I watched around 30 Nummy videos and 10 Haumph videos. I don't think I ever recall seeing a bluff attack done by either of them. But, when their opponents are attacking and hinting they have a combat trick ready, Nummy sometimes although rarely goes "Okay, you win" and proceeds not to block when he feel its better not to. If this is the case, then shouldn't there be instances where you would want to take advantage of this and make bluff attacks?
In theory, this should be an effective technique that should be used, but from watching two of the best draft players on youtube, I guess it's not the case? Personally, I do this from time to time, full control bluff attack when I don't have any combat tricks and won a few games. Of course, my stats are shabby compared to the players I listed above, so I'd like to know what others think about this
Anyone else make bluff attacks?

I've been trying to quit for about 5 days now. The first few days were easier and I have seen some results ( mental clarity, feeling more in tune with my body and the world around me etc) but around day 3 I fell off the wagon a bit and it's been hard to get back on. I've found a few techniques that help me avoid daydreaming, what techniques are y'all using?
I'm going to include the techniques that have helped me if anyone wants to know

• avoiding multitasking ( this includes putting on music and shows while doing other tasks, I don't know what it is but dividing my attention makes me zone out and consequently results in daydreaming)
  
• limiting music, video games and anime, especially slice of life anime (honestly these things just seem to be day dream fuel for me)
  
• paying attention to tiny things around me, this pulls me out of my brain and connects me to the world around me ( this includes literally watching an ant walk on the pavement, watching the sunshine through the window, basically not being tied to my phone)
  

This is getting long so I'll stop here. Anything that ties me into the real world helps me stop daydreaming. Anything that overloads my brain , like multitasking, makes me more likely to go on autopilot and start daydreaming. I don't see people every day so yes I am bored, but, It feels like time goes slower and life is more beautiful when I'm not daydreaming.

Understanding Amazon FBA Sales Data

What Constitutes Amazon FBA Sales Data?

Amazon FBA sales data encompasses a plethora of metrics and statistics that shed light on various aspects of a seller's performance on the platform. These include:

• Sales Revenue: The total revenue generated from sales on Amazon.
• Unit Sales: The number of units sold within a specific timeframe.
• Profit Margins: The percentage of revenue that translates into profit after deducting expenses.
• Inventory Levels: The quantity of products stocked in Amazon's fulfillment centers.
• Customer Feedback: Reviews and ratings provided by customers, reflecting their satisfaction levels.
• Keyword Performance: Insights into the effectiveness of keywords in driving product visibility and sales.

The Importance of Analyzing Amazon FBA Sales Data

Analyzing Amazon FBA sales data isn't merely a suggested practice; it's a crucial component of a seller's success strategy. By delving into the nuances of this data, sellers gain invaluable insights that enable them to:

• Identify Trends: Spot emerging market trends and capitalize on them to stay ahead of the competition.
• Optimize Pricing Strategies: Determine optimal pricing strategies based on customer behavior and market demand.
• Enhance Product Offerings: Tailor product offerings to align with customer preferences and demands.
• Optimize Inventory Management: Prevent stockouts and overstock situations by optimizing inventory levels based on demand forecasts.
• Maximize Advertising ROI: Fine-tune advertising campaigns to maximize return on investment (ROI) and drive sales.

Analyzing Amazon FBA Sales Data: Best Practices

1. Utilize Amazon Seller Central Tools

Amazon offers a suite of tools within Seller Central designed to assist sellers in analyzing sales data effectively. These tools, including the Sales Dashboard and Business Reports, provide a comprehensive overview of sales performance, customer behavior, and inventory metrics.

2. Leverage Data Visualization Techniques

Visualizing data through graphs, charts, and dashboards enhances comprehension and facilitates quick decision-making. Utilize data visualization tools such as Tableau or Google Data Studio to create visually appealing representations of your Amazon FBA sales data.

3. Conduct Comparative Analysis

Compare current sales performance with historical data to identify patterns, fluctuations, and areas for improvement. Conduct A/B testing on pricing strategies, product listings, and advertising campaigns to gauge effectiveness and optimize performance.

4. Implement Keyword Optimization Strategies

Keywords play a pivotal role in driving product visibility and sales on Amazon. Leverage keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner or Helium 10 to identify high-traffic keywords relevant to your products. Incorporate these keywords strategically into product listings, titles, and descriptions to enhance search ranking and attract more customers.

5. Monitor Competitor Activity

Stay abreast of competitor activity by monitoring their pricing strategies, product offerings, and customer reviews. Extract valuable insights from competitor data to refine your own strategies and maintain a competitive edge.

Interpreting Amazon FBA Sales Data: Key Metrics to Consider

1. Sales Velocity

Sales velocity refers to the rate at which products are selling on Amazon. A high sales velocity indicates strong demand and market acceptance, while a low velocity may necessitate adjustments to pricing or marketing strategies.

2. Return on Investment (ROI)

ROI measures the profitability of your Amazon FBA endeavors by comparing the revenue generated against the expenses incurred, including product costs, fulfillment fees, and advertising expenditure.

3. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

CAC quantifies the amount spent on acquiring each new customer. By optimizing CAC and maximizing customer lifetime value, sellers can enhance profitability and sustain long-term growth.

4. Conversion Rate

Conversion rate denotes the percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase. Analyzing conversion rates enables sellers to identify friction points in the purchasing process and implement strategies to improve conversion efficiency.

Conclusion

Mastering the art of analyzing and interpreting Amazon FBA sales data is paramount for sellers seeking sustainable success in the competitive e-commerce landscape. By harnessing the power of data-driven insights, sellers can optimize their strategies, maximize profitability, and unlock new avenues for growth on Amazon's platform.
Understanding Amazon FBA Sales Data

What Constitutes Amazon FBA Sales Data?

Amazon FBA sales data encompasses a plethora of metrics and statistics that shed light on various aspects of a seller's performance on the platform. These include:

• Sales Revenue: The total revenue generated from sales on Amazon.
• Unit Sales: The number of units sold within a specific timeframe.
• Profit Margins: The percentage of revenue that translates into profit after deducting expenses.
• Inventory Levels: The quantity of products stocked in Amazon's fulfillment centers.
• Customer Feedback: Reviews and ratings provided by customers, reflecting their satisfaction levels.
• Keyword Performance: Insights into the effectiveness of keywords in driving product visibility and sales.

The Importance of Analyzing Amazon FBA Sales Data

Analyzing Amazon FBA sales data isn't merely a suggested practice; it's a crucial component of a seller's success strategy. By delving into the nuances of this data, sellers gain invaluable insights that enable them to:

• Identify Trends: Spot emerging market trends and capitalize on them to stay ahead of the competition.
• Optimize Pricing Strategies: Determine optimal pricing strategies based on customer behavior and market demand.
• Enhance Product Offerings: Tailor product offerings to align with customer preferences and demands.
• Optimize Inventory Management: Prevent stockouts and overstock situations by optimizing inventory levels based on demand forecasts.
• Maximize Advertising ROI: Fine-tune advertising campaigns to maximize return on investment (ROI) and drive sales.

Analyzing Amazon FBA Sales Data: Best Practices

1. Utilize Amazon Seller Central Tools

Amazon offers a suite of tools within Seller Central designed to assist sellers in analyzing sales data effectively. These tools, including the Sales Dashboard and Business Reports, provide a comprehensive overview of sales performance, customer behavior, and inventory metrics.

2. Leverage Data Visualization Techniques

Visualizing data through graphs, charts, and dashboards enhances comprehension and facilitates quick decision-making. Utilize data visualization tools such as Tableau or Google Data Studio to create visually appealing representations of your Amazon FBA sales data.

3. Conduct Comparative Analysis

Compare current sales performance with historical data to identify patterns, fluctuations, and areas for improvement. Conduct A/B testing on pricing strategies, product listings, and advertising campaigns to gauge effectiveness and optimize performance.

4. Implement Keyword Optimization Strategies

Keywords play a pivotal role in driving product visibility and sales on Amazon. Leverage keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner or Helium 10 to identify high-traffic keywords relevant to your products. Incorporate these keywords strategically into product listings, titles, and descriptions to enhance search ranking and attract more customers.

5. Monitor Competitor Activity

Stay abreast of competitor activity by monitoring their pricing strategies, product offerings, and customer reviews. Extract valuable insights from competitor data to refine your own strategies and maintain a competitive edge.

Interpreting Amazon FBA Sales Data: Key Metrics to Consider

1. Sales Velocity

Sales velocity refers to the rate at which products are selling on Amazon. A high sales velocity indicates strong demand and market acceptance, while a low velocity may necessitate adjustments to pricing or marketing strategies.

2. Return on Investment (ROI)

ROI measures the profitability of your Amazon FBA endeavors by comparing the revenue generated against the expenses incurred, including product costs, fulfillment fees, and advertising expenditure.

3. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

CAC quantifies the amount spent on acquiring each new customer. By optimizing CAC and maximizing customer lifetime value, sellers can enhance profitability and sustain long-term growth.

4. Conversion Rate

Conversion rate denotes the percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase. Analyzing conversion rates enables sellers to identify friction points in the purchasing process and implement strategies to improve conversion efficiency.
Utilizing Amazon Seller Tools
Helium 10 offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to empower sellers with actionable insights derived from Amazon FBA sales data. This powerful software provides sellers with robust analytics capabilities, enabling them to delve deep into their sales performance, customer behavior, and market trends. With this tool, sellers can effortlessly analyze key metrics such as sales revenue, unit sales, profit margins, and keyword performance to make informed decisions that drive business growth and success. Whether it's optimizing pricing strategies, refining product offerings, or maximizing advertising ROI, sellers are equipped with the tools they need to thrive in the competitive e-commerce landscape.

