#basically regardless of period we as humans all act the same and our towns are unchanging architecturally

[abyss55199794]

“and as we’re entertained the earth will change under our feet.”

a lyric from ‘paper train’ by so long… partner that, within the album, is about post colonialism and queer rights and whatever else those themes may entail but really works with the state of the world now. i watch videos from 10 years ago and think wow, nothing’s changed. i walk outside and think nothing is different. but also, at the same time, when you watch those videos it is VERY different. We are in such a dissonantly seperate time to what we were only a decade ago but people act the same no matter what era you’re in. its a little easier for me to not over distinguish periods as i’m not on social medias, but people tend to fall into nostalgia traps that simply aren’t true past aesthetic contexts. The paths we walk are the same. the colour grading has changed but we watch the same movie, but your mind filters the older stuff so heavily you don’t remember it was more saturated than it really was.

[human-enthusiast]

Absurd Person #1 - Monkey D. Luffy (kid)

 Let’s start with not only the main protagonist of One Piece but also the first character to give Luffy any sort of injury...

...his dumb, seven-year-old self...

*Disclaimer: I don’t own this image - screenshot from Episode of East Blue

The last time I wrote this, I forgot to hit save and my browser just reloaded the page and lost everything. After that I just went “I’m done” and rage quit Tumblr for the night (which I normally don’t do). That’s how my Sundays usually go😒🥴

Now Onward!

Basic Classifications

Real World Ethnicity/Nationality: Brazilian

Class: farm / country / lower class

Culture (the one he grew up around): Dawn Island - Sea-side village

Fishing community

Farming / Ranching community

Hard work ethic

Small and close community members; relatively friendly; little to non-existent conflict

Selective mix of being open towards strangers (especially with merchant vessels for better trading opportunities) and weariness towards those they expect to be harmful (likes Pirates; I’d imagine the people of Windmill Village were understandably unnerved with the Red-Haired Pirates first showing up).

Core values (personal to Luffy): pride, physical strength, adventures on and outside his home village,

Relation to authority: neutral - shifting slightly towards negative (no clear basis of opinion; can only go off on Luffy’s fascination with pirates as the main viewpoint)

(The added information feels a little scatter-shot but figured I give it a try based on little information from the manga panels and how it lines up with real-world similarities. Most information is based on logical speculation and could change with new information in later chapters.)

I know that the Romance Dawn arc consists of the chapters up until he meets Coby and Alvida (I think...), but the depiction of Luffy’s character in the first chapter seems different from when he is seventeen and setting out to sea. So, I’ll treat kid Luffy as a separate character for the first analysis.

First Impressions and Introduction

Now, I am an anime watcher, first and foremost, so my first impression of this character stems from the Anime. My introduction towards this ball of chaos was when he popped out of a barrel, that he put himself into after realizing that a whirlpool suddenly appeared (how he missed it? - It’s Luffy), and then inexplicably took a nap in. That was the absurd reason I was able to stick with One Piece in the first few arcs (until Baratie became one of the major reasons I stuck with it - I’ll explain why when we get there).

And since the first chapter was used for episode four in the anime, I was already somewhat familiar with how the story started and who Luffy was as a kid. However, reading the first chapter felt....different than what I would’ve expected. And because the anime cut out a few details from the chapter, there definitely are some things to take from kid Luffy at that point.

So my first impression was, as follows:

The kid is unhinged...That explains some things...

Complete wild child of a backwater village from Day 1. 

LIKE-- The anime episode DID NOT explain how he got that scar and the guy didn’t bring it up ever. To be fair, that wasn’t a big focus because the anime didn’t make it a focus. Reading that part though did more for his character and a little of his upbringing, through speculation, making it a rather slow-building but also fascinating introduction into this series.

Just a bit of an add-on, but if the manga introduced Luffy in the same level of neutrality as what the Anime did, It may not have fully made it clear if Luffy was going to be the main protagonist. Then again, it’s a shounen manga, maybe it was rather obvious to everyone else. Regardless, his introduction served to 

(1) Make his entrance memorable

(2) Establish his character that could either compare or set him apart from his teen self.

(3) Act as a sort of precursor towards the introduction of Luffy’s world and upbringing (which isn’t completely established until the last few arcs of Pre-Time Skip)

Personality

The best way I could describe Luffy at this point is a stereotypical kid...

Energetic, short-tempered, adventure-seeking, easily impressed, and ignorant...

That last description is actually something I brought up in a separate post about the “Fluid themes” of One Piece. Because I found that a small but overarching part in many (almost all) themes and world issues that One Piece reflects has some level of unawareness or apathy. Jimbe put it best during the Fishman Island Flashback when they found Koala (paraphrasing)

“They are afraid of us because they don’t know us.”

Know us referring to acknowledging them as people on the same level as humans.

Because of that and plenty of other instances from the East Blue, it can be a potential center for many characters who go up against or wish to explore the world and find that they are a frog in a well.

And that’s what kid Luffy represents. A rather aggressive frog in a well that wants out.

Granted, he is a seven-year-old, whose schooling has a closer equivalent to the 16th and 17th centuries of our world, living in what appears to be a farming community, so I’d imagine his education only focuses on at least the basic levels of reading/writing, mathematics, etc. A small, unexciting farming village probably has more concerns over their melon crops rather than what the world has going on. Adding in Luffy, you get a kid who dreams about being a pirate and adventuring outside the isolated village, making him avidly interested in a world he has no experience with. Or in a world he thinks is all fun and games.

That’s pretty standard for any child that has a mild and peaceful life. No doubt Shanks and his crew would tell him stories about their adventures. Not as a sort of attempt to make him a pirate, but because he was easily entertained by it, building up this expectation with stereotypical pirate personas. And whether he has his “destructive” tendencies before they became a fixture in Windmill Village, they definitely seemed to amp it up enough for Luffy to try and prove he was “man enough” to be a pirate at seven years old.

Then when you add in this idealistic expectation with the selfishness of a young child, it creates an opportunity to learn. Because, as any kid may go through, will find that their fantasy of the world won’t be what they expected, and will often react negatively. Luffy’s expectation of Shanks is that he is the strongest man worthy enough to be a pirate.

Now, Luffy’s view of a “real man” stems a lot from this stereotype of men solving their problems through fighting only. Which also embodies this rather damaging philosophy of never running away or backing down from a fight (which I refer to as stupid bravery - something that comes up in a certain other character).

The amazing thing about all the combined aspects of this kid is the ability to create a learning lesson for Luffy. Which can become a motivational factor in his pursuit as a pirate.

His easily impressed nature makes it known both when the Red-Haired Pirates talk positively about piracy adventures and when Shanks leaves the village. The difference between the moments can be showcased by the difference in determination and will to make an effort to achieve his dream. As he declared he wants to be King of The Pirates, he sets himself to work at it, rather than try and go with others.

How He Shapes the Story / World Around Them

I don’t know if anybody else made a similar connection (I wanna say someone DID but I can’t remember where) but in combination with Luffy’s general enthusiasm growing up hearing wild stories, his narrative reminds me so much of Don Quixote De La Mancha.

It’s been a while since I last read that story-- and by read I mean translate some paragraphs from Spanish to English during my Spanish I class in freshman year of high school. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Part I entails an old man who, after indulging himself with various stories of knights and valor, decides he wants to partake in his own adventures. Under various delusions and misadventures, his story becomes a rather well-known one.

Don Quixote was called the first “modern book”. That was something my Spanish teacher mentioned regarding its acknowledgment by the world and always stuck with me. It was one of the first stories of the early medieval period to focus on a regular man. Other stories before this tended to be about legends, gods, demigods-- individuals who often were referred to as legends because they were born into high status (often above humans). Either through original texts (often for religious purposes) and then through varying interpretations (such as the Arthurian Legends), these tales were a part of the status quo.

Kid Luffy is a person that reflects so much of the Don Quixote story (And not just because his village has windmills-- the most iconic scene about the knight’s story). He is that simple, normal boy that longs for his own adventures when there seemingly is already a well-talked-about story about someone who achieved infamy. In place of that is a man named Gold Roger whose execution we see in the manga’s opening. At this point, we don’t have much understanding about how it impacts the world as of yet, we just know it is setting up for something significant to the story.

Luffy becomes that “regular” person from a small-town with big expectations for a grand adventure.

That perspective can slowly build into the story by starting in a simple setting with a character going through one of the first dynamic changes in his life. Luffy’s experience with Shanks’s sacrifice sets a course in his own adventure. A story that trails into a rather bonkers adventure at the end of chapter 1.

His development is what shaped his world. It’s the way he learns when as it stems from the consequences of his actions. Especially ones where the smaller ones turn out to be very costly, making it a hard lesson that ingrains into the young kid. His actions created by his old ideologies sparked an intense reaction in the people around him. Especially Shanks, who felt he was worth losing an arm towards.

How The WORLD Shapes HIM

So, for the sake of the fact that kid Luffy’s “World” in Chapter 1 mostly consists of Windmill Village, I’m adding in Shank’s and his crew’s influence to extend and further give credence to his influence. Because, as of this point, Shanks represents a glimpse into the life of a pirate that Luffy strives for.

With Luffy being in a quiet environment all seven years of life, there is growth through basic schooling and healthy child development (theoretically since Makino seems to be the most likely one acting as his guardian), instead of doing things outside that norm. Now Shanks is the odd factor that creates new development into Luffy’s dreams and future ambitions. 

The crew’s stories, charisma, and connection towards the kid actively (and probably unintentionally) created a positive expectation if he chose to pursue his dream. While that sounds inspiring, there were also negative aspects. Such as driving his ignorance and impatient nature to seek it out too early in his life.

Shanks then became a mediator. Luffy often has mixed feelings with Shanks as the man begets a level of encouragement while verbally making fun of Luffy for being a kid constantly. Despite that, it doesn’t completely deter Luffy’s ambitions. All it does is slowly drop his high expectations in Shanks after the first bar incident. This is again done by his childish outlook of physical strength and bravery equating to his ideal of a real man.

With Higama, Luffy learns about real-world dangers, and how bravery won’t always be enough to win battles. The same can be said for physical strength but at that moment it doesn’t apply to Luffy. 

Shanks’ and the crew’s involvement helped Luffy’s views change. His expectations are fulfilled, which in turn reveal that he was wrong about them.

Finally, seeing Shanks’ sacrifice unfold drove Luffy into a pang of newfound guilt. By then, he was able to change one part of his world views from a childish fantasy into the beginnings of a mature way of thinking. 

He gains some level of patience. Along with a set goal to work with. Attributes which are identifiable with Luffy in the chapters last few panels.

Patience = Luffy took time to train and learn to set sail at age seventeen.

Set goal = Be King of the Pirates

Add-Ons

When I say that kid Luffy, after Shanks’ sacrifice, gained a level of patience, it is meant as a deduction during that chapter. By no means am I insinuating that it became a permanent trait for his character. Because as of chapter 1, all of Luffy’s personality has yet to be revealed.

And this will apply to other posts for various characters. They may behave in ways during or in response to a particular event but it doesn’t necessarily equate to that becoming a whole personality trait. Calling Luffy patient, with having full acknowledgment of his personality during the bulk of One Piece, is completely off. But, there can and will be moments where Luffy will act patient when he deems it necessary.

This is a little hard to articulate but I hope it makes enough sense.

🏴‍☠️🐒

After-Notes

Here’s my first attempt at this analysis. It felt scattered even after editing everything. Breaking down characters sounds easy (and most times it is) but articulating and connecting things takes a lot of work.

Here's to hoping it gets easier with the next character. And maybe shorter paragraphs.

