#Share Your World – 2016 Week 42

[female-buckets]

At 4 p.m. on the dot Tuesday afternoon, as scheduled, UConn women's basketball legend Diana Taurasi took a seat in front of a USA Basketball backdrop and stared into the camera with a signature gigantic smile.

Taurasi, 40, is still going strong at every elite level of basketball.

But for the first time in 18 years, Sue Bird was not sharing the backcourt and wasn’t within earshot as members of the U.S. women's national team gathered for a four-day minicamp in Minneapolis.

“Sue and I pretty much talk every single day, whether it's a text or something stupid someone said and she sends it to me and we laugh over that,” said Taurasi, who teamed with Bird, her former UConn teammate, to win five Olympic gold medals. “We're always communicating. It was weird. It was strange getting here and not having Sue. Usually right now we're having coffee and talking for about three hours, then we'd have dinner and we'd have another coffee and talk for another two hours. When your best friend is not on the team anymore, it is a little bit strange. I'll have to find someone else to bug.”

Taurasi also is one of the few public figures to have been in constant contact with longtime Phoenix Mercury teammate Brittney Griner, who decided not to participate in this week’s Team USA minicamp. Griner was detained in Russia on drug charges in February 2022 and sentenced to nine years in prison, but was returned to the U.S. as part of a prisoner exchange that made international headlines in November.

“It was a situation that I thought wasn't going to happen,” Taurasi said. “I'm not a person that lives in this fake world of optimism. I knew how serious everything was. I lived in Russia for 10 years. I know how serious these things are there. ... I really thought it was going to be a long time before I got to see my friend again. Every single day, we suffered and hoped that she would be back. Not until I saw her did I really believe it. Just to see her smile, just to see her free, was really emotional for everyone.

"And we knew at the same time, even as she got into that plane and we got to Phoenix, there was going to be a whole new set of challenges, a whole new reality, a whole new way of living life for BG. All I can say is that every day she's in a great place. She's so thankful to be home. She has so much admiration for all the people who pushed and helped and made sure that we got her home. It's a work in progress but it's just amazing to see her at home with her friends and family. The one thing that has never left BG is the ability to make people happy, and to make them smile. I'm just so glad she's home with her family and her friends.”

Taurasi and Griner, both former No. 1 draft picks, have been teammates with the Mercury since 2013. They won Olympic gold together in 2016 (under Geno Auriemma) and again in Tokyo (under Dawn Staley).

“We just have a special relationship where we can connect on a different level, which is, for both of us, really nice,” Taurasi said. “I've never had a friend go through this. So I think for everyone involved, it's a situation that's very particular and very strange. But BG always finds a way to find lightness in everything. Yeah, we've had probably too many jokes that I can't share, too many stories that I can't share. But just happy she's home. We talk all the time.

“We're both in Phoenix. We both live there full time. So we've hooked up a couple times. We chat on the phone, text. This morning, she texted me, 'How's camp going?' She wants to be part of this like no one else. So she'll get there eventually. She'll find her footing.”

Bird retired after the 2022 WNBA season. Taurasi, who turns 41 in June and will be 42 before the 2024 Paris Olympics, shows no eagerness to walk away no matter how difficult the preparation for games and seasons has become.

“As I look at you guys, I know some of us are a little bit on the older side,” Taurasi said to a Zoom media audience. “It's a daily grind. It's something I've focused my whole life on, to be as healthy as I can be, to be on the court, to make sure I'm available to my kids and my family. It's been something that the last four or five years has really consumed my life, to do everything possible in order to be on the court. I continue to do that now. It's something that I find as a challenge and I like to do it. And we'll go from there.”

Taurasi won three consecutive NCAA championships at UConn before going on to become the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer.

“Since I stopped playing in Russia [in 2017], I've had to reorganize the way I look at my basketball career,” Taurasi said. “When you're playing year-round you're kind of just always in shape and you're just in that constant going from team to team, always being in shape. And when you settle down and you just play the WNBA, the offseason is long. You really have to plan it out and see the times where you can really push yourself, and times when you have to look in the mirror and say, 'I need to backtrack a little bit.' So it's an ongoing journey. It's a great process. You learn a lot about yourself and how committed you are. Because when you're not on a team, you could easily not do it. You could easily just go to happy hour instead.”

Taurasi has not yet signed a contract for the 2023 season.

“I expect to,” she said. “That's something I've said for a long time, that finishing my career in Phoenix is something I have a lot of respect for and something that I want to do. But you never know what can happen in this world, right? As we've seen in the last couple of weeks, anything can happen.”

Asked if she would take less money to create cap flexibility for the Mercury, Taurasi said, “Yeah, I don't know about that. I'm not one to take less money. I don't know about you guys.”

Taurasi said he recently met Mat Ishbia, new owner of the Mercury and the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. She averaged 16.7 points last season, her 18th with the Mercury.

“Last season, for a lot of reasons, nor here or there, I didn't feel like I brought the best version of myself,” Taurasi said. “I feel like there were glimpses of days where I was like, oh, this is still pretty easy. And there were days where I was like, I'd rather be somewhere else. This is just another challenge for me, approaching this season with a different mindset. I'm excited about that.”

Taurasi famously shouted into the TV cameras, “See you in Paris!” after winning Gold with Team USA in Tokyo. The Paris Olympics are July/August of 2024.

“USA Basketball is a very special organization,” Taurasi said. “I've been a part of it since 1998 when I started playing under-18's. I played through college. It's been a part of my basketball career as much as the WNBA, as much as playing overseas. It's something that I've always taken great respect in playing. It's always been a big honor. And any time I'm asked to a camp, I'll drop everything to try to come if I'm physically ready, and ready to go.”

[phagethemage]

8,17,19,24,37,39,40,42,57,61 😁

8) what are your current goals? Pay off all my debts, fix up my house and just live peacefully. Saving up money to travel whenever I might want to wherever I want.

17) something you don't mind spending all of your money on? Good food I suppose. Maybe games or movies. So long as my bills are taken care of I partake in what I enjoy.

19) when was the last time someone told you you were beautiful? Probably last week from my old friend Tad. They have always been sweet on me ever since I met them.

24) What's your dream car? Dodge Journey 2016 maybe. I like how it drives when I rented one years back. Or a 1984 Mercury Colony Park if I was able to fully kit it out. It would just make a fantastic road trip vehicle.

37) what do you need to be happy? Peace, comfort, reassurance and warmth. If I was able to have that I would be happy. But I try my best to grab hold of the little joys and know that the little joys mean the world.

39) what was the last gift you received? OH MY GOD it was a t-shirt that showed a skeleton bench pressing and says "My body is a machine that turns energy drinks into kidney stones" 🤣🤣

40) what was the last gift you gave? Hm...I mean there is the shirt I got for you but haven't sent it to you yet.

42) favorite place to shop at? FYE probably because I like collecting old movies and such. Or maybe Home Goods because they have a nice variety of good cookware and home decorations @_@

57) what kind of people are you attracted to? Genuine people who have a good smile, nice eyes and a decent figure 👀 I'm really drawn to the face though because if I'm with someone, that's where I'm gonna be looking most of the time.

61) something you find romantic? Coming home to a meal cooked, being woken up to a smiling face, unexpected visits to find me when I'm working just to spend time or share a lunch with me. I miss you messages, written letters, "this made me think of you" and many more hits. And thinking about this made me cry because I just, never get enough of it. I always adore it each and every time and means the world to me. Gonna go collect myself because I'm awash with emotions now.

Thank you ever so sweetly for sending some asks from the list xoxoxo

[notebooknebula]

Leverage Books to Grow Your Real Estate Business with Max Keller & Jay Conner

https://www.jayconner.com/leverage-books-to-grow-your-real-estate-business-with-max-keller-jay-conner/

Max Keller is a Best Selling Author, Investor, Entrepreneur, and National Speaker

Max joins Jay Conner to teach everyone how to create success.

Max went from being a full-time high school Math Teacher to creating multiple successful real estates and marketing businesses. He has published multiple books and currently licensees his lead generation systems to real estate professionals all over the country.

Although business is Max’s new full-time obsession, one thing has never left… the heart of a teacher. Max loves the opportunity to teach, inspire, and share real-world applications that can transform the lives of business owners.

Max earned his B.B.A. in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and his M.A. in Teaching from Louisiana College. He has over 15 years of experience in real estate, finance, and teaching, and he was named the 2019 Industry Innovator of the Year. A few of his current roles are consultant, teacher, author, speaker, and expert panelist. He has flipped over 100 houses and is on a mission to help real estate agents and real estate investors have customers chasing them.

Max created Savior Publishing House as a way to serve his community and help seniors with their real estate challenges. The Savior brand of companies focuses on providing Christian real estate and business solutions to our clients. Max enjoys spending time with his wife and children and engaging in family activities, such as being involved at church and going on vacation. He is passionate about investing time in his family.

Timestamps:

0:01 – Get Ready To Be Plugged Into The Money

1:42 – Jay’s New Book: “Where To Get The Money Now”- https://www.JayConner.com/Book

2:59 – Today’s guest: Max Keller

5:26 – How Max Keller got into the real estate business

7:19 – Max Keller’s first real estate deal.

8:23 – Max Keller’s struggles during his start-up in the real estate business

13:29 – Max Keller’s marketing strategy in finding deals in the senior market

17:41 – They see me differently because I have a book – Max Keller

20:38 – Let Max Keller help you create your own book for your real estate business.

27:34 – ‘Real Estate Investors’ Book Writing Checklist” – https://www.DealsChasingYou.com/Conner

28:57 – Max Keller’s parting advice: Lead with value.

Private Money Academy Conference:

https://jaysliveevent.com/live/?oprid=&ref=42135

Have you read Jay’s new book: Where to Get The Money Now? It is available FREE (all you pay is the shipping and handling) at https://www.JayConner.com/Book

Free Webinar: http://bit.ly/jaymoneypodcast

Jay Conner is a proven real estate investment leader. Without using his own money or credit, Jay maximizes creative methods to buy and sell properties with profits averaging $64,000 per deal.

What is Real Estate Investing? Live Private Money Academy Conference

https://youtu.be/QyeBbDOF4wo

YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/c/RealEstateInvestingWithJayConner

iTunes:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/private-money-academy-real-estate-investing-jay-conner/id1377723034

Listen to our Podcast:

https://realestateinvestingdeals.mypodcastworld.com/11247/leverage-books-to-grow-your-real-estate-business-with-max-keller-jay-conner

Real Estate Investing With Jay Conner

Jay Conner

00:02:40

My special guest knows how to teach and create success. In addition to that, my guest and friend went from being a full-time high school math teacher to creating in such a short period of time, a moldable successful real estate and marketing businesses. In fact, he’s published multiple books and currently licenses his special proprietary lead generation systems to real estate professionals all over the country. Also, I want you to know that all of those businesses are my friend’s new full-time obsession. But one thing has not changed, and that is his heart of being a teacher.

He’s got a servant’s heart. He’s always looking to give value and he loves teaching. He loves the opportunity to teach, inspire, and share real world applications that can transform your business. In addition to that, my special guest and friend has been investing in real estate. He’s got 15 years of experience in real estate, finance, and teaching. And as a matter of fact, he was named the 2019 Industry Innovator of the Year. Also, he has already flipped over 100 houses. In addition to that, he’s created a company called Savior Publishing House as a way to serve his community and to help senior citizens with their real estate challenges, enjoy spending time with his wife and children engaged in family activities. And something very, very important to him is being very involved in his local church, just like me and Carol Joy. With that, welcome to the show my good friend, Max Keller.

Max Keller

00:04:57

Hey, good to be here. Let’s go.

Jay Conner

00:05:00

It is awesome to have you on here, Max. Good to see you again. You and I are in a fellow mastermind. You and I have probably known each other now for about 3 years or so. And I tell you, it’s just amazing to watch all the phenomenal successes and the growth of your company that you’ve got going on. We’re going to be talking about private money with you here on the show today. But before we jump in, tell us, Max, how did you get into real estate?

Max Keller

00:05:28

It was sort of by accident. So, I was teaching Math at an inner city school. I was coaching football, basketball, and track, and I didn’t want to actually get into real estate full time. I just saw it as a passive income opportunity. My pay was pretty much fixed to being a teacher. And so I was like, I got to do something as my kids were getting older. So what I did was I just wanted to maybe get one or two rentals a year. I figured if I did that over a period of time, I could have a pretty good nest egg and then pass it on. What ended up happening in 2015 was I just kind of got sucked into real estate. I mean, it’s not just a good way to make money over long periods of time, but you can really increase the active income.

So I basically just got a local mentor. I worked all day as a teacher and then at night I would work for him. And within about 3 months I got a couple of houses under contract wholesale. One made about $16,000, which is like 4 months worth of teacher pay. I Then did it again. And then another time. And I just decided I needed to go full-time. And so that’s what I did. I just went full-time, I made the leap, it was a lot easier to source deals back then in 2015, 2016 than it is right now, but there’s still ways to do it. You just have to know what you’re doing, execute, and level up your marketing. And so that’s sort of been the journey that I’m on. I’m in Dallas Fort Worth and it’s very competitive like a lot of markets. And so what happened with me, I just had to figure out a better way to do my marketing because if you don’t have leads in your business, whether they’re for private money or for deals, you don’t have a business. So that’s kind of what happened to me. It’s been an amazing journey and it just keeps evolving every day.

Jay Conner

00:07:19

So was your first deal, a wholesale deal, a fix and flip, what was it?

Max Keller

00:07:23

So I have pretty good credit because I didn’t use it. That’s what’s kind of funny about credit. If you use it a lot, you don’t get very much more and your credit score is low. I had gone through when I was a teacher, like the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University model, so I had all my debts paid off. I didn’t understand how to leverage debt in a good way yet. So, I actually took down my first property with a line of credit, I guess I kind of really wholetailed it, I technically took title to it and then just sold it, like I did a closing 4 weeks later to a cash buyer. But yeah, it was $16,000. I mean, I didn’t squeeze every ounce of juice out of the deal like I could have, but what I did have back then, which was really important, is having some really consistent, solid buyers. And that allowed me to create some opportunities for bigger chunks of cash today. And then it allowed me to leverage into long-term assets.

Jay Conner

00:08:23

What were some of your early struggles when you were starting out?

Max Keller

00:08:26

I think probably the first one was what to focus on and like who to market to. So it’s funny. I do a lot of marketing now and I’ve gotten a lot better at it. But at first, the challenge was that marketing because there’s so many other people sending out the exact same thing to everybody. And so as the competition kept going up in our market, the return on my ad spend kept getting lower and lower. And so I had to figure out basically what I figured out in my market was the problem that we were having was every other investor and wholesaler were sending the same messages to the same people. Like if they’re on my list, they’re probably on other people’s lists, too. And we have hedge funds entering our market pretty early on and they were paying really, really high prices.

So I knew that if I was just going to only compete on price and compete against people who have multimillion dollar marketing budgets, that was going to be a tough order. So the good news is I just thought about what the problem was and said maybe I don’t need to take down every deal in Dallas Fort Worth. What’s the best niche I can focus on? And so what I did and what I would encourage people to consider, even if they’re brand new is like, I just kind of outlined what’s a perfect deal for me. And for me, a perfect deal is one where I make good profit on the deal because of a larger profit deal and a smaller one. They take about the same amount of time. Number two is I want to work with people that aren’t resisting me. Like, I would go over to people’s houses and they would argue with me when I showed them the comps and they hadn’t moved in 20 years.

They don’t have a real estate background. And I was like, this is kind of a joke. And so that was number two. I want to work with people who are like, “You’re the expert who helped me,” and I want to work with people that I just enjoyed working with, who were just nice people that just didn’t have a clear path. And so those are the kind of people I wanted to work with. I made a list when I’d already done about 30 or 40 deals, most of the deals that I’d already done didn’t meet all of those criteria, but the ones that did, you didn’t have to be rocket scientists to figure out what the pattern was and that they were senior citizens, they were senior homeowners. So that was sort of my first marketing A-ha moment, was that there’s this really large, fastest-growing niche in our real estate space that I could target with different messages.

Senior homeowners have different needs than millennial homeowners. They just do. They’re interested in different stuff. They have different questions. So instead of sending everybody the same message, “I’ll buy your house, paid cash in 7 days,” like everybody else is sending, I started sending totally different messages that were very senior-centric. And as a benefit, I got a lot more calls. I had a much higher response rate and then kind of the next thing that happened after that real quick was about a senior’s house. It was the dad, and his adult children were there. So he was probably in his early ’80s and the kids were in their ’50s, early ’60s. People were upset because they’re selling the family home. There’s a lot of memories, Christmas was right over there, but they had to do it.

The dad couldn’t stay in the house any longer. And so the adult daughter said, “I really appreciate everything that you’ve done for us. You’ve helped us out.” I found the dad a new place to live, like a senior retirement home. And she said, “You know a lot about this. Have you ever thought about writing a book about this?” I was like, Jay, my lands, that was the furthest thing from my mind. I was like, “No, I’m a Math teacher. I’m not an English teacher.” But then when I thought about it, I was like, that’s actually a pretty good idea because at the time in the little 3 cities that I focused on in this huge Dallas Fort Worth metro area, I was getting known as the guy who knew a lot about seniors.

But if I wrote a book about seniors and their housing struggles, I could be the guy who wrote the book on it. So that’s what I did. I’ve got a special gift for your audience at the end, by the way. If you’re interested in writing your own book, we’ve created the first of its kind DIY guide. It’s basically the framework that we didn’t have when we wrote our first book, but we have now for all the books that we write. I didn’t realize that a book would be such an incredible magnetic marketing engine for my business. I was selfishly just kind of tired of having the 4-hour Q and A’s in everybody’s living rooms, answering the same questions over and over for 3 years. It was kind of burning me out. So I just wrote the answers to all those questions in the book. I wrote down all the stuff that people should ask, and I just got it printed. It took a couple of hundred hours to write my first one and then I just started giving it to people and it became my ultimate business card. And it really changed the way that I market for deals and then eventually private money forever.

Jay Conner

00:13:30

So, you started focusing, as you just said, on serving and talking with senior citizens that were at the point where they needed to sell their houses.

What are your favorite marketing methods for locating the owners of these houses that may be looking to sell?

Max Keller

00:13:56

Great question. So there’s really 2 categories of marketing methods that we use. They’re the ones that we used before we had a book. And then there’s the ones that are more available to people who are experts, authorities, local celebrities. You, obviously, are in that category. And so what we did initially when we got the book, was basically just the same methods that we were using. Data is more available now than it’s ever been. It’s easier than it’s ever been to find more ways than there’s ever been for people to reach you. What’s really missing in marketing is really understanding who you’re talking to as a marketer and then sending messages that are like reading their minds.

That’s the biggest problem, okay? It’s not the list. Everybody has the same list. Everybody knows how to stack a list. You can go on YouTube, figure it out in 5 minutes. The real challenge is why would they choose you over everybody else? That’s the missing piece. And so that’s what we did. I’ll give you an example, real simple, okay. We’re getting calls from our direct mail, our door-to-door flyers, our normal calling agents and talking about if there are pocket listings. Normal stuff. So people are calling our office, right? We had just gotten the book and sometimes they’re calling with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder because they know that they’re getting all this mail, you know? So they’re like, “Hey, congratulations, you’re going to win the house lottery. You have the opportunity to come over to my house and pay me more than you probably should.”

And so when people call, they’re like, “we need you to come over right now.” And I was afraid that if I didn’t go over there real quick, they would sell it to somebody else. That’s what they teach at all the bootcamps. And that’s probably true if you don’t have a book, but if you do, you don’t have to do that because instead I would just say, “Hey, oh great! Yeah, you want us to come over? Okay. we’ll get to that. Hey, real quick, do you have a copy of our latest book?” And they’re like, “Your book?” like the whole tone changes. I go, “Yeah! We wrote the book on senior housing. I’m the Home To Home guy, the step-by-step senior housing guide.” And I press further.

“So, let me ask you a question. If I send an autographed copy of the book to your house,  you can read Chapter 3 – ‘All The Ways To Sell Your Home with Pros & Cons of Each’ before I come over. Because if you can, then I’ll come over and if you can’t, then I can’t come over. See, I’m the boss of my business. I’m the expert you’re calling and talking to the foundational source for the information that you need. So we’re going to follow my process.” It’s not being rude. It’s just a statement of fact. And so it really increases compliance, which is what you want as a business owner. Because you know the formula to help your clients better than they do. Otherwise, they’d be doing it themselves. Well, what do you think people are going to say when you ask them if they’re going to read an autographed book?

What do people say when they get your autographed book? They can’t wait. So what happens is, I pay a courier about 30 or 40 bucks. I send it over and I go, “Hey, do you still need me to come over right now? Or are you going in to foreclosure?” Then we got like a couple of days. It’s okay, a couple of days. So now I’m on my schedule, which is what I need to run a predictable business. I send the book, they read Chapter 3, but they read the rest of the chapters. Do you know what I mean? They read the story right here with me and my Momo. Do you think people think that guys who take care of their 90-year-old grandmas are scumbags or loan sharks? Heck, no. They’re like, “Man, this is, like, my new grandson, Max.”

