#Loan Stars monthly top 10

[doubleddenden]

50 years in the future, I'm a brain in a jar, I have 5 ai weed smoking demon waifu girlfriends, my relatives are visiting me at the long term care facility and fast cash title loan combo building, formerly the old Taco bell before it became a vending machine car

Me: hello family *involuntarily twitching* oh no, ad attack incoming

My great grand niece: it's okay uncle, I've got an ad block dust right here *sprinkles some into my jar like a goldfish*

Me: thank you, K8liynnne, you're a good kid.

Ai girlfriend 1: Kia summer sales event, get a 2064 Kia Sorento for 0% down APR before the summer flame storms melt the tires!

Me: oh darn, she got it instead of me. Got any more left?

Great grand nephew: sorry Uncle, we only had enough for the car ride to and from the moon. If we give you any more, we're going to have to sit through 5 hours of ads in the atmospheric Twitter Musk tollbooth

Me: you're fine, Raid Shadow Legends. How is your sponsorship going? Did they remember to mail your cryptocheck this time?

Great grand nephew: oh uncle, you're so silly. People don't mail things anymore, it comes via Soul Resonating Virtual Reality NFT models.

Great grand Niece: he's right, my partner and I just bought our house with an ugly monkey in a top hat.

Me: well flaeylgisht my skringit. Good for you guys- oh no its anothITS THE MOSSSST WONDERFUL TIIIIME OF THE Y-

AI Girlfriend 2: he'll be okay, it's a Claritin ad. This one is skippable after 10 minutes and a humanity test

Great grand nephew: thanks, Aunt Android 18 Blu.

AI GF 3: we keep telling him to like, comment, and subscribe to the monthly America+ program to skip the ads, but he keeps insisting he'd rather die.

AI GF 4: so silly. Everyone knows humans no longer die. They're kept in these facilities as living crypto mines after republican president Sasuke Vegeta ªx⅜ TrumpMusk sold all non billionaire humans to Amazon after hiring hackers to botch the election results.

Great grand Niece: how did he die again, Aunt 5 Star Artoria Lancer Alter Summer Maid Rider?

AI GF 5: couldn't afford to pay his student loans 20 years ago after they were reinstated by the self governed supreme court justices, after they decided they wanted a sky yacht. They sent the police to arrest him. He wasn't a police+ subscriber, so they shot him instead and claimed he called one of them a "doodoo head," allowing them to invoke "disrespecting an officer of the law."

Great grand niece: oh. Poor guy. Maybe he can save up for a new body. They had a good deal at Walmart Beyond.

Grand great nephew: sister help me I'm having an ad attack WHOPPER WHOPPER WHOPP-

[jennifermartinyt]

Is one Inspection Enough? How Many is too Many? | Jennifer Martin

Is one Inspection Enough? How Many is too Many? | Jennifer Martin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BvzAVdLmKo One is good, 10 is better, right? Depends on how much you want to spend, how much work the home needs, what your plans are with the home... However... a home inspector isn't a specialist. They red flag items that a specialist should look at. Some buyers decide to have a series of specialists come out. How many is too many? ✅ Subscribe to The Channel Jennifer Martin- South By West Austin Real Estate for real answers in real estate, delivered with the honesty and responsiveness you deserve: https://www.youtube.com/@jenmartinrealtoratx ✅ Important Links To Follow: 👉 Home Value: https://ift.tt/NuqVoG4 👉 Book a Private 1 on 1 Call with ME to learn more: https://ift.tt/mY4JDzS ✅ Stay Connected With Me. 👉 Website: https://ift.tt/F7TBr9o 👉 Instagram: https://ift.tt/ikuo0gm 👉 Facebook: https://ift.tt/srh2V3k 👉 LinkedIn: https://ift.tt/jAPR3Td 👉 TikTok: https://ift.tt/IgeW7rj ✅ For Business Inquiries: jen@martinhomeland.com ============================= ✅ Recommended Playlists: 👉 For your Protection- Get a Home Inspection (or not?): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lVMETmoNNY&list=PLZD2yInsRkGLW4WjNmdlULO7GaaMGQU-y&pp=iAQB 👉 Property Taxes- How to Protest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EgsRinJyeg&list=PLZD2yInsRkGLc5tj22428mDWouLBBCdmH&pp=iAQB ✅ Other Videos You Might Be Interested In Watching: 👉 Lakeway, TX Fix and Flip! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8j6RGbyE0U 👉 SW Austin Luxury Home Tour $1.25 Million- Granada Hills https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vAhHH4qj3Q 👉 Expert Real Estate Advice for Easy Home Loans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3HlCMVMaEg 👉 Foundation Inspection with the Guru! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VexHroyg4GU ============================= ✅ About Jennifer Martin- South By West Austin Real Estate. Real answers in Real Estate? -I'm Not Your Typical Realtor. I'm honest and candid. If you need a quick real estate brain or a strong dose of honesty, you’re in the right place. I take pride in being approachable and friendly, and the novel approach of actually giving you what you want — real answers to questions you’re probably wondering right now. Will I return your calls and emails? Yes. Without question. I get dozens of calls and emails daily, and I work hard to reply as quickly as possible. 🏆 Ranked Platinum Top 500 Realtors in Austin year after year 🏆 Ranked Texas Monthly 5-Star Professional in Customer Service 🏆 Austin Board of Realtors Rookie of the Year Nominee 🏆 Austin Business Journal Top Realtors in Austin Nominee 🏆 Ranked Platinum Top 50 Realtors in Austin Nominee For Collaboration and Business inquiries, please use the contact information below: 📩 Email: jen@martinhomeland.com 🔔 Subscribe to The Channel Jennifer Martin- South By West Austin Real Estate for real answers in real estate, delivered with the honesty and responsiveness you deserve: https://www.youtube.com/@jenmartinrealtoratx ================================= ADD HASHTAG HERE Disclaimer: I do not accept any liability for any loss or damage which is incurred by you acting or not acting as a result of listening to any of my publications. For all videos on my channel: This information is for general & educational purposes only. Always consult with an attorney, CPA, or financial professional for advice based on your specific situation. Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use © Jennifer Martin- South By West Austin Real Estate. via Jennifer Martin- All Austin Real Estate https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6qyI413G9IaSi0o_MmTQJw September 29, 2023 at 06:00PM

[loanstars]

The Best of the Brightest 2019

Canadian library staffers have spoken! These were their favourite Loan Stars picks of 2019:

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern from Doubleday Canada - Nov 2019

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood from McClelland & Stewart - Sept 2019 🍁

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman from Berkley - July 2019

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides from Celadon Books - Feb 2019

Big Sky by Kate Atkinson from Doubleday Canada - Jackson Brodie #5 - June 2019

Albatross by Terry Fallis from McClelland & Stewart - Aug 2019 🍁

City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert from Riverhead Books -  June 2019

A Better Man by Louise Penny from Minotaur Books - Chief Inspector Gamache #15 - Aug 2019 🍁

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates from Random House - Sept 2019

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang from Berkley - May 2019

Visit our website for even more recommendations! 

