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True Blood is een Amerikaanse televisieserie gecreëerd en geproduceerd door Alan Ball, bekend van onder andere Six Feet Under en American Beauty. De reeks is gebaseerd op de boekenreeks The Southern Vampire Mysteries van Charlaine Harris. True Blood beslaat zeven seizoenen die oorspronkelijk werden uitgezonden van 2008 tot en met 2014. De serie werd zowel in 2009 als 2010 genomineerd voor de Golden Globe voor beste dramaserie.

Geschiedenis
True Blood ging op 7 september 2008 in premiere in Amerika, op de betaalzender HBO. De serie kreeg uitstekende recensies en bouwde een grote schare fans op. In Nederland en België was True Blood vanaf september 2009 te zien op Fox Life, met een paar maanden achterstand op Amerika. In België was de serie vanaf 15 oktober 2010 ook te zien op Canvas en vanaf juli 2011 werd het derde seizoen uitgezonden op Acht. Op 25 december 2012 begon ook OP12 de serie uit te zenden.

Verhaal

In True Blood wordt de wereld in een nabije toekomst getoond. Een Japans bedrijf is erin geslaagd om synthetisch bloed te maken dat voor vampieren dezelfde voedingswaarde heeft als menselijk bloed. Hierdoor hoeven ze niet meer op mensen te jagen en kunnen ze gewoon met mensen samenleven, al gaat dit nog niet altijd even goed. De serie draait om de levens van de telepathische serveerster Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) en de vampier Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) in het fictieve stadje Bon Temps, Louisiana.

De serie is losjes gebaseerd op de "Southern Vampire Mysteries", een boekenserie geschreven door Charlaine Harris. Per seizoen wordt er meestal één boek gekozen, maar in de afleveringen doen ook elementen uit andere boeken hun intrede, worden personages uit de boeken eerder of juist later of juist helemaal niet gedood en worden personages geïntroduceerd die in de boeken niet voorkwamen.

Seizoen 1
Gebaseerd op het boek Dead Until Dark, in het Nederlands Date met de Dood. De telepathische serveerster Sookie (Anna Paquin) ontmoet vampier Bill (Stephen Moyer) en krijgt een relatie met hem, maar de twee moeten de nodige moeilijkheden overwinnen die zich voordoen bij hun complexe combinatie. Sookie heeft al een slechte reputatie in het dorp vanwege de vreemde manoeuvres die ze maakt om te voorkomen dat iedereen van haar telepathie weet, en bovendien hebben de dorpelingen weinig op met vampiers. Ondertussen vindt er een serie moorden plaats, waarin telkens een vrouw overlijdt die dicht bij Sookies broer Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten) staat: eerst zijn onenightstand Maudette, daarna zijn vriendin Dawn, dan zijn grootmoeder Adele (Lois Smith), bij wie Sookie woont, en ten slotte zijn aan vampierbloed verslaafde vriendin Amy (Lizzy Caplan). Jason wordt door de politie gearresteerd voor de moorden en na de dood van Amy begint hij zelf te geloven dat hij de vrouwen onderbewust moet hebben gedood. Sookie ontdekt ondertussen dat een man die zijn zus vermoordde nadat zij seks had met een vampier, verdwenen is uit zijn geboorteplaats. Ze weet dan zeker dat deze man ook de huidige moordenaar is en via haar telepathie komt ze erachter dat deze man zich tegenwoordig voordoet als René Lenier (Michael Raymond-James), beste vriend van Jason en verloofde van haar collega Arlene (Carrie Preston).
Nadat ze concludeert dat haar grootmoeder in haar plaats stierf, omdat René háár had willen vermoorden, komt René achter haar aan. Geholpen door haar baas Sam (Sam Trammell), een gedaanteverwisselaar met een zwak voor Sookie, doodt ze René als ze zichzelf verdedigt en Jason komt vrij.

Het seizoen heeft meerdere subplots. Sookies opvliegende beste vriendin, Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley), heeft het moeilijk met haar alcoholistische moeder Lettie Mae (Adina Porter). Lettie, die Tara mishandelt, is ervan overtuigd dat ze bezeten is door een demon en laat zich uiteindelijk behandelen door een mysterieuze geestenuitdrijver in het bos, Miss Jeanette (Aisha Hinds). Lettie Mae knapt zienderogen op en wordt een wedergeboren christen, maar Tara ontdekt dat Miss Jeanette een verklede apothekersassistente in geldnood was. Tara vindt steun bij haar homoseksuele neef Lafayette (Nelsan Ellis), maar belandt in de gevangenis na rijden onder invloed. Daar ontmoet ze een welvarende "maatschappelijk werkster", Maryann Forrester (Michelle Forbes), die Tara bij haar thuis laat wonen. Daar leert Tara een aantrekkelijke lotgenoot, Benedict "Eggs" Talley (Mehcad Brooks) kennen.
In een ander subplot wordt de vampier-sheriff van Bills district geïntroduceerd: de eeuwenoude Viking Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård). Eric, de eigenaar van de erotische vampierbar Fangtasia, is sterk geïntrigeerd door Sookies gaven en gebruikt haar telepathie om een dief in zijn bar te ontmaskeren. Als deze dief, ook een vampier, Sookie aanvalt, doodt Bill hem. Een vampierrechter draagt Bill hierom op om een nieuwe vampier te maken: hiervoor wordt hem een tienermeisje uit een streng christelijk gezin, Jessica Hamby (Deborah Ann Woll) toegewezen. Jessica verandert na haar transformatie in een wilde en oncontroleerbare vampierpuber en Bill heeft grote moeite haar onder de duim te houden en haar alle vampierregels te leren.

Seizoen 2
Gebaseerd op het tweede boek, "Living Dead in Dallas". Dit seizoen had meerdere plots. Jason, Sookies broer, sluit zich aan bij de Fellowship of the Sun, een radicale kerkgemeenschap die zich inzet op de totale uitroeiing van vampiers. De kerk wordt geleid door dominee Steve Newlin (Michael McMillian) en zijn vrouw Sarah (Anna Camp). Als lid van de Fellowship wordt Jason naar een speciaal paramilitair trainingskamp gestuurd, waar hem alles wordt geleerd over het bestrijden en effectief doden van vampiers. Steve, onder de indruk van Jasons fysieke talent, en Sarah, onder de indruk van Jasons uiterlijk, indoctrineren Jason volledig. Ondertussen roept vampiersheriff Eric de hulp van Bill en Sookie in. De vampiersheriff van Dallas, de tweeduizend jaar oude Godric (Allan Hyde), is verdwenen en dient terug te worden gevonden, waarbij Eric opnieuw gebruik hoopt te maken van Sookies telepathische krachten. Nadat de vampiers in Dallas het vermoeden uitspreken dat Godric door de Fellowship of the Sun ontvoerd is, besluit Sookie te infiltreren in de Fellowship, samen met een menselijke bondgenoot, Hugo. Maar wanneer Sookie en Hugo de kerk betreden, heeft dominee Newlin hen direct door en laat hun opsluiten in een kerker. Zo komt Sookie er ook achter dat de Fellowship Godric gevangen houdt en dat ze van plan zijn hem aan de zon bloot te stellen zodat hij zal sterven. Sookie probeert Bills hulp in te roepen, maar Bill wordt tegengehouden door zijn sadistische maker, Lorena (Mariana Klaveno). Uiteindelijk wordt Sookie gered door Godric, die ontsnapt en de andere vampiers tegenhoudt als zij alle leden van de Fellowship willen vermoorden. Godric legt uit dat hij genoeg had van het leven en vrede wenste te stichten, maar ziet in dat zijn acties niet effectief waren. Jason verlaat de Fellowship, maar de groepering pleegt een bomaanslag op Godrics huis waarin enkele vampiers omkomen. Godric pleegt niet veel later zelfmoord door in de zon te gaan staan.

Ondertussen wordt Bon Temps in de greep gehouden door de moord op geestenuitdrijver Miss Jeanette, die dood werd gevonden met een uitgesneden hart. Tara raakt ondertussen steeds meer onder de invloed van haar "maatschappelijk werker", Maryann. Als Sookie Tara vraagt bij haar te komen wonen, komen Maryann, haar assistent en Eggs er ook wonen. Maryann manipuleert de relatie van Eggs en Tara door een vreemdsoortige magische overheersing. Sookies baas Sam Merlotte, de gedaanteverwisselaar, lijkt Maryann te kennen maar wil niks meer met haar te maken hebben. Hij neemt de charmante maar onhandige Daphne Landry (Ashley Jones) aan als een nieuwe serveerster in zijn bar en komt er al snel achter dat ook zij een gedaanteverwisselaar is. Wat hij niet weet is dat Daphne door Maryann gestuurd is om Sam in de val te lokken: Daphne leidt Sam naar een groot kampvuur waar gehypnotiseerde dorpsbewoners ronddansen en onder Maryanns invloed Sams hart uit willen snijden als offer. Sam ontsnapt en Maryann vermoordt Daphne. Maryann breidt haar mysterieuze invloed uit over de gehele bevolking van Bon Temps, waardoor iedereen zwarte ogen krijgt, zich niet meer bewust is van zijn acties en alles doet wat Maryann zegt. Zo ontstaan er chaotische orgieën met wilde seks tussen alle dorpsbewoners en zit iedereen achter Sam aan. Sookie komt terug uit Dallas en ziet hoe Maryann haar huis heeft geruïneerd. Bill concludeert dat zij een maenade is, een Grieks bovennatuurlijk schepsel dat andere bovennatuurlijken offert voor haar god, Dionysos. Bill en Sam maken een plan om Maryann te verslaan. Nadat Maryann een mes in Sams hart laat steken, transformeert Sam in een stier, wat Maryann doet geloven dat Dionysos naar de aarde is teruggekeerd, waardoor ze haar onsterfelijkheid verliest. Sam slaagt er vervolgens in haar te doden.

