text
stringlengths 57
100k
|
|---|
On the show’s annual Disney night Monday, the champion gymnast danced a “Moana”-themed contemporary routine to the Oscar-nominated song, “How Far I’ll Go” ― and singer Auli’i Cravalho was on hand to perform it live.
Biles and dance partner Sasha Farber’s performance was the second best of the night, according to the judges panel, who awarded the duo with a score of 38. |
Recently, I helped create a piece of theatre around sex, disability and queerness. It was a tough process where the participants and principal actors were asked to dig into their lives around the intersection of sex, disability and queerness, and share their stories in a theatrical way. It was a harrowing and difficult month long creation process that brought up a lot of feelings for me. My arc in the show was talking about the work I do as a Disability Awareness Consultant; namely presenting to audiences about sex, disability and queerness. In one scene, I am presenting a pretend presentation to the play audience, and as I am talking, I get so frustrated during the presentation that I storm out of the play, leaving the audience to wonder what will happen next.
When we were workshopping this part, the director asked me: “Andrew, what do you feel when you go up there to present about this stuff?” Initially, when he asked me this, I turned on my professional cadence, and told him that I loved presenting to people, and that it was my calling and what I had chosen to do. It was what I wanted. He looked at me, smiled wryly and said, “Okay. But, how do you feel about it, Andrew? Honestly.” I tried again to put this feeling away, and continued to protest that I loved my work, I loved what I had built for myself, and that I got to share a message with people. As I started saying it a second time, though, I stopped myself. I looked at the director square in the face, and with a glimmer of tears in my eyes, I said: “I’m tired.”
That was the first time in over 5 years of being self-employed and self-made as a disabled speaker working in sexuality and disability that I ever admitted that to anyone. As the words tumbled out of my mouth, I felt ashamed and angry. Why was I saying this? Was I saying that I didn’t want to do this anymore? The words kept coming: “I don’t want to present to able-bodied people anymore, so that they can learn about sex and disability through me. I don’t want to play up disability for these people who won’t see me as sexy anyway.” And, sometimes, that’s the truth.
Working in sexuality, disability and queerness is one of the hardest things I have ever done. While I am proud of the people I have met, the presentations that I have given, and the name I have built for myself in this niche market, there are absolutely days where I can’t do it. Days where instead of showing you Powerpoint presentations about how great sex, disability and queerness is, I want to scream out to the group and say, “Does anyone find me sexy?! Would any of you fuck me? Honestly?!” There are days where I have finished a talk, smiled at people, networked, and then I go home alone and bawl my eyes out.
It isn’t easy to turn your stories, things that actually happened to you, into slides for people to make notes about. It isn’t easy to sit there in my wheelchair, staring at all these able-bodied faces of people who probably wouldn’t give me a second look if we met at a bar or on an app. It isn’t easy advocating for real money to tell your stories, when most places want to pay you nothing for your lived experiences.
I tell you this, not because I am going to stop doing what I am doing, but I am telling you all this so that you can begin to understand that when you hire a disabled person to tell their story of rejection, of pain, of hurt; you are asking them to relive the ableism, asking them to confront their fears around it again and again. I tell you this because I want you to understand that making a name for yourself as a disabled advocate - is hard - especially for those of us who have decided to share our feelings around sex and disability. We don’t get paid enough and we certainly don’t get laid enough to do what we do. |
Navigating motherhood is an expedition all on its own without having to figure out what baby gear you’ll need to take care of your ever-changing newborn. Between the sleepless nights, endless diaper changes, and feedings every few hours, there is a lot of pressure on moms. Not to mention, all this while new moms are dealing with childbirth recovery itself. In fact, 92 percent of working moms say they’re overwhelmed with workplace, home, and parenting responsibilities. Luckily there is a lot of gear and new technology out there to assist moms.
“Each year we publish our best of baby comprehensive guide to help this new generation of millennial parents. Some of my favorite new tech items are the Owlet baby activity tracker, Naya smart breast pump, and the 4moms self-leveling car seat. Many parents aren’t installing car seats correctly, this car seat takes the guess work out of the process and ensures installation is perfect, which is especially crucial when you have to uninstall and reinstall the base often. Technology is helping parents keep their babies safer and simplifying many aspects of life” says Julia Wang, Head of Digital Content at The Bump.
Getting the right gear can make adjusting to this new life easier and reduce stress. These must-have innovative products make mom-life simpler.
Breastfeeding and pumping can be very demanding, which is why the Haakaa breast pump is one of my all-time favorite items for new moms. It allows you to collect breastmilk effortlessly and saves time, which is the most valuable thing a new mom can have. Simply suction on to one side while you are breastfeeding and let it do the work for you.
If their Instagram account is any indication, moms all over love this pump! And why wouldn’t they, all the accessories, from the flower stopper to the breast milk storage bottles, are Instagram-worthy. The company also makes my favorite nipple correctors which help nursing moms who have inverted or flat nipples.
Haakaa
One of the biggest fears new moms have is whether their baby is okay while sleeping. The Owlet Smart Sock gives parents peace of mind and assurance by tracking the baby’s oxygen and heart rate. If a baby's heart rate or oxygen fall outside a preset range, the smart sock is designed to send notifications to the base station and to a smartphone.
Owlet Baby Care was founded by a team of passionate parents who believed there had to be better resources out there for infant health. In just over one year the company has heard from more than 80 families who have reported being alerted when their baby needed them most, allowing them to intervene.
Safety is every parents top priority and choosing the right car seat is essential. The Chicco Fit2 makes it more convenient than ever for parents to keep their children rear-facing for as long as possible. Without taking up more room in your car, the Fit2 easily converts from infant to toddler position.
Chicco recently launched their TurnAfter2 campaign to create a simple rule of thumb reminder for parents when it comes to car seat safety – wait until after your child’s second birthday to turn them forward-facing in the car. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children remain rear-facing in the car until at least age two, and states like New York, South Carolina and Oregon are currently discussing legislation to make that recommendation a law, joining Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, California and New Jersey who already require it. The Fit2 helps parents easily adhere to this recommendation, making it a great option for an infant to toddler car seat.
Chicco
For walking around the city, you can’t beat having a comfortable baby carrier. Leave the stroller at home and roam freely with the Ergobaby 360 carrier. Of all the carriers I tried, this was by far the most comfortable. It features an adjustable width bucket seat that is designed to ensure ergonomic positioning and comfort for baby in all carry positions. Not only was the Ergobaby 360 carrier voted “Best Baby Carrier of 2017” by BabyCenter moms, but was also voted the “Best Carrier” by Fit Pregnancy & Baby readers.
The Ergobaby 360 offers all carry positions, enabling parents to quickly switch baby to face out, or face towards the parent with ease. The company is also launching special edition carriers featuring iconic works from world-renowned artist Keith Haring. These special edition prints embrace Haring’s distinctive artistic style, and pay homage to a shared belief in celebrating the spontaneous moments of joy that life brings.
Ergobaby
Mealtime can be messy. Tableware for little ones that is designed to be keep all the delicious goodness in the spill-proof dishes makes mealtimes more fun and tidier. The colorful range of tableware and bibs is perfect for babies. Stackable and portable with easy grip handles, moms can spend less time cleaning up, and enjoy more time watching their little ones learn how to feed themselves.
Cheeky Baby, co-founded by Cheeky Kids and celebrity chef Ayesha Curry, gives one-for-one through Cheeky's partnership with No Kid Hungry, which in turn provides parents with the tools to teach kids about giving back from a young age.
Cheeky Baby
Between picking up food off the floor and washing bibs afterwards, one meal can make for more work than it should. That’s why these silicone bibs with a large pocket to catch spills are an absolute must-have. Easily washable in the kitchen sink, there’s no need to add more laundry to mom’s already growing to-do list.
Bumkins offers all eco-friendly and organic items, allowing moms to take care of their babies without having to worry about potential allergies. In the early stages of babyhood, moms may not know which products their baby could be allergic to, so this is essential. And of course, it’s a win-win for the environment too.
Bumkins
Becoming a parent doesn't mean you can’t do all the things you used to, and portable-friendly baby gear makes doing those things easier. The Pop ’n Play Deluxe Playard keeps baby contained in a safe area when traveling, at the park, or on the beach. Setting it up is easy and it provides 14 feet of play space with mesh sides for easy visibility and air flow. Moms can feel comfortable knowing their baby is in a safe space, whether in their home or out and about. To protect babies from harmful sun-rays, a full size canopy can be attached to the playard, blocking out 98% of UVA/UVB rays.
Summer Infant
Getting babies to sleep can take hours and involve everything from bath time, story time, to feeding and rocking. Any mom will agree that once the baby is asleep, you don’t want anything to wake them up, especially their own startle reflex. Swaddling babies makes them feel more safe and secure, and helps prevent them from waking up when they are startled. The ergoCocoon swaddles are designed to be both easy to use and difficult to escape from. The simple zip up design keeps babies snug and securely swaddled without the need for complicated wrapping, making mom’s job much easier.
Made from skin-friendly, breathable organic cotton, the swaddles are comfortable and the bell shaped bottom provides extra leg room. For babies that prefer a little more freedom or are ready to transition out of a swaddle, the ergoCocoon has buttons in the armholes that can be used to convert from a swaddle to a sleeping bag.
Ergo Pouch
Globetrotting parents don’t have to change their traveling lifestyle, just take baby along. No more debating if a stay-cation would be better than getting on an airplane with your infant. The FlyeBaby hammock-style infant airplane seat allows for easy, safe and hands-free travel. |
A perplexed beaver who accidentally herded 150 head of cattle across a farm in Canada last week has become an online sensation.
“How do we move 150 heifers in Canada?” wrote rancher Adrienne Ivey, who filmed the unusual encounter in Saskatchewan, in a Facebook post that’s attracted over 100,000 views. “Now I just need a better trained beaver...”
She told local radio station 980 CJME Monday that the young cows are curious “kind of like teenagers.”
The video shows the cows carefully following the beaver. When the rodent moves, they move with it. And when it stops, they stop too ― gathering around, but also keeping a respectful distance.
“There was about a three-foot space around him,” Ivey told the CBC. “They didn’t want to get closer than that.”
She told the broadcaster that the beaver was likely out looking for a new place to build a lodge when it came across the cows.
“When we first saw this we knew that people would get a great chuckle out of it because you cannot get more Canadian than that,” Ivey told CJME. “We talk about how awesome our Canadian beef is, but a beaver leading cattle around? It’s the most Canadian thing ever!” |
By: Angelique SIna
The future is female, and we are seeing that across the globe, but the future is also Latina. The National Women's Business Council states there currently are 1,469,991 Latina-owned businesses in the United States, generating $78.7 billion in receipts. Latinas are on the rise: there has been an increase of 86.6% in Latina-run businesses since 2007. In 2012, Latina-owned employer firms paid their employees $13.2 million, a 41.4% increase over 2007, generating $51.4 billion in receipts.
In 2015, only 25% of U.S. angel investors were women, and only 5% were minorities. Unfortunately, people are more likely to invest in founders who are like them, and the strongest similarity people see is gender. Men invest in men.
However, women are now players in what was once a man’s game. In 2016, more than one in four angels were women — 26%. The percentage of angels who are women has more than doubled since 2011, when it was only 12%. This is a reflection of women’s growing wealth and their interest in making an impact, which includes investing in other women and solving the world’s most pressing problems.
Latinas are on the rise, and funding is not coming from traditional sources.
Women entrepreneurs who express passion and confidence are more likely to succeed and to attract an investor. To capture the wallets of investors, future entrepreneurs need to capture the investors’ imagination with how the product or service is a “must have” for the market, and they also need to know the difference between angel investors and venture capitalists.
Angel Investing versus Venture Capitalists
An angel investor is an accredited investor, a high net-worth individual who has an income of at least $200,000 per year (or $300,000 for a joint salary) with the expectation that this income will continue into the future. Angel groups are becoming more prevalent because they work to syndicate many angels together into a single investment, and are a great way to invest quickly. Venture capitalists (“VCs”) are typically formed as Limited Partnerships, in which the Limited Partners invest in the venture capital fund.
While venture capitalists are professional investors who invest other people’s money (at least $2 million) in ventures and generally focus on companies that have achieved operational milestones, angel investors do not invest for a living; rather, they invest their own time and money (often less than $100,000), and in companies at an earlier stage of development. The degree of involvement that angels expect to have in the business varies, from actively involved to a hands-off approach, but entrepreneurs will always benefit from their advice and experience.
Angels make decisions typically on their own, while VCs generally will have an investment committee working together to make decisions. Both angel investors and VCs will hold private equity from having made investments directly into private companies. VCs and angels want to see a return across their entire portfolio of investments of approximately 20-30% per year. The reason angels look for such a high return is that half of their investments are likely to go down and not return anything to the investor, while VCs get paid regardless of what happens; they take a salary from a portion of their funds raised. Angels are more interested in the success of their cause and more willing to do some heavy lifting in times of need.
Angels’ most common motivations are:
They want to pay it forward.
They love their city and want to help spur its economic future.
They are inspired by a particular cause or societal need.
I am inviting all of the Angel Investors to spread their Wings For Latinas and invest to elevate Latina leadership while empowering a new generation of philanthropists. Latinas comprise the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs, outpace other groups in college attendance and attainment, and are professionals and leaders. Together, we will leverage the power of Latina leaders to create angel investors and philanthropists who are committed to contributing to Latina leadership programs and endeavors to further the pursuits of Latinas for the benefit of their communities and our world. If Latinas are provided with the information, tools, support, and a giving network, then they will engage in impact-investing focused on financially supporting Latina leadership initiatives. If you’re interested in taking part in investing in Latinas you can message me on Twitter @Angelissina.
--
Angelique Sina is a relationship manager for financial institutions. She was appointed by the Mayor of Washington, DC to serve as Commissioner for the Latino Community. As a passionate advocate for women’s business success, she launched a Hispanic women’s leadership series and serves on different national boards, including being the Executive Director of an organization she co-founded. |
Pop star Bruno Mars is getting support against accusations of cultural appropriation from an unimpeachable source: Stevie Wonder.
TMZ asked Wonder to chime in on a debate that started last weekend, when activist and writer Seren Sensei called Mars a cultural appropriator on “The Grapevine,” a web series dealing with African-American issues.
Mars, whose mother is Filipino and his father Puerto Rican and Jewish, has made a career with songs based on musical forms that are historically and traditionally African-American, according to CNN.
But Sensei argued that Mars “takes pre-existing work and he just completely, word-for-word recreates it, extrapolates it.”
She added:
“He does not create it, he does not improve upon it, he does not make it better. He’s a karaoke singer, he’s a wedding singer, he’s the person you hire to do Michael Jackson and Prince covers. Yet Bruno Mars has an Album of the Year Grammy and Prince never won an Album of the Year Grammy.”
Sensei’s remarks caused a heated debate online.
Wonder, however, one of the most Grammy-winning artists of all time, said he doesn’t think Mars was doing anything inappropriate.
“Here’s the thing, God created music for all of us to enjoy,” Wonder told TMZ. “So we cannot limit ourselves by people’s fears and insecurities.”
He pulled no punches saying what he thought of the accusations.
“He’s a great talent, so all the other stuff is just bullshit,” Wonder said of Mars. “He was inspired by great musicians and great artists and songwriters. So it’s cool.”
As HuffPost has written before, the Cambridge Dictionary defines cultural appropriation as “the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture.”
TMZ asked Wonder if he thought Mars deserved a “pass” because of the reverent way he treats black-originated musical genres like reggae, hip-hop and funk.
Wonder dismissed the question, saying no pass is needed because God created music for everyone. |
Encyclopaedia Britannica/UIG via Getty Images Frederick Douglass, an African-American who was one of the most eminent human rights leaders of the 19th century.
My Fourth of July ritual includes re-reading Frederick Douglass’ speech “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?”
In 1852, the famous escaped slave-turned-orator delivered the scorcher of a speech, which slammed American courts, northern financiers, churches and cowardly politicians. He told them celebrations of American independence from British tyranny amid black degradation, enslavement and suffering was a sham. To the slave, he said, July Fourth was a scam, “mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy—a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.”
Given recent events at the U.S. southern border, Douglass’ words continue to ring true. “There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices, more shocking and bloody, than are the people of these United States, at this very hour.”
Since returning from a trip to London, I have added another work to my personal canon of literature that expresses the complicated relationship black people have with patriotism throughout the African diaspora.
In Winsome Pinnock’s brilliant play “Leave Taking,” which recently ended a run at London’s Bush Theatre, we meet a middle-aged man named Broderick living in 1980s London. He has spent his whole life believing himself to be a British subject: He has waved the Union Jack on Empire Day and has tipped his hat at the image of The Queen since his childhood in his native Jamaica. Broderick, like other Caribbean immigrants of the Windrush Generations, has made a home in the city as a Commonwealth national. With the passage of the British Nationality Act 1948, many West Indian immigrants found employment helping rebuild England after World War II.
But then, the British government sent him a letter breaking the news: He was actually an “alien,” and he needed to pay a fee to prove his nationality. His childhood friend takes this news in stride. “So we pay the fifty pounds and now we nationality secure,” she says.
“Secure what?” he balks. “Till them change them mind again?” Then he kisses his teeth.
To the slave, Douglass said, the July Fourth was a scam.
Though the play debuted in 1987, it has resonated in the U.K. in recent years, especially since the revelation of “Windrush Scandal.”
New reports have shown that harsh policies turned the U.K. into a “hostile environment” for immigrants, transforming virtually every branch of the British bureaucracy into an arm of immigration enforcement. Thanks to spurious, often racially motivated, suspicions that people were in the country illegally, dozens of elderly Caribbean immigrants from that generation, like the fictional Broderick, were swept up in a dragnet raid. They had had every reason to feel secure in their identity, but they were stripped of their jobs, their property and in some cases, sent back to countries in which they had never lived.
Of course, it’s not only in the U.K. that black people feel the tension between love of country and hate at the hands of that same country. Broderick’s dilemma is familiar to those living in Brazil, where wealthy landowners and government officials routinely trample over the land and cultural rights of African descendants. It echoes the plight of black people living on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, where the Dominican Republic government stripped citizenship from 200,000 black workers of Haitian descent in a 2015 purge. And it’s familiar here in the United States, where the first president of African descent was pressured ― largely by the bigoted white man who would succeed him ― to show his birth certificate, in what will forever be a disgraceful blot on American history.
In the United States, black people of all backgrounds live under the constant threat of white people summoning the police state to tell us we don’t belong. They charge us with what has been called “Living While Black:” selling water, walking our babies, playing our music, mowing the lawn or barbequing. All of these things put us at risk of being thrown in jail indefinitely or having our lives stolen by police. Studies suggest that while black immigrants are less likely than other groups to be undocumented, they are still more likely to be arrested, jailed and deported due to racial profiling.
How do we respond? If you are the disproportionate numbers of black women and men serving in the U.S. military or if you are California Rep. Maxine Waters (D) who dared racists to “shoot straight,” you offer to put your actual body on the line for your country. Even then, the gap between America’s promise and its reality causes a level of toxic stress that is literally making black people sick.
Rebecca Cook / Reuters “I know that there are those who are talking about censuring me, talking about kicking me out of Congress, talking about shooting me, talking about hanging me,” Rep. Waters said. “All I have to say is this: If you shoot me, you’d better shoot straight."
The fictional Broderick drinks his problems away. The play’s other main characters turn to traditional healers, or “obeah” women, for help coping. “It not easy to turn you back on one country and start fresh in foreign,” explains Mai, the Jamaican healer living in London. “It mash up you life.”
Later, she continues: “You think things would change by now. My grandfather’s grandfather came from Jamaica in the hold of a ship. My mother did run away to Cuba in the twenties to cut cane, and I came here. It must be some kinda curse that condemns our people to wander the earth like ghosts who can’t find rest.”
Xenophobia still reigns in Europe. Black Brits that I spoke to fretted about Brexit and the fledgling Make Britain Great Again movement, which is inspired by America’s own flourishing anti-immigrant leadership. An outcry over the Windrush scandal chastened U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, and she made a full-throated apology, announcing the formation of a commission to make things right.
I can only admire a country whose political system still holds a capacity for shame. It took more than another decade, a Civil War and unthinkable bloodshed for America to heed Douglass’ words: “Be warned! a horrible reptile is coiled up in your nation’s bosom; the venomous creature is nursing at the tender breast of your youthful republic; for the love of God, tear away, and fling from you the hideous monster.”
On this American Independence Day, and in the months ahead, I am eager to see what human compassion and shame America has left, and how effective it will be in righting the ship. Mostly, I’m kissing my teeth. |
With the final season of “Game of Thrones” somewhere on the horizon, everyone is on the edge of their seats to find out what happens. That’s everyone except for Liam Cunningham, anyway.
The actor, who was at New York Comic Con on Friday promoting his new show “Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams,” told HuffPost that he’s had the Season 8 scripts since Thursday but hasn’t read through them. We asked why he hadn’t at least looked to see if he ― that is, Davos ― died or not.
That’s when the truth came out.
“I can’t open them. The fucking security level on them is too high,” Cunningham told HuffPost. He continued, “I have to get … back in Ireland and find out. Just because two-step authentication and lot of stuff.”
The actor seems to despise two-step authentication even more than Davos despises Melisandre. At least he’ll get to see the scripts soon enough. For everyone else, winter isn’t coming anytime soon.
“You have to think about these things logically,” Cunningham said. “We’re spending a lot longer. HBO, God bless them, they want this thing to go out as best as they could possibly make it, so we are taking a lot longer to shoot six episodes than we would take normally to shoot 10.”
The actor said there is a table read set for Sunday and Monday, with rehearsals the rest of the week, and then they begin shooting. But there’s still some scheduling to be worked out.
He added, “HBO isn’t tied down to a transmission date. They’re not locked into any of that stuff, so time will tell.”
Recent headlines suggest that the series could be back for its final season in 2019, but even that may be an ambitious call.
“It’ll take as long as it takes,” said Cunningham. “We want to deliver it as best [we can]. We got one shot at this to get this right.” |
5 Denise & Zach
"Although Zach was completely comfortable doing the shoot, I was terrified. After having children, the last thing I wanted to do was shed clothes in front of a stranger. I went because he encouraged me. However, photographers Jennifer and Bryan made me feel awesome. They boosted my confidence and coached me very well. It ended up being more like a date for Zach and me. I came out of the shoot feeling really good about myself. Getting the photos back made me even happier. It wasn't all pose and shoot. A lot of the photos were taken when we had no idea and they really showed the way that we looked at each other. It was amazing." -- Denise R. |
We’re all looking to get the jump on our competitors. And if you’re willing to try new tactics before the masses jump on it, you’ll have a big advantage.
Everything marketing today moves quickly. But most businesses are slow to catch on, or worse, they don’t bother at all until it’s too late.
If you want to reach new heights in marketing your business, consider these 3 modern marketing strategies to get ahead.
1. Text-to-Win
Forget that Facebook contest, go mobile with your sweepstakes in a text to win instead. It’s faster, easier and more accessible to people who aren’t on Facebook. (Most Millenials aren’t on it by the way.)
Running a sweepstakes by text also incentivizes consumers to join your mobile list, so you can text offers to them later.
You can also collect emails if you still prefer email marketing. You’d be missing out on text’s high open rate though. It’s 90% or higher compared to email’s 23% or less.
How it works: Find a text-to-win sweepstakes platform and reserve a keyword (or Sweepkey) people will use to enter your sweeps. Then create a short call-to-action (CTA).
Here’s a CTA with Yeti as the keyword: “Text YETI to 65047 for a chance to win a Yeti Cooler Prize Package!
Be sure to promote your CTA everywhere... on signs in store, on your website, in ads, by email and in social media. The key here is to promote your program, reach new prospects and build excitement.
Maryhill Winery Maryhill used Text to Win to promote its winery.
2. Snapchat
If your business is trying to reach that elusive segment of the market known as Millennials, then it’s in your best interest to get on Snapchat.
It’s a young ecosystem with a hefty user base (160 million use it daily), but most businesses are intimidated by the learning curve. Don’t let that stop you.
A Snapchat study found that its ads attract twice the attention of Facebook ads and 1.5 times more than Instagram ads. This could mean a lot of extra eyeballs on your brand’s campaign.
How it works: Use Geofilters, Sponsored Lenses and storytelling to create awareness and engage with potential customers.
A geofilter, for example, is a photo overlay that you design and pay to make available to those who snap photos near your business or event. You can choose from a few goals in Snapchat’s ad manager... driving website traffic, building brand awareness, boosting app installations or getting followers.
Snapchat/Staples Center/Honda Honda offered a Snapchat geofilter during it’s sponsorship of the NHL All-Star Game.
3. Influencer Marketing
While influencers were once primarily found on blogs, today they’re everywhere. They offer a third-party endorsement of your product or service and offer a marketing opportunity you simply shouldn’t miss.
Influencers can engage your target audience in a way that’s hard to do with ads or your own social profiles. It’s like word-of-mouth marketing based on the personal trust they’ve built with their fans. If you choose right, those fans will match your audience’s profile.
How it works: It’s important to do your research and find influencers with engaged followers in your vertical. Instagram is popular for this, but you can use any social platform, blog or both. Message the influencer, make your offer (product, payment or both) and set expectations. Don’t forget to follow FTC guidelines too.
They’re highly selective about the content they’ll promote, but on the plus side, they’re less likely to work with your competitors if they feature your brand. Overall, influencers can help you reach new prospects within your target audience.
tonodiaz/DepositPhotos Beauty blogger and influencer.
Gain the First-Mover Advantage
Remember, first movers have distinct advantages when it comes to modern marketing. |
[Text of a short address given at Indivisible San Francisco rally a few hours after white-supremacists attacked supporters of racial justice and murdered a woman in Charlottesville VA on August 12 2017]
"As you can see from my gray beard I'm old. Old enough that for me this is my second time around. Back in the '60s I was a civil rights worker, I worked for Dr. King in Alabama and Mississippi. The first protest I ever joined was in Torrance California, at that time a segregated white-only community. Our small CORE picket line was outnumbered two-to-one by uniformed members of the American Nazi party in full swastika who attacked us while the police stood by. And, of course, the Klan violence in the South was far worse.
But back then we beat them. We beat them with rallies and protests like this one all over the nation. And education and organizing and mobilizing alongside communities of color who had long been engaged in resisting racist terrorism. What most PBS documentaries fail to teach is that the bulk of white-supremacist violence was (and still is) incited and enabled by politicians for their own political purposes -- politicians like George Wallace of Alabama and James Eastland of Mississippi. And the violence was (and is) enabled by the police. The KKK knew cops would stand by, prosecutors wouldn't charge, juries wouldn't convict, and judges wouldn't sentence so they felt free to engage in their terrorism without fear of consequences.
We changed that by building a nation-wide, mass peoples' movement that was powerful enough to exact a political toll on northern politicians who stood by in silence while federal officials chose not to enforce the law because offending the white South was politically inexpedient. And we built a peoples movement that imposed on the South's ruling elite a steep economic cost in lost investment and business for using white terrorism as a strategy of political power.
But be very clear. We never changed the hearts and minds of the Nazis and the Klansmen. They're still with us today as we just saw in Virginia. Nor did we ever manage to halt sporadic acts of individual violent bigotry. Racist violence has been part of the American fabric since day-one. What we were able to do though was build a movement that forced national and southern politicians to cease inciting, enabling, and tolerating organized, widespread, state-sanctioned violence for the purpose of maintaining white-supremacy through intimidation and terrorism.
Don't think it was easy though. It took five long, hard, years of organizing and mobilizing from 1960 to 1964 before we managed to force the federal government to finally, reluctantly, bestir itself. And several more years before their actions against the Klan and White Citizens Council became effective in defending people of color against systematic sanctioned terrorism. And at the same, time communities of color began organizing their own disciplined, strategic, self-defense. Once Klansmen realized that people were not going to take it anymore and that terrorists might actually end up in prison the lynchings, church bombings, night-rider raids, and violent mob attacks declined markedly. |
As a principal or director of a school or kindergarten, you are in a very powerful position to make a massive difference to the lives of the children in your care. Body Safety Education taught at your institution could literally change the course of a child’s life.
Firstly here are some *statistics (sources below). Did you know …
• 20% of girls and 8% of boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. Think about this statistic in terms of a class of 30 kids at your school. That is approximately 3 girls and 1 boy will be sexually abused before 18.
• In 85 to 90% of cases, the sexual offender is known to the child. Child sexual abusers are in our homes, schools and communities. They are not only grooming children, they are grooming the adults who care for them.
• The most vulnerable age for children to be exposed to sexual assault is between 3 and 8 years. We need to start prevention education early!
• 1 in 3 adults would not believe a child if they disclosed sexual abuse. We not only need to educate our kids, we need to educate the community to believe a child’s disclosure.
• We know that in 98% of reported child sexual abuse cases, children’s disclosures were found to be true. Children do not lie about sexual abuse.
The tragic aftermath of child sexual abuse can have horrific and life-changing consequences. But what I want to tell you is that prevention education is actually incredibly easy. It is age-appropriate and empowering. Principals and directors such as yourselves and your staff have the ability to change the statistics I have quoted. Choosing to teach Body Safety Education to the children in your care can change outcomes for children.
If you are holding back because you are worried that parents won’t support this type of education, than I think you are wrong. In my experience, through social media and feedback from my work, parents are on board! With every second news story about historical child sexual abuse, this younger generation of parent is very keen for the past never to be repeated.
I know your curriculum is crowded but with simple professional development teachers can teach Body Safety; two, 30-minute lessons over five weeks is all it takes to impart this crucial knowledge to children. I know! I’ve done it in my own classroom.
Adults are 100% responsible for educating kids in Body Safety. And they are 100% responsible for educating themselves about child sexual abuse. Child sexual abusers are 100% responsible for sexually abusing a child.
We, as teachers, are in a privileged position to work with kids and help protect them. We can do this! Please don’t let our adult fear of this topic put our kids at risk. Our children are looking to us for protection. I am not a survivor of child sexual abuse. I am just a concerned teacher and parent who believes we can do so much more for our kids.
So next time you are at assembly and you see all those gorgeous faces looking up at you, please think about those statistics. And please implement a Body Safety program at your educational institution. Body Safety Education taught at your school or kindergarten could literally change the course of a child’s life. Please help me and other advocates like me. We are asking you to be as passionate about protecting children from child sexual abuse as we are. Please contact me through www.e2epublishing.info if you need more information. See this message as a video to share.
Regards
Jayneen Sanders
* 20% of girls and 8% of boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. (Pereda, et al, 2009)
* In 85 to 90% of cases, the sexual offender was known to the child. (NSW Commission for Children & Young People, 2009)
* The most vulnerable age for children to be exposed to sexual assault is between 3 and 8 years. (Browne & Lynch, 1994)
* 1 in 3 adults would not believe a child if they disclosed sexual abuse. (Australian Childhood Foundation, 2010)
* We know that in 98% of reported child sexual assault cases, children’s disclosures were found to be true. (NSW Child protection Council, cited in Dympna House, 1998)
To download FREE Body Safety posters for your classroom go to www.e2epublishing.info/posters/ |
Big news, “Frozen” fans and their legal guardians. Last year, we learned the much worshipped and irrationally catchy Disney musical would grace the Broadway stage in the spring of 2018.
Today, Disney Theatrical Productions announced the cast of the highly anticipated production. Meet your newest Disney princess.
Playing Elsa, the role immortalized by Idina Menzel, is vocal powerhouse Caissie Levy.
Like Menzel, Levy has previously played Elphaba in “Wicked.” Her other roles include Fantine in “Les Mis,” Molly in “Ghost” and Sheila in “Hair.”
Disney
Judging by this 2015 video of Levy singing “Let It Go” ― as mashed up with The Beatles’ “Let It Be” ― families lucky enough to see Levy belt out the ballad in person are in for a serious treat.
Levy will be joined on tage by some truly magical talent. Playing the role of Anna, as played in the movie by Kristen Bell, is Patti Murin. Her previous parts include Glinda in “Wicked” and Lysistrata in “Lysistrata Jones.”
Along with the leading ladies, the cast also features Jelani Alladin as Kristoff, John Riddle as Hans, Greg Hildreth as Olaf and Robert Creighton as the Duke of Weselton.
We still have quite a while until winter hits Broadway. In the meantime, “Frozen” will run an “out-of-town tryout” at the Buell Theatre in the Denver Center for the Performing Arts this fall, from Aug. 17 through Oct. 1, 2017. |
Ousted FBI Director James Comey was so underwhelmed — and yet angered — by the Republican memo criticizing the bureau’s surveillance of a member of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign that Comey tweeted Friday: “That’s it?”
“That’s it? Dishonest and misleading memo wrecked the House intel committee, destroyed trust with Intelligence Community, damaged relationship with FISA court, and inexcusably exposed classified investigation of an American citizen. For what?” Comey asked.
That’s it? Dishonest and misleading memo wrecked the House intel committee, destroyed trust with Intelligence Community, damaged relationship with FISA court, and inexcusably exposed classified investigation of an American citizen. For what? DOJ & FBI must keep doing their jobs. — James Comey (@Comey) February 2, 2018
The four-page memo, written by staffers directed by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), was declassified and released Friday with Trump’s approval, despite objections by the FBI and the Justice Department. It claims the Justice Department and FBI inappropriately spied on campaign adviser Carter Page.
The memo contends that law enforcement officials misled the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that approved — and renewed three times — a warrant for electronic surveillance of Page.
The memo insists the Page surveillance “raises concerns” because it was based in part on information from former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who compiled a dossier on Trump’s alleged Russian connections for Fusion GPS. The company was under contract to the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign to gather opposition research on Trump, though it had initially launched the project for Republican operatives who also opposed Trump.
The Nunes memo claims Steele talked to the press and didn’t like Trump, and it implied his information was faulty because it was ultimately being gathered for the Democrats. The memo doesn’t mention the initial right-wing clients.
The memo, however, also points out that the FBI began looking into the Trump campaign months earlier, in July, because of information linked to former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos. In October, Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to officials investigating Russian interference in the presidential election.
Comey has taken the gloves off this week after generally calmer tweets over the last few months quoting Martin Luther King Jr., Bruce Springsteen and the Bible. On Thursday, he ripped unnamed “weasels and liars,” declaring that they “never hold the field, so long as good people stand up.”
He also on Wednesday praised the FBI for speaking up against the Nunes memo. He was referring to a statement the bureau issued saying the FBI had “grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.”
And on Monday, Comey tweeted in support of Andrew McCabe, who resigned that day as the FBI’s deputy director after attacks by Trump. Comey said McCabe “stood tall” while “small people were trying to tear down an institution we all depend on.” |
Note: This piece is a work of satire.
A check mark indicates the need for improvement.
August 14, 2017
Dear Mr. President,
I have been remiss. I should have written to you back when you said “grab pussy” to remind you of the inappropriateness of such language but I thought that the consequences would speak for themselves.
Instead, you were put in the White House and did not learn your lesson.
But I’m not going to wait this time. No. This time I am speaking up. As your 3rd grade teacher, I simply cannot remain silent another minute.
Shame on you, Little Donny Trump. Nuclear war? Really? What are you thinking? Did you learn nothing at all from all those times you were banished to the desk in the hall for not practicing courtesy in speech and action and not playing well with others? We do not threaten other boys with “fire and fury” — especially boys who are younger than you — and we most definitely do not say “locked and loaded.” We do not do things that threaten the safety of others in our classroom or, indeed, anywhere. And may I remind you that nothing threatens the safety of others as much as a nuclear holocaust.
And don’t get me started on the whole White Supremacist/Nazi thing.
I will not tolerate behavior like this from one of my students.
Give me your phone, Donny. Right now. I’m waiting. Thank you. Now I want you to put your head down on your desk -- I don’t care that it’s in the Oval Office – and think about what you’re doing. Head down. And don’t you pick it up until I tell you you can.
In the absence of your parents (I’m sorry for your loss), I will be sending a note to Robert Mueller about this behavior. I believe that he will take the appropriate next steps.
Meanwhile, I expect you to stop being discourteous and disrespectful and start acting your age.
Yours truly,
Mrs. B. Armstrong
3rd grade teacher (Retired) |
By: Elisa Grandizio
We’ve been conditioned to believe that IQ is the sole determinate of an individual's performance in life. IQ — the number derived from standardized intelligence tests which measures an individual’s rational mind. Private societies have been formed around this intellectual measurement. Score high, you’re in the club! Score low... you remain on the outside.
Well, there’s something to be said for being an outsider — you may be more successful at work and play. Evidence supports that IQ accounts for a small portion of that success (10-25% range) which makes perfect sense when you look at a society where multitudes of highly intelligent people fail miserably in everyday life.
A far better place to excel is in the area of EQ which measures an individual’s Emotional Intelligence (EI). It’s best explained as the ability to perceive, control, evaluate, empathize and express your emotions. This emotional mind determines how we conduct ourselves in interpersonal relationships and the relationship’s success or failure.
