#And also to try and say that there is no British bias in the sport which is quite frankly ridiculous

[f1-obsessed333]

I need certain people to understand something.

The fact that Max was in the wrong on Sunday and the fact that British bias exists in F1 are not mutually exclusive. They can both be true.

[f0point5]

"Max's comments about British bias is so weird. I really like Max, and I think he is a talented driver, but his behaviour over the past few weeks hasn't been okay. You'd think, from the way he's acting, that the points gap between him and Lando was only a few points. Yes, mathematically, Lando still has a chance to win the wdc, but realistically, we all know it's a stretch- even lando admits this.

For Max and red bull to feel so threatened that they're talking about landos mental health, claiming Oscar dosen't deserve to be second driver (discussion already heated as it is without Maxs comments on it) and even admitting to crashing Lando out to prevent him from winning ... for what?

I get that to win, you need to be ruthless, but this feels unnecessary and unprovoked because Max driving alone would be enough and also he has his whole team helping him to win wdc without a doubt. It's not like Lando is out there in the media claiming he's the best in the world. In fact, the media often uses every opportunity to criticise him or protray him in a negative light.

Contrary to max's comments about the media and FIA being biased towards British drivers like Lando, this just isn't true. maybe after Miami there was optimism, but with all the missed opportunities, the media narrative shifted quickly, focusing on Lando's bad starts.

After Hungary, every media outlet was discussing how Oscar doesn't deserve to be second driver and how good he is compared to Lando, and how mclaren is refusing to prioritise lando. they questioned his championship mentality, despite his consistent performances. And aside from Zandvoort and Singapore, there was more talk about his mistakes and narratives being used for clickbaits.

media bias in sports isn't new. durch media will focus on Max, Australian media on their drivers, and british media on theirs. this is expected. you could argue that British media has a larger international reach, but thats beyond any athletes control.

example: sky Germany constantly talks about Nico Hülkenberg, or the chances of Mick Schuhmacher, and sometimes even missing race action to cover him.

However, using "british bias" as a defence when he was clearly in the wrong, and in the same breath throwing lando to the wolves and disregarding real bias against other poc driver on the grid, is just not okay. Not all drivers have the privilege of being white male with a dutch passport. maybe I'm exaggerating, but as poc myself, it really weird that Max used this as a clap back for something he himself admitted to doing - trying to prevent Lando from winning.

everyone talks about British bias and how "unfair" it is for Max and it is, the British media talked bad about him especially in the being of his career and him winning and Im not denying that but a few acknowledge the racism and bias faced by other drivers. I don't think these comments are funny or make a good clapback. and for a fact I know that if Lando said a similar thing, the reaction would have been entirely different.

Because Max is a little bitch who lashes out every time he's under pressure. As is a staple of his career. But since his "lashing out" is being overtly aggressive and an arrogant asshole, it's viewed as "woooo that's why he's a champion" instead of weakness."

I honestly do not understand how people cannot see that there is a clear bias towards Max. For a fan base that says the hate towards Lando needs to stop but has absolutely no issue throwing it towards Max the hypocrisy at its finest.

Oh lorddd.

First, no one talked about Lando’s mental health. Your competitive mentality is NOT the same thing as your all around mental health. You can be the happiest most well adjusted person in the world and a competitive environment and pressure can just get to you. Sure, your psychology influences and impacts how you deal with stress and failure and success and all that. But saying Lando cracks under pressure is not the same as ragging on his mental health.

Oscar is a good driver…what was the harm in recognising that? Also, Max doesn’t owe it to McLaren not to share his opinion so as not to upset whatever disaster they have potentially simmering over there?

And Max did not admit he crashed Lando out because he didn’t crash Lando out. They did not make contact. Lando finished second. So…that just straight up didn’t happen. But that ���for what” 😂 for…the championship? Please god open the schools.

British bias is real, every single driver who is not British and winning has talked about it. The fact that everyone just accepts it as standard because the brits have basically a monopoly on broadcasting rights is actually mental. And yes it’s the same in every country and in my opinion it’s moronic in every fucking language. But it’s exponentially worse when Sky Sports is the main broadcaster, and when the F1TV pundits are all incredibly biased. F1TV is not a National channel, no it should not be “expected” that they border on unprofessional in the way they talk about certain drivers. they should not be allowed to be biased, in my opinion. I should not know that Jenson Button wants to lick the soles of Lando’s shoes. And mind you, I think both Sky Sports and F1TV presenters have been unprofessional even when they talk about British drivers, at some points, but to nowhere near the extent of the way they talk about Max. That’s why the only one I respect is Nico Rosberg because he is genuinely an equal opportunity hater.

Also, Max can talk about whatever the fuck he wants. The microphone is in front of him, not anyone else, so while you don’t have to agree with his opinion, it’s a take it or leave it thing, there is no third option to demand he say something different.

And in conclusion, yeah when Max is Max people say “he’s a champion” because he fucking is. In 2016/17/18 they were calling dangerous and crazy. And then it turned out what he does works for him. See how when you succeed you earn the right to do what you want, because people trust your process? (Brits don’t get it because for some reason they think their way will always prevail in the face of reason and results that say otherwise) “lashing out under pressure is a staple of his career”…so is performing under pressure. Not everyone can say the same.

He requires no defence, just look at the record book.

Maybe it’s just me, but despite the hate against Max being awful and just as uncalled for as the hate towards Lando…I kind of find it so much less impactful. You can’t really gain ground hating on a guy who has done exactly what he wants to do in the sport. So you think he’s an asshole…and what? Is that a crime? Is that relevant? Who even cares? Certainly not him. They just look so bizarre to me. I can’t fathom thinking someone should care what I think about their behaviour any more than I can fathom caring what someone thinks about mine.

Lol that quote was a deep dive into the mind of a parasocial for sure.

[f1mvln]

British bias on sky sports does not apply to Lando

The way they constantly slander Lando or no absolute reason especially when they use Oscar to do it .

Like today the excitement from Karuns voice when Oscar qualified infront of Lando (by 0.043s) sky clearly have some type of problem with Lando or at least certain commentators/pundits. After quali today anytime time McLaren, Lando or Oscar came up. They even introduced Oscar as Oscar piastri who out qualified his teammate. May be just introduce him as Oscar piastri you know his name.

And then lazenby said Oscar has dominated the year so far ?? Naomi shut him down but where he got that conclusion ? It seems sky are determined to create some type of unhealthy rivalry between Lando and Oscar which just is not there. They never compare teammates the way they do Lando and Oscar

Also the way they we’re constantly saying Lando was out qualified making it out it was 0.5s+ when it was literally 0.043. But when they do this they are also taking away from Oscar by constantly mentioning Lando

The only one who ever stands up or backs Lando is Jenson (come back pls) like in Mexico when he shut danica down when she was trying to miss quote Lando

Sky just pls leave the McLaren boys alone yeh thanks

[djxiao]

I'm nosy but who is your bias in F1? idk what to call it, I only know kpop lingo 💀

we should all start using kpop terminology for f1 lol. ok im not sure how familiar you are with so idk how much info to include about each of them and im trying very hard not to list like half of the drivers because there’s only 20 at a time (not including reserve drivers) and they’re all so compelling and interesting in their own ways but for the current 2024 lineup i’d say my bias is charles leclerc from ferrari!!

charles is from monaco and currently 3rd in the championship and he definitely used to be more of a little racing gremlin, he’s matured over the years and his driving reflects that. i know he still has it in him though he isn’t called ‘il predestinato’ for nothing! and with all the changes in staffing happening in the ferrari garage and the car upgrades coming this race weekend i have high hopes for charles and the team! italian men go absolutely wild for him and the catholic church has all but canonized him as a saint. the motivation behind his loyalty to ferrari is a long story but essentially tragic backstory = sense of duty to the team and the people he loves.

-

ok now for my other two who you could call bias wreckers if we’re sticking to kpop terms, my two retirees nico rosberg and sebastian vettel.

these two cannot be discussed without mentioning the other as they are part of the unholy german trinity along with the goat of all time michael schumacher. sebastian was michael’s protégé since childhood meanwhile nico was michael’s teammate but the protégé of michael's rival, mika hakkinen (who in turn was his father’s protégé.) the real life succession of it all. the dynamics are sooo so juicy.

-

oh nico my nico. 2000s pretty boy of f1. son of world champion keke rosberg, agonizing need to prove he’s not just a nepo baby, not just a second fiddle to his world champion teammates, that he's a talented driver in his own right. proved himself by winning the 2016 championship and immediately quit. icon. he’s living his best housewife life now but he’s super knowledgeable about the sport and has the best takes on the rare occasions he decides to commentate.

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seb. most successful rebranding of all time do NOT let the nerdy outdoorsy eco activist image fool you this man was a speed demon back in the day he didn’t become a 4x world champ by wearing his rainbow shirts and beekeeping on his days off okay he terrorized everyone on track for years. got a penalty just 6 seconds into his career during his first ever f1 race for speeding in the pit lane before the race even started. i love him dearly.

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some honorable mentions go to mercedes drivers lewis hamilton and george russell and mclaren driver oscar piastri!

i love winners who lose. lewis is a british 7x world champion who hasn’t won a race since 2021. not his fault the mercedes car currently sucks but like it sucks so bad he’s leaving the team he’s been so loyal to for over a decade and moving to ferrari in 2025 and will be on the team with charles! he’s just the loveliest human being really truly just such a good guy. fashionista!!! and remember nico? yeah so does lewis even when he pretended to forget him that one time he was listing past teammates. neither have ever recovered from their codependent homoerotic friendship breakup. drivers, they’re just like us.