Seizoen 3
Gebaseerd op het boek "Club Dead". Eggs denkt dat hij Miss Jeanette en Daphne heeft vermoord, maar Sookie weet dat Maryann dat heeft gedaan. Toch komen ze erachter dat Maryann Eggs hypnotiseerde en hem het liet doen. Eggs voelt zich zo schuldig dat hij met het moordwapen naar agent Andy Bellefleur stapt. Jason denkt dat hij de sheriff bedreigt en schiet hem dood. Nu de liefde van haar leven dood is schiet Tara in een depressie en poogt zelfmoord. Bill wordt ontvoerd door de vampierkoning van Mississippi, Russel Edgington (Denis O'Hare), nadat hij Sookie een huwelijksaanzoek heeft gedaan. Sookie spoort hem op met de hulp van weerwolf Alcide (Joe Manganiello) en redt hem. Sookie ontdekt dat ze een fee is en daardoor extreem aantrekkelijk voor vampiers, die met haar bloed in de zon kunnen lopen. Zo ontdekt ze ook dat Bill gestuurd was door vampierkoningin Sophie-Anne Leclerq (Evan Rachel Wood) om haar de zijne te maken. Om dit bedrog maakt ze het uit met Bill.
Tara wordt ontvoerd door een psychotische vampier, Franklin, waardoor ze nog getraumatiseerder wordt en bovendien extreem angstig voor vampiers. Lafayette krijgt een relatie met een medewerker in het verpleeghuis waar zijn schizofrene moeder zit, maar deze medewerker, Jesus, blijkt een Zuid-Amerikaanse heks te zijn. Jason raakt geïntrigeerd door een mysterieus meisje, Crystal, die in een vreemde commune woont waar iedereen er armoedig bijloopt en waar Crystal gedwongen wordt te trouwen met haar halfbroer. De commune blijkt te bestaan uit weer-panters. Bill is verdrietig over de beëindiging van zijn relatie met Sookie, maar bezweert iedereen te doden die weet van Sookies feeën-achtergrond. Hij begraaft Russell Edgington en Eric in sneldrogend cement, hoewel Eric ontsnapt, en nodigt koningin Sophie-Anne uit bij hem thuis voor een gevecht tot de dood. Bills zelfgemaakte vampier Jessica heeft moeite met het vampierschap en onderhoudt een liefdesrelatie met de 28-jarige boerenjongen Hoyt, wiens moeder erg op de relatie tegen is. Sookie ontmoet op het kerkhof andere feeën en wordt naar hun wereld getransporteerd.

Seizoen 4
Losjes gebaseerd op het boek Dead to the World. Sookie komt aan in de feeënwereld, waar niets is wat het lijkt, en ontsnapt al snel met hulp van Claude (Gilles Matthey), de broer van haar petemoei-fee Claudine. Terug in de mensenwereld komt Sookie erachter dat er een jaar is verstreken en dat Eric haar huis nu bezit. Ook is haar broer Jason politieagent geworden en is Bill gepromoveerd tot Koning van Louisiana, nadat hij de vorige Koningin Sophie-Anne in een val leidde. Tara, die verhuisd was naar New Orleans waar ze een lesbische relatie had met Naomi (Vendette Lim), keert terug naar Bon Temps om Sookie te begroeten. Bill komt erachter dat er een groep heksen in Shreveport is die doden tot leven kunnen wekken. Hij stuurt Eric achter hen aan, maar de leider van de heksen, Marnie Stonebrook (Fiona Shaw) wordt overgenomen door de geest van heks Antonia (Paola Turbay) en doet Eric zijn geheugen verliezen. De geheugenloze Eric wordt in huis genomen door Sookie, die langzaamaan een liefdevolle relatie met hem opbouwt nu hij een heel ander persoon is. De heksen worden alsmaar sterker en weten Lafayette, zijn vriend Jesus en Tara tot hen te voegen, zodat ze ten slotte een spreuk kunnen uitspreken die alle vampiers in de zon moet drijven. De spreuk mislukt doordat Bill zijn onderdanen erop voorbereidt en een kort gevecht tussen heksen en vampiers vindt plaats, maar kort daarop vallen de heksen een belangrijk vampier-PR-event binnen. Eric krijgt zijn geheugen terug. De vampiers besluiten het Moon Goddess Emporium, waar de heksen zich schuilhouden, op te blazen. Sookie gaat samen met Jesus, Jason en Lafayette eropuit om dit te stoppen, aangezien Tara en andere onschuldige sympathisanten zich ook in het Emporium bevinden. Dankzij Jesus' spreuken en Sookies feeënkrachten wordt Marnie's magie verbroken en wordt Antonia van haar losgemaakt, zodat Marnie geen macht over de vampiers meer heeft. Zij elimineren haar snel, maar Marnie keert terug als een geest en neemt Lafayette over. Ze steelt Jesus' magie door hem ritueel te doden en zet Eric en Bill op de brandstapel, maar Sookie, geholpen door heks Holly, weet haar te stoppen, waarna Marnie's geest uiteindelijk "rust" vindt.

Sam krijgt een relatie met gedaanteverwisselaar Luna (Janina Gavankar), maar zijn broertje Tommy vermoeilijkt alles. Bovendien zit Luna's jaloerse ex, weerwolf Marcus, ook achter Sam aan. Tommy verkrijgt de kracht om in andere mensen te veranderen na het doden van zijn moeder, en neemt Sams plaats in, waarna Marcus en zijn onderdanen Tommy in elkaar slaan. Tommy sterft en Sam, geholpen door Sookies weerwolf-vriend Alcide, neemt wraak op Marcus door hem ook te doden. Alcide komt er dan achter dat Debbie, zijn ex die nu weer zijn vriendin was, iets met Marcus had en verbant haar uit zijn leven. Debbie geeft Sookie hier de schuld van en probeert haar dood te schieten; ze raakt Tara, waarna Sookie haar in woede door het hoofd schiet. Nationale vampier-woordvoerder Nan Flanagan wordt ontslagen door "The Authority" en probeert een rebellie tegen hen te starten, maar Eric en Bill rammen een staak in haar hart.

Seizoen 5
In dit seizoen komen Jason en Sookie meer te weten over de moordenaar van hun ouders (een vampier genaamd Warlow) en je leert meer over feeën.  Ook verandert Tara in een vampier (dankzij Pam met wie ze later een relatie begint) en wordt Debbie Pelt door Sookie vermoord. Ondertussen worden Bill en Eric gevangengenomen door de Vampier Autoriteit. Nora (Lucy Griffiths), de "zus" van Eric, blijkt lid te zijn van de Autoriteit en helpt Bill en Eric om te ontsnappen. Op zoek naar Marcus gaat de weerwolfpack achter Sam aan. Jessica geniet van haar vrijheid door te feesten. Jason wordt bezocht door de nieuwe vampier Steve Newlin en Terry's PTSS wordt ontstoken door Patrick Devins (Scott Foley), een oude vriend uit de oorlog in Irak. Ook duikt Alcide op bij Sookie om haar te waarschuwen voor de ontsnapte Russell Edgington. Sookie maakt haar huis veilig. Eric en Bill worden vrijgelaten als ze beloven Russell te vermoorden. Hierbij zoeken ze Sookies hulp die op dat moment dronken is met Alcide. Dankzij Alcide en Sookie wordt Russell naar de Vampier Autoriteit gebracht. Bill leeft helemaal op in de religie van Lilith (die volgens de legende de eerste vampier was) en  wordt lid van de Autoriteit.
Eric weet door een list samen met Nora te ontsnappen en vermoorden dit keer echt Russell. Eric, Sookie, Tara, Nora en Jason gaan naar de Autoriteit om aan hen een einde te maken en Pam te redden die inmiddels gevangen is genomen. Het seizoen eindigt met Eric en Sookie die Bill proberen te redden, maar Bill verandert in 'Lilith' (een soort god).

Seizoen 6
In het begin van seizoen 6, keert Bill terug van de dood als een nieuwe soort vampier. Inmiddels heeft Truman Burrell (Arliss Howard), de gouverneur van Louisiana, de oorlog verklaard aan de vampiers. Alle vampiers worden nu streng gecontroleerd en er is een sterke nood aan synthetisch bloed. Jason ontmoet een vreemde man (Rutger Hauer) die onthult dat hij Niall Brignant is, de koning van de feeën. Hij is al een zeer lange tijd op jacht naar Warlow die verantwoordelijk is voor de dood van Nialls familie. Dankzij Niall ontdekt Sookie meer over haar krachten en waarom Warlow haar wil: ze is namelijk de prinses van de feeën wat haar bloed zeer verleidelijk maakt voor de vampiers. Later ontmoet Sookie de vreemdeling, Ben (Robert Kazinsky), die ook een fee is als zij. Luna (Janina Gavankar) sterft in het begin van seizoen 6 waardoor Sam nu verantwoordelijk is voor haar dochter Emma maar de weerwolven (waarvan Alcide nu de leider is) pakken Emma weg van Sam omdat zij vinden dat Emma beter bij haar soort kan zijn. Sam ontmoet ook Nicole Wright (Jurnee Smollett), een activiste die vrede wil tussen vampiers en mensen; ze weet van het bestaan van weerwolven en gedaantewisselaars (zoals Sam) en ze wil hem helpen. Er wordt ook nieuwe informatie onthuld over Warlow: hij is het "kind" van Lilith en dus een van de eerste vampiers. Bill heeft een aantal nieuwe krachten, zo krijgt hij nu visioenen en kan hij praten met Lilith die wil dat Bill de vampiers redt van hun ondergang. Doordat Ben Jason genas met zijn bloed (hij is half vampier en fee), kreeg Jason romantische gevoelens voor hem. Hij vertelde dit alles aan Niall en samen kwamen ze erachter dat Ben Warlow is. Sookie komt hier ook achter en probeert hem te verleiden zodat ze hem makkelijker kan uitschakelen. Ondertussen geraakt Bill gefascineerd door de dochters van Andy die eigenlijk feeën zijn. Doordat ze feeën zijn groeien ze in enkele dagen al tot volwassenen. Bill wil Andy's dochters in zijn handen krijgen om zo een nieuwe soort synthetisch bloed te maken maar dan op basis van het bloed van feeën. Jessica hielp hem hierbij door de feeën uit te nodigen, voor een 'feestje' bij hun thuis. Ondertussen ontvoert Eric Willa (Amelia Rose Blaire), de dochter van de gouverneur om zo de gouverneur op andere gedachten te brengen. Willa steunt haar vaders acties niet en wil de vampiers helpen. Eric verandert haar in een vampier als een actie tegen de gouverneur.

