#is that a gavel as the dominance icon ?

[estarion]

raphael's quizzes could put an elf to sleep ... . . .

[jenniferasberryus]

Why Sonic Is the Perfect Mascot for Gen Z

Ever since the film based on the Genesis’ Sonic games got regenerated for Gen Zs, it’s got me thinking: “Gen Z’s” sounds a lot like “Genesis.” But, beyond that, it’s got me thinking about the ever-improving system we have in place for marketing nostalgia to Millenials, while also trying to convince new clusters of Gen Z kids to embrace these characters and franchises as their own.

Marvel comics became the MCU, the Star Wars continue unabated, and everyone’s so aware that we’re living in recycled times that... that’s all I’m really going to say about it. What’s interesting to me is just how perfect Sonic the Hedgehog is as a vehicle for this kind of weaponized nostalgia, and how he’s served as a measure of our relationship to coolness for three generations now.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=sonic-the-hedgehog-a-visual-history-of-segas-mascot&captions=true"]

Obviously, by casting Jim Carrey in a wacky role and re-doing the CG to make Sonic look more like his classic self, the filmmakers aren’t shying away from appealing to fond Millenial memories (you know, for money!). But Sonic remains primarily a kids’ movie, and thinking about the ways that today’s young people may relate to the blue blur made me realize that Sonic said a lot more about the Millennial generation than we realized - whether he intended to or not - and he sheds light on some of the things that connect us across time, no matter our generation...except for the Boomers, who I guess we all hate now? Is that the meme? Regardless, to understand why Sonic is the fuzzy multi-generational mirror that he is, we’re going to need...

A Bit of a History Lesson

To be clear, I’m considering a Baby Boomer someone born between 1950 and 1965, a Gen X-er someone born between ‘65 and ‘80, a Millenial someone born between ‘80 and ‘95 (prime Sonic age), and a Gen Z-er anyone born after 1995.

When Sonic was initially released in 1991, I was six years old, and “being cool” was super important both to myself and all of my peers (except for the kid who brought a gavel to school every day). What I think younger folks today might not understand is that this quest for coolness was not about authenticity, individuality, or any kind of meta-awareness of our identities. We weren’t “cool,” we were Cool™, and Coolness™ was defined by brands, something most of us didn’t grow up with the media-savvy to question. It was about being in a minority product vertical: skateboarding, black clothes, skitchin’, rap and/or punk rock on MTV, and unironically spelling the word “extreme” with a capital X.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=9-corporate-ad-games-that-didnt-suck&captions=true"]

Speaking of irony, I’d argue that the ’90s were the decade where Detached Irony was born, grew up, got perfected as chronicled in the 1995 Alanis Morisette song “Ironic,” and, in a sense, died. Irony is a toy we make memes with nowadays, but it used to be what we used to identify ourselves as - we were misfits who were “over it,” and therefore cooler than you. You were Coke, we were Pepsi. Flash forward twenty years and I’d call myself more of a Blueberry Acai caffeine-free Diet Coke guy; my point being that identity issues have gotten more complex over the years. And Sonic has all of that wrapped up in his fur. Needles? His…hedgehog...texture.

The ’90s were a gaming landscape dominated by Mario: a fat, middle-aged human who focuses primarily on jumping. This made Sonic feel like pure, uncut, corporate-designed cool in a way that immediately juiced the X-centers of my brain. If you were a Sega kid, you felt indie, edgy, a little more Pitchfork than your Nintendo playmates. Sonic focused on going fast, his head had Liberty Spikes, and he was such a crude, rude, awesome dude that if you stopped playing for a few seconds he’d look right into camera and give you the stink eye for wasting his time.

Amazingly, none of that seemed corny to us at the time. Sonic’s Cool was genuine and accepted by his fans with a naivete born of the mono-media culture of the ’70s and ’80s, and which has been slowly decaying ever since Fonzie jumped the shark. These days it’s almost been completely dispelled as the internet and other technologies drive us to be more aware of the systems around us from a younger and younger age.

