#also hi m8 i see you going through my blog :)

[ruby-whistler]

Are you normal or do u sometimes go "IVE BEEN SCARED OF SLEEPING WITH THE LIGHTS ON(off? Idk its hard to decipher)"/lyrics -curious anon

me: oh boy, can't wait to try and make a tumblr blog! Before i do i should research it- *what in the hecking heck is an xkit*

djskdjsk i had no idea what an xkit was until yesterday and when i got it i got too confused and uninstalled it - dw curious anon i don’t use it either i just vibe and do whatever i guess. if you tag correctly and make good posts things should work out, can’t wait to see your acc around!

I got some sad-ist merch :DDD!!

yooo!! that’s so pog for you! it’s probably pretty comfy :D

me standing ominously in your askbox waiting to rec my fav fics:

fjsjdjsk i literally just finished passerine i still have 80 more (some of which are like 300k words long) on my to-read but uh if they have c!dream mischaracterized i’ll not be reading them anyways so it’s very hit-or-miss, will probably get through some of them quicker-

After many moons spent under the dsmp, seeing discourse and analysis alike, i have come to the conclusion i simply do not have the energy to care about any lore outside of c!tubbo and c!tommy's and will only defend them. And that is ok. It is ok to not watch or care about all dsmp or want to discourse about them or analyze. Idk man was thinking deep thoughts today

it’s ok to watch entertainment and enjoy it the way you want to! it’s great to want to enjoy or talk about your fav character!

the problems come up when you attack other people for their perspectives on the medium or spread misinformation about different characters based on only watching the perspective you like, but you know - if you’re not doing analysis, you really don’t need to look that deep into it.

it’s ok to just chill. your feelings about characters are valid! :D so yeah i agree with you! let people with different opinions exist if they’re also being respectful (e. g. tagging correctly).

Hey ik u worked with animgician's newest vid and i found a not-crit (i rlly think) little thought on it if u wanna see it

yoo feel free to send it in!!

No one: me: *shuffles around* wanna hear about my cool warden c!tommy au?

may i interest u in a little bit of my writing? If not that is ok i just wanna see if my writing is any good before working on a fic lol

Anyways if i am not in the askbox for a little it is because i am now writing a proper fic thing out. Wish me luck o7 -curious anon (i have three different lyrics i am going to be incorporating and a little analysis and just a smidgen of projection)

Ruby do u wanna read a little something i wrote? *does the little fingers thing* its really short just a headcanon with a little prose

i sure do! that sounds rlly cool - are you sure you don't wanna make a post about that on your own account though? i don't mind seeing it at all but i think the c!tommy tag would be able to appreciate that au better than my followers. you've gotta find the right target audience, y'know? /lh

though of course i'd love to see your writing, i'm sure it's great! looking forward to it :]

Ayo i remembered u talking about how punitive punishment doesn't work the other day so i want to discuss. What would u consider to be a fitting "punishment" for c!dream's canonic killing of mexican dream?/gen

i mean... we're not trying to - being against punitive justice is about the fact punishment is wrong, not just certain types of it. asking me what a "fitting punishment" would be is sort of very not getting the point.

hurting people further is not going to teach them anything and it’s not going to help anyone, why is it necessary?

so the answer is: none. he shouldn’t be punished, actually! he should learn on his own that what he did wasn’t right, and that’s about it. that’s the thing about transformative justice. him becoming a better person who Wouldn’t Do That again because it goes against who he is.

however, there’s also restorative justice, which is working to “make it up” to the victims. to which i propose; dream has the revival book and could literally bring him back once he is out of the prison. give him some powder maybe. md would probably be chill w/ that.

Yknow. In all my time in dsmpblr i can confidently say that the main differnece between c!dream apologist/enthusiants and c!wilbur/sam ones is that the c!wilbur/c!sam ones want their fav to have a breakdown and c!dream ones want theirs to get positive reinforcement /hj /lh

i’m pretty sure the sam and wil ones also want them to get better/get redeemed, at least deep down, but i get what you mean! you’re *glances at the 🟩⛏ gc where all we do 24/7 is write angst about c!dream being terribly hurt and then we cry about it* 100% correct. no angsters who like the pain here *nervously laughs* we all just want him to heal and be happy for the rest of his life with no heart-shattering breakdowns whatsoever! /s /lh

Hope ur having a great day m8 :]] -curious anon (also i have a new canon fact i wanna share. In quackity's alt lore stream yesterday he said (to the best of my memory) that "no law/juridsiction exists on the dream smp to prevent one from building anywhere" so i guess that clears up the big debate on wheather or not c!dream had a right to enforce rules (or basically the arguement that he owned the server by divine rule)

no i’m - i’m pretty sure that’s just how it works. dream still owns the smp, but he himself has said wayy back at the beginning “everyone can build and go wherever they want” and that was that. it was one of his rules on the smp, it was his main problem with l’manberg. being able to build anywhere were the rules that he “had the right” to enforce. and he did, not because he was a god, but because it was his smp, his home that he claimed for his friends. wouldn’t call it a big debate, it’s really that simple.

.AGONY. HURT EVEN. THIS IS HOW IT IS FOR CURIOUS ANON. I LAUGH, I CRY, I FIND AN ANIMATED GIF ON TWITTER THAT SQUEEZES MY C!TOMMY ENJOYER HEART INTO OBLIVION. (i am being dramatic btw for the funnies just so ya know) I AM NOT GOING TO FINANICALLY RECOVER FROM THIS. AAAAAAAAAAA UEEEEEEE

OK THAT FREAKING

O U C H-

also for the old phil ask. Hes a bad dad because of how he treated ghostbur. I will elaborate if u want

didn’t ghostbur just say “i’m not wilbur” and philza said “you’re not my son” and they went on with their day? weren’t they actually in agreement that he wasn’t the same as wil when he was alive? i don’t remember him really treating him badly tbh other than disowning him which seems fair to me, because ghostbur was a literal stranger to phil at that point?

wish you a nice day, curious anon! (i’ll be back on my essays and answering other asks now, so i might not reply right away :])

#my asks #curious anon #long post

[siuilaruinofthegale]

Fic Writer Review

i was tagged by ye olde devil @snickiebear

1. How many do you have on Ao3?

uhhhhh. *checks* 6. We don’t talk about the ones that are more than five years old, though.

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2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

...embarrassing, tbh. 438,632 words.

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3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

how many have I written for, or how many have I published for?

if the latter: Naruto, Mass Effect, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Harry Potter

if the former: Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Game of Thrones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Naruto, ATLA, World of Warcraft, The Hunger Games, Star Wars (sequel trilogy), Avengers, and....... I think that’s it.

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4. What are your top 5 five by kudos?

lmao i barely have 5 so i’m just gonna list the four that don’t make me want to hide from all existence

- melodies of the warborn, 379 kudos

- red strings & lilac skies, 236 kudos

- Who Holds The Devil, 97 kudos

- ethics & odd wings, 72 kudos

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cutting here because i realized how long this gonna be

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?  

I try to respond to each and every one..... except for the hate mail. that gets promptly binned. my lag time on replying to some comments is legendary but so far the only one(s) i haven’t responded to are the ones where someone comments saying “DO THIS YOU NEED TO DO THIS”. there’s a difference between “I would love it if you did this” and “you HAVE to do this” and what i’m talking about are the latter.

i don’t respond well to orders.

