#also this is very usa centric since I live here

[harmofud]

The news these days that greet me when I wake up are all like

"America's Inevitable Civil War"

"This Group of People Think the World is Ending: Here's How To DIY a Bunker"

"What Makes a Traitor a Traitor? A Look Into Semantics"

"How to Recover After Losing Your Home for the Eighth Time to The Horrid Weather and Climate"

"The Youth are Depressed These Days. Here's Why"

"Feeling Down? It Might Be Your Fault"

"A Climate Scientist Has Stated That We Are All Fucked"

"Should You Prepare for a Coup After Election Day? Here's What the Experts Say"

"Costco Membership Now Requires a Social Security Number to Enter the Building"

"How Your State's Ban on A Type of Person Could Affect You"

"Amazon Has a New Deal: Work in Their Towns and Get Amazon Dollars"

"Have No Money? It Might Be Your Fault"

"When is Genocide a Genocide? A Look Into Semantics"

"Fried Chicken Recipe"

[tozettastone]

would deidera be stronger than tobirama or madara?? cause he's rlly strong for a shinobi in the canon timeline but would he be stronger than those two...

addition to my last question!! - personally i think the average modern day (canon era) shinobi is stronger than people in the warring states, cause they have better healthcare, food supplies or education or smthn. since there's cooperation between a greater group of people, wouldn't they be stronger in comparison?? personally i think deidera could definitely take madara/tobirama in a fight

I think if you were answering this realistically... Well, the analogous question for us now is something like "are people under modern conditions generally healthier than people in the 19th century?" for example, and there are two answers because it depends on how you generalise.

One, yes, people in English speaking countries are certainly healthier, because of all the things you mentioned, like healthcare, technology, nutrition, etc. (Maybe there are some countries where this isn't true? but it's true of Australia and the UK and I think I've read it about the USA too, so I've gone with 'English speaking' here. What do I know?)

Two, no they're not, because people who would have died get to live instead. Infant mortality has plummeted and chronic illnesses and disabilities that routinely used to kill people are now treatable but result in a greater number of chronically ill and disabled people in our society, which does lower the overall "health" of people, if you choose to measure it that way. (This is not a value judgement. I'm one of the people who'd have been dead.)

So it depends on what and how you measure.

But anyway, in canon Deidara appears to be able-bodied (despite loSING BOTH ARMS?) and relatively well, except in the way all the antagonists are unwell. I think, therefore, if we were to talk about the Naruto setting like we talk about the real world, then you'd be right: Deidara would be well educated, using newfangled ninjutsu and evolved methods of warfare, well fed, vaccinated, etc etc. Deidara could wipe the floor with these guys from like a hundred years ago. Like, have you seen how big people born in 2000 are, compared to their great grandparents? Jeez.

But I think within the actual scope of the canon setting of Naruto... Deidara probably would not beat Madara.

Because Naruto is a story and is therefore beholden to all the elements of the story. This includes the expectations we develop about characters over time, right?

So we know that Madara is acknowledged as one of the most powerful shinobi in history. Even without his Hashirama cells, I think he would have to give the protagonists some trouble because of that.

And then, well, Madara is imbued with myth and significance to the narrative that Deidara lacks so it would not make very good sense for Deidara to win, given he is essentially a bit villain to Madara's big bad energy.

Aside from these points, Deidara also appears somehow destined to get fucked up and frustrated by every sharingan he encounters:

Itachi genjutsus him into submission

Kakashi vanishes his elbow from reality

Tobi is... Tobi...

By the time he meets Sasuke, Deidara is so frantic and overwhelmed that he starts shovelling handfuls of clay into his mouth and blows himself up

So... that doesn't bode well for a fight against Madara either.

For these reasons, I do not think Deidara would win in the canon Naruto setting.

However, I think if you wanted to believably write a fic where Deidara wins, that would be totally doable! He has plenty of skills you could use to justify his win. I just don't think that it makes sense within the scope of the general narrative we get from canon. The themes and concepts don't line up right. You'd just have to be doing something else, like writing a Deidara centric story, or trying to make it a "realistic" take on ninja-hood or something, you know?

[kingofthewilderwest]

Gosh, I’m not expecting this post to go down well, but I’ve been thinking about it a while, so I’ll make a stab. Wish me luck.

It’s been over a decade since I realized I was queer. It was a terrifying time and I was afraid to talk to many people about it. Some of the best, most comforting support I had, able to answer my questions, give me good factual and scientific information on why being queer was okay, and assuage my fears and religious concerns, came from online communities.

Specifically, queer Christian communities.

Fuck, man, I was on everything down to queer Christian deviantArt groups. Haha, deviantArt, yeah. But it allowed me to talk to people about multiple factors simultaneously that were relevant to me: both my religion, which was very important to me, and my queerness, and be able to sort it out and come to peace with all of it.

Christians in the United States have loads of privilege and we’re not society’s victims. The opposite. It makes sense places like tumblr have become a safe space for victims of homophobic religion to escape, de-convert, and vent with other traumatized people over it. It’s good to see people calling out the hypocrisy, shit, abuse, and bad uses of power that appear within the church. I’m really glad spaces like this exist so that y’all can find better, healthier, happier lives apart from the religion that did you wrong, and to embrace who you truly are. You need that. Many times, I know I have no good religious speaking room here, and I intentionally stay as out of the way as I possibly can so that this safe space can continue to exist.

But I admit I’m also worried about young folks who were like me, looking for answers, and felt like there was no one to come to who’d be safe. 

The way tumblr is right now, I would be afraid that queer Christians wouldn’t feel safe approaching the LGBTQ dialogue here. If one group says “FUCK YOU!” to every Christian out there (and I understand! you were harmed!!), and the other group says, “ew, homosexuality” to every questioning queer out there (which many church spaces still do), then you might feel like you can’t talk to anybody. There were so many online queer Christian communities when I was an older teen that bridged the gap and allowed us to be proud and gay, proud and ace, proud and trans, while also making our own personal choice if we were to remain in the faith, because it was still important and helpful to us. In my case, yes, I’ve retained my Christianity, with greater textual understanding to the passages that worried me. I couldn’t have had that without other LGBTQ people embracing me, respecting my religion, and letting me process through ALL that.

When I went on tumblr, I got hate messages fast for my religion without anyone knowing anything about what I believed in, or caring I was queer and talking about that queerness openly on tumblr. I’ve run into posters who explicitly declared they didn’t care they were generalizing over 2 billion people in the world, they were going to generalize and hate on them all. I’ve seen pro-LGBTQ pastors on tumblr get chased out by bombarding threatening messages. I’ve seen tons of posts say things like, “I love X, Y, Z religions on tumblr for how they say [deity] loves [LGBTQ identity here], but Christians are horrible, they would never do that!”

Heck, man, plenty of Christians I know would post messages like that if they thought there was the space for it. I’d love to see “Jesus loves you, lesbians!!!” But I’d never feel bold enough to post that here! I feel like the second I did, I’d be waiting to be screamed at for being a hypocrite and part of the problem, or ‘supporting’ homophobia, or being mocked for a god that doesn’t exist. So... I know a ton of tumblr queer Christians who just...... stay silent instead, fearing retaliation and aggressive responses. I’ve talked to different people from different countries confirming the tumblr presentation of Christians is very USA-centric and forgets about their culturally-embedded saints or all the POC people who rely on it and stuff like that. I’ve had multiple friends nervously ask me, “I saw X viral post being reblogged and it says a ton of really bad things about Christianity but it’s really inaccurate to my denominations/country/the-religion-in-general, but I feel like I can’t say anything because I’ll just get yelled at if I try to respond.” And on and on and on.

There needs to be spaces for folks to speak angrily about things they hate. If you have major criticisms about organized religion, by all means, fucking use the spaces to get it out. I get it.

But what I’m saying is... if you really think that these 2 billion diverse humans from around the globe all think the same thing and are all out to abuse you in the way your specific brand of local Evangelical Protestants are doing things, maybe rethink that assumption as you’re processing your trauma. Theology’s diverse, yo, and there’s gonna be so many Christians who are LGBTQ, want to support LGBTQ, get their questions answered about LGBTQ, etc.

I just wish there’s a communication space without intimidation for the questioning folks like I was, who want answers from a queer community that won’t burn them out for their faith, to feel like they’re not going to be rained down by both the religious and the queer. Both needs to be met in their questions, the religious and the queer. This type of world on tumblr, it’s going to feel hostile to those baby queer Christians, who are afraid the second their religion leaks out, they’re not going to be able to belong in the LGBTQ community anymore, rather than find love, answers, support, science, and good reasoning for why they can accept being LGBTQ.

Maybe I’m wrong and there’s lots of spaces and it’s just my personal experience. All I can speak to, right now, is what I’ve anecdotally seen from my angle. I hope this doesn’t come off as exaggeration; I’m speaking the negatives because those are the relevant observations right now, but I won’t deny I’ve had good faith experiences on this site, too. Just... I want to discuss the bad because the bad exists.

If anything I said in here accidentally came off poorly, please let me know, and I’ll endeavor to learn and reword it to be better. Please understand that frustratedly criticizing X Christian issue in response to this post might be a bit of a strawman when I’m talking about folks who aren’t going to automatically have X Christian issue. I love to listen to you and I respect your pain, but if I might ask, please don’t make this the place for that comment. I don’t want this to turn into a discussion, so I hope you can let me say my mind once and then be the end of it. This has been on my mind, I doubt many people are going to like what I said, but I hope that, maybe even for just one person, these were the right words to read. Take care y’all, and keep rocking it.

[writingwithcolor]

Patrilineal Jewish girl, Sephardic culture

@feminismandsunflowers said:

hi! my character is a patrilineal Jewish girl in the usa, she didn't convert but still considers herself Jewish. her mom is Christian. her g-grandmother/father were undocumented refugees from Europe (antisemitism) and her g-grandmother was v closed off abt her origins but my character's dad thinks she said something abt being Sephardic. her fam has a fair amount of Sephardic culture. but could she claim Sephardic culture to any extent if they don't know? trynna get a handle on how to present her.

"My character's dad thinks she said something about being Sephardic"

and

"her fam has a fair amount of Sephardic culture"

are inconsistent statements. 

The first statement sounds like the only indication Dad has of which Jewish culture they are is a statement he's not even sure about ("thinks"?) and the second statement sounds like Dad considers himself Sephardic and practices Sephardic traditions.

So, to me personally, this would depend on the level of Sephardic cultural practice she grew up with. If she grew up with those traditions and Dad sharing them with her, then yes, that's who she is. If Dad isn't even sure he's Sephardic and what she practiced in her upbringing wasn't distinctively Sephardic in any way, I have a hard time seeing why she should claim the culture if she's not even sure if her ancestors were Sephardic.

Disclaimer that the Reform position is to 'count' patrilineal Jewish people as long as they were raised in the traditions. This is not the Orthodox position but I am Reform.

--Shira

I'm also a bit confused about this situation. I think it would be helpful if you start by specifying where in Europe the family comes from and what anti-Semitism they were fleeing from. I'm Ashkenazi and not the most knowledgeable about Sephardi history, but as far as I know it wouldn't make sense for a Sephardi family to be seeking asylum from the pogroms in Russia or Poland, for example. I guess it could make sense if they were from Spain, France or Italy, but we would have to know more, and I'm wondering if this isn't a 'trace your logic' situation. Why do you want them to come from Europe? *Quickly cracks open a Claudia Roden book* Sephardi Jews have origins in many North African and Middle Eastern countries, such as Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Syria, Iran and Iraq just to give a few examples. If you want Sephardi characters, why not represent those cultures instead of re-hashing the same Euro-centric Jewish stories?   

In terms of whether she could claim Sephardi heritage of any sort if they don't know, I'm interested in what Sephardi followers think. Religion-wise, I don't think there would be too much of a problem with it. Yes, Sephardim are more lenient on some things and stricter on others, so by picking the wrong one she may be following some of the rules wrong, but that's just a matter of tradition really. If someone was a ba'al teshuva and had no way of finding out which population their family came from, I imagine a rabbi would advise to choose one and stick to it without worrying too much about which one. I don't know 100%, though. 