Up Next: Shanks (East Blue)

[thebleedingman-blog1]

Have a Buyer's Agent When Purchasing Real Estate In Mexico

So , you've reached a point in your life where you think that you've discovered a little about business, finance, contract negotiating, real estate, etc . and have at least a layman's knowledge of law pertaining to each one. Being that savvy, you might also be aware of the incredible golden age locations and values south of the border; furthermore, you would possibly even be considering Mexico as your retirement destination. If you're, you might as well forget everything you've learned and get away from your law degree at home! Mexico, as beautiful because is, has a somewhat different way of doing business and a completely different set of laws. Additionally , all legal transactions, including properties transactions, are done in Spanish. Therefore , for those of you specifically considering locations in Mexico as possible retirement destinations, the next information should give you some insight as to how the Mexican real estate industry works, list some of the possible pitfalls, and quite a few importantly, give you the guidance required to assure a pleasant and reliable experience. In 1984, we made our first realty purchase in Puerto Vallarta; a condominium in Mismaloya, about seven miles south of town. Our subsequently purchase, two years later, was the adjacent condo. One year later, we removed the wall between the two condo rentals and remodeled them into one very spacious two to three bedroom condo. For thirteen years, while still in the Houston, we thoroughly enjoyed visiting Vallarta two or three conditions a year. At some time after the purchases of the two condos, we all noticed that our original escrituras (legal property documentation the same as a title or deed that is held in a fidecomiso or perhaps bank trust) showed the property values to be about 30 % of what we actually paid for them. When we inquired around the discrepancy, we were told that the lower values happen to be used in order to reduce our annual property taxes. The software wasn't until many years later, when we decided to sell the actual condo, that we learned that capital gains taxes were expected on the huge difference between the selling price and the documented purchase price. Ouch, we owed substantial taxes on a paper gain; once in fact , there was very little real gain! We then found that the condo developer entered the extremely low revenues prices on all the escrituras in the condo complex to evade paying substantial capital gains taxes. As we subsequently learned, the developer could have entered the selling price, any appraised value, his cost of construction, or just with regards to anything imaginable into the escritura, and we, being the particular naïve Americans that we were, were at his whim! Upon the sale of the condo, we bought an attractive new mountainside villa with a panoramic view of Banderas Bay, El Centro, and the Sierra Madres. We discovered the new villa advertised in one of the local magazines and even asked our realtor friend to show us the property. The person showed us what seemed to be every property in town, prior to reluctantly taking us to see the villa in the magazine. Some time after buying the villa, we learned that our real estate agent friend received only 10% of the commission on the selling because that was all the listing agent was willing to spend. The listing agent ran the ad in the newspaper and didn't feel that an agent representing a buyer was basically necessary in order to sell this beautiful new villa. Therefore , our agent spent a couple days showing us merely properties listed by his agency before caving within our demands and taking us to the villa of our dreams; one that we have thoroughly enjoyed for more than a decades. These experiences revealed the tip of the real estate iceberg not to mention after living in Vallarta for ten years, we've finally gotten to expose the entire iceberg and share some of the information below. To begin with, there are no licensed real estate brokers or providers in Puerto Vallarta! In fact , there is no mandatory licensing just for real estate agents in all of Mexico because the Federal legislation technique has yet to accomplish it and therefore such legislation continues in limbo. In Puerto Vallarta, where there are well over 80 real estate agencies, there are probably more than 500 real estate agents with minimal qualifications. With the booming real estate market and market that exists today, it's quite obvious why we've got such a diverse group of agents and brokers in Vallarta. In order to have some degree of continuity from agent to realtor, a voluntary association for real estate personnel exists in a variety of areas of Mexico. The Asociacion Mexicana de Profesionales Inmobiliarios A. C., known as AMPI, is quite active in Vallarta with the membership of approximately 50 of the 80 real estate providers in Vallarta. Although membership in AMPI is not imperative and has no bearing on the capabilities of the agents addressing the buyers or sellers, it is considered to be the standard bearer for listing agents in the area. A second real estate association, primarily consisting of Mexican agencies based in the Vallarta area, will be Asociacion de Profesionales Inmobiliarios de Vallarta A. H., known as APIVAC. These associations schedule periodic conferences, execute educational programs, and hold various meetings where individuals attempt to keep their members and the public current regarding activities in the area as well as changes in the Mexican law as it pertains to real estate. They have codes of ethics and they do try to establish uniform sets of operating policies and steps, some of which are in writing, others understood but not documented. Individuals bring real estate personnel together where their members of your accord agree to abide by their organizations´ statutes and codes in ethics while attempting to operate with some degree of continuity and professionalism. For sure, these associations are better than outright still not to be confused with associations such as the Countrywide Association of Realtors or NAR in the US. Dual agent disclosure, designated agency, full disclosure, confidentiality, imputed understanding and notice, implied knowledge, fiduciary duty, loyalty, and also vicarious liability are foreign concepts to the majority of real estate professionals in Mexico. Consequently, misleading or inaccurate statements sometimes made by many of the agents can put both the buyer plus seller in intolerable predicaments in Mexico. Although AMPI and NAR do have a working relationship, one example belonging to the differences between AMPI and NAR is that NAR provides its member agencies with standard statewide list of forms, pre-qualification forms, escrow account and earnest dollars forms, standard purchase agreement forms, letters of motive, etc . In Vallarta, there are no such forms made available from AMPI or APIVAC. Each real estate agency has its own listing form or uses a form provided by an outside for your case owned publisher, which clearly depicts the listing professional as receiving 100% of the commission upon sale from the property. Also, NAR has written and enforceable specifications regarding the handling of commissions and the sharing of fees between the selling and buying agents. Although there are guidelines in Mexico for real estate commissions, they are still flexible, and to some degree negotiable with the seller. The listing agent can then settle commission sharing with the buyer's agent. All other forms alter from agent to agent and are not necessarily written in the finest interest of the buyer. Also, most forms and agreements for North Americans are in English; however the Spanish version will be only document that has any legal standing in South america. Therefore , regardless of what you read in English, a Simple spanish speaking attorney should always represent you along with your agent. A second major difference between the Mexican based associations and NAR has to do with the Multiple Listing Service or MLS. In the States, the LOCAL MLS is controlled and monitored by NAR and is for sale to all NAR agents. In certain Mexican cities, including Vallarta, there is an MLS; however it is not controlled by AMPI or APIVAC. Instead, it is privately owned and run by a local publisher and is available for property searching towards the public at no charge. AMPI members are able to list their real estate on the Vallarta MLS, with the general public as well as the other AMPI and APIVAC members having access to the listings. Once you figure out the inner workings of the real estate industry in PV, you need to learn a little about Mexican real estate law. It is quite complex regarding trusts, escrows, mortgages, treatment regarding taxes, etc . and is often open to interpretation by a talk about appointed attorney, known as a notario. A small percentage of the realty in Vallarta have a fair understanding of Mexican law when it comes to real estate transactions; however the vast majority of them are sorely short of this field. Even with little or no knowledge of the law, they will be stressed to advise you, right or wrong; therefore , the best legal requirement to follow is caveat emptor, or buyer beware! Due to its many pitfalls that a buyer can encounter while selecting real estate in PV, we learned over twenty years gone that it is wise to interview realtors with scrutiny, keeping in mind that a lot all will be promoting their own listings first and appointment your needs second. It's just human nature and with almost no control in Mexico, it's pretty much assured. Also, for the reason that almost 100% of them have listing agreements with the owners, they are legally bound to act in the best interest of your sellers, and not necessarily in the buyer's best interest. Because buyer usually has no contractual agreement with the realtor, he'll almost certainly in all probability get the "short end of the stick" in this clash of interest. Of all places, in Mexico you should find an agent that is 100% dedicated to helping you find the property who meets your needs and satisfies your requirements; preferably, a contractual agreement with an agent with no listings, no axe for you to grind, no ulterior motive, and is exclusively representing individuals and their best interests. A true buyer´s agent in SUN should have no property listings, should have complete access to typically the Vallarta MLS, should know the areas and growth fads in and around Vallarta, should be able to professionally negotiate on the buyer's account, should have a decent understanding of Mexican real estate law, should have an operating relationship with the local notarios, real estate attorneys, escrow as well as title agents, mortgage bankers, insurance agents, inspectors, appraisers, and lastly, your representative must have a thorough working knowledge of any nearby real estate industry and understand the idiosyncrasies associated with the software. Buying your dream home or condo in Vallarta should be one of your best experiences, however without due diligence, it can be a nightmare. Obtaining an exclusive buyer´s agent with 100% resolve to you is a prerequisite for assuring a pleasant beginning of this retirement in Paradise.

[salmonthestoryteller]

Friendships - Roswell New Mexico

I've been meaning to write this for awhile. Friendships are an important part of the Roswell universe, regardless of the version. I will admit that, in some ways, RNM disappointed me on the friendship front in Season One. Partly because everyone was kept so separated during the season. 1x11 has the biggest gathering of characters in one place. But, in the Crashdown group gathering we're still missing Kyle, Cam, and Alex - despite them being in on the alien secret. (We're missing Maria too - but she's not in on aliens.). And while a lot of characters gather again at the UFO Emporium Gala, there is still only a few scenes with more than two characters interacting directly. The lack of group dynamics during the season, and that in the finale they still weren’t brought together but separated once again, is a disappointment of mine that I hope we get to finally see change in s2.

I feel the lack of large group dynamics was in part because most of the friendships we are given in RNM start out fractured rather than the type of Ride or Die friendships the other two Roswell versions have.  In both Roswell High and OG Roswell, we start with both the Pod Squad and Human Squad as groups of three who would pretty much do anything for each other.  However, while RNM sets it up that these characters were like that ten years ago, we are introduced to them with these friendships mostly broken.

The Pod Squad - This is the story we get the most of through season one. The breaks in the trio’s friendship spawn from a few points (Their separation when they were seven, and the Drifter when they were fourteen), but the main one that really broke them was the murders ten years ago.  When it comes to who's going to bury a body with you type of friendship, The Pod Squad quite literally does this twice so there’s the answer.  However, the murders also destroy the relationship the trio once had. As we learn as the season progresses there’s other reasons, because on top of mysterious murders the trio compound two sets of lies.  Michael and Max hide from Isobel that she blacked out and murdered the three girls (to their knowledge at the time), followed by Isobel and Michael using Isobel’s powers to send Liz away from Max when he seems likely to tell her the truth and hiding that from him.

When everything is over all their relationships suffer.  Max and Michael’s suffer the most - with the close friendship we witness in the flashbacks completely destroyed.  Max and Michael are not even really talking to each other at the start of the season and their interactions are mainly antagonistic.  While we see that slowly change as the story progresses, culmination in their talk in 01x11 - their friendship is still not completely healed by the end of s1.

While Isobel and Max are still close, several comments between them hint that their relationship has suffered as well. Max’s “Will you stay out of my life for once?” to Isobel is one. Obviously Isobel has ended up mother henning Max after what happened, and it has not always been welcome. I also feel several comments he makes about her marriage and Noah (before the reveal) hint at a jealousy or bitterness over the fact that hiding the truth from her has led to her being able to get married and settle down while he was left alone. (But maybe that’s just my interpretation.)  After the full truth is known, their relationship is badly damaged.  However, once Isobel places herself under watch, and especially after her nearly dying, they come back together - in many ways better than before.  I feel they are more open with each other in the end of the series.  More willing to honestly support, rely on, and protect each other rather than the sort of bitter or overwhelming version of these things we are first shown.

Isobel and Michael’s relationship seems to have actually suffered the least.  Perhaps because they both felt they were protecting one another. (Isobel thinks Michael killed the girls on accident, Michael thinks something went crazy with Isobel’s powers and she murdered the three girls when not herself.)  Isobel has no problem running to Michael when Max shuts her out about Liz, Noah mentions Michael’s names among the reason Isobel disappears on him which shows that Michael does rely on her as well; Isobel is the one to first verbally protest when Michael suggests turning himself into Liz; when Max shuts them both out after finding out the truth Isobel holes up in Michael’s trailer; etc.  The end of the series is full of more of this relationship, with Michael being the first person Isobel goes to when she thinks the flashbacks are telling her she was in love with Rosa, and Isobel being the first person Michael speaks openly about his relationship with Alex to. (He speaks about Alex to Max, but both times reluctantly and after being prodded, multiple times in the case of 01x11. With Isobel, Michael brings it up of his own free will.)

To be honest, I think Isobel and Michael are the best friendship we are given in RNM, and I adore them. However, I hope that after Max’s resurrection we will get to see more of the three always being there for each other - and not just Michael and Isobel.

The Human Squad - I’m going to start with Liz, Maria, and Alex.  I do have a very different opinion on their relationship than most people.  Because while I feel that, much like the Pod Squad, we are given this friendship that ten years ago was this deep, known each other all our lives, I will dump my boyfriend on prom night if he is a jerk to you, type of friendship, I also feel - like the Pod Squad - we are presented with a completely broken version of that in present time.