Conclusion

Mastering the art of analyzing and interpreting Amazon FBA sales data is paramount for sellers seeking sustainable success in the competitive e-commerce landscape. By harnessing the power of data-driven insights, sellers can optimize their strategies, maximize profitability, and unlock new avenues for growth on Amazon's platform.
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[I shared this in girls and gays but wanted to share here as well for those of you not in that sub]
With Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s rap feud raging over the last month, I got curious about what their natal charts say about each of them as rappers, and how the astrological synastry between the two has fueled this chart-topping fight. Luckily we have an accurate birth time for both Drake and Kendrick, so we can see exactly how their charts overlap.
Here’s Drake’s chart:
And here’s Kendrick’s chart:
Inconjunct Suns
Kendrick has a Gemini sun, like many of hip hop’s greatest rappers, including Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Lauryn Hill and Outkast’s Andre 3000. Geminis are well-suited to rap as the wordsmiths of the zodiac, one of the two signs ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication. Virgo, the other sign ruled by Mercury, expresses the analytical, practical, pragmatic side of the mind, the so-called “left brain” which sorts the wheat from the chaff (and, fittingly, Virgo season aligns with the harvest season of late summer).
Gemini expresses the more playful, self-expressive, hyper-curious “right brain” side of the mind - the monkey mind that swings from branch to branch, seeing connections as it goes. “Curious to a fault, Geminis have a finger in every pie. Solar Geminis are flexible and changeable people. Usually quite clever and witty, Geminis enjoy intellectual conversations and they are easily bored if they are not getting enough mental stimulation.”
Drake is a Scorpio sun, bringing a very different energy to the table. Scorpios seek power above all, and they live life intensely. If Gemini is the court jester, taking life lightly and poking fun at it all, Scorpio is the dark knight plotting and positioning himself for a coup. As one of the two signs ruled by Mars, the planet of war and competition, Scorpios don’t back down from competition, and as a fixed modality sign, they can struggle to let go–even of what hurts them. Scorpios are drawn to the darker sides of life - they know that secrets hold power, so they tend toward privacy, as shown in Drake’s last rap beef, when Pusha T revealed that he had secretly fathered a son with a porn star.
Gemini and Scorpio have a tricky inter-dynamic, with an aspect between them known as a quincunx, or an inconjunct. Quincunxes occur when planets are 150 degrees apart, and therefore share neither an element (water, fire, earth, or air) nor a modality (cardinal, fixed, or mutable). They are at odds in a very fundamental way, and though they can teach each other a lot, in order to get along they will have to make some serious adjustments.
“When these signs get together, they just can’t understand each other. They have almost nothing in common, so it’s hard to find common ground. When a quincunx shows up in a synastry or relationship reading, this can make for a tense or difficult relationship.” This natural repelling dynamic is expressed in Kendrick’s diss song Euphoria (“I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk/I hate the way that you dress/I hate the way you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it's gon' be direct”).
Drake’s ascendant is placed at 29 degrees Leo, exactly conjunct the royal fixed star Regulus. Regulus is one of the luckiest stars in the zodiac, and it is often seen in the charts of celebrities. “On the Ascendant, it will give a courageous and frank character. A splendid and illustrious life; glorious, mighty and commanding nature; fame, busy with many activities, bountiful resources, well known or feared in cities and regions.” But with Regulus on the ascendant, expanding the already narcissistic tendencies of Leo, there is a risk for an over-expansion of the ego and a lack of humility. Drake wants to be the best by all accounts - not just the biggest commercial superstar, which he is, but also the most critically acclaimed rapper, like Pulitzer Prize-winning Kendrick.
Mercury and Mars vs. Mercury and Venus
When it comes to analyzing writers of any sort, I like to look at their Mercuries, and here we see a fascinating contrast. Kendrick’s Mercury is located in intuitive, emotional Cancer (just like Lana del Rey, who I analyzed last week), and it is conjoined with Mars, the planet of war, which is what makes him such a formidable opponent in a rap battle. “Mercury conjunct Mars natal gives a quick mind, rapid reflexes, and a sharp tongue. These attributes are ideal for making quick decisions in the heat of the moment while others hesitate. Excellent debating skills allow you to stand up not only for yourself but for the rights of others. Your enthusiastic, direct and courageous way of expressing yourself can win admiration in politics, business, and the military.”
I think Mercury in combination with Mars is the ideal aspect for the competitive sport of rap, and interestingly enough, Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., who famously feuded and are considered by many to be the all-time greatest rappers, both had these planets tightly combined (Tupac had Mercury trine Mars with a 1 degree orb, and Biggie had Mercury septile Mars with a 0 degree orb).
Drake, by contrast, has his Mercury conjoined with Mars’ planetary opposite, Venus. Mercury conjoined with creative Venus is a great aspect for a musician, but it lacks the teeth of competitive Mars. “Mercury conjunct Venus natal makes you a lovable, handsome, neat, refined, romantic, and courteous person. You may tend to be passive and submissive, but this is a means by which you achieve peace in your life. You can lovingly communicate things; a melodic, poetic, and relaxing voice often helps this. Mercury rules trade, and Venus rules money, so you could do well in business and enjoy buying and selling.”
Many of Drake’s biggest hits show this melodic Mercury-Venus aspect - like the no-rapping, all-singing “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” “Hotline Bling” and “One Dance,” or the purported feminist anthem “Nice for What.” Many think Drake is best as a pop star rather than a rapper, which Kendrick references in Euphoria (“I like Drake with the melodies, I don't like Drake when he act tough” “Keep makin' me dance, wavin' my hand and it won't be no threat”).
Mercury conjunct Venus should be a very positive aspect for Drake, and in many ways it is – as two of the planets that rule over money (Mercury the marketplace, and Venus the possessions), this aspect is part of why he’s had such incredible financial success. However, a few factors complicate it. For one thing, they are located together in Scorpio, ruled by Mars. His Mercury is expressed in a Venusian way, but it wants to be expressed in a Martian way. I think this is why Drake returns regularly to gangster rap despite his success in pop and R&B. He wants to be a Mercury-Mars rap powerhouse like Kendrick, Biggie, and Tupac, but he’s fundamentally different. From the beginning of his career he’s been taunted as soft, weak, feminine, privileged–all very Venusian adjectives.
Another complicating factor is that Drake’s Venus is doubly challenged - it is both in detriment in Scorpio, as well as retrograde. Venus is in detriment in Scorpio because it rules over Scorpio’s opposite, Taurus, and so the planet is not at ease in suspicious, jealous Scorpio. “Fears of being too vulnerable or of giving up their own power to others is strong. Scorpio is an “all or nothing” energy, and relationships tend to be somewhat of a rollercoaster ride as a result. Disdain for mediocrity and superficiality can compel them to create crises in order to feel alive and vital.”
Venus retrograde in the natal chart “suggests you have some difficulty in giving and receiving love and affection. You may experience sadness in love or have to endure hardship or delay. Natal Venus in retrograde can also show as excessive use of makeup and jewelry or even disfigurement from cosmetic surgery.” It’s interesting how some of the allegations against Drake in Kendrick’s songs have included a nose job and a Brazilian butt lift. After Drake told Metro Boomin to “shut up and make some drums” in his initial Kendrick diss Push Ups, the producer responded with “BBL Drizzy.”
Drake has never been married or had a public long-term relationship. His highest profile one with Rihanna was on-again, off-again, and at times seemed more like unrequited love than true commitment. When interviewed about the relationship, he said “As life takes shape and teaches you#Personal_life) your own lessons, I end up in this situation where I don't have the fairy tale [of] 'Drake started a family with Rihanna, [it's] so perfect.' It looks so good on paper [and] I wanted it too at one time.” Two years ago Drake had jeweler Alex Moss create a necklace worth $12.5 million dollars built from dozens of engagement rings he had made but never used: ““New piece titled ‘Previous Engagements’ for all the times he thought about it but never did it,” Moss wrote over a video showcasing the stunning necklace, which is made up of “42 engagement rings” totaling “351.38 carats in diamonds.”” It’s quite the testament to a challenged natal Venus.
Lilith Synastry
Here is Drake and Kendrick’s synastry (Drake is on the outer circle):
The most interesting thing I found digging into Drake and Kendrick’s charts was the presence of Lilith in their synastry. Lilith is an asteroid associated with the “angry woman” figure as well as female liberation. In some Jewish folklore Lilith was the first wife of Adam, but she was banished from the Garden of Eden for not obeying him and replaced with Eve.
“In the intricacies of a birth chart, Black Moon Lilith symbolizes the raw essence of femininity, the primal urges, and the suppressed parts of our psyche that lie in the shadows. This point, not a planet but a mathematical point, reveals where one might feel estranged, challenged, or empowered to go against the grain of societal norms. It unveils deep-seated desires, innate instincts, and perhaps the areas where one feels the need to challenge established roles or expectations. It's a place of power, mystique, and, occasionally, friction – pinpointing where one's true nature might clash with the conventional, leading to feelings of marginalization or rebellion.”
The allegations Drake and Kendrick threw at each other both had to do with mistreatment of women - Drake said that Kendrick abused his fiancée, and Kendrick said Drake was a pedophile who shouldn’t be trusted around young women.
Both Drake and Kendrick’s Liliths make tight aspects with the other’s chart. “Whenever Lilith is around, you can expect to feel a wild, intense, deep, and sometimes obsessive energy. If you have Lilith aspects in synastry then this energy will show up in your relationship. Whenever your Lilith touches one of your partner’s planets or vice-versa, you can expect to see your deepest fears revealed. You might also see glimpses of things you desire but can’t have. Ultimately, Lilith aspects in synastry give both partners a chance to work on their shadow sides.”
Kendrick’s sun exactly conjoins Drake’s Lilith at 26 degrees Gemini. “Often, the sun person [Kendrick] represents all that the Lilith person [Drake] wants but can never quite “catch.” There is an illusive vibe to this relationship. The Lilith person may feel somewhat less-than or “bad.” Lilith conjunct sun in synastry is a test for the Lilith person because their most taboo qualities such as obsession and anger will be activated, but it’s also a test for the sun person. The lesson is for the sun individual to stand their ground and follow their inner voice. Lilith is neither good nor bad, and the sun person can share in some of the Lilith partner’s activities without merging.”
This resonates with the fact that despite Drake’s huge commercial success, he is deeply jealous of Kendrick’s critical success. In Family Matters Drake took a jab at Kendrick’s acclaim (“Kendrick just opened his mouth, someone go hand him a Grammy right now”), and the beef between them played out similarly, with many rap fans deciding that Kendrick won before even listening to Drake. I think it’s obvious that Kendrick is a stronger rapper, but it’s also clear that Drake wasn’t given a fair shake.
Drake’s Lilith makes a tight trine to Kendrick’s Mercury. “Both the Lilith person and the Mercury person help each other to bring unhealed deeper wounds and unconscious emotion to the surface and articulate deeper, wild instincts. Mercury person [Kendrick] helps Lilith person [Drake] make sense of their inner restlessness and insecurities, sexual passions and unresolved rage. Mercury person may find Lilith person to be highly emotional but is also intrigued by Lilith person’s edgy and unique perspective.” It’s remarkable that both of their Liliths are interlocked with each other’s inner planets, creating a push-pull, love-hate, shadow-enlightening dynamic between the two.
I think the obsession goes both ways, and that part of the reason Kendrick fought back so viciously was because Drake triggers something in him shown through the Lilith synastry. Drake shows Kendrick what he could be–a charismatic playboy enjoying his fame and money to the fullest. And in engaging with the feud he stooped to a lower level, making unsupported claims about Drake’s supposed secret daughter, and writing a rap song (Meet the Grahams) addressed to Drake’s 5 year old son opening with “Dear Adonis, I’m sorry that man is your father.” All is fair in rap battles–or is it? Questlove called it out, saying on Instagram: “Nobody won the war. This wasn’t about skill. This was a wrestling match level mudslinging and takedown by any means necessary — women & children (& actual facts) be damned.”
Kendrick’s latest diss track Not Like Us has just debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 100, and it’s clear this battle has propelled him to another level of stardom. Drake’s Regulus ascendant arrogance and Scorpionic desire to fight to the death drove him to attack the strongest living rapper, and now he’s dealing with the fallout. Kendrick’s streams of his back catalog are up 50%, while Drake’s are down 5% and his reputation has taken a massive knock. But Kendrick has taken a hit as well. Having rap’s two biggest stars accusing each other of heinous crimes might drive up streams in the short run, but it’s a dangerous game. Astrology helps us understand why these two polar opposites are so intertwined, and why their mutual dislike has spurred on such a captivating firestorm.

