#Pittsburgh Alternative Engagement

[mariacallous]

Addressing workers and volunteers at a campaign office Thursday before taking the stage at a Pittsburgh rally for Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Barack Obama called on Black voters, specifically men, to “drop excuses” and get behind the Democratic presidential nominee.

“Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that,” he said, according to The New York Times.

“Women in our lives have been getting our backs this entire time,” he added. “When we get in trouble and the system isn’t working for us, they’re the ones out there marching and protesting.”

Obama’s speech arrives amid Democratic efforts to drive turnout among Black voters for November’s election. Last month, Harris held a series of events in Wisconsin, as well as other states, to engage the key voting demographic and counteract Trump’s efforts to impress them with his own approach.

According to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll, 69% of Black voters said they are “absolutely certain to vote” in November, a statistic still lower than the 74% in June 2020.

“You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses. I’ve got a problem with that,” Obama said, noting lower enthusiasm among Black voters in this election compared with his own presidential campaign.

Black voter turnout jumped from 48.1% in 1996 to 69.1% when Obama was elected in 2008, according to The Washington Post. In his bid for reelection in 2012, turnout percentages for Black voters exceeded that of white voters for the first time in history.

[seitajewelers]

Cubic Zirconia vs Lab-Grown Diamonds: What's the Difference?

Do you love the brilliance and allure of diamond jewelry but find the price daunting? If so, consider two budget-friendly alternatives, namely cubic zirconia and Lab Grown Diamonds Pittsburgh Both options offer sparkle and elegance without the steep price tag, making them ideal choices for wedding jewelry.

Custom Design Diamonds vs lab-grown

A lab-grown diamond is created in a laboratory. These diamonds share the same chemical structure as mined diamonds, being made from pure carbon. However, unlike natural diamonds, Custom Design Wedding Ring Shop Pittsburgh PA are eco-friendly and typically cost less.

Cubic zirconia, on the other hand, is a synthetic stone made from zirconium dioxide. This material became widely popular as an affordable option for diamond-like sparkle, and today’s CZ pieces are more refined than ever.

To the untrained eye, however, cubic zirconia Engagement rings Pittsburgh, PA can look remarkably like real diamonds.

Lab-grown diamonds are generally much cheaper than mined diamonds due to the controlled, abundant production and the avoidance of extensive mining processes. These diamonds can cost much less than natural diamonds, offering customers greater flexibility in size, quality, and design choices.

Lab diamonds let consumers get what they want without the emotional and financial strain associated with natural diamonds. Cubic zirconia is even more affordable, as it does not require recreating the intense geological conditions under which diamonds form. They are available at a fraction of the price of diamonds.

Lab-grown diamonds score a 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, just like natural diamonds, meaning they can withstand most activities without chipping or scratching. This durability makes them ideal for daily wear, even for those with an active lifestyle.

Cubic zirconia, on the other hand, rates slightly lower at 8 to 8.5 on the Mohs scale. While still durable enough for regular wear, CZ stones may show scratches over time, particularly with frequent handling.

Make sure to choose something that fits your style and lifestyle needs. You can also ask your jeweler to appraise and certify the pieces before you leave the store.

The Bottom Line

Both lab-grown diamonds and cubic zirconia offer beauty, durability, and affordability compared to mined diamonds. For those seeking the long-term resilience and genuine structure of a diamond, lab-grown options are excellent and eco-conscious.

If you're looking for budget-friendly glamour without needing the strength of a diamond, cubic zirconia provides sparkle at an unbeatable price.

[dailyanarchistposts]

Critique of the Convergence Organizing

Midway through the week, one longtime attendee who had pushed hard for the 2009 convergence to experiment with a new model remarked that it was just like a rural convergence, only in a city. Indeed, though this convergence took place in a different setting, the model that had been developed over the preceding seven years was transposed whole into this new environment.

This was a tremendous missed opportunity. The model that had worked well enough in the countryside was not as suited for the city, and, more to the point, it offered few opportunities to engage with locals—which presumably would be the whole reason to have an urban convergence. There were exceptions to this, such as the open hours at the free clinic, but in general the convergence occurred in a bubble, separated from local communities rather than integrated into them or reaching out to them. This is not the model for radical organizing that most longtime convergence participants employ in our own hometowns, and it’s unfortunate that we fell back into it here. Scarcity of resources such as food and space was repeatedly cited as one of the obstacles to opening up interactions with more locals; indeed, it’s hard to demonstrate the advantages of the anarchist alternative with so little at our disposal. But there was also a failure of imagination.

Much of this can be traced to glitches in the organizing process. Because the original plan was to buy and repair a building, little thought was given to how else the event might interact with the local community. Less that two months before the event, local organizers were still scrambling to keep open the possibility of purchasing a building, while putting little energy into developing a plan B. The breakdown in the organizing group can only have made things worse. This is a reminder of how important group dynamic issues are, and how far-ranging the effects can be when conflicts are not worked out.

It’s also true that other recent models for anarchist gatherings have provided precious few examples of how to engage with local communities. Conferences are frequently held on college campuses, which brings up as many issues around accessibility and class comfort as convergences in residential neighborhoods bring up about gentrification. Bookfairs cast locals as consumers, limiting their participation according to economic means and offering few other points of departure besides passively listening to speakers.

We anarchists, long used to being outsiders, must be careful not to marginalize ourselves. Future convergences that take place in cities should aim to interact with locals and interrupt the separations that characterize daily life under capitalism. It is sad that the Pittsburgh Really Really Free Market, which could have been an opportunity for this, ended up largely being a space to process the effects of the disruption.

Participants also brought up concerns about structural issues that could have contributed to this year’s convergence being an uncomfortable space for attendees with less social privilege. Some suggested that the self-structuring nature of the convergence was a problem. A couple people asked whether it would be better for it to be invite-only, though this was hotly disputed. It was proposed that there could be a mandatory orientation workshop for first-time attendees. Other top-down solutions were advanced, involving more structure and protocol.

Instead of proposing more infrastructure, one might ask why the existing infrastructure—such as the mediation team and the exclusion policy—was not effective. One answer is that those who were most alienated by others’ behavior felt least entitled to ask organizers for help dealing with it. Another is that responsibility was not widely distributed enough—a six-person mediation team can’t hope to keep up with every potential conflict or uncomfortable situation without others also taking initiative.[1] Here again we return to the challenges of organizing events that include people who are at their first anarchist gathering.

Some of the aforementioned proposals focus more on how to curb the insensitive behavior of those who benefit from social privilege than on empowering those affected by it. One proposal that took the opposite approach suggested that race and gender caucuses should be scheduled at the beginning of the convergence, rather than near the end[2] (when they have occurred the last few years), offering participants of those demographics the chance to confer and present demands to other attendees. As privilege issues extend to an infinite range of facets beyond race, gender, and class, this would still be a limited solution, but it could at least be a starting point. It also takes advantage of the self-structuring aspect of the convergence, rather than attempting to suppress it.