I see a lot of people referencing this notion about how they grew up together and how much that means, but… that isn’t my experience in the world.  Especially among those who left small towns behind.  Their best friend is the person they met in college.  Or the person they met once they entered their chosen field.  Many of them never even speak to their childhood friends again, or have a very distant relationship with them.  (I feel like I am ruining someone’s childhood right now saying this.)  It’s a different story if you don’t leave where you grew up, especially in small towns, and people who still live in the same place; work in the same place - those childhood friendships can mature with them and stay strong friendships.  But, honestly, for the most part, the people I have met over the years who left their towns behind end up leaving childhood friendships behind as well.

I think that is very much the take we are given in RNM.  We know Liz basically cuts all contact with Maria.  They say so in their first interaction. And while it is not said distinctly, Alex and Liz’s first interaction hints at the same.  Alex and Maria are more complicated, given that Alex does know what is happening with Mimi. Maria also comments that the Wild Pony is not Alex’s usual place to hang out in their early interactions. Clearly there’s been some contact.  However, I don’t feel it was a lot.  Even Alex’s comment to Mimi of “I’ve come out to you, like seven times” really still isn’t a lot.  Given that one would have been the actual first time he told her when they were teens, that’s referencing six interactions.  In ten years.  Mimi calls Liz “Rosa” multiple times in a single day’s interactions.  There’s also the fact that given Alex’s life there was no way for him to be spending a lot of time with Maria and Mimi.  He went to training, he’s been on three tours, and after he lost his leg he probably spent months elsewhere with recovery and rehab before returning to Roswell.  It just isn’t believable for him to have actually been in Roswell for any length. Whatever future Maria was planning she gave up for her mother.  So, just like they haven’t been in Roswell while she deals with her mother's illness and giving up her future, she was completely incapable of being the type of friend who would hop a bus or plane and go to them if they needed her.  Their lives pulled them apart, and along the way that friendship would have suffered by default.  And it did.

The thing with these three is that we see no hint anybody ever filled that void in their lives that was left by that friendship. They never trusted another person to that length again. Not romantically, not friendship wise. Nobody. So when circumstances bring them together again - they sort of regroup and automatically begin to act like friends again.  However, if you really think about it - it’s a very superficial healing.  On a deeper level, the three do not reconnect.

This is obvious because of the secrets kept between them.  In both previous versions of RNM, Maria is the first person Liz goes to with Max being an alien.  Admittedly, both times Maria is there for the shooting, but it’s more than that.  Liz goes to Maria because she trusts her deeply.  In OG Roswell there’s a period of time before Alex is brought in, but in RH Maria runs to Alex with the secret almost immediately after Liz tells her.  Once again, the trust level is there.  The trust isn’t there with the Human Squad in RNM.

Liz never tells Maria about Max.  Alex, even after Mimi discusses things with him that are a reference to Project Shepherd and the Alien Spaceship, doesn’t go to Maria. Nor does he go to Liz, despite discovering tech that looks partially organic and she is - oh, yah - a biochemical engineer. Maria doesn’t tell Liz what is happening with her mother until Alex forces her hand.  None of that speaks of deep trust.

While what’s happening with Mimi brings them closer, it still doesn’t heal them.  Maria still ends up crying alone over it at the end of the day - Liz fails to return and she doesn’t even ask Alex to stay with her. (She ends up crying on Michael but that was chance and not choice.)  Maria and Liz grow closer, and she does ask her to go to the faith healer with her.  But Maria is drugged and controlled by Noah, and Liz sees the flower in her necklace, the one that was used by Noah, and she still doesn’t even contemplate for one second telling Maria the truth. By the end of the season, Liz and Maria have grown the closest of the three, and I love their interactions.  But this is not a fully repaired friendship, or one where the three trust and rely on each other.  Definitely nothing like their past incarnations in RH and the OG series.

By comparison, Kyle sort of slides in and takes over where the friendship between the three fails - at least where Liz and Alex are concerned.  Kyle and Alex’s friendship fractured in high school, while Liz and Kyle are exes who hook up when she returns to town.  And, yes, you could say that Kyle was already involved with everything alien already so that set them both up to rely on him - but you can also question: why did they?  Alex, as he tells Kyle, is well past worrying about Kyle’s “locker room taunts”, but that doesn’t mean he should place anymore faith in him - knowledge about aliens or not - then he does Liz and Maria.  He purposefully does not look into his suspicions of the cabin wall until after Kyle leaves, yet when Cam approaches him he calls Kyle rather than Liz to find out about Dr Holden - even though she works at the same hospital.

Liz is kind of the same.  Yes, she’s always had more faith in Kyle than anyone else did in the past, and he’s the one who saw the handprint and is a doctor. But he’s been out of her life just as long as Maria and Alex.  Yet when she is questioning Rosa’s death, she doesn’t go to Maria  - who was definitely a good friend of her sister’s and would want to help her discover the truth if she was murdered - or Alex, who’s in the damn military and a hacker - she goes back to Kyle.

I love Kyle, but he pretty much takes Maria’s place. By the end of season one, the human friendships are centered more around Kyle than the original trio. And, frankly, while I love the result, it's because of plot. He takes over as the most trusted person for both Liz and Alex because the writers wanted to tell the story of what happened to Jim Valenti. However, as a result, when you actually focus on character interaction and not plot - it lends itself to the telling that Liz, Maria, and Alex are no longer that close or trust in one another.

Kyle and Alex’s friendship, I’d say is probably the second best of the series next to isobel and Michael’s.  They overcome their past - they’re there for each other as secrets about their families, and especially their fathers, come to light.  They rely on one another, and each take turns talking the other down when they begin to question if their father’s were right.  That is a friendship built on trust.

Kyle and Liz have a deep relationship by the end of the season.  They rely on each other as well, and they care deeply for each other.  Whether this is leading them towards just a friendship, or - with Max’s absence - a relationship we’ll have to see in s2.

Human-Alien Interactions - While we are given lots of positive interactions that could lead to friendships - Kyle and Isobel when she's sick, Max and Maria in Texas and again at her bar, Liz supporting Isobel when the truth about Noah comes out - the only friendship that actually forms in season one between the aliens and humans is Liz and Michael.

Liz and Michael's friendship isn't limited to just 01x09, either. While we see them working together, her making him dance with her, and her reluctantly admitting she likes him to Max in 01x09, it's 01x10 that Michael - equally reluctant - admits to Isobel he does like Liz (which is one of the only humans we ever hear him say that about), and their interactions in 01x11 continue the trend. Liz teases him about how he spends his time, Michael flat out tells her he and Max aren't doing well when she saves them, he teases them about Max about her flirting, and the look they exchange when he promises to protect Maria is gold. These are two people, both who have trust issues, who are building a friendship and putting their faith in one another.

Personally, I think Liz and Michael are the third best friendship RNM gives us - even above Liz and Maria due to the secrets Liz keeps from her. It's definitely among the top friendships of s1.

Hopefully with s2, we'll get a chance for these friendships to grow and this group to finally begin trusting one another, especially in regards to alien-human interactions pls, and more group scenes.  Where are my group scenes?

[antilagardelle]

On Gods And Tyrants

(Name Redacted)

Prof. P____

Conversatio 1

9-15-21

Fewer themes engage the annals of human history with such importunate vigor as the contest of the individual, the collective, and the divine. Each man construes his own ideal configuration of the three, and each lives out this very contest in every action he pursues, whether consciously or not. The timeless interplay between these forces is beautifully exemplified in an equally timeless play: Sophocles’ Antigone; wherein not only may a remarkable depiction be found of the ceaseless clash between God, man, and state, but wherein also is a fourth party to be found mixed with this tripartite dialectic; and that would be the intrapersonal. Upon reading this powerful work from the fifth century BC tragedian, one is met with the ancient and tested observation that whatsoever tumults pervade the individual, shall likewise pervade the state. What manifests individually, manifests collectively in due proportion; and thus, man has yet to know an external war not derived from internal battles; a societal polarization not resultant of intrapersonal divides; a corruption at large not originating in a corruption at home: that is, within the self.

Examining Antigone under a jungian light, it may be observed that the City of Thebes, in which it takes place, is a symbol of the self, and each character an element of one’s psyche. Cities, towns, and houses often symbolize the self in literature, drawing from their consisting in an ordered system of cogs. Upon stepping into this play of Sophocles, the reader finds Thebes in the aftermath of a civil war between Antigone’s two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, culminating in each killing the other simultaneously. To demonstrate the manner in which this rapine of Thebes simulates the rapine of the human psyche, requires first the exposition of a deeper symbol beneath it all, which serves to nourish Antigone’s greater theme. Antigone, Polyneices, Eteocles, and their sister Ismene are children of Oedipus and Jocasta. What makes this disturbing is that Jocasta and Eodipus are mother and son. This would not be the only incestuous taint upon the characters of the story, nor the first in the theban lineage. Not only is Creon, the King of Thebes, Antigone’s uncle, making her affiance to his son Haemon quite close-knit, but Jocasta, Oedipus’ mother and wife, was only a distant cousin from Oedipus’ father Laius to begin with. What is the symbolism behind this? The prevalence of incest in the story, is a symbol of misaligned or improperly differentiated relations between the psychophisiological elements of the self. The warring brothers, whose father is their brother as well, signify the disorders actuated by such a backward psychological alignment. The moral to be extracted--appertaining especially to the relation of the individual, the community, and the divine--is that the political maladies of the community find their direct source in the intrapersonal maladies of the individual; or perhaps more specifically, from his neglect to advance any effort at their amelioration.  

Probing textually for traces of this theme, one is brought to an instance where Creon is expounding on his edict that since Eteocles died fighting to defend Thebes, and Polyneices traitorously against it, only the former shall secure a proper burial whereas the latter will be left for the birds and dogs. Creon describes the latter as having, “sought the taste of kindred blood.”(Hadas 127) It would appear that this selection of words on Creon’s behalf, symbolically relates this clash of brothers to Oedipus’ having conceived four children with his mother, designating the latter as a prefigurement of the former. This theme also crops up in an exchange between Ismene and Antigone in the beginning of the play, while the two dispute Antigone’s resolve to defy Creon’s orders to refuse Polyneices any burial. Ismene says, “How our father perished, amid hate and scorn, when sins bared by his own search had moved him to strike both eyes with self-blinding hand; then the mother and wife, two names in one, with twisted noose destroyed her own life; and last, our two brothers in one day--each shedding, luckless man, a kinsman’s blood--wrought out with mutual hands their common doom.”(Hadas 124) The “Self-blinding hand,” the “twisted noose,” the two brothers shedding “A kinsman’s blood,” and begetting “with mutual hands their common doom,” all symbolize incest in the play, and its representation of a maladjusted psyche. Lastly, one finds this concept broached in one of the synchronized chants of the chorus of theban elders, who periodically add a sort of poetic narration to the play, and who seem to signify a kind of collective voice. After Creon decrees that he will have Antigone thrown in a rocky vault, where she will starve to death, the chorus breaks out into a kind of soliloquy, wherein they lament that, “Love, unconquered in the fight [...] ‘tis thou that has stirred up this present strife of kinsmen.”(Hadas 142) It is as if the family's inbred roots alone are culpable for all the story’s entropy.

The dynamic of the individual and community having now been dissected, the question remains as to the proper station of the divine within this hierarchy. Where is God to be interpolated amidst this convoluted triad? To answer this question may require a rather roundabout course, in order that provision be made for those both of theistic and atheistic (or agnostic) sentiments. Perhaps no scene in the play conveys Antigone’s unshaken purpose so consummately as when she is brought before Creon for questioning. He inquires, in this scene, if she knew his edict forbade Polyneices any burial, to which she replies affirmatively. Creon then asks, “Did you then dare transgress that law?” to which Antigone answers with the same unapologetic certitude that had Caiaphas rend his raiment, stating “Yes, for it was not Zues that had published that edict; not such are the laws set among men by the Justice who dwells with the gods below. Nor did I deem that your decrees were of such force that a mortal could override the unwritten and unfailing statutes of heaven.”(Hadas 134) Regardless whether the reader believes in god or not, a sound argument could be made in favor of Antigone’s resolve. Antigone’s choice to bury her brother--or rather, to sprinkle sediment upon his corpse--derives an adequate justification from a reverence for the innate profundity of the human body. 

