#do you feel good about becoming a paid promoter for saudi arabia?

[justsomeantifas]

Canada doesn’t interfere much in the world, it doesn’t elect crazy nationalists, it doesn’t threaten to deport people. It champions multiculturalism and tolerance. Canada is exceptional. It has its problems like all places, but when the world was on fire in 2016, we were fine. We still have systemic issues and need to deal with it, obviously. Me stating that Canada has many good qualities compared to similar nations =/= there isn’t an issue w/ racism towards aboriginals, etc.

There is so much to unpack here.

“Canada doesn’t interfere much in the world”

Except when it’s selling weapons to repressive regimes like Saudi Arabia. Or when it’s overthrowing democracies in countries like Haiti and Honduras for its own benefit. Or when Canadian-owned companies are wreaking havoc in Latin America by trampling over indigenous rights there (because doing that in Canada isn’t enough for them).

Canada’s abysmal record as an arms dealer

Former Liberal cabinet minister calls for end to Canadian arms sales to Saudi Arabia

Canada admits in court that the armored vehicles it’s selling to Saudi Arabia could be used in the fighting in Yemen

Canada Helped Overthrow Haitian Democracy

Canadian foreign policy sees Latin America as a playground for its most voracious corporations.

Human rights violations at Canadian gold miners’ operations abroad have become harder to ignore, but that’s a strange thing to celebrate

Canadian mining and petroleum companies rank among the most world’s most abusive and destructive.

Left nationalism was always a mirage. Canada is a settler-colonial state with a subjugated indigenous population. The old nationalist narrative is insufficient to deal with an imperialist country that exploits the Global South and participates in military adventurism abroad under NATO and the United Nations.[…]

Toronto-based Barrick Gold is both the world’s largest gold mining company — and its most abusive. In 2011, Human Rights Watch published a report that alleged that Barrick’s security at Papua New Guinea mines committed gang rapes and other violent assaults. In 2015, the company ended up compensating eleven women for the attacks. New rape allegations emerged later that year.

Barrick’s founder and chairman Peter Munk shrugged off his company’s liability, saying, “Gang rape is a cultural habit. Of course, you can’t say that because it’s politically incorrect. It’s outrageous. We have to pretend that everyone’s the same and cultures don’t matter. Unfortunately, it’s not that way.”

Barrick flouts indigenous rights in Latin America, profits from unsafe working conditions from Peru to Russia, and wreaks major environmental damage. Just last month, a Tanzanian inquiry heard that police killed sixty-five people and injured 270 others in the area around Barrick’s North Mara gold mine.Barrick isn’t the only bad apple. Vancouver-based Nevsun Resources was recently sued for allegedly using forced labor in its gold mine in Eritrea. The brutal dictatorship that condoned the practice holds a 40 percent stake in the mine.

Canada Is Not Honduras’ Friend: Coups, Repression and Profits

Historically, the United States has played a very negative role in supporting coups and military regimes and overthrowing governments across the Americas, and some listeners would be very familiar with that story. What people are less familiar with is with the role that Canada plays.

Whereas in the past I would say that Canada often quietly acquiesced to the interventionist role the U.S. has played in the Americas, with the Honduras coup in 2009, Canada played an explicit, front seat role in both legitimizing the coup and then politically and economically supporting the post coup regimes in power since then. As I said, it is a very repressive regime in power in Honduras, profoundly undemocratic, operating with high levels of repression, corruption and impunity.

“It doesn’t elect crazy nationalists”

Except we already elected Stephen Harper three fucking times.

With Anti-Muslim Campaign, Canada Has Its Trump Moment

Veiled Attack: Muslim-bashing is an effective campaign tactic

Goodbye, Harper. Good riddance.

Can Canadian politics get much more warped than what Harper pulled during the 2015 election? Sucking toes for votes with a crack-smoking mayor while touting family values. Trying to drive a wedge between majority and minority Canadians by exploiting the politics of bigotry over issues like the niqab — despite the court rulings against the Conservative position. Vowing to set up a rat line to expose “barbaric practices”, using the unforgettable sales team of Kellie Leitch and Chris Alexander.

Stephen Harper was Donald Trump before Trump was Trump, right down to the bigotry, fear-mongering, divisiveness, scapegoating, and profound anti-democratic impulses that had Canada’s entire parliamentary structure tottering, according to experts like Peter Milliken and Robert Marleau.

Canada’s Conservatives vow to create ‘barbaric cultural practices’ hotline

White people don’t have to worry about Canada’s new “report your neighbor” hotline

Also, remember when Stephen Harper decided to use the term “old stock Canadian” in public in the year 2015?? In spite of the fact that that word has some seriously shitty racial connotations attached to it?? And he used that word to justify why he thinks refugees aren’t entitled to univeral healthcare in Canada???

VIDEO: Um, what exactly IS an “old stock Canadian,” Stephen Harper?

“It doesn’t threaten to deport people”

No, we just arrest refugees then detain them indefinitely, and then treat them so poorly when they’re in detention that many of them wind up dying. We also scam our migrant workers and treat them like garbage and then send them packing when we don’t need them anymore.

