#just some of you... please increase your media literacy

[rashomari]

disco elysium fandom. y'all are super cool ily but we DESPERATELY need to talk about media literacy and some of y'alls perception of the characters. cus recently i've seen way too much discourse where jean is either the spawn of satan or kim is the second coming of Christ. GUYS. GUYS. they are BOTH flawed individuals, they are both extremely human characters and reducing then to either JUST their positive or negative attributes is such a disservice to the masterpieces of writing that they are.

kim especially to me is so interesting to discuss on how the fandom treats him as a God (i get it dw i love him dearly but he's not a saint) since we view him exclusively from harry's perspective, y'know the guy who basically pulled him out of his depression coma and stopped him from spiralling even more and potentially killing himself, so of course harry is more likely to ignore kim's flaws and, by proxy, the player is too

[impactrueno]

I saw your twt about holding back on telling stories with serious and deep tones and it reminded me of an issue I had a while back. Im a south park fan and I loved reading deep analysis of the characters. and south park being south park, people dont take it seriously and think its just funny so it doesnt deserve deep analysis like other forms of media. I always came across comments saying "its not that deep" or "doing all of that for south park" and I used to hate that so much because why are you commenting that under the authors post? In media there is like a "spectrum" of how deep you are in it as a fan, and it doesn't make you less of a fan if you like to binge watch the show when you feel like it because its funny. Someone who makes fan fiction and psychoanalyses the characters doesnt make them a better fan than you. I hate "it's not deep" because it is that deep to me, I enjoy it, but it dismisses critical thinking and discourages deep discussions about our interests. I want to learn more about the turning point for eric cartman and the friendship dynamics between the main 4. I want to read psychoanalysis of the characters and understand why they do the things they do. I loved reading fan fics with an author that understood how the characters work and put them in situations while making it believable. Whether the content was deep and serious or lighthearted and silly. I don't see those as cringe at all. What I see as cringe is trying to downplay someones time and effort. you dont care for it. cool, just dont make it our problem.

I believe in recent years, this cringe and its not that deep mentality is linked to media literacy/reading comprehension issues. On top of the fact, that fandoms right now has been "normalized", so alot of mean and rude kids and adults are in this space not having a mature and respectful conversation and discussions, as well as zero fandom etiquette. (I understand the past wasnt this magical respectful place but this behaviour has increased compared to past years).

Please don't worry about making deep content, its super fun and there will be fans of what you write/draw that will definitely be into it.

GOSH anon you are absolutely right. cringe culture has done some serious damage to people's creativity and freedom of expression. doing things in earnest is now cringe to so many people (specifically that 18-21 age where they think they're better than everyone else and everything is cringe to them, image is everything) and they actually give you shit for it?? it's crazy. the most harmless thing in the world. whenever my hey arnold comics would leave my target audience on instagram i would get the meanest comments for no fucking reason, because i was taking hey arnold "seriously" (nevermind that hey arnold is probably the nicktoon with the most emotional depth and moments besides ginger but i digress) but hey at least i'm not the one losing my marbles over some random cartoon comic on the internet.

i think rudeness in general has been too normalized not just in fandom, but in social media in general. it's sad. the only thing you can do about it is be kind as much as you can to counterbalance it. i'd like to think that rubs off on people just like how being rude rubbed off on them.

i said that thing about holding back because i'm admittedly too hard on myself sometimes. no one is calling me cringe or making fun of me for what i do, thankfully, people have been super cool and supportive. and it means a lot to me because i'm very earnest about everything i create, even when i try to hold back. i literally cannot help being myself. it's all i know how to do. i'm just glad i was able to grow a platform where i'm free to be openly passionate about the things i like, talk about them and why i like them, the little things that i find fascinating, the emotions they make me feel, all of that shit is awesome and i wish more people did that.

[gabe-pilgrim-vs-the-world]

ALL of us need to educate ourselves...fast

Trump won. As much as I would like to say we will all get through this, not all of us will. As a matter of fact, the Trever Project has reported a 700% increase in suicides since the election. I'm scared, yes, but right now we have an opportunity to set up protections(VPNs, grassroots organizations, learning what we need to do to keep ourselves and others safe) that will be harder to access under Trump. I'm going to leave some videos/websites/books that I can think of off the top of my head. I don't agree with everything said(far from it), so put your critical thinking cap on ;). If ya'll have anything like this send it to me, please. I'm deleting this on December 31. Good luck to everyone.

!!GET A FRICKING VPN THAT IS NOT INSIDE THE 14 EYES & DOES NOT LOG!!

Websites:

ACLU // Amnesty International // CODEPINK // EFF // The Trever Project // justicemap.org

Video Essays:

What Did We Learn? by Signified B Sides // Solidarity is Supposed to be Hard. by Elliot Sang // The Alt-Right Playbook by Innuendo Studios(series) // Andrewism // First Thought // Second Thought // What is Project 2025 What is Project 2025? | what you should probably know about it by Dasia Sade // Mutual Aid is Radical! by COLORMIND. // Media Literacy Can't Save Us by Dummy // How Mutual Aid Works (and Why You Should Care) by Lucretia McEvil // Donald Trump is Not A Fascist Pt. 2 by The Morbid Zoo // Shanspeare // Hamilton and the Death of the Obama Era by Alexander Avila

Read:

The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice Hardcover by Shon Faye // Searching for Savanna: The Murder of One Native American Woman and the Violence Against the Many Hardcover by Mona Gable // The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government by David Talbot // To Banish Forever: A Secret Society, the Ho-Chunk, and Ethnic Cleansing in Minnesota by Cathy Coats // The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins // Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho // Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer //

Socialism & Communism:

I beg you to learn what both are because we are going to hear a lot about them in the next 4 years. Learn from sites like socialism101, NPR, or hell even Reddit. Just learn a bit more so the term "Marxist" doesn't catch you off guard when arguing with your MAGA grandpop.

This is all I have on hand right now. Stay safe loves <3

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Some sugars may have soured a little... by u/booksy200

Some sugars may have soured a little... Mods... please delete this post if not allowed... Sinners do not go there to bang on their posts... which are few and far between anyway.Spotify Bill may truly have broken the dam, but something happened before that.There's a fan site for Haz and Megraine that I believe we were told to not link to... Had no idea what site it was but one day googling their name on Reddit's main page I found a fan site about their Nutflux work.It only has 6k followers and very few interactions.Well anyways a couple months ago - This is a pinned post on the fan site:Directional shift.I have to admit that I have an uneasy relationship with social media. It can be a powerful tool for community, education, and catharsis. However, it can be a very negative, toxic, selfish, and anxious place in which to spend time.Many of us are here because we see the unfair treatment and outright hate Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have received as the result of walking away from a toxic institution and family structure. We will continue to be on that journey with them. **We will continue posts that support them, point out the double-standards in their treatment, and you should too.But it isn't satisfying enough to illustrate or comment on just this royal family (and their followers) as the villains. It has also been important to the sub that we explore other themes:racismsexism and misogynymedia literacy and manipulation, disinformationfeminismviolenceharmful family dynamics/family traumaanti-monarchy/anti-democracymental healthIf we solely focus on the Harry, Meghan, and the royal family antagonism, we miss opportunities to learn from one another in a way that promotes diversity, inclusion, empathy, understanding and activism. At the end of the day, Harry and Meghan are activists. How can we combat the negativity in real and sustainable ways? Outrage without action is to make oneself experience anxiety and trauma for little gain. How can we push ourselves to evolve?Harry and Meghan are not in opposition to the royal family, on the contrary, they have embraced parts of being royal, probably because it is linked to family. We don't agree with royalty, but Meghan has made it clear that they do not desire to live the events of the last five or so years over and over. If you get exhausted of the media cycle mistreating and villainizing them, imagine how they feel!Although we will continue posting about H&M, if you are reading thought-provoking materials, do not hesitate to post about those things too. Maybe something you have read online or in a class.On Bad Actors/Anti-fansI am very grateful to our intelligent moderators for trying to keep peace on this sub. We are a multi-cultural team who have taken time from our very busy lives because we believe in social justice and anti-bigotry.Unfortunately, we have had some bad actors who have increased activity in the recent weeks leading up to the coronation. They have now taken to rampant downvoting.Reddit is aware, but we would like to ask that you refrain from mentioning or alluding to them in your comments and posts. I would like to get away from being their diametric opposite, because we are [more] than just a shit-talking sub: we can have nuanced conversations, educate and inform; we are a different thing altogether.This sub was always meant to be a conduit through which we could explore issues that we care about, that Harry and Meghan care about.As far as the bad actors go, we can talk about anti-fandom in general, but no specific monikers or names please. Also, if you would like to help our sub combat negativity, please_________________In other words...they have more important things to talk about? post link: https://ift.tt/fYLXyxI author: booksy200 submitted: July 09, 2023 at 01:50PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[masterthespianduchovny]

As easy as it is to embrace cynicism, I’m not going to do that.

But one thing the last of us has truly taught me is that media literacy is dead.

Why is it hard to grasp that JOEL DOES NOT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THE CURE.

He’s not slaughtering people because a cure might not work. Or because Ellie wasn’t given a choice. He’s slaughtering people because he’s a traumatized man who’s found a substitute daughter that he refuses to lose again?

Do y’all honestly think this man would willingly let Ellie sacrifice herself if the fireflies discussed it with her in advance???

Hell no!

People talking about, “if they just let him say goodbye!”

That wouldn’t have done shit.

The cure was damn near guaranteed regardless of what the faculties looked like, the surgeons background, and all that other shit.

The point is: Joel would gladly DOOM humanity for his own selfish desires as would most parents. It’s understandable, but still fucked up.

These people are living in dire circumstances and some are y’all saying they deserve that life because there are raiders (you know, what Joel used to do), rapists, cannibals and shit as if most people are that. As if those people deserve to continue to live in a overwhelming violent society because of a minority of people.

As if children like Sam deserve to die due to a fucking bite mark.

Do y’all realize how many people can’t live in the zombie apocalypse because that world is too hostile for them? Anyone who needs to take daily meds. And those with serious disabilities. The elderly sooner or later. Kids in certain communities.

And some of these fucked up situations only exist because some cannot see a way out.

