fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
The 2020 Election Will Come Down To The VP
By: Edward Anderson
Tags: Strategy, History, Opinion, Election 2020, Politics

The 2016 election came down to the electoral college. Trump didn’t and doesn’t care about being popular or winning the popular vote, he’s never going to. But winning the election means getting to 270 electoral college votes. It is the only thing that matters.

Trump switching VPs to Haley would indicate he isn’t concerned about winning Illinois or perhaps that he was scared of losing South Carolina. The southern state has gone to almost every Republican candidate for as long as most people have been alive. Yet, President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had made some inroads for Democrats in recent elections. Having Haley on the ticket would solidify those 9 electoral college votes.

If Pete Buttigieg is the candidate or VP pick, Trump will need to keep Pence on the ticket. If for no other reason than to make the midwestern state competitive and hopefully secure the 20 electoral college votes for himself. Pence is a former governor, which will help with the constituents. Though Buttigieg is young and charismatic, which will make it a fight to the finish line in a state that was solidly red in the past.

The Bloom Is Off The Berg

Adding even more weight to the theory the 2020 election will be all about the VP is Michael Bloomberg’s surprise announcement that he wants Hillary Clinton to be his VP. Many talking heads said this was his way to secure the momentum that his campaign has been building and take into the stratosphere before Super Tuesday. Adding Clinton, even hypothetically, to the ticket suddenly gives weight to the Bloomberg candidacy.

Most people think Bloomberg’s camp put out the Clinton as his VP story to change the conversation. Controversial statements the candidate had made about his stop and frisk policy in New York City. While we won’t know the exact damage the story caused, it was prudent to change the conversation and a VP was just the ticket. Should Bloomberg get the nomination, Clinton won’t help much with his electoral college math. Her home state of New York almost always goes blue.

But Clinton adds national experience to the ticket and legitimizes Bloomberg as a serious candidate. Given that she won the popular vote in the 2016 election, it is easy to see why he would want her on his team. An experienced politician, who remains popular amongst the party is just what this campaign ordered.

Buttigieg, likewise, would do well to start thinking about his VP pick. He is doing very well this primary season and could very well end up with the nomination. A running mate like Kamala Harris would go a long way towards helping the former Mayor shore up support among people of color and potentially women.

Whatever else happens this election season, the results are likely to come down to the vice presidential picks. Making the role more important than ever.
How Should Religiously Traumatized Queer Parents Talk about Faith?
By: James Finn
Tags: Equality, Family, LGBTQ, Religion, Parenting

“Brent!” I shouted. “Watch where you’re going!”

The old woman honked like a startled goose, the boy leapt off his skateboard just in time to avoid smacking into her, and I exhaled in huge relief. Even though her tweed-bulked body probably bested his slight frame by a hundred pounds, I could still imagine inertia having its way and shattering an elderly hip.

“Excusez-moi, madame,” I shrugged with gallic resignation, pointing at my foster son scrambling after his errant board. “C’est les garçons, vous savez bien.”

Her startled frown morphed quickly into a benevolent smile as Brent sprinted over, all breathless, blond, blue — skateboard clutched under one arm.

“Oh, madame, Je vous demande pardon! Vraiment! Ça va?”

She wagged a finger at him in mock severity. “Oui oui, mon fils. Tout va bien. Mais fais attention toi, la prochaine fois, hein?”

I laughed to myself at how polite and charming Brent became. Quite a change from his “at home” behavior. He chattered away to madame for a good 10 minutes, as if auditioning for the part of devoted grandson. I don’t think she quite understand what he meant by ollies and nollies, though. If you don’t either, dear reader, fret not. The world of skateboarding is insular.

Auhor’s photo of Montreal’s Place d’Armes

I grabbed a seat by the monument in the center of Montreal’s Place D’Armes, relieved to take some weight off my feet for a while. Charging all over town trying to capture flattering video of Brent’s inconsistent skateboarding skills had sapped my energy.

All too quickly, I heard madame chirp her goodbyes. “Que le bon dieu vous bénisse,” she trilled as she waved and sailed across the square toward Notre Dame Basilica, the soaring gothic church that dominated the scene.

Brent slouched over and sat with me for a while, either out of pity or because he was actually getting tired, himself. Or maybe what sounded like an offhand question was important to him.

“What does that mean?” he asked. “Que le bon dieu vous … vous … whatever.”

“Bénisse, buddy. It means bless. May the good God bless you. We’d probably say Lord, though. In English.”

“Oh… Ok. But what does it mean? Bless?”

“Well, nothing really. Just that she wishes us luck or happiness. You know, that God will be good to us.”

“Really? God? For real?”

“I dunno. She’s old. Some old people just say things like that because it’s a thing to say. They don’t really mean it. But she might. Look at her. She’s walking up the steps into the church. Probably for afternoon mass.”

“Mass? You mean like la messe?”

“Yeah. Same word.”

“Huh. But… but she can’t really think God could make us happy or anything, could she?”

“I dunno. She might. Lots of people believe in God.”

