#Jennie-o Sponsored

[aureliahillshqs]

todos conocen a PARK LEE, pero su reputación está por descubrirse.

barb, ¡bienvenide a @aureliahillshqs! nos encanta tenerte con nosotres. a partir de ahora contás con 24 hs para enviarnos la cuenta, en caso de necesitar más tiempo, ¡no dudes en solicitarlo! pst! también queremos contarte que si todavía no rellenaste este form, nos serviría mucho que lo hicieras. ¡gracias!

OUT OF CHARACTER: 

nombre/alias: barb.

¿tenés más de 21 años? sí / no. 

zona horaria o país: gmt-3.

nivel de actividad estimado: seis.

triggers: non-con, pedofilia, incesto.

¿aceptás que tu personaje se vea involucrado en las intervenciones realizadas por la administración del grupal? sí / no. 

¿algo que agregar?: nada <; 3

IN CHARACTER: 

nombre: park lee.

faceclaim: jennie kim.

cupo: veintitrés.

edad y fecha de nacimiento: veinticuatro, 24 de octubre del 1999.

descripción física: tablero. tiene una figura menuda, el cabello liso, oscuro y largo hasta la cintura, y ojos del mismo color. su nariz es pequeña y perfilada, y comenzó a usar fillers en los labios hace un par de años ya. le gusta vestirse con una estética y2k, así como también usar accesorios de la época. no tiene tatuajes, pero sí varios aritos: tres en la oreja izquierda, un nostrill, dos en el ombligo y uno en la lengua.

descripción psicológica: fría y superflua son dos términos con los que seguramente más se refieren a lee���y ella está de acuerdo. es una persona de voz monótona, con poco interés en hacer amistades genuinas o demostrar el cariño a las pocas que tiene. su vida gira en torno a sí misma, a sus intereses y sus deseos, y no se molesta en ocultarlo. es astuta, misteriosa, manipuladora. tiene madera de líder, aspecto que usa siempre a su favor.

historia o datos curiosos: uno , está altamente obsesionada con la cultura hollywoodense. creció viendo reality shows de mtv y deseando ser una de las chicas a las que le buscaban pareja, les hacían un makeover o una fiesta que tuviera a todo el país mirando la tele un domingo a la noche. idolatraba a personajes como paris hilton y nicole richie. su meta en la vida era ser como ellas: famosa por ser famosa. dos , guiada por estos parámetros, cura mucho su huella digital. ha creado una imagen perfectamente pulida para las redes sociales. no se llamaría a sí misma influencer, pero tiene una buena cantidad de followers que podrían decir lo contrario. se aprovecha del poder de su apellido y el reconocimiento de sus familiares para colarse a eventos donde normalmente no sería invitada y disfruta la atención que se le brinda en los mismos. tres , no le interesa hacer mucho de su vida: no fue a la universidad y tampoco tiene un trabajo, ni aspiraciones a tener uno. no hay nada que genuinamente despierte su interés como para estudiarlo, por eso pasa buena parte de su tiempo complaciendo a sus padres, para que estos no se den cuenta de que están manteniendo a una persona sin futuro. en caso de que aquello no funcione, claro, siempre puede recurrir a las redes sociales y los sponsors. cuatro , recientemente se ha visto envuelta en un nuevo pasatiempo: robar. no es que le haga falta alguna, por supuesto, pero la adrenalina que le genera es tanta que podría compararse casi a una droga. empezó con cosas pequeñas, accesorios y perfumes baratos en tiendas por departamento; pero pronto escaló a prendas de alta costura y objetos valiosos en las fiestas de figuras célebres del barrio. su idea es formar un grupito de gente que la acompañe y así puedan escalar a ligas más grandes—total, no es como si alguno de ellos fuera a extrañarlos. probablemente ni se den cuenta de que les hacen falta.

[cursedrizzo]

Naoko

✦ Sponsored ✦

Queenz - Venal Outfit ↳ Comes in sizes Reborn, Waifu, Legacy, Maitreya, Kupra & Peach ↳ Megapack includes Outfit, Accessories & Gloves Available @ Mainstore

✦ Not Sponsored Credits ✦

✧ [COMATOSED] - Jack o- lantern ✧ [Enchante'] - Paige Heels ✧ frayed - slasher knife ✧ [Litten] - Ito Piercing ✧ polarbunny - jenny face shadow ✧ +WORN+ tattoos

✦ Head & Body Credits ✦

✧ LeLUTKA Ceylon Head ✧ Legacy Meshbody 1.6

✦ Pose ✦

✧ babyboo - Ivy 02

Song

[missysviews]

[adalynnlove]

Paper.Sparrow - Claire Set

This cute little outfit has to be one of my favorites at the moment.  Claire Set from ҍմղղíҽ  ʄɾɑղᴄís  (bunniefrancis) of Paper.Sparrow comes with the top, skirt and panties, all of which can be color changed in the full colorpack, along with the buttons and trim.  You can find this at the Swank event this month through April 30th.  Here’s more details for you:

PAPER.SPARROW DETAILS

Paper.Sparrow Mainstore

Paper.Sparrow Facebook & Flickr

Bunnie’s Facebook & Flickr

Jenny’s Facebook & Flickr

WHAT I’M WEARING/USING

From Sponsor Paper.Sparrow at April’s Swank Event:

Outfit:  Paper.Sparrow Colorpack Claire Set

Body:

Hair:  .Princess Stuff. [Veronika Hair] Groupgift Set!

Eyes:  Shimmer /  Eyes Applier / CXXV FATPACK

Shape:  custom made by me (adalynnlove resident)

Body:  Maitreya Mesh Body - Lara V5.3

Head:  LeLUTKA Zora Head 3.1

Head Skin:   a.b - Everly 20 - BOM LeLu Evo X

Body Skin:   amara beauty - body skin 20 Maitreya

Makeup:

Eyeshadow:  GOREGLAM 'Romance' Eyeshadow LEL EVO

Highlighter:  : Dernier : "Aaliyah" Highlighter (Evo X BoM)

Lashes:   *Booty’s Beauty* [Lel Evo & Evo X] Daffodil Lashes

Lipgloss:  *Heron - Lina - Makeup - (LeLUTKA)

Nails:   CAZIMI: Astral Updated Applier Nails - Maitreya

Misc.:

Necklace:  Kibitz - Summer Loving necklace - silver

Drink:  Hangry - Can-O-Bis  - Peach

Shoes:  [BREATHE]-Atsumi Heels-FATPACK

Poses:  FOXCITY. Caffeinated Bento Pose Set

Location:   Luane's Magical World

Windlight:  estate settings + body lights

[papermoonloveslucy]

SECRETARIAL SCHOOL

February 18, 1949

“Secretarial School” (aka “Liz Attends Claremont Business School”) is episode #31 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on February 18, 1949 on the CBS radio network.

Synopsis ~ George needs a new secretary, so Liz enrolls in secretarial school so she can fill the position. 

“My Favorite Husband” was based on the novels Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage (1940) and Outside Eden (1945) by Isabel Scott Rorick, which had previously been adapted into the film Are Husbands Necessary? (1942). “My Favorite Husband” was first broadcast as a one-time special on July 5, 1948. Lucille Ball and Lee Bowman played the characters of Liz and George Cugat, and a positive response to this broadcast convinced CBS to launch “My Favorite Husband” as a series. Bowman was not available Richard Denning was cast as George. On January 7, 1949, confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change to Cooper. On this same episode Jell-O became its sponsor. A total of 124 episodes of the program aired from July 23, 1948 through March 31, 1951. After about ten episodes had been written, writers Fox and Davenport departed and three new writers took over – Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and head writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer. In March 1949 Gale Gordon took over the existing role of George’s boss, Rudolph Atterbury, and Bea Benadaret was added as his wife, Iris. CBS brought “My Favorite Husband” to television in 1953, starring Joan Caulfield and Barry Nelson as Liz and George Cooper. The television version ran two-and-a-half seasons, from September 1953 through December 1955, running concurrently with “I Love Lucy.” It was produced live at CBS Television City for most of its run, until switching to film for a truncated third season filmed (ironically) at Desilu and recasting Liz Cooper with Vanessa Brown.

REGULAR CAST

Lucille Ball (Liz Cooper / “Jenny Smith”) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Richard Denning (George Cooper) was born as Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Los Angeles. Plans called for him to take over his father’s garment manufacturing business, but he developed an interest in acting. Denning enlisted in the US Navy during World War II. He is best known for his  roles in various science fiction and horror films of the 1950s. Although he teamed with Lucille Ball on radio in “My Favorite Husband,” the two never acted together on screen. While “I Love Lucy” was on the air, he was seen on another CBS TV series, “Mr. & Mrs. North.”  From 1968 to 1980 he played the Governor on “Hawaii 5-0″, his final role. He died in 1998 at age 84.

Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) was also later seen on “I Love Lucy.” She first played Mrs. Pomerantz (above right), a member of the surprise investigating committee for the Society Matrons League in “Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25), as one of the member of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League in “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress” (ILL S3;E3), and also played a nurse when “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16). She died in 1996 at the age of 96.

Bob LeMond (Announcer) also served as the announcer for the pilot episode of “I Love Lucy”. When the long-lost pilot was finally discovered in 1990, a few moments of the opening narration were damaged and lost, so LeMond – fifty years later – recreated the narration for the CBS special and subsequent DVD release.

Gale Gordon and Bea Benadaret had not yet joined the cast in the roles of Rudolph and Iris Atterbury.

GUEST CAST

Florence Halop (Ruthie aka ”The Brooklyn Blabbermouth”) was first seen on television with Lucille Ball in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) in which she reprised her role as the party line phone hog. She wouldn’t work for Lucy again until 1974, when she played a Little Old Lady on a Western-themed episode of “Here’s Lucy.” In 1985, she replaced Selma Diamond (who had died of lung cancer) as the bailiff on “Night Court.”

Frank Nelson (Mr. Allen, Bank Examiner) was born on May 6, 1911 (three months before Lucille Ball) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He started working as a radio announcer at the age of 15. He later appeared on such popular radio shows as “The Great Gildersleeve,” “Burns and Allen,” and “Fibber McGee & Molly”. This is one of his 11 performances on “My Favorite Husband.”  On “I Love Lucy” he holds the distinction of being the only actor to play two recurring roles: Freddie Fillmore and Ralph Ramsey, as well as six one-off characters, including the frazzled train conductor in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5), a character he repeated on “The Lucy Show.”  Aside from Lucille Ball, Nelson is perhaps most associated with Jack Benny and was a fifteen-year regular on his radio and television programs.  

The roles of Miss Claremont, the Blabbermouth’s Mother, and the Secretary on the Intercom are uncredited and unidentified, but were likely played by the same performer. 

EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “Now let’s look in on the Coopers. It’s early evening. Dinner is over. George is in the living room and Liz is helping Katie the Maid clear off the table.”

Liz is dreading talking to George about the right front fender on the car. When she finally goes into the living room she immediately confesses to the accident, even though he only wanted to talk to her about his life insurance policy.  He’s doubled his policy so that she’ll get $10,000 if he should die.

In “Lucy Goes On Strike” (HL S1;E16) in 1969, Harry takes out a $100,000 double indemnity insurance policy on Lucy’s life with himself as sole beneficiary, which Lucy accidentally overhears.

Liz doesn’t want to talk about such things. She refuses to think about a life without George.  She insists that there must be some dire reason for his doubling the policy. She even wonders if he’ll ever marry again should she die first.  He explains his new double indemnity policy to her. If he dies by accident she will get double than if he passes away naturally. 

In “The Audition” (ILL S1;E6), Ricky sends Lucy to his lawyers to see about his will, which sends Lucy into a panic about him dying - and who would go first!

LIZ: “Well, I’m going to miss you, but when you feel yourself going, try to make it an accident, huh?” 

Liz tells him not to worry about the money. She will get a job and take care of herself. George cannot even begin to think of Liz set loose in the workforce. She says that she is going to prove him wrong by getting a job right away. 

Later, Liz returns from a day job hunting and is exhausted.  She tells Katie she is determined to go to business school and learn shorthand. Their party line is tied up again by the “Brooklyn Blabbermouth” (Florence Halop). 

A party line was a local loop telephone circuit that is shared by multiple subscribers. Party lines provided no privacy and were frequently used as a source of entertainment and gossip. Objections about one party monopolizing a line were common and eavesdropping remained an ongoing concern. By the end of the 20th century, party lines had been phased out in the United States. Although we are never quite sure where Sheridan Falls is located, it would be unusual for a party line to exist outside its local area.  Lucy Ricardo contends (and brilliantly dispenses) with a party line in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8, above, also starring Florence Halop, left).

The “Brooklyn Blabbermouth” calls Liz “Miss Big Ears” and explains she is talking to her mother.  Liz is amazed she even has a mother. 

BLABBERMOUTH: “Whaddya think? Someone built me with an Erector Set?” LIZ: “No. I thought you came in a box of Cracker Jack.”

Erector Set was a brand of metal toy construction sets which were originally sold by the Mysto Manufacturing Company in 1913, a successor to wooden Lincoln Logs and a predecessor to plastic LEGO. This gag manages to get a very loud laugh and a round of applause from the “My Favorite Husband” studio audience. 

Cracker Jack is a molasses-flavored caramel-coated popcorn and peanut confection first patented in 1896. It is famous for being packaged with an inexpensive novelty item (a ‘prize’) inside the box. Food historians say it may be America’s first ‘junk food.’ It was often the punch line on “I Love Lucy.” 

Liz begs the Blabbermouth (whose name is Ruthie) to allow her to make a quick call. She is updating her mother about their radio serials since her radio is broken.

LIZ: “Do you have to use the telephone?” BLABBERMOUTH: “Whaddya expect me to use? A two-way wrist radio?” 

In 1946, Chester Gould’s ‘Dick Tracy’ comic strip introduced the idea that it’s detective hero could communicate through a two-way wrist radio. In 1948, that cartoon item was brought to reality, along with a myriad of other Dick Tracy-themed toys.  The “Dick Tracy” radio series ran from 1934 to 1948. It then lived on in television and films. 

The Blabbermouth ignores Liz’s request for telephone time and drones on about the plot of her mother’s favorite soap opera:

BLABBERMOUTH: “So mama, you remember how kindly Dr. Stevenson had to operate on Little Jimmy, who was run over by a truck, and he tried to save the life of blind Mr. Pat, who was on his way to get the doctor for grandma Smith, who broke her leg when she fell downstairs trying to help Mary Lou, who caught her hand in the ringer.”  MAMA: “Oh, yeah. Which show was that?” LIZ: “’Life Can Be Beautiful’!” 

After the distressing plot line described, it seems unlikely, but there really was a radio soap opera named “Life Can Be Beautiful.” it premiered September 5, 1938 on NBC and moved two months later to CBS, where it was heard from November 7, 1938 to June 21, 1946.  The final run was on NBC from 1946 to 1954.

Liz is furious and hangs up. She decides to go down to the secretarial school and enroll in person. 

LIZ: “If I wait for her to get off the phone I won’t need a job, I’ll be collecting Social Security.” 

The United States Social Security act was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935.  The nation’s first Social Security card was issued in 1936 with benefits first paid out in 1940. Social Security was sometimes used as a punch line on Lucille Ball’s television programs, especially concerning age.     

At the secretarial school Liz, and a gaggle of other women, are welcomed by Miss Claremont, the founder and head teacher. 

MISS CLAREMONT: “When you finish our course, each of you will be completely equipped to get along with your future boss, as we teach you shorthand, typing, filing and jujitsu.” 

Miss Claremont calls upon Liz to help demonstrate typing, but Liz says there are no letters on the keys. Miss Claremont explains that this is deliberate, in order to teach the touch system of typing.

Three weeks after this episode was broadcast, Lucille Ball began filming Miss Grant Takes Richmond, in which her character, Ellen Grant, went to the Woodruff Secretarial School and also had a great deal of trouble with her typewriter. The film was released later that year but Lucille Ball was seen typing in all of her television sitcoms. 

Liz attempts to type her name: 

LIZ: “Shake hands with Querty Uioop!” 

Three weeks later, Miss Claremont is chastising Liz for her non-traditional shorthand. It seems drawing a little cabbage is not satisfactory shorthand for money. 

LIZ: “That’s lettuce.” 

Liz brags that her typing has improved to 60 words a minute. Miss Claremont says it doesn’t count if you type the same word over and over. 

At home, Liz tries to romance George out his distracted mood. When he sees her school notebook he asks about her shorthand. She’s written her shopping list in shorthand. 

GEORGE: “What does this one mean: the number three, a dog, and a daisy?”  LIZ: “That’s to remind me to get three heads of cauliflower.”

GEORGE: “What’s this dilly: a telescope, a doctor, and a child?” LIZ: “I want to get something in the newspaper. That means watch out for the Examiner boy.” 

GEORGE: “Here’s one I can understand: a man throwing books in the air. Juggling the books, eh?” LIZ: “Just a little jug.”

GEORGE: “Now explain this last shorthand mystery to me: a circle, a ship, and laundry ticket.”  LIZ: “That’s the title of a phonograph record I want to buy - 'A Slow Boat To China'.”

"On A Slow Boat to China" is a popular song by Frank Loesser, published in 1948. The enigmatic title was a well-known phrase among poker players, referring to a person who lost steadily and handsomely. In October and November 1948, it was recorded by no less than five artists: Kay Kyser, Freddy Martin, Benny Goodman, Art Lund, and Larry Clinton. 

George is distracted because there’s a bank examiner at work and his secretary is out sick. Liz wants to get into the act - literally - by becoming his substitute secretary, but George says no way!  He has already arranged with the Claremont Secretarial School to send someone over. Once he goes to bed, Liz makes the decision to call the school and cancel the secretary - taking the job for herself!  

On “I Love Lucy” Lucy Ricardo went to elaborate lengths to work with her husband, sometimes even resorting to kidnapping!  

Later, Liz enters the living room wearing a black wig and horned rim spectacles. Katie, who doesn’t recognize her on first glance, reminds her to phone and cancel the other secretary. Naturally, Blabbermouth is on the party line, talking to her mother about soaps. She refers to Liz as “Nosey Rosie”. 

BLABBERMOUTH (to Mama): “Their son, the radio actor, comes in and wants to borrow ten bucks until television blows over...”

The idea that television was just a passing fad and not a serious threat to radio was common. The motion picture industry also felt threatened by television. In hindsight, they were correct. Had it not be for television, Lucille Ball would have remained Queen of B movies and you would not be reading this right now!

Liz angrily hangs up.

LIZ: “How do you like that; a filibuster!” KATIE: “Filibuster?” LIZ: “Yeah. I’ve had my fill and I’d like to bust her.” 

Liz decides to go down to the corner drug store to make the call. Katie reminds her to put on her dress first!

Later, Liz arrives at George’s office in disguise. 

[As the scene opens, the voice of a sectary on the intercom announces the arrival of the new secretary. In a rare flub, Richard Denning jumps her line, momentarily talking over her.]

Liz is flustered and doesn’t even know her own name. It seems she hasn’t yet made one up! 

GEORGE: “Well, how about sitting down?”  LIZ: “No. That sounds too much like an Indian. How about Jenny Smith? Yeah, Jenny Smith.” 

While in disguise, Liz decides to test George’s fidelity by flirting with him.  Unbeknownst to Liz, George is on to her.  He unmasks her pretty quickly. 

This test of marital fidelity was also tried by Lucy Ricardo while also wearing a black wig. Just like George, Ricky is on to her games and plays along for a bit. 

She breaks it to him that she’s canceled the other secretary. Since it is too late to get anyone else, he allows it.  He dictates some responses she needs to type for him to read to the Bank Examiner.  At the meeting with the Bank Examiner, Liz is still pretending to be Miss Smith. Mr. Allen, the Bank Examiner (Frank Nelson), asks George a question and George consults his notes - only to find a jumble of nonsensical typing. Liz was using the touch system and her fingers were on the wrong keys!  Since Liz is the only one who can read her original shorthand notes, she must answer for him. 

MR. ALLEN: “What’s the collateral for this ten million dollars?”  LIZ (reading): “Three heads of cauliflower”. 

MR. ALLEN: “When the amount of collateral is not commensurate with the size of the loan what is your procedure?” LIZ (reading): “Juggle the books.”

MR. ALLEN: “When Mr. Cooper found out there was to be an investigation, what instructions did he give the employees?” LIZ (reading): “Watch out for the Examiner, boy.” 

MR. ALLEN: “What would have done if you had gotten away with it?” LIZ (reading): “Get a slow boat to China.”

The exchange of transposed questions and inadvertently humorous answers will be explored again in “Lucy Gets Ricky on the Radio” (ILL S1;E32) which also featured Frank Nelson asking the questions! 

Later at home, George says that it took six hours to prove to Mr. Allen that Liz was responsible for the whole misunderstanding. Liz promises that she’ll stop looking for a job and call the secretarial school and quit. She picks up the phone to call but...

BLABBERMOUTH: “And the doctor said ‘Ma Perkins’ you’ll never walk again.”

“Ma Perkins” was a radio soap opera heard on NBC from 1933 to 1949 and on CBS from 1942 to 1960. Between 1942 and 1949, the show was heard simultaneously on both networks.

