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Thank you for the A2A, Ann.Taken as a whole, the FDA proposals, the EU regulations and the ECJ decision are the greatest boost to cigarette sales that has probably ever been seen.There are not many ways to guarantee the survival of the cigarette trade in the West for 10 to 20 years, at similar volumes to today's numbers, and these deals, taken together as a way to protect smoking in the West from any market-based threats, are a unique approach forced on the power structure by market developments. Previous and similar deals I can think of are (1) the MSA funding agreement, which guaranteed a future for the US cigarette trade at low cost, and (2) the backroom agreement between government, tobacco and pharma in the late 90s to allow cigarette sales to continue unmolested as long as the trade agreed to dial back the protests about taxes and other impositions (you can call this the 'free trade' deal), in return for a guaranteed future. (Everybody needs smoking as it generates such enormous revenues for government at local and national levels, the pharmaceutical industry, and all the lobbying groups; and saves government a fortune, in socialised states.)However, these deals were private affairs (the 'free trade' agreement) and only part-USA applicable (the MSA deal), and what we are talking about here is a deal that covers the USA and EU. This pan USA-EU arrangement covers a significant chunk of the global cigarette volume; and it is specifically designed to protect cigarette sales from any threat. This is a new approach, and tells us very clearly how power views smoking: of huge fiscal importance. What other trade deals cover this quite large market area? None I can think of. That alone tells us how important it is to protect cigarette sales.You will note the comparative silence from the cigarette trade on the squeeze that has been applied to them over the last couple of decades; imagine any other industry subjected to the same restrictions... This is even more obvious in the UK where tobacco is completely invisible, but not a word is heard from the cigarette trade. In the UK, all tobacco adverts are banned, along with any other kind of promotion, and the products are hidden behind screens in stores - so young people today go through their whole lives without ever seeing any cigarette-related materials anywhere - probably hard for Americans to comprehend.You will probably realise that there is no way an industry will put up with this situation without a squeak, unless some kind of deal has been done. The deal was simple: silence, and keep taking the brickbats, in return for a guaranteed future.Just look at cigarette industry share prices and performance: easily the best performing shares, so pension funds and everyone else puts their money in these shares. Why wouldn't they? Smoking has a guaranteed future, and its shares will always outperform other investments of that type. There really is no need to look at any other measure of performance, because this is how success is measured in traded companies and markets. Even alcohol and cannabis shares when traded freely over the long term are unlikely to reach this level of performance and reliability, and there is an excellent reason for this: there are no tangible threats to smoking.It means that the market is absolutely certain that nothing will be allowed to challenge cigarette sales, and clearly they are right...............Anyway: the EU regulations were introduced first, so let's consider that factor.Part 1: The EU TPDThe EU governs tobacco sales in its 28 countries by means of the Tobacco Product Directive or TPD. This has recently been rewritten, and is sometimes referred to as 'TPD2'.First - let's call it Plan A - an outright ban on vaping products was tried by the EU (medical licensing: a de facto total ban), but this failed due to a massive mobilisation by European vapers, who badgered their reps so much that the poor, overworked politicians decided they had to do something or face some bad publicity about the C word.Nobody is allowed to mention the C word in politics as it is completely taboo. No matter that everything related to consumer health goods, energy, arms, medicals, and so on is governed almost entirely by the C word, and any other pressures (such as genuine policy) are pretty much insignificant. Anything that takes place in the area of consumer goods such as tobacco or anything related, or medical goods including pharmaceuticals, is governed by C - you can forget about any other influences as they are strictly minor in comparison. The sums of money are so incredibly vast that the last thing anyone is going to do is let some idiot politicians decide policy based on the phase of the moon or however they do it in other areas that have little financial implication; they are told what to do and what to say. (C = corruption, but we must not talk of this.)Plan B was to classify vaping as smoking, so that it could be cut by around 50% in Year 1 due to strict provisions of the regulations and associated costs, then gradually strangled by huge, increasing costs, massive taxes, and no advertising. This worked, because (a) it was lumped in with some tobacco control provisions concerning cigarettes, and (b) everybody who mattered wanted it and it was easy to pass off as 'progress' to the dumb, conflicted and often corrupt cowards otherwise called reps (MEPs here).The cunning part of the plan was (1) to first introduce a medically-based ban that was bound to fail, then classify ecigs as tobacco and introduce a few 'light-touch' regs that appeared reasonable in comparison and that many reps could support; and (2) package these new regs along with populist anti-cigarette wibbling that reps could not be seen to be voting against, being essentially party hacks and cowards when not paid by industry. Plan A was a win-win tactic: if it worked, then vaping could be banned overnight. If it didn't work, then vaping could be easily classified as a 'tobacco product ' (!) in camera (in a private committee), and this would lead to significant advantages: it could be 90% removed very quickly, and the remaining 10% could be taxed at tobacco rates. ('Quickly' in political terms means over a few short years.)The two things vital to the EU are (1) to progressively remove all democratic process in order to protect profitable laws, and (2) to protect revenue streams for government and its large-scale partners. You can probably see the two things are connected.The intra-EU factors devolve to what giant industry or government / gov dept needs what laws, in order to keep making money.What the individual EU governments need is for tobacco tax revenues to continue at their current levels. In many cases this money is of significant importance to them. For example, the UK is very similar to China in this regard: the government *is* tobacco. Gov UK has a greater than 90% stakeholding in cigarette revenues, due to the enormous taxes, and the equally enormous savings on end-of-life costs in a socialised state when a significant percentage of the population can be made to die 8 years early or 10 years early or whatever it is. (Everyone gets a state pension, everyone gets the extraordinarily costly healthcare for the elderly free, and everyone gets all the other costly social support benefits for the elderly, free. Not if they can be made to smoke and die several years early, though.)What the pharmaceutical industry needs is for the gravy train to keep on running: huge profits from chemotherapy drugs, COPD drugs, cardiac drugs, high blood pressure drugs, diabetes drugs, high cholesterol drugs, and all the rest - plus a bit of chump change from NRTs and psychotropic meds for smoking cessation (smoking-related morbidity generates a vast amount more revenue than smoking cessation; just one course of chemotherapy averages $26,000 apparently, according to the reported US cost.) As one pharma CEO famously put it, "We're not in the business of curing people, we're in the business of generating profits for shareholders". Cancer is a good business: one of the best, because it has a guaranteed future, protected by government.What the cigarette trade needs is for people to keep smoking. They don't care about anything else: smoking works for them and it costs them peanuts for R&D and absolutely zero for marketing in some countries (the UK for example). What other industry has 20% or 25% of the population as fixed customers and does not have to do any marketing at all as it's prohibited? What other industry has a 100-year old product that makes more money today than it did a century ago and needs little research? What other industry has ultra-low costs, a guaranteed future, and no need to do anything except sit down and count the money? They don't need any harm reduction products except as window dressing. They don't need to find new product lines because the last thing government is going to do is shut them down - see #1.What the large lobbying, pressure group and charity industry that has grown up on the back of smoking needs is for smoking to continue just as it is. Nobody votes themselves out of a million-dollar job, and that's what the CEO of one of these fake charities, pharma front groups and cancer promotion societies earns (in the USA - in Europe divide by 5 or 10 as is normal). You knew that, of course? Absolutely the last thing they want is, for example, a big push to make Snus and vaping the acceptable face of consumer nicotine, and smoking disease and death to disappear as a result, just as it is doing in Sweden. No one gets paid, then. No drug sales, no early deaths, no job.Those are the main groupings in the EU who benefit from smoking. They are listed in order of profits from smoking. You might notice that the tobacco industry is only at #3 - because gov and pharma earn more than they do out of smoking. In the UK, the pharmaceutical industry earns around 1.5x to 2x what the tobacco industry does from smoking. Globally, pharma