“For real? Like … like they believe that the God in the storybooks is a real thing? Like if somebody thought Harry Potter and Dumbledore were real? Are you sure?”
Update log 31.01.2018: egg laying and transforming are released!!
Tags: Etheremon, Blockchain Game, Ethereum, Bitcoin, Monsters

Today, we are pleased to announce the last features for phase 1 have been released:

Laying eggs and hatching eggs.

Transforming your monsters.

Buying an egg and get a random monster.

All the second form of monsters are added on our website.

Etheremon stats are now available to view on our website.

Squake Stats

Please refer to our game rules for more details.

— — —

Follow us at
The Yearly Circuit
By: Catherine Delia
Tags: Perception, Awareness, Poetry, Lifestyle, Migration

A migration story

Photo by Barth Bailey on Unsplash

They follow the winds around the globe

seeking temperate air,

sustenance,

rest and recuperation.

From north to south.

From south to north.

For why would they want to stay in one place,

when their internal programming compels them to go.

With each journey, they reinforce their dual nature,

as snowbirds.
Saca el mayor partido a tu portada de Medium
By: Medium En Español
Tags: Español, Medium, Consejos

in In Fitness And In Health
New PennDOT Policy Affirms Life Experiences of Non-Binary Pennsylvanians
By: Aclu Of Pennsylvania
Tags: LGBTQ, Pennsylvania, Transgender, Gender

By Naiymah Sanchez, Trans Justice Coordinator, ACLU of PA

Naiymah Sanchez speaks outside City Hall in Philadelphia in 2017. (Photo: Ben Bowens)

Over the summer, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced a new policy that will allow a third gender marker option on drivers’ licenses. Along with ‘M’ for male and ‘F’ for female, license holders will also have the option to choose ‘X’ for gender non-binary.

This new policy is another important step forward to recognize the real lives of people who identify as gender non-binary. I am grateful that Governor Tom Wolf’s administration understands the value in this kind of policy. The message it sends to non-binary people is clear: We see you, and your government supports you.

Although gender non-binary people are increasingly visible, their experiences and their lives may be unknown by many people who identify by traditional gender roles. That’s ok; what’s important is that people who lack awareness about gender non-binary people are respectful and are open to understanding what it means.

A person who identifies as gender non-binary is someone who does not fully identify with being male or female. They may live their lives with aspects of both genders. Or they may not identify with any traditional gender traits at all. This is not new; cultures throughout history have recognized more than two genders as part of the human experience. We’ve just been slow to understand and embrace it in western societies. Some people in the United States continue clinging to binary gender roles and their own archaic view of male and female archetypes.

Of course, inevitably, some legislators resist progress. Five weeks after PennDOT’s announcement, a state representative from Bedford County announced his intention to introduce a bill to rollback the policy and restore gender binary markers. There is nothing in state law that prevents PennDOT from implementing this policy. In fact, state law does not require a gender marker at all; it exists as a PennDOT policy. But this particular legislator apparently thinks the policy “warrants legislative approval” because he just doesn’t like it.

We shouldn’t be surprised. He’s the same state representative who tried to shut down access to gender affirming procedures and services for young people on the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, in 2017. That bill failed spectacularly, thanks in large part to the work of the ACLU of Pennsylvania and our partners, and we intend to fight this new bill vigorously, as well.

Still, we’re not going to let one state representative take away from how momentous the new PennDOT policy is and what an important, well, marker it is in the march toward equality for non-binary Pennsylvanians.

PennDOT officials have said that they expect to have the new marker option available by next summer. Our hope is that the department can implement the policy as soon as possible. Gender non-binary Pennsylvanians will be ready for the change.
Integrating Tech and Learning: How to Empower Your Students When Learning is Remote
By: Laura Head
Tags: Tutoring, Remote Learning, Online Learning, Integrating Technology, Student Empowerment

Integrating Tech and Learning: How to Empower Your Students When Learning is Remote Laura Head Follow Oct 23 · 3 min read

Remote learning means a lot of potential tech noise that interrupts the flow of a lesson. “I can’t find the document!” “How do I zoom in?” and “Where’s the ‘new tab’ button?” are all worries that have come from my kids, and can add up to a lot of time lost on content. So before diving deep into a unit on algebra II or writing dynamic characters, I present a tutorial to walk the group through the hardware and software they’ll frequently use. Doing so quells tech woes before they begin, and keeps our lessons moving smoothly.

I’m a big fan of the Google platform — It’s easy, accessible, and done right, scaffolds considerable autonomy to students. Starting at Gmail, I show my younger students how to check for new mail (from their favorite teacher!) and draft a new email. All Google services are linked at a common hub; the corner of the page is where they can pull up the Calendar, their Drive, or any other tool they might need. In the Calendar, I draw their attention to their weekly class invite from me, and we practice hovering over the event to find the video link — Just one click away from joining the regular class call. Drive, as I’ve described to my students, is sort of their virtual version of a school desk. I have a folder for each subject area, subdivided by month (or semester, or unit, or…), and here I can find the document labeled with today’s date and lesson topic.

Once we’re in the doc, I like to show my students that each colored icon in the top right corner is actually clickable — tap it, and I can see where in the document all of my classmates are. I can zoom in and out, change my font size, and even pull up old versions of the doc if I want to see previous revisions.

