Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve started doing some Professional Dungeon Mastering for Dungeons & Dragons (Here’s the Link to my Profile DORAGON)
I’ve been playing Dungeons & Dragons on and off since the 80’s, and have always loved it
Especially as a Writer, I love creating Worlds and leading people on Adventures
If you’d like to give it a try, click on my Profile Link above where you can read more about it
It would begin with a Session Zero which is basically a Session where we build your Character
As it became clear that Democrats would win control of the U.S. House of Representatives, pundits immediately began explaining the “Blue Wave.” Some said it was rooted in concerns that President Trump was leading the nation into dangerous territory; others pointed to alarm about health care, or compassion for citizens of color and refugees. But Republican voters were having none of this, according to a recent Penn State Mood of the Nation Poll.
The nationally representative poll of 1,000 citizens included 307 voters who cast votes for Republican Congressional candidates in the midterm elections. We asked them, “In your opinion, how many citizens voting for the Democrats did so because they sincerely believe that the Democratic party is best for the country?”
Republicans can’t understand Democrats
Only one in four Republican voters felt that most or almost all Democratic voters sincerely believed they were voting in the best interests of the country. Rather, many Republicans told us that Democratic voters were “brainwashed by the propaganda of the mainstream media,” or voting solely in their self-interest to preserve undeserved welfare and food stamp benefits.
We asked every Republican in the sample to do their best to imagine that they were a Democrat and sincerely believed that the Democratic Party was best for the country. We asked them to explain their support for the Democratic Party as an actual Democratic voter might. For example, a 64-year-old strong Republican man from Illinois surmised that “Democrats want to help the poor, save Social Security, and tax the rich.”
But most had trouble looking at the world through Democratic eyes. Typical was a a 59-year-old Floridian who wrote “I don’t want to work and I want cradle to grave assistance. In other words, Mommy!” Indeed, roughly one in six Republican voters answered in the persona of a Democratic voter who is motivated “free college,” “free health care,” “free welfare,” and so on. They see Democrats as voting in order to get “free stuff” “without having to work for it” was extremely common – roughly one in six Republican voters used the word “free” in the their answers, whereas no real Democratic voters in our sample answered this way.
Among the Republicans who seemed to try hardest to take the perspective of sincere and patriotic Democratic voters, the most common attributions were related to immigration – a topic made salient by President Trump in his campaign stops during the last month of the election. As in this Republican woman from Washington who said, “Democrats welcome all people into the country whether they are here legally or not.”
Democrats return the favor: Republicans uninformed or self-interested
The 429 Democratic voters in our sample returned the favor and raised many of the same themes. Democrats inferred that Republicans must be “VERY ill-informed,” or that “Fox news told me to vote for Republicans.” Or that Republicans are “uneducated and misguided people guided by what the media is feeding them.”
Many also attributed votes to individual self-interest – whereas GOP voters feel Democrats want “free stuff,” many Democrats believe Republicans think that “I got mine and don’t want the libs to take it away,” or that “some day I will be rich and then I can get the benefits that rich people get now.”
Many used the question to express their anger and outrage at the other side. Rather than really try to take the position of their opponents, they said things like, “I like a dictatorial system of Government, I’m a racist, I hate non-whites.”
Democrats think many Republicans sincere, and point to policy
Democrats, however, were somewhat more generous in their answers. More than four in ten Democratic voters (42%) felt that most Republican voters had the country’s best interests at heart (combining the top two bars in the figure below). And many tried their best to answer from the other’s perspective. A 45-year-old male voter from Ohio imagined that as a Republican, he was motivated by Republicans’ “harsh stance on immigration; standing up for the 2nd Amendment; promised tax cuts.” A 30-year-old woman from Colorado felt that Republican votes reflected the desires to “stop abortion… stop gay marriage from ruining our country… and give us our coal jobs back.”
Other Democrats felt that their opponents were mostly motivated by the GOP’s “opposition to Obamacare,” “lower taxes” and to support a party that “reduced unemployment.”
Taking the perspective of others proved to be really hard
The divide in the United States is wide, and one indication of that is how difficult our question proved for many thoughtful citizens. A 77-year-old Republican woman from Pennsylvania was typical of the voters who struggled with this question, telling us, “This is really hard for me to even try to think like a devilcrat!, I am sorry but I in all honesty cannot answer this question. I cannot even wrap my mind around any reason they would be good for this country.”
Similarly, a 53-year-old Republican from Virginia said, “I honestly cannot even pretend to be a Democrat and try to come up with anything positive at all, but, I guess they would vote Democrat because they are illegal immigrants and they are promised many benefits to voting for that party. Also, just to follow what others are doing. And third would be just because they hate Trump so much.” The picture she paints of the typical Democratic voter being an immigrant, who goes along with their party or simply hates Trump will seem like a strange caricature to most Democratic voters. But her answer seems to lack the animus of many.