Considering that EI accounts for an amazing 75% (or more) of a person’s ability to succeed, many companies have begun giving applicants EI tests before hiring them, while other companies have mandated EI training programs in the workplace. Unfortunately, proper etiquette doesn’t allow for EI evaluations of prospective friends, so here are a few unique observable qualities you should be on the look out for:
Self Awareness – The first step in controlling emotions is to be aware of their existence. Those who are self aware have confidence in their abilities.
Self Regulation – Once control of emotions has been mastered, the individual is less apt to give into impulses reactions. Self regulators accept responsibility for their own actions, are open to new ideas and adapt easily to change.
Motivation – Motivated people set goals and strive for improvement. They remain positive when faced with challenges and are known to boost the moral of those around them.
Empathy – The ability to understand the perspective, experiences, or motivations of another individual and to comprehend and share another individual's emotional state as well as recognizing how one’s actions affect others.
Social Skills – Both verbal and non-verbal skills are used to communicate and interact with others as well as measure social competency.
The question remains: can emotional intelligence be taught? Not unlike like IQ, studies suggest that EI can be taught and that emotions can be adapted if properly modeled and managed. If taught early in life, the results can lead to enhanced decision making skills and improved academic performance.
Effectively, higher EI can lead to a higher IQ. A strategy known as social-emotional learning (SEL) revolves around the concept that emotional skills are critical to academic performance. In recent years, SEL has gained popularity due in part to social concerns involving school violence, teen suicide, and bullying with a goal aimed to develop the psychological intelligence necessary to help children positively channel their emotions.
“Something we now know, from doing dozens of studies, is that emotions can either enhance or hinder your ability to learn…They affect our attention and our memory. If you’re very anxious about something, or agitated, how well can you focus on what’s being taught?” —Marc Brackett
Even old dogs can learn new tricks. One way to develop EI as an adult is by minimizing negative thought processes. When faced with challenges or unpleasant situations, it’s important to tap into your rational brain for further exploration. The emotional brain will quickly create a link between the unpleasant situation and unrelated memories that stir negative emotions. It important to interrupt the negative thought process, remain positive and keep a healthy perspective. To change perception, you must commit to a level of awareness that demonstrates self-knowledge and mastery of your emotions.
Perhaps that is easier said than done. The emotional mind tends to kick into action more quickly than the rational mind. From a human developmental standpoint, it comprises an important part of our survival instinct. This intuition comes front and center when we need to quickly make decisions. Primal instinct is behind our innate ability to react to new potentially dangerous situations in the interest of self-preservation. Although humans still possess most of the instincts of our primal ancestors, other instincts have adapted and evolved, which override the older reactions.
In our decision-making process, individuals are more likely to react in primal ways only in extreme situations. Decidedly slower, the intellectual mind adds a layer of rationale to the decision-making process. In life threatening situations, the extra moment it takes to rationalize in place of reacting can impact us negatively and be the difference between life and death. Conversely, in a situation where the individual is filled with negative emotion or self-doubt, taking the extra moment to rationalize can have a positive impact on life.
In the long run, emotional health impacts physical health. It’s estimated that over 80% of health problems are stress-related reactions to challenges we face. How we handle stress affects our overall quality of life.
“If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.” -Daniel Goleman
While both IQ and EQ are important, a healthy balance between the two is ideal.
--
Elisa Grandizio is an Executive Coach and Speaker with 20+years of personal and professional experience as a wife, mother, businesswoman and entrepreneur. Her current focus is channeled on providing professional leadership services while helping others attain excellence and balance in their lives. |
By Adam Steele
Microinfluencers have become a big deal in social media marketing in the last couple of months. Their rise has also come with arguments over which offers you more: big celebrity social media influencers who can offer access to millions, or a hobbyist who has a steady following of fewer than 50,000. After a lot of research and working with influencers as advertising partners, I know which side of the fence I’m on. Just by the numbers, I get a lot more responses for the cost when I work with microinfluencers.
I’ve thought a lot about what might be making the difference, and I’ve narrowed the performance discrepancy down to three key factors. Below are three reasons you should consider going small.
They Are Believable
Let’s face it: Even the biggest fans know that when a celebrity endorses a product (or even just use it on camera), it’s likely the result of a sponsorship. I don’t mean to sound cynical, but most millennials are too when it comes to online advertising. Authenticity is everything and small influencers have all the advantages.
Small influencers are more trustworthy for several reasons. First, many of them started out as hobbyists who weren’t looking for attention until they earned it with their enthusiasm. Because of this, they also understand the language their audience speaks, and which issues are most important to them when building content. If you approach them with a product placement request, for example, they’ll tell you whether that placement is going to go over well with their audience.
As hobbyists, they are typically seen as having a bigger reputation stake when it comes to recommending products and services. Consumers place a lot of trust in a good reputation for recommending products, but this is also one of the reasons that microinfluencers can be more difficult to partner with.
They Are Targetable
Most major influencers have done a lot of work to make their social media presence accessible to a wide audience. This is great, but it means that it can be difficult to guess how relevant your product would be to the audience. Big influencers eventually reach the point where they have to build content for multiple segments of their audience. You’re always paying for the full audience when you want to advertise with someone, so it makes sense to have that audience already pared down to the most interested people.
Once audience members notice that a lot of content isn’t for them specifically, they’re going to tune out posts from that influencer. You have more hurdles to overcome when this starts to happen. However, it’s rarely a problem when you’re working with microinfluencers. As an advertiser, search for the microinfluencer who focuses on doing something well for an audience of enthusiasts. Instead of trying to appeal to part of a fan base, build relationships with smaller influencers who offer an audience made up only of people who are into the sort of products and services you sell.
To find these people, you have to pay a lot of attention to the content that is coming out around your product. Every day, if you sell bikes, for example, watch YouTube videos, trending tweets and other channels for killer bike content. Once you find a popular video by an enthusiast, check their history to see if they have more. If they do have more videos and a reliable number of views for each one, you know you’ve found a decent influencer. These audiences can offer the best ROI out of any market. Enthusiasts are often also willing to spend more, more often, on impulse buys.
Their Brands Are Scalable
For the same cost of working with one massive influencer, you could build relationships with a dozen smaller ones, which makes for some interesting strategies! For example, you could learn a lot by split-testing products with different microinfluencers at the same time to find out what type of advertising each fan base prefers most. If you’re working with product placements, you might find that some audiences show more preference for certain colored accessories.
Using small influencers also gives you the budget room to test out influencers who are on different platforms. For example, a primarily YouTube influencer might be a better than a primarily Instagram influencer, but it would be hard to know that without experimenting with both.
The most important part of working with microinfluencers is doing so before they strike it big. Start building as many relationships as you can with the smaller-scale enthusiasts in your product space. You may find that those relationships offer amazing opportunities in the future.
-- |
Ivanka Trump took to her Twitter last week to applaud librarians and libraries during National Library Week. Twitter, however, was not having it.
In March, President Donald Trump released his proposed budget for 2018, which would gut four independent cultural agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services (ILMS), The Washington Post reported. Cutting federal funding for the ILMS would be devastating for ― you guessed it ― state and local libraries across the U.S.
Per The Hill:
ILMS Director Dr. Kathryn Matthew notes that $214 million of the $230 million budget goes directly to grants to state and local libraries, including $155 million distributed through a population-based formula grant.
So, when the first daughter tweeted about applauding librarians last week, she was not met with much praise.
This #NationalLibraryWeek, we honor our libraries and librarians for opening our eyes to the world of knowledge, learning and reading! — Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) April 14, 2017
The replies rolled in.
Your dad wants to cut all of our federal funding but thanks for the tweet. #SaveIMLS https://t.co/N6o9xIGuFg — Margaret Howard (@Miss_Librarian) April 14, 2017
@IvankaTrump Your father is about to completely defund the federal agency that helps to fund libraries. You might wanna look into that. — Jason Griffey (@griffey) April 14, 2017
@IvankaTrump Defunding libraries as proposed in your dad's budget hurts hardworking Americans pic.twitter.com/DHQ0i9IezF — EveryLibrary (@EveryLibrary) April 14, 2017
Best writerly burn I saw in response to Ivanka's library tweet: "She doesn't even use the Oxford comma." — Stephanie Lucianovic (@grubreport) April 14, 2017
"We agree - libraries do great work with federal funds for states @realdonaldtrump wants to wipe out." -ALA President Julie Todaro #saveIMLS https://t.co/HZHbpYpsx8 — Amer. Library Assn. (@ALALibrary) April 14, 2017
*listens into fake Jon Stewart earpiece*
Oh? What's that? Ivanka's dad proposed eliminating library funding and she's a fraud? https://t.co/3bnHPRIeFZ — Lily Herman (@lkherman) April 14, 2017
Oh, dear. Ivanka. IT IS AS THOUGH THE ADMINISTRATION DOES NOT LOVE LIBRARIES AT ALL. #nationallibraryweek pic.twitter.com/5CDedjfvE5 — JenAshleyWright (@JenAshleyWright) April 14, 2017
I wonder if Ivanka Trump even has a library card... — Rita Meade (@ScrewyDecimal) April 15, 2017
Your dad is trying to defund IMLS which provides essential funding and guidance to all public libraries. We don't need your honor. #saveimls https://t.co/hD39NqX9Bt — jessamyn west (@jessamyn) April 14, 2017
@IvankaTrump Thanks for honoring us, but we're in serious trouble if your dad has his way. Kind words won't pay the bills. #saveimls — Emily Clasper (@eclasper) April 14, 2017
Luckily, there are librarians across the country who are still trying to use their positions for good. Samantha Lee, who works at the Enfield Public Library in Connecticut, told The Huffington Post that libraries are more important now than ever in the current political climate. |
This article originally appeared on Fatherly.
Peter Iappelli, a father from New Jersey, is facing criminal charges after he allegedly put his son’s 16-year-old pee wee football coach in a chokehold. The incident occurred during a game last Saturday after Iappelli’s son was rotated out of the quarterback position, which apparently angered the dad.
According to Fred Kritzer, commissioner of the North Jersey NFL Flag Football league, Iappelli walked over to the coach and extended his hand, pretending that he was looking for nothing more than a friendly shake and a quick word about his son. Once Iappelli got close enough, however, he allegedly put the coach into a bear hug which gradually transitioned into a chokehold. Iappelli now faces charges of simple assault and disorderly conduct. Unsurprisingly, the entire family has been banned from the North Jersey NFL Flag Football League. |
I’m shining the spotlight on my friend and fellow entrepreneur, Nadjejda Chapoteau. I asked her if she could share her personal journey as an entrepreneur and her experiences in today’s article. She agreed and wrote the content below. Nadjejda’s one amazing woman and is a featured expert in the Love Yourself First Series: 5 Incredible Days to Love Your Mind, Love Your Body, and Love Your Life! Thank you, Nadjejda!
For many years I was living my life on auto-pilot, didn’t know who I really was, didn’t love myself much, and self-love was definitely not part of my vocabulary. During this time I did what I was taught and told to do, wanted to please my family, friends, and society and did what was expected of me. I didn’t really take the time to get to know what I wanted for myself and my life.
I always had strong views and thoughts, yet I didn’t share them much especially in my business the first few years of my entrepreneurial journey. It was painful and my lack of self-love definitely impacted every area of my life, I didn’t feel fulfilled.
After years of finding myself in the same positions in my career feeling unfulfilled, not earning the salary I was worth, not being promoted, relationships not working out, and my health being impacted; I knew something had to change. I then began the journey of deepening my spiritual practice and made the conscious choice to love myself more.
Through my self-love journey, I learned it was important for me to reconnect with myself, know what I stand for, what matters to me, and what brings me joy in life. I learned that just like loving others; I cannot love myself if I don’t know who I am. It’s not an easy journey especially when you live in a society that is constantly telling you to be yourself but then criticizes you for being who you are. I had to shut down the voices of the world and really hear my own.
Here are the steps I took to reconnect with myself in my self-love journey:
I reconnected with the girl inside me and recalled what she enjoyed most as a little girl. This allowed me to get know who I am and fell in love with myself. Knowing what lights me up and brings out my authentic, passionate and joyful self was huge and is important for me to do regularly.
I made meditation a daily practice in my life. Sitting still in meditation really allowed me to experience peace and hear my inner voice.
Sitting and feeling all my emotions both negative and positive was important and necessary.
I spent lots of time in my happy place which at the time was out in nature at a park and now the beach. Being in these places allows me to experience pure joy and bliss.
I reflected and wrote down in my journal on what matters to me and who I want to be. Deep down I knew who I really was, I just didn’t have the courage to allow her to show up and be seen.
I made alone time a priority. Although I never had a problem being alone, I did so consciously and really enjoy my own company.
I took time to ponder and find out what people used to and say about me regarding what they appreciate about me, my qualities and really started owning them.
Lessons Learned
I’ve learned that knowing who I really am and sharing my authentic self and what I stand for boldly for me is the greatest act of self-love. I love who I am and what I stand for, and yes there are days when I still doubt my self-worth and question certain things about myself and ask if I truly love myself. On those days when I experience the lows, I take time to sit quietly through meditation to feel my feelings and let them pass through or turn on music and dance which is my biggest passion in life. These activities help me get back to who I am. Learning to know what lights me up and making sure I do it on a regular basis is important to me and required in my self-love journey. It’s a journey and not a destination.
It’s important to know who you are and what you stand for to truly love and care for yourself. You must be comfortable with who you are and fall in love with your entire self which means embracing your light and darkness. You’ll get there by taking time to reconnect with yourself and going through your own journey.
If you’re looking to reconnect with yourself in order for you to get know and love the real you and share it boldly with the world, check out my free gift which will help you with this.
About Nadjejda: |
The phrase “as American as apple pie” has been synonymous with patriotism in the United States since around 1860, conjuring images of flaky baked goods resting on gingham tablecloths.
On the surface, it makes sense. Apple pie is a simple, straightforward dish, hearty and reliable ― qualities that Americans once associated with themselves. And apples are grown commercially in 32 states, so it’s easy to see why that fruit would become part of the iconography of our country rather than, say, the orange or the pineapple.
Yet ironically, apple pie isn’t American in its origins.
The United States has long been a place where people from other countries came to start a new life. American tables have been enriched with their contributions. (Indeed, if the inhabitants of North America had built a wall 400 years ago, we wouldn’t be serving apple pie ― or anything else ― at July 4th celebrations today.)
Even the ingredients in apple pie aren’t native to North America; every part of the dish originated from somewhere else, from the components to the way it’s made. Our modern apple pie is one more example of how immigrants helped create the vision of the United States that we honor today.
Here are a few nods to the cultures that we can thank for making our iconic dessert so “American.”
We can thank England for the crust.
The foundations of the quintessential apple pie, the kind featured in Norman Rockwell paintings and crude teenage comedies of the early 2000s, can be traced back to England.
YouTube chef Katie Pix, writing on Jamie Oliver’s website, described how ships in the 12th century carried their own livestock and cooks to provide food for sailors and merchants. But that wasn’t an efficient use of limited space aboard, so they found a solution: cooked meat encased in a crust. “The hardened pastry packages were not necessarily eaten ― think of them as disposable medieval Tupperware,” Pix writes.
Pies baked with a double crust have been prepared in England ever since. In time, they started putting fruit in the pies. Early English settlers brought this style of pie with them to America. Eventually, the crust was reimagined so that it could be eaten, too.
The French perfected the shape of the pie.
French immigrants came to America as early as the 16th century, seeking freedom from religious persecution and opportunities to expand trade. With them came their rich baking traditions.
Today, beginning bakers may start with the plain galette before diving into pie baking. It’s a rustic treat that looks like something a resourceful American pioneer would bake while traveling west (it doesn’t even require a pie tin), but it’s perfectly French.
Other variations on the baked apple have French origins as well. Layering fruit in a circular pattern and using a flaky crust can be traced back to the French galette de rois, a pastry served to celebrate the Catholic Epiphany ― which was especially important to French Canadian immigrants.
And pies that contain a heaping pile of fruit with a sugary glaze and no top crust are closely linked to the tarte Tatin, a dessert invented in the late 1800s that made its way to America when a second wave of French immigrants arrived between 1870 and 1890.
The Dutch chipped in with latticework and pie spices.
The Instagrammable pie art created by bakers like Seattle’s Lauren Ko today is truly something to behold. But that fancy latticework owes something to the influence of Dutch bakers.
Latticework pastry began appearing in Dutch still life paintings dating to the late 1500s. According to Penny Stankiewicz, chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, Dutch apple pie recipes can also be traced back as early as the 1500s.
“This pie appears to have its origins in the Netherlands,” Stankiewicz said, “and later became known for the lattice crust.” In time, she noted the streusel topping that Americans now associate with Dutch apple pie became popular.
But before then, the Dutch would remove the top crust of the pie to grind the filling and add spices. Stankiewicz said that the open-faced pie “logically appears to be the precursor to the development of a crust that you can see the filling through, such as a lattice. When the lattice appears in the recipes, they can also call for pouring the cream through the lattice work, instead of working it into the filling at the grinding stage.”
Dutch immigrants have been present in America since 1609, leading trade and commerce through the Dutch East India company. Their global trade routes were responsible for the importation of key apple pie ingredients, such as cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Apples, sugar and wheat didn’t originate in the U.S.
America’s earliest immigrants brought apples and apple seeds with them from Europe. The plant thrived and spread across the country with the settlers.
But according to research conducted by horticulturist Mark Reiger, apples were first cultivated in the Middle East and Central Asia, their “roots” being traced to parts of Turkey and Kazakhstan. The only variety of apple native to America is the crabapple, which was deemed inconsumable by most settlers, except in the liquid form (aka cider).
While it seems strange to think of a pie without its sweetness, the story of how sugar came to the United States is anything but. Sugar was one leg of the 18th-century triangular trade that brought enslaved people from Africa to America.
According to James Walvin, who wrote Sugar: The World Corrupted From Slavery To Obesity, truly U.S. sugar “had to await the settlement and acquisition of Louisiana in the early years of the nineteenth century.” At first, it was something only the wealthiest Americans could afford.
The origin of flour can be traced back to the Middle East thousands of years ago. American wheat as we know it wouldn’t exist had it not been for Russian immigrants who brought Turkey Red seeds with them in the 1800s.
More like “as American as pumpkin pie.”
Beyond the origin issues, apples aren’t even in season by the time Independence Day rolls around. The fruit is mostly at its prime from mid-September through October. Last month in The New York Times, food and wine writer Florence Fabricant even said, “I would not consider serving apple pie for the Fourth of July, despite its national symbolism: The calendar is not ready for apples.”
In a survey conducted by Delta Dental, only 14 percent of Americans actually chose apple pie as their favorite. Thirty-six percent picked pumpkin instead ― so maybe we should be saying “as American as pumpkin pie.” Pumpkins are more native to North America ― although the pumpkin’s origins go back to Mexico). |
I recently came across an Indian business executive by the name of Kartikeya Sharma. Mr. Sharma is best known for being the founder of the ITV Media Network, an Indian news network. He is also the founder of Prosperity, a sporting organization that recently teamed up with the Wrestling Federation of India to launch the Pro Wrestling League. Let us take a deeper look into the life of Kartikeya Sharma in the hope that his achievements may inspire us to grow and become as successful as he is.
Kartikeya Sharma Founder of iTV Group
ITV Media Network
The ITV Network (Information TV) is a news company based in India. This news network is made up of television news, as well as newspaper and online publications. Kartikeya Sharma launched the ITV Network back in 2007. Its primary television channel was India News, a 24-hour Hindi news channel. What started off as a National news channel that would, later on, develop into five more Regional news channels?
In 2012, Sharma acquired NewsX, a 24-hour English-language news channel. This is currently India's only English free to air news channel. Besides being the recipient of many international awards, NewsX also serves as an online publication. A very impressive online publication too, with plenty of content that's focused mostly on Indian news. Another online portal within the ITV umbrella is Inkhabar, a Hindi online news publication.
Kartikeya Sharma was also instrumental in acquiring more media businesses to include within his ITV network of news channels. Two of which being newspaper publications in the form of The Sunday Guardian and Aaj Samaj. The Sunday Guardian, launched in 2010, serves as an independent Sunday newspaper and is published in English. Aaj Samaj is a daily newspaper that is distributed all over India. This Hindi newspaper was launched back in 2007.
So in total, the ITV Media Network is made up of 3 National news channels, 5 Regional news channels, 2 Newspapers, and 2 Online portals. The company also employs around 2025 people in many offices and bureaus across India. All of this is due to Kartikeya Sharma’s dynamism which is clearly evident by his ability to progressively expand his businesses.
As of 2015, Sharma has successfully launched 5 regional TV channels through his India News network. These channels currently broadcast across Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab. Sharma’s iTV Network also acquired a major stake in a broadcasting management firm; Trilogic Digital Media LTD. TDML manages the complete operations of Hindi entertainment channel, Sahara One.
Pro Wrestling League
In 2015, Kartikeya Sharma introduced Pro Sportify, a local sporting initiative. The aim of this program is to strengthen the level at which sports and athletics are being played in India. We all know that there are vast amounts of new talent being produced in this largely populated continent. But most of that talent is squandered away due to poor playing conditions and little support from communities. Pro Sportify hopes to fix this by encouraging athletes to continue with their dreams in the hope of reaching international levels.
More on the business side of things, Sharma's Pro Sportify, together with the Wrestling Federation of India, introduced the Pro Wrestling League. The Pro Wrestling League (PWL) is similar in stature to another famous sporting event, the IPL (Indian Premier League, an international cricket league). The PWL consists of 6 franchise teams with 9 players each, 5 men and 4 women. The players are made up of international players as well as local Indian players. One of the league’s most notable players is three-time world champion Adeline Gray from the USA.
The IPL is an ultra successful league that is known for being among the highest paid leagues in the world. Some of the biggest international cricket stars compete in this league which also has exhibition matches and tournaments in other countries besides India. The PWL has its sights set on similar accomplishments to that of the IPL. Even with the fact that wrestling isn't as popular as cricket in India, the PWL did manage to produce two superb seasons of wrestling. Season 2 recently concluded with the NCR Punjab Royals being crowned champions of the league. The prize money for this event is estimated at 300000 dollars.
More on Sharma |
She had difficulty accepting her diagnosis and compliance with her daunting medication regimen. After 11 years of fighting, Sonya loss her battle from complications related to AIDS in 2003...
In an effort to continue her sister’s fight, Nefrintina “Nicky” Hawkins founded Sonya’s House, a nonprofit, public charity organization in 2015.
“No one should endure this battle alone and we are here to help.”
www.sonyashouseinc.org
Resulting from challenges experienced while caring for Sonya, Nicky observed first hand the need for additional services and support for those infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS in the Dallas, TX community. Opening for the first time in July of 2017, Sonya’s House specializes in the care and development of people affected by the HIV virus and AIDS. Tenants agree to participate in a 6 month transitional program, providing them with the tools and resources necessary to manage their diagnosis while preparing them to live productive lives.
www.sonyashouseinc.org
“We recognize the emotional, spiritual, physical, occupational, financial, and social battles that individuals living with and affected by HIV/AIDS often endure. “
Sonya’s House residents enjoy all the comforts of home, including hot meals prepared daily by Nicky’s mother, and certified food preparation personnel, Mary Thompson. By providing a safe haven for those affected, while promoting healthy lifestyles and compliance to medications, Sonya’s House ultimately strives to reduce the rates of co-infection, serve as a referral system for dual diagnosis, and improve the overall quality of life for those living with HIV/AIDS.
www.sonyashouseinc.org
With the help of the community, and Dr. Marcus King of Disciple Community Church, Desoto, TX. The vision of Sonya’s House is quickly becoming a welcomed reality.
www.sonyashouseinc.org
To learn more about Sonya’s House, visit Sonya’s House at:
www.sonyashouseinc.org and on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @ SonyasHouse |
For years we’ve heard that drinking wine and other alcoholic beverages in moderation may be good for our heart. The majority of alcohol's cardiovascular benefits have been attributed to its association with higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, which helps protect artery health. But how does alcohol affect your HDL over the long term, and does it matter what kind of alcoholic beverage it is? A large, long-term observational study published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) aimed to find out.
"This study allowed us to assess changes in HDL cholesterol levels over time (on average, a six-year period), rather than just comparing HDL in low, moderate and high alcohol consumers at one time point or looking at the effects of short-term changes in alcohol intake," says Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, a coauthor of the study and director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA), "It also allowed us to parse out the effects of different types of alcohol-containing beverages."
Over the Long Term:
To look at the association between alcohol intake and HDL cholesterol levels over time, the scientists analyzed data from 71,379 Chinese adults (average age, 50) participating in the ongoing Kailuan study. The people filled out a survey about their alcohol intake at the study start. Their HDL and other lipid levels were checked every two years.
"Most studies show people have a gradual decline in HDL as they get older," says Xiang Gao, MD, PhD, the senior author of the AJCN study and an associate professor and director of the Nutritional Epidemiology Lab at Penn State University in University Park. "People in our study who reported moderate alcohol intake had a slower decline in HDL compared with people who said they never drank or were heavy drinkers. Based on what we know from other research, the difference in HDL decline (3.94 mg/dL less over the six-year period) between moderate and never drinkers that we observed would be associated with a 13% decreased risk of cardiovascular disease in moderate drinkers."
The findings held true after adjusting for age, sex, physical activity, obesity and other factors that could influence HDL levels. It's possible moderate drinkers also had healthier diets and lifestyles, but this wasn’t directly assessed. Only people initially free of cancer and cardiovascular disease (and not taking cholesterol drugs) were enrolled in the study.
The Goldilocks Principle:
A moderate intake of alcohol, rather than too little or too much, may provide the most cardiovascular benefit. Gao explains that the decline in HDL in moderate drinkers (defined as 0.5–1 serving for women and 1–2 servings for men, daily) averaged 0.22 mg/dL per year, compared with 0.89, 0.38 and 0.34 mg/dL annually in people who had never drank, only drank in the past or were light drinkers, respectively.
Moderate alcohol intake, regardless of type, also was associated with the slowest increase in the triglyceride to HDL ratio and the total cholesterol to HDL ratio (lower is better). "A higher triglyceride to HDL ratio can predict insulin resistance," says Shouling Wu, MD, PhD, a cardiologist and the principal investigator of the Kailuan study. "And, a higher total cholesterol to HDL ratio is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease."
Reporting drinking more than a moderate level of alcohol erased much of the benefit. Heavy drinkers showed an average 0.55 mg/dL decline in HDL per year. High intake of hard liquor was associated with the biggest decline in HDL.
What Is It About Alcohol:
The scientists consistently observed protective effects on HDL from moderate intake of all types of alcoholic beverages. "That suggests it's probably due to a common component, which could be the alcohol," Gao says. "Other components, such as flavonoids, could also have a role. However, hard liquor has only a very small amount of flavonoids and other phytochemicals. Overall, most studies suggest the beneficial effects of alcoholic beverages on HDL cholesterol are due to the alcohol itself."
Beer, rather than wine, was associated with the strongest effect on preserving HDL levels. However, only a small portion of the group reported drinking wine, so the results should be interpreted with caution.
Notably, it's uncertain how the findings would compare in US adults, and the observational data aren’t capable of proving cause and effect. A clinical trial to look at this isn't feasible. But in recent years scientists have been looking at heart health in people with genetic variants that make it unpleasant to drink (with side effects like nausea and facial flushing), thus leading them to avoid alcohol or drink very little. Studies have shown that these people have lower heart disease risk than people without such genetics. So, this challenges the idea that moderate alcohol intake may be protective for heart health.
Drawbacks of Drinking:
No research suggests you should start drinking to decrease your risk of heart disease. The risks of addiction and overconsumption are significant, with additional risks for women who may become (or who are) pregnant. Over the long run, drinking more than two drinks a day could result in increased inflammation, high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels and liver disease. Alcohol intake (even in moderate amounts) also may increase risk of breast, colorectal and some other cancers and may contribute to falls and injuries. Alcohol can interact with some drugs, too.
"In addition to alcohol, there are other ways to preserve HDL cholesterol levels as we age," Tufts' Lichtenstein says. "These include achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight, engaging in regular physical activity, replacing refined carbohydrate with unsaturated fat and avoiding use of tobacco products. These lifestyle behaviors not only are good for heart disease, but other chronic diseases as well."
And of course, if you already drink, keep it in moderation.
This article has been adapted from the August 2017 edition of the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter, a publication of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University: Editor-in-Chief, Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, DrPH, and Executive Editor, Alice H Lichtenstein, DSc. It is written with your needs in mind but is not a substitute for consulting with your physician or other health care providers. The publisher and authors are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of the suggestions, products or procedures that appear in this magazine. All matters regarding your health should be supervised by a licensed health care physician. |
Truly horrific things have happened in the town of South Park for more than 20 years, and all the country has done is watch. But despite all the horror, “South Park” continuing to broadcast these hilariously nightmarish acts for so long is still kind of magical in itself.
The show debuted on Aug. 13, 1997, with a pilot titled “Cartman Gets an Anal Probe.” It was the first weekly series to earn the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) distinction of “TV-MA” ― a parental warning that the show should only be viewed by mature audiences.
Twenty years in, and the show is still as crass as ever. In recent years, however, creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have also explored more emotionally mature themes. The main characters ― Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman ― might still be kids, but the philosophical ideas they tackle have been literally worthy of college study.
Last year, as parents struggled to find the right way to talk to their children about the rise of Donald Trump amid the president’s many offensive statements and actions, “South Park” felt like just the right show to parody Trump’s rise and offer proper contextualization for weekly White House antics. Maybe the kids still couldn’t watch it (without being sneaky), but for adults, it was “cathartic,” as Slate wrote.
The show returns for Season 21 on Sept. 13 and you’ll soon be able to see how Stone and Parker tackle Trump’s ongoing presidency. But before then, take a few minutes to indulge nostalgia and watch the above video, which Comedy Central created to recap the “massively NSFW” moments over the last two decades.
The network originally released this video around the debut of Season 20 last year, but as this weekend was the true 20th anniversary of the show, this still seems like an apt time to share.
Just be warned that this video is a compilation of cartoons committing some truly awful crimes against humanity against each other. But it’s also, of course, very funny.
HP |
The first-seeded Boston Celtics dropped Game 1 of their opening round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls, and you don’t need to be a trained lip-reader to decipher how this young fan feels about it. |
NOW PLAYING
Do ‘Young Blood’ Treatments Work?
If it sounds sketchy as hell, that’s because it is. But one silicon valley company reckons it’s found the secret to staying young: injecting the blood of children and young adults. But does it work? |
So Des Moines, Iowa is dope af. Frfr. (Roughly translated, that means “Des Moines is dope as f*ck. For real, for real.”)
Who knew though? I certainly didn’t. After all, I only came here in 2012 for a girl (who dumped me a month later.) All I knew of Des Moines before that was that it had a funny name, was in the state that made all of the corn and for some reason, I knew that T-Boz from TLC was born here. What I’d come to learn, however, is that Des Moines is pretty lit, tbh.
I started performing stand-up comedy in Des Moines at the House of Bricks in 2014. I now get to travel across the country telling jokes to strangers for money. It’s pretty cool, but I especially love when people introduce me. They say “all the way here, from Des Moines…” and there is a palpable “what the f*ck?” that comes over the room. I can see and feel the audience start to mentally prepare for jokes about corn, tractors, farming, Ashton Kutcher and white people stuff.
I can see and feel the audience start to mentally prepare for jokes about corn, tractors, farming, Ashton Kutcher and white people stuff.
The easiest one of those to dispel is always the last, as I am, in fact, a big a** black dude. I also mostly tell jokes about squirrels and the weather. But Des Moines makes for interesting conversation after shows, because it seems no matter where I go, after the obligatory handshakes and “oh my God, you are the greatest comedian I have ever watched” conversations, there is generally one or two people who stick around to talk to me about it. Sometimes they are from Des Moines themselves and want to chat about Zombie Burger, and sometimes they are from some other part of Iowa and they want to talk to me about the Des Moines Farmers Market; other times they have no connection at all, and they are just genuinely curious about the city and how and why I managed to stick around all this time. Its pretty simple: Des Moines is cool.
HuffPost is hitting the road this fall to interview people about their hopes, dreams, fears ― and what it means to be American today.
And the thing about being cool: It always happens when you aren’t trying to be cool. That is Des Moines in a nutshell. People in Des Moines aren’t trying. They’re doing. They’re being. They’re doing cool sh*t, being cool people. In maybe the most pure measure of cool I can think of, the ability to adapt and grow, Des Moines continues to be ahead of the game. Whatever you think you’d miss here, you won’t. Des Moines has it, and if we don’t, we are either working on it or understand how unnecessary “it” is. All this, with a three percent unemployment rate, one of the most affordable housing markets in the country and a median household income of over $45,000 a year, and it sort of starts to feel like I’m bragging.
When I got here in 2012, the Romney/Obama election was going strong, and unbeknownst to me, the apartment I moved into was on the same block as Barack Obama’s Des Moines campaign headquarters. President Obama has a strong love for Iowa, as his 2008 election was fueled heavily by him winning the Iowa caucuses. He visited Des Moines during his campaign at least three times, and to this day, it’s still the most magical night of my life. People were lined up for blocks, in the streets, filled with hope and excitement.
President Obama visited Des Moines during his campaign at least three times, and to this day, it's still the most magical night of my life.
Michelle Obama gave a speech that night; I think Bruce Springsteen was there? (I always get Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi mixed up, but it was one of them!) It was all quite impressive, so impressive in fact, that I let Barack Obama shake my hand as he walked through the crowd of people there to see him. I bet he still thinks about it every day, honestly. Truth be told, I think about that night a lot. Looking back, that was the moment I felt like Des Moines was home. All of the consideration I was giving to leaving slowly melted away, right along with any notion that I needed to be somewhere bigger, brighter and busier to be happy.
The other question I get a lot from people curious about Des Moines is “what is there to do in Des Moines?” There are so many things to do here! I feel like sometimes I take it all for granted. Just in the five years I have lived here, I can recall many evenings spent with friends having a great dinner at one of the many amazing restaurants here (Splash, Flying Mango, Latin King, etc.) then capping the night off watching some local performer in a cool bar (Decoy at B.B.C, Rainbow Penley at Star Bar, Bonnie Finken at Wooly’s). I also saw Dave Chappelle here. The list of cool stuff on a larger scale keeps going, too. Drake (yes, the rapper) came through and stopped by Drake (yes, the university). Alton Brown and Guy Fieri have both come through to film segments for their nationally-televised cooking shows featuring amazing local eateries, and for some strange reason Mark Wahlberg was hanging around town for a few days when the new Hy-Vee was opening downtown. The turn up is real in these Des Moines streets!
I remember watching a TV show once where the main character was describing some experience as a “New York moment” ― in essence saying that it was a moment the city provided that could only have happened there. I remember it, because I have so many of those here in Des Moines. As I continue building friendships and meeting new people around town, it becomes more and more obvious that I am not alone. It would have been absurd 10 years ago to base a piece of art like a movie, TV show or play on life here. The assumption would have been that no one would get it, the appeal would wear off after five minutes and that would be that. You know what happens when you assume, though. It shocks me that no one has created a documentary about one of the many semi-pro sports teams around town, and some of the awesome personalities they have brought through. Behold former Iowa Cub Taylor Davis staring creepily at camera for proof:
Sometimes you worry that if everyone is exposed to something that only you and a handful of other people are privy to, and it becomes popular, it will lose the thing that made it cool to you in the first place. While Des Moines could fall into that sort of takeover, similar to Denver, Portland and Austin, I like to think that there are enough of these “moments” happening here to sustain an uptick in popularity.
It seems inevitable that at every stop I make along the winding road of shows I do throughout a year, I must stay on alert for someone asking: “When you gonna move?” It has become so frequent that I honestly don’t know the last time I went somewhere and it wasn’t brought up. It makes me feel special for sure. It makes me feel wanted, and let me tell you, I can really appreciate that feeling of being wanted for something besides my exceptional body, and this cool, viral picture of me holding a box of cereal. |
When we’re looking to jazz up our homes, outfits, or even diets, Pinterest has become our go-to for all things awe-inspiring while completely attainable.
Because it is one of the first places people go to for lifestyle inspiration, Pinterest recently released their list of the year’s most-searched home trends, and they’ll have you wanting to redefine what your living space means to you.
A post shared by Pinterest (@pinterest) on Feb 18, 2018 at 1:08pm PST
This year, Lagom, a Swedish lifestyle trend that emphasizes the “less is more” mentality is finding its way onto Pinner’s boards through simple but more curated styles that reflect their taste and experiences. And if this minimalist trend isn’t for you, rest assured that other bold trends like geometric tables, fringe furniture, and gold-accented pieces are on the up and up to appear to your more experimental tastes.
Looking to refresh your home sometime soon? Get some inspiration from Pinterest with their 2018 home trends: |
What does blockchain have anything to do with Roseanne Barr? Well, this is the world we live in now.