Considering that, it’s no coincidence that the 90’s saw the ascendance of grunge music, pop-punk, an explosion in goth culture, the advent of “The Gritty Reboot,” and popular films with nihilism as a central theme. As a culture, we became obsessed with the “fakeness” of all the sheeple around us — irony became a way to interact with the broader world, and a signature part of the Gen X and Millenial attitude. Suddenly we were only interested in bands that hadn’t “sold out” yet, and anyone who didn’t think everything sucked was probably a phony.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2015/10/14/history-of-awesome-1998"]

In that environment, Sonic’s cool started to taste a little Chemical Zone-ey, a little factory-produced. Although the fact that his transition to 3-D graphics was far less graceful than Mario’s was definitely a factor, as a pop-cultural icon Sonic had to shift gears, too. The first Sonic TV show, essentially a kid’s comedy, was canceled and replaced with a much more action-packed and serious take on the Battle for Mobius (if you didn’t know, Sonic’s from a planet called Mobius in the year 3235, but it’s best not to question it).

During the same period, Sonic stopped moving merch, and Sega announced their retirement from the console wars. Which finally brings us to Gen Z, the generation that’s proud to be themselves and frankly doesn’t give a f**k what you think about it.

Sonic & Gen Z (or... Zennials or… Whatever You/They Want to Call Your/Themselves)

These days, truly being yourself, unique, authentic… just you, is huge business. Youtube and Twitch are filled with child billionaires who lean into their personality quirks and are loved specifically for that reason. Also some racism. But the bigger point is, in the new normal, ironic detachment isn’t nearly as valuable. It’s actually cooler, these days, to be into something than to be over something. Young people feel more empowered to simply like what they like, which makes it an ideal time for Sonic to re-enter the fray.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/11/12/sonic-the-hedgehog-old-and-new-design-comparison"]

None of this is to say the movie will definitely do well (or even be good), but as a Sonic fan for life, it’s been interesting to watch him go from cool, to corporatized and “fake”, to “kinda corny and silly and… still fake, but that’s what’s funny about it.” The whole debacle with the initial CG Sonic reveal speaks to that...the filmmakers tried to make Sonic “realistic” and the internet said, “No you idiots, he’s a cartoon rascal that thinks he’s too cool for school, just let him be that!”

Gen Z is the first generation of humans to have grown up fully immersed in a digitally-enhanced society. Everyone is able to indulge their interests and hobbies much more thoroughly now, which has resulted in a galaxy of fragmented fan-bases and communal identities that make the “Are you a Sega person or a Nintendo person?” question seems quaint by comparison.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/03/01/why-are-there-no-good-video-game-movies"]

Nowadays, someone isn’t just a Nintendo or Sega player - they’re an anime cosplayer with an interest in tabletop gaming, or a maker of pixel-beats who crochets Star Wars scarves on Etsy in their spare time. The pop culture landscape is richer. Case in point: there were 130 more movies released in the US in 2018 than in 2017, and the number of scripted TV series’ have increased by 85% since 2011. In such a dynamic environment, generalizations are tough to make, but there is a lot of statistical data on Gen Z folks -- mostly marketing data about buying trends, because Capitalsim™ -- that I think bodes well for the possibility of a Sonic Renaissance.

Environmental Consciousness

Gen Z kids are more concerned about pollution, sustainability, and conservancy than any previous generation. Sonic the Hedgehog’s arch-nemesis is a boomer in a non-self-driving vehicle who’s here to automate all the flowers and animals and build a giant factory.

Fiscal Responsibility

Gen Z-ers are notoriously thrifty, more likely to work a series of freelance jobs or change careers frequently, and always looking for bargains or a place to live that they can actually afford. Sonic the Hedgehog hoards gold rings and emeralds and is in danger of being gentrified out of his neighborhood.

Cord-Cutters

Gen Z is the generation that “cut the cable,” and consumes most of their content on their mobiles, seeing screens as essentially interchangeable and TV as outdated. Sonic destroys hundreds of old-fashioned TVs every game and is mobility incarnate.

Data Protection

Gen Z places less emphasis on the importance of personal privacy. Sonic wears gloves and shoes but no pants.

Ethically-Sourced…Chili Dogs?

Gen Z is consuming far less meat than previous generations. Sonic loves chili dogs, which is a tube of several kinds of meat with ground-up meat on top. Okay, that one doesn’t work. Um...

Blue Hair

I’ve been seeing lots of kids with blue hair lately? What’s up with that?

