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The unexpected
(Palm Sunday)
Just before Jesus entered Jerusalem that led to his death, he did one of his most powerful miracles that pointed to him as the author of life. What he did, if I was there, would not have filled my heart with joy or wonder, but instead with stark, abject, fear. To witness someone exiting a womb who was dead for four days, and tightly wrapped in a shroud, would not be something expected, or thought possible, hence the terror. I also wonder how Martha, and Mary, related to Lazarus after that…..surely there was some distance between them that was not there before. There was a price to be paid for what happened, a heavy price. Yet, because it was performed by Jesus, it was necessary. A forerunner of his own death, burial, and resurrection, though different than Lazarus since he had to die again, while Jesus overcame death once and for all.
Some would question, why would Jesus even let Lazarus die. In fact, I am sure that Martha and Mary and many of the people who were mourning with her thought the same thing. He could heal the blind and lepers, people he did not know personally. Some he healed without even being asked, the widow from Nain for instance, whom he brought her son back to life. What about Lazarus, his good friend? Jesus did not even try to live up to others expectations, he had his own agenda. One was apparently, to let Lazarus suffer and die, and to have his sister's go through four days of gut-wrenching mourning even before Jesus arrived. People expected Jesus to come at once to save his friend, surely not to bring him back from the dead after four days in the tomb.
Everyone had ideas and expectations about Jesus. Some thought he was the Messiah come to make Israel great again. Wherein all of their enemies would be overthrown and like in the time of David, they would be the unique, free children of God. It was a this world kingdom, and there are plenty of Old Testament readings that could be and were interpreted that way.
The religious elite, many of them, though not all, thought of Jesus as a dangerous man, and no matter how many his signs and wonders, they were not moved to either wonder or belief, but only anger and rage and perhaps fear of the Romans who might look upon Jesus as a danger and cause mayhem for the nation. Their expectation was also false about their plans to destroy his influence forever.
Jesus was also a man who challenged those who needed to be shook up and was kind and compassionate to the downtrodden and outcaste. There were many opinions about him, many expectations, from all parties including the Apostles…they were all wrong.
James and John wanted to sit at his left and right hand. They would have probably argued who would be at his right. When they arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover, perhaps the expectation was that Jesus would come into his full glory….he did, it was just not as expected, not even close.
So in our own lives, as we follow Jesus, or we are seekers, what we expect may not be what we experience, or even need. We need to trust to go deeper into our journey through this life if it is rooted in seeking God's love and will for us.
Before his entrance into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday,
he told how deep his distress was to his followers,
for he knew that goodness often feeds the rage of those wounded,
his loving heart made him defenseless against such tumult.
So he entered, we cheered him, waving palms,
he smiled perhaps sadly and with compassion,
for he knows what is in the hearts of men;
the pain, anger, the desires that can drive us crazy
and the rage against God and existence itself,
so filled with pain and injustice.
How easy it is to turn, to embrace the freedom of rage;
to destroy what is good, most human, and to exalt in violence and injustice,
to be caught up in the mob that flows like a river with ease,
until it flows over that which is sought and hated, at least in the moment,
for often after the horror is over and done with,
we wake up as if in a dream, appalled at what was done.
The loving heart is a human heart; perhaps that is why it is feared,
for to understand the hell that is often our inner lives reality,
bears a heavy price to be borne. This reality was seen and understood
by the heart of Christ, wounded in love, for he has no defense.
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So I decided to take a wee break as opposed to a pee break and drop on in for brain shake. So I have been working on a writing project for the last (20+ years now) and I am finally happy with the way it's turning out. Sometimes it drives me bonkers when I get hyper critical about whatever project I am working on. It's not so much about being worried about what others think because theit will always be people who don't like your expression on any sort of art form.
other times I can pop out a series of short stories, edit them, do minor revisions, and then wam bam thank you... well any way you know what I mean. I had a creative writing teacher in highschool that would get so p***ed at me because I would chill in class until there eas only 15 minutes left in class and poo out a story. Sometimes I would be in that Zen moment and other times I was meh and it reflected in my stories.
So what's the lesson of this blog spot.... Hmmm let me think.
oh yea here we go, okay guys don't forget to be a gentleman at the end of the night so suck it up and sleep in the wet spot.
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What if:
There really is a multiverse. It must be a crowded place. Could this be an explanation for ghosts, watchers, and other assorted nasties? If each universe is an enclosed bubble surrounded by trillions of other universes, is it possible that occasionally two universes would "bump" weakening the barriers and thus allowing passing glimpses into alternate realities? Would these universes be aligned so that geographic locations would be adjacent in respect to each other? So many questions. It's kind of comforting to think that in another universe someone, or something is staring back at us saying "Holy crap, did you just see what I saw? No one's gonna believe this. Yes, I got a picture, but it's kinda blurry." As I had my math skills removed years ago by a head injury I can only speculate now on the physics involved. Is each universe surrounded by by a membrane of dark matter keeping each universe apart? If so, could the big bang be explained by a lack of dark matter that allowed two universes to collide? So many questions and so little understanding. Thank you, Neil Degrass Tyson for opening my mind to think about something other than whats for lunch.
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Now you may be wondering why I have not been making status posts, and this is because it seems to be a big problem that I make large status updates, they are updates, quick, but also long as, because shocker, people have more than just one thing on their minds. Besides that, yes I did repost them a lot, but I never got to get the feedback because over and over they got deleted. And then when I tried to give you guys a link to a place where I can make long status updates without being nagged at, that too for some reason or another is a big problem.
So for the time being, until I can make status updates again, though I agreed to the terms that were given in order for me to make them again, I will not be on here a huge deal. So for a bit, I will just stay off here. I will be spending my time updating stories on fanfiction under the author name of Evil's Wolf, on Quotev again stories and polls at Evil's Wolf, and then on Roosterteeth at Wolfzer99 making posts and other related actions. I may come back in a little time or make small updates here if anything of great importance happens. Otherwise, I am going to be focusing more time on my stories and the different ways of improvement and how I can make new stories and extend the concept of some of my other stories.
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There was a thread, at one point that discussed the concept of what life
is and what it entailed, naturally when one thinks of "life" we automatically think of living beings from microscopic bacteria to the
leviathan great blue whales and generally we would be correct but as I pondered this idea I couldn't help by ask myself
if this was entirely accurate.In short, is our concept of life a bit myopic? Just as there are many types of love, there are also many types of life too.
When we look at physical matter, it is really just forms of energy that, when coalesced, oscillate at a particular frequency. It seems that there is not "energy versus matter" it is all just...energy
(again for the purposes of conversation, I use the term energy as a collective term out of convenience).
When you break down matter (or maybe the term energy pattern is more appropriate) you have a tiny, imperceptible particle of energy.
It is tiny, and maybe that little particle is weak but it is there, it oscillates and affects an area of space around it no matter how large or
small parameter it is.Now you have trillions upon trillions of these little particles, some move really, really fast and
there are others that just mosey along at their own pace.At some point these particles will get bounced around, bumping off of this particle and crashing into others.
Sort of like being in Grand Central Station in rush hour.
Now each particle is able to attract or repel based upon whether those frequencies are compatible with one another, if one particle bonds
with another, that combined frequency becomes a little stronger and able to attract more and more until their combined frequency can
attract particles that emanate a stronger energy field. At some point the accumulation accelerates and baring that nothing happens to
break the bond in the meantime, something will be formed.
What it will be depends, I suppose, on the particles that are accumulated.
Now one might ask how this constitutes "life" and it is a good inquiry, really. I suppose one of the ways "life" could be defined is the accumulation and maintenance of coalesced particles, bonded so strongly that they are able, by their energetic nature, to maintain a position on the
energetic celestial gear works of the cosmos such as a solar system.
I would even surmise that even biological life assists in this process (this will relate to my other article on 'Lifestream') by creating its
own unique sets of frequencies that support not just the planet it is on but forms a sort of "net" that connects to all in the universe.
(Yeah, for lack of a better term I am forced to rely on the heavily over-used and worn out of 'We're all connected' platitude. Sorry)
Again if you have read through to the end then I once again am grateful for your patience
and I may add more later.....maybe.
And if you are totally confused then you are in good company, so am I!
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Legends of the Afterlife
By Deanna Jaxine Stinson, Honorary Thanatologist
Halo Paranormal Investigations – HPI International.
Legends of The Afterlife
A cloud follows me. It floats in the direction the wind wills it too. Suddenly, it begins to darken. It becomes like a shadow. It bursts open into fragments of water and they descend down like angry demons onto my shoulders. "Things change, they begin, they fade and they disappear in a moment." The energy seems to speak this to me.
The cloud departs soon after and all I can feel is an ice ghost standing next to me. It is then in which I feel gratitude and I can see a new day coming. Maybe if I stand hold long enough, a rainbow will appear. Perhaps it will be one in which I can grasp onto. For beauty is really what leads me on, inspires us and when it is no more, so too am I.
I know I will move on too. The weather shows the signs of the universe. Nothing is ending, it is only transforming. With all the different possibilities in realm, I wonder just where I will go when it is time to leave my Earthly form. I hope there is light. I hope there is life…
Below, I am going to share with you many different perspectives on the afterlife, which is something that really is going to be mysterious until we experience it ourselves. The details can be anything that we can imagine and more. Let me take you on another realm of existence, for a short while and invite you into the fold…
The word afterworld is described by the online dictionary as, "the future world, especially the world after death." It is perceived as many separate realities of a continued existence from which we belong. It seems to have come from our personal karma and perceptions. The word itself was brought into existence at the end of the fifteenth century, although the spiritual plane was theorized to exist before this.
Because of the speculation of the details of this place, there are often many psychics, prophets or religious leaders who theorize its location and lifestyle. So many different stories and visions have come of it. It is a good way to ease a troubled mind or to convince a person to change or identify with a large group of believers.
Whatever the future may hold, we can still connect to these realms with each other here in the world of living. At least in our consciousness, they will be real. Our souls gravitate naturally to certain people and places, so too may they in another world. Or, perhaps none of it even matters at all…
Al-Jannah is the final abode of the righteous and the Islamic believers but, also the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Hawwa dwelt. This cosmology commonly depicts seven layers of heaven analogous to the seven layers of hell. It is guarded by angels at eight main gates and each level is split into 100 degrees. The highest level is called Firdaus.
In the Quran, this paradise is richly inhabited by gorgeous maidens, jewels, food, material possessions and eternal supplies of water. The heart will feel no more negative emotions and will only know joy. It is meant for the most righteous of people.
One day in this land is the same as one thousand years on Earth. There will be others there as well, whom you have shared past life with, so long as they are worthy. There are four rivers which flow through here and none shall surpass Sidrat al-Muntaha, a Lote tree which marks the boundaries of the Heaven, where no creation may cross.
This land is a heavenly paradise where Osiris, the Egyptian god of death in the Ogdoad tradition dwells. It is known as the Egyptian reed fields. He was traditionally displayed as a green-skinned deity with a pharaoh's beard, wearing a crown with two ostrich feathers and holding a crook and flail. In myth, the Ogdoad are eight primordial deities worshipped in Hermopolis during the late Period (664 BC to 332 BC).
In this culture, when a soul leaves the Earthly realm, they will be sent through to stand before 42 divine judges, as written about in the ancient book of the dead. This will be the chance to redeem oneself for any wrongdoings. If one successfully navigates into the next chapter, they will then find themselves at Duat.
