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/ Marvel
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Captain Marvel: The Marvels
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3
Marvel: Contest Of Champions
Jim Starlin Says Live-Action Adam Warlock Needs to Be "Cosmic Batman"
By Charlie Ridgely - November 9, 2021 07:29 pm EST
Adam Warlock is finally coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After being teased in a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 post-credits scene back in 2017, the all-powerful cosmic entity will be making his live-action debut in 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, with Maze Runner star Will Poulter filling the role. There's no telling how Guardians writer and director James Gunn will depict this iteration of Warlock, given that we've seen several versions throughout the comics, but the character's original creator has some thoughts on how he should be brought to life.
Jim Starlin created Adam Warlock, Thanos, and a horde of other beloved Marvel characters over the years. Wile speaking with ComicBook.com's Adam Barnhardt, Starlin talked a bit about his initial vision for the Warlock character, describing him as a "cosmic Batman" type.
"I imagine him dark. He's like the cosmic Batman," Starlin explained. "I would keep his dialogue down to a minimum, make him Clint Eastwood in space, or something like that. The Silver Surfer was done over at Fox, whole different sensibility. I mean, look at Galactus, what they did with Galactus. That's one character I'm hoping to see get remade again to more what he was supposed to be. It's good to depend on the story. It always depends on the story, how you present him, what he's going to be doing, where he's going. It's all going to come down to what the story is that they want to tell, and he will be adapted toward that. It sounds like they're going to start off with him probably as a villainous type of character, an antagonist, let's say, inside the Guardians movie. But we'll see where they go from there. They're putting Pip up, bringing Eros in, who knows what they're going to do. They might bring back the Infinity gems and start the Infinity Watch."
Like Starlin explained, early iterations of Warlock depicted the character as the strong and silent type. His dialogue was minimal, which kept a lot of the mystery surrounding him alive and allowed his actions to speak the loudest. Given the power that Warlock contains, that could absolutely be the case when he arrives in the MCU.
The bigger question surrounds Warlock's role in the franchise. Based on the Guardians 2 post-credits scene, Warlock might be an antagonist in Guardians 3, but that will likely change as his time in the MCU continues.
Are you looking forward to Adam Warlock's MCU debut? Let us know in the comments!
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Lisp return from function as argument to another I have the following function that I want to call multiple other functions using their return values as parameters for the parent function.
This currently works:
(defun feet-to-m (A)
    (setf B (feet-to-inches A))
    (setf C (inches-to-cm B))
    (setf D (cm-to-m C)))

I am wondering if Lisp has the ability to nest functions such that the following would work, or a more efficient way of doing this:
(defun feet-to-m (A)
    (cm-to-m (inches-to-cm (feet-to-inches (A)))))

A: Your code should work almost as is. You just need to remove the parenthesis around A. Your intuition is right, that is exactly the paradigm that functional languages like Lisp are supposed to use. The first example you gave is more how you would code in an imperative language like Java, c++, etc.
(defun feet-to-m (A)
    (cm-to-m (inches-to-cm (feet-to-inches A))))

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
A Place for Us by Harriet Evans
'Come on, old girl. It's time.'
Title - A Place for Us
Author - Harriet Evans
Publication Date - 15th January 2015
Publisher - Headline Review
Format - Paperback (Self-purchased)
When Martha, a wife and mother of three, sits down one late summer's morning to write out the invitations to her eightieth birthday celebration, she knows that what she is planning to reveal at the party could ruin the idyllic life she and her husband David have spent over fifty years building...
But she has to let her family know what she and David have sacrificed. She can't live a lie any more.
The invitation goes out far and wide, calling her three children and their families back home to Winterfold, their rambling house in the heart of the English countryside. They are Bill, the doctor; Florence, the eccentric academic; and Daisy, the child who never fit in. As the story unfolds, each character reveals the secrets, joys, and tragedies they are wrestling with through the confines of the family. What will happen when Martha finally tells the truth?
First thing first... THAT COVER! Gah, it is so effortlessly beautiful, like a watercolour painting, something that you'd find hanging in an antique frame in a big old house. The sort of painting that would catch your attention, without a doubt. I adore the cover for this book, and stroked it numerous times, I'll admit it. Also, after finishing A Place for Us, the stunning home in the background holds a hell of a lot more of a meaning to me. This book focuses on Winterfold, and all of those people who are connected to it.
For me, A Place for Us got off to SUCH a fabulous start. I was absolutely captivated by Martha, and the secrets that she so obviously held inside. Before the story had even truly begun, I was dying to know what Martha had kept away from her family for all of these years, and this need to find out propelled me forwards throughout the first part of the book. It was such a fantastic pull, and it had me turning the pages at a ridiculously fast pace, because I just couldn't wait to figure out what was going on. Unfortunately, for me, I experienced a lull about half-way through, and I just wasn't able to get back into it. There was a such a wide range of characters and settings within this book, and despite being gorgeously descriptive and allowing me a perfect image in my mind, I just felt that I had lost that tug that at first was pulling me along. Imagine a piece of string, and you're holding onto the end of it. I feel that amid the characters and the settings, I lost the end of the string and just couldn't find it again! I felt that I wasn't given enough time with each of the characters and their separate lives to get to know them well enough. Just when I felt that I was beginning to get to grips with each character and their circumstances, I was handed back another character, and this, I feel, prevented me from feeling any sort of powerful connection to each of them.
That's not to say that the characters were useless, because in fact, the complete opposite is the case. The characters were structured so well, with such a remarkable depth to each of them, I felt quite saddened by the fact that I never felt close enough to truly understand them. With so many characters, so many different lives in different places, I began to feel a little muddled with who was who, and where they were. I felt that Martha and Bill, mother and father of the Winter family, were the characters were managed to stay with me throughout the book, the ones who I could familiarise myself with. When it came to their children, this was where the problems arose. Bill, Cat, and Florence, and their own offspring, too. Well, not really 'problems', more confusions on my part. Now, I absolutely adore stories which focus on huge families and the dramas and the secrets, having such a huge family of my own it feels so close to me, but once I hit that lull in the middle, I found it such a struggle to continue.
But, it's not all doom and gloom, because actually, once I'd passed the lull in the middle, and when the strings of the plot were being tied up, I managed to get back into it. A bit late, I know, but better late than never, right? I feel that by this point, I had as much of a grasp of the characters as I'd ever be able to have . Watching all of the dramas slowly come to an end, experiencing that relief of things being calm and serene once more at Winterfold... It was lovely.
Despite all of the above, Harriet's writing was fantastic. Her descriptions, the dialogue, I really enjoyed those parts. I also took a strong liking to the whole idea behind the story, and when certain secrets were revealed, I definitely emitted a little gasp! I feel that maybe, for me, the story of Winterfold may have been a little drawn out in places, and at times I felt like I forcing myself to carry on. This, however, will not put me off reading any of Harriet's future novels. As is evident in the book, the author has a stunning way with words that I'm certain I would enjoy in other titles. So, today, Becca's Books is rating A Place for Us by Harriet Evans with three cupcakes!
Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US
I thought your review was throrough and well-thought-out. You noted what you felt were the drawbacks while still making me want to go out and read the book (I looked on Amazon US, by the way, and the cover is very different, but still beautiful!). Harriet Evans is a new-to-me author and I'm looking forward to reading her work. Realy well done!!
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Lincoln, Neb. — Police say a head-on collision in northeast Lincoln killed an Iowa man and injured two Nebraska residents.
The crash occurred around 7:40 p.m. Monday. Police say a northbound car driven by 28-year-old Jacob Stewart veered into a southbound lane, striking an oncoming vehicle being driven by 27-year-old Jessica Arias, of Omaha.
Police say Stewart died at the scene. He lived in Altoona, Iowa. Police also say Arias and her passenger, 35-year-old Lincoln resident Angel Meza, were taken to a Lincoln hospital.


We guarantee that all projects will be completed efficiently, accurately, and with exceptional care on each component of your project.
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T Underhill Designs is a landscape construction firm that specializes in the creation of quality, unique outdoor living spaces. We are located in Whitby, Ontario and serve the Durham region and the GTA. T Underhill Designs is made up of highly motivated and highly skilled craftsman that strive for precision on each project, big or small. TUD offers a wide selection of landscape installations and services; interlocking and natural stone, retaining walls, sodding, garden planning and planting, wood structures and fencing, water features, ponds, irrigation systems, outdoor lighting, and detailed design. With our help, your dream backyard can be realized.
T Underhill Designs was started by Troy Underhill. Troy grew up a family of landscapers and worked for the family business before starting T Underhill Designs.
Copyright © 2019 T Underhill Designs. All Rights Reserved.


Hi All, The generator works fine in Firefox but when I test it in IE it functions properly for the first couple rolls but at the third time it keeps going and won't stop. How do I get it to function properly in IE?
You have to give us a link to your page for us to help. And this sounds like it might be a homework assignment. Please be aware that we don't do homework for you, though we may offer advice if you have done most of the work yourself.
Sorry for not being specific. It's not homework, I'm working on a website. The code actually came from this site. All I did was re-work my button to run off this script. Other than the button, nothing in the script was changed.
Further testing shows this is not the entire solution.