Sarah Newlin (Anna Camp) keert terug en zit nu in de politiek. Ze heeft een relatie met Truman. Haar ex-man, Steve (Michael McMillian) wordt opgesloten in een strafkamp voor vampiers waar er geëxperimenteerd wordt op de gevangenen. Later worden ook Pam en Nora opgesloten in het kamp. Om hen te redden, geven Eric en Tara zich vrijwillig op en worden ook zij in het kamp opgesloten. Jessica wordt later gearresteerd voor de moord van Andy's dochters, toch heeft 1 dochter het overleefd. Sookie ontdekt via Warlow dat haar ouders haar hebben geprobeerd te doden maar Warlow heeft haar toen gered door haar ouders te doden. Later wordt Lafayette bezeten door de geest van Sookies vader die haar opnieuw probeert te vermoorden.  Op aandringen van Nicole, sluit Sam een akkoord met Martha (Dale Dickey), de grootmoeder van Emma die ook een weerwolf is. Martha heeft alle banden met haar roedel gebroken en wilt graag voor Emma zorgen. Sam ziet in dat Emma veiliger zal zijn bij haar familie dan bij hem. Bill heeft eindelijk een manier gevonden om overdag buiten te komen via het bloed van Warlow. Hij vermoordt Truman. Terry, uit angst dat hij zijn familie zal verliezen als men ontdekt dat hij Patrick heeft vermoord, sluit een akkoord met een oude vriend om hem te helpen zelfmoord te plegen. Arlene die aanvoelt dat er iets mis is met Terry, vraagt hulp aan Holly. Terry wordt neergeschoten op de parking van Merlotte's en sterft in de armen van Arlene. Ondertussen heeft Jason zich geïnfiltreerd in het kamp om Jessica te redden. Jessica ontmoet James (Luke Grimes) die in opstand komt tegen het beleid van het kamp. Nora wordt geïnfecteerd met een ziekte die dodelijk is voor vampiers. Met de hulp van Willa, proberen Eric en Nora te ontsnappen. Eric gaat naar Bill en vraagt hem om Nora te helpen. Nora weigert om Bills bloed te drinken en sterft. Bill vraagt aan Sookie om Warlow te proberen overtuigen om hem te helpen in zijn plan. Nu dat Truman dood is, neemt Sarah zijn werk over. Ze laat Jason opsluiten bij de vampiers. Hij geraakt in het "bezit" van Violet (Karolina Wydra), een vampier die de rol van leider vervult in het kamp. De bewoners van Bon Temps troosten Arlene. Lafayette en Sookie ontdekken dat Terry een levensverzekering had afgesloten, enkele dagen voor zijn dood. Nicole en haar moeder worden gevangengenomen door de weerwolven. Alcide weigert echter hen te doden en krijgt weerstand van de roedel. Later bevrijdt hij hen en brengt hij ze terug naar Sam. Warlow wilt Sookie helpen maar op 1 voorwaarde: ze moet in een vampier veranderen en eeuwig de zijne worden. Eric voelt zich verraden door Bill en beslist op zijn eigen houtje de andere vampiers te bevrijden. Voordat Sookie ingaat op Warlows voorstel, gaat Sookie naar Sam. Ze vertelt hem dat ze altijd het idee had dat ze ooit een koppel zouden worden. Sam vertelt haar dat Nicole zwanger is van hem. Sookie beseft nu dat niets haar meer tegenhoudt om in een vampier te veranderen. Jessica, James, Steve, Pam, Willa, Violet en Tara belanden in de kamer waar ze volgens Bills visioen allemaal zullen sterven. Bill en Sookie ontdekken dat Eric van Warlows bloed heeft gedronken en nu dus ook in het daglicht kan leven. Eric kan alle vampiers (en Jason) bevrijden uit het kamp en dankzij het bloed van Bill kunnen de vampiers (behalve Steve Newlin die sterft) ook in het daglicht overleven. Jason kan Sarah overmeesteren maar laat haar leven. Eric vertrekt naar onbekende oorden. Warlow laat eindelijk zijn donkere kant zien aan Sookie. Hij probeert haar tegen haar wil in een vampier te veranderen. Jason en Niall (die nu terug is) kunnen hem overmeesteren en ze doden hem. Door Warlow's dood kunnen de vampiers niet langer in het daglicht leven. 6 maanden later, is Sam verkozen tot de nieuwe burgemeester van Bon Temps; er is nu vrede tussen de vampiers en de mensen; Bill is terug zijn oude zelf; Alcide en Sookie zijn een koppel en Arlene heeft "Merlotte's" overgenomen en de naam veranderd naar "Bellefleur's." Er is een groot feest op het einde waarop Tara en haar moeder zich herenigen. Niemand is er echter van bewust dat een aantal wilde vampiers arriveren in Bon Temps.

Seizoen 7
In het laatste seizoen moeten de inwoners van Bon Temps afrekenen met enkele wilde vampiers die geïnfecteerd zijn met het dodelijke "Hep-V" virus. Tijdens het grote feest in "Bellefleur's" wordt Bon Temps aangevallen. Verschillende mensen (zoals Arlene, Holly en een hoogzwangere Nicole) worden gevangengenomen en ook enkele vampiers sterven tijdens het gevecht (zoals Tara). De inwoners zijn woedend en steken de schuld op Sookie. Uit schuldgevoelens, beslist Sookie een plan te beramen om Arlene en de anderen te redden. De inwoners van Bon Temps keren zich tegen hun burgemeester, Sam Merlotte, wiens ware krachten als een gedaantewisselaar voor heel de stad wordt onthuld en ook andere bovennatuurlijke wezens moeten eraan geloven. Sookie en Bill zetten een val voor de geïnfecteerde vampiers maar dan ontstaat er een schietgevecht waarbij Alcide sterft. Holly weet te ontsnappen en nadat Sookie haar gedachten leest, komt ze te weten dat ze gevangen werd gehouden met de anderen in "Fangtasia." Inmiddels slaagt Pam erin om Eric terug te vinden in Frankrijk. Eric blijkt "Hep-V" te hebben en is stervende. Pam kan hem overtuigen om met haar naar Dallas te gaan om daar naar Sarah Newlin te zoeken om wraak op haar te nemen. Ze maken echter een tussenstop in Bon Temps waar Eric (tot ongenoegen van Pam) Sookie en de anderen beslist te helpen. Er ontstaat een groot gevecht in "Fangtasia" waarbij alle geïnfecteerde vampiers worden verslagen. Arlene is erg aan toe maar met de hulp van de vampier Keith (Riley Smith) herstelt ze opnieuw.

Om de goede afloop te vieren beslissen de inwoners van Bon Temps een groot feest te vieren in Sookie's huis. Sookie neemt op haar manier afscheid van Alcide met de hulp van zijn vader, Jackson (Robert Patrick). Jessica ontdekt dat haar vriend James (Nathan Parsons) haar bedriegt met Lafayette. Ze zoekt troost bij Jason en ze hebben seks maar Violet, Jason's nieuwe vriendin, ontdekt dit en wil wraak nemen. Eric en Pam slagen erin om Sarah Newlin terug te vinden maar ze kan opnieuw ontsnappen. Eric en Pam worden gevangengenomen door Mr. Gus (Will Yun Lee), de eigenaar van "Yakonomo Corporation" en de bedenker van het synthetische bloed ("True Blood"), die ook achter Sarah Newlin aan zit. Eric, Pam en Mr. Gus beslissen samen te werken om Sarah Newlin terug te vinden. Ze ontdekken dat er een tegengif was tegen "Hep-V" en het in Sarah's bloed zit. Eric drinkt van Sarah's bloed en wordt genezen. Mr. Gus wil van Sarah's bloed een nieuwe drank maken voor de vampiers. Ondertussen ontdekt Sookie dat ze per ongeluk Bill "Hep-V" heeft gegeven. Lettie Mae (Adina Porter),  wordt inmiddels geplaagd door visioenen van Tara's geest die haar iets probeert te vertellen. Enkel het bloed van een vampier laat haar contact nemen met de geest van Tara. Haar man (Gregg Daniel), de priester van Bon Temps, gelooft haar niet. Lettie Mae zoekt hulp bij Lafayette die haar eerst ook niet gelooft maar uiteindelijk ook contact maakt met de geest van Tara. Violet ontvoert Adilyn Bellefleur (Bailey Noble), de dochter van Andy, en Wade (Noah Matthews), de zoon van Holly. Andy vraagt hulp aan Jessica. Hoyt (Jim Parrack) keert terug naar Bon Temps samen met zijn nieuwe vriendin, Bridgette (Ashley Hinshaw) nadat hij het nieuws kreeg dat zijn moeder was overleden. Jason raakt meteen in de ban van Bridgette maar beslist geen avances te maken. Violet neemt Jason gevangen samen met Jessica, Adilyn en Wade maar wordt uiteindelijk gedood door Hoyt die hen te hulp schiet. Al snel blijkt dat er nog steeds gevoelens zijn tussen Hoyt en Jessica. Lafayette, Lettie Mae en priester Daniels, onder invloed van vampierbloed, spreken met Tara. Lettie Mae kan uiteindelijk Tara loslaten nadat haar dochter haar vergeeft voor alle slechte dingen die ze eerder had gedaan. Sookie roept hulp in van Niall (Rutger Hauer) om Bill te genezen maar ook hij kan niks doen. Sookie en Bill hernemen opnieuw hun relatie en dan ontdekt Sookie, via Eric, dat er een tegengif is voor "Hep-V." Bill, die geplaagd wordt door zijn verleden, weigert het tegengif in te nemen en neemt vrede in zijn lot tot groot ongenoegen van Sookie en Jessica. Bill onthuld aan Eric dat zijn dood de enige manier is voor Sookie om een normaal leven te kunnen leiden. Jessica en Hoyt herenigen zich waarna Bridgette troost zoekt bij Jason. Arlene vindt opnieuw de liefde bij vampier Keith. Andy en Holly beslissen te trouwen. Sam verlaat Bon Temps samen met Nicole die vindt dat Bon Temps geen veilig plek is om hun ongeboren kind op te voeden. Als een laatste verzoek voor Bill, beslissen Jessica en Hoyt te trouwen. Arlene, Sookie, Jason, Andy en Holly zijn te gast op het huwelijk. Bill vraagt aan Sookie om hem te helpen een einde te maken aan zijn leven. Uiteindelijk gaat ze in op Bill's verzoek en doodt Sookie Bill als een laatste teken van hun liefde. Inmiddels verzetten Eric en Pam zich tegen Mr. Gus en slagen ze erin om hem te verslaan. In de enkele jaren die verstrijken wordt onthuld dat Eric en Pam het bloed van Sarah op de mark brengen als "New Blood" waardoor ze schatrijk worden; Sarah Newlin spendeert de rest van haar leven in de kerkers van "Fangtasia" geplaagd door de geest van Steve Newlin (Michael McMillian); Jason trouwt met Bridgette en krijgt 3 kinderen met haar; Sookie vindt opnieuw de liefde en verwacht haar eerste kind. De serie eindigt met een groot feestmaal bij Sookie's huis waar onder meer Lafayette, James, Andy, Holly, Adilyn, Wade, Jason, Bridgette, Sam, Nicole, Arlene, Keith, Willa, Hoyt en Jessica te gast zijn.