Culture-wise, I don't know if this is what Shira was getting at but I wonder if it would be cultural appropriation due to Ashkenazi Jews being more likely to be white-passing and getting more media representation. Is Jewish lineage enough to claim Sephardi traditions and culture, or do you need to know for sure that you're Sephardi - that will be for Sephardi followers to decide. 

To build on Shira's disclaimer:

I'm Modern Orthodox and I would describe your character as someone who is not halachically Jewish, i.e. not in Jewish law. In most situations, this would be a technicality for me and I wouldn't hesitate to treat her as Jewish if she identifies as such. In particular, with her family history it makes sense that she considers herself ethnically Jewish and the legacy of discrimination is part of her identity - that's not something we can erase or overlook. It would be different if my kid wanted to marry her, I think (not that I ever plan to be one of those parents who would disown their kid or something for marrying out but I'm not going to pretend I completely wouldn't care, either). Then I might be hopeful that she may formally convert, especially if she had always lived as Jewish anyways.

 Other things she may experience if she hangs out in Orthodox circles: a few people might act like jerks and be iffy around her like she's 'not really Jewish', probably the same people who are pro-Trump and mansplain why women's exclusion from parts of Orthodox worship is actually protecting us. On the subject of women's exclusion, if you have any male characters with a similar parental background, they can't get an aliyah in shul or count towards a minyan - the character you're describing couldn't anyway, though. 

Hopefully if your other Jewish characters are nice people, they take to heart the teaching that you should rather throw yourself into a fire than humiliate someone else in public. When I was a student, there was a patrilineal man in our community who once entered the shul just in time to be the tenth man, making a minyan. A Chasidic man in the congregation quickly stood up and said "Oh no, I left the gas on!" and left. That way no one had to make a whole song and dance about the other guy not being allowed to count. Patrilineal Jewish followers, feel free to add more! 

-Shoshi 

I'm going to add some things here, about the terms Sephardi and Ashkenazi, that I think might be partially tripping the author up.

Sephardi and Ashkenazi are terms used to describe the traditions that a person follows. Those traditions are heavily linked to the land where they rose up, and to parentage, as people are typically encouraged to follow the traditions they grew up with. However! Converts exist, and converts are usually encouraged to join in on the traditions in their community. So, as an example, a person can be from anywhere in the world, of any racial or ethnic background, convert in a Conservative synagogue, and follow Ashkenazi traditions. A person can be from a place that is usually seen as very Ashkenazi-heavy, like Germany, and then end up converting in an esnoga (synagogue) in Spain, and practice Sephardic traditions. Either of those converts might have children, and those children will take on their minhagim (traditions), and will be a part of the culture their parents joined just like their parents were.

It can be confusing for many people because the terms are so often conflated with ethnicity, which is in turn conflated with genetic lineage. The trouble is, the groups they describe are older than the modern, western conception of race, and ethnicity,  and we don't completely fit into these categories. Ashkenazi Jews don't all come from Europe, even their ancestors might not. In the US it's been estimated that at least 12-15% of American Jews are Jews of Color, and those JoC are very, very often Ashkenazi. Some converted, some didn't, but they are still following the traditions, and are still Ashkenazi.

So it's fair to say that the traditions of Sephardim grew in the Iberian peninsula, and North Africa, but they also moved along with those Jewish people as they dispersed, and were expelled. Jews from Portugal fled to the Azores, but also to the Netherlands, where there is a large Sephardic presence, right in the middle of a space that is assumed to be all Ashkenazi! Scores of Jewish people from Morocco moved to France. Then too, people marry folks from other groups. Often they will pick one family's traditions to follow, but sometimes they mix and match, and sometimes they end up moving somewhere else and taking on those traditions.

Because so many people have traditions that match their genetic background we've begun using the term Ashkenazi to mean strictly white, European Jewish people. Sephardi we have taken to mean strictly white, Iberian Jewish people (which doesn't even include the massive number of North African Sephardim). We've forgotten entirely to cover Mizrahim (a tradition associated with the Middle East), or the Romaniote, or Cochin Jews, or any number of other groups. Yes, genetic background accounts for a large portion of those people, but it doesn't map completely, and it's important not to forget that.

This complexity is why the statements Shira drew attention to:

"My character's dad thinks she said something about being Sephardic" "her fam has a fair amount of Sephardic culture"

Don't make sense. You would know you are Sephardic, because it's something you do first, and may be, secondarily, directly linked to something in your ancestry.

Finally, since you are showing a patrilineal Jewish person, I really encourage you to show them consistently engaging with their Jewishness, and actively participating in Sephardic culture. I'm the Conservative one here, and my movement, and Sephardi tradition (there are no movements for Sephardim, just varying observance) don't allow patrilineal descent to give a person Jewish status halachically. This is not something I endorse. Patrilineal descendants really struggle outside of Reform communities, to be seen as Jewish, and often to just be treated with respect, so it's important that you give this character every opportunity to participate, and show who they are.

-- Dierdra

[twdmusicboxmystery]

FTWD 6x14: Mother - Analysis

Okay, how did everyone like the episode? It wasn't one of those hold grails of TD symbolism episodes, but it was still enjoyable to watch.

 ***As always, spoilers for 6x14 abound below. Don’t read until you’ve watched!***

We start out with Teddy in his cell. There are a lot of interesting Easter eggs in this scene. The fact that we see the inside of his cell at all kind of reminded me of best sale in 4x01. I'm not saying there are tons of parallels in the situation, but we didn't see inside the cells of very many people in detail while they were living at the prison. Beth's was one of the most detailed. 

We also see toilet paper (Toilet Paper theme) and we see Teddy writing in journals. Again, it's just a parallel to Beth writing in her journal in 4x01 when Daryl comes to see her.

We see Teddy escape from jail when the apocalypse hits. Then we switch to a school where he is holding Alicia captive. Once again, there are some interesting Easter eggs here. The fact that it's a school at all is important. We saw a school in Coda and around father Gabriel. It's the place where the Termites would camp and eat Bob's leg. We also see a school bus later in the episode.

These are just symbols we’ve seen a lot throughout the series, and they are usually are entangled with Beth symbolism. I noticed there was an American flag on the wall (above left). Not uncommon for school, but it's just reminded me of the American Revolutionary War theme. There is also a random, green tree picture behind Riley at one point (above right).

In the morning, Teddy and Riley come to see Alicia. He says they found a new home after she burned down The Holding. Riley wants to kill her, but Teddy won't let him.

There was also a death row mention here. The last time we heard about death row was in 4a when Glenn mentioned it. It's where they sent the patients who were sick with the virus. So, there's a link between death row, the A theme (because it was cell block A) and people who are sick with a fever and especially need water.

In this scene, we see a red and yellow gas can 

and a black and white truck. 

The school bus brings new recruits, including Dakota. We then learned that she didn't get there coincidentally. She's been looking for Alicia to help her. Teddy immediately likes Dakota when he hears she killed her mother. It will make sense why at the end of the episode. He brings Dakota with them.

He takes Alicia and Dakota out toward the stadium Madison died in. They don’t actually go there, but instead go to a cemetery where they pull the corpse of the woman out of a mausoleum. Again, just some interesting symbols sprinkled around in this part. There's the fact that there in the cemetery at all. And remember that in Dale's speech from S1, he talks about mausoleum of time. He defines time as “a mausoleum of all hope and desire.”

The corpse in the coffin is wearing a deep purple dress. Teddy says it's his mother, but they later revealed this to be a lie. But he tells Alicia near the end that morning glories grew on his mother's grave. Morning glories are also purple.

While in the car, I thought it interesting that Teddy calls Dakota “Sioux.” He says it's because Sioux Falls is favorite place in the Dakotas. Either way, this is a Native American reference and goes along with that theme.

 At this part, he also says, “There are no coincidences. The universe sends us signs. And it’s up to us to interpret them.” Sounds like a spin on, “The signs are all there. You just gotta know how to read them.”

They drive over some nails in the road which were purposely placed, and get flat tires. Then a man named Cole shows up. It's been a long time since I watched seasons 1-3 of Fear, so I couldn't remember exactly who Cole was. But it explains that he and a few others with him used to live in the stadium with the group before Madison died. He seems to be a friend to Alicia and to want to help them. He says he can take them to an auto parts store to look for new tires for the truck.

On the way, Dakota and Teddy talk. They’re instant buddies because they both have the same warped way of thinking. They don’t mind killing people and have no remorse.

When they get to the auto shop, Cole reveals himself as an enemy, and he and his group take Alicia, Teddy and Dakota hostage. Most of Cole’s group just want to take the truck and leave, but he's determined to find out where Teddy's community is so that they can live there and make use of the supplies.

I noticed that at one point, Doug says, "there's got to be a map." We don't actually see a map as Teddy says there isn't one, but anytime a map is mentioned, I always go back to the map Daryl used in 10x18.

Cole tries to get Teddy to talk by threatening the corpse of his mother, but it doesn't work. This is where Teddy reveals that it's not truly his mother. He was trying to make a point to Alicia about how everyone her mother helped was dead and that's why the world needed to die. But meeting Cole, who had clearly sold his soul at some point, just drove home his argument.

Cole puts the three of them on their knees in a lineup, Negan-style, and tries to kill them. But Alicia jumps in a fight ensues as more walkers show up. Eventually everyone is killed and Alicia shoots Cole.

We do get a really interesting symbol here. Alicia puts her arm through the stomach of a blond, female walker, holding a gun with the hand that’s protruding from the walker. And the walker is wearing bright yellow. It’s definitely a Beth walker. And to me, this shows that the “weapon” that will take down this end-of-days plan is Beth.

Then we get perhaps the most blatant parable of the episode. Teddy says to Alicia, "You let go of your past. You aren’t afraid to change." Could there be more Beth centric lines? But the thing is, even though he says the lines, they're not about him. They’re about Alicia. Keep that in mind and I’ll come back to it.

We also find out that Teddy's real mother thought he was disturbed and tried to have him committed. He killed her and buried her in the backyard. Model citizen, right?

He also finally tells Alicia that the key will launch a missile from the submarine in Galveston, which will destroy everything on the outside.

She tries to execute Teddy, but Dakota, who has found a friend in him, defends him. Alicia raises Strand on the walkie and tells him about the submarine before Riley shows up and Teddy's people take her hostage again.

They go to the Franklin Hotel which is apparently their new home. There are several, "Uncle Sam mentions in Teddy's dialogue. Uncle Sam is just a slang term for the USA, so I think this is probably part of the American Revolutionary war theme.

Ultimately, Teddy imprisons Alicia in the basement. The idea here is that he's going to set off the nukes. After he destroys everything, he wants her to rebuild the world.

It was at this part that I understood that Alicia is definitely a Beth proxy here. This actually reaches back to a few episodes ago when she first burned The Holding down. The embalming room was very reminiscent of Grady. Mostly it's because it had medical machines and supplies in it. But it also looked and felt very reminiscent of a room at Grady.

So, Alicia is kind of in a Grady situation with a questionable leader (Dawn, for Beth). And now she's been imprisoned by them with the idea that at some point, she’ll help rebuild the world. 

Sounds like it could be a loose description of Beth's arc. In this part, Teddy says Alicia will be the hope of people in the world needs to be rebuilt.

He even says, "good luck." (Luck Theory).

And given what he said to her earlier about how she left her past behind and was willing to change, clearly Alicia = Beth.

So, that was my main take away from this episode. Alicia's arc is a parallel to Beth’s and we have enough dialogue and parallels to prove it. Meanwhile, they finally admitted to the nuclear thing and we’re heading toward the season finale in just a couple of episodes. It will be a super exciting to see what happens.

What did everyone else think of the episode?

[bunkershotgolf]

Little Linksters™ “Best Pee-Wee Golf Swing in the World” Video Contest Marks its 10th Year! Our Winners Are…In a contest year like no other, kids from across the world recorded and sent in their golf swings and boy did we get some great entries! Little Linksters™, LLC, The Little Linksters™ and the Association for Junior Golf Development rolled out the tenth installment of their Annual Best “Pee Wee” Golf Swing in the World Video Contest in the early part of this year, and had to, like all of us, endure the twists and turns of this year in the process.

