#its my second day at this trader joes job today and i like it it's pretty much just stocking

[magicdyke]

beautifulest day imaginable to you patrick

thank you dom my love...... wishing the wonders of the world upon you

[reminiscences]

today in my group text i started with demo and erin (i met demo, appropriately, on tumblr 10 years ago and i met erin at a media happy hour where we established that we were both from the same part of pennsylvania) we were talking about how none of us are good at remembering like, anything. 

i can remember every stupid thing about my first year in new york but the years where i’m 23-27 all blend together in my head. but that first year was perfect: i was experiencing everything happening in new york for the first time, and it was that thing where none of it was new new, they were just new-to-me experiences that other people had all experienced dozens of times. 

i moved into my bedroom in bushwick off of the wilson L labor day weekend 2014. i had been living with my mom’s family in the rockaways that summer, and my mom’s cousin ed dropped me and my stuff off in bushwick. “this is where you live?” he asked incredulously. there was nothing wrong with the apartment, i just think he hadn’t been to bushwick in years. the apartment itself was something of an artifact: it was a two-story, two-unit building. the 90-something-year-old landlord lived with her family on the ground floor, and our three bedroom apartment was on the second floor. it was a three-bedroom place; it hadn’t been renovated in years. the paint in the unventilated bathroom peeled, the kitchen was enormous by new york city standards, and the living room was between the two other bedrooms, so i always had to walk through someone’s room to watch tv. 

the lease on the apartment belonged to emmy, who was a year older than me and went to newhouse before transferring to the new school. she was an unpaid intern at a photobooth startup whose offices were off the jefferson L, near cobra club (instead of waiting in line to pee at cobra club, we’d just walk across the street and use the bathrooms in the photobooth startup’s offices instead). her parents paid her rent. she smoked more weed than anyone i’d ever met in my life, and my college friends were comp sci majors who sold weed as an extracurricular activity. she had the biggest bedroom and a cat that routinely hissed at me. our other roommate brooke was once emmy’s best friend; brooke was in my year at syracuse. she worked at a boutique in carroll gardens owned by the real-life equivalent of jan levinson-gould on the office. brooke’s room was also big, and mine was small, but i had the only closet and my rent was $425 a month (the landlord clearly was unaware that the neighborhood was turning over; these days, the rent on my bedroom should be closer to $1000) so it was fine. 

i was never much of a weed smoker in college. i just wasn’t very good at it. and then i moved to 1337 bushwick avenue and i started smoking out of emmy’s bong whenever she and brooke would smoke. the railroad living room always stank like bongwater because there were no windows and the doors were always closed. brooke and i would get really high and walk over to the popeyes under the Halsey J, or order burgers from ridgewood eats. i am still not very good at smoking weed but brooke is still one of my favorite people to get high with.

here are some things i learned about and did when i lived in bushwick: doing all your grocery shopping after work at the trader joe’s on 6th avenue; getting off the L at bedford, grabbing falafel at oasis and walking all the way back to bushwick; the concept of a non-suburban target at atlantic terminal; parties in warehouses that had been converted to apartments; going to shows at shea stadium; standing on the balcony at shea stadium; going to union pool with emmy and expressing mild horror as she peed right on the outdoor patio by the taco truck; listening to cloud nothings on every commute into the city at 7:30 in the morning; riding the J train just to see what above-ground looked like in brooklyn; my college boyfriend coming down to visit and not having any idea what to do with him so we went to the comic book store in union square and got ramen and otherwise sat around counting down the hours until he left again; getting my full-time offer after working as a de facto reporter on a $13/hour rate for five months; getting coffee in bushwick at AP Cafe (now closed) on troutman with annie and asta to celebrate my new job; having pizza and champagne at my friend liz’s apartment to celebrate my new job; going to taco bell in union square with emmie (different emmie/emmy) to celebrate both of us getting our job offers on the same day; being extremely single in new york and dancing on an elevated surface at tandem (also RIP); uber rides home from fort greene to astoria on saturday mornings. it took so little to make me happy in new york that year. on a friday night if i came home after work, put on a bodycon dress from urban outfitters with my faux-leather jacket and got to sing at least a couple songs at karaoke at cobra club or slip into a party at house of yes without paying a cover i was content. our nights always ended the same way when i went our with brooke: we would go to bushwick pita palace, eat our falafel in the restaurant, and then take a car home. the idea of taking a car was also new: syracuse didn’t have uber, and we didn’t have the disposable income to make it habitual, so it always felt like a decadent treat when we’d have the car carry us a couple miles down bushwick avenue at 2 am. 

i never signed a lease when i moved in. this would eventually work against me when emmy informed me the day before i went home for christmas that another friend of ours, ben, would be moving into my bedroom in five weeks’ time. i felt like emmy had been thoughtless with sharing this information with me, a person who clearly did not have any sort of upper hand in a situation where someone older than me who’d lived in new york for years and who wasn’t paying her own rent was dictating the rules. 

will, my college boyfriend, was moving down to the city in about a month’s time anyway and the plan was for him to stay with us for just a little while while we got our shit together and found a place; emmy sort of just expedited that process. still, we had an acrimonious end to our friendship. we didn’t speak the entire last month i lived in her apartment, and the night before i left, she threw out all the food in the fridge that was mine. something else happened to the apartment around this same time in december 2014: it was invaded by houseflies. at first there were just a couple, and a flyswatter or some fly tape got rid of them. but then they multiplied. there were 20. then there was 100. then i had to eat all my meals in my bedroom with the door closed to make sure the flies wouldn’t come in. something was rotting in the walls. i think it was the wood itself. we moved out on february 1, into our new apartment in ridgewood, and within a year, 1334 bushwick avenue had been knocked down. the apartment had become unlivable. i drove by it a few weeks ago on my way back from the rockaways with my friends, and in its place they’d built a new apartment. if you hadn’t known it before, you wouldn’t know it changed at all.

[flynnerider]

Day in The Life AND Special Announcement!

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.”- Steve Jobs

Hi everyone!

Sorry it’s been so long since my last update! It really is true what they say- no news is good news! I still LOVE my job, and that’s what I’m here to talk about today! A lot of people ask me what exactly I do, and when I was looking into the DCP I had the same kinds of questions, so I’m here to walk you through a day in the life of a Slide Operator at Blizzard Beach!

First, hours. I usually work five or six days in a row, then have two days off- rarely the same days each week. Blizzard Beach is open from 10AM-5PM every day, so when I work I always get off at 5:30 PM. There’s four possible Slide Op shift start times: 8AM, 9AM, 9:45AM, and 11AM. 8’s and 9’s are assigned “morning jobs” like filling water coolers, cleaning sand areas, and occasionally slide testing to help get the park ready for guests. 11’s are “breakers” (more on this later), and 9:45 is a “normal” start where you clock in, go to our morning meeting, or “breakout”, and head to your first stand. I started at 9:45 this morning!

Every morning I get up, get dressed in my swimsuit, Disney Parks polo, and blue shorts:

Then I eat breakfast and pack my backpack. Here’s what’s in my bag:

From left to right: My lunch (today, Trader Joe’s pepperoni pizza mac and cheese; usually, salad or a sandwich) and a snack (tortilla chips today), my wallet, my hip pack and water bottle (we don’t say “fanny pack” at Disney; my hip pack always has sunscreen, a towel and rubber gloves, and a tiny rubber ducky to bestow upon a kid who needs it), my sunscreen AND backup sunscreen (I’m loyal to the Trader Joe’s brand but I just ran out yesterday), my whistle, my nametag, a padlock for my locker, my keys, and my hat. As you can see, I have a lot of little accessories that I need for my role! Not pictured: my watch, which I wear out the door, and my sunglasses, which I keep in my car.

At Disney, starting at 9:45 doesn’t mean clocking in at 9:45; you have to be in the park, in uniform, ready to work at EXACTLY 9:45. I leave my apartment 40 minutes before my shift start time each day. It takes me about 20 minutes to drive to Blizzard. Once I’m there I can clock in 15 minutes before my shift and pick up my assignment 10 minutes before my shift.

Your assignment is the rotation you are on for the day. There are six Slide Op “rotations”; each one has three “stands”, or positions. You rotate through these 3 positions in order throughout the day. When we open at 10, the 9:45 starts on the first stand, the 9 starts on the second, and the 8 starts on the third. When the breaker comes in at 11, they go to stand one and “bump” the 9:45 to stand two, the 9:45 bumps the 9 to stand three, and the 8 takes their first break. Then, when the 8 comes back from break, they go to stand one and bump the rotation through and the 9 gets their break, so on and so forth. Make sense?

Today, I was on Tike’s- my favorite rotation! The Tike’s rotation is Summit Plummet/Slush Gusher bottom, Tike Solo Top, and Tike Tube top, so at 10 after morning breakout I went to Summit/Slush bottom to start my day.

My job is to sit there between the slides, welcome riders when they reach the bottom, make sure they exit the catch areas, and push the green “dispatch” buttons to let the Slide Ops up top know it’s safe to send down the next person. It’s fairly easy- watching two slides at once takes a little getting used to, but I got the hang of it pretty quick and I don’t mind Summit Bottom at all!

Now to the place that gives Tike’s its name- Tike’s Peak! Tike’s Peak is our play area for little ones 48 inches and under and their families. There’s a very shallow wading pool with fountains, a play structure with some teeny tiny slides for our smallest skiers, a racing slide for guests of all heights, and two slides for folks 48 inches and under only. 

When the breaker comes to Summit bottom and bumps me off I go to Tike Solo, the first of the two slides.

Tike Solo is so easy it’s criminal- I sit in a chair, check heights (no big kids or parents allowed!), make sure kids go down on their backs or bottoms, and watch to see that they’re clear of the slide before I let the next kid go. It’s a really relaxing stand and you get to have so many cute interactions with kids.