In true “I do-we do-you do” fashion, I first share my screen to give a visual of all the software operations. I then ask a student volunteer to share their screen, so that we can repeat the tips and tricks as a group, and finally give students time to practice on their own accounts while I stay on to answer questions and troubleshoot issues that come up.

Zoom, SeeSaw, Jupiter, even the touchpad and computer keyboard — They all work uniquely, and students can benefit from learning how to use each one upfront. Remember: A stitch in time saves nine, and a quick tech tutorial before everything else saves a teacher from pulling out all her hair.

The added benefit of your crash courses in tech? You’ve gifted your students new skills that they’ll be able to use independently across Minecraft games and history essays for years to come, long after they’ve graduated from Heads Up. Consider this just another tool in their toolbox towards helping them become resilient and autonomous learners.
Sequoia Legal Case Update
Tags: Cryptocurrency, News, Blockchain, Binance, Bitcoin

With reference to the Hong Kong legal proceedings between Mr. Zhao Changpeng (“Mr. Zhao”) and a subsidiary of Sequoia Capital China (“SCC”), Binance wishes to make the following statement:



SCC obtained an ex parte injunction without notice against Mr. Zhao at the end of December 2017. After a hearing attended by both parties’ legal representatives in April 2018, the High Court of Hong Kong has now determined that this injunction should not have been granted, as it had been improperly obtained and constituted an abuse of process by SCC. On this basis, SCC was ordered to pay Mr. Zhao’s costs in relation to the legal proceedings.



Mr. Zhao denies all of SCC’s allegations relating to the present dispute.



As the substantive issues in dispute between the parties are subject to confidential arbitration proceedings, Mr. Zhao will make no further comment on the matter.
Deploy Your First Docker Container — Part 1
By: Kajal Rawal
Tags: Docker, Containers, Docker Compose

Step 1 : Running A Container

The first task is to identify the name of the Docker Image which is configured to run Redis. With Docker, all containers are started based on a Docker Image. These images contain everything required to launch the process; the host doesn’t require any configuration or dependencies.

Jane can find existing images at registry.hub.docker.com/ or by using the command

docker search <name>

For example, to find an image for Redis, you would use docker search redis.

Using the search command, Jane has identified that the Redis Docker Image is called redis and wants to run the latest release. Because Redis is a database, Jane wants to run it as a background service while she continues to work.

To complete this step, launch a container in the background running an instance of Redis based on the official image.

The Docker CLI has a command called run which will start a container based on a Docker Image. The structure is

docker run <options> <image-name>

By default, Docker will run a command in the foreground. To run in the background, the option -d needs to be specified.

docker run -d redis

By default, Docker will run the latest version available. If a particular version was required, it could be specified as a tag, for example, version 3.2 would be

docker run -d redis:3.2

As this is the first time Jane is using the Redis image, it will be downloaded onto the Docker Host machine.

Step 2 , We’ll continue in Part II
The Heart Mender
By: Martino Pietropoli
Tags: Love, Comics, Digital Drawing, Heart, Illustration

Did you find this article interesting?

If you liked it and if you feel like it, leave some claps to help whoever wrote it to pay his Lamborghini Urus.

Thank you!
Green
By: Tom Thomasson
Tags: Limerick, Poetry, Humor, Parenting

The was a small child in Green

Who soon grew into a teen

He told off his mom

She blew up like a bomb

So the teen hit the road out of Green
「ナイトタイムエコノミー」の視点で観光を考えてみる
By: 江口晋太朗, Shintaro Eguchi
Tags: Book

in In Fitness And In Health
The Younger Generation Has It Made
By: Mark Starlin
Tags: Humor, History, Aging, Three Line Conversations, Conversations

The Younger Generation Has It Made

Three Line Conversations

“Kids these days got it too easy.”

“You know it. Radio, sliced bread, six-day work-weeks.”

“Seriously. I had to get up at 4:00 am this morning so I could lace up my boots in time for work.”
⭐️ Yesterday the regular AMA session was held with our experts!
Tags: Technology, Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, ICO, Investing

It was very cool! 😍 Thanks to all the participants who managed to join us!

We are grateful for your support and for your faith! With you we become better!

👉Get ready for the next AMA session!

➡️ If you did not have time to watch or participate in the conference, see the video
Headin’ Down That Road
By: Jeffrey Field
Tags: Suicide, Cars, Driving, Apocalypse, Poetry

It ain't what you think. Former newsman, car salesman, teacher. Everything is Thou, if you so allow it. You can find some of it at https://youtu.be/w6RtVjMDHzE

Follow
Is It a Good Time to Buy Cryptocurrency? If So, Should We Buy Litecoin, Ethereum, or Bitcoin?
By: Lektor Naek
Tags: Articles, Cointiger, Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Exchange

Is It a Good Time to Buy Cryptocurrency? If So, Should We Buy Litecoin, Ethereum, or Bitcoin?

Investment in Cryptocurrency will increase in a relatively long period of time due to the total acceptance from the government in various countries are not yet available, even though it is also not prohibited.

