#justin trudeau made fun of him

[krissthinktank]

Neither China nor North Korea gave a fuck about Donald J. Trump. Everybody made fun of him. It was bad blonde wigs and orange tans for years. Every international skit show looked like a presidential version of Big Tit Texas.

[literarytourist-blog-blog]

Gerry Butts and John Duffy on How Canada Works

Last year when John Duffy, a Canadian political strategist and writer, died at the age of 58, I noticed an outpouring of genuine love, and sadness, on Twitter, along with frequent references to his book Fights of our Lives. It was called one the best ever written on Canadian politics. So I picked up a copy. It's filled with dozens of old photographs, and images of period posters, and flyers, buttons, correspondence, and other fascinating bits and pieces of ephemera and memorabilia: the 'confetti of history' as Walter Benjamin liked to put it, plus it features these great 'diagrams' of game plans, 'playbooks,' that John came up with to explain the strategies and tactics used in what he considered to be the five most consequential elections in Canadian history. It was visually captivating, and a fun informative read, so I decided to feature it on The Biblio File Book Club. But who to engage with?

  Several people suggested Justin Trudeau's close friend and advisor, Gerry Butts. After a bit of toing and froing, and my prematurely and, as it turns out, quite erroneously, dismissing him as a typical political bounder, it all came together. Gerry agreed to play ball. We met in person several days ago at the Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa. 

  Gerry is currently Vice Chairman of The Eurasia Group, a risk management firm with offices around the world. We talk here about John Duffy's optimism, about whether or not elections matter; about cynicism, championship debating, Canada's business elite, the PBO's report on income inequality, the urban-rural divide, 1300 Dollarama stores, lifting children out of poverty, the King-Bing Affair, SNC Lavalin, the Manitoba School crisis, Wilfred Laurier and Justin Trudeau's 'Sunny Ways,' kicking the can down the road; Lament for a Nation, and Mel Hurtig. There's a James Joyce quote. Gerry tells a joke about Franz Kafka on the way out the door, and I recommend that he reads Nora Krug's illustrated edition of On Tyranny. 

  Plus another thing: we're both convinced that John Duffy's Fights of our Lives (egregiously it's both out of print and published by an American multi-national) should be made into a TV Series as soon as possible.  

Check out this episode!

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Do you remember The Simpsons episode where they made fun of Justin Trudeau? My mind goes back to him avoiding accountability on another scandal then slithering his way out of the building. It's happening all over again!! Dirty snake.

[gstqaobc]

The Royal Fascinator Friday, May 07, 2021

Janet DavisonRoyal Expert Hello, royal watchers and all those intrigued by what’s going on inside the House of Windsor. This is your biweekly dose of royal news and analysis.

A fleeting glimpse of family life

(Chris Floyd/Camera Press/Press Association via The Associated Press)

Glimpses of what family life is like for Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, are fleeting at best. The couple, who marked their 10th wedding anniversary the other day, are well-known for the priority they place on their three young children and protecting their privacy. But they opened up — a bit — on April 29, a decade to the day since their marriage at Westminster Abbey, posting a short video full of family fun at the beach, roasting marshmallows and taking a turn on the teeter-totter. “We are enormously grateful for the 10 years of support we have received in our lives as a family,” they wrote on Twitter in setting up the 39-second video, which has been viewed 1.2 million times. While the video focused on their family — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — there is also the sense that William, 38, and Kate, 39, could be increasing the time they spend on royal work. That seems particularly possible given the fact that other senior members of the Royal Family — notably Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, as well as Prince Andrew — have stepped back from official duties. Royal author and biographer Penny Junor suspects William and Kate will try to balance the two. “Family is hugely important to them both — they know that security in a child’s early years is crucial — but they also recognize that royal work is important, particularly when the family is short of some key players,” Junor said via email. “So [it's] a difficult juggling act, but they seem a very secure couple with a very happy family life and an exceptionally good work ethic.” That work ethic has been questioned at times over the past decade, with media murmurings now and then about just how hard they were really working. But those questions have faded. For Kate in particular, there is an increased emphasis on issues she has made a priority, especially early child development. There is also a sense that Kate’s transition into the Royal Family has been a careful, gradual one, and stands in some contrast to how William’s mother, Diana, found the experience of joining the family. She later complained that she received little guidance or praise as she settled into her role. “Kate has grown in confidence over the last 10 years since she married William,” said Junor. “She has really settled into her role and established herself as a role model as a mother and royal wife.” As much as the video posted for their anniversary offers glimpses of their family enjoying time at play, there is also a sense that it was a carefully crafted impression they chose to share. “In publicising their happy family life, William and Kate follow a well-trodden royal path,” author Matthew Dennison wrote in The Telegraph. Dennison takes that path back two centuries, to public portrayals of family life for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who would go on to have nine children. “The vignettes of their life off-duty that the Cambridges do share with the public invariably depict them as a loving couple and devoted parents, casually dressed, without the trappings of royal status,” said Dennison. In that, Dennison sees “a new embodiment of a concept Victoria and Albert embraced with zeal 200 years ago, that led to [political analyst] Walter Bagehot’s well-known reflection: ‘A family on the throne is an interesting idea. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life.'" The happy family times weren’t the only video offering from William and Kate in recent days. They also launched a YouTube channel this week, with the first video focusing mainly on multiple glimpses of them on official duties over the years. That 25-second clip has garnered more than 2.4 million views since going live on Wednesday.

