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Posted inPolitics and Movements: US, Real News Daily Reports
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard: On the Dawn of a New Era in Congress
by Tulsi Gabbard January 3, 2019 September 23, 2020
At the Sanders Institute Gathering, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard discusses what the new young progressives bring to the fights in Congress and the Green New Deal
SHARMINI PERIES: It's the Real News Network. I'm Sharmini Peries, coming to you from Burlington, Vermont today. We are at the Sanders Institute Gathering, where so many great politicians, activists, academics are gathered here in order to tackle the critical issues of our times. We are now being joined by Representative Tulsi Gabbard from Hawaii. Thank you so much-
TULSI GABBARD: Aloha.
SHARMINI PERIES: For joining us. Aloha.
TULSI GABBARD: Nice to see you.
SHARMINI PERIES: Tell us about what some of the key challenges are that you're going to be tackling in the coming year.
TULSI GABBARD: Well first of all, it is … It's been great over the last few days to welcome a lot of these new members of Congress to Washington. They've been going through their own orientations, but we've been having time to spend with them as individuals and as groups. Actually, just yesterday we got a little inkling of what's to come when there were probably three or four of us who are already members of Congress and about five or six of the newly elected members of Congress who will be joining us and being sworn in in January gathering with some amazing young leaders from the Sunrise Movement to talk about a green economy, to talk about protecting our environment, the importance of clean air and clean water, and how we really need to focus our attention on investing in this green and sustainable future for us.
SHARMINI PERIES: Are you talking about the New Green Deal?
TULSI GABBARD: The Green New Deal is the … I guess at the forefront of what the Sunrise Movement is pushing through. Again, young leaders from across the country who are taking ownership for their future, as well as some of the other pieces of legislation that we already have introduced and that this Select Committee will continue to work on building forward; to actually have an actionable plan.
SHARMINI PERIES: What are the components of the New Green Deal that you think could have life?
TULSI GABBARD: When you create this Select Committee, you really start looking at taking a comprehensive approach through legislation on how we get our country off of its addiction to fossil fuels and invest in the kinds of infrastructure, jobs, and economy that we need to build this … An economy that's based on green and clean renewable energy. I've introduced legislation last year called the Off Fossil Fuels Act, working with incredible environmental organizations like Food and Water Watch. We have now I think close to 400 environmental nonprofits from across the country who are supporting that legislation.
That's one element of what they're talking about when they're talking about a Green New Deal, is building this pathway for a bright future, for a clean future, a sustainable and livable future. Not just for our generation, but really looking down the line for generations to come and placing this at the forefront as a priority. That's something that we talked about earlier today here at the Sanders Gathering, is understanding that clean air and clean water is the most basic and fundamental right that we have as people, and we have to make sure that the leaders of our country are forming and enacting policies that not only respect and understand that, but really putting it at the forefront.
SHARMINI PERIES: All right. You're going to get incredible pushback from the Trump administration, as you have been. I mean, he's rolled back so many of the very little Obama was able to advance in terms of climate crisis we're dealing with and trying to tackle it. How do you plan to, I guess, push through some of these very good policies that the Green New Deal is talking about?
TULSI GABBARD: Well, I think it's first important to understand that, yes, we have to fight back against these attempts, some successful, some not, to take away very basic but very important environmental protections that are in place really to protect us and our families and our communities. That's kind of the immediate, right, with the situation that we have. But it's important as we look at how to make this very systemic change that we address the systemic problem, as well. I can tell you the systemic problem in Washington is the influence of big fossil fuel money in Washington, and how long that has existed. It's something that exists not just because of Trump. It's been around long before that, and it effects Democrats and Republicans.
I think it is … It should be inspiring. And I draw hope from the fact that there are more and more people getting involved and getting engaged in this as not a Democrat or Republican issue, but an issue that impacts all of us regardless of party, regardless of what state we come from, regardless of our race, ethnicity, whether you're wealthy or you're poor. Having access to be able to breathe clean air, so that when your children are born they can take a breath of clean air, and make sure that we have clean water, make sure that we have a safe and livable home, these are the things that are common interests for every single person. If we are starting that conversation there, yes, with leaders in Washington, but with people across the country who are making decisions about who they're voting for and what kinds of policies they're pushing for, then we have real opportunity to make this kind of big change that needs to happen.
Tulsi Gabbard is the United States Representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district. She was also a vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee until February 28, 2016, when she resigned to endorse Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic Primary.
More by Tulsi Gabbard