Caputo has said he believes that blockchain is “the future of content.” He told The Daily Beast that Barr’s show is that prime content ― particularly because it can be used for luring “conservative-minded backers eager to tip the balance of political power in Hollywood,” according to the outlet.
ABC announced Tuesday that it had canceled its reboot of “Roseanne” mere hours after Barr made racist comments on Twitter about former Obama White House adviser Valerie Jarrett. |
History will be made at Stonewall once again.
The inn, which is located in New York’s Greenwich Village, was the site of the June 28, 1969 riots which are considered the symbolic start of the modern day gay rights movement. In 2016, former President Barack Obama designated the inn, an adjacent park and its environs as the country’s first national monument to LGBTQ rights. With this designation, the 7.7-acre area became a federally protected area to ensure its preservation for future generations.
So it’s only fitting that the Stonewall National Monument will soon become the home of the first rainbow flag to be permanently placed on federal land and maintained by the National Park Service. The flag will replace the New York state flag on a nautical flagpole outside Stonewall and be raised in a dedication ceremony Oct. 11, which is also designated as National Coming Out Day.
Drew Angerer via Getty Images In 2016, former President Barack Obama designed the Stonewall Inn and its environs as the country’s first national monument to LGBTQ rights.
Activist Michael Petrelis, who spearheaded the effort, said in a Thursday statement that the news was bittersweet given that many in the LGBTQ community are concerned for their future under President Donald Trump, who ran on an explicitly anti-queer platform.
“It is a victory for our community to have these symbolic colors flying majestically over our Stonewall, designated as a National Monument by President Obama, even as our LGBTQ brothers and sisters are under attack by the current regime in power,” he said.
Oct. 11 also marks the 30th anniversary of the March on Washington for LGBT Rights, as well as the first time the AIDS Memorial Quilt was displayed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in commemoration of those who had died of HIV/AIDS-related causes.
The significance of the date wasn’t lost on Petrelis, who likened Trump’s stance on LGBTQ issues to that of former President Ronald Reagan, who didn’t publicly acknowledge the AIDS crisis until 1987. By that point, more than 20,000 Americans had died from HIV/AIDS related causes.
Drew Angerer via Getty Images “It is a victory for our community to have these symbolic colors flying majestically over our Stonewall... even as our LGBTQ brothers and sisters are under attack by the current regime in power,” activist Michael Petrelis said.
“As we gather today, we are reminded of another Oct. 11, 30 years ago,” he added, “when the names of fallen comrades were symbolically celebrated on another national monument ― the AIDS Quilt ― during the reign of another president who waged an attack against us.”
Another LGBTQ rights activist, Ken Kidd, told Newsweek that he was surprised plans for the flag display got approved under the Trump administration.
“Our rainbow colors flying in tandem with the stars and stripes is a source of inspiration, a recognition of equality, a recognition of a struggle for equality,” he said, “that is not over by any stretch of imagination.” |
Yesterday, I shared a look-ahead at Season 10 of Bravo’s Flipping Out http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/flipping-out-returns-to-bravo-august-17th-a-brief_us_598eed21e4b063e2ae057fc6, a show my friend Nell Kalter jokingly refers to as “real estate porn.” For those not in the know, Flipping Out centers around OCD interior designer and house flipper Jeff Lewis, his intense work and demanding management style combined with the unique humor he brings to human interactions. Viewers love to see how those around him respond to his quirks and eccentricities, his moods, whims and obsessive tendencies and the way he handles clients. There are hilarious dynamics between the friends and colleagues that surround him, including his ebullient Executive Assistant Jenni Pulos, an actor and rapper with the Watch What Happens Live (WWHL) theme song to her credit.
I caught up with Pulos for The Huffington Post to get her take on why Season 10 could be the best one yet:
At the beginning of this upcoming season, we see that Jeff and Gage (his partner) are very stressed out, about to become dads as Baby Monroe is due (via surrogate) in mere weeks. What was going through your mind at that hectic time during filming?
You see in the first episode that they are frantically trying to get the house done to a point where it would be good for Monroe. Life changes as a parent and you’re not number one anymore, so they’re realizing that to work out of the home where there will be a baby, certain things have to be in place. There is a lot of tension, but I understand it - even the second time around (as a mom of two). Those weeks leading up to delivery, you just want everything to go well. If you have the tendency to worry, which I do as well, you handle things in a certain way. Jeff handles things by going ahead with construction and knocking the house down! Gage deals with emotions more internally. You will see when the baby comes how their whole lives change and it’s so wonderful that it’s caught on this show. In this case, it’s so beautiful that they opened up that part of their lives and it was captured for the show. You literally see a shift in their world.
You’ll also see that a lot of things happen that were not expected. As you’re watching, you’re thinking ‘can one more thing possibly happen?’ Then something else occurs...and that’s life. The viewers will be on pins and needles saying I can’t believe this.’ Our show is very authentic so you’re going to get the most heightened moments for sure.
We also get to see that Jeff is very tough on Vanina (Alfaro), a former intern who rose to the role of Design Associate. For those who are not as familiar with you from past seasons, do you intervene when Jeff is hard on employees?
I always try to intervene. When you’re working for someone, sometimes you have to give them a straight call and your employer respects you more for that. I realize that too now as a parent: You can’t always be your child’s best friend. When you see Vanina getting upset, it was during a hard time. Vanina has been with Jeff a long time so you know she knows his personality and understands the dynamics. She knows you can’t take things too personally. I think Jeff has really been self-reflective since becoming a parent. There’s been a changing of the guards this season in many ways. Vanina makes life decisions and Jeff makes life decisions.
Some viewers wanted to know how you decided to go public with your fertility struggles.
My husband is a physician and he was against it in the beginning, as was I, but it was a big part of our lives and the show documents our lives. When I realized how many people had gone though IVF and so many things to get their baby, I thought ‘why shouldn’t I share this so others realize they’re not alone?’ I also thought I should share this great person - Dr. Potter - so others know they can come to the office and ask questions. We actually had a potential client who opened up to me and said that after seeing the show, they did IUI and now they’re expecting twins. Maybe I was supposed to be a conduit for people. I mean...did I want to show that I was transferring my husband’s sperm in a paper bag? Probably not. But my life became more of an open book once my first marriage didn’t work out. If this fertility struggle can help someone, then let’s go for it. It’s very common and I think people don’t want to talk about it, but some people want to know that this isn’t going to be the end for them. It can be very emotional and there may be complications, but the outcome can also be incredible.
Those keeping up with the blogs and listening to Radio Andy know that Zoila Chavez (Jeff’s beloved, adored and funny housekeeper) has retired. However, in the first episode we aren’t given an indication about this. I don’t know when this will be revealed, or if it will be revealed during this season. Do we get to see any major changes in Zoila’s role? Also, what is her relationship like with Baby Monroe?
Zoila is very much there for Monroe and you’ll see that. There is a lot that evolves this season. Jeff’s mom died when he was young and there’s a real love there with Zoila. You’ll see things will change and she’s still very much a part of his life, but it’s emotional. There is a theme of rebirth and things changing. This is the richest season we’ve ever had because of real life changes. So many things are shown that people can relate to in all aspects. We see thing like how work dynamics change as we become parents and this is a season that really is all encompassing. You’ll also see some moments that are difficult. If you left the show for a year or even more, you can come back. This is the year.
Some viewers asked about your rap career and if there are any new developments there?
I am a rapper and I always will be. Follow your dreams and the more haters, the more you’re doing something right! I’m currently trying to develop a children’s animal series with rapping and I’m working on some ventures that are more in the adult realm. Andy has been lovely because he kept my rap as the WWHL theme song. It’s really wonderful and such an honor to see Cher as a guest and then hear my song. My daughter heard it and asked ‘is that you, Mommy?’ So I actually taught her the first line and she can do the rap!
To find out more about the “changing of the guards” this season and how Jenni helps anchor Jeff as new dad, tune in to Flipping Out. Season 10 premieres on Bravo August 17th, 9/8c. |
In light of the bigotry and violence displayed in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, Taraji P. Henson wants people to know that hate will not win.
During a promotional event for Special K on Monday, the actress told HuffPost what it takes to combat white supremacy and violence.
“The only way you resist hate is through love,” she said. “It appears to be like hate is winning but it will not. Nothing good can come from hate. Nothing. No life can survive with hate. You gotta have love ... that’s the only way that we can fix this. And we have to come together.”
The “Empire” actress condemned the “Unite the Right” rally and stressed her message of love in a series of Instagram posts over the past couple of days.
A post shared by taraji p henson (@tarajiphenson) on Aug 14, 2017 at 6:30am PDT
A post shared by taraji p henson (@tarajiphenson) on Aug 13, 2017 at 5:44am PDT
Henson also mentioned the deaths of counter-protester Heather Heyer and the two cops who were in a helicopter crash near Charlottesville on Saturday. She said we must continue the fight for justice and equality. |
I owe my life to two young girls, a woman who also lost her house, and a young gentleman with two kayaks. My husband and I had been renting our now underwater home Aguadilla, Puerto Rico for three years. If anyone had told me I could have died there, I wouldn’t have believed them. But then again, no one did. Not my landlord, not our town’s emergency personnel, not our mayor.
It all started with the usual optimism. I made the last supper ― arroz, habichuelas, chuletas and tostones ― took a shower and waited. The wind started picking up at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning and it pounded the back side of our house. While it’s true that it felt like the metal windows would explode, the wind was kind to us. At 1:44 p.m., we were inside the peaceful and quiet eye.
All radio stations but one were dead. The emergency alert system had gone down and there was no cell phone reception. I knew that Maria’s next seven-hour round was incoming, so I did a sun salutation to brace for it and showered. My husband took a short nap. As I glanced outside, I noticed that water had started to pond, but there are six steps to my house and there is so much land in front of us ― I never suspected the water level would reach seven feet inside our house.
Zaira Arvelo Pre-storm last supper.
The wind picked up again at about 3:47 p.m. and little did I know that we still had the worst 18 hours of Maria to go. We prepared the front windows because we knew she would now come around backwards ― as a child I had lived through Hurricane Hugo, and later Georges and Hortense. We set out plastic for the windows, towels for the door, a mop, and a bucket. Thinking back, there was no way we could have prepared for what would come next.
The water started rushing in through the front door at 6 p.m., and so we dashed to lift any remaining things from ground level. Then, we noticed a pair of large flying roaches on the walls. That’s when shit literally hit the fan. The house’s septic tank had filled and started coming out through the bathroom’s plumbing. Water started gushing through the backdoor, pushing the screen doors open.
Maria was upon us with all her strength, it was dark out and we couldn’t just run out into 155 mph winds. We tried yelling and using an emergency whistle to check if our right side or rear neighbors were there, but none could have heard our weak voices amidst the roar. We made signals with our flashlight, still no response. We tried 911, no dial tone. In a matter of minutes, the floor tiles were popping from below, as I secured final escape supplies. I already had a backpack ready.
Our original safe room was no longer safe, so I pushed our air mattress to the living room where we had two exits: the front porch and the kitchen. The next time I dared open the window to alert our neighbors, I learned how bad the situation was. There was lightning out, and upon its glare I perceived what seemed to be a flattened lake where there once was a road, trees, houses, an entire neighborhood.
The wind without shelter would have killed us, the amount and strength of water could have pulled us apart and tossed us in any direction. We were trapped with water up to our thighs. So at 7 p.m., we got on our air mattress, our home for the next 16 hours. There, listening to the unforgiving rain and water pushing now through the windows, I realized we could die.
Zaira Arvelo Our floating couch cushions.
The mattress kept rising and by 11 p.m. we were less than 2.5 feet from our white concrete ceiling. We would lie on our backs from now on. As midnight approached, I celebrated that tomorrow was here. I started counting down the hours until sunrise. I figured if we could see, we could swim out and go to the roof. The personnel from the neighboring military base and airport would certainly rescue us. That was not true.
The hours between 4 and 6 a.m. were eternal. I rehearsed childhood games in my head to stay alert. I analyzed all possible escape scenarios if water kept coming in, if a window or door gave in. The sunrise came just like it always does but we couldn’t see outside. We were afraid to alter anything and have what little breathing room we had left be compromised.
Zaira Arvelo The water level in our living room, Thursday morning.
I heard an alarm from heavy machinery and human voices at a distance, it was like a soothing lullaby. Still, at 8 a.m. we remained floating, exhausted. I decided to break a decorative glass panel, about 5’5 inches, that rested over our living room door. By pressing down on the mattress and tilting my head sideways, I could see people very far away. We started using our emergency whistle. Someone pointed at our house. Then, what a sight: the yellow gowns of firefighters. More whistling. Two hours pass.
I start dozing off. “Is there someone out there?” my husband asks. I peer outside and see two young men in kayaks. ”¿Están bien?” ”¿Tienen niños?” ”¿Cuántos son?” We tell them it’s two healthy adults. We figured the front door wouldn’t budge but it had no knob outside so we had to try and open it from our end. My husband jumped off and was deep under water. He came up, held onto the mattress, grabbed a mouthful of air and started kicking the door. When it budged, the man outside jumped off his kayak and started pulling it.
We were out of the house with our backpacks being dragged behind a kayak across a lake of debris: power cables, lizards holding on for life, barbed wire, floating avocados. We made it to an area I had never been, disoriented, still raining, seeing strangers cry and hug us. “Yo te dije que había gente allí (I told you there were people there).”
Zaira Arvelo The scene outside -- our house is the blue and orange structure in the rear.
What happened since is another story. But our gut feeling was correct. No one came to our rescue, not the town officials, not Defensa Civil, not the bomberos, not the Coast Guard, not the police.
We are here because two poor girls heard our whistle and, although the police in the nearby public housing project and the firefighters disregarded their cry, some stranger listened.
No one knows who the kayak guy is, but thanks to him, the girls, and who I later learned was a far away neighbor who exchanged flashlight flickers with me in the early hours of the morning, we’re alive.
I am appalled at the disregard for human life, the lack of organization, the absence of information. As I said, I am a healthy adult, I can think on my feet, I know how to to swim, and had my husband with me. Someone less fortunate (young, sick or old) would have died, and many have. As of Friday, two days after the disaster, no one had shown their face in this poor area of town to help the people that saved me. Helicopters did fly over, but they must have been in route to help more valuable citizens or simply filming to boost their media engagement.
Zaira Arvelo
Two weeks later, there are still people unaccounted for. The power and water situation is deplorably standing at 10 percent and 55 percent respectively. (For official updates on these essential services, go here.) Gas and food are limited, and ATMs have allegedly started to become available, although I haven’t seen a single one in the west side of the island. There were no accessible flights, last time I checked, and many remain unable to reach their family. Oh, and I’m one of the privileged ones that made it to a relative’s house with a generator, Internet, and a cell phone. |
BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99 EXCLUSIVE
Brawl In Cell Block 99 artwork Brawl In Cell Block 99
Lakeshore Records shares an album preview video to the upcoming soundtrack to Brawl In Cell Block 99. The album features seven new tracks performed by soul icons The O’Jays and Butch Tavares as well as newcomer Adi Armour. The songs were written by director S. Craig Zahler along with co-composer Jeff Herriott and are a throwback to lushly-orchestrated classic soul, a companion to the intense themes of the film. Brawl In Cell Block 99 is the story of lead character Bradley Thomas, a former boxer played by Vince Vaughn who finds himself incarcerated after a drug deal goes wrong.
Lakeshore Records will release Brawl In Cell Block 99—Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally on October 13th.
******************************
Bill Bruford's box set contents Bill Bruford / Bruford 1977-1980: Seems Like a Lifetime Ago
A Conversation with Bill Bruford
Mike Ragogna: Bill, your new box set Bruford 1977-1980: Seems Like a Lifetime Ago focuses on just those few years. As the artist, what stands out to you as most important about Bill Bruford and that body of work?
Bill Bruford: The importance it has to me—the beginnings of my efforts as a writer, as a band-leader, as someone ‘getting to know myself’ on my instrument—is incalculable. That, however, may be of little or no importance to the many who attended the band’s frantic live shows from 1977 to 1980 for a beer and an evening out. The way music is received and the meaning it carries for those who consume it, performer as much as listener, are many and varied, so I’m probably in a group of one when asked about its “importance.”
I was very lucky to have gotten the services of the other guys at the time that I did. They were all masters on top of their game and unstinting in the effort they gave to the whole idea of a noisy rock group with jazz harmony. I’d been working with Dave Stewart in his band National Health in 1976 after I’d been with Genesis for a year and around the time, I was putting the band together. Dave was sounding great and would be perfect for the band I had in mind but more than that, he was willing to be a writing partner to help me with the compositions. Then I wanted a stellar, featured soloist and Allan Holdsworth was turning a lot of heads with his work in Gong, particularly on the album Gazeuse! I’d never heard anyone play like that before or since. I thought he would make a good sonic partnership with Dave. That left the problem of finding a bass player who could keep up with those two. I was working with Patrick Moraz on Chris Squire’s album Fish Out of Water, I think, and he was saying he’d heard this kid in New York who was stunning. The British/European players didn’t have sufficient capability to play what I wanted to hear so it had to be a North American. I went to the US to meet with him, eat some pasta, and hear him play, and offered him the job on the spot. Turns out Jeff had almost too much ability! A lot of this is in my book Bill Bruford: The Autobiography. The entire boxed set is dedicated to the memory of Allan Holdsworth.
MR: What did working with Yes, Genesis, King Crimson and others add to your musical vocabulary?
BB: Well, they were the best known of the several bands I travelled through in my formative years so it was in them that I began to forge a musical vocabulary. I knew early on that I wanted to differentiate myself from others on the instrument, but it took a bit longer to realize I could differentiate the music in which my playing was heard by writing some or all of it myself. King Crimson was a good place for that creativity business. It seemed to be in a permanent state of evolution—just how I like it. When I know what’s coming next I tend to get bored.
photo credit: Jacquie Deegan Bill Bruford
MR: During that period, many referred to you as a “jazz” drummer despite your associations with rock and prog rock. How would you describe the music you were presenting during that period?
BB: I grew up with jazz, developing both a light touch and an inclination to fiddle around with the music, to see what it could do, and to see what I could do within it. I always thought I was going to be a jazz drummer, but I sort of fell into rock, a genre which in the UK in 1968 encompassed a far more vibrant set of opportunities than a particularly politicized and atonal jazz scene. I didn’t change my style much, just learned to play a bit louder. Of course, fiddling around irritates a lot of people.
Sometimes terrible musicians were a strong negative influence, and often non-drummers were a strong positive influence. So I was influenced by Miles Davis for economy and style, David Bowie because he was always moving and would never quite let his audience catch up—very smart—and the Rolling Stones who just seemed awful. Amongst drummers, I was transfixed by jazz, mostly from the U.S., on British TV in the sixties so I grew up with all the great players: specifically Max Roach for his economy, grace, and melody; Joe Morello for odd meters; and Art Blakey for the sound and the groove.
MR: Considering the diversity of music during the seventies, why do you feel all those “genres” were able to sit next to each other comfortably, especially on radio, and through the vehicle of rock?
BB: Music is more diverse now, I’d say. When I grew up there was only jazz and rock and the players in one genre were not remotely convincing in the other. Now, of course, expert drummers cruise effortlessly from EDM to hip-hop to straight-ahead to metal, projecting or sublimating their own identities as may be required. Starting out in the late ’60s, we progressives had a fair wind, propelled by 24-track stereo, the development of FM radio in the US, and wildly expanding record sales. When there is money around, promoters, musicians, radio stations and labels can afford to take risks, look at new things. It’s all timing. I’ve often said the only and smartest thing I’ve ever done was to be born in 1949. It was like being given pole position in a Formula 1 race.
MR: You’re known for your holistic approach to creating music, how you get a feel for the bigger picture’s parts—including other instrument as you’re figuring out the minutiae. What do you think that balance comes from—your life experiences or musical training?
BB: A combination of both in balance. The acquisition of technical ability through training is useful only when allied to a musical idea. Technical ability for its own sake is an arid proposition. Conversely, ideas without the means to realize them—to turn them into meaningful sound—aren’t going to go very far. I’ve been fortunate indeed to spend time with people who have a reasonable balance of both lived experience and the tools to express it in musical form.
photo credit: Dick Wallis Bill Bruford, Advision 1977
MR: Whatever happened to what was once labeled “jazz fusion”?
BB: All of jazz was a fusion so there’s a redundant term if ever I heard one. Perhaps now a more useful distinction within instrumental performance is between the electric/electronic and the predominantly acoustic domains. I much prefer the acoustic now. The broad palette of sounds afforded by the former is temporarily very seductive but it comes at the cost of a more intimate relationship between player, sound and listener. In my experience, plugging my drums into electricity felt like a thin veil descending to separate me from my instrument. It constrained me in a profound way and made the music seem less meaningful—others will have another view—which is why my later group Earthworks eventually became an acoustic group. With respect to separation of performer from sound generation, I can only imagine what it must be like playing a laptop on stage. My idea of fusion now is perhaps Nik Bartsch's Ronin or Snarky Puppy with Jacob Collier.
MR: What do you think of rock and jazz these days? Are you listening to anything?
BB: So much music has been sounded and captured for replay in the last fifty years that I can barely comprehend it all, and like a man facing a plate that is too full, my appetite deserts me. Without seeking it out, I am replete. By way of proving nothing, the three pieces of music to which I paid most attention in the last couple of days were 1) ‘Squib Cakes’ Tower of Power 1974; 2) ‘Wichita Lineman’ Peter Erskine-Alan Pasqua Trio 2009; 3) ‘Blackstar’ David Bowie 2016. Broadly, my appetite to listen is waning. I’m not good company at a concert or gig. If the music is any good, I want to play. If it isn’t, I want to leave.
MR: What advice do you have for new artists?
BB: Hope, perseverance and an ability to keep looking forward are three qualities that might come in handy. I think it must all stem from an incurable love of music, in the broadest sense—not what you might be able to screw out of it but what you may be able to give to it. What can you offer? To know that, you must know yourself, have some theory and technical ability, be flexible and imaginative. There are at least a dozen music-related jobs that exist for every one guy who gets on a stage, and it’s certain that you will spend some of your time doing some of those. You may have thought I was ‘just’ a drummer, but I also taught, wrote words and music, ran a small record label, booked the band, road managed, travel agented, produced and publicized the heck out of it. You'll work if you can add value to something that's going on around you. If you can't, they might as well hire a machine.
MR: I was always curious about why you left Yes after playing with them on their initial five classic albums. Was it creative differences or something else?
BB: Four principal reasons, I think:
First, I wasn’t about to go through Close to the Edge again. It had taken three months of all-nighters, and if I knew one thing at the end, it was that I wouldn’t be able to improve on that effort with that group of people, so no point in hanging around.
Second, I’d only played with those four musicians for the majority of my short musical career, four and a half years at that point, and I was becoming desperate to hear myself in some other context. I never subscribed to the notion that after a few hit records rock musicians were supposed to atrophy, become a laughing stock, and then just stop.
Third, King Crimson beckoned.
Fourth, I couldn’t wait for Chris Squire any more. The grossest form of insult any musician can bestow upon a colleague is to keep him waiting.
Then again it was half a century ago, so I may have imagined all of the above.
MR: [laughs] What are you working on now and what are your plans for the future?
BB: I retired from public performance in 2009 (a) to move over and let someone else have a turn; and (b) because, at its simplest, I could no longer hear what came next. If you don’t know, can’t hear or can’t play what you want to hear next, the best option is silence. Every stage I was occupying was one a younger drummer was not occupying. I no longer perform, practice or teach on the instrument. I feel I can be more useful if I stand back from practice and reflect upon what it is drummers do, why they do it, ask if there is anything creative about it, and, if so, where such creativity might lie. I have just concluded doctoral research into the perceptions of a group of distinguished drummers, including Cindy Blackman Santana, Chad Wackerman, Ralph Salmins, Martin France, Asaf Sirkis, Mark Guiliana, Dylan Howe, Thomas Stronen and Peter Erskine, on these topics. I have a new book based on the fascinating results: Uncharted: Creativity and the Expert Drummer will be published in early 2018. Drummers are a lot more creative than they think they are, and certainly a lot more creative than the public thinks they, if their low status is to be taken seriously.
Generally, I think it’s a difficult time to be a drummer and very few earn a reasonable living playing only the music they want to play. My generation was very privileged in that respect, emerging in a pre-digital era of rapid expansion of record sales. We didn’t have to starve to death to play the music we found interesting. I’ve known Mark Guiliana [Bowie’s Blackstar] for many years now and followed his development with great interest—a wonderful player. People say great things about Tyshawn Sorey but I don’t know his performances. But generally, the technical standard of playing is extremely high now, and especially in view of the vast range of genres and styles that now have to be mastered.
If you’ve got this far, thanks for reading!
******************************
“FLOW” EXCLUSIVE FROM WILL ACKERMAN’S QUARTET FLOW
photo credit: Anthony Saint James Flow L-R: Lawrence Blatt, Jeff Oster, Fiona Joy, William Ackerman
Flow is the brand new quartet featuring Grammy® Award winner, guitarist and Windham Hill founder Will Ackerman. In addition to Ackerman, the group includes world-class instrumentalists: acoustic guitarist Lawrence Blatt, Australian pianist/vocalist Fiona Joy, and flugelhorn virtuoso Jeff Oster.
When reflecting on the genesis of Flow, Will Ackerman says...
“The music I create and musicians I work with have to connect with me emotionally. My question is always, ‘Does it move me ?’ Obviously, I appreciate the mastery of an instrument, but my focus was always that it had depth and something meaningful to say. With Flow, I have found that, because with these three friend and accomplished artists, I tap into the breathtaking beautify of realizing that I’m in the presence of the truth."
Flow’s Jeff Oster adds...
"The title track FLOW is a perfect representation of everything our group is about—four acoustic artists, each with successful solo careers, coming together in a magical way that surprised us all. There's a sound that emerged on this record, a special blend of horn, piano and guitar, that just feels right. All of it is captured on this track."
Their self titled album will be released on October 6th. Flow will celebrate tonight with their debut performance at New York City's Legendary Carnegie Hall.
*******************************
J.VIEWS OFFERS 401.1
photo credit: Evan Smith J.Views
Jonathan Dagan—aka J.Views—is an Israeli electronic producer working out of Brooklyn, New York. The twice Grammy-nominated artist’s new album 401.1 is a deluxe version of 401 Days that features popular acts such as Mike Milosh of Rhye, Gotye, Wild Cub, and more.
According to J.Views...
"The journey of making 401 Days was apparently not done when I finished that record. The songs continued to develop on their own almost; The show with the Revolution Orchestra created such beautiful new renditions, same as the new remixes and edits. Some songs carried on to create more change than I'd hoped for, and I wanted to acknowledge what happened since releasing the original album, with this 'version update': 401.1.”
******************************
EMMA CHARLESTON’S “VOLCANO” EXCLUSIVE
photo credit: Sandrine Lee Emma Charleston
Singer songwriter Emma Charleston shares a live performance of her single “Volcano” at her hometown concert at the Levitt Pavilion in Westport, CT. The up-and-coming musician has enjoyed an incredible year having released her debut EP Enjoy The Ride in June, which garnered raves and exclusive song premieres.
A student at the Berklee School of Music, she’s also rapidly honed her performing skills. According to Charleston, the show was everything she could have hoped for. |
In her early teenage years, Nwamaka Godwin Iduh started to notice the right side of her rib cage and left side of her hip protruding in a way it hadn’t before. Months later, a doctor diagnosed her with scoliosis. Both Nwamaka and her mother had previously never heard of this condition, which causes an abnormal curvature of the spine in many teenage children. The Beyond A Curved Spine (BACS) website shared her story, along with others, to raise awareness of scoliosis in Nigeria and throughout Africa.
Abisola Oni and Abimbola Oladapo started the Beyond A Curved Spine (BACS) initiative because they realized that, despite the importance of getting diagnosed early, there was little information available on scoliosis-related issues in Africa. To work toward the broader goal of awareness, they are taking specific actions such as providing screenings, making speaking arrangements and providing a platform for people to share their stories. And, when it comes to scoliosis, awareness can mean the difference between a teenager possibly having to get surgery and getting treated early instead.
Erika Leaf is another grantee who recognizes the importance of speaking up and decided to work toward greater political engagement through postcards. She began The Collective Vision postcard project in to empower ordinary Americans to take political action and communicate what they care about. The project's first step was to offer the “Democracy Pack,” a set of 20 postcards with tips on how to write effective messages to elected officials as well as suggestions for what to write about. Collective Vision is creating a new set of postcards that will combine quotes about social justice with artwork and photography. The grant will allow the project to offer stipends to artists whose work is chosen for publication.
Sometimes awareness can seem like an abstract concept. Grantees like Abisola, Abimbola and Erika remind us that even the most elusive goals can be broken down into specific steps.
Today we honor 14 incredible projects that are taking concrete actions to make the world a more compassionate place.
One Stitch at a Time teaches community members how to sew in Jacmel, Haiti. Along with valuable technical skills, students also learn about business management from project management to marketing.
Betty Abah’s project benefits girls, teenage mothers and other vulnerable young women in Makoko and surrounding slums in Lagos, Nigeria. They will use natural materials from the local environment to create products such as bags, shoes, purses and other materials.
Volta Free School helps young boys and girls in Sovie, Ghana who are out of school for different reasons acquire the knowledge and skills they need to go back and join their colleagues in school.
The Purple Pearls Women’s Entrepreneurship Development Programme works with women in Nigeria, especially those that have been displaced due to terrorist activities, who have acquired vocational skills or have businesses. The project helps them develop their entrepreneurial and business development skills to become successful entrepreneurs and reintegrate into society.
Umijoo is an environmental art book about the connections between our daily life decisions and the health of our planet. Environmental activist Casson Trenor and painter Caia Koopman joined forces in the United States to create this illustrated tale, which is designed to ignite interest in ocean conservation and responsible food choices.
The Let’s Talk English program in Ouzio Mitsamiouli, Comoro Islands encourages young people to learn how to speak English all over the Cembenoi Region. Five advanced students from the Urango English Center, who are training to become teachers, will volunteer in neighboring villages where they will teach English to young people like themselves.
The Skill Builders Project is starting the first-ever photography class for Washington Correction Center in Washington State. Through regular workshops, the inmates will learn to express themselves visually and share their stories with the public.
Founded by Shakera Bramwell, an undocumented immigrant from Kingston Jamaica, Rebel Cause’s mission is to facilitate the collaboration of groups of young adults of color seeking to improve the quality of life in their communities. One of their programs, Rebel Food Cart, is a mobile meal program that provides smoothies as a meal alternative for Boston’s food insecure population.
The Veteran’s Voice Project is an initiative in Texas, which provides storytelling classes for veterans who are currently incarcerated, allowing for the processing of previous traumas.
Spreading Peace In Communities Everywhere (SPICE) is committed to empowering youth in Austin, Texas to be confident and comfortable in their communities by encouraging healthy lifestyles, gender equality and human rights.
Engaging the Latino Community Through Dance is a program in Southampton, New York providing low cost dance parties and classes for the Hispanic and Latino community to help combat isolation and improve health through affordable, family friendly events where members of this community can dance, socialize and share their culture.
Charles Orgbon in Bogota, Colombia will partner with the organization People and Earth to provide workshops turning what could be seedlings of interest in environmental activism from Colombian youth into full-fledged community campaigns that solve the root cause of local environmental issues. |
The movement to fight corruption in Brazil can be a model for both emerging and mature economies
A few of months ago, journalist Charlie Rose – who we can definitely count among the world’s most well-informed individuals – engaged with a group of Brazilians at a social gathering in New York. The host of what’s probably the best TV talk show in the US wanted to know: “When will your country return to growth? When is Brazil going to rise again?”
Seven years ago Rose welcomed to his show the archetype of the universally hailed Brazil-mania: Eike Batista. The global elite regarded the business magnate as emblematic of the country’s booming economy. When the cover of “The Economist” depicted the Christ the Redeemer statue blasting off Rio’s Corcovado mountain bound for the constellation of world superpowers, it might as well have included Eike Batista as copilot.
Batista, as so many other prominent names of Brazil’s once untouchable business and political elites, was arrested under corruption charges arising from Lava Jato (Car Wash, Brazil’s – and perhaps the world’s – largest investigation into corruption ever) . And Brazil, in academic circles and the business world at large, has seen its status as an “emerging country” sharply brought into question.
There are many ways to measure Brazil’s decline. It has been the worst performing of the G20 countries for three years running. There is no Brazilian growth model with guaranteed social inclusion capable of guiding other developing nations.
The combination of economic populism, a revived import substitution policy, tax exemptions and colossal public spending has sparked a catastrophe from which other countries wish to keep their distance. One possible exception is the US under Donald Trump. Trumponomics is indeed a close cousin to Brazil’s “new economic matrix” (an emphasis on local content, grooming corporate champions and micromanaging the economy) implemented during the administration of impeached president Dilma Rousseff.
Because of its public-safety shortcomings, Brazil has been unable to garner legitimacy to pursue greater collective-security ambitions. At 50,000 deaths per year, homicide victims in Brazil currently outnumber the casualties of conflicts in Africa and the Middle East combined. The horror of Brazilian prisons and the alarming levels of violence in urban centers like Rio de Janeiro preclude the country from a coveted permanent seat on the UN Security Council despite tireless diplomatic lobbying.
Obviously, programs of technical cooperation with Latin America and Africa allow Brazil to wield diplomatic influence. However it is the country’s relative economic clout, not the success of its public policies, that continues to underpin the world’s desire to strengthen partnerships with Brazil. Even initiatives like Bolsa Família (“Family Allowance”, a poverty alleviation cash transfer program), which was once a model deemed worthy of export to low-income countries, have seen their viability and attractiveness limited by the context of a stagnant economy.
In recent months, many have claimed of late that the worst is now behind us. This is probably true. In macroeconomic terms, the country is no longer in decline. Inflation has dropped. Petrobras, the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and Eletrobras are now considered well-managed. Certain structural reforms have made headway. And the country has shed the ideology of third-worldism when practicing diplomacy.
It is also true that sound monetary and fiscal policy and the improved governance of state-run companies have helped shore up Brazil’s credibility since Michel Temer took office as president following Rousseff’s impeachment. By the same token, espousing a foreign policy that does not view the North-South divide by the same reasoning as the domestic discourse of “us-versus-them” means the pursuit of diplomatic partnerships are now less guided by a populist, third-worldish Weltanschauung.
But all of this is the least one could expect. Good governance and pragmatic diplomacy are pre-conditions, not laudable distinguishing characteristics of those who want to thrive in a 21st context of global affairs.
It is as if economic underperformance, systemic corruption and disenchantment with party-based politics blot out the success stories. From this perspective, Brazil offers little of which to be proud and much to be ashamed of.
It follows that, in the field of international relations, the country has supposedly exhausted its stores of “soft power”. The man who coined this term, Joseph Nye, a political scientist at Harvard, defines soft power as “the ability of a country to influence and persuade others without the use of force or coercion (hard power).”
Nye identifies not only the ability of culture and language to foster soft power, but also a country’s values, institutions and the manner by which it seeks to resolve international or domestic issues.
If that is true, then in the midst of what could be seen as the “global eclipse of Brazil,” the country is actually casting its soft power as an unintended consequence of the Lava Jato corruption probe.
Recent debates at universities around the world make it clear that the overwhelming majority of academics, opinion leaders and economic decision makers understand the Lava Jato corruption probe to be more than merely a source of pride for Brazilians. It is an important tool for the country to leverage its ability to compete on the world stage.
One of the first notable academics to express this view was Harvard economist Dani Rodrik. About a year and a half ago, Rodrik asserted that economic players and international public opinion were underestimating Brazil. And he went on to commend how prosecutors and judges are combating corruption within the framework of the law, exercising political maturity and acting above party influences. This will all result in enhanced compliance practices and improved relations with investors that will yield major mid-term bonuses for those who place their bets on Brazil.
If this is indeed the case, then Brazil is not destined – as stressed by Sergio Moro, the judge leading the probe, during a talk at Columbia University earlier this year – to indefinitely succumb to the role of a defenseless victim of corruption. Nor should this vice be understood as some sort of “tropical disease.”
To the contrary, the movement to combat corruption in Brazil can be a model for paradigmatic change in the political economy not only of emerging countries, but even in more mature economies. At this stage many in other Latin American nations, for example, have voiced their wish that something similar to Car Wash would also revolutionize the way of doing business in their countries.
Of course Car Wash can also make a few mistakes here and there given the scale of the investigation and its multiple fronts. But the damage that the probe causes pales in comparison to the ills it cures.
The success of the Lava Jato probe may not satisfactorily answer Charlie Rose’s question about when Brazil will rise again. The country requires not just deft management and non-systemic corruption levels, but also a solid strategy to be competitive in today’s turbulent world.