Canada Border Services Agency must change way it treats migrants: Editorial

Fifteen people have died while in the custody of Canada Border Services Agency since 2000 and in most cases no one knows why. The service needs to be held accountable for the thousands of migrants it detains each year

These borders kill: Canada’s lethal immigration system

Migrants are the only population in Canada that can be administratively detained for long periods of time, or indefinitely, without being charged or convicted of any crime. There were 7,300 people detained in 2013, the most recent data made available by the government.

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act gives the CBSA broad powers to detain migrants if they believe they are a flight risk, a danger to public safety, inadmissible to Canada on security grounds, or inadequately identified. The vast majority, 94.2 per cent, are detained on grounds other than posing a security threat.

Since 2012, the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act has “protected” the immigration system by imposing mandatory detention for all migrants designated as “irregular arrivals,” including those as young as 16.  

[…]

In Canada, migrants may be detained indefinitely – unlike in the United States, for example, which imposes a 90-day limit on immigration detention. Out of 585 people in immigration detention in November 2013, 60 had been held for over a year. Some have been jailed for more than 10 years, trapped in the carceral limbo of undeportability.

Incarcerating migrants is inhumane: Goar

Guatemalan workers allegedly swindled out of work permits now face deportation: Migrant workers say they were paid as little as $300 for working 85 hours a week

“It feels like the government just sells you out to a white man.” 

21 arrested for illegally crossing border in Manitoba: RCMP 

An inexcusable travesty: Canada sent a Syrian minor to solitary confinement

“When the world was on fire in 2016, we were fine”

Choosing to remain willfully ignorant wrt Canadian politics and history doesn’t mean we were “fine.” It just means people were purposefully ignorant in favour of promoting a narrative that’s not true.

“Canada is exceptional”

[adaan-gcc]

How Can a Digital Marketing Company Help Create Branding?

Branding is not a recent concept; it has been around for a while-ever since production began. Products come in carefully crafted packaging, bearing specific seals and labels- this is an example of branding. Essentially, it is a way for business owners to mark a product or become instantly recognizable and associated with a certain image.

While branding has evolved, it has grown into a possibly complicated concept. Now, it involves various factors such as communication materials, design aesthetic, website interface, etc. Branding is now a comprehensive concept that can be related to anything conveyed to the audience. As digital marketing services take the spotlight, it dramatically affects how branding is done. Companies can benefit from hiring a digital marketing agency in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Dubai, Qatar, U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia that offers digital marketing solutions to communicate their branding efforts effectively. Whether through making viral content, or a curated Instagram feed, digital marketing provides the best way to showcase your brand.

Why do you need branding?

Branding is implemented to reinforce the image of your business positively. The goal is to keep your brand recognizable and familiarize it to the target audience. So when they need a digital marketing service that you offer, they will consider you. Brand equity is the perceived positive value of a brand that can be generated from a recognizable product by making it superior in quality and reliability.

Branding is all about managing expectations. Companies that are aware of this fact hire a digital marketing company that offers comprehensive digital marketing services in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Dubai, U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia like email marketing, social media optimization marketing, content marketing services, search engine friendly website design and development services, SEO services, Paid ads or PPC Services, ecommerce marketing services, Local business marketing services to aid their branding efforts. Products by brands that have built a formidable reputation will sell much better than less known brands. It might be products under the same category. However, a well-known, positive brand image automatically raises the value.

How Does Digital Marketing Benefit Brand Building?

Stand Apart From Competitors

Be unique and genuine in your approach, whether you’re a big multinational or just a small mid-sized company. Brand your company in a way that nobody will be likely to forget. Once you build the best strategy, you can win the confidence of your customers, and they will turn to you without considering competitors.

2. Build Customer Loyalty

Branding can also convert first-time buyers into repeat customers who wait for new product launches. Apple, Samsung, Amazon are a few examples of brands that have built an impressive customer loyalty base. Convert your prospects into significant leads and give them a reason to return. Build that deep connection between your brand and customers, so they always consider your brand first.

3. Earn Recognition and Reputation

To earn recognition, you have to make your brand so distinct that no other brand can overtake yours. For example, customers who prefer eco-friendly products because of problems due to consumerism would buy from a known environment-friendly company without worrying much about the price.

4. Expand Visibility and Reach

Thanks to the internet’s global reach, your brand will be seen by a larger audience online than a regular brick-and-mortar store. With more people accessing your brand, awareness of your products or services will be higher than that of traditional marketing methods. This increases the opportunity to be chosen by potential customers.

5. Nurture your customers

People are more likely to choose brands they recognize over others. A brand’s online presence allows it to nurture potential consumers and guide them from the brand awareness phase to the consideration phase. You can convince your consumers to become brand ambassadors if you guide them well through the awareness, consideration, and decision phase.

6. Credibility and Trust

A trustworthy brand builds a reputation that is easily recognisable and has a loyal customer base because they deliver on their promises. Once a business is viewed as a well-reputed brand, its credibility increases within its industry and customers. This leads to an increase in web traffic, conversion rates, engagement with content on-site and social media in the digital space. All this has a direct impact on the business’s competitive advantage.