So when I come over, they’ve read the whole book. They’ve already spent 4 or 5 hours with me and they see me differently because I have a book, you know? So it just sets the tone really well. It puts the odds in my favor. Then when I come over, I bring them the workbook and they’re just like, “Dang, it’s like Christmas around here.” And then I go through it with them. So instead of just talking about stuff or asking these lame and hard closing questions that nobody likes and it makes you look really slimy, we don’t have to do any of that stuff. Here’s the perfect example, Jay, on page 41. I tagged this page. I go, “Now, Mavis, if you’re looking at some other investors to buy your house, I totally understand that.”

I said to her, “I’d probably do the same thing, but make sure that you ask them these questions. These are the questions you’re going to want to ask to make sure you don’t get roped in with the wrong person. And by the way, you can ask me those questions, too: Do you see the credibility? Do you see the openness?” It’s like lights out. So that’s how we buy houses and it works really well. We attach it to what we’re already doing, but then the other stuff is the stuff that we didn’t even know about, which is speaking to local businesses. So one time I spoke at the probate attorney association, a monthly meeting for my county. Jay, do you think that 30 probate attorneys sitting in a room while you’re standing, that makes you the expert at what you’re delivering? Do you think some of those 30 probate attorneys in the next 2 years are going to know somebody that needs to sell their house?

Jay Conner

00:19:12

Well, it’s the perfect market that is like the revolving door of prospects for your target market.

Max Keller

00:19:19

Yeah. And so I used to think the only way to market for deals was directly to the homeowner with really standard, generic messages that get thrown in the trash. So our messages used to be in the junk mail, but now our books are on the coffee table with all the other autographed books from the local real estate experts, which, as you know, it’s not a huge stack. So, it’s about pivoting when you’ve established yourself as an authority, as an expert, as a local celebrity in your field, whatever it is. It helps make the transition going from an annoying pest, as Dan Kennedy says, to a welcome guest.  We were the pesky salespersons who were only pitching and not listening, but now we’re the educator or the non-fiduciary housing advisor. That’s just a big paradigm shift. And when you’re in front of 30 business owners, there’s an incredible amount of leverage because they know 30 prospects. So in 1 hour you can really speak to 900 people. It’s just super powerful. And I haven’t found any other method of marketing that can replicate those kinds of results.

Jay Conner

00:20:32

Well, you can’t beat the credibility of having a book. You can’t beat the credibility of knowing what you’re talking about and being an expert. So, Max, we got a lot of people here listening to the podcast and I’m sure they’re scratching their heads going, “Well, that’s a great idea, Max, but how in the world do I get me a book?”

Max Keller

00:20:52

How can I get a book? Yeah, great question. I would love to come on here and say, “Jay, I’m just such a hot shot ninja marketer that I planned all this out.” Nothing could be further from the truth. If my market wasn’t so competitive, I would have never spent 200 hours writing a book. I would have just kept scooping up deals like most people were doing in that time in these tertiary, secondary markets, but I didn’t have a choice and it worked out really good. Here’s what happened. I’m getting deals with my book. I’m in masterminds, and we’re actually in a lot of the same masterminds. So I’m in this mastermind and my friends in there, you know, investors copy what works, they’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. And they’re like, “Hey, I kinda like this.”

“I live in Florida. You’re not using your book in Florida. It turns out we got seniors there, too. You think I could use your book?” And I was like, “I don’t know.” Maybe I just didn’t understand. And then my friend in Chicago is like, “Hey, can I use your book? Hey, they got seniors in Chicago, too.” So what we did was we created a system. I brought in some of the who’s who in publishing and we created a licensing program. It turns out the secret behind this book is that 99% of it is about stuff that our ideal prospect cares about. 1% is about us. Most marketing messages are the opposite. All they do is talk about themselves and very little about the person. That’s why they don’t call you. It’s like, “I’m sending out all this stuff. Why are people not calling me?”

Because it doesn’t look like you even understand what they’re going through. So that was sort of the accidental secret sauce from this. So we created a system where we change about 5% of the book, because the ways to sell a house in North Carolina is pretty similar to Dallas and is pretty similar to California, especially with the types of assisted living facilities, all of that’s about the same. So now we just swap them out on the cover. We give them a custom cover and they just pay us a one-time licensing fee to set up their book. In less than 30 days, they have a book and a workbook that they can hand out to prospects. And so they only spend about an hour or two of their time filling out all the information we need to personalize it. We write in their story.

So it just lowers the barriers that make it easier. And the folks that are usually a fit for our program are folks that are active real estate investors. They understand the value of a deal. They have some credibility, but they just haven’t figured out a way to signal it to the people they’re trying to reach. The phone isn’t ringing like it used to. Those are the people that come to us. And we’ve had about 130 students that licensed one of our 4-books systems across the nation. They see that this works and they don’t want to reinvent the wheel. So yeah, that created another, whole new business that I never expected. That’s where I got the award from, with Robert Kiyosaki. Jay, a funny story and I didn’t tell everybody this right.

It’s kind of embarrassing, but in 2005 I actually tried to get into real estate. I was 25. I just got married. The problem was, I wasn’t reading and I definitely wasn’t writing books. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. So I researched CRMs all day, which is worthless. And I created an LLC, which is meaningless. And I didn’t know anything about marketing or lead generation. I stood in line to get Robert’s book for 2 hours. And then I just ended up not doing anything. That’s what happens. I just didn’t understand what to do next. I didn’t have a mentor. I didn’t even know what that was. So it’s crazy to think and I never would have imagined in a million years, 15 years later, I’m getting this award, we’re sharing a stage together and we’re exchanging books. I never would have imagined it.

It was a really cool deal. So it can happen. Books are super powerful and we believe that we’ve made it easier than ever for folks to plug in. And like I said, it’s for folks who want to do senior housing. And then what happened was that, well, once you have a deal, what do you need after that? The money. So we created a licensing program. This is one of my student’s books, Leonard, I’m really proud of him. He’s in Seattle. And because it turns out, guess what? Senior homeowners have questions. And when you give them the book, they look at you really differently. It works the same way with private money lenders. Who knew? So this is Leonard’s book. And then we just swap out covers. Here’s Tim Davis’. So you see how they’re different? But the insides are the same. But here’s the thing, the person you’ve given it to doesn’t care.

They just want to solve their problem. They’re just trying to figure out how to not get into a deal with a lousy borrower. They’re just trying to figure out if this deal really has a discount or not, they just want to have their questions answered. So instead of going to a blog or getting a bunch of emails, which have a low perceived value, we give them something that has a higher perceived value and a higher level of expected authority and expertise. And we just educate and help people. We tell them this isn’t for everybody. Being a private money lender on real estate is not for everybody. This is who it’s for. This is who is not for. This is my book and if you want to go through it together, I’d love your feedback. You know, stuff like that. So it’s been really cool and he’s happy because he didn’t have to rewrite this himself.

And then what we’re good at is helping people apply it to their marketing because just getting a box of books where you wrote one chapter with everybody else, nobody cares about when you fell down a well and you overcome your struggles, they just care about themselves. “What’s in it for me?”, that’s what all the homeowners are thinking. That’s what all the private money lenders are thinking. They won’t tell you that, but that’s what they’re really thinking. So just give them that, but give it to them in a way that establishes your authority and your credibility and it’s scalable and that’s pretty much what we do. And then we created a book system for Gene Guarino. We just did his latest book, and his students licensed it. And then we haven’t even announced this publicly, but we just wrote a book for Eddie Speed and the Richard Thornton, and so there notes students are going to license that out. That’s brand new. We haven’t even announced it, but I guess I spoiled it a little bit. So it’s been really cool to help people because everybody there wants to lead with more value. They want to educate well, I mean, who would ever say no to that? So it’s been cool.

Jay Conner

00:27:14

What you’ve done there, Max, is you’ve created a way that no matter what niche someone has in real estate, they can further invest on how to raise their credibility and actually convert a higher percentage of prospects into actually doing business. Well, I know we’ve got people that want to connect with you. So what’s the best way for people to connect with you, Max?

Max Keller

00:27:37

Yeah, it’s real simple. We made a special link as long as it’s up, so don’t delay, but we’re going to leave it up at least for the first 25 people who download this. So we created a new book called, “The Real Estate Investors Bookwriting Checklist.” It’s basically all the steps that we went through when we wrote Gene’s book and Eddie’s book and Richard’s book. But we didn’t have that when we started and we haven’t seen it in any other books. So it’s a real simple guide that you can use, whether you’re thinking about writing a book or an e-book or you just want to have social media messages that convert better. It’s real simple. Just go to DealsChasingYou.com/Conner. You can download a copy of the book while the link is still up. And then you can go on the website and check out some of the training videos that we have. It talks about the different types of book systems and how it would benefit you because that’s what it’s all about. It’s about getting more deals. It’s about getting more dollars. And when those things get dialed in, the marketing becomes a lot easier. Life just gets better.

Jay Conner

00:28:50

Max, thank you so much for offering that amazing gift to our listeners here. Any final comments and advice?

Max Keller

00:29:01

Just lead with value. Look, I know you can go deep sea fishing and I know there’s some great fishing where you’re at. You can go deep sea fishing and spend 4 hours trying to wrestle a big fish on the boat. That works. People do it. It’s just really exhausting. That’s what it’s like to market in a crowded market, trying to compete against Wall Street with price. That’s what it’s like trying to market without a book. But what we do is totally different. We share what we’re doing. And then we attract the people that resonate with our message. And so they’re calling and qualifying themselves to work with us. And in one of the most competitive markets in the nation, in one of the most competitive times, people are regularly calling us asking if they qualify to work with us. That’s a big difference.

Jay Conner

00:29:49

That’s awesome. Thank you so much, Max. There, you have it, folks.

[perennialessays]

Crisis and Critique

What is critical theory, and whence the notion of critique as a practical stance towards the world? Using these questions as a point of departure, this course takes critical theory as its field of inquiry. Part of the course will be devoted to investigating what critique is, starting with the etymological and conceptual affinity it shares with crisis: since the Enlightenment, so one line of argument goes, all grounds for knowledge are subject to criticism, which is understood to generate a sense of escalating historical crisis culminating in a radical renewal of the intellectual and social order. We will explore the efficacy of modern critical thought, and the concept of critique’s efficacy, by examining a series of attempts to narrate and amplify states of crisis – and correspondingly transform key concepts such as self, will, time, and world – in order to provoke a transformation of society. The other part of the course will be oriented towards understanding current critical movements as part of the Enlightenment legacy of critique, and therefore as studies in the practical implications of critical readings. Key positions in critical discourse will be discussed with reference to the socio-political conditions of their formation and in the context of their provenance in the history of philosophy, literature, and cultural theory. Required readings will include works by Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Husserl, Benjamin and others, with suggested readings and references drawn from a variety of source materials ranging from literary and philosophical texts to visual images, film, and architecture. You are invited to work on your individual interests with respect to the readings.

Week 1                                                                                              

Critique, krinein, crisis (Koselleck, Adorno)

 Required Reading

Reinhart Koselleck, “Crisis,” Journal of the History of Ideas 67.2 (2006), 357-400.

—, Chapters 7 and 8, Critique and Crisis: Enlightenment and the Pathogenesis of Modern Society. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1988 [German original, 1959].

Adorno and Horkheimer, "The Concept of Enlightenment," in Dialectic of Enlightenment, trans. John Cumming (New York: Continuum, 1989), pp. 3-42.

 Recommended Reading

Michel Foucault, “What is Enlightenment?” in The Foucault Reader. New York: Pantheon Books, 1984: 32-50.

—, The Politics of Truth. New York: Semiotext(e), 1997.

Friedrich Hölderlin, “Nature and Art or Saturn and Jupiter,” in Hyperion and Selected Poems. Ed. by Eric Santner. Translated by Michael Hamburger. New York: Continuum, 1990: 150-151.

  Week 2          

Judgment and Imagination (Kant)

 Required Reading

Immanuel Kant, “Preface [A and B],” in Critique of Pure Reason. Translated and edited by Paul Guyer and Allen W. Wood. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998: 99-124.  

—, “Preface” and “Introduction,” in Critique of Practical Reason, in Practical Philosophy, trans. Mary Gregor (Cambridge UP, 1996), pp. 139-149.

—, §§1-5, 59-60 of Critique of the Power of Judgment, trans. Paul Guyer and Eric Matthews (Cambridge UP, 2000), pp. 89-96, 225-230.

—, “Idea for a Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose,” in Kant: Political Writings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991 (2nd ed.): 41-53, 273.

—, “An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment? [1784],” in Practical Philosophy. Translated by Mary J. Gregor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999: 11-22.

 Recommended Reading

Immanuel Kant, "Analytic of the Sublime," in Critique of Judgment. Translated by James Creed Meredith; revised, edited, and introduced by Nicholas Walker. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007: 75-164.

Theodor Adorno, Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason (2001 [1959])

Henry Allison, Kant’s Transcendental Idealism (2004)

Hannah Arendt, Lectures on Kant’s Political Philosophy (1992)

Geoffrey Bennington, “Kant’s Open Secret”, Theory, Culture and Society 28.7-8(2011): 26-40.

J.M. Bernstein, The Fate of Art: Aesthetic Alienation from Kant to Derrida and Adorno (1992)

Graham Bird, The Revolutionary Kant (2006)

Andrew Bowie, Aesthetics and Subjectivity: from Kant to Nietzsche (1990, 2003)

Howard Caygill, The Kant Dictionary (2000)

Ernst Cassirer, Kant's Life and Thought (1981)

Gilles Deleuze, Kant's Critical Philosophy (1984)

Will Dudley and Kristina Engelhard (eds.) Immanuel Kant: Key Concepts (2010)

Paul Guyer, Kant’s Critique of the Power of Judgment: Critical Essays (2003)

Martin Heidegger, Phenomenological Interpretation of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason (1997)

Laura Hengehold, The BODY Problematic: Political Imagination in Kant and Foucault (2007)

Otfried Höffe, Immanuel Kant (1994)

Jean-François Lyotard, L’Enthousiasme: La critique kantienne de l’histoire. Paris: L’Éditions Galilée, 1986.

Rudolf Makkreel, Imagination and Interpretation in Kant: The Hermaneutic Import of the Critique of Judgment (1990)

Jean-Luc Nancy, A Finite Thinking (2003)

Andrea Rehberg and Rachel Jones (eds.), The Matter of Critique: Readings in Kant’s Philosophy (2000)

Philip Rothfield (ed.), Kant after Derrida (2003)

Rei Terada, Looking Away: Phenomenality and Dissatisfaction, Kant to Adorno (2009)

Yirmiahu Yovel, Kant and the Philosophy of History (1989)

  Week 3          

Recognition and the Other (Hegel)

 Required Reading

G.W.F. Hegel, “The Truth of Self-Certainty” and “Lordship and Bondage,” in The Phenomenology of Spirit. Translated by Terry Pinkard. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2018: 102-116.

—, “The Art-Religion,” in The Phenomenology of Spirit. Translated by Terry Pinkard. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2018: 403-430.

 Recommended Reading

G.W.F. Hegel, Introduction [§§1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8], in Aesthetics: Lectures on Fine Art. Translated by T.M. Knox. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1975: 1-14; 22-55; 69-90.

Stuart Barnett (ed.), Hegel after Derrida (2001)

Frederick Beiser (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Hegel (1993)

Susan Buck-Morss, Hegel, Haiti, and Universal History (2009)

Rebecca Comay, Mourning Sickness: Hegel and the French Revolution (2011)

Rebecca Comay and John McCumber (eds.), Endings: Questions of Memory in Hegel and Heidegger (1999)

Eva Geulen, The End of Art: Readings in a Rumor after Hegel. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2006.

Werner Hamacher, “(The End of Art with the Mask),” in Stuart Barnett (ed.), Hegel after Derrida. London and New York: Routledge, 1998: 105-130.

Werner Hamacher, “The Reader’s Supper: A Piece of Hegel,” trans. Timothy Bahti, diacritics 11.2 (1981): 52-67.

H.S. Harris, Hegel: Phenomenology and System (1995)

Stephen Houlgate, An Introduction to Hegel: Freedom, Truth and History (2005)

Stephen Houlgate, Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit (2013)

Fredric Jameson, The Hegel Variations (2010)

Alexandre Kojève, Introduction to the Reading of Hegel. Lectures on the Phenomenology of Spirit. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1980.

Terry Pinkard, Hegel: A Biography (2001)

  Week 4          

Revolution … (Marx)

 Required Reading

Karl Marx, “I: Feuerbach,” The German Ideology, in Collected Works vol. 5. London: Lawrence and Wishart, 1976: 27-93.

Karl Marx, "Theses on Feuerbach," available online (http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/theses/theses.htm)  

 Week 5

... and Repetition (Marx)

 Required Reading

Karl Marx, “Preface” to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy [1859], in Collected Works vol. 29. London: Lawrence and Wishart, 1976: 261-165.

—, “Postface to the Second Edition” and “Chapter 1: The Commodity,” in Capital: A Critique of Political Economy. Trans. by B. Fowkes. London: Penguin, 1990: 95-103 and 125-177.

 Recommended Reading

Louis Althusser, For Marx (1969)

Hannah Arendt, “Karl Marx and the Tradition of Western Political Thought”, Social Research 69.2 (2002): 273-319.

Étienne Balibar, The Philosophy of Marx (1995, 2007)

Ernst Bloch, On Karl Marx (1971)

Andrew Chitty and Martin McIvor (eds.), Karl Marx and Contemporary Philosophy (2009)

Simon Choat, Marx Through Post-Structuralism: Lyotard, Derrida, Foucault, Deleuze (2010)

Jacques Derrida, Specters of Marx: The State of the Debt, the Work of Mourning and the New International. New York and London: Routledge, 1994.

Werner Hamacher, “Lingua Amissa: The Messianism of Commodity-Language and Derrida’s Specters of Marx” (1999)

Jean Hyppolite, Studies on Marx and Hegel (1969)

Sarah Kofman, Camera Obscura: Of Ideology (1998)

Peter Singer, Marx: A Very Short Introduction (1980)

Michael Sprinker (ed.), Ghostly Demarcations: A Symposium on Jacques Derrida’s Specters of Marx (1999, 2008)

Moishe Postone, History and Heteronomy: Critical Essays (2009)

Moishe Postone, Time, Labor, and Social Domination: A Reinterpretation of Marx’s Critical Theory (1993)

Jacques Rancière, “The Concept of ‘Critique’ and the ‘Critique of Political Economy’ (from the 1844 Manuscript to Capital)”, Economy and Society 5.3 (1976): 352-376.

Tom Rockmore, Marx After Marxism: The Philosophy of Karl Marx (2002)

Gareth Stedman-Jones, Karl Marx: Greatness and Illusion (2016)

  Week 6

Tutorial Week

  Week 7          

Will to Becoming Otherwise (Nietzsche)

 Required Reading

Friedrich Nietzsche, "Preface" and "First Treatise," in On the Genealogy of Morality. Trans. by Maudemarie Clark and Alan J. Swensen. Indianopolis/Cambridge: Hackett, 1998: 1-33.

  Week 8                                                                                                                      

Ascetic Ideal and Eternal Return (Nietzsche)

 Required Reading

Friedrich Nietzsche, "Second Treatise" and "Third Treatise," in On the Genealogy of Morality. Trans. by Maudemarie Clark and Alan J. Swensen. Indianopolis/Cambridge: Hackett, 1998: 35-118.

Recommended Reading

Friedrich Nietzsche, §§341-342 of The Gay Science

Friedrich Nietzsche, “On Vision and Riddle” and “The Convalescent,” in Thus Spake Zarathustra III

Friedrich Nietzsche, “On Truth and Lying in a Non-Moral Sense,” in: The Birth of Tragedy and other writings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Friedrich Nietzsche, “On the Uses and Abuses of History for Life,” in: Untimely Meditations. Trans. by R.J. Hollingdale. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983.

Gilles Deleuze, Nietzsche and Philosophy. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006.

Jacques Derrida, Spurs: Nietzsche’s Styles. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1979.

Michel Foucault, "Nietzsche, Genealogy, History," in Language, Counter-Memory, Practice: Selected Essays and Interviews. Ed. by D. F. Bouchard. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1977: 139-164.

R. Kevin Hill, Nietzsche’s Critiques: The Kantian Foundations of his Thought (2003)

Luce Irigaray, Marine Lover of Friedrich Nietzsche. Trans. by Gillian C. Gill. New York: Columbia University Press, 1991.

Jean-Francois Lyotard, The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. Trans. by Geoff Bennington and Brian Massumi. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1984.

Gianni Vattimo, The End of Modernity: Nihilism and Hermeneutics in Postmodern Culture. Trans. by Jon R. Snyder. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1988.