When the next bump comes through, I go to Tike Tube. This one is also 48 inches and under only. I stand in the pool at the top of the slide (about two and a half feet deep). Kids bring their tube up and hand it to me, and I help them get seated the right way- legs out in front, handles facing in. The tube may be a circle, but contrary to popular belief, it does matter which way they sit! Then, when the lifeguard at the bottom gives me the all clear signal, I guide the kid’s tube into the slide and watch them go! Good, clean, cute fun. My lovely friend Aimee was kind enough to take a picture of me on Tike Tube today- here I am in all my fully-uniformed Slide Op glory!

(My whistle is backwards because otherwise when I bend over to help kids into tubes it hits them in the face, but I promise it’s there!)

Then I took my first break, a glorious half hour, at about 12:45, and did it all over again! I took my second break, a fifteen, around four. I ended my day out on Summit bottom. After we close at 5, we do “closing jobs”: my closing job today was cleaning the bottom of Summit Plummet with magic erasers. Living the dream. Then we have our evening breakout and I go home!

In the evenings, I’ll either go home and relax in front of the TV or go out with my friends or roommates! We obviously love going to the parks (I go two to four times a week at least), but we also love going to dinner (the staff at our regular Pei Wei recognize us; one time they gave us free donuts!) and shopping at Trader Joe’s. Tonight I went into Downtown Orlando with my roommates Misty and Georgia!

We went to the library and got frozen yogurt!

Speaking of fun and parks, I have a big announcement! Blizzard Beach closes for refurbishment every winter, and this year, when we close on October 27th, all of the Blizzard CP’s will get sent to new roles and locations! We’ve all been very anxious to find out where we’re headed, and the wait is finally over!

Yours truly (and a couple amazing coworkers) are moving to Main Street to bring a little extra magic to the holiday season! Main Street Daily Ops is an umbrella term that covers a number of locations; Cast Members are responsible for Parade Audience Control (PAC) for the fireworks and parades throughout the day, running the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game, checking FastPasses at Town Square Theatre for guests meeting Tinker Bell and Mickey, and operating the Magic Kingdom Railroad! Because we’re arriving so late in the season, we’re expecting to just be PAC, but my friends and I are SO excited to be in the most magical place on earth during the most magical time of the year! I start in Magic Kingdom in late October- come see me in my new digs!

Thanks for your continued support, everyone! I appreciate all of your encouragement and interest in my life. Coming soon (for real this time): my Disney do’s and do nots! This is something I’m very excited to share- should be coming about two or three weeks from today!

See ya real soon,

FR

[tak4hir0]

Bust out the digital confetti: our most recent cohort of Salesforce Accelerate companies just graduated! These 18 AppExchange partners — both the largest cohort to-date in the program’s history and the first to complete the 12-week program 100% online — were part of the Salesforce Accelerate Grow program, which helps existing partners accelerate their growth in the marketplace. It’s become a rite of passage for Accelerate Grow participants to compete in a Demo Jam before graduation. Demo Jams are a fast-paced, game show-style competition where partners have just three minutes to demo their apps live (no slides allowed), and the audience votes for their favorite demo. With 18 apps to showcase, this could only mean one thing: a whole week of Demo Jams, culminating in a MEGA Demo Jam. Let’s take a look at each Demo Jam and the apps that were a part of each. Hosted by Salesforce MVPs Nik Panter and Aleksandra Radovanovic, this Demo Jam kickstarted the competition and had us all singing along (thanks, Mal). AppiniumAppinium showcased how its video and learning solution can help drive engagement and interaction — all within Salesforce. Automation AnywhereThis demo showcased how this app enables any Salesforce form to reach out to an RPA (Robotic Process Automation) software bot, pass data, and get a response. OdasevaOdaseva used their three minutes to show how to accelerate customer trust and save time with a consumer rights management demo in a Salesforce org. LiveDataLiveData took us on a day-of surgery journey, showcasing its PeriOp Manager for Salesforce Health Cloud solution which streamlines surgical workflows for the patient and the hospital, increasing productivity and safety. Mogli SMSThis AppExchange partner sang its app’s praises, covering how it helps higher ed, NPOs, and Financial Services organizations improve lead generation, conversion, communication, and sales via text messaging. **WINNER** Reputation StudioReputation Studio demoed how a customer review on an ecommerce website kick starts the building of a 360-degree view in Salesforce, complete with case creation and resolution all through Salesforce. Watch this winning demo here. Hosted by Salesforce MVPs Jodi Wagner and Tal Frankfurt, the second Demo Jam in the competition included rabbit costumes, a sing-a-long, and plenty of amazing technology. HighspotHighspot demoed how easy it can be to update presentations with relevant content, get feedback and insights, and even email directly from its sales enablement tool. **WINNER** NeuroredThe Neurored team spent their three minutes showing — or really, singing — how its app can handle everything from order placement to delivery for traders and freight forwarders involved in global trade. Watch the winning demo here. IcertisIcertis demoed how its customers are bringing agility to their sales process with its contract management app, including search and update clauses, sending for approval, and more all from within Salesforce. Interlace HealthFor some, registering as a patient at a health care organization is not a pleasant experience. Interlace Health delivers an improved patient and provider experience with pre-populated information on forms, the ability to scan insurance cards, and patient intake dashboards. AutoRABITAutoRABIT brought its mascot to demo how its solution provides data recovery, leveraging extensive daily rollbacks without data loss, and can help customers meet data and metadata audit and compliance needs. ZenkraftRetailers and ecommerce companies get asked a lot of questions, but likely none so more as “What’s my shipment status?” Zenkraft walked through how its solution helps companies automate returns, answer shipment status questions, and fulfill orders with 60+ shipping carriers on the Salesforce platform. The third and final Demo Jam to determine who would compete in the MEGA Demo Jam was hosted by Salesforce MVPs Shonnah Hughes and Om Prakash and featured some great storytelling to showcase technology. LevelJumpIn three minutes, LevelJump demoed how their solution can accelerate success for sales reps, sales managers, analyze enablement programs’ impact to sales performance, and map enablement programs over time. **WINNER** SightCallVisual Support has always been a critical element, but SightCall elevated the importance it has today due to COVID-19 in its demo. Their three minutes were filled with how its solution is helping people get the care they need at home while keeping families and health care professionals safe. Check out the winning demo in this video. GeneiaGeneia showcased its Theon Care Management solution that was tailor-made for physician organizations, hospitals, and healthcare systems needing to quickly assess and triage patients seeking COVID-19 information, resources, and care. ComplianceQuestComplianceQuest, one of the AppExchange partners extending Work.com, demoed its workforce digitization solution. This solution includes document management, learning management, and change management all under one unified model. ParsableDuring these three minutes, we went on a journey about a manufacturer handling a large chemical order, overcoming challenges of disruption in operations due to COVID-19, leveraging Parsable’s job type templates and more. NatterboxNatterbox used its three minutes to demo how its solution can increase speed-to-connect with customers via its web2lead functionality. This means salespeople can quickly follow up and engage prospective customers. The three winners went to battle, alongside our Salesforce MVP hosts Nik Panter and Melinda Smith, on June 24 in the Salesforce Accelerate MEGA Demo Jam with Sightcall claiming the MEGA victory. We asked the three partners to share their thoughts on their experience during the Salesforce Accelerate program and the Demo Jams. Joe Hudicka, Managing Director, Neurored“#GRATITUDE to Salesforce for enabling partners like Neurored and our Salesforce Accelerate Colleagues! The name says it all — Salesforce Accelerate is truly a guided path to success, a rocketship to the bigger, brighter future we all seek to inspire and deliver together. AND DEMO JAM?!? I mean HOW COOL IS IT to enable such creativity and collaboration amongst community partners? Thank you Salesforce!” Matt Wolf, SVP Global Alliances, SightCall“SightCall is proud to be a Salesforce Accelerate Demo Jam finalist. SightCall had an outstanding experience with the Accelerate Program. We discovered high-value strategies and tactics to grow our company and collaborate with Salesforce across sales, marketing, and product.” Jon Jessup, Founder & CEO, Reputation Studio“The Salesforce Accelerate Grow program was a great resource for our team at Reputation Studio during these challenging times of our business. We’re taking what we learned throughout the program and applying it to every aspect of our Go-To-Market strategy with Salesforce, as well as our new V2MOM. We were also able to build two new Salesforce AppExchange Solutions. To wrap things up, the MEGA Demo Jam was a great way for us to showcase the incredible innovation that Reputation Studio is delivering for our mutual customers around Salesforce Customer 360, Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Service Cloud!”

[terryquinnblog]

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!

Back in the U.S ... Back in the U.S. ... Back in the U.S.S.R.

If you're anywhere near being of my vintage, you've seen the movie and you've heard the song. And if you're alive and sentient in this cruelest month of April 2020 – particularly the death-riddled New York City edition – then you're walking the ghost town I've been walking. You're leaving at last the fortress that is your apartment and venturing out, as I did yesterday morning, for butter, milk, bread and a swordfish steak, a lemon sole filet.

What I encountered out on the streets of downtown Brooklyn was something just shy of a moonscape. No traffic as I made my way, dutifully masked, down the middle of the road. Birdsong sounding freaky loud. The rumble of empty subway cars, rising from the drainage grates I passed. Store doors hung with signs saying 'Temporarily Closed Due to Staff Issues'. And the sight of scores upon scores of similarly masked, piously silent fellow citizens, ranged in single file as they waited their turn to shop. Queues of strangely polite, strangely obedient New Yorkers standing on the chalk-marked sidewalk outside Key Food, then shuffling forward in lock step whenever someone exited. Queues leading up to bodegas and delis that hadn't opened yet – and so promised a somewhat safe environment for the first quarter hour or so. And mirabile dictu, this once in a lifetime apparition: a line of blank-eyed consumers that stretched three and one half blocks from well inside Boerum Hill to the border of Brooklyn Heights.

