This Is Quite Possibly The Most Human And Spiritually Beautiful Thing I've Encountered In A Few Days.

I'd like to add to this these three newer presidents and one older president who, though not particularly articulate, sought to elevate American citizens. Before you rant and rage against me, after reading what I had to say, I implore you to read and absorb. That list: Bill Clinton (hint: economy) ; Reagan: (hint: gave no shits ever...); Trump: though he's seldom articulate, he is passionate, knows who he he's fighting for, and has a HUGE SET of balls. Hate him if you want, but first consider how you would feel about yourself if you had just an ounce of Donald Trump's fucking obsessive drive. Don't dwell in hatred, but, rather, redirect...

She's just touching up her resumè with this garbage speech disguised as a caring and thoughtful sit-down with American voters. She has no conscience and excels at spouting lies and propaganda, so she'll do superbly in MSM...

Make no mistake, citizens. There is a vast scheme at work in this country to topple our Constitution and inflate the central government to a level where we all become subjugated to the whims of elitists and corrupt heads of State. It is rampant, this campaign against the people, and it is functioning on a global scale, with players from all corners working in congress (pun fully fucking intended there...) to pull apart freedoms and liberties given those of us in the United States. The US has dirt on its hands to be sure, but those things that have sullied the intentions and hopes for an independent nation, as prescribed and drafted by our founders, have come from agents provocateur, agents who have been deployed by those threatened by what our forefathers and foremothers wanted for posterity. The end game, as I see and interpret it, is to destabilize every aspect of normal life-- be it economic, religious, moralistic, educational, or basic human rights-- to the point that the populace will drop to its knees and defer to despots, groveling, supplicating, and bowing down to self-appointed gods. If we, the People, allow that to happen or-- God forbid-- passively fall into line, then we have really just given ourselves over to enslavement. From there, all hope is dashed upon jagged rocks upon one placid shores.

What disturbs me most is that these conspirators have alighted upon what some would label fringe society: the loners, those displaced from any kind of community, those whose perceived abnormalities invoke ostracism and soft exile, those who think they are ignored and disavowed: to sell those people false promises, false hope, and false security, so as to lather the presumed disenfranchised to become unwitting for soldiers, pawn infantry members whose sole purpose is to portray the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has been denied them by those who fight against the bigger threat. That bigger threat being persins of reason, persons of faith and foresight, persons who are alert to and aware of the raiding wolves (disguised as saviors, salvationists who are really slavering mongers of power, control, wealth and tyranny. These elements use and usurp power and influence wherever they can, and subordinates, like most of what is labeled the "free press", form the chorus for the opera of the tyrants.

Examples:

1. Gay Pride used to bear meaning, genuine meaning. [Author's Note: Personally, I think Gay Unity would have been a better choice as slogan, as the 'Pride' part always struck me as simehow LESS, as if one's sexuality was the epicenter of their existence, rather than the intellect, the love, the heart, the fierceness and passion for being human, the art, the individualist, the uniqueness, and the humanity of each person. Human beings are quite possibly the most complex, diverse, confusing and frustrating of all species that have ever occupied Mother Earth, but that is what makes our world so fascinating and energizing. (Hey, it's probably the biggest reason why so many UFOs and their occupants have reportedly visited us; I mean, damn! Earth is the best zoo in this part of the Universe. It's better than Australia or the Galápagos Islands in terms of WTF.)

But now Gay Pride has become a commercial and political tool designed and deployed by large corporations (ummm, they're the evil capitalists that have been decried as enemies of humanity... or am I missing something here?...🤔) to drain money from the very members of the LGBT+ crowd that sells validation and recognition. Sorry folks, but buying shoes, food, services or anything, really, from a company that prints

2. Capitalism

💯

My BFF Coming out to her 89 Year old Grandmother

BFF: Grandmother I need to talk to you

Grandma: [concerned voice] What? What is it? Are you sick?

BFF: No, no. Grandma. I'm gay.

Grandma: What?

BFF: I'm gay Grandma. I have a girlfriend now.

Grandma: [relieved voice] Oh honey, is that all? I thought you had cancer. Anytime someone needs to tell me something they are sick. Who's your girlfriend, when is her birthday? I'll bake her a pie.

Luscious locks, truly.

Had to re-post this because now, more than ever before, being all in this together seems more real, more genuine, even if that is a frightening proposition. Please, if you happen upon someone who is homeless or otherwise marginalized and/or forgotten, find charity in your heart and give that HUMAN a hand, a dollar, a cup of coffee, a sandwich, or whatever you can muster. And please do it with a smile, a warm touch of your hand, and an inaudible prayer to God. Because, at any time, that could me or you...

