Tag: wordpress

MailChimp Moves to Single Opt-In: What You Need to Know

If you’ve been wondering what Mailchimp’s Single Opt-In is all about and whether to go with it or keep your double opt-in, I’ve found the article for you. Kirsten Oliphant has the scoop:

Single Opt-In: Essentially when someone enters their email into your form and clicks “I Want It What Way!” (because “Subscribe” is so 2011), they are automatically subscribed. Right then and there. The end.

Double Opt-In: When someone enters their email into your form and clicks “Send Me All The Things!”, they will receive an email asking them to confirm. If they do not click, they will not get an email from you. They are not, in fact, a subscriber.

Legally Opted

Single opt-in is not legal all over the world. (True story.) The un-apt-ly named CAN-SPAM Act (which says you CANNOT, in fact, spam people) doesn’t care about opt-ins, surprisingly. You can single opt-in all day long legally in the USA and many other countries.

Just not Germany.

I’m sure there are others, but Germany has super strict laws on privacy. So if someone from Germany signs up through your single opt-in form, you’ve broken their laws.

Are you really going to be hunted down or fined? Probably not.

But do you want to be breaking international laws when you send emails? Um…probably not.

KEEP READING THROUGH TO THE ORIGINAL HERE

I Believe in Progress

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I believe in progress. In recognizing and acknowledging your growth. In appreciating not just everything that you have but also everything you’ve endured to get to where you are. In process. In stopping to consider where you are, not just where you are trying to go. In gratitude and contentment. In looking back only to be reminded of where you’ve come from. To see the lessons and to teach them and to inspire. To never forget where you came from. Your roots. Your experiences. Everything that made you who you are today. Everything that built you. You are not just the positive. You are the negative too. The struggle. The hustle. The grime. The beautiful and the broken. The good and the bad. You are balance. I regret nothing. There’s no reason to. I am not just made up of the good things. I’ve stolen. I’ve lied. I’ve been drunk. I’ve been hungry. I’ve been homeless. I’ve been hopeless. But I’ve also been happily married for seven years to a man I’ve been with ten years. I’ve also produced documentaries and taught women and children all over the world, hosted radio shows, performed poetry, taught grown women how to read, fed the homeless, helped felons to find jobs, and authored nine books and counting. I am not perfect, trust I have my days. Some are harder than others and I wonder how I’ll make it through but then, I believe in progress.

Yecheilyah (e-see-lee-yah) is an Author, Blogger, and Poet of nine published works including work in progress and short inspirational guide “Keep Yourself Full.” Learn more by exploring Yecheilyah’s writing on this blog and her website at  yecheilyahysrayl.com.

Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book One) is her latest novel and is available now on Amazon.com.

Responsibility

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Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book One) is available now on Amazon

The so-called Black man, woman, and child have been mis-educated on several levels. We’ve been mis-educated mentally, physically, and spiritually. We have lost knowledge not just of who we are (the children of Israel) but who our creator is (Yah) and what our duty is as a people (a nation of priests). My job is to do my part to resurrect truths that have been hidden and glossed over and whitewashed for too long. Not only is this my job, but it is also my responsibility. We are responsible for what we know. If I sugarcoat or water down the facts, I am responsible for the miseducation of the so-called Black/African American in much the same way as a History teacher is responsible.

One reason I am an Independent Artist is because of the freedom to speak the truth as it is, not as people want it to be, and I cannot deviate from this. I am not here to tickle ears or to make people comfortable. That’s not what Yah has called me to do. I am a writer and that carries with it exceptional weight. For it is the writers of history who wrote the textbooks that purposely left out vital information regarding the so-called African American people. It is the writers of the world who left out information pertinent to the true identity of the so-called African American and have instead scribbled falsehood with the stroke of the pen.
It is not for me to force people to believe the truth. My job is not to judge or to condemn. My job is simple. My job is to state the facts as they are without regard to who it may offend. Otherwise, I would help to perpetuate lies.

 

It is up to us, the writers of the world, to write today exactly as it is so that our children can see history exactly as it was and are not, therefore, subjected to the same regurgitated ignorance that we were subjected to. It is up to us, the writers of the world, to hold ourselves to a higher standard because we are responsible for how the next generation will look back on today.

Yecheilyah (e-see-lee-yah) is an Author, Blogger, and Poet of nine published works. Learn more by exploring Yecheilyah’s writing on this blog and her website at yecheilyahysrayl.com. Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book One) is available now on Amazon.com.

Coconut Oil Based Toothpaste

 

Note: I am not a healthcare professional and this should not be substituted for professional advice. I am simply sharing my experience as usual. Please consult a professional if you feel you need to before trying anything new.

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Oral health has a lot to do with your overall health. In fact, bad teeth and gums can lead to heart disease when the bacteria from gum inflammation, lead to gingivitis and, if left untreated, this Bacteria enters the bloodstream and travel to the heart’s arteries, causing them to harden. Plaque starts to grow on the arteries’ inner walls, which can restrict blood flow throughout the body.

