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mcytblr-archive · 6 months ago

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Early MCYTblr Interviews: leftistgnf

today's interviewee (after far too long letting this sit in my drafts) is leftistgnf/marg, also known for running the gnflegalteam blog! they were kind enough to answer my laundry list of questions, and i'm excited to finally share them with you all!

Q: What do you remember about the mcytblr awards?

A: omg i hope this isn’t a disappointing way to start but i actually remember very little about these. were these the ones angie markets did? i just remember attempts to make mcytblr-wide events like this usually got complained about because the fandom was too big lol.

Q: What was the gnflegalteam blog?

A: probably the most poorly-aging part of my digital footprint 😭sometime in late 2021 i started doing a bit on my blog where i’d roleplay as a lawyer defending george from the gay allegations. on april fools day 2022 i made a sideblog with this fake press release about how we lost our case and needed help with the appeal and people started sending asks and it became a whole little side project. it was honestly pretty fun! people who already didn’t really fuck with me called it parasocial, but so was everything we were all doing all the time. unfortunately it is gone forever now…. after the story about george sexually assaulting caiti became public i made a final post telling him to kill himself and someone reported it and tumblr deleted the sideblog LMAO. it was a pretty fitting way for it to go out.

Q: What was the "drama stream" that you and Hari streamed?

A: HAHAHA okay this was like, summer 2022 i think? i had made this channel with the gnflegalteam username just to talk in sol’s twitch chat, with no intention of ever streaming, but hari and i began kicking around the idea of doing a “””drama stream””” where we’d mostly talk about cc drama. i’m not sure how to best describe this but: we, and our friends, tended to disagree with the dtblr majority on a lot of controversies. and dtblr could be really vicious when you had differing opinions! even on inconsequential stuff like lore takes! so people already saw me and hari as being toxic and controversial, just because we held those differing opinions, and i guess i felt like i didn’t have anything to lose by talking about it all at once.

admittedly we clickbaited it a lot and probably flew too close to the sun and hari made a very uhhh.. inflammatory advertisement for it. but looking back i don’t think we actually talked about anything THAT crazy. like i said, most of the “drama” was related to creators or the dsmp and not other tumblr users. there was a group of blogs who specifically planned a stream at the same time as ours and made posts about choosing positivity or something, which blew what we were doing way out of proportion and created its own unnecessary drama. but the stream itself, after all the angry anons we got leading up to it, was a lot of fun. it attracted a lot more attention than i ever expected. i infamously got connoreatspants to react to a raid from a channel called “gnflegalteam,” which was probably one of my favorite moments of my whole mcytblr experience.

Q: What was it like to be in 404blr?

A: 404blr, especially in the earlier days, was nice because there were so few of us who actually considered themselves “”george mains.”” george never streamed and was barely even active on social media so a lot of the community bonding happened over content droughts. i remember a lot of thinkpieces on the trajectory of his career and these floods of desperate “i miss george” posts. also, i know you didn’t ask about 404cord but i want to mention it briefly because basically everyone on 404blr ended up joining in the first couple of days. before all the drama it was really just 404blr people, plus a couple dream stans who also really liked george. it used to be very fun and normal!

imo most of the conflict surrounding 404blr happened when we fought with other subblrs. there was definitely a clash between dream/dnf mains and george mains, because they would really mischaracterize and over-sexualize george in ways that felt weird to us. in the context of shipping, george was always portrayed as this blushing virginal twinkish nymphomaniac. in general a lot of self-proclaimed dnf/dream team mains were really just dream mains who liked george as the other half of a ship and didn’t really care about him as a person. honestly, we were always just on a soapbox trying to convince people that george was a fun interesting good streamer.

it’s complicated to look back on because obviously i think george is really fucking gross now, which colors all my memories of being a fan of his. i don’t know that i still agree with my past self about him being particularly good at streaming either. but i met a lot of friends through 404blr and generally think about that specific community fondly

Q: Why was Hari in people's blocklists?

A: hmm i won’t say too much about this just because it’s not my exposé to give. but like early 2021, when i had just joined mcytblr, there was this discord server that hari was in, and they had a conflict that escalated to the point of some members putting her and “her supporters” in their dnis. it was really bizarre because they talked about her like she was a problematic content creator and not a friend they fought with. i was mutuals with a couple of the people who were mad at her and they were vagueposting like she killed their entire family. iirc everyone involved was very young at the time, which i think explains a lot of how that went down.

Q: Do you think there was an overlap between inniters and 404blr?

A: yes thanks to me! JUST KIDDING. i personally was a big clingy duo fan so i followed a lot of inniters and ended up being friends with a lot of inniters, but most of them didn’t really gaf about george. a lot of inniters (sbi fandom in general) didn’t like dream and really didn’t like rpf so we were a little star-crossed… i can’t speak for innitblr as a whole but there were definitely jokes among my mutuals about a couple of us being token george mains or token dnfers. because george (at the time) was kind of controversy-free and also interacted a lot with the uk dsmp creators, i think it was easier for them to let 404blr into their hearts than like, dreamblr or dtblr.

on the other side, a lot of dtblr people hated inniters because they were critical of dream, or because they had such different opinions on lore. i was constantly getting anons asking me why i was friends with certain blogs who had made fun of dream before. so i guess idk if crossover is the right word because it was more like, three or four dnfers who really liked tommy and shamefully showed up at the doorstep of innitblr asking not to be softblocked. thank you spider enclosure for extending that grace to me.

Q: What was it like on the inniter side of Tumblr?

A: my personal experience with innitblr was great! obviously a lot of them felt apathetic or negative towards george or the dream team but that was never really an issue for me i guess -- all my mutuals’ criticisms were pretty fair, even back when i disagreed with them. i remember the community itself being really funny and a lot less volatile than dtblr or even 404blr. they were also way more invested in lore, which was another draw for me because i was always a huge lorehead. tbh i probably posted as much about clingy duo as i did about the dream team so i was basically a part time inniter anyways. that being said, innitblr skewed a little younger than dtblr so i was never as involved in the community. but i always loved interacting with them and i’m still friends with a lot of my (ex-)innitblr mutuals. most of spider enclosure (for example) are still on tumblr and just post about like doctor who and shit.

Q: What were some positive things you remember from that time?

A: like i’ve mentioned: i made a lot of really really great friends who i still talk to often, even a year and a half out from leaving the fandom, which is easily the most positive outcome for me. i could write a million words on how grateful i am for those relationships. it’s kind of sweet to think about how these random blogs i befriended during a crazy minecrafter hyfx are now people i’ve hung out with in real life, or who send me instagram reels, or who i watch timothee chalamet movies with. mcytblr also had some of the most talented artists and writers i’ve ever met! i also think the culture of liveblogging was a LOT of fun, especially during like big lore streams or mcc. an all time favorite memory was liveblogging tommy’s love or host because i saw tommy fans, george fans, and variety fans on my dash all begging for it to end lmao.

Q: Conversely, what are some negative ones?

A: a lot of people were like… really really not nice. and i’ll be honest, most of the not nice people were on dtblr. it’s kind of insane thinking back on the stuff that was said to and about me and my mutuals. this is another thing i don’t want to get too into because a lot of the stories aren’t mine to share but in addition to run-of-the-mill suicide baiting i got a lot of lesbophobia in my ask box, and my friends got anti-semitic and islamophobic and racist and transphobic hate anons. i’ve been on tumblr for like 10 years and it was my first fandom experience that was that vitriolic. it was also really easy to get swept up in that kind of toxic culture -- i’m certain i said some things i wouldn’t be proud of now, especially in defense of dream or whatever.

after october 2022 when dtblr self-rebranded as “dtblr 2.0,” there was a lot of gossip and hate posted about those of us who had left. i don’t like admitting this but it really fucked me up for a while! and ruined a lot of my ability to look back on the fandom fondly! it sucks knowing that people who have never once spoken to you have decided to hate you.

anyways, i’ve done a lot of self-reflection on my own relationship with fandoms and online discourse and public figures and i think i’m better for it, so i guess i hope the people who harrassed us have done that too.

Q: Were there any major fandom/creator events that you remember?

A: broadly speaking, mcc will always have a special place in my heart because it was such a community-wide event. like yes it was about the creators but there was so much activity in the fandom surrounding it (posts, art, analysis, etc etc) that it felt really major for us too.

i don’t remember details about this but i know there were mcytblr elections at some point in like 2021 maybe? i just remember i endorsed the 404blr ticket. maybe you’ve already archived posts about this. i don’t think it really went anywhere, but the campaigns were fun! and it was the first “community” event in the mcytblr fandom that i remember being around for.

ALSO i’m a little nervous to talk about this one in case it’s still controversial on dtblr. but ages ago i had a friend who put a bunch of mutuals in one of those silly hunger games simulators and it became this whole thing where people accused them of only including the “dtblr 1%”. which was like, categorically untrue, but it spawned such inane discourse that it’s ingrained in my mind forever.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to share or have archived?

A: i think you got an anon asking for 404blr perspectives in the wake of caiti’s statements, which is like… what do i even say except that george is a sexual predator lmfao. because he is! obviously i left the fandom when a lot of people did, after dream’s grooming allegations, because i think he’s also acted inappropriately with underage fans (to put it mildly). the sheer number of survivors publicizing their experiences with abuse and assault in the mcyt space proves how prevalent an issue it is, and how harmful it was to have george and dream (and wilbur, and punz, and so on) in such positions of power there. it’s nauseating to think how much they, and men like them, were able to get away with. i regret how many red flags i overlooked, even back then before the worst of it was known.

i’d like it archived that spider enclosure was technically in the washington post. they ran an article about r/place back in april 2022 and the screenshot they chose for the header included the spot where we wrote “spien” even though it’s so horribly pixelated that it’s illegible.

uhh i think that’s it. sorry if this was more focused on dtblr than 404blr, they were pretty inextricable by 2022. but i hope those people who wanted to hear from 404ers got the insight they were looking for? my parting words… subscribe to tubbo.

#Early MCYTblr Interviews #Volume 20 #leftistgnf #gnflegalteam

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octopuscityblues · 6 months ago

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Kafkaryan, The Wrath Of Cod

June 2024 Progress Report

TLDR: Unfortunately we had to push back our planned release date again. We don't have a new date yet, but we're trying our best to bring you Octopus City Blues as soon as humanly possible. We're very sorry about that. The rest of the update will go over some of the things we've been working on and provide additional context for the delay.

Progress

Starting in April, Marina (benevolent tentacle artist) and I (Firas, malevolent snail) significantly changed the way we work. Previously, art and development were mostly done independently and we communicated on a weekly or biweekly basis. We switched to a virtual office kind of setup where we dedicate fixed hours to working together every day. It's been going great so far and we feel much more motivated and productive.

Our current target is the Robot Graveyard, the lawless wasteland at the base of Gold Tower. We're mainly working on the remaining interior locations such as the Conman's shop or the cyborg club.

By the way, we recently released yet another demo update, based on all the quality-of-life and interaction improvements made since the previous one. These include:

🦔 Kaf the Hedgehog is now 33% faster and has 100% more walking frames!

🖼️ Intuitive top-of-the-line settings menu to crank up your sim's colors to 11.

🎨 New text background colors to make your eyes bleed. From the grimy "Jungle" to the ominous "Caput Mortuum".

💬 Switch between the gossip and item menu modes like a pro using Q/E keys or the gamepad's shoulder buttons.

🎮 Say goodbye to gamepad confusion! The simulation will reliably remember the most recently used controller.

🍄 Beetles crave mushrooms. Drop the right item in the plaza and watch the little critters go!

😷 You no longer have to "touch" dirty objects or people to interact with them. Standing close by is sufficient.

🤖 Sacrificing Mom to science will pay off sooner.

🪲 And numerous other fixes, copy editing changes, and a host of new potential bugs for you to discover!

I'm also happy to present one of several music tracks that the newest addition to our team, Shannon (omnibenevolent troubadour), has been working on:

youtube

There's a lot more happening behind the scenes. For example, Julia (unambivalent wordsmith) went over and helped improve large portions of the script, while Karl (ambivalent doodler) is practicing card tricks.

The Delay

Octopus City Blues has had a long and rocky journey over the years, so I apologize if the following is too long and boring. Nevertheless, you all deserve an honest explanation for the delays. Back in late 2021 when I was pitching the project to the Midgame Fund, the plan looked something like this:

Early 2022: Demo play testing

Late 2022: Release of Act 1 in Early Access.

Mid 2023: Steam Next Fest demo

Late 2023 / Early 2024: Release of Act 2

Later in 2024: KS reward fulfillment, possible localization and console ports

After getting funded, the helpful investors at Midgame Fund advised against Early Access and recommended releasing both acts together. Much of 2022 was spent on discussions, planning, and extensive play testing that took place in two main rounds. The testing feedback showed us that we still had much to do, particularly when it came to guiding the players.

By early 2023 we were struggling to follow the original plan as we addressed all the testing feedback. That's why I decided to cut a lot of planned content and rewrite the story so that it no longer had two acts. The original acts were separated by a 10-year gap, which would've required a lot of art editing and writing completely new responses for every character.

The next play testing round coincided with the Indigo event. Even after all the changes made, some players were still struggling with certain parts or running into bugs. That's why we decided to participate in the October Steam Next Fest edition instead of the June one. The release date was pushed back to Q1 2024.

The Next Fest event itself was a great success. After years of neglecting marketing, we used 2023 to promote the project and make it more viable financially. On the other hand, the event left us with even more feedback, some of which we were still addressing in January (2024). The release date was pushed back to Q2.

In early 2024 the Q2 release plan was still feasible. However, things temporarily took a turn for the worse after our last update. The first roadblock was due to real life developments and personal circumstances that impacted the availability of key team members. Thankfully, everything is back to normal now.

A more general problem is that the more we get done, the more work we end up creating for ourselves. The complex branching quest design means that the amount of testing needed can grow exponentially. Automated testing and play testing rounds can only take us so far.

The next obstacle had to do with the 2023 rewrite. Taking a story with many characters and intertwined elements and completely rewriting major parts of it turned out to be much trickier than expected. Some major plot elements simply didn't work in the new framework, and I had to make additional changes to improve the story's overall pacing and consistency.

At first I thought we could still release the main parts, and then slowly restore some content after release. That would've meant early adopters and our biggest supporters wouldn't get the complete intended experience. There are also many more things we'd like to tackle after release (Kickstarter rewards, localization, porting) instead of adding more content.

To be clear, there are some things that we still plan to add after release (as free DLC). In particular, there are the arcade games and the quests related to them. While not part of the main story, they were in our original pitch (and much of the art is already done).

All of this brings us to our current plan. The story is still in one act, but some previously cut areas and quests will be restored. As mentioned in the previous section, we've adopted a new way of working since April and have been slowly adding the remaining areas and characters to the simulation. While things look promising, it's hard to tell what will happen tomorrow or if additional play testing will require even more changes.

OCB is something that particularly benefits from these play testing rounds, because the more we can anticipate the player's actions (e.g. trying to combine the knife and baby items), the more fun and immersive the experience feels. Obviously, we can never get rid of every bug or address all feedback before release. That's why we'll just have to find the right balance.

We still have to finish the following parts: Graveyard (in-progress), Big Beef, Turkeys, and the ending. Of those, Big Beef is the most involved one. I changed the planned release date on Steam to simply 2024 because that's our goal, but please keep in mind that it's not a release date either. We'll only announce a concrete release date once all of these areas are done and work primarily shifts to testing and polishing.

If you've made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read all of that! We remain as committed to this project as we were on day one, and we're genuinely trying our best as flawed and naively optimistic humanoids. We owe it all to your continued support and understanding.

#octopus city blues #pixel art #pixelart #gamedev #screenshotsaturday #indie game #news #update #Youtube

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phoenixradiant · 3 months ago

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Writer Questionnaire

My thanks to @paeliae-occasionally for the tag! This gets pretty long so I'm putting it under the cut

About how long have you had your writing tumblr/writeblr?

Dunno, probably a bit over half a year at this point? Was it around February?

What led you to create it?

@ theidealistcynic (not actually @-ing him but he doesn't have a nickname like I do so) had one and he saw some people being less vague than he was and was like "Hey Fen here's a place where you can anonymously rant!" So now I'm here.

