I'm on hiatus....again.

Hey guys. Well, I am pretty busy right now, and I'm gonna get busier....so don't expect too much from me. School just started back up, and it's frustrating...I am taking four classes in total: Biodiversity, Sociology, Online College Algebra, and Online American History until 1877. My biology professor is cocky, tends to ramble a LOT, and he answers unasked questions ("Well you're gonna say 'How do I email you...?' and I'm gonna tell you.....). It gets pretty annoying at times, but I'll have to deal with that. My sociology professor is AWESOME. She is super nice, and she makes the content interesting. The online classes are going pretty well, overall. Math is easy for me but history...ugh. It's my least favorite subject, EVER. (Like I know there's that saying that "history is doomed to repeat itself," but when am I ever going to need to know when the Ottoman empire collapsed?
Anyway, it's my birthday on Sunday!! :D 9/8/98. I'm having a quinceanero! Come say hi at......haha just kidding. I am already getting presents...wow. But I just want to say that I'm very grateful for what I already have. :) Thanks to everyone who reads this blog, and I'll be posting very soon!

Have an awesome, wonderful, enchanting, beautiful for spacious skies, scrumdiddlyumptious day! :D
-Nate

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones!

Hey guys! What's up? :D Hope you all are doing fine and well :) Anyway, I plan on seeing The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones today!! Yay! I am so excited for this movie. I saw the trailer in theaters, and on TV, and it looks amazing! (Here's the first trailer here!)I am currently reading the book, and I was hoping to finish the book before I saw the movie...but I'm only like 60% through the book...(I read on a kindle...though I prefer the real books to it). Anyway, I'm super excited to see the movie, and I encourage you guys to see it too! I would provide a synopsis, but I don't think I'll be able to explain it properly. So here's a (professional) synopsis of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones!

Set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray, discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother, Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures. Based on the worldwide best-selling book series.
(‎2hr 0min‎‎ - Rated PG-13‎‎ - Scifi/Fantasy/Action/Adventure‎
Director: Harald Zwart - Cast: Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Robert Sheehan, Kevin Zegers, Aidan Turner) 

...I guess this synopsis had no purpose in it...well, basically Clary is trying to find out what happened to her mother, by uncovering her unremembered past. Well, no spoilers! Spoilers=bad. Anyway, hope you guys can go and see the movie, and I hope you're as excited as me!
The professional fanboy signing off....
-Nate :)

Quick Post! Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters!

Hello everyone! I recently had a chance to see Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters at an advanced screening! I was super excited, and glad that I got in. I will tell you my experience, but I have to make this post quick since I have to go and work on my final paper for my summer class >.<

Firstly, I did not read the books. I know I know.....shame on me. After this movie, though, it kinda makes me wanna read the books. I do not like reading books after I've watched the movie,

since the movie is just a summation of the book...it gets a little boring. However, I will try later on. Anyway, with that being said, I did not anticipate some of the events that happened. Very surprising, and the special effects were spot on. It was pretty good...I liked the action scenes and the entire plot itself. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was pretty funny :P 10 OUTTA 10

To prove that I really DID go and see the movie, I will spoil only one thing.... It is not part of the plot, so don't worry. So the first song that played when the movie began was "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark" by Fallout Boy. (IDK if you guys already know that....but I didn't). So...yeah. I think you guys should just believe me anyway, and just go with it. If this is not sufficient proof, then I am sorry. I might actually have a picture of my ticker...I'll have to see where it is. I'll update this post later on, once I get through my work. Ok BAI! -Nate
Oh1 One more thing....here's the trailer if you haven't seen it. :) CLICK HERE. The movie comes out on August 7th, and I was able to see it on August 1st :)

(Quick story: I never believed people that would say they saw the movie before it came out. There was this one kid that claimed he saw movies before they were out alllllll the time, and I was so sick of it. Now, I know that it's possible....sorry kid out there. Forgive me...lol :) Not mentioning a name since...idk it's weird)

(PS. Logan Lerman <333 loved him in The Perks of Being a Wallflower...and Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief. I think that's what is was called....both were amazing haha).