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6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

*muffled snorts of laughter* yeah, uh, about that, i....... have only actually finished one of the multi-chapter fics i’ve posted on ao3. so technically rs&ls wins by default because it’s the only one with an ending.

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7. Do you write crossovers?

i’ve been known to dabble here and there but most of it is self-indulgent nonsense drabbles that’ll never see the light of day

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8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

i got one (1) rude review from A Known Troll on rs&ls. presumably they go through the kakasaku tag periodically and talk shit. i laughed at it until my stomach hurt and then i deleted it. don’t feed the trolls.

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9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

yes. and..... what do you mean what kind??

like do you mean what kind of participants does it involve? or what kind of detail i go into?? one night stands vs relationship smut?? kink smut or vanilla smut?

i’ve only ever written f/m smut, being that that is where i have experience to draw on, but i will be trying my hand at some gayer smut soon, i think.

i try not to go too detailed but i am VIGILANT about where hands and legs go. there will be no magically appearing and disappearing limbs in MY smut.

also i will write anything at least once. most of what i’ve written is probably fairly vanilla, and most of it is... if not within the confines of a romantic relationship, within the confines of a friendship

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10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nop. let me know if you see someone posting me stuff elsewhere, the only place i post these days is Ao3 because FFN is circling the drain and also i can’t remember my FFN password

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11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

NOP

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

perchance.

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13. What is your all time favorite ship?

*dodgy eyes* in what fandom?? i have too many fandoms for this to be an easy question to answer!

...i’ll just answer for the fandoms i’ve posted for.

Naruto: KakaSaku (don’t @ me)

ATLA: Zutara (don’t @ me)

Mass Effect: S H A K A R I A N  TRASH

HP: Dramione (don’t @ me)

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14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

joke’s on you, m8, i plan on finishing everything...... some day.

there are a few things i started literally ages ago -- like, 10+ years ago -- that i’ll likely never pick back up, and some of them were cool concepts, but.... that’s life.

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15. What are your writing strengths?

uhhhHHHH. I don’t actually know what I’m strong at, so I’m just gonna list the things people tell me I’m good at.

- dialogue! apparently it’s Very Relatable and realistic

- accurately depicting neurodivergent people (gee i wonder how i managed that)

- making things feel very vivid and palpable, especially in emotionally charged scenes

- writing kids who act their age instead of like mini adults

- poetic turns of phrase out of the blue

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16. What are your writing weaknesses?

description. how much is too much? should i go lavish? people read Tolkien describing trees for three pages. can i get away with describing a dress for half a page??

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17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

UHHHHH that’s a weird question. most of the dialogue i’ve written in ‘a different language’ for a fic is from a conlang (elvhen) so i don’t fuss too much over that. other than that, I do try to avoid it, or to keep the phrases something short that google translate isn’t likely to fuck up. if i was going to do anything more than like “where’s the bathroom” i’d find a native speaker to help me.

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18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

.....just like Snickie, I, too, first wrote for X-Men. specifically, Evolution. the fic(s) are still out there... on the internet... with their self-indulgent self-insert Mary Sues......

i was twelve, leave me be

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?  

anyone who goes here (here being my blog) knows the answer to this.

RED STRINGS AND LILAC SKIES

i don’t fuckin care if people think smut is gross. i think this story is art. i fucking love it and i am SO proud of it. i dead-ass bugged the boy about it until he read it and he’s never seen an episode of Naruto in his life and he thought it was good. i know it’s considered blase to like your own work but i think rs&ls is HELLA good.

I will not apologize for it, either.

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tagging... @stsathyre @thornspun @nekophiliaff @favouritequeeronthecitadel

feel free to tag yo’self if this looks interestin to you, just tag me in it so i can creep on you... in a loving way.

#siuil stuff #kakasaku #mass effect #shakarian

[youngjaebirdie]

Oi - Youngjae x Reader

Right guys, this is my first ever time writing for any GOT7 member so I hope this can go as well as expected for a first attempt at least. It is only a little silly idea I used from a BTS x GOT7 friendship HC I made on my main blog years ago [self promo lmao sorry]

Part of the Youngjae / BamBam fiction uprising ;) 

I’m sorry it’s only like 800 words btw, and I believe @arssajangnim​ said I could tag this blog for this fic so thank you my lovely :) also I’ll tag my partner in [bts fanfic] crime @kimlisamarie​ so she can see how I got on haha

more A/N at the end

“Youngjae!” you call out from the kitchen hoping the volume of your voice is enough to be heard.

“Lunch is almost ready!” you continue as you run a cutter wheel through the small pizza doing your best to make it into 4 equal parts for 2 small slices each.

This afternoon was to be just a light lunch of pizza and salad to save room for a bigger dinner tonight which you planned to cook from scratch and pull out all the stops for your boyfriend.

“Coming!” he shouts back, the sound of feet coming down the stairs following as you serve up; 2 bowls of salad and the plate of pizza in between on the counter in front two stools.

“Ah, that’s better” he sighs contentedly, a fresh smell of the shower gel he uses radiating from him as he walks up to you for a short sweet kiss.

The two of you sit down on the stools at the kitchen counter and begin eating. You can’t help but watch your boyfriend with endearing eyes as he picks up a slice of pizza and takes a huge mouthful, chewing appreciatively at the first piece of food he’s eaten today. Then he picks up his chopsticks to scoop up some of the salad from his plate, yet again takes a plentiful portion but somehow managing to fit it all in his mouth in one go.

“Mmm” he hums but it doesn’t match the expression he had when he had the pizza just then… “Jagiya?” he questions, every syllable muffled from the food still in his mouth. His nose does that wiggle that he never realizes he is doing when he is concentrating.

“Yes?” you reply, watch Youngjae finish the mouthful of salad in a slow and painful kind of manner, hesitant to swallow it.

“Cucumber?” he questions causing a wave of panic to rush through you.

You had forgotten a small fact about your boyfriend. The one food he dislikes.

Flashback

“I like most food… apart from cucumber. If you ever give me cucumber I will chase you and fight you” he joked in a conversation on your second date when you two had gotten onto the topic of likes and dislikes.

“Oh no” you whisper, eyes wide open.

Before he can say anything, you shoot out of your seat because you know what’s about to come.

“Oh my god, get back here!” he laughs hysterically also remembering what he had previously said about what he would do if you ever gave him the one food he hates.

You race up the stairs and you can hear the sound of him running after you. 

“You are so dead!” he exclaims, unable to stop laughing, probably at the thought of catching you.

“I forgot!!!” you yell from the bedroom also laughing half amused half nervous as you search for a hiding place.

You seek refuge in the wardrobe trying your absolute best to remain quiet and not to laugh at your boyfriend’s reaction to a single piece of cucumber.

“Y/n?” you hear him say, fairly certain he is in this room looking for you. “Y/n, I know you’re in here… Come out come out wherever you are…” he teases in a melodic way.

“Are you… here?” he asks as you can hear his footsteps around the room. 

“Okay, so not under the bed…. How about… here?! Ha!” he exclaims though he hasn’t checked your hiding place just yet.