Democrats struggled just as much as Republicans. A 33-year-old woman from California told said, “i really am going to have a hard time doing this” but then offered that Republicans “are morally right as in values, … going to protect us from terrorest and immigrants, … going to create jobs.”
Voters like these – baffled but not hostile – would seem to represent an opportunity. Their answers tell us that they might actually be interested in better understanding those at the opposite end of the political spectrum and that motivation could be the first step of a long journey toward reducing incivility and polarization. Whether such voters can long endure in today’s media and social media environment is a critical question – if they can endure and even grow, then the prospects for bipartisan cooperation in areas of shared concern will be possible. If not, polarization will continue to rise.
With so many experts on climate change here at Imperial, many people ask us what they personally can do about it? And how does this fit into the bigger picture?
We spoke to our scientists at the Grantham Institute and drew up a list of the most achievable ways you personally can make a difference. While individuals alone may not be able to make drastic emissions cuts that limit climate change to acceptable levels, personal action is essential to raise the importance of issues to policymakers and businesses.
Using your voice as a consumer, a customer, a member of the electorate and an active citizen, will lead to changes on a much grander scale.
“Use your voice, use your vote, use your choice”Al Gore
1. Make your voice heard by those in power
Tell your Member of Parliament, local councillors and city mayors that you think action on climate change is important.
A prosperous future for the United Kingdom depends on their decisions about the environment, green spaces, roads, cycling infrastructure, waste and recycling, air quality and energy efficient homes.
Ultimately, steps to reduce carbon emissions will have a positive impact on other local issues, like improving air quality and public health, creating jobs and reducing inequality.
Join a social movement or campaign that focuses on environmental activities or gets everyone talking about climate change action, such as the Youth Strike 4 Climate or Extinction Rebellion.
There are many benefits to taking action on climate change, such as improved health, growth in the low-carbon jobs market, and reduced inequality.
Eat fewer or smaller portions of meat, especially red meat, which has the largest environmental impact, and reduce dairy products or switch them for non-dairy alternatives .
Try to choose fresh, seasonal produce that is grown locally to help reduce the carbon emissions from transportation, preservation and prolonged refrigeration.
For more details on how eating a more plant-based, seasonal diet can help tackle climate change, support the local economy and help us to live healthier lives, check out our blog: Saving the planet, one meal at a time.
3. Cut back on flying
If you need to fly for work, consider using video-conferencing instead. For trips in the same country or continent, take the train or explore options using an electric car.
When flying is unavoidable, pay a little extra for carbon offsetting.
How do the cost, time and carbon emissions of a single journey from London to Amsterdam by plane, compare to travelling by train? (Assumptions: the start and end location are the main train terminal in the centre of each city; travel costs are for the cheapest advance tickets bought in advance and include all connecting journeys; carbon emissions are calculated using UK government greenhouse gas emissions factors for short-haul flights, ferry and international rail travel.)
Myclimate also compares the carbon emissions of your particular flight, with the maximum amount of carbon dioxide a person should produce per year in order to halt climate change, and the average amount an EU citizen produces each year. It makes for sobering reading.
Not only do cars contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, but air pollution caused by exhaust fumes from traffic poses a serious threat to public health. It has been shown to affect the health of unborn babies and increase the risk of dementia.
When behind the wheel, think about the way you drive:
Switch off the engine when you park up.
Make sure the tyres are fully pumped, and that the oxygen sensors are in good order – this can improve the cars fuel mileage and efficiency by up to 3% and 40% respectively.
Make sure your home is energy efficient. Check the building has proper insulation, and consider draught-proofing windows and doors. If you are in rented accommodation, lobby your landlord to make sure the property is energy efficient.
Plant trees. The Woodland Trust are aiming to plant 64 million trees over the next 10 years – and need your help. Whether you want to plant a single tree in your garden, or a whole wood, they have tools and resources to help.
Create your own green space. Add pot plants to your window sill or balcony, and if you have your own outdoor space, don’t replace the grass with paving or artificial turf.
Help to protect and conserve green spaces like local parks, ponds or community gardens. Organisations like Fields In Trust and the National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces have advice and resources on how you can get involved in areas local to you.
Check out TCV. If you don’t have direct access to open spaces, this community volunteering charity brings people together to connect to nature, and create healthier and happier communities.
Banks, pensions funds and big corporates often hold investments in fossil fuel companies. However, the discussion around responsible investment – weighing up environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and taking them into consideration when investing money – is growing.