[I shared this in girls and gays but wanted to share here as well for those of you not in that sub]
With Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s rap feud raging over the last month, I got curious about what their natal charts say about each of them as rappers, and how the astrological synastry between the two has fueled this chart-topping fight. Luckily we have an accurate birth time for both Drake and Kendrick, so we can see exactly how their charts overlap.
Here’s Drake’s chart:
And here’s Kendrick’s chart:
Inconjunct Suns
Kendrick has a Gemini sun, like many of hip hop’s greatest rappers, including Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Lauryn Hill and Outkast’s Andre 3000. Geminis are well-suited to rap as the wordsmiths of the zodiac, one of the two signs ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication. Virgo, the other sign ruled by Mercury, expresses the analytical, practical, pragmatic side of the mind, the so-called “left brain” which sorts the wheat from the chaff (and, fittingly, Virgo season aligns with the harvest season of late summer).
Gemini expresses the more playful, self-expressive, hyper-curious “right brain” side of the mind - the monkey mind that swings from branch to branch, seeing connections as it goes. “Curious to a fault, Geminis have a finger in every pie. Solar Geminis are flexible and changeable people. Usually quite clever and witty, Geminis enjoy intellectual conversations and they are easily bored if they are not getting enough mental stimulation.”
Drake is a Scorpio sun, bringing a very different energy to the table. Scorpios seek power above all, and they live life intensely. If Gemini is the court jester, taking life lightly and poking fun at it all, Scorpio is the dark knight plotting and positioning himself for a coup. As one of the two signs ruled by Mars, the planet of war and competition, Scorpios don’t back down from competition, and as a fixed modality sign, they can struggle to let go–even of what hurts them. Scorpios are drawn to the darker sides of life - they know that secrets hold power, so they tend toward privacy, as shown in Drake’s last rap beef, when Pusha T revealed that he had secretly fathered a son with a porn star.
Gemini and Scorpio have a tricky inter-dynamic, with an aspect between them known as a quincunx, or an inconjunct. Quincunxes occur when planets are 150 degrees apart, and therefore share neither an element (water, fire, earth, or air) nor a modality (cardinal, fixed, or mutable). They are at odds in a very fundamental way, and though they can teach each other a lot, in order to get along they will have to make some serious adjustments.
“When these signs get together, they just can’t understand each other. They have almost nothing in common, so it’s hard to find common ground. When a quincunx shows up in a synastry or relationship reading, this can make for a tense or difficult relationship.” This natural repelling dynamic is expressed in Kendrick’s diss song Euphoria (“I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk/I hate the way that you dress/I hate the way you sneak diss, if I catch flight, it's gon' be direct”).
Drake’s ascendant is placed at 29 degrees Leo, exactly conjunct the royal fixed star Regulus. Regulus is one of the luckiest stars in the zodiac, and it is often seen in the charts of celebrities. “On the Ascendant, it will give a courageous and frank character. A splendid and illustrious life; glorious, mighty and commanding nature; fame, busy with many activities, bountiful resources, well known or feared in cities and regions.” But with Regulus on the ascendant, expanding the already narcissistic tendencies of Leo, there is a risk for an over-expansion of the ego and a lack of humility. Drake wants to be the best by all accounts - not just the biggest commercial superstar, which he is, but also the most critically acclaimed rapper, like Pulitzer Prize-winning Kendrick.
Mercury and Mars vs. Mercury and Venus
When it comes to analyzing writers of any sort, I like to look at their Mercuries, and here we see a fascinating contrast. Kendrick’s Mercury is located in intuitive, emotional Cancer (just like Lana del Rey, who I analyzed last week), and it is conjoined with Mars, the planet of war, which is what makes him such a formidable opponent in a rap battle. “Mercury conjunct Mars natal gives a quick mind, rapid reflexes, and a sharp tongue. These attributes are ideal for making quick decisions in the heat of the moment while others hesitate. Excellent debating skills allow you to stand up not only for yourself but for the rights of others. Your enthusiastic, direct and courageous way of expressing yourself can win admiration in politics, business, and the military.”
I think Mercury in combination with Mars is the ideal aspect for the competitive sport of rap, and interestingly enough, Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., who famously feuded and are considered by many to be the all-time greatest rappers, both had these planets tightly combined (Tupac had Mercury trine Mars with a 1 degree orb, and Biggie had Mercury septile Mars with a 0 degree orb).
Drake, by contrast, has his Mercury conjoined with Mars’ planetary opposite, Venus. Mercury conjoined with creative Venus is a great aspect for a musician, but it lacks the teeth of competitive Mars. “Mercury conjunct Venus natal makes you a lovable, handsome, neat, refined, romantic, and courteous person. You may tend to be passive and submissive, but this is a means by which you achieve peace in your life. You can lovingly communicate things; a melodic, poetic, and relaxing voice often helps this. Mercury rules trade, and Venus rules money, so you could do well in business and enjoy buying and selling.”
Many of Drake’s biggest hits show this melodic Mercury-Venus aspect - like the no-rapping, all-singing “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” “Hotline Bling” and “One Dance,” or the purported feminist anthem “Nice for What.” Many think Drake is best as a pop star rather than a rapper, which Kendrick references in Euphoria (“I like Drake with the melodies, I don't like Drake when he act tough” “Keep makin' me dance, wavin' my hand and it won't be no threat”).
Mercury conjunct Venus should be a very positive aspect for Drake, and in many ways it is – as two of the planets that rule over money (Mercury the marketplace, and Venus the possessions), this aspect is part of why he’s had such incredible financial success. However, a few factors complicate it. For one thing, they are located together in Scorpio, ruled by Mars. His Mercury is expressed in a Venusian way, but it wants to be expressed in a Martian way. I think this is why Drake returns regularly to gangster rap despite his success in pop and R&B. He wants to be a Mercury-Mars rap powerhouse like Kendrick, Biggie, and Tupac, but he’s fundamentally different. From the beginning of his career he’s been taunted as soft, weak, feminine, privileged–all very Venusian adjectives.
Another complicating factor is that Drake’s Venus is doubly challenged - it is both in detriment in Scorpio, as well as retrograde. Venus is in detriment in Scorpio because it rules over Scorpio’s opposite, Taurus, and so the planet is not at ease in suspicious, jealous Scorpio. “Fears of being too vulnerable or of giving up their own power to others is strong. Scorpio is an “all or nothing” energy, and relationships tend to be somewhat of a rollercoaster ride as a result. Disdain for mediocrity and superficiality can compel them to create crises in order to feel alive and vital.”
Venus retrograde in the natal chart “suggests you have some difficulty in giving and receiving love and affection. You may experience sadness in love or have to endure hardship or delay. Natal Venus in retrograde can also show as excessive use of makeup and jewelry or even disfigurement from cosmetic surgery.” It’s interesting how some of the allegations against Drake in Kendrick’s songs have included a nose job and a Brazilian butt lift. After Drake told Metro Boomin to “shut up and make some drums” in his initial Kendrick diss Push Ups, the producer responded with “BBL Drizzy.”
Drake has never been married or had a public long-term relationship. His highest profile one with Rihanna was on-again, off-again, and at times seemed more like unrequited love than true commitment. When interviewed about the relationship, he said “As life takes shape and teaches you#Personal_life) your own lessons, I end up in this situation where I don't have the fairy tale [of] 'Drake started a family with Rihanna, [it's] so perfect.' It looks so good on paper [and] I wanted it too at one time.” Two years ago Drake had jeweler Alex Moss create a necklace worth $12.5 million dollars built from dozens of engagement rings he had made but never used: ““New piece titled ‘Previous Engagements’ for all the times he thought about it but never did it,” Moss wrote over a video showcasing the stunning necklace, which is made up of “42 engagement rings” totaling “351.38 carats in diamonds.”” It’s quite the testament to a challenged natal Venus.
Lilith Synastry
Here is Drake and Kendrick’s synastry (Drake is on the outer circle):
The most interesting thing I found digging into Drake and Kendrick’s charts was the presence of Lilith in their synastry. Lilith is an asteroid associated with the “angry woman” figure as well as female liberation. In some Jewish folklore Lilith was the first wife of Adam, but she was banished from the Garden of Eden for not obeying him and replaced with Eve.
“In the intricacies of a birth chart, Black Moon Lilith symbolizes the raw essence of femininity, the primal urges, and the suppressed parts of our psyche that lie in the shadows. This point, not a planet but a mathematical point, reveals where one might feel estranged, challenged, or empowered to go against the grain of societal norms. It unveils deep-seated desires, innate instincts, and perhaps the areas where one feels the need to challenge established roles or expectations. It's a place of power, mystique, and, occasionally, friction – pinpointing where one's true nature might clash with the conventional, leading to feelings of marginalization or rebellion.”
The allegations Drake and Kendrick threw at each other both had to do with mistreatment of women - Drake said that Kendrick abused his fiancée, and Kendrick said Drake was a pedophile who shouldn’t be trusted around young women.
Both Drake and Kendrick’s Liliths make tight aspects with the other’s chart. “Whenever Lilith is around, you can expect to feel a wild, intense, deep, and sometimes obsessive energy. If you have Lilith aspects in synastry then this energy will show up in your relationship. Whenever your Lilith touches one of your partner’s planets or vice-versa, you can expect to see your deepest fears revealed. You might also see glimpses of things you desire but can’t have. Ultimately, Lilith aspects in synastry give both partners a chance to work on their shadow sides.”
Kendrick’s sun exactly conjoins Drake’s Lilith at 26 degrees Gemini. “Often, the sun person [Kendrick] represents all that the Lilith person [Drake] wants but can never quite “catch.” There is an illusive vibe to this relationship. The Lilith person may feel somewhat less-than or “bad.” Lilith conjunct sun in synastry is a test for the Lilith person because their most taboo qualities such as obsession and anger will be activated, but it’s also a test for the sun person. The lesson is for the sun individual to stand their ground and follow their inner voice. Lilith is neither good nor bad, and the sun person can share in some of the Lilith partner’s activities without merging.”
This resonates with the fact that despite Drake’s huge commercial success, he is deeply jealous of Kendrick’s critical success. In Family Matters Drake took a jab at Kendrick’s acclaim (“Kendrick just opened his mouth, someone go hand him a Grammy right now”), and the beef between them played out similarly, with many rap fans deciding that Kendrick won before even listening to Drake. I think it’s obvious that Kendrick is a stronger rapper, but it’s also clear that Drake wasn’t given a fair shake.
Drake’s Lilith makes a tight trine to Kendrick’s Mercury. “Both the Lilith person and the Mercury person help each other to bring unhealed deeper wounds and unconscious emotion to the surface and articulate deeper, wild instincts. Mercury person [Kendrick] helps Lilith person [Drake] make sense of their inner restlessness and insecurities, sexual passions and unresolved rage. Mercury person may find Lilith person to be highly emotional but is also intrigued by Lilith person’s edgy and unique perspective.” It’s remarkable that both of their Liliths are interlocked with each other’s inner planets, creating a push-pull, love-hate, shadow-enlightening dynamic between the two.
I think the obsession goes both ways, and that part of the reason Kendrick fought back so viciously was because Drake triggers something in him shown through the Lilith synastry. Drake shows Kendrick what he could be–a charismatic playboy enjoying his fame and money to the fullest. And in engaging with the feud he stooped to a lower level, making unsupported claims about Drake’s supposed secret daughter, and writing a rap song (Meet the Grahams) addressed to Drake’s 5 year old son opening with “Dear Adonis, I’m sorry that man is your father.” All is fair in rap battles–or is it? Questlove called it out, saying on Instagram: “Nobody won the war. This wasn’t about skill. This was a wrestling match level mudslinging and takedown by any means necessary — women & children (& actual facts) be damned.”
Kendrick’s latest diss track Not Like Us has just debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 100, and it’s clear this battle has propelled him to another level of stardom. Drake’s Regulus ascendant arrogance and Scorpionic desire to fight to the death drove him to attack the strongest living rapper, and now he’s dealing with the fallout. Kendrick’s streams of his back catalog are up 50%, while Drake’s are down 5% and his reputation has taken a massive knock. But Kendrick has taken a hit as well. Having rap’s two biggest stars accusing each other of heinous crimes might drive up streams in the short run, but it’s a dangerous game. Astrology helps us understand why these two polar opposites are so intertwined, and why their mutual dislike has spurred on such a captivating firestorm.

Here is album for QC provided by TD - -

1. Dealer name: CTime
2. Factory name: Clean
3. Model name (& version number): GMT-Master II 126710 BLRO Red/Blue Ceramic 904L Steel Clean Factory Best Edition on Oyster Bracelet DD3285 CHS V3
4. Price Paid: $598
5. Album Links: https://imgur.com/a/FEmn9HW - Included in this album are 3 videos (on top of the one that was linked with this post) - timegrapher, water test, and UV bezel test.
6. Index alignment: nothing stands out for me here
7. Dial Printing: not crooked
8. Date Wheel alignment/printing: date looks fine to me
9. Hand Alignment: hands are reasonably aligned
10. Bezel: 12 on doesnt align a smidge but not a dealbreaker for me, UV test confirms proper (close enough) color
11. Solid End Links (SELs): not seeing a gap
12. Timegrapher numbers: 282 in video
13. Anything else you notice: outside of the 12 not aligning a really really small smidge (although it might be angle because it looks fine in video) - that's all i can see.

Hi all - first time posting here - if all goes well probably going to buy a few more watches. Everything to me looked fine, i realize its not going to be perfect. Would love to get some feedback from others if its ok. Thanks to all here, i appreciate your help in advance!

The huge alien vessel loomed into view of the lunar diplomatic station's windows. Jonah stared up at the immense black shape blocking out the stars, feeling an influx of mixed emotions. As Earth's chief ambassador, the responsibility for how this first contact went weighed heavily on him. He took a deep breath to compose himself as the airlock connected with an audible thunk.
The massive frames of the arriving Vrax nearly filled the chamber as the inner door slid open. Their dark brown exoskeletons glinted under the lights, and bulbous blue eyes regarded the humans with an unreadable expression. The lead alien, Ambassador Grax, extended a claw in greeting which Jonah cautiously shook. Through translation algorithms, Grax declared they came in peace and wished to forge a prosperous relationship.
The ensuing talks did not go as Jonah hoped. Grax demanded access to the resource-rich asteroid belts, along with tribute payments to the Vrax Empire. When Jonah protested that humanity could not simply cede sovereign territory, Grax's tone turned condescending. "Consider this a generous offer, given our technological superiority." Jonah bit back a retort, mind racing to defuse the situation.
That evening, the diplomats convened an emergency video call with world leaders back on Earth. "Their demands are outrageous and set a terrible precedent," declared the Chinese premier. "We must stand firm or risk becoming tributary vassals," agreed the Russian president. Arguments flew across cultural and ideological lines until Jonah called for calm. "Antagonizing them could provoke conflict. I say we request further dialogue to find common ground."
The next meeting with Grax did not go smoothly. No matter how Jonah framed alternative proposals, the alien remained fixated on tribute and territory. When Jonah stood his ground, Grax's eyes flashed red in a sign of anger unfamiliar to the humans. "Do not test our patience, Ambassador. Your world depends on our good graces." Jonah ended the talks with a bitter taste in his mouth, dreading informing the others.
That night, Jonah paced the station, wrestling with their disastrous options. Take on the Vrax fleet and demonstrate to the galaxy the true nature of humanity, or give in to their oppressive demands?
He heard footsteps and turned to see his second-in-command, Captain Sato, entering with a grim look. "Grax just issued an ultimatum - accept their terms within a solar day or face reprisals." Jonah's heart sank further at this escalation.
In an emergency session, viewscreens filled with tense faces as Jonah briefed the situation. Shouts immediately erupted over what to do, none of the viable choices appealing. Then, the elderly UN Secretary General spoke slowly and calmly. "My friends, while force will gain us nothing, weakness will see our sovereignty trampled. I suggest we issue one final, simple message - that any harm to humanity will be met with swift and overwhelming response. This buys time for diplomacy without losing face or firing a shot. All agreed?" The room fell silent, then gradually, nations signaled consensus on this last hope. Now it was in Grax's claws.
The news of the Vrax's demands spread like wildfire across the solar system. On Earth, massive crowds swarmed city centers, chanting "No tribute!" and "Off our world!". Even hardened military analysts conceded humanity had no means to repel a full attack.
Jonah watched the coverage, weary after hours of unproductive talks with Grax. The ambassador remained resolute, because Earths resources were required for the survival of the Vrax Empire. His mention of force cast a grim pallor over the room. As Jonah returned to the station, Captain Sato gave a grim update. Social media was swimming with calls to arms, governments debated reactive shows of military force.
An emergency UN session convened via hologram. Shouts echoed in the vast chamber as leaders demanded strategies. "Further concessions will destroy our dignity!" roared the Chinese premier. The Russian president warned a small deterrent strike could backfire catastrophically. "Our people will never accept subjugation," said the Indian foreign minister.
Jonah relayed his advice to find diplomatic solutions.
On the lunar station, Jonah stared up at the alien warship, praying his diplomacy to paid off. Whatever happened, Earth would not go down without teaching these newcomers, that humanity was not so easy to conquer.
Grax saw humanity's final desperate plea as a threat, that neither safety nor pride could ignore. Now there was nothing to do but wait.
On the Vrax command ship, Grax snarled as the human's message was translated. His blue eyes flashed red with rage. "Insolent primitives! They dare threaten the mighty Vrax Empire?" He stabbed a claw at his subcommander. "Launch the entire assault fleet at once. I want those upstart human colonies wiped from the stars."
The subcommander scrambled to obey, sending the order to the hundreds of ships waiting on standby. Throughout the armada, crew rushed to battle stations as engines roared to life. Within minutes, the full force of the Vrax military swung into a sharp intercept course, weapons priming for the slaughter to come.
Within the lunar station, alarms blared as long-range sensors detected the armada changing course. "They're heading straight for the moon bases at maximum speed," cried Captain Sato, studying the readouts in horror. Ambassador Jonah prepared himself and delivered a command: decloak only one dreadnought, and show Earth and the galaxy who we truly are!
Through the viewport, he peered into the black and saw a faint flare of light growing behind Earth's shadow.
On the bridge of the ESN Phoenix, Commander Aoki watched the enemy fleet emerge on her sensors, over 500 enemy contacts closing at dangerous velocity. "All hands to battle stations," she ordered calmly into the comm.
Around her, the crew leapt into well-practiced motions as blast doors sealed, and armor plating hummed into place. "Charge main kinetic barriers and plasma lances. Stand by rocket pods for intercept maneuvers."
Aoki felt the deck plates vibrate, as the massive engines thundered to life, pulling the Phoenix from its geosynchronous orbit in a burst of golden light.
Through the forward windows, the crew watched Earth fall away at dizzying speed, as the automated piloting system slammed the nose up, and spun the dreadnought to align with its intercept vector. By the time the first Vrax ships broke Lunar orbit, the Phoenix would be waiting.
On the lead Vrax cruiser, Grax glared at the sensor display, showing the lone human warship, accelerating to engage his fleet alone. "Impossible," he spat. "No single vessel could stand against hundreds. All ships!" he bellowed, "Concentrate your fire and crush that eyesore!" Around him, crew scrambled to comply, locking targeting solutions across the squadrons. But as the first energy beams, and plasma lances lanced out, they merely flickered off invisible shields, far stronger than their own.
As the first energy beams and plasma lances streaked towards the Phoenix, Commander Aoki watched their vivid colors, dim and disperse across the ship's energy barriers. "Damage report?" she asked curtly. "Shields holding at 99%", responded the sensors officer. While an unprecedented barrage for any other vessel, the Phoenix's armor could withstand an nation's worth of firepower for hours.
"Return fire, target lead enemy cruisers", ordered Aoki. Before the words left her mouth, flickers of light erupted from the Phoenix's forward batteries. Dual heavy plasma lances, intense as a sun's core, lashed out like spears. They sheared through the initial Vrax ships with brutal efficiency, superstructures evaporating within the star hot beams.
A spread of precision antimatter warheads followed, tiny singularities of annihilation blossoming into explosions that obliterated entire capital ships. Not a single shot missed its mark, targeting computers guided by an intelligence far superior to any the aliens possessed. Behind the initial devastation, dozens more Vrax craft spun out of control, dead in space.
A flicker of doubt entered Grax's mind at the devastation wrought by this single opponent. But he steeled his resolve, determined to outlast the human war machine through sheer numbers. "All ships jump to flanking positions, surround it and pummel the eyesore from all sides." Obedient to their instincts, the Vrax pilots executed precision micro-jumps that scattered their fleet in an immersive cloud.
Yet for all their coordination, the Phoenix's defenses and countermeasures were vastly more advanced. As waves of plasma and coherent beams lashed at it from every angle, point-defense cannons methodically picked off attackers. Not a single shot touched its heavily ablative armor plates.
Inside the hull, crew calmly went about their duties, the ship responding to their desires before they were even voiced. An autonomous parasite weapon was deployed, an obsidian spheres that swallowed incoming fire like a singularity. When satiated, it vomited the torn energies of a hundred ships back at their original vectors. Squadrons disintegrated under their own firepower.
Grax howled at the massacre unfolding, his vaunted fleet being picked apart ship by ship. Few commanders in history had witnessed the obliteration of an armada with their own eyes. Despite everything, Grax refused to back down until the Human war machine was itself destroyed.
He cried out the order for supreme suicide tactics, a final gambit to see them all go down together...
Twenty more Dreadnoughts decloaked around the battlefield´. Drax thoughts run through his head," Only suicide here will be his".
Surrender was the only Option!