In the mythical realm of Duat, each human heart is weighed on a giant scale against a feather. Those souls which balance the scales are allowed to start a long and perilous journey to Aaru, where they will exist in pleasure for all eternity. Hearts which are heavy with evil will tip the scale and fall into the crocodilian jaws of the demon Ammit. After this "second death", the soul is doomed to restlessness. The souls who pass this are sent onto a long journey and face many perils before reaching Aaru and once they arrive, they enter through a series of gates.
Elysium is defined by the online dictionary as, "the abode of the blessed after death in classical mythology." Admission was reserved for mortals only related to the gods and other heroes or those most favored, the righteous and the heroic. After life, they could live here and still carry out their passions from the previous time.
According to Eustathius of Thessalonica, the word "Elysium" (Ἠλύσιον) derives from ἀλυουσας (ἀλύω, to be deeply stirred from joy) or from ἀλύτως, synonymous of ἀφθάρτως (ἄφθαρτος, incorruptible), referring to a souls' life in this place. It is shared by each soul with grace. The most honorable connect with each other.
Virgil's Elysium knows perpetual spring and shady groves, with its own sun and lit by its own stars: solemque suum, sua sidera norunt. Many authors and poets have gone on to theorize its endless beauty and atmosphere. For even the energy can be felt in the wind.
Epic of Gilgamesh
This epic poem is from Mesopotamia and is known it to be one of the oldest texts alive. Some of the best artifacts were rediscovered in the library ruins of the 7th-century BC Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. Others are still yet lost in history.
Buried in tombs, libraries or long forgotten, the story reaches us today. It involves the main characters Gilgamesh, king of Uruk and Enkidu. After a beginning of sexual initiation, Enkidu travels to the city to challenge this leader to gain reputation and strength. The king still wins but, it makes them friends, as they are in tune with each other.
From here on, a journey begins through the Cedar Forest, where they slay a terrible guardian and to cut down the sacred tree. For the next time, Ishtar sends the Bull of Heaven to punish Enkidu for his many misdeeds. His sentence is death.
Because of the distress about Enkidu's death, Gilgamesh is inspired to search for immortality. He eventually learns that "Life, which you look for, you will never find. For when the gods created man, they let death be his share, and life withheld in their own hands".
The definition of Heaven is portrayed by the online dictionary as, "a place regarded in various religions as the abode of God (or the gods) and the angels and of the good after death, often traditionally depicted as being above the sky." It's an ethereal image which speaks of air and the color is blue. It remains for those who are good.
It is also known as, "a state of being eternally in the presence of God after death." For this is where beings of this level can relate and be like one entity. They will feel the same, think similar and be like each other. They are filled with peace and forgiveness.
A similar notation is, "the sky, especially perceived as a vault in which the sun, moon, stars, and planets are situated." This is a celestial castle for which glorious light survives eternally. Tales of entities leaving here is widely known by the story of Lucifer, the most famous angel who took leave here to rule the world saved for evil below.
The best explanation for hell is, "a place regarded in various religions as a spiritual realm of evil and suffering, often traditionally depicted as a place of perpetual fire beneath the earth where the wicked are punished after death." It is a land of terror and torture, where demons flourish and partake in every sin imaginable in order to imprison the dead. It sends fear through the masses.
Other traditions, which do not conceive of the afterlife as a place of punishment or reward, merely describe Hell as an abode of the dead, the grave, or a neutral place which is located underneath the surface of Earth. It is known in many different cultures by several names. It projects an image of flame and heat. However, Buddhist descriptions of Hell feature an equal number of hot and cold settings.
This contrast of Heaven and Hell is meant to teach the importance of the way we treat others. If we were all caring and compassionate beings, then we would truly have happiness and we would never suffer. If we were to exist in a negative space, with where there are equally as horrible souls, then we would eternally suffer.
In ancient Sumerian texts, Inanna is described as the "Queen of Heaven." She can bestow the dead with special rewards in the afterlife. Her sister, Ereshkigal, rules the underworld. She was the patron goddess of the Eanna temple at the city of Uruk, which was her main cult center. She was also associated with the planet Venus and her most prominent symbols included the lion and the eight-pointed star.
During the post-Sargonic era, she became one of the most popular deities in the Sumerian pantheon, with temples all across Mesopotamia. She appears in more legends than any other goddess. Her cult practiced sacred prostitution rites and rituals. In this sexual element, she overtakes all others with passion.
Inanna is the enforcer of divine judgement. She closely relates to the sign of Libra. Where she also has a duality about her but, ultimately it is a cosmic revolution which propels her to greatness. She is a symbol for all the pleasures of the world which can heal us and not just be stigmatized.
The world describes Purgatory as, "an immediate state after death, according to Catholic Church doctrine, in which those destined for heaven undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joys of Heaven." In this area, the soul may become lost, traumatized and forsaken. It is a time of great healing at a lower mental state.
Various texts go on to describe that "Only those who die in the state of grace but, have not yet fulfilled the temporal punishment due to their sin can be in purgatory and therefore, no one in purgatory will remain forever in that state nor go to hell." It is meant as a situation for absolution and purification. Almost certainly breakthroughs will occur.
Alternatively, we read that "Although denying the existence of purgatory as formulated in Roman Catholic doctrine, the Anglican and Methodist traditions along with Eastern Orthodoxy, affirm the existence of an intermediate state, Hades and thus pray for the dead." In essence, we will become complete. Where we go does not determine the outcome of a permanent situation.
The Summerland
According to the Wiccans and other small pagan groups, the Summerland is the pinnacle of righteous achievement in the afterlife. C.W. Leadbeater, a Theosophist, taught that those who were good in their lives went to this destination in between incarnations. When they have mastered the state of compassion and emotion then they will be permitted to stay.
Each person that comes through here wills it differently. Depending upon the acts of your life, it changes your perceptions and ultimately alters this world. Even the wicked will come here and be provided a resting place yet, it will reflect the path that they chose. It is best to live a life of love than to reside here in one of these states.
Because Wicca is such a diverse religion, some beliefs on this vary from person to person. There are many different branches of Wicca. Although there is no belief in a hell there is the idea of punishments that may manifest in the form of karma. In turn, it is meant to be used as a learning lesson and not as something one should feel helpless about.
Xolotl stands for lightning and death. He is a God of the Aztec culture. The Aztec culture is popularly known for their reputation as blood thirsty. They typically performed human sacrifice on top of elaborate temples. The soul would go through the top of the pyramid and enter another dimension. One of these places is known as the Underworld.
Tales tell how this god and a dog will lead the people to their destination. He is the dark personification of Venus, the evening star, and was associated with heavenly fire and therefore shows us his celestial position in the sky. It is a royal occasion, much like becoming dead. His job is to protect the sun from the dangers of the underworld.
The Underworld is the land where souls go upon dying in the Earthly realm. It is deeply engrained into several different cultures. It was typically thought of as a high honor to be given to the Gods. Much cultural respect was placed on these events. It was considered to be good luck for your afterlife to be sacrificed.
Legends of the Afterlife
Many other cultures have imagined what it will be like when we finally depart this world. Some have speculated that we will be amongst the stars, which seem to be reborn and changed as well. Popular myths point to nature taking us by Earth, by mirrors and even by levitation. There have even been such tales written in fantasy about it in movies, film and books.
Because it is such a natural thing to speculate about, every culture has imagined what it will be like. There are similar thoughts, views and ideas in religion yet, also they are very different. The amount of detail seems to paint a much more elaborate vision. There are ultimately choices that we can make that will lead us on…
In conclusion, the Legends of the Afterlife are made for our human consumption for serenity. Where our souls go and what they will become echoes from many different ideas of several voices of the people in our world. There is nothing more precious than the moments that we have right now to change, forgive and grow. I hope that everyone finds happiness who works for it and even those who may not deserve it, may they be in peace…
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I just read one of the most sexist articles that I've ever seen before.
Link: https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/bj5ex8/how-to-help-gender-equality-international-womens-day
I don't know who this woman is, but she is clearly one of the most sexist people I've ever encountered, and given the length of the article, I figured I should respond to every one of her insanely moronic points here in this blog post. I realize this article was posted over a week ago, but I'm just now stumbling across it and I just couldn't let this slide without saying something.
Most people on here know by now that I'm unapologetically liberal and progressive. I'm a Democratic Socialist, I supported Bernie Sanders in the democratic primary, and (despite what many centrist establishment Hillary supporters might've said) I along with Bernie Sanders strongly support women's rights and oppose all forms of genuine sexism.
However this includes sexism against women and men.
There have been multiple forms of feminism throughout history, and many have even tried categorizing them into three separate 'waves'. I don't care to get into debating the definition of the term 'feminism', or saying whether or not I support or oppose 'feminism', because in my opinion, the term is widely used and rather vague. Some people who claim the title of 'feminist' appear to support genuine gender equality, whereas others appear to support female superiority under the guise of 'gender equality'. So for this post I'll simply approach this from the topic of gender equality vs. sexism in general.
For the majority of this post I'll be responding to her article as if addressed to her directly. First I'll respond to her opening remarks below, and then go through her list of 100 'suggestions for men' in spoilers (so as not to force anyone to scroll down forever and ever to get to the comments if they don't want to). Then finally I'll leave you readers with a few closing remarks.
And with that being said, let's begin...Quote
Every year, I wake up on March 8 to a flurry of tweets from men wishing me a "Happy International Women's Day!"
And every year, I find myself thinking: Well, thanks, but is that it? Is that all the support for gender equality that you can muster? For the entire year? It's a nice sentiment, but at a time when the gender pay gap means that women in the UK work for free for 67 days each year, Black women in the US are three to four times more likely to die in childbirth than white women, and trans women in the US are four times more likely to be murdered than cis women, it doesn't quite do it for me.
And right off the bat we have an absolute absurdity.
Do you really think that someone giving you a holiday greeting means that greeting you is literally all that person has done in support of whatever the holiday is supposed to represent for an entire year? Seriously? Does saying "Happy Valentines Day!" mean that you didn't do anything to show your partner you love them that year? Does saying "Merry Christmas!" mean that you didn't give any gifts to the people you care about that entire year? Of course not. You're literally taking a kind and happy greeting from men in support of your cause and spitting in their face.
If you want to argue that simply saying "Happy International Women's Day!" alone isn't enough to truly support gender equality, then you might have a good point there. You can't say you support something and then act contrary to what you said, else you be a hypocrite.
However at the same time, you don't have to be a full-time activist to genuinely be in support of something. There are plenty of things that I fully support, of which I simply lack the time, money, and resources necessary to actively promote. It's perfectly reasonable for regular working people to support something by simply voting for political candidates who support it as well. Very few people can realistically literally be out there actively doing things in support of every single cause that they support. This is why we have elected officials in congress who (are supposed to) represent us, so that we average American people don't have to keep up with absolutely every single political issue and vote for every single bill to be passed, etc. etc. We have lives, and jobs, and families. Yes, most of us have more time that would probably best be devoted to promoting some cause, however again, we can't all be activists for everything 24/7. That's just not realistically possible.
So when you receive a 'flurry of tweets from men' wishing you a happy international women's day, you should be proud that your activism has touched the hearts of so many people who are there ready to support your cause. But instead you want to criticize them for such a simple and kind gesture. Shame on you.Quote
So, to ensure that men aren't missing direction, a few years ago I started compiling a list of easy actions that men can take to meaningfully support gender equality. Every year, I would post it on social media. Slowly, other women started contributing suggestions. So the list grew. And grew. It will likely never stop growing.