What’s your favourite thing about the writeblr community?

Probably the way we can joke about each others' characters. I don't do it too too much because I've gotten aspects of my mutuals' characters wrong before, but it's always fun either way.

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you?

If you ever want real-life advice, I'm always willing to oblige. Can't promise it'll be helpful, but I'll try. You're all people with lives, same as me, and I'd be remiss not to try to help when I can.

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash?

I actually made a post about this awhile back, but I'd love to see more unprompted rambling. I run across a lot of tag games, which are great, but not as great as someone choosing what they want to talk about for themselves.

Which wips or writing projects are you noodling about, lately?

I'm actually sworn to just the one until I finish Act II at the very least. Which means it's Kelovir, has been for awhile, and will be awhile longer.

How long have you been working on them?

This is a pretty loaded question to be perfectly honest. I've been working on the prose draft for a bit over a year and three-quarters at this point. But the larger world it's set in has been lodged in my mind for over a decade. I suppose it came to fruition in what can reasonably be called its current form in late 2021/early 2022.

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started?

No. Ink runs through my veins, light resides in my lungs, lifting me into the sky to see worlds and powers beyond our own. It just sort of happened, kinda like how you just happen to think some things taste better than others. I prefer to write rather than play sports or draw. It's always been that way, I suspect it will always be that way.

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them?

Too much for how little I write.

When someone asks the dreaded, “what do you write about,” question, what do you usually say?

I'm an antisocial prick to 97% of people, so I don't often get asked that. My non-writer friends and family are all decently smart avid readers, so they're familiar with a decent number of fantasy classics and figure that's what I write because that's what I read. Among my writer friends we're all SSF writers, so we don't bother asking for generics. If someone asked that question right now, though, I'd probably say something along the lines of "A fantasy story about finding purpose in a world hellbent on destroying it." Most people who don't know what fantasy is proceed to disparage it if I bother to explain, so I leave off the explanation usually.

Name any characters you created. side characters, protagonists, antagonists, characters who’ve never been written, your first original abomination; whomever you’d like!

Hmm. I'm going to name Jikolovor. He's a very minor character who shows up for one scene with Maiph and Lycoris, but he has a lot of backstory importance for Radiaten specifically. He's an odd fellow who is very big on order and intentionality. He doesn't think of emotions as bad, but they must be in agreement with reason, and he doesn't hate freedom, but thinks it must be bounded to certain moral lines.

Who’s the most unhinged?

Kesh Anyraz. Unfortunately his whole personality is being unhinged so that's hardly an interesting answer. Cellic gets pretty unhinged for a bit there, but he comes out of it, so the character who was once on hinges that has since become unhinged would probably be Anesaru. She's just sane enough to be really dangerous, but just insane enough to... do what she does as a villain (spoilers).

Who comes the most naturally for you to write?

Cellic feels very comfortable to me because I understand and enjoy him. Kar is comfortable-ish because his narration style and speaking style is very informal. Narra isn't ever very comfortable, but her difficult moments are never as difficult to write as the other two either. As to non-PoV characters, Radiaten has a very consistent personality and shares my sensibilities for when is appropriate to quip, so he's about as close to a personality self-insert as I get. So not super close but you get the point.

Do you ever cringe at them?

Only when I'm intentionally writing them to be cringeworthy. Other than that, I have an actor's sensibilities when it comes to earnesty in art. I cringe at real life far more often than I do at my characters, not because people in real life are earnest, nothing against that, but because I'm socially inept and even I can see how tactless and out-of-place they are.

How much control do you feel you have over your characters? do they ever “write themselves,” refuse to cooperate, or do things you didn’t expect? to what degree? are some less cooperative than others?

I'm a student of the "driver's seat" school of art, so I'm in control the whole way along. Characters can nudge me certain directions, sometimes I decide on the spur of the moment to add an extra scene or something, but ultimately I decide on the start and end points and most of how they get there. Sometimes that changes, but individual characters are never the cause of that. It's always two or three characters in confluence or, more often, a more thematic moment. I'm pretty good at wrangling my characters into shape... it just sometimes means writing new scenes takes awhile.

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters? and do you have a preferred means of receiving said questions? for example, as asks, as replies, as reblogs, as tag notes, as comments on ao3, etc.

Nods in laconic appreciation.

What makes you want to follow another writeblr account? do you follow ‘em as you see ‘em, or take time scoping out the blog to make sure you align with its content? do you follow based on wips, or vibes?

I follow people who I consistently see making or reblogging posts that I'm interested in. Simple as that. I suppose I can be a bit stingy with my follows, but a lot of it is that I don't want to find out they made one good writing post and then spend the rest of their time complaining about how everyone they know irl except them is a selfish bastard who deserves to be bound, gagged, and thrown into the ocean (yes I have someone in mind, no it's not any of you, don't worry). I am, I have discovered, a more plot-focused reader than a lot of people, and so I appreciate writeblrs who talk about their story as a cohesive unit, rather than just plot or just characters or just world. The weaving of all that together is definitely something I look for.

What makes you decide against following?

Oh whoops probably should've saved part of last question for this one. Ah well. Openly hostile and ungrateful people, mostly. Show common courtesy and you'll be fine.

Do you interact with non-mutuals often?

I mean... Do I?

Okay, so I looked into it, and I do routinely interact with a few non-mutuals, but I follow all three of them. I don't remember the last time I interacted with someone who I am not now following (actually I think I reblogged one writing advice post about dialogue tags). So not much, but sometimes, I guess.

Solid meh

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle?

A couple of them do. Not all of them, but a decent number. There's like a critical mass of information after which they can reliably stay in my head. The ones who I hear more about are the ones who take up occasional residence in my imagination.

This was fun! NP tagging @the-ellia-west, @pluppsauthor, and @somethingclevermahogony!

#writeblr #writing #writers #writer questionnaire

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stubborn-society · 2 years ago

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Scarlet House

Photo Credit: Kameron Odums

Everyone was saying, you gotta get on TikTok. It’s the place to see new artists get their break. Not everyone is going to find their audience there, but you still have to be there, blah, blah, blah. What does this have to do with me? I thought TikTok couldn’t possibly be a place for anyone with any kind of taste. But I was curious how pop star wannabes and study beats producers promoted their music on the weird kiddie app. I also thought hey, everyone’s pressuring me to get on here, I’ll shoot some nonsense into the void, too.

Pro tip: TikTok is fucking incredible. I’m really impressed (and occasionally annoyed) with the way communities form and function on it. And if you’re really into music, it’s really fun. Almost too fun. But that’s a post for another time.

I’ve found most of my favorite new artists on TikTok lately. It didn’t take long for me to find Scarlet House. A dreamy, shoegazey, alt-pop song playing to a close shot of Kameron’s face (note: handsome face) while he’s driving (presumably to or from work), a sullen expression in his thousand-mile stare with a wall of text that read:

“i know alternative isn’t the biggest genre in the world but it’s the one that means the most to me and has done the most for me so i’m gonna keep making it no matter who will and won’t listen”

The little hairs on my arm stood up. I got those goosebumps I get when something hits right. I was instantly endeared by the sweetness of it, but it was something else - I immediately bought it, and I’m not the only one. With early endorsements from Kehlani and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit, Scarlet House is a band we should keep our eyes and ears on. His fan base has been steadily growing and he’s making smart moves. I love to see it.

This is Scarlet House.

Hi, Scarlet House.

Hello there!!

How’s it going?

I woke to see another day, so things are going great for me.

Hell yeah. I found your music back in October, pretty shortly after getting on TikTok. How long have you been making music for this project?

I've been working on this project since about mid-2021. I've had a love of rock music for a long time but always thought I wouldn't be able to make it, so Scarlet House was my attempt.

Did you have a project before Scarlet House or were you playing in other bands?

I previously went by my real name Kameron James! I made a very different style at that time, mostly consisting of RnB and pop songs.

What made you decide to start promoting your music on that platform?

I never had any backup plan outside of music, so I told myself it was time to buckle down and focus on promo to get these songs to the world. TikTok happens to be the best place to do it right now as we all probably know.

Yeah, it seems like every band is on there right now! Sometimes it feels crazy, but I’m starting to really love the platform from a discovery perspective. How long have you been promoting your music on TikTok?

I started seriously promoting Scarlet House Music summer of 2022. I posted before that but never with a plan of consistency.

It’s pretty common to see cool accounts get started, then the creator loses interest. I’m glad you stuck with it. What has it been like for you as an artist promoting their music on social media?

It's ironic because before pursuing music, I'd never been the biggest social media person. I found it hard to convey who I was, but when I stopped overthinking and started doing it, that's when it became easier.

It’s a weird and sometimes scary step. But I like that you’ve taken the format and used it to express who you are. What were some of your goals when you started promoting your music online?

Live shows are probably one of the biggest things I hope to get out of my music career. I've always dreamt of them so now being on course to making them happen is amazing. Other than that I'm just seeing where the journey takes me and taking it a day at a time.

Totally, it’s the only way. Does TikTok feel like a competitive environment? What do you think is the biggest challenge an artist faces promoting their music on the platform?

One thing that I've realized is that there is a lane for everyone. With millions of people on the app, there's enough space for everyone to grow. In this age of music, it's easier than ever to get caught up in numbers. I try to think about the reasons I love music to keep myself grateful and centered.

I wholeheartedly agree; numbers should never be the end game. It gets exhausting for everyone and you can always tell who lost in the analytics and who really wants to be there. Do you find music on TikTok? Are there other indie artists you follow?

All the time! The beauty is in the fact that you get to see how much talent is out in the world. Art is perspective to me, so being able to see the world the way someone else does is both amazing and important. My favorite artist at the moment is this guy vhs ghost. I bonded with him through having a similar life walk so his music speaks to me in a special way. Lofi gold.

I’m so stoked to hear that. I always wonder what the social experience is like for artists on TikTok. So you think TikTok is a good platform to build community and find other musicians?

It is the best platform that I've seen! I think nothing beats a face-to-face community, but having TikTok makes it where you can build community no matter the distance.

Yes! I have found some truly legit artists and hardcore music fans on there and as an artist myself, it really is so exciting. Do you enjoy the other music content that you see? Do you vibe more with the content or the music?

For sure! I connect with the music usually but the content is the selling point so I have a very strong respect for the content creators I do see.

What are the main qualities that draw you to your favorite music? What makes a song great?

I think a great song, for me, is a song that can make me feel something. I take a strong interest in the topic of nostalgia. I think there is beauty in being able to feel a glimpse of your own past through a song that is new to you.

I feel this so much! I love all the various music revivals happening online - it gives me an excuse to share my favorite music with people who haven’t heard it. Sharing is great for intergenerational bonding in the music scene, passing music down (and up!) is so important. Are you into full albums or do you like singles/playlists more?

Each presentation of music can be cool in its own way but my favorite thing is to find an album and get lost in its world.

I’m so happy to hear that! I’m addicted to making playlists now, but I love knowing people still enjoy the full album experience. It feels crucial to fully enjoy the art form. Albums can become part of your life. A lot of artists are pushing singles rather than albums right now. Do you see the “marketing advice for indie artists” accounts, and if so, what do you think of them?

I see them quite often. The internet is huge and is full of so much advice, I think the key is understanding which advice is for you and which isn't. Everyone has a different path to their goal so knowing what will work for you and your brand is crucial!

Absolutely. I notice a lot of accounts try to make everything seem easy and plug-and-play when the reality is it’s very tough to navigate alone. Do you follow any industry accounts?

Honestly, I don't follow too many industry accounts. It can all be a little overwhelming when I think about the business side of the industry.

Judging from the comment sections alone, that’s probably smart. There’s a lot of conversation lately around indie artists maintaining control and ownership over their music and finding success without a label. Do you think this is an important conversation, and do you think it’s a good option for artists?

I've definitely stayed in tune with the debates surrounding labels and ownership. I think the most important thing is having a team around you that you can trust. Every deal is different so I think as far as signing, just being confident in what you bring to the table and knowing your worth are super important!

I notice a lot of artists on TikTok are solo. You write and play all the instruments, record, and produce everything yourself. Do you feel like there are limitations to being a solo artist on social media or in general?

There is definitely a set of pros and cons to being a solo artist. Limitations present themselves when I'm in a creative drought, that's when collaboration can be beneficial. I've had a specific sound that I've been trying to achieve for a while now and I'm still working towards it so in the case of my artistry, it's been easier to go on the journey alone.

I think a lot of people can relate to that. Being a band leader is also different and can be pretty challenging. Are you a perfectionist?

A perfectionist from my own perspective! I don't want to say that my work is perfect, but I'm stubborn with my vision and ears so I won't stop chipping away at a song until it's where I'd like it to be.

I think it comes through in a good way and when you have a band it’ll be a seamless transition.

Something I was super excited to see is how much TikTok gives visibility to artists of color in every genre. I can see directly how deeply it resonates with fans. Do you have any thoughts you’d like to share about that? Does it inspire you to see other Black artists pivoting into genres previously only marketed to white audiences?

Growing up in school I moved around a lot and dealt with these feelings of being an outsider. Now that I'm older and understand the world a little better, I can see that a lot of us had many things in common back in grade school, the similarities just never surfaced. For this reason, the Black alternative scene is a very exciting thing to me. One great thing about the internet is that it provides a space to be yourself. Going forward I hope to see more of my peers embracing who they are regardless of the pressure society puts on them to conform. Alternative scene or not, everyone deserves to be themself.

Do you feel like TikTok builds awareness for Black alternative artists more than other platforms?

It's interesting because I look at TikTok as being the land, you can build whatever you want there. This has been a huge stepping stone for so many Black artists to be discovered and heard.

It’s really amazing. As someone who always pushed hard for this freedom growing up and even now, I love seeing this grow and watching people flourish. One thing I really love about your content is that you’re so transparent and honest about what making music means to you. You just seem like such a nice person! Social media has a reputation for hooking people in with drama and toxicity, and I can tell your fans really appreciate your authenticity.

The times that were in can be brutal. Mentally, emotionally and spiritually. If there is anything I could offer to a listener, I want it to be an escape. A reminder that things can be okay.

They can feel it. I’m glad you’re sharing it with people. So what’s on deck in 2023 for Scarlet House? What are you looking forward to? What can your fans look forward to?

I'm beyond excited for all that's to come in 2023! My biggest focus is just releasing more tracks! Hopefully, the songs will resonate with listeners as much as they do with me.

(Originally published on beastsunltd.com January 31st, 2023)

#new music #shoegaze #scarlet house #diy #premiere #Spotify #stubborn society

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liongoatsnake · 3 years ago

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Where We’ve Been Lately

We have no illusions that people have noticed our absence in the alterhuman and related communities over the past few months, but to air out our own thoughts of our break from the community, here we are.

2021 was a wild and busy year for us. We self-published over 10 documents, most of which contained content that was solely produced during that year alone. We easily wrote over 200 PAGES of word document text in a single year. We set ourselves self-made deadlines for releases of projects and spend practically all of our free time working on these projects. If we weren’t researching for more content, we were writing. If we weren’t writing, we were reading. For a whole year. For some 365 days we had alterhuman history on the brain. Pushing ourselves further than we have ever gone. (We spent more hours of our life on these projects last year than we ever did on our bloody bachelor’s thesis back in our university days, and that thing took a whole year to complete too.)

…and we kind of burnt ourselves out.

We do not regret our actions. We learned so much and proved to ourselves about our abilities and dedications. We like to think our efforts were of use to the community and hopefully just maybe future researchers trying to take the wild and complex history of these communities into account in their research. Maybe that just wishful thinking, but a system can hope.

But yeah. We stepped into 2022 with plans to pull back a little and do some personal nonhuman and plurality related writing. Two of us, Darahagh and Ocean Watcher even completed massive overhauls of their old essays early this year. However, after Ocean Watcher finished hir essay and we turned to let someone else take time updating theirs, we just… hit a wall.

We stared at another empty word document and realized at some point; the writing wasn’t fun anymore. Yes, the weridos behind this username considers heavy research and paper writing “FUN.” Even at the break-neck speed were turning out content, we were having a blast; but at some point (probably around late fall) we started to get tired. We started to stress about our self-made deadlines rather than feel excitement for a challenge and a month and a half goal.