earns at least 10% of its gross from smoking, probably more in the West, and this revenue channel is very important to them. It is not as important as the pharmaceutical industry's core operating principle, though:All laws related to health in any way are owned by pharmaWithout exception, they all need smoking to continue as it is. They don't want any threat to smoking that might spread the Swedish scenario, which would be a disaster for them. Sweden has unique national health statistics because most tobacco users there are snusers not smokers. Snus consumption in Sweden has no statistically-identifiable health impact, and the enormous data resource has allowed multiple clinical studies to report that lifetime consumption has a life expectancy reduction averaging 6 weeks. This is about zero in the grand scheme of things. Tobacco-related morbidity and mortality in Sweden reflects the number of smokers, not snusers, and is falling in parallel with the fall in smoking prevalence, as smoking gradually disappears there: a disastrous situation for all (except the consumers, and they don't count).They all just need to protect the status quo: smoking is good. Correction: smoking is wonderful.In case it is not obvious, the existence of the gravy train, and the astronomically vast sums of money it generates, is based entirely on the harm that smoking does. It's the disease and death (whether exaggerated or not) that allows the vast revenues to be collected. A type of 'smoking' that as far as can be seen has no significant potential for harm, and certainly not for mortality, is needed about as much as a hole in the head.It is impossible for anyone to make any real money out of an essentially harmless type of 'smoking', and that is why vaping is so hated by those in the incumbent industries, their partners in power, and their lobbyist / front groups.Part 2: The legal challenge to TPD2A UK e-liquid company (e-liquid is the slang term for the refill liquids used in vaping) challenged the legality of the new TPD's ecig product-related provisions.This challenge was heard by the European Court of Justice, aka the ECJ (although it goes through name changes every now and then, like a very bad car manufacturer such as Leyland, in order that the negative brand association can be jettisoned; so it may not actually be called the ECJ when you read this).They, rather predictably, rejected the challenge and upheld the TPD2. As that happened this week (w/e Fri May 7th, 2016) - the same week the FDA published their ecig deeming regs - it was a particularly bad week for public health.In fact, it seems likely that no other week was as bad for public health apart from the week the Black Death got started.Part 3: the FDA Deeming Regulation proposalAnd now we get to the FDA's share of the cake.The proposal for a deeming regulation, to 'deem' vaping products as tobacco products and treat them accordingly, was finally published by the FDA this week. The draft had been available for a month.In both of these regulatory moves, EU and FDA , nothing really happens for a couple of years. By 2018, or possibly 2019, we will see exactly what the score is. At first glance the FDA regulations will be stricter than the the EU equivalent, and appear to amount to a de facto* ban, as against the EU's initial 50%-90% ban (we don’t yet know how strictly it will be enforced, country by country). The EU have been careful, this time round, to ensure that they cannot be said to have created a ban: some products can still be sold (basically, mini ecigs of a couple of flavours, mainly sold by the cigarette trade, in main street stores only; measures will be gradually introduced to restrict or remove web sales).* A de facto ban is a law that appears to permit sales, but the conditions are so onerous/expensive/impossible to comply with, that in practice it is a ban.There are some commonalities between the EU and FDA approach:The basic idea is to kill vaping. Nothing must be allowed to threaten the gravy train.As it cannot be done by an outright ban, various ways of creating a 99% ban are going to be used. As long as the products remaining on the market are useless, and sold by the cigarette trade, and just on the high street (main street), and very expensive, they will probably be allowed. This also helps them claim there is no ban. No one will buy this stuff as the cost will be ridiculously high compared to today's prices (and the emerging black market prices), especially considering how useless the products are compared to real vaping technology.Because almost all of what is left is sold by the cigarette industry, it will be much easier to criticise it, tax it, malign it and so on. Remember: the cigarette industry does not fight abuse - this would contradict the deal. In any case, the tobacco industry does not care a jot if vaping fails - in fact, the sooner the better. They will help gov find and eliminate black market products (they do this already for cigarettes).How the FDA regs will differ from the EU regsIt appears that they are going for an all-out ban, and an equivalent to their 2010 import ban, by another route:The grandfather date for products means that nothing sold now is equivalent. Pre-2007, all that was on sale were 3-piece minis, and none of that technology exists today: it was all dumped years ago as it doesn't work. Or, it works like stone age flint tools do for CNC machining. No one can even remember the model series numbers for those old products, which predate even the 510 atomiser, and predate cartomisers. If anyone is going to try and claim product equivalence for modern gear when the comparator is something that existed long before cartomisers (cartos are the business end of the 2-piece mini ecig, but in 2007 no such thing existed: it was all 3-piece neolithic gear), then good luck to them. Their legal team will be taking on a project about the same as claiming a nuclear reactor is equivalent to a wood bow and spindle firelighter from 5,000 BC.Enormous licensing and documentation costs that in effect mean 99.9% of products are gone, even if there were to be a route to survival.Another theoretical route is the reduced-harm application type, but they have never granted an application of this type, as far as I know - they just bin them. Even Swedish Match could not get a product approval of this type for their Snus, when we know that the health implications are close to zero when compared with cigarettes (in Sweden, genuine Snus consumption has no measurable association with oropharyngeal cancers, lung diseases, heart disease, stroke, or any cancer). In all likelihood, the FDA will take the fee (and the costs to get there are, remember, enormous) and sit on it for a few years, then reject it, and keep the fee. So you'd pay out $1 million or whatever to license your strawberry 12mg e-liquid (and another $1m for each of the 6 or so variants of the same product), be unable to market it until they approved it, then get a refusal after 3 years, and perhaps even lose the X million $$. This sounds like a ban to me.Part 4: But all this is the opposite of what the authorities say, and it's murderous for public healthThat's right.You probably think that governments, and politicians, and giant transnationals, all love you and want to support and nurture you. They have your best interests at heart. They just want to create the perfect world for you.You also mistakenly think, in all probability, that many things could be chosen as the most important thing in the world, and they are all good: things like love, or community, or goodness, or creativity, or an industrious attitude and ethic, or the simple trade model of societies, or something like that. What is it exactly that you feel is the most important thing in the world?Just in case you are a bit naive, the two most important things in the world are:Money (mostly yours, in someone else's pocket)PropagandaThese two things are by far the most important things in the world. Indeed, nothing else is of any significance whatsoever, by comparison. Money and propaganda rule this world.To understand what a politician means when they are speaking of a topic that concerns your money or your health (basically the same thing), all you have to do is reverse the statement in your head. What he is actually saying is the opposite of the words.So, when politico A says something like, "We have dealt a strong blow to tobacco today, and the health of our youth is secure for years to come" - what he is actually saying is: "We took a massive bribe to kill off a significant threat to smoking, that would have removed all measurable amounts of disease and death. Now we can be assured that our youth will start to smoke, pay vast amounts of tax, buy huge amounts of drugs to treat their illnesses, make all of us who count a fortune, and die before they become an expensive burden on the state."Or, when a fake cancer lobby group comes out with, "The FDA will now ensure that tobacco products and their cancer are strictly controlled and perhaps even eradicated eventually", what the millionaire CEO is saying in reality is, "We introduced the FDA guy to our pharma pals who make the chemotherapy drugs, some cash changed hands, and now all our futures are secure - the threat to cigarette sales has been averted and cancer is safe for another 30 years".Or, when a State AG says something like: "We in the State of [X] have dealt a strong blow to tobacco today, and this new vaping threat to our youth has been robustly blocked by our vaping bans / taxes / whatever"; his real meaning is: "The State of [X] would collapse into a financial black hole if the tobacco taxes and MSA funds from cigarette sales were to cease or even fall, and my own multi-million dollar job would vaporise, and some senators would lose their gigantic pharma funding, and others their brown envelopes from an industry that cannot be named - so when we banned vaping / taxed vaping to the limit / did other ridiculous stuff to a fairly harmless substitute for smoking / &c., we made sure cigarette sales stay right up there and those MSA funds keep rolling in and Mr Pharma stays happy and the tobacco boys are smiling all over their faces - all of which is very, very good for our State and our own pockets".Or from a CDC spokesperson: "There has been a big rise in use of tobacco products by teens. It's very troubling." Translation: "Huge drop in smoking by US teens, of the order of 40% or so, but some increase in trial or use of ecigs, and even then in all probability mostly without nicotine." In other words: a massive win for public health. It is, indeed, deeply troubling for them: they may become redundant when people realise what an expensive, useless waste of space they are. To try and make a tremendous gain somehow look like a negative, and cover their pain and incompetence and the anger of their very good friends that licensed drugs were unfortunately not used for this amazing progress, they have had to call ecigs a 'tobacco product' (like pizza is a dairy product and your biro pen is a fuel product, maybe). As this near-miracle makes everyone at the CDC look very stupid, incompetent and utterly useless, better call it a new tobacco problem and hope nobody notices. As the CDC can use millions in taxpayers' money to cover up their incompetence with some great propaganda, and half the media is owned anyway, it should work. Some professors of medicine and expert THR advocates in the UK will speak out and get some media exposure from free assets not in the cabal, but who cares about them.Or from an FDA mouthpiece: "We support the use of harm reduction to reduce smoking mortality. More good news is that our new ecig regulations encourage innovation." Translation: "As 'harm reduction' is the new buzzword, we're using it. We have no idea what it means. However, we've been told to block it by any means possible. Also, our regulations will decimate the industry, remove about 99.9% of the products, and completely block all innovation. This will mightily please our funders, and that's what counts. Some of our scientists and technicians complained about this but we told them to STFU or get fired."Now even the cigarette trade is wading in. A prominent US tobacco corporation's spokesperson said: "Today starts a critical regulatory process to dramatically improve the public health of our country by reducing the death and disease caused by smoking". Translation: "Today, we are overjoyed, and it's like Christmas all over again. Our friends have given us a wonderful present: the terrible threat to our business model has been averted, and cigarette sales are safe for at least another decade". He is later reported to have added, "We're having a party with all our friends in pharma, government, cancer promotion lobbying, regulators and the other merchants of death - you're welcome to come. The theme is Grim Reapers and Expensive Whores, so glam it up (or just come as you are, as that's basically who we're inviting so you won't need to change). No need to bring a bottle, we have a chateau or three. No vapes allowed, they're too dangerous."This is the key to understanding any public statement about vaping: it's the opposite of the words used. Just remember the simple first principle of anti-vaping propaganda: reverse the garbage they utter, to get the real meaning.Once again, money and propaganda rule your world, and if you cannot see that, then you must be living in cloud cuckoo land.OverallA huge gain for cigarette sales in the face of a very significant threat. Smoking is protected now for perhaps 10 or 20 years, until the pressure mounts to such a degree that the corrupt laws are removed. (New technology always replaces the old system - eventually - after a desperate rearguard fight by the old system that typically lasts for around 20 or 30 years. They have all the money - they even have your money - so beating them is an impossible task until the pressure is so great they crumble. It often takes the retirement or death of the old guard before any progress can be made.)The black market will be immense. It will be the first time in memory that people have to go to the black market for safer products to maintain their health and allow a normal lifespan, as against the normal situation with black markets. The first time that people will be forced to buy better, safer products outside the legal channels due to deliberate government action. The first time that many people will realise just how corrupt government is. The first time a veil is pulled from some people's eyes, and they see how their health and their lifespan were sold to the highest bidder.A significant proportion of the population will become criminals in intent if not in name, by defying the law. It is the duty of every citizen to ignore corrupt laws, and to fight them; many will choose to do so, and some of those will do it because they see it as their civic duty. A new public movement will be born that organises popular resistance to the multinational pharma and tobacco industries' laws and defies their government puppets.New criminals will be created: accountants, bricklayers, doctors, construction workers, attorneys, painters, receptionists, teachers, car mechanics and many others who never dreamed they would defy government, and who had all previously, perhaps, thought that government is there to protect and support them. Now their eyes are opened, and they see that government uses them as money generation units and disposes of them when they no longer pay their way. They are just there to be milked, then sent to the slaughterhouse when they outlive their use.Round-upIt was difficult to answer how vapers feel about the FDA proposals without looking at the overall situation; apologies for the length of the explanation.This is a global fight for citizen's rights against the smoking economy: a $1 trillion plus machine of gigantic proportion and immense power. It has almost absolute control over both the debate and the laws, and has perverted all the health issues. We know the new technology will eventually win, because it is always the same old story: those making fortunes from the old system fight desperately to stop their incomes vanishing. It is one of the oldest stories there is. Another way of putting it is that, once the genie is out of the bottle, you can't put it back in.What makes it so interesting to me is how propaganda completely reverses the debate so successfully. It must cost a lot, but then again it saves at least $1 trillion in revenue for every year they can successfully keep cigarette sales free from market-based threats. Since these new tech vs old guard wars typically last 20 years or more until the old system dies off, the propaganda will make at least $20 trillion, and that's a lot of fun tickets. Propaganda is an extremely profitable business.I'm not even going to attempt to outline the type of regulations that are actually needed, as this seems pointless to me. It will be another 20 years or more before we will see proper health and safety regulations applied to vaping products. The current moves are all designed to strangle vaping and kill it off, and so remove any threat to cigarette sales with the minimum chance of legal problems; worrying about proper oversight seems a bit futile. The consumers will yet again establish their own monitoring procedures online, much as in the 2010 - 2014 era of vaping, in order to make use of the emerging black market with minimum risk.In the end, people have to rely on themselves, because governments that are in effect run by giant industries are either not relevant to their everyday concerns or simply too corrupt. It may well be that vapers are the first widescale consumer grouping to engage in an alternative economy, and perhaps a vanguard: more will come as things get worse.It looks as if there are going to be a heck of a lot of people who despise their lying, murderously corrupt government and its partners in the cancer business.A2A Q: "What does the vaping community think of the FDA ruling today?"

Away from all the narrow understanding & misinformation being spread by vested interests, I will endeavour to answer this question based on data and studies done globally where they have gone a full circle by actually having carried out some of these reforms. Also farm laws cannot be seen in isolation as they effect 60% of Indian population. Our economy & economic growth cannot be Independent of majority of our population.The answer is laid in three parts.Part I- Economy & Agriculture- LinkagesPart II- Corporates destroyed small farmers in the west & this has a direct negative bearing on rest of the population & other businesses too.Part III- Farm Laws & farmers protests explained lucidly for a common urban citizen.Part I- Economy & Agriculture- LinkagesDo whatever reforms but 1/2 acre of land which is the majority of landholdings of our farmers who account for mire than 50% of our population will not sustain farmers families or relieve farmer stress. You have to create better paying non farm jobs like they did in the west.China although growing only at 6% approx created 13 million jobs in the same period of last about 6 years. China & India had the same per capita GDP in 1990s when our economy was opened up. To be fair both the main parties BJP & Congress have been in power for roughly equal amount of time since then with BJP being in power for more time since 1998 till date.PM called demonetisation a game changer but it killed jobs.Our job creation record is pathetic. Our industry, manufacturing & construction growth is pathetic too.With half of our 138 Crore population being below 25, our youth unemployment has been rising since turn of the century. All countries who progressed, made tremendous growth during the population dividend. Those who didn’t, fell by the way side. None of our governments have been able to create jobs to exploit this. Leaders remain perpetually in electioneering mode instead of focusing on governance.Part II- Corporates destroyed