After all of this, Little Linksters™ and the contest judges are pleased to present our winners! Under 3 Division… 1st Place- JACK CANTIN (Canada, 1 Year Old) 2nd Place- STEPHEN LIMPACH (Florida, USA 2 Years Old) T-3rd Place- RIAAN AYOOBI (Australia, 2.5 Years Old) T-3rd Place- NICHOLAS GOMEZ (Texas, USA, 2 Years Old)

3-4 Years… 1st Place- VAUGHN COLEMAN (South Carolina, USA, 4 Years Old) 2nd Place- PENNY ROACH (Canada, 4 Years Old) 3rd Place- SANIA BHAMBANI (California, USA, 4 Years Old)

5-6 Years… 1st Place- THANDAN KONGSIRI (Texas, USA, 5 Years Old) 2nd Place- BOND HOGAN (Australia, 5 Years Old) T-3rd Place- KEEGAN CARBRAY (Illinois, USA, 5 Years Old) T-3rd Place- CAMDEN GUYTON (Georgia, USA, 6 Years Old)

7-8 Years… 1st Place- CARERON AMEN (California, USA, 7 Years Old) 2nd Place- ABIGAIL THAMBIRAN (South Africa, 7 Years Old) 3rd Place- TREBOR MELENDEZ (New Jersey, USA, 7 Years Old)

9-10 Years… 1st Place- ERIC CHAVEZ (California, USA, 10 Years Old) 2nd Place- ALISON OH (Virginia, USA, 10 Years Old) T-3rd Place- JADEN SOONG (California, USA, 9 Years Old) T-3rd Place- OWEN FONG (Canada, 10 Years Old)

11-12 Years… 1st Place- ALEX ZHANG (Canada, 11 Years Old) 2nd Place- MACIE RASMUSSEN (Virginia, USA, 11 Years Old) 3rd Place- CONNOR BRYCE (Texas, USA, 12 Years Old)

WATCH THE WINNERS VIDEO PRESENTATION HERE: https://youtu.be/2kJGTjx2fWY

This was the tenth straight year Little Linksters™, LLC, along with the Little Linksters™ Association for Junior Golf Development (501c3) has hosted this kid-centric contest. Once again, this year, some very heavy hitters from the golf world joined the cause, including World Golf Hall of Fame members, Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam, and PGA Tour Star, Jordan Spieth. They will join a team of US and International based PGA and LPGA teaching professionals. The judges include, US Kids Golf Top 50 instructors Michelle Holmes, Zoe Allen from Ireland, and Tom Reid from the UK, as well as acclaimed Canadian Instructor, Jason Helman. They all will join the contest’s host, and Little Linksters founder, Brendon Elliott, who was named the PGA’s National Youth Player Development award winner in 2017.

This popular contest allows parents to upload a video to YouTube of their “Little Linksters” swing. Videos this year were submitted from January through the end of July and winners were crowned in four age groups—ranging from ages 3 to 12. Voting was conducted by a panel of industry veterans and experts. This is an inclusive contest, with fun at its center point, so all children, regardless of ability are always encouraged to submit their swings!

“In what has been an incredibly challenging year in many respects, we were determined to once again offer this opportunity to children and showcase to the golf world what the youngest among us can do with a golf club. This contest is primarily about fun and celebrating a game that is blind to age…kids as young as two years of age can love this game and we see that year in and year out.” explained PGA Professional Brendon Elliott, founder of Little Linksters™, LLC and Little Linksters™ Association for Junior Golf Development. “Over the years, we have been very humbled to have had such a recognized and esteemed celebrity panel of judges including Jordan Spieth, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, Andrew “Beef” Johnston, Tony Jacklin, Annika Sorenstam, Hank Haney, Kelly Sheehan, Lexi Thompson, Jim McLean, Win McMurry, Paula Creamer, Nicole Weller, Chuck Evans, Brittany Lincicome, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Keegan Bradley, Mark Bradley, Allen Wronowski, Frank Nobilo, David Leadbetter, Michelle Wie and Holly Sonders.” added Elliott. 

This year’s contest saw just shy of 200 entries poured in from over 15 countries from around the world. Elliott, is a US Kids Golf Top 50 Kids Teacher (2010, ‘11 and ’12), a 2013 US Kids Golf Top 50 Master Kids Teacher, a four- time NFPGA Junior Golf Leader award winner (2011-14), as well as a five-time Top 50 Growth of the Game Teacher as named by the Golf Range Association, was named the PGA of America’s National Youth Player Development award winner in 2017. More recently, Elliott was named a 2019 GRAA Top 50 Elite Status Growth of the Game Teacher and one of Orlando Family Magazine’s 2019 Men of the Year. Brendon leads the judging of the Best Pee Wee Swing contest each year. He was assisted by this year’s celebrity panel of judges. 

Taking part in the 2020 campaign were:

• Jack Nicklaus— World Golf Hall of Fame member and the man that holds the record for the most major championship titles in the men’s game. Known to many as the best male golfer of all time. Mr. Nicklaus is making his fourth appearance as a judge in the Best Pee Wee Swing Contest.

• Annika Sorenstam— Also a World Golf Hall of Fame member. She is regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. She won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer with the most wins to her name. She won 72 official LPGA tournaments including ten majors and she tops the LPGA's career money list with earnings of over $22 million. Annika is also making her fourth appearance as a judge.

• Jordan Spieth— Jordan is a three-time major winner and the 2015 FedEx Cup champion. In April 2016, Time magazine named Spieth to its list of the "100 Most Influential People", noting that he "exemplifies everything that's great about sports." Spieth's first major win came in the 2015 Masters Tournament where he became the second youngest golfer (behind Tiger Woods) to win the Masters. He then won the 2015 U.S. Open with a score of 5-under-par. He was the youngest U.S. Open champion since amateur Bobby Jones in 1923. This will be Jordan’s third time as a judge in our contest.

• Michelle Holmes— One of the very brightest instructors in the junior golf instruction arena. A multiple award- winning teacher, Michelle is the owner of the Michelle Holmes School of Golf at Cahoon Plantation. Michelle serves the greater Williamsburg, Virginia Beach and Outer Banks area but has an ever-increasing influence around the world. This is her third straight year as a judge. Among her numerous awards, Michelle is a US Kids Golf Top 50 Master Kids Instructor.

• Zoe Allen— Another of the very brightest up and comers in the junior golf instruction arena. A multiple award- winning teacher, Zoe is the owner of Zoe Allen Golf at Lurgan Golf Club in Lurgan, Northern Ireland. Zoe won the distinction of being named a US Kids Golf Top 50 Master Kids Instructor this past January at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL. This is her third year as a judge.

• Tom Reid— US Kids Top 50 Instructor, Tom Reid hails from the U.K. Tom is a former Touring Professional that has made a significant impact in the junior golf arena in Europe over the past few years. Formerly an instructor at the highly acclaimed Wentworth Club, Tom is now the senior teaching professional at Stoke Park Golf and Country Club. Tom is a lead in the Leadbetter Kids program, which is a youth program from the David Leadbetter Academy. • Jason Helman— Over the past 25+ years as a Golf Professional, Jason has made his mark in Canada as a top instructor and golf coach. His passion for the game, pride in his students, and their willingness to learn and develop as golfers or athletes so they can reach their highest pinnacle in the game are what drives him. He said, “All I want is for my students to succeed, whether they’re 5 years old or a tour professional.” Jason is the 2010 PGA of Canada National Teacher of the Year as well as the 2016 PGA of Canada Professional National Development Award Recipient.

The Little Linksters™ golf program in Central Florida was originally designed specifically for children ages 3 to 8 years old but has expanded in recent years to include ages up to 18 and children of all abilities. The introductory program is taught in a fun and interactive way, using both traditional and non-traditional instructional methods to ensure children’s first introduction to golf is FUN! The Little Linksters™ Association for Junior Golf Development, a 501c3 nonprofit in conjunction with AAU, is continuing to develop a national program that will enable teaching professionals from across the country to grow their business and the game of golf with a proven program that combines a child-friendly approach, a complete program curriculum, and uses items from some of the industry’s best training aid and junior golf equipment companies. One of the Association’s most prized projects, called G.O.A.L.S. (Golf Outreach Advances Life Skills) is specifically aimed at introducing children ages 3-12+ with special needs to the game of golf. In doing so, children will learn valuable life skills that will help them throughout their life. The Special Olympics of Central Florida is a proud partner of Little Linksters™ efforts with this program. Support of the G.O.A.L.S. program has also come from the Alliance for Accessible Golf as well as Jordan Spieth and the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation.

Little Linksters has added additional programming in 2020 that touches children ages 3-10 as well as 11-16 that are in economically challenged situations and that may have never had an opportunity such as those that Little Linksters™ offers, to play golf. “Golf is more than a game; it is a tool to teach young children so much more and we hope to use this tool to enhance the lives of as many children as possible explains Elliott, Little Linksters™ founder and Executive Director.

To help the nonprofit, Little Linksters Association for Junior Golf Development contact them at nonprofit@littlelinksters.com To donate go to Little Linksters™ go here: https://littlelinksters.com/donate/

To become a corporate sponsor, contact Executive Director Brendon R. Elliott, PGA at brendonelliott@pga.com

For more information about the “Best Pee-Wee Golf Swing in the World” Video Contest or the Little Linksters™ Association for Junior Golf Development, please visit www.littlelinksters.com or contact Brendon Elliott at BrendonElliott@pga.com or by phone at (321) 278-1612.

[yridenergyridenergy]

Dir en grey - Otaru GoldStone 09/28/2019 live report

1. Zetsuentai

2. Aka

3. Downfall

4. Devote My Life

5. Rubbish Heap

6. Merciless Cult

7. Keigaku no yoku

8. Celebrate Empty Howls

9. Ningen wo Kaburu

10. Keibetsu to hajimari

11. Values of Madness

12. Ranunculus

13. The World of Mercy

Encore

1. Fukai

2. Followers

3. Gaika, chinmoku ga nemuru koro

4. THE DEEPER VILENESS

5. Utafumi

What a night. Otaru Gold Stone is small, we were around 500 in it but the stage was low, the sound was too loud for some instruments depending on where you were in the venue, and holy hell I thought moshpits were forbidden here in Japan. We kept getting pushed and pushing, and someone we got closer everytime, so apparently people in the centre were getting squashed out toward the sides?!

This live report will be even more Kyo-centric than usual, because I could only crane my neck and stand on my toes among that wall of fans to concentrate on one member. But Toshiya seemed stern at first but as the show progressed, he came foth and enjoyed the crowd, even though he never fully cracked a smile. He encouragedthe audience though and appeared to approve of our reactions in general. He was just as entranced with his bass, turning his head upward during Ranunculus. As for Die, his vest really matches Kaoru's custom guitar. His long hair kept blowing in the wind and he would flip it occasionally. In one of the first few songs, he was staring at his side of the crowd with a grave expression but raised his chin a couple of times as if to say: "Oh yeah? That's it?" Kaoru I think remained very serious the whole time except that, at the end, he stayed the longest and really enjoyed the night. Shinya, all I could notice was that he rumbled away like there was no tomorrow at his heavy drums during The World of Mercy, he was in his own universe.

Kyo has a full pectorals tattoo! I doubt it is completely new, but it was definitely news to me. I have no idea what it is, it looked like the marks on a leopard's fur at first but it looks more complex, almost as if it's supposed to be the shadows of the skeleton inside his chest? And on his right side of his neck, it really looks like the drawing from Junji Ito, with the conjoined heads - the hair of a woman stretching toward something in the back. Just below his chin, it looked like a bunch of vertical lines only. He is going full on yakuza for sure.

He came on stage wearing a matching suit: both top and bottom were black with sparse big white feathers. The vest looked like it had a flap, like a short cape behind the neck, because at some point he crouched to give a growl or something and a piece of fabric came to cover his should, but it could not possible have been the lower ends of the vest itself... The dress shirt he had underneath was classic black, and he had a black tie. After three songs or so, he loosened it and also undid the first couple of buttons at the top. Near the end of the main setlist, more buttons had been undone and that's how we were able to see his chest, wide enough to see his nipples.

His hair! With the stripes of the feathers, the formal clothing, his styled hair and the smudged lipstick, he looked almost nazi-esque. This hairstyle is so close to the Tabula Rasa/In Situ one! I am so glad that I witnessed it in person! I guess, to describe it, it almost looks like Levi's hairstyle from Attack on Titan, but he styled the left side toward the back of his head. After sweating though, it was even more awesome and resembling!