 From a good ten feet away, I asked the last, woebegone woman in line where she was headed. "What?" she screamed through her mask. I'd forgotten about my own, so I screamed my question back. "Trader Joe's!" she screamed once more. OK, I thought, that's a quarter mile away. She can expect to get her frozen pizzas sometime this afternoon.

As I gazed down Pacific Street at that seemingly endless row of folks, each two yards distant from the next, my thoughts traveled back in time – first to that haunting snippet of The Wasteland, "I had not thought death had undone so many." But soon, in my reverie, I was driven all the way back to 1950's Queens Village and a second floor classroom at Our Lady of Lourdes grammar school. Back, specifically, to a daylong lesson – delivered by my sixth grade nun, Sister George Michael – on How to Survive a Nuclear Attack.

 Like all post-war kids growing up in New York City, I was assured that our jam-packed neighborhoods were the first ones the Russians planned to bomb into oblivion, and that scrambling under our pinewood desks just before the moment of impact offered the best chance of making it through. And once she'd conducted four such drills that October morning and afternoon, Sister rolled out a clackety projector and showed us a newsreel of grim-faced Muscovites lined up for what looked like miles. (Versts, she said.) "See these unfortunate Soviets, children?" Sister went on. "Well, after hours of waiting, thanks to the strictures of Socialism, they may or may not get a stick of butter, a half-loaf of bread, a pail of milk." No mention of swordfish or lemon sole.

And so yesterday, in the course of my excursion, I got it. Here, In Time of Plague, were my Russians. It was now 10:47 in the morning. I hadn't gotten to Amy's Bread or Fish Tales yet, where my own queues awaited. But I was experiencing this epiphany, this eschatological glimpse of history's continuity. The memes of my boyhood days: Krushchev slamming his shoe on the table ... Pogo declaring "We have met the enemy and he is us" ... Ronald Reagan flacking "Better Lives Through Chemistry." 

How different were those, really, from today's screenshots of Putin smirkingly disclaiming interference in America's elections? ... Or the notice I recently spotted in a shuttered bookstore's window, "The Apocalypse Literature section has been moved to Current Events"? .. Or the hand-scrawled note I saw in our local CVS, pasted atop the empty toilet paper shelves, "One Roll Per Family." And you need look no further than the nicknames we assign. Back in the Russia Scare days of the '40s and '50s, we had our Hotsy Trotskys, our Uncle Joe Stalins. Last election it was Crooked Hillary, Little Marco, Pocahontas, Low Energy Jeb. Now it's Nervous Nancy, Sleepy Joe and You Know Who. Plus ca change ...

I know I'm no Samuel Pepys. However, a day after posting Part Two of this Plague series, I received a message from the director of the Brooklyn Historical Society. She asked whether they might archive what I'm writing, for inclusion in the record they're making of the Coronavirus's effects on current day society. A privilege, I replied.

But in light of that honor and its attendant responsibilities, I feel the need to let the victims of the next worldwide scourge know that this one resident of the affliction's epicenter had it far easier than so many others did. I'm not living alone, and can't imagine how devastating these months would feel if I were. I'm not living in poverty, either, and haven't lost a business or a job. Not home-schooling children, nor risking my life daily as a hospital staffer, a nursing home aide, a grocery store employee. What I am is a retired teacher, well up in the high-risk age group, So I go through each day wondering whether or not I'll be alive a week from now. But each morning as I wake up, and each night as I go to bed, I tell myself what the Beatles told me, back in '68 ...

You don't know how lucky you are, boy. 

Till soon,

Terry

[junker-town]

I rewatched Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS and it was magical

It took nearly six hours and 14 innings, but the Red Sox made it happen. 

My heart sank when my baseball-loving kid asked when we were going to watch a game again. Then I remembered after the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series I bought the full set of games on DVD, including the entire American League Championship Series. Having never actually watched any of the discs, I vaguely remembered stashing them in a box that had somehow made its way from Philly to Boston by way of several Cambridge apartments.

Eureka! I still had them.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

We started with Game 4 of the ALCS against the Yankees because even in a quarantine I wouldn’t bother with the first three games. My kid soon became familiar with Papi, Manny, and the whole gang of Idiots. He promptly proved his Masshole bonafides, yelling, “Come on Millah!” when Kevin Millar came up to bat in the ninth against Mariano Rivera. For the record, neither my wife nor I have a Boston accent and he doesn’t either. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was a proud moment.

My wife, incidentally, couldn’t care less about baseball, but she has fond memories of staying up late with her friends, living and dying with every pitch. When Dave Roberts stole second, she screamed like it was happening in real time.

Game 4 was iconic, of course. The whole sequence belongs in a time capsule. Starting with Millar’s walk to Dave Roberts’ steal through Bill Mueller knocking the great Mariano Rivera off the mound with the game-tying single like he was Charlie Brown in a Peanuts strip. And then, much, much later, Big Papi’s home run. Game 6 was even more famous with the whole bloody sock thing, while Game 7 was just pure cathartic release.

But Game 5 — holy shit, Game 5. I had forgotten how magically insane it was. Over 14 innings and almost six hours, it was like watching a slow-motion nightmare unfold only to emerge in a blissy dream state where unicorns are real and it ain’t over ‘til Big Papi takes a swing.

To set the scene, Game 4 ended after midnight, meaning Game 5 took place literally the same day. Your starters were Mike Mussina and Pedro Martinez, making perhaps his last start in a Boston uniform.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Sox took an early 2-0 lead but couldn’t bust out a big inning against Mussina, who settled down and pitched a gem. Martinez was also dealing, but that pitch count was rising higher as we got to the sixth with the Sox leading, 2-1, which is when I started taking notes.

Martinez is getting up near 100 pitches. I forgot that after 100 pitches he turned into Ramiro Mendoza. Thankfully, Joe Buck is here to remind us. Tim McCarver thinks pitch counts are overrated and now I’m yelling at McCarver to shut the fuck up. (For future reference, STFUTM will serve as shorthand.)

Earlier, he told an incredibly random story about Trinidad Hubbard that made absolutely no sense. Hard to believe, but there really was a point when McCarver was an insightful announcer. Happens to all of them, eventually.

Martinez gets Bernie Williams to pop up, but Jorge Posada reaches on a quirky infield single and Ruben Sierra follows with another hit. I’ve seen this movie before. It ends badly. Tony Clark strikes out and now it’s up to Miguel Cairo. Martinez just hit Cairo to load the bases. 2004 me is yelling at Terry “Tito” Francona: “GET HIM OUTTA THERE, FRANCONA.”

Photo by Linda Cataffo/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Tito leaves Martinez in to pitch to Jeter and Buck notes that Jeter hasn’t put his stamp on this series yet. Oh God. The inside-out swing. The slicing line drive landing in right. Three runs are going to score. I’ll go to my grave saying Prime Nomar was better, but it would really help if Captain Intangibles stopped doing stuff like this.

Looked like Cairo may have been out at the plate, but it’s real close. You know what this game doesn’t have? Replay review. There were at least eight plays by my count that would have been subject to replay review and this game would still be playing if that was the case. We got along fine without reviewing every close play and I would like to return to that nebulous state of affairs when the world stops burning.

You know what else this game doesn’t have? Fans on cell phones. Everyone is hanging on every pitch and it’s beautiful. I know this because the broadcast keeps cutting away to the stands and I’ve seen the same woman clasping her hands in prayer between pitches a dozen times. Pretty sure I’ve seen her at the Fresh Pond Trader Joes.

LOL, Martinez plunked Alex Rodriguez just because he could. McCarver doesn’t like it. STFUTM. Now Gary Sheffield walks to load the bases. Um, Tito? I think you can go get him now. Francona leaves Martinez in and he gets Hideki Matsui to fly out. Good job, Tito.

The Yankees had a chance to break it open in the eighth, but Mike Timlin gets A-Rod to pop up with a runner on third and one out. This was A-Rod’s chance to be a True Yankee and he blew it. Shame, really.

On we go to the bottom of the eighth and it’s time for the WebMD update. Today’s injury is a broken heart. Thanks, guys. Really appreciate it.

Photo by Keith Torrie/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Here comes Papi and he takes Tom Gordon over the Monster and off the Volvo sign. I miss the Volvo sign. Now Millar, who draws another walk. Dude could take a walk like nobody else. Roberts comes in to pinch run and Gordon throws over a half dozen times. He’s clearly rattled. It’s happening again.

We’ve officially reached the moment where Francona becomes a super genius. Everyone keeps expecting Roberts to steal second, but Tito calls for the hit-and-run and Trot Nixon executes it perfectly sending a line drive single to right center. God bless that dirtbag right fielder.

First and third, nobody out and Joe Torre calls on Rivera. Officially this will go down as a blown save when Jason Varitek lofts a sacrifice fly to center to tie the game, 4-4, but this is on Gordon. No Yankee ever scared me more than Mariano. Salute to him.

When McCarver gets what he considers a profound thought in his head, he slows his cadence for dramatic effect. Then he repeats himself like he’s delivering a dugout sermon from Whitey Herzog.

“After 169 games and eight innings, the Red Sox season comes down to one inning,” McCarver tells us before the ninth. “One inning.” Oh Tim, we’re just getting started.

Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Keith Foulke is on to pitch the ninth. He worked 2 ⅔ the night before and will pitch tonight and then again in Game 6. Foulke threw 14 shutout innings during the postseason and was never the same. He gave up his career for this postseason run and was never properly appreciated because he made some crack about fans the following season that caused everyone to turn on him. Here’s to you, Keith Foulke. I have no idea how you ever got anyone out, but you were nails.

In the ninth, Tony Clark hit a ball to right that somehow crawled up the short fence and landed in the stands. Had it stayed in play, Ruben Sierra would have scored and the game would have been over. Sixteen years later, the universe hates Boston and its run of championships, but in 2004, this was all strange and new. Kind of miss those days.