Let’s see, how can I sound older than I already do? Oh! Bidets? No thank you! What’s all this fuss lately about bidets and bidet seat add-ons? I’ll stick to good old-fashioned American-made two-ply, thank you very much! Now, in my day, we had the Virtual Boy, and he was my best friend and oh my, the times we’d have…

[poilib element="accentDivider"]

Editor’s Note: Michael just kept typing out SNES titles until he got sleepy. We put a blanket over him to make sure he didn’t get cold.

What’s your take on Sonic these days? Corporate Shill or Moderately Funny In Sort of a Kitschy Way Corporate Shill? Let us know in the comments, or to really see how far the internet has fallen, check out what happens when you put the creepy old CG sonic’s teeth on other game characters.

from IGN Video Games https://www.ign.com/articles/2020/01/09/why-sonic-is-the-perfect-mascot-for-gen-z via IFTTT from The Fax Fox https://thefaxfox.blogspot.com/2020/01/why-sonic-is-perfect-mascot-for-gen-z.html

[thisdaynews]

Maxine Waters’ new challenge: AOC and freshman upstarts

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/maxine-waters-new-challenge-aoc-and-freshman-upstarts/

Maxine Waters’ new challenge: AOC and freshman upstarts

Rep. Maxine Waters. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

California Democrat Katie Porter fought with her over committee procedures. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the Squad of progressive female lawmakers withheld their support from her over the Export-Import Bank. Their staffs have pressed her team to give them more time to weigh in on bills.

The target of these progressive freshmen: not some conservative Republican. It’s liberal icon Maxine Waters, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, who is facing growing dissatisfaction — and at times outright rebellion — from high-profile, left-leaning lawmakers who joined the panel earlier this year.

Some progressives have openly lamented the committee’s leanings toward more moderate, business-friendly Democrats who dominate its ranks — a dynamic largely outside of Waters’ control. Ocasio-Cortez vented at a Nov. 19 hearing on private equity that she was “quite upset” with softball questions that members on both sides of the aisle were tossing at representatives of leveraged buyout firms tied to mass layoffs at companies like Toys “R” Us.

“There’s sometimes been some tensions,” Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview.

The incidents underscore the challenges that Waters, who is 81 and entered Congress in 1991, and other House leaders face in pulling together a restive caucus that has become increasingly polarized.

To some extent, the tensions were inevitable when the newly elected batch of progressive lawmakers landed spots on the committee in January. They were immediately seen as a threat to moderates and a potential leadership challenge for Waters as she tried to unify her caucus.

Ocasio-Cortez won her New York seat by taking on former Rep. Joe Crowley — then a member of the House Democratic leadership — in the 2018 Democratic primary. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), another member of the Squad, followed the same path when she unseated former Rep. Michael Capuano, who was a senior Democrat on the Financial Services Committee.

To be certain, the freshmen share many positions with Waters. “Auntie Maxine,” as she is affectionately known by her supporters, has used her committee gavel to refocus the panel’s agenda on protecting consumers and expanding opportunities for minorities. Waters, a Los Angeles Democrat, has summoned powerful Wall Street executives to testify at hearings, giving her new members — especially Ocasio-Cortez and Porter — an opportunity to go viral with fierce questioning of financiers and Trump administration officials.

But the new members have not always fallen in line with the chairwoman, and the tensions have become increasingly apparent to others on the committee.

“Body language says a lot,” said Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), a senior committee member.

In general, Ocasio-Cortez told POLITICO, there has been a tendency to give priority to “conservative seat needs” out of protection for swing-state members.

“It’s always very tough,” she said.

Waters’ office did not respond to a request for comment for this story.

One aide to a progressive freshman on the committee said Waters’ staff faced a difficult task in “wrangling a very wide range of perspectives in the caucus.” While there has been some tension between her staff and progressive offices over process issues, progressives’ frustration is also with the moderates.

Waters’ committee staff, the aide said, “put a lot of work into getting powerful witnesses to testify for a hearing examining private equity, for instance, only to have a significant portion of Dem members give industry a pass,” the aide said.

Waters and Porter, a protege of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, have had the most open conflict among the freshman group.

Porter, a former professor who flipped a Republican-held seat in Orange County last year, has battled with Waters over her use of visual aids at committee hearings.