A Very Bummer Summer :(

Hey guys! Going a little off topic here, but I should create an intro...I'll try and make it iconic and stuff :) But what would it sound like? Hmmmmm...There are some pretty awesome intros and outros out there. I'll figure it out. :D Anyway, what's up with you? (Don't worry...you can talk to the computer screen. I won't call you crazy. I mean, heh heh....I'm not the only one that sings to an imaginary audience when the house is empty...right? Well, you can just comment and answer mah question "What's up?").

Alright...enough of that. The real thing I'm discussing is my summer. Yeah, I've been all complain-y about my summer...but that's because it really is that bad. I'm not happy, and this is supposed to be my break. I have an online class, which I was supposed to finish at the end of the year, but I chose to use my online class time during school to study for tests and quizzes, and do homework. That was definitely a wrong on my part.... :| I'm trying my hardest to finish it all up, though. It's a photography class....and all I have left are photography assignments left, so I'm trying to finish all of that up, and move on.

But wait, there's more. I have to study Geometry, since I take the End-of-Course exam for it. I have studied geometry a little during my 8th grade year, but I didn't take the EOC for it, so I "technically" didn't finish the course. :| I'm having my grandfather teach me, since he's really good at mathematics. It's a lot of work, and the formulas and theorems are all over the place. I'm not the worst at math, (I'm actually pretty good at algebra and algebra 2), but when it comes to real-life application and the stuff that you might actually use in life, it's all cloudy and misunderstood. But I guess that's just me.

Unfortunately for me (and maybe you), there's more. I've decided to take it upon myself to take a summer class, all while this is going on. At the time, I didn't realize I would have so much work. Now, I didn't necessarily want to take the summer class. It was sorta the peer pressure. The thing is: this summer class was somewhat mandatory. If you didn't take it in the summer, then you would have to endure through it during the fall semester. Plus, many who have already taken the class claim that the summer teachers were a lot more lenient and easygoing. Also: many of my friends were taking this specific summer class. In fact, they all were. So I was given two choices: to either take the class in the summer, with my friends, and have it be a little bit more easier than taking it in the fall, or take it in the fall, and face the music of having the class be a little harder, without my friends, and have my friends be ahead of me, and get left behind. Well, you already know what I chose.

Now, it's the second-to-last week of summer. My summer class ends next Monday, and...well, glad that's over. My geometry EOC is tomorrow, which is frightening, and perhaps a little relieving as well. And photography...oof. Still working on that. Otherwise, I only have one real week of summer left, and I have no fun plans :( I really should've given myself a break and not done anything, and finished what I started. But alas...I did not, and I could not. Anyway, that's all for today. I'll do another post very soon! Sorry that this was a bit on the downside... :(

To end on a brighter note, here's some gifs involving cats and food. :) -Nate

Quick Post! CATCHING FIRE TRAILER.

Catching Fire Trailer HERE: http://movies.yahoo.com/video/hunger-games-catching-fire-trailer-190014076.html

(these gifs take a second to load...). There really is nothing more to say, other than it is perfection. Effie... </3 her face during the reaping was priceless. (you go Elizabeth Banks...you go). And Finnick...in his tribute parade costume? Yeah, I like that too (you go Sam Claflin...you go). Other than that, Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss) was spot on, and Josh Hutcherson (Peeta) was as well. I'm just really excited for the movie....I literally cannot wait. (I'll add more updates as they come. Other than that, BYE!). -Nate

EDIT: The casting, I think, is really accurate. Johanna, Finnick, Mags, Wiress, and Beetee were well chosen. I especially love Wiress, Mags, and Finnick, because they were my favorites in Catching Fire. What really needs to happen is how all of the victors won. I would read those books. It'd be interesting to see how Mags and Wiress won....and of course, the other victors as well. It would just be fun altogether to see what they did. Seeder would also be interesting to hear about...anyway, moving on. (For all of the casting/poster stills, click HERE!)

