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‘Alarming’: Trump retweets meme video & Twitter loses its mind
The video found itself pinned to the top of Trump's Twitter account on Friday afternoon, after the president signed a controversial spending bill and declared a national emergency on the US-Mexico border, drawing outrage from both Democrats and his own supporters.
Twitter censoring you Mr. President? I got you fam. pic.twitter.com/jrrDBZRlCe— Carpe Donktum🔹 (@CarpeDonktum) February 16, 2019
Made last week, the video shows the long faces of prominent Democrats – among them Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, Adam Schiff, Kirsten Gillibrand, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Kamala Harris – during last week's State of the Union address.
Vox, the liberal "explainer" outlet, swiftly denounced Trump's promotion of content from a "random Twitter account" as unpresidential.
Sure, this is funny — if, say, The Daily Show or Stephen Colbert does something like it. But for the president to tweet it, it's alarming.
Carpe has nearly 3x as many followers as the author of the Vox piece who called him a “random twitter account” pic.twitter.com/kPGYDsg5fj— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) February 15, 2019
People who have made it their mission to troll the US president on Twitter absolutely hated it – as did former R.E.M. member Mike Mills, who used rather salty language to demand Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey do something.
By the way, this is where Trump is getting his meme sources. Some troll who wants a blue checkmark so badly he puts a blue diamond by his name. These are the random people Trump amplifies. pic.twitter.com/Rxo5kH3JH8— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) February 15, 2019
Twitter just shut down an Official Communication from the President of the United States... Over a song copyright. 😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Wy8T9rwCvv— Carpe Donktum🔹 (@CarpeDonktum) February 16, 2019
Mills tried to clarify later that his problem was with copyright infringement, not with the tweet's politics.
Just to be clear, trolls. My feelings aren’t hurt, and I’m sure not “butthurt”. My reachout to @jack was to prevent unauthorized use of a song, not to censor. @CarpeDonktum and I are cool, the rest of you can put your thumbs back up your ass where they were.— Mike Mills (@m_millsey) February 16, 2019
The author, a self-described "memesmith" who goes by the moniker Carpe Donktum, delighted in the attention, gaining thousands of followers on social media and announcing he would speak only to select journalists, while others are welcome to get into a "bread line starting in Venezuela."
Trump supporters loved the video, with Carpe getting endorsements from cartoonist Scott Adams and actor James Woods, as well as Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale.
Thanks! You have A LOT to do with it. You have consistently given me great exposure and encouragement. Love You Man.— Carpe Donktum🔹 (@CarpeDonktum) February 15, 2019
It is not the first time the memesmith has used R.E.M's "Everybody Hurts." It was deployed to devastating effect in his May 2018 video featuring former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes trying to cope with Hillary Clinton's defeat in the 2016 presidential election.
Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you. |
Since some colleagues and I recently submitted a proposal for a symposium on citizen science at a conference next year, I thought this would be a good time to write some more about citizen science and what people are doing with it. I previously gave a brief introduction to the “citizen science” phenomenon (also called “crowd science”, “crowd-sourced science”, “networked science”, “civic science”, “massively-collaborative science”, etc.) in an earlier post. The presence of massive online datasets and the availability of high-speed internet access and social media provide many opportunities for citizen scientists to work on projects analyzing and interpreting data for research.
Citizen science (CS) is an increasingly popular activity, it’s produced impressive achievements already, and it clearly has potential for more. (It also even has a meme!) You don’t have to look hard to see accomplishments of CS projects in the news. A quick online search brought up citizen scientists studying bumblebees, bird nests, weather events, plankton, and other projects. The growing phenomenon of CS has drawn the interest of social scientists as well, and I’ll say more about their research later in this post.
I’m particularly familiar with the Zooniverse, a platform that hosts projects in a variety of fields. It began in 2007 with the Galaxy Zoo project, which I’ll say more about below, and its other astronomy/astrophysics projects include Disk Detective, Planet Hunters, Moon Zoo, and Space Warps. To give other examples, outside of astronomy, there are projects in zoology, such as Snapshot Serengeti to study animals and their behavior with “camera trap” photos (the graph above describes herbivores they’ve cataloged, from a recent blog post); in biology/medicine, such as Cell Slider to identify cancer cells and aid research; and in climate science, there is Old Weather, which examines ship’s logs to study historical weather patterns. In addition, people at Adler Planetarium and elsewhere are working on producing educational resources and public outreach programs.
Galaxy Zoo (GZ) invites volunteers to visually classify the shapes and structures of galaxies seen in images from optical surveys. The project resulted in catalogs of hundreds of thousands of visually classified galaxies—much much better than anything achieved before—allowing for novel statistical analyses and the identification of rare objects and subtle trends. If you’re interested in my own research, I’m leading clustering and astrostatistical analyses of GZ catalogs to study the spatial distribution of galaxies and determine how their morphologies are related to the dark matter distribution and large-scale structure of the universe. For example, with more and better data than pre-GZ studies, my colleagues and I obtained statistically significant evidence that galaxies with stellar bars tend to reside in denser environments (see this paper). In the figure above, you can see examples of barred galaxies (lower panels) and unbarred ones (upper panels). In 2009, we used the impressive GZ datasets to disentangle the environmental dependence of galaxy color and morphology, since we tend to see redder and elliptical galaxies in denser regions (see this paper). Time permitting, I’d like to extend this work by using those results with detailed dark matter halo models, and we could potentially compare our results to galaxies in the Illustris simulation (which has been getting a lot of media attention and was misleadingly described as “the first realistic model of the universe“).
Galaxy Zoo scientists have many other achievements and interesting research. For example, a Dutch schoolteacher, Hanny van Arkel, discovered a unique image of a quasar light echo, which was dubbed “Hanny’s Voorwerp” (Lintott et al. 2009). GZ volunteers also identified galaxies that appeared to look like “green peas”, and most of them turned out to be small, compact, star-bursting galaxies (Cardamone et al. 2009). In addition, Laura Trouille is leading the Galaxy Zoo Quench project, in which participants contribute to the whole research process by classifying images, analyzing data, discussing results, and writing a paper about them.
Citizen science is related to “big data” and data-driven science (see also this article), and in particular to data mining and machine learning. According to a new astrostatistics book by Ivezic, Connolly, VanderPlas, & Gray, data mining is “a set of techniques for analyzing and describing structured data, for example, finding patterns in large data sets. Common methods include density estimation, unsupervised classification, clustering, principal component analysis, locally linear embedding, and projection pursuit.” Machine learning is a “term for a set of techniques for interpreting data by comparing them to models for data behavior (including the so-called nonparametric models), such as various regression methods, supervised classification methods, maximum likelihood estimators, and the Bayesian method.” Kaggle has data prediction competitions for machine learning, and their most recent one involved challenging people to develop automated algorithms to classify GZ galaxy morphologies like as well as the “crowd-sourced” classifications, and the winning codes performed rather well. Nothing beats numerous visual classifications, but there is clearly much to be learned along these lines.
Finally, sociologists, political scientists, economists and other social scientists have been studying CS, such as the organization and efficacy of CS projects, motivations of participants, and applications to industry and policy making. For example, Amy Freitag has written about how citizen science programs define “success” and their rigorous data collection. The sociologist Anne Holohan has written a book Community, Competition and Citizen Science on collaborative computing projects around the world. Eugenia Rodrigues is studying the views and experiences of participants in CS initiatives, and Hauke Riesch has written on this subject as well. (This is also related to the work by Galaxy Zoo scientists in Raddick et al. on participants’ motivations.)
In a recent interesting article, Chiara Franzoni & Henry Sauermann analyze the organizational features, dimensions of openness, and benefits of CS research. As case studies, they examine GZ, Foldit (an online computer game about protein folding), and Polymath (involving many mathematicians collectively solving problems). They argue that the open participation and open disclosure of inputs, which they mention is also characteristic of open source software, distinguish CS from traditional “Mertonian” science. (Robert Merton was a sociologist who emphasized—perhaps too much—social and cultural factors in science, such as scientists’ desire for peer recognition and career benefits, disputes between scientists, etc. I ended up not discussing him in my post on “paradigm shifts“.) They also discuss knowledge-related and motivational benefits, and they point out that CS projects that involve subjects less popular than astronomy or ornithology, for example, or that address very narrow and specific questions may face challenges in recruiting volunteers. Finally, they discuss organizational challenges, such as division of labor and the need for project leadership and infrastructure. If you’re interested, Bonney et al. in Science magazine is another shorter article about organizational challenges and developments in citizen science. |
But longitude lines run north-south. The conventional notation is given in Snyder (page 15):, For the normal Mercator projection (on the ellipsoid) this function defines the spacing of the parallels: if the length of the equator on the projection is E (units of length or pixels) then the distance, y, of a parallel of latitude φ from the equator is. These geocentric ellipsoids are usually within 100 m (330 ft) of the geoid. The graticule is formed by the lines of constant latitude and constant longitude, which are constructed with reference to the rotation axis of the Earth. The distance from the equator to the pole is. Lines of latitude are called parallels and in total there are 180 degrees of latitude. The Equator passes through 14 countries, including Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Indonesia, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil.
The examples below show the named parallels (as red lines) on the commonly used Mercator projection and the Transverse Mercator projection.
The latitude of a point on the actual surface is that of the corresponding point on the reference surface, the correspondence being along the normal to the reference surface which passes through the point on the physical surface. For more U.S. locations including cities, towns, parks and more, use the Find Latitude and Longitude tool.See also Latitude and Longitude of … This figure is provided by. There are 360° of longitude (180° E ↔ 180° W) and 180° of latitude (90° N ↔ 90° S). On the Equinoxes – September and March – the Sun is directly overhead the Equator, resulting in almost exactly 12 hour days and 12 hour nights. θ The shape of an ellipsoid of revolution is determined by the shape of the ellipse which is rotated about its minor (shorter) axis. Since there are many different reference ellipsoids, the precise latitude of a feature on the surface is not unique: this is stressed in the ISO standard which states that "without the full specification of the coordinate reference system, coordinates (that is latitude and longitude) are ambiguous at best and meaningless at worst".
This line of latitude is the northern boundary of the area referred to as the tropics.
The positions of these latitudes are determined by the Earth's axial tilt. The rectifying latitude, μ, is the meridian distance scaled so that its value at the poles is equal to 90 degrees or π/2 radians: where the meridian distance from the equator to a latitude φ is (see Meridian arc), and the length of the meridian quadrant from the equator to the pole (the polar distance) is, Using the rectifying latitude to define a latitude on a sphere of radius. What is the rising action of faith love and dr lazaro? There are total 181 latitude. The equator lies halfway between the North Pole and the South Pole. The Arctic Circle is the latitude 66° 34′ North. No higher accuracy is appropriate for R since higher-precision results necessitate an ellipsoid model.
In pre-satellite days they were devised to give a good fit to the geoid over the limited area of a survey but, with the advent of GPS, it has become natural to use reference ellipsoids (such as WGS84) with centre at the centre of mass of the Earth and minor axis aligned to the rotation axis of the Earth. How long will the footprints on the moon last? A Great Circle is any circle that is formed by a plane that passes through the center of the Earth. R is equal to 6,371 km or 3,959 miles. two different latitu.
Astronomical latitude (Φ) is the angle between the equatorial plane and the true vertical direction at a point on the surface.
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Until quite recently, there was no such a Dogecoin price prediction which suggested that the Dogecoin price would be able to update its historical high.
However, on February 4th, Dogecoin gained 50 percent within a few hours and reached the price of $0.05. This followed an increase of more than 900 percent on Jan. 29 when the coin hit an all-time high before falling again. On February 8th, the rate of the currently popular Internet currency rose to a record high of $0.08. Now ask yourself — should you buy Dogecoin or not?
If you know little about this previously little-known cryptocurrency, you should definitely read this article where we’ve summarized the most important things. What is the Drediction for Dogecoin price? Let’s try to find out!
What Is the Prediction for Dogecoin Price: What Is Dogecoin?
Before making the Dogecoin price prediction 2021, let’s first find out what Dogecoin is. Dogecoin launched in 2013 was originally thought to be a kind of joke. Software engineers Billy Markus (IBM) and Jackson Palmer (Adobe) used a popular meme dog to parody Bitcoin, Litecoin, and the general crypto hype. The co-founders are no longer directly involved in the DOGE coin development.
The Dogecoin protocol is based on a now defunct Luckycoin, a Litecoin (LTC) spin-off. Nowadays there are more than 128 billion DOGE coins in circulation. At the same time, its low price is the main reason why the cryptocurrency is so popular for small transactions.
What about Dogecoin price prediction today? Well, the Dogecoin price was $0.000232 when it was launched in 2013. Thus, the increase to about $0.05 represented a rise in value of 21,000 percent.
Dogecoin Price Prediction Today: Key Price Developments
What should you know about Dogecoin price prediction today? Like other cryptocurrencies, Dogecoin is characterized by high price volatility. The value of Dogecoin has increased by 774 percent against the US dollar so far this year.
A year ago, the crypto was trading at $0.002493 and, according to Coindesk data, fell to $0.001582 in March 2020. In July, DOGE had almost doubled from $0.002286 to $0.004543 in just a few days. It then decreased to $0.002961 and fell to $0.002503 by early November 2020.
Dogecoin started 2021 with a positive performance, rising from $0.005405 to $0.011427 on January 2. It was traded at $0.007432 on January 27, before increasing to an all-time high of $0.07818.
What factors have affected the Dogecoin price prediction the most? Well, Elon Musk’s tweets and enthusiastic posts from Reddit users aren’t the only drivers behind the Dogecoin rate. The recent increase in Bitcoin price followed by a period of consolidation is making more institutional investors consider altcoins.
The combined value of the cryptocurrency market climbed above $1 trillion for the first time in January when Bitcoin was traded for $41,941.56, according to data from CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko.
Arcane Research analysts stated that ‘Bitcoin’s sideways movement gives room for altcoins to thrive.’ In January 2021, the trading volume on decentralized exchanges exceeded the previous all-time high of September 2020.
Dogecoin Future Price Prediction: Final Conclusions
So, now it’s time to consider the Dogecoin future price prediction. According to WalletInvestor’s 2021 Dogecoin forecast, DOGE could initially hit $0.10, but the price is forecast to be $0.0343 at the end of March.
As for the long-term Dogecoin forecast, the price is expected to hit $0.0417 in late 2022, $0.0441 in late 2023, and $0.05096 in January 2026. A cryptocurrency aggregator CoinSwitch predicts that the Dogecoin price could rise by more than $0.005 in the coming month. Looking at the longer term, CoinSwitch expects the Dogecoin price to range between a low of $0.0281 and a high of $0.0450 by 2025.
The Dogecoin future price prediction from digital coin Genealogie is more optimistic — the price is expected to average $0.073692 in March and $0.081293 by the end of 2021. In the distant future, Dogecoin price could average $0.152755 in 2025 and $0.238451 in 2028.
What is the prediction for Dogecoin price? Feel free to share your own forecasts in the comments! |
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DHAKA: Bangladesh factories making clothes for Western brands have. Neue Beiträge werden nicht abgerufen.
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Given how many potential blog posts I have running through my head all the time, it’s a bit odd that I haven’t actually blogged in 10 days. I’ve decided not to apologize for that because I’m trying to see my blog as a fun thing and not as yet another obligation, and an apology implies I feel obliged. Truthfully, I do feel a degree of responsibility to post and concern about not posting (will people forget me? will people think I’ve forgotten them? won’t I lose readers if I don’t post regularly? how can I aspire to be the kind of blogger I myself like reading, if I can’t be consistent?). But I’m working on maintining a sense of freedom and play when it comes to my blog, because honestly, the last thing I need in my life is one more anxiety-inducing obligation hanging over my head. So no apologies here (though I do apologize if that seems rude).
Pretty freakin’ long non-apology, eh?
Yeah, so a few weeks ago, Becca tagged me for the 8 Random Things meme. I’ve posted so many random things about myself in this space that I think you must know them all. But since I’ve been thinking about blogging and where my time has gone lately, I thought I’d post 8 Random Things I’ve Been Doing Instead of Blogging:
- Being sick. Like all of autumn, so far. For the last 4 weeks, I have had some variation of head/chest funkiness (including an ear infection that caused me no pain but sent me to the doctor for unrelenting vertigo). I’m really, really tired of being sick.
- Worrying about a spider bite. I got bitten by a spider about a week-and-a-half ago. I didn’t see it happen, only found the bite later. Of course I can’t be sure it was a spider, but I think it was. Then I started worrying about it being a Brown Recluse, thanks to Googling my symptoms. (my bite looked a lot like a lot of the pictures I saw) My ridiculous hypochondria led to one sleepless night and the death of two spiders that turned out to be Grass Spiders (sometimes confused for Brown Recluses). I’m pretty sure now that it was not a Brown Recluse.
- Dealing with Mac problems. While My Old Man’s hard drive sits at a data recovery place in California, waiting for his manuscript to be retrieved, my own Mac G5 continues having ridiculous and irksome problems. Sometimes this affects my photo uploading abilities, which totally messes up my blogging groove.
- Practicing an unusual bout of knitting monogamy. Our niece’s wedding is 3 weeks from tomorrow, and I have 9 repeats left (out of 24) on my shawl. It would be going a lot faster if it weren’t for the beading. I love the pattern (and the yarn), but it is seriously bumming me out to be so focused on one project when there are so many others I am itching to get my hands on. But I am determined to wear the shawl to the wedding, so that means monogamy till I’m done. (to guess how I feel about this, see my first paragraph about obligations – it applies to self-imposed ones too)
- Paying people lots of money to fix broken things. Toilet (which overflowed into the basementt and ruined a few things). Sewing machine (worth every penny). My Old Man’s MacBook (see #3, above).
- Drowning in email. I can’t keep up, and I feel bad blogging when I don’t consistenly respond to my blog comments (blogger does make that especially hard). Meanwhile, I am steadily trying to whittle down the 4000 emails in my gmail inbox by using the label and archive functions. I am trying to archive two pages’ worth a day….
- Working on uploading and categorizing my photos in flickr (made more difficult by #3, above).
- Re-doing our living room.
Which brings me to the title of this post – My Old Knitspot. In my adult life, I have owned 6 sofas, 2 loveseats, and 4 recliners, and not a one of them was new to me. They were all either hand-me-downs or yard sale purchases. Well, this week, for the first time, I actually went out and bought brand-new living room furniture (possibly a stupid move, with 2 little boys and 2 cats in the house). But the deal I got was unbeatable (yay! for World Market) and it is high time we quit being embarrassed to have people over because of our stained and cat-scratched furniture. We are still working on getting everything set up, and I hope to show pictures soon. But I have been surprised at the nostalgia I have been feeling about one of the pieces we got rid of: my old, stained, not very pretty recliner.
It was the best place in the house to knit – the arms were in just the right place, not too close but close enough that I could rest my elbows there while knitting (didn’t realize I even did that till I didn’t have the option). Turns out I also prefer to have my feet up while knitting, and a light directly over my head. It may take me awhile to adjust to my new knitspot.
But I also discovered that my attachment to that ugly recliner was more about nostalgia than function. That recliner was where my old dog Mocha, now dead three years, used to curl up and sleep (an 85-pound Rottweiler, she considered herself a lap dog). It is the recliner I used to elevate my very swollen feet during the last hard months of my pregnancy. It is where I nursed my babies. It is where my little boys liked to sit on my lap together.
I know we’ll be making new memories with our new furniture. But for now, I miss my old knitspot/dogspot/nursingspot/sitspot. It has made its home (along with a matching recliner and a sleeper sofa) in a house where 23 college students live.
red recliner, Cozy on the back, Scrunchable Scarf in progress (last October), favorite mug (Michigan Radio), autumn candle
How about you? Do you have a sacred place in your home? (or, if you’re a knitter, a favorite knitspot?) What makes it so? |
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The role of a scream queen in cinema is more than a woman who shrieks loudly into the camera before meeting a gruesome death. Not only is the scream queen title bestowed upon someone with a serious pair of lungs, but it's also typically given to the role of the "final girl," the single heroine who manages to make it to the end of the movie alive (and often appears in the sequel, too). Over the course of cinematic history, as the horror genre has gained traction, the recognition of scream queens has been popularized and even satirized (read: meme-ified) in popular culture. To celebrate Halloween and the abundance of slasher flicks on TV and streaming platforms, CR pays homage to Hollywood's best scream queens.
One of the horror greats, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho has inspired directors and writers for decades. Janet Leigh's iconic shower scream scene has been referenced and parodied in a number of horror and dark comedy films over time. Leigh is also the mother of fellow scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis.
Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street gave rise to several prominent horror film characters. Heather Langenkamp's starring role as Nancy in the original film makes her a leading lady of horror.
Perhaps one of the most notable scream queens, Jamie Lee Curtis gained notoriety for her performance in the horror genre thanks to her starring role in the Halloween franchise. Curtis went on to appear in other major horror film such as Prom Night, The Fog, as well as the horror-comedy series Scream Queens.
In the 1960s, the horror genre was popularized in Italian cinema. Barbara Steele was a staple figure in scary movies during this time period, specifically after her role as Princess Asa Vajda in Black Sunday.
The Cruel Intentions actress made a name for herself as a scream queen in the original I Know What You Did Last Summer as Helen Shivers. She also tested her vocal cords in a small murder scene in Scream 2.
Gellar was not the only screamer in the teen horror classic I Know What You Did Last Summer. As the film's final girl (the one who makes it out alive), Hewitt made herself the poster child of the franchise after starring in the sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.
Farmigia has screamed her way through The Conjuring franchise as well as Annabelle Comes Home and Bates Motel.
For her convincingly terrified performances in The Conjuring as well as Leatherface, Taylor solidified herself as a modern scream queen.
The main character of the entire Scream franchise, Neve Campbell reprised her role of Sidney Prescott in all four films. The success of the movies cemented her as one of horror's best scream queens.
After appearing in the 2005 remake of the slasher film House of Wax, Cuthbert was dubbed a scream queen by fans of the genre, and later starred in the thriller Captivity.
Prescott was not the only important female character in Scream. Courteney Cox also fought off Ghostface in all four films as the news reporter Gale Weathers.
Larter's horror debut in House on Haunted Hill demonstrated her ability to feign fear. However, it's her role as Clear Rivers in Final Destination and Final Destination 2 that put her in the scream queen canon.
The actress has appeared in not only four movies from the Halloween film series, but also three films from the Hatchet franchise, making her a prominent figure in contemporary horror.
Marilyn Burns appeared in both Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its sequel. Director Tobe Hopper also casted her as the female heroine for his slasher flick Eaten Alive.
Not only has Paquin appeared in horror films such as Darkness and Trick r' Treat, but the lungs on her True Blood character Sookie Stackhouse are enough to put her next to some of the scream queen greats.
Wilcox played the heroine of Alice Johnson in the fourth and fifth installations of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, a hefty task after taking over the heroine role from Heather Langenkamp.
Playing Chanel Oberlin in Ryan Murphy's Scream Queens, Emma Roberts embodied the title by treating viewers to an audible shriek at least once per episode, accompanied by her icy attitude.
Not only has the younger Farmiga sister made a name for herself as a scream queen in the TV series American Horror Story, but her performance in The Nun proves she can carry the weight of such a spooky film.
At only 8 years old, Moretz made her film debut in The Amityville Horror. She would later appear in movies such as Wicked Little Things and Texas Killing Fields before starring opposite Ansel Elgort in a remake of the classic horror film Carrie.
One of the newer scream queens to come to the silver screen, her well-received performances in psychological horror films like It Follows and The Guest have shown her range.
While relatively new to the scary movie scene, Taylor-Joy's performance in the suspense thriller Split was lauded by critics as a sign of an emerging scream queen. Her upcoming roles in the horror films The New Mutants and Last Night in Soho are promised to put the young actress on the map. |
I love watching basketball. Loved playing it too, back in the Millennium. I grew up a Knicks fan. In my North Carolina years (’65-’85) I was a fan first of Guilford College (my alma mater), then of the ACC’s Big Four (Carolina, Duke, State and Wake). I have many family connections to Wake, lived in Chapel Hill, worked at Duke, and loved the way Norm Sloan and Jim Valvano coached State. When I moved to California in ’85 I became a Golden State Warriors fan, and for several years had shares of season tickets. They were good years too. (e.g. Run TMC.) After moving to Santa Barbara I got into the Clippers a bit, but mostly followed the game itself. Then, when I got the Berkman gig in ’06, I became a Celtics fan. More about that after the next paragraph.
I’m no better a judge of teams and their management than the next fan, and possibly worse. Like, when Mike Krzyzewski replaced the much-loved Bill Foster at Duke, I said “there’s nothing about that guy that a blow-dry and a sense of humor wouldn’t cure.” (For that to make any sense, you had to be there.) Anyway, it became something of a meme, which was mean and unfair, as well as wrong. Coach K’s job at that time was re-building a team that wasn’t playing much better than .500 ball. He never smiled and seemed to spend whole games doing nothing but snapping at officials. Who knew he was building the most solid and productive program in all of college basketball? Or that he would become the winningest college coach of all time? Not me.
The Celtics under Doc Rivers were easy to like, especially after they put together the Big Three: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. They won a championship in ’08 and came close twice after that. Garnett and Pierce were, respectively, the heart and soul of the team. It was a bummer to lose Ray Allen to the Heat in ’11, but the team stayed strong, and got another solid outside shooter with Jason Terry. If they hadn’t lost Rajon Rondo to an injury this season, they might have made a run at the championship. But it was clear, after getting wiped out by the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs this year, that the Celtics had to re-build. The only question was how. The answer came a few days ago, when GM Danny Ainge traded Doc Rivers to the Clippers for a first-round draft pick, and then sent Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to the Nets for three more first round picks and a collection of second-string players. Now the Celtics have nothing but promise, and the Clippers and Nets are richer by far. How does this make sense?
In sports media the decision by Celtics GM Danny Ainge gets a lot of bad reviews, because he seems to have given up a lot of something (including their heart and soul) for a literal nothing — at least until they draft well, in future years. But Danny had no choice. He had to rebuild with what he had, which was trade bait. If he continued to ride his old horses into the ground, he would have had nothing to deal with. So he got the most he could while they were still valuable. As for Doc Rivers, who can blame him for not wanting to coach a losing team through the rest of his contract? I don’t envy whoever gets the Celtics coaching job; but I do like Danny’s chances of building a good new team, especially if Rajon Rando is a capable leader. Remember this: basketball players keep getting better and better. There will be no bad players among Danny’s draft picks.
The Nets look good for now. With Pierce, Garnett, Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams they have the best starting five in the game. Yes, Pierce and Garnett are both old and bound to run out of gas, but they’re still all-stars, and make the Nets a solid franchise. Jason Kidd as a coach is an unknown, but I suspect he’ll mix well with the new talent, who are guys he knows well and respects. You can bet Jason Kidd counseled Brooklyn GM Billy King on trading for the three Celtics players. Billy clearly wants to make the boldest possible moves for at least the next year. Which won’t be easy. Not only are the Heat still the best team in the league (and champs the last two seasons), but — with the Bulls, Pacers and Knicks — the East is still the strongest division in the game. And Brooklyn is now a marquee franchise, up there with the Knicks in New York and the Lakers and Clippers in Los Angeles. Great players from lesser cities will want to play there. This will help after Garnett and Pierce are gone in a year or two.
So, hanging as much as I do in New York and Boston, I expect watching basketball in both will be plenty of fun this next year.
As for the Clippers, they got a great coach. I’ll miss Doc, but I wish him luck. |
- 09 Nov 18
It's no secret that the increased popularity of digital media has forced print trades to change. But before you brand written-based careers as a waste, look to Instagram poetry. Birthed by the digital era and surviving largely through social media engagement, this new form of literature provides writers of all backgrounds and techniques with the opportunity to launch best-selling careers. Take Lang Leav, whose six-book success serves as proof that words remain just as much a currency as ever before...
Whether literary academics want to admit it or not, digital poetry – particularly that which stems from Instagram or Tumblr – is playing a significant role in modern literature. Amassing large followings and selling books that land on bestseller lists, digital poets draw in readers with frank musings on love, mental health struggles, racial or gender-based oppression and sexuality. Often more simplistic or stylised than traditional poetic forms, this new wave has made poetry more accessible – in that it can be more easily understood by people without a literary degree and that it can be read straight from a handheld device. As a result, the backgrounds of modern readers are as diverse as the writers themselves.
Lang Leav is one of the most prominent voices in the digital poetic sphere. She has a combined following of around two million across all social media channels and has published six books (so far, with number seven on the way). The New Zealander began building a profile on Tumblr and was at around 11,000 followers when she decided to self-publish her first collection of poetry and prose, Love & Misadventure.
“I didn't really have any expectations," she tells Hot Press via FaceTime from her Auckland home. "I was just hoping to cover the cost of self-publishing. I had been saving up – I think it took me a year or so just to put together a book, publish it and put it out in a marketplace. I didn't know what to expect but it started making best seller lists, so that was quite a surprise. I remember the first week I thought, ‘oh that's good, I've sold about 50 books!’ and I thought that that would be it. But it was like this slow-building thing that happened. The numbers just kept going up and up every week in a sort of snowball effect.”
Now an internationally-recognised bestselling author, she publishes through Andrews McMeel, the same publishing house as renowned "instapoet" Rupi Kaur. Her story is similar to other writers who began on social media and ended up getting published – success came slowly, and then all at once. “At the time, 11,000 followers was an insane amount to me,” Lang says. “Since then, everything’s just gotten bigger and crazier.”
Lang’s success is a testament to the networking capabilities of the digital age in which we live, which has seen flocks of young writers recognise their dream of becoming published authors. But if you compare Lang’s work to many of her contemporaries, you’ll notice she writes somewhat less like them and more in line with the work of classical poets. “When my stuff was starting to get popular a lot of people were like, ‘oh my gosh - you're alive?!’” She laughs. “I remember getting tweets like that, people saying ‘I thought you were a dead poet!’ I read a lot of classical poetry, romantic poetry...I've read that since I was very young. And I suppose that's had a huge influence on my work, the likes of Emily Dickinson, that sort of genre.”
Yet even Lang’s work occasionally gets pooled into the negative connotation that digital poetry is too short or too simple. “I've only recently gotten into Instagram, and that doesn't really allow for long form like Tumblr,” she explains. “So sometimes I'll upload a snippet, or somebody else will quote a line or two from a bigger piece - like from my novel Sad Girls, for example - and people think it's a poem. It's a common misconception.”
The idea that their writing is too simplified has plagued many digital poets, most notably, Kaur, whose work even became a Twitter meme. Users would write banal sentences following the scattered form of Kaur’s poetry and attribute it with “-Rupi Kaur” or “-Milk and Honey”, referring to Kaur’s debut book. The fact that social media-originating poetry is often written for and by women and girls has allowed it to face similar criticism to young adult fiction.
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let’s get this bread
was gluten free
- rupi kaur
— Svenskt invandrarbarn (@vemsawarya) October 21, 2018
“It really feeds into larger issues of denigration, of modern digital culture, and of traditional forms of gatekeeping,” says Dr. Jeneen Naji, of Maynooth University’s Department of Media Studies. “Traditional literature is often western, English, white and male. We’ve seen it ourselves in the famous poster for ‘Great Irish Writers’ – it has older white men as the official canon of Irish literature. What's great about social media poetry is that it has just bypassed traditional gatekeepers like publishing houses. It's shown what speaks to people. Note how many of these writers are women or come from multicultural, marginalised backgrounds – people traditionally left out of the literary canon.”
This is certainly the case for Lang. One of the most popular living female writers, Lang was born in a Thai refugee camp to parents fleeing the Cambodian Khmer Rouge regime. The family moved to New Zealand where she grew up in a migrant town. While she has yet to write her family's story – she says she’d love to, though it would break her heart – the melancholy of her upbringing has filtered into her work. “Growing up in a migrant town, many people who lived there were from war-torn countries,” she explains. “So I suppose there were these feelings of sadness and hopelessness in the air. Writers are natural observers, before we even know that we are. So those feelings were something I always absorbed, and that definitely goes into my work.”
Like Lang’s work, ‘digital poetry’ could be written text on social media, but other forms include visuals, audio, or interactive graphics. Some poems even appear like short films, with actors playing out certain parts or acting as a visual representation of a poem’s abstract idea. Dr. Naji has recently been researching Instagram poetry and is part of a larger group of academics around the world interested in the broad scope digital literature. “There's lots of weird and wonderful stuff happening,” she says. “For example, there's drone poetry – somebody's using a drone to create poems. They're almost using it like activist intervention, to sort of draw attention to large-scale data gathering, to machine-vision, to drone surveillance – growing issues in our society.”
That might not sound like poetry, but literature, like all art, is subjective. Digital poetry therefore can’t be narrowed down to one area of study. Yet why are the departments primarily concerned with literature not showing much interest in its newer forms? “In Ireland, the electronic literature or digital poetry-type people are not in English departments,” Dr. Naji reveals. “In the US, a lot are, but that's not the case at third level over here."
"The person exploring drone poetry is in a digital media department in the UK. I’m in media studies and someone else I encountered who did a really interesting project using Google AdWords - she's actually from a geography department! It's not viewed as real literature here. Maybe as different generations filter into universities that might change...it would be good to see English departments embrace it.” If digital poetry keeps evolving at its current pace, they might just have to.
“I don't see us as ‘digital poets' – I just see us as writers," Lang says. While melancholy might see her work more closely associated with dead writers than others who create poetry through a digital medium, she by no means tries to distance herself from her contemporaries. "It's great that young people are reading poetry again, because for a long time, it was difficult, it was something forced on them. There was a consensus that poetry was dead. I remember looking up publishing houses and there was a heavy ‘no poetry submission’ connotation. But the genre has opened up again. If people read something that resonates with them, if it pulls them into poetry and it leads them to discover other poets, I think that's a wonderful thing."
Lang Leav's next book, Love Looks Pretty on You, will be released in January 2019 and is available for pre-order now. |
For the Telegraph Creative Writers’ Group, the New Year has started with an old story: January’s short story competition theme was to revive a previously unused work. ‘Arrivals’, originally written in October 2012 during my Open University A215, seemed strangely topical, following a year of major air disasters. How can people cope with receiving the news of such loss, in the anonymous surroundings of an airport?‘Arrivals’ came third in the voting, and my February entry, on the theme of ‘Love Story’ was a toxic one: ‘Love at first sight’. The March theme was ‘Money’, set by Pavlovaqueen, who had once shown me the wonders of the Mauritshuis in The Hague. So I wrote ‘Gold, and Blue…’ a story about an inheritance, incorporating scenes from Golden Age paintings and written from the viewpoint of a fictional young female artist of the day. This one was a winner!The April theme being ‘Health’, the story of the month ‘Smoking is bad for you’ was a short fiction about a survivor of children’s home abuse. Inspired by the Crown Prosecution Service’s decision not to prosecute Greville Janner due to his dementia. All characters are fictional. This story came second in the monthly vote!
The May theme was ‘Food’. My entry ‘Meat‘ was a nasty story about a serial killer, set on a hog farm. This was originally a 500 word short fiction written for OU A174, but I replaced some of the elements I’d cut, taking it to just under 900 words.The June short story was on a theme of ‘Heaven Sent.’ This was a hard theme for me as I don’t like stories with a ‘deus ex machina’ type of plot. ‘Out of the Blue’ was a story about a brief passion and its consequences. The rosebay willow-herb in the story symbolised for me a brief flowering that comes out of nowhere, and takes root in the most barren ground.
‘The Immortal Lavoisier’ was on the theme of an ocean crossing – in this case the story of the founder of the DuPont company and his links with the Lavoisier family. My story celebrates my son’s Masters degree in Chemical Engineering awarded in July 2015. I was delighted that it came second in the voting.The theme for the August competition was ‘Nightingale’ – a 500 word short fiction, and one option was the birdsong forming the backdrop for an unrequited love. My story was ‘Adam‘
September’s theme was ‘Hype’ and my story ‘Hinky Dinky Parlay Voo’ was a blend of First World War newspapers, trench songs, and the mud of Flanders. It came first in the voting!In October I took a rain check, but for November, on the theme of ‘Secrets’ wrote ‘A Month at Bath’, a Regency pastiche which imagines the secret gambling system of the historical figure of John Law, a gambler and banker who caused an economic crisis in France in 1720. Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose…
My December story, on the theme of ‘Spirits’ was ‘Silver Ghost’, inspired by thread! |
The RapidAPI staff consists of various writers in the RapidAPI organization. 1. Head over to the Getting started guide and read the API object reference to begin using the Songkick API. All APIs mentioned above and accessible on RapidAPI.com are available in the following programming languages: To learn more how to get started with these RapidAPI SDKs, visit our docs. You can read our tutorials here: https://rapidapi.com/blog/category/tutorial/. Freedb / CDDB - Online CD catalog service.Track this API 6. Here’s a link: https://github.com/simon-weber/gmusicapi. Get data such as radio IDs, genres, logos, stream URLs and much more. Movies. The list of top APIs selected below is based on popularity according to followers data from ProgrammableWeb members. All media will have pricing data, as well as general metadata. About AudD. Tv. LastFM has one of the largest databases of music data out there. playlists and musics saved in user's library. Some popular music database APIs include Deezer, iTunes, musiXmatch, and more. Here is the link to the list of online music database in Wikipedia. The Blip.fm APITrack this API enables users to retrieve data about stations (Blips), DJs, favorites, most recent Blips, users, playlists, manage preferences and more. 2. For production environments, higher limits, more advanced functionality, publishing Apps on appstores or commerical products please join our $3 Patreon a month for a full private API key. Yes, but no access to the lyrics via API. The endpoints results in JSON format providing information such as artists, albums, and tracks directly from the Spotify catalog. All Around Song & Music Video Data, Best for You can perform arbitrary search across all of these data types, or use the optional entity parameter to specify what data you want to get back. 6 sites to download music very well. You'll quickly find that key to designing your music app is making effective use of the database IDs that Rovi Music recognizes and returns in responses, especially the Rovi IDs. Database IDs in Rovi Music . The Apple Music APITrack this API is the web services portion of MusicKit. SoundCloudSoundCloud is an audio platform that enables anyone to upload, record, promote and share their sounds across the web, and it is popular. Your development teams, partners and customers can discover and connect to your APIs — all from a single, next-generation API Platform. Discogs - Music database.Track this APITrack this API 3. From Spotify: Our API is what is commonly known as a RESTful API. I added some notes. It also returns song sales information and allows management of merchandise orders and shipments. Responses are JSON or XML. 7Digital7Digital is an open music catalogue of tens of millions of songs fully licensed by all major labels and indies. It also returns metadata. Finding Tracks & Building Playlists, Best for Music & Other Media (TV, Movies, Podcasts). The best use cases for this API include ... Like the other music data APIs mentioned, Spotify has strong endpoints that allow you to search albums, artists and tracks. Screenshot: Musixmatch. The API returns information about catalogues, artists, charts, releases, playlists, user management, subscriptions, purchasing, payments, and more. You can also click the link to call any of these APIs and dig straight into the code. Open Opus is a free, open sourced, collaborative database designed for classical music. Eventful - Events discovery and demand.Track this APITrack this API 4. TheAudioDB.com is a community driven database of audio metadata. You don’t need any scopes. The API allows you to … Not any of *these* api’s as far as I’m aware. Read the API Docs for Streams. MusixmatchMusixmatch is the world's largest catalog of song lyrics and translations. Song data … Where possible, Web API uses appropriate HTTP verbs for each action: Be sure to read the next Music article: Daily API RoundUp: FOIA, Spaceflight News, Anders Pink, Jockey Hype, Smartrak, COVID-19 APIs, SDKs, coverage, open source code and other related dev resources ». Plus, it has data about a massive amount of artists, releases and labels. Filed Under: APIs, Case Study Tagged With: iTunes, LastFm, music, music api, musiXmatch, Spotify. This was a round-up post, not a technical tutorial. SongkickThe Songkick APITrack this API gives users access to the "biggest live music database in the world", including over 6 million upcoming and past concerts. TheAudioDB.com is a community driven database of audio metadata. Try AudD. Hope you are all well. Playlist table: play_id PK, Created_By, play_name music table: music_id PK, track_title, artist, album I want a user to create as many playlists as they want. Entertainment. Discographies, line-ups, history records, activities, references. Easily add concerts to your website or application. Which one is the best api for commercial use? Except that Soundcloud hasnt let you register a new app for over a year now. Can you tell me where the best and largest database of older songs for download might be found? According to a recent Wired article, Spotify’s playlists are a uniquely influential curation tool. Our most recent list of top music APIs encompass a variety of services, including online song streaming, concert information, download stores, artist, label, song, and album data & metadata, free music, and touring bands. I am looking for an an API which will let me query its database via a URI to search for a music artist based on a genre for example rap. What format do the Spotify Web API endpoints result in? Last.fm Music Discovery API The Last.fm API allows anyone to build their own programs using Last.fm data. However, you can apply for access through the Spotify API page: https://developer.spotify.com/technologies/libspotify/. Get the best collection of public and open APIs like movie APIs, weather APIs, Food APIs, music APIs, games and comics APIs, meme APIs, news API, etc. Unlike other APIs on this list, the iTunes API doesn’t require a key. Title, artist credit, type, status, language, date, country, label, catalog number, barcode, medium(s), disc ID(s), ASIN, disam… 8. 5. song titles, lyrics etc.) Let's explore the data we provide with some suggestion on how to use them for every single api object: Have you built any cool projects with these APIs? Gracenote Global Music Data provides structure, in the form of IDs and normalized data, to support the most innovative music search and discovery interfaces, from voice and gesture to virtual reality and beyond. Discover music on Discogs, the largest online music database. Thank you. There are quite a few changes from our 2015 article about top music APIs, mainly due to shut down services, digital rights changes, and new services popping up. Music meta data The musiXmatch api is built around lyrics, but there are many other data we provide through the api that can be used to improve every existent music service. Discogs is constantly growing as users submit releases to the database. You can quickly generate one here. I also want the API to give a list of album names and album cover art for a selected artist name or artistID passed in from the URI. Use of this API does not require a API Key, just generate the URL below use it in your own application to retrieve trivia questions. Latest news about the API economy and newest APIs, delivered daily: How does ProgrammableWeb measure these APIs? MAQAM: Largest Database of Arabic and Middle … A whopping 634 members of ProrammableWeb follow this API (that is, they have added it to their "tracked" API watchlist, which enables them to receive updates when there are changes to the API profile). We found these Music APIs to be the very best: Deezer, Mourits Lyrics, iTunes, Spotify, LastFM, and 30,000 radio stations. Data resources are accessed via standard HTTPS requests in UTF-8 format to an API endpoint. Music Story API. Do not use the "1" test key in production! Faces.com - Photo and media sharing service. The Bandcamp APITrack this API features a RESTful interface and returns data in the JSON format, and provides users with artist accounts, label accounts, or partnerships information. The API has 65 ProgrammableWeb members tracking it. Digital Podcast - Podcast search.Track this API 2. 12. The API provides Daily, weekly and monthly music charts as well as songs currently playing. Gruvr - Live music and concert information.Track this APITrack this AP… Pulling song lyrics. If you like the site, please consider registering as an editor or supporting our patreon campaign. Some popular music database APIs include Deezer, iTunes, and more. In fact, you can access the API directly from your own browser. This project is able to manage your songs, artists, albums and more by RESTful API. It also enables functions to manage user collections and wantlists, create marketplace listings, and more. 10. The API is quite clear and documented. The content here is only possible thanks to the hard work of our editors. Blip.fmBlip.fm is free online streaming radio platform. The Discogs APITrack this API has been tracked by 201 members, and enables developers to build applications using the database of artists, releases, and labels. Try clicking this link and see what happens. Hi, I am looking for an API that can tell me in live time how many people are listening to a song on a particular platform such as Spotify etc. Read the API Docs. The Songkick api gives you easy access to the biggest live music database in the world: over 6 million upcoming and past concerts… and growing every day! Thanks for reaching out! High-quality editorial data, such as news, biographies, or album reviews. Our API is a system we provide for you and your team to programmatically fetch and use our data and/or images. LastFM's API is also very good about multi-media assets. Most of the basic calls will work using the test API key of "1". Using the Apple Music API users can access information about albums, songs, artists, and playlists in the Apple Music catalog. 200+ composers and their complete works, fully categorized and easily available through a flexible web API. Filed Under: Community Tagged With: lyrics, music, music api, song. The Spotify Web API is based on RESTprinciples. It seems like these are more for the information about the music than the actual music itself, unless I’m missing something. The Shazam API is the best music recognition API out there. RapidAPI Staff. The best use cases for the LastFM API are: The SearchTracks, SearchArtist and SearchAlbum endpoints provide powerful search functionalities: LastFM provides powerful metadata beyond the search endpoints: LastFM uses its vast social network to generate listening charts. The Open Trivia Database provides a completely free JSON API for use in programming projects. The RESTful API allows for read and write access to the full slate of last.fm music data resources - albums, artists, playlists, events, users, and more. There are hundreds of ways to use music data to take your app to the next level. Shazam. The best use cases for the iTunes API are: Like many music data APIs, the powerful searchMusic endpoint lets you search for artists, albums, tracks. [Updated for 2021], How To Estimate Weather Forecasts with the OpenWeatherMap API in Python, https://rapidapi.com/blog/category/tutorial/, https://developer.spotify.com/technologies/libspotify/, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfNxc82RJuzC0DnISat7n4H-G7IsPQIdaMpe202iiHZEoso9w/closedform, Best for Identifying Songs & Music Recognition, Best for Some example API methods include pulling a user's bookmarks, searching and retrieving search results, and accessing top level pages. These endpoints let you access a variety of chart data: The 30,000 radio stations API (by Radioair.info) has data on the top radio stations in the world. The SoundCloud APITrack this API makes most of the features from SoundCloud.com available to app developers. This API has been in the directory since 2005, and it gives users the ability to build programs using Last.fm data, whether on the web, the desktop or mobile devices. Just head to the iTunes API functions page to start testing calls! Netflix Roulette. A lot of words, not much code? In order to use the Bandsintown API, a developer must have written consent from Bandsintown Inc. More than 140 ProgrammableWeb users follow this API. 1. Identify any song, discover, artists, lyrics, videos & playlists with the Shazam API. The API service is for those of you interested in using our movie, TV show or actor images and/or data in your application. Basically it is an interface that programs can use to retrieve and manage Spotify data over the internet. 11. https://www.programmableweb.com/news/12-top-music-apis/brief/2019/04/15 A large database covering all musical genres. It uses JSON over HTTP, and has wrappers for various programming environnements (Python, Ruby, Perl,.NET, PHP). Get lyrics by artists, songs, or phrases with this API. While the API doesn’t have any popularity statistics, it provides pricing information from the iTunes Store. 9. And now, app developers can access it via the company’s powerful API. There’s plenty of libraries in other languages built up around it. There are a ton of music data APIs you can access for free! Developed with ASP.NET Core 2.0 & EF Core and used PostgreSQL Database Provider. The API also provides detailed metadata about the artists who performed it, the genre, influences, related artists and more. I think I need 3 tables, playlist, music and a table to link them together. The Bandsintown concert APITrack this API allows apps to display event information, and is designed for enterprise partners with media applications that would like to list an artist's events and provide their users with the ability to buy tickets and RSVP to these events. Depending on user's authorization, the API can also provide developers access to user-related data i.e. Open-source apps and bots. The Shazam API is the... 2. The list of the most up-to-date music APIs including music metadata, music recommendation, music discovery, album cover, artist image providers. It's another ProgrammableWeb member favorite with 159 followers. It allows users to call methods that respond in either XML or JSON. RapidAPI is the world’s largest API marketplace with over 1,000,000 developers and 10,000 APIs. If you are a developer and would like to see your Free music … The variety of music-related APIs is enormous, and the number of music APIs keeps growing. 6. Buy and sell music with collectors in the Marketplace. @ekalaracha This article was more focused on music data (ex. Do any of these APIs actually allow you to stream the music itself (besides the 30 second preview from Spotify)? 5. Search Songs, Artists, Albums, Music Videos & more. Last Updated on January 8, 2021 by Lindsey 10 Comments. While this article focuses on music data APIs, the iTunes API lets you search across the entire iTunes store. Discogs is a giant comprehensive music database and marketplace. Bands, singers, musicians. BandcampBandcamp is a music discovery website and marketplace where artists can provide tracks to stream or download and earn money from music sales. RapidAPI currently doesn’t support any API functionality that streams music. Music. A music database API usually refers to a web service or REST API that retrieves and returns music info such as song tracks, lyrics, artist or album information. Music recognition API for audio streams costs $45 per stream per month with our music DB or $25 with your songs. For example, you can also call endpoints that search the following media types: You can also call the general search endpoint to search across all media types. The Songkick api gives users access to the biggest live music database in the world: over 6 million upcoming and past concerts.The API features data about upcoming and past events, and a user's... Music: 251: REST v3.0: MusixMatch API: The musiXmatch LyriX API is 100% legal, because it pays licensing fees. Its Today’s Top Hits playlist has 14.4 million followers alone! After reviewing over 38 music APIs, we found these 8 APIs to be the very best and worth mentioning: Here are some of the best music data APIs and their most common use cases: Identify any song, discover, artists, lyrics, videos & playlists with the Shazam API. But the iTunes API’s real differentiator is the storefront. Click here for an updated list of currently available music APIs. The Internet Archive REST APITrack this API allows developers to access and integrate the functionality and content from Internet Archive with other applications. Search Songs, … Receive the lyrics in return. The best api for live music. 7. And is there free api for commercial use? It provides images for albums, tracks and artist. Requests recognize and return a variety of IDs, but the only IDs that all requests recognize and return are the Rovi IDs. Hi, Mark Nejmeh here. Did we miss your favorite music data API? The Musixmatch lyrics APITrack this API is 100% legal, because it pays licensing fees. These are some of our favorite free music data APIs. This API is also tracked by 37 ProgrammableWeb members. API Growth Charts, Industry Research & More. The API currently is followed by 33 members. Search for songs by artist, title or lyrics. 4. Do you have any advice? Access the database behind one of the largest music streaming apps in the world. The LastFM API only requires a free API key. Get an API Token. More than 110.000 items from all over the world. These data can be: Basic data about artists, songs and releases, enabling you to build a rich database or to deduplicate your own. The Open Movie Database API. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfNxc82RJuzC0DnISat7n4H-G7IsPQIdaMpe202iiHZEoso9w/closedform. Entertainment. We rate APIs based on popularity, potential, documentation, ease of use, and functionality. Microsoft Emotion and Spotify “Mood Music” Project [API Smash] How To Use the Spotify API: Surf a Giant Musical Database. Movies. It currently has 37 followers. Some Discogs data is made available under the CC0 No Rights Reserved license, and some is restricted data. Will let you access Netflix database (which is not open anymore) ... Read More Entertainment. AudD® offers Music Recognition API. Let us know in the comments below! General search calls Sorting by genres. Title, artist credit, type, disambiguation comment, MBID Releases 1. The Mourits Lyrics API is an easy API to search and get lyrics from any song. Track data will include the track price, and the price of the album containing it. The iTunes API accesses the iTunes Store’s database, which lets you filter media by store country, availability, and prices. The ProgrammableWeb Music category has more than 300 APIs listed, as well as 320+ SDKs and more than 90 source code samples. MusicBrainz Database : Free and data dumps are available. The OMDb API is a RESTful web service to obtain movie information, all content and images on the site ... Read More Movies. Music & Other Media (TV, Movies, Podcasts), Introducing RapidQL: Fetch, combine, and aggregate data from multiple APIs and databases in a single call, Top 10 Best News APIs (Updated for 2021) [60+ Reviewed], Top 8 Best Websites to Find Song Lyrics (in 2021), Introducing the QuickSet Cloud API: Automatically Discover IoT Device Information. I know with google play, you can stream the music but it’s unofficial, so I’m not 100% clear on the ToS. We all know that iTunes has an enormous music database. Get trending tracks and artists straight to your app by pulling top music charts. End dates, disambiguation comment, MBID releases 1 APIs keeps growing to download listen. Api out there discogs data is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License can help.. 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Cognitive Dissonance and Anorexia: Optimizing Differently
Part 5: Asking optimization questions to move beyond dissonance reduction.
Posted Nov 25, 2020
Variants on optimization questions and answers
In the previous parts of this series (starting here), I’ve offered an account of how cognitive dissonance can help us think differently about anorexia. In this final part, I wrap up with some reflections on dissonance and optimization in the context of decision-making about recovery and the rest of life.
In the end, for me what cognitive dissonance theory most usefully teaches us is that there are defaults at play into which we may have little insight and yet which may shape a lot about what we do and don’t do, and that dissonance reduction is the structure quite a lot of them take. In the previous post, I suggesting that dissonance reduction is optimizing for tolerable, because to the extent that it’s a reduction and not elimination, it’s settling for an in-between.
This suggests a useful question to ask in the effort to understand any human behaviour (our own or someone else’s): “What is this optimizing for?” There are all kinds of optimization going on here and now, in the system that is you, in parallel (and at loggerheads) and at multiple levels of generality. Cognitive dissonance is part of some of them, and often where it exists it gets entangled with other cognitive biases, like the sunk cost fallacy (I’ve invested so many years in this relationship I can’t let it go now; I spent such a lot on this home gym equipment I couldn’t possibly get rid of it now). These biases may cluster together to shape our operational definitions of waste and loss, and guide insights and actions in one direction or another, not unrelated to what “your” explicit values and aspirations are, but with no necessary primacy for those.
To intervene in this complex system, you can put a probe into it: You can ask the optimization question of yourself, to understand what’s happening now and also to shape what you do next. If you ask, “What is this optimizing for?” where this is the current set of behaviours and attitudes you’re practising and manifesting (in thoughts, words, actions), doing so is in part a way of attuning yourself to dissonances in play.
The “this” is importantly depersonalized here: You can look at your behaviours and attitudes as interesting little pieces of a big and complex system none of which is necessarily optimized for anything that “you” (think you) care about. The “behaviour” part is also relevant: Even if it’s the cognitive-emotional stuff that feels the most fraught (whether in the context of recovery, or something else, say a breakup), attending to the surrounding actions (whether exercise routines or phone use or anything else) can often be a helpful way to begin to generate clarity. And the “this” can refer to a single behaviour (What is my daily walk to the park optimizing for? What is this thing of keeping my phone switched on overnight optimizing for?). Or, zoomed out, it can also encompass the entire collection of things you’re doing at the moment: What is this life setup optimizing for? Finally, it’s a bit harder, but you can also try it with physical states (What is this bodyweight optimizing for?) or cognitive patterns (What is this protracted anticipation of my walks optimizing for? Or what is this posthoc dissection of all our conversations optimizing for?).
The answers we end up giving may often merit further interrogation (OK, leaving my phone on at night is optimizing for that warm-yet-empty feeling of knowing he might text me but probably won’t, and that is, in turn, optimizing for keeping this breakup uppermost in my mind night and day, which is optimizing for resisting the breakup and the change; or, the daily walk is optimizing for anxiety relief, but that is optimizing for sustaining the system in which I get anxiety relief only from walking, and increase anxiety by not walking, hence walking is optimizing for anxiety maintenance). You’ll have to decide where to stop, but continuing to push beyond where it feels comfortable can be revealing, since many of our most powerful objects of optimization (beauty, wealth, slimness, etc.) have optimization benefits that are themselves unclear or dubious (so if I were slimmer I’d get more dates with guys who wouldn’t have swiped right if I’d been plumper?). This is often because dissonance reduction is at work: e.g., if I’ve been aspiring to this all my life it must have value, so I’ll keep aspiring to it.
Our answers may often include an acknowledgment that, OK, yes, currently in this area the things I’m doing or thinking are optimizing for convenience or ease, say, rather than something you might like to think you value more. Or maybe sometimes the opposite: the status signaling inherent in conspicuous un-ease (look at me, I’m balancing the unbalanceable). The what-I-say-versus-what-I-do contrast is often revealing here, and the gap can be terribly narrow yet make all the difference (the size of the leavings on a plate, maybe, or the few extra paces that didn’t really need taking).
If we then go on to ask “what do I want this to optimize for?”, we're creating an opportunity to change the default. This is a more flexible way of asking “how can I make my life better?” or “what would make me happier?” because better is so vague and happiness might not quite capture your thing, and “this” can be at any level of specificity you like. Asking a question like this is one way to counter the myopia of eating disorders: the habit they have of making you optimize, endlessly, for only a few very boring things. Asking yourself what all/some of this is optimizing for, and what it could, is thus a nicely focused way of zooming out and seeing both what is and what could be.
This version of the question is interesting to ask at intervals. You get to observe the changes in the answer: from a life phase in which you want to optimize for expansion to one in which you want to optimize for calm, for endings, or for new beginnings. And then you get to work out what actions might allow you to do that, and test something out, and repeat, and learn.
Variants on freedom
Defaults are powerful things, and they often involve dissonance reduction. Like the shortcuts our bodies so eagerly take when sitting or standing or walking or lifting, the defaults aren’t optimized for anything more than the system’s current path of least resistance. Like the genes and memes that are optimized for selfish replication regardless of the benefits or drawbacks to us lumbering organisms, their hosts, the default desire for dissonance reduction is just a self-replicating mechanism: When you satisfy it, you feel better (for a bit), so you do it again. Positive feedback kicks in, and the renewed dopamine hit or handy distraction from difficulty just helped that little habit loop become a little bit more habitual.
Identifying that this is what’s going on may just help you select something that works better in the medium and long term, and possibly even the short term. After all, trying to write this difficult sentence without flicking to email as soon as I don’t know how to carry on can feel immediately better as well as helping me finish this post sooner, align my working practices with my image of an ideal working day and with my professional ambitions, etc. And in the same way, eating this whole cookie now can in fact give me energy and mental clarity for right now this afternoon, as well as aligning my choice and my day with the reasons why I want to recover—even if I know that in between there’ll be some of the predictable dissonance where the pro-recovery action meets the still-habitual anxiety and guilt. You try something, and it changes something, and now you know something you didn’t before, and now a slightly shifted reality is possible for you.
In the end, reduction is unwinnable. Only once the burden of partially resolved dissonance is lifted do you get the chance to find out how much easier life is when it’s gone, when there’s resolution in place of reduction, avoidance, or concealment.
Of course, there’s no absolute freedom in taking action against dissonance or any other evolved cognitive mechanism. If you decide to give it a go (ask the question, give an answer, act on the answer) because of reading this, it’ll just be because this little set of Psychology Today optimization memes won out for a bit against some other intersecting and competing threads of cultural/cognitive/biological evolution. The processes kept playing themselves out. But in a possibly happier direction.
And of course, the rest of your life won’t be a dissonance-free nirvana, but at least you’ll have given yourself a robust piece of evidence that unless behaviour changes, nothing much ever does.
Blackmore, S. J. (1999). The meme machine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Google Books preview here. |
The All-Share Index and Market Capitalization both appreciated by 5.30% to close the week at 28,415.31 and N14.852 trillion respectively. Investors gained 747.19 billion.
Explore Data on the Nairametrics Research Website
- A total turnover of 3.140 billion shares worth N35.372 billion in 35,099 deals was traded this week by investors on the floor of the Exchange, in contrast with a total of 1.532 billion shares valued at N16.901 billion that exchanged hands last week in 17,882 deals.
- The Financial Services industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 2.325 billion shares valued at N25.816 billion traded in 21,306 deals; thus contributing 74.05% and 72.99% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
- The Oil and Gas industry followed with 200.567 million shares worth N1.012 billion in 1,977 deals.
- The third place was the Industrial Goods industry, with a turnover of 149.200 million shares worth N3.631 billion in 2,991 deals.
- Trading in the top three equities namely Zenith Bank Plc, FBN Holdings Plc, and United Bank for Africa Plc. (measured by volume) accounted for 1.236 billion shares worth N15.724 billion in 9,774 deals, contributing 39.36% and 44.45% to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.
- Fifty-three (53) equities appreciated at price during the week, higher than thirty-six (36) equities in the previous week.
- Fourteen (14) equities depreciated in price, lower than fifteen (15) equities in the previous week, while ninety-six (96) equities remained unchanged, lower than one hundred and twelve (112) recorded in the previous week.
- ETERNA PLC. up 32.48% to close at N3.63
- INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. up 21.03% to close at N4.72
- AFRICA PRUDENTIAL PLC up 20.63% to close at N5.73
- TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. up 19.48% to close at N0.92
- FBN HOLDINGS PLC up 19.23% to close at N6.20
- ACCESS BANK PLC. up 16.42% to close at N7.80
- GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. up 16.00% to close at N5.80
- NASCON ALLIED INDUSTRIES PLC up 15.87% to close at N12.05
- LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC up 15.79% to close at N0.44
- NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. up 14.81% to close at N4.65
- UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT COMPANY PLC down 11.96% to close at N0.81
- TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. down 10.00% to close at N0.36
- DEAP CAPITAL MANAGEMENT & TRUST PLC down 10.00% to close at N0.27
- ACADEMY PRESS PLC. down 6.90% to close at N0.27
- CONOIL PLC down 5.57% to close at N14.40
- LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. down 5.17% to close at N1.10
- JAIZ BANK PLC down 4.84% to close at N0.59
- CHAMS PLC down 4.76% to close at N0.20
- UNION DIAGNOSTIC & CLINICAL SERVICES PLC down 4.00% to close at N0.24
- OANDO PLC down 2.62% to close at N2.23
Nigerian bourse recorded impressive gains in the week amid growing political uncertainty across Nigeria’s borders
- Nigeria’s major export earning asset, crude oil printed higher as Hurricane storm threatened 17% of America’s crude oil supplies, thereby trading at $43/Barrel.
- Significant buying pressures from Nigeria’s notable stocks rallied investors inflows W/W, as institutional investors took advantage of decent stocks that were trading relatively at a discounted level.
- On the macro level, Nigeria’s 2021 budget revealed plans to finance the deficit with flows from new borrowings (N4.28 trillion), privatization proceeds (N205.15 billion), and drawdowns from multilateral and bilateral loans secured for specific projects and programs (N709.69 billion).
- Nairametrics expects you to seek the counsel of a certified Stockbroker when choosing stocks to buy, as Nigerian Stocks often exhibit cyclic returns.
Economic summary: Crypto, Inflation & SIM Card Policies for the past week
Getting up to an eventful week ahead, these are the things you should know.
Last week was interesting and we tracked some notable events in the economy and markets that would likely have an impact on your money this week.
The National Bureau of Statistics released its monthly inflation figures and it is pretty clear that inflation in Nigeria is going only one way — up. Inflation rate stands at 18.17% for the month of March, rising from 17.33% in February. Food inflation currently stands at 22.95%. The macro environment looks particularly gloomy for the average man with rising inflation eroding purchasing power.
What we find the most significant is how this will affect investors. With inflation heading towards 20%, it is going to be increasingly difficult for fund managers and investors to earn decent returns on their investments. A few weeks back, it was stated that the CBN had no real concern with inflation because it was caused by other related factors. We believe it is the right time for the Central Bank to step in by raising interest rates and mopping the excess liquidity in the economy.
The Central Bank last week announced that it was including wheat and sugar on the foreign exchange restriction list. Recall that the CBN had listed 41 items placed on the FX restriction list in 2015, then added maize to the list in 2020.
With existing players like Dangote Sugar, the CBN believes that Nigeria has enough or should have enough capacity to meet local demand.
Last week, The Debt Management Office (DMO) announced the offer of N150 billion bonds for subscription by auction in the month of April on behalf of the Federal Government. We reported two weeks ago that bond prices were falling as the yield was rising. As at April, 15th, the S&P FMDQ Nigerian Sovereign Bond Index was -22.07% YTD.
Nigerian investors can still capitalize on decent yields in the bond market. The total subscription received from investors for the bonds was N333.48bn comprising N65.25bn for 16.2884% FGN March 2027 bonds; N110.19bn for 12.5% FGN March 2035 bonds; and N158.04bn for 9.8% FGN July 2045 bonds.
Cryptocurrency and volatility
The cryptocurrency market had a bullish week till yesterday when sell-offs in the market ensured that coins like Ethereum dropped by about 21.46%. Olumide Adesina, a market analyst and cryptocurrency expert, called it a “bloody Sunday.” In a Twitter Spaces conversation with Ugodre Obi-Chukwu on Saturday, he discussed how the market was overheating and the bullish run was unsustainable. Despite the losses yesterday, there is still a lot of upside on cryptocurrencies and many experts remain bullish long-term.
For whoever is willing to invest in this asset class, the rule of thumb is to only invest money you can part with and do your research.
Other related news:
FG lifts suspension of issuance of new sim cards
The FG lifted its ban on new sim cards for telco players last week. This had previously been halted by the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy last December. Without a doubt, this is good news for stakeholders in the industry as analysts had predicted that the ban would affect the growth of the sector.
From the government’s perspective, it begs the question, what was the need to issue a ban on new sim cards in the first place?
SEC ban on foreign stocks denies Nigerian investors of generational wealth
Amid the booming interest in America, the SEC has reminded participants and investors that only authorized securities can be sold to the Nigerian public.
As Americans turn their attention to stock and cryptocurrency markets, trading platforms Robinhood and Coinbase took the top two slots in Apple’s App Store last week.
According to Sensor Tower, Robinhood took the top spot on Friday, followed by crypto trading platform, Coinbase. TikTok came in third place. The surge in popularity coincides with Coinbase’s Nasdaq debut on Wednesday when bitcoin surpassed $64,000 for the first time.
The rise in popularity reflects an increase in retail trading during the pandemic, as well as a “meme stock” community centred on companies like GameStop. After a group of traders on Reddit deployed a short squeeze in January, the video game store became a household name.
This isn’t the first time Robinhood has topped the charts. The brokerage firm was the most successful app in the Apple and Google app stores in January, at the height of the GameStop controversy. Another trading app, Webull, came in second. The top ten also included Coinbase, Square’s Cash App, and Fidelity. During the height of the GameStop frenzy, Robinhood, which shut down the buy-side of those stocks, received backlash on social media, and its CEO was later called to testify in front of Congress.
Amid the booming interest in America, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria (SEC Nigeria) has exercised its legal authority and reminded participants and investors that only authorized securities can be sold to the Nigerian public. To put it another way, international stocks such as Tesla Inc., Apple, Amazon, Google, GameStop and others that are not currently listed in Nigerian jurisdiction should not be sold to Nigerian residents or businesses.
As a result of the new SEC directive, young Nigerians who have been using the new invest tech service providers to help diversify their portfolios face new challenges especially with the CBN ban on crypto transactions.
This creates a sizable problem particularly for traders that would at least want to earn above the 18% inflation rate.
What this means:
- Retail investors are paying more attention to financial applications as they have witnessed massive gain in assets like crypto and meme stock.
- Nigerians may find it difficult to benefit from international retail platforms with the SEC announcement.
- SEC regulation may hamper the fundamental ideology for globalization especially from a finance perspective.
Nairametrics | Company Earnings
Access our Live Feed portal for the latest company earnings as they drop.
- 2020 FY Results: Unity Bank Plc posts profit after tax of N2.09 billion.
- Guinea Insurance Plc reports a loss of N142.13 million in 9M 2020.
- Unilever Nigeria Plc set to hold Annual General Meeting on 6th of May.
- UBA Plc posts profit after tax of N38.16 billion in Q1 2021.
- PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc appoints Ifueko Okauru as Independent Non-Executive Director. |
Type “introvert meme” into a search engine and you’ll find a million and one results. This is good for those of us of the internal variety not only to realise we’re not in there alone but they provide some handy resources to circulate in an effort to help the extrovert world understand our weirdness.
There’s a common misconception that introverts are anti-social. We’re not. It’s just that being social can be exhausting for an introvert. Some people (extroverts) are energised by being around lots of people and talking. Introverts get their energy from spending time in their own heads.
Does this mean we don’t enjoy being with other people? Of course not. Admittedly, we’re not always good conversationalists. We don’t do small talk. And for those of us with the double whammy of introversion and shyness, maintaining a conversation, especially with someone we don’t know well, can be agony. On the plus side, we make great listeners.
Introverts can do social. We can even like it. It’s just that we prefer meaningful conversation with one or two people we know well. In a large social gathering, you’re more likely to find us clearing the table or in the kitchen doing the dishes. We like a large gathering if we have the option of moving in and out of social interaction with a job to do.
Unfortunately, introverts – along with those ubiquitous memes about us – can sometimes be our own worst enemies. A plethora of memes about how we’d rather stay home or how social occasions cause us anxiety can have unintended consequences. Often it means that other people hesitate to invite introverts out for a social date. Let’s face it, an introvert will never be the life of the party (although personally I kill it with the Under 5 crowd) and rarely tops an invitation list. People think we’d prefer not to go, that we’re happiest at home alone.
Okay, yes, we are.
Just not all the time.
Introverts are people too and people need people (cue Barbara Streisand…). We can do alone but we also do lonely.
So, if you’re not an introvert yourself but you’re lucky enough to be friends with one, don’t forget your homebody friend may be getting too much of a good thing. Ask them out for dinner or a drink or to see a movie. They’ll welcome it. Just don’t bring ten people with you.
This has been a Public Service Announcement.
Actually, given it’s from an introvert, this has been a Privately Expressed Suggestion. |
I saw this meme going around social media lately and it looked like a nice subject to ruminate on and reminisce over, but I’m not feeling posting on Facebook much anymore, so I decided to do one big post here. I know I’m tweaking the rules a little bit: more than 10 albums, these stretch before and after my teen years, and of course I’m offering a little explanation. But who cares! It’s been a fun, if challenging, activity!
Stevie Wonder, Stevie Wonder’s Original Musiquarium I (1982)
My parents have this thing where they “assigned” us kids songs when we were born. When I was born, they “gave” me Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely,” so it’s “my song.” (Aww.) It originally appeared on Songs in the Key of Life from 1976, but I still get warm family-love fuzzies when I hear this song and this compilation from 1982 is the album I remember my parents playing all the time when I was a kid. Plus, I just got a new bass so I’ve been having a lot of fun learning bass lines off this album lately.
Stray Cats, Built for Speed (1982)
One of the first vinyl records I “borrowed” (read: took) from my dad’s extensive record collection. As a young teenager and new guitarist I learned Brian Setzer’s guitar parts from the album top to bottom, using the vinyl!! Kids these days will never know.
Sir Neville Marriner, The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Amadeus (Original Soundtrack Recording) (1984)
Whenever I stayed home sick from school as a kid, Amadeus was my go-to movie. I had this album on vinyl too, and when I was a budding composer in high school I drew a lot of inspiration from the movie and the soundtrack. Maybe basic, but what can I say, I’m pretty sure it was a catalyst for me to start composing.
Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream (1993)
This was legit on repeat for pretty much the entirety of my teen years. It’s another album from which I learned all the guitar parts (almost… I couldn’t achieve Corgan’s psychedelic soloing and didn’t have all the gear anyway). Beyond Siamese Dream being one of the most quintessential albums of the 90s and no doubt influential for many people, I also latched on to this one because its producer, Butch Vig, was one of my idols at the time. He embodied my first dream “career:” musician, record producer, studio owner. Bonus: Vig’s from Wisconsin and his iconic Smart Studios was just a couple blocks away from my house where I grew up.
Weezer, Pinkerton (1996)
Ah Pinkerton, the nostalgia runs deep despite the problematic sentiments. I still love it, so what. This is another album I had on repeat throughout high school, and again I learned all the guitar parts. Not to mention it was on the Pinkerton tour when my epic and notorious “Weezer Tour Bus Incident” took place. In eighth grade, I hung out with the band on its tour bus before its January 1997 show at the Barrymore Theatre in Madison, during which guitarist Brian Bell dedicated “In the Garage” to me. My parents were not pleased with me!
Dee Dee Bridgewater, Prelude to a Kiss: The Duke Ellington Album (1996)
I was just starting to listen to and learn about jazz in ninth grade, and this is one of the first (if not the first) jazz records I ever bought. I remember really loving the saxophone parts, only to realize years later that it was Bobby Watson playing, whom I met when I moved to Kansas City for college. He was on faculty at my school, and it’s an honor to call him a friend and former colleague! Serendipity.
Phat Phunktion, Here We Go! (1999)
Phat Phunktion is a local Madison group that my high school band teacher knew from Summer Music Clinic (I participated one summer as a jazz guitarist). My teacher invited the band to play a gig at my high school when I was a junior. I don’t remember if it was for a fundraiser or just for fun, but I was very involved in the promotion of the show. I sold tickets at lunch for weeks and interviewed them for the school paper. This may have sparked my interest in writing about music, which was one of my side hustles after college in Kansas City. Besides that, Phat was my introduction to funk music (at least of which I was cognizant, if you don’t count my folks’ excellent collection of 70s funk played when I was little) and I’ve been a fan ever since.
Grant Green, Born to Be Blue (1962)
In high school I was pretty serious about jazz guitar—I took lessons from a respected local veteran of the Madison and Milwaukee jazz scenes, I was in the big band at school, I had my own jazz combo for fun, and I wrote a few jazz charts (yes they’re recorded). I listened to A LOT of jazz guitar recordings. Obsessed. It was very hard to narrow this down, between Les Paul and Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass and Kenny Burrell and Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt and Freddie Green and Tal Farlow and and and… But I decided ultimately on Grant Green’s Born to Be Blue because it’s just a great album and I love the version of “Someday My Prince Will Come” on it.
Ani DiFranco, Little Plastic Castle (1998)
Here’s where the boys come in. My high school sweetheart dumped me around sophomore/junior year—my first love, my first heartbreak—and this new Ani DiFranco album affected me on several levels. Yes there are songs mired in angst which was perfect for me at the time, but also I loved her unabashedly introspective lyrics and killer guitar playing. Ultimately this isn’t my favorite album of Ani’s, but after that devastating breakup, this one helped me feel like myself again.
Charlie Hunter Quartet, Natty Dread (1997)
And here’s the one that reminds me of my college sweetheart. He introduced me to this album, and Charlie Hunter, and I love him for it. Charlie Hunter arranged Bob Marley’s 1974 Natty Dread track-for-track as a soul jazz album, and it is executed perfectly. I adore this version of “No Woman No Cry.” Nothing but good feelings when I listen to this record, still in semi-regular rotation for me.
Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, World on Fire (2014)
My husband asked me to tack this onto an Amazon order I was making one time in 2015, and when it arrived he happened to be away on a summer residency. So I decided to give it a listen and basically it was the only thing I listened to for the entire summer. When he got home I had all the lyrics memorized. There were some depressing life things that happened in 2015, and World on Fire was a great emotional outlet for some of my bottled-up feelings.
Beyoncé, Lemonade (2016)
2016 and 2017. What can I say. So much happened, so much didn’t. Excitements, difficulties, adventures, terribleness, boring times, discoveries, stresses, identity examinations. Lemonade got me through some shit.
I have innumerable honorable mentions. For jazz, it was nearly impossible to pick out just one album from a guitarist—I also drew much inspiration from Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Nina Simone in high school when I was into jazz. I also went through an intense Buddy Holly phase. When I was a kid, music was always playing in our house, from soul and Motown to Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead to Carole King and Joni Mitchell to Michael Jackson to Tom Waits and more. We’d listen to rock n’ roll on Saturday mornings and classical music on Sunday mornings—it’s tradition. Switching from guitar to bass in college was life transforming for me, that could be a whole post all to itself. And of course now I have tons of musician friends I love to support, and my music world has opened up immeasurably as an adult. This has been so much fun to think on! What are some important albums that have been the soundtrack to your life? |
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Here’s what we know so far: 1). Brad Stine is a hypocrite who wears his religion on his sleeve, yet has no problem attacking President Obama for “faking” his religion, in contravention of that whole “lest ye be judged” Bible thingamagig in Matthew; 2). For the Foxy friends at Fox and Friends there is no low where Stine can’t go, unlike Hank Wilson, Jr., another celebrity out of his depths. From wherever the (still to be determined) Fox “News” Producer produced ex-carny Stine, it’s obvious he is still championed (you don’t really think Kilmeade, Carlson or Doocy book the guests, do you?). I thought we’d never see him again after last week’s train wreck, when he bet President Obama $1000 that he would not declare Jesus Christ as his Savior on tee vee and then decided the president was “faking” his religion. Whatever producer, booking Stine as a regular pundit was a Machiavellian masterstroke. The Foxy Friends are able to outsource all those Right Wing Talking Points to Stine, who rants like a street-corner crazy, while their hands remain clean. What’s more: it’s done in that aw-shucks, good, clean, morning fun happy talk, which disguises the fact that they are table-setting the Fox “News” Talking Points for the day. However, this week Steve Doocy forgot to leave all the agit-prop to Stine (or was simply reading off his teleprompter like a good little Foxbot) because of the 169 seconds in this segment Doocy used 56 (28 to introduce Stine and another 28 seconds spouting Right Wing Talking Points). This left Stine with a scant of 1:13 to push the meme du jour: Hollywood leans left. Stop the presses.
Ostensibly the topic was “The secret connection between Hollywood and Washington,” which allowed Stine to attack Hollywood and President Obama non-stop, until Doocy read his lines:
SD: Exactly right. So that award show last night, I couldn’t tell if it was the Oscars or a DNC fundraiser because a lot of those same people are the people who have contributed heavily to the president in the past and will in the future. And I saw one interesting thing. Yannow, all the airplay that the president did—that riff on Al Green—everybody played it on the nightly news, but nobody mentioned that that was a fundraiser for 38 thousand eight hundred doll—uhh, 36 thousand dollars per ticket. Nobody mentioned that, just the singing part.
You’d think they would want to hide their bias. However Stine’s not done. What he says next is the biggest lie he’s ever told, considering how Doocy just slipped in all that Right Wing spin:
BS: […] They’re not good reporters. Frankly it’s not good journalism when they’re not reporting the facts. [If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was describing Fox “News.”] They do it every time, but yannow what? It’s something we have to deal with. We have to find another way in. [Bearing false witness in 3…2…1…] We have to find a group that allows the real truth to be revealed and sometimes it’s Fox and that’s why I am here, my friend. At least we get objective reporting. [Comment: Was it “objective reporting” when Doocy said the Oscars resembled a DNC fundraiser? Let the people decide, I’ve always said that. Sorry. You were saying, Stine?] Let the people decide, I’ve always said that. [Then we agree. Suddenly Stine realized he didn’t use all his prewritten material, so he lurched back to bashing Hollywood.] Plus they’re actors, fer crying out loud. I mean, think about it: They spend their life pretending to be somebody else. Okay? They call it acting. We call it schizophrenia. That’s all I’m gunna say.
If only. Watch after the jump:
Or what about Tom Selleck? I wasn’t aware that Selleck REALLY worked as a private investigator (Magnum PI) or was a real ophthalmologist (Friends) or lived with a couple of other men and raised a daughter (Three Men and a Baby).
Now, I’ll grant that some conservative-leaning actors probably ARE a bit “schizophrenic” (Stephen Baldwin, Chuck Norris, Jon Voight) but Stine really needs to inform us of when and where he earned his degree in psychiatry or psychology (schizophrenia is a mental illness that can ONLY be diagnosed by a legitimate medical practitioner—the last three words least likely to apply to Stine). |
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The pace at which the the virtual world is expanding is a secret to none today. This nature of advancement demands for a high degree of knowledge, competence and sincere efforts to deliver fruitful results. At its core, Settlemania believes that to place a strong foot in the field, both quality and quantity matters equally to the modern internet. They are determined to provide nothing but the best in the business. Needless to say, digital marketing and video content are up to go even bigger in the coming years. And Settlemania too is ready to contribute a great deal of good work in the online realm. The journey so far has been full of challenges for Settlemania, but they have emerged as a proficient name all this time. Carving their niche in the digital marketing space for quite a while now, Settlemania surely is staying in the light for a very long time. |
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New Halo Movie 2018
Halo: Spartan-117 Official Movie Trailer (2018) 1080p - YouTube. I am a new College graduate and an aspiring Film Editor! Help me get there? Channel will feature Fan-Made Trailers, Tributes, and maybe even some Trailer Breakdowns and Livestreams! Fan-Made Halo Movie Trailer featuring the Master Chief himself Spartan-117 or John-117.
Showtime's Halo TV Series Sets Fall 2018 Filming Start Date. Showtime and Steven Spielberg's long-awaited live-action Halo TV series, based on Microsoft's game series, is expected to start filming in fall 2018. The live-action Halo TV series is finally going to start filming later this year. Microsoft initially attempted to develop a Halo movie with several Hollywood...