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Seth Green to guest star on Monday Night Raw next week
Comments Off on Seth Green to guest star on Monday Night Raw next week
Seth Green will be the guest star of Monday Night Raw next week which will be the Slammy Awards edition.
This is not the first time that Green has been on Raw. A big WWE fan, Green was the guest host for the July 13, 2009 episode of Raw and even competed in the main event that night, teaming up with John Cena and Triple H to take on Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Ted DiBiase.
Green was also in attendance at WrestleMania XXVI the following year.
Vince McMahon apologizes to CM Punk
Main event set for TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view
RAW guest stars
Schwarzenegger, Manganiello, and Scooby-Doo cast on RAW next week
Arnold Schwarzenegger will be returning to WWE next Monday on RAW and will be making a guest appearance to promote his new movie Sabotage. Coming with "Terminator" will be his co-star in the movie, Joe Manganiello. In 2012, Schwarzenegger was the social media…
Arrow's Stephen Amell on Raw tonight
Tonight's Raw will be very special for Hollywood actor Stephen Amell as the life-long WWE fan will step inside a WWE ring as a guest star tonight's broadcast. Amell, who plays Arrow on The CW's superhero television series, has been campaigning for this for…
Stars of Entourage on Monday Night Raw tonight
The cast of Entourage will be appearing on Monday Night Raw tonight as guest stars. Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara, will all be on the show tonight marking the first time that four celebrity individuals will guest star together…

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Atom Bank
Atom was the first mobile app only bank to be launched in the UK. It has had over £450m investment in it, including from Spanish bank BBVA and has musician will.i.am as a Strategic Board Advisor
Atom have their own banking licence which isn't shared with any other banks
Based: Durham
Date Launched: April 2016
Branches: Atom does not have any branches
Clare Frambrose
Mark Mullen
£2.15bn as of 31st March 2021
£3bn as at 7th July 2021
Atom has three lending divisions:
Mortgages for residential house purchases
Business loans for commercial property investment, commercial owner-occupied and semi commercial borrowers.
Portfolio Buy To Let loans for landlords
https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/atombank.co.uk
Atom were largely out of the savings best buy tables for 2020 but have returned strongly in Q2 2021. Their financial results for 2020 saw them, for the first time, make a small positive net interest margin i.e. they earned more in interest from borrowers than they paid in savings. In its latest capital raise (£40m in April 2021), it noted that it was 'heading to profitability' and expects its results to 31st March 2021 to show a 1% net interest margin.
Despite its savings accounts only being accessible by mobile app, it has some of the highest customer service satisfaction scores in the market.
Contact Information for Atom Bank
Address: PO Box 105, Blyth, NE24 9DU
Website: www.atombank.co.uk
Email: customersupport@atombank.co.uk
Open: 8am - 8pm, 7 days a week


This Valentine's Day we are offering 10% OFF all our style experiences!
Whether you're looking for a gift for someone special or just looking to treat yourself, a styling session with one of our personal stylists is the perfect way to go! We offer one hour, two hour, half day, and full day styling packages, so whether you're in need of a whole new wardrobe or just looking for a few new pieces for a special occasion, our stylists can help you find the perfect match.
It's the perfect time of year to start thinking about a new wardrobe with spring quickly approaching, so whether you prefer to do a bit of indoor shopping at Westfield or walk around Oxford Street on a nicer day, our stylists are able to help you look and feel your very best.
Use the code VAL10 to receive your 10% OFF discount.
See all of our style experiences here.
Offer valid from 12pm pm on the 8th of February until 12pm on the 15th of February.
Can only be used on full price packages.
Valid in Manchester, Liverpool and London (excluding Westfield Stratford).
Cannot be used in conjunction with any offers.
Gift Vouchers valid for one year from purchase date.