So, yes, Joel did doom humanity because 1. He didn’t have to kill Marlene 2. He didn’t have to egregiously lie to Ellie.

He robbed her of her choice as well. He didn’t have to tell her at that moment, but he could’ve have told her eventually and allow her to make a choice. But guess what, he doesn’t want her to have one either.

And, please, people ragging on the fireflies, it’s fucking game logic. Y’all want to know all these details, but if the game and creator says it’s possible, then it’s possible. Y’all not obsessing over cordyceps, it draw your line at a cure. Lol.

Some of you just have an issue with living in the grey. Support his decision to save Ellie all you want, but don’t pretend as if it was nothing more than a selfish decision because it wasn’t.

And this ain’t a one to one example, but the zombie apocalypse reminds me of areas that are poor and where people live in extreme poverty. A lot of the same talking point y’all are using to justify not saving humanity is the same talking point people use not to fund and improve these communities.

Here’s the thing: y’all know how people love to talk about how crime riddled these places are. The violence, shit education, welfare, etc?

All that could be solved and/or decrease in crime, increase in grades, attendance, involvement, etc if these communities were properly invested into. All of the bad shit and unfavorable shit goes on there due to neglect. Due to people not giving a shit, being over policed, deprived of necessities, and so forth. As soon as needs are met, quality of life and the community improves.

So, idk, maybe if people were having to work for food, having medicine leveraged against them to snitch on their neighbors, weren’t in fear of being bitten, etc, their quality of life would improve. But it can’t—not really—when one bite can wipe out an entire community.

Lastly, don’t act as if y’all would be cool with what Joel did if you lived in that world and there was a chance that you didn’t have to constantly live in fear of being bit or your loved one being bit. Hell, what about the parents who lost their young children? Like I said with Sam, do they deserve to die? You think those parents are shrugging that shit off because, “well, it’s his daughter.”

Yeah, there answer would be different because that’s the point, people are fucking hypocrites. But the point remains that there’s going to continue to be so many unnecessary death and a hostile world because the threat from the infected is always lurking and these people don’t see a way out.

But again, Joel didn’t make his decision because the cure was bullshit, their facilities were shitty, and there’s no distribution method. He didn’t make his decision because he couldn’t say goodbye.

He made it because he refused to lose his surrogate daughter even though he knew she’d be willing to sacrifice herself.

The series all, but says it and yet people ignore and craft their own narrative and make unsupported assumptions.

A lot of y’all are going to be screaming, crying, and throwing up next season.

[onceafanalwaysshallbeafan]

Dear @staff

I would like to be able to reblog and comment on the ads you display. In accordance with US Copyright law's Fair Use doctrine (legitimate criticism), I would also like to be able to download the videos they contain (and, as in this particular case, are often entirely comprised by).

And just think! You will also be able to charge the advertisers for increased ad impressions when they're seen (with the context that I add!) via my reblogs.

...to be absolutely fair, and in the spirit of full disclosure, the context that I'm planning on adding to the specific ads I'm thinking of is probably going to completely cancel out the message that the ads are peddling, to those who read within the context I wish to add.

But shouldn't we be able to increase each others' media literacy by practicing and sharing our insights? The US education system has been systematically defunded since GenX, and many of your younger US users have had no media literacy teaching. In this case, community-based peer learning is likely going to be better than none -- particularly since you do have passels of users older than Gen α, and some who are even older than the millennial generation.

Please consider allowing reblogs of and comments on ads on your platform. Thank you.

[navree]

Why are you dragon people all so retarded, media literacy died at your hands

I cannot be the only person who is really leery about the r-slur making a comeback, right? Like, I've been seeing it with increasing frequency on Twitter even from people who would call themselves progressive for some reason, and I can't be the only one who finds it really weird that people are once again using a slur (that the people it has primarily targeted have repeatedly said they find hurtful when used and are making no attempt to reclaim it) as a pejorative to mean "dumb" or "saying something I don't like. It's not just me, right?

I'll bite, cuz I truly don't care: please go anywhere on my blog and find anything I've said about House of the Dragon, Fire&Blood, Game of Thrones, the Targaryens, Valyria, or even just the concept of a dragon in general that shows my supposed media illiteracy and my lack of intelligence. I mean Hell, show me anything I've said ever where I haven't either brought in facts to back me up or made it clear that I'm expressing a headcanon/otherwise personal opinion. I'll wait.

Also you're a cunt.

[cometconmain]

I do have to say I agree with you in how the narrative should have been written based on heavily pre-established information in the first 2 acts and would be a beautiful parallel to Astarion's own folly 200 years ago when Cazador tempted him with eternal life and conveniently forgot to inform him about the slave part.

To have you know, and still choose it because you believe this recently-fully-vampired character (who has routinely told you for the past however long you've travelled together what full vampires are like by nature and how they will inevitably treat anyone they turn) when he says he wouldn't do that to you because he loves you and it'll totally be different than the whole Cazador situation even though Astarion is now basically a literal uber-vampire (which if you think about it would more likely involve an increase in vampire behavioural tendencies rather than a decrease), only for you to inevitably reap the horrifying eternal consequences of making the stupidest decision of your life thanks to this guy - who has deliberately kept you on an emotional manipulation leash the entire trip out of conditioned self-preservation, temporarily improved intentions aside - managing to trick you into ignoring all of his own warnings against accepting this kind of deal, would be insanely good writing and a beautifully poetic tragic parallel!!!!

Unfortunately I don't think media literacy matters by Act 3 because they doubled down on the romance route and pulled a 'vampire bride/groom' thing with how he turns the player. So unfortunately the 'he still loves you' people are probably right considering all the times I've seen them bring up vampire marriages in non-Bg3 DnD lore and compare it to AA romance path in ways that make me think it is actually intentional on Larian's part. In which case it's the media itself that failed us this time, not people's literacy of it. Maybe Larian didn't want lots of angry messages about not catering to the already oversaturated dark romance market so they just threw out their own set-up in favour of pleasing the majority.

Btw I do know it's fiction so please dark romance people don't hang me over this; there's nothing morally wrong with you enjoying whatever you want in fiction. I do stand by your right to enjoy whatever so long as you do understand the line between fiction and reality, and I know plenty of you do and you just like what you like. That's genuinely fine.

I'm just disappointed that the otherwise incredibly well-written character storyline ended up going into the same thing as literally hundreds of thousands of other stories out there trying to walk that typical dark erotica tightrope of "he's dark and abusive but also it's so romantic somehow and you, you special thing, are the only person he will be somewhat soft for because you are just so incredibly hot and amazing and lovable by him", when for a while the game had been actually amazingly unique and genuinely compelling in its handling of Astarion up until that point.

And hey, before you go thinking I'm only saying this because I'm a Spawn Astarion stan or something: The Spawn Astarion ending is actually guilty of pretty much the same thing.

They seem to discard the amazing writing in act 2 where they tackle the topic of sexual abuse trauma and the character needing some time without feeling like he has to be involved in 'normal' relationship expectations and you can give him that space. And yeah you can still give him that space in the graveyard scene but you have to be the one to say you're not ready and he's the one saying "I'm ready to try living again" as a lead-up to asking if you want to have sex, and just before that when asked for what he wants he says "you."

I'd rather he said something like "I don't know yet. But I think I'm ready to find out." And then have that be part of his continued healing and just idk, not have his trauma fixed by love/sex or whatever.

I love it when romantic character relationships don't revolve solely around each other and your character is not in fact the centre of your fav romance option's universe because heaven forbid they have a life and aren't completely enraptured by your existence and don't require/rely on you specifically for everything they need including long term trauma healing. But it is an unfortunately much more popular thing to see 'true romance/love' as only being good/enjoyable if you are the centre of the other person's world for some reason.

(Oh dear. I just realised I'm now going to have the Spawn Astarion stans coming for my throat as well now. Whoops. XD )

I might not be perfect but at least I don’t think Ascended Astarion cares for me in my capacity

[weareigloo219]

DUBAI SMART CITY AND THE DIGITAL INDUSTRY

It’s amazing how science and technology have come into the picture with a wave of revolution that was unimaginable just a few years ago. The world seemed like it had reached its peak of inventions when the mobile phone was discovered in the past century and later on the computer. Right now as we view into the future, it’s outstanding just picturing all the possibilities that could be brought about by the vast internet of things. There is nowhere better to view this 21st Century revolution than in Dubai.

Dubai Smart City stemmed from His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum who had the vision to transform and fully technologize Dubai by 2021. The vision is well on course even as the city plans to host 25 million visitors worldwide in the Expo 2020 Dubai. The plan is to ensure that by the time the globe realizes the 2030 vision, Dubai will be well ahead and above the rest of the cream. It’s not a competition, however; it’s a developmental vision that every citizen of Dubai should associate her/himself with. Now without further ado, let’s have a look at the Dubai Smart City and all it means to us as a people.

Introducing Dubai Smart City

Take a moment of silence and picture this: you wake up one morning when you’re supposed to travel outside the country, but sadly your daughter has acquired some illness that has her bedridden. You cannot cancel your flight, but you also need to give attention to your child who always comes first to you. So you prepare the both of you, and you decide to take her to the hospital as your wife tags along. At the hospital, you find no lines at all and you are immediately welcomed by the doctor who accesses all her medical files at the touch of a button! Phew, that must have been a relief – at least there are lesser questions by the medical attendant since the medical history almost says it all.

At the hospital, it takes less than 20 minutes for you guys to be served and she’s already smiling as you’re coming out of the hospital; it seems the injection actually worked! All she has to do is finish up with her dosage. You are pleased since you experienced no traffic on your way to the hospital and also absolutely none as you’re headed to the port. Your flight is due in 30 minutes and it takes you just about 15 to reach the airport. As you bid your family farewell and hand over the car keys to your wife, you check your watch and realize you still have 11 minutes.

You leisurely walk into the airport, get searched as you hand over your documents and walk straight into your plane. Jeez, that was fast! No lines at the waiting bay and you still have 4 extra minutes to settle down on your seat as you get acquainted with the change of setting. Alas, it’s departure time!

This is what Dubai Smart City is all about – a comfortable convenience that will save on so much time and money too. Talk about less congested and safer roads, faster service delivery, quicker access to data, improved infrastructure generally and even a seamless end-to-end connectivity among so many more.