In a spatial rather than temporal version of this proposal, spaces could be designated for the same purpose. This would have been particularly difficult in Pittsburgh, where there was so little space at our disposal, but we can at least put it in the toolbox for later.

One other factor at this convergence was that there were so few opportunities for individuals to address the entire convergence. At previous convergences, there had been circles in the morning and the evening; in Pittsburgh, due to space and time constraints, they only took place in the mornings, barely accommodating organizers and workshop presenters and offering no time at all for individuals to air concerns or frustrations.

[casadorojewelry]

Alternative Engagement Ring for The Avant-garde Bride

From classic prongs to glittering halos, every custom engagement rings in Pittsburgh is special. While many brides tend to choose white diamond rings, others are looking for something fresh, modern, and vibrant that suits their style and personality needs. While diamonds are beautiful, colored stones are rare, valuable, and perfectly resonate with you. Here are some of the most popular colored stones for alternative brides.

[communition101]

Presentations: The Background Work: How to make a great presentation before even starting.

Sometimes, I feel as if I can’t get my point across clearly, and this always frustrates me. It’s because my arguments lacked structure and background. However, even the most complex topics can be communicated clearly. A “background check” on the audience and a good presentation structure are the keys to a successful presentation. This is why in this post, I’m going to help you perform great audience background checks on your audience  no matter what the setting or situation you are in. Throughout this blog, we are going to go through all the elements that make an argument powerful. This post is specifically with regards to making presentations. Without further ado, let's dive in.

Before you even start preparing a presentation, the most important thing to consider is the audience. 

Analyze who you are presenting to:

Are you giving a presentation to colleges, friends, or perhaps local government officials? You will get a whole host of data about the social norms and etiquette expected as general guidelines that dictate the parameters of your presentation. This information is a good starting point for your presentation. This leads us to another important question.

 What is the knowledge level of your audience?

If you have this information, you can write and present your presentation in a way that is more basic and straightforward for people who don’t know about the topic of your presentation. Alternatively, you could dive into more complex concepts and subjects with a more educated group. Imagine you have prepared an amazing presentation to your local mayor about the effects of urban air pollution, but the presentation you give is too high-level and not understandable to your audience. He/she will walk away confused and alienated, less likely to take the action you wanted them to. Always make your presentations understandable to your audience.

 What is the political, social, and socioeconomic demographic of the audience?

This information is very important because it will give you an good angle from which to make and present your presentation.

Words cannot overstate the importance of the political, economic, and cultural demographic your audience belongs to. How successful is a presentation asking for funding for a new coal power plant project you have in development to a group of wealthy investors belonging to a green-climate oriented investment fund. The same goes for making politics oriented presentations to the opposite or different political group. The socioeconomic status of the people you are presenting to can be very good background information as it will allow you to appeal to certain socioeconomic groups' general traits. For example, if you're giving a  presentation to wealthy and technology oriented suburbanites, you might want to emphasize the technological aspect of whatever you are presenting to appeal to and excite your audience. In conclusion, always try to appeal to your audience's thoughts, views and desires when making any presentation, because it will always make them more interested and engaged. Asking these questions will give you a whole host of information that you can use to structure your argument, which is another key factor in making a great presentation.

Sources:

Department of Communication | University of Pittsburgh

ASME

Know Your Audience Before Speaking

[theeverlastingshade]

Girl with Fish- feeble little horse

Philadelphia has been the epicenter of indie rock for roughly a decade by this point. Brooklyn was the indie rock mecca for the first decade of the 21st century, but after becoming financially unsustainable for the vast majority of artists who aren't bankrolled by family, Philly swiftly became the de-facto feasible alternative. The scenes there have flourished, and have been a home base for forward-thinking iconoclasts like Alex G and Spirit of the Beehive as well as timeless-sounding singer-songwriters like Kurt Vile and Waxahatchee, and musicians of all sorts of stylings in-between. While much has been made of how absurdly high above their weight class Philly has been punching throughout the last decade, I haven't been privy to nearly as much coverage w/rt to the cross-state indie rock scene that's developed in Pittsburgh. And hopefully I'll see that start to shift following in the wake of Girl with Fish, the excellent sophomore LP from feeble little horse. While steeped in the DIY sensibilities of Philly indie (most obviously Alex G) flh have managed to carve out a lane for themselves by playing a style of noise-pop that fuses the delicacy of twee with the brutality of shoegaze, resulting in a sound that feels familiar but is ultimately unlike anyone else making music right now. Their first LP, Hayday, and their lone EP, Modern Tourism (both from 2021) are promising records that showcase the seeds of the sound that they would go on to develop, and on GwF those seeds have begun to blossom into some of the sharpest indie rock that I've heard all year.

Fbl consists of guitarists Seb Kinsler and Ryan Walchonski, drummer Jake Kelley, and bassist/vocalist Lydia Slocum, and throughout the course of GwF they play with genre conventions while slyly upending them. They've described their music making aspirations along the lines of what they call Ableton-core (they've acknowledged SotB as a guiding force in this realm) and it's not hard to hear that sort of chaotic discipline guiding the music here. Opening cut "freak" opens to a trail of feedback before massive guitar chords flailing into the red emerge, and within short order the band are delivering honeyed vocal melodies that see-saw between relatively clean playing and effects-laden guitar passages rounded out with bashed cymbals. The whole song is barely 1:45 long, but the intoxicating effect lingers much longer and sets the stage for the proceeding 25 minutes of melodic mayhem. While the band don't deal in outright abrasion on every single song, everything here exudes some kind of off-kilter presentation, whether we're talking about the pitch-shifted warbling guitar on "Paces", or the mountains of distortion that threaten to steamroll the gentle vocal melody on "Steamroller" but never quite do. Nothing here exceeds the 3.5 minute mark, but nothing ever comes close to sounding slight or tossed off either. Fbh wisely give their ideas plenty of room to breathe, but they change course before anything ever wears its welcome. The result is a lean album overflowing with ideas that contains enough momentum to work superbly in any way that you want to experience it.

The ingenuity on display ensures that GwF is an engaging listen from start to finish, but even though everything here works there are still a handful of clear standouts that are just as strong as anything that I've heard this year. The aforementioned "freak" kicks things off on an extremely high note with its infectious juxtapositions, and mid-album highlight "slide" plays a similar trick. Throughout "slide" the band alternate between jangly acoustic guitar passages and an otherworldly 16 bit synth melody that lulls the listener into a sense of tranquility before thick slabs of in the red guitar distortion and one of Slocum's tightest vocal melodies yet come barrelling into the frame. The quiet/loud/quiet verse/chorus/verse structure is one of the most well-worn tropes in all of rock music, but it's rarely executed with this kind of immediacy and stylistic variation. It sounds remarkably fresh and inspired despite its colossal precedence. And there's no way to do a conversation about this band justice without mentioning the absolute showstopping "pocket", which isn't just their best song, but easily one of the best songs that I've heard this year. On "pocket" the band open with a twee melody over softly strummed guitars, lush synth chords, and a tender baseline, they slowly build up steam with faster strumming and bird chirps, transition into a funk bridge, turn up the amps for an abrupt pivot into hardcore, and then close things out with the initial twee stylings all in less than 3 minutes. It's an astonishing statement of purpose that deftly showcases their bold approach and somehow doesn't collapse under the weight of its ambition. The forms may well-worn, but on GwF fbl are taking them to bracing new heights.