Alenka Zupančič, The Shortest Shadow: Nietzsche’s Philosophy of the Two (2003)

  Week 9          

Repetition Compulsion (Freud)

 Required Reading

Sigmund Freud, “Beyond the Pleasure Principle” [excerpts], in Peter Gay (ed.), The Freud Reader. London: Vintage, 1995: 594-625.

Recommended Reading

Theodor Adorno, “Revisionist Psychoanalysis,” Philosophy and Social Criticism 40.3 (2014): 326-338.

Louis Althusser, Writings on Psychoanalysis: Freud and Lacan (1996)

Lauren Berlant, Desire/Love (2012)

Leo Bersani, The Freudian Body: Psychoanalysis and Art (1986)

Rebecca Comay, “Resistance and Repetition: Freud and Hegel,” Research in Phenomenology 45 (2015): 237-266.

Jacques Derrida, Archive Fever: A Freudian Impression (1995)

Jacques Derrida, The Post Card: From Socrates to Freud and Beyond (1987)

Mladen Dolar, “Freud and the Political,” Unbound 4.15 (2008): 15-29.

Sarah Kofman, Freud and Fiction (1991)

Jacques Lacan, “The Agency of the Letter in the Unconscious; or Reason after Freud”, in Écrits: A Selection. Trans. by A. Sheridan. New York: Norton, 1977: 146-175.

Catherine Malabou, “Plasticity and Elasticity in Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle.” Diacritics 37.4 (2007): 78-85.

Jean-Luc Nancy, "System of (Kantian) Pleasure (With a Freudian Postscript)," in Kant after Derrida. Ed. by Phil Rothfield. Manchester: Clinamen Press, 2003: 127-141.

Angus Nicholls and Martin Liebscher (eds.), Thinking the Unconscious: Nineteenth-Century German Thought (2010)

Charles Sheperdson, Vital Signs: Nature, Culture, Psychoanalysis (2000)

Samuel Weber, The Legend of Freud. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2000.

Alenka Zupančič, Ethics of the Real: Kant and Lacan. London: Verso, 2012 [reprint].

  Week 10        

Crisis of European Humankind (Husserl)

 Required Reading

Edmund Husserl, §§1-7 and §§10-21, The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology. Trans. by David Carr. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1970: 2-18; 60-84.

Recommended Reading

Edmund Husserl, “Philosophy and the Crisis of European Humanity [Vienna Lecture],” in The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology. Trans. by David Carr. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1970: 269-299.

Jacques Derrida, The Other Heading: Reflections on Today’s Europe. Trans. by Pascale Anne Brault and Michael B. Naas. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992: 4-83.

Paul de Man, “Criticism and Crisis,” in Blindness and Insight: Essays in the Rhetoric of Contemporary Criticism. New York: Oxford University Press, 1971: 3-19.

James Dodd, Crisis and Reflection: An Essay on Husserl’s Crisis of the European Sciences (2004)

Burt C. Hopkins, The Philosophy of Husserl (2011)

David Hyder and Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, Science and the Life-World: Essays on Husserl’s Crisis of European Sciences (2010)

Leonard Lawlor, Derrida and Husserl: The Basic Problem of Phenomenology (2002)

Dermot Moran, The Husserl Dictionary (2012)

Paul Valéry, "Notes on the Greatness and Decline of Europe” and “The European,” in History and Politics. Trans. Denise Folliot and Jackson Matthews. New York: Bollingen, 1962: 228; 311-12.

David Woodruff Smith, Husserl (2007)

Barry Smith and David Woodruff Smith (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Husserl (1995)

  Week 11        

Crisis-Proof Experience (Benjamin)

 Required Reading

Walter Benjamin, “On Some Motifs in Baudelaire,” in Selected Writings vol. 4. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2003: 313-355.

 Recommended Reading

Walter Benjamin, "Experience and Poverty"

—, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproducibility”

—, “Theses on the Concept of History”

—, “Epistemo-Critical Prologue,” in The Origin of German Tragic Drama. Trans. by John Osborne. London and New York: Verso, 2003: 27-56.

—, “Convolute J,” The Arcades Project

—, The Writer of Modern Life: Essays on Charles Baudelaire (2006)

Benjamin and Theodor Adorno, “Exchange with Theodor W. Adorno on ‘The Paris of the Second Empire in Baudelaire,” in Benjamin, Selected Writings vol. 4 (1999).

Charles Baudelaire, The Flowers of Evil; The Painter of Modern Life

Ian Balfour, “Reversal, Quotation (Benjamin’s History)”, Modern Language Notes 106.3 (1991): 622-647.

Eduardo Cadava, Words of Light: Theses on the Photography of History (1997)

Tom Gunning, “The Exterior as Intérieur: Benjamin’s Optical Detective,” boundary 2 30.1 (2003).

Werner Hamacher, “Now: Benjamin on Historical Time” (2001; 2005)

General Background

Julian Wolfreys (ed.), Modern European Criticism and Theory: A Critical Guide (2006) Simon Critchley, Continental Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (2001) Terry Pinkard, German Philosophy 1760-1860: The Legacy of Idealism (2002)

Andrew Bowie, Introduction to German Philosophy: From Kant to Habermas (2003)

Kai Hammermeister, The German Aesthetic Tradition (2002) Gary Gutting, French Philosophy in the Twentieth Century (2001)

Eric Matthews, Twentieth-Century French Philosophy (1996)

Jonathan Simons (ed.), From Kant to Lévi-Strauss: The Background to Contemporary Critical Theory (2002)

Learning Outcomes

-       You will have a grasp of the broad trends in the development of critical theory.

-       You will have a good understanding of how different modern philosophical traditions from German Idealism to Phenomenology inform the different strains of critical theory.

-       You will be able to expound and analyse the ways in which a range of different writers and tendencies in the history of modern thought conceive of the specificity of critique.

-       You will have a sound grasp of the primary and secondary literatures in critical theory, both on general issues and specific thinkers or schools.

-       You will be able to use the ideas and texts explored in the module to inform your readings in critical theoretical texts.

 Assessment Criteria

-       Students should show a clear command of how their chosen thinker(s) and texts relate to the broader trajectories of critical theory.

-       Students should show a detailed critical knowledge of at least two of the module’s key thinkers or theoretical tendencies.

-       Students should show a knowledge and capacity to use a good range of secondary literature on both general issues in the field and on the specific thinkers and texts they address.

-       Students should be able to read the relevant texts from both critical and genealogical perspectives.

-       Students should demonstrate their capacity to develop a distinctive and coherent interpretative and analytical perspective on their chosen subject.

[almaasi]

3 million words fic rec (Destiel)

I’ve officially posted 3 million words on my AO3 account!!

Here’s all 115 of my Dean/Cas fics (as of December 30th 2019). They currently make up 85% of my total fics. I posted 42 fics this year, with a new Destiel fic once every 2 weeks on average, with 24 total.

(The rest, as of the last 6 months, are Crowley/Azriaphale (Good Omens) and Garak/Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). There’s separate fic recs for those. And here’s one Cockles fic.)

Fics listed by year (newest first), then by word count (shortest first).

--

2019

Just a Sniffle (2k / canon, Cas has a cold, Dean gives him a foot rub)

Hanukkahn't Resist You (2k, AU, teacher!Dean gives autistic Jewish teacher!Cas a Hanukkah greeting card containing a pickup line)

Brothers Don't Do That (3k / canon, Cas talks to Sam about how their feelings for Dean differ while ordering take-out)

Taste the Rainbow (In the Rain) (4k / AU, strangers sharing Skittles in the rain and kissing to help Dean quit smoking)

Hit Pause Kitty Claws (4k / AU, Team Free Will are cats belonging to Death!Billie, soft fluff and feline antics)

Weird But Confident (5k / canon, Cas finds Dean’s panties in his bag and thinks Dean slept with a woman)

Enemies Closer (5k / teachers AU, Dean keyed the wrong car, Cas runs AV club and Dean joins him so he has an alibi for his crime)

Snugglebird (5k / canon, Dean’s clothes are going missing, Cas is building a nest

Texted My Ex and Got You Instead (6k, AU, title explains it, fluff, asexual!Cas)

The Angel Cake Challenge (8k / canon crossover with Good Omens (book), Dean tells Crowley & Aziraphale they’re a cute couple and they encourage him to make a move on Cas)

Let's Play Doctors (8k / canon, smut, Dean asks Cas for medical roleplay and they use the machines to watch themselves have first-time sex)

Good For You (11k / canon, Dean teaches Cas to masturbate over the phone, then shows him properly in person)

BFBF (Best Friend's Boyfriend) (11k / AU, ft. Eileen - Cas has an absent bisexual boyfriend named Dean, Sam has an absent straight brother named Dean, oops they’re the same Dean)

Dean and Castiel's Lagoon of Love (12k, canon, Cas is cursed with tentacles and that’s Dean’s kink, they roleplay Dean’s favourite anime, smut and feelings)

Measure of Thigh Love (14k / canon, Dean is turned on by big muscles, Cas has some of those. smut, bottom!Cas)

Eleven Erogenous Zones of a Fallen Angel (15k / canon, Cas accidentally has physical wings and he hates them, Dean bathes and grooms Cas to soothe him, wing kink smut)

Two Heart Pose (17k / AU, overwhelmed papa!Dean, yoga instructor!Cas helps out with baby care)

Through the Lace (18k / office romance AU, desperation & pee kink smut, Dean in panties)

Sycamore Smile (18k / AU, professor!Cas, barista!Dean with a pet bunny, both are a hot mess, Dean helps Cas KonMari his life, ft. the purest fluff and sunshine)

Circuitry and Dust (23k / AU, demiromantic antique dealer!Cas, gaming lounge owner!Dean, Cas wrongly assumes his love is unrequited so helps set Dean up with an ex-girlfriend)

He's Kind of a Hairy Fairy (24k / AU, Team Free Will & co. running a summer camp, there’s only one bed in Dean & Cas’ cabin, Rowena curses Dean with fairy wings and he has to confess his feelings to get rid of them)

First and Only (35k / AU, Dean bets Sam he can have more sex in one year, Dean & Cas become fuck buddies, but Dean wants more so asks Charlie for help)

☆ Sleigh ☆ (46k / Christmas AU, makeup artist!Cas also works for Santa, Dean tags along delivering gifts on Christmas Eve, later a long distance relationship and eventual smut)

He's a (Zoo) Keeper (74k / AU, when zookeeper!Dean isn’t dating anyone, he and beekeeper!Cas have a BFF-roommates-with-benefits thing, but then Cas becomes a wedding planner and plans their fake wedding, drama with smut and feelings)

2018

Gulls N’ Roses (2k / canon, Dean hands Cas a rose, Cas interprets it as romantic)

Lost Night (2k / canon, Dean has nightmares, Cas dreamwalks to help)

He Called Me Honey (3k / canon, breakfast fluff, Dean dreamed he kissed Cas, talks to Sam, Cas shows up)

Note to Self: Cas Loves You (3k / canon, very drunk!Dean, Cas confesses his love)

I’m Dreamin’ of a Grey Christmas (4k / canon, Team Free Will 2.0 snow fight, Cas has some new grey hair, Dean has hearteyes, season 14 divergent)

Dry in the Downpour (5k / Pixar-short-inspired AU, umbrella-sharing)

Prince of the Ether Realms (5k / canon - season 13, must get married for a spell, Sam officiates)

Never or Forever (5k, canon, family dinner, Jody POV)

Without Further Ado (5k, canon, Dean has a list of “reasons not to be with Cas" but they’re all irrelevant now)

Wee Little Love Child (10k / canon, de-aged!Sam thinks Dean and Cas are his parents, gets them together)

Room for Two (The Mattress AU) (14k / college roommates AU, autistic!Cas, fake relationship, ALL the bed-sharing tropes)

Paramour by Post (18k / historical-ish AU, mail delivered to the wrong address, love letters, agender!Cas, bisexual!Dean)

Barbershop Duet (22k / Christmas AU, smut, shaving kink, domesticity, family gatherings)

The House That Wanted to Be a Garden (32k / AU, famous musician!Dean, gardener!Cas, fairies, accidentally moving in)

Duck Duck Boots (92k / ex-daredevil kindergarten teacher!Dean, agoraphobic Cas, small town magic realism & fate AU, looking after ducklings together)

2017

Unconditional (2k / canon - season 13, Dean explains why he loves Cas)

Mostly in Silence (4k / canon, Cas is depressed, Dean helps with self-care)

Restaurant Revelations (4k / canon, Dean and Cas tell Sam they’re engaged)

Whoa There Cowboy (5k / canon, cowboy-kink smut, porn-watching, magic fingers bed)

Pretty Panties and the Pool Shark (6k / kid!fic AU, autistic!Cas is scared of an imaginary shark in the school pool)

Purple Horse in a Coffee Shop (8k / ultimate office romance, pride parade, coffee shop AU)

Lucid Nightmare (10k / siren!Cas AU, dreamwalk-or-die, spooky fluff)

Stumble and Fall (20k / Team Free Will as dogs AU, search-and-rescue adventure, fluff & pining)

A Place and A Feeling (24k / AU, real estate agent!Cas, Dean looking for a house)

Night Exhibition (26k / AU, security guard!Cas at museum at night, friends to lovers, sex everywhere)

The Emporium of Christmas Enchantments (28k / Christmas, magic toyshop AU, kind of like a Disney movie)

Marshmalloween (33k / Halloween AU, Dean takes Sam’s teen friends to a haunted swamp, meet old bestie Cas, ghost adventures)

Our Garden Home (36k / everyone is a garden fairy, AU disabled autistic!Cas, found families)

The Wireless (58k / solarpunk carnival adventure AU, famous hunter!Dean, famous radio presenter angel!Cas, tent sex)

What We Ache For (93k / sex worker!Cas AU, Dean wants to make love, trauma recovery, Team Free Will & found families, a dog)

2016

Fight and Fool Around (5k / AU, bartender!Cas, Dean realises he’s bisexual, alleyway smut)

Tickle Fight Wasteland (5k / AU, fluff in a post-apocalyptic world, everyone is alive, tickle fight & cuddling)

Raising Hell in a Hotel (29k / kid!fic, living in a hotel AU, friendship, pining)

Welcome All Winchesters (60k / AU, snowy Christmas cabin, fake relationship, friends to lovers)

The Moonlighter and the Magician (67k / 1920s historical AU, asexual jewel thief!Cas, bisexual!Dean, running away together)

2015

What’s a Hickey? (1k / canon, Cas has a hickey, talks to Sam about it)

A Postcard for Castiel (4k / AU, kid!fic, autistic!Cas exchanges compliments with Dean, teacher!Charlie)

Symbols of Affection (4k / canon, Dean accidentally texts Cas a kissy-face emoji)

In Which Dean Frogs Up (6k / canon, Dean’s turned into frog in Moondoor, needs true love’s kiss to fix)

The One Where You Are A Guinea Pig (8k / canon, title says it all, Cas takes you to the bunker, Team Free Will interact)

We’re the New Romantics (8k / gifted & talented high school camp AU, aromantic!Cas, pop culture geek!Dean)

Waiting For That Final Moment (8k / AU, Cas interrupts Dean & Lisa’s wedding at a roller rink to declare his love, polyamory)

Delirium and Doctor Sexy (9k / canon, bisexual!Dean high on magical gas, thinks Cas is Dr. Sexy)

#ThankYouSammy (9k / canon, Sam prepares a Valentine’s Day dinner-date for Dean & Cas)

Dean Winchester the Puppydog (10k / canon, puppy play, submissive!Dean, hurt/comfort, non-sexual)

Father Material (12k / AU, asexual uncle!Cas, babysitter!Dean, kid!Claire, romantic attraction)

The Tailor of Fairy Ridge (17k / fairytale AU, tailor!Cas, fairy!Dean helps with clothing designs, good witch!Charlie, evil witch!Rowena)

Take You To The Country (18k / 1920s historical AU, pining, Dean reads an elopement proposal in the newspaper and realises it’s for him, running away together)

Sharing the Rain Dog (19k / AU, musician!Dean, FBI agent!Cas, sharing custody of a dog, have to move in to look after her)

Drop Anchor (42k / pirate!Cas, sailor!Dean, trapped on a deserted island and accidentally achieve domestic bliss AU)

Snow Place Like Home (But My Home Is With You) (47k / canon, Team Free Will in a B&B over Christmas, softness, smut & domesticity)

Held in Your Tender Hands (59k / AU, agender tattooed masseur!Cas, customer!Dean, workplace sex, paintball, found families, somnophilia)

2014

Cheek on Your Shoulder (1k / canon, Dean misses Cas, hugs him and can’t let go)

The Literal Bear Hug (1k / canon, Cas is accidentally a bear, cuddling)

If I Fall For You (2k / canon, Hannah likes Cas but Cas loves Dean)

If You Could Go Anywhere (3k / canon, Team Free Will ponder: all the drama is over, so what now?)

Cherry Pink Wedding (4k / AU, Dean & Cas both cry at Sam’s wedding)

Lettuce Share This Moment (4k / canon, Dean secretly likes salad… and Cas)

The Joke Is on You (And So Is Castiel) (4k / canon, April Fool’s Day, Cas pranks Dean & Sam when they pray for him)

Some People Would Call This Romantic (5k / canon, Dean and Cas take a long walk on the beach)

Panic Kiss (5k / AU, Dean has a panic attack, Cas calms him down, accidental kissing)

Boutique du Ballet (6k / canon, Dean loves ballet and wants to try the outfits - either crossdressing or trans-curious!Dean)

Minty Fresh Kisses (7k / canon, Dean teaches Cas to brush his teeth)

Sexier Than Doctor Sexy (8k / AU, doctor!Cas, Dean gets a prostate exam and enjoys it more than he should)

Sam Accidentally Sees the Whole Picture (10k / canon, smut, Sam is in the room while Dean & Cas do it for the first time, Sam POV)

Understanding Your Body in Ten Easy Steps (12k / canon, smut, Dean teaches Cas how to masturbate)

Roost (12k / AU, Dean and Cas are rescued fighting roosters, for some reason not that interested in girl chickens)

Dead Body Disposal 101 (14k / canon, angel!Cas wants to be a hunter so Dean & Sam show him how, Dean & Cas are bad at expressing feelings)

Of Shampoo and Fruit Flies (17k / roommate AU, autistic!Cas, confessing feelings surrounded by supportive friends)

Love Him in His Sleep (Love Him Always) (32k / canon, Dean has wet dreams about being cuddled, Cas is into somophilia and dreamwalks to gain consent)

Preacher Comfort (42k / AU, hurt/comfort, asexual preacher!Cas, nurse!Dean, hugs & cuddling, Halloween)

Nine Times We Met (And One Christmas We Parted) (58k / queer historical romantic angst AU, teacher!Cas, firefighter!Dean, meeting over the years & falling in love)

Hart of the Storm (119k / historical AU, hunter!Dean turned into a deer by shapeshifting god!Cas, magic forest)

2013

For a Scarf in October (1k / canon, Halloween, Dean wants to buy a ~women’s~ scarf, Sam tells him it’s okay)

Of All the Bars in the World (There Are None Between Us) (2k / prison AU, Dean and Cas are cellmates, discuss past and future intimacy)

Dean’s List (3k / canon, Dean writes a list of men he’d ~go gay~ for, Sam has a suggestion to make, bisexual!Dean)

Nobody’s Daddy (3k / canon, accidental baby acquisition, Dean breastfeeds, then Cas arrives with actual milk)

Foal Delivery Service (4k / AU fusion with ‘My Little Pony’ - kid pony!Dean finds out how heteronormative the world is, then meets agender pony!Cas, later have baby ponies together)

Winchester’s Rouge (6k / canon, angst, Dean tries on makeup and remembers his mother)

Manscaping (6k / canon, Cas cuts himself shaving his junk, Dean does first aid, boners)

Sharing Hands (6k / canon - season 8, smut, Cas is possessing Dean, masturbate together)

Play Nice, Kids (10k / AU or alternate canon, reverse-verse, angel winged!Dean, wing kink masturbation, sex toys)

Hello Night (11k / historical AU, demon possessing Dean, priest!Cas, crossroads sex to save Dean, Cas/demon & Cas/Dean)

Shadows Across the Camera Lens (13k / AU, smut, dominant bottom photographer!Cas, submissive top crossdressing underwear model!Dean)

Faerie Strange Circumstances (30k / AU hunters, fairy!Cas, fairy realm adventures, Bobby’s house, Charlie, Jody)

Bad Things With You (31k / AU or alternate canon, smut, catboy!Dean, catboy!Cas, mating urges, biting, licking, fake relationship is actually real)

Cowboys and Real Estate Angels (36k / AU, bisexual retired musician cowboy!Dean, old fan!Cas, lovemaking, falling in love in one night)

Try-Something Tuesday (48k / my most popular fic of all time, teacher!Dean, librarian teacher!Cas, smut in strange places, school trips, moving in together AU)

The Feline Perspective of a Guilty Conscience (51k / canon divergent - season 9, hurt/comfort, Dean transformed into a cat, sad angel!Cas, Team Free Will, forgiveness)

Foxfire Blossom (283k / AU, florist!Dean, rich!Cas, affairs, soap opera-level drama, sex, highly problematic lies, and cheating, ALL the characters)

2012

Angelhawke (407k / epic medieval fantasy AU, Dean and Cas are cursed to be animals in the day/night, travel with Sam and Bobby as they tell their story in flashbacks, quest to be together, based on ‘Ladyhawke’ but ~70% original story)

--

New fics are on their way in 2020! 