Waters, prompted by committee Republicans, has stopped Porter from using the props when questioning witnesses at hearings, warning Porter that she’s violating committee rules.

“We’ve talked about this before,” Waters told Porter after asking her to put down a “Financial Services Bingo” board at a debt collection hearing in September.

Porter shot back: “Are we adding additional committee rules at this time?”

Porter, who has emerged as a progressive luminary in her own right, has argued that visual aids help her better engage with the public on big economic policy issues.She said at a recent housing conference that the committee’s suggested questions for hearings usually aren’t “spicy enough for me.”

The debate has at least given her fodder for the late-night talk show circuit.

“The chairwoman overruled my use of this,” Porter told “Late Night” host Seth Meyers as he held up the bingo board that Waters shut down.

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), a senior Financial Services member who’s part of the moderate New Democrat Coalition, said Waters should be the last word on committee rules.

“We should all respect the chairwoman,” he said. “In the courtroom, the judge controls the decorum.”

The tensions escalated in October when Waters was trying to rally Democrats to approve legislation to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, the beleaguered agency that guarantees loans for U.S. goods sold abroad.

Republicans were boycotting the bill and Waters needed to push it through committee on a party-line vote.

Waters was likely to lose support from Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) after they made an unsuccessful attempt to attach amendments that would have imposed stronger environmental protections in deals financed by the agency. Waters rejected the amendments as she tried to maintain support for the underlying bill.

With even Democratic votes in doubt, Waters called Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to her committee room to help make sure Porter — dressed as Batgirl for Halloween — was on board and would not join the opposition, sources familiar with the matter said.

Porter ended up voting for the bill, and it doesn’t appear she ever threatened to vote against it, raising further questions about her relationship with Waters.

“Rep. Porter was firmly committed to vote yes on Ex-Im reauthorization after the changes made by the Chairwoman over the last few months,” Porter spokesperson Jordan Wong said. “She was happy to chat with Leader Hoyer on the day of the vote about their shared commitment to American jobs, but she didn’t need convincing to vote ‘yes.’”

A Hoyer aide said the majority leader, an outspoken Export-Import Bank supporter, “knew Republicans were playing games and causing trouble” and so he went to the markup to check in with Waters in person. The aide denied that Hoyer was there to “whip” votes.

The incident surprised some longtime committee members, who said they’d never seen anything like it.

“Maxine Waters called him and he rushed over,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said. “A lot of us were in the dark about what was going on.”

The rift over the Export-Import Bank isn’t the only recent dispute that’s erupted over committee bills.

Staff of the freshman committee members, including Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.), have complained to Waters’ team about how the House has recently moved Financial Services legislation on an expedited basis — sometimes without a committee hearing and, from their perspective, with little time for review, in particular to address objections raised by outside advocacy groups allied with progressive offices.

Porter herself registered the dissatisfaction in September. She was the lone Democrat to vote against a bill dealing with the North American Development Bank because, her spokesperson said, the committee didn’t have a hearing on the topic beforehand and the legislation was circulated for the first time just days before the vote.

“As Rep. Porter has repeatedly shown, hearings are real opportunities to dig into issues and engage colleagues on both sides of the aisle,” her spokesperson said.

In an interview, Garcia said he is “pretty happy” with the committee’s ability to address issues important to his district and there is ample opportunity to approach Waters and work with her staff. But Garcia said he’d like to see progressive members of the panel work more closely together to strategize on issues.

“I thought we would be acting as a more cohesive force,” he said. “Individually we do it, we approach each other. But we have yet to develop an agenda I would say that we agree or formed a consensus around. Maybe that comes in Year 2.”

Read More

[canadianliveauctions-blog]

Fine Jewels & Swiss Watches under the Gavel in Calgary. Only this Sunday May 21st at the Carriage House Inn!

Calgary, AB –Federal Auction announced its next Fine Jewellery & Swiss Watch auction which offers rare Diamonds and many other consignments including Rubies, Sapphires, Emeralds, Pearls, 22K Gold and much, much more. This liquidation will also offer a generous selection of hand crafted Swiss watches, featuring Rolex Day-Date and Datejust models, Patek Philippe and Cartier. Important Jewellery and Gold Coins are up for grabs at this live auction.