7. Build a community

Why do you need community building? The nature of the task requires input and engagement from multiple people, and the benefits gained by focusing on community building are massive. The more engaged your online community is, the less there will be a need for paid advertising to promote your new products and services. Now, community building has become less labor intensive with the advancement of digital media platforms and marketing automation tools.

Consumers hold recommendations in higher regard than advertisements. When your brand community starts a conversation around upcoming products, it creates a buzz that increases reach, which contributes heavily to the brands’ credibility. By building a brand community, stakeholders know more about their target audience, and your business understands customers better.

8. Increase Brand Equity

Depending on how consumers think and feel about a brand and how it commands market share and profit within its industry, brands gain a commercial value known as brand equity. Having higher brand equity means that your business will be able to reduce costs for advertising meant to gain traffic or awareness.

It can also lead to higher market share, as consumers favor more strongly established brands. Brands can move towards a premium pricing structure and attract talent, as people are naturally interested in working for brands with a good reputation.

A good brand image sets you apart from your competitors. Building your brand from scratch is no easy feat- it takes years of knowledge and expertise. If you are looking for an experienced digital marketing company in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Dubai, U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia to help you start your journey, contact us at Adaan GCC Digital Solutions.

[orbemnews]

Influencers Find Welcome in Paradise, While the Rest of Us Watch From Lockdown In a season of lockdowns, Georgia Steel was jet setting. A digital influencer and reality television star, Ms. Steel left England in late December for Dubai, where she promoted lingerie on Instagram from a luxury hotel. By January, she was at a resort in the Maldives, where spa treatments include body wraps with sweet basil and coconut powder. “We be drippin’,” Ms. Steel, 22, told her 1.6 million Instagram followers in a post that showed her wading through tropical waters in a bikini. Nevermind that Covid-19 caseloads in Britain and the Maldives were escalating, or that England had just announced its third lockdown. The Maldives, an island nation off the coast of India, is not only tolerating tourists like Ms. Steel, but urging them to visit. More than 300,000 have arrived since the country reopened its borders last summer, including several dozen influencers, social media stars with large followings who are often paid to hawk products. Many influencers have been courted by the government and traveled on paid junkets to exclusive resorts. The government says its open-door strategy is ideal for a tourism-dependent country whose decentralized geography — about 1,200 islands in the Indian Ocean — helps with social distancing. Since the borders reopened, well under 1 percent of arriving visitors have tested positive for the coronavirus, official data show. “You never know what will happen tomorrow,” said Thoyyib Mohamed, the managing director of the country’s official public relations agency. “But for the time being, I must say: This is a really good case study for the entire world, especially tropical destinations.” The Maldives’s strategy comes with epidemiological risks and underscores how far-flung vacation spots and the influencers they court have become flash points for controversy. As people around the world shelter in place, some influencers have posted about fleeing to small towns or foreign countries and encouraging their followers to do the same, potentially endangering locals and others with whom they come in contact on their travels. “So we’re just not in a pandemic huh?” Beverly Cowell, an administrator in England, commented on Ms. Steel’s Instagram post, giving voice to many who see such travelers as skirting the rules. Inviting influencers to visit during the pandemic risks damaging a destination’s image, said Francisco Femenia-Serra, a tourism expert at Nebrija University in Madrid who studies influencer marketing. “What’s wrong with the Maldives campaign is the timing,” he said, noting that it started before travelers could be vaccinated. “It’s off. It’s not the moment to do that.” When the Maldives shut its borders last March to guard against the virus, it did not make the decision lightly: Tourism employs more than 60,000 of the country’s 540,000 people, more than any other industry in the private sector, according to Nashiya Saeed, a consultant in the Maldives who recently co-wrote a government study on the pandemic’s economic impact. “When tourism shut down, there was no revenue coming into the country,” Ms. Saeed said. Many laid-off resort workers who live in the capital, Malé, were forced to moved back to their home islands because they could no longer afford it, she added. As the health authorities worked to contain local outbreaks, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s advisers developed a strategy for restarting tourism as quickly as possible. One advantage was that most of the country’s luxury resorts are on their own islands, making isolation and contact tracing much easier. “We really planned this out, we knew what our advantages were and we played to them,” said Mr. Solih’s spokesman, Mohamed Mabrook Azeez. When the Maldives reopened in July, health officials required P.C.R. tests, among other safety protocols, but did not subject tourists to mandatory quarantines. Around the same time, the country’s public relations agency switched its international marketing campaign and urged travelers to “rediscover” the Maldives. The government and local businesses also invited influencers to stay at resorts and gush about them on social media. Which they did. “When it’s cloudy be the sunshine!” Ana Cheri, an American influencer with more than 12 million followers, wrote from a Maldives resort in November, a few weeks before her home state of California imposed far-reaching lockdowns. “Splashing and swinging into the weekend!” Updated  Feb. 27, 2021, 11:35 a.m. ET Ms. Cheri did not respond to several emails after initially agreeing to comment. A publicist for Ms. Steel, a star on the reality show “Love Island,” did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Even before the pandemic, influencers faced backlashes when their trips caused offense. Some who posted about traveling in Saudi Arabia were criticized, for instance, because of the kingdom’s role in the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Influencers from England, in particular, have faced criticism in recent weeks for defying lockdown rules that ban all but essential travel. Some defended their trips, saying that traveling was essential to their work, while others apologized under public pressure. “I was like, ‘Oh, well, it’s legal so it’s fine,’” the influencer KT Franklin said in an apology video about her trip to the Maldives. “But it’s not fine. It’s really irresponsible and reckless and tone deaf.” In late January, Britain banned direct flights to and from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates as the Covid-19 caseload soared in both places. The emirate’s lax immigration rules and perpetual sunshine had made it a popular spot for the social media set. But as case numbers rose, officials closed bars and pubs for a month, and limited hotels, malls and beach clubs to 70 percent capacity. Officials in the Maldives, which has welcomed nearly 150,000 tourists so far this year, said they had no plans to roll out similar restrictions. The country has reported nearly 20,000 total coronavirus infections, equivalent to about 4 percent of its population, and 60 deaths. But no resort clusters have seeded widespread community transmission, and officials say the risk of that is low because some resort employees are required to quarantine if they travel between islands. “All in all, I think we’ve managed to do it well,” even though some tourists have tested positive before leaving the country, said Dr. Nazla Rafeeg, the head of communicable disease control at the government’s Health Protection Agency. “Our guidelines have stood up to the actual implementation.” Many influencers and celebrities have faced the opprobrium of other social media users who are stuck at home. Instagram accounts have sprung up to name and shame tourists who appear to be breaking social distancing and mask-wearing rules while abroad. As a result some influencers have refrained from posting travel content during the pandemic — or at least disabled comments on their posts — because they do not want to court controversy. The blowback against traveling influencers is overstated, said Raidh Shaaz Waleed, whose company arranged for Ms. Steel, Ms. Cheri and more than 30 other influencers to visit the Maldives through a campaign called Project FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out. None of the invited visitors, he said, tested positive for the coronavirus. “If you are thoughtful about the safety guidelines, if you’re doing the social distancing, you can still have fun,” he said. Not everyone shares his optimism. Ms. Cowell, the administrator in England who commented on Ms. Steel’s “We be drippin’” post from the Maldives, said in emails that promoting such a trip during England’s third lockdown was irresponsible. The post was particularly hard to take, she added, because it appeared on the day she learned that her grandmother, who lives in a nursing home, had contracted the virus. “It’s not about canceling them, or creating a negative environment online,” Ms. Cowell, 22, said of influencers who flout lockdown rules, “but making sure that we don’t put celebrities on a pedestal where they feel invincible and they can do what they like.” Taylor Lorenz contributed reporting. Source link Orbem News #Find #Influencers #lockdown #Paradise #Rest #watch