Liz insists that she told the phone company to change her party line. The Blabbermouth says that they did - they changed it to her mother’s!  Liz faints.  

END of EPISODE

[diarrheaworldstarhiphop]

In late November, the Justice Department unsealed indictments against eight people accused of fleecing advertisers of $36 million in two of the largest digital ad-fraud operations ever uncovered. Digital advertisers tend to want two things: people to look at their ads and “premium” websites — i.e., established and legitimate publications — on which to host them. The two schemes at issue in the case, dubbed Methbot and 3ve by the security researchers who found them, faked both. Hucksters infected 1.7 million computers with malware that remotely directed traffic to “spoofed” websites — “empty websites designed for bot traffic” that served up a video ad purchased from one of the internet’s vast programmatic ad-exchanges, but that were designed, according to the indictments, “to fool advertisers into thinking that an impression of their ad was served on a premium publisher site,” like that of Vogue or The Economist. Views, meanwhile, were faked by malware-infected computers with marvelously sophisticated techniques to imitate humans: bots “faked clicks, mouse movements, and social network login information to masquerade as engaged human consumers.” Some were sent to browse the internet to gather tracking cookies from other websites, just as a human visitor would have done through regular behavior. Fake people with fake cookies and fake social-media accounts, fake-moving their fake cursors, fake-clicking on fake websites — the fraudsters had essentially created a simulacrum of the internet, where the only real things were the ads.

How much of the internet is fake? Studies generally suggest that, year after year, less than 60 percent of web traffic is human; some years, according to some researchers, a healthy majority of it is bot. For a period of time in 2013, the Times reported this year, a full half of YouTube traffic was “bots masquerading as people,” a portion so high that employees feared an inflection point after which YouTube’s systems for detecting fraudulent traffic would begin to regard bot traffic as real and human traffic as fake. They called this hypothetical event “the Inversion.”

In the future, when I look back from the high-tech gamer jail in which President PewDiePie will have imprisoned me, I will remember 2018 as the year the internet passed the Inversion, not in some strict numerical sense, since bots already outnumber humans online more years than not, but in the perceptual sense. The internet has always played host in its dark corners to schools of catfish and embassies of Nigerian princes, but that darkness now pervades its every aspect: Everything that once seemed definitively and unquestionably real now seems slightly fake; everything that once seemed slightly fake now has the power and presence of the real. The “fakeness” of the post-Inversion internet is less a calculable falsehood and more a particular quality of experience — the uncanny sense that what you encounter online is not “real” but is also undeniably not “fake,” and indeed may be both at once, or in succession, as you turn it over in your head.

The metrics are fake.                        

Take something as seemingly simple as how we measure web traffic. Metrics should be the most real thing on the internet: They are countable, trackable, and verifiable, and their existence undergirds the advertising business that drives our biggest social and search platforms. Yet not even Facebook, the world’s greatest data–gathering organization, seems able to produce genuine figures. In October, small advertisers filed suit against the social-media giant, accusing it of covering up, for a year, its significant overstatements of the time users spent watching videos on the platform (by 60 to 80 percent, Facebook says; by 150 to 900 percent, the plaintiffs say). According to an exhaustive list at MarketingLand, over the past two years Facebook has admitted to misreporting the reach of posts on Facebook Pages (in two different ways), the rate at which viewers complete ad videos, the average time spent reading its “Instant Articles,” the amount of referral traffic from Facebook to external websites, the number of views that videos received via Facebook’s mobile site, and the number of video views in Instant Articles.

Can we still trust the metrics? After the Inversion, what’s the point? Even when we put our faith in their accuracy, there’s something not quite real about them: My favorite statistic this year was Facebook’s claim that 75 million people watched at least a minute of Facebook Watch videos every day — though, as Facebook admitted, the 60 seconds in that one minute didn’t need to be watched consecutively. Real videos, real people, fake minutes.

The people are fake.                        

And maybe we shouldn’t even assume that the people are real. Over at YouTube, the business of buying and selling video views is “flourishing,” as the Times reminded readers with a lengthy investigation in August. The company says only “a tiny fraction” of its traffic is fake, but fake subscribers are enough of a problem that the site undertook a purge of “spam accounts” in mid-December. These days, the Times found, you can buy 5,000 YouTube views — 30 seconds of a video counts as a view — for as low as $15; oftentimes, customers are led to believe that the views they purchase come from real people. More likely, they come from bots. On some platforms, video views and app downloads can be forged in lucrative industrial counterfeiting operations. If you want a picture of what the Inversion looks like, find a video of a “click farm”: hundreds of individual smartphones, arranged in rows on shelves or racks in professional-looking offices, each watching the same video or downloading the same app.

This is obviously not real human traffic. But what would real human traffic look like? The Inversion gives rise to some odd philosophical quandaries: If a Russian troll using a Brazilian man’s photograph to masquerade as an American Trump supporter watches a video on Facebook, is that view “real”? Not only do we have bots masquerading as humans and humans masquerading as other humans, but also sometimes humans masquerading as bots, pretending to be “artificial-intelligence personal assistants,” like Facebook’s “M,” in order to help tech companies appear to possess cutting-edge AI. We even have whatever CGI Instagram influencer Lil Miquela is: a fake human with a real body, a fake face, and real influence. Even humans who aren’t masquerading can contort themselves through layers of diminishing reality: The Atlantic reports that non-CGI human influencers are posting fake sponsored content — that is, content meant to look like content that is meant to look authentic, for free — to attract attention from brand reps, who, they hope, will pay them real money.

The businesses are fake.                        

The money is usually real. Not always — ask someone who enthusiastically got into cryptocurrency this time last year — but often enough to be an engine of the Inversion. If the money is real, why does anything else need to be? Earlier this year, the writer and artist Jenny Odell began to look into an Amazon reseller that had bought goods from other Amazon resellers and resold them, again on Amazon, at higher prices. Odell discovered an elaborate network of fake price-gouging and copyright-stealing businesses connected to the cultlike Evangelical church whose followers resurrected Newsweek in 2013 as a zombie search-engine-optimized spam farm. She visited a strange bookstore operated by the resellers in San Francisco and found a stunted concrete reproduction of the dazzlingly phony storefronts she’d encountered on Amazon, arranged haphazardly with best-selling books, plastic tchotchkes, and beauty products apparently bought from wholesalers. “At some point I began to feel like I was in a dream,” she wrote. “Or that I was half-awake, unable to distinguish the virtual from the real, the local from the global, a product from a Photoshop image, the sincere from the insincere.”

                                       The content is fake.                        

The only site that gives me that dizzying sensation of unreality as often as Amazon does is YouTube, which plays host to weeks’ worth of inverted, inhuman content. TV episodes that have been mirror-flipped to avoid copyright takedowns air next to huckster vloggers flogging merch who air next to anonymously produced videos that are ostensibly for children. An animated video of Spider-Man and Elsa from Frozen riding tractors is not, you know, not real: Some poor soul animated it and gave voice to its actors, and I have no doubt that some number (dozens? Hundreds? Millions? Sure, why not?) of kids have sat and watched it and found some mystifying, occult enjoyment in it. But it’s certainly not “official,” and it’s hard, watching it onscreen as an adult, to understand where it came from and what it means that the view count beneath it is continually ticking up.

These, at least, are mostly bootleg videos of popular fictional characters, i.e., counterfeit unreality. Counterfeit reality is still more difficult to find—for now. In January 2018, an anonymous Redditor created a relatively easy-to-use desktop-app implementation of “deepfakes,” the now-infamous technology that uses artificial-intelligence image processing to replace one face in a video with another — putting, say, a politician’s over a porn star’s. A recent academic paper from researchers at the graphics-card company Nvidia demonstrates a similar technique used to create images of computer-generated “human” faces that look shockingly like photographs of real people. (Next time Russians want to puppeteer a group of invented Americans on Facebook, they won’t even need to steal photos of real people.) Contrary to what you might expect, a world suffused with deepfakes and other artificially generated photographic images won’t be one in which “fake” images are routinely believed to be real, but one in which “real” images are routinely believed to be fake — simply because, in the wake of the Inversion, who’ll be able to tell the difference?

                                       Our politics are fake.                        

Such a loss of any anchoring “reality” only makes us pine for it more. Our politics have been inverted along with everything else, suffused with a Gnostic sense that we’re being scammed and defrauded and lied to but that a “real truth” still lurks somewhere. Adolescents are deeply engaged by YouTube videos that promise to show the hard reality beneath the “scams” of feminism and diversity — a process they call “red-pilling” after the scene in The Matrix when the computer simulation falls away and reality appears. Political arguments now involve trading accusations of “virtue signaling” — the idea that liberals are faking their politics for social reward — against charges of being Russian bots. The only thing anyone can agree on is that everyone online is lying and fake.

                                       We ourselves are fake.                        

Which, well. Everywhere I went online this year, I was asked to prove I’m a human. Can you retype this distorted word? Can you transcribe this house number? Can you select the images that contain a motorcycle? I found myself prostrate daily at the feet of robot bouncers, frantically showing off my highly developed pattern-matching skills — does a Vespa count as a motorcycle, even? — so I could get into nightclubs I’m not even sure I want to enter. Once inside, I was directed by dopamine-feedback loops to scroll well past any healthy point, manipulated by emotionally charged headlines and posts to click on things I didn’t care about, and harried and hectored and sweet-talked into arguments and purchases and relationships so algorithmically determined it was hard to describe them as real.

Where does that leave us? I’m not sure the solution is to seek out some pre-Inversion authenticity — to red-pill ourselves back to “reality.” What’s gone from the internet, after all, isn’t “truth,” but trust: the sense that the people and things we encounter are what they represent themselves to be. Years of metrics-driven growth, lucrative manipulative systems, and unregulated platform marketplaces, have created an environment where it makes more sense to be fake online — to be disingenuous and cynical, to lie and cheat, to misrepresent and distort — than it does to be real. Fixing that would require cultural and political reform in Silicon Valley and around the world, but it’s our only choice. Otherwise we’ll all end up on the bot internet of fake people, fake clicks, fake sites, and fake computers, where the only real thing is the ads.

[theladipage]

Mom Style has a Fashion Moment - LaDi and the Bump-friendly Movement

Bump-friendly fashion is here friends.

Recently, we had a fabulous fashion show event in NYC featuring some of my beautiful mom-friends in new styles from our LaDi collection.  Our models were a gorgeous mix of moms and moms-to-be in different stages of motherhood including a recent preggo and one mom that was just 2 weeks away from giving birth!  Some of these ladies have 1 or more kids and they are entrepreneurs, executives, students and all are beautiful in their own way.  They are all superstars in their own right and they strut the runway that night like the supermodels they are.  Moms are the real supermodels.