Halo 2018 Movie. HALO - The War Movie Trailer 2018 - New Hollywood Movies 2018. Halo: Nightfall - Official Trailer (2015) Subscribe HERE for NEW movie trailers ➤ goo.gl/o12wZ3 Released digitally in the ...
Halo (franchise) - Wikipedia. "E3 2018: Halo Infinite Revealed As New Halo Xbox One Game". ^ Warren, Tom (May 17, 2018). "Microsoft's new Halo arcade game lives inside a giant coin-operated machine". "The New Halo Game Is a Hit - So What's the Status of the Halo Movie?".
Halo Movie - Posts Facebook. Halo Movie. 2,891 likes. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant. See more of Halo Movie on Facebook.
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Feature film based on the popular video game, Halo. - IMDb. Our Most Anticipated Movies of 2021. The IMDb editors have selected the films they're most excited to see in 2021. Have you added these movies to your Watchlist? a list of 39 titles created 05 Dec 2018.
Halo Movie 2018. HALO - The War Movie Trailer 2018 - New Hollywood Movies 2018. HALO 4 : Guardians of Future - Full Movie 2018 This is a Edited Remastered Compilation movie of Halo 4 Game Cutscenes.
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Video / Trailer: Halo Movie in Talks MegaGames Add new comment. Who would you like to see directing and starring in a Halo movie, which game do you believe is better suited to provide the story for the first movie, please I think the halo series has great potential for a movie, but I hope whoever is in charge of the project doesn't screw it up. I think it was the guy that...
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Watch Halo: Nightfall Streaming Online Hulu (Free Trial). Director: Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. Starring: Mike Colter, Christina Chong, Steven Waddington and others.
Halo: Nightfall - Movie Reviews. Whenever there's a new Halo movie/series, I always get hyped. This was no exception. Halo's series/movies are one of the only well made game adaptations. So, Nightfall follows a team of soldiers who go to a part of the Halo ring from where an unknown virus has come.
Microsoft Reveals 'Halo Infinite' Trailer At Its Xbox Event, Will Be. Microsoft has revealed Halo Infinite, a new game that will follow Master Chief on his greatest adventure yet on Xbox One. Jun 10, 2018,04:11pm EDT|. News and opinion about video games, television, movies and the internet.
The Halo Movies to Watch Before Halo: Infinite Game Rant. Halo Infinite has been delayed, so fill the Master Chief-shaped hole in your soul with these movies that dig into the franchise's deep lore. This one is admittedly a hard sell, as it doesn't contain a lot of new information for long time fans and the production values aren't fantastic.
What are the Halo movies in order : halo. So i wanna watch all the Halo movies with my mate in a couple days but I am getting confused. No website tells me the proper order of which movie has when the story started and where it is now (halo 5). Could someone list the order of the halo movied down below for me please!?
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Microsoft squashes new Halo movie rumors - GameSpot. Rumors have been circulating about the revival of the Halo feature film for a long time, but Microsoft is getting ahead of recent Internet rumblings. Back in 2005, we learned that The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit director Peter Jackson was involved with the production of a Halo feature film.
Remember the Halo movie? No, you don't, because it didn't happen.. "Halo is our most ambitious series ever, and we expect audiences who have been anticipating it for Now playing: Watch this: E3 2018: Halo Infinite announced. In February, we spoke to Alex Garland, the screenwriter behind the original Halo movie -- who's now an accomplished sci-fi director, too.
New Halo movie series - Community - Halo 2 - GameFront. Well it looks like machinma is coming out with a new kind of RVB, Spartan's Life. It seems to be based upon a talk show of some sorts, but more like a Saterday night live kinda thing in the respect that its freakin hilarious.
New & Upcoming Halo Movie News Halo Movie CINEMABLEND. The Halo Online modded project known as ElDewrito recently received version 0.6 in its short development cycle. The mod enabled PC gamers to Creative Assembly, 343 Industries and Microsoft are gearing up for the release of Halo Wars 2 on Xbox One and Windows 10, and they have a new...
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Saturday, October 23, 2010
Check out the video to see the coin-operated kiddie ride in action.
OK…it’s kinda bizarre, but it does make statement.
I think it’s a great reminder that BP still has a long way to go when it comes to cleaning up the mess they made.
I hope this wakes up some people on how pervasive meth is in our society today.
All we hear about are the Feds increasingly senseless attacks on marijuana. In a DEA report earlier this year there was a breakdown of how much money was allocated to fight drugs.Almost two-thirds of the monies went to fight marijuana while the remaining third went to cocaine, heroin, meth, prescription drugs, etc., al.
That imbalance is not only wrong, it’s criminally wrong in my book. Big Pharma and other corporations that have lobbied against pot for decades, purely for financial reasons, are the real criminals!
Making pot a priority and pouring millions of dollars into it’s pursuit isn’t logical, especially when you look at the damage done by meth, cocaine, and heroin. Any right-thinking person can see this. Take the politics out of the issue for a moment, and look at the statistics. Consider what’s really happening. People aren’t overdosing on weed. They don’t become addicted zombies ready to kill for their next shot of THC.
I hope this unusual news story shakes some people up and makes them realize the enemy isn’t pot – it’s the rest of the drugs the Feds fail to prioritize in their so-called “War on Drugs.”
“A dormitory for freshmen at prestigious Georgetown University was evacuated after a suspected meth lab was found in a room.
Washington fire and emergency services spokesman Pete Piringer said the department's hazardous materials team responded to Harbin Hall around 6:15 a.m. Saturday.
The dorm was evacuated, but seven people were exposed to noxious chemicals, including three students. No one was transported to the hospital.
The investigation is ongoing. Police are questioning possible suspects and believe some students were involved.
Georgetown spokesman Jordan Gray says about 400 students remained evacuated late Saturday morning while federal agents investigated. Students were sent to various campus buildings.”
Friday, October 22, 2010
Remember Weekend at Bernie’s ?
I just ran across this true, but bizarre, news story.
A California woman drove for nearly a year with a dead body in her passenger seat…
You might ask “Didn’t she…aaahhh smell anything?” Apparently she did because police found a box of baking soda next to the decaying corpse. Isn’t that special?
The woman who carted the mummified remains around - like a scene out of Weekend with Bernie’s - is a 57 year-old real estate agent. She befriended the woman letting her sleep in her car because she was homeless.
When she died, the real estate agent didn’t know what to do and just covered her up. An interesting reaction to say the least. She put a blanket over her and proceeded to drive around for 10 months until accidently discovered.
One investigating police officer observed that she must have gotten use to the smell. How does a person get use to the very ripe small of a decaying corpse? I know it would take a lot more than one box of baking soda (a mountain wouldn’t suffice!).
Just another case of truth being at least as strange as fiction!
No matter what your political views may be, if you’re in a contested race for federal office this cycle, someone, somewhere, is probably calling you “extreme.”
The viewer spend 15 minutes with “As It Stands” this morning. With the return of school, I’ve seen a marked increase in readership. This blog is now averaging about 1200 daily visitors.
“As It Stands” is nearing the quarter million mark after two years online. It’s been fun, and I expect it will continue to be. Thanks to all the recent readers who have been returning to the fold once school started.
Wrocław [ˈvrɔt͡swaf] ( listen) (German: Breslau ( listen)) is the chief city in south-western Poland, situated on the River Oder (Polish: Odra). Wrocław is the capital of Silesia and, also of Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Over the centuries, the city has been either part of Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia or Germany. According to official population figures for June 2009, its population is 632,240, making it the fourth largest city in Poland.
The city's name was first recorded in the year 1000 by Thietmar's Latin chronicle called Thietmari Merseburgensis episcopi Chronicon as Wrotizlawa. The first municipal seal stated Sigillum civitatis Wratislavie. A simplified name is given, in 1175, as Wrezlaw, Prezla or Breslaw. The Czech spelling was used in Latin documents as Wratislavia or Vratislavia. At that time, Prezla was used in Middle High German, which became Preßlau. In the middle of the 14th century the Early New High German (and later New High German) form of the name Breslau began to replace its earlier versions.
The city is traditionally believed to be named after Wrocisław or Vratislav, often believed to be Duke Vratislaus I of Bohemia. It is also possible that the city was named after the tribal duke of the Silesians or after an early ruler of the city called Vratislav.
Remains unclear whether a fault with the prosthetic was to blame
“An Austrian man who lost both his arms in an accident but was able to drive because of a mind-controlled prosthetic has died after a car crash, a doctor said Friday.”
PHOTO - Christian Kandlbauer, who lost both of his arms in a high voltage accident, and makes the journey to his place of work in September.
British vessel is said to be 'virtually undetectable' — normally
I would hate to be the captain of this $1 Billion dollar sub right now.
This isn’t exactly the kind of PR the British want for their “World’s most advanced sub.”
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Note: all three of my picks are write-in candidates, but don’t let that bother you. At least, they’re honest about being clowns…unlike their competition.
For District Attorney: Oboy the Clown (left). He’s never lied about his qualifications for being a DA or claimed to be a college professor. He’s never lost a court case, or gone surfing.
For Assessor: Bobo the Clown (right). Beside being a snappy dresser, Bobo doesn’t have “good old boy’ ties going back five generations, which means some new blood might turn this office around.
Finally, for Healthcare District: Meme the Clown (left) She’s another newcomer with no political agenda who just likes people and makes them laugh. She won’t do any worse than her predecessors!
Talbot-Lago T150 C Figoni et Falaschi 'Goutte d'Eau'
4 liter 6 cylinder in line engine.
Only 16 units built.
Valued at $3 million US
Go here to see more stunning examples of auto craftsmanship from the 1930s.
What’s going on? Frogs are turning up in bottles of wine (see recent post below) and in bags of veggies. Is this some sinister conspiracy against frogs?
Most important, what happened to the frog? It sounds like he woke up to a screaming woman who re-sealed him back up in the bag!
This chilling tale of unexpected protein has changed a Michigan family’s life
Tim Hoffman is getting used to all the frog jokes. He smiles along when co-workers walk past him and say, “Ribbit! Ribbit!”
He understands why his story captures the imaginations of frozen-vegetable buyers everywhere, and he’s even able to chuckle about it a little bit in hindsight. But that doesn’t mean it’s really a laughing matter.
Schneider of the Lansing State Journal said it’s been entertaining to watch the buzz building online over the frog story.
“Some of the comments have been pretty funny,” Schneider said. “People were saying, ‘What’s he complaining about? It’s a complete meal in a bag! He should be going back and paying Meijer another $3!’ ”
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
“The 1968 Playboy playmate of the year has been charged with attempted murder after Los Angeles police said she shot her husband of 20 years this weekend during a dispute, authorities said Wednesday.
Victoria Rathgeb, 66, is due in court Nov. 1 to answer to the charge that she intentionally shot her husband with a semiautomatic handgun.
Rathgeb, being held in lieu of $1.5-million bail, was arrested Saturday after police said they responded to a reported shooting at an apartment in the 7000 block of Hawthorn Avenue in Hollywood.”
'It’s been a long time getting to this point,' NYC man says of jury verdict
Try to imagine how this man feels. Would $18.5 million really make things better?
And what are the odds he’s going to collect this award?
The lawyers have already filed an appeal. The bastards will keep it in the courts for as long as possible hoping he will die or disappear! It’s the last we’ll probably ever hear about this case.
I admit to being somewhat skeptical of psychics. Having said that, this is a well-written and thought-provoking article about psychic energies and psychics.
I try to keep my mind open about things I don’t totally understand. That’s why I’m sharing this:
‘Human beings perceive the world through many filters so we are not overrun with information like a dog caught in the middle of traffic.
Scientists know that there are all kinds of things going on around us that we are completely unaware of and therefore we have no idea that they affect us at all.’
“Part of what makes a psychic a psychic is their ability to tune in to these energies and get information from them. This is possible because we are not separate beings as we are led to believe, but instead, interwoven parts bound together by the same tapestry of life. Therefore, everything is a reflective macrocosm or microcosm of the other parts of life, illustrated by the fact that the course the planets travel across the heavens is a reflection of our own life's journey.
Every object on Earth, even a stick, can have a psychic meaning at one time or another. An object can be infused with the psychic power of all those who have held or used the object. A place can also give an object psychic power, as in a stone that comes from the Moon.
Many ancient cultures believe that every object has a spiritual identity whether inanimate or mobile. Therefore, every object in our daily life has the potential to give psychic insight or affect a situation.
Some psychics who work with the police can find a missing person by just having a piece of their clothing or a photograph. There are other psychics who can pick up the energy left behind by events that have taken place in the room.
Many musicians say that an instrument that has been played by great players carries their spirit. Even wearing someone else's shoes can make you start to feel like them.
People witness the psychic power in everyday objects daily, but quickly forget about them because they usually haven't created a file in their brain that stores that kind of cryptic information.
How many times have psychic things happened to you in your daily routine? For instance, you hit every green light on a street you don't know and the first red one to stop you was the one you needed to turn on. Or, you saw something - anything from a car to a tree - that you had envisioned before in a dream.
These types of psychic occurrences happen to us all through our lives, but they happen to a psychic on an everyday level. These interactions with objects give them another source of information about the nature of things.
Religious objects like crosses and pendants are often believed to have all kinds of psychic power from protecting like a talisman to making a bond with a holy spirit. Every day we see people wearing objects that they believe give them a power or connection.
Outside of wearing religious objects, are world is covered with their symbols. There are few places in the world where large religious icons are not displayed in public places. They are so common that we tend not to even notice them.
Objects do not have to be exotic, flamboyant, or religious to have psychic power. Any electrical appliance - including radios, televisions, and computers - can be a transmitter of psychic energy. In fact, there are those who argue that computers have had the psychic energy to change our entire civilization, as televisions and radios did before them.
There is no doubt that common everyday objects can have psychic power, the question is learning to perceive the power and use it properly.”
Article from MSN Astrology no author name given
Apple's expected to announce big upgrades today for Macbook Air and iLife.
Whatever else Apple announces, they best get to revealing a Verizon iPhone sometime soon.
And despite what Steve Jobs rants, there may have been a 7-inch iPad somewhere at some point.
Also expected today, a new Nook e-reader.
Speaking of rants, Facebook developer Joe Hewitt ripped into what Android' calls "Open."
Photo - Hey! Remember when this came out? Yeah, you're officially old.
And the Pixies are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Doolittle (THAT'S TWENTY YEARS! DANG!) by letting you download the LP pretty much for free! (You just have to get on the the Pixies mailing list.) GO! GO NOW!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Payments are legal but reveal pharmaceutical marketing tactics
“More than 17,000 doctors and other health care providers have taken money from seven major drug companies to talk to other doctors about their products, a joint investigation by news organizations and non-profit groups found.”
"Tens of thousands of U.S. physicians are paid to spread the word about pharma's favored pills and to advise the companies about research and marketing," the group says in its report, available at http://www.propublica.org/topic/dollars-for-doctors.
The groups used information from seven drugmakers -- AstraZeneca, Cephalon, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Merck and Pfizer.”
Foot-long garnished with truffle oil, foie gras sets record
“Restaurateur Stephen Bruce has already gotten folks to pony up $1,000 for an ice-cream sundae. So what’s a measly $69 for a hot dog?
Make that an “haute dog.” Bruce’s famous Serendipity 3 restaurant in New York City celebrated National Hot Dog Day June 23 by marrying a foot-long tube of meat with such decidedly nontraditional accoutrements as black truffles and foie gras, served on a pretzel roll grilled in white truffle butter.”
Bosley died of heart failure early Tuesday at a hospital near his Palm Springs home. Bosley's agent, Sheryl Abrams, said he was also battling lung cancer.
TV Guide ranked Bosley's Happy Days character No. 9 on its list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" in 2004.
Former U.S. Surgeon General — and MPP VIP Advisory Board member — Joycelyn Elders appeared on CNN recently to argue against the criminalization of marijuana users.
“Marijuana has never caused anybody directly to die,” she said. “It’s not a toxic substance … We can use our resources so much better. I think we need to legalize marijuana for adults, and tax it so we can use the money for much better things.”
“Twelve historic sites around the world are "on the verge of vanishing" because of mismanagement and neglect, according to a new report.
The report, by San Francisco-based Global Heritage Fund (GHF), identifies nearly 200 heritage sites in developing nations as being at risk, highlighting 12 as being on the verge of irreparable loss and destruction.
Three sites in the Middle East, Iraq's Nineveh, Palestine's Hisham's Palace, and Turkey's Ani, are among those most in danger.”
Photo – Palestine’s Hisham’s Palace.
Monday, October 18, 2010
FROM the LA TIMES:
They're indoors, upscale and have values their hippie parents shunned.
Tony Sasso’s story profiled.
“In the Triangle, he said, "indoor allowed the kids of hippies and rednecks to get rich."
AND.. “All this would have been unthinkable 40 years ago when hippies, runaways and Vietnam veterans headed to the Northern California outback in one of America's last pioneer movements, called Back to the Land.” assault
U.S. Senate candidate’s private security guards handcuff editor/irrational liberal blogger for asking questions
The editor of the Alaska Dispatch website was arrested by U.S. Senate candidate, Joe Miller's, private security guards Sunday as the editor attempted to interview Miller at the end of a public event in an Anchorage school.
The Miller campaign released a written one-paragraph statement from Fuller, then followed with a statement titled, "Liberal Blogger 'Loses It' at Town Hall Meeting." In that statement, Miller accused Hopfinger of assaulting someone and of taking advantage of the meeting to "create a publicity stunt."
He said his personal security detail had to take action to detain "the irrational blogger."
How about this? Now they won’t have to pay their taxes or their debts?
What a racket.
Anyone foolish enough to be associated with these Mega Churches and their false prophets, deserves to get financially fleeced and become morally bankrupt.
“Crystal Cathedral Ministries, an Orange County landmark and megachurch founded by television evangelist Robert H. Schuller, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday morning.”
Look at those two grinning clowns. You’d be smiling too if you got rich doing nothing but babbling about your interpretation of the Bible while passing the plate around.
PHOTO - Robert A. Schuller, left, poses for a photo with his father, Robert H. Schuller, outside the Crystal Cathedral on Feb. 9, 2006, in Orange, Calif. On Monday, the megachurch filed for bankruptcy.
You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.
You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy.
You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.
You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.
You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.
You didn't get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said illegal war.
You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.
You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.
You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.
You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.
You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.
You didn't get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.
You didn't get mad when we gave a 900 billion tax break to the rich.
You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.
You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick.
Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans. . .oh hell no!
A short History lesson: A president's party almost always loses House and Senate seats in a midterm season…
Some political pundits say this is NOT an average midterm correction. Are we headed for a third-straight change election? If so, this is truly historic, something most of us have never experienced.
Will the Tea Party candidates fracture the GOP? Or give it a lift?
On the heels of his event last night in Ohio, which was attended by an estimated 35,000, Obama embarks on another busy campaign week. He’s going to be all over the map encouraging Democrats to vote for their party.
The AFL-CIO has released a memo to reporters that puts its influence squarely on the line in its efforts to mobilize union voters.
Here's a potential problem for Colorado Senate candidate Ken Buck (R), who has been leading Sen. Michael Bennet (D) in most polls. The Denver Post: "Buck suddenly elevated the culture wars from minor player to center stage in the Senate race … when he compared homosexuality to alcoholism in a nationally televised debate.
Questions of decency and Aqua Buddha: And it's getting personal in Kentucky. "A debate filled with unabashed personal attacks concluded Sunday night with Republican Rand Paul briskly brushing past Democrat Jack Conway, refusing to shake the hand of an opponent who raised questions about his religious beliefs," the Lexington Herald-Leader notes. "'Jack, have you no decency? Have you no shame?
In New York, a New York Times poll has Andrew Cuomo (D) leading Carl Paladino by 35 points among likely voters (59%-24%).
Sunday, October 17, 2010
By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard
Posted: 10/17/2010 01:20:52 AM PDT
Eleven years have passed since two teenage boys massacred 13 people at Columbine High School. During that investigation, it was revealed that they were avid players of weapon-based combat games Wolfenstein 3D and Doom.
Newspaper articles across the country focused on the allegation that video games were the cause of the tragedy.
Violent video games are still a problem among America's youth today. That's no surprise, considering their popularity.
A study (Grusser, 2007) said 11.9 percent of video game players fulfill diagnostic criteria for addiction concerning their gaming behavior. Researchers say that 8.5 percent of video game players ages 8-18 exhibit pathological patterns of play, exhibiting at least six of the 11 symptoms of damage to family, social, school or psychological functioning (Gentile, 2009).
In Broward County, Fla., two attacks among the same group of middle-school students at Deerfield Beach Middle School left police and parents wondering why. The first involved a girl being beaten nearly to death by a 15-year-old boy over a text message.
As if that's not bad enough, this is the same school where students nearly killed another student by setting him on fire last year. Where's this aggression coming from? A quick review of popular, violent video games will show you the connection between them and violent acts by America's impressionable youth.
According to the National Institute on Media and the Family:
* Over-dependence on video games fosters isolation, as they are often played alone.
* Practicing violent acts may contribute more to aggressive behavior than passive television watching. Studies also find a relationship between watching violent television and behavior.
* Women are often portrayed as characters that are helpless, or sexually provocative.
* Game environments are often based on plots of violence, aggression and gender bias.
* Playing violent video games may be related to aggressive behavior (Anderson & Dill, 2000; Gentile, Lynch & Walsh, 2004).
* Games can confuse reality and fantasy.
* In many games, players must become more violent to win. In the “first person” violent video games, the player may be more affected because he or she controls the game and participates through the eyes of his or her character.
I think anyone can reasonably see that exposure to violent video games has an effect on young people. Studies suggest even occasional exposure to violent games has a negative influence on young players.
The reality is, video games are here to stay. The U.S. video game industry reached over $21 billion in sales in 2008, according to the NPD Group Inc. (npd.com), a leading global provider of consumer and retail market research information for a wide range of industries since 1967.
The group also said video games account for nearly one-third of entertainment industry spending in the U.S. I don't foresee the popularity of video games fading soon.
I want to mention that not all video games are violent and bad for children. Actually, they can be very helpful instruments in learning. According to one study (Graf, 2009), children use about two-and-a-half times more energy when playing Wii bowling and doing the beginner level activities than they do while watching TV.
California passed a law in 2005 that would have required violent video games to include an “18” label and criminalized the sale of these games to minors. The law was struck down as unconstitutional by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, whose ruling was upheld in February 2009 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Then the case went to the Supreme Court.
This is the first time that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments on any of the state laws attempting to ban certain video games. Until now, lower courts have struck down these kinds of laws. Oral arguments are scheduled to take place on Nov. 2.
As It Stands, parents can't stop violent video games from being sold, but they can censor what their children play and educate them about the dangers.
Web sites carrying this column:
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By Graeme McMillan Part- Star Wars homage, part-alternate history , If Star Wars Was Real retells the history of the 20th century with so... |
Nobody can be sure why McDonald’s patrons in Japan are impaling their burgers onto their drinks with a straw. But they are, and it’s a new meme referred to as ‘drink x hamburger.’
Perhaps it’s to keep the burger in place while mobile. One-handed eating/drinking? Or maybe, just maybe, Japan likes when there are bits of burger floating around in their beverage. Either way, check it out and judge for yourself. |
By trade, Jack Kloppenburg is a sociologist and a professor at the University of Wisconsin. Lately, however, his job has entailed packaging seeds and mailing them to farmers, in addition to his normal teaching and grading duties.
This change in routine was prompted by the unexpected popularity of the recently launched Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI) a project spearheaded by Kloppenburg and Wisconsin horticulture professor Irwin Goldman. In mid-April, the initiative released 36 seed varieties, all free from the patent restrictions that limit much of the seed commercially available today.
"The thing went viral and it's all over the place now," Kloppenburg said. "We got 230 orders from eight countries, when we hadn't even anticipated selling any seed."
The initiative's goal is to provide an alternative to the patent-protected seeds sold by major producers such as Monsanto and DuPont, most of which require buyers to sign agreements that create strict limits on how the seed can be used. Farmers are generally prohibited from saving seed from their crops to plant the following year, for example; new seeds must be purchased for each planting.
Seed giants like Monsanto argue that this approach encourages innovation by allowing companies to protect the investment of time and money they put into developing new plant varieties. Kloppenburg and his OSSI partners, however, find the practice unsettling.
"They are using intellectual property rights, especially patents, to separate farmers from a fundamental means of production," he said. "Control of the seed is, in many ways, control over the entire food supply."
Furthermore, the concentration of the industry into a few big players – just three companies sell more than half the seeds on the market, according to the Center for Food Safety – means that the biological diversity of crops is declining, making our food supply less likely to adapt well to climate change, he said.
Looking for solutions to these concerns, OSSI drew inspiration from the open-source software movement, which creates computer code available to anyone to study, modify, or distribute. Much open-source software is regulated by legally binding licenses that give users wide latitude to alter and even commercialize the code.
To adapt the open source concept to seeds, OSSI decided to use a less formal pledge rather than a licensing system. Each packet of OSSI seeds sold will be printed with a statement that reads, in part, "By opening this packet, you pledge that you will not restrict others' use of these seeds and their derivatives by patents, licenses, or any other means. You pledge that if you transfer these seeds or their derivatives you will acknowledge the source of these seeds and accompany your transfer with this pledge."
Though the pledge does not allow OSSI to take violators to court, Kloppenburg feels that this less restrictive approach is more within the spirit of the project, he said. He hopes the pledge will kickstart a movement toward seeds unrestricted by patents and legal agreements; he can, he said, imagine a day when "open-source seed" is a term used to attract sustainability-conscious shoppers in the way the organic label does today.
"We don't want to be police," he said. "We want to make free seed a sort of meme, to raise people's consciousness and awareness."
Without legal protections keeping open-source seeds from being patented, however, OSSI's approach is unlikely to solve the long-term problems, said Tom Stearns, founder of partner company High Mowing Organic Seeds. The company contributed just one seed to the recent release so that it can start small and assess how the open-source pledge actually functions in the market, he said.
"I think this is a great start, but I don't think it's nearly enough," Stearns said. "This is one attempt that I hope will be the beginning of many conversations and many attempts to address the intellectual property challenge."
OSSI plans to incorporate as a nonprofit organization, but partners and customers are free to use the open-source seeds to make money, as long as they don't patent any of their developments.
The first round of seeds released includes quinoa, peppers, and squash developed by Wild Garden Seed in Oregon, lettuce and kale from Lupine Knoll Farm in Oregon, carrots bred by Goldman, and spelt from High Mowing Organic Seeds in Vermont. Currently, the initiative is selling sample packs of 15 seeds for $25 each, but the plan is eventually to link to individual partner breeders through the site, so customers can buy directly, Kloppenburg said.
"We're not necessarily in it to make as much money as we can," he said. "We want to generate new options."
Sarah Shemkus is a freelance reporter and editor who writes about business, technology, food and the places where they all meet. Find her on Twitter at @shemkus |
The New York TimesApr 07, 2021 13:38:46 IST
At times on Yahoo Answers, the people asking questions of strangers lunged for the hallucinatory limits of human curiosity: What would a heaven for elephants be like? Should scientists give octopi bones?
It helped people identify their sense of self: Why do people with baguettes think they are better than me? Is being popular in high school a good skill I can use in a job interview?
It sought explanations for the unexplainable: Smoke coming from my belly button? Why is everything at my grandma’s house moist?
And it gave air to gaps in knowledge and admissions that perhaps had nowhere else to go: What does a hug feel like?
Yahoo, which is owned by Verizon Media, will be shutting down the question-and-answer service and deleting its archives on 4 May, erasing a corner of the internet that will be widely remembered for its — to be charitable — less-than-enriching contributions to human knowledge since its arrival in 2005.
Less charitably, BuzzFeed News this week called it “one of the dumbest places on the internet.” Vulture said it was “populated entirely with Batman villains, aliens pretending to be human, and that one weird neighbor you’d rather climb down your fire escape in a blizzard than get caught in a conversation with.”
There is plenty of evidence for that position. People asked: Can you milk Gushers to make fruit juice? Can I cook raw chicken in the Michael wave? I forgot when my job interview is? What animal is Sonic the hedgehog? IS THIS YAHOO EMAIL SUPPORT?
Most famously, in a question that launched a meme, a confused soul who had learned little about reproductive science or spelling asked: How is babby formed?
It was never known how many of the questions were based in earnest ignorance and curiosity, and how much was intentional trolling. Answering required no expertise, and often displayed little of it.
But the site clearly was seen by some people, including children, as a comfortable space to ask the questions — sometimes important ones — they’d never dare to ask friends, families and teachers.
“Yahoo Answers was a place for people to put questions they were too embarrassed to ask the people they knew in real life,” said Justin McElroy, a co-host of the comedy podcast “My Brother, My Brother and Me,” which has featured questions from the service since 2010. “The weird, the dumb, the truly, truly demented: It all found a place on Yahoo Answers.”
The service lost its wide popularity in recent years, and there are more competitors now than there were when it was created. Quora positions itself as more of a highbrow network that is more likely to attract an expert response, and Reddit features a forum that invites people’s idle curiosity to roam free.
Yahoo, in a letter to users, said it had “decided to shift our resources away from Yahoo Answers to focus on products that better serve our members and deliver on Yahoo’s promise of providing premium trusted content.”
Questions and answers will be halted on 20 April, and will be wiped off the internet on 4 May.
It’s not the first time Yahoo and other tech companies have killed off once-popular products without the benefit of archiving; 20 years of content posted to Yahoo Groups was deleted in 2019, the same year Flickr deleted 15 years of photos.
McElroy said he wasn’t sure what the podcast would do without its bountiful pool of discussion prompts. When the show began in 2010, they used Yahoo Answers questions to pad out submissions from listeners, he said.
While some of the questions struck him as performance art, and others seemed like a lazy refusal to search for answers, he said he was sympathetic to many of the people asking. We all have some bad questions inside of us, he said.
“I think you get into trouble when you think no actual person would be wondering that, because people wonder about lots of things,” he said. “You don’t want to put limits on the depths of humanity’s curiosity-slash-ignorance.”
Daniel Victor [c.2021 The New York Times Company]
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison. |
- Mon, 02:20: Photo: madisonhaze: http://tumblr.com/xij3owwjn3
- Mon, 20:39: Photo: I AM NOW A MEME [abuse it as you will] http://tumblr.com/xij3pfy13h
- Mon, 20:45: Photo: textsfromxavieracademy: http://tumblr.com/xij3pg35yy
- Mon, 22:08: Photo: slightlypsychicparade: http://tumblr.com/xij3pi03l5
- Mon, 22:37: fandombicycle: http://tumblr.com/xij3pinog7
THE JOURNEY OF FIFTY THOUSAND WORDS begins with a single keystroke For those who don't know, NaNoWriMo, aka National Novel…
I awoke downstairs, out front, where there were tons of bright shiny flashing lights that, oddly, reminded me of this kid I had gone to the…
Ahem. Expect an update with the rest of the story sometime tomorrow, when I can actually think and finish off the page or two yet to be written. |
I’m sure you’ve all seen the latest Facebook privacy scare meme flying around today. No fewer than twenty of my “friends” felt the need to “protect” their considerable intellectual property by posting the aforementioned copyright notice on their Facebook page. It just goes to prove that there is an IP attorney lurking inside all of us. In response to the frenzy of hastily posted legalese, I drafted my own satirical “notice” to Facebook and those who fear the great social giant. Enjoy…
In response to the new Facebook guidelines I, LaMonte M. Fowler, hereby declare that my copyright has no meaning whatsoever to a gigantic public company like Facebook. Since I freely entered into the social media craze of my own free will, and further, have no expectations of privacy on a website whose very purpose for existing is to help me broadcast personal details about my life, my family, my friends, people I don’t even know but somehow feel compelled to talk about, and pictures of my kids, I hold Facebook, its officers and peons alike, harmless for any content I may be exposed to including, but not limited to: pictures of cats and kittens, the vulgar rantings of someone’s Uncle Harry, drunk postings by old college friends, rambling romantic teen puff, links to diet aids and male enhancement remedies, long diatribes on conspiracy theories, and pictures of any Kardashian sister in a thong. Further, I promise to use Facebook as a way to bore my friends, embarrass my family members, spy on my children, and waste precious time that could be better spent staring at a wall.
Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are recommended to CHILL THE HELL OUT and realize that YOU have VOLUNTARILY opened the front door of your house and WELCOMED the world to come rummage through your closets and dresser drawers. If you don’t like it, or if you are worried about your privacy or Facebook stealing your “copyrighted” (I can’t even type it without laughing) material, then I suggest you hop in your minivan, drive over to Michael’s and spend a few hundred bucks on a scrapbooking kit. It’s safer and you don’t have to worry about anybody wanting to look at your creation.
Keep smiling and be afraid.
PS. Your tinfoil hat is on backward. |
- published: 29 May 2019
- views: 2668
This is Part 2 in the series of videos made to prepare deck officers intending to participate in Chief Mates Oral examinations. Other videos that should be watched along with this video include: Orals Preparation for Chief Mates (Part 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vEjxG7IWnU ROR Cards (Part 1): https://youtu.be/IKc7NEamq44 ROR Cards (Part 2): https://youtu.be/Ku9XnyBH5eg ROR Cards (Part 3): https://youtu.be/LHedVR_8A9A ROR Cards (Part 4): https://youtu.be/ppYms-DzOGU ROR Cards (Part 5): https://youtu.be/bU6hqMYcHSw ROR Cards (Part 6): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6ClRszxqzg
This video demonstrates the concept of solving fish trap problems. The 2nd part of this video will be uploaded very soon.
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The inside workings of the shares buying and selling business will obtain a public airing on Thursday when Washington lawmakers grill the key protagonists in January’s novice buying and selling frenzy.
Hedge fund managers, skilled buyers and specialists in the extra arcane corners of commerce processing are clearing their diaries and checking popcorn provides for a session that might decide how regulators take care of an explosion in buying and selling by amateurs for years to come.
Here is what to look out for.
First, a recap. Non-professional buyers have been a rising pressure in US inventory markets for nearly a yr, swept alongside by free buying and selling apps, lockdown boredom and in lots of circumstances, spare money.
In late January, this hit the headlines in pressure, when retail merchants zeroed in on the shares of hobbled video-game retailer chain GameStop.
Co-ordinating their trades in on-line chat rooms reminiscent of r/WallStreetBets, they succeeded in firing up the share worth, crushing hedge funds that had been betting in opposition to it. But shares tumbled again down to earth after retail brokers reminiscent of Robinhood clamped down on new constructive bets on GameStop and different favoured bets.
Many retail merchants had been outraged by the restrictions, which they felt had been aimed at limiting their success. US politicians from either side of the aisle weighed in, main finally to Thursday’s hearing.
Who is testifying?
The hearing held by the House financial services committee is scheduled for noon in Washington on Thursday (5pm in London).
Here is an inventory of witnesses:
Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman
Gabe Plotkin, whose hedge fund Melvin was compelled right into a rescue after retail merchants crushed its bets in opposition to GameStop
Ken Griffin, chief government of Citadel, whose securities buying and selling arm executes Robinhood purchasers’ trades, and whose hedge fund helped to bail out Melvin
Keith Gill, a longtime cheerleader for GameStop shares, variously recognized on-line as Roaring Kitty and DeepFuckingValue
Why did Robinhood and others limit buying and selling on shares reminiscent of GameStop and cinema operator AMC?
This is Robinhood’s likelihood to quiet down prospects’ conspiracy theories but additionally to reveal a strong grasp of its regulatory obligations. Both are essential to its success because it gears up to listing its personal shares on public markets.
Robinhood has lengthy suffered outages and had attracted rising regulatory scrutiny for the alleged “gamification” of investing even earlier than January’s drama, however champions itself as a pressure for democratising markets. It has mentioned it clamped down on purchasers’ trades final month solely as a result of it confronted margin calls from the clearing home, run by the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation.
The DTCC is certainly one of the pillars of world market stability. Last yr it settled $2,150tn of US securities offers. It stands between a purchaser and a vendor, guaranteeing that property are legally transferred from one to the different — a course of that takes two days. In between, it calls for its members deposit margin to cowl dangers in case the commerce fails.
As buying and selling grew frenetic in late January, the DTCC’s calls for from the business rose from $26bn to $33.5bn. Robinhood’s personal necessities elevated 10-fold. It wanted to discover $3bn inside hours — a determine it negotiated down to $700m.
Margin calls are primarily based on the efficiency and volatility of property, not the standing of the dealer. The dimension of the name relies on the quantity of enterprise a dealer is doing, the course of positions in the dealer’s buying and selling e book and the historic strikes and volumes of shares the prospects are buying and selling.
One digital market maker advised the Financial Times it knew precisely how a lot the DTCC was going to ask for prematurely.
Robinhood, it seems, didn’t. It shortly raised $3.4bn in two capital infusions to get via the turbulence. Lawmakers will most likely need to know why.
Robinhood has known as for shares to be settled immediately. Would that forestall additional restrictions?
Since the buying and selling surge, Tenev has repeatedly called for the “antiquated” two-day settlement interval to be accomplished in actual time.
DTCC says it has the know-how to choose the similar day however “the industry isn’t aligned”. That is just not a euphemism. A shift like this is able to have a knock-on impact to different monetary markets exercise, from choices buying and selling to securities lending and money borrowing.
Besides the huge expense to the business, prospects would have to pay for his or her offers prematurely. Market makers would additionally lose the potential to mix all their positions and take their internet publicity at the finish of the buying and selling day. That would successfully take US markets again to pre-1891 requirements, the DTCC says. Griffin could also be known as on to clarify.
Is brief promoting the core drawback?
Tenev argues it’s central, complaining publicly that “it should not be possible to sell more shares than are out there” — a degree he hyperlinks to two-day settlement.
In blogs, Robinhood has additionally argued that the plumbing behind markets is defective. “The market mechanisms behind short selling, securities lending, and clearing are complex. This complexity can lead to the perception that the game is rigged to benefit certain market participants at the expense of others,” a recent blog learn. “Although this isn’t necessarily the case, abuses do happen and at a minimum perception can become reality for some.”
Cutting “excess short selling” would assist market stability, it says, since the dealer in the center is not going to be as uncovered if the plumbing clogs up.
But Robinhood itself makes cash from the inventory lending important for authorized brief promoting. Like another brokers, it permits buyers to commerce on margin accounts, by which a buyer borrows a part of the buy worth of a inventory from the dealer, reasonably than stumping up all the cash prematurely. In that state of affairs, Robinhood nonetheless owns the shares and may lend out the securities in the buyer’s account, incomes a revenue on the commerce.
Tenev might have to clarify why he objects to the follow.
Are untrained buyers absolutely conscious of the dangers?
Some Redditors had been huge monetary winners from the meme shares frenzy. Others misplaced financial savings in the collapse, and even borrowed cash to tackle bets that shortly soured.
Lawmakers will need to know what accountability Huffman and Gill take right here, and the way they search to shield small buyers.
Has brief promoting modified for ever?
Plotkin is probably going to be known as on to clarify what helpful perform brief promoting performs, how Melvin acquired its bets so unsuitable, and whether or not Redditors have completely modified the sport for supposedly subtle speculators betting in opposition to shares. Griffin can be seemingly to face questions over how Citadel Securities avoids potential conflicts of curiosity when it completes Robinhood’s trades and the Citadel hedge fund bailed out certainly one of the business’s greatest victims.
Federal Reserve officials stated the hazard of unexpectedly excessive inflation was roughly equal to that…
Apple is officially opening up its Find My monitoring community to third-party corporations (because it…
“Games have a power beyond entertainment, they can be significant drivers of social impact,” stated…
Janet Yellen has referred to as on corporate America to embrace “mutually beneficial” tax will…
Young folks below the age of 30 in the UK are to be provided an…
“Habitually early” Amber, who lives in Erie, Pennsylvania, just lately gave herself an hour to… |
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A chapter in China’s Black Book Of Odes in this century.
Beneath the glamour afforded by Rap Of China, which cost some £23.7 million and has garnered over 2.5 billion views, Chinese hip hop unravels the exciting tale of a cultural uprising in the hearts and minds of China’s digital natives.
There’s the pop artists attempting to turn hip hop into state sponsored propaganda. There’s the netizens who love hip hop’s raw energy. Then there’s the netizens who dislike hip hop culture, seeing it as toxic and decadent. From Weibo to Zhihu, you can see the full gamut of emotions.
There’s prevailing stories like gender discrimination, which isn’t a big issue in China, then there’s cultural appropriation, perhaps the most dangerously controversial topic in the entire genre. Dangerous not because of online sentiments, but because of the government’s hard sanctions on entertainment culture, which can spell the end of a foolhardy singer’s career.
And perhaps the grand strategy of to take hip hop and make it Chinese. How to make it flourish in China as a distinctive cultural movement with good values netizens can confidently say they are proud of, rather than a maligned and often misunderstood subculture or some messy import of American culture with all of its controversy, and its flaws. And then, how to export its glory to the world and make people bob their heads to this dope made in China.
Therein lies the raw beauty and visceral power of Chinese hip hop. The kind of beauty that carries a stigma and is not fully accepted, especially in Asian countries.
It’s the kind of beauty you use to describe a tattoo.
We learned it’s black culture. So, we studied from them. And now, it’s 2017. The world is more close. Black people watch Japanese cartoons. We listen [to] hip hop. It’s same thing. We’re more close.
Masiwei, in an interview with VICE News
As Chinese hip hop goes mainstream, the rest of the world develops an appetite for this music. Ironically, this is thanks to Google and YouTube, which are banned in China, though people use proxies if they have to communicate with friends outside China. Chinese rappers find themselves a lot of new opportunities to grow and interact with foreign cultures.
As one would expect, China’s ministers exhibit great pride in the development of their global cities. The hosting of grand events like the Shanghai Expo and Beijing Olympics are testament to this.
They are also interested in soft power, a concept introduced by Harvard’s Joseph Nye, to shape our preferences and our image of China and faces from China, by pure attractiveness alone. Because of its natural affinity to evoke an appreciation of beauty, music is one instrument. Poetry is another.
Rap, then, is both an opportunity and a threat.
South Korea’s bubblegum pop, lightly tinged with a taste of trap in every song, sanctioned by the state and endorsed by pretty Korean faces promising tourist attractions made in heaven, is a prime example. Many nations learn of South Korea’s success with envy.
To that end, many countries have enacted plans of their own to revitalize their culture—faces, dresses, songs, dances, artworks, calligraphy, monuments—as a vibrant, beautiful festival that you must experience at least once in this fleeting life. Morocco is the mecca of music festivals. The Venice biennale is alive with brilliant exhibitions and installations. India escorts you into a cultural sanctuary with the Taj Mahal and Mahabodhi temple.
China’s wish is no different. Like a lonely but wealthy woman who wants to be loved, a rich nation in the 21st century wants to be admired so that it doesn’t become a forgotten memory.
The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will definitely be accompanied by the thriving of Chinese culture.
Following former president Hu Jintao’s speech in 2007 on strengthening Chinese culture and the country’s soft power, and Xi Jinping echoing that sentiment in 2014, billions of dollars were poured into its culture industry, with the goal of making China, its music and its people endearing to the world.
Yet when we think of the words China and power, the images we typically have of is still China the economic powerhouse, or Asian Dragon, its military might, communist government, and quite unfortunately its ‘reputation’ with press, religious, and artistic freedom.
We’re aware that China has a vast history with traditional music, but we don’t take much notice of the strong growth of its pop industry—primed to take over Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the entire Pacific region. Either you’re a big fan already or you know nothing about Chinese pop.
A black Chinese dragon encircles Zhongnanhai, the house of government in Beijing. Is it a threat or a beast complicit to dreams of the nation?
Chinese hip hop, in turn, is prime to become China’s cultural black Asian Dragon, one that its ministers did not groom, a fire breathing hot-headed thing with two gold chains dangling from its neck, that makes China look incredibly cool and dangerously spicy but must be kept under a leash lest it rears its ugly head toward its authoritarian government’s vision of “the Chinese dream”.
The rappers from Rap Of China are privately owned startups, not state sponsored initiatives. Well, not yet. After Ai Wei Wei and Cui Jian, the government house in Beijing is no stranger to Chinese artists attempting to use contemporary art or rock music to openly criticise its policies. But social or political upheaval is not the threat coming from modern rappers in China.
The threat is an import of culture and unhealthy images for young minds in China. The American rap industry has a naughty tendency to indulge in lyrical hedonism and let Chinese values and culture rot. Therefore, these singers will have to bear the caveats set by the state to earn the privilege to perform.
In this Internet trap music era, media companies like 88rising and ZHONG TV, with the latter focusing hard on rap from China and Taiwan, have a direct influence with the outlets they provide, where anyone can easily watch their videos. It was Rap Of China that gave the push, in a flagrant and flamboyant manner that is really such a feature of hip hop’s bling culture, for what it unabashedly coins R!CH – Rise! Chinese Hip Hop.
If Chinese hip hop becomes the cultural behemoth that China exports to the world even in the face of strict media regulations and bad publicity—which a rap star is no stranger to anyway—this will be a monumental feat in the annals of music and modern culture, and probably a pretty amusing one.
However, the prospects of a rapper that once ran afoul of authorities and doesn’t pick up his act at once will no longer exist. We will soon observe this with a particular Chinese rap star.
Chinese hip hop has many elements reminiscent of hip hop in the US, paying homage to its roots in many ways. From Brooklyn’s trap beats to Atlanta’s rap cadences, English lexicons like freestyle and swag, streetwear jackets, gold chains, and tarantula dreadlocks, the hip hop lifestyle is in China on an extended visa like it is in many Asian countries. In countries where guns and marijuana are banned, people here don’t shy themselves from enjoying a different kind of dope.
Rap’s explicit nature relies heavily on lyrical expression for its visceral impact, tuned as some of them are to commercially dope trap music. As we’ve noticed in American rap even, the artist tends to use cryptic lexicons to brand his music, his message, his city, and thus his identity. Similarly, true audience appreciation for some Chinese rap songs is limited to those who live not just with the language, but also the dialect, and the exact city they grew up in.
The Chinese Junzi
The Chinese junzi is coming back to its true meaning ‘son of a prince’. The old portrait of a spiritually and intellectually cultivated man from the Analects of Confucious, the strategist from Sun Tzu’s Art Of War, and the new prince from Machiavelli’s The Prince, come together in Chinese rap.
The Chinese rapper may attempt to rejuvenate centuries of Chinese history into melody and aggression, as GAI likes to do; Chinese tea houses have never been so lit in China in the hands of VAVA. This is a cultural gem Chinese artisans have been cultivating for years now. We’re just new visitors to the tea shop.
Considering that Machiavelli would have been cynical of babblings about virtue and Confucius would have been appalled at such contrived virtuous behaviour, Chinese hip hop has set the stage on fire for sociological and philosophical warfare between Eastern and Western traditions and virtues. Right down to the tattoo debate and the use of profanities, there is a hotbed of public opinions for everything that defines the modern junzi.
Swearing makes sense in English language hip hop songs, but it just doesn’t make much sense in Chinese songs. We have different societies and cultures – our environment is more conservative.
The state monitors all of these developments.
China is by no means a homogenous society, with millions of Muslims and Christians living across the vast nation. The liturgical seven sins from Christianity throws the gauntlet down to Buddhist and Taoist teachings, regardless of whether Chinese citizens consider themselves religious or not. You don’t see much Christian allegory from Chinese music, but hip hop will bring the missionaries over.
We are witnessing the rise of a youth culture that knows how to recognize and try to seize power, gain respect, wage sociocultural war, uphold a sense of justice by ruthlessly calling out injustice, show love and kindness to those who deserve it, like parents and friends, and be utterly merciless against those who do not.
In living up to American hip hop’s ideals, they are assimilating a foreign culture heavily influenced by Machiavelli’s thinking and coming back to Sun Tzu’s philosophy, whether they’re aware of it or not. However, rap is a genre that emphasizes hard on the OG, forcing rappers to ensure that, be it in harmony or discord with the beat, every rhyme they spit is a brutally honest representation of their lives.
Thanks to all that, we get to see Chinese rappers lose their shit over a beat.
On the surface, Xie Di’s Melon Foreigners from 2017 is a crass rant from an edgy, racist rapper kid from Sichuan’s capital city targeted toward expats. It sparked outrage and ignited flame wars in an instant. People were quick to point out that he was dissing the very same foreign culture from which his entire Slim Shady style, the Pikachu Lamborghini, and street outfits came from. He also had keyboard warriors in his camp too.
It’s definitely wrong, it’s definitely full of drama, but it didn’t fail on its purpose to have Chinese netizens make this molehill into an ugly mountain.
At least for like 24 hours at most.
Gua Lao Wai
So many gua lao wai
Fuck off gua lao wai
It starts off hard and flagrant in its message, and gua lao wai is repeated so many times that this can dangerously become your first lesson in mandarin. In fact, somewhere in the song he just stops caring about melody and simply repeats gua lao wai in the most musically unpleasant manner you can imagine.
Now you know how to say “stupid foreigners” in Sichuanese.
People have genes, so be very careful
Go ask your grandmother about your genealogy
Ask about the Eight Nation Alliance
Here, he’s alluding himself to the most violent anti-colonial uprising in China’s history, instigated by a Chinese secret society so dangerous it needed a coalition of eight foreign countries to quell. The Yihequan, or Fists of Harmony and Justice aimed to expel colonial powers and religions. The wars were filled with horror stories of violence and beheadings. Obviously, with this verse, he’s trying to say “get out, before I kick you out.”
And here, he makes a big show of lopping off the head of a gua lao wai.
Now let’s look at some more of the fun, family friendly lyrics.
[I’m] cursing the shit out of you
And you can’t even understand it
Hands down the funniest line in this entire piece of crap he even bothered to record.
It’s also worth pointing out that he makes it a point to mention:
I respect my foreign friends
But to gua laoi wai I say fuck your mother
This is a Chinese man who refined his entire rap style, attitude, and image from Eminem. He is literally a product of America’s soft power, and it’s not just his taste in Timberland boots. He is a walking example of how Asians have a personal and psychological connection to the West.
But this man is especially angsty. In some of his music, he rants angrily at the traditional Confucian he’s had to grow up with. He’s a big boy who whats to live life in his own fashion, I suppose.
There was a social repercussion from this track, with foreigners (meaning Caucasians) receiving a lot of unwarranted hate on the streets. Yes, that really happened:
[The track] has been determined to be discriminatory against foreigners.
…several foreigners filed complaints through their local consulates, which went to the Ministry Of Culture in Beijing and [they] handed down an issue to the Sichuan municipality to deal with. And since then Shady has been called in, and it’s looking like he may be banned from producing music in the future.
Charlie, Chengdu Living Podcast
When a piece of hateful content and rap music are one and the same, and reaches the Ministry Of Culture in Beijing, maybe the rapper behind it should learn to play nice. There’s a time and place to play the Yihequan in hip hop’s theatre of terror, and that’s when you get the government’s approval.
Freedom of speech is a highly contested topic, but in today’s China, Beijing will make that decision. In hindsight, he should’ve made the distinction between foreign friends and gua lao wai a bit clearer, but hey, there is controversy and fresh drama to be milked.
Well, not that anyone cares about this old news anymore.
Wang Hao, stage name PG One, is the ranked #1 rap star from Rap Of China. However, he begins a new year in China’s mainstream media mired in controversy. This is the first misbehaving celebrity rapper to be targeted by Beijing early 2018 on such a public scale; a classic bid to erase the kind of hip hop culture that they did not approve.
Some 96 hours after he got caught in a media frenzy for an affair, his 2015 track Christmas Eve was dug up and condemned for insinuating drug use “white powder“ and objectification of women “they all become my Barbie dolls“. This is the type of music that would be regular dope in America, though still subject to criticism, the type you’d expect from the WSHH troupe.
The Communist Youth League and Women’s Federation in China publicly denounced his lyrics, as if on cue, landing him in the government’s blacklist. In China, that is not a very cozy place to be in.
Flame wars were raging between fans and netizens from Weibo to Zhihu. Somebody even found photos of him with marijuana, adding more fuel to the fire. Wang Hao did make a statement of apology on Weibo, blaming his actions on “influence” from “black music” and “Western culture”, which got him even more flak because he just appropriated black culture and blamed it when he got in trouble. Not a very safe thing to say.
His music was removed from all major streaming platforms in China like Xiami, QQ Music, and Tencent video. Even his Weibo account was emptied. The man himself went quiet for months, although he was just laying low, not leaving the industry. During this period, ZHONG TV uploaded his old hits, like Number One and HIM, with English subtitles. Perhaps in quiet solidarity.
Following this fallout on January 2018, China’s top media regulator banned “tattoos, hip hop culture, non-mainstream culture, and decadent culture” from air. Its publicity director Guo Changli issued “4 absolute rules” that must be followed by media companies if they’re looking to broadcast artists on TV.
They were not allowed to use artists whose:
1. Heart and morality are not aligned with the party and whose morality is not noble
2. Are tasteless, vulgar and obscene
3. Whose ideological level is low and have no class
4. Those with stains, scandals and problematic moral integrity
Classic as it sounds, hip hop has become the vulgar thing. This was a campaign against potential drug abuse and, where the Women’s Federation was concerned, abuse against women in China. And enforced it was. Scores of rappers were removed from shows, despite performing without an overt hip hop tone, simply because of their history of allegiance to the swag.
It’s oddly beguiling when we see a growing list of male Chinese rappers, from the Rap Of China contestants to the ZHONG TV troupe, taking on the infamous mumble rapping about drugs and bitches, waking up sober from a drunk night in hotel rooms, appropriating American culture in a lifestyle they are projecting with Chinese identities.
Though this just a vibe for a song, it’s quite revealing how such a lifestyle already sank into their lives long before the music and the trap even became a thing in China. It already was.
It’s like a diaspora inland of Confucius, a paradise filled with weed, vixens, neon lights, and money stacks, or in other words, the titular white man’s pleasures. It’s almost as if it doesn’t even occur to them that what is a guilty pleasure in America is either unlawful or frowned upon in China. The government crackdown on hip hop pressured rappers to dilute their lyrics, that they would avoid the same fate as PG One.
As we enter the second season of Rap Of China right now, news about PG One were lowkey things like track uploads and awkward posts about “the future”. Even so, his fans abroad were still passionate enough to get him on the billboard in Times Square as a birthday present on April 24.
In August he released a batch of self-designed hoodies and caps for his clothing line DeeVan on Taobao, which got over 2.6 million yuan in sales, and the store made a campaign to donate 0.3 percent of each sale to charity. Clearly, his public image is undergoing rehab. Charity is always good.
Would you still consider the man drinking alone under the moon, great performer as he is, having caught for misbehaving, a modern junzi?
What does it mean to be gangster in China?
This GAI, real name Zhou Yan, the other ranked #1 from Rap Of China, was already notorious for his repertoire of trap heavy gangster music, such as the infamous Gang$te in 2015, which got hit by media regulators quite fast. You clearly do not need to know what he’s saying to understand what he’s trying to say: The tattoos, rugged overture, postures, and body language already tell half the story.
This man is China’s voice in the menacing genre of gangsta rap, a world where young people born poor hustle to survive alone, parents were a luxury they couldn’t afford, and police are retarded. His music follows the footsteps of 50 Cent and Waka Flocka, with the only difference being lack of guns.
As a youth my family was poor so I had to learn many worldly skills.
Confucius, Analects, 9:6
This means, he’s just telling people that he’s Gang$te. It has all of the glorious elements that would make English tweeting armchair feminists rage on Twitter with their “complex” rants on toxic masculinity or whatever, as if they give a shit. By no means this is how a junzi behaves. It’s just Gang$te.
This is just GO$H’s C-Trap, music that makes you feel like breaking into your own house and placing your teacher in detention. He’s not trying to make socio-political statements or anything, though he’s not portraying fiction either. It’s a Gang$te theatre.
Interestingly, but not surprisingly, it seems he never will.
Online sentiments are the least of Chinese gangsta rap’s worries, because it is the tattoos, the postures, the rugged overture, the language, the body language and especially the gangster that is banned on TV. Falling into the same edict banning hip hop personalities, GAI was removed from Hunan TV’s Singer.
All you get now is a sad grey exclamation mark on video thumbnails featuring him on Youku. Which seems odd considering he song he performed (a remake of kung fu film The Swordsman theme song) was pretty decent, his outfit and mannerisms were decent, and nothing he did on the show had a speck from his GO$H C-Trap repertoire.
Gangsta rap from America, such as T.I’s Black Man and Donald Glover’s This Is America harshly criticise authority but are celebrated by Americans. Even the vacuous blend of “loud melodic trap” from the likes of 6IX9INE and Bobby Shmurda have audiences from Asia enjoying their music on Spotify. But this was not the case a generation ago. Born literally out of socio-political strife, gangsta rap addressed police brutality and racial prejudice, in the hardest way possible—with threats of violence.
Using the word “commentary” in place of “criticism” is an insult to this hard, unforgiving style of rap. Gangsta rap is a fermentation process that consumes what armchair Twitter feminists would call “male anger” and “toxic masculinity”, in the absence of social justice and inequity.
This was the type of music that put NWA on the FBI’s radar. Politicians both Democrat and Republican, from Tipper Gore to Dan Quayle, criticized it as an illness to American values. Today, this is even Marco Rubio’s favourite genre.
In China, it is simply not possible to criticise the government and walk away completely free. The hundreds of parodies and jibes made at Trump and rap songs harshly criticizing the police are not things you can replicate for China’s Communist Party if you’re living there and don’t want to go to jail. For rappers, not only do they have to consider this, they also have to dilute verses and even any part of their stage presence that represents any gross import from American culture.
Since becoming aware of the bans, GAI has worked hard to brand his image closer to “socialist values”. He performed the Great Wall with dance crew Bad Five, a music video conveniently subtitled in English, best described as “patriotic gangsta rap” that, admittedly, makes China look really cool.
He also recorded Endless Flow with fellow rappers Bridge and C-Block’s DamnShine, also subtitled in English, a piece of gangsta rap with a more personal message. Amidst the wax lyrical of remembering your roots, there is a verse that actually advocates filial piety!
In a unique twist, gangsta rap from America is flipped from being a story about prejudice, anti-government, and violence, to national pride in China. Put simply, to rejuvenate the Great Wall as a world heritage site to be proud of, and tourists would visit with renewed awe at this marvel from imperial China.
The oddly satisfying part is that his signature “male anger” has been left intact. Like his peers, this is a man who is no stranger to having his creative freedom stifled by state censors. And now he sings to sell the government’s dream for China. Someone angrily doing Chinese calligraphy on the floor with a mop giant brush isn’t something you see every day. Maybe he really is venting.
Jack Ma, from China’s e-commerce startup Alibaba, famously described his relationship with the government in an interview with Wall Street Journal in 2014:
Be in love with them but don’t marry them. Talk to them, listen to their problems. The government does not need you to say “I love you”. The government wants to know that you can solve their problems.
Thanks to Rap Of China, the Internet helped to propel GAI to rap stardom. When the musician is the startup, his stage presence behaves as a valuable asset—after all, it won him the competition. And now, he is part of the “rejuvenation of Chinese culture” that Hu Jintao was talking about.
At age 15, Confucius’ heart may have been set at learning, but at age 13, Zhou Yan was a little busy with gang fights. At age 30, both seem to have their feet firmly planted on the ground. Before 50, GAI seems well on his way to knowing the mandate of heaven, a writ large by the government that aims to rejuvenate Chinese culture and philosophy across the world. Perhaps this is the modern junzi.
Perhaps, this is what it means to be gangster in China.
What is life like for a hot female rapper in China?
Since she catapulted to hip hop stardom as the only female Rap Of China finalist, Mao Yanqi, or the lovely Miss VAVA, has continued taking the classic routes of a rapper’s career in turning themselves into an attractive brand ambassador people will buy for.
She participates in a hometown shoot with Esquire, where she talks about her career and reveals her routines, like going for a swim to clear mental blocks. She performed in a solo commercial track titled People On The Move as an ambassador for the sporting brand Kappa. She does a feature with Krewella, dropping a guest verse in her native tongue and signature style on the futuristic, electro house track New World. She is a Chinese cultural export who can go anywhere.
Back in China, she’s a lot more adorable. She performed the rap bubblegum 300 Rings song for NetEase’s Fantasy Westward Journey MMORPG, looking like a Chinese loli but still subtly rocking that femme fatale demeanour. The verses she delivered were created by players, who fought for their lyrics to appear in the song.
She also teamed up with Qi Wei for the OST of a Chinese thriller. Then there’s her hit song My New Swag, which her fellow Rap Of China competitor Ty had a verse in, and which Nina Wang complemented with Peking Opera, a song which became an OST for Crazy Rich Asians.
She is a quintessential rap star building her career—magazine shoots and interviews, concerts and music festivals, pushing for tracks to appear in games and movies; to create a consistent presence to mirror her American peers in the rap industry, artists cultivating a cultural brand of themselves in the long run with every project they participate in.
What makes it interesting, is the lack of juicy controversy; no feuds or misbehaviour despite being a rap star—a performer at heart, she is as respectful and hardworking, as Chinese, as they come.
Intimate relationships bound by trust and respect in good faith, or guan xi, are key facets of doing business in China, and is how China itself does business with other countries. The rap industry in China is no different. In China, guan xi is the anchor in music collaborations, an agreement with a higher mandate than contract law.
It makes people in the industry look as if they have enjoyed working together, that the work they did together is good for everyone, and most importantly, vouch for each other in the eyes of the public. China does not understand American pleasure of experiencing a politically charged meme economy on such a grossly intimate scale, that it bleeds onto work, therefore respect is as literal as they come.
On the other hand, the American guan xi is a different blend of respect.
Respect in America can really only be understood when we look at the US as a country that has always stood divided, in the name of freedom, a marketplace of ideas and conflicts. Yet, at the end of the day, the constitution and the rights of the people hold steadfast. It is reflected in the spirit of the writings of Thomas Paine, one of the founding fathers of the US, the poetry of Walt Whitman or the speeches of Martin Luther King Jr.
Rap stars in the US are no stranger to feuds and controversies, with each other or their government, as they can speak out to strongly support or oppose what they feel strongly about. It is well known by social media that some American rappers had been intensely vocal in their opposition to an America led by Trump, among them T.I. and Eminem.
VAVA has no such romantically political tendencies.
However, it is so that her guan xi is her demure charm. She may take rap and her style from America, from where she inherited her very lifestyle, and aggressively own it by consistently rapping in Chinese, but she respects it well. Instead of just being someone who has only been awkwardly influenced by hip hop culture, this is someone who has clearly pledged, be it for commercial reasons or raw passion, to live through the constitution of hip hop, as a faithful performer.
She is not politically aggressive, and she does not need to be. But her hardest track, Life’s A Struggle, tribute to a Taiwanese rapper, is very personal and emotionally charged. It is what you’d expect from a rapper, and it’s surely satisfying.
Like her fellow Rap Of China competitors PG One and GAI, she did have her own ban incident, where she was pulled out of Hunan TV’s variety show Happy Camp. Once more, state censors come to police their citizens, to make sure the country’s rappers stay in line with good socialist values. It was glaringly awkward to the watch the show’s repackaged promotional content with her cropped out.
Miss VAVA is a fashion icon and beauty model as much as a rap star, because these are all inseparable lovers in the culture industry. With her album, she adds to the growing repertoire of Chinese music on the market, a new flavour to hip hop. With her stage presence, she brings a hot vibe to any audience she entertains. Hopefully, she remains as a lovely rap star.
Perhaps this is the modern junzi, a path that requires you to cultivate guan xi with your peers, business partners, personal managers, and the masses.
Sun Bayi, also from Rap Of China, is a walking antithesis of hip hop.
Hot-headed rhymes heavy with socio-political commentary, stories of personal struggle, or club bangers that we’ve come to expect of the rap industry are not part of this man’s neatly bespoke brand. Yet he is as Chinese as they come.
An businessman who’s in the rap industry as a side hustle, his white-collar dress code, friendly demeanour, polite way of speaking to everyone, lack of tattoos and plain face can seem rather offbeat; especially considering that he’s a celebrity rapper with lots of young fans on Weibo.
His rap repertoire expresses what his fans have coined Business style. In his video for Rap Of Business, he’s an ordinary salesman who personally pitches a product to hesitant customers, eventually (and funnily) turning them into willing buyers with his rhymes and business swag.
The fact that it’s been subtitled in English makes it even funnier – there’s only one demographic in the world who can relate to this, a decently large one, and that is salespeople.
In fact, this reminds us a little of Jaron Myer’s Chick-fil-A meme rap It Is My Pleasure To Serve You, one of Twitter’s crown jewels of music and comedy. There’s only one demographic in the world who can relate to this, a decently large one, and that is fast food customer service. And supermarkets too.
Telling us mundane everyday stories about his community or his own life as a salesperson in China, this is not a man who wears hip hop’s street glamour on the outside. However, a dangerous logic bomb resides in his honest behaviour and modest ways, and the keywords are business and money. Like in every business agent, and you trigger it when you’re about to be his potential client. You trigger it when you give him the mic.
Part memoir and part business advice, his songs will betray his deceptive code of conduct. It is by understanding cult classics like Donald Trump’s Art Of The Deal, Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power or Jay-Z’s Blueprint, and their global impact in shaping hip hop’s “hustler” mentality, that you understand his music.
His is a kind of parody to the business acumen and desires of every Chinese collar worker or entrepreneur in the 21st century, and not just in China: the ability to confound and enthral potential victims clients, to associate himself with luxury brands, to be in the government’s good books, and his aptitude in closing deals. Yes, he also has a patriotic rap song in line with the Communist Party’s values, titled Brilliant China.
Well, it’s all in good business.
Confucius mentions if you do not understand propriety, there is no way for you to be established. If you do not understand words, there is no way for you to understand people. In this context, propriety is strategy.
Perhaps this is the modern junzi, a shrewd man with valuable skillsets and modest but hard working attitude—the kind of propriety that Silicon Valley entrepreneurs seem to be proud of—that allow him to flourish in business, from perfecting pitches to reading the audience, always able to find the right words.
While the Rap Of China contestants are focused on their home front, Higher Brothers are pushing to become the hottest Chinese rappers in the U.S.
They make their brand of Chinese hip hop fun and enjoyable, like the British sitcom Mind Your Language from 1977, by masterfully flipping Chinese stereotypes into tasteful comedy. The best example of this is their hit song Made In China, a cultural mahjong of ping pong trap beats mixed with Chinese rap and broken English.
It now sits comfortably at over 12 million views on YouTube. In typical hip hop fashion, the boys are using this stereotype as a source of bragging—see, everything you have is made in China. Funnily enough, this is quite true. As of 2017 China does happen to be biggest country in the world for its exports to the U.S, with $506 billion worth of goods coming from China in 2017, most of them being electronics. The closest was Canada at around $300 billion.
As a hip hop group from China trying to break into the US market, their unique proposition compels media companies like VICE and Great Big Story to interview and film small documentaries featuring their intimate lives. There are lots of references made to black culture.
A good number of their hit songs feature black American rappers. There is even a video showing a couple of American rappers like Migos reacting to Made In China.
This is a strategic marketing move from 88rising to let Higher Brothers establish an internet presence with the hip hop community, which can be conservative and judgemental, and surely quick to blast cultural appropriation, by showing that the black American rappers themselves love to see Chinese people making dope out of their own culture, as long as it’s respectful.
It’s worth noting that Quavo, from Migos, has had his fair share of problems being racially profiled as a criminal just because he was a black man with dreadlocks—something which he was very vocal with in his verse in T.I’s Black Man.
To that end, issues with Chinese hip hop can’t be solved simply with PR campaigns. In America, hip hop needed bold individuals that are willing to strategically push the envelope and face accusations head on under the 50th Law, even if they lead to criminal charges. Though US rappers nowadays typically get arrested for something quite stupid, like drugs.
Still, it allowed for more ways of expression and creating appeal for commercial music. Art of art’s sake in the pop culture industry is using memes to milk the attention economy, sponsored by advertising dollar. Lil Pump’s Gucci Gang and some rude rapper’s Black People Song are the epitome of this. That is a funny luxury.
In Palestine, hip hop needed to become the vehicle with which Palestinians could preserve their stories, their culture, and thus their very existence as a nation as they continue to suffer discrimination. Not only did appropriating dreadlocks and tattoos make no sense, it was detrimental to the cause.
Territories and homes in China are in no danger of being hemmed into oblivion by a foreign apartheid state, and surely Christian missionaries from Europe will know better than to try and colonize China with religion after several episodes of uprising. To China, hip hop is no doubt a cultural invasion from the West, but therein lies an opportunity to tame it with its own culture.
Nobody will expect the Higher Brothers to come up with serious political commentary in their music. In fact, their very brand is built around escaping from such troubling worries into a space where you can just sit down with friends, listen to this dope, and enjoy the memes.
You watch Higher Brothers to see Majin Buu coming out here and getting his fat ass lit, together with that Chun Li looking motherfucker. There are even official dollies of this rap quartet thanks to a collaboration with Naughty Brain toy designers.
Perhaps this is the modern junzi, a man that brings dumb joy and laughter to people with music and lets them leave their worries behind.
At least for that moment.
To fully describe the R!CH phenomena whipped out by Rap Of China, it’s crucial to mention Kris Wu’s prominent role as a major celebrity, which gave him the privilege to be mainstream Chinese hip hop’s gatekeeper to the West, and what that actually means for Chinese netizens.
After all, he’s here as a judge for both seasons, despite criticism of his legitimacy to hip hop as his cultural upbringing. A pop artist groomed to K-Pop stardom as a former member of EXO, he has taken a little break from both cultural and geographical diaspora to return to China. The fact that he did not come from hip hop in China is irrelevant. It is what he will do when he comes home, the same job he has always done.
Leading up to Rap Of China’s season one, Kris Wu has become a legend as China’s giant advertising meme. He was on ads everywhere. His face was selling Dell inside a lift, frozen yogurt on Youku, Adidas outside its outlet in Chengdu, the Chinese poster for an American movie called Valerian where he had about 10 minutes of screen time, McDonald’s nuggets on a bus stop right beside a Xiaomi phone on the same bus stop…
Rap Of China is really too obvious with the very reason he exists on the show at all, as a judge. He is a meme factory that will generate good advertising ROI.
His face is exotic and oriental, even in his own country. This is because of his long history in the entertainment industry in foreign lands. He grew up performing for foreign audiences, in foreign tongues, following foreign choreography and fashion, as part of EXO in South Korea. This continued even as he went solo. Now, he is a recording artist in America appropriating black music with foreigners like Travis Scott, signed to the same label as Kanye.
He resides permanently in the music industry, as a performer capable of globalized mass appeal, able to establish guanxi with a network of influential foreign and local individuals in the industry. He has a good career, always popular and in demand, though what he wants his image to be in China is not really in his control. There is no vehemently good or bad in this, it simply is.
Even as the show’s judge, and as someone who is vastly more popular, he will never be able to secure the niche title of China’s First Lady Of Hip Hop that VAVA enjoys or Gangsta rapper from Chongqing GAI is able to tout.
Miss VAVA is consistent; she sticks to her native language even as she incorporates femme lexicons in rap, always loyal to her personal upbringing. She will participate in your music videos and commercials. She promises to be the hottest MC on stage for your major events. However, you will never forget that she is a lady from China.
GAI creates a richer layer of rap by introducing classic Chinese proverbs and poetry in his verses, proof of a Chinese man’s cultural upbringing. His music videos capture China’s great rivers as he sings about the Yangtze, and we get to see the faces of our brothers in China, living in the city just like us. He is as much of a Chinese homeboy gangsta as they come.
For both of them, as well as the other Chinese rap stars, their tattoos, stage presence, skill and commitment to this lifestyle have earned them a unique legitimacy to hip hop. This why Chinese netizens appreciate their contribution to music and hip hop, and why they give their all in performances, and strive to achieve mastery in Chinese rap.
Because it is theirs for the taking.
This CF with the Rap Of China stars is but one out of many that he has. There are entire YouTube channels, like this one, dedicated to Kris Wu ads.
They now work on presence and popularity at home and abroad, ironically sanctioned by Kris Wu, who struggles even to get Chinese netizens to acknowledge his rap skills. In fact, there’s even an audio of him rapping horribly making rounds on the internet, real or not, which became so controversial it prompted his legal team to respond.
He’s trying, perhaps a little, with his own government approved patriotic rap song for China, but people have decided that he’s better off as a cultural diplomat for China and Chinese culture, to appeal to America, Canada, South Korea, Indonesia, Turkey and everywhere else he can reach that loves him.
He can’t match the visceral power and cultural depth of verses from rappers who spent their entire lives in China, even with ghostwriters, but he can watch, endorse, and judge them. This is the tragedy of diaspora for a man who wishes to call himself a Chinese rapper. But that’s his real power.
Is the modern junzi a master of odes or cultural diplomat?
The Black Book Of Odes
Vulgarity, obscenity, hedonistic pleasure, conflict, fear, conspiracy, dumb melody, and infamy are hallmark characteristics of American rap. They are celebrated because no cow is sacred on the Internet unless meme. This is a uniquely American luxury, rudely abstract and romantic ways of expressing freedom and individual authority. To paint whatever you wish on canvas, and criticize or make fun of anybody. That we may call a privilege of liberal society.
There are three kinds of enjoyment which are beneficial and three kinds of enjoyment which are harmful. The enjoyment of cultivation in music and ritual, the enjoyment of speaking of the goodness of others and the enjoyment of being surrounded by friends of good character are all beneficial. The enjoyment of arrogance, the enjoyment of dissipation and the enjoyment of comfort are all harmful.
Confucius, Analects (16:5)
However, things are different in China. Such foolish antics don’t make you money, won’t gain you favour from people, can end your career in music, and even put you in jail. Nobody is Voltaire enough to come and defend your right to say stupid or potentially dangerous things. Works and individuals that may incite conflict, rebellion, or are downright crass will be censored—no cow is more sacred than the government’s decree. Even your meme needs to be sanctioned by the state.
In America, government agencies can hack anybody, and corporations can monetize anything. Vulnerabilities like fears, biases, boredom, insecurities, desires, and guilt are all opportunities to get a vote or sell a product. For example, if you’re tired of having to be smart all the time, America has 9GAG and dumb rap music as part of an industry that supplies stupid shit you can do to waste time.
Twitter threads, controversial news, conspiracy theories and recreational drugs feed the capitalist machine and give perpetual bliss to its foolish American consumers hungry for success in life. The Internet rouses their fury by seducing them with data, intimate stories, psychological studies and infographics, inciting the romantic notion that they can lead and enact change within their lives or the lives of others. Nobody will accept that there is some kind of force possibly manipulating their will in a free society.
Confounded by choice, they forget to ask if the tweet they are looking at is legitimate, that the article they are reading has not been fed with misinterpreted data from 9GAG university, that the new productivity app they just bought is really going to make them more productive. Believing that their mistakes and choices are theirs alone, they obsess over taking ownership of them. Whatever they consume, then, will eventually cage them. The people challenge authority, but become afraid of themselves.
In China, data must pass government approval. Music and cultural products must be approved by the Ministry of Culture. American cultural panaceas will be blocked by the Great Firewall, unable to reach the hearts of Chinese netizens, even as these people have long embraced contemporary culture and fashion with open arms.
In not having access to Google, Chinese citizens are also free from its advertising nuisances and are less vulnerable to fake news. Conspiracy theorists will have their wings clipped before they even think their article can fly longer than 24 hours in China’s Internet. The people fear authority, but foreigners are afraid of them.
China has always been greater than any cultural legacy, philosophy and religious ideology that have once annexed its shores from foreign missionaries. There is not a single post-colonial legacy that can claim to have ever truly possessed mainland China throughout its vast history.
This is because China has a wealth of its own traditional philosophy from which it can draw wisdom to shape traditional thinking and thrive in the modern world. This country, sedentary but enduring, knows how to adapt economically, politically, and socially to change. After all, it did not collapse like the Soviet Union. The world’s most powerful religions, Islam and Christianity, do not have the level of political or cultural influence in China that it has on Indonesia and the Philippines respectively.
Even great political figures in Chinese history do not have a grip in modern Chinese society beyond their graves. Nobody mentions Mao Zedong in daily conversation, unlike in America where Marcus Aurelius is such an admired philosophical figure that people scramble to get Meditations on their reading list. For China is powered by philosophy, not persona, which is Latin for “mask”.
To that end, rap is a unique proposition. No doubt it is a cultural legacy from America, complete with guilty pleasures unlawful in China, yet it is an opportunity for Chinese artists to rejuvenate the classical poetry of their heritage and show that they can command as much stage presence as performers from all over the world.
Theirs is a modern and unorthodox classic of poetry, built upon the philosophies of Machiavelli and Sun Tzu, the Chinese answer to the 50th Law, in their own language, and in their own words—a black book of odes in the 21st century featuring China in all of its glory.
Within its pages you will find precious tales from China you will not find anywhere else, songs that reveal the whims and troubles of gangsters, businessmen and girls who run their own shit.
Grit and hardship will play in harmony with the blissful taste of wine and spices from China, promising verses as romantic as Li Bai’s poetry. You will get treated to a heritage trail of the faces, cities, streets, historical monuments, contemporary art, rich landscapes featuring rivers and mountains in the vast country of China.
They will convince you a Chinese tattoo can be beautiful. They will teach you how to conduct business with guan xi. They will show you the way of the junzi.
Be aroused by poetry, structure yourself with propriety, refine yourself with music.
Confucius, Analects (8:8)
This is the analects of Chinese hip hop, drawing wisdom from the black Shijing, a collection of modern rhymes from all over a nation that has endured war and famine in the medieval era, colonial and religious annexation in the past few centuries, and cultural invasions in the Internet era. Chinese poetry has influenced the West many times in the past, even as the Chinese were fervently consuming Western literature. Gustav Mahler taking inspiration from Li Bai and Qian Qi is but one example.
It will now present its triumphs with rap.
This is the spiritual and intellectual portrait of ren in the 21st century; men and women who are sharp with their tongue, cultivated on the streets, born to the Internet generation, who live to sing poetry in melodically harsh verses to reflect their personal struggles in life.
Confucius, Li Bai, government officials in Beijing, GAI, VAVA, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and the Yihequan are more related than you think. They will take what’s good from the West and use it for China and throw out the garbage. The ones that try to hack themselves in will face the Great Firewall. That is very Chinese.
That is the way of the junzi.
Chinese Poetry & Sayings – References
- On The Bamboo – Chinese Adage: The people are afraid of officials, the officials are afraid of foreigners, and the foreigners are afraid of the people
- PG One – Seeing Someone Off by Wang Wei
- VAVA – The Imperial Concubine by Li Bai
- GAI – Two Verses On The Yellow River by Du Fu
- Higher Brothers – Addressed Humorously to Du Fu by Li Bai
Translations for the Analects of Confucius are by A. Charles Muller |
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The last few days of “spring” is here and we are already freaking about the Dubai’s summer heat. While we had few hours of rain and the climate was really pleasant in between, the other day the temperature soured up to 42C (107F) already. And Corona Virus isn’t gonna cancel summer right?
In other news, last week was more productive and I got things that were on my lists for months/weeks done. I am quite happy with the progress. Have you got your routine set?The last few days of "spring" are here and we are already freaking about Dubai summer heat. And Corona Virus isn't gonna cancel summer right? Let us talk. Click To Tweet
What I read this week
I recently read Coincidence of Coconut Cake, The by Amy E. Reichert. It is sprinkled with lots of food and cooking and I liked that.
I am still reading Yes No Maybe by Becky Albertalli and I will be finishing it today hopefully.
I am taking the chance to talk about how I am faring on my 2020 A to Z Reading challenge.
Not bad eh?
What I watched this week
Is it just me or anyone else is disliking the Money Heist season 4? I have watched 4 episodes and I am already not feeling it. And also why Arturo is back? Ugh. I am not even sure if I want to continue watching the series.
Also I am watching Community series and am loving it. I love Abed!
On my blog
In case you missed out any of my posts last week, here is a quick recap.
Read my review on Red, White & Royal Blue
It Is My Birthday & Less Important Things: Sunday Musings #70
I will be linking today’s post with Caffeinated reviewer’s Sunday post Meme.
Around the blogosphere
I got around to blog hopping a bit last week, and here are my favorite ones for you!
- Looking for books to tap your creative writing energy? Broke by Books got you covered.