[dncrnthedark]

This Woman’s Rebuke

I’ve seen this post floating about and I can’t ignore it any longer. I’m Sending my response to this post out to the world in hopes it is understood. Thank you. 

The original post is in black. My response is Italic. 

To the marchers......you do not represent me. Yup, actually, the Women’s march does represent several of my concerns. I am not a "disgrace to women" because I don't support the women's march. I wouldn’t tell anyone that they are a disgrace for not agreeing with something but if you feel the need to assume, go ahead.

 I do not feel I am a "second class citizen" because I am a woman. Good for you for not feeling that way. I’m glad that no one has made you feel that way in your life.

I do not feel my voice is "not heard" because I am a woman. Again, I’m glad no one in your life has made you feel like you were not heard. Many cannot say the same.

I do not feel I am not provided opportunities in this life or in America because I am a woman. What opportunities have you attempted to take advantage of? Have you progressed and been paid equally for doing the same job as the men in your field? If so, that is rare and excellent for you. Most are not so lucky. I know of brilliant, well qualified women who work doggedly in their field and still do not get the promotion, job, or pay that the men do, who are either as or less qualified as the women.

I do not feel that I "don't have control of my body or choices" because I am a woman. Good, however, that’s probably because you’ve never been in a situation where the law has forbidden you access to the proper medical care and procedures to save your life. You’ve probably never needed an abortion because you were raped or because your life was in danger if you carry a child to term. You’ve probably never lived in an area of America or any other country where you needed something against the law so were reduced to a back alley, dangerous procedure that opened you up to disease or death.

 I do not feel like I am "not respected or undermined" because I am a woman. That’s good for you. You’ve never had to deal with a male dominated corporation overlooking you because women are not as smart as men, or a man taking credit for work that you did. 

I am not a "victim" because you say I am. I’ve said no such thing. I just pray you know when you’re a victim without someone else pointing it out for you.