Tackling Email Delivery Problems in Django

When developing web applications with Django, integrating email functionalities is often crucial for features like user registration, password resets, and confirmation notifications. However, developers sometimes encounter challenges where Django fails to send these emails, leading to disrupted user experiences and potential security risks. This issue not only hampers the reliability of the application but also affects the trust users place in the platform. Understanding the common pitfalls and configurations necessary for Django's email backend is the first step towards resolving such problems.
Several factors can contribute to these sending issues, including incorrect SMTP server settings, firewall restrictions, or problems with the email service provider. Additionally, Django's sendmail configuration requires careful attention to ensure compatibility with the hosting environment and the email service being used. This introduction aims to guide developers through the process of diagnosing and fixing email delivery issues within their Django projects. By addressing these challenges head-on, developers can ensure that their applications maintain high levels of functionality and user satisfaction.

Command / Configuration	Description
EMAIL_BACKEND	Specifies the backend to use for sending emails. For SMTP, use 'django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend'.
EMAIL_HOST	The hostname of the email server.
EMAIL_PORT	The port of the email server (typically 587 for TLS).
EMAIL_USE_TLS	Whether to use a TLS (secure) connection when talking to the SMTP server. This is usually True.
EMAIL_HOST_USER	The username to use for the SMTP server.
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD	The password to use for the SMTP server.

Solving Email Delivery Issues in Django Applications

When a Django project fails to send confirmation emails, it's a signal to dive into the underlying email configuration and troubleshoot potential issues. The Django framework provides robust support for sending emails through various backends, including SMTP, console, file-based, and in-memory backends. Understanding these backends and their appropriate use cases is crucial. For instance, the SMTP backend is widely used for production environments, requiring accurate settings such as the host, port, use of TLS or SSL, and authentication credentials. Misconfiguration in any of these parameters can lead to failure in email delivery. Developers must ensure that these settings align with their email service provider's requirements, which might involve additional steps like setting up SPF or DKIM records to improve email deliverability and avoid being flagged as spam.
Beyond configuration, the Django environment plays a significant role in email functionality. Issues like a blocked SMTP port by the hosting provider or an improperly configured Django email backend can prevent emails from being sent. It's also essential to consider the use of asynchronous task queues like Celery to manage email sending, especially for high-volume applications. This approach not only enhances performance by offloading email sending to a background process but also adds resilience, as it can retry failed email sending attempts. By meticulously reviewing these aspects and applying best practices, developers can significantly improve the reliability of email delivery in their Django projects, ensuring critical communications reach their intended recipients.

Configuring Django Email Settings

Django Framework Setup

EMAIL_BACKEND = 'django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend' EMAIL_HOST = 'smtp.example.com' EMAIL_PORT = 587 EMAIL_USE_TLS = True EMAIL_HOST_USER = 'your_email@example.com' EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD = 'your_email_password' 

Ensuring Email Deliverability in Django Projects

Effective email communication is a cornerstone of user interaction within Django applications, necessitating a reliable email delivery system. The Django framework accommodates this need with a flexible emailing setup, allowing developers to configure email backends that suit their project's requirements. However, ensuring the deliverability of these emails involves more than just configuring SMTP settings correctly. It requires an understanding of email protocols, adherence to best practices in email sending, and sometimes, navigating through the complexities of email deliverability issues. Factors such as the selection of a reputable email service provider, proper authentication methods (like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records), and monitoring email bounce rates are critical. These elements help in establishing the legitimacy of the emails being sent, which is crucial for avoiding spam filters and ensuring that emails reach their intended recipients.
Moreover, Django developers must be proactive in handling potential email delivery issues by implementing feedback loops with email service providers, using email validation services to clean lists, and carefully crafting email content to avoid triggers that commonly lead to spam classification. Additionally, understanding the nuances of transactional versus marketing emails, and segregating them appropriately, can significantly impact deliverability. By taking a comprehensive approach to email setup and monitoring within Django projects, developers can minimize issues related to email sending failures, thereby enhancing user engagement and trust in the application.

Common Questions on Email Sending in Django

1. Question: Why are my Django emails going to spam?
2. Answer: Emails from Django applications may land in spam due to issues like misconfiguration of email settings, lack of proper email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), or content that triggers spam filters. Ensuring correct configuration and establishing a good sender reputation can help.
3. Question: How do I use Gmail to send emails in Django?
4. Answer: To send emails through Gmail in Django, configure the EMAIL_BACKEND setting to use Django's SMTP backend, and set the EMAIL_HOST, EMAIL_PORT, EMAIL_HOST_USER, and EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD settings to match Gmail's SMTP server details. Additionally, enable access for less secure apps in your Gmail account or use app-specific passwords if two-factor authentication is enabled.
5. Question: How can I test email sending in Django during development?
6. Answer: For testing emails in Django, use the console or file-based backend by setting EMAIL_BACKEND to 'django.core.mail.backends.console.EmailBackend' or 'django.core.mail.backends.filebased.EmailBackend', respectively. This allows you to view email output in the console or write it to a specified file without sending real emails.
7. Question: Can Django send asynchronous emails?
8. Answer: Yes, Django can send emails asynchronously by using Celery with Django to offload email sending to background tasks. This approach improves performance and user experience by not blocking the request-response cycle for email operations.
9. Question: What is the best practice for managing email templates in Django?
10. Answer: The best practice for managing email templates in Django is to use Django's template system to create reusable HTML or text templates for emails. This approach allows for dynamic content generation and easy maintenance of email layouts and styles.

Mastering Email Delivery in Django

Ensuring the reliable delivery of emails in Django applications is paramount for maintaining user trust and engagement. This article has navigated through the complexities of configuring Django's email system, highlighting the importance of correct SMTP settings, authentication techniques, and the use of asynchronous tasks for efficient email processing. Developers are encouraged to adopt a holistic approach towards email management, incorporating best practices such as monitoring deliverability, using email validation services, and carefully crafting email content. By addressing these aspects, developers can significantly reduce the chances of email delivery issues, thus enhancing the overall user experience. As Django continues to evolve, staying informed about the latest email handling techniques will be crucial for developers aiming to create robust and user-friendly web applications.
https://www.tempmail.us.com/en/sendmail/troubleshooting-sendmail-issues-in-django-projects