Essentials: "pocket", "slide", "freak"

[broffsdiamondsandloanco]

5 Benefits Of Pawning Your Diamond Jewelry

Diamond jewelry is a timeless and exquisite addition to any wardrobe. Whether it's an engagement ring, a necklace, earrings, or a bracelet, diamond jewelry holds a special place in our hearts and often carries sentimental value. But did you know that beyond their dazzling beauty, diamond jewelry proves to be beneficial if you choose to "pawn" at pawnshops in Pittsburgh? 

Here you will explore the advantages of pawning your diamond jewelry, from keeping it sparkling to ensuring its longevity and value. 

Sparkling Brilliance

Diamonds are known for their unrivaled brilliance & fire and regular pawning can help maintain their dazzling appearance. Oils, dirt, and debris from daily wear can accumulate on the surface of your diamond jewelry, dulling its shine over time. Pawning your diamond jewelry with a soft, lint-free cloth or a jewelry cleaning solution can help remove these contaminants and restore its original luster. Regular pawning can keep your diamond jewelry looking as stunning as the day you first received it.

Maintaining Cleanliness

Proper cleaning is essential to keep your diamond jewelry looking pristine. Pawning your diamond jewelry allows you to inspect it closely and identify any dirt, smudges, or residues that may have accumulated on the diamonds or the setting. This cleanses your diamond jewelry so that it remains sparkling. Regular pawning at jewelry stores downtown in Pittsburgh and cleaning can prevent dirt and grime from building up, which can potentially damage the diamond or the metal setting.

Early Detection Of Issues

Pawning your diamond jewelry provides an opportunity for early detection of any potential issues. By examining your diamond jewelry regularly, you can identify any loose or missing stones, bent prongs, or other signs of wear and tear. Early detection of such issues allows you to take timely action, such as getting your jewelry repaired or having the prongs tightened, to prevent further damage or loss of stones. Regular pawning can help you catch the problems in time, ensuring the longevity and durability of your diamond jewelry.

Personal Connection

At jewelry stores in Pittsburgh, you can easily acquire jewelry loans or pawn your precious pieces. Diamond jewelry often holds sentimental value, and pawning your jewelry can help you establish a deeper personal connection with it. By taking the time to carefully examine and clean your diamond jewelry, you can appreciate its intricate details, design, and craftsmanship. You can also reminisce about the special memories associated with your jewelry, such as the proposal or the anniversary it commemorates.

Investment Protection

Diamond jewelry is a valuable investment. Regular pawning can help protect your investment by ensuring that your diamond jewelry remains in optimal condition. By keeping your diamond jewelry clean, inspecting it for any issues, and addressing them promptly, you can help maintain its value over time. Well-maintained diamond jewelry is more likely to retain its worth and can potentially be passed down as an heirloom or sold at a higher price in the future.

Pawning your diamond jewelry offers numerous benefits, from preserving its sparkling brilliance to ensuring its longevity and investment protection. Thus, pawning your diamond jewelry is a great alternative to simply letting your jewelry rust in a jewelry box.

If you are willing to acquire a jewelry loan near me then Broff’s Diamond & Loan Co. is here for you. They offer jewelry loans, collateral loans, etc. with a minimum interest rate of 3%. Apart from that, they also deal in luxury watches, vintage jewelry, and more. 

Original Source: https://broffsdiamonds.blogspot.com/2023/04/5-benefits-of-pawning-your-diamond.html 

[outoftowninac]

FIXING SISTER

1916

Fixing Sister is a four-act play by Lawrence Whitman (aka William Hodge). It was originally produced by Lee Shubert starring Mr. Hodge. 

‘Fixing Sister’ tells how a devoted brother outwits a headstrong sister who has been carried away by the temptations of luxury, title-hunting, and bridge whist gambling, in the midst of the gay society life of the metropolitan rich. As a result of her foreign travels, she has almost annexed a foreign nobleman of untested lineage. Her brother. John Otis, a representative American of a shrewd and humorous sort,  learning of his sister’s peril, hastens to New York from Kansas City. It Is his native common sense and shrewdness which effect a not sudden, but finally very effective, cure, including staging a police raid at her bridge party. He also rescues his own sweetheart, a tantalizingly Independent sort of American girl, from the wiles and the guiles of New York society and foreign nobility.

All four acts take place in New York City.

Bridge whist is a card game popular in the early 20th century. It was derived from whist with the additional rules that the players would take turns as dummy and that the trump suit would be deliberately chosen (including the option not to have one) on each deal rather than random. 

"Next Thursday night will be ‘police night' at Maxine Elliott's Theater, when the members of the police department gambling squad will attend in a body to see the performance of William Hodge in ‘Fixing Sister,' in order to enjoy the spectacular police raid of a gambling party, which furnishes an exciting climax to the third act.” ~ EVENING STAR

The somewhat odd title was one of a dozen considered by Hodge. It was originally announced as The Social Climbers, but that seemed too similar to Clyde Fitch’s 1901 play The Climbers.  

Fixing Sister opened in Atlantic City at Nixon’s Apollo Theatre on January 16, 1916. From there, it traveled to Wilmington DE, Altoona PA, Pittsburgh PA, and Boston MA.    

After Beantown (Boston), Hodge and company went to the Motor City (Detroit) before returning to Boston’s Majestic, where business was brisk.

“As an indication of the volume of business being done, it was necessary, on Ash Wednesday, to place the orchestra on the stage and sell seats in the pit usually occupied by the musicians.”

In mid-March 1916, Hodge made a formal announcement confirming the rumors that he was indeed playwright Lawrence Whitman. At the end of March, Hodge took on a second play in his downtime: Hobson’s Choice at the Wilbur. He requested that Mr. Shubert cancel one of his Fixing Sister matinees so that he might perform in Hobson’s, but Shubert declined. Instead, he arranged a special benefit of Hobson’s at an alternate time. 

Although the above item appears to be an article, it is actually a paid advertisement! Do not send Miss Maxwell-Conover stray cats!

The Boston engagement finally came to an end on April 22, 1916. Although Broadway seemed the next logical step, the play moved to Maine through the end of the month. Hodge then retired to his summer home on Long Island to be with his wife and three small children, looking forward to bringing the play to Broadway in the new season. 

Getting the play back on its feet, Hodge chose Pittsburgh, returning to the Alvin, where the play initially enjoyed a brief stay. 