I AM a woman. Many of us are! I can make my own choices. Yes, but will your choices be honored and within the parameters of the law? There are countries where your choices can get you killed. I can speak and be heard. By who? Will your words be something that makes a difference? Or will your words fall flat on the floor of the House and Senate? I can VOTE. Will your vote count? And, there are countries where you cannot vote BECAUSE YOU ARE A WOMAN. What would you do if you lived in one of these countries? Oh never mind…as a woman your rights wouldn’t matter. I can work if I want. Yes, but will you be paid what you deserve for your work? Will you be given the same opportunities as other co-workers? Can you advance? Will you be judged on merit or gender? I control my body. To a point. Until the head honchos tell you that what you want or need is against the law. If men had abortions, there would be grants and clinics and coupons. Instead, women are shamed for making a very difficult and personal decision. And that’s where those decisions should live: with the person. What about accountability? Why is all of the ownership for the unwanted pregnancy placed on the mother? Why isn’t the father shamed and told to keep his sperm under control? Because that’s absurd?? Ahem… I can defend myself. As a woman, I would hope you could defend yourself. Could you defend yourself against a man twice your size? Are you prepared to sacrifice your life in defense of your life? And defend yourself how, I wonder, with words? Against your husband who feels like beating you or your children? Against the man who threatens to kill you because he has a bad temper? I can defend my family. Again, from what? Laws? Abusers? Harsh words? Are you defending what matters like food, water, shelter and access to education? Or are defending this reality show that American lives have become? Are you paying attention? There is nothing stopping me to do anything in this world but MYSELF. First, is this even a proper sentence? And if you are trying to do something that legislation has stated is not for a woman to do, then I guess something other than yourself is stopping you. I do not blame my circumstances or problems on anything other than my own choices or even that sometimes in life, we don't always get what we want. I take responsibility for myself. Please tell this to the child in the middle of sex traffic ring. I’m sure he or she would love to understand how it’s their choice to be there. Or the young woman who is beaten by her father and brothers after being raped on her way home because she brought shame to the family.

I am a mother, a daughter, a wife, a sister, a friend. I am not held back in life but only by the walls I choose to not go over which is a personal choice. You are a lucky person who lives a blessed life. As a blessed individual, one could only hope that you would see past your own walls and realize that we marched so that ALL women, in America, and in ALL countries could be as blessed as you. Some do not have as much to fight for as others, but together we can make a difference for ALL.

Quit blaming.  Take responsibility. I could say the same to you. I have taken responsibility, but more than that: I take action. Actions which keep the door from being slammed in my face forcing me back into the kitchen.

If you want to speak, do so. But do not expect for me, a woman, to take you seriously wearing a pink va-jay-jay hat on your head and screaming profanities and bashing men. The pink hats actually came from a woman who wanted to do more than just “show up”. She starting knitting hats because she wanted to draw attention to her statement and for the sheer purpose of staying warm. She made the beanies with little ears on them in reference to the lude remarks from the Trump video about grabbing women’s genitals. The idea took off and went global to show solidarity. Also, it was recorded around the world that it was the most peaceful protest ever held. No arrests. The core of this march was Peaceful Protest. Not sure where the whole bashing men thing came from. Making women heard and empowered neither takes away or lessens a man’s equality or power. And if your belief is that feminism is intended to take from men, you need to do some research. If you have beliefs, and speak to me in a kind matter, I will listen. But do not expect for me to change my beliefs to suit yours. Respect goes both ways. I absolutely respect that, and expect the same from you. I don’t expect you to do anything you don’t want to do, just like I don’t expect to be told to sit down and shut up because you don’t want to hear or see it. If you want to impress me, especially in regards to women, then speak on the real injustices and tragedies that affect women in foreign countries that do not that the opportunity or means to have their voices heard. We just did, I’m sorry if you didn’t get that message. Saudi Arabia, women can't drive, no rights and must always be covered. Only three small issues with what’s happening in this country. China and India, infanticide of baby girls.  Afghanistan, unequal education rights.  Democratic Republic of Congo, where rapes are brutal and women are left to die, or HIV infected and left to care for children alone.  Mali, where women cannot escape the torture of genital mutilation.  Pakistan, in tribal areas where women are gang raped to pay for men's crime.  Guatemala, the impoverished female underclass of Guatemala faces domestic violence, rape and the second-highest rate of HIV/AIDS after sub-Saharan Africa. An epidemic of gruesome unsolved murders has left hundreds of women dead, some of their bodies left with hate messages. Or the 7 year old girls being sold or married off to 60 year old men, Or the millions of women sold and bought into sex trafficking.  And that's just a few examples. ALL reasons why we march on. This was GLOBAL, not local. Women march for all women around the world.

So when women get together in AMERICA and whine they don't have equal rights and march in their clean clothes, after eating a hearty breakfast, and it's like a vacation away that they have paid for to get there... This WOMAN does not support it. This woman didn’t quite understand the message the women of America were bringing. But that’s ok, I’m not here to change her views, merely to state mine.