Nevertheless Brazil has demonstrated that, at least in matters of corruption, many institutions – backed by the majority of the population – are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. |
What does it take to be financially prepared for potential healthcare costs in retirement? As the old saying goes, "Needing insurance is like needing a parachute. If it isn't there the first time, chances are you won't need it again." Healthcare costs can add up for even the healthiest of retirees, so what can we do to prepare for these costs, and how would you handle them in the event that you need long-term care?
First, consider some statistics
A 65-year-old today would need to save between $72,000 and $93,000 to retire if they wish to have a 50% chance of covering healthcare costs in retirement. Note that sum would ideally be set aside in an earmarked "emergency medical fund."
For a 90% chance of covering costs, $127,000 to $143,000 would be necessary.
What about the steady increase in drug expenses? Now our expected expense has increased to $165,000 for a 50% chance, and $265,000 for a 90% chance of the savings lasting for a couple with median drug expenses.
This leads us to an estimated $260,000 (in today's dollars) to conservatively insure against healthcare costs depleting other assets.
Before determining the exact amount we need for our healthcare nest egg based on our specific circumstances, remember long-term care costs are not covered by health insurance. Assisted living and nursing home care must be paid out-of-pocket, by long-term care insurance, or in California by Medi-Cal (generally speaking, assets must be depleted before one is eligible for Medicaid/Medi-Cal).
Covering deductibles, premiums, out-of-pocket and long-term care expenses could cost approximately $350,000 in today's dollars to achieve a 90% chance of covering those expenses. Long-term care in a nursing home alone will cost $6,844 per month, based on the national median cost.
Every situation is different.
Some of the first questions you should be asking yourself are, "How healthy am I, and what is my family medical history?" The answers will help you make more informed retirement and healthcare decisions. For example, if you require expensive drugs, your savings could be depleted quickly. Taking a hard look at one's life expectancy could prompt the decision to retire earlier. There are numerous other questions that could impact healthcare decisions in retirement.
Consider consulting a Financial Planner to examine several hypothetical cash flow situations. This can help guide you toward answering the question of how much you should set aside and how to invest funds allocated toward healthcare to meet your needs.
What to do?
Focus on what you do know, rather than speculating on everything that could be.
Take charge by running a customized estimate based on consistent, stable expenses such as premiums, deductibles, and co-pays. This number will not change much. Bump the number up to factor in a potential long-term care scenario.
If you are planning to retire earlier than 65 and do not often use your current health insurance, look into Health Savings Accounts (HSA). You can pre-fund investment dollars in a tax-exempt vehicle that can pay future deductibles, allowing you to elect a low cost, high deductible plan in the years leading up to activating Medicare.
Talk to family members, your primary care physician, and a financial consultant to set up a contingency plan to execute in the event of an abrupt medical issue.
Make sure your will, power of attorney, and advance healthcare directive are up to date. You may want to keep a copy of the directive with your primary care physician.
Years before using it, look into Medicare supplements and determine what makes the most sense for you.
Educate yourself as a patient by asking good questions to your trusted medical professionals. What tests and drugs are really needed? Does a CAT scan need to be done immediately at the hospital or could you do it tomorrow at an outside facility that is less expensive?
Are you taking good care of yourself in mind and body? Maintaining a healthy lifestyle will go a long way towards mitigating future healthcare costs.
Our financial planners at Insight Wealth Strategies will meet with you to discuss your specific situation to determine the best course of action. Just like properly packing a parachute before jumping out a plane, retiring with a plan for healthcare will put your mind at ease.
David Chazin is a registered representative of Lincoln Financial Advisors.
Securities and advisory services offered through Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a broker/dealer (member SIPC) and registered investment advisor. Insurance offered through Lincoln Marketing and Insurance Agency, LLC and Lincoln Associates Insurance Agency, Inc. and other fine companies. Insight Wealth Strategies is not an affiliate of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. Lincoln Financial Advisors does not provide legal or tax advice. 3000 Executive Parkway, Ste 400. San Ramon, CA 94583. (925) 659-0217. CA Insurance License # 0D45501 CRN1785874-050117
Let the free Retirement Planner by MoneyTips help you calculate when you can retire without jeopardizing your lifestyle.
This article was provided by our partners at moneytips.com. |
Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner were on a helicopter traveling from Washington to New York City last week that experienced engine failure, CNN reported Sunday night.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday, was resolved when the two-engine helicopter returned safely to the Washington area’s Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Helicopter had 2 engines, 1 failed during flight. The couple ended up taking Delta shuttle to NY after the chopper landed safely in DC https://t.co/xaXjR85yNe — Noah Gray (@NoahGrayCNN) March 19, 2018
CNN reported that the helicopter was owned by the Trump Organization, according to air traffic control information obtained on the website liveatc.net.
It’s unclear why the president’s daughter and son-in-law, who work as White House advisers, would be traveling on a Trump Organization-owned helicopter. It’s also uncommon to fly between the two cities by helicopter. Most individuals ― government employees or otherwise ― take planes or trains between D.C. and New York City.
Just curious, am I (and other US taxpayers), paying for their helicopter rides?
Wondering if I should claim them as dependents on my taxes... https://t.co/FrKFa1kNtw — Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) March 19, 2018
Related questions: Do people actually travel from DC to NYC in a helicopter? And how much is it costing taxpayers to travel by helicopter along a corridor that has multiple trains and planes every hour of the day? https://t.co/h1fgtNbb8n — Matt Viser (@mviser) March 19, 2018
Curious why you would take helicopter from DC to NYC. https://t.co/crvXosy2cu — Carol Leonnig (@CarolLeonnig) March 19, 2018 |
A diagnosis of cancer is often followed by myriad doctor appointments and many questions.
Dr. Saranya Chumsri, a medical oncologist, typically sees women after they’ve received a diagnosis of breast cancer. And many are confused about her role.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and according to Dr. Chumsri, a member of the Robert and Monica Jacoby Center for Breast Health on Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus, many of her patients ask why they need to see a medical oncologist.
While most women with breast cancer need some type of surgery – either lumpectomy or mastectomy – Dr. Chumsri says many women do not understand the need for additional therapy.
“Most patients believe that their treatment is completed after their tumors are removed with surgery. But breast cancer is very aggressive. Since microscopic cancer cells can travel through the bloodstream to other organs and hide until they decide to multiply, many patients will require more than just surgery. In order to eradicate the cancer completely, we may need to incorporate other treatments, including radiation, hormonal therapies, chemotherapy, and other targeted therapies,” says Dr. Chumsri, noting that she often has to educate patients about the benefits of additional treatments.
“My role is to clear up misconceptions about breast cancer and help determine what, if any other medical treatment may be needed,” she says. “Not all breast cancer is the same. Each patient requires an individualized plan tailored specifically for her to achieve the best long-term survival. “
Treatment decisions are made based on the specifics of a patient’s cancer, including the location and stage of the cancer, tumor size, lymph node involvement, and whether the cancer has spread elsewhere in the body.
Timing is one of the biggest challenges of her job, though. |
Julian Lennon is thinking about putting his life story down on paper.
During an interview with The Huffington Post at Build Series, the musical artist and environmental activist said he’s interested in writing a memoir because, after all, “Who knows how long we’ve got?” He added with a smile, “I am hopeful, by the way.”
Lennon, 54, admits that he doesn’t have the best memory, so he’d have to rely on others to fill in the blanks of his life.
“I’d like to get around to that because there are so many memories that a lot of my friends or colleagues that I work with have that I don’t recall because of the time and the place and because of where my focus was as opposed to theirs,” he said. “Even hearing the stories myself that my friends have told me and I’m going, ‘Really? I did that? OK, right.’ So, I’m just as curious, to be honest.”
Steve Mack via Getty Images Julian Lennon on Build Series April 13.
Some of those fuzzy memories date back to when he was a child, growing up as the son of John Lennon.
“He walked out the door when I was about 3 or 4 years old and we only saw each other a few times,” Julian said of his father.
When asked what kind of impact his dad had on him, Julian said, “As a father, not so much. We tried to make that up toward the end. But musically and as an artist — him along with the rest of the boys [the Beatles] — there’s probably nobody better. So they’ve always been an influence.”
One thing his late father said, though, has stuck with Julian.
“Dad once said to me on the rare occasions that we met that if something was going to happen to him ... that he would let me know that he was all right or that we were all going to be all right in the form of a white feather. I thought that was pretty peculiar even as a kid,” Julian explained.
Decades later, Julian would remember his dad’s white feather reference, and about 20 years ago while on tour in Australia, something really interesting happened. He received a phone call from the hotel manager where he had been staying asking him to come downstairs because there were about 30 people ― part of an Aboriginal tribe ― requesting to see him.
“I’ve always been a bit shy, so that kind of situation freaked me out a little bit,” Julian recalled.
When he arrived, the members were in a semi-circle awaiting his arrival. The “tribal elder” then walked toward him, handed him a white feather, and said, “You have a voice, can you help us?”
At that point, Julian knew he had to step up and do more than pursue a music career. He wanted to dedicate additional time to helping others, later forming The White Feather Foundation, an organization dedicated to the education, conservation and protection of indigenous culture.
Part of the proceeds of his latest project, a children’s picture book called Touch the Earth, go toward the foundation. The book has children riding on a magical plane called the White Feather Flier, and encourages readers to help save the environment and conserve water.
SKY PONY PRESS |
Warning: This article contains explicit content and may not be appropriate for work environments.
The Pervert
“The Pervert” is a comic about a Seattle-based trans woman struggling as a sex worker to make enough money for hormones and gender confirmation surgery.
The protagonist, named Felina, is also a dog ― a millennial Snoopy type.
Written by Michelle Perez and illustrated by Remy Boydell ― both trans women ― the comic offers a humanizing portrait brimming with wit and melancholy, despite the fact that it revolves around an anthropomorphized canine. In the opening scene, Felina goes down on a “fiscally conservative, socially libertarian” guy in a fast food joint. While performing the act, she zones out, focusing her attention on the dining establishment’s hypnotic ball pit and the kids playing inside. Her mental landscape is illustrated in dreamy watercolors, a palette reminiscent of a bowl of Fruit Loops.
The comic juxtaposes the carefree image of a play-place with the reality of, as Perez put it in an interview with HuffPost, “the time I sucked some dick for fast food.” Perez modeled Felina’s story after her own experience doing sex work in Seattle. The reader dissociates along with Felina ― and Perez ― marveling at the uncomplicated beauty of the rainbow orbs in her line of sight.
“It’s really not sanitary in the ball pit,” Felina’s inner monologue muses, flitting between tasks. “I read there’s all kinda poop particles. He pays extra so he can cum in my mouth.”
The ball pit ― a space whose nostalgic associations and rainbow colors mask an insalubrious underbelly ― is an apt metaphor for “The Pervert” overall. The emotionally wrecking comic employs adorable animals to navigate a narrative that’s complicated, dark and often heartbreaking. The fluid, pastel hues and naive creatures offer an emotional reprieve from the intensity of the storyline.
The uncomplicated and emotional charm of the characters’ aesthetics makes the frank and often disturbing details of their struggles easier to confront head-on. As Boydell told HuffPost, “It lets you fictionalize the trauma a bit.”
The Pervert
For Boydell, opting for a classically cute character was an act of self-preservation, making the uglier moments of the subject matter easier to tackle. Additionally, she believes appealing to readers’ nostalgia evokes an intense emotional reaction right off the bat. The artist, then, need not waste time gaining readers’ trust if she employs visual tropes they already know and love.
“As a child, there’s a neural understanding that gets strengthened each time you read a comic or watch a cartoon,” Boydell said. “If you use a character design that taps into someone’s childhood memories, you really draw someone in.”
Sometimes, the effect really messes with the reader ― for example, when Felina tells her boss at a factory, who bears a striking resemblance to Clifford the Big Red Dog, that she’s trans. It’s a cringeworthy encounter laden with ignorance and good intentions that culminates with the boss saying, “Oh, I see. Don’t want a bad vagina.” You’ll be hard-pressed to look at Clifford in the future without hearing echoes of this moment.
“The Pervert” is a series of loosely connected vignettes divided into six panel grids with a sea of white space floating between them. In one scene, Felina goes on an OK Cupid date with a femme cat, who finds her description of herself as a “rent boy” to be “fucking hot.” (Felina sometimes presents as male with her shaggy, Beatles-inspired do, and dons a longer hairstyle when presenting as a trans woman.) When she and the cat begin to hook up, the cat’s boyfriend barges in, asking to join.
“God. Fucking. Damn it,” Felina says to herself. Out loud, however, she says, “300. Condoms. I’ll eat his cum for an extra hundred.” Though this situation resolves itself without much fanfare, Felina flashes back to an earlier time when a similar situation led to a punch in the face.
Being privy to both Felina’s verbalized and unverbalized thoughts, readers see in vivid detail the toll sex work takes on her sanity. “Each day of this, I’m just part of someone else’s day,” she divulges to her friend, a cam girl named Weed Trap. “All I’ve ended up doing is giving more and more to these fucking strangers.”
The Pervert
The risks ingrained in Felina’s job aren’t only psychological. In one scene, while having sex with a brawny male client, she frantically scans his living room for household objects that could double as a weapon if things turn violent. In the end, the man doesn’t hurt her but does cum inside her, another peril of the job.
While skateboarding down an empty street, streaked with soft waves of blue and grey, Felina says to herself, “I think I’m sorta embracing a philosophy where I don’t value my life as much anymore.”
Perez has a remarkable ability to boil muddled and grueling emotions down to a single, searing line of prose. The skill, she said, isn’t all that different from crafting a good tweet. “It’s about creative limitation. Not exceeding those parameters,” she explained. “You don’t need to say a lot. If you are really deft with words you don’t have to write a treatise.”
The terse anatomy comics demand in their text is echoed in Boydell’s visuals. The medium imbues meaning into the white space between panels, actively alluding to what can’t be seen or said.
One thing that does appear rather explicitly is sex. Readers see Felina having sex ― oral and anal ― with a variety of men, women, cats, dogs and other creatures. The only time we see her entire naked body, however, she’s in the shower alone, washing off blood. (Earlier, Felina beat up a car mechanic who called her a “fucking gross tranny.”) Eventually she curls up into a fetus shape on the floor. The panel zooms in on the red-stained water swirling down the drain.
The early reviews of “The Pervert” call attention to the graphic nature of the sex scenes. For Boydell, however, they’re really not that big a deal. “I actually paid all my living expenses in college by running a furry porn site,” she said, “so this was relatively classy by my standards.” She rated the comic a six out of ten on the NSFW scale.
In our conversation, I commented that Boydell’s innocent drawing style made the images of intercourse all the more shocking. (Have you ever seen a dog riding another dog’s face?) Boydell agreed. “It’s very upsetting for people when childlike characters are sexual,” she said. “It’s not an accident. There’s lots of policing in queer spaces online because everything is going back to Reagan-era homophobia. If the character is kid-like in any way, people say it’s disturbing.”
In its raw depictions of sex ― sometimes hot, sweet, perfunctory or grueling ― between trans characters, “The Pervert” is breaking new comic ground. But neither Boydell nor Perez consider the work to be political. Rather, they see it as an autobiography, elucidating a story that’s rarely brought into focus, especially not in the comic world. (In an interview with AutoStraddle, Boydell recalled the painful experience of seeing her first trans comic character: a corpse in Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman.”)
Of course, depicting sex work and trans stories will remain somewhat political as long as it remains infrequent, and thus, exceptional. Perez hopes for a day when her story is just as boring as a “Jennifer Lawrence rom-com.”
“Maybe I don’t want all this weird heterosexual shit jammed down my throat all the fucking time,” she said. “Maybe I don’t want a bunch of sedate, heteronormative shit be the only thing we aspire to. I do not ask for tolerance or even acceptance. I want normalization. I want people to see us as fucking boring as they are.” |
The more we dig, the more we realize that it is time for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the City of Boston to start immediate investigations.
Example: In April 2016, Verizon announced that it would be upgrading Boston to FiOS, a fiber to the home service, and the starting point would be the neighborhood of Dorchester. We uncovered that some (most) of Dorchester has already been upgraded, starting in 2006, a decade ago. Verizon could have, at any time, been providing high speed broadband for the last decade--but didn't.
The Boston Globe, November 2, 2006 (Subscription required)
"An urban fiber-optic challenge
Verizon to use Dorchester as a test site for bringing high-speed Net into cities
"Verizon Communications Inc. is installing fiber-optic Internet service in Dorchester, using Boston's biggest, and one of its most diverse neighborhoods, as a test site for the challenges the company will face in bringing "FiOS" to urban areas nationwide."
"Installation in Dorchester started in the first quarter of 2006 but the company didn't begin advertising its availability until August, mostly through mailings to homes that are close enough to the new lines to be eligible for the service. Verizon won't say how many local FiOS subscribers it has in Massachusetts nor will it say exactly how many it has in Dorchester."
But this is only one of many issues surrounding this previous build out. (Verizon has not disclosed whether other neighborhoods were also upgraded at this time.)
I'll come back to this in a moment.
The Announced Plan: In April, 2016, Verizon New England told the public that it would finally be upgrading the city of Boston, spending $300 million dollars over a six year period to upgrade the existing copper wires with a fiber optic wire that will cover 100% of the City.
Verizon laid out four specific areas, "Fiber Zones", to be upgraded. And, the decision on who got served first would be based on potential customers voting for their area to be the leader of the pack.
NOTE: In 2010, Verizon announced it was halting the FiOS, fiber to the home build out throughout the East Coast, from Massachusetts to Virginia, and would only be upgrading areas where there were contractual franchise agreements in place. Verizon even stopped maintaining the existing copper utility networks. Moreover, Verizon hasn't completed some areas, like New York City, even though NYC was supposed to have 100% completed by July 2015.
To Sum Up:
Verizon tells Boston that it is going to be offering FiOS, a fiber to the home service, to 100% of businesses and households over the next 6 years.
Yet, Verizon is going to only upgrade a fraction of the City and tells the investor community that the plan is only to upgrade a 'few suburbs' and then offer a wireless substitute.
Verizon does not tell the public that only parts of Boston will be upgraded.
The Verizon-Boston signed cable franchise agreement of December 2016 is only for 25+% of the City and it does not include any obligations to do the rest of Boston.
Moreover, Verizon is going to leave the surrounding cities, like Cambridge and Revere, undone, not to mention the majority of Massachusetts even though Verizon is the state-based, wired utility provider and controls the wired infrastructure.
Verizon did not make clear to the public (or in any document submitted) that the company had already upgraded portions of Boston in 2006, a decade ago.
Verizon claims the decision of where to start upgrading would be based on 'voting'. However, starting with Dorchester vs starting with any other 'zone', was obviously 'rigged'.
Verizon claims it will be spending $300 million, yet parts of the City were already done and paid for a decade ago.
Verizon's plan is to substitute the fiber to the home with a wireless service.
Verizon told the public it was doing a 'test' in Boston of the new '5G' service.
Management told investors this deployment was going to be 5G as well.
In fact, management now says the wireless service is just 4G with some enhancements, yet hasn't stopped claiming the deployment will be 5G.
Verizon will be using the pricing model of wireless -I.e.; customers pay by the gigabit, and there will be severe 'data caps'.
The $300 million that is supposed to be spent over six years appears to be 'made up'. There have been no audits or even a budget submitted, or even a timeline of when 100% of the City would be done.
Verizon's CEO Lowell McAdam claims that "Boston is going to be the prototype of the architect for the networks to come..."
In 2015, a letter, signed by 14 mayors from across the Verizon footprint, complained that Verizon wasn't properly upgrading their cities and was not even finishing cities with contractual obligations for FiOS cable TV. The cities included New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Newark, Jersey City, Syracuse, Trenton, Albany, as well as Massachusetts cities, Lowell, Brockton, Worcester and Revere.
"As the Mayors of 14 major cities along the East Coast, representing over 12 million residents, we are writing to voice our concern at your company's failure to meet the needs of our constituents for access to state-of-the-art fiber optic cable service....As Mayors, we understand firsthand how vital Broadband is to the growth of our local economies and to nurturing a healthy, competitive marketplace in our state....But consistently and increasingly, our consumers have complained that FiOS service is not available to them. These are not isolated complaints - there are millions of residents in communities throughout the Northeast who have been left without service, and with no plan or promise for future resolution."
If Boston is the plan for the rest of the East Coast, then Boston and Massachusetts should take the lead and start investigations.
We've already written a series of articles about the Boston-Bait-N-Switch.
While some may say that a call for an investigation is premature, history shows that Verizon can not be trusted and what we uncovered is just the tip of a deep iceberg. For example, these are pages from Verizon MA's submission in 1994 to the state commission to upgrade the existing copper wires to fiber optics for 330,000 customers by the year 2000, starting in 1996--20 years ago. See 'History Repeats Itself, Yet Again'.
Finally, the real question is: Who paid for all of the wiring? Verizon has filed claiming that the fiber upgrades are part of the existing, state utility telecommunications infrastructure and are using the construction budgets because they are "Title II", common carriage networks. We previously found massive cross-subsidies of the wireless networks- i.e., charging local wired phone customers extra to fund the wireless company's fiber to the cell sites. ("Verizon Wireless" is a D/B/A for "Cellco Partners", which is a separate legal entity.) Moreover, this is not just about the capx; it appears that the wireless subsidiary is not paying market prices for use of the networks or other costs.
We will be doing a separate expose on this because these wireline-wireless cross-subsidies require a separate investigation.
Just Some of the Facts:
1) The Boston FiOS Fiber Optic Service "Starting Point" Was Upgraded in 2006.
As mentioned, but worth repeating, Verizon's starting point, Dorchester, was already being upgraded to fiber in 2006, though Verizon did not disclose the extent of these build outs.
The Boston Globe, November 2, 2006
"An urban fiber-optic challenge
Verizon to use Dorchester as a test site for bringing high-speed Net into cities"
Ironically, these wires could have been delivering service to customers anytime over the last decade--but didn't. We have no idea what areas of Massachusetts or the other Verizon states already had fiber builds that were never 'turned on'.
2) There's a Long History Here - Just Ask Donnie Wahlberg.
The Boston Globe, October 8th, 2013
"'This is New England, where people tell it straight,' says Boston-born TV star Donnie Wahlberg in a new commercial for FiOS, Verizon's cable television and Internet service. 'No phonies, no fakers, no shortcuts.'
"The commercial, titled 'Here's the Truth about FiOS in Massachusetts,' features Wahlberg standing before the Hancock Tower, Trinity Church, and in Charlestown near the Bunker Hill Monument.
"But here's another truth about FiOS: You can't get it in Copley Square. Actually, you can't get it anywhere in Boston.
"Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino sounded somewhere between flabbergasted and outraged about the commercial."
Too much history to discuss here, Verizon stopped deploying/upgrading to FiOS sometime during 2007-2008. In 2016, Verizon decided to finally do a deal with Boston, first to show that it was still going to wire cities, and second, it was done just before the CWA/IBEW strike to show there would be continued jobs for union members. It appears that most of this was all for show to get the unions to settle.
3) Was the Vote for the Deployment Plans and the Money Spent, Rigged?
Verizon requested that customers 'vote' so that their area would be done first. This is now in question.
According to Fierce Telecom:
"Verizon's Boston Fiber Zones
"Taking a cue from Google Fiber's "Fiberhood" concept, Verizon has divided up its FiOS buildout plan for Boston into four zones. Verizon has invited residents in each of its zones to vote at a site to be the first to get service.
Here is the Verizon announcement.
First, it is clear that while the press releases claim that the company is doing 100% of the neighborhoods, this language claims that "votes" and a "minimum of interest" are required, contradicting the statement that all areas will get upgraded. Next, this announcement claims that: "The order of our build in a Fiber Zone depends on you! Every household or small business that registers in a Fiber Zone is counted as a vote, and where we have the most interest will be our priority."
A lack of disclosure about the previous 2006-2008 buildout is also troubling as it is now obvious that voting had nothing to do with the 2016 starting point.
And the monies to be spent, $300 million, appear to be 'made up'. Verizon has presented no budget. But, if parts of the networks were already built, then the $300 million is pulled from thin air, it would appear.
4) Verizon Is Not Doing 100% Fiber to the Home.
As we previously pointed out in other stories, Verizon's most recent cable franchise only covers 28% of the city.
"Section 13.14 Adjustments to Reflect Expanded Service Areas
Several provisions in this License have included values reflecting the Licensee's initial Service Area represents only a portion of the City, approximately twenty-eight (28%) of the City's geography. As new Service Areas are added, a new portion representing the increased Service Area of Licensee in relation to the City's geography shall be calculated by agreement between the parties prior to the Effective Date for such expansion. Thereafter, certain values in this License, originally calculated to be approximately 28% of a City-wide value, shall be increased proportionately based upon the new revised proportion, effective as of the Effective Date for the increased Service Area."
In fact:
The cable TV franchise specifically does not lay out a plan for 100% coverage nor a timeline on when this would be done.
The franchise specifically states that the other areas are not part of this agreement.
I.e., this is not a contract to do 100% only a fraction of the city - much of which was already wired.
5) Verizon is NOT Rolling Out 5G to Start But Is Now Claiming It Is 4G.
Charla Rath, Verizon Vice President, Wireless Policy Development, speaking at a New America event, in December 2016 (slightly paraphrased)
"Full 5G connectivity? What is interesting here is--what is the definition of 5G? You will here there's a lot of life left in 4G. I think what we're going to find is -- as 5G develops, 5G is less the kind of network advancements we've all become used to who have been in the cellular industry a long time, and more about an entire eco-system that will include parts, a lot of what we're already doing but a lot more of it."
What this says is-we're doing 4G with some tweaks; we'll rename it 5G. We just fibbed about this being an actual 5G deployment as the rest of the world would define it.
6) Verizon Will Move Customers onto 'Gig Pricing'.
Pricing - Verizon will use the pricing for its wireless service -where the customer is charged by the gigabit. (Verizon has already done this in at least Pennsylvania when shutting off the copper-based DSL (and not supplying FiOS). Verizon is forcing customers onto its wireless service.)
Pricing - There will be severe 'data caps' like wireless. As many know, the price for wireless is ridiculous as it is based on a package of 'gigs' of use. DSL has unlimited usage; Wireless plans can't supply serious streaming video based on the gig pricing, for example.
Speed - Fiber to the home can do 1Gbps. This wireless replacement service is going to be based on a modified 4G model.
We guarantee the 'tests' will say show remarkable speeds, at no/low costs, but history
shows they will have little to do with the reality a few years from now.
7) Verizon's Plan Is for a Bait-N-Switch: Promise Them Fiber to the Home; Give Them Inferior and More Expensive Wireless--to Make More Profits.
In statements by Verizon management, Verizon has no intention of doing fiber optic services but will pull a bait-n-switch and replace it with wireless. And this is not because it is technically better but because the company has manipulated the expenses and revenues so wireless makes more profits.
Francis Shammo, Verizon EVP, stated at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference, September 22, 2016:
"But it's going to be a fixed broadband wireless solution.
"And if you think about the cost benefit of that, today, if you think about FiOS and what it costs me to connect a prem to FiOS. I have to lay the fiber down the street, but then I also have to then connect the home, go into the home, make sure the wiring is right, put in install the boxes, install the routers.
"If you think about 5G, you put the fiber down the road, which is what we're doing in Boston. Then all of the labor and the expense of drilling up your driveway connecting the OT to your house and all the labor involved with that, all that goes away, because now I can deliver a beam into your - into a window with a credit card size receptor on it that delivers it to a wireless router, and there's really no labor involved and there's no real hardware other than the router in the credit card. So the cost benefit of this is pretty substantial, at least, we believe it is."
Coda:
There will be a number of updates to this story in the next few weeks focusing on the real question: Who paid for all of the wiring and what are the implications of these deployments being done as Title II, common carrier networks and part of the existing state utility infrastructure?
Follow Bruce Kushnick on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Brucekushnick |
Rapper Kendrick Lamar, in a watershed moment for the Pulitzer Prizes, accepted the award for music Wednesday in a ceremony at Columbia University.
Lamar, the first musician outside the classical and jazz genres to receive the honor, was cited for his album “DAMN.” In making the presentation, Columbia President Lee Bollinger described Lamar’s fourth LP as a “virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African American life.”
Pulitzer winners do not make acceptance speeches, but in a Facebook Live video on the Pulitzer Prizes page, Lamar told Sree Sreenivasan, “I’ve been writing my whole life, so to get this type of recognition ― it’s beautiful.”
The Pulitzer Prizes date to 1917 and honor outstanding work in journalism and the arts, letters and music. The first Pulitzer for music was awarded in 1943 to William Schuman for “Secular Cantata No. 2: A Free Song.”
Lamar joins the likes of Aaron Copland, Gian Carlo Menotti and Wynton Marsalis as a music honoree.
“DAMN.” was nominated for a Grammy, but Lamar lost the album of the year award to Bruno Mars.
After making the announcement of the Pulitzer honorees in April, Pulitzer Administrator Dana Canedy told The New York Times: “We are very proud of this selection. It means that the jury and the board judging system worked as it’s supposed to — the best work was awarded a Pulitzer Prize.” |
A program in Minnesota is offering American high school students the chance to live for a week with local immigrant families, to help counter misconceptions and create connections between U.S.-born and immigrant communities.
The nonprofit City Stay connects students from three private high schools in the Twin Cities with local Latino, Somali and Hmong host families ― representing the three largest immigrant communities in the state.
“We live in bubbles, largely interacting with people who look the way we do, dress the way we do, and that leads to mistrust and misconceptions,” founder Julie Knopp told The Huffington Post. “At the end of the day, it’s just about getting to know your neighbors.”
As part of the elective program, for which students pay a fee, the teens participate in the family lives of their hosts over the weekend and after school ― everything from cooking meals to running errands to playing sports.
During the week, they join in school lessons and activities facilitated by City Stay, including learning about immigrant communities from members of those communities. They also share with each other what they’ve learned from their time staying with a host family.
“It was so much fun,” said Trace, 14, who stayed with a Somali family in March through City Stay. He told HuffPost he is white and U.S.-born.
“Saturday, [host mom] Bahjo drove me to the Somali mall, which I didn’t even know about. We went to the mosque,” he said. “When we got home, I played video games with [host dad] Siciid for a while. Our cultures are only different a little bit, but we’re pretty similar, I learned that night.”
City Stay Members of local immigrant communities lead a lesson with students in City Stay.
The program is just five years old and still small: Only 60 students have done it, along with 20 host families, some of which have participated multiple times.
More than 85 percent of the students who’ve done the program are U.S.-born, and around 60 percent are white. The host families, meanwhile, represent a wide range of immigrant experiences. Some of the hosts are recent immigrants, while others were born and raised in the U.S. ― though most of the families have at least one person who was born outside the country, according to Knopp.
“It’s easy to just make assumptions and go into an experience like this with preconceived notions of the family ― or the person we’re hosting,” host Jewelly Lee told HuffPost. “But the learning that happens after, it makes it worth it.”
Lee has hosted students through the program for the past three years. She was born in the U.S. and has four generations living at home, including her parents, who came to the U.S. as refugees from Laos in the 1970s.
“I walk away learning so much more about the student, and I hope the student walks away learning about our family and our community,” she said. “And for my parents, to not be intimidated to speak English, they get to practice.”
City Stay / Abbi Slininger A City Stay student, at right, takes a selfie with a member of the Lee family.
Since the election of President Donald Trump, Knopp says she has seen more interest in the program ― but also more misconceptions, particularly about Muslim and undocumented Latino families, with some parents expressing concerns about their kids staying in certain communities.
While Knopp has to abide by parent requests, she said even students who end up not staying in a community will still hear about their classmates’ experiences ― and then they’ll take that new understanding home with them.
Xavier Tavera Two City Stay students pose with their host mom on the first night of their stay with a Somali family.
The program has its flaws, Lee noted. Her main concern is that the schools it works with are private ― which means only kids from a certain economic stratum are able to participate.
Knopp, who is a public school teacher, says she hopes to expand the program to public schools eventually, but regulations make it hard to introduce outside initiatives like this. In the meantime, City Stay offers scholarships to 90 percent of students to cover the $545 cost, in an effort to make it more inclusive.
Another issue, Lee noted, is that the program is focused on learning opportunities for the U.S.-born students, but not for the immigrant host families. Students get to process and share their experiences in class, while the host families don’t have a forum where they can get together to compare notes and exchange ideas.
Lee also noted that City Stay markets itself as a “study abroad”-type program, which she said might inadvertently reinforce the idea of immigrants in the U.S. as “other.”
Lee provides this type of feedback to Knopp regularly, she says, and Knopp has improved the program accordingly over the years. But there is still room to grow.
“How can we make sure the program is on the right path of being an exchange, and not continuing to perpetuate stereotypes or harming communities of color, immigrant families or inner-city families?” Lee said. “And broaden the experience of students and host families?”
Knopp concedes there is a lot to improve, and notes that the effort is all volunteer-run. In order to implement significant changes, she said, the program would need more funding.
“I think it would be powerful to have this model adapted in other cities,” she said. “Students’ experiences have a ripple effect: They invite their family to their host family’s house, or talk about it with their church community. A lot of people here do see people in other communities as ‘other’ ― but when their kid gets to know another community, they become advocates for one another.” |
This series profiles the most prominent and influential venture capitalists in the country. They talk about how they broke into the industry, what drives them, and what they have their eyes on, among other topics.
In this episode, I sit down with Rebecca Kaden, a General Partner at Maveron.
Info about Rebecca:
The Interview:
How did you get into VC?
Rebecca had been a journalist on the editorial and publishing side and got involved in monetizing great content, which introduced her to the digital media space. While attending Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, she met Bill Campbell, who would soon become a mentor of Rebecca’s. He asked her what she wanted to do next and while she knew her heart was in tech, she had always assumed she would end up on the operating side. However, Bill introduced her to the Maven team. She started hanging out with them while she was in school, and transitioned to a full-time role when she finished school.
“Silicon Valley as a whole is a place centered on this idea of belief: belief in people, belief in ideas, and belief in making the unimagined imaginable, and then bringing it into fruition. That’s definitely the core of the venture capital business and I think that kind of spirit of belief and imagination runs deep in Stanford and I was very lucky to be a part of it”
Identifying the next big company
Rebecca thinks the really fun (yet also the hard) part about consumer businesses is taking rational business models and marrying them with irrational consumer behavior. Consumer act on emotion, rather than the playbook marketers set up, and that’s where Rebecca thinks the magic of brands plays a role. Along with the right proportion of luck and timing, an iconic company can be born.
The firm believes that magic happens when 3 the best in class among 3 specific factors converge: people, product, and market.
Rebecca talks about how Maveron is a big believer in the entrepreneur and the firm is willing to take the product risk early on if there’s a great entrepreneur behind the wheel, and sometimes even the market risk.
“We look for entrepreneurs who live and breathe consumer, who are obsessed with makes the customer happy, who are detail-oriented, who go really fast, who can iterate on customer experiences quickly, and can really get into the minds of what customers want and how they think. We find that’s a common theme in these consumer businesses.”
In addition to the founder, Rebecca thinks it’s crucial to build the kind of brand that integrates with the hearts and minds of customers. She says when it comes to consumer as opposed to enterprise, it’s less about building something that’s never been built before, but rather doing it in a way that marries emotion, story, and experience.
“If you can be something that people feel proud to associate with, that’s super powerful and it’s sticky and can create a lot of equity value”
Allbirds
When Maveron invested in Allbirds, they didn’t have a lot of sales data or customer response, but they knew they had a team that was maniacally obsessed with the details and extremely customer-centric. They focused on the heritage story of the New Zealand merino wool and delivered a product that met a promise: crafting the world’s most comfortable shoe.
One of the aspects of a great product that Allbirds mastered applies to almost every consumer product. I’ll let Rebecca explain it herself:
“They had a singular message that resonated over and over and over. A lot go brands start and say, ‘We’re this and also that and we’re also that,’ and there’s so many great things in it. With Allbirds, that’s true and it was tempting: they’re sustainable and you can wash them. There are a lot of things to choose from. But they did a good job in the early days of choosing comfort as the core value prop and that specificity helped them create that vibrancy of the brand and that viral factor that people knew what to say about it over and over and over with a lot of ease.”
Common hurdles consumer brands face
Rebecca mentioned how almost every direct-to-consumer brand she’s seen struggles around inventory planning and buying because it’s often not a skill that the entrepreneurs have done before. It’s also extremely hard to predict demand in the early days.
She says the core question that anyone starting a physical product distributed online faces is: “Do we have enough product, are we making it in a cost-efficient way, and are people hearing about it with frequency and at a cheap cost to us?”
Women in VC
Diversity in the VC community is a top-of-mind issue for Rebecca. One of four of Maveron’s venture capitalists are women, well above the industry average. An interesting point that Rebecca raised is that 80% of consumer spending is done by women, so particularly at a consumer fund, having both genders represented is particularly important.
Rebecca is optimistic of change because some of the best VCs in the industry are women: Mary Meeker (KPCB), Kirsten Green (Forerunner Ventures), Ann Miura-Ko (Floodgate), Jenny Lee (GGC Capital), Rebecca Lynn (Canvas Ventures), Theresia Gouw (Aspect Ventures), etc.