- The Orangutan Librarian clarifies on the pesky argument on identifying Young adult literature.
- AJ talks about how the Corona Virus is affecting the book industry and what we can do about it.
- Here is some sound advice on being a good book reviewer from the Literary Apothecary.
From the Insta-world
Also I did post on Instagram during the week. Are you following me already?
Let us chat
How are y’all coping up? I have heard some parts of the world have reduced their lockdown restrictions, is that true? Has anything changed for you since day one? Is your summer there for you. Let us talk. |
DARBY TWP., Pa. - A Darby Township commissioner is apologizing for sharing a meme on Facebook showing two men holding guns to a police officer saying, "Does it have to come to this to make them stop murdering and terrorizing us?"
Darby Township Commissioner Marvin Smith did not want to talk to FOX 29 on camera Friday about his decision to share a post on his Facebook page that has a lot people talking.
The Delaware County District Attorney and county council sent a lengthy statement condemning Smith's shared post and said it not only threatens law enforcement but creates a divide in the community.
The Fraternal Order of Police Delaware County Lodge 27 says they are calling on Smith to resign immediately. The township's website has Smith's responsibilities listed as "police" and the FOP says Smith just met with Darby Township's chief and officers about a month ago to express his support.
"A person like this making comments and making social media posts like this has absolutely no business being involved with law enforcement," Joseph Fitzgerald, president of FOP Delaware Lodge 27, said.
Smith posted an apology Friday that said in part, "I not only support good policing of our communities I welcome it and will continue to be a zealous ally of our friends in blue. I regret and whole-heartedly apologize if my sharing of that meme exacerbated any of the pain that individuals may be feeling."
For the latest local news, sports and weather, download the FOX 29 News app.
DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP |
This program is for high achievers
who know they were born to make a difference.
When you have already achieved what most barely dream of and realise there’s still something missing, I can help.
So often high achievers are great at getting help with tasks, but struggle to reveal their own inner fears and vulnerabilities. It’s ok. You’re 100% safe with me.
I can help you to clear your mind, align with your truth and eliminate internal obstacles that are causing friction and stress. Some of my clients call me Brain-Draino.
You know that even though others look up to you as a massive success, you have barely scratched the surface of what you’re capable of.
If you’re experiencing any of these we might be a fit to work together:
- Anxiety, reactivity and emotional stress.
- Drama managing your team.
- Invisible ceiling on your revenue & profit.
- Personal relationship stress with your partner or family.
- Over or underactive sex drive.
- Nagging feeling that it should be easier.
- Wondering if you should sell your business and start-over
- Childhood wounding that you know needs healing.
If you are experiencing resistance of any kind this work can help in a very powerful way. When you change from the inside, the change filters out into every area of your life.
You probably know that when you’re stressed and reactive, you make poor decisions that cost you money and damage relationships.
So when you want to make a shift to how you show up to lead, I can help.
The 3 month transformational coaching process I take entrepreneurs through is a profound change journey that systematically clears out baggage and bocks that is held unconsciously in the mind, body, spirit & energy field, allowing you to live in your full power, conviction and authentic self.
This process facilitates healing and exponential growth by helping you to return to your authentic truth. Together we clear the influence of any past emotional wounding, limiting belief imprints or old conditioning that is not serving you. When you can return to the experience of your deepest self, anxiety disappears and you have a pathway to access your Infinite wisdom and creativity.
What I have found working with many Apex Entrepreneurs is that an exceptional level of success often hides a core wound, or deeply hidden need. The success is a way of scaffolding that need for validation, approval, worthiness etc, so your success is driven by a deeply unconscious sense of lack. I am passionate about helping entrepreneurs like you to heal that core wound, so that your next chapter of life emerges from the expansion of your joy and truth, not to cover a hidden sense of lack. When people heal in this way, the feeling of their business shifts completely, and new opportunities open up in synchronistic and surprising ways.
What is it?
Transformational Coaching (including Spiral) synthesises many ancient & modern wisdom systems into one powerful experience of change. The wisdom that we draw on includes:
- The Chakra System from Ayurveda for embodied change.
- Spiral Dynamics tracking the evolution of human consciousness,
- David Hawkin’s Levels of Consciousness.
- Yin/Yang & 5 Elements Theory from Chinese Medicine.
- Muscle Testing & Meridian Based Energetic Clearing from Kinesiology
- Neuro Linguistic Programming & Gestalt Therapy
- Epi-genetics to understand your neuro-transmitter strengths.
- Gene Keys and Human Design for deeply personal guidance.
I use Systemic Coaching and Kinesiology Muscle Testing to track and access deeply held Unconscious belief systems, and help you to shift the somatic (body) imprints.
You might think this is like therapy. It is, and it isn’t. It’s more like years of therapy in a high intensity weekly bootcamp session. It is rigorous emotional and mental flexibility training, alongside deeply compassionate healing for any vulnerable parts of you that need deep support. Often in a single session we can create shifts that you may have never been able to achieve with other methods.
In the Spiralling Process we systematically clear out core beliefs and emotional patterning in each energy centre. This is your energetic reboot. As you go through life and experience challenges, significant events and traumas, your relationship with these emotions can become clouded by other events, which can create a repeating pattern and a block in that energy centre. This is the first part of the larger Transformational Coaching Process.
If you never heal these emotional & energetic blockages they can end up becoming denser and denser in the body and may even show up as physical illnesses & chronic sickness, sabotaging behaviour patterns, or unexplained accidents.
As we go through this process step by step we can find and eliminate hidden issues that you might never think to bring into a coaching session, but can be affecting you deeply at an unconscious level, pulling the strings of your reactive behaviours, sabotage, and triggers.
How does it work?
This is a structured journey of weekly 1:1 coaching sessions over 3 months. Sessions are conducted on zoom and take approximately 90 minutes.
We begin the process with an outcome session to get clear on your intention for the entire process, what you want to experience differently in how you show up in the world, your behaviours, and the results you experience.
Then we move into the Spiral sessions of system clean up! Think of it like a complete Software upgrade for your mind-body-spirit.
Each Level corresponds to a chakra and also a values meme in Spiral Dynamics, and has an energetic, physical, and values system component activation. I’ve listed the core emotions that we work through as we rise up the spiral from the base of your spine at Chakra/ Level 1 to the Crown and your embodiment of your Higher Self and Spirit.
As we clear each level it opens up a greater flow of energy through that centre and can activate hidden issues that have been playing out unconsciously in order that they get cleaned up by the process.
Level 1: Base, Muladhara, Root, Survival
In this level we connect to a deeper sense of groundedness, presence and deserving. We work with the emotions of Shame, Guilt, and Dogma, which can interfere with your experience of feeling safe, “at home” on Earth and connected to life itself.
Level 2: Sacral, Svadhistana, Emotions, Tribe, Belonging
In this level we address your emotional body and any distortions or blocks around family, tribe, or connection to your lineage. This level is related to your sex organs and govern our experience of pleasure, fair exchange, give and take and creative power. The emotions that we address at this level are Fear, Grief and Paralysed Will.
Level 3: Solar Plexus, Manipura, Power, Will, Goals
In this level we connect with your desires and will, this is the part of you that wants, sets goals and likes achievement and recognition. Your passion and energy for life lives at this level. We address the emotions of Pride, Anger and Desire so your individual ego is in alignment with your Higher Self.
Level 4: Heart, Anahata, Love, Systems, Organisation.
At this level we connect to the heart and the systems that support you in your life, health, love and business. The connection here between the heart chakra and the blue level in Spiral Dynamics points to a deeper truth of the Order of Love. In this level we work with how the reasoning mind can override the truth and wisdom of the heart, and support deeper opening to receive and accept the support to fulfil your life mission. The emotions at this level are Reason, Acceptance and Love.
Level 5: Throat, Vishuddha, Expression, Expansion, Capitalism.
At this level we connect your voice and speaking your truth with your entrepreneurial desires to grow. Your business success is very much dependant on your ability to listen and communicate clearly and in a way that inspires the culture of your organisation. The emotions that can block your ability to express your truth unapologetically are Anxiety, Confidence and Low Self-Esteem, which we investigate and clear to empower greater truth, self-expression and the expansion of entrepreneurial confidence.
Level 6: Third Eye, Ajna, Vision, Intuition, Community Sensitivity.
At the third eye we support the integration of your logical mind and intuitive guidance. This is where your greatest vision can be opened up, and you can see beyond your previous limitations to your greatest potential. We also begin to connect into the deeper web of humanity and can begin to see ourselves in others. At this level the emotions are Truth, Trust and Receptivity which serves to help you open up to the Divine Truth, and be ever more receptive and trusting of your own inner knowing.
Level 7: Crown, Sahasrara, Purpose, Spiritual Connection, Integral
At this level we begin to glimpse and feel into the larger holistic interconnectedness of all things. This is the level of your crown, your connection to Spirit, God, the Quantum Field or Akasha. At this level we work with the emotions of Peace, Joy, Enlightenment and Purpose. This opens up your energy centre for open connection and communication with your Higher Spirit.
As we work our way through these levels of power we also address any other specific personal, relational or business issues or obstacles that show up along the way.
I will also integrate relevant insights from your personal Gene Keys, Human Design and Ph360 Profiling to help you understand exactly who you are and what you’re here to do and be. These are quite different than a Kolbe, DISC, MBTI type assessment, because it is based on your unique Soul imprints at the time of birth and in the case of PH360 your phenotype and genotype; how your body is currently expressing your genes. For integration of the work we use a Manifestation process of calling in your ideal future self, or an archetype of success that you want to step into and become.
What happens in a session?
We will get together on a zoom call online, I will ask for your permission to connect with your field of consciousness energetically, and muscle test on your behalf. I will ask you to say certain statements to test whether your nervous system supports them as “truth” or not. Please be aware, it’s about checking for your subjective truth and power, not divining the future. When there are obstacles around an idea, we can very quickly and accurately pin-point the cause in the deep unconscious and shift it with breath, and intention.
This process creates change not just through visualisation or talk therapy that helps you to think about things differently, but also clearing blockages energetically and emotionally through the meridian system. I will guide you to give a light self-massage to specific areas of your body in relation to the issues/organs/meridians that come up to help your nervous system recalibrate to homeostasis.
I may invite you to shake, dance, stretch, yawn, yell, and hold space when tears fall. All emotions are ok. Allowing the emotions to gently move through the body with movement is a key part of the process of unlocking them and letting them go. I may offer guidance in the form of reframes, to think about certain things in a new way as you are integrating the changes.
This may feel like we’re just having a chat, and that is the art-form of skilled coaching. You can rest assured that every word I say or ask in a session is powerfully intentional and guided both by my experience and intuitive knowing with your highest good in mind.
I have found this method to be very powerful, very fast and effective. Much more so than my previous talk-based coaching methods alone.
With nearly 20 years experience in coaching and training Neuro-linguistic Programming, Hypnotherapy, Matrix Therapies, Meta-Coaching, Auric Clearing, DNA Activation, and Epigenetic Health Coaching, I can and will incorporate any part of my expertise that you need in a session to support you to break-through what is showing up as a blockage to your true self and ideal results.
The 3 month program is a sequence of 12 private zoom calls of around 90 mins and private voxer access for integration support in between our weekly sessions. In these sessions you will experience dramatic energetic and emotional shifts, that will create very fast changes in your life and business.
I only take on a few private clients at a time, and due to the very deep and radically transformational nature of the work, it is both expensive and priceless.
To work privately with me in this program is $30KUSD. You can pay in full or split pay over the 3 months at $10K per month. There is currently a waiting list for this service, as I only take on a few private clients at a time, so let me know if you’re keen so I can get you on the waiting list for when the next availability opens up.
There is also an option to work with a member of my coaching team who are trained in NLP & Spiral and mentored by me to go through the same process. This option starts at 5KUSD depending on the experience level of the coach.
A word of caution.
Be aware that this is a deeply transformational process. It is not like any other coaching method I have come across, because together we align your body, mind, spirit, energy and emotions. Most other therapies work only at 1 or 2 levels. While this work may seem unorthodox, it is the most effective method of creating complete systemic change fast.
That means things in your life will change.
As people go through this process they do sometimes notice that in the time between the sessions emotions and situations will arise that calls you to embody the changes that we are initiating through the process.
You will likely set new boundaries. Say no to certain things. Feel some uncomfortable emotions. Let go of things that are not longer serving you. Start new things that you desire to do. This all sounds good in theory, but in practice it can be emotional and sometimes scary. That’s part of it and it’s ok. I will be here to support you through the process – that is exactly what the voxer access in between sessions is for, so I can help you if something comes up between sessions.
Just know that you’re signing up for systematic transformation. It’s not always rainbows. Sometimes a hurricane comes first. But you can be certain that anything that transforms as a result of this work is for your best and highest good.
The first step…
The first step for us both before committing to the full process together is for us to have a conversation to see if we’re a fit to work together. You can apply here to see if you’re eligible for the coaching process. There is no obligation or pressure in this call, simply a meeting to see if it’s a fit to work together or not.
Personally, I’d like to add that adding the Spiral Method into my already extensive coaching toolkit has been profoundly transformational for me too!
It has allowed me to finally heal some identity conflicts and deeply unconscious wounding that I have been working on for over 20 years with other methods and having only partial success.
I now feel more fully myself, more brave, more courageous in my vulnerability, more truthful and powerful in my self-expression than I ever have. I have a profound conviction in the power of this work. It is Spiritual Contract work, and working with me is an invitation to call your Soul back into your body and get moving on your Higher Calling.
It is definitely not for everybody.
If you’d like to come on the journey with me, I’d be honoured to guide you. |
Garden Hose Nozzle Psi
Posted on december 7, 2020.
Garden hose nozzle psi. Use the attachment to adjust the spray pattern from mist to solid stream. The hose is now a closed system. You don’t need to constantly squeeze or press something on the nozzle to keep the water flowing, which is.
10 best drain cleaning nozzle garden hose. Sewer jetter hose 4400 psi 4 thruster flusher de spinner 3000psi pressure washer sewer jetter drain hose with 3 nozzle kit sewer jetter kit 50 x 1 4 hose nozzle and 2 ings to little big shot super nozzle lbsr 1 the. Contractor nozzle set the orbit adjustable nozzle and sweeper nozzle the orbit adjustable nozzle and sweeper nozzle have a high impact spray perfect for sweeping away debris from sidewalks, driveways, siding, and more.
It’s a bit annoying to have to remove this from the hose every single time. If you are concerned or the pressure you are getting, isn't high enough for what you need. The problem comes when the user finishes using the nozzle and then shuts off the faucet.
Garden hose is usually rated for between 150 psi and 250 psi maximum allowable working pressure (mawp). Simply twist the 5 in. 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,236.
Very well made, and inexpensive. Gallons per minute was calculated by measuring the number of gallons a nozzle could fill a large container within one minute. Working pressure of 250 psi.
Connect these guns to your garden hose and automatically dispense solution from the attached bottle instead of dragging around a siphon hose. The nozzle was attached to a fifty foot 5/8 inch hose. Sure, it might look the same as the other garden hose nozzles on the market but the difference is in the detail.
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Can you pay back student loans at whatever accelerated rate you want beyond the required minimum? - If one our descendants reading this answer then probably I would like to ask the following questions. Do you know how it feels when you are carried in mom arms and dad’s shoulder? It is more softer comfortable than any of the strollers. Do you kno. Aug 11, · Just think of all the things that have come and gone in our lifetimes, all the would-be futures we watched age into obsolescence—CD, DVD, . Instead of living in the moment, they are living in a virtual world. Relationships. Way back when, dating was an actual thing. A guy would have the courage to walk straight up to a girl and ask her to dinner. In today's world, it is rare for a guy to ask a girl on a date. Instead, it is . apa bibliography calculator logarithm
Struggle of Friendship Rob Reiner Writes Stand By Me Script Who Also Wrote Princess Bride, Which is - Oct 13, · 3 Things Generation Z Is Going to Do Better Than Millennials, Gen-Xers, and Baby Boomers Combined You think Millennials are ahead of the curve? Check out the next generation. Jan 11, · The Future 4 Reasons Generation Z Will Be the Most Different Generation On the heels of the Millennials, Generation Z has begun inching their way into the workplace. Aug 09, · Pros: Survived the Depression, fought and won World War II, rebuilt Europe and led the U.S. economy to the top of the world after the war. Also hired great PR man in Brokaw. Cons: Had no other choice with the Depression and World War II – they had to survive and fight, so I’m not sure they should get so much credit for that. coursework com and get it meme
A Book Report on The Silver Chalice by Thomas B. Costain - We also examined two European countries, the U.K. and Germany, representing the two opposing sides in World War II; the generations shaped by events after the war in these two countries have. Jan 19, · On top of bearing names as sterile as a supercomputer lab, they have to hear how they’re all “me, me, me,” and (further) will be the first generations to do worse in America than their parents. We’re straight up entrepreneurs. Other generations like to make us seem lazy, but it’s not that we don’t want to work – we just don’t want to work for ywomen4allxxuzcom.somee.coming to a survey from Bentley University, 67 percent of their respondents said they wanted to start their own business, while 13 percent said they hope to climb the ladders to become CEO or president. The Construction or Layout of the Network and Its External Communications Requirements
Possible Free Response Essay topics for the 2012 AP European History Exam? - Feb 12, · Now, we all see our Western world changing before our eyes. That change includes an exodus of young adults from the church. Overall church attendance is dramatically lower than previous generations, and we recognize that the younger generations (even many who were brought up in the church) are very secularized in their thinking. Let me tell you, in the s we had the Depression. If you think you got a Depression today, it's nothing like it was then. People didn't even have enough to eat back then. A lot of the dads in the neighborhood weren't working. And we shared simple things because people didn't have money. We'd maybe get a nickel once in a while. Hailed by national leaders as politically diverse as former Vice President Al Gore and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Generations has been heralded by reviewers as a brilliant, if somewhat unsettling, reassessment of where America is heading. William Strauss and Neil Howe posit the history of America as a succession of generational biographies, beginning in and encompassing every-one Reviews: new york times modern love college essay contest 2018
Word for a guy who loves girls a lot? - May 11, · And they are not coming online like we did 20 years ago with a modem on AOL. They’re coming online with a 1 Mbps connection and access to the world’s information on Google, cloud 3D printing, Amazon Web Services, artificial intelligence with Watson, crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, and more. 5. Disruption of Healthcare. Surprisingly, the next generation needs older generations. (They just don’t need them clinging to power.) One of the most encouraging things about the next generation is their deep desire to learn from older leaders. Surprisingly, the next generation needs older generations. They just don't need them clinging to power. Click To Tweet. Mar 11, · Creating Disney World-like Environments in our Churches is not Preparing Gen Z As Christian parents, pastors, educators, and leaders, we want what’s best . Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education
cpm homework helper chemistry analyzer - Don't miss our latest news, features and videos. without waiting generations for that future to arrive? the whole world and its best knowledge and resources will be local to you, at your. Jan 11, · Michigan winters, as generations have known them and relied upon them, appear to be coming to an end. Cold snaps and heavy lake-effect snow will still happen, but happen in . Dec 15, · The last generation of Battlefield games have been more miss than hit, but Battlefield 1 was an experiment that ended up paying off for longtime series developer DICE. Decked in a rich, alt. [Essay] Title for self-introduction
2cv 6 Special 1986 1 - Nov 26, · Countries across the globe have come up with plenty of fun, intriguing, and unique ways of celebrating the season’s dog days that are not only inspiring but also downright delightful. From. Jan 08, · For World babies, the latter is a wholly new experience, whereas the former is something new for everyone. Players will find other monsters around during your missions, but . Though there is a consensus on the general time period for generations, there is not an agreement on the exact year that each generation begins and ends. simbolo saude pre sentence investigation report
A Review of Yvon Garlans Slavery in Ancient Greece - Aug 05, · Though one of its own sits yet again in the White House, the baby-boom generation, 78 million strong, is finally preparing to depart the scene. Theirs is a year legacy of war, debt and cultural . Yet these differences in the way different generations think about their work, and ways they view the world are not new. Thomas Jefferson once predicted that the United States would need a new constitution every 19 years to accomodate the differences in needs and thinking of new generations. Two things that are necessary for us to create a better world for generations to come. Albert Einstein had it right when he said: "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." Reality is merely an outward expression of what we have chosen to accept and focus on in the world. A Literary Analysis of the Place on Dodges Farm
data report vb6 group header - Batman has had more movies in the DCAU than almost anyone. However, in , one of his best comic book storylines came to the small screen with Batman: ywomen4allxxuzcom.somee.com storyline played out of a story from Batman's past coming back to haunt him in the present day when a villain known only as Hush shows up and turns his life upside down until all the secrets come piling out and threaten to bring down. Haaland, 60, is a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and, as she likes to say, a 35th-generation resident of New Mexico. The role of interior secretary would put her in charge of an agency that has tremendous sway not only over the nearly federally recognized tribes, but also over much of the nation’s vast public lands, waterways, wildlife, national parks and mineral wealth. Jul 07, · Many in the younger generations likely know this most famous fictional secret agent from the 26 films in which the character has appeared, particularly as played by Daniel Craig over the last decade and a half. But of course, Bond was originally birthed from the pen of Ian Fleming. And the literary Bond is far superior to the cinematic one. Cover Letter Letter
Using the Resume Dictionary and COCA - Writing a Winning - When will the world end? Every war, famine and earthquake seems to trigger another thought among Christians that the end is near. We are justified in thinking these things because of Jesus&rsquo. Nov 08, · Directed by Kourosh Ahari. With George Maguire, Nancy Madden, Dyan McBride, Cascius LaFleur. A tragedy at work and family secrets revealed at home provoke a year-old surgeon to discover the truth about himself and his lineage. Oct 28, · Ristorante Le Torri, next to the winery, is my top choice. I go there very often—probably more than I eat at home. But it feels like home and the family running it are doing a great job. Advances in Parkinsons therapy nursing essays
Musicians Who Use a Non-Music - Jan 01, · The stories of queer elders are often hidden in mainstream media, but a new portrait campaign is looking to bring these histories to light. Debuting to the public at the Watermark at Brooklyn. May 30, · How Different Generations Approach Work. View the full-size version of the infographic by clicking here. The first representatives of Generation Z have started to trickle into the workplace – and like generations before them, they are bringing a different perspective to things.. Did you know that there are now up to five generations now working under any given roof, ranging all the way from. Disney is launching its highly-anticipated streaming service, Disney Plus, on Tuesday, November ; The ad-free streaming service will cost $ per month (or $ per year) for access to Disney's large vault of animated films, TV shows, along with offerings from Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm, Fox, and National Geographic.; Disney Plus will also roll out original shows and films. corrosion under insulation testing report
What were William Blakes views on the churches? - The vision of Generations (formerly Generations with Vision) is to pass on the faith to the next generation through the biblical family, discipleship, and education. We equip families and churches around the world through our daily radio programs, discipleship resources, the Christian Curriculum Project, and discipleship events and retreats. Dec 03, · The central blessings of creation will then function both as a simile for the way in which the rule of the true king will bring justice and peace to the world, and also as a marker of time, praying that this righteous rule will last as long as the sun and moon: May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. Dec 24, · As this unprecedented year winds to a close (at last), here’s your chance to catch up with some of our favorite under-the-radar titles that didn’t get the attention of, say, "Tiger King" or. How has social media affected global civic engagement? business essay writing
The Miracle Worker Essay Topics - Dec 12, · Nominal GDP: $ trillion GDP (PPP): $ trillion In , China was the 7th largest economy with a GDP of $ billion. Ever since it initiated market reforms in , China has experienced exponential growth breaking the barriers of a centrally planned, closed economy to evolve into a manufacturing and exporting hub of the world. This may be one of the best-known series on this list, and if you are a fan of the period piece, chances are you've already caught up! However, for those who have yet to give it a try, The Crown is a phenomenal look at the history of the Queen of England. From the early days of her marriage, the show charts the politics around the British Monarchy and the historical events that define her reign. Oct 06, · American Generations Timeline Though there is a consensus on the general time period for generations, there is not an agreement on the exact year . jishu hozen step 4 ppt presentation
Perfect essay writer. Custom Research - Nov 06, · This coming-of-age story about four year-old boys in s Oregon is an inspiring tale of friendship, growing up and doing the right thing. Featuring some darker themes (making this film best for teens and up), this moving film strikes the right balance of childhood adventure, grown-up drama and a chubby Jerry O’Connell. Watch on Hulu. 2./ The Social, Economic and Political Problems of the World, And the Coming One World Order. Without a doubt, like no time before in recorded history, the world is becoming one place. This phenomenon is variously labelled the Global Village, the process of Globalization or the Coming One World . Jun 27, · The 25 richest families in the world are now worth over $1 trillion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. That calculation is likely a low figure, the report said. custom desk | Stuff for Sale - Gumtree
An Analysis of the Play The Odyssey - Dec 08, · Norman Wilner’s top 10 movies of Funny thing about the best movies of I watched almost all of them at home. So will you, probably. Dec 23, · The Houston Chronicle's best films of After nearly 10 months of pandemic and panic, Hollywood had to pivot. It was a terrible year for moviegoing but a good year for movies. A generation is "all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively."It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–30 years, during which children are born and grow up, become adults, and begin to have children."In kinship terminology, it is a structural term designating the parent-child relationship. Nutro Ultra Small Breed Senior
What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? there will be 9 billion people to feed, HELP PLSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!Thesis Statement???? the world in 50 years???, transport, employ and educate. With new tech, could we add a digital world that helps everyone succeed and prosper while working What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? Could we become a successful world where greatness is normal?
There are limitations. You switch on your gadgets and wait. Or you have to find the app you want and wait for it. They might have an operating system whose principles you have to follow. They allow you thesis on query optimization in distributed database little creativity, but only a little. Then your apps or data might not work with another device that you bought, say, last week, or last year. We have reached greatness, but the magnificent size of our successes will be matched by the size of our growing Crisis of NEX - 5722 Integrity Dr - Millington, TN - GasBuddy.com. By there will be 9 billion people to feed, clothe, transport, employ, educate and entertain.
Billions are committed to a growth-driven world economy they expect to inflate for centuries to come. As we pursue unlimited growth, our limitless consumption threatens to crowd out everything else on Earth. The middle class is declining in advanced societies. Youth underemployment is epidemic in many countries. The forecast is for What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? to remain stuck for their whole lives. Leaders want new options as much as everyone else. This new option started in with big questions: Can we envision a world where tech helps everyone succeed and prosper?
The Expandiverse grew steadily through years of private and confidential tech and IP Intellectual Property development. Our world is full of screens. We keep them in our hands, purses and pockets, next to our beds while we sleep, and surround ourselves with screens on our desks and counter tops. Our TV sets are powerpoint presentation kidney failure death into interactive screens as we put them online so they display everything for free.
What if all our screens, everywhere, were a assignment of mortgage loan mitigation networked system that turns the Earth into a digital room with everyone in it? Can that world be designed and built now, without waiting generations for that future to arrive? If your future devices were continuous, your control over all your devices, and What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? continuous digital world they could open for you, could Expand exponentially. You switch between multiple screens. All sorts of things are in What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? of you — with you.
They could be people, services or places. They could be apps or software, digital content books, TV shows, movies, music, recorded videos and moregames or live video from events worldwide. They could even be other devices and sources What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? control remotely. Your digital life will always be on, always open, always yours. Then switch again. Always ready for you Essay on self reliance - Get Help From use in whatever ways you want. Technology is about to What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? much faster and converge with entertainment, until life is entertainment and entertainment is life.
Or dare I say it, your lives. In the Expandiverse, you will become used to your chosen digital realities being displayed and processed without effort. Multiple screens, multiple identities and multiple transformed video, What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? and music feeds will simply appear and you will appear in them. Much of your life is already you-centered. You choose your private What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? public audiences.
They can use your creation, or appear in What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss?. Or what to write in my little brothers birthday card decide to be the audience and appear inside your digital I need an essay describing a teacher but dont know how to doit?. What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? example, Expandiverse technology includes a workaround to death. Would you consider enjoying multiple lives in parallel? In world language english essay help Expandiverse your life is truly yours.
The pyramid of scarcity: Scarce knowledge, scarce resources, scarce opportunities, and scarce education have kept society as a pyramid. Too many are stuck, educated, aware, capable How to reply formally to an email saying i acknowledge connected What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? yet locked in a limited future instead of free to soar. But in the Expandiverse, all bets are off and all your digital lives are on. Something else Expandiverse technology offers is called The lymph node in HIV pathogenesis Knowledge.
What if the best knowledge, tools, resources and opportunities to What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? could be delivered as part of what we do every day, as we use our screens? Everyone could become able to perform as well as the best in the world. Then, with a universal interface, everyone could run their entire Expandiverse from everywhere. Yes, you will be a global person who connects everywhere. And yes, the whole world and its best The Literary Works of the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock and resources will be local to you, at your fingertips, under your control.
Should we begin the journey into a digital world where everyone could choose to be their best, where greatness could be normal? As our digital world grows, devices will have to Expand until your devices can serve you totally. Unlike any generation before in history, we know how What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? design and build our dreams. Expand your mind, and expand your future. Skip Article Header. Skip to: Start of Article. One day What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? will be in our third grade weekly progress report template. But rather than waiting, can we reach it now?
Clearly, there is room to dream about new technology. Powerful Problems Drive Powerful Dreams We have reached greatness, but the magnificent size of our successes will be matched by the size of our growing Crisis of Success. Clearly, there is room to dream about a more successful world along with new technology. Billions of us. All of us succeeding as much as we choose.
All the time. Turn On a You-Centered Digital World If your future devices What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? continuous, your control over all your devices, and the continuous digital world they could open for you, could Expand exponentially. In your digital life you can walk through a beautiful new dawn. Or your own action movie sequel. With you as both one of the directors and What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss?
of the stars. You are the publisher. You are the broadcaster. You are the digital What are the best things in the world that the coming generations will miss? creator. And tomorrow… which dreams will you want next? How many? Who will you want in them? Your digital life is a real life. Wherever you really are. Everyone could rise to the top. Are you ready to take your first step? Dan Abelow. View original post. Skip Social. Skip to: Latest News. Share Share Tweet Comment Email. Skip Comments. Skip to: Footer. View comments. Submit Thank You. Invalid Email. Follow Us On Facebook Don't miss our latest news, features and videos. |
|View from Finca Neblinas del Bosque, Miraflor, Nicaragua near Esteli.|
This was a meme I saw on Facebook a few months ago.
It was layered over the top of a nice picture of a guy standing on the banks at a bend in a river that cuts through wooded mountains. Scenic, right?
I don't get into a lot of memes but THIS one, I enjoyed and I thought it was very thoughtful as well as thought-provoking. It's got me writing about it, so it must be. The easiest analogy that I can think of that explains my reasoning is a comparison to READING. As with travel, not everyone is a reader. However, I know that no one will say to me that their life is just fine having never learned to read. You read every day even if its just the street signs as you drive, the menu at your restaurant, or the prescription bottles in your medicine cabinet to make sure you're taking the right one. The question is whether or not what you read is meaningful, inspires you, and is nurturing.
A quick Google search for "benefits of reading" gave me a few articles that basically agreed on 8 primary benefits. Now, in no way am I suggesting I have mastered all of these. I'm still learning! But, let me relate them to travel and how I think I have benefited from hitting the road. Maybe you can relate, as well.
This was probably the first immediate benefit I can recall. Traveling abroad brought my focus front and center. How many times have you driven to work and back home and don't even remember the drive? All your senses become immediately engaged when the different smells and sights catch your attention. You instinctively become more aware.
Traveling, by nature helps promote a sense of well-being. Sometimes you just need to get out of your own element for a bit of a perspective change. Nature walks can have the exact same effect but they don't last as long. Traveling helps me take my mind off negative circumstances by changing how I view those circumstances which have not really changed at all... only my perspective of them has been altered. Problems may still be there when you get back but you are much more refreshed and replenished to deal with them.
Knowledge and Education
Again, this is primarily about perspective, and a little bit more. You can only learn so much in a book about riding a bike. And if you ever involve yourself in a conversation or try to form an opinion about a group of people that you have never met, I think you should really hold your thoughts to yourself. Learning about a culture first-hand is the best thing you can do. Talk to them. Finding solutions is best done when you know both sides of the story. Not only that, I get an expansion on my world history, geography, culture, and the local landscape.
|Members, Black Souls Biker Group of Esteli, Nicaragua photographed in Somoto|
Is there ever a situation where too much empathy is a problem? You can feel how you want about your neighbor or other people, but one specific potential benefit of travel I would hope everyone could take advantage of is this one. Getting to know a culture or somebody with first-hand knowledge and understanding is a blessing. You are afforded the opportunity to see that their dreams, aspirations, problems, and hardships might not so different than your own. Taking an opportunity to see and experience things for yourself instead of depending on second-hand or biased information can offer you a truth that may not otherwise be available to you. At least this way, you KNOW!
Here are a few more benefits that were listed:
- Stronger Analytical Thinking
- Tranquility and Better Sleep
- Vocabulary Expansion
|Ranch at Night near Somoto, Nicaragua|
For any of this to stick, Travel has to be a way of life. Your education continues for the rest of your days. So KEEP Traveling! VACATIONS are a reward for work. Maybe I get too much into semantics here, but I differentiate Vacation from Travel. Going to Cancun to an all-inclusive resort for a week and never leaving said resort is NOT travel. That's a vacation no different from Disneyland. Traveling, on the other hand, is a state of mind that is more about a life experience that brings you to another land and or people. It blesses and changes you, and hopefully, you have the opportunity to share inspiration and knowledge in like manner where ever you go. |
The funniest tweets from the world of football this week, featuring Everton’s win over Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League, a mad pre-match fan hype video, Kylian Mbappé turning Gerard Pique into a meme, and the referee who literally butted heads with a player.
All I will say about this video is, she’s lucky Everton won.
— Pepper Mills (@PepperMills3) February 20, 2021
I think the Everton players may have enjoyed that one.
Everton players celebrated hard in the dressing room after beating Liverpool! 🔊 pic.twitter.com/T7QFoD4dxL
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) February 20, 2021
Tom Davies must have taken his lucky skateboard with him to the ground.
Just seen tom Davies on his way to anfield pic.twitter.com/jsDm7keSRV
— J (@_JP1878_) February 20, 2021
Ah, so that explains Mo Salah’s diving.
If Mohammed Salah was a flight attendant:
"The exits are here, here & here. Thank you for flying with us" pic.twitter.com/ZqWJQAR3DN
— Lew (@JustLzw) February 20, 2021
At least Thiago put up some great numbers.
Despite failing to win, Thiago “to me to you” Alcantara completed the most pointed fingers on the pitch tonight (37) against Everton.
— ً (@ASI17_) February 20, 2021
If this doesn’t illustrate what a weird season it’s been, nothing will.
It’s February and David Moyes’ West Ham side, a team with no strikers, whose best attacker is Jesse Lingard and whose best defender is Craig Dawson, have overtaken “the greatest team in PL history” Liverpool. I speak on behalf of everyone when I say ahahahahahahahahahaha
— Fake Carlton (@_CarltonCole9) February 15, 2021
When the camera catches you at the exact wrong moment:
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) February 20, 2021
Half of a pundit’s job is just repeating the same three or four phrases to fill air time.
the pundit who says ‘pockets of space’ but doesn’t know what it means pic.twitter.com/av3sORQCeo
— Michael Spicer (@MrMichaelSpicer) February 17, 2021
Maybe they need to get them debating the big topics of the day, like Kim and Kanye’s divorce.
— C (@AFC_Carys) February 20, 2021
The game definitely needs more referees getting shirty with players.
— Adam G (@AdsGIps) February 16, 2021
Fair play to Alan Judge for the classy response.
As I said in this 👇. There was no need for an apology. I wasn’t looking for one or looking for any action to be taken. In football as everybody knows stuff happens in the heat of the moment in a game. We all make mistakes and for me that is the end of this https://t.co/ujQsF9lQ4N
— alan judge (@10judgey) February 17, 2021
With Phil Neville and Ryan Shawcross joining Inter Miami, David Beckham’s new MLS club will be the heighth of glamour.
After 14 years shithousing for Stoke, it will be fascinating to see if Ryan Shawcross can do it on an extremely pleasant weekend night in Miami.
— Barry Glendenning (@bglendenning) February 20, 2021
Kylian Mbappé’s battle with Gerard Pique set off a new meme trend.
— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) February 17, 2021
This one captured the moment perfectly.
— Disney Mⓔmⓔs (@WDisney_Memes) February 17, 2021
Never thought I would be saying there’s too much football on.
Scientists estimate that you are never more than two hours away from a Premier League match kicking off.
— Jonny Sharples (@JonnyGabriel) February 17, 2021
“Lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
— DIOGO SHOTTA (@Dec10Smith) February 19, 2021
We’ve all been there.
did he zip up his puffer jacket with the jacket underneath???¿¿ 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/0Q52Z6czNB
— eujin !! (@eujinspurs) February 19, 2021
This child probably has the right idea, to be fair to him.
Sergio Ramos killing dreams of little children😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/vGvu3l8YP1
— SEA MAN (@SeaaaaMannnn) February 18, 2021
How to beat the trolls:
— Kate Mason (@kvlmason) February 17, 2021
Harsh but fair?
Every single club now has 2 fanbases. The normal match going supporters and the new internet football nonces.
— Norman Watts (@GeneKellyStand) February 19, 2021 |
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Explore the world of Cyberpunk. Get up to speed on the world, lore, and news before the launch of Cyberpunk 2077. We'll cover Cyberpunk 2013, Cyberpunk 2020, Cyberpunk Red, and Cyberpunk 2077 plus other dystopian worlds.
The Aldecaldos are one of the most successful Nomad families, but how did they get that way? When did they start and what difficulties did they overcome?
61: So Maybe We Were Wrong...
With the full release notes out for Cyberpunk 2077 patch 1.2 and an announcement of how CDPR is reorganizing their studio, it looks like our previous comments were a bit... early. Also, we discuss the concept that the main story quests were actually originally life path content that was cut and reorganized.
60: The Badass Women of Cyberpunk 2077 - Monthl...
The women of Cyberpunk 2077 are some of the most bad-ass, awesome characters in any game. We discuss what we love about them.
59: Patch 1.2, we want to love you, but...
Patch 1.2... we are disappoint (as the old meme says.) Here's why.
58: Character Study: Panam Palmer
The more we discussed Panam in this episode, the more we uncovered the complexities in understanding her.
57: Takemura: Cyberpunk's Ronin Samurai
Takemura, the honorable and disgraced bodyguard, is an incredible character. Let's dig into his story.
56: Dreams of DLC Monthly Patron Chat
We talk with our patrons about expectations and hopes for future patches and dlc.
55: Cyberpunk Red's Characters & News
Cyberpunk Red's characters are inspired by real-world people with awesome stories. We explore each, plus recent news.
54: The REAL Danger of Leaked Source Code + New...
Leaked source code for Cyberpunk 2077 is a bigger deal than it seems on the surface. We talk about the real danger of this and what it means to you and me, plus new mods and patch news.
53: Character Study: Jackie Wells
We discuss the life of Jackie Welles and why he's such a great character in Cyberpunk 2077.
52: Fan Perspectives - Feb Patron Chat
We catch up with our upgraded patrons, Kaither, Duffo, and So_Thanatoasted, to find out about their experiences in Cyberpunk 2077.
51: Patch 1.1, Mods, Corps in 2045
We talk about the Mod of the week, the big 1.1 patch and the state of Corporations during the time of the Red in 2045.
50: The Technology of Cyberpunk RED w/ Skkruf f...
Skkruf from Role To Cast joins us to discuss the technology of Cyberpunk RED.
49: Best New Mods & End Game Talk
We talk about our end game experiences (SPOILERS!) and the best mods out this week!
48: Rache Bartmoss, News, Tips & Gameplay
Rache Bartmoss, the best Netrunner in Night City and his involvement with the DataKrash plus more!
47: Patron Chat w/ Kaither, Different Approache...
We talk with our upgraded patron, Kaither, about his experience with the game so far and discuss our different approaches to playing the game, mods, and this week's news.
46: Differences in Johnny's Story, Patch Notes,...
There are differences in how the TTRPG books explain the events of Never Fade Away and what we experience in 2077. We dig into those differences plus recent news, patch notes, and our second week's impressions of the game.
45: Cyberpunk 2077 First Impressions & Post-Lau...
We talk about our experiences with the game, issues with the last-gen console versions, and this week's news.
44EX: Cyberpunk 2077 Predictions & Trivia
Tom & Logun celebrate launch week of Cyberpunk 2077 and make some very bold predictions about the game, plus Cyberpunk Trivia!
43: Cody Pondsmith from RTalsorian Games Answer...
Cyberpunk Creator and General Manager at RTalsorian Games, Cody Pondsmith, joins us for a very special interview about all things Cyberpunk.
42: Guest LastKnownMeal, Night City Wire 5, Gam...
LastKnownMeal joins us to discuss the latest Night City Wire and recent news.
41: The Scavs, Leaked Achievements & Cyberpunk ...
We talk scavengers, celebrate the release of Cyberpunk Red, and reveal leaked achievements discussing what they might mean for the game.
What will performance be like on each console? On PC? What's Ray-Tracing?
38: Cyberware in 2077 & News
A deep dive into all of the cyberware we know about for 2077.
37: Night City Wire 4 & News
We talk Night City Wire 4.
SNEAK PEAK - Starfield Lorecast Episode 1
<p>We're bringing you the very first episode of the Starfield Lorecast, the new show from Tom & Dave on the Robots Radio network. Enjoy!<br>
Available on all podcatchers.</p>
Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/cyberpunk-lorecast/message
36: Smart Weapons Company Kang Tao + News
The company behind smart weapons, Kang Tao's history, plus recent news and hype for Night City Wire 4.
35: Trauma Team & CDPR News
What is the Trauma Team and how much does it cost to "insure" your life?
34: Nomad Intro Quest, Cyber-Genitals, & More
The intro quest for the Nomad life path, more about Nomads, and news about system specs, main quest length, and cyber-genitals.
33: Night City Wire 3 Breakdown
We've combed through all the details in the new Night City Wire scenes and pulled out details you may have missed, plus we're discussing the new reveals.
Before we get Night City Wire 3, we're beating them to the punch with a discussion about gangs, where they're located in Night City, and more news.
31: Assault Vehicles (Maximum Metal) & LOTS of ...
We check out the details about assault vehicles from the tabletop sourcebooks to discuss what we might be up against in Cyberpunk 2077. Plus LOTS of news.
30: Soulkiller 3.0 & 29 Car Models in 2077
The Story of Alt Cunningham continues. We learn more about Soul Killer 2.0 and 3.0, Arasaka's plans, and Johnny's death. Plus news!
29: 1st LIVE Episode - SoulKiller, Alt Cunningh...
Alt Cunningham, Johnny's girlfriend, is a total badass who designed a program that rips your personality right out of your brain. Her story, plus news about Melee combat and the fear of delays for Cyberpunk 2077.
28: Adam Smasher & The Death of Johnny Silverhand
Who is Adam Smasher, and what does he have to do with Johnny Silverhand's death in Cyberpunk 2020?
27: Night City Wire 2, Life Paths, Weapons & Ro...
Captain Logun comes back to discuss Night City Wire 2. We have even more info about the life paths, the band behind Samurai, and the types of weapons we'll find in Night City.
This week's news includes critical info about the Cyberpunk 2077 Beta, new game details about conversations and killing sprees, and more!
25: The Man Behind Militech - Donald Lundee
Donald Lundee, the man behind Militech, and this rise to power.
24: Cyberpunk Red & More w/ Role To Cast's GM, ...
Interview with Phil, GM for Role To Play's Cyberpunk actual play podcast from Baby Beard Media.
23 :Behind the Scenes w/ J Gray, R Talsorian Ga...
An amazing interview with J Gray from RTalsorian, the makers of Cyberpunk.
22 :The Origins of Arasaka
Arasaka is a very important megacorporation in the world of Cyberpunk. How did they get started and what caused their rise to power?
21 :Hidden Info from Night City Wire w/ Captain...
Captain Logun joins me to discuss some hidden information he's uncovered about Cyberpunk 2077.
20: When History Was Erased - The DataKrash
The events of the DataKrash marked a fundamental change in the world.
19 :LORE: The Techie Class & More Cyberpunk Slang
All about Techies, the 3rd playable class in Cyberpunk 2077 plus some more Cyberpunk slang to get you ready for 2077.
18 :NEWS: New Cyberpunk 2077 Details, Cyberupyo...
New details about Cyberpunk 2077 from the devs! Cyberupyourpc finalists. Mike Pondsmith speaks out about current events, and more!
17 :LORE: Netrunners & Cyberpunk Slang
What's a Netrunner? How does hacking work in Cyberpunk?
16 :LORE: What is a Solo & 3 Examples of Solo B...
Solos are the war machines, the soldiers of Cyberpunk, but they also can be more nuanced in their builds and approaches.
15 :NEWS: PC Giveaways, Fan Film, Car Reveal, a...
It's been too long since our last news update, so let's talk about the cyberpunk fan film, some custom pcs, giveaways, a wraith car, and customizing your genitals.
14 :LORE: All Factions (We Know About) in Cyber...
So far, CD Projekt Red has released info on 9 of the factions we'll find in Cyberpunk 2077. Let's talk about each.
13 :LORE: Fixers & Every Type of Fixer in Cyber...
Let's talk about the connection makers in Cyberpunk - the Fixer. We discuss what a fixer is and each type of fixer we may come across in Cyberpunk 2077.
12 :NEWS: New Cyberpunk 2077 Gear & Pre-Order Sale
News about Cyberpunk gear announcements and info about playing Cyberpunk 2077 on your Xbox and GeForce now.
11 :LORE: Nomads - The Highway Cowboys of Cyber...
What is a Nomad? What role do they play in the Cyberpunk universe?
10 :NEWS: We're Back! Sex Worker Faction, 2077 ...
We're Back!!! Let's dive into some recent news about Cyberpunk 2077.
09 :LORE: Cyberware | Cyberpunk Lorecast
The 10 types of cyberware and more!
08 :LORE: What exactly is a Rockerboy?
What exactly is a Rockerboy? What does it mean that Johnny Silverhand is a Rockerboy?
07 :NEWS: Sex with Keanu Reeves? & More Recent ...
We know that Keanu Reeves is playing Johnny Silverhand, and we know that you can have "relationships" with other characters in game. So can you have sex with Keanu? Plus, other news about Cyberpunk 2077.
We explore the details of the 3 playable classes in Cyberpunk 2077.
05 :LORE: Night City
What is Night City? The main setting for the Cyberpunk RPG and Cyberpunk 2077. Let's take a look.
04 :NEWS: Cyberpunk News August 12, 2019
All the latest news about Cyberpunk 2077 for August 12, 2019.
03 :GAME: Mike Pondsmith Talks Cyberpunk 2077 W...
Who better to explain the setting behind Cyberpunk 2077 than the creator of the Cyberpunk RPG himself, Mike Pondsmith.
02 :LORE: The World Before the 4th Corporate War
What was the world like before the events of the 4th Corporate war? What is the background to the setting of the "Time of Red" and the world of Cyberpunk 2077?
01 :INTRO: Cyberpunk Lorecast
Introduction to the Cyberpunk Lorecast. The podcast where we'll explore the lore, news, and gameplay of the Cyberpunk games. We'll cover Cyberpunk 2013, Cyberpunk 2020, Cyberpunk Red, and Cyberpunk 2077 plus other dystopian worlds. |
Sometimes a story or idea goes viral because it's too big to be ignored. But more often it's because a single human being passes it along to an audience that's either massive, highly influential, or both. There aren't too many people who can do that.
These are the ones who can. When they post something to a website, Twitter, or Facebook, it's almost assured of blowing up. Meet the 25 most viral voices on the Internet.
If you'd like to see everything on one page, click here.
Platform: Torrez.org, MLKSHK, Twitter
Do you know Andre Torrez? You should. The most influential person you follow on Twitter knows him. He's created some of the most interesting communities online. From private watering holes for the Internet's jet set, to his new, open-to-anyone image board, MLKSHK. But more to the point, programmer-blogger Torrez is a classic idea seeder; a person who introduces concepts to the people who take them big.
Ben Huh started with LOLcats, but his network of Websites have become the definition of virality on the Web, from infancy to grave. While The Daily What takes on the newest oddities of the day, Know Your Meme has become the canonical reference for everything viral. In short, Huh has built an end-to-end platform for Web popularity that lets people create things to go viral, point to web flotsam, track what's trending, and then explain how and why something has become popular. It's genius.
Stumbleupon is the long boom. It's the stock to Twitter or Facebook's flow. Things that go big on StumbleUpon continue to generate traffic for years to come. And few have more juice than the self-described "woman from a mountain town" StarSpirit. She's been on StumbleUpon's list of top Stumblers for years, thanks to the massively interesting links she surfaces and spreads. She's one of those Stumblers who by liking something another user has found, instantly makes it go big as it spreads across her network of 9,000 followers.
Platform: Hacker News
If you want to stay up on what's happening in the tech industry, you'd better read Y Combinator's Hacker News. It's the go-to news aggregator for the digital set, the place startup founders and c-level types go every day to get smart. Like Reddit (which sprang forth from a YCombinator session), its users accrue karma when others upvote their stories and comments. Now, Weissman isn't top ranked in karma points on Hacker News (that'd be Thomas Ptacek). He's not even number two (hello, Patrick McKenzie). But he does have, far and away, the highest average score of any of Hacker News' top users, which means that when Weissman weighs in on something, people who matter very, very much tend to pay attention.
Platform: Radio, Radiolab.org, Twitter
Not only is Radiolab the new must-listen radio program for the chunky glasses set, but it also has a way of bringing science stories to the mainstream. One of the ways it does this is with a great website, that makes listening online (and sharing) easy. Meanwhile, Radiolab host Abumrad has one of the best science-oriented Twitter feeds out there. It's followed by the biggest names in media, and can provide the bridge from obscure posting on a random science blog or journal to the top slot on Reddit the next day.
Look, this isn't just a plug for one of our writers. Sure, Jesus Diaz is the most-trafficked writer at Gizmodo. (And for that matter, one of the most widely read writers online.) But the truth is Jesus can find some weird story that might otherwise have been but a mere blip on Reddit, like these weird formations in the Chinese desert, and turn it into the classic "Gawker exclusive," with great packaging, a killer headline, and presto, it's all over the mainstream media.
Platform: Twitter, Brainpickings.org
Popova uses the handle @brainpicker on Twitter, but really she's more like the Successpicker. The things she highlights go end-of-the-world-bird-flu viral. She does that by plucking out stories about technology, history, art, industry, tree frogs, you name it. Following her Twitter stream is like getting a liberal arts education.
BuzzFeed's managing editor has been there since Moses split the stylesheet. And over the years he's been the cause of more virality than a dirty needle. But don't think he can't still find the killer link. And while Buzzfeed may largely traffic in cat photos and Internet ephemera, it's biggest traffic day ever was a retrospective of largely newsworthy photos.
Platform: LaughingSquid.com, Tumblr, Twitter
Scott Beale's events tracker the SquidList gave birth to his Laughing Squid web hosting business. Which gave birth to his weblog. Which gave birth to his Tumblr and Twitter—all of which breathed life into thousands of obscure stories that otherwise would have fallen soundlessly in digital forests. Today the smiling cephalopod is basically his own media empire.
Platform: The Onion, Twitter, Baratunde.com
The Onion's digital director is more than just a funny fella—although he certainly is that. But that cutting edge humor informs both political and cultural sensibilities that let him stay consistently ahead of the curve in terms of knowing what's next. His Twitter feed is among the most engaging on the Internet. His blog is a must-read for anyone interested in things that are awesome. And not only does he call out interesting stories and takes, his own ideas often become the day's conventional wisdom. (His video on Barack Obama's birth certificate release, for example, quickly became the definitive take.) Oh. And he also runs the Onion's Web presence. Maybe you've heard of it?
Drew Curtis if the one-man editorial force behind Fark. It's been plucking quirky little nuggets of random weirdness—often culled from local media sources—and aiming a firehose of traffic at them since 1999. In fact, Fark has been at it for so long, you could be forgiven for forgetting about it. But that's a mistake. Look at the timestamps of stories on Fark, and you'll see they're typically hours, or even a day, ahead of the attention curve.
At any given moment, you can tell which technology stories are big by looking at Techmeme, the site Rivera founded. And if you want to see what the news of the day will be, just look at what's trending there. Journalists certainly do. It's the first thing every tech journalist you follow looks at each morning, and the place where all of them want their stories to land. It uses both algorithms and humans to place stories on the page. And although Rivera has mostly handed off to other editors on a day to day basis these days, the site is still very much a reflection of its founding editor. (Hey, his Twitter feed is pretty boss too.)
Platform: Metafilter.com, a.wholelottanothing.org
Matt created the modern group weblog in Metafilter, way back in 1999. When you look at some of the other hoary old Web properties that launched back then, it's a testament to Haughey's ceaseless focus on community that "the blue" is still relevant. Matt isn't writing a lot of front page posts himself anymore these days, but he keeps the house in order in a way that makes everything possible. Moreover, many of Metafilter's most interesting nuggets appear on Matt's personal weblog, twitter feed, or as bookmarks, making him a personal best-of list for people to busy to check MeFi every day.
Platform: JimRomenesko.com, Twitter
Jim Romenesko's influence has never been more apparent than over recent weeks. When Poynter flubbed his departure, trying to paint him with a plagiarism brush, the move blew up in editor Julie Moos' face. Moos was widely reviled and looked either dumb or craven for making a stink. How did everyone find out about it? With a single post to his new site, JimRomenesko.com. And while Poynter already feels like a graveyard, JimRomenesko.com is now the new media must-read. We wish Jim the best of luck in his new gig. (PS: Link us?)
Image: Robin Eley
Platform: Tumblr, Twitter
De Rosa is the Internet's news of the day amplifier. His personal Tumblr and Twitter feeds are so popular and so influential that Reuters put him in charge of its social media presence. And that's because stories go into De Rosa's Tw/umblr as itty-bitty blips, and emerge as memes. Part of that is due to his eye for compelling stories—if he jumps on something odds are it's interesting. Paradoxically, he's gained such a following that stories can become big simply by virtue of his interest. It's a tricky balance, but so far he's pulling it off.
Platform: Twitter, New York Times
Jenna "Jenny Deluxe" Wortham is way cooler than you. (Or at least: she's way cooler than I am.) The Bits blogger and New York Times technology reporter has both the megaphone and meticulous eye to surface cool tidbits form around the Web and then lift them to prominence. On Twitter, her 425,000 followers swarm the things she links to. Yet unlike a lot of reporters on Twitter, she doesn't just link to her own bylines. In fact, that's exactly what makes her so influential.
Platform: Twitter, Longreads
Mark Armstrong harnessed the short form of Twitter to find and promote the best in long form writing. He collects the best of user-submitted long form articles and shares them on Longreads. This year @longreads exploded in popularity—surging from 9,500 to more than 40,000 followers—and editorial influence. A look at some of those submitting Longreads is like a who's who of publishing. In the process, Armstrong went from a guy looking for something to read on the subway, to a powerful media gatekeeper. More than anyone else Armstrong is the one who decides which feature stories should be widely read. And if you want to see the best features of the year, no one has a better list. (Sorry, ASME awards).
Platform: 4chan, Canvas
Poole is the Internet's unseen hand. Better known as 4chan founder moot, Poole built the place where most of the memes you see today are born. While his low key admin style means its often a chaotic sea of confusion, that's basically incomprehensible to the olds, it's also the crucible for Internet culture. And while you may think of it as little more than LOLcats and Pedobears, in recent years with the rise of Anonymous 4chan has become a powerful societal change agent. Now Poole is seeking to repeat the act with Canv.as, a board for sharing and remixing images. It's going to be huge.
Platform: Google Plus, Twitter, Tekzilla
You may think of Veronica Belmont as a TV personality from Tekzilla. And admittedly her 1.6 million Twitter followers are nothing to gloss over. But the real reason we put her on this list? Google Plus. Belmont's managed to make something interesting happen in what may otherwise be the Web's least interesting social service by mixing the personal with the professional with the purely intriguing. Consequently a single Belmont plus-one (or whatever the hell you call it) can push an obscure story, video or even photo into memetic territory.
Platform: Radio, Twit.TV, Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus
Leo's nationally syndicated Tech Guy radio show is huge, airing on 150 cities and XM radio to boot. But it's possible that his podcast, This Week in Tech, is the even bigger deal. The show is listened to by basically everyone in the valley, from VCs, to influencers, to programmers, to hangers on hoping to be in on the next big thing. Meanwhile he can push people to topics he cares about via outsized audiences on Twitter, Facebook, and even (yes) Google Plus.
Platform: Boingboing.net, Twitter
BoingBoing is the Ur blog. Everyone reads it, and it often sets the tone for the Web's take on issues of the day. That's a testament to its editors, who each bring their own voice and personal interests to the site. Xeni, however, is probably the Boinger with the highest visibility all around the Web. That's partially due to her ability to give great Twitter. Her recent live-tweet of a trip to get a mammogram, followed by the news she had cancer, was both honest and courageous, and more to the point it got the mainstream media talking about mammograms.
Platform: Rogerebert.com, Twitter, Chicago Sun-Times
In the past five years, Ebert has transformed himself from powerful movie critic to powerful everything critic. And just as he lost his voice in person, he gained one online, with both sharp longform writing on his blog and a Twitter following of more than half a million that retweets the hell out of his 140 character missives. For example, @BPGlobalPR, the fake twitter account that skewered the company's failures in the Gulf, was one of the biggest Internet sensations of 2010. Yet you may never have heard of it had it not been for Ebert.
Ashton Kutcher may be a cowardly quitter, a cheater, and something of a moron, but let's face it: Dude has influence. When Kutcher drops a link, mad traffic follows. When he calls out a web service or app (often one of his own) users follow like hyenas swarming a carcass. His authentic (if dumb) voice is the reason we hate to see him handing the keys to his feed to a bunch of soulless social media marketing whores, even if they are from his own firm.
Matt Drudge? That old motherscratcher? Sure, his site's design is older than your grandpa's undies, but here's the thing: People in the media still read him. More to the point, your dad reads him. Your barber and accountant and doctor read him. Matt Drudge's curated quick hits still appeal to people who lack the patience or time to set up deep social media reading lists. Too busy to find obscure links from all around the Web? Matt's site is always there. In the age of social media, he proves a single player on his own platform can still be the loudest voice in the din.
Who the hell is Maxwellhill? Is Max a he or a she? A media pro, or a high school student? A reporter? An editor? A dog? It doesn't matter. What matters is that "Max" is the first person to rack up more than one million karma points on Reddit—a score earned by Redditors for submitting good links and making good comments. Over the past six years. Maxwellhill's selections have made Reddit what it is. You could even think of Maxwellhill as a stand-in for Reddit as a whole. Reddit has democratized editorial. It is the newspaper by and of the people. Anyone can have a say as to what should be news there. Still, on the board where stories go to explode, no one done more to detonate them than Max. |
The subconscious subtleties and the good old audience
Writing indeed is the fierce needle or the sword it used to be. It’s just that I must get you interested first, to muster up some strength to put in the work of processing words again. Indeed a tricky craft. You see, the textbook widsom of media says that there’s the content and the receiver. Meaning of the word Medium, the platform, is presumed as a sense of the link between the two. Hence the Media. The goal is to put things in a perspective that is convenient to the receivers in order to arise some feelings (trigger something) in your readers as per your needs. “Call to action”. Make ’em do something they wouldn’t do otherwise! For yourself.
Now that is hard work.
It’s the act of preaching as well (Maybe with some layers of subtlety). When you scale that, you get, ‘the media’ as it is. Then you optimize, then capitalize (monetize?)! Do this, do that. You don’t even have to think! it’s right there! Subscribe! Follow! Hustle! Donate! Shop! Buy!
Reverse engineer the human behavior, don’t let them think, just make ’em do it! I guess it’s one of those bound-to-happen things. When there’s the luxury of choice, you have to make them choose! With the big development, come the new dynamics of competition. It’s the only way to continue the race, the mayhem, the chaos. And we’re all guilty. We all do it. The technology helps, the internet is the shiz , no doubt. No sarcasm, no satire, no judgements. And a whole lot of respect. But mind you well it is what it is.
All in all, there still is the good ol’ distance of ambiguity. When I blurt things out, and what you read, what you read and what you make out of it, is all, to say the least, open ended. Exactly the type of thing that visual media fixed. You can enjoy a movie passively and still get the satisfaction of watching it. Hard to do that with text. It’s also less fun, less entertaining, and too obsolete.
We switched from the fad of bibliophiles to the generation of binge watchers. That’s progress.
I’m no bibliophile either.
Showbiz is awesome. It created the base! The collective reality. In understandable (but boring) words, when you watch something, it’s much easier to assume what everyone else saw in it too. The common ground is already there! You just have to get on board! Are you even alive if you haven’t seen F.R.I.E.N.D.S ? The meme cultures say uncultured swine!
Hard to do that with books, and text in general. Of course it happens, but the frequency is low. Now, when you read something, you don’t have supporting army of typical (and largely subconscious) clues to tell you how you should… take it. And therefore you end up taking it anyway you like!
Hence the ambiguity. |
I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, 'wouldn't it be much worse if life *were* fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them?' So now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe. – M. Cole
Not So Polite Dinner Conversation – Trump and his minions
There’s a rather vile meme being passed around by Trump’s minions about how great Trump is and that Trump is “the storm”. Funny how Trump always gets out of the way of storms and is nothing but a coward and liar. |
A popular internet meme, the image below is one of several suggesting that wild animals like squirrels avoid genetically engineered corn. The Organic and Non-GMO Report, whose editor Ken Roseboro is an avid anti-GMO speaker and reporter, published a story about this particular image entitled, “Farmer’s experiment finds that squirrels prefer organic over GMO corn”.
The article explains that Paul Fonder, organic farmer turned backyard experimenter, posted his “findings” on Facebook and Twitter. The image quickly went viral, receiving over twenty thousand likes and presumably far more views. “It’s one thing to read about it; it’s another to see it,” the farmer stated. “I just want to educate people”.
Join the #GMOexperiment
Simply enter the search term “GMO corn squirrel” into Google, and you’ll see plenty of similar images. Now Biology Fortified, a non-profit organization that aims to enhance public discussion of biotechnology and food and agriculture issues, is offering a hands-on way to test the hypothesis that animals avoid GMO corn, preferring to eat non-GMO corn, in a nationwide citizen science experiment. Dr. Karl Haro von Mogel, Director of Science & Media for Biology Fortified, explained to me that thousands of ears of corn, half engineered with Roundup Ready and Bt insecticidal traits, and the other half not genetically engineered, are currently en route to Madison, Wisconsin from where they’ll be mailed to participants. “The GMO corn was grown using Roundup”, he mentioned. “Just like a farmer would”.
As he explains in the video below, you can request a kit of “GMO” and non-GMO corn (“GMO is in quotation marks for a reason), to perform the experiment in your own yard:
This will be the big experiment to put these internet-based claims to the test. I was initially worried that those with a pro or anti-GMO agenda could tamper with the results. Karl put my apprehension to rest, explaining that the experiment will be blinded, with the ears of corn labeled by number rather than as “GMO” and “non-GMO”. In order to receive a kit, which will require a simple outdoor setup, participants must first agree to follow an experimental protocol, and keep results private until the experiment is complete.
I look forward to this hands-on opportunity to introduce my kids to the scientific method. A $25 dollar donation, which will help pay for materials, shipping, and provide kits free-of-charge to schools, ensures that you will receive a kit to participate in the experiment. It will be money well-spent, to support and take part in an experiment that could very well make history! You may also add your name to the waiting list for a free GMO corn experiment kit, though schools get priority for the free materials.
Featured image © 2015 Biology Fortified. Used with permission. |
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A weekly summary of what I’ve been doing elsewhere on the internets. I’m feeling lazy this weekend, after a fairly intense and sleep-lacking time, so I’ll post this early.
- Patch Monday episode 116, “Is anonymity online your right?” Highlights of the media140 Australia panel discussion on digital anonymity.
- The 9pm Edict episode 14, which includes material recorded at Thursday night’s CBS Interactive Christmas Party.
Not a lot in the written-words department this week, but I’m very, very happy with the one piece I did write.
- Influence without Klout, Technology Spectator, 28 November 2011. All this “social influence measurement” stuff is bullshit as far as I can see, and this article explains why.
- On Tuesday I spoke with ABC Gold Coast about exploding iPhones and some information security tips for the holidays. Alas, I didn’t record it.
- On Wednesday I spoke with ABC 105.7 Darwin about the Downfall parody internet meme and the like. There isn’t a recording of this one either.
- On Thursday I was on the ZDNet Live panel discussion Bringing the Cloud Down to Earth.
The Christmas party season has started. Expect this section to expand considerably over the next few weeks.
- On Wednesday, the guys from Bleeply bought me a cider, and I didn’t have time to return the favour.
- On Thursday afternoon, the Internet Industry Association hosted a two-hour cruise on Sydney Harbour with food and drink, sponsored by Enex TestLab.
- On Thursday night, CBS Interactive held their Christmas Party with food and lots of drink. But does that count? I do work for ZDNet Australia, and that’s a CBS masthead.
- On Friday, Watterson Public Relations held their Christmas Lunch at the South Steyne Floating Restaurant, Darling Harbour.
Most of my day-to-day observations are on my high-volume Twitter stream, and random photos and other observations turn up on my Posterous stream. The photos also appear on Flickr, where I eventually add geolocation data and tags.
[Photo: Horizon Apartments, Darlinghurst, photographed from Kings Cross. I quite like this building, designed by Harry Seidler. Many disagree.] |
QUIZ NIGHT 12/12/2020 - THERMO-PLOPPY...
DE was tasked with setting the questions this week and went for an 8-Bit inspired quiz and, controversially, no nonce round! How would we survive without the Quiz Night staple? Pretty well as it turns out. SDC & EDC were missing this week as were MW & GW, but they said they would be back for next week which is great.
We started a little late so DE was keen to get through as much as possible as quickly as possible and the 8-Bit goodness started immediately with 30 popular music hits given the electronic plinky-plink treatment and fired at us in machine gun fashion!
Before we could say "Calm down, D!" it was the next round of 8-Bit greatness; TV Theme Tunes. I thought this would be a breeze when the round was announced but after working out that the theme to Ally McBeal was the first cab off the rank I started to get twitchy! The round did give Miss L the chance to shout 'FLOWERY TWATS!' when she realised one of the shows was Faulty Towers.
The third 8-Bit round rattled out as DE did one on James Bond themes much to the consternation of some of the players who thought that the quiz master was trying to curry favour with his landlord - I can assure you I had nothing to do with this (thanks DE, that was the Christmas prezzie I really wanted!!!)
This was another round I thought we would walk but it was harder than I thought. Interestingly, one of the answers was 'The Man With The Golden Gun' by Lulu which gave me a chance to regale the mob with the story of how the song was nearly banned because of its lyrics basically confirming Scaramanga only shagged before an assassination attempt to help his aim (Love is required, whenever he's hired/It comes just before the kill) - racy stuff. The gang were absolutely riveted with my anecdote...
In a break from the 8-Bit shenanigans, the next round was pictures of things that had the letter 'z' in them. There were some corking answers jotted down, Miss L's suggestion for 'bulldozer'? J-Z-B asking if I thought DE would notice!!! There was the first mini breakdown of the game in this round when 'snazzy' was announced as the answer to one picture to howls across the screen...snazzy for fuxake!!!
On to the geography round, in one of the questions TC enquired if the largest country in terms of landmass was USSR or USSSSSR as it was called in RH's quiz not so long ago! "Fuck off" came the reply from the other side of Brookside Close!
History was next up and this was the start of what can only be described as DE's Achilles-Tongue! His pronunciation of some places/events was nothing short of amazing, he had us all in unintentional hysterics. 'Ageing-court' instead of Agincourt and 'Thermo-ploppy' instead of Thermopylae were highlights from this round although there were many more to follow throughout the night!
DE asked for the scores at the end of the round and we were all pretty even with the exception of TC who proudly announced "we got 23 out of 24, just got the last one wrong". Now you may imagine he would receive a verbal pat on the back from us as a sign of appreciation for his skill and knowledge, erm not quite. RH said "No wonder you did well in that round, you were around for most of those gigs mate!" - ouch!
In a break between rounds we talked about the meme going around saying that under COVID lockdowns people had become either a hunk, a drunk or a chunk, RH declared that he had become a 'frumpy jump' - riiight! AM was keen to congratulate DE on a great quiz but the host had gone for a drink leaving him talking to animated wallpaper "Gotta say D, oh hang on, I'm talking to a fucking snow scene!!!"
Next up was a mammoth general knowledge quiz, 50 questions that stretched our brains and our bladders! Midway through the round TC declared "I've ran out of ink in my pen!" I chipped in saying that I had "writers cramp", TC helpfully suggested that I "sit on it, it will feel like someone else, it will be ok"...
Time for more fat-tonguedness from the host, 'Sly-there-in' for one of the houses in Harry Potter, and it turns out that the artist who painted the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican was some bloke called 'Mikel-angle-oh'! Cue more laughter from the faces on screen...
It was a long round, longer than usual, long enough for one of the players to disappear off screen and 'drop the kids off at the pool' according to their playing partner. I cannot confirm if this is true or not and I'm too much of a gentleman to reveal who it was that was accused.
Back to the 8-Bit action as DE revealed a picture round showing 'lego' versions of famous movie characters. The mattress tongue was out again; 'Hong Kong Pooey' and 'Lando Car-i-sian' are two that stick out. One of the answers was 'Mary' from There's Something About Mary, cue me and DB cribbing lines from the film, much to our own amusement (if no one else!) "Exceptional my ass...", "First chink in the armour, Ted!"
In another break, AM nipped off screen for what felt like ages, with an eye on the time DE asked "Can we start the quiz, mate?", AM quickly appeared and spouted another surreal, middle-aged line "Hang on, only half of the toaster is working, I've got to flip my crumpet"!
The host threw in another left-field round right near the end; 'Name The Cartoon Dogs'! I didn't know a) there were so many cartoon dogs, and b) I knew so many cartoon dogs! Cracking round, like a quiz pallet cleanser, really enjoyed it.
And before someone on the quiz could say 'It-is-a-fix-if-R-wins-as-there-was-a-James-Bond-round-basically-for-him!', the quiz was over. The results were in and we just shaded it (on account of the James Bond round that was put in just for me!). Joking aside, like I say every week, it isn't about the result, it is about spending a few hours with quality people doing a quality quiz and that is exactly what we did.
Kudos to DE for the 8-Bit theme and for producing the first quiz in almost a year without a nonce round!!! Special mention needs to be made of his amazing inability to read his own questions! I have a note here that just says 'Arise, Sir D of Quizzage' (although if DE reads it out loud it will almost certainly be pronounced as 'Quazzage'!)
It is my turn to host next week, everyone needs to set their faces to stunned as we do 'The Big Fat Quiz Of The Quiz Night Quiz'!!! A quiz about us and everything that has happened from March to December 2020. |
Hours after the Islamic State (IS) group released a video threatening to behead two Japanese hostages, Japanese Twitter users were defying the militant’s threats by creating and sharing images mocking the militants.
In a January 20 video, a British militant believed to be the infamous “Jihadi John” demands that Tokyo pay $200 million within 72 hours to spare the lives of the two hostages.
If the Japanese public does not pressure the government to pay the $200 million ransom, the militant warns, then “this knife will become your nightmare,” referring to the serrated weapon he brandishes in the video, and with which he is believed to have beheaded several Western hostages.
It is reasonable to assume that “Jihadi John” was not expecting that the “Japanese public” (or at least Japanese social-media users) would react to his threats in quite the way they have — with a Photoshop contest.
Using a Twitter hashtag that translates roughly as “ISIS crappy photoshop grand prix,” the Japanese Twitter meme has gone viral, with hundreds of images being shared. On January 20, there were around 40,000 mentions of the hashtag on Twitter.
Some of the photoshopped images poke fun at what is now an all-too familiar image — that of the black-clad “Jihadi John” flanked by hostages dressed in bright orange jumpsuits designed to evoke images of Guantanamo Bay inmates.
Some images mock “Jihadi John” directly, such as this photoshopped picture that shows the British militant using his knife to make a kebab:
ISISのクソコラでこれが一番笑った #ISISクソコラグランプリ pic.twitter.com/saWZwSUjQz
— ファンキー@Alleluia(アレルヤ) (@ene_4425) January 22, 2015
Some of the images are slightly surreal, such as this one showing “Jihadi John’s” head photoshopped onto the front of the beloved British children’s character Thomas the Tank Engine:
— ちゃけのはら@おじさん(仮) (@gantzmk22) January 22, 2015
In this image, several “Jihadi John” clones are falling through space:
Space ISIS #ISISクソコラグランプリ pic.twitter.com/5rg7mRe9t2
— ひろむ (@naminaminohito) January 20, 2015
Others used the hashtag to express that the the Japanese share common ground with Muslims:
— 保栄茂田商店コスタリカンコーヒー本舗 (@noboruyuki2009) January 20, 2015
Some of the images shared under the hashtag can be seen as a subversion of a trend popular among IS supporters on social media — that of using Photoshop to create an imaginary and fantastical world in which IS militants and ideology are dominant.
Islamic State supporters have shared photoshopped images that show militants from the extremist group destroying key Western landmarks such as London’s Big Ben and riding victorious on white steeds.
In one image mocking this genre, IS militants — including “Jihadi John” — are photoshopped invading a city in spacecraft. One militant laughs as he holds aloft an IS flag:
While it is the largest and most popular phenomenon to date of using humor as a counter to the Islamic State group’s propaganda, the Japanese “Photoshop grand prix” is not the first case of its type.
A group of anonymous Russian Internet users have been mocking the Islamic State group — and Russian-speaking militants in Syria and Russia in general — for months via a parody group known as TV Jihad, which claims to be a “joint project of Kavkaz Center (the media wing of the North Caucasus militant group the Caucasus Emirate) and TV Rain (a liberal Russian TV channel).”
“We fight against infidels, apostates, polytheists, Shabiha (pro-Assad militia), harbis (non-Muslims who do not live under the conditions of the dhimma, i.e. those who have not surrendered by treaty to Muslim rule), hypocrites, and rafidis (a term used by Sunni militants to refer to Shi’ite Muslims),” the Twitter account says, parodying terms used frequently by Russian-speaking Islamic State and Caucasus Emirate militants.
This tweet shows an image of IS military commander Umar al-Shishani in the snow and asks, “Motorola?” — a reference to Arseny Pavlov, a pro-Russian separatist in the Donbas:
— Д///ИХАД (@tvjihad) January 18, 2015
Not everyone has appreciated the efforts of TV Jihad to mock militants, however. Last year, the group was banned from the Russian social networking site VKontakte, where it had a large following.
Also from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty:
- Teenage Suicide Bombers Targeting Kabul
- Rebels Vow To Take All Of Donetsk
- Islamic State Starts Japanese ‘Countdown’
- Georgia’s Interior Minister Resigns
- No Concert After Russian Singer Mocked Putin
This article originally appeared at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Copyright 2014.
Copyright (c) 2014. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036. |
I prefer to deal with stuff IF it happens.
I prefer to turn my ‘waiting’ into being.
So I ask everyone who keeps telling me I will need a vaccination to travel, or I will be locked in a country, or any of the other things you believe will happen, to keep it to yourself.
It’s not being ignorant, it’s choosing to have a different belief to you.
I have an idea of what I will do IF it comes to it. And that’s all I need.
Ultimately it’s the FEAR of the vaccine that will help bring it into force. Saying NO out of fear is helping it to come into fruition.
If enough of us have this different belief, instead of focusing on the agenda that everyone knows about by now, maybe a different timeline will happen.
Many seem so eager to say I told you so and ‘be right’ that they don’t realise they are feeding the fear just as much as the people they aim to be unlike. IMO anyway.
Sharing videos and quotes and saying see I told you this is what would happen.
Some of the stuff I’ve seen shared after looking into it wasn’t even real. It’s like people create a meme and others read it and without actually going to the source – start sharing. Yet accuse others of not doing research before sharing.
Please just stop.
Also stop saying you don’t watch the news. The internet IS the news now.
If Rory and I had listened to everyone who told us we couldn’t buy a house the way we decided it would happen, we wouldn’t have a house.
There have been many things we have done that others said we could not. Thankfully we choose our own beliefs.
I have always done things differently to how everyone expects me to. And I am not about to start conforming now.
So if you choose to believe those things, amazing, you do you boo, however until I go to get on a plane or leave my house and they tell me I can’t. I will not be choosing that belief.
I didn’t see a single person share the video of Australian medical professionals saying Australia isn’t rushing into the vaccine (despite the stuff I do see people sharing) and are waiting for the other countries to try it out first before deciding. That’s a win – be it a small win but it’s a win in my book.
So the people who are choosing to deal with it IF it happens, let’s keep those vibes going ❤️
I choose to believe that we can receive what we need without fighting for it or trying to secure it through manipulation. I am going to trust in the belief that everyone is on their own journey for where they are going and so am I. The most sacred path is the one abundant with love.
As woo woo as you might think that is it’s the belief that keeps me the happiest. And that’s the best thing for this planet right now – a whole bunch of happy humans.
That’s my two cents for the day ❤️ |
On hot summer days, what’s better than sitting in a cool air-conditioned room and eating ice cream? Humans This Is My Christmas Pajama Shirt, Hoodie are like that, but how about animals like dogs and cats to avoid the terrible heat of summer?
With no conditions to stay indoors like pet dogs, cats and dogs have found a pretty good way to avoid Trump Birthday Cake No Way I’m This Old Stop The Count Shirt the heat. The answer lies in the funny photos taken at a supermarket in Thailand below. Cats avoid heat at the supermarket
The image shows a lot of cats Trump Lost Get Over It Funny Biden Won 2020 Shirt and dogs due to the too hot weather, so they focus in front cat dogs avoid heat at the supermarket
Some even lie in front of the supermarket entrance with a lazy look. They seem to have considered Up On The-Rooftop Click Click Click Off Went The Safety Shirt the supermarket front porch as a mattress for cats to sleep.
Others choose a location near the Don’t Stress Meowt Sweatshirt Hoodie, Funny Cat hot Shirt supermarket door where cool air is blown from the air conditioner to lie down. Cats avoid the heat at the supermarket.
They even blatantly occupy the entire entrance to the supermarket, not only that they can lie down. neatly in line as well. hot cat cats at the supermarket
Not only lying neatly in line, but Definitely Not Sus – Funny Impostor Party Gaming Meme Saying Pullover limited Shirt these dogs also have quite the same coat color. It is interesting, isn’t it? Cats and dogs avoid heat at the supermarket
Besides the time to look for food, all of them lie in front of the supermarket to rest in order to avoid the harsh summer heat. hot at the supermarket
Many cats can not stand the heat in the supermarket, but they just lie down to enjoy the cool, not eating Customized Retro 80s Shirt, Personalized 1980s Style Retro hot Shirt food there. Supermarket staff also could not chase them out to cope with this inclement weather. Many people have prepared a little dog food
and water for them in hot days. Cats and cats avoid the heat at the supermarket
Really know how to enjoy, dogs and cats avoid heat at the supermarket
Many visitors to the supermarket also I love these pets. They try not to ruin their sleep, because they know how BMW E92 M3 Coupe Christmas Crewneck 2020 Shirt hard they can be when they endure the harsh sun outside. dogs and cats avoid heat at the supermarket
In addition, they are not afraid of
strangers, but let everyone claw. Seeing these pitiful animals trying to fight this scorching heat, we feel much more fortunate to be able to sleep a good night in the cool air-conditioned room. Then what are you waiting for without enjoying this simple fun right away! |
~ Special Earth Day Edition ~
With the completion of the Climate Change Conference in Paris in December 2015, the leveraging the nuclear energy to mitigate future growth of CO2 emissions comes even more prominently into the public eye.
For day-to-day breaking news and updates, check out the entries on Twitter list posted on this blog which contains more than 80 pro-nuclear sources. This is a Twitter list you can follow.
About these bloggers
The bloggers who write the posts cited here do so because they have come to see, based on experience, that nuclear energy is a cost-effective, carbon emission free, source of electrical power which can raise the standard of living for any population which benefits from access to it.