Bump-friendly fashion is what I like to say are stylish clothes you can wear during or after pregnancy.  They are on-trend, sexy and made to enhance the woman that wears them whether she is pregnant or not.

Moms are under-represented in the world of Fashion

Ever since I discovered that cool clothes were simply not available for my growing bump, I’ve made a point to change that.  It was during my 3rd pregnancy almost 5 years ago that I finally started making my own “maternity” clothes.  Yes, you read that right.  I got tired of shopping in the regular department stores and in the maternity stores to create looks.  I was having to get super creative and going nuts piecing some of my old pieces with new pieces every day and especially when I had an outing!  Going-out clothes were definitely not made for the preggos (not any good ones at least).  And I love to get dressed up even with my baby bump.  I kept wondering why there was no FASHION for pregnant people?  Women get pregnant.  There should be more than rouched t-shirts and cardigans to wear out.  So why?

Well, it turns out maternity is not the best market in the business of fashion.  People tend not to buy maternity clothes, considering it’s a temporary solution to a temporary condition.  So, major manufacturers focus more on offering basics (lots of basics), rather than innovative or trendy styles.  (Think t-shirts, t-shirt dresses, more t-shirts and cardigans.) This keeps inventory safer to have and design and aesthetics very low maintenance from season to season.  The offerings barely change from season to season.  They also make the fit baggier because, though it is less flattering on most, it makes it easier to accommodate a large segment of the population with very little tailoring involved.  The final result: a bunch of basic, casual clothes that never really fit quite right.  Clothes  that you would never have bought in the first place and that you finally caved to when you really couldn’t fit into anything else anymore.  It happened to me the first 2 times around.  But, by the 3rd pregnancy, I was done.

Creating what I wished already existed.

So, I started designing pieces that I could wear out to dinner, on date-nights and  to parties that made me feel good about myself!  Most importantly, I made them to be fun and easy to wear.  It’s so good when you don’t have to muster up a lot of energy to look fancy.  Just put it on and go!  They are designed to flatter so that you don’t have to sacrifice style while your body adjusts.

Here’s my Why

Inclusivity.  The industry standard has been shaken up for years because it doesn’t represent the majority of the population.  Unlike the ideals for beauty represented by traditional runway models, we are not all 5′10, size 0 or eternally 16.  We change, we grow, we get pregnant and we change again.  But we rarely see a reflection of ourselves on the runway at NYFW.

I wanted to put motherhood on the runway.  We don’t all look the same, but we are all capable of looking incredibly gorgeous.  I know that.  I do that.  I wanted to make that a possibility for every woman.

The Collection

This collection includes new styles that push even a bit further.  I encourage women to really dress up, to wear color and to have fun with it.  Every style has a simple detail, a particular point of interest that makes it memorable.  And I love that so much because many times we turn away from cameras when we are pregnant because we don’t feel like ourselves or we don’t think we look good.  And we miss out on creating memories of this special time in our lives that will never come again.

I personally love fashion and I know the positive impact that our clothes can have on our everyday lives.  It is true that if you look good you feel good.  And I’m here to create beautiful things to wear during the most beautiful times in our lives, one piece at a time.

Follow along with us as we grow and bring a new vision for motherhood come to life on Instagram.

Here’s a video recap of the show.  The new pieces will be dropping into the shop starting 9/29 and we’re really excited!  All paper flower decorations are also available at the shop for your delight.  Go check out our online boutique where everything is exclusively designed and lovingly hand-made for you.

BTW, the little guys taking a bow with me at the end are my 3 babies and my greatest inspirations and supporters.  Enjoy the show!

Before you go... thank you!

I have to say a big thank you to all of the amazing talents that collaborated with me to make this event so fabulous.

Models: Ariana Bello, Ana Martinez, Shaquita Garcia, Jules Cruz, Jenny,  Lory Linette Diaz-Valentin + Isabela Valentin (baby) 

Collaborators: 

Carlina Zacarias, Samara Vega, MizzLula - Makeup Artists

Nikki Vazquez -  Pretty Nikki Jewelry

Zayda Rivera - PR

Karen Soriano - Karen Decor Balloon arrangement

Darleny - Cake Pops and More Branded Goodies

Dahiana Perez - MC

Michael Alberto - Venue including AV and Set Up

Miguel Pichardo - Videographer

Daniel Valez - Photographer

Sponsors:

Maybelline

Spa O on the Go

Reaching Heights Wellness & Coaching

Silvia’s House Cleaning

The Birth Deck

Luimy Pure Romance

Special thanks to Alicia Diaz-David for all the love and support! And to all my family and friends for always being there!

[pghbabesonbikes]

Frigid Bitch 2019 Results

Frigid Bitch - back for year 6!

Continuing tradition as probably the biggest ladies/non-binary bike race in the universe with over 100 riders, this year’s Frigid Bitch expanded with first-time-ever-offered pre-registration and MORE PODIUMS. Held at Threadbare Cider in Spring Garden, at 10am on Saturday, February 16th, 2019, racers started flooding in to stock up on gear, check out the competition, and pick up their maps & manifests.

As always, there is a one hour window for racers to frantically plan their routes, forge alliances, and make friends. A few local ladies’ racing teams showed up in force, and some veteran Frigid Bitch ride-or-die gangs side-eyed up their matching kits and focused efficiency with determined fuck-it, let’s-do-this attitudes. New racers met riding partners on-site, and a handful of volunteers showed up to take in the crowd before heading out to their no-longer-secret positions.

A quarter to go-time, everyone was hustled outside to unlock their steeds and gear up for the start line.

THE CHECKPOINTS

Grandview Overlook Every year, for the out-of-towners, suburb queens, commuters who never stray from the beaten track - there’s always one checkpoint that everybody knows how to get to. Not that we’d make it easy! Pittsburgh’s famous overlook is a slag up Mt Washington, and with the main thru way closed, racers had to either bump it up via shattered sidewalks, or find away around. Volunteers were ready with a toast at the top!

Fineview Overlook In a city of hills and bridges you’re gonna have a lot of overlooks … Grandview’s much lesser known cousin on the Northside had racers figuring out how to find their way above the ballfield. Anyone who actually followed the map to this checkpoint found themselves climbing one of the toughest Dirty Dozen Hills….oh, did we do that? Whoops!

Herr’s Island Keep following the map in the other direction, and it’d take you down Rialto St (another Dirty Dozen Hill! Who drew this?!) and across the 30th St Bridge to Herr’s Island, haven of local crew teams and isolated Pgh elite. Everyone knows it’s there; most cyclists have zero reason to ever trek over. On the far end of the island, through some woods & down some steps to a gravel lot in a crumbling wall, volunteers were waiting with a camp fire to check off numbers of the racers who hiked-a-bike or threw down and hustled on foot.

5 Points Speaking of hike-a-biking, the furthest checkpoint from the start was tucked away in Pgh’s mountain biking mecca, Frick Park. There’s only one spot in the woods where 5 trails spike together in a star formations, colloquially known as…. FIVE POINTS!!! Entering the trail from Beechwood Blvd in Squirrel Hill, anyone who made it this far had to off-road their ride down dirt paths and over exposed roots. But hey, there was hot chocolate at the bottom! 

Murray Hill Not far from 5 points, Murray Hill Ave gave everyone the opportunity to experience off- roading on a one of the most quintessential Pgh urban this-is-actually-still-a-road terrains (second only to massive potholes): brutally steep cobbles!

Iron Eden Metal Works Oh, but there were potholes. Snaking the back way up & down bombed-out Sassafras St, nestled in the shadows of the Bloomfield Bridge, lies a two-tiered & strange-looking structure. ~By night!~ a times-past underground venue in the woods, ~by day!~ a rustbelt relic: Iron Eden!

Bonus checkpoint feature:  ~ * g l a m o u r   s h o t s * ~

The Hot Metal Bridge It’s a classic. Need we say more?  

The Boob Mausoleum Probably the most infamous tomb in the Allegheny Cemetery, the WHITE mausoleum features a bafflingly intense commitment to full-blown Egyptian theme&decor. Stationed just outside the crypt’s brass-cast pillar-flanked doors, 2 ~prominent~ sphinxes stand guard over the venerable (?) White family portal. Stationed just outside the sphinxes….Frigid Bitch BEACH PARTY!!

Mohawk St Finally, last in line but top of the list as far as checkpoint shenanigans go; bomb down Fifth Ave from Pitt campus and right before you hit the Birmingham Bridge, there’s a set of city steps that ascend into the woods of West Oakland. They spit out at Landslide Community Farms and a pink jersey barrier where volunteers waited with a camp fire* and a case of PBR. They’d set up a beer chute along the top of the stairs and stood in suspense while racers ran up the steps, not taking the bait. Finally, the vet bitch gang of Alex K, Katherine J and Frankie M threw their bikes over their shoulders, rushed the chute, grabbed a beer, cracked it with their teeth and chugged on the way up.

*if you missed the campfire, it’s because the fire dept showed up to put it out. See? Shenanigans!

Once the clock struck 2, everyone had 1 hour to race back to Threadbare. Bikes were slammed into the temp parking, road shoes clacked across the parking lot, the doors were thrown over and spoke card numbers hollered at the waiting table-side officials.

P A R T Y   T I M E

Pizza was eaten, cider was drunk, war stories were exchanged! Multi-year Bitch Queen Elise R regaled audiences with a story that started as a complaint that she couldn’t run any red lights on the North Side because there were too many cops around, then perked up with details about bombing down towards an intersection from Mohawk, where a white SUV veered into the corner of the intersection, blocking traffic for Elise & her crew to blast their way through, waved them past and yelled “YEAH FRIGID BITCH!!!”

Podiums

For the first time, the Frigid Bitch podium split into multiple categories. Singlespeed, Mountain Bike, Masters, and Out-Of-Town were added in addition to the all-encompassing Women & Nonbinary Open Field. Check back next year; more are comin!