I also want to address something else I’ve seen. This blatant disrespect toward the celebrities that have spoken out about the election and about the March. We are founded on freedom of speech. There is also freedom of the press. Yes, celebrities have a unique position where they have the ear of more people than you or I or any of the other average Joes around town. Why, because their job is to entertain us, does that mean that they can’t speak their mind like anyone else? Many celebrities are brilliant, well-educated individuals who, like most of us, are concerned for our country and the world. I’m not a politician, does that mean I can’t speak out about politics? I’m not a doctor, does that mean I can’t speak about healthcare? If I’m a celebrity, does that cancel out my brain function to only one specialty? No. No it does not. AND even if it did, I would still have the RIGHT to speak about what I felt needed to be said. It is YOUR choice to not listen. You don’t like what I have to say, turn off the TV, turn the channel, read a book. Google “The Constitution”. What you do is your choice. What I do is my choice. What the celebrities do is their choice. And thank GOD and our soldiers for providing us an environment where we have some freedom to make those choices.

One more time for the cheap seats. We march on for those who do not have the luxury of making their own choices.

[flauntpage]

I Won’t be Cheering for Mexico in the World Cup

The World Cup starts in ten days, and no, the United States won’t be participating.

I explained the pathetic qualification failure back in October. 

Without the “rah rah USA!” routine for the non-soccer fan to follow this summer, there’s another half-narrative going around, the idea that you should pick a different team to cheer for. And maybe that team should be Mexico.

Before I even get into it, I don’t understand this obsession with requiring someone to have a rooting interest. There’s this overwhelming idea that Americans need to pick a Premier League team to follow, like Everton, or Liverpool, or Fulham. I’ve always found that to be corny, especially in Philadelphia, where we totally rag on natives who go on to become Cowboy or Yankee fans. If you’ve never been to Dallas, can you really be a Cowboy fan? By the same token, how much of a Chelsea supporter can you really be if you live in Marlton and have never been to London? I don’t know, it just feels fake to me.

I always just found it appealing to watch the games and enjoy them as a neutral. You wake up at 8 on Saturday morning, make breakfast for the kids, flip on Arsenal and Tottenham, and see a high-level derby. The best part is that you don’t get angry, since you don’t have that natural rooting interest. You aren’t in a pissy mood for the rest of the day if your team loses. ACC basketball, for instance, is a lot more exciting if you’re not a Pitt fan. You just watch quality college basketball without the emotional attachment and the 18 straight conference losses.

So with the United States not being in the World Cup, some people are applying this “who are you going to cheer for?” thing to the upcoming tournament. If you’re half-German or married a Croatian woman or have a Senegalese sister-in-law, I can understand getting behind those countries. Maybe your local team, like Seattle, has a guy like Gustav Svensson, who was called up by Sweden, so you, the Sounders supporter, wanna see your player do well on the world’s biggest stage.

I can support that.

Major League Soccer has a bunch of players representing Costa Rica and Panama, one for Egypt and a pair of Peruvians. So if you’re a Philadelphia Union fan and you care about the growth of the league and the international perception of MLS, you should want to see Omar Gaber and Yoshi Yotun and Anibal Godoy perform well.

That’s different from wanting to see CONCACAF teams do well. Whereas Costa Rica beating Italy in 2014 probably gave the confederation a boost, it didn’t do anything to specifically help the U.S. national team. For example, you’ll see Arkansas fans cheer for Georgia against Michigan because they want the SEC to beat the Big 10 as part of some territorial pissing contest, but nothing tangible changes in the Razorback program. Same thing with Auburn and Alabama. Do Tide fans really care if their arch rival beats Illinois in the Capital One bowl? No, I think most Bama fans want War Eagle to get slapped around and embarrassed on national television.

That’s USA and Mexico – arch rivals. I don’t know why you would cheer for your arch rival to win anything. I’m not rolling into the World Cup pulling for El Tri. I’d like to see them lose every game 7-2, with their MLS-based players scoring the goals and their Liga MX players failing miserably. I want to see Juan Carlos Osorio get fired and the entire team disbanded and thrown into chaos ahead of the next Gold Cup and qualifying cycle. I want every Mexican-American who is eligible to play for both countries choose the United States because El Tri is a hot mess. We don’t want another Jonathan Gonzalez situation:

It’s that simple. A weaker Mexico benefits the U.S. national team rebuild. You’re competing for players and pride and continental dominance, not golf-clapping a rival program.

It’s got nothing do with xenophobia or politics or Donald Trump or brown people or the border wall or anything like that, it’s just identifying a sporting rival as such. Plus, it’s not like the USMNT is comprised solely of pasty white guys from Ohio; there are German-Americans and Mexican-Americans and the son of the Liberian president currently playing on the squad. It’s always been an amalgam of different backgrounds and cultures, which reflects a country of immigrants. Think of the contributions made by guys like Tab Ramos and Marcelo Balboa and Earnie Stewart.

But you see a lot stuff floating around out there suggesting that Americans should maybe rally for Mexico since they’re popular in the United States and they’re our neighbors or whatever. FOX and their media partners are spending a lot of time talking about El Tri. They play most of their games here and draw crazy crowds. That’s nice, I guess, but who cares? We want home field advantage in our own country, not 80,000 Mexicans booing us in Houston. We should be actively trying to change that for the good of the program, not saying, “hey wow that’s a cool story, they love their soccer.”