[newagesispage]

                                                                AUGUST    2021

THE RIB  PAGE

Fran Drescher is running for National SAG-AFTRA President with Anthony Rapp as secretary treasurer for Unite for Strength!!! Matthew Modine is running under Membership first with Joely Fisher for Secretary Treasurer. Running in local elections are, among others, Yvette Nicole Brown, Shari Belafonte, Rosie O’Donnell, Jeff Garlin, Ezra Knight, Dule Hill, Camryn Manheim, Sara Rue, Mindy Cohn and Ever Carradine. Sept. 2 is the day!** Frances Fisher filed a suit against SAG-AFTRA over the health care plan but a judge rejected it.

*****

Sha’Carri Richardson’s problem is all our problem. No more drug testing for Mary Jane in this country!

*****

Chuck Schumer finally unveiled the Cannabis administration opportunity act to end Federal prohibition of marijuana.

*****

Dolly Parton used the $10 mil + in royalties from the Whitney Houston version of her song to invest in a black neighborhood in Nashville.

*****

Bob Balaban and Henry Winkler play brothers in The French Dispatch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can’t wait for October 22!!!!!!!!!!!!** The next Wes Anderson film will star Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody and Tom Hanks. No other details are out there yet.

*****

Trees save lives in heat waves.

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TBS will bring us n updated Stupid Pet Tricks with Sarah Silverman.

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So much organized religion is based on forgeries, fakes and plundering. Virtually none of it is based on any sort of truth, spiritual or even historical. Just lies to fulfill an agenda and control the masses. And so far it has worked. –Larry Charles

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Scarlett Johansen has sued Disney cuz her contract guaranteed a theatrical release only.

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An expert on the circus industry recently reached out to me and urged me to not compare Trump and his comeback tour to clowns and the circus, as that is an insult to clowns. –Jim Acosta

*****

Eric Adams has won the Dem primary for Mayor in NY.

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Have you seen High on the Hog?? It’s awesome!!

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Jeff Flake will be ambassador to Turkey.

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Cornell West resigned from Harvard with a scathing letter accusing the school of “intellectual and spirited bankruptcy of deep depths.”

*****

Biden gave a hell of a speech in Philly. He needed to go on more about the filibuster but he was passionate about the For the People act and the John Lewis voting rights advancement act.  He roared, “Peddlers of lies are threatening the very foundation of our country.”

*****

Will Celebrity Dating Game continue? I am sure they think romance expert, Michael Bolton is a cute and quirky thing to do but not so much. If it stays, I hope they change the music, at least those final notes. And why are half of the questions, “Who am I?” The show could be cute but they need a little work!!

*****

Jeff Bezos donated $200 mil to the Smithsonian air and space museum.**Feminists everywhere winced when Gayle King was interviewing the Bezos space team.  Bezos commented about the 18 year old going with them into space and that he was just worried about the prom at 18. Gayle said “And I was just hoping for a date to the prom.”** But we have to love Wally Funk, the oldest woman to go into space.**Bezos thanked the Amazon employees and customers for paying for his trip. Yikes!**  Saw a great sign: Pay fair taxes, end hunger, help people, end poverty, save Earth or fly to space.

*****

Antonio Banderas and Harrison Ford will star in Indiana Jones 5.

*****

Zsa Zsa Gabor’s ashes were laid to rest 5 years after her death.

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The Britney conservatorship mess is still going thru the courts, and now topless?

*****

Pope Francis underwent colon surgery which caused him to comment on the need for good health care for all.

*****

Questlove brings us Summer of Soul!!!

*****

Reports show that about 150 people were killed by guns in more than 400 shootings during the 4th.

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Has anybody ever built a show around the Tex Watson tapes?? The LAPD apparently liked to deny them but there was a book.

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Henry Hall is out with his debut album, Neato, along with a tour.

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Do all male law enforcement officers have to be bald now?

*****

Idaho has begun an eradication campaign that could slash the number of gray wolves living in the state by 90%.

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Hooray for the monthly child tax credit!!

*****

Release Me 2 from Barbra Streisand is due out August 6.

*****

The look into the Jan. 6 insurrection has begun. Kinzinger and Cheney are in. **Tucker Carlson attacked Harry Dunn, a Capitol officer on air. The man protected Carlson’s son, a House staffer.** On Jan. 5, the Steve Bannon podcast went like this: All Hell is going to break loose tomorrow. Just understand this. It’s gonna be moving. It’s gonna be quick.** Why is mainstream media putting nearly all eggs in the Covid and Olympic baskets and only a few on the insurrection hearing?

*****

Why do so many that call America , “great” seem to hate it?? How can one love this country and not want majority rule, not want democracy??

*****

The Emmy noms are out: Lovecraft Country was nominated even though it has been cancelled.  Also hooray for Pose, The Flight attendant and for Conan!! Lead actor is a tough category with Matthew Rhys, Billy Porter and Rege-Jean Page. Aidy Bryant and Jean Smart got lead and supporting noms. I have to route for Ewan McGregor and Anya Taylor-Joy. I am excited for Paul Reiser, Bowen Yang, Evan Peters, Carl Weathers, Renee Elise Golsberry, Dave Chappelle, Helena Bonham Carter and Daniel Levy. There is love for Yvette Nicole Brown, Issa Rae and Maya Rudolph. The Masked Singer got a few noms. The doc category included Tina, Allen V. Farrow and The Bee Gees. Friends: The reunion got 4.

*****

“Voting is not supposed to be easy. That’s what our men died for.”- Jack Finger

*****

Giant Pandas are no longer endangered.

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Zalia Avante- Garde is the 93rd Scripps National Spelling Bee Champ.** I’m more impressed by the girl who won the Spelling Bee than the billionaire who went to space. –Mike Jollett.

*****

Why do they have to run erectile dysfunction ads during true crime rape episodes? ** And why do people still say things like, “this just don’t happen here” or “dumped like a piece of trash? “ There have to be other things to say.

*****

Tom Barrack, chairman of the inaugural committee for Trump was arrested for foreign lobbying shenanigans. America first, right?** Wilbur Ross lied to congress about the census and the Trump administration declined to prosecute.** Stephen Calk, bank exec was found guilty of trying to get a WH position by giving Manafort millions in loans.

*****

Jake Ellzey won the Texas special election run off for congress, beating out Trump’s girl Susan Wright.

*****

Every city should have a Peacemobile!!!!!

*****

The Chinese government has been called out for malicious cyber -attacks.  Four officials have been indicted in California.

*****

Miracle Workers’ Simon Rich was there when FB was invented and was so creeped out by people using it to stalk women.

*****

There was a story in Rolling Stone about how Eric Clapton threatened to cancel shows if the venue required proof of vaccines. Valerie Bertinelli tweeted: Once a dick, always a dick.