He smoked twice or three times during the show. For the first instance, its scent came to my senses before I could see it, during the pause. He tried to do the iiiiiii high-pitched sound in Downfall (?) while having the cigarette on the corner of his mouth: that failed. Later, he was holding his cigarette with his two middle fingers, giving us the horns/fox sign he is now known for!

Aka was more dramatic than I remember it being. Kyo looped his mic cord around his neck twice and caressed it into a hanging string. I think it was during that song that he was dancing like a maniacal pantomime a lot too.

At the very beginning of Rubbish Heap, Kyo cones to the forefront of the stage next to his stand and he holds his fist up in the air for the first 'Fist!' of the song and he has that very obvious facial expression like "Come on guys, here's what I want you to do! Come on, you can do it, go!" which you would use for a child. And yet, what do the majority of the fans do? Still hands...

I cannot remember which song it was exactly, but Kyo started by hitting his forehead repetitively with the mic, and then the chest/heart, and again with the head. It might have been Ranunculus, because I remember that the sound of the hits came just before the circus-like sound and he was singing about kokoro. Doing it right before those sounds was nice, like a preclude, it made sense altogether.

Ranunculus was at least if not more intense than usual. I think that it was during it that Kyo clawed at his dress shirt's sleeve on his left arm, then brought his wrist to his mouth and actively bit it. Had his teeth been any sharper, he would have undoubtedly drawn blood.

After Ranunculus was The World of Mercy. In the transition between the two, Kyo spoke to himself, asking 'Naze?' (why) often, and he then began The World of Mercy fucking depressed, sad and desperate. The end of the song was very beautiful with the simple idea of blasting white light from behind the stage while he chants 'The World of Mercy', it really looked more angelic.

When singing about the game of life and repeating game ('yuugi'), Kyo kept tracing a large circle with his arm fully extended, strenghtening the never-ending nature of this foolishness/challenge.

When doing the return after the break in The World of Mercy, since there are no instruments at first, he yells the 'Jou ni-' with his mic near his hip.

People don't understand the intensity of tge part after 'sekai de' yet.

By the way, the stage just has a large poster of the The Insulated World cover, with fingers on each side. No movies at all this time.

In Keigaku no yoku, Kyo definitely changed that last sentence to 'ore-', but the part he adds after sounded more like 'watashi...'. He also changed or added an 'omae no' something to one of the songs, but it wasn't to make a compliment...

In the encore, Kyo came back wearing black jeans with ripped knees and a D.E.G. shirt without sleeves. The image was identical to the sticker they are currently selling in the goods, so perhaps this design will be used for the T-shirt sold in the USA, Mexico and Europe?

Kyo is such an amazing rocker. I believe that it was during Gaika chinmoku that he did that headbang, where he needs to lean his left hand on his thigh because of how heavy it gets, you know? Ugh. Really the total opposite of sukekiyo's feminine songs. He's so good all around.

As always I am probably forgetting stuff. I will try to draw some of my memories though.

[beingallelite]

All September long,IGN is highlighting the best TV coming your way in the 2019-2020 season. Today, we're checking in with Cody Rhodes and

All Elite Wrestling, a fledgling wrestling promotion with big names behind it that's about to unleash a new weekly show on TNT, premiering Wednesday, October 2. AEW on TNT will feature the likes of Rhodes, Jon Moxley (formerly Dean Ambrose of WWE), Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, newly-crowned AEW Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho, and an exciting exhibition of stars on the rise.

AEW has its work cut out for it. Not that there isn't an intense hunger among fans for an alternative to WWE, which still monopolizes the industry in most regards - but all eyes will be on AEW's product to see if it's truly the fed that can give the giant a run for its mega-money.We spoke to Cody Rhodes - an AEW performer who also serves as one of its founders and Executive Vice Presidents - about the upcoming TV show, AEW's competition with NXT (which will also air on Wednesday nights as of mid-September), and how his promotion intends to stand out from the pack.

RHODES TRIP

AEW will kick things off in Washington D.C. for its October 2 show, then move on to Boston and Philadelphia for the next two tapings. So why the decision to hit the road with the show, instead of staying in one spot? Well, Rhodes could feel the fan fervor all over the country early on. "I think [AEW President] Tony Khan had the same ambition that we had when we envisioned this," Rhodes explained. "When we did All In [the franchise's recent PPV], and even before we did All In, we felt the hunger for this. And it wasn't just in Chicago. Every place we'd visit we'd find this really strong hardcore fanbase who wanted to be part of everything we did. And we wanted them to be part of everything we did. And that was nation-wide, that feeling."

Despite running for two hours each week, not everyone on the roster is going to be featured on each episode. "We're going to try and present quality over quantity," Rhodes said."Which means that some guys are going to have some time off. Which for the life and the well-being of a wrestler is a great thing to hear; that they're not gong to be, every week, putting themselves in a high-profile singles match. That, every week, they're not going to be in a barn-burner tag. It's going to be a very different show each week. We're not going to try and cram everybody on the two-hour show. There's no participation award here."

That being said, Rhodes and others behind AEW are considering an extra hour of content, which more than likely won't be televised. "It will probably live for people to stream on B/R Live," he shared. "We have a lot of resources and we want to make sure that people can plug into the wrestlers who we signed who they're fans of. We're going to try and keep everybody busy."

Check out this exclusive promo for AEW on TNT...

AEW vs. NXT

A few weeks back, WWE announced that its lauded NXT promotion would shift from streaming Wednesdays on the WWE Network to airing on USA Network in mid-September, landing in AEW's time slot before AEW debuts. "We can't pretend that we don't know that's happening," Rhodes said, "but we were always planning our show. And have been for a long while. This isn't a reactionary move on our part. This is what our intentions were. To be on Wednesday nights and to be on a major network with such a great partner like Warner Media and TNT. Our focus is still on providing the best AEW, providing the best alternative. We haven't switched over to 'Well how can we compete?' because we already felt like we had a product that people wanted to see."

He added, "We want to provide bell-to-bell sports-centric pro-wrestling. That's going to mean longer matches. That's going to mean stories being told between the ropes. That means no invisible camera backstage. That's gonna mean more of a live-sports approach to our product. That's 100% what we're doing, so I want to avoid any reactionary elements. I loved the Monday Night Wars, I did. And I'm not trying to be naive and ignore a situation where it's like 'Hey, if this happens, we'll have to play this card,' but I'm just saying I want us to be more about our young and upcoming crop of talent."

"I'll give you a great example: the very first match you're going to see on TNT is myself versus Sammy Guevara. I can't sit here and tell you that Sammy Guevara's got all the potential in the world because it makes him so angry. He's so full of piss and vinegar and genuinely thinks he's the best and that's the type of thing we want to put out there. People like Jurassic Express, which is Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy. People like Sonny Kiss. Kip Sabian. Obviously, my best friend in the whole world too, Maxwell Jacob Friedman. I just want to stick to our word, that we gave fans back at the beginning."

TOO MUCH WRESTLING?

With AEW launching its show, WWE still creating hours and hours of content each week, New Japan available on AXS TV, and ROH (Ring of Honor) in syndication, this Fall features a very crowded wrestling landscape. But Rhodes doesn't see this as a problem at all. "As a wrestling fan you don't have to watch every show," he said. "You only have to watch what you like and who's keeping your attention and who's doing right by you, the wrestling consumer. I know the rising tide affects all ships, but at a certain point, you're going to watch what's better. As one of the biggest wrestling fans in the world though, there can never be too much wrestling for me. I'll give you an example: As a huge Trekkie, I think about that Golden Era of Trek when Next Generation and Deep Space Nine and Voyager were all on and all crossing streams. That was heaven for a Star Trek fan."

Rhodes himself is getting a shot at Chris Jericho's AEW Championship at the Full Gear PPV, coming November 9, but, according to Rhodes, that match might not wind up being as advertised. "This is one of the positive uses of 'card subject to change,'" he said. "I'm coming off a win over Dustin, one of the best of all time, and coming off a win over Shawn Spears, who's an absolute stud. Those were two huge wins. So me going for the title makes all the sense in the world. But it may not end up being me versus Chris Jericho. Because Chris Jericho still has a title defense before that in Philadelphia. And it may not be me if I take a loss to Sammy Guevara on the premiere episode. I think Chris Jericho is probably going to get through his first title defense, but if he doesn't we're going to stick to our word about win/loss records being a deciding factor. It's really about the data and who has the best record."

SO, ABOUT THAT CHAMPIONSHIP...

It was a whirlwind 24 hours. Just days after Chris Jericho became the first-ever AEW Champion at the All Out PPV, the belt went missing. But it's back now, so we've heard. "Yeah," Rhodes laughed, "it's all intact. There's no damage to it, which was my biggest concern because myself and Matt Jackson are the ones who ordered this title - who painstakingly tried to cover as many details as we could because we wanted it to be a really special championship belt. So I was not stoked when I found out it was gone and the mystery will remain a mystery, I suppose, of what happened. Was it grand larceny? Did someone just put it on the roof? We don't know. I'm glad it was found. Stuff happens. Jericho's, like, a 60-year vet and one of the greatest of all time, this isn't his first rodeo. And he did everything he could to get it back. Thankfully it's back in the champion's hands."

With the first AEW Champion in place, the AEW tag team champions to be determined by a tournament, and the first AEW Women's Champion to be crowned on October 2, are there any other championships on the way? "There's a title we're considering," Rhodes stated, "and it's something people can probably guess since we're going to be on TV, hint hint, but there are no plans for it at the moment. Right now we revolve around the AEW Championship and in D.C. we're going to name the first ever AEW Women's Champion, and that's such a beautiful belt. I don't know if people know, up close, that rose gold is layered into it. Brandi, Kenny Omega, and Tony did a great job getting that title. There's going to be some guidelines laid out for whoever wins that title though," he laughed. "Some guidelines about how they're supposed to take care of it."

[revpauljbern]

Free book excerpt #32 from Author Rev. Paul J. Bern

It's here! "The Middle and Working Class Manifesto Fourth Edition", by Rev. Paul J. Bern (c) 2011, 2018 all rights reserved

Written in a journalistic, expose' style, this nonfiction book chronicles the ongoing demise of the US middle class and what pastor Bern calls, "the ticking time bomb of inequality". This prophetic 2011 book, now in its 4th edition, predicted the American people's demand for free health care, free higher education for everyone without qualification, an end to the Drug War that includes prison reform, repealing the federal income tax, and the need for a $15.00 per hour minimum wage. This Christian-based book (yes, it has Bible quotes) is a must-read for everyone who thinks America is headed in the wrong direction.

It is now clear to see that voting various senators and congressional representatives into and out of office, depending on who the incumbent candidate is, stopped working a long time ago. The system is broken down from age and misuse. No matter who is elected to office, they are only puppets being manipulated and controlled by corporate America and all their armies of lobbyists, who work behind the scenes in conjunction with the US military-industrial complex, the federal and state prison systems, and the so-called “war on drugs”, which is really another form of class warfare against minorities and the poor. In point of fact, every economic problem present in the US today that I have already reported on in this book, plus the war on drugs, are actually civil rights issues disguised as social or economic problems. This has been done deliberately and with sinister intent by the same cancerous rogue elements of the US government and intelligence establishments that were behind the Kennedy and King assassinations of the 1960's.

So what can we do if our peaceful revolution somehow doesn't succeed? What will happen if things stay the same as they are into the foreseeable future regardless of our best intentions? A couple of things I can definitely tell you will happen is that prices for all the basics will continue to rise until the cost of rent or a mortgage payment, a tank of gas, a weeks worth of groceries and our utility bills get so expensive that US workers' and retirees' monthly incomes fall well short of their minimum monthly expenses. And that is not counting the skyrocketing cost of higher education, medical care and prescriptions. What will happen if people can't buy fuel to get to work?

The ugly truth is that there are a troubling number of people out there who are already at this tipping point. In a country like the USA, it is inexcusable for our senior citizens to have to choose between their medicine and their groceries to keep from running out of money before the end of the month. In a country like the USA, we have sunk to a new low when inner city school children look forward to their taxpayer-funded free school lunch because it is their only daily meal. In a country like the USA, we have sunk to a new low when one in five homeless Americans is a veteran. We need to elect people to public office whose only focus is to fix these problems and all the others like them that I have previously written about.