Fixed/Singlespeed 1. Alexandra Korshin 2. Rachel Thompson

Masters 1. Louanna Bailey 2. Frankie Montenegro 3. Kelly Haderly 4. Monica VanDieran 5. Jen Damon 6. Suz Falvey

7. Christa Ross 8. Stacie Truszkowski 9. Barbara Jensen 10. Sarah Crawford 11. Simone Riddle 12. Suzanne Kinsky 13. Athena Marsh 14. Cynthia Billisits 15. Suzie Silver 16. Heather Mccracken 17. Jolynn Gibson 18. Kelli Jones 19. Dorothy Voelker

Mountain Bike 1. Suz Falvey 2. Vincent Zeng 3. Nikki Turner

Out Of Town 1. Jane Hodge 2. Caitlin Woodson 3. Sara Khalil Open Field Results! 1. Elise Rowe #10 2. Shaena Ulissi #18 3. Caryn Willis #73 4. Anna Bieberdorf #114 5. Katie Webber-Plank #93 6. Julie Grove #91

7. Louanna Baily #15 8. Lydia Yoder #50 9. Lindsay Dill #28 10. Alyssa Crawford #62

11. Jessie Appleman #87 12. Ania Jaroszewicz #6 13. Amy Wincek #111 14. Emily Palmer #54 15. LaurynStalter #79 16. Mary-Wren Ritchie #86 17. Alexandra Korshin #69 18. Frankie Montenegro #44 19. Katharine Jordan #78 20. Lan Tran #89 21. Naomi Anderson #107 22. Alexandria Shewczyk #29 23. Jaime Martina #26

24. Megan Andrews #43 25. Cansu Ozen #39 26. Sara Horsey #75 27. Shequaya Bailey #7 28. Kelly Haderly #84 29. Megan Sybeldon #46 30. Allison Glick #104 31. Acadia Klain #37 32. Robyn Brewer #34 33. Anna Barensfeld #52 34. Kelsey Kradel #83 35. Monica VanDieren #4

36. Jen Damon #80 37. Suz Falvey #88 38. Christa Ross #82 39. StacieTruszkowski #102 40. Greta Daniels #60 41. Elizabeth Salesky #33 42. Barbara Jensen #41 43. Sara Madden #92 44. Vanessa Jameson #110 45. Jane Hodge #112 46. Sarah Crawford #90 47. Rachel Dingfelder #59

48. Mary Kate Minnick #27 49. Caitlin Woodson #13 50. Simone Riddle #64 51. Sara Khalil #94 52. Suzanne Kinsky #71 53. Taylor Wescott #35 54. Kathleen Blackburn #49 55. Athena Marsh #57 56. Riesa Lirette #14 57. Vincent Zeng #32 58. Anna Faber #47 59. Erin Potts #51 60. Molly Orzechowski #666 61. Jenna DeVivo #23 62. Laura Watson #99 63. Ngani Ndimbie #108 64. Rachel Thompson #113 65. Alexandra Falk #81 66. Cynthia Billisits #48

67. Sarah Martin #97 68. Laura Everhart #53 69. Bonnie Weibel #61 70. Mary Jackson #65 71. Leah Nicolich #103 72. Charlie Eddington #106 73. Catherine Armbruster #42 74. Paula Zamora #16 75. Ramona Stanley #38 76. Morgan Sulik #21 77. Anusha Simha #119 78. Yvette Aban #58 79. Hwa Han #63 80. Sarah Scherk #101 81. Hayes Indigo #1

82. Milo Spiders #100 83. Jenna Geiman #22 84. Hannah Berg #31 85. Suzie Silver #56 86. Julie Mallis #36 87. Morgan Tunstall #30 88. Heather McCracken #45 89. Shannon Frishkorn #115 90. Jamie Parke #66 91. Kate Bechak #105 92. Jaclyn Sternick #74 93. Jolynn Gibson #40 94. Maureen Duncan #9 95. Kelli Jones #12 96. Sarah Pearman #96 97. Lauren McKenna #17 98. Jennifer Ross #20 99. Kimberly Garrett #98 100. Chen Li #55 101. Rachel Shockey #25 102. NickyTurner #95 103. HEather McClain #109 104. Emily Voelker #24 105. Nicole Toney #68 106. Jenny Bender #67 107. Shelby Schmidt #72 108. Dorothy Voelker #19 109. Elizabeth LeDonne #77

Prizes

Were there enough prizes to go around? Were people bugging the f out over how awesome they were? We’ll let these photos speak for themselves.

The Best Part

The Frigid Bitch has always been a race to promote empowerment in the cycling community, to show that underrepresented groups of people can kick just as much ass as the status quo, and to support organizations that in turn provide for  others in need. To that end, funds raised via registration fees and anonymous pledges have always been given to the Greater Pittsburgh Women’s Center & Shelter. Over the past year, another organization has provided immeasurable support for the founders of the Frigid Bitch in their hour of need. This year’s race raised $730 for the Women’s Shelter and $400 for the Women’s Law Project. It couldn’t be done without the support of our racers & our community.

THANK YOU for another great year! To all of our sponsors, who are solely responsible for the joy fest you just witnessed above! To all my lovely volunteers, without whom this race would never get off the ground, and who pull out all the stops to make this the funnest goddamn alleycat in the whole universe. Thank you to my photographers, without you no one would ever know how fucking awesome this event is! Thank you to my little brother, who always finds the time to churn out another amazing race flyer! THANK YOU TO MY TEAM OF LADIES who helped me throw this race! Without you, Frigid Bitch #5 would have been the last of its kind! Thank you Di-ay, Elise #1 & Elise #2, Kat, Mattie, & Kaylin! Thank you Pittsburgh for being the only city I’d ever wish to be from! I’LL BE BACK!

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

[carmenvicinanza]

Bessie Coleman la prima pilota nera

https://www.unadonnalgiorno.it/bessie-coleman/

“Sapevo che non c’erano aviatori tra noi, né uomini né donne… così ho pensato che fosse mio dovere rischiare la mia vita per imparare a volare. Il cielo è l’unico luogo in cui non ci sono pregiudizi”.

Bessie Coleman, aviatrice statunitense, è stata la prima pilota nera e nativa americana.

Amava la velocità e le sfide. Ha attraversato gli Stati Uniti in moto da sola, abbattendo barriere razziali e di genere, una donna che ha rincorso i suoi desideri fregandosene delle convenzioni.

Nata col nome di Elisabeth Coleman a Atlanta in Texas, il 26 gennaio 1892, era la decima di 13 fratelli. I suoi genitori erano figli di schiavi che lavoravano nelle piantagioni di cotone. Suo padre aveva origini afroamericane e Cherokee, sua madre era nera. Da bambina frequentava la scuola per neri, ma nel periodo della raccolta del cotone, era costretta a andare nei campi.

Nel 1901, il padre George abbandonò la famiglia e sua moglie Susan, fece la domestica per crescere i figli da sola.

Completata la scuola, Bessie Coleman si iscrisse all’università, che dovette lasciare dopo il primo semestre, per mancanza di soldi.

Lavorando in un negozio di barbiere, si infervorò coi racconti dei piloti di guerra tornati a casa dal fronte. Decise che quello sarebbe stato il suo lavoro, ma non riusciva a trovare nessuna scuola di volo che accettasse una donna nera.

L’editore del Chicago Defender, Robert S. Abbott che frequentava il negozio in cui lavorava, sapendo della sua passione, le propose di andare a studiare all’estero e le procurò uno sponsor, Jesse Binga, il fondatore della prima banca afroamericana.

Nel novembre del 1920, Bessie Coleman lasciò l’America segregazionista per andare in Francia. Unica allieva nera, ottenne il brevetto di volo in sette mesi alla prestigiosa Société des Avions Caudron di Le Crotoy.

Il 15 giugno 1921, Bessie Coleman divenne la prima afroamericana a conseguire un brevetto aereo internazionale. Il suo ritorno negli Stati Uniti venne ampiamente pubblicizzato dalla stampa. Fu anche l’ospite d’onore al musical afroamericano “Shuffle Along” a Broadway dove le venne tributata una standing ovation.

Fece ritorno in Europa nel 1922, per un corso avanzato come pilota acrobatica. Ancora una volta negli Stati Uniti, nessuno era disposto a darle lezioni.

Brillante, brava, caparbia e capace, divenne, in breve tempo, una celebrità del volo acrobatico, veniva chiamata Queen Bess. Si esibiva dappertutto, i giornali la intervistavano, la gente la ammirava. All’inizio volava su aerei in prestito, poi riuscì a comprarsene uno tutto suo, un biplano che chiamò Jenny.

Folle, temeraria e sprezzante del pericolo, rischiò la vita in più occasioni pur di terminare le sue performance di volo. Nel 1923 a Santa Monica si schiantò, distrusse il velivolo e si fece tre mesi d’ospedale.

Senza più lavoro né un aereo, se ne tornò a Chicago. Conobbe il principe africano Kojo del Dahomey a cui raccontò il suo sogno di aprire una scuola di volo per persone nere. Strinse amicizia con la cantante Josephine Baker che, affascinata dai suoi racconti seguì le sue orme e, nel 1933, ottenne anch’ella la licenza di volo in Francia.

Si impegnò a promuovere l’aviazione combattendo i pregiudizi razziali. Parlava spesso in pubblico, soprattutto nelle scuole per persone afroamericane. Aprì un beauty shop per  ricomprarsi l’aereo.

Le venne offerto un ruolo nel film Shadow and Sunshine, che accettò per guadagnare i soldi per aprire la sua scuola di volo, in cui le persone nere, soprattutto le donne, non avrebbero dovuto affrontare le difficoltà che aveva fronteggiato lei.

Ma, quando si rese conto del personaggio che doveva interpretare, abbandonò il set, per non perpetuare i pregiudizi razziali di cui era stata vittima per tutta la vita.

Si rifiutava di esibirsi a eventi dove vigeva la segregazione con ingressi e posti a sedere separati o preclusi alla gente nera.

Non è mai riuscita a realizzare il sogno di aprire la sua scuola a causa di un brutto incidente aereo in cui ha perso la vita giovanissima.

Era il 30 aprile 1926, era stata invitata a partecipare a una manifestazione a Jacksonville. Il suo aereo non era sicuro, per arrivare sul posto era atterrato tre volte per problemi, ma Bessie Coleman decise di volare lo stesso. Non allacciò nemmeno la cintura di sicurezza perché il giorno dopo avrebbe dovuto lanciarsi con il paracadute e voleva sporgersi per esaminare il terreno. Dieci minuti dopo, il mezzo perse il controllo e precipitò.

Morì a 34 anni, facendo quello che amava, volare.

Al suo funerale arrivarono migliaia di persone. Per anni, nell’anniversario della sua morte, gli aviatori neri volavano sulla sua tomba lanciando dei fiori.

Il sindaco di Chicago dichiarò il 2 maggio il “Bessie Coleman Day” e le intitolò una strada accanto all’Aeroporto.

Nel 1995 è stato stampato un francobollo in suo onore.

Nel 2001 è stata inclusa nella National Women’s Hall of Fame.

Mae Jemison, la prima astronauta afroamericana, ha portato con sé una foto di Bessie Coleman nel suo primo volo spaziale.