*****

Every Fox news host is vaccinated. –Mikel Jollett

*****

Toyota has dropped out of Olympic ads.  Contenders are starting to drop out due to positive Covid tests.

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Actor Isaiah Stokes has been indicted for murder.

*****

Lionsgate has bought the rights to Clerks 3.

*****

Ready or not, here come the Olympics.- Harry Shearer

*****

The Cleveland Indians will now be the Cleveland Guardians.

*****

A bust of KKK leader Nathan Bedford Forrest was taken out of the Tennessee capitol.

*****

American Housewife was sold into syndication.

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The poorest zip codes include Erie, Pennsylvania, Decatur and the south end of Peoria, il, Canton, Oh, Waterbury, Ct., Bonsecour, Al. and Elpaso, Tx.

*****

Issa Rae married Louis Diame.

*****

The court of appeals disqualified Judge John W. Ouderkirk from the Jolie- Pitt divorce because of a business relationship with Pitt’s attorney.

*****

Joe Manchin owns a coal company.

*****

The Hollywood walk of fame has welcomed Jimmy Smits, Kathie Lee Gifford and 90 year old Marla Gibbs. Terry Crews is next!

*****

Generation after generation of women love the bad boy.  Do they never learn? I will never understand, please explain.

*****

Pelosi rejected 2 of the noms to serve on the special committee looking into Jan. 6. Kevin McCarthy withdrew his 5 noms.

*****

The gun that killed Billy the Kid is for sale.

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I think you should leave with Tim Robinson on Netflix is hilarious if U get thru the gross. U can’t miss the episode with Clifton Davis and Fred Willard!!

*****

Joaquin Phoenix is trying to get some bears from a traveling show moved to an accredited sanctuary. The Bearadise Ranch in Florida has been cited for, “violating state wildlife laws.”

*****

Go employees Go!! Frito Lay is on strike, Coal miners are on strike and Ride Share drivers are on strike. A good portion of this country should be on strike. The top of the corporate ladder needs to learn! Let those that treat us fair rise to the top.

*****

Who owns Brett Kavanaugh?

*****

A Bishop seeking to deny Biden communion was caught on Grindr.

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Gabriel Jagger married Anouk Winzenried.** I don’t know why the Rolling Stones bass player doesn’t just change his name to “not pictured.” –Michael Mckean

*****

Frank Fritz will not be back on American Pickers.

*****

For the first time, astronomers have seen behind a black hole. Einstein predicted the gravitational pull of black holes is so enormous that they warp the very fabric of space. He was right. Scientists have now spotted light which was being emitted by the far side of the black hole.

*****

Look for Heels on Starz.

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What is this new screen for Amazon? It sucks.

*****

Biden has signed an executive order to protect infrastructure from cyber- attacks.

*****

Arthur was canceled.

*****

The Kennedy Center has revealed the latest honorees. The 44th class is Justin Diaz, Berry Gordy, Lorne Michaels, Bette Midler and Joni Mitchell and will be held on Dec. 5.

*****

Get well Bob Odenkirk!!!! The fabulous Odenkirk collapsed on the set of Better call Saul from a minor heart attack.

*****

Days alert: We have lost Days of Our Lives first director, Joseph Behar.  He will be missed.** Marla Ginns is joining the cast as Paulina’s Mother. ** Is EJ throwing Sami out? Will AJ McLean join the cast? **Rex is back.**Peacock is bringing us a limited series, Days of our Lives: Beyond Salem that will send many couples on romantic vacations and lead to intrigue. Lisa Rinna will star.** Arianna Zucker (Nicole) is set to marry Shawn Christian (former Daniel).  He popped the question on Father’s Day.

*****

R.I.P. President Jovenel Moise, Philece Sampler, Robert Downey Sr., Richard Donner, flood victims of Belgium and Germany,  Robby Steinhardt, Covid victims, Joseph Behar, Robert Moses, Jackie Mason, Dusty Hill, joey Jordison, Priscilla McMillan, Ron Popeil, Carl Levin, Saginaw Grant and Charles Robinson.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

The Star asked the leaders of Canada’s major political parties to talk about the issues that move them deeply. In the first of the series, federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh identified the challenges faced by today’s youth as the cause he wanted to talk about. Singh spoke with the Star about why he chose the topic and what he’s going to do to address the issue:

Why are young people and the challenges they face so important to you?

All the major crises we’re faced with, they’re the ones feeling it the most. Young people are the ones who are priced out of the (housing) market, can’t imagine ever buying a place. It was not unattainable for their parents and grandparents.

So, they really embody all of the poor decisions that have been made by governments in Ottawa. Young people have that look of hopelessness. They have this fear, this uncertainty, and I want to replace that look in their eyes with one of hope and positivity and optimism. I really believe young people have gotten a raw deal. And that’s why they need a new deal. I want to now revert to making decisions that actually put young people — and by doing so, people in general —at the heart of the decision-making.

How is being a youth today different from what it was like when you were growing up?

The challenges are just a lot worse. I kind of remember what that’s like a bit. Because my father was ill and couldn’t work, and because of his addiction, it meant that he lost his ability to continue practising and we fell into debt. So we ended up losing our home and not being able to keep it, which meant that I felt that anxiety about having a home. But that’s otherwise something I didn’t think about. Like, I wasn’t in high school worrying about housing. That’s why what I went through is really different from what young people are going through now.

I wanted to find a way out of my financial difficulties by going to school. And, for me, school was kind of affordable. Undergrad was in the $2,000 range, and going to law school was $8,000 a year. Even in my difficult situation, it was something that I could see my way around. I got some loans and I was able to pay my tuition.

But for young people now, they’re faced with economic uncertainty and they want to take university or other courses to upgrade their skills, or, if they want to go to professional school, it’s really limited for those who don’t have the means. It’s so expensive that it could be scary and maybe even just a barrier that’s not surmountable.

Full article below read more (due to paywall):

Why do you think you’re the right candidate to tackle these issues?

(Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer) don’t have the courage to take on these issues. They’re kind of like the old boys club. It’s in their best interest to maintain the status quo. They’re not really going to bring in the change that people need. They’re just maybe going to tamper around the edges, tinker here and there. They’re not going to bring in a new deal. I’m proposing a bold new deal, a new way of looking at the way we should be prioritizing people over the wealthiest and the people at the very top. And I know it’s achievable. I really care about making life better for people, and I’m not afraid to bring in the changes.

Why focus on young people when many of them can’t vote, and the ones who can often don’t bother?

When I got elected in 2011, I got elected because I had all these young volunteers and many of them couldn’t vote. I was 32 and I was the oldest person in my campaign by far. We had all these young, passionate people that work hard, and they care, and they got me elected.