To date, all developed nations have laws against defiling the body. A man guilty of murder, who also decimates or skins the corpse of their victim, can and usually will be hit with additional charges for the act, not merely due to the obfuscation of evidence, but also to the act’s inherent profanity against the human body. This is because one’s body is a significant part of precisely who they are. It constitutes no small part of their overall humanity. Now Creon’s pretext for refusing to bury Polyneices is that he is a traitor against Thebes. This, however, begs a dire question: at what point ought the humanity of an offender not be recognized? And to answer this question with anything less than an unequivocal, “never,” is to deny not only the humanity of the offender, but that of the whole race. Reiterating those famous words spoken on that happy day in 1945, “That four great nations, flushed with victory and stung with injury stay the hand of vengeance and voluntarily submit their captive enemies to the judgment of the law is one of the most significant tributes that Power has ever paid to Reason.”(Robert H. Jackson, 1945) This invocation of The Nuremberg Trials is eminently pertinent, as is drawn from the fact that the very value of the assertion of man being the peak of all vices and virtues, individually and thus collectively, is in the very extent to which it is true. Not only is it the case that every individual contains within them the daunting capacity to orchestrate such heinous and vile crimes against humanity as did the Nazis; but even, as a deeper and more frightening psychoanalysis would reveal, the sadistic desire to do so. Within each and every human person dwells both the guards at Auschwitz, and Mahatma Gandhi; Emperor Nero, and Christ himself; The Green River Killer and the Dalai Lama. That is to say, that what makes the antagonists of human history so terrifying is just how human they were; and to bring this back to Creon’s decree, it necessarily follows that to disrespect the human body--as it constitutes a profound and ineffable part of who the man was as a child of God, from a religious perspective, and as a member of humanity, from an atheistic view--is necessarily to miss this important lesson of human nature. The lesson that we all contain the same capacity for evil, and for good. A lesson from which one garners a deeper faculty of self-reflection; and it can be anticipated that a populace who shuns self-reflection, can only precipitate malady after malady, resulting in scenarios as unconscionably wicked as those wrought by the men whose humanity they elected to disregard imprimis. Thus, any failure to recognize the humanity of the worst offender, is itself an offense of no less severity. This failure is averted by handling the bodies of such transgressors with a basic human decency. 

Now the foregoing is not to be misconstrued as an echo of Manicheism. Nor is the aim to imply, by contending all humans to contain the same capacity and desire for evil, that man is incapable of delivering any justice to the wicked. It is true that some men choose to act objectively better than others. But it is only this: a choice. It is a practice; and as such, it denotes that there is some baser nature they must necessarily labor against. The worst crime is in denouncing the existence of this baser nature in oneself, as to do so is to deify oneself; to deify oneself is to empower oneself absolutely; and, to allude to Lord Acton’s famous adage, is to thereby corrupt oneself absolutely. 

There is, however, another argument here being made. It is of the nature of reverence, to connote a sense of mystery in the thing for which the reverence is had. Why have humans entertained such customs as removing hats in church? Why dress nicely for funerals, or weddings? Or to give more dire scenarios: from whence does man derive the notions of not killing unarmed persons, or those who surrender in war? Why is it diabolical to disregard white flags, or enact cruel and unusual punishments on prisoners? There are two primary reasons. The first, is because things are inherently ineffable. The second, because there must be a line that one simply does not cross. That line, whatever it may be, and on account of the limited nature of human understanding, will necessarily have some mystery about it, and therefore, demand reverence. Thus, a world without reverence would be an upside-down and hellish waste, which could only be imagined as The Holocaust tenfold. Depravity alone can ensue from the complete absence of reverence. There must be a space reserved for what is sacrosanct; for what is inviolable; for what is universally unbreakable; and to finally answer the question as to the divine’s place in relation to the individual and the community, this ineffable window of things so superior to man that he dare not violate them, is what we call, God. It is beside the point if one believes in God or not. Perhaps one holds that this space for the inviolable is defined by natural law, or by human altruism. The point is that whatever one designates to fill this position must necessarily have two principal traits. It must be above him, in that he is invariably answerable to it, and not vice versa; and of those things which it demands of him, they cannot always be said to be easy or in line with his personal wishes. These are the things which define God, and outline his relation to the self and the collective, as far as our investigation is concerned. That man whose rendition of God fails this criteria, effectively echoes Creon in thundering, “Am I to rule this land by other judgement than my own?”(Hadas 141)

In conclusion, Sophocles’ Antigone will ever hold a place among the literary classics. The compelling clash of Creon’s indignant rigidity with Antigone’s adamantine resolve, will always proffer a breadth of moral, political, and intrapersonal lessons, as well as entertain its audience. It is a story of love, a story of conviction, and a story of our natures, both the nobler and the baser. Under the lens of the relation between God, man, and state, the play will never cease to yield boundless insights, nor to be fruitful to those who read it.

Bibliography

Hadas, Moses. “Antigone.” The Complete Plays Of Sophocles, Bantam Books 1967, p.127

Hadas, Moses. “Antigone.” The Complete Plays Of Sophocles, Bantam Books 1967, 124

Hadas, Moses. “Antigone.” The Complete Plays Of Sophocles, Bantam Books 1967, p. 142

Hadas, Moses. “Antigone.” The Complete Plays Of Sophocles, Bantam Books 1967, p. 134

Jackson, Robert H., “Opening Statement Before The International Military Tribunal.” Robert H. Jackson Center, November 21, 1945

Hadas, Moses. “Antigone.” The Complete Plays Of Sophocles, Bantam Books 1967, p. 141

[breathinwordsbreathoutknowledge]

Merafong’s Theatre Griot, a master of the craft!

By: Morena Maboe

Recently I had the liberty of sitting down with a gentleman making serious strides in the theatre industry, and as a custodian of arts, sports and culture in Merafong I could not let such talent, consistency and shear tenacity go unrecognized and undocumented. Thabo “Mahavater” Ramaine of Mythology arts foundation is a formidable force to be reckoned with. As I sat down with him, taking all of this down, I saw what remarkable human beings we could all be, by just being passionate with what we do regardless of the obstacles we face.

Thabo’s story with the arts started way back in the year 2000 when he started doing gumboots dancing as an introduction to introduce himself into the arts, in the following year he joined a dance crew that was doing Sbotjwa and drama named Mazibuye Theatre productions based in Khutsong, this is where he also got his acting influence. With Mazibuye, Thabo or “Mahavatar” as he is mysteriously known by his fans and disciples, went on to compete in the North West Cultural Calabash, which was the first competitive theatre and dance festival he attended. The crew went on to compete in the Achimotar Festival that was hosted in Zamdela in Sasolburg, for two years in a row. T, in the same place they also took part in the Bill Cosby arts Festival, here the focus for Thabo was more on Theatre and perfecting the craft. They won the first trophy in the preliminary rounds and also went on to win the ultimate trophy in the finals.

As part of the festival, they had a social which was separated from theatre, named the candlelight poetry session, where each crew had to pick one group member to recite a poem that is not from their original plays. Mahavatar was the lucky guy, but despite trying hard he could only jot down 4 lines, when he got to the stage he dropped 4 lines. Unaware that in poetry there is a category for a 4 stanza poems, he went on to write more of those and his writing skill improved.

Mahavatar went on to join a group named T.K Cultural group and after that Simunye Cultural group, which influenced his love for dancing, they did categories ranging from street dance, Sbotjwa and gumboots dancing.

Upon joining what S’thibo terms as “the best school” in Joburg when it comes to theatre, the Afrika Cultural Centre (A.C.C) in Newtown, falling in the ever so capable hands of Benjy Francis, the Khutsong raised lad fall in love with a new style of dancing termed as contemporary.

His first professional production was done in 2008, at the A.C.C. written by renowned play writer Zakes Mofokeng produced and directed by Benjy Francis named “the Train”. Other plays he took part in include “The Vicious circle” by Benjy Francis which was part of the annual student production at A.C.C, “the calling” written & directed by Sello Modisadife, “Visions” also by Modisadife and “The Cult” played at the Cultural Calabash also from the same writer. Upon leaving at A.C.C he played in a production while residing in Soweto, Protea North called “Sa Mme”. Thabo later learned was selected to go for training in Denmark but he had already returned home and had phone problems, so he could not be reached.

When he explains it he describes contemporary as breaking the rules of classical ballet but still keeping to the underlying philosophy of classical ballet dancing, however he was more fascinated by the feeling that came with contemporary style of dance. Under the mentorship of Benjyi Francis, he became more aware of the physical side of theatre, which includes basic techniques, understanding how the body moves and blending that with self-expression. On a second level, in he came in contact with the depth that came with theatre that is using your imagination and feelings. This is where he transitioned as an actor and also developed his own signature style.

Mahavatar’s recent work include Komeng by the legendary Sello Maake Ka-Ncube that they played in all 9 provinces for a period of 8 months in 2018. After auditioning at the Market Theater in November of 2018, hosted by the Luthando Arts Academy, he played in Amawethu dance theatre production in 2019 produced by Luyanda Sediya. One of the highlights of S’thibo’s career was playing in “Buwa” a musical written by the iconic South African composer and musician Caiphas Semenya in 1986 about the injustices of apartheid. Directed by Sello Maake Ka-Ncube and music director Tshepo Mngoma the music extravaganza celebrated Mr Semenya’s 80th birthday in style at the Market Theatre. Mahavatar exclaims that the experience was great as he got a chance to work with some of the best actors and musicians in the country, the likes of Sipho “Hotsticks” Mabuza, Zwai Bala and the legendary Tshepo Tshola, ‘the experience was great because once you work with the greats it means you are great, and you catch impartations from observing how they do things, how they produce and to see the whole process’ Thabo explained.

He played a pivotal role in the play because of the character he was portraying. Thabo played Paulus De Villiers, the minister of Defence during the apartheid era, from the National Party (NP) government, he had to portray a hardcore apartheid white man role, played in a Boar accent. The play takes setting in a conference room scene. Thabo explains that he had to bring his A-game as the show reeked in audiences from across the country, including the likes of politician Julius Malema, it was sold out three days before the actual musical.

Mahavatar’s own productions include the award winning “Mount Havilla” piece which won both Best Actor award and Best Production, in 2015 and 2016 respectively, at the Spear Arts Festival hosted in Ekhurhuleni. Thabo says the play was inspired by the journey of spiritual growth, it came from also reading and researching a lot about different spiritual leaders and being introduced to meditation and dealing with himself. He also started writing about the key to self-transcendence and spiritual searching everywhere only to find the key within yourself. The path to “Mount Havila” is not to be taken as a physical journey but a raw metaphor, its abstract theater mixed with experimental theater.

His Own productions

In 2017 he produced a play called “Black Smith” which started out as a one man show, he later decided to franchise and create and extended version of the paly and called it “the Archives” which was a 4 hander piece that was set in nice library setting. He performed it in 2018, there was more demand for it outside of Merafong. He was approached by The Archives center in Krugersdorp to render the play there, at the center people around the Gauteng area can track their family lineage, and it also keeps records and archives from apartheid land dispositions, upon opening Gauteng Premier, David Makhura was quoted saying “The facility will help us preserve societal memorabilia of historical value of Gauteng and its people. It will store official public documents that are 20 years or older from various entities including government, NGOs, and learning and research institutions. This will eliminate cases of distorted history told by different people from different angles,” The center has been in operation since 2017 and has already received records and information from departments like the Sedibeng District Municipality, Emfuleni Municipality, City of Johannesburg, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Transport, Sport, Arts and Culture, and Recreation https://krugersdorpnews.co.za/368190/new-archives-centre-will-keep-our-history-safe/ As a result he had to display an industrial theater piece that was more educational .

Mahavatar went on to write “The Proposal”, which he feels is very different from his signature style of theater. The play was about the plight against Gender Based Violence, the lack of ‘mental hygiene’ from guys. In the play he portrays this guy that uses a marriage proposal to control his woman and keep them obedient, traits he learned from his father. The piece aims to focus more on men, the journey to violence, how men perceive themselves and their emotional intelligence. Tackles how we can cleanse ourselves and to redefine ourselves, standing up to our demons as men.

Beyond Clandestine which Mahavatar explained as meaning an “inner core truth” is a YouTube film series that was born during the corona lockdown with all the news and conspiracy theories and seeing people’s response, also seeing how the systems has us under their thrall and manipulates us. In the series the lead actor goes on a journey to uncover the truth beyond what we are given and uses a militant approach, but later realizes there are other ways to fight the system.