This has caused investment in Cryptocurrency to be quite floating, however, from time to time, there seems to be a positive reception progress from various institutions and a number of large and well-known business figures such as: Li Ka-Shing, John McAfee, Steven Cohen, Robert Kiyosaki, and others.

This floating situation is what causes reluctant or "back and forth" attitudes of traders in the market or the Cryptocurrency exchange, and results in an insignificant increase in value movements.

On the other hand, scammers take advantage of the situation to withdraw profits in fraudulent ways by issuing coin which actually not have a clear value, endurance and project.

So, the solution, in my opinion is, as follows:

1. Don't invest too much because the risk might come in the current situation, especially if you are trapped by scammers.

2. If you want to invest, invest in the amount of "Nothing to Lose". Meaning, if you are not lucky, it does not affect you economically and emotionally. And, if you're lucky, the amount might be very significant in the future.

3. Choose a good exchange, which has a clear office address, and can offer low trading cost. For example: CoinTiger Exchange which is established in Singapore.

Besides being established, they also provide interesting and profitable quizzes and activities for users and prospective users of the exchange. These could be very entertaining and beneficial.

In terms of service, CoinTiger is equipped with adequate, friendly, reliable, and professional admin and customer service.

Plus, at CoinTiger, users and holders of TCH (TigerCash) usually get priority on certain loyalty programs.

4. About the one between Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum, personally, I chose Ethereum because its value is quite stable and is expected to be a game-changer in the future.

Hopefully this article can support positively to your idea and thoughts.

Good luck.
Out of a Work? Sell Your Feet Pics!
By: Phil Autelitano
Tags: Adult, Model, Pornography, Modeling, Porn

Phil Autelitano

@philautelitano

(NEW YORK) — Sounds silly, right? But you’d be surprised by peoples’ kinks, and what they’re willing to pay-for and beat off-to online. Foot fetishes are one of the more popular (and milder) of the hundreds of fetishes available to the every day internet user. What’s your fetish? Wait–before you answer that, I don’t want to know.

The current Coronavirus pandemic is quickly becoming a gold mine for online porn. Trust me. Not to sound like Donald Trump, but as the owner of SCREW TV and The Screw Review, no one knows this better than me. Traffic to our streaming channel (on Roku) and our websites is up 10,000% the past few weeks and people are PAYING.

Whether you’re a full time model, a part time model or not even a model at all (but look pretty or have pretty feet), there is money to be made selling your photos and videos online. Best of all, you shoot your own photos and videos right from the comfort and safety of your own home or bedroom without ever having to deal with creepy photographers.

If you’re 18 years old and older, there’s money just waiting for you. Nude or non-nude. Simply sexy, elegant or erotic to full-blown hardcore. That’s right, you don’t have to get nude to make money with photos and videos — feet fetishes and other fetishes, sexy lingerie, tight clothes, pantyhose — there are so many fetishes out there, it’s easy to find one you’re comfortable with.

And best of all, no one even has to know your name, or where you live. You can do it all, for the most part, virtually anonymously.

If you’re looking to make some extra cash — or even a new career– as an online (adult) model, shoot me an email and let’s talk. I’d love to tell you about the opportunities available to you right now, with SCREW.

Established in 1968, SCREW is one of the oldest — and the most notorious–names in adult entertainment. We produce SCREW TV, one of the most popular adult subscription channels on streaming platforms, and The Screw Review, a new website that allows us to offer additional content to our viewers. I’m looking for lovely ladies to add to our collection of SCREW Girls, and there’s potentially lots of money in it for you!

Hit me up anytime at phil@mediarazzi.com or visit www.TheScrewReview.com and click on Models Wanted.
Here, Lies, the Profit
By: Dionne Charlet
Tags: Donald Trump, BlackLivesMatter, Free Verse, Poem, Election 2020

Politics and Free Verse

Here, Lies, the Profit

His is a faction under gawd

Photo by David Todd McCarty on Unsplash

Embroidery mars each brow

with a brim creased to white

mantra like a seal bent,

reddened beyond blue.

Begotten, not made great,

an eagle decays with the shroud of Turin,

olive branch and arrows

one in being, a lesser Fuhrer,

as he flails allegation

toward activists, sailors, nations

with a stone rolled free

from the promised wall

towering in a language lost

to children bordered within a cage

not suited for manger

nor hideout under oval office

while the hatted chant the year.

Resurrection woke is blind of faith

when woke means a photo-op

planked in both eyes

when one walks upon walkers

— those moved to protest

in distance born of peace.

He ordered them dispersed,

flailed with gas and pepper,

trumped from the house of the people,

for a pose before a church

with the Bible clamped upended.

Indivisible, divided with pandemic,

denial made great to make light of black lives

united by a fall

under weight no knee should bear,

lies a president hyped on self-crucifixion

burdened with neither cross nor cure

in a movement he lauds all his own

so he may deny on the third day

that he rose from a bunker.

His is a faction under gawd lost to fact

unmasked in ribald of any fellow Judas

for worship and walls not held with Babel,

charred by Maillard reaction when flesh is seared

into a flag inlaid with thorns for stars,

under MAGA not INRI at the feat of the profit.