I really think young people shouldn’t be counted out because they have parents and they have grandparents. For some people, that could be as many as six people they can influence and say, “hey, this is my future, if this matters to you, please care about this issue or vote this way.” So, I see immense power in young people. Though they can’t vote right now, I still think they can really influence the outcome of the next election.

How will you convince the next generation, and all Canadians who care about climate change, that it’s a threat to their future that you take seriously?

Since being elected, I’ve taken really fierce positions on the environment. We are the only official federal party that has opposed things like the Trans Mountain pipeline. We’ve taken strong positions on environmental issues historically as a party and I’ve taken on that and taken us to the next level with really bold announcements and really concrete commitments. I want to end fossil fuel subsidies, something that I know a lot of people are really frustrated by. I think my track record of positions that I’ve taken, the boldness of our vision and our plan, really speaks to the fact that we take this seriously and I’m committed to doing something about it.

Students who graduate from school can no longer rely on that degree to land them stable work. In today’s gig economy, many end up doing internships, contract work, part-time work or freelancing for years without any prospects of stability ahead. What will you do to help young people in these precarious situations?

People used to be able to get a job to get benefits. Now in the gig economy, people don’t have those benefits. That’s why it’s more important than ever that our health-care system step up and provide that head-to-toe coverage that includes dental care, medication for all, eye and hearing care and addiction and mental health services, so that all the needs that someone has for their health are not something they have to depend on the job for.

Right now, employment insurance is basically not something that self-employed or precariously employed or a freelance person can have access to. I want to change the way we look at employment insurance and modify it so that it does cover people who are working in these precarious positions. The new vision I see is cumulative hours — I propose 360 — and looking at someone’s best 12 weeks as the way we set someone’s employment insurance. I want to extend our parental leave to allow self-employed people to take advantage of it.

I also want to continue to fight for good pay and good jobs. For federal regulated jobs, I’m pushing for a $15-minimum wage and also changing the labour code so we offer better protection, set a better standard for what a job should give to workers and hopefully inspire other provincial and territorial governments to follow.

Owning a home or even being able to comfortably afford a place to rent feels like a pipe dream to many youth today. How will you make housing more accessible and affordable for this generation?

Really boldly invest in building new homes. What I’m imagining is 500,000 or half a million new homes over the next 10 years. The focus is going to be rental, cooperative, non-market housing so that people can have a place where there’s a confidence in knowing they can live there and that it’s affordable.

We want to waive the GST on bills where private developers build affordable housing to encourage the building of rental or affordable housing. To reduce the cost of housing, we want to end money laundering, which is driving up speculation. We want to impose a federal foreign buyer’s tax, which would get at the foreign investment that’s actually driving up the cost of housing.

For first-time homebuyers, we want to double the tax credit that’s available now and we also want to expand the mortgage to a 30-year mortgage which would lower the monthly payments so that someone can actually afford to buy a house.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

[my-random-domme-thoughts]

Will Session Prices Go Down?

I felt compelled to write a post today because of a link that has been forwarded to me, of a forum discussion on MaxFisch, and I was asked for my opinion. Since I am not a member on that forum, I will make a post here. The topic of this discussion was whether the BDSM session prices will go down after the quarantine. The link to the discussion forum is below:

http://www.maxfisch.com/thehang/ubbthreads.php/topics/1751558

Here are my 2p about that: 

Whenever I am asked about pricing and pricing strategies, I always make an example of a Prada bag:

Will Prada bags be 50% cheaper after this lockdown? Because, you know, Prada needs to make money... And pay store rents...And, you know, new bag makers are entering the market every day... And, you know, because there will be a recession? Will they be 40% cheaper? 30% cheaper? 

Or will they remain roughly the same price they’ve been for last 50 years, inflation adjusted, and leave the localised market if it becomes not cost-effective? 

Now, my personal prediction is that Prada bags will cost the same they have always cost. But you’d be able to score a bag, capable of carrying things just as much as a Prada bag, in Primark for £1. 

Did the ‘invention’ of Primark make Prada drop their bag prices? Did Primark make Prada go out of business? Lose business? Did Primark steal Prada’s core client base through poaching and undercutting? I think we all know the answer to those questions...

There are Ladies who charge north of £1K per session, and did, are doing, and will do splendidly well while running a waiting list, and there are those who couldn’t find a client for £50 even before SESTA/FOSTA, COVID-19 and the Incoming Recession were in existence. That has always been the case, that will always be the case. There is no judgement being passed about it, this is just the reality of things.

Many answers in the thread seem to have their expectations and estimates based on the perception that all Dommes have just one source of income, are chained to a radiator within their post code, and only ever do RL sessions. Out of the top Dommes that I know, not one has only one stream of income. Most of us have diversified if not into other businesses and investments then within the s3x industry itself, through clips, online sessions or fan sites years and years ago. 

Yes, Domme Business is different to Bag Business. But as it is a BUSINESS there are more similarities than there are differences. And those Dommes who were good at Business and Marketing before quarantine are good at it during and will continue being good at it after quarantine, during recession, after recession and up until their eventual early retirement.

There is also some hope noticeable in the posts that there will be a huge influx of “new dommes” on the market because of unemployment as apparently there is no entry barrier to the industry. I hate to burst the bubble, both for the prospective dommes, and for their prospective clients, but Domination is not the first port of call for the unskilled and the unemployed. Far from it. There was a mention of a surge after 50 Shades of Grey as an example. What the kind gentleman who mentioned it has forgotten is that it was BEFORE SESTA/FOSTA. I myself have started when the only entry requirement for a Pro Domme were 5 pictures and an ability to string three sentences on a BackPage ad. That time, and that site, have long gone the way of the dodo. Seen Bonding? I am still waiting for the “tens of thousands of new dommes” to materialise after that...

To enter the profession now, you need solid knowledge of Business Admin and Marketing, hefty skill set of creating, curating and maintaining a website and all the costs involved in that should own skills be insufficient, heavy advertising costs to place that website on the advertising sites, creating and maintaining highly marketable online content, both free and for paid platforms, maintaining half a dozen of social media profiles on various platforms while constantly dodging censure, shadow banning and downright deletion of accounts, not to mention looking good and well-presented, being confident, and having the necessary toys and/or access to dungeons. And A LOT of hard work. Which, in the time of a recession, will not bear much fruit at all. And no, you do not get a business loan from a bank for this line of work. Most of those who are forced into s3x work by circumstances do not venture into Domination, now even more than before, but stick to traditional fields, where a pink thong and some baby oil will often do the trick.

But what about the Recession, then, and the “shrinking of client base”? Now, that is clearly written by someone who is expecting the middle class to literally die out. I can explain this with a simple chart:

This is how I see the distribution of wealth and income now, and after the Great Quarantine of 2020. The world will indeed become poorer, much like during the Financial Crisis of 2008, through lower middle class and working class sliding down the income ladder.