As you make these positive changes to reduce your environmental impact, share your experience with your family, friends, customers and clients. Don’t be a bore or confrontational. Instead, talk positively, and be honest about the ups and downs.
His serene yet wild face appeared nearly frozen despite the strong wind dancing into him.
She felt cautious of his presence. Why was he here? Though she had lived most of her life in solitude, she learned to rely on her instincts and insight. She had been gifted with perceptiveness, something she had always been grateful for.
The talking from the other passengers became a distant hum behind her, darkness surrounded them as if they were the only two on the boat.
“Hello, Vilven” He said with some humor, a slight smile coming to his darkly striking face. That smile she had seen a few times in his bookstore that always seemed unexpected.
There was something else, Vilven could tell beneath his disarming introduction. For the first time, she was coming into an awareness she must be more careful. She loved bringing new comrades with her, even with the limited…
For me it all started with my character ‘Jade’, in a story about a Knight I wrote when I was 10 or 11… She was engaged to marry this great knight, but was a very independent spirit
In fact, her fiancé’ would secretly teach her in the ways of archery
She would sneak off and practice in the wood, sometimes with him, sometimes not
MY MOM
Beyond being who I am, who I was when I was born, I suspect that my draw to strong female characters may stem from my Mom, and growing up with a single mother
She’s actually been with her boyfriend for 43 years, but she made it very clear from the beginning whenever she’d date someone, that they weren’t to interfere with her kids
Namely my brother and I, mainly, as my two older sisters were hardly ever home, and moved out when they were young
Art by Del Borovic
NAYOKO
In 1999, I stepped away from Corporate America to finally pursue my dream of being a Filmmaker…
I was 30 at the time, and though I’d always wanted to be a Director, I quickly realized I was also a Writer
In 2002 (I was 33), my third year of pursuing Filmmaking, I wrote a Feature Length Screenplay called ‘White Jade’…
…it was about a young Japanese girl (Maybe 22 or 23) named NAYOKO who was raised by her father who was a Monk of ‘The White Jade Order’
She quickly came to realize her father also had a second, secret life as an Assassin for a righteous underground group called ‘The Red Crane’…
…while following him on one of his missions, she saw her father commit a murder in the name of better good
She then turned herself in to the New Tokyo Police Department, and confessed to the crime as if she had done it herself…
…in order to protect her father
Nayoko, for me, was, and is a very powerful female character… Though young, she grows exponentially through this story
MADY
The next strong female I wrote about, was MADY MONROE…
I started this Writing Blog late 2011 (I was 42), and in the Winter that year I started writing a story that took on a life of it’s own within this Blog
Then early/mid 2012, I Self Published it as a Novella called, ‘I Died Once’
Looking at the definition of a ‘Novella’, you could almost call ‘I Died Once’ a ‘Short Story’… But for me, it definitely wasn’t
‘I Died Once’ is a story about a 15 year girl in the middle of an existential crisis
‘To Be… Or Not To Be’
Mady was a strong young girl, set in the middle of an unhealthy, compassionateless life
Her character just came to life for me, and lead to a Second Novella…
‘Mady’s Storm’
This one I wrote one year after the first, in late 2012, but wasn’t Edited & Self Published until 2015
It takes place 8 years later, and has more to do with becoming a woman, set is some very, once again, challenging situations
AGATHA
Somewhere around the time I was writing the original Mady Novella, I also started writing a Fantasy Novel called ‘Chess With Agatha’…
This one was about a 17 year old girl named AGATHA, whose adoptive parents had both died in a terrible car crash, and now she was under the care of a legal guardian named AGAMEMNON…
Not your typical name, and not your typical guy
Without giving too much away, in one form or another Agatha ends up transporting to another world… A parallel universe if you will, where things like dragons and vampires exist
This book was very much a book about coming into who you are as you try to unravel a mystery surrounding your real parents, set in a fantasy world
DAISY ARAM
Next in 2012 came ‘Allure’, a story about a young 17 year old girl, who’s also a vampire slayer… But there is more to the story, as her Mother’s acclaimed vampire novels may be more than just stories
High within a darkened tower, within the Ohr’Dra Peaks, scrambling his way through scrolls and items of importance, the Shadow Mage (Sorcerer) Minotaur, Magnanus, gathers his things and any proof he can get his hands on…
…but proof of what?
Magnanus stands 7′ tall, with dark brown fur, and though his form is large, his power lays within his blood more than his body
His form covered in a light purple glow with black smoke as he moves through the hallways, and makes his way out of his Master’s Tower
With one look back, he then heads north through the peaks towards the Great Woods
The Written Word 