Moving into a new house is a stressful process. But with these tips and advice, you'll be able to smooth out the process and get into your new home faster.
25 March, 2022 | Posted by:
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It’s no use lying, moving is difficult. More than difficult, it’s stressful. Changing addresses and physically moving from one location to another is one of the most stressful things that Americans can do. It’s the second one in fact. The first is losing a member within your immediate family and the third is losing your job. The good news is that unlike the first and third options, when you complete the process of buying a new house, it’s something to be happy about. You have succeeded! There’s a home and you have the key. This a place where you’ll find solace. A place to celebrate good times with your family and friends. And it’ll be attached to your name too. Getting into that house, however, is a challenging task.
A simple way would be to don a magical item and “will” your way into the house. Wave your fingers and create a mystical portal to take you from having no house into a house of your own. Sigh. That’d be nice. Even then, however, such trickery would be blocked by other forces. For example; Dr. Strange trying to move from one house to another, without getting killed by the bad guys. (Warning, there is a little language at the beginning of the clip)
Retro games have this odd sort of draw on people, even those who do not consider themselves “gamers.” These games have achieved legendary status.
25 March, 2022 | Posted by:
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Energy deregulation is picking up speed across multiple markets and providing a cheaper way for customers to get electricity.
25 March, 2022 | Posted by:
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Walmart is ramping up its arsenal against Amazon by launching an eBook store. Walmart, and its partners, are proving they're big contenders.
25 March, 2022 | Posted by:
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Called "The Ad LIbrary," Google is tracking political ads across its platforms to increase transparency. This is bad news for Teddy Maynard.
29 October, 2018 | Posted by:
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On August 15th, 2018, Google finally published an archive of all the political ads across its platforms. Included in this report are results from Search and YouTube. Dubbed “The Ad Library,” Google is reacting to lawmaker’s insinuation that stricter laws could be passed if they don’t make a move towards greater transparency.
Good news for voters.
Bad news for Teddy Maynard.
Back in 2012, John Grisham published “The Brethren.”
Aaron Lake, a significant character, is a representative to Congress from Arizona.
He’s affable, good-looking, and well-connected in Washington DC. Everybody likes him, and he doesn’t make a fuss. However, he doesn’t seem to want to move up in the party at all.
That is until he meets Teddy Maynard.
In the world of “The Brethren” Teddy Maynard is the Director of the CIA. Although he suffers from ailments that plague him continually, Maynard is just as cunning and shrewd as ever.
Maynard is also worried about a specific political figure in a foreign land. Given he’s in charge of the Central Intelligence Agency, Maynard is aware of a great many things. The United States general population, however, is kept in the dark.
At the beginning of the book, there’s a presidential campaign that’s already underway. The front-runner is not someone Maynard is fond of. It has very little to do with the man’s personality and more to do with his politics.
This guy’s soft on foreign defense.
Maynard wants someone in the Oval Office who is tough...which is why he’s keen on Aaron Lake.
Lake is likeable, and with the right amount of money behind him, Lake could be the sleeper hit for the upcoming Presidential Election. All they need to do is find contributors and staff. With Maynard’s connections and a long list of favors, it’s possible. Difficult, but possible.
So Maynard sets off to disrupt the election.
I should mention “The Brethren” was published in 2012 before President Trump was elected. Before the accusations of Russian collusion. Maybe Grisham knew something?
Whether he did or not, Teddy Maynard presents an interesting scenario; The Director of the CIA who is messing with a federal election and no one being the wiser.
It’s 2018 now. Google’s launched their political ad archive. Should Teddy Maynard have tried to pull off his little covert plot, it would have been a lot more difficult.
Thanks to Google’s archive of political advertising and a recent report, here’s why.
Google’s Ad Library is logging ads that appear on its platforms, and this includes Search and YouTube. It’ll list who paid for the ads, a rough estimate of the cost to deploy the ads, and how many impressions each ad received.
For Teddy Maynard to start running ads now, someone is going to be watching him. Well, maybe not him.
Maynard’s plan was to get others to fund Lake’s campaign. He’s got the favors, and he’ll be cashing them in. In return, Lake gets a lot of money, really fast. These contributors can then run ads on behalf of Lake.
With the Ad Library and similar programs from other social media sites, all these contributors are listed. A swift uptick in spending on a candidate, like Aaron Lake, will catch someone’s attention.
The concurrent report Google released with The Ad Library will list keywords. Specifically, keywords that advertisers are going after. These keywords are linked to demographics and critical audiences.
A watchdog agency or a very concerned public citizen could find that specific keywords are being targeted more than others. When this happens, Teddy’s going to get found out.
Beyond the keywords, there’s the spending by State and Congressional District.
For the battleground states or swing districts, Teddy will likely spend more money on advertising here. His goal is to garner more and more favor for Lake in these areas.
As the old saying goes “follow the money.”
This would be another way to catch on to Teddy Maynard and expose his evil scheme.
As of this writing, The Ad Library is focusing on federal elections at this time.
Good news for Teddy, if he were trying to rig a state senate election or the election of a city. Though bad news for someplace like San Antonio. Someone could seize control of a smaller area without the ad archive tracking them.
However, Maynard’s going for the big one.
While there are plenty of ads for and against candidates, there are also issue advertisements.
These issue ads, though sometimes annoying, are meant to raise awareness. Should Maynard seek to sway the public to vote on issues, this could still work for him. However, elections are increasingly about the person running for office and less about the issues.
Case in point, Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton.
This most recent presidential election was between two people whom both had rabid supporters and vengeful critics. Moreover, there were those people stuck in the middle who liked neither candidate.
Instead of talking about issues, the media focused instead on something else. The main topic in 2016 became “who is the better person?”
Not “what’s their stance on X?”
While their positions were part of the discussion, inevitably, it came down to who was liked more. If someone disliked both candidates equally, the question became who was less of a horrible person?
Both had their flaws, and some of those flaws got broadcast louder than others. Both had their skills and strengths. Ultimately, it was about which person was a better person.
When evidence surfaced that maybe someone, from outside the US, had been working to disrupt the election, things got worse.
Hence, the push for transparency in political ads.
While Teddy Maynard’s dubious plot to get Aaron Lake elected is a significant part of “The Brethren”, they are not the main characters.
The eponymous “Brethren” are three federal judges who’ve come to find themselves in federal prison. Each one has committed some crime, and as a result, they’re now serving time.
To pass the hours, and to earn money, they’ve taken to running a scam. This scam gets embroiled in Teddy Maynard’s scam. Only John Grisham could write something like this and make it entertaining.
I won’t ruin the ending, but rest assured, bad things happen and mostly to bad people.
Go pick up a copy of “The Brethren”.
You won’t be disappointed.
As mid-terms approach, politicians running for office, or running to keep it, are wary of someone messing with the election for the sake of disruption. While they work to manipulate voters and constituents, someone may be managing them. That's not a fun way to think of the next election.
The good news is that Google, along with other social media platforms, is pushing for more transparency. They’re digging into their advertisers to find where the money comes from and how many people are affected by it. With this knowledge, we’ll have a better idea of who’s getting involved.
While these moves may not erase disruption and manipulation, they will make it more difficult.
In the meantime, do your research into your favorite candidate. Also, pick up a copy of “The Brethren”. Who knows, you may find a real-life Teddy Maynard!
Moreover, check out the best Spectrum internet deals in your area while you’re at it. You’ll get to research the issues, the candidates, and save some money in the process.
For more news on Google updates, and book reviews, keep your browser open to On The Download.