I found this today on a silent, solitary hike around my town, Leesburg, VA. I think it's safe to say, given this person's accommodations under a bridge, that, per the graffiti, that this human's not 'kk'. Far fucking from it. I ventured closer, but saw no one "home," so I said a small prayer and left a $20 bill inside the meager "front door." I hope this person has a better night than the last one. Please pray or, if you're not a spiritual person, but still consider yourself connected to humanity and The Universe, send good thoughts to the Cosmos that this person rises out of her or his current station. And if you happen to come upon something like this in your environs, I hope you have the wherewithal to lend a hand of compassion and charity.

Because we're all in this together...

Where do these people come from? Is there some hole in space that vomits forth moronic, race-baiting douche canoes, whose entire existence hinges upon them "connecting all the dots" to make everything about race? Hey, if you want to change things, then start having conversations and interactions with people while neglecting skin pigment. Focusing on skin pigment is wrong any way you look at it. People should be recognized for the value they possess, not their ancestry. When you rant about race and "take up the cause" for others who did not necessarily ask you for those things, you are truly mocking them and shoving them into controversy. Let it the fuck alone! Do some good ok, instead of adding to the bad...

Something I think a lot of fantasy roleplaying fans don’t pick up on is that the reason many games’ depictions of orcs and other “monstrous races” get criticised for being racist isn’t just because they’re dark-skinned and evil.

I mean, yes, there’s that, but it’s also that a lot of the tropes that are associated with orcs and such in fantasy RPGs are literally eugenicist rhetoric – and, more specifically, anti-Black eugenicist rhetoric – with the serial numbers lightly sanded off.

Like, you ever notice how common the following elements are?

Being capable of using complex tool and weapons, but relying on raiding and pillaging to obtain them, not because they’re incapable of making them, but because they’re simply too congenitally lazy to do so

Having an intrinsic drive to despoil and corrupt the fruits of civilisation, and in particular, taking pleasure in destroying beautiful things specifically because they’re beautiful

Being treated as childishly superstitious for believing in evil spirits, even though such treatment makes no sense from a worldbuilding perspective because they live in a fantasy setting and evil ghosts are objectively real

Reproducing rapidly and reaching sexual maturity quickly, typically at an age when a human would still be a child, with great emphasis placed on the danger of them “outbreeding” civilised peoples if left unchecked

Lusting for the women of other species, resulting in all manner of twisted half-breeds; “heroic” members of their kind are typically drawn from these half-breeds, who must struggle constantly with their base natures

Seriously, a lot of this stuff is copied and pasted directly from 19th Century eugenicist screeds about the intrinsic inferiority of the Black race – they basically just scratched out the n-word and wrote in “orc”.

(And no, you can’t pass it off as folks imitating Tolkien without realising what they were doing. While Tolkien’s orcs undeniably employ racist imagery and stereotypes, there it’s mostly anti-East Asian stuff, not anti-Black stuff. The incorporation of explicitly anti-Black tropes into fantasy fiction’s depiction of orcs is a more recent development, and at least some of the folks doing it absolutely knew what they were up to.)

The one flake that can't be put into the box is the one who dumped all the others onto the table...

And I have no biases against anyone, before anyone unleashes their ire on me. Hair color, skin color, eye color, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, and all of the other motes that make up each and every one of us inhabiting this world, now, in the past, and the present, are particles that make up a greater creation, and I look at each person based on individual creative beauty. Each is unique and each is important to me. So, calm down, and just chuckle. And if you must satisfy the need for vitriol and retaliation for an imagined slight, then hit me with a Scots-Irish joke. That's my ancestral palette... I can guarantee you I won't get angry or go on a rant.

A Blonde calls her boyfriend and says, “Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can’t figure out how to get started.”

Her boyfriend asks, “What is it supposed to be when it’s finished?”

The blonde says, “According to the picture on the box, it’s a rooster.”

Her boyfriend decides to go over and help with the puzzle. She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table. He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says,

“First of all, no matter what we do, we’re not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster.”

He then takes her hand and says, “Secondly, I want you to relax. Let’s have a nice cup of tea, and then….. he said with a deep sigh” …………

“Let’s put all these Corn Flakes back in the box

Very good things to know, if you're a writer.

Awesome Sites and Links for Writers

Just about every writer out there has several go-to websites that they use when it comes to their writing. Be it for creativity, writer’s block, to put you in the mood or general writing help. These are mine and I listed them in hopes that you’ll find something that you’ll like or will find something useful for you. I’ve also included some websites that sound interesting.