While doing the color sensor comparison, I discovered the high speed of NXT2.0 color sensor. This prompted me to build this fast color ball sorter, able to sort 2 balls per second!
A ramp holds the balls to be sorted. Just below is a mechanism with two bars with an alternating movement that let balls go one at a time. The color sensor detects the color of the balls as they go down. According to detected color, two levels of switch points direct the ball to one of 4 buckets.
Simplified (thus faster) program, since it is possible to rotate motors to do the switch, even if it is already positioned.
The sorter uses many angled beams, resulting in weird angles all over the model (modelling it was a challenge, fortunately the relative rotation feature of LeoCAD was a great help!). These angles lead me to use the Technic Axle Joiner Double Flexible to fix the buckets. An added benefit is that you can lift the buckets to retrieve the balls more easily!
Update: Alban suggested me to use an axle3 with stud and half bushes to secure better the rubber parts.
An animation showing the ball path depending on orientation of switch points.
Printable building instructions (PDF, 13 Mb).
I used NXC to build the first version of program for the sorter. The main difficulty I encountered was that red balls are first detected as yellow when they are entering field of view of the color sensor. So the color needs to be confirmed after some time (15 ms) when the ball is more centered.
After a few tries, I finally managed to get a working version of the sorter using NXT-G. The program is almost a direct translation of the NXC program. One difference is that when the motors are stopped, I had to use coast mode. Otherwise in brake mode NXT-G tries to maintain motor position and oscillate around stop position. This makes the switch points move during some time and they may eject the ball!


The F15 pilots inadvertently flew into conflict with the BE350 having not fully assimilated earlier Traffic Information.
Contributory: 1. The F15s and the BE350 were on different frequencies.
2. The BE350 pilot was asked to change frequency just before CPA and before Traffic Information was updated.
3. Tactical controller workload was high.
4. Traffic Information to the F15s was not explicit regarding the BE350 orbit.
5. The F15s were given erroneous Traffic Information in azimuth just prior to CPA.
A late sighting by the Typhoon pilot as he overtook the EuroFOX and glider.
Contributory: 1. The Linton controller vectored the Typhoon overhead Rufforth at 2100ft.
2. The EuroFOX was not transponder equipped.
Recommendation: The BGA consider recommending the fitment of transponders to tug aircraft.
Contributory: The low sun hindered the AW139 pilot's lookout.
The SR22 pilot flew into conflict with the PA28.
Contributory: Inaction by the SR22 pilot on sighting the PA28 ahead.
The AW189 pilot was concerned by the proximity of the F15.
Recommendation: USAFE-UK consider promulgation of North Sea helicopter activity to F15 crews.
Effectively a non-sighting by both pilots.
Contributory: The Benson controller did not pass timely Traffic Information.
Contributory: The F15s exceeded 10000fpm rate of climb once above safety altitude, thereby denying the Tucano TCAS barrier.
Recommendation: USAFE-UK review the rate of climb once above safety altitude after a low-level abort.
The A320 pilot was concerned by the proximity of the EC135 which the Heathrow controller had cleared to cross in front of him.
Contributory: Late and incomplete Traffic Information to the A320 pilot.
The B787 pilot reports that he was in level flight, stabilised on approach to RW27R at Heathrow, when the crew saw what appeared to be opposite direction oncoming 'rotor-wing' traffic which passed very closely above and slightly to the right. The extremely fast crossing speed precluded any chance of positive identification or initiation of evasive action. The crew noted that the object looked like a miniature remote controlled helicopter, about the size of a volley ball, rather than a typical flat or star shaped multi-rotor drone. ATC was asked whether there was any proximate helicopter traffic. However, ATC reply discounted the possibility of any conflicting traffic. Normal approach and landing followed and after passenger disembarkation two Police Officers boarded the aircraft to take a provisional statement from the crew.
Cause: The drone was being flown beyond practical VLOS limits such that it was endangering other aircraft at that altitude and position. The Board agreed that the incident was therefore best described as the drone was flown into conflict with the B787.
The EC135 pilot reports that he was on a VFR transit at 1500ft and receiving a Basic Service from Brize ATC when he passed an object, believed to be a quadcopter style drone. The encounter happened very quickly, but the drone appeared too small to be a full sized aircraft, yet quite large for a drone. It did not appear to be climbing and so was not a helium balloon. He reported the incident to Brize ATC, who subsequently informed him that they observed a small primary contact on the radar.
The NATS area radars did not have any primary returns in the vicinity that could have been the drone.
Cause: Although on the edge of the practical limits of VLOS, nevertheless, the drone was entitled to operate at that location and altitude, was not being flown in proximity to airfield approach paths etc and so was not endangering other aircraft. The Board agreed that the incident was therefore best described as a conflict in Class G.
The Embraer 190 pilot reports that a large black multi-rotor drone passed down the left side as they were approaching ODLEG. No avoiding action was necessary. The drone appeared to be stationary at first, before then tilting and flying south in the opposite direction. The incident was reported to ATC and the Police met them on a later flight to take the details.
The F15 pilot reports that he was on the ILS approach when both crew saw something go down the right side of the aircraft. They both thought that it was not a bird but that it could be a 'gyrocopter' or some type of UAS. The pilot advised the crew in an aircraft that was behind them on the approach who did not see anything.
Cause: The drone was being flown beyond practical VLOS limits such that it was endangering other aircraft at that altitude and position. The Board agreed that the incident was therefore best described as the drone was flown into conflict with the F15.


text:
Lord Moonie's Backers Arrested Alistair Darling "Did a Jacqui"
When the man in charge of the nation's finances, Alistair Darling, has been caught fiddling his expenses, and Jacqui Smith, the woman who is in charge of crime prevention is accused of corruption, you have a government which is a kleptocracy. The New Labour promise to be "whiter than white" is like a sick joke now.
Lord Moonie's money grubbing ways are a disgrace to the House of Lords, he also aided and abetted another expenses fiddle by facilitating Alistair Darling lodging with him and claiming expenses based on Moonie's flat being Darling's "main home", in just the same way that Jacqui claims her sister's house is her "main home". Already under investigation for Cash for Amendments, Lord Moonie is mired in fresh sleaze after his business associates were arrested in a police probe into alleged fraud in the NHS.
The Sunday Herald has the scoop:
Richard Nawrot and George Henderson, who run Fife-based Americium Developments, were arrested in London last month on "suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud and misconduct in a public office".
Americium currently pays Moonie, a close ally of Gordon Brown, up to £40,000 a year in consultancy fees. The peer's relationship with the company dates back to October 2006.
Two of Americium's US clients have told the Sunday Herald they had lunch with Moonie and Nawrot at Westminster and that the peer later gave a tour of the parliament.
One client said he discussed a potential NHS contract with Moonie at the lunch.
Moonie was close to Gordon and at the heart of the Scottish Raj. He knows where the bodies are buried. This could potentially get very messy for Brown.
mdi-tag-outline Sleaze Snouts in the Trough
mdi-timer February 15 2009 @ 07:45 mdi-share-variant mdi-twitter mdi-facebook mdi-whatsapp mdi-telegram mdi-linkedin mdi-email mdi-printer