The vision here is simple, sophisticated and very much attainable – we seek to make Dubai the happiest city on earth. Well, if you’ve traveled around the world, you might conclude that there are happier places to be, but come on! Which place in this galaxy can you really compare to home? Dubai Smart City seeks to be recognized worldwide as not only benefitting from the deeply invested technological hub but also prove that the systems are workable and benefitting everyone from every sector. This includes the government as well as the general public.

Impact of the Vision

Who is set to benefit most as a result of a technologized Dubai City? Well, the vision broadly classifies the impact of the 2021 Dubai Smart City on three particular areas:

The Customer Impact: The Happiness Agenda was primarily formulated to benefit the Dubai consumer. Everyone will be classified as either a producer or a consumer in the city – the producers also get to purchase services. Since the consumer is the one driving the economy, it’s only fair to implement goals that will transform their lives. So, be it the government, businesses or even private individuals who are in need of services, the impact falls squarely on them.

Social media agency

The Financial Impact: Who said going through a technological revolutionary phase has to be costly? After analyzing the economic costs it would take to achieve ultimate happiness, the 2021 strategy formulated simpler, cost-effective ways to achieve all the goals. This creates a financial benefit the city at large as there will be numerous financial saves while still realizing complex digital innovations which will tantamount to further future expenditure cuts.

Resource & Infrastructure Impact: At what costs to the environment, in general, are we likely to incur as we pursue our digital transformation? Well, again, a course has been chartered that will ensure the city environment is fully supported and sustained as we fully dive into this inevitable digital transformation.

The belief with the visionaries is that all the above three areas mentioned above will be positively impacted even as we harness the technology to realize a digital industry in Dubai.

Assessing the Objectives of Smart Dubai 2021

Dubai smart city web marketing

It might seem impossible to attain a 95% happiness level by 2021 but residents of Dubai are already seeing the vision becoming a reality. It’s important to comprehend exactly what we intend to achieve to reach this level of happiness. Having created objectives for the Dubai Smart City project has made it much easier for individuals and businesses to attach themselves to the vision. It’s also made the government better placed to work towards the end goals.

Living the Smart Way

Some cities in different parts of the world have already come up with strong connected Wi-Fi systems that surround such cities enabling dwellers to be connected to the internet 24/7-365. This, however, fails to beat any logic if such systems are not trusted. The rise in cyber-attacks have continually made people on the edge and more afraid to share their data. This is where Smart Dubai City comes in.

Not only does the project seek to provide all-day-long internet connectivity to users but it also aims at eliminating such threats that would cause panic and mistrust. Not only will mobile phones be connected to the internet but also other devices and systems to enable real-time tracking and updates to thus faster service delivery. Such systems include drainage systems, sewage, energy, water, buildings, waste distribution networks, roads among many more. In the case of impediments arising in a certain location, it would be much easier to track the source as well as offer direct assistance and repairs.

Residents will also be better equipped as they will get a chance to monitor all their resource consumption making it way easier to educate the users and have them lower their consumption. They will do so willingly in a bid to save their city resources, therefore a more conscious consumer in the Dubai Smart City project.

It doesn’t end there: city planning and coordination will be much easier with real-time logistics and statistics. City authorities will have much easier time allocating such resources as land, water, electricity and the likes. A new legislature will be set up to oversee these technologies. Corporate lawyers in Dubai are ready to adapt to these changes.

A technologized Dubai will also mean a more prepared Dubai in times of natural calamities, adverse climate change as well as other man-made disasters. This will, however, call for unified teamwork between residents and authorities.

Globally Competitive Economy

The project has to obviously touch on transforming the financial systems for it to make any economic sense. Simple applications from the digital transformations will have the Dubai’s economy competing favorably with other top world economies. Not only will the government benefit from increased revenues but also from a more participative private sector.

To reach here, the project has foreseen simplified regulations in businesses due to more credible forms of transactions, easily accessible services to the general public which will be supported through accelerators and incubators. Immaculate and reliable digital services will make it much easier for entrepreneurs to embark on different ventures without much hassle. Since this will attract more human personnel into the city, the project also identifies plans on how to train and enhance the skills of both the public and private sectors to empower them in realizing their dreams and aspirations.

Eliminate Digital Benightedness

Logic dictates that we can’t have a Smart Dubai City without first having smart people. Currently, the bigger percentage of Dubai residents is well vast with simple digital processes as a result of the already digitized state of the city. Nonetheless, further digital literacy will be necessary if occupants are to benefit from the rapid technological developments that are taking over the city. For instance, they should be able to book healthcare services online, access educational services such as school registration and payment of fees online among other services.

Once the city dwellers are empowered with such knowledge and know-how, we can only foresee an efficiently, irreproachable and a strong social community aggrandized by digital services. This will result in happier social experiences in the widely culturally diversified Dubai Smart City society.

How About Transport Systems?

Have you been lucky enough to see a self-driven car at this day and age or have you only seen that in movies and cinemas? Now, imagine a system of cars which can self-drive and also communicate with other cars. The communication through sensor technology among other systems will act to prevent accidents from occurring. No more need to put our reliance on the errs of man that have caused hundreds of millions of deaths over the years.

There will also be a lesser congestion on roads as mobility improves which will save on time. The ratio of usage of public transport will also rise in an attempt to eliminate extra cars on the roads. Smart traffic lights, smart tolls as well as smart parking will all contribute to a speedier mobility system allowing people to reach their destinations faster and safer with nothing but joy.

Since the 2021 Smart Dubai City project is making a move towards a digital industry Dubai, we are likely to have more people making lesser travels to attend meetings which can be held online. Video conferencing will have fewer people on the roads which also counts as a time saver and cost-efficient.

A Move to a Smart Environment

Happiness might be completely subjective but one cannot claim to be in a happy state when constantly attacked with sicknesses. In other quarters, people’s standards of living will determine just how happy they are. If such a people are living in a degraded environment, then it doesn’t matter how technologized the place is – happiness is quite unattainable on the larger scale.

The digital transformation is to foresee cleaner resources being employed, lower pollution on the environment as well as lower emissions. Modifications are being applied to modern day buildings to reduce cases of GHG emissions. Emissions of electromagnetic radiations and ambient noise will also be checked through established action plans to ensure safer limits. There is also a move towards an enhanced use of solar energy to boost renewable energy. On top of all that, there are electric and hybrid cars which are currently being tested and perfected to ensure a smarter, eco-friendlier Dubai City.

A Digital Government

Not only will the government take part in constituting these changes but also will be embracing such changes in its course of operation. All government services will be cashless as well as paperless to quash the need to make visits to government offices. Imagine accessing all the services you want at the comfort of your backyard as you chill out with your family! Fun, right?

Citizens are also able to contribute and access all government proceedings online thus enhanced accountability. Through the eSuggest and eComplain sites, they are able to effect changes in their administration on a unified front.

Procurement opportunities will be made available to SMEs online with invoices and payments done digitally. How about that for sleek convenience!

Fast Paced Technologies

dubai new technologies marketing

Now that we understand the objectives behind His Excellency’s vision of a happy Dubai, it’s important to take a look too at how the different technologies are being innovated, invented and applied to lead to a digital industry Dubai. Here, we’ll have a look at how digital marketing in Dubai, social media and other technologies are set to change the present and metamorphose the future.

The journey began in 1999 when the first ICT strategy was announced. Later on, the Dubai Internet City would be launched followed by Dubai e-Government and the rest is present history. At this very minute, Dubai can boast of being the most technologized city in the region with the application of IoT increasing by the day.

Social Media

About 95% of the population has access to social media and it’s even being used as a measure of happiness. Most businesses and advertising are also done online as organizations endeavor to make a breakthrough in the unlimited online market. With the improved Wi-Fi connectivity in the city, one cannot skip the chance of missing out on recent developments online.

Businesses which market themselves properly have a competitive advantage in the online market. It’s also cost-effective to SMEs which don’t have to incur outrageous advertising costs on TVs, radios and the like, which was the case a few years back. Social media marketing Dubai means consumers are also more educated and ready to speak out against shunned brands thus better knowledge on the part of the buyer.

SEO Marketing

Digital marketing Dubai is seeing more and more consumers reaching out to Google for answers. The answers could be searches for products, quick fixes or simply basic information that might be unknown to them. This is where Search Engine Optimization comes in. Business websites are coming up with articles based on frequently searched words as they strive to drive traffic to their sites.

Businesses that do so in the right ways end up generating a considerable flow of online users seeking basic answers to life’s questions. This gives the organization a propitious opportunity to market and sell their product or service and even maintain a loyal set of clients. It also takes your business to the nextlevel as it boosts your brand credibility. Remember people trust Google – make them trust Google t

hrough you.

E-Commerce

Since everyone is buying online, everyone is also making payments online with a general acceptance now as compared to before. A lot of individuals were skeptical about using online forms of payments a few years ago. Currently, trends indicate a move to digital coins which are much safer and require no middlemen. E-commerce is also set to benefit through customization which enables buyers to go deeper in terms of elaborating the details of the product they are in need of. Another technology will develop this trend, 3D printing services in Dubai will a game changer for e-commerce platforms. For instance, a customer buying a shoe will be able to choose the right shoe fit, size, type, and color among other options.

This hefty reliance on online buying options has seen businesses making more sales and even other businesses popping up to offer delivery services. Not only that: customer retention is at a higher level for most businesses that manage to sell it successfully to their esteemed clients. Gargantuan data aggregation and different shopping algorithms have even made it possible for shoppers to receive pinpointed recommendations during their shopping experience. Not only does this increase the business sales, but it also enhances the business ratings in the eyes of the buyer.

Dubai Blockchain Strategy

Blockchain Strategy is probably the biggest invention – not only for Dubai but to the world in general. This would be better explained from the bitcoin point of view. Picture a system of transaction, payments and processes which isn’t in the control of one single person. A system where data uploaded cannot be reversed since it’s in the hand of the ‘system’ in general. A structure which no one person can manipulate the data once uploaded since all of it is decentralized rather than in a single location!

The blockchain technology is already in effect in Dubai Smart City and will soon be ingratiated into every system making fraud a new vocabulary. An example is seen where a writer uploads content online using blockchain technology and doesn’t have to worry about marketing or copyrights since the technology does that for him. Anyone accessing the writer’s data will be charged a small fraction enabling the artist to make a decent living as they continue with their day to day lives. Isn’t that amazing!