After completing a 6 weeks course in filming in Cape Town, he used his skills to produce these series, set up in his garage is a large green screen which is used to create the location in the background of the videos, and he uses Computer generated images (C.G.I) to edit and not an actual tangible location. With the training budget from the company he is currently working for he did this digital film, the vision with this project going forward is to grow, cast more actors, gather more resources and take the work mainstream while creating a profile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzywGzaMWgk

The production of the Nomads was not planned, it was a default film born from the 48 hour film project 2020. It is an adrenalin race for who can produce a film in 48 hours with the given directives from the competition hosts. You are provided with certain elements that you should add in your film, like a prop, a character name, and a line that must be said somewhere in the film from 2 genres either a silent film or action. They were nominated for best costume, best produced film, best musical composition as the music used in the film was self-produced by them, and lastly best cinematography. All this work that was to be produced in 48 hours was submitted 12 hours before deadline meeting all requirements.

It was screened at Sterkinekor Theater at mall of Africa on the 23rd of October 2020 to a full house. They plan to reshoot for a 2021 screening, with the aim to later merge it with “Beyond Clandestine”

Beyond Clandestine, an “inner core truth”

Mahavatar aims to finish season 1 of “Beyond Clandestine” with episode six, and start season 2 with a bit more resources. In theater he plans to do “The Archives” and a new version of Mount Havila done in a musical fashion named “Lere la Moya”.

The Nomads; a “race for time” film

[sammierogers]

How It All Got Started

With 2018 just around the corner, I find myself looking back on three years of Detroit Invasion events. It has been a truly interesting and totally unexpected ride. A lot of people have asked how it got started and why. I guess it is time to put that down in writing both as a chronicle of sorts, but also as an explanation, since a few people, I fear, have misconceptions about these remarkable events.

To be quite honest, Detroit Invasion began by accident, and quite unintentionally. No one knew what was starting at that time, and the success and growth has been amazing.

At the beginning of 2014, after a lifetime of hiding from myself and every other human on Earth, I finally emerged into the light of day as myself, full of trepidation and some panic, and totally unsure of much at all, beyond the fact that I could no longer live my life in fear. I did not step out shyly and cautiously. I was more like a race car waiting for the light to change. I fairly exploded out of the gate, so strong was the pent up need formed over many decades.

In that first year I became a regular member of the local Detroit transgender community, and found I loved socializing with other girls. I discovered I loved to dance. And, I was blessed by many wonderful new friends who all helped me more than I can say. I just assumed the Detroit community, with it's friendly, warm, all embracing sense of family, was much like any other TG communities anywhere else. I have since learned this is not entirely true. From what I have seen, many cities have larger but far more balkanized communities rife with back biting and cliques. Detroit is not like that.

During the same period, I attended several large TG events around the country, exploring, watching...listening and learning. At most events, I found similar experiences.... a lot of workshops, classes and speeches, followed by some night time social events. But, honestly, the experiences left me disappointed. I am not young, but I am computer literate, and I know how to do research. And, beyond that, a career as a well trained professional actor has given me a good understanding of psychology and the ability to critically analyze complicated questions. For me, the classes and seminars, covering everything a transgender person might need, from medical advice to legal advice to such things as “ladylike behavior and comportment” were unnecessary... I confess, the last had me positively rolling with laughter....but then, I do know there are girls who need such things. For me, nothing in these classes offered me anything I did not already understand either from research or personal intuition. Rather, for me, the large events were about meeting and getting to know other people like myself...about discovering the breadth of experience in our community.... about making new friends, listening to other experiences, and, most of all, just having a good time in the company of other people who “get it”. For a degree I was disappointed by events that took themselves so seriously that the “fun” was given little attention. I'm a rock and roll girl. And I'm in no hurry to start acting or living like an aging grandmother.  I have too many years of missed experiences to make up for still. At home, much of our time together as a group was spent in social activities of a different sort, with a lot of time in nightclubs dancing. Detroit girls like to party and have fun. I went to events expecting a bigger and better version of this and quickly discovered an average Saturday night in Detroit was a better party than I could find at most national events. In fact, at several events that first year, as part of a group of Detroit girls in attendance, I found that other girls started asking around to find out what the “Detroit Girls” would be doing that night. It was eye opening. Apparently, we were not the only girls looking to kick up our heels a little.

In late 2014 I attended the Erie Gala in Pennsylvania with my friend Donna. There I met a couple of girls from Ohio who seemed of a similar mindset to those of us in Detroit, at least in regard to having a good time. We got to talking about our home communities, and they were intrigued. We invited them to come for a visit and see for themselves. A weekend in January of 2015 was agreed upon and the die was cast. I got online on a chat board used by many of the local girls and let them all know a couple of guests would be in town.

Let me pause and say this...on any given Saturday night in Detroit, the two main bars/nightclubs where TG go to hang out will host from 20 to 40 girls. On any given Saturday night.

That first weekend in January of 2015 we planned for both Friday and Saturday night. Friday was small and intimate. About 10 of us were there, altogether. You all know who you were, I am sure. Many claim to have been there. I can name names of the few who actually were. Regardless, it was a tiny affair. But the following night, when I walked into the bar, there were well over 100 people there. It was jam packed. I had never seen so many girls in that bar before. And it was an amazing night. So amazing that we all vowed we would have to do it again. And so we did, the following April. Only now, it seemed like our little event needed a name.

In the run up to the first weekend, one of our local girls had gotten on the chat board and asked “What's all this I hear about some t-girl invasion of Detroit?”

The name stuck. That April we held the second Detroit Invasion (Mk II). And that is how it all began.

But there is more.

A lot of people misconstrue the intent and actuality of Invasion events. Operating without any real knowledge or understanding (a common way to form opinions in America, unfortunately) many people think the Invasion events are nothing but “wild, over-sexed crossdressers”. Nothing could be further from the truth, although, in this Trumpian age of fake news, it seems no one need let actual facts get in the way of their own beliefs. And, sadly, within this vast community that we call “transgender” there remains a lot of backbiting and gossip and much of what we term a “trannier than thou” attitude. For the uninitiated, “trannier than thou” (Sometime shortened to “Triple T”) refers to a sad but all too common form of self aggrandizement that targets those considered further back on the road to self acceptance as somehow unacceptable and “lesser than”, and as such the target for scorn and derision. It is an ugly and unfortunate phenomenon that serves to divide us instead of finding commonality. It defines people by labels instead of facilitating understanding.

Here is the thing. Critical thinking in this country seems to be in sad supply. It has been replaced, it seems, by the habit of “feeling” an answer to a complicated problem, and then attempting to rationalize those feelings through thought. It leads to a lot of faulty logic and poor conclusions. Actually, all too often, even the attempt to rationalize feelings is absent, as more and more people go through life forming totally emotionally driven and, often, totally illogical ideas.

So... here is the truth about Detroit Invasion events.

Yes, they are social only. We make no attempt to laden them with classes or speeches.

Yes, they are a lot of fun, at least for anyone who knows how to have fun. But they are not “a bunch of oversexed crossdressers”

Far from it.

Detroit Invasions are totally egalitarian when it comes to the transgender umbrella. There is no litmus test to determine if someone is “trans enough”. Our Detroit family accepts everyone. Everyone is welcome. As such, we have all kinds of girls, from fully transitioned post op through pre op, through non op.... we have full time, part time and first time. In fact at every single Invasion we have welcomed at least some girls “out” for the very first time. No girl left behind. It is a big tent and we welcome everyone with love, support and warmth.

But, on another level, Invasion events are political. Visibility is a political act in our world. And, at Invasion, girls are very visible. There is political empowerment working on two levels. On one level, those of us too shy or inexperienced to venture into totally public spaces are able to safely do so, visiting, as themselves, everything from nightclubs and bars, to river boat cruises, casinos, theme parks and auto shows and more. Further, Invasion events are political because they force mainstream people in these spaces to interact with transgender people (often for the first time). Many mainstream people have never knowingly met one of us. And even when they do find themselves in the same space as one of us, such as at a restaurant, interaction rarely takes place. This is not the case with an Invasion event. It is hard, if not impossible, to not interact when the space you are in is suddenly “invaded” by 50 to 100 happy, gregarious, transgender women. And in that unavoidable interaction, people discover we are not strange and exotic, not cartoons, not sexual predators, but rather some pretty nice, happy, warm, and fun human beings. Much like anyone else. We become familiar. That word....”familiar” ...the root of that word is family. In a sense, we become family. If you fail to grasp that fact about Invasion then you miss the point entirely. Invasion events are political action events on a very basic, non threatening level. But, of course, they are also a lot of fun.

Our team has now grown beyond just me and includes half a dozen or more over worked volunteers. Together, we plan, coordinate, and host four three day events each year. Each event is similar but each is different with aspects tailored to take advantage of seasonal opportunities. We bring in girls from all over the country. By memory, our “little” event has drawn girls from the following states and provinces... Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Tennessee, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, New Mexico, California, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, West Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey and Ontario …. and I have probably missed a few. Each event draws between 100 and 150 girls. Because each event brings out different girls, in total each year we affect the lives of more than 350 transgender individuals. By that count, we are larger than several of the “major” national transgender events. And we are growing. In 2018, if all goes well, TGDetroit, the sponsoring organization for the Detroit Invasions, will attain full non profit status. And plans are already in place not only for Invasion events and activities running through the next two years, but also for TGDetroit itself to grow into a full transgender support agency where the Invasion events will only be a small part of our expanding goals. With your support and a lot of work we will be able to help a lot of girls.

Because, ultimately, as much fun as it is to “have fun”, this is about way more than that. Far too many TG live lives of quiet desperation...attacked physically and verbally, abandoned by friends and family, fired from jobs...and all simply because the average American remains uneducated and ignorant about us and harbors misconceptions that lead to hatred and abuse. It is a war zone out there for a lot of girls, and a lonely life in those personal trenches. Detroit Invasion is about giving girls a three day pass every now and then to get out of those trenches, and breathe freely for a while. To let their hair down in a safe space among family who really treat them as family. They are more than parties. Every girl that comes to Invasion becomes part of an ever expanding family and Invasion events are truly a lot like family reunions. And even beyond that, what we do is all part of a plan and vision to move the ball down the field... to try, in some small way, to make a difference and make life for girls down the road a little better. It's our way of saying thank you to the girls who helped us. And, be sure to understand this.... TGDetroit is not about making it easy for a few “passable” girls to fit within some archaic and mythological gender binary. TGDetroit is about tearing down that binary....destroying it and every shred of pain it has caused... and replacing it with a world where all of us, from across the entire gender spectrum.... ALL of us....have a place that is safe, secure and respected. That is our goal.

Those of you who know me personally will have heard me say “I just throw parties” Yes, it's true. That's what we do. But, it's also lot more than that. Instead of just having an opinion....come see for yourself. We will make sure you feel like part of the family.

[coniaz]

A rejection of movement: my story with the lgbtq+ community

Hello, I’m an LGBT youth, and I would like to discuss my experiences that include this community, and my current views on it.

Im not going to deny the fact that there are lots of amazing people who are part of this community, and some of my greatest friends, (along with the person who has helped me get my job as a lighting technician) have come from this very community, and I love them with all of my heart...unfortunately, that’s where all the good stuff ends

Within my experience with this community, i have faced backlash and have seen the true colours of those who have been a part of this group for some time. I never grew up in a household where views were forced onto me. Instead, I gained knowledge of different kinds of religions, lifestyles, etc. Along with this, a basic understanding, and an even bigger understanding of my own country’s history while doing research on it myself since it piqued my interest. This allowed me to form my own views, unique to me. This is where the trouble starts. My first time at pride was spectacular, and I was interviewed by an lgbtq+ organisation member who was doing reports on lgbt youth. He started to ask me how I realised I was the way I was, and how I discovered my sexuality, and when I “came out of the closet”. My response was that it was something that naturally developed, and because of my beliefs in people liking whoever they want, i do the same thing. I then told him that it is a sexual thing, and that the term sexually refers to the person’s sex, their genetalia. Yes, personality is important, but sexual attraction is something that built up basic civilisations and their views on sex, even hundreds of thousands of years ago. I proceeded onto my story on how I came out of the closet...which there really isn’t one. I just brought home and introduced whatever partner I had at the time. There was no “hey, mom, dad, I’m gay” type thing. They never cared. And that’s how I believed it should be, you don’t announce your sexuality, just do what you want, date who you want. He didn’t seem to like my answer, as I believe he was expecting something bigger. He thanked me, and left. While I thought this would be the only scenario, this was not the case.