It’s like this; does USF cheer for FSU because of Florida pride? No. You want to be the state’s best college football team, not some passive cheerleader for a geographic opponent. You fight for recruits and bragging rights and trophies. Flyers fans don’t cheer for the Penguins because both teams play in Pennsylvania, they want the Pens to get obliterated by the Capitals, and vice versa. If you went to Penn State, you probably befriended Steeler fans but only pulled for Ben Roethlisberger when he played against Tom Brady.

FOX obviously would benefit from the “pay attention to Mexico” angle for ratings purposes. They paid $400 million for the rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and were dealt a shitty hand when the U.S. bombed out of qualifying, so they’re hoping the country’s huge Mexican/American population will bolster numbers. I don’t blame them at all for pumping up Mexico in a battle with Telemundo for bilingual viewers. When the U.S. flubbed it, FOX had to change course from a business approach, so here we are. You can’t promote team USA, so you look for alternatives, and El Tri makes the most sense.

That’s not to say that FOX or Sports Illustrated is forcing you to cheer for Mexico, because I don’t think they are. It’s more of a, “we’re going to inundate you with Mexico stories and angles,” which is a natural turn off to the loyal USMNT fan. That’s why you’re seeing pushback with the SI cover and plethora of El Tri-focused articles. 

For what it’s worth, 2014 ratings were off the chart for the United States games, which pulled the following: 

vs. Belgium (July 1, 2014): 16.5 million

vs. Germany (June 26, 2014): 10.8 million

vs. Portugal (June 22, 2014): 18.2 million

vs. Ghana (June 17, 2014): 11.1 million

Those are monstrous numbers that can’t be replicated this year. You’re not getting that for Russia vs. Saudi Arabia next Thursday. The most realistic/best case scenario is that Mexico scrapes a draw against Germany in their opener and positions themselves to get out of the group in second place, setting up a knockout round clash against Brazil. That gets you a ton of eyeballs.

And of course you should want the FOX broadcasts to be successful. Anytime anybody puts money into soccer, you want solid returns, returns that make them invest more in the product in the future. You don’t want this to fail. Strong TV deals are the backbone of any sports competition and one of the biggest hurdles facing MLS specifically. It’s all about $$$, so at the very least just turn on the TV and walk away.

At the end of the day we should certainly respect Mexico as a historic rival. We should acknowledge the common threads between our countries. And we should hope they get their asses kicked.

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Nevada’s solar workers and customers reel as new rules ‘shut down’ industry

Companies struggle after state imposes highest charges yet on customers, driving firms out of the state and workers out of jobs

The conversation at SolarCitys hollowed-out warehouse in Las Vegas felt like it came after a funeral, and in a sense it did, with workers cycling between sadness, disbelief and anger at the untimely death of the rooftop solar industry.

fixed rate states solar power

The cause, as seen by workers drifting in to clean out their belongings, was state-assisted suicide, after the Nevada regulator imposed costly newrules for residential solar customers.

The decision to replace economic incentives with new higher fees pulled the carpet out from under an industry that provided 8,700 jobs in the state last year, according to the Solar Foundation, and stranded some 17,000 homeowners who have already gone solar with a financial liability on their rooftops.

Three companies, including SolarCity, announced they were quitting the state, laying off about 1,000 workers.

Everyone in this warehouse was let go, 550 people across the valley, said Chandler Gray, who lost his job as an installations inspector for SolarCity.

The havoc turned solar panels into a hot topic for Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton ahead of the Nevada caucuses on 20 February.

Call it the solar wars. From Arizona to California to Florida and now Nevada, states are struggling to reconcile residential solar with its promise to give homeowners greater independence while fighting climate change with highly centralised business models of the electricity industry.

California and a number of other states eventually defeated efforts by energy companies and corporate lobby groups to claw back incentives for solar customers.

Three companies, including SolarCity, announced they would leave the state following the new rules. Photograph: Jacob Kepler for the Guardian

Now Nevada has raised the stakes, levying the highest charges to date and breaking with convention to impose those charges on existing customers as well as new ones.

The solar showdown pits Elon Musk, the electric car billionaire and cofounder of SolarCity, against Warren Buffett, owner of the states monopoly electricity provider NV Energy.

The new rules, confirmed on 12 February, raised the monthly fees to solar customers from $12.75 to $38.51 over 12 years while dramatically cutting back the rates that customers were paid earlierfor feeding surplus power back into the grid from about 11 cents a kilowatt hour to about two cents.

Homeowners who are suing NV Energy in a class action estimate the new rates add 40% to their monthly bills, while reducing the amount they get paid for the solar energy their panels produce by 18%.

SolarCitys warehouse was still plastered with posters advertising the infinite power of the sun but the companys power to change the residential roofline of Nevada cities was, for the moment, gone.

opposition solar power nevada

Orders stopped the moment the new rules came out, Gray said.