Those who are wealthy and affluent now are not going to wake up in two weeks and find themselves on the dole, or looking for a job at McDonalds. Why? Because they are usually very highly skilled, high earning individuals and have diversified income, investments, savings, pension funds et al. Yes, their stock portfolio might (and I say might!) take a hit. But it will not suddenly make them destitute. It just means that, for 2020, they might make a bit less money. But, 80% of a million is still 800K, and 80% of a thousand is 800. See the difference?

Now, let’s talk about me, for a minute, and my own business model, pricing strategy, cost control and target market/client base: 

I chose to move to a low income, low cost of living, high quality of life country. By choice, and for those very reasons. But I neither work on the “local market” nor for it! I charge five times what the average price per session is here, and my daily rate is higher than an average national monthly income. Exactly one of my current clients lives in the same country, and he pays me my rate. The rest of my clients are foreign, and either fly in to see me, or fly me out to join them in their endeavors elsewhere, and yes, they all know they can find someone much cheaper. 

But “cheaper” is not what they are after. Those buying Bentleys don’t price in a Seat Leon, just in case. ALL of my current clients are my regular clients, and they bring me much joy even in these dark times! If they enjoy being my subjects even half as much as I enjoy being their Mistress they will remain my clients for years to come. And those who couldn’t afford my rates before the pandemic won’t be able to afford them after. 

But how will the Great Quarantine of 2020 and the Incoming Economic Depression affect me and my business? Let’s see! 

I personally do not know  whether I will be able to see my clients this year, because even if the isolation orders are lifted, no one has cancelled the disease itself. I might get ill. They might get ill. Up until a vaccine or an easy treatment is invented all travel is in a precarious state, as are all sessions. At your own risk, as they say! I’d risk it for my regulars to a degree, but there are limits to everything, and I certainly wouldn’t want them to risk their lives and health for a session.

That said, we do not know what travelling post-quarantine will even look like. If I am required to spend 2 weeks in a lock down every time I have to take an international flight -- I am unlikely to be flying anywhere at all. If it goes back to pre-quarantine simplicity then it is a different story and I will be back to posting my Michelin starred client dinners from different cities in no time. But what if not?

Well, here comes the trick: remember I was talking about the diversified streams of income? While most people were busy with Netflix, I have used my quarantine time in to push for passive income, offering a product that is significantly cheaper than my RL sessions and client fees, but aimed at a much wider target market segment. 

I am proud to say that currently my cost of living gets covered by pure passive income in 20 calendar days. That is, I can fall into a coma for a month, and on day 20 of me being in a coma, all my bills and expenses will be covered, and I will wake up to 10 days of profit to get me to a SPA and treat me to some nice meals and still have some left over. And this is passive income. Online sessions are an entirely different thing, in addition to passive income.

What does that mean? It means that I do not NEED to have another RL session at all, EVER, even at my rate, if I do not wish to. I can retire. And if I cannot travel, I will happily spend my time developing and scaling up my online and passive income sides of business further, while sipping cocktails by the sea, in the safety of my own terrace and avocado tree. 

So when people ask whether sessions will become cheaper after this Quarantine, I just smile. Thing is, you WILL be able get cheaper sessions after this. But you could get them before this, too! There are, there have been, and there will always be cheap providers. Of everything. And if you are into “cheap cheap” you will always be spoiled for choice.

But it won’t come from established and business savvy dominatrices. Top ranks can afford to step away from the RL sessions altogether, for the risks involved, or only see their regular and trusted clients, at same rate or higher. Mid-range and upcoming will be likely to raise rates while diversifying to compensate for potential loss of foot traffic. And the cheaper ones will join the newcomers in the race to the bottom.

You know that saying, if you have to ask how much something costs -- you cannot afford it? :) Still goes! 

[ts1989fanatic]

Taylor Swift Is a Punk-Rock Rebel — and She Just Proved It to the World

Her new deal with Universal Music Group benefits the wider artistic community – in lieu of a deal which wholly benefits herself

TIM INGHAM

“I’m surprisingly nonconfrontational — you would not believe how much I hate conflict.”

Taylor Swift, speaking to Rolling Stone in 2014 about her ongoing feud with an unnamed female pop star. Such a quote may, justifiably, lead you to presuppose that Swift lacks a certain steeliness — that, when it comes to life’s toughest showdowns, she goes along with the crowd.

This week, such assumptions have been utterly eviscerated. On Monday (November 19th), Swift revealed that, following a short period as a free agent, she had signed a new global recordings deal with Universal Music Group. The decision saw the singer leave her label home for the past 12 years, Nashville’s Big Machine.

As part of this new agreement, Swift maintains ownership of her future master-recordings rights — likely by licensing them to UMG for a period of, say, 10 years, after which she will regain full control.

This is a pretty mutinous achievement for a pop megastar, following decades of the standard major-label demand to own some (or all) of these rights in perpetuity. (Legendary bygone clashes between Prince and George Michael with their record companies show how fraught this deal structure could become.)

Yet Swift didn’t stop there. In announcing her agreement with UMG, she revealed, “There was one condition which meant more to me than any other deal point. As part of my new contract with Universal Music Group, I asked that any sale of their Spotify shares result in a distribution of money to their artists, non-recoupable.”

To understand the profundity of this gesture — and the extent of its surprising selflessness — requires a brief bit of background.

According to MBW, when the three major labels (Universal, Sony and Warner) — plus indie-label rep Merlin — first struck licensing deals with Spotify in 2008, they received an 18 percent cumulative stake in the company.

Over the years, this equity stake has been diluted by new investors in Spotify, meaning that, by the time the Swedish streaming giant floated on the New York Stock Exchange in April, that 18 percent had been cut in half, to nine percent.

Sony has since sold 50 percent of its shares in Spotify for gross proceeds of $768 million. Warner has sold 100 percent of its shares, for $504 million.

As of now, Universal hasn’t sold any of its shares — and continues to own an estimated 3.5 percent stake in Spotify. Depending on Spotify’s ever-fluctuating market cap, this equity has, in the past month, been worth anywhere between $800 million and $900 million.

When an artist signs to a record company, they are typically paid an “advance” check — akin to a bank loan. The profit they then (hopefully) generate for their record company goes against this debt until it is “recouped,” at which point the act can start taking home the full extent of their agreed royalties.

The problem: Most artists never recoup. The record business has long been built on a few pop megastars (howdy, Miss Swift) essentially paying for the careers of countless artists who lose money for the likes of Universal, Sony and Warner.

To give you an idea of the steep odds: The oft-cited estimate is that five percent of all label signings recoup. Yep: Around 19 out of 20 artists signed to record companies have never paid back the money they received upfront.

Back in June, Sony shocked the music industry by announcing that, when it came to sharing its Spotify stock profits with artists, it would ignore these unrecouped balances.

This was an unprecedented moment of generosity from a multinational corporation. As a result, sources estimate that Sony has now paid its artists around a third of the $768 million it cashed in from its Spotify shareholding; thousands upon thousands of Sony-signed artists have consequently ended up with money in their bank that they had no right to expect.