#unadonnalgiorno

[hegrade]

Αποτελέσματα του 5ου Διεθνούς Διαγωνισμού Αφίσας του Graphic Stories Cyprus

Δελτίο Τύπου / Press Release

[ ΕΛ]

Το Graphic Stories Cyprus βρίσκεται στην ευχάριστη θέση να ανακοινώσει τα ονόματα των διακριθέντων σχεδιαστών που έλαβαν μέρος στον 5ο διεθνή διαγωνισμό αφίσας, που διοργάνωσε στο πλαίσιο του 7ου Συνεδρίου Γραφιστικής και Οπτικής Επικοινωνίας Κύπρου. Το συνέδριο θα πραγματοποιηθεί το τριήμερο 21-23 Μαΐου 2021, στη Σχολή Καλών και Εφαρμοσμένων Τεχνών Αιγαία [Αγίων Ομολογητών 81], στη Λευκωσία.

Στον διαγωνισμό έλαβαν μέρος 856 αφίσες, από 49 χώρες του κόσμου, ενώ η κριτική επιτροπή απαρτίζονταν από 10 διακεκριμένους επαγγελματίες του χώρου της οπτικής επικοινωνίας, που ήταν οι: Πάνος Βασιλείου [Ελλάδα], Dr. Jesús Del Hoyo Arjona [Ισπανία], Dr. Arafat Al-Naim [Ηνωμένα Αρα��ικά Εμιράτα], Ιωάννης Φετάνης [Ελλάδα], Jose Luis Hernandez "Chepe" [Μεξικό], Ζωή Κατσιγιάννη [Ελλάδα], Πάνος Κωσταντόπουλος [Ελλάδα], Βάσια Καλοζούμη [Ελλάδα], Ανδρέας Ξενούλης [Ελλάδα], Chao Yang [Κίνα].

Τα έργα των σχεδιαστών που επιλέχθηκαν από την κριτική επιτροπή, την οποία και ευχαριστούμε για το δύσκολο έργο της, που έφερε εις πέρας με συνέπεια και επαγγελματισμό, θα εκτεθούν στην αντίστοιχη έκθεση με τίτλο, “Γκρεμίστε τα τείχη / Break Down The Walls” που θα φιλοξενηθεί από τη σχολή Καλών και Εφαρμοσμένων Τεχνών Αιγαία, στη Λευκωσία.

Οι 50 συνολικά διακριθείσες αφίσες του διαγωνισμού, δημιουργήθηκαν από τους πιο κάτω σχεδιαστές, με αλφαβητική σειρά ονομάτων: Αλέξανδρος Κοσμίδης, Ανδρέας Άνθιμου, Ανδρέας Δημητρίου, Ανδρέας Μόρφης, Ανδρέας Φράγκος, Αντρεανή Ευρώπη Χρίστου, Άντρη Πετέλη, Γεωργία Rose Δημητρίου, Γεώργιος Βασιλείου, Δήμητρα Μακράκη, Ειρήνη Δημητρίου, Ευαγγελία Λαμπριανίδη, Κυριακή Χαραλάμπους, Κώστας Κανελλόπουλος, Μυρτώ Παναγιώτου, Πραξιθέα Αριστείδου, Φειδίας Παναγιώτου, Χλόη Συρίμη, Carolina Marques, Chia Hsiang Lee, Christopher Scott, Crhystian López, Deimantė Sauserytė, Eric Cuesta Machado, Faezeh Hoseini, Gholamreza Saffari, Hongna Chen, Hosein Abdi, Ivan Kashlakov, Jenny Lehtinen, Jie Chai, José Luis López, Marc Ramirez Camps, Marco Santos, Miglė Žičkevičiūtė, Norberto Molina Martinez, Olga Severina, Raqee Najmuldeen, Santiago López, Sergio Naranjo Segura, Shiqi Xu, Shokoufeh Bayati, Song Chunwei, Tomaso Marcolla, Wojciech Zabel, Yan Ji, Yee Tzi Yeoh, Yi- Ju Tseng, Yu-Ting Liu.

Χορηγοί των βραβείων του διαγωνισμού, συνολικής αξίας €7000, είναι η εταιρεία γραμματοσειρών Parachute Typefoundry και τo Πανεπιστήμιο Frederick. Το Graphic Stories Cyprus προσφέρει σε κάθε έναν από τους διακριθέντες του διαγωνισμού τη δυνατότητα να παρακολουθήσει δωρεάν τις διαλέξεις του συνεδρίου.

Η ανακοίνωση και η βράβευση των 4 νικητών του διαγωνισμού, ανά κατηγορία, θα γίνει κατά τα εγκαίνια της έκθεσης, την Παρασκευή 21 Μαΐου 2021, αμέσως μετά το πέρας των διαλέξεων του Συνεδρίου.

Επίσημοι χορηγοί του συνεδρίου είναι η Τράπεζα Κύπρου, το Πανεπιστήμιο Λευκωσίας,το Πανεπιστήμιο Frederick, η σχολή Καλών και Εφαρμοσμένων Τεχνών Αιγαία & η εταιρία γραμματοσειρών Parachute Typefoundry.

Υποστηρικτές: Alexander College, Cyprus Computer Society, Cyprus Creative Club

[ΕΝ]

Graphic Stories Cyprus is pleased to announce the names of the distinguished designers who took part in the 5th International Poster Contest, organized for the 7th Conference on Graphic Design and Visual Communication in Cyprus. The conference will take place from 21-23 May 2021, at the Aigaia School of Art and Design [Agion Omologiton 81], in Nicosia.

In the contest participated 856 posters from 49 countries around the world, and the jury comprised of 10 well known visual communication professionals, including: Panos Vassiliou [Greece], Dr. Jesús Del Hoyo Arjona [Spain], Dr. Arafat Al-Naim [UAE], Ioannis Fetanis [Greece], Jose Luis Hernandez "Chepe" [Mexico], Zoe Katsigianni [Greece], Panos Kostantopoulos [Greece], Vassia Kalozoumi [Greece], Andreas Xenulis [Greece], Chao Yang [China].

The posters of the designers chosen by the members of the jury, which we would like to thank for the hard task that they have accomplished, with consistency and professionalism, will be exhibited in the corresponding exhibition named "Break Down the Walls" which will be hosted by the Aigaia School of Art and Design, in Nicosia.

The 50 distinguished posters of the contest are from the following designers, in alphabetical order: Alexandros Kosmidis, Andreani Evropi Christou, Andreas Anthimou, Andreas Dimitriou, Andri Peteli, Antreas Frangos, Antreas Morphis, Carolina Marques, Chia Hsiang Lee, Chloe Syrimi, Christopher Scott, Crhystian López, Deimantė Sauserytė, Dimitra Makraki, Eirini Demetriou, Eric Cuesta Machado, Evangelia Lambrianide, Faezeh Hoseini, Fidias Panayiotou, Georgia Rose Demetriou, Georgios Vasiliou, Gholamreza Saffari, Hongna Chen, Hosein Abdi, Ivan Kashlakov, Jenny Lehtinen, Jie Chai, José Luis López, Kostas Kanellopoulos, Kyriaki Charalambous, Marc Ramirez Camps, Marco Santos, Miglė Žičkevičiūtė, Mirto Panayiotou, Norberto Molina Martinez, Olga Severina, Praxithea Aristidou, Raqee Najmuldeen, Santiago López, Sergio Naranjo Segura, Shiqi Xu, Shokoufeh Bayati, Song Chunwei, Tomaso Marcolla, Wojciech Zabel, Yan Ji, Yee Tzi Yeoh, Yi-Ju Tseng, Yu-Ting Liu.

Sponsors of the prizes of the competition, with a total value of €7000 are Parachute Typefoundry and Frederick University. Graphic Stories Cyprus offers to every one of the above distinguished designers the opportunity to attend the conference lectures free of charge.

The announcement and the award of the winners of the contest, in each category, will take place at the inauguration of the exhibition, on Friday, May 21, 2021, after the end of the scheduled lectures.

Official sponsors of the conference are the Bank of Cyprus, the University of Nicosia,

Frederick University, the Aigaia School of Art and Design & Parachute Typefoundry Supporters: Alexander College, Cyprus Computer Society, Cyprus Creative Club

www.graphicstoriescyprus.com

graphicstoriescyprus@gmail.com

[ajokeformur-ray]

Christmas gift package ❤

This is for @xjennybridgex, who was kind enough to not want anything super personal mentioned in here so that others could enjoy it, too! She has a website HERE - use the code JENNYBRIDGE10 so that she can get sponsors!! If not, please reblog this so more can see it. 

Jenny - you’re so much more than you think you are and I’m honoured to be able to call you my friend. I hope you enjoy this little gift package! <33333 

Imagine #1 - You have the habit of straddling Erik.

Despite what people said about the Opera Ghost being cold and unfeeling, a thoughtless murderer who had no value of life and no moral code, you knew nothing of him. You only knew Erik, a skeletal man who had an incredibly pointy body and yet was somehow... Comfortable, even with his hip bones digging into yours as you straddle him for the seventh time that day.

Erik sighed. “Again, dearest? You’re as bad as Ayesha.” His words would have been considered harsh, had he not leaned into your touch much like the cat he had just insulted.

You grinned, wrapping your arms around his neck. “It’s cold down here, we have to stay warm somehow.”

Erik tutted. “There’s a roaring fire, many candles and still you complain of the cold! There’s no pleasing some people!” Again, harsh words were betrayed by his gleaming golden eyes and perpetual smirk.

You shook your head in mock disappointment. “Just humour me.”

Resting your head in the crook of his neck, you kept Erik’s lap and front warm while he somehow managed to play Mozart around you, his arms spread wide to accommodate your body. 

It was true that Erik complained about your less than ladylike way of cuddling him, but it was also true that he adored you and could never say no to you. 

Imagine #2 - Erik throws stuff around during a rage fit and you somehow manage to catch it.

Another frustrated growl, another pounding on the piano. Erik picked up a candelabra and hurled it across the room. You caught it quite by chance, just by raising your hand to stop it from hitting your face. Not to say that Erik had aimed it at you specifically, but his rage was such that you had ceased to exist - the world was empty except from him and his rage. Despite your surprise, Erik didn’t even notice you and continued to stalk around your now shared home.

A candle just glanced off your shoulder and your arm shot out, somehow softening its impact with the cold, unforgiving floor. Papers littered the sky and you let them, letting Erik show off his dramatic flair that had always been fit for the stage. 

Again and again, objects not aimed at you were thrown over Erik’s shoulder as he hunted for this particular thing that you’d never heard of or even seen, but he was certain it existed. If the object he threw was breakable, you’d attempt to catch it or stop its fall, dodging from those you really had no chance with.

You supposed you should just leave your home until his rage had stilled, but doing so would only increase his rage and could lead to another attack, something that shortened his already short life every time it occured. Your skill, if slightly unusual, always came in handy around Erik. 

Imagine #3 - You somehow manage to carry a tired!Erik on your back, despite being half his height.