Inspired by the writings of James Knight, this poem is dedicated to those who are woke and those who are waking. Stand up or sit down, do it loudly or silently, but, I beg you, SPEAK OUT against injustice and corruption.

If you’d like to read more activism in free verse by Dionne Charlet, please click on the link below:
Bitcoin Madenciliği: Nasıl Çalışır? [2.Bölüm]
By: Melih Çöl
Tags: Bitcoin, Bitcoin Madenciliği, Bitcoin Mining

in In Fitness And In Health
Conrad Stoll: Take It Outside
Tags: Nature, iOS App Development, Conference

Conrad introduces his special feature, Take It Outside. He’ll help us to disconnect from the digital world for a while as he takes us on an exploration of the great outdoors.
Post-Election Jitters
By: Janina Lamb
Tags: Politics, Enlightenment, Trump, Election 2020, Voting

Post-Election Jitters

I had the jitters before the election, and I still have the jitters.

I wish I had these kind of jitters… Lee Celledoni dancing the Jitterbug. (Wikimedia Commons)

Before the election I’m thinking, if Trump wins, maybe I can move to another country. Maybe I can hide under the bed for four more years.

Because aside from the substantive damage Trump does to everything he touches (like the Midas touch, only instead of everything turning to gold, it turns to toxic waste): laws, rules, integrity of governmental checks and balances, people’s rights, safety and well-being, democracy itself, Trump and his cronies have been so awful, so embarrassing, so depraved, such big fat liars, in a cultural, public discourse way, that I feel traumatized.

I just don’t want to have to see and hear this man anymore.

Dream on, sweetheart.

Unfortunately, whether or not Trump wins, he’s not going quietly into that good night. Nope, while he lives and breathes I daresay we’ll keep hearing from him. Maybe after a while he’ll just have his own QVC channel where he can sell steaks, zirconium jewelry (Ivanka will be the model), and conspiracy theories. Maybe he’ll sell molded plastic Trump Hairdo Hats that protect people from Antifa’s Mind Indoctrination Waves which are being transmitted everywhere on the 5G network.

Illustration by Janina Lamb

I truly hope Biden wins.

Who’s running the government is going to help or hurt the actual program we are signed up for, whether we like it or not: facing reality and then creative problem solving.

The race is on! Will we wake up enough in time to save our species from self-destruction, or will we sleepwalk our way to an environment that cannot sustain us? The race is not between liberals and conservatives, democrats and republicans, or any other cultural either/or. It is between maturity and immaturity, which is less a duality and more a sliding scale.
Dove Chocolate Promises, Amended For COVID-19
By: Jennie Young
Tags: Humor, Satire, Business, Life, Covid 19

Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels

We at Dove® Chocolate Promises stand with America and with the world in this time of fear and uncertainty. It has come to our attention that some of the sayings on the interior wrappers of our Promises line of chocolates have become problematic within this context. We are currently working to alter our production processes; in the meantime, please refer to the amended versions below while enjoying our Dove® Chocolate Silky Smooth Promises.

Teach your grandma to take a selfie.

*No. Good god, no. Back away from your grandma.

Shopping makes everything better!

*Could literally kill you.

If you fall down 7 times, get up 8.

*If you can’t get up the eighth time, call your primary care provider and describe your symptoms. Please do not immediately go to the emergency room.

Chocolate makes everything a little better.

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Book the flight!

*For a trip at some point after April 2021.

Don’t settle for a spark . . . light a fire instead.

*Settle for the spark. Better yet, just get the hell away from each other.

Make someone melt today.

*With words ONLY, and only via digital forms of communication.

Hug the sunlight.

*Sure, go ahead. Even we don’t know what this one means.

You are exactly where you are supposed to be.

*Which we are hoping is home. Go the fuck home.

Take a deep breath and exhale.

*At home, 6 feet away from other people.

Shut out the world for just a moment.

*Shut out the world until you’re told to go back into it. Seriously. Fucking go home and stay there.

Wear that perfect dress tonight!

*By yourself, in your kitchen.

Be your own valentine.

*Yes. Exactly. We were just trying to be cute when we wrote this and did not intend for it to be interpreted in a masturbatory way, but there has never been a better time to be your own valentine.

Forget the rules and play by your heart.

*We’d like to use this item to officially roll back every instance in which we at Dove® Chocolate Promises have used our wrappers to encourage you to “break the rules,” “throw caution to the wind,” “push the boundaries” or any other vapid cliché from our seemingly endless repository of vapid clichés. We apologize; we at Dove® maintain a delusional level of optimism at all times, and it simply never occurred to us that there could be life circumstances in which our quippy and sap-filled advice would not be applicable.

And finally, we’ve identified two sayings for which we could not find an appropriate amendment and which we’ve decided to retire until further notice:

You’ve got this!

Smile! It’s contagious.
The song of ME
By: Sylvia Clare Msc. Psychol
Tags: Poetry, Pomprompt, Self, Spiritual Awakening, Life Lessons

This life, has it shown me both sorrow and joy of the deepest, widest oceans and left me gasping for breath each time?

Have I known the earth and its glories, travelled to see this and that, and found them all already within myself, within this simple life that opens to me now with lockdown?