We felt so burnt out even things as simple as writing in a server chat, adding to this very blog, etc. felt very… draining.

So, we haven’t. We’ve been off doing other things in our free time. Picked up hobbies we set aside for much of 2021. We’ve lurked a bit, but we’ve mostly just tuned out of the community for a while.

We’ve far from “left the community.” We’re not gone off the face of the online alterhuman community never to seen again. We’ve just been sitting back and taking a break. Away from thoughts of our writing projects and away from the community drama daily events that have been going in the alterhuman community over the last few weeks.

We might start slowly start being active again and start our projects back up in the near future, though we’re not sure what that “near future” exactly is.

So yeah. We’ve been focusing on a lot of weird stuff developing in regard to our plurality over the past half year. Been trying (and failing) at clear a few titles form our extensive “TO READ” list in the fiction section. Been working on dealing with some aspects of our mental health (especially our Depression) that kind of got away from us and we didn’t notice until recently. We’ve also been playing a LOT of modded Minecraft (pixelmon, …don’t judge us…) as Who_Is_Page can attest.

So yeah. We’re not gone. We’re still semi-lurking around. We’ve just been quiet. Taking a breather for a while.

- Ocean Watcher

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mimisempai · 3 years ago

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Wait for me on the other side 8/8

Summary:

The long awaited end! Will they finally overcome all the obstacles?

Here we go! Enjoy the journey!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32948254/chapters/82452802

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 (End)

The months and seasons have passed for Mobius and Loki.

Mobius moved out of the house on the cliff and into an apartment above the store. After Ravonna's death, Casey saw no reason to stay in TK and joined Mobius at Miss Minutes.

With his client base expanding, Mobius needed someone to help him and thought of Casey, who had been more than enthusiastic at the idea.

They had formed a curious friendship with Sylvie and life was flowing smoothly.

Casey could see that at times Mobius' eyes seemed lost. His face wore a melancholic expression. But Mobius said nothing, smiled and Casey pretended he hadn't seen anything.

On New Year's Eve 2022, Mobius, Casey and Sylvie were celebrating together and as the fireworks started, Mobius couldn't help but think of other fireworks with nostalgia and wondered what Loki was doing, where and with whom.

January 2021 - Miss Minutes

It was already late and Mobius was hunched over his drawing table, looking focused as Casey poked his head through the door.

"Mobius, I'm going in. I've got it all locked up, you'll just have to close the main door and the blind."

Mobius focused, simply replied, "Hm..."

Casey, seeing that he hadn't been listening, approached and looked over Mobius' shoulder at what he was working on.

"A new project?"

Mobius looked up, a little embarrassed, "Oh. No. It's just... a personal thing."

Casey shifted to get a better look at Mobius' work.

Mobius tried to hide it.

"Mobius, let me see."

"No, it's nothing."

"Come on."

Mobius gave in and Casey's eyes widened at the drawing.

It was the house on the cliff but re-imagined. There was a terrace that ran along the back, and stairs that went down to the water - the stairs that Mobius had described to Loki. There were trees planted along the way, and lights shining in the trees. The house was just as extraordinary as before, but much less austere, much warmer, almost romantic.

Casey said softly, "I like it."

Mobius asked casually, "Do you like it?"

Casey nodded enthusiastically, "Before, it looked like a place you would go to be alone. In this one, I can imagine taking someone there."

Mobius nodded. Casey looked at him with his piercing eyes, and asked softly, "Who is he?"

Mobius answered without hesitation, "Loki. His name was Loki."

"When you lived there?"

Mobius nodded and Casey continued, "I knew it, that there was something or rather someone. What happened?"

Mobius replied simply, "I lost him."

"How?"

Mobius replied with a hesitant voice, "It's hard to explain. It's mostly... it was... bad timing."

"You miss him?"

Mobius couldn't deny it and Casey insisted, "Make him come back."

Mobius ran a hand over his face, "It's too late. Or too soon..."

"What?"

Mobius shook his head, "Nothing. I don't even know where he is. And even if I did, I couldn't walk up to him and say, ``Hey, I'm here, let's pick up where we left off."

Casey defiantly asked him, "What would you have to lose?"

Mobius didn't answer.

**********

Loki was still living in the same place and the tree had continued to grow in front of the building.

He spent a lot of time with Thor, who had apparently decided to take him under his wing.

He was alone, but he had a friend, friends even, that he could count on, and if sometimes one or the other tried to encourage him to date someone, they never insisted.

He devoted his life to his classes, the students liked him a lot, and Kamala who kept coming to see him after class had brought other members of the gang with her, and the discussions around Norse mythology had turned into a reading club.

Early February 2023 - Loki's apartment

Loki had decided to clean up, because in two years, he was starting to pile up things, and it was time to sort out.

He was organizing his clothes when he came across the outfit he had never put back on since the missed date. His throat tightened as he was about to put it in the pile of clothes to be thrown away, but he couldn't bring himself to do it and put it in the back of the closet.

Later, as he was vacuuming, he noticed a creaky floorboard. He bent down to examine it and found that it could be lifted quite easily.

Loki pulled the floorboard and to his surprise, there was an empty space underneath. He bent further to examine it. He saw that there was something there, put his hand to grab it and pulled out a package wrapped in dusty plastic. He opened it. His heart leapt out of his chest, it was his copy of PERSUASION.

One page was marked with a rose, now dried and withered by time. He opened it to the marked page and saw that a sentence had been underlined.

There could have been no two hearts so open,

no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison.

He stared at the words, breathless.

February 14, 2023 - September Academy

Thor and Loki, along with the other teachers, were sitting in the school's conference room waiting for the presentation to begin.

Thor leaned over to Loki, "Hey, since Jane won't be able to spend this Valentine's Day with me, how about a hallmark movie night with some popcorn and good beer?"

Loki smiled softly, "Sounds good to me, but in the meantime we've gotta get through this presentation."

Just after his words, a short dark-haired man entered the room and took his place on the stage, greeted by Natasha who spoke up, "Hello everyone, thank you for coming. We are pleased to welcome Casey Fish, from Miss Minutes."

Loki startled slightly, the name ringing a bell.

"Casey is here today to introduce us to a new line of electronic organizers for students and teachers, allowing for better communication between the various parties. Thank you for giving him your attention."

Casey cleared his throat and began to speak, "Hello everyone! Thank you for your welcome Ms. Romanov, Miss Minutes is basically a small watch store, but over the years we wanted to expand its business to include time management in all its forms, and its founder had the idea a little over two years ago to create this."

He pointed to the screen that just displayed a small rectangular device, much like a flip phone.

"Let me introduce you to The Tempad. The Tempad, thanks to its small holographic avatar, allows you to be connected at any time with your colleagues, with your students."

He clicked on the remote control to bring up the next image.

"This is Miss Minutes for you."

Loki gasped, of course he knew Miss Minutes, it was exactly like the little picture Mobius had drawn when he had written to him about his store.

Thor, sensing his friend's confusion, leaned toward him and whispered, "Loki? Are you okay?"

Loki nodded.

He listened to the rest of the presentation in a daze, and as Casey was packing up his things on the stage, Loki rushed in without further ado, almost shoving some of his colleagues in his way.

February 14, 2021 - In front of Miss Minutes

Casey and Mobius came out in their winter coats, but they realized it was surprisingly warm.

Mobius growled, "Honestly, what the hell?"

Casey shrugged as he replied, "Global warming."

Mobius asked Casey, "Do you want to come to my house for dinner tonight?"

Casey replied with a small air of pride, "I can't. I have a date tonight, it's Valentine's Day."

Mobius continued forward for a few steps, then stopped.

"What?"

"What, is it so weird that I have a date on Valentine's Day night?"

Mobius looked around. The day was really hot. People everywhere were enjoying the sun. He turned to Casey, a strange look on his face.

"What's the date?"

"Valentine's Day I told you, so it's February 14."

Mobius repeated, "February 14, 2021."

Casey looked at him, curious, "Yeah. What's up with you?"

Mobius with pensive eyes replied, "He told me about today."

"Who? You mean the guy?"

"Yes!" replied Mobius excitedly, "There's a letter that says where he's going to be!"

Casey understood less and less, "He wrote you?"

Mobius nodded quickly, "Yes. I could see him today. You said it the other day...what have I got to lose?"

Casey replied matter-of-factly, "What are you waiting for?"

"I just need to find the letter!"

Mobius ran to his apartment above the store, rummaged through his old boxes, until he remembered that Loki's letters were still in the house on the cliff, in the attic. He looked for the spare keys to the housel, ran to his old pickup and drove off at full speed.

February 14, 2023 - September High-school

" Mister, uh... Casey, can I ask you something. Miss Minutes' founder, who is it?"

Casey, with a surprised look, answered him, clearing his throat, "He's a friend, Mo... Mobius M. Mobius."

Loki repeated, his heart pounding, "Mobius..."

Casey replied, "Yes. Do you... do you know him?"

Loki nodded, "Yes. He... where is he? Could you tell me how I could contact him?"

Casey suddenly looked very sad, "I'm sorry. You don't know?"

"What?"

Casey replied with a tight throat, "He died. Two years ago." He swallowed before resuming, "Two years ago today, in fact, there was an accident..."

Loki, shocked, gasped, then whispered, "Where?"

A few seconds later, Loki ran out of the school and headed for his car under the rain that had started to fall. Thor was behind him, bewildered, and called him, "Loki! Wait! What's going on?"

As he continued to run, Loki told him, 'It's an emergency! I don't have time!"

Thor asked, "Is that him?"

Loki, while running, replied, "Yes!" and heard Thor shout back at him as he climbed into his car, "Go Loki! Get him!"

Loki drove out of the city toward the house, rain pouring down on his windshield. He weaved between lanes, passing cars, driving recklessly, as fast as he could.

House on the cliff - February 14, 2021

Mobius stopped in front of the lake house. It was closed, empty. He ran across the path and unlocked the front door.

House on the cliff - February 14, 2023

Loki arrived at the house and stopped skidding in the rain in front of the mailbox. He pulled out a notepad and began to write, desperately.

House on the cliff - February 14, 2021

Mobius ran to the attic. Inside was the only box he had stored there when he moved out. He opened the box and searched frantically. He found the bundle of letters from Loki. After a few moments, he found the one he was looking for and read it.

Last February, I remember it was Valentine's Day, but it was really hot for a day in February.

I was at the fountain in Valhalheim Square.

He said aloud, "The Valhalheim Square Fountain."

House on the cliff - February 14, 2023

Loki finished writing the note and jumped out of the car. He put it in the mailbox and raised the flag.

He stayed there, and fell to his knees in front of the box, soaked by the rain.

House on the cliff - February 14, 2021

Mobius jumped into his pick-up , and quickly drove away from the house. He passed the mailbox.

Valhalheim Square - February 14, 2021

Loki closed his eyes for a moment, letting the sunlight warm him. Just aware of the surrounding sounds, the water in the fountain, the splashing and laughter of children playing in it, an old man grumbling about global warming, pigeons landing nearby.

Mobius could see the fountain from inside his pickup. He looked for a parking spot, finally found one and jumped out. He started running towards the square.

In his hand he clutched a piece of paper, the words of which echoed in his head.

Dear Mobius.

I know it now... it was you at the fountain that day.

It was you on the square. Please, don't go there.

Something terrible will happen if you go there.

Mobius continued to run toward the fountain.

He stopped at the curb, separated from the fountain by a dense road full of traffic. He looked away, searching for Loki beyond the noisy traffic, among the crowd in the park.

Please don't look for me.

He finally saw him, a distant figure, eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the sun. He smiled.

Don't try to find me.

They are now only separated by distance.

Don't run to me.

The traffic became less dense and Mobius had a clear view of Loki, straight ahead.

Do you understand? Please. You must wait.

Mobius stepped off the curb, wanting to get closer to Loki.

Forget everything I said before.

We both have to wait.

If you love me and if I love you.

I love you, it's taken me this long to say it but I really love you, so wait for me.

Mobius saw Loki open his eyes, as if drawn in his direction. He looks alarmed.

Wait with me. Wait until time catches up with both of us and we can be together. Please. Just... wait.

House on the cliff - February 14, 2023

Loki soaked, was in tears at the foot of the mailbox and only whispered, "Wait, wait..." and continued to cry.

The rain continues to fall.

Loki, finally, having lost all hope, tried to pull himself together and began, very slowly, to get to his feet.

He looked at the box and gasped, the flag was down.

With trembling hands, he did not dare to open the door and when he did, he saw that his letter was gone.

Valhalheim Square - February 14, 2021

Mobius was standing on the road, straining to see Loki and at the last second, he backed up to the sidewalk, safe. He continued to watch Loki, he desperately wanted to run to him, but he didn't, he folded the letter, put it in his pocket and reluctantly turned and walked away.

House on the cliff - February 14, 2023

Loki looked at the empty mailbox, his face soaked with tears and rain.

A hand came up from behind him and gently closed the box. He slowly turned around.

Mobius stood silently and looked at him, holding the worn letter Loki had just posted. Loki stared at him for a moment, trying to convince himself that this was real.Then Mobius took a step toward Loki and smiled, shyly.

"Have we waited long enough?"

Loki, still shocked, his eyes filled with tears, whispered, "Yes."

Mobius approached again, and smiling more openly this time, brought his hand to Loki's face and wiped a tear with his thumb.Loki rested his head in his palm and then finally they fell into each other's arms, squeezing each other, inhaling each other's scent, prolonging the embrace again and again, making sure it was real. Making sure that each of them was real.

Then Mobius finally pulled back and captured Loki's lips in an endless kiss. For long minutes they separated only to catch their breath before kissing again, over and over again, indifferent to the rain that fell around them.

Much later, they separated to catch their breath and Mobius took Loki's hand to lead him home.

Loki gasped. The house on the cliff had changed.

In the two years of Mobius' life, the life Loki had saved, Mobius had transformed it.

He had brought to life the design he had shown Casey two years ago, with the deck, and the stairway to the water they had talked about, and the trees planted along the path, lit and glowing in the rain.

Loki laughed, astonished, and turning to Mobius he took his face in his hands and kissed him again.

Then they walked together along the path, stopping often to touch and kiss.

As they passed the door, Loki held Mobius by the sleeve, "Wait."

Mobius turned around and couldn't help but touch Loki's face with his fingertips once more.

Loki grabbed his hand and interlaced his fingers with Mobius' as he said softly, "I don't want to wait to tell you for real this time." He paused and with a trembling smile and bright eyes, he told him, "I love you."

Mobius didn't want to wait to tell him in turn either, "I love you."

They hugged each other tightly again, tasting the happiness of hearing those words spoken by the beloved voice.

Then much later, they entered their home, ready to start a new life where everything was still to be discovered. Together.

**********

The house on the cliff - Summer 2024

"Cwoki! Cwoki!"

"Lila! Go slowly honey and wait for your little brother!"

"Wait my love, I'll help you." Clint came to support Laura who was struggling up on the small path leading to the house on the hill. She huffed a little, laying her hand on her belly rounded by her 6 months of pregnancy.

They watched, fondly, as their two children gave gentle pats to a Croki who seemed to enjoy it.

"Lila, Cooper, stop spoiling Croki, he'll keep coming to us for petting afterwards."

Both children stood up and grabbed onto the legs of the man who had just spoken.

"Uncle Mobius!"

He picked them both up, carrying them each in one arm.

"What about me, don't I get a hello kiss?"

Each of the two children placed a sounding kiss on Mobius' cheeks at the same time.

"Should I be jealous?" a voice behind Mobius spoke up.

"Uncle Loki!"

Cooper was already reaching out to Loki, who didn't hesitate. The little boy gave him a big kiss on the cheek and wiggled to be put back on the ground.

Loki and Mobius, side by side, welcomed Laura and Clint.

"Clint, Laura, Welcome!"

They all embraced and then headed to the terrace.

Loki guided Laura to a comfortable chair, stuffed with cushions for her. She sat down with a sigh, "Thank you." then looking around, she continued, "I may have been here many times before, but I'll never tire of this view."