Raoul huffed with exertion as he helped you to load Erik onto your back. “Are you quite sure that you can manage?” He stepped back to join Christine, both of them frowning out of concern, not for an inebriated and exhausted Erik but for you, his shorter s/o who had to somehow get him home.

You nodded, not seeing much choice in the matter but braving it so at least Raoul and Christine would stop fussing. You loved them, but sometimes they were a little overbearing. “I’m the only one who can go to his home. I know where not to stand, in any case. I’ll be fine. I carried my brother like this once, when I was younger. I’ll be fine!”

Neither of them were happy to let you go and that was why you turned carefully, piggy-backing a mumbling Erik. You all knew you had no choice, though you could have accepted their assistance. Still, pride won out and you would do this alone. You were as stubborn as Erik was, that was for sure.

Slowly and carefully, breaking out into a slight sweat and muttering curses to yourself, you managed to get Erik home, stumbling and your grip getting tighter the closer to home you got. Not so gracefully, you were at last able to dump him in the gondola, watching his head, and rowing across, gritting your teeth. Then, slowly, at shore, you near dragged him to his bed, took off his shoes and socks, loosened his clothing, covered him up and pracically collapsed beside him, sleep finding you easily.

The next morning, a hungover and confused Erik had to wonder just how he’d got home. Seeing you beside him, the dawning realisation horrified him and he resolved to only ever get drunk when he was already home. And, well, if you awoke to being sung to, who were you to say no?

Imagine #4 - Decluttering your possessions and including an unsuspecting Erik. Based on THIS video - the ending made me chuckle! <3

“What in the blazes are you doing?” In the quietness of his home, Erik’s incredulity boomed across the room, startling you from where you sat surrounded by most of your possessions. From his perspective, it was a sea of chaos. From your perspective, there were two carefully arranged piles mentally titled joy and no joy. 

“I’m decluttering.”

“De... Cluttering.” He echoed, eyebrows raised.

“Yeah!” Nodding enthusiastically, you proceeded to tell him hat anything that no longer made you happy, you were getting rid of it.

Item after item, seemingly endlessly, were categorised into one of the piles. As the minutes passed, Erik shook his head fondly and sat beside you, watching your face for this so called joy you said you felt. Joy was pretty foreign to him but if he had to guess, he’d say that he only ever felt it around you. 

Finally, you were out of items.

“Do you ever feel joy, Erik?”

He pondered for several seconds and then shook his head in the negative. “It seems that my theory of being dead inside has been proven.”

Only Erik could find that funny. 

“No, I don’t believe you. Something has to give you joy. Happiness, at the least.” You picked up an alice band. “I was wearing this when I met you, so it brings me joy.”

He was silent, something that worried you a little. Had you hit a nerve you were unaware of being exposed?

Then, Erik’s hand under your elbow pulled you up elegantly so you were both standing. Slowly, as if worried you would run away, his arms encircled you and he pulled you into his warm embrace. 

So quiet you almost didn’t hear it, his deep voice rumbled, “Joy.”

The word echoed in your head and you smiled, burying your face in his cold neck and finding yourself returning his sentiments. 

So here it is, I hope you like it! :) <33333

[oberlinconservatory]

Doing Concerts for Good

Long before pianists Jingning “Jenny” Huang ’19 and Celina Kobetitsch ’19 began their studies at Oberlin Conservatory and participated in the college’s venture incubator LaunchU, they both dreamed of using their music to do good. Jenny admired the huge sacrifice her Chinese parents endured to afford her first piano lessons, while Celina was crushed by the poverty she discovered in her own back yard.  While brainstorming in an entrepreneurship class at Oberlin, they stumbled upon the idea to partner with nonprofits to grow donations through community-wide music programming. Their teacher, Director of Entrepreneurship Bara Watts, urged them to take this concept one step further. 

Jenny and Celina have organized their very first concert for good: Living in Harmony, which will be hosted by Bay Presbyterian Church in Bay Village, Ohio, on Saturday, April 7, at 4:30 pm. They have partnered with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless to raise funds for those in need. This is an exciting first step in an effort to bring resources and music to underserved people in communities everywhere. For event details, click HERE!

When did you first dream up Concerts for Good? What inspired you to investigate this idea that's now come to life?

JH: “I choose music because I love it, and I am going to use music to help those who are unprivileged.” This was my response to a college essay when I was 18 years old. In the small town where I grew up, music was a luxury. For years when I was young, my parents drove 6 hours (round trip) for my piano lessons every week. I watched as my parents earned just enough to support the family; they sacrificed so much for my music education. And because of that, it had always been my dream to use music to help people in need. This dream has stayed with me through the past three years at Oberlin. After lots of thoughts and research, I decided to partner with my friend, Celina, who shares my passion to use music to help others. Together, "Concerts for Good" was born.

CK: I very clearly remember a day in October when I was driving through an impoverished neighborhood of Cleveland. I remember looking to my left and seeing two girls on their front lawn, using a shopping cart as a trampoline in front of a house that looked like it could collapse at any moment. My heart hurt. Jenny and I both took Bara Watts’ Intro to Entrepreneurship class last fall, and I believe it was then that I started thinking more about what kind of impact I wanted to make as a musician. I decided that for my winter term project, I wanted to get out of the practice rooms a bit and start helping the community by creating benefit concerts, the first being for Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. I went to Bara Watts to ask if she would be my winter term sponsor, and she encouraged me to really work with this idea. I never thought of it being more than just a small project.

“During the LaunchU program, we took this idea, we doubted it, we stretched it, we threw it away, we picked it back up, we rebuilt it, and we came out with a sophisticated business model that we feel confident about.”

What was your vision when you started and how has it evolved through the LaunchU program?

JH: When I started out, I only thought about how to use music to change people's lives, but I wasn't thinking too much about a long-term plan. Throughout the LaunchU program, I learned about business models, marketing, business law, sales strategies, finance and forecasting, fundraising and team building and more, all of which led me to expand my vision for the future of our dream. We created an innovative business model that is sustainable and a social enterprise. It wasn't easy, but we hustled it. For us, having a business means committing to our goals and persevering to achieve our goals.

CK: At first, all I wanted to do was hold a benefit concert: give up some of my time, get some musicians together, and raise funds and awareness for poverty in Cleveland. At that time, I had no idea how much work it takes to organize a single event, and, until Bara Watts proposed the idea to me, I never thought of it becoming a business. During the LaunchU program, we took this idea, we doubted it, we stretched it, we threw it away, we picked it back up, we rebuilt it, and we came out with a sophisticated business model that we feel confident about. Now we just need to test it out, and we know our model might change and numbers might change, but our desire to create new opportunities for musicians and do service in our community remains at the core of our mission.

What was your biggest takeaway from the bootcamp weeks in January and the pitch competition in March? What was the highlight of the experience for you?

JH: I think the LaunchU program as a whole was the highlight of this journey. I have learned so much practical skills and information, met wonderful colleagues, built a network with amazing mentors. In addition, I have stayed up all night for 5 days to produce a complete 3 year financial forecast, which I knew nothing about prior to LaunchU. During the final pitch, which included a very intense two hours of Q&A, I had the opportunity to present our ideas to people. The LaunchU experience was remarkable, and it's an unforgettable experience.  

CK: There are always going to be people who doubt our idea and tell us it will not be scalable, necessary, or lucrative. That’s part of starting a business. The most important things I took away from LaunchU were resilience and persistence. Bara Watts always said, “There’s never a problem. Just a challenge waiting for a solution.” I will remember this phrase!

(Jenny and Celina present their venture at the sixth annual LaunchU Final Pitch Competition on March 10.  Photo: Yevhen Gulenko)   What skills do each of your bring to your team?

JH: I discovered a love for strategy through my professional training in the game of Go, which is a popular Asian abstract strategy board game that is similar to chess. As a national Game of Go winner, strategy has become my way of thinking, and it drives me to focus more on the financial and strategic planning of our business.

CK: Jenny balances me out in every possible way, and I appreciate this so much. I am more conscious of what other people think, whereas she stands her ground despite what anyone else says, and I really admire this. Whenever I’m overly thorough, she knows how to be perfectly concise. She’s great with numbers, whereas I enjoy writing. We both strategize and ideate in different ways, and although different personalities and different skill sets can be difficult to balance, I believe it makes us the strongest team that I could ever ask for. O

[muachronicle]

Met Gala 2019

While most of us have a serious case of #TheMondays, entertainment and fashion’s elite are decked out to the nines for the 2019 Met Gala (formally known as the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit). Every year the Upper East side in New York City closes down Fifth Avenue to roll out the pink carpet at the Met for the gala, which is a fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute. The Vogue editor-in-chief of has served as a trustee for the museum since 1999 and has helped the Institute raise millions of dollars. The space was even renamed the Anna Wintour Costume Center in 2014, after a two year renovation.

The Gala also sports a theme reflective of the exhibit that opens to the public just days after the benefit (May 9th for this year) as well as a changing roster of co-hosts. The 2019 exhibit/theme is “Camp: Notes on Fashion”. Camp favors a constructed aesthetic not found in nature, something that can be punchy or satirical in terms of societal norms. Camp can be flamboyant, androgynous, or any definition of an artistic construct.

The event is invitation only, has a heady waitlist, and individual tickets go for $30,000 (with a table going for $125K). Since the event is completely sponsored so all proceeds from ticket sales go directly to the Costume Institute. The closest that most of us will get to the Met Gala was watching Ocean’s 8 on a consistent loop. Don’t let that stop you from dreaming big and aiming high, though. Maybe one day we’ll be choosing you (or your work) as one of our top looks for the night.

Susan Sontag said it best in her essay, Notes on Camp, when she attributed camp as being, “the hallmark of Camp is the spirit of extravagance. Camp is a woman walking around in a dress made of three million feathers.” The primary driver of camp, however, is the dedication to it; extravagance without consistency is not camp. This explains why the co-hosts for this year’s Gala are and co-hosting are Serena Williams, Lady Gaga, Alessandro Michele (creative director of Gucci), and Harry Styles. One can’t imagine a group of individuals more likely to subvert the norm and create magic.

This also explains why there were so many feathers on the pink carpet.

To support the Metropolitan Museum of Art, donate here or become a friend of the Costume Institute.

Products with an asterisk (*) were the actual products used by the artists for the event.

Lady Gaga

The Makeup: Sarah Tanno

The Hair: Frederic Aspiras

The Outfits: Brandon Maxwell

Try: While Sarah made the lashes by hand, you can try Chimera Glitter Lashes ($25) when mimicking the look.

Billy Porter

The Makeup: La Sonya Gunter

The Emsemble: The Blonds

Try: Pat McGrath Labs EYEdols eye shadow in Gold Standard* ($25).