The cost of product returns for online sales during last year's holiday season amounted to nearly $32 billion. This year, online retailers will continue to lose revenue to returns. E-commerce—even with all its advantages—has a return rate at least three times that of in-store purchases.
You know that a high rate of product returns can break your business. And while it is impossible to reduce the rate to zero, even a modest decrease has an outsize effect on profitability.
Since customers return products for a variety of reasons, where should you focus your efforts?
While you can't do much about bad gift-giving, basic online best practices can reduce returns for many of these categories. Accurate product descriptions, effective fulfillment operations, and competent support reps are essential.
Amazon sellers with high return rates can monitor their analytics and customer reviews to understand what's going on. You might discover that just one or two products are returned at a higher rate. Read the reviews and talk to your support reps to find out why.
Are Your Product Guides To Blame?
If customers find it difficult to assemble your products, your instructions or product guides may be inadequate. Fortunately, that's an easy one to remedy.
At Steptap, we create product instructions that help your customers get the most out of your products. When your buyers get your products up and running quickly and easily, they are less likely to return them.
That's money in your pocket.
Download our white paper "Instructions Should Be Your First Thought. Not An Afterthought." to learn more.
Customers are less likely to return products when assembly or setup is quick and easy. If your customer hasn't figured things out within 20 minutes of opening your product, they will consider returning it or calling customer support. Both scenarios cost you money.
On average, customers return 30 percent of the products they purchase online.
The average return represents a loss of 30 percent of the purchase price.
The average margin for a product purchased online is 10 percent.
Poor instructions can be as harmful as poor quality products. Don't let bad instructions shrink your bottom line.
Steptap is an online platform that allows you to create step-by-step product instructions complete with images and video. Your customers can download the instructions and view them on a mobile device while setting up your product. You can brand Steptap instructions to blend seamlessly with your existing marketing. You can easily manage and update your product instructions when necessary.
Steptap product instructions contain a link to your review page so customers can easily leave a product review. And there's no better time for a happy customer to leave a review than when they have successfully completed a hassle-free setup process!
Your Amazon private label brand is not complete with the Steptap seal.
Amazon private label brands face a sea of competition. Yet they often ignore the SEO potential of online product instructions.
Steptap makes it easy for Amazon sellers to create and manage online product instructions.
Organic searches account for an average of 73 percent of all traffic to a retail site.
Consumers search to solve problems more than they search for a specific product.
Product instructions answer solution searches.
When a product tutorial exists online, it is an indexable page that contains the exact phrases potential customers use to research.
Amazon private label brands with online product instructions have an SEO edge over companies with paper instructions.
Product instructions capture searches at a critical phase in the sales funnel—during product research.
Amazon private label brands can brand Steptap product instructions. It's quick, easy, and affordable to create effective product instructions that improve search rankings.
Download our white paper Why Instructions Should Be Your First Thought, Not An Afterthought to learn more about the Amazon best practice your competitors are ignoring.
If you are a retailer, you are concerned about online reviews. And rightly so. Online reviews are one of the most important factors in purchasing decisions. And their importance increased even more in 2018.
Since 2010, the SEO experts at BrightLocal have been tracking how online reviews affect local purchasing decisions.
BrightLocal's 2018 survey was released last week. Here are some key findings that all retailers should pay attention to.
57% of customers will only buy from a business if it is rated at least 4 stars by customers.
90% of 18-34 year-olds trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Customers read an average of 10 online reviews before deciding to trust a local business.
80% of 18-34 year-olds have written online reviews.
These numbers increased over 2017 and there is no reason to believe the trend won't continue.
If your customers can't figure out how to assemble, set up, or otherwise use your products, you are at risk of negative online reviews and lowered star rankings. In short, bad instructions can lower your sales.
Great product instructions inspire positive reviews. Are your instructions up to par?
At Steptap, we're product instruction experts. Download our free white paper to learn why you should optimize your instructions for positive online reviews.
Download our white paper titled "Instructions Should Be Your First Thought. Not An Afterthought" and learn how to improve your customer reviews with better instructions.
Reinvent your Pinterest board in 2015 with product how-tos worthy of your phenomenal designs.
If you use your Pinterest board to sell DIY projects, this article is for you. Selling on Pinterest is all about inspiring and teaching your customers how to make that amazing thing for themselves. Unfortunately, customers often get stuck in the middle of the process, give up and look elsewhere for something easier. Why? Inadequate, confusing, or nonexistent project instructions.
If you want to attract and retain DIY customers – show them how! Give them project tutorials that ensure that they can complete and enjoy the masterpiece you designed. Your "easy way" is Steptap at https://steptap.com/.
At Steptap, we have created a powerful platform for quickly creating how-tos that are as visually striking as your Pinterest board, online store, and business Facebook page.
Got two minutes? Check this out: https://steptap.com/How-To-Make-A-Diamond-Fold-Card. This is a how-to for a fancy greeting card. (We call these how-tos "steplists".) You can see the required items at the top. Push the BEGIN button directly under the required items. Now you can see each step in order or reverse if you missed something. Imaging your gorgeous Pinterest images dressing up your tutorials. You can also post segments of YouTube videos to play with the associated step.
You can make this steplist private for now by selecting it from the dropdown on the top right. When you have entered some steps, hit PUBLISH at the bottom. Because it's marked private, this won't be published, but I want you to see the cool sharing page. With one click, you can post your craft tutorial to your social media sites. There are URLs for embedding and even a QR code.
Now, your project how-to is not only your customer's best friend, it is also a powerful SEO tool. If you upgrade your account, you can let your customers purchase directly from a "Required Item" by clicking the link and instantly reaching your checkout page. Or, you can give them a contact form to request more information.
By using Steptap to create project tutorials that actually work, you can create and manage all of your product instructions from one place – your Steptap account. If you update a project, edit the corresponding steplist and send the new instructions to all your online touch points in near realtime.
Here's another handy feature built into the steplist template: You can time each step so the user can watch the tutorial hands-free. You know roughly how long each step takes, so simply enter the seconds or minutes in the boxes next to the step. When the user hits BEGIN, the steplist will advance according to your pre-determined timing. This is nice for any craft or sewing project but also works great for recipes, home repair, hair and makeup, fitness routines – anything that requires both hands.
There's more! With an upgraded account, you can dress up your steplists to match your online store, Pinterest board, or Facebook page. Your steplists become a natural extension of your on- or offline marketing.
Reinvent your Pinterest board in 2015 with product how-tos worthy of your fantastic projects.
If you are reading this article you probably already know that you need well-formatted how-to content for your product or service.
Useful product instructions create positive customer experiences – and nothing frustrates a customer as quickly as ineffective instructions that are hard to use, inaccessible, or out-of-date. Happy customers who know exactly how to use your products buy from you again, tell their friends how awesome you are, and are less likely to return a product because they couldn't figure how to make it work.
Before you continue with the rest of this article, go here: https://steptap.com/How-To-Change-Your-Oil. When the page loads, click the big yellow button that says BEGIN.
First, you will see a list of things you will need to complete the task. Below the required items is a set of instructions that explains how to change your oil. You can click through each step, stop, or go back to a previous step.
Next, go to https://steptap.com/. Open a free account – it will only take a minute. Now you can create your own set of how-to instructions just like the one you just looked at. When you have entered a username and password, you are ready to rock.
Click CREATE in the upper right hand corner. A template will open. This is your tool for making product tutorials that your customers will love. We call each set of instructions a steplist, but you can think of it as an easy-to-create-and-manage how-to for your business content marketing.
For the purposes of this article, start creating a short how-to by populating the fields. The first field is the title. The next few fields help Google index the page.
At Steptap, we have created a powerful platform for writing effective product and process how-tos. Each how-to instruction is a Google-indexed searchable page that links directly to your website (or anywhere you want). If you use the nifty timing feature, customers can play the steplist on their smart phone or iPad and set up your product hands-free. The steps, complete with pictures, diagrams or video, will advance automatically as your customer completes each step in the process.
Now, let's talk about the Steptap features that are less apparent but equally impressive. Have you finished your short steplist? Press PUBLISH on the bottom of the template when it's complete (don't worry, you can edit it after it's published). A page will open with one-click sharing and embed tools.
Steptap how-tos can be posted to your online store, embedded in your blog, featured on your company Facebook page, shared on Pinterest, added to your YouTube channel, or downloaded from a self-generated QR code.
Steptap product instructions help your customers buy, use, assemble, install, or enjoy your products. These self-serve product instructions appeal to busy customers who want to quickly figure out how to do it. They don't want to search the index of a user's manual or watch a rambling, amateur YouTube video. They contain natural search phrases: "how to install a pop-up sprinkler head" or "how to set up a wireless router" to attract prospects who are searching for something specific.
If you upgrade your Steptap account, you can add your company's branding so your product instructions blend seamlessly with your marketing. Branding includes the ability to upload your logo for the top of each tutorial and gives you complete control over the colors and background image.
Upgrading your Steptap account to private branding also allows you to add your own backlinks from the top of the page as well as embedded links in the Required Items section for direct purchase. You will also see the inclusion of a lead capture page at the end of each of your steplists encouraging readers to contact you for more information about your product or service.
Visit http://blog.steptap.com/ to learn more about keeping customers happy with relevant how-to content.
Why Should SEO Providers Add Steptap To Their Marketing Services?
Today's Steptap post is for SEO providers and online marketing companies. We are excited to announce that Steptap is available for white-label reselling.
Steptap is a platform for creating search engine optimized product how-tos that teach customers how to use and enjoy products. Steptap allows online sellers to reach searchers before and after the sale. What can Steptap do for your clients?
To discuss our reselling program, call Steptap at 801.938.3466.
Where Are Your Content Gaps?
Right this very minute, there are people searching for a solution that your product can provide. These searchers don't know you – if they did, they would simply go to your website and place an order.
How are you going to reach them? Do you have content that captures customers where and when they are searching for a solution to a problem?
If you don't currently have product how-tos that can easily be found by searchers typing "How Do I …." you are not taking advantage of the type of content that converts prospects into customers.
Blog posts, newsletters, emails, social postings, and testimonials all have their place. Each serves a specific purpose as part of any comprehensive content marketing plan. If you don't have relevant product how-tos, however, you have a critical content gap.
Establishing a relationship with your customer through education will pay off now and later. Now: with an order. Later: when your new customer shares the how-tos with their friends and associates who are also looking for a solution.
Steptap publishes engaging how-to content that shows prospects how your product solves their immediate problem. Let Steptap teach prospects how to use and enjoy your products with custom shareable instructions.


More news from the hyips online are here to be delivered to HyipNews readers. For a start let us inform, HoursEmpire is thankful to all members for the trust and at numerous requests on November 8 two new payment systems are added at HoursEmpire Skrill and Neteller. The admin looks forward to deliver more pleasant news to the customers in the nearest future as well.
Ethereumlab warned against using clone sites that appeared online recently and also informed of the new opportunity to make deposits to the project using one of Russian bank cards ("Sberbank" cards). The minimum deposit is 3000 RUR and minimum amount to withdraw is 500 RUR. All the details and detailed instruction on the account recharge can be found on the website of the project. In case any questions appear it is recommended to contact Live support of Ethereumlab.
The new investment terms at Gftrade have become valid since November 02, 2016. The updated terms include the flexible interest rate from 0.75% to 2.75% per day, not taken into account the deposit amount. Speaking of the deposits made before the changes applied calculations will be processed according to previous terms.
The team of Razzleton hyip has introduced the German language of the website and added some new systems to make deposits and withdrawals: YandexMoney and Qiwi. The minimum deposit amount allowed for these systems is 30$ and the minimum amount allowed for withdrawal is $3.
Another website Tradeex added German and Vietnamese localization. In the nearest future the Chinese interface will become available as well. The useful tool Live Chat has been introduced to provide customers with the professional support. Along with that Tradeex is planning to launch Telegram bot as well. AdvCash payment system has been enabled. Soon enough there are plans to add Qiwi and Payza.