small farmers in the west & this has a direct negative bearing on rest of the population & other businesses too.A recent study by international panel of experts in sustainable food systems brought out that Corporate concentration in the US food system makes food more expensive and less accessible- Study follows trend over 40 yrs. The study uncovered the same all across the globe too. Brief highlights of the study are given below and for detailed reading the link is attached here.Corporate concentration in the US food system makes food more expensive and less accessible for many AmericansFood production in the US is heavily concentrated in the hands of a small number of large agribusiness companies. That's been good for shareholders, but not for consumers.https://theconversation.com/corporate-concentration-in-the-us-food-system-makes-food-more-expensive-and-less-accessible-for-many-americans-151193Negative effect of Corporate Consolidation in nations food system.Solutions - A resilient food system beneficial to all stakeholders from farmers to consumers.These are the authors of this study.Part III- Farm Laws & farmers protests explained lucidly for a common urban citizen.Core questions regarding the issue answered by Agriculture & Food & trade policy expert Devinder Sharma giving both global as well as national perspective with workable solutions.Even as the Central government and its spokespersons work overtime to sell the benefits of the three new farm laws to the Indian public, the farmers protesting on Delhi’s borders have made it clear that they will not retreat till these laws are repealed. Caught between the crossfire of misinformation and facts, the average urban Indian is somewhat confused about the merits and demerits of the farmers’ protest – which has now crossed many months.If there is one thing that has become increasingly obvious over the least seven weeks, it is that big-city dwellers in India live in a very different universe than their rural counterparts, and have a difficult time understanding why the farmers camped on Delhi’s borders are as determined as they are to have their way. One major reason for that is they do not know the ‘back story’ of the protests.In order to relieve some of that confusion and shed light on the larger context of this movement, I spoke to journalist, author, and food and trade policy expert, Devinder Sharma, who has spent the last two decades campaigning for income equality for Indian farmers and asked him the five questions that invariably come up most frequently whenever the topic of the farmers’ protests comes up for discussion.Why are farmers so unhappy with the Central government?Many think that it is just the three new farm laws that have agitated the farming community and that is why they are at the doorsteps of New Delhi. The way I see it, though, is that this is anger that has compounded over decades and is finally finding an outlet. Three studies show how agriculture has faced huge injustice and inequality and has been deprived of its rights over the last 30 or 40 years.A study by UNCTAD shows that for 20 years, between the mid-1980s and the mid-2000s, the output price or the farm gate price of agriculture remained static across the globe. In other words, farmers’ income in the 2000s (after adjusting for inflation) remained the same as it was in the 1980s. Rich countries, of course, addressed this issue by providing direct income support and a whole lot of other privileges to the farming communities, but the developing countries could not afford it and farmers in these countries have silently suffered the consequences ever since.Then came a study in 2008 by OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) along with a New Delhi think tank which estimated that between 2010 and 2016-17, Indian farmers lost Rs 45 lakh crores in farm incomes! What was even more extraordinary than this crisis was the lack of discussion around it. And this was for only for a handful of crops, so the total extent of the loss that the farmers have suffered must have been significantly higher. This meant a loss of about Rs. 2.64 lakh crore every year because farmers were denied their rightful income.Yet another report by the Economic Survey in 2016 tells us that the average income of a farming family in 17 states of India, about half the country, is only Rs. 20,000 a year, or less than Rs 1,700 rupees a month. I can’t even raise a cow in that amount! I shudder to think how the farming community has been surviving in half of India.All that to say that agriculture has been passing through a terrible crisis all these decades, and the fact that farmers have assembled at the borders of New Delhi in the dead of winter shows they have had enough. The academia, the elite, and the economists have all failed to help farmers get their rightful dues, and so now they have taken it upon themselves to fight for their survival.With these farm laws being introduced, they fear that whatever they have left is also going to be snatched away. That is what has pushed them into this kind of protest which is an iconic one, of a kind at least I have not seen anywhere in the world.But isn’t this primarily a protest by rich Punjabi farmers?If the Punjab farmers were so rich, then they should have been a model for the rest of the country to follow. But a study done jointly by the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjabi University, Patiala and Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar — all public sector universities — showed that between 2000 and 2015, 16,600 farmers and farm workers committed suicide. Incidentally, the total debt that Punjab farm households are reeling under is Rs 1 lakh crore!If the farmers were rich, why did they commit suicide in such large numbers? Pick up a Punjabi newspaper, and chances are that you will find one or two suicides being reported almost daily. Also, every third farmer in Punjab happens to be below the poverty line.Let us not forget that, in this country, only 4% farmers have land holdings which are more than 10 hectares. So, what kind of rich farmers are we talking about, when only 4% farmers have more than 10 acres of land? 86% farmers in India have a landholding size of less than five acres. The remaining are what are called median or medium farmers who have a land holdings of 6 to 8 acres.To say that this agitation is being led by the farmers who are rich just because they get minimum support price is ridiculous. In Punjab, roughly 70% of the small farmers get the benefit of minimum support price. Small farmers are those who have less than five acres. They are the ones who benefit largely from the minimum support price.And to those who say that this is a protest instigated by opposition parties, please go and stay outside your home for one night in the dead of winter to see what it’s like. I don’t think anybody will do that even if they are paid to. Just spend one night in a trolley or tent on a road outside Delhi, and tell me if you would do that for more than a month even if you were paid to. I think it’s time to stop being so contemptuous towards the farming community. Let’s honour and respect the protesting farmers, and try to see what they need and what we can do to help.But aren’t most farmer unions in favour of these laws?If the majority of farmers were in favour of these laws, would the number of them on protest be this huge? In fact, it is remarkable that so many farmer unions have come together on one platform. As someone who has worked with farmers for over two decades, I know how difficult it is to get different farmer unions to see eye to eye. And yet, here you have 32 union leaders from Punjab, and many others from Haryana, Rajasthan, Western UP, and other parts of the country. It just shows that the situation is now dire enough for them to put their differences aside and come together for their survival.As far as the “groups” who are saying that these laws are good, it’s not very difficult to hold up a visiting card saying that you represent x farmer group. We have seen it happen earlier and we are seeing that happening now. What is more important to remember, though, is that such a large section of farmers have actually come out together in strong protest.Even if a chunk of the farming population is unhappy, isn’t it important to try and understand why they are unhappy and then try and help them, instead of trying to minimise their distress and their numbers?What is so bad about corporates getting into agriculture?I was being interviewed on a business channel the other day, and the host asked me, “At a time when the markets are so excited about these farm laws, why are the farmers unhappy?”I said, “You have answered your own question. The laws are in favour of the market, so of course they are excited. And the farmers feel the laws are not in their favour, and so they are on the streets.”The world is moving towards corporate agriculture, but contrary to what corporations would like you to think, corporate involvement in agriculture has not boosted farmers’ income. Take the United States, for example, from where we have borrowed these laws. In America, open markets and free trade in agriculture have existed for over six to seven decades, and yet farm incomes there have been in decline. In fact, in 2020, American farmers were saddled with a bankruptcy of more than $425 billion.If the reforms were so good, why would farmers be faced with that kind of bankruptcy? Most Indians don’t know that America is also passing through a terrible agrarian crisis. In fact, the rate of suicide in rural America is about 45% higher than it is in urban America.Over the years, small farms in the US have disappeared and only 1.5% of America’s population is now engaged in farming. And yet, the US continues to be the biggest agriculture producer in the world. (Of course when we talk of agriculture in America, we are talking about big machines, big corporates, big business and big agriculture. But when we talk about agriculture in India, we’re talking about millions of small farmers, marginal farmers.)In America, they don’t have MSP, or APMCs. There, big retailers like Walmart do not have stock limits. They also have contract farming, and do commodity trading, and yet, despite all of that, American farmers are given a subsidy of $62,000, every year. Which begs the question — If open markets are really that efficient, why does the government pump in so much money into the agriculture sector?The OECD countries, the richest trading bloc in the world, pump billions of dollars into agriculture every year by way of direct income support or subsidies. Europe today is giving about $100 billion of agricultural subsidies annually and roughly half of it goes as direct income support to farmers. So, what we see as ‘market efficiency’ in agriculture or agriculture export, is actually federal support that governments have been providing to the agricultural sector.We need to be very clear that agriculture is sustainable and viable in rich and developed countries not because the markets are efficient, but because the government provides subsidy support year after year.China, incidentally, has now emerged as the biggest provider of agricultural subsidies in the world, beating even America and the European Union. The Chinese government provided $212 billion dollars worth of subsidy support to its agricultural sector in 2016. 