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next we have george the baddest bitch around

also british. he IS the moment. girlbossed his way into formula racing and team mercedes by showing up alone to the team principal’s office at age 15 armed with nothing but a suit and a word document file. was appointed director of the driver’s union in only his third year of f1. he makes bold racing decisions and while it doesn’t always work out in his favor he has the mentality that you need to take risks to get results. i feel like his eyes are on the future though and i see him being a higher up in the company one day.

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and finally oscar the aussie newbie!

standing man emoji 🧍 has so much natural talent and won a sprint race in his first season last year! one of the most level headed drivers right now, he can stay so calm and collected during high adrenaline moments and i think that’s part of what makes him so successful. he can come across as a little uninterested and unenthusiastic but he’s a cool guy and very loved you just have to understand his vibe first. personally i think either he or charles will be the next new championship winners. driving for mclaren and only got half the car upgrades his teammate got last race weekend but the new car is looking GOOD and he should be getting the rest of the upgrades for this next race!

[vro0m]

Since Russell being Lewis teammate the narrative around white British is more and more apparent too, like Sky talked about how Russell outscored Lewis in whole 2022 season and how he already can replace Lewis and be the team number 1, and in 2023 once Lewis outscored Russell they suddenly take out the "total points during teammate time " (like they did back in Button time) and after Canada gp where Lewis also really outscored Russell in total points, they basically stopped mention points about Merc teammates ever again, and before Russell outqualified Lewis 3 consecutive time, they also stop talking qualifying, like they just forget there also have teammates battle in Merc.

I sometimes think that Russell’s ego on never thinking he is slower than Lewis is partly because the media will never damage his ego by talking loud about how he gets beater. For example, imagining is most drivers outside him or Norris bottled a race the way he did in Singapore how many article from the Race, Motorsport will get published, and if the drivers are Lewis, Perez and etc how many time will Sky Sports mentioned it and connected it with "crumble under pressure", "not mature","rookie mistakes"every time they got chance? Besides fans dragging Russell on sm, I actually can’t remember something from f1 media criticizing him like they used to criticize Perez recently for similar level mistake.

I honestly feel like I haven't paid enough attention to media comments to reply as well as I'd like to this but I'll try anyway.

I've already talked about George not thinking he's slower and how I think part of it is warranted. I would tend to agree that he's not being scrutinised as much by the media for his performances but also I don't think he's having as much issues as Perez for example. I wanna say again, George's performance is not as far off from Lewis' as Perez' is from Max's at the moment.

Is some of the "leniency" due to him being British and white? I mean sociologically, probably yes. I haven't been reading F1 media outlets enough to know precisely what has been and what hasn't been said and analyse it to a standard I'm comfortable with to assert anything. Is Perez getting more heat at least in part because he's from Mexico? Again, sociologically probably yes.

I think there's also just the fact that you can't really compare George (or Norris) and Perez in that it's George's 5th season in F1 and he has a bad car, which means there's less expectations ; whereas Perez is in his 13th year and has a competitive car, so there's higher expectations. Same thing goes with Lewis. Of course there's a lot of racism at play against him. In the present case of what you're mentioning in your ask, there's also just the fact that George beating Lewis is much more unexpected than Lewis beating George, so it's more newsworthy.

Anyway I agree with the point I think you're trying to make that the POC on the grid don't get the same media treatment to this day. There's bias 100%. It coexists with circumstances as well imo. One doesn't make the other disappear and vice versa.

Also just generally I can't wish for media to hurt drivers' ego like that would be a good thing. I think (I hope?) that's also what you're saying but I'd rather every one of them got less acidic comments from the media than those who get less of these including for racist reasons, get more. Like. In any case let's level it down not up.

[fcb-mv33]

Hii Red Anon here again ❤️

You and that other Anon making me blush ☺️.

Don’t get me wrong I only started watching F1 at the end of 2020, and 2021 fully made me watch and the passion Max would drive that Redbull I can honestly see why my brother is a big fan of Max, I got the subscription of F1 Tv to watch back on past races (being from England and watching Sky 🫠) I watched Max’s first win in Spain and they way he kept Kimi behind him, no one can take away Max’s accomplishments, I see comments like FIA in Jos pockets and I’m like huh 🫠 really 😂, it’s time for the Youngsters to shine now it’s a new era of racers.

Out of the Sky commentators I really like Jenson he’s never bias he will call out Lewis and Max and give detailed discussions why, Naomi sometimes I’m like yessss and others I’m like really (the Max, George Baku debate), Martin I’m so/so with him I seen past races when he’s like I’m a big fan of Max.

As a journalist/Commentator you have to be neutral over everything even if you like that person.

The reason why I came with the receipts is because we all know people would bash me and say that I’m lying (google is there for a reason).

Yuki may be my favourite driver but I will cheer Max on and honestly the Max fans I’ve seen on here are so respectful, and the way they defend him and the F1 drivers, the Lewis fans on here well I’ve only seen a very fair few that like Max.

The bullying and abuse Max gets is horrible and wrong, the racist abuse Lewis gets is horrible both should never get that and I look at these people on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and I’m like why would you do this you cyber bully someone how would you like it if someone you know, your kid, your sibling got cyber bullied or if in the future they get called by their kids school saying that their kid is cyber bullying people and their kid turns round saying you did it honestly i do not get people.

Yes the drivers say things that makes you question them, yes you may dislike a driver that’s fine but why abuse them on social media, when I saw them fans in Miami flipping Max off and telling him to Fu*k Off I’m like you’ve spent £1,000+ on tickets just to do that wtf.

I will fully defend Max no matter what he’s done nothing but put his life into racing.

I would absolutely love for Max to win Brazil and Sliverstone and Mexico this year just to spite all the Lewis British and Brazilian fans and even the toxic Checo fans.

Kinda wish this year I was sitting with all the Max fans at Sliverstone.

Hopefully next year I get to see a race 😁



F1tv has honestly been a blessing. I’ve watched the full seasons since 2015 when Max joined and even in 2015 he was genuinely a joy to watch, annoying the living life out of everyone (except Nando) for being 17. People comment sometimes saying he’s a paid driver but when you do a deep dive into his stats as a child I mean Jesus they are so so impressive and also no amount of pull could get a 17 year old into a car if he wasn’t insanely talented. Which Max is.

I fully don’t like any of the commentators except Jenson. They have chatted so much shit since Baku and the start of the season. Constantly acting like Max is ruining the sport, is a spoilt child when he’s just Max. They choose to be ignorant of who he is, the way he is and the talent he is because he’s not British and it’s a shame. I swear the amount of times I’ve seen them trying to say George would match Max is literally criminal.

Honestly I’ve really strong opinions on the hate Max gets and how it’s seen as basically okay. It’s been that way since 2021 when Merc and lh would send their fans to abuse Max but give out about the booing or cheers in 2022 when they sat by and said nothing about their fans week in week out wishing death on Max, his gf, his mother, his sister and her two little boys. The hate Max gets is according to some “deserved” all because he destroyed Merc in 2021. He out drove Lewis in 70% of the time when Merc didn’t take him out. I think the abuse not being called out is fucking vile and that’s why I constantly call it out.

[managingmymuse]

Not to be a pain in the ass (she says, totally about to be a pain in the ass), but...

You are increasingly the sample size by reblogging. You're just also introducing sampling bias into the data. (Sampling bias is exactly what OP described above. If you want to know what the most popular sport in the world is, you can't survey just Americans)

But, you could also say that tumblr polls aren't samples at all. To do a statistical study, you have to define a question first. Determining which character is most popular worldwide is very different than determining which character is most popular among British university students.

So, when you post a tumblr poll, what are you trying to measure? Do you want to know the most popular blorbo worldwide? Impossible, your sample is only tumblr users. The most popular blorbo among Tumblr users? Also impossible, your sample is biased based on your initial follower pool and who reblogs it.

You could do a poll of just your followers by asking anyone who doesn't follow you not to vote, and that might be okay. But technically that's a census (a survey of every member of a population), not a sample. And sometimes censuses are actually less accurate than sampling studies due to errors and non responses.

tl;dr - Tumblr polls are just for fun and don't generalize well to any sort of population, even Tumblr users

“Reblog for a larger sample size” that is not how samples WORK this is statistically worthless!!

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

i would like to preface this by saying that 70 minutes ago i didnt even know who marc maron was and as such had no personal bias against him, but during that 70 minutes i found his constant americanisms really irritating as well so its definitely not just you. when he was talking about the students that went to rough schools it really rubbed me the wrong way because the school system in england is the problem, not the kids being "ruffians" or whatever. also why on earth would he think the term "soccer" was older than "football"? or presume that we give a shit about the royal family? at the beginning i was baffled more than anything but like you said the more it went on the more annoyed i got.

Thank you! I'm honestly glad to know it wasn't just me who found that annoying. Especially since I don't exactly have the right high ground from which to be annoyed with that, since I'm not British and I make lots of mistakes. But this guy was coming at it from such an American-centric perspective that he seemed to be unaware of how off he sounded.