The suggestions cover many realms of life—from home, to work, to the ways we interact with strangers, to the language we use—but it is in no way comprehensive. Below, I've included a mere 100 entries out of the several hundred I've crowdsourced and personally compiled.
To the men reading: You may already do some of these things, and others you may not be in the position to do. But a good place to start is by, at the very least, reading the list through—in its entirety. And remember: These apply all year, not just during the annual 24 hours dedicated to half of the planet's population.
I don't just intend to 'read the list through', I intend to respond to each and every one of your 'list of easy actions'. Which btw, after reading through your list prior to writing this, many of these 'easy actions for men to do' do not in the least bit support gender equality. They support female superiority with a pious condescension and sexist expectation of how men should behave around women.
So, onto the list:Spoiler
1. Before explaining something to a woman, ask yourself if she might already understand. She may know more about it than you do.
I'd say this would apply to anyone, not just women, but okay.
2. Related: Never, ever try to explain feminism to a woman.
Why not? Are white people excluded from explaining racism to a black person too?
There are plenty of examples of women (for instance, in some religious circles) who strongly support male dominance and female superiority. Should a male who strongly supports gender equality be excluded from explaining to these women what gender equality actually is?
This is ridiculous. But worst of all, it's sexist; but in the reverse way. You're excluding people from the conversation based on their gender. That's the very definition of sexism!
3. Trans women are women. Repeat that until you perish.
I fully acknowledge that you can be born with the brain chemistry of that of a female, while outwardly having the physiology of a male. IF thee people wish to be identified as 'female', then I have no problem whatsoever with that as well.
Although if you're implying that I should pretend that these women don't have male sex organs, then I'll have to side with reality on this one.
Calling trans women 'women' is a kind courtesy that acknowledges their psychological femaleness. It isn't an absolute, as they are not 100% fully female. Whether you or they like it or not, they were born with male sex organs, and male hormones, and are therefore at least in some sense, male.
There are some people who for whatever reason seek to challenge this notion, and insist that we acknowledge trans women as 100% female, when they aren't. That's an objective scientific physiological fact, and it isn't bigotry to acknowledge that fact. You can still acknowledge this, while fully supporting trans rights and referring to trans women with all the proper pronouns.
Given your rather extremist views in this article, it's hard for me to tell whether you're implying here that you're part of this extremist form of political correctness camp or not, but if so I simply thought I would address this concern regardless.
4. RESPECT PEOPLE'S PRONOUNS. It's not hard.
I support seeking to properly use most forms of political correctness as a common courtesy and as part of just simply being a decent human being.
However, sometimes political correctness crosses over the line of actual correctness, to which I won't cross. If being politically correct means being factually incorrect, then I'm sorry, but I'll have to go with being actually correct, regardless of whether you're insulted or not. You can't avoid offending anyone, at all times, ever.
Lastly I just want to reiterate, that political correctness is a common courtesy. It IS NOT an actual law. The freedom of speech still stands, and people are (and should be) free to say anything they so chose, regardless of whether it "respects people's pronouns" or not.
5. Remember that fat women exist and aren't all trying to get thin. Treat them with respect.
Of course we should treat them with respect, we should treat all people with respect.
Yet once again, you're implying an extremist position here where we pretend that obesity isn't harmful to one's health, and that we simply 'accept' their obesity as perfectly okay. My own mother is obese, and yet she doesn't pretend that it isn't damaging to her health. This is where political correctness should never trump factual correctness.
I'm not sure if you're taking this position or not, but given your extremist attitude towards most other things in this article it's once again, hard to tell.
6. In fact, just never comment on a woman's body.
Oh come on, never? Really? Even if it's a simple compliment such as: "You look nice today."?
Do some people's comments get creepy or go a little too far? Absolutely. But it's a little extreme to say that no man should ever comment on a woman's appearance, EVER.
What about women who want men to comment on their body? And what about women commenting on men's bodies? Do they not count?
7. Be kind to women in customer service positions. Tip them extra. (But not in a creepy way.)And now we've reached the point where your sexism is blatantly obvious. You're literally calling for women to have special treatment. Either you support gender equality, or you support one gender having preferential treatment over another. You cant' have both.
8. Trust women. When they teach you something, don't feel the need to go and check for yourself. And especially do not Google it in front of them.
So basically if it comes from the mouth of a woman, we're supposed to just blindly and dogmatically believe it simply because it came from a woman.
Imagine if this statement were about men. Just insert the word 'men' in the place of 'women', and I'm sure you'd see the sexism apparent there.
No, it goes without saying, that we shouldn't just patently believe everything that we're told, no matter who it comes from, men or women.
9. Don't maintain a double standard for… anything, ever.
Your previous statement LITERALLY did just that.
I honestly have no idea why this is even a thing.
If men were intentionally sending women unwanted sexual advances by doing so, then I could understand the complaint. But for the most part it's simply the way men subconsciously sit out in public. It literally means nothing to most guys. You don't have to like it, but it isn't causing any objective harm that would warrant any laws being made. Just because you personally don't like something, doesn't mean it should be illegal.
11. Trying to describe a woman positively? Say she's "talented," "clever," or "funny." Not "gorgeous," "sweet," or "cute."
How about we compliment someone based on what we want to compliment them on, and stop telling people what they can and can't say?
I mean honestly, it's a bloody compliment for crying out loud. Get a real problem.
12. Examine your language when talking about women. Get rid of "irrational," "dramatic," "bossy," and "badgering" immediately.
Once again you're acting as the word police. You apparently don't give two s**ts about the freedom of speech.
So basically, remove X amount of words that you don't like as descriptors of you. Convenient.
If you want to say that men shouldn't refer to ALL women as irrational, dramatic, etc. etc. then I'd perfectly agree, since that would be a bigoted stereotype. Although there are both men and women to which these words most definitely apply, and so apply them we should. It sounds as if yet again you're advocating special treatment for women, that they should never under any circumstance be described with these words, even if said word applies.
13. Don't think to yourself, I describe men like that too. A) You probably don't. If you do, it's to criticize them for acting like a woman.
Do you seriously not see how you just stereotyped ALL men by claiming they use such adjectives solely in conjunction to women? You seriously don't see this at all?
You're literally being sexist as hell by criticizing those you're sexist against as ALL being inherently sexist. You might as well be saying ALL white people are racist.
14. Do you love "fiery" Latina women? "Strong" Black women? "Mysterious" Asian women? Stop. Pick up a book on decolonial feminism. Read.
And now you're assuming men to be inherently racist as well. More sexism.
15. Stop calling women "feisty." We don't need a special lady word for "has an opinion."
The word 'feisty' does not apply to all women who share their opinion, or even all women in general really. Hell, I'd say there are plenty of men to which the word adequately applies. This is in no way a male-female issue.
16. Recognize women's credibility when you introduce them. "Donna is lovely" is much less useful than "Donna knows shitloads about architecture."
Both are perfectly fine compliments. Perhaps Donna's degree in architecture doesn't apply to the current conversation? Ever think of that?
I honestly don't understand why you keep criticizing compliments. They're bloody compliments. It's not like they're insults. Get over it.
17. Think about how you describe the young women in your family. Celebrate them for being funny and smart, not for being pretty and compliant.
Woah there, I've never met a single person who's celebrated a young female family member of their for being 'compliant'. No doubt there's some sleaze ball out there that probably does, but I'd say that's for the most part incredibly rare.
18. Examine the way you talk about women you're attracted to. Fat women, old women, queer, trans, and powerful women are not your "guilty crush."
In an ideal world, I suppose we would all be sexually attracted to personality traits rather than anything physical.
However strictly from a scientific standpoint, that isn't how any of us (including you) operate. If you're attracted to old, fat, queer, trans, etc. women then that's what you're attracted to. Why lie about it? Aren't you an LGBT activist who claims that sexual orientation isn't a choice? If you don't choose what you're attracted to, then why should men 'choose' to pretend otherwise?
It's not like being physically attracted to someone automatically equates to fully objectifying them and seeing them as objects not people. Are you even thinking about what you're saying here in the slightest?
19. Learn to praise a woman without demonizing other women. "You're not like other girls" is not a compliment. I want to be like other girls. Other girls are awesome.Once again, why criticize compliments? These aren't even backhanded compliments, these are all for the most part pretty benign. All that compliment is saying is essentially "You're special." That's hardly 'demonizing' other people.Besides, are you seriously saying that you want to be like ALL other girls? Because ALL other girls are awesome? Even the ones that have committed heinous crimes, or those that are deeply conservative and oppose women's rights against their own interests?Once again, you're looking at things from a completely black and white perspective of ALL women being inherently good. You're being blatantly sexist here.
20. Share writing by women. Don't paraphrase their work in your own Facebook post to show us all how smart or woke you are. I guarantee the woman said it better in the first place.
I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, and your last sentence here is so brazenly sexist it speaks for itself.
21. Buy sanitary pads and tampons and donate them to a homeless shelter. Just do it.
I would personally argue we should combat homelessness in an entirely different strategy altogether really, but that gets into another topic entirely.
22. How much of what you are watching/reading/listening to was made by women? Gender balance your bookcase.
I've enjoyed various media from various outlets over the years, and couldn't even begin to tell you all of who was or wasn't female, because that was never even an important factor to me.
I enjoy reading/watching/etc. what I enjoy, regardless of what gender produced what. The creator's genitalia is irrelevant to whatever it is I'm reading/watching.
Why should I or anyone else try and make a conscious effort to quote 'gender balance' anything media related? Isn't the ultimate goal of gender equality for the gender of a person to not even be a relevant factor in their work in the slightest? I'd say I've achieved that, and it took no conscious effort on my part.
23. Feeling proud of your balanced bookcase? Are there women of color there? Trans, queer, and disabled women? Poor women? Always make sure you're being intersectional.
Seriously, why is this even an issue? I don't go buy things so I can 'balance' my collection. I simply buy what I buy based on what I need and want. Race, sex, LGBT, rich, poor, whatever. It doesn't matter to me. I already include various viewpoints from these various areas subconsciously, but I couldn't begin to tell you how much of what I read/watch/enjoy is white and how much is black, or how much is male and how much is female. It doesn't matter! THAT'S THE POINT.
If you're out there consciously buying things based on what race or sex the person who made it is, then YOU are the one that's being racist and sexist, etc. I'm not consciously focusing on the race or sex of whatever I'm consuming, you are.
24. Don't buy media that demeans women's experiences, valorizes violence against women, or excludes them entirely from a cast. It's not enough to oppose those things. You have to actively make them unmarketable.
I can agree that we shouldn't be putting your money into something that openly supports violence against women, but pretty much everything else you mentioned is just an individual decision for each consumer. Those are hardly crimes against anyone.
25. Pay attention to stories with nuanced female characters. It will be interesting, I promise.
It sounds like you're actively out there searching for anything that might possibly be the absolute least bit bigoted towards anyone in the slightest, and if you've determined it is then it must be shut down and criticized to the inth degree. You must be the queen of SJW's.
Look, you don't have to go out of your way in seeking out racism/sexism/etc. There's plenty of it all around you. And if you encounter it, you shouldn't force them to be silent. Yes, we should passionately criticize it, absolutely. But to shut it down violates the right to freedom of speech, which is one of the lynchpins of democracy.
It speaks to such an incredibly deep level of insecurity that you would try and silence someone else's argument. It only makes it look as though you can't refute it. This is my problem with Social Justice Warriors on the left. They are the #1 most harmful group among liberals, as they are what is portrayed by conservatives as us liberals as a whole. By going after fake cries of bigotry and silencing the opposition, it only strengthens the cries of the opposition itself, and enables genuine bigots to simply claim that the other side is perpetually crying wolf.