38% of the earnings of wheat farmers actually comes from subsidies, as does about 32% of the earnings of the rice farmers. It is not the high yield that they have, but subsidies that gives farmers high income.Then there is the issue of technology. You’ve heard it all – “When technology comes in, then productivity goes up and income goes up,” etc. Well, since the 1970s, the US had a number of small dairy farms. These dairy farms were technology-rich, and the cattle they had were high- yielding. In fact, American dairy farms were a model for us to follow. But about ten years ago, I read a shocking report in New York Times about a farmer suicide. This farmer was so distressed by the market crash in milk prices, that he first shot each of his 51 cows, and then he shot himself.The point I’m trying to make is that distress has prevailed in America over the decades and we don’t even know about it. If you look closely at what has happened in the US, 93% of the dairy farms have closed down since the 1970s, but milk production has gone up. This is because big corporates have moved into agriculture and set up mega dairies and this has led to milk prices crashing and 93% of dairy farms closing down.If technology and productivity were indeed the criteria for agricultural success, then I see no reason why those dairy farms would have closed. They closed down because of the market prices they were getting, which just kept declining. It came to the point that they could not even cover their costs of production, and so they just left farming.This is a warning for us, and is only one of many examples that show how the things that are supposed to increase farmer income actually don’t. What farmers need is direct income support. In Europe, 50% of the subsidies are allocated for direct income support. The US gives $62,000 as subsidy support or an average to each farmer in a year.I think it tells us that markets are not what are sustaining agriculture; it is primarily subsidies which sustain whatever remains in agriculture today.So what do you see as the way forward? How can agriculture be saved and revived?This is a critical juncture in our history and this farmers’ movement should actually make us all sit up and think about the corrections that need to be made.First of all, like you and I need some sort of assured income, every farmer also needs to have an assured price for his produce. He needs to be sure that after the harvest, when he goes into the mandi, he will at least get that minimum price. If there can be a minimum wage for the workers, I don’t understand why there can’t be a minimum price for the farmers.The only way I know to ensure that is MSP. In fact, that is a strength of India, because our policymakers did a remarkable thing at the time of green revolution — they introduced a minimum support price. That is something which has stood the test of the time. I also agree there are problems in the mandis, but we need to reform their structure, not shut them down. Throwing out the mandis is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.I would suggest that the government make MSP legal for the 23 crops that it announces MSP for every year. Every year the government announces minimum support price for 23 crops but effectively buys only wheat and paddy. (To some extent, cotton and pulses too, as the need arises, but primarily wheat and paddy.) This needs to be extended to all the crops.An analysis in The Wire showed that in October and November of 2020, in just two months, based on the government’s own portal where they give you details about how many different crops have been sold in these two months and at what the price etc. — If the farmers had gotten MSP for all crops across the board and not just for wheat and paddy, they would have gained by Rs 1900 crores in just two months! I’m sure you will agree that is not a small amount, and considering that in half the country, the average income is only Rs 20,000 a year, imagine the economic benefit the farmers would have received.80% of the gross crop area in India is covered by these 23 crops. That means a large section of the farming population is covered by a minimum support price regime if it is implemented effectively or made legal. That would be real azadi for farmers. He would know that whether he sells in Punjab or Bihar, he will be getting the same price, the minimum support price. That’s the kind of freedom that the farmers are expecting.Corporates are saying they will now be able to give farmers a higher price for their produce! But higher price than what? The only benchmark we have is MSP. So if corporates, policymakers and economists are already willing to pay a “higher price”, then what is the problem in setting MSP as a minimum income that the farmer is assured of? The corporate sector should be standing with the farmer saying, “Yes, let’s make MSP a legal right, because we are in any case going to give them a higher price.”But that’s not happening, which means the corporates are not being honest. They know that they will not be able to give a higher price.Many ‘corporate activists’ who appear on the television have been saying that if the Center brings in a fourth law, which makes the minimum support price across the country legal, then the reforms would collapse and crash! — That means you are yourself admitting that you are not going to give farmers a higher price!Secondly, delivering minimum support price poses its own set of challenges. In this country we have about 7000 APMC-regulated mandis. What we need in this country is 42,000 mandis within a five-kilometre radius. That is infrastructure we have to create, so farmers can sell their produce easily. If you have a good network of mandis laid out, then the mechanism of MSP delivery becomes easy.In America, after all these decades of the free market, the US Department of Agriculture tells us that the share of a farmer in every food dollar is only 8 cents. This means if the consumer is spending $1 on buying food, then the farmer’s share is only 8%. This should tell us very clearly why the American farmer is in a crisis today.Now compare that with Amul Dairy Co-operative in India. The Managing Director of Amul Dairy Cooperative has gone on record saying that when you buy Amul milk for Rs 100, Rs 70 of that goes to the farmers. The farmer’s share is 70%! So why not draw a lesson from Amul and replicate that model in vegetables, pulses, fruits, etc, to ensure that the farmers get a larger share of the profit?Why are we ashamed of our homegrown models? Let’s learn from our own strengths and build on them. Instead of opening up agriculture for the corporates to exploit, let’s expand the cooperative network in this country. Let’s experiment and learn how to make that work for vegetables and fruits.One last thing — our economic design has treated agriculture as a burden on society. The argument is that unless we move people out of agriculture into the urban areas, we will not have economic growth. This has to change. In just two days of lockdown, we saw 80 million people go into reverse migration both interstate and intrastate, and that tells us that, that the model of pushing people out of the urban areas, was a flawed, economic model. And I think we need to reverse that model. The possibility of making, agriculture a powerhouse of economic growth is what is required today.