The school thing got to me too; John was trying to make a more significant point about how the class system plays out in the tiered school system, and Marc Maron kept trying to fit it into a Hollywood movie plot. Less importantly, that part of the conversation was also when he had to ask what John meant by "Headteacher", and shortly after that, you can hear John talk about playing sports on a "p-field". Like after starting the world he realized that if this guy can't guess the meaning of "Headteacher" from context or just semantics, then he's not going to figure out "pitch" either.

And I forgot the bit about the queen, that was weird too. I don't even know where he got that idea - as a Canadian, I would not have assumed British people give a shit about the royal family, even before I got into panel shows and heard how much they joke about that. Brits being really attached to the queen isn't even a stereotype I've heard before, I think it's just an assumption Marc Maron invented in his own head.

Anyway, thanks for validating my annoyance about that. If anyone reading this is confused and would like context, it relates to this post, in which I commented on an interview between Marc Maron and John Oliver and I liked one of those men a lot more than the other.

[thebestsandiever]

Regarding the chaos and aftermath of the Verstappen crash at the 2021 British GP

Before I begin, this is solely my own thoughts on the crash and aftermath of it, resources and intel being from various news reports, articles, interviews, social media reactions/on track fans reactions, commentators, careers etc. Also important, this post was made around 11 PM CEST, so other news after that or in the midst of this, I haven’t considered.

  Comments and discussions are welcome, though remember to keep the tone guys. I rarely comment on anything on Tumblr, but looking at this chaos, I felt like sharing a bit.

  Starting on the incident that happened, I don’t believe that I can clearly decide what happened and who caused, and the only comments I have is that I believe it was a racing incident that has no bad intention. We hear in conclusion from sources (there was an after analysis) (e.g. also Lewis’ Sky Sports interview) that both could have given each other space. Lewis trying to get in, and Max defending his position. People who think Lewis did it intentionally clearly have no common sense, no one wants Max to end up going to the hospital (but he is fine so no worries). Of course, nothing excuses that a crash happened, and it’s a big shame.

  All the hate Lewis is getting should tone down, I think it’s fair to be critical in perspective of racing which consists of the crash and his comments regarding it, but anything that comments on something other than that with negativity, shouldn’t be.

  Something that many F1 fans have brought up and Horner I believe (slightly) is Lewis 15+ years of experience in Formula one and numerous of championships. Which I think in any sport or topic isn’t a fair argument, because mistakes happen to anyone, no one is immune to that, though this is not me calling the crash a mistake, because I don’t believe that is the right word. It’s more Lewis knowing the danger of closing in and Max of course defending himself on track, and this is the end result. And if anyone was a viewer of the Euro 2020 Football Cup Finals, it’s a bit like the Southgate criticism on the penalties.

  This also applies to all the fans who bring up Max’ aggressive and old nickname “crashstappen” from his early F1 career. Whether you have your impression from Netflix’ Drive to Survive or the fact that you’re new, anyone will agree that Max has matured greatly both on and off track, in my opinion one of the calmest drivers on the grid considering the amount of criticism, hate and burden that he gets/has. The fact is that there have been some people on Twitter (when I now and later comment on fans and reactions, it’s usually the very chaotic Twitter), that mentions Verstappen’s past, the infamous Baku and this season’s races where Lewis is the one who, in their words, “has backed up and gave space” (the reason I say their words is because I can’t quite remember so I won’t say that I know for sure). But again, as I mentioned, this is not valid, because it doesn’t excuse what happened today. Every track is a title fight, and previous races and tactics doesn’t apply to this. What I mean is that because Lewis gave space previous races, does it mean that Verstappen should crash? Or worded differently, because Max didn’t give space like he has previous times, that “it was coming” or that he should crash? Biggest takeaway from this is that past and future shouldn’t mean more than what happened in the present. This leading me on to a bit of the hate Max got which I think was quite undeserving, especially under his circumstances, which is f1 fans (mostly Twitter) calling it “karma” and using his young past to somehow “justify” the crash.

Also I really disliked the videos of “British fans” (we can’t actually determine that all were British, but it was home track) cheering when the crash happened, but in general I think cheering on a crash will always be awful even if you’re favourite driver gains position. Gladly though, it quickly died down on the stands as they realized it was hard impact. Very Euro 2020 vibes, though a much better English crowd- Just kidding, maybe you can see I’m not happy when any kind of fans act out of order (also I don’t hate English football fans, but sadly, the ones who make stupid actions overshadow the rest).

  Now I also want to comment a bit on the drivers and teams’ comments and the PR.

  So regarding Max’ social media post about the race. I honestly think it’s fair for him to be upset, no one wants to be taken out on the first lap considering that he is leading while a VERY good and competitive Lewis is trailing behind. My first reaction was that it was quite an aggressive post and the part about him unfollowing Lewis (if that is correct, I haven’t seen it myself yet) was obviously implying that he isn’t happy. Though, emotions run high as well does Lewis’ celebration reaction. I know his mind is to win on track and he has always been outspoken about that fact. Also I don’t quite believe that Max’ comments were full heartedly himself, but the PR team considering he’s just been at the hospital. I’m not happy with his post at all, but I understand both from a PR perspective and a driver’s. I believe almost any driver on the track would have said something like that in an interview if it happened to them. This just happened to be online because of health circumstances.

  Regarding Marko and Horner, I must disagree with their aggressiveness or at least the way they decide to comment on it. I do understand the anger, considering the championship but also concern for Max (anyone who knows their relationship knows that they care about him.) Again, I have to say emotions run high and if anything, managers are good at, and this is not specifically only attacking Horner, but it’s stirring up tension. I would say it’s fair for him to say, and quite expected, not saying I think it’s fair for Lewis to receive though (hopefully you get what I mean).

  Commenting a bit on Lewis’ Sky Sports F1 interview, we can confirm he didn’t know about Max going to the hospital before celebrating. Anyone who wins has the right to celebrate, especially at home, so props for his win, though unfortunately through a crash (this meaning Verstappen was his biggest threat on track). Though I wasn’t pleased about the commenting on Max. This leads further into the interview.

  We get Lewis’ insight on the incident and where he sees Max as the aggressive one, both not giving each other space and having the crash as end result. So in conclusion, Max trying to defend his position and Lewis trying to get in, fair. Please watch the interview, because it clears up a lot of what is spoken about in the media.  

My thoughts on Lewis’ response both before and after hearing about Max going to the hospital in the Sky Sports interview, is that he probably could’ve/should’ve toned down on Max being the aggressor, as they were both considering what the crash led to, and him saying that it was just about who was going to give space until it was too late. It kind of goes against what he just said. But I do agree that Lewis has the right to celebrate because he simply won. I also liked that he had championship spirit saying that considering what happened, it didn’t take the shine away from his win. It may sound disrespectful, and I do still kind of think it is, but on the other side, it’s him being competitive, and both drivers have each other’s respect on being able to fight on track. So he’s got the spirit, just maybe not the right interview to show the most competitive spirit (I think the most competitive spirit/response he’s shown this 2021 season)

  A bit more on his spirit and fighting on track is seen from Lawrence Barreto who tells us that Lewis has the “game on” spirit and is ready for attacks on track but there needs to be respect on track “and if not this will happen more often I guess.” - Lewis. Just a bit more closure from another source, I like that he is more responsive, but this does make it sound like he blames Max for it. I think any driver who are up against each other have the right or it makes sense to give the majority of the blame to the other, they have their own rear mirrors (see it from their own perspective when they drive, quite literally), but it isn’t the best comment to be honest. Since he says himself, both could’ve given space.

  My biggest disagreement that I must mention is the penalty Lewis got, which was the 10 second penalty. Assessing the severity of the crash with high speed, 51G impact, first lap etc. I think the penalty didn’t really serve much of a penalty, but this is also me being critical of the penalty system. These 10 second penalties don’t really make you lose that much of position (depends on car), also this is not a blow at Lewis but just the system. Afterwards, he was also given 2 penalty points. I think compared to someone like Yuki who also got 2 penalty points for crossing the white line twice while entering the pits and George yesterday at the Sprint Race (1 penalty point + 3 place grid penalty) are quite different but looking at the number, there isn’t a big difference in what’s given. But all of this penalty talk is on the stewards and system, so nothing against Lewis and he did take his penalty that was given.

  I did not comment much on the actual incident as I have a hard time really deciding (I can admit I see Lewis unintentionally drift a bit in + this being a very fast turn, I believe just a misjudgment but so many fans think it was intentional), so therefore do read and watch the current and coming interviews and articles to get some racing perspective. It keeps updating and even drivers like Riccardo, Leclerc, Alonso etc. have given their comments, and who better to listen to than professionals themselves. So I encourage you to get perspective there, because I know not all of us are the most technical fans, and we tend to comment by being led through a bias and crowd.

  But if we’re feeling a bit tired from today, so far the drivers are leaning towards a racing incident. They speak of it as quite unclear to determine, basically saying that both drivers could’ve done and were doing something --> could’ve given space.

  We all have to remember this situation is a big deal since it’s the only two to be fair at the moment, who are competing for the championship. Both mad talented and on each other every track. Media blows it out more than them and before we know it, they’re back to what they do best, which is drive.

  Heart goes out to Max, it was quite an impact and if not his worst crash so far in his career. His team radio was quite scary to listen to, I’ve never heard him so shook, but he is doing quite fine at the moment, and he will hopefully recover well enough for the next race.

  As well for Lewis, emotions are running high and people are quick to assume and accuse without using common sense that Lewis wouldn’t endanger Max or himself. He has every right to celebrate a win and props for him winning.