“You might as well just come out now jagi… If you aren’t under the bed and you aren’t in the window, then…”

You know your cover is going to be busted. This has to be the next place he checks. You need a plan and fast.

The second you see the wardrobe door opening, you act fast and jump out with an abrupt “Boo!” which makes him leap back in shock, innocently exclaiming with an “ahhh!” and you take that as your chance to race past him and grab yourself a pillow as a defense.

“HA! Got you!” he laughs, jumping on top of you, making you both crash onto the mattress.

Uncontrollably, you’re laughing hysterically as Youngjae relentlessly tickles you. Involuntarily, instead of whacking him with a pillow to stop him, you wriggle about giggling like a little girl.

“Youngjae! Stop! I said I’m sorry!”

“Not good enough y/n!” he giggles back, continuing to tickle you, getting to your most ticklish spots. “You planned this! You wanted to watch me eat a piece of goddamn cucumber!”

“I didn't! Hahahahaha! I swear!” you exclaim. “I love you! I’ll make it up to you!” you screech, stitches forming in your ribs.

This seems to make your boyfriend finally stop tickling you.

“You’ll make it up to me? How?” he coos, now hovering over you so that you’re face to face.

I’ll make a BamBam fic when I get an idea to mind - or, if anyone has any ideas then pretty please drop that in the comments or my ask box :)

Also I’m bad at titles, I believe ‘oi’ is the Korean word for cucumber (and also because of how he’s like ‘you wot m8′ XD). Yes, that’s literally all there was to naming it. I suck.

This ending is sort of an open cliff hanger, part 2 depends on whether anyone wants more and if that’s the case, if they want fluff or smut haha

#sorry its bad #youngjae #choi youngjae #got7 youngjae #youngjae fic #youngjae fiction #got7 youngjae fic #got7 youngjae fiction #youngjae fluff #got7 youngjae fluff #got7 #got7 fic #got7 fiction #youngjae imagine #got7 youngjae imagine

[confringo-]

2019 Goals Update

Check it out. I’m procrastinating again with another blog. I’m supposed to be editing my novel right now but I’m not because I like to self-sabotage myself by avoiding the work I need to do to avoid feeling the deep sting of failure at my poor writing choices. 

Here we go! 

Health Goals

1. Lose 10 inches from my waistline by the end of the year.

5 inches by June

5 inches by December

I’m not doing too well with this. I’ll tell you more about why that is in a later section, if you get that far. The short of it all is that there were days that were Too Much for me and I just shut down. A suicide prevention workshop that took more out of me than I expected. My sister’s birthday that my mom tried to ruin with her “Family First” bullshit. I lost a little bit off the waistline, true, but I haven’t been consistent. Hopefully, being unemployed for a little while will help me get into the habit of exercise. 

2. Learn to cook 6 vegan meals (not snacks)

One meal every two months, I said. And here I am. Still no progress. I mean, I’ll have all the time in the world for a couple of months so we’ll see what will happen. Mom wants me to go do driving lessons (Hey whaddup I’m Joey I’m 25 and I never learned how to drive) so I’ll be out and about. That’s my one big problem with cooking/baking these days. Going out is such a chore. I don’t want to look at people after dealing with People for a whole work week. 

Now, the excuses will be off the table. Shit. 

3. Clean room while listening to a  new Night Vale episode podcast.

I’ve actually been doing this! It’s not the best system but I have been keeping the clutter from getting too much. I’ve been listening to Hannahlyze This and they’re doing this whole arc of episodes surrounding perfectionism and it’s been very helpful. Anyway, I marie kondo-ed the fuck out of my closet (for the most part) and it’s a lot less crazy in my room. This month has been difficult but I still have a couple of days to do my second round of cleaning. 

Writing Goals

1. Finish HSHL (His Smile, His Laugh) by June 30th, 11:59PM

Listen, I’m more behind than I care to admit but I’m also going at this faster than I expected. It’s weird. Part of me thinks I should’ve been done by this month, another part of me realizes that, all things considered, I’m doing well. I hate to admit that I’ll only be able to finish this novel because I won’t have a job in May or in June. It’s like I can never fully admit to being a Big Boi Writer because I haven’t done what most writers have done: Write a Book While Holding Down a Regular Nine-to-Five. 

But I think I blogged before about using what advantages I have. Right now, it’s Mommy’s Money. No matter what, I’ll be a writer. I write stories, I let people read them. I’m a writer. I have to tell my pride to ease off because my confidence can’t breathe in this kind of environment. 

I’m taking this very seriously. If I don’t have a finished product by June after a literal month of unemployment, I’m going to be disappointed.

2. Submit draft to AT LEAST 25 agents starting July 15th.

3. Submit 3 stories to 10 journals/magazines

Okay for these two, I can’t say much of it because I still have to do the first one, but soon! 

4. Finish “Julian’s Body” by February 28, 11:59PM

5. Finish “Forgive My Weakness” by January 31, 11:59PM

The first goals I did this year. I want to brush them off as easy and I don’t want to talk about how difficult it was to finish them both before my deadlines. But we’re not doing that. I’m going to allow myself to be proud of what I accomplished with those fics. I wrote them, I started my novel, I went to work. I did that. I’m capable and I shouldn’t take that away from myself. 

6. Read at least one book/full lit mag/journal per month.

I almost jerked it this month because I thought I could read the Dungeon Master’s Guide from cover to cover. I realized quite early that it read like a textbook. I hate textbooks. Still, I powered through and took what I could get. I read most of it. I set up a decent campaign for a couple of friends. Hopefully they’ll enjoy it. That shit ain’t easy. I will cry if they end up getting bored. 

This month I’m also reading Alice Isn’t Dead by Joseph Fink. I started reading it yesterday and I’m more than halfway through. See the difference between a textbook about creating a fictional world, and actual fictional world. 

Actual Fictional World. Huh.

Work Goals

As of writing this, I’m resigning in one day. It’s a bittersweet feeling since it’s been such a huge part of my life and the people I met along the way have been amazing and I’ll miss them. At the same time, I’m so tired of dealing with everyone’s bullshit. I learned that I’m not someone for a managerial position. 

Although, I’ve got something down the line (it’s dark and murky and I have no idea if it’s actually there) that might mean another job like that but I hope that it doesn’t deal with the same issues. 

1. Set up QA team by April 1st, 12:00PM

Got that off its feet and it’s doing fine. Right now it’s still in the infancy stage and things still need to change but I’ve gotten the ball to roll. The people handling this situation are far better suited to make this baby fly. 

2. Set up monthly incentive program by April 1st, 12:00PM

3. Set up phone rep incentive by April 1st, 12:00PM

Do you know how hard it is to start an incentive program? Pretty fuckin hard, m8. Alas, I failed these two. Or rather, I didn’t have time to get them started. I was tired of work. I was unable to ignite the tiniest bit of motivation to even work up the brainpower it requires to persuade the higher ups to see what the account needs. Besides, the QA program is still figuring itself out. That needs to become solid before we can do anything else. I could’ve stayed a couple months longer but I just couldn’t stomach it any longer than May. 

4. Do minimum 4 writing workshops at Spark

Okay, I’ve got an idea of a lesson plan ready. I’ve got Real Life Reference Material. And I have unemployment waiting for me. All I have to do now is set it up and make it a real thing. 