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Posted inElection 2010
Lamont Opts Out of July 27 Debate
by Christine Stuart July 6, 2010, 6:49 pm January 21, 2021, 6:26 pm
Ned Lamont, the Greenwich businessman vying for the gubernatorial nomination on the Democratic side, will not participate in a televised debate scheduled for later this month.
The debate sponsored by the New London Day and WTNH News 8 at the Garde Arts Center has become a tradition in the Connecticut political landscape.
"To say we are disappointed with Mr. Lamont's decision to avoid a live televised debate before an audience of 1,500 primary voters in New London would be an understatement," said Gary Farrugia, publisher of The Day, in a written statement announcing the debates.
Former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, who is also vying for the Democratic nomination, said he's more than disappointed in Lamont's decision than Farrugia.
"This debate is a tradition," Malloy said. "It's a chance for voters to see and hear each candidate only days before heading to the polls. It's when primary voters are most tuned in and most ready to hear from candidates about their values, their experience, and their vision. And Ned Lamont is denying them that chance. What a shame."
Lamont did participate in a televised debate hosted by NBC 30. After that debate he was asked whether he would participate in any more debates before the primary and he said, "we'll see."
Lamont's Communications Director Justine Sessions said Tuesday that her candidate thought his time was better spent talking to voters.
While that might sound contradictory seeing as how the debate will be televised consider the ratings during the last June 22 debate between Malloy and Lamont.
The New London debate is being aired on WTNH's sister station, WCTX MyTV9, on a Tuesday, the same day as the NBC 30 debate was televised, which means chances are it will be beat in the ratings again by Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Inside Edition, Entertainment Tonight, and Two and a Half Men. Even Judge Judy received more of a share of the ratings on June 22 than the NBC 30 debate, which received two shares beating out only the PBS News Hour.
However, the New London debate draws an audience of about 1,500 voters. There was no audience in attendance for the NBC 30 debate, which was held in the news station's West Hartford studios.
The three Republican candidates for governor have agreed to the July 28 debate.
Tom Foley, a former U.S. ambassador and the winner of the Republican convention endorsement; Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele, a former state representative and businessman from Stamford; and R. Nelson "Oz" Griebel, a former bank executive and leader of the Metro-Hartford Alliance will participate in the July 28 debate.


Please be advised that physicals are valid for one (1) year. No student is allowed to try out or participate in any sport without having a valid physical on record. Please check with the Athletic Trainer if you are unsure of when your physical expires. It is the student-athlete's responsibility to make sure their physical is valid.
In order to play each season, the state requires that each studebt-athlete fills out an updated Health History. These forms will be filled out on Caredox. You will be receiving an email each season to fill out an updated Health History.
These steps are required for your child's enrollment.
Please register your son on CareDox, as per the instructions.
The physical portion of the medical paperwork will be faxed or uploaded to CareDox. Upon completion, the ATC will be notified.
Once reviewed, you will be alerted if your child is cleared to participate in activities. You will also be notified if he is not cleared and be given a reason.
You must take the ImPACT baseline test online. Please refer to ImPACT Testing Instructions on how to take and complete the test. I do not get automatically notified of the test being completed. I will need the completion receipt as proof that the test was taken.
Additionally, LiveChat customer support from CareDox is available to you directly on the site and via email.
Physicals- Mr. DiGregorio in conjunction with the school nurse, reviews all medical paperwork, ensuring proper documention and compiling a list of eligible student athletes each season. No student may try out or participate in a sport before submitting the proper medical forms prior to the beginning of school and each athletic season. Parents and students, please check back often. If your son is NOT listed, then something is missing.
Remember: You must take the ImPACT baseline test online. Many student athletes have everything in, BUT this test. Please refer to the ImPACT Testing Instructions to complete the test.
For assistance on how to register, please watch the CareDox Assistance Video.


PixelBook - Google's thinnest and lighest laptop - AndroGuider | One Stop For The Techy You!
In the much anticipated Google event, Google has unveiled a number of new hardware including the Pixel 2 and 2XL and the PixelBook. In this particular blog, we will discuss about PixelBook, the thinnest and lightest laptop ever made by Google.
The laptop is actually called a 4-in-1 hybrid which means you can use it as a laptop or fold the keyboard underneath the screen to get a tablet experience. The PixelBook sports a 12.3 inch touchscreen display (obviously) which google claims to bring enough brightness to use outside on a sunny day. At 10.3mm thick, the laptop weights 1.1 kilograms which is almost the same weight as an HP spectre. Google has also induced a new touch-processing algorithm in the trackpad to improve accuracy.
The PixelBook is powered by an intel core i5 or an i7. It comes with upto 16GB of RAM which is plenty enough for smooth multitasking. The different storage options are 128GB, 256GB and 512GB in which you can store your movies, documents, music etc. The battery is said to keep it alive for 10 hours and it comes with USB-type C.
The PixelBook runs on chromeOS which makes it the first laptop with an inbuilt Google Assistant. Apart from the standard voice recognition, the keyboard also has a dedicated key to activate the Assistant. As an additional perk to the PixelBook, Google has also released a PixelBook pen, a stylus with 60 degrees of angular awareness, latency of just 10 milliseconds and over 2000 levels of pressure sensitivity. Basically, its fast and accurate in tracking your hand movements. You can do a lot of stuff with the pen like sketching, looking up words and finding more about specific images by circling the element while pressing the button on the pen.
Google has made the laptop more helpful by making it automatically connect to your Pixel's data when you are not connected to WiFi. You can download all your favourite apps on the PixelBook so you don't have to switch between your phone and laptop. The laptop and pen are available for pre-order in UK, US and Canada currently.