Productie

Alan Ball had eerder samengewerkt met HBO aan de serie Six Feet Under. Deze serie leverde Ball een 12-jarig contract bij HBO op. True Blood was de eerste serie die hij vanwege dit contract voor HBO bedacht. De serie werd geïntroduceerd met een pilotaflevering van 1 uur. De serie sloeg aan, maar de productie van het eerste seizoen liep vertraging op door de staking van de Writers Guild of America in 2008-2009.

De intro van de serie werd gemaakt door Digital Kitchen. De muziek is grotendeels gecomponeerd door Gary Calamar en Nathan Barr.

De serie werd grotendeels aangeprezen met virale marketing. Zo werd onder andere reclame gemaakt op facebook.

Rolverdeling

Externe links
  Officiële website

Amerikaanse televisieserie
Amerikaanse fantasyserie
Programma van HBO
Vampier
Horrorprogramma

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Many offices are still suffering through server difficulties today.
More than 24 hours after news broke that a ransomware attack had effectively disabled the world's largest advertising company, WPP has yet to fully recover.
Several hours ago, the company issued a statement acknowledging that the incident is ongoing.
According to multiple WPP employees who spoke to Adweek, staff at various offices left work early yesterday due to an inability to access their networks. And while Macs were unaffected, all who use the Windows operating system continued to experience server issues today.
"Marketing and security are going to have to converge in some meaningful way, because these things affect customer experiences."
Meanwhile, observers around the industry speculated about the implications of what appeared to be a chance encounter between WPP and a group of still-unknown hackers seeking to indiscriminately cripple businesses in the interest of short-term monetary gains.
Spokespeople for WPP's chief competitors Omnicom, Publicis Groupe and IPG declined to comment on the news. But privately, many wondered whether the security systems that these huge networks currently have in place could have prevented such an incident—and how they should proceed in addressing a long-simmering threat that became very real this week.
"Over the last 24 hours, my inbox has been blowing up with messages from recruiters," said Tom Pageler, chief risk officer and chief information security officer at Neustar, a company that specializes in risk management and related services. He added that one "very large" company had reached out regarding what it called an "urgent position" managing data security.
Experts have now determined that the attack was a variation on May's WannaCry, which also targeted Windows systems and demanded payment in bitcoin form. Despite a series of "patches" developed by Microsoft in March, both that attack and the one that hit this week did significant damage to a number of businesses and government organizations.
"WPP got hit because they're so large and they have a presence in Ukraine," said Pageler, who formerly led cyber security and fraud initiatives at JPMorgan Chase. "Ransomware is definitely here to stay," he added, citing a dramatic growth in such attacks over the past two years.
"There's no way to anticipate what the next attack is going to be. Marketing and security are going to have to converge in some meaningful way, because these things affect customer experiences," said Neustar chief marketing and communications officer Steven Wolfe Pereira.
Agencies are not unaware of this fact. In recent years, many of the largest networks have built internal security teams equipped to deploy their own patches and hired third-party firms to test their systems by sending fake scam emails in an attempt to better gauge internal readiness. But Pageler said such wide-scale defensive measures can prove difficult within organizations as large and widespread as WPP, and other holding company sources agree that there is simply no way to know whether their own systems could have prevented what happened this week. One particularly frightening aspect of the WannaCry virus model is that it can affect fully patched systems once it gains access to the larger network.


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Q&A: Home-exchange
Emma Rawle
Property for sale in Provence for 398,000 euros by Leggett Immobilier
Home-exchange expert Lois Sealy, of Home Base Holidays, answers the most common questions about the process of home-exchange for anyone thinking of trying it
Q. What is a home-exchange?
A. It's an agreement between two parties to swap homes rent-free for a set period. Exchange partners might live across the country or across the world. Homes may be similar or totally different. What matters is that both parties are happy with the arrangements set out.
Q. Who can take part in a home-exchange?
A. Anyone with a home can take part. If you rent, make sure you get permission from your landlord.
Q. What if my house is on the humble side?
A. Most people are simply looking for a base for their holiday that's large enough for their family. You don't have to exchange like for like, but do be honest in your description of your home and facilities.
Q. If I don't live in a tourist area, will people want to swap with me?
A. Many people want to avoid tourist areas. The trick is to look at your local area from a visitor's viewpoint and give them information on attractions, local events, shops and restaurants.
Q. Am I limited to the number of swaps I can do?
A. You can arrange as many swaps as you wish. Some members arrange weekend breaks, as well as longer holidays too.
Q. Who pays the bills?
A. Members usually continue to pay their own household bills. Most agree not to use a landline phone for outgoing calls, and instead use their own mobiles. If there are additional bills during an exchange, members might agree in advance who will be responsible for the extra payment charges incurred.
Q. What support is there for home-exchangers?
A. Home-exchange is a 'do-it-yourself' holiday, so you get to know each other through regular contact and correspondence. Companies like ours provide support such as a check-list to take you step by step, from making your initial enquiries through to confirming your actual arrangements, and how to leave a home at the end of a swap. We also have helpful exchange-agreement templates, a monthly newsletter and a regularly updated blog, and help is available by email and phone.
www.homebase-hols.com
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Forest Service Wildland Fire Suppression Costs Exceed $2 Billion
Secretary Perdue Renews Call for Congress to Fix "Fire Borrowing" Problem
Contact: USDA Press Office
Email: press@oc.usda.gov
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 14, 2017 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that wildland fire suppression costs for the fiscal year have exceeded $2 billion, making 2017 the most expensive year on record. Wildfires have ravaged states in the west, Pacific Northwest, and Northern Rockies regions of the United States this summer. As the Forest Service passed the $2 billion milestone, Perdue renewed his call for Congress to fix the way the agency's fire suppression efforts are funded.
"Forest Service spending on fire suppression in recent years has gone from 15 percent of the budget to 55 percent – or maybe even more – which means we have to keep borrowing from funds that are intended for forest management," Perdue said. "We end up having to hoard all of the money that is intended for fire prevention, because we're afraid we're going to need it to actually fight fires. It means we can't do the prescribed burning, harvesting, or insect control to prevent leaving a fuel load in the forest for future fires to feed on. That's wrong, and that's no way to manage the Forest Service."
Currently, the fire suppression portion of the Forest Service budget is funded at a rolling ten-year average of appropriations, while the overall Forest Service budget has remained relatively flat. Because the fire seasons are longer and conditions are worse, the ten-year rolling fire suppression budget average keeps rising, chewing up a greater percentage of the total Forest Service budget each year. The agency has had to borrow from prevention programs to cover fire suppression costs. Perdue said he would prefer that Congress treat major fires the same as other disasters and be covered by emergency funds so that prevention programs are not raided.
"We've got great people at the Forest Service and great procedures and processes in place," Perdue said. "We can have all of that – the best people, the best procedures, and the best processes – but if we don't have a dependable funding source in place, then we'll never get ahead of the curve on fighting fires."
This fiscal year, Congress appropriated additional funding above the ten-year average – almost $1.6 billion total – to support Forest Service firefighting efforts, but even that amount has not been enough. With three weeks left in the fiscal year, the Forest Service has spent all of the money Congress appropriated for fire suppression, which means the agency has borrowed from other programs within its budget to meet this year's actual fire suppression costs.
Continuous fire activity and the extended length of the fire season is driving costs. At the peak of Western fire season, there were three times as many uncontained large fires on the landscape as compared to the five-year average, and almost three times as many personnel assigned to fires. More than 27,000 people supported firefighting activities during peak Western fire season. The Forest Service has been at Preparedness Level 5, the highest level, for 35 days as of September 14, 2017. Approximately 2.2 million acres of National Forest system lands have burned in that time.
"We are breaking records in terms of dollars spent, acres of National Forest land burned, and the increased duration of fires." said Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke. "Our firefighters are brave men and women, who risk their own lives to protect life and property. We must give them every opportunity to do their jobs effectively through better management of the forests in the first place."
Both Perdue and Tooke have traveled recently to areas of the country besieged by wildfires. Secretary Perdue visited Montana with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke near the end of August, receiving an assessment from Forest Service personnel on the ground at the Lolo Peak Fire. Chief Tooke was in Oregon earlier in September, when he visited firefighters, communities, and local and state decision-makers. Perdue said he wants to embrace Good Neighbor Authority, which permits contracting with states to perform watershed restoration and forest management services in National Forests.
"We are committed to working together, with federal, state, and local officials, to be good stewards of our forests," Perdue said. "We want to make Good Neighbor Authority more than just a slogan. We want to make it work for our forests, so that they work for the taxpayers of America."
The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains world-renowned forestry research and wildland fire management organizations. National forests and grasslands contribute more than $30 billion to the American economy annually and support nearly 360,000 jobs. These lands also provide 30 percent of the nation's surface drinking water to cities and rural communities; approximately 60 million Americans rely on drinking water that originated from the National Forest System.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.