Mobius motioned for Clint to sit next to Laura, before taking a seat as well.

Loki was about to sit down when he heard the unmistakable sound of a car pulling up in front of the house, Mobius started to get up, but Loki motioned for him to stay seated. "Stay seated, love, I'll welcome them."

He walked down the path toward the cars that had just arrived.

Thor was the first to walk over to him, "Loki! My friend!" before hugging him. Loki was now used to Thor's overflowing affection and allowed himself to be patted on the back.

Soon Heimdall, Bruce, Carol and Natasha joined them and followed his lead into the house. When they arrived on the terrace, everyone greeted each other, and sat around the table chatting happily. Lila was in awe of Natasha's red curls, and Cooper laughed out loud as Thor spun him around at arm's length.

"Is this the direction for the little party?"

Heads turned to the source of the voice as Mobius exclaimed, "Casey, we weren't expecting you anymore!"

Casey laughed lightly and added, "Where do I put this?" he pointed to the cake in his hands.

"I'll take it." replied Loki. He took the cake into the kitchen and there he felt suddenly overwhelmed by emotion. He waited for a while before returning to the terrace.

"Hey handsome, what are you doing here alone?"

Loki looked up and smiled, "Mobius."

Mobius, who after more than a year had learned to decipher Loki's expressions, noticed that something was wrong.

"Loki, sweetheart, what's going on with you."

Loki wanted to start talking, but the emotion was too strong,

"Hey, come here." Mobius took him in his arms and gently stroked his back, waiting for the worst of the crisis to pass.

After a few moments, Loki straightened up, a trembling smile beneath the tears, "I'm sorry, I don't know, I'm not sad, not at all, on the contrary, but I suddenly had this irrepressible urge to cry."

Mobius nodded, pushed a strand of Loki's hair back behind his ear.

"Just too much emotion maybe? What were you thinking?"

"I... I was putting the cake on the table and I thought, if you hadn't read my letter, none of this would be real. I wouldn't be here. There wouldn't be all these people on our deck. And it freaked me out for just a short moment, to realize that I almost lost everything."

Mobius, also visibly moved, pressed a tender kiss on Loki's mouth and said softly, "But on the contrary, you have, we have gained everything. You saved me, gave me a new life, and in doing so you gave us all a different and more beautiful life."

Loki nodded his head, then shook it as if to collect himself.

He kissed Mobius tenderly in turn, then stepped aside and grabbed Mobius' hand and pulled him toward the terrace, a confident smile on his lips.

"Come on, let's go celebrate!"

As Mobius let himself be pulled along and they walked through the living room, his gaze fell on Ravonna's book. His first family. His sister. Then his gaze slid to Loki in front of him and by extension everyone else on the terrace. Their new family. Not by blood, but by heart. All because one day, Loki had posted a little letter.

Dear new tenant.

Hello and welcome to your new home and congratulations, blah blah blah. You have made an excellent choice, New Asgard is a wonderful place and this house is a gem, as you may have already noticed.

I'm sure you'll love living here as much as I do.

Loki had not known that these words would be so prescient, even though they came from the future and were addressed to someone from the past.

Oh yes, Mobius loved living here, but not because of the house, because of the love that filled it. Because of Loki.

Together. For All time. Always.

_________

That's it, everyone is happy, including me. I hope you enjoyed it to the end. 1000 thanks to all the comments left, it's the fuel for each chapter. I love you all!

#lokius #Developing Relationship #no powers au #Alternate Universe #Letters #penpal #loki series au #loki #mobius m. mobius #lokius fics

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transcend-and-evolve-with-renzo · 2 years ago

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First Post: Reference

09/07/2022 - 1:54am

Do you consider this time to be early in the morning or late at night? I'm a night person, so I call this time "late at night". And this is a time I thrive in. For some reason, nighttime brings out the best in me. I do most of my thinking during these hours. It's calm, there is little distraction, the sounds of crickets chirping, and cicadas making noise using "tymbals" opens an entire world for me. Yes, I just looked up what it's called when a cicada makes noise. If you didn't know that term, then I'm happy we have both learned an interesting fact.

This is my first blog post ever, and when I think of blogs, I immediately think of Christopher Breaux, now known as Frank Ocean. tumblr was, and still is from time to time, his place to "speak" to whoever. Here's an example of an artist using an unconventional tool to communicate. I say unconventional because most big artists advertise themselves or speak to their fans or whoever through other social media sites such as Twitter or Instagram. Elusive as Frank has always been, he used this specific platform (tumblr) to speak his mind. I always wondered why, and now that I'm taking Social Media Marketing at Kennesaw State University and have decided to start my very own blog on tumblr, I can see why.

I typed "best website to make a blog free" into my search engine and up popped Wix, Weebly, and tumblr. After opening up pages for each of the aforementioned sites, I chose tumblr because 1) I felt it had the best description and 2) I thought of Frank. And here we are. To be honest, I feel scattered while typing now because so many ideas are flooding my mind and I'm working to pick and choose what I say. So allow me to discuss what I would like this blog to be.

I'm Lorenzo. I'm easily inspired, I'm an optimist, and I love to see the beauty in life. One of my favorite things to do is stare at the sky. One of my greatest passions is music. I am absolutely astounded by the art form. Some of my favorite artists include, but are definitely not limited to, Kanye West, Jaden Smith, J Dilla, Logic, Pi'erre Bourne, Playboi Carti, A Tribe Called Quest, Joey Bada$$ and Pro Era, The Alchemist, Madlib, Frank Ocean, The Pharcyde... I could go on and on. All of these people I've named have inspired me one way or another to create my own art, and last year (August 2021) I finally released my first project titled "ChillTape, Vol. 1" on all platforms under the name renzoproduced. I'll discuss that project in further detail in future posts. At this point in time, I want you to know it was a huge stepping stone for me in developing my own unique artistic style. It'd mean the world to me if you gave it a listen. I know you'd love it!

With this blog I'm creating, I'm hoping to build an amazing music/art thought stream. And with this first post, I am taking my first step on this new journey. I want to post music reviews, talk about and show off music I'm listening to, and show who I am through this wonderful art form.

To start, last Friday (09/02/2022) Pi'erre Bourne released his third studio album titled "Good Movie". Before I talk about the project, here's some history on Pi'erre as best as I know it. Pi'erre, born Jordan Jenks, became super well known for producing Playboi Carti's super hit "Magnolia" back in 2017. "Magnolia" featured Pi'erre's now iconic sampled producer tag said by Jamie Foxx on the Jamie Foxx Show that goes, "Yo Pi'erre you wanna come out here?", and a catchy drum pattern as well as a simple yet unforgettable melody. Due to the song's popularity, Pi'erre became a sought-after producer seemingly overnight and other producers began imitating his unique production style. After "Magnolia['s]" release, fans and music listeners alike were begging for more music from the "Carti'erre" duo (a term I coined), and thus in May of 2018, Carti released his debut studio album titled "Die Lit" which was executive produced by none other than Pi'erre. Upon its release, the album was rather controversial as it featured 19 songs (long in today's standards), a seemingly punk front cover, and a rather hard to decipher Playboi Carti rapping over a diverse array of beats. Though this project was misunderstood upon its release, it has since gone on to become platinum (has sold 1 million plus copies) and has been heralded as a classic by fans, many of whom want Carti and Pi'erre to join forces again and create music like it again. From the success of "Magnolia" and "Die Lit", Pi'erre Bourne's name in the music industry became huge, and he wanted to capitalize on it. So in 2019, Pi'erre released his debut album titled "The Life of Pi'erre 4"! And you may be thinking how is "TLOP 4" a debut album if it's the fourth iteration of "The Life of Pi'erre" series? And that is where the early Pi'erre fans such as myself, and Pi'erre himself, will tell you Pi'erre was rapping before he made it big as a producer. In 2016, Pi'erre released three "The Life of Pi'erre" mixtapes on SoundCloud in hopes of one day catching the attention of Kanye West who had just then put out his seventh studio album titled "The Life of Pablo" (which I want to discuss in the future). It was always Pi'erre's dream/goal to make it big as a full artist, not only a producer, and he wanted to create "The Life of Pi'erre" mixtapes until he made it big and worked with Kanye. Thus in 2019, after releasing "TLOP 4" in June, Pi'erre finally worked with Kanye to make the song "On God" for Kanye's ninth studio album titled "JESUS IS KING". He had finally done it. He achieved his goals. Now, it was time for his "TLOP" series to end. But before it went away, Pi'erre wanted the series to go out on a bang. So in June of 2020, he released "TLOP 4 Deluxe" and filled it with snippets of his songs fans had been wanting for the longest times. Then in June of 2021, he did it again with the release of his sophomore studio album "TLOP 5". That brings us to now. Pi'erre has been doing everything he can to make it as a successful music artist and show that he's more than just a producer. The same issue Kanye had when he released his debut album "The College Dropout". Pi'erre knows his strengths and understands what his audience wants/needs, so for his third album titled "Good Movie", he went out of his comfort zone to create music us fans haven't heard from him before and created a vibe like no other. A major strength of Pi'erre's and something fans love from him are the transitions he creates from one song to the next. In past albums and mixtapes, songs would just flow seamlessly from one song to the next. With this album, Pi'erre allowed some of his transitions to have their own space and be their own songs! These transition songs help to build this world Pi'erre creates in his music and literally help to set the scene like any "Good Movie" does. Pi'erre's production style on this album was beyond special and his rapping/vocalizing helped blend everything together so nicely. To me, this truly is one of those albums that I can listen to and it gets better every time because...

I can hear something new in it every time. I feel as if Pi'erre created a masterpiece with "Good Movie" and it's made me super excited to see and listen to his artistry grow, considering I've been an early fan of his. Same thing with Jack Harlow, but I'll save that for another day.

Thank you for reading this far. Let this journey begin!

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201908691caic2021 · 4 years ago

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Watch This Space

“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” It has been almost 60 years since we first heard the immortalized words of famed American astronaut Neil Armstrong as he stepped off the Apollo 11 lunar module before making humankind's first steps on the Moon. After years of planning, failures and successes, America’s space programme had finally beaten the USSR to the cosmic finish line that had been waiting for them for decades.

In recent years, the prospects of space travel and exploration for the future have reached an all time high, with a number of nations releasing plans for various missions taking place in 2020. On July 30th, NASA launched its long-awaited Mars 2020 Perseverance rover to search for scientific and undeniable evidence of microbial life that is theorised to have lived under the surface of the planet. However, it will not only collect and analyse samples found, but it will also retain these for future missions to the planet, or in order to return them to Earth. This is a huge development with the potential of resulting in groundbreaking discoveries into life on Mars. Russia planned to do the same with their ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover on July 25th, however the mission has been postponed until 2022. Missions launched in 2020 is a topic which will be further discussed later.

Unlike that of the space race which took place between the Soviet Union and the United States during the 1960s and the Cold War, the geopolitical dynamic has changed drastically. In the 60s the ‘Space Race’ was predominantly motivated by a battle of capitalism vs communism. Because of this primary contemporary factor, there is an undeniable aspect of collaboration that has formed the basis for the modern day space race, as more nationalities than ever before have come together to work towards the common goal of exploration and attaining knowledge.

Towards the end of the Second World War, there were many plans made by the Axis powers, specifically Germany, to create an airborne missile. The V2 Rocket was the first intercontinental ballistic missile, and unintentionally became a starting point for the prospects of space exploration for scientists during the late 50s and early 60s. The Rocket was notably developed during the Second World War as a German "vengeance weapon" and assigned to attack Allied cities as retaliation for the Allied bombings against German cities. However, as a number of German scientists during this time were in fact Jewish, many became émigré’s, travelling to the United States in order to flee religious persecution and attain relative personal security. However another example is “Operation Paperclip”, in which 88 German scientists were brought to America in order to assist the nation in its production of rocket technology.

As a result of this, the scientists from Europe ended up contributing a great deal towards the further development of rockets in the US, which was arguably the catalyst that perpetuated the success of the Moon landing.

Comparatively, the modern day American space race focuses more on a partnership based on communal efforts and duties between nations, in order for future space exploration and development to be mutually beneficial for the whole planet. This is a stark contrast to the approach to space travel in the 60s, and is more economically beneficial and sustainable long term. In light of this, Oliver Juckenhöfel, who works in on-orbital services and exploration, acknowledges the change since even the 1990’s regarding the interest to keep space clean and sustainable long term. There are a number of ongoing concerns regarding the clean up of space debris, along with monitoring the potential threat of the debris taking out critical satellites or posing a danger to Earth. As seen in the UN’s Fourth Committee Special Political and Decolonization debate in November 2020, multiple representatives from different nations voiced their concerns over the increased risks of debris taking down critical satellites. However, in recent years newer technologies are better equipped to ensure sustainable space by improving our space situational awareness, and helping to ensure debris is captured and removed.

American space projects are currently being funded by various space networks from a number of nations, aiming to explore the Moon and Mars, along with asteroids and comets within our solar system. Additionally, many of these companies are now and have been developing the technology and equipment needed to turn space travel back to the consumer through commercial launches of passenger spaceships. In addition to this, the ‘Space Race of 2020’ has a significantly more diverse makeup, with the additional economic powers of Japan, China and India, along with the United Arab Emirates, plan on joining the thrall with a robot mission to Mars as well. It is crucial to recognise that whilst innovation and exploration remains at the forefront of space travel, it has arguably become more about elitism taking such huge risks for the sake of being able to do them - if you have the money.

A new development which hasn't been seen previously, is the fact that Billionaires are now entering the development stage of missions to space, such as with the likes of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. This seemingly comes as a result of the Space Policy Directive 1, as Bezos and Musk are examples of private sector partners' involvement in NASA’s development stage. The competitive nature of the first space race seems to have become apparent once again, however rather than it being a conflict between nations, it is instead a clash between narcissistic entrepreneurs, as seen with Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX programme, along with several other privately funded competing companies.

Bezos, CEO of Amazon and with an estimated net worth of$185.7 billion US dollars as of January 2021, has entered the ‘Space Race’ partnered with Lockeed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper, in order to build a vehicle which will deliver and return payloads (including astronauts) to and from the moon. The project has become known as ‘Blue Origin’, the purpose of which being to establish a lunar base, and to provide NASA with a cargo carrier service support for lunar exploration. Bezos invests approximately one billion dollars per annum into Blue Origin’s development. Similar to this, SpaceX has developed the Dragon 2 spacecraft, a successor to the Dragon, a cargo spacecraft capable of carrying up to 7 passengers to and from Earth orbit, and beyond, the first privately funded spacecraft to do so. The Dragon 2 made its first launch to the International Space Station on 31st May 2020, with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, becoming the first commercial spacecraft to fly humans to Earth orbit. This later paved the way for the Dragons second, however the first operational mission, Crew-1, which launched November 15th 2020. Both ‘Blue Origin’ and ‘SpaceX’ focus on the reusability of the launch vehicles, which both lowers the production costs, along with making space more accessible. Similarly, this is a much more sustainable approach to space exploration, as it reduces the amount of waste and debris. Due to the successes of both ‘Blue Origin’ and ‘SpaceX’, they have been accepted into NASA’s space programme, however this doesn’t necessarily guarantee a contract for these companies with NASA. Instead, it appears to be more of an elitist club, in which a number of companies will be in NASA’s pocket, equipped to deliver a payload to the moon should they require it.

It would be hyperbolised to call the current preparations for space exploration and development a “race”, as unlike previously, there is a lack of a sense of competition between nations to reach the end of the finish line first. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine argues against this misconception, “[Space exploration should] never be political. It should never be partisan. It should always be uniting. It should bring people together for science and discovery and exploration." Is this always the case? And if there isn't a sense of urgency in the success rates of these multinational missions, why are so many happening all at once? Here’s what we know. There is a good reason for this, and no, it isn't just a coincidence. Every 26 months, a launch window between Earth and Mars opens up. The two planets are close together and the Hohmann transfer journey is the quickest and most efficient possible. Because of this, during the window of July-August 2020 there were four missions planned from four separate space agencies to make the trip to Mars, however as Russia postponed their ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, only three were launched. Along with the Mars Perseverance rover, NASA also sent a robotic helicopter Ingenuity, which assists the rover in searching for areas of interest on the planet, so as to ensure the efficiency of the driving routes of the Perseverance, along with future Mars rovers. Similarly, as part of the Tianwen-1 mission, China has launched its own robotic spacecraft, which consists of an orbiter, deployable camera, lander and a rover, which is set to arrive at the planet in February 2021. This is a huge development in space travel for the CNSA, as it is the first mission to another planet using its own delivery vehicle. The third and final mission to Mars launched in 2020 was the United Arab Emirates Hope Mars orbiter designed to study the atmosphere of Mars. The orbiter is set to arrive on February 9th, and should the mission be a success, the UAE will become the fifth corporation to successfully reach Mars, after NASA, the Soviet Union, the European Space Agency and India.