I started getting involved with my town after I started walking around with friends post shows (I work at a theatre, remember?) I saw a lgbtq+ Center, and I thought “what the hell, they have food”. So I went inside, met some people, and we talked about how we felt about our sexualities. I talked about the same thing I talked to the interviewer at Pride. Some people in the group were very interested in what I was saying, and said that I was good for not making it a big deal, as my sexuality is a part of me just like anything else that’s a part of me. This didn’t go well with the rest of the group though. One of the women there said “well good for you, some of us don’t have that luxury”. I questioned her, and simply asked her to elaborate and explain why anyone can’t acknowledge their sexuality as a part of them if that’s what it really is. After this, she got up from her chair and started yelling at me. The others calmed her down, and then they switched the topic to what lgbt+ really means. They said that it really is a way to spread equality and acceptance of diversity. Once this was said, I questioned again with “if its promoting diversity, then shouldn’t the people part of the community be open to diverse opinions brought up by the members of the community?” They flared at me, and I was asked to leave. Those who were interested in my views left with me. We decided we would like to see how much of the community is like this...but as the summer continued, we’d soon see that there’s an abundance.

Pride road trip: my friends and I decide we’re gonna attend pride in several different states, and we’re all gonna drive there. We all had SUV’s and trucks. I was driving my current partner, and friends from school + my coworkers (I had a big suv my uncle gave to me once he bought his tesla). Our first stop was Oregon. Portland Pride was interesting, and was a perfect chance to see who was just like those at the wellness Center. So my cowerkwr and I set up a table and decided we’d discuss with other people. We eventually got a crowd of people, and they wanted me to talk. I went on to discuss my views, and by the time I was finished, I had people starting to tell me to shut up, or threaten to hit me, saying I was “betraying” the community. As we continued our road trip, this happened more and more. New York was the worst one though. Our table was destroyed, and I was almost pepper sprayed by a drag queen. On our way back, we decided to hit up San Francisco one more time since their pride was going on. We grabbed what was left of our table, fixed it (I always have my toolbox in my suv) and set it up. SAN Francisco was full of conflicting and diverse opinions, which makes Ohio, California, Texas, Indiana, Wyoming, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, and Georgia the states where we encountered those diverse opinions. However...this was just the one summer. We wanted to see what would happen at an lgbt ralley...

Ralley in LA: We made signs, saying we were so called ���betrayers” of the lgbt community. And almost 80% of the people we encountered (which was a LOT) said that they agreed. Not even halfway into the event, my sign was taken away by a mid 20’s individual, and I had to call security. When I got my sign back, he said my parents should’ve disowned me, because people like me are the real ones who deserve to be mistreated.

All of this brings me to my thoughts. On the matter. I turn 18 in a few days, and it’s been a bumpy past 3 years. But here’s my final thoughts. The lgbt community is wonderful, in terms of the people that are in it...some of them. But most of them are tricked into this mindset, of having it only one specific way that Is spoon fed to them in the form of corrupt publicity and false media (I know, I sound like I just took a red pill). But in reality, from someone who doesn’t identify with a specific party, that is what’s going on. It can technically be called brainwashing, and I believe it is what’s tearing this country apart. It isn’t those who don’t support the community period, it’s those in the community who are brainwashed into thinking that it should only be one way, instead of being open to new ideas and new thoughts, and actually paying attention to what a person says instead of acting out emotionally. And, in the end, what I believe in is that you don’t have to identify with a community to stand up for what you believe in. I don’t believe in taking part in pride anymore, because the people who attend those parades are those who have been pretty much brainwashed by (and I hate to point fingers) a political party that, and if you have a basic understanding of US history, has never helped any minority period. They started not only slavery, but never before the 2010’s stood up for lgbt rights. Then when that time hits, they swoop in, and take credit for everything. They didn’t do shit. The people who fought for rights years ago to hold these rallies now and speak freely for what they believe in like I did are who we should really be celebrating. Not a corrupt political party who’s only current job is not to promote democracy, but to promote a one way of thinking type world. That’s not democracy, that’s the government trying to take away free thinking and a freedom of speech that was given to every person, regardless of race, sex, height, sexuality, etc.

So now, I have shared my point of view. If you have a conflicting one, that’s great! You are directly acknowledging and doing what the lgbtq+ community and any human right community wants you to do. To be open and diverse, and be able to listen to those opinions and views that are different than yours.

Well, that’s enough of me, let me know what you think.

-CONIAZ

[lareporteragonzeauxblog]

The border and its wall

‘The U.S. - Mexican border es una herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms, it hemorrhages again, the lifeblood of two worlds merging to form a third country — a border culture.’ — Gloria Anzaldúa, Borderlands/La Frontera

Ambos Nogales (both Nogales) refers to the southern border towns of Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Mexico. Once a binational border region characterized by frequent movement back and forth, the two towns are now starkly divided by the steel monstrosity that is The Border Wall. Ambos Nogales also happens to be the place where I had my first encounter with this notorious North American landmark.

Hailing from Minnesota, the Southwest is in and of itself a somewhat foreign concept to me: rugged mountains protruding from barren landscape, scorched earth miles and miles from the nearest lake or river, plants that flourish despite intense thirst. As my boyfriend and I drove south from Tucson, I found myself lost in the captivating scenery, with no sense of place or time. I am loathe to admit that I’m not much of a geographer, but arriving in Ambos Nogales really threw me for a loop: I could not fathom that I was at the southern border. The border between the United States and Mexico. The infamous border that has been the topic of so much conversation and frustration and misunderstanding and pain. This was it — the place I had always heard of but could never conceptualize. The place I had always envisioned but was not ready to see. Prior to my current position, I had worked with immigrant communities hailing predominantly from Central America, had heard briefly their stories of travel and migration. Most shared their reasons for heading north but kept quiet about the particularities of crossing the border. A few folks spoke about hiring a coyote or guide to help them along the perilous journey, but, again, evaded details about the act of crossing. The border was a mystery to me then, a very real but seemingly esoteric physical space between what is there and what is here.

The violence that is the border really began to materialize for me once I started working with detained immigrants. In part, this is due to the nature of my work: I have the privilege of listening to peoples’ stories on a regular basis with the mutual understanding that I will keep any information shared with me confidential. I am therefore privy to intimate details about many, many aspects of their lives. One of the principal facets of screening someone for eligibility for counsel with his or her immigration case is a detailed discussion of migration history, and specifically of entries and exits to and from the United States. As I listened to more and more stories, I started noticing patterns and trends amongst those who crossed the southern border: most migrated from Mexico, followed by Guatemala and El Salvador, then Honduras; many came alone to join family or to send support back to family that remained, while some journeyed with siblings or parents or friends; some paid coyotes or guides to accompany them throughout the journey, others had support at certain points along the way, and many traveled without any guidance; some were apprehended by immigration officials at the border, and of those some were sent right back from whence they came, while others were arrested and detained or held within four walls for days before release on orders of supervision; others evaded detection at the border altogether and entered without inspection, forging their paths in the United States best they knew how in a country where the citizens demanded their labor but were not sure if they belonged. Despite the variations in their migration stories, these individuals had all undergone one pivotal experience: crossing the southern border between Mexico and the United States. And the outcome of that singular shared experience set the course for each and every one of their lives.

Needless to say, I was somewhat overwhelmed as I approached the imposing steel structure that I had heard mentioned so frequently, that towering symbol of division where “enforcement priorities” take precedence over basic human rights. Ian (my boyfriend) was eager to tell me facts about the wall’s history, to highlight landmarks and points of interest, to experience the border with me. But as I stood peeking through the 4-inch spaces between the steel posts that comprise the wall at Nogales, Mexico — the other Nogales, the othered Nogales — I fell silent. I had no words to say, and I could not receive any. I felt strange standing mere feet away from people going about their daily lives as I peered into their world from higher up on a small precipice that gives way to Mexico, from behind a hideous structure my government had built specifically to keep them out. I felt ugliness and cold standing there, division and sadness. The houses behind me looked no different than the houses I was looking at on the other side. The loud cries of hungry dogs resounded just as loudly in Nogales, Mexico as in Nogales, Arizona. I pressed my face against the steel, putting all my weight against its unmoving mass. Its existence felt foolish, embarrassing even. As Ian explained, The Border Wall is policy. Nothing more, nothing less — just policy. An enormous, ugly policy. And the Border Patrol agent that drove frantically over to us as we stood peacefully at the wall was simply a manifestation of that policy and its ubiquitous presence in this space.

We returned to Ambos Nogales the next day so Ian could teach me more about The Border Wall. A different Border Patrol agent was parked in the same place along the wall, waiting for something that most likely wouldn’t come. We walked along the rusting steel while Ian taught me about underground tunnel systems for transporting extrajudicial goods across the border, bi-national community gatherings in solidarity at the wall, and the historical use of metal runways from the Vietnam war for its construction. Once that part of the tour concluded, we hopped in the car and drove along a winding road that twisted its way up into a vibrant neighborhood with houses built into the contours of the terrain. At the end of the paved road, we turned onto a dusty dirt road that felt like some place we shouldn’t go. It paralleled the wall for miles and miles, and the only vehicles in sight were Border Patrol cars parked at regular intervals along the way. We drove for quite a time, rising and falling with the rolling landscape. Ian pointed out low points in the wall at which gates had been built to release debris accumulated during periods of heavy rainfall. Floodlights were haphazardly placed at intermittent points along the way, another eyesore in what was otherwise a gorgeous valley of trees and shrubs and gold and green. 

The Border Wall, which had been so imposing and obstructive between the two inhabited towns of Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Mexico, suddenly seemed an entirely unnecessary thing. Not that it was necessary anywhere, but out there in that wide open, tranquil setting, it seemed especially ridiculous. In town, it was obvious what the wall meant to keep out: human beings. Out there, in the silence of rolling hills and gentle winds, the wall’s futility was highlighted. As I stood looking over at Mexico from atop a high point on an Arizona hill, I was even able to ignore the wall’s presence for moments at a time: in several places, the steel structure dipped below sight line between two parallel apices flagging the border.

The wall’s architecture prevented it from conforming aesthetically and harmonically to the landscape that is served to divide. Perhaps this was intentional, an obvious reminder of its presence. Regardless, I couldn’t help but pity the hideous thing — the rigid steel palings stood erect in direct opposition to the gentle fluidity of the terrain. A blemish on what would otherwise be a perfectly beautiful and bucolic setting. 

Our “border tour” ended with an event that sums up and exemplifies well the utter foolishness of the thing. Let me preface what happened by explaining that, in my rushed panic to make my flight out of Atlanta on time, I had forgotten my passport in my car. Naturally, I assumed this meant that crossing over to Mexico and returning without issue to the United States was an impossibility. However, Ian and I decided to give it a go. I had my driver’s license on me, so we went to the sanctioned Customs and Border Protection (CBP) crossing in Ambos Nogales and asked the first CBP agent we saw about the possibility of crossing sans passport. I was ready for a swift and stern “no.” However, the agent, who happened to be one of the friendlier and most reasonable people I’ve spoken with, told me that, with the driver’s license, re-entry shouldn’t be an issue. I was surprised, to say the least, and we followed the signs pointing to Mexico in red type. 

We spent a few hours wandering around the highly trafficked pedestrian zoo that is the Nogales, Mexico border crossing zone. As we waited in the long line to return to the United States later that afternoon, I thought about what it would feel like to be in that same line without the guarantee of entry. I found myself feeling nervous about potentially encountering an issue — perhaps the agent that processed me for re-entry would take a different stance than the friendly agent with whom I’d spoken earlier — but I couldn’t fathom the terror I’d feel if I had made a long and arduous journey to this place with absolutely no way to predict the outcome of my attempted crossing. 