The huge alien vessel loomed into view of the lunar diplomatic station's windows. Jonah stared up at the immense black shape blocking out the stars, feeling an influx of mixed emotions. As Earth's chief ambassador, the responsibility for how this first contact went weighed heavily on him. He took a deep breath to compose himself as the airlock connected with an audible thunk.
The massive frames of the arriving Vrax nearly filled the chamber as the inner door slid open. Their dark brown exoskeletons glinted under the lights, and bulbous blue eyes regarded the humans with an unreadable expression. The lead alien, Ambassador Grax, extended a claw in greeting which Jonah cautiously shook. Through translation algorithms, Grax declared they came in peace and wished to forge a prosperous relationship.
The ensuing talks did not go as Jonah hoped. Grax demanded access to the resource-rich asteroid belts, along with tribute payments to the Vrax Empire. When Jonah protested that humanity could not simply cede sovereign territory, Grax's tone turned condescending. "Consider this a generous offer, given our technological superiority." Jonah bit back a retort, mind racing to defuse the situation.
That evening, the diplomats convened an emergency video call with world leaders back on Earth. "Their demands are outrageous and set a terrible precedent," declared the Chinese premier. "We must stand firm or risk becoming tributary vassals," agreed the Russian president. Arguments flew across cultural and ideological lines until Jonah called for calm. "Antagonizing them could provoke conflict. I say we request further dialogue to find common ground."
The next meeting with Grax did not go smoothly. No matter how Jonah framed alternative proposals, the alien remained fixated on tribute and territory. When Jonah stood his ground, Grax's eyes flashed red in a sign of anger unfamiliar to the humans. "Do not test our patience, Ambassador. Your world depends on our good graces." Jonah ended the talks with a bitter taste in his mouth, dreading informing the others.
That night, Jonah paced the station, wrestling with their disastrous options. Take on the Vrax fleet and demonstrate to the galaxy the true nature of humanity, or give in to their oppressive demands?
He heard footsteps and turned to see his second-in-command, Captain Sato, entering with a grim look. "Grax just issued an ultimatum - accept their terms within a solar day or face reprisals." Jonah's heart sank further at this escalation.
In an emergency session, viewscreens filled with tense faces as Jonah briefed the situation. Shouts immediately erupted over what to do, none of the viable choices appealing. Then, the elderly UN Secretary General spoke slowly and calmly. "My friends, while force will gain us nothing, weakness will see our sovereignty trampled. I suggest we issue one final, simple message - that any harm to humanity will be met with swift and overwhelming response. This buys time for diplomacy without losing face or firing a shot. All agreed?" The room fell silent, then gradually, nations signaled consensus on this last hope. Now it was in Grax's claws.
The news of the Vrax's demands spread like wildfire across the solar system. On Earth, massive crowds swarmed city centers, chanting "No tribute!" and "Off our world!". Even hardened military analysts conceded humanity had no means to repel a full attack.
Jonah watched the coverage, weary after hours of unproductive talks with Grax. The ambassador remained resolute, because Earths resources were required for the survival of the Vrax Empire. His mention of force cast a grim pallor over the room. As Jonah returned to the station, Captain Sato gave a grim update. Social media was swimming with calls to arms, governments debated reactive shows of military force.
An emergency UN session convened via hologram. Shouts echoed in the vast chamber as leaders demanded strategies. "Further concessions will destroy our dignity!" roared the Chinese premier. The Russian president warned a small deterrent strike could backfire catastrophically. "Our people will never accept subjugation," said the Indian foreign minister.
Jonah relayed his advice to find diplomatic solutions.
On the lunar station, Jonah stared up at the alien warship, praying his diplomacy to paid off. Whatever happened, Earth would not go down without teaching these newcomers, that humanity was not so easy to conquer.
Grax saw humanity's final desperate plea as a threat, that neither safety nor pride could ignore. Now there was nothing to do but wait.
On the Vrax command ship, Grax snarled as the human's message was translated. His blue eyes flashed red with rage. "Insolent primitives! They dare threaten the mighty Vrax Empire?" He stabbed a claw at his subcommander. "Launch the entire assault fleet at once. I want those upstart human colonies wiped from the stars."
The subcommander scrambled to obey, sending the order to the hundreds of ships waiting on standby. Throughout the armada, crew rushed to battle stations as engines roared to life. Within minutes, the full force of the Vrax military swung into a sharp intercept course, weapons priming for the slaughter to come.
Within the lunar station, alarms blared as long-range sensors detected the armada changing course. "They're heading straight for the moon bases at maximum speed," cried Captain Sato, studying the readouts in horror. Ambassador Jonah prepared himself and delivered a command: decloak only one dreadnought, and show Earth and the galaxy who we truly are!
Through the viewport, he peered into the black and saw a faint flare of light growing behind Earth's shadow.
On the bridge of the ESN Phoenix, Commander Aoki watched the enemy fleet emerge on her sensors, over 500 enemy contacts closing at dangerous velocity. "All hands to battle stations," she ordered calmly into the comm.
Around her, the crew leapt into well-practiced motions as blast doors sealed, and armor plating hummed into place. "Charge main kinetic barriers and plasma lances. Stand by rocket pods for intercept maneuvers."
Aoki felt the deck plates vibrate, as the massive engines thundered to life, pulling the Phoenix from its geosynchronous orbit in a burst of golden light.
Through the forward windows, the crew watched Earth fall away at dizzying speed, as the automated piloting system slammed the nose up, and spun the dreadnought to align with its intercept vector. By the time the first Vrax ships broke Lunar orbit, the Phoenix would be waiting.
On the lead Vrax cruiser, Grax glared at the sensor display, showing the lone human warship, accelerating to engage his fleet alone. "Impossible," he spat. "No single vessel could stand against hundreds. All ships!" he bellowed, "Concentrate your fire and crush that eyesore!" Around him, crew scrambled to comply, locking targeting solutions across the squadrons. But as the first energy beams, and plasma lances lanced out, they merely flickered off invisible shields, far stronger than their own.
As the first energy beams and plasma lances streaked towards the Phoenix, Commander Aoki watched their vivid colors, dim and disperse across the ship's energy barriers. "Damage report?" she asked curtly. "Shields holding at 99%", responded the sensors officer. While an unprecedented barrage for any other vessel, the Phoenix's armor could withstand an nation's worth of firepower for hours.
"Return fire, target lead enemy cruisers", ordered Aoki. Before the words left her mouth, flickers of light erupted from the Phoenix's forward batteries. Dual heavy plasma lances, intense as a sun's core, lashed out like spears. They sheared through the initial Vrax ships with brutal efficiency, superstructures evaporating within the star hot beams.
A spread of precision antimatter warheads followed, tiny singularities of annihilation blossoming into explosions that obliterated entire capital ships. Not a single shot missed its mark, targeting computers guided by an intelligence far superior to any the aliens possessed. Behind the initial devastation, dozens more Vrax craft spun out of control, dead in space.
A flicker of doubt entered Grax's mind at the devastation wrought by this single opponent. But he steeled his resolve, determined to outlast the human war machine through sheer numbers. "All ships jump to flanking positions, surround it and pummel the eyesore from all sides." Obedient to their instincts, the Vrax pilots executed precision micro-jumps that scattered their fleet in an immersive cloud.
Yet for all their coordination, the Phoenix's defenses and countermeasures were vastly more advanced. As waves of plasma and coherent beams lashed at it from every angle, point-defense cannons methodically picked off attackers. Not a single shot touched its heavily ablative armor plates.
Inside the hull, crew calmly went about their duties, the ship responding to their desires before they were even voiced. An autonomous parasite weapon was deployed, an obsidian spheres that swallowed incoming fire like a singularity. When satiated, it vomited the torn energies of a hundred ships back at their original vectors. Squadrons disintegrated under their own firepower.
Grax howled at the massacre unfolding, his vaunted fleet being picked apart ship by ship. Few commanders in history had witnessed the obliteration of an armada with their own eyes. Despite everything, Grax refused to back down until the Human war machine was itself destroyed.
He cried out the order for supreme suicide tactics, a final gambit to see them all go down together...
Twenty more Dreadnoughts decloaked around the battlefield´. Drax thoughts run through his head," Only suicide here will be his".
Surrender was the only Option!

Overcoming a poverty mindset is a journey that requires dedication, patience, and consistent effort. Here are some achievable and encouraging steps to help you shift your mindset:

1. Educate Yourself: Knowledge is power. Learn about personal finance, budgeting, investing, and other aspects of money management. There are plenty of free resources available online, including articles, videos, and podcasts.
2. Set Clear Goals: Define your financial goals, both short-term and long-term. Make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART goals). Having clear objectives will give you a sense of direction and motivation.
3. Create a Budget: Track your income and expenses to understand where your money is going. Create a budget that aligns with your financial goals and helps you prioritize spending on essentials while cutting back on non-essentials.
4. Develop a Savings Habit: Start small if you need to, but commit to saving regularly. Even saving a small amount consistently can add up over time. Set up automatic transfers to a savings account to make it easier to stick to your savings goals.
5. Avoid Comparison: Resist the urge to compare yourself to others, especially when it comes to material possessions. Focus on your own progress and what you can control rather than what others have.
6. Practice Gratitude: Cultivate an attitude of gratitude by regularly reflecting on the things you are thankful for. This can help shift your focus away from what you lack and towards what you have.
7. Invest in Yourself: Continuously work on improving your skills and knowledge. Invest in education, training, or certifications that can increase your earning potential and open up new opportunities.
8. Surround Yourself with Positive Influences: Surround yourself with people who have a positive outlook on life and who support your goals. Seek out mentors or role models who have successfully overcome similar challenges.
9. Visualize Success: Take time to visualize your success and imagine yourself achieving your goals. Visualization can help reinforce positive beliefs and attitudes, making it easier to stay motivated during challenging times.
10. Celebrate Your Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Celebrating milestones along the way can boost your confidence and keep you motivated to continue moving forward.

Remember, changing your mindset takes time and effort, but with persistence and determination, you can overcome a poverty mindset and achieve financial stability and success.

Factory name: Clean Factory
Model name (& version number): 124270 w/ VR3230
Album Links: https://imgur.com/a/7K4byST
Index alignment: To my eye the only one I think that might be crooked is the 12. The top right corner seems closer to the hash mark than the top left corner making it so the top left corner passes a little further from the 59 second hash mark than the right corner does with the 1 second hashmark. The picture isn't perfectly straight though as there's a slight tilt with it being held and I could be overthinking it. I tried to straighten out the picture with the purple alignment lines to at least have them match the axis as best I could and kept the other untouched one in the album for comparison. It seems more obvious in the winding/time setting video they provided.
Dial Printing: Looks good
Date Wheel alignment/printing: N/A
Hand Alignment: Nothing jumps out to me.
Bezel: N/A
Solid End Links (SELs): No noticeable gaps although I'm not sure if I should look for anything else
Timegrapher numbers: -5 s/d w/ 293 amplitude. I think that's fine.
Anything else you notice: It has the "STEEL INOX" clasp flaw. I've done a bunch of research on RWI/Reptime around this and the RWI crowd seems to think the "STEEL INOX" bracelets break whereas the "STEELINOX" ones do not however the reports I see around this all seemed to be around 6-7 months ago so it could have just been a bad batch then with no correlation to how STEELINOX is spelled out. Here are the links for reference on what I mean with the bracelet:

• https://www.reddit.com/RepTimeServices/comments/17i8l99/clean_explorer_1_bracelet_is_there_any_fix/
• https://www.reddit.com/RepTime/comments/17stn8l/comment/k8v7vfa/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
• https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/explorer-i-124270-gen-clean-comprehensive-comparison.10953455/post-11720147

