic neighbors, not seen in this image: a side-on spiral galaxy known as NGC 2820, an irregular galaxy named IC 2458, and a face-on non-barred spiral galaxy called NGC 2805. Collectively, the four galaxies make up a galaxy group known as Holmberg 124. These galaxies are sometimes referred to as a group of ‘late-type galaxies’. The terminology “late-type” refers to spiral and irregular galaxies, while “early-type” refers to elliptical galaxies. This rather confusing terminology has led to a common misconception within the astronomy community. It is still quite widely believed that Edwin Hubble inaccurately thought that elliptical galaxies were the evolutionary precursors to spiral and irregular galaxies, and that that is the reason why ellipticals are classed as early-type and spirals and irregulars are classed as late-type. This misconception is due to the Hubble tuning fork of galactic classification, which visually shows galaxy types proceeding from elliptical to spiral, in a sequence that could easily be interpreted as a temporal evolution. However, Hubble actually adopted the terms early-type and late-type from much older astronomical terminology for stellar classifications, and did not mean to state that ellipticals were literally evolutionary precursors to spiral and irregular galaxies. In fact, he explicitly said in a 1927 paper that “the nomenclature … [early and late] … refers to position in the sequence, and temporal connotations are made at one’s peril.” Despite Hubble himself being quite emphatic on this topic, the misunderstanding persists almost a hundred years later, and perhaps provides an instructive example of why it is helpful to classify things with easy-to-interpret terminology from the get-go! Text credit: European Space Agency LEARN MORE: Galaxy Details and Mergers Tracing the Growth of Galaxies Galaxies are the visible foundation of the universe; each one a collection of stars, planets, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity. Hubble’s observations give us insight into how galaxies form, grow, and evolve through time. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center; Lead Producer: Miranda Chabot; Lead Writer: Andrea Gianopoulos Media Contact: Claire AndreoliNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, [email protected] Share Details Last Updated Dec 18, 2023 Editor Andrea Gianopoulos Contact Related Terms Astrophysics Astrophysics Division Galaxies Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope Irregular Galaxies Missions Science Mission Directorate The Universe Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA Hubble Space Telescope Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe. Galaxies Stories Stars Stories James Webb Space Telescope Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the…

The Best Online Reputation Management Services in Dubai: Your Trusted ORM Agency

The Best Online Reputation Management Services in Dubai: Your Trusted ORM Agency

Introduction: In today's digital era, maintaining a positive online reputation is crucial for individuals and businesses alike. With the rise of social media and online review platforms, a single negative comment or review can significantly impact your image and credibility. That's where online reputation management (ORM) services come into play. In Dubai, there are several ORM agencies and companies offering their expertise to help you build, monitor, and protect your online reputation. In this blog post, we'll explore the top ORM agencies in Dubai that can assist you in maintaining a stellar online presence.

Reputation Management Consultants: Reputation Management Consultants is a leading online reputation management agency in Dubai. With their vast experience in the field, they specialize in restoring and protecting their clients' digital reputation. Their team of experts is skilled in monitoring online mentions, managing reviews, and implementing effective strategies to enhance your online presence. Whether you are an individual or a business, Reputation Management Consultants offers tailored solutions to meet your specific needs.

Digital PR Middle East: Digital PR Middle East is a prominent online reputation management company in Dubai, focusing on brand reputation enhancement and crisis management. They employ a comprehensive approach that combines digital public relations, content creation, and strategic communications to build and maintain a positive online image. Their services include monitoring social media platforms, engaging with audiences, and generating positive content to overshadow any negative online presence.

Reputize Online: Reputize Online is a trusted ORM agency that offers customized solutions for individuals and businesses in Dubai. They provide a range of services, including online review management, brand monitoring, and crisis response. Their team of professionals utilizes advanced tools and techniques to track online sentiment and optimize search engine results. Reputize Online understands the importance of a positive online reputation and works diligently to safeguard their clients' image.

SkyTrust: SkyTrust specializes in managing online crises and mitigating the impact of negative publicity. They have a dedicated team of communication experts who are skilled in handling sensitive situations and guiding clients through challenging times. Their proactive approach includes monitoring online conversations, strategic messaging, and implementing effective crisis response plans. With SkyTrust IT Solutions, you can rest assured knowing that your reputation is in capable hands.

Digital Gravity: Digital Gravity is a full-service digital marketing agency in Dubai that also offers comprehensive online reputation management services. Their ORM services encompass monitoring online mentions, responding to customer reviews, and strategically building a positive online presence. Digital Gravity combines their expertise in digital marketing and reputation management to help individuals and businesses establish a strong online reputation.

Conclusion: In an increasingly digital world, your online reputation can make or break your personal or business success. Choosing the right online reputation management agency in Dubai is crucial to ensure that your online presence remains positive and influential. The agencies mentioned in this blog post, such as Reputation Management Consultants, Digital PR Middle East, Reputize Online, Crisis Communications Dubai, and Digital Gravity, are renowned for their expertise and commitment to helping clients maintain a stellar online reputation. So, take charge of your digital presence and trust these ORM agencies to protect your reputation in the virtual realm.