  In conclusion to those who has taken the time to read, don’t let my thoughts be any decider, but more so a way to understand and be a bit more open minded. We are all subjective in the end and I try to see from both perspectives and to be critical as well, not being led by others’ opinions. I’ve stated my sources, and this is only my overall thoughts at the very moment, so remember, as drivers evolve and move on, we do too.

  I again encourage you to watch and research with an open mind so not being led on bias, especially if you’re willing to spread anything on the topic. It serves a greater outcome than sprouting from emotions and lack of information, as we have well seen from this sport. Because media does influence and we as an audience is a part of it. So I must remind again, that this is simply my thoughts.

[homosexualadventure]

every single lmam song, ranked.

i just finished listening to let’s make a music for the first time, and Oh My God it rocks. it’s a great podcast and if you’re reading this without having listened to it...i don’t know what to tell you. i don’t know what you think lmam means. but, that aside, if you haven’t listened to it yet: go listen to it! it’s not a crazy long podcast, overall or episode length-wise, so it’s manageable even for people who usually can’t handle podcasts (like me!) anyways, now that it’s over, what’s left for me to do with my time and energy that i used to spend thinking about lmam?

listen to the episodes again so that i can rank all fourty-one songs from worst to best, of course. so that’s exactly what i did.

i mostly ranked these on my gut feeling, because i didn’t come up with the idea of ranking it on a set of points before like...five minutes ago. there’s a bit of personal bias in here, so if you disagree with me on rankings, hey! send me an ask, or a dm. we can talk about it. 

so, now that that’s out of the way, let’s get into it! let’s...make a ranking. haha. that’s just a fun little lmam joke for you. 

41. the roquefort stank

this song only gets points for laura’s stanky noises in the background. i love laura.

40. shan’t he shanty

weirdly catchy. for a sea shanty, that is. that’s all i have to say.

39. well, i’m on child...

i do love a good gay song about polyamory but it just wasn’t enough in this case. truly heartbreaking. 

38. dog trash

i’m not a big fan of polka in general. that’s all i have to say. i don’t have to explain all my decisions. this is my journey. and it’s your journey that you’re taking with me.

37. echoes of wednesday

it’s not my favorite but i do think it’s sweet and i like all the laura vocals. also the zuko vocals. 

36. brothers in legs

not their best character song but it’s still a song you could quietly headbang to. i just don’t love full story ballads (there is an exception to this, you’ll see) most of the time. 

35. ol’ tim’s tricks

i’m not saying it’s a bad song, i’m just saying it sounds like it was once in a made for tv disney channel-esque movie about a girl who finds her calling in sports and friendship.

34. don’t give me that altitude

very queen-esque with general 80s vibes and i like that.

33. dreamless

if it was longer i think it would be a lot higher on the list, because it’s Good. but i don’t feel right putting a 45 second song above, like, tobie’s razor. still! i love the mellow, kind of sad and eerie tones of it.

32. holiday crime!

look i know this one’s fairly low on the list, hear me out: it’s a good song and it’s pretty memorable as well! but as far as holiday songs go, i don’t think it’s their best or most iconic one. laura’s laughing and beat in the back is absolutely wonderful and heartwarming, though.

31. mr. dad

this one gets a higher rating than the previous holiday song for its good good harmonica and because when i heard the lyrics “but you love to watch him go” used to describe mr. dad i almost toppled my chair backwards with me still in it.

30. mourning ritual

the biggest load of 1980s bullshit i’ve ever heard in this decade. somehow it’s also got a big panic! at the disco vibe and i’m not sure how i feel about it but it’s definitely Strongly There and i can’t deny it.

29. outback sadhouse

it’s RIDICULOUS how well they nailed the sufjan stevens vibe with this one. plus the restaurant dialogue bit in the back of the song really adds a lot. 

28. let down my better dynamite

it’s really easy to bop to and the instrumental in the background is FANTASTIC! jonah really killed it with this one. plus they talk a lot about rats in the episode which is nice for me because i love rats. also it’s the first episode with an instance of “brian does a bit”.

27. the tale of the greazzy creek

i just think it absolutely nails the vibe of a rural campfire grizzled old cowboy song while also being a really catchy theme song. like, i think you could’ve snuck it into holes (2003) and i would’ve been like, yeah, that sounds right. 

26. turn around and come down slowly

not one of their more iconic songs but brian’s voice is so pretty in this and it’s really soothing. 

25. ratless randy’s

i don’t know why it’s this high on the list either, but it is. ratless randy’s really IS the place to be, guys.

24. tobie’s razor

i will be honest. when i saw the title for this episode for the first time i just thought “occam’s razor” and as i type this i can’t even think of what that actually is, so..... anyways, i’d say this song absolutely NAILS the vibe but i have no idea what vibe it’s even remotely related to. certainly does nail the internal childhood monologue though. i think this song is the first one where they really started hitting their stride, also. not that it’s better than some of the earlier ones, but this one forward their songs were pretty consistently high quality. plus, and no one will be surprised by this by now, it gets extra points for laura. 

23. armoire of royals

it’s weird, it’s synthy, has a vaguely billie eilish-esque part near the end which is not necessarily a point in favor depending on your taste but it Definitely is surprising and cool, and it’s got fake british accents. what more do you need out of a song?

22. sybil’s night scare

the piano in this is perfect and fantastic and the comedic timing in the song is just right. jonah’s delivery of “they’re actually real human eyes” is so goddamn good and his singing is Also great and frankly i think we can all agree we’re fucking tired of him saying he can’t sing. i mean, i assume (i fucking hope) he’s stopped saying that by now considering he had the majority of vocals on silo by a bit but Still. it’s a good peppy halloween-y song.

21. chalice for your thoughts

two spooky songs in a row! honestly, i’m not sure what reasons i have for ranking this song as high as i did. i just like it a lot. they were able to include a lot of weird twitter suggestions fairly seamlessly, and it’s just soft and pretty. spooky, but still pretty. 

20. 21st blitheday

i admit it: i fucking hate the voice brian uses in this. but i really, really like the song. the beat’s very good and somehow brian still manages to sing the chorus well and make it sound nice even though his affectation is Stupid as hell <3 the background whistling is nice and his robot voice, which he’s used for several of his videos but i think most notoriously for scrundler in his week in revue series (here), is also featured. it’s a real bop, i think.

19. monday night boomball

i genuinely think this is their weirdest song, ever. it’s incomprehensible and it’s so fucking theatre kid of them, and it’s dumb as shit but it’s really funny and enjoyable and strange and i love it.

18. gentle light

this is a really good song. it’s not weird or funny, it’s genuinely just a really soft, calming, normal song. i can’t in good conscience rank it above the others for this reason, because it’s easier to make a regular song good than it is for a song about fucking a tree, but i want to be clear: i really love this song. it’s a song that you could fall asleep to, cry to, cuddle up in a blanket to, whatever the hell you want to do to it.

17. proud egg mouth

extra points for fitting the word “maw” in any kind of song, a feat i’m not sure anyone else has ever accomplished. also for brian actually singing with an egg in his mouth.

16. you can take that to the bank

brian does an incredible randy newman impression and i love him for it. also it’s just a good song! it’s not my favorite but it’s very pleasing to my ears and it’s well made.

15. rainbow trout eggs

i listened to a shit ton of colbie caillat in middle school and i can tell you with confidence that the lyrics “i feel so alive and i know that i’m happy na na na na na hey hey” would be in one of her songs. it’s a good song with completely ridiculous lyrics and it’s a better character/full story ballad than their previous ones, in my opinion. which is what you’re specifically here for!

14. car mitzvah

i think this is a song my dad would listen to if it came on the radio. i also think it deserves to be in an early 90s or maybe coming of age movie. brian’s vocals are fantastic in this, also.

13. dr. brims

“it’s a new year, Ha Hah!” this song is sooooo fucking funny and exemplary of a lot of their other songs that came afterwards. i’ve been saying that a lot i think. writing reviews is hard.

12. let’s make a music (theme song)

maybe it’s the emotional value of this song being the song i associate most with the podcast, since it’s the theme song, or maybe it’s just really good. (spoiler: it’s both but mostly the second one) the episode is also really funny in general and if you’re new to the podcast and don’t care about order, i highly recommend this one first! 

11. heartbreak in michael’s

a very very very good sad gay love song and i recommend it to the ends of the earth! because this is the internet, and i can!

10. arbor day!

you try making a horny song about deforestation.

9. why don’t you like our song title?

such a fucking bop and showcases their skill for just doing whatever the hell they want and STILL making a fantastic song or video or whatever. they just stop saying words in it and it does not take anything away from the song. could you do that? i mean...maybe! but for the sake of this review and my point i’m gonna be like fuck you no you couldn’t. moving on.

8. akimbo

the backing track in this is ABSOLUTELY what makes the song. plus that one video of brian strutting but technically that can’t affect my review of the song because Technically it’s not part of the song. anyways it’s really peppy and fun and enjoyable and Good.

7. heartbreak in michael’s (reprise)

it’s the perfect finale song. like, it genuinely sounds like the song that plays at the end of a romcom after everything’s finally worked out. i Did cry when i heard brian sing the theme song at the end but that’s just because i’m a sentimental son of a bitch. so besides that ending bit that i can(’t) guarantee will make you tear up at Least, it’s really fucking fun! it’s upbeat and happy and i think they made the right song to go out on. or to go on a hiatus on, if brian’s website is to be believed. i don’t believe it, but hypothetically, y’know? hypothetically...