I wish someone would have taught me this a long time ago because my teeth need lots of work. There is one thing I am proud of about them though. Despite everything that’s wrong with them, there’s a silver lining in that I am thirty years old and have never had a cavity.

I don’t like to use traditional toothpaste much. It’s too sweet and makes me feel like I am brushing my teeth with candy. It’s to the point now that I don’t even think it makes your breath smell good at least. So, sometimes I substitute with Coconut Oil Based Toothpaste I make myself with common items I can always find around the house.

Ingredients

  • Coconut Oil
  • Baking Soda
  • Peroxide
  • Mint or essential oil of choice
  • Stevia Powder

How it Works:

1/2 cup Coconut Oil

2-3 Tablespoon Baking Soda

2 small packets Stevie powder

One capful peroxide (opt)

10-15 drops essential oil

Melt coconut oil (or slightly soften…I recommend slightly softening. Completely melted doesn’t work well for me).

Mix in the other ingredients per their measurements and stir well.

Let cool completely.

As the coconut oil hits your teeth and gums, microbes are picked up as if being drawn to a powerful magnet. The bacteria hiding under the crevices in the gums and pores within the teeth are sucked out and held firmly in the solution. Brushing with Baking Soda removes stains aroused by tea, coffee, sodas, and smoking. Mixing Baking Soda with water releases free radicals from the mixture. These free radicals break down stain molecules on the enamel that can be scraped off with a toothbrush.

“Hydrogen peroxide is used safely and effectively in dentistry today. While its most common application involves tooth whitening, significant health benefits are documented using hydrogen peroxide to treat gingivitis and periodontitis.” (Jeanne Bosecker, BSN, RDH) However, using peroxide is optional (Learn More Here). You can successfully mimic this mixture without it. If you choose to use peroxide (as I do, it mixes so well with the baking soda), be sure to get the 3% Hydrogen Peroxide to be sure its safe for oral use.

The Stevia Powder and essential oils provide a fresh taste and good smell (though I tend to leave the Stevia Power out.) Baking Soda and Peroxide may be good cleaners but the combination doesn’t have a fresh minty smell. Baking Soda is also nasty so the oils help with that taste. I have also found it useful to use mouthwash afterward.

Storage

You can put it in any container in a cool dry place or even put it in a Ziploc bag. You can really get creative with the Ziploc by cutting it at the corner and taking an old toothpaste tube, cut the top part off and then insert and adjust the Ziploc bag.

While I do still use toothpaste because of the abrasiveness of the baking soda on the enamel, I like to use my coconut mixture more and have found it does a better job than traditional toothpaste. It’s not real sweet and makes my mouth feel fresh.

Yecheilyah (e-see-lee-yah) is an Author, Blogger, and Poet of nine published works including her soon-to-be released short inspirational guide “Keep Yourself Full.” Learn more by exploring Yecheilyah’s writing on this blog and her website at yecheilyahysrayl.com. Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book One) is her latest novel and is available now on Amazon.com.

Enjoy the Process

KYF (1)I’ve been focusing a lot on adding value to my personal, spiritual, mental and professional life. This process has caused me to reflect on a lot of things, pay attention to my actions, my words, and my interactions with others. I’ve had to dig deep and to make decisions that were not easy to make but that were necessary for my well-being and for my mental health.

I want to encourage you to enjoy the process of writing your books and taking it through the necessary steps to get it published. I know how easy it is to stress out during this time as you anxiously anticipate the birth of your book. We are in the winter months now which can be the darkest time of the year. With the pressure of the Holidays, depression, violence, and suicide rates skyrocket. We don’t need to add to this the worry of writing.

Worrying about every aspect of the progression takes the fun out of publishing. Makes it tedious and all-consuming. We focus so much on the end goal, “the release,” that the process itself, the going from A to B, the journey, becomes a blur. A hair pulling, tear-jerking, depression-inducing blur with the only satisfaction being the hope of seeing the book in print. That’s not the kind of professional life I want for myself and that’s not the kind of professional life I want for you.

I am starting over, it seems, in many ways and I’ve realized this is not a bad thing. This is growth and it’s exciting. I feel like a newbie writer again setting out on uncharted territory. I want to take my time and I want to do this right. My goal is always to do better, to move forward and to progress a little more each day.

It is always my hope that you do well in your endeavors and whatever you set your mind to do. It is my hope that you can do what you love every day of your life and that you do so without compromising your integrity, your happiness or your love.

While I don’t participate in NaNoWriMo (too much for me), I am rooting for you, but I also hope you are not being too hard on yourself. Just enjoy the process.

Yecheilyah (e-see-lee-yah) is an Author, Blogger, and Poet of nine published works including her work in progress and short inspirational guide “Keep Yourself Full.” Learn more by exploring Yecheilyah’s writing on this blog and her website at yecheilyahysrayl.com. Renaissance: The Nora White Story (Book One) is her latest novel and is available now on Amazon.com.