26. If you read stories to a child, swap the genders.
Beauty and the Beast, perhaps?
Lol, in all seriousness though. That may be an interesting exercise at times, but I don't see it as a must do in all cases.
27. Watch women's sport. And just call it "sports."
I can sorta see where you're coming from here.
Although as a whole, sports mostly appeal to men, so I understand why women's sports are specifically classified as "women's".
Either way, again, minor issue.
28. Withdraw your support from sports clubs, institutions, and companies that protect and employ rapists and abusers.
FINALLY. I can completely agree with something you've said.
29. Stop raving about Woody Allen. I don't care if he ****s gold. Find a non-accused-abuser to fanboy over.
Again, I fully agree.
30. It's General Leia, not princess. The Doctor has a companion, not an assistant. It's Doctor Bartlett, not Mrs Madame First Lady.
Aaaand now we're back with the word policing...
Look, I honestly don't understand why you care. These are all perfectly relevant titles. If these women don't want to be called 'princess' or whatever, and prefer to be called 'general', that's up to them. I don't care. Neither do most people. Get over it.
31. Cast women in parts written for men. We know how to rule kingdoms, go to war, be, not be, and wait for Godot.If you're talking about anything in a historical setting, doing so would be inaccurate, as throughout the majority of human history men have maintained a more dominant role in society as kings and generals and whatnot. If you want a fantasy world or futuristic setting where women are dominant then have at it hoss. Just don't force your 'balancing' act onto historical fiction. Your inclusivity should not expand beyond the boundaries of objective fact.
32. Pay for porn.
Lol, you're fine with women being objectified by men so long as they pay for it? I honestly don't understand the logic here.
You over and over again passionately criticize men for viewing women as pretty little sex objects, and you insist upon us treating you as human beings, and then the next minute you're fine with it so long as it's paid for?
I don't care what your stance is on pornography. I'm just asking you to be consistent with your criticisms here.
33. Recognize that sex work is work. Be an advocate for and ally to sex workers without speaking for them.
You can call prostitution whatever you want, it's still prostitution. And while I support legalizing and regulating it so as to better prevent the spread of STD's, get rid of pimps and eliminate human rights abuses often associated with it, etc. I don't support prostitution any more than I support strip clubs.
I understand that this is somewhat of a debatable issue, and so presenting my personal opinion on it isn't necessarily a proper response, but I'll give it in a nutshell nonetheless.
Porn, prostitution, and strip clubs objectify women, and I think it's best for human beings overall to stick to dating and marrying each other. We should be promoting meaningful relationships, which thereby promotes healthy strong families, which promotes psychologically healthy children, etc. Just because you can legally do something, doesn't mean you necessarily should do it. It's kind of like junk food. It doesn't make you a bad person if you eat junk food (lord knows I do it when I know I shouldn't), but it isn't healthy and we shouldn't promote it. There are objectively healthier alternatives to junk food, and we should promote those alternatives all the time. What you're arguing here essentially is that we should once again, lie to ourselves and promote junk food as being equally as healthy as actual health food, and to not act like there's any sort of problem with it. There is, whether you like it or not. Calling prostitution 'sex work' is a typical marketing trick of renaming something that already has a strong negative stigma attached to it (prostitution) so as to gain greater appeal amongst people who would otherwise have no idea what you're talking about.
Anyway, those are my personal thoughts on it. The primary thing to note here is, there are various opinions regarding this topic that in no way take away the legal rights of people to engage in prostitution. In other words, you don't have to fully support 'sex work' to be in support of a woman's right to practice in that profession if she so chooses.
34. Share political hot takes from women as well as men. They might not be as widely accessible, so look for them.
Forgive me, but I honestly don't know what a 'political hot take' is and I'm not so sure I want to look it up. Somebody else reading this may very well know what you mean by that, and if they can explain then I'll just let them respond in the comments. Otherwise I'll just leave this one alone.
35. Understand that it was never "about ethics in journalism."
36. Speak less in meetings today to make space for your women colleagues to share their thoughts. If you're leading the meeting, make sure women are being heard as much as men.
Being raised by a strong, single, independent woman my whole life I can tell you from experience that when a strong woman wants to be speak up and be heard, she will be heard. This is not a male/female issue, this is a shy/assertive personality issue. Gender plays little to no role. By suggesting that it is about gender, you're being sexist again.
37. If a woman makes a good point, say, "That was a good point." Don't repeat her point and take credit for it.
WTF? Where in the hell is this coming from? Are you assuming that men do this regularly or something? God this is sexist...
38. Promote women. Their leadership styles may be different than yours. That's probably a good thing.
How about we promote those who are properly qualified and ignore gender entirely? What does having a penis or a vagina have to do with how well you can properly do your job? In most cases little to nothing.
39. Recruit women on the same salary as men. Even if they don't ask for it.
Yes, that's a no brainer.
40. Open doors for women with caring responsibilities by offering flexible employment contracts.
Okay, so now employers have to give women special treatment? What about men with caring responsibilities? Those exist too.
41. If you meet a man and a woman at work, do not assume the man is the superior for literally no reason.
We're 41 suggestions into this, and practically every one of these suggestions assume that women are superior for literally no reason.
42. If you're wrongly assumed to be more experienced than a woman colleague, correct that person and pass the platform to the woman who knows more.
Again, what does male and female have to do with any of this? How about: "If you're wrongly assumed to be more experienced than a colleague, correct that person and pass the platform to the person who knows more."
By inserting male and female into issues like this where it doesn't belong, you're being a straight-up sexist.
43. Make a round of tea for the office.
Okay. And? This is totally irrelevant.
44. Wash it up.
Sexist stereotype.
45. If you find you're only interviewing men for a role, rewrite the job listing so that it's more welcoming to women.
I'm all for having a workplace be inclusive, however we should primarily search for those who are qualified for the job regardless of whether or not they have a vagina.
46. Make sure you have women on your interview panel.
Interview the people who are relevant to the topic at hand, regardless of gender.
Once again, stop inserting male and female into issues like this where it doesn't belong. It's sexist.
47. Tell female colleagues what your salary is.
Tell male colleagues what your salary is. You could be making more by sleeping with the boss.
As you can see, I can play this game as well.
48. Make sure there's childcare at your events.So now every single event should provide childcare for you? Are women strong and empowered and able to work and be a parent all at the same time? Or are they so weak as to require assistance in parenting at every event? Are you so childish as to expect other people to constantly raise your child for you everywhere you go? My mother never had that and she was the damn greatest parent in the world. This is sheer nonsense. And yet again, there are single male parents out there too. It's nice that you keep ignoring them.
49. Don't schedule breakfast meetings during the school run.
So employers are supposed to just bend over backwards and give women all sorts of special treatment to women essentially. Women have managed getting their kids to school just fine for years. You're literally just expecting everyone (but mostly men) to cater to your every whim. Newsflash lady: the world does not revolve around you.
50. If you manage a team, make sure that your employees know that you recognize period pain and cystitis as legitimate reasons for a sick day.
I don't see where this is typically an issue. You might find a few ******* employers out there who won't, but otherwise this isn't a major issue.
51. If you have a strict boss (or mom or teacher) who is a woman, she is not a "b****." Grow up.
Substitute 'woman' with 'man', and substitute the B word with another B word that rhymes with 'plastered'.
These words apply to whoever they apply to, regardless of gender.
Your arguments are so childish and weak it's sickening.
52. Expect a woman to do the stuff that's in her job description. Not the other miscellaneous **** you don't know how to do yourself.
Seriously, this would apply to anyone. This is not a widespread issue.
Women in Saudi Arabia just recently obtained the right to drive, otherwise they basically lack all other human rights. And you're over here complaining over petty nonsensical s**t like this? YOU are the one that needs to grow up.
53. Refuse to speak on an all-male panel.
If the all-male panel is made up of qualified speakers regarding the topic at hand, why the hell shouldn't I? Sex is irrelevant.
54. In a Q&A session, only put your hand up if you have A QUESTION. Others didn't attend to listen to you.
And you're addressing this to us males? This never applies to a woman in your eyes, is that it?
55. If you have friends or family members who use slurs or discriminate against trans or non-binary people, sit them down and explain why they must stop. (This goes for cis women, too.)
It's fine to explain to people why they shouldn't discriminate, and it's also fine to ask people to respect others and be careful when using your words. But what you're doing is different. You're policing what people can and cannot say, and this is partly what gave us a Donald Trump who became so popular amongst conservatives precisely because he was insulting as all hell. It was a reactionary response to your sorry ass for silencing people's free speech.
56. If you have friends or family members who use slurs or discriminate against women of other races, sit them down and explain why they must stop. (This goes for white women, too.)
No need to repeat myself, read the above response.
57. If you see women with their hands up, put yours down. This can be taken as a metaphor for a lot of things. Think about it.
WTF??? It's clearly a metaphor I've never thought of, so I have no idea what in the world you're talking about here.
I mean honestly, how in the world could you get anymore sexist then that first sentence there? Damn...
58. Raising a feminist daughter means she's going to disagree with you. And probably be right. Feel proud, not threatened.
If by 'feminist' you mean the sexist garbage you've been spewing, then don't worry about it. I won't be raising any potential daughter of mine to be 'feminist' at all actually. Instead I'd raise her to be an egalitarian who supports gender equality thank you.
59. Teach your sons to listen to girls, give them space, believe them, and elevate them.
Again, listen to all people.
I seriously just don't get where you're getting this notion of widespread sexism from. I mean yes it exists, undoubtedly. But I don't see it nearly as prevalent as you're making it out to be.
60. Dads, buy your daughter tampons, make her hot water bottles, wash her bras. Show her that her body isn't something to be ashamed of.When dads don't want to do that, it's typically out of embarrassment and/or respect for their daughter's privacy. It has nothing to do with sexism or discrimination.
61. But dads, do not try to iron her bras. This is a mistake you will only make once.
This would actually be mildly funny if not for all the unabashed sexist bull**** you've been spewing for the past however long.
62. Examine how domestic labor is divided in your home. Who does the cleaning, the childcare, the organizing, the meal budgeting? Sons, this goes for you, too.
A typical family issue that again, has nothing really to do with gender. Why you keep inserting gender into the mix is beyond me.
63. Learn how to do domestic tasks to a high standard. "I'd only do it wrong" is a bull**** excuse.
Sexist stereotype.
64. Never again comment on how long it takes a woman to get ready. WE ARE TRYING TO MEET THE RIDICULOUS STANDARDS OF A SYSTEM YOU BENEFIT FROM.
I'll admit that it's unfair for women to be expected to take care of themselves to such a higher degree than we do for men. That's more of a societal issue however as a whole. If you don't think other women will judge fellow women on their looks, think again. Try landing a job from a female employer with make-up and whatever else versus without. I'd say the same standard would apply.
65. Challenge the patriarchs in your religious group when they enable the oppression of women.
66. Challenge the patriarchs in your secular movement when they enable the oppression of women.
Having said that, I feel that by 'the oppression of women', what you really mean is this nonsense you've been spewing above and calling that 'oppression'.
Let me remind you, there are women in Saudi Arabia who just recently obtained the right to drive cars. Most other rights of theirs are stripped away. This kind of s**t still happens all over the world in various countries.