Bronson Arroyo, fresh off getting hammered in Game 3, strikes out A-Rod and Sheffield en route to a clean 10th inning. The strike zone, by the way, has been a tad inconsistent. It’s hard to tell because there’s no K-Zone or pitch tracking and again, that’s totally fine! Maybe we were better off not knowing everything all the time.

Even though I know how this is going to turn out, I keep expecting Papi to hit a home run every time he comes up to hit. Instead, he strikes out.

On we go to the 12th and it’s Tim Wakefield time. The knuckleballer’s normal catcher/binky is Doug Mirabelli, but Tito rides with Varitek, who has absolutely no idea how to catch a knuckleball. Super genius.

Cairo singles to left and Manny kicks it like only Manny can, allowing Cairo to get to second. My kid smacks his forehead and says, “Oh, Manny.” He doesn’t even know the half of it. Fortunately, Jeter flies out and so does A-Rod. Crisis averted.

The Sox have stopped hitting. This seems bad.

Photo by Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images

Ah, the 13th. Nothing bad can happen here. Sheffield is swinging for the Mass Pike. He’s legitimately terrifying. Somehow, Wakefield strikes out Sheffield with a nasty knuckler that Varitek misplays into a passed ball. I remember thinking at the time, “This is how it’s going to happen. This is how they’re going to kill us.”

Two outs now and Matsui’s at first. Whoops, another passed ball. Now he’s at second. Intentional walk to Posada. Everyone at Fenway is nervous as hell. My wife comes into the room and starts watching. Now she’s nervous.

ANOTHER passed ball puts runners on second and third. Missed opportunity by McCarver to say something profoundly stupid like, “Johnny Pesky held the ball. Varitek can’t catch the ball.” Actually, that would have been pretty good.

Seriously though, one more miscue from Varitek and he’s Mike Torrez combined with Bill Buckner. Somehow, somehow, Wakefield strikes out Sierra and Varitek miraculously holds on. Fenway erupts. My wife cheers. “Mom, you know what’s going to happen,” my kid says but none of us care. This was the greatest game I ever saw and even now it doesn’t seem real.

Photo by Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

OK, now the 14th. Esteban Loiaza is on to pitch for the Yankees and he’s somehow become Whitey Ford. His cutter is filthy. Johnny Damon, who has done absolutely nothing this series, draws a walk.

Two outs and here’s Manny. I always loved Manny in these spots because a) he’s a great hitter and b) he’s completely impervious to pressure. God, this is a great at-bat. He’s fouling off quality pitches and laying off sliders just outside the zone. Manny gets his walk and trots to first like it’s a game in June against the Orioles. Here comes Papi.

It took 10 pitches for Ortiz to end Game 5 with a bloop single to center off the handle of the bat. He fought off nasty cutters and sent one about 420 feet screaming into right that went foul. My wife is tense. My kid is yelling, “Come on, Papi!” Finally, the big man does his thing and Johnny Damon comes home from second with the winning run.

Buck had a great call. “Damon can keep right on running to New York.” McCarver immediately blows it by saying, “He didn’t do it again, did he?” Dramatic pause. “He did.” Thanks, Tim. Oh, and STFU.

Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

By the way, there’s no off day because there was a rainout prior to Game 4. I have no idea how either one of these teams turned around and played again the next night, but I’d give anything for another marathon Red Sox-Yankee game right about now. Thank Papi, I still have the DVDs.

[natttyyyyx-blog]

Positive Side of Gentrification

Helllurrrr! Happy Monday! I hope you guys have a wonderful week!

Since I already discussed the negatives of gentrification, today I will be discussing the positives on gentrification.  I wanted to discuss the positives because gentrification isn’t always a bad thing. There’s always some bad to every good or good to every bad. I’m not sure how that saying goes, but I’m pretty sure it goes something like that. If it’s wrong… my bad! I tried but hopefully you guys get my point.

Of course, I did some more researcher and I found pretty much the same thing in all the articles, so I’m going to try and give some more personal examples as I explain much later on in the post.

I’m not going to use all the articles, but I will be posting the links on here to show you guys where I got my info from.

To sum it up, these 4 articles basically said there are four positive things to gentrification. The first one is safety. Violence is decreased by a lot and the neighborhood that is becoming gentrified becomes much safer. Now I can agree with this 100%.

Around my neighborhood, since its being gentrified it has become much safer. There are more police around. They have those stand police things every other block or so. They have also installed cameras outside my building, which I was actually surprised by because I never thought I would see the day that would happen. Since they have installed that, its actually become much quieter in my building which is very weird, but I like it. Another thing that was installed was a camera in my elevator. We’ve always had one, but it never worked, now it actually works. I only know it works is because theirs a blinking red light and it never blinked before.

The second one these articles said is gentrification provides more buildings whether it’s supermarkets, shopping stores, new parks, etc. I also completely agree with this because they are adding more targets, trader joes, and Marshalls nearby. I find that so exciting because I love target and trader joes. I can finally stop traveling so far to go to these stores, it is actually very convenient. They also added more Starbucks, but I feel like Starbucks is overrated sometimes but that’s a whole different story, but I won’t lie and say I wasn’t excited when they added a closer one because I was.

The third one a lot of these articles talked about was getting rid of vacant spaces. They said it was a good thing because instead of letting it go to waste, something was built. Depending on the area they would build apartments, or stores, or businesses.

The last one the articles spoke about was opportunities. By opportunities they meant with jobs or just things to do in your neighborhood. I’m not entirely sure about the jobs part but I guess, since there’s more stores opening up but for different activities I can agree with. One of the big things they added is the Citi bikes. Now, I have to admit when they first added that, I was like “who on earth is going to use that, it’s a waste of space, why are they adding this, it looks weird and so out of place” but it’s actually pretty convenient. My dad used to use it because it was just easier for him bike home than it was to wait for the bus.

Now, this part I am going to write isn’t from any article, but it is just my personal opinion. I think gentrification brings diversity. It is weird and strange but being diverse is always fun. It’s exciting to learn new things and see how other people live. It makes the neighborhood more welcoming. You don’t just base on the neighborhood on the race only, at least not anymore. Before my neighborhood became gentrified, people use to call it, or it was known as mainly Spanish and African American people only but now not anymore.

One last thing, I think gentrification adds is more puppies (dogs). Now this may sound silly, but I have literally seen so much more puppies(dogs) around ever since gentrification started happening around here and it just makes me so happy, because I love puppies (yes, I call every dog a puppy even if they are old). Who wouldn’t like gentrification because of that?

Websites I used:

1.       https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/19/world/gentrification-in-cities/index.html

2.       https://spoilednyc.com/2015/09/15/you-gotta-take-the-good-with-the-bad-5-pros-cons-of-gentrification-in-nyc/

3.       https://sites.google.com/site/gg2wpdermotmitchell/gentrification-impacts

4.       https://money.howstuffworks.com/gentrification2.htm

Where I got the Pictures from:

1.       I took them.

As always, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed my posts! The next one, will be my last post about gentrification! I have yet to decide what to speak about, so if you guys have any suggestions about what my last post should be about, that will be greatly appreciated!

[allaboutfoodgwu]

Cheers to my final post on beer

Beer is a product that not only has a long history, but has also passed the test of time in remaining a popular drink. It can be traced back to over 9,000 years ago from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt (Xu p. 12). In 2017, an academic article hinted at the possibility of beer having been made in the late 3rd millennium BC in what they previously thought to be just wine making (Valamoti p. 611). This hunch is a result of finding “archaeobotanical remains of sprouted cereal grains as well as cereal fragments” at the Bronze Age sites of Argissa and Archondiko on mainland Greece (Valamoti p. 611).

Currently, beer is the most popular alcoholic drink within the United States (Xu p. 11).

Beer is primarily made from barley, hops, sugar, water, wheat, starch, and yeast to create a fermented low-alcohol drink (Xu p. 11). I think the inventors of beer would be proud to know that the drink is such a popular item today. Although beer was invented thousands of years ago, it was not mass produced until several hundred years ago when monasteries and pubs in Europe began to produce and sell their own beer to the public (Xu p. 12). In 1620, the Mayflower brought European-style beer to the United States (Xu p. 12). However, Native Americans were also already producing beer from maize (Xu p. 12). Thus, it is incredible to think that beer was being produced in many different areas throughout the world by people on their own accord (Xu p. 12).

What is special about a product like beer is that it is often part of many special events: an individual’s first legal sip of alcohol, a “cheers” between friends and family, or even an ice cold beverage on a summer holiday.

The research assignment we were given requires us to visit five food stores in Washington, DC to perform optical research on an item of our choice. I chose beer because it is a social beverage and I enjoy drinking it. Having grown up with a Cuban mother and a Dutch father, I have so many memories that have involved family and beer. When visiting Europe, it was legal to drink alcohol at the age of sixteen and my parents allowed us to do this at meals with them. Also, we were offered wine or beer with our family meals at home in Atlanta.

To create a structure for my five grocery store visits, I decided to stick to the Northwest region of Washington, D.C. First, I visited the Whole Foods Market in Foggy Bottom, located within The George Washington University’s campus. This store never seems to rest, I would love to know how much money this specific store takes in on a daily basis. It is open seven days a week from 7am to 11pm. Second, I went to the Trader Joe’s near Washington Circle. Third, I ventured into Georgetown to experience what has been coined the “social” Safeway. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, it was far from social. I was one of the very few people in the store. Fourth, I simply crossed the street from the entrance of my dorm to see what beer was on offer at FoBoGro in Foggy Bottom. Foggy Bottom Grocery, situated in a picturesque townhouse, is clearly marketed towards the college students of GWU. Last, I walked about five minutes from my dorm to visit The Market at Columbia Plaza, also located in Foggy Bottom. Although this market is so close to me, I never even knew it existed due to its placement within a larger plaza hidden from street view.