Spelling & Grammar

Grammar Girl — Grammar Girl’s famous Quick and Dirty Tips (delivered via blog or podcast) will help you keep your creative writing error free.

The Owl — is Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) it’s a great resource for grammar guides, style tips and other information that can help with your writing, especially academics.

Tip of My Tongue — have you ever had trouble of thinking of a specific word that you can’t remember what it is? Well, this site will help you narrow down your thoughts and find that word you’ve been looking for. It can be extremely frustrating when you have to stop writing because you get a stuck on a word, so this should help cut that down. 

Free Rice – is a great way to test your vocabulary knowledge. What’s even better about this site is that with every correct answer, they donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. So, please disable your adblock since they use the ads on the site to generate the money to buy the rice.

HyperGrammar — the University of Ottawa offers up a one-stop guide for proper spelling, structure, and punctuation on this site.

AutoCrit — the AutoCrit Editing Wizard can check writing for grammar errors, clichés and other no-no’s. It also provides a number of other writing resources as well.

Writer’s Digest — learn how to improve your writing, find an agent, and even get published with the help of the varied blogs on this site.

Syntaxis — it allows you to test your knowledge of grammar with a ten-question quiz. The questions change every time you take the quiz so users are sure to be challenged each time around. It definitely helps writers know if there’s something that they need to brush up on.

Word Frequency Counter — this counter allows you to count the frequency usage of each word in your text.

Tools

Copyscape — is a free service that you can use to learn if anyone has plagiarized your work. It’s pretty useful for those that want to check for fanfiction plagiarism.

Write or Die —  is an application for Windows, Mac and Linux which aims to eliminate writer’s block by providing consequences for procrastination.

Written? Kitten! — is just like Write of Die, but it’s a kinder version. They use positive reinforcement, so everytime you reach a goal they reward you with an adorable picture of a kitten.

Information & Data

RefDesk — it has an enormous collection of reference materials, searchable databases and other great resources that can’t be found anywhere else. It’s great to use when you need to find something and check your facts.

Bib Me — it makes it easy to create citations, build bibliographies and acknowledge other people’s work. This is definitely something that academics will love. It’s basically a bibliography generator that automatically fills in a works cited page in MLA, APA, Chicago or Turbian formats.

Internet Public Library — this online library is full of resources that are free for anyone to use, from newspaper and magazine articles to special collections.

The Library of Congress — if you’re looking for primary documents and information, the Library of Congress is a great place to start. It has millions of items in its archives, many of which are accessible right from the website.

Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — is the most accurate list of popular names from 1879 to the present. If your character is from America and you need a name for them, this gives you a accurate list of names, just pick the state or decade that your character is from.

WebMD — is a handy medical database loaded with information. It’s not a substitute for a doctor, but can give you a lot of good information on diseases, symptoms, treatments, etc.

Google Scholar - is an online, freely accessible search engine that lets users look for both physical and digital copies of articles. It searches a wide variety of sources, including academic publishers, universities, and preprint depositories and so on. While Google Scholar does search for print and online scholarly information, it is important to understand that the resource is not a database.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac — this classic almanac offers yearly information on astronomical events, weather conditions and forecasts, recipes, and gardening tips.

State Health Facts — Kaiser Family Foundation provides this database, full of health facts on a state-by-state basis that address everything from medicare to women’s health.

U.S. Census Bureau — Learn more about the trends and demographics of America with information drawn from the Census Bureau’s online site.

Wikipedia — this shouldn’t be used as your sole source, but it can be a great way to get basic information and find out where to look for additional references.

Finding Data on the Internet — a great site that list links that can tell you where you can find the inflation rate, crime statistics, and other data.

Word References

RhymeZone — whether you’re writing poetry, songs, or something else entirely, you can get help rhyming words with this site.

Acronym Finder — with more than 565,000 human-edited entries, Acronym Finder is the world’s largest and most comprehensive dictionary of acronyms, abbreviations, and initials.

Symbols.com — is a unique online encyclopedia that contains everything about symbols, signs, flags and glyphs arranged by categories such as culture, country, religion, and more. 

OneLook Reverse Dictionary — is a dictionary that lets you describe a concept and get back a list of words and phrases related to that concept. Your description can be a few words, a sentence, a question, or even just a single word. 

The Alternative Dictionaries — is a site that you can look up slang words in all types of languages, including Egyptian Arabic, Cherokee, Cantonese, Norwegian and many, many others.

Online Etymology Dictionary — it gives you the history and derivation of any word. Etymologies are not definitions; they’re explanations of what our words meant and how they sounded 600 or 2,000 years ago.