The applications of blockchain technology can be seen in every sector since data is created in every sphere. Blockchain will ensure there is no manipulation, duplication or even theft of information and comes in to protect the user’s data. Considering that data is a $300 billion industry, businesses can only embrace the safe technology to be on the impregnable side of things.

Dubai, What Next?

As we reach the end of our discussion, we should give much thought to the impact of a digital industry Dubai. Sure, we can talk about it all day, but are we really ready for all these changes? The Dubai Smart City can only fully be achieved by input from each of us: we all have a role to play to make this dream a reality. Businesses would do well to start implementing some of these methods earlier on in advance. This will call for an overall upgrade of employee skills as well as changing their mentality. Basic forms of artificial intelligence could go a long way to change your brand’s image and have you ranked higher. Since the future is inevitable, we can only walk towards it with self-assurance and a positive mentality.

[thesydneyfeminists]

Feminism in the Internet Age: Everyone has a Seat at the Table

The 1970s and 80s gave birth to second wave feminism, a movement that saw women across the world actively rally against gender inequality. During this era of feminism, women marched and protested for a number of different rights, including equal pay, equal job opportunity and abortion reform, amongst others. As a united female cohort, we have now reached a time where women have more opportunities than they did 30 years ago. However, feminism and feminist values are still just as, if not more so, talked about today. This fact is due in large part to social media.

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have increased feminism’s accessibility by connecting women across the world. They have abolished the limitations of how far the promotion of gender equality can reach and allowed local issues to be globally recognized. Social media changed the game for organised marches and protests. It is not just women in any given area who rally together now. Instead, women across the world can fight the good fight for all women all the time.

Image Description: Photo of a person’s hand holding a white IPhone. The screen shows the Instagram login page. It has a purple background, with the word ‘Instagram’ at the top of the screen in white cursive writing. Underneath, there are two rectangular boxes that say ‘username’ and ‘password’. Below these boxes, there is some small, indistinguishable white writing. The background of the image is blurred and unidentifiable.  

The online world has opened gender equality and feminism to women who previously did not have the means to participate, including those who live in societies that quite openly view women as the inferior gender. The Qatar Computing Research Institute conducted a study that revealed women living in countries with significant “offline” gender inequalities, such as life expectancy, income, and literacy were more likely to have a substantial online presence. In such instances, a woman who does not have the rights and equalities she deserves can search elsewhere for acceptance and respect. She is opened up to an online community of women who, in varying degrees, all rally for the same thing: equality. Despite the bad wrap social media often gets, the connectedness it fosters is unparalleled.  

Social media platforms have given power to the ‘hashtag’, which represents and promotes issues or events in a very simple and accessible way. #Metoo is one of the most recent and controversial hashtags. It gained traction after many women in the film industry came forward and publicly named men who had sexually assaulted and abused them. The hashtag crossed barriers and gave women, famous and otherwise, the courage to come forward and report their abuse. This courage was fuelled by solidarity and newfound community.

In 2015, two years prior to the rise of the #Metoo hashtag, the hashtag #askhermore went viral. It was used to draw attention to the distinct differences in how men and women were interviewed and reported on at red carpet events, awards ceremonies or sports events. Actresses, female singers  or athletes are constantly bombarded with questions such as, “Who are you wearing?” and “Tell us about your dress”, whereas men are asked about their successes and achievements. The popularity of movements such as #metoo and #askhermore can be attributed in part to the ease with which people can participate in calls for change.  

In addition to increasing access to reactionary movements and the promotion of current issues, the internet allows feminists and women to come together in beautiful ways to share ideas, opinions, and experiences. For example, Emma Watson, the popular actress and ambassador for UN Women, created a wonderful online book club called Our Shared Shelf. It is an online group set up through Goodreads, in which Watson herself selects a feminist book every two months for participants to read and discuss. Currently boasting 224,608 224561registered members, the page aims to introduce women to feminist literature written by women of all different cultures, ethnicities, and backgrounds. This is another amazing way the online world has created an accessible, diverse and inclusive environment for everyone to engage in the feminist movement.

Image Description: Close up photo of a bookshelf. There are no identifiable titles or covers, and four rows of the shelf fit in the frame. The books alternate in size and colour. The colours of the books range from brown, black, dark blue, red and white. The bookshelf itself is a dark grey/faded black colour.

As a nation, Australia has a full-time work gender pay gap of 14.1%. With 32% of seats in both Houses of Parliament, women are still under-represented in Australian’s politics, and those who do have a seat are not treated with the same respect and seriousness as their male counterparts. When a country as developed and advanced as Australia still has obvious undertones of misogynistic and sexist behaviours, it is hard to imagine how much worse it must be for women in countries where they are not given a voice at all. Feminism is an ongoing movement because women all over the world still face inequalities. Despite the progress we’ve seen in the last 30 years, its presence is felt now more than ever because the online world gave us the gift of instant accessibility. On the internet, everyone is invited to take a seat at the table. 

By: Georgia Stevens

Sources

https://ingmarweber.de/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/OnlineGenderGaps.pdf

https://www.cfr.org/blog/how-social-media-has-reshaped-feminism

https://ingmarweber.de/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/OnlineGenderGaps.pdf

http://therepresentationproject.org/the-movement/askhermore/

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/179584-our-shared-shelf

https://www.wgea.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Gender%20Pay%20Gap%20Statistics%20Fact%20Sheet%202019%20FINAL%20February.pdf

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-26/how-women-get-elected-to-parliament/10871438

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sydney Feminists. Our Blogger and Tumblr serve as platforms for a diverse array of women to put forth their ideas and explore topics. To learn more about the philosophy behind TSF’s Blogger/ Tumblr, please read our statement here: https://www.sydneyfeminists.org/a

[paleorecipecookbook]

Will a Low-Carb Diet Shorten Your Life?

Last week, a new study was published in The Lancet that claimed to find that both very-low- and very-high-carb diets shorten our lifespan. Predictably, the mainstream media jumped on this finding without doing a shred of due diligence—more on that below—and we were subjected to splashy headlines like this:

Low-carb diets could shorten life, study suggests (BBC News)

Low and high carb diets increase risk of early death, study finds (CNN)

Low-carb diet may cut years off life, study suggests (Newsweek)

Your low-carb diet could be shortening your life (Fast Company)

Paleo fail: meat-heavy low-carbohydrate diets can shorten lifespan, researchers say (South China News)

I’ve been writing about health and nutrition for more than a decade now, and without fail, at least once a year a study like this is published. I could set my watch to it.

Understandably, my Twitter, Facebook, and email accounts blow up with messages from concerned readers, who want to know if the diet they are following is going to kill them.

Each year, my response is the same: no, your nutrient-dense, whole-foods diet that includes animal products is not going to give you a heart attack, increase your risk of cancer or other chronic diseases, or shorten your lifespan. In fact, it’s likely to have the opposite effect.

Why Eating Low Carb Won't Kill You

This year, it’s no different. In this article, I’m going to give you seven reasons why you should take the recent Lancet study with a huge grain of salt. If you’ve been following my work for some time, I hope you’ll recognize many of the shortcomings of the study, because you’ve seen them before:

Using observational data to draw conclusions about causality

Relying on inaccurate food frequency questionnaires (FFQs)

Failing to adjust for confounding factors

Focusing exclusively on diet quantity and ignoring quality

Meta-analyzing data from multiple sources

Unfortunately, this study has already been widely misinterpreted by the mainstream media, and that will continue because:

Most media outlets don’t have science journalists on staff anymore

Even so-called “science journalists” today seem to lack basic scientific literacy

The devil is always in the details, but details aren’t sexy and don’t generate clicks.

Most people—medical professionals and the general public alike—will just read the sensationalized headlines and assume that they are true. The percentage of the population that will find their way to a critique of the study like this, read it in its entirety, and comprehend it, is disappointingly low. This is what we’re up against. So, if you are reading this, please share it with anyone that you think would benefit.

Are you concerned about recent news regarding low-carb diets? Don’t be. Here’s why eating low carb isn’t likely to shorten your lifespan.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the issues with this study.

1. The Data Were Observational, and Significant Caveats Apply

As I explained in a podcast called “A Beginner’s Guide to Scientific Research,” an observational study is one that draws inferences about the effect of an exposure or intervention on subjects where the researcher or investigator has no control over the subject. It’s not an experiment where they are directing a specific intervention (like a low-carb diet) and making things happen. Instead, the researchers are just looking at populations of people and making guesses about the effects of a diet or lifestyle variable.

An example of an observational study would be in comparing rates of lung cancer in smokers and nonsmokers. They might look retrospectively at groups of people who smoke and groups of people who don’t smoke, see what the rates of lung cancer are in each of those groups, and then draw some conclusions.

Repeat After Me: Correlation Is Not Causation

One of the key things to understand about observational studies is that you can’t establish causation from observational studies. You can establish a correlation or an association between two variables, but you can’t establish causation conclusively.

If you take a class on research methodology, you’ll often hear some silly examples of how observational data can be misinterpreted. Consider the statement, “The more firefighters that are sent to a fire, the more damage gets done.” Obviously that’s not how it works. It’s not that more firefighters are causing the damage. It’s that when fires are worse, more firefighters are required to fight it, so the causation there is reversed.

Another one would be, “Children who get tutored get worse grades than children who don’t get tutored.” Again, the causality is reversed. Children who are not getting good grades are more likely to hire tutors, or their parents will.

Consider a more relevant example. For decades, observational research suggested a correlation between dietary cholesterol intake and heart disease. This led to public health recommendations to limit cholesterol in the diet and generations of people unnecessarily torturing themselves with egg white omelettes (or even worse, Egg Beaters!), boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and (gasp!) margarine. Today, we now know that dietary cholesterol does not contribute to an increased risk of heart disease, and virtually all industrialized countries in the world—including the United States as of 2016—do not suggest limits to intake of cholesterol in their dietary guidelines.

It boils down to this: observational studies are good for generating hypotheses, not for proving that a specific variable causes a specific outcome.