My Favorite Albums of 2020

10: Childish Gambino, 3.15.20

Favorite Tracks: Time | 24.19 | 53.49

After the stellar trajectory of dropping major hit “Redbone” on the funk-inspired album Awaken, My Love!, releasing popular summer anthems and critiques of American culture in “Feels Like Summer” and “This Is America,” starring in several major blockbuster films, and both creating and starring in two seasons of his critically-acclaimed television show (and one of my favorite shows of all time) Atlanta, it was undeniable that Donald Glover had ascended to full-on stardom. The announcement that his forthcoming album would be his last as Childish Gambino resulted in the anticipation for Glover’s next project to reach an all-time high. The release of 3.15.20, though, was elusive and confusing: a mysterious, empty white website donaldgloverpresents.com materialized the weekend the gravity of the COVID pandemic began to hit, looping new music on repeat only to disappear shortly after. Glover had the opportunity to command total attention for the release, but instead eschewed even the most traditional aspects of an album, such as an album cover and song titles. Because of this, the release seems like a flash in the pan given the actual difficulty of referring to any specific aspect of the album (in addition to everything that was happening in the world). Whether or not these creative decisions were done due to the pandemic, they served to make this album one of the most special and personal releases of 2020 for me.

Glover is no stranger to the intersection of art, technology, culture, and experimentation, and 3.15.20 is a fully formed opus of everything Glover’s wanted to convey about the world we live in. The two tracks on the album with names, “Algorhythm” and “Time,” act as the anchors that us human beings use to understand the contemporary world. In “Algorhythm,” Glover raps about the surrealness of life becoming digitized. On social media, our entire histories are on display for anyone to access, immortalizing our existence at what immediately feels like zero cost. Glover includes several robotically autotuned lines about the desire and implications for digital existence in the first verse of the song:

Everyone is an addict, stumbling concrete What was the motivation? Constant communication You sell your daughter on that data stream Dopamine make it hit now Humans don’t understand, humans gon’ sell a lie Humans gotta survive, we know we gon’ die Nothing can live forever, you know we gon’ try Life, is it really worth it? The algorhythm is perfect, mmh - Childish Gambino, “Algorhythm”

I’ve struggled constantly with the all-encompassing nature of digital presence, which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. We now work, socialize, and entertain ourselves in the same room utilizing the same screen for it all: it’s a scarily dystopic scenario, especially when you consider the fact that the platforms we’re using to conduct our lives are private, for-profit businesses. So, if we’re living in a dystopia, how do we cope?

Like many others, I’ve found a lot of solace this year in connecting with nature and spending more time outside. Alternatively, “Time” finds Glover dueting with Ariana Grande using several references to the external environment, including hurricanes, sunrises, winter breezes, stars, and the ocean. As human beings existing on planet earth, we’ve continued to destroy the world in the name of progress, innovation, influence and wealth. Ultimately, we want to live, but we know as individuals and, at this rate, as a human race, we’re eventually going to cease to exist. Gambino sings:

Seven billion people Tryna free themselves Said a billion prayers Tryna save myself I can see it coming But it’s moving fast Maybe all the stars in the night are really dreams Maybe this whole world ain’t exactly what it seems Maybe the sky will fall down on tomorrow But one thing’s for certain, baby We’re running out of time - Childish Gambino, “Time”

Once again, this song speaks distinctly to the chaos of the year. For a lot of the summer I would listen to this song any time I was outside, a reminder that I’m inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. This helped me prioritize what really matters to me: connections to loved ones, the environment, and making the world a better place. Ultimately, these couple of songs reinforced my notion of an increasingly digital life in the pursuit of validation, connection, or immortality as a fool’s errand, instead shifting my focus to presence and gratitude.

Another major theme of 3.15.20 is what it means to be a black person in America and the realities of racism in our society. After “Time” in the tracklist, everything is subsequently named as timestamps and the rest of the album feels like a letter to Glover’s son about the world he’s inheriting. On “19.10,” Glover references his father’s wisdom about the realities of racism, and in the chorus imparts similar wisdom to his own son:

To be beautiful is to be hunted I can’t change the truth, I can’t get you used to this - Childish Gambino, “19.10”

One of the most powerful moments of the album is when Glover’s son asks him if he loves himself. It’s striking hearing a child ask their parent this question, especially given the internalized self-hatred that many people of color can often feel. It was a question I deeply related to after experiencing multiple instances and levels of racism during my undergraduate years at the University of Oklahoma, where fragile egos and unappreciated privilege due to artificial social hierarchy created a poisonous cloud of toxicity that suffocated me until graduating and moving to NYC. Glover doesn’t present a world of irreconcilable doom, though, and my favorite part of this album is how Glover uses the question of self-love to end on an ultimately optimistic note:

Never said it even though I prolly should (Woah) I said I love me, l said I love me, ah, yeah There is love in every moment Under the sun, girl I did what I wanted to - Childish Gambino, “53.49”

“53.49” is a celebration of Childish Gambino, a victory lap of joy in the impact one can make on the world while keeping love in their heart. This song is really special to me because of what it represents in my own life: over the past two years I’ve been able to reflect on and unpack a lot of internalized hatred and insecurity through psychedelic self-examination, putting me on a path of love for myself, other people, and the world around me. In so many ways, this album feels like a representation of the aspects of life that I have been celebrating, struggling with, and figuring out over the past few years: technology, love, impact, identity, racism, family, existence, and environment. Glover does so by taking the influences from hip-hop, R&B, soul, funk, and pop of his previous albums and shredding them through a psychedelic ego death to conjure 3.15.20: this album is a masterpiece not because Glover took advantage of his position as one of the most accomplished creative talents of our generation, but because he sounds like a human being dealing with uncertainty, struggle, and what it means to have a life worth living.