Fixing Sister opened on Broadway at Maxine Elliott’s Theatre (109 West 39th Street) on October 4, 1916.

“Early in the play the audience is let into the secret. The onlooker is taken into the confidence of the leading character and the game is won. The audience plays the rest of the piece. The interest and enthusiasm is so alive that it comes in waves to me across the footlights. Such a play is bound to be a delight to both the folk who play it and those who are entertained by it.” ~ WILLIAM HODGE

“Mr. Whitman’s play dramatizes the yellow journal idea of society life in Manhattan.” ~ BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE

“When will Missouri stop ‘showing’ us New York?” ~ CHARLES DARNTON

Hodge’s character, John Otis, is from Kansas City, Missouri (aka the ‘Show Me’ State)

“Interest is sustained as long as [Hodge] is on the stage, making droll remarks about everything in general in his inimitable manner, but it lags perceptibly when the other characters are depended upon to keep things going.” ~ BROOKLYN LIFE

In early November, the production cleverly addressed rumors that Hodge would close the New York production and tour. A week later, the play was extended, selling advance tickets for as far ahead as New Year’s. 

Despite this, Hodge packed his tents and moved the play to Chicago a week before Christmas. It ran on Broadway for 85 performances.

[trans-advice]

[NOTE: we changed the bullets to numbers in order to help with readability of this relatively long post. there is no other purpose for the list numbering.]

Redistribute resources to support Black trans liberation and survival! Split a donation to all the orgs listed on this page OR allocate specific amounts to individual groups. Then be sure to share this page once you're done.

**All funds donated go directly to the groups listed via ActBlue. Feel free to reach out to them if you have any questions**

Last week, many people shared that it was hard to track down a centralized place to find a list of specifically Black trans groups. This page is part of an effort to create an easier way for people to find and donate specifically to Black trans work and people right now. We know that this list is not complete, and it will be continually updated. If you have questions or would like to add an org in your area to this page, please email: BlackQTFund@gmail.com.

The groups listed in this first section only accept donations through PayPal, CashApp, or Venmo. Please support their important work by clicking over to their websites here:

Trans Sistas of Color Project Detroit: Exists to uplift, impact and influence that lives and welfare of transgender women of color in Detroit.

En-Poder-Arte (Colombia) Founded by an Afro-Colombian trans woman and other trans women of color. A few months ago, they launched a community house, which provides safe housing to Black trans women and trans women of color.

F2L Relief Fund: Provides commissary support (and legal representation & financial assistance) for incarcerated LGBTQ and Two-Spirit POC in NY State.

Middle Tennessee Black and Indigenous Support Fund: A community fund for Black and Indigenous queer and trans folks living and participating in rural Middle TN, with a goal to foster wealth redistribution in its larger community, direct the funds to Black and Indigenous community members, and build the leadership of Black and Indigenous community members.

Tournament Haus Fund: Mutual Aid fund for protestors and Trans/NonBinary BIPOC in the ballroom scene in Portland/Tacoma/Seattle.

TAKE Birmingham: A peer support group for trans women of color to come together and share their narratives. Also organizing around discrimination in the workplace, housing advocacy, & support for sex workers.

Black Excellence Collective Transport for Black NYC LGBTQ+ Protestors: Raising funds to provide safe transport for Black LGBTQ+ Protestors.

Kween Culture: Provides programming towards social and cultural empowerment of transgender women of color.

Black Trans Travel Fund : A mutual aid project developed to provide Black transgender women with the financial resources to self-determine safer alternatives to travel, so they feel less likely to experience verbal harassment or physical harm.

Heaux History Project: A documentary series and archival project exploring Black and Brown erotic labor history and the fight for sex workers’ rights.

Homeless Black Trans Women Fund: Supports Black Trans women that live in Atlanta and are sex workers and/or homeless.

Reproductive Justice Access Collective (ReJAC): A New Orleans network that aims to share information, resources, ideas, and human power to create and implement projects in our community that operate within the reproductive justice framework.

Rainbow Sunrise Mapambazuko/RSM (Democratic Republic of Congo): Fights for the Promotion of the rights and equality of LGBTQ people in DRC and is today facing this covid-19 crisis which further weakens Black LGBTQ people and more particularly transgender Black women.

Compiled direct donation links for individual Black Trans folks A compilation of direct donation links to Black trans people, including GoFundMes and CashApp handles. Email address on page to add to this list.

Below are the orgs you can support through the split donation form (on the right, if you're on a computer, or below if you're on a mobile device):

For The Gworls: This fund provides assistance to Black trans folks around travel to and from medical facilities, and co-pay assistance for prescriptions and (virtual) office visits. ⁣

Black Trans Fund: The first national fund in the country dedicated to uplifting and resourcing Black trans social justice leaders. BTF seeks to address the lack of funding for Black trans communities in the U.S. through direct grantmaking, capacity building support, and funder organizing to transform philanthropy.

Nationz Foundation: Provides education and information related to HIV prevention and overall health and wellness, while inspiring the community to take responsibility for their health while working towards a more inclusive Central Virginia for LGBTQIA+ identified individuals.

Trans Justice Funding Project: Supports grassroots trans justice groups run by and for trans people, focusing on organizing around racism, economic injustice, transmisogyny, ableism, immigration, and incarceration.

Third Wave Fund: An activist fund led by and for women of color, intersex, queer, and trans people under 35 years of age to resource the political power, well-being, and self determination of communities of color and low-income communities. Includes rapid response grantmaking, multi-year unrestricted grants, and the Sex Worker Giving Circle.

Unique Womens Coalition: The first Los Angeles based supportive organization for and by Transgender people of color, committed to fostering the next generation of black trans leadership from within community through mentorship, scholarship, and community care engagement work.

Black Trans Women Inc.: A national nonprofit organization committed to providing the trans-feminine community with programs and resources to help inspire individual growth and contributions to the greater good of society to meet its mission of uplifting the voice, heart and soul of black transwomen.

Black Trans Men Inc.: The first national nonprofit social advocacy organization with a specific focus on empowering African American transgender men by addressing multi-layered issues of injustice faced at the intersections of racial, sexual orientation, and gender identities.

SisTers/Brothers PGH: A transgender drop-in space, resource provider and shelter transitioning program based in Pittsburgh, PA.

Love Me Unlimited for Life: A catalyst that helps our transgender community members reach their goals and fulfill their potential through advocacy and outreach activities.

My Sistah's House Memphis: Designed to bring about social change within the Trans Community in Memphis, by providing a safe meeting space and living spaces for those who are most vulnerable in the LGBTQ+ community.

Black LGBTQIA Migrant Project: Builds and centers the power of Black LGBTQIA+ migrants through community-building, political education, direct services, and organizing across borders. BLMP is providing cash assistance to Black LGBTQ+ migrants and first generation people dealing with the impact of COVID-19.