Across the board, the location of the beer in all five stores was towards either the very back of the store or one of the far-back corners. Interior architects and designers of grocery stores know that beer is an item that one meaningfully comes to purchase. It is not typically one of the products that while perusing the grocery aisles, you pick up because it catches your eye.

Therefore, by placing the beer at the back of the store, shoppers have to walk through the rest of the store to get to it. This positioning is intended to make them purchase other items during their visit. An assumption could also be that since beer is a popular item, many shoppers are willing to walk toward the back of the store to get it. Another reason could be that since beer is quite bulky and heavy, it is placed towards the back where customers will end up at the end of their shopping trip. Therefore, they do not have to carry beer around while looking for other items.

The only store with more than one permanent section for beer was Whole Foods. This store is split into two levels, the basement is for grocery shopping and the entrance floor is for ready-made meals, coffee, and flowers. As a result, they have a large beer section in the basement with larger packs of beer. On the entrance floor right by the shoppers who have to wait in line to check-out, individual beer bottles and six-packs are stacked within easy grabbing distance. I often find myself looking at the different varieties of beer when standing in line and have bought one due to interest. This area seems to easily tempt shoppers who are forced to wait to pay.

Both Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s had separate temporary beer setups. Whole Foods cleverly capitalized on the timing of the Super Bowl LIII by having a setup specifically of items that customers would for the game. This included 12-packs and 6-packs of Heineken, Stella Artois, Corona, and Brut which are all typical brands to have at watch parties since they are reasonably cheap to buy in bulk and are liked by many people. Moreover, bottle openers, hangover medicine, and nuts were a few of the items within the beer stacks. This was clearly an attempt of upselling by Whole Foods. Trader Joe’s also cleverly had a separate temporary beer setup right by the snack section of the store. An entire end cap was devoted to Tijuana’s Mexican Lager, chunky salsa, and salsa verde. This was clearly here to spark creativity in shoppers’ minds on what items you can pair with each other.

What I really came to notice throughout this project was the difference a well-kept and visually pleasing beer section makes to a browsing customer. It is hard to say which of the five stores had the best representation, but I did appreciate the attempts made at particular stores for creativity. As already mentioned, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s did a fantastic job in their temporary beer setups. Another creative tactic that I saw was being able to create your own six-pack; Trader Joe’s and Safeway both had this option for shoppers. By doing this, not only do they spark creativity in their shoppers, but they improve their chances of selling more beer in the future by letting them taste test multiple different brands for the cost of a typical six-pack. Safeway definitely had their creative juices flowing since they also had suggested food pairings to go with their differing beer sections. My favorite pairing suggestion was Pale Ales and burgers, cream based sauces/soups, cheddar cheese, and carrot cake.

As for beer selection, I would have to say that hands-down Safeway was the winner and a total game changer for anyone wanting to browse a huge selection of beer. At first, I saw an end cap with beer that had a blow-up Spiderman staring down at me from the top of the shelf. Then as I turned down the larger aisle, I could not believe the vast amount of beer that was being offered. The aisle seemed endless and one entire half of it was dedicated to beer. I did appreciate the huge walk-in fridges at both FoBoGro and The Market at Columbia Plaza. These were inventive ways to display a large amount of beer in buildings with limited space. Due to these additions, they were able to house large amounts of 24-packs of beer, which would have otherwise been very difficult.

The pricing of beer at the locations varied. Safeway was very reasonably priced, especially with the 12-pack and 6-packs they had on offer. For example, a 6-pack of Heineken was being sold for $9.99. It should also be noted that The Market at Columbia Plaza also had the same price for a 6-pack of Heineken. Since I visited Whole Foods during the week following the Superbowl, they had 6-packs of Heineken on offer in their temporary display at $9.49. However, from buying beer at Whole Foods on multiple occasions, I can say that overall their offerings are quite pricey. This is especially true when you try some of their local IPA brands, a 4-pack of Freak of Nature IPA was $14.99. At Trader Joe’s a 6-pack of Peroni, which is comparable to Heineken was $8.49, which is reasonable. I have no idea what the prices of FoBoGro’s beer is exactly due to the lack of price tags, but I remember buying a six-pack of Heineken there once and vowing to never do that again.

In an article titled, “The embourgeoisement of beer: Changing practices of ‘Real Ale’ consumption,” the author states that “beer consumption has become subjected to upward social mobility in becoming more complex and refined, meaning that it now functions more readily as a marker of social status” (Thurnell-Read p. 539). This project has made me more aware of the high cost of locally brewed beers, especially ones with flashy marketing. In Whole Foods Market, for example, you can easily pick up a six-pack of beer for close to $20. Johnston explains how one of Whole Foods’ key business strategies is to offer consumers as many options as possible (p. 250). However, I noticed that this accessibility to such a varied amount of beer does not come at a cheap price.

What was clear when visiting shops in the Foggy Bottom and Georgetown areas of Northwest DC was the emphasis on “frat beer” and craft beer. Although these two are quite the opposite, “frat beer” is cheap and large in quantity while craft beer is expensive and focuses on quality over quantity, they are both popular in this area. I believe the prevalence of “frat beer” is because of the college campuses of Georgetown University and The George Washington University. I think the popularity of craft beer in this area is due largely to the middle and upper class individuals living in the Northwest DC area. This part of DC is predominantly made up of wealthy individuals due to the high living cost.

In “The Craft Beer Revolution: An International Perspective” by Garagvalia and Swinnen, they discuss how craft brewers and their customers have brought about an end to a “century of consolidation that resulted in the domination of a few global multinationals and the homogenization of beer” (p. 1). The American Brewers Association defines a craft brewery as “small, independent, and traditional” (Garagvalia & Swinnen, p. 1). Small refers to the annual production of less than 6 million barrels, independent refers to the ownership as being mainly craft brewers rather than large alcohol industry members, and traditional refers to the production of the beer (Garagvalia & Swinnen, p. 1).

Therefore, craft beer is completely opposite to “frat beer.” This beer comes in huge bulk sizes, the bigger the better. It is typically not of great quality, think of Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite, and Natural Light. “Frat beer” can easily be found in 24-packs and is cheap in comparison to craft beer. Both The Market at Columbia Plaza and FoBoGro, located near and on campus respectively, had walk-in-fridges that housed 24-packs of “frat beer.”

Overall, there are fantastic choices for beer at supermarkets in Northwest DC. Another exciting development in the Northwest area is the amount of local breweries that are popping up. These make great places to visit for a happy hour or on the weekend with friends. I also could not finish this series of blog posts without mentioning my favorite beer hangout, Sauf Haus at 1216 18th Street NW. Not only do they sell a plethora of local and foreign beers, they specialize in German beers which are ever so delicious. You can try multiple beers in one go by ordering a flight. If you’re feeling a little hungry, make sure to also order a Bavarian pretzel. At this time of year, Sauf Haus has the entire roof open which is great during sunny weather.

In the spirit of keeping tradition alive, I have picked my three favorite brand names across the five stores: Lieutenant Dank (Whole Foods), Sour Monkey (FoBoGro), and Hoptical Illusion (The Market at Columbia Plaza).

          -- Alina Brenninkmeijer

References

Garagvalia, C., & Swinnen, J. (2017). The Craft Beer Revolution: An International Perspective. Agriculture & Applied Economics Association, 32(3), 1-8. Retrieved April 27, 2019.

Johnston, J. (2007). The Citizen-consumer Hybrid: Ideological Tensions and the Case of Whole Foods Market. Theory and Society, 37(3), 229-270. Retrieved April 15, 2019.

Thurnell-Read, T. (2018). The Embourgeoisement of Beer: Changing Practices of ‘Real Ale’ Consumption. Journal of Consumer Culture, 18(4), 536-557. Retrieved April 18, 2019.

Valamoti, S.M. (2017). Brewing Beer in Wine Country? First Archaeobotanical Indications for Beer Making in Early and Middle Bronze Age Greece.” Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 27, 611-625. Retrieved April 19, 2019.

Xu, P. (2008). Beer. Journal of Agricultural & Food Information, 8(2), 11-23. Retrieved April 15, 2019.

[cosimaballettithomas-blog]

Blog No. 6

The topics of this week’s readings were Environmental Economics, Politics, and Law. It may not be immediately evident, but most economic systems rely heavily on the environment, especially Capitalism when it comes to resources such as natural capital and raw material. Thus, environmental sustainability is in the best interest of even the world’s most carbon emitting corporate powers. In stark contrast, sustainable/green business is on the rise as corporations are becoming increasingly aware of the economic benefits of going green. A business is green if it makes the principle of sustainability a part of its business model from the services it provides to its day-to-day operations (Wikipedia 2019). I think one of the best ways to hold corporations accountable for damage to the environment is through carbon pricing which is what my internship this semester is all about. In essence, carbon pricing puts a price on emissions to not only hold companies responsible but encourage them to make the shift towards renewable energy. At first glance, sustainable business may sound like a costly enterprise; however, not only will it broaden a businesses’ market and consumer base, but, like homeowners, companies are often rewarded with tax breaks for conserving energy by installing things like solar panels and green roofs (Wikipedia 2019). A great example is the New School which recycles all of its water and employs smart electricity to mitigate how much it wastes during daily operations.

It's really important that we try to do away with these misconceptions that going green is more cost than it’s worth. For example, an Environmental News Network article maintains that “putting a price on carbon, in the form of a fee or tax on the use of fossil fuels, coupled with returning generated revenue to the public” would help to significantly curb emissions (ENN 2018). Although high carbon prices would likely cause massive backlash from some corporations, it would only serve to benefit the individual and might help in raising awareness that going green does not have to be expensive (ENN). In fact, there are many ways that people can curb their individual emissions and conserve without installing expensive solar panels or green stoves simply by unplugging devices, eating less meat, layering up in the winter instead of cranking the heat, etc. That said, there is also a misconception about solar panels, hydro-power, and Tesla’s awesome Powerwall, etc. that while they do have high upfront costs, there is actual legislation that ensures greater return. If people knew how much energy they waste per day by simply leaving the lights on I think they would be astonished. Pictured below is a graphic that demonstrates this to an even more disturbing extent; for example, 15 million tons of CO2 are emitted annually just for outdoorlighting such as lamp posts and to offset this would require roughly 600 million trees. I can’t even imagine what it is for indoor, non-automatic lighting. In short, we need greater tax incentives to encourage more people to go green, because evidently environmental ethics and compassion are not at the forefront of the collective American conscience (for the most part).