In addition to this, and arguably NASA’s most renowned mission is the US Artemis Lunar programme, in which NASA plans to return to the Moon in order to “land the first woman and the next man on the moon.” In December 2017, President Donald Trump signed Space Policy Directive 1, thus authorising the programme, which NASA argues will be the first step in sending humans to Mars, as it changed national space policy that provides for a U.S. led, integrated program with private sector partners for a human return to the Moon, followed by missions to Mars and beyond. In comparison to this, the first President to conscientiously explore the concept of space travel was President Kennedy, and in 1961 he began the cultivation of the US space program, and much like President Trump’s desire for human travel to Mars, he made the ambitious goal of landing a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. Unlike Kennedy, however, it is unlikely that Trumps’ dreams of landing humans on Mars is something attainable within the near future.

Despite this, the plan of the Artemis Lunar Programme is to land on the untouched South Pole of the Moon by 2024, notably due to the recent analysis of data collected by the Indian Space Research Organization’s Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiter, which decisively proved ice exists on the Moon. The eventual goal of this, as proposed by previous Vice President Mike Pence at the fifth meeting of the National Space Council, is to “Not just to travel there, but also to mine oxygen from lunar rocks that will refuel our ships, to use nuclear power to extract water from the permanently shadowed craters of the south pole, and to fly on a new generation of spacecraft that will enable us to reach Mars in months, not years.” According to Sarah Cruddas, television presenter and space journalist, the Moon could potentially become "an intergalactic petrol station" for further space travel in the future. “Artemis is the most important step in establishing a permanent American presence on the Moon.” Most significantly, this allows for the US to dictate the logistics of lunar mining, and therefore allowing them to call the shots on the potential operation. This fits in with the American Department of Defence’s primary ethos of surveillance and domination. This is the case, as along with over 800 military bases across the globe, they will potentially have an interstellar base to add to the list.

With the coalition of the European, Japanese, Canadian, Italian, Australian, UK, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, and Brazilian space agencies’s respective contributions, the goal of an initial human landing by 2024 whilst simultaneously working toward sustainable lunar exploration in the mid to late 2020s appears to be coming to fruition. In this case, longer expeditions on the Moon are the aim, as the current record stands at 74 hours, 59 minutes, 38 seconds, as recorded in 1972 by the Apollo 17 crew. To this day, the record remains unbeaten and is the last time astronauts have travelled beyond low Earth orbit.

Ultimately, further lunar exploration could be beneficial for global scientific efforts to understand the mysteries of the unexplored outer space, however it completely takes funding away from things that could benefit the global population. This comes as no surprise, as we have seen this before during the first space race, in which America was struggling to fight, and eventually lost the Vietnam War, however hordes of funding was sent to NASA in order to claim the Moon, and save it from the domino effect of a Cumminist victory. In addition to this, a blind faith in American space organisations and entrepreneurs has proven detrimental in the past, and will most likely do so in the future as scientific discovery is not the primary motivation, instead this lies in the maintenance of ego, and the perceived superiority complex of figures in power.

#CAIC2021 #SpaceRace2020

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samstevebuckyhq · 4 years ago

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Planning Applications and COVID-19: Coronavirus Impact on Planning Services [November Update]

[Note: the bulk of this post reflects the situation in June 2020 but there are details of some important policy updates from November 2020].

How is planning working (or not working) in England as we reach what we hope will be the latter stages of COVID-19 restrictions?

We’ll take a look at what central government has done, what local authorities say they are doing, and what we’ve found has been happening in practice over the last couple of months.

The single most important message has been: planning remains open for business. Steve Quartermain, the then-chief planner at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, gave this request to local planning authorities back in March: ‘We ask you to take an innovative approach, using all options available to you to continue your service.’

The New Legislation

Section 78 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 – which became law on 25 March – suspended the legal requirement for council committees to meet in person. Allowing the use of video conferences enables planning committees to continue meeting and making decisions. The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea held the first meeting under the new rules on 9 April.

Another early major decision at the national level was the introduction of a temporary new planning class – DA – creating a permitted development right to allow restaurants and pubs to operate as takeaways during the COVID-19 crisis. [November 2020 update – this right has been extended until 23 March 2022].

On 9 April, the government bought in a permitted development right allowing health authorities and local authorities to take measures including change the use of buildings and build temporary structures to deal with the coronavirus emergency.

As well as Nightingale hospitals, it was anticipated that this could be used to set up extra coroner and mortuary facilities, and community food distribution hubs. Fortunately, the first wave of the virus has required fewer emergency new structures than was feared. This PDR will expire on 31 December 2021.

On 25 June, the government announced they would bring in further legislation that would make licensing cheaper and simpler for outdoor eating and drinking.

In addition, the limits for temporary uses of land are being doubled until 31 December 2021, with the aim of boosting markets, car boot sales and summer fairs. Councils will no longer have to get planning permission to allow new markets, although the MHCLG has not yet made it clear if this is a temporary or permanent change.

Planning Permission Extended

One of the main developments discussed since the start of the crisis finally came on 22 June. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced that any planning permissions due to expire between the start of lockdown (not specified, but presumably 23 March) and the end of 2020 will be automatically extended until 1 April 2021. The motivation appears to be to help big developers continue large housebuilding projects but will in practice help smaller projects too.

Extensions to Permitted Development Approval Deadlines

In his letter, Steve Quartermain suggested that the decision period for some permitted development prior approval applications will have to be extended:

“We recognise that there may be circumstances where a local planning authority is unable to consider a permitted development prior approval application within the deemed consent period […] In these exceptional circumstances the authority can, if necessary, seek to agree an extended approval date with the applicant.”

Planning Applications Are Being Accepted

In practical terms, planning applications are being submitted and validated. Most councils have been indicating that they are accepting online applications only, and they have been told to continue to push that message.

However, new guidance issued on 13 May also instructed planning authorities to ensure that they can validate any paper applications when and if they are sent in. It seems likely, though, that almost all planning applications will continue to be submitted online for the next few months. This core function of the planning system seems to be functioning in most areas, certainly at all London councils that we know of. There were reports during April that some authorities elsewhere in the country were struggling to work remotely, but by now we believe that all are at least accepting applications.

Most councils acknowledge that the decision-making processes will take longer than usual.

[August 2020 note: How much longer than usual? One London council is taking more than a month to even assign applications to officers, a process that is normally only meant to take a couple of days at most.]

More Decisions Have Been Delegated to Planning Officers

Before the legislation enabled planning committee meetings to move online, many authorities had delegated more decisions from committees to planning officers.

Despite the fact that the committees are now in theory back in business, officers are continuing to make a larger percentage of planning decisions than they normally would, and in some local authorities, they are making all the decisions.

The Planning Officers Society has issued guidance on how its members can use delegated powers to keep the system moving relatively swiftly (and hopefully fairly) during the COVID-19 emergency.

Photographs Are Sometimes Taking the Place of Site Visits

For some parts of the process, planning officers have said they are willing to accept photographs as evidence when they cannot visit a site. Applicants should, if possible, make sure they have comprehensive photographs of the site available.

Although as of mid-May, planning officers can again make site visits, the government is encouraging as much use of remote evidence as possible.

Planning Inspectorate

In another of the 13 May changes, the Planning Inspectorate announced it would be resuming site visits when photographic or video evidence is insufficient, subject to the now-standard safety provisions. It also took the opportunity to state that “more than 2000” appeal and other decisions had been made during lockdown.

Then on 22 June, it was announced that following a successful pilot programme last year that halved the time each appeal took (from 47 weeks to 23 weeks), the Inspectorate will now be able to use “more than one procedure – written representations, hearings and inquiries – at the same time”.

While this change was in the pipeline already, its announcement was tied in with measures designed to help the planning system catch up after the spring’s inevitable delays.

CIL and Section 106 Deferment

On 13 May, the MHCLG announced plans to update the regulations for Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payments. Although the current Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010 (as amended) give local authorities some flexibility on when developers have to make CIL payments, the government has decided that small and medium developers need more help.

Therefore, they are asking parliament to agree to changes that would – in relation to developers with an annual turnover of less than £45 million – allow local authorities to:

Defer payments

Suspend late interest payments

Return late interest payments collected during lockdown

In the meantime, the government would like local authorities to offer developers instalment payments and to “to use their discretion” when considering chasing late CIL payments.

As for Section 106, local authorities have been reminded by the ministry that they can use deeds of variation to agree to change the due date for S106 obligations with developers. They are also advised to take a “pragmatic and proportionate approach” to S106 enforcement.

Consultation

One of the areas of the planning process that there has been concern about during the coronavirus emergency is consultation. Traditionally, the process of informing neighbours and other interested parties that a planning application has been submitted so that they can comment on it has involved: physical notices (often on lamposts), letters to neighbours and announcements in the local paper.

Some local authorities have persisted with this process during the crisis, others have not. On 13 May, the MHCLG issued guidance for supplementing the existing methods with electronic communication, including social media and local news portals. The closing date for representations about planning application has been temporarily been extended from 14 days after the application is publicised on in local media and the council’s website to 21 days.

Local planning authorities “are encouraged to keep a record of how they notify the public about planning applications as evidence they took reasonable steps to engage people who live, work or carry on business in the area in the decision-making process”.

However, the new procedures don’t solve the problem of interested parties who are not regularly online. One of the side-effects of the crisis is digital disenfranchisement, and it seems possible that any controversial developments given planning permission during restrictions could face legal challenges later on the lack of fair and fully representative consultation.

Planning Conditions for Building Work: Non-enforcement and Accelerated Amendments

As part of its efforts to encourage the construction industry, the MHCLG is instructing councils to do everything reasonably possible to allow builders to work flexible hours. This includes not enforcing any planning conditions setting working hours where builders are only working slightly longer hours than specified, or working longer hours for a few days. If the builders need a longer or more substantial change in their working hours, local authorities are being asked to make decisions within 10 days on the applications to amend these planning conditions. The MHCLG says any extension to 9pm, Monday to Saturday, should be accepted unless the planning authority has a very good reason. In non-residential areas, there’s a possibility builders could be working at any time, day or night.

Movement Data Collection

Some planning applications require surveys of local traffic, parking or pedestrian movement. This is an aspect of planning applications that is likely to remain problematic for some months beyond the peak of the COVID-19 crisis as we make the transition to the ‘new normal’ and transport miles of all kinds remain much lower than they were a year ago.

On 13 May, CityMapper’s Mobility Index said that London’s population was moving at 12% (if 100% equals an average weekday pre-crisis). Even after much greater relaxation by late June, the figure was still only 26%.

Are Pre-application Consultations Taking Place?

Most local authorities we have been working with are continuing their pre-application service via phone or video call. We know of one London borough offering very reduced and mostly email-only pre-application advice – we would be interested to know if there are more.

Our experience is that just as the way local authorities work varies a great deal at the best of times, some councils are doing better than others at providing something resembling normal service. We have also found that councils might be offering video conferencing one week but have been told the software they are using is unsafe the next. Expect fluctuating levels of service as data security concerns battle with the desire to keep local government operational.

Graph showing how “planning permission” search trend changed after COVID-19 outbreak

Where Do We Go from Here?

Seven[!] months into COVID-19 working conditions, our experience is that by and large, the planning system has continued to function. Applications are being validated, pre-application advice is being given and planning permission decisions are being made.

Quite how efficiently things are working depends from council to council, but our experience – largely in London and the south-east – has been that most have adapted reasonably well.

With the arrival of the second lockdown, it’s clear that the optimism of the summer was misplaced. But it’s worth noting that not only has the construction industry continued working through both lockdowns but also that record numbers of planning applications were submitted over the summer.

It seems likely that even when the second lockdown ends, we expect that at least until spring we will continue with a situation in which local authorities, architects and planning consultants will be having meetings with clients and each other online by default, and only having face-to-face meetings when strictly necessary. On the other hand, unlike in the early stages of the spring lockdown, it’s clear that site visits for surveys and inspections are happening and will continue to happen.

What’s your experience of working in planning and architecture so far during the COVID-19 crisis? And how do you think this will affect the way we work? We would be very interested to hear. Add a comment at the bottom of this page.

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You are more interested in receiving an exceptional service than a low-end, perfunctory one.

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The post Planning Applications and COVID-19: Coronavirus Impact on Planning Services [November Update] appeared first on Urbanist Architecture - London Architects.

source https://urbanistarchitecture.co.uk/planning-applications-and-covid-19/

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kinetic-elaboration · 3 years ago

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June 3: Library Retreat

...I’m currently doing TWO write-every-day projects. Why? Why do I do this to myself?

Anyway, I really need to eat and also I might be watching Incubus soon (??? it’s getting kinda late but like I’m still awake and would be up for it... We’ll see.)

Today was an odd day. I went to the Library Retreat from the very odd hours of 10-2, which was at this...like generic meeting space in the community where the library director lives. The space was really nice... I’m not sure how to describe the community. Gated? One of those named communities that exist all over the place here. The meeting room was just... a room but the outside was beautiful, a nice lawn and a gorgeous lake with a little gazebo (two little gazebos, actually, one on the lake and one up on the lawn), lots of Canada Geese, and (allegedly) a bald eagle.

I forced myself to get up in time to do some work before I left, and then I got picked up by my supervisor, who was also driving the head of circ. They’re very good friends, so I just sat in the back and listened to them chat and bicker, which would be awkward, except I’m used to it.

The weather was muggy when we arrived and threatened rain. We spent the first hour outside, basically doing, like, picnic like activities? For Bonding Purposes. Can’t complain. I like my coworkers and did miss them. I mainly played a version of Yahtzee, with giant dice, with the head of reference and the cataloguer. Yahtzee is actually quite difficult! Especially with giant dice, played on the non-flat surface of the yard.

Then for hour 2, we got into small groups and discussed our “homework,” a little work sheet with questions we’d gotten the previous day. If this sounds like middles school... it felt like it too! I was very angsty about it yesterday but in practice, my groupmates were chill and we just had a generic talk about the last year and the upcoming year (I was with the head of Reference, a notoriously gregarious person, and the head of circ, a notoriously grumpy person but with a lot of relevant expertise). I felt like I contributed decent points. The whole ‘short term planning’ section of the day, though, both small group and large group discussion, was only an hour, and it wasn’t really enough time.

For hour three, we had lunch. My sandwich was delicious and I had such a good discussion with the two aforementioned people, first about conspiracy theories and aliens, then about Roadside Picnic (head of circ had read it so that was fun! I think I described the plot fairly well in summary, though I’m always bad at that on the spot), then about the ADKs and nature and New England and weather and stuff.

Finally, we had an hour devoted to long term planning, which I was dreading. In practice, it wasn’t so bad. We got a semi-answer to the ‘what’s up with the reading room’ question--but imo I didn’t really learn anything new, only confirmed that there is no plan and this is a bad idea. I’m still upset about it, but I don’t feel anything very much right now, I think because my vacation did succeed in chilling me out. The other long term projects gave me no particular emotion. Head of circ is really anti the CDL project, but I feel like for once a library project won’t really involve me/my department so I’m like...shrug emoji.

I felt like the retreat could have been longer tbqh. I mean only 2 hours for ALL the planning for both 2021-2022 and the next 5 years?? Mmmkay. Also I did not want to do work when I got home.

We took some time to clean up, and then of course commute home. By then it had started raining, and by the time I returned to work (lying in bed, literally, and ordering books) it was pouring. This, combined with All That Excitement, made me very sleepy. I didn’t actually sleep, but I haven’t done anything else this evening either.