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Home » Lifestyles » Deadly mosquito-borne horse disease discovered in Pee Dee Region
Deadly mosquito-borne horse disease discovered in Pee Dee Region
COLUMBIA — State veterinary officials are urging South Carolina horse owners to vaccinate their animals following the discovery of the first South Carolina case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in 2017.
The case was identified Friday, July 21, in a horse from Dillon County, said Boyd Parr, state veterinarian and director of Clemson University Livestock-Poultry Health.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) is a serious, mosquito-borne illness in horses that can also affect humans. In unvaccinated horses, it is almost always fatal. The horse in Dillon County was not known to have been vaccinated and did not survive.
The disease will kill 90 percent of exposed, unvaccinated horses. Symptoms usually develop in horses from two to five days after exposure. These include stumbling, circling, head-pressing, depression or apprehension, weakness of legs, partial paralysis, inability to stand, muscle twitching or death.
A simple vaccine will minimize the risk to horses and other equine species from EEE.
"It can get out of hand if we don't vaccinate horses and control mosquitoes," Parr said. "The best defense for horse owners is to maintain current equine vaccinations for Eastern Equine Encephalitis, West Nile virus and rabies for their horses."
South Carolina led the nation in cases of the disease in 2013 with 49 infected horses. Of those, 48 died. None of the horses infected during 2013 had been vaccinated effectively, according to a review of Clemson Livestock-Poultry Health vaccination history.
Following that outbreak, increased vaccinations helped reduce the number of cases to seven in 2014 and six a year later. However, 2016 saw another spike in cases, ending the year with 15 infected horses.
The EEE virus is maintained in nature through a cycle involving the freshwater swamp mosquito, Culiseta melanura, commonly known as the blacktailed mosquito. Two to three days after becoming infected with the virus a mosquito becomes capable of transmitting it. Infected mosquitoes can transmit the disease when they bite horses and humans.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Eastern Equine Encephalitis is a rare illness in humans. Most persons infected with it have no apparent illness. Severe cases begin with the sudden onset of headache, high fever, chills and vomiting. People who are concerned should contact their physicians, Parr said.
Rains at crucial times across much of South Carolina made conditions favorable for mosquito breeding again this year, Parr said.
Any livestock, including horses, that display neurologic signs, such as stumbling, circling, head-pressing, depression or apprehension, must be reported to the state veterinarian at 803-788-2260 within 48 hours, according to state law.
Information on diseases and reporting requirements can be found at www.clemson.edu/lph.


The fragile Realms flourished steadily though slowly as the lands renewed and returned back to its former richness. People grew less afraid to venture, and more explorers came back to the City of Darkhaven, reporting of lands beyond one's dreams and wealth of great cities more magnificent than the Duke's territories.
The Shattering tore the lands asunder, raised the mountains Chivalry and Chastity, creating a valley known to many as the Valley of the Knights, thus symbollic for the castle of the Rol na Feinne once protected by the verdant Emerald Hills. Yet the Keep of Lo'kier has fallen into a state of ruin, of vengeful plagues brought about by ancient curses of Set unawaringly risen by the First Queen Xanthia, brought to control by the now-King Anmect.
The ghouls grow disturbed, creating a mass exodus from Lo'kier, and the disappearance of King Anmect and Queen Rowanne. Lord Braiden and Rowanne's son, Falennt Ladisvale, sought to resurrect the castle, invoking the Duke's fear and curiosity in Lo'kier, and the coming of peasantry, nobles and craftsmen to the castle's grounds. The chaos brought along Augustine Canto Rosa, an unnamed merchant and man of wealth who have plans for the ruined Keep. Braiden passed on weeks later after conducting an experment on Drakona which tore him literally apart.
Lyreth, changed by Shaiel with to a female known as Lisette, met Miyaki to discuss a certain deal of acquiring slaves within the Dunedain Lord's territory.
Soon, Lord Miyaki of the Dunedain grew in power, and thirsted for more territory. He staked his claim upon the grand City of Darkhaven and banned the entrance of many races. Quendi, Aerandir and many others were restricted from entering the City. The Darker Races allied with the Dunedain, creating havoc and chaos and revelling in such.
The Khazad decided to meet with Miyaki on pretext of perhaps settling this issue of the racial ban. The young Athane, Alinaryth discussed the situation with Darmik, Ryals and Kirgan, men trusted by her father Yeroc, and whom in turn now serve and aid her. Plans on allying with certain nations were pondered upon. A few days later, Miyaki and his aide, Tonitrus entered the Reach. Unkind words exchanged, the humans left the Reach, using magical smoke to cover their tracks before the dwarves could harm them.
Lyreth continued his hunt for Amalia, Speaker of the Elohai, in bid to fulfil a dread task set to him. Thwarted in his attempt to confuse Amalia further, Lyreth vanished, perhaps returning to Iniquity to reform his plans. The albino returned to the surface with a vial of reputed poison to remove the dredges of Veltheera's experiments on the Elohai Speaker. This vial was stolen by Shaiel and in her bid to rid it, it was taken by Falennt Ladisvale, now Archmage of Lo'kier.
The half troll warrior Petrograd met with the Dunedain Lord, informing Miyaki of the Olog'hai's desire to join and co-operate with Miyaki in the take over of Darkhaven. The half troll also spoke of an army of trolls which the Nation had gathered. Mbwana of the Theiwar Dozen appeared as well, intend on discussion with Miyaki to allow the dark dwarves transit into Darkhaven. A deal was exchanged.
Carnak Stryfeblayde, the new Chieftan amongst the Half Orcs, held many ideals and intended to branch out and form new alliances previously unheard of. However, when treachery spread through Krozloy, he found it fit to align himself with Miyaki and the Darker Races whom at the time controlled Darkhaven. With resources gleaned from the alliance and his own territory, Carnak fortified Krozloy, constructing thick walls and high towers, awaiting to exact his revenge on those he believed should be punished.
A chance meeting between Speaker Amalia and Archmage Falennt led to discovery of the vial's contents as well as the Drow's seemingly forgotten claim on Amalia. The Patron Phalar Dryden threatened to destroy the City of Eldestra if the Elohai Speaker did not follow his will.
The Elohai Shaiel, whom Lyreth had control of, was unwittingly set on a vengeance path towards him, descended to the City of Iniquity with the half elf warrior Keldar and a vial of poison, intent on Lyreth's demise.
Valsharess Veltheera Javanne renounced her rulership, giving the Throne to Phalar Dryden. The drow patron plyed the political strings effectively with the rest of the Darker Races, creating the chaos he so desired. Ilharess Rosea Na'sheta was sent to monitor the drow sentries patrolling around Darkhaven.
Much rumor is abound that a great war is brewing within the minds of the ones who hold Darkhaven hostage. The Khazad Athane, Alinaryth was taken hostage amongst all others, including the brother of Gildeth, Shareed Marius Dracos. The Dwarves grew agitated and demanded her release. Turned down, the Khazad met their axes against the swords of the Dunedain in bid to rescue their beloved Athane.
Within the Quendi, opinions were split and the Elves took sides. At the height of the conflict, Aran Gawen removed the Knight Gildeth from the Quendi in his attempt to regain peace and order. Yet, Gildeth saw fit as well to leave to raise his revolutionary banners and he brought those loyal to his ideals to form a new Nation - the Tel'Quessir.


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Mary Marrone
Legal Policy and Research Consultant
Mary Marrone was called to the Bar in 1983 and has spent her career working with and for low-income communities. Most recently, she was the Director of Advocacy and Legal Services at the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC), a community legal clinic with a provincial mandate to advance the income security interests of low-income people through test case litigation, policy advocacy and community organizing. Mary was invited to provide expert advice to several government initiatives including the Income Security Reform Working Group which produced Income Security: Roadmap for Change in 2017 and the Disability Adjudication Working Group, which redesigned the medical review process in the Ontario Disability Support Program. She also contributed her expertise to multiple social assistance reform processes, working with community legal clinics and other community stakeholders to develop a consensus on income security reform proposals.
Mary's other professional accomplishments include working as policy counsel at Legal Aid Ontario, (LAO) where she led the development of LAO's legal needs assessment framework, as well as serving as Executive Director of Community Legal Education Ontario. She has also served as expert advisor to Canadian Bar Association international access to justice projects in Bangladesh and East Africa, leading the training and supervision of legal needs assessment initiatives.
Rights-based Social Policy – Does Our Post-Pandemic Future Need it?


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Bananity va ser una xarxa social catalana creada per Pau Garcia-Milà, Sergio Galiano i Albert Martí el novembre de 2011. Apadrinada per Andreu Buenafuente i Cristina Garmendia, el web tenia l'objectiu de crear un espai virtual on els usuaris poguessin compartir els seus gustos, preferències i opinions. Va rebre una bona acollida general, aconseguint 800.000 euros en diferents rondes de finançament i 50.000 nous usuaris els primers mesos. Tanmateix, a causa de la competència amb altres xarxes socials i la manca de demanda suficient a Espanya, el projecte va perdre popularitat progressivament. El 2013 va reconvertir el seu disseny web assemblant-se a un format semblant al de Facebook, Twitter i Pinterest. Tanmateix, aquell mateix any Pau Garcia-Milà va desvincular-se de l'empresa per centrar-se en la venta d'un altre projecte seu, eyeOS. El gener de 2015, la xarxa social va presentar un concurs de creditors voluntari, dissolent-se poc després.