But if all that still doesn't work, and if our situation as a united people continues to gradually get worse as is now the case, what will we do? What if we run out of options? We will need to have a plan 'B' in place in case of a worst possible scenario, and armed revolt is out of the question for reasons which I have already stated earlier in this book (although it must not be ruled out in matters of self-defense). Is there a way to simply retreat, to walk away and refuse to be a part of this rigged political and economic system that has us all enslaved, and does this kind of action have a legal precedent? The encouraging answer to both these questions is an enthusiastic yes. The solution is something borrowed from the pages of history, and I am talking about secession.

Kirkpatrick Sale of the Middlebury Institute recently observed that there is presently ”more attention being paid to secession than any time since 1865″ and predicts that “one of the American states will vote for its independence in the next 10-15 years.” Neo-secessionist sentiments are frequently stereotyped as a characteristic exhibited primarily by “right-wing extremists.” Yet there are serious reasons why moderates and  progressives should consider secession. Among the most compelling reasons why  concerned Americans should consider dissolving the U.S. into multiple nations, regions, or city-states are:

Break-up of the U.S.A. means an end to the American empire that has killed millions of people throughout the world over the last sixty-five years, including perhaps two million Iraqis, three million Southeast Asians, hundreds of thousands of Central Americans, half a million Timorese, hundreds of thousands of Afghanis, and many, many more.

Without the support of the U.S., international capitalist organizations such as the IMF, World Bank, WTO, etc. would be much less powerful and influential.

The collapse of the U.S. Federal Reserve system would mean an end to federal corporate-welfare, bank-welfare, and, above all, the death of the military-industrial complex.

No more federal regime means no more DHS, FBI, CIA, DEA, BATF, Bureau of Prisons, Bureau of Indian Affairs, federal drug war, federal mandatory minimums, or the national police state built up around the war on terrorism. What could be more successful at overturning the “terror war” legislation of the 2001-2017 years than complete disintegration of the federal government itself? Or maybe its economic system?

An end to federal corporate welfare means a severe weakening of Big Pharma, agribusiness, or local developers utilizing federal money in efforts at gentrification.

The disintegration of the U.S. means not only the end of federal drug prohibition but an end to U.S. support for the international drug war and the America-centric structure of international drug prohibition, thereby allowing other nations to develop more progressive policies on this matter.

The majority of the U.S. population resides in the 75 to 100 largest urban, metropolitan areas. If these areas – New York, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Chicago, Miami - were all independent city-states or micro-nations along the lines of Monaco, Luxembourg, or Singapore, genuine progressives would be in a much superior political position than at present. The major U.S. urban areas tend to be the most diverse culturally, racially, ethnically, and religiously. It is also in these areas where the majority of racial minorities, LGBTQ people, persons with counter-cultural values, and those with left-leaning political views tend to be concentrated. The majority of the unfortunate persons fed into the prison-industrial complex also originate from the large cities.

It would be immensely easier for independent city-states of this kind to enact, for instance, single-payer health care, legal same-sex marriage, stem cell research or a genuine living wage. Likewise, it would be much more possible to decriminalize, regulate and tax drugs, prostitution, gambling and other “consensual crimes” along the lines of New Zealand, Portugal, or the Netherlands at present. Such changes would severely weaken and undermine the police state and prison-industrial complex. The likely weakening of corporate power following the demise of federal and state corporate welfare would also provide a more level playing field for activists to take on landlords, developers, bankers, and other plutocratic interests on a municipal and regional level, and perhaps initiate economic alternatives like cooperatives, collectives, communes, land trusts, and so forth.

OK, so we know there is legal precedent for secession, except that if this is accomplished in the early 21st century we must do so peacefully instead of shelling Fort Sumter like they did back in 1861. But can the act of secession be maintained once it has been initiated? Once the seceded territory has been set up, organized, and its boundaries set, is there legal precedent to set up its own Constitutional legal system, to print its own money or introduce some other medium of exchange, and so to be free and independent from the rest of the US? Once again the encouraging answer is that there is legal precedent for this very thing that dates back to the early years of our country, and this legal precedent is called nullification. An example of this was introduced in the South Carolina General Assembly back in 2010 was House Bill 4509 (H4509), which would make law that “no public official of any jurisdiction may require registration of purchasers of firearms or ammunition within the boundaries of this State.” No caveat for regulations under the commerce clause. No caveat for types of firearms either. This bill says NO to all gun registrations – period. The principle behind such legislation was nullification, which has a long history in the American tradition.

In the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, Thomas Jefferson wrote in response to the hated Alien and Sedition Acts: “The several states composing the United States of America are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their general government”, and, “where powers are assumed [by the federal government] which have not been delegated, a nullification of the act is the rightful remedy: that every State has a natural right in cases not within the compact, to nullify of their own authority all assumptions of power by others within their limits: that without this right, they would be under the dominion, absolute and unlimited, of whosoever might exercise this right of judgment for them”.

Now on sale at 1/2 price, was $29.95, now $14.98, exclusively from https://www.authorrevpauljbern.com

[harshmariwalafamilyoffice]

Harsh Realities: A book on The Making of Marico by Harsh Mariwala

'Harsh rolled up his sleeves and went into the field and learnt the business from the ground up-starting with the consumer and then led the company to where it is today through a combination of genius and toil. A must-read' -- Sanjeev Bikhchandani, co-founder, Naukri.com 'A truly riveting story of how an iconic leader with purpose, persistence and passion leverages customer-centric innovation driven by uncommon thinking to create a world-class enterprise. An inspiring "must-read" for all' -- Dr R.A. Mashelkar, National Research Professor, and former director general, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research 'The story of Harsh Mariwala is a fascinating tale of a man born in a traditional joint family, finding place and meaning in the family journey, using his instincts and natural intelligence to grasp opportunity, in passionate pursuit to understand the customer, and navigating his way to create a unique and ethical consumer company, Marico. I have known Harsh since his Kanji Morarji days, seen him carve out his consumer business from the traditional trading business and transition to a fully professional company. Marico is an outstanding example of an Indian multinational comparable to the best-in-class global consumer companies' -- Uday Kotak, managing director and CEO, Kotak Mahindra Bank 'Harsh Mariwala's love for innovation, process orientation and building organizational culture is absolutely inspiring, and Marico is a glowing testimony of this. As revealed in this finely penned memoir, Harsh is a combination of spice and calm, as the two major products in his business, pepper and coconut oil. There is a mystical balance in him-traditional yet cutting-edge, searching yet grateful, restless yet transcendent, observing yet couldn't-care-less, loving yet impatient, and it is this potent mix that has helped nurture an outstanding organization and a fine human being. This book is the real "What they don't teach you at Harvard"' -- Harsh Goenka, chairman, RPG Enterprises 'I have known Harsh for several years, and the inspiring story of how he discovered his purpose of "making a difference", of scaling up, failing, learning and striving to succeed-as he puts it-makes for a very insightful read. I enjoyed how he weaves in many other stories too, including the genesis of Marico, the evolution of a family business and the changing industrial landscapes, all of it underscored by the importance of grounded, values-based leadership. Prof. Ram Charan's reflections on Harsh's personal growth journey are a wonderful addition' -- Adi Godrej, chairman, the Godrej Group 'Running a family-run business is no easy feat. And to take that to heights is a success story beyond one's imaginations. Harsh makes each of his struggles so relatable in this memoir. Superbly inspiring' -- Rajiv Bajaj, managing director, Bajaj Auto 'This memoir is like reading three books in one. Firstly, there is the incredible story of Marico, its birth and how Harsh grew it to today's success. Second, Harsh's own thoughtful reflections on the journey he has been through. And finally, there are insights from the legendary Dr Ram Charan himself. An enriching read!' -- Nandan Nilekani, chairman and co-founder, Infosys, and founding chairman, UIDAI (Aadhaar) 'Before reading the book, please remember that "Harsh" in Hindi means joy. Read it, and read the joys of a journey. A journey of grit and determination. Of living and learning by personal experience and from those of your predecessors. Look for new destinations, but don't forget where you came from. Before reading this book, I thought I knew a lot, but now I have more food for thought. Thanks, Harsh. I'm sure your journey will lead to thousands of new journeys by young women and men' -- Piyush Pandey, chief creative officer, worldwide, and executive chairman, India, Ogilvy 'Harsh Realities: The Making of Marico is a very personal and captivating journey of how Harsh Mariwala built a world-class company highly admired by others. It is also a heart-warming story of the making of Harsh as a human being, who, through sheer determination and learning from failures, transformed himself from an ordinary to an extraordinary person. The book is a pure joy to read!' -- Professor Jagdish N. Sheth, Charles Kellsatdt Professor of Business, Goizueta Business School, Emory University, USA 'Harsh has many exceptional abilities. The one that I have found almost unique-having known him for a long time-is his capacity to learn and absorb from everyone and everything, and then to convert this learning into something useful-small to big to huge. We can all learn this from him. And what better way than to read this book, which is in your hands' -- Azim Premji, chairman, Azim Premji Foundation, founder chairman, Wipro Ltd, and chairman, Wipro Enterprises Ltd 'Harsh Realities beautifully takes us through the journey of a family-owned trading set-up to a professionally managed global consumer brand house built by Harsh with a strong focus on quality and governance. It reveals how Harsh dealt with obstacles and learnt from each failure-rich takeaways that helped him grow his company and also as a person. A must-read for entrepreneurs as well as business scions who aspire to shoulder the dual responsibility of taking their family legacy forward while scaling it to newer heights. Harsh has created Marico with governance, transparency and a passion for innovation and giving back to society' -- Anu Aga, former chairperson, Thermax Limited, and philanthropist 'There are many youngsters who inherit their family-run business and manage it through their lives. It's one thing to sit in fancy air-conditioned offices and oversee the business. It's yet another to actually go on the ground, travel the lengths and breadths of the country, understand your consumer, understand your distributors, and then take all your stakeholders on the ride of their lives. Harsh's journey is a story that created history. And it has been a real learning and joy to read about it. Lots to emulate here for youngsters' -- Rajiv Kumar, vice chairman, NITI Aayog 'Harsh Mariwala's inspiring entrepreneurial journey is an interwoven story of how he created a world-class company from a small part of the family business that was entrusted to him. His business philosophy of innovation and differentiation on a strong foundation of values and professionalism has made him one of the most admired and respected business leaders in twenty-first-century India' -- Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder, Biocon --This text refers to the hardcover edition. 

https://penguin.co.in/book/harsh-realities/

https://www.sharrpventures.com/harsh-mariwala-harsh-realities/

[your-dietician]

'You have to just love it'

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/sports/you-have-to-just-love-it/

'You have to just love it'

Jazz Chisholm knows that baseball is difficult, that there remains a significant gulf he must cross to match his significant talent and overwhelming charisma to his production.

Right now, this is who Jazz is: A rookie infielder for the Miami Marlins whose stat line says his production is just above league average, but his swag suggests he’s anything but.

This is who Jazz could be: A dynamic, powerful, five-tool force, whose desire to disrupt the game could vault him atop the short list of burgeoning baseball stars with ever-elusive crossover appeal.

This is how he plans to get there: By sacrificing nothing – certainly not the vicious bat speed from his swing that ensures the home runs he does hit go very, very far. And certainly not the exuberance that vaulted him from the Bahamas to the big leagues, endearing him to fans and perhaps enabling him to join some of his athletic heroes – Kobe, LeBron, KD – as a wonder known only by one name.

And what’s the tune Jazz lives by?

“To this day,” he says, “I just always try to tell kids to be themselves. Don’t let nobody change you. You go out there and play the way you want to go play.

“That’s why I always do the crazy hair colors, I do my dances and I just have fun out there because I just want everybody to know, it’s OK to have fun on the baseball field.

“You know?”

If you don’t, you probably will soon.

Jazz Chisholm looks on before a game against the Braves.

Mark Brown, Getty Images

‘Why not bring it into the game?’

Perhaps you found out on Opening Day, when Chisholm fulfilled a promise made to Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara. Chisholm, whose hair changes color with the ease of South Florida weather patterns, was planning a platinum blonde look.