6. debutaunt ball

if the met gala doesn’t make this their theme song i will personally burn next year’s event to the ground, i swear to god. also it’s a good song to show off both jonah and brian’s range. it’s not like a lot of their other songs but it’s SUCH a banger and i adore it.

5. madame zamporium’s wax emporium 

fuck yeah. learning that the “ooh come on baby” from several unraveleds came from a let’s make a music is the reason i finally started listening to the podcast in the first place. but BESIDES that, since that’s not a reason for my ranking (just a fun little fact about me!), this song slaps a ridiculous amount. they went insanely hard and it’s the first song they made that really sets the tone of the podcast, which is: great comedy, great high production music. 

4. alan rickman’s edible zoo

GOD! the anti-celebrity, anti-capitalist rock song i’ve been waiting all my fucking life for! also it’s anti-america but only in one lyric. but in Another sense....throughout the whole song. PLUS, and most importantly, it features jonah’s literally and i mean LITERALLY impeccable alan rickman impression. like, it’s fucking bulletproof. alan rickman was in the goddamn room. 

3. horsecar!

look. when this song started playing for the first time i went...fuck no. in general i don’t tolerate country or cowboy songs very well because they just don’t sound appealing to my ears most of the time. i put up with country road only because of a funny mario edit someone made of it and now the original song has more value to me. this is relevant only because the same thing happened with horsecar! in that the chorus KICKS ASS. i may make a post on just my favorite lmam songs and also this is already a crazy long post so i won’t go into it too much but i will say this. the shock value of going from the first verse in this song to the chorus is...........Incredibly high and it Works So Fucking Well! it literally makes the song. and not even just for the short term value of Oh My God That’s A Twist, it lasts through the whole song. i’m listening to the song as i type this and i’m currently at the country/cowboy part and i don’t hate it because i know the chorus is incredible. in fact, i’d argue that the chorus on its own may be the best thing lmam ever made, even better than my two actual favorite songs of theirs. i’m definitely going to have to make a full post on this. (SIDE NOTE: BRIAN’S VOCALS ARE FUCKING CRAZY AND HORSECAR! IS ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES OF THIS. his goddamn RANGE!! SIR!!! his falsetto is literally ridiculous my pants are OFF)

2. dragon me to this wedding

this is what i meant when i said there’s an exception to the “i’m not generally a fan of full story ballads”, because this is one of my all time favorite lmam songs. as in, it’s in the top three. which i guess you can tell from it being number two in the top three. in fact, it’s probably one of my favorite songs in general. the first time i listened to the episode i went back and listened to the song again three times in a row, and all three times i cried real tears. it’s GAY it’s REALLY PRETTY and i LOVE IT. 

1. save 2 4 tony

so we’ve finally made it to my all-time favorite lmam song. maybe it’s that i recently graduated myself and so this song hits a little harder, but it also just GOES hard. i genuinely think they peaked when they recorded this. it’s one of those bdg songs where you’re listening to it, you’re just chilling, and it’s like “yeah wow this is nice!” and all of a sudden he hits a falsetto and you go “oh FUCK that guy can SING!” literally his vocals in this are incredible and it’s very fun (and on brand) that the Oh Fuck moment here is the line “tony hawk babeyyy!” plus jonah killed it on the backing and composition and everything. it’s the best let’s make a music song and i won’t take constructive criticism.

[f0point5]

Whereas Max is disliked by the sport. //

I kind of agree but I also kind of don’t. I think for a very long time, especially after 2021 he was very much hated and deemed an enemy by most f1 fans who didn’t like what happened. I think, unfortunately for max, he got the brunt of the blame when it wasn’t even a decision he had control over. British bias did not help in that aspect at all - but they always make a non British driver an enemy. Max became an easy choice for them

However, since lando has started to be seen as more competitive and such, I’ve definitely seen a change in how people talk about Max online to before. The people who just want to hate have moved from hating him to Lando and they make up the majority of the haters lbr. I’ve seen fans of other drivers who used to dislike max now wanting him to win instead of Lando.

I think the hate is quite different and they have come from different things - lando being dumb and saying stupid stuff and I think the perceived British bias also is a downfall for him, while Max has always been an aggressive driver and rules have changed because of him - the moving under braking rule in 2016 springs to mind - and people have forever held that against him even though its a good trait to have in the sport… but to a point.

I think trying to compare who has more haters is redundant tbh. It depends where you look and who you talk to, what happened in a recent race or interview or who is just the most competitive that year. But both lando and max are some of the more present drivers in media so hate is always gonna come their way

When I mean by the sport, I mean by pundits, stewards, and former drivers. The way they talk about him is nasty. Lando definitely gets criticism on his driving from F1 associated people but it’s not personally offensive in the same way. Whether that’s British bias or not, key figures in the sport talk about Max like he’s an errant child that they are trying to chase out of daycare.

But for me, I think Lando gets more hate on social media for personal things. Max’s driving is definitely more hated on though.

At the end of the day none of it is relevant if they don’t let it be. But I don’t envy Max having to walk into the paddock and be polite to people or be around people who’ve been publicly bad mouthing you.

[eloquentdrivil]

Liberals who hate The Hunt are akin to dudebros that adore Fight Club: it raises some red-flags

Vox has a very bad review of The Hunt.

As in, the reviewer didn’t like The Hunt, AND she failed the litmus test it poses about ones own relationship with liberal ideals. Like, failed so hard she’s waving giant red flags over her head, based on what SHE believes the movie wants you to take away from it.

To clarify, the antagonists of The Hunt are “liberal elites” who hunt down and kill gun-toting, Alex-Jones-conspiracy, build-the-wall conservatives for sport in a game they call “manorgate,” which was originally a joke until their text convo got leaked and, worried about the conspiracy theorists talking about it, were all subsequently asked to step down from their various positions.

Unlike movies like The Purge, Death Race, or The Condemned, where some fundamental part of the laws, government, political climate, personal ideals, etc, has to be exaggerated or nullified in order for the circumstances of the plot to exist at all, The Hunt takes place fully within the bounds and laws of our world, the REAL world.

That is genuinely a very important detail to remember; the people, though polarizing, are people, and the stakes, though fictional, are inherent to our world.

Their liberalism is genuine and their approach relatable. You will hear yourself in them every time they talk about their humanitarian work, linguistic gender-bias, racial microaggressions, etc.

The conservatives talk about “crisis actors,” god-given-gun-rights, “globalists,” and all those wild, nails-on-a-chalkboard, claw-your-eyes-out, far-right bull.

The victims aren’t sympathetic and the murderers are relatable.

So what’s the take away? What’s this movie trying to illustrate?

The Vox reviewer thinks she knows the answer to that well enough to say the movie failed to pull it off:

. . . [Jonathan Swift] was essentially writing in the voice of those who held cruel attitudes toward the poor, while also mocking inhumane British policies toward the Irish. The premise was that those who read it would recognize fragments of those views and understand, by way of Swift's hyperbole, how ridiculous and cruel the ideas were. "A Modest Proposal" lays a template for modern satire, a rhetorical device designed not just to repeat the exaggerations of the ideas people mindlessly spew, but also show why they're ridiculous. 

And that is precisely why The Hunt fails. Rather than exaggerate the ideas it aims to skewer, it just repeats them doggedly, like a parrot without comprehension. Rather than dig at a particular behavior or mindset causing our national division, The Hunt acts like the symptoms are the problem — as if the slogans and bywords and hot-button phrases we slog through in the media are what deserve ridicule, in equal measure. It verges, if not plunges, straight into nihilism. What a waste.

No. No?? No. No!

Red flag, red flag! It’s never okay to hunt people for sport, no matter what they say about you online!! Those are not equally immoral crimes, no matter how much money you gave to Haiti!!

The political ideologies of the characters do not matter; it’s a movie about a group of billionaires who get publicly shamed for the cruel and callous way they discussed hunting down human beings for sport, and upon reaping the consequences of their own cruelty, proceeded to hand-pick twelve of the people who’d talked about them online so they can hunt those people down for sport in, what the elites claim, is equal and well-deserved punishment.

It’s not equal and well-deserved punishment!

It does not matter how socially conscious the elites are, how much humanitarian work they do, how genuine their concern with racial politics, or gender politics, or even, thinly, class politics.

They’re elitists who just happen to speak liberal.

They are Elon Musk publicly hating conservatism, then writing policy into his company that stop-gaps unionization.

They are Jeff Bezos donating 10 billion to climate change initiatives, while running his warehouse workers ten miles a shift and firing them over literal seconds of lag.

And beyond just the super-rich, they are, specifically, liberal elitism. Class warfare under a guise of progressivism. The vegan who claims non-vegans are just lazy, but hand-waves the classism of food availability in this country. The progressive who ridicules poor grammar and spelling when arguing with a conservative, as though the stratification of the education systems in this country is only worth their sympathy and understanding when discussing it in theory.

It’s not satirizing political ideology; it’s satirizing the actions even liberals would hesitate to fully disavow, if the perpetrators were sufficiently socially conscious and the victims were appropriately loathsome.

If someone’s actions are callous, cruel, self-aggrandizing, entitled, inhumane, or immoral, then that person is callous, cruel, self-aggrandizing, entitled, inhumane, and/or immoral.