                                                                                                               (IDA 2016)

In its chapter on environmental economics, Miller lays out the three kinds of resources that uphold economic systems, beginning with natural capital which is essential to not only economies but life on earth. The second kind is human capital which includes “labor, organizational and management skills, and innovation.” The last kind is manufacture capital which “refers to machinery, equipment, and factories made from natural resources with the help of human resources” (Miller 2012, 614). Everything boils down to natural resources, they provide sustenance to all forms of life which obviously includes the labor force. Manufacture capital also depends on natural resources such as water, iron ore, oil, etc. The article, The Value of The World’s Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital, explains that together, these three capitals make human welfare possible, both in regard to our survival and non-basic functions (Costanza et al., 1997, 254). The environment makes everything possible from climate regulation to our recreational activities. Thus, it is in the best interest of every economy, Capitalist or otherwise, to act environmentally conscious and strive to end climate change. There are the capitalist economies that rely on the buying of natural resources for production and the many non-capitalist economies that may rely on the selling of natural resources for revenue, both of which are jeopardized by climate change. The article makes the point that it is controversial to evaluate ecosystem services because some argue that “we cannot place a value on such ‘intangibles’ as human life, environmental aesthetics, or long-term ecological benefits” while others argue that “we should protect ecosystems for purely moral aesthetic reasons” and even others say that we “have a moral responsibility to prevent poverty by whatever means necessary” (Costanza et al., 1997, 255). Nonetheless, the article maintains that ecosystem valuation is necessary. Although controversial, I think these kinds of debates have helped to fuel really important laws and regulations such as the National Environmental Policy Act’s mandating of the “Environmental Impact Statement” that must be conducted for any federal or federal sponsored project that could impact the environment. Without this piece of legislation, any political figure or person with political support and enough money, connections, and power could get their project on the ground running.

Miller discusses the difference between internal (direct) and external (indirect) costs where the former includes the upfront and obvious factors such as labor and shipping that associate with the price of a product and the ladder refers to all of the environmental impacts that the production of our commodities have (Miller 2012, 621). Moreover, when I buy, for example, a new laptop, it's not immediately evident to me the myriad of factors that went into the production of this single commodity that in fact requires, for example, copious amounts of water for each component and emits tons of CO2 not only in its manufacturing but in the transportation of all the materials required for its production whether by plane, boat, etc. Because of this misconception, I think buzz words such as “eco-friendly” and “local” are really misleading. People think that they are doing the environment justice when they shop at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods because they seem progressive and liberal as far as grocery stores go when in reality, we have no idea the environmental impacts that these places have. In response to Miller’s Critical Thinking Question #9 from Chapter 23 that asks to list my five most important strategies for shifting to eco-economies over the next 50 years, my first strategy would be to implement greater incentives forshifting to eco-economies (Miller 2012, 635). This means better tax breaks, rebates and other benefits for businesses that yield a greater return on investment in things like renewable energy, water-recycling system in buildings, green roofs, etc. Next I would make renewable energy cheaper and this would be accomplished by the third strategy of carbon pricing and the revenue from that would go towards renewable energy production to drive down the price. The fourth strategy would be to shut down more coal power plants, perhaps as many as 70%, with the remaining 30% in less developed countries that may not have the funds to make the shift to renewable energy/eco-economy. The fifth and final strategy would be to replace the coal plants with renewable energy plants which would ultimately create more green jobs.

Environmental Politics is another essential discipline for protecting the environment and holding people accountable for environmental negligence. Environmental Politics plays an important role in protecting “environmental and public interests, and [encouraging] more environmentally sustainable development” (Miller 2012, 638). Another component of this is environmental law which addresses everything from air quality to hunting. Although environmental laws have been enacted as early as the 19th century, they had more to do with public health and waste management than the natural environment. In fact, environmental law as we know it today did not popularize in the United States until the mid 20th century, which is also around the time that Nixon created the EPA (Wikipedia 2019). Environmental laws specifically “help to control pollution, set safety standards, encourage resource conservation, and protect species and ecosystems” (Miller 638). I am becoming increasingly aware of how important federal law is in keeping states in check and overriding state laws that may not favor environmental protection. For example, in my “Conservation Law and Policy” course we just finished briefing a case where, on account of the Supremacy Clause of the constitution which gives federal agencies/laws precedence, the court held in favor of the federal environmental organization over the challenged state statute. It’s really important that federal law - when under the authority of a liberal, climate change recognizing, and environmentally compassionate administration - supersedes state laws, especially when it comes to traditionally right-wing states.

As aforementioned, NEPA is really important in evaluating and authorizing federal proposals and serves a symbol for democracy in that it mandates that all environmental impact statements be made available for public comment (Miller 2012, 650). Fortunately, in its relationship to environmental economics, environmental politics helps to correct market failures having to do with the environment (Prof’s Powerpoint). Unfortunately, politicians are often lobbied and swayed to vote against for certain environmental bills by powerful corporations who may not have the environment’s best interest in mind. Moreover, as discussed in “Consumer or Citizen,” politicians often take advantage of consumerism in soliciting votes and support. The piece distinguishes between the two, where a model consumer is someone who strives to maximize their own satisfaction and are more influenced by the economy and being a “good American” than by morals and virtues. In essence, profiting off of the idea that to be a real American and general member of society one must contribute to the economy. “In contrast, the ideal citizen takes ‘a moral point of view,’ by perceiving herself as one equal member among many engaged in cooperative activity for mutual advantage, i.e. a ‘community’” (Partridge 2002). This contrast is partly a result of the partizanization of environmental issues that not only has divided politicians but people in general who may feel that caring about the environment goes against their political values. For example, Donald Trump’s promise to bolster the economy by revitalizing the coal industry and bringing back coal jobs even though A) the industry is in decline not only because it wreaks havoc on the environment but because renewable energy is simply more profitable and B) the renewable energy industry is growing rapidly and creating more jobs than any other industry including coal, despite Trump’s claim that it’s a bad investment (DiChristopher and Schoen, 2018). I would also argue that the consumer is likely to be less concerned with their duty to future generations or the current generation and instead adopt the attitude that whatever they do in favor or against the environment won’t make a difference as they are simply a drop in the ocean of billions of other consumers.

Word count: 1841

Discussion Question: Do you think federal environmental agencies should be allotted more power and involvement in the economy and corporate world in their mission to protect the nature and the environment such as through greater carbon prices and stricter regulations.

Work Cited

Miller, Tyler G., and Scott Spoolman. "Chapter 23: Economics, Environment, and Sustainability." Edited by Scott Spoolman. In Living in the Environment. 17th ed. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2012.

Costanza, Robert, Ralph D'Arge, Rudolf De Groot, and Stephen Farber. "The Value of the World's Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital." Nature 387(March 15, 1997).

"Sustainable Business." Wikipedia. January 27, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_business.

Van Buren, Edward. “Prof’s PowerPoint Notes.” https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzKbjVLpnX0RMjVGYUwwZlBXa28/view

Partridge, Ernest. "Consumer or Citizen?" Price of Progress. April 2002. http://gadfly.igc.org/politics/left/consumer.htm.

Miller, Tyler G., and Scott Spoolman. "Chapter 24: Politics, Environment, and Sustainability." Edited by Scott Spoolman. In Living in the Environment. 17th ed. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, 2012.

"Environmental Law." Wikipedia. February 05, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_law.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Carbon Taxes Could Make Significant Dent in Climate Change, Study Finds." Environmental News Network. April 06, 2018. https://www.enn.com/articles/54283-carbon-taxes-could-make-significant-dent-in-climate-change-study-finds.

"The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA)." International Dark-Sky Association. July 19, 2016. https://www.darksky.org/light-pollution/energy-waste/.

DiChristopher, Tom, and John W. Schoen. "Trump Says 'the Coal Industry Is Back.' The Government's Jobs Numbers Say Otherwise." CNBC. August 23, 2018. Accessed February 18, 2019. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/23/trump-says-the-coal-industry-is-back-the-data-say-otherwise.html.