Money Goals

1. Get new debit card from BPI by April 17th, 12:00PM

I had to change it to April 17th because of...me not wanting to leave the house and actually do this. Goals can change. As far as my other goals, this is bottom priority. Still, I had to do it. My new card doesn’t arrive until the 8th so I won’t be able to make any changes to my patreon, spotify, and amazon. 

That means I can’t finish my clearance at my soon-to-be ex-company and that may delay my final pay. Regardless, it’s the set cards I chose to be dealt with. I wouldn’t have had to wait so long if I’d done this in March but here we are. No use crying about that now. At least it’s done. 

2. Pay mom back for treadmill by end of year.

I’m mad at my mom for personal reasons. Still, I’ll look into paying her shortly. It depends on the money situation the next few months. Again, bottom priority. And, as of this moment, I can’t be arsed to feel any sense of urgency around this. 

Five months in and the year is shaping up at little bit. I’m not where I want to be or where I imagined myself to be but I’m getting there. And I’m gonna be unemployed so honestly I can’t escape any farther. 

#Joey's diary #Goals

[bevisims]

Tl;Dr: Basically an about me and the foundation of my blog.

I feel the need to make a post like this because I’m very reserved, which I’ll get into, but honestly I would genuinely enjoy making friends within the simblr community. 1.) Hi, my name is Mary and I’m new to the simblr community in regards to having an actual blog and making edits. But before I would just lurk and reblog which I still do anyway so. 2.) I don’t make cc or mods whatsoever, kudos to people who do though, I can’t for shit even though I never attempted to.. cough ANYWAY 3.) I made this blog because a friend of mine who initially introduced me to Tumblr thought my edits were good enough to make a blog. I honestly didn’t think my stuff was good enough to post, I still don’t, but I’m glad I did. I’m not being modest, I use apps from my tablet to edit because adobe photoshop is just…I’m just better with apps, so my stuff can be rough around the edges. But I’m genuinely thankful that I actually grew the areolas to do this, this community is wonderful and so inspiring and I just love it. 4.) I was introduced to the sims by my cousin when I was 8, and I remember begging my mom nonstop but she said no because it was for teens and I was only like 8 or 9. BUT, this still amazes me to this day, I was blessed to get every single sims 2 game for free through my sister because at the time she had this job where she cleaned abandoned houses of people who were evicted and just left their stuff, and most of the time she would bring the stuff home to us and so yeah! And by the time I was 11 my mom bought me ts3. 5.) A little more about me, as previously mentioned my name is Mary and I’m 17, I edit and reblog strictly mm. I’m nothing special that is all my blog is haha. I’m homeschooled and I plan on going to college for astronomy or biology (my passion lies mostly in the stars though, where my head is 24/7). I play the violin and I’m currently learning French, I have absolutely no pets but I’m the most dog crazed, reptile whatever crazed, I will pet your shit m8. My love for animals probably came from not having any as a kid if I’m honest; anyway, school resumes in August and I struggle with social anxiety, so I’m pushing myself next school year so I’ll be busy(With things like working to get into Stanford, my instrument, working on internships/jobs, I’ll have many more class and I’ll be learning French again this year, AND DRIVING AHHHH) but I won’t abandon this blog, I’ll try to be consistent. I’m fairly new but I’m not new to learning withdrawal, I get really depressed and self conscious if I’m not productive or stimulating my mind in some way; but with editing sims, especially since it’s summer is stimulating enough as is. I’ve learned quite alot and maybe when I’m more confident I’ll edit from a computer instead of my iPad. Also I have sickle cell diease and I go to the hospital at least once a month, and my pain is constantly there so be patient with me. Also everybody who plays sims knows that you play for 30 decades and then you don’t feel like playing for 5,000 years, it’s…it’s a cycle, my depression doesn’t help with this either. 6.) Gosh everyone is so talented in their own way in this community. Okay I’m done gawking, promise. 7.) I try to be wcif friendly (I didn’t even know what that meant until I looked it up a month ago lmao) but it’s hard because I already had cc in my game before starting this blog and my mod folder isn’t the most organized, my stuff is merged so. But recently I’ve been reblogging whatever I download to my game or at least I intend to put in my game. 8.) And finally, honestly I was thinking about posting something within the lines of this for awhile but I only have like 11 followers… including my sister, luv u tho.. so I didn’t want to be that guy, well girl. But honestly I love this community and I couldn’t be more blessed to be able to have a working computer to play from and screenshot and a device to edit from. That might seem stupid and trivial, but I’m trying to find where I belong, I’m an overthinker and I am quite naive and I just try to see the beauty/blessing in everything. 9.) Do I have another blog or a main blog? Cookios is my first and primary blog that I mostly sh**post on…yeah Rami is my photo……Yes I see a therapist. 10.) Why did I decide to name my simblr BeviSims? My last name is Beaver and I lack creativity, something close to BeviSims was taken and I settled for this but I forgot what form of my title was taken. 11.) My most popular post? My Rami malek edit probably, also my favorite and not JUST because that boi is finer than wine itself but because he has interesting features so it was fun to make him! Especially since I strive to diversify my sims. 12.) Will I post selfies on this blog or make a sim-self? I will most definitely make a Sims me in the near near future, eee I’m excited!! As for selfies, probably not we’ll see. THANK YOU! 😘

In the future I hope to participate in many of these creative tags, like the song tag where you make a sim based on that song. I like that, it helps especially if you’re trying to find a reason to get up and edit or if you want to but you just don’t have anything to work from. (Sorry if some of it doesn’t make sense or if there are an unbelievable amount of typos, I will go through this in the morning from the computer and organize it and proofread but I was anxious to get this out, even if nobody reads it, I’m glad I did it.)

#about me #sims #simblr #tumblr #sorry for the tldr #love this community #maxis match #ts4

[msvhousing]

MSV's 2nd Year Anniversary and we have much to be proud of

Time flies, as they say, and this month it is 2 years since we merged to become MSV.   I’ve been reflecting on what we have achieved in those two years and we have much to be proud of.   To mark our anniversary I thought a blog might be helpful (hopefully) to remind us all how far we’ve come and how, in the words of the late great Tony Wilson ‘we do things differently round here’. 

  The MSV Way and our values, are very much alive within the organisation and our pledges are shaping our work, commitment to customers and approach to business.  I regularly take a look at My MSV intranet to see who has taken time to thank us for making a difference.  Here’s just a couple of recent comments to give you a flavour, but please have a look under the Staff Reward and Recognition Tab, it’s well worth it; “Margaret has worked tirelessly with a homeless person who had giving up hope of ever getting a place of his own. The number of meetings, phone calls letter writing has culminated in an offer at one of MSVs sheltered schemes and he is over the moon”.  “Sam Lewis was complimented by a staff member returning from long term absence for the amazing support she had received” A customer at 10 Fossage was very complimentary about the way Michelle Jackson dealt with her. Real consideration shown. Took time to listen, informed the customer.   Good job!   This happens every day and we have wonderful people doing a great job.  I know it isn’t always easy – there are services under threat and many difficulties faced - we are constantly looking at ways in which we can support you to be your best in challenging times. 