To do that, you need a randomized, controlled trial (RCT). In an RCT, study participants are randomly assigned to two groups: a treatment group that receives the intervention being studied, and a control group that does not. The participants are then observed for a specific period of time.

This Lancet study was observational, not experimental. They simply observed participants over a 25-year period and assessed outcomes. As we’ll discuss below, this creates significant potential for error when attempting to draw conclusions.

2. The Study Data Came From Questionnaires, Not Observation of What Participants Ate

Do you accurately remember what you ate on March 15th, 2014? How about during the month of November 2015? I didn’t think so. Yet this is exactly the methodology in the studies analyzed in this report to determine participants’ carbohydrate intake.

More specifically, the underlying studies used FFQs. In an FFQ, researchers ask participants how much they ate of certain foods over a given time period. Not surprisingly, FFQs have been criticized for their inaccuracy for several reasons: (1, 2)

People tend to underreport foods socially considered “bad,” like red meat and alcohol

People overreport foods socially considered “good,” such as vegetables and fruits

People may not know all the ingredients in restaurant or prepared foods

People don’t weigh or otherwise measure portion sizes

People find tracking every bite and meal inconvenient

People are human and just can’t remember every little thing they eat

People’s diets tend to change over long periods of time

Also, as you might suspect, the further back in the past participants are asked to recall their diet, the less accurate an FFQ will be. In the Lancet study, the subjects’ diets were only assessed twice throughout a 25-year period, separated by an interval of six years.

This means that people were asked to report on what they ate over a previous six-year period. And even then, the FFQs only covered 12 years of that 25-year period.

So, one way to think about the Lancet paper is that it’s an analysis of self-reported answers on two questionnaires about how much carbohydrate participants ate over a period of a quarter century.

3. Confounding Factors Were Not Adequately Controlled For

One of the biggest problems with observational studies is that it can be difficult, if not impossible, to isolate the influence of a single variable. Human beings don’t live in highly controlled environments, and there are numerous factors that impact our health and lifespan, ranging from genetics to air and water quality, from socioeconomic status to lifestyle and behavior.

This is why most nutritional studies are met with heavy criticism. A recent article from the Mayo Clinic Proceedings even claimed that because nutrition studies “cannot be reliably, accurately, and independently observed, quantified, and confirmed or refuted,” they do not follow the scientific method and should be regarded as “pseudoscience” at best. (3)

Let’s use a simple example. Imagine you’re a scientist and you want to find out whether eating red meat increases the risk of heart attack. You recruit participants and ask them to track how much red meat they consume over 20 years. Then, you measure how many heart attacks occurred throughout the study period.

When examining the data, you notice a strong correlation between red meat consumption and heart attack. In other words, the people who ate the most red meat were the most likely to have a heart attack, and the people that ate the least red meat were the least likely to have a heart attack.

Case closed, right? Not so fast. What if the people who ate the most red meat were also more likely to smoke cigarettes, have high blood pressure and diabetes, eat more refined carbohydrates and sugar, not eat vegetables, and not exercise? In this scenario, it’s impossible to know whether the higher rate of heart attacks was caused by eating more red meat, any of these other single factors, or a combination of some or all of them.

The Healthy User Bias

The scenario I just mentioned is not hypothetical—it’s incredibly common. It’s so common, in fact, that it even has a name: the “healthy user bias.” I discussed this in detail in a 2014 podcast called “Heart Attacks and Red Meat—Correlation or Causation?,” but here’s the short version. People who engage in a behavior perceived as healthy are more likely to engage in other behaviors that are also perceived as healthy, and vice versa.

So, because red meat has been perceived as “unhealthy” for so many years, on average, people that eat more red meat are more likely to:

Smoke

Drink too much

Eat too much sugar

Not exercise, etc.

Of course, most researchers are well aware of the influence of confounding factors and the healthy user bias, and the good ones do their best to control for as many of these factors as they can. But even in the best studies, researchers can’t control for all possible confounding factors, because our lives are simply too complex.

In the Lancet paper, researchers included a study if it controlled for at least three of the following factors:

Age

Sex

Obesity

Smoking status

Diabetes

Hypertension

Hypercholesterolemia

History of cardiovascular disease

Family history of cardiovascular disease

That’s a step in the right direction. However, it still leaves huge room for confounding factors and healthy user bias. For example, say one of the studies controlled for age, sex, and whether participants were obese. That still leaves many factors—smoking status, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, history of cardiovascular disease—that could affect the outcome.

It opens up the possibility that people who were following a very-low-carb diet were more likely to have an underlying health condition like diabetes, hypertension, or high cholesterol, or that they were more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors like smoking. And in fact, that’s exactly what happened in the Lancet study. According to the authors:

“Participants who consumed a relatively low percentage of total energy from carbohydrates (i.e., participants in the lowest quantiles) were more likely to be young, male, a self-reported race other than black, college graduates, have high body mass index, exercise less during leisure time, have high household income, smoke cigarettes, and have diabetes.” [emphasis added]

That’s not surprising, is it? People who follow diets—whether very-low-carb or very-high-carb—are far more likely to have some kind of health problem that led them to start the diet in the first place. Unfortunately, this study didn’t adequately control for this almost certain fact.

This is bad enough. But it gets worse when you consider the confounding variables that weren’t even on the researchers’ list, such as:

The amount of fresh fruits and vegetables consumed

The amount of sugar they consumed

The quality of protein, fat, and carbohydrate they consumed

How much physical activity they engaged in

The question of diet quality—whether the person was eating primarily fresh, whole, nutrient-dense food or highly processed, refined food—is especially important. In the United States, we know from other research that the majority of Americans eat mostly processed and refined food. For example, a study published this year found that 60 percent of the calories Americans consume come from not just processed food—but ultra-processed food. These foods do not impact the body in the same way that fresh, whole foods do. I’ll discuss this more below.

4. Macronutrient Quality Is More Important Than Quantity

Researchers have long debated whether low-fat or low-carbohydrate diets are best for weight loss and overall health. Regardless of the macronutrient content, however, most long-term studies have reported little success in achieving and maintaining significant weight loss. In 2016, I wrote an article called “Carbohydrates: Why Quality Trumps Quantity,” in which I argued that the answer to obesity and metabolic disease lies not in how much carbohydrate we eat, but rather what types of carbohydrate we eat.

Earlier this year, a landmark study published in JAMA supported this argument and suggested that the same principles apply to fats. The researchers found that on average, people who cut back on added sugar, refined grains, and processed food lost weight over 12 months—regardless of whether the diet was low carb or low fat.

I wrote about this study in detail in an article called “Why Quality Trumps Quantity When It Comes to Diet.” Here’s the TL;DR: when the subjects focused on real, whole foods and cut processed foods out of their diet, they lost significant weight, without having to count calories or restrict energy intake.

Now, this study focused on weight loss, but it’s ludicrous to assume that the same distinction between real, whole foods and processed, refined foods wouldn’t apply to a study looking at longevity.

Consider two hypothetical people:

A person on a low-carb diet that eats primarily refined fats like industrialized seed oils (found in most processed foods and in foods cooked in restaurants)

A person on a low-carb diet that eats primarily natural fats from fresh, whole foods (meat, fish, avocados, nuts, seeds, etc.) prepared mostly at home

Is it logical to predict that these two people will enjoy the same health, protection from disease, and lifespan? Of course not. Yet that is exactly what the Lancet study did assume.

Decades of nutrition research have myopically focused on the quantity of protein, fat, and carbohydrate we eat, without considering the quality. In my mind, this is perhaps the single biggest shortcoming of the bulk of nutrition research.

5. It’s Possible to Follow a Diet That Is Both Low in Carbohydrates and High in Fresh, Nutrient-Dense Foods

It should be clear by now that the participants that were following a low-carb diet were not following a Paleo-type low-carb diet that is rich in natural, whole foods. The researchers themselves point this out:

“By contrast, the animal-based low carbohydrate dietary score was associated with lower average intake of both fruit and vegetables (appendix pp 9, 10).”

But of course it doesn’t have to be that way. A common misconception of the Paleo diet is that it’s “meat heavy,” rather than “plant based.” But consider someone who is abstaining from eating grains, dairy products, and processed and refined foods.

What might their plate consist of? A serving of protein (fish, poultry, meat), and typically two to three servings of non-starchy vegetables. Depending on their carbohydrate intake, they may also eat whole fruits (especially those lower in sugar, like fresh berries) and even starchy tubers like sweet potatoes and yams that are relatively low in carbohydrates. These foods will often be supplemented with healthy fats like nuts, seeds, avocados, or olives.

This is NOT the diet that was studied in the Lancet paper. Therefore, if this is the diet that you’re eating, the results in that paper do not apply to you.

6. Humans Can Thrive on a Variety of Macronutrient Ratios—as Long as They’re Eating Whole Foods

The Lancet study suggested that the optimal range of carbohydrate intake for a lengthy lifespan is between 50 and 55 percent of calories. Is it plausible to assume that humans can only live for a long time within such a narrow range of carbohydrate consumption? No.

That would have put us at a significant evolutionary disadvantage. Humans evolved in diverse environments around the world, and studies of contemporary hunter–gatherer populations demonstrate that we can thrive on a broad range of macronutrient ratios as long as we are following a traditional, whole-foods diet.

Carbohydrate Intake Varies in Ancestral Diets

For example, the Kitavan Islanders of Melanesia live as horticulturists, with little access to Western foods. Carbohydrates make up 60 to 70 percent of their energy intake (higher than the recommended 50–55 percent range in the Lancet study), much of that coming from fruit or tubers with a fairly high glycemic index. (4) Their saturated fat intake is also high.

Yet despite obvious similarity between Kitavan and Western diets in both macronutrient composition and glycemic index, Kitavans boast levels of fasting insulin and blood glucose that are even lower than the levels deemed healthy in Western populations. (5, 6) They also have lower levels of leptin and a virtual absence of diabetes, atherosclerosis, and excess weight. (7, 8, 9)

On the other end of the spectrum, analyses of hunter–gatherer populations, including the Masai, Kavirondo, and Turkhana, suggest that a low-carb diet (between 22 and 40 percent of calories, again lower than the 50 to 55 percent range in the Lancet study) with high intake of unprocessed meat and saturated fat does not result in poor cardiovascular or metabolic health. (10) (For more on this, see my special report on the truth about red meat.)