I also loved the special effects. In the first movie, you could sorta tell that the fire wasn't real (real or not real?) in the tribute parade. I wouldn't believe it. I mean, yes, it WASN'T real, since Cinna used artificial flame....but wasn't it supposed to at least look real? I guess it really doesn't matter. These games seem to look a lot better, based on this tribute parade (mmhm Finnick). Katniss and Peeta's fire look pretty realistic this time, with the burning ashes and all. Also with special affects: this training sequence. It is AWESOME!!! It shows that boss side of Katniss that everyone knows and loves <3. (I could stare at this gif forever). I really hope there's more gore as well. I'm not really a fan of gore and horror and stuff, but for Catching Fire, it is a necessity.

This is no place for a girl on fire...

And lastly...the arena. I mean, come on! It really is spot on. I love the location, and the scene...omg. I can't wait!!!! I hope the movie lives up to the books. Only time will tell.....tick tock.
-Nate.

Storytellers: The Series by Joey Graceffa

Good Evening everyone! (By the time you read this...it'll be the next day, in the afternoon...but hey, it's evening somewhere). Ignore that first part...it's confusing. Anyway, I'm just gonna tell you guys about this webseries that one of my favorite Youtubers is making! His name is Joey Graceffa...you guys should totally check out his channel. He's really funny :)  Anyway, the webseries he's creating is called Storytellers, and it's...well, it's a story! Sadly, he doesn't have enough money to actually fund the project. In order to raise money, he started a Kickstarter. Basically, a Kickstarter is something where you can donate money, and you'll receive something in turn! I guess it's not really donating if you get something, right? Well, there are various amounts of prizes/gifts, and depending on how much you donate, you'll get your prize/gift. Some of the prizes include...

• Receive a digital download of all seven episodes, and see your name thanked in the credits!
• You'll receive a limited edition Storytellers poster signed by all of the cast and crew.
• Signed physical DVD set of all seven episodes with exclusive commentary and behind-the-scenes videos!

The list really goes on...there are lots of prizes! One of them is a trip to Disneyland...so yeah. They pay for airfare from ANYWHERE in the world, and you get to hang out with Joey and his friends! They'll also pay for your park ticket, parking, and a night's stay at a hotel. :P
So make sure to donate! There are some really awesome prizes, and it'll really help him out <3 Hurry though! The deadline to donate is July 9th, so go now! :D I'm gonna link the websites to Joey's Youtube channel, the Storytellers Kickstarter page, and some other stuff. Thanks guys, and I'll see ya next time! BAI! -Nate

The STORYTELLERS Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1489592731/storytellers-the-series

Joey's MAIN Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/JoeyGraceffa

Joey's Gaming Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/JoeyGraceffaGames

Joey's Instagram: @JoeyGraceffa

Joey's Twitter: @JoeyGraceffa

Joey's Tumblr: http://joeygraceffa.tumblr.com/

More Divergent and Catching Fire Updates!

Hey guys! I haven't been on here in awhile...hm. :( I've just been really busy with school stuff...it is not fun. Anyway, there are a LOT of Divergent and Catching Fire updates!! *woot woot!* So here they are.

DIVERGENT UPDATES!
So the official cover for Allegiant was released, and here it is (to the right)! It looks pretty wicked. Anyways, the line at the top says "One Choice will Define You"...which is a pretty direct, though very accurate statement. As for the water slurring in the middle, I have no idea what that means. PERHAPS IT'S A REFERENCE TO DETERGENT, THE EPILOGUE?! WHAAAA!???! Just kidding :P I always connected water with peace (Amity), and the Erudite, (both Amity and Erudite are factions in the Divergent series...) since their "color" is blue. One might also argue the color of the book itself: a reddish-orange. That might be a reference to Dauntless. which is another faction in the Divergent series. Anyway, what about Candor and Abnegation (the last two factions)? Well I'm not saying, since it might potentially give away what happens...or was me telling you that something happens to Candor and Abnegation? Oh well.

If you also didn't know...there is going to be a Divergent movie coming out in 2014. The castings are set, and filming is already in progress! I have here some behind-the-scenes stuff, along with a fan-made poster/cover of the movie. It looks rad. I, however, am not certain abou Theo James, the actor that plays Four in the story. He seems a little old, and is not what I really imagined of Four. Now before you enter this long rant about how my argument is irrelevant, let me tell you it kinda is. When you read a book, I am pretty sure that everyone has a different perception of the characters and the scenes/landscape. That being said, I think that it is normal that I do not think that Theo James does not fit well, since I've imagined him to look younger, etc. That goes for all movies, specifically all books that turn into movies.
Anyway, you can check out some of the set photos and other Divergent news here at Teen.com (just click the "here"....).