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Q: Astropy Fits: How to write out a table with rows sliced out? I'm currently working with some fits tables and I'm having trouble with outputting in Astropy.io.fits. Essentially, I am slicing out a bunch of rows that have data for objects I'm not interested in, but when I save the new table all of those rows have magically reappeared.
For example:
import astropy.io.fits as fits
import numpy as np

hdu = fits.open('some_fits_file.fits')[1].data

sample_slice = [True True True False False True]

hdu_sliced = hdu[sample_slice]

Now my naive mind expects that "hdu" has 6 rows and hdu_sliced has 4 rows, which is what you would get if you used np.size(). So if I save hdu_sliced, the new fits file will also have 4 rows:
new_hdu = fits.BinTableHDU.from_columns(fits.ColDefs(hdu_sliced.columns))

new_hdu.writeto('new_fits_file.fits')

np.size(hdu3)
6

So those two rows that I got rid of with the slice are for some reason not actually being removed from the table and the outputted file is just the same as the original file.
How do I delete the rows I don't want from the table and then output that new data to a new file?
Cheers,
Ashley

A: Can you use astropy.table.Table instead of astropy.io.fits.BinTable?
It's a much more friendly table object.
One way to make a row selection is to index into the table object with a list (or array) of rows you want:
>>> from astropy.table import Table
>>> table = Table()
>>> table['col_a'] = [1, 2, 3]
>>> table['col_b'] = ['spam', 'ham', 'jam']
>>> print(table)
col_a col_b
----- -----
    1  spam
    2   ham
    3   jam
>>> table[[0, 2]] # Table with rows 0 and 2 only, row 1 removed (a copy)
<Table length=2>
col_a col_b
int64  str4
----- -----
    1  spam
    3   jam

You can read and write to FITS directly with Table:
table = Table.read('file.fits', hdu='mydata')
table2 = table[[2, 7, 10]]
table2.write('file2.fits')

There are potential issues, e.g. the FITS BINTABLE header isn't preserved when using Table, only the key, value info is storead in table.meta. You can consult the Astropy docs on table and FITS BINTABLE for details about the two table objects, how they represent data or how you can convert between the two, or just ask follow-up questions here or on the astropy-dev mailing list.

A: If you want to stick to using FITS_rec, you can try the following, which seems to be a workaround:
new_hdu = fits.BinTableHDU.from_columns(hdu_sliced._get_raw_data())