Taja’s Coalition at St. James Infirmary: Empowers their community in navigating housing, medical services, legal services, and the workplace, as well as regularly training agencies in the SF Bay Area.

Marsha P. Johnson Institute: Helps employ black trans people, build more strategic campaigns, launch winning initiatives, and interrupt the people who are standing in the way of more being possible in the world for BLACK Trans people, and all people.

Black Trans Protestors Emergency Fund organized by Black Trans Femme in the Arts Collective : Supports Black trans protestors with resources like bail and medical care.

Black & Pink Bail Fund: A national prison abolitionist organization dedicated to dismantling the criminal punishment system and the harms caused to LGBTQ+ people and people living with HIV/AIDS who are affected by the system through advocacy, support, and organizing.

Black Visions Collective (MN): Black Visions Collective centers their work in healing and transformative justice principles and develops Minnesota’s emerging Black leadership, creating the conditions for long term success and transformation.

SNaPCo: A Black, trans-led, broad-based collaborative to restore an Atlanta where every person has the opportunity to grow and thrive without facing unfair barriers, especially from the criminal legal system.

Brave Space Alliance: Created to fill a gap in the organizing of and services to trans and gender-nonconforming people on the South and West Sides of Chicago, where very few LGBTQ advocacy networks exist.

Okra Project/Tony McDade and Nina Pop Mental Health Fund: Provides Black Trans people with quality mental health & therapy. Also addresses food security in Black trans communities.

House of GG: A nonprofit, founded by legendary trans activist Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, that is raising money to build a permanent home where Transgender people can come, feel safe, and be part of a growing network of Southern trans people who are working for social justice.

TGI Justice Project: TGI Justice Project is a group of transgender, gender variant and intersex people -- inside and outside of prisons, jails and detention centers -- challenging and ending human rights abuses committed against TGI people in California prisons, jails, detention centers and beyond.

Trans Women of Color Collective: TWOCC exists to create revolutionary change by uplifting the narratives, leadership, and lived experience of trans people of color.

Youth Breakout: BreakOUT! seeks to end the criminalization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth to build a safer and more just New Orleans, organizing with youth ages 13-25 who are directly impacted by the criminal justice system.

Translash: A trans-led project uses the power of individual stories to help save trans lives, shifting the cultural understanding of what it means to be transgender, especially during a time of social backlash, to foster inclusion and decrease anti-trans hostility.

TRANScending Barriers: A trans-led trans-issue focused organization whose mission is to empower the transgender and gender non-conforming community in Georgia through community organizing with leadership building, advocacy, and direct services.

My Sistah's House: A trans-led nonprofit providing first hand experience as well as field research to create a one-stop shop for finding doctors, social groups and safe spaces for the trans community, providing emergency shelter, access to sexual health services, and social services.

Dem Bois: A national organization with the mission to provide charitable economical aid for female to male, FTM, trans-masculine identified person(s) of color ages twenty-one years old and older for them to obtain chest reconstruction surgery, and or genital reassignment surgery in order to help them on their journey to live a more fulfilled physical, mental, and self-authentic life.

G.L.I.T.S: Approaches the health and rights crises faced by transgender sex workers holistically using harm reduction, human rights principles, economic and social justice, along with a commitment to empowerment and pride in finding solutions from our own community.

Emergency Release Fund: Aims to ensure that no trans person at risk in New York City jails remains in detention before trial; if ​cash bail is set for a trans person in New York City and no bars to release are in place, ​bail will be paid by the Emergency Release Fund.

HEARD: Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of Deaf Communities: Supports deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, deafdisabled, and disabled (“deaf/disabled”) people at every stage of the criminal legal system process, up to and including during and after incarceration.

Black Trans Advocacy Coalition COVID-19 Community Response Grant: Works daily to end discrimination and inequities faced in health, employment, housing and education to improve the lived experience of transgender people.

Princess Janae Place: Provides referrals to housing for chronically homeless LGBTQ adults in the New York Tri-state area, with direct emphasis on Trans/GNC people of color.

The Transgender District: Aims to stabilize and economically empower the transgender community through ownership of homes, businesses, historic and cultural sites, and safe community spaces.

Assata’s Daughters: A Black woman-led, young person-directed organization rooted in the Black Radical Tradition. AD organizes young Black people in Chicago by providing them with political education, leadership development, mentorship, and revolutionary services.  

Collective Action for Safe Spaces: A grassroots organization that uses comprehensive, community-based solutions through an intersectional lens to eliminate public gendered harassment and assault in the DC area.

The Knights and Orchids Society (TKO): Strives to build the power of the TLGB community for African Americans throughout rural areas in Alabama & across the south, to obtain our dream of justice and equality through group economics, education, leadership development, and organizing cultural work.

The Outlaw Project: Based on the principles of intersectionality to prioritize the leadership of people of color, transgender women, gender non-binary and migrants for sex worker rights in Phoenix, AZ. Ensuring our rights and health as a first step will ensure the rights and health of all sex workers.

WeCare TN: Supports trans women of color in Memphis, TN, through education, and empowerment, with the goal to ensure that transwomen of color have the same equity and quality of life as envisioned.

HEARD (Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of Deaf Communities): Supports deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, deafdisabled, and disabled (“deaf/disabled”) people at every stage of the criminal legal system process, up to and including during and after incarceration.

Community Ele'te (Richmond, VA) To establish unity, provide safe sex awareness and education, linkage to resources, emergency housing assistance, and empower the community to make positive lifestyle decisions.

TAJA's Coalition: An organization dedicated to ending violence against Black Trans women and Trans women of color based in San Francisco

Black Trans Task Force: (BTTF) is an intersectional, multi-generational project of community building, research, and political action addressing the crisis of violence against Black Trans people in the Seattle-Tacoma area.

The Transgender District: Aims to stabilize and economically empower the transgender community through ownership of homes, businesses, historic and cultural sites, and safe community spaces.

Trans Sistas of Color Project Detroit: exists to uplift, impact and influence that lives and welfare of transgender women of color in Detroit.

Black Trans Media (Brooklyn, NY): We are #blacktranseverything storytellers, organizers, poets, healers, filmmakers, facilitators here to confront racism and transphobia trans people of the diaspora committed to decolonizing media and community education

Garden of Peace, Inc.(Pittsburgh, PA): Centers black trans & queer youth, elevates and empowers the narratives and lived experiences of black youth and their caretakers, and guides revolutionary spaces of healing and truth through art, education, and mentorship.

House of Pentacles (Durham, NC): HOP is a Film Training Program and Production House designed to launch Black trans youth (ages 18-35) into the film industry and tell stories woven at the intersection of being Black and Trans. We have a simple mission: to train the next generation of Black trans storytellers and filmmakers, to leverage our brand to get Black trans filmmakers paid projects in their communities, and to pay Black trans trainees to work on HOP projects that further the stories of Black trans people globally.

Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition (Minneapolis, MN): is committed to improving health care access and the quality of health care received by trans and gender non-conforming people through education, resources, and advocacy.

RARE Productions (Minneapolis, MN): Arts and entertainment media production company for LGBTQ people of color that promotes, produces, and co-creates opportunities and events utilizing innovative artistic methods and strategies.

Baltimore Safe Haven: providing opportunities for a higher quality of life for transgender people in Baltimore City living in survival mode.

Transgender Emergency Fund of Massachusetts: recently helped organize a Trans Resistance Vigil and March through Boston, in place of the Boston Pride Parade that was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Semillas: In Borikén/Puerto Rico, our trans, gender non-conforming and queer communities are facing many obstacles to our survival, and not only due to Mariá.

Street Youth Rise Up: Our campaign is to change the way Chicago sees and treats its homeless home free and street based youth who do what they have to do to survive.

Trans(forming): A membership-based organization led by trans men, intersex, gender non-conforming people of color, to provide resources and all around transitional support.

[dearevanhansenofficial]

“YOU WILL BE FOUND” NATIONAL COLLEGE ESSAY WRITING CHALLENGE 2021 | DEAR EVAN HANSEN

DEAR EVAN HANSEN “You Will Be Found” National College Essay Writing Challenge 2021

In partnership with Gotham Writers Workshop and the Broadway Education Alliance, DEAR EVAN HANSEN invited 11th-grade and 12th-grade students across the country to write a college-application style essay that describes how they channeled “You Will Be Found” to ensure those around them were a little less alone over the last year, or, alternatively, a moment where they found comfort in connection.

WINNER: Nearly 4,000 high school students across America wrote about impactful ways they stayed connected with others over the last year and we're delighted to announce Maxwell Silverman of Chicago, IL as the winner of the 2021 "You Will Be Found" National College Essay Writing Challenge and the $10,000 scholarship.

In June 2021, Maxwell graduated from Lane Tech High School in Chicago with plans to attend Boston Conservatory at Berklee, focusing on a degree in Musical Theatre.

FINALISTS: Seth Gorelik, Bellmore, NY Mira Kwon, Los Angeles, CA Anna Cappella, Pittsburgh, PA Semira Abdus-Salam, Rosedale, NY Filgey Borgard, Brooklyn, NY Lauren Escarcha, Orlando, FL Kacey Feth, Union, MO Paige Foltz, Stephens City, VA Sarah George, Chesterfield, MO Vincent Gerardi, Hauppauge, NY Ariane Lee, Syosset, NY Allison Lierz, Omaha, NE Megan Luong, New York, NY Kimberly Manyanga, Billerica, MA Orla Grace McCoy, Raleigh, NC Lucy Meola, New York, NY Sunaya DasGupta Mueller, Palisades, NY Liv Ollestad, Issaquah, WA Liana O'Rourke, Downers Grove, IL Isaiah Register, New York, NY Sydney Schneider, Los Angeles CA Ysanne Sterling, Centreville, VA Madeline Wiest, Peoria, AZ Samantha Williams, Providence, RI Laura Yee, New York, NY

FINAL ROUND JUDGES: Kelly Caldwell, Dean of Faculty, Gotham Writers' Workshop Logan Culwell-Block, Director of PLAYBILLder Operations and Community Engagement, Playbill Will Roland, Actor, Dear Evan Hansen Original Broadway Cast Member Crystal Su, Program Manager, The Jed Foundation Ekele Ukegbu, 2019 Jimmy Award Winner

READ MAXWELL’S FULL ESSAY:

Gram·pun·cle [geram-puhn-cuul] n. A gay man who formerly dated your grandmother only to later come to terms with his sexuality but still stay in the family to take care of your mother and aunt growing up.

Alan Palmer was my Grampuncle. When my cousins and I were younger, we couldn’t figure out what to call him. He was our grandpa in terms of age and raising our mothers, but he functioned more as the classic “fun gay uncle”, so we settled on a combination, Grampuncle. While we all had amazing relationships with Alan, mine was special. I have known Alan and his husband, Bill, since birth (making them the first ever gay couple I knew in my life).

Growing up and struggling with my sexuality, I was always able to look up to them to show me that true love really does have no boundaries. I will never forget, in 2015, standing inside the Michigan courthouse beside Alan as he and Bill exchanged vows and got married. They showed me, a young, insecure gay boy, that there was a place for me in the world and that I had a future to look forward to filled with love and joy.

Along with that joy, there eventually came some pain. Alan was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in the early spring of 2020. A week or so after the diagnosis, the world fell into a global pandemic. Those first few months were intense. I heard the horror stories from Alan of how scary it was going into the hospital for rounds of chemotherapy with people who had the Coronavirus sitting in the next wing over. Being constantly in and out of the hospital he was a risk to others, and the lung cancer made almost everyone else a risk to him. With the exception of his husband, he was fully alone.

Alan did not admit to his loneliness and pain. He did not want to feel like a burden, but after talking with Bill and hearing how Alan was truly feeling, my family began to make the hour and a half drive from Chicago to Michigan almost every other week to visit. We brought Alan a pop-up gazebo and some fancy sun hats to protect him (with the radiation he could not be in the sun for more than a few minutes at a time), and we would sit in the backyard just talking and laughing for hours until Alan’s body would give in to the exhaustion and he had to go inside.

As his birthday approached, I racked my brain thinking of something special to do for him. I thought back to a video I saw online toward the beginning of the pandemic and decided to make a “hug shield”. What better gift to give than a loved one’s embrace during the pandemic? Using a clear painter’s tarp, I cut arm holes and taped together closed arm sleeves. It took a good few hours, but I finally figured out a design that allowed for full protection on either side of the hug. On the day of his birthday, we packed up the car and headed to Michigan.

After talking and eating cake, it was time for the surprise. As we pulled the shield out and hung it from the gazebo, Alan did something I had only seen at the courthouse; he cried. I had the honor of the first hug, and as I slipped my arms into the sleeves Alan and I held each other and cried together. He pressed his forehead against mine through the plastic and in between sobs he said to me, “I am so proud of you.” I knew this was our final goodbye. When Alan died the next week, I knew he went in peace. He had felt my embrace through the shield of love.