  But it isn’t just about what we can do for our customers, it’s also about what our customers do for their communities, and earlier this year we celebrated those people who reach out to their neighbours, helping get the most from every day life, with the Community Spirit Awards – what an amazing and brilliantly diverse event.   We celebrated great neighbours, fantastic fund raisers, superb young people and incredible community anchors – well done all!  Brilliant to get out to Carr Brook this week too, to see the amazing work volunteers do in their community (and also in Bramhall, Bredbury, the UCAN and others) – where would we be without volunteers in our communities.

  A couple of weeks ago we held an event at the CiH conference to recognise the work we do to tackle poverty and homelessness. We were joined by two amazing Foyer residents, Godwill and Geraldine. Both bravely told a packed room of housing professionals the experiences that led them to the foyer and how the foyer team had helped them turn their lives around.  Geraldine had escaped a forced marriage where she was expected to give up her education, hopes and ambitions - she is now set to go to university and one of our brilliant law firm partners has offered to help her on her journey after hearing her story.  Godwill left care at the age of 18 with nothing and no one, but since moving into the foyer has been supported to shape his life and future.    Our colleague conference on 15 October will focus on this pledge and our work in this area ... so more to come on this soon! 

  At the CiH event we were also joined by Danny from Off The Cobbles (thanks to Ann-Marie for introducing us) who conducts tours of Manchester whilst reciting his very real poems - Danny was once homeless himself.  I know some of you have already done the incredible Off the Cobbles tour and Sarah is currently arranging another tour to take place soon, so watch the intranet for more details on how to join in.  I cannot recommend it highly enough.

  MSV is not one of those organisations who chase after awards for the glory - that’s just not us! But from time to time we will enter an awards because we really believe we are doing something different worth shouting about.  In the last two years we have been shortlisted for a number of awards; including our amazing tenant, Dorothy, our Comms Team, Nicky Brandon, our Property Services Team, Scheme Managers and our fab Customer Support team - all have shone a light on MSV and made us feel very proud.

  The impact of our work really hits home when I get out to see new schemes and meet the customers moving into their new homes.  Recently I met  the Rashid family who had just moved into their new Rent to Buy home at M8 North in Cheetham Hill.  They told me that they had been renting privately in Longsight but with no prospects at all of ever being able to afford their own home. To say they are delighted and very happy with the move is an understatement! And it was lovely to meet their gorgeous little girl who now has a lovely new home.

  Our campaigning work with Placeshaper is going strong and, following our WeWork, WeBuild and WeCare campaigns, last week we launched WeShare. Part of this campaign is the launch of a portal on the Placeshapers website where we can access and share our own best practice, experiences - anything really.  I urge you to sign up, it’s really very easy - there’s information on the intranet how to do this. 

  We have supported many of our own campaigns recently to tackle issues such as mental health stigma.  The Health and Wellbeing Group have launched a walking group, are promoting healthy eating, enabling people to keep a check of their weight and blood pressure, promoting sound advice on how to help those with dementia, and raising money for Cancer Research through the 3,000,000 steps challenge – there’s so much going on and it all helps us create an environment to flourish!

  Our Equality and Inclusion group is also doing some fine work.  Their new in-house training programme Daring to Do Diversity has received tremendous feedback from colleagues, I’ve been on it myself and I can tell you it is superb!  They are also actively campaigning against homophobia and other totally unacceptable forms of discrimination and inequality and are actively promoting issues such as International Womens’ Day.

  Creating an environment to flourish is also about creating opportunities and we have done that through our apprenticeship programme.   Our two new apprentices in the Property Services Department, Chloe Fleming and Sarah Finley, have their paint brushes firmly in hand now and are making great progress.  We are recruiting another 3 apprentices in September. 

  We can all flourish in many ways and on 18 July we will all be out and about on the Just Do It Day.  Volunteering is at the heart of MSV and whilst we talk about getting back to basics, which is crucially important, the Just Do It day really is a reflection of who we are and what we stand for - so enjoy the day everyone, and I’m looking forward to seeing lots of photos from the day.

  Finally, I’d like to say a huge thank you to anyone who has left us recently – it has been an honour to be part of your journey, and  to extend a warm welcome to all our new colleagues at MSV, I’ll no doubt be seeing you soon at our coffee morning.  MSV is a special place, we are here to help people live well, and do well!  Times can sometimes be tough, we all know that, but we are a team that works together and sticks together for our customers and each other. A huge thank you to one and all.

#chatwithcharlie

[eddiejpoplar]

BMW Team RLL ready for the 24 Hours of Daytona

BMW Motorsport and BMW Team RLL is heading back to Daytona this week for the iconic 24 Hours race. The endurance classic traditionally opens the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. As it did last year, BMW Team RLL will field two BMW M8 GTEs in the GTLM class in 2019.

Racing legend Alessandro Zanardi will pilot the Number 24 car, alongside regular drivers John Edwards (USA) and Jesse Krohn (FIN), as well as Chaz Mostert (AUS). Alternating at the wheel of the #25 car will be regular driver Connor De Phillippi (USA), Augusto Farfus (BRA), Philipp Eng (AUT) and Colton Herta (USA).

The 24 Hours of Daytona gets underway at 14:35 local time on Saturday 26th January. The race finishes at 14:35 on Sunday 27thJanuary.

The Turner Motorsport team runs a BMW M6 GT3 in the GTD class in the 2019 IMSA series. The car will be driven at Daytona by Jens Klingmann (GER), Bill Auberlen (USA), Robby Foley (USA) and Dillon Machavern (USA). Turner Motorsport will also compete with a BMW M4 GT4 in the GS class of the Michelin Pilot Challenge, which also stages its opening race of the season at Daytona. In total, five BMW M4 GT4s will be in action in the ‘BMW Endurance Challenge At Daytona’.

  Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director): “The 24 Hours of Daytona are always a real highlight at the start of the new motorsport season. Last year, our BMW M8 GTE made its race debut there. In the meantime, it has evolved into a winning car and we are excited about our prospects for the coming weekend. BMW Team RLL and our engineers have worked hard in recent months to ensure that they are as well prepared as possible for the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 2019 IMSA season. Alex Zanardi’s start will help make Daytona a very special event this year. It is fantastic to see him in the BMW M8 GTE. We can look forward to a particularly spectacular race this year.”

  Alessandro Zanardi (#24 BMW M8 GTE): “As a race fan, which is what I am and always have been, I am super excited. I am living a dream. I was expecting a lot of support from the fans and my friends at Daytona, but already at the Roar it went beyond all expectations. We are going to make sure that we have a good race car and that we can perform consistently. We’ll start from there.”

  John Edwards (#24 BMW M8 GTE): “Compared to last year we are feeling much better prepared. We were able to focus fully on the car set-up and driver change-over during this year’s Roar test. They are obviously a little unique with Alex, but we are quick. With a bit more practice during the race weekend, I don’t expect us to lose any time in the pit stops. It’s really an honour to drive and work with Alex and to get to know him a little bit better and see his perspective on life. Hopefully that positive attitude will transfer into a good result for us at the 24 Hours.”

  Jesse Krohn (#24 BMW M8 GTE): “I have high expectations, obviously, having seen what the team did at the Roar and how the car performed. We just need to keep out of trouble and have a clean race. To work with Alex is the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s a rare opportunity and a blessing to be able to work with such a legend. I enjoy every moment and try to spend as much time with him as I can.”