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Literally Darling, Contributor
Online magazine for millennial women
Loving Someone With Depression
By Hope Racine
Originally posted on Literally, Darling.
I've never been depressed. I've had my share of my own crazy and sure, I have my bad times. I have those times where I start crying while brushing my teeth and I'm not sure why. We've all experienced this to an extent. You go through a patch where staying in bed all day isn't just the better option -- it's the only one. But as blue as things may look at that point, a lot of us are lucky enough to have the ability to say "I'm feeling depressed," as opposed to "I have depression."
There's a big difference between those statements, and the key word is feeling.
Like I said, I've never been depressed. But I know a lot about depression. Over the past few years, someone very close to me whom I love dearly became depressed. And I had no idea what I was getting into.
Let's call my friend Hubert. Why? Because Hubert is a funny name, and nothing about this situation is funny.
Hubert went through some life changes. Some things turned out less than desirable for him, but all in all, Hubert would agree that nothing terrible happened to him. This is a common misconception about depression -- you don't have to have a traumatic home life, a horrible experience or witness the death of a loved one to become depressed. Depression has no rhyme or reason. It just happens.
I didn't understand this at the time. I found myself wondering at times why Hubert was taking things so hard. He can get past this, I thought to myself, all he has to do is just try.
But he couldn't. Because despite the fact that Hubert's life mantra is "I can do anything if I try," he couldn't bring himself to. He couldn't even bring himself to care. He couldn't even try to try.
You know those commercials for the antidepressant with the tagline, "depression hurts more than just you," or "depression hurts everyone?" It's true. Loving someone with depression is hard.
We're not inside their heads. We can't understand why they are doing the things they are doing. We can't understand why they won't listen to reason, and they often don't have the ability to articulate why.
It took a long time, but I finally figured some of it out. Strangely enough, a webcomic put a lot of things into perspective for me. It was hard, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but as hard as it is, your loved one needs you. And when you're through the thick of it, your acceptance and help through that time will mean more to them than you will ever understand. Here are some of the things I've discovered along the way.
1. Your loved one isn't just sad.
Depression isn't a state of being, it's an affliction. Like a cold or the flu, it can come out of nowhere and hit them. Or think of it another way: your friend is in an abusive relationship with depression. Depression has cut off their ability to have other friends. Depression has crippled their social life. Depression is constantly putting them through hell, making everything more stressful, making them doubt themselves, making everything difficult. Depression has beaten them -- to the point where they will have actual physical pain. Depression has taken control of their life, to the point where it's easier to just feel nothing.
2. They're not depressed because of you, so don't take it personally.
It's hard not to take things personally. It's even harder to not wonder if you did something to make your loved one depressed. When you're depressed, you feel this complete and utter inability to be yourself, and it makes it ten times harder when you're around loved ones; i.e., people who know the real "you." Being with strangers can sometimes be easier for them. They get to put on a show. They get to pretend that they aren't depressed for a short amount of time. It can really hurt you to see this, and you sometimes wonder if it's just you causing the depression. But it's not. If your loved one is acting depressed around you, its a good sign in a strange way. It means that they love and trust you enough to share this with you. Sometimes, they try to hide it -- sometimes, they'll push you away. The only thing to do is just be there.
3. You can't "fix" them.
I know you think that by being positive and following them around like their personal cheerleader, one day it might occur to them, "Yeah! life is great and things are awesome and I'm fixed!" But it won't. Endless supplies of positivity aren't helpful -- they actually do more harm than good. It's frustrating. It's reminding them that they aren't full of cheer. And most importantly, they aren't sad. I know it looks like they are, and sometimes they can feel incredibly down, but cheering up won't help. They're experiencing a complete lack of emotion, and you can't fix something that doesn't exist. All the funny animal gifs in the world aren't going to cure them. Just be there. Remind them that this is temporary. Don't tell them to keep trying, just remind them that there's a light out there. Listen and validate their feelings, but don't try to explain them or cheer the person up. Don't offer opinions or advice. You don't have to walk around like a complete sad sack, of course -- that won't help. Just be normal, but be supportive.
4. Any emotion is good.
Sometimes, when people start the long, long climb up out of depression, their emotions come back to them in weird ways. Some people get the crying, the breaking down and sobbing. Feel free to comfort them. Some people get the manic happiness that seems incredibly fake. Encourage this -- but be careful. It can switch quickly. But a lot of people get the anger. Anger, for some unknown reason, seems to be the easiest way to vent the months and months of non-feeling that your loved one has gone through. So be prepared. They will get angry at you. They will scream at the cat and curse-out their shoe. The strangest and sometimes smallest things will set them off. I know that this hurts more than anything, and it seems so backwards. But by getting angry, they finally have a way to vent their frustration. Encourage it, or at the very least, let them rage in peace.
5. Take care of yourself.
Your first thought will be to take care of your loved one, but loving someone with depression can seriously mess you up as well. You feel like you need to be in it with them, but you don't. You need to take care of yourself. Keep focusing on your goals and dreams. Sometimes you will feel like a horrible person bragging about your new promotion or going out with friends. You feel like you should hide it from your loved one or downplay your accomplishments, because it seems like a smack in the face to them. But --I can't stress this enough -- don't. They will still be happy for you. Your success and happiness might remind them of what they're lacking, but you cannot sacrifice yourself. You need to go out and be with friends. You need to get fresh air.
In addition, sometimes, you're going to cry. Sometimes, you're going to hurt. Sometimes, you won't be able to handle it, and you feel like you need to hide it from your loved one. Don't. Express to them that this is hard, but you're in it with them. Don't tell them that you cried yourself to sleep, but open up a bit. Find a healthy way to get the stress out -- even if it's ranting to your dog.
6. Be patient.
Depression sucks. It sucks the life out of everything, and you need to be careful to not let it suck the life out of you. Read about it, find out about it -- it's amazing how ignorant and misinformed we are about depression.
Check out this wonderful explanation of depression by Hyperbole-and-a-half.
Literally, Darling is an online magazine by and for twenty-something women, which features the personal, provocative, awkward, pop-filled and pressing issues of our gender and generation. This is an exact representation of our exaggerated selves.
Also on The Huffington Post:
7 Helpful Websites For Coping With Depression
Women Relationships Relationships Depression Mental Health
Who it's for: Anyone struggling to cope with depression. Why we like it: This site offers self-help articles about coping with various aspects of depression. Learn how to let go of the past, make positive changes in your life, and deal with insomnia. Practice breathing exercises and read about the power of forgiveness.