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PSA: What Is The Importance Of Inflation For Investors?
Where Should My Next Dollar Go?
Learn What Inspires Others To Save For The Future
One Secret To Successful Investing? Keep Calm
Here's Why Focus And Determination Are Your Investing Superpowers
Microsoft's Biggest Acquisition Ever Is A $69 Billion Bet On The Future Of Video Games
Financial Freedom In 2022: Investing In Stock Market Ideas
Six Alternative Lending Trends To Watch In 2022 And Beyond
America's Top Givers 2022: The 25 Most Philanthropic Billionaires
How Lenders Can Reduce Compliance Risk For Unfair, Deceptive Or Abusive Acts
Breana Patel
Forbes Finance Council
POST WRITTEN BY
CEO Bonova Advisory, helping clients in Financial Services for Enterprise Risk Management, Regulatory and Digital transformations.
The prohibition of "unfair or deceptive acts and practices" by federal banking regulators is not new. First introduced via the 1938 Wheeler–Lea Act, with a significant expansion in 2004, the concept has long been baked into American lending practices.
But the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act of 2010 saw another significant expansion of the governing model — adding "abusive acts" and creating the current acronym UDAAP, for "unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices." This change has created new challenges to managing risk.
Almost a decade later, managing operations and not running afoul of the new standards still requires considerable effort. Regulators have broad powers of interpretation regarding what meets the UDAAP designations. This is especially true in the case of the term "abusive acts," since there is no precedent in case law or established rules. Regulators are still exercising broad powers in defining legal parameters on an ongoing basis.
Additionally, the 2010 act created a new monitoring watchdog, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. While adapting to a new work-in-progress bureaucracy, historical precedent is of limited use. The CFPB hit the ground running and has not been shy about using its new authority in UDAAP cases.
Therefore, an ongoing issue for financial institutions is reducing UDAAP compliance risk by instituting best practices for lending. What follows is a brief checklist of UDAAP controls. But it must be stressed that, given the expansive latitude regulators have, compliance is a matter of not only strenuously following through on basic procedures, but also continually monitoring both internal controls and CFPB decisions and directives.
Centralize Controls
Given the difficulty and complexity of the current compliance environment, it's imperative that institutions have key players who specialize in this field and that they examine any and all lending activities. Consumer products should be initially evaluated for risk factors and then regularly revisited by the core compliance team.
Build The Culture
Meeting UDAAP realities must be embraced by the entire culture of the firm. Systemic reporting on compliance should go all the way to the board of directors, which acts as the apex of a fully integrated compliance management system.
Recognize Susceptible Borrowers, And Act Accordingly
There is broad recognition that one underlying aspect of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act was to protect "vulnerable consumers." Widely known demographic characteristics can help define such consumers. Once identified, providing them help options and programs specifically geared toward their needs is a proactive step that can help avoid UDAAP compliance issues down the road. One area that has seen noticeable attention is financial products aimed at elderly consumers. Likewise, demographic targeting of products should be analyzed with potential UDAAP violations in mind.
Prioritize Consumer Complaints
It's become clear that consumer complaints are something that the CFPB is paying close attention to — and your internal control team should, as well. In fact, complaints have become one of CFPB's primary ways to detect practices that fall under the broad parameters of questionable UDAAP practices. Recognizing this, institutions should invest heavily in heading problems off at the pass — before they escalate. The entire chain of customer relationship management should be analyzed to see where consumers are making plain there are problems.
Preventive Practices
A strong regimen of policies, procedures and training should be established and maintained to help employees understand UDAAP issues and act accordingly. Likewise, safety controls based on vigorous internal monitoring, reporting and data analysis should be supported in all cases. Compensation incentives, especially bonus packages, should be geared to not incentivize activities that run up to — or cross — UDAAP lines. Finally, internal legal counsel should always be consulted when policy changes are proposed, and in some cases, lawyers from outside the institution should also be brought in.
External Consultants
If significant planning to meet UDAAP regulatory needs has not already occurred, or if procedures haven't been updated for a significant amount of time, then bringing in a firm that specializes in the field could be a wise investment. Especially since the regulatory parameters are in flux, working with professionals who stay on top of recent decisions and expected trends can be valuable.
Don't Dawdle
Regulators can take developing written UDAAP policies but failing to act on them in a timely manner as an admission of knowledge of possible violations and a refusal to act accordingly. This can lead to more negative findings and higher fines.
The definitions guiding the enforcement operations of the CFPB with regard to UDAAP are still developing, even while the department is being aggressive in executing its rulings. This combination makes it imperative to establish functional UDAAP controls.
Forbes Finance Council is an invitation-only organization for executives in successful accounting, financial planning and wealth management firms. Do I qualify?


lip is part of the Basic English 850.
The edge of an opening, especially, the human mouth (often plural).
She climbed over the lip of the hole.
The window had a wide lip below it that collected dust.
This page was last edited on 19 December 2018, at 09:56.