Celine Dion

The Makeup: Justin St Clair

The Hair: Dee Amore

The Headpiece: Noel Stewart

The Dress: Oscar de la Renta

Try: The Chanel Les 9 Ombres ($70) palette, bringing the gold up to (and past, if you’re bold) the brows.

Cardi B

The Makeup: Erika La’Pearl

The Ensemble: Thom Browne

Try: Pair PermaGel lip pencil in Manhattan* ($25) with MatteTrance lipstick in Vendetta* and/or Guinevere* ($38 each) - La’Pearl mixed both shades for Cardi’s look.

Winnie Harlow

The Makeup: Adam Burrell

The Hair: Has Hounkpatin

The Headpiece: House of Malakai

The Dress: Tommy Hilfiger

Try: Use the Monoi Body Glow ($59) from NARS on the body for glowing skin all over.

Katy Perry

The Makeup: Michael Anthony

The Hair: Rick Henry

The Ensemble: Jeremy Scott

Try: Affordable alert! Use the Trublend line from Covergirl for a flawless complexion starting with Matte Made* ($11.49) foundation, which comes in 40 shades.

Lucy Boynton

The Makeup: Jo Baker

The Hair: Jenny Cho

The Dress: Prada

Try: Run (don’t walk) to grab the Duo Bronze Et Lumiere* ($95) from Chanel. We say run because it’s part of the brand’s Cruise 2019 collection and once it’s gone it’s gone for good.

Lily Aldridge

The Makeup: Quinn Murphy

The Hair: Bryce Scarlett

The Ensemble: Richard Quinn

Try: Quinn Murphy kept Lily’s skin flawless and clean and added a pop of color around the eyes using Marc Jacob’s Glitter Highliner in Glam Jam* ($25). While red can be intimidating for some, the pencil comes in seven shades for your to ease into glitter and is a gel texture so it won’t budge.

Jared Leto

The Ensemble: Gucci

Try: Jared’s hairstylist, Chase Kusero, is the cofounder of IGK Hair so naturally we recommend the brand’s Beach Club ($29) texture spray for volume and wave.

Lizzo

The Makeup: Alexx Mayo

The Hair: Shelby Swain

The Dress: Marc Jacobs

Try: The Eye-Conic palette in Provocouture* ($49.50) from Marc Jacobs goes from pastel pink to hot pink with hues and sparkles along the way. The perfect palette to recreate Lizzo’s look or get the perfect pink smokey eye, even if you’re easing into color.

Gemma Chan

The Makeup: Monika Blunder

The Hair: Owen Gould

The Headpiece: Raven Kauffman

The Dress: Tom Ford

Try: Might as well make this a Tom Ford look head to toe with the Orchid Haze ($88) eyeshadow quad from the brand. Use this one palette for the metallic shades on the lid and a pretty violet along the lower lash line.

Ezra Miller

The Makeup: Mimi Choi

The Hair: Sami Knight

The Ensemble: Burberry

Try: While most of us were shocked by this look, it’s just another day for Mimi and her work. Grab her Illusion Palette ($69.95) from Mehron and watch one of her tutorials for a glimpse into her process.

Tessa Thompson

The Makeup: Alex Babsky

The Hair: Lacy Redway

The Ensemble: Chanel

Try: Use Chanel’s Joues Contraste in Pink Explosion* ($45) to amplify those amazing cheekbones.

Julia Garner

The Makeup: Sofia Schwarzkopf-Tilbury

The Hair: Bobby Eliot

The Dress: Zac Posen

Try: Sofia is the niece of Charlotte Tilbury so it was make total sense that she would use her aunt’s line for this look. To recreate Julia’s perfect red lip, use Hot Lips Lipstick in Tell Laura* ($34). The chiseled tip gives you definition or you can pair it with Charlotte Tilbury’s lipliner in Walk of Shame* ($22).

Darren Criss

The Makeup: Jessica O

The Hair: The Vélo Barber

The Jacket: Balmain

Try: We’re so happy that Shiseido came back into the color cosmetics game so that you can pick up the Essentialist Eyeshadow Palette in Kaigan Street Waves* ($34) to recreate this look.

Florence Welch

The Makeup: Lisa Aharon

The Hair: Ryan Richman

The Dress: Gucci

Try: While Florence doesn’t really wear makeup, she is big into clean beauty skincare. Lisa used Lapis Facial Oil* ($72) from Herbivore Botanicals on the star to keep her skin hydrated and dewy.

Hammish Bowles

The Hair Color: Lena Ott

The Hair Styling: Teddy Charles

The Cape: Maison Margiela

Try: Use the semi-permeant hair dye that’s a part of L’Oreal’s Colorista ($10.99 each) collection - it comes in five shades of pastel magic to choose from.

Whembley Sewell

The Makeup: Jeannie

The Suit: Christopher John Rogers

Try: Grab the Killawatt Highlighter from Fenty in the shade Diamond Ball-Out* ($34) and let it double at your eyeshadow for the night.

Danai Gurira

The Makeup: Kim Bower

The Hair: Larry Sims

The Ensemble: Gabriela Hearst

Try: Sorry but we have another limited edition product for you. From Charlotte Tilbury comes the Iconic Palette* ($65), the brands most extensive palette to date.

Jordan Roth

The Makeup: Maud Laceppe

The Hair: Rutger

The Ensemble: Iris Van Herpen

Try: To recreate this universally (and unisexually) flattering smokey eye, go for an all encompassing palette like Laura Mercier’s Extreme Neutrals Eyeshadow Palette ($58).

Alessandro Michele

The Ensemble: Gucci

Try: For the beardos in the audience, the Conditioning Beard Oil ($20) from Port Products will keep your facial hair soft and manageable. For the rest of us? Use it on the ends of your hair to help with breakage and split ends.

Zendaya

The Makeup: Sheika Daley

The Hair: Ursula Stephen

The Dress: Tommy Hilfiger

Try: Grab the Color Design Palette in Teal Fury* ($50) from Lancome. It includes five eyeshadow shades as well as a guide on the back of the case giving you advice on color placement.

Regina Hall

The Makeup: Lewina David

The Hair: Shornell Mcneal-Young

The Dress: Gucci

Try: Invest in the Rolls Royce of eyeshadows with Pat McGrath’s Bronze Seduction Palette* ($125) to achieve Regina’s winged out smokey eye.

Janelle Monae

The Makeup: Jessica Smalls

The Hair: Nikki Nelms

The Dress: Christian Siriano

Try: For a beautiful wispy look to your lashes, use the Lashify Control Kit* ($145). Even false lash novices will find application easy and lash extension enthusiasts will find themselves converted.

See you next year!

[jacobhinkley]

Crypto Invest Summit Co-Founders Discuss Why This Event is Not Your Average Cryptocurrency Conference

More than 4,500 attendees, a unique format, sold-out ICO pitch stage, over 100 speakers, 70 exhibitors, 30 media and the hottest startups make this the not-to-be-missed event.

Crypto Invest Summit co-founders Alon Goren and Josef Holm discuss why next week’s conference and expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center is stacked to be the largest and best place to meet and learn from the movers and shakers in fintech.

Josef Holm: Let’s start with our all-star lineup of speakers that we individually called to participate. We will have the Who’s Who of the industry, including sports legends, an Academy award-winning producer, billionaire investors, all the major media, not to mention a sold out ICO pitch stage and the largest expo floor, featuring the hottest startups!

We are expecting more than 4,500 attendees, over 100 global crypto and blockchain industry leaders, 30 media and 70 exhibitors (and a few surprises)!

Attendees will have two major opportunities to network—at our pre-party on April 30th at the LA Live Grammy Museum and then again on May 1st on the expo floor.

We’re excited to have over 30 ICOs from around the world pitch to willing and ready investors!

Also, we are thrilled to have the Founder of Digital LA, Kevin Winston as well as Crystal Rose, CEO of Sensay and founder of LA Tech Week join us.

We will have all the leading fintech and blockchain media participating, including CoinTelegraph, HuffPost, The Merkle, Blockchain Radio, Bitcoin.com, Crowdfund Insider, and ICOinvestor.TV, just to name a few. CNBC “Crypto Trader” host Ran Neu-Ner will broadcast live on the main stage.

Alon Goren: Attendees will be able to hear our speakers in presentations, fireside chats and panel discussion formats that will break up the monotony of listening to one speaker after another, which is what you tend to find at the usual conferences.

We have some insightful fireside chats, including one with Olga Feldmeier (Smart Valor), Vinny Lingham (Civic, Shark Tank) and Bill Barhydt (Abra) on “How Blockchain Technology Will Transform Society.”  

From the world of sports, we will have chats with Apolo Ohno, eight-time Olympic Medalist and co-founder of HybridBlock and Jesse Tevelow, managing partner, BlockTeam Ventures.

Dirk Meyer (Egretia) will lead a panel discussion on “Tokens and Blockchain in Gaming” with leaders from Game Protocol, RobotCache, Call of Duty, and WAX.

A panel on Disruptive Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Innovations panel will feature Randall Crowder (Phunware), Wilson Wei (Lino Network), David Bleznak (Totle), David Moss (EOS), and Alex Wearn Aurora (IDEX).

To address why there aren’t more women in blockchain, we will have a panel featuring women who are leading the path, including Sarah Clayton, Ph.D. Fellow; Veronica Reynolds, Blockchain Research; Tavonia Evans, $Guap Coin; Koh Kim, Crypto Advisor; Sara Borazan, North Capital, and Jenny Ta, VCNetwork.co.

And, because blockchain and cryptocurrency is not all about making money, we will discuss social implications and uses with Graham Goddard, All Public Art; Ryan Scott, ICO Impact Group; Mark Jeffrey, Guardian Circle; Mac McGary, Sweetbridge; Louis O Connor, Agrorismo and Devin Thorpe, Forbes contributor and author.

Finally, we want to thank our title sponsor, Hedera Hashgraph, as well as our other gold, silver and bronze sponsors.

We’ve partnered with Crypto Invest Summit to make this event the most memorable one yet, and awarding our community with 30% discounts on all general admission tickets when using __ENTER PROMO CODE__ at checkout. Tickets are still available. For more info and to register, please visit: Crypto Invest Summit

The Crypto Invest Summit is the biggest investment conference and expo for ICOs, blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies on the West Coast. The Summit will feature more than 100 speakers, educational panels, fireside chats, ICO pitch stages and 70 technology companies at the largest crypto expo floor in the U.S. With 4,000+ attendees, including entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, family offices and broker-dealers, the two-day Summit is the must-attend event to learn, network and meet with the who’s who of the blockchain community.

This is a sponsored press release and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or views held by any employees of The Merkle. This is not investment, trading, or gambling advice. Always conduct your own independent research.

Crypto Invest Summit Co-Founders Discuss Why This Event is Not Your Average Cryptocurrency Conference published first on https://medium.com/@smartoptions

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