SEMI-FINALISTS: Bailey Andera, Thousand Oaks, CA Arianna Arroyo, Brooklyn, NY Alexis (Lexi) Berganio, Honolulu, HI Avery Bielski, Los Angeles, CA Henry Boemer, Villa Rica, GA Isabelle Bulmahn, Imperial, MO Jane Butera, Phoenixville, PA Mia Cashin, Norwell, MA Sean Choo, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA Zuri Clarno, Columbus, OH Lydia Corcoran, Apalachin, NY Cody Coyle, Winter Park, FL Anna Dai-Liu, San Diego, CA Alexander Guerrero Diaz, Richmond, VA Isabella Dufault, Irvine, CA Edwin Ellis, Atlanta, GA Laurel Emanuel, Raleigh, NC Aubrey Fisher, Cobden, IL Sunny Fong, Brooklyn, NY Sarah Galatoire, Houston, TX Zhao Gu Gammage, Wyncote, PA Sarah Gomez, Anaheim, CA Rachel Gray, Cleveland, OH Jameson Huge, Chicago, IL Sarah Grace Hutchinson, Alpharetta, GA Catheryn Ibegbu, Dearborn, MI Nicole Jo, Andover, MA Kelsey Johnston, Prince George, VA Gabrielle Kashorek, Avon, NY Samantha Kern, Akron, NY Nicole Kowalewski, Sykesville, MD Anne Lee, Edison, NJ Amelia Lin, Mukilteo, WA Judianne Meredith, River Vale, NJ Rabi Michael-Crushshon, Minneapolis, MN Geneva Millikan, Maumelle, AR Samantha Moy, Long Island, NY Shaakirah Nazim-Harris, Amityville, NY Eleanor Neal, Springfield, VA Sofia Ochoa, Camarillo, CA Basilia Oferbia, Brooklyn, NY Annika Olson, Rathdrum, ID Kaden Polt, Osmond, NE Shreeyamsa Poudel, Federal Way, WA Noah Robie, South Berwick, ME Zainely A. Sandoval Martinez, Dorado, PR Devyn Schoen, Eldred, PA Yusra Shaikh, Edison, NJ Gabrielle Shockley, Egg Harbor Township, NJ Ava Sklar, Brooklyn, NY Mia Sunday, Sammamish, WA Christina Unkenholz, Smithtown, NY Emilia Valencia, Portland, OR Brianna Wallace, Fredericksburg, VA Charles Wang, West Hartford, CT Daniel Joseph Weispfenning, Ridgewood, NJ Jennifer Wheeler, Reading, MA Virginia Zanella, Collierville, TN Alessandra Zepeda Ortiz, Los Angeles, CA Anna Zhang, New York, NY Daniel Zhang, Cortland, NY

[seitajewelers]

Do You Need a Fake Engagement Ring for Travel?

Whether you’re exploring a new city or lounging by the ocean, wearing your expensive engagement rings in Pittsburgh, PA might make you feel uneasy. That’s where a fake engagement ring comes in handy.

These convincing yet affordable rings, often called travel engagement rings, are a great way to show off your engagement without worrying about your actual ring. Many newlyweds opt for faux rings during their honeymoon to keep their precious diamonds safe. So, if you are looking to keep your real engagement ring safe and damage-free, think about getting a fake one.

To help you find the best option, here are some top picks that balance clarity, brilliance, and budget. You’ll be amazed at how realistic these fake rings can look!

Choosing the Right Fake Engagement Ring

The goal is for your fake custom jewelry in Pittsburgh, PA to look just like a real engagement ring, especially from a distance. Lab-made diamond stones are the most common choice as they closely resemble diamonds and are highly affordable. The best part is that these diamond rings are a good investment as they can even be your engagement rings.

You’ll want to select a ring that sparkles in the light and catches the eye. Look for a reliable and trusted jewelry store in Pittsburgh, PA that can offer you a range of high-end pieces at an affordable price.

Price is another important factor. The beauty of fake engagement rings is that they don’t break the bank. You can find plenty of affordable options, but if you want something more convincing, you may need to spend a little extra. Nonetheless, even if you can’t afford something more convincing, a faux diamond ring made with lab diamonds can easily pass off as the real thing. So, that gives you peace of mind, knowing that you have a ring that will shine like a genuine diamond ring. At a later stage, when you have more money, you can buy a real diamond ring. Just ask your jewelry store to replicate the design of lab diamond ring.

Still, it’s important to choose a ring that you won’t mind replacing if something happens to it.

The Takeaway

When picking a fake engagement ring, feel free to choose a style different from your real one. It’s all about personal preference and finding something that makes you feel comfortable.

Whether it’s for travel or just peace of mind, these affordable rings offer a stylish and secure alternative!

[kelemengabi]

Transhumanism in the light of theology, philosophy and science – critical perspective and Christian metaphysical implications,

Faculty of Letters, Theology and History of the West University Timisoara will organizes the International Conference with the topic “Transhumanism in the light of theology, philosophy and science – critical perspective and Christian metaphysical implications” (Timișoara, November 4-7, 2021). In this academic event we will bring the transhumanist ideal into conversation with modern philosophy and Christian theology. We are inviting you to participate in this conference to examine, from the perspective of philosophy and theology, the recent cultural movement calling itself transhumanism, that combines biology with technology, enhancing our bodies and brains with scientific innovation, seeking to overcome the limitations of our flesh.

The dialogue between science, theology and philosophy lately has managed a notable move in a fresh creative direction. This is owed largely to his principal aim of juxtaposing the conventional modern philosophical and cosmological concerns with the theological ideas and methods of the early Church Fathers. Therefore, the main objective of this conference is to advance the science and theology discourse along an existential route, employing Patristic ideas toward a new synthesis with modern philosophy and science and, thus, to locate scientific knowledge and faith as twin activities of the contemporary shared human subjectivity.

Technology has become constitutive of the identity of modern human being. The incorporation of technology into human self-understanding has alarmed both theologians and secular humanists – technology applied to the inner life dehumanizes us. No amount of increased intelligence will redeem us from what the theologians call sin. Human nature is not capable of changing through the augmentation of intelligence. There is here a confusion of sociological evolution with spiritual progress.

The theologian looks forward to the divine transformation or deification, and not to enhance human intelligence through technological augmentation. A full answer to the problems inherent within the dream of transhumanism would have to include a revaluation of personhood. There is a theological response that will be shared by all Christians: the human person is made in the image of God.As the debate grows in urgency, how should theology respond? The scholars that have joined for this conference are voices that together want to bring fresh insight into the technologies that are already reshaping the future of Christian life and hope. Technological dehumanization versus God’s promise for ultimate transformation (theosis) – this is the debate about. 

What will Christian theology to the transhuman ideal, as a kind of alternative story of salvation? Transhumanism can mean overcoming our garment of flesh, and the reformation of human knowledge through the sciences also means to fight against the Fall of man, resembling a nature rivaling its creator.

This calls on Christians to understand and engage with some of the deep issues facing the church in a technological, transhumanist future and to considers how technology can help or harm genuine spiritual transformation. Are there theological insights and spiritual practices that can help Christians face the challenge of living in a technological world without being dangerously conformed to its values? This calls on the Christians to understand and engage with the deep issues facing the church in a technological, transhumanist future.