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☆ And you can support my writing, art, and other creative projects here~

Thank you all so much for supporting me all these years. I’m so excited to see what I end up writing next~!! ♥

Elmie x

[newstfionline]

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Rare Halloween blue moon is a treat (Space) Skywatchers, take note: The moon will be full this Halloween night across the entire United States. This is a truly special confluence of spookiness; a Halloween full moon visible for all time zones on Earth hasn’t happened since 1944, according to the Farmers’ Almanac. It won’t happen again until 2039. But wait, there’s more: The Oct. 31 full moon also happens to be a “blue moon,” a designation for the second full moon to occur in a single calendar month. Blue moons are relatively rare as well, occurring on average just once every 2.5 years or so. We last saw one in March 2018. And in case you were wondering—“blue moon” has nothing to do with color. The moon can sometimes appear bluish, thanks to the scattering of light by dust or smoke particles in Earth’s atmosphere, but such effects are not tied to the moon’s phases at all.

Study: 1 to 2 million tons of US plastic trash go astray (AP) More than a million tons a year of America’s plastic trash isn’t ending up where it should. The equivalent of as many as 1,300 plastic grocery bags per person is landing in places such as oceans and roadways, according to a new study of U.S. plastic trash. In 2016—the last year enough data was available and before several countries cracked down on imports of American waste—the United States generated 46.3 million tons (42 million metric tons) of plastic waste, by far the most in the world. Between 2.7% and 5.3% of that was mismanaged—not burned, placed in landfills or otherwise disposed of properly, according to a study in Friday’s journal Science Advances. Between 1.2 million and 2.5 million tons (1.1 million to 2.2 million metric tons) of plastic generated in the U.S. were dropped on land, rivers, lakes and oceans as litter, were illegally dumped or shipped abroad then not properly disposed of, the study found. If you took nearly 2.5 million tons (2.2 million metric tons) of mismanaged plastic waste—bottles, wrappers, grocery bags and the like—and dumped it on the White House lawn, “it would pile as high as the Empire State Building,” said co-author Jenna Jambeck, an environmental engineering professor at the University of Georgia.

Exorcism: Increasingly frequent, including after US protests (AP) In popular culture, exorcism often serves as a plot device in chilling films about demonic possession. This month, two Roman Catholic archbishops showed a different face of exorcism—performing the rite at well-attended outdoor ceremonies to drive out any evil spirits lingering after acrimonious protests. In Portland, Oregon, Archbishop Alexander Sample led a procession of more than 200 people to a city park on Oct. 17, offered a prayer, then conducted a Latin exorcism rite intended to purge the community of evil. The event followed more than four months of racial justice protests in Portland, mostly peaceful but sometimes fueling violence and riots. On the same day, 600 miles to the south, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone performed an exorcism ceremony outside a Catholic church in San Rafael, where protesters had earlier toppled a statue of Father Junipero Serra. The prayers were different from those offered when a person is believed to be the subject of demonic possession. Religious studies professor Andrew Chesnut of Virginia Commonwealth University said exorcism, in its traditional form as a demon-chaser, is increasingly widespread around the world, though there are no official statistics. One perennial challenge for modern-day exorcists is to determine if a person potentially possessed by the devil is in fact suffering problems better addressed by mental health professionals.

After year of disruption, America set to choose a path ahead (AP) After a year of deep disruption, America is poised for a presidential election that renders a verdict on the nation’s role in the world and the direction of its economy, on its willingness to contain an escalating pandemic and its ability to confront systemic racial inequity. But the two men on the ballot, President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden, offer more than just differing solutions for the country’s most pressing problems. The choice before voters is a referendum on the role of the presidency itself and a test of the sturdiness of democracy, with the president challenging the legitimacy of the outcome even before Election Day and law enforcement agencies braced for the possibility of civil unrest. “There’s more than just your standard ideological difference between the two candidates. There’s a fundamentally different view of what the presidency is and what leadership means for the nation,” said Jeffrey Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. Voters appear to recognize the moment: More than 86 million people have already cast ballots, shattering records for early voting. Whichever candidate wins the White House will confront the challenge of governing through deep divisions.

Venezuela coup plotters met at Trump Doral. Central figure says U.S. officials knew of plan. (Miami Herald) In a challenge to denials of government involvement, the ex-U.S. special operations sergeant whose security firm took part in a botched Venezuelan coup last May said two Trump administration officials met with and expressed support to planners of Operation Gideon, a Bay of Pigs-type operation that tried to oust Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. It’s a story of bungling, bravado and cloak-and-dagger plotting, with plans shared in clandestine meetings in the back of limousines while rolling through Miami, in restaurants and even at dusk on the 12th fairway of the Red Course of Trump Doral, the Miami Herald/McClatchy has learned. The goal of Gideon was to replace Maduro by installing Guaidó, whose name appears on a contract purportedly signed with the coup plotters. The complete document—obtained by reporters from the Miami Herald and McClatchy, its parent company—contains a never-before-seen clause that allows Guaidó to disavow any involvement if the mission failed. The failed coup resulted in the May 3 capture of two former American soldiers and 47 Venezuelans and led to the death of six would-be freedom-fighters who appear to have been executed.

WHO: Europe again ‘the epicenter’ of coronavirus pandemic with 10 million cases (The Hill) The 53-country region that makes up Europe under the umbrella of the World Health Organization (WHO) said it reached a record of confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1.5 million new infections last week, the organization’s European director said Thursday. There have been more than 10 million confirmed cases since the pandemic began this year, according to The Associated Press. “Europe is at the epicenter of this pandemic once again,” WHO European regional director Hans Kluge said in a meeting with European health ministers, according to AP. “At the risk of sounding alarmist, I must express our very real concern.” Kluge said that deaths have increased by more than 30 percent in the past week and hospitalizations have reached their highest levels since spring, AP reported.

Terror attacks in France over Mohammad cartoons spark debate on secularism, Islamophobia (USA Today) The three recent assaults, described by France’s President Emmanuel Macron as “Islamist terror attacks,” have reignited long-simmering tensions in a country where secular values are deeply held and proclaimed. They come also as Macron has sought to crack down on extremism in France following a spate of terrorist attacks in recent years that have, according to Macron, partially resulted from a “counter society” that seeks “Islamist separatism” at odds with France’s republican values. Muslims are a relatively small minority in Europe, comprising roughly 5% of the population, according to the most recent estimates by the Pew Research Center, a Washington, D.C.-based “fact tank.” In France, the Muslim share of the population is the region’s highest, at around 9%. Macron has outlined a series of measures aimed at quashing religious “separatism” and freeing France from what he has described as radical “foreign influences.” But Dalia Mogahed, a former advisor on faith to President Obama, and now research director of the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, a think tank that focuses on issues that affect American Muslims, said Macron and the French establishment more broadly have been wrong to portray the controversy over the cartoons as one that pits freedom of speech against blasphemy. She said the cartoons need to be understood against the background of rising Islamophobia in France across the political spectrum. “They are the equivalent of the N-word. They are equivalent of blackface. They are racial slurs,” she said. The cartoons, Mogahed added, “target a vulnerable, marginalized, disempowered and demonized community by a powerful institution, who are then further demonized, sometimes by the state, for protesting those slurs.” Mogahed said believing the cartoons are offensive should not in any way be understood as justification for any form of violence, and indeed governments and Muslim leaders and organizations across France and the world have condemned the attacks. However, she said it it was “a myth” and “completely disingenuous” of France to project the idea that “it is all open and anyone can say anything they want to anyone.” She noted, for example, that Holocaust denial is criminalized in France. Free expression is “not being applied consistently” in France she said, adding that in his support for the cartoons to be published Macron is effectively “imposing a different kind of state religion” that she referred to as “French Republic nationalism.”

Nearly 3 months after vote, Belarus protests still go strong (AP) Nearly three months after Belarus’ authoritarian president’s re-election to a sixth term in a vote widely seen as rigged, demonstrators keep swarming the streets of Belarusian cities to demand his resignation in the most massive and sustained wave of protests the ex-Soviet nation has ever seen. While President Alexander Lukashenko has relied on massive arrests and intimidation tactics to hold on to power, the continuing rallies have cast an unprecedented challenge to his 26-year rule. Authorities have responded to protests triggered by Aug. 9 election that gave Lukashenko a landslide victory over Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya by unleashing a violent post-election crackdown. Police dispersed peaceful demonstrators with stun grenades and rubber bullets, detained thousands and beat hundreds, which caused protests to swell and prompted the U.S. and the European Union to introduce sanctions against Belarusian officials. Tsikhanouskaya, who went to Lithuania after the vote under pressure from authorities, called for a nationwide strike this week that so far has failed to halt production at state-run industrial plants forming the backbone of the Belarusian economy. But observers predict that economic troubles amid a surge in coronavirus infections will fuel discontent and steadily erode Lukashenko’s grip on power.

70-year-old pulled alive as Turkey quake death toll hits 53 (AP) Rescue workers extricated a 70-year-old man from a collapsed building in western Turkey on Sunday, some 34 hours after a strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea struck Turkey and Greece, killing at least 53 people and injuring more than 900. It was the latest series of remarkable rescues after the Friday afternoon earthquake, which was centered in the Aegean northeast of the Greek island of Samos. Ahmet Citim, 70, was pulled out from the rubble shortly after midnight Sunday and was hospitalized. Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that he said: “I never lost my hope.” Turkey has a mix of older buildings and lightly regulated cheap new construction, which can lead to serious damage and deaths when earthquakes hit.

Philippines orders evacuation as world’s strongest 2020 typhoon approaches (Reuters) Philippine officials on Saturday ordered evacuation of thousands of residents in the southern part of the main Luzon island as a category 5 storm that is the world’s strongest this year approaches the Southeast Asian nation. Typhoon Goni, with 215 kph (133 miles) sustained winds and gusts of up to 265 kph (164 mph), will make landfall on Sunday as the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines since Haiyan that killed more than 6,300 people in November 2013. Pre-emptive evacuations have started in coastal and landslide-prone communities in the provinces of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur, while Albay provincial government would order residents in risky areas to leave their homes, Gremil Naz, a local disaster official, told DZBB radio station. “The strength of this typhoon is no joke.”

Tanzania, once envy of the region, watches democracy slide (AP) Vote-counting was far from over when Tanzanian opposition leader Seif Sharif Hamad was frustrated enough to call people onto the streets. As thwarted observers alleged the most blatant election fraud in the country’s history, and with no way to challenge the results in court, there was little to do but protest. But Hamad and others didn’t get far. As they walked toward a roundabout in the semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar on Thursday, police fired tear gas, then arrested them—Hamad’s second arrest in a week. A party official, Ismail Jussa, was badly beaten by soldiers and hospitalized. On the eve of the vote, at least 10 people in Zanzibar were killed. “We were a cradle of peace,” their colleague, ACT Wazalendo party campaign manager Emmanuel Mvula, told The Associated Press after describing the events. But after witnessing Tanzania’s sharp turn away from democratic ideals, “I’m worried for our future as a nation.”

U.S. special forces rescue American held in Nigeria (Reuters) U.S. special forces rescued an American citizen who had been kidnapped by armed men in an operation on Saturday in northern Nigeria that is believed to have killed several of his captors, U.S. officials said. Forces including Navy SEALs rescued 27-year-old Philip Walton, who had been abducted on Tuesday from his home in neighboring southern Niger, two U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity, adding that no U.S. troops were hurt. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Fox News that the Trump administration had over the years rescued 55 hostages in 24 countries.

[drake-the-incubus]

1-50. Your turn >:3

1. Think of the last person who said I love you, do you think they meant it?

I hope so! Hey @hero-of-bowerstone do you love me?

2. Would you date an 18-year-old at the age you are now?

I’m turning 22 and have done nothing with my life. It depends. I don’t really know many 18 year olds.

3. When’s the last time you were aggravated and happy at the same time?

Re-reading my favourite book series a couple of days ago. Menoetius please love yourself more my baby, my child. Also writing my last fic is probably sooner. Cause Xiphrus needs love.

4. Would you ever smile at a stranger?

Uh… how the fuck do people smile?

5. Is there someone mad because you’re dating/talking to the person you are?

Uh yeah. He’s blocked and hopefully will leave me the fuck alone.

6. Have you heard a song that reminds you of someone today?

Uh not really. I have tailored playlists.

7. What exactly are you wearing right now?

A t-shirt, shorts and underwear? I need to change actually but that requires a shower and I’m too lazy to get that ready :/

8. How often do you listen to music?

24/7. Unless I’m watching a video/video calling, I’m constantly listening to music. When I say I’ve listened to a song for a week straight, it’s likely the song has been looped… for a week straight.

9. Do you wear jeans or sweats more?

Sweats, jeans fucking suck and cause issues I’d rather not deal with.

10. Do you think your life will change dramatically before 2013?

I mean the year already passed but back then I was going into 7th I think? If you mean the turn of this year, yeah I fucking do look at the world.

11. Are you a social or an antisocial person?

Anti-Social. I don’t like spending time with people too much and need a lot of alone time. That being said I crave attention from friends.

12. Have you ever kissed someone whose name begins with the letter ‘A’?

I don’t know? I’ve kissed a lot of people I have forgotten bc of truth or dare. Not that I recall.

13. What about ‘R’?

See the same as above.

14. Can you drive a stick shift?

No, and legally if I drive I’m going to be arrested as my learners expires soon and I a) have no glasses, b) can’t concentrate on the road to pass a driver’s test. Also why the fuck do people drive those, it’s… so unreliable.

15. Do you care if people talk badly about you?

If they’re not telling me to my face, yeah. If you have a problem with me, bring it up to me. I don’t like people talking behind my back. That being said, nah. Talk shit about me to my face all you want I don’t give a shit.

16. Are you going out of town soon?

I’m spending the next month in another province so the answer is, already out of town. I’ll be going out of this town quite often.

17. When was the last time you cried?

A few days ago I cried over Menoetius losing his fucking shit at love and then again when Joxeia was struggling.

18. Have you ever told someone you loved them?

Plenty of times. Then it got thrown back into my face almost the same amount.

19. If you could change your eye color, would you?

Yes and no. If I could have full heterochromia with a blood red eye I’ll fucking take it. That shit’s cool and I still love it. Otherwise only to make my own centerlized-heterochromia more distinct. (Blue/Green Split)

20. Is there a boy who you would do absolutely everything for?

My boyfriend? IG. I mean fictionally a lot of boys. IRL I don’t think I could do everything for anyone. Not my style.

21. Name something you dislike about the day you’re having.

I’m hungry and I can’t finish the series I’ve been waiting on bc scanlators dont have the final two chapters.

22. Is it cute when guys kiss you on your forehead?

No. Ew. It reminds me of what parents are supposed to do. Otherwise why’re you checking my fever? What’s the point?

23. Are you dating the last person you talked to?

Uh depends on what that’s defined as. I talked out loud, verbally to my boyfriend so yeah. Otherwise, no.

24. What are you sitting on right now?

A very uncomfortable arm chair/lazy boy type thing.

25. Does anyone regularly (other than family) tell you they love you?

My boyfriend. My friends. Also bold of you to assume my family tells me they love me.

26. Have you ever wanted someone you couldn’t have?

Yes, I want a lot of people. Fictional characters are nice, man. Otherwise kinda. On and off.

27. Who was the last person you talked to before you went to bed last night?

Staff on a server.

28. Do you get a lot of colds?

Yes! It fucking sucks because I sound like I’m dying MORE now.

29. Where is the shirt you are wearing from?

RTX 2018 when I went down there. Wish I could go again.

30. Does anyone hate you?

I would think, someone does, I'm not the most likeable person in the universe. I secretly think everyone does.

31. Do you have any empty alcohol bottles hidden somewhere in your room?

I should fucking hope not. If there is my boyfriend is going to have to answer some questions.

32. Do you like watching scary movies?

That’s my favourite movie genre.

33. Do you want your tongue pierced?

Ew no. Someone else does and I hate them for it. No that shit is… no. Good on other people but I know ppl who have had it and no.

34. If you had to delete one year of your life completely, which would it be?

Um… 2016 bc that ruined my life :)

35. Did you have a dream last night?

Fuck if I know. I woke up hungry and focused on that.

36. When was the last time you told someone you loved them?

Yesterday. My boyfriend.

37. Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years?

I don’t know if I even want to be married, but given what’s going on if I’m not then my bf might cry? So I think yes if we get the finances.

38. Do you think someone has feelings for you?

Uh… my boyfriend. But otherwise? Yeah. I’m fairly aware a lot of people develop feelings for me. It kinda weirds me out bc 90% of the time it’s never romantic.

39. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now?

Uh. Statistically speaking someone probably is.

40. Did you have a good day yesterday?

Nope. I don’t really think it was a net good or bad day.

41. Think back 2 months ago; were you in a relationship?

Yeah. We’re two years in September.

42. In the next 48 hours, will you hang out with a girl?

I currently share a house with my sister in law. We just had a conversation when I reached this question actually.

43. Has anyone told you they don’t want to ever lose you?

Yes and that brings up bad memories.

44. What’s the best part about school?

I got away from my abusive parents. Got to write in class. Met some friends. Uh. Learned about many things, people who’re 13 and spent five minutes learning about, argue with me on them. I learned how to write and use none of that knowledge now.

45. Do you have any pictures on your Facebook?

I wish I didn’t, but yeah because I had to upload things for my parents. Including images of before I was out as trans.

46. Do you ever pass notes to your friends in school?

Yup. Pretty common past time.

47. Do you replay things that have happened in your head?

Obsessively. So much so I’ve caused issues. So now I keep fictional worlds going as a coping mechanism.

48. Were you single over the last summer?

Nope. Won’t be this one either,

49. Is your life anything like it was two years ago?

Hahaha. Fuck no and im glad for it. Not with my parents, not struggling with other issues, not with my ex. Shit’s baller.

50. What are you supposed to be doing right now?

Probably writing a fanfic or planning a book. Cleaning. Could use a shower. Will I do any of these? Probably not, my boyfriend jacked my PC.

[kenkamishiro]

Ishida’s Q&A comments from YJ compilation, Part 9

Ishida’s comments from 2017! Only one more part left to go which will cover the 30-something questions from 2018.

For anyone who doesn’t know about the relevant Questions to Ishida contest, please read here. You can start from Part 1 here.

The recent set of zakki:re and interview translations take a lot of time and effort, so if you enjoyed it please reblog or leave a like. Thank you!

2017

No. 1

Sensei, if you had to pick a character from a manga/anime/novel to become the president, who would it be?

Mozgus-sama.

Just stop.

[T/N: One of the antagonists of Berserk...]

No. 2

The winners of the New Word/Buzzword awards have been announced for 2016, but in your opinion what new word or buzzword should have won for this year?

「～てわけだし」。

I wonder why.

[T/N: The phrase 「～てわけだし」is difficult to translate on its own since it’s more of an implied feeling, but basically it’s used when you’re stating a conclusion based on reasons that were given in the conversation.]

No. 3-4

It’s that time of year when hot pot is at its most deliciousness! What is your favourite kind of hot pot or hot pot ingredient?

Motsunabe.

Wasn’t there a question just like this before?

[T/N: Yes, yes it was. (In 2013, Issue no. 49.)]

No. 5-6

2016 was also a year where all kinds of events shook the world. Now then Sensei, please tell us about your biggest event of this year!

That I got the opportunity to meet Togashi Yoshihiro-sensei.

It was amazing...

No. 7

The first issue of Young Jump for 2017!! Sensei, what words do you want to write for your wishes for the New Year?

To be on time.

Do your best.

No. 8

Sensei, please tell us what you want to challenge yourself to do this year!

To become an apprentice.

That’s a good one.

No. 9

January 26 is Mobile Apps Day! Please share with us your favourite app or an app that you feel has been useful recently!

Voice recorder.

Apps with shogi problems. It’s perfect for when I have free time.

No. 10

February 2 is Pigtails Day! Please share with us a hairstyle of the opposite sex that makes you feel things!

Short cuts.

Indeed.

No. 11

February 9 is Manga Day! What was the first manga that you read or bought?

I forget what my first one was, but my most recent was volume 45 of Kingdom.

It was probably something like Crayon Shin-chan I think? Most likely...

No. 12

Sensei, please tell us about a sports match that has moved or excited you to this day?

Rocky vs. Mason Dixon.

I haven’t really seen much, huh.

No. 13

Sensei, what item makes you feel “I haven’t seen this lately/it’s gone now, what a shame?”

That crunchy salad thing from Family Mart, the Mexican something-or-other.

I’ll say it again.

No. 14

This may seem out of the blue, but please tell us about a memory that’s related to your birthday!

Thank you for last year.

I received a lot.