Have I read every poem ever written, heard every song sung, each time I stop and listen to the blackbird singing in my garden at dusk?

Have I forgotten who I am in a moment of sheer joy, in the sea, swimming, so that I am one with the water and no longer human?

Have I lost my heart to the innocent hand of a child who looks at me with mischief and love, adventure and wonderment?

Who can see what I see or feel what I feel but me, though all inhabit the same planet, live under the same stars, breath the same recycled air again and again and again?

Who am I but you, and this, and that, always becoming, never arriving, never finished, until the end and I once more become everything that ever was and ever will be.
Avatar Fan Club Meeting: Please DO NOT Park in the Joann Fabrics Next Door
By: R.J. Kushner
Tags: Humor, Comedy, Satire, Fandom, Avatar

Avatar Fan Club Meeting: Please DO NOT Park in the Joann Fabrics Next Door

Why is that so difficult?

To: Na’vi Fam

10:18 p.m.

Subject: July Meeting

Hey Pandora-heads!

Psyched to announce our next meeting will take place July 11 at the usual time and place. We ran out of time last month before we could get to Marcus’s favorite Na’vi tradition, so we’ll start with him this month.

I also want to remind everyone to NOT to park in the Joann Fabrics next door. Please park in the spaces BEHIND our building. We’re on thin ice with the Joann Fabrics manager, so please remember this.

See you soon!

John (Tyhni’hai)

— — — — —

To: Na’vi Fam

8:51 p.m.

Subject: August meeting/Parking Reminder

Hey guys,

Great seeing you all last month, but I feel like a lot of you are still parking at Joann Fabrics. Please DO NOT PARK AT JOANN FABRICS. Those spaces are for Joanne Fabrics customers ONLY. I’m getting a lot of complaints from them after our meetings. Were some of you “bonding” with your tails there after we adjourned? Please DO NOT DO THAT.

If you have any questions about which spots are Joann Fabrics spots, please just ask me. It’s always best to just park BEHIND our building.

Anyway, our next meeting is August 4. Jen will lead the singing.

Thanks,

John (Tyhn’hai)

— — — — —

To: Na’vi Fam

11:34 p.m.

Subject: September meeting / DO NOT JUMP ON CUSTOMERS AT JOANN’S AND RIDE THEM AROUND

Guys,

I got a serious complaint that some of you are jumping on the shoulders of people coming out of Joann Fabrics and riding them around the parking lot screaming Na’vi war chants. PLEASE DO NOT GO NEAR JOANN FABRICS DURING OUR MEETINGS. You are giving us a bad name and I am getting A LOT OF COMPLAINTS.

Keep all Na’vi behavior confined to our meetings or they will take away our permit. Is that what you want? Please just stay away from the Joann Fabrics. Why is that so difficult?

Next meeting date is September 9. Pandora history test will NOT be open-book.

Thanks,

John (Tyhn’hai)

— — — — —

To: Na’vi Fam

1:11 a.m.

Subject: War

Brothers and sisters,

You were there. You saw what those fabric freaks did to Craig’s warrior beads. They think they can dishonor us with their fancy scissors and then rip away our permit without a fight? They’re clearly not familiar with who we are. But they will be. The winds of war are upon us and it’s time for us to make a stand.

Have we always been perfect neighbors? No. We’ve made mistakes. We parked in their spots and maybe went a little overboard with passionate Na’vi lovemaking. But have we also made attempts on our part to coexist? Yes, which is more than I can say for them.

The line must be drawn here. On November 14 we make our stand. On November 14 we show Joann Fabrics we won’t be silenced!

To war!

Tyhn’hai (John)

P.S. everyone please also remember to bring $6 to pay Julie back for the new club Blu-ray.
I Have Weird F*****g Dreams
By: Sabana Grande
Tags: Sleep, Short Story, Dreams, Blue Insights, Life

I Have Weird F*****g Dreams

But I wake up feeling really productive

Photo by Sean Thomas on Unsplash

Why the weird title?

I feel it is appropriate to convey the level of bullshit I experience during REM sleep.

Here’s a picture:

For what feels like 3 hours I sit and write articles for Medium. First I do the research, then I write them. Afterward, I choose pictures and maybe do a little spell checking before submitting them to a publication. I then wonder whether they will do well.

I read and re-read my articles, literally spell checking them in my sleep. And then I wake up. I hadn’t fallen asleep with my nose on a laptop like in a movie from overwork. I simply dream — every day — of really monotonous dreams. I dream that I look for synonyms online and type.

There are no dragons, no quests, no glory in my dreamscape. Simply the Medium editor which I am now using.

I don’t know if this is a popular occurrence. But for years I have tended to dream predominantly about whatever it was that I was most immersed in at the time. I have read about it on the Internet and apparently, your mind uses dreams to practice for situations in real life — so if you care a lot about something then your mind will rehearse to prepare you for these situations.

But it has also been explained to me by the Internet that most people’s dreams tend to be altogether mad. They’re filled with sex and magic and flying and being chased.

It has been years since I had a dream like that. The dreams I have are the same monotonous load of crap, day in, day out. And I always remember them.