  Chaz Mostert (#24 BMW M8 GTE): “For us in Australia, this is one of the biggest races in the world. It was so awesome to get the call to race here. I am super excited to be part of the team and I can’t thank everyone enough. I’m really looking forward to the race. The whole team is pulling together and I am ready pull my weight and make sure we have the best possibility of a top result. It’s also great to race in a team with Alex. He is a true legend and it’s good fun to work with him”

  Connor De Phillippi (#25 BMW M8 GTE): “We did our homework at the Roar. Of course, we still have some areas to improve on, but we went through a lot of the processes and driver changes and pit stop work to prepare for the big 24-hour race. The car is good and we know that we are going to be very competitive.”

  Augusto Farfus (#25 BMW M8 GTE): “The 24-hour race at Daytona is just a fantastic event. I feel very sorry for Tom Blomqvist that he will miss the race but I am happy to take part and being able to help the team and also to be considered by BMW to replace him. I will make every effort to substitute for Tom in the best possible way.”

  Philipp Eng (#25 BMW M8 GTE): “I am really looking forward to driving at Daytona again. It will be my third appearance in this 24-hour race. I believe we have a good package. You can see in everyone’s faces that we are all extremely determined to come away with a top result. That is what it is all about. I hope that at least four of us always know what time it is on the flight home – because they have a nice new watch on their wrist.“

  Colton Herta (#25 BMW M8 GTE): “I have no idea what to expect. I’ve never been in a race like this before. GTLM is a super competitive category and I think BMW has done a great job and a great deal of work over the last year with the BMW M8 GTE, getting it to where it is. I know it started off rough but now we have the car that we want. It’s very fast and very competitive. If we play our cards right and we have enough luck, we can get a really top result. I’ve always wanted to do this race. My father competed in it for a long time and it’s such an iconic race, not only in America but all around the world. To finally get the chance to do it is super exciting.”

The article BMW Team RLL ready for the 24 Hours of Daytona appeared first on BMW BLOG

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#IFTTT #Performance Junk Blogger 6

[euroman1945-blog]

The Daily Thistle

The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland

Monday 2nd July 2018

"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. And I thought I was the only one to get up at this time of the morning, Good to see you, want to come on the walk with Bella and I?? OK, Company will make a change, normally it's just the two of us, we'll head towards the sea  and watch the lights from the cruise ships passing through the Straights of Gibraltar and see the little one man fishing boats that ply the coastal waters and provide the fresh fish for the local restaurants.. a walk along the promenade, it's cooler here than in the town, but we have to wander through the "Old Town" with its hanging baskets of Geraniums of just about every color, the smell is quite "Heady" but I love it.. The bells, calling people to mass are loud here, not that many stir from their beds these days.. I imagine it's only the Priest and maybe if he's lucky, four of five regulars, then it's back to the house and coffee, water and whatever you want to drink, so let’s have a look at the "Papers" and see what the world has in store for us today...

SLEEP IN THE PARK EVENT TO EXPAND ACROSS SCOTLAND…. The world's biggest mass sleep out will take place in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee this December. Sleep in the Park 2018 intends to raise £6m as part of a homelessness campaign after the inaugural event in Edinburgh last year made £4m. Charity Social Bite has announced a line-up of performers for the event on 8 December including Amy MacDonald and KT Tunstall. Both singers will perform at all four locations, travelling by helicopter. Last year's event saw 8,000 people sleep out at West Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh. Comedian Fred MacAulay has been announced as the host for the Edinburgh event and author Irvine Welsh will perform the "bedtime story". Further acts will be announced in the months leading up to the event. About 12,000 participants are expected to sleep out in Aberdeen's Duthie Park, Dundee's Slessor Gardens, Glasgow's Kelvingrove Bandstand and Edinburgh's Princess Street Gardens. Last year's fundraising helped complete the Social Bite Village and pay for a "Housing First" programme to bring 800 homeless people into mainstream tenancies across Scotland. Josh Littlejohn, co-founder of Social Bite, said: "For Sleep in the Park 2018 we're doing something that has never been done before - a simultaneous multi-city sleep out. "We were completely blown away by the thousands of people who joined this movement and supported Sleep in the Park last year. We want to build on this across the whole of Scotland. "By organising these events locally, we will invest the funds so that homeless people in those cities are housed and given the support they need to get back on their feet."

PINNEYS OF SCOTLAND JOBS TASKFORCE SEEKS ANNAN BASE…. A base is being sought for a task force to help deal with the effects of the closure of the Pinneys of Scotland plant in Annan. Premises in the heart of the town - including on its High Street - are being considered. It comes with the first redundancies among the 450-strong workforce expected by the end of the month. The Scottish government's PACE team is working to help identify alternative job or training opportunities. Sean Marshall, a councillor for the area, said there was a recognised need for an economic taskforce to be put in place for the longer term. "I really see that as taking it to the next step," he said. "We are now starting to see probably the first tranche of workers leaving Pinneys. "I had a meeting with the workforce representatives and they said there needs to be ongoing support to the workforce." He said a high street base would be ideal to help tackle the impact of the loss of jobs at the site.

SCOTLAND'S FIRST TRAMPOLINE PARK CLOSED AS IT ENTERS ADMINISTRATION….  Scotland's first trampoline park has closed after its owner placed the business in administration. Air Space in East Kilbride ceased trading at its unit in the Playsport complex on Tuesday. On its website, it blamed "the competitive local leisure market" for a downturn in trading. The park's owners, Oxygen Freejumping, purchased the venue in 2017 but said they were unable to "rejuvenate the product". The firm has also closed a branch in Manchester. The £2m park was the first of its kind in Scotland when it opened in the South Lanarkshire town in December 2014. It was billed at the time as Europe's largest freestyle jumping arena. But a raft of similar ventures followed, with the company citing this as its reason for streamlining its operations. On the company's website, a statement was posted saying: "We regret to inform customers that we have been forced to close our Manchester and Air Space Glasgow trampoline parks. "We opened our Manchester trampoline park in June 2016, and acquired Air Space Glasgow in 2017. Despite encouraging early performance, the competitive local leisure markets caused a downturn in trading. We were unable to rejuvenate our product and as a result our trading performance has become unsustainable and we have no choice but to close and place the respective sites into administration. "Decisions relating to the Manchester and Air Space Glasgow parks will now be taken by the administrator and we cannot comment on individual cases." Oxygen Freejumping is under new ownership and it is believed the brand will continue. The company said it would fully refund bookings from 26 June onwards.

THIRSTY WORK AS POLICE CLEAR SPILLED BEER KEGS FROM ROAD IN WEST LOTHIAN…. Traffic police in West Lothian were faced with a thirst-inducing task after a lorry shed its load of beer while leaving the motorway. More than 40 kegs were rounded up from the off-ramp of the M8 westbound at Junction 4A near Whitburn. Road Policing Scotland tweeted that it was "thirsty work" for those who helped clear the road on one of the hottest days of the year. About 21 tonnes of beer were recovered quickly and the road was re-opened. A spokeswoman for Police Scotland confirmed officers attended the incident at about 15:15 and said: "There were no issues with the lorry and it was sent on its way."