An opportunity to practice, learn night photography techniques and trade notes with like minded photographers. We will photograph the area around 16 Mile Creek, the Erchless Museum, Lakeside Park and if time permits, street photography in the downtown area. Coffee and trading notes at Starbucks after the shoot.
Dress warm, bring a tripod and lenses wide angle to short telephoto recommended.
Please join us for our February outing!
Where:Ontario Place 955 Lakeshore Blvd West.
Join us for an evening of Winter landscapes and night photography at Ontario Place's Winter Light Exhibit.
Explore the various installations following the curatorial theme of " Disruptive Engagement" and take in the fairy lights in over 150 trees.
Afterwards gather around the bonfire to warm up and relax while indulging in hot chocolate, smores and beaver tail treats from the food truck.
Pay parking is available on site for those who would like to drive. As the date gets closer carpooling options can be arranged as well.
Please Join Us For our March Outing!
Cost: Adult $28, Senior $23 **OCC 20% Discount when you purchase your ticket with online code "WILDLIFE18"
With your ticket to WPY you have access to the Permanent Art collection.
Other Exhibits to check out at your leisure– The Royal Arts of Jodhpur, India, Designing Asia design, Dawn of Life Preview & Contemporary First Nations art (might effective ticket price).
Parking is available at various locations around the ROM.
Public transit using the GO train from Oakville station to Union station then take the Subway Yonge-University Line.
The club will be meeting at in the main hall where ticket purchases/pick up are located, before moving off to take in the exhibit.
Bring in your favourite photography gadgets or accessories to share with our other club members. Be it a drone, a new lens, a new camera body or any other gadget or accessory that makes your photography journey more enjoyable.
Bring this item(s) to the club and share how it makes your photography easier, more fun or more comfortable.
Please join us for our Annual OCC Christmas Party.
It's a great opportunity to socialize with the other members and to chat with the board members if you have any suggestions or thoughts to assist us with our programming.
We are asking everyone to contribute an appetizer or a dessert to our table for this evening.
The OCC Board will provide the drinks, napkins etc.
We look forward to seeing everyone at this event to celebrate the holiday season on our last meeting before the Christmas break!
Guest Fees will be waived for this event.
The OCC will be visiting the Vivian Maier: Street Photographer Exhibit at the Art Gallery of Hamilton on Sunday, November 4th starting at 12pm.
Dubbed the "secret nanny-photographer" by the media, Vivian Maier (1926-2009) always had a Rolleiflex camera around her neck, yet secreted away the photographs.
In 2007 thousands of her images were discovered when her storage locker was auctioned off. Mostly from the 1950-60's, her work centered around street photography throughout New York & Chicago, and travel photography the likes of Italy & Egypt.
We'd love to have you join us to view this exhibit with some of your fellow photographers!
Join the OCC as we take our Annual Fall Colours Outing to the Hops & Harvest Festival taking place at Kelso Conservation on Sat. Oct 13th from 11am to 4pm.
Hops & Harvest is an autumn festival that features breweries, food vendors, and artisans while celebrating the great outdoors.
Admission to the event is $7 for an adult, $6 for a Senior.
You can also buy a ticket at the gate.
We will be meeting at the boat rental area at 11am. We look forward to seeing you there!
Dr. Ron Goodlin is known as a conservation-wildlife photographer from Thornhill Ontario Canada.
After slowing down his career as a Cosmetic Dentist, he has spent much of his time travelling the world to photograph wildlife that is in danger of extinct from the perils of mankind.
Leif's passion and inspiration for photography is life itself. Being at a happy and satisfied point in his life, he sees things around me more clearly, and often differently, than he would without a camera up to his eye. Traveling and photography has given him the opportunity to see, appreciate and capture many beautiful places and wonderful moments in life around the world and enjoy several life-changing experiences. The entire process, from image capture through digital processing to printing and preparing his images for exhibit, is fascinating, relaxing and fulfilling.
"HEART OF TURTLE ISLAND: THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT" Oakville native Mark Zelinski presents photographs and stories from his new book bringing exquisite focus to the environmental treasures of the magnificent Niagara Escarpment World Biosphere Reserve, and celebrating the diverse communities that thrive along its rugged, curving path. Mississaugas of The Credit, Six Nations and Anishnaabek Nations of Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island are among the subjects included. A Governor General's Medal winner, Mark Zelinski's diverse career as a professional photographer has taken him across 80 countries. Best known for his "Books That Heal" initiative – Mark donated 7,000 copies of his photography books to 100 worldwide charities. His nine internationally acclaimed books include forewords by Prince Philip, Lincoln Alexander, Prince Andrew, AFN Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day and Justin Trudeau.
Join us on October 22, 2018 as Mark shares the images he has captured over his storied career.
NOTE: Due to an illness Margaret Hines, previously scheduled for this night is not able to appear. Her talk will be presented later in the year.
Dave loves photograph abandoned buildings, high-rise rooftops and storm drains all in the name of adventure and photography,. He explains how he got involved in this type of work and takes the viewers on an interesting trip through some of his favourite locations such as abandoned insane asylums, hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and many houses that are full of old items and relics from the past.
Dave has been featured on Petapixel, CTV News Toronto, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, The DailyMail and Telegraph in the UK as well as dozens of news sites and magazines around the world from Australia to Italy to Germany.
The Downtown Oakville Business Improvement Area is holding it's 2nd Annual TD Songs of Summer Music and Art festival on Fri. Aug 10th and Sat. Aug 11th.
This festival is a free two-day event from afternoon – evening. The event will have multiple stages, with over 40 performances, plus multiple interactive art zones throughout the downtown area.
The OCC is excited to once again be participating in this event. You will find our booth at the corner of George St and Lakeshore Rd. across from the Towne Square clock. We will be there on Fri. Aug 10th & Sat. Aug 11th from 5pm to 10pm.
This is a perfect opportunity to practice your Street Photography skills and we hope that everyone will stop by our booth to say hi!
We will meet outside of O'Finns Irish Temper, 136 Church St, Oakville, ON L6J 1M9, Canada at 7pm. We will then break off into groups along with a mentor to photograph the Streets of Oakville - which just happens to tie into our "Streets Of Oakville" category for our 2018 Capture Oakville competition.
We will meet back at O'Finns at approximately 8:30pm for beverages and a presentation by Henry's of Oakville.
Please mark this date on your calendars for our first Cameras and Beers outing!
The Latow International Audio Visual Festival is the annual highlight of the year in the AV community.
Images are presented through this dynamic medium on a theatre-size screen with audio soundtracks presented in surround sound.
It's a premier showcase to see an exciting display of photography on different topics, using different audio-visual techniques to tell a story or to show off an artistic vision. A great evening for photographers, other visual artists, and those who simply appreciate a good entertaining show.
For further details or to purchase tickets, please visit their website shown below.
The Latow Photography Guild is hosting their annual photography weekend and are pleased to welcome Dave Brosha as their featured speaker for this year.
Dave is an award-winning commerical, personal and adventure photographer who is on a continual journey to seek out and capture the beauty of this world.
For further information and registration, please visit their website shown below.
Seeking Beautiful, local photos and celebrating Local Photographers!
The Oakville Community Foundation (The Foundation) is excited to launch a photography contest – 'Broadening our touch' wherein selected photos will be used for The Foundation's upcoming Annual Report.
WHY? We're all about Oakville - the people, the heritage, the future of our community - so we want to profile images that tell the Oakville stories in our publications (with CREDIT!!).
The photos we want to gather will help tell our story of how we are on a journey of better understanding, better acceptance and greater engagement with all those who reside in Oakville.
For further details please visit their website shown below.
The Can Am Photo Expo is being sponsored by the Niagara Frontier Regional Camera Clubs (NFRCC) and is being held at the Sheridan on the Falls, Niagara Falls, Canada.
Join a photography community that is passionate, determined and supportive. Whether you are here for a day or committed to the entire experience, they've got what you need.
For further details and registration, please visit their website shown below.
Halton Hills Camera Club invites all photography and nature lovers to attend their annual speaker night.
They are proud to present an evening with Canadian Conservation Photographer, Neil Ever Osborne.
Please visit their website below for additional information.
GTCCC is holding their 6th annual Capturing Light and Shadows Educational day at the Edward Village hotel.
For more details and for registration, please visit their website shown below.
Due to overwhelming interest in this seminar, a second date has been added.
World-renowned Canadian nature photographer, Chris Dodds, shows you how to capture perfect images, with particular attention to setting-up Sony mirrorless cameras for birds-in-flight action photography.
The OCC is pleased to welcome back Mark Wolfson for another night of amazing stories and pictures from his worldly travels. Mark will be covering the Wear and Gear, Photographing People, Tips and Tricks and Experiences he has encountered traveling our diverse world.
Mark's presentation will not be a travel log about one particular trip but rather a collage of travel events and places that are all very interestingly different.
The Oakville Camera Club welcomes back Graeme Roy - Director of News Photography at The Canadian Press.
Graeme will be reviewing interesting photos captured by Canadian Press photographers in 2017/2018.
Bernie Cook, Juan Gil Niehorster and Gary van Eijk take you on a journey through Northern India as it is seen through, not one, but Three lenses.
As we take you on our adventure through the Himalayas and the Kashmir region of Northern India, you will see the people and places of India's northern most Nubra valley, located near the Pakistan-India border, then to Pangong Lake on the border of China, to the Monasteries of Ladakh and Leh, into the green valleys of Manali, the Buddhist surroundings of Dharmshala, a journey within the holiest of Sikh places, the Golden Temple of Amritsar - the abode of God, and finally on a spice quest into markets of Old Delhi.
Join us and learn as we review the best way to travel into remote India through our experiences, our equipment and our individual photography styles and through every unexpected turn that remote India travel took us….after all "nothing can prepare you for India" - but we will try!
Please join us for our Annual OCC Christmas Party. It's a great opportunity to socialize with the other members and to chat with the board members if you have any suggestions or thoughts to assist us with our programming.
Bring some of your work on an iPad/Tablet or your prints to show off with your fellow club members.
Dundas, ON. About 30 minutes drive time.
Five speakers from the OCC, a powerpoint or keynote presentation, a microphone and 15 minutes, back for 2017.
Been somewhere interesting and want to share? Stay tuned for the call for speakers email.
Eckhardt Kriel, Corning NY and the Museum of Glass.
Roger Passmore, Hiking in the Rockies.
Jared Fein: The Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.


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Cable, Telecom and LTE-U: Peace in Our Time – Maybe
By Cablefax Staff | July 5, 2016
By Carl Weinschenk
Cellular operators and WiFi providers, led by cable operators, are at a crossroads on the process by which LTE will be used on unlicensed spectrum. The two sides seemed to finally be headed toward a solution—until what apparently was a stormy workshop on June 22. WiFi uses spectrum that is unlicensed. It is, therefore, free—and crowded. Cellular operators, conversely, lease spectrum from the government. It has a price tag—but totally under their control. It's the telecom difference between riding a bus or taking a cab. The two worlds didn't overlap until the cellular operators, pushed by the massive growth of demand and attracted by the fact that the 5 GHz spectrum is free, decided that they wanted into the party for their LTE services.
There is no problem with them doing this. It is as open to them as it is to any other industry segment. There is, however, a practical issue. LTE was developed under the premise that it wouldn't have to share spectrum. Therefore, it has no mechanisms to do such things as relinquish control when it is time for another station to take over. The nub of the problem: Could Qualcomm's North American focused approach—LTE-U—be a good enough neighbor to operate on unlicensed spectrum without degrading the service of other users? The incumbent users of unlicensed spectrum, led by the cable industry, didn't think so; the cellular companies were adamant that they could. Indeed, they maintained that their stations were even better neighbors than WiFi-based access points and stations.
Last year brought a great deal of acrimony between the two sides, but things took an upward term in late fall. The bottom line is that both sides recognized that cooperation was the only practical option. "The single defining moment that led to the change in tone… was the point where both sides made it very clear that they are committed to the idea that users will continue to experience WiFi as they do today," said Kevin Robinson, vp, marketing for the Wi-Fi Alliance, which is overseeing establishment and management of the co-existence framework. The industries seemed as of early June to be in the home stretch. Rob Alderfer, CableLabs' technology policy vp, said that the test plan was in the process of being validated. The test procedure will indicate how well LTE devices on WiFi networks respond to the needs of other users of a network. But a June 22 coexistence workshop in San Jose didn't go so well, with Qualcomm complaining afterwards that it's disappointed in continued delays in finalizing a LTEU/Wi-Fi test plan with the Wi-Fi Alliance. It also criticized the substance presented by the WFA staff at the WFA workshop, which it said "lacked technical merit and was a sharp departure from Wi-Fi Alliance staff past presentations and views and from the view of any other standards body or regulator around the world."
In its statement, Qualcomm argued to end the validation process and deem the original test plan final. For its part, WFA said it's committed to coexistence as quickly as possible and is confident it will deliver a solution in a timely manner. "Delivering coexistence for two different industries is no easy feat. Technical challenges exist and work is time consuming," WFA told us. "While a significant number of test cases are nearly validated, validation of all test cases is necessary to deliver a test plan that will determine whether LTE-U devices are able to fairly share unlicensed spectrum with Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi Alliance is exploring every possible option to accelerate the work while still ensuring the test objectives are met." – Carl Weinschenk


Recently, after Forbes Magazine published an opinion piece entitled, It Sounds Crazy, But Fukushima, Chernobyl, And Three Mile Island Show Why Nuclear Is Inherently Safe, a number of Forbes' readers called and continue to write Fairewinds Energy Education to ask us if this opinion piece is true. Quite frankly, the article is an infomercial for the nuclear industry: it twists data in order to paint a rosy picture of nuclear energy.
Even as I write this, there is an effort underway in the nuclear power industry to revise the radiation story in order to allow for greater public exposure.