Referències

Xarxes socials
Empreses de Barcelona desaparegudes


Five Things That Made This Week Extra Wonderful Already!
It's been a while since I ran a journal and oracle card challenge, so I've decided to cook another one up for you. It's fabulous, it's free, and there will be more details here on the blog on Friday so stay tuned!
3. Money In My Pocket!
When I was looking for a bag to keep all my journals and crystals in when I go travelling I came upon a pencil-case I though I'd lost years ago. When I opened it up there was $350 cash. Bonus! Now I have extra spending money.
4. Our House Sitter Brought His Dog to Stay!
I was worried about leaving Harry Dog on his own for the first time without Bert to keep him company. But our wonderful house sitter has brought his gorgeous Black Labrador with him and she is the sweetest girl, so now Harry has a friend and he won't be lonely. Such a win!
The card I've chosen for this week's energies is the delightful 'Treasure Island' from the Wisdom of the Oracle Deck by Colette Baron-Reid.
This is a week that invites emotional flow. Big, deep dreams and longings will surface this week. The thoughts you have squashed down over the years because they were 'unrealistic' or 'impossible' will come pulling at your shirt tails, and inviting themselves into your sleeping hours, your journal, your card spreads and your unguarded thoughts.
That's okay. Welcome them in. You could use a little dreaming right now. There's magic in the air.
It's also a week of burgeoning hope. Of starting to understand that change is possible. That you could still win. That your idea might fly. That love might still happen after all.
This a week of positive shift. Of new beginnings. Of things finally turning in the right direction, of last-minute reprieves, new opportunities and miraculous breakthroughs.
Need a change? This week is superb for job applications and launches of projects and businesses. Enter that competition. Ask the person out. Dare!
Some of you will also find that it's not only old ideas and dreams, but old relationships and opportunities that recross your path. It reminds me a little of when the Blues Brothers got their band back together for one last divinely inspired show.
Expect synchronicities, things just falling together, and for some of you – the kind of clarity or inspiration that takes hold and won't let go. You may end up knowing that 'you're on a mission from God'.
Most of all, make time for connection this week. Romance is in the air. Friendship and family are looking fabulous, and it's a great time for hanging out with the people you love, or meeting the person of your dreams.
If your relationship is long-standing, this week brings a freshening of your romantic energies and appreciation of each other too. A great time for heightened awareness, sharing and intimacy.
It's a week of progress and flow. Relax into it. Smile. Soak up the sunshine. Make the most of it!
As we become more aware of our current position, we are able to begin charting a path forward. Today we'll work with your intuition and Higher Self to begin choosing a destination that will be personally satisfying and energetically aligned with your best life.
Hold your stone in your cupped hands, close your eyes, and slow your breathing. Bring white light into your body until you feel peaceful and calm. Then bring white light into the crystal too. Allow yourself to connect to the stone. You may feel it tingle, or visualise a colour in your mind's eye. When you are ready, open your eyes. Keep your stone near you, and hold it when you write.
When you have shuffled the cards and they feel 'done', select up to four cards using the method that feels right for you.
Place the cards face up in front of you.
Clear your mind by closing your eyes and taking one deep breath in and then out. Open your eyes again. Take a minute and look at each picture. Then come back to the first one.
What stands out for you today? Is it an image or a colour? Is it a number or a word? What are your first impressions? What thoughts come into your mind?
Now let's go a little deeper. What feelings or words does this card evoke in your mind when you think about the card and its images in relation to the question 'What opportunities and possibilities are lighting my horizon?' Take five minutes and write some stream-of-consciousness thoughts down. Don't censor or judge them. Trust the process. Draw a second card for clarification if you need to.
Repeat this process for each card.
Finally, read back over what you have written. Begin to create images in your mind of what these opportunities and possibilities could look like for you in your life.
An Amazingly Ordinary Fabulous Day!
It sounds so boring, doesn't it?
As someone who has suffered chronic illness for decades, ordinary has long been a pipe-dream for me. To be ordinary, to have the energy of an ordinary person and to do ordinary things over the course of an ordinary day? Wow! WOW! That would be amazing!!!
Yesterday I had one of those days. An ordinary one. I woke early and meditated, helped my husband stack windfallen timber on burn piles, and then dragged the hose around my vegetable gardens and new fruit trees before we headed out to the markets and breakfast at a favourite cafe.
After breakfast we came home and I did a load of washing, and then worked on a new draft of my Year of ME Planner (stay tuned – it's not too late if you haven't started. I'm launching a mid-year intake on my course, and there is a June to December version of the Planner to help you make the most of the remaining half of this year! We'll be launching Monday 23rd of May – or Sunday 22nd if you live on the other side of the world.).
Then I sat in the sunshine and coached two of my Deluxe Year of ME students via skype, and did an emergency reading for a client.
Washing off the line, the hose dragged up into the orchard to deep-soak a few fruiting trees, and a big pot of chilli made and on the stove for dinner.
Course uploads and a recording for one of my groups. A few facebook messages and comments on posts.
After dinner there was time to work on my memoir. A whole chapter rewritten before shower, meditation and bed.
It was a full day.
I was happy and engaged and so, so positive and clear about my direction and my various projects.
And this morning I woke after a great sleep, stretched, meditated and began the day feeling as good as I did yesterday.
I think this is what well must feel like. Whatever it is, sign me up for more!
Ordinary is extraordinary. It's deliciousness on a stick.
Here we are, home at the farm. Such a healing space for me. While I'm soaking up the magic before we head back to the city again to support our beloved family, here's a taste of our last few days.
A tin full of baby fruit cakes, some to keep for us and some to share.
Some mixed lettuce and snow peas to plant out into the vegetable garden.
A drink of sweet fresh water down at the dam. There are ten new calves, and all of them are healthy and happy.
A visit with some good friends, our neighbours Princess Lil the Farm Dog and Monty the Horse..
The camelias around the house are all in bloom, and carpeting the lawn with their pretty petals.
The mandarins are ripening nicely in the orchard. We picked a few to munch on while we were burning the pile, and we'll pick more today to take back to the city.
We got to burn a pile of windfallen timber up in the orchard, as well as the frames of the old fruit trees we'd removed late last year. The fragrant smoke lingered on our clothes and hair. I can still smell the pile smouldering this morning.
And our table has been filled with food, friends and blessings. I love my little farm. It's so good being home.
Welcome to the final week of my Letter Writing Challenge. I hope you've enjoyed penning some cards and letters over the past few weeks!
Read the instructions through once, and then complete the activity.
A real love letter is a beautiful thing. It's not a needy rant, nor a declaration of desire. Instead it is a pouring onto the page of tender, powerful, vulnerable and exquisitely aware observations and emotions. A real love letter helps us to understand ourselves better as we connect with that love for another. It helps others to understand themselves better as seen through your eyes. Above all, love letters are kind, and seek to use love as a healing balm, and a path of growth and deeper peace.
Love, purely felt, allows you to see everything around you in a new light. It brings clarity and wisdom, peace and acceptance.
So this week, I am asking you to write a letter to a true love.
This might be a person – a lover, a parent or grandparent, a child, a friend. Living or passed.
But don't limit yourself to that. One of my true loves is books and story telling. Yours might be a place, art, music, cooking, nature, a favourite pet, God.
Your true love may also be yourself.
Yes, you can write a letter to any of these things.
Start by holding your crystal or stone in your hands. Close your eyes, and build an energy of gratitude in your heart. Feel your heart swell with emotion. Pour that energy of gratitude into the crystal and then continue to sit in meditation for a minute or two longer. Now connect in to your heart. Ask yourself the question: "What true love does my heart require connection and dialogue with right now?" Wait for an image or representation of this true love to appear.
Trust that whatever you write today will be exactly what your heart needs to express about the love it holds inside you for yourself or another.
Now write your card or letter.
Trust that you will be guided to find the best words to express this wisdom of your heart.
Your words may be about gratitude. They may be observations of meaning, recollection of shared moments, echoes of distant memories or long-buried secrets. Your words may explain, forgive or seek forgiveness. They may remind, encourage or entertain. Your heart may ask you to call energies forth, to embrace something or to let it go. Honour whatever comes. You will know these wisdoms for their truth because of the emotion it stirs within you. And from the peace that comes and remains when you are done.
When your letter is finished, post or otherwise deliver it. If it is for someone no longer in your life you may choose to burn your note.
If your letter is for yourself or addresses an energy in your life read it often in the next few months to remind yourself of your rich emotional interior.
PS: If you want to share what you've done, pop over to our facebook page and say hi, and share away!
Missed the start of the Challenge?
A Little Bag of Comfort!
Right now I'm pushing through an aggressive round of drugs and herbs to treat my Lyme disease and various co-infections. Oh goodness yesterday was tough. In fact my misery had started late in the afternoon of the previous day, from which time everything deteriorated.
At first I meditated. Then I tried to distract myself with a thoughtful gift from a friend who had packed me a little bag full of prompts, sounds and smells to take me on a journey through France, all from the comfort of my bed.
Eventually though, my physical pain and discomfort became too much for those kinds of imagination games. My very bones ached, my head throbbed as if it might explode, my skin burned, it felt like a million monsters were scratching and biting at me. Nothing I did seemed to reduce my suffering. How was I going to cope with weeks more of this same horror?
Reaching over the side of my bed I groped around in my 'Lucky Dips' bag, and pulled out the first one my fingers found.
My Lucky Dip Bag #1. All of the items inside were chosen randomly and placed in bags ready for when I might need them. Because of the way I put these packages together I have no idea what the contents will be.
I hugged that rock to me all day and used it as a focus point while I meditated.
'It will all be worth it', I reminded myself.
Whatever challenges you're facing right now, I'm encouraging you to keep going. It will be worth it! You're in my thoughts, prayers and meditations.
Living like life means something!
Still, a year ago I was dying. I could barely catch my breath. My poor heart was about ready to throw in the towel. Things were grim.
Now I'm twelve months down the track, and that track certainly hasn't been an easy one, but I'm hanging in. Sure it's uncomfortable having to live through this drug therapy. It's inconvenient being in pain, tired and muddle-headed. But hey, I'm still here.
Today I'm going to savour each moment. I'll breathe the salty air of Byron Bay and draw it deep into my lungs. I will lie on the grass at the farm and feel the sun on my face and the earth beneath my back. Every sip of tea, every mouthful of food – I'll honour it. I'll let myself really taste it.
I'll surrender myself to each moment. It doesn't need to be special. An ordinary day is just fine by me.
It's all good. The hurty bits. The sad bits. The boring bits. The lonely bits. The fun bits. The tasty bits. The loved-up bits.
It's all good. And I'm so glad to be here.
Thanks for sharing the journey with me.
My wish for you today is that you take a moment and really BE. Just be in your skin. Just breathe in that air. Be present with the ones you love. Savour the ordinary. Savour the miracle that is your life. Will you do that for me?
Image from be happy stay happy!