BRITAIN'S BIGGEST 2017 EARTHQUAKES FELT IN SCOTLAND…. The two largest British earthquakes of last year were both felt in parts of Scotland. A quake with a magnitude of 4.0 ML in Moidart on 4 August was felt from Inverness to Glasgow and out west on Islay in the Inner Hebrides. It was the largest onshore event to occur in Scotland since a magnitude 4.0 earthquake focused on Arran in 1999. The largest offshore quake was on 30 June, had a magnitude of 4.7 and was felt in Shetland, Orkney and Wick. It was also felt in Thurso, Fraserburgh and a few locations on the west coast of Norway. The epicentre of the offshore earthquake was about 62 miles (100 km) southwest of a magnitude 5.7 event that occurred in the Viking Graben region of the North Sea on 24 January 1927. This quake was felt throughout western Norway and down most of the east coast of Scotland. Details of last year's earthquakes are in British Geological Survey's new Bulletin of British Earthquakes 2017. Some people reported that the Moidart event cause doors and windows to rattle and hearing a loud bang followed by rumbling. A rumbling noise and rattling windows were also reported in the offshore quake.

On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,

Our look at Scotland today is of Linlithgow Palace at sunset. Taken by Paul Ewing.

A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Monday 2nd July 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…

All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in

Be safe out there…

Robert McAngus #News #Scotland #Blog #Earthquake

#robertmcangus #robert mcangus #scotland #news #love #blog #travel #crime

[sweetlykeenthing-blog]

Know Your Body weight Limitation!

This post was actually initially published at -/ Health_and_Nutrition_Blog? m8: blog post=want-to-save-the-planet-a-simple-solution LUND, Sweden-- Recent analysis has actually created the four absolute best means to totally decrease your personal greenhouse fuel exhausts and keep the earth. Frequent workout is likewise crucial given that your metabolism must be boosted if you want to help your body adjust to the supplement and also to assist you achieve the max weight loss possible. Usage moderation and incorporate snack foods that have plenty of nutrients that delight your hunger, and maintain your physical body along with enough electricity to get you through the day. This moment around, dropping weight has been actually less complicated for me than various other opportunities I've attempted. For some folks, weight-loss as well as getting healthy muscle mass could come fairly quick and easy, but also for others, its own not that straightforward. Thin individuals are actually not eating right as well as enough. You don't desire to make excuses when that is actually opportunity to accomplish your exercises. This was actually additionally sad to see just how their health and wellness has actually plummeted as they have wandered off coming from that food. The interpretation of the proper weight is actually one that tests you to work INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING on the last rep of your workout yet allows you to perform therefore in PERFECT KIND. TAM101 possesses an excellent Meat Cabbage dish, and also you may review how to prepare that along with the components above over at SparkPeople. This invention certainly not just opens new possibilities for developing more successful diet plans yet might likewise bring about drugs for to subdue hunger by directly triggering the brain's tanycytes without needing to have food. This electricity surge is the physical bodies technique to ensure you could obtain and also find food items. At a pal's recommending, Angela joined Jenny Craig ®, the diet plan understood for giving customized client support. Carry out 90% Soul Price Peaks- As opposed to doing the regular endurance cardio exercise in your "fat loss zone" you are heading to carry out a much higher magnitude workout session however, for a much shorter period. In the 4th time, your diet regimen must be slowly rejuvenated as well as carry out fast a lot of food items immediately, particularly certainly not to consume snack foods. Excessive weight is dued to excessive consuming and also unhealthful binges just like it remains in human beings. , if you feel for dark chocolate that negative don't deprive your own self entirely in the start.. yet have a small amount to just quell yourself. over time your longing will diminish and also you will achieve your preferred weight. sites obtain worried and so distressed regarding his health and wellness and also exactly how he is dealt with. For the very best end results you must be targeting to perform compound activities (this implies physical exercises that work several joints and also muscles at one time) like squats, lunges, bring up, kettlebell swings, plunges & bench presses since the more muscular tissues you working from the moment, the a lot more fats you could burn in a workout session. Listed here are actually some ways, that will certainly help you to burn fat blog post pregnancy in a sensible manner. Yet bench excellents as well as the body weights match properly on it. The bench readies dimension as I am actually 6 foot 4 as well as I suit on well. I, nonetheless, need to have a well balanced diet regimen and also may not go regularly without carbs. If you acquire great treatment, you'll be back up as well as operating in no opportunity. Because that enables you to be actually seated reduced in the device instead of possessing to hold yourself upright, the recumbent bike is actually an also much better possibility for individuals along with rear complications. Im breastfeeding and also taking great treatment of my diet intake all for the sake lf my little one riches as well as ive notification the weight just coming off by itself. This weight management program may aid you reach long lasting health and wellness goals with the power of health and nutrition and also support that is actually been actually clinically verified to function. It perhaps is if a diet regimen or even item appears too really good to be correct. Discover more concerning diet regimen patterns and get the answer off the food items as well as health and nutrition pros.

[cstesttaken]

World Health Day: How Social Media Has Saved Lives

Social media has, over recent years, developed a negative attitude for being a home for vile individuals to take become true keyboard warriors.

Trolling, particularly over Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, has seen the scum of the planet take insults to the next level.

However, there are examples when social media can do the reverse. When the online community unites to help those most in need.

On World Health Day, it is important that we look at the success stories of social media, and how it has saved lives. LADbible looks at some of the more positive stories on the internet.

Despite all the negatives, social media can have positive influences too (Credit: PA)

Instagram, for one, is taking a firm stance against the bullies.

Michelle Napchan, head of policy for Instagram in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told LADbible there's an increased call to keep social media sites safe.

"More and more people are coming online and sharing visuals, millions of people in this case, companies need to keep these spaces safe. The more people share, the more they show the issues that matter to them," she said.

Andrew Parker, a long-term sufferer of anxiety and depression, was on the verge of killing himself back in 2015. He posted an article in his blog entitled 'The End of All Things' - which had a simple conclusion, he wanted to die.

Suddenly, with a wave of support for him, Andrew's Twitter went wild. A lot of them were responses from people he didn't even know.

"Social media, those people, saved my life," he told The Star. "I would not have sought help if I had not seen those messages. That was more than I could have asked for."

He continued: "I know people that have had their lives irreparably damaged because of social media, but at the same time, it can be a force for good."

Andrew later self-checked himself into a local hospital, staying there for three weeks. He said that suicide had been on his mind nearly constantly for the past three years.

He's now on medication, and has worked on a treatment plan with doctors.

"Now I feel like I have the strength to move on and set my life up in a way that it's not all going to come crumbling down around me again," he concluded.

Similarly, there are people on social media championing the cause.

"Luke started an account after his brother committed suicide," Instagram's Napchan said. "He says that it showed how difficult it can be for men to share. It's ok to talk.

"He made an account for his brother, he maintains a community where people can share and engage their stories."

Others seek support through blogging their journey during a difficult time. The writers connect with followers, finding support in fellow sufferers, or just being able to express themselves.

"We know of this woman, called Becky, who has this condition where she constantly wants to pull out her hair," Napchan said. "She knows her struggles. Instagram gives her a window, and gives us a window into her world with helpful, supportive and honest accounts.