Rolling Stones' documentary " Stones in Exile" was shown this morning for the press in a cinema in the St Germain des Pres area (in the latin quarter).
It's about the recording of the Rolling Stones' "Exile on main street" which has just been out remastered ( for the 3rd time) with bonuses(that's a first).
Really nice hour Doc with lots of Pictures from Dominique Tarlé who was there when the album was recorded at the time and this morning to introduce the doc.
Always funny to see some knows faces in the audience who had a hard time getting up in the morning.
The distributor Eagle Vision had prepare us a nice breakfast.
French tv France5 will play it on June 10th @ 8:35PM.
In a few months they will release " Ladies & Gentlemen" from the Rolling Stones on DVD and Blue-ray.


How would you cope if the tax refund you were counting on, and were counting the days until you received, just never showed up? How freaked out would you be if you found that it was sent to another address instead? How angry would you be if you received a notice a couple weeks after filing from the IRS, that not only didn't include your refund but also demanded that you fork over additional taxes for supposedly failing to properly document income attributed to your Social Security number but from some employer you had never even heard of?
That is what people every day have to deal with when they are caught up in the nightmare of tax-related identity theft -- a crime that is rapidly reaching epidemic proportions. It jeopardizes the financial future of millions of Americans, robs the Treasury of billions of dollars and can be just the first indication to victims that their lives are about to be turned upside down by thieves (and inside out by the government and newly-discovered creditors).
There were more instances of tax ID theft uncovered in the first six months of 2013 (1.6 million) than in all of 2012 (1.2 million), and IRS criminal investigations are up 66 percent since then. In that period of time, the IRS stopped 14.6 million suspicious returns from being processed and refused to distribute $50 billion in fraudulent refunds -- and that's just a drop in the bucket of what's American taxpayers are really facing.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration found another 1.1 million suspected fraudulent returns that the IRS missed in 2011 alone -- which resulted in $3.6 billion in apparent fraudulently-issued refunds. They also identified 174,000 Social Security numbers that were used on multiple tax returns in 2011, resulting in $183 million being paid out to identity thieves who filed fake returns before legitimate taxpayers got around to it. The most targeted Americans don't even seem to know it -- people whose income doesn't appear to necessitate filing returns are most at risk, followed by students ages 16-22.
The Federal Trade Commission says that tax and wage-related fraud was the most common kind of identity theft about which consumers complained in 2012 -- a full 43.4 percent of the identity theft complaints that the agency fielded. In short, tax identity theft is not an uncommon crime and, by all measures, it's a growing criminal enterprise.
Ask any expert what the easiest way to avoid being a victim of this crime is, and you'll get the same answer: File as early as possible. Once you file your return, it doesn't matter what information an identity thief has on you -- he or she can't file in your name and collect your return.
But while there are already a few early birds out there looking for that sweet IRS refund worm the moment their W-2s arrive, many Americans wait until April to file their returns. However, this rising tide of tax identity theft is a good reason to reconsider -- even in January -- the wisdom of waiting until the last possible minute to file.
For those folks who don't have the cash in hand for the tax man, filing early isn't always an option. But that doesn't mean you should cross your fingers, wait until April and hope for the best. If you can't file fast, here are five things you should do to lower your risk of tax identity theft.
Waiting on a W-2 from your employer, a 1099 from your savings account interest or a 1098-E to document your student loan interest? An identity thief might be, too - and that "Tax Documents Enclosed" notation on the envelope makes it easy for them to know which documents to pilfer. If your mailbox doesn't lock, look into buying one that does, having your mail held at the post office until you receive your documents or, for next year, getting a P.O. box and changing your address with your employer.
Many banks and even payroll processors offer electronic documents (though, obviously, you need to use good Internet security protocols, like strong passwords and secured WiFi, to make this method safe). If it's available and you use strong security protocols, the documents you need might never make it into an obvious envelope at all.
Bypass the hassle of figuring out what to staple where, and get a fast, free notification that your return was accepted (or early notice that there's a problem). The feds will even let you e-file for free if your return lists an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $57,000 or less, and many states do the same.
Even many in the government know that tax forms are complicated, the directions aren't intuitive and folks get frustrated trying to figure it all out. That complexity and frustration fills tax preparers' offices and coffers during tax season - but not all preparers are created equal. Before patronizing the local pop-up tax preparer or online outlet, use the IRS's tips for checking out tax preparers and make sure the person you're working with has a Preparer Tax Identification Number issued by the IRS.
If you've already experienced some form of identity theft, even if it's not tax ID theft, take some time to report it to the IRS via its Identity Theft Affadavit (Form 14039). The form will alert the IRS to be more careful when processing returns from your account and may prompt follow-up actions, including the issuance of an Identity Protection PIN to use when filing your taxes.
Taking these steps can make filing your taxes slightly more arduous -- at least this year -- but nothing is more time-consuming and painful than undergoing an IRS audit to prove that you're you and the person who filed your tax return wasn't.
Taxes paid by residents as pct. of income: 8.4 percent Total state and local taxes collected: $16.9 billion Pct. of total taxes paid by residents: 59 percent Pct. of total taxes paid by non-residents: 41 percent The state and local tax burden on New Mexico residents is the tenth lowest in the country. The state has a slightly below-average business climate, with a corporate tax rate ranging from 4.8% to 7.6%. Gasoline taxes are quite low, but excise taxes on alcohol and cigarettes are above average. The state tax on beer is one of the highest in the country. A high percentage of state and local revenues come from non-residents. This is usually the case with most states with a low tax burden on its residents. Per capita, state residents pay just $2,027, the sixth-lowest amount in the country. Read more at 24/7 Wall St.


Interest groups on the left and the right are beginning full-scale political campaigns -- including fund-raising, advertising and major research -- to prepare for what many expect to be a Supreme Court vacancy in the next several weeks.
While none of the justices have said they plan to retire, any decision would traditionally be announced at the end of the court's term in late June.
Both conservatives and liberals say the time is right for a change in at least one and perhaps two seats, given the age of several justices and the general recognition that this is President Bush's last chance to name a justice before the presidential campaign begins in earnest.
Republicans have been raising money and planning strategy under the guidance of the former White House counsel C. Boyden Gray, who was a principal strategist in the bitter struggle over Justice Clarence Thomas's nomination in 1991.
Two weeks ago, White House and Justice Department officials met in a Washington law office with several Republican veterans of confirmation battles, including Mr. Gray, to discuss how to deal with liberal attacks on a Bush nominee.
The meeting opened with the veterans recalling the failed effort to put Robert H. Bork on the Supreme Court in 1987 and the successful campaign to confirm Mr. Thomas in 1991, after he was confronted with reports that he had sexually harassed Anita Hill, his former employee.
''The purpose was to see what lessons we had learned from those two battles,'' said a lawyer at the meeting, which included Leonard Leo, a top official of the Federalist Society, a conservative lawyers' group.
On the other side, a coalition of liberal and progressive groups -- including Naral, People for the American Way, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the Alliance for Justice -- has been meeting weekly, usually on Fridays, to discuss judicial strategy for nominations to lower federal courts and the Supreme Court.
The groups are compiling research on potential nominees. Nan Aron, director of the Alliance for Justice, a Washington liberal group that scrutinizes judicial nominees, said she had added several staff members for the expected confirmation battle and had compiled dossiers on about eight people she said she thought could be named by the White House.
Liberals acknowledge, though, that the White House has the advantage of surprise. Kate Michelman, president of Naral Pro-Choice America, said her group planned a rapid-response research operation.
On Capitol Hill, the parties are already engaged in legislative trench warfare over several lower court nominations that are considered dress rehearsals for a Supreme Court battle. While Republicans control the Senate with 51 seats compared with 48 Democrats and one independent, Democrats have staged filibusters to block votes on two of Mr. Bush's nominees they say are right-wing ideologues.
As a result, Republicans are trying to change the rules on filibusters, asserting that Democrats are thwarting the will of the president and have unfairly created the need for a 60-vote majority (enough to break a filibuster) to confirm judges.
Mr. Gray's group, the Committee for Justice, has bought television commercials in some states, supporting those appeals court nominees who have been blocked by Democratic filibusters. ''If it becomes accepted lore that you now have to have 60 votes, then we've got a real problem,'' Mr. Gray said.
Liberals counter that Mr. Bush is engaged in ideological court-packing. Senator Charles E. Schumer, the New York Democrat who has led the effort to oppose several appeals court nominees, met last week with Alberto R. Gonzales, the White House counsel, and urged him to ensure that any Supreme Court selections were moderate enough to win substantial Democratic support.
Mr. Schumer said he told Mr. Gonzales that he should try to ''find someone who 100 of us can support,'' not just the 51 Republicans.
The expectation of change on the court is based, in part, on its record-breaking stability in recent years; no one has stepped down since President Bill Clinton appointed Stephen G. Breyer in 1994, providing for the longest period without a turnover since the 1820's.
The three oldest judges are Republicans, and White House officials say that two of them -- Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who is 78, and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is 73 -- would be the most likely to retire, given the knowledge that a Republican president would pick their replacements. More than one vacancy this summer would add even more urgency to the campaigns, and Justice O'Connor's frequent position as a swing vote could intensify a battle over her successor.
Abortion rights advocates have been particularly energized, asserting that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision recognizing a constitutional right to abortion, could be overturned by a substantially refashioned court.
Ms. Michelman has already called on senators who support abortion rights to filibuster any nominee who does not commit to Roe.
The issue of how nominees respond to such questions has always produced a rich debate. Republican nominees have generally brushed aside those inquiries by saying it would be inappropriate to say how they would rule on specific cases.
However, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, named to the court by President Clinton in 1993, said flatly that she supported Roe.
Administration officials say that the White House has compiled dossiers on dozens of potential nominees, but that the list of genuine candidates is far smaller, fewer than 10. So far, the discussions have focused on providing possible nominees for different circumstances, depending on who resigns.
In almost all the possibilities, officials said, Mr. Gonzales, the White House counsel and a longtime legal adviser to Mr. Bush, would be a candidate. Mr. Gonzales would be the first Hispanic member of the Supreme Court.
Mr. Bush's top aides, notably Karl Rove, his chief political adviser, are described as well aware that this would provide a political advantage for both him and the Republican Party, which has been aggressively courting Hispanic voters.
But social conservatives, an important component of Mr. Bush's political coalition, have expressed increasing wariness about Mr. Gonzales.
Many say he reminds them of Justice David H. Souter, who was named to the court by President Bush's father, and who they say had been sold to them as a solid conservative vote but turned out otherwise.
A grouping of thumbnail sketches on Sunday with a front-page article about efforts by interest groups to influence the selection of the next Supreme Court justice included an erroneous reference to the background of a potential nominee, Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. (The error also occurred in a front-page article on Dec. 27.) Judge Alito is not a former clerk for Justice Antonin Scalia.