Name me one single right that men have that women don't have here in America. Just one. Yes, I know. The gender pay gap argument, which is highly debatable actually. And regardless, sexism in the workplace does not equate to your literal rights being lesser than another's.
You are whining and moaning about the 'oppression of women' for 66 out of a 100 points, and not one of them so far has mentioned the oppression of women in the middle east or India. Literally every one of your complaints are so mind-numbingly petty (and flat-out fabricated) that it's outright laughable if not for the fact that this garbage was published in typically well-respected news journal.
You are literally living in one of the few places on Earth where women have absolute 100% equal rights to men, and you have the audacity to b**** and moan about being 'oppressed'? You're an utter disgrace for a 'human rights advocate'.
67. Trust women's religious choices. Don't pretend to liberate them just so you can criticise their beliefs.
First of all, for the billionth time, what does sex have to do with this?
Second, criticizing religious beliefs is perfectly legitimate to anyone open to discussing the topic. Free speech society and whatnot.
Third, do you even know how many religious teachings are absolutely abhorrent when it comes to women's issues?
68. Examine who books your trips, arranges outings, organizes Christmas, buys birthday cards. Is it a woman? IS IT?
I would say that typically for most people it probably is. And? Your point?
69. And if it is actually you, a man, don't even dare get in touch with me looking for your medal.
So if it's a woman doing so, then you complain and say that it should be the man doing it (I assume that's what you mean, since you didn't really clarify), but then when the man does do it he shouldn't dare be thanked or praised for doing it?
I seriously don't know how people like you fail to see how sexist this s**t really is...
70. Take stock of the emotional labor you expect from women. Do you turn to the women around you for emotional support and give nothing in return?
Well if you're going to treat men like this, I'm not surprised why someone might not want to open up to you.
71. Remember that loving your mom/sister/girlfriend is not the same as giving up your own privilege to progress equality for women. And that gender inequality extends beyond the women in your direct social group.
Focus on helping people besides your family and friends. Got it.
72. Don't assume that all women are attracted to men.Don't assume that all men are and do pretty much all of the things you've assumed thus far.
73. Don't assume that a woman in public wants to talk to you just because she's in public.
WOW. Seriously? Don't even frickin' start a friendly conversation with a woman out in public if you happen to be male? Seriously!?
And you honestly want to complain about men not reciprocating to you enough emotional support, while you're unwilling to even be friendly to a frickin' stranger? REALLY?
Jeez Louise, this is some serious hardcore sexism right there. Imagine if that were said about not talking to a black man. I mean, damn...
74. If a woman tells you she was raped, assaulted, or abused, don't ask her for proof. Ask how you can support her.
Even a broken clock's right twice a day.
Once again, I fully agree with you here.
75. If you see a friend or colleague being inappropriate to a woman, call him out. You will survive the awkwardness, I promise.
Ding ding ding, did it again.
Although I will say that your idea of 'inappropriate' is apparently vastly different from the average person's though.
76. Repeat after me: Always. Hold. Men. Accountable. For. Their. Actions.
Repeat after me: Always. Hold. EVERYONE. Accountable. For. Their. Actions.
77. Do not walk too close to a woman late at night. That **** can be scary.
Dear mother of God... Imagine if that were said about a black guy. How racist would that be?
78. If you see a woman being followed or otherwise bothered by a stranger, stick around to make sure she's safe.
Wait wait wait, hold up... You literally just said to stay away from you at night. Now you're telling us to stick around? Which is it?
79. This should go without saying: Do not yell unsolicited "compliments" at women on the street. Or anywhere.
Again with the compliments. What's with this? What is so damn harmful about a freakin' compliment?
80. If you are a queer man, recognize that your sexuality doesn't exclude you from potential misogyny.
That's true.
81. If you are a queer man, recognize that your queer women or non-binary friends may not feel comfortable in a male-dominated space, even if it's dominated by queer men.
That's sexist.
Imagine if you said that "we're just not comfortable being in a gay-dominated space." You'd be a straight-up homophobe.
Like seriously, do you think this stuff out at all?
82. Be happy to have women friends without needing them to want to sleep with you. The "friend zone" is not a thing. We do not owe you sex.
The "friend zone" is a thing, and it has nothing to do with the expectation of someone 'owing us sex'.
Who in the hell said that men think women 'owe us sex'? Sure, some douchebag out there probably thinks that, but most don't for sure. That's utter nonsense, and just more of your sexist bull****.
And btw, I am very happy with my female friends. Literally my BFF is female, and she and I have never even thought of sex in any sort of way towards each other in the slightest. I mean that with absolute honesty.
I mean my god, this is so beyond ridiculous.
83. Remember that you can lack consent in situations not involving sex—such as when pursuing uninterested women or forcing a hug on a colleague.
Absolutely true.
However don't draw a false equivalency between lacking consent in some areas with outright rape.
Lord knows, if you don't even want men to strike up a conversation with you in public, no telling what kind of hair-brained nonsense you might be accusing some innocent guy of.
84. Champion sex positive women but don't expect them to have sex with you.
Here, just for you:
Basically what you're saying is, it's okay to get paid to do porn or prostitution, or anything sex-related that benefits you; but if it benefits men then they can quite literally F off. Uh-huh, yeah...
Don't worry lady, I'm sure most men wouldn't want you with that attitude anyway.
85. Trust a woman to know her own body. If she says she won't enjoy part of your sexual repertoire, do not try to convince her otherwise.Fair enough.
86. Be sensitive to nonverbal cues from women, especially around sex. We're not just being awkward for no reason. (You read "Cat Person," didn't you?)
So basically you expect us to read your minds regarding an issue of consent that we could literally could go to jail for. Are you effing serious right now...
87. It is not cute to try to persuade a woman to have sex with you. EVER. AT ALL. Go home.
Really? EVER??? So basically you want mankind to go frickin' extinct, because we're never ever ever supposed to try to have sex with you, EVER.
It's a good thing you don't speak for most women (even though I'm sure in your deluded mind you think you do), but I wouldn't worry about it lady. You're keeping us all away from you perfectly fine on your own.
88. Same goes for pressuring women to have sex without a condom. Go. Home. And m********e.
This is so crude, petty, and childish that I won't even dignify this with a response.
89. Accidentally impregnated a women who doesn't want a kid? Abortions cost money. Pay for half of it.
Woah there, what the hell happened to "Its' my body and I can do what I want with it."? Isn't that one of the main arguments of pro-choice? Why should the guy by forced to pay half of your medical expenses? And don't pull the whole "he caused it" argument, that's not how medical expenses work (apart from a lawsuit anyway). This isn't a car crash and you aren't a car.
90. Accidentally came inside a woman without protection? Plan B is expensive. Pay for all of it.
So now we pay for all of your medical expenses. Brilliant.
Which btw, I love how you keep painting this as if it's always the guy's fault that you get pregnant. That's rich.
91. Get STD tested. Regularly. Without having to be asked.
Not against that. Although it's also fair to say, that this wouldn't be that much of an issue if you simply maintain a healthy relationship with someone rather than hooking up every other night, but to each their own.
92. Examine your opinion on abortion. Then put it in a box. Because, honestly, it's completely irrelevant.
Because y'know, literally any issue that doesn't affect you personally, you should have absolutely no opinion of, and if you do it's completely irrelevant.
Now what was that about respecting LGBT people, and people of other races again that you were talking down to us about earlier? I doubt you fit literally every category of the LGBT spectrum and are a part of every single race on planet Earth. You should put all those opinions in a box, because it's completely irrelevant since it doesn't affect you.
93. Understand that disabled women are whole, sexual human beings. Listen to and respect them.
Put that opinion of yours in a box, cause again, I doubt you're disabled and so it doesn't affect you.
94. Understand that not all women have periods or vaginas.
...You're literally just repeating point #3...
95. Believe women's pain. Periods hurt. Endometriosis is real. Polycystic ovaries, vaginal pain, cystitis. These things are real. Hysteria isn't.
And who the hell says they aren't?
Might as well be saying "Cancer is real, heart failure, leprosy, it's all really real!"
Well naw duh. No one's debating saying it isn't. (except some crackpot faith healer maybe, idk)
96. If a woman accidentally bleeds on you, try your absolute best to just keep your **** together.
Again, this is so damn childish that I wont' even dignify this with a response.
97. Lobby your elected officials to implement high quality sex education in schools.
If sex education includes the bull**** you've been spouting off, then count me out.
98. Uplift young Black and Indigenous girls at every possible opportunity. No excuses.
Put that opinion in a box, it's irrelevant to you.
99. Do not ever assume you know what it's like.
100. Mainly, just listen to women. Listen to us and believe us. It's the only place to start if you actually want all women to have a "Happy International Women's Day."
I've listened to about enough of this crap. Thank God this is the final point of yours.
Last thing I want to say in response to this: Do not assume you speak for all women.
I'm incredibly grateful that the majority of women do not believe in or support this crap that you've been spewing about "women's rights" and "the oppression of women". You are clearly and open and unapologetic sexist man-hater, who likes to pretend that she's fighting for women's rights and equality when she's not.
I felt it a duty to oppose you here, not just for the sake of all the innocent men you pathetically attempted to steam roll with this hate-filled article, but also for the sake of all the decent hard working and intelligent women who fight for genuine equality on a regular basis, and who have unfortunately been mischaracterized by such a sexist amateur faker like yourself.
- Are there genuine male misogynists out there who need to be called out still today? Absolutely.
- Are there issues that women are more likely to face out there in the world then men (such as sexual assault in the workplace, etc.)? Absolutely.
- Do your suggestions address any of that? Unfortunately, not in the slightest.
All they do is demean, stereotype, and criticize men for the most part literal non-issues.
You're a sexist against men, plain and simple; and you have no business being a part of any movement that seeks to promote gender equality. I pity you. And I'm disgusted that you are more often then not the example of what many conservatives see when they look to political activists on the left. You give us a bad name, and you fuel genuine sexism against women on the right by your cries faux sexism giving real sexists an excuse to claim that the left is just 'crying wolf' when we call them out on their genuine sexism and bigotry. You hurt the cause, not help it. You are not a part of the gender equality movement, and I will not support you, nor anyone like you on the left who pretend to care about sexism is bigotry.
And with that ladies and gentlemen, I bid you adieu...
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The First Annual "Spamentine Days Festival (and Car Wash)" was recently held at the World Famous Institute of Epicurean Delight, and City Dump. This report has been delayed by several factors, including the unfortunate fact that UM has a new policy of asking for contractor bids for planning and running social events. The winning contractor for this highly anticipated (by someone I'm sure) event was $5.15 made by UM's very own "Comatose Reaction And Procrastination" (CRAP) Club. No one on the selection committee noticed that the CRAP Club's bid was actually for an afternoon tea that had been scheduled for February 24th 1923 – and they had just gotten around to submitting it. After being notified of their winning bid, the club sprang into uncharacteristic activity and was able to stage the event only two weeks late (or 95 years late depending on how you look at it). ((Okay, Okay… The truth is I'm just lazy))
At first there was great concern that with such a low budget they would not be able to supply the required amount of food (Spam) and beverages, however, they soon found that many people were actually willing to pay them to take the Spam off of their hands…. In no time the event staff found themselves richer by $10,000 and the proud possessors of 150,000 metric tons of Spam.