Critics of the Paleo diet and ancestral nutrition claim that there’s no point in studying what hunter–gatherers eat, because they all die when they’re 40 years old. This is incorrect, as I explain in this video.

While it is true that, on average, hunter–gatherers have shorter lifespans than people living in the modern, industrialized world, those averages don’t consider important challenges that are largely absent from modern life: high rates of infant and early childhood mortality (30 to 100 times higher) and deaths to trauma, warfare, and exposure to the elements, most of which are caused by a complete lack of emergency medical care.

Yet anthropological studies of modern hunter–gatherers have shown that when they have access to even the most rudimentary form of medical care (think a half-day’s walk to a rural clinic), they live life spans roughly equivalent to our own. (11, 12) But in contrast to us, they reach these ages without acquiring many of the chronic, inflammatory diseases that characterize our old age—like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s.

Consider two articles recently published in The New York Times examining the absence of chronic disease in the Tsimané, a subsistence farming and hunter–gatherer population in Bolivia.

The first article, Learning from Our Parents’ Heart Health Mistakes, reported on a study showing that the Tsimané have a prevalence of atherosclerosis 80 percent lower than ours in the United States and that nine in 10 Tsimané adults aged 40 to 94 had completely clean arteries and no risk of heart disease. (Note that the study included adults between 40 and 94 years of age; clearly they are not all dying when they’re 40!)

In a follow-up article, researchers even put to rest the old canard that hunter–gatherers don’t have “diseases of civilization” like diabetes and cardiovascular disease because they don’t live long enough to develop them:

“The Tsimané suffer from high infant-mortality rates, but those who reach adulthood live about as long as most other people, making it possible to measure their health outcomes up to age 90 and beyond.”

This in spite of the fact that the Tsimané have high rates of infection with parasites, and consume 72 percent of calories from carbohydrates—far higher than the 50 to 55 percent range suggested in the Lancet paper.

7. Meta-Analyzing Data From Multiple and Heterogeneous Sources Opens the Door to Confirmation Bias

A meta-analysis is the statistical procedure for combining data from multiple studies. They play an important role in research, but they’re also plagued with several disadvantages, which Wikipedia does a good job of summarizing. They include publication bias, statistical challenges, and, most relevant to this discussion, an “agenda-driven bias”:

“The most severe fault in meta-analysis often occurs when the person or persons doing the meta-analysis have an economic, social, or political agenda such as the passage or defeat of legislation. People with these types of agendas may be more likely to abuse meta-analysis due to personal bias. For example, researchers favorable to the author's agenda are likely to have their studies cherry-picked while those not favorable will be ignored or labeled as "not credible." In addition, the favored authors may themselves be biased or paid to produce results that support their overall political, social, or economic goals in ways such as selecting small favorable data sets and not incorporating larger unfavorable data sets. The influence of such biases on the results of a meta-analysis is possible because the methodology of meta-analysis is highly malleable.”

Another term for agenda-driven bias is “confirmation bias.” This is defined by Wikipedia as "the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories.”

Was this an issue in the Lancet paper? While we can’t be sure, it’s certainly a possibility. The paper was published by a research group that included Walter Willett, a physician and researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health who is notorious for his advocacy of a low-fat, plant-based diet. This alone is not necessarily cause to suspect confirmation bias.

However, in an unprecedented turn of events, Willett was censured in an editorial and feature article in the prestigious journal Nature for “promoting over-simplification of scientific results in the name of public health and engaging in unseemly behavior towards those who venture conclusions that differ to his.” (13)

Willett co-authored a study claiming to link aspartame with cancer, but the study was retracted by Harvard at the last minute because the data did not support that conclusion. Meanwhile, the damage had already been done by sensational media headlines like “Aspartame Causes Cancer.” Sound familiar?

In an interview with NBC News about this incident, Dr. Steven Nissen, chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Cardiovascular Medicine Department, said:

“Promoting a study that its own authors agree is not definite, not conclusive and not useful for the public is not in the best interests of public health.”

What’s more, it later became clear that this study had been rejected by six journals, before finally being published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, where—surprise, surprise—Willett is a member of the editorial board.

Unfortunately, this is the reality of medical research today. I’ve written extensively about how financial conflicts of interest and fraud impact scientific findings (see “Behind the Veil: Conflicts of Interest and Fraud in Medical Research,” and “Why Are Scientists and the Public So Often At Odds?”).

But don’t take it from me. In a 2009 article called “Drug Companies & Doctors: A Story of Corruption,” a physician, the former editor of The New England Journal of Medicine, said:

“It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of The New England Journal of Medicine.”

Consider, also, a paper called “Why Most Published Research Findings Are False,” by John Ioannidis, a Professor of Medicine and of Health Research and Policy at Stanford University School of Medicine and a Professor of Statistics at Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences.

Ioannidis explains that in many research papers, “Claimed findings may be accurate measures of the prevailing bias.” Clearly, he struck a nerve; this paper is now the most widely cited paper ever published in the journal PLOS Medicine.

In other words, most published research findings support the status quo; they’re not necessarily based on solid evidence. Often, the research that builds on an initial study ends up perpetuating questionable findings. It’s like building a house of cards: a paper gets published that references another paper; then, a third paper gets published that references that second paper, which referenced that first paper, and so on. The assumption is that the evidence in that first paper was correct—but what if it’s not? The edifice of peer-reviewed research is not as perfect as we tend to believe.

If you’re still with us, congratulations! You now have a clearer grasp of the problems with most nutrition studies than the vast majority of journalists working today. My hope is that, armed with this knowledge, you can protect yourself from sensationalized headlines that are based on agenda-driven, poorly designed studies—and continue to follow whatever version of a nutrient-dense, whole-foods diet works best for you.

What are your thoughts on this study? Are you currently following a low-carb diet? Let me know below in the comments.

The post Will a Low-Carb Diet Shorten Your Life? appeared first on Chris Kresser.

Source: http://chriskresser.com August 21, 2018 at 09:13PM

[lightshineinc]

THE NEW AGE OF WORK

This is a State proposal to put our workers in an environment that will elicit a more productive way of occurrence within our all growing nation and industries. This is just an idea so I didn’t add any bathrooms to the blueprint, but each floor will have two main focusses. The first floor will embellish liberty and community. The second floor will embellish sociology through fashion and networking. The third floor will court architecture, healthcare, and education in a communal politic; and the fourth floor will work news through media, music, gaming, and social media.

Through music and swagger all alike, our nation has flourished off of a simple ideology; being cool. These focusses will be focused through the change of seasons and holiday in media and infrastructure and health. By the means of making the workplace efficient for the cause of our psychology, work will only be 6 hours with a one hour lunch with m more efficient pay and tax increase.

 These blue prints were created with ARCHICAD by GRAPHISOFT. Please feel free to purchase and check out.

Being born into our nation, our country and state is required to give us; food, shelter, clothing, and news with whats going on in our democracy and republic. Within these means I’ve a developed a productive and classy way to work and be entertained all in the same fidelity. The first floor will have an upscaled restaurant that forefruits the nations ecology. We can use groceries such as unsold meats and vegetables and utilize them in a professional setting and still come up with a pretty deficit. Aside this lobby and restaurant will be a waiting area and little library where books will be accessible to those who work their to help teach the employees some of the software and arts needed  in this work place.

On this floor the states gratitude will work fashion and sociology. With the means of whats in and what is not, this work space will cater to our seasons greetings through comfortable clothing and warm networking. The room on the far left will be designing the clothing, emailing, and sending the ideas out to be published and sent back to me modeled. The two rooms on the far right are the closet; where the clothes will be crafted by hand, and the studio for photography.

Through these resorts, the workers will be able to leave campus and professionally check stores and model the merchandise to publish on social media.

Architecture, health, and education is prominent in our public relations. We will utilize and make our countries healthcare more accessible. Through these three powers, the state will mediate health records, education and college scores, social security and finances. 

On this floor we will discuss events in our community and make them more frequent for festivity and federacy as a state. This includes, performances, fairs, night clubs, neighborhood parties, and restaurants.

News is very important. How our liberty and freedom of press have reached her arms out to those who create video games, movies and music, we will make sure that the message is as clear as day. We will be focusing on film off campus in regular work ours. The gaming studio will have professionals that know how to entertain the masses with a poised structure of what the psychology of play is all about. The brain functions on an ability based node. What we learn as a baby, through entertainment, we become more passion driven through fun about our health relentlessly. That is what it means to be alive. To have fun. Rather it be an event, or on your couch; fun is healthy. 

The music on this floor will be made here and produced here. The foundation of these craftsman will focus on only inhouse productions. You will be able to set appointments to record, but you will have to bring your own microphone and use a produced instrumental from the state. This is insurance to the states financial literacy; to make sure we are making some form of revenue through the record rather it published for an event or on the radio.

In conclusion, this idea will make more money for our government officials and the people. We will create more jobs. Festivity will be frequent and we will have more to talk about in later news and entertainment. Thank You.

[surayaror]

In conjunction with World Savings Day, VISA and AKPK are doing a financial literacy initiative called Treat Your Money Right.

This campaign is so perfect for RoR audience that they reached out to me and basically said, ‘Suraya can your readers share their best money-saving tips? We can give an Apple Watch Series 3 (38mm black) to the best answer’.

I said YES OF COURSE (this contest should be easy for you!) then looked up the prize. Wah it retails for RM1229 at the Apple Store wei.

How and enter and win the contest

Follow these steps-

Step 1: Find out your money management personality quiz at https://www.treatyourmoneyright.com/quiz

Answer as honestly as you can – it’s better for you to know your actual personality than get the ‘right’ personality. At the end of the quiz, you’ll get one out of these four money personalities.

Here’s a video explaining the four spending personalities:

Step 2: In a social media post, share (1) this article, (2) your money management personality, and (3) the best savings tip you’ve ever used. Use the hashtags #treatyourmoneyright #VISA #AKPK

For example: “I am a [money management personality] and the best money-saving tip for people like me is [your tip]” #treatyourmoneyright #VISA #AKPK

(the above is an example – feel free to tweak the wording!)

If there are lots of entries, then the best-quality answer will win. Not the number of shares, nor the amount of likes. Just quality.