Rebecca is also optimistic because she says women are really supportive of each other in the industry. She herself is a mentor to Anarghya Vardhana, a Senior Associate at Maveron.
Howard Schultz
Howard Schultz, the Executive Chairman of Starbucks, is a Cofounder of Maveron. When asked about how he’s influenced the firm, Rebecca said:
“What we get from Howard is a great sense of brand and a reminder of the importance of customer satisfaction and experience. Starbucks is an incredibly detail-oriented brand. They care about every interaction. They care about the details. We really take that to heart.”
Coffee is largely a commodity. You can get it everywhere. Why is Starbucks the best brand in the world? It’s remarkably consistent. It nailed experience. It created emotion out of a product and we try to find that in all the investments we try to do.
Size and Type of Investments
The vast majority of capital in the fund (and the returns) comes from Core (Series A) Investing, where the firm writes checks, on average, from $3-7 million, leading the round and almost always taking a board seat. This, along with reserving for following rounds, takes up 95% of the capital in the fund.
However, Maveron wants to be a part of entrepreneurs’ journeys from the early days so they can see them grow the company and make decisions like hiring, scaling, etc. This is the basis of the seed program. |
The violent extremism on display in Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend was a wake-up call to anyone in our country who believes in equality and justice for all. We all can – and must – do better.
In a nation that seems deeply divided, sports provide a continuing gathering place where people come together to celebrate their team. And beyond the game – when it comes to important societal issues – athletes show up, they care and, oftentimes, they can bring people to the table who wouldn’t otherwise be there.
Last week, thousands of sports fans descended on Canton, Ohio, to celebrate the induction of six new members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Before the induction ceremony, Hall of Fame President David Baker spoke to a crowd that included nearly every living member of the Hall of Fame. He spoke about their role, as leaders, in bringing people together to improve our country.
“This is a game, and we are a people that can bring people together,” he said. “The time to huddle up is now.”
Much of the discussion about professional athletes seeking to use their platforms to drive social change has focused on former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. His individual choice to kneel during the national anthem provoked cheers and jeers. Whether or not you agree with his means of protest, he reignited a significant conversation around racial equality and the role professional athletes play in raising awareness about injustice in society.
Through our work with athletes in nearly every professional league, we at the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE) have found that professional athletes have an unmatched ability to bring people together while forcing a spotlight onto some of our nation’s biggest problems.
Whether it’s calling for equal pay for equal work, advocating for criminal justice reform or attempting to bridge the racial divisions in America, educated and involved athletes have a critical role to play in shining a light on injustice and in shifting the conversation on larger social issues to create real positive change – even in the wake of horrific displays of bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism and violence such as those by white nationalists and neo-Nazis last weekend.
The fallout from what happened in Charlottesville is still unknown, but a number of athletes have begun to lead a conversation on what needs to happen next.
LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers earned more than 3 million likes in a series of tweets that called for the need to better educate our youth not to hate and not to judge based on race, religion or background. Malcolm Jenkins of the Philadelphia Eagles similarly encouraged people to continue resisting against violence and injustice, while Michael Bennett of the Seattle Seahawks knelt during the national anthem at Saturday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers and cited Charlottesville as a reason to “use my platform to be able to continuously speak on injustice.”
Athletes already have been taking tangible steps to advance these causes.
Jenkins and Anquan Boldin, now of the Buffalo Bills, have made two visits to Capitol Hill in the past 10 months, meeting directly with our country’s top legislators to advocate for criminal justice reform and the need to take concrete steps to improve relations between law enforcement and minority communities. After initial meetings in November, Boldin and Jenkins were joined by Johnson Bademosi of the Detroit Lions and retired player Dante Stallworth for a three-day visit to Washington in March to better understand the process of working with Congress and learn what they can do as athletes and community leaders to influence change.
Last month, Serena Williams wrote a powerful essay for Fortune to promote Black Women’s Equal Pay Day – acknowledging the seven additional months into 2017 that an African-American woman had to work to earn the same amount of money that a white male earned in 2016. Closing the gender pay gap is an issue that many activists and politicians have spoken about at length, but Williams brought a newfound attention to it. Her essay in Fortune was picked up by countless news outlets, including CBS, Forbes, CNN and the Huffington Post, giving the cause new life.
Players in the WNBA have been among the most socially active athletes in the country. Last season, even before Kaepernick began his much-publicized protests, players across the WNBA united to raise awareness for similar issues of racial injustices and the need for improved relations between law enforcement and minorities.
Players from the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx, Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury all took unified stands for these causes through on-court displays of solidarity and off-court interviews. While the league initially fined players for wearing non-sanctioned apparel during pregame warmups that expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement and honored the memory of the Dallas 5 – the five police officers who were gunned down in July 2016 during what was meant to be a peaceful protest – the WNBA ultimately embraced its players’ activism.
The league realized it was in its best interest to support these players and in turn showed support for its fan base by taking an interest in matters that affected their communities.
Retired WNBA player Swin Cash, who now works as director of franchise development for the Liberty, has been among those at the forefront of athlete activism.
As part of her efforts, this coming weekend, RISE is partnering with the Liberty to continue this important work. On Sunday, Aug. 20, we are helping to organize a Unity Game when the Liberty hosts the Lynx at Madison Square Garden. Among other activities that highlight the unity theme, the day will feature a pregame panel discussion with players, law enforcement officials and community leaders aimed at developing a solution-oriented agenda focused on creating positive change in the community.
What happened in Charlottesville showed us that we as a nation have a lot more work to do. Professional athletes can play a key role in leading the conversations and progress on these important issues.
We can expect more athletes to embrace roles as activists, and we should embrace them when they do. |
On Sunday, what would have been Charlie Chaplin’s 128th birthday, hundreds of people gathered in costume at the silent film star’s former home in Switzerland, the Associated Press reported.
Mustachioed participants donned black bowler hats with sharp jackets and walking canes, mimicking Chaplin’s famous getup as the Little Tramp, his best-known character. They gathered in front of the estate where Chaplin spent the last 25 years of his life, which opened as Chaplin’s World museum in April of last year in the village Corsier-sur-Vevey on Lake Geneva.
RICHARD JUILLIART via Getty Images A truly little Tramp.
According to the museum, 662 Tramps of all ages showed up, posing for a photo in a star formation. (Because, you know, Hollywood.)
They also had fun with their hats.
We did it! 662 people dressed as the Tramp are gathering to celebrate our first anniversary. #IamPartoftheLegend #ChaplinsWorld pic.twitter.com/pAD7pDq7nT — Chaplin's World (@chaplins_world) April 16, 2017 |
An engineer whose 40-ton homemade submarine sank off Denmark’s eastern coast late last week has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a journalist last seen aboard the vessel.
Peter Madsen is being held on suspicion of manslaughter in the death of Kim Wall, 30, a Swedish journalist who boarded Madsen’s sub for a short voyage on Thursday.
Wall never returned from the trip, and authorities on Sunday told reporters that investigators suspect the sinking of the submarine was a “deliberate act.”
Wall has worked for several media outlets, including The New York Times and Vice magazine. She was reportedly working on a story about Madsen when she disappeared.
Scanpix Denmark / Reuters The UC3 Nautilus is seen in Copenhagen Harbor, Denmark, on Aug. 11, 2017.
Madsen, 46, made headlines in 2008, when he used crowdfunding to finance construction of the nearly 60-foot submarine, which he dubbed the UC3 Nautilus. The eight-passenger vessel was, at the time, the largest known amateur-built submarine.
The Danish Navy launched a search for the sub early Friday, after Wall’s boyfriend reported that it had not returned to Copenhagen.
According to The Associated Press, boat owner Kristian Isbak, who responded to a call for assistance from the authorities, spotted the Nautilus floating in nearby Koge Bay at about 11 a.m. Friday. Isbak said he saw Madsen standing in the submarine’s tower.
“He then climbed down inside the submarine and there was then some kind of air flow coming up and the submarine started to sink,” Isbak told the AP. “[He] came up again and stayed in the tower until water came into it.”
BAX LINDHARDT via Getty Images Peter Madsen, after his rescue on Aug. 11, 2017.
As the vessel sank, Madsen reportedly swam to a nearby boat. Once back on shore, he told Danish television station TV2 that the sub sank after “a minor problem turned into a major issue.”
“It took about 30 seconds for Nautilus to sink, and I couldn’t close any hatches or anything,” Madsen told the station. “But I guess that was pretty good because I otherwise still would have been down there.”
Questioned by authorities about the whereabouts of Wall, Madsen allegedly said he’d dropped her off at Copenhagen Harbor Thursday night. Madsen has since changed his story, according to the BBC, but police have not released additional information about his alleged statements.
On Saturday, Madsen’s sub was lifted out of the bay, where it had been lying at a depth of about 23 feet. Wall was not found inside.
JENS NOERGAARD LARSEN via Getty Images Police technicians investigate the rescued submarine on Aug. 13, 2017.
That same day, Madsen was ordered jailed after prosecutor Louise Pedersen filed preliminary charges against him “for having killed in an unknown way and in an unknown place Kim Isabell Frerika Wall... sometime after Thursday 5 p.m.”
Madsen’s lawyer, Betina Engmark, told The Associated Press that her client maintains his innocence and is “willing to cooperate.”
Authorities have not said why they suspect the submarine was intentionally scuttled. They are reportedly examining the vessel’s electronics for clues as to where it traveled after it left the docks.
Twittercom/kimw4ll Kim Wall was last seen on Thursday.
Wall’s family is still hoping for the best.
“It is with a great concern that we, her family, received the news that Kim is missing after an interview with Peter Madsen in Denmark,” the family wrote in a statement to the Committee to Protect Journalists. “We sincerely hope that she will be found and that she is well.”
Tips? Feedback? Send David Lohr an email or follow him on Twitter.
Missing People Missing People |
Isn’t it nice when the dots are connecting in some new way when it comes to our health? In my last article I shared the latest research and subsequent discovery of the glymphatic system. This has tremendous import for how we can understand the health of the brain and the techniques that can contribute to that health.
There is another discovery to share. But before I do, let me say a word about the health of the gut. Our society seems fraught with gut issues, everything from IBS to leaky gut to constipation, to bacteria deficiency just to name a few. One issue I wish to bring us is leaky gut.
Just like the brain has a protective barrier to support and help it maintain balance in the meningeal and craniosacral system, the gut has a mucosal lining acting as a protective barrier to help keep the digestive process protected and in tact. When acid is too high in the digestive tract holes called microtears happen. And as these holes grow the gut leaks (hence leaky gut syndrome,) and food leaves the protective cavity entering the abdominal and pelvic cavity.
That sounds terrible doesn’t it? To make matter worse the immune system, patrolling the body to tackle invaders that might be harmful perceives the food as a foreigner and dangerous. Rightly so, for the food is in a place it is not supposed to be. The immune system swarms in, using valuable resources meant for true invaders, and gobbles up the food.
Why does leaking gut happen? It seems one of the main contributors is our poor eating habits. Processed and high sugar foods increase the acid that in turn eats away at the lining. In addition, Jeffrey Smith says GMOs are harmful in this way as well. GMOs are genetically engineered mechanisms engineers to ‘create rips or holes in the gut of insects to destroy them.’ Sometimes they come from a whole range of things we eat and creep into the flora and fauna of our gut and seem to evoke the same stress response.
It seems we have moved far away from the brain haven’t we? Well not for long.
This brings me to the other piece of latest research. Recently scientists at the University of Virginia discovered what has long been suspected but never proven: there is a nerve track running from the meningeal system directly to the gut! Meaning the communication between the two is hard wired.
Where there is stress in one, the other will be influenced. That is certainly the down side. But the up side is that the opposite is also true. Where health prevails in one, the other will be influenced. And techniques working with the meningeal and craniosacral systems reach through the body all the way to the gut.
This is one way healthy eating can contribute to a healthy brain. And when modalities such as CranioSacral Therapy are utilized the cleansing and balancing for the brain reaches the gut. In turn the immune system is free to do its job with TRUE invaders. |
Rooting for Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick’s happiness is the great Sisyphean struggle of reality TV, and now it looks like that boulder might crush them both.
In a clip from Sunday’s upcoming episode of “Keeping up the Kardashians,” Kardashian and momager Kris Jenner have a totally casual sit-down about Disick, with whom Kardashian split nearly two years ago.
But when Jenner tries telling her daughter that her actions sometimes make Disick jealous, the mother of three has absolutely none of it.
“Well, that’s really not fair,” Kardashian says. “It’s just like I can’t even live my life. I can’t even go anywhere. He needs to get a f**king life and leave me alone. All he does is try to make everybody else feel bad for him and try to make me look like the bad guy in this situation when, clearly, I’m not, from 10 years of this going on.”
The former couple share three children ― son Mason, 7, daughter Penelope, 4, and son Reign, 2 ― but that hasn’t stopped Disick from cuddling up to a menagerie of younger women, including teenagers Bella Thorne and Sofia Richie.
“Wouldn’t you be sad if he truly left you alone?” Jenner (aka all of us) fires back. “You always want what you can’t have. And when somebody’s right there giving you their heart on a platter.”
“He’s not! He’s not, though!” a heated Kardashian says. “That’s what he makes it seem! To you, to Kim, to Khloe, to the world, to everybody! He sits there and grovels and feels bad for himself. So if that was his truth, why can’t he get it together?”
“I have to handle it when he’s out photographed with a different hooker every day.” |
Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you. |
Recently I have seen all the buzz about the newest motivational book to hit the market, titled “The Mind Of A Winner” by economic empowerment advocate and award-winning branding expert - Steve Canal. Established business leaders ranging from Gary Vaynerchuk, James Rhee, 2 Chainz, Daymond John, Swin Cash, Barbara Corcoran and more have all commended Steve Canal's “The Mind of a Winner” movement surrounding the release of this much needed book.
I was so excited to receive an advance copy of “The Mind Of A Winner” , I have to admit I couldn’t stop reading it and finished it in one weekend. Canal’s book takes a deep dive into personal growth with the intent to cut your learning curve and inspire a winning mindset that will put readers on the path to achieving success with purpose. "The Mind of a Winner" rose to #1 on the Amazon Best Seller list in less than 24 hours and I have to say it elevated my mindset throughout each page I consumed.
I had a chance to catch up with Steve Canal (not an easy task, with such an in-demand business man) to talk about unlocking the mind of a winner and his tips to having a winning mindset.
“Unlocking The Mind of a Winner takes a relentless determination and rare drive into the realm where miracles happen. Those who make these Power Moves are usually part of a movement much bigger than themselves that ultimately disrupt the common way of thinking and alters your approach to life. I have listed my 10 Power Moves that will guide you into having a winning mindset” states author Steve Canal.
Steve Canal’s 10 Power Moves For Having The Mind Of A Winner:
We all are good at something, but the difference between making it a hobby or a business is the discipline and work you put behind it. Never just rely on the gift. Train your mind to flush out what you want to accomplish, then take the first actionable step which is writing out your goal. It’s easy to get emotional about those who come in and out of your life, but the time we spend with people should be of value and have a purpose. Your time should be earned and not easily passed around. Don’t allow the shortsightedness of others deter you from being great. Have faith in your vision and be mentally tough. Nothing great or worth having ever comes easy. The bumpy road may take a little longer and require more grit and willingness to sacrifice, but getting out of your comfort zone is where you grow and learn. In the end, the extra effort will be well worth it and much more appreciated. The shortcut path lacks lessons and doesn’t challenge your mind, which ultimately helps you to properly develop. Believe that if you keep working hard you will eventually get to the positive result you want. Activate the mentality to say whether it takes me two months, two years, or ten years, I’m going to get there. Then work your tail off and stay the course. The ability to communicate your vision is a key component to your growth. Figuring out how your relationships can help further develop your brand, along with help you properly develop and grow will put you at a competitive advantage. The entire gravitational pull of discipline creates a winning atmosphere and mindset. Thinking about the worst-case scenario is a great exercise. As you think about and consider your worst fears you quickly realized that each circumstance may be something you can handle. This method will help stare pitfalls in the face, but ultimately circumvent them because the thoughts prepare you for the worst and calm the fear of the outcome. Visualization is a key. Sit back and play out your plan like a movie in your mind. See all the moving parts, people involved and how you ultimately reach your goal. Make it a habit to play out your journey.
Remember, you only live once, so why not be great! - Steve Canal |
“They’ve been talking with this gentleman for a long time. You read Clinton’s book, he said, ‘Oh, we made such a great peace deal,’ and it was a joke.
You look at different things over the years with President Obama. Everybody has been outplayed, they’ve all been outplayed by this gentleman and we’ll see what happens. But I just don’t telegraph my moves.” |
While playing in an Eastern Conference playoff game for the Miami Heat, LeBron James reportedly gained 7 pounds, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
The anecdote appears in a story Windhorst published Monday, chronicling James’ renewed effort to maintain his health deeper into the season. Of the rapid 7-pound gain, Windhorst writes that “teammates saw the scale and attest to it in amazement,” and James himself calls the incident “weird as hell.”
Did James consume 7 pounds of water and food over the course of the game? Or is the basketball star putting us all on, stoking the fires of his legend?
We’ll probably never know ― not that it matters. James certainly doesn’t need a story like this to solidify his place among the greatest basketball players of all time.
Still, Twitter reactions to the ESPN story were entertaining.
I would love to not relate to LeBron's ability to gain seven pounds while exercising. — no karm no foul (@IanKarmel) March 19, 2018
If LeBron really wanted to impress me, he'd gain 14.5 pounds in a single playoff game: the weight of the Larry O'Brien trophy. — Andrew Lynch (@AndrewLynch) March 19, 2018
This is some Kim Jong Un bullshit — Dong Overton (@DongOverton) March 19, 2018
All the weight of the entire team on your back will do that — Justin Tucker = GOAT (@baseballdingerr) March 19, 2018
We All Know Why pic.twitter.com/XB5TWL3U3M — RT (@_RJ191) March 19, 2018
LeBron facts has surpassed Chuck Norris facts — MNclone (@IPA2thebeach) March 19, 2018 |
Two weeks ago, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights rescinded two Obama-era guidance documents that instructed schools how to address sexual violence on campus. In new interim guidance, the Department made recommendations on a handful of issues. The new recommendations allow, but do not require, schools to depart from prior practices. One provision that has attracted substantial attention states that schools can now choose whether to use a “preponderance of the evidence” standard or “clear and convincing” standard in deciding these cases, so long as it is the same standard they use in other student misconduct matters. Under the Obama-era guidance, schools were instructed to use the preponderance standard.
The reaction to this change was swift, and from many corners, extreme. Anti-sexual assault activists decried the revocation of the old guidance as an attack on survivors of sexual assault. The youth-led group Know Your IX stated “Today’s guidance allows schools to systematically stack campus investigations against survivors and push survivors out of school.” Stanford Law professor Michelle Dauber tweeted “Trump Administration declares open season on college women for rapists. He is waging war on women.” Conservative commentators and pro-due process groups heralded the changes; some saw it as the end to a “war on men” they believe has overtaken college campuses. Journalist Ashe Schow crowed “For 6 years it has been open season on innocent men on campus, that changed today.” Lawyer Justin Dillon compared survivors’ rights groups like Know Your IX to the Death Star, and accused students’ advocates to Luke Skywalker.
Now that the dust has settled on the new announcement, and before the Department issues proposed regulations for public comment, it seems to be a good time to stop and think about what all of the arguing and hand wringing is really about. I (and others) have previously argued that there is plenty of room for consensus on improvements to existing campus sexual assault procedures. Everyone seems to agree that these processes should be fair and transparent, and respect the rights of all students involved.
The reaction to DeVos’ announcement shows that people on different sides of this debate nonetheless have fundamentally different concepts of the purpose of these adjudications. For proponents of the Obama-era guidance, the goal is to make the process “equal” for complainant and respondent. According to these groups, the preponderance of the evidence standard—in which both parties start on equal footing and the decisionmaker decides if the evidence tips the scale even the slightest bit one way or the other—achieves this goal. Those who favor this standard argue that Title IX is a civil law, the standard of evidence in a civil court case is by a preponderance, and that should therefore be the standard within school adjudications. (This argument misses some nuance of the law in this area, for example, that plaintiffs bear the initial burden of making out a case for discrimination). In this view of Title IX, the dispute is between the complainant and the respondent—the school’s role is to serve as arbiter.
For those who decry the lack of procedural protections in campus sexual misconduct adjudications, the dispute is not between accuser and accused any more than a criminal case is between the alleged victim and the defendant. The adjudication is one in which the institution seeks to determine whether a student is entitled to remain a part of the school community. In Title IX adjudications the consequences for respondents are punitive—often suspension or expulsion. In that sense, it is akin to a criminal prosecution. For those that hold this view the very idea of “equalizing” the playing field between complainant and respondent is nonsensical—the institution is only looking to punish one of the students, and that student should have protections to ensure that that punishment is meted out fairly.
Neither of these views fully captures campus sexual misconduct adjudications’ hybrid role. Title IX requires schools to address gender discrimination. Schools cannot ignore the complainant’s needs or the entire purpose of Title IX is missed. But school disciplinary procedures contain power disparities between the institution and the accused and a risk of punishment, like criminal proceedings. To treat these disputes as solely between two students ignores the purpose of campus disciplinary procedures: for the school to enforce its rules through punishment, often suspension or expulsion.
Much of the arguing between these groups is premised on an assumption that the only way to redress and prevent a hostile environment is to separate students from the school. We should be exploring whether schools can achieve Title IX’s purpose of ensuring that students are free from discrimination without relying only on extreme discipline. Some have suggested that restorative justice approaches might meet these needs. We should also be examining the appropriate use of alternative dispute resolution, mediation, and forms of punishments other than suspension and expulsion.
It is not clear whether the two camps can ever fully bridge their conceptual divide. We should, however, understand these different views, recognize that we must move beyond analogizing Title IX solely to criminal and civil cases, and think creatively about alternative resolutions if we are going to redress discrimination and provide fair processes for students facing discipline. |
Proving that America is already great, 128 student body presidents from the nation’s top universities have united behind a joint letter that repudiates white supremacy and bigotry, while scrutiny of Donald Trump’s response to Charlottesville intensifies.
Collin Rees In Charlottesville, a heroic group of students, surrounded by torch-bearing neo-Nazis, stand bravely against white nationalism and the alt-right. Meanwhile, over 120 student body presidents from across the nation are expressing their solidarity with them.
The image is one of the most striking to come out of Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend, where an alt-right rally of white nationalists dubbed “Unite the Right” turned violent, leaving at least three people dead and prompting Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe to declare a state of emergency. The picture depicts a small group of brave students from the University of Virginia, the state’s flagship university located in the heart of Charlottesville, huddled together with arms linked as a sea of torch-bearing neo-Nazis and open-carrying white supremacists march towards them.
Not long after the image went viral, a group of more than 120 student body presidents from colleges across the United States joined together to show their support in a joint letter of solidarity with the brave students of Charlottesville. The letter offers a swift and unified repudiation of bigotry, white supremacy, and violence, something even the President of the United States himself has failed to do with any real force or grit. In publicly denouncing the white nationalist insurgency that has seemed to grip America in recent months and years, these young people are proving, unequivocally, that despite recent troubles facing our great nation, that the future of America is in good hands.
The letter reads, in part:
We are deeply saddened by the events that have occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia...College campuses are spaces that students should be able to call home, not places of violence, hate, and racism.
We collectively call on one another to speak up in the face of injustice, as silence reduces us to bystanders in oppression. This is a statement to not only support the Student Body at the University of Virginia but to make clear our advocacy for the victimized and marginalized students on all our campuses.
We will continue to support students and universities in their peaceful resistance to violence, racism, white supremacy, bigotry, and acts of terrorism on our own campuses and beyond.
19-year-old David Thompson, a political science major and student body president of University of South Florida at St. Petersburg, told HuffPost that the idea for the letter came about after a group of fellow presidents, who had become acquainted at a leadership summit hosted by the National Campus Leadership Council in June, spoke the night of the demonstrations. Nonplussed by the events transpiring before their eyes, they went to work drafting a statement together/ over 24 hours and released it on their respective social media pages.
University of Virgina Twitter Account (@uva) Beta Bridge, the notable bridge on the UVA campus that frequently touts messages of hope and humor, immediately opted to comment.
Thompson says the goal of the letter is to show solidarity and support with students at the University of Virginia, and to denounce the bigotry, racism, and violence on display there over there weekend. “As student body presidents, we share a responsibility to defend and represent our [classmates], particularly during times like these. We wanted to let [UVA Student Body President Emily Lodge] there know she had our support.”
It is not the first time since Donald Trump’s inauguration in January that young people have stood unified against the insurgency of the alt-right, a movement then-candidate Trump legitimized during the 2016 presidential campaign, and launched into the mainstream with his electoral college victory in November. In February, Students at UC Berkeley made headlines over protests of former Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulous in February after the controversial hate speech artist was scheduled to speak on campus. UC Berkeley’s Student Body President is one of the signors of the joint letter.
Ben Margot / AP Protestors of former Breitbart News editor Milo Yiannopoulos seen in Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley campus on Feb. 1, 2017.
To be sure, the news coming out of Charlottesville is both harrowing and horrifying, painting a picture of America in decline, sliding backwards into a shameful era of racism and bigotry. But the real story here is the quiet, unwavering defiance of young people both in Charlottesville and all over the country who have silently banded together and consistently risen to the occasion in opposing hateful or regressive policies, orders, and fascism.
The full letter and all 128 signatures: |
WASHINGTON ― If taxpayers are looking for someone to blame for federal deficits and the state of the U.S. tax code as the filing deadline approaches, a good place to start might be the mirror.
For decades, politicians from both parties have told Americans their federal taxes are too high, or even that they’ve been increasing. For their part, voters have been eager to believe them, making the promise of a “middle-class tax cut” a perennial campaign favorite.
President Donald Trump talked about it on the trail, and again last week: “The middle class has just been taken advantage of in this country for so many years,” he told Fox Business.
Yet for decades, that underlying premise has been wrong: Americans at almost every income level are paying a smaller percentage of their salaries in federal taxes than they were 10, 20 even 30 years ago.
Only the richest one-fifth of households are paying a higher percentage in federal taxes than they were a decade or two ago, and that’s only because of increases passed under former President Barack Obama to pay for his signature health care law.
Meaning that for liberals who support the idea of a progressive income tax ― one that imposes higher rates on the wealthy ― the promise of a middle-class tax reduction as part of a coming “tax reform” package could actually be a Trojan horse. Given House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) longtime desire to lower the top rates, any reduction for middle and lower-income taxpayers would almost certainly be dwarfed by savings for the wealthiest.
“They keep saying: There are not going to be any tax cuts for the rich. Yeah, right,” said Roberton Williamson, with the liberal-leaning Tax Policy Center.
“It’s almost became a religious belief, a religious cult. Tax cuts are an elixir for everything. They are always good,” said Norman Ornstein, of the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, who in recent years has grown critical of congressional Republicans. “And the lowest rates are best for the richest, since they drive the economy. Evidence is not a part of this.”
Joshua Roberts / Reuters House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has long wanted to lower tax rates for the rich. Whatever tax reform legislation Congress passes will likely be signed by President Donald Trump.
While supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) may disagree, the tax code today already leans heavily on the country’s wealthy. The richest 1 percent of households in the nation pays 25 percent of all federal taxes. That includes personal income tax, payroll taxes, corporate income taxes and excise taxes – according to a 2016 analysis by the Congressional Budget Office.
The richest one-fifth ― whose average income in 2013, the latest year available in the CBO report, was $265,000 ― paid 69 percent of all federal taxes collected by the U.S. Treasury that year.
The middle 20 percent ― whose average household income was $69,700 ― paid 9 percent of all federal taxes.
That share of the total burden worked out to an average federal tax rate of 12.8 percent in 2013, compared with 13.6 percent in 2003, 17.2 percent in 1993, and 17.5 percent in 1983 ― immediately after President Ronald Reagan’s big first-term tax cuts.
That overall tax reduction is similar to other income groups: The poorest 20 percent saw their average federal tax rate drop from 8.7 percent in 1983 to 3.3 percent in 2013. The next one-fifth of households saw their federal tax rate drop from 12.8 percent to 8.4 percent.
Only the wealthiest one-fifth saw their average federal rate go up, from 23.8 percent in 1983 to 26.3 percent in 2013 ― but that was only because of tax increases under Obama following his re-election. That group’s tax rate had been 23.9 percent in 2012.
“We basically have had a downward ratchet, and haven’t raised taxes on the vast majority of people since the 1980s,” said Jason Furman, chairman of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers during his second term.
It’s almost became a religious belief, a religious cult. Tax cuts are an elixir for everything. They are always good. Norman Ornstein, American Enterprise Institute
Unlike Republicans’ push to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which Democrats uniformly oppose, the idea of tax “reform” is one that could gain some Democratic support.
After all, the tax code and the Internal Revenue Service that administers it are almost uniformly disliked. Arguments to make tax law simpler and fairer sound attractive on their face ― a fact the Trump White House and its allies are counting on.
“Many Democrats have reached out to say that they want to help on this process too. They recognize it’s been 30 years since significant tax reform was done,” White House legislative affairs director Marc Short said recently. “I think there will be bipartisan interest to work on tax reform.”
Yet if Democrats do wind up agreeing to work for a tax package with the shared goal of “closing loopholes” and simplifying the code, they could inadvertently wind up with a system far less progressive in its structure than the existing one,
“Trump is very good at shiny, symbolic gestures,” said Harry Stein, director of fiscal policy at the liberal Center for American Progress. “And this is something progressives are going to have to watch for in tax reform.”
Even the idea of eliminating the many dozens of deductions and credits with the promise of ending giveaways to the well-connected ignores that most of the biggest deductions and credits are those that benefit the average taxpayer, not a particular special interest.
The biggest of the “tax expenditures,” as Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation calls them, lets employers deduct health insurance premiums for their workers as a business expense. That alone costs the U.S. Treasury $220 billion a year. Eliminating it would make health insurance more expensive for every single American who gets it as an employee benefit.
The second-biggest tax break comes from something most homeowners don’t even realize they’re getting. The ability to live in one’s home rent-free may not seem like a tax break ― but it offers homeowners a substantial tax advantage over renters. Monthly rent payments are treated as taxable income by landlords, and that extra cost is built into the rent. Meanwhile, the so-called “imputed income” of not having to pay yourself rent to live in your home goes untaxed by the IRS. The price tag in uncollected revenue: $105 billion a year, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation.
That total does not include the deduction for mortgage interest on those homes ― worth $68 billion ― and local property taxes on those homes ― an additional $36 billion.
Letting taxpayers deduct their state and local income taxes from their federal taxes costs the treasury $55 billion. Charitable deductions cost $59 billion.
In contrast, the tax breaks politicians typically point to as abuses are significantly smaller. The “carried interest” loophole that lets some investment managers pay a reduced rate on their income costs the treasury about $2 billion a year. The “corporate jet” loophole costs the treasury $300 million a year.
“That is where good analysis is so important,” Stein said, adding that Democrats should not get snookered into agreeing to a deal that closes a few loopholes, but winds up giving the wealthy much more valuable rate reductions in exchange. “There are provisions that are important, but do not have as much value.”
Americans at almost every income level are paying a smaller percentage of their salaries in federal taxes than they were 10, 20 even 30 years ago.
The current tax code, of course, did not become complicated one day by itself. Each deduction, each credit, was passed either on its own, or as part of a package by Congress and then approved by the president at the time.
Chris Edwards, with the libertarian Cato Institute, said a fair number of those benefit specific, small constituencies, and only passed because lawmakers traded votes with each other. “It’s mostly the result of log-rolling,” he said. “Congress often passes laws that do not reflect the interests of the American public.”
But while some of the breaks are industry-specific with dubious public policy benefit, many were passed to encourage what was considered a desirable social objective.
Parents, for example, benefit from $24 billion in credits for having minor children, and $5 billion in credits for day care expenses. Owners of clean-fuel cars get credits totaling $670 million. Investors in “clean coal” plants benefit from $400 million a year. Employers and employees putting money into retirement plans get a number of big-dollar breaks: $65 billion for employer-sponsored plans, $31 billion for self-employed plans, and $17 billion for those putting money into IRAs.
Other breaks go to taxpayers facing particular challenges. Benefits flowing to disabled coal miners are not taxed, costing the treasury $20 million a year. Blind taxpayers get a break that costs the government $40 million.
Those keen on cleaning up the tax code will be faced with justifying the elimination of tax breaks for the blind, or the disabled. Or explaining why ending incentives to save for retirement makes sense in the long run.
In other words: Tax reformers will face the exact issues that led to the passage of those tax breaks and credits in the first place.
And while some tax economists argue that the code should not be the place to effect government policy, doing so offers some advantages. Creating a government program to help parents with child care, for instance, would mean administering it, adding to the bureaucracy. Offering tax credits brings the same result, but much less intrusively, said the American Enterprise Institute’s Ornstein.
“If you don’t like government bureaucracies, or if you believe the better, less obtrusive way to do so is through the tax code, then you should do more of it,” he said.
Tax cuts and tax reform has been the singular glue holding the Republican Party since Newt Gingrich became speaker of the House. They have to deliver. Chris Edwards, Cato Institue
But for advocates of simplifying the tax code and lowering rates, the current environment, with Republicans running both chambers of Congress and Trump in the White House, offers the best opportunity in decades for getting anything done.
“Tax cuts and tax reform has been the singular glue holding the Republican Party since Newt Gingrich became speaker of the House,” said the Cato Institute’s Edwards. “Whatever they pass, he’ll sign.”
That knowledge, proponents of a progressive tax structure warn, should keep lawmakers who don’t want to see a plan skewed in favor of the wealthy on their guard.
Furman said that Democrats who want to close loopholes that would truly make the code fairer could push to end preferential treatment for capital gains and dividends, which combined currently cost the Treasury $122 billion a year. That would revert the code to how it was following the 1986 tax reform under Reagan, when “unearned” income was taxed identically to wage income.
That differential tax treatment disproportionately benefits the wealthiest, who own the most assets that generate that kind of income. Eliminating that break could also start making up for the dramatic increase in income and wealth the richest one-fifth have enjoyed ― and only the richest one-fifth ― since Reagan’s tax cuts.
“Whatever you thought progressivity should have been 30 years ago, you should think it should be more so now,” Furman said.
But with Republicans ― and some Democrats ― not at all likely to go along with that, Furman said a small step that would actually encourage more efficient investments in the economy would be to tax capital gains every year, rather than only when the asset is sold. That would end the incentive to hold onto underperforming stocks merely to avoid taxes in any given year, Furman said.
In any event, said Stein from the Center for American Progress, Democrats need to pay attention and sweat the details of anything Trump and congressional Republicans offer as they unroll their tax-reform plans in the coming weeks. |
It has happened again — a devastating mass murder that has captured the headlines, as well as the fears of millions of Americans, who have seen this latest one in Las Vegas over and over again in 24 hour news cycles. It is hard to watch. No doubt, those that suffered it (and lived) are feeling the horrible effects of PTSD. It is a terrible story that everyone is tired of seeing. Mass murders have become all too common. This time the alleged murderer is Stephen Paddock, and over night he became a household name for all the wrong reasons. Although, even as I write this, there is growing speculation of others supporting him in various roles.
What is also predictable is the polarizing response of politicians of all ideological persuasions. The two main positions are the guns must go (or be seriously curtailed) crowd and the gun rights must be guaranteed with as little infringement as possible constituency. It gets old. It is also a potential distraction as to the horrible reality of mass murderers — they cannot be stopped with new gun control laws. Of course, the gun owner crowd believes if you take away the guns, all other liberties are vulnerable. If you ask most Second Amendment voters that only had a choice of a gun or their vote, they would likely choose the former. Meanwhile, gun control voters are bent on stopping the violence, and since the most common tool for these mass murders in this country are guns, it is easy to turn to them as the weapons that have to go or (at least) be harder to get. The problem with this is that it ignores some of the realities about mass murderers. It only impacts law abiding citizens who would never murder anyone, be it with guns, trucks, or other tools of mass killings.
Mass murderers are evil or sick, but they are not necessarily stupid. The argument that taking away guns from mass murderers would prevent them from happening defies all reason. There is no evidence to support such a claim. One of the biggest mass murders in US history, the bombing of the Bath School, led to the death of 44 and the injury of many others, was done without a single gun involved back in 1927. The same was true with the Oklahoma City bombing, which again was not done with guns, found 168 dead and hundreds more injured. I think gun control advocates get confused about what kind of business these evil people believe they are in. They are killers, the choice of weapon is not particularly consequential. In Japan, where gun laws are among the most restrictive in the world, poison gas was used to kill people in a subway. In France, we saw a truck plow down innocent lives. I am sure that some of these sick people relish the challenge of pulling these murders off as part of a game. When it is harder, it might only be more interesting and not a deterrent.