Round 2, Pick 33 - Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State:
NFL: After trading back twice on Thursday, the Bills stick at 33 and take a big, physical and athletically gifted target. Coleman isn't fast and isn't a deep threat, but he can win in a variety of ways. But who will Josh Allen's deep threat be? Stay tuned.
CBS Sports: C-. “X” receiver for a WR-needy team. Plays faster than his combine speed but doesn’t separate consistently and isn’t as good of a contested-catch wideout as his size and highlight-reel would indicate. Young though.
ESPN: After trading back twice, the Bills addressed the team's most significant position of need with Coleman, a big outside receiver with the ability to make splash plays -- 12 receiving touchdowns on contested catches since the start of 2022, second-most in the FBS, however, only a 31.7% contested catch percentage in 2023 -- to create separation and a release that general manager Brandon Beane described as "about as good as any." Beane acknowledged that while he's "probably not" going to run away from defenders, Buffalo feels his play speed is faster than the speed he showed at the combine -- 4.61 40-yard dash -- also noting that they liked his athletic ability that came from playing basketball. The Bills needed starting-level talent at outside receiver and Coleman, who turns 21 in May, fits into what Buffalo was looking for, while the team was still able to move back and add picks.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Believes that knitting is the original “Netflix and chill”.
Round 2, Pick 60 - Cole Bishop, S, Utah:
NFL: Safety was a big need for the Bills, and they go back to the Utes for help after taking Dalton Kincaid in Round 1 a year ago. Bishop is a very good athlete and field general who can play the post safety spot and cover a lot of ground. He played like the QB of the Utes' defense the past two years and could be a rookie starter for Buffalo.
CBS Sports: A-. Large, intimidating safety with magnificent movement skill. The QB of the defense. Aligns everywhere. Can wear many hats. Excelled as slot defender and vs. TEs in coverage and runs the alley on outside runs as well as any safety in the class. Ball skills and tackling must improve. Short arms. Need filled.
ESPN: Another pick for the Bills in the second round, another big need addressed. Drafting Bishop adds someone who can compete for a starting role this season, in addition to being a potential answer in the secondary after moving on from Jordan Poyer this offseason while Micah Hyde continues to contemplate retirement. Bishop has the ability to move all over the field, along with speed -- 4.45 40-yard dash -- and many of the qualities and instincts the Bills look for at the position.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: He always weebles and wobbles, but he won’t ever fall down.
Round 3, Pick 95 - DeWayne Carter, DT, Duke:
NFL: When I first watched Carter at the Senior Bowl, I wrote in my notes: "rolling ball of knives." Carter's game doesn't have a lot of pretty to it, but he's a scheme disruptor with his low center of gravity, ferocious style and nasty demeanor.
CBS Sports: B+. Active, high-energy interior rusher who’s on the ground a bit more than what’s desired because of his frenetic style. But it also gets him to the football more often than most DTs. Flashes of swim move and spin just needs to utilize them more. Length is a plus and he works hard vs. run. Some power too. Fills niche need on Buffalo’s defensive front. Needs to use his length better on passing downs.
ESPN: Using the pick acquired via the trade with the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, the Bills addressed another hole with Carter bringing depth at defensive tackle. The three-technique tackle will have the opportunity to continue to develop -- potentially as Ed Oliver's backup -- adding to a defensive tackle room that has limited young talent. The Bills didn't draft a defensive tackle last year due to the way the board fell, but the team was able to add to the rotation early this year.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Still says ‘weeeeeeeeeee’ when on a playground swing.
Round 4, Pick 128 - Ray Davis, RB, Kentucky:
NFL: Davis has overcome a lot to reach this level, and though he lacks long speed, he can be a Zack Moss-like player for the Bills. Davis' vision and wicked spin move have left a few defenders in a blender.
CBS Sports: C. Compact, older RB with plus stop-start ability, married to his feet well. Can deploy multiple cuts in a run to make defenders miss. Good, not amazing overall elusiveness though. Quicker than fast too. Will work hard to fight through contact. Has the skills to be fine complementary RB in NFL.
ESPN: With Davis, the Bills add a needed bigger back -- 5-foot-8, 211-pounds -- to pair with James Cook, but also someone who has the ability to catch the football (seven touchdown catches in 2023, tied with Najee Harris for the most by any SEC running back in a season in the last 25 years). Buffalo had a variety of veterans complimenting Cook last season, but Davis, 24, will give Buffalo a power runner and another younger presence in the room, albeit with plenty of collegiate experience from two seasons at Temple, two at Vanderbilt and one at Kentucky.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: This divorce is taking forever Erica why are you doing this?
Round 5, Pick 141 - Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, C, Georgia:
NFL: He's a tough, durable competitor with good anchor strength and three years starting experience for an SEC power, although SVP's lack of athleticism and smaller frame might make him a center-only projection.
CBS Sports: A-. Multi-year starter in the SEC with wrestler’s mentality. Battles through the whistle every snap. Mobility stands out. Explosive short-area quicks. Doesn’t have supreme length and clearly has to add weight/strength to his game. Methodically carries out run-game duties with ease. Second-level climbs etc. Older prospect but comes with high floor.
ESPN: This offseason, the Bills moved on from the team's starting center, Mitch Morse, and backup Ryan Bates. Last year's left guard Connor McGovern is set to slide over to the starting role. Adding Van Pran-Granger brings depth at center -- he allowed one sack his entire career in 1,337 pass-blocking plays, according to Sports Info Solutions -- and a strong candidate for the future at the position with significant starting experience (he started the last three seasons at center for Georgia).
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Is constantly telling people how different things are on Linux.
Round 5, Pick 160 - Edefuan Ulofoshio, LB, Washington:
NFL: In recent years, Buffalo has taken some interesting shots on linebackers in Rounds 3-7, and Ulofoshio continues that trend. He was one of the final players in my top 100 prospect list with his excellent speed, intense style and special teams experience, even if injuries have clouded his projection.
CBS Sports: A-. Six-year LB who starred for a long time as a full-time player in Washington’s program. Big-time tester and it shows on the field. Just takes a second to diagnose. Keen block-avoider as he’s sifting through traffic. Smooth athlete all around but doesn’t quite play to his workout. Reliable tackler who also flashed coverage skill down the seam. High-floor pick here. Crowded LB room.
ESPN: The Bills lost major special teams contributors this offseason, including linebacker Tyrel Dodson and defensive back Siran Neal, while captain linebacker Tyler Matakevich remains a free agent. Ulofoshio adds depth to the linebacker room, but perhaps more importantly, he can find a role on this roster as someone who can make an impact on special teams, an area of priority for the Bills. He has experience from playing six years at Washington, and while he dealt with multiple significant injuries in 2021 and 2022, he played every game in 2023 and earned Washington's Guy Flaherty Most Inspirational Award, the program's oldest and most prestigious honor.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: DROP TABLE card_facts; [please crash your pc, reader].
Round 5, Pick 168 - Javon Solomon, DE, Troy:
NFL: Solomon was a highly productive rusher the past few years in an unusual frame. He's short and undersized at 6-foot-1 and 247 pounds but with nearly 34-inch arms and huge hands. That extra length helps Solomon get to the quarterback, along with his quick burst and non-stop motor. An interesting study for sure.
CBS Sports: A. Burst, bend, speed predicated outside EDGE. Small frame but serious length. Unique build. Doesn’t get engulfed by bigger blockers as much as expected because of his speed-to-power conversion. Hand work is good, not amazing and can flatten to the QB. Motor hums on every play. Bills needed this type of quick winner on the outside.
ESPN: Solomon provides depth at edge rusher, another position of need for Buffalo. He led the FBS with 16 sacks last season and totaled 31.5 sacks since the start of 2021 (also most in the FBS), in addition to 49 career tackles for loss (third in Sun Belt history). Being a Day 3 selection, finding a special teams role will be important for Solomon. He'll also have the opportunity to develop behind the likes of Greg Rousseau, Von Miller -- someone that Solomon has modeled his game after -- and AJ Epenesa.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: He once painted the walls of a Buccees stall, hasn’t been back since.
Round 6, Pick 204 - Tylan Grable, OT, UCF:
NFL: He's a converted Jacksonville State tight end who became a solid left tackle the past two years at UCF. Grable is a quality athlete with great length and potential to be groomed at center, even if he's still learning how to play O-line.
CBS Sports: B. Height and length type at OT who probably plays guard at the next level. Smooth athleticism and can sustain speed throughout the play. Not just quick. Hands are more active and heavy than they are accurate. Good depth add here with positional versatility. Can grow into his frame.
ESPN: Grable started his collegiate career as a walk-on tight end at Jacksonville State, but transitioned to offensive line starting in 2019 and then started 27 games at left tackle while at UCF. He will compete for a roster spot in an offensive line room with veteran players, and said he's prepared to make a switch to a different position if needed. General manager Brandon Beane said that Grable is "gonna have to continue to work on his lower body strength, his power to move guys in the run game, but has great feet you know for pass pro."
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Still refers to Google DUO as Google MEET.
Round 6, Pick 219 - Daequan Hardy, CB, Penn State:
NFL: His return skills might be what keeps him in the league, as Hardy lacks the mass and strength to hold up full time on defense, but sub-4.4 speed is always appealing in a DB.
CBS Sports: A-. Case for most sudden, twitch-up athlete at CB in the class. Super speedy too. Plus recovery talent. Explosiveness in every movement. Not always sticky in coverage but does have high-caliber reps. Check Ohio State game. Erratic tackling and hard to get off blockers because of his size. Chippy in trying to make plays on screens.
ESPN: Hardy brings depth at the cornerback position and skills as a returner. In 2023, he tied the Penn State record for most punt return touchdowns in a season (two) and finished seventh in punt return average (14.6) in school history. Beane noted that if not for the new return rules, he's not sure if they would have picked Hardy, but "this guy can play one of the backup corner spots, but also he's a really nice returner." Buffalo lost multiple players at the returner spot in free agency, and with more focus on it going into this season, Hardy will have the opportunity to compete for the role.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Owns the complete N64 collection including a CIB Conkers.
Round 7, Pick 221 - Travis Clayton, OT, England:
NFL: The Brit, who is 6-foot-7 and 301 pounds with 35-inch arms, ran a 4.81-second 40-yard dash at South Florida's pro day and immediately put himself on scouts' radars late in the process. He's a total project but might be a terrific find with some seasoning, thanks to those unusual athletic traits.
CBS Sports: C+. At 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds with 35-inch arms and a sub 5.00 40-yard dash, this is a ridiculous athlete who is new to football from London.
ESPN: Despite the Bills never seeing Clayton play football, he's an intriguing addition to develop. The initial projection is as an offensive tackle for the 6-foot-7, 303-pound boxer and former rugby player from England after offensive line coach Aaron Kromer came away from watching tape of his workouts. Notably, he ran a 4.79 40-yard dash, faster than all offensive linemen who competed at the combine in the last 10 years. He'll have an opportunity to show the Bills exactly how his skills will translate and what he may be capable of in the NFL, especially as he does not count for a roster spot as part of the International Player Pathway program.
NFL Absolutely Not Fake News: Just like a fantasy draft, the true sleepers can be found in round seven.

An excerpt from the upcoming thesis on the counter theory to the rise of MAGA.
The Radicalization Of Evangelicalism
With how fanatic MAGA members have become, its vital to take a deeper look into a crucial part of its spiritual reverence as prophesized by evangelicals. "Pro-life, pro-traditional family, pro-moral, and pro-American" has largely been the Republican platform for quite sometime, but it's also an implant by the efforts of one man who sought to control and organize many narrative's into one which he felt best fit his pristine vision.
The question here was "Have Evangelicals always been this way." The answer surprised me. No, they weren't. Then even once widely supported abortions for financial reasons, which was arguably less aggressive than Roe Vs wade, which restricted potential reasons for abortions and the trimesters increased.
The odd fact is that one single man, coming from a family of casual atheists, criminals, bootleggers and drunks, would grow up partying and drinking to then start the strictest and "purest" Evangelical movement that would forever shake their course and culture. He was also the one that organized the goals of "Pro-life, pro-traditional family, pro-moral, and pro-American" with his 'Moral Majority' organization.
The tragedy is how he shoved his 'imperfect' son into a spotlight of having to push extreme conservative values that ultimately lead to his downfall in juxtaposition.
Falwell Jr. even claimed that his downfall was due to his relationship with Trump, and not his own sins.
I want to be clear that this family does not define the Evangelical movement and I pray they find themselves on a more balanced path going forward.
Evangelicalism In The 1900s'

• Evangelicals were not always on the far right, their people, pastors and community even previously recommended abortion bills. “Financial capability” was even an approved reason, by Gods will, to engage with abortion.

Politico Abortion History Right White Evangelical
ASA3 Article by the Christian Medical Society of historical Abortion Stance
The Man Who Radicalized Evangelicalism

• Yet one man, Jerry Falwell, a segregationist, would push for modernization and mobilization of the evangelical far right movement. Apparently, he knew better than every pastor in the history of that religion.
• Near 1980 he launched his “Moral majority” group and “I Love America” rallies. He said he felt he saw a serious lacking in general morality in the country and was trying to save it. The Moral Majority was promoted as being pro-life, pro-traditional family, pro-moral, and pro-American. Which are all hallmarks of the Republican party and MAGA today.

Wiki Moral Majority

• Fallwell pushed for conservative politics so much that it led Billy Graham, a widely respected and well-known evangelical preacher, to criticize him for “sermonizing” about political issues that lacked a moral element.

Centerforpolitics On Farwell Sr History “Poisonous” To Republican GOP

• Graham, unlike Falwell, insisted on racial integration and even invited Martin Luther King to preach with him at a revival in New York City.
• However, Fallwell, a televangelist Christian, would make the odd alliance with Weyrich, a Roman Catholic, to help get “religion back into politics” to fight the imaginary enemy of “secular humanism.” Even though Falwell’s father was an atheist and from a line of criminals and drunks.

Cnn Opinion Weyrich Catholics Protestants

• Beyond intense homophobic, racist and misogynistic comments, Falwell preached, “The idea religion and politics don’t mix was invented by the Devil to prevent Christians from running their own country.” For your review, I’ve attached some “Devil Worshipers.”

Vanityfair Inside Jerry Falwell Jr Unlikely Rise And Precipitous Fall
Standford LawSchool Founding Fathers Separation Of Church And State

• In the 1990s that imaginary attack on religion of “separation of church and state” was called “political correctness.” With Bill O’Reilly even claiming that Christmas was ‘under siege’ in 2004 by “secular progressives.”
• h. In the mid-1990s Falwell also promoted the Clinton Chronicles, a right wing propaganda video that accused the Clinton’s of excessive crimes all the way up to murder.

Liberty University & Controversy

• The ‘Falwells’ founded Liberty University and became puritan punishers and fined and ruined peoples academic lives for failing to live up to their “elite moral standards.” Few people understand how much harm academic death can cause someone and how likely suicide can become. Some of these sins included merely being in the same room as the opposite sex or drinking. Contrasted by the Falwell’s criminal family history and Jr’s claim his father had consistently openly drank and partied with friends before marriage. His father even apparently broke up a marriage to later claim his wife, Macel. His main tactic was incepting love letters, which was a federal crime for each instance.
• Jerry Jr would also reveal, “He became a different person to build a church and a school.”
• In 1988 the Falwells nearly lost everything due to Sr’s financial mismanagement to the tune of millions of dollars. While it’s claimed that his son helped reorganize things, restructure debts and find new funding sources, there doesn’t appear to be any articles on where those funding sources came from.

Vanityfair Inside Jerry Falwell Jr Unlikely Rise And Precipitous Fall

• On 9/11 Fallwell Sr even said, “"I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'
• While other evangelicals said it was impossible to know which punishments god gave for which sins. Fallwell would later claim those words were taken “out of context.” That’s funny when it seemed like he was specifically talking to them in that moment.

Huffpost Jerry Falwell 911 Remarks
TheGuardian On Farwells 9/11 Claim
The Affair

• It would be ironic that his son, after years of advocating for purity and monogamy, would himself engage in a messy seven-year affair that shocked the evangelical community. This scandal, along with other minor scandals and financial misconduct involving tax-free financial benefits to friends from the university, starkly contrasted with the values he publicly demanded. Although the affair appeared to be consensual among the involved parties, it was overshadowed by other, less publicized but more concerning alleged crimes. Additionally, despite his minimal evangelical conviction, he was thrust into an intense spotlight that would ultimately contribute to his downfall.

NPR An Affair That Felled Evangelist Jerry Falwell Jr S Career
Politico Jerry Falwell Liberty University Loans
Falwells Fall

• It's ironic that Jerry Jr., who initially had no prior relationship with Donald Trump, would become the first evangelical leader to endorse him in 2016. This endorsement came just two months after the death of his evangelical brother, raising some suspicion to his sudden ‘change of heart.’ Reports suggest that the endorsement was part of a quid pro quo with Michael Cohen to conceal an affair casting an additional shadow over evangelicals.
• However, there was a silver lining when 2,000 members of Liberty University, where Jerry Jr. was a leading figure, signed a petition for his removal, showing a commitment to integrity within the university community.
• Add to all that, concerning comments like tweeting he would only wear a mask that had “Governor Blackface” on it, in the wake of George Floyd. Although this was arguably during his “self-destruct” phase.

Politico Jerry Falwell Trump Liberty University

• Then, upon reflection, he insisted his fall was due to endorsing Donald Trump, and not his own sins.