[sinangoral2017-blog]

[06.15.17] today, i had the privilege of visiting the family-owned mushroom cultivation farm, oyama no taishō, which has been perfecting the art of shiitake mushroom farming for over 24 years. i’m still a little flushed and surprised that they allowed for someone like me to come to their farm, but i’m not questioning it. let me walk you through the organization of events prior to my visit, as well as the farming day, itself.

i had really been struggling with their website, since it is completely in japanese. thus, finding any contact information provided quite difficult. over the several days i have been in japan, i asked as many japanese natives as i could on how to navigate the website. surprisingly, it wasn’t any hostel worker who got me through, but some random girl on the street urging people to come into the made-famous ‘maid cafes.’ i don’t even want to get into what i think about those places, but if you want to look it up, check this out. 

in either case, this sweetheart named yuna helped me decipher the site, and i was able to email the farm. within hours, an equally friendly lady named takako emailed me back with broken, albeit discernible english. after basic introductions and several back and forth emails, my research intent became clear to her (as clear as ‘building materials using mushrooms’ would be lololol) and we gained an understanding of expectations from one another. i was invited to the farm, and she even suggested that they pick me up from the train station. google maps only showed a 1.3 km walk, but she insisted. i obliged, and set towards haneda.

well, boy was i grateful for their pickup. the 1.3 km drive, in the minitruck, took over 20 minutes. the farm happens to be on a severe incline, and the winding roads to go up to it present daunting cliff overhangs. the same stuff from the movies. no joke. 

a young man named takashi picked me up. we couldn’t really speak to one another in light of the language barrier, but he seemed to exude a lot of excitement. as i later found out, it was pretty rare for people to ‘randomly come through to the farm.’ in retrospect, i must have been the most bizarre visitor to see them. 

once we got to the farm, takashi introduced me to takako, her mother, and her father. i met some cute cats (whose names i cannot remember), and then takashi took me of a tour of the facility. 

the farm has several ‘houses’ that house prepared logs, dropped off by a partner logging company. these logs stack either vertically or horizontally. temperature and humidity are meticulously controlled in these houses. as takashi explained to me, ideal humidity levels never go over 80%, and temperature never exceeds 90 degrees. 

the logs continually cycle through misting (humidification), heating, cooling, and flushing (in cold water baths)to expand and contract. any log can spawn several generations of shiitake mushrooms, but can only continue for this cycle for up to three years. 

takashi also explained that there are several benefits to horizontal and/or vertical growth. none of these benefits affect taste per se. rather, they affect the aesthetic quality of the mushrooms and their directional growth. you can see, for example, that all the shiitake which have blossomed out of the vertical logs arch upwards. depending on the consumption method (i.e. grilling, frying, etc), this affect might be more desirable. 

you might be asking yourself: ‘okay, these logs are prepared, cycled through, and nurtured. but how do they give birth to mushrooms?’ good question. throughout the three to four hours i spent on the farm, i had the same underlying question pestering me. though i should’ve asked earlier, takashi explained towards the end of the day the two ways in which they can implant mushroom spores into the wood - both of which accomplish the same thing, but do so with different speeds.

the first involves a gun resembling a drill punches a hemispherical cavity into the log. after this space has been excavated, a tool resembling a pneumatic nail gun fills this cavity with a paste, which is also provided by a partnering company. though we got confused with one another when i asked about what kind of ‘paste’ this was, i have a pretty good idea from my own research that this paste was mostly fungus/spore based - a mycelium paste, of sorts. i would’ve uploaded an image of the canister, but i’ll spare you, since i’m not sure if any of my readers know japanese. 

the second method does exactly what i just explained, and in the same order, but through automation. the huge (and beautiful... drool) machine resembling a diesel tank engine does just this. takashi powered this up for me and showed how a log enters into the machine’s claws, gets ‘stamped,’ turned, stamped again, and then filled. one log can be covered in +/- 20 dimples in around 15 seconds. pretty efficient, pretty japanese.

we then picked my favorite mushrooms and grilled them for lunch. no sauces other than soy sauce to top them off, yet they were the most delicious vegetables i’ve eaten in a while. they still reeked of that fresh dirt smell - sort of akin to a recent rain. combined with the smokey coals of the grill, to me, the mushrooms needed no other taste. sure beats organic trader joes mushrooms.

though none of my research (at least at this point... ~ massages beard inquisitively ~) is interested in the taste qualities of mushrooms as they relate to architecture, the experiences i gained at this farm are invaluable to me and my research process. one thing that utterly failed in my previous mycelium experiments was the actual cultivation of the mushrooms in an efficient way. though the farm specializes in shiitake, specifically, i’m sure that i can adapt the insight i gained towards my own work.

now that my visit to oyama no taishō has come to a close, i plan to continue down south along the east jr line. tomorrow morning, i’ll leave for hamamatsu if i cannot stop in shizuouka beforehand to take photographs of mount fuji (the town offers some pretty spectacular views, i hear), but i also worry that the weather will not allow me. it has been especially foggy and rainy here, so i might have to skip out. nonetheless, i’ll be in nagoya by tomorrow night, and plan to stay there for a couple of days.

from nagoya, i’ll head down to kyoto and osaka and soak those cities up for a few days. i’m planning to travel to tottori on june 21st, because i was finally able to secure a meeting and tour with the tottori mycological institute. i probably shouldn’t even start writing about that yet because this post has gotten too lengthy, but let it be known that i am inexplicably pumped to somehow get a foot in a door, there. 

after all of this, i’ll be slowly returning back to tokyo because i secured some visits and tours of some non-architectural ‘museums’ of sorts. more on this later... but those of you who know me and my side obsessions with tuner culture might be able to guess what comes out of japan. hint: ~ jdm ~

i don’t think that i’ve expressed this at any point in this blog, but something peculiar happened to me when i was on the subway, still in tokyo. i mention it only because it might help explain why i am so in awe of japanese culture, and why i respect the diligence and discipline of the country’s work ethic.

i happened to get off at the same station as a well-dressed man in a suit at around 9:30 or 10:00 at night. he was carrying a briefcase and sporting some kind of expensive watch. his shoes were shiny, and his walk upbeat. he sped up, and i lost sight of him. but i remembered the back of his head distinctly, because he had this iconic mole on the left side of his neck. i have a thing for moles.

nonetheless, some minutes later, i took a wrong turn in the subway system and ended up in a small alley tunnel. i ran into my businessman friend, again. he had just finished changing out of his suit, shielded away in this alleyway, with thousands of people rushing by, oblivious to his existence. realizing i was invading in on his privacy, i turned around - he never noticed me, because he had his back to me. but i happened to catch a glimpse of his mole to clarify his identity, as well as his new attire. it was a navy blue worker’s uni-suit with indiscernible writing on it. written in english, however, was ‘crane operator.’ 

it then dawned on me how hard working people are here. businessman by day, and crane operator by night, this guy was working his life away. suddenly, studio life became irrelevant. so did my coffee job. thoughi wasn’t necessarily looking up to him in awe, i just couldn’t believe how someone could juggle so much, from such seemingly different sectors.

it’s in this way that i am intrigued by japanese culture - specifically by its workforce. people use the train to catch shut eye. most aren’t on their phones to socialize, but get work done. it’s unlike anything i’ve ever seen.

also, a lot of people have blackberry phones here. honestly, that’s the easiest way to my heart.

and, to conclude, a brief aside - thank you so much to all of you who have reached out and connected with me to provide feedback on or encourage my writing of this blog. that people are actually reading this makes me really happy. keep the questions and inquiries coming - and thank you!

oh, and for any of you nerds who want to learn more about traditional mushroom cultivation, check out this pdf from the university of vermont. 

[megadarkbouquettidalwavethings]

Inside the Hollywood Home of Social Media’s Stars. (Don’t Be Shy.)

Some are comedians, some are models, and some are famous for being famous. But all are so-called influencers, social media speak for people with a huge digital audience.

1600 Vine offers a peek into the booming ecosystem of these social media stars. As in any caldron of attention seekers who live and work together in the same building, it’s an atmosphere rife with cliquishness, jealousy, insecurity and the social hierarchy of high school, except everyone knows precisely how popular (or unpopular) you are. And it’s amplified by the fact that influencers can become millionaires with a following on a par with any movie star’s.

Joshua Cohen, a founder of Tubefilter, a site that tracks the online video industry, described the talent at 1600 Vine as a modern-day version of the Brat Pack or the Mickey Mouse Club.

“You have all these people in the same environment who grew up together and getting their entertainment chops together,” Mr. Cohen said. “Now, they’re some of the biggest people on whatever platform they’re on.”

Photo

Katie, left, and Bri Teresi, sisters and swimsuit models who live at 1600 Vine, were tapped by a neighbor to appear in an Instagram video that has been viewed more than two million times. Credit Molly Matalon for The New York Times

Gaining Followers

The origins of 1600 Vine as a social media launching pad are rooted, appropriately enough, in the video platform Vine.

Around 2014, the stars of Vine’s six-second videos started flocking to Los Angeles to turn a hobby into a career. A few of the early stars moved into this contemporary, amenity-rich complex, above a Trader Joe’s and between Jimmy Durante and Clark Gable on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Within a few months, the apartments — notable for their floor-to-ceiling windows, modern kitchens and living spaces, and common areas that include a pool and hot tub — became a recognizable backdrop to the most popular Vine videos. It wasn’t long before 1600 Vine became the place to be.

Continue reading the main story

It remained that way even after Vine shut down in 2016.

One of the early stars was Ms. Cerny, 26, who moved to Los Angeles from Florida four years ago to become an actress. Rejected by agents for a lack of experience, the former model started making Vine videos. Her goofy comedy sketches were a hit, and she moved into 1600 Vine to be closer to other Vine stars.

“It was perfect — we could film wherever, whenever,” she said. “Being able to surround yourself with other creative people helps.”

These days, Ms. Cerny is in the top tier of influencers, with 18.8 million Instagram followers and 1.1 million subscribers to her YouTube vlogs, the popular YouTube format that marries a daily diary with the artificial drama of reality TV. Sponsors like Guess jeans pay her six figures for promoting their products.

Hanging out at 1600 Vine can open doors, too. A year ago, the actor Ray Diaz had only 5,000 followers on Instagram, even though he was a regular on “East Los High,” a show on Hulu. Then one day, while he was lifting weights in the building’s gym (a friend of his lived there), he met Ms. Pons, a 21-year-old YouTube comedian with 20.9 million Instagram followers. Ms. Pons invited him to appear in her video “My Big Fat Hispanic Family,” a skit about introducing a boyfriend to her eccentric family and friends.

The video has had more than 12 million views, and soon Mr. Diaz became an influencer on his own, reaching more than one million Instagram followers a few months after it was posted. Still, Mr. Diaz wanted more, even after landing a regular role on “Lopez,” a comedy on TV Land. So last December, he moved to 1600 Vine, to one of the nicer, split-level two-bedroom units on the 10th floor.

Today, he has 3.2 million followers and boasts that he went from driving for Uber to driving a Bentley. “Instagram is what pays for the penthouse,” he added.