I brought a mask to the meeting because I still... assume that’s a thing. Plus, even though we weren’t on university space, it is still a university rule. So I don’t know. Tumblr has perverted my brain and makes me assume that everyone at all times thinks other human beings are inherently disgusting. But no one else was wearing them and we decided early on that we were all comfortable with each other, especially since everyone present had been fully vaccinated. I wasn’t bothered either--I just fear being judged. Anyway, it was nice not to have to worry about that.

I can’t believe tomorrow is Friday. I don’t feel like I have to go to work but it also doesn’t feel like a weekend. Tbh I don’t want it to be a weekend. I would waste it if it were. I want to spend the day reading journal articles and not being bothered, and then maybe treat myself nicely, and be ready for Saturday. The next two weeks are just... too much for me. I don’t want to deal with them. So I have to approach everything one day at a time.

#the year 2021 #2021: rl

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andrewuttaro · 4 years ago

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State of the Support (S2-Ep.2): Outside Help

State of the Support is a reoccurring series on American professional soccer written from a fan perspective. This series will follow the ups and downs of Soccer Support in Rochester, NY and the surrounding region in one of its most trying times in decades.

You don’t know what you got until it’s gone. Save for a few work stoppages in different pro leagues most of us have no memory of sports being called off at this scale. In the three months since the last State of the Support blog a lot has happened in the world. So much has happened in fact that it feels a bit crass to talk about soccer right now with any degree of urgency. Life has changed for a while.

This blog also affirms Black Lives Matter. I wrote a pretty extensive personal blog about the issues brought back into focus by the George Floyd murder and the resulting civil unrest. Its called Same Humans Different Worlds and its up on this same blog if you want to take a look.

As I try to talk about soccer in the world as it is right now I’m thankful to say there are uncorroborated new developments. In the three months since we last shared this blog we’ve also seen ROC City Boom put a footprint down in spite of their season being delayed due to COVID19. On one hand nothing new has truly happened on the Rhinos front but on the other hand several things seem to be evolving in Rochester Soccer right now including something with the Rhinos. Let’s start with the Rhinos who may not be as long gone as we thought.

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There have been rumors that outside groups have been working with the Dworkins on the Rhinos situation since early 2019. Whether that be additional owners joining the group or just consulting firms helping with what seems to be an inevitable rebrand, the talk in the rumor mill has been consistent in the Post-Stadium part or this hiatus. At the beginning of the month a new Reddit user named Rocbucks commented on an old post of mine in the r/Rhinossoccer subreddit. After they didn’t respond to a reply to their comment I direct messaged them where they more readily communicated.

Rocbucks claims to be someone “…working for months to create a proposal drawing together local leaders in soccer and management of sport organizations that will redevelop pro soccer in Rochester.” One of this person’s initial claims was a 2022 return to play was in store for the Rhinos after marshalling community partnerships that would be “worth the wait.” Say what you will about how COVID19 changes the trajectory of soccer in this country, 2021 was the pre-existing expectation after Pat Ercoli’s August 2019 interview and David Dworkin’s December 2019 Statement. Specifically stating there was going to be another year-long lent some early credibility to Rocbucks’ claims.

Yes, I asked for some more details. Before we got into privileged information (which trust me is barely anything in addition to what I can tell you) This source confirmed they are not one of the Dworkins or anyone employed by the Rhinos nor are they the rumored NISA Rochester group. They claimed to have had several meaningful conversations with the Rhinos about that club going forward and that they were welcomed help. It’s also worth nothing Rocbucks insinuated they’re part of a larger group doing this consulting work. Moreover the group Rocbucks is a part of is one of three involved in the Rhinos’ situation who came together on this project once they realized how each of them could benefit from a revitalized pro soccer scene in Rochester.

The Rocbucks groups as I’ll call them have apparently been involved with the Rhinos case for a year now placing their arrival on this front in late May/early June 2019. That timeline tracks based on what we know about the hiatus timeline so far. That would’ve been about seven months after the Dworkins settled with the City to leave the downtown stadium. They would’ve been looking for some second opinions planning for this next chapter. Rocbucks was however tight lipped on any concrete plans except to say the Rocbucks groups will soon be moving into focus groups and other forms of community listening.

Upon further questioning Rocbucks confirmed they had also had contact with Jake Edwards and the USL League Office. If Rocbucks is telling the truth than the groups we’re talking about here are fully engaged consulting firms or local businesses that stand to gain from pro soccer making a comeback here. I cannot confirm that however and its important to note no such group has been revealed by the Dworkins or anyone in the USL League Office. I cannot independently verify any of this but if these things are true Rocbucks leads me to believe some big developments with the Rhinos are due this calendar year.

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On the fully confirmed front of Soccer in Rochester: the ROC City Boom have had an interesting few months since their January unveiling. Even in the face of a global pandemic it seems the new UPSL amateur soccer team is doing all the right things to work their way into the hearts of Rochesterians. Pausing their social media output for a month and a half, they began tweeting again at the end of April hoping that when UPSL returns their place in the Downtown stadium would allow for some fans properly socially distanced.

At the end of May the amateur side announced their hiring of General Manager Isaac Kissi. Kissi was an MLS draftee in 2010 and played for the Rhinos from 2010-2012. An injury ended his soccer career, but he has since gone into medicine now finding himself on the front lines of the Coronavirus battle working the ICU in Buffalo and COVID testing in Rochester. Kissi immediately became part of the Rochester Soccer community on social media. On June 20th, the Boom tweeted a shoutout video from former USMNT and MLS player Freddy Adu, a string one can assume Kissi was able to pull for soccer fans in Rochester.

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While the existence of an almost 14,000 seat soccer specific stadium in any City comes with the potential to attract pro and amateur soccer clubs alike, the downtown stadium here in Rochester has laid dormant more than anything else since the Rhinos went on hiatus. It’s been almost three years! If my uncorroborated source today is correct it will likely be almost five years before there is pro soccer again in Rochester. It’s somewhat morbidly funny to think about all that’s happened in that time. This got me thinking.

On Friday I will be posting the Rochester Rhinos Hiatus Timeline. The idea here is to recount the broad strokes of the hiatus in order to not only understand where it maybe going but also help out-of-towners understand the situation at hand. If we’re looking at five years without pro soccer in this City this hiatus will represent a whole phase of soccer’s history here in Rochester.

To anyone who may have information about or looking to be informed about soccer in Rochester, NY, feel free to reach me on twitter @Pastagut or Reddit at u/EternalRhino15. If you wish to share privileged information about yet-to-be announced soccer developments know that I will respect your identity with anonymity if you so desire. Also its fun just to talk in these crazy times. This blog is not just about Rochester soccer or even the sport in the larger surrounding region, it’s about building a community of supporters.

Thanks for Reading.

#rochester new york #ROC #rochester #soccer #USL #USL League One #UPSL

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compare-wp10 · 5 years ago

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Facing pandemic, NASA shutters rocket factory, halts SLS and Orion testing – Spaceflight Now

NASA announced Thursday that work on the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion crew capsule at facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi is being halted due to the spreading coronavirus pandemic, a stoppage that could force further delays on the already behind-schedule and over-budget programs. Meanwhile, NASA officials said Thursday they are making plans to try and keep the agency’s next Mars rover and the multibillion-dollar James Webb Space Telescope on schedule for launches in later this year and in 2021. NASA has elevated the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi and the Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana to Stage 4 of the agency’s Response Framework, forcing the closure of both sites to nearly all employees, effective Friday. At Stennis, NASA and Boeing teams were readying the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System for a series of critical tests in the coming months, culminating in a test-firing of the rocket’s four main engines that had been scheduled for early August. With the shutdown of Stennis, that testing will be delayed. SLS core stages are manufactured at the Michoud plant in New Orleans, and pressure vessels of Orion crew capsules are welded there. The SLS and Orion vehicles are the centerpieces of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to land astronauts at the moon’s south pole before the end of 2024, a goal that was already widely considered ambitious. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said a Stennis employee has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. “The change at Stennis was made due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the community around the center, the number of self-isolation cases within our workforce there, and one confirmed case among our Stennis team,” Bridenstine said in a statement. “While there are no confirmed cases at Michoud, the facility is moving to Stage 4 due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the local area, in accordance with local and federal guidelines.” The only other NASA center elevated to Stage 4 to date is the Ames Research Center in California. All other agency facilities are at Stage 3, where only “mission-essential” personnel are allowed to work on site. With the elevation of Stennis and Michoud to Stage 4, only employees “required to maintain the safety and security of the center” will come to work. All other staff at Stennis and Michoud will work remotely. “Additionally, all travel is suspended,” Bridenstine said late Thursday. “These measures are being taken to help slow the transmission of COVID-19 and protect our communities.” Bridenstine confirmed the decision to effectively shut down operations Stennis and Michoud will affect the SLS and Orion programs. “NASA will temporarily suspend production and testing of Space Launch System and Orion hardware,” Bridenstine said. “The NASA and contractors teams will complete an orderly shutdown that puts all hardware in a safe condition until work can resume. Once this is complete, personnel allowed onsite will be limited to those needed to protect life and critical infrastructure. “We realize there will be impacts to NASA missions, but as our teams work to analyze the full picture and reduce risks we understand that our top priority is the health and safety of the NASA workforce,” he said. The SLS core stage currently on the test stand at Stennis is slated to lift off next year on the Artemis 1 mission, an unpiloted test flight carrying an Orion spacecraft to lunar orbit and back to Earth. Boeing, the core stage’s prime contractor, finished assembly of the 212-foot-long (65-meter) rocket structure late last year. At the end of 2019, NASA had obligated $14.8 billion on the SLS program, with the rocket’s inaugural launch still more than a year way, the agency’s inspector general reported earlier this month. The first SLS core stage rolled out of the Michoud factory in January and rode a NASA barge to the Stennis Space Center in southern Mississippi for a series of control system checkouts, a cryogenic fueling test, and a full-duration firing of all four engines, which are leftovers from the space shuttle program. The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 mission recently completed a battery of thermal vacuum and electromagnetic tests inside a giant chamber at NASA’s Plum Brook Station in Ohio. The Orion spacecraft, comprised of a U.S.-made crew module and a European-built service module, was scheduled to ride a NASA transport plane from Ohio to the Kennedy Space Center on March 24 to begin final preparations for liftoff next year. As of Wednesday, the spacecraft’s arrival back in Florida was still scheduled for March 24, but an update on the transport plans was not immediately available Thursday night. Meanwhile, production of core stages for future SLS rockets is underway at Michoud. That work will be suspended now that Michoud has been elevated to Stage 4 status. The Space Launch System and Orion are two of NASA’s largest programs. NASA and its international partners are expected to continue operations aboard the International Space Station, which has been home to astronauts continuously since 2000. The station’s next three-man crew is scheduled for launch April 9 on a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. NASA said Wednesday that the first piloted test flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, developed with NASA funding, is scheduled for launch in mid-to-late May from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are training for the mission, which will dock with the space station. The liftoff of the Crew Dragon spacecraft on top of a Falcon 9 rocket will be the first launch of astronauts into orbit from a U.S. spaceport since the retirement of the space shuttle in July 2011. NASA said it would follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the agency’s chief health and medical officer for updates that may impact the Crew Dragon mission. “I will continue to say, so none of us forget – there is no team better prepared for doing hard things,” Bridenstine said. “Take care of yourself, your family, and your NASA team.” NASA plans to continue work on Mars rover, James Webb Space Telescope The coronavirus pandemic could have far-reaching impacts across a range of NASA missions, but agency officials said Thursday they will attempt to insulate two of NASA’s most critical robotic science missions from delays caused by COVID-19-related closures. Lori Glaze, head of NASA’s planetary science division, said the Perseverance rover remains on schedule for liftoff during a limited 20-day window opening July 17. If the mission — also known as Mars 2020 — misses this summer’s launch window, the next chance to send the rover to Mars won’t be until 2022, a delay that could add to the $2.5 billion mission’s price tag. “We’ve put together a framework … with which to look at each of the missions and what points we want to continue working on them,” Glaze said in a virtual town hall meeting Thursday with members of the planetary science community. “And Mars 2020 is one of only two missions within (NASA’s science directorate) that is the very highest priority … We’re going to ensure that we meet that launch window in July. “In so doing, we’re also making sure that our personnel are healthy and safe,” Glaze said. “We’re taking every precaution to make sure that those individuals that are working on Mars 2020 are going to work in conditions and have an environment where they’re able to stay safe. But we’re continuing the activities, the integration and test activities, that are going on at Kennedy Space Center.” The Perseverance rover arrived at the Kennedy Space Center last month from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Inside a pristine, climate-controlled clean room at the Florida spaceport, the rover will be installed on its landing platform and attached to a cruise stage that will carry it from Earth to Mars. Then the spacecraft will be enclosed within the nose cone of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket and trucked to the Atlas 5’s seaside launch complex for lifting atop the vehicle. Once in place, teams will add the rover’s plutonium power generator. Glaze said members of the Mars 2020 team from KSC, JPL, NASA Headquarters and the Department of Energy — responsible for the nuclear power source — have given their “full support” for the plan. “As of right now, and even if we go to a next stage of alert, Mars 2020 is moving forward on schedule and everything is so far very well on track,” Glaze said. “At this point, we don’t see any impact from the current situation.” The Perseverance rover mission is one of two high-priority projects within NASA’s science division that are pre-approved to continue work even if the agency elevates all centers to Stage 4 in the coronavirus response plan. The other mission is the James Webb Space Telescope, according to Grey Hautaluoma, a NASA spokesperson. The Webb telescope is currently scheduled for launch in March 2021, but officials are expected to reassess that schedule in May after recent delays in testing at the observatory’s Northrop Grumman factory in California. Glaze said Thursday that NASA is prioritizing work on missions with near-term launch dates. Some delays will be inescapable. Jim Reuter, head of NASA’s space technology mission directorate, said Thursday that the agency was planning to fly experiments in June on a suborbital launch by Blue Origin’a New Glenn rocket. Given with situation with the coronavirus pandemic, which has strongly impacted areas around Blue Origin’s headquarters in Kent, Washington, a June launch of that mission is looking “pretty unlikely,” Reuter said. Email the author. Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.

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jesusvasser · 6 years ago

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Volkswagen, Porsche Dump Diesel for EVs, Mercedes Gets Smart

The Volkswagen Group looks to cut costs while it pivots

VW and Audi turned diesel into a dirty word by inventing and applying so-called defeat devices across the range. In the process, they thoroughly tainted their brand image and alienated loyal customers stuck with cars whose ratings had dropped from desirable to dead stock within a few months. But unlike Porsche, which absorbed tens of thousands of windfall oil burning engines for almost ten years before pulling the plug in late September, Wolfsburg and Ingolstadt still need the diesel-drinkers to meet their CO2 targets.

Even though the diesel has been re-engineered in a hurry and now fully complies with the stringent EU6 temporary emission norm, the gun-shy punters still fear city driving bans and crippling resale values. That’s understandable yet tragic, because clean diesels are no longer fake news. Instead, the very best of them harm the environment less than gasoline hybrids while retaining their torque and consumption advantage in full. In terms of noise and tailpipe odor, however, Rudolf D’s combustion principle obviously no longer complies with the core values of high-tech trend-setters like Porsche.

Oliver Blume and his predecessor Matthias Müller were among the first CEOs to jump on the BEV bandwagon and to compile a radical phase-out strategy for the gas engine. They kicked off the Mission E program to create Germany’s first Tesla fighter, they were at one point close to replacing the best-selling Macan with a zero-emission model, and they set out to boost Porsche’s BEV penetration to 50 percent of the mix by 2023.

Thanks to the development of the mass market all-electric Volkswagen ID, which will be priced similar to a mid-line Golf and due next year, Porsche had carte blanche to convert its entire model range to plug-in and electric power by 2028. And by entire model range, one must include both sports cars, namely the replacements of the mid-engine 718 and the tenth-generation 911. While even the most detailed ten-year plan is at best safe for the next four to five years, it is little short of sensational that Porsche has its mindset focused on a brand-new all-electric 911, which will be offered in addition to the conventional 992 replacement.