No. 15

Sensei, please share with us what you usually eat or do for your health!

Nuts.

I’ve been running recently. Last month I clocked in 100 km.

No. 16

Sensei, please share with us a time where you felt full of energy or gained courage to this day!

I was so scared of Biohazard in VR that I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my body.

I haven’t been playing any VR games recently.

No. 17

Sensei, please tell us about a local rule that surprised you, or any unusual rule that was considered as normal in your local area!

Libatape.

It’s a bandage.

No. 18

Sensei, please share with us what you’re secretly obsessed about!

88Kasyo Junrei and Ziyoou-vachi.

Ohh.

No. 19

Sensei, please tell us what you’d like to eat right now!

Corned beef.

I wonder if I was craving junk food at the time.

No. 20

Sensei, please tell us about a moment where you felt like spring was coming!

I don’t really feel it. Though it does feel like summer.

What’s with that force.

No. 21

If you could send a letter to a person again, who would that person be and what would you like to tell them?

A friend from a long time ago, since I moved around a lot.

I’d tell the friend that I’ve become a mangaka.

No. 22-23

We’re at the cusp of Golden Week! Sensei, please share with us where you’d like to go, or something you’d like to do!

Read.

Just get out of the house already.

No. 24

Sensei, please share with us a technique you thought was amazing or moved you!

I saw it recently, but Terada Katsuya’s live paintings.

Man it was amazing.

No. 25

If you could choose any one special ability or superpower, what ability would you want to use?

The ability to fix my back.

The ability to be motivated at any time.

No. 26

Sensei, what book do you want to read the most/want to know the contents of right now?

I want to read all kinds of books.

I’m currently interested in Russia/Soviet relations.

No. 27

Sensei, please tell us about the scariest story you’ve heard or experienced in your life!

Missiles.

When I was drawing the manuscript for the final chapter that everyone associated with it was waiting for. My heart was pounding like crazy.

No. 28

Sensei, please tell us about something you’re particular about in your home/room, or something you’d like to be particular about if you moved!

Delivery boxes.

Where there are delivery boxes, no bugs crawl out...

No. 29

Sensei, please tell us about a movie or drama that you thought was interesting/would be interesting!

“Documental” was interesting.

“One Cut of the Dead” was interesting too.

No. 30

If you could know just one thing from the future, what would it be?

I wouldn’t want to know anything.

Whether manga still exists or not.

No. 31

Sensei, please tell us what your favourite appetizer is!

Nuts.

Raisin butter.

No. 32

Sensei, please share with us a day that only you celebrate, or a day that is special only to you!

Since the day my series first began is in September, I consider that to be a day for celebration.

I’m sure I’ll forget it.

No. 33

When you think of summer, you think of festivals! What comes to mind when you hear the world “festival”?

Live performances.

Fireworks, food stalls.

No. 34

How would you describe your personality in a single word?

Uncoordinated (To everyone involved, I apologize for causing trouble last week).

What happened...

No. 35

Sensei, please share with us a dinner meal that gets you excited the most!

I don’t get excited over meals.

I do now!

No. 36-37

Sensei, please tell us what you’re glad to have done as a child!

Play Dragon Quest.

Study. Not for the contents necessarily, but more so cultivating my ability to concentrate. Well, that and Dragon Quest too.

No. 38

Sensei, please share with us the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning!

Sleep.

Huh?

No. 39

Please share with us something about Japanese traditional culture or events that you like!

Sweet mochi cakes.

I think it’s wonderful that we have events for each season. Though I don’t take part in them.

No. 40

August 31 is Vegetable Day! Sensei, please share with us what vegetables you like!

Orange paprika.

Celery, paprika, tomatoes.

No. 41

If there was a moment in your life where you thought, “I’m saved!”, please tell us!

I did have one.

I’ve only ever been helped.

No. 42

It’s September but the blazing hot days aren’t over just yet! Sensei, please share with us your steps to combat the summer heat!

Pray.

You didn’t even do anything for the heat did you.

No. 43

Sensei, please share with us something that you thought you wanted to throw away, or wanted to throw away but couldn’t!

My chair.

Stuff like packages or stuffed toys that the staff left behind.

No. 44

Sensei, please tell us about a moment in your everyday life where you get a bit excited/feel a bit of small joy!

When I manage to wake up early.

I know the feel.

No. 45

Please tell us who you thought was the most beautiful woman you’ve seen in your life (can be a real person, or a character from a manga/drama/novel)!

Andrea Pezick.

It’s hard to say who the most beautiful is.

No. 46

October 13 is Moving Day! If you were to move, what town would you want to live in (can be real or fictional)?

Kansai.

Kanto or America or Taiwan.

No. 47

Sensei, please tell us about a moment in your life where you noticed a discrepancy and realized it was different from what you expected!

Turkish rice.

Robot Restaurant.

[T/N: Ishida went to Robot Restaurant last fall with some friends.]

No. 48

Sensei, if there’s a character that you want to make a guest appearance in your own work, please tell us (even real people are acceptable!)

Me.

Don’t need me there.

No. 49

Sensei, please share with us what you do when you can’t fall asleep at night!

I fall asleep right away, so please tell me what to do instead.

Please rest assured that my sleep schedule returned to normal after TG ended.

No. 50

Sensei, if you’ve had a moment where you wanted to keep experiencing the same thing in your memories, please tell us!

I want to erase my memories and play Bloodborne again.

I don’t want to repeat it again.

No. 51

It’s harvesting season! Sensei, please share with us what you thought the best harvest of the year was, or something that was significant to you for this year!

Live performances.

Recently I’ve been doing stuff like practicing drawing and studying. I’m not sure if you’d call it harvesting or planting seeds though.

No. 52

It seems November 22 is Carpenter Day. Sensei, if you have a memory of the house you’ve lived in to this day, please tell us!

Centipedes showed up a lot in my dormitory.

Whenever they got inside the soap box they would cluster together.

No. 53

This is the final issue of 2017! Sensei, please share with us what you want to eat as your last dinner of 2017!

I’d be fine with soba.

That way of speaking is an affront to soba.

previous || next (coming soon!)

[thereturnofthedirtyblog]

'Ghost Adventures' Star Zak Bagans Has a Perfectly Valid Reason for Wearing a Mask Every Episode

BY

ALLISON CACICH

1 WEEK AGO

The Travel Channel series Ghost Adventures has been on the air for 18 seasons, yet viewers still ask why creator and host Zak Bagans insists on sporting a gas mask to investigate the haunted locations featured on the show. It’s time we squash this query for good.

Why does Zak from Ghost Adventures wear a mask?

It’s simple: the 42-year-old has asthma. As fans often witness, the buildings that the paranormal investigators explore are often old, abandoned, covered in dust, and/or filled with asbestos.

Zak previously addressed this in a 2016 tweet. "When going in places like [these] be careful of airborne contaminants," he wrote. "Wear respirators/[masks]."

He also linked to an article stating that the Missouri State Penitentiary, which was highlighted on a 2013 episode, discontinued tours of the former prison due to a site assessment that revealed mold. "Many of you ask. Why do [you] always wear a respirator? This is why," Zak tweeted in response to the news story.

Diehard fans find the constant questions about Zak’s mask hysterical. "Every single time he puts a respirator on he says 'I’m wearing this respirator because I have asthma.' Every. Single. Time," one viewer wrote.

In fact, the accessory has become so synonymous with the reality star that he’s been known to leave signed respirator masks in various places.

Zak’s not retiring from ghost hunting any time soon.

The Deadly Possessions producer revealed in a past interview that he has no plans to quit exploring the spirit world. “The deeper I get into this, the more fascinated I am by it,” he shared. “The deeper and more concrete the evidence, the stronger the spirit communication is, the more I’m fascinated and want to go deeper.”

In a profile with Las Vegas Magazine, Zak added, "It’s not just a career, it’s my life, my passion; it’s what I love to do. And, I think people can see that… It’s fun going on investigations and helping people — it’s an adventure."

People are far more interested in hearing about bad spirits than good ones.

Zak decided to open up a tourist attraction in Las Vegas called The Haunted Museum because "evil fascinates us," the documentary filmmaker told Newsweek. It allows visitors to see some of his creepiest collectibles up close.

"This is why there are so many successful TV shows and movies in the true-crime genre," he continued. "As human beings we want to know more about why such evil people would commit such crimes like this... who are they and what goes through their minds… We must go inside the mind of an enemy to protect ourselves."

Some of the most notorious items in the museum include the hospital gown that infamous cult leader Charles Manson died in and the "death van" where Dr. Jack Kevorkian reportedly ended the lives of terminally ill patients. "As far as haunted, cursed objects — I have hundreds in here," Zak admitted. Enter at your own risk.

Ghost Adventures airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on the Travel Channel.

#HauntedParaClassics

[paulbenedictblog]

%news%

New Post has been published on %http://paulbenedictsgeneralstore.com%

Fox news Power Rankings: Brand new No. 1! - NFL.com

Fox news

We have a set up recent personnel sitting atop the Energy Rankings.

The Niners' four-week reign is over. San Francisco jacked the crown and scepter from the Patriots, who dominated our world for nine weeks. Now it's miles the Ravens who have staged a coup d'etat. Our advice to Baltimore? Assemble a moat. Resolve on alligators. Sharpen your swords. Masks the girls and young folks.

This fight is won ... nonetheless the battle will rage on into February.

NOTE: The earlier rankings referenced in the lineup below are from the Week 13 Energy Rankings.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 2

Welcome to the top, Ravens. To the top of the AFC standings, and the top of the Energy Rankings. (I will let John Harbaugh resolve what system extra to him.) All around the last two months, now we have watched the Ravens tumble nukes from above on groups that never had a possibility. On Sunday, we realized Baltimore can we assign a naked-knuckle dual carriageway fight when fundamental, too. The NFC-main 49ers have been worthy opponents, nonetheless the Ravens locked in on defense and acquired any other money second from Justin Tucker, the most effective kicker on Earth. The Ravens confirmed they would possibly be able to assign when Lamar Jackson isn't very at his most attention-grabbing, and their 10-2 file comprises victories over the Niners, Seahawks, Patriots, Texans and Rams (blended file of 45-10 towards non-Baltimore opponents). Right here's the suitable personnel in soccer -- now we will rep out if it would possibly per chance perhaps perhaps retain this inconceivable momentum to the Super Bowl.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 4

Changed into once there ever truly a doubt? We have almost a decade of proof telling us Russell Wilson will never lose a sport like that at CenturyLink Arena. With the stakes sky-high, the dwelling crowd roaring and millions of fans searching at on TV ... the Seahawks and their superstar quarterback always rep a technique. A 37-30 assign over the Vikings shifted the complexion of the NFC: The Seahawks, on the energy of their 10-2 file and head-to-head assign over the Niners, leap into the No. 2 seed in the NFC and depart into first space in the NFC West with a Week 17 rematch vs. San Francisco looming. The combo of Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny used to be shimmering towards Minnesota, the two backs combining to depart over 200 scrimmage yards with three touchdowns. Penny in the end appears to have chanced on his operate and it makes the Seattle offense that worthy extra complicated to end.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 5

The Saints didn't play their cleanest set up of soccer in November, nonetheless they carried out effectively adequate to develop their first foremost goal of the season. A 26-18 assign over the Falcons made the Saints the first personnel to clinch a playoff space. The NFC South champs now assign of residing their sights on the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC. Last Thursday night would possibly per chance well be remembered for the relentlessness of the entrance seven, which made Matt Ryan's life shadowy in a nine-sack assault. Cameron Jordan led the cost, ending with four sacks, along with the game-clinching takedown in the closing minute. Jordan is up to 13.5 sacks on the season -- 3.5 apprehensive of the personnel single-season file of 17, assign of residing by La'Roi Glover in 2000. Talking of the No. 1 seed, the Saints will put themselves on the within notice in the occasion that they would possibly be able to elevate out the 49ers on Sunday.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 3

We have watched the Patriots' offense scuffle for 2 months now. Given the group's unmatched notice file, many assumed the Invoice Belichick-led braintrust would in the end resolve it out. Right here's what the Patriots carry out. But Sunday night's loss to the Texans makes you seriously wonder. The Pats filled up the box obtain and made issues look for first rate with three dumb landing drives towards a coasting Houston defense, nonetheless a deeper look for tells a worthy various story. As Invoice Barnwell identified, Brady used to be 9-of-25 passing for 90 yards with an interception sooner than Sleek England went on its first landing pressure dumb in the third quarter. The old vogue QB ranks near the underside of the league in a bunch of passing categories since Week 4, which tells us that a) Brady is in decline, or b) the improvement round the legendary superstar is depraved. It would possibly per chance most likely per chance be both of those issues.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 7

Has Aaron Rodgers in the end chanced on a gradual second banana in the Packers' receiving neighborhood? Inexperienced Bay hoped either Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Geronimo Allison would develop the leap in 2019, nonetheless the steady breakout candidate would possibly per chance well be Allen Lazard, who caught 3 of 3 targets for 103 yards and a landing in a 31-13 assign over the Giants. Davante Adams (two touchdowns on Sunday) remains the sure-sever No. 1 option in Inexperienced Bay's attack, nonetheless Lazard in general is a big share for Rodgers, who appears to be gaining self belief in the undrafted second-year pro. Rodgers would possibly per chance perhaps per chance also use some extra lend a hand in the backfield, where Aaron Jones has gone cold in recent weeks. Inexperienced Bay's offense has been at its most attention-grabbing when Matt LaFleur has been ready to use Jones' capacity as a runner and a receiver. Do not be critically bowled over if the Packers develop that a priority this week towards the Redskins.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 9

Deshaun Watson saved it steady after the Texans' 28-22 assign over the Patriots on Sunday night: He truly desired to beat Tom Brady sooner than the legendary quarterback known because it a profession. Resolve on into consideration it any other goal accomplished for the young superstar. Watson used to be the better quarterback on Sunday, throwing three landing passes and catching any other(!) in a victory that retains Houston alone atop the AFC South and pumps up their probabilities of landing a serious-round bye advance January. Watson has now thrown 21 touchdowns towards correct three interceptions in eight profession top-time games -- he is the Anti-Cousins. Watson's efficiency used to be even extra impressive brooding about the opponent: Sleek England's defense entered Sunday having allowed correct four landing passes while piling up 20 interceptions. Watson's diving obtain on the Texans' expertly designed and carried out trick play felt like a statement to the defending Super Bowl champions and longtime Houston bullies. We're not apprehensive of you anymore.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 6

It used to be there for the Vikings. Minnesota ball, trailing by four, less than four minutes to play, three timeouts at their disposal. Kirk Cousins took the self-discipline taking a look to construct on a gradual night and exorcise some Monday night ghosts. However the Vikings went five-and-out and the offense never saw the self-discipline again in a 37-30 loss to the Seahawks. Cousins falls to 0-8 on the Monday Evening Soccer stage, nonetheless put this loss on a Vikings defense that bought carved up on the ground by Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny and thru the air by Russell Wilson. Cousins' job used to be made that worthy extra complicated when superstar working encourage Dalvin Cook dinner exited the game midway thru the third quarter with a clavicle harm. The Vikings are easy in very neutral appropriate space to narrate a playoff space, nonetheless they would possibly per chance even have to assign out to have any likelihood at the NFC North title.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 10

We peek you, Bills. We all peek you now. Sean McDermott's squad went to Dallas and laid a Thanksgiving whooping on the supposedly superior Cowboys, putting themselves on the procedure as a sound contender in the AFC. At 9-3, the Bills have a stranglehold on a wild-card space and remain within putting distance of the rarely invincible Patriots in the AFC East. There have been standout performances up and down the roster towards the Cowboys, nonetheless this sport in general is a flashpoint for Josh Allen, who played like a franchise quarterback in entrance of a big nationwide target audience. Allen led six consecutive scoring drives towards Dallas and dished out some punishment on a third-quarter landing walk that would possibly per chance perhaps per chance be the highlight of his young profession to this point. Now the Bills safe overtime to put together for their perfect self-discipline of the season: a dwelling sport towards the surging Ravens. Forget the Bills at your like threat.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 14

Issues didn't originate effectively for Duck Hodges and the Steelers. Pittsburgh had accumulated 9 yards of complete offense midway thru the second quarter because the visiting Browns constructed a 10-0 lead. But then Hodges warmed up, James Washington started making plays and Pittsburgh's defense -- always the catalyst for the length of this neutral return from 0-3 irrelevance -- did the rest in a 20-13 assign over the Browns. This victory needed to be the sweetest of the season for the Steelers, who exacted revenge on a Browns personnel that bullied them in additional ways than one correct two weeks earlier. In that Week 11 matchup, Mason Rudolph melted down towards an aggressive Browns defense. Hodges saved his cold (not having to face the suspended Myles Garrett for sure helped) and delivered on adequate downfield throws to retain Cleveland staunch and allow Pittsburgh to obtain administration of the game. Mike Tomlin deserves severe Coach of the 365 days consideration.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 15

Searching at the Rams on Sunday used to be like taking a outing in a time machine all the vogue encourage to the harmless days of ... last November. Aid then, Los Angeles used to be easy the envy of the league, thanks to a relentless offensive attack. We hadn't considered worthy of that this season, a minimal of not sooner than Jared Goff threw for additional than 400 yards in a minute extra than three quarters towards the Cardinals. Robert Woods had 13 catches for 172 yards and Todd Gurley chipped in with 115 yards from scrimmage and a obtain. It used to be a ideal safe-appropriate sport for the Rams after a humbling butt-whipping at the hands of the Ravens two Mondays previously. The worthy query: Changed into once this the model of a turnaround for the Rams ... or used to be it merely a mirage towards one among the league's have-nots? This week's top-time showdown towards the Seahawks will uncover us loads.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 11

We have reached rock bottom of the Jason Garrett generation. A 26-15 loss to the visiting Bills on Thanksgiving used to be sobering affirmation of a bright reality in Dallas: The Cowboys, with all their marquee abilities, are correct any other personnel, as mediocre as their 6-6 file says they are. After the loss, an emotional Jerry Jones spoke of "taking a look ahead at successful four or five straight and helping write a fable they are going to discuss about," nonetheless he sounded like an proprietor talking like a fan, blind optimism blotting out cold actuality. Jones says that Garrett's job is safe, nonetheless the stress is on the coach in a technique it's never been sooner than. Playing in a inclined NFC East, the Cowboys easy have the within notice to a division title and dwelling playoff sport. But nothing must easy be assumed at this point. Dallas is a unsuitable personnel, per chance fatally so.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 13

Issues have gone sideways in a flash for the Raiders. Aid-to-encourage losses have dropped Oakland to 6-6 and out of the bustle in the AFC West. The playoffs are easy a possibility by capacity of the wild-card route, nonetheless it's bright to safe too by a personnel that's been outscored 74-12 over the course of eight days. Derek Carr isn't very fond of the recognition that he can't assign in the cold, nonetheless performances like we saw at Arrowhead with a kickoff temperature of 36 levels Fahrenheit would possibly per chance perhaps also not carry out worthy to alter the fable. Carr threw two interceptions, along with the game-icing spend-six in the second quarter, and struggled to manufacture any spark with a large receiver neighborhood that blended for 8 yards receiving thru three quarters. Silver & Shadowy-linked pessimism is comprehensible, nonetheless issues will shift in a urge if Oakland knocks off the surging Titans at the Shadowy Hole. The Raiders have been a chance at dwelling all year.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 16

If the Colts are sitting at dwelling advance playoff time, this would possibly per chance perhaps per chance be the game that sticks with them basically the most. Leading the Titans 17-7 in the third quarter, Indy perceived to be in top space to solidify its playoff probabilities and deal a crushing setback to a division rival. But a marvelous crumple on particular groups led to a blocked self-discipline-goal strive and landing return for Tennessee. Minutes later, after any other key mistake -- this time a Jacoby Brissett interception -- the Titans have been encourage in the pause zone again. From 17-7 to 17-17 to 31-17 in a flash. Brissett wasn't almost intriguing adequate in the second half, nonetheless he is in a not easy space. Playing without Marlon Mack (hand), T.Y. Hilton (calf) and Eric Ebron (ankle), the Colts simply manufacture not have the firepower to assign groups away. They'll manufacture with three of four far from dwelling.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 21

"Numerous avid gamers made various plays, nonetheless this day used to be Mitch's day." These have been the phrases of Bears coach Matt Nagy, after Mitchell Trubisky threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns to beat the Lions on Thanksgiving. It used to be without considerations Trubisky's most attention-grabbing sport of the season, and it creates an air of optimism round the worthy-maligned inclined first-round spend because the season hits its dwelling stretch. Can Trubisky put himself in space to retain his starting job subsequent season with a gradual manufacture? His play has improved markedly in the previous two weeks, nonetheless Chicago has been arguably the league's most disappointing personnel, and Trubisky's regression has been a worthy the clarification why. The Bears manufacture with a assassin's row of opponents -- Cowboys, at Packers, Chiefs, at Vikings -- giving Trubisky both an myth self-discipline and a golden various to salvage his season.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 17

At a sure point, it's seemingly you'll per chance seemingly be who it's seemingly you'll per chance seemingly be. We have waited all season for the Browns to play to their abilities level. A 3-sport successful trudge teased that as a possibility, nonetheless then came any other insensible efficiency in a large space towards the Steelers. At 5-7, Cleveland's playoff hopes will not be entirely dashed, nonetheless what have we considered from this personnel that tells us it has something particular in retailer? Presumably that's a query a reporter would possibly per chance perhaps per chance have asked Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., nonetheless those personnel leaders ducked out of the locker room without talking. Browns coach Freddie Kitchens did discuss after the game, left to resolution questions about the slow T-shirt he wore over the weekend that incited an already hyped Steelers personnel. The Browns correct seem messy, and it's a have to to wonder if ownership will specialize in it fundamental to search out somebody recent to effectively-kept this up.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 18

The Ron Rivera Look is on. The Panthers misplaced their fourth straight on Sunday, blowing a 14-0 lead in a loss to one among the worst groups in soccer. Panthers proprietor David Tepper let it be identified he would possibly per chance perhaps also not stand for mediocrity, nonetheless that's precisely what the Panthers symbolize because the season reaches its closing month. This all appears like very corrupt news for Rivera, who would possibly per chance perhaps want his Panthers to assign out to land a 10th season on the sideline. Even that would possibly per chance perhaps also not be adequate with a recent proprietor who appears thirsty to develop his very first label on the personnel he bought in 2018. "I'm not bowled over about my future," Rivera acknowledged after the game. "I'm bowled over about this soccer personnel. We have a sport coming up on Sunday." Right here's a acquainted script in a league that fires a quarter of its coaches every January.

