v

Joined June 2021

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always looking for the right words to say

Stories (27/0)

Spreading kindness
It's almost Random Acts of Kindness Day (February 17, if you want to mark it in your calendar), and after a tense few years, we all can pitch in to make it better by giving back to our communities.
By vabout a year ago in Humans
Follow the money!
"Dark Money" is a term used by many in mainstream media around election cycles, but for the average, everyday American whose life doesn't center around politics, it can fly over a lot of people's heads. Here's a quick breakdown of that term and how most politicians are essentially using a loophole to keep donors' names private.
By vabout a year ago in The Swamp
Judgement
The barnyard owl sees everything. Even in the dark. I catch its white feathers in the rafters, head turned away and into itself as the cold, winter snow continues to pour outside. The wind whistles and shakes the tin roof every so often, instigating some anxiety within me, as sharp as ice itself.
By vabout a year ago in Fiction
The Creative Bug
"You were right," I texted Chris - former manager, now turned confidant. Immediately he called. "I'm fine," I tell him. "Well I just had to make sure."
By vabout a year ago in Journal
Don't be a part of the problem
I sat back and looked at my computer screen in disbelief. What the fuck is going on. 32 applicants. No, not for some scholarship or job opening. 32 applicants to take over my lease. That's a great number, right? Except, all of them have ghosted or have been rejected.
By vabout a year ago in Confessions
"You can't patent the sun"
There's lots of debate and controversy over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Type in a search engine those exact phrases and you'll get article after article detailing how it came to be. The fact of the matter right now is that we're having to live with it. I've been a news reporter for the past year and my job has been to detail and write how the pandemic has affected the everyday, average American. Mom and pop shops, schools, doctors, college students. I've even covered the Governor giving out free McDonald's coupons to people who get the COVID-19 vaccine shot. Yes, that really did happen in the state of North Carolina.
By vabout a year ago in The Swamp
The oil cartel
The oil cartel is at it again. Yes, you read that right - "cartel". A cartel, as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), is when firms create a formal agreement to "raise or fix prices and to reduce output in order to increase profits." In this case, we're talking about the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
By vabout a year ago in Criminal
Unpersoning
Almost everyone has a social media page in modern societies. And most people with those social media pages stay active, posting special moments from their lives or simply sharing everyday thoughts that pass through their mind. But what if an active, social media user stops posting? Not only just stops posting, but also deletes their account entirely? While some may choose to do that for the sake of their sanity (no judgement there), there's a more sinister reason that can explain why someone on social media, even with thousands or millions of followers, will suddenly disappear from online society.
By vabout a year ago in Futurism
Climate change cuts sugar supply
Supply chain issues, inflation, and labor shortages are three challenges facing consumers this holiday season. Now, right before Thanksgiving, your favorite desserts and dishes might be nixed due to severe weather disrupting ingredients. Wheat, berries, cream and soybean oil are staples for classics like pumpkin pie and and cheesecake, but empty shelves are greeting amateur and professional bakers alike. Droughts, extreme rainfall, and other climate impacts are constricting supply and driving up prices for key pie ingredients.
By vabout a year ago in The Swamp
The DAO
Browsing a list of podcast shows, I came across an episode called "ConstitutionDAO's Julian Weisser and Will Papper". Now, considering this podcast show was labeled under "Politics", I figured there was going to be a discussion comparing a political philosophy to a spiritual one. Well, let's just say my expectations were incorrect.
By vabout a year ago in The Swamp
To the metaverse and beyond
The next step in human evolution is here - at least, that's according to tech enthusiasts. That step is called the "metaverse". Facebook's renaming to "Meta" introduced the concept to a wider audience, with those same people asking a lot of questions about what's next for humanity.
By vabout a year ago in Futurism
Labor Unions
Labor Unions in the U.S. brought our country weekends, minimum wage standards, and stopped child labor. Now, as living conditions change, many workers in the industrialized sector are fighting for more changes to match 21st century standards.
By vabout a year ago in The Swamp