"These are the kind of voices we champion and support."

Social media can also be credited with helping to diagnose rare conditions. Natalie Embry suffered from a rare condition that she now knows is Lipodystrophy. It has a rarity of only one in 10 million and affects how the body uses and stores fat.

She started seeing pictures and stories of people who suffered with similar symptoms, including one woman in the same American state as her.

Natalie said: "Because of my Facebook friend I got into this doctor and I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for what I had learned on that Facebook page.

"I have my rare family, and I can call them day or night, I can get information."

The importance of a 'social family' is something that Instagram are highlighting in their work.

"People go online and feel empowered to share and connect," said Napchan. "We've been committed to keeping Instagram as a positive place, uniquely positive. We've put in significant resources to make the place safe and inclusive.

"Instagram is about strengthening relationships, and people will only do this if they feel safe.

"There are three key things with the network.

"Guidelines - there are rules as to what can and can't go up. Content is taken down if it violates the guidelines.

"Controlled experience - this focuses on comments. This involves the user deciding if they want comments or not.

"Mental health - we can get the people the support they need from experts, local charities, tips and advice as to what they can do."

Instagram has taken a big stand against negative comments on pictures. Users can choose to leave the comments on for their photos, turn them off completely, or even put a filter on certain words. If someone comments using a 'banned' word, the comment simply will not appear.

"It's not a generic thing," said Napchan. "A lot of the time trolls will use words that are offensive to you. We really wanted to give the people, the power."

Overall, social media is doing its best to step up the game in the battle against the trolls and there is a large community of support.

These people can be there in a someone's lowest time, they can be a coping mechanism, a diagnosis, or simply a friendly stranger.

It's not to say that social media has won the battle over the bullies, but there are a lot of good stories out there, you just have to look for them.

'U OK M8?' is an initiative from LADbible in partnership with a range of mental health charities which will feature a series of films and stories to raise awareness of mental health.

Explore more here and don't suffer in silence. Reach out. It's the brave thing to do.

CALM: Outside London 0808 802 5858, inside London 0800 58 58 58.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Source

http://www.theladbible.com/mental-health/technology-the-good-of-social-media-on-world-health-day-20170407

[eddiejpoplar]

Alex Zanardi: “I can’t wait to take on the 24-hour race weekend.”

The dress rehearsal is over; now it won’t be long before Alessandro Zanardi‘s (ITA) next big challenge gets underway: the 24-hour of Daytona (USA) race on 26th and 27th January. At the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA series) season opener, Zanardi will share the cockpit of the BMW Team RLL #24 BMW M8 GTE with John Edwards (USA), Jesse Krohn (FIN) and Chaz Mostert (AUS). The car is equipped with a special brake lever that enables Zanardi to brake by hand.

This weekend, Zanardi, BMW M Motorsport and BMW Team RLL were involved in the final test before the race, the official pre-event test, the ‘Roar’. This gave Zanardi another opportunity to get to know the BMW M8 GTE, the team and his team-mates better. In an interview, the BMW works driver and BMW brand ambassador talks about the significance of the 24-hour race of Daytona, the reception of the American fans, his impressions in the crucial stage of preparations and the challenges in the actual race.

Alessandro, Daytona is not just a race, it is one of the most important 24-hour races in the world. What do you think about Daytona?

Alessandro Zanardi: “Daytona is a race that, when I was racing in the United States, many of my colleagues and rivals were engaged in as its dates never clashed with any of the Indycar championship races because it is very early in the season. I never had the opportunity for some reason to have a taste of it myself but hearing my colleagues talking about the event, how great it is, their excitement, what they had to say about it, got me very curious about it and it was a really long, long time ago when I said: down the road, sooner or later, I want to be at Daytona. So to finally have the opportunity to go there, not only just to be part of it but to go there with a very competitive machine, to represent BMW to the best of my ability as a driver and as a brand ambassador, it’s fantastic. Now I can’t wait to finally start the 24-hour race weekend.”

At the weekend, you and BMW Team RLL completed the dress rehearsal for the 24-hour race, the ‘Roar’. Are you well prepared?

Zanardi: “You’re never prepared enough. You never feel totally prepared, even when the race is about to start and you are starting from pole position. The ‘Roar’ was a very important test but you don’t know how people are going to come back for the race where they really show the full potential of their cars. But that is the name of the game. You just try to do the best you can, analyse all the information you have collected and we feel pretty confident that we have done a good job.”

You enjoyed an overwhelming welcome in the paddock and by the US fans. Does this make you look forward for the race weekend even more?

Zanardi: “Yes, to say the least. I of course knew that it was going to be special but frankly I was not expecting it to be this special. Wow! For the race it will be probably even more. The enthusiasm of the fans for the cars running is already sky high but whenever I was going by for some reason I could detect an even more explosive spark of enthusiasm. People were sincerely happy and joyful to see me going round. And all the ones who had the opportunity to come and say something to me did not hide that at all. They were very, very warm in their comments and encouraging at the same time and respectful. I am very, very touched by the support I have been receiving.”

At the ‘Roar’, the entire 24-hour team came together at the track. How do you get on with your team-mates?

Zanardi: “Great! These guys are terrific. Jesse, Chaz and John are very, very talented drivers, very professional and it’s fantastic and also very helpful to be in such a team, because to be in a team with those drivers is a huge plus. It is inevitable to feel pressure because I would really like to perform at their level and on top of my personal problems, my age and whatever, it’s a question of their talent knowing the car the way they do. I will try my best but so far so good. I’m not so far behind, actually.”

And how about working with BMW Team RLL?

Zanardi:  “Every single member of the team, starting from the BMW M Motorsport guys who came from Munich to support and the guys who live here and are a full-time part of the BMW Team RLL organisation, is very professional but also excited. You can tell that they are all very, very happy to be here, they are totally dedicated and you can see the passion for what they do. They want to do everything they can to steer luck in our favour because at the end of the day it still is a race, and actually it’s a 24-hour race where there are a lot of things that could go wrong and you can only control it up to a certain point.”

Did your new braking system with the lever prove to be a physical benefit in the BMW M8 GTE?

Zanardi: “Physically speaking it’s incomparable. It’s like night and day compared to what I was doing before. So yes, it helps far more than we expected when we started to investigate solutions to follow that direction. So yes, from that point of view it’s 100 percent a success. Still I think for me to negotiate the things, some of the actions that I have to do, I am still a student. And I hope I can learn some more but I will have 24-hours of time to go through my mental data and to try to develop the right technique.” 

What will be the biggest challenge during the 24-hour race?

Zanardi: “To stay out of trouble. Because I have already seen over the course of the ‘Roar’ that when you have a fast prototype coming up and a slow GT in front of you, you are like ham in a sandwich. And you don’t want to get bitten. So staying out of trouble is not so easy.” 

When the chequered flag comes out on Sunday, 27th January – what would be the outcome for you to say that you are happy?

Zanardi: “Well, I won’t be totally happy because when it’s over, it’s over. Even if we end up winning the race, I am sure I will regret this special and great adventure being over. So don’t make me think about it – just let me enjoy it.”

The article Alex Zanardi: “I can’t wait to take on the 24-hour race weekend.” appeared first on BMW BLOG

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