The other day, I was checking my email when I came across a suspicious looking message. It began with the line, "Dear Sir/Madam".
Please pardon me if I intrude into your privacy, and may I humbly solicit your confidence in this transaction. I came to know about you in my private search for a reliable and reputable foreigner to handle this confidential transaction.
Wow, that writing sounds like something straight out of a Dickens novel. I quickly clicked delete, suspecting that this was a phishing scam.
You've probably received emails like this too. And maybe you've also chuckled at their standoffish, overly formal tone. It seems to be a trademark of these types of spam emails.
However, not too long ago, no one would have laughed at that style of writing. It's the style most people would have used if they wanted to come across as polite and professional.
In fact, your English teacher probably taught you a similar academic style when you were in school. Flowery language. Long paragraphs. Precise grammar. No contractions.
And then came the Internet. Over time, everyone from bloggers to big corporations realized that a conversational style of writing is a much more powerful way to engage and connect with your audience.
Formal writing hides your personality and can make your audience doubt your sincerity. It sometimes comes across as pretentious and is also plain difficult to read.
If you want to connect with your readers and get them to trust you, talk to them as you would to a good friend.
The writing style which is most natural for you is bound to echo the speech you heard when a child…I myself find that I trust my own writing most, and others seem to trust it most, too, when I sound most like a person from Indianapolis, which is what I am.
The good news is that writing in a conversational style can be a lot of fun. The bad news is that sometimes it can be difficult to unlearn the style you were taught in school.
That's why in today's post I'm sharing with you my 8-step checklist to conversational writing.
It's the same checklist I use to make sure my writing sounds like I'm having a conversation with a friend at the local coffee shop, not like I'm delivering a college lecture or trying to scam my readers out of their life savings.
You can use this checklist when you're writing a blog post, an email, copy for your website, or, really, anytime you want your writing to resonate with your readers.
The first step to making your writing sound more conversational is to imagine you are writing to a single reader, a close friend, not to a crowd of people.
It's only a subtle change, but the second sentence sounds much more personal and friendly than the first one.
I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person—a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one.
Bonus tip: Think really hard about who your audience is. What are their hopes and fears? What do they struggle with? What kind of jokes or cultural references would make them laugh? After all, you'd probably talk differently if you were having a friendly conversation with a group of retirees at a resort than with a group of young startup founders at a conference.
Since you're addressing your reader as an individual, you should use the personal pronoun "you" as much as possible and also refer to yourself as "I".
Usually, it's obvious where you can use these personal pronouns. But sometimes it's a little more difficult to spot.
Words like "might" or "probably" can help you qualify the statement so you don't come across as preachy or lecturing.
This makes you sound even more like a friend to your reader.
Passive sentences are one of those tell-tale signs of academic and technical writing. If your high school grammar is a little rusty, you can read a quick review of passive sentences here.
Essentially, in a passive sentence, the subject receives the action rather than performing it.
It's a neat little trick because this sentence avoids taking responsibility by failing to tell us who made the mistakes.
Note that you can't fix a passive sentence by tacking the subject onto the end. "Mistakes were made by all of us" is still passive.
Just write, "We all made mistakes." Now the sentence is active.
If you have a WordPress blog, I highly recommend installing the Yoast SEO plugin. It will point out your passive sentences when you write your posts. If you're not writing on a WordPress blog, you can use the Hemingway App.
If you've ever wondered what English would sound like if we talked without contractions, check out the film adaptation of True Grit starring Jeff Bridges (Amazon affiliate link). The movie is set in the Old West, and most of the time the characters avoid using contractions when they speak.
It sounds unusual to say the very least. Just imagine if you tried to go a whole day without using a contraction when you spoke. Yup, it would probably be quite difficult.
So if we want our writing to sound like everyday speech and not as if we're stuck in the Old West, we should use words like "you're" and "I'm".
Even if you're already using contractions in your writing, it's a good exercise to run through your article one more time to see if there are any more you can add.
When used correctly, questions are a fantastic way to draw your readers into your writing too.
Long blocks of text are intimidating to read, especially if you're reading on a mobile device. I try to write paragraphs that are no more than three to four sentences long.
And, hey, that's usually the way we talk too. Ever heard someone who just talks and talks, never letting you get a word in edgewise, and never taking a breath? It's exhausting listening to a person like that.
Look through your writing to see if there are any long-winded sentences that you can shorten or divide into two sentences. Are there any long paragraphs that you can separate into multiple paragraphs?
In conversational writing, it's okay to break grammar rules occasionally. Sometimes sentence fragments can give your writing an added punch.
As an extension of tip #6, try to make your sentences as simple and clear as possible by carefully choosing your words.
Never use a long word where a short one will do. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out…Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
Additionally, depending on your audience, you can use popular slang to make your writing sound "on fleek". Yeah, you do need to be careful with that one. It might make your readers roll their eyes.
Remember that the goal is to mimic your voice, not a random teenager's. Think about what phrases or slang expressions you use when talking with friends or that your audience uses.
Bonus Tip: You can use the Yoast SEO plugin, the Hemingway App, or Readable.io to check your writing's readability score. A readability score tells you roughly what level of education someone would need in order to read your piece of text easily. A lower level will be more conversational compared to a higher level that would be understood only by graduate students.
When we talk with our friends, we share stories about our personal lives. Even something as mundane as missing a subway connection can become a story that makes us laugh together.
Sharing personal stories in our writing helps us connect with our readers and show them there's a human behind the screen. In the digital age, human connections are more valued than ever. That's why sites like Humans of New York are so popular.
When you use stories in your own writing, make sure that you hone in on a theme that elevates your story from being just about you. A universal and uplifting theme will make it relevant to your readers as well. Show them how the story can apply to their own lives.
That's a good rule of thumb to follow as you edit your article to try to make it sound more conversational. I recommend reading it out loud since you'll quickly be able to see if there are any sentences that sound unnatural and stilted.
Are you using words that you'd never use if you were talking to your friends? Are there any places where you can include a bit of humor or a story? A funny gif?
Or maybe you can drop some pop cultural references?
For example, all of your friends might know you stayed up late watching the Olympics last week — why not let your readers know that too? (Well, actually, the men's curling gold medal match was on way too late even for this night owl, and I had to DVR it to watch the next day. 😉 ).
The bottom line: have fun with it, let your personality shine through, and try to sound like your readers' best friend.
This entry was posted in ebook, Publishing and tagged conversation, Daily Writing Tips, DailyWritingTips, editing tips, The Write Practice, tips, writer, Writers Write, writing, writing career, writing goals, writing practice, writing tips, writing tools on August 1, 2018 by First Edition Design Publishing.


LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal again left out Cristiano Ronaldo, their all-time record scorer and most capped player, as coach Fernando Santos named the squad for this month's Nations League matches on Thursday.
"The only thing I will say about Ronaldo is that I hope he wins the Ballon d'Or award," said Santos, referring to France Football magazine's annual player of the year award.
"It's not just about Ronaldo, I have said that nobody is excluded," said Santos. "It's not worth creating a big fuss about it."


Annual Shamrock Shuffle - Events | Visit Butler County Pennsylvania!
The Shamrock Shuffle is an annual event to benefit the Zelienople Rotary Club. The Half Marathon is one of the toughest half marathons in the tri-state area with a big climb about 6 miles into the race. At the top of the hill enjoy additional challenges including Keg Stands and Jello Shots for those over 21 years of age. Our crazy water stations are a highlight of this race and the green beer continues to flow into the finish. The 5K and 1-mile races are family friendly events on rolling hills. Athletes have the option to run all three races. There is no better way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than this fun race. Enjoy the quaint town of Harmony following the race by visiting our shops and restaurants. Finisher medals for all races. Beer glasses for awards and each runner gets a loaf of gourmet cinnamon swirl bread. Sign up today and have some fun!
Great soup, assorted food and beverages including Green Beer at the Harmony Inn following the event.