UPDATE: Panthers proprietor David Tepper launched on Tuesday afternoon that Carolina has parted ways with Ron Rivera.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 20

An unthinkable loss for the Eagles, who had a 28-14 lead over the 2-9 Dolphins nonetheless couldn't close out a assign that would possibly per chance perhaps per chance have moved them staunch into a tie atop the NFC East. No matter a highly productive day from Carson Wentz and the struggling Eagles offense, a winnable sport swung on a chain of serious failures in the second half. Dropped passes, overthrown balls, penalties, corrupt sacks, omitted self-discipline objectives -- Philadelphia spread out a rep of ineptitude and dumped it in every single assign the self-discipline in Miami. Doug Pederson acknowledged on Monday that his personnel "self-destructed" while labeling the Eagles a "long shot" to develop the playoffs. That isn't very rather appropriate: Philly remains correct one sport in the encourage of Dallas in a inclined NFC East, nonetheless this is a bright personnel to be aware of in. Fix one self-discipline, and any other one pops up. Or not it's a dropping sport of whack-a-mole.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 23

The Jaguars are a toy ship sinking to the underside of one among the swimming swimming pools at their dwelling stadium. Jacksonville's dropping trudge reached four after a 28-11 setback towards the Buccaneers that left the dwelling crowd jeering and head coach Doug Marrone with out a various nonetheless to assign Sever Foles on the bench. The Jags' considerations have gone far beyond Foles in the previous three weeks, nonetheless Sunday used to be the first time the inclined Super Bowl MVP used to be a predominant reason the personnel struggled. Every of the first three Jacksonville possessions ended with a Foles turnover that used to be in the end grew to alter into staunch into a Tampa Bay landing. Gardner Minshew sparked the offense once he entered the game in the third quarter, and the rookie will remain in the lineup this week towards the Chargers. Minshew Mania have to walk wild in every single assign the NFL in the closing four weeks for Marrone to retain his job.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 24

Or not it's been an grotesque season in Atlanta, and the notice of Matt Ryan being ruthlessly stiff-armed to the turf for the length of a Saints interception return shimmering worthy sums up the recent speak of Falcons soccer. That used to be correct one chapter in a ebook of brutality on Thanksgiving night for Ryan, who used to be sacked nine cases in a 26-18 loss that allowed the hated Saints to celebrate a division title on enemy turf. Ryan played without Julio Jones, who used to be (wisely) held out of action with a bum shoulder. The Falcons would possibly per chance perhaps desire to originate thinking in the same model about their franchise quarterback, who have to not be taking a beating of this nature when the stakes are this low for the three-9 Falcons. Hiya, a minimal of Atlanta recovered encourage-to-encourage onside kicks on Thursday. You elevate the positives where yow will discover them in a misplaced season.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 30

The Dolphins would possibly per chance perhaps per chance be basically the most fun 3-9 personnel it's seemingly you'll ever notice. How would possibly per chance perhaps per chance you not safe pleasure from the vogue Miami went after the Eagles, battling encourage from a couple of deficits, calling trick plays, shock onside kicks -- the rest to develop up for the abilities disparity they face every Sunday? Or not it's a credit to first-year coach Brian Flores -- and the quarterback, too. Right here's a young Dolphins personnel taking part in with the spirit of Ryan Fitzpatrick, who competes his butt off every Sunday. Fitzpatrick made a chain of cash throws in wiping out a two-landing deficit in the second half, and he shunned the killer turnovers that have frightened him in the previous. It helps to have a man like DeVante Parker, who has broken out as a celeb playmaker in his fifth season. Parker is an example of why you manufacture not quit on abilities. The 2015 first-rounder has develop staunch into a participant this group can build round.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 22

Adam Gase, we have been led to be aware of, had fixed the Jets. Sam Darnold had locked into sync with the coach's sport thought, and Gregg Williams' defense used to be balling out. Then Sunday came about, and all the goodwill gathered for the length of a three-sport successful trudge used to be wiped away. The Jets have been no match for the Bengals, bullied by an 0-11 personnel in a 22-6 loss in Cincinnati. The Jets change into the first personnel in NFL historical previous to lose to 2 groups that started a season 0-7 or worse (they bought whipped by the 0-7 Dolphins last month). Right here's all a extremely shadowy reflection on Gase, who did not have his personnel ready in a sport with playoff ramifications (on the assorted hand faint they would possibly per chance even have been). Gase known as a shadowy sport, too: Le'Veon Bell executed with correct 10 carries towards the NFL's worst walk defense. Customarily it feels like this group is chemically addicted to embarrassment.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 26

Burn the tape! Execute the proof! By no system discuss of it again! These are all commands one would possibly per chance perhaps per chance imagine coming out of Cardinals headquarters after Sunday's embarrassing 34-7 loss to the Rams, a sport that featured almost nothing in the form of positives for the dwelling personnel. The defense gave up a season-high 549 yards, and the offense didn't unsuitable 100 yards except the fourth quarter. This used to be the fifth consecutive loss for Arizona, nonetheless all losses are not created equal, especially for a rebuilding personnel. Within the three defeats that preceded their Week 12 bye, the Cardinals hung not easy and seemed ready to hit their trudge in the encourage of rookie Kyler Murray. Week 13 represented a step encourage, and it rate a minimal of one participant his job. Starting up cornerback Tramaine Brock used to be launched on Monday. It would possibly per chance also not safe any easier for Murray this week, when the pink-sizzling Steelers raise their swarming defense to town.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 28

One day in the season -- let's clock it round dumb September -- the Lions misplaced any capacity to close out games. Detroit has misplaced eight of nine, nonetheless the free-descend wouldn't have been so pronounced had the Lions dealt with their industrial. We saw that again on Thanksgiving, when a 17-7 second-quarter lead grew to alter into a 24-20 loss to the Bears. On the least the Lions have a truly feel-correct story in David Blough, whose first profession completion used to be a 75-yard landing to Kenny Golladay. The third-string QB led the Lions to any other landing on their second possession and threw for 280 yards towards a top defense. We are going to peek extra of the undrafted rookie, too: The Lions moved Jeff Driskel to injured reserve on Saturday with a hamstring harm. With Driskel done and Matthew Stafford (encourage) in limbo, you Bloughhards available are in for a contend with.

Earlier inaccurate: No. 31

Giants fans sent a message to their personnel on Sunday, leaving thousands of empty seats at MetLife Stadium in Sunday's 31-13 loss to the Packers, Sleek York's eighth straight defeat. These are sad days for a personnel that stands as one among soccer's proudest and most decorated franchises. A shortage of incompatibility-makers on defense used to be evidently apparent towards the Packers, who scored 17 gains sooner than sending out their punter for the first time. Aaron Rodgers threw four landing passes without an interception because the Giants allowed an opponent to obtain a minimal of 30 gains for the seventh time in 12 games. Immense adjustments are on the horizon for Immense Blue, which would not have many foundational avid gamers beyond quarterback Daniel Jones and working encourage Saquon Barkley. Pat Shurmur hasn't been a winner in two seasons, nonetheless has he ever had a possibility?

Earlier inaccurate: No. 32

That dude can advance off the roof now. The Bengals delivered a complete effort on both aspects of the ball in a 22-6 assign over the Jets. Cincinnati isn't very going to be part of the 2008 Lions and 2017 Browns in NFL infamy. Phew. Andy Dalton returned from an unearned benching and equipped a sound spark, picking aside a Jets secondary that had been taking part in effectively in recent weeks. Dalton's closing numbers would look for even better if not for a pair of pause-zone drops in the first half. Whereas Dalton starred for the offense, Carlos Dunlap led the defense in a dominating day. The old vogue defensive pause executed with three of the Bengals' four sacks, and Cincinnati held Sleek York to correct 271 complete yards. The cherry on top of the day? The Redskins also won, keeping the Bengals on the within notice for the No. 1 overall spend.

Practice Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.

[atticanow-blog]

On September 9th, 2016, between 20,000 and 60,000 prisoners participated in the largest incarcerated labor strike in American history. The gulf between these two figures, which is 40,000 loud, reflects the unknown conditions of incarcerated experiences. While this action could not have happened without communication within, between, and outside of the prisons involved, such communication is made difficult by the economic and punitive structures that silent prison social networks. This site chronicles the networks that emerged online as prisoners organized for better working and living conditions, focusing in particular on the strike at Michigan’s Kinross Correctional Facility. Ultimately, it suggests that incarcerated communities fill the gaps created by the punitive system in communication and knowledge by reasserting an informal memory of prison resistance, a memory that is expressed as a common heritage with non-incarcerated communities through online social networks.

Image of a Kinross bathroom after riot police violent suppressed the uprising

Integral to organized resistance is effective communication among participants. The American prison system makes communication among incarcerated people and with those on the outside challenging. One way this is achieved is through a privatized phone and email system. Prisons seek out communication companies that will provide the largest “kickbacks.” Instead of offering the most affordable service possible for prisoners, companies are rewarded for charging high prices, which can be as much as 90% of a contract’s value. 

Mignon Clyburn, an official at the Federal Communications Commission, refers to this system as, “The greatest, most distressing type of injustice I have ever seen in the communications sector.” In total, the American prison phone industry is worth 1.2 billion dollars. These high costs affect prisoners greatly, who can spend on average $17 for a 15-minute phone call. Keep in mind, too, that prisoners make from $0.86 to $3.45 per day.  

 Emails can also be costly to prisoners. Michigan’s Kinross Correctional Facility, for instance, uses a stamp system that charges $0.25 per email “page.” 

While these high prices limit prisoners’ ability to communicate with the unincarcerated world, they are not the only barrier. The services themselves are faulty and difficult to navigate. Incarcerated people do not have the option of leaving Yelp reviews for GTL, the largest prison communications service. However, people on the outside trying to contact them do. Below are some recent reviews of the company:

I include such a long list of negative reviews from across the country to illustrate the GTL’s consistent problems. Such widespread technical errors and hidden fees frequently delay or prevent prisoners from receiving an email or phone call. While it is possible that this is just benign incompetence on GTL’s part, it seems more likely that this is a predatory system that profits off of silenced “consumers.”

The communications system in American prisons reflects and reinforces the obstacles prisoners face when organizing for change. Systemic change requires large, well-organized resistance movements. Much of the organizing for such movements relies on social media. This is reflected in the hashtags present in movements like #BlackLivesMatter, #ArabSpring, and #MeToo, which all used social media, not only to communicate among protestors, but also to broadcast the unjust conditions that make such movements necessary. Prisoners cannot livestream when prison guards use violence against them, when their living conditions are inhumane, or when the carceral bureaucratic system acts unjustly. This lack of visibility creates a lack of accountability in prisons. It is only in extreme instances where abuse of power is made visible. And even then, there is rarely recourse for the victims. 

Darren Rainey

For instance, in 2012, Florida prisoner Darren Rainey was murdered by prison guards, who locked him in a hot shower for two hours. The officers, who had external control over the temperature, forced Rainey to stay in the shower as they turned the water to its highest heat setting--180°F. Images of Rainey’s body, which I won’t display here but which can be found online, show that large strips of skin on his back and legs had been burned off. After Rainey’s death, the officers involved argued that the death was accidental and unexplained. The case was then classified, and the DOC ultimately promoted the guards. However, when The Miami Herald made a visit to the prison to investigate, they heard testimony from other prisoners that officers often used this form of punishment on prisoners, citing at least eight incidents in Rainey’s unit alone. Without outside interest in the events of incarcerated experiences, these stories do not get told, as prison employees and administrators cannot be trusted to admit their own wrongdoing, and prisoners have limited ability to speak out. 

For this reason, the prison abolition’s presence on social media is significant. It is through social media that I first became invested in prison abolition and reform. Neither I nor my friends have many people close to us who are incarcerated. However, the past decade has seen a resurgence of the prison abolition movement. Thinkers like Angela Davis, Michelle Alexander, and Ava DuVernay are a part of an abolitionist heritage that situates prison injustice, not as marginal to America’s systemic inequality, but as fundamental to it. 

A tweet of Angela Davis in Ava DuVernay’s Netflix documentary, 13th

On my Facebook feed, I saw friends and acquaintances using social media to communicate about prison reform and to facilitate community action. Below are images of this community response, with the names of users kept hidden for privacy. 

In this post, a user identifies a relationship between climate and prison justice. 

This post from 2018 shows a user tracking a weeks-long protest in a Canadian prison, which she suggests is tied to American economic and civil justice. 

Posters using Facebook as a call to action to support an incarcerated woman. This text begins with a demand to free Cyntoia, offers contact information, and information about her case in one image. Note that seven people shared the image, and others engaged asking clarifying questions. The use of heart emojis and reactions (15 total) suggests a sense of community with Cyntoia Jackson, that the Tennessee prisoner is a part of a larger collective.

Here, a Facebook event is made to facilitate an action. Note the sense of solidarity and community in the image--hand prints and the words “Until we are all free None of us are free.”

Here, information about the events of the Kinross prisoner strike are shared and tied with an action to call-in.

This image from 2016 reflects a similar sentiment, with the hashtag #UntilAllAreFree and shows a photo of a Kinross prisoner. Note that the image has three shares and that the reacts are angry and sad emojis. I wonder if the directness of this post and its lack of narrative invites more angry/sad emojis than feelings of communal love. 

Here, people use the comment section to update each other on the phone calls they made. Note the user who says, “I’m relatively new to Michigan...but I’ll call at eight & tell my friends to do the same!” This reaction illustrates the sense of solidarity non-incarcerated people feel with incarcerated struggles, even when they are not from the region where the struggle takes place. Also, note the heart sticker, which again suggests a sense of communal bonds.

A French user posts in solidarity with an American prison movement.

Finally, I’d like to examine the role of memory in prison resistance and in the Kinross uprising. In particular, the Attica prison uprising is invoked often as a symbol of resistance and as a reminder of the need to continue fighting. Note the post below, which references the movement, saying, “We remember #Attica!”

The Attica prison uprising was a 1971 movement in a New York prison. After prison guards killed George Jackson at the San Quentin State Prison, over 1,000 Attica Prison inmates seized control of their facility, taking 42 staff hostage. 

Image from the Attica uprising

Riot police were brought in, and after four days of protests, the 28 of the rioters’ demands were met. However, the riot also resulted in 48 deaths, 33 of which were inmates.

Many articles and social media posts commenting on modern resistance movements reference this uprising, using terms like “remembering” and “looking back” in order to understand emerging movements. Two years after the Kinross protest. Note the “We remember #Attica!” comment above. 

A 2018 radio podcast by Rustbelt Abolition Radio uses this terminology to frame its interview with participants in the Kinross labor stoppage (link below).

(via Specters of Attica: Reflections from Inside a Michigan Prison Strike)

In the interview, prisoner Ajhamu Barati explains how and why he participated in the labor strike. Throughout the interview, he identifies the need to read about the past in order to take effective action in the future. The interviewer comments that he often quotes George Jackson, the prisoner whose death sparked the Attica uprising.

To me, this referencing to the past is necessary in the wake of systemic silencing of prison narratives. There seems to be a need to remember what has happened, as the prison-industrial system suppresses communication and asks us to forget the deaths of people like Darren Rainey. In the Rustbelt interview, Barati explains that, “The whole thing is about control: control your movement, control of what you received in here. Because I just received a paper from the San Francisco black national paper and they were talking about the Million Prisoner March that (just) happened August 19th, in Washington D.C. about the human rights and they rejected it. And I asked the counselor about why did you reject it, is that advocating violence? And she just said because it’s speaking about human rights and the conditions of prisoners here. So any time you talk about prisoner conditions, they don’t want the prisons to hear that, they don’t want that kind of news to come in here.”

While this silencing created within prisons is disheartening, the living memory forged through people like Barati can challenge that silence. That his sentiments and experiences are echoed by non-incarcerated people through social media suggests that the slow-moving, deep-rooted knowledge of incarcerated memory tied with the speed and interconnectedness of social networking is perhaps forging a shared heritage of resistance. Barati’s closing comments, though not expressed through the language of emoji and reposting of Facebook, iterate the same feeling. He says, “If you control a man’s thoughts, you don’t have to worry about his actions. And we in a psychological warfare so brothers got to start getting a political consciousness they gotta read, they gotta read, and broaden our awareness. Solidarity and love out there to everyone.” While the gaps in communication and knowledge created by the prison system may seek to obscure the oppression experienced by prisoners, it may be through those gaps that memory and resistance persist. 

[kymchiwrites]

London Winter Travel Guide

This post is really late, but I just wanted to share some of the things I did while I was in London. I had already done all the major tourist-y things when I visited in 2016, so I wanted to see what else there was to discover. And since I went during the winter season, it gave me a few more options that I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to do or see if I went during another time. 

So without further ado, here are a few things you can check out during the winter and also some things to do for all seasons :3 

1) Visit the artwork at St. Pancras International station.

Located below the St. Pancras clock are the words “I want my time with you”, a text piece created by Tracey Emin. In an interview, she said “I cannot think of anything more romantic than being met by someone I love at a train station and as they put their arms around me, I hear them say ‘I want my time with you’,” but she also says that the piece is dedicated to everyone from Europe arriving in London. If you visit during the winter time, the train station will be decorated with more lights and you might even run into a caroler or two (or three or a group singing the classic All I Want for Christmas is You). 

2) Enjoy wine, pie, and music at the Sky Garden.

Every year, Sky Garden hosts a Christmas Hits, a live music night. For ~ £17 (~$22), you gain admission to the Sky Garden after hours, a glass of mulled wine and a mini mince pie. The event starts at 7 pm and goes on until midnight. The band started playing around 8 pm and alternated between Christmas and current music hits. There was a lot of people that night and I had a hard time finding a place to sit, but it was nice to see a glimpse of the city at night. 

3) Take a break among plants and see the city from a different vantage point.

Just in case you visit London at any other season, you can still pay a visit to the Sky Garden! Their normal hours are Monday - Friday from 10 am - 6 pm and 11 am - 9 pm on weekends and holidays. Admission is free! Tickets can be booked on a weekly basis up to three weeks in advance via their website. Just in case you weren’t able to book a ticket, you can always take your chances by heading there the day of. But beware, there’s probably going to be a long line. A tip: you have to go through airport-like security so prepare to take your jacket/coat off and empty your pockets. 

4) See a Broadway show.

This option is for all seasons, but I found it an especially good option for a winter night because it’s a nice place to stay warm and enjoy a good show hehe. There are a number of different Broadway shows running in London including Wicked, Hamilton, Aladdin, and Les Miserables. I’ve seen three shows in London so far and they’ve all been quite good. I stumbled upon the cast exit as I was heading back to Covent Garden. There was only one other girl waiting outside and we got to meet a good number of the cast and crew including Zazu, Scar, and Simba (pictured above). It was worth shivering in 6°C/42°F weather hehe.

5) Shop at Covent Garden.

I feel like Covent Garden is always a good place to visit no matter what the season, but it truly comes alive during Christmas-time. There’s lights and trees, and mistletoe everywhere. My favorite decorations were the big silver ornaments that showered the main hall with light once the sun set. There’s also always someone singing or playing music in the main market hall near the bathrooms.

6) Chase Christmas lights.

I gotta say—no one does Christmas better than London (okay, maybe the Philippines but the cold-wind turning your cheeks rosy pink in London along with the glittering display of lights really makes me feel like Christmas is truly in the air). These lights are located at Oxford Street, Regent Square, Seven Dials and Bond Street, respectively. 