Working in close(ish) conjunction with the Grumpy Old Coot and Cootess League, the Banquet hall was decorated in a stunning display of empty Spam cans, old pill bottles and crepe paper Penguins (no one knows why). The massive mound of malodorous meat was sliced, diced, chopped and torn into semi-convenient bite sized (ish) bits and placed on crackers that had been donated by the UM Ancient Cracker and Fungus Collectors Club. The many casks, barrels, bottles and flagons of beverages made from liquefied Spam were rolled in and set up alongside the snack tables. The Floggers Guild volunteered many of its members to act as servers (and to ensure that everyone consumed their fair share of the bilious bounty).
As the teeming crowds were let in to enjoy the festivities (herded by cattle prod bearing Floggers) they were greeted by the loud, festive sounds of UM's premier band "The Noggin' Knockers". As the evening progressed the partiers danced to classic songs like "Stairway to Spam", "Long Cool Woman in a Spam Dress", "Spam on the Water" and "Spamstruck"… The dancing and gorging on Spam d'oeuvres continued on into the evening, and as each partier left they were given a parting gift of a full metric ton of (opened) spam. (Attendance was not mandatory, but roll was taken – and those not in attendance will be given three metric tons of Spam as punishment)
As a side note, the various UM cafeteria's, snack bars and eateries that dot the vast sprawling UM complex will be serving many different variations of Spam for the next few coming months… So put your bib on, grab a fork and dig in! (It's the only way we'll get rid of this stuff).
For a first Annual event, The Spam Fest attendees produced and wore some spectacular party garments… While no prizes were given, everyone was highly impressed with the creative usage of that weird rubbery gel like stuff that they pack the spam into the cans with… Good work Ladies (and gents)!...
Prior to the start of the party, the UM Grumpy Old Coot and Cootess League ran a car wash for the attendees. While there are few automobiles in the Great UM Complex, there are a large number of tricycles (including some very sporty racing ones left over from last years Annual UM Tricycle Race, Demolition Derby and Chili Cook-off) and a veritable plethora of war surplus Assault Pogo-Sticks that most UM Complex citizens use to get around (rather than rely on Public Transportation provided by the Galapagos Turtle Taxi Company)… For the low price of $1 these lucky people were treated to the memorable sight of a bunch of geriatric geezers and geezettes lurching around wearing risqué swimsuits (well… risqué by 1890's standards anyway)
and almost sorta scrubbing their rides clean(ish) kinda…. While the many tricycles were
lovingly affectionately kindlygrudgingly hand soaped and scrubbed clean(ish), the pogo-stick pilots were routed through a much quicker "Automatic" wash system… They would pogo-bounce through a series of sunken tubs filled with soapy, (mostly) clean(ish) hot warmtepid water. The pogoers were thus happy to discover that for a single $1, they could not only get their "ride" cleaned, but also their clothes washed AND take their weekly bath – all at the same time!
But the real surprise at the car wash was when the Infamous Renegade Beer Balloon Fleet appeared, and demanded that their war surplus zeppelins get a thorough cleaning… for $1 each!... As the Renegade zeppelin crews sat and reclined about guzzling beer and snacking on the mounds of free spam snacks, the (by now VERY grumpy) old coots and cootesses did their best to scrub down the 420 foot long (128 meters) 38 feet in diameter gas bags that were (still are for that matter) heavily stained with spilled beer and nacho cheese dip. Eventually all 27 Zeppelins were (more or less) scrubbed down and the tipsy crews boarded their air craft and sailed off over the Creepy Old Forest bombarding those below them with empty beer bottles, empty (sometimes full) spam cans and loudly blaring heavy metal polka music…
As he gathered up the piles of cash that the car wash brought in, Gustav "Grumpy Gus" Crabapple – the head wash attendant, reported that all proceeds would go to Charity (Charity Laflamme is a rather popular "exotic dancer" at one of UM's "more colorful" nightspots).
The event was largely considered a great success, and many happy couples rekindled the fires of romance at this festival... After all, nothing says "I love you" like a can of Spam!
Feel free to post your comments on your participation at either of these two events, and also to post pics of your costumes! And if you are a member of the Renegade Beer Balloon Fleet, you stiffed us the twenty seven bucks you owe us!
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Hey guys. I decided to write a short story. I try not to go to long without writing something, so I don't lose it. This was done kinda quickly, and is unedited for the most part, but I thought it was ok. Let me know what you think. I haven't titled it yet.
It was a mid January night in the winter of '94. The moonlight reflected off our billowing breath from the deep cold and cast our long shadows on the railroad tracks as we walked to our small ice skating pond that was a stone's throw from the Hudson River.
We would both be graduating high school at the end of this year, and not knowing where either of us would be, or what we would end up doing in the fast approaching new phase of our lives, we decided to take advantage of one last midnight skate. Before the first winter storm of the year that was coming the next day ruined the ice.
"Jay the ice is perfect" Matt said as we stepped off the tracks and down the rocky embankment to the frozen ice below. The ice almost seemed to glow in the glimmering moonlight and brightly lit the surrounding trees. The stars shined through the still air as we quickly took off our boots and put on our hockey skates.
Neither of us said a word as we got up to begin our last of many nights over the last 5 years skating on this forsaken little pond. Just a quick glance towards each other told the story of how we would both miss these nights, and how grateful we were that the last night here was as perfect as it could possibly be.
I was saddened at the thought that there would be no one to come visit this place after we were gone, but I quickly shook that feeling as I exploded across the ice. "Wait for me" Matt yelled out as he tied his last skate.
The sound of our skates gliding across the ice almost sounded like rolling thunder. We began to shed layers of clothes as our body temperatures climbed. Even in this cold night air.
I was skating the edge of the pond along side the thick brush going about as fast as I could go, when I noticed something strange stuck in side a bush I had just past. Ice shredded under my skates as I quickly came to a full stop. Matt wasn't as good at stopping as I was, and he nearly knocked me right over as he slammed into me from behind.
"What did you stop for?" Matt asked me curiously, as he struggled to keep his balance. I told him that I had seen something in one of the bushes, as I back tracked to find the mystery object. It only took a few seconds to find it. We both looked at each other puzzled as I pulled a small pink winter hat out of the thorny brush.
"I wonder who that belongs to" Matt said. We both stood there puzzled as we examined the pink hat. It is a difficult walk for two strong teenage boys to get here in the winter. Who ever this hat belonged to certainly couldn't have made it this far on their own.
As we stood there pondering, Matt shrugged his shoulders as if to say he gave up trying to solve the mystery, and he began to take off across the ice again.
Not anywhere near as satisfied as Matt was trying to solve this mystery I began to inspect the pink hat much more closely. On the back side of the hat the name Becky was stitched into the cloth. A cold shiver ran down my spine when I turned the hat inside out to reveal what looked like a large blood stain.
Keeping my focus on the stain, I yelled out to Matt to come back. I could hear his skates begin to dig into the ice as he tried to come to a stop. Then I heard a loud thud.
I quickly turned to see Matt laid out face first in the middle of the pond. He never did quite get the hang of stopping quickly, and like had happened before I figured his feet must have come out from underneath him as he dug his blades into the ice. The last time this happened we ended up in a emergency room. 12 stitches later he was as good as new.
I dropped the hat and skated over to him as quickly as I could. Face down he laid there motionless. At his side I dropped to my knees and began to try and wake him up. I started nudging him, lightly at first, but when I got no response I began to nudge him harder. I could see his breath like a pausing smoke stack, so I knew he was still alive. I thanked God for that much.
"Matt" I yelled frantically, "wake up". Again no response. He was out cold. So I grabbed one arm and one leg, and started to roll him over onto his back. Wondering to myself how I was going to get him all the way home if he didn't come to. Knowing no way could I leave him there even to get help. He'd freeze to death before I could get back to him.
I nearly had him flipped over when suddenly for one moment I felt a cold tingling blast, almost like electricity going right into my back, then right through my chest. I looked down at Matt now lying face up when his eyes instantly opened wide.
For one moment I felt a sense of relief that he had woken up. That feeling left me quickly when I realized that his large eye's had become as white as the snow surrounding the pond. Horrified I tried to stand up. Never taking my eyes off his evil looking stare. That's when Matt reached over and grabbed my arm.
As soon as he grabbed me that same electric like feeling I had just felt blow through me was now coursing through my entire body. Like every cell in me began to hold a high frequency pitch. I tried to pull away, but there was no use. He had me in a death grip, and my senses were being overridden by this terrifying vibration.
My mind had begun to get very cloudy. It felt as though I was beginning to lose consciousness. I closed my eyes and fell onto the ice.
The next thing I knew I could see a bright light behind my eyelids. The cold breeze that had redend our cheeks and nose went completely away. I could no longer feel the cold at all. I opened my eyes and for a moment I was blinded by what looked like the midday sun.
It was the middle of the day. Light beams from the sun were glistening off ice sickles hanging off the tree's. The white snow magnified the sunlight all around nearly blinding me for a moment. I looked to my side to see Matt standing there looking as confused as I felt. Before either of us could say a word, we heard what sounded like someone coming down off the railroad tracks and on to the frozen pond.
A large man in a thick winter coat came down the hill. He was slowly stepping onto the ice, as though he wasn't sure it could hold his weight. He took a few small steps, and bounced up and down slightly to make sure. Then he turned around and yelled out "it's safe Rebecca, come on down".
A little girl around 7 maybe 8 years old with ice skates hanging around her neck began to make her way down the hill. She nearly stumbled down, then she decided to sit down and slide on her butt the rest of the way. As she put her skates on the man was making his way towards us.
He was looking at the ground has he came near. I said out loud to him, "hello", but he never even looked up. It was as though he completely ignored me. He was heading directly towards us. When I noticed he was going to walk right into us. I tried to move aside, but it was too late.
That's when he walked right through me. As he did, I felt a darkness like cold chills running up and down my spine. The kind of feeling you get when the hairs on the back of your neck stand in attention. I began to question if I was going crazy. There is no way to rationally explain what was happening, yet there I was living it, breathing it. We had become like ghosts, unable to be heard or touched. I turned to Mat and asked if this was a dream. He said to me "I don't think so" with a look of panic on his face.
Just then the little girl began to skate across the pond. "Look at me Uncle Toni" she yelled out as she awkwardly stumbled one foot in front of the other. "That's great Becky" he yelled back to her.
Becky? I thought to myself. Where I have I heard that name recently? An ice cold chill ran down my spine, as she skated past me. I saw her little pink hat with the name Becky stitched on the front, and instantly my heart sank into my chest.
Frantically I yelled out to her, but she couldn't hear me at all. In desperation both me and Mat began to follow her towards the brush at the other end of the pond. I felt as helpless as I knew Becky was right then. Knowing there was nothing I could do but watch whatever horror that was about to play out in front of us.
As she approached the man I could see he was taking something out of his coat pocket. It was a short metal pipe. I stood frozen in silence as I heard Mat scream NO, as the man raised the pipe high in the air. Before I could see what happened I suddenly became very dizzy and lightheaded. I could see the twisted evil look on the mans face. It was as if for one moment time had completely stood still. Then everything went black.
"Jay wake up" I could hear someone yelling at me. My eyes were closed but I could see through my eyelids that it had become dark again. I felt the cold wind hit me in the face as I opened my eyes to see Mat sitting by side shaking me.
"Alright" I said "stop shaking me". We then both just looked at each other for what seemed like forever. "Did you see", Before I could get the sentence out he abruptly said "Yes, I saw it too". We sat in silence again. I turned to look across the pond to see Becky's little pink hat still sitting on the ice where I had dropped it.