Sure.I did fifty, I did a hundred, I did two hundred fifty, I can probably do 500. (Most of these are repeated while some are copied from the last three.)1. My birth name is Sienna2. It’s gonna be legally changed to Cory soon3. I’m thirteen years old4. I’m libragender5. My pronouns are they/them and he/him6. I’m asexual7. And omniromantic (a terribly complicated way of saying liking everyone but gender is a contributing factor)8. I’m dating a wonderful girl named Riley9. We’ve been dating since March10. Let’s start weird facts off with what I’m allergic to (there’s a lot). Wheat.11. Dairy.12. Peach fuzz.13. Kiwis.14. Mangoes.15. Strawberries.16. Almonds.17. Bee stings.18. Ant bites.19. Wasp stings.20. Now, what I’m afraid of. Falling.21. Drowning.22. Hurting others.23. Losing control of situations that could have serious impacts24. Having prolonged skin-to-skin contact with most people.25. Okay, now onto less interesting stuff. My favourites… Colour: Dark green.26. Food: Shepherd’s pie (with lamb, not the fake stuff with beef)27. Fruit: Pears28. Book: The Hunger Games (first book in the series)29. Book series: The Series of Unfortunate Events30. Movie: Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse31. Song: Guillotine by Jon Bellion32. Music genre: Alternative33. Music artist: Jon Bellion for solo and Super Junior for group34. Season: Autumn. I love the colours and the low but not too low temperature35. More interesting stuff, like personal shit. I’ve been pierced seven different times, in seven different places. Twice in each ear, upper right cartilage, and twice in my bottom lip36. I’ve dyed by hair a total of nine times, once red, once blue, six times purple, and once green37. Mental and physical issues: I have asperger’s38. Along with selective mutism39. And clinical depression40. And… uh, some minor anxiety41. Physical: I have fibromyalgia42. And Osgood Schlatter’s43. Plus, chronic migraines44. And scoliosis that won’t freaking go away45. I’ve been to sixteen different states46. And seven different schools47. I’ve never been out of the US48. I’ve never been to the same place twice49. I love travelling (if you didn’t notice)50. I love watching anime and reading manga51. Boku no Hero Academia is my favourite anime and manga52. Though, Fairy Tail is a close second53. With Kotoura san being a close third54. I’m writing a fanfiction with my girlfriend, Riley55. I’m very proud of it, it currently has 127 pages and is one of my best writing pieces56. I also write a lot of short stories (my longest is 3,500 words) and flash fiction (shortest is seven words)57. I have itchy feet and want to move. Even if just in the city, just move58. I can speak some German (Ich liebe meine anhänger!)59. And I can read Russian almost fluently, I just have difficulty pronouncing any and all words60. I know most of Spanish61. Along with like two sentences in French62. And a few words in Italian63. I plan to move to Australia when I’m older64. I want to be a youth and adolescent psychologist65. I’ve had glasses since I was two66. I missed a kerb and skinned my face, so my mum took me to get glasses67. My face is asymmetrical because of it68. I have all four wisdom teeth thanks to my dad69. One’s growing in completely sideways70. It will never erupt from my gums, and it’s already causing me pain71. I lost my last baby tooth last year72. I don’t tan, I burn73. I have minor road rage, even though I can’t drive74. Okay, that last one was a lie. I drive around my neighbourhood all the time. I’m a really good driver, I just can’t park straight for the life of me75. Every time I do one of these, I get quicker and better at remembering facts about myself76. I’ve done three; fifty, a hundred, and two hundred fifty77. I plan to do a thousand after this78. I’m a semi decent softball pitcher79. I love to run80. I was born in Berkeley, California81. That was the first time I’ve spelt Berkeley right in one go82. I can’t spell for the life of me83. I have never broken a bone84. Sprained both my ankles, though85. I have two older sisters, Alli and Ember86. Ember is one year, one month, and fifteen days older than me87. Alli is seven years, one month, and five days older than me88. I was born May 30th, 200689. I wear a size 10 shoe (9 1/2 is my foot size, and my feet are wide so I have to wear a half size up)90. Halloween is my favourite holiday, I just really love seeing people in their costumes91. I kinda sorta love the song Thrift Shop by Macklemore ft. Wanz92. I’ve been biting my nails for almost eleven years93. I have OCD tendencies because of it94. I’m more right than left95. Just because I’m a conservative doesn’t mean I’m a Trump supporter96. I’ve lived in four states, California, North Carolina, Florida, and Washington. In that order97. I’m something of a kleptomaniac98. I speak before I think, then think about what I said and get flustered99. I love to sing and draw, though I suck at both100. I say ‘though’ a lot101. I tend to use italics excessively102. Reading is one of my favourite past times103. I have a shelf of books above my closet area104. Next to those books are my many, many stuffed animals105. I’m more than one fifth done with this and it’s only been fifteen minutes106. I’m not very popular, though I’m friends with a couple popular people107. I love goat’s milk and cheese108. Sheep is okay, to me anyway109. I keep my room relatively tidy110. In my family, we all have our pets111. Mine is a cute, little, black and white cat named Toodles. She’s the younger sister of my sister and mum’s cat. Rorschach, my sister’s, is the biggest and oldest. My mum’s cat is the second oldest, his name is Mousse. The communal cat, who isn’t really anybodies cat, is the youngest. She’s named Kiyoshi112. I like cats, but I *love* dogs113. I can’t see anything at all without my glasses. Everything’s out of focus and blurry114. My favourite subject is science, specifically biology115. My favourite class is choir116. I love baking117. I can’t cook shit118. I’m Norwegian and German119. I have relatively decent grammar120. I’ve had seven crushes in total; four male, two female, and one nonbinary121. I’m the second tallest biological female on my mum’s side and I’m 5′6. The tallest is my sister Ember, she’s 5′11 1/2122. I talk very quickly when I’m comfortable123. I’ve been called a lower pitch chipmunk on weed once124. My middle name’s Eryka125. I hate how it’s spelt126. I want to change it to Andrew127. No one has ever pronounced my last name properly. At least, not before I tell them what it is128. I curse very regularly129. I’ve smoked and drank before130. I drink fairly normally131. I wanted to be a palaeontologist from the time I was three to when I was ten132. I love downhill skiing so much133. I’ve had two dogs, Lobo and Sokka. Sokka was an adorable little Jack Russell-Beagle mix while Lobo was smaller mutt134. I can touch my tongue to my nose relatively easily135. I’m very much so a sleep talker136. It’s my goal to be the only person in my family to be successful without going to college137. My blood type is O positive138. I have zero sense of rhythm139. I have a lot of difficulty telling pitches apart on the piano140. My natural hair is blonde141. My hair is naturally very curly142. It’s frizzy and awkward in the mornings, no matter how short it is143. I hate having hair. I want it all gone144. I also hate ordering for myself at restaurants (today was the first time I did)145. I write in British English though I’m American146. I use my right hand for writing and my left hand for throwing147. I’m a Slytherin148. I talk to inanimate objects sometimes149. I love sleeping (who doesn’t?)150. I hate eating151. I’d like to write a novel someday152. I didn’t learn to swim till I was eight153. I didn’t jump of the diving board until I was ten154. I’m still an extremely weak swimmer155. I choose to consider myself ‘tall’, even though I’m only two inches above average156. I don’t want to give birth or have small children157. When it’s warm out but still raining, I love to run. It’s my favourite running weather158. I hate people who mistake whether for weather and vice versa159. I’m so pro-life it’s not even funny160. I’m left handed161. I use the right side of my brain most often162. I hate people with super high pitch, squeaky voices163. People who are taller than me annoy me (most of the time)164. I’m a Satanist165. I attend a Christian church on an irregular basis166. I almost never give second chances, only to specific people167. One of my friends really likes to call me Sien168. One thing I can’t live without is my Chromebook. I freak out if I can’t find it, or I can’t go on it because my wifi crashed169. Okay, I’m using Pinterest for questions right now and one that keeps popping up is if I’m in love. Yeah, probably. Not gonna say any more than that.170. I’m mainly insecure about my smile and laugh171. I wheeze when I laugh hard172. And my smile looks very fake173. I’d much rather sit in silence for an hour than talk for a solid minute174. I mainly sleep with my closet door closed. It’s super dark and creepy in there because of all my stuffed animals175. I have so many unused, probably expired coupons on the bottom of my purse, it’s insane176. I try not to touch people when at school or in the store and places like that177. When around my friends, I try to be more touchy so that I can get used to skin-to-skin contact178. I stopped growing179. The only sport I enjoy watching is basketball. I can watch college basketball games for hours, back to back, without stopping180. The only sport I enjoy playing is basketball. It’s amazing how I can spend literal hours playing and not realise how much time has passed181. I tried watching Naruto, but I got to episode three then accidentally went to episode 4 in Naruto Shippuden. I was so confused and just gave up182. I can only cook pasta, eggs, and grilled cheese sandwiches183. I can bake brownies, many types of cookies, and a couple different types of cake/cupcake. I really want to try cheesecake though184. I get motion-sickness really bad when on stuff like roller coasters, never when driving or even flying185. My hips have never been straight so my legs look uneven in length186. My MBTI is ENTP-T187. I listen to stereotypical ‘emo’ music like MCR and rock/heavy metal bands from the 80’s and 90’s188. I’ve been called emo/scene/goth more times than I can count189. I wanted a tongue piercing for the longest time, but I’m not willing to risk any more damage to my gums/teeth190. I don’t know what piercing I could get next191. I hate wearing off the shoulder tops192. I’ve never worn ripped jeans193. Or skinny jeans194. Or crop tops195. Or high heels196. Or Vans197. I have a pocket knife, lighter, and multi-tool in my purse198. I’m very sarcastic and rude to most adults199. When nervous or caught off guard, I tend to speak in a hushed, high-pitch tone that surprises most people200. I hate one person and only one person201. I have one favourite substitute teacher. She’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. Her nickname is Mo and she’s amazing. Even though she says she sucks at maths, she’s helped me learn a lot in that class202. When I drink coffee, I get heartburn203. I really love coffee though204. My favourite