See the “Blogs We Read” sidebar at the ANS Nuclear Café for a complete list of pro-nuclear energy blogs. It is published by the American Nuclear Society. All the blogs listed in the right column on this site also have their own lists of blogs they read.
Your kind attention to these blog posts is appreciated. Please repost or cite in your favorite social media channels. There are live icons, with one click action, for doing so, at the end of this blog post
Rod Adams – Atomic Insights
Advanced Reactor leaders: Will you put one in your backyard?
Will leaders of advanced nuclear energy companies build a plant in their own backyard? Maybe this question and the answers can spread to become a meme with legs that helps the public gain a better appreciation of the nuclear energy’s proven benefits. It might help stimulate a curiosity about atomic energy’s potential to make their own lives more comfortable and prosperous while also helping human society achieve a more sustainable development path.
Meredith Angwin – Yes Vermont Yankee
Earth Day with Earth’s Defenders
Meredith Angwin shares Earth Day with people making pro-nuclear statements. This includes a celebrity (Robert Downey Jr.), two mothers who started a new organization (Mothers for Nuclear), and an environmentalist film maker (Robert Stone). Angwin also notes that Vermont Yankee made more power each year than Hoover Dam did. Go Green! Go Nuclear!
Jim Conca – Forbes
Earth Day Message From The Planet – Please Telecommute
Telecommuting brings enormous benefits to the environment, the economy and one’s family life, particularly for women. Telecommuting could take the equivalent of 10 million cars off the road, could save over 640 million barrels of oil, a third of our Persian Gulf imports, and could save 90,000 lives from traffic-related injury or death, providing an annual economic benefit to the nation of over $700 billion.
ANS Nuclear Cafe – Beth Piper
Nuclear Energy for Earth Day
While we work to perfect pollution-free, clean energy infrastructure, such as solar panels and wind turbines, we ought not to neglect the role that nuclear power can play in meeting our energy demands. The truth is that atomic energy is much safer than petroleum or coal-generated energy.
Dan Yurman – Neutron Bytes
Neutron Bytes for Earth Day
It’s spring time and that means baseball is back in season. There is an old baseball bit of wisdom that says a batter who steps away from home plate with his leading foot in fear of being struck by a pitched ball, instead of a straight-ahead stride, is said to “have put his foot in the bucket.”
This is, metaphorically speaking, the problem Democratic candidate for President Bernie Sanders has with nuclear energy. Instead of meeting the issue head on, he steps away in foolish, irrational fear and spreads his message of uncertainty and doubt to his supporters.
This is too bad because the green and sometimes liberal wing of the Democratic party has some good ideas about saving the planet, but eliminating nuclear energy is not one of them.
Gail Marcus – Nuke Power Talk
Nuclear Energy and Politics: It’s Complicated
For years, the mantra has been that the Republicans are in favor of nuclear energy and the Democrats are against it, so if you’re a nuke, “Republicans good, Dems bad.” I have always felt the truth was not so simple.
A recent article in the New York Times reinforces my viewpoint. Even more interestingly, the author, Eduardo Porter looks at the issue from the point of view of climate change concerns. But his conclusion is the same. Basically, the political parties often focus on other issues, and things like nuclear power and climate change end up being “collateral damage.”
Les Corrice – Fukushima FUD #14, April 23, 2016
Ian Fairlie Spouts Tritium FUD
In a recent Fairewinds podcast, Ian Fairlie embeds nuggets of truth in a flurry of fabrications concerning Tritium. He is long on scientific credentials, but longer on unscientific speculation.
Energy Reality Project – Guest author Andrew Daniels
Nuclear New Build: China, Korea and UK
Andrew Daniels writes about a topic that should make pronuclear advocates in the U.S. feel the pain. Prospects for reactors, however challenging, are going ahead in several countries. Yet while the U.S. seems to be waking up gradually to the necessity of building nuclear reactors we remain complacent despite the fact that we are in better shape technologically and economically than many of the emerging countries who have nuclear projects in progress.
This short introduction to new nuclear builds is a taste of what to expect from an upcoming book by Andrew Daniels to be released this summer. Keep an eye open for After Fukushima: What We Now Know, a history of the fear reactions towards nuclear power and radiation.
Next Big Future – Brian Wang
Uranium from sea water
The oceans hold more than four billion tons of uranium—enough to meet global energy needs for the next 10,000 years if only we could capture the element from seawater to fuel nuclear power plants.
For half a century, researchers worldwide have tried to mine uranium from the oceans with limited success. In the 1990s, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) scientists pioneered materials that hold uranium as it is stuck or adsorbed onto surfaces of the material submerged in seawater. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) initiated a program involving a multidisciplinary team from U.S. national laboratories, universities and research institutes to address the fundamental challenges of economically extracting uranium from seawater. Within five years this team has developed new adsorbents that reduce the cost of extracting uranium from seawater by three to four times.
# # # |
WASHINGTON, D.C. –
Cats have long been the internet’s most famous animal. Whether you love or hate cats, there is a meme, a video, a picture, or a song online about cats. Over the last several months, one of the most trendy videos to make is one where you scare your cat with a cucumber. As crazy as it sounds, people love filming their felines becoming terrified as they discover the oblong shape when it is placed near them without being noticed.
PETA and the ASCPA have lobbied several states to begin tracking down and arresting people who torture their pets in this way on animal cruelty charges, as it is extremely harmful to the cat.
“When a cat is eating, he is in his safe zone. He needs to feel like that area is free from predators and harm,” said ASPCA member John Lewis. “When your cat is eating and you place a cucumber – or anything, really – behind him, and he turns around, he instantly becomes scared because he assumes it is a snake or other predator that is there to harm him. In turn, this makes cats stop eating or drinking, fearing for their safety by not returning to their food area.”
The long-term effect this has on felines have not been tested, but PETA and ASPCA say that the gag is enough to warrant arrest based on animal cruelty, and several state governments have agreed.
“Georgia, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Vermont, California, and Nebraska are just a few of the states that we have convinced to track down and arrest these animal abusers,” said Lewis. “We are all working closely with Google, as most of these people who have accounts are making money on their cat videos with Google’s AdSense service – which requires them to give a real name and address. We believe we can successfully stop people from creating these harmful videos, and show love and care to their furry feline friends.” |
I detest memes, but like all other rules, there are exceptions. Sometimes, only a meme will do.
Of the many warpings and distortions of a healthy culture we have seen emanating from the ideologically extreme, one of the more insidious is the antagonism towards humor. This episode speaks for itself.
The UNICEF on Campus chapter at the University of London sent five local comedians a request to perform at a club sponsored event. However, the requirements to be hired led all five to turn down the job.
Fisayo Eniolorunda, the club’s event organizer, wrote in an email, “Attached is a short behavioural agreement form that we will ask for you to sign on the day to avoid problems.”
Problems like actually being funny, apparently.
The “behavioral agreement” states,
“This comedy night… aims to provide a safe space for everyone to share and listen to Comedy. This contract has been written to ensure an environment where joy, love, and acceptance are reciprocated by all. By signing this contract, you are agreeing to our no tolerance policy with regards to racism, sexism, classism, ageism, ableism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia or anti-religion or anti-atheism. All topics must be presented in a way that is respectful and kind. It does not mean that these topics can not be discussed. But, it must be done in a respectful and non-abusive way.”
Respectful of whom and not abusive in what way? Oh, never mind. The agreement is a joke itself. What does “love and acceptance” have to do with humor? Does Fisayo Eniolorunda know what “Comedy” is? Of course comedy doesn’t have to be cruel or mean, but then an audience that would lay out such rigid standards can’t be trusted to judge what cruel, mean, respectful, non-abusive, safe—lordy, especially “safe”–or funny is. These are subjective standards being judged by people who are so besotted with ideological mania, virtue-signaling addiction and political correctness that they can’t be trusted.
Is this an ethical issue? It is, because a sense of humor, and society’s acceptance, enjoyment and tolerance of humor, is an essential balm that keeps human existence from being grim, adversarial, miserable and dominated by self pity and fear. Unfortunately, a growing movement within democratic societies has seen the advantages of keeping the public grim, adversarial, and miserable, so they are trying to abolish humor itself. By the looks of it, they are succeeding.
In addition to the British “behavioral agreement,” back across the pond students at Columbia University interrupted the comedy routine of Nimesh Patel, the former “Saturday Night Live” writer and comic they had invited to perform, after deeming his jokes too offensive. Who will dare to perform comedy in this kind of atmosphere? Eventually, not very many. Jerry Seinfeld is on record saying that he finds it impossible to play to college audiences now. Pretty soon those will be the mainstream audiences. Do you think they will learn to laugh in their forties?
Who and what is responsible for this “revoltin’ development,” as the great Jimmy Durante used to say? That’s a topic for a book, but my top cultural laughter thieves would be political correctness, of course; the power we have gradually given to those who are “offended;” the Left’s increasing efforts to restrict speech and expression in order to embed its tenets and values in the culture;”multiculturalism” and the accompanying requirement that all humor must be inoffensive to everyone (meaning virtually no acceptable humor at all); TV comics, who have created the misconception that the only acceptable jokes are those that insult evil people—you know, Republicans, conservatives, and the President, and one more group that I don’t have the guts to name, but that has been an impediment to humor for centuries at least. Maybe you know the group I am referring to; I’m sure they don’t, because …well, that’s all I’m going to say.
It is funny—no, not funny, nostalgic—to try to think about what jokes would pass the University of London requirements. I just searched my files and found an old one called “One-liners.” It was created for source material when I was recreating the 1936 Broadway comedy hit “Hellzapoppin” for the American Century Theater. As it happened, I didn’t use any of them, but here’s the complete list of 20:
- Is Marx’s tomb a communist plot?
- Birthdays are good for you – the more you have the longer you live.
- I saw a woman wearing a sweat shirt with “Guess” on it. So I said “Implants?”
- I like my women like I like my coffee. Cold and bitter.
- Contrary to popular belief, red meat is not bad for you. Fuzzy green meat is bad for you.
- Xerox and Wurlitzer are merging…they’re going to market reproductive organs!
- I support bacteria – they’re the only culture some people have.
- If a man with no arms has a gun, is he armed?
- When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?
- Imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery. Stalking is.
- If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, are drycleaners depressed?
- I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman where the Self Help section was, she said if she told me it would defeat the purpose.
- If a parsley farmer is sued do they garnish his wages?
- The meek shall inherit the earth – after we’re through with it.
- I like to borrow money from pessimists – they don’t expect it back.
- If you choke a member of the Blue Man Group, what color does he turn?
- Radioactive cats have 18 half-lives.
- Did you know that corduroy pillows are making headlines?
- Women spend more time wondering what men are thinking than men spend thinking.
- There are 3 kinds of people: those who can count and those who can’t.
I rate 13 of these potentially unacceptable by the University of London standards. How many do you count?
The momentum against comedy is accelerating. According to Variety, the Oscars are considering going without a host for one of the few times in its history after famously kinder, gentler and non-political comic Kevin Hart was forced to quit almost immediately after being chosen because some of his old tweets were homophobic. At the Federalist, Ellie Bufkin lists top comedians who are probably taboo due to their previous jokes or skits, which were offensive to somebody,at least now under the new rules.
My view is that society, and American society especially, cannot survive without humor. Those trying to make comedy impossible are allowing fear, hatred and division to thrive with no way to defuse them.
It’s no laughing matter.
And for perspective’s sake, here is a movie scene that got the biggest laugh—you should recognize which line, and if you can’t, you’re infected— I have ever heard in a movie theater at a trailer. The multi-racial, college audience of several decades ago was chuckling right into the feature film. Go ahead, tell me that culture wasn’t healthier than what we have now.
Oh..I had to check several versions on line to find one that wasn’t cut and censored to avoid being offensive.
Of course I did. |
MONOLOGUE WRITTEN BY CLYDE LEWIS
Once again, a listener inspired me to do a show and it was simply because the listener chastised me for using what he said was hyperbole. I was simply pointing out the hypocrisy of the media attacking the protesters in Washington DC when for more than nine months we witnessed Antifa and BLM burn our cities to the ground. The listener replied, “Clyde – cut out the hyperbole – they did not burn the cities to the ground.”
At first I took the post as insensitive because I had to deal with the mobs first hand in my city of Portland. So I told him that he should cut out the douchebaggery and understand how I feel. I then conceded that he was right – I was indulging in emotive hyperbole.
I realized that hyperbole was the magic word of the day and in all honesty the listener whether he knows it or not taught me a lesson – if only he could teach the media and the left wing extremists the same lesson maybe we could find some calm and assess the situation.
One thing that I have realized is what is happening is a sign of things to come. We are seeing the curtailing of free speech, right to file grievances, and soon you will not be able to bear arms — I don’t know — you can say all you want about how Trump was bad but we are starting to see the “clampdown” happening right now — this is the country that Joe Biden and his friends are building.
The events that have happened seem to be rhyming with another horrible event in history and that is the Reichstag fire.
If you are not familiar with that event, the date was February 27, 1933. Adolf Hitler had been sworn in as Germany’s chancellor just four weeks hence, though his Nazi party was in an unstable position at the center of a coalition government holding a small plurality of 32 percent of the seats in the Reichstag — Germany’s parliament under its Weimar Republic. At the time Hitler had an agenda in mind to secure a much larger portion of the Reichstag’s seats in order to create a majority for passing an Enabling Act that would allow him essentially to rule by decree, at an election set for March 5.
By happenstance or contrivance on the part of the Nazis, it’s still a matter for debate — a fire was set in the assembly chamber of the Reichstag building which raged until the structure lay largely in ruins. A 25-year-old Dutch communist with a sketchy history as an arsonist named Marius van der Lubbe was found at the scene and charged with the crime, along with four other communists, as the Nazis used the Reichstag fire as evidence of a communist putsch to overflow the Weimar Republic.
As a political weapon, the Reichstag fire was incredibly useful to the Nazis — their representation in the Reichstag grew to 44 percent of the body, giving them a majority of 52 percent with allies included, especially when Hitler was able to convince German president Paul von Hindenburg to sign the Reichstag Fire Decree suspending most civil liberties and banning the communists from participating in the country’s parliament.
What we know as the Third Reich followed.
The Reichstag fire has been the shining example of a “false flag” operation, in which a hoax of some kind is perpetrated in order to inflame public sentiment against parties not guilty of the conduct the hoax is intended to portray.
Oh, but I can hear people say – “But Clyde, you again are indulging hyperbole.”
I think that if you hear me out – you will see that what you remember about what happened on January 6th – is not exactly what the media said happened.
The shocking sight of Americans taking over the Capitol elicited speculation about whether it was a coup, an insurrection, a riot, or thuggery. These are the magic words that the left leaning media used to vilify the entire group. The media also failed to realize that not only were their trump supporters among those who participated but Antifa members were there too.
While meme makers were busy creating pictures of an actor wearing ox horns claiming he was Antifa, a real Antifa member was rolling his camera on Ashli Babbit the woman who was shot as she attempted to crawl through a window in the capital building.
Filming the incident from behind Babbit, John Sullivan who is the founder of the far-left organization “Insurgence USA” made headlines in July after he was arrested for intimidating drivers in Provo Utah. Sullivan was interviewed by Anderson Cooper on CNN and CNN either was oblivious to his criminal background or was very aware of what they were doing which in and of itself speaks volumes as to what is happening and the agenda that is being pushed.
They literally were interviewing a criminal and actually putting in the crawl that he was a spokesperson for a leftist insurgence organization.
John Sullivan has previously called for ‘revolution’ and to ‘rip Trump’ out of his office.
Insurgence USA describes itself as “the revolution.” It began protesting racial injustice in policing last year following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
In August 2020, Sullivan spoke to a small crowd at a Washington, D.C., intersection and pointed to the nearby White House and unleashed a torrent of violent rhetoric. “We … about to burn this s— down,” he said. “We gotta … rip Trump right out of that office right there,” he continued, adding, “We ain’t about … waiting until the next election.” He then led the crowd in a chant of, “It’s time for revolution.”
In his later interviews, he swears that he was at the capitol gathering to just document it and that he and others from BLM and ANTIFA were not there to be part of the rioting and yet his Insurgence USA group’s website advertised an event called “Kick These Fascists Out of DC” on Wednesday around the same time as a pro-Trump rally near the National Mall.
The events have revealed the fragility of America’s institutions , and its vulnerability to political violence and threats. The inability of federal security forces like the Capitol Police to defend the nation’s 535 lawmakers was shocking. Ironically, the Metropolitan Police of District of Columbia had to help rescue the very legislators who have been claiming that it is time to defund the police.
It also revealed how the media was able to use hyperbole in order to describe events that they perceived were all being carried out by Trumps supporters and not acknowledging other groups that were there to actually take out a sitting president.
They called it “one of the darkest days in our nation’s history”, a day that will “live in infamy.” Other media oulets spun it as the day “American democracy was attacked and prevailed”, the day the nation nearly fell to “fascists”.
It literally is just one more grand sweeping illusions upon which the new administration will exploit and use as evidence of persecution and sedition. It is being used as the Democrats Reichstag fire as history has a tendency to rhyme.
I hope you can understand that I am not using the Reichstag fire as emotive language and I am not using it for effect or hyperbole— I simply am seeing the parallels that are quite disturbing. I don’t want people to ignore history and I worry that the people of the United States are falling for yet another Psy-op.
If you remember, the Reichstag fire was a staged attack on a political building, deliberately misattributed to political enemies and used to consolidate the power of a freshly installed leader.
Even the media coverage is similar, the Nazi government and their tools in the press talked about it in the same exact terms as the US establishment is describing this farcical “coup attempt”. Aiming to terrify people into thinking they were on the verge of an all-out civil war.
Some prominent voices are calling for all lawmakers backing Trump to be expelled from office. The Washington Post claimed, “seditious Republicans must be held accountable”.
The anti-social media campaign has begun again in earnest too, with Parler and GAB already being blamed for allowing “violent language” on their platforms.
As Twitter and Facebook limit discussion, alternative platforms will be shutdown. Enforcing a corporate monopoly that cooperates with the state…the very definition of fascism.
All this in the name of protecting the nation from “neo-Nazi thugs” or “white supremacists” or other phantom threats. In the name of “protecting the constitution”, they are tearing it to pieces. In the name of “preventing a coup”, they are carrying one out in front of our eyes.
The over use of the word coup by the media is also suspect when you consider the true meaning of what a coup is. A coup or coup d’état is the removal of an existing government from power, usually through violent means. As you may have already guessed the protestors were not there to overthrow a government or to unseat the sitting president — they were conducting what can be seen as Democratic Security meaning that it was their intention — or so we determine was to protest what they saw as election fraud. They were there to see that the current president remained in power — they were not there to sieze power, they disrupted the certification of the Electoral vote.
That is not a coup. Coups are organized to take over and replace a government. They are there to force one leader out and put another leader in its place.
I really don’t think that was the objective of the protest. However it appears that like the Reichstag fire — it is being used as an excuse to invoke the 25th Amendment and Impeachment of a President that still has 12 days left in his position. Trying to unseat a president in order to put someone in his place.
That is the real coup.
It can be argued that yes, Trump riled up his supporters shortly before the events unfolded by reminding them of how the election was stolen from them. It’s unclear whether he meant to “incite” the subsequent storming like his opponents speculate, and he did later tweet that everyone should remain peaceful, but he nevertheless at the very least unwittingly contributed to what happened.
His supporters clearly employed the very Color Revolution tactics like ANTIFA/BLM did in democratic strongholds across the country by gathering at government buildings and the strategic use of violence to generate instant attention to their agenda, but they did so for the purpose of reenforcing one administration , not changing it or destroying it.
There is a huge difference.
The media fails to report that we saw a political movement orchestrated by patriotically inclined people who desperately wanted to stop what they felt was the stealing of an Election. They felt that they were there to prevent an illegitimate placeholder from seizing power.
Whether you agree or disagree with what I am saying — you cannot twist a narrative and vilify Americans who felt that they were losing their Constitutional republic to the true definition of fascism.
Unconventional Warfare, meanwhile, refers to acts of insurgency, rebellion, terrorism, and other forms of irregular violence, exactly of the sort that’s plagued America since last summer.
The same sort of violence that has been ignored by the media. The same sort of violence that was being carried out to unseat not only democratic leaders but to also unseat President Trump.
The hyperbole and overreacting to what happened is evident as Nancy Pelosi t cranked up the crazy to ’11’ by making the news cycle focus on President Trump’s use of nukes before he leaves. She issued an all-out crazy statement that read
“Preventing an Unhinged President From Using the Nuclear Codes:
This morning, I spoke to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley to discuss available precautions for preventing an unstable president from initiating military hostilities or accessing the launch codes and ordering a nuclear strike.
The situation of this unhinged President could not be more dangerous, and we must do everything that we can to protect the American people from his unbalanced assault on our country and our democracy.
Interestingly, there was no mention of what response she got from General Milley!
Now I ask you what sounds more unhinged? Are we insinuating that Trump would nuke his own country to save face from a failed election? Is this truly being believed by unhinged left wing extremists as some outrageous conspiracy theory?
All we are witnessing now is a blatant spin that is more unhinged than any conspiracy theory spun by amateurs on a QAnon Reddit account.
When I watched the events unfolding what I was witnessing was an enormous amount of people in DC swarming the capitol — barricades were pushed by violent protesters but was the capitol building really stormed by protesters?
Arguable they were let in without a fight according to some observers. One video shows police actually waving some of the protestors through, Even the mainstream media observed that.
Former Congressman and MSNBC host Joe Scarborough went on a nearly 8-minute long rant against Capitol Hill rioters, police and the President during his “Morning Joe” show the morning of the protest.
He stated “Trump supporters came in and you opened the fucking doors for them.” This right here is an acknowledgement that there was no storming of the capitol building. It was suspiciously easy for all of the protesters to get inside.
The media also reported that other protesters had chemical weapons and pipe bombs. none of which ever appeared. The media however reported it and so it is a fact as they see it –and I am sure there is report after report that would invalidate my claims.
In the entrance hall, the “violent thugs” respected the velvet ropes and kept in orderly lines, took a few selfies with the cops, posed for the press and – when the main events were over – they were quietly allowed to leave.
When a curfew was finally announced in DC the majority of the protesters left.
Many top political figures are converging on a stunning consensus: President Donald Trump personally incited a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, Those assessments are coming not just from Trump’s political opponents, but also from members of his own party and even former members of his administration.
While Trump may have ratcheted up the resolve of his followers, do we remember him actually calling for violence? Did he truly incite his followers to attack Washington as the media claimed?
Trump’s statements leading up to and during the events of the Capitol building, did not include explicit calls for a violent attack on America’s democratic institutions.
The media believes that Trump is a master of stochastic terrorism –meaning that they put a lot of guess work into speculating on the true meaning of what he says. They tell the people that his words are full of dog whistles and innuendos that encourage violence.
They actually report their guess work as fact and so the outcome is believing that Trump literally told the swarms of people to storm the Capitol when he did no such thing.
The argument eventually devolves into the idea that Trump promotes conspiratorial fantasies that result in violent acts. This too is speculative.
More than that, it seems Trump’s “incitement” of the rioters means he may well be removed from office by enforcement of the 25th amendment, which would end not just this term, but make it illegal for him to run again in the future.
Facebook and Twitter have outright banned him from posting. The press and television pundits are openly accusing him of treason and sedition.
So, who has really benefited from the “chaos at the Capitol”? Because it surely isn’t Donald Trump.
For example, we need to total up what happened after th event:
Social media companies censored Donald Trump.
Democrats requested that Vice President Pence remove Trump from office.
Republicans were accused of “using chaos as pretext to drop electoral challenge”.
Speaker Pelosi and Chuck Schumer wish to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove a “mentally unstable” Trump from office. Pelosi saying that she is worried that a unstable President will use nuclear weapons on his own people.
In “progressive” political circles, this absurd series of events is being used as a catalyst to trigger the potential forceful removal of Donald Trump from office, and he has only days left to serve out his term – this is unprecedented.
The people are being fed this outrageousness and many are eating it up.
As always, the media is picking up and discarding important threads. The people who hate Trump are oblivious.
So, was the whole purpose of planting the seed that there was a blatantly rigged and fraudulent US election used to kick off riots, and eventually a ‘civil war’ to justify a coup by some faction and martial law — it appears like this is the case.
While Martial law has not been declared a takeover is being attempted and it is currently being used in the US by proponents of the New Normal.
Do we really believe some ad hoc rioters organized a coup — they did not succeed in unseating a sitting President.
This has all the hallmarks of a planned rollout.
Everything that has happened is a contradiction of what we can determine was the goal of the whole protest — the media has again interpreted it for the agenda of removing a sitting president.
It is the equivalent of a Reichstag Reset.
One should always be wary of any event which “accidentally” achieves the exact opposite of its stated or apparent intent. |
Fandoms: Clamp | Fruits Basket | Prince of Tennis | Tactics | Yami no Matsuei | Misc.
→ Clamp Campus Detectives
A Christmas Caper ♥
PG | 5516 | Suoh/Nokoru, various characters & pairings | humor
Clamp Gakuen throws a Christmas party. Nokoru has his own plans. Suoh plays along, unwilling.
→ Tokyo Babylon/X
Unwritten Letters *
G | 264 | Seishirou/Subaru | angst
Sometimes, it's the letters that aren't responded to in a timely manner which mean the most.
PG | 785 | Finn, Kurt | drama, gen
Sometimes Finn lets his curiosity get the best of him.
★ Junjou Romantica
PG | 557 | Nowaki/Hiroki | humor
Hiroki does not approve of Nowaki's casual reading material.
★ Kingdom Hearts
Ten by Ten
PG | 200 | AkuRoku | romance
Perfect things are meant to last forever.
G | 200 | Riku+Sora | gen, friendship
For Sora, Riku will always find a way back through the darkness.
Ils chanteront nos chansons
G | 800 | Green+Eevee | friendship
When she grows up, Eevee wants to Green’s number one girl. (An origins story.)
Never Did Say I Do
PG-13 | 3788 | Green/Red | humor, romance, uni!AU
Green has answered a lot of hard questions before, but it's the hardest one he's ever had to ask.
everything that's right at the wrong time
PG-13 | 2450 | Green/Red | romance, drama
The ones where it goes right scare him more than the ones it doesn’t.
Exhale and Inhale
PG-13 | 1035 | Green/Red | romance, fluff, remix
Green learns how to breathe with Red in his space. Remix of lark's To Breathe.
PG | 2554 | Leaf(+Green) | drama, gen, anterograde amnesia
Leaf is leaving Pallet Town tomorrow.
the words, they're everything and nothing
G | 990 | Red/Leaf | angst, romance
A love story, in reverse.
pokeprompts' 50/50 blitz entries
01. PG | 50 | Jun-->Hikari | romance, angst, idol!AUIgneous
Hikari is the farthest star from Jun.
02. PG | 50 | Misty-->Ash | angst
Misty likes nice things, but tries not to get used to them.
03. PG | 50 | Green/Red | romance
Green and Red, first date.
04. PG | 50 | Pikachu/Eevee | humor
"Are you going to keep them?"
G | 275 | Steven/Wallace | gen
Wallace is a lot like Sootopolis City, Steven thinks.
speaking a dead language - 1 2 3 ♥
PG-13 | ~12,300 | Green/Red, various | angst, supernatural
Sometimes, there are people you just can’t live without. For Green, Red is that person.
Borderlines (11 drabbles)
G to PG-13 | 1925 | Green/Red, Leaf | romance, drama
This is how it falls apart, and how they (maybe) rebuild it again.
girls' hearts won't hold steadfast (or, five people dawn could have loved, and one she always has)
G | 560 | Dawn + various | gen, character study
Like most girls, Dawn's heart is always changing.
G | 335 | shiny!Celebi/Grovyle | gen
Time does not flow linearly for Celebi, but she will be there when she is needed.
G | 430 | Lance/Kris | angst, gen
Lance is always with her (even though she is never with him).
Chances Are More Likely Than Not
PG-13 | 1060 | Green/Red | humor
Green has very tenacious challengers, much to his annoyance. He and Red deal. Somehow.
G | 230 | Green/Leaf | gen
She waxes and wanes out of his life.
No Place Too Far
PG | 3234 | Jun/Hikari | romance, idol!au
Hikari never really wanted to be an idol, but there was no other way to catch up to Jun.
we'll follow death and all his friends, war!au ♥ (wip.)
PG-13 | 6000+ | various character/pairings | angst, gen, au
Johto and Kanto have always been at war. But war is never just about power or battles or countries, but rather the people who live through them.
01. the longest shadows ever castNo One Really Wins
Lyra learns the hard way that wars are paid for in blood.
02. slip through me like grains of sand
Jasmine has to be strong for everyone, even though there's no one to be strong for her.
PG-13 | 737 | Pikachu, Green/Red | humor
Pikachu and Green have a difficult relationship. Or, Pikachu just really misses Eevee, okay.
tomorrow is just your future yesterday
PG-13 | 3748 | Green/Red, various characters | romance, humor, au
Green and Red may not have had the benefit of growing up together as childhood friends, but what's meant to be will always find a way.
Can't Be Tamed
MA-15+ | 682 | Red/Green | humor, failed smut
Green has obligations. Red likes suits. These two things do not really go well together.
when all else erodes ♥
G | 1600 | Green/Red, various characters | angst, family
Green and Red are not their parents. But that doesn't mean the ghosts of those failures can't still haunt them.
And It Would Be Enough
G to PG-13 | 1023 | Hibiki/Kotone/Silver | gen, romance, angst, suspense
Five flash fics, all variations on the Johto OT3.
Five Jobs Green Never Had (and One He Did)
PG | 5025 | Green, implied Green+various | gen, character study
There are many jobs Green has never had. (But if he ever did have them, he'd be sure to be the best.)
as you melted me
G | 580 | Green/Red | romance
Red doesn't actually lose the scarves Green brings him.
winds that chase sails ♥
PG | 4850 | Green/Red, various characters | drama, angst, slightly confusing
Green can't tell what's real and what's not anymore, even in his memories.
PG | 1055 | Green/Red | drama, gen
Three months and two days after Red breaks up with him, Green moves into an apartment next to a line of rowhouses with white roofs.
untitled pokanon kink meme fills
01. PG-13 | 479 | Green/Red | humorThe Climb
Red is really good at torturing Green.
02. PG | 291 | one-sided Misty/Ash, Misty/Ritchie | angst
Misty settles for second best.
03. G | 246 | Koga, Janine | gen, humor
An altnerate story of how Janine got a gym. Sort of.
04. PG | 176 | Red/Green | humor
In which the correct answer is "..."
05. PG | 393 | Kotone+?, Silver, Hibiki, implied Green/Red | humor ♥
Kotone is dumb, remains adorable while doing so.
06. G | 398 | Hibiki/Kotone | fluff
Growing up doesn't mean childhood loves have to end.
07. G | 530 | Eevee | gen
Once upon a time, there was a girl who everyone wanted something from. (An Eeveelution myth.)
08. G | 489 | Silver, Kotone, Hibiki | friendship, gen
Silver learns what it means to have friends.
PG | 926 | Green/Red | romance, humor
Green has a lot of complaints about Red, but apparently not enough for him to actually stop climbing Mt. Silver.
★ Prince of Tennis
Five Ways Tezuka Didn't Lose Fuji Syuusuke * - 1 2 3 (wip.)
PG-13 | 3000+ | TezuFuji | angst
In other worlds, other lifetimes, Tezuka loses Fuji. This is how it never happens, five times over.
Turn Off the Last Light
G | 589 | TezuFuji | gen
Fuji comes home late, but the lights are still on.
footnotes. (at their_white_day) ♥
PG | 3135 | TezuFuji | romance, gen
The moments slip by as Tezuka and Fuji count down the days till their entrance exams.
★ Super Junior
but my heart's no stranger to upheaval
PG-13 | 2900 | QMi | humor, college!au
In which Kyuhyun makes poor life decisions and Zhou Mi has an emo panda shirt.
My Little Christmas
PG | 925 | QMi | crack
Kyuhyun buys a pony. Zhou Mi fails at Christmas.
★ Totally Captivated
the world at your feet (and in your eyes)
PG-13 | 700 | Mookyul/Ewon | gen, humor
Ewon did not spend four years in college to be relegated to a glorified housekeeper.
(Not the) Brightest Light Bulb in the Box ♥
PG-13 | 2984 | Shouji-centric, implied Asami/Takaba | humor
The how the story of Shouji comes to work for Sion Group. Sorta.
PG-13 | 139 | Gingetsu/Ran, implied A+Ran | drama
They could take his life, but there are a few things that only belonged to Ran.
→ Tokyo Babylon/X
G | 173 | Kakyou, Hokuto, implied Seishirou/Subaru | gen
Hokuto misinterprets Kakyou's question about marriage. And not in the right way.
PG | 196 | Lady Sumeragi, implied Seishirou/Subaru | angst
Lady Sumeragi sees in photographs what she has not seen in her grandson's eyes for a long time.
The Not-Wedding Dress
PG | 179 | Seishirou/Subaru, Hokuto | humor
It can't be a wedding dress if there's no wedding.
Do You Love Tokyo?
PG | 451 | Seishirou/Subaru | tragedy, slightly weird
Despite everything, Tokyo is still beautiful.
G | 268 | Seishirou/Subaru | gen, romance
Ten years is a long time, but some things last longer.
→ Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle
The Force of Attraction
PG | 259 | Kurogane, Fai | humor
Rather unforturnately for Kurogane, they end up in a world where opposites literally attract.
Be Careful What You Wish For
PG | 180 | Syaoran | angst
When Syaoran wished for adventure, he never meant this.
★ Fruits Basket
PG | 1753 | Haru+Yuki, implied Haru/Rin | gen
It's hard not to be jealous, especially when you realize you've lost your chance.
Not a Day Too Late ♥
G | 1097 | Haru/Yuki | romance
Haru gives Yuki chocolate the day after Valentine's Day.
Watermelon With Spoons ♥
PG-13 | 982 | Haru/Yuki | romance
Haru likes eating watermelon with spoons. Yuki likes eating watermelon with Haru.
PG | 182 | Haru/Yuki | gen
Even if no one else understands, Yuki is glad that Haru does.
G | 326 | Haru/Yuki | fluff
Haru and Yuki look at clouds.
The Best Medicine
PG-13 | 396 | Haru/Yuki | romance
Haru makes certain that Yuki takes his medication.
The Effects of Practical Gardening
G | 455 | Haru, Yuki | gen, fluff
Yuki is a practical person, so he doesn't plant flowers (except when he does).
Along the Way *
G | 1064 | Yuki, Tohru | gen, fluff
Yuki teaches Tohru that gardening takes more than just water and a little sunshine.
★ Prince of Tennis
words like silence
G | 173 | one-sided TezuFuji | gen, angst
Fuji buys a present for Tezuka.
Rinse and Dry
G | 166 | Tezuka, Fuji | gen
Tezuka enjoys washing dishes.
G | 920 | TezuFuji | gen, romance
Tezuka and Fuji have a disagreement about curtains for their new home.
Breathe No More
PG | 1200 | TezuFuji | angst, character death
Tezuka wishes he learned to love Fuji a little sooner.
PG-13 | 717 | TezuFuji | angst
Being second best at anything is as good as being the first loser.
A Little Love
PG | 820 | TezuFuji | humor, romance
Fuji teaches Tezuka the art of
G | 995 | MomoRyo | romance, gen
Ryoma makes sure Momo-senpai keeps his promise to him.
Fallen Into Like
G | 496 | Golden Pair | fluff
Oishi doesn't think it's quite love, but it's still something special.
The Hypothetical Sick Day
G | 398 | TezuFuji | romance, humor
In which Fuji takes a hypothetical sick day.
Escapism at its Best ♥
PG-13 | 912 | Kantarou-centric, HaruKan | drama, gen
Kantarou has found a way to escape all the cruelties of his reality.
PG | 635 | HaruKan | romance, angst
To Haruka, Kantarou's words are law, but it's what he doesn't say that matters the most.
20 Things That Haruka Knows About Kantarou ♥
PG-13 | 2803 | HaruKan | romance
Twenty things Haruka has learned about his master during their time together.
★ Yami no Matsuei
PG-13 | 684 | unrequited Tsusoka | angst, sidefic to Sadame
Society tells us in words that is acceptable to be different, but in actions that it's not.
In Total Darkness
G | 609 | Tsusoka | romance
Tsuzuki makes the darkness better for Hisoka.
PG-13 | 1825 | unrequited Tsusoka | angst
Humans, when faced with the inevitable, blame this one word called "destiny."
Better Than Chocolate *
G | 552 | Tsusoka | fluff
Hisoka is jealous of chocolate. Tsuzuki makes it better.
★ Misc. Fandoms
→ Fullmetal Alchemist
PG-13 | 338 | Roy/Ed | crack
Ed makes a boom box. Sort of. It doesn't go well with Roy.
Just a Dream
PG | 1369 | Sakano, Tohma, various pairings | angst, gen
Tohma is not the man Sakano thinks he is.
→ Gundam Wing
PG-13 | 846 | 3x4x3 | crack
Quatre wonders why he never gets to top, and Trowa tries to distract him from paperwork.
→ Ouran High School Host Club
PG | 671 | Hikaru-centric, implied Hikaru+Kaoru | drama, gen
They're always playing the "are they or aren't they" game. |
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!
It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!
Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.
We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.
**Click on any picture/link to view the post**
Whoa! Last week was our planning week before students start today, and it was REAL! Which means, that other than over the weekend, not a lot of reading was done. Back to the school year!
I checked out every Vet Volunteers e-book that my library has, and I really love them. They’re like that healthy food that is your comfort food–they are great books that make me so happy when I read them.
The Duck, Duck, Porcupine! books by Salina Yoon are HILARIOUS! I’m so glad that these are Trent’s book of choice this week!
My son and I are running out of Sara Varon books that we haven’t read! This one is called Bake Sale and is from 2011. It was delightful. We love reading Varon’s books. They are funny, and the characters make us smile.
The sixteen hours of this audiobook were purely magical. Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone is worth the hype. It is a stunning story on its own, but it also connects to the stories of our contemporary world. This one offers much to discuss in the classroom.
My toddler loved Who Eats Orange? by Dianne White. The illustrations pop off of the page, and it integrates the learning of colors and animals beautifully. I particularly like how the author didn’t use the typical animals that we see in picture books. This made the reading very exciting.
I’m so sad! I have 2 of 8 parts left in my Dumplin’ audiobook, but it is going to return tomorrow, and I don’t think I’ll be done. I’ve requested it again, but I am #3 on 2 copies… I guess I’ll listen to a short audiobook while I wait to get it back. I am also continuing the two series I’ve been reading: Heroes of Olympus and Vet Volunteers.
My older son and I are still reading The Super Life of Ben Braver. We are having so much fun reading it. We read three chapters per night, and occasionally, we check out a chapter in the morning.
I am reading The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani. So far, it is excellent.
Tuesday: Teaching Tuesday: Small Things to Build Community and Rapport in Your Classrooms
Wednesday: Book Tour with Review and Giveaway!: It’s Show and Tell, Dexter! by Lindsay Ward
Thursday: It’s Your First Day of School, Busy Bus! by Jody Jensen Shaffer
Friday: Blog Tour with Reviews and Teaching Tools: Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse by Marcy Campbell & Corinna Luyken
Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “How a love of language and travel influenced The Magic of Melwick Orchard” by Rebecca Caprara
Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!
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- Novels with Science Content
- Harlem: A Poem by Walter Dean Myers
- Top Ten Tuesday: Our Favorite Pairings of YA Books…
- The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
- The Nazi Hunters by Neal Bascomb
- What Do You Do with a Problem? by Kobi Yamada
- Journey by Aaron Becker
- Review and Teaching Guide!: El Deafo by Cece Bell
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Casino Subreddits: A Full Guide
Here’s a pro-tip! Use Reddit as a reliable source regarding gambling. Don’t know where to start? Fear not! We show you how it works and what to look for!
How to navigate Reddit & its communities
Rich resources such as Reddit may seem overwhelming at first. Therefore, we did our homework and are ready to show you:
- how the site works;
- the site’s features.
You first need to sign-up!
Reddit has one of the easiest sign-up processes out there. You just need to add your e-mail, choose a username that has not been taken yet, and choose a password.
Once you have confirmed your account, you’re good to go!
Unlike other social media platforms out there, here forum discussions are in the limelight. Thus, you don’t need to add any personal details to your account or post personal media to your profile. This assured dose of anonymity makes it the perfect place for casino talk and sharing experiences and tricks while keeping your identity undisclosed.
You need a simplified overview of the platform to understand better how to use the casino communities to your advantage.
The backbone of the site, subreddits are the contemporary version of chatrooms back in the day. They all have a common theme that they construct around their own set of rules, members, topics of discussion, etc.
Each subreddit is its own small world.
You can find one such community for anything! And we mean it when we say anything! So, if you’re looking for a place to share your passion for luck-based games, you will certainly find one.
We did the digging for you and will present Canadian and international Reddit parts later on in our guide.
2. Search bar
Just like any other Internet place, you can look for things by typing keywords in the search bar. Depending on the results available, you will see either communities focusing on that topic, posts that deal with the subjects (and which are popular), links to outside sites, and many other related things.
Important: Reddit is a huge platform, flourishing in many parts of this world. This is why a simple search may result in many different items, more or less related to what you were looking for.
Because the Reddit results are usually numerous, users can make use of filters to personalize their search.
What can you change in your usual searches?
There are two main types of separation: the initial date of the posts (date filters) and the post’s content (relevance filters).
Time filters allow you to see links:
- From the previous hour;
- The previous day;
- Previous week;
- Previous month;
- Previous year.
Relevance filters give you the following options:
- Hot posts (aka what is trending at that given moment);
- Top posts (aka the ones that are on top of users’ preference);
- New posts;
- Comments that contain your relevant keyword.
4. Reddit karma
The more likes and comments one of your posts gets, the higher your karma rating. As the guidelines state, it is basically the reflection of your contributions to the overall site.
If other contributors find your posts and comments useful, funny, or insightful, your score will be high.
Redditors take pride in their karma points!
5. Reddit awards
Outstanding posts or any other typical forum activity will be rewarded with three main things:
- Platinum (which in itself gives you one month free of use of Reddit Premium)
Besides all these features, each community will come up with their own badges, given to top contributors or chat moderators. Each badge will appear next to one’s username, and it is personalized for the subreddit’s main subject.
Canadian gambling and betting subreddits
Useful Canadian sources on betting
We bring you three subreddits that will be valuable in your future betting sessions. We show how to navigate them and play your cards right!
This subreddit announces from the start that they give you insights into balanced gambling by presenting the best online casinos accessible to Canadians.
Safe sites, fair bonuses, and guidelines to healthy play are the keywords here.
Once every month, users will find a topic that has caught the attention of players on top of the page. This is called a sticky thread (it does not disappear from sight for a while), and you can see how the talks unfold in time.
Why is this a good source for you?
Primarily, you will find discussion from real-life players upon the hottest Canadian online casinos and the best Canadian casino bonus codes that are available at that time.
Knowing that players like you create and participate in the discussions will guarantee unbiased opinions.
Secondarily, people bring up topics related to casino activity that you may want to check out. When we were preparing this Reddit guide for you, we found things such as:
- The status of VIP players (including its perks);
- Guidance for fresh players;
- Safe gambling tips.
As with any online forum, topics come and go, so don’t miss out!
What else can you do on this page?
You can make your voice heard by voting on polls or seeing different industry perspectives through links to academic analysis or news.
No matter if you’re looking for information on brick-and-mortar casinos or online sites for wagering, this is the perfect Reddit source.
You can also initiate discussions yourself, provided that you stick to forum rules.
The only specific rule is not to post any affiliate links towards casino offers. As always, be civil and respect the other Redditors.
Basically, you are encouraged to make any of the allowed moves: discuss, share, and ask for guidance. However, promotion is not allowed.
Fun fact: Promotion is generally disallowed on all Reddit sub-platforms. There are occasions where the moderators allow exceptions, but not on gambling-related places.
This subreddit is currently small.
However, we see potential in it. We see it grow organically, as more and more Canadians seem to be open to the idea of online casino gambling and sports betting.
Here, attractive posts are pinned by the three moderators, so you can see what the community is interested in right away.
The most often posted topics are:
- Online casino offers;
- YouTube videos curated on the subject;
- Gambling resources for Canadians.
This is not a gambling-specific subreddit, but we will show you how to extract information and make it that way.
But first, let’s explain the community a bit!
This massive subreddit is for Canada’s entire territory, for all kinds of issues you may think of politics, health, social problems, entertainment, tourism, humour, etc.
You can look for more detailed topics through the available unique filters!
The bar under the title contains the posts, the forum rules (in both English and French), redirecting links to subreddits for specific provinces, redirecting links to subreddits for territories and other options.
Fun fact: The description of this subreddit is focused on a strong and consistent stance against inequality.
The active provinces with their own subreddit are Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia.
In the rightmost filter, you will be able to click on any of the following:
- Northwest Territories;
Now that you know the general and particular search settings, it’s time to search for gambling-related posts and comments.
In any search bar, you can add and enter gambling keywords.
Any of the relevant posts will pop up after your search. In our experience, people talk about casinos and sports betting on these bigger or smaller communities alike.
Knowing how provincial filters work will allow you to see what events are currently on-going and if bet pools are hosted for them.
This is the most popular subreddit in our guide, with over 900k users, and around 3k are active at a time.
International gambling subreddits
Since online safe online gambling operates on the same system in most countries, we decided to find international forums to help you with your wagers.
Lost in the gambling space? This subreddit’s description will explain all you need to know!
Security is guaranteed here. How?
If you are a beginner to Reddit, or alternatively, if you have a new account with less than a week of existence, you will be unable to write new posts or comments here.
This is the method employed to avoid spamming unsafe links and blocking bots in sharing unsafe material. Yes, AI bots that invite you to join unregulated online casinos are a Reddit issue. Still, the new strategies in place help clean the space of such dangers.
What are the most common posts about?
- Gambling stories from real-life experiences;
- Tips for better play;
- Places to gamble offline and online.
There are over 40,000 users subscribed here, and usually, more than 100 are actively posting online at any time.
Make sure to follow the guidelines and avoid the following:
- Don’t spam the chats;
- Don’t reveal someone’s personal information (no doxxing);
- Don’t ask for money.
This is one of the most well-resourced subreddits that we have found on the topic of betting. On the right side of the main page, you will find resources on the legality of online wagering and resources for balanced gambling.
- You can check what countries are allowed to each site;
- You can take steps to limit gambling and play responsibly.
If you want to keep within the forum’s rules, please stay away from spam of any kind when you post (that means links, invitations, or repetitive messages) and do not make a post in another language besides English.
The central part of the discussions here is focused on international online casinos. We recommend you browse freely at first and see the general discussions. Then, for a more applied approach, search for keywords that are relevant to you, like “Canada” or “Canadian casino”.
Unaccepted behaviour is sanctioned by both the moderators and Reddit bots. They have gotten more and more proficient at discovering malware and unsafe posts.
All the relevant online gambling topics that you can think of are found within these posts:
- New online casinos;
- Top offers (especially for new players);
- Online gambling stories.
- Although reading about other players’ casino experiences is the next best thing to playing yourself, remember that some posts may have either a negative or a positive bias. Take the statements on Reddit with caution.
- Look for posts that receive Reddit awards or have been discussed in length. That does not necessarily guarantee flawless sessions, but it has mass verification.
Passionate about poker? You can’t miss the opportunity to engage in Reddit talks, tips, and fun stuff about your favourite table game!
Fun fact: This is one of the oldest subreddits that we have added to our guide since it was founded in 2008, three years into the existence of Reddit as a whole (2005).
We really enjoy browsing here, and we believe you will enjoy it too when people get dealt some epic hands and photograph them and share them.
Dedicated players will feel the thrill, even if it’s not their game!
You can be serious, and you can be humorous on this subreddit, using the 8 filters currently in place:
- Meme (for jokes and funny pictures);
- Serious (for solving your problems);
- Help (when you need help with a poker-related issue);
- Home Games (amateur games);
- Video (footage on the subject);
In this community, people show their latest great hands, backstories, tips, positive and negative poker experiences, strategies, and inside jokes on games and everything of the sort.
You can stay up to date on the latest poker tournaments!
Of course, the most notorious one is the WSOP (World Series of Poker), the equivalent of any world sports series. Extensive discussions are held on such events. We would also like to mention WCOOP (World Championship of Online Poker), which we have seen commented in detail on this subreddit.
Why are these talks helpful?
You can also go in-depth about the best structures for tournaments, so you can start engaging in professional play after doing a lot of research on the stakes and the abilities needed to beat the game.
Fun fact: Because of the huge phenomenon that is WSOP, there are two smaller, localized events that precede it, WSOP America and WSOP Europe.
Since casino play and sports betting have always been similar and tied together, we know that Canadians are also interested in resources that help them in their sports wagers.
The r/sportsbook subreddit is the perfect place!
There are currently well over 205,000 users that are subscribed. Usually, between 700 and 1000 users are engaged at all times, so the flow of new posts is constant and will never bore you.
You have to remember to be within the rules, which are general Reddit guidelines (civil talk, not overdoing it with the self-promotion) so you can take part in the perks.
What’s on this forum?
- Specialized threads on the on-going events;
- Links to outside sources that will help you;
- Odds from several sources;
- Serious and fun sports tournament talks;
- Information and stats on championship, matches, races and athletes.
The sports world is huge. Make use of the over 20 filters you currently have!
Things get even more specific. Find out how!
If you’re new to sports betting, new to Reddit, or both, you probably come with a few basic questions in mind. Under the subreddit’s title, you can click the FAQ link and read the answers to the most common questions.
Monthly discussion topics
At least 5 options are on-going each month, considering the number of sports events and players interested. They range from general queries, future predictions, models, podcasts, and UFC-specific matches.
Some English-speaking territories have their own group within this community. Fear not, as you can click on Canada from the options we found.
Recommendation: Do you want to have the best of both worlds? Jump to our online gambling sites lists since we know you’ll find an offer that suits you for both casino play and sportsbook needs!
Why Reddit works: a conclusion
As players, we have been using Reddit for advice, tips, and odds for a while now. The results were fruitful, so we showed you how to use them for yourself.
There are three main advantages to such a platform, particularly in relation to gambling:
- Over 90% of the posts are from players like yourself. That derives authenticity.
- The guidelines, moderators, and bots look after your safety.
- Redditors are renowned for their creativity, so novelties are always around the corner.
Recommendation: Even though you can use the links we have left for your gain, remember that winning is never a guarantee when you gamble. Be gamble aware!
References visited and used
All pictures added are courtesy of Reddit and the specific communities we linked throughout our guide! |
Frenzied trading in the shares of GameStop and other companies will be the subject of what is expected to be a fiery hearing in Congress on Thursday, when US politicians get their first chance to quiz executives from the trading app Robinhood, Reddit and other players in the saga.
The House financial services committee will hold a hearing at noon in a first step to untangling the furore surrounding trading in GameStop, AMC cinemas and other companies whose share values soared to astronomical levels as small investors piled into the stocks.
The hearing, titled Game Stopped? Who Wins and Loses When Short Sellers, Social Media, and Retail Investors Collide, is expected to be fractious.
Shares in GameStop, a troubled video games chain store, soared 1,600% in January, as an army of small investors, many using the trading app Robinhood, appeared to have bet that Wall Street hedge funds had overplayed their hand when betting the stock price would collapse – a practice known as short-selling.
Spurred on by meme-toting members of the Reddit forum WallStreetBets, investors kept buying the shares, driving up the price and triggering huge losses for some hedge funds.
Robinhood briefly suspended trading in GameStop and other hot stocks at the end of January and sparked allegations that the hedge funds and others may have pushed Robinhood and other trading platforms to stop the rout.
The news managed to – briefly – unite Washington’s deeply divided political elite. Both the rightwing senator Ted Cruz and the progressive representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attacked Robinhood’s decision to halt trading in GameStop by small investors.
Ocasio-Cortez sits on the bipartisan financial services committee.
Among those testifying are:
Robinhood’s CEO, Vlad Tenev.
Reddit’s CEO, Steve Huffman.
Gabe Plotkin, founder of the Melvin Capital Management hedge fund, which was forced into a rescue after retail traders crushed its bets against GameStop.
Ken Griffin, billionaire CEO of Citadel, an investment firm that executes Robinhood clients’ trades and also helped to bail out Melvin.
Keith Gill, a trader variously known online as Roaring Kitty and DeepFuckingValue and a longtime GameStop booster.
The hearing marks the first time the major players in the GameStop controversy have all been forced to publicly reckon with the anger the episode provoked among small investors and across the political spectrum.
Gregg Gelzinis, associate director for economic policy at the Center for American Progress, said: “The GameStop drama raised quite a few public policy questions but first it’s important for members of Congress to understand how events played out.”
Gelzinis said there were still questions about the timeline of events. More broadly, he said, GameStop had highlighted many crucial issues for regulators, including the role and regulation of hedge funds, whether or how Wall Street is using social media to drive investment strategy, the “gamification” of investing by trading apps and the economic incentives at play for the trading platforms.
“What would have happened if Robinhood had failed? What would have been the knock-on effects for financial markets?” he asked. “These are huge investor protection questions.
“I saw someone on Twitter describe it as a Rorschach test for financial regulators,” he added.
The hearing will not be the last inquiry that the executives at the center of the controversy will face. Federal prosecutors have begun an investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, the US’s top financial watchdog, is reportedly combing through social media posts for signs of potential fraud.
In the meantime, evidence has emerged that small investors were not the largest buyers of GameStop and other hot companies. According to an analysis by JP Morgan, institutional investors may have been behind much of the dramatic rise in the share price.
“Although retail buying was portrayed as the main driver of the extreme price rally experienced by some stocks, the actual picture may be much more nuanced,” Peng Cheng, a JP Morgan analyst, told clients in a note.
Gelzinis said Thursday’s hearing was likely to raise as many new questions as it answered but was a necessary first step to understanding the seismic changes in investing that GameStop highlighted.
“This is only the start of the story,” he said. “It’s clear this is not just a clearcut small investor versus Wall Street story. It’s a fairly messy picture but hopefully by the end we can paint a clearer picture and draw up some public policy conclusions from it.” |
The contentious presidential campaign was filled with accusations of elitism and bias by the media -- from the news to entertainment. Many supporters of Donald J. Trump saw his victory as a repudiation of the so-called liberal elite.
So as 2017 begins, we ask: Is Hollywood representing all Americans? Are Hollywood values out of sync with American values?
It’s the start of a conversation we’ll have all year with Hollywood’s creators, consumers and observers. Most of all, we want to hear from you. Is Hollywood out of touch with your America? Here’s what our critics and writers have to say:
- Blame the movies? KENNETH TURAN on potent Hollywood visions that helped elect Trump
- TV’s affluent bubble: MARY McNAMARA on Hollywood’s reluctance to deal with class issues
- Fear of the powerful woman: JUSTIN CHANG on working women and men still behaving badly
- Realistic or cliche?: JEFFREY FLEISHMAN on film’s working-class men and women
- Building distrust: LORRAINE ALI on destructive TV portrayals of Muslims and how TV can help fix things
- Video games to politics: TODD MARTENS on how Gamergate trolls helped set Trump’s political attack playbook
- No ‘Middle’ ground: MEREDITH BLAKE on TV’s working-class hero, ‘The Middle’
- Bracing for backlash: TRE’VELL ANDERSON on LGBT Hollywood’s vow to keep fighting
- Still angry: MARC BERNARDIN on ‘This Is Us,’ a rare TV view of simmering rage in a black professional
- Arts fighter: MARK SWED says maybe Sylvester Stallone wasn’t such a bad idea for the NEA after all
- Rap pirates: Run the Jewels’ Killer Mike and El-P get political with RANDALL ROBERTS
- Standing Rock legacy: CAROLINA A. MIRANDA on the pipeline protest that could be the future of dissent
- Cuba unplugged: RANDY LEWIS on a music scene that grew up in isolation
- Voice of protest: Conor Oberst talks with AUGUST BROWN about music’s power
- The provocateur: CAROLYN KELLOGG on Milo Yiannopoulos’ $250,000 book advance
- Survival kit: JOHN SCALZI’s 10-point plan for making art in the Trump era
There are few platforms bigger than Oscar night. Will A-list actors use it to talk Trump?
WHEN EMMA STONE, DENZEL WASHINGTON, Ryan Gosling and the rest of this year’s Academy Award nominees get ready for the big night, they will reckon with the perennial questions that have faced every Oscar nominee for time immemorial: what to wear, who to bring as a date, who to thank if they win.
But this year, there will be a potentially vexing new question as well: what, if anything, to say about Donald Trump.
If last year’s awards season chatter was dominated by the roiling #OscarsSoWhite controversy, the elephant in the room this year has been the ascent to the presidency of a man whose candidacy few in Hollywood supported and whose victory even fewer saw coming.
At every turn — on red carpets and late-night talk-show couches, at film festivals, premieres and awards shows, on social media platforms and in protest rallies — many across the liberal-leaning industry are wrestling with how to speak publicly about a president they may bitterly oppose and a political landscape that seems to have radically changed overnight.
“If you’re in the radius of the earthquake, you absorb the shock of it and then you try to orient yourself and figure out what this new world looks like,” actor and director Ben Affleck, who supported Hillary Clinton, told The Times last month. “I definitely went through that with the Trump election. I was surprised. I thought she was going to win like everybody else. Everyone was totally wrong and you go, ‘How does that happen?’”
Some in Hollywood have embraced the chance to stake out full-throated opposition to Trump, establishing a new beachhead in the latest flare-up of the culture wars that had largely quieted during the Obama years. That Trump drew fire for his comments on women and minorities throughout the campaign has, for many, changed the calculus of celebrity activism, making speaking out a moral imperative.
But sharing one’s political opinions while, say, accepting a gold-plated statue has always been tricky business under the best circumstances. (Ask Vanessa Redgrave. Or Marlon Brando, who famously sent Native American rights activist Sacheen Littlefeather in his place in 1973.) And in this climate of rancor and deep division, it can reap an especially fierce blowback.
While some feel compelled to use their public platform as a means of political resistance, no matter the potential consequences to their career, others believe it can be counterproductive, reinforcing the notion that Hollywood lives in its own self-satisfied bubble.
Last Sunday, after millions marched in protests around the world — including stars such as Scarlett Johansson, America Ferrera, Janelle Monae and Madonna — Trump amplified this notion, tweeting “Celebs hurt cause badly.”
It took this horrific moment of darkness to wake us the f--- up.
The fact that Trump is himself, in many ways, a creature of the entertainment industry, able to leverage his own celebrity and skills as a showman, makes him that much more formidable an adversary.
There are those, such as filmmaker Ava DuVernay, who believe that the best way to resist the new president is to simply concentrate on creating work that reflects their own values.
“I refuse to spend the next four years living in that man’s head,” DuVernay told The Times recently at an event in Los Angeles celebrating her Oscar-nominated documentary about race and the criminal justice system, “13th.”
“One day it’s Meryl Streep, the next it’s [Rep.] John Lewis,” said the filmmaker, who also directed the 2014 civil rights drama “Selma.” “If I spend my time focusing on that spectacle of distraction, it will diminish me. What I need to do is to live fully, move forward and make the art that I want to make.”
Not that that will stop awards show hosts from going after Trump — for them, the president is simply too big and juicy a target to resist. Jimmy Fallon called out Trump recently at the Golden Globes, and Jimmy Kimmel, this year’s Oscar host, laid into him when he hosted the Emmys in September, blaming “The Apprentice” producer Mark Burnett for helping launch Trump. (“Thanks to Mark Burnett, we don’t have to watch reality shows anymore, because we’re living in one,” Kimmel quipped.)
But it’s one thing for a late-night talk show host or comedian to go after Trump and quite another for A-list actors to openly wear their politics on their sleeves.
“The country is pretty divided down the line, so you’re going to run the risk of there being a public outcry if you’re in a campaign for anything, whether it’s dogcatcher or an Oscar,” said one publicist who has worked on numerous Oscar campaigns and declined to speak on the record because of the sensitivity of the issue. “A lot of these people want to avoid controversy of any kind in the press. If you’re asked what you think about the current political situation, you’ve got to weigh what it means in Hollywood versus what it means in the rest of the country.”
That divide was starkly revealed earlier this month when Streep took the stage at the Golden Globes ceremony to deliver an impassioned speech decrying what she called Trump’s tendency to “bully others.” Though Streep’s words were met with cheers from the crowd in attendance — not to mention many viewers watching at home — numerous conservative commentators and supporters of Trump quickly dismissed the actress as an out-of-touch Hollywood elitist.
The next day, Trump himself blasted Streep on Twitter as “one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood” and “a Hillary flunky who lost big.”
On the flip side, Nicole Kidman drew fire recently when, in a recent BBC interview about her new movie “Lion,” she said of Trump: “He’s now elected and we, as a country, need to support whoever’s the president because that’s what the country’s based on.” After her comments sparked outrage among some on the left, Kidman clarified in a subsequent interview that she had been simply “trying to stress that I believe in democracy and the American Constitution.”
For public-relations reps responsible for helping celebrities nurture and maintain their images, advising clients on how to navigate the minefield of this new political reality can be difficult.
“It’s a personal decision,” one publicist said of stars expressing their views on Trump. “But would I recommend it? Of course not. At this point, with social media being as venomous as it is and trolls being who they are, I don’t think you can basically be safe with your opinions anymore. It’s a dangerous time. … Even Meryl Streep and George Clooney want to work. They don’t want to be considered liabilities.”
Actress Zoe Saldana told an Agence France-Presse interviewer earlier this month she believes that Hollywood unwittingly helped to elect Trump by alienating a large swath of Americans. “We got cocky and became arrogant and we also became bullies,” she said. “We were trying to single out a man for all these things he was doing wrong ... and that created empathy in a big group of people in America that felt bad for him and that are believing in his promises.”
Director Peter Berg, who helmed the recent ripped-from-the-headlines films “Deepwater Horizon” and “Patriots Day,” argues that Hollywood is too often out of touch with the type of people who supported Trump who, broadly speaking, live in what the industry considers flyover country.
“‘American Sniper’ made almost $400 million — do you think anyone saw that coming? A movie about an extremely conservative Republican Navy SEAL who kept a record of how many Taliban he killed?” Berg said in an interview with The Times last month, referencing director Clint Eastwood’s runaway 2014 hit.
That said, Berg said he personally makes an effort to steer clear of overt politics in his work and outside of it. “I accept that Trump won the presidency and I’m going to deal with it, and I would have accepted if Hillary won,” he said. “Guys that I know, we’re too busy working to get involved in this. We’re making stuff. I’ve got work to do.”
Some minority actors and filmmakers in particular lament that they are asked to address questions of race and politics disproportionately compared with their white counterparts — especially this year, as Trump’s rise has heightened tensions around issues of diversity and discrimination.
“Fences” star Viola Davis said that because the film, which is adapted from August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, has an almost entirely African American cast, people often try to make race its central subject as opposed to broader issues of family dynamics and working-class struggle that the film explores.
While Davis doesn’t shy away from talking about politics, she argues that those larger conversations often become problematic when they’re reduced to sound bites or hashtags.
“I’m just not a political statement,” Davis said. “I’m messy too. I fall short all the time. I’m a human being. And a lot of times I feel that’s the best message I can put out there.”
For her part, DuVernay hasn’t done many interviews to promote “13th,” believing that the documentary speaks for itself. She wants people to have their own conversations about the film, unfiltered as much as possible by her personal political views.
“Take it for what it is,” DuVernay said. “I said my piece, and now I’m going to keep on living and keep on trying to survive in an environment that is so toxic. Everyone has to find their way forward. I’m not saying that my way is anyone else’s way. My way is going to be telling stories that amplify the parts of humanity that I think we should be celebrating and saluting.”
Though in the past he has been one of the industry’s most outspoken liberal voices, Affleck said he personally has lost some of his appetite for politics. “I’ve grown leery of being involved in politics too much,” he said. “I’ve found that it’s kind of a sleazy game, mostly about raising money. I’ve come away feeling more depressed about the world than when I got involved to begin with.”
Still, as Hollywood tries to figure out its place in the new Trumpian era, he said it’s important to stay engaged, whatever form that engagement takes.
“You have to have a good relationship with the audience,” he said. “You have to be mindful of the audience. As a filmmaker, you don’t want to be out of touch with what’s going on in the world. That’s actually the worst thing that can happen to you.”
The fact is, as the Women’s March last weekend made clear, resistance to Trump has become something of a crusade for many on the left.
And while it remains to be seen how politically charged this year’s Oscars ceremony will become, there are few platforms bigger than the Academy Awards stage from which to send a message.
One thing seems safe to predict: Come Oscar night, if “Hamilton” creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda — a best song nominee for the film “Moana” — has the chance to share his political point of view with an audience of millions, he’s not throwing away his shot.
Is Hollywood out of touch with American values? Join Mary McNamara, Marc Bernardin, Lorraine Ali and Justin Chang
A decade after protesting Bush’s election, Conor Oberst wonders what Trump means for art
THE DAY AFTER THE 2016 ELECTION, Conor Oberst called his old friend Michael Stipe from R.E.M. for condolence.
“He’s someone I look up to as a voice of reason,” Oberst said. “He was torn up about it all, but good to talk to. He said that now’s the time to find more resolve than ever to donate to Planned Parenthood and all the institutions that we’re going to have to rely on.”
The two had performed, with Bruce Springsteen, on the Vote for Change tour in 2004, hoping to rally support for John Kerry’s ultimately unsuccessful presidential campaign. That was the last time the singer-songwriter felt so despondent about American politics. Until November, that is.
“I think this [election] is worse. But I felt more freaked out in ’04. Maybe because I was younger and less cynical.”
“I think this [election] is worse,” Oberst said of the election of Donald Trump as president. “But I felt more freaked out in ’04. Maybe because I was younger and less cynical.”
People like to joke that at least the protest music will be good in the Trump era. Right now, though, it’s hard to imagine that anyone much feels like dancing. But for fans around the 36-year-old Oberst’s age, listening to his older music now can stir up those same feelings of being young, outraged and despondent about politics. His new music might be even more harrowing.
Bright Eyes’ 2005 album “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning” was lauded for its ten 10 songs of immaculate, articulate folk-rock that will probably stand as Oberst’s lasting achievement. It had moments of shuddering fury, but for many fans, it brought a quiet dignity to what felt like total helplessness in the face of an election loss. They were afraid that that the Iraq war would never end, that gay marriage was impossible, that America had re-elected (by an even greater margin than before) a president who to many seemed like a distillation of America’s darkest tendencies.
I went go to see Oberst last month at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Koreatown. He played a few solo dates to support his new album, “Ruminations,” which has earned comparisons to Springsteen’s “Nebraska” for being a minimalist, almost demo-quality recording that nonetheless captures a bleak mood of its own. It’s spare and harrowing in a way we haven’t heard from Oberst since he was a quivery 19-year-old, spinning gothic folk tales from his frigid corner of the Midwest.
But mostly, I went to that show because Oberst’s voice had walked me through my last bout of dark thoughts after a presidential election, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I needed it again.
Oberst had one of the few good protest songs of the George W. Bush era. I still remember seeing him Oberst perform “When the President Talks to God” in an outsize cowboy hat on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” in an outsize cowboy hat, and thinking that somewhere, an FBI file was being hastily assembled.
“At the time, we felt like we had to do something,” Obsert said. “I was nervous when we did the [stage] blocking, and started to freak out. I was just wearing a hoodie, and I thought, ‘No, I need a cowboy suit, something to hide inside where if you were just flipping through the channels in the South, you’d think, “Hmm, he looks like a nice lad.” ’ ”
But even in protest, his music at the time of “Wide Awake” was graceful. It was richer and more personal than much more overtly protest music usually rarely is. It wasn’t just railing at bad policy; it was ten 10 vignettes of feeling utterly lost and packing up and moving to a place where you felt more wanted.
For me, that was L.A. For Oberst, it was New York. and To this day, few records better capture the transcendence and loneliness that comes from being young and packing up and starting anew. Flasks on the subway after dark; protest marches that did nothing but meant everything; a dawning of how big and terrifying the world was, but also how rare and valuable your refuges were in the midst of it all.'ve seen the future, brother. It is murder.”
Music is unique because it can get behind enemy lines and affect people. Some kid in Utah can get his hands on a Clash record and be introduced to whole new ideas, and that’s still a powerful thing.
“Music is unique because it can get behind enemy lines and affect people,” Oberst said. “Some kid in Utah can get his hands on a Clash record and be introduced to whole new ideas, and that’s still a powerful thing.”
At the Koreatown show, hearing Oberst’s voice singing “Lua” again, in the dead silence in of an actual sanctuary, was both a great comfort and almost a cruel joke. All that work of the last eight years to make the world more just, and now we’re back right back here again.
I don’t know what the new era of protest music will sound like. I know it will be black, it will be Latino, it will be Muslim and indigenous and it will be done by women and members of the LGBT community. These are the people with much to lose in Trump’s America, and they should be listened to with moral authority now.
The best artists making protest music today — Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar — use the personal to catalyze the political. Insisting on the validity of your life and emotions in the face of it is an act of bravery.
“I don’t know what Trump means for art,” Oberst said, “but art does thrive in adversarial times, so hopefully, people will continue that.”
Stumbling out of that church after the show, I was reminded by Oberst’s performance, I was reminded that protest music isn’t necessarily about affecting change or fixing things. Making music at all can be an act of defiance, if just to say that you existed and felt this way at one a specific time, in spite of every reason to despair and stay quiet.
“Go listen to ‘The Future’ by Leonard Cohen,” Oberst said. “It sums up the dark side of my perspective and it pretty much envisions Trump’s America: ‘Give me crack and anal ... sex, take the only tree that’s left… I’ve seen the future, brother. It is murder.”
Art, celebrity and how Standing Rock will shape protest in the Trump years
EARLY IN APRIL, a time when the frigid North Dakota plain is still quilted with snow, several dozen Native American men and women set out on horseback for a 25-mile ceremonial ride from the Standing Rock Sioux tribal headquarters in Fort Yates to the confluence of the Missouri and Cannonball rivers.
There they set up a small encampment of tepees on a site known by Native Americans as Sacred Stone. The camp was a protest against an encroaching crude oil channel, the Dakota Access pipeline, whose placement underneath the Missouri River threatened a key waterway and Sioux burial grounds.
At that moment, it might have strained the imagination to believe that nine months later, the camp would not only still be active but that it also would have become a full-fledged cultural touchstone.
Standing Rock has galvanized thousands of Native people from all over the continent — along with thousands of non-Native supporters. It has introduced phrases such as “mni wiconi” (Lakota for “water is life”) into the popular parlance. And it succeeded, at least for the short term, in its mission — to persuade the Army Corps of Engineers to block a permit for the pipeline.
No matter what ultimately happens with the pipeline, Standing Rock has also demonstrated the vital role of culture in protest and the direction that protest might take in the future over other issues.
At its core, the Standing Rock protest has been a Native American one, with Native iconography, language, ritual and architecture. But beyond Native communities, it’s also a cultural encounter that has provided fresh ways of thinking about everything from the contours of the landscape to the nature of protest.
Standing Rock, says Nato Thompson, artistic director at the New York-based arts nonprofit Creative Time, “represents an important kind of learning curve.”
Recent social movements in the U.S., such as the anti-globalization protests of the 1990s and the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in 2011, championed issues of economic inequity that are still part of the national conversation. But these movements were far less adept at contending with the ethnic and racial issues that intersected with that concern.
Coming on the heels of the Black Lives Matter movement, Standing Rock has been different, says Thompson. “There was a profound wrestling with race and culture as it applies to class,” he says.
And that could inform the types of protest actions we see in the coming months and years.
“The dominant social movement is going to be a pushback against the [Donald] Trump administration,” Thompson says. “It will be extremely galvanizing across a broad spectrum. So I think the issues of Standing Rock — centered around prayer, around humility, around landedness — could be part of a larger movement across America.”
Since summer, a cross-section of cultural figures, from painters to photographers to musicians to actors, have been involved in Standing Rock — as activists, supporters and artists.
Artist Guadalupe Rosales, known for creating the Chicano youth archive “Veteranas and Rucas” (currently on view at Los Angeles’ Vincent Price Art Museum), ferried winter supplies to North Dakota in her truck. Melissa Govea, of the Los Angeles collective Ni Santas, helped fabricate protest signs at an art tent in one of the camps. The punk/hip-hop L.A. band Aztlan Underground played a concert at the Red Warrior camp over Thanksgiving as a way of lifting morale.
Actress Shailene Woodley has supported Standing Rock since August, through public appearances and by making a number of trips to the area to participate in some of the actions. In October, Woodley made headlines when she was arrested with more than two dozen other people during an attempt to blockade the pipeline route. This was the moment many beyond the Native and protest communities first became aware of Standing Rock.
Artists in the U.S. can play a marginal role in political life, so their gestures are often treated sensationally or skeptically by the press. (Sample headline: “Shailene Woodley Knows She’s Not Saving the World.”) But this type of involvement is hardly new.
Actress Jane Fonda, who has a lifetime of activism under her belt, has publicly supported the #defundDAPL (Defund the Dakota Access pipeline) cause on social media, has donated shelters and bison meat to camp kitchens and flew to North Dakota in late November to help serve Thanksgiving meals. In December, she withdrew her funds from Wells Fargo as an expression of public protest, since the bank has invested in the pipeline project.
“Throughout history, actors have stood up to power,” Fonda told The Times at a December Standing Rock event held at the Depart Foundation, an arts space in West Hollywood. “Artists in general, through their writing, through their plays, through their acting, through their art — it’s very natural for artists to be standing with Standing Rock.”
At its core, the Standing Rock protest has been a Native American one, with Native iconography, language, ritual and architecture.
More significantly, artists of all races and ethnicities were on hand to take part in an unprecedented cultural event — a large gathering of Native Americans that required non-Natives to adapt to the Native way of doing things.
“It’s a whole different reality out there,” says Andrea Bowers, a Los Angeles-based artist whose work has explored issues of solidarity and protest. “It’s a different set of rules. It’s based on Native prayer and spirituality, and there’s a different hierarchy of power, so it’s necessary to just step back and be in service.”
Susanna Battin, another Los Angeles-based artist, whose work often engages issues of water and landscape, had a similar experience during her November visit.
“The media coverage has been about the conflict and confrontation,” she says. “But this was a historic cultural moment — the collaboration, the listening, the breaking down of colonial misconceptions, the style of leadership that we in middle class white America just haven’t experienced.”
Outsiders, in fact, were given an information packet that outlined the ground rules when they arrived. Among these: “Follow indigenous leadership,” “understand this moment in the context of settler colonialism,” “never attend a ceremony without being expressly invited.”
“This is our culture,” says Cannupa Hanska Luger, a New Mexico-based artist who was born on the Standing Rock Reservation and has participated in the protests since they began. “This is why we say this is not a protest, why we are ‘water protectors.’ We’re not just in protest of a pipeline. What we are trying to do is maintain a cultural practice.
“Our original bible, that comes down from on high, it is the land. We tell stories about magical characters that are bound to the landscape. Why is that stone red? There is a story. So where everyone else sees a pipeline and ‘progress,’ what we see is someone going through our bible and editing things without any care, ripping a line straight through that story.”
The Native-focused culture of Standing Rock is part of what drew hundreds of indigenous people from all over.
“That was the motivator for me to go,” says Raven Chacon, an Albuquerque-based artist who is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation — and part of the contemporary arts collective Postcommodity. “What you saw was truly a global community, but with the majority of them being American Indian people. That was something I’d never seen in my life.”
Standing Rock has been transformative for non-Natives too.
Doug McLean is a longtime environmental activist and photographer who went to Standing Rock on numerous occasions in the summer and fall.
“When I worked at Greenpeace,” he says, “there was the concept that it was founded on which was the Quaker principle of bearing witness. The best journalists and the best artists are the ones who get the most out of the way and are simply a lens.”
Bearing witness is exactly what many of the artists at Standing Rock have done — and it is already filtering into their work.
Luger created dozens of mirrored shields from Masonite and reflective vinyl that were as much protective devices for frontline protestors as they were bright works of sculpture. Bowers took pictures around camp; Battin, of the industrial pipeline architecture penetrating agricultural fields. Chacon, who was inspired by Standing Rock’s sonic qualities, recorded audio of one of the prayer-filled actions.
“What you saw was truly a global community, but with the majority of them being American Indian people. That was something I’d never seen in my life.”
Raven Chacon, artist
“All of the women in the camp walked onto the bridge, which has been a site of contention,” he says. “About a thousand women walked up there in complete silence. So I was able to capture the sound of a thousand people being completely silent. The only sound you could hear was drones. It was surreal.”
How exactly some of these elements will work their way into art, and, ultimately, the larger culture, remains to be seen. But as with Occupy, which helped inspire a wave of artist-activist movements, some of which are still active, Standing Rock is set to have a cultural butterfly effect.
Molly Larkey is a Los Angeles sculptor who went to Standing Rock over Thanksgiving weekend. During her journey, she collaborated with photographer Jen Rosenstein to create a record of the myriad individuals who attended the protest.
“I’m really interested in that what Standing Rock did was show how things can be different, how culture could be different,” she says. “I’m really interested in how we organize our money, how we can create different kinds of economies.
“It can be things that happen in small ways too. How we relate to each other, for example. At camp, you were encouraged to slow down, be receptive, listen. It reminded you how important those things are.”
“I don’t know anyone whose life wasn’t changed by being there,” says Joel Garcia, co-director of the Boyle Heights arts nonprofit Self-Help Graphics, who traveled to Standing Rock over Thanksgiving with a group of Chicano artists, many of whom observe indigenous traditions as part of their Mexican heritage. “It recalibrates things for sure.”
Bowers, who was at Standing Rock when a group of U.S. military veterans arrived in support of the protest, was moved by the nature of group dynamics motivated by respect.
“To see Native and white vets get into arguments, then have them talk it out, and in the end, I’d see them hug each other — saying, ‘You’re here, you are family now,’ ” she says. “It’s not the way we do things. This was a respect to culture and the process embodied that — everything embodied that.”
Run the Jewels talk about writing their latest album with the ‘world crumbling around us’
IN EARLY DECEMBER, while Killer Mike waited in a Hollywood rehearsal space for El-P, his musical partner in the acclaimed rap duo Run the Jewels, the subject of politics and movies came up.
Killer Mike (born Mike Render), who in 2016 channeled his thoughtfully blistering verses on race and class into action by endorsing and campaigning with Sen. Bernie Sanders during the Democratic presidential primaries, had just seen a trailer for the forthcoming “War for the Planet of the Apes.”
He was worried, he said, that the franchise had become “sanitized.”
“It’s like they depoliticized them,” said Killer Mike, contrasting the reboot series with the allegorical first “Apes” films of the late 1960s and ’70s.
“What made movies at that point great — and TV probably until about the early ’80s — was that it was so provocative,” Killer Mike said. “ ‘All in the Family’ was good because it was provocative. I remember ‘The Jeffersons’ episode with the Klansman — George saves his life and he was like, ‘You should have just let me die.’ ”
Seeing that episode as a kid required that Killer Mike, now 41, “think it through and grow out of your own little bigotry — and still have a good time.”
A similar duality marks “Run the Jewels 3,” Killer Mike and El-P’s decidedly nonsanitized third album, which was surprise-released on Dec. 24. “RTJ3,” a notably dark record with the occasional ray of light, was written and recorded with the divisive presidential campaign as the backdrop, and as both lost close friends.
Tapping at his phone while camped out on a couch, Killer Mike pulled up the “Apes” trailer. As grim theme music played, a menacingly deep-voiced character said, “I did not start this war. I offered you peace. I showed you mercy. But now you’re here to finish us off.”
His eyes lighted up with excitement. “I’m going to one of those fancy movies to see this... where you can buy dinner.”
El-P, his hair still wet from a shower, rolled into the room, casually dropped a joint on the coffee table as he sat down and started talking about writing and recording “Run the Jewels 3” during what Killer Mike called “tumultuous times.”
The dilemma across 2016 lay in how much politics to include in a creative project that began as a way for a pair of middle-aged solo artists to blow off steam and have fun making rap music together.
El-P (Jaime Meline), who didn’t campaign for anyone but supported his partner’s Sanders stumping, acknowledged their competing reflexes: “You see people wanting [artists] to say something when no one is — and then you see people being exhausted by people saying something.”