"Let's get the hell out of here" Mat said as he turned towards his boots sitting on the edge of the ice. He reached down to help me to my feet. We just looked at each other again, unable to process what had just happened. We were just about to leave when suddenly we heard a small voice call out from the bush across the pond.
My heart dropped to my stomach. There in the brush just a little ways beyond the ice stood a little girl in a pink hat. I could see lines of blood that had run down her face. There were stains of mud and blood all over her.
We both began to race towards her. I know that sounds crazy but we both had the overwhelming feeling that she needed our help. I don't know how, but we both knew she didn't mean us any harm. I shredded ice to stop as I reached the end of the pond. Mat slammed into me, again. She was no more than 10 feet in front of us.
"I'm here" said as she looked and pointed to the ground right in front of her. Then like smoke she faded away in the cold winter breeze.
After long consideration we decided a unanimous call to the police would be the best course of action. Neither one of us ever told anyone what had happened. We both felt a sense of peace as we read in the local paper how they had found Becky's body. We also felt a sense of justice reading about how "Uncle Toni" was arrested for her murder. I got chills the first time I saw his picture on the front page.
Over the next few years me and Mat would visit her grave site at Hilltop Cemetery, just down the road from where went to high school. Turns out neither of us moved far from where we grew up. And we still get in the occasional midnight skate.
We never did see or hear from Becky again. Accept from time to time in a dream.
Thanks for taking the time folks.
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Many people think that reports of unrecognized flying objects are received from the United States only. Some such messages are considered to be fairy-tales, others legist stories about aliens from a outer-space visiting us. UFO's in Europe have been reported since the middle of the last century.
1942 - Europe - FooFighters
August 1948. The whole Europe has laughed at a number of statements about aliens allegedly visiting the United States. However, on August 16, one Austrian newspaper published the article "The First Flying Disc Performances in Central Europe". The inhabitants of the small Miolvirtel town near Czech border noticed flying saucers flying at an extremely high speed and returning to their place of origin. Shortly afterwards rumors about flying objects appeared elsewhere. It was the start of a boom for European flying saucers.
Few people knew, that the UFO's have been noticed already before in Europe, but did not receive such attention. Testimonies of UFO's were described in local newspapers, mostly in Germany, France and Italy.
In November 1947, one Istanbul newspaper published witnesses testimonies about flying saucers flying over the Soviet Union and the Turkish border. The newspaper also published an opinion that perhaps Soviet scientists are experimenting with rockets driven by cosmic rays.
In March 1948, seven UFOs were observed in northern Italy. The Rome newspaper published witnesses stories about objects flying at high altitudes at extremely high speeds and producing low sounds
In August 29, 1948, newspapers across Europe wrote about strange sightings near Munich (Germany): Five air force US pilots were watching a strange silver object, similar to the so-called flying saucer hovering over the Neubiberg Air Base in Bavaria. The object was floating about 30 minutes above the air base after at a great speed, before the pilots eyes it disappeared. A similar object were seen by others American pilots a few days ago aswell.
This message knocked out astronomers and scientists. They said that this could be a secret Russian apparatus or other planet population spaceships. Some scholars have said that this is a US work.In November 1948, Denmark newspapers wrote that unidentified flying objects had been spotted in Skagen. They were described as rockets that flew over Skagen at high altitude and disappeared in the north. One Danish Coast Guard officer saw a disk-shaped object flying at a height of several kilometers. With binoculars he saw another "shining like silver and flying in the opposite direction" object. The number of witnesses does not allow this event to calle fairy-tale.
The French magazine discovered a 500 year old manuscript telling about the UFO's: in the Christmas eve night the object "size like half a moon", was visible for almost a quarter of an hour. He made a few maneuvers, and then disappeared from the glare. "
In October 1949 , Copenhagen's inhabitants also had the opportunity to see "flying fire balls" in and around the city. Fireballs were also seen on the Bornholm Island of the Baltic Sea. Similar UFO's were seen in Sweden, just a week earlier.
Until the 1950's, reports of flying saucers were interesting to humans just a little bit more than usual news. Most UFO's were recorded in 1950-51 years. Hundreds of reports have appeared in Belgium, Germany, Sicily, Austria, Libya and Portugal. Surprisingly, the American news service was silent about those events. For example, postman Jozef Brem of Kiocling in Germany, reported having seen a strange object in sky. Brem described it as a yellow silver disc, similar to an inverted plate and surrounded by a light ring. The object was visible for more than a minute, and then flew southwest.
A few dozen Brussels shopping center workers flooded the police station, telling they saw a flying saucer over their market.
The Coast Guard team on the Portuguese coast has noticed a dozen strange objects flying "faster than gunfire".
All the inhabitants of Sicilian island (Italy) saw a disc-shaped object flying over the village Caltagirone. Flying machine made several arcs around the area, then disappeared in the southeast.
Two policemen from Vienna reported UFO moving towards the Czech border. The policemen saw the object about half a minute.
It was hard for the Europeans to believe their eyes. Every morning in the newspapers, they read about new and new flying objects from Spain to the Soviet Union. During this period, most of the UFO's were reported in Denmark and Italy. More and more scientists have come up with the idea that UFO's are US or Russian flying machines. Others agreed with the American "expert" theories that it was just ionized clouds, mirages, meteorites, or mass hysteria. Many European scholars supported the theory of extraterrestrial life. Everyone had own opinion and "theory" of flying saucers. Of course, some went too far saying that they were "keepers of the sky" or even found a biblical explanation "And then there will be signs in sky". In France, 20 UFO's reports per day were recorded for three consecutive days.
1950 article included an illustration of Rudolf Schriever's alleged disc design
In January 1952, an American meteorite expert, reported on green fire balls, which were probably not meteorites, but rocket missiles operated by the Soviet Union. The story was published in the "Look" magazine and argued that the UFO's are "human handmade, probably made by the Soviets". Then a professor of Prague University came with the statement that he himself had created a disk-shaped flying machine before the Word War II. Professor Rudolf Schriever said that his work drawings were stolen, and when he gave the duplicates to the University of Prague, they managed somehow to get into Soviet Union hands.
At the beginning of 1954, a Swedish pilot noticed a strange metal disk flying in supersonic speed in southern Sweden near Russian rocket bases. A few days later, the Moscow Radio announced that Russia was not associated with the UFO. Flying saucers were called "propaganda aimed at provoking neighboring states."
In March 26, 1954, a report on the UFO was received at the NATO Air Base in Germany. The F-86 supersonic aircraft tried to catch the object, but they did not succeed. Air forces did not give any conclusions.
In April 28, 1948, in a secret US Department of Defense document, written: "Sometimes, objects in a saucer (plate) form are noticeable at high speeds and changing direction. This suggests that they are controlled by thoughtful creatures or controlled by radio waves. The speed of these devices exceeds the known standards. The apparatus flies without any sound. By calculating their size using special instruments, we can say that the diameter of the disc reaches from 25 to 40 meters". If this document was based on facts, then an official statement issued after a month by the air force, that there are no flying objects and it can be considered as a trick.
Whichever side you support, you should admit that so many testimonies of witnesses can not be considered to be full falsity. Thousands of people around the world say they have seen the UFO with their eyes and do not accept the explanation that it is reflections in the sky or incorrect interpretation of the usual objects. More recently, the US Air Force has announced that 20 percent of American reports of UFO's can not be explained. But what about many thousands of Europeans who also saw unexplained phenomena in the sky? How many percent are unexplained and who will examine them? Maybe what's now considered by ufologists the greatest secret ever, one day gonna be investigated? Maybe not?..
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This is a highly anticipated time every year... the swans are home.
The sun has been lighting the early morning increasingly for a few weeks now.. the sun starting to feel warm again, the earliest of bulbs and blooms popping. Little birds showing up at the rosebud tree where they know I will be hanging out feeders soon to start watching the early color show.
But it's really the true herald of spring is truly come when the swans are home. We have an island in our pond that has hosted a mated pair since well before I lived here. When it's still chill a pair come back and start swimming again... but there is the one day that for the first time I see Mr. Swan escort Mrs. Swan into the foldback of the reeds and cattails where they have their yearly nest... and Mr. Swan starts patrolling the waters. This means the waters are going to be warm enough to grow the plants they like.
It is a much more reliable way of knowing that winter is finally over and spring is coming on than any ole shadow-scardey and shy groundhog.
And the swans are excellent guardians- they keep all the nasty geese flocks off the property
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Yesterday I set a new personal record for hiking while on a working overnight in Burbank, CA. As soon as I arrived at the hotel, I packed my small REI backpack with two liters of water, some salted- and honey-roasted peanuts, and two flashlights (just in case I got hurt and had to signal for help after dark).
I set out hiking into the Verdugo Mountains, with my sights set on the Radio Towers at the peak: 6.5 miles up, and 6.5 miles down.
I stopped at the Nature Center in Stough Canyon to borrow a hiking stick. It's a good thing I did, because in that last half-mile struggle to reach the top, I was using both hands to propel myself forward like those gondolier guys in Italy.
It was tough going, but it was worth it for the view: downtown Los Angeles to the west, Interstate 5 winding through the mountains to the east, and dozens of amazingly huge crows circling above me in the deep-blue skies and chasing one another, soaring and spinning, chattering and cawing. I wonder if they know they have an audience, and they put on a show for whoever's watching? If I had a lawnchair, I could sit for hours and watch their aerial antics.
Hiking back down the steep mountain switchbacks was painful: my right knee and my left hip were screaming in pain from the unnatural angles and the extra torque of slamming my feet into the hillside. I was walking slowly, wincing in pain, swinging my right leg like a pirate with a pegleg.
Thankfully, I made it back to the hotel safely, looking only a little bit like The Walking Dead, and I got to my room and dined on a peanut butter & jelly sandwich and some applesauce. After my 13-mile hike, it was a meal fit for a King.
Today, of course, I was popping aspirins like they were jelly beans, but you know, all things considered, I think I did okay for an old dinosaur.
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The fact that hauntings can never be disputed as proven by the amount of evidence available by those having captured it has been hotly debated for many years between believers and skeptics alike. And even when all conditions had been exhausted regarding all the hows something might have existed is it found that often there will always be those who will just never chose to believe! Which is why you never go out of your way to prove something of which you may know to be real but that those who had not been there to experience it may align with that fact to both ridicule and bury you and your efforts. In essence, you state your case, provide your evidence, remain firm in your conviction, and move on to your next moment of acquisition.
This particular photo was captured during a rather hot day and coinciding with what had been a Class X solar event!
Not sure if that made any difference as to how this rather startling apparition had appeared for my camera but then it would always be wise to perhaps consider it so.
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This honestly scared me so much
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I promised in my last entry in this series I was gonna make this a weekly series, post once every Sunday at least. I also promised that this blog series was the beginning of making several life changes. That was over 3 months ago. I promised a lot of things, and obviously failed on all of them. I'm actually laughing right now at the absurdity of it all. However, it's a new year, and I promised myself I wasn't gonna let another year go by without addressing these issues. New year, new resolutions. I let another week go by here in the beginning, but no more.
So yeah. Don't really have a plan yet as to how Imma tackle these main issues this year, however I am announcing that I'll be starting at it again and sticking with it to the end. Not much more to add here, just thought I'd make it official.
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Every year at this time we are invaded by wild birds that fly south for the winter. We really enjoy watching them at our feeder.
Mrs ZZ took these:
The American Goldenfinch arrive all the way from Michigan.
Tufted Titmouse with sunflower seed.
Birds of a feather living in harmony.
Female Cardinals, along with their mates are very popular visitors.