text:
FBI launches investigation into drugs on gay cruise after death of Joel Taylor
By David Grant January 25, 2018 at 2:01pm · 2.3K shares · 65 comments
Earlier today, we told you about the death of Joel Taylor, the out host of the Discovery reality show "Storm Chasers."
Taylor died of a suspected GHB overdose while partying aboard a Royal Caribbean ship charted by gay cruise company Atlantis Events.
According to the New York Daily News, "passengers aboard the Harmony of the Seas added that they witnessed Taylor taking drugs, including ecstasy and cocaine."
He was 38 years old.
According to TMZ, Taylor's death has now piqued the curiosity of the FBI, who are launching an investigation. The website reports "huge quantities" of "party drugs" were on the ship, including Ecstasy, cocaine, and GHB.
Sources claim some people were arrested for drug possession before the ship set sail.
Related: 'Storm Chasers' host Joel Taylor dies of reported drug overdose on gay cruise
RIP my best friend and storm chasing partner, Joel Taylor. I am shocked and absolutely devastated by the loss of my incredible, caring friend. We chased so many intense storms, and I wish we could have just one more storm chase. I'll miss you forever, Joel. We lost a legend pic.twitter.com/htN45t8wik
— Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) January 24, 2018
Following Taylor's death, the boat was reportedly docked in Puerto Rico. While docked, there was apparently lots of drug drama aboard the ship.
The night that Taylor died, "party drugs" were reportedly "flowing freely" among revelers, TMZ reports.
Now the FBI has questions: How did the drugs get on board? Who supplied them?
Taylor's is at least the third drug-related death on cruise ships charted by Atlantis Events, which boasts on its website of "unbelievable parties," in the last decade.
In a 2010 article on the blog Cruise Law, Jim Walker wrote:
"Cruise ships are not the place to have a medical emergency, whether you are gay, lesbian, transgendered, or straight. Cruise ships are often characterized by the questionable experience and training of the shipboard doctors and staff and the limited nature of the cruise ship's medical facilities."
Without getting into a debate over drug use, Walker makes a valid point. Safety wise, the last place a large crowd should be consuming copious amounts of drugs and alcohol is the middle of the open sea.
In related news, porn star boyfriends Jesse Jackman and Dirk Caber were on the same cruise. Dirk was later found unconscious and was hospitalized the night of Taylor's death.
The Sword (site NSFW) and GayDailyHot reports:
"Dirk and Jesse had a fight, causing Dirk to get drunk and pass out, only to later discover he had pneumonia, forcing the couple to leave the ship for a Puerto Rico hospital."
Life Atlantis Events Drugs FBI Gay cruise Joel Taylor
Subscribe to Queerty for a daily dose of #life #atlantisevents #drugs stories and more
Guess both the cruise line and the event company will be held criminally responsible for all the illegal drugs on the ship.
Jack Meoff
Drug use and drug addiction in the gay community is at crisis point and everyone turns a blind eye to it. It is the single most damaging issue that is currently being ignored within our community while everyone worries abut racism and toxic masculinity and other less urgent issues. When are we going to say it's not OK to come to these events off your face or it's not OK to PnP. Make these behaviours anti-social not sociably acceptable.
CastleSF
Jack, I don't know where you got this idea that drug use is socially accepted by most gays. I am staunchly against drug use because it goes against my moral fiber. On the other hand, please be more understanding why some guys do drugs to numb themselves or due to peer pressure. Just say no to drugs has not proven effective, though in some way I wish our laws could be a little tougher in order to put the addicts to halfway housing for mandatory treatments.
barkomatic
Yikes, I think this might be the end up the party ship era now that the FBI is involved.
How did the drugs get on the ship? Really? The FBI actually needs to investigate that? Please.
calpoidog
How did they get on the ship? The passengers bring them on.
The fairy drug mother was summoned my guess.
Hussain-TheCanadian
Wow wow wow hold on a second, it was not, I repeat, it was not the fairy drug mother. That heffa was at my place during the alleged time of delivery.
batesmotel
Atlantis is open to drugs being on their cruises. It's pretty known that it's acceptable. They want an open environment for gays to feel comfortable, even if that means drugs. Others have died of drug overdoses on these ship cruises. Eventually Atlantis will get shut down over this. I'm surprised they haven't yet.
bushwickfreddy
It's absolutely sad and horrible, but who in the hell over the age of 18, would think it a good idea to do copious amounts of drugs on a cruise ship?
I agree with your sentiment but rampant drug use is an epidemic in gay culture whether on a cruise ship or not. It's all about getting high and getting off. There needs to be more outreach and education on the subject in the gay community.
rmatthews
spacecadet, thank you. Agreed. That's how this should be approached.
Articles like this damage the reputation of the gay community, Atlantis and the cruise line. Guess what? Straight people do drugs too. At music festivals, raves, etc.. Straight cruises are family-oriented, so you won't see much of that activity there.
They should create an awareness campaign, letting people know that they need to seek medical attention immediately in a situation like this, even if they fear getting kicked off the ship.
Xzamilloh
I mean, I quit smoking 2 years ago, and that alone is a "Why would you ever do that knowing the harms of it" moment, but that people are still acting like it's the 70s in open waters doing 8 balls and acting a damn fool on a boat that has marine life waiting for your drunk ass to fall overboard
Curtispsf
GHB and Ecstasy are SO 90s. Grow up and enter the 21st Century with your mind and body intact. GHB does not have much of a dose tolerance; the difference between a buzz and an overdose is very small. And if you drink alcohol while on GHB you can kiss your arse goodbye. /|\
I thought that too but apparently not. I used to do GHB and had allot of fun with it. You have to be very careful when dosing and that would be difficult if your high on other drugs.
GHB used to be even sold in health food stores back in the late 90s. I used to buy it at GNC. The one I liked was called blue nitro. I only used it as a sleep aid because it knocks you out fast.
seaguy
Haven't you heard the 90's are back. It is retro for millenials.
EvonCook
Too bad the enjoyment of all the guys, the sex and the orgy weren't enough of a high because the drugs' noteriety wiil now just make the whole thing collapse. It only takes a few careless idiots to ruin things.
I have to agree. With the Feds involved now you can stick a fork in it. It's done.
Geeker
So much for the image, Jesse and Dirk have tried to craft for themselves as the healthy and well-adjusted porn couple.
No one is perfect. One fight and then one getting sick is hardly a divorce.
Dirk had walking pneumonia and didn't know until he passed out. As someone who's also had that, you just feel a bit run down for a few days and then you feel like your soul is trying to escape through your lungs. That wasn't drug-related. They're still a healthy and well-adjusted couple, as far as we can tell.
SPEEDOSWIMMER
Prax07
Never hesrd of him before this article, but no sympathy from me anyway. When a drug user bites the dust I say good, one less stupid person cluttering up the world. No one to blame but himself, poor judgement equals poor results.
You are certainly entitled to your feeling and opinions about the drug use. I have often been told myself that I can be harsh on people who use but don't take responsibility for their reckless behaviors. Nonetheless, your comments sound exceedingly unkind.
MinnesotaNotNice
I completely agree with you. I don't view your comments as being unkind, it's just telling a harsh truth that unfortunately happens over and over again among gay men.
What about someone OD'g on prescription drugs or having a fatal heart attack from poor eating choices. Does your sympathy extend to them or just not to anyone that makes some mistakes in their lives?
Well not everyone can be as perfect as you and only make the best judgements in life. People make mistakes it is part of being human and for some they have a disease that leads them to make poor decisions to use drugs, it is called addiction. To just assume that everyone who dies of a drug overdose is a stupid person who deserved what they got is rather callus and would you feel that way had the victim been someone you knew like a friend or relative?
Sounds like you never make any mistakes in your life. What's your secret?
Not condoning the behavior but some otherwise very intelligent people use drugs whether it's a rampant addiction or a more casual use. Sometimes all it takes is one time depending on the drug to be fatal. No one, including yourself, is perfect.
What is this BS under the Prax07 replies about "mistakes"?? A mistake implies an unintentional decision that turned out to be wrong. Taking drugs in party situations is not a mistake. It's called STUPID, and sadly there are many stupid people. They're everywhere. They lack basic common sense and responsibility. I totally agree with Prax.
Well there is a reason they're doing hard drugs. Usually it's to escape their reality, because if ones reality is fantastic, then they don't crave a drug. There is also quite a bit of unstable emotions among many gays, not all, but many. This prompts some to escape in a drug, when going to a mental health professional to be prescribed something less dangerous would be more efficient. At least you'll last on the planet a bit longer than mixing cocaine, ecstasy and G-whatever the hell it was else he took with all of that.
jhon_siders
I know a lot of guys that say they have to do drugs to have a good time That's to me a brain dead person both figuratively and litterly .
I sometimes use pot to have a good time. Same goes with alcohol. I don't consider myself brain dead either.