Until the axe fell, SolarCity was shipping up to 1,600 solar systems a week from this and one other warehouse in southern Nevada. It used to be like Raiders of the Lost Ark when you went into this warehouse, he said

It was massive, Gray went on. Then they dropped the bomb.

Gray, who saw SolarCity as an escape from dead-end retail jobs, was let go. So was his partner, who also worked for SolarCity. Our household income was zero for a couple of weeks there, Gray said.

His partner was rehired and Gray hopes he will get taken on too. But for the moment he is looking after their six-year-old son, and campaigning for a ballot initiative to overturn the rules. We are going to fight to bring solar back, and once we do, we will get our jobs back too, he said.

SolarCity is keeping its Las Vegas headquarters in an upscale shopping mall where the glass conference rooms are decorated with the names of island vacation destinations like Aruba and Maui.

But the office will operate mainly as a sales center. Roz Holdens last day arrives on 21 February, after which the top saleswoman plans to put her four-bedroom house on the market and move into a rental just to keep costs down and start hunting for work.

The company offered Holden a job in its call centre or to move her to another state, but neither was a good option for a single mother supporting two daughters who are firmly settled in Las Vegas.

nevada solar power holdout states

Even now, Holden still cant fully believe the good times for solar are over in Nevada. Its unfathomable, she said. We expected some changes this year, but we didnt expect they would shut us down completely. It was quite shocking.

SolarCity arrived in Nevada in 2014, shaking up the market for rooftop solar with a leasing plan that allowed homeowners with good credit ratings to put solar panels on their rooftops with no money down.

The company could barely keep up with demand until 22 December, when the new rules were announced. We literally stopped business within that hour, pulled installs off the roof, finished up the jobs we had within that hour and we were done, Holden said. It pretty much shut down the industry.

Some of their customers were caught in limbo, like Kelly and Charisma Schwarze, whose installation was completed but whose panels have still not been switched on by the electricity company.

The couple had been excited to go solar, once the leasing option put it in their budget. Now I feel like we are being punished for trying to do the right thing, Kelly Schwarze, an independent film-maker, said.

For Mike Stitely, the new rules destroyed the tiny thrill he got each day when he checked the iPad to see how much electricity was being produced from the 16 panels on his roof.

Stitleys wife is still working, at Walmart, but he is retired. He is very worried about higher bills, and selling the house when the stairs become too much. People are going to be scared off, he said.

nevada solar power fightback states

It blows my mind and really upsets me, Stitley said. Its pretty high anxiety. At this time of your life you like to know what is going on.

The public utilities commission (PUC) claims solar customers were not paying their fair share for maintaining the grid. When solar rooftop ratepayers reduce energy consumption with solar generation, they lower their bills at the full retail energy rate, which includes charges not only for fuel costs but also for fixed and demand costs; these fixed and demand costs do not go down simply because the rooftop solar ratepayers consume less energy, Peter Kostes, a spokesman, wrote in an email. Solar rooftop ratepayers are under-paying.

Patricia Farley, a Republican state senator who drafted a bill last year to revise the states solar policies, claimed solar was only for rich people, and that the new rules were fairer for all Nevadans.

We dont see people with lower income putting solar on their homes, Farley said. I think if you looked at who bought solar, you dont really see diversity. You have got people who can afford it, and some of the experts told me the people who cant afford it are paying the difference.

But the new rules struck clean energy advocates and campaign groups as retrograde. Instead of limiting rooftop solar, Nevada should be promoting residential arrays as a means of fighting climate change and diversifying the electricity grid, in case of natural disaster or attack, they argued.

Clinton issued a statement saying it was punitive to change the rules on existing homeowners. Bernie Sanders, who met with solar installers in Reno, said it was just wrong.

Rooftop solar is also likely to figure in next Novembers elections.

The SolarCity offices in Las Vegas. Photograph: Jacob Kepler for the Guardian

This is an existential battle for the future of solar being waged right now in front of regulatory bodies, said Adam Browning, director of the Vote Solar campaign group. It is really about who gets to decide how much solar is installed and who owns it.

Others see the solar wars as an uncomfortable blip on an inevitable energy transition.

encouraging solar power nevada

Solar was barely on the radar when Louise Helton went into the solar business in 2007, inspired by hearing Bill Clinton describe his vision of Nevada as a Saudi Arabia for solar energy.

She went on to found 1 Sun Solar, offering residential solar installations out of the same shopfront where she runs her electrical contracting and stone tile business.

After the recession hit, landing harder on Las Vegas than other towns, it took until 2011, when the prices of solar panels began coming down, for Helton to get her business up and running.

By Heltons own estimates, she stands to lose about $500,000 a year because of the PUC decision. But she is relatively philosophical about the eventual outcome of the solar wars.

Its sort of the same problem we had to go through when you first had cellphones. Ma Bell wasnt happy, Helton said. It was a disruptive technology that changed industry, that took it from being top-down and inverted that pyramid completely.

It was clear which side was going to win the end, Helton said. And then she picked up her cellphone and smiled.

Read more: www.theguardian.com

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