I do so because I wake up feelings SO GOOD about all the work I had done after deciding in my sleep that my articles were going to do so well.

Then I realize that I hadn’t done or written anything yet that day. I make a sad face.

This is why I’m an alcoholic.

Just kidding, I almost never drink alcohol. But if I keep having to go to work in my dreams as well and punch a dream clock I just might start.
Taylor’s token sale is LIVE!
Tags: Taylor App, Blockchain, Token Sale, ICO, Ethereum

After months of preparation, Taylor’s token sale is live!

The time has come for you to be part of our exclusive community of TAY token holders and investors who use our app to make profit every day.

Token holders who possess at least 1.000 tokens can enjoy the benefits of our app for free, and the holders who possess more than 3.000 tokens can take advantage of premium features.

That is a great long term benefit for early token buyers, who can enjoy a great discount in price and also be part of the select group of people who have secured their tokens in an early stage.

Those benefited by the crowd sale will likely see more and more people search for tokens while more and more investors and traders hold them to guarantee their benefits, which makes TAY token even more exclusive over time.

Log into your personal dashboard on our official website and take note of Taylor’s token sale contribution address (in case you haven’t done this before).

Send your contribution as soon as possible to guarantee token availability and that you get your tokens at their the lowest price.

If you are not sure how to proceed with sending your contribution, we have written a detailed article with instructions and some useful information.

We thank you in advance for your contribution and are honored to have you on board.

Stay tuned for token sale updates!

IMPORTANT!

PLEASE BEWARE OF SCAMMERS, THE ONLY VALID ETHER ADDRESS FOR TAYLOR’S TOKEN SALE IS THE ONE FOUND IN YOUR PERSONAL DASHBOARD ON OUR OFFICIAL WEBSITE. TAYLOR WILL NEVER USE ANY OTHER FORM OF COMMUNICATION TO BROADCAST OUR CONTRIBUTION ADDRESS. IN THE CASE YOU RECEIVE AN ETHER ADDRESS TO OUR TOKEN SALE IN ANY OTHER FORM (EMAIL, TEXT MESSAGE, SOCIAL MEDIA, ETC), IT SHOULD BE FULLY DISREGARDED.

Follow us and get in touch

Find more detailed information about the Taylor service, and our token sale at https://smarttaylor.io.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or on your favorite social media platform to stay up to date with our latest news and announcements, as well as, our blog here on medium.

Feel free to post your questions, suggestions, and comments on our Telegram channel. We look forward to hearing from you!
The good ol’ days of the web
By: Ben Edwards
Tags: Browsers, The Web, Technology

I am starting a fund for new computers for the FBI. Yes the largest U.S. investigative bureau in the U.S. is currently using “50’s and 70’s vintage computers”, use no mouses (or is that mice?), and do not have email or internet connectivity, in large part.

I heard about this on NPR [Direct link to Real Media file] and was shocked at what I heard. I have computers collecting dust in in my garage that look like supercomputers (are those still fast?) next to the average FBI agent’s computer.

So in the interest of national security, please, donate those old 486’s and Pentiums now, those poor agents cannot stare at those green monochrome screens much longer. Drop them off at a field office near you.
Ethlus.io How to triple your crypto currency in safe mode no matter the market price
By: Ethlus Winning Machine
Tags: Ethlus, Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, Ethereum, Bitcoin

in In Fitness And In Health
GTB’s 3rd Annual Impact Week Launches Virtually
Tags: Virtual Impact Week, Global Impact Week, Gtb Impact Week 2020, Gtb

Dearborn, Mich. October 5, 2020 — Today GTB, a global, industry-leading communications agency launches third annual “Impact Week,” an agency-wide initiative to give back to local communities around the world. This year’s Impact Week will be operated almost entirely online and span six continents.

2019 Impact Week Recap Video

The last two years team members have donated over 7,700 service hours in 22 cities across the globe in support of nearly 40 community organizations.

This year’s Impact Week, from October 5–9, GTB will support global organizations in the fight against food insecurity, socially isolated communities in residential homes, and small businesses affected by the COVID-19 shutdown.

“The pandemic poses obvious challenges for community outreach; however, through a creative, virtual approach we’ve come up with a number of programs with our partners to help people and communities when they need it most,” said Kevin Karolak, Chief Marketing Officer, GTB.

Impact Week partners include ongoing philanthropic relationships as well as new ones. Returning for a second year, GTB has partnered with several organizations in Detroit including Gleaners Community Food Bank, a vital link between available food and those who need it most; Brilliant Detroit, an organization that provides a radically new approach to kindergarten readiness in neighborhoods; and Michigan Humane Society, who is committed to saving lives through compassionate care, community engagement and advocacy for animals.

Global outreach includes partnerships with Revera Living, a nursing home that helps older adults live life to the fullest in Toronto, Canada; Heart to Heart, an organization located in Shanghai that helps children with heart disease from low-income families get the necessary surgeries they need. Support for other community organizations in major U.S. cities includes New York Cares in New York City implemented by our sister agency Hudson Rouge and regional support includes GTB Mexico‘s support for facility workers economically affected by the shutdown.