Next, we have Catching Fire!!! Ahhhhh!!! This is an official poster (to the left). It looks a little Native-American-y to me. You can also see the little mockingjay-rainbow cloud in the background. The poster portrays the quote from the book "The sun persists on rising, so I make myself stand". Maybe this is some sort of reference...maybe to the revolution?! "The rebels persist on winning, so I decide to help them?!" What do you think? Am I just crazy, or is there a real meaning behind this quote?









On the right here, we have some pictures of Katniss and Prim, after Katniss comes home from the Hunger Games....it's one of my favorite scenes from the teaser trailer for Catching Fire (You can watch the teaser trailer here! I literally just re-watched it, just before I linked it here....and it gives me shivers every time). I saw the teaser trailer at the movies...it came on before..."Now You See Me" (Dave Franco! ;D) and I was fangirling with Rhiannon...and Gwen. It's just....omg.

Well, that's it guys! I hope you...erm...go see these movies when they come out. Catching Fire is in theaters October 22, 2013, and Divergent is released sometime in the Spring/Fall of 2014. OK. And Happy Father's Day! :) -Nate

Allegiant! (The final book in the Divergent trilogy!)

Allegiant: [uh-lee-juhnt] 1. Adjective: Loyal; Faithful 2. Noun: A faithful follower; adherent. 

Announced on April 17, Allegiant is the title of the third and final book in the Divergent series! It was announced by Veronica Roth herself, the author the the popular trilogy, on her twitter page, in her bio. (The link can be found here). I am so excited! I DEFINITELY recommend this book series. It is phenomenal. Let me try and brief you in, and summarize the first book, without giving any spoilers.\
  
Divergent is set in Chicago...or more specifically, a post-apocalyptic Chicago. The story follows a girl named Beatrice. The city is divided into five factions, each one assigned for a specific trait. You are born into the faction that your parents live in. When you turn sixteen, however, you have the choice to change factions. You are given an aptitude test before that, though, to determine which faction you are most likely to fit best in. The five factions are as follows: Amity: The Peaceful, Erudite: The Intelligent, Candor: The Honest, Abnegation: The Selfless, and Dauntless: The Brave (To take a fan-made aptitude test, click here. You must have a Facebook account and Java installed...or use Photon on the iPad). The story follows Beatrice Prior, a girl from Abnegation. She is turning sixteen, and as the book says, one choice can transform you.

The final book comes out on October 22 of this year (2013, if you've been under a rock). I also have an exclusive cover of Allegiant! It is unknown if this is the real cover, or if it is just fan-made. Either way, it makes me even more excited for the book. Here it is (on the right)! In the center of the book, above the word "Allegiant" you will see the two clasped hands. That is the sign for Abnegation: The Selfless. Below this text are some other pictures. Anyways, that is it for this post! Talk to you guys soon! -Nate
 

26 Questions Tag! (Collab with The Green Plumber!)

Hey everyone out there! I decided to collab with The Green Plumber. She owns a blog about Mario and Luigi, so go check her blog out HERE! This is how it works: I'll be posting one half on here, while she has the other half.

The Questions:
1. Do you have any pets?
Nate: Yep! I have two dogs, whose names are Rosie and Luah. Luah is a Catahoula, and we don't know what Rosie is. We got them both at the Humane Society, and they're pretty old. Rosie likes to eat yummy foods, while Luah will eat just about anything.
      Luah has a low platelet-count, and she is on medication. She also tore her ACL in one hind leg, causing her to limp on the other leg, which weakened that one as well. She underwent electrical surgery, where the veterinarians used electrical shocks to "heal" her legs. She walks okay now, but she gets exhausted pretty fast.
      Rosie is a very cunning and I consider her smart. She knows how to open doors, cabinets, and I sometimes talk to her, haha. Once, she escaped from my mom's ex-boyfriend's apartment by opening the door, AND closing it (with the lock in place, so the door was locked and no soul could enter). She fled across the street, and we found her in a Lowe's parking lot, with her paws bleeding, drinking from a pond thing.
Sam: Yes, I have six fish. They're all African cichlids, and their names
are Chiquita, Jewel, Napoleon, Steve, Peacock, and Tiger.