Also, mass murderers have no problem breaking the law — repeatedly. In every single story I have seen about a mass murderer, there was eventually found proof of other laws that were broken before the slayings. Often, like in the case of Adam Lanza (of Sandy Hook infamy), dozens of laws were violated. The fact that the crime these people are noted for — the killing of many — should make us not at all surprise that they violate several other laws along the way. This is the sheer insanity of more gun restrictions — they ignore the way the criminal mind works. These criminals would cynically argue that you “have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.” For these monsters, the “omelet” would be their many victims and the eggs would be the many laws along the way. |
Greg Zanis is honoring the lives lost during the mass shooting in Las Vegas in his own beautiful way.
The 66-year-old retired carpenter crafted a cross for each of the 58 victims, drove them nearly 2,000 miles from his home in the suburbs of Chicago and installed them on the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, the Associated Press reports.
Drew Angerer via Getty Images Fifty-eight white crosses for the victims of Sunday night's mass shooting stand on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip, October 5, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The crosses, each adorned with a heart, will remain on a patch of grass by the iconic “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign for 40 days and then will be given to the victims’ families.
.@LVMPD officers are delivering white crosses with hearts to the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. pic.twitter.com/Y42dPzl0UZ — Jackie Valley (@JackieValley) October 5, 2017
“This row of crosses will show the severity of what really happened there. More so than numbers and pictures in the paper,” he told WGN News, a Chicago-based news channel.
Drew Angerer via Getty Images With the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in the background (at right), 58 white crosses for the victims of Sunday night's mass shooting stand on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip, October 5, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Zanis is known for this particular kind of tribute and has created crosses for the victims of mass shootings such as Columbine, Sandy Hook and the Orlando Pulse nightclub massacre. Over the past two decades he has erected more than 20,000 crosses.
Denise Truscello via Getty Images Mourners decorate the crosses.
His first was a commemoration for his father-in-law, who was killed 20 years ago.
ROBYN BECK via Getty Images Melissa Gerber (L) and Sandra Serralde (R) comfort each other beside 58 white crosses. |
The whole point of paying for home insurance is to be ready in times of disaster and uncertainties. You don’t want to just sway away dollars and then when disaster strikes, you file a claim and don’t get real help. Below you will discover ways to get a good insurance plan that fully protects you and saves you some money at the same time.
Identify what you need
Determining what you need is the first step in finding a plan. It’s like buying groceries. Even if you have a lot of money, you just don’t splash it on any food stuff you find on the shelf. The chances are that in the end, you will throw the food away. It’s the same with home insurance. If you are not going to use a product that comes with a particular insurance package, then don’t buy it. Don’t get me wrong. You need a home insurance cover that adequately protects you, but you don’t need one that offers services you won’t need.
One important step you should take before buying home insurance is to calculate the amount you need to build your house if it got damaged. This way, you have a guide on what insurance covers your home needs.
Get a plan that is inclusive
An insurance cover that does not cover your home needs is a waste of time. If you live in Québec, you want to get a cover that takes care of the effects of a massive storm that might carry away your roof then you don’t need a cover that caters for hurricane damage.
It is important to get a home cover that provides to the disasters your home is prone. In Canada, weather disasters include hails, torrential rains, nonstop snow, storms and tornadoes.
Instead of paying a whopping $200 each time your roadway gets blocked by snow, it is wise to get a home cover that includes snow so that you save.
Walk through several plans.
A little homework might save you some dollars. Research about the benefits of each insurance plan and compare it with your home needs.
Consider things like how much does an insurance cover offer for the most costly house repair? Find out what the construction details of the cover entail and go as fur to know how long the construction can last in case your house is completely razed down by a disaster. Once you have this info and are pleased with the answers, then you can gladly pick your home insurance, provider.
Read reviews |
Elle Macpherson is a prominent figure in business, fashion, film and television, having carved out a diverse and purposeful career over the past 30 years. Elle’s early modelling career led to a record-breaking five Sports Illustrated covers, affording her global recognition and the nickname ‘The Body’ from Time magazine.
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
My life has been full and varied; it has sent me on many pathways. I didn't always wait for opportunities to come to me, I had to go out and create my own. This gave me a sense of freedom as I was taking responsibility for my own fulfillment. I have learned that timing and a good team is everything. I also believe that taking on projects for love is important. Give back where you can and use a public image for good work as well as smart work.
How has your previous employment experiences aided your tenure at WelleCo?
When I was, younger and modeling I probably defined success by covers of magazines or income earned. Today, I believe success is navigating the ups and downs of life, keeping a sense of faith and a sense of humor, always! If past experiences have taught me one thing, it’s confidence. I used to believe I wasn’t good enough, I know now that as the Co-Founder of WelleCo, I am always working on being the best person I can be physically, emotionally and mentally for myself and my Co-Founder, Andrea Horwood Bux.
What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenure at WelleCo?
I am extremely proud that WelleCo was founded in the beautiful natural environment of Australia and we are praised globally for our integrity and authenticity. WelleCo’s signature product, THE SUPER ELIXIR Alkalizing Formula is the one I am most proud of – it is a daily, all-in-one multivitamin, made from 45 premium wholefood ingredients to ensure maximum absorption. The Alkalizing Formula can help restore a healthy pH balance and assist with lowering acidity in the body which can lead to inflammation, low energy, weight gain and accelerated ageing of the cells. The Alkalizing Formula is now available in over 60 countries, has sold out 4 times from Net-a-Porter and Selfridges and in 2017, was awarded Tatler Beauty Product of the Year. I am based in Miami, our WelleCo head office is in Western Australia, run by my partner and CEO, Andrea Horwood Bux. We distribute globally, so coordinating everything, and everyone in the different time zones can be a logistical whirlwind, but Andrea and the team do it from Oz and it works!
What advice can you offer to women who want a career in your industry?
I prefer not to give advice, do what works for you. We started WelleCo when I was 50, walking away from a steady income stream to invest in businesses I believe in. I just had to jump and see what would appear and I couldn’t be happier.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career to date?
After many years of licensing, I felt it was time for me to build my own business in Elle Macpherson Body and WelleCo. I wanted to put everything I had learned into practice and I didn’t want to look back wishing I’d done things differently. I have come to understand that health, wellness and happiness is the true luxury of life.
How do you maintain a work/life balance?
Balance! For me it is both the key to happiness and wellness. Something we posted on our @superelixir Instagram recently that I keep referring to is: “Happiness is the new rich, inner peace is the new success, health is the new wealth, kindness is the new cool.” I love what I do and do what I love, and this means work doesn't feel like work. I surround myself with co dreamers, great partners and smart woman. I love working with a clever team.
What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
Everyone is different. For me, it was this invisible hurdle of going from the billboard to the boardroom.
I had to develop a better understanding of myself, of unconditional love and life. At 53, I am less concerned about what people think of me, I am more content and I have a sense of fulfillment. My company and family inspire and teach me every day. Today, I try to not sweat the small stuff.
How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life?
I have been incredibly lucky to be guided and supported by so many talented and creative people throughout my career. These experiences have taught me the importance of understanding my strengths and the things I find difficult – learn from others but be the creator of your own life.
Which other female leaders do you admire and why?
I look up to entrepreneurial women like Diane Von Furstenberg, Arianna Huffington and Natalie Massenet. It is my WelleCo Co-Founder, Andrea Horwood Bux, which has truly influenced my career and wellbeing. Andrea and I started WelleCo just over three years ago. We wanted to start a premium wellness company based around the extraordinary alkalizing supplements I was originally prescribed by my nutritionist, Dr. Simone Laubscher PhD. Together we could all see a shift in priorities and an increased importance on wellness not just in our lives, but on a profound level globally. We wanted to share these bio-live, plant-based supplements that had become intrinsic to our lives. It was when I started including the Alkalizing Formula as part of my daily ritual that I finally felt like my body was absorbing all the nutrients it craved. Like many others facing small or large health issues, I discovered the profound effect good nutrition can have on the way you feel, look and operate.
What do you want WelleCo to accomplish in the next year? |
North Korea responded to Trump’s threat of ‘fire and fury” by calling it a ‘a load of nonsense’ (“North Korea calls Trump’s threat a ‘load of nonsense"'Politico, 8/9/17). It’s a very odd American sounding locution for a country that speaks an entirely different language both literally and metaphorically. And it’s reminiscent of the female Japanese propagandists who fell under the rubric of Tokyo Rose and who attempted to seduce American troops with their down home language during World War II. It's folksy, familiar, clever and disarming to the extent that it puts the onus of the bombast on the US, and makes the North Koreans sound almost common sensical. The syntax portrays the Kim Jong-un regime as the one who's trying to be the calming influence, as the bullying imperialist power and its truculant leader push their defenseless victims around the schoolyard. Next thing you know the North Koreans will be churning out words like "jeepers." DPRK propaganda is also making an attempt to appeal to a more educated demographic("North Korea warns Trump to 'talk and act properly,' says conflict is 'tragicomedy.'" (ABC News, 8/12/17) If Trump's appeal is to the uneducated white voter, then the North Koreans are honing some of their rhetoric so as to appeal to the educated elite both here and abroad. One thing that ISIS and the DPRK and in common are brilliant propaganda machines. It's something they may have inherited from the Nazis, whose operation was famously run by Joseph Goebbels. Still look at the big picture; it's all a game of chess when you realize that North Korea remains China's client. |
The younger brother of accused gunman Nikolas Cruz was arrested on Monday for allegedly trespassing on the grounds of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where his brother killed 17 people on Feb. 14.
Zachary Cruz, 18, was arrested about 4:30 p.m. after officials saw him riding his skateboard through the school campus, according to an arrest affidavit.
School officials had previously warned the younger Cruz to stay away from the campus. He reportedly told a Broward County sheriff’s deputy that he decided to visit the school anyway to “reflect on the school shooting and to soak it in,” according to the affidavit.
The affidavit said Zachary Cruz currently has no current ties to Broward County. The Palm Beach Post reports that before the Feb. 14 shootings, the Cruz brothers lived with family friend Roxanne Deschamps in a mobile home near Lantana, in Palm Beach County.
Both Nikolas and Zachary were adopted by Lynda and Roger Cruz when they were infants. Roger died in 2004, and Lynda died of pneumonia in November.
Zachary is a year younger than Nikolas but has admitted to teasing his older brother mercilessly when they were growing up. After the shooting, Zachary said he regretted bullying his older brother and wished he could have prevented the deadly massacre, according to the New York Daily News.
He was also placed under a mental-health evaluation and told investigators that when he heard about the shootings, he said, “I don’t want to be alive. I don’t want to deal with this stuff.” However, he denied wanting to kill or harm himself, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Prosecutors announced last week that they will seek the death penalty against Nikolas Cruz. |
GRAMMY® Award-nominated August Burns Red have shared a new (and hilarious) studio video, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at few of the highlights and antics that took place during the recording of Phantom Anthem, which is out today via Fearless Records. The five-piece hit the studio at Atrium Audio in their hometown of Lancaster, PA with longtime producers Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland.
Even though the video is full of the band’s classic sense of humor, Phantom Anthem is serious business - chock full of August Burns Red’s signature style, intricate musicianship and captivating melodies. Each band member pushed themselves to achieve their highest level of performance. In short, this album is a game-changer.
Phantom Anthem is available now on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon, FYE and Best Buy.
August Burns Red will kick off the ‘The Phantom Anthem Tour’ in January 2018, with support from Born Of Osiris, ERRA, and Ocean Grove. Tickets are on sale now at AugustBurnsRed.com. If you can’t wait until next year to see August Burns Red, the group has a couple more festival stops, including Rock Allegiance and Aftershock, to close out 2017. Full tour dates listed below.
Oct 7 - Camden, NJ @ Rock Allegiance Fest
Oct 21 - Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival
Jan 5- Montreal, QC @ Metropolis/ M-Telus Jan 6- Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall Jan 7- Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE Jan 9- Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues Jan 10- Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot Jan 11- Chicago, IL @ House of Blues Jan 12- Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave Jan 13- Minneapolis, MN @ Cabooze Jan 14- Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick Jan 16- Edmonton, AB @ Union Hall Jan 17- Calgary, AB @ The Palace Jan 19- Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theater Jan 20- Seattle, WA @ The Showbox Jan 21- Portland, OR @ Roseland Jan 23- Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades Jan 24- San Diego, CA @ House of Blues Jan 25- Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco Theater Jan 26- Phoenix, AZ @ The Marquee Jan 27- Albuquerque, NM @ Historic El Rey Jan 29- Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall Jan 30- Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater |
Several truck drivers in Michigan helped state police deter a man threatening to jump off an overpass above a highway.
Early Tuesday morning, multiple truck drivers lined their semitractor-trailers below an overpass on Interstate 696 in the Detroit metro area. A man was threatening to jump, and police closed off the highway and used the line of trucks to shorten the fall, the Detroit Free Press reported.
The strategic response, which seems unconventional, has been in use for some time, according to local Fox station WJBK. Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw told the station that the law enforcement group had been using the tactic since he started in the department 23 years ago.
“We have kept it quiet for that long, but social media and cellphones kind of changes that,” he added.
Sure enough, photos of the line of trucks went viral on Tuesday as news spread and drivers who participated in the response posted about the night on Facebook.
Chris Harrison, who posted the photo above, said in a comment that he and some other 18-wheelers happened to be first in line when the police closed off the highway to respond to a 911 call that a man was spotted on the edge of an overpass.
Michigan State Police also shared the photo from Tuesday’s rescue on Twitter in an effort to call attention to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
“This photo does show the work troopers and local officers do to serve the public,” the department wrote. “But also in that photo is a man struggling with the decision to take his own life.”
This photo does show the work troopers and local officers do to serve the public. But also in that photo is a man struggling with the decision to take his own life. Please remember help is available through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. pic.twitter.com/RBAlCIXT1o — MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) April 24, 2018
NPR reported that, after two hours of negotiations with officials, the man agreed to leave the edge of the overpass and seek help. |
Remember that time Carrie went brunette on Valentine’s Day? Nope, still not as distressing as this never-ending “Sex and the City” drama.
We’ve been hearing different stories all week from the cast of the HBO series about a third movie installment, which was apparently scheduled to begin filming this month. After Sarah Jessica Parker announced that the project was officially not happening, attention turned toward co-star Kim Cattrall, whose demands allegedly halted production.
Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones in the franchise, has since gone on the defense. The English actress shut down the rumors and called out her “Sex and the City” co-stars in one particularly inflammatory interview with Piers Morgan.
Now, she’s continuing the conversation with fans on social media, shedding some more light on her decision to step away.
“I’ve moved on,” Cattrall wrote on Instagram, according to People. “61 isn’t 53 or 41. I have learned so much from our Sam. She was my hero but I want to rest & not work as much as I have been doing for years. I want a less hectic life. My decision reflects where I am in my life & I can’t change that without being unhappy. I hope you’ll understand.”
EveryOufitOnSATC Instagram
The actress also expressed a bit of frustration over some fans’ reactions to her decision to forego another sequel.
“I’ve been wanting to change my life for some time. I have to much I want to experience before much time goes by,” she wrote on Instagram. “I don’t completely understand why that is so foreign to people or difficult to understand. Going back to playing this role wouldn’t make me happy. I’ve worked hard and I’d like to enjoy what I’ve accomplished with the people closet to me. Why wold anyone begrudge you having that? I was naive enough to think people would get it & wish me well.”
James Devaney via Getty Images Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall on the set of "Sex In The City: The Movie."
While Cattrall maintains that she put her foot down in December 2016, her cast members have questioned her version of events, considering that production had been slated to begin soon.
Earlier in the week, “Sex and the City” actor Willie Garson, who played Stanford Blatch in the show, shaded Cattrall and then some on Twitter. His co-star Evan Handler ― who played Charlotte’s husband, Harry ― weighed in, too.
“I was suddenly contacted, just two or three months ago, and told that a third movie was definitely happening,” Handler wrote on Facebook. I was astonished, but delighted. Then, less than three weeks later, that ‘they are pulling the plug,’ and it was not to be.” Read his full post below. |
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan denied allegations that he ignored reports of sexual abuse while he was an assistant coach at Ohio State University more than two decades ago in an interview with Politico on Tuesday night.
“It’s not true,” Jordan said in his first interview since three former Ohio State wrestlers leveled the accusations in an interview with NBC News. “I never knew about any type of abuse. If I did, I would have done something about it. And look, if there are people who are abused, then that’s terrible and we want justice to happen.”
The wrestlers allege that Jordan, who served as an assistant coach at the university between 1986 and 1994, turned a blind eye to the behavior of a former team trainer, Dr. Richard Strauss. The men said that it was “common knowledge” that Strauss behaved inappropriately with students, touching and regularly showering with them.
One of the former athletes, Dunyasha Yetts, said he told Jordan personally about the physician’s behavior after Strauss allegedly tried to pull down the wrestler’s shorts during an examination for a thumb injury.
“I’m like, what the f**k are you doing? And I went out and told [the former head coach] and Jim what happened. I was not having it. They went in and talked to Strauss,” Yetts told NBC. “For God’s sake, Strauss’s locker was right next to Jordan’s and Jordan even said he’d kill him if he tried anything with him.”
Strauss, who worked at Ohio State from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, died in 2005. The university opened an investigation into his behavior in April.
Jordan, a powerful Republican whose name has been brought up as a possible replacement for House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), told Politico he wasn’t worried about the allegations and that he had the “truth on our side.” |
Tuesday may be the first official day of spring, but much of the East coast is still in the depths of winter. In the following days, the fourth nor’easter in less than three weeks is expected to pummel the region from the mid-Atlantic up to New England.
This fourth nor’easter ― a type of storm defined by the northeasterly direction of its winds as it spirals in from the south ― will likely bring “wintry precipitation” across the Appalachians and interior mid-Atlantic on Tuesday before spreading to New England on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said Monday. As with the past three events, fierce winds associated with the nor’easter may trigger widespread coastal flooding.
a low pressure system is forecast to bring wintry precipitation across the central Appalachians into interior Mid-Atlantic on Tuesday, which will likely spread northeastward into New England on Wednesday along with strong winds, especially near the coast into Thursday. pic.twitter.com/fc60VvuHj0 — NWS WPC (@NWSWPC) March 19, 2018
The back-to-back nature and intensity of these storms may be explained by a number of factors ― some climate-change-related and some less so, scientists say.
“The number of nor’easters we are seeing is tied, to some extent, with the unusual pattern of the jet stream we are seeing,” Michael Mann, a professor of atmospheric science and the director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University, told HuffPost. He pointed to the current La Niña phenomenon ― a cyclical weather pattern that drives a jet stream high into the North Pacific, bringing precipitation to the northeast U.S. ― as another important factor.
Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist in the climate analysis section at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, echoed Mann’s comments.
“The patterns of weather are largely natural and in this case governed especially by La Niña conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean,” Trenberth said.
Portland Press Herald via Getty Images A woman in Portland, Maine, uses an umbrella to block the blowing snow while walking near Monument Square during last week's nor'easter.
But climate change likely plays a major role bolstering the strength of these back-to-back nor’easters, which have caused some of the highest snowfall records in parts of Massachusetts.
″[T]he emerging La Niña is playing a role [in the frequency of storms.] But the incredible intensity we’ve seen with several of these storms may indeed be symptomatic of warming oceans,” Mann said.
The nor’easters, Trenberth agreed, “are likely invigorated by very high sea temperatures off the coast in Atlantic, part of which is global warming, and this can mean bigger snowfalls.”
Mann wrote about the link between warming oceans and strong winter storms for the Climate Reality Project in January.
The warmer the ocean surface, the more energy that is available to intensify these storms. And the warmer the ocean surface, the more moisture there is in the atmosphere — moisture that is available to form precipitation. As the winds wrap around in a counter-clockwise manner, they bring all of that moisture northwest, where it is chilled and ultimately falls not as rain but snow. Lots of snow.
Other recent research has found that heavier snowfall during storms in the northeast may be related to the warmer temperatures in the Arctic ― which had higher temperatures than parts of Europe late last month. |
" I can't go home yet, cuz enough people ain't seen my outfit "
A post shared by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on Apr 16, 2017 at 1:01am PDT |
by Sara Swann
(Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images) GOP candidate for U.S. Senate Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala., speaks with a supporter after the U.S. Senate candidate forum
Nineteen candidates are contesting tomorrow’s primary for Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ old seat as U.S. Senator for Alabama, but few have made an impression on Alabamians.
Current Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) is miles ahead in terms of money raised. Strange, formerly the state’s Attorney General, was appointed to the Senate in February by Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, who has since resigned in scandal. As of July 26, Strange has raised more than $3.2 million for his campaign — six times the amount of his closest competitor. Two-thirds (almost $2.2 million) of Strange’s total campaign funds have come from large individual contributions, and nearly all the rest ($916,000) has come from PACs. With such a large pool of donations, Strange has been able to spend more than $2.2 million, with most of that money going toward ads.
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), who currently serves Alabama’s 5th District in the House of Representatives, has raised the next highest amount with a total of about $540,000. Brooks has also received a majority of his funds from large individual contributions. Since he already had a campaign account to draw on, Brooks has been able to spend almost double what he has raised, with a disbursement total of nearly $940,000.
Another frontrunner, former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, raised just under $460,000 as of three weeks ago. Moore, a favorite of Alabama’s evangelical voters, was suspended from his position as chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court in May 2016 after refusing to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage. Moore has had the most success with small donors, but still received 65 percent of his money from large individual donors. Unlike Brooks and Strange, he reports receiving no contributions from PACs. So far, he has spent roughly $286,000 while campaigning for senator.
Strange, Brooks and Moore espouse similar policies but differ in their branding. With support from his colleagues in the Senate, Strange has become the establishment candidate, raking in nearly all the PAC money. Brooks also has a Washington flavor to his campaign because of his experience in the House, but portrays himself as the conservative alternative to Strange. Moore, the only frontrunner who has not worked on the Hill, has had an anti-Washington theme to his campaign.
The three Republicans have also fought to prove who is most loyal to President Donald Trump. Ultimately, Strange received Trump’s endorsement. Strange has also been the favorite of Mitch McConnell’s super PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund, which has spent more than $2.7 million in support of Strange and against Brooks and Moore.
A majority of the SLF’s spending has been dedicated to attack ads. Over the past month, SLF has produced 10 ads related to the Alabama special election, according to its YouTube account. Seven of these ads have been attacking Brooks, capitalizing on clips of him saying “you can’t trust Trump with anything he says” and that people who voted for Trump will regret it. The two ads targeting Moorewere focused on his six-figure salary as chief justice. The 10th, and most recent, ad is a six-second clip about Trump’s endorsement of Strange.
Brooks has defended himself against these SLF ads, saying he does support Trump and even donated $2,500 “to help President Trump Win.” However, this is slightly misleading, as Brooks’ leadership PAC donated to the Republican Party of Alabama, not Trump’s campaign. According to the Center for Responsive Politics’ Donor Lookup database, Brooks also made a $5,000 donation to the state GOP from his own pocket.
Of the other 16 candidates, only three have raised over $100,000, and seven haven’t even filed an FEC report. One of the seven unsuccessful fundraisers is Mary Maxwell, a Republican who moved from Australia to Alabama just to campaign for the open Senate seat. Despite living internationally for the last 40 years, Maxwell meets all of the requirements to run: She is at least 30 years old, she is a U.S. citizen, and she has lived in Alabama for at least one day.
It has been 20 years since Alabama last had a Democratic senator, and Trump won the state last November by almost 30 points. As a result, the focus in this election has rarely strayed from the Republican candidates. Even though a Democratic victory is a long shot, Soren Jordan, an assistant professor of political science at Auburn University, said the lack of interest from the national Democratic Party is still “pretty astonishing.”
As with Democrat Jon Ossoff’s expensive, ultimately unsuccessful, campaign in the Georgia 6 special election earlier this summer, Jordan said he expected the Democratic Party to also pick a favorite in the Alabama election. But they have yet to do so, and without national support, the Democratic candidates have struggled to keep up.
“This [election] is really the last gauge for either party before the 2018 season really heats up,” Jordan said. “But Democrats don’t really seem to be treating it that way, allowing a field of (admittedly long-shot) candidates to run through the primary with little cohesion or direction.”
The top fundraiser for the Democrats in the Alabama Senate race is former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones with less than $288,000. Jones was recently endorsed by former Vice President Joe Biden. The other four Democratic candidates who have raised money are even farther behind, each with totals under $30,000. One of those candidates, however, has led Jones in several polls thanks to name recognition: Robert Kennedy Jr., who is unrelated to the more famous Kennedy family.
The Democratic and Republican primaries on Aug. 15 will trim down this long list of candidates. If no candidate for a party receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two from that party will take part in a September run-off election to determine the nominees for the general in December.
Jordan said it is highly unlikely any candidate will garner more than 50 percent. Moore was at 35 percent support in a poll by the Trafalgar Group on Aug. 11, with 17 percent still undecided, according to The Hill. Strange was well behind at 23 percent, with Brooks still in the running at 20 percent.
If Moore and Brooks are able to freeze Strange out of the run-off, the senator would become a lame duck. “If Strange isn’t up in the general, or even in the run-off, he becomes a potential target for Senate Democrats looking to build bipartisan solutions to health care, tax reform, and a host of other policy issues,” Jordan said. |
Shannon Purser is dropping a major truth bomb about the isolating nature of mental health issues.
The “Stranger Things” actress tweeted yesterday that she was having a rough day and that when she’s feeling low, she often wants to be by herself. Why? Because anything else feels too draining.
When I'm mentally unwell, it just becomes so exhausting to do much of anything. Especially talking to people about what I'm feeling. — Shannon Purser (@shannonpurser) August 13, 2017
“When I’m mentally unwell, it just becomes so exhausting to do much of anything,” she wrote. “Especially talking to people about what I’m feeling.”
Purser’s tweet succinctly sums a truth that likely sounds familiar to people living with mental health conditions: Sometimes being alone feels like the only solution when it comes to managing symptoms. Mental health disorders can zap a person’s energy and motivation, making conversation with others feel excruciating. It also causes social withdrawal, which can make the person suffering not want to have any human interaction.
Of course, reaching out to others in these moments ― even when it feels tiring ― can be beneficial. Talking to a mental health professional has been shown to ease the negative effects of disorders over time. Family and friends can also help during these instances as well just by offering up a few supportive statements or providing small distractions.
Purser acknowledged this, too, and added that she has learned to recognize when she truly needs support during tough periods and when she just needs space.
Thankfully I've gotten so much better that I'm able to ask for help when I really need it. But sometimes I just need to recharge. — Shannon Purser (@shannonpurser) August 13, 2017
“Thankfully I’ve gotten so much better that I’m able to ask for help when I really need it,” she tweeted. “But sometimes I just need to recharge.”
The actress hasn’t shied away from sharing her own experiences with mental illness. Last week, the actress also opened up to People magazine about living with obsessive compulsive disorder and seeking therapy for the condition.
“In my case, it was me being super self-conscious, to the point where it was debilitating,” she said. “I didn’t feel comfortable talking to people. It’s incredible, but I will sing the praises of therapy. I think everybody should be in therapy. It helps so much to have somebody educated you can talk to.”
An estimated one in five American adults will deal with a mental health issue in a given year. And Purser’s statements are a reminder that the conditions aren’t just something a person can just “get over.” It takes hard work, support and personal care in many forms, including reaching out for help and taking a little alone time. |
The host of a Fox News show on Sunday told the “Muslim community” not to “burn people alive and set off bombs” if they want a better portrayal in the media.
“Fox & Friends Weekend” was discussing comments made by actor Mandy Patinkin, who said his show “Homeland” would try to be “part of the cure” by offering a more positive portrayal of Muslims. In an MSNBC interview, Patinkin noted that this season’s storyline would show “that maybe it’s the... white men in the government and the military establishment that are the bad guys, not the Muslim community.”
In a clip posted online by Media Matters, Fox News host Pete Hegseth complained that “Homeland” was trying to “ram political agendas down our throat.”
“Do we remember who the bombers of the Boston Marathon were?” cohost Jon Scott asked. “I mean, just an aside to the Muslim community, if you don’t want to be portrayed in a negative light, maybe don’t burn people alive and set off bombs and things like that.”
Hesgeth added: “Yeah, and point out the radicalism, and say that’s not me.”
The comments didn’t sit well with many on Twitter:
@yashar @JonScottFNC Jon please I have not burned anyone alive and neither has my mother. You ought to read and educate yourself: https://t.co/UdlJRcahqf — Monis Khan (@monisismissing) April 16, 2017
FYI for Muslims from idiots: Fox News If Muslim Community Doesn’t Like Negative Media Portrayal Don’t Set Off Bombs https://t.co/Z8doAArGeN — (((DeanObeidallah))) (@Deanofcomedy) April 17, 2017
@JonScottFNC Amazing how incredibly tone deaf your statement to the Muslim community is. https://t.co/2eMyauN3tr — Mr. Lucky (@mrluckydj) April 17, 2017
Yeah "Muslim community." Knock it off already. https://t.co/0WtEyN8fke — Reza Aslan (@rezaaslan) April 16, 2017
@DonCheadle I'm sure terrorists abide Fox News' words like law. I'm also sure the muslim community strongly identifies with terrorism.
Bloody hell. — cider (@cider44) April 17, 2017
@JonScottFNC Do you blame all Christians for massacres by IRA, or abuse of children! Don't insult the entire Muslim 'community.' What would Jesus say? — Dilma Arends Geerman (@wilderoosje) April 16, 2017
@rezaaslan Can't you guys just send an email to the Muslim Community listserv? — Globalist Cuck (@VoteEquality) April 16, 2017
@yashar @JonScottFNC Being condescending fails when the statement betrays the ignorance of the speaker. Are all men on FOX sexual abusers because of O'Reilly? — Sarah O'Connell (@eatmoreart) April 16, 2017
@yashar @JonScottFNC Oh FFS, is there a constant gas leak on the set of @foxandfriends? — Marci 🤦🏻♀️ (@marcifromCO) April 16, 2017
What a great message for the entire non-bomb throwing/non-burning people alive billion strong Muslim community: it's all your own fault. https://t.co/H37GKeke5C — emigre80 (@emigre80) April 16, 2017 |
In the futuristic D-Day, troops land on the beach in the first chaotic moments during the movie, “Edge of Tomorrow,” tell a gripping story about strategy, innovation, and the tyranny of the status quo... whether in a fictional alien invasion, real-world military combat, or corporate settings, champions of strategic transformation face the critical decision to take ownership of their epic journey and begin to seek solutions beyond the status quo. The tough challenges facing them may seem like a brutal Groundhog Day, but champions often share the unique ability to peer through the fog and see the unseen potential, often hidden in plain sight. They see a world beyond the edge of tomorrow...a world in which their organization is unchained from the status quo and embraces the changes necessary to unleash their potential.
Purpose-driven transformation turns the compelling vision into a reality. It provides the direction and intent, emboldening us to action and sustaining transformation by allowing leaders and managers to make decisions that align and support the vision. If you are a champion of transformation and innovation, Tom Cruise epic film embodies five crucial lessons. What it takes to “get off the beach” inside your company isn’t likely to be as dire as an alien invasion, but once the Decision-Day arrives, transformation requires you to move beyond fear. The journey teaches you humility, but compels you to move beyond failure, and to find the fortitude necessary to move beyond the desire to quit. Transformation is hard work. Most especially, champions of transformation have to learn to achieve their success, they have to give it all away. Fulfillment for the champion is in the results, not often in the recognition. Destiny calls as you land face down on the beach, it’s time to decide and answer...NOW GET US OFF THIS BEACH.
Champions of Transformation: Every time you die.... you get smarter. Do your home work. Learn the problem and solution set from every possible perspective. With every engagement, from the Board of Directors through the C-Suite, through multiple layers of management, down into the sandy trenches of implementation, your understanding of the problem and solution set becomes stronger. The complexities of global business units, cross-cultural influences, and local realities are crucial considerations, but failures in transformation often do not stray far from the fundamentals. The larger the organization, the greater the need to break it down into it’s smaller functional units. A systems of systems approach often identifies blind spots a massive organizational change strategy will miss, because it leverages complexity to its advantage. Each functional unit contributes to refine the implementation, operations, and provide the feedback necessary to improve the greater strategy. Functional units learn from each other, and best practices quickly emerge to accelerate adoption.
Transformation is the workhorse of purpose. Purpose-driven transformation needs to be rooted, tangible, and meaningful from the Board of Directors to the hourly employees. People matter most, and collectively most organizations struggle to connect a compelling strategic purpose to transformation and innovation. Successful corporate transformation is more often an evolution, not a revolution, driven by far more than motivation or policy. Purpose-driven transformation manifests itself in people-driven outcomes. The strategic vision shows a clearly defined destination, and the contrast between the “As is” and the “To be” reveals the journey for all to consider. At the core, transformation requires personal grit: Guts, Resilience, Initiative, and Tenacity. G.R.I.T compels champions to lead and inspire others by articulating the purpose-driven vision, value, strategy, and risks. Strategy acts as the deliberate enabler of transformation, and innovation acts as the catalysts for change fueling transformation. The combination of purpose, strategy, and innovation make all the difference. Together, they provide a goal, a plan, and a means to embrace the grit, rally the troops, and and run toward the challenges.
Regan Edens
Now that you have the vision, purpose, and strategy... GET US OFF THIS BEACH.
Like Tom Cruise’ unrelenting character, champions of transformation often face a world hostile to change. Status quo is more often then not, the unseen force like gravity, which resists changes in strategy, technologies, training, organization, and processes necessary to achieve strategic objectives. Champions have to align thinking and action from the strategic, through the operational and to both the practical and technical means of implementation. There is no magic formula, but G.R.I.T, agility, and sweat will likely win the day.
It's D-Day and all you have is yourself, your closest allies, and a few other unlikely collaborators, formed into a "Coalition of the Willing"... They are rallied, energized, and willingly to join the fight, to gain every inch of ground in order to GET OFF THIS BEACH.
Coalition of the Willing
AND THEN there are the hostile aliens, the well-intentioned, and the legion of uncommitted. The metaphorical D-Day beach you find yourself standing as a champion of transformation is mined with the practical, impractical, corporate culture and policies, self-interest, and unending politics. In this chaos, you look around to see significant obstacles, and seemingly poor odds of success. Champions of transformation feel caught between their organization’s vision, objectives, and the complexity of change. Organizations by their very nature seek to impede change. A relentless application of the fundamentals is essential to best steward precious resources, remain focused in the chaos of the battle, and remain cognizant of the tyranny of time.
Know Your Audience & Know Your Battlefield:
Seek to understand what the data is telling you now and potentially in 18-36 months
Seek to understand what the market is telling you...global trends in technology, practices, and core business influencers
Use the data to understand what the people are telling you
Use the data to understand the impact on core business functions
Know the risk tolerance, risk capacity, and manage risk proactively during implementation
Use metrics to dashboard implementation progress and impact on core business functions
Listen, Learn, and Continuously Improve: People, People, People
Regan Edens Compilation
1) Move Beyond Fear: It is with great irony transformation endures a quiet battle between those with opposing fears, the risk of change versus the risk of not changing. Compelling vision and purpose, not fear, persuade the uncommitted. The hearts and minds of the organization, key leaders, and others are critical, because champions often lack the authority, resources, and experience to see, avoid, or overcome the risks ahead. Transformation needs more than advocacy of key leaders, success requires active participation from planning to implementation, and from implementation to sustainment. Successful transformation articulates and leverages benefits to drive transformation beyond fear, and implementation beyond mandated policy. Purpose-driven transformation may be the new heart transplanted that the organizational DNA and culture need to accept despite fear and uncertainty. The difference is leadership. Leaders listen for that nagging call to join the fight and then make a critical difference.
Regan Edens Compilation
2) Move Beyond Me: If you think that you are going to save the day, chances are, you are not, but maybe we are.... From the moment champions land on the beach and begin to fight to gain ground, quickly the scale, complexity, and pitfalls will overwhelm them. You realize that no matter what you do by yourself... the enemy is waiting to slow, halt, disrupt, and undermine your efforts. A "save us all" messiah complex will not help, whether as a quiet professional or vocal advocate. The champion that fights alone, dies alone. No matter how hard you try, until you move beyond "me"...your efforts will run aground, your words misinterpreted, your actions undermined, because you cannot engage all the threats, all the opportunities, and apply all the skills required to GET OFF THIS BEACH. The powerful irony is your greatest contribution will likely not be your ideas, nor your expertise, but the infectious G.R.I.T necessary for transformation to succeed.