There were many folks in line with us, some hauling luggage, others shopping bags, and others nothing. Some people had children and partners with them, others stood alone. Some waited patiently in the line, chatting and laughing, and others shifted weight nervously in anticipatory silence. Some people did not wait at all, passing the line altogether and presenting themselves in an urgent way at the iron revolving gate that stands between Mexico and the United States. It was overwhelming to think about the many different emotions and circumstances that co-existed in this border space: fear, excitement, privilege, disadvantage, loss, gain, separation, reunion. As I moved into the CBP office and approached the desk, I was relieved to see the same agent that had advised me before entering Mexico. She greeted me with a smile, glanced quickly at my license, and nonchalantly permitted me entry into the United States. It was so easy for me. So unbelievably easy to move from Mexico to the United States, to exist in that border space, to “pass” — for me. But this exact same scenario plays out for so many hundreds of thousands of people in such drastically different and life-altering ways all the time. Or, what’s more, people do any and everything in their power to avoid this line and attempting entry at a CBP station. All too often, such evasion comes at extremely high costs, including trafficking, family separation, theft, and even death. 

As we walked back to the rental car parked only feet from The Border Wall, I wondered why we all couldn’t be welcomed to the United States by a friendly, smiling agent who assured us entry with ease. I wondered why we thought a steel barrier made us safer, and I wondered why we were taught to feel unsafe at all. Why a divisive structure instead of a welcoming walkway? I wondered if The Border Wall had truly been erected in response to a perceived threat, or if its construction had subsequently fomented fear, danger and violence. Maybe the mere existence of The Border Wall itself was the true enemy. As I left Nogales, Mexico and crossed into Nogales, Arizona, I just wondered.

[ateamymm]

Fort McMurray Housing Market Recovery: 8 Signs to Look for

You may be reading this, trying to find the “best time to buy”. If so, maybe it’ll be your first home so you’d like to be cautious. Or perhaps you're thinking about purchasing an investment property, and you’d like to maximize your ROI by minimizing the purchase price.

Another possibility is that you are one of the 6400 (or so) people who bought in the period 2011-2014 and your goal is to sell your home, but can’t right now (or won’t). You may be hoping for prices to rise above today’s levels so that you can sell and settle your mortgage pay-out balance. For this to happen, prices would need to stop falling, balance out, and then go up, possibly for quite some time.

In either case, you probably want to know when the Fort McMurray housing market balances out (that is, when prices have stopped falling).

And it will. All markets balance.

Eventually.

I am writing this post so that you can get a sense of how housing markets work and what signs to expect that will signify that the market is indeed balancing (when prices are no longer falling).

If you haven’t yet read our blog “Fort McMurray Real Estate Crash: A Timeline”, doing so will get you up to date before reading on.

How Housing Markets Work

How do we know that the market will eventually balance? Well, it’s the central result of the most basic economic model: Supply and Demand...

As prices fall, there are fewer sellers willing/able to sell, and there are more buyers willing/able to buy (in a given time period). This, in turn, causes inventory to fall and transactions to increase. Eventually, there is the “Goldilocks” number of motivated buyers and sellers in the marketplace (remember the porridge - not too hot, not too cold), and prices stop falling. Regardless of what you may read elsewhere, please note that THAT is how supply and demand works.

However, housing markets are different to financial markets in that it’s not just about money.

On the contrary, most housing decisions are about people’s lives; the majority of buying and selling decisions are a result of people attempting to select a primary property that fits their lifestyle. Over their lifetimes, individuals’ and families’ needs change and they exchange properties. Having a suitable roof over one’s head tends to be the driving factor in what property types people demand and when. This makes the market work a little differently from other markets.

Another strange thing about housing markets is that prices are really “sticky”. They lag events in the wider economy, primarily because, unlike in financial markets, money doesn’t wholly determine decisions (as noted above). Another reason is that that real estate is not as liquid as other assets - it takes time for people to gather information (which isn’t easily available) and the selling process is more complex than say, selling a Suncor share.

The idea of “sticky prices” is important because it gives us a window through which we can see that outside events might impact a family’s ownership decision months or years after the event itself.

This part is important, too:

Families’ budgets and risk tolerances vary because they are impacted by factors outside of their control. For example, elements like government policy, interest rates, wages, fear of unemployment, actual unemployment, etc. Moreover, those changes tend to happen to lots of households at the same time.

Now we can see that outside events tend to later impact: a) The number of homes demanded b) The types/price ranges of homes demanded

So that’s demand. What about supply?

Well, this is also determined by families, as well as firms, who develop raw land into lots (developers) and lots into homes (builders) in order to make profit. It is also impacted by natural disasters. The supply side is really a whole other topic, so, for now, I’ll make the assumption that most of the events of the last few years have impacted the demand for homes, not the supply of them.

Let’s explore how the factors above (total demand and distribution of demand) have changed as a result of recent events...

Total Demand

Here’s a chart[note]The interpretations of the MLS® data are my own and don’t reflect the opinions of the Fort McMurray Real Estate Board or its members. There is plenty of my opinion in here, but the data we are using is super accurate.[/note] that shows the total number of transactions in our local market in each of the last 10 years[note]The data covers sales of all property types only the following areas: Abasand, Beacon Hill, Dickinsfield, Downtown, Eagle Ridge, Grayling Terrace, Henning Ridge, Parsons North, Prairie Creek, Stone Creek, Thickwood, Timberlea, Waterways and Wood Buffalo.[/note]:

[caption id="attachment_27116" align="aligncenter" width="877"] N.B. The 2017 datapoint is year-to-date (it will end the year higher, though most transactions for the year are behind us).[/caption]

The striking conclusion from this chart is that transactions are still running at approximately a 45-50% slower rate than during the boom years. This is despite prices falling significantly. The impact of the oil shock, government policy changes, and the fire have had real, lasting impacts on families, and therefore on the demand for homes at a given price.

We would likely need to see a real sustained uptick in the rate of homes selling. We will explore this in more detail later.

Distribution of Demand

Here’s a histogram that shows the breakdown of sales over the different price ranges in each of the last four years (year-to-date)[note]The data covers sales of all freehold properties, excluding lot sales, in only the following areas: Abasand, Beacon Hill, Dickinsfield, Downtown, Eagle Ridge, Grayling Terrace, Henning Ridge, Parsons North, Prairie Creek, Stone Creek, Thickwood, Timberlea, Waterways and Wood Buffalo.[/note]:

The way to read this chart is just to look at each one of the colours at a time. For example, you can just look at 2014 sales by only looking at the dark green bars. Transactions that year were most commonly in the $700k-$800k price range (follow the dark green arrow).

As the years have gone on, the shape of demand has remained the same (it is shaped like a bell), but that the peak has moved down and sideways. The bright green arrow shows that the most common sale price in 2017 is now in the $500k-$600k price range. Further, it is about half as high as the peak in 2014. This reflects the lower total demand as noted in the previous section.

Let’s explore this a little bit.

Three years ago, the profile of a typical first-time buyer client of ours was as follows:

Down-payment: 5%

Bank’s budget (pre-approval): $800,000

Personal budget: $750,000

Property type: Prefers rental income from a basement suite

Risk tolerance: High

Works: At site

A lot has changed in the last three years. Our community has dealt with a lot. Without going into too much detail (we’d rather not think about it), let’s just say that a lot of families have been impacted significantly by the decisions of firms and governments near and far, as well as by natural disaster.

Therefore, today a “typical” first-time buyer of ours has the following profile:

Down-payment: 15%

Bank’s budget (pre-approval): $600,000

Personal budget: $500,000

Property type: Entry-level

Risk tolerance: Low

Works: Maybe at site, maybe in town

This anecdotal evidence is very much in line with the charts and the theory. The next question is…

What Next?

We’re not allowed to attempt to forecast the market, but we do have an idea of what the next phase might look like, whenever the heck that is: We know prices won’t fall forever.

Prices could stop falling because of higher sales or because of fewer listings in a given time period or (most likely) both.

When prices do stop falling (or are about to), how will you know? In the absence of MLS® data, what signs can members of the public look out for? Which will be the earliest signs? Which will be the most reliable?

Signs of Recovery

1) Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

(And I’m not talking about Steve Jobs.)

Something that usually pre-empts recoveries in demand for housing is jobs. They don’t have to well-paying jobs, but they do need to be local and stable. While the rebuild is huge for the Alberta economy, it’s arguable that the rebuild hasn’t provided many stable, local jobs. Many of the workers are from out of town, and the rebuild is considered a 1 to 4-year event. Anecdotally, we only have one client who has come up for the rebuild and who is buying.

We are starting to see more jobs in town and there are rumors of more at site. Several of our buyer clients right now, for example, work for bus companies or nonprofits, or own their own businesses that they have started up since the cost of commercial space has come down.

So one thing to look for is stable jobs, and lots of them! After that, it’s only a matter of time before those employees save up and buy homes. Don’t just look for them in the news, watch for your job-seeking friends as they all start getting snapped up.

2) Smart People Buying Investments

The “smart money” usually moves in at just the right time.

Your buddy might be buying his first investment property, but it doesn’t mean it’s the perfect time. He’s more likely to be early than late.

What you want to watch for is the “smart money”. People from out of town, foreign buyers, wealthy, experienced locals, companies. These people might start purchasing multiple properties.

3) Despair

Markets can be very psychological. This is because of a thing in human psychology called “herd mentality”, and markets are just a collection of actors making decisions. Check out this amazing diagram:

The idea here is that individuals might make pretty good decisions, but in groups, they tend to act emotionally. Even as individuals, we can be pretty hopeless, to be honest!

This is a made-up diagram from the internet (it’s so widely used that I couldn’t find out who made it up), and it is a real favourite of mine for explaining things. It’s called “Phases of a Bubble”. I could write a whole blog about it, but for now, I’ll just leave it here and say this:

With respect to the real estate market, the mood feels pretty bad around here sometimes (capitulation?). When the community’s mentality shifts to “despair”, prices might be near the bottom. At that point, there’s a decent chance that the herd has become irrationally negative about prices and prospects for the town. In that way, at that moment, properties could be undervalued vis-a-vis the underlying economic fundamentals.

4) Fewer “For Sale” Signs

It’s human nature to think there are “For Sale” signs everywhere. Especially when your real estate radar is on. Let’s try this:

If I were to tell you that at no time in the last 3 years has there been an unseasonably large number of homes for sale, would you believe me? No, you wouldn’t! Your real estate radar has been on and, in your mind, there have been listings everywhere.

The truth is though, that there is basically the same number of homes for sale today as there was this time 3 years ago. This correction has, so far, been caused by lack of demand, not oversupply.

If you actually count the signs on your commute, or in your area (or easier, search our website or set up an automatic search), then you will be able to know that inventory is falling. That will be a sign that things are on a path to balancing out.

The tricky bit here will be the seasons. There are always fewer homes listed in the winter than the summer.

5) Peak Foreclosure

A wise man once told me that if someone wanted what’s called a “leading indicator”, they should look at the foreclosure rate. That is, it’s quite possible, that just before prices level out, the fraction of listings in the market which are in foreclosure could go down.

Here’s a tremendous article that dives into the US housing market and the after-effects of that crisis.

There's No Place Like Home: Housing Market Indicators

Since the financial crisis began, 4.4 million home foreclosures have been completed.27 In April 2013, the number of foreclosures completed—a measure of homes actually lost to foreclosure—was 52,000, a decline of 16% year-over-year compared with April 2012. However, 3.3% of all mortgage holders are still at risk of foreclosure. While the number of homeowners in formal foreclosure processes has declined by a quarter from this time in 2012, there is still a long way to go before those numbers return to pre-crisis levels. Likewise, serious delinquencies—that is, late payments of 90 days or greater—are slowly going down, though at 2.3% of all mortgages they are still at unacceptably high levels. Via thirdway.org

Internally, we track the number of foreclosures/court listings and at last count, there were 87 on the market. That is the highest number we have counted so far, and it has risen by 7 in the last 30 days.

6) More SOLD Signs

Okay, this one is a bit obvious, but it’s tricky because of the seasons and psychology (the number of sold signs you see is probably affected by things like your mood or if you have just had a coffee or not). Are the sold signs you see all represented by a handful of agents (like today), or are they agents you’ve never heard of? If the latter is true, then perhaps it is becoming easier to sell?

7) Other Anecdotal Evidence

If you have friends buying or selling (or ask the internet), are they getting huge discounts, or are they drying up? Are your friends who were “fence-sitting” getting off that fence and buying?

8) Lots of Consistent Data

You may get statistics from a public source.