Yet as spring training wound down and Chisholm – who debuted on Sept. 1 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 – had a shot to make his first Opening Day roster, Alcantara had a suggestion.

Make the team, he said, and you dye your hair blue.

“I said, ‘I got you,’” Chisholm recalls. “It was history from there.”

Chisholm came through, breaking camp with the squad and showing up for the opener with a tone resembling a Louie-Bloo Raspberry Otter Pop.

Perhaps you noticed a couple weeks later, when Chisholm hit his second home run of the season, a towering shot off Atlanta’s Charlie Morton, and then, befitting his significant basketball skills, debuted a euro step as he crossed home plate.

Contrived?

Nope. Just a part of his personality, reflexive as a fist bump or handshake.

“I will walk around the clubhouse euro-stepping on people,” he says. “I’ll be in front of someone and last second, I’ll give ‘em a euro, you know, like, ‘Get out of the way.’ It’s something I do all day, every day.

“So why not bring it into the game? Why not misdirect it going into home, and then step on it?”

Chisholm has nine homers and 10 steals in 51 games.

Jasen Vinlove, USA TODAY Sports

It’s not like Chisholm is pimping home runs that scraped the top of the wall.

He is the only player this season to go deep on pitches of at least 100 mph, doing it first off the great Jacob deGrom on April 18 and then the Phillies’ Jose Alvarado a month later. He is, in fact, the only player with two such homers since pitch-tracking began in 2008.

Listed at 5-11 and 184 pounds, Chisholm – full name Jasrado Hermis Arrington Chisholm – seemingly manifested his skills by watching his grandmother play softball.

Yeah, Grandma could turn on one.

“The small person with the pop? Yeah, I think I got that from her, too,” he says.

Patricia Coakley, now 77, played on the Bahamian national softball team, and played the sport long enough for Jazz to see her compete both in slow- and fastpitch formats. He saw himself in her, from the aforementioned quick bat to the tenacious baserunning approach to her play at shortstop.

And so when Chisholm was barely old enough to hold a bat, he called dibs on the position, fully intending to never leave.

“I just loved seeing her play shortstop. I fell in love with watching her, too,” he says. “It was always like that from when I was probably 4 and 5 – just run straight to shortstop.

“Grandma’s a shortstop, I’m a shortstop.”

 Clearly, he picked an excellent role model, though there weren’t many others locally. Just eight players from the Bahamas preceded Chisholm to the majors, with infielder Andre Rodgers – who played from 1967 to ’77 – the only one to hold down anything resembling a full-time role. Antoan Richardson was the most recent, serving largely as a pinch runner from 2011 to 2014, and he’s now a coach for the San Francisco Giants.

Young Jazz focused on his grandmother’s exploits and fixated on televised games featuring Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds and Derek Jeter.

And was convinced he’d play on their level.

“I always told myself that I was going to be a big leaguer, from a very young age,” he says. “It was not really tough believing I was going to be a big leaguer.”

Chisholm played plenty of ball stateside as a child, often in Miami, and attended a prep school in Kansas for a spell, eventually signing with Arizona as an international free agent. While he’s sanguine about his own rise, he’s humbled when he ponders his impact back home.

“Every time I go to the Bahamas I see a little kid telling me, ‘Hey, you made me start playing baseball,’” he says. “It makes me smile nonstop when I hear that.”

They have a dynamic hero to follow, even if he’s an unfinished product. Chisholm is on pace to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases this season; he clubbed his ninth home run of the season Thursday night in a loss to the Washington Nationals, pushing his batting average to .258 and his OPS to .766.

With just 276 plate appearances behind him, Chisholm has room to grow. That makes him a good match for Miami, which acquired him from Arizona for pitcher Zac Gallen in 2019. “I love the people out here,” he says. “This is just the life that I feel like I was here to live. My kind of place.”

Chisholm celebrates a home run against the Mets.

Andy Marlin, USA TODAY Sports

Fresh fish

The Marlins are 31-43 and lagging in the NL East, a pitching-centric club with a lineup that looks emaciated even within this season’s historically grim league environment.

Yet for a franchise dogged for decades by ham-handed ownership, they have a decidedly fresh feel.

They have a quietly beautiful ballpark still not yet a decade old, yet new owner Bruce Sherman bears none of the blame for bamboozling the city into a hideously bad stadium deal. In Jeter they have a CEO with star power but also patience, and the forward-thinking mentality to hire the first woman as a major league GM, the highly-regarded Kim Ng.

Alcantara and rookie lefty Trevor Rogers are worthy aces, with the injured Sixto Sanchez also capable of holding that role. At Class AA Jacksonville, pitching prospects Max Meyer and Edward Cabrera join outfielder J.J. Bleday, all consensus top 100 prospects nearing the big leagues.  

In Miami, Chisholm defers to veterans such as Jesus Aguilar and Miguel Rojas, who when healthy nudges Chisholm to second base. From a baseball standpoint, Chisholm says he goes to great lengths not to “get cocky with the veterans.”

Yet they share a desire to keep things loose, from the clubhouse to the kicks; Rojas has long used social media to amplify his shoe game, while Chisholm has donned footwear celebrating concepts as disparate as Miami Vice and Oreo cookies.

Earlier this week, he debuted a gold chain that commemorated a remarkable leaping catch against the Tampa Bay Rays.

“The Miami Marlins’ whole roster right now – you look at what they’re wearing on their feet, even down to the coaches sometimes, it’s just straight heat, I’m not going to lie,” says Chisholm. “Everybody is just into that stuff – having the swag, having fun on the field.”

 It all may seem a bit excessive for a second-division club, yet the Marlins also made the playoffs in 2020 and swept the Chicago Cubs out of them. Manager Don Mattingly says the veteran tone set by the likes of Aguilar and Rojas “helps your club create an atmosphere that guys like playing in.” He is confident Chisholm will develop greater consistency both in routine and performance, calling his development arc “pretty normal” for a first-year player.

As for Chisholm, he’s prepared for the roller-coaster the game provides. His homer Thursday broke a 15-day streak without a dinger, a period filled with too many weak ground balls. It is a hallmark of the game he chose that he might go days without making an impact, when instead of euro stepping over the plate he’s making an abrupt right turn back to the dugout.

He cannot control his fate in a manner that LeBron can or Kobe could, and if he’s given just one pitch to turn and burn on, he may very well miss it.

Chisholm knows this well and chooses not to dwell on it. Like the island kid who just knew he’d be a big leaguer some day, Chisholm may be right when he believes this game will reward his undying love for it.

“It’s not frustrating,” he says of failure, “because you know how hard the game is. It’s just like, ‘Man, I’m just praying I get another one. Give me another one.’ It’s not really like, ‘Man, I missed my only chance.’ No, because you still got two more strikes to play with. And you might get the worst swing of your life off, but it can be a hit.

“This game can really mess with your mind – because you could be hitting the ball as hard as you want every day and not get a hit. And then you can go break four bats in one day and have four hits. That’s why you have to just love it. Because even though it takes away, it gives back.

“And it gives back big.”

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[cafeleningrad]

The anon indeed wanted to share a story tangentially related to what Lewis was talking about! They want to share a controversial and perhaps ill-thought observation. The anon lives in a VERY homophobic country and the women who enjoy male/male stories tend to be much more supportive of LGBT, in general, than general population. Of course, not every fujin is pro-LGBT and not every woman who hates BL and shipping is anti-LGBT, but this is an impression the anon gets in general. (1/2)

In Western countries, the % of fujin among les/bi/pan woman and allies is probably negligible, but where anon lives rejecting fujin means rejecting a significant portion of allies! Because there are so few LGBT allies here in general... Tumblr fujin hate from anon's perspective is attacking people most likely to be allies, weakening the LGBT movement where it is already weak. Perhaps anon is reaching, but they just wanted to share their thoughts! (2/2)

Hi there, Anon ^^

I’m 110% on board with you on this. Your thoughts are neither ill-thought or actually controversial, I think into something a certain side of tumblr-consensus is not open to take into consideration for various reasons, many linking a level of (possible) resources and acknowledged exposure for LGBTQA people whereas positioned in a sex-negative culture. In other words, tumblr’s US-centric perspective isn’t as literal as “USA! USA USA!” in every second phrase however the mindset of what’s supposedly allowed and not allowed in fiction is marked by the all-around culture regarding story telling and moral values are definitely very much US-Amercan. A mindset internalized and not reflected, not meeting other cultural (fictional) sensibilities with hostility if not claiming they were invalid. Unfortunately, the mindset sweeps through as supposedly “Moral” arguments in space in which people think of fiction as proper activism. Which it is not. (This topic is extensive but I leave it at: The reasons my brother and I have not talked explicitly with relatives we actually like about our dating live with other people of the same sex/gender is due to our relatives being either Russian Orthodox Christians or Catholics from Venezuela - Real things, and not because they watched the Maltese Flacon once.)

The Fujin-discourse is artificially constructed and redundant in the first place. The most common argument brought forward against BL-/GL-material (and in explicit forms Yaoi/Yuri) is a) the content, followed by b) always targets a fabricated strawmen, and finally c) misunderstands the entire background behind the creations of BL/G/Yaoi/Yuri manga/anime.

A) Content. We spoke about the possible content range of the material before of the genre before: Recently I noticed an uptick in material discussing same sex relationships, gender dysphoria, asexuality in a more serious manner. Also there can be simple lovestories but without the outrage about same sex/gender-attraction, or well, porn. It’s not always just porn in this genre. PWP and stories with sex in it are not the same. As I sad in messages before, some stories can be more serious on Queer topics, but they don’t need to be. Most of them are before all entertainement with queer characters. How much a LGBTQA-person enjoys individual stories is up to them individually. Again, other people are for some reason enarmoured with Carol, whereas I can’t personally find any joy in it and rather watch the problematic bisexual The talented Mr.Ripley or House of Cards as I’m more drawn in with dark, thrilling stories and not so much romance.

Since Yaoi/Yuri is often under scrutiny for being sexual material with same sex/gender partners by tumblr... well, it’s porn? There’s not much left to say? LGBTQA+ people are sexual beings to, create sexual material themselves. If anything, drawn material is the safest way to produce such material (which can range from vanilla to the most fucked up mess) as no actors in risk of movie set malpractice are used. The responsibility of access also lies on the viewer as even pirating websites label the material as not suited for minor audiences so does the label put on the manga sealed in plastic in book stores. To be honest, I don’t know what I can be but sardonic about the matter of viewer responsibility regarding (drawn) pornographic material, especially since I have yet to encounter an adamant, widespread move against Hentai. *shrugs* It’s for sexual fantasy, not sex ed.

B) Strawmen: “It’s only fetishistic girls then harassing gay men.” Well, I won’t argue that such behavior hasn’t been exhibited but it’s definitely not the norm. At all. A lot of gushing concerns the fictional characters designed to be appear arousing, and not real life men. The most invasive questions in my experience were straight people not eve heard the term Yuri in their life, not aware how invasive their questions were on a subject they were not familiar with. The idea that only straight people might find a genre featuring openly gay characters interesting is rather ignorant to the range of stories within this genre but also to LGBTQA+ folks wishing for queer reading material. At least in anime-/manga-fan circles many Fujin readers did identify with queer identities, or folks who were straight but were keen on stories like Bloom into you were respectful about queer identities. So yes, in a certain sense, I think you’re not wrong pointing out how your environment reacting to gay material overall can tell about them being able to handle queer expression. In the end the strawmen about the nebulous “fetish girls” is a overblown boogie man to shame women enjoying smut. WLW sex material for the consumption for men is higher in quantity yet the backlash against Yuri with (faux) claims of it inspiring men to ask invasive questions is barely seen.

note: As a general theory: A genre which is inherently as well as explicitly queer is an interesting test in audience reaction. In particular, in a homophobic country finding readers liking or at least tolerating and not berating the explicitly queer expression tells a lot how they would be comfortable with queer all around. Let me put it like this: Yaoi/Yuri is a pornographic subgenre, but if a person can live with material outside the usual heterosexual range, if a person can bear with stories like No.6, Given!, or Bloom into you treating same sex/gender attraction and love stories in the forefront as okay, I see it as a first step of exercising acceptance for a variety of identity expressions in stories.