Mission E aka J1 aka Taycan will come to market next autumn, and it won’t differ dramatically in appeal and appearance from the show car. The same applies to the CUV derivative, aka Cross Turismo, which has been penciled in for late 2020. Although it didn’t clinic particularly well in the US due to its low stance, we still don´t expect the real thing to be a proper SUV. Proportions are key for every Porsche, so a higher roofline is less likely than some token badland add-ons. A two-door coupé with a soft-top sidekick based on J1 would be the fanciest trick in the book, but financial risk and the need to control the increasingly complex portfolio doesn’t leave much room for experiments early on in the e-age. The supplier community suggests that major mid-cycle improvements are due for Taycan only four years after the start of production. The prime goal is bound to take out cost and put in more power, range, and durability.

Instead of shifting the DNA from J1 straight to PPE (Premium Platform Electromobility), the platform co-developed with Audi, when Taycan expires at the end of 2026, Porsche is now allegedly determined to carry on with a heavily revised architecture codenamed, you guessed it, J2. If all goes according to plan, J2 will switch to solid state batteries which can do everything better than lithium ion cells—at a price.

There is no major change of body styles in the cards, but the aforementioned silent two-door GT always remains an option, even though Porsche should leave Audi and Bentley enough room for their J1 spin-offs. In terms of available powertrains, we still stand at a nominal 300/400/500 kW (402/536/670 hp) powered by a choice of LG Chem batteries rated at 80 and 95 kWh. All four wheels are driven via a two-speed transmission, the maximum torque one can play with from third upwards is 737 lb-ft, and as long as you don’t squeeze the energy cells out like a lemon (0-60 mph in 3.5 sec, 160 mph) the driving range should be in excess of 300 miles.

Even the self-described e-junkie Oliver Blume no longer intends to make the next Macan transfer from pump to plug over night. The plan is now to extend the life of the current model until 2024, which would almost certainly require a major facelift in 2021 or thereabout. Audi has already signaled that it will agree on a similar timing for the next Audi Q5, which the Macan III will again be twinned with.

The updated Macan, based on the familiar MLB matrix, and the all-new Macan BEV, derived from the brand-new PPE component set defined with Audi, are expected to come to market within six months of each other. Both offerings will likely overlap for about three years, if need be even longer. In case something goes terribly wrong in the future electric world, the new Macan could still ride on PPC, which is the combustion engine back-up of PPE.

An almost identical game plan applies to the full-size Cayenne, which is scheduled to undergo three iterations (including a coupé and two facelifts) before it finally retires in 2027. Ten years is a long life cycle for an SUV because you can only shed so much weight, and implementing improved aerodynamics that require sheet metal changes is even more difficult. That’s why the electric Cayenne—program E4, also part of the PPE family—must start as early as 2024 and extend the transition period to three or four years. No, there is no reward for guessing which pattern will be applied to the Panamera changeover. In an ideal world, Porsche would love to keep updating the current generation (G2) until it eventually bites the dust, but you probably cannot do this with an eleven-year old design—unless of course the unloved Sport Turismo gives way to the repeatedly hyped 929 coupé/cabrio which should consolidate demand. Right now though, a reskin (G3) in 2023 is more likely. Two years later, the all-electric Panamera G4 would be the fourth new Porsche never again to stop at a filling station—except for a coffee break.

What about the future sports cars in the making in the Weissach think tank, you ask? Same philosophy, but different timing, and for obvious reasons, different DNA. The 718 Cayman and Boxster launched in 2016 must soldier on until 2023 or 2024 without serious cosmetic operations, hybrid options, or AWD. The big bang follows in late 2022 when the battery-powered 983 is due to launch. This is a pure BEV, a total break with the past, sans alternative drivetrain option. Having said that, the outgoing combustion engine models—Boxster, Cayman, and Spyder—will be offered for at least twelve months alongside the high-tech newcomer. Apparently, the existing MMB platform can be upgraded to accommodate the totally different componentry. According to a senior engineer, there is thus no real need to proceed with the proposed all-new BEV matrix known as SPE, short for sports car platform electric. Dropping SPE would save approximately 25 percent of the cost-cutting target.

Although 983 is still in the final definition phase, we hear that there may be two coupé models, a Cayman replacement and a notably sportier high-performance derivative destined to slot in below the Carrera S/GTS. The second model would get bespoke coachwork inspired by the 918/919, and it would be priced in a similar bracket as the 911 turbo. While the Cayman E can reportedly be specced with one or two motors for a total of up to 536 hp, the Super E boasts three motors (two of them in the rear) for a peak output of 603 hp, sources say. The energy packs are said to deliver 100 and 125 kWh respectively. We expect a move to solid state accumulators from 2026 onwards, in combination with speed charging, ultra-quick battery regeneration, and Porsche-like repeat performance.

According to the Weissach grapevine, the first-ever all-electric 911 will debut in 2028 alongside the 992 replacement. Why wait so long? Because the plug-in hybrid is a convincing stopgap solution for many markets, because battery weight has to come down in sync with a more efficiency cell chemistry, and because even a planet-saving 911 must be an ultra-fast, hardcore piece of kit. Porsche is apparently convinced that it can deliver on all counts. After all, the latest master plan projects BEVs to exceed 85 percent of the sales total come 2028.

While the smart brand lives on borrowed time, a sub-A-class small-star Mercedes is taking shape

Smart is in the process of going 100 percent electric, but this doesn’t mean that the marque has a future. Quite the contrary: according to various sources, Renault is going to pull out once the ForFour/Twingo reaches the end of its cycle, Mercedes is not interested in keeping the Smart car brand going all by itself, and whether Geely may want to jump in and lift the business case to a more profitable new level remains to be seen. Right now, the internal plan is that smart will be wound up by 2026 at the earliest. The question remains whether Mercedes will pull out of the segment completely, or if the new CEO Ola Kallenius might be actively looking for options to keep the three-pointed star in the race against Mini and the Audi A1/Q1/City. The board needs to come to a conclusion by 2021 when it must sign off the next A-class generation due in 2025. If we read the smoke signals right, the current MFA2 architecture will be replaced by a fully scalable, all-new convergence layout which covers a much broader product spectrum that could also include a proper baby Benz.

At this point, strategists and product planners are evaluating at least four different options:

Version 2.0 of a fully electrified Smart brand funded with a strong partner like Geely, a concept inspired by the cooperation between Mini and Great Wall. Probability rating: 3/5. Why? Because it is difficult and expensive to ensure that the outcome, which would likely be produced in China, is a proper fit for the global market.

Add a decontented entry-level two- or three-door model to the current A-class portfolio. Probability rating: 1/5. Why? Too late, too expensive, too compromised. The no-frills A-Class coupé was stillborn for exactly these reasons.

Engineer the MFA3 component set so that it includes a proper baby Benz priced at least 15 percent below the least-expensive A-Class. Probability rating: 2/5. Why? MFA3 is unlikely to be sufficiently advanced, flexible enough, or affordable for the conversion to a predominantly electric future.

Go ahead with the innovative convergence matrix codenamed MX1, which could be stretched from whatever shape the small Mercedes will assume for the C-Class/GLC replacement. Probability rating: 5/5. Why? Because MX1 covers BEV, PHEV, and ICE with a bias on electric drive. In addition, it introduces a new level of modularity as well as extended economies of scale, with or without a partner.

Cooperation remains indeed an option—even though the tie-ups with Mitsubishi and Renault delivered mixed results. Last year, Mercedes and BMW discussed the pros and cons of teaming up with regard to MX1 and the bigger MX2 version, but to no avail. BMW ended the talks, thereby relegating the team from Stuttgart back to square one. Although the baby Benz has since dropped a notch or two on the agenda, electrification is a more urgent topic than ever, and so are new vehicle types tailor-made for metro mobility, commuter services, and innovative user models. The reinvented Mercedes née Smart is far from an approved program, but what is tentatively known as U-class (the U stands for urban & universal) has undergone various feasibility studies in combination with different design proposals. Under discussion are the following fully electric variations:

U-class City, a three-door hatch with five-door option, short and tall with extra-long (relative) wheelbase.

U-class Shuttle, an on-demand last-mile shared transportation device combined with up-market services such as exclusive use, autonomous driving where applicable, special delivery, and drop-off.

U-class Cargo, a compact panel van operating in a pool, shared by service providers with city access.

In frivolous moments, product planning even considered off-beat stuff like an emotional metro cruiser, a U-class Open Air, and a back-to-basics two-seater positioned between the unloved two-door A-class and the short-lived Smart coupé. In terms of content, the emphasis is split between the standardized e-componentry and bespoke abilities like the interface with Big Data, personalized services, and safety & convenience features. If the business case still looks good in 2021, the U-class may turn out to be one of the smartest cars Mercedes ever conceived.

The post Volkswagen, Porsche Dump Diesel for EVs, Mercedes Gets Smart appeared first on Automobile Magazine.

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patriotsnet · 3 years ago

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How Many Registered Republicans In Texas

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/how-many-registered-republicans-in-texas/

How Many Registered Republicans In Texas

Chip In $7 Or Whatever You Can Today To Power Our Voter Registration Programs Today And On Into 2022

In order to make Project Texas as successful as possible, and register as many new Democrats as we can by the 2022 elections, our movement needs to be all in. We need your voice alongside Texas Democratic legislators and advocates — fighting to register Texans, elect Texas Democrats, and take back our state.

Million Voters Registered In Texas After 2016 Raising Democrats’ Hopes Of Flipping Texas In 2020

October 13, 2020 / 9:22 AM / CBS News

Biden leads in Michigan, Nevada, tied in Iowa…06:04

Texas has seen one of the highest upticks in newly registered voters in the nation,with over 3 million people who registered after the 2016 election.

That means about 1 in every 5 voters in Texas in 2020 were not registered in 2016 and Democrats are betting the surge could help flip Texas this year.

As of Monday, Texas’ secretary of state lists more than 16.9 million registered voters in its database, a state record and a net gain of 1.8 million since 2016.

President Trump won the state by 807,179 votes in 2016. Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke lost his statewide race by 214,921 votes.

While registration gains ebbedin March and April, at the beginning of the pandemic, more than 585,000 new voters have registered since September 1.

The Census Bureau says Texas’ population has grown by 3.85 million since 2010, 2 million of whom are Hispanic.

Early voting in Texas kicks off Tuesday. More than 1.8 million Texans voted early in the March primaries, about 45% of the total turnout. Including mail votes, over half of Texans voted early or by mail during the primary.

Texans aren’t required to designate a party when they register, but Democratic operatives anticipate at least 60% of these new voters are Democrats because so many of them are young and from communities of color.

Adam Brewster and Kabir Khanna contributed reporting.

Many Of Those Unregistered People Are Young Or Belong To Communities Of Color The Party Says

5:38 PM on Jun 8, 2021 CDT

WASHINGTON — Texas Democrats hope to turn the state blue in 2022 with a voter registration drive aimed at 2 million people who they believe skew Democratic.

Project Texas, a $1.7 million initiative, would be the largest voter registration program attempted by Texas Democrats, Democratic strategist Luke Warford said in a news conference announcing the initiative Tuesday. The “vast majority” of those unregistered but probably liberal people are young or belong to communities of color, Warford said.

Citing last week’s walkout by Democratic state legislators over voting rights restrictions, as well as ongoing national debates about federal voting rights legislation, Texas elected officials at the news conference said there is newfound urgency to flip the state. U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar said she was “so serious” about the initiative that she had hired a full-time staffer based in her district in El Paso to oversee the program’s rollout there.

“For every effort that Republicans attempt to suppress the vote, and to make sure that especially minority communities like ours don’t have a voice, we will redouble our efforts to make sure that we provide avenues to the ballot box for millions of Texans,” Escobar said during the news conference. “For me, it starts in my community of El Paso.”

“This is a power grab,” Alvarado said about that measure, Senate Bill 7. “Hopefully, it is the last one we see. People have called this Jim Crow 2.0. It is.”

States With Republican Governors Had Highest Covid Incidence And Death Rates Study Finds

Dareh Gregorian

States with Democratic governors had the highest incidence and death rates from Covid-19 in the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, but states with Republican governors surpassed those rates as the crisis dragged on, a study released Tuesday found.

“From March to early June, Republican-led states had lower Covid-19 incidence rates compared with Democratic-led states. On June 3, the association reversed, and Republican-led states had higher incidence,” the study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Medical University of South Carolina showed.

“For death rates, Republican-led states had lower rates early in the pandemic, but higher rates from July 4 through mid-December,” the study found.

Here Are The Texas Gop’s Reasons For Voting Restrictions And Why Critics Disagree

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“This is a preventative measure for us,” state Rep. Travis Clardy says of the Republican-backed Senate Bill 7, which sought to tighten voting rules, citing a need to prevent fraud. Here, opponents of the bill hold a rally last month at the Texas Capitol in Austin.

Texas Republicans say their controversial move to tighten voter restrictions is sorely needed to prevent fraud. But the few examples of fraud they cite have been out of proportion to the sweeping changes included in their legislation, which seeks to reshape the way many Texans exercise their fundamental democratic right.

Senate Bill 7 is now effectively dead after Democrats walked out of the Texas Capitol in a quorum-busting maneuver that prevented a final vote on the bill. But Republicans plan to call a special session of the state Legislature to revive their push for new controls.

“Election integrity legislation will pass during the special session. Period,” House Speaker Dade Phelan said late Monday.

The Republican election proposals we’ve seen so far are expansive. The failed bill sought to impose new limits on the vote-by-mail system and to restrict how and when people can vote in person. It also would have increased existing criminal penalties and created new criminal offenses around voting.

Texas Democrats Walk Out To Block Voting Restrictions; Governor Threatens No Pay

State Sen. Bryan Hughes, a Republican who is listed as one of SB 7’s primary authors, said Monday that it included “common-sense reforms to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat.”

But Hughes and other Texas Republicans have produced little evidenceto support the idea that their state’s political process is endangered by fraud. And critics say Republicans in Texas and other states, such as Georgia and Florida, are trying to put their thumbs on the scales after their party came up short in key races in 2020.

It’s not yet known when the Texas Legislature might return for a special session. Here’s a look at what the voting legislation’s supporters are saying and how their critics respond:

What supporters say: It’s meant to standardize how Texans vote

Republican state Rep. Briscoe Cain, another prominent backer of SB 7, called the bill a “voter enhancement” measure whose main goals include standardizing how Texans vote. It’s one of several ways in which the GOP has sought to defuse accusations that the bill unfairly affects people of color and voters with disabilities.

What critics say: It adds more restrictions

If Texas lawmakers want to help voters, the Texas Civil Rights Project says, they should turn their attention elsewhere. The group says that “we have no online voter registration, only a fraction of Texans have the right to vote by mail, and 750 polling places were closed between 2013 and 2019, predominantly in communities of color.”

As NPR member station KUT reported:

Texas Democrats Want To Register 2 Million Voters Before 2022 Midterm Elections

AUSTIN — With the legislative session in the rear view mirror, and the possibility of the Governor calling lawmakers back to the Capitol this summer, the Texas’ major political parties are already planning for the 2022 midterm elections.

The Texas Democratic Party announced the creation of a voter registration plan aimed at registering two million Texans before the midterms.

The program, dubbed “Project Texas,” targets prospective voters who are young and largely Hispanic, party leaders announced in a Tuesday press conference.

“There are over 2 million people in the state of Texas that are not registered to vote that fit the Democratic profile,” Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said during the virtual event. “Most of those are Latinos, a large portion of them are young people— people who, if registered to vote, are going to vote for Democrats. So that’s our task. That’s what this voter registration plan is all about.”

The first phase of the plan involves testing six different methods of voter registration through the rest of the year, party leaders said. The methods include digital ads, apartment voter registration, registering voters by mail, site-based registration, door-to-door registration, and relational organizing.

“We need to do everything we can to counter these attacks, get people to the polls, help Texans make their voices heard, and make their voices be heard loud and clear,” State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, said.

Why Texas Democrats Lost The 2020 Voter Turnout Battle Even Among Latinos

SAN ANTONIO — Texas Democrats conceded that Republicans won the state’s turnout battle in the 2020 election by staying in the field despite the coronavirus pandemic, while the state’s Democrats relied on digital and more unreliable telephone contact with voters.