If simply knowing that person’s political ideology obfuscates whether or not you would describe a callous, cruel, inhumane action AS callous, cruel, or inhumane, then you’re more concerned with the rhetoric of good-personhood than you are with actionable good-personhood.

And if you walked away from The Hunt feeling either offended, or like it’s message was muddied, then it’s difficult for me not to wonder if you don’t perhaps believe that political ideology is an acceptable marker for determining which human beings deserve to be hunted down for sport.

[phroyd]

Trump Moves To Create and Sustain an Imperial Presidency. There are no longer three Branches of Government. - Phroyd

William Barr, the attorney general, came face to face this week with Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, at the Capitol in Washington. Shaking her hand, Barr was said to have joked:“Madam Speaker, did you bring your handcuffs?”

The remark, at a ceremony honouring fallen law enforcement officers, was a riposte to Pelosi’s quip a week earlier that if all members of the Trump administration were arrested, the jail in the Capitol basement would be overcrowded. (There is in fact no such jail.)

But it was also indicative of how Barr, and his paymaster in the White House, are perceived to be laughing in the face of congressional oversight and the rule of law. Indeed, following the sporting maxim that attack is the best form of defence, Trump had adopted the language of a tinpot dictator, denouncing the Russia investigation as a failed “coup”, branding his pursuers as traitors and threatening to lock them up.

“My Campaign for President was conclusively spied on,” he tweeted at 7.11am on Friday. “Nothing like this has ever happened in American Politics. A really bad situation. TREASON means long jail sentences, and this was TREASON!”

He’s attempting to create a counter-narrative based on conspiracy theories in which the FBI is cast as the villain

The intention, critics argue, is to turn the tables and delegitimise the case laid out against him in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian election interference, or at least crank up a giant fog machine that leaves the electorate weary and confused. But one side-effect could be a slide into an imperial presidency.

“Investigate the investigators!” has been the battle cry of Trump, Republicans and media allies ever since Barr produced a four-page summary of Mueller’s report that misleadingly implied Trump had been completely cleared of collusion and obstruction of justice. In fact the report documented numerous contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials and identified 11 instances in which Trump or his campaign attempted to illegally impede the investigation.

On 25 March, the day after Barr’s letter was released, the Fox News host Sean Hannity bristled with self-righteous indignation and thirsted for vengeance.

“This must be a day of reckoning for the media, for the deep state, for people who abuse power, and they did it so blatantly in this country,” he told viewers in a furious 25-minute monologue. “If we do not get this right, if we do not hold these people accountable, I promise you, with all the love I can muster for this country and our future for our kids and grandkids, we will lose the greatest country God has ever given man. We will lose it.”

That set the template for Trump, a regular viewer. Having spent two years trying to discredit Mueller’s work as a witch-hunt and hoax, he stepped up demands for an investigation into its origins and pushed the claim that the FBI spied on his 2016 campaign.

Sidney Blumenthal, a former assistant and senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, said: “He’s attempting to create a counter-narrative based on conspiracy theories in which the FBI chiefly is cast as the villain of the deep state. It’s what is known as chaff. It’s to throw people off of the actual object itself and distract them from his well-documented crimes of obstruction of justice in the Mueller report.”

Trump is backed by Republicans, eager to grab ammunition that comes to hand. They have falsely claimed the investigation was triggered by a dossierfrom the former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, which included reference to a so-called “pee tape” in Moscow, and cited anti-Trump text messages between FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page to allege inherent bias.

But it is Barr who has emerged as the president’s most indispensable ally, his improbable Darth Vader. Testifying on Capitol Hill earlier this month, the attorney general used the incendiary word “spying” to describe FBI surveillance of the Trump campaign, a term later rejected by the FBI director, Christopher Wray.

Barr has asked John Durham, the US attorney in Connecticut, to examine whether the FBI erred in seeking a special federal court warrant to conduct surveillance on the former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. An investigation into the legality of the warrant is already under way, led by the justice department inspector general, Michael Horowitz, who is due to release his findings in coming weeks.

Barr is also working with Wray, the CIA director, Gina Haspel, and the director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, to review intelligence-gathering techniques used to investigate the Trump campaign. In the meantime, ever loyal to Trump, Barr continues to defy Congress’s demands for the release of the unredacted Mueller report and underlying materials.

Democrats sense a crude ploy by Trump to deflect and distract, parry and prevaricate. Congressman Jared Huffman of California said: “It’s a smokescreen, obviously an attempt to change the subject like everything else he does. I almost don’t want to dignify it because it’s so preposterous that any time someone investigates Donald Trump or disagrees with Donald Trump they are being treasonous or they need to be locked up.

“This is a slippery slope to a banana republic if this is where we’re heading. And I think most Americans get that. You just don’t call for your political enemies to be investigated and jailed in the United States.”

Huffman called for an impeachment process and hearings.

“If [Richard] Nixon was the imperial presidency, this is the imperial presidency on steroids without any sideboards or adult supervision of any kind,” he said. “It’s a real crisis. I still believe we’re going to get through it because I think the institutions and the fabric of this country are still rooted in the rule of law and democracy and checks and balances, but we’re being tested like never before and I would be lying if I said I didn’t worry about it.”

‘Trumpification of the DoJ’

One of the rich ironies of Republican claims of bias in the FBI is that during the election the agency kept its Trump investigation secret but talked openly about its scrutiny of his opponent, Hillary Clinton. The then director, James Comey, held an extraordinary press conference in which he branded Clinton’s handling of emails as secretary of state as “extremely careless”. Eleven days before the election, Comey announced the FBI was reviewing more Clinton messages. Many Democrats have still not forgiven him.

Barr says Trump’s campaign was ‘spied’ upon. Trump claims treason. Both are incendiary. Neither is true

Adam Schiff, chairman of the House intelligence committee, tweeted on Friday: “Barr says Trump’s campaign was ‘spied’ upon. Trump claims treason. Both are incendiary. Neither is true. Barr suggests a finger was put on the scale to affect the election. But the Trump probe was kept secret; the Clinton one wasn’t. It’s the Trumpification of the DoJ.”

Matthew Miller, former director of the office of public affairs for the justice department, said: “There are a few galling things. First, it would have been crazy for the FBI not to investigate [Trump’s] campaign given what Mueller found. Second, it would have been very easy for the FBI to stop Trump becoming president if that was their intention by leaking what they found. Third, the FBI publicly criticised his opponent: the FBI did have an impact but it was to hurt Hillary Clinton, not Donald Trump!”

Miller, now a partner at Vianovo and justice and security analyst for MSNBC, added: “It’s a brazenly cynical strategy by the president and his allies. He hasn’t had a great explanation for what he did so what he’s done for two years is attack the investigation.

“The notion has existed since Watergate that there should be a separation between the White House and Department of Justice. It’s been erased. It’s just gone. It will probably come back when there’s a Democratic president, because they tend to be more sensitive to elite opinion, but the next Republican president will [not] see any reason to restore it.”

Just as the justice department is succumbing to Trump, so Congress is also struggling to maintain its status as a co-equal branch of government. The White House continues to stonewall House subpoenas for documents and hearings, not only regarding the Mueller report but Trump’s tax returns and other matters. The Democratic-led House judiciary committee has voted to hold Barr in contempt of Congress but the party is divided over whether to impeach his boss.

Max Bergmann, a former state department official, said: “We’re seeing an effort by the president to neutralise this as an issue for the 2020 election. He sees a gap because the Democrats have shown reticence in their willingness to prosecute the case against him. We have a situation where there is a vacuum and Trump sees an opportunity to attack the investigation, partly because Democrats aren’t using the results of it to attack him.

“The problem with not using the levers of congressional power is that it lends credence to the arguments Trump has been making. In the public’s mind, it might seem that because Trump is not being impeached, maybe he was exonerated. What is amazing about the Republican side is the ability to manufacture outrage over nothing; they eat, sleep and breathe scandal politics. Democrats are terrified of it and and run from it, even when it’s the biggest political scandal in American history. The inaction over the last four weeks has been unconscionable.”

‘We’ve crossed a Rubicon’

It was perhaps no coincidence that Trump hosted Viktor Orbán, strongman leader of Hungary, at the White House this week.

Bergmann, now a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress think-tank in Washington, and director of the Moscow Project, charting Trump’s involvement in Russian attacks on US democracy, said: “We’ve crossed a Rubicon. For the past two years, Trump has not been able to use the justice department to seek revenge against his opponents and as a political tool.

“Now he and his team have learned, and Trump has appointed someone in Barr who is a Washington insider, knows the justice department and is able to operate as the president’s hatchet man. For the past two years, we’ve said the institutions have held. Now we’re at a critical pivot where Trump has learned how to use the institutions to his advantage.

“It’s a dark turn. With the decline of our institutions, the decline of our moral authority, Trump is trying to turn the the moniker of an ‘imperial presidency’ into an autocratic presidency along the lines of Viktor Orbán or Vladimir Putin.

“The stakes couldn’t be higher for the future of American democracy in 2020.”

Phroyd

[jakobsenespensen8-blog]

NDS Young boy! 4.6.3 For Android.