Here are some suggestions that will increase your chances of winning:

Brutally-honest answers

Funny anecdotes

How you implemented the money-saving tip in your life (was it hard to adjust?)

A technical or psychological hack you used

A creative delivery of the answer

And more!

Can right? Apple Watch Series 3 is worth spending 5 mins to think of a nice answer right 😉

Step 3: Put the link to your social media post in the comments section of this article. That will make it easy for me to track entries coming from RoR audience 🙂

Please remember to set your post to public if not I cannot see your entry!

Contest Guidelines

Must be Malaysian and over 18 years old

Only entries received between 31 October 2018 until 14 November 2018 will be accepted

Please check to see you followed all the steps correctly. So sayang if your answer is bombz but have to rule you out due to a technicality!

You can make more than one entry

All results are final

The winner will be contacted after the contest ends. If the person does not get back to me within 3 (three) days, another winner will be selected.

The winner and their winning entry will be announced on Ringgit Oh Ringgit Facebook page

I can’t wait to see your best money-saving tips. Make me proud 😀

CONTEST ALERT! Oct 31 is World Savings Day - what better way to celebrate than asking YOU what are your best money-saving tips? Tell us and win an Apple Watch Series 3, courtesy of VISA and AKPK! In conjunction with World Savings Day, VISA and AKPK are doing a financial literacy initiative called Treat Your Money Right.

[superspunarticle]

With Social Media Addiction, AI Algorithms, and Disinformation, the Real Social Dilemma is Ours to Solve: Where Do We Start?

https://superspunarticle.com/?p=6342&wpwautoposter=1609521507 With Social Media Addiction, AI Algorithms, and Disinformation, the Real Social Dilemma is Ours to Solve: Where Do We Start? https://superspunarticle.com/?p=6342&wpwautoposter=1609521507 Tutorials & tips about Content and Video Marketing. Cristian Dina, Pexels How do we live in a world of constant distraction without giving up these digital tools that monopolize our attention, but provide value at the same time? Is it an all-or-nothing game? These are questions more people are asking as a result of the overwhelming success of the Netflix documentary The #SocialDilemma, which looks at the consequences of driving user engagement through so-called “bubble filter” algorithms, that increase utilization by showing us more of what we’re already watching, insulating us from different points of view and contributing to today’s state of hyper-partisan political polarity. As I share with my good friend and Los Angeles-based digital marketing consultant Eric Schwartzman, the good news is that it’s possible to balance a life of purpose while also taking advantage of social media and other transformative digital technologies. If you have a moment, please listen to our conversation here… 🙏 We unpacked a lot during this conversation so you won’t want to miss this podcast! If you’d rather read than listen, these are Eric’s favorite takeaways: Don’t be scared of AI. Retrain the algorithm. Many people say AI is the future of digital marketing. And we know AI can be powerful from a brand perspective. But is AI a risk as well? And what toll will it take on our livelihoods, mental health, politics and relationships as individuals? Is the current state of affairs simply a trailer for more of what’s in store? Brian explained how AI, algorithms, and the companies that leverage them, use our own insecurities against us while simultaneously making us feel in control. And he transferred the responsibility of how we engage, interact with, and react to that content back on our shoulders as consumers with three simple words: “personal accountability” and digital literacy. “They [social networks] align content and advertising around what the algorithm deems important to us. They stoke our cognitive biases, said or unsaid vulnerabilities. And they create engagement and activity around those things because they are extremely charged.  As you share, others share back. And make no mistake, that’s all by design.” Brian Solis There are many case studies that show how igniting people’s emotions or being opinionated lures clicks. And that’s simply what makes the money. We can’t blame social media – or even the growth marketing campaigns that exploit it. We need to become literate and honest about what’s happening. Taking on some more accountability, you will remember that you don’t have to engage with everything. Nor do you have to give up social media and the digital media technology that can be really beneficial. You can actually retrain the algorithm to show it what you want to consume by liking and engaging with the news stories, videos, profiles, and content that fills your life with value and purpose. This is the very thing Brian explores in his book. And it’s very much the idea of “you get back what you put out into the world,” applied to a digital world. AI ethics are not universal. They’re based on personal beliefs. Growth marketing is all about rapid-fire implementation and leveraging new technology to get us to the next level. But with AI, we may not understand the repercussions until after it’s been applied. So Brian challenges us to take a step back and think about how we got where we currently are, before thinking about where we want to go tomorrow. The 2 questions he asks are: What digital marketing tactics do you want to keep using? How do you provide content that both evokes emotion and is credible? In social media and other digital marketing channels, there’s often not just an erosion of truth, but a delineation of what truth actually means. There’s your truth and my truth. And they may not align. So, there’s no simple answer to what the future of digital marketing in 2021 holds. Just as everyone has their own truth, everyone — and every company — must define what is acceptable and what standards they will hold themselves to. The future of digital marketing is innovative leadership. Moving away from social media to the customer experience, there’s an important question marketers should ask themselves. How can we shift from rigid process and risk-averse cultures, to agile, innovative cultures? Innovation, diversity, agility — these are all big change initiatives. And change and culture go hand in hand. Change is about people and culture is what gives people the where and why. It becomes a leadership conversation about how to bring people together and move them in a new direction. Innovation and leadership go hand in hand. “Remember that innovation is the outcome. It’s change and culture design that get that outcome,” says Brian. In addition to cultivating a new culture, we can also work to be more intuitive as digital marketers. There are a lot of great companies that really care about the customer — or say they do — but don’t effectively communicate that in their digital experiences. “Brands want to create a better customer experience. But we have to remember that connected customers are in a more chaotic world. You have to factor in their headspace they’re coming from when they reach the point of interacting with your brand’s messaging. It’s about being more intuitive and understanding this environment we are all in.” Brian Solis Brian calls this the “customer’s experiences” rather than the customer experience. It’s an accumulation of experiences. Each one impacts how someone feels about you. Those emotions move into memories and that’s how brand affinity is born. Conclusion As you forge into the future of digital marketing and growth marketing, evaluate whether your company is truly striving for innovation, or simply iteration, and course correct accordingly. Don’t lose sight of what it means to be a consumer in the age of digital media technology and take time to define your company’s values and ethics within that world. I highly recommend reading Brian’s book, Lifescale: How to Live a More Creative, Productive, and Happy Life. Take notes. Give it to your employees. You will be more productive at work and begin to form more meaningful connections with your customers.     !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '192647454418119'); fbq('track', "PageView"); (function(d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.3"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, "script", "facebook-jssdk")); The above post “With Social Media Addiction, AI Algorithms, and Disinformation, the Real Social Dilemma is Ours to Solve: Where Do We Start?” was 1st published here. We hope that you found the article above of help and of interest. You can find similar content on our blog here: superspunarticle.com/blog Please let me have your feedback in the comments section below. Let us know what topics we should write about for you in future. #SEO

[goddessgardener]

Become Color BRAVE

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Become Color Blind

  MIRACLE MOMENT®

  “When ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls.”

 Anais Nin

        MESSAGE FROM CYNTHIA BRIAN, Founder/Executive Director

“You are so lucky! You have red blood!” my mother chimed when, as children, any of us would injure ourselves and be bleeding. We’d immediately stop crying and be grateful that our red blood meant that we were humans and not some form of alien. We were taught that every person was equal. No one was better or worse than anyone else and that no matter what color our skin, what God we worshipped, what gender we were, where we came from, or what language we spoke, we all deserved the opportunity to succeed and be happy. We were taught to work hard, respect others, and live by the golden rule. “Care, share, and be fair” was a family motto. 

  The last few weeks have been tragic for humans. Not only is the world struggling to survive a pandemic with Covid-19, but the death of an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, by an officer sworn to protect and serve us, has struck a deep wound in our global consciousness. Our hearts go out to his family and friends and to all the other people who have endured racist encounters. Fear and pain are prevailing. There is no place for racism and bigotry in our country. We are all human.

  Here at Be the Star You Are!®, we are color blind. We welcome everyone-black, brown, yellow, beige, white, and any color in between. Be the Star You Are!® supports all ethnicity’s, genders, cultures, and has no religious or political agendas or affiliations. Our goal is to amplify your inner greatness and help you be the best person possible by improving literacy, increasing positive media messages, and offering tools for living a purposeful life.

  Protesting is our right as Americans and peaceful protests are valuable. Looting and rioting is counter-productive and only leads to more violence, hatred, and alienation. It is time that we all stopped to listen and hear what others are saying and feeling. We must empathize and start conversations that can lead to healing. I have always believed that ALL LIVES MATTER. But right now, we need to embrace BLACK LIVES MATTER because black men and black women are suffering deeply. Our volunteer Karen Kitchel, shared a video that you may have already watched, but it is worth viewing again. It displays the disparity between a life of privilege and one of racial inequality. Watch it here: 

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BEwiqrXrjw

  No one must be shackled. It’s time to break down the walls of differences. We must come together to create positive, systemic change that will provide dignity, respect, opportunities, and resources to all. We can each be a catalyst for change.

Once we learn to communicate and collaborate, we will escape to innovate. 

  Be the Star You Are!® is proud to have been serving the community, country, and world since 1999 with resources to create a better future.

  Become color blind. We all bleed red.

  Stay safe. Stay strong.

  In solidarity, 

Cynthia Brian

Founder/Executive Director

Be the Star You Are!®

PO Box 376

Moraga, California 94556

Cynthia@BetheStarYouAre.org

https://www.BetheStarYouAre.org

http://www.BTSYA.org

  P.S. During the lock-down, I am available for consultations, webinars, interviews, or speaking via on-line sources only. If interested, email cynthia@BetheStarYouAre.org or visit https://www.starstyleradio.com/coaching

  DONATE: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504

      ONLINE AUCTION

If you want to jumpstart your business, service, or promote your products, IConnectx has created an online auction to benefit Be the Star You Are!® with opportunities for LIVe or pre-recorded radio interviews and phone or online consultations with Cynthia Brian. More auction items will be added in the following days. Auction ends on June 20th so start bidding right away to win. Visit: https://bit.ly/2ZuIQkE

      THE REAL MEANING OF DIGNITY

by Karen Kitchel

“Dignity has the potential to change the world, but only if people like you help to spread its profound message” concluded Donna Hicks in the Psychology Today article “What Is the Real Meaning of Dignity?”