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Three Heart Echo by Keary Taylor ended up on my reading list by yet another mislabeling on NetGalley, I must admit. As seen in the title image above, the book is a paranormal suspense. If you've read my blog for any length of time, you'll no doubt guess that I grabbed it from the horror genre titles. Fortunately, after revisiting its cover I can at least say that its actual genre is the right one. While Three Heart Echo does have some elements of horror, it reads more like a paranormal-themed Lifetime movie.
Taking place soon after the death of Jack Caraway, Three Heart Echo tells the story of two vastly different people meeting and, you guessed it, falling in love. It's not that simple though, and several of the more twisted things that one might expect from a horror novel surface throughout the plot. Iona Faye, a frail woman mourning the death of her fiance, seeks out Sully Whitmore, a man rumored to be able to speak to the dead. Together, the two unravel the darkness of Jack's past while racing against time to unravel not one, but two curses.
Overall, the story itself is engaging to a degree, but it definitely wasn't my style. I think it belongs more in the paranormal romance genre than it does horror.
Rating: 2/5 Skulls
Read the full review on The Ghastly Grimoire
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I sure don't have a lot to show for all my time here. I do come here almost everyday but I just don't not sign in. Don't even remember 2004. Four years before Obama came to power. So I will try to blog more. Also post in the forums. This is a good site , I do like it here. See you soon. cliff
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Antarctica Secrets includes US Navy footage from Admiral Byrd's South Pacific Expedition , reveals the impenetrable wall of ice they encountered, discusses Operation Highjump and looks at the recent mysterious events that have taken place in Antarctica. Just what is this "land of everlasting mystery" as Admiral Byrd liked to call it, hiding?
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Having established that the mind can play a role in how we interpret paranormal events or experiences, we are going to consider this theory further. I'm not saying that the tricks our mind can play on us are explanations for all paranormal experiences, because it's not. We are going to be speaking to a parapsychologist and focus on the work done by the Koestler Parapsychology Unit.
I linked a survey at the end of the article Paranormal: Power of the Mind, to get people opinion on what they thought of the idea that the mind could play tricks on us, when it comes to paranormal experiences.
One survey respondent, said: "I think the mind, especially an over active or emotional mind does have the ability to make you think you may have experienced something. However, in believing in the paranormal it is important to remember there does not need to be an answer for everything and sometimes there are no answers."
Dr. Caroline Watt founding member of KPU, The University of Edinburgh[/caption]
Dr. Caroline Watt, founding member of Koestler Parapsychology Unit (KPU), based in the Psychology Department at The University of Edinburgh, said: "I got interested in parapsychology because, as a psychology graduate, I was aware that paranormal beliefs and experiences are quite common, and I wanted to find out what lay behind these experiences."I decided to study parapsychology because I thought it would be interesting - and I was right!"
Reports of paranormal experiences have long been reported, including, near-death experiences, dream precognition and hauntings. Research conducted by KPU examines the causes and impacts of these experiences. KPU focused on four aspects these causes and impacts: Precognitive dreaming, the function of paranormal beliefs and the discursive approach.
Precognitive dream experiences are dreams that appear to predict the future. Dr Watt investigated the psychological factors that may explain precognitive dream experiences. One study found that some precognitive dreams are due to people finding connections between their dreams and subsequent events.
Dr. Watt, said: "My research has found that people who believe in the paranormal are more likely to see correspondences or connections between dream reports and news reports that have been randomly paired. This suggests a normal mechanism that might lead to an increased frequency of seemingly precognitive dream experiences."
The second aspect of KPU research was, the function of paranormal beliefs, the research suggests, that for some people, paranormal belief may provide a sense of control in chaotic or stressful situation. The KPU conducted two studies, the first showed a link between a lack of a sense of control during childhood and the development of paranormal beliefs in adulthood, which was conducted by Dr Watt and Dr Richard Wiseman in 2007. The second showed that more than half of those reporting paranormal experiences had experienced a negative life event, before the experience happened.
A photo used by the KPU to demonstrate the function of paranormal beliefs.
Dr. Watt, said: "A person who has had a traumatic or chaotic childhood might develop paranormal beliefs in order to give them a sense of control over their environment. For instance, thinking that you can read other people's minds may give you comfort and a feeling of control."
The findings from the two studies, into the function of paranormal beliefs, are in-line with a wider body of research, conducted by Watt and Wiseman in 2004, which examined how paranormal beliefs can provide an illusory sense of control.
Dr. Watt, said: "Let's take superstitious beliefs as an example. People who live in dangerous environments, such as near an active volcano, have more superstitious beliefs than those who live in less dangerous environments. Those who live near the volcano may have various rituals that they practice in order to try to placate the 'god of the volcano'. This is a paranormal belief. It makes the people feel more in control of the situation, however their behavior does not actually affect the volcano."
Understanding paranormal belief is difficult, but an alternative approach is to examine them as discursive phenomena.
Dr. Watt, said: "This looks at the language used by people when they talk about their paranormal beliefs and experiences. For example, when a person says, "I'm a skeptic, but you'll never believe what happened to me", the discursive approach looks at the work that is done by the phrase 'I'm a skeptic". That phrase is said in order to make the person appear to be a critical thinker. It is used to strengthen the paranormal claim that follows."
One reader of the article Paranormal: Power of the Mind, said: "After reading this I feel that what O'Keeffe was saying is spot on. I believe that the combination of night / dark, being tired, your mind plays tricks on you with the combination of being cold helpless strange noises accentuates the ghostly experience."
In response to the previous comment, one reader, said: "That absolutely explains some things, but it positively does not explain them all. I can attest to the reality, and 100% positive knowledge for myself that there is something just on the other side of what we can see. It has the ability to see us, and interact with us, but for the most part, remains unseen. When a person has their own unquestionable experience, their world view changes forever."
In regard to ghosts or spirits, Dr. Caroline Watt, said: "I think it is most likely the case that normal factors, such as pareidolia, can explain most ghostly experiences."
An example of Pareidolia or Matrixing.
Pareidolia, otherwise known as matrixing, is the psychological phenomenon in which the mind responds to a stimulus, usually an image or a sound, by perceiving a familiar pattern where none exists.
Another respondent, of the survey, said: "My mind knows what it is doing and tells the body what to do."
Between Paranormal: Power of the Mind and this article we have covered many psychological explanations for paranormal experiences, although these are just a few of many psychological explanations. As some of the survey respondents pointed out, psychological explanations only explain some, not all, of the many paranormal experiences that have been reported. I have never personally experienced anything paranormal, however, I have spoken to many people and you can see in every fiber of their being that they have experienced something and that experiences have impacted them. The research Dr. Caroline Watt has conducted made it clear that our mind can subconsciously, be making connections or seeking control, and its these types of mind tricks that are out with our control as we might not even realize what we're doing. The article Paranormal: Power of the Mind concentrated more on the psychological explanations we can take into consideration. For example, when we're investigating the paranormal, watching paranormal TV programmes or reading about the paranormal, we can consider suggestibility and priming. Especially, with hindsight we can consider these explanations along with other physical explanations, but we would find it hard to consider the evidence Dr. Watt found from her research, as these psychological explanations are happening subconsciously. Although, I am a believer in the paranormal I think it is important to be aware of all the explanations out there to enable you to have a full picture.
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The first time I felt this out-of-control force was soon after a show back in 1998. My debut as a singer was in 1996 in a student holiday party. I felt great. I've always felt out of place, awkward, socially-incompetent, but once in stage I was a total different person. I could say or do whatever and people would dig it. I've been doing the same for the last 21 years. That night in 1998 while I was resting and trying to clean the sweat out of my body and while everybody was coming to say how magnificent the show was I felt it for the first time. It was the feeling of being completely alone, the feeling of dispair. I received the greetings with a smile, a shake of hands, a hug, but inside of me I felt that everyone was just being fake as **** and I just wanted to go home, cover myself in bed and cry.
That feeling has been haunting me since then.
That night after the show we went to a local bar to have a couple of beers. We were still minors but since we were musicians and we knew the owner, everything was fine. We talked about the show, met some friends and everybody was having a great time. I was continuously watching the clock because I wanted to go home. Every now and then after any show, I feel this way. I learned to evade myself from others and just take a break. I just have to take a break. It's like a social charge that I can't bear. I need to rest from it. In those 10 minutes of "break time" I go through many different feelings: sorrow, embarassment, lonelyness, guilt.
Depression is a common and serious medical disorder and this disorder affects every aspect of your life. During a big part of my life I struggled (and I still do!) through it. I've had addiction problems, relationship problems, work problems, family issues and many other things due to this disorder. Sometimes I didn't want to get up from bed and I spent most of my time just watching the ceiling of my room thinking that nobody gave a d*mn about me, that nobody really loved me. I've lost lots of weight, I've gained lots of weight, I've quit my band several times, I've fought every and each one of the people who used to play with, I've done horrible things to myself and not a single time I said to myself "I'm doing this because I'm ill".
I felt hollow. Like, in any happy moment of my life I felt hollow anyway. I smiled, I celebrated. I even said I was happy but inside of me I felt hollow. Like if something was missing. Like if something wasn't right. That's how you live with depression. Even when you know you're doing alright it's there.
I started this blog because I want to write my experiences with this disorder. My therapy. Things I do to feel better. Things I do to fight-back . Stories that may be inspirational or raise a warning flag on yourself. I don't know. It may be helpful for some. Until the next entry.
This is me back in the 90s. Adjusting an amp before a rehearsal. I was extremely thin. I didn't eat properly, spending most of my time drinking or having drugs with my friends. I was just discovering that the force inside me was making me not care about anything else.
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Despite differences in any society or culture, you could find in many of their folklore common imaginary about the supernatural. Since the earliest human civilization, there have been stories about people returning from the grave needing to feed upon humans to substance themselves. Legends of these creatures are told across the global including Japan with its folklore holding some morbid myths such as the Hone-onna.In Japan's lore, yokai are malevolent supernatural entities often created by the returning spirit of a human or animal to been wronged in life seeking revenge. However, even undying love may give rise to an undead creatures. When a woman dies still desiring to stay with their family or lover, her spirit manifest into a hone-onna. This yokai will appear as a young, beautiful woman disguising her true form of a rotten walking corpse or skeleton.In legends, the hone-onna is a ghost which returns wanting to continue the love of those she had in life. She would arise from the grave at night and return to the home of her family or lover. The yokai's suddenly appearance would shock those grieving her passing, yet be joyous of the woman's return unaware of her true nature. Myths mention, even hone-onna may not even be aware herself of what she transforming into.In lore, unsuspecting husbands or lovers would often fall victim to this yokai. The hone-onna visited the male at night to engage in intimacy where she feed's off their life force then leaving in the morning. This course of action usually resulted in the man's death. Only those strong in will or of could see pass the disguise and maybe able to intervene. Often in stories, man who been warned of the hone-onna still continued to embrace the ghost, even at the cost of their lives.Hone-onna, in several myths, continue to exist long after killing their lovers. Either a wish to continue living or be embraced by someone, these yokai carry on appearing at night seducing young men and substance them by extracting their life force. In some forms of Japanese media, the hone-onna been the setting for tragic love stories.
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silently stalking grass
doing the worm
flailing about like a magikarp
where are the pokemon
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The Dolmens Of Russia Caucasus Mountains Mystery Myth And Legend The mysterious ancient megalithic Dolmens of Russia's Caucasus Mountains and the mystery, myths and legends associated with them.
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