Is this transhumanist belief (their faith and trust in a combination of biological evolution and technological progress) acceptable to contemporary science? Perhaps not. But, we can do here a theological and philosophical critique of it. Christianity is the real challenge to transhumanism, not the other way around.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

RONALD COLE-TURNER (H. Parker Sharp Professor of Theology and Ethics, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary)

GEORGE KHUSHF (Professor of Philosophy, Director of the Center for Bioethics, University of South Carolina)

ANDREW NEWBERG (Director of Marcus Institute of Integrative Health, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA)

PHILIPPE GAGNON (Chaire Sciences, technosciences et foi à l’heure de l’écologie intégrale, Université Catholique de Lille)

WILLIAM GRASSIE (Director of Metanexus Institute, Philadelphia)

JAMES LAWRENCE (Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford)

YANNICK IMBERT (Doyen, Professeur d’apologétique, Faculté Jean Calvin, Aix-en-Provence)

CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT (Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, IOCS Cambridge)

MIRCEA DUMITRU (Romanian Academy & Faculty of Philosophy, University of Bucharest)

ȘTEFAN CÂRSTEA (National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering IFIN-HH)

ADRIAN SORIN MIHALACHE (Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Religion and Science, University of Iași)

COSTEA MUNTEANU (Faculty of International Business and Economics, Bucharest University of Economic Studies)

NICU GAVRILUȚĂ (Faculty of Philosophy and Social-Political Sciences, University ”Alexandru Ioan Cuza” Iași)

ȘTEFAN TRĂUȘAN-MATU (Computer Science, University Politehnica of Bucharest)

ADRIAN LEMENI (Faculty of Orthodox Theology, University of Bucharest)

CLAUDIU MESAROȘ (Faculty of Political Sciences, Philosophy and Communication, West University of Timisoara)

ALIN GAVRELIUC (Faculty of Sociology and Psychology, West University of Timisoara)

SORIN MUȘUROI (Politehnica University of Timisoara)

NICHIFOR TĂNASE (Faculty of Letters, Theology and History, West University of Timișoara)

GABRIEL KELEMEN (Faculty of Arts and Design, West University of Timişoara)

https://www.uvt.ro/en/blog/transhumanism-in-the-light-of-theology-philosophy-and-science-critical-perspective-and-christian-metaphysical-implications/

[casadorojewelry]

Edgy Gothic Engagement Rings We Can't Stop Staring At

If you’re the type of bride who is looking for engagement rings in Pittsburgh that are edgy, unconventional, and showcase your bold personality and style, gothic rings are the ideal choice.

These rings often feature gemstones like black diamonds, black onyx, emeralds, and blood-red rubies along with detailing like roses, vines, bats, skulls, and even cobwebs that are designed to meet your needs.

Reasons to love gothic rings

One of the main reasons why a lot of brides tend to prefer Gothic wedding bands in Pittsburgh is that these rings offer you the creative freedom to design your ring the way you want.

This allows you to create a piece that resonates with your style and personality preferences.

When it comes to gothic rings, look for gemstones like black diamonds, deep blue sapphires, red rubies, and even salt and pepper diamonds that offer you an edgy and gothic feel.

You can also cut your gemstone in a coffin cut, a radiant cut, or even a shield cut for an alternative feel.

Just keep in mind that there is a fine line between gothic Pandora bracelets in Pittsburgh and Halloween jewelry. You want to make sure that you head to a reliable and trained professional that can custom-design the perfect piece for you to the highest quality.

While most brides set their rings in platinum, you can also opt for yellow gold for a stunning contrast.

The Takeaway

The price of your gothic ring can range from affordable to high-end depending on the type of metal, gemstones, design, and style that you choose.

Many heirloom and vintage-inspired jewelry stores also carry beautiful pieces that are one-of-a-kind and that you can pass down to future generations in years to come. Make sure you get your ring appraised, insured, and certified before you purchase it.

[grandhotelabyss]

I’m going to cheat on this audiovisual Monday to bring you a purely textual post about audio. I found this in my back pages while visiting family recently: a letter to the editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from 1996. It is, I believe, my first publication, beating even the vampire erotica by two years or so. It reads as over-earnest and sloganeering, almost proto-Twitter, but the draft I submitted was, as I recall, double the length. This is the editor’s punchier version, on which I wasn’t consulted, as the fine print promised I wouldn’t be. 

I don’t remember what those offending DJs on the then-new and eventually short-lived alternative station said, but happily somebody rescued our audiovisual Monday and uploaded over three minutes’ worth of their crass and coarse palaver on YouTube. You can hear shock-jock Booker address a caller as “douche lips,” agree with another caller that he’d like to engage a sex worker, and (in a meta-moment vis-à-vis our topic today) apologize to a third caller that he’s had to censor the poor man’s poetic utterance of the word “fuck.” Strong stuff.

When this letter was printed, I passed it around to my fellow Revolution listeners in the eighth grade. Then my English teacher heard about it and read it out loud in class and agreed with my sentiment—in Catholic school, mind you, so commonsensical were these principles back then. “Who decides?” my teacher asked rhetorically, implying that no one was fit to decide. We could use her spirit today, when government and monopolistic corporations openly collude to suppress even good-faith public inquiry into the shifting tides of authoritative expertise—a form of speech even better worth protecting than some FM goons cracking wise about tits and ass. 

That last remark will strike some of you in the present circumstances as “right wing,” just as my letter to the editor would have been read as “left wing” in 1996, when the religious right still had enormous social influence. Have I moved from left to right? As my letter shows, I haven’t moved at all. Sometimes it’s not our values that change, but the self-appointed sides that trade positions in a scrambling relay for power as we stand from our adolescence forward on principles it would be disgraceful ever to compromise.

[livefrompittsburgh]

Lucy Dacus

9.20.19 // Pittsburgh

I want to start off with saying I enjoy her work, but I’m not as familiar with Lucy’s work as I should be. That being said, last night was a gorgeous mixture of emotions.

The two openers were definitely worthy of playing before Lucy. Taylor Janzen (who hailed from Canada and had a big love of Target) and Quinn Christopherson (hailing from Alaska) both brought and energy that set the mood for the night. Taylor had many haunting songs that just overall reminded me of Autumn. Or maybe it was the small gourds she had on the keyboard. Quinn gave a raw emotional performance giving perspective on his life, love, and experience as a trans man. 

And then there was Lucy. Alternating from solo to full band, she was giving it her all on what was the last night of the tour. As I stood there, completely engaged in her music, I couldn’t help but notice how angelic she looked. With her soft cherub face, heavenly voice, and the lights illuminating her it was almost otherworldly. The thing that grounded the performance was how human her emotions were. I noticed a big thing that tied all the acts together tonight was love. Lucy had her little brother come on and play a song with the band as drummer, her dad was in the audience, and she prefaced the song My Mother & I with some words about the woman who inspired the song. Weather it was familial, platonic, or romantic love, it was all there last night. When the show was coming to a close, Lucy brought the entire audience to tears with Night Shift. She closed with a new song, ending the show as she began. Alone on stage with her music and the audience. 

Overall, it was a beautiful performance that left me feeling just a bit melancholy and introspective. I don’t usually go to such mellow shows like this but it was definitely a good deviation from the norm.