Photo

Residents of 1600 Vine include, from left, Katie Teresi; Gregg Martin, an actor; and Taylor Offer, an entrepreneur. Credit Molly Matalon for The New York Times

Success stories like Mr. Diaz’s are the reason wannabe influencers continue flocking to 1600 Vine, paying anywhere from $2,500 to $15,000 a month. Many aspiring photographers and video editors hang out in the common areas, hoping to get a foot in the door by working with a few prominent influencers.

The complex is one of many modern apartment buildings in the Hollywood area. There is always the whisper that some other, nearby building is the new hot spot with more welcoming rules for social media stars, but 1600 Vine remains the most prominent and best known.

Continue reading the main story

In June, Bri and Katie Teresi, sisters and swimsuit models, moved into a small one-bedroom apartment, paying $2,700 a month, after they got a taste of what being around other influencers could do for them. Josh Paler Lin, a friend in the building, tapped them to appear in a video in which a Lamborghini’s exhaust blows off their clothes. It garnered more than two million views, and the sisters said they had each added 10,000 followers.

“Right now, I’m focused on growing and really getting my numbers up,” said Bri Teresi, 23, who has 419,000 followers on Instagram.

Others see living at 1600 Vine as a golden marketing opportunity.

Taylor Offer and Parker Burr moved in last year hoping to befriend social media stars not for their own fame but to promote their sock company, Feat Socks. When Mr. Offer first visited the two-bedroom unit, he said, it was like “walking into Jerry’s apartment building on ‘Seinfeld’” because he recognized it from Vine videos. He signed a lease on the spot, needing to prove only that he and Mr. Burr could afford the $3,700 monthly rent.

But Mr. Offer soon realized it wasn’t enough to live in the building; they had to help the influencers fill their daily need for content. So Mr. Offer bought a cute English bulldog puppy and a flashy Polaris Slingshot car. The puppy appeared in a video with Ms. Cerny while Logan Paul took an interest in the purple car, a three-wheeled vehicle that looks like a roadster.

A star like Mr. Paul has his pick of sponsorship deals, but he took a liking to his new neighbors, so he concocted a bet — or, more accurately, a social media story line. If Mr. Paul could sell 20,000 pairs of socks (printed with an image of his colorful parrot, Maverick), he would get the roadster. He promoted the bet in videos and, even though he fell short, Feat had its best sales month ever and Mr. Paul received a $200,000 commission check.

“As a business expense,” Mr. Offer said, “this place pays for itself.”

Reality Show

Calling 1600 Vine home is still no guarantee of influencer status. It also breeds a certain kind of cliquishness and backbiting.

Gregg Martin, a young actor who has landed bit roles in TV series including “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” said he felt the building’s stars looked down on him. He has 44,000 Instagram followers.

Photo

Mr. Offer with the Teresis. Hanging out at 1600 Vine can open doors, with residents working together on social media projects or marketing opportunities. Credit Molly Matalon for The New York Times

“That’s considered laughable for most people here,” he said. “People kind of look at you and just see the numbers.”

One influencer told him that he was following too many people on Instagram. It made him seem desperate. “I thought he was joking,” he said. “But he was dead serious.”

Continue reading the main story

The building also attracts its share of fame seekers, like the Justin Bieber impersonator who has all the same tattoos as the actual singer and is often seen visiting a friend in the building.

It is also a magnet for bizarre behavior that doesn’t exactly make for good neighbors. Social media stars need daily content lest they be forgotten. It’s a dynamic that pushes them to do increasingly outrageous things to capture attention.

Consider Logan Paul, one of YouTube’s biggest stars, with close to 15 million subscribers to his channel. His escalating stunts in March alone included dangling a $20 bill from his balcony using a fishing rod to tempt passers-by, rigging a zip line over Hollywood Boulevard to send gifts to fans camped outside and pretending to be shot as fans watched in horror outside his window.

Building management told Mr. Paul that it was not renewing his lease. Naturally, he recorded the conversation for his vlog, before he moved to the building next door. (He was asked to leave there, too.)

After other neighbors started to complain, management has also limited where residents can shoot. First, it banned filming by the courtyard pool. Then it banned large professional cameras in all common areas. And in June, management went further and now requires residents to seek permission before shooting any video in common areas.

Danielle Guttman Klein, chairwoman of Klein Financial Corporation, which oversees the property’s management, said it needed to walk a fine line between embracing its stars and protecting the interests of tenants whose day jobs don’t revolve around getting likes on Facebook.

The influencers seem to sympathize, at least for now. Ms. Cerny said that she had been threatened with eviction but that management had allowed her to stay when she promised to not film in any of the common areas. But she said she could understand why many of the big stars had moved out.

“It does get overwhelming sometimes,” she said. “Eventually, you need somewhere to go and not post about your life for a second.”

Continue reading the main story

DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI

The post Inside the Hollywood Home of Social Media’s Stars. (Don’t Be Shy.) appeared first on dailygate.

[viralhottopics]

How Airlines Really Make Money, and the Weeks Other Insights

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Editor’s note: We’re proud to bring NextDraft—the most righteous, most essential newsletter on the web—to WIRED.com. Every Friday you’ll get a roundup of the week’s most popular must-read stories from around the internet, courtesy of mastermind Dave Pell. So dig in and geek out.

The Truth About Fake News

Trump has called journalists the enemy of the American people, and has repeatedly referred to CNN as fake news (more often than not, deploying all-caps). But if CNN and Trump are at war, it’s the most symbiotic war ever waged. CNN thrives when there’s one story to cover all day every day. Trump thrives when he is that story (as he has been on CNN since the early days of his campaign). From the NYT Magazine: CNN Had a Problem. Donald Trump Solved It. “It’s hard to imagine that either Trump or Zucker would be where he is today without the other. Trump’s foray into reality TV gave Zucker a prime-time hit when he badly needed one; now, Trump’s foray into politics has given Zucker a big story when he badly needed one. It’s a symbiotic relationship that could only thrive in the world of television, where the borders between news and entertainment, and even fantasy and reality, have grown increasingly murky.”

+ And it’s not just CNN. As Mathew Ingram reports, “last year, adults over 18-years-old watched over 27 billion minutes of national cable television news programming per week. That’s almost 45% more than they watched in 2015.” Trump said we’d get tired of all the winning. And for chief revenue officers at media companies, that might very well be true.

NextDraft

About

The NextDraft newsletter is now on WIRED.com. Every Friday, mastermind Dave Pell visits the far reaches of the web to bring the news you missed. Politics, tech, scienceyou name it, and its here.

(Original story reprinted with permission from NextDraft.)

Cold War Kids

“By now, it is widely recognized that Russia is waging a campaign of covert political manipulation across the United States, Europe and the Middle East, fueling fears of a second Cold War. But it’s less understood that in international airspace and waters, Russia and the U.S. are brushing up against each other in perilous ways with alarming frequency.” HuffPo Highline: This Is How The Next World War Starts: “With one miscalculation, by one startled pilot, at 400 miles an hour. And now that Russia is determined to destabilize the West, this scenario is keeping the military establishment up at night.” (Somewhat hyperbolic title, very interesting article.)

On a Wing and a Payer

“There’s the traditional activity — the one with jets — which involves pricing seats for as much as possible, collecting a bag fee, and selling some food and drinks while keeping a close eye on costs. The other business is the sale of miles — mostly to the big banks, but also to companies that range from car rental firms to hotels to magazine peddlers. The latter has expanded so much that it accounts for more than half of all profits for some airlines.” (And unlike the miles, those profits have no blackout dates…) From Bloomberg: Airlines Make More Money Selling Miles Than Seats.

This Is What Drives Us

“Employing hundreds of social scientists and data scientists, Uber has experimented with video game techniques, graphics and noncash rewards of little value that can prod drivers into working longer and harder — and sometimes at hours and locations that are less lucrative for them.” The NYT’s Noam Scheiber provides a very interesting look at how Uber uses psychological tricks to push its drivers’ buttons. If these methods seem familiar, it’s because many of them are used on all of us as we interact with our favorite sites and apps. Technology might not take your job. But it will almost certainly be your boss.

+ AP on the employees getting implanted with microchips so they can “open doors, operate printers, or buy smoothies with a wave of the hand.” (Sounds like a fair trade-off. My employer gets to turn me into a remote control cyborg, and I get my frozen drink like two seconds sooner.)

It’s the Principal of the Thing

“They were at a loss that something that was so easy for them to see was waiting to be noticed by adults.” From WaPo: These high school journalists investigated a new principal’s credentials. Days later, she resigned. (If these kids keep it up, they may grow up to be enemies of the American people.)

+ The Omidyar network is donating $100 million across several organizations to boost journalism and fight hate speech.

A Custodial Account

“He was clearly bright, as evidenced by his class rank and teachers’ praise. He had a supportive recommendation from his college counselor and an impressive list of extracurriculars. Even with these qualifications, he might not have stood out. But one letter of recommendation caught my eye. It was from a school custodian.” A former admissions director at Dartmouth on the most memorable letter of recommendation she’s ever read.

+ “Honestly, to have one child from a family be accepted to a school like this is amazing. But for all four to be accepted — I just don’t, I don’t know how it happened.” WaPo on the Ohio quadruplets who all earned spots at Yale and Harvard.

+ Bloomberg: Video gaming becomes a scholarship sport at University of Utah. (This is why I keep telling my kids to put down the damn books and grab a joystick.)

Me, Myself, and Identity

“Who was this woman who had slipped on the sheath of my identity, who had assumed my birthday, and even my middle name, I often wondered? How did she get it, and what did she want with it?” Lisa Selin Davis in The Guardian: For 18 years, I thought she was stealing my identity. Until I found her.

Bottom of the News

+ How Trader Joe’s wine became cheaper than bottled water.

+ Scientific American: We Deceive Ourselves to Better Deceive Others.

This is a weekly best-of version of the NextDraft newsletter. For daily updates and to get the NextDraft app, go here. (Original story reprinted with permission from NextDraft.)

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