The auction is open to public and you are required to register at the auction site just before the door opening. Join us on Sunday May 21st, 2017, 1pm at Carriage House Inn, 9030 Macleod Trail South Calgary. For more info, please visit http://www.federalauction.ca/calgary

Federal Auction has been a fine jewellery auction specialist since 1994.

Featured Lots:

05.21.2017 @ 1pm – Fine Jewellery & Swiss Watch Auction, 9030 Macleod Trail S, Calgary

An exciting auction comes to Calgary Sunday March 12th, 2017 as Federal Auction hosts its next Live Fine Jewellery & Swiss Watch Auction event. Featured at this sale is this important Rolex Cosmograph “Paul Newman” Daytona, Ref. 116528PN. The F-Dial in this watch features a Golden Champagne background with Black Sub-Dials, with DAYTONA and Chrono seconds printed in Red. This is one of the most exciting Lots at this sale, which features a range of collectables like Rolex, Cartier, and Patek Philippe Swiss Watches. You can also bid on fine Jewellery including rare Diamonds from 1 to 5ct. Fine Rubies set in Rings, Necklaces, and Earrings, along with 200 other Lots will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Join us this Sunday May 21st, 2017, 1pm at The Carriage House Inn, 9030 Macleod Trail South Calgary.

The excitement starts at Federal Auction this Sunday May 21st 2017 at 1pm in Calgary, with this Rolex Datejust leading the way. Our Live Fine Jewellery & Swiss Watch Auction features a rich collection of about 200 Lots, curated specifically for our Calgary clients. This Rolex Datejust is fitted with a beautiful sunburst Blue Dial, set with Diamonds in Yellow Gold. The Bezel is also Yellow Gold with Diamonds, and the watch is tastefully finished with a 2 tone Jubilee bracelet. Other watches such as Rolex Day-Date, Daytona, Explorer II, Datejust II, Lady Datejust, will also be offered to the highest bidder.

Rolex! Don’t miss this Fine Jewellery & Swiss Watch Live Auction on Sunday May 21st, 2017 in Calgary by Federal Auction. This event features this exquisite all Gold Rolex Day-Date Presidential Automatic Wristwatch, with a factory Diamond Dial. The Day-Date was the first watch to introduce the Day of the Week feature fully spelled out. The Datejust feature was already on the market, and this model showcased the Day-Date together. The Presidential bracelet, with its bold links, expresses a strong and confident iconic look. Finished in Yellow Gold, this watch exudes qualities Luxury, Style, and Success. The Dial features the Rolex Crown at the top, and tastefully fitted with 10 Diamonds. This has to be one of the most sought after watches in business circles, and delivers the pleasure of ownership in the boardroom, as well as on the golf course. This and 200 other items, including Fine Jewellery in Diamonds, Rubies, Sapphires, and Tanzanite will be offered to the highest bidder.

Pretty in Pink! There is no other color that communicates beauty and youth better than Pink. This 1ct Fancy Pink Diamond certified by GIA comes to Federal Auction’s next Calgary event, Sunday May 21st, 2017 at 1pm. Pink Diamonds represent some of the rarest gems in the world. In recent years, Pinks have enjoyed a very strong market, and demand is higher than ever. This is for a collector who seeks rarity, quality, value, exclusivity, and has an investment mindset.

This finely crafted Burma Ruby & Diamond set leads the upcoming Fine Jewellery & Swiss Watch Auction event by Federal Auction on Sunday May 21st, 2017 in Calgary. Burma has maintained its dominance as the preferred source for the finest Rubies in the world. This set is one of the finest Pigeon’s Blood Red Ruby sets we have seen in a decade with a Burmese origin. This auction will offer some 200 Lots of fine Jewellery including 1 to 5 carat Diamond Rings, rare Sapphires, as well as a selection of Rolex Datejust, Rolex Daytona, and Rolex Datejust watches. Join us on Sunday May 21st, 2017, 1pm at Carriage House Inn, 9030 Macleod Trail South Calgary.

#burmaruby #rubynecklace #diamonds #fancyyellow #tanzanite #jewellery #jewelry #auction #vintagerolex #41mm #116333 #rolex #datejustII #16233 #watch #gold #pinkdiamond #love #fashion #luxury #engagementring #federalauctionservice #bling #finejewellery #gia #calgary #yyc #yyctoday #yycnow