Regan Edens Compilation
3) Move Beyond Failure: A considerable price for success lies ahead of you and beyond you. The price of success is the cost of failure. Champions live in relentless pursuit of the intangible and intangible, as they innovate, iterate, and learn over and over, and over again. Every time you "die" you get SMARTER. Failure is your greatest teacher. Innovation is it's own tyranny, because the effort required to "get off this beach" is only the beginning of the journey in transformation. Without a compelling commitment to purpose-driven transformation, will power alone will not take a champion beyond fear and beyond failure. Transformation won’t support the self-interest of careerists. Careerists self-identify, because they resist getting into the trenches required for transformation to be truly successful. Without your willingness to embrace the tremendous hard work of integrating innovation and sustaining it beyond organizational resistance to change, its just change for the sake of change. Your uncanny and relentless commitment is essential to moving beyond failure. DIG DEEPER.
Regan Edens Compilation
4) Move Beyond Quit: Convincing an organization to change and embrace the new path is only the first major step, the most important step is making change work. Making change work is far harder than convincing them to change. Once the scale of change and complexity sinks in, it can weaken champion’s resolve. Though a champion may feel like you are fighting an epic war, the reality is being resistant to change is natural for most people and most organizations. A little empathy for the disruption transformation and innovation often cause in the beginning will temper your exuberance and capture the hearts and minds of the very people you want to help. The real challenge lies ahead in making transformation achieve the promised outcomes. Your reputation, your career, and your peace of mind should depend on the results. Your success being based on their performance is as unsettling as their success being based on yours. The exchange of trust must flow both ways. Most people in the organization will trust transformation is their best interest and they choose to embrace your efforts in good faith. As the old is displaced, the uncertain future distributes the risk. The champion and the people within the organization share risk and have a shared interest in achieving the vision.
Many times, champions face situations demanding far beyond their current knowledge, skills, and abilities...and even their team. YOUR AGILITY and GROWTH are crucial to achieving the breakthroughs defining your strategic objectives, survive and thrive. Move beyond the notion of walking away from the project management plan, because the "organization is never gonna get it", "it's just too hard", or "it's some other person's job to carry the torch." Those resisting change are doubling their efforts to maintain the status quo far after the organization grants your approval to begin change. Despite this difficult journey, for most champions of transformation and innovation, it's in their DNA...it’s “who they are” as opposed to “what they do”. Success requires developing the essentials skills, abilities, and attitude. Destiny calls, and either put in the sweat equity to get it right, or face a world of frustration, and angst living in the status quo. Engage and widen your coalition, resist Machiavellian tactics, and embrace the amazing strengths of truly great leaders and those around you. It's the people you serve, and serve with, who will inspire you to push beyond quit. It's the people and the journey with them, that makes it worth it.
Regan Edens Compilation
5) Move Beyond Success: Things that matter to you most when you start the journey through transformation will likely not matter as much when you take your last breath. All the “daydreams of glory" from success is a fickle illusion. One of the greatest lessons learned, recognition is the currency you give away in order to achieve your goals as a champion of transformation. Recognizing others for the courage to help, instead of to watch. Recognizing others for their willingness to show you what won’t work, and what will work, instead of quietly letting it fail. Recognizing the courage in others required to regain a mastery of a new way after thousands of hours of investment in the old way. People build their careers and their lives mastering the familiar, and success for “us” often means something entirely different for them, even if the differences seem small. Give away your success, and recognize the people that truly make the difference in achieving your transformative outcome...
Any personal triumph will fade in the sands of organizational history after your departure, and all the monetary gain from the extrinsic rewards will be spent on something that breaks, or on a forgotten vacation, or something obscure. So you may ask yourself, “Why champion change that no one may remember, that some may resent, and the tangible corporate value rarely ever matches the intangible personal cost?” BECAUSE IT MATTERS. How you define success is entirely your own, but a journey which drives your personal excellence, the refinements of your weaknesses, and gains the warranted and unwarranted criticism of your efforts is something of an amazing adventure. Save the world and no one knows it; save the job of one that does; contribute to the greatness of others, without an expectation of recognition; all just because it's who you are... and be a champion.
It's a new day people, Destiny calls, NOW GET US OFF THIS BEACH! |
It is always a good time to start to make your wishes come true. It is up to you. Simonetta Lein
Yes, women can! When it is difficult they try harder, when it is hostile they fight more, when it is uncertain they transform circumstances. I stand for women and I want to remind them of their true nature. I put all my trust in future generations of girls becoming strong independent women. Girls, this interview is for you so that you can get inspired to achieve your dreams just like this incredible woman: Christine Brae.
When you were a child, did you wish for the career and for the life that you have manifested today?
Not exactly. I knew I wanted to be successful in whatever it is I decided to do. There were so many bumps along the way and I never really found my identity until later on in life. I married at 24 to a man I had dated for only six months after I dated someone else for eight years! And then I had babies right away. Three children and 29 years later, we have this life that is filled with simple joys! He saved me from so many things and allowed me to really grow and pursue my dreams. I’ve always been very independent. He loves that about me and bails me out whenever I fly too high or run too fast.
Moving to this country from the Philippines with two young children over twenty years ago brought many challenges with it. Despite having a college degree from a foreign country, I was not able to get a job. So, I worked for a law firm as a copy girl. I learned about humility and the value of hard work. I didn’t pass the CPA exam on the first try, either. But I persisted and stuck to my plans - changed jobs every three years until I found the perfect company to call home. With the right mentors and a relentless work ethic, I worked myself up the ladder to my current position.
**Christine was born and raised in the Philippines, moved to Vancouver as a teenager, went back to La Salle University in Manila and worked as a staff member for the Committee on Economic Affairs. She met and married her best friend and moved with him to Chicago where, as a certified accountant, she started working as a Senior Executive in one of the most respected advertising companies in the country. After Christine’s mother passed away she started to write “something” dedicated to her. She had no idea that manuscript was becoming her first book, The Light in the Wound (July 2013), and that she would be publishing back to back books every year thereafter : His Wounded Light (December 2013), Insipid (June 2014) and In This Life (January 2016). All of her titles debuted in the top 1,000 at Amazon and continued to rank in the Top 100, in their respective genres, months following their release. She has another book, Eight Goodbyes which is currently in pitch and due for release in 2018. Christine continues to do all of this as she keeps her position of a business woman, mother and wife. She prooves that with hard work and dedication women can really do anything.
When did you know you wanted to write books? How did that come about?
I published my first book right before I turned fifty. A few years ago, I experienced the loss of my mother and I wrote my first book, The Light In The Wound, as a tribute to her. I never imagined that it would be followed by four more! The book was written as therapy for me, to write about my childhood and my relationships. I thought I would self-publish one book and then return to my normal life with my family and my career. Women who identified with my main characters began to contact me on Facebook. Someone set up a fan page. Another one set up a discussion group. And the rest, they say, is history!
My stories relate closely to the life I have, the emotions and passions I’m feeling at the moment give birth to these stories. And all of them take us on the different paths that women take in life – with love as a central theme and the stupidity that comes with loving the right or wrong person.
Since that first book, I have used my writing to inspire women from all walks of life to seek out their dreams and live them. I’ve tried to show them that there is beauty in imperfection. I wrote about first love and marriage (The Light in the Wound, His Wounded Light) When I went through a mid-life crisis, I wrote about it (Insipid). I’ve been very open about my struggles and I’ve used my words to encourage women to be bold and to take chances.
**When I first spoke with Christine I identified with her as an immigrant. I myself came to this beautiful country with lots of challenges but was determined to bring something positive and unique. Inspiring women became my personal battle and I think I wouldn’t never have understood true beauty without experiencing so many hardships. I am in love with Christine’s story, an author who is dedicated to empowering women and holds a true and unique relationsh with her readers. Being a writer is such a blessing for those who write and read, and it is beautiful when you can inspire others and receive feedback.
Your Twitter and Instagram profiles say you are a Secret Agent. Can you explain?
Well, I am currently living two very different lives in parallel. I am in the Finance field and hold an executive position at a global Advertising agency. As a romance writer, these two lives couldn’t be any more different. I don’t divulge this at work because I am very particular about keeping these two lines separate and distinct. Hence, the Secret Agent reference. No one in the book world knows what I do in real life, no one at work knows that I write.
**I have a feeling that the time for them to know has finally come.
How has it been? Living a full life, with two careers running at full speed and raising a family?
It’s been such a fulfilling experience! I get the best of both worlds. As a career woman, I’ve had the opportunity to rise up the corporate ladder, proving once and for all that hard work always breeds success. As a mother, I’ve learned the hard way to accept that everything I do won’t be perfect – and that as a family, we adapt to the “work hard, play hard” mentality. We take great vacations and spend quality time together. I’ve stopped beating myself up for not being around as often as I want to. As a diverse woman who grew up in a different country, with an entirely different culture, I use my position at work as well as my writing to push agendas that are near and dear to my heart – veterans causes and diversity in thought, word and action. What happened to me last year just shows how much inspiration one can be to others.
You said above that 2016 was really a pivotal year for you. Tell us about it.
In 2016, I was promoted to the top of my career. At the same time, I finally broke through the past three most tumultuous years of my life. I was trying hard to find myself, what I wanted out of life. One day last year, I woke up from the fog and realized that I had everything I needed right in front of me. Then, to add to the skyrocket of my career, my fourth book, In This Life, was optioned for film! The story of that connection is really one for the books!
See Variety Article here: http://variety.com/2016/film/news/emmanuelle-chriqui-adrian-bellani-romance-in-this-life-1201918277/
Tell us how that came about?
Can you believe that a respected Hollywood actor picked up In This Life by mistake while he was at the gym? He was searching for another book, found my book and started reading it. By the first few chapters, he was hooked. That night, I was sitting outside on my deck feeling hopeless about the way this book had just gotten buried by other releases – when he messaged me on Instagram! I thought it was a joke at first. I said, “no way. You’re Gerardo Celasco, Sloane (Emmanuelle Chriqui, Entourage)’s boyfriend. This is a joke.” Well, it wasn’t a joke. He messaged me as he read the book and optioned it rather quickly! We just got along and I trusted him completely with my work. The rest is history. We have weeks of threads on Instagram – life stories, jokes, daily mundane stuff. Amazing how social media connects people and forms friendships.
I will never forget what happened after that. The most important outcome of this whole process is that I met such a wonderful human being who I can now call my friend.
**I have been talking about wishes and dreams for years now and I would use Christine’s story as an example for life. If you have a pure wish and you send it out to the universe it will find its way, and most of the time it happens when you are able to feel gratitude and joy for everything. For sure, what you really wish for with a pure heart, will happen. The unexpected makes life magical, like the famous actor who “by mistake” picked up her book. Dreams always find their way.
Name a wish that you had for your life or for humanity that finally came true.
I never realized how much I yearned for peace in my heart and in my life. I had a crazy childhood. I married so young. In all the chaos of raising children, I forgot about myself. I finally have it, I think. I finally have acceptance. And I’m loving the right people now. I think that’s important.
**That is the base of what you need to make your wishes come true
If you were granted one wish for humanity or for our planet, what would it be?
I wish for prosperity and tolerance. I moved to North America when I was twelve years old, at a time when there wasn’t much tolerance for differences. It was difficult, growing up as a teenager and craving for acceptance among my peers. I would never wish it on anyone, and was very protective of my children when they were younger. The world is so much smaller now – in a matter of hours, you can find yourself on the opposite end of the globe. We need to know that difference is power. Diversity in thought, word and action, allows us to develop and flourish. As a country, as a continent, as a world.
If you could go back in time and ask one question from anyone from history, who would you want to meet and what question would you ask?
I would love to meet Joan of Arc.
I would ask her – “how did you accept your fate without question? How did you believe so much in your faith enough to die for it?” I admire human beings who truly stand up for their beliefs. We don’t have much of that these days. Everyone is afraid of perception.
Please tell me what influences your unique sense of style?
Comfort and confidence influence what I wear each and every day. I am in front of people all day long, I need to command a presence. When I’m comfortable and I know I look good, I project it. I’m tiny in height, so I need to choose the most comfortable heels I can find so I can walk in them all day. As I grow older, I go for quality and not quantity. I don’t amass a closetful of junk anymore. I also love to mix and match – one statement piece can carry a whole outfit. And I have this huge fear of walking into a meeting and wearing the same piece as someone else. That’s why I’ve shied away from some great but accessible retailers. I buy mostly from personal shoppers who send me things from different places.
**I love these fashion tips. Confidence is the first rule to go out and conqueer the world, in style.
Who is your favorite fashion designer or brand right now and why?
Tricky question! I go in phases. If you ask me right this minute who I’m crazy about – I am addicted to Zadig and Voltaire and Theory. It’s the right amount of individualistic and funky for me – and even if I’m in my fifties, it doesn’t make me feel like I’m trying too hard. Rag and Bone is my go to for jeans. Lanvin and Chloe are current purse targets for the fall.
**Christine is definitely a fashion lover. I suspect we are going to talk more about it.
What is your fashion mantra?
Haha. My kids always make fun of me because I say this all the time.
You have to suffer to be beautiful.
**My grandmother always used to say the same thing to me :)
What’s on the horizon for you? Anything in the near future?
My latest project is entitled Eight Goodbyes, schedule for a Valentine’s Day 2018 release.
Here is the link to the synopsis:
I am also very exited to be collaborating on a project with Anvil Publishing in the Philippines to write a book just for them!
What is your final message for our readers?
I always tell people this because I believe in it so much. As women, we need to be more cognizant of each other and treat each other with much more kindness. What I learned from writing and publishing my books is that there are so many of us out there who are going through the same exact thing each and every day. What I want women to know is that they are not alone. They are never alone. We all share the same trials and joys, frustrations and heartaches. Reach out. And let’s always make a conscious effort to lift each other up in our very own ways. I do it through mentorship and leadership and through the strength of my words. Find your strengths and use it to make a difference in the world.
It’s never too late to live your dreams. If I was able to do it, anyone can.
**Thank you Christine Brae for being a role model and an amazing author who empowers women. I feel uplifted by knowing that there are genuine authors who care about their readers. Reading is food for your brain. I did not interview Christine simply to suggest that you read her books. I did it to let peolple know that someone out there can really inspire you through her stories as she already has done with thousands of other readers. If not now, when?
You can find more LINKS to better discover Christine Brae’s world here:
Christine’s Radio Interview for In This Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GCEqUFyFUs
Christine on CNN: http://cnnphilippines.com/lifestyle/2015/09/14/Young-adult-books-author-Colleen-Hoover-Tarryn-Fisher-Christine-Brae-MIBF.html
As always make your wishes come true. |
Kensington Palace described the veil hand-washing details in a statement released shortly after Markle made her debut in the gown on her wedding day, adding that it took workers “hundreds of hours” to make the final product. That sounds like a lot of soap and water.
Accordingly, the veil and the dress looked spotless for the nuptials. And Prince Harry complimented the designer on the gown.
“It is an immense honor to have worked closely with Meghan and to have lived by her side all these special moments. Prince Harry came to me and said, ‘Oh, my God. Thank you. She is absolutely magnificent,’” Waight Keller said. “I am very proud. It’s a fairy tale. A dream come true.”
Victoria Beckham, a former Spice Girl and the designer of her namesake line, thought the Duchess of Sussex “looked absolutely beautiful” at the ceremony. |
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt plans to propose a new rule Tuesday to overhaul the way science is used to write regulations at the agency, HuffPost has confirmed. The change is expected to disqualify huge amounts of peer-reviewed public health research and give favor to industry-funded studies.
The rule, first reported by The Washington Post, would deliver a change long sought by conservatives who say “secret science” unfairly cripples industry. But critics of the new EPA proposal say it blocks the agency from using traditional, peer-reviewed studies that rely on anonymity granted to interview subjects to collect data on their personal health. The announcement for the new rule is scheduled for 2 p.m.
“It effectively says our premier public health agency will be prohibited from using many or most public health studies,” said Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Center for Science and Democracy. “It’s a perfect catch 22.”
The proposal aims to do by EPA writ what Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the controversial head of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, has attempted for years. Smith has pushed two bills aimed at forcing the EPA to rely solely on research whose raw data could be publicly released, a bow to big industry players, particularly petrochemical companies who complained about research finding higher rates of asthma and other respiratory ailments that resulted from airborne particulates spewing from their plants. The bills passed in the Republican-controlled House, but failed in the Senate.
“In general we strongly support the general concepts in the Lamar Smith bill, which is the basis of what Pruitt is doing,” said Myron Ebell, director at the libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute and the former head of Trump’s EPA transition team.
The new EPA move builds on a strategy long employed by the tobacco industry to sow doubt as mounting research linked smoking to cancer. The playbook dates back to 1996, when Christopher Horner, a former fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, wrote a memo outlining plans to combat the EPA’s finding that tobacco smoke is carcinogenic by constructing “explicit procedural hurdles the agency must follow in issuing scientific reports.” |
Like it not, the private sector has an enormous role to play in building the future we all want. It has the influence, scale, and innovation required to create a sustainable economy which will enable more people to live with dignity.
In an encouraging bit of news, a majority of corporate sustainability professionals surveyed recently say they are confident that their companies will stay the course on sustainability regardless of recent changes in policies and governments.
The latest State of Sustainable Business Survey includes responses from around 300 business leaders representing 151 global companies – more than 60 percent of Business for Social Responsibility’s global membership network.
Since the Paris Climate Agreement conference in 2015, we have seen climate change rise in priority. In the latest results, 73 percent of respondents say that climate change is a significant priority for their company, rising back to the top of the priority list (along with human rights) for the first time since 2010.
With this historically high priority being placed on climate change, it is encouraging that 65 percent of corporate sustainability professionals say their company’s commitment to tackling climate change will be unaffected by the exit of the US from the Paris Climate Agreement. Moreover, 12 percent say their commitment would actually be strengthened. This commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement was demonstrated by the public pleas that many companies, cities, and states made to the Trump administration to keep the US in the agreement, as well as by a number of CEOs quickly leaving Presidential Advisory Councils in protest following the announcement of the US withdrawal.
When we asked corporate sustainability professionals to indicate their level of confidence that their company would continue to make progress on sustainability issues if government regulations were removed, the vast majority (88%) responded that they are at least fairly confident, with 65 percent very or extremely confident.
This suggests that at least where sustainability is concerned, companies are not necessarily relying on governments to lead the way. In fact, the vast majority (85%) of respondents believe that large global companies can have the greatest positive impact on advancing sustainability over the next ten years. However, government is not off the hook, as 57 percent indicate that national governments are also important for making progress.
While there is a strong belief that large global companies can positively advance sustainability over the next ten years, the private sector’s historical performance is not perceived in such positive terms. In our recent Sustainability Leaders survey, professionals from a broad range of organizations – private sector, NGOs, academia, and government – were asked to rate different institutions on their contribution to sustainable development since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. Here the private sector performs relatively poorly, with just 23 percent of experts giving a positive rating, compared to 59 percent for NGOs.
A gap such as this in businesses’ expectations of itself and wider perceptions of its performance should precipitate companies to rethink their approaches to sustainability in order to live up to their own expectations.
One way in which companies can help drive their sustainability strategies to new heights is to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a mechanism to set corporate performance targets. The percentage of companies who have already adopted the SDGs in some form has almost doubled since our previous survey in 2016. However, as the chart below shows, there are still many who will not engage or have not yet done so.
With over half of respondent companies indicating that sustainability is now among the top five priorities of their CEO, are we finally entering a place where corporate sustainability will truly be mainstream? |
Newly minted New York Times columnist Bret Stephens has already prompted criticism inside the newsroom, even though he hasn’t written anything for the paper.
Declan Walsh, the Times’ Cairo bureau chief, on Saturday took issue with Stephens having once described anti-Semitism as the “disease of the Arab mind.”
“Not cool,” Walsh tweeted in reference to a line Stephens wrote in an August column for the Wall Street Journal.
In that column, Stephens argued that an Egyptian athlete refusing to shake hands with his Israeli counterpart at the Olympics was indicative of the “long-abiding and all-consuming hatred of Israel” in the Arab world.
Stephens probably wouldn’t have caused much controversy, then or now, if he had gone on to argue that anti-Semitism is prevalent, even pervasive, in the Arab world. But he wrote that the Olympics incident demonstrated “the disease of the Arab mind.” Stephens responded to criticism at the time by saying he used the word “mind” as a “figure of speech, not biology.”
But the conservative columnist’s “Arab mind” characterization has been given a second life since he landed the high-profile position at the Times on Wednesday. And Stephens defended that eight-month-old column on Saturday in tweets to Walsh.
Yes, @declanwalsh. The column is about the tragic ubiquity of anti-Semitism in the Arab world. Which, I'm sure you'll agree, isn't cool. https://t.co/7g7b6gfbZq — Bret Stephens (@BretStephensNYT) April 15, 2017
“That’s a fair point,” Walsh responded. “Ascribing a pathological condition to an entire race of people is not.”
“Which the column doesn’t do, except in a tendentious reading of it,” Stephens tweeted, adding that “readers can judge for themselves.”
But the Times’ “Interpreter” columnist Max Fisher also expressed concern with the line.
@declanwalsh @BretStephensNYT I initially assumed it was just a sloppy rhetorical flourish, but the digging in suggests the line was intended to mean exactly what it said — Max Fisher (@Max_Fisher) April 16, 2017
@declanwalsh @BretStephensNYT I guess we just all have to agree to disagree as to whether it is acceptable or correct to call racial groups pathologically "diseased." — Max Fisher (@Max_Fisher) April 16, 2017
Opinion writers are never going to please everyone. But it’s unusual for Times staffers on the news side to publicly challenge the work of a new hire in the opinion section. And specifically, the two Times staffers’ criticism with Stephens’ writing stemmed not from a political viewpoint, but from whether the language he used to make it was acceptable.
Meanwhile, the most persistent criticism of Stephens outside the Times has been that his views on climate change are outside the realm of responsible discourse.
At the Wall Street Journal, Stephens called global warming a “mass neurosis” and declared it “dead” two years later. He has mocked liberals’ concerns over climate change, which he has dubbed an “imaginary enemy.” On television, he has dismissed the “the so-called ‘consensus science’ of global warming.”
The Times editorial board, by comparison, argued last month that the “rock-solid scientific consensus” on climate change demands “swift action.”
Times editorial page editor James Bennet told The Huffington Post on Friday that Stephens is not a “climate denialist,” as he’s been described by some critics. In a statement to HuffPost, Stephens identified himself as a “climate agnostic.”
“To pretend like the views of a thinker like Bret, and the millions of people who agree with him on a range of issues, should simply be ignored, that they’re outside the bounds of reasonable debate, is a really dangerous form of delusion,” Bennet said.
But Joe Romm, the editor of ThinkProgress’s “Climate Progress” vertical, responded Saturday by saying that certain views should be dismissed, even if they’re shared by millions. |
When I read 20,000 plastic bottles are used every second around the world, my stomach dropped. The costs associated with plastic use are as varied as the plastics themselves. These range from environmental costs, to health costs.
From an environmental standpoint, plastic is both dangerous and toxic; because once it is in the environment, it does not disappear or disintegrate. It is found in all reaches of the world, even the most remote.
Plastic byproducts are found in almost every species of the marine web including fish, whales, sea turtles, and even humans.
Some 8% of all the world’s oil goes to making plastic products. Plastic contributes to climate change, environmental degradation, and threatens the health of a wide array of fauna, globally. For more detail on some of the health repercussions of plastic byproducts, read my previous post: "Plastic: It's what's for dinner".
While health and environmental costs alone seem like worthy enough reasons to quit our plastic addiction, there is a third cost, one that many of us forget about.
The cost of the bottled water itself.
Tap water costs less than a penny per gallon. Yet, we have been "taught" to believe that water from a bottle, sometimes costing as much as $10 a gallon, is better for us, or has more or less of this mineral or that vitamin. In fact, most bottled water companies take municipal or spring water, bottle it up, and charge you more for that water, then you pay for a gallon of gas.
I don't know about you, but, that ALONE frustrates me!
I mean, think about it! You’re at a gas station, you want water: You see a 500-mL bottle for $1.49. It takes 8 of those bottles to equal 1-gallon of water. If you buy eight 500-mL bottles of water, you will pay almost $12!!
When I think of this cost, I think of all the people in the world who already struggle to make ends meet.
Bottled-water companies have come into developing countries, to "provide water" for the people. Nonprofits DO actually aid the people they have come to help. However, multilateral conglomerates, BIG beverage companies, still charge some the poorest people in the world exorbitant costs for water, soda, or other bottled beverage. It's extortion!
If these companies really wanted to do good, they would philanthropically provide water to these communities, in sustainable ways.
But, like most corporations, they are in the business to make money.
When you add up these costs, it definitely seems like eliminating plastic, and particularly plastic-beverage bottles from our lives is both prudent and necessary.
While visiting the beach this weekend, I happened upon the scene shown above. What looked like a beautiful beach from afar, turned out to be a beach overrun with people and plastic rubbish. In a matter of minutes, I picked up at least 20 pieces of plastic and threw them in the only receptacle on the beach.
Image Credit: Dana Hunnes Just a few of the plastic pieces picked up along the beach.
Look, if 100% of plastic products were recycled or even recyclable this might be a different story.
However, only 9% of plastic is recycled, (at least in the United States).
So, what can you reasonably and feasibly do about this?
We all vote with our dollars. If we buy a reusable water bottle, and fill it with tap water than municipalities might be more inclined to install hydration stations, where you can refill your bottle.
In fact, Europe is pretty good about that already.
We can all refuse to use a straw at restaurants, and bring our own reusable coffee cup to coffee shops.
If we all start demanding that our favorite beverage stores use renewable products instead of plastic, they will begin to meet our demands.
We can buy and use “reusable” or mesh produce bags. We can demand better recycling stations in our cities and at grocery stores. By making recycling easier, an improved “default,” more people MIGHT actually start doing it!
If we all contact our elected officials, and demand that they support a ban on plastic goods, then perhaps we will see changes (though, I must add, with our current political climate, I don’t see this as a reality).
You can sign this petition I created.
Look, I understand the potential need for plastic-bottled water, in emergency cases. But, they SHOULD be relegated to emergencies, not every day use.
Most corporations are not in the business of protecting the environment and informing the public. Most corporations are in the business of making money; at the expense of the environment. |
For more on this topic, check out the full Sports collection
Athletes get a lot of credit for the dedication, strength, & sacrifice that they show. And they fully deserve that credit! However, they are not the only ones showing dedication, strength, & sacrifice… this article is a “Thank You” to the parents of athletes who are the silent strength behind that success.
Parents…
Thank you for the hours that you spend in the car driving to practices & competitions.
Thank you for washing loads of disgustingly sweaty laundry
Thank you for giving up your evenings & weekends
Thank you for giving up time that you could have used for your own interests
Thank you for spending your hard-earned money on your athlete’s dreams
Thank you for loving your athlete whether they won or lost
Thank you for managing schedules so that your athlete is always where they need to be
Thank you for being brave in the face of injuries & setbacks
Thank you for understanding that practices might come before family vacations
Thank you for your patience when practice runs long
Thank you for showing up to competitions, even when you are too nervous to actually watch
Thank you for encouraging your athlete to keep going when they needed the extra push
Thank you for the hours you have inevitably spent wondering what path is best for your athlete
Thank you for trusting your athlete’s coaches and your athlete themselves
Thank you for caring about your athlete’s happiness & well-being
Thank you for believing in your athletes
And ultimately… Thank you for your constant support
Through sports, YOU are providing your children with incredible life-lessons that will serve them well throughout the rest of their lives. Win or lose, they are building character directly because of your support & efforts.
---
MINDSET COACHING: WIN IN GYMNASTICS & LIFE
GYMNAST MINDSET is not ordinary mental training. We are a gymnastics specific, systematic program designed to help serious gymnasts succeed in & out of the gym. |
At least there’s one thing some of the “Sex and the City” cast can agree on: Cynthia Nixon is ready to run for office.
The award-winning actress announced her bid to run for governor of New York on Monday after months of speculation she might throw her hat into the ring. Nixon will challenge two-term incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) in the Democratic primary this September.
“Sex and the City” co-star Kristin Davis kicked off former costars’ messages of support over social media, emphasizing Nixon’s commitment to childhood education, which she made a focal point of the video announcing her candidacy.
“I am so proud of @CynthiaNixon, no one cares more than she does about EVERY person getting a fair change and a good education,” Davis wrote on Twitter.
I am so proud of @CynthiaNixon , no one cares more than she does about EVERY person getting a fair change and a good education. I know that she would be an excellent Governor ! https://t.co/xEAyRxFBb8 — Kristin Davis (@KristinDavis) March 19, 2018
Willie Garson, who played the character Stanford Blatch in the HBO series, as well as in the two feature films, also backed Nixon in her jump from acting to politics.
“I cant think of anyone who’s more prepared, more caring, more educated on the issues and more READY than @cynthiaenixon,” he wrote. “Please join her on this journey, together we can turn things around with candidates such as her.”
A post shared by Willie Garson (@willie.garson) on Mar 19, 2018 at 11:30am PDT
Nixon’s other co-stars, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall, have yet to comment on her run for governor, but both appear to be on good terms with the actress.
The “Sex and the City” cast has been fractured in recent months after production on the planned third sequel in the franchise was indefinitely halted, reportedly due to Cattrall’s production demands. The actress has since denied the claims and has repeatedly slammed Parker in interviews and on social media.
But Cattrall seems to have only warm feelings for Nixon, and thanked her publicly for expressing condolences over her brother’s recent death.
Nixon and Parker reunited at a photoshoot for T: The New York Times Style Magazine in February and shared a sweet snap together.
A post shared by Cynthia Nixon (@cynthiaenixon) on Feb 26, 2018 at 1:12pm PST |
A man accused of gunning down five shoppers at a Washington state mall last year died behind bars Sunday while awaiting trial. Snohomish County Jail officials said he appeared to have hanged himself with a bed sheet.
Arcan Cetin, 20, faced five murder charges in connection with a September mass shooting at the Cascade Mall in Burlington. Cetin allegedly entered a Macy’s store with a rifle and began shooting people at random, killing three women, a man and a 16-year-old girl. He was to have faced trial later this year.
“We would have liked to have seen the case go through the entire process and have justice come out at the end,” Rosemary Kaholokula, chief deputy prosecuting attorney for Skagit County, told The Huffington Post. “Certainly there’s a level of disappointment.”
Victims’ family members were notified of Cetin’s death on Monday morning. The news could understandably leave some feeling “cheated,” said Skagit County prosecutor Rich Weyrich, according to the Skagit Valley Herald.
Relatives of victim Chuck Eagan were “in shock over this development,” the family said in a statement. “We pray that the man repented to God before his death.”
The Snohomish County Jail is investigating the circumstances of Cetin’s death.
Suicide is the leading cause of death in jail, and is largely preventable, a HuffPost investigation found last year. In many cases we reviewed, jail staff appeared to miss key indicators of self-destructive behavior. In others, they failed to follow protocol for inmates who had been determined to be a suicide risk.
Sometimes, this leads to the death of individuals who may not have had to be in jail in the first place. Cetin’s death also shows that lax suicide-prevention procedures can deny justice for victims and their relatives.
Cetin had a history of mental health issues, and had reportedly attempted suicide in November 2015. At a preliminary hearing earlier this year, his defense attorney argued that his client was not mentally fit to stand trial. A court was to consider the results of an independent competency evaluation of Cetin later this month.
The Snohomish County Jail reported no inmate deaths in the one-year period HuffPost examined prior to July 2016. But the jail has faced significant criticism for inmate deaths in the past. A total of 13 inmates died at the jail from 2010 to September 2014, according to a report by The Daily Herald of Everett, Washington. Three of those deaths were suicides.
Gov. Jay Inslee (D) visited the jail in February and commended staff for having improved mental and behavioral health services. |
I ended the year off right - with a colonoscopy. This is apparently part of the ceremonial initiation into the horror of turning 50. Because I'm changing insurance (thanks, Obama), I wanted to get the colonoscopy done before the end of the year, so I scheduled it for December 29th.
If you haven't experienced the joy of prepping for a colonoscopy, you haven't lived. I'll spare you the details, except to say that I would compare it to a firehose of shit exploding from your anus, but I wouldn't want to belittle firehoses. This happens twice: once the night before the procedure and once the day of. My friend Ken Weinstock recommended that I "Golytely" into the procedure, and if you don't understand the horror of that statement, consider yourself lucky. Oh, and while you're prepping, you can't eat or drink anything except for clear liquids. And I was thinking, no problem, I can survive on clear liquids, until I read the following in the directions: "And yes, while beer and vodka are technically clear liquids, they are contraindicated for this purpose." Fuuuuuccccckkkkk.
On the day of the procedure, my wife Kate drove me to the hospital. It was all very quick and orderly. I arrived at 12:45 pm, and by 1:00 pm, I was in the exam room in a hospital gown (I was told to leave my socks on; apparently, this was going to be a quickie), and was wheeled into the colonoscopy room at 1:30 pm.
The room was unremarkable except that is had a big screen on the wall. I had been told I would be given Fentanyl and Versed for sedation, which might make my memory of the procedure foggy, as if in a dream. "Wait, I'm going to be awake???!!" "Yes, but the medication will make it all worthwhile."
The doctor came in and explained the procedure to me, including all the horror stories of what could go wrong - bleeding, perforated colon, Trump presidency - but he assured me that these were unlikely to lead to death. I signed the release and was directed to roll on my side, look at the screen, and welcome the incoming probe. Apparently sensing my discomfort, the nurse rolled up a towel and put it under my head.
The nurse administered the drugs with three shots into the IV. One second, I was wondering if they were having any effect at all, the next I was floating off into a beautiful, peaceful, happy state staring at the drama unfolding on the screen before me. Actually, I should mention that before the insertion of the probe, the doctor did a "manual exam" and remarked on the exceptional smoothness of my prostate.
I was awake and aware for the entire procedure. While that might seem horrifying, I was blissfully unaware of any discomfort or pain. When the doctor first stuck in the probe, he remarked on how well I had done with the prep. Apparently there was not a trace of fecal matter to be found, just smooth, unobstructed colon as far as the eye could see. In this moment, I was extremely proud.
As the horror unfolded behind my anus, with the probe rammed further and further in with each passing moment, I experienced each high-speed twist and turn on the screen as if it were some extreme-sports GoPro helmet-cam exploration of my colon. The doctor was narrating the whole procedure, and I remember one moment vividly where we hit an especially precarious turn that he said polyps often hide behind. The probe careened its way around the turn, only to find the area polyp-free. It was exhilarating.
When the procedure was completed and the probe fully extracted, the doctor remarked on how extraordinary my colon was. Clear, smooth, a fantastic colon. Really exceptional, best he had ever seen. Which made me think of Donald Trump.
As I look back at the shitshow that was 2016, and look forward to the horrors of the year to come, I can't help but think that the Trump presidency is America's colonoscopy. America did what it could to prep for the election, with the deepest, darkest recesses of American shit exploding from the mouth of Donald Trump daily in wave after wave of mindless degradation, leaving us empty and void of even the slightest trace of dignity. Soon we will arrive at the hospital that is the inauguration, where Donald Trump will begin the procedure, ramming the Trump agenda into America's anus with the brutal force of a thousand gallons of Golytely. Except that for this procedure, there will be no towel placed under America's head to make us more comfortable, no Fentanyl or Versed to make America blissfully unaware, no socks left on to keep America's feet warm and keep us from slipping. And now we are told by America's nurse, the media (stick with me here), that the best we can hope to do is lie back and welcome the probe.
But is it? What if we fought back against the indignity of the probe. What if we took a stand against the colonoscopy? What if we said to Donald Trump, "Enough! America's anus and no further!!!" What if we stood up, each and every one of us, and prevented the colonoscopy from happening at all??!!!*
As I'm writing this, my phone is flashing the headline: "Welcome to Chillicothe, Ohio, where you can get heroin quicker... than pizza!" It's going to be an interesting year. Happy 2017.
* * *
*Nothing in this post was intended to be anti-colonoscopy. If you're over 50 and you haven't had a colonoscopy, get yours today! |
The Grove, University of Mississippi
The Grove is the legendary tailgating area located at the center of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) campus. It is approximately 10 acres (4.0 ha) in size and is shaded by oak, elm and magnolia trees hence the grove part of the name. Surrounded by ancient oaks, mysterious elms, and Mississippi magnolias, the Southern legend known as âThe Groveâ graciously plays host, most autumn Saturday afternoons, to thousands of Ole Miss Rebel tailgaters. Located in the heart of the University of Mississippi, Southern manners and rich tradition reign supreme at a college football tradition second to none. The Ole Miss Alumni Association's Grove Society began in 1998 to preserve the 10-acre (4.0 ha) green space. The Grove Society posts a strict schedule for the event. Described as "the Holy Grail of tailgating sites" by Sporting News, The Grove comes to life for Ole Miss Rebels football home games with as many as 25,000 fans. Fans arrive often around 2:00PM the day before the game (campus rule is no one allowed to "stake their claim" before 9:00 pm, which is enforced by campus police) to grab their spot in The Grove. This usually serene area of campus becomes a sea of red, white and blue tents. Ole Miss students generally dress in their Sunday best: Men wear slacks, button-up shirts, bow ties, Sperry Top Siders, and coats while women wear cocktail dresses or brightly colored sundresses and high heel shoes. Some older fans also dress in this style. Many tents are set up with fine kitchen ware. You'll often find lots of lace and designer doilies, fine china, chandeliers, sterling silver or silver plated candelabras and sterling silver or silver plated utensils. Much of the food is laid out on table cloths in sterling silver or silver-plated servers. The food fare often consists of hors d'oeuvres, but as with most tailgating parties, barbecue still has authority. There's also the traditional Southern food: fried chicken, pork, homemade dressings, mashed potatoes and stuffed eggs. Every now and then, a loud voice breaks the hum of the crowd present in The Grove with the yell, "Are you READY?" This is the beginning of the Ole Miss cheer, known as "Hotty Toddy." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grove_ (Ole_Miss) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_... |
Once hailed as one of the world’s most revered human rights defenders, Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s stunning fall from grace has left heads spinning around the globe. The freedom fighter-turned-politician has watched impassively as a genocide unfolds before her eyes, and she continues to ignore international pleas for action.