Mixed into the mess, he added with a cuss, was “having our own ideas of the type of records we would love to make if none of that … was there.” The result, said El-P, were tracks on the album “written almost in despite of the the world crumbling around us.”
“To borrow a phrase from a television show, ‘Winter’s coming,’ ” said Killer Mike. “I felt like that making this entire record. I felt a darkness.”
As with the first two albums, “RTJ3” mixes Killer Mike’s searing insights, from the perspective of a black Atlantan with a cadence to match his acuity, with El-P’s beat production and razor-witted, eloquent couplets as a white Brooklynite whose work as a rapper and producer has earned him underground respect and acclaim.
Across its discography, the team hasn’t avoided hard questions about race, law enforcement and politics — nor have the two shied away from exploring the deeply personal and their love of the kind of hip-hop revelry that defines their favorite albums.
As they started writing in December 2015, El-P said the two didn’t discuss overarching themes or decide to devote themselves to making a political record. Most important, he said, was documenting “the temperament of the last couple of years for us and being friends. Being in it and being affected by the world around us.”
It may be hard to see the playfulness and fun amid the darkness, he added, but that’s a huge part of what they want out of their work. So is “how we are with each other, no matter what’s going on,” El-P said. “We’re still smoking weed and cracking jokes and hanging out with each other and enjoying each other’s company. And that is the foundation of the record.”
But that was apparently easier said than done, because “Run the Jewels 3” opens with a Killer Mike-rapped indictment.
I was campaigning with what I felt like was a good man for good reasons and ... I saw good people doing atrocious things to sabotage that.
Killer Mike on campaigning for Bernie Sanders
Torn between competing instincts from verse one, Mike sets “Down” in a room with two things before him. “Ballot or bullet, you better use one,” Mike raps as he name-checks three different amendments to the Constitution: “One time for the freedom of speeches / Two time for the right to hold heaters / Just skip to the fifth with the cops in the house / Close your mouth and pray to your Jesus.”
Stumping for Sanders, Killer Mike said, made him increasingly disillusioned as the year wore on.
“This country is going … mad. Let’s just be honest. I was campaigning with what I felt like was a good man for good reasons — and in the middle of that I saw good people doing atrocious things to sabotage that. And that really ... with me,” he said.
“I said a line in there, ‘I’ve seen the devil working behind the curtain and came back with some evidence,’ ” Killer Mike said, quoting a line from the song “2100.” “I saw what the DNC [Democratic National Committee] did, and it affected me in a way that I couldn’t make this record and not be darker on parts — because I felt more cynical.”
In “Talk to Me,” Killer Mike recounts his experience on the campaign trail by name-checking the Arabic word for Satan while seeming to critique Donald Trump: “Went to war with the devil and Shaytan / He wore a bad toupee and a spray tan.”
For his part, El-P has “Jaws” on his brain, but he seems to be talking not just about the shark but also America when he raps, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat, boys — you’re in trouble.”
On the album-closing “A Report to the Shareholders / Kill Your Masters,” he spits judgment on politicians: “Can’t contain the disdain for y’all demons / You talk clean and bomb hospitals / So I speak with the foulest mouth possible / And I drink like a Vulcan losing all faith in the logical.”
Across the hundreds of couplets, “RTJ3” references online surveillance, the police state, Chicago gangland and a power structure that earns profits despite the poverty surrounding them. “Good day from the house of the haunted — get a job, get a house, get a coffin,” El-P raps on “Don’t Get Captured.” “Don’t stray from the path, remain where you at — that maximizes our profit.”
That track begins a three-song suite that pocks the album with grimness, as though a new reality were sinking in. A sample from “The Twilight Zone” opens “Thieves”: “This is not a new world, it is simply an extension of what began in the old one.”
Asked about the darkness, El-P seemed torn. “Certainly, there are points,” he said, but “it doesn’t stay and it’ll never be the foundation of who we are.” Rather, he stressed that the primary goal remained “to just make raw … dope records and see where we can push each other and where our styles intertwine.”
Playfulness, in fact, abounds. In “Call Ticketron,” El-P revels in wordplay as he reassures Run the Jewels listeners that the “last two pirates alive are still yargin’ ” — but are living in a future where “the hovercraft’s cool but the air’s so putrid.”
“Everybody Stay Calm” features the rapper referencing “Willie Wonka”: “Oompa-Loompas, I’ll shoot a tune at ya medullas/ I’m cool as a rule but I’ll scalp a ruler.” El-P even wades into the 2016 meme centered on the spelling of the children’s series “Berenstain Bears.”
The result is a work that reconciles competing reflexes with an approach that El-P described as “a swagger, or way to perceive yourself, in the face of authority and in the face of the majority of the people. A way to have personal power based on an ethos and not based on your position in society.”
Eyeing the joint on the table, Killer Mike suggested taking a smoke break, and the two stood to make their way outside.
But first, El-P had one more thing to say: “If I see a king walking through the streets in all his regalia, I know that if I spit on him, all of the clothes and all the power doesn’t mean a … thing, because in that moment, me and him are the same. Am I right for doing it? I don’t ... know. But I’ll talk about the instinct.”
Obama left the NEA vulnerable. Could Sylvester Stallone save it?
WHEN A COLLEAGUE SHARED a British tabloid report that Donald Trump was considering appointing a certain Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone as head of the National Endowment for the Arts we rolled our eyes, speechless.
Stallone has since said he would decline any offer for the top arts spot from Trump. Yet — and I can’t believe I am saying this — Sly Stallone may not have been such a bad idea for the NEA after all.
How fundamentally the world has turned in 2017.
Four years ago, when there was still hope that President Obama might turn out to be an arts leader, I had proposed that for his second term he eliminate the NEA altogether and instead create a Cabinet level department of culture, putting us on par with the rest of the world’s civilized countries. I further suggested as candidates the two most probing, visionary and persuasive artists and public intellectuals I could think of: the director Peter Sellars and Bard College President Leon Botstein.
There are many in Congress who would gladly eliminate the NEA to save an infinitesimal fraction of the federal budget (less than four-one hundredths of 1%, to be exact), replacing the NEA with nada.
There are many in Congress who would gladly eliminate the NEA to save an infinitesimal fraction of the federal budget (less than four-one hundredths of 1%, to be exact), replacing the NEA with nada. What the agency needs now more than vision is a fighter. A little star power wouldn’t hurt, either. Could Rocky save it?
Obama never promised to be an arts president. What candidate does? (Bernie Sanders did, but he is the only major one in recent memory). Still, there were indications early on that the Obama White House would prove to be a second Camelot, following the example of the arts-embracing Kennedys.
The mood for Obama’s first swearing in was classily set by classical musicians in 2009. Violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Gabriella Montero warmed up the dignitaries with John Williams’ “Air and Simple Gifts,” written for the occasion. As with so much in Washington, a phony controversy ensued when it was learned that the quartet instrument-synced, but it was simply too cold to offer “Simple Gifts,” which required nimble fingers on strings and keys. That may have also been the start of giving Obama cold fingers when it came to the arts.
Even so, for their new home the Obamas borrowed from the National Gallery the most sophisticated art that had graced White House walls since Camelot. The first family occasionally showed up at the Kennedy Center or museums. The first lady hosted afternoon gatherings of musicians from different disciplines. We were told that the president was a reader of poetry.
The most promising sign of all was Obama’s unpretentious grace in the company of artists. He said the right things. We took it for granted that he supported the arts and understood their importance for the betterment of society. The vast majority of artists in America felt that Obama was on their side.
So we coasted. The president had to pick his fights, and the NEA, it turned out, was never to be one of them. In 2009, another phony controversy occurred when the far-right website Breitbart News reported that a spokesperson for the Obama administration had reputedly tried to politically influence artists. That pales next to President Reagan personally phoning up theater critic Dan Sullivan at The Times in 1981 to ask that he prop up Reagan’s old Hollywood pal Buddy Ebsen, whose new musical was a flop.
Ultimately, Obama appointed as NEA heads Broadway producer Rocco Landesman in his first term and arts executive Jane Chu in his second. Both proved personable promoters of the arts and the agency, treating their posts more as caretakers rather than visionaries. I used to regularly see a representative from the NEA at the Los Angeles Philharmonic during previous administrations when something particularly novel was presented. No more.
Still, the agency appeared to mean well. Its minuscule budget, always under $150 million a year, got divvied up to museums, performing arts groups, local education agencies and community projects as best it could. Landesman and Chu spent much of their time as arts activists, drumming up business.
But let’s get real. France’s federal arts budget rose last year to more than $4 billion! That’s $575 per person for the arts, as opposed to 45 cents per person in our country.
What this ultimately means is that while Obama valuably helped the mood of the arts in America, he did less for the arts infrastructure. He displayed considerably greater interest in pop culture and sports than in arts advocacy. He handed the Presidential Medal of Freedom to but a handful of noted and deserving artists — including architect Frank Gehry, painter Jasper Johns and Ma — whereas he picked a significantly larger number of Hollywood stars.
Mood, nonetheless, matters, and the vast majority of American artists are now worried about a Trump administration. We’ve heard the reports of the transition team struggling to find willing performers for the inauguration. According to Itay Hod of the Wrap, the Trump team has gone so far as offering ambassadorships to agents who can lasso a star, all to little avail. Operatic crooner Andrea Bocelli backed out, but the 16-year-old operatic crooner wannabe, Jackie Evancho, seems to be in. The Rockettes and Mormon Tabernacle Choir (minus members who are opting out or quitting in protest) thus far fill the insipid bill.
Meanwhile, artists who became complacent under Obama no longer are. President Lyndon Johnson did not decide against running for a second term because of a painting; Richard Nixon (who happened to support the NEA) did not resign as president offended by a symphony. But protest artists the likes of Leonard Bernstein, Bob Dylan, Robert Crumb and many others created a national temperament that helped change governments.
Antagonize the artists, and it may seem as though the world’s turning in 2017 will, in fact, be back to the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Realism or cliche? Hollywood struggles to get the working class right
THE WORKING MAN IS BATTERED and bruised, celebrated and misunderstood. He is stoic and brash. He counts his hours and logs his years. He is the best and worst of us, as willing to walk into a coal mine as onto a battlefield. He endures until he breaks or accepts that the promises of manhood glimmered brighter when he was a boy.
The question now is how will Hollywood depict this working man — and working woman — in a culturally divisive era? What are the new narratives in a changing economy and racial strains driven by identity politics? Donald Trump’s election has refocused attention, much like the fall of the U.S. steel industry in the 1970s, on disillusioned and bitter parts of the country shaken by financial decline, foreign competition and addiction.
The Democratic Party, once the bastion of labor, has been accused of paying less attention to the white working class and focusing more on minorities and youth. Film and television creators are said to be too liberal and out of touch with the values and concerns of the heartland.
Yet as far removed as Hollywood seems from blue-collar realities, movies have for generations played on all manner of working men and women, taking us from steel mills to fishing trawlers, from textile plants to grocery check-out lines, and from one hard-pressed town to the next. Such portrayals cast the working class — from “The Grapes of Wrath” to “Harlan County, USA” — as indivisible from the success and failure of the American dream.
I grew up in a blue collar sentiment, but so often these people are stereotyped and mythologized in film. They come across as cliché.
Scott Cooper, “Out of the Furnace” director
A number of movies have rendered insightful glimpses of working class and rural America that have risen above region and economic status to encompass the universal. These films have realized that stories — mainly about white, non-college-educated men and women — can veer as easily into stereotype and generalization as movies featuring minorities, transgenders and rock n’ roll bands. Even the best intentioned blue-collar tales can slip from sparse realism into stock masculinity and false redemption.
One of this year’s most evocative movies, “Hell or High Water,” follows two brothers, Toby and Tanner, across a West Texas landscape of foreclosures and ruin after the 2008 recession. The film has the style of an old western. But it is very much about how today’s capitalism is indifferent to families — at least 60% of Americans don’t have college educations — whose shrinking paychecks and diminished options leave them desperate amid fallow fields, pump jacks and frontier justice.
“I think the western is about people in harsh places trying to tame an unfriendly wilderness,” Chris Pine, who played Toby, told The Times. “Because life is defined by struggle, it’s kind of a perfect microcosmic experience to explore that. ‘Here we are, struggling.’ It’s about people persevering and persevering and persevering.”
Director David Mackenzie said the movie “felt to me like a snapshot of a nation.”
The trials, chores, joys, challenges, demons and dangers of the working class have been viewed through many prisms: Marlon Brando standing up to dockworker corruption in “On the Waterfront,” Sally Field fighting for a textile union in “Norma Rae,” Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken leaving the steel plants of Pittsburgh to fight in Vietnam in “The Deer Hunter,” a labor leader demanding rights for migrant workers in “Cesar Chavez,” George Clooney and his doomed crew chasing fish in the North Atlantic in “The Perfect Storm,” coal miners rising against Pinkertons in bloody battles played out in John Sayles’ “Matewan” and this year’s “Paterson,” featuring Adam Driver as a poet-bus driver.
Such movies have an elegiac dignity at their core, respecting a man or woman’s honor and pride through the lens of their daily toil. A rigorous work ethic has long been one of the nation’s defining traits, deified not only in film but also in literature and music. Much of Bruce Springsteen’s playlist ruminates on accepting the working life with forbearance or escaping it with fuel-injected defiance. And on this plane, notably in movies, the working man is cast against the shadow of coal tipples, smokestacks, blast furnaces or other emblems of industry to suggest his ultimate fate is controlled by others.
“There’s been a lot of talk about the working class and the working man,” said director Kenneth Lonergan, whose “Manchester by the Sea” tells of the lives of a janitor and a fisherman. “But it’s all general. What are they talking about? A lot of people are out there fixing things. There’s a certain amount of sentimentalization when you get to movies.”
The film “Winter’s Bone,” which in large measure introduced Jennifer Lawrence to the world, slips into a sliver of the Ozarks in southwestern Missouri, where crime, clan and retribution trammel over a harsh, if beautiful, land that offers little prosperity. The working men and women here have turned into drug dealers and enforcers whose codes and moralities are challenged by Ree Dolly (Lawrence), a girl trying to save her home and family from the havoc caused by her methamphetamine-cooking father.
We’re a town of 14,000. Lost 1,200 jobs to Mexico in the last three years....That’s a brutal punch. The people I talked to just wanted to shake things up.
Daniel Woodrell, “Winter’s Bone” author
Based on the novel of the same title by Daniel Woodrell, the film, directed by Debra Granik, is a dark glimpse at an often unnoticed part of the country. Like movies set in Appalachia or the Rust Belt, the story has a palpable sense of place and isolation. Woodrell, who lives in the Missouri region where his family has had roots since 1838, said in a recent interview that “the reason I stayed here so long is that I can walk two blocks and there’s the cemetery where my family is buried. A lot of resonance.”
He knows a number of people who voted for Trump. “We’re a town of 14,000. Lost 1,200 jobs to Mexico in the last three years that literally went to Mexico. That’s a brutal punch,” he said. “The people I talked to just wanted to shake things up. I’m a Democrat but I’m kind of nostalgic for the old Democrats who cared for the working class.”
Woodrell’s novels seek recesses both moral and geographical. They navigate sin, fallibility and the grays that make a life, adding force and richness to regional tales that echo far beyond their boundaries. “When any aspect of life gets focused on, it’d be really easy to make something grotesque if you focus on a narrow slice of it,” he said. “It’s not Mayberry and it’s not all ‘Winter’s Bone’... You try to make it human, respecting characters and taking them seriously. Show it from their point of view, not mine.”
The men in Scott Cooper’s evocatively photographed “Out of the Furnace” are forsaken and hard, living in Braddock, Pa., a steam-streaked steel town of crumbling houses, rail yards, dim taverns and the bones of an industry that once was. Two brothers — Russell (Christian Bale), a mill worker, and Rodney (Casey Affleck), a damaged Iraq war vet — live amid scoured ambitions that turn violent when Rodney takes up street fighting for money. These are men pushed to the brink by circumstance; a shrinking, battered family in a town of ghosts.
“You have to live there to know these people,” said Cooper, who was raised at the edge of the coal fields in Abingdon, Va. “I grew up in a blue collar sentiment but so often these people are stereotyped and mythologized in film. They come across as cliché.” He added that the suspicion and disillusionment in the Rust Belt, Appalachia and other regions “come from an ideological and cultural isolation from the rest of America. These are a group of people who see themselves as outsiders but they were really the backbone of America, especially in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s. But lost jobs have led to lost pride and vices.”
Those vices have led to years of heroin and prescription drug addiction, early graves and a bitterness toward the government, which many blame for wage stagnation and jobs wiped out by foreign competition. It was this sense of desperation that drew many working class voters to Trump, a rich man who may not be one of them but who has vowed to rattle the establishment. For many, promises had been denied for too long in lands forgotten between New York and Los Angeles. As the working class continues to be redefined by automation and shifting demographics, it is this reality that Washington and Hollywood will be wrestling with for years to come.
“I wanted to treat it as honestly as I could,” Cooper said of his film. “The American dream is dead and it is not really coming back.”
On Twitter: @JeffreyLAT
“Manchester By The Sea” director Kenneth Lonergan talks about collaborating with Casey Affleck on the film, comparing him to a Columbo-like detective who investigates scenes.
Rally white men. Demean women. Mock the impact of misogyny. How will Gamergate values play out in Trump’s America?
SEE IF THIS CAMPAIGN TACTIC sounds familiar: Rally white men who feel the world is changing too fast, leverage racial bias for the cause, and demean women along the way.
The strategy belonged to a radical corner of the gaming world that may have provided the winning playbook for the campaign that won the presidential election.
“Gamergate” is the term now used to describe the movement in which Internet trolls attacked high-profile people in the game industry if they attempted to change — or even speak out about — the misogynistic themes of video games. They are the gaming world’s radical right, and they’re fighting back against what they see as the onslaught of politically correct culture.
Now at least one of the people who provided a platform for the movement is headed for the White House.
Stephen K. Bannon oversaw the far-right Breitbart News, which published numerous articles about Gamergate, before becoming Donald Trump’s campaign chief executive. One report, from 2014, carried this headline: “Feminist bullies tearing the video game industry apart.” Today, Bannon is Trump’s pick for White House chief strategist and senior counselor.
The trajectories of Trump and Gamergate could be practically charted by the same graph — guys (for the most part) that a significant portion of the country didn’t take seriously pandered to humanity’s most base instincts and won. Entertainment and politics are becoming increasingly blurred. The president-elect, for instance, regularly tweets about “Saturday Night Live,” and nearly caused a culture war over “Hamilton.”
Entertainment and politics are becoming increasingly blurred. The president-elect, for instance, regularly tweets about ‘Saturday Night Live,' and nearly caused a culture war over ‘Hamilton.’
Bannon once spoke favorably of Darth Vader, seemingly comparing himself to the “Star Wars” villain. Spoken like a strategist, or like someone pandering to his fans?
As Paul Booth, an associate professor at Chicago’s DePaul University who studies fan culture, put it: “You can look at the political race as a fan event.”
The term “Gamergate” emerged as a hashtag in mid-August 2014. It described the attacks, particularly on women in the gaming world, by trolls and eventually their de-facto leader Milo Yiannopoulos, who became Gamergate’s Breitbart champion.
The writer electrified his base in much the same way as did the Donald Trump campaign, arguing that the mainstream media and those with progressive thoughts simply failed to understand real gamers. “GamerGate,” he wrote, “has exposed both the feminist campaigners and even some gaming journalists as completely out of touch with the very reasons people play games.”
A sort of “drain the swamp” for the digitally connected.
Female game designers and journalists who spoke out about a more inclusive future for the medium were harassed on social media with threats of physical attacks, rape and death. Their emails were leaked (sound familiar?), and some saw details about their personal lives published online.
“Lock her up,” Trump supporters shouted about Hillary Clinton.
“I hope you die,” Gamergate champions tweeted at Anita Sarkeesian, a prominent cultural critic who critiques games from a feminist perspective.
One developer, Jennifer Hepler, author of “Women in Game Development: Breaking the Glass Level-Cap,” told The Times that she went so far as to install bulletproof glass on her windows after a lengthy online campaign against her. She was singled out for the inclusion of LGBT-friendly characters in a sword-and-sorcery game.
Gamergate advocates argued that gaming journalists were corrupt and were colluding to bring a politically correct makeover to the medium (read: take away our digital guns, treat women as something more than sex objects and cast someone — anyone — other than a white male as the lead protagonist).
Yiannopoulos, who has been banned from Twitter over allegations that he coordinated the sexist and racist harassment of “Ghostbusters” star Leslie Jones, galvanized his believers by claiming that gaming had come under attack by an “army of sociopathic feminist programmers and campaigners.”
Those who bought into his words targeted their ire at female critics who sought to intellectualize the medium. Ultimately, they were only bringing to light gaming’s more regrettable traits: that it has long pandered to a male-focused, gun-obsessed community where women were damsels more often than heroes.
Even Nintendo’s mobile title “Super Mario Run,” the biggest game of this winter, perpetuates the myth that women are to be rescued rather than kick butt.
The biggest, most visible games are still largely created by men for boys. Gamergate ultimately was driven by nostalgia and fear of change.
“Keep politics out of games,” was Gamergate proponents’ rallying cry, but they may as well have been saying, “Make games great again.”
There’s evidence that major developers are listening to their broader audience rather than being bullied by Gamergate, as recent titles such as “Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End,” “Watch Dogs 2” and “Dishonored 2” have touched on mature themes with a wide variety of characters.
Yet Gamergate brings to the fore some uncomfortable facts. The International Game Developers Assn. recently pegged the game industry at about 80% male, and while some surveys note that the game-playing community is close to a 50-50 male-female split, game consoles and gaming computers are still predominantly used by the male gamer.
Geoffrey Zatkin, co-founder of gaming consultancy Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, noted at a gaming event last March that North American gamers in 2015 leaned male 55% to 45%. But on home video game consoles, that number jumps to 60% male. On PCs, it’s even more heavily male at 64%.
For much of the last decade, the biggest game franchises — “Call of Duty” and “Grand Theft Auto” among them — were driven by guns and disparaging views of women and minorities. And unlike the Republican Party, the game industry has done this without lobbying money.
It may as well have been content unwittingly aimed directly at the so-called alt-right community, the loosely defined movement made up of social media-savvy white nationalists that has also attracted neo-Nazis, anti-Semites and misogynists.
Once again, there is a connection to Gamergate.
“The people who promoted Gamergate said they were concerned about journalism ethics,” read a post on PressThink, a site maintained by New York University professor Jay Rosen. “As a professor of journalism with a social media bent, I felt obligated to examine their claims. When I did I discovered nasty troll behavior with a hard edge of misogyny.”
Of course, Gamergaters were simply amplifying the content directed toward them — the rape jokes of “Grand Theft Auto,” the gun-fetishism of nearly every other game and a fantasy vision of the world ruled almost exclusively by white men.
So Hollywood isn’t out of touch with the real — make that conservative — America, after all. The entertainment powerhouses behind the world’s biggest games have directly targeted it. And now the rest of the country — the majority of voters behind the popular vote, if you will — can’t press the jump button to avoid it.
Exploiting fear of Muslims? The far right has nothing on liberal Hollywood
LONG BEFORE DONALD TRUMP campaigned on the promise of banning Muslims from entering the U.S. or creating a registry for those who already live here, there was a master fear monger who made the president-elect’s divisive rhetoric seem like child’s play.
It capitalized upon the terror of 9/11 by portraying most Muslims (even those who are American) as terrorists, cast a suspicious eye toward anyone who looked remotely like Sallah from “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and pretty much ensured that Westerners would know Islam through only the prism of suicide bombings, religious extremism and oppressed women in burkas.
When it comes to exploiting fear of the other for personal gain, the far right has nothing on liberal Hollywood.
Television producers, writers, actors and network execs — many of whom have openly criticized ultra-conservative politicians for their intolerant views — have done more to popularize Islamophobia over the last 15 years than all of Trump’s campaign proclamations.
“There has never been liberal Hollywood when it comes to the portrayal of Muslims on TV,” says professor and author Jack Shaheen, who’s been researching the subject since the mid 1970s and served as a cultural consultant on films such as “Three Kings” and “Syriana.” “They’ve reinforced the idea that many Americans now have — that all Muslims are terrorists. They knew they could get away with it because no one was going to protest. They’ve been playing to the balcony, and in doing so, they’ve been getting the ratings.”
That dynamic grew exponentially following the 9/11 attacks: While President George W. Bush delivered dozens of speeches about how ours was not a war against Islam but “a campaign against evil,” network television was busy putting the finishing touches on the series that came to embody TV’s narrative about our war against evil Islam.
Eight weeks after the attacks, Fox released “24,” a series steeped in scheming, swarthy Muslims and the heroic efforts of a very non-swarthy Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland).The series outlasted both of Bush’s terms and spawned an army of like-minded shows.
The next phase in television terrorism drama included Showtime’s “Sleeper Cell,” which arrived with the tagline “Friends. Neighbors. Husbands. Terrorists,” and “Homeland,” where the mere act of a man praying toward Mecca signaled foreboding events. And with a title like “Tyrant,” it was clear that FX’s drama about an American Arab family was no “Cosby Show.”
Even network TV’s good Muslims like Sayid on “Lost” or twins *Nimah and Raina of “Quantico” are defined by a connection to Saddam’s Republican Guard or terror groups.
“It’s like the LGBT community 30 years ago,” says Sue Obeidi, director of the civil rights advocacy group the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Hollywood bureau. “Every time there was a gay character on TV or in film, the story line would be about AIDS. Almost all Muslim story lines up to now are connected to terror. Even if they end up being a good person, it’s often discovered under a cloud of suspicion.”
There is no doubt that homegrown terror attacks in the U.S. — from San Bernardino to Orlando — have helped bolster arguments that art is only reflecting reality. But as University of North Carolina professor Charles Kurzman and David Schanzer, Duke University professor and director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, wrote in a 2015 research paper, “Law enforcement agencies in the United States consider anti-government violent extremists, not radicalized Muslims, to be the most severe threat of political violence that they face.”
Television of late has been trying to adjust to a changing world by developing more diverse narratives and investing in more projects by creators and writers of color, including Shonda Rhimes (“Scandal”), Kenya Barris (“blackish”) and Nahnatchka Khan (“Fresh Off the Boat”). But despite the number of shows that have Islamic terror elements in their plots — from “Madam Secretary” to “CSI” — Muslims behind the camera are still rare.
There has never been liberal Hollywood when it comes to the portrayal of Muslims on TV.
Jack Shaheen, professor and author
That lack of representation was glaringly evident in the fifth season of “Homeland,” when graffiti that read “‘Homeland’ is racist” in Arabic made it into a scene. Artists hired to decorate the wall of the fictional Syrian refugee camp slipped the words in, and there was no one else on set with enough knowledge of the Arab world to catch their subversive message.
“Hollywood is not necessarily biased toward a particular political view, but it is biased toward what does and doesn’t make money,” says author Reza Aslan, who recently co-created an ABC pilot for a comedy about an American Muslim family in the age of Trump. “Since 9/11, the market wanted these almost comic book characterizations of Muslims as the bad guy. But that market has dried up. It’s not interesting anymore. They want different narratives about Muslims and Middle Easterners, and networks are looking for ways to do that.”
Characters who arrived during the seemingly endless presidential campaign of the last year and a half have definitely signaled a shift.
In HBO’s critically lauded “The Night Of,” we met Nasir Khan (Riz Ahmed), an average college student accused of a crime that had nothing to do with terrorism; his journey through the legal system highlighted an institutional prejudice.
Government can protect our rights as citizens, or maybe with Trump it won’t, but it’s really TV and film that changes the way people feel about one another.
Sue Obeidi, director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Hollywood bureau
Aziz Ansari’s Netflix series, “Master of None,” depicts him as a struggling actor who finds himself in all sorts of painfully normal situations — bad dates, flubbed job interviews, disappointing his immigrant parents — situations far too commonplace for TV’s Muslims before him. “If we don’t do it, who else is going to do it?” Ansari said, explaining why he created the show.
Yet in an unforeseen twist, Trump’s election has potentially accelerated the interest in more nuanced story lines involving actors like Ansari.
“Right after the election — I’m talking the day or two days after — we had people in the industry reach out to us: the USA Network, Amazon, Hulu, a major network,” says civil rights advocate Obeidi. “They have directives from their networks to watch for Islamophobic tones. Not that the studios were giving directives for Islamophobic story lines before, but now they’re saying, ‘We need consultants because our studio wants to be careful of certain red lines.’ That’s all new.”
The recent presidential election is such an extraordinary moment in American history, says Aslan, that there’s a new drive among the network and studio executives he’s met with to create a counter narrative to Trump’s.
“They want to make a statement about American ideals and the people who make this country what it is, whether that is focusing on minority groups, African American, Muslims, Jews, or whether it’s just simply presenting a different side of the American story,” Aslan says. “But I can say with absolute confidence the industry has been galvanized by this election.”
And whether you believe it or not, television is the frontline of shaping public perception. Even when it comes to depicting the oh-so-mysterious Muslim.
“It’s pop culture that’s going to change opinions about how people feel about one another,” says Obeidi. “Government can protect our rights as citizens — or maybe now with Trump it won’t — but it’s really TV and film that changes the way people feel about one another.”
On Twitter: @LorraineAli
FOR THE RECORD
*In an earlier version of this story, the “Quantico” character Alex was described as Muslim. The character is not Muslim. The series characters Raina and Nimah are Muslim.
‘The Middle’ offers something rare on TV, a candid look at the anxiety of a working family
IN FALL 2009, BARELY A YEAR into the Great Recession, two new family sitcoms aired back-to-back on Wednesday nights: “The Middle” and “Modern Family.”
Filmed in a quasi-mockumentary style, “Modern Family” followed three affluent, interrelated families in suburban Los Angeles, including a gay couple with an adopted daughter from Vietnam. Praised for its diversity, it was instantly anointed the best new sitcom on television, became a ratings smash for ABC and has been nominated for 77 Emmys.
At least superficially, “The Middle” was less groundbreaking. Created by DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler, it centered on the Hecks, an intentionally unremarkable lower-middle-class family living in the small town of Orson, Ind., proud home of the world’s largest polyurethane cow.
Dad Mike (Neil Flynn) is a taciturn quarry manager who later launches a diaper business. Mom Frankie (Patricia Heaton) sells cars — or tries to — before studying to become a dental hygienist. They have three kids who aren’t particularly bright, cool or attractive, epitomized by middle child Sue (played by the exceptional Eden Sher), whose most distinctive trait is her insistence on never giving up, despite being pretty bad at most things she tries.
The series revolves around the Hecks’ near-constant efforts to fix various broken appliances and put (sometimes recently expired) food on the table. It may not have shifted public opinion on same-sex marriage, but in its unassuming way, “The Middle” has been every bit as revelatory as “Modern Family.” Over eight seasons, it has portrayed the economic anxieties of working families with a candor rarely glimpsed on American broadcast television, which has aspiration encoded in its DNA.
Though several of ABC’s family sitcoms deal with class more fleetingly, ‘The Middle' is arguably the only long-running comedy on broadcast television that puts the subject front and center.
Though several of ABC’s family sitcoms deal with class more fleetingly, “The Middle” is arguably the only long-running comedy on broadcast television that puts the subject front and center. That it also happens to be set in “one of those places you fly over on your way from somewhere to somewhere else,” as Frankie says in the pilot’s opening narration, rather than a cosmopolitan city or well-heeled suburb, makes it a double rarity.
And though “The Middle” is a pleasantly apolitical show, it happens to portray the kind of working-class, Rust Belt voters who in real life helped propel Donald Trump to victory in November. (It also stars Heaton, one of Hollywood’s more prominent conservatives.)
If, as conventional wisdom dictates, the Washington establishment has ignored this demographic for too long, then so has Hollywood — especially television, which has made enormous strides in representations of race and sexuality but still portrays bourgeois, upper-middle-class coastal dwellers as the default norm.
Heline and Heisler began developing the idea for “The Middle” about a decade ago, around the time they were writing “Lipstick Jungle,” a “Sex and the City”-esque dramedy about high-powered New York City women.
As native Midwesterners turned Angelenos, Heline and Heisler longed to do a show about the world in which they grew up, where “when something goes wrong, your neighbor brings you a casserole,” Heline recalled in a recent interview.
After a number of delays, “The Middle” made it to air at a time when virtually everyone in America was feeling the pinch financially. “I think in some ways it helped our show,” Heline said, “because it felt more relevant.”
In the show’s early days, ABC would occasionally give notes along the lines of “try not to make it too depressing,” but Heline and Heisler, who grew up in the Midwest in circumstances similar to the Hecks’, were determined to treat these people with honor.
Refreshingly, “The Middle” neither venerates the Hecks as “real Americans,” nor ridicules them as flyover rubes.
“The Middle” even looks different from most sitcoms. Instead of tasteful Pottery Barn throw pillows and gleaming stainless-steel kitchens, the Hecks’ house is furnished haphazardly, cluttered with neglected piles of mail and laundry. Marie Kondo would most definitely not approve.
While no one would ever mistake “The Middle” for John Steinbeck, its willingness to acknowledge the constant precariousness of the Hecks’ finances makes it quietly revolutionary.
In a standout Season 2 episode called “The Big Chill,” Mike gives Frankie the silent treatment after she accidentally spends $200 on a tube of eye cream and eats up their household budget.
“I’m not mad that you made a mistake. I’m mad because we can’t afford to make a mistake,” Mike eventually explains to his wife. “You think I like it ... that at this point in our lives, we have to have four jobs just to stay poor?”
Now in its eighth season, a time when many long-running sitcoms resort to Cousin Oliver-esque gimmicks in a desperate bid to keep things fresh, “The Middle” continues to find new ways for the Hecks to just barely get by.
In a recent episode, Sue discovers she isn’t enrolled at college because her family failed to file her financial aid paperwork in time. Mike sells his diaper business in order to pay her tuition.
Heline and Heisler cut their teeth on “Roseanne,” TV’s last great blue-collar hit. The experience taught them that authenticity could be funny. “When we created ‘The Middle,’ that’s what we wanted to go back to,” Heline said. “We felt like the networks had abandoned that.”
With a few exceptions — most notably, the work of producer Norman Lear in the 1970s — American television has always been squeamish about acknowledging class because it “goes against the notion of the American dream,” says Anthony Harkins, a professor at Western Kentucky University whose research focuses on pop culture depictions of Middle America. “It doesn’t put you in a buying mood.”
The booming ‘80s ushered in an obsession with yuppies and one-percenters, in shows such as “Dynasty,” “Thirtysomething” and “Diff’rent Strokes.” “The Cosby Show” broke new racial barriers, but money was rarely a concern for the Huxtables.
Then came “Roseanne,” which premiered during the waning days of the Reagan administration in fall 1988. The sitcom about a brash Illinois factory worker, her underemployed husband and their unruly children was one of the top-rated shows on television for most of its nine-season run.
Astonishingly, however, it was never even nominated for a comedy series Emmy. (Then, as now, Television Academy voters preferred shows about affluent urbanites, such as “Murphy Brown” and “Frasier.”)
In the two decades since “Roseanne” went off the air, there have been other shows set in small-town, blue-collar America. But they have tended to be niche shows along the lines of “Friday Night Lights” or “Raising Hope,” championed by critics and other “coastal elites” but ignored by the rest of the country.
“The Middle” has never been a Nielsen blockbuster, but it has been a steady performer for ABC. It now runs almost even with “Modern Family” in the ratings and is regularly cited as one of TV’s most underrated shows. If the TV Academy remains immune to its charms, Heline and Heisler maintain a very Midwestern attitude.
“We’re not the type to demand attention,” Heline said. “We’ll just keep our head down and keep doing what we do.”
These films capture the real world’s ambivalence to women in power
EARLY ON IN THE GERMAN comedy “Toni Erdmann,” Ines Conradi (Sandra Hüller), a consultant for a Romanian oil giant called Dacoil, goes out with her clients for drinks. When asked about her work, she mentions her role overseeing the company’s imminent outsourcing plan — a faux pas that rattles Dacoil’s chief executive, who peevishly corrects her in front of everyone.
By this point in the evening, the CEO has already assigned Ines the humiliating task of taking his wife out shopping the next day. A few days later, Ines will give a presentation to the board that will result in her being interrupted, misinterpreted and shut down by her clients as well as other members of her team — nearly all of whom, it scarcely needs to be said, are men.
Did I mention that “Toni Erdmann” is a comedy?
Indeed it is, but for all its uproarious antics, it’s a comedy grounded thoroughly and specifically in the real world. There is nothing particularly funny or far-fetched about the boorishness and condescension with which Ines and her few female co-workers are treated by their male colleagues. The writer-director Maren Ade has the wit — but also the complete seriousness — to treat Dacoil as a microcosm of 21st century globalized capitalism, one that carries the common scourge of workplace sexism in an unusually toxic, concentrated form.
Ines, in other words, is not alone. Nor is she the only female professional on movie screens this season forced to confront all manner of male misbehavior in her place of business. A quick survey of the field would include Michèle Leblanc (Isabelle Huppert), the Parisian executive whose sexual assault serves as the impetus for the French movie “Elle,” and Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain), the ruthless Washington, D.C., lobbyist who takes on the gun industry in “Miss Sloane.”
A trailer for “Hidden Figures,” starring Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer.
The list would also include several real-life women, among them Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), the NASA mathematicians whose hard-earned contributions to 1960s space travel are measured and recognized in “Hidden Figures.” A much less uplifting go-getter drama plays out in “Christine,” which recounts the personal and professional despair that led a Florida news reporter named Christine Chubbuck (Rebecca Hall) to fatally shoot herself during a 1974 live broadcast.
But perhaps no fictionalized biography, however skillfully done, could possibly compete with the dramatic example provided by recent history. Had Hillary Clinton won the U.S. presidential election, it would have been tempting, and easy, to position these movies in a long-overdue parallel narrative of female triumph over a pervasive double standard. But if anything, the themes that unite these pictures feel all the more pointed and resonant in the wake of Clinton’s defeat.
Had Hillary Clinton won the election, it would have been tempting to position these movies in a long-overdue parallel narrative of female triumph.
I can already sense indignant emails being drafted in response from those inclined to attribute that defeat to the candidate’s moral lapses and strategic blunders rather than, say, a culture of ingrained misogyny. To reopen that debate here would, I’m sure, be enormously productive. But it would almost certainly miss the point of what Clinton, whatever her flaws or virtues as a candidate, came to represent culturally and the iconic stature that she achieved as the first woman to come within spitting distance of the most important job in the country.
None of these cinematic heroines and antiheroines is a direct Clinton analogue, though several of them exhibit the same qualities at work — intelligence, ambition, calculation — that have made Clinton so simultaneously revered and reviled in the public eye. And the movies themselves, perhaps acknowledging the ambivalence that even advanced societies can feel toward the women in power, largely resist the temptation to turn their characters into easy figures of sympathy or identification.
Certainly no movie in the past year so gleefully subverted the notion of empowerment as “Elle,” or turned the already fraught minefield of gender politics into such dangerously uncertain terrain. In Paul Verhoeven’s rape-revenge thriller, Michèle is the chief executive of a video-game company that she runs with her friend Anna (Anne Consigny). The presence of two women overseeing a mostly male staff, churning out violently sexualized fantasies for teenage boys, is hardly incidental to the movie’s inquiry.
WATCH: Justin Chang reviews 'Elle’ directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, and Anne Consigny. Video by Jason H. Neubert.
Michèle’s top designer treats her with open contempt, suggesting that, given her publishing background, she lacks the qualifications to make important creative decisions about game play. (Michèle sarcastically responds that she and Anna must be “bitches who got lucky.”) Later, an office prankster distributes a video clip showing an animated version of Michèle being assaulted from behind by some many-tentacled Lovecraftian demon — a symbolic reenactment of the violation that sets the movie in motion.
Michèle takes all these indignities in stride. She seems to have achieved her power not by striking fear into her employees — in the manner of, say, Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada” — but rather by projecting an air of utter indifference to what they think of her. She’s methodical, efficient and a master of the poker face. One of the most enthralling aspects of “Elle” is the way Michèle responds to her attacker; even her displays of fear and fury might well be the skillful ploys of a practiced problem solver. She troubleshoots her way to revenge.
Elizabeth Sloane, by contrast, leaves very little to chance, as we learn from her elaborate machinations to get a gun-control bill passed in “Miss Sloane.” “Lobbying is about foresight,” she says, and the pleasure of the movie lies in guessing exactly how Elizabeth, though very much in the underdog position, will manage to maintain the upper hand. At the very least, she doesn’t have to contend with the disrespect of her colleagues and rivals; she may be widely loathed, but she’s also acknowledged as a force to be reckoned with.
Elizabeth is so ruthlessly drawn that at times she suggests a near-caricature of empowered femininity. Viciously eloquent and disdainful of emotional niceties, she’s all hard edges where most men prefer soft curves. (She robotically outsources her sex life to a hired escort.) Some might take umbrage at the way “Miss Sloane” seems to equate female strength with a deadening of warmth and emotion. But the movie is shrewd enough to offer a compelling counterexample in the form of Elizabeth’s associate Esme (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), an equally passionate crusader who, as badly she too wants to win, refuses to sell out her own humanity.
“Elle,” “Miss Sloane” and “Toni Erdmann” all take a jaundiced view of gender relations in the contemporary workplace. Although set during a more distant, restrictive period, Theodore Melfi’s polished and effective crowd-pleaser “Hidden Figures” offers a considerably more uplifting experience, treating the injustices of the civil rights era as the building blocks of Hollywood uplift.
Katherine, Dorothy and Mary stick out at NASA not just because they’re women, but because they’re black, and “Hidden Figures” is particularly deft at conveying the struggle of being a minority twice over. This math-based movie itself demonstrates a talent for multiplication. The focus on three women — all of them facing equally Sisyphean struggles at work — allows for a more complex, wide-ranging sense of the obstacles at hand than a more focused telling would have managed.
There is no easy villain here, and the problems of bigotry are shown to be a collective burden. Dorothy’s primary obstacle isn’t a white man but a white woman (Kirsten Dunst) whose refusal to give Dorothy a deserved promotion seems born of her own professional unhappiness. Elsewhere, it’s satisfying to watch as Katherine, wielding her data with masterly assurance, calmly upstages her smug supervisor (Jim Parsons) during a meeting of NASA’s top minds — a meeting that she has to fight her way into, overturning years of pointless, discriminatory protocol.
But the movie also takes pains to applaud the decency of another manager, Al (Kevin Costner), who sees Katherine’s talent and does his part to fight on her behalf. Notably, he acts not because he suddenly grasps that segregation is an abomination, but because he realizes that it’s actively undermining staff productivity. “Hidden Figures” may have a slick Hollywood sheen, but it’s quite shrewd about how sweeping changes on one front — in this case, the ’60s space race and the rise of electronic computing — can precipitate necessary social reforms on another.
Technological winds are also shifting in Antonio Campos’ biographical drama, “Christine,” which offers a smart, subtle critique of the increasing commodification of TV news during the 1970s. It’s a time of growing opportunities for women in broadcast journalism, provided that they fit a particular mold: chipper blonds, juicy human-interest stories, etc. Nearly everything about Christine Chubbuck — her hard, guttural voice, her severe on-camera demeanor and her insistence on doing serious, hard-hitting pieces — represents an affront to this paradigm.
At the same time, “Christine” refuses to treat sexism as a kind of catch-all motive for why Chubbuck pulled the trigger. What makes the movie such a discomfiting experience is that it seems to sympathize with its heroine, acknowledging her intelligence, integrity and work ethic, while remaining unsparingly honest about her very real shortcomings. The other men in the newsroom — the golden-boy anchor (Michael C. Hall) she loves, the ill-tempered boss (Tracy Letts) she keeps clashing with — may complicate her path to success, but in the end, Christine’s greatest obstacle may well be herself.
Nearly all of these stories regard the lot of working women with an understandable degree of pessimism. And yet the mere fact of these movies’ existence, and their willingness to confront their tough realities head-on, is surely cause for optimism. And while the major studios have not been quite as attentive as their specialty-division counterparts to the needs of thinking, grown-up audiences, they found their own ways of subverting the status quo.
In Denis Villeneuve’s accomplished science-fiction drama “Arrival,” Amy Adams plays a linguist who not only is the best in her field, but also possesses a crucial gift of intuition — often described, and dismissed, as a feminine trait — that holds the key to humanity’s survival. Disney’s impressively woke animated fantasy “Zootopia” centers on a bunny rabbit who overcomes the biases against her species and gender to fulfill her dream of becoming a police officer.
Not to be overlooked in the discussion is Paul Feig’s “Ghostbusters” remake, which cast four funny women (Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones and Kate McKinnon) and immediately became a months-long target of misogynist outrage. The ferocity of all that fanboy hatred became the movie’s unavoidable subtext, and perhaps even its text: How dare they send in women to do a man’s job! (They dared — and, in a further skewering of Hollywood formula, they even cast Chris Hemsworth as the office mimbo.)
That the result wasn’t a particularly memorable movie only seemed to further underscore one of its more infuriating lessons, namely that male mediocrity remains acceptable in American society in a way that female mediocrity is not. Less successful as cinema than as provocation, “Ghostbusters” may offer a more fitting metaphor for the present moment than anyone may have expected from a goofy supernatural comedy about four women just trying to get the job done: It’s a marker of progress, but some of us are ready for a milestone.
On Twitter: @JustinCChang
How the movies gave us Donald Trump
FOR BETTER OR WORSE, Donald Trump will become president sooner than you think and the question remains: How did it happen?
Pundits of all stripes have weighed in with speculation about possible reasons: the president-elect’s post-fact skills as a campaigner; FBI Director James Comey’s heavy thumb on the scale; “Manchurian Candidate"-type Russian interference; no-show Democratic voters who didn’t understand that elections are about transference of power and not expressions of “she’s just not right for me” personal preference.
I have a simpler explanation: Hollywood made us do it. Not the celebrities, not the executives, the movies themselves.
For it turns out that the election and the choices it offered voters fit snugly into models the movies have created, archetypes infused so deeply into our culture and our way of thinking that they shape how we view the world, influencing us even if we haven’t seen the films.
I don’t think it’s too much to say that the movies were key in creating the cultural forces that made voting for Donald Trump seem like a fine idea.
Hollywood movies and the dream-factory visions they create are so potent that they’ve influenced elections overseas. In 1989, when Poland held its most significant voting since World War II, the striving Solidarity party used a picture of Gary Cooper as Marshal Will Kane in “High Noon” with a ballot in his hand and the Solidarity logo on his vest as its central campaign image.
The result was a strong showing for the party and the beginning of the end for Poland’s dominant Communists. That movie-inspired poster, Solidarity leader Lech Walesa said, “has become the emblem of the battle we fought together.”
So it’s not much of a stretch to imagine the FBI’s Comey choosing to see himself in the Gary Cooper mold as he contemplated his course of action, a believer in duty and honor insistent on doing the right thing though everyone else in the small town that is Washington, D.C., abandons him.
Because whether we are aware of it or not, we often look to the movies to tell us who we are, to reinforce our actions and provide shortcuts that help us categorize and make sense of an increasingly complex world.
As far as understanding the mood of the voters headed to election day, look no further than Peter Finch’s fed-up newscaster Howard Beale in Paddy Chayefsky and Sidney Lumet’s prescient 1976 “Network,” encouraging everyone to open their windows and scream, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”
So who were voters in this unhappy mood going to select? On the one hand there was Hillary Clinton, immediately recognizable in Hollywood terms as the nerdy girl, the butt of innumerable jokes, the smart person no one likes who can’t get the respect she deserves.
One example out of many here is Alexander Payne’s “Election” and its prototypical overachiever Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon), a capable student so disliked that a teacher (Matthew Broderick standing in for WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange?) is willing to go to any lengths to derail her.
We often look to the movies to tell us who we are, to reinforce our actions.
On the other hand, Donald Trump’s campaigning skills allowed him to pose, against all reason, as Jimmy Stewart’s crusading Jefferson Smith in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” the hero who stands up against the system, who dares to speak out when others are silent, battling special interests to his last breath. The image was so seductive, and made voting for Trump emotionally appealing in a way Clinton’s candidacy never managed, that a lot of voters felt no need to look any deeper.
One of the 2016 campaign’s most perplexing questions, why revelations of Trump being caught on tape making the crudest possible sexist remarks about women, something that would have killed his candidacy in campaigns past, ultimately made so little difference. Again, the movies have to shoulder part of the blame.
For from “Knocked Up” through “Sausage Party,” we live in an age when Hollywood has been beyond eager to stoke the public’s endless appetite for raunchy comedies. Entire careers have been built out of this, in front of and behind the camera, and though it can be argued that Trump’s remarks took things to another level, the fact remains that those films, viewed as they have been by tens of millions of Americans, in effect normalized that kind of once-unthinkable language and gave people with a mind to excuse it leeway to do so.
If there is one thing that unites many of Trump’s voters it is a desire to “shake things up,” an understandable wish given the mess in Washington, but one that counts on the unspoken presumption, which history flatly and terrifyingly contradicts, that there is in effect a safety net under this country, that there is a limit to how bad things can get under any presidency, no matter how feckless. Viewed in that light, what’s the risk?
Hollywood has promoted this illogical protective idea throughout its history, insisting that this country’s citizens are the good guys, protected by John Wayne and the almighty and destined to always come out on top. The apocalypse, by definition, rains destruction only on other people.
It is not just American films that see things this way, all national cinemas do. You can even see examples in Germany’s World War II movies, in romances like 1942’s Zarah Leander-starring “The Great Love,” perhaps the most successful film of the Nazi era, which exuded brawny confidence that heroic Germans were destined to prevail against any and all enemies. It didn’t quite turn out that way, did it?
So how is all this going to play out in the next four years? What kind of ending will reality provide for a story Hollywood wrote? There’s no knowing for sure but once again, Hollywood provides the best clue, in this case in the person of Bette Davis as tempestuous actress Margo Channing in “All About Eve.”
“Fasten your seatbelts,” she famously said. “It’s going to be a bumpy night.”
On Twitter: @KennethTuran
Don’t be shocked by provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos’ book deal. It’s just business as usual for the publishing industry
LESS THAN 24 HOURS AFTER Milo Yiannopoulos’ upcoming book was announced, pre-orders for the controversial young conservative’s “Dangerous” propelled it to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list, knocking the recently deceased Carrie Fisher’s “Princess Diarist” down to No. 2.
“I think he has a much wider fan base than people realize,” said Tom Flannery, Yiannopoulos’ literary agent at AGI Vigliano. Reached by phone in Malibu, Flannery declined to confirm the deal’s dollar amount, but the Hollywood Reporter, which broke the news, reported that Yiannopoulos received $250,000 for the book.
Yiannopoulos, who is tech editor at Brietbart, is a provocateur whose language dovetails with the “alt-right,” although he disputes that classification. He has said “America has a Muslim problem,” called Black Lives Matter activists “extremists,” and suggested that women should stop going online so “I, Donald Trump and the rest of the alpha males will continue to dominate the Internet without feminist whining.”
He found his greatest mainstream fame when he was banned from Twitter following the harassment of “Ghostbusters” star Leslie Jones, who was deluged with sexist and racist tweets sparked in part by Yiannopoulos. Twitter didn’t specify the reason for the ban but noted that it had previously warned Yiannopoulos for violating its terms of service.
The fact that someone with extreme views considered offensive by many people got such a significant book advance shows how the publishing world reflects, and plays to, many of the divides in our culture. Few left-leaning readers realize that within mainstream publishing, conservative books are a booming business.
Conservative books sell at least as well as quote unquote liberal books.
Jim Milliot, Publishers Weekly
Threshold Editions, which will be publishing “Dangerous” in March, is a 10-year-old imprint dedicated to publishing conservative voices. Its peers include Sentinel, Crown Forum, and Broadside Books. Together, they publish a mix of polemics, memoir, reportage and even fiction.
Flannery approached these imprints specifically with Yiannopoulos’ book. “We didn’t go as wide as we normally would just because we understand the controversy Milo was going to bring to the table,” he says. “They all knew who Milo was — all the conservative imprints were interested in talking to him.”
Another thing they have in common is that they’re all imprints of one of the five major publishers: Threshold is part of Simon & Schuster; Sentinel and Crown Forum are part of Penguin Random House; Broadside is an imprint of HarperCollins. They typically do business in New York just like their fellows. Broadside founder Adam Bellow, a son of Nobel Prize-winning novelist Saul Bellow, described himself to the New York Times as “a conservative in a liberal industry.”
“Conservative books sell at least as well as quote unquote liberal books,” says Jim Milliot, editorial director of the trade journal Publishers Weekly. To make a space for conservative authors within the industry, major publishers created these imprints with targeted editorial direction. “It was a deliberate move by the publishers to say, ‘We’re going to sell these conservative books in this imprint,’” Milliot says.
But, he notes, “most people don’t buy a book by imprint.”
That proved to be the case when there was blowback over Yiannopoulos’ book deal. As quickly as his fans ordered his book from Amazon and showed their support for him on social media, his critics decried it. And in so doing, many overlooked Threshold Editions, his conservative imprint, and instead targeted parent company Simon & Schuster.
Comedian Sarah Silverman, who has 9.5 million Twitter followers, tweeted, “The guy has freedom of speech but to fund him & give him a platform tells me a LOT about @simonschuster YUCK AND BOO AND GROSS.” Mark Harris, author of the Hollywood history “Five Came Back,” an L.A. Times Book Prize finalist, tweeted, “Someone was going to give this … a pile of money. But @simonschuster, it didn’t have to be you.”
Members of the publishing industry, including writers and booksellers, circulated contact information for decisionmakers at Simon & Schuster privately and via Facebook for those wanting to speak out against the publication of “Dangerous.” The Chicago Review of Books, an independent online outlet, announced that it would not review any Simon & Schuster books in 2017. Instead, that space — about 15 reviews — “will be reserved for small and independent presses,” says editor Adam Morgan.
The right to free speech is different from the right to a $250,000 megaphone.
Adam Morgan, Chicago Review of Books
“From a purely financial standpoint, Simon & Schuster was smart to capitalize on an extremely popular figure,” Morgan told The Times by email. “But from an ethical standpoint, I don’t know how Simon & Schuster editors will sleep at night knowing they normalized hate speech for profit.”
This is an essential tension with the outcry over Yiannopoulos’ deal. Publishing has long made it a practice to stand up for free speech, going to court to battle for books that were banned or deemed obscene, including James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” “Tropic of Cancer” by Henry Miller and Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl.”
Should Yiannopoulos’ right to free expression be defended equally? Or does what he write in “Dangerous” cross the line from controversial statements into hate speech? Threshold Editions declined to provide a preview of the book, although this is a common practice, so it’s impossible to say.
Simon & Schuster is standing by the book and asked protesters to “withhold judgement.” In a statement to the Associated Press, the publisher noted, “We have always published books by a wide range of authors with greatly varying, and frequently controversial opinions.”
That’s not entirely the case. In 1990, Simon & Schuster responded to media protests three months before the publication of Bret Easton Ellis’ “American Psycho” by dropping the book. (The novel was later published by Vintage.)
Those who have objected to Yiannopoulos deal pointed to the size of his advance. “The right to free speech is different from the right to a $250,000 megaphone,” notes Morgan of the Chicago Review.
It is a sizable amount for an unproven author. By contrast, writer Sloane Crosley got just $25,000 for her first book, the essay collection “I Was Told There’d Be Cake,” which became a bestseller.
For Threshold to make its money back — to turn a profit on the deal — the publisher would have to sell 50,000 to 100,000 books, insiders estimate. That’s a lot of books, about as many sales as have been clocked by the new oral history of “The Daily Show” and of Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Chabon’s 2016 novel “Moonglow.”
Flannery is confident the book will connect with readers. “I think that Milo really holds a mirror up to what’s happening in America,” he says.
On Twitter, Buzzfeed culture editor Saeed Jones speculated that the Yiannopoulos deal may actually be reflecting biases within publishing itself: “The publishing industry as of this year is 79% white. Being racist is quite profitable.”
It’s possible that both are true. And whether publishing is or isn’t in the business of defending free speech, it is in the business of selling books. As Milliot says of Yiannopoulos, “They wouldn’t have signed him if they didn’t want to sell him.”
Cuba had been unplugged from American culture for generations. What happens now?
CUBA’S ROBERTO GOMEZ HAD a single night free on his first trip to San Francisco, part of a short performance visit in his role as lead guitarist for singer-songwriter Carlos Varela, often referred to as “The Bob Dylan of Cuba,” and “The Poet of Havana.”
Gomez might have chosen to head to any number of clubs, restaurants or other social gathering places in one of the most vibrant and culturally rich cities in the U.S.
Instead, foremost on his mind immediately after the Varela concert performance was his search for a power cord to his laptop computer.
“I just want to go back to my hotel,” Gomez said, “and watch all the music videos we cannot see at home.”
It’s a common cry from Cuban musicians in particular, and artists in general. State-controlled media in the socialist country is heavily censored, and access to the Internet has only begun, leaving Cubans often feeling isolated from the cultural conversations going on in their culture-dominating neighbor to the north.
Indeed, one of the most prized commodities among Cubans is “El Paquete” — The Package, typically a 500-gigabyte memory stick containing downloaded American music, movies and television programs secreted into the country from the U.S. by relatives, friends or cunning entrepreneurs.
Consider it a contemporary expression of the cultural grapevine that has long kept Cuban musicians apprised of what their peers elsewhere in the world are doing.
Cuba’s artists and musicians take pride in forging a cultural scene outside of the direct influence of Hollywood and the kind of hit-making pull that has led countries such as France to impose quotas on American movies and music. But there is still a strong desire for artists and musicians to interact with their counterparts in the U.S. and around the world.
“I come from a generation of musicians that grew up with no access to the Internet whatsoever,” said trumpeter Yelfris Valdés, who left Cuba in 2014 to work in London, where he has played with various world-beat groups as well as his own Dub Afro Electric Jazz ensemble. “Although when I started to learn about jazz music at school, I was fully aware of what was happening with the composers [and] arrangers from around the world.
“Fellow musicians who were already traveling would feed to the rest of us what was going on in the industry,” Valdés said. “Thanks to that information I received as a student, I am now producing a more complex type of music. The more styles of music I can have access to, the richer my own music becomes.”
Which means, despite the stereotype created by the large number of pre-Cuban revolution American cars commonly found in Havana and other cities, Cuban music is hardly stuck in the 1950s.
Along with the traditional son and salsa music that thrives in clubs and theaters around the country, it’s possible these days to find Cuban hip-hop and R&B acts serving up their equivalent to the latest videos by American trend-setters such as Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé or Rihanna.
But it’s a relatively recent development, and Cubans still don’t have ready access to the actual videos, much less live music, from Western pop stars. The Cuban government has a strict filter on media coming into the country.
That is compounded by the political, economic and cultural embargo imposed by the U.S. on Cuba almost 60 years ago, established following Fidel Castro’s history-shifting revolution on Jan. 1, 1959.
Easing of some elements of the embargo under President Obama’s administration has allowed great opportunity for Cuban musicians to visit the U.S. and perform here. Cuba and its music, for instance, will be the focal point internationally at the 2017 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
But many musicians and artists who have welcomed improved relations with the U.S. expressed uncertainty and concern about whether President-elect Donald Trump is more likely to continue opening travel and commerce opportunities or return to more restrictive policies.
As the decades have rolled by, musicians, especially the younger generations, have often struggled to work with their American counterparts, to perform and promote their music to U.S. audiences and to be actively engaged with the most lucrative music market in the world.
“Youth is characterized by the desire to explore and know,” said singer, guitarist, percussionist and educator Jesus Bello. “Most of the young musicians wish to work abroad not only to obtain better pay for their work, but for the exchange with other musicians.”
The reverse is equally true: Americans and other musicians outside Cuba are frequently compelled to visit to learn more about the country’s music and musicians.
“It’s a great, rich place of music— there are so many styles,” Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger said following his band’s first performance in Cuba in March, a free show that drew a massive crowd estimated at 500,000 to 600,000 people. “I have no pretense of understanding where it’s all coming from. Music historians must love it, because there is so much richness in one fairly small place.”
A major step toward bringing Cuban music to the outside world came in 1997, when American roots musicians Ry Cooder and British producer Nick Gold visited Havana. They spearheaded the Buena Vista Social Club project, a recording and companion documentary (by German filmmaker Wim Wenders) that spotlighted a coterie of veteran Cuban musicians performing the infectious music that’s lived and breathed within the country, but was previously little exposed in the U.S.
“There’s a world of music down there,” said singer-songwriter Jackson Browne, who recently led a contingent of international oceanographic scientists to Cuba to study the relatively pristine ocean around the island. During that trip, he arranged for them to be exposed to the music of Varela, for whom Browne has become something of a cheerleader in the U.S., along with other Varela admirers among the rock music community including Dave Matthews and Bonnie Raitt.
“We’re isolated from Cuba, rather than Cuba being isolated from the world,” Browne told The Times recently. “We are the ones that have isolated ourselves from this incredibly rich musical culture. For all of the attempts at isolation, Cuban music has still had an incredible influence in the U.S. It’s influenced jazz, it’s influenced a lot of our music over the years. But we don’t know the most contemporary stuff” because of the embargo.
Bello agrees that the embargo has resulted in misconceptions and ignorance among Americans about the deep well of Cuban music.
“Silence and isolation between our ways of life have made many [American] people imagine Cuba in a very different way than it is,” Bello said, a situation that increased travel opportunities has begun to change. “I think it is very good for people to see the different ways and musical programs we have in Cuba, from the academies and the theaters to the most authentic manifestations that have been transmitted orally from generation to generation, such as peasant music, rumba and the tunes of African saints, changüí, nengón, parrandas, etc.”
One of the more dramatic results of the recent easing of relations is the April release of “Papa Hemingway in Cuba,” the first major Hollywood film to be shot in Cuba since before the revolution.
Cuban music purveyors as well as rank-and-file fans also point to the watershed moment in March when the Stones performed, although non-Cubans who attended that show noted that most in the audience seemed familiar with the group only in the most general way, and sang along en masse only with one song: “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
“Just 3½ years ago things were totally different,” said Nancy Covey, who booked concerts at McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and now runs a music-focused tour company. “The first time I went, I didn’t have any communication with the outside world; they didn’t either and they were desperate to know what was going on in the States.
“It used to be that all they had [in terms of American recordings] was really old, battered vinyl you’d find at flea markets,” she said. “It reminded me a lot of the old Soviet Union. Even in the last year it has changed so much — they’re starting to get iPhones and have access to the Internet.
“I can’t imagine that the influx of American music and culture is not going to be a huge game changer,” she said. “They’re hungry for it, and here it comes — but they don’t get that they might lose a whole lot of what they have.”
That crystallizes a fear expressed often in Cuba: that a full lifting of the embargo, should it occur, may unleash what Cuban architectural historian Miguel Coyula called “a tsunami” of cultural and economic changes that could overwhelm his country.
“The government here is reactive, not proactive,” Coyula told an American visitor in November. “They will wait until it happens and then try to figure out how to respond.”
Cuban musicians say their motives for coming to the U.S. are closely scrutinized by both governments because of fears on both sides that once here, they would try to remain.
Bello, who lives in Santa Clara, about 170 miles east of Havana, is planning a U.S. visit in the spring to work with a group of musicians in New Jersey interested in learning more about the traditional Cuban music styles in which he is fluent.
But he faces challenges, not only in receiving travel visas for himself and others he wants to bring along, but also in arranging funding for the trip and securing venues for stateside performances that could help offset the prohibitive costs of travel and accommodations in the U.S.
“In general, few people come to Cuba wanting to know about our work,” Bello said recently. “It is important for us and for those who don’t know Cuba. I am looking forward to the possibility to share my work [in the U.S.]. Even after the roads that were opened by the Buena Vista Social Club, it is still not anything easy.”
Bello faces the double-edged struggle of passing on Cuban music traditions to younger players, many of whom would rather leave Cuba and try to pursue careers in the U.S., Europe or elsewhere.
Cuban universities still focus on training musicians in European-rooted classical traditions, and Bello is pushing to get Cuban academics to acknowledge and accept traditional Cuban music performance as part of the curriculum at the university level.
His son, Jose Manuel Bello, has been brought up with the traditional son and has formed a band consisting of other players in their early 20s, helping fulfill his father’s wish to keep the traditions strong with Cuban youth.
“I always stress to the young people with whom I work that the path within the music Is infinite,” Bello said. “Each one must find the course that best suits him and exploit his talent as much as the opportunities and his talent will allow it.”
Along that line, Varela band guitarist Gomez noted that he’d been well-trained in classical guitar techniques in his years at Cuban universities. But he had to seek out and study with a private teacher to learn the nuances of the rock guitarists he wanted to emulate, players including British musician Richard Thompson, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler — a different vocabulary he brings to bear in working with Varela.
American drummer Michael Jerome, a member of Thompson’s band, visited Cuba in 2013 and soaked up what he could of the distinctive rhythms of Cuban music, even arranging for individual lessons with Cuban percussionists while he was there. He takes a largely positive outlook at the prospect of cultural walls coming down between the U.S. and Cuba.
“I do think Cubans will appreciate more access to American music and we’ll see a lot more evidence of that influence reflected in the coming years,” he said. “I don’t think Cubans will lose any uniqueness or identity. If anything it will be strengthen by the fear of losing it, and/or the love and uniqueness of sharing it. It’s like nothing else and is desired because of it.”
LGBT characters now permeate some of Hollywood’s best work. But the community is bracing for backlash
THE YEAR 2016 WAS PERHAPS the strongest yet for Hollywood depictions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. They’re not just comic relief anymore.
Consider Rutina Wesley’s bisexual Nova on OWN’s “Queen Sugar,” Erica Ash’s lesbian M-Chuck on Starz’s LeBron James-produced “Survivor’s Remorse,” the transgender fashion models of Oxygen’s reality show “Strut,” and the boy-to-man protagonist Chiron, who grapples with his sexuality in Barry Jenkins’ Golden Globe-nominated “Moonlight.” These are just a few of the LGBT characters populating some of the best films and TV shows Hollywood has to offer.
But producer, writer and director Patrik-Ian Polk, one of many LGBT people in the industry, is uncertain how the administration of President-elect Donald Trump will affect Hollywood and the recent increase in more varied representations of — and opportunities for — the LGBT community.
“Sometimes in the wake of great progress comes great backlash,” Polk says.
With Inauguration Day coming ever closer, a mantra has risen from the private conversations of LGBT Hollywood: “Keep pushing.”
“Hollywood has been talking the talk really well lately about diversity and inclusion,” says Polk, who is known for creating the groundbreaking LGBT series “Noah’s Arc” on the Logo TV network and is now a writer on BET’s “Being Mary Jane,” starring Gabrielle Union. “We see all of these gains, but we can’t get complacent. There’s a certain amount of snapback we’re experiencing right now. I think the response to the snapback has to be even stronger.”
We’re not going back to ‘Leave It to Beaver’ because Donald Trump is in the White House.
Patrik-Ian Polk, producer, writer and director
Despite Trump saying he would be “better for the gay community” than Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign, many in Hollywood’s LGBT community worry that Vice President-elect Mike Pence has a history of anti-gay positions, including signing the much-derided (and later amended) bill that many experts said would have given businesses the legal right to discriminate against LGBT customers. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, put forward by Trump to join the president-elect’s Cabinet as U.N. ambassador, also opposes marriage equality. Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s pick for attorney general, voted against expanding hate crimes prevention legislation for LGBT people (signed into law by President Obama in 2009). And Ben Carson, housing and urban development secretary nominee, once compared homosexuality to bestiality and incest.
Writer-activist Michelangelo Signorile expressed the feelings of many in the LGBT community when he wrote of the “potentially devastating” consequences of the new administration in a Boston Globe op-ed titled “Trump’s Cabinet: A Who’s Who of Homophobia.”
Concerns that the world of politics might interfere with that of Tinseltown aren’t rooted in an unspeakable fear of the unknown, but in historical moments. The McCarthy era gave rise to the Hollywood blacklist, denying employment to industry professionals because they were, or were accused of being, communist sympathizers. Throughout the late 1940s and the 1950s, hundreds of primarily screenwriters, but also actors, directors and producers, were deemed “un-American” and found themselves jobless — a move supported institutionally by industry executives, the Motion Picture Assn. of America and the Screen Actors Guild.
Most in Hollywood think that the idea of a new blacklist is far-fetched, but some are suggesting vigilance.
“We’re going to be looking to our superiors to defend our right to tell our stories,” says Zackary Drucker, a producer on Amazon’s “Transparent” who is transgender.
“I think the work we’re doing will be more important than ever, and we have to do it with higher volume and greater presence,” she says. “We must be unwavering in our conviction to tell our stories.”
Trump’s election has already begun to have its effect on pop culture. A few weeks after the votes were counted, ABC Entertainment Group President Channing Dungey told an industry summit in London that she felt the network hasn’t “paid enough attention to some of the true realities of what life is like for everyday Americans in our dramas.” Some read her statement as a potential signal that the network, whose Shondaland series have led the way in recent years for television diversity, might be rethinking its inclusion efforts. But in a phone interview with The Times, Dungey clarifies her words.
“There is a vast group of Americans who don’t necessarily feel like their voices have been heard or that they have been represented,” she says, noting that the network has already “spent a lot of time thinking of diversity and inclusion” through the lenses of race and ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation. “The one area we have not spent a lot of time thinking about it is from an economic perspective.”
And though the term “everyday Americans,” like “working class,” has most recently been used to describe a section of the population that might oppose the very diversity ABC has presented in its shows, Dungey says she “was referring to people who are working hard to make ends meet,” like those clipping coupons to save money. She believes the network can do a better job to represent those voices, particularly in its drama series. But she insists that this in no way means a regression is on the horizon.
“The whole point here is not for us to change what we have been doing but to be a little bit broader in our definition and really look at economic difference in a way we haven’t done so recently,” she says.
One show that demonstrates the network’s commitment to diversity, and particularly that of LGBT voices, is the miniseries “When We Rise.” From Oscar-winning writer Dustin Lance Black, the show’s seven episodes retell the gay rights movement in the United States, beginning with the 1969 Stonewall Riots. It’s a story never more important than now, says Black, who is gay.
“I would give anything in the world for it to be less topical,” he says, “but, unfortunately, not just in the United States, but around the world, we’re experiencing a moment of backlash to diversity.”
That backlash has shown itself in the comments online about the “When We Rise” trailer released in November. Alexandra Grey, a transgender actress in two of the series’ episodes, has seen her fair share of anti-LGBT criticism, but now the antagonism is worse, she says.
“They’re getting more vocal about what they really don’t like when we should be talking about equality and pushing further to have more LGBT people’s stories told,” she says. “I think the election is bringing out people’s true colors more. They feel like it’s OK.”
Still, Black hopes the show will “serve as inspiration to this generation of activists and artists to fight back” against such sentiment.
And fight back is exactly what LGBT Hollywood will do, Drucker says, “creating culture as a counterpoint to an undertow of conservatism, which when you distill it is a rejection of modernism, of us and the momentum we’ve gained.”
“We have a responsibility to create our democracy and the culture we want to live in,” she adds. “We can’t relinquish our rights before they’re taken away.”
The resounding belief is that the historic progress the community has seen in recent years cannot be reversed. “You can’t put the genie back in the bottle,” Polk says.
“If anything, we need to push that envelope even further and let these people know that it is not a game,” he says. “Because what Hollywood does best when it’s doing its best is reflect real-life situations, and real-life situations are messy, feature LGBT people and people having abortions.”
He adds: “We’re not going back to ‘Leave It to Beaver’ because Donald Trump is in the White House.”
Tina Mabry, writer-director of “Mississippi Damned” and “Queen Sugar,” says she is committed as a lesbian “now more than ever to do work that explores people like me.” To others, she says: “You cannot go back into fear.”
“Now is your Stonewall moment.”
At last, ‘This Is Us’ captures the simmering rage of a successful black man in white America
WHEN DONALD TRUMP WON the 2016 presidential election, the responses — especially from those who voted for Hillary Clinton, double-especially from those white men who voted Democrat — ran the gamut, from shock to awe to fear before landing, eventually, on anger.
They began railing about injustice to anyone who would listen. “How could this happen? How could forces unseen [to them] and unfelt [again, to them] result in such catastrophe?”
Occasionally, those flummoxed white men would turn to a black friend and say, “Do you believe this?”
At which point the black friend, if they were feeling particularly honest, would say, “Welcome.”
Welcome to the nebulous emotional state that is simultaneously helpless and furious. Welcome to feeling the vast sociopolitical forces arrayed against you while still possessing the desire to just make it through the day. That world-weariness was the source of a skit from the first post-election episode of “Saturday Night Live,” in which host Dave Chappelle and special guest Chris Rock were tickled by the white outrage at Trump’s victory.
But that simmering rage, too long the nagging ache from shouldering the tonnage of the black experience, has never been fully painted on American TV screens until Sterling K. Brown’s Randall Pearson on NBC’s “This Is Us.”
Randall, abandoned by his father at a firehouse, is adopted by a white couple after one of their triplets doesn’t survive childbirth. He grows up to become an upwardly mobile black man working and living in the kind of New York suburb where you imagine all the houses have manicured vines growing on them. He’s got a black wife and black children and he wears a suit to work and has a corner office where he trades on the futures market. (I think — there was an entire episode about how no one knows exactly what he does or how he does it.)
In those ways he is no different from other black professionals we’ve seen on screen since “The Cosby Show” debuted in 1984. He’s Blair Underwood’s Jonathan Rollins from “L.A. Law” in 1987. He’s James Avery’s Uncle Phil from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
Except Randall is angry. Foundationally angry. Angry at the hundreds of micro-aggressions a successful black man navigating a predominantly white world has to absorb on a daily basis.
And for the first time, on television, we are registering the weight of that anger. Because Brown, with a wounded righteousness, shows it to us.
“Because I grew up in a white house you think I don’t live in a black man’s world,” Brown’s Randall says to his father, William (played by the hauntingly evocative Ron Cephas Jones), while they shop in a high-end clothes store. “The one where that salesman there has been eyeballing us ever since we came in here. Or where that security guard has moved just a little off his mark so he can keep us in his sight. And where they’ll definitely ask for an ID with my credit card when I go to pay, even though they haven’t asked for anybody else’s. Plus a million things every day that I have to choose to let go. Just so I’m not pissed off all the time. Like I did on the street this morning. Like I have done every day of my life.”
Unlike Sherman Hemsley’s George Jefferson, whose righteous anger was played for laughs; or every “angry black man” who pops up in a doctor-lawyer-cop drama simply to be the thing that needs fixing by the show’s hero squad; or even Laurence Fishburne’s well-meaning, often-drunk grandfather on “black-ish,” who registers the scars of a life whose edges weren’t defined by him — Randall is a time bomb who regularly resets himself by swallowing his rage.
That he doesn’t explode is a miracle of the everyday variety.
(It’s worth noting that August Wilson’s “Fences,” currently in theaters in a production directed by and starring Denzel Washington, also paints a picture of black rage, but there its source is progress passing one by — a dream long past being deferred.)
The presidential election showed us a great number of things, but none more illuminating than the idea that America is “one nation, under God” is nothing more than an idea for many. A myth. A story told to children to help cement the dream of a better tomorrow and a world that wanted them — all of them — in it.
The election showed us that there was another America — an America that responded to Trump’s stump speeches and campaign promises of an America that could only be great if “we” began registering, isolating and walling off those things “we” didn’t like. An America that preferred “alt-right” to “white nationalist” and even if they didn’t answer the door when the KKK came hawking their affiliation, they maybe didn’t throw away the literature, either.
It was an America that seemed — if one uses the meteoric rise in hate crimes after Nov. 8 as a barometer — to equate “political correctness” with “empathy.”
What makes “This Is Us” such a remarkable achievement is that it’s a show that wades into this America with this portrayal of black masculinity. More than that, it’s not a streaming show (like the routinely challenging “Transparent”) or a prestige cable outing (like carnally adventurous “Masters of Sex”). It’s a broadcast drama. It, by definition, has to appeal to a broad audience. And it does.
“This Is Us” is the story of the 2016-17 TV season. With its time-shifting, tear-jerking narratives that deal not only with race but with body image, fame and family loyalty and betrayals, the series is an unmitigated hit. It is not simply playing to the “coastal elites” — “This Is Us” is playing to everyone, everywhere. And some of that everyone are people who insist that all lives matter.
Maybe they are showing up to “This Is Us” for the vapidity of Kevin Pearson (Justin Hartley) or the monomania of Kate Pearson (Chrissy Metz) — Randall’s adopted siblings. Maybe they’re tuning in because they love the handlebar mustaches of the flashback-to-the-1970s story lines.
Doesn’t matter. Because what they are getting is an exploration of barely contained fury. They are getting a tutorial in what it’s like to be the target of the slings and arrows of genetic whimsy — the at-once bad luck and glorious burden of being born black and brilliant in white America.
For the first time, we are seeing the struggle of the assimilated man.
The enduring fight to not succumb to a death of a thousand high-fives.
The notion of a liberal agenda in Hollywood is absurd
THERE WAS A LOT OF SOUL-SEARCHING in the weeks following Donald Trump’s election, especially among those who fill our various screens with news and entertainment.
Accusations of elitism and bias among the news media quickly spilled over to Hollywood.
Long considered a bastion of pathological progressiveness and wanton liberalism (Remember the blacklist? The one not starring James Spader?), film and television were accused of obsessing too much about things like transgender rights and how many black actors got Oscar nominations and not enough worrying about the concerns of “real Americans”: Rust Belt unemployment, devotion to guns, fear of porous borders, disillusionment with government, feelings of personal alienation and a general sense of a world run amok.
How, many wondered, could the creators and arbiters of popular culture have been so out of step with the viewers and moviegoers they serve?
The answer is they weren’t and aren’t. Because there is no notion more thoroughly absurd than that of Hollywood’s liberal agenda.
The real elitism of film and television — we like to watch people who seem richer than they should be.
Although many members of the entertainment industry espouse, often publicly, a left-leaning political slant, Hollywood is still dominated by white men who prefer to make movies and television shows that revolve around other white men — men beset by feelings of alienation, who often wield guns, who fight (or represent) corrupt government, and generally attempt to survive and/or save a world run amok.
Across galaxies, through the centuries, in every genre imaginable.
For every film that does not revolve around such a lead character, there are 78 others that do, just as for every series that features a transgender character, there are 8,000 that do not.
In representing the actual demographics of “real” America, television has done a slightly better job than film. But it’s still a mostly white, mostly male, mostly straight world fighting forces that range from the daily stress of family life to armed rebellion against encroachment by aliens, zombies and fascists both historical and imaginary.
Hollywood is still dominated by white men who prefer to make movies and television shows that revolve around other white men.
As for being pathologically progressive, well, nostalgia hasn’t been this big a seller since “The Wonder Years.” The big screen is littered with franchises of years past, while on television, the success of “Mad Men” and “Downton Abbey” sparked an arms race of time machines — back, back we went like companions in “Doctor Who,” checking in with the Vikings, the Wars of the Roses, George Washington’s spies, the Tudors, the Windsors, the ’60s, the ’70s, even, god help us, the ’80s. In every era, the oppression of certain groups — nonwhites, women, gays and lesbians — was duly noted but really not the point.
The point was the pleasure of revisiting who we once were, presumably before things got crazy, and watching how change, whether it’s the invention of the compass or desegregation, always freaks everyone out.
That, and all the groovy stuff.
So anyone who argues that, with the exception of “Duck Dynasty,” the creators of film and television have ignored the declared interests of Trump supporters has clearly not been watching.
Just for the record, the good folks of “Duck Dynasty” were one-percenters even before the show got made.
And that is the real elitism of film and television — we mostly like to watch people who seem richer than they should be.
Being as American as an invention can be, Hollywood doesn’t like to deal with class, except in stories about the British. America likes to pretend it is a classless yet perpetually upwardly mobile society — look, Ma, no aristocracy! Just a bunch of educated landowners! And Hollywood is happy to help, from both sides of the fence. Billions are harvested from so-called populist entertainment and celebrity is the local version of royalty.
But entertainment has always been a class issue because it always costs money, the kind known as “discretionary.” Folks with no discretionary income must entertain themselves; the rest of us pay.