People How Jerry Falwell Jr Is Connected To Donald Trump
In Summary:
Jerry Falwell Sr.'s commitment to a strict evangelical approach was deeply influenced by his desire to reshape the moral landscape and possibly counteract the less savory aspects of his family's history. His vision radicalized evangelicalism, aligning it closely with far-right politics, a transformation that had lasting impacts on American political and religious culture.
Jerry Falwell Jr., however, doesn't appear to have had any widely recognized issues with racism or segregation prior to 2020, which marks a stark contrast with the controversies that exploded around him later. His leadership at Liberty University seemed to embody the ultra-conservative values his father espoused, but his personal scandals, particularly the affair with the pool boy, starkly contradicted the public persona he projected. This scandal was particularly poignant given his father's harsh stance against similar moral failings in others, highlighting a deep hypocrisy that often went unremarked in less prominent families.
The ominous saga of the Falwell’s underscores the complex dynamics within evangelical circles, where there has been a tension between public morality and private behavior. It suggests a need for a reevaluation of how evangelical leaders engage with politics and society, advocating for a return to core values that emphasize personal integrity and humility over public condemnation of others' imperfections.
This also raises broader questions about the path forward for evangelical communities. There might be merit in considering a separation of church and state interests as it’s founders supported. Such changes could potentially help the evangelical movement find a more sustainable and less divisive role in modern society, avoiding the pitfalls that ensnared the Falwells.
As a refresher for them, here’s some Jesus:

Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV)

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

And for those who follow the path of the fallen after learning of this, you’re not following the path of God, you’re following the path of the fallen angel.

u/neodestiny

Hello!
Does anyone have experience with making a normal friendship knot bracelet (chevron for example, where you don’t wave basically) with the back and worth alpha technique? By some, it’s called alpha-normal. It would be cool! I did find a picture of this taken from the video https://youtu.be/Jq2e1qs9y2w. Have you also used this method or did you transition between alpha and normal in another way?
I thought of it as a way to incorporate letters easier possibly. Has anyone tried adding letters using the normal technique?
Please comment if you have tried either combining normal non-alpha and alpha knotting in a bracelet, or if you have written letters with the normal non-alpha method! I’d love to hear 😃

In America, congress passed a bill saying that anti-Zionism is anti-semitism. And I'm glad that Jreg brought up the Haavara Agreement. That gets brought up a lot in the communist discord server I'm using.
The Haavara Agreement occurred in 1933. And it's like a peaceful cleansing. It's when you get a group of people that you hate to voluntarily leave. When modern day neo-Nazis talk about a peaceful cleansing, they're thinking about things like that Haavara Agreement.
Because of this "war" Israel has increasingly become a pariah state, who's only clear ally is the USA. But Israel has become a pariah to pretty much the rest of the world. Israel has the largest amount of Jews being sitting ducks, with it's only clear ally being the USA.
In recent polls, the majority of Americans are against Israel, and the majority of Democrats would love it if America withdrew its support of Israel. If America stops supporting Israel, and Israel being heavily reliant on America, what will they do if they lose American support and another country decides to bomb it?
This "war" has not ONLY been a bad look for Israel, it's been a bad look for the USA. The other superpowers Russia and China have shown nothing but support for Palestine.
Which makes me think of JJ McCullough video. Where he said that the creation of the UN was so that what occurred in Nazi, Germany will never happen to another group of people ever again. That it was firmly believed that what caused Nazi, Germany in the first place was authoritarian regimes, and that this sort of thing would be completely impssible with a democracy. That a democracy will never allow this to happen, which makes it a superior system.
We are living in a time, where people all over the world watched in horror what Israel has done during this "war." And the world has also watched the USA's staunch support of Israel, including threatening to arrest members of the ICC if they arrest Netanyahu, and threatened to invade The Hague, should Netanyahu face arrest.
America bullies Europa into sanctioning China and Russia and boycotting their goods. But again, I'm thinking about that statement that JJ McCullough made. The UN was created so that what happened in Nazi, Germany would never happen to ANY GROUP of people ever again. "Never again" meant any group of people.
But now, instead of the world sitting back in horror as the Holocaust happens. People now are sitting back in horror as more Palestinians are getting erased from the face of this world. Israel is NOT in a war with the West Bank But in the West Bank, houses are being burned down. Palestinians in the West Bank are being shot down like cattle. And what sort of "war" is it when it's completely one-sided?
To me, this action, not only risks turning Israel into a pariah. It also risks turning the US into a pariah. It might seem impossible. But we normally bully Europeans to sanction and disassociate from China and Russia. We just threatened the sovereignty of the Netherlands. The US govt made it clear that we will punish anybody who dares to act against Israel. We also demand that you disassociate from China and Russia because of the type of govts that they have. As comedian Jon Stewart frequently points out. There is some chrystal clear hypocrisy and double standards going on here.
You have two superpowers which are completely aligned with the rest of Europe when it comes to Israel's treatment of the Palestinian people. And you have one democractic, superpower, that bullies you and threatens you if you so much as arrest Netanyahu.
No govt should be bullied into doing anything that it doesn't want to do. I wouldn't be surprised if Europeans would rather get along with China, on the condition, that it respects its soverignity and doesn't push it to do things that it doesn't want to do. Like some sort of treaty where the Europeans remove the sanctions, and in return, China doesn't pressure Europe to doing things that they don't want to do. For Europe to be able to make independent decision that's without the influence of a superpower.
Don't get me wrong. As a US citizen, I hate the idea of the US becoming an pariah country. But there has been an uptick of news of various people leaving the Biden administration because they feel like his actions harms America's credibility to the rest of the world. So many comedians are cracking jokes about America's hypocrisy, and people are leaving the Biden administration because they agree with the comedians. Including us cracking down on TikTok because people criticize the Israeli govt a lot on TikTok.
How could we brag about being the world's freest country and value liberty and freedom more than any other country. While we crack down on protesters and crack down on apps because of speech that we don't like? Where we are reliant of censorship and a militarized police presence to crack down on speech that we don't like.
Our Fouding Fathers believe that Free Speech is the most important freedom that you can ever have, along with the freedom to protest and boycott.
I cannot predict the future. I don't watch CNN, but I do read CNN. When you read CNN, they are very critical of Israel. But, youtubers have pointed out that when you watch CNN, it's different. I wouldn't know. But from my experience, there are main stream news outlets critical of Israel. And there are big named comedians like John Oliver and Jon Stewart, who're critical of Israel. There are over 1,000 Hollywood celebrities that signed an open letter from a website of Artists4Ceasefire.
I don't know what will occur in the future because there are people with a lot of fame and a lot of wealth who are critical of Israel. It's unlikely that we're going to start arresting Hollywood celebrities for having speech the govt doesn't like.

Edit: If you are going to comment on the length of this post, please don't. This is not a simple snark but rather an actual critical think piece about feminism and Taylor Swift.

Introduction

Pertaining to Taylor Swift, "Female Rage" has deviated from its intended meaning after Swift debuted a new performance of The Tortured Poets Department during the Eras Tour. Now, according to Swift's use of the phrase, female rage is interpreted as public backlash against Swift's dating choices rather than as a response to the broader injustices against women and women's rights. This post examines Taylor Swift's flawed feminism, philanthropy, branding, and the controversial trademark petition for the phrase "Female Rage: The Musical". Swift's background as an entertainer, indeterminate politics, and alignment with capitalism over feminism pervades her legacy, again threatening her public tolerance as not just an individual but as a brand.

Once Upon a Female Rage...

If you were cognizant in the early 2010's, you've heard countless jabs at Taylor Swift in the media. Magazines, radio, or online. Music critics did not take her seriously as a songwriter; parents put a woman on an unrealistic pedestal as the ideal role model for their children; she dated too much and used men as lyrical fodder. No matter the story, it inevitably spread, conjoined with everyone's respective opinions, and you'd be left to wonder, "Why does everyone hate this girl so much?"
Taylor's target demographic has always been young or adolescent girls, more so when Swift herself was one. She made music that spoke to the awkward misfit, cultivating a para-social relationship with fans on MySpace, then later twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, where Taylor posted relatable vlogs showcasing the life of a homegrown American girl. Taylor had a delayed public "growing up" and, compared to her female pop contemporaries, Swift never "gratuitously sexualized her image and seems pathologically averse to controversy" (and, apparently, never even had a sip of alcohol until she turned 21). She was more than happy to spin this narrative to allude to an inherent moral superiority above other women in the industry (Better Than Revenge, heard of it?), engaging in the very slut-shaming that she herself endured (the Madonna and Whore archetypes). The victim complex arose with the need to prove Taylor as a different type of pop girl. Based upon her holy and clean image, Swift had been dubbed "a feminist's nightmare", and that "[To Swift] other girls are obstacles; undeserving enemies who steal Taylor’s soulmates with their bewitching good looks and sexual availability." Feminism and Tennessee-Christian country values don't exactly mix, it seems.
Years later, Swift befriended Lena Dunham and thus experienced white feminism osmosis, where Dunham taught Swift that real feminists defend rapists, makes insensitive jokes about rape and abortion, and prioritize all-white casts. Swift then declared herself a feminist in 2014, saying,

"Becoming friends with Lena – without her preaching to me, but just seeing why she believes what she believes, why she says what she says, why she stands for what she stands for – has made me realize that I’ve been taking a feminist stance without actually saying so."

I suppose the male-centric songwriting subject that permeates Swift's discography contained covert feminism and that we just didn't see that. Perhaps, the "Bad Blood" song and music video were written only in jest and not about poor Katy Perry, for Swift, as a feminist, would "never make it a girl fight" or tear other women down (though all Katy did was date your terrible ex-boyfriend and allegedly steal three backup dancers from your tour). In 2013, Swift said, in response to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's joke towards her serial dating, "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women."
There was that time in 2015 Taylor said that Nicki Minaj was "invited to any stage [she is] on" (as if Taylor expects to have access to every stage, award, and platform that Nicki might not otherwise have as a black female artist...yikes!) in response to Nicki's criticism of the white + thin VMA nominations. Later, Nicki responded with confusion, as Swift continued, "It’s unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot..". Of course, this 'beef' was 'squashed' when Nicki performed with Taylor at the VMAs, with Nicki quite literally only having 38 seconds of stage time without Taylor. Maybe all that parading around with a legion of famous white women - similar to the way Taylor might've done with her numerous 1989-era handbags - was in fact a stance against gender inequality, and that this display of "girl power" should be enough to constitute Swift as a feminist icon.
Even while Swift says that Dunham informed her feminist outlook, she dances around the exact contents of those beliefs: "what she believes, what she says, what she stands for" is not exactly insightful towards what beliefs Swift might have inherited. Taylor never broaches women's rights topics such femicide, FGM, forced pregnancy & marriage, sex trafficking, women in slavery, women's financial and political oppression, women's educational rights, women's health, or women's autonomy, so we can assume she only gives a fuck about "girls supporting girls" (whatever that fucking means).
Despite some questionable (and sometimes vindictive) behavior, Taylor as a young woman did not deserve every media lashing that she received. We cannot deny that most headlines and criticisms perpetuated a misogynistic rhetoric which has plagued Swift for a majority of her career. Acknowledging events such as the development of her ED, her sexual assault trial, "Famous" lyric and MV depiction of Taylor, and the explicit Twitter deepfakes, for example, as both disgusting and unfortunate things that happened to a young woman in Hollywood does not negate the fact that Taylor is mostly a performative feminist.

Get Your Fucking Ass Up and Be a Philanthropist, It Seems Like Nobody Wants to Be a Philanthropist These Days

In 2013, Taylor Swift cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Taylor Swift Education Center at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. The donation amount - $4 million - was the largest individual artist gift ever donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame, which is, of course, mentioned on Swift's website. The two-story facility features three classrooms, an instrument room, and an interactive children's exhibit gallery. Swift also performed at "All for the Hall" charity shows and has donated numerous artifacts from her career (such as notable guitars, tour costumes, etc) to the museum.
This was over 11 years ago, and it is still the only notable philanthropic contribution Taylor Swift has made.
For a woman of her net worth and stature, and a woman who recognizes the difficulties for women in film and music, you would think that Taylor Swift might establish a scholarship program for women to study the arts or something. Perhaps Swift might even consider becoming a member of organizations that support female artists, or one that supports LGBTQ+ causes (since she is now proudly an ally), yet she remains superficial with her graces. Broader philanthropy, such as donating relief aid to Palestinian women or women impacted by violence and discrimination will probably never receive any financial support from Miss Swift because then she'd be using her money towards philanthropies involving anyone but white entertainers.
She even says herself in Miss Americana, "My entire moral code as a kid and now is a need to be thought of as 'good'." Well, she's certainly thought of as good, though her actions say otherwise. She's more than happy to do a vaguely altruistic song and dance for a clip-worthy interview quote and mass appeasement, then fuck off to one of her mansions on a 20 minute private jet flight, rather than actually contribute to anything pertaining to the causes she has endorsed. Yet, far too many people continue to give a woman such as her their money, time, and energy, and she hoards these resources to herself.

I Like Some of the Taylor's Songs, But What the Fuck Does She Know About Feminism?

Swift continued with her self-proclaimed feminist campaign, positioning herself as a political activist and LGBTQ+ ally in the Miss Americana documentary. The primary focus of the documentary consists of the sexual assault trial, Andrea Swift's cancer diagnosis, Taylor's ED and body dysmorphia, media scrutiny, and, largely, finally speaking up about her politics publicly, mostly her opposition to the 2018 Tennessee Republican senate candidate, Marsha Blackburn, and Blackburn's beliefs. Swift says, following a scene discussing her experience during the trial,

"I just couldn't really stop thinking about it. And I just thought to myself, next time there is any opportunity to change anything, you had better know what you stand for and what you want to say."