Suu Kyi spent decades fighting against Burmese military rule, including nearly 15 years under house arrest as a political prisoner in Yangon. Her remarkable rise to become Myanmar’s de facto leader in 2016 brought hope to a nation long plagued by oppression.
But just two years into her tenure, the democracy darling’s blatant disregard for an ongoing campaign of state-sponsored abuse that has driven 700,000 Rohingya Muslims out of the country has left many of her countless admirers bewildered and outraged.
Suu Kyi has dismissed reports of atrocities committed against the minority Rohingya population ― including documented killings, rapes, shootings, arson and torture ― as “misinformation.” Her inaction and repeated refusals to grant access to humanitarian parties and investigators have even spurred calls to revoke her Nobel Prize, which she claimed in 1991 for “her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.”
The disgraced leader’s departure from the values she long championed has drawn mounting rebuke, and begs the question: Why?
Kevin Frayer via Getty Images Some 700,000 Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since August 2017.
Political Priorities
By neglecting to take action or even speak out, Suu Kyi is not just apathetic ― she is complicit in the Rohingya crisis, according to Joshua Kurlantzick, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“She could have pushed to allow journalists and international aid groups to work freely in Rakhine State. She could have publicly called for an investigation into military leaders in Rakhine State who are [accused] of violence,” he said. “But she may feel that because many people in Myanmar don’t care about the Rohingya, that it’s not good policy.”
Although she’s been scorned on the world stage, Suu Kyi remains popular in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where Rohingya have endured decades of discrimination and little sympathy is evident for their suffering, especially from state-controlled media. Her party, the National League for Democracy, has shown concern for the violence against Rohingya in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
“It’s possible that she really doesn’t care about the Rohingya,” said Kurlantzick, who noted that Suu Kyi’s silence on the crimes long predates her time in office. “She may think it’s not worth taking a stand because her other priorities are more important to her.”
It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it. Aung San Suu Kyi
Some observers speculate that after a lifetime of tirelessly pursuing Burmese democracy and prosperity ― causes her father lived and died fighting for ― 72-year-old Suu Kyi’s desire to remain in power has eroded her commitment to protecting human rights.
South African anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu, Suu Kyi’s fellow Nobel laureate, warned his “dear sister” of the perils of power last September, weeks after a provocation by Rohingya insurgents unleashed an explosive retaliation by Myanmar security forces.
“Your emergence into public life allayed our concerns about violence being perpetrated against members of the Rohingya. But what some have called ‘ethnic cleansing’ and others ‘a slow genocide’ has persisted ― and recently accelerated,” he wrote.
“If the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Myanmar is your silence, the price is surely too steep. A country that is not at peace with itself, that fails to acknowledge and protect the dignity and worth of all its people, is not a free country.”
According to Suu Kyi herself, maintaining authority can be a dangerous pursuit.
“It is not power that corrupts but fear,” she once said. “Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it.”
Kevin Frayer via Getty Images Burmese militants have killed, raped, beaten and tortured Rohingya without consequence from Suu Kyi.
Limited Power
Suu Kyi’s election was a watershed moment for her country, but she did not secure the presidency: As a mother to foreign-born children, she was constitutionally barred from assuming that office. Instead, after her party’s landslide victory, she named herself state counselor ― a specially created position intended to be “above the president.”
But even at the head of Myanmar’s government, Suu Kyi’s authority remains restricted by the military-drafted Constitution. As such, the military still controls Myanmar’s police and security forces, as well as key cabinet positions.
Experts on authoritarian governance, including American Enterprise Institute fellow Clay Fuller, contend that Suu Kyi’s extremely limited power over the military extends to the military-driven massacre of the Rohingya.
“I don’t believe she’ll publicly come out for the Rohingya. I think, privately, inside, she thinks this is abhorrent ... but the internal politics of Myanmar prevent her from doing that, largely because the military is still in control,” Fuller said. “Holding an election doesn’t make [Myanmar] a democracy.”
He believes that in Suu Kyi’s mind, it is risky to publicly denounce the military’s campaign of targeted abuse because they “have their fingers on all the levers to remove her.”
“I think she is calculating that she shouldn’t say anything because she can do better good if she stays where she is. But if the pressure from the international community mounts on her enough to actually convince her to come out and take a stand against the government, she could go back into house arrest, and Myanmar could go back down the route of extreme military control,” Fuller said.
He has been disturbed to see Suu Kyi excoriated by public condemnation while Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of the Myanmar armed forces, remains relatively unscathed.
“Why are we wasting all our time attacking her? The military of Myanmar is the enemy. They are the government, they are the dictators, they are the ones committing genocide,” said Fuller. “They’re murdering children and we’re sitting here trying to revoke a Nobel Peace Prize. It just seems like a waste of time.”
In a searing editorial titled “As Aung San Suu Kyi’s biographer, I have to say that the only good thing she can do now is resign,” Irish author Peter Popham wrote that instead of challenging the military, Suu Kyi “is now its poodle, its patsy, its flak-catcher in chief,” while Min Aung Hlaing “is off the hook.” |
Trevor Noah has plenty to say about the national gun debate ― and it isn’t all scripted.
In a between-the-scenes moment from “The Daily Show” posted online Thursday, Noah took on critics who have questioned whether the foreign-born comedian should be chiming in on gun control. “This is an American conversation,” conservative radio host Larry O’Connor told Fox Business in a clip Noah showed his audience.
The comedian, a South African who criticized many Americans for avoiding the conversation about gun control after the mass shooting in Las Vegas, then offered a thoughtful response.
“People go, ‘Why do have an opinion about this?’ And I say, ‘I hear what you’re saying but ask yourself this question: Why did nobody say that when Americans were protesting for South Africans to get freedom during apartheid?’ No one asked that question.” |
There are reasons for Kristen Anderson Lopez, the Oscar-winning song writer of “Let It Go” from Disney’s Frozen, to have her feet well-grounded.
For the Oscar-winning songwriter of Frozen life was not always a fairy tale.
While hard work and tenacity have helped her to achieve professional success, the Frozen songwriter’s incredible modesty and selflessness trace roots to her early-life financial struggles.
There were days and months in her life when she earned just $7.50 an hour and could not even afford tampons. But she coped. She also picked up some compelling money lessons on the way.
In a candid interview with CentSai, Kristen Anderson-Lopez tells her story.
Doria Lavagnino of CentSai: What was your relationship with money growing up?
Kristen Anderson-Lopez: That could be a whole therapy session, right?
My parents were young parents and did not have two pennies to put together. So my relationship to money – the early relationship to money – was like, we drank powdered milk and we got one Christmas present.
Then my dad slowly but surely climbed the corporate ladder in that “Mad Men” kind of way. So with each promotion came more.
We went from camping in a tent from a garage sale, to like, “Ooh, actual walls?”
By the time I was nine we got to go to Puerto Rico. That was a huge deal.
Vacations are funny – that is my measure of how I went from poor — poverty-level poor — to quite wealthy in the span of my childhood.
DL: What happened next?
KL: By the time I was in high school we moved to Charlotte [North Carolina]. My dad had worked his way up and we upper-middle class. I went to Charlotte Country Day School and later to Williams [College]. My parents had a “Baby Boomer” relationship to money.
They weren’t handing me tons of cash. So I had to get a job at Williams to pay for pizza and I didn’t have the best clothes. I was a Gap-level fashionista.
DL: What was your first job?
KL: My first job, when I was 15, was working at the pharmacy administration in the basement of [North] Carolina’s Medical Center. Right next to the morgue.
DL: How much did you make an hour?
KL: $7.50? And then taxes got taken out! I’m like “WHAT?’
DL: That’s a hard lesson to learn, isn’t it?
KL: Yeah! After graduating from Williams as a theater and psychology double major I was a waitress while waiting for my break. My plan out of Williams was not a great one. I was a horrible waitress.
DL: Why?
KL: Because my personal connection with the customer was more important to me than them needing ketchup. People who are great waiters and waitresses are the people who are concrete thinkers. Customers don’t care about your life or want to become best friends. They want their iced tea. And they want it not spilled on them.
DL: Did that happen?
KL: Yeah… I spilled ice tea on a whole table of Clinique people dressed in all white… I got each one of them. A whole round robin.
DL: So waitressing was not your thing. What happened next?
KL: So I did that for a while. Since I was the class speaker at Williams, some investment bank reached out to me. I keep forgetting, I’ve totally blocked the name, but it was a really good financial consulting firm that hired artists, and they wanted me to come for an interview in New York.
KL: So I flew to New York and the first thing I did was pick up a backstage newspaper and saw there was an audition at the Jupiter theater I could fit in. And I went to this audition and I got a callback exactly when my interview was for this investment bank. I blew off the financial institution to go to the callback, and I got it.
DL: That was your first big theater gig?
KL: Yes, it was a year-long internship at the Jupiter Theatre (In Florida) doing, like, 13 musicals in the chorus and secondary parts, and they put you up in condos that were right on the beach. They fed you horrible food, and you got $50 a week. And you were basically a musical theater indentured servant for a year.
Career Building: Summer Stock in New Hampshire playing Lady Larkin in ‘Once Upon a Mattress’.
DL: Tough to live on $50 a week, even back then! And did you have any free time?
KL: Um, no. I woke up at 7 am and worked until midnight, and then I did it again.
No days off. Except when you burned the theater down, which did happen.
We burned the theater down during a kids’ show. And so we got a week off when they had to fix that.
DL: That was probably a well-earned break.
KL: It was! My parents came down and stayed at the Breakers in West Palm Beach, and I was living on $50 a week and bicycling. I thought, “Wow, my parents live this really wealthy life, and I – I can’t afford tampons.” That was the journey I took in my 20s. I was trying to reconcile this upper-middle-class life that my parents and sisters had with my under-the-poverty line freelance life.
DL: When did you know that musical theater was your passion?
KL: I knew that from early on, but I struggled with musical theater being my career for my entire 20s.
After a particularly difficult time, I tried to use my fallback, which was my psychology background. When I was 25, I worked for a year with schizophrenic patients.
At 28, I did PR – both jobs were full-time gigs that offered health insurance and the life all my contemporaries were living. The bulk of my 20s I was temping.
As I got older it really became scary to suddenly be working for people younger than me. I was working for the people who had chosen that ‘alternate universe.’ I dreaded the day that I was going to end up working for someone I’d gone to Williams with – that I’d graduated with, or graduated before them.
DL: I guess those are character-building moments?
KL: It took a lot of personal growth. But it brings me to one of the things I wanted to share with your audience, and I shared it with my sisters when they graduated from their cushy colleges, which is: You actually have to turn your back on peers that are living a different financial life than you are. It’s painful when all your wealthier friends are getting a house in the Hamptons for the summer and you can’t.
You can’t go out for drinks at a swanky bar in the Wall Street area. You can’t all go grab pedicures.” You can’t even afford the bachelor /bachelorette parties.
DL: How did you cope?
KL: I had to close the door on that peer group. I remember a specific night where we all got together and they wanted to go out for Thai food, and I could not afford it. I had $10 in my bank account, and those $10 had to pay for my subway back and forth.
DL: This was still in your 20s?
KL: Yes, and it was a really dark moment where I said, “Okay, I need to find my own group in New York that are also artists and who are in this financial struggle, as well.” I had to find my community of freelance artists who could spend a night hanging out drinking beer and playing theater games. It was affordable, fun, and tapped into my joy, not my bank account.
Originally called ‘Along the Way’ this is the cast that became ‘In Transit’
DL: When did you finally find your community?
KL: I found my true community when I found the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop (BMI) It’s a mouthful. That was the moment, when I was 27, that I realized I was a writer.
DL: Not an actress?
KL: Not an actress. I love acting, and one day I planned to do it, but the writing was the way that I was going to have the edge. It’s not enough to be a pretty good actress. You have to be an exquisitely stunning, amazing actress to get work. My edge is as a writer– in part because I had acting skills and a voice that I was using as an instrument – which a lot of writers didn’t have. So, I found my synergy. And I met my husband –it was sort of one-stop shopping for life.
DL: When did you meet Bobby? (Robert Lopez, co-creator of Book of Mormon and Avenue Q and Frozen co-songwriter of Oscar-winning “Let It Go”)
KL: Right after I joined that workshop in the Fall of 1999.
DL: When you met Bobby, were you sure he was the one?
KL: No. On one level, my gut had that one moment of, “Aha! This person is my person.” On another level, he was 24, living with his parents, writing a puppet musical, and had a lot of growing up to do. And I was dating someone else.
DL: You have always focused on growing your voice and body of work. How have you kept moving even when it was hard?
KL: It’s true, and I owe my parents for not bailing me out. Both my parents felt strongly, and it must have been very hard for them, that they were not going to subsidize a mediocre acting career.
My parent’s tough financial love allowed me to go through the hard lessons that I needed to go through, and I think that’s how I found what my true calling. If they had been subsidizing me, I think I probably wouldn’t have had enough hardship to pivot and find my true calling.
DL: That makes total sense – you have to be hungry.
Yeah! You have to be hungry, and you have to be resilient. It’s really key to life.– Kristen Anderson Lopez
DL: Absolutely. And so, when you had those dark moments, how did you pull yourself out of them? Can you give our readers some suggestions?
KL: Realizing nobody’s gonna save you but yourself – that’s really key. There is an aloneness in that, but there’s also a huge power in that realization. When I look back on it now, I am so proud of myself for making it through those years when I worked paycheck-to-paycheck-to-paycheck, and I developed a sense of pride about it.
DL: How do you find being a woman in theater? More specifically, women don’t earn as much as men, across the board. Why do you think that is, and what do you think women can do better in their day-to-day life to earn more money?
KL: One of the things that I still struggle with is in negotiations. Women have this need to be liked, and have self-doubt like “Well…I don’t want to look like a bitch…” My husband never once worried about looking like a bitch. He has rarely thought, “I don’t want them to not like me.” I think that’s the way we undercut ourselves during negotiations, and failing to ask for what we’re worth.
DL: Absolutely. Are you better at negotiating now or is it still tough?
KL: It’s still a work in progress, honestly. I have an agent and a lawyer now who negotiate, or fight tooth and nail in a way that I would never do. And they tend to say “Do not talk to these people you’re friends with who you negotiate with. DO NOT talk to them about contract or negotiations. Let us take care of negotiating.”
You don’t EVER get emotionally involved on that side because of both of us as – as artists – we have to be incredibly open to the people we’re working with. And then you – then you find yourself negotiating with them. It’s a tricky thing, so I – I compartmentalize it –I outsource.
DL: I have seen this myself in my career. I’ve seen men ready to negotiate and more often than not, women not wanting to rock the boat.
KL: Yeah – I am really proud of my assistant. She’s a millennial. And she came to our yearly meeting, and had researched people who do what she does, and how they’re being compensated.
She had really done her due diligence on salaries and had written very clearly all of her responsibilities – so clearly – and I was – I, even though I was on the other side of that negotiation– I was so proud of her for really taking the time to catalogue all of her work, and also taking the time to find out, “What are other people who are doing my job getting?”
She let us know where she intended to bring more value to us in the future.” She handled it really beautifully and we share an office!
DL: As a result, was she able to get a raise?
KL: Yeah.
DL: Good for her!
KL: She – she pointed out how much we needed her, in a way that we don’t always recognize It’s really worth making sure that you’re in a situation where you have an annual review every year. Especially if you’re freelancing – it’s hard to ask for that. And make sure to do your due diligence. I learned from my 20-something assistant in this case.
DL: We all learn from each other, right? One of the areas on our platform that gets a lot of traffic is “relationships and money”. Early on, when you and Bobby were working–and struggling – did you have money fights? And if so, what were they about?
KL: As early as our first date we went Dutch. And he also came a similar background of educated but middle-class parents who didn’t have tons of slush funds, so money was always an issue in his family as well. He was working on a puppet musical, and as a freelance artist.
So, we knew, we’re both paying for our own piece of pizza. Then there was the final push for Avenue Q, where I was working as a temp and as a teacher, teaching artists in the Bronx, and he was getting to go off and live the dream every day and there were a couple of months that I kept us afloat. And I woke up at 5 every morning to go to the Bronx.
DL: This was before Avenue Q?
KL: This was before Avenue Q opened off-Broadway. And, actually, on the way to the off-Broadway opening – in our fancy dresses – we had to stop at my temp job to pick up my check. Otherwise, we weren’t gonna have money to make it through the weekend.
DL: I remember you mentioning that in your email to me, which is a really powerful anecdote. How many hours would you say you were working at that point?
KL: Forty? Fifty? But the other piece that I was sacrificing was that those hours I wasn’t working on my own writing. My husband was working on his own writing.
At that point. It’s just a few months, but I’m – he had moved in with me, so I was paying the rent. During those months, I could see there was the making of some real fights in our future.
It didn’t last long, because luckily Avenue Q got a good review and then suddenly money started flowing in, and eventually, I was able to quit my jobs and focus on writing myself.
It’s funny how we carry those moments into our marriage. We’re just now investigating some of those underlying ideas. We just had a conversation about how, at that moment, when he was like “You can quit your job” he thought that he was giving me a big gift and that I would be grateful for the rest of my life.
And actually, at that moment I was feeling a loss of independence. I got a gain of being subsidized to focus on my own writing. But I also got a loss of standing on my own two feet.
DL: Which was your identity up to that point…. that must have shaken you up a bit, I would imagine…
KL: It did. Again, we got married that year (2003), and then we had a kid a year later we didn’t really have a chance to kind of focus on [money in our relationship]. Only now, at this point in our lives, have we started that conversation.
DL: So, the money conversation happened recently?
KL: Really recently. We spoke about being subsidized was actually in the con column… That I actually didn’t ever want to be that person or obligated in that way.
DL: Were you worried you would lose your hunger?
KL: I certainly didn’t lose my hunger as a… female writer in the industry – there’s so much hunger there although he [Bobby] likes to point out that I – my true hunger happened… after I had a kid – that’s when I really started –
Suzanne Harkness A timeline...
DL: Why do you think that is?
KL: For six months, I didn’t have to do anything but my writing and we wasted our days. We had a certain amount of financial freedom. We stayed up late, watching Seinfeld until three in the morning and we’d sleep in till 11. We’d exercise. And suddenly, it’s five o’clock. Dinner. Then, maybe, I’d be like, “Uuuggghh – I didn’t work today, I have to…“ but it was once I had a child, my hours became fewer.
DL: Was your pregnancy a productive time?
KL: Yes that’s where I got our in with Disney… through Finding Nemo the Musical… before I was pregnant. Like, I got that job and then pulled Bobby into that job.
DL: Your daughters, Katie and Annie… what money lessons are you trying to teach them?
KL: Right now, we’re just working on teaching the value of a dollar – at least with Annie. We are also doing chores to earn, “You are a part of the household so Katie, you have to set the table every night and Annie you’ll help to clear it.” With that they earn… money.
For instance, if Katie loses a book and we have to replace it – she has a problem with losing things right now – very irresponsible with her things – and if we have to go buy something it comes from her. Hopefully, she sees a one-to-one ratio of “your lack of responsibility…”
DL: “… is what yielded…”
KL: Yeah.
DL: Weird question: if you were to choose someone to be on the one-dollar bill, who would it be and why?
KL: Hillary Clinton… as our first female president!
KL: I – I guess since she didn’t win, I think there are probably more stories out there that we don’t quite know of women who had a huge impact, like the Hidden Figures movie about NASA –these women whose math solved the ability to go to the moon. I still wonder about Hamilton’s wife. If Hamilton’s wife wrote half of those things.
DL: If you had $20 to spend it on right now, what would it be?
KL: $20-? A book. A really good book.
DL: One that comes to mind?
KL: Emma?
DL: What is your guilty pleasure? Mine’s chocolate.
KL: My guilty pleasure? Massages. … and I’m trying to work on not feeling guilty about that because at this point in our lives, investing in our hardware is a cheap part of keeping our computers running.
DL: What advice would you give to millennial women about investing in themselves?
KL: The biggest piece of advice I give to every single person – especially those who want to be in the artistic field – pick up a copy of the Artist’s Way. By the time we graduate from high school/college, we are so full of messages that we’ve been fed about ourselves that often we’re on the wrong path.
In my case, it forced me – to get out of my own way. It has all these different exercises that get your true calling to come out. The first time that I ever wrote down that I was a songwriter I was doing an exercise that said something like, “Imagine 10 things you wish you could be if money and talent were not an issue” and I remember writing some things and being really surprised that I wrote “ a songwriter.” |
1. A Public Fight with a Friend.
Sally Sue used to be on your friends list, but now she’s on your blacklist. You can’t stand her. She’s full of drama. She’s not a good friend. She’s absolutely awful. Your fingers are itching to write the nastiest, most epic diss of Sally on Facebook. But I wouldn't be so quick to press “post”. All those things may be true about Sally, but if you acknowledge her on the most readily available and public platform you have to express what is important to you, what does that say about you and the order of your priorities? What petty people do to annoy us is irrelevant. How we conduct ourselves is what really matters. Why spend time playing Sally’s dramatic games when you could be posting that really sweet thing your kid did today which made you smile? Or talk about a new project you are working on. Or post about how you are in the process of going back to school. Replace something negative you want to say about someone else with something positive you are doing in your own life. Most likely, you and Sally still share mutual friends and they might feel caught in the middle of your drama. Give your friend a call or work it out over coffee—or delete that person from your Facebook and your life. |
Each franchise has their boldest and brashest personalities; Atlanta has the ever popular Nene Leakes and New York has the Skinnygirl herself, Bethenny Frankel. “The Real Housewives of Dallas” is no exception, with LeeAnne Locken wrangling the ladies together this year in an attempt to not just build some bridges, but heal some of her own personal demons. I sat down with LeeAnne to chat about the amazing new season of #RHOD, the shifting alliances within the cast, and what exactly it’s like putting your own life front and center on television for everyone to see.
The show was amazing last year with a cast of charity ladies from varying backgrounds, and now for Season Two of “The Real Housewives of Dallas” you have lost a couple ladies, and added a couple new ones. What’s different for our favorite ladies of the Lone Star state this year? Well right off the bat, this time around we knew that we were going to be Housewives. The first season, we were not quite sure what we were; we were told it was going to be based off of “Ladies of London” and based on charity. This time around we were like “Oh we’re Housewives? Let’s go in and stir some shit up”! (laughs). I think we felt a little more comfortable about behaving the way that we were and the way we did too. Everyone really gets a chance to tell their story too, and everyone has a much more well rounded presentation during the season.
What is it like adding two well known Dallas socialites to the mix of you ladies? I really think that the addition of D’Andra (Simmons) and Kameron (Westcott) are absolutely perfect! Last season I kept trying to explain to people who lived in Plano or Irving, Texas why it is important to behave a certain way in Dallas. I don’t have to explain that to D’Andra or Kameron. They get it before I even say it. It’s nice to have truly authentic Dallas socialites on the show because I really don't have to say anything. They just react to the bad behavior, you know?
Many thought that you may have been too hard on yourself last year, as you really stood up for yourself last year. This year, you are getting more centered and more “zen” in a way. Does it feel strange to be doing that in front of all of America? Not at all. One of the things that I love the most about this season is that you are going to see so much more of my journey on bettering and getting ahold of myself. When we came in to talk about what we had going on in our lives, I told them that I was genuinely in this therapy and that I was not afraid to have cameras come in and really show me for me. I told my therapist the same thing, and not to act as if the cameras were there. I was there to learn something and have an epiphany every single time and if that was not happening, they were wasting my time. I just kept thinking about how many other people around the world may benefit from the lessons that I will be learning this season.
There is a definite change in you and a definite shift in alliances, as you are now friends with former foe Brandi Redmond. As she is in the middle of a major disagreement with fellow cast mate Stephanie Hollman; do you feel that you are stuck in the middle? I don’t really think I feel “stuck”. I feel like I have been put in a in a position where I am responsible for everyone’s safety and health, and to make sure that people do not get hurt in a way that cannot be fixed. It is difficult for me, because last year, Stephanie was really overloaded with Marie with a ton of negative things about me. She still struggles letting go of that. Based on that, you definitely see the division. I actually ran into Brandi last year on her birthday and she really just started to open up to me. She was crying and started telling me what had been going on with she and Stephanie. I looked at this as an opportunity to take her under my wing and show her that this is how we deal with issues like this as adults, here is what I would do, I am a shoulder to lean on things like that. I just wanted to show her what a mature female friendship was really like.
It does make fans apprehensive to see you getting in the midst of a disagreement between two ladies that had such a deep friendship, and it is definitely jarring at first. I agree it definitely is jarring that is for sure. It was also jarring to hear Brandi crying on the phone while she told me what had been going on. That was heartbreaking for me. Even though Brandi and i have behaved probably the worst on the show to each other, I still feel, that as an empathetic and compassionate person, a certain amount of sorrow that she was sad. I will say that you are really going to love this journey.
It sound like you have certainly found your groove this season! Absolutely I am kind of calling this an #RHOD rebirth this season. This season is just going to blow everyone away.
I am sure you have probably noticed that as an official Housewife you are now an official gay icon! Does it feel different when the boys and everyone else for that matter recognize you? You know, for me not so much. I have always been doing movies or television, so people would recognize me for “Miss Congeniality” or something else already. I am really kind of grounded in that and I am not really affected. I do enjoy it though when people come up to me. (My boyfriend) Rich and I just went to dinner the other night at the Ritz Carlton and someone came up and asked for a picture and I absolutely love it! I love talking to someone who watches the show, that is really the absolute best part of the show. Meeting people and interacting with people who love the show.
So if you could tell the LeeAnne Locken that walked onto the show on day one of filming anything as the LeeAnne now that is an established and experienced Housewife, what would you tell her? Don’t take everything so personally honey. Sometimes when people attack you it’s much more about them than it is about you. Think more about the purpose than about the question. Truthfully, my entire life has become so centered and so beautiful and I remain in a completely graceful state to be able to experience that in front of everyone. |
The first bombing occurred on March 2 and killed Anthony Stephan House, a 39-year-old black man. On March 12, a second bomb killed Draylen Mason, a 17-year-old African-American teenager, and injured his mother. Later that day, a third bomb injured a 75-year-old Hispanic woman, who has not been identified.
All three initial attacks involved packages left at the front of residences that exploded after the unsuspecting victims handled them.
The latest of the attacks occurred on Sunday and injured two men who set off a tripwire on a sidewalk in a suburban neighborhood. The victims in Sunday’s explosion were white, according to Austin police.
Police have said there are investigating the bombings as possible hate crimes. Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters during a news conference Monday morning that authorities are not ruling out “domestic terrorism.”
U.S. code defines domestic terrorism as life-threatening acts that appear intended to intimidate civilians; influence government policy through intimidation or coercion; or affect the conduct of government through mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping.
Law enforcement officials have been reluctant to label many attacks that fit this description as domestic terrorism, arguing that the statutes federal prosecutors typically use against apparent domestic terrorists don’t include the word terrorism.
But some say officials only seem willing to label violent acts carried out by Muslims as terrorism ― a claim federal law enforcement authorities reject.
“The notion that the government takes Islamic extremism more seriously than domestic terrorism is, frankly, not true,” Thomas Brzozowski, who serves as the Justice Department’s counsel for domestic terrorism matters, told HuffPost in January.
Thompson, Richmond and Jackson Lee, however, suggested there might be merit to that argument, saying in their statement: “For too long we have focused only on certain sources of terrorism and violence while ignoring others.”
Thompson is the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, and Jackson Lee leads Democrats on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations. Richmond also serves on the Judiciary subcommittee and as chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.
They urged the FBI to brief congressional leaders on the bombings before Thursday, when the House is set to adjourn for spring recess. They also called on the chairmen of the Homeland Security and Judiciary committees “to recognize the gravity of the domestic terrorism threat and work with us on developing concrete and common sense solutions to counter it.” |
Michael Bennett continues to be a provocative source of commentary on issues inside and outside the world of football. This time, though, the Seattle Seahawks defensive end turned his sights to a perceived issue within his own team’s locker room.
Bennett became the latest player to rally around Russell Wilson after an unflattering report regarding the signal-caller’s status on the team. An in-depth report on Richard Sherman that appeared last week in ESPN The Magazine did most of the damage, as it asserted Wilson and Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll are the targets of the cornerback’s ire.
Among the accusations in the controversial article is that Sherman resents Wilson and Carroll over the team’s loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX and a rift exists in the locker room over how Carroll treats Wilson differently than other players, among other things.
Both Wilson and Carroll attempted to stay above the fray and remain diplomatic while Sherman blasted anonymous sources who were quoted in the original report, calling them “cowards.”
Bennett came to Wilson’s defense amid all the drama and fallout from the article.
“On a team with competitive people, there are going to be issues that are going to happen,” Bennett said during an interview Wednesday on 710 ESPN Seattle’s “Brock and Salk” program, via ESPN. “There’s just a lot of alpha males running around, but everybody supports Russell Wilson. We can’t win a game without Russell Wilson. Russell Wilson is a top-five quarterback in the NFL. We cannot win a game without a guy like that.”
Wilson, despite rarely being considered among the top quarterbacks in the NFL, arguably has enjoyed the success and has the track record to be rightfully viewed as one. Despite the controversy from the Sherman article — if Bennett’s comments are any indication — it certainly seems like he has the respect of his teammates.
Bennett recently admitted he wanted the Seahawks to sign Colin Kaepernick. Given his comments Wednesday, Bennett saw that move as a way to bolster the depth at the position, not to make any drastic changes. |
Poland is suspending the retail tax till January 1, 2019, the ministry of finance said in its draft bill submitted to the cabinet. This means, that the state coffers will not receive PLN 1.59 billion from the tax planned for next year.
Back in 2016, Poland introduced the retail tax with two rates of 0.8 percent for turnover between PLN 17 and PLN 70 million and 1.4 percent for turnover above PLN 170 million. It was suspended in October 2016, after the European Commission launched its investigation. In July, the Commission said that it violates the bloc’s law, as the progressive revenue-based rates give low-income companies a selective advantage over their competitors in violation of EU state aid rules. |
Seasonally adjusted industrial production in Poland increased by 4.6 percent year to year in December, according to data published by Eurostat.
Month-to-month, production grew by 1.7 percent.
Throughout the European Union, seasonally adjusted industrial production increased by 2.9 percent y/y and fell by 1 percent on a monthly basis. |
Real estate invesment volume at €4.6 bln... The total value of transactions concluded in Poland in 2016 amounted to €4.6 billion, the best result since 2006, according to a Colliers International report. Last year 80 institutional investment transactions involving over 130 properties across al...
Prologis touts 2016 leasing activity in ... Logistics space developer Prologis leased 1.8 million sqm of warehouse area in Central and Eastern Europe last year, which brought the occupancy level across the company’s portfolio in the region to a record-high 96.4 percent. In Poland, the de...
First Property Group invests in Kraków o... Fund manager and investor First Property Group is, in conjunction with a club of investors, to acquire the Pilot Tower office building in Kraków for a total of approximately €23 million. The transaction is expected to be finalized in the second quart...
Record leasing activity in warehouse pro... Lease agreements for a total of more than three million sqm of warehouse space were signed in Poland in 2016, which is the best result in the history of the Polish market, according to the latest report by JLL. In the opinion of Tomasz Olszewski, the... |
i2 Development sells two office building... Warsaw Stock Exchange-listed developer i2 Development has sold, in two separate transactions, two office buildings in Wrocław – Nowy Alexanderhaus and Twelve, which offer 2,800 sqm and 2,000 sqm of space respectively – for a total of PLN 40 million n...
Warsaw’s Westin Hotel sold Skanska Commercial Development Europe has sold one of the most prominent landmarks on the Warsaw skyline, the five-star Westin Warsaw, to Qatari investor Al Sraiya Holding Group for €56 million.
Echo offloads former Cracovia hotel buil... Developer Echo Investment has sold the former Cracovia hotel building in Kraków to the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for PLN 29 million. The property will be owned by the National Museum in Kraków and is expected to house a design and arc...
Ronson sells Nova Królikarnia in Warsaw ... Developer Ronson Europe has finalized the sale of the ongoing Nova Królikarnia residential project in Warsaw to investor Global City Holdings (GCH) for a total of more than PLN 175 million. Ronson will receive almost PLN 34.3 million in cash and near... |
Murapol buying land for major Warsaw pro... Murapol, one of the largest residential developers in Poland, has signed a preliminary agreement for the purchase of approximately 4.4 hectares of land in the Ursus district of Warsaw as it continues to strengthen its presence in the city. The acquis...
Record development activity in warehouse... More than 1.6 million sqm of warehouse and industrial space was under construction in Poland at the end of H1 2017, twice as much as at the end of H1 2016, according to a recent report by Savills. Almost 800,000 sqm of warehouse and industrial space ...
Hotel investment market puts up strong p... The total volume of investment transactions signed in the hotel property market in Central and Eastern Europe in the first half of 2017 exceeded €700 million, which marks an eleven-percent increase upon the same period last year, according to the lat...
Archicom expanding Forma scheme in Wrocł... Warsaw Stock Exchange-listed Archicom, one of the largest residential developers in Wrocław, has launched sales of apartments in the latest phase of its Forma project in the city. On offer are 135 housing units in a five-storey building with the enti... |
Murapol buying land for major Warsaw pro... Murapol, one of the largest residential developers in Poland, has signed a preliminary agreement for the purchase of approximately 4.4 hectares of land in the Ursus district of Warsaw as it continues to strengthen its presence in the city. The acquis...
Record development activity in warehouse... More than 1.6 million sqm of warehouse and industrial space was under construction in Poland at the end of H1 2017, twice as much as at the end of H1 2016, according to a recent report by Savills. Almost 800,000 sqm of warehouse and industrial space ...
Hotel investment market puts up strong p... The total volume of investment transactions signed in the hotel property market in Central and Eastern Europe in the first half of 2017 exceeded €700 million, which marks an eleven-percent increase upon the same period last year, according to the lat...
Archicom expanding Forma scheme in Wrocł... Warsaw Stock Exchange-listed Archicom, one of the largest residential developers in Wrocław, has launched sales of apartments in the latest phase of its Forma project in the city. On offer are 135 housing units in a five-storey building with the enti... |
Real estate invesment volume at €4.6 bln... The total value of transactions concluded in Poland in 2016 amounted to €4.6 billion, the best result since 2006, according to a Colliers International report. Last year 80 institutional investment transactions involving over 130 properties across al...
Prologis touts 2016 leasing activity in ... Logistics space developer Prologis leased 1.8 million sqm of warehouse area in Central and Eastern Europe last year, which brought the occupancy level across the company’s portfolio in the region to a record-high 96.4 percent. In Poland, the de...
First Property Group invests in Kraków o... Fund manager and investor First Property Group is, in conjunction with a club of investors, to acquire the Pilot Tower office building in Kraków for a total of approximately €23 million. The transaction is expected to be finalized in the second quart...
Record leasing activity in warehouse pro... Lease agreements for a total of more than three million sqm of warehouse space were signed in Poland in 2016, which is the best result in the history of the Polish market, according to the latest report by JLL. In the opinion of Tomasz Olszewski, the... |
Real estate invesment volume at €4.6 bln... The total value of transactions concluded in Poland in 2016 amounted to €4.6 billion, the best result since 2006, according to a Colliers International report. Last year 80 institutional investment transactions involving over 130 properties across al...
Prologis touts 2016 leasing activity in ... Logistics space developer Prologis leased 1.8 million sqm of warehouse area in Central and Eastern Europe last year, which brought the occupancy level across the company’s portfolio in the region to a record-high 96.4 percent. In Poland, the de...
First Property Group invests in Kraków o... Fund manager and investor First Property Group is, in conjunction with a club of investors, to acquire the Pilot Tower office building in Kraków for a total of approximately €23 million. The transaction is expected to be finalized in the second quart...
Record leasing activity in warehouse pro... Lease agreements for a total of more than three million sqm of warehouse space were signed in Poland in 2016, which is the best result in the history of the Polish market, according to the latest report by JLL. In the opinion of Tomasz Olszewski, the... |