Warner, however, took a different approach. After cashing out its $504 million stake in Spotify, the company shared 25 percent ($126 million) with its artists’ accounts. But it didn’t ignore unrecouped debt — meaning that a significant chunk of that $126 million stayed within the firm’s coffers.

Onto Universal Music Group, the world’s biggest record company. UMG confirmed in March that, whenever it banked its Spotify stock money, it would share it with artists — but was light on detail as to exactly how.

Taylor Swift just nailed down that detail.

Industry whispers suggest that all three major labels chased Swift for a record deal, while the likes of Spotify, Apple and leading telcos are also speculated to have been interested in luring her toward a direct partnership — whatever the cost.

Her non-recoupable Spotify clause was a vital reason she signed with Universal. A source close to the UMG deal told me this week, “Agreeing a sharing process for the Spotify money, and ensuring that was non-recoupable for artists, was very important to Taylor, and she was very passionate about it throughout the negotiations. Universal was already there, philosophically speaking, especially after Sony set the bar earlier this year, so it became an easy conversation.”

The source added, “People will of course speculate it’s about who could pay the biggest advance check, but that’s not correct: Money’s money and Taylor Swift is worth a lot of it, but that genuinely didn’t have a whole lot to do with her decision.

“In the end, she wanted a company who understood artists, who was philosophically aligned on artist compensation and who she trusted could grow and protect her brand globally.”

A spot of number-crunching shows just how significant Swift’s Spotify stipulation really is — and how she has benefited her peers far more than herself with its execution.

First: How much money did Swift guarantee her fellow artists by demanding the non-recoupable Spotify proviso from Universal?

Swift claims that, according to Universal, its Spotify payouts will involve “much better terms than paid out previously by other major labels.” Let’s take Sony as the benchmark which, as noted, apparently paid out around 33 percent of its recent Spotify stock-sale haul to artists.

Universal’s 3.5 percent stake in Spotify has, over the past couple of months, been worth a broad average of $850 million. A third of this money, as a projected artist payment, would come out to $283 million. Now, remember that up to 95 percent of artists are believed to remain in debt with their record companies.

It’s not accurate to suggest all these artists’ advances were for the same figure, of course, and we have no way of knowing what level of unrecouped balances each owes Universal.

Yet in an age of multimillion-dollar advances, it’s fair to assume that Swift just gifted her fellow Universal artists tens of millions of dollars in unrecouped money, which her major label could have legitimately retained.

The most impressive part of Swift’s settlement, however, is just how little it will directly benefit her versus her fellow superstars.

According to Spotify-monitoring site Kworb, Swift is the 84th most-streamed artist in the history of Spotify, with 1.59 billion chart-eligible plays on the service. This, despite the fact that, multiple times in recent years, she’s been the biggest-selling artist on the planet.

Two key reasons Swift is so far down these Spotify rankings: First, she pulled her catalog off Spotify in 2014 in protest at its ad-funded structure, as she complained that “it is my opinion that music should not be free.” (Her albums didn’t return to the platform until three years later.) And second, Swift continues to “window” her album releases. We saw this with last year’s million-plus-selling Reputation, which didn’t land on Spotify until two weeks after it was available to purchase in stores and on iTunes.

To put things into perspective, Swift’s 1.59 billion chart-eligible streams on Spotify are nearly 10 times smaller than the tally of the biggest artist in the platform’s history, Drake (with more than 15 billion streams) — who also happens to be signed to Universal.

More to the point, Spotify revealed “Content Hours Per Monthly Active User” stats at the end of 2017, which according to my calculation, show that the service now hosts around 2 billion streams every single day.

Universal, following Sony and Warner, will almost certainly pay out the artists’ share of its circa $900 million Spotify money on a pro-rata basis, giving the greatest portion of its cash to the most popular acts on the service.

Swift will not factor in the top 10 or even top 20 of these artists. She has just struck a deal which truly benefits the wider artistic community in lieu of a deal which wholly benefits herself.

This isn’t the first time Swift has fiercely protected the income of her peers: In 2015, she publicly castigated Apple for not compensating artists for a three-month free trial of Apple Music.

In doing so, Swift risked her relationship with arguably the most powerful company in the music business. Apple quickly relented, and Swift accepted its public apology.

Some may snipe that Swift is “obsessed with fame, money and revenge”, but the statistical truth of the matter tells a very different story. Swift, as unlikely as it seems, is a true punk-rock rebel — one taking the fight to huge corporations, while using her almighty commercial clout to push and prod them into doing the right thing.

ts1989fanatic really long winded way to say @taylorswift is a TOTAL BADASS

[loanstars]

Recommendations to get a hold on

The Loan Stars April 2020 adult top 10

The Subtweet by Vivek Shraya from ECW Press 🍁

Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler from Doubleday Canada

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier from Minotaur Books 🍁

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd from Viking

Forest Green by Kate Pullinger from Doubleday Canada 🍁

Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

How to Pronounce Knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa from McClelland & Stewart 🍁

A Bad Day for Sunshine by Darynda Jones from St. Martin's Press

A Match Made for Murder (Lane Winslow #7) by Iona Whishaw from Touchwood Editions 🍁

A Thousand Moons by Sebastian Barry from Viking

And don’t forget! More library-approved recommendations are available on our website loanstars.ca.

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 7/5/21

Boys Run the Riot, Vol. 1 | By Keito Gaku | Kodansha Comics – This was well-acclaimed when it was first licensed, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s a great look at transgender and genderqueer characters, showing both the difficulties and triumphs that they experience. The art is also terrific, popping off the page, particularly in the art that Ryo creates. I also enjoyed how Ryo and Jin became fast friends, and despite a few misunderstandings (mostly as their classmates see them in a different way) stay that way, especially as they’re both outsiders in a way. Oh yes, and the title itself, as well as its derivation towards the end of this volume, is brilliant in its layered meanings. I absolutely can’t wait to see what happens next, and hope that the fashion they’ve designed takes off. – Sean Gaffney

Kageki Shojo!! The Curtain Rises | By Kumiko Saiki | Seven Seas – I had read this when it first came out last year, but forgot to review it. Which is dumb, as it’s fantastic, and also it has not only an anime that debuted last week, but also a manga “sequel” that starts this week. The story of an all-girls school aiming to be the top stars in their not-Takarazuka-because-of-legal-reasons troupe, we meet Ai, a girl with a troubled and abusive past who is small and doesn’t trust easily, as well as Sarasa, a girl who also has a troubled past (that we don’t see as much of in this omnibus) but who is very tall and trusts very easily. Yes, it’s shiny peppy girl meets dark grumpy girl, and we all love that type of relationship to bits. The supporting cast are also very good, and this volume ends openly, which is good, as the story continues. – Sean Gaffney