Not always that much — just as Shakespeare’s Globe had the groundlings, early American cinema had the peanut gallery, where folks who were unable to afford the theater could immerse themselves in other worlds brought to flickering life. Cowboys and gangsters and society dames, cops and robbers and Charlie Chaplin, all immediately accessible in the ultimate democracy of black and white.
Radio, meanwhile, had put a tireless storyteller into every living room, and it was only a matter of time before the two art forms begat a third: television, which both symbolized, and further messed with, America’s complicated relationship with wealth and poverty and all the demographics in between.
Movies were for the masses, but television, at least in the beginning, was for the chosen few. Like indoor plumbing, electric lighting and the automobile, the television became an instant, and ongoing, symbol of class ascendance. Families that could afford a television, and all its subsequent iterations, inspired the envy of their neighbors; the windows of appliance stores drew crowds.
The set and increasingly what appeared on its screen were windows on a world of aspiration.
Because as TVs became more ubiquitous, the programming, and the advertising that supported it, grew more upscale — to attract the moneyed audience, yes, but also to support the general post-war mythology of suburban serenity. On “The Honeymooners” and “I Love Lucy,” couples still lived in tiny apartments and bickered about who spent what. But at the Cleaver house, mother June did housework in pearls and heels. And Donna Reed figured out how to fire her housekeeper.
Even more than film, television mirrored America’s fickle relationship with its own economics, which swung repeatedly between reality and desire. Norman Lear grounded us with the limitations of education, race and single motherhood; writers like Earl Hamner with “The Waltons” and Jason Katims with “Friday Night Lights” reminded us that not everyone lived in a city; shows like “Taxi” and “Laverne and Shirley” organized their days around work rather than hijinks.
But increasingly, the dance with poverty or unemployment that kept even “Bewitched’s” Samantha Stevens on her toes when the boss was due for dinner gave way to a warmer and hazier notion of work, and money, as either a calling (all those doctor and cop shows) or simply wallpaper. “Thirtysomething” took a lot of flak for the touchy-feely adulthood experienced by its cast, but in the years since, pretty much everyone who is not a detective, surgeon or lawyer is a college-educated professional who works only when it’s narratively convenient.
Stories that could have been about class injustice — “Breaking Bad,” “Shameless,” “Nurse Jackie” — were instead about other, more personal things. “Modern Family” became a critical hit despite being so un-modern that, in early seasons, each wing of the family had a single (male) breadwinner, and even “The Middle,” which is one of the few series in which the characters are truly working class, keeps everyone healthy and satisfied, albeit ruefully, with their lot in life.
Meanwhile, the business model of both TV and film redefined the term populist. At cineplexes renovated to resemble home theaters and keep “communal” to a minimum, there are no cheap seats; taking a family of four to the movies can cost $60, and that’s with no popcorn or drinks,
The cost of television, meanwhile, doesn’t stop with the set, available in an ever-widening array of sizes, rays and definitions; now cable bundles and streaming services are part of the monthly cost of living, for those who can afford them.
It’s no wonder film and television shy away from directly addressing class. Who wants to think too much about money when they’re sipping on an $8 soda? Or trying to get through the DVR queue they pay $150 a month for and can never seem to watch?
In this world it makes some sort of sense to consider Hollywood elitist, just as it makes some sort of sense to consider the millionaires of “Duck Dynasty” “real folk” and a billionaire reality host the presidential candidate for real people.
But that’s got nothing to do with liberalism, conservatives or politics of any variety. That’s just the good old magic of Hollywood.
On Twitter: @marymacTV
John Scalzi’s 10-point plan for getting creative work done in the age of Trump
IT’S NOT A GREAT SECRET that Donald Trump and his incoming administration are not hugely beloved by America’s creative class — the difficulty Trump is having in finding performers for his inauguration is only the most obvious manifestation of this. What’s probably less known is that Trump election put a number of creative people into mental tailspin. Not only for the fact of his election, but for what his policies mean for creatives: The possible disappearance of the Affordable Care Act, through which many creative people were able to secure health insurance, is just the tip of the iceberg for many.
People who don’t make their living through creative endeavors often suppose turbulent times make for great art, but the truth is that for many artists, being worried or anxious or depressed steals away the ability to create. The new reality of Trump’s America means a lot of creatives have to readjust — find a new balance to get back to creating.
How to do that, if you are creative person knocked for a loop by the election? Here are some of the things I’ve done, and that other writers and creatives are telling me they are doing.
1. Acknowledge it’s bad, and other facts of life. There’s no avoiding it: On Jan. 20, there’s an administration coming into office that fills a lot of creative people with despair. If you’re one of those people, don’t run from that fact or try to shove it down to some part of your brain where you don’t have to think about it, because denial won’t change the fact.
At the same time, recognize that no matter who is in power, you still have work and create, and, especially if your creative work is some significant part of your income, you have to get on with it to eat and pay bills and pamper your pets. It’s all right to acknowledge that day-to-day life exists, even in the face of existential crisis. Indeed, if you’re taking care of your day-to-day, you’re usually in a better position to deal with everything else.
2. Figure out your bandwidth. Some people can engage in the world, including social media, and all its bad news, and still get their work done. Some people need to remove themselves almost completely. Most creative people live somewhere in between. Ask yourself how much space your brain needs for creative work, and how much distance it needs from the outside world to do it. Don’t rationalize it or try to compensate for it; err on the side of you. If reading the news and your friends’ posts on Facebook and Twitter makes it hard for you to give brain cycles to your creative side, face it, acknowledge it and plan accordingly. And don’t feel bad about it.
3. Disconnect (temporarily). Especially now, it might be useful for a “hard reset”: taking a week (or two! Or more!) away from most news and social media in order to give your brain the equivalent of a few deep, cleansing breaths and the ability to switch focus away from the outside world and back into your internal creative life.
It’s often hard to do this — social media in particular is specifically designed to make you feel like if you’re not constantly attached to it then you’re missing something important. But here’s the thing: Even if it were true (which it usually is not), there are millions of other people out there to deal with it while you take a week off from the world to get your head right. Let them.
4. Create creative space daily. When I’m writing a novel, I find that my best creative time is the first thing in the morning. My brain is fresher, I feel more inventive, and my brain is not cluttered up with the news of the day. So I get up and get to the day’s writing work, and get to my daily quota (which for me is 2,000 words, or four hours of writing, whichever comes first) before going on the Internet, checking my email and social media accounts, or diving into news sites.
When are you most creative? Find that time and then create (and guard) that time in your daily routine. Disconnect the phone, turn off the TV, disconnect the Internet and dive in to your work.
5. Reconnect (judiciously). When you go back to the news of the world, and to social media, it’s perfectly all right to ask yourself: Is this making me happy? Is it giving me useful information? Is it inspiring me to engage in the world or does it make me want to run from it?
If it’s not helping you, let it go. Unfollow that Facebook friend passing along fake news, and block those fake news sites outright. Mute that person on Twitter who is apparently always angry. Evaluate the news sources you read and keep the ones that offer news accurately and truthfully (spin is spin, even if it’s spin you like). Design your media intake to be useful, truthful and less stressful.
6. Do other things that make you happy. News and social media expand to fill the space you allot to them. Last year, I realized I was spending so much time watching my friends freak out on Twitter and Facebook that I read fewer books and spent less time with my other hobbies. This year, I’m intentionally carving out space to read, to play music, and to enjoy the movies and TV shows I haven’t caught up on. Likewise:
7. Connect with friends and community. The weekend after the election, when I and most creative people I knew felt especially low, I went to a wedding of friends, with other friends in attendance. For those several hours we laughed and joked and enjoyed life and remembered that even in dispiriting times, when it’s easy to curl up into a defensive ball or to shut people out, your friends and community will do a lot to see you through. They will inspire you creative. They will plan with you politically. And they don’t mind your goofy dance moves (or if they do, they’ll let it slide anyway).
8. Give help when you can. Many creative folks have made protesting and resisting a priority for the new year. But you find you don’t have the time or mental bandwidth to engage with the world and still be creative, there are still things you can do to protest and to help others. Among the simplest: Give money to organizations that are looking out for the people most at risk under the new administration. Do likewise for people you know in need. We’re in an era where “pay it forward” is an especially evocative phrase.
9. Get help if you need it. Everything above is a coping mechanism designed to help you stay creative and engaged in a challenging time. But you know what? Sometimes articles with lists aren’t enough. Sometimes depression and anxiety don’t go away with helpful tips. There’s no shame in acknowledging depression and anxiety as real things that benefit from treatment. And in many cases, treating them can clear a path to becoming creative again. Get help; it’ll help.
10. Remember: Your work matters. There are people who rationalize that the next few years will be great for art, in the way that Margaret Thatcher’s rule was great for music in the UK in the ’80s. I don’t think much of that argument — there’s always great art, in every political climate — but I do think it’s true that people will need art and the creative people who make it. Your work will matter to someone; it will help them get through. But only if you make it in the first place. Take care of yourself, then get to work.
John Scalzi, a Los Angeles Times critic at large, is a Hugo award-winning novelist. |
Series of Fun Facts: Part lll
It was snowing this morning! Did you see that? Outside everything is dedicated to Christmas – the lights, the shops, the markets and now even a little bit of snow. So I decided not to do anything related to Christmas, but pull together fun stuff that is going on in the World Wide Web.
This time I wanted to look at the things that are really popular at the moment in the Twitter environment, when people are trying to have fun:
- 9GAG is a comedy website set in Hong Kong and hosted in the United Stated. It launched in 2008 and currently is very popular amongst people. A lot of people are sharing the images they find in 9GAG via Twitter. The site is best known for recurring use of internet memes. It is among the 500 most visited websites ranking 468 place globally. According to alexa.com the sites users tend to be under the age of 35 and they tend to be childless. Visitors to this site spend approximately 64 seconds on each pageview and a total of 13 minutes on the site during each visit. I must admit it is pretty addictive sometimes.
- What internet memes do you pass over? I personally use hashtags at the moment, although I’m keeping my options open. So internet memes are basically a concept that spreads via the internet. While doing this research, I found out that the earliest usage of meme in general is in the book created by Richard Dawkins called “The Selfish Gene” – it was published in 1976. Internet meme is an idea that is propagated and spreads through the internet. A meme can be a hyperlink, video, picture, website, hashtag or just a word or phrase. One of the most popular internet memes are misspellings, such as the word “more” as “moar” or “the” as “teh” simply because misspelling is very common. Internet memes spread from person to person through various places like blogs, news sources and social networks, so no wonder Twitter is full with them. Academically, researchers model how the memes evolve and predict which memes will survive and spread throughout the Web, while commercially they are used in viral marketing where they are an inexpensive form of mass advertising.
- Rage comic is an extremely popular internet meme at the moment. It is a comic made from a stock set characters, commonly known as rage faces and centre on the rage guy. It started on 4chan in 2008 and in 2009 the meme experienced an upsurge in popularity. In 2010 shirts with the rage face started to appear and were sold by Hot Topic. The comic usually focus on small moments in daily life from the perspective of a protagonist the reader can identify with. The face seems a bit creepy to me, though.
- And a little discovery for the ending. The most popular Twitter hashtags in 2011 were: |
HE has traditionally been the realm of the academic elite. Single figure percentages of the population attended. Entrance was determined by stellar academic performance. Graduating from university was a true differentiator. You possessed a qualification the vast majority of the population did not. You could use this qualification to charge a premium in the jobs market.
This is economics 101. The Knowledge Economy required people with university level qualifications. As the supply of graduates was low, degree holders could demand higher wages in return for their services. Once this trend became common knowledge, everyone wanted a piece of the pie. The world and his wife processioned towards higher education. As Adam Smith will tell you, once supply of labour increases, wages decrease. This reduces the impact of HE on an individuals salary.
University has since opened up. 40% of university age population now attend HE. Going to university has become more the rule rather than the exception. As thus, employers now look at more than just education results. Employability skills are becoming of greater focus.
The AGR has reported that the provision of graduate jobs is sufficient to service the supply of graduates. Yet vacancies remain unfilled. Employers cite a lack of skills as the reason. Despite possessing HE level qualifications, applicants do not possess the basic employability skills to be effective in roles on offer. Employers would rather do without.
Lets digress quickly to define employability skills. The term can seem nebulous and almost mystical. Kloodles experience has shown us many students do not understand the term, and I feel employers use the term in a buzz word fashion.
At its most basic, an employee is selling their time and skills to solve an employers problem. Time is finite for us all, so it is skill level that enables us to command a premium in our wages. Employability skills are the attributes that enable us to provide an effective solution to an employers problem.
Example??if an employer requires working as a team to solve a particular business problem, your teamwork ability is an important employability skill. If an employee requires a deep understanding of computational chemistry to solve an employers problem, then this is the skill you need to possess in order to perform the role successfully.
Our education system has created an entitlement mindset. We are convinced from an early age that if we get excellent grades we deserve a job. Our teachers and parents instil this mindset, but it is a dangerous attitude. Students should imagine themselves as products. We purchase products to fulfil a need, perform a job or realise a desire. Students are employed to perform a job or fulfil a need. In order to do this effectively, the individual has to possess the necessary attributes, just as a product needs to have the necessary features to be effective. A student needs to see their education as a journey to build the necessary attributes to become employable. Whilst studying, you are building the skills required to contribute.
If employability skills are the credentials that enable you to provide the solution to an employers problem, it therefore becomes the responsibility of the individual to develop them and the responsibility of the purchasing organisation to source them. Well take these two scenarios in turn.
Firstly, students are responsible for their own employability. Expecting university to provide these skills as well as a world class technical education is another way of absolving yourself for responsibility. It is far easier to say university didnt teach me those skills than it is to take ownership of your own education. For me, universities exist to produce world class research and innovation to propel our economy forward. Oxford university has its reputation not through quality of its undergraduate teaching but for research and innovation.
Unlike high school and further education, a universitys first priority is not its students; it is its research. We are coming close to watering down this academic rigour. By expecting university lecturers to take responsibility for their students results and employability, we are creating an advanced high school. We have already ruined the lives of countless teachers by blaming them for underperformance of students. We are going to do the same with university education. Yet a universitys role is becoming hazy. Economic pressures caused by tuition fees causes higher education to be interpreted as a product. The benefit HE sells is an increase in employability prospects. HE institutions, therefore, have to deliver their promise. They need to produce employable students who can charge a premium in the labour market.
At university, students should take responsibility for their own development. They need to look at their skillset and ensure they are developing the abilities required by employers. If they are attending university to further their employment prospects, they need to be professional in approaching their skill development. This requires researching jobs they may apply for upon graduation, determining the required skills, and cultivating these attributes through deliberate practice. University IS NOT responsible for this. It is responsible for administering knowledge of the subject being studied. Students can do with that knowledge what they wish, but ultimately, the student is responsible for the outcome.
Secondly, employers are seeking skilled people to propel their company forward. They need the people who are intelligent enough, technically competent enough and effective enough to help their organisation succeed. Without skilled people the organisation will become dead in the water. An employer therefore has a responsibility to seek the supply of effective individuals. If the education system in a particular country isnt producing the required skills, an employer has 3 choices.
1) Get involved in the education system to help produce the skills required
2) Move countries to one that provides the skills required.
3) Bring in recruits from overseas.
Blaming a particular countrys education system for a lack of skill will not solve the problem. An employer must be proactive in seeking the talent they need. If the education system isnt giving them what they want, they have to impact the system in some way. Two key ways of doing this are: –
1) Providing employees to mentor students at High Schools, Colleges of FE & HE/Universities
2) Developing programmes of work experience for school and college of FE students and formal internships for students studying at HE level
Clearly, these activities require resource, but will go a significant way to solving the problem. By providing guidance to individual students, an employer can outline the skills they require from an effective employee. By reaching out to academic institutions, employers can help educate organisations regarding what they require and how education can help produce that type of individual. Employers are responsible for helping produce the talent they require to stay in business. Our education system is the source of this talent. If employers arent getting what they want, and education isnt providing it, then employers need to perform these two activities to impact the system.
Alternatively, employers can up sticks and move abroad. If skill provision is lacking in one location, what is stopping an employer from seeking this talent elsewhere? Nothing. Multinational organisations can shift operations quickly and easily. They are able to find talent in all corners of the globe. If the UK continues to believe large companies owe our students a living then well find that more organisations leave our shores to find hungrier, less entitled students.
Employers, therefore, must be motivated to get involved in our education system if we are going to create employable young people. Higher education needs to make this involvement easy. Barriers to entry must be low. Ease of transaction will encourage employers to get involved in mentoring and outreach. We have technology that can facilitate this interaction. It is just a question of emphasising the importance of employability and facilitating student-employer interaction. Higher educations role becomes one of a facilitator. Their day job is producing excellent research and providing knowledge to students. They, however, need open doors and clear lines of communication so that student / employer interaction becomes easy.
Of course, the alternative, as stated above, is to ship in talent from abroad. Britain has put the mockers on this by voting Brexit. We have made a statement that our people and economy are strong enough to survive alone. Voting Brexit signals our belief that we are producing the talent, goods and demand to ensure a stable economy; without the crutch of the single market. Weve diminished a companys ability to ship in talent. The core tenet of the leave campaigns argument was that free movement of labour has destroyed our economy and NHS. The UKs biggest economic problem is arguably our terrible productivity. Germany earns £1.35 in the time it takes a British worker to earn £1. There are a number of reasons for this, none of which are simple. If you were a business, which labour market would you invest in? Organisations will get more for their money elsewhere. Yet were relying on this work force to attract foreign investment and produce goods to smooth the bump caused by Brexit. If companies deem other countries more attractive, theyll simply move. Unemployment must surely rise.
Students then need to take responsibility for their employability. They need to take advantage of the education provided by employers and take ownership of developing their own skillset. By the time an individual reaches university, they should be smart enough to develop their own skill curriculum. This will come by listening to employers and searching for opportunity to develop the skills an employer requires. Kloodles aim is to provide a platform that facilitates this connection. We want employers to offer students the necessary careers advice. We want interactions between employers and students to lead to the latter understanding exactly what skills they need to develop.
We need to be careful. By allowing students to believe that it is someone elses responsibility to make them employable, we are disempowering our young people whilst at the same time losing the opportunity to incentivise employers to engage with them. If organisations are unable to source the skills that they require, they will look for them across a much broader landscape overseas. Students will be left with fewer and fewer career opportunities, bemoaning their expensive education and how the system failed them.
The potential for this to occur starts much earlier in childrens education than Higher education. How often does a teacher take the blame for poor exam results at school? There is a meme doing the rounds on the internet of a 1970s parents evening and a 2010s parents evening. The 1970s parents are rebuking their offspring for poor results. The 2010s parents are rebuking the teacher for their offsprings poor results. If we allow our young people to believe that poor performance is only ever someone elses fault, we are doing them a great injustice, along with that of our countrys future economy. However, if we teach young people that they need to contribute, to add value and to take responsibility for their own employability, well create a generation of young people hungry to create opportunity. If our schools teach young people that they DONT deserve anything until theyve earned it and that they need to get involved to achieve reward, then well generate a more effective workforce. As discussed earlier, the UKs productivity levels lag behind the rest of Europe. We need this generation of students to have the mentality of contributors; of people who will pull up their socks and work to reduce the potential damage of Brexit. We will not do this by relying on a workforce convinced paper qualifications means a cushy managerial job. We want a workforce obsessed with results; a workforce determined to add real value and contribute.
University is merely one option to increase employability prospects. If a student chooses this path and picks to invest the £9,000 per year, they need to ensure they are generating a return on their own investment. We need to teach young people to think like investors: What is my return on this investment? Seeing university attendance as the hallmark of success is a damaging mentality. Selecting the correct path for each individual student is far more effective. Can you increase your employment prospects along another path? If you go to university, can you maximise your return on investment by finding work experience, by learning sales, by networking, by learning another language, by learning to code? Or maybe universities should take lessons from other countries? Perhaps a US system of selecting Majors and Minors will increase skill levels. Students could develop a range of skills as opposed to going deep in one narrow field of expertise.
Whilst it remains the responsibility of the individual to develop themselves, it is up to businesses and education to provide the resource and access to information students require to become more employable. We need to emphasise the importance of employability and place these skills on a par with the content taught in any curriculum. Skill development and personal effectiveness are the differentiators across the course of a lifetime. An individual who can realise opportunity because of the skills they have developed is worth their weight in gold. Economics will soon determine whether HE is worth £9K a year. If students do not feel the value, they will stop paying. How can HE improve their product to ensure it is worth £9K per year? Thats another argument! |
The Stock Market Bubble
Trader Scott’s Market Blog
Since the massive, generational low in the stock market on 3/6/2009, I have vehemently argued with anyone who has claimed that the stock market is about to crash and also that it is a bubble.
In fact, it’s almost become a meme of sorts and is accepted by so many as a certainty. I’m assuming that most of these people claim this bubble status because of the horrific economic conditions. And they are spot on about the economy. But I’ve also repeatedly stated that the horrible economy is a major bullish factor for the stock market. And please ignore the complete fallacy that economics equals markets. Most people use “fundamentals” such as economic statistics to decipher the future path for markets. And the track record for the vast majority of these folks (as most of you have already noticed) is abominable. Does economics have anything to do with markets? Yes, but not in the way that we’re taught by the establishment. It’s actually because different economic conditions have different effects on LIQUIDITY. AHA! It’s only LIQUIDITY (aka SUPPLY and DEMAND) that moves markets. That is the only “fundamental” that you should focus on. Why waste time on anything else. So if your goal is, at a minimum, modest success in markets, then you must develop some type of method that you can confidently depend upon to give you continual, real time, and TRUE readings about the perpetual battle between SUPPLY and DEMAND. Of course, I biasedly believe that my method is the best. But my point is that you must have some way to make the determination of the LIQUIDITY flow situation. That will then be your own secret weapon, but certainly not the only thing that’s needed, for true success and confidence in markets.
So back to the alleged stock market bubble. I’ve made numerous comments like these two – first from January 2015 and then the following one from August 2014 (archived):
” During the October stock market selloff I said that we have a short term selling climax and then the stock market would go to new record highs, but those new highs won’t last long. And that the selloff after those new highs could be quite serious. That has panned out, so what’s likely now. As I’ve stated repeatedly we are in a major stock bull market, but we will see several huge down waves. Those claiming a stock bubble and crash are out once more, but they’ll be wrong once again. However, after a short term rally starting soon, there is currently a lot of downside risk for stocks – 20 to 25% starting this summer.” (My edit today – I was a bit off on the 2015 selloff – it was 15%, not 20-25%, but close regarding the high – it was in July 2015.)
“For 5 plus years, the geniuses who have claimed that the stock market is about to crash — they are now getting more frantic and strident. There is almost a 0% chance of a crash anytime soon. Since 2009, my friends at….have called me every nasty name, as I repeatedly stated that the March 2009 low in stocks is a generational low and stocks are going massively higher. The Dow is eventually headed to 100K, but with several huge selloffs along the way.”
The main point is that I remain emphatically opposed to the stock market bubble and the stock market crash meme and those claiming it to be so will continue to be wrong.
As to stocks now – I began buying a large position in stocks in February and again in April of 2009. I held that until selling some of it in May 2015 and the rest in July 2015. However, currently I absolutely would not be buying stocks on an INVESTMENT horizon.The RISK and PROBABILITY situation right now sucks.
There are 3 charts included of SPY (one of my favorite trading instruments). These charts are on a 15 minute, daily, and weekly basis with the SUPPORT and RESISTANCE points drawn.
The 15 minute chart would be for a trading basis as SPY is currently in that tight range. The daily chart shows a big area of potential SUPPORT at around 181. You can also see where I sold out my long term position in May/July 2015 which I bought in February/April 2009. The weekly chart shows the long term and huge TRADING RANGE/SIDEWAYS TREND basically from 1997 – 2013. You can also see where I entered long positions in 2009.
If folks want me to go more in depth as to the “thought process” of my entering and exiting of those positions, let me know. |
Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.
The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life. Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle.
The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent. Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me. Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.
I usually run with a theme. This week ( just for a change you understand) I am returning to my usual birdie/garden/skyscape obsessions.
Starting with birds. Late last week on a foggy morning I needed to go to a rarely visited towncentre to see a specialist. We took a wrong turn and one of Belconnen's pieces of public art loomed large. So I took a photo.
This owl has been the subject of much controversy and more than a few complaints. Some see it as a phallic image rather than a bird... I can see that, but enjoy the owlishness anyway.
We have been enjoying the birds at home too. Coloured birds.
However this week we have been focussing on a new visitor.
Their white-wings are only evident when they fly, but the red eye (which becomes brighter when they are excited) has been very evident. They have been arriving in a flock of six and having a wonderful time rummaging through the leaf litter. They seem happy to eat seeds, insects and I watched one having a fine time bashing a snail shell against the ground (and a tree trunk) to get at the delicacy within.
And of course the sky continues to delight me.
And just a few shots from the garden.
I do hope that this post works. I have braved New Blogger. It is slow, it is cumbersome but I think/hope it worked.
Last week I said that the Jazzman was not well. Thank you to all those who asked about him. It appears to be a flare-up of his pancreatitis. He has antibiotics (which he resents taking) and appetite stimulants (ditto). We bleed, he purrs. He is mostly doing better than he was and we are in watch and wait mode.
Stay well, stay safe. |
Owning a pet is a big responsibility, you have to feed it; give it water; and clean up after it when it pisses, shits, and vomits on your rug, or laundry pile. So why have one? Because they are also a great source of joy. Short of having a kid, you can’t get that kind of love elsewhere, and having a friend who is okay with listening to the bullshit you rant about can be really cathartic. Even though they don’t understand a word you say. Also…kitty’s fur is so soft. Purrr.
Anyway, this week on My Little Pony, Rainbow learns the value of having a pet, the best friend you will ever have, by getting one.
The episode opens with a dream sequence which doesn’t actually have anything to do with the plot, and it feels superfluous. At first I thought there was a purpose to it, because it basically involves Rainbow having fun, racing against Owlowiscious, which made me think it was going to make her realize how much fun it is to have a pet. Then his head was replaced with Winona’s and I thought, “Well, so much for that.”
Rainbow then wakes up and notices her five best friends have all brought their pets to the park, like they do every week…which is news to Rainbow. The others never bothered to invite her because she didn’t have a pet, so there wasn’t much of a point. Then again, it didn’t appear as if the pets were playing, or even interacting with, anyone other than their owners anyway, so I don’t know why they go out together in the first place. Then again, they might build up to that.
Rainbow tries to go back to sleep, then, in frustration, declares that she would like to have a pet, she just doesn’t have one now. Then Fluttershy goes nuts.
Did I ever mention that Fluttershy is my favourite character? This is primarily because I think she’s schizophrenic. Normally calm and timid, sometimes her personality does a complete 180. Like in Dragonshy, The Best Night Ever, and Lesson Zero.
That video is gold by the way. Anyway, Fluttershy sorta responds in a bit of an overly excited way, and ends up dragging Rainbow to her house, where she has all sorts of pets available.
Cue obligatory musical number.
I said last week that I was hoping for a new song, after all, we were kinda due. It’s a duet between Rainbow and Fluttershy, musical-theatre-style. I’ve never been a big fan of musical theatre, and I’m still not. So I’m not a big fan of this song. Certainly not the best of the series. As for the animation, there are a few head on shots where their mouths look weird, like internet chat emoticons, and that sorta bugged me.
I’d also like to point out, near the end of the song, everyone’s favourite meme, Derpy, pops her head out of Fluttershy’s chicken coop for no reason. She has no purpose, and in reality, nopony should be there. I think she’s only there to please the fans, which is why I hate fans. This is probably also why Fluttershy said “yay?” near the end of the episode for no apparent reason. It’s just blatant fan service, and I don’t approve of any of that.
So the song ends with Dash having too many options for a pet, and she declares the only solution is a contest. Whoever wins will earn the honour of being her pet. There are around a dozen contenders, consisting of a few birds and insects. Now, I know some keep insects as pets, but I figured they’d be too easy to lose, and I doubt you could bring them on a playdate with a cat, dog, and owl in the area, without them getting eaten.
Just as the competition is about to start, Fluttershy convinces Rainbow to let a tortoise compete. Rainbow is initially against it, but eventually decides to give the little guy a chance. Every round he fails; the race; acrobatics competition; the steal-from-Opal challenge; the beauty pageant; the interview; and finally, the talent portion. But he does try his best, hands down, and he never quits. He even tries to compete in the finals, which technically, he didn’t qualify for.
So the race begins and the tortoise ends up falling behind everyone else. I, personally, was rooting for the bat. He looks cool, and I like bats, and cats, and I’d love to own a Zat, and I have a sweet hat. Anyway, as Rainbow is leading the pack she accidentally causes an avalanche right on top of her. She survives, but ends up pinned under a rock, as all her contenders for pet, pass her. Fucking assholes.
But of course the tortoise manages to catch up after who knows how long, and saves Rainbow. The two eventually cross the finish line together and even though the falcon crossed the finish line first, due to the way Rainbow worded the rules, she decides the tortoise won because he crossed the finish line with her. Unlike the falcon and the other birds who flew right past her when she needed help. Fucking assholes.
So, Tank the tortoise becomes Rainbow’s new pet. I saw this coming when he was practically begging for the position in the big musical number. For instance, Rainbow says she wants something “cooler” and Tank ducks his head inside his shell, and comes out wearing sunglasses. Yeah, he’s cool…seriously, he is.
Finally, at the end of the episode, Fluttershy pointed out that having a tortoise as a pet will likely keep her on the ground. So they strap a propeller to the guy’s back. HE CAN FLY!
I really like this guy, can’t wait to see more of him.
Not really the best episode, but a good one. The competition get’s a bit repetitive, particularly with regards to dialogue, which could be a joke, but it goes well over the rule of threes. Overall, Luna Eclipsed is still my favourite this season.
This is a bit short so next I want to talk about something else: My Little Pony toys.
The line of pony toys is extensive, but really, there is only one line worth paying attention to: The Playful Ponies. The main cast is all represented, and they all look good. Well, for the most part. The Twilight toy looks like a bitch, and the Dash toy looks like she always dresses in style. *shutter* That still creeps me out. Anyway, give her a hat and scarf and she’s good to go. But you can style the hair, and cut it so it looks exactly the way you want; or you can buy plastic hair that fits on the dolls. So, it’s all good. More of the cast is represented in the Playful Ponies line then any other. But there is one problem: the Luna toy.
See, it’s only available bundled with a Celestia toy, which is pink, and that’s also a problem, but not one I want to get into right now. The problem isn’t that it’s a bundle; the problem is, it’s only available at one store: Target. So how’s that a problem? There are no Targets in Canada, and I live in Canada. But that’s not all, I know someone who is going on a trip to the US very soon, and I was going to ask her to stop by a Target and pick one up for me. So I go online and try to find what stores have Luna in stock, and I find only one, that would have been well out of her way, nearly 10 miles out-of-town. I can’t ask her to do that! Meanwhile there are eight Targets that are closer, but do not stock the toy.
So here’s my problem: Why exactly did Target get this exclusivity deal? Especially considering they don’t seem to care about it enough to keep any more than a few of their stores stocked with this toy. I understand why Target wanted the deal, if someone wants this toy, they need to go to Target. Wal-mart can’t help them, so they are forced to spend their money at Target. But what I don’t understand is how Hasbro benefits. Was Target willing to pay a higher wholesale price for the exclusivity? Maybe they covered some of the initial manufacturing costs! If so, one would think they would want to sell more by stocking more, to make it worth the effort of getting the deal. Instead it’s a waste.
One last thing, we recently got a summary for episode 11, and according to the summary, we will get to learn the story of Equestria’s founding. I have a feeling it will have nothing to do with Discord. But the reason I wanted to talk about it is because I have a feeling it will contradict 99 percent of the fan fiction out there. So I want to ease the fears of the fans. Whatever the story is, it could easily be a cover story for the truth, which is much too horrible to reveal. I know I was going to mention something about it in My Little Destiny. But I’m sure whatever the public story is, I’ll be able to skate around it and still have it fit the story I have planned. I’m not worried. Though I am glad the truth will finally be revealed, and I think it’ll have little or nothing to do with Luna and Celestia’s god-status. |
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By the way, Zero-Two's name written in Japanese is Zero-Tsuu ゼロツー, the katakanization of the English numbers of her code. Nana and Hachi Lastly, the characters Nana and Hachi which act as supervisors or something probably have their names coming from the numbers 7 and 8, which are nana 七 and hachi 八 in Japanese.
At the bottom of most pages is a 4 digit code, which is a search code for that topic on our other site mymaths.co.uk. User Name: first initial and surname eg jbloggs Password: First time this is the same as user name, then student is asked to change. Please make a note of this somewhere safe. Institution Code: DRE4
T news today
I forgot my password for origin and when i log in it asks me for a six digit verification code. Where do i get this code as there is nothing to scan for my Also when i go onto FIFA 16 it also says that i need a six digit verification code but i dont know where i would get this from. I dont remember my password...
A program that generates a random 6 digit number and checks whether there is a doujin on nhentai with that code and if that's the case then opens it in your browser for you to read (assuming su...
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The genre itself isn't about sexualizing kids, people just like overly adorable types. Like the other person said, the character could be around 100 years old. That actually reminds me of the anime Vampire Bund.
Nov 17, 2020 · See more '6 Digit Codes' images on Know Your Meme! ... anime, manga, weeb, 6 digit code, 6 digit numbers, adult, cat girls, animemes, reddit, catgirl, 6 digit codes. |
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Just when you thought the whole damned controversy was in your rear-view mirror, along comes some damned blogger to put all the ick right back on the table. Well suck it up, dear reader, cause I got a bloggitation to bloggitize over this.
We all know the story, right? A little while back, the comedian, Kathy Griffin, posted a picture of herself holding up the severed head of Donald Trump. Don’t worry, it was fake. Donald survived the whole ordeal, but suffice to say, it was a rather controversial image. Naturally, a great deal of outrage was soon to follow. I have no doubt that a good number of those complaining about her stunt were simply using it as grist for the mill. I also have no doubt that a number of her critics were genuinely appalled by Griffin’s stunt. Which critics fit into which category is another question, and not a very interesting one at that.
What I find especially interesting about this story is the role hypocrisy as a theme in this particular kerfuffle. It’s hardly surprising to see that theme pop up here. Really, it’s just the sort of story that begs for accusations of hypocrisy, and those accusations soon made an appearance. Various parties on the right wing accused ‘lefties’ or ‘liberals’ of hypocrisy for making such a big deal of violence and violent rhetoric on the part of the Trump campaign when we produce violent rhetoric such as that of Griffin. Those of us on the left (myself among them) complained that the right makes hay out of Griffin’s image while condoning the actual violence of people like Montana’s Greg Gianforte or for that matter supporting Donald Trump’s flirtations with mob violence. Of course each side is fully capable of responding to accusations of support for violence (whether tacit or overt) by pointing at still more support for violence on the other side.
…and the internet becomes an angry infinity mirror.
So, what’s interesting about that? It’s the role that accusations of hypocrisy can play in facilitating, …well, hypocrisy. Think of it this way: You see somebody do something outrageous (and by outrageous, I mean something likely to rouse disapproval in the public sphere), and you want to criticize them for it. The problem is, you’ve done something like that yourself in the past, or at least you’ve supported other people who did. This creates a problem in that your own condemnation is likely to come across as an inconsistency. One potential solution to that is to conjure the image of critics who have condemned this behavior before and castigate them for supporting the behavior now. That way, you don’t have to actually put your own cards on the table. You don’t have to actually say that you are now condemning the behavior your once supported. Instead, you just say; “look at the guy who is now supporting behavior he once condemned!” If you do this right, you can effectively play both sides of the game without anyone noticing. All they see is that you are commenting on someone else who is playing both sides of the field. It’s an exercise in projection of course, and a remarkably effective one at that. It’s what I like to call the meta-hypocrisy shuffle.
I should add that it isn’t really necessary to point out any actual instances of hypocrisy on the part of any particular person to make this stratagem work. It is often enough to talk about ‘liberals’ or ‘conservatives’ (or any other group) and simply tell the story of how the other side is full of hypocrites. The ploy can be just as effective in this abstract form as it can be with real life examples. Plus, it avoids the inconvenience of having to address the details of anyone’s actual behavior, much less to deal with their own response to your criticism.
So, what am I saying here? I am saying that a lot of people on the right used Kathy Griffin to field an argument about liberal hypocrisy all the while hiding their own hypocrisy on the very same subject. That’s the argument I want to make anyway, but reflexivity being what it is, I must also concede that a lot of liberals did the same. What I don’t have to concede is that all parties involved in the controversy are equally guilty of this vice. Quite a few people on the left really did condemn Griffin’s behavior, and I certainly have known a number of Republicans who have condemned Donald Trump’s more violent rhetoric. (I’d say that’s one of the differences between a ‘conservative’ and a ‘deplorable’.) Griffin did in the end, lose at least one gig (actually several, it seems) over the whole matter. I could only wish the same was true of Donald Trump. Be that as it may, the point is that this trick (and the criticism I make of it) can indeed cut both ways, but that possibility does not mean the cut is equally warranted.
I don’t know how productive a debate would be over which political groups are more consistent on this (or any other) issue, but I do think some individuals at least have managed to show some consistency on the issue. Sadly, they are often tarred with the same hypocritical brush as their flip-flopping allies have been. Again, the story of hypocrisy alone is often sufficient to make the argument stick, sufficient even to the degree that those who are rigorously consistent on an issue may well be accused of hypocrisy by someone who is himself or herself simply doing the meta-hypocrisy shuffle.
It’s worth bearing in mind here that there is at least one angle on such issues that the whole question of hypocrisy doesn’t seem to address, and by this I mean the integrity of a committed partisan. You could take a relentless commitment to one side of a debate as a kind of integrity in itself. You could see the willingness to field arguments in direct contradiction to one’s own personal record as an instance of taking one for the team. Perhaps it is even a kind of courage. If so, that’s a courage I hope never to have, but so be it, the ethic is out there. Some clearly ascribe to it. Most of us, I think, prefer to field arguments that we find personally plausible, and most of us at least try to accomplish some level of consistency in our moral judgements.
Some try harder than others.
One thing worth considering here is the medium that delivers this message. In person, I suspect we are more likely to forgive each other’s inconsistencies, if for no other reason than because we are likely to see them coming from people whose shifting patterns parallel our own. If I contradict myself in the process of complaining verbally about some damned Republican, odds are rather likely that I am talking to somebody who is just as pissed about that damned Republican as I am. Confirmation bias being what it is, they are just as likely to grab the nearest rhetorical hammer, and just as likely to think it oughtta be used to smash him as I am. Likewise, a Republican jabbering on about a liberal is likely to be doing so in the company of other Republicans who also think rathe rpoorly of the bastard. It could be, that I’m missing something here, but I tend to think verbal exchanges make it a bit easier to skate by on this issue, to shift around one’s values without anyone noticing, and more particularly to avoid becoming the target of someone who seeks to hide his own inconsistencies in a story about ours.
Not so, the net.
All sorts of different people read controversial statements on social media, and that includes the guy who likes to complain about your kinda people even as you’re trying to vent spleen about his kind. In some places, like Facebook, I think, folks may make an effort to set aside their grievances and remember that the guy who just posted the outrageous meme will be sitting across from them at Christmas dinner. In other places, like Twitter, each and every comment expressing a different point of view seems to be fair game. What’s worse, the 140 character limit on tweets thins out the context of any statement a great deal, so it’s tough to tell how people generally approach these things. If someone criticizes Kathy Griffin (or doesn’t) only those who follow him carefully will notice whether or not that criticism squares with his general approach to the issues. The temptation is of course to assume the worst, not for the least of reasons being that the worst often seems to be driving the public debate on such media platforms. So, if a given Twitter-Republican really is just as hard on right wingers who make use of violent rhetoric, few of his more liberal readers will ever know. Likewise, a Twitter-Democrat who doesn’t support images like those produced by Kathy Griffin is as easily accused of liberal hypocrisy as any of those who simply laughed and retweeted her without the slightest thought about the matter.
The way Twitter (among others) thins out the context of political rhetoric facilitates a degree of hypocrisy. That same thinness also makes it easier to substitute general stories about this side or that side of a given debate for genuine comments on actual behavior, stories which fill in the details of people’s political orientation without checking those details against their personal history. This I think, makes the meta-hypocrisy shuffle just a little bit easier. You can always pretend the other side flipped first.
…and that makes it a little easier to flip yourself. |
In no other film genre is the musical score as important as it is in a horror or suspense drama. The score sets the mood (usually dark, creepy or mysterious), leads the audience down blind alleys, and then springs the jump scare on the hapless viewers when they least expect it. That’s the way it’s supposed to work, anyway.
Some horror scores are so famous they’ve become “musical memes.” In other words, these are themes or parts of themes that a lot of people know—even if they’ve never seen the movie or television show that the theme supports.
A good example of a musical meme is the introductory score for the original Twilight Zone television series, which is credited to French avant garde composer Marius Constant. It’s a theme that countless people repeat whenever they encounter something unexplainable, eerie or scary. When a television musical composition becomes that famous, you know it truly is something special.
Here’s my Top 10 horror movie scores; among them are a few that are so well-known, they could also be considered musical memes.
10- It Follows (2014), score by Disasterpeace. This score, by young composer Richard Vreeland (who works under the name Disasterpeace), is only four years old, but judging from fan reactions, it’s already an instant classic. This is pretty remarkable, considering it’s Vreeland’s first-ever film score. A throwback to the Carpenteresque horror scores of the 80s, it’s heavy on ominous synth sounds and creepy droning motifs. It’s so good at setting the mood, it’s almost better than the original vintage sources of thirty-plus years ago. Let’s face it, this guy’s probably got producers calling him night and day, and he may very well end up as the Bernard Herrmann (see below) of the 21st Century.
09- Candyman (1992), score by Philip Glass. Glass, an avant garde classical composer, is often credited with inventing what critics call “minimal music,” or what Glass himself calls “music with a repetitive structure.” He has scored many films, but Candyman is one of the best-known. The opening sequence, consisting of choral chanting and tinkling bells, seems like a clever wink and a nod to other famous horror scores (three guesses as to which ones). Something tells me I will never hum any part of this theme while looking at myself in the mirror. No stranger to horror, Glass also composed principal music for the 1999 remastered release of the revered classic, Dracula (1931), with Bela Lugosi.
08- The Thing (1982)
score by Ennio Morricone. Morricone is most famous for scoring the classic Clint Eastwood spaghetti Westerns of the 60s, such as A Fistful of Dollars (1964). However, he’s an extremely versatile composer who’s also scored everything from biblical epics to frothy rom-coms. One of his best scores was for John Carpenter’s second-most acclaimed film, The Thing. It’s a piercing, heart-thudding, and chilly musical representation of the frozen setting for the story: an isolated outpost in the Arctic. While Morricone wrote the score, Carpenter made sure to add in some of his trademark synth sounds.
07 -Deliverance (1972)
Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith. There was originally no composer credit listed for the score, but after a lawsuit, Smith was given credit for Dueling Banjos, one of the best-known film themes in cinematic history. The instrumental composition was well-known since the 1950s in bluegrass music circles, but did not reach a wider audience until it was used for Deliverance. Director John Boorman originally wanted to commission a full score, but didn’t have the budget, so he instead hired two musicians, Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandel, to arrange numerous variations of Dueling Banjos to use throughout the film. Necessity is the mother of invention and it’s tough to imagine how a conventional score would have been more fitting for this legendary film. Like the Twilight Zone theme, Dueling Banjos has become a musical meme, usually invoked when passing through the backwoods or encountering pale, scary folks in plaid shirts and overalls.
06- Halloween (1978)
score by John Carpenter. Carpenter co-wrote, directed and co-produced Halloween, which is very likely the greatest slasher film ever made. The quadruple threat, all-American horrormeister also composed the famous score. (Let’s face it, he probably also emptied the trashcans and catered the lunch breaks.) But, getting back to the score, its droning, relentless synth music is a perfect complement to the terror unleashed by the unstoppable Michael Myers. If you’re ever walking down the street while humming this score, keep an eye out for a creepy guy popping out from behind a bush. Carpenter also composed the score for another of his great classics, The Fog (1980).
05- Jaws (1975)
score by John Williams. The many-Oscared film composer got his second one for this score, which is so famous that, like Dueling Banjos, it has become a musical meme. Even those who’ve never seen the film can hum the famous “stalking” theme that signifies the approach of the killer shark. Jaws began the long-standing collaboration between Williams and Steven Spielberg that is still in force today. It’s probably not a good idea to hum the theme while swimming at a crowded beach, though.
04- Suspiria (1977), score by Goblin. This score, a collective effort by the Italian progressive rock group Goblin, is so demonic and creepy, it’s almost scarier than this legendary film by the great Italian horrormeister, Dario Argento. It features unforgettable, hellish hissing over electronic wailing that sounds like the musical cries of the damned. Goblin later went on to score many other films by Argento, but this is the group’s best effort by far. Do I really have to tell you to not listen to it in the dark?
03- The Exorcist (1973), Jack Nitzsche; Mike Oldfields. Director William Friedkin initially commissioned a fully orchestrated, original score for The Exorcist from film composer Lalo Shifrin, who turned in a score so dark and disturbing that studio executives rejected it. Shifrin refused to alter his score (part of which is posted on YouTube), so Friedkin hired Nitzsche to create the incidental music and chose an already existing composition, called Tubular Bells, as the movie’s recurring theme. Although the unused Shifrin score is masterful, The Exorcist is so identified with Tubular Bells (composed by Oldfields) it’s difficult to imagine any other composition having the same impact on viewers.
02-The Omen (1976), score by Jerry Goldsmith. Prolific film composer Jerry Goldsmith won an Oscar for this score, which is so much a part of this film that it’s almost like another major cast member. The creepy and demonic choral chanting of the main theme, Ave Satani (Hail Satan), reportedly gave leading man Gregory Peck nightmares. Directed by Richard Donner, The Omen is a brilliant example of how important a score can be to a movie; it simply would not have been the same film without Goldsmith’s music. Goldsmith also turned in another legendary horror score for Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist (1982).
01- Psycho (1960)
score by Bernard Herrmann. Herrmann scored most of Alfred Hitchcock’s later films, including The Birds (1962) and Vertigo (1958). However, his score for Psycho is his magnum opus, remembered especially for the infamous “shower scene,” where screeching string instruments are timed perfectly with the stabbing motions of killer Norman Bates. If you don’t know the theme for the shower scene in Psycho, frankly you have no business calling yourself a horror fan!. Like Tubular Bells, Dueling Banjos and the shark attack theme from Jaws, it’s so famous that it’s become a musical meme: when people hear it, they know some really bad shit is going down, even if they’ve never seen the movie.
Scream (1996), score by Robert Beltrami www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d2k2flgIIk&list=PL5TLa2YhAb9CA5UK3kxhVLOtDjI4b8v7G
The Fog (1980), score by John Carpenter www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKGzUxH9GyQ
The Birds (1962), score by Bernard Herrmann www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DVbDJXly9w&t=69s
The Innocents (1961), score by Georges Auric www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NSUbQzwXE8
Cape Fear (1962), score by Bernard Herrmann www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRYg9q4_WhM&list=PLDC9D87881D85708D
Poltergeist (1982), score by Jerry Goldsmith www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgD11vAytks
The Ring (2002), score by Hans Zimmer www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-ByztTkCfE&t=1000s |
Over the past decade, I've build a consulting practice around helping digital business owners solve these problems, for everything ranging from website acquisitions to turnaround situationa and growth planning. This article captures some of the core concepts I apply to improve website revenue. We'll share a bit about who is buying your ad inventory, what they are looking for, and most importantly: what are they willing to pay for? Let's starts with the attitude you take towards website monetization to make this successful.
If you want to increase your website's ad revenue, you need to look at like a business. You're building an audience for advertisers. Your earnings are based on the value you bring to the process. Is the audience relevant? Can the ads be seen? Is there brand safety? And, ultimately, can advertisers close business?Balancing service to your users vs. advertisers is crucial. With that in mind, here's how to look at the different types of advertisers, what they bring to the table, and what they will ask of you in return....
The Brand Buyer: If we were in Vegas, these are the high rollers. They pull up to the carport in a comped limousine and say "dahling" a lot. With huge budgets and a corporate mandate to blow it all to build brand awareness, they are a flowing river of cash. Brand buyers will eyeballs today in hopes of future business. Look at all the ERP and consulting advertising spattered all over airports. Cash, thrown to the winds in hopes of someday scoring a call from a passing CIO or VP. The call with a multi-million dollar customer at stake. Brand buyers in action.
Of course, there's also the old saying that "He who has the gold, makes the rules". And rules you will get with this bunch. Strict restrictions on the number of ads per page. Placement limits. Content policies: family friendly and don't hit any controversial topics please. They want their message on websites that are prominent and respectable.
In reality, these guys are all afraid of their boss. They are spending a pile of money with no clear short term results. Thus the fixation on brand safety and policies: they have no other way to show value. A direct response buyer can at least point at the pile of leads their bold moves generated for the company.
If you're taking the "high road" in content quality and traffic building, brand buyers are your best bet.
Re-targeters: Continuing our Vegas example, we have the re-targeter. This next level of advertiser is using personalized data to chase a prospect around the web. These guys are the cool math types with a careful eye on the numbers. They've got a bunch of lists and are using your site to "ping" their target customer on a regular basis. One risk: the growing threat of privacy regulation.
From a publisher perspective, I've always liked these folks. While they have some rules, they also have some perspective on how long it is going to take to close business. Unless you promote affiliate offers, they'll beat anyone else's bid for the ad spot. At the customer level (everything is at the customer level with these guys). They use relatively audience friendly messaging. They rarely using hard-sell tactics, aiming to gently get seen and herd leads towards a sale.
Contextual Advertisers: These folks target offers using cues from your content or traffic. Sometimes it works.... sometimes it doesn't. Targeting varies by site. Smarter firms target based on demographics, using your audience to find relevant offers. Lower tech approaches are pretty much keyword matching.
One key feature of contextual buyers: they don't expect to talk to prospects again. This reduces demand and changes behaviors. Brand buyers want the opportunity to slowly close a sale with follow-up deals. The rest of the world, realizing they have one shot, attempts to close harder with aggressive ads. Keep a close eye on this traffic to ensure they're not annoying your audience.
Shouters: So what do you do when you don't have personalized data and can't use other cues to find an offer? Why you SHOUT of course. Very, very loudly. Pound the table with aggressive imagery, browser traps, click-bait and other tricks. And those banners that look a Window's download button. A certain fraction of the traffic will convert anyway.
That being said, I have a soft spot for the shouters. They're trying to squeeze blood out of a stone, after all civilized methods have failed. Without them the lower tier of the web wouldn't have a viable monetization strategy. God bless them, each and every one.
Just be sure your audience strategy is "churn and burn" than "nurture trust" if you're using this stuff on your site. It works, but at a significant cost of user trust and engagement.
So...who should you talk to? We've profiled a few suggestions for each level of the market.
Ad Exchange / Premium Inventory: The big boy table for buying and selling display ads. It has a high level of competition and pays the best rates. Large brands use this market for high dollar buys on sites they are confident are brand-safe. Generally requires high volume (20MM+ pageviews / month) to get an invitation. Smaller sites can get access via platforms like Ezoic (simple version of Ad Exchange).
Major Display Networks: Google AdSense is the market leader in this space. They provide brands and merchants with an affordable way to run ads on smaller websites. If you can get approved for AdSense, use them. Google AdSense has strong set of standards around website content and advertising placement. You can often boost your revenue by running other networks: here are a few well regarded options:
Other Display Networks: Brand interest drops fast as you move away from the major ad networks. The buyers shift to "direct response advertising". These are more aggressive formats intended to push a customer through to a sale. These ads pay less - but have looser standards, opening up this demand to a larger set of websites. A few options to check out:
Check out our best practices for ad optimization for ways to increase your earnings.
The website revenue calculator blends three different pieces into a single tool. The first part is a simple ad revenue calculator (visitors x pages x advertising rates). The second part was harder and uses data from a sample of 100+ small websites to estimate revenue. The third, the predictive model, took things a step further. This model is adjusted to incorporate audience & content factors. These dramatically affect audience engagement levels and advertising rates.
To calculate website revenue, start with your current base of traffic. This should be the number of sessions which is reported to you via Google Analytics. Each of these visitors is potentially an advertising prospect. Next, calculate the typical pageviews which a single session displays to those visitors. That gives you the number of opportunities to show ads. Advertising space is generally priced in RPM - or rate per 1000 impressions. Google AdSense and many other major networks will report on ad unit RPM at both a unit and page level. We restrict our model to using page level RPM's for several reasons.
Excellent question. We use page level RPM's because advertising units will cannibalize each other's revenue. This occurs through multiple mechanisms. First, in a typical display network site, multiple bidders are trying to get on the page in each option. The highest bidder gets the best slot... and then the second best slot is awarded, and so on. The pool of bidders and maximum bid shrinks as the auction works its way down the page's ad inventory. There is diminishing returns to pudding more ad units on a single page.
Another common question. Some members of the audience love the idea of paginating their content across a bunch of pages. The problem is - this usually helps you far less than you think. A similar "exhaustion factor" applies to sessions with a high number of pageviews. While the extra page-views increase impressions, advertisers will notice the shorter page views. This will severely depress advertising rates for the website. This brings things back into balance. Several of the ad prediction questions control this in the website revenue calculator.
Yes and No. At a tactical level, you will earn more with certain formats than others. This is due to stronger ad auction demand and better audience acceptance. At a strategic level, it starts to become a zero-sum game after you've optimized the first couple of ad slots. Each additional ad slot on the page competes for a progressively lower valued bid (so the 4th, 5th, 6th bidder). Plus you eventually hurt user experience, reducing the time people stay on site. All of this is baked into the website revenue calculator estimate.
Think about it like going to a party. At first, the room is empty and silent. What you say matters, in terms of what your audience hears and does. The same applies to your first ad or commercial message on a page. Having a couple of people saying the same message probably increases the impact a little bit. This is like putting multiple calls to action for an offer on a landing page. Having multiple speakers improves the experience as well, since the audience has options. Don't want to discuss the stock market? No problem, did you see the football game? Or that celebrity's dress? You may stay and chat a while.
Keep adding promotional messages, especially aggressive ones such as popups and auto-play videos. The scene quickly degenerates into a loud bar on Saturday night where you can't hear anyone. So you leave.
Ad results need to be viewed holistically, looking at entire pages and sessions. (We're a fan of Ezoic's EMPV concept, which optimizes ad revenue using session level results).
To determine "how much is this site worth" , we added a few things to the website revenue calculator. We built a predictive model for ad rates. This uses a sample of 100 websites where we have vetted traffic and earnings information. We made additional adjustments for different advertising networks and site formats. This data is not available through other sources (derived from various studies we ran). To use the ad rate predictor, update the scorecard data below the calculator.
The model for predicting advertising revenue uses a study of 100 small websites. The sites were clustered and we spotted factors that predicted their advertising rates. We made adjustments based on other experiments and feedback from advertising networks.
Before we start, it is important to note that there are many ways to win here. We will look at your site's traffic from the perspective of an ad buyer and rating your ad inventory. They view ads as being highly profitable or less desirable based on their economics. This view may vary sharply from your own perspective as a publisher. Cat video fests and click-bait are an excellent example of this. While a brand buyer may turn up their nose at this volume... if you're able to generate the traffic cheap enough, you can make a ton of money in their niches. So don't get offended, please. Meow?
The good news is the website revenue calculator is built to handle all the options. Did you build a top-tier website, optimized via machine learning, and use premium ads? You're covered. Want to pull cheap click bait traffic off Facebook onto a non-brand safe meme site and spam them with low end ads? You're covered too. There are many ways to win in this game.
The website revenue calculator quotes page level rates vs. pricing for individual banners. Performance can vary widely between advertising slots based on visibility and click rates. This approach works because there are diminishing returns to putting more ads on a page. Reader attention is finite and you begin to run out of high quality buyers in the auction.
The default settings in the website revenue calculator assume a basic information blog. We set the audience at 50,000 visits per month. We assume each visitor reads 2.5 pages of content and page level ad rates are $4 per thousand page-views. This will generate $500 per month in advertising revenue. The model is intended to get the "order of magnitude" for a site's performance right. There are many small factors within a particular concept that can drive a 20% to 30% swing in results. We're more concerned with the big swings that will explain the gap between a $3.50 CPM and a $35 CPM.
The core of the model came down to three key factors:
So now that we've solved for the what we're selling to an advertiser , we need to solve for the how we build an audience. This includes decisions about traffic generation, content type, and overall advertising program execution. We're watching three main factors:
Does niche matter? Absolutely. Especially at a tactical level when you're designing content and assessing ad partners. At a strategic level, however, niche is a poor predictor of advertising performance. Most games and puzzles sites have low commercial intent. But an app install affiliate or an Amazon puzzle affiliate can earn quite a bit. Those sites have a very high revenue per session. Same niche, vastly different results.
Our approach is to step back and look at commercial intent. You can estimate this by thinking about two things:
If you think about it, a lot of "high earning" AdSense niches tend to fall into this structure fairly nicely. Insurance quotes? You make a lot of money selling insurance. Quotes implies the traffic is close to buying. Probably a high value commercial audience. Streaming free videos? Probably not great, although you might be able to upsell some people to a paid product at some point. Put that on the lower end of the range. Yes, this is a site by site (maybe article by article) judgement call.
There's also a zone in which you can't predict how well a site will perform, since there are so many other factors. *shrugs. Don't know, go test it. I can, however, assure you that both websites will earn more per visitor than a cat video site.
There are big differences in spending power and competition for different regions. English speaking traffic from US / Canada / UK / AUS / NZ tends to lead the pack in terms of advertising CPM rates. We break out everyone else into a third bucket.
Our website advertising rates calculator assumes you attract a global audience. We assume this is likely concentrated in a particular region. If you've got tighter focus (specific country, urban area) you will need to use actual data. There is plenty of variation below the surface here at both the country and the local level. If you are heavily local, consider direct-selling ad placements to local merchants. There is a risk you may not have enough local competition on the ad exchange.
While there are some exceptions, mobile ad CPM's are still lagging larger screen sizes. This gap has been closing as customers get increasingly open to buying over a mobile device.
You should always consider "when" a typical user will be accessing the property. Technical content and professional content is often accessed from work (usually a desktop). Older audiences also prefer to do their shopping from a fixed machine. Entertainment and news is often consumed on mobile devices. The user is often "waiting" for another activity to finish. We adjust the website revenue calculator to reflect these differences.
Device preferences can vary sharply by demographic, particularly age. Use responsive design to ensure content and ads look good across the full range of your users.
The problem with click bait sites is the reader has very little "real" interest in the content or any offers. This winds up decreasing the amount advertisers are willing to pay to run ads there. The same applies to "low attention" traffic where bored readers browse a list of articles. This includes Reddit or Hacker News.). Any good AdSense CPM calculator should dial back the estimates for these users.
I'm not condemming the click bait strategy, by the way. These are cheap traffic sources. You can easily get 10,0000 to 50,000 visitors from a good placement on those sources. At minimal cost (just posting a link). But these sites are unlikely to earn a full advertising rate. This is why we carve the number back in our website ad revenue estimator.
Spreading your content across a large number of pages is an old trick. More pageviews means more ad space - and accidental clicks can always happen. It worked very well about 10 years ago.
Does it work today? Perhaps. But it is getting less useful as a result of changes in ad network policies. First, most ad networks have lightened up on the "max units per page" policy restriction. This lets you to add more units to a long article as long as you stay within Google's "Valuable Content" policies. Accidental click detection has gotten a lot better and can trigger automated penalties. It's worth testing but is not necessarily a goldmine.
The nature of how ad exchange bidding works tends to limit your revenue on successive pages. Most advertisers have an impression cap on their campaign. This limits the number of times a high paying ad can be shown to a particular visitor. After the first couple of pages, the list of bidders gets shaggy, in terms of what they are willing to pay for the ad space. This does vary by website. We incorporate this into the advertising revenue calculator.
One pageview generation technique that does work is related content promotion. Instead of spreading an article across five pages, add calls to action to lure the audience to dig deeper. This type of up-selling is harder to execute but can be very rewarding. A little affiliate marketing copy-writing is helpful in developing effective calls to action.
While this is a page views to ad revenue calculator, you must be honest about user engagement. Incidentally, there is no easy way to build a page view calculator for sites you don't own... too many site specific and traffic source specific variables. You can get insights from SEMRush's traffic analytics product.
As we discussed above, there is a strong hierarchy among the ad networks for access to high paying brands. As a publisher you should generally prefer brand ads to direct response ads. The brand buyer will invest beyond the profits from any initial click. Most direct response buyers need to recover their ad spend from the first sale. Of course, if you see an opportunity to close the sale yourself with affiliate offers, by all means run that. Affiliate marketing often earns far more than display ads.
The bottom falls out of the market once you get below the level which is approvable for Adsense. This is very true once you decend into content which is not "brand safe". Rates fall because the only bidders are direct response buyers pushing affiliate deals. The user experience can get a little raw (see my comments about Shouters; this is their playground). If you can find your own affiliate offer to run (tshirts? printable art? get creative), that's one potential way out. Otherwise, keep expenses low. This lets you run at a lower earnings per thousand visitors from display advertising.
On the higher end of the market, you move into the world of direct placed ad inventory from leading brands. These are sold through premium ad networks, which is reflected in our predictions. Most of these operate on an invitation basis. This can increase your earnings on a part of your traffic. Since this volume is sold directly to brands, most ad networks need a higher share of revenue. We moved onto Ezoic's premium ad program earlier this year and it generated a nice bump.
You are probably asking "How Much Is My Website Worth"? The data was part of our effort to build the most accurate website value calculator. Website profit is a function of unique users multipled by your advertising CPM rates. We adjust this for expense structure (of course). I'm not a fan of a unique users calculator - there are too many variables depending on traffic and SEO strategy. You can solve for the second part above (the website ad revenue calculator).
So to address the question of how much is my site worth, you must to estimate your potential flip value. This is the resale value of website). You can extend this website revenue calculator into a website value calculator. This will tell you how much is a website worth. To do this, you need to apply an appropriate multiplier to your website's current income. For a "blog worth calculator", you should adjust this for the expenses of new content. Regular content websites publishing evergreen content should be a little more durable. Industry multiples range between 2.5 and 4 years of earnings. The best website value calculator results tend to stay within this general range.
Need a more precise estimate or assessment of your website? Contact me on Upwork or drop me a line at email@example.com. Available for website acquisitions, digital publishing, and monetization strategy analysis. |
Around the 13th century, the early renaissance artist Cimabue of Florence, a person given the title ‘first of the trendy painters’, found the good artist and renaissance painter Giotto. A gifted painter as a toddler, she continued her creative actions producing quite a lot of spiritual Fashion photographs, illuminated manuscripts and alter items. The positioning Worth1000 has frequently held Renaissance Celebrity” photoshop contests 4 that involves superimposing photos of pop culture celebrities into classic paintings.
Sculpted within the hight of the Hellenistic period this magnificent masterpiece exactly defines the theatrical design for which this era in art is understood. Reply:In a sense yes, however I am positive there are some artists who nonetheless do as you describe. The place the Classical interval was balanced and refined, the Romantic period is marked by expressive compositions.
The Pegasus will not be solely a character from historical Greek mythology, but an icon that has endured in paintings in some form or another (particularly during the Renaissance) nicely into the modern day. Classical Renaissance gave beginning to the Baroque style that was more dramatic and direct.
The result is an everlasting melody not just for classical connoisseurs, however for every one. Taylor teases out the potential implications of a few of these artworks additional than some readers may be prepared to tolerate, but in lots of circumstances the sophistication and subtlety of the imagery is past doubt.
Discover what a meme is, why classical work enchantment as source materials, and the way some memes have given classical work a new lease of life. They have been creating art collectively since 1996 and are sometimes associated with the YBA’s or the Young British Artists.
Among the many most well-known was the college at Sicyon within the Peloponnese, which emphasised a cumulative information of artwork, the inspiration of artwork history. The orchestra in Kathakali is very significant as it has to assist the actors expressions with altering the tempo of it. The artists of instruments also need specialised long term coaching to master the skills for Kathakali.
In addition they spread Greek artwork around their huge empire and left traces for future generations to discover. These are peculiarities, maybe even anachronisms, included by the inventive license of the artist, which instantly present this work to be considered one of a high-quality artwork composition and not just a cultural artifact.
The artists who painted the pottery made their paint brushes by attaching animal hair bristles to a hole tube. This is where I first saw these beautiful items and every time I come throughout a tatted item, if it is in good condition, I snaffle it. All through the historical past of artwork there has indeed been a continuing pendulum swing between exploration and the return to the Greek reference.
The body sculpture of this time is criticized for exhibiting that they have been assembled in items. Many tattoo artists are more than pleased to try their hand at creating a type artscape decorative window film of tattoo they have not labored with earlier than. Many other artists have made world-famous work of horses simply standing around and doing their daily routine!
Solely a limited, educated audience might respect this piece and take into account it art. The deep satisfaction a pupil gets from mastering a troublesome classical arts presentation is actually Travel a beautiful gift to provide and is perhaps essentially the most fun and gratifying activity of them all.
The Artwork Economies Value Chain analysis, led by Curtin University analyst Tim Acker, factors to signs of uneven restoration and diminished losses over the past two years. In its plans for a European empire, Nazi Germany also harked back to the art and culture of the traditional Greeks.
I’m in the strategy of writing about Catherine too, Figured you possibly can’t get away with out mentioning the patron saint of artists now are you able to. Usually occasions, the only limit to twentieth century classical music was the composer’s own imagination. Here are few methods to create abstract art in any versions of Photoshop including CS4. |
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China's debt spree returns to haunt … Bail-outs are coming thick and fast in China. In less than a week the authorities have had to step in to prop up the banks, rescue the insolvent railway system and save the near bankrupt city of Wenzhou from a spectacular debt crash … It is proving harder than expected for the central bank to manage a calibrated "soft-landing" after letting rip with credit to counter the Great Recession … The 30pc annual pace of loan growth is unprecedented in any major country in modern history. It is double the pace of America's housing boom and Japan's Nikkei bubble in the late 1980s. It may match US loan growth in the late 1920s. The Communist Party is now struggling to cope with the fall-out.– UK Telegraph/Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Dominant Social Theme: China will be OK. It's a capitalist country now and the miracle of the Invisible Hand will guide it through any rough waters.
Free-Market Analysis: Ambrose Evans-Pritchard is back and swinging for the fences. For two years now (we keep track) we've been writing about the Potemkin Village that is China's supposed "free-market" economy and with increasing stridency we've been sounding the alarm about China's impending downfall. Along the way we've been joined by other voices, none more insightful and influential in our view than Evans-Pritchard.
He has been traveling in China from what we can tell and his tone has turned even more markedly gloomy as a result, or so it seems. We are not surprised. China is not simply the world's worst economic disaster waiting to happen – the disaster apparently is IN THE PROCESS of happening. Only you won't learn that from the mainstream news media, which is determined to keep China's impending liquidation a "secret" for as long as possible. Here's some more from the article:
On Monday, the state investment fund Central Huijin began buying stakes in China's four top banks to restore confidence and halt the slide in share prices. … [Meanwhile] China's finance ministry is quietly intervening to underwrite China's railway system. This behemoth is drowning with $300bn of debts after breakneck expansion, is in arrears on $25bn of debts to its two largest suppliers and has run out of money to pay workers on the Lanzhou-Chonqing rail project.
The ministry has offered a 50pc tax break on railway debt to be auctioned on Wednesday. This is a signal that Beijing will stand behind the system. It is intended to lure back investors following the high-speed rail crash in July. Meanwhile, Beijing is negotiating a $15bn bail-out for the enterprise hub of Wenzhou south of Shanghai, where panic has set off a credit crunch for small business and builders.
China's press has been riveted by tales of debtors hiding in the hills to evade creditors. Roughly 60pc of the region's loans come from non-bank lending beyond control, some of it Ponzi finance. "It's a tight financial network that interweaves lenders and borrowers collectively, often to their mutual benefit and sometimes to their terrible loss," said Caixin Magazine. "If only a few debt-ridden companies collapse, the financial trouble can ripple through the entire credit-connected community. The domino-effect started to endanger the entire system in July."
Every few days or weeks we check the China "scene" to find out what's going on. It never gets any better; it only gets worse from what we can tell. Thirty years ago, the Chinese began to allow farmers and other trades people to sell their wares in open-markets. Eventually, this sort of capitalism spread upwards. Soon people could "own" real estate and build it as well.
But the real control of China's largest industrial entities seemingly never left the Chinese communist party. In fact, there's plenty of evidence that the larger companies – banks, trading firms, utilities and the like – are controlled behind the scenes to give the look and feel of a kind of capitalism that doesn't actually exist.
The model is much the same in other BRIC countries and throughout South America and many developing countries where the elites own everything that matters while individuals hawk cell phones to each other on the street. Competition is fine so long as it doesn't inconvenienc the ruling classes. John D. Rockefeller used to say that "competition is a sin."
Because there never has been any real capitalism at China's top end, the economy after 30 years of "development" is likely woefully distorted. There are all sorts of explanations advanced for the empty cities, malls and skyscrapers throughout China, but the obvious reason is that China's annual "plans" and "goals" call for a certain amount of growth and the cadres will hit that number even if they have to build an empty city to do it.
The cities are beginning to rot now, or so we've read. Soon, probably, skyscrapers shall start to be dangerous to inhabit. The country's vaunted rail system is subject to continual accidents and generally, throughout China, the quality of the country's 30-year-long building boom is suspect.
Those who continually justify China's industrial excesses point out that the country's apparently shoddy workmanship is a good thing. It allows for the Chinese to create new jobs and new work, as the old infrastructure and unused housing crumbles. This is ludicrous, though. It's a repackaging of the broken-window fallacy.
Those who fancy the Chicoms, infinitely nefarious, have taken to muttering that China has appropriated American dollars and knowhow to build a formidable industrial society and a tremendous, modern infrastructure as well. But, in fact, the infrastructure is suspect and the economy is so distorted and controlled by the Chicoms managed boom that people out of desperation are buying – cash down – apartments in empty cities to hold as "investments."
Anyway, you can't really buy real estate in China, only lease it from the government. There's lots you can't do – or say – in China. Meanwhile … the controlled Western intelligentsia has been using the dysfunctional Chinese model to proselytize for more Western economic interference in the private markets.
The idea is that the Chinese have discovered a better way of doing business – using the state to organize private industry. The same ridiculous notions were floated when Japan was going through the boom part of its boom-bust cycle. The Americans helped Japan build out its "Western style" economy and they've helped with China's as well. In Japan's case, things have not ended well. In China's they likely won't either.
The Chicoms, in fact, have had decades to get this right but they made the mistake of installing the kind of faux-capitalism that Western elites implemented and ran for the past century. It didn't work for the West and it seems to have trapped the Chicoms as well.
Increasingly, the assurances of the Chicom leadership are taking on a hollow ring. Increasingly, they seem desperate to find away out. They've probably run out of chances and they know it. The great leap forward starved millions. And later, Tiananmen Square's violence sealed a social compact in which the Chinese leaders and their billion-plus populace traded political agitation for economic development.
But now that economic development seems suspect. As we've pointed out before, a steep recession – or depression – may well spell the end of Chinese communism, or at least inflict upon it a vast reconfiguration, violent or not. Three strikes and yer out.
And so it falls on the Chicoms to engineer a "soft landing." But there will be no such soft landing most likely, (as there never is) and the sound of a hard one could resonate around the world. The Anglosphere power elite that helped engineer the Chinese industrial "miracle" is surely aware of what may loom in China. If one looks at the world scene with a cynical-enough eye, the future seems to become clearer because of it.
China would be the final nail in the coffin; the subsidence of its economy will surely set off a global, rolling depression of significant breadth and depth. Can it be otherwise? And was thisthe plan all along? Europe is sinking; America is drowning; soon China may join them.
A modest if nightmarish scenario …
Suddenly, the world's economy is entirely under water – savings savaged; jobs non-existent; even food and water in short supply for some reason. Now the elites make their solutions known … Buttressed by the roiling populist protests of Occupy Wall Street, supported by Julian Assange's transparency meme, the powers-that-be take advantage of the starvation and chaos facing not just the West, but the world.
With all the persuasive force of the controlled media, they will offer the globe's tortured billions the vision of a compassionate and efficient global government. They campaign for direct democracy to ensure world government is both fair and equitable.
It will become apparent, eventually, that Assange's WikiLeaks model provides the transparency that is necessary to erect a feasible model of global governance. Handsome Assange himself shall assume a high position in world government (a man other men envy and women hope to marry). Finally, the elites will offer up the IMF's SDRs as the new world currency.
Does all this strike you as far-fetched? Heck, we're just speculatin' … |
On the first day, Evan Spiegal created Snapchat. On the second day, Mark Zuckerberg pioneered a huge infiltration of clone after clone of the Snapchat stories feature, with every branch of the Facebook family tree miraculously adding an almost identical version of the mobile app’s features to its platforms. This copycat movement led firstly by Instagram and shortly after followed by Facebook and WhatsApp (yeah, I’d forgotten about WhatsApp stories already as well). With every social platform copying the feature, the social media marketing world watched with interest. The situation becoming such a joke, that stories instigated a meme coined ‘Will Now Have Stories’, where even a pregnancy test adopted a stories feature on its interface. It cannot be denied that Facebook and Snapchat have a delicate and chequered history – back in 2013, Mr Zuckerberg offered Snapchat’s Spiegal a staggering $3 billion in efforts to try and buy the image-based messaging app, which to the displeasure of Zuckerberg was kindly declined. So is this blatant copying of Snapchat’s features an attempt to wipe Snapchat off the planet and make it the next Friends Reunited, Google Buzz or MySpace? The First Assault: Instagram VS Snapchat Prior to Facebook’s new strategy to copy Snapchat, Snapchat was consistently seeing steady growth in user rates. In fact, at the start of 2016 it was averaging at 122 million daily active users, growing by 14% from the previous quarter which you have to admit is rather quick. However, coincidence or not, when the Facebook-owned Instagram launched the first of the stories clones back in August last year, these rates slowed and Snapchat saw a growth rate of just 3.4% in the last few months of 2016. Although there is no solid evidence Instagram stories caused this, it’s highly doubtful this was not the main factor of Snapchat’s sudden decline in growth. It can hardly be a shock to many either, as Instagram already had more than double the daily users than Snapchat prior to the addition of its stories feature. What is Facebook Stories? Then came along the next step in Facebook’s plan – the ‘creation’ of Facebook stories. Defined as a feature that enables you to “share multiple photos and videos as part of a visual collection” which sounds remarkably similar to another social platform. The new update to Facebook also brought camera effects including masks and filters (Snapchat: tick), direct sharing between users (Snapchat: tick) and a 24-hour window to view the stories (Snapchat: tick). As the evidence shows, the features are extremely similar to those on Snapchat, with the only HUGELY distinguishable difference noted as the direction in which you have to swipe your finger to access filters. But what Zuckerberg set out to be another assault on Spiegal, has only ended in bewilderment from its onlookers and embarrassment for Facebook, as a month later no one is using Facebook stories. This failure can be summed up by an update to the Facebook’s stories feature within just the first week, an attempt from the platform to enhance the feature and encourage users to actually use it. This new update made a minor difference, changing the design of the stories display. The update has been coined as ‘ghosts of friends’, instead of showing an empty feed lacking any use of Facebook stories; your friends are now turned into ‘ghosts’, with a greyed out icon highlighting those who are apparently not social media savvy enough to use this feature, or quite frankly (and most likely) all storied out. What is the failure of Facebook stories down to? So what can we actually put this failure down to, and why is it that stories work so brilliantly on Snapchat and Instagram but have failed so badly on Facebook? Unfortunately, Facebook has ignored requests for usage data (not surprising really) so we can only contemplate the reasons for this failure. People have different reasons for using each of these social media platforms in the first place, and with these come different audiences. Facebook is now the most popular social network for the over 50s a generation not usually known for wanting to share every part of their day-to-day lives on social media like millennials and generation Z. It should also be pointed out that Instagram provides an opportunity for convenient viewing, for generation Z there is far more surveillance of online stars. Social media has become a place to follow our favourite celebrities and online influencers, and Facebook surrounds its values on keeping up to date with family members and real life friends. Furthermore, much success of stories on Instagram and Snapchat have come from the adoption of the feature from brands and businesses. However, Facebook has at launch made Facebook Stories unavailable to brands, making the rest of us social marketers to wonder why, and more recently, when we will all have to start paying for it? You know we will be doing right? Are ‘ghosts of friends’ reflective of the end for Facebook stories? We are unquestionably in an era where photo and video are becoming the key methods of communication, and this is something that isn’t slowing down – if anything it is speeding up following Facebook videos overtaking YouTube video views back in 2014. People want to share every part of their day-to-day and in some ways it’s hardly surprising many social platforms are becoming homogeneous. However, each social media platform offers a different experience and difference reasons why each of us chooses to use them. The success of stories on Instagram is really a matter of convenience and the audience of those using the platform. Ultimately, the failure of Facebook stories can be put down to the simple fact that it just doesn’t work for this platform and its audience – Yet. So I make that Speigal 1: Zuckerberg 0. However, I don’t believe for one second that this feature is going to be laid to rest just yet. I would like to personally thank our intern at Prohibition Charlotte Buckley for helping me research my theory on this issue without her I couldn’t have done this. |
In case you couldn’t sit through the US vice-presidential debate between current vice president Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris on 7 October, we took the painful task of summarising it for you upon ourselves, although—it really wasn’t as uncomfortable to watch as the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
The face-off between Pence and Harris that took place on Wednesday 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah, was far more civil than the somewhat chaotic presidential event prior. But even so, some sharp exchanges were still featured over COVID-19, the China policy, health care and the creation of new jobs.
With President Trump currently ill with COVID-19, the vice-presidential role seems to have received more attention than usual. Voters told the BBC that they were pleased with the civility between the two candidates during the 90 minute long debate.
There were undoubtedly some heated remarks on a range of policy issues, with the strongest disagreements being about Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. Pence defended the presidential administration’s actions, but Harris called it “the greatest failure of any presidential administration.”
Talking of the virus, the pair were separated by glass barriers as a precaution against the spreading of COVID-19, and unsurprisingly, the global pandemic was the opening topic of the debate. Harris’ most pungent line was when she cited the coronavirus death statistics. With 210,000 Americans dead, she charged the Trump administration with “ineptitude” and “incompetence.”
Pence seemed to expect this, and his response was ready. He stated that the Biden-Harris plan was largely a copy of what the administration was already doing, and he boasted the speedy progress of a vaccine while linking Harris’s criticism of the administration as an attack on first-responders and US healthcare workers.
Surprisingly, both candidates didn’t spend much time on the fact that the White House has now become the latest coronavirus hotspot.
The memories of the presidential debate from the week prior lingered for all watchers, and both vice candidates seemed to have this in mind, as Pence’s typically calm and methodical style served as a counterpoint to Trump’s aggressive stance. That being said, he did attempt interruptions but Harris turned up ready. “Mr Vice-President, I’m speaking,” she said. “If you don’t mind letting me finish, then we can have a conversation.”
Both parties seemed pretty uncomfortable on this topic to say the least. Presidential candidate Biden has recently expanded his plan to address climate change, and Harris was an original sponsor of the Green New Deal climate proposal which has set ambitious, yet necessary, targets in order to reduce carbon emissions.
Pence advertised America’s clean air and clean water while refusing to address the fact that climate change is one of the driving factors behind events like wildfires and hurricanes. He also refused to say that climate change is an existential threat and repeated Donald Trump’s claim that forest management was “front and center” of the historic wildfires in the American west.
The vice president claimed that Biden would ban fracking (a technique that fractures the underground rock as a means of increasing the flow of trapped gases), which Harris denied with the statement “I will repeat, and the American people know, that Joe Biden will not ban fracking. That is a fact.”
Pence gave an array of misleading answers on the problem of hurricanes, saying that the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found that there are no more hurricanes today than in the past. However, analysis this month has shown that hurricanes have become much stronger and more damaging around the world since the late 70s. Pence was criticised for his climate responses not only by climate scientists and activists but by former allies.
As tensions rose to what feels like a constant boiling point around the world, a tired fly uninterested in social distancing and seeking a rest, parked itself onto Pence’s perfectly white and coiffed hair for a full two minutes and three seconds. With no comment, it happily buzzed off leaving us to judge on whether it was a sign on what to do next from nature.