The day was chilly and also crunchy the air a clean wind and the heavens a dark gold as the sunshine gradually went up, the school was actually dynamic along with youthful adolescents prepared to begin their 1st day from university. There were hoots of arrangement coming from the children in the room; I took note that just Stephan looked unmoved by swap. This would take a complete three-day shake down with dogs off the drugs device to expose the contraband even one of the most ordinary teenage young boy may have produced around his area. This calamity film concerning zombies managing the globe could possibly properly have actually been a calamity in itself. But the males I met there still talked bleakly concerning being actually unchurched or abused by their families. As soon as, it appears off the art that grows older have left our company, there really was a time when males could delight in being on the cusp between feminine and manly worlds when they can generate yet another passing person, one thing even more playful compared to the guy as well as more strong in comparison to the youngster. Olsson's memoire relieves her family members coming from the ghost from a shed kid that had plagued them and also coming from the trouble that cascades down the eras; nevertheless, Peter's get-together with his shed household had not been also an ending" (220), because it is actually reality and that performs not merely end. Millions of males have actually been forced to put their lives in jeopardy without a say in the manner. When Group Meat set out to make a Super Meat Young boy version for touchscreen mobile phones, designers Tommy Refenes and also Edmund McMillen swore they definitely would not merely put a virtual gamepad on the important things and carry out some half-assed port from their downloadable pinch hit PC and also Xbox 360. In the meantime the guys have learned to interact and also end up being like an effectively oiled leather equipment. Meggie longs to find the captivated globe she has actually just experienced by means of the pages of a manual and also travels along with Farid in to the story. Some of the most significant disparities I discovered is actually the article writer regularly changes between the virtue and nativity of a preteen child Kiran (the hero of guide) and the understanding and also maturation from an adult. Graphically Men in Dark 3 is actually ok. This ´ s not specifically negative in any sort of area, but this doesn ´ t stick out like various other Gameloft activities either. I was actually in the escalator when the doors opened as well as concerning 10 boys - all in their twenties and also not exactly what you 'd contact sober - got along. They possessed their carry-ons with them and also in between their bodies and the suitcases, I was actually virtually affixed from the rear wall. Alternatively, if a boy states that he intends to do ballet, sewing, playing with figures, or even that he ases if fuchsia or purple he'll jeopardize being actually aggravated and not being actually allowed through others. While implementing get redirected here consults with Marcus who is regularly the odd one in his training class however one of the most mature youngster in the universe. The game follows the initial tale of George Stobbart as he takes a trip around the planet to unwind the Knight conspiracy theory. The guys in my loved ones had their Easter traditions truly, and soaking ladies in water on Easter Monday is just one of Slovakia's the majority of cherished practices. The addition of these personalities allows Houston to earn his point that races encountered bias, as well as his factor was properly produced; nevertheless, Vinny seemed to go away, and also, while Burns included in my individual favored scene at a jazz club in Nyc, his character remains mostly an enigma. British Military, World War I-- the brigadier, he would certainly stroll free throw line with a stick and he would certainly whack his males to get 'em to fire. Maturing http://how2befitandhealth.com/ as TELEVISION courses like United States Pie or The Inbetweeners have narratives dedicated to the sexual disappointment from being actually a teenage boy. Later on, our team are actually to discover that her impressive hereditary profile implies that she won't grow older a lot - unlike the individuals, which will wind up resembling Patrick Stewart and also Ian McKellen. Kevin Brooks has actually remained in an assortment from jobs consisting of: entertainer, filling station assistant, crematorium handyman, civil service employee, hot dog vendor at the Greater london Zoo, general post office employee, and train line ticket office Kevin Brooks was carried in 1959 as well as grew up in Exeter, Devon, England. I adored this. (Just in case it was actually hard to say to.) I was visiting offer this 4.5 given that I ased if Dangerous Girls a lot better yet after that ... why would I carry out that?! On Monday David Ellam, 52, was killed by a dog that had been gone back to its manager even with issues that this threatened. Young boy is a lot more thoughtfully crafted, as is her little girl Bird, although each still been without sufficient measurement to keep me over mildly fascinated. The disaster, the 5th pet strike death entailing little ones since 2006, echoes the death from five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson in Street Helens, Merseyside, on New Year's Time 2007, when she was actually bitten 72 times through her uncle's pit bull. Might possess taken the globe through storm with its own TV result however, as you will observe from the complying with listing, there's plenty of motion pictures on Netflix to feast on once you have acquired everything binge-watching out of your system. When reading through Kid + Robot, I was certainly not actually trying to find an electronic book especially, yet I did take place ahead all over a read-aloud from guide on YouTube. Eventually, he uncovers a plan to damage the world and must race the appear purchase to save it. It is actually certainly not merely the clothes that are available for little kids, this's everything - the kinds of toys that babies and children are provided (dollbabies as well as kitchen areas for ladies, matchbox autos as well as fire engine for kids), the kinds of activities that are allowed (sporting activities and tree climbing up for children, playing property as well as deciding on flowers for women), and also just how moms and dads and caretakers reply to injuries and also outbursts. Yes, I preferred him to appear beautiful and also everything however I failed to prefer them to point out: 'Consider me, I'm really very hot' - I hate all that, that is actually uncomfortable." McLellan, which likewise shot the naked tale for Fantastic Man, which featured males aged between 22 as well as 52, and also was actually alonged with an essay on the aging method of the male physical body, stated the shoot was about generating characters which were attractive but certainly not always in a fanciable way".

[calacuspr]

Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Lewes FC & Gordon Elliott

Every Monday we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.

HIT – LEWES FC

Every year on International Women’s Day (IWD) we see organisations looking to align themselves with topics such as gender equality, female empowerment, and fighting bias. 

The theme for IWD 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge, encouraging individuals and businesses to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements to help create an inclusive world.

While it’s easy to produce words on the importance of such issues, it’s the organisations that have proved they are committed to enforcing change that have the most credibility in this space.

East Sussex football club Lewes FC offer a perfect example after the fan-owned club promised equal investment, support and pay for their women’s and men’s teams in 2017. Four years on, Lewes are still the only club in Europe to have taken the stance.

This unique selling point has made Lewes an attractive employer to work for, with former England star Claire Rafferty joining the club as a non-executive director and Equal Playing Field co-founder Maggie Murphy taking on the role of general manager.

“For me, there wasn’t any other football club that I was interested in joining. It wasn’t really about football, it was about changing football,” Murphy explained in an interview with The Guardian.

“Joining the club, a little bit was about putting my money where my mouth was and to try and see if it’s possible to create a better type of club. Lewes had already done all the hard work, they’d already established the equality principle in 2017. So for me, this was like, well, let’s see where I can help to take it next.

“Football has so much potential to influence and impact culture. If we don’t engage with football as a vehicle for social change, we’ll get there, we’ll get wherever we’re trying to go, but we might just get there 10 years later than if we had used football as that vehicle first, because in this country it is so powerful.”

In December, Lewes benefited from a six-figure investment from fashion company Lyle & Scott, with the ground-breaking collaboration helping provide the club with funds for new players and enabling grassroots community outreach and the development of club facilities.

“The fact that they were willing to back us with such an investment in the middle of a pandemic was a huge validation for us of everything we’ve been putting into place for so many years.

“In the US, in the summer, fans were buying [National Women’s Soccer League sponsor] Budweiser to give to the Houston Dash players. Women’s football fans are very loyal to brands that back the product.”

Lewes FC offer a perfect example of an organisation benefiting from success that has stemmed from putting purpose at the heart of everything they do.

Results on the pitch have also improved with the team accruing more points in the 2020-21 season than in any previous campaign, however, it is the way that the club has communicated its core values and key messages in recent years that has really resonated with their audience.

A BBC Sport study recently revealed that the overwhelming majority of sports now offer equal winning prize money to men and women at the top level, but the biggest gap remains in football, and by some distance.

The hope is that other clubs will begin to follow the lead of Lewes and take action to provide female athletes with the same opportunities as their male counterparts, or as Rafferty commented: “I hope one day we don’t have to have special days and every single day is International Women’s Day.”

MISS – GORDON ELLIOTT

There is regular debate about the well-being of horses through their participation in horseracing and high-profile deaths at marquee racing events.

The British Horseracing Authority understandably goes to great lengths to underline its commitment to horse welfare and says: “Responsibility for the care of our animals rests with everyone in the sport. British horseracing is run by people with a deep love of horses.”

So the reputation of the entire sport has been rocked over the past week with photos emerging of three-time Grand National-winning trainer Gordon Elliott which showed him sitting on a dead horse.

Elliott did the right thing, making a statement on Twitter in which he explained the context for the image and promising to co-operate with The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) investigation.

He said: “I apologise profoundly for any offence that this photo has caused. I can categorically state that the welfare of each and every horse under my care is paramount and has been central to the success that we have enjoyed.

While the way you react to a crisis often has a bearing on its longer-term consequences, it does not guarantee that those involved can come out unscathed.

The story has had devastating consequences with Elliott's yard sponsor eCOMM Merchant Solutions terminating their contract with the trainer.

Betfair also ended their sponsorship of Elliott last week, with a spokesperson for the firm saying: “While we recognise that Gordon deeply regrets and apologised unreservedly for his poor judgement his actions are completely at odds with the values of the Betfair brand and that of our employees. With that in mind, we have decided to discontinue our association with Gordon with immediate effect.”

Gigginstown House Stud, one of Ireland’s leading owners groups, said it will continue to support Elliott with joint-owner Michael O'Leary, backing the trainer despite his error

In a statement, O'Leary said: “The care and welfare of all our horses comes first with all our trainers. Sadly, from time to time our horses suffer injuries and/or fatalities and we expect all such cases to be treated with the care and attention they deserve.