According to a post-election report provided in advance to NBC News, the party lost its “most powerful and competitive advantage” when it didn’t dispatch volunteers to canvass in person, following the directive of Joe Biden’s campaign after the pandemic hit.

“Our inability to campaign was really devastating for us, especially with our main base. Our main base is Latino voters, and they do not take well to mail and texting contact,” Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said.

The report, released Monday, found that even though Democrats turned out at higher rates than expected, so did Republican voters, who outperformed the higher Democratic turnout.

The party struggled to reach voters “for whom we did not have phone numbers, who are disproportionately young rural,” as well as people of color.

Despite early hopes that they could turn the state blue, Democrats didn’t win any new congressional seats or flip the state House, and former President Donald Trump got higher vote shares than expected in heavily Hispanic counties.

Texas Early Voting Tops 2016 Total With More Than 9 Million Ballots Cast

Texas has surpassed its total 2016 voter turnout with four days until Election Day, according to data released by state election officials Friday morning.

Polling suggests Texas could be a battleground in 2020, as shifting demographics have given Democrats hope in the presidential race between President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

Texas does not report party affiliation of early voters, making it difficult to predict how parties’ voter shares are shaping up so far.

Texas has surpassed its total 2016 voter turnout with four days before Election Day, according to data released by state election officials Friday morning.

Voters have cast more than 9 million ballots in person and by mail so far, setting a new record in the state. In the 2016 presidential election, 8,969,226 Texans voted, according to the state’s official tally.

The milestone reflects high turnout across the country for the presidential race between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden, as the coronavirus pandemic has created an unprecedented demand for early voting.

Since the last presidential election, Texas has gained about 1.9 million registered voters, The Texas Tribune reported. About 53% of registered Texas voters have cast their ballot in 2020 so far.

The state’s 38 electoral votes are considered a must-win for Trump. In 2016, Trump won Texas over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by 9 points.

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Arizona Republicans Enact Sweeping Changes To State’s Early Voting List

Earlier versions of SB 7 would also have required disabled voters to produce proof of their status, such as documents from the Social Security Administration or the Department of Veterans Affairs. But that provision was later cut. The original requirements would have been unfeasible for many disabled people and would have exposed counties and the state to expensive lawsuits, according to Lauren Gerken, public policy analyst at the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, a state agency.

What supporters say: It’s meant to cut down on fraud

SB 7 was introduced on March 11, titled the Election Integrity Protection Act of 2021. Its stated purpose is “to detect and punish fraud.” But the legislation’s backers have not been able to point to many specific examples of problems they want to fix.

In April, Hughes was asked to list the places where election fraud had occurred in Texas. Rather than echo former President Donald Trump’s false claims of widespread election fraud in the 2020 vote, he pointed to the previous midterm election.

“In my district over in East Texas, I have a county commissioner under felony indictment … over mail ballot fraud from the 2018 election cycle,” Hughes told Amarillo TV station ABC 7.

“That case in Gregg County involved 38 ballots” that were questioned, the station’s Morgan Duerden noted.

What critics say: There is no widespread fraud

What supporters say:It’s meant to inspire confidence in the voting process

Chart 1 And Table 2: Nationwide Party Registration Trends Since 2000

Since 2000, the nationwide proportion of registered Democratic and Republican voters in party registration states have both gone down, while the percentage of registered independents has steadily grown. The latter has nearly reached the nationwide percentage of registered Republicans, which has long been second nationally to the Democrats. Altogether, the combined number of registered Democrats and Republicans, which was 77% in October 2000, is now down to 69%, while the proportion of registered independents over the same period has increased from 22% to 28%.

Note: Based on active registered voters in states where the number of active and inactive registrants is listed. In the election-eve 2000, 2008, and 2016 entries, “Independents” include a comparatively small number of registered miscellaneous voters who do not fit into a particular category. Percentages do not add to 100 since the small percentage of registered third party voters is not included.

Map 2 And Table 4: Party Registration And The 2016 Presidential Vote

Of the 31 party registration states, 24 were carried in the 2016 presidential election by the party with the most registered voters in it. Donald Trump swept 11 of the 12 states with a Republican registration advantage, while Hillary Clinton won 13 of the 19 states which had more registered Democrats than Republicans. Four of the Democratic registration states that Trump took were in the South, led by Florida and North Carolina. He also overcame Democratic registration advantages in West Virginia and Pennsylvania to win both. The only state with more registered Republicans than Democrats that Hillary Clinton carried in 2016 was New Hampshire, where the outcome was very close.

Notes: An asterisk indicates states where there were more registered independents than either Democrats or Republicans in October 2016. “Independents” include a comparatively small number of registered miscellaneous voters who do not fit into any particular category.

Texas Democrats Begin Voter Registration Push As Gop Eyes Limits

With Republicans moving to pass new voting restrictions in the state, Democrats are starting a major statewide registration program focused on racially diverse communities.

The Texas Democratic Party and a coalition of allied progressive groups announced a major voter registration program on Tuesday, pledging to focus on registration in racially diverse communities at a time when the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature is vowing to pass a host of new voting restrictions, many of which would disproportionately affect communities of color.

The plan, which aims to register at least one million Democrats out of the state’s three million unregistered eligible voters, will be a combination of old-school field operations, mail outreach, digital ads and door-to-door canvassing.

It comes after Texas Democrats successfully blocked the state’s expansive voting bill, known as S.B. 7, in a dramatic late-night walkout. But Republicans in the state, led by Gov. Greg Abbott, have pledged to return in a special session and pass a similar voting bill.

The huge voter registration effort comes as Democrats across the country are struggling to stymie the Republican-led push to enact new voting restrictions through state legislatures that the G.O.P. controls. As of May 14, lawmakers had passed 22 new laws in 14 states to make the process of voting more difficult, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, a research institute.

Map 1 And Table 1: Party Registration Totals By State July 2018

Democrats no longer control the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives, or for that matter most of the governorships or state legislatures. But they still maintain a toehold in the political process with their edge in the realm of voter registration. At least that is the case in the 31 states and the District of Columbia that register voters by political party. As of this month, 13 of these states boast a Democratic plurality in registered voters, compared to eight states where there is a Republican plurality. In the other 10 states, there are more registered independents than either Democrats or Republicans, with Democrats out-registering the Republicans in six of these states and the GOP with more voters than the Democrats in the other four. They are indicated in the chart as “I” or “I.” Nationally, four out of every 10 registered voters in party registration states are Democrats, with slightly less than three out of every 10 registered as Republicans or independents. Overall, the current Democratic advantage over Republicans in the party registration states approaches 12 million.

The First Week Of Early Voting Shows Democrats Flooding Dallas

5:00 AM on Oct 19, 2020 CDT

The first week of early voting confirms what many political analysts already knew. Texas is a state that leans Republican, but the political climate gives Democrats a serious chance at flipping the Texas House and winning a statewide race.

Inside the Lone Star State’s legislative districts, Democrats are poised to roll up impressive victories in the suburbs, especially outside of Dallas. In those areas they are boosted by the unpopularity of President Donald Trump, a surge of base Democratic voters, and new Texas voters with a history of voting for Democrats in other states.

While what I’m writing will ruffle Trump loyalists and others ignoring the trends, it’s not shocking to Democratic Party or GOP operatives on the ground. Just like 2018, when they made gains in the Texas Legislature and Congress, the political climate is conducive for a change election.

The biggest question: How prepared are Democrats to take advantage of a unique political opportunity?

“It’s perfect weather for them,” Republican consultant Bill Miller said of Democrats, adding that it would be a crushing letdown if they didn’t win a statewide election or seize the Texas House. “This should be their best round of golf.”

Abhi Rahman, a spokesperson for the Texas Democratic Party, said they are encouraged by the first week of early voting.

“Texas Democrats could not be more thrilled with where we are at,” he said. “Texas Democrats are poised to win up and down the ballot.”

Texas Voter Registration Surges To 164m Despite Pandemic

AUSTIN — Not even the worst pandemic to hit Texas in a century was enough to stem the surge in voter registrations that has remade the state’s electorate over the past four years.

Just since March, Texas has added nearly 149,000 voters even as the political parties and voter registration groups face new obstacles in signing up people in a world of social distancing and stay-at-home orders.

The state now has a record 16.4 million voters, 2.1 million more than it had just over four years ago — a 15 percent increase in registrations that is nearly equivalent to the voter rolls of the entire state of Connecticut.

“It is a totally different electorate than it was in 2016,” said Luke Warford, voter expansion director for the Texas Democratic Party.

Harris County and Bexar County have led the way in the past three months with voter registration efforts. In Harris County, voter rolls have grown by 16,000, while in Bexar they are up almost 14,000.

Combined, the two counties account for one-fifth of the increase in registrations statewide.

To vote in the November presidential election, new voters must register to vote by Oct. 5. Voters who are not sure if they are registered can check online at votetexas.gov.

Oct. 5 also is the deadline to change the address on a voter registration. Address changes made within the same county are effective 30 days afterward. Voters who move to a new county must submit a new voter registration application.

So Will Democrats Actually Be Able To Block These Bills

Texas Democrats are relying on a provision of the state constitution which says that “two-thirds of each House shall constitute a quorum to do business” in order to prevent the GOP’s election bill from passing.

Yet, while Texas’s constitution does require a two-thirds quorum to legislate, it also permits the remaining legislators to “compel the attendance of absent members.” Thus, the Democrats’ gambit depends on at least 51 members of the state’s 150-member House evading law enforcement, which may force absent lawmakers to return to the House floor.

That likely explains, at least in part, why the absent Democrats left the state — Texas law enforcement agencies typically do not have jurisdiction in Washington, DC — although many of the fleeing Democrats also say that they chose to spend their exile in the nation’s capital in order to pressure congressional Democrats into enacting voting rights legislation.

It’s hard to know how this will end. There are two reasons to think that Democrats may be more successful in blocking this election bill than they were when they tried to block the Republican Party’s gerrymander in 2003.

The other factor cutting in Democrats’ favor is that the fleeing lawmakers may still be able to work even though they are not in Texas.

In Texas Gop Voting Bills Zero In On Democratic Houston

The nation’s next big voting battle is underway in Texas

The new voting restrictions many states are considering

AUSTIN, Texas — The nation’s next big voting battle underway in Texas would outlaw 24-hour polling places, drive-thru voting and make it a crime for elections officials to mail unsolicited absentee ballot applications.

Put another way: Everything Houston — the state’s biggest Democratic stronghold — did to expand ballot access last year, when the threat of the coronavirus made voting in-person more hazardous.

Amid a GOP-led campaign to tighten voting laws, Republican lawmakers in in Texas have been unusually explicit in zeroing in on Houston and surrounding Harris County as they push to tighten the state’s voting laws. One of the country’s largest and most racially diverse counties, Harris rolled out new ways to vote in 2020 on a scale like nowhere else in Texas. Although there is no evidence of fraud resulting from votes cast from cars or in the dead of night, Republicans are determined to prevent it from happening again.

The effort is one of the clearest examples of how the GOP’s nationwide campaign to tighten voting laws can target Democrats, even as they insist the measures are not partisan. With Americans increasingly sorted into liberal urban areas and conservative rural ones, geography can be an effective proxy for partisanship. Proposals tailored to cities or that take population into account are bound to have a greater impact on Democratic voters.

Record Number Of Texas Voters Registered For November

Texas has added more than 1.5 million new voters to the rolls since the last presidential election. More than 800,000 of those new voters registered since the November 2018 election. With the new additions, there are now more than 16.6 million Texans registered to vote in the November election. That’s a new state record.

There’s no way to know right now whether the new voters are Republicans or Democrats and whether they will turn out in November. However, in the July primary runoff election, Democrats outpaced Republicans by about 30%, setting a new Democratic record for a runoff election. Democrats also outnumbered Republicans in the March primary.

If you are not yet registered, there are two weeks left to get it done.

“An active and engaged citizenry plays an essential role in ensuring the continued well-being of our democracy,” said Texas Secretary of State Ruth Hughs in announcing the new state record. “Ahead of the November election, I encourage all eligible Texans who have not already done so to register to vote by October 5th so that they can help shape the future of the Lone Star State.”

You can check your registration status on the Texas secretary of state’s “Am I Registered?” webpage.

If you have moved to a new address within the same county or have changed your name, you can update your information online.

Florida Vs California: How Two States Tackled Covid

The researchers theorized that one reason for the change is that Democrats were in charge of states where people who had the virus first arrived in the country — but Republicans were less stringent about safeguards, which could have contributed to their states’ ultimately higher incidence and death rates.

“The early trends could be explained by high Covid-19 cases and deaths among Democratic-led states that are home to initial ports of entry for the virus in early 2020,” the researchers wrote. “However, the subsequent reversal in trends, particularly with respect to testing, may reflect policy differences that could have facilitated the spread of the virus.”

The study, which which was published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Preventive Medicine, examined Covid-19 “incidence, death, testing, and test positivity rates from March 15 through December 15, 2020,” when there were 16 million confirmed cases in the U.S. and 300,000 deaths. It focused on per-capita infection and death rates in the 26 GOP-led states and 24 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., and made statistical adjustments for issues such as population density.

But “policy differences” between the Republican and Democratic leaders emerged as a big factor for the reversal of the states’ fortunes, the study suggests.

“One of the most concerning things last year is the politicization of public health restrictions,” Lee said. “They’re not opinions, they’re based on evidence.”

Pandemic Doesnt Slow Digital Hunt For Young Voters

In Texas, voters don’t register by party affiliation like many other states, making it unclear exactly how many Republican or Democratic voters are in the state.

But about one-third of the 1.3 million new voters since November 2018 come from three counties: Harris, Travis and Bexar — all deeply bluesince 2016.

Harris and Bexar being at the top of the list doesn’t surprise Antonio Arellano, who is the leader of Jolt, a voter advocacy group focused on registering young Latino voters and getting them involved in politics. He said his group has been on the ground in those two counties.

While the coronavirus made registration drives impossible in traditional locations such as libraries, county fairs and large events, younger voters can still be found with direct messages on social media, text messages and digital ads. The virus hasn’t affected those efforts at all.

“We harness culture, art and technology to get it done,” Arellano said.

Residents leave the polling location at Lee G. Alworth Building after voting on the final day of early voting, Thursday, July 9, 2020, in Conroe.

Each year in Texas, 200,000 Latinos turn 18 — a population that is Jolt’s main focus.

In recent months, political unrest around the nation, particularly in minority communities since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, has also helped Democratic registration pushes.

“We are clearly in a moment that is charged emotionally and politically,” Warford said.

Voter Registration And State Political Control

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The state Democratic or Republican Party controls the governorship, the state legislative houses, and U.S. Senate representation. Nebraska’s legislature is unicameral, i.e., it has only one legislative house and is officially non-partisan, though party affiliation still has an unofficial influence on the legislative process.

The simplest measure of party strength in a state voting population is the affiliation totals from voter registration for the 30 states and the District of Columbia as of 2019 that allow registered voters to indicate a party preference when registering to vote. 20 states do not include party preference with voter registration: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. The party affiliations in the party control table are obtained from state party registration figures where indicated. Only Wyoming has a majority of registered voters identifying themselves as Republicans; two states have a majority of registered voters identifying themselves as Democrats: Maryland and Kentucky .

Increasing Republican Strength: 1960 To 1990

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Beginning in the late 1960s, Republican strength increased in Texas, particularly among residents of the expanding “country club suburbs” around Dallas and Houston.The election, to Congress, of Republicans such as John Tower and George H. W. Bush in 1961 and 1966, respectively, reflected this trend. Nationally, outside of the South, Democrats supported the civil rights movement and achieved important passage of federal legislation in the mid-1960s. In the South, however, Democratic leaders had opposed changes to bring about black voting or desegregated schools and public facilities and in many places exercised resistance. Following passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, southern white voters began to align with the Republican Party, a movement accelerated after the next year, when Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, providing for federal enforcement of minorities’ constitutional right to vote. Voter registration and turnout increased among blacks and Latinos in Texas and other states.

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