youtuber is Markiplier205. The internet is my life206. I use my Chromebook for Quora and YouTube mainly207. I’m more than two fifths done with this already208. I love the smell of coffee209. If a scent is too strong, it’ll burn my nose210. My name was almost Sadie211. My due date was June 14th, but my mum didn’t want me to be in the same month as my dad, so she had the midwife break her water so she’d have me. I was forty weeks, going on forty one so I was fine212. The makeup I wear most often is mascara, because my eyelashes are light brown and look practically nonexistent most of the time (also BB cream, but not as often as mascara)213. I’ve never been in a car accident214. I technically need braces215. I’m allergic to bees but I’m not afraid of them (I’ve let them land on my hands and arms before)216. I look more like my dad than my mum217. I got my ears pierced first when I was two, I wanted them and begged my mum to get them done218. I used to be able to do a handstand but I haven’t tried in years219. The last time I cried was last night for practically no reason220. My favourite time of day is midnight, going on one AM221. I love going to work with my mum and helping to deliver newspapers222. I’ve never cried while getting a piercing223. I’ve never freaked out and decided not to get a piercing224. I’ve never decided to get one piercing but not the other225. When I get anxious, my hands shake226. When I get super anxious, I freeze up227. I can’t sing in front of people on my own228. Sometimes I sing super confidently and loudly, but other times I can barely sing at pianissimo (music term, meaning very soft)229. The first time my first internet friend saw my face, he called me an intellectual cinnabon230. That has been my username on so many platforms (shameless promotion, go follow my Instagram, intellectual._.cinnabon)231. My sister has comic strips where I’m Cinnabon and she’s Banana since her username on Instagram is Isabananana232. I’ve never actually been to Cinnabon before233. I love all my friends so much234. I love BTS, but I also like BLACKPINK and Super Junior (ARMY over Blink)235. I sort of hate smartphones236. I’d rather have a laptop237. I’m horrible with newer technology238. I’m good with monitors from the late 90’s, early 2000’s239. I was called a grape in sixth grade because of my hair240. I don’t like a lot of people241. Including one of the people I pretend to be friends with at school242. I really, really hate people who pretend to have anxiety/depression for likes on Instagram243. Pork makes me sick to my stomach244. I’m almost never happy anymore245. I can successfully trip over nothing246. I have an almost photographic memory when it comes to friends, random facts and stuff I’d rather not remember, never to school247. The longest I’ve ever lived in one place is six years, going on seven next March248. I’m planning on not going to college249. I sort of love maths250. Sweet grits are one of my favourite foods251. I’ve never had a Big Mac252. I really hate MCU253. But I don’t like DC either254. I’m halfway through with this255. I once wrote an essay about how Tasmanian Tigers are the best animal to have lived. For fun.256. I write a lot in my spare time257. I know almost all the sexualities and genders258. I love learning new things (especially about modern disasters)259. I have almost no gag reflex260. I’m one of the youngest eighth graders (I’m only older than five or six people)261. I love dinosaurs of all kinds, especially carnivorous and massive ones262. One of the first words I learned from older people was despise263. My first word was might264. The first time I started watching My Hero Academia, I watched episodes back to back for six hours straight265. I prefer subbed over dubbed animes266. I’m a logophile (a lover of words)267. I know a lot of names of different phobias268. My knees, hips, and ankles crack all the time269. My knees also literally groan if I stand up too quickly270. I play the clarinet (horribly)271. I write in British English though I’m American272. I’ve got fairly short, white hair273. My eyes are naturally dark blue, sometimes grey274. I’m extremely pale (I’ve been called translucent)275. I’ve said non’t on accident rather than yes276. I can count the number of real friends I have (six)277. I get nervous very, very easily278. My favourite day of the week is Monday (or Thursday)279. I’ve fallen asleep in school nine times280. I have a shit ton of stuffed animals281. I can type at around 100 words per minute (highest 132, lowest around 107)282. With about 92% accuracy283. Nightcore is one of my favourite music genres, along with heavy metal, rock, hip hop, and alternative284. I really, really love Dear, Winter by AJR285. I’m a Gemini286. I love playing basketball287. And watching it288. I’ll watch it for hours and not get bored289. I wear leggings and straight jeans mainly290. I tend to talk in my sleep291. Give me chocolate and I’ll do practically anything292. I literally can’t roll my R’s293. I like debating about controversial subjects294. I have a scar on the top of my right foot from rope burn295. And another on the top of my left foot from a really sharp stick296. I pinch and grab at my skin when I get really nervous297. If I could choose, I would wear hoodies, jumpers, and sweat pants for the rest of my life298. I only have one friend who I think I’ll stay in touch with after high school, her name is Riley299. The longest I’ve been away from my mum is six days300. It was a summer camp. I cried the first night301. I have a dry sense of humour302. And a very awkward personality303. Sometimes, when I’m lying in bed, I’ll raise one arm up in the air without even realising it for literally no reason304. I don’t play DDLC, nor will I ever, but I still love the characters and ship Natsuri305. I’m more than three fifths done with this306. I’m an extrovert307. I love rap and hip hop from the early to mid 2000’s (anywhere from 2000 to 2012)308. I don’t talk to a lot of people309. I have made long lasting internet friends310. I really am shit at reading out loud311. I love watching Miraculous Ladybug312. It’s one of my favourite ‘cartoons’313. I like watching soap operas with my mum314. General Hospital and Bones are two of my favourites315. I’m partially deaf in my left ear316. I don’t ever want to get married317. When I talk for long periods of time, the fact that I used to have a very thick southern accent becomes apparent318. When talking, I try to avoid using contractions like don’t and can’t,319. Not really it’s and I’m, though320. I’m a Satanist321. I go to a conservative baptist church322. I still don’t know how to read the Bible properly323. I embarrass myself often324. I walk with short, fast strides (it’s really awkward looking)325. I’m absolutely terrified of the thought of singing on my own in front of *any* other people (including my mum, sister, and girlfriend)326. I prefer girl friends over guy friends327. I’m currently listening to a song called Forever328. I regret most of my decisions (sadly)329. I prefer sitting over laying330. I’ve lost my glasses more times than I can count331. Facebook asked: The one person I want to be with right now is my girlfriend. I don’t really want to talk to her or anything, just be close to her332. I don’t trust a lot of people, only really close friends333. I miss a lot of people, mainly old friends334. My longest friendship has lasted for roughly nine years335. My first friend, besides my sister, was a guy named Nicholas. We met when I was two and he was three. We were neighbours and went to school together when I lived in North Carolina. Shortly after my family moved to Florida, his moved to Illinois. We Facetime often, so that’s nice.336. Three really shitty things: I’ve cried myself to sleep multiple nights in a row337. I’ve been bullied by the same guys for around a year now338. I’ve never been someone’s first choice. When given an option, someone will always choose someone else before me. No matter what. It’s been proven, dozens of times.339. When I was little, I wanted to be a panda. It was my life goal to become a panda340. I’ve been close to being arrested341. I don’t think I’d ever date someone twice342. I really don’t want to do anything for my birthday for this year or any after343. I’m gonna get my wisdom teeth taken out when they’re partially, almost fully developed when I’m fourteen344. I’m gonna continue choir throughout high school and maybe college345. I don’t think ghosts are real nor will I ever346. I’m envious of people with functional families (my parents despise each other, my aunt tried to murder me, my cousin abandoned me and my sister, etc, etc.)347. If I had one wish I could ask a genie for, I would ask for my mum to live till eighty348. I’m apparently a very, very sensitive person349. I cry really easily350. And panic even more so351. I don’t believe in fate, only coincidence352. I’d rather be high than drunk353. I do illegal shit more often than any twelve year old should354. I like the east coast more than the west coast, though the west coast is where all my friends are355. I like living in the middle of nowhere, Benton City356. The last time I hugged someone was a couple days ago, I believe357. The first time I had a crush, I was nine or ten. I didn’t have a class with the person, I knew them only by watching them at recess and talking to their friends (I was a creepy kid, okay?)358. My face, ears, and hands turn red when I cry359. When I’m around someone long enough (or listening to them talk like in YouTube videos) I will unconsciously adapt their talking mannerisms and end up pronouncing words like them. This is from being exposed to many different accents when I was young, so I pick them up really easily360. I have super bad posture361. I crack my fingers in a very painful way. All the damn time362. I typically have a very clean, empty inbox on everything363. I don’t use acronyms when texting unless I’m super comfortable around you (meaning I won’t say lol, omg, or