2. Name 3 things physically close to you.
Nate: I have my water bottle, my backpack, and my friend, Sam.
Sam: My iPad, a biology textbook, and my friend Nate.

3. What's the weather like right now?
Nate: Blue skies, a single cloud, and hot. (According to the weather, it should be raining).
Sam: It's pretty cloudy. The community lightning alarm went off a little
while ago. But, of course, the sun is still peeking out through the
clouds and it's still as hot as ever.
Nate: Wait...what?! I thought it was clear...

4. Do you drive, and if so, have you crashed?
Nate: No.
Sam: I do not drive. I don't even have a permit.

5. What time did you wake up this morning?
Nate: I woke up around 6:18 A.M.
Sam: I woke up at 6:15 to turn off my alarm clock, but then I went back to
bed until 6:30.

6. When was the last time you showered?
Nate: I showered last night (as explained in my previous questions tag).
Sam: This morning.

7. What was the last movie you saw?
Nate: I saw 42, a biography/true story about Jackie Robinson. It was great.
Sam: The Game Plan, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

8. What does your last SMS / text message say?
Nate: "RU guys in the locker room?? (to my friends that take a long time to change)"
Sam: "I'm at the beach, chillin'." Even though I'm not.

9. What is your ring-tone?
Nate: I don't have a ringtone...it's usually just on vibrate (I have a really old phone. FUN FACT: I've never had a phone until I was a freshman in High School, which is now. I needed one so that my mom could call me when she got here to pick me up). If this question refers to other people's ringtones for whenever I call them, then my mom's is "What Makes you Beautiful" by One Direction...haha.
Sam: Whatever standard ringtone came with my phone. I don't even know what it's called.

10. Have you ever been to a different country?
Nate: Nope! I don't even have a passport haha (SAD FACT: My mom went with her boyfriend to the Bahamas...without me, since I didn't have a passport).
Sam: Nope. Never. I've been to a bunch of different states, though.

11. Do you like sushi?
Nate: I don't really like it....the concept is awesome, and I'll eat the seaweed, but not the raw stuff. I do eat Califorinia Rolls every once in a while.
Sam: NO.

12. Where do you buy your groceries?
Nate: It varies from Publix and Walmart, to Aldi.
Sam: Publix.

13. Have you ever taken medication to fall asleep?
Nate: Yes, when I was really sick. Nighttime medication for when you're sick is to help you sleep, and for symptoms, right?
Sam: Nope.

That's it everyone! I hope you enjoyed...I did. If you haven't already, go and check out the other half on Sam's blog! The 26th question is my favorite! Until next time...bye! -Nate

My Taylor Swift concert experience!!

Hey everyone! So I went to the Taylor Swift concert at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida....and I'll tell you what: it was fantastic. The sets were elaborate, the "prequels" to each song were thoughtful, and most of all, Taylor Swift herself, along with Ed Sheeran, are both striking entertainers and artists.

Alright so I'll go ahead and tell you about MY experience. So I got the tickets for Christmas as a present, and I was pretty stoked. Taylor Swift is one of my many inspirations, just because she is so down to earth, and chooses to ignore the haters that constantly bully her (you GO Tay Tay!).

I was pretty occupied with school and everything, so I didn't have time to make a poster...until the day of the actual concert (Wednesday, April 10, 2013). I did have homework that day, but I made the unwise decision to start doing that at 1:30 A.M. the next day.Anyways, the posters my mom's ex-boyfriends sister and I made were pretty awesome. One reads "I will be enchanted to meet you," and the other just says "
"RED," which is the name of her album and tour.

While in the car to Miami, we still had to finish up the posters, since they were only a little past half done. On the drive there, I ate chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese...with a piece of bread. It was a makeshift dinner that my mom picked up from Publix, since we were running a little late to the show. When we got there, there were swarms of people densely squished into the admissions area where they check your bags and stuff to let you in. I say densely squished, because it literally was very tightly squished.