Of course, the matter is more complex than that. On the flip side, you can find spectators hitting a fit if a hentai side loads up a yaoi clip, or YoI featuring a mlm love story as if it was an affront - telling pretty much how little the angry viewer can handle queer expressions if they so much deem the material as “bad” in their opinion just because there’s gay in it.

C) The backgrounds of creators of BL/GL/Yaoi/Yuri manga: It’s almost comical, how little introspection of the own identity floats around the moment a subculture gets mainstreamed. Okay, I’m unnecesarily polemic here. This is more how I see tumblr users identify as LGBTQA+ yet uphold many puritanical US-views regarding questions of sexuality (”how explicit shall it be? Anything beyond missionary is bad, sex ed can give children bad ideas”). The narrative here seems to have become “The good gay” vs the “deviant one the reason why the straights hate us and are oppressed” when in reality in many regions of the world just the chaste interlocking hands with your partner is reason enough to be harassed. Even in the US conversion therapy is still actively practiced, religious repression of sexuality/gender is still vivid. Not all LGBTQA+ folks have the liberty to find environments in which their peers will be accepting, laws will ensure their human rights and safety, or be free of latent to brutal harrassement. Many queer people have the chance to assimilate. A lot of LGBTQA+ culture is rooted in the connotative expression of the public’s perceived deviation from the socially accepted. To this can be attached many ideas of deviant sexual acts like S&M, or being verbal of sexual variety, breaking socially regarded taboos. As example, Lil’ Nas latest work is a good summary of being openly rebellious in visual, written and musical form to express gay sexuality but also use the imagery of the religion repressing him against the religions having repressed him. In short: Queer history is naturally packed with explicit, loud imagery as form of artistic protest, embracing the scandal as queer existence itself was and still is treated as scandal in itself - even if that queer person was the most stereotypical accountant, going to bed at 9pm.

No LGBTQA+ person has to embrace every aspect of queer culture, everyone has personal preferences. However, they should be respectful and considerate about queer voices being varied, and often explicit. It’s baffling, how people can make a trend about bashing something as simple as Steven Universe, thinking of it as “problematic” (TM) without knowing who John Waters or Marlene Dietrich were (or what problematic, problematic things they created...). The question of what “good gay material” is more telling of a luxury of choice, with a pinch of disregard for the variety of experiences and interests of other LGBTQA+ people.

All that said, they disregard so many (cultural) aspects playing ito the creation and engagement of GL/BL/Yaoi/Yuri. Japanese society and government  might not be explicitly against same sex relationships, still just in 2020 38% of questioned LGBTQA+ participants in a poll noted they were harrased or assaulted (x), denying same-sex marriage by law, bullying percentages because of sexual orientation still relevant in numbers, only organized queer scenes can so far only be found in Tokyo. Explicit legal anti discrimination law against LGBTQA+ people took forward steps, on a positive note. Japan is by no means a horrible LGBTQA environment still a “out and proud public” presentation’s missing. The creators are to high percentages queer themselves. (And even if not, what do I care? Being a women didn’t make Leigh Bardugo write good female characters - quiet the opposite... ). For a society not openly discussing LGBTQA+ themes, a genre this queer in nature is the safest way to engage with queer material. (Once again, range does indeed exist in the genre.) This means, they can talk seriously about such themes or simply make queer stories, as lighthearted or indulgent as they like, as it’s still entertainment with a queer twist. At this point, I have to admit that certain genre or cultural tropes might not translate well into foreign translation. (By example, sometimes the vocabulary’s missing in the source material as naming the concept of same sex attraction or naming trans characters “hermaphrodite” (ugh...) leads to insensitive language which naturally irks readers from cultures in which identities are discussed more properly.) However, as foreign readers we should be vary that other cultures use different vocabulary and are in different stages or pathways of development, which might lead to bad translations and misunderstandings.

Also for readers this often presents the only queer material available, be they queer or not. Also, manga are popular overseas, so in even more repressive (perhaps also openly repressive) countries such fictional material is a venture in

Remember about roughly two years ago. The Chinese government was about banning Ao3 in China. Puritan Tumblr reacted with glee, claiming the “Fujoshi’s deserved it” whereas being oblivious that this ban was just a branch of an entire endeavor of banning public opinion exchange, including all sorts of forms of queer expression as well. But well, China apparently cared so much for the uwu, unproblematic, only handholding gays... -.-

[leyahroehl]

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I use my health insurance plan to save for retirement instead of paying medical bills, and it s one of the smartest financial choices I ve made for myself (and my family) since my first job with the insurance company. But one thing that gets overlooked in insurance is the complexity of job options. Insurance and financial services companies have come out of the corner looking for additional employees, offering coverage to some employees for a discount, and then other employees, in most cases on a percentage of this amount. But that s not the case in insurance; you can count on any of your employees to pay your premiums, just pay the first month s premium, and you can do it all over again. If you do opt out of your insurance, you ll need to make another separate, individual decision about whether to switch out to a better job. And so the cost of staying in the same insurance company will likely be higher than in the past, given that you ll also have to sign a short-term plan. This means that if you are staying in the same insurance company after one long two-year period, you will either need to shop elsewhere.

Denver, Colorado Auto Insurance Coverage Requirements

Denver, Colorado Auto Insurance Coverage Requirements The Colorado car insurance law requires drivers to buy personal injury protection (PIP) insurance, also known as “no-fault insurance.” Colorado car insurance policyholders must comply with state law” In this section, the following introductory material provides background information and sets the insurance coverage and policy premiums for policyholders: No-fault Insurance Requirements for Colorado Car Insurance Policies Car Insurance refers to a policy that is an extension of medical insurance for one’s automobile or motorcycle drivers. Colorado law allows a driver to show an auto insurance policy for another driver who is driving their policy and whose liability policy requires the policyholder’s personal property coverage. The Colorado car insurance law requires the following levels of coverage for drivers: The Colorado car insurance policy requires a “single” coverage type. A single policy could include $25,000 in insurance for bodily injury liability, $50,000 for personal injury protection or $10,000 for.

Non-owner car insurance is coverage for people who don t own a car, but still borrow or rent other cars to drive

Non-owner car insurance is coverage for people who don t own a car, but still borrow or rent other cars to drive. It’s also not available in New York or Texas. In addition to liability coverage, is also required in New York. All four companies are issuing canceled policies. If you owe more than your insurance limits, you may have to pay more to reduce the amount you get on your loan. You may also be required to pay additional fees such as loan interest, loan deferment and loan modification charges. All three states require you to have auto insurance coverage in order to register your new vehicle with the State Department of Transportation ( DOT ). As soon as you purchase a new car insurance policy, your vehicle information is verified online. The insurance needs pertains to your existing car insurance policy. If you need free car insurance quotes for each policy, call us at 888-691-6272 or click here to find the cheapest car insurance quote for you by using our free tool above. Your current.

How We Conducted Our Auto Insurance Analysis in Denver, Colorado

How We Conducted Our Auto Insurance Analysis in Denver, Colorado We’re a customer-centric, family-owned, dedicated insurance agency focusing on our policies and family-friendly customer service. Since 1981, we’ve proudly served the Denver area and are proud to be a part of their community. This information is designed to help you with your decision-making, and it is not intended to provide advice. Contact a local independent agent in the Trusted Choice network today for assistance concerning the insurance options that are available to you. “I recommend this organization to my friends and family members. My family and I are just looking for their advice here. I do not know a good insurance company, but if it can help me with my insurance needs I will definitely recommend them.” “I know it has been very confusing the last couple of weeks and now my husband, I am finally done with his situation. I would love to have him continue to be insured and help him in his.

FREE Auto Insurance Comparison

FREE Auto Insurance Comparison Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save  Secured with SHA-256 Encryption While it may seem that insurance premiums come with higher premiums, there are still ways to get low-cost auto insurance from a company. One important thing to keep in mind, auto insurance costs can vary by more than the state and by area. Some auto insurance companies can charge you substantially more for a policy that you buy online. You can always get quotes from top companies with similar coverage and deductibles, discounts, and benefits. There may be discounts, too, that you may be able to save on your premiums. Check out our comprehensive guide to insurance to help you get more details on any of the best companies for a given policy. The cost of auto insurance is determined by a number of factors, including: What type of car you drive is a major factor in determining your insurance premiums. The type of car you drive is often just one variable you can change while you try.

The best cheap car insurance in Virginia

The best cheap car insurance in Virginia has to do with discounts and policies that will give you a better rate in the short run. The first option that comes to mind, they do include some in the price, and some are even included in the insurance quote. The second option that comes to mind, and one that is more unique, is the policy options. These options allow you to customize your insurance policy, and often include coverage for a variety of claims. And sometimes, it’s easier for you to pick which option counts as comprehensive. Car insurance premiums depend on several factors. Understanding these factors means that you don’t end up with a policy that doesn’t adequately cover your needs. It’s your obligation as a policyholder (or, in some cases, your employer) to pay your premium, in order to ensure that you get the coverage that best fits you and your lifestyle. There are a variety of ways to secure discounts on your Virginia auto insurance..

My husband and I bought $2 million of life insurance even though we already had coverage through work, and years later I still think it was the right call

My husband and I bought $2 million of life insurance even though we already had coverage through work, and years later I still think it was the right call. His daughter just passed on me and since we are still financially independent we decided that we might as well get a life insurance policy on each other. His friend suggested we just put the coverage together and just compare prices so we could get a policy. The quote on the website for our two of us is $2.22 per month, which is pretty cheap. The first quote I was given shows a male client for $18,000 of term life insurance with a 40% conversion. The first quote I was given was $3.19 per month for the same coverage, for a much cheaper price. The second quote I was given as an individual was under $4.00 per month. The premium quote looked very good as you would expect. The premium was only $2.02 per month, which was a pretty decent price for the policy. The final quote I was given was only $1.70 per month with a 40% conversion. I think my friend s friend used.

How much is the average cost of Denver, Colorado auto insurance?

How much is the average cost of Denver, Colorado auto insurance? In Denver, Colorado, an insurance can compare to and exceed the national average, with the best auto insurance company getting between $3,639 and $7,924 for drivers. However, remember that the cost of car insurance will vary depending on several components, from your driving record to your age and gender. Our ratings of the best insurance companies in Denver, Colorado, will determine which insurance companies are an ideal choice for your specific needs and budget. To give you an insight into the average insurance costs in Denver, Colorado, we looked specifically at the top 9 insurance companies under $1,000,000 and average annual insurance premiums of around $1,700 USD. To give you an approximation of how much a company can charge you for car insurance in Denver, Colorado, we created a list of the top 9 largest insurers and ranked them based on the following table: Best Overall Quality Insurance companies use a multitude of proprietary and proprietary approaches to pricing – from how you drive to how.

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Hey Scotch! I love your blog💕💕. I need some advice. So last month my phone broke and I was using a tablet to keep in touch with my boyfriend and close friends. I've been rather stressed and emotional lately so my brother said he wanted to see what was up. He went through my messages and saw were I was venting about babysitting my nephew and he said he might kick me out and I really don't want to go back to my dad. Any advice? (I don't know if it matters but I'm 17)

Hey, Anon~!!! Thank you so much -- I’m glad you like it~!!! 💕💕 

(It does matter, only since you’re a minor, and I appreciate you for mentioning it, so I kinda have a clearer picture of where you’re coming from, and which resources may be more helpful for you than others~!!!)

I can imagine how incredibly stressful this must be for you... I’m assuming you live with your brother? Or that he has some sort of executive control over where you’re currently staying?

To start off with, your brother doesn’t have the right to go through your messages unless you give him express permission to do so, and he also shouldn’t be threatening you kick you out just because you were venting about your feelings with someone you trust (your boyfriend).  

Everyone has the right to vent, and everyone has the right to feel a certain way about things.  As long as you take safe care of your nephew when you are babysitting, then there shouldn’t be a problem with you not actively enjoying babysitting -- a lot of people don’t like babysitting.  It doesn’t mean that you’re a bad person, or that you don’t deserve to have a place to live, in which you’re comfortable!

Your reasons for not wanting to go back to your dad’s place are probably very fair, and I truly hope that your brother doesn’t actually kick you out... it sounds like he really needs to be open to listening to your side of things.  Explaining to him that you don’t have any ill-will toward your nephew, and that you’d never hurt him -- that you just don’t always particularly enjoy babysitting, and that you were simply venting -- would be the place I’d start at.  