We must ask ourselves, though: when has Swift ever spoken up to change anything? Okay, pulling her entire catalogue from Spotify because they didn't pay their artists enough and similarly pulling her catalogue from Apple Music are changes that she leveraged due to her revenue potential and power, but they are not pertinent to the average woman's rights. Moreover, these are issues that directly impacted Taylor's income, which was enough reason for her to protest in the first place. Swift has sold the most units for a female artist in first week sales, is the first female artist with 100k monthly Spotify listeners, is the first female artist to win the Album of the Year Grammy 4 times, and is the first female artist to do X, Y, and Z, all while being inoffensive and family-friendly to boot. The actual Taylor Swift seems unwilling to compromise the brand of Taylor Swift by contributing in meaningful ways to feminist causes, especially if it is for women outside of America and Hollywood.
The reason political anthems such as "The Man" and "Only the Young" of the Lover era feel disingenuous and corporate is because, well, it is. Taylor has taken every opportunity to advance her career or public image at the expense of other women. What is truly genuine to Taylor's outlook on other women is vying for male attention, taking down female competition, and vocalizing feminist injustices only if they directly impact her and her money. Some will argue that it's satisfactory for a woman with such a huge platform to even TALK about feminism, but that just isn't enough. It's even less impressive when you candidly look at the scope of her feminist lens: "If I was the man, then I'd be THE MAN", or "I really resent the ‘Be careful, buddy, she’s going to write a song about you’ angle, because it trivialises what I do", and, of course, "We all got crowns". Feminism, but only when it happens to me. It gets worse when you look at Taylor's track record of copying other famous women and removing other female artists as potential threats to her pop prowess.
It's good for PR to align yourself with certain blanket feminist and political beliefs, therefore good for branding, therefore good for ticketing and merchandise sales, therefore good for business. And Taylor Swift is a business.
She's not a feminist. Taylor Swift is a capitalist.

I Can't Pay Those Sweatshop Workers a Livable Wage or Benefits! How Else Would I Make My Billions?

Recently, Taylor's team filed to trademark the phrase "Female Rage: The Musical" after Taylor said during Paris N1 of the Eras Tour,

"So you were the first ones to see The Tortured Poets at the Eras Tour...or as I like to call it, 'Female Rage: The Musical'."

This trademark petition was filed last week on Saturday, and news comes about just as numerous unofficial fan-made merch designs have cropped up with this phrase plastered on Fruit of the Loom basics. I'm of the opinion Swift's team motioned for a trademark so that they can send out cease & desists to all those that make knockoff merch, which disrupts potential sales for Bravado, UMG's choice merchandising company; however, since it was filed earlier, perhaps Swift has bigger plans with the bizarre use of the gendered phrase. One Swiftie referred to the phrase "female rage" as "a funny Eras Tour joke". Could it be a possible fourth version of the Eras Tour Movie? Whatever the reason, the motion to capitalize off of such a concept is disgusting, but not unsurprising, for a woman that profits on her vain feminism.
Swift, through her company, TAS Rights Managements, has also trademarked over 200 phrases, including "1989", where she owns the property rights to this calendar year on keychains, phone cases, sunglasses, stationary, bags, beverage ware, clothing, entertainment services, your subconscious, and, of course, Christmas ornaments.
The vapid consumerism in Swiftie culture is, frankly, disgusting. Bravado's sustainability statement is non-existent, the quality control is abysmal, and the materials they use are horrible. The materials, such as acrylic and polyester, are made from petrochemicals. This means they are non-renewable, shed microplastics, and are quite toxic in production. The manufacturing process to make all of those lazy-rushed Eras Tour logo graphic tees is a huge blow to environmental well-being. Apparently, though, Swifties don't give a fuck. They sell out products in seconds and either have to face the manufactured scarcity or buy from a scalper that resells for 200% of the already ridiculous retail price. This doesn't include the environmental impact of vinyl records, CD, and cassette production, of which Taylor produces many variants that sell unsustainable amounts.
If we're talking about women's rights violations, why is no one acknowledging the women that work in the inhumane sweatshop conditions that have to pump out fugly t-shirts and hats? The millions of plastic microfiber dander they are inhaling, or the toxic dyes that touch their bare skin? Are they being compensated fairly for their skilled labour and are they in safe working environments? Do these women have minimal bargaining power, and do they have authority over their worker's rights? Is Taylor Swift female raging at their injustices? Does Taylor Swift ever feels bad that her wealth was built on the backs of women of color, disadvantaged by the demands of the global economy and garment industry? Do you think she ever says a little white feminist prayer for them before she goes to sleep at night?
What's even crazier is not that Taylor herself doesn't care, it's that Swifties don't care. There CANNOT BE ethical billionaires. You only make a billion dollars if you are exploiting other human beings for capital gain. Based on public perception of the possible "Female Rage: The Musical" trademark, it seems like Swifties are already asking for merch with this phrase. "If Taylor made it, I'd buy it." Oh, cool. So not only do you champion Miss Swift's avarice and billionaire status, but you also are unashamed to admit to your blind consumption of her music and merchandise, no matter where they might originate in production or sincerity. Just as Swift takes and takes and takes, Swifties' consumerism of Taylor Swift cannot be quelled.
The tortured artist's most vulnerable and sincere poetry...available now in 21 different versions!

I Am Tortured Poet, Hear Me Whinge

Look - even if Taylor's intention is to characterize TTPD as more "tortured" and "angry", the main thread of the album is "I was ghosted by my decade-long situationship with a controversial indie boy and my fucking stupid fans wrote a 'Speak Up Now' open letter prompting me to drop him" anger, which is adequately expressed in the lyrics and performances. The extent of Taylor's "female rage" on TTPD is on tracks such as "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?", which contends with relentless media scrutiny; "But Daddy I Love Him", where Swift firmly states she'll date whoever she likes no matter how "Sarahs and Hannahs" may react; and "The Albatross", a track mythologizing her reputation and the consequences of dating her. Of course, these coincide with deep psychological wounds that formed during Swift's early years in the media, and so, from her feminist perspective, these subjects tackle the misogyny and double standards that she faced.
Yet Taylor Swift still has no grounds to be claiming that TTPD best exemplifies female rage and therefore she, in the context of this album, is female rage incarnate. As the daughter of a stock broker and mutual fund marketing executive, Taylor was born into wealth and allowed privileges like trips and subsequent relocation to Nashville all so that she might get a record deal. Her father even invested at least $120,000 into the then-fledgling label, Big Machine Records, which ensured Taylor's place with Borchetta after leaving her dead-end development deal with Sony. The fact that her parents were able to buy her a fucking brand new guitar for Christmas and pay for music lessons says so much about the financial security and safety of her childhood.
Money is privilege and protection, and despite Swift's experiences with misogyny and loser boyfriends, she does not know what female rage is.
Her rage is derived from her frustrations with her obsessive fans pulling the moral superiority card on Taylor in response to her rebound with Matty Healy. That's literally it. She's just pissed that the monster she created is no longer obediant, it's become a feral, sovereign entity that depletes the world of its natural resources and thinks it is more intelligent than it actually is because it's mommy has started to talk to it with big words. Apparently, 'illicit', 'elegy', 'nonchalant', and 'precocious' are considerably big words for the oafish monster, and I find it strange that this level of literacy is present in a group of fans that allegedly have GPAs of 3.5 or higher, but I digress.
Taylor Swift has never been one paycheck away from destitution. Taylor Swift has never experienced racial discrimination. She may have instances of gender discrimination, but she possesses the ideal white, blonde American beauty standard and therefore reaps the benefits of being a conventionally attractive woman. Taylor Swift has sufficient social capital. Taylor Swift is a billionaire woman prolonging her victimhood though she, as a woman, has mostly had control over her image and music (unlike her contemporaries). Taylor Swift is NOT entitled to be championed for her "female rage", nor should she be. Taylor Swift has never even been the struggling artist, for fuck's sake. I don't give a fuck if she's trying to fill the empty lunch tables of her past. Taylor Swift purporting herself, her unpolished album, and her lukewarm feminism as a musical bleeding with female rage is asinine.

Sigh Try and Come For My Job, Poors

Out there in the world right now is a 23-year-old woman, a recent college grad, who works as a barista. She has to wake up and get ready to go into a minimum wage job because she cannot get a job in her field. She doesn't have healthcare benefits or sick time, so she has to go into work no matter how she's feeling. All day long she is berated by vicious customers and creepy men, and, exhausted from being on her feet, she knows she has to go home to her shitty roommate that never does the dishes and her roommate's shitty dog. To comfort herself, she considers getting a treat, but thinks against it when she remembers that matcha lattes cost $15 and they taste like milky dirt. She knows that she needs to buy groceries this week, and so the woman resolves to go home, but notices that her gas tank is low. She goes to put gas in the car, but the pump stops at $27.86 because that's all that she has in her checking account. The woman, bereft and reeling, sinks into the driver's seat. "Well," she thinks, her head in her hands, "at least I don't have Taylor Swift's job. I just couldn't imagine."
Fame is somewhat of a choice. If at any moment Taylor feels that she is misunderstood, misconstrued, or overwhelmed by public opinion, she can LEAVE the public eye - Lord knows she has the retirement fund and residuals to do so. In "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart", the TTPD song about meeting the demands of your career-zenith mega-tour while in the relationship trenches, Taylor ends the song by rambling,

"You know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart...you know you're good...and I'm good, cause I'm miserable, and no one even knows!...try and come for my job."

Yeah, obviously we wouldn't know, you recently passed the billionaire threshold and are the most famous and in-demand performer in the world right now. Taylor Swift makes an estimated $10 to $13 million dollars A NIGHT on the Eras Tour. Furthermore, the Eras Tour movie grossed $261.6 million globally, (which, as the producer, Taylor takes home 57% of the ticket sales) not counting the streaming revenue from Amazon Prime Video and the estimated $75 million deal that Disney paid to have it on Disney+. We're not even considering the income from cheap plastic popcorn buckets and drink cups plastered with colored squares in her Era-specific likeness.
It's funny. Taylor Swift often said that being famous wasn't hard, that she "isn't complaining". I'm sure it is difficult to always have to present in a good mood, else you'll end up misrepresented in the media, and I'm sure it's invasive to virtually have no privacy or semblance of anonymity. Still, Taylor Swift shows up each night of tour and performs. For a majority of her career, she has penned her sad songs while on the road. Most of "Red", her breakup album, was written in the thick of the Speak Now World tour. Now, some Swifties say they almost "feel bad" for attending the Eras Tour with Swift's revelations in this song, that they have had a 'dimmed experience' upon hearing Taylor's misery whilst performing. Despite the fact that Taylor said that "this was the happiest she's ever been" at Gilette Stadium in May, the lyrics "boohoo, woe is me, smile for the cameras and make the fans happy!!!" are jarring for Eras attendees.
While Taylor Swift was making double-digit millions a night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and feeling miserable, Ana Clara Benevides Machado passed away due to heat exposure. The concert promoters, Time For Fun, are now the subject of a criminal investigation due to their lack of adequate hydration and safety. Taylor Swift cancelled the Sunday show that was to follow and offered VIP tent tickets to Benevides Marchado's family, which was a kind gesture, but perhaps incongruous to the incident of which they were offered as consolation. Everyone grieves differently, of course, but I'm not sure attending the very show at the very same venue that my daughter or sister passed away in two days prior, where the singer CONTINUED the show despite her death, would be healthy for closure.
There was no female rage at the show as Swift never saw Benevides Machado pass out. There was no female rage towards the disregard for fans as humans while Swift elected to proceed with her Brazil tour dates despite the country being in historic heatwaves (at risk of overheatting herself). If Taylor Swift was so shaken by touring with a broken heart or a fan's passing, she wouldn't have added an additional North American leg of Eras just two months after the Matty breakup. She's brokenhearted but willing to mend the cracks with your money and move onward with her worldwide female rage induced pillaging.
No matter what happens, even if you die at a Taylor Swift concert, Taylor collects a big fat check and flies away. She doesn't know you as anything other than a conversion rate or earning potential despite what her nearly 20-year long parasocial relationship with fans might otherwise indicate. She knows that, while some Swifties are without disposable income, they feel obligated to spend on a "48 Hours Only!" exclusive vinyl variant instead of necessities because they are so entrenched in Taylor Swift's intoxicating celebrity, they'll prioritize materialistic fandom before their needs. This is good enough for her because this means she can expand her real estate portfolio and finance her cat's lavish lifestyles. They're worth an estimated $100 million dollars. Her three cats could pool their net worth and solve world hunger.
While you and I might be denied bereavement leave and barely surviving the current political and economic climate, Taylor Swift has to, instead of gets to, perform for stadiums at full attendance for three nights in a row across the globe. You and I might be replaced by AI at our longtime jobs, but Taylor Swift is threatened with losing more and more money each time you listen to a "Stolen Version" of her songs. If we don't buy every variant of all of her albums, then who is going to pay for the fucking cats?
It is tone deaf to spend as she spends and lives as she lives in this economy, but this is her reality. She was able to donate $100,000 to all of her tour truck drivers, and that's wonderful, but it leads me to wonder about the ethos of the 2020s where one woman can hoard such life-changing amounts of money. Remember in 2014 when she gave a fan $90 ($120 in today's money) to get Chipotle because she had no fucking clue how much it cost? This is a 34-year-old woman who is increasingly out of touch with the reality for working class people and women in general. Normal everyday adults must wake up and go to their thankless jobs, and yet Taylor Swift, despite all her riches, incessantly references the lows of her life and career as a public figure and entertainer to farm sympathy and drive sales. And still, the corporate women have latched onto "I cry a lot, but I am so productive! It's an art!" as their cubicle battle cry.
Do you think that, from up in her private jet, Taylor Swift gazes at the world through her poetic, tortured eyes, and thinks, "All the little people, in their cars, walking, going about their lives...all those girls that don't support girls...do they know that I've made an album about female rage?"

Conclusion/TLDR

Thank you for reading. I would love to hear your critical insights towards this entire ordeal: TTPD, the trademark, the implications of it all.
TLDR: Taylor Swift is a bad feminist and is delusional to think that the TTPD eras set exemplifies female rage at women's injustice.

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