“We accept that the photograph was a grievous but momentary lapse of judgement from Gordon, and not in keeping with our 15-year experience of his concern for and attention to the welfare of our horses. We all make mistakes, and what is important is that we learn from them and ensure we do not repeat them. We accept Gordon's profound, sincere and unreserved apology, and we will continue to support him and his team at Cullentra as they work to recover from this deeply regrettable incident.”

The story has taken on national importance, with Irish Sports Minister Jack Chambers admitting that Elliott should at least be barred from taking part at the Cheltenham racing festival in late March. 

Mr Chambers said: “I think he needs to be held fully accountable. I think anyone who saw it was shocked by it and we need to uphold the highest animal welfare standards in Ireland. 

“Any and every sanction should be on the table. It is important. We have a significant amount of equestrian activity in Ireland and we need to set a really high bar when it comes to welfare standards.” 

The British Horseracing Authority said it was "appalled" by the image and banned Elliott from saddling runners in Britain while the investigation was undertaken.

Elliott was subsequently banned from racing by an IHRB hearing for 12 months with six suspended and was also ordered to pay costs of €15,000.

The IHRB stated: “We consider that a suspension of Mr Elliott’s training licence is merited. In all of the circumstances of this case, to reflect the seriousness of the offence and the damage to the Irish racing industry, to deter other offences of this nature and having taken into account the mitigating factors we have heard we consider the period should be 12 months however the last six months of this will be suspended.”

Elliott made another statement after the verdict and said that he “will carry the burden of my transgressions for the rest of my career,” adding: “I will never again disrespect a horse living or dead and I will not tolerate it in others.”

However that ban looked toothless at the weekend when it emerged that Elliott’s horses could run under another trainer, Denise Foster, with a tweet from the stables, later deleted, saying that “Gordon will be available to assist her as she requires.”

Animal Aid Horse Racing Consultant, Dene Stansall, admitted that the sport’s reputation had been hugely undermined by the verdict.

“Animal Aid’s dismay at this pathetically small level of punishment, follows the initial shock when the disgraceful images first appeared. The Board’s decision lacks integrity and backbone and has failed the horses who are the real victims of this industry. This shows that the industry cannot self-regulate horse welfare – there needs to be a separate and independent welfare regulator that can impose its own sanction on the industry and upon individuals within that.

“A key question which needed answering before the image emerged, and still does, is why are young horses dying in training. Morgan, whose lifeless body was treated with such contempt by Elliott, was just seven years old. He was a victim of racing, without a doubt.”

The sport suffered a further blow when a video of a jockey sitting on another dead horse was circulated on social media.

Rob James, who rode the Elliott-trained Milan Native to victory at the Cheltenham Festival last year, said he was “heartbroken by the damage” he had caused.

“To try defending my stupidity at the time would add further insult and hurt to the many loyal people that have supported me during my career. I have caused embarrassment to my employers, my family and most importantly the sport I love. I am heartbroken by the damage I have caused and will do my best to try and make amends to those hurt by my conduct.”

With horse welfare such a key issue, the actions of individuals can have a devastating effect on the wider reputation of the sport and it will take more than social media apologies to recover.

[ezatluba]

Face recognition isn't just for humans — it's learning to identify bears and cows, too

By Rachel Metz

November 22, 2020

It's hard for the average person to tell Dani, Lenore, and Bella apart: They all sport fashionably fuzzy brown coats and enjoy a lot of the same activities, like playing in icy-cold water and, occasionally, ripping apart a freshly caught fish.

Melanie Clapham is not the average person. As a bear biologist, she has spent over a decade studying these grizzly bears, who live in Knight Inlet in British Columbia, Canada, and developed a sense for who is who by paying attention to little things that make them different."I use individual characteristics — say, one bear has a nick in its ear or a scar on the nose," she said.

But Clapham knows most people don't have her eye for detail, and the bears' appearances change dramatically over the course of a year — such as when they get winter coats and fatten up before denning — which makes it even harder to distinguish between, say, Toffee and Blonde Teddy. Tracking individual bears is important, she explained, because it can help with research and conservation of the species; knowing which bear is which could even help with problems like figuring out if a certain grizzly is getting into garbage cans or attacking a farmer's livestock. Several years ago Clapham began wondering whether a technology typically used to identify humans might be able to help: facial recognition software, which compares measurements between different facial features in one image to those in another.

Clapham teamed up with two Silicon Valley-based tech workers and together they created BearID, which uses facial-recognition software to monitor grizzly bears. So far, the project has used AI to recognize 132 of the animals individually. While facial-recognition technology known as a tool for identifying humans — and a controversial one at that, due to well-known issues regarding privacy, accuracy, and bias — BearID is one of several efforts to adapt it for animals in the wild and on farms. Proponents of the technology, such as Clapham, say it's a cheaper, longer-lasting, less invasive (and with animals such as bears, less dangerous) way to track animals than, say, attaching a collar or piercing an ear to attach an RFID tag.

Building a grizzly data setFor Clapham, who's also a postdoctoral fellow at the Unversity of Victoria, this interest in combining bears and AI has been in the works for years. In 2017 she joined Wildlabs.net, which connects conservationists with those in the tech community. There, she quickly met Ed Miller and Mary Nguyen — two tech workers in San Jose, California (who happen to be married) who were interested in machine learning and watching grizzlies via live webcam at another popular bear hangout, Brooks Falls in Alaska's Katmai National Park.

The trio has since gathered thousands of bear photos from Knight Inlet and Brooks River to create data sets, and adapted existing artificial intelligence software called Dog Hipsterizer (used, naturally, to add silly mustaches and hats to pictures of dogs) to spot bear faces in their images. Once the faces are detected, they can also use AI to recognize specific bears. "It does way better than we do," said Miller. So far, BearID has collected 4,674 images of grizzly bears; 80% of the images were used for training the facial-recognition system, Clapham said, and the remaining 20% for testing it. According to recently-published research from her and her collaborators, the system is 84% accurate. The bear you're trying to recognize must already be in the group's relatively small dataset, though.

So far, BearID has collected 4,674 images of grizzly bears.

Facial recognition on the ranchWhile BearID is putting names to faces in the wild, Joe Hoagland is trying to do likewise on cattle ranches. Hoagland, a cattle rancher in Leavenworth, Kansas, is building an app called CattleTracs that he said will enable anyone to snap pictures of cattle that will be stored along with GPS coordinates and the date of the photo in an online database. Subsequent photos of the same animal will be able to matched to the earlier photographs, helping track them over time. Beef cattle, he explained, pass through many different people and places during their lives, from producers to pasture operations to feed lots and then to meat packing plants. There isn't much tracking between them, which makes it hard to investigate problems like animal-based diseases that can devastate livestock and may harm people, too. Hoagland expects the app to be available by the end of the year."Being able to trace that diseased animal, find its source, quarantine it, do contact tracing — all the things we're talking about with coronavirus are things we can do with animals, too," he said.

CattleTracs, an upcoming app for monitoring cattle, uses facial recognition technology to tell the animals apart.

Hoagland approached KC Olson, a professor at Kansas State University, who brought together a group of specialists at the school in areas like veterinary science and computer science in order to gather pictures of cattle to create a database for training and testing an AI system. They built a proof-of-concept system in March that included more than 135,000 images of 1,000 young beef cattle; Olson said it was 94% accurate at identifying animals, whether or not it had seen them before.

He said that's far better than what he's seen with RFID tags and readers, which can work poorly when cattle are densely packed."This is a major leap forward in accuracy," he said.

Gold for poachersAlthough facial recognition for animals isn't fraught with the same privacy, bias, and surveillance issues as it is for people, there are unique issues to consider.

For example, while surveillance technology could help protect animals, it may also be used against them. Tanya Berger-Wolf, co-founder and director of Wildbook.org, which is an AI platform for wildlife research projects, stressed the importance of controlling access to animal data to those who have been vetted.

"What's great for scientists and conservation managers is also gold for poachers of wildlife," she said.

That's because a poacher could use images of animals, coupled with data such as GPS coordinates that may be attached to the photos, to find them.

There's also the difficulty of collecting a large number of images of individual animals — from multiple viewpoints, in different lighting conditions, without obstructions like plants, taken repeatedly over time — to train AI networks. Anil Jain, a computer science professor at Michigan State University, knows this better than most: He and his colleagues studied how facial-recognition software could be used to identify lemurs, golden monkeys, and chimpanzees — the hope was to help track endangered animals and halt animal trafficking. They released an Android smartphone app in 2018 called PrimID that let users compare their own primate photos to ones in their database.

BearID software spots the face of a bear in an image.

Jain, who is no longer working on that project, said gathering sufficient animal photos was particularly tricky — especially with lemurs, who may bunch together in a tree. Facial-recognition networks for humans, he noted, may be trained with millions of photos of hundreds of thousands of people; BearID has relied upon just a fraction as many so far, as did Jain's research.

Clapham said she has more images of some bears than others, so her team is trying to get more of the bears that are less represented in the dataset. The researchers also want to stfart training their AI system on footage from camera traps, which are cameras equipped with a sensor and lights and placed in the wilderness where animals may wander by and trigger video recordings. They're considering how BearID could go beyond bears to other animals as well."Really any species we can get good training data for we should potentially be able to develop this type of facial recognition for as well," Clapham said.