Biden tweeted a photo of himself gripping a fly swatter—talk about taking advantage of an evidently smelly situation.
Shortly after people noticed the fly, memes flooded the internet. While Pence is likely to notice some of them, then again, there is no such thing as bad publicity, right?
As 2020 continues to throw curveballs, at many points the expression ‘if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry’ has seemed apt. With this, we have seen a rise of political content on social media to help the general public make sense of major global crisis after major global crisis. Internet memes make a joke, a point, or a connection and can operate to affirm and shape today’s politics through participation by reappropriation. But are they actually helpful?
As the best part of any group chat, memes are fundamentally fun. However, when used within a political context they enable a new kind of participatory conversation which complicates the traditional political structure. Internet memes are defined as “units of popular culture that are circulated, imitated and transformed by Internet users, creating a shared cultural experience.” For young people, who do a great deal of their communicating online, memes have become a significant practice for political engagement. A far cry from the cat memes of 2010, 2020 sees the internet taking on politicians and the established elite through the medium of memes.
Humour is inherently critical and functions to challenge social norms dating all the way back to Ancient Greece. In a way, memes are a continuation of caricatures, which were popularised in the 1700s as a form of satire. Political memes create and spread satire, allowing them to actively question politics rather than passively consume through more traditional news sources. Logan Callen, creator of the Instagram account @quarantined_political_memes, which is well known for its political compass memes, told Screen Shot, “When I first started my page back in March, the amount of engagement on political pages was much lower than it is now. My page has grown a lot recently, especially among younger people. I attribute this growing interest in politics to the popularisation of politics on social media.”
With few socioeconomic barriers to the internet, access to political content has never been easier, arming the younger generation with a powerful tool. However, the meme’s biggest strengths, speed and lack of gatekeepers can also prove its biggest flaws.
At their crux, memes are supposed to be funny, whether that humour is light-hearted or macabre. However, at the intersection of politics and humour, there is a very fine line to be balanced. Bigoted hostility, harassment and dangerous propaganda are often overlooked as ‘just a joke’, as extremists hide behind irony to make their bigotry seem more palatable. A 2015 study by the Texas University found that individuals who were socially isolated and more likely to be characterised as ‘on the fringe’ have a greater chance at creating a successful meme, lending weight to the idea of memes being an effective tool for extremists.
“Social media giving everyone a voice for their opinions is a double-edged sword,” explains Callen. “While it allows for every opinion to be heard, it also grants the opportunity for ‘trolls’ to spread misinformation. I have seen this a lot while on the political side of Instagram. While most memes I have come across aren’t dangerous in spreading misinformation or propaganda, I have seen a few that almost tricked me, and would definitely trick younger people.”
Memes thrive on a lack of information, the faster you can understand the point the higher the chance of it going viral. Seemingly well-intentioned memes can still dehumanise others through fetishisation, as when everything is reduced to an Instagram graphic it’s easy to forget the very real human experiences behind the content. One particularly disturbing example is the recent murder of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police. An article in Vox stated that “as soon as Taylor’s name went viral, the call to action became something closer to a meme-fied catchphrase, with many social media users turning calls to arrest Taylor’s killers into a kind of structural gimmick.”
The tools we use to communicate are in danger of becoming counterproductive to actual communication. The term ‘slacktivism’ describes the practice of supporting a political or social cause by means such as social media, involving very little effort or with the main purpose of boosting the participant’s ego.
And then there’s the concern that memes can very easily become our own personal echo chambers. Tatton Spiller, creator of the Instagram account @SimplePolitics and author of The Breakdown, explains, “The echo chamber effect is pretty awful. You follow people with whom you agree. You share those posts. You don’t interact with friends you follow but don’t share values with, they drop off your timeline, you see more of the stuff with which you do agree. You hear nothing, ever, of the other side. You forget that people with other views really exist. How can anyone believe that nonsense? You completely lose the ability to chat or engage with anyone who doesn’t hold your points of view.”
Memes aren’t going anywhere. They are a part of public conversation and shape the way we interact with events and debates. Even deepfake memes are on the rise. Activist and author of Millennial Black and Anti-Racist Ally, Sophie Williams, tells Screen Shot, “I think people spend so much time on social media, consciously and unconsciously absorbing the information they see, that it can be a really good starting point for people. What I think is essential to emphasise every time, is that posting or sharing on social media is not activism in itself. It’s not the end, it’s just the start. People have to take the information and apply it in their everyday lives, offline, through their actions.”
Social media is a powerful tool. It’s hard to imagine a major pop cultural or political moment that doesn’t generate an influx of internet memes. But with that comes a breeding ground for lies, indifference and optical allyship. Proceed with caution. |
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Philadelphus Lemoinei is a slightly unusual compact growing variety of Mock Orange. across (4 cm), borne in small clusters. grandiflorus – great blossomoed Philadelphus shrub Developed in France in the 1880’s, Mock Orange Lemoinei has long been popular with UK gardeners. It has mid to dark green leaves and strongly fragrant, cross-shaped white flowers that bloom in late spring-early summer. No need to register, buy now! Find specific plants with our Plant Finder & Plant Selector. See how RHS can give expert advice on growing, feeding, pruning and propagating plants. They are deciduous (loose their leaves in winter) and produce their flowers for about five … I have Philadelphus maderiensis but that appears to be tender and I have not had it flower for me yet. Philadelphus microphyllus is a very dainty small-leaved species, forming a twiggy bush, originating from Northern America where it is often found in mountainous areas. It has an upright shape with arching stems. In the unfortunate event that you have received the wrong item or any damaged goods please contact us immediately on 01236 821355 or email firstname.lastname@example.org to make a claim. Size: 2 Ltr. An excellent plant for use as a cut flower. 2 litre pot: £24.99: 2 litre pot. The richly fragranced white cup-shaped flowers are centred by bright vivid yellow stamens and are produced from early summer. Use on "home made" items that are not offered for sale is O.K. Feb 27, 2018 - Regarded as one of the most fragrant of all Mock Oranges, Philadelphus 'Avalanche' is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub of great beauty when in bloom. It blooms in late spring and early summer and the intense citrus fragrance wafts through the air and attracts butterflies and pollinators, making your yard the hit of the neighborhood. Deciduous Trees. The creme white scented blossoms are appearing from May/June to July. They may NOT be used on greeting cards, pottery and other items that are offered for sale. We've put together a selection of our favourite Clematis plantas: compact patio varieties, unusual miniature varieties and delightful doubles. It is suitable for most types of soil if well-drained and can be grown in either a sunny or partially shaded area. Parahebe Avalanche Perennial For Sale Online. Philadelphus x lemoinei 'Avalanche' was introduced in 1896 and is still considered by many as one of the most fragrant of all mock oranges. Like all in this family a mulch in the winter is advantageous. The blossoms stand out against the foliage of oval, dark green leaves. This variety has double blooms that are produced in loose racmes from early to mid-summer. Shop the best online selection of mock orange bushes & shrubs on sale in several varieties at NatureHills.com. They reach heights of up to 250 cm. PERENNIALS A - G. Perennials are plants that survive for more than two years. Tall stems colourfully adorned with bronze leaves have amazing clusters of bright orangey yellow flowers. It’s spread can be greater than its height, reaching 2 metres (7 feet). £6.99 Stock : 0. They may NOT be used on greeting cards, pottery and other items that are offered for sale. Download this stock image: Philadelphus mock orange - W3BAR1 from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors. A stunning newly introduced variety of Alstroemeria. Herbaceous perennials die back in winter & re-grow from the base each spring; evergreen perennials remain in leaf all year round. The upright arching habit makes this variety ideal to be grown in a container or in a border. Prefers a sunny site. It bears fragrant double blooms, which make it particularly well suited to growing in a large container or in the ground near a path or seating area. See more ideas about mock orange, plants, orange. Fast UK Delivery and No Quibble Guarantee! All claims must be made within 3 working days. Philadelphus lewisii: Mock Orange Philadelphus lewisii is tolerant of a wide variety of conditions, from full sun to partial shade, from moist to dry. never found it for sale (perhaps its misnamed?! The blossoms stand out against the foliage of oval, dark green leaves. Philadelphus ‘Starbright’, also known as the Mock Orange ‘Starbright’, is a deciduous shrub. Supplied in a 3 litre pot or 7.5-10 litre pot. Parahebe Avalanche available to order today Philadelphus 'Lemoinei' (Mock orange 'Lemoinei') will reach a height of 1.5m and a spread of 1.5m after 5-10 years. wouldn't be the first time!!!) Philadelphus ‘Beauclerk’ This variety has large, white, cup-shaped flowers held on arching stems. I will see if I can weasel a bit out of Barry Champion the gardener there! Suggested uses. Using Philadelphus microphyllus, which is less hardy but very fragrant, as one parent and the much hardier Philadelphus coronarius as the other, Lemoine was able to create this short, free-flowering shrub with exceptionally fragrant flowers. Philadelphus requires little pruning.
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Grimes sold nearly $6 million worth of digital art as NFTs. Kings Of Leon became the first major rock band to release an album in the form of an NFT. Steve Aoki collaborated with illustrator Antoni Tudisco for an art and music NFT release. Wu-Tang Clan announced plans to release 36 copies of a coffee table-style photo book via NFTs. And all of this happened in the first week of March alone.
This leaves many fans raising the question: “WTF is an NFT?”
Dropping NFTs tomorrow at 2pm EST. enter the void pic.twitter.com/l9fNFUCheX
— ☘︎𝔊𝔯𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 (@Grimezsz) February 28, 2021
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are certificates of authenticity that use blockchain technology to prove ownership and scarcity of digital assets. For those responding with another WTF, let’s start by defining some of the terms.
First, “fungible” describes a good or commodity whose individual units are essentially the same. For example, a dollar is fungible because each bill shares the same value and is completely interchangeable. The same can be said about bitcoin. Though each individual bitcoin has a unique code, we can swap out single units and still have the same thing. As you might have guessed, “non-fungible” means that the asset is in some way unique or scarce. Even if an artist releases the same image as a limited edition of 50, each edition is still unique, making it a non-fungible asset.
The identity of the asset is then minted on a “token.” To be clear, the token isn’t the asset itself but rather a certificate of ownership and authenticity stored on a decentralized digital database known as a blockchain. To get on the blockchain, a token is transmitted to a network of peer-to-peer computers around the world to confirm its validity. Once authenticated, the token becomes an entry (or block) in an irreversible timeline (or chain) of data. Maybe someone can replicate the image, but they cannot replicate the token, and the public nature of the blockchain across multiple computers makes it nearly impossible to forge tokens.
This system requires a lot of energy to operate, so environmental issues need to be addressed, but blockchain technology is spreading fast. Just as it can help protect against forgeries in the art world, blockchain databases can also securely store contracts, health histories, property records and supply chains. Walmart, Pfizer and Unilever are among the companies that already incorporated some blockchain technology. Nike even filed a patent in 2019 for an NFT system to verify the authenticity of sneakers (or CryptoKicks). Future applications will likely extend to everything from scalper-proofing concert tickets to improving vote-by-mail security.
— Magnus (: (@___magnus___) November 24, 2020
So yeah, this is some seriously legit shit.
NFTs in particular are mostly stored on the Ethereum blockchain, where their value is defined by a cryptocurrency called Ether, though other blockchain ledgers exist with ties to other alt coins. When an NFT is sold, it becomes an entry in the blockchain ledger. If it’s resold, it becomes another entry. In any case, the blockchain publicly stores and shares information on the authorship, authenticity, scarcity and (if applicable) the sale price each time a token is purchased.
Less than a decade ago, the infrastructure didn’t exist to authenticate easily duplicated digital assets on any serious level, but the introduction of NFTs and blockchain networks created a system that formalizes digital ownership and authenticity. This, in turn, created several marketplaces where digital assets are bought, sold and traded. Popular networks include Rarible, OpenSea, KnownOrigin, Async Art, MakersPlace, Zora, SuperRare and Nifty Gateway, and some networks allow artists to earn a small percentage if the work is then resold on the secondary market.
Some describe NFTs as DeFi’s second act. Just as cryptocurrencies helped establish a decentralized finance (DeFi) system, NFTs help artists bypass the middlemen and gatekeepers of the traditional scene centered on galleries to verify, authenticate, price, select and showcase art. In the 1970s, many artists bypassed the galleries by turning to street art and graffiti, often at considerable risk and without the ability to monetize or possibly receive authorship credit for their work. By decentralizing and democratizing the art market, street and subway canvases have migrated to online galleries, where artists retain more individual control to display, sell and easily transfer their works without the need for conventional infrastructure.
Breaking out in an otherwise locked-in year, the NFT market reportedly expanded to more than $250 million in 2020. Most pundits expect the market to grow severalfold by the end of 2021.
Mike Winkelmann, aka Beeple, is the top seller overall. His digital work CROSSROAD sold for $6.6 million in February on Nifty Gateway, and Everydays — The First 5000 Days sold for nearly $70 million March 11 at famed auction house Christie’s. This was the first purely digital NFT offered at Christie’s, which dipped its toes into the water last October when it auctioned Robert Alice‘s Block 21 featuring an NFT component. The large-scale work in the artist’s Portraits Of A Mind series sold for 10 times more than the estimate.
Other top-selling crypto artists include Greg Mike, Hackatao and FEWOCiOUS, while early trendsetters include CryptoKitties, CryptoPunks and Rare Pepes. The latter began in 2016 as an effort to reclaim Pepe The Frog from the alt-right, and the Rare Pepe Wallet arguably became the first decentralized platform of crypto art. Other established and emerging artists worth noting include PRØHBTD, StellaBelle, Shay The Surrealist and VJ-turned-crypto artist Eclectic Method. One newcomer—the creator of the 2011 meme Nyan Cat—actually minted the meme as an NFT and recently sold it for nearly $600,000.
With @NyanCat turning 10 tomorrow, its creator Chris Torres has a special event planned to coincide with the beloved meme and will be auctioning the original drawing as an NFT. Learn more about this piece of internet history going up on @withFND today.https://t.co/NKHVc8yRc9
— Know Your Meme (@knowyourmeme) April 1, 2021
As countless headlines show, everyone’s now jumping on the NFT bandwagon. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey auctioned off an NFT of his first-ever tweet—”just setting up my twttr”—and for millions. Digital fashion brand The Fabricant partnered with Beauty3000 filter creator Johanna Jaskowska and CryptoKitties creator Dapper Labs to introduce the first digital couture line, Iridescence, which sold for an “emperor’s new clothes” price of $9,500. DJs and producers jumped on the trend early, with 3LAU releasing vinyl-associated NFTs and deadmau5 selling digital animations, stickers, pins, etc., while Shawn Mendes, Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park), Halsey and Portugal. The Man have all released NFTs recently.
Some NFT drops, of course, are more painful than others. For example, what’s worse, Logan Paul making millions selling NFT clips of him unboxing collectible Pokémon cards or Taco Bell releasing an “NFTacoBell” of its bell logo?
The sudden surge in digital art sales could reflect a bubble, the wider adoption of crypto art or both, but digital scarcity is a new reality, and the combination of scarcity and demand can drive up prices that might otherwise seem shocking, especially for symbolic ownership of an asset that can be easily copied.
Sure, that’s a legitimate argument, but it must be fairly applied to all art and collectibles. For example, a person can easily go online and buy a poster of Vincent Van Gogh‘s Starry Night, so what makes the original priceless? The same could be said for photo art. If a person makes a new unauthorized print from the original negative, it wouldn’t have the same value as the authorized original. But why? Even moving away from art, a LeBron James rookie card sold for $1.845 million last year. The image of the card can be found online, so why isn’t a printed copy worth the same?
It’s all about scarcity. Anyone can own a print, but only one person can own the original. Moreover, a preponderance of prints and copies may actually drive up the price of the original. In the end, paying for scarcity is often about bragging rights, if nothing else. Certainly that had to be the mindset of the collector who can brag about dropping $120,000 on a duct-taped banana at Art Basel in 2019.
The biggest skeptics are probably buying bitcoin and Ether now after dismissing cryptocurrencies for years, but those focused on the crypto aspect of digital art shouldn’t sleep on its artistic value. Digital art is exploding around the globe. The Tokyo-based digital art collective teamLab now claims the most-visited single-artist museum in the world, and AI-powered digital artist Refik Anadol has put up large-scale installations around the globe. Anadol has also sold hundreds of NFTs on Nifty Gateway.
CryptoCubes & Creators 🤖
— CryptoCubes (@CubesCrypto) March 29, 2021
Digital art also appears on track to have a more prominent place in home collections. Companies such as Infinite Objects, Meural, ZendVibes and Samsung have already created “digital frames,” and many more such frames are on their way.
NFTs will help democratize and decentralize art like bitcoin did to finance and the internet for music and video. This means more visual creators with limited exposure in the past will have a new platform for the world to see and to monetize their works.
Watch this space to see which emerging digital artists you might want to follow or even collect.
For more, follow along on Twitter @cryptokid901 |
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer, it's a chance to post a recap on the past week, show the books we have received and share what we plan for the coming week. Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality and the aim is to show our newest books and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops or downloaded on to their e-reader.
In just four short days Ann and I will be on a train heading to London for this years YALC! We had so much fun there last year and are both excited to go back (although also terrified - but when aren't we?), we will be vlogging as much of it as we can so keep an eye on our YouTube Channel for that. If you're also going to be at YALC let me know so we can freak out together!
Books We Got This Week:
I cant even decide which of these I am most excited for. Possibly Campfire? I love horror movies and I am forever looking for books that grab me the same way. I've never yet found one though so hopefully this will be it! Competence I am also crazy excited for because I adore Gail Carriger and I love these characters so much.
And I Darken by Kiersten White: 4 stars, I wasn't as blown away by this as I wanted to be. Nobody was quite as brutal as I wanted (although Lada in the first half of the book was incredible). But I didn't like any of the side characters and just wanted Lada and Radu to overthrow everyone together. I get the feeling that's not where the series goes though which is sad. |
>>1042>They removed gender entirely from Animal Crossing and Splatoon
Although that's kind of SJW I also feel like it's one of the better ways to make everyone happy, similar to how Bethesda usually doesn't write any gender-specific dialogue for their romance options. Most people will just make male and female looking characters and just assume it's that gender, while the few faggots who actually care about that kind of shit can LARP as their meme genders. If anything it's less SJW than the previous AC game where you could have a cross dressing character, and other villagers would comment on it. I'm kind of playing devil's advocate here since I don't like SJW shit in general, but this seems like the best way to go about pleasing these people if we really have to.
>Xenoblade, Bravely Default, Octopath etc.
I'm kind of hesitant to call Xenoblade movie games since although they're cutscene heavy you're still getting like 60 hours of gameplay, so it's not MGS4 tier or anything. Plus it's an improvement over their predecessors, like Xenosaga being 90% cutscenes and 10% walking through corridors, and Xenogears with literal walls of text everywhere.
As for the other 2 they're made by Square Enix not Nintendo, but they're actually a good example of what I was saying. It's basically their attempt to recapture their old glory and make something like the old SNES Final Fantasy games (since nobody has given a fuck about FF itself for years), but they ended up being kinda mediocre imo.
>completely trashed the Zelda formula to chase modern design trends and people still called it a masterpiece
Never played BOTW personally so I can't comment on it, but I don't understand why every Zelda is praised as a 10/10 masterpiece. I like the games but I don't get why they're supposedly so special. Maybe it's just nostalgiafags or something. |
Custody Sergeant Geraint Jones is on trial after he sent a meme featuring George Floyd – the African-American man who died during an arrest in Minneapolis, US on 25 May – photoshopped with an image of African-American man Wardy Joubert III posing naked.
Joubert III was an American preacher and football coach who became an internet meme in 2012 after he was pictured sitting on a bed naked. He also starred in adult videos as a side profession.
The issue of whether the image had a racial angle “never even entered” his mind, Jones said.
Jones admitted sending the image to a group chat on WhatsApp on May 30 last year. According to court records, the officer forwarded the meme to a group of eight others after a friend sent it to him. The group included six serving police officers.
The matter was referred to Devon and Cornwall Police's professional standards department after one of the group chat’s members complained about the image.
Following a probe by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, Jones, 47, was charged with sending a grossly offensive image. He denied the charge and stood trial at Plymouth Magistrates' Court on Friday.
“I knew that meme was going viral at the time and they had seen it in various shapes and forms,” the officer told the court, saying that he “saw the comedy of it."
“I didn't think about it deeply and I didn't look at the image in detail,” Jones said, admitting that he might have been “after a cheap laugh or trying to raise a smile.”
According to prosecutors, Jones sent the image less than a week after Floyd's death.
“The prosecution case is that such an image, sent at the time that it was, was liable to cause gross offence, namely to those in the black and ethnic minority community,” one of the prosectors said.
The defence provided 54 pages of character references for the client and described Jones as a "caring family man" and a "diligent" police officer.
Floyd died after being detained by US law enforcement officers in the state of Minnesota last year. His death sparked a wave of protests against police brutality and racial discrimination across the globe, including in the UK. |
Lenny Kravitz has opened up about his involvement in one of several ill-fated biopics on soul legend Marvin Gaye.. Cameron Crowe, Jamie Foxx, Scott Rudin and Dr. Dre have all reportedly been. Lenny Kravitz has had hit records and packed concert venues. However, he admits that finding his sound and identity in the music business was a struggle, in an interview with Michelle Miller for.
Kylie Minogue is set to reunite with Lenny Kravitz (Image: Daily Record) Read More Related Articles. Love celebrity gossip? Sign up for the Mirror's daily newsletter for all the juiciest news . The album Raise Vibration is available now Kravitz released his sixth album Lenny in October 2001. The album was recorded in Miami. Kravitz wrote the song Bank Robber Man after the Miami Police Department detained and cuffed him while walking to the gym with his trainer because police stated that he matched the description of a bank robber. Kravitz did not have any identification with him at the time and the police on the scene did.
Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet are the epitome of what a working, blended family should be. In a new interview, Kravitz opened up about the unity he has with his ex and her new husband. Lenny Kravitz has been through a rock and roll series of events in his career and personal life Lenny Kravitz's memoir 'Let Love Rule,' out Oct. 6, will cover the first 25 years of the rocker's life
On Tuesday, Oct. 13's all-new Daily Pop, Lenny Kravitz opened up about writing his new memoir, Let Love Rule. As the 56-year-old rocker shared with E!'s Morgan Stewart, he struggled at first when. Lenny Kravitz has shared a romantic new music video for Ride, an album track off his latest LP Raise Vibration.. Directed by Mark Seliger, the clip was filmed in a loft apartment in Paris. From the album RAISE VIBRATION. Listen now: https://LennyKravitz.lnk.to/RaiseVibrationID Directed by Jean Baptiste Mondino Follow Lenny: https://www.instagra.. Artist: Lenny Kravitz Album: Unplugged Released: 2020 Style: Pop Rock Format: MP3 320Kbps Size: 101 Mb. Tracklist: 01 - Are You Gonna Go My Way (Live) 02 - Believe (Live) 03 - Rosemary (Live) 04 - Just Be A Woman (Live) 05 - Sister (Live) 06 - Always On The Run (Live) 07 - My Precious Love (Live) 08 - Let Love Rule (Live.
Lenny Kravitz News. Songs You Didn't Know Were About Somebody Famous These are the muses for the music you love. Bad Blood, Candle In The Wind, cry me a river WIN Handwritten Lyrics and a Collector's Box Set from Lenny Kravitz Someone's gonna take home an amazing prize Lenny Kravitz has shared a romantic new music video for Ride, an album track off his latest LP Raise Vibration. Directed by Mark Seliger, the clip was filmed in a loft apartment in Paris and around the countryside in Senlis, France. Kravitz travels with a love interest, exploring the sights and writing music together
Before becoming one of the biggest rock stars of his generation, Lenny Kravitz was just another mama's boy from New York City. Lenny says in his new memoir, Let Love Rule (available now), that the love, faith and compassion he learned from his mother, Roxie Roker, and five godmothers was crucial to fostering his heart, his soul and his music Lenny Kravitz on His New Memoir, That Scarf Meme and How to Get His Abs. The rock legend reflects on his upbringing, his faith and his big break. By Ilana Kapla n. October 21, 202 Home News People Lenny Kravitz Alleges Bill Cosby Fired Lisa Bonet from 'A Different World' — Here's Why October 10, 2020 | by Kareena Koirala In his newly released memoir, Let Love Rule, Lisa Bonet's ex-husband Lenny Kravitz claimed that she was fired by Billy Cosby from A Different World because she was pregnant Lenny Kravitz, Actor: The Hunger Games. Four time Grammy Award-winner Leonard Albert Kravitz was born on May 26, 1964 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, the only child of actress Roxie Roker and Hollywood producer Sy Kravitz. The family moved to California when Lenny was ten. His father was Jewish and his mother was of African-American and Afro-Bahamian ancestry Lenny Kravitz discusses his new book, 'Let Love Rule' myvillage. 3:58. Lenny Kravitz Tells All on His Famous Family in New Memoir. PlayGames. 1:14. Why was Lenny Kravitz reluctant to write his book? BANG Showbiz. 1:12. Celeb Life News: Lenny Kravitz Designs a Piano, Wedding Anniversaries and Babies, Babies, Babies
Lenny Kravitz News from United Press International. I would like to apologize to my fans in Europe. Kravitz delays European concert tour Feb 13, 2008. Do I believe music was better in the '60s and. Musician and actor Lenny Kravitz sat down with OZY's co-founder and CEO on The Carlos Watson Show to talk about his life, career and new book Let Love Rule.Here are some of the best bites from. You can follow Lenny Kravitz on Instagram here. Related Vegan & Plant-Based News. Kevin Smith Launches Podcast Called 'Vegan Abattoir' With Daughter Harley Quinn; 9 PBN Podcast Interviews Featuring Vegans Of Color You Should Listen To 'Airhead' Jon Venus Blasted After Revealing He Is No Longer Vegan Lenny Kravitz was born as Leonard Albert Kravitz on May 26, 1964, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to an interracial couple, according to Biography. While his father was Jewish, his mom, Roxie Roker, was an African-American actress. Kravitz had to endure racial remarks in the 1960s on account of his background. He was definitely from a privileged background
YSL Beauté has been graced with a new face: American pop and rock star Lenny Kravitz.His daughter Zoë is already known to be the brand ambassador and face of the Black Opium perfume line, and now Lenny will adorn the campaign for the masculine fragrance Y Eau de Parfum.. Y, developed by Master Perfumer Dominique Ropion, is made to represent the iconic Yves Saint Laurent white T-shirt and. NEW YORK — Lenny Kravitz is a man of extremes — as he readily admits. I am deeply two-sided: black and white, Jewish and Christian, Manhattan and Brooklynite, he writes about his first 25 years alive in his new memoir Let Love Rule, released last week and named after his 1989 debut album Lenny Kravitz met a troubled young woman Lenny Kravitz in 2019 | Bryan Bedder/WireImage. One night, Kravitz met a young woman (he refers to her as Jewel) at a club where he was participating in a jam session. He says she came up to him and seemed to be hitting on him. He was happy with the attention News Lenny Kravitz Speaks About Youth, Finding His Voice In New Interviews. The artist's memoir, 'Let Love Rule' is out tomorrow. Published on. October 6, 2020. By. Sophie Smith Lenny Kravitz : Fresh Air Kravitz talks about growing up the son of a Jewish father and Black mother, finding his musical style, and how Lisa Bonet changed him as a songwriter. His new memoir.
Lenny Kravitz has a new girlfriend, who is reportedly just 19 years old. Kravitz's new girlfriend is exactly a decade younger than his daughter Zoe, who is now 29 years old. Kravitz and his new girlfriend were seen early voting in Miami Beach Musician Lenny Kravitz shared the many memories he had of his Jewish grandparents and how they impacted his life in his new memoir Let Love Rule. The Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter. Lenny Kravitz has a new memoir out, entitled Let Love Rule. Even if you're not one for book reading, you should be excited, because this means more excuses to post pics of 56-year-old Lenny! Thank you, Internet, replied all our eyes, clits, and peens in unison. In the book, Lenny gets into hi Lenny Kravitz is a man of extremes — as he readily admits. I am deeply two-sided: black and white, Jewish and Christian, Manhattan and Brooklynite, he writes about his first 25 years alive.
Rock icon Lenny Kravitz told CNBC he is sad and amazed that racism and inequality remain pressing global issues 30 years after the release of his debut album, Let Love Rule Lenny Kravitz Honors Late Mother Roxie Roker in New Memoir Let Love Rule: 'I Was a Mama's Boy' this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines Lenny Kravitz looks back on the first 25 years of his life in his first book, Let Love Rule, which details his personal and musical upbringing Lenny Kravitz, born May 26, 1964, is a multi-instrumentalist who incorporates many different genres of music into his records. Kravitz was born in New York City to an African-American mother and a. American rocker Lenny Kravitz, 56, the father of actress Zoe Kravitz, has revealed a few interesting details about his relationship with former wife Lisa Bonet in his new memoir 'Let Love Rule'. In conversation with E!, The 'Fly Away' singer noted that he kind of blew it when first he met Bonet
It's true Lenny Kravitz has led a charmed life. Thanks, of course, in no small part to his prodigious talent for all things musical, and his personal mantra of letting love rule, but also to his upbringing at the hands of his creative, encouraging, and connected family Lenny Kravitz performs at the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York on April 7, 2017. In a new memoir, 'Let Love Rule,' Kravitz explores his childhood and ends with him on. On October 13, Tuesday, Lenny Kravitz opened up about writing his new memoir, Let Love Rule. In an interaction with E!, Lenny remarked that he struggled while writing the book at first. Amid his conversation, Kravitz recalled the time when he first met his ex-wife, Lisa Bonet. The singer mentioned. Aktuelle Infos, News und Gerüchte zu Lenny Kravitz, mit den neuesten Videos und Bildern / Fotos. Alles über Lenny Kravitz bei BUNTE.de Lenny Kravitz has been everywhere lately and we're not complaining. His latest project is the release of the Kravitz Grand in partnership with Steinways & Sons, the world-renowned piano maker. Kravitz worked with Steinway to design a limited edition of 10 Model B pianos to retail at $500,000.
Lenny Kravitz Details New Memoir 'Let Love Rule' For Fly Away, the Lovells were inspired by childhood memories of hearing Kravitz's voice coming out of the speakers on family road trips My life and times: Lenny Kravitz talks about his new memoir, Let Love Rule He has spent three decades being hailed by fans as a sexy rock god. Now, at 56, Lenny Kravitz has written a memoir Lenny Kravitz talks about his Jewish upbringing I am deeply two-sided, Kravitz said in his memoir, according to the New York Times. Black and white Lenny Kravitz was only five years old when he went to his very first concert - a concert that would change the course of his life forever.Kravitz was in first grade and his father Sy Kravitz, an NBC news producer in New York City, picked him up from school and took him to Madison Square Garden, not telling him who they were going to see Strut is the tenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and arranger Lenny Kravitz.It was released on September 23, 2014 and was the first release on Kravitz's own Roxie Records, with distribution by Kobalt Label Services.The record also produced five singles released both in 2014 and 2015
Lenny Kravitz is remembering Eddie Van Halen as a pioneer in music, in a conversation with Extra's Rachel Lindsay. Opening up about the rock legend, Kravitz said, He was a pioneer. Lenny Kravitz On Race, Being On The Road, And Ruff Ruff The Magic Dog Fresh Air. October 6, 2020 • Kravitz's new memoir, Let Love Rule, follows his childhood and early career.Still touring in. Lenny Kravitz admits his intense admiration for the Jackson 5 in an exclusive audio reading from his new book, Let Love Rule Oct. 13 (UPI) --Lenny Kravitz appeared on The Tonight Show and discussed how writing his newly released memoir titled Let Love Rule was therapeutic. I found that while I was writing this book, I.
Lenny Kravitz Finally Discusses His Comically Large Scarf. There are probably some people out there who care about Lenny Kravitz's new album Raise Vibration, but it'll likely never live up to any. The actor's ex-husband Lenny Kravitz has revealed the reason for this in his memoir Let Love Rule that hit the bookshelves earlier this week. Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz were married from 1987 to 1993 and even have a child together, Zoe Kravitz, who herself is an actor today Singer/songwriter Lenny Kravitz is back with new album 'Raise Vibration,' which may be his boldest political statement yet. Born to a black mom and white dad, Kravitz taught his own daughter to. Lenny Kravitz, the man, the meme, the legend, still owns that giant knit scarf the internet memed to death in 2012 and you can't change his mind about it.Paparazzi photos of the Let Love Rule.
Oct 6, 2020 ; AceShowbiz - Rocker Lenny Kravitz has discovered a new level of love and respect for his late father after reexamining their very challenging relationship for his new memoir.. The. New York City chords by Lenny Kravitz. 11,024 views, added to favorites 147 times. Difficulty: novice. Author partenopeo41 [a] 292. Last edit on Jul 02 Em D You know she's my heart C D I really love New York City Em D She's lived and died C D so many times Em D You know life can be real tough C D On my New York City Em D C D But. Lenny Kravitz. 5,872,775 likes · 910,645 talking about this. New album Raise Vibration Out Now: https://LennyKravitz.lnk.to/RaiseVibrationFA Instagram. Zoë Isabella Kravitz (født 1. desember 1988) er en amerikansk sanger og skuespiller.Hun har vært med i filmene The Brave One (2007) med Jodie Foster, Kjærlighet på menyen (2007) med Catherine Zeta-Jones og X-Men: First Class med James McAvoy og Michael Fassbender.Hun er datter av musikeren Lenny Kravitz og skuespilleren Lisa Bone Leonard Albert Lenny Kravitz (New York, 26 maggio 1964) è un cantautore, polistrumentista, produttore discografico ed attore statunitense.. Nella sua musica si ispira ad artisti come John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John e Prince.Oltre a cantare, suona anche chitarra, basso elettrico, batteria, pianoforte, armonica a bocca e sitar per ognuna delle sue canzoni
Jason Momoa, Lisa Bonet, Lenny Kravitz and Zoë Kravitz in 2010. (Photo by Alexandra Wyman/WireImage) Bonet married Momoa in 2017 after being together since 2005 and they are the parents of. Lenny Kravitz's daughter worked with his ex, Nicole Kidman, on Big Little Lies Lenny Kravitz on new book, saving stories about Kylie, Nicole for later Cameron Adam , Stellar Magazin Lenny Kravitz, John Mayer, Keith Urban and More Pay Tribute to Late Eddie Van Halen Oct 06 Lenny Kravitz Credits New Memoir for Helping Him View Late Dad With Different Eye Oct. 13 (UPI) — Lenny Kravitz appeared on The Tonight Show and discussed how writing his newly released memoir titled Let Love Rule was therapeutic. I found that while I was writing this book, I was healed of so many things in my past — especially when it comes to the relationship between myself and my father, Kravitz told host Jimmy Fallon on Monday Lenny Kravitz has nothing but love for his ex-wife Lisa Bonet and her husband, Jason Momoa. When Bonet and Kravitz divorced in 1993 after six years of marriage, the exes worked hard to maintain a friendship, and when Momoa came along, he instantly fit in. We all love each other and we all support each other, Kravitz told ET in a new.
Lenny Kravitz was delighted to be asked to front a campaign for ''iconic'' Yves Saint Laurent's fragrance Y.The 'Fly Away' hitmaker is the new global ambassador for the fashion house's popular. Lenny Kravitz has always worn his influences with pride, including the classic rock of Led Zeppelin and the socially-conscious soul of Marvin Gaye Lenny Kravitz is the ultimate rock god and a divorced dad who gets along with his ex (and everyone around him). Here, he talks about COVID, his new book, and his secluded life in the Bahamas Lenny Kravitz says that he was almost the original singer for the 1984 hit Somebody's Watching Me, which he revealed in his recent memoir Let Love Rule and expounded on in a new Rolling Stone. RELATED: Lenny Kravitz Is the New Face of YSL Fragrance I only use a few things, the rockstar, who is the new global ambassador for YSL Beauty's Y fragrance , told Vanity Fair in a recent interview
Lenny Kravitz has revealed some candid details about his relationship with ex-wife Lisa Bonet and her family. We are one family unit — between my daughter [Zoe], Lisa and Jason, and their two. Lenny Kravitz was born in 1964 on 26th May to Roxie Rocker and Sy Kravitz. His birthplace was Manhattan, New York. He was the only child. Kravitz's mother was an actress while his father was an NBC television news producer. Kravitz is the nephew of Leonard M. Kravitz, and he is the man he was named after Lenny Kravitz is opening up about his close, unconventional bond with his ex-wife, Lisa Bonet, and her new husband, Jason Momoa.. The Fly Away rocker recently opened up for a profile in the U.K. Lenny Kravitz has spoken candidly about his very modern relationship with ex-wife Lisa Bonet. Speaking to Stellar magazine, the 56-year-old revealed that he has always remained on good terms with Lisa, 52, and even shares a special bond with her new husband Jason, 41, as well as their two children Lenny Kravitz's mother was Roxie Roker, best known for her role as Helen Willis on the hit sitcom The Jeffersons, and Kravitz remembers the family moving from New York to Los Angeles when he was.
The topic of Lenny Kravitz came up when Howard was speaking about Lenny's new book which was sent to him in advance. Howard went on to praise the book on The Stern Show, although he claimed that his book was actually about being a hot guy. It's clear that Lenny is soon to return to the Stern Show in the coming weeks Lenny Kravitz never really stops. In a year where nearly nothing has gone according to plan, the 56-year-old rocker has managed to remain as active as ever. Fresh off Paris Fashion Week, Kravitz flew to the Bahamas in March for a five-day stay ahead of his scheduled summer tour legs in Australia and New Zealand Lenny Kravitz - Rock star Lenny Kravitz put on a party for the release of his latest album at the Park Hyatt Hotel in New York City, New York, United States - Tuesday 23rd September 201 3.4m Followers, 807 Following, 1,487 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Lenny Kravitz (@lennykravitz
New York City, New York Set for release in September, RAISE VIBRATION will mark Lenny Kravitz's 11th studio album (CD and 2LPs in multiple standard and deluxe formats). The record promises to. The latest Lenny Kravitz news, articles, profiles, features, interviews and galleries from The Sydney Morning Heral Lenny Kravitz interview: I remember the one-bedroom apartment in New York where I lived with my parents. We use to sleep in the living room on a couch that we would pull out into a bed Lenny Kravitz has a memoir out called Let Love Rule which obviously. That album, and the follow-up, Mama Said, ruled my life at the end of high school and through university. Still now, when I hear the first bars of It Ain't Over Til It's Over I feel like crying Lenny Kravitz To Release New Memoir, 'Let Love Rule' The book will chronicle the first 25 years of the legendary Grammy-winning musician's life. Published July 1s
Leonard Albert Lenny Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and arranger whose retro style incorporates elements of rock, soul, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk, and ballads Lenny Kravitz has transcended genre, style, race and class into a 20 year musical career, one which revels in the rich influences of '60s and '70s soul, rock and funk. Kravitz's talents as a writer, producer and multi instrumentalist have resonated now through eleven studio albums into a timeless catalog Lenny Kravitz chats vegan diet, new memoir, and his 'tight' friendship with ex-wife Lisa Bonet and her husband Jason Momoa: 'I love this dude' By Cassie Carpenter For Dailymail.com Jason Momoa and Lenny Kravitz Prove You Can Totally Be Friends With Your Ex's Spouse Celebrity Instagrams. News Love & Sex Tech Travel Election 2020 The Step Podcast Latina Lenny Kravitz: 'When I saw Prince, I saw myself' In a new memoir, the rock musician breaks down the first 25 years of his life, when he found his sound, his voice and his commitment to love. |
If you ever want to know why nature is a great yin-yang between darkness and light, consider this: without fracas, issues would never get discussed; nothing would ever get stirred up; no resolution would happen except well-this-is-how-we-always-do-it inertia.
A week or so ago, one of my blogscreeds provoked a bit of a intense response across the right-wing blogosphere. In short, people thought I was full of the proverbial used food and wanted to set things straight.
Now, while our society trains us to be good docile obedient stupid compromise-driven pacifistic convenience-motivated conflict avoiders, I think we need to look at the plus side of this: we’re now talking about an issue that is vital to our future, which is the elephant in the room for the alternative right, New Right, far-right and paleoconservative elements out there:
Until we resolve these things, for the most part, we’re just hobbyists discussing a fond vision of an alternate reality, whether we do this on the internet or not. It’s modern society: any chirping cheeseball can put forth a notion, detach it from reality and get a few hundred thousand people discussing it. They do this quite successfully for trivial things like rock bands, TV shows, favorite products and even dumb trends like putting bacon in ice cream.
In other words, that we have a few hundred thousand warm bodies pounding on their keyboards in unison about some idea proves nothing. If anything, it’s a useful moneymaker for our adversaries, who’d just love an organized uprising of Hollywood-style totalitarianism. The donations would keep rolling in at a snappy pace, then.
But on the other hand, all good things start small. Every giant tree was once a seedling that for a long time looked just like any other weed. The Puritans who founded America were probably considered the 16th century equivalent of potheads home in England: “Right, religious liberty. Good luck with that. Don’t eat too much when you get the munchies.”
However, for any cultural shift to succeed — and in a time when politics responds to trends both illusory and realistic, the only change that happens is a cultural shift in attitudes and expectations, and politics follows that — it must be distilled down into a clear, simple and easily-transferred message. A meme, if you will.
The Republicans have a meme: we beat up the bad guys and cut your taxes. The Democrats have a meme: we’re the civil rights party. Even the Libertarians have a meme: government is a parasite, and we’ll really cut your taxes. Communism has a very effective meme: everybody gets fed at the same time in the same amount. We need a meme of that level to compete.
Even more, we need to make sure we simplify our own approach to the bare minimum. We don’t need ten thousand pages of impassioned writing; what we need are the right five paragraphs that express what we’re about so the average thinking person can anticipate what life with us in power would be like. The more we simplify and streamline, the closer we are to being understood.
Conservatism — and political philosophies built around one part of the conservative platform, like nationalism — is just growing out of the stupor that followed World War II. We don’t give up on doctors if we find a single bad doctor, but people are acting like we give up on conservatism because there was that one guy with the weird mustache. As conservatism grows out of this reaction, we’re looking toward the next stage.
For us to get there, however, we’ve got to hammer out some of these basic issues. Here’s Greg Johnson, one of the people I make sure to read every chance I get, on the source of this fracas:
I do think it is too early for a political movement, and that we should spend our time and money on metapolitics. At best, political activism today should be regarded as a kind of metapolitical education, since we need to have a tradition of people with concrete political experience if we are to someday get involved with politics and play for keeps. (Looking at it that way will also prevent the kind of burn out fostered by false hopes of actually making political headway in the present climate. Managing expectations is always crucial.)
But when the time for politics comes, it will necessarily be a form of modern mass politics fueled by resentment—in our case righteous resentment. My metapolitical role, and the aim of this little essay, is to make sure that we are clear about that fact right now and adjust our attitudes and plans accordingly. – Counter-Currents
Greg Johnson is an intelligent man, and this is not an unconsidered viewpoint, so we should treat it like the product of years of research, which it certainly is.
However, I have to disagree for two reasons:
The above are political reasons, meaning that they refer to the craft of politics and how to motivate masses of people with memes. (If you can think of a better definition of politics, let me hear it.)
But I’d like to add another. Finally: it’s a poor diagnosis. What screwed us? Class warfare and revolt, starting in 1789 with the French Revolution. What brought it on? Dumber whites outbreeding smarter whites. Why have we been chumps ever since? Because once you create a system like democracy, where people vote by what they wish to be true and not what is true, you set up a society of chumps right for the raping. White people drugged themselves with football, alcohol, religion, liberal politics and social pretense long ago. As I mentioned in a review of Tomislav Sunic’s excellent Against Democracy and Equality: The European New Right, long before the Judeo-Christian confusion we had Greece, and in Greece, the people followed the same failing path we’re now on. This confusion arises naturally from human perceptual errors; it doesn’t require a foreign initiator.
To make it even clearer, no great civilization is taken down by a tiny external minority. That minority isn’t smart enough or strong enough, and the majority isn’t dumb enough, to let that happen. Great societies die from within. The usual perceptual errors — everyday stuff, like thinking we can tell little white lies about whether that dress makes our wife look fat or not — end up being unopposed. The smart people get distracted by irrelevant stuff. People no longer agree on anything. Then the society begins falling apart.
If you’ve ever run your own business, chaired a committee meeting, whipped volunteers into shape or just tried to keep your rock band together, you know that these challenges are constant. They are always there and they are inherent to the human condition. If you do not oppose them, they take over and win, like weeds in your garden. You will always have to weed your garden, as long as you have that garden. You can never relax. You must always be at a state of “moral attention,” as Scott Fitzgerald called it. You can never let down your guard. That’s what it is to be alive: every day is intense! Every day is a struggle! Life and death hang in the balance at every turn, at every moment, every day… it’s just that when you make a bad decision, sometimes it takes 2,000 years for it to move from cause to effect.
If some evil minority took us down, it’s because whites — distracted by sports, beer, keeping up with the Joneses, picking their noses — let them. If whites let them, it’s because they gave in to one or more mental errors. Since we see those errors crop up in each other every day, and in every civilization since the dawn of time, it’s clear those errors are inherent to humanity. If some evil minority took over, it’s because error took over first.
Beating up on that evil minority distracts us from the real issue, which is fixing our society so we stay vigilant against these errors and other pitfalls. Even if every single thing others say is true, and this evil minority is as evil and powerful as they suggest, it does not change the truth of what I am saying. We are too strong to be taken over by even a tiny minority of evil supermen. We did it to ourselves. More importantly, we can only fix it by fixing ourselves to make ourselves resistant to the infection; even diseases that we have eliminated by destroying all the pathogens represent a threat, because if the pathogens reappear, they’ll wipe us out again. We cannot make ourselves healthy by destroying that which threatens us because it will always be there. We can make ourselves healthy by, tautologically, making ourselves healthy: strengthening body, mind and soul so they can resist all pathogens both known and unknown, because future challenges await.
If you killed all the Jews and African-Americans tomorrow, and even all the Democrats and vaporized Hollywood with a thermonuclear weapon, you would still have a dying Western civilization. I like the idea of machine-gunning hipsters for aesthetic reasons, but if I shot every hipster in north America, the day after the bodies cooled some kid would discover Sonic Youth and start wearing sweaters, being inauthentic, posing at being knowledgeable, etc. These are eternal human failings. It is our job to evolve morally so that we can resist them forevermore, because they will always be there, because they are inherent to the mathematics of the universe.
Take hipsters, for example. If you think through the question of a social life half-way, you might believe that by wearing “different” clothing, saying “unique” things, and finding the newest hippest bands, you might have a social life. Someone who thinks the situation through all the way realizes that only by being an authentic friend, a true leader and a good person do you get not only popularity but the good kind of popularity, where you surround yourself with good people. The hipster just makes an error (true, it should be a fatal one, but that’s neither here nor there). It’s the same way many kids learn you shouldn’t steal, you shouldn’t drink too much, and that it’s better to just do your homework before class: by taking a shortcut and then failing.
Western civilization took a shortcut in 1789 and we’re still feeling the fallout. WWI was a direct response to 1789 (through the Franco-Prussian war and a few other flare-ups); WWII was a direct response to WWI. We are paying endlessly for the error we made back then. Was it an innocent error? No, and yes; no, the people involved should have known better, and yes, in that the vast majority of people who supported them were probably not able to know better. Did the Jews do this to us? No more than the Scientologists, the cocaine-fueled late night infomercial pitchmen, and the politicians. Many groups are showing up to feed on the carcass (and in the case of Jews, that’s some Jews, not all, just like some Gentiles and not all contributed to our decline; many Jews and Gentiles are busy working to fix the problem).
Critical mass favors those who come up with the most direct solution with the fewest disadvantages. We cannot attack the wrong group; it causes needless destruction, and makes us think we’re fixing the problem when we’re actually “fixing” some partial problem, unrelated problem, non-problem or other issue that is not the real problem we must fix. Even more, we’re getting off track and trying to do a one-shot cure for a deep ailment that requires constant vigilance against it, which in turn requires we build up the health of the good things in our society so we have the strength to resist it.
I think we could learn a thing from the Jews, specifically those hanging out in Israel:
Under the new law, groups involved in activities that deny Israel’s existence as a Jewish state can be prevented from receiving public funding.
Those activities include marking Israel’s Independence Day as a day of mourning.
Civil rights and Israeli Arab politicians say the law is undemocratic and unfairly singles out Israel’s Arab citizens.
The current version of the law is more moderate than the original, which called for prison sentences for anyone holding Nakba memorial events. – BBC
Even their liberals are finally getting it: Arabs hate Jews not because Jews are Jews, but because both groups are competing for the same thing.
When that happens inside Israel’s borders, only two outcomes are possible: Jews exile or Holocaust the Arabs, or Arabs take over and then do the same to the Jews.
Two men enter, one man leaves.
Israel is opting for a sensible solution which whites should emulate:
Some Jews, like some whites, are learning not to be “intolerant” but be practical:
Falling into a routine where “minor” attacks prompt minor responses would lead to escalation of this so-called “limited” terror campaign, whose impact on the country and its citizens may be just as grave as that of suicide bombings and multi-fatality attacks.
Lack of global sympathy in the face of such attacks may aggravate the situation further, limiting the IDF’s freedom in responding to terror later. This coming on top of the ongoing de-legitimization campaign against Israel, another seemingly “softer” tactic, may ultimately prove disastrous for the Jewish state. – YNN
They have figured out that diversity is death for their populations, namely that as soon as you try to unite society around more than one thing — race, religion, ethnicity, customs, values, level of IQ and even aesthetics — society splits up, with everyone doing their own thing and no standard in common. This in turn means open combat in the streets, and that commerce takes over from culture:
In such a time, we have infinite things to work against, and only one to work for: a healthy, thriving, clear-sighted and non-neurotic population.
“Multiracial societies always end in violence,†says Mr. Griffin. “The reason for the trouble in these cities is that racial tension was already there, as it always is in mixed-race societies. Yes, we urge white people to stand up for their rights, but it is the Asians who are burning the cities this summer.â€
Mr. Griffin may not be entirely correct to say that “mixed-race societies†always end in violence. Sometimes they end in despotism, since the rule of force is all that can hold such societies together. There’s a good reason why the empires of ancient times like that of the Romans were both multiracial as well as despotic; it’s the same reason such multiracial conglomerates as the Russian and Habsburg empires were authoritarian in more recent times. The only way to hold different races and cultures together in the same political-territorial unit is by clobbering whoever steps out of line. Those who push for the outlawing of the BNP and similar groups are bringing modern Britain closer to the same outcome.
In any case, Mr. Griffin is by no means the first to warn that multiracialism breeds results other than peace and tranquillity. “As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding,†the late Conservative political leader Enoch Powell told his countrymen 33 years ago, in warning against non-white immigration into Britain. “Like the Roman, I seem to see ‘the River Tiber foaming with much blood,’†as a consequence of the naive belief in multiracial harmony. – VDARE
How’s this working out in Israel?
But even the specter of a renewal of such attacks — which deeply scarred the Israeli psyche and left the country’s peace movement in tatters — was enough to bring calls for retaliation.
Arriving on the scene soon after the blast, Eli Yishai, Israel’s hard-line interior minister, urged revenge. “With these murderers, these terror organizations…we must act, or we will lose our deterrence,” he said.
Nearby, young Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men vented their anger, chanting “death to Arabs.”
“It’s a very sad day, said one of them, Meny Friedman. “Finally we have the ability to get out what we have to say about Palestinians.” – AP
Those young men chanting death to Arabs get it, at least partially. Israel belongs to one group and only one group can rule it. Any other group, even if they’re “nice,” will lead to the destruction of the Jewish people.
This is possible in a multi-ethnic society like Israel’s. It can be possible in the USA, if one ethnic group gets convinced its interests are in danger, as the Tea Party shows is happening with white people.
But even among ethnically solidified groups, there are people who don’t get it:
As the Latino population and its political influence have grown, the number of Jewish groups across the country working to build and strengthen Latino-Jewish ties has increased as well. The New York office of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) held a meeting last week for Latino and Jewish leaders, and AJC’s Latino and Latin American Institute is planning a national Latino-Jewish leadership summit for 2012. In addition, in San Antonio, Texas, former mayor Henry Cisneros and local Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg are organizing a strategic dialogue between about 80 Latino and Jewish leaders later this month.
Since last December, leaders from some of Los Angeles’ most influential Jewish organizations have been meeting, coming together on two separate occasions with their Latino community counterparts. The exact outcome of this organizing effort is still to be seen, but it could lay the groundwork for an unprecedented level of Latino-Jewish cooperation.
In Los Angeles, Latino-Jewish relationships are not new. The communities’ leaders often point to the election of Ed Roybal, Los Angeles’ first Latino city councilman, supported in large part by Jewish and Latino voters in 1949, as the first great victory of the Latino-Jewish alliance. Some even credit the intercommunity connections with staving off a wider explosion of tensions in 1998, after the state Senate primary between Richard Katz and Richard Alarcon got particularly nasty.
Even so, the number of efforts by Jewish organizations in Los Angeles to “reach out,†to “build bridges†or to otherwise connect with Latinos has soared in recent years. – Jewish Journal
What would they say if this program was tried in Israel, and this group wanted to important Hispanics (or even another group, like Vietnamese or the Amish) to try to integrate with Israeli society?
Probably “stop it you fool,” in Hebrew.
Why do Jewish groups try this in the USA?
Because our liberal propaganda convinces every group to do this. Whites do it; Jews do it. Even various well-intentioned clueless African-Americans are trying to accomodate the Hispanic, even though this new group will edge African-Americans out of their traditional careers and neighborhoods.
Self-destructive tendencies are not unique to whites. Wherever liberalism goes, they go. And liberalism shows up everywhere because it’s a basic error, like thinking you can drink those 24 mimosas and still walk home without vomiting on yourself.
This partly explains what happened in Arizona, where a surging Hispanic population so panicked the state’s residents that they began pushing lawmakers to pass immigration-related bills aimed at making the state less hospitable to illegal immigrants. This wasn’t about reaffirming the rule of law. It was about returning Arizona to what it looked like 50 or 60 years ago, when the number of Hispanics in the state was much smaller than it is now.
It seems to have worked. The analysis of census data done by the Hispanic Pew Center shows that in Arizona, the number of Hispanics came in at 1.9 million, or 180,000 fewer than expected. – CNN
And look here! White people decided they were tired of the mess, so they made some peaceful laws to turn off the tap. From the tap flowed money: easily acquired work with regular paychecks, government aid, free hospital care, and so on.
I’m not a Hispanic Indio living in poverty in Mexico, but even I’d have to admit: why not take advantage of it? If your northern neighbors are so stupid and greedy that they offer this all in exchange for $20 lawn mowings, why not take advantage of those morons?
Who’s killing you now, white man? It’s the moron within. Or rather: that you tolerate that moron’s vote and opinion as equal to your own. That equality is dogma straight out of 1789, as refined by Western post-Communists in 1968.
You’re tolerating stupidity out of social fear. You don’t want to appear to be not-nice, not-sociable, not-tolerant or not-friendly. You don’t want to be (of all horrors) elitist. So you bleat along and accept stupidity as equal to intelligence. Hey, it’s all good.
Throughout history, when an occupying power has wanted to destabilize and destroy a nation, it has settled a foreign people in its midst. The seeds of the Balkan conflict were sown when the Turks planted Albanian Muslims in Kosovo to uproot the Christian Serbs who had long defended the borders of medieval Christendom and had more than once turned back the tide of an expanding Ottoman empire. The Soviet Union under Stalin methodically encouraged Russian emigration into the occupied Baltic states in a campaign of long-term Russification, to such an extent that nearly 30 percent of the populations of Latvia and Estonia were Russian.
Despite this, Americans did not worry about the massive migration of Mexicans and other third-world immigrants for many years due to their belief in equality and the idea of the American melting pot. Unfortunately, both concepts are complete myths, devoid of any support from logic, history or science. Despite the best efforts of the academic thought police and pop literary fantasists, such as Jared Diamond and Malcolm Gladwell, various scientific disciplines have quietly, but inexorably been demolishing the equalitarian hypothesis with regard to race, culture and sex. – WND
We’ve gone into the psychology of liberalism elsewhere on this blog, but suffice to say there are always Malcolm Gladwells and Jared Diamonds. There are always neurotic people who, missing a purpose in life, decide to band together and “fix” society with insane ideas that nonetheless give everyone good feelings. And there will always be Robespierres to manipulate that group, whip them into a frenzy, and send them off to kill the rich/powerful/intelligent/beautiful/honest.
That is a fact of life, and the sooner we address this and the need to forever be vigilant against it, the sooner we see what our actual task is in finding a solution. In the meantime, unless we adopt some radical crazy solutions like race war, Holocaust II and Day of the Rope, most of our people are with us:
Given equal choice, every race strongly prefers itself:
And white people actually prefer themselves the least, but right now there’s just so many of them. – OKCupid
Like every other race and ethnic group on earth, whites date whites. Central Europeans tend to date Central Europeans, even if both have been in America for five generations; Eastern Europeans tend to date people like them, and Southern Europeans tend to date people like them. Each group tends to marry and breed with those people.
Excepting the 2% (probably a maximum, more like a half-percent) who were raped as children or otherwise have some gaping hole in their souls they need to cover by being “different,” people try to replicate something like themselves for a variety of reasons. Mostly, it’s biological, but it’s also ethnical, aesthetic and ideological.
Then again, saying “I’m going to have German-American children like I was a German-American child” is a politically achievable and socially acceptable end, where mass gassings are frowned upon (usually).
For the study, the researchers surveyed black adults in Michigan. The results suggest the more the participants identified with being black – or the more being black was an important part of who they are – the more happy they were with life as a whole, Yap said.
The study also explored the reasons behind the connection. Yap said it may be fueled by a sense of belongingness – that is, blacks with a strong sense of racial identity may feel more connected to their racial group, which in turn makes them happy.
This sense of belongingness is especially important for happiness in women, Yap said. – PhysOrg
Racial identity is healthy. Celebrating it is also healthy. But in order to do that, we need to make sure the focus is on ourselves, not on blaming others. We need a clean theory of our own health.
From there, we can branch out to other difficult truths, like “diversity of any form always fails and destroys whatever society is stupid enough to host it.”
Huge numbers of Britons would support an anti-immigration English nationalist party if it was not associated with violence and fascist imagery, according to the largest survey into identity and extremism conducted in the UK.
A Populus poll found that 48% of the population would consider supporting a new anti-immigration party committed to challenging Islamist extremism, and would support policies to make it statutory for all public buildings to fly the flag of St George or the union flag.
Anti-racism campaigners said the findings suggested Britain’s mainstream parties were losing touch with public opinion on issues of identity and race. – The Guardian
Look at this. Look at what’s waiting for us: if we produce a coherent platform, and eschew pointless and angry behavior, there’s a huge audience just waiting for us to come in and solve their problems. Of course, we have to do that without screwing up while in power. We’re not going to get there however if we embrace violent rhetoric without purpose. People are cool with violence, so long as there is a purpose to it and the situation isn’t better solved with another method. If our problem is diversity, saying we’ll make no legal obligation to support diversity — the same solution you’re seeing in Israel — is not only a practical solution, but a political winner.
Our people don’t need resentment. They are ready for our message, with a small gentle push or two. They are seeing that the last forty years of extreme liberalism, from 1968-2008, wreaked havoc on us and destroyed our society. They’re seeing, for the first time, that their future and the future of their children is threatened not by a single issue but by the very notion of liberalism and the multicultural society.
But they’re not going to vote for anyone who acts like a Nazi, and I tend to agree with them. I don’t want a repeat of WWII. I think The HolocaustTM was stupid, not only because it was cruel but also because it took resources away from winning a war. I and most others don’t want to live in a totalitarian state.
Many people now want to find a hero, and they want it to be Hitler. They want the world to admit that what the Nazis said back then was true and we should emulate them. I think we can leave off the question of whether the Nazis were right; the problem was that, right or wrong, they also launched a series of disasters we don’t want to emulate. As a result, we need to forget the past and look toward a different strategy for the future.
We need to think bigger than the problems of today. Multiculturalism, Hollywood perversity, government corruption and political correctness are symptoms of a culture in a dying tailspin. We need to fix that tailspin, undo liberalism and the underlying psychology that creates liberalism in every society and every era in history, and get ourselves back on track toward positive objectives.
We’ve got a lot of work to do. I’m glad the right wing is debating these issues in earnest, so we can get ready for the next stage, which is to leave hobbyism behind and start winning some elections, fixing some problems and gaining the trust and gratitude of our people. After all, that’s who we’re working for. |
As an ‘artist’ I believe you have to endure pain and work hard for any success you achieve, and suddenly, accidentally, here I am with a good job and a mushrooming wad of cryptocurrency, and I’m about to get married again. Life is good, and getting better, and I feel like an old cow given a last glimpse at a daisy-filled pasture before the bolt is driven through its brain.
The fear. That’s what William Burroughs called it. I never understood growing up but i do now. You wake gasping and thrashing. I’ve had knives pressed to my throat and a raving madman level a shotgun at my chest and rack it back: You don’t feel fear in the moment, it hits later. When you’re ready for it and I’m getting jumpy.
In a branching universe of simulations I know I’ve snuffed out a branch or two.
Sorry, marriage puts you in a contemplative mood. It requires faith in the future and slotting yourself into family trees.
What follows is an attempt to imagine what life will be like for our future kids as they reach adulthood twenty years from now. It’s also about the earliest I can accurately recall my thoughts about the future. In early 2001, I was 21, I’d washed out of college, and was about to leave for an internship at TIME Asia. I lusted after 13” LED monitors, Pentium chips and 2.3MB Minolta digital cameras. We’d survived Y2K, the NASDAQ was roaring. America seemed like the only country in the world that would ever matter again.
My wife-to-be was two-years-old. My father was 49 and about to enter the most influential phase of his career. His father (my grandfather) was 84 and about to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
This is very much a work-in-progress, by the way. Even though I used to do this for a living, there are huge gaps in my knowledge. I have no idea what might happen in South America, for example, and have only the dimmest idea of what’s going on in Southeast Asia and Oceania. I’d like you to contribute in the comments below. I’ll add to this thing periodically.
It’s a living document… For now I’m going to burgle a structure from Ed Keller’s Future Cities and Post Planetary Architectures presentation and zoom in and out of the human frame (the version below maddeningly doesn’t seem to include it).
I will also do my best to restrain myself from Zager & Evans-style dooming. Even though the future looks a little bleak…
On a universal or intergalactic scale, there may be change but we won’t be able to perceive it. And anything we do pick up will be millions of years old.
The next generation of orbital telescopes will be online, so we might understand what’s going on out there a little more than we do now. There’s also a non-zero chance that we’ll be engulfed and obliterated with a massive wave of gamma radiation emitted from the death of an ancient star or that we might uncover unambiguous evidence of either living in a simulation or being subject to the whims of a supernatural entity beyond our comprehension.
But as sad as it makes me, I think all of that infinite stuff remains out of reach for my lifespan and that of any of my human kin.
Zooming in closer, interstellar space probably remains cold and distant for our lives. Voyagers 1 and 2 will be in the Oort Cloud and remain there for the rest of human history. It seems unlikely we’ll have propulsion good enough to catch up with them but it’s possible, the real question would be why. It would be expensive to accelerate something to near light speed… the only thing that could justify doing it would be some kind of existential threat to humanity, a rogue comet on a deadly trajectory. Visitors from beyond the Oort Cloud is a possibility.
We’re a blazing beacon of electromagnetic radiation. In a Dark Forest universe (where civilizations remain quiet or face annihilation from ferocious competitors) we could be in for an unwelcome visit.
There are candidates nearby. NASA claims over 4,000 exoplanets have been identified and the number is doubling every 27 months. These planets are too far away to resolve many details, the most we can get is a hint of a chemical signature and maybe a wobble of detail after intense image processing. But there must be ways to extract more information, and maybe chart we could chart a course toward one of them. It would have to be unmanned.
Physics will strangle most of our interplanetary ambitions in the next twenty years. But not all of them. There are plans for unmanned landings on Europa (an icy moon of Jupiter with a liquid ocean beneath) and petrochemical moon Titan. But twenty years isn’t long enough for much interplanetary exploration. Most planets will remain out of reach absent a sudden reemergence of plutonium based propulsion. But we might land a human on Mars.
There’s a tracked rover listening and kicking up dirt on the surface right now.
Will Elon Musk be the one land someone on Mars? It seems incredibly expensive for a private entity to justify landing on Mars alone. So if anyone makes it out there, the expedition will probably be done under the auspices of a nation state. (Or some kind organized entity--maybe Wall Street Bets after 20 years will have the funds to organize space flight) The United States still seems like the most likely candidate for Maritan expeditions, although I worry that the days of national prestige space exploration is in the past, unless China and India fall into a friendly rivalry with one another and want to do it for national pride. But they won’t have the missile gap incentive that the U.S. and Soviet Union did. (They’re too close)
Perhaps our best bet for a Martian colony is a competition between centi-billionaires who’ve captured the U.S. government with lobbyists and stuck American taxpayers with the bill. Environmental catastrophe could also be a motivating factor. I’m pretty confident that our wealthiest human brethren will want to safeguard their expensive coastal properties and we won’t experience much of an effect from global warming (or we’ll find some clever way to mitigate its effects) but if it’s worse than we think it might spur the world’s wealthy into organizing some kind of global cooperation.
Davos 2040 on the Mars!
I’d say the odds are pretty low. There would be canal boats in downtown Los Angeles long before the U.S., China, India and Russia cooperate on a Martian colony.
The Moon seems much more likely to host a colony within the next twenty or thirty years. It’s close enough to the Earth to justify inhabiting, maybe not for mining (because you’d have to get anything you dug up back down the gravity well to earth) but it’s almost certainly worth it as a military outpost.
The U.S. Space Force seems like a ridiculous concoction, but space is a real theatre of war. Satellite monitoring can anticipate an enemy’s reactions. Combined with an orbital insertion of special forces or an artificial tungsten meteorite (probably in the form of rod to reduce friction) hurtling toward the earth and there would be plenty of incentive to lurk in orbit. An attack from space would be threat to any country on Earth. Think of it as an extension of mutually assured destruction, Space is essentially the next generation of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile defense. Spooky sentinels keeping us safe (for now).
The commercialization of space will continue, albeit fairly slowly absent the aforementioned massive leap in propulsion. Getting out of the Earth’s gravity will remain expensive, but it will probably be cheaper than it is today as reusable rockets and improvements in rocket propulsion continue.
It would be wonderful to see something completely new like a space elevator pulling stuff from the surface up into orbit but that kind of thing is a long way away. Imagine getting a permit to build a tower five thousand miles high.
For now, moving anything into or out of Earth’s orbit will be expensive and only worth doing if it’s incredibly valuable and impossible to create on earth. Perhaps some kind of optics might fit the bill? Or a strange superconducting material forged in zero G? Orbital hotels will remain a ludicrous extravagance and more of a publicity stunt than a source of revenue. But mining might be a real application.
We could see a private firm drag a metallic asteroid into lunar orbit for exploitation. Imagine the environmental outrage. And let us hope no one decides to project commercials onto the moon.
That takes us down to our planet. Space will probably remain abstract and alien and to all but a select few of us, but life on Earth won’t be.
For most of the world’s inhabitants, life in 2041 will be much more pleasant than it was in 2021. Globalization has been cruel to the developed world but has been a tremendous boon to the rest of the world. China is the obvious case, but visiting Nepal after a fourteen year absence was exhilarating -- people seemed happier and healthier and had cellphones and better clothes and cars than they did a generation earlier.
People are generally living longer and are much wealthier than they were in 2000. The IMF and World Bank are less predatory than they once were. Cellphones and information technology have allowed developing countries to rapidly improve their infrastructures. Innovations in cryptocurrency and smart contracts, and automation will help strangle corruption and advances in logistics and medicine will allow hundreds of millions more people to live into adulthood and receive an education. We’re a much better world than we were in 2001. But will it stay that way?
Manufacturing has been exported from the developed world into the global south. So have many low-level white collar jobs like accounting, programming, data processing or call centers. One of the great realizations for Westerners in the 21st Century was seeing how replaceable we really were. And how quickly corporations and institutions we’d worshipped for decades would turn their backs on us.
Life in the west will be riven by inequality, much more so than today. A combination of GPT-X (the text generating software developed by OpenAI) and smart contracts will swallow coding, accounting, writing, search, and most other white collar professions. Most work will involve service type jobs, marketing, caring for the elderly or debugging/curating AI output. There will be a massive premium put on technical education with a small percentage of highly skilled technicians and PhDs making a tremendous amount of money (mostly in service of accumulated capital). There will also be a small grasping outer edge of bureaucrats, human resources and marketing personnel, and a vast underclass who can’t compete and will be left behind. It’ll be easy to fall in to the latter category (a single error will do it) and tremendously difficult to escape.
Automation will bifurcate society, inequality will deepen, and society will be riven over the division, and cosmetic attempts redress the balance. A few mostly illusionary pathways to fame and fortune will remain: OnlyFans, Youtube, Instagram, lotteries, music, and the vestiges of venture capital will beckon and break hearts. The majority of those ‘winners’ will be the sons and daughters of the last generation of creators. (Just look at the surnames in a recent Hollywood movie or a The New Yorker).
Most of the tension in Western society will come from the chasm between the impossibly wealthy elite, the technical class, the bureaucratic layer and the left behind. There will be constant low-level conflict.
The rest of the world may come to experience this soon. Automation and robotics threaten to provide an even cheaper source of manufacturing labor, and the rapid growth of Decentralized Finance (DeFi), smart contracts and cryptocurrency means that many traditionally white collar jobs are under threat of being replaced.
On the other hand, cryptocurrency represents a massive source of new capital and opportunity, particularly in the developing world. It’s an easy way to bank “the unbanked” and provide droplets of capital and a way to safeguard funds in the absence of anything more than a telecom connection.
Africa, which has an enormously young and fast-growing population is being forced to experiment with new ideas and concepts. The arcologies of tomorrow are more likely to sprout in Lagos or Kinasaha than they are in Tokyo.
Population growth for most of the world is slowing down. China and India’s populations (currently accounting for about a ⅓ of the earth’s population) are leveling off. Beyond the African continent much more of the world will be older than it is today. Medical research breakthroughs will shift to accommodate this and we’ll probably see better treatments for cancers, heart diseases, obesity, diabetes and other diseases of overconsumption and old age. Dying baby boomers with funds will live and die in tremendous luxury.
This could break America’s stranglehold on global cultural production. Korean pop is the current contender for global cultural hegemony,; but if a compelling pan-African movement cultural movement emerges in the next twenty years, we could be seeing a lot more Nollywood entertainment.
Art will be increasingly tribal and about reinforcing and celebrating identity rather than an individual quest for meaning. (As much as I hate this idea)
As a global phenomenon, the digitization of (and algorithmic distribution of) culture will continue hollowing out creativity’s working middle class and leaving only few big winners and many, many hobbyists. There will be many blips of fame, but fewer stars on the level of Elvis or Madonna or David Bowie. The great works of the next twenty years will increasingly be collaborative, and author-less, particularly literature. Community written projects like Wikipedia will be the enduring feature of tomorrow. Meme culture could calcify into an eternal style. The future’s aesthetic could lock into a cycling series of color schemes and musical palettes. We’re doing gold filters and high waisted jeans again this year.
This will seem to contradict something I think will happen with individual consciousness--we’ll increasingly customize our subjective experiences using augmented and mixed reality: I think of it as being able to roll your own experience of work, shopping and even companionship (or reskin if you’re familiar with video game modification). You might choose to live life through the lens of 20th Century military officer or pop star living in luxury, but I imagine consumers’ choice of what they experience will increasingly be influenced by the same kind of algorithmic selection as everything else and eventually the choice of reality will be narrow down into a few basic flavors (probably Disney, Marvel Comic Universe, ‘Business,’ Nu Business, and a few ‘edgy’ variations).
Casual English will be nearly unrecognizable, largely as a result of evading and intentionally confusing natural language processing software. The same goes for fashion, we'll often see the equivalent of dazzle camouflage in edge streetwear. Free speech as we know it will be an archaic and despised concept. (Substack will remain as a last redoubt of free speech… just kidding)
I’d wager we’ll still be driving cars with internal combustion engines in 2040, though they’ll be more efficient than before, and mostly hybrid. Oil and gas will still be the most important strategic resources. Nuclear power could reemerge, probably on the African continent (there are already plans underway in Kenya and plants in South Africa). Nuclear weapon proliferation will be slow (strangled by the United States and United Nations). Environmental catastrophe will be kept in check by aging, and wealthier populations.
Conventional war will become much more scarce but conflict will shift online. Israel could see a weapon of mass destruction used in a terrorist attack, which could lead to nuclear conflict with Iran. Saudi Arabia will remain powerful with its decline roughly mirroring the United States’. The tension between China and India will soften to rivalry; Taiwan will remain independent, and Russia will remain a threatening but toothless presence, holding NATO together. The DPRK will reunite with RoK.
Zooming into individual countries, national governments in the US, UK and Australia will increasingly relinquish control of infrastructure and community governance to NGOs: this will be akin to HoAs, with much of the developed world will resemble 'City of Quartz'-era Los Angeles (1990s).
College will remain expensive and exclusive and its denizens trapped in an insular bubble.
In the United States will be vast expanses of infrastructure, with the coasts dominated by racially segregated enclaves within megacities (a few extremely expensive cultural “oases” notwithstanding).
Within the human body, preventive medicine will be better understood and tracked. Vaccine development will be accelerated. Masks will remain a feature of public life (but won’t be mandatory). Lockdowns may return periodically.
We’re about to hit a major inflection point with DNA/RNA sequencing. It’s already cheap enough for most laboratories to afford. Next will come consumer sequencers the size of cellphones. DNA is the most common material on the planet earth and being able to recognize and read it all around us will lead to strange and wonderful things.
Emergency, surgery and allopathic medicine will remain expensive and cruel. End of life care will on average be worse than it is today in the US, but much better for those who can afford it (because of generous government pensions or lucky investments).
Custom hardware and wetware will be as easy and common as 3D printing is today (which will remain a cottage industry/hobby rather than a ubiquitous service like water/power/electricity). These will be ruthlessly monitored for WMD production. Drugs will mostly be legal, if regulated. A few states will remain strict. Chemical manufacturing will be almost entirely automated by companies like Aether Bio, using machine learning to engineer enzymes.
Artificial General Intelligence won't exist but most cultural production will be curated. Direct brain to computer wiring won't be popular for healthy humans but could be required for military pilots or used in restorative medicine. The rest of us will use something like wifi. This will enable virtual and augmented overlays that will consume us: our most intimate memories and experience of conscious will be increasingly mediated and modulated by algorithms, but it'll happen so effortlessly it'll feel the same as today.
Reality will be customized - Gen Xers will be able to live in the 1990s forever with AR/XR overlay. Make mine the Britpop variant please.
The audience for this Substack is slowly shifting from one I dredged from my contacts list (thank you for sticking around) to people I’ve never met, but presumably share an interest in technology and its strange effects on culture and aesthetics. Substack is a surprisingly intimate medium, it feels much closer to writing a letter than an essay for a literary magazine or a weekly column or a chapter in a book. All this is to say thank you! Especially to my subscribers. |
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Sanders showed up for the ceremony dressed a little bit more sensibly than some others - including Tom Hanks, who looked freezing - by wrapping up warm.
After all, temperatures in Washington, D.C. were around zero degrees Celsius, and he's a 79-year-old man. It makes perfect sense he would want to stave off the cold.
However, there's no stopping the internet meme train, and thousands of people have edited Bernie into a whole heap of unlikely situations, sitting cross-legged with his warm winter coat and knitted mittens on.
Well, appearing last night of Late Night with Seth Meyers, Sanders lifted the lid on his outfit choices, and it's hardly as considered an approach as the one taken by Lady Gaga - famous for her outlandish and interesting fashion sense - who appeared to sing the US national anthem at the event.
He was just trying not to get chilly, which seems absolutely fair.
Speaking to Meyers, Sanders said he'd seen the memes and explained: "I was just sitting there trying to keep warm, trying to pay attention to what was going on."
However, there is a bit of a story behind the now-iconic mittens, it turns out.
The Vermont Senator revealed the mittens were made for him by a school teacher, who has since had a lot of attention for her creations.
Sanders continued: "What was really nice, Seth, is the woman who made the mittens, she is a schoolteacher [and] is a very, very nice person.
"And she's been somewhat overwhelmed by the kind of attention that is being shown to her mittens."
As for the main event, a slightly strange inauguration ceremony saw Biden installed as the 46th President of the United States in front of a small crowd, limited by the restrictions in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Donald Trump didn't bother to show up either, although that has less to do with the ongoing pandemic.
In a speech to the country, Biden talked about how 'democracy had prevailed' after troubling times in the USA over the past few weeks and months since the election.
He said: "A new America has risen to the challenge today. We celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy.
"The people, the will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded.
"We've learnt again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. At this hour, our friends democracy has prevailed."
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Struggling with infertility is a lonely, grief-riddled, and draining journey – physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially. It can take years to see any light at the end of the tunnel, and for people facing this fertility battle, IVF can oftentimes be the miracle answer that they have been praying for.
But just because your friend has made the decision to move forward with IVF, it does not mean that their painful journey in the realm of fertility is finally over. With increased hormones, and a renewed sense of trepidatious hope (not to mention a financial investment) riding on the outcome, they may need you more now than ever before.
When you see a friend or a loved one struggling to get pregnant, it’s only natural to want to lend your support and let them know that you are there for them. Taking them out for a spontaneous cup of coffee, being that listening ear over the phone, the shoulder to cry on when it all becomes too much, and a well-timed funny meme can often do wonders to lift the spirit and make the journey that much more bearable.
It’s also tempting to want to offer words of comfort, but there are some well-intentioned phrases that can often miss the mark and cause more pain than was meant. Here are eight phrases we definitely recommend avoiding.
"Just Relax And Stop Stressing About It"
IVF and the feelings around fertility issues can cause an incredible amount of stress for a couple. What’s likely to make it worse? The amount of times they’re told to ‘just relax’ by friends and family.
The last thing someone wants to hear is that their justified worries about conceiving are ruining their chances of getting pregnant. Instead, validate your loved ones’ feelings by listening to their worries and letting them know you’re there for them.
"Have You Tried..."
Yes. They have. If your friends are having trouble conceiving and they’ve made the enormous decision to try IVF, it’s safe to assume they’ve probably done an exhaustive amount of research on anything and everything that may help them fall pregnant.
It really isn’t helpful to suggest a list of alternative therapies or Goop-approved practices you’ve heard can result in pregnancy miracles. Most of these are old wives’ tales that have no research backing them up whatsoever.
Unless you’re a fertility doctor yourself, keep the medical advice to a minimum.
"Have You Considered Adoption?"
“No. Never. What a novel idea. Thank you for the suggestion,” said no one going through IVF ever.
How a couple decides to create a family or extend their family is their decision. Period. If they’re undergoing IVF, you can 1000% guarantee that they have considered any and all options that are available to them, and they’ve made the choice to pursue IVF. They may share their reasons for that decision with you or they may not. That’s also their choice.
But comments like this are insensitive and can cause them to feel judged, inadequate, and yes, guilty. Stay away from this one. Please.
"My Friend's Sister Just Stopped Trying and She Got Pregnant the Next Month"
That’s very nice for your friend’s sister, however, if your friend is currently struggling with fertility, hearing about a friend or a sister or a friend’s sister who magically got pregnant after she just “stopped trying” has the opposite effect than you probably intended.
Rather than bring hope, it can actually cause them to despair even more. They are already surrounded by friends and family with their broods of beautiful children, and hearing yet another story of someone else who is able to conceive while they still cannot can cause them to feel even more isolated and disheartened.
Best just to leave your friend’s sister out of it.
"Trust Me, You're Lucky You Don't Have Kids"
We understand how desperately you want to make them smile, laugh, or try to find a positive in their current situation, and that is admirable and kind. But consoling your loved one with horror stories about your own children could easily make them feel even more isolated and perhaps even resentful.