7) Discover unique gifts and eat amazing food. 

No one does Christmas like London part 2 featuring Christmas markets! There are several around the city and my favorite ones were the markets at Leicester Square and South Bank. They have delicious food as well as beautiful gifts--including handmade star lanterns and carved wood ornaments from Germany. What better way to finish your Christmas shopping and keep your tummy warm and happy? 

8) Go on a food adventure.

Since we’re on the topic of food, I would like to introduce my favorite place to go on a food-venture: Borough Market! You can literally taste food from all over the world. They have baked goods, fresh produce, different cuts of meat and seafood -- basically everything and anything you would want to eat. My favorite stall is Khanom Krok, which sells authentic Thai streetfood and of course, khanom krok, a coconut pudding-pancake (pictured above).

9) Admire architecture.

To be honest, sometimes I do things or go to specific places for the gram. This is one of them LOL. The first two pictures are of Leadenhall Market—a covered shopping and dining market. I loved how the four hallways converged into a central shopping square, complete with a Christmas tree. The next two pictures are of Hay’s Galleria, another covered shopping market. Since it was Christmas time, the center hall had a little Christmas market set up with handmade gifts and specialty foods. The third set of pictures are of the ruins of St. Dustan-in-the-East, a church bombed during The Blitz. It’s now a public garden, but since it’s hidden on a secluded side-street, it’s remained a well-kept secret. Last, but not least, St. Paul’s Cathedral. It’s a more tourist-y place to go, mostly because Princess Diana and Prince Charles got married there. When I visited in 2016, I was able to go inside for free during one of the services. But if you prefer a full tour, tickets are £20 (~$26) at the door or £17 (~$22) online. They are open for sightseeing Monday - Saturday from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. Take note that no picture taking or filming is allowed inside.

10) Have a good ol’ cup of tea.

Is any visit to London complete without having tea? I think not. There are so many different places you can have tea, but I found that the Wallace Collection had the best bang for your buck (or pound pala). The Wallace Collection is a national museum with a restaurant, free admission, and fast wifi! It was a really nice place to sit, admire artwork, and rest my feet after walking around in the cold and rain. The museum and restaurant are open daily from 10 am - 5 pm, but afternoon tea begins at 2:30 pm. You can either walk in or make a reservation online. For £9 (~$11), I got a pot of fine loose leaf tea, and a freshly baked scone with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry preserve on the side. 

-------

Hope this guide gives you a better idea of what to see, eat or do in London on your first (or next) visit! :3

[wolfliving]

Thinking Through Interfaces, a syllabus

*That looks enlightening.

THINKING THROUGH INTERFACES

Co-taught by Zed Adams (Philosophy) and Shannon Mattern (Media Studies)

Tuesdays 4:00 - 5:50pm | 6 East 16th St #1003

Interfaces are everywhere and nowhere. They pervade our lives, mediating our interactions with one another, technology, and the world. But their very pervasiveness also makes them invisible. In this seminar, we expose the hidden lives of interfaces, illuminating not just what they are and how they work, but also how they shape our lives, for better and worse. We also discuss a number of pressing social and political issues, such as why we are quick to adopt some interfaces (e.g., smartphones and social media platforms), but reluctant to embrace others (e.g., new voting machines and Google Glass). 

(...)

RESOURCES

With a few exceptions, all readings will be made available on our class website, at http://www.wordsinspace.net/interfaces/2019/. We’ll provide everyone with a copy of Tom Mullaney’s The Chinese Typewriter and David Parisi’s Archaeologies of Touch.

SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS

WEEK 1: JANUARY 22: INTRODUCTIONS

What is an interface?

How are interfaces differentiated?

Can an interface become a part of our mind?

Do interfaces shape what we use them to do?

What are the limits of interfaces: what problems do they not help us solve?

WEEKS 2 AND 3: CONCEPTUALIZATION 

WEEK 2: JANUARY 29: CONCEPTUALIZATION I 

Nelson Goodman, “The Theory of Notation” (Chapter Four), Languages of Art (Hackett, 1976): 127-173.

Florian Cramer and Matthew Fuller, “Interface” in Software Studies, ed., Matthew Fuller (MIT Press, 2008): 149-53.

Johanna Drucker, “Interface and Interpretation” and “Designing Graphic Interpretation” in Graphesis: Visual Forms of Knowledge Production (Harvard University Press, 2014): 138-97.

WEEK 3: FEBRUARY 5: CONCEPTUALIZATION II

Shannon Mattern, “Mission Control: A History of the Urban Dashboard,” Places Journal (March 2015).

Shannon Mattern, “Things that Beep: A Brief History of Product Sound Design,” Avant (August 2018).

We encourage you to think, too, about how interfaces might embody different cultures and ideologies. Consider, for example, feminist interfaces or indigenous interfaces -- or interfaces that embody universal, accessible design. You'll find some relevant resources in the modules at the end of this syllabus, and we'll explore many of these themes as part of our case studies throughout the semester.

In-Class Workshop (second half of class): small-group interface critiques 

Supplemental: 

Christian Ulrich Andersen and Soren Bro Pold, eds., Interface Criticism: Aesthetics Beyond the Buttons (Aarhus University Press, 2011).

Martijn de Waal, The City as Interface: How New Media Are Changing the City (nai010, 2014).

Johanna Drucker, “Humanities Approach to Interface Theory,” Culture Machine 12 (2011).

Johanna Drucker, “Performative Materiality and Theoretical Approaches to Interface,” Digital Humanities Quarterly 7:1 (2013).

Florian Hadler and Joachim Haupt, “Towards a Critique of Interfaces” in Interface Critique, eds., Florian Hadler and Joachim Haupt (Berlin: Kulturverlag Kadmos, 2016): 7-16.

John Haugeland, “Representational Genera” in Having Thought: Essays in the Metaphysics of Mind, ed. Haugeland (Harvard Univ Press, 1992): 171-206.

Branden Hookway, Interface (MIT Press, 2014)

Interface Critique (journal).

Steven Johnson, Interface Culture (Basic Books, 1999)

Matthew Katz, “Analog Representations and Their Users,” Synthese 193: 3 (June 2015): 851-871.

Kimon Keramidas, The Interface Experience - A User’s Guide (Bard Graduate Center, 2015).

Shannon Mattern, “Interfacing Urban Intelligence,” Places Journal (April 2014).

Don Norman, The Design of Everyday Things (Basic Books, 2013).

Mitchell Whitelaw, “Generous Interfaces for Digital Cultural Collections,” Digital Humanities Quarterly 9:1 (2015).

Jeff Johnson, Designing with the Mind in Mind (Morgan Kauffmann, 2014).

WEEKS 4 AND 5: TYPEWRITER KEYBOARDS 

Our first case study is the QWERTY keyboard. This case raises fundamental questions about why interfaces are adopted in the first place, the extent to which their original designs constrain how they are subsequently used, and how particular linguistic politics and epistemologies are embodied in our interfaces. 

WEEK 4: FEBRUARY 12: KEYBOARDS & QWERTY

Andy Clark, Chapters One through Three, and Ten, Being There: Putting Brain, Body, and World Together Again (MIT Press, 1998): 11-69 and 193-218.

S. J. Liebowitz and Stephen E. Margolis, “The Fable of the Keys,” The Journal of Law & Economics 33:1 (1990): 1-25.

WEEK 5: FEBRUARY 19: OTHER KEYBOARDS

Thomas S. Mullaney, The Chinese Typewriter: A History (MIT Press, 2017): Chapter 1, 35-74; Chapter 4, 161-93; Chapter 6, 237-53 (up through “How Ancient China Missed…”; and Chapter 7, 283-8 (through “China’s First ‘Model Typist’”).

Kim Sterelny, “Minds: Extended or Scaffolded?” Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 9:4 (2010): 465-481.

See Marcin Wichary’s forthcoming book about the global history of keyboards, as well as his research newsletters.

4-5pm: Skype TBD 

Supplemental: 

Louise Barrett, Beyond the Brain (Princeton University Press, 2015).

Andy Clark and David Chalmers, “The Extended Mind,” Analysis 58:1 (1998): 7-19.

Friedrich A. Kittler, Gramophone, Film, Typewriter, trans. Geoffrey Winthrop-Young and Michael Wutz (Stanford University Press, 1986).

Lisa Gitelman, Scripts, Grooves, and Writing Machines: Representing Technology in the Edison Era (Stanford University Press, 1999).

John Haugeland, “Mind Embodied and Embedded,” Having Thought (Harvard University Press, 1998): 207-237.

Richard Heersmink, "A taxonomy of cognitive artifacts: function, information, and categories." Review of philosophy and psychology 4.3 (2013): 465-481.

Richard Heersmink, "The Metaphysics of Cognitive Artefacts," Philosophical Explorations 19.1 (2016): 78-93.

Neil M. Kay, “Rerun the Tape of History and QWERTY Always Wins,” Research Policy 42:6-7 (2013): 1175-85.

Prince McLean, “Inside the Multitouch FingerWorks Tech in Apple’s Tablet,” Apple Insider (January 23, 2010).

Jan Noyes, “QWERTY - The Immoral Keyboard,” Computing & Control Engineering Journal 9:3 (1998): 117-22.

Kim Sterelny, The Evolved Apprentice: How Evolution Made Humans Unique (MIT Press, 2012).

Cassie Werber, “The Future of Typing Doesn’t Involve a Keyboard,” Quartz (November 23, 2018).

Darren Wershler-Henry, The Iron Whim: A Fragmented History of Typewriting (Cornell University Press, 2007).

WEEKS 6 AND 7: HAPTICS 

WEEK 6: FEBRUARY 26: PUSHING BUTTONS 

H. P. Grice, “Some Remarks About the Senses,” in Analytical Philosophy, First Series, ed. R. J. Butler (OUP Press, 1962): 248-268. Reprinted in F. MacPherson (ed), The Senses (OUP Press, 2011): 83-101.

Matthew Fulkerson, “Rethinking the Senses and Their Interactions: The Case for Sensory Pluralism,” Frontiers in Psychology (December 10, 2014).

Rachel Plotnick, “Setting the Stage,” in Power Button: A History of Pleasure, Panic, and the Politics of Pushing (MIT Press, 2018): 3-16.

Rachel Plotnick, “Force, Flatness, and Touch Without Feeling: Thinking Historically About Haptics and Buttons,” New Media and Society 19:10 (2017): 1632-52.

WEEK 7: MARCH 5: HAPTICS II 

David Parisi, Archaeologies of Touch: Interfacing with Haptics from Electricity to Computing (University of Minnesota Press, 2017): Introduction, 1-40; Chapter 3, 151-212; and Chapter 4, 213-264.

4-5pm: Skype with Dave Parisi 

Supplemental: 

Sandy Isenstadt, “At the Flip of a Switch,” Places Journal (September 2018).

Mathias Fuchs, Moisés Mañas, and Georg Russegger, “Ludic Interfaces,” in Exploring Videogames: Culture, Design and Identity, eds., Nick Webber and Daniel Riha (Interdisciplinary-Net Press): 31-40.  

Matthew Fulkerson, The First Sense: A Philosophical Study of Human Touch (MIT Press, 2013).

Gerard Goggin, “Disability and Haptic Mobile Media,” New Media & Society 19:10 (2017): 1563-80.

Kim Knight, “Wearable Interfaces, Networked Bodies, and Feminist Interfaces,” MLA Commons (2018).

Brian Merchant, The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone (Little, Brown, 2017).

Stephen Monteiro, The Fabric of Interface: Mobile Media, Design, and Gender (MIT Press, 2017).

David Parisi, “Games Interfaces as Bodily Techniques,” Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education, ed. Richard Ferdig (IGI Global): 111-126.

David Parisi, Mark Paterson, and Jason Edward Arches, eds., “Haptic Media” Special Issue, New Media & Society 19:10 (October 2017).

Rachel Plotnick, “At the Interface: The Case of the Electric Push Button, 1880-1923,” Technology and Culture 53:4 (October 2012): 815-45.

MARCH 11 @ NOON 

Share your final project and presentation proposal with Zed and Shannon. See “Assignments” for more detail. 

WEEK 8: MARCH 12 

Individual meetings to discuss presentations and final projects

MARCH 19: NO CLASS: SPRING BREAK

WEEKS 9-10: VOICE 

WEEK 9: MARCH 26: History of Vocal Interfaces (Zed away)

Mara Mills, “Media and Prosthesis: The Vocoder, the Artificial Larynx, and the History of Signal Processing,” Qui Parle 21:1 (Fall/Winter 2012): 107-49.

Danielle Van Jaarsveld and Winifred Poster, “Call Centers: Emotional Labor Over the Phone,” in Emotional Labor in the 21st Century: Diverse Perspectives on Emotion Regulation at Work, ed. Alicia Grandey, Jim Diefendorff, and Deborah Rupp (LEA Press, 2012): 153-73.

Confirm the assigned text for your presentation: send to Shannon and Zed a complete Chicago-style citation and either a high-quality pdf or a link to the online resource before class today, so we can update our class website with everyone’s material.

WEEK 10: APRIL 2: Contemporary Vocal Interfaces 

Adelheid Voshkul, “Humans, Machines, and Conversations: An Ethnographic Study of the Making of Automatic Speech Recognition Technologies,” Social Studies of Science 34:3 (2004).

Andrea L. Guzman, “Voices in and of the Machine: Source Orientation Toward Mobile Virtual Assistants,” Computers in Human Behavior (2018).

Halcyon M. Lawrence and Lauren Neefe, “When I Talk to Siri,” Flash Readings 4 (September 6, 2017) {podcast: 10:14}.

Halcyon M. Lawrence, “Inauthentically Speaking: Speech Technology, Accent Bias and Digital Imperialism,” SIGCIS, Computer History Museum, March 2017 {video: 1:26 > 17:16}

Lauren McCarthy, LAUREN. A human smart home intelligence (review press, too).

4-5pm: Skype with Halcyon M. Lawrence

Supplemental: 

Meryl Alper, Giving Voice: Mobile Communication, Disability, and Inequality (MIT Press, 2017).

Michel Chion, Sound: An Acoulogical Treatise (Duke, 2016).

Karin Bijsterveld, “Dissecting Sound: Speaker Identification at the Stasi and Sonic Ways of Knowing,” Hearing Modernity (2018).

Trevor Cox, Now You’re Talking: The Story of Human Communication from the Neanderthals to Artificial Intelligence (Counterpoint, 2018).

Brian Dumaine, “It Might Get Loud: Inside Silicon Valley’s Battle to Own Voice Tech,” Fortune (October 24, 2018).

Larry Greenemeier, “Alexa, How Do We Take Our Relationship to the Next Level?” Scientific American (April 26, 2018).

Jason Kincaid, “A Brief History of ASR,” descript (July 12, 2018).

Halcyon M. Lawrence, “Siri Disciplines,” in Your Computer is on Fire, eds., Marie Hicks, Ben Peters, Kavita Philips and Tom Mullaney (MIT Press, forthcoming 2019).

Halcyon Lawrence and Lauren Neefe, “Siri’s Progeny: Voice and the Future of Interaction Design,” Georgia Tech, Fall 2016.

Xiaochang Li and Mara Mills, “Vocal Features: From Voice Identification to Speech Recognition by Machine,” Technology and Culture (forthcoming 2019).

Luke Munn, “Alexa and the Intersectional Interface,” _Angles (June 2018).

Quynh N. Nguyen, Ahn Ta, and Victor Prybutok, “An Integrated Model of Voice-User Interface Continuance Intention: The Gender Effect,” International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction (2018).

Winifred Poster, “Sound Bites, Sentiments, and Accents: Digitizing Communicative Labor in the Era of Global Outsourcing,” in digitalSTS: A Field Guide for Science & Technology Studies, eds., David Ribes and Janet Vertesi (Princeton University Press, forthcoming April 2019).

Winifred Poster, “The Virtual Receptionist with a Human Touch: Opposing Pressures of Digital Automation and Outsourcing in Interactive Services” in Invisible Labor: Hidden Work in the Contemporary World, eds. Marion G. Crain, Winifred R. Poster, and Miriam A. Cherry (University of California Press, 2016): 87-111.

Thom Scott-Phillips, Speaking our Minds: Why Human Communication is Different, and How Language Evolved to Make it Special (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015).

Craig S. Smith, “Alexa and Siri Can Hear This Hidden Command. You Can’t,” New York Times (May 10, 2018).

Dave Tompkins, How to Wreck a Nice Beach: The Vocoder from World War II to Hip-Hop, The Machine Speaks (Stop Smiling Books, 2011).

Mickey Vallee, “Biometrics, Affect, Autoaffection and the Phenomenological Voice,” Subjectivity 11:2 (2018): 161-76.

Bruce N. Walker and Michael A. Nees, “Theory of Sonification” in The Sonification Handbook, eds. Thomas Hermann, Andy Hunt, and John G. Neuhoff (Logos Publishing, 2011).

[perennialessays]

A: Michaelmas Term. The Colonial, the Postcolonial, the World: Literature, Contexts and Approaches (A/Core Course)

The A course comprises 8 1.5 hour seminars and is intended to provide a range of perspectives on some of the core debates, themes and issues shaping the study of world and postcolonial literatures in English. In each case the seminar will be led by a member of the Faculty of English with relevant expertise, in dialogue with one or more short presentations from students on aspects of the week’s topic. There is no assessed A course work, but students are asked to give at least one presentation on the course, and to attend all the seminars. You should read as much in the bibliography over the summer – certainly the primary literary texts listed in the seminar reading for each week. The allocation of presenters will be made at the meeting in week 0.

Week 1

Theories of World Literature I: What Is World Literature?...What Isn’t World Literature? (Graham Riach)

This seminar will consider what we mean when we say ‘world literature’, looking at models proposed by critics as Emily Apter, David Damrosch, the WReC collective, and others. The category of ‘world literature’ has been in constant evolution since Johan Wolfgang von Goethe popularised the term in the early 19th Century, and in this session we will explore some of the key debates in the field.

Primary:

+ David Damrosch, What is World Literature? 2003

+ ------ What Isn't World Literature, lecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfOuOJ6b-qY

+ WReC (Warwick Research Collective), Combined and Uneven Development: Towards a New Theory of World Literature

+ Extracts from Johan Wolfgang von Goethe, Karl Marx and Friechrich Engels, Franco Moretti, Pascale Cassanova, Emily Apter and others.

Secondary:

+ David Damrosch, World Literature in a Postcanonical, Hypercanonical Age in Haun Saussay ed, Comparative Literature in an Age of Globalization 2006 pp.43-53

+ Franco Moretti, Conjectures on World Literature, New Left Review 1 2000 54-68

+ Mariano Siskind, ‘The Globalization of the Novel and The Novelization of the Global: A Critique of World Literature’, Comparative Literature 62 (2010) 4: 336-60

Week 2

English in the world/Language beyond relativity (Peter McDonald)

Primary:

+ The Oxford English Dictionary (especially 1989 print edition and online, 2000-)

+ You should also read Sarah Ogilvie, Words of the World: A Global History of the Oxford English Dictionary (2012)

+ Florian Coulmas, Guardians of the Language (2016)

+ Perry Link’s short essay ‘The Mind: Less Puzzling in Chinese? (New York Review of Books, 30 June 2016), which is available via: https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2016/06/30/the-mind-less-puzzling-in-chinese/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NYR%20Krugman%20on%20King%20Als%20on%20Martin%20Cole%20on%20police&utm_content=NYR%20Krugman%20on%20King%20Als%20on%20Martin%20Cole%20on%20police+CID_9def725d3263b14fe6dce4894ed64907&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_term=The%20Mind%20in%20Chinese

Secondary:

+ Jacques Derrida, Monolingualism of the Other, or The Prosthesis of Origin, trans. Patrick Mensah, 1998 (French edition, 1996)

+ Charles Taylor, The Language Animal (2016)

Preparation

A (2 students: position papers, maximum 1000 words, on ONE of the following. Please ensure both topics are covered. Also bring along a handout with your key quotations—copies for the entire group) 1. Explain the significance of the epigraphs from Glissant and Khatibi for Derrida’s argument and analysis in Monolingualism. 2. Explain Taylor’s distinction between ‘designative-instrumental’ and ‘expressive-constitutive’ theories of language.

B (all remaining students: single-sided A4 handout—copies for the entire group) Browse the OED, especially using the online feature that allows you to group words by origin and/or region, and select ONE loanword from a non-European language. On one side of an A-4 sheet give an account of the word, explaining why you think it has particular significance in the long history of lexical borrowing that constitutes the English language and the shorter history of the linguistic relativity thesis

Week 3

The (Un)translatability of World Literature (Adriana X. Jacobs)

This seminar will examine the role of translation in the development of the category of world literature with a particular focus on the term “translatability.” We will consider how translation into “global” English has shaped contemporary understandings of translatability and how to reconcile these with the more recent turn to “untranslatability” in literary scholarship. To what extent are the parameters of world literature contingent on a translation economy that privileges certain languages, authors and texts over authors? What room is there in current configurations of world literature for works that “do not measure up to certain metrics of translational circulation” (Zaritt)?