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The HydroSpeed unit provides rapid advance and precise control during the critical drilling process and breakthrough. SkipFeed HydroSpeed units are available for pipe drilling or other multi-wall drill processes. PeckFeed units are available for deep hole drilling where the depth of the hole requires that you remove the tooling to clear the chips or drilling debris. Maintenance is very simple with these units as their component design allows certain parts to be interchanged or replaced without disturbing the drill body or your custom fixture.
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Pneumatic stroke self feeding drills.
Based on the Series 2000 unit but with the addition of a plunger style HydroSpeed feed cylinder.
Pull style HydroSpeed feed control – perfect for multi-drills, etc.


Just something small and silly!
And tell me which one is me?
And in the end,what it could be!
© Copyright 2019 Chamaner. All rights reserved.
this is good. i really like it.
that is sweet, if im reading what you meant, obviously seeing it the way i want, but the deeper part of that is really good.
Thanks Robin! Yeah it's kind of up to your own interpretation so it's whatever you think it is?
a very nice exercise in provoking thought from others... awesome piece!
Thanks ddrandall! Glad you enjoyed it!


A month without football games didn't slow down Carolina Forest.
The Panthers' defense forced multiple turnovers Saturday night en route to an enthusiastic 28-7 victory over South Florence.
The win was the first game for the Panthers since Sept. 7 and the team's first region victory. After missing weeks of practice because of Hurricane Florence and the subsequent flood, coach Marc Morris said his team came out with intense energy.
The Panthers also picked off three passes, including two interceptions for defensive back Marquis Allen.
Offensively, running back David Legette again led the Panthers with three rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Mason Garcia scored on a short run late in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.
The win boosts Carolina Forest's record to 4-0 (1-0 region).


Last week Oppo teased the arrival of the latest tech at an incredible price and today we know what this mysterious device with UD fingerprint scanner is. Enter Oppo K1 with 6.4 AMOLED panel, Snapdragon 660 and 4/64 GB memory at an impressive price of about $235.
We hoped to see the Oppo F11/F11 Pro midranger or the R17 Neo, but the Chinese company decided to go with the K1. It brings a tall Full HD+ screen with a waterdrop notch, housing a 25 MP selfie shooter. The primary setup has a 16 MP sensor and a 2 MP secondary depth-sensing camera.
The phone boots Android 8.1 Oreo as a base for the ColorOS 5.2. There is a 3,600 mAh battery under the hood, but it is charged at regular 10W rates through a microUSB port. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac and dual SIM.
The phone has four colors, but only two of them will be available in India – the gradient Van Gogh Blue and Piano Black.
The price of the phone is INR16,990. It will arrive at Flipkart on February 12 exactly at noon and will come with some incentives, including discounts from certain banks and buyback options.


Happy Monday Friends! I have a special treat for you today!
One of my favorite bloggers, for whom I have tons of admiration, has been so kind to let me pick her brain a bit and share with us some of her insights, favorites, and some fun personal tidbits. Her blog is one of my daily reads. She has some major design and style talent....and she just couldn't be sweeter!
1. Did you start out blogging with the purpose/mission that you embody today, or has it evolved over time?
It still has the same purpose and mission: to be my outsource of design inspiration and creativity. However, the content has definately evolved over time! I have been able to really narrow down what I love to blog about and stay consistent with a style that is true to my own. It has been a fun ride!
2. Who are some of your icons...style?....blogging?....relatives?
Audrey Hepburn hands down. She exemplified womanhood and grace without ever compromising her morals or dignity. For that reason she inspired so many people, and is one of the icons behind my "True Beauty Files" posts. My family is very close. I have seven sisters and three brothers! I have learned from each one of them. Each have gifts and talents that encourage and inspire me, and are a great source of support!
So many good questions! Luckily, art and design is something I am knee deep in on a daily basis. I feel like this is a blessing I cannot waste, so I have goals to continue this passion and make the most of it. It has allowed me to see the world through different spectacles;) I hope I can give that gift to my children by making it a part of our lives.
4. Do you have a certain song(s) that gives you chills when you hear it?
5. What is your #1 piece of style advice for Spring/Summer?
6. What is your favorite color combination to wear?
8. What is your favorite, most used, or best mommy product?
Be sure to give Anna a visit over at In Honor Of Design (IHOD). I especially love her simple DIYs (like this one),and her modest fashion inspiration in her series, The True Beauty Files. You'll also find some darling pics of her little ones, to boot!
Thank you so very much, Anna, for sharing with us!


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MariMed and Legendary Emack & Bolio's Launch New Line-Up of Cannabis Infused Ice Creams
News, Top News
NORWOOD, Mass., Aug. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MariMed, Inc. (CSE: MRMD), (OTCQX: MRMD), ("MariMed" or the "Company"), a leading multi-state cannabis operator focused on improving lives every day, today announced the availability of a new and scrumptious cannabis-infused ice cream. MariMed collaborated with the legendary Boston ice cream brand Emack & Bolio's® to develop and market new and innovative vegan and dairy ice cream in outrageous flavors. The ice cream is an extension of MariMed's top-selling and award-winning Betty's Eddies infused fruit chews brand and shares the brand's commitment to being hand-crafted and using all-natural ingredients.
The ice cream contains MariMed's superior formulations of full spectrum cannabis oil, with natural cannabinoids and terpenes. Two delicious vegan flavors, Cup O' Coffee Chip and Chocolate Sunny Days, debuted at MariMed's Panacea Wellness dispensary in Middleborough, MA, this week. Additional flavors and wider availability are expected in the coming months.
MariMed Chief Operating Officer Tim Shaw said, "We pushed ourselves to make our infused cannabis ice cream as delicious as the best-tasting, non-infused products found in local specialty ice cream stores. With thanks to the Emack & Bolio's ice cream magicians and our own rock star team, this new ice cream exceeds that high quality benchmark. It's out-of-this-world delicious."
Emack & Bolio's was founded in 1975 by Boston music attorney Bob Rook as a place for his rock star clients to satisfy their midnight munchies after their late-night gigs. Aerosmith, Boston, U2, James Brown and The Cars were some of the groups Rook worked with back in the day. Emack & Bolio's has evolved into a cult favorite in its specialty ice cream stores in the United States and in stores around the world.
"Working on this collaborative project of perfecting our vegan and dairy ice creams with cannabis has been so much fun," said CEO and Creator of Emack & Bolio's Bob Rook. "Lots of testing and of course tasting. Finally, a clean ingredient, great tasting product that's chill. I am very happy for our fans to now try this exceptional product."
About MariMed
MariMed Inc., a multi-state cannabis operator, is dedicated to improving lives every day through its high-quality products, its actions, and its values. The Company develops, owns, and manages seed to sale state-licensed cannabis facilities, which are models of excellence in horticultural principles, cannabis cultivation, cannabis-infused products, and dispensary operations. MariMed has an experienced management team that has produced consistent growth and success for the Company and its managed business units. Proprietary formulations created by the Company's technicians are embedded in its top-selling and award-winning products and brands, including Betty's Eddies, Nature's Heritage, Bubby's Baked, K Fusion, Kalm Fusion, and Vibations: High + Energy. For additional information, visit www.marimedinc.com.
Trailblaze PR
Howard Schacter, Chief Communications Officer
Steve West, Vice President, Investor Relations
Matthew Nordgren of ARCADIAN Fund
Matthew Nordgren is an ambitious executive, dedicated philanthropist, and accomplished athlete who brings a unique passion to creating strategic alliances. He has breadth and depth of experience in finance, corporate development, and capital sourcing, as well as in building highly motivated teams of skilled professionals. In 2005, Mr. Nordgren received his education at the University […]
Tom Zuber of Zuber Lawler & Del Duca
Tom Zuber is Zuber Lawler & Del Duca's Managing Partner. He has a degree with highest honors in biomedical engineering and has advised some of the most iconic companies in the world on their patent and trademark portfolios. He is at the cutting edge of cannabis patent and trademark law. He holds degrees from Harvard University and Columbia Law […]
Grown Rogue
Grown Rogue is a fully licensed, adult-use, seed to sale, cannabis company.
Biome Grow Inc.
Biome Grow (CSE: BIO) wholly owns Highland Grow, an Authorized Licensed Producer in Nova Scotia under the ACMPR, P-209 Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario and in the late stages of applying for a license under the ACMPR.