It can be insulting and frustrating to hear casual phrases like this, as there’s nothing lucky about having to go through a hugely stressful event like IVF, while desperately wanting a child. And as crazy and chaotic as your little ones may be, your friend probably sees the chaos and yearns for the days when she will have her own chaos.
"At Least You Have One Kid Already"
Just because a friend already has children, doesn’t make the heartbreak of secondary infertility any easier. Saying things like this could make them feel alone and guilty, as though their hurt is somehow unjustified.
Be sensitive to the fact they would probably give anything to extend their family. Although it may be well-meaning, it can often make a person feel even worse.
“Whose Fault Is It?”
The causes of a couple’s infertility are deeply personal and might be something they don’t feel comfortable sharing – even with close friends. Plus, phrasing it as though it’s someone’s ‘fault’ is poorly-worded. When it comes to infertility, please don’t try to place blame.
Think of it this way: it’s no one’s fault when someone falls ill with a medical issue or a mental issue. It is the same with infertility, and assigning “fault” or “responsibility” can add layers of guilt to an already hurting person.
“How Much Did It Cost?”
Money is a sensitive subject at the best of times, let alone when you throw health issues into the mix. Unless your friend wants to speak to you about the financial implications of IVF, it’s best to avoid this subject entirely.
If in doubt, ask your loved one how you can best support them. Often, when it comes to IVF, they’ll just want you to listen and show empathy, rather than offer advice or solutions. |
Olivia and her husband, Fred, exchange glances — a silent communication that all married couples should master, honestly — and make it perfectly that this is not going according to plan. And in a 2007 interview with USA Today, DiCrescenzo elaborated on how exactly the song had turned her life into an existential nightmare: When I'm at the gym, it's playing; when I'm at the pool, it's playing [...] Part of me wants to scream at the top of my lungs that it's about me. ", However, before he even wrote the famous words, he told her, "I haven’t written the song yet, but it’s going to be the best song I write. A woman is going viral on TikTok after flying halfway across the country to prank her sister. Olivia shared footage of the bizarre twist with her TikTok followers in honor of her one-year anniversary with her husband. It was a moment of time where it was too weird to be true. Great customer experience (CX) sets businesses apart and promotes lifelong loyalty. Every girl would want a song written about her, and they'd think I was ungrateful and rude to deny Tom. Emmett Kyoshi Wilson is a successful artist at 15 years old and changing how people might see those with Down syndrome. I recently got a text from a mystery number saying ‘hey!’ out of the blue. Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah (Official Video) - YouTube I felt pressure to live up to those expectations. According to an old Columbia College Today article, the real life Delilah, a competitive cross-country runner and graduate of Columbia University, never dated guitarist and frontman Tom Higgenson, who wrote the now-famous lyrics. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed recently that the familiar song is now being made into a “scripted romantic dramedy” that would be based around the couple in the song’s long distance relationship. Save Pin … She encourages women to use their voices. According to an old Columbia College Today article, the real life Delilah, a competitive cross-country runner and graduate of Columbia University, never … Thank you for your feedback. I know there’s nothing really gonna happen there. By then, she had gotten back together with her boyfriend and Higgenson rekindled his relationship with his girlfriend. I'm still with Will to this day. It’s going to get us famous and you’re going to be my date to the Grammys.". Article continues below advertisement Sign up for the Teen Vogue daily email. The Columbia College article also cited a quote Delilah made to USA Today, where she said, “When I’m at the gym, ["Hey There Delilah" is] playing; when I’m at the pool, it’s playing. Ask yourself: ‘Is this trip essential?’” one expert tells Yahoo Life. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 2007. Kathy Ireland rose to fame as a supermodel in the 1980s and 1990s.
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The additional effort by the staff to ensure my husbands birthday ran smoothly was tremendous. Not sure if closure of businesses there were affected by previous low traffic or by the recent pandemic. The Danna Langkawi embraces the architectural beauty of the colonial era. Amid the solitude and serenity of the island, return to the heyday of the British empire and immerse yourself in colonial splendor, coupled with modern amenities and a dash of exotic intimacy. • Daily sumptuous bubbly breakfast The Danna Langkawi houses 3 restaurants and a lounge offering local and International specialties. Planter’s offers guests a variety of flavours amidst opulent furnishings with an orchestra of tantalising aromas to tempt the most inquisitive taste buds. I was feeling a little under the weather on the final day and they even offered porridge or juices to be sent to my room to ease my conditions. Truly never expected to be so well treated. The Danna Langkawi houses 3 restaurants and a lounge offering local and International specialties. Free WiFi is accessible throughout and free parking is provided. I checked in today for a 5-night stay and I kind of regret it already. • 15 minutes away from Langkawi International Airport 1 (Luxury) Hotel in Langkawi and Malaysia for 4 consecutive years since 2015, The Danna Langkawi is highly recognised for its personalised guests’ services and inspiring accommodation. Address: Telaga Harbour Park, Pantai Kok, and when we called The Danna, they came to our rescue immediately. Address: Telaga Harbour Park, Pantai Kok,
This bright and cosy casual café is influenced by the Straits’ settlement elements. I buy the upgrade to a seaview room , only to be told upon arrival in my room that the hotel " is. Exclusive offer for Malaysia and Singapore residents. All of our accommodation is elegantly designed in colonial splendor, coupled with modern amenities and a dash of exotic intimacy. Please allow me to see you in person as not only I would like to apologize in person for the issues but also take this opportunity to further brief you on some of the new C19 protocols that affected our regular guest experience like check-in and associates uniform and etc. • Personalised guest experience service Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. • Complimentary bicycles We chose The Danna for its quiet location and proximity to Cable Car Langkawi. 07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia The two-bedroom beachfront Villa with 1,080sqm in size, one the largest accommodation in the resort comes with its own private lap pool and outdoor jacuzzi. Modern, tasteful and sumptuous with oversized everything, a private garden, pool and discreet outside massage tables for when going to the spa is not quite indulgent enough - they come to you! Make the most out of your holiday when you stay at The Danna Langkawi as the hotel offers these amazing features to complement your well-deserved vacation. Treat your palate to gastronomical delights at our three restaurants and live music entertainment with a large collection of gins at our lounge in the evenings. Sitting next to the largest infinity pool on the island, Terrace is a modern dining venue in Langkawi. Unfortunately for them, other properties have made wiser decisions and they will get my business next time. Floor to ceiling windows and private balcony in each of the 135 rooms and suites allow one to admire the tranquil view of the sea, sandy beaches, stunning marina bay, hills, courtyard or the quaint Telaga Harbour.
The Verandah Lounge, one of Langkawi’s classiest lounges, epitomises the glory of an era gone by with its soaring high ceilings, magnificent chandeliers, towering pillars and live music entertainment in the evenings. The pool area reminds me of some English mansions and their gardens. 1. From casual to fine dining, romantic dinner by the beach or an intimate family gathering, you will discover your perfect dining option here. I can literally catch a whiff of the salmon even as I type here.
The Churchill Room, a part of Verandah Lounge, is a cigar room facing the marina. It was only when I went ahead to park the car at some non-parking space I could go into the hotel. Staying at The Danna Langkawi makes travelling around the island easy as it is approximately 15 minutes from the Langkawi International Airport.
The 10 luxurious beachfront Villas offer picturesque sea views and each comes with its own private infinity pool. The Churchill Room, a part of Verandah Lounge, is a cigar room facing the marina.
• Contemporary luxurious beachfront Villas from 490smq to 1,080sqm, • 3-tiered infinity pool, the largest on the island • Spacious and comfortable room size from 60sqm to 600sqm Tips: if you head out to the Oriental Village and Cable Car by GRAB, be sure to head back to the hotel way before closing time. The distinct British colonial design of The Danna Langkawi is complimented by Malaysian influences that embrace the future while paying tribute to the past.
When staying in other resorts on the island a coffee machine is standard. We are so happy to see that all went well with your stay. He was. However, the villa was sublime: I run out of superlatives. Exclusive offer for Malaysia and Singapore residents from just RM 538 nett (Room & Breakfast) per room per night. Conclusion: wait until the pandemic is entirely over (maybe Summer 2021) to give The Danna a try. Are there opportunities to exercise at The Danna Langkawi?
Great breakfast spread! Warm hues complement classy dark wood furniture, parquet and marble floor print, spacious bathroom with separate rainfall shower and a deep soaking tub. Warm hues complement classy dark wood furniture, parquet and marble floor print, spacious bathroom with separate rainfall shower and a deep soaking tub. • Billiard Room • 3-tiered infinity pool, the largest on the island The Danna Langkawi, Malaysia is a luxury property with a lot to love. • The Danna Fitness
Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Email: [email protected]
Please see our partners for more details. • The Danna Spa Very strange and inappropriate for such a hotel. • Kayaking Yes, guests have access to a pool and a fitness center during their stay.
The Danna Langkawi is the winner of TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice, HAPA Platinum Service Excellence award,HAPA GOLD Resort of the Year award, HAPA GOLD Signature Luxury resort and … Catering was wonderful, as always, and the ever-helpful and positive staff in this beautiful hotel in its stunning bay location make it a place to return to. Dear PietJ34, Thank you for providing us with feedback from your current experience at The Danna Langkawi. We hope you will recommend us to family and friends and will continue to support us in future. Top room amenities include a minibar, air conditioning, and a flat screen TV. Nearby attractions include Srikandi Museum (0.3 miles) and Imaginarium Langkawi (0.3 miles).
When I made clear I would need shampoo for the upcoming 5 days, a bag with amenities including shampoo was brought to my room later. A cheap, local powder coffee sachet was supposed to do it. Now £90 on Tripadvisor: The Danna Langkawi, Pantai Kok.
Email: [email protected]
This bright and cosy casual café is influenced by the Straits’ settlement elements.
This contemporary restaurant and bar is more than ideal for guests to unwind as natural warm daylight floods its modern-furnished settings.
It is strategically located at Telaga Harbour Park, amidst the various attractions with the nearest attraction - the Langkawi Cable Car and Skybridge. The Danna Langkawi Yes, free parking and valet parking are available to guests. A lounge and library that we really like (photos on their website), but which we had little time to spend the entire day; What could improve or missing? Sitting next to the largest infinity pool on the island, Terrace is a modern dining venue in Langkawi. Built with Colonial-Mediterranean inspired architecture, this 5-star luxury resort is surrounded by enchanting nature and sandy beaches overlooking the Andaman Sea.
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99% stolen memes, 1% OC
I think I found!.... oh shit
No wonder Nicki Minaj looks familiar!!
Ça va bien?
Not sure if you needed to go that far buddy
teddy was a chad president
The sign on my husbands graphic design department
Just take 2 more
russians with their vaccine
The kid knows quality spirits
Then I guess I am uggly and hot at the same time
inb4 Martin Luther makes the first wall text on paper
Why was I informed only through a bag?
Cause why not
I'm tired of this privilege
Trump is a meme that just keeps on giving <3
My dog when she first had her pups vs now
Don't bring a gun to a banana fight
Museums CAN have a sense of humour!
My friend told me he got to visit his favourite film set and sent me this picture...
not me tho
So my mom picked up mask-making as a hobby and thought this would be a great design to use
When 2020 gives you directions...
Humen what are you doing?
Who else thinks this is true??
The Holy Cross
The sticker suddenly made more sense to me
Found on my break room table at work
This mystery occasionally keeps me up at night
White Pride Skittles? Apparently no one at HQ thought this new movement could be misconstrued.
Hey, I've seen this one!
I walk a lonely road
might be a re 2
Every time we go to Grandma's house he goes straight to this picture and stares endlessly.
A friend of mine has used the quarantine to become a children's book author. I can't believe this is real.
Just devastating like why
Just a little weird
I think we can all agree this is the best dad joke of all time...unless you know of a better one?
That's the truth for you
Dwayne the skinny Johnson?
They’re all so different I can’t possibly choose
Harry Potter and the philosopher's gat
wtf is this even
"I can't believe I've fallen for a woman"
This is awsome
He must really not like AC/DC
an intresesting tilte
They having a blast over there
2 minutes to midnight guys
Replace "horse" with "Dad" and this would be perfect for my front door
My wife brought home a box of covid I think.
Uh oh, quicksand
Just an elaborate prank bro
Good product placement or divine intervention?
Hugelol be like:
I thought it was weird someone put tape over the sign...
He's always so quiet
Had to return this book to amazon for the fowl language
caught my cat staring at me like this
i make it an apolitical meme in apology for the shitposts you are about to go through breh <3
Only 1 way to find out
Exactly what i was looking for
I always use filters in my photots
How the times have changed
talkin to the green brehs be like
You gotta think out of box, my boy
Japan seek to amaze me every day
Mum, where is my spider suit?
The US is looking real good in this format
This sign in a steakhouse
Chess level: master
6 years ago today my great grandma celebrated her 100th birthday in true Irish Catholic fashion; piñata full of whisky followed by a basement church service and a potato salad buffet. |
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The Country Cat Family series of childrens picture books. Big picture book life lessons from a real country cat family--being respectful to others, keeping promises and learning for the future.
(BenQQ 1.15.18) The first fake news episode of 2018: a North Korean missile was speeding toward Hawaii. Death and destruction was imminent. "This is not a drill."
According to Info Wars Owen Shroyer, the 38 minute lapse to announce it was all a mistake shows the looney liberals in Hawaii only wanted to create a panic on which to blame Trump. If true, compared to the numerous scenarios of the Deep State designed to ruin Trump, this one would be the gambit most telling. Apparently the Hi-libs are willing to incite mass hysteria and insert little kids in sewer drains (the iconic TV shot) to further overlay the now orchestrated myth of Trump's incompetence. It would be another step toward Article 25.
The 1938 faux news broadcast by Orson Welles "streamed" a real time Martian invasion for a full hour until Welles let the rubes know it was all only a Halloween stunt. Thirty minutes today in digital time is an eternity. The FCC back then rightly refused to take complaints on the issue. Had they done so, bureaucratic punitive limits may have resulted not only on Welles but the media in general. Can't have them stimulating the public too much. Sounds a lot like the contemporary rationale to limit free speech.
Chances are a state employee really did goof and hit the wrong button. Failsafe standards aside, that's probably all there is to it, despite Info Wars predilections. History footnotes will mention a hapless employee admitting sheepishly, "I was the one who caused the mass panic of 2018" complete with one time interviews and blogs.
Of course, we know no government agency would ever seek to undermine a duly elected President.
But if it turns out there was yet another deep state inspired "false flag" to generate public anger toward Trump, it, like the phoney dossier and the ongoing Russian collusion interlude, has backfired.
The imminent NOKO missile strike only served to make it as real as a heart attack. People now think, yeah, it was a mistake this time, but what about the next. The fumbling civil sevant did the state a favor. This is what it feels like. Get ready to die. That holdover delusional communist maniac from an unfinished war finally fulfilled on his threats.
Then its an easy jump to: Trump was right. We may not like the way he says it, but he was right about "little rocket man." Time is running out and the international effort to denuclearize Kim has failed. Unless we are content to accept his intercontinental ballistic reach, we have but one option in the face of all previous efforts: take them out and accept the consequences.
Thanks in part to previous politicians lies and deceptions (Gulf of Tonkin) about the last Asian war, we are stuck with the now popular rethink meme that use of the bomb on Japan was unnecessary. Should we preemptively surgically strike North Korea, we should be clear on the reasons and the consequences.
Trump should start laying out his reasons, the public nature of which leaves a way, as repellant as it is, for Kim Jong Un to survive. That would be the price, at least for us, of avoiding a nuclear war. The North Korean people would continue to be on their own with Kim's surreal regime of death camps, starving population, and robotic mass celebrations.
Ben "BenQQ" Harrison is a writer, photographer and web worker in Memphis, TN. He runs www.memphispixnews.com and other sites. His bio can be accessed at the "BenQQ" link on www.benjharrison.net. |
"The only time I actually talk to you is in person," is what I told my husband a few weeks ago when I called to vent about another day of being frustrated at work. His hands were tied up at a job of his own so he tried to rush me off the phone as politely as usual, but I knew he secretly wanted to be like, “Ask yourself this question before calling me: Is this textable?"
Let's be honest, the "phone conversation" is quickly becoming a lost art thanks to the magic of emojis. But is that such a big deal? When I first met my husband I remember staying up until 2 am talking to him about everything from Tyler Perry to fish tacos. Now we exchange "Hmm's" and side-eye emoji's on a daily basis. We both work full-time jobs in addition to a few part-time hustles we both keep on the side in regular rotation. In between working and getting through our first year or of parenthood, I noticed our communication was falling into a pattern of “Did you make it to your work alive?" texts and touching base for the few hours of the day we actually saw each other only to complain about work.
Maybe I am overreacting, but ever since we got married last September I've been fighting any symptom of becoming “that" couple. You know, that stereotypical couple that looks like they have it together but secretly spend every waking moment fantasizing about running away to a tropical island to escape their whiny kids and their borderline, psychotic bosses. I refuse to have our lives be passing moments of bliss filtered from a life of always having to be somewhere or do something and not really living. I figured one of the ways to prevent that from happening is to keep the communication flowing and have actual conversations to check each other's sanity that aren't about work, kids or other adult responsibilities.
In an effort to see how much better (or worse) we communicate when we miss each other with the SMS, I decided to try a little experiment. Starting a little over a week ago, we decided that our communication solely had to occur through talking and no texting for a week. Even if I was just letting my husband know I made it to work, I had to call him. I wanted to see if actually hearing each other's voices improved our communication, or at the very least made us stop and take those few minutes we had to stop what we were doing to really tune into each other and listen.
Usually my husband just rolls his eyes when I tell him we have to alter our lives in some way for one of my writing assignments, so I was surprised when on day one he made a sincere effort when answering the phone and asking, “I almost texted you a picture of the baby. Do pics count? I don't want to mess you up." But after day one ended, I knew not being able to text probably wasn't going to be the big deal I thought it might be.
First let's talk the advantages of texting. We all know it saves on time. Even if it was only a few seconds, the time I spent excusing myself from an office of nosy co-workers to call and let hubby know I made it safely to my destination could have been spared with a five second text. I didn't feel anymore connected hearing his actual voice say, “Have a good day," over a “have a good day" text followed by a smiley face and sunshine emoji. Text-messaging also makes multi-tasking that much easier. It's not like I'm some undergrad strolling the college quad thinking of ways to save the world in between Art History and Business Law. If I'm teaching a class of high school students about HPV or my contractor husband is carrying a water heater up a flight of steps, the last thing we have time for is to answer a call about that crazy co-worker I just caught in another lie.
Texting can be a great bulletin board for conversations you want to have, but may not immediately have time for. Which brings me to my last point: not being able to text made me realize how many conversations I could go without having, not just with my husband but with a lot of people. Not every conversation we engage in has to be some profound discussion on the prevalence of the human spirit, but it made me realize how much time we spend wasting sharing Kermit memes and other social media shenanigans. Don't get wrong, I'm already laughing over what that little African boy will tell that concerned white woman next in a meme, but some of us could probably build a Fortune 500 company in the time we spend sharing, reposting and inviting friends to play Farmville.
So what are some couples missing by only talking through text? One thing I quickly realized is how much talking forces you to listen. We all have that friend who may not text us back until hours later, after we've completely moved on to the next random thought. But remembering what topic you thought was so amazing a few hours ago, requires simply just scrolling down. As my husband and I made a habit of having actual conversations, I realized how constantly being “connected" had screwed up my attention span, and it took much more of an effort to listen to him and follow what he was saying. There were plenty of times when I'd tune in in just enough time to hear, “So what do you think?" and find myself scrambling for an answer that made sense because I was too busy checking the “likes" on my latest Facebook status instead of listening.
The most important thing I learned is that my husband and I didn't have the communication problems I thought we did. The thing is, texting can really be a great alternative to talking, but only when you're with someone you have mastered communicating with in person. My husband isn't a big texter anyway nor is he heavily into social media. It's something I believe has saved us a lot of the drama and negativity that can come with today's digital dating. Because of this I've gotten to know him on level that didn't involve stalking a Facebook profile or harvesting through Instagram history. I know that his common “hmm" responses aren't code for him thinking something I wrote was weird or a complete waste of his time; he just doesn't know what to say. Having built a strong connection based on getting to know each other without the static of Facebook comments or me having overthink the real meaning behind his one word responses has led to a relationship where I'm not constantly over-analyzing everything he does (or doesn't say) and questioning the whole relationship just because he doesn't respond to me after ten minutes.
DM's, instant messages and emojis should never be a substitute for getting to know someone or reconnecting with someone you care about. There are some things that can only be clearly communicated through good old-fashioned conversation complete with revealing body language and awkward moments of silence.
Emojis can only say so much. Whether it's your lips or your fingertips that are doing the talking, the important thing is that you are communicating and doing so clearly, which can only happen when you take the time to get to know someone both on and off-line.
Do you think you can make it through a week of no texting?
Featured image by Shutterstock |
The public did not know if it would ever happen, but it finally has. Rick Fox has returned to gaming. The former three-time NBA champion has reentered the gaming landscape with his new gaming studio, HiDef Inc. The shackles of creative oppression have finally been broken. The studio will be looking to produce video games that allow gamers to creatively express themselves.
The gaming industry has been on a massive upswing and shows no immediate signs of slowing down. In the midst of a global pandemic, players have found solace within the gaming industry. Major big-name titles, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, have kept gamers actively engaged. It is no wonder that Rick Fox has continued to involve himself in the gaming industry.
Rick Fox was originally known for his era of dominance on the Los Angeles Lakers. The basketball veteran would eventually become a notable figure within the eSports community. Rick Fox, along with Shaquille O’Neal and other notable figures, would prop up and bring a new layer of legitimacy to the North American League of Legends Championship Series.
Inkling in eSports
Rick Fox made his gaming debut on the League of Legends competitive scene. At the time, League of Legends had already been established as one of the highest-grossing competitive games on the market. In 2015, Rick Fox helped establish Echo Fox. The organization, originally Gravity Gaming, was purchased for approximately one million dollars by the former NBA star.
The Echo Fox roster never found any major success — never winning an LCS title. But League of Legends was simply the point of entry. Eventually, Echo Fox would expand their organization into other titles such as Call of Duty, Super Smash Bros., and Counter-Strike. Rick Fox would work diligently alongside his partners to ensure that Echo Fox would become a flourishing organization.
During the infancy of the organization, it would piece together a roster for the North American LCS Academy. The roster, while not very good, was composed of numerous League of Legends personalities and retired streamers. Dyrus, scarra, Voyboy, Shiphtur, and imaqtpie (streamer of the year in 2016) would help the organization gain some much-needed momentum. Delta Fox would be dubbed the “Meme Team.” The team was filled with infinite potential, but it fell flat. Fortunately, these popular streamers aided in bringing additional viewership to the Echo Fox organization, and that was a win in itself.
Echo Fox grew into its own entity. The organization spent so much time, effort, and money into propping itself up to be a serious eSports organization. Rick Fox was a welcomed and needed presence in the League of Legends community. The interviews that he would participate in would detail his poise and tact. He was a positive influence throughout the gaming community. Gamers would tune in onto Twitch and watch as the NBA legend climbed his way up the competitive ladder and out of the depths of Iron IV.
Nothing lasts forever. In the midst of 2019, Echo Fox would crumble into nothingness. Rick Fox alleged that his business partner, Amit Raizada, had threatened his family and made several racist comments towards him. Following the allegation, Riot Games launched an investigation into the organization. Tensions were high between Fox and Raizada — so high that there was even a defamation lawsuit filed by Raizada.
In the end, Riot Games made its decision. They forced Echo Fox to take action and remove any individual that violated the League rules and agreement. Rick Fox sold his Echo Fox shares and countered sued Raizada. The whole ordeal resulted in the organization dissolving and releasing any remaining players on the LCS team.
The Fox Returns
The man could not stay away. Rick Fox has become a part of gaming, and it is good to see him continue his role as a public figure for media gaming and entertainment. The HiDef team is a collection of veterans in the gaming industry. Anthony Castoro, known for his work amongst EA, Protagonist Games, and Codemasters, is spearheading the studio alongside Fox. The pair are joined by Jace Hall — a former Echo Fox associate. And finally, Dr. David Washington, who is a social impact expert.
The studio has announced its funding that will help the studio in its pursuit of building a game that will be an active part of people’s everyday lives. The team has already generated $9 million. “We’re looking beyond that horizon to create experiences where those types of intersections are contextual and natural,” Castoro said in an interview with GameDaily. The details haven’t been fully released, but the company aims to create a gaming product with no boundaries. Whether a gamer is seven years old, or fifty years old, they want to create a memorable experience. The project is very ambitious — it will be interesting to see how everything continues to develop. But ultimately, it is great to see that Rick Fox has returned to gaming. |
“The significant problems that we have created cannot be solved at the level of thinking we were at when we created them.”
– Albert Einstein
“Generals are notorious for their tendency to ‘fight the last war’ – by using the strategies and tactics of the past to achieve victory in the present. Indeed, we all do this to some extent. Life's lessons are hard won, and we like to apply them – even when they don't apply. Sadly enough, fighting the last war is often a losing proposition. Conditions change. Objectives change. Strategies change. And you must change. If you don't, you lose.”
– Dr. G. Terry Madonna and Dr. Michael Young
“Markets are perpetuating a serious error by acting on the belief that central bankers actually know what they are doing. They do not. Not because they are ill-intentioned but because they are human and subject to the limitations that apply to all human endeavors. If you want proof of their fallibility, simply look at their economic forecasts. Despite their efforts to do so, central banks can’t repeal the business cycle (though they can distort it). While the 2008 financial crisis should have taught them that lesson, it appears to have led them to precisely the opposite conclusion.
“There are limits to knowledge in every field, including the hard sciences, and economics is not a hard science; it is a social science whose knowledge is imprecise, and practitioners’ ability to predict the future is extremely limited. Fed officials are attempting to guide an extremely complex economy with tools of questionable utility, and markets are ignoring their warnings that their ability to manage a positive outcome is highly uncertain. Markets are confusing what they want to happen with what is likely to happen, a common psychological phenomenon. Investors who prosper in the long run will be those who acknowledge the severe limits of economic knowledge and the compelling evidence that trillions of dollars of QE and years of zero interest rates may have saved the system from immediate collapse five years ago but failed to produce sustained economic growth or long-term price stability.”
– Michael Lewitt, The Credit Strategist, Nov. 1, 2014
As I predicted months ago in this letter and last year in Code Red, the Japanese have launched another missile in their ongoing currency war, somewhat fittingly on Halloween. Rather than being spooked, the markets saw it as just another round of feel-good quantitative easing and climbed to all-time highs on the Dow and S&P 500. The Nikkei soared even more (for good reason). As we will see later in this letter, this is not your father’s quantitative easing. The Japanese, for reasons of their own, will intervene not only in their own equity markets but in foreign equity markets as well, and do so in a size and manner that will be significant. This gambit is going to have ramifications far beyond merely weakening the yen. In this week’s letter we are going to take an in-depth look at what the Japanese have done.
It is something of a cliché to quote Mark Twain’s “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” But it is an appropriate way to kick things off, since we are going to look at the “ancient” history of Mark Twain’s era, and specifically the Panic of 1873. That October saw the beginning of 65 months of recession (certainly longer than our generation’s own Great Recession), which inflicted massive pain on the country. The initial cause was government monetary intervention, but the crisis was deepened by soaring debt and deflation.
As we seek to understand what happened 141 years ago, we’ll revisit the phenomenon of October as a month of negative market surprises. It actually has its roots in the interplay between farming and banking.
Shortly after the Civil War, which saw the enactment of federal fiat money (the “greenback” of that era, issued to finance the war), there was a federal law passed that required rural and agricultural banks to keep 25% of their deposits with certain certified national banks, which were based mainly in New York. The national banks were required to pay interest on those deposits, so they had to put the money out for loans. But because those deposits were “callable” at any time, there was a limit to the types of loans they could do, as long-term loans mismatched assets and liabilities.
The brokers of the New York Stock Exchange were considered an excellent target for such loans. They could use the proceeds of the loans as margin to buy stocks, either for their own trading or on behalf of their clients. As long as the stocks went up – or at the very least as long as the ultimate clients were liquid – there wasn’t a problem for the national banks. Money could be repatriated; or, if necessary, margins could be called in a day. But this was before the era of a central bank, so actual physical dollars (and other physical instruments) were involved as reserves, as was gold. Greenbacks could be used to buy gold, but at a rate that floated. The price of gold could fluctuate significantly from year to year, depending upon the availability of gold and the supply of greenbacks (and of course, market sentiment – which certainly rhymes with our own time).
The driver for October volatility was an annual cycle, an ebb and flow of dollars to and from these rural banks. In the fall when the harvest was ready, the country banks would recall their margin loans in order to pay farmers or loan to merchants to buy crops from farmers and ship them via the railroads. Money would then become tight on Wall Street as the national banks called their loans back in.
This cycle often caused extra volatility, depending on the shortness of loan capital. Margin rates could rise to as much as 1% per day! Of course, this would force speculators to sell their stocks or cover their shorts, but in general it could drive down prices and make margin calls more likely. This monetary tightening often sent stocks into a downward spiral – not unlike the downward pressure that present-day Fed tightening actions have exerted, but in a compressed period of time.
If there was enough leverage in the system, a cascade could result, with stocks dropping 20% very quickly. Since much of Wall Street was involved in railroads, and railroads were nothing if not leveraged loans and capital, falling asset prices would reduce the ability of investors in railroads to find the necessary capital for expansion and maintenance of operations.
This historical pattern no longer explains the present-day vulnerability of markets in October. Perhaps the phenomenon persists simply due to market lore and investor psychology. Like an amputee feeling a twinge in his lost limb, do we still sense the ghosts of crashes past?
(And once more with Mark Twain: “October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February.”)
It was in this fall environment that a young Jay Gould decided to manipulate the gold market in the autumn of 1873, creating a further squeeze on the dollar. Not only would he profit off a play in gold, but he thought the move would help him in his quest to take control of the Erie Railroad. Historian Charles R. Morris explains, in a fascinating book called The Tycoons:
Gould’s mind ran in labyrinthine channels, and he turned to the gold markets as part of a strategy to improve Erie’s freights. Grain was America’s largest export in 1869. Merchants purchased grain from farmers on credit, shipped it overseas, and paid off the farmers when they received their remittances from abroad. Their debt to the farmers was in greenbacks, but their receipts from abroad came in gold, for the greenback was not legal tender overseas. It could take weeks, or even months, to complete a transaction, so the merchant was exposed to changes in the gold/greenback exchange rate during that time. If gold fell (or the greenback rose), the merchant’s gold proceeds might not cover his greenback debts.
The New York Gold Exchange was created to help merchants protect against that risk. Using the Exchange, a merchant could borrow gold when he made his contract, convert it to greenbacks, and pay off his suppliers right away. Then he would pay off the gold loan when his gold payment came in some weeks later; since it was gold for gold, exchange rates didn’t matter. To protect against default, the Exchange required full cash collateral to borrow gold. But that was an opening for speculations by clever traders like Gould. If a trader bought gold and then immediately lent it, he could finance his purchase with the cash collateral and thereby acquire large positions while using very little of his own cash.
[Note from JM: In the fall there was plenty of demand for gold and a shortage of greenbacks. It was the perfect time if you wanted to create a “corner” on gold.]
Gould reasoned that if he could force up the price of gold, he might improve the Erie’s freight revenues. If gold bought more greenbacks, greenback-priced wheat would look cheaper to overseas buyers, so exports, and freights, would rise. And because of the fledgling status of the new Gold Exchange, gold prices looked eminently manipulable, since only about $20 million in gold was usually available in New York. [Some of his partners in the conspiracy were skeptical because…] The Grant administration, which had just taken office in March, was sitting on $100 million in gold reserves. If gold started suddenly rising, it would hurt merchant importers, who could be expected to clamor for government gold sales.
So Gould went to President Grant’s brother-in-law, Abel Corbin, who liked to brag about his family influence. He set up a meeting with President Grant, at which Gould learned that Grant was cautious about any significant movements in either the gold or the greenback, noting the “fictitiousness about the prosperity of the country and that the bubble might be tapped in one way as well as another.” That was discouraging: popping a bubble meant tighter money and lower gold.
But Gould plunged ahead with his gold buying, including rather sizable amounts for Corbin’s wife (Grant’s wife’s sister), such that each one-dollar rise in gold would generate $11,000 in profits. Corbin arranged further meetings with Grant and discouraged him from selling gold all throughout September.
Gould and his partners initiated a “corner” in the gold market. This was actually legal at the time, and the NY gold market was relatively small compared to the amount of capital it was possible for a large, well-organized cabal to command. True corners were devastating to bears, as they generally borrowed shares or gold to sell short, betting on the fall in price. Just as today, if the price falls too much, then the short seller can buy the stock back and take his losses. But if there is no stock to buy back, if someone has cornered the market, then losses can be severe. Which of course is what today we call a short squeeze.
The short position grew to some $200 million, most of it owed to Gould and his friends. But there was only $20 million worth of gold available to cover the short sales. That gold stock had been borrowed and borrowed and borrowed again. The price of gold rose as Gould’s cabal kept pressing their bet.
But Grant got wind of the move. His wife wrote her sister, demanding to know if the rumor of their involvement was true. Corbin panicked and told Gould he wanted out, with his $100,000+ of profits, of course. Gould promised him his profits if he would just keep quiet.
Then Gould began to unload all his gold positions, even as some of his partners kept right on buying. You have to keep up pretenses, of course. Gould was telling his partners to push the price up to 160, while he was selling through another set of partners.
It is a small irony that Gould also had a contact in the government in Washington (a Mr. Butterfield) who assured him that there was no move to sell gold from DC, even as that contact was personally selling all his gold as fast as he could. Whatever bad you could say about Gould (and there were lots of bad things you could say), his trading instincts were good. He sensed his contact was lying and doubled down on getting out of the trade. In the end, Gould didn’t make any money to speak of and in fact damaged his intention of getting control of the Erie Railroad that fall.
The attempted gold corner didn’t do much harm to the country in and of itself. But when President Grant decided to step in and sell gold, there was massive buying, which sucked a significant quantity of physical dollars out of the market and into the US Treasury at a time when dollars were short. This move was a clumsy precursor to the open-market operations of the Federal Reserve of today, except that those dollars were needed as margin collateral by brokerage companies. No less than 14 New York Stock Exchange brokerages went bankrupt within a few days, not including brokerages that dealt just in gold.
All this happened in the fall, when there were fewer physical dollars to be had.
The price of gold collapsed. Cornelius Vanderbilt, who was often at odds with Jay Gould, had to step into the market (literally – that is, physically, which was rare for him) in order to quell the panic and provide capital, a precursor to J.P. Morgan’s doing the same during the Panic of 1907.
While many today believe the Fed should never have been created, we have not lived through those periods of panics and crashes. And while I think the Fed now acts in ways that are inappropriate (how can 12 FOMC board members purport to fine-tune an economic cycle, let alone solve employment problems?), the one true and proper role of the Fed is to provide liquidity in time of a crisis.
At the end of the day, it was too much debt that was the problem in 1873. Cornelius Vanderbilt was quoted in the epic book The First Tycoon as saying (emphasis mine):
I’ll tell you what’s the matter – people undertake to do about four times as much business as they can legitimately undertake.… There are a great many worthless railroads started in this country without any means to carry them through. Respectable banking houses in New York, so called, make themselves agents for sale of the bonds of the railroads in question and give a kind of moral guarantee of their genuineness. The bonds soon reach Europe, and the markets of their commercial centres, from the character of the endorsers, are soon flooded with them.… When I have some money I buy railroad stock or something else, but I don’t buy on credit. I pay for what I get. People who live too much on credit generally get brought up with a round turn in the long run. The Wall Street averages ruin many a man there, and is like faro.”
In the wake of Gould’s shenanigans, President Grant came to New York to assess the damage; and eventually his Secretary of the Treasury decided to buy $30 million of bonds in a less-clumsy precursor to Federal Reserve open-market operations, trying to inject some liquidity back into the markets. This was done largely as a consequence of a conversation with Vanderbilt, who offered to put up $10 million of his own, a vast sum at the time.
But the damage was done. The problem of liquidity was created by too much debt, as Vanderbilt noted. That debt inflated assets, and when those assets fell in price, so did the net worth of the borrowers. Far too much debt had to be worked off, and the asset price crash precipitated a rather deep depression, leaving in its wake far greater devastation than the recent Great Recession did. It took many years for the deleveraging process to work out. Sound familiar?
The Panic of 1873 started one of the longest depressions in American history – sixty-five straight months of economic contraction. In the next year, half of America’s iron mills would close; by 1876, more than half of the railroads would go bankrupt. Unemployment, hunger, and homelessness blighted the nation. “In the winter of 1873–74, cities from Boston to Chicago witnessed massive demonstrations demanding that authorities ease the economic crisis,” Eric Foner writes. The irony is that the fall was far more severe because of the rapid rise of the previous decade. The expanding, increasingly efficient railroad network had created a truly national market. The fates of farmers, workers, merchants, and industrialists across the landscape were tied together as never before. New York had cast its financial net across the country, which meant that credit flowed to remote regions far more easily than before – but also that financial panics affected the entire nation. As Vanderbilt pointed out, railroad overbuilding was an underlying economic problem, and it was exacerbated by Wall Street’s craze for railway securities. When the bubble burst, the consequences were felt across the country with devastating suddenness and severity.” (From The First Tycoon)
Can you hear the rhyme? This almost eerily echoes our own time and the interconnectedness of international markets. The growth in global markets has been funded by debt, fueled by quantitative easing. Yet, for the moment, the markets believe that central banks can control any panic or crisis. Somehow this time is different. Our central bankers have come up with all sorts of new tools and techniques, so there is nothing but upside – rainbows and unicorns.
I cannot recommend highly enough The First Tycoon, the book on Cornelius Vanderbilt by T. J. Stiles. It is incredibly well-written and researched and won a Pulitzer Prize as well as a National Book Award. My only real problem with the book is that there was so much fascinating detail and useful trivia that I could not skim through but had to slow down and absorb it all! While Vanderbilt is the central character, the book is far more than a biography. It is a compelling history of the rise of steam engines and railroads, and just as important, the beginning of the invention of the idea that a corporation is something separate from its shareholders. This was a truly radical concept and took decades to play out. Insider trading was legal and was done all the time. It was a true laissez-faire, buyer-beware market. Self-dealing, price collusion, and other corporate practices that we would consider repugnant today were standard fare.
But you have to understand that there was no precedent for the circumstances of autumn, 1873. The country was embroiled in a great and contentious conversation over what money and banking and corporations and business should be, all of this happening as new technologies turned millennia-old social processes on their heads. Railroads would have been impossible without corporations, and railroads vastly emancipated and enriched the West (and the rest of the world, wherever they went). Even in an era of price collusion, railroads brought the cost of shipping products down dramatically. The McCormick reaper greatly enhanced the productivity of farms just as a market for their produce appeared by means of cheaper transportation to growing Eastern seaboard cities and Europe. Agriculture went from producing 53% of total national commodity output to less than 33% as manufacturing became dominant, spurring mass labor movement from the country to the cities with their factories. Meanwhile a new wave of immigrants poured into the US.
The new technologies made everything less expensive and more abundant. Steam engines went from small and inefficient to massive and powerful, capable of driving huge ships and trains with less fuel cost. Transportation went from being a small part of the economy to being the very heart, employing hundreds of thousands. The period of time from 1870 to 1900 was one of general price deflation of almost everything. But in general, it was the good deflation that comes from increased productivity and lower prices – once the asset deflation of the Panic of 1873 was worked out.
Businesses, professionals, government, and society in general were all having to learn new rules for everything, and then scrapping the new rules for even newer rules. There was no playbook, no organizing principle for building a new society. They had to create entirely new institutions from whole cloth. They were literally inventing modern society from the ground up – a task somewhat akin to building an airplane while it is trying to taxi down the runway.
And that’s the point we need to fully understand. They were making it up as they went along. I should note that the crises of that era were not just financial. Government was constantly running behind the rather messy process of transformation, trying to contain the damage. Like generals fighting the last war, the bureaucrats were always trying to make sure the last crisis or bad policy would not be repeated. All sorts of new laws needed to be enacted in order to level the playing field for average citizens. Farmers felt put upon by the railroads and the vast wealth of the railroad magnates (even as freight prices generally fell). Price fixing among monopolistic cartels was the norm. Unions were brutally suppressed time and time again and in turn were often violent. Politicians were openly bought and sold. The journalists of those times had all the gentility of the current denizens of the internet, which is to say, generally none.
Income inequality? When Vanderbilt died, he was worth an estimated $100 million (multiple trillions of dollars in current buying power) and was the richest man up to that point. He was just the first of a number of contemporaries who would go on to amass even greater fortunes. Wealth disparity from top to bottom was far worse than it is today, and the poverty at the bottom was devastating. There was no social safety net of any kind.
And let’s not kid ourselves: much of the social and financial mess of the 19th century is still with us today. In fact, if you read deeply enough, you find that we have been trying to solve these large societal problems for hundreds of years. Somehow each generation thinks they have finally got it figured out.
Reading the commentary from the papers of that time, you are struck by the level of optimism that the leaders of society expressed – they certainly believed they had figured it all out. Nothing but upside. Until, of course, the next crisis ensued.
We live in an era that does not repeat the latter part of the 19th century – things have changed – but there is a rhythm and a rhyme that seem hauntingly familiar. There is the enduring belief that this time is different. Each unfolding generation feels that it will solve the problems of the previous generations, even as each older generation in turn despairs of the wisdom and probity of its youth. We play Minsky’s old tune, “Stability Leads to Instability,” over and over again. You would think we could figure out how this song ends and come up with a different, less tumultuous tune.
And our “generals” do indeed go on trying to fix the problems of the last war, missing the entirely new problems that are developing. Until a crisis steers our common vehicle into the ditch, we cling to the illusion of control. We look at the rampant corruption of the Gilded Age and believe we have made progress. And we have: we have progressed to new levels of problems, some of which are altogether unappreciated and certain to produce their own unexpected and unintended consequences and eventual crises.
But we have not dealt with the primary cause of nearly all financial crises throughout modern history and throughout the world: too much of the wrong kind of debt – debt which is nonproductive. Paul Krugman, the most visible spokesman for those who think it is old-fashioned and foolish to worry about the debt, recently wrote:
On the Chicken Little aspect: It’s actually awesome, in a way, to realize how long cries of looming disaster have filled our airwaves and op-ed pages. For example, I just reread an op-ed article by Alan Greenspan in The Wall Street Journal, warning that our budget deficit will lead to soaring inflation and interest rates. What about the reality of low inflation and low rates? That, he declares in the article, is “regrettable, because it is fostering a sense of complacency.”
It’s curious how readily people who normally revere the wisdom of markets declare the markets all wrong when they fail to panic the way they’re supposed to. But the really striking thing at this point is the date: Mr. Greenspan’s article was published in June 2010, almost three and a half years ago – and both inflation and interest rates remain low.
And he is right, up to a point: too much debt is not a crisis today. Too much debt is never a crisis, right up until the moment it becomes a crisis. Too much debt was not widely recognized as an issue in the US in 2006 or in Europe in 2010, but then – boom! – it became an issue. And throughout the developed world and China, today’s levels of debt, an ever-increasing amount of which is unproductive, are staggeringly high.
The currently fashionable way to deal with too much debt is to punish savers and enrich the already rich, prolonging a situation in which even more debt can be accumulated. Markets believe in the effectiveness of central bank actions precisely because they want to, not because there is any well-established basis for that belief. Yes, we have dealt with some of the problems that gave rise to the last crisis, but we have still not dealt with the underlying, fundamental problem of too much nonproductive debt. At some point, some nasty cousin of subprime debt will come along to prick our bubble. And because debt levels are now even higher than they were in 2007 and there is less scope for the Federal Reserve to intervene with interest rates, the next crisis will not be a repeat of the Great Recession but its own calamitous variant. Which will bring yet more monetary and fiscal intervention, which will produce its own unintended consequences.
And speaking of unintended consequences, let us now turn to Japan.
In a (reputedly) passionately contested 5 to 4 vote, the board of governors of the Bank of Japan voted essentially to become the world’s largest hedge fund. Not only did they raise the level of quantitative easing by over 15%, to the equivalent of $720 billion a year, they are aggressively allocating and increasing portions of that money to Japanese equity markets and REITs. In a (supposedly) uncoordinated but almost simultaneous announcement, the $1 trillion+ government pension fund announced a move to sell Japanese bonds in size and increase their equity holdings in Japanese and foreign stocks by 20%, divided equally between Japanese and foreign markets. This is the equivalent of $200 billion being injected into global equity markets from one pension fund alone. We can expect that nearly every other Japanese pension fund will follow suit, meaning that potentially hundreds of billions of dollars will be thrust into global equity markets.
Bank of Japan Governor Kuroda said that the move was necessary to achieve their inflation target of 2%. Core Japanese inflation fell to 1.2% last month (after adjusting for the sales tax increase) and has been falling for the last six months. He has a target of 5% nominal GDP growth, by which we assume he means 2% inflation and 3% real GDP growth. The fact that nominal growth has been almost literally zero for the last 20+ years doesn’t seem to impact his optimistic target.
In his comments after the announcement, Kuroda-san said, “[However,] it is important for the BOJ to strongly commit to achieving its price target to get its price target firmly embedded in people's mindset.... [Thus] we have pledged to do whatever it takes to achieve our 2 percent inflation target at the earliest date possible.... It won't do much good in trying to shake off the public's deflation mindset if you just say inflation will reach 2 percent someday.”
I guess using the phrase whatever it takes is working so well in Europe that Kuroda decided to try it out in Japan. At least the currency market believes him: the yen is getting thrashed as I write this.
Local analysts give him almost no chance of approaching 2% inflation in the first part of next year. Household spending fell another 5.6% in September, and another round of consumption tax increases is due to kick in next year. The consumption tax was raised from 5% to 8% last April, which resulted in a 7% contraction of the economy in the second quarter. The tax will rise another 2% (to a total of 10%, or double the original amount) next October. Seriously, if you are in the middle of a recession, the general prescription is to cut taxes, not double the national sales tax over a period of a year and a half. Taking away 5% of Japanese consumption is not going to be good for GDP or the inflation rate, especially when so much of your aging nation is living off fixed incomes that essentially pay them no interest.
Real wages have been falling for well over a year and are now down 3% year-over-year. I’ve written extensively on the deflationary impact of Japanese demographics. All of this data, taken together, is not the stuff of which inflationary fears are made.
And thus Kuroda’s ostensible reason for increasing the money supply: we need more inflation, and economic theory says quantitative easing is the way to get it. The argument from the Bank of Japan is that it is simply applying the same strategy that the United States, Great Britain, and Europe have used to such stunning effect.
Japanese debt-to-GDP is approaching 250%. This year the government deficit is 7.6% – or the US equivalent of a deficit of about $1.3 trillion. (The actual US deficit in 2014 was $463 billion.) And Japanese government budgetary requests amount to a spending increase of about 6% for 2015 … although Prime Minister Abe assures us that Japan will be close to a primary balance by 2020. Rots o’ ruck on that one, Abe.
Ten-year Japanese bonds are now yielding 0.45%, and five-year JGBs yield a minuscule 0.11%. The Bank of Japan has essentially become the Japanese bond market. The balance sheet of the Bank of Japan will rise about 1.4% of GDP each month for the foreseeable future. That is easily more than twice the amount of debt the government of Japan will issue. That means they will have to go into the market and buy already-issued bonds. Thus, the government pension fund announces that they will serendipitously sell their bonds (at a profit, of course) to the Bank of Japan and purchase equities. Such fortuitous timing for the Bank of Japan.
Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics notes that the BoJ already owns a quarter of all Japanese state bonds and a third of short-term notes (The Telegraph).
The actual Japanese strategy, over time, is to move the bulk of government debt off the books of banks, insurance companies, and pension funds, so that when, in some distant future, the Bank of Japan allows interest rates to rise, it will not devastate the balance sheets of Japan’s most important institutions.
And this is where the move by the Japanese pension funds is so important. At the end of the day, the pension funds are moving out of JGBs and into equity and especially foreign equity precisely because they have lost faith in their ability to meet their obligations in an environment of continual and rising QE. The pension funds have forced the Bank of Japan to boost its QE support in order to absorb the amount of JGBs that will be put back on the market.
This is precisely what I predicted in both Endgame and Code Red and in this letter over the past four years. Investors, and that includes pension funds and insurance companies, have no choice but to diversify outside of Japanese bonds. Not to do so would be a dereliction of duty, but their shift forces the BoJ to increase its quantitative easing perhaps faster than it would like to.
This dynamic has the potential to spiral out of control. The more the yen falls, the more apparent it becomes that Japanese individuals and institutions are fleeing the Japanese bond market, and the greater will be the move to sell bonds. Unless the Bank of Japan can absorb all those bonds, interest rates will have nowhere to go but up, which would be devastating to the government of Japan.
Will the current level of JGB absorption, which is about 4% of total government debt per year over and above newly issued debt, be enough one year or two years from now? If it isn’t, I fully expect another announcement increasing QE to an even more stratospheric level. Japan is still behaving in a gentlemanly fashion, to be sure. The pension funds will give the Bank of Japan a heads-up as to their plans, and it is likely there will be some give and take, but the direction is certain. This is not something that can happen overnight, as moving hundreds of billions of dollars into equity markets without radically roiling the markets is not possible. But this cattle drive is getting rolling – “head ’em up and move ’em out.”
The debt-to-GDP ratio of Japan will rise another 25% in the next few years, but the amount of that debt on the balance sheet of the BoJ will increase by over 50% in just the next three years. By comparison, that would be the equivalent of the Federal Reserve’s purchasing $8 trillion worth of government bonds and equities. That amount of money beggars the imagination … but it will still leave the Japanese government owing just a shade under 200% of GDP.
Since the government of Japan simply cannot survive in an environment of significantly rising interest rates without serious intervention by the Bank of Japan, QED, the BoJ is going to go on quantitatively easing well into the next decade. They will literally need to monetize 200% of GDP (or more!) while the government of Japan somehow manages to get into an actual surplus, so that the BoJ can withdraw from the markets and allow interest rates to rise to market levels. And if that debt-to-GDP ratio is pulled down to a more normal 40 to 50% (70%? – pick your favorite level for “reasonable”) and they have a balanced budget, then interest rates will actually remain reasonable from the perspective of the government.
But if the Bank of Japan withdraws anytime soon from the bond market, there will be no Japanese bond market for the foreseeable future. Interest rates will rise with the same market force brought to bear by Jay Gould’s corner on the gold market. I know I’ve been beating this drum for a number of years, but you can see this coming. Japan’s past reckless spending leaves them with no other choice than to monetize their debt and destroy their currency.
The Bank of Japan is now the Japanese bond market. There is no one else. Japanese pension funds and investors are fleeing the Japanese bond market and putting money into “hard” assets like the local stock market or real estate if they want to keep the money in Japan, or they are moving it into investments denominated in other currencies.
The chart below shows the fall of the Japanese yen against the dollar in the last two years. Note that the dollar has risen some 40% against the yen. Since its recent high, the yen has dropped a similar amount against the euro and the Korean won. It is even 50% lower against the Chinese renminbi. That is a breathtaking move for a currency in so short a time.
The yen is now almost 114 to the dollar as I write early Monday morning, continuing its drop of last Friday. Expect to read about pushback from many countries over the next few weeks. They will become even more vocal when the yen crosses 120. And then 130 and at every point until the yen is at 200 to the dollar. The only question in my mind is, will the Bank of Japan monetize enough Japanese debt so that it can withdraw its quantitative easing before the yen reaches 200? I actually have real money in 10-year yen put options that says they can’t. But then again, that assumes that a response by the Federal Reserve for QE4 doesn’t develop. Please note that I’m not saying that the yen will go straight to 120, much less 200, from here. It will probably do so in an uneven and volatile manner similar to what we’ve seen in the past few years. But it is my belief that the overall direction is for an ever-depreciating currency.
If the yen depreciates only 10% a year, that exerts an inflationary force of less than 0.5% a year. Given the market dynamics already at work in Japan and given the stated goal of 2% inflation, that is nowhere near enough. There will come a time in the not-too-distant future when inflation again starts to recede uncomfortably below 1%, and the only way Governor Kuroda will be able to maintain his credibility will be to double down on even more aggressive QE. Whatever it takes, indeed!
These are not simple men at the helm of the BoJ. They fully will understand that they are eroding the value of their currency – and that, in fact, is part of their intention. In his comments after the meeting, Gov. Kuroda came right out and said, “Overall, a week yen is positive for Japan’s economy.” He hopes that by weakening it he will put some competitive zing back into Japan’s exporting industries. By targeting equities, Japanese leaders hope to alleviate much of the pain to investors and their pension funds by fomenting a rising market. And Japanese corporate profits are up significantly – far more than those of their European and US counterparts – over the last two years as the yen has fallen.
I am sure the “unintended” consequences of Japanese actions are discussed at the monthly meeting of central bankers at the Bank of International Settlements in Basel. Perhaps they are even discussed aggressively. But at the end of the day, all Kuroda-san can do is shrug his shoulders and tell the other members he has no choice.
And he doesn’t. If he does not continue in his present course, he will face a deflationary depression of the first-order, and that would have an even greater negative impact on the world than what he is attempting to do now.
But it is remarkably naïve for the market to believe in the illusion that the central bankers of the world have it all under control, that they have this all thought out, that they have modeled it perfectly, and that these new Japanese actions are simply part of the plan.
The Japanese are attempting to export the one Japanese product the world does not want: their deflation. It is not clear how the central banks of the world will react to the yen at 130, let alone 140 or 150. With proper fiscal, regulatory, and tax reform, the United States can cope with a rising dollar. I’ve been writing for a long time that the dollar is going to become stronger than any of us can possibly imagine. And not just against the yen. But monetary policy alone is not enough to deal with the challenges that a strong dollar presents.
I am not sanguine about Europe, where QE is still streng verboten. Neither is it clear what the proper course for China should be. Allowing the renminbi to strengthen along with the dollar would create deflationary impulses in China and weaken their own export competitiveness. But to allow their currency to fall would threaten the dollar relationship of their internal debt financing. Properly understood, Chinese government debt may be approaching 200% of GDP (when total government obligations are taken into account). That is a staggering sum for an emerging, growing economy, even one with China’s dollar reserves. My guess is they’re going to need every penny of those reserves. The good news, I suppose, is that they have them.
To think that the Japanese are not busy triggering a major currency war is to favor hope over political reality. It is true naïveté. Politicians are going to want to be seen doing something about currency fluctuations that hurt their local businesses. This will put pressure on their central banks and prompt urgent calls for protection. The bad news is that we’re sliding into this currency crisis at a time when debt is at nosebleed levels and still rising, when Europe seems ineluctably headed for another phase of its crisis (and another recession), and China is struggling to balance a most unbalanced economy.
In the same way that we connected farmers and bankers in every corner of the United States back in the 1870s, we have now connected businesses at every level in every corner of the world. To think that we can somehow manage our Brave New World economy with any greater success than President Grant and his Treasury Secretary achieved is to rely on a huge dollop of hope, and hope is not an economic management strategy.
How do we recognize where and when the serious problems will develop? We’ll close with a slightly edited version (from Endgame) of Michael Pettis’s timeless list of “five things that matter”:
1. Debt levels matter. The best way to measure them is as total debt to
GDP or external debt to exports. As a general rule, the more debt you have, the more difficulty you are going to have servicing it. Coupons matter, too. Low rates are much more serviceable than high rates.
2. The structure of the balance sheet matters, and this may be much more important than the actual level of debt. Not all debt is equal. An investor has to distinguish between inverted debt and hedged debt. With inverted debt, the value of liabilities is positively correlated with the value of assets, so that the debt burden and servicing costs decline in good times and rise in bad times. With hedged debt, they are negatively correlated.
Foreign currency and short-term borrowings are examples of inverted debt. This makes the good times better and the bad times worse. Long-term fixed-rate local-currency borrowing is an example of hedged debt. During an inflation or currency crisis, the cost of servicing the debt actually declines in real terms, providing the borrower with some automatic relief, and this relief increases the worse conditions become. Highly inverted debt structures are very dangerous because they reinforce negative shocks and can cause events to spiral out of control, but unfortunately they are very popular because in good times, when debt levels typically rise, they magnify positive shocks.
3. The economy’s underlying volatility matters. Less volatile economies are less subject to violent fluctuations, especially if the performance of the economy is correlated with financing ability. This is especially a problem for countries whose economies are highly dependent on commodities. Typically, commodity prices go down in bad times, making it that much harder to export profitably.
4. The structure of the investor base matters. Contagion is caused not so much by fear, as most people assume, but by large amounts of highly leveraged positions, which force investors into various forms of delta hedging, that is, buy when prices rise, and sell when they drop.
5. The composition of the investor base also matters. A sovereign default is always a political decision, and it is easier to default if the creditors have little domestic political power or influence. Unless foreign investors have old-fashioned gunboats or a monopoly of new financing, for example, it is generally safer to default on foreigners than on locals. It is also easier to default on households via financial repression than it is to default on wealthy and powerful locals.
As you can see, the structure and ownership are almost more important than absolute debt levels themselves. This has very important implications, which we will go into as we go country by country around the world.
The insight that it is better to borrow in local currency versus foreign currency is critical. The United States and the United Kingdom, for example, are able to borrow exclusively in their own currency. This acts as an important shock absorber in bad times. It also creates an incentive to use devaluation and inflation as a means of financial repression. Devaluation hurts foreign bondholders, and inflation eases payments in your own currency in the short run.
Currency wars will create massive havoc in emerging markets with dollar-denominated debt. Think 1998 on steroids.
Markets are creatures of emotion and leverage. If either one turns negative in a world where deflationary pressures are building, then the only inflation we have seen – asset price inflation – will be threatened. Even with Godzilla-sized Japanese QE. Stay tuned.
I look at my calendar and marvel that I only have one scheduled trip, to New York November 12-14, for the rest of the year, though it seems likely that I may go back to New York in early December. I’m sure that my reduced travel schedule will change (it always does), but for now I’m looking forward to enjoying the coming holiday season at home.
Even more so because this last road trip, while providing lots of fascinating conversation and new information, was exhausting. Normally jet lag is not that hard for me, but for some reason this trip just drained the batteries. I look forward to recharging them in the next few weeks.
In the past week I had conversations with between 40 and 50 serious market participants: investors and numerous hedge fund managers (some quite large), household-name economists (at least in my household), political leaders, central bank types, and so on, from all over the world. I’m struck by the fact that there is no single takeaway – no theme or meme that seems to dominate the current conversation. Perhaps that’s due to the diverse nature of my conversational partners and differences in venues, but there seems to be more confusion and frustration than you would expect as the market goes on making new highs.
During the week, in several venues (where, under Chatham House rules, I can discuss what was said but not the names of the participants), I was somewhat taken back by the level of confidence exhibited by the central bankers and major economists with regard to their ability to generate inflation when they so desire and to keep things on an even keel. They generally dismissed the notion that there has been inflation in asset prices, because that is something they desired; and as long as it is not general price-level inflation that is affected, they don’t worry. We all like it when our stocks and real estate go up. They almost seemed to assume that the recent asset price rises were the norm and that anything else would be an aberration. Has anyone noticed that margin debt in the US is at all-time high just as the markets hit an all-time high? Shades of 1873.
The level of complacency was somewhat unnerving, given my level of general alarm and concern. The present situation strikes me as being eerily similar to 1999 and 2006. And when I point to the data, the markets seem to tell me that I am too much concerned about the wrong things and not focusing on all the good things that are happening. But that’s also what the market was telling me in 1999 and 2006. As I keep saying, the market is not as smart or prescient as it is given credit for. In fact, the market missed just about every recession up until it became clear that recession was inevitable. Still, the market has a better track record than Federal Reserve economists do!
On a personal note, I really hate writing letters like this. I am actually an irrational optimist, at least in regards to the course of human affairs in technology and society. I am merely bearish on governments. I much prefer dwelling on the ethereal and fantastical visions of the future reality that we seem to be creating even faster than our human counterparts did in the 19th century. I think the potential for economic growth after we have hit the debt reset button is at least as great as we’ve seen in the past century. The trend toward “cheaper and more abundant” is a dominant force that we should all be cognizant of. Maybe after the next crisis we can decide to do something about debt and keep it from building up so that our children won’t have to deal with another debt supercycle crisis.
I will be hosting a small gathering this coming Tuesday on election night. I don’t know that much will change after this election, but perhaps it will be a preview of changes to come. Have a great week. And if you’re in the US and haven’t already done so, go vote. Unless you’re in Chicago, where no voter identification or proof of residency is needed, and then you should vote twice. I’m told that is the ancient and usual custom.
Your preparing for a sea change analyst,
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A few months ago, I was leafing through GQ, creaming away the confirmations of trendiness in my own wardrobe, and patiently awaiting my medal for being a member of one of the last households in America to deforest in an attempt to bolster the vestigial print offices still littering New York City. More than anything, we’re a magazine family because I believe in the notion of reaping what you sow, and also in that suppositious, Dickensian precedent that I, too, could, in fact, some day, be paid by the word.
Now, amid those glossy, scented pages, the ones often beseiged with pretty nonsense that could pay my rent for years, I was surprisingly enraptured by an unassuming, yet delightfully rich articlette hinged on the condemnation of the ‘gram.
For weeks, then months, it precipitated more than a few nebulous conversations with friends and coworkers regarding the evils of social media and the vague, empirical evidence I sort of recalled from the halidom of science that is the Gentleman’s Quarterly.
My ramblings as I grasped for the facts that indefatigably linked Instagram to the severe deterioration of one’s mental health oft fell of deaf ears, as well they should have, for I concurrently had six selfies queued and ready to be validated by two thousand people I didn’t know.
I should have realized that the medical and analytical particulars of this piece, even as poorly as I recounted them, couldn’t hold a relevant flame to the nightmare I was actually living. There I stood, haranguing my poor compatriots with my laughable recollections of clinical corroborations, when the real headline was a little more narrative, and much more personal.
I was no stranger to taking breaks from social media. We would have a sit and a cry, I would offer my Facebook accounts a somewhat sincere, “it’s not you, it’s me”, but in the end, our codependency and my incessant need for reinvention or approbation had always been stronger than my self worth.
This was a vicious, familiar cycle that I had normalized over the years. So much so, that it took me months to realize that the damn GQ article was written for me, and that I needed to make a change rather than keep projecting my own self sabotage unto others.
I was spending hours of what little free time I had posing for myself. Fixing my hair, biting the inside of my cheeks, fluffing my package. . . and the unhealthiest part is that I rationalized it through a mindset of creation, of entertaining others.
I don’t know two thousand people! The people I do know, whose opinions actually matter to me, can all be found by opening my messaging app. Those are the people for whom I create, for whom I derive genuine pleasure from entertaining - and they couldn’t possibly have cared less about my carefully curated and meticulously timed self portraits.
I was checking and rechecking my likes and comments and how many people had viewed my stories with the frequency a sane person might blink. Even worse, when I had exhausted any report my profile could offer, I turned to my feed where I was under a barrage of infuriatingly hot dudes and rich teens laughing at fruits in the Maldives.
How badly I wanted to be or be with those hot dudes and rich teens, trying desperately to communicate through the carefully cultivated stills of my life, “Me too! I’m one of you!”
I was not, and am not one of them. What’s more, after I deleted my social accounts, I realized that I didn’t want to be. When I opened my eyes to the Adonises who deigned to walk the earth around me, I saw them for who they truly were. Not Adonises, but Narcissuses. Narcissi? At any rate, I saw men whose negligible thoughts were consumed with muscle groups and the complexities of certain proteins, when and what their next meal could be, or their practically Islamic devotion to the gymnasium. Pass.
And what’s so goddamn funny about the exotic fruits with which the glitterati of instagram love to pose? I’ll tell you what: nothing. As Kourtney Kardashian once rightly reminded her sister in Bora Bora as she wept over the loss of an insured $87,500 diamond earring, “Kim, there’s people that are dying”.
There are more important, and even less engrossing things than being incredibly fit or having such a good time. It began to appear to me that an enviable life almost always ran parallel to one truly well lived. Or, at least, that appeared true of the lives that I had conditioned myself to envy.
On the other hand, Instagram does have the potential for such wholesomeness, such connectivity. But ever the glutton, sharing the best of my life quickly turned into curating photogenic situations, and eventually paying Instagram to force feed those mirthless posts to strangers. Gotta spend money to make money! Or to be seen, or to feel significant.
Instagram became for me the inspiration for my life, rather than a place to share that life with people I love. It wasn’t an afterthought, it was the only thought. I would dress thinking in terms of backgrounds, feel unaccomplished in the things I did that went undocumented, and despaired when my life fell immeasurably short of the people whose lives were lavished with money and attention they neither earned nor deserved.
I was abusing Instagram in the same way that I had abused any other recreational stimulant I could never quite regulate for myself. “All or Nothing” is on a running list of ideas for a chest piece along with “Go Big or Go Home” and a hyperrealistic black and white portrait of my dog.
Perhaps you can relate. To my brilliant tattoo ideas, sure, but also to the precarious feeling of control you might have with social media outlets. It may behoove you to ask yourself, “for whom am I really posting this”, “do I know most or any of these people”, “is this necessary”, “does this make a difference” “does my involvement with this platform spark joy or envy”?
Not everyone is as flamboyantly irresponsible as I am wont to be, and again, I’ll say that social media can be a miraculous bridge building tool, even de rigueur for a formidable business in the twenty-first century. I will also say that since I have started living and producing internally, I have experienced a weight lifted.
A photo of myself, looking expensive and apparently having the time of my life, as it turns out, isn’t worth much to me no matter how many “likes” it receives. What does matter to me is finding the time to do something I actually love, like writing this very piece.
If it then resonates with even one person, maybe you, and inspires you to evaluate your more paltry internet propensities, maybe even to forsake them for something productive, that is worth more to me than any fleeting sense of instant gratification.
If not, at least I am entertaining and producing with the merit of my aptitudes, rather than with desperate gambits. And if, at this point, you’re feeling a bit defensive, I suppose I can only offer my condolences and faith that you want to live your best life. If you can do that attached to your phone, God bless. You are a completer person than me.
If, however, you do find that model unsustainable, I implore you to delete the apps for just one week and see how little you’ve actually missed. If anything, you will likely find that you are even more attuned to the actual lives of your loved ones. You will feel better connected with yourself, your art, your friends and family.
Send them a compelling thought in lieu of a meme. Stop comparing your own brilliant life to those fabricated online, and you will unshackle the contentedness from which true joie de vivre and creativity flow.
And in my case, if any particular readers happen to be wondering, know that, no, I didn’t block you. I did, however, clear a space for unfeigned connection, and to nurture the existing, genuine relationships in my life. So if you would like to grab brunch some time this week, you’ve got my number. |
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As more and more internet operations recognize the horrors of SOPA, they're stepping up to do stuff about it. The latest is that Wikipedia is considering a blackout on the site in protest -- a move that might actually catch Congress' attention because people in Congress actually use Wikipedia all the time. There's a discussion on the site
When the government claims the right to shut down websites by breaking the Domain Name System and forcing search engines to dump user requests to reach a site, there’s only one word for it: censorship. And when big media groups like the RIAA can essentially cut off the financial services to a website based on accusation alone, it’s censorship at the hands of corporations.We’re not talking about China or Iran. We’re talking about blacklist legislation being debated by the U.S. House of Representatives this week.EFF and a coalition of organizations, tech companies, innovators, and users are joining forces to fight back against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), a bill that would give the government and big content unprecedented authority to censor the web in the name of so-called copyright enforcement. This week, we need to pull out all the stops because the House Judiciary Committee is slated to hold a critical hearing on Thursday. SOPA's supporters are desperate to rush this bill through quickly by convincing Congress there's no real opposition to it. We know better, but we need to make our voices heard. That’s why we’re calling on you to join us in a dedicated week of action against the SOPA blacklist bill.We’re kicking off our Week of Action Against Censorship with a toolkit for anti-SOPA activism, and urging you to call your Representatives in Congress. With the hearing imminent, there’s no time to waste. Pick up the phone and tell your Representative to oppose this bill today. Then tell your friends and follow up with a note to Congress. This legislation, if passed, will wreak havoc on our Internet community, jeopardizing the innovative and creative ecosystem that has created hundreds of thousands of jobs, helped countless people access information, and spurred a new generation of artists and creators. But big media groups are willing to sacrifice all of that in a ham-fisted attempt to control how you consume online content. And in the process, they'll undoing long-standing legal protections for websites and endangering the basic infrastructure of the Net.We can’t let that happen. So join us in standing up and speaking out. Show Congress that we’re willing to fight for an uncensored web, and deep-pocketed lobbyists will never drown out the voices of the Internet community.
As the House Judiciary Committee met to consider changes to the Stop Online Piracy Act, several members of the committee warned that rushing the bill through the legislative process would lead to costly mistakes. "I cannot fathom why we are moving so quickly on a bill that could cause us to save billions of dollars or lose billions of dollars," said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX). "All of us are opposed to online piracy," she said, but she urged the committee to take more time to address critics' objections.Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) agreed. He pointed to the America Invents Act, an overhaul to the patent system that was six years in the making. "We haven't done our due diligence," he said.
If this bill passes I can see the use of hosts files (lol) and trading ip addresses lists skyrocketing if they do decide to abuse the entire dns system as this bill spells out they want to.
what would happen if google search results had an option to link to ip addresses rather than domain names?
Yesterday and today, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee has hunkered down in the Capitol for markup sessions of SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act. The basic facts looked bleak: this Internet blacklist bill is a disaster that stands at odds with the Constitution, but the deep pockets of its legacy media backers managed to make it enough friends in committee that its quick passage seemed possible. Judiciary Committee Chairman, author of the bill, and “Hollywood’s Favorite Republican” Lamar Smith scheduled just a single hearing, stacked the deck in his bill’s favor, and rushed it through to markup now, at the end of the legislative session.But then a funny thing happened: the Internet fought back. It started in bits and pieces, from our coverage of the bill’s introduction to the citizens who took our action alert and told their Congressmembers that Internet censorship is unacceptable. Then more and more people began realizing the dangers of SOPA and finding their voice against it. One month ago today, American Censorship Day counted almost 6000 participating sites, tens of thousands of people called their Representatives, and more legislators started coming out against the bill.It was clear then that Congress wouldn’t be able to slip SOPA through under the public radar. But this week was the most important one yet, with the bill heading to markup and possibly even to the floor. That’s why EFF, with a broad coalition of organizations (of all political stripes), tech companies, innovators, and users, declared this week a Week of Action Against Censorship.It’s been quite a week. At the last minute, SOPA’s sponsors tried to pull a fast one by introducing a “new-and-improved” version just before the markup. But we – and you – weren’t fooled. As we’ve noted, SOPA still conflicts with the U.S. Constitution, despite the protestations of one misguided legal scholar SOPA would, undermine your freedom of speech, hurt students and educators, and harm the U.S. position in international negotiations for a free Internet. And you don’t have to take our word for it — ask Vint Cerf, Paul Vixie, and over 80 more Internet inventors and engineers who signed and open letter against online censorship, which was entered into the Congressional record by opponents of SOPA during the markup.But the most important thing to happen this week was that thousands of people took action to oppose the bill, calling their representatives and spreading the word via blogs, tweets, social media videos and word of mouth. And it looks like it made a difference. In a marathon markup session yesterday, which we covered on our live-Tweeting stream @EFFLive, a persistent group of Representatives attacked SOPA from all fronts. Although there wasn’t enough opposition to kill the bill outright, the messages we’ve been sending for weeks — that the bill would create blacklists for online censorship, harm cybersecurity efforts, set a bad international precedent and lead to a fractured Internet — couldn’t be ignored. During a markup session earlier today, Chairman Lamar Smith acknowledged that the Judiciary Committee didn’t yet have all the facts, especially on the cybersecurity questions. After an amendment vote he abruptly announced that markup would be suspended, and consideration of the bill would be resumed at the next practicable opportunity — which is tentatively scheduled for next week, but could be pushed to late January. Legislators’ considering facts when crafting new laws is a good thing, and we commend Chairman Smith for recognizing it. We also want to acknowledge Representatives Zoe Lofgren, Darrell Issa, Jared Polis, and Jason Chaffetz, who brought refreshing perspective and expertise to the markup session. Their input — and actual amendments — stand in clear contrast to SOPA proponents’ common refrain that the opposition doesn’t contribute any real suggestions. (Another fact belying that refrain: there is an alternative bill already on the table: the OPEN Act proposed by Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Darrel Issa. It’s not perfect, but it takes the conversation in a better direction, and we urge Internet users to go the http://www.keepthewebopen.com to contribute their views on it.)The markup suspension is an important victory, but the blacklist bills are not yet beat; it’s still important that we all continue to take action against them. If you haven’t yet taken our action alert to send a message to your legislators, now is the time!
Reddit user selfprodigy got the ball rolling on December 22nd by posting that he would be pulling 51 GoDaddy-registered domains from the company. He was quickly followed by Ben Huh of Cheezburger (I Can Has Cheeseburger, FAIL! Blog, Know Your Meme) who pledged to move 1000+ of the companies domains. Even Wikipedia is transferring their domains from GoDaddy. We want you to follow their lead. Can we get GoDaddy's attention?
Bieb, Youtube better get on the bandwagon as well. They have an enormous user base, and could loss everything if SOPA is passed. |
Diane over at Bibliophile by the Sea hosts this meme.
Today I’m featuring a book that I’m reading for review.
As Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks walked along the disused railway track, he couldn’t help but imagine two young lovers kissing on the footbridge ahead, shrouded in smoke from a steam engine. All very Brief Encounter. But the age of steam was long gone, and it wasn’t love he was walking towards; it was a suspicious death.
I’m reading this one in conjunction with a blog tour hosted by the publisher. I read my first Peter Robinson book this year (Watching the Dark) and enjoyed it and was thrilled to get the opportunity to read the latest installment from Mr. Robinson. So far this book has definitely caught my interest, and I hope you return on April 16 to see my final thoughts. |
Where would we be without social media? Ok, so some people would possibly be conversing IRL with their friends without the possibility of Twittering said conversation (moderation is definitely key) but for me it’s been a London ice breaker that has put me in contact with a bevy of wonderful people, meals, bloggers, occasions, fascinating events, news updates and many videos of cats. Many.
is an addiction I can’t seem to shake off. There is something great
about being able to pick up the random world at the touch of the finger
tips, though it’s a definitely a time suck.
the facebook. Perfect for snaps, witterings and chatting to pass a
coffee break. Oh, and the occasional meme. Divine for elevenses breaks.
With the demist of Google Reader, Bloglovin’
is really helping me keep all of the blogs I read in manageable order –
which says a lot as there are so many interesting ones. I love the fact
that blog posts can be marked as read or unread,you can search full
blogs or single topics, and it’s easy to group likeminded blogistas together. The best part of Blogloin’ though? It’s the daily/weekly digest emailed directly to you, with snippets of fascinating posts.
and I are becoming friends, slowly but surely. It’s not quite as easy
to pick up as Twitter/Bloglovin’ but allows you to do both of the above
and branch out and meet other bloggers.
Call me an addict but I love instagram – the plethora of delicious dishes, crazy cats & random shots of people’s days. Give me a sunset shot any time – you simply can’t beat it. Oh, and 2015 is the year I’ve decided to master the overhead food shot.
If you fancy checking my shenanigans out on these connections, just click the above images…
Where do you prefer to read/keep up to date with blogs? |
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I’m feeling kind of low on both inspiration and motivation right now. I’ve got things going in the boring old real world, I’m also struggling to make this blog what I want it to be at the moment. And I don’t really know what to do about it. That’s my issue though. I had something else planned for today. But instead, I’m just going to spend some time writing, stream of consciousness style, when it comes to my initial feelings about the new Destiny expansion that came out this week.
I’m also fairly certain I never paid for it, and somehow have access to it anyway. Which I’m not complaining about, this was one of the expense ones.
The entire crux of the story in Forsaken hinges on the fact that you really like Cayde-6. It feels like the thing Bungie have been betting on since Destiny 2 came out. Cayde is their meme generating breakout character. They expected everyone to love him, and then they killed him off.
Personally, I was pretty indifferent to Cayde. I like Nathan Fillion a lot. But Cayde’s shtick was a little much for me. He’s simultaneously a bumbling idiot, but also hugely competent. For this expansion, Fillion was unable to return to reprise the role as Cayde, and without him providing the voice, the character cast incredibly heavy shades of Deadpool right up until he died.
After gets himself killed, it seemed like all the characters were beside themselves with grief stricken rage. The player character even managed to speak again for the first time since pre-The Taken King to kick off this revenge quest. One that Zavala and Ikora Rey disagree on.
In this instance, I agreed with Zavala. To drop everything and leave the city unguarded was pretty irresponsible. Especially for the sake of a revenge quest I didn’t feel to deeply invested in. In the end, it proved to be something worth pursuing to put a stop to the Beholder that Uldren had unwittingly summoned.
I hope the doom and gloom soundtrack at the tower doesn’t continue for too much longer.
Aside from the revenge plot, I enjoyed the way the story was set out. While previous expansions felt brutally short. The way Forsaken is spaced out worked for me. You do a bunch of story missions before doing a few bounties that help you find your way around the new patrol area in the Reef.
After that you do a bunch of adventures, killing the Barons one by one, working your way up to taking down the Fanatic and then Uldren. Each of the Barons have their own gimmick and personality quirk, presented in a way you might see in an old instruction manual from the days of video game yore.
There’s sorting very video gamey about it all in a way that was satisfying. The Spider is a cool new NPC, although I find it weird that all the Fallen just speak English now, especially with the weird Jabba the Hutt like attitude he has on him.
I’m just sad Variks never makes a reappearance. He gets mentioned sure, but its not the same.
I’m already enjoying the changes to the weapon system a whole lot. Taking snipers, shotguns and fusion rifles out of the heavy slot is probably the best change they’ve made. It makes me feel powerful as a player again, it brings me back to the days of playing the original Destiny. We just need the heavy machine guns back now.
Speaking of the original Destiny, the return to having random rolls on guns is a very welcome. While I’m still early in the loot grind cycle, getting multiple of the same gun is exciting in a way the game hasn’t managed since it came out. With a lucky combination of perks, anything has the potential to be something.
The days of just throwing away all of my purple guns without a second thought is, thankfully, past now.
Bow’s are cool as hell too. I’ve only managed to pick one up, the now you get as a part of the story progression, but I am having a load of fun using it in both regular gameplay and PVP.
Other assorted dust
Other than that, I like the change to the weekly and daily milestones. They’ve added more bounties than ever before and I feel packed with stuff to do.
The design on the new ghost shells and ships are really cool. I know they’re come with the paid for currency aspect of the game, but putting the Eververse bounties into the game allows you to save the dust needed to buy the cool cosmetic stuff when it eventually rolls into the shop anyway without a need to buy silver.
The new super abilities are a ton of fun too. Essentially giving each class three new supers makes up for the fact that there still isn’t any customisation to character builds. It’s hard to dwell on that when you’re swinging a giant hammer of fire around though.
The Triumphs are a great addition. I haven’t poured through them all yet, but in a game where I oftentimes find myself playing with nothing real of value to accomplish, these new 762 tick boxes to mark off might keep me playing Destiny 2 for longer than the previous expansions could drag me away from Overwatch.
I haven’t tried Gambit yet
I haven’t tried Gambit yet, but the new mode seems very interesting. I’ve never been too enamoured with the Trials breed of ultra competitive multiplayer, but ended up playing it out of an obligation to get the gear I’d be missing out on otherwise. I’ve still never won a game of Trials though.
Gambit looks like something I could get deep into. Although I’ll touch on it more at a later date.
I am enjoying my time with Destiny yet again. Every expansion to the game has brought incremental improvements that are threatening to return the game to the highs of Taken King/Rise of Iron era of the first game.
It’s still early days, Forsaken hasn’t been out a week yet. But It already looks incredibly meaty and is giving me a ton to sink my teeth into. I’m going to continue playing this in bouts along with Spider-Man, and I’ll probably give a more complete collection of my thoughts a few weeks down the line.
I’m thinking of taking a less structured, more loose approach to posts for the next few weeks. I had some retrospectives, genre breakdowns and full reviews planned, but I just don’t feel the motivation. So I hope you like a more bloggy blog for the next few weeks, but that’s what I can manage. |