Primary:

+ Emily Apter, Against World Literature: On the Politics of Untranslatability (New York: Verso, 2013)

+ “To Translate,” in Dictionary of Untranslatables: A Philosophical Lexicon, Barbara Cassin, ed., ed. and trans. Emily Apter, Jacques Lezra, and Michael Wood (Princeton: Princeton UP, 2014): 1139- 1155. (read introduction online: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10097.html)

Secondary:

+ Antoine Berman, “Translation and the Trials of the Foreign,” trans. Lawrence Venuti, in The Translation Studies Reader, 3rd edition (New York/Abingdon: Routledge, 2012): 240-253.

+ Johannes Göransson, “‘Transgressive Circulation’: Translation and the Threat of Foreign Influence,” Cordite Poetry Review (November 1, 2016): www.cordite.org.au/essays/transgressive-circulation.

+ Ignacio Infante, “On The (Un)Translatability of Literary Form: Framing Contemporary Translational Literature,” Translation Review 95.1 (2016): 1-7

+ Lydia Liu, “The Problem of Language in Cross-Cultural Studies,” in Translingual Practice:Literature, National Culture, and Translated Modernity—China, 1900-1937 (Stanford: Stanford UP, 1995): 1-42

+ Ronit Ricci, “On the untranslatability of ‘translation’: Considerations from Java, Indonesia,” Translation Studies 3.3 (2010): 287-301.

+ Saul Zaritt, “‘The World Awaits Your Yiddish Word’: Jacob Glatstein and the Problem of World Literature,” Studies in American Jewish Literature (1981-) 34.2 (2015): 175-203.

Week 4

Literature and Performance of the Black Americas (Annie Castro)

In this seminar, we will engage with a variety of writings by Black authors across the Americas that emphasize issues of race, nationality, cultural heritage, and performance. This course will serve as an introduction into critical debates regarding the complex interchange of Afro-diasporic persons, ideas, and discourse across the Western Hemisphere. Please come prepared to share a short (approximately 200 words), informal written review of the assigned readings. This review, which is intended to aid group discussion, should place the assigned texts in conversation with one another, particularly in regards to their conceptualizations of race and culture in artistic expression.

Primary:

+ Erna Brodber, Louisiana (1997)

Secondary:

+ DeFrantz, Thomas and Anita Gonzalez, “Introduction.” In Black Performance Theory (2014)

+ Edwards, Brent Hayes. “Prologue,” “Variations on a Preface.” In The Practice of Diaspora: Literature, Translation, and the Rise of Black Internationalism (2003)

+ Harris, Wilson. “History, Fable, and Myth in the Caribbean and Guianas” (1970). In Caribbean Quarterly: The 60th Anniversary Edition (2008)

Week 5

Theories of World Literature II: Is World Literature Beautiful? (Graham Riach)

Traditional definitions of world literature are heavily based on the idea of universal cultural value. This seminar will consider some of the main issues in universalist conceptions of world literary value, particularly in relation to aesthetics, and the role of interpretive communities in dealing with distances in time, culture and language.

Primary:

+ Simon Gikandi, Slavery and the Culture of Taste (Princeton University Press, 2014)

+ Sianne Ngai, Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2012)

Secondary:

+ Isobel Armstrong, The Radical Aesthetic (Oxford: Blackwell, 2000)

+ Bill Ashcroft, ‘Towards a Postcolonial Aesthetics’, Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 51, 4 (2015), pp. 410-421

+ Elleke Boehmer, ‘A Postcolonial Aesthetic: Repeating Upon the Present’, in Janet Cristina Şandru Wilson and Sarah Lawson Welsh eds., Rerouting the Postcolonial: New Directions for the New Millennium (2010), pp. 170-181

+ Peter de Bolla, Art Matters (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001)

+ Simon Gikandi, ‘Race and the Idea of the Aesthetic’, Michigan Quarterly Review, 40,2 (2001), pp.318–50.

+ Peter J. Kalliney, Commonwealth of Letters: British Literary Culture and the Emergence of Postcolonial Aesthetics (Oxford: OUP, 2013)

+ Catherine Noske, ‘A Postcolonial Aesthetic? An Interview with Robert Young’, Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 50, 5, 609-621 (2014)

+ Rethinking Beauty, special issue of diacritics (32.1, Spring 2002)

Week 6

Cultural Memory and Reconciliation (Catherine Gilbert)

In this seminar, we will explore representations of conflict and its enduring impact in narratives from South Africa and Rwanda. In particular, we will consider questions surrounding the relationship between testimony and literature, how writers work to convey the complex nuances of trauma and memory, and the role of literature in remembrance and reconciliation.

Primary:

+ Achmat Dangor, Bitter Fruit (London: Atlantic Books, 2004 [2001]).

+ Jean Hatzfeld (ed), Into the Quick of Life. The Rwandan Genocide: The Survivors Speak (London: Serpent’s Tail, 2008).

+ Please also listen to: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, ‘The Danger of the Single Story’ (TED talk, 2009): https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en

Secondary:

+ Jean Hatzfeld (ed), Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak, translated by Linda Coverdale (New York: Picador, 2005). Esp. the chapters ‘In the shade of an acacia’, ‘Remorse and regrets’, ‘Bargaining for forgiveness’, and ‘Pardons’.

+ Madelaine Hron, ‘Gukora and Itsembatsemba: The "Ordinary Killers" in Jean Hatzfeld's Machete Season’, Research in African Literatures, 42.2 (2011), pp. 125-146.

+ Antjie Krog, Country of My Skull (London: Vintage, 1999 [1998]). Esp. Chapter 3, ‘Bereaved and Dumb, the High Southern Air Succumbs’, pp. 38-74.

+ Achille Mbembe, ‘African Modes of Self-Writing’, Public Culture, 14.1 (2002), pp. 239-273.

+ Ana Miller, ‘The Past in the Present: Personal and Collective Trauma in Achmat Dangor’s Bitter Fruit’, Studies in the Novel, 40.1-2 (2008), pp. 146-160.

+ Zoe Norridge, Perceiving Pain in African Literature (London: Palgrave, 2012)

+ Richard Crownshaw, Jane Kilby and Antony Rowland (eds), The Future of Memory (New York: Berghahn Books, 2010). Esp. the introductions to each of the three sections on memory, testimony and trauma.

Week 7

Comics and Conflict: Witness, Testimony and World Literature? (Dominic Davies)

In this seminar we will explore the seemingly prevalent tendency of the use of comics –that is, sequential art that combines juxtaposed drawn and other images with the (hand)written word – to depict conflict zones in geo-historical areas as diverse as Palestine, Bosnia and Afghanistan. Why have comics, a highly mediated form that draws attention to the contingency of its own perspective, been used to document witness testimonies from war zones across the world? How do comics, constructed from a sophisticated architecture of borders and gutters, communicate these testimonies across national borders, perhaps even forging alternative kinds of ‘world literature’?

Primary:

+ Joe Sacco, Safe Area Goražde (2000), Palestine (2001)

+ Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frederic Lemercier, The Photographer: Into War-torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders (2009)

Secondary:

+ Ayaka, Carolene, and Hague, Ian eds., Representing Multiculturalism in Comics and Graphic Novels (2015)

+ Chute, Hillary, ‘Comics as Literature? Reading Graphic Narrative’, PMLA 123.2, 45-65 (2008)

+ ——, Disaster Drawn: Visual Witness, Comics, and Documentary Form (2016)

+ Denson, Shane, Meyer, Christina, and Stein, Daniel eds., Transnational Perspectives on Graphic Narratives: Comics at the Crossroads (2014)

+ Hatfield, Charles, Alternative Comics: An Emerging Literature (2005)

+ Mehta, Benita, and Mukherjee, Pia eds. Postcolonial Comics: Texts, Events, Identities (2015)

+ Mickwitz, Nina, Documentary Comics: Graphic Truth-telling in a Skeptical Age (2015)

+ Worden, Daniel ed. The Comics of Joe Sacco: Journalism in a Visual World (2015)

Week 8

World Poetry: A Case Study from India (Rosinka Chaudhuri)

Here, we will look episodically at the development of modern poetry in India in relation to the world; that is, we shall see how the world entered Indian poetry at the same time as it transformed poetry in the ‘West’. The very word for poet - ‘kavi’ - began to be redefined as the Sanskrit word came in contact with modernity in the nineteenth century, at the end of which we have the phenomenal figure of Tagore, who was perhaps the first ‘World Poet’ recognised as such from East to West. The decades of the 1960s-’80s - when Pablo Neruda was common currency and Arun Kolatkar sat at the Wayside Inn in Bombay - to present-day studies of multilinguality and the role of translation shall be explored to devise a notion of poetry in the world over time as it happened in India.

Primary:

+ Buddhadeva Bose, ‘Comparative Literature in India’, in Jadavpur Journal of Comparative Literature, Vol. 45; see http://jjcl.jdvu.ac.in/jjcl/upload/JJCL 45.pdf

+ Arvind Krishna Mehrotra, ‘The Emperor Has No Clothes,’ in Partial Reccall: Essays on Literature and Literary History (Delhi: Permanent Black, 2012)

+ Amit Chaudhuri, ‘Arun Kolatkar and the Tradition of Loitering,’ in Clearing A Space: Reflections on India, Literature and Culture (Oxford: Peter Lang, 2008).

Secondary:

+ Roland Barthes, ‘Is There Any Poetic Writing?’ in Annette Lavers and Colin Smith translated Writing Degree Zero (1953; New York: Hill and Wang, 1967).

+ Rosinka Chaudhuri, The Literary Thing: History, Poetry, and The Making of a Modern Cultural Sphere (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014).

+ Bhavya Tiwari, ‘Rabindranath Tagore’s Comparative World Literature,’ in Theo D’haen, David Damrosch and Djelal Kadir ed. The Routledge Companion to World Literature (London: Routledge, 2012).

+ Deborah Baker, A Blue Hand: The Beats in India (New York and Delhi: Penguin, 2008).

+ Laetitia Zechhini, Arun Kolatkar and Literary Modernism in India: Moving Lines (London: Bloomsbury, 2016)

+ Anjali Nerlekar, Bombay Modern: Arun Kolatkar and Bilingual Literary Culture (Northwestern University Press, 2016).

[typicalmidnight]

100 Questions

1.) Name Kaleea

2.) Where are you from? Canada

3.) How old are you? 13

4.) Do you have any siblings? yes, a younger brother

5.) Pets? an aquatic frog (i kinda hate it tho)

6.) Describe yourself um smart, funnyish, sarcastic 24/7

7.) What do you do for fun? read, watch youtube and netflix, sing

8.) Do you have a job? What do you do? nope i just go to school

9.) Have you had other jobs? i used to babysit?

10.) What’s your favorite memory? i have no freaking idea

11.) What is one thing you regret? so many things

12.) What is one thing you wish you would’ve done, but didn’t? tried out for my school musical

13.) One thing about yourself you wish you could change my hair cause i cut it and regret it so much

14.) What do you love about yourself? my singing voice

15.) Who inspires you? brooke sanchez, zendaya, emma watson, idk who else

16.) Do you collect anything? no?? i don’t think so lol

17.) Do you have any fears? SPIDERS

18.) Is there anything that annoys you about your job? uh homework?? lol

19.) Can you tell us a secret about yourself? 

20.) How about another secret? :)

21.) Favorite band? One Direction

22.) What music are you currently listening to? well currently as i’m writing this, i’m listening to Eyes Wide Open by Sabrina Carpenter. but in general lots of oldish pop from 2012-2016/17

23.) Do you have a favorite song? i don’t think so

24.) Do you have a favorite movie? ooooooh ummmm spiderman: homecoming at the moment i think

25.)What’s your favorite color? purpleeee

26.) What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been to? cuba!

27.) Ever broken a promise? i mean probably, small ones tho. wait actually tho this girl that i don’t really like told me her crush and made me promise not to tell anyone but i broke that one soooooo that was a mess. regret that a lot.

28.) Do you have a favorite book? harry potter and the deathly hallows

29.) What’s your favorite school subject? language (english)

30.) Least favorite school subject? GYM

31.) What’s your favorite food? sushi

32.) How about least favorite food? so many i have no idea

33.) What’s your favorite Holiday? Christmas!!!!

34.) What makes you mad? ahhhh so much but usually my brother

35.) What makes you happy? peter parker, reading, harry potter, brooke sanchez, music

36.) Do you have a favorite scent? no, but if i had to pick i would say vanilla

38.) Do you have a favorite TV show? uhhhhh full house maybe?

39.) Can you share an extremely embarrassing moment? once i punched my crush in the face by accident...

40.) When is a time you were extremely irritated? a few weeks ago i was under a lot of stress and my friend stole my earbuds but when she said she took them she seemed like she was lying and my anxiety levels were really high (i have diagnosed anxiety okay i’m not just saying that) and she was really stressing out and i was super mad at her. that’s long sorry. also super random.

41.) Is there anybody you hate? millie bobby brown (sorry y’all that like her) and this kid in my class.

42.) What do you look for in a person? a strong personality, funny, outgoing, nice, someone i can relate too

43.) How’s the weather? sucky it’s coldddd and even tho it’s winter there’s no snow even tho i’m in CANADA and like we usually get snow but there isn’t any so that’s making me kinda mad

44.) Are you currently in school? not at the moment, but yes, i do go to school

45.) What is your goal in life? to become a professional singer maybe??

46.) Is there something you should be doing, but keep putting off? homework, cleaning my room

47.) Ever been to a concert? yes, i saw johnny orlando and mackezie ziegler, and hayden summerall, brooke butler, and johnny orlando again

48.) What was the last movie you saw in theater? fantastic beasts: the crimes of grindelwald

49.) What was the last book you read? mockingjay (hunger games trilogy)

50.) What is your favorite season? fall

51.) Do you prefer it to be hot or cold? cold i guess but i hate both

52.) Do you prefer the sun, the rain, or snow? sun, but not too hot

53.) If you could go anywhere, where would you go? paris maybe

54.) Any current travel plans? nah but i wanna go to vidcon. i might go to flordia tho possibly to go to playlist live.

55.) Do you prefer day or night? idk

56.) Are you an introvert or extrovert? in👏tro👏vert👏

57.) What is something not many people know about you? i write fics, and i actually really love writing (nobody i know in real life knows this i don’t think)

58.) Where are you right now? my living room

59.) Look in front of you. What do you see? a blanket

60.) If you could meet one person, alive or dead, who would it be? does peter parker count?

61.) Would you rather look into your future, or fix something from your past? i honestly have no idea

62.) If you could sit down with anyone in the world, and talk to them for an hour, who would you like to speak with? zendaya

63.) What was the first CD you ever owned? i don’t own any

64.) What was the first CD you ever purchased with your own money? noneee

65.) If you own any Vinyls, which was your first? um none!

66.) How many CDs do you own? 0. nobody uses cds!

67.) What relaxes you? music

68.) Do you have any talents? singing?? idk sometimes i think i’m good at it, and others i think i’m terrible

69.) If you could give yourself the ability to do anything, what would it be? like a superpower?? um be a witch like hermione granger but without a wand. or combat my anxiety and ask out my crush (he would prob say no tho i’m pretty sure he doesn’t like me back)

70.) Favorite candy? gummies

71.) Is anything bothering you right now? i’m going to a new school soon i think and i’m hella nervous

72.) Are you happy with where you are in life right now? not really, the reason i’m going to a new school is actually because of my anxiety, so i’m upset with myself for letting it take this much control over me.

73.) Is there anyone you regret ever associating with? none that i can think of

74.) Do you have a favorite memory from your childhood? uh well one time i was eating ice cream in front of my tv when i was really little. that was fun.

75.) What is your least favorite memory from your childhood. when i was 3 i had a dream cookie monster was in my basement and he was trying to eat me. that traumatized me for years.

76.) Favorite memory of your parents? idk i have terrible memory i’m sorry

77.) Do you have a least favorite memory of your parents? again, terrible memory

78.) How is your relationship with your parents? um i’m closer with my mom than my dad, but there’s other stuff i shouldn’t get into on the internet

79.) What’s your family like? good? idk

80.) Are you clean or messy? messyyyy even tho i hate messiness

81.) What is your most recent purchase? books

82.) What’s the most amount of money you’ve spent at once? i have no idea

83.) What are you saving up for? vidcon tickets

84.) How much money do you have to your name currently? a lot? idk

85.) Have you ever done anything last minute? EVERYTHING

86.) What’s the furthest in advance you’ve planned something? nothing i’m terrible at planning

87.) Are you an introvert or Extrovert? you already asked this?? in👏tro👏vert👏

88.) What’s the latest you’ve ever been out of your house? 5 am?? maybe??? i have no idea

89.) Cats or Dogs? D👏O👏G👏S👏 (i’m not against cats, just not a cat person)

90.) How long have you gone without sleep? like the longest? 22 hours i think. currently tho like 5 hours i woke up late cause i’m sick

91.) What were you like as a child? shyyyyy but also very loud if i was comfortable

92.) What do you miss from your childhood? the innocence you have when you’re a child, and not having drama all the time

93.) Do you have a favorite memory from work? i don’t workkkkkkk. but from school, we went on a trip to Washington DC and that was cool.

94.) What’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened to you? I almost got hit by a car once? (but like i almost did no joke my friend saved me tho) (happens to be the same friend who stole my earbuds)

95.) What’s a bad habit that you have? biting my nails oof

96.) What are your plans for the summer? uhhhhhhhh

97.) What was the last thing that made you happy? writing these answers

98.) What was the last picture you took on your phone? screenshot of the new spider-man trailer!!!

99.) Who was the last person you texted and why? my friends, because i was super excited about the new trailer

100.) Send me your own questions in the ask box!

[news-venue]

Anirban Lahiri takes Players Championship lead ahead of hectic Monday finish

Shane Lowry delivers shot of the day with a hole-in-one on the famed 17th

India’s Anirban Lahiri birdied three of his last four holes to seize a one-stroke lead before darkness halted Sunday’s third round of the storm-hit Players Championship.

Lahiri made six birdies against a lone bogey to reach 5-under through 11 holes at TPC Sawgrass and stand on 9-under overall, one stroke ahead of Americans Tom Hoge and Harold Varner entering a Monday shootout at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

“I’m just being in the moment right now. I’m really happy. I’m confident,” Lahiri said. “You grind away, keep chipping away, keep working on your game, and when it clicks, it clicks.”

Two days of torrential rain followed by fierce winds on Saturday delayed play so some golfers must go 27 holes on Monday to finish the tournament.

Lahiri, 34, seeks his biggest career title after European Tour victories in 2015 at the Malaysian and Indian Opens.

“It definitely would be a career highlight,” Lahiri said. “This is the next thing to winning a major.”

World No 322 Lahiri seeks his first PGA Tour title and the first by any Indian player since Arjun Atwal’s 2010 triumph at Greensboro. He said it would mean a lot to his homeland because people could watch it there.

“It would be huge,” Lahiri said. “With every shot live, it makes a big difference because people get to watch me play. It’s not every week you play well, but you play well in a week where people can actually see you play, it makes a bigger difference.”

Varner is also aiming for his first PGA Tour title while Hoge captured his first only last month at Pebble Beach. Each has nine holes remaining in the third round.

Lahiri’s day began in the second round in cold barely above freezing and he made three bogeys before an eagle at the par-5 11th in the second round.

“I’m not used to playing in temps like that. I couldn’t feel anything in my fingers, my toes,” Lahiri said. “Felt like I made good swings but they came out sideways and I missed a few putts.

“It kind of warmed up a little bit and I got a hold of what I wanted to do on the greens. Just making the three on 11 kind of gave me the momentum I needed to turn my day around.”

In the third round, Lahiri made an 11-foot birdie putt at the first hole and tapped in for birdie at the par-5 second. He sank a 10-foot birdie putt at the sixth, rolled in a four-footer at the par-3 eighth and sank a birdie putt from just inside 25 feet at the par-5 ninth.

Lahiri found the left trees off the 10th tee and made a bogey to start the back nine, but bounced back with a tap-in birdie at 11, making him the man to beat with nine rivals lurking three or less back.

“I feel like I’m swinging well,” Lahiri said. “I’ve got to pull the right clubs, make the right shots and just hit it. There’s going to be lot of fiddly shots, a lot of uncomfortable shots and I’ve just got to commit. The few bad shots I hit today was either a bad club that I pulled or a shot I wasn’t committed.”

England’s Paul Casey, sharing fourth on 7-under through nine holes with American Sam Burns and Colombia’s Sebastian Munoz, would be the second-oldest Players champion at 44. He has gone 42 holes without a bogey.

“We started in the dark and got home in the dark. But in between I played some pretty good stuff,” Casey said. “I’ve got momentum.”

Ireland’s Shane Lowry aced the famed par-3 17th island hole with a wedge from 124 yards in round three. It was the 10th ace at the hole, the first since Ryan Moore in the first round in 2019 and was the Irishman’s second PGA Tour ace after one at the 2016 Masters.