tbh)364. I don’t think I’m going to finish this365. I’ve been working on this for three weeks366. I forgot it existed for four days367. I don’t really believe in second chances368. All my nicknames: Sienns, Mickey, and Mikey369. I’m typically not a jealous person370. I’m horribly nearsighted371. I have really shitty handwriting372. I’m a relatively blunt, straightforward person373. In all honesty, I’m probably really annoying374. My personality depends on who I’m around375. I could be very shy, reserved, and anxious376. But I could also be loud, bouncy, and fairly confident377. There was a time when I had both my elbows and both my knees skinned. Moving hurt378. I read mainly fiction books379. I apologise too often380. I have an extremely bad memory381. I love BBQ sauce. On almost anything. Except desserts. Or breakfast.382. I am extremely body conscious. In a fairly negative way383. I have somewhere between 30 and 40 stuffed animals. Not actually sure anymore384. There’s only one that I can’t sleep without. His name is Rajah, and he’s a floppy, ten year old tiger from a Cracker Barrel in North Carolina385. He’s probably the only stuffed animal I’ll have with me in my college dorm386. I learned to whistle when I was three387. I said my first word when I was nine months old388. I was born on a Tuesday389. I’m named after my dad, Sienna’s a reddish-brown colour and his name is Redd390. Also, his friends name is Eryk, so I’m named after his friend as well (yet another reason why I want to change my name)391. I really hate modern ‘rappers’392. I get teased a lot by my dad’s side of the family for being too short (the tallest woman on his side is 6′9″, tallest man is 6′11″)393. I have eight cats currently394. I’ve loved Captain Crunch since I was very little, it’s still my go-to cereal395. I usually don’t untie my shoes before I take them off396. My favourite ice cream flavour is French vanilla397. I have four pairs of shoes (Converse, Birkenstock's, snow boots, flats), three of which are black398. If I were a crayon, I’d be a royal purple with glitter. Don’t judge me399. .400. I’m four fifths done with this401. I want contacts but they’re too expensive402. I’d choose the Rolling Stones over the Beatles any day403. I don’t have any talents whatsoever, other than boring people to death404. I wear a ring on my left ring finger405. I really like going to yard sales406. I also really like going to small thrift shops407. I’ve never seen a Star Wars movie408. I hate most seafood besides tuna and shrimp409. My favourite pie is pecan410. I’ve seen three major fires up close before (kinda terrifying in an exciting way, though)411. One time, when helping my mum on her paper route, I rolled a paper and went to stick it through the window, into a mailbox. The window wasn’t open. The paper exploded. My sister ridiculed me for weeks after412. I talk to myself often413. I don’t like eating in front of ‘new’ people, or people I don’t eat around often. I honestly don’t know why414. I’ve been complimented on my ability to speak fast and still be understood415. I hate waking up any earlier than I have to416. I have weird thumbs. When learning about genetics in Science, I realised that I have one hitchhiker’s thumb and one straight thumb417. I’ve been stung by bees three times, all because I’ve stepped on them418. The first time, I was two and it swelled up to my knee419. I’ve never been stung by a wasp420. This is my favourite number so far421. I would be of average weight or below, since I exercise often and don’t eat very much, but I have hypothyroidism and barely lose weight. Ever422. I constantly lie to avoid confrontation423. I used to like Harry Potter, but Rowling’s writing style practically bores me to death424. I didn’t know unkempt was a word until a couple months ago425. I often read old conversations with people426. In second grade, I was taught that 9/11 didn’t happen427. I transferred schools after that428. I forgot that I didn’t include least favourites. So, here they are: Colour: Hot pink429. Food: Lots of sweets (taffee, jolly ranchers, smarties, etc). Artificial sugar gives me migraines, and I don’t like most sweets anyway430. Drink: Matcha. Anything matcha deserves to die431. Book: (other than the entire HP series) uhh, probably the first book in the series of unfortunate events (it made me cry ;-;)432. Movie: Any Percy Jackson movie433. Song: 7 Rings by Ariana Grande434. I used to watch Beavis and Butthead. All the time435. I’ve been called Thanos436. I was the tallest in my class until fifth grade437. I’ve debated going to a Christian school438. I make high-pitch squealing noises sometimes, especially when I like things a lot439. Despite what people think (that I like all emo/goth music), I really like country music440. I can name forty nine of the fifty states off the top of my head (North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Texas, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Minnesota, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Illinois, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, Arkansas, Rhode Island, Delaware, Vermont, Connecticut, Kentucky, Ohio, Iowa, Arizona, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Tennessee, Indiana, Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, Wisconsin)441. I’m almost always in pain442. (If I go to college) I want to minor in theology and major in psychology or maybe political science443. I’ve never been a picky eater444. I love Game of Thrones445. I really like dressing up for Halloween, though I have no idea what I’m gonna be this year446. I’ve been to one wedding before. It was painstakingly boring, though I did really enjoy helping the bride beforehand447. I typically sleep on my side, but sometimes I sleep on my stomach, very rarely my back448. I have never had the urge to become vegetarian or vegan. I like my meat and cheese, thank you very much449. My maiden name is weird. It’s Mikkelsen, pronounced Michael-son. Not whatever the Hell you thought450. I don’t have a least favourite subject, but my least favourite class is math451. It takes me about four minutes (literally) to get ready on the morning, on an average morning452. One thing that makes me smile thinking of the look on Riley’s face when I, for the first time, wrapped my arm around her waist. It was great453. I surprisingly don’t snore, but I move around a lot in my sleep454. I’ve actually never been called a nerd (been called a geek though)455. I’m not from any specific place. I guess I ‘grew up’ in North Carolina because from the time I was one to the time I was five I lived there456. I don’t think I’ve ever had a favourite person457. My favourite fairy-tale is Hansel and Gretel, the Grimm’s version458. My all-time favourite city is Shasta, California. I stayed there for a week and a half and met a kid named Damian. My sister and I called him Dairy. It was fun459. If I had a daughter, I would name her Aspen or Georgia460. If I had a son, I would name him Owen or Grant461. Something I hate about myself: I’m basically a gender-neutral version of my father. He’s a malicious, vindictive asshole who manipulates anyone who gets close to him. And I’m practically turning into him462. Pet peeves: Ignorant people463. Being interrupted464. I’ve been called creepy, freak, and stalker because I remember names and faces from listening to conversations (I’ll hear a name, match it to a face, then say it to their face and get it right without having them tell me their name)465. I almost never follow people back466. My favourite thing to do in my spare time is to write or run467. I’ve actually never had a celebrity crush468. I have eight cats currently (six female, two male)469. I want tattoos. All over (from 472 to 479 are sleeping facts because I can)470. I prefer living in the country over the city471. I like books way more than movies472. I’m a very deep sleeper473. I have to sleep with some sort of light on474. I sleep with multiple pillows, always475. I go to sleep fairly late (eleven to midnight usually)476. I don’t wear pyjamas ever477. I don’t know how people can wear socks to sleep478. I almost always go to sleep with dry hair479. I sleep with multiple thick blankets even in the summer480. I hate having my hair touched481. Same goes for my face482. And back483. Markers tend to burn my skin484. Tumblr hates me rn. Okay, so yes, I’ve done drugs (weed)485. I’ve self-harmed before (I crack my knuckles in a very painful way, I twist my skin, I stab my hands with sharp pencils, etc)486. I’ve drank, typically cheap red wine or hard cider.487. I’ve shoplifted before. I needed a bed, and I didn’t have the money for one. So, I stole an overpriced, bad quality mattress from Walmart. Sue me488. I’ve been close to getting a tattoo. A guy offered to give me a stick and poke and I almost said yes. I thought about the decision a bit before backing myself out of a relatively sketchy situation489. I’ve never actually kissed someone490. I’m currently worrying about the field trip coming up in choir, the concert coming up even sooner that’s also in choir, and the two projects I have for history491. I just tried to read something, thinking it was in English, but it was actually Sanskrit492. I prefer Venn Diagrams over any other type of comparison chart493. I don’t like light directly shone into my eyes, it freaks me out494. I tend to eat burgers upside down495. I hate most carbonated drinks496. I say exclamation mark, not point497. I’ve used interrobangs (‽) before498. My first stuffed animal is a small, dark brown and yellow-ish tan jaguar. His name is Baby Jaguar, and I’ve had him since I was one and a half. I got him at the San Diego zoo, right before my family moved to North Carolina and I got Rajah499. I call almost everyone bitch or bish, even my mum500. I’m completely done with this! I’ve been working on this for weeks, now I’m moving on to a thousandCongratulations, you now know an insane amount of unnecessary information about me!Peace, and have a nice day!-CD