Once we got in, there were these cool lined-up television screen things that had ads and Taylor Swift on them, and they were pretty rad. I wish I had gotten a picture at that...but there were so many people hoarding it I didn't get a chance to :(

We had to go up a few flights of stairs, to the top floor I believe, in order to get to our seats. The seats weren't that bad..they were pretty far up, though (Section 309, Row 7, Seat 12 and 11).

There were two opening acts: Brett Eldredge and Ed Sheeran. They were both amazingly talented, and pretty entertaining. For all you Ed Sheeran fans (Sheerios) out there...he sang "Give me Love", "You need me but I don't need you", "Lego House", and of course "The A Team."

The lights suddenly switched off. Screams could be heard from all over the stadium. Tension was rising. Anticipation. There was a RED stage sign thing ascending to the ceiling. It read "TAYLOR SWIFT: RED", flashing red lights that illuminated the crowd. Everyone was in this mental state, waiting for her to appear. Then there she was: her silhouette reflecting across the red curtains on the stage. Cheers and hollers echoed throughout the stadium. The music to the first track on the album "State of Grace" played to our heart's and ear's delight. I'm walkin' fast through the traffic lights...busy streets and busy lives and all we know...is touch and go. We are alone with our changing minds. We fall in love till it hurts or bleeds, or fades in time. Taylor's smooth, angelic voice lifted the room, and made it feel like the stadium itself was rocking. It was mesmerizing. 

The songs she played from her album "RED" were Red, State of Grace, Treacherous, All Too Well, 22, I Knew you were Trouble, Stay Stay Stay, Holy Ground, The Lucky One, Begin Again, We are Never Ever Getting Back Together, and Everything Has Changed ft. Ed Sheeran (she may have played Starlight...I'm not exactly sure though). From previous albums, she played Today was a Fairytale, You Belong with Me, Love Story, and Sparks Fly. She also performed a cover of "Ho Hey" by the Lumineers (maybe because the track has lines similar to You Belong with Me? I belong with you, you belong with me...)

The sets for each song were just captivating. Some were of little tinker-toys, escaping from a toy box (Love Story). Another, a haunted mansion with stormy weather, and with a masquerade-type feel. A rockin' violinist opened for it... (I Knew you were Trouble). Then there was a paparazzi dance sequence (The Lucky One). Next was an all-out dance party (22). Oh! I almost forgot about the flaunting red dresses and the flag bearers folding RED flags. And lastly...a circus with parasols and a ring-master costume.

Before her songs, she said a little speech about it. I loved how she did this, because they were great life lessons. This included that people will never outgrow their mean trait (Taylor explains how she thought when you became an adult, people will leave you alone and stop with the hate and bullying. Now, they're just in different forms, like the paparazzi and unreliable tabloids, just spreading fake rumors).

I also saw many other posters at the concert. Some read "LIKE EVER", from her song "We are Never ever Getting back Together", and "13" which is her favorite number. Most posters were either "22", or "RED". I could tell which people were super-rich, just by their posters. They were all fancy...bright LED lights that could be seen miles away. The clothes I saw were also pretty...different as well. A lot of people had the Taylor "RED" album cover shirt on (which is what I was going to wear, until Sarah, my friend that accompanied me to the concert, gave me a neon-green tee to wear). Some people were a bit adventurous, sporting tutus and dresses. I even saw three 7-10 year-old girls wearing LIGHT UP tutus. They lit up!!

Now for my Merch Haul! I literally stood in a clump of people for about 20 minutes, waiting to buy what I wanted. It was very miserable...there wasn't any air conditioning, I was coming in contact with these things they call "humans"...they were all practically breathing down your back. It wasn't fun. Once my friend, Sarah, got to the stand, I told her what I wanted, and gave her money to pay for it. I got a RED scarf, with Taylor Swift written in the middle, and her songs from the album all stitched in around it. I also bought a RED tour shirt, and a poster. Apparently, that all cost $60...very expensive merch.You can buy some of the merch here.

And that's all to it! I hope you enjoyed reading, as much as I enjoyed this concert.