text:
PM congratulates Olaf Scholz on being elected as Germany's Chancellor
Olaf Scholz, Germany's new Chancellor
Scholz, who is the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), won the secret vote in Parliament
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Olaf Scholz on being elected as the new Federal Chancellor of Germany.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said: "My heartiest congratulations to @OlafScholz on being elected as the Federal Chancellor of Germany. I look forward to working closely to further strengthen the Strategic Partnership between India and Germany."
With Scholz's appointment as new Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel's 16 years of leadership has come to an end.
Scholz, who is the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), won the secret vote in Parliament as expected, a culmination of months of negotiations following the SPD's narrow victory in September's federal elections.
The Social Democratic leader takes office at the time when Germany is combating climate change and is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic.
As per media reports, lawmakers voted by 395-303 with six abstentions to elect Scholz - a comfortable majority, though short of the 416 seats his three-party coalition holds in the 736-seat lower house of parliament. That's not unusual when chancellors are elected, and some lawmakers were out sick or in quarantine.
Scholz, 63, Germany's vice chancellor and finance minister since 2018, brings a wealth of experience and discipline to an untried coalition of his center-left Social Democrats, the environmentalist Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats.
The three parties are portraying the combination of former rivals as a progressive alliance that will bring new energy to the country after Merkel's near-record time in office.
Scholz has signaled continuity in foreign policy, saying the government will stand up for a strong European Union and nurture the trans-Atlantic alliance.
The government said that he will make his first trip abroad with a trip to Paris on Friday - maintaining a tradition for German chancellors - and plans to travel to Brussels the same day to meet EU and NATO leaders.


text:
Practical Thoughts. Wild Musings. Zero BS.
Cynthia Ramnarace
There is No Joy Here
There's a certain irony to starting a blog about finding joy during the week that your nation explodes in a collective cry of outrage, anger, and deep, bottomless sorrow.
But here we go. Today, I am thinking about how we find our way through this mix of emotions. Progress is not about forgetting the horrible experiences in our lives, but rather acknowledging how they've changed us and educated us, and then use those lessons to move forward.
To be honest, I'm not sure what "forward" means in this period of mourning, this period of shock, when America collectively witnessed a modern-day lynching and is left to ask, "What could I have done? What should I have done?" Yesterday, today, and most importantly—tomorrow. How can I change anything?
First we start by listening to each other. One of my dearest friends from high school, who is black, sent me a link to an essay called Your Black Colleagues May Look Like They're Okay — Chances Are They're Not. Just the link. No commentary.
A quote from the piece, written by Danielle Cadet:
"There's a tale of two quarantines. Because while some Americans have been consumed by banana bread, others have had to navigate surviving a pandemic in a country they were never actually meant to live in.
"Over the last few months, Black people have not only watched their friends and family members die at higher rates from the coronavirus, they have also watched people who look like them be gunned down while going for a jog, be murdered in their homes, threatened while bird watching in Central Park, and mercilessly choked on camera."
I live in those two worlds. I have baked my banana bread and listened to white people express confusion and judgment over how vandalism and looting is the proper response to these ongoing tragedies. Yes, most people were peacefully protesting, but it's the scenes of violence, regardless of the perpetrators, that glues themselves to the brain and even provide justification for preconceived racist narratives. Even the peaceful protesters can be an affront, forcing us to confront our inner bigots in ways that are uncomfortable. Marching, protesting, putting a face and a voice to your pain—can't we just go back to the way things were, when you were over there, invisible, and I was over here able to ignore your plight?
But it is wrong to expect people to swallow their collective anger, to not vocalize and organize, just so that white people won't feel so uncomfortable. And yet, isn't that what we've been doing for years? Barack Obama could never speak aggressively, because then he'd be labeled an "angry black man." Dress like us, talk like us, be more like us, and then we'll be less threatened. Assimilate. Reject who your experiences turned you into, and instead be the Invisible Man. (The book by Ralph Ellison, not the movie, which by the way is quite an appropriate read for our times.)
I have many thoughts and feelings on race but usually do not express them, because I feel as a white woman I do not have the right to speak for the experience of others. But maybe that's been to the detriment of the discourse. I've had conversations with my husband, who is Guyanese, and my daughter, who is therefore biracial, and their sadness over George Floyd, and all the others before him, is a deep well, a scab that keeps getting ripped off only to have to reform.
In our conversation, my high school friend went on to say, "I have experienced much pain and loss in my life, (yet) I have never felt the way I feel. The English language doesn't even have a word to describe it."
I am so grateful that she shared her sorrow with me, so that I can understand it. My heart aches for the aches of the people I love. But what can I do? What can I, an educated, upper-middle-class white woman who knows how to write well enough to bring people this far along in her essay, do.
I can do a lot, obviously. I can speak up! I can listen! And I can act. I've been thinking a lot about what actions to take—I could share commentary on social media, aware I'm preaching to the choir because those who need to understand won't; I could be infuriated by a president who uses religion as a backdrop for subverting the most basic human rights; I could give in to the sadness and weep for my children who have to grow up in this world we've given them.
But none of those bring about progress. They are part of a process, but they are not a solution. The only thing I can think of is this: We need to mobilize. We need to take back control. And to do that -- we need to vote.
I spent the first half of my career working in community journalism. I went to a ridiculous number of city council hearings, school board meetings, community board meetings, police community council meetings. You know who else goes to these meetings? White people. In my experience, no matter the makeup of the community, the people in the chairs, both in the audience and at the podium, are always overwhelmingly white. And while you may think that these meetings are too low on the political spectrum to matter, they do. Look at which communities get jails and which have the manicured parks. Look at what schools have the new computer labs and which ones have classes in janitor's closets. Coincidence? No.
Politics, while so icky and gross that I hate it as a rule, is the way through. I vote in every election. Judgeship, borough president, primaries – I am there. And you know who's not there? Hardly anyone else. Your vote has more power in a small election than anywhere else. The 2019 Queens, NY, district attorney's race was decided by 60 votes. Sixty votes, in a borough with a population of more than 2 million! Political change can start at the local, ground roots level and create a foundation from which to grow.
I agree with Atlanta activist Killer Mike, who called for a political revolution in America. "It is time to beat up prosecutors you don't like at the voting booth," he said during a press conference, with the Atlanta's police chief and mayor standing behind him. "It is time to hold mayoral offices accountable, chiefs and deputy chiefs."
Vote 'em out. Vote the bums out. And if there's no one running against them, find someone to do it. Start a political action committee in your neighborhood. Foster the young voices who have tons of ideas but lack the networks and cash to bankroll their own campaigns. Show up, and speak up, at the meetings that matter. Vent if you must, but please also have a call to action. (Please, the former reporter in me begs you – do not prattle on at the podium without bringing ideas.)
Write op-eds in your local paper, and call the editor asking for coverage for events that matter to your community. Bring solutions. Champion people with good ideas.
There's a reason why we needed a Voting Rights Act to affirm the obvious—every American has a place at the ballot box. There's a reason why some want voter ID laws, why the people who have to wait in line for hours to vote are usually people of color, why there's a backlash against voting by mail—the vote is powerful. The vote is how things change.
If you want things to be better, if you want change, then seize the power that so many are fighting so hard to hold onto.
Weeping may come for the night
But joy comes in the morning.
Bring on the morning.
A Different Kind of Thanksgiving
The Paralyzing Fear and Unparalleled Relief of Letting Kids Grow
A Mother's Sacred Oath
©2020 by Cynthia Ramnarace. Proudly created with Wix.com


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It doesn't take people giving a lot to make a difference, just a lot of people giving a little bit.
We are asking people like you to commit to feeding one person one meal once a month. That's it. The cost to feed someone is only $2.51, the price of a cup of coffee. Our plan is to connect with enough individuals to feed a majority of the homeless in our city.
Poverty and homelessness are serious issues for Lincoln. We believe we can solve these problems, even put an end to them. We have been working with the poor for 110 years. In 2017 we helped nearly 33,000 different individuals with various services. The resources to end poverty are primarily in the public. Individuals, businesses, service and religious organizations giving money, time, and material possessions can change everything.
Give a little, change a lot!
JUST A LITTLE BIT
About People's City Mission
PCM serves as the primary facility in the city for people needing immediate emergency shelter. In this capacity we act as Lincoln's safety net for the homeless. Between People's City Mission Homeless Shelter, PCM's Free Medical Clinic, and Homeless Prevention Center, anyone in need can find help at our facilities.
© 2020 Only251.org. All rights reserved. Design by Erin Rodriguez and Kevin Brown Design


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Alberta launches new search tool for health and safety laws
This is a step forward in making the legislation more accessible to employers and employees
By Dexter Tilo
The province of Alberta has launched a new search tool on occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation to make it more accessible for employers and workers.
The OHS legislation search tool consolidates the OHS Act, regulation, and code into one interactive and online resource. It contains a word-for-word copy of the act, regulation, and the code as it appears in the Alberta Queen's Printer, the source of Alberta's laws, materials, and publications.
"This new online search tool is a significant step in ensuring that OHS rules are easy to reference and apply," said Labour Minister Kaycee Madu in a statement.
The provincial government clarified that the launch of the online tool does not mean it would replace the Queen's Printer version. Instead, its goal to is make the OHS legislation, regulation, and code more accessible to everyone without the need of scrolling through long PDF documents.
"What makes this new tool different is the ability to quickly find individual sections from the act, regulation, or code directly in your internet browser," said Madu.
Another key feature of the search tool is its "My Quick Reference" section, added Madu, where users will have the capability to compile sections from all three legislation sources into one PDF file. They can download, print, and share this compiled document to others.
"This new ability to filter through the act, regulation and code will aid health and safety champions in sharing relevant OHS legislation in meetings, training, emails, and presentations," he said.
Read more: Alberta Health Services drops vaccine mandate for employees
According to the minister, having this new tool will further help in maintaining the safety of Alberta's workplaces.
"Updated and easy-to-understand OHS legislation will help workers and job creators ensure safe and healthy workplaces that support jobs and Alberta's economic recovery," he said.
An online tutorial is available to help users get the most out of the tool, added the minister, who expressed his gratitude to those who helped develop it.
"I would like to thank department staff, Alberta Queen's Printer and everyone involved in developing and launching the OHS Legislation Search Tool. This new solution will play a key role in making sure that all Albertans have a healthy and safe work environment."
Carola von Sass, director of the Alberta Forest Products Association, called the tool's launching a "real step forward" in accessibility.
"We are excited about the release of the OHS legislation search tool. The Government of Alberta is taking important steps to ensure that all Albertans are able to access health and safety legislation quickly and efficiently," said the director in a statement.
"This is a real step forward in accessibility for our members and hopefully a glimpse of future innovations to come."