If he’s willing to sit down with you and talk this out so you can explain your side of things, that would be ideal... if he isn’t willing to talk about the subject, or to listen to you/communicate with you in order to create a more stable, healthy, symbiotic living environment, then I’d be sure to talk to friends about this (in-person, or in a way that you know your brother can’t spy on).  You also may be able to talk to a school therapist/guidance counsellor about the issue, and see if they have any suggestions, or straightforward resources they can give you.

Improving a living environment can be a huge challenge, and it requires a lot of compromise, as well as willing participants... I’m hoping your brother is able to take a bit of time to calm down, and then look at the situation objectively, instead of making threats against you.  You shouldn’t have to live in fear...

Here are some resources for teens/youth who have unreliable home environments, and just a few resources in general, where you can talk to folks who are trained to give you further resources, including in-depth advice!

http://www.safeteens.com/resources-for-youth-in-crisis/ (this is a general list of hotlines for teens and youth to contact -- I believe that some of these lines/sites may be helpful!)

https://www.1800runaway.org/ (I don’t know much about this one, but it has both call, and chat-now lines at the top of the page).

https://www.nrcdv.org/rhydvtoolkit/teens/ (more general hotlines for teens, though this one has a focus on violence at home, and while I know you didn’t mention your brother being physically violent, the people at these lines may know more about how to also work out home relationships and create a more stable home environment + give you some options/suggestions).

https://teenlineonline.org/ (this is a teen-specific hotline, in case you’d like to speak with other teens who are in similar positions -- it might be good if you don’t feel fully comfortable speaking with an adult online).

http://www.contacthelpline.org/emotional-listening-support/ (this one is more for when you just need someone to listen, without offering advice, but it looks like they also can get you in contact with counsellors and outside resources, which may be useful!)

http://www.pleaselive.org/hotlines/ (under the heading “homeless/shelters” there are a couple numbers, mainly USA-centric, and while I don’t know if you’re in danger of being homeless, sometimes it’s nice to know that you have options in case of the very worst).

https://www.7cups.com/ (I always link this one just in case, because it helps with a wide variety of online counselling, and is mainly chat-based, so if you feel better texting with someone, or no longer have access to your phone, as you stated, this one may be very useful!)

And you can always come back here to talk to me about anything you want, at any time! I know I can be super slow to answer though, so I wanted to give you other options as well!!! I sincerely hope for the best, and also hope that this may be reconciled with your brother so you can feel more secure at home! In the meantime, take as much care of yourself as possible, and remember that, no matter what your brother may have said or done, you are a good person, and you have the right to vent to ppl you trust in complete privacy.

[emmajustin20]

10 Best Movies Based on Video Games

Games have become an essential part of our lives. Some people would be surprised to know how much time people spend on completing their missions and exploring the world that is fictitious and made up of megapixels. The industry is so massive that filmmakers are these days encouraged to make a film based on video games. Filmmakers have previously made a lot of films based on video games, and they have, in fact, inspired their audience to try these games for themselves.

Well, some of these films are successful and meticulously designed. But as Christopher Nolan puts it, “Filmmaking is all about intelligent compromise.” So, here are the top ten films based on video games.

Detective Pikachu

The film had Ryan Reynolds star power, and no wonder the Deadpool actor led the film to become the highest-grossing film based on video games. Since its release on 8th May 2019, it has grossed 436 million worldwide. It was quite an achievement since it was released around the time when Avengers Endgame’s popularity had skyrocketed, and it was the only film that was capturing headlines and trends. The film also had a competition with OTT platforms since Game of Thrones had also aired its last season at that time. Ryan Reynolds gave the voice of Pikachu, and it was loved by all. The film has also been regarded to have stayed true to the world of Pokemon.

Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider is the 2018 blockbuster in which Alicia Vikander took the helm from our beloved Angelina Jolie. The remake astonished all the fans by the action sequence and cinematography. The storyline was taken from the 2012 game. What surprised everyone the most was Vikander’s acting.

Sonic Hog

Sonic Hog is the example of the film that takes its fans very seriously. The fans did complain about the CGI quality of Sonic, but that eventually improved when fans watched the film on the big screen. The lead actors Jim Carry and Ben Schwartz, did justice with the characters.

Silent Hill

It is one of the best films based on horror video games. It was released in 2006 and the film looked as if it had been based on a tight budget, but it was highly praised for re-enacting the scenes from the video games.  If you have ever played Silent Hill or even heard about it, you should definitely give it a try.

Max Payne

It satisfactorily portrayed the video game storyline, and the ensemble cast involving Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis in the lead roles was highly praised.  It is indisputable one of the best action films based on video games.

In the film, Wahlberg is on a rampage to avenge the death of his family when he meets Mila Kunis, who also wants revenge against people who murdered her sister.

Mortal Kombat

If you are interested in hero-centric films, then this one’s for you. The film remained honest to the source, and that is what is its biggest achievement as well as the biggest criticism. The story is about three warriors who fight monsters in different worlds.

Resident Evil

When the film came out, many of its audience had no clue that it is actually based on a video game. Mila Jovovich plays the role of Alice, who is in a world that has come to an end. Alice takes up the hard task of punishing the people who ended the world, and along her journey, she meets survivors and zombies.

Assassin Creed

The film has an amazing cast of Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard and tells the story about a conflict between Knights Templar and Assassins. The film is based on a real historical group that lived on the mountains of Persia and Syria.

Doom

It is a 2005 blockbuster, and it is so true to the video game that in one scene, you will see everything from a first-person perspective as if you are playing the video game itself.

In the film, Space Marines are sent to Mars to investigate some strange activities. There, they encounter some genetically engineered humans who aren’t humans anymore.

Warcraft

The film is about the conflict between humans and Orcs, who are trying to invade the world through a magical portal.  The fact that it does tell the story from the Orcs perspective makes it a compelling watch. It was the highest-grossing video game before Detective Pikachu came around. Gamers who loved the game from Blizzard entertainment highly critiqued the film but watched it nevertheless.

If you are a movie buff, you should definitely give all of these a watch and, I am sure some of them will definitely push you to try your hand on the games themselves.

Hey there, I’m Oliviya . I’m a web developer living in USA. I am a fan of photography, technology, and design. I’m also interested in arts and web development. Read my Blog Like, Setupost

Source: https://setupost.com/10-best-movies-based-on-video-games/

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Lupine Publishers |Excess Weight, Obesity, Diabetes (Type-2), and Clinical Complications

Lupine Publishers | Journal of Diabetes and Obesity

Editorial

According to the National Institutes of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institute of Health, USA, approximately two-thirds of all adults in the USA (167 million), are overweight and a third is obese. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 1.3 billion overweight adults globally. Of these 300 million are clinically obese. The global increase in incidence of type-2 diabetes among adults has more than doubled since 1980, from 153 million to 422 million people, according to a study donein 2014, involving 2.7 million people from around the world. These numbers and statistics keep changing every year, in view of the rapidity with which these twin epidemics are increasing worldwide.Cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs), including hypertension, obesity and Type-2 diabetes, are a growing concern and have become an epidemic worldwide [1-9]. In view of this global concern, professionals and professional societies are putting out current revised guidelines to manage better, these diseases.

Excess weight and obesity are the major driving forces for global diabetic epidemic. Both excess weight and type-2 diabetes lead to various vasculopathies, clinical complications, and ultimately result in the precipitation of acute vascular events, heart attack or stroke. It is estimated, that current worldwide estimate of overweight individuals (BMI>25Kg/m2) will increase from 1.3 billion to 2.0 billion by 2030. In a recent publication in the journal of clinical and preventive cardiology, I discussed some of the recent developments for reducing or reversing cardio metabolic diseases (1). Studies at the diabetes centre at Leicester University, England have demonstrated (personal communication) that 6 hours of standing (during working hours) burns 300 calories (equivalent to walking two hours on the treadmill). On the other hand, Dallas Heart Study has shown that 10 hours of sitting can increase the levels of circulating cardiac troponin, which is indicative of silent ischemia of the heart. We are not sure whether simply standing and burning calories alone will be beneficial to the heart or it needs intermittent high or moderate intensity exercise to keep fit. Do the people who stand and work all day also suffer from silent ischemia of the heart?

Professor Roy Taylor of Newcastle University, England has demonstrated that even in a well characterized diabetic, a low calorie diet will reverse the diabetes. Can one live a normal healthy life with such a low calorie (600 calorie per day) diet? A similar study with a very low calorie diet showed that although one can reduce the body fat drastically from such a diet in a very short time, the effect of such a diet was not in the best interest, as for as the health of the heart was concerned. According to a recent study by Dr Jennifer Rayner, at the Oxford University, UK, a crash diet with low calories (600-800 cal.) may harm heart’s ability to pump blood. Prof. Stephen Phinney and associates at the University of California, Davis, in their 12-week study put 40 subjects on a 1500-calorie diet. Half of the subjects were on low-fat high-carb diet and the other half, on low carb and high-fat diet. Despite the high fat that the low-carb diet group had, at the end of the study the levels of triglycerides had dropped by 50% in this group. Levels of good cholesterol had increased by 15%. They concluded that the dietary fat intake was not directly related to blood fat (Lipids.43:65-77, 2008).“Fat is not the problem”, says Dr. Walter Willet, Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health (LA Times 21/20/2016). “If Americans could eliminate sugary beverages, potatoes, white bread, pasta, white rice and sugary snacks, we would wipe out almost all the problems we have with excess weight and diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

The Lancet’s (The Lancet: Obesity Series: 2015; Lancet 378:838- 47, 2011) five messages on obesity included; the obesity will not be reversed without government leadership; business “as usual” would be costly in terms of population health, health-care expenses, and loss of productivity; assumptions about sustainability of weight are wrong; we need to accurately monitor and evaluate basic population weight and intervention outcomes; a systems approach is needed with multiple sectors involved. According to most estimates, nothing has changed since the Lancet published the first series. Indeed, according to the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, if the post-2000 trends continue, the global target of halting the rise in prevalence of metabolic diseases by 2025 to 2020 levels is lower than 1 percent (Lancet April 2016). Contrary to these expectations, increases in overweight and obesity in adults are widely projected to increase in the coming decades. Roberto et al in their article in the Lancet say “No country has reversed obesity epidemic” (Lancet 385:2400-09, 2015). The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases has clear agreements on what strategies should be implemented and tested to address obesity (WHO: 2013-2020).In this connection, it is worthwhile considering the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “It is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that successful treatment of overweight and obesity in adults requires adoption and maintenance of lifestyle behaviors contributing to both dietary intake and physical activity” (J. Acad. Nutr Diet.116:129-47, 2016). There is considerable interest in the ketogenic diet for weight loss and management of type-2 diabetes. A meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled studies suggested that people on ketogenic diets tend to lose more weight and keep more off than people on low fat diets (JAMA. 2018;319(3):215-217. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.20639). Researchers are speculating, that someday the ketogenic diet may be a better choice as a nutritional therapy for excess weight, type-2 diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fshw.2016.10.003) and some types of cancer.

There is a global debate about the beneficial effects or lack of such effect in treating the risk factors for CMDs versus the robust management of the disease itself as suggested by Professor Jay Cohn and associates at the Rasmussen Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, University of Minnesota. It is generally well accepted that the Western medicine is disease centric in its approach to disease management. It is also claimed that the traditional medicine as practiced in India and China or more geared at holistic personalized medicine and the prevention of the disease. However, neither the Western Medicine nor the Traditional Medicine have successfully managed to lower the incidence of CMDs worldwide. We believe that early detection of the risks for development of CMDs and robust management of these risks is the best choice we have currently. With so many controversies popping up every day, it is not certain as to finally who will decide as to what is the best choice for the management of CMDs, big data-artificial intelligence (machine learning), IBM-Watson or the experienced clinician?

It gives me great pleasure to write this editorial, which expresses some of my views on these topics of great public health importance; excess weight and type-2 diabetes. I hope the Journal, Archives of Obesity and Diabetes will provide a platform for discussion on various strategies and action plans for the reduction and reversal of excess weight, obesity, diabetes, and their clinical complications.

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