We are all born with dignity, which is different than respect which must be earned. Every individual has worth as a human being and wants to be treated as someone with value.

Everyone wants to be heard and to feel safe in the world. When we feel included, we gain a sense of hope and possibility. Receiving an apology when someone does us harm is a way to reconnect. “I’m sorry” can be two of the most powerful words anyone can utter.

Building strong relationships can be as easy as asking for opinions, listening to concerns and including others in conversations.  Seek out someone you don’t know and take a step in changing the world.

  Karen Kitchel penned two chapters in the book, Be the Star You Are! Millennials to Boomers Celebrating Gifts of Positive Voices in a Changing Digital World, and is a dedicated volunteer with BTSYA. She serves meals to the homeless and is a volunteer teacher, writer, job coach, and mentor. www.scatteringkindness.com

        THE IMPACT OF ILLITERACY-Young Children

by Stephanie Cogeos

  According to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Education, 32 million American adults are illiterate, 21% read below a 5th grade level and 19% of high school graduates are functionally illiterate, meaning they cannot read well enough to manage and perform daily living tasks. This can be avoided when people are aware of these statistics and what lack of literacy skills can cause. 

  When children do not learn to read and write effectively, it affects them and their families.  The psychological effect impacts their progress during their early school years. It can also make math and science just as difficult. About 80% of a child’s brain is developed by age 3 and a key period of development occurs in their language and literacy skills. The quality of early childhood education can be determined by one’s economic status. Half of all children by age 5 living in poverty are not academically or socially ready for school, studies have shown (Center on Children and Families at Brookings).  Poverty is a risk factor for illiteracy. By fourth grade, 80% of low-income children read at below grade level. Falling behind during critical years will also affect social skills, health and economic status later in their lives.  Low literacy often impacts a person’s health, preventative healthcare actions and taking medications correctly as well as impacting them psychologically. Shame, fear, low self-confidence, low self-esteem are all impacted by how well a person can effectively communicate and read and educate themselves.  All these things can have a negative impact on society in general.  These things can be avoided.  

  CONTINUE READING: https://files.secure.website/wscfus/10307163/26270304/the-impact-of-illiteracy.pdf

  Volunteer Stephanie Cogeos is our Book Review coordinator. She is now doing research to provide resources for the public to learn about the importance of literacy, positive media messages, and empowering women families, and youth. You can keep up with the resources at this link: http://www.btsya.com/resources.html

    "To be a leader, you must be a reader! Read, lead, succeed!"

      BOOK REVIEWS IDS

Our Star Teen Book Review Team is constantly growing and evolving. When you are looking a for a great book, check out the reviews of thousands of books for all ages at our Book Review web site.

Read book reviews by our volunteers: http://www.btsya.com/book_reviews.html

Also, check out these and other reviews at our literacy partner site,The Reading Tub, https://thereadingtub.org/books/be-the-star-you-are/

Librarians, teachers, parents, and care-givers rely on these reviews as excellent sources for recommending a good book.

    WRITER WEDNESDAYS and SUPER SMART SUNDAYS

As part of our Be the Star You Are! Disaster Relief Outreach program (https://www.bethestaryouare.org/copy-of-operation-hurricane-disaste), Be the Star You Are!® has collaborated with the Authors Guild to showcase the new books launched by many authors from around the country in a variety of genres. We will also be showcasing artists, actors, and musicians, all of whom had had their gigs canceled and are out of work. We believe in supporting creativity and believe that books, art, music, and film provide escape and joy, especially during tough times. For the next few months, make sure you are tuned in to both StarStyle®-Be the Star You Are!® on Wednesdays at 4pm PT for “Writers Wednesdays” LIVE http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2206/be-the-star-you-are as well as our teen program, Express Yourself!™ airing on Sundays at 3pm PT for “Super Smart Sundays”, https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2014/express-yourself

  Both programs broadcast on the Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel and will be archived on that site as well as iTunes, Stitcher, etc. It’s a giant artistic festival!

    DONATE TO OPERATION DISASTER RELIEF TO KEEP POSITIVE MEDIA ALIVE!

      NEED A POSITIVE OUTLOOK-BUY OUR BOOKS!

  If you need a dose of inspiration, humor, and positivity, check out our books at http://www.StarStyleStore.net. All of the money from purchases benefits Be the Star You Are!® and you get extra goodies when you buy direct. Plus, these are first editions and can be custom autographed for you. www.StarStyleStore.Net

  Raise your eyes to the STARS and shine!

      SHOP ONLINE WITHOUT A MASK!

Since we need to stay at home and only go out when absolutely necessary, these are on-line shopping portals that will sell you what you need, offer discounts, and assist our mission as a nonprofit. Please use these web sites for all of your shopping essentials, 

      1. AmazonSmile donates .5% of purchases https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-3333882

2. Discounted books at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shops/be_the_star_you_are_charity

3. Giving Assistant: Shop. Earn. Give! Use Giving Assistant to earn cash at 3500+ popular online stores, then donate a percentage to BTSYA:https://givingassistant.org/np#be-the-star-you-are-inc

& buy from your favorite stores. 

4. Search and GoodShop: Choose Be the Star You Are as your charity to support. You can log in with Facebook, too! https://www.goodshop.com/nonprofit/be-the-star-you-are

5. Shop at over 1300 stores on IGIVE: http://www.iGive.com/BTSYA

6. BTSYA Logo Store: http://btsya.rylees.net

7. Buy or Sell on EBAY:http://givingworks.ebay.com/charity-auctions/charity/be-the-star-you-are-501-c-3/1504/?favorite=link

8. Designer Clothes to Buy or Sell: https://www.unionandfifth.com/charities/be-the-star-you-are-moraga-ca/shop

9. Buy “Read, Lead, Succeed” T-shirts and tanks $19.99 at StarStyle® Store: http://www.starstylestore.net/

10. Are you a gamer, lover of new software, or other digital content? Buy all of your favorites at Humble Bundle. http://ow.ly/cYs130iN6n4

      PLEASE DONATE!

Since BTSYA receives no government or corporate support, we count on YOU to help us help others. During this pandemic, all of our fundraising events have been canceled, yet we continue to support those in need. We appreciate a direct donation most of all via PAYPAL GIVING FUND at https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504

  Checks can be sent to PO Box 376, Moraga, California 94556

http://www.btsya.org

        Direct Links you can use for Be the Star You Are!®

Positive Results: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/positive-results

About Us: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/about_us

Programs: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/programs

How to Help: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/how-to-help

Blog: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/blog-1

Events: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/events

Contact us: https://www.bethestaryouare.org/contact

GREAT NON PROFITS REVIEWS: https://greatnonprofits.org/org/be-the-star-you-are-inc

GUIDESTAR/CANDID: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/94-3333882

  We invite you to volunteer, get involved, or make a donation. Make a DONATION through PAYPAL GIVING FUND and PAYPAL with 100% going to BTSYA with NO FEES:  https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504

        Be Color Blind.  

Communicate, Collaborate, Innovate! 

  Be the Star You Are!®

PO Box 376

Moraga, California 94556

Cynthia@BetheStarYouAre.org 

https://www.BetheStarYouAre.org 

      Be the Star You Are!® PO Box 376, Moraga, Ca. 94556

Get Social with us

  Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 PO Box 376 Moraga, California 94556 US

[marco42james]

How to Empower Teachers

Evan Robb on episode 566

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

Follow @coolcatteacher on Twitter

Administrators can empower teachers and principal Evan Robb shares some of the techniques. Evan is author of The Ten- Minute Principal and The Principal’s Leadership Sourcebook: Practices, Tools, and Strategies for Building a Thriving School Community. 

Listen to the Show

Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

Subscribe to the Show

  Get Credit! Some schools, districts, and organizations allow credit for listening to podcasts. Whether they do or don’t, to get the most out of listening you can use this Podcast PD Template Hyperdoc. Just make a copy and adapt it for your use or print it. If you don’t have Google Docs, just use this PDF.

Evan Robb – Bio as Submitted

Distinguished Principal, TEDx Speaker, Author

Evan Robb is presently Principal of Johnson-Williams Middle School in Berryville, Virginia. He has over twenty years of experience serving as a building level principal including opening a Junior High School in Warren County, Virginia. Prior to being a school principal, he was an English teacher, department chair, and Assistant Principal. Early in his career, Evan received the Horace Mann Educator of the Year Award. In addition, the NCTE Commission on Reading selected him to serve on its board. Evan leads sustainable change initiatives that transform school culture, increase achievement, and prepare students for their future. In addition to being a full-time principal, Evan speaks across the country on leadership, how to improve literacy in schools, the digital principal, social media, how to involve all staff in goal setting, how to organize effective work teams, and the impact of culture and positivity on work.

His first book titled, The Principal’s Leadership Sourcebook: Practices, Tools, and Strategies for Building a Thriving School Community was published by Scholastic in the fall of 2007. His newest book, The Ten- Minute Principal is being published by Corwin in May 2019. Evan and Laura Robb collaborated with Davis Burgess Publishing to write, Team Makers which will be published in the summer of 2019. In addition, Evan and Laura will publish, A School Full of Readers with Benchmark Education in the fall of 2019.

Evan gave his first TEDx Talk titled, Two Ways to Get Into a Swimming Pool in June 2019 at TEDxFieldstoneDriveEd. Evan’s talk has stories of his leadership journey, challenges, and choices he made along the way.

Please explore The Robb Review Blog and ScholasticEDU for more of his thoughts on teaching, learning, and leadership. The Robb Review Blog focuses on looking ahead, not looking back. Evan also has a podcast, The Robb Review Podcast. He has been named one of the top 25 educational leaders to follow on Twitter. Scholastic EDU named Evan one on the 10 educators to follow on Twitter.

Twitter: @ERobbPrincipal

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/evanrobbprincipal/

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erobbprincipal/

Disclosure of Material Connection: This episode includes some affiliate links. This means that if you choose to buy I will be paid a commission on the affiliate program. However, this is at no additional cost to you.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” This company has no impact on the editorial content of the show.

The post How to Empower Teachers appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

from Cool Cat Teacher BlogCool Cat Teacher Blog https://www.coolcatteacher.com/how-to-empower-teachers/