GTB strives to make a positive impact in local communities around the globe.
Marketing in 2017: Axe Looks to Instagram Influencers to Target Young Men
Tags: Social Media, Influencer Marketing, Advertising, Influencer Campaigns, Instagram

For more information about Julius or our blog, please contact Russell Wilde Jr.

By: Anton Capria

Axe wants to show young men that their hairstyling product can be beneficial to their style and overall look. In order to showcase their brand, Axe is working with thirty social media influencers for a huge Instagram push. In each post, the influencers express how their hair gives them confidence and how simple it can be to style by using Axe’s product.

Each influencer posted a humorous video that provided their audience with an authentic entertainment experience. Rudy Mancuso (or his character Alejandro Gomez) is just one of the influencers who participated in this campaign. His humor and stylish hair along with his 4.2 million followers makes him an attractive candidate for Axe’s campaign. Rudy posted a video for Axe where he explains how simple it can be to style his hair with their product. He makes it humorous and entertaining for his audience, almost to the point that it does not even seem like it is an ad.

Rudy Mancuso’s influener collaboration with Axe

Anthony Padilla was another influencer who participated in this campaign. Like Rudy, his humor shined through in his video where he explains how the product helped him to embrace his curls. The video received over 220K views on Instagram, giving Axe great exposure to his followers.

Anthony Padilla influencer collaboration with Axe

Although it can be difficult sometimes to reach a male consumer base for fashion and/or hairstyle products, Axe found a successful way to do so. By using male influencers, the company was able to place their product into the influencer’s content, creating an authentic and relatable experience for male viewers. Some men may find the hairstyling process to be long and unnecessary, but Axe uses these influencers to show how it is a very simple process and can make a difference in their overall style. This Axe campaign seems to have found much success through their viewership numbers, which should encourage brands with a similar problem to find their solution through influencers.

Check out some more of our favorite posts of the campaign below!

Dan Nampaikid trying a bunch of new styles:

Dan Nampaikid’s influencer post for Axe

David Lopez forgetting his pants:

Axe influencer collaboration with David Lopez

Vincent Marcus answers the question all his followers are asking:
find your light
By: Eduardo Furbino
Tags: Life, Equality, Poetry, Transgender, Freedom

find your light

i know this without knowing you

you’ll find the light they tried to extinguish

you’ll enter the realm of your struggles

using your scars as keys

and if for some reason they don’t fit the lock

you won’t bend your knees

you will climb the walls they’ve built

to keep your body apart from your soul

and when you finally reach the top

your eyes will find the light

they couldn't douse

shining brightly inside of you
What Will You Do When It All Goes Wrong?
By: Spencer Sekulin
Tags: Mindfulness, Resilience, Life Lessons, Personal Development, Self Improvement

“It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life.” —Jean-Luc Picard

No matter how hard we try, no matter how good we think we are, things can go wrong, and most certainly will. Life is not an easy business. Life is not a fair business either. It can be very cruel. But what it is, 100% of the time, is an opportunity to choose how we respond.

What will you do…

When life hurts you?

When life is unfair?

When you do your best and still fall short?

When you are rejected?

When people mock you, or belittle you, or treat you badly?

When you lose people you love?

When you face failure after failure?

As Patrick Stewart said while playing Jean-Luc Picard, it’s possible to be best that you can be, your highest expression of yourself, and still fail, still get burned, and still feel as though you’ve been clotheslined by life.

That is not a weakness. That is not a special pain reserved for you alone. That is, and always has been, part of life. For all of us.

The real concern, and indeed the one thing we can always control, is our response to what life throws at us, good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant. We have it in ourselves to, as John Milton said, create hell out of heaven and heaven out of hell — all with our thoughts.

Our reactions can turn a wonderful thing into a horror.

Our reactions can also turn a misfortune into a growth experience, and sometimes even pleasure.

It’s not what happens to us, Epictetus said, but how we react to it that matters, and to draw from how Christopher D. Connors started his article on this same topic, every adversity has in it a seed of an equivalent advantage — and our reactions can either bury that seed or nurture it until it grows.

So when life stings you, when everything goes wrongs despite your every effort for things to go right, remember that you still have the greatest power in your hand, and that is your power to choose your response.

And in choosing your response, you choose your destiny, for better or for worse.
Ekonomi itu dari, oleh, dan untuk segelintir saja, atau untuk semua?
By: M Sena Luphdika
Tags: Koperasi, Oligarki, Demokrasi Ekonomi, Ekonomi, Demokrasi

Solidarity as a Business Model: A Multi-Stakeholder Cooperatives Manual

Multi-stakeholder cooperatives (MSCs) are co-ops that formally allow for governance by representatives of two or more…
Tranquillized In Noise
By: Daniel A. Teo
Tags: Silence, Sacred Feminine, Prompt, Poetry, Acrostic

silence: prompt

acrostic poetry

Photo by Ramon Grande on Unsplash

Silence

Is a somatic warning sign telling you to stop

Listening to the deafening quivers and the

Emotional symphonies, to instead focus on calming the

Noise of your heart palpitating against your ribs

Calling you to yearn for a breath, you deserve to finally

Envelope yourself into the tranquil absence of speech