Tom_Versatile, the hexxable hero mesh.
(Updated 08/jun/2006) Added l/h scimitar, fixed mapping on shinguards, shoulderflaps.
just a male_basic sized, male_thin and male_musc, No Extras, For the NifSkope Crowd.
A Female_basic compatible with heels (or without, hexx to taste), with a choice of hairstyles, for the NifSkopers.


A Qt3DRender::QDispatchCompute allows work to be issued for the compute shader to run on the GPU. The workGroupX, workGroupY and workGroupZ properties specify the work group sizes for the compute shader invocation. QComputeCommand components need to be added to entities to instruct Qt3D to select the materials and geometry from the entities for the compute invocation. The work group sizes for the shader invocation will be the maximum of the work group sizes specified in QDispatchCompute and QComputeCommand.


As I said in my haul video the other week, I can't believe I haven't reviewed this concealer before!
This is Seventeen Phwarr Paint. Described as a heavy duty under eye concealer, this nifty little pot conceals all sins and is my go to bad skin day saviour. I use the colour "fair" which is perfect for my very pale skin, although I don't think the colour range is huge.
The packaging is minimal, but comes with a good mirror making it perfect for keeping in your handbag for bad skin days.
The concealer has a very thick, creamy consistency which spreads very easily with a brush and finger tips. This makes it great for under-eyes where you don't want to be dragging your skin when applying products. I also find it really stays put over spots and blemishes throughout the day and because it's creamy without being "wet", it covers a spot evenly without going patchy or snagging in dry spots. In consistency and concealing power, I would say it's a dupe for Benefit Boi-ing.
I have found under-eyes will need some sort of priming or plumping eye cream, otherwise it sinks into fine lines which isn't flattering (see my review of the best eye cream ever).
Anyway I'll let the results speak for themselves. These photos are all taken without any other makeup on so you can see the result of the concealer only.
Also here are my spots before (left) and after (right). Particularly noticing the way it hides the spot under my nose really well.
As you can see it covers big blemishes, dark areas and old spot scars really well. For only £5.49, this hardworking concealer is something I will be repurchasing over and over again. Seventeen Phwoarr Paint, you're a winner.


text:
That's Hackenackaloa to you!
I am not one of those people who insists on using Latin names for plants, but I understand there is value to knowing them (since there are a lot of plants with similar common names). But this weekend, as I was in the nursery butchering the pronunciation of "Hakonechloa macra Aureola," I was thinking it would be nice to just know what it's supposed to sound like sometimes.
Well of course Google had an answer for that. Here's a link to Fine Gardening magazine's pronunciation guide, with RECORDED plant names. Hallelujah!
Perfecting plant combinations
Bluestone inspiration
Something to aspire to
The Garden Appreciation Society Week 16 — Link up!
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Genevieve says: May 5, 2009 at 3:13 pm
LOL. I love that feature on FG. I also have a really cool book on gardener's latin that is great for teaching pronunciation.
You want to get really nitpicky? In horticulture school, we were taught to call them botanical names instead of latin names because they are actually a combination of latin and greek, with some people and place names thrown in for good measure.
Yeah, I'll admit it, I'm a geek. I love this stuff. Botanical names are like poetry to me, and I have trouble remembering the common names.
Erin Schanen says: May 5, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Latin AND greek, huh? Nothing like confusing the issue.
I think I'd use botanical names more often if I didn't feel like such a clod trying to pronounce them (feels similar to trying to order dinner in France). I'm going to try to make an effort to go listen to the pronunciations when I have a question and try to use them more often.
Debbie says: May 13, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Erin,
I love checking out the pronunciation of latin names on Fine Gardening. Sometimes I am so far off of the actual pronunciation that I just have to laugh. Although I must admit I've gotten a bit better since my son started taking latin classes in high school – he gives me general pronunciation tips like 'ch' sounds like 'k'.
Erin Schanen says: May 14, 2009 at 11:50 am
You're lucky to have a son to help you out, Debbie! I was always told it's better to TRY to say a work, but trust me, I've seen the look on people's faces when I attempt to say these things and it's not good.