If these consistently show higher sales and less inventory, especially if those sales are in traditionally quiet times (fall, winter), or that lower inventory happens in typically high-inventory seasons (spring, summer), this is probably the best sign that the market is starting to balance.

The key here is not to get bogged down in the data: One month isn’t a trend, so you will want to witness several months of this data.

Hope Is Coming

This is an imperfect world full of imperfect information. Our town’s fortunes are tossed around in an ocean of news, generated by the decisions of a handful of people, in palaces and boardrooms thousands of miles away.

While our housing market is complicated and fairly impossible to predict, it is also fascinating and I believe, it can be understood. Even better, there is a lot of observable information out there that can give members of the public a sense of what is going on in our local housing market.

It goes without saying that if you really want to know the Fort McMurray market, then you have to know the data (we have the data) and an expert who actually knows their stuff (we know our stuff). In fact, we have three specialist listing agents and three specialist buyer’s agents hoping to help you.

Final note: Do remember, that most people buy and sell homes at times that fit their lives. The financial side is just one piece of it. Furthermore, a wise man once told me that if you can even pick the right years to buy/sell, then you’re doing incredibly well.

Please feel free to share this article with your loved ones.

The following article Fort McMurray Housing Market Recovery: 8 Signs to Look for Read more on: www.ateamymm.ca

[crisp-ofhurricane]

When superheroes are innocent

is it too late to (finally) write something about this topic? i hope not lol. it had been saved in my draft it’s already dusty.

as we know, a month ago most of people of the world altogether felt mesmerized by Gadot’s act in Wonder Woman. what a goddess, probably the constant murmur we’ve heard. I was one of them. 

from the beginning of time, we had kind of ‘nodding moment’ when Warner Bros announced that gorgeous Israeli Gal Gadot would be starring as Wonder Woman in the upcoming DC saga. i thought, yeah great cast i can’t think of anyone else who deserved to play Wonder fucking Woman. sotoy sih, but at least i’ve seen enough of her in some of Fast and Furious series (please note that i’m not a FF fan) and her small parts in Knight and Day and other movies i forgot each title. 

let’s be honest, Gadot’s features are quite the most interesting factor. she is exquisite, beautiful, and doesn’t seem princess-ish – she fits to play a warrior. i don’t want to talk about the boobs-controversy here because i don’t read comics and i’m fine with her curves, you perv. 

before Wonder Woman, we’ve seen her performance in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice last year. i must say i don’t really fancy the movie overall because i need to be accompanied by many snacks, meaning it was kinda boring and i dislike Doomsday appearance - he looked like a poo.

regardless the lack of excitement and compelling execution, i admire Eisenberg’s resemblance of Lex Luthor which he built the emotion for the movie. even the fact that i adore Jeremy Irons dearly, his character did not pop up so much in it. well, other than Eisenberg, Gadot stole the show all the way, without a doubt. that was the part where i think Snyder was not sucks entirely, where i proved that he made a decent decision to choose Gadot.

but here’s the best part. the first scene where Diana appeared was in Luthor’s party, my mind was freezed but melting at the same time because i was excited to see her. Diana, stunning in her maroon dress, successfully made me curious about her kickass mystery – what is she up to? until the moment Bruce found out some files about her, my curiosity increased. where does she come from? but it was all forgotten when she suddenly joined the battle with Superman and Batman. she has the power and charisma that took my breathe away, especially when her face was slowly seen behind the shield with the iconic score. the uncanny stunning woman changed into a goddess warrior.

fast forward to Wonder Woman movie that was released on May end. With Patty Jenkins as the director, Wonder Woman served the background story we all have been waiting for: Diana Prince herself. At least my prior curiosity has been satisfied. 

But i’m not going to review the movie because first it was too late hahaha and second, i want to point out other perspective. Yup, Wonder Woman was hailed spectacular by the fans and audience. Gadot nailed it and also it offered such a new hope for DC Superhero saga remembering Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad were not good. I even hate Suicide Squad that much hahaha. 

So, Diana was first being introduced as a little girl who had enormous courage and eagerness to learn how to fight. She lived in Amazon, an ‘isolated’ far far away island from humans. As we predicted, the little Diana would grow up into tough warrior with great power. She decided to roam the journey to save the mankind from the evil god Ares, so she and Steve the pilot played by Chris Pine had to go outside Amazon. By boat. To London. 

In that movie we saw how ready Diana is without enough knowledge how the world would treat her. You know what caught my attention? Despite her strength and magnificent shield, Diana portrayal is extremely innocent. She has completely no idea how to interact or act in front of other people. I may not call it as vulnerability, but with a heroine side of her, i’m amused by the character – how innocent she is to not knowing many things that will face her, yet she has so much to offer to help the war. I found it so humane, and beautiful.

You remember right, when Diana tried to hide her costume, or the way she asked “what is a secretary?”, or when she suddenly approached a random baby in the street… that’s some hilarious shit, guys. Don’t forget the scene where Steve and his secretary assisted her to re-dress like normal people. I adooooore Gadot’s effortless act! Hahahahaha.

I don’t think with the innocence side of her, it would be considered as her significant weakness at all. I think her innocence comes in handy, because that what makes Diana fierce. We see her as if she doesn’t fear anything. She’s determined to execute her aim from the beginning: defeat Ares, which she succeeded. 

Same goes to our newest Spiderman in town! Homecoming provides a fresh, anew story and characters within. I don’t know if it sounds unfair or not because Wonder Woman is DC and Homecoming is Marvel, but i just feel there is similarity admiration from my perspective towards these two superheroes. Yup, they both are innocent.

Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is different from Maguire and Garfield’s. The now Peter is freshly amusing, still nerd, and adorable. With a start-over kind of vibe, Marvel does show us a super young Peter Parker, i don’t know why. I feel that his emotion and profound character is soooo millennial.

Remember when he was ecstatic to meet Tony Stark? Even in The Civil War we could witness how Holland acted – innocent, but not less smart. In Homecoming, Peter even utilized his smartphone to record a personal video during his first period of 'internship’ with Stark. I mean… c'mon!! He is basically a high school boy who has a value and strength to protect the city from minor (or major) criminal, and he got to meet the fictional billionaire Stark slash Iron Man. Of course he goin innocently nuts! 

That time when Peter decided to leave Washington only to chase Vulture, he and Ned tried to take off the smart tracker from the suit. Geez, can you see how innocent Peter is?? It urges him to act beyond his calculation whether he would made it or not. But there he is, feeling confident yet a little bit reluctant to communicate with his AI assistant that later named Karen. He doesn’t even know at all about the coolness of his suit ability. What a moron, right! Hahahaha. 

However, i never underestimate his bravery and determination to protect the city, even when the time he wants to show off to Stark that he is capable to stop villains (in this case, Vulture and the gang) from doing worse harm. He could be a smartass in some case, but his innocence takes a lot of factors behind his action. he simply wants to be just like Avengers members.

Both Gadot and Holland are perfectly fit the innocence of respective superhero characters. If Diana and Peter were 'clever’ enough about the problems they’d be facing, i’m not sure they would be that persistent in achieving their goals. Their innocence drive them to be a better superhero: not forgetting to be a down to earth human being.

[billionairedestiny]

These Books Are Necessary Reading for All Creatives

One of the most challenging aspects of creative work is, well, sitting down to actually do it. There are so many different ways to cull out one’s creativity. Some writers say they wait for inspiration to strike, while others write everyday so their best work has an opportunity to show up eventually. Some artists insist on being original; and some believe the best artists beg, borrow, and steal their inspiration from the work of other artists. Some creatives need to do their work while listening to music or sitting in a loud cafe, and others need complete silence.

There is no “right” way to unleash your creative potential, but we’re believers in learning from the greats and creating your own artistic roadmap based on what resonates with you. Here are seven books that will inspire your inner genius — whether you do your creative work on a canvas or a spreadsheet.

1. The War of Art

If you’ve ever struggled with a creative block (so basically, all of us), you must read The War of Art. It’s a quick, practical guide to success in your creative endeavors. Bestselling novelist Steven Pressfield talks about the “enemy” that every artist must face: the voice within that halts your work. If you’ve ever struggled with ambition and creative discipline, this book is the kick in the ass you need to get over your fears and get on with your most important work. Whether you’re a writer, painter, or tech entrepreneur, this is a worthwhile and inspirational read.

2. On Writing

My goodness. Stephen King’s part-memoir, part-writer’s guide On Writing is a must-read for any writer. He’s written over fifty books, so he knows a thing or two about the craft. He seamlessly weaves together stories about his college days and a near-death experience with a tactical writer’s tool kit and writing assignments. Some of our favorite advice: Read a lot of good stuff. Write every single day. Stick to the point. Tell your stories in a way that allows your readers to envision the movie playing in your mind when you write. And always, always trust your gut. This book is an absolute gem.

3. Steal Like an Artist

Steal Like An Artist is such a fabulous, quick 160-page read. You’ll even want to rip out the simple black and white animations throughout the book and hang them on the wall above your desk. When you read this book by author Austin Kleon, you’ll feel like you’re having a conversation with a good friend. The whole premise of this book is that the most important part of being an artist is being yourself. He also shares a hidden truth about creativity: nothing is truly original — and that’s more than okay.

A few of his other pieces of advice include: write the book you want to read, don’t wait until you know who you are to get started, and be nice (the world is a small town). This is one of those little books you’ll want to keep on your coffee table and flip through whenever you need a dose of inspiration.

4. Big Magic

Elizabeth Gilbert, the bestselling author of Eat Pray Love, delivers a stellar book about “creative living beyond fear” with Big Magic. While she talks about her particular craft (writing), this book will resonate with anyone pursuing creative work — and Gilbert would argue that all of us are doing creative work, regardless of our chosen professions and hobbies.

One of the most resonant parts of Big Magic was a chapter where she describes creative ideas as entities in and of themselves. She talks about ideas hopping from one person to the next until someone is finally ready to take action and bring the idea to life. If you’ve ever read a book or witnessed a startup launch and thought, “I had the same idea X years ago!,” this chapter alone will make it all make sense — and likely make you want to act on more of your ideas, more often. You’ll walk away from reading this book with a different perspective on what it means to be “creative.”

5. Bird By Bird

You can find plenty of books about the art of writing, but if you want to cut to the chase and read one of the best, try Bird by Bird. Anne Lamott is a treasured author, and you’ll see why once you dig into this. If her writing style could be summed up in a song, it would definitely be Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” — and her way is a very good way to go.

Like Stephen King’s On Writing, Lamott’s Bird by Bird is a compilation of both writing and life advice. Her stories will engage you the whole way through, and make you laugh and cry when you least expect it. Her big pieces of advice: don’t be afraid to write shitty first drafts, don’t show anyone your first draft, and write a minimum of 300 words every day. This book is sure to feel like a warm hug to both aspiring and seasoned writers.

6. The Artist’s Way

The Artist’s Way is written in a course-like format, guiding your through various exercises over a 12-week period that will help you unleash your inner creative. If you’re struggling with writer’s block, this is definitely a worthwhile read. Be warned: this book requires active participation. If you’re not up for doing actual exercises, you’re not going to get nearly as much out of this one. But, if you’re committed to reengaging your creativity, this book provides an incredibly useful, step-by-step process that will help you do just that. One of the most popular exercises in this book is “morning pages,” where you’re instructed to write every morning for three whole pages without stopping. You can learn more about the popular exercise here.

7. Creative Confidence

IDEO is the powerhouse behind Creative Confidence, which should already tell you a lot about what you can expect from this read. The company has revolutionized countless businesses by emphasizing human-centered design. More than any other resource on this list, Creative Confidence is for everyone — especially entrepreneurs who are looking to take a more creative approach to the way they think about solving problems and building products.

IDEO Founder David Kelley and his brother, IDEO partner and bestselling author Tom Kelley, collaborated on this book to help readers unleash the creative potential within them — and they firmly believe all of us are born with creativity in our genes. Whether you’re an accountant or an artist, a lawyer or a writer, you’re sure to get a lot of of this thought-provoking book.

We hope you find a book on this list that leaves you inspired to unleash your creative genius. 

If you like one of the books mentioned above then consider purchasing the books from the links provided in this article as it will help us earn a little amount without incurring any extra charges on you in order to help us keep delivering quality content for you, Thankyou.

from These Books Are Necessary Reading for All Creatives