Let’s Not Talk Anymore | By Weng Pixin | Drawn & Quarterly – Having enjoyed Weng Pixin’s collection Sweet Time, I was happy to discover that another volume of her work had recently been released. Let’s Not Talk Anymore is a beautifully painted, captivating comic that explores five generations of matrilineal family history, both real and imagined. The narrative is cyclical in nature, repeatedly shifting from 1908 to 1947 to 1972 to 1998 to 2032 and back again while following the lives of Weng’s great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, the creator herself, and her imaginary daughter as fifteen-year-olds. While not always readily apparent to the young women themselves, readers soon begin to see patterns and parallels emerge from the telling of their stories. The similarities and differences between their generational traumas and personal experiences inform who they are as individuals as well as in relationship to one another. Let’s Not Talk Anymore deftly and elegantly captures the complexities of the inherited realities connecting mothers and daughters through multiple generations. – Ash Brown

My Hero Academia, Vol. 28 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – Things continue to be absolutely terrible for the heroes, and we’re starting to get an actual body count on their side, though it’s not any of the major characters… so far. Unfortunately, the big plan to stop the resurrection of Shigaraki is a disaster of epic proportions, though it’s nice to see that he seems to know the narrative tropes of this sort of thing and is headed right towards Deku. Fortunately, Gran Torino, also familiar with these narrative tropes, is there to stop Deku rushing in and killing himself. There’s not really a lot to talk about here as it’s just a massive, city-destroying chaotic battle, but it’s rare that you see a Jump title like this go so far in having its good guys lose over and over again. It’s chilling. – Sean Gaffney

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Vol. 12 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Yen Press – I tried something a little different with this twelfth volume of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun. Instead of reading it straight through, I read a chapter a day. I think that helped a lot in terms of appreciating the wacky episodic humor, which in this installment involves things like Nozaki trying to help Seo figure out her feelings for Wakamatsu by loaning her shoujo manga and later making a Wakamatsu doll, Nozaki owning in a competition amongst classmates to see who can write the best love confession, and Sakura’s ill-fated attempts to embody a cool girl to help Nozaki with a story. As ever, though, my favorite parts involve Hori and Kashima, whose relationship has evolved a little since his confession, though they’re still far away from becoming an official couple. Nothing here made me laugh out loud, but plenty made me smile. I look forward to the next one! – Michelle Smith

Species Domain, Vol. 10 | By Shunsuke Noro | Seven Seas – Ohki is the big focus of this volume, and not in a good way. After a fun, cute date with the girl who’s crushing hard on him, he shuts her down, saying that he’s “in love with science.” It’s not clear if this is meant to be a sign of asexuality or simply narrow focus, but it’s clearly rude to the girl, as everyone else notes. Then we get another elf showing up as a transfer student, only this one is a full-blown elf with magic out the wazoo, which he demonstrates in class. Now Ohta’s interested, having seen actual magic in action, which deals a devastating blow to Kazanori. Elsewhere, we probably get FAR more information about icaruses and how they get pregnant than we’d really like, much to Hanei’s horror and embarrassment. This is ending soon, but is still fun. – Sean Gaffney

Sweat and Soap, Vol. 6 | By Kintetsu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – Our sweet couple finally moves in together, will all the issues that you tend to see when that happens. It means we get their first fight, as Kotaro is trying to do everything himself so that Asako doesn’t have to, which annoys her as they’re supposed to have a partnership. She also badly handles a guy blatantly hitting on her while Kotaro is away, taking his business card even though she’s clearly not interested. That said, these things are fairly easily resolved, and the majority of the time we get to see what these two do best, as we watch them working, eating, making soap, and making love. (Even the fight is adorable, as passersby whisper that he’s getting dumped, which she angrily—and loudly—denies.) Read this; you won’t regret it. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown

[loanstars]

Ready, Set, Jr.!

Coming to a library near you, the top 10 Canadian library staff chosen Young Adult and under books for January & February 2020! (Wow that is a mouthful of a sentence). Enjoy these upcoming reads and let us know what you think!

One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus from Delacorte Press - January 2020

The Bat by Elise Gravel from Tundra Books - February 2020 🍁

The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #5) from Dutton Books for Young Readers - January 2020

The Cockroach by Elise Gravel from Tundra Books - February 2020 🍁

Swim Swim Sink by Jenn Harney from Disney-Hyperion - January 2020

Northwest Resistance by Katherine Vermette, Illus. by Scott B. Henderson & Donovan Yaciuk from Highwater Press - February 2020 🍁

Belle Revolte by Linsey Miller from Sourcebooks - February 2020

Bent Heavens by Daniel Kraus from Henry Holt - February 2020

Llamaste and Friends by Pat-A-Cake, Illus. by Annabel Tempest from Random House Children's Books - February 2020

Straight On Till Morning by Liz Braswell from Disney-Hyperion - February 2020

Visit loanstars.ca for more recommendations.

[antoine-roquentin]

Pity the conservative film critic. Suffering through so many juvenile, raunchy flicks and mindless blockbusters. Why even the great films are marred. No matter how extraordinary the film, something comes along to spoil it. Something…politically correct.

Maybe it’s the villain, an evil giant multinational corporation dumping oceans of toxins into the local river, which also happens to be the town’s water supply.

Maybe it’s Mr. Potter’s bank threatening to foreclose on the old homestead.

Typical liberal pablum, snarls the conservative critic. All corporations are evil. Banks are foreclosing on everybody’s sick grandma’s farm.

It hardly matters that socially conscious films like A Civil Action, North Country, Norma Rae, Silkwood and Erin Brockovich are extraordinarily entertaining films with Oscar-level direction and performances. What matters to the conservative film critic is that they are mere whored-up vehicles for socialist propaganda. And only he (and it’s always a he) is wise enough to see it.

Whatever would American film audiences have done without the conservative film critic to enlighten them as to the “awfulness” of Jordan Peele’s Get Out? The film boasted a perfect 100 score from critics on the movie review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. That is until National Review’s Armond White reviewed the film. Where other critics saw the “satirical horror movie we’ve been waiting for, a mash-up of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? and The Stepford Wives that’s more fun than either and more illuminating, too,” Armand, who is African American, saw a film—which he dubbed “Get Whitey”—that was “tailored to please the liberal status quo.”

The Chicago Reader’s J.R. Jones must have been watching another horror-comedy called Get Out, because he saw a brilliant film “that sticks closely to genre convention even as its ribbing of white liberals hardens into a social point.”

Selma was another film with a 99 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes whose perfect score was spoiled by a critic from a conservative publication, this time Nigel Andrews of the Financial Times. Andrews, unlike every other reviewer, panned Selma as “a dead-as-a-plank re-enactment of a pietised ‘then’: a 50-year-old battle of ideals between Good Guys (MLK, LBJ in civil rights reform mode) and Bad Guys (Governor Wallace, keeping the Alabama hate fires burning) that seems exactly that: 50 years.”