There are lots of reasons people do drugs to have a good time and being brain dead is not one of them.
If you know a lot of guys that say they have to do drugs to have a good time. Did they all say they had to, or that they just do drugs? If they say they have to, do you ever ask them why? Maybe they meant with YOU? They have to do drugs to have a good time with you. Especially if more than person that you know tells you that. What do you do while they are doing drugs? Do you sit there silently judging them? Surely, you can't be serious? How is it you know figuratively, but not literally? I can't get over that. "litterly".
tnguy222
Any curious, adventurous, or interested human who desires a full life of this earth will try anything at least once.
Well, that's the problem, tnguy. A lot of people try not just once or twice but many times over. Some people can quit eventually but many can't and end up getting addicted to the hard drugs and having their life tragically ruined.
IanHunter
It's a damn shame to lose him.
The one thing about these cruises are that everyone knows who has the "party drugs". I have been on three cruises and everyone was always hooked up with something, or someone. I don't think this will end the cruises, but I hope that everyone will be more careful about what they are taking and know where the drugs are coming from. There are people that book the cruises just to sell the drugs. I just preferred the alcohol. It is not a picture of the community, just a group of people that let their guard down and make bad decisions. I hope that this will serve as a warning to a lot of younger men that want to just get laid on these trips, and make them aware of the dangers.
What I don't understand is, you are on a beautiful cruise, an adventure most people can only dream of, with gourmet food and 24-hour world class entertainment. There are so many things you can do and so many places you can visit on this journey. You can watch the gorgeous sunset and sip wine by the pool. You are one of the luckiest few in the world who get to enjoy the luxury of money can buy. So, why are people doing drugs on a cruise?
@CastleSF = They are basically crowded onto a floating sex club where looks do matter a lot and probably need the drugs to improve their self esteem.
@CastleSF, It sounds so high school but you see one or more people in your circle of friends doing party drugs and whether they're offering them to you or not you then want to take them yourself to fit into the crowd. So it's often that or peer pressure. And if they're hot, beautiful people who look like they're having so much fun while on them you may be curious to get on them too and see what the fuss is about. 15-20 years ago when I was coming out and going to the gay clubs and ecstasy ("X") was all the rage (and among straight people at raves as well). Friends/acquaintances/the muscle boys, all of them seemed to be taking it. Somehow I never once used it, but yeah, the curiosity was there.
Jaxton
But, but, but I'm a gay guy. I want to fit in, you know. I take my top off at dance parties where I shimmy to bad lyrics accompanied by a thumping beat. Drugs give me a buzz.
I want to look cool to my fellow gay hedonists, you know. It's the rule, you know. At the end of the night, even a fat ugly bear looks hot.
I am sure that you could take your take your shirt off and no one would complain. Just live your life and be free of prejudice. Love is better than a life of similitude.
I'm sure I would..
Tête Carrée
Piss off hetero troll.
"top"? You must be a trollette and an "ugly" one at that.
There will always be some drugs on a cruise. But it seems like these Atlantis cruises which tend to attract guys who take cruises often, have caused the regulars to become a little complacent and to forget that if you are going to do drugs during the cruise you need to be discreet and use common sense like not taking G if you have been drinking alcohol.
If I recall there was a guy busted for smuggling drugs onto an Atlantis cruise a few years ago. I guess not one learned from that?
ChicagoSteve
I was on that cruise that had the two guys get busted for drugs and the captain kicked him off the boat on one of the islands. They had to find their own way back to the United States.
happiness17
First of all my sympathies go out to Joel's family, friends and co-workers,
His death was so tragic and uncalled for. Too many people think they can
use a lot of drugs and that nothing is going to happen to them. That's why more and more people are dying of overdoses every day. Secondly I didn't know that Joel was gay. He was very hot and manly. I would've snuggled up to him in a New York minute. R.I. P. Joel
Sure Jan.
I wish people would save their judgment. And I don't like the tone of how this article is written.
I've been on cruises, and people are going to bring drugs. There's no way to screen everything, and catch everything coming aboard the ship. Some people are going to do dangerous drugs, like G. People fear getting kicked off the ship for possession (ruining their vacation), and some people don't seek medical attention, or get medical attention for their friends, as a result. Some people put their lives at stake for this.
I don't know if that is what happened here, or not.
Instead of damaging the reputation of Atlantis (who surely does not promote or condone this activity) or the cruise line, how about approaching this problem as an awareness campaign? People need to know that they should seek medical attention immediately when encountering a situation such as this.
Also, Queerty, using TMZ as a "news source" doesn't do wonders for your reputation.
"The night that Taylor died, "party drugs" were reportedly "flowing freely" among revelers, TMZ reports." – how about confirming that first? And what does that even mean? Like people were doing them in public? I've been on Atlantis cruises, and never seen anything of the sort. I know there were people doing drugs, but they were discrete about it.
How about confirming that he died from a drug overdose, before you report it and start writing about the subject?
DJRM
How about Atlantic doing something about the rampant drug use on their cruises?
Every single person I've ever known that has done a gay cruise since they first EXISTED has commented on how amazing it is that people get THAT much drugs on board…every time.
We all know, for a fact, that if you're on an Atlantis cruise, you really don't even need to bring your own drugs because anything you want is SUPER easy to get right on the ship.
How the FBI is just cluing into this is startling… Atlantis deserves the reputation they get for allowing this to happen.
Easy fix? Full screening of every passenger before they board. Can't be too difficult to find the guys with 500 pills in their bags.
rhino79
Overdosing on GHB on a cruise ship dancefloor is the gayest death ever.
You forgot to say, "No homo".
Yeah, now is definitely the time to make insensitive jokes.
Insensitive or not, it's funny 'cause it's true!
@Seaguy Absolutely, if it was a friend or family member I'd feel the same. And if I knew about their drug use prior to their stupidly od'ing they'd have been kicked out of my life already anyway.
And it might be viewed as being callous and I really don't care. If a person is too stupid to realize their behavior might have deadly consequences and it does turn deadly, that's on them, their own fault, no excuses, and no sympathy at all for them. This Joel guy had a good life, he made stupid decisions that ended it, and oh well. He made those decisions on his own. He's dead because of his own choices, so no great cosmic loss there.
You sound just like the Church Lady talking about gay people and their "choices".
If you feel that way, why did you bother to comment on this "unworthy" person. Did it up your azzhole content?
@spacecadet If those intelligent people you refer to were actually intelligent then they wouldn't be putting themselves stupidly at risk by doing these drugs. Again, if they OD and die, they really weren't all that smart now were they? Doesn't matter to me if it was their first time or two thousandth time, they are/were stupid for doing it and don't deserve any sympathy or compassion after doing it.
@Prax, there are medications for all kinds ailments but no drug works for a hardened heart. Only when you get older will you become more compassionate and merciful.
I was on the Atlantis cruise a few years ago when they held it on the Allure of the Seas. A guy got into a fight with his boyfriend and jumped off of his room balcony to his death. Very sad for such a joyous cruise celebrating being your true self.
OMG! There are RECREATIONAL DRUGS ON CRUISE SHIPS?!?!?
WHAT a SHOCK.
How THIS is spawning an FBI investigation is beyond me as rampant drug use on gay cruises has been going on for as long as a "gay cruise" has existed. The FBI is, like, two DECADES late to checking out what's going on at THESE parties…*SMH*
There's a reason I have never had ANY interest in doing one of these things…being trapped on a floating bath house with drugged out queens? No thanks…I'll choose a non-gay cruise any day of the week.
That being said, I feel sorry for the guy…but it's tough to have too much pity for anyone who overdoses. And on a cruise ship, no less. Even my friends who have struggled with addiction would wholeheartedly agree.
A non-gay cruise where the breeders will call you a X X queen? Appropriate.
Daniel-Reader
Hopefully lives can be saved.
surreal33
The sad truth is, go to any gay nightclub, sauna, circuit party, cruise, drug use is blatant and accepted. Which extremely problematic.
o.codone
I'd say leave people alone, let's not go all preachy and judgmental on people, leave it alone. When my friends start lecturing me about my drug use I just shut down. Someone's little public service warning isn't going to change my behavior or save my life. Nobody's that influential.
the_ashpan
Over here in the UK (and most gay clubs i've been to in Europe) it's mainly the straight people that come down to gays-ville to find themselves a new gay BFFhat seem to over-do the drugs and ruin things for everyone…..


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