MediLexicon — is a comprehensive dictionary of medical, pharmaceutical, biomedical, and health care abbreviations and acronyms.

Merriam Webster Online – the online version of the classic dictionary also provides a thesaurus and a medical dictionary.

Multilingual Dictionary – that translate whatever you need from 30 different languages with this easy-to-use site.

Writing Software

Open Office — why pay for Microsoft products when you can create free documents with Open Office? This open source software provides similar tools to the Microsoft Office Suite, including spreadsheets, a word processor, the ability to create multimedia presentations, and more.

LibreOffice — is a free and open source office suite. It was forked from OpenOffice.org in 2010, which was an open-sourced version of the earlier StarOffice. The LibreOffice suite comprises programs to do word processing, spreadsheets, slideshows, diagrams and drawings, maintain databases, and compose math formula.

Scrivener — is not a free program, but it’s certainly a very popular one. It’s great for organizing research, planning drafts, and writing novels, articles, short stories, and even screenplays.

OmmWriter — is a free simple text processor that gives you a distraction free environment. So you can focus only on your writing without being tempted or distracted by other programs on your computer.

Evernote — is a free app for your smartphone and computer that stores everything you could possibly imagine losing track of, like a boarding pass, receipt, article you want to read, to do list, or even a simple typed note. The app works brilliantly, keeping everything in sync between your computer, smartphone, or tablet. It’s definitely a useful app for writers when you have ideas on the go.

Storybook — this open source software can make it easier to manage your plotlines, characters, data, and other critical information while penning a novel.

Script Frenzy — scriptwriters will appreciate this software. It offers an easy layout that helps outline plots as well as providing storyboard features, index cards, and even sound and photo integration.

Creativity, Fun & Miscellaneous

National Novel Writing Month — is one of the most well-known writing challenges in the writing community, National Novel Writing Month pushes you to write 50,000 words in 30 days (for the whole month of November).

WritingFix — a fun site that creates writing prompts on the spot. The site currently has several options—prompts for right-brained people, for left-brained people, for kids—and is working to add prompts on classic literature, music and more.

Creative Writing Prompts — the site is exactly what it says. They have 100+ and more, of prompts that you can choose from.

My Fonts — is the world’s largest collection of fonts. You can even upload an image containing a font that you like, and this tells you what it is.

Story Starters — this website offers over one trillion randomly generated story starters for creative writers.

The Gutenberg Project — this site is perfect for those who like to read and/or have an ereader. There’s over 33,000 ebooks you can download for free. 

The Imagination Prompt Generator — Click through the prompts to generate different ideas in response to questions like “Is there a God?” and “If your tears could speak to you, what would they say?”

The Phrase Finder – this handy site helps you hunt down famous phrases, along with their origins. It also offers a phrase thesaurus that can help you create headlines, lyrics, and much more.

Storybird – this site allows you to write a picture book. They provided the gorgeous artwork and you create the story for it, or just read the stories that others have created.

Language Is a Virus — the automatic prompt generator on this site can provide writers with an endless number of creative writing prompts. Other resources include writing exercises and information on dozens of different authors.

Background Noise/Music

SimplyNoise — a free white noise sounds that you can use to drown out everything around you and help you focus on your writing.

Rainy Mood — from the same founders of Simply Noise, this website offers the pleasant sound of rain and thunderstorms. There’s a slide volume control, which you can increase the intensity of the noise (gentle shower to heavy storm), thunder mode (often, few, rare), oscillation button, and a sleep timer. 

Coffitivity — a site that provides three background noises: Morning Murmur (a gentle hum), Lunchtime Lounge (bustling chatter), and University Undertones (campus cafe). A pause button is provided whenever you need a bladder break, and a sliding volume control to give you the freedom to find the perfect level for your needs and moods. It’s also available as an android app, iOS app, and for Mac desktop.

Rainy Cafe — it provides background chatter in coffee shops (similar to Coffitivity) AND the sound of rain (similar to Simply Rain). There’s also individual volume and on/off control for each sound category.

8tracks — is an internet radio website and everyone can listen for free. Unlike other music oriented social network such as Pandora or Spotify, 8tracks does’t have commercial interruption. Users create free accounts and can either browse the site and listen to other user-created mixes, and/or they can create their own mixes. It’s a perfect place to listen to other writer’s playlist, share yours or find music for specific characters or moods.

It's exhausting being a member of productive Trash Panda society. Pour him a drink, maybe offer a snack. Besides being hospitable, it's also a good way to turn your front porch into a Raccoon Club. Feed him and THEY will come...

“Came home to a raccoon chilling on my porch chair.”

(Source)