Unsurprisingly, National Review’s White similarly hated the film (though he loved that jingoistic homage to endless war American Sniper). White called Selma “a mediocre and disingenuous film” and criticized the movie for “rubbing soft spots” and “sore spots” (i.e., depicting the murders of black children and white allies) instead of “making meaning.” (“Soft spot” is certainly a strange way to describe the murder of four black girls by a white supremacist.)

Until recently there was a paucity of films starring, written by or directed by African Americans. Blacks largely played the role of thugs or servants. As the role of blacks in Hollywood has slowly begun to broaden it has presented a unique problem for conservative magazines. How to criticize socially conscious African American films without sounding blatantly racist?

National Review seems to have hit on a successful solution when it hired Armond White. As an African American, White can freely trash socially conscious, historical “black  films” like Selma and Twelve Years a Slave with little fear of a racial backlash. White can say things that white conservative critics are thinking, that they would have easily spouted twenty years ago, but dare not say in public today. And he says a lot of such things. For instance: “Who can forget the throwback image of British director Steve McQueen jumping Jim Crow at this year’s Oscars?”

Then there was White’s depiction of the 1963 Birmingham church bombing that killed four African American girls as “one of The Movement’s Greatest Hits.”

Not to mention his constant dog whistles that Hollywood Jews control the media’s image of black people.

When Twelve Years a Slave (Academy Award: Best Picture) came out National Review cautiously asked scholar Thomas Hibbs to review the film. Hibbs turned in a thoughtful piece which lauded the film. The editors tried again. In the print edition, conservative New York Times’ columnist Ross Douthat reviewed the film. Again, a positive review.

Soon after that, National Review hired White. He had dismissed Twelve Years a Slave in CityArts writing that it “belongs to the torture porn genre with ‘Hostel,’ ‘The Human Centipede’ and the ‘Saw’ franchise.”

Wrote White:

These tortures might satisfy the resentment some Black people feel about slave stories (“It makes me angry”), further aggravating their sense of helplessness, grievance–and martyrdom. It’s the flipside of the aberrant warmth some Blacks claim in response to the superficial uplift of ‘The Help’ and ‘The Butler.’ And the perversion continues among those whites and non-Blacks who need a shock fest like ‘12 Years a Slave’ to rouse them from complacency with American racism and American history. But, as with ‘The Exorcist,’ there is no victory in filmmaking this merciless. The fact that McQueen’s harshness was trending among Festivalgoers (in Toronto, Telluride and New York) suggests that denial still obscures the history of slavery: Northup’s travail merely make it possible for some viewers to feel good about feeling bad (as wags complained about Spielberg’s ‘Schindler’s List’ as an ‘official’ Holocaust movie–which very few people went to see twice). McQueen’s fraudulence further accustoms moviegoers to violence and brutality.

Just the thing National Review was looking for. A black reviewer who could spout highfaluting  hokum for its racist white audience.

White was immediately given a chance to write about the film. He went profoundly negative calling the film “decidedly unpleasant (and unpopular).” It was “awarded (Best Picture) purely to make the Academy feel good about itself as a defense against Hollywood’s standard segregated practices.” It “distorted the history of slavery while encouraging and continuing Hollywood’s malign neglect of slavery’s contemporary impact.”

Conservative film criticism is so easy any conservative can do it. Simply choose a film with a social justice theme (say, family farmers versus the bank), then ignore everything else about the film. National Review critic Kevin Williamson carried this off spectacularly when he was tasked with reviewing Hell and High Water. Again, the film garnered overwhelmingly glowing reviews, including a 96 top critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hell and High Water, which pitted two rural everymen versus The Bank, seemed to resonate with everyone: snobby film critics and conservatism’s base in the boonies. One might think that in this day and age when conservatism’s base is rabidly anti-Wall Street, a conservative film critic would go ga-ga over Hell and High Water.

Wrong.

“[M]an, is this movie stupid,” wrote Williamson. Who then spends 700 words nitpicking ways other than bank robbery that the heroes could have raised enough money to save the family homestead. Like asking for a loan.

Conservative critics often seem unable to comprehend the basics of theme or characterization. One tried-and-true theme is that of the underdog battling some powerful entity–for example, the family farmers in Places of the Heart taking on The Bank, or the spunky legal assistant battling the giant chemical corporation poisoning a small town in Erin Brockovich. Conservatives would have us turn these themes on their head, so that we would root for the poor beleaguered chemical company that was only trying to maximize shareholder value like any true blue American company is expected to do.

Williamson offers an alternative movie pitch: Two brothers walk into a financial institution with an oil-lease document and say, “Hello, there, Mr. Banker! I’m about to have a passive income of $600,000 a year and would like a $40,000 loan to pay off the lien on my property until that first monthly check comes in. Would you like to be my banker?”

Perhaps this is why there are few conservative screenwriters in Hollywood. They think a man with a line of equity walking into a bank and getting a loan would make riveting drama.

This is not say conservative film critics hate every film. They love most Clint Eastwood movies. They love the Left Behind series. Not long ago National Review put out its own list of “greatest conservative films.” Among them, the amateurish B-movie Red Dawn, about the Soviet Union invading the US. Many of the films on the list have nothing to do with conservatism. A Simple Plan? It is hard to see what conservatives like about a greedy guy getting away with countless murders–unless they simply have a hard on for greedy guys. Braveheart? Why because of Mel “fucking Jews” Gibson? Team America: World Police. Conservatives don’t seem to realize this film was satire. Ghostbusters? Groundhog Day? Okay, fun films, but they are about as conservative as Bernie Sanders and far from the greatest anything.

It’s not all doom and gloom for the conservative film critic. Clint Eastwood still has a few movies left in him before he shuffles muttering and drooling into the sunset. As does Mel Gibson. And now that Steven Bannon has vacated the West Wing we will likely be treated to more documentaries about Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. But in the end it’s more fun to pan a great film than to praise a mediocre one. Besides, the base doesn’t tune into FOX News and Rush Limbaugh for good news or good reviews. It tunes in to feel angry. That’s why it reads conservative film reviews that begin “Man, is this movie stupid.”

They get off on it.

[loanstars]

The Loan Stars September 2019 Adult Top 10 List! 

School bells ring, are you listening? 10 new books, they are a...uh, well, in a word, awesome!

The Testaments by Atwood, Margaret from McClelland & Stewart 🍁

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates from Random House

Had it Coming by Doolittle, Robyn from Penguin Canada 🍁

High School by Quin, Sara & Quin, Tegan from Simon & Schuster 

Antoni in the Kitchen by Porowski, Antoni from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 🍁

Darkdawn by Kristoff, Jay from St. Martin's Press (Book 3) 

Vendetta in Death by Robb, J.D. from St. Martin's Press (Book 49)

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Harrow, Alix E. from Orbit

To the Lions by Watt, Holly from Dutton

Good Time Party Girl by Cromwell, Helen from Feral House 

We can’t wait for these books to become real books. Find out more by visiting our website at Loanstars.ca!