More of Mike

For a while now, there’s been a sense the Royal Family is undergoing a streamlining in its upper echelons when it comes to official duties. Some of it is thought to be part of a broader view of the future — and the idea that Prince Charles is ultimately looking to a smaller core group of royals to carry the House of Windsor forward when his time comes to follow his mother, Queen Elizabeth, on the throne. Some of it is a function of circumstance — Prince Harry and Meghan have stepped away from official duties, as has Prince Andrew, in the fallout from his disastrous interview with the BBC regarding his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. When it comes to considering which members of the family might step up and do more, the list has become relatively short: along with Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, there is Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, along with William and Kate. Nowhere on the list is Mike Tindall. And while there is nothing official to suggest the husband of Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara, is assuming a specific roster of new duties, it has been interesting to see him pop up more often recently. Tindall, 42, took part in an online chat regarding Parkinson’s disease with the Duchess of Gloucester that was posted the other day. Tindall’s father has Parkinson’s, and he’s been a longtime supporter of efforts to help those with the disease. In a recent interview with the BBC, where Tindall also spoke about the impact of Parkinson’s, he offered some family perspective on the recent death of Zara’s grandfather, Prince Philip. Tindall said Queen Elizabeth mourned her husband with bravery and was "amazing" at his funeral. A former England rugby player, Tindall is no stranger to media chatter. He’s part of a laddish podcast — The Good, the Bad & the Rugby — that has also become an unexpected source of some royal news in recent months. Word broke on the podcast late last year that he and Zara were expecting their third child. A few months later, Tindall shared the happy news that son Lucas had arrived, albeit not quite as they were expecting — with Zara giving birth on their bathroom floor. Happy birthday — to Louis, Charlotte and Archie

(Kate, Duchess of Cambridge via The Associated Press)

Royal social media channels have offered up a number of photos of late to mark the cluster of birthdays among younger members of the Royal Family in late April and early May. Public glimpses of the children are relatively rare, so the photos sometimes become news stories in and of themselves. Prince Louis turned three on April 23, and his elder sister, Charlotte, turned six on May 2. In both instances, and following what has become a tradition in their family, the birthdays were marked with photos taken by their mother, Kate. Louis was captured on his bike as he headed off for his first day of nursery school, and Charlotte’s photo was a close-up. Their cousin, Archie, turned two on May 6. His parents, Prince Harry and Meghan, posted a sepia-toned photo on their website of Archie shot from behind and holding a bunch of balloons. In a message on the website, Harry and Meghan urged people to “join us in advocating for vaccine equity on Archie’s birthday.”

Royally quotable

"It is clear that reconciliation, equality and mutual understanding cannot be taken for granted, and will require sustained fortitude and commitment."  

— Queen Elizabeth, in a

message marking the centenary of Northern Ireland.  

Royal reads

1.Prince Charles says the Royal Family was

“deeply moved”

by the way the military carried out their duties at the funeral for his father, Prince Philip. [ITV]

2. The Duke of Edinburgh’s death certificate recorded his cause of death as

“old age.”

[The Independent]

3. Prince Harry called for COVID-19 vaccines to be

"distributed to everyone everywhere"

at a star-studded charity concert in Los Angeles. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also appeared via video during the event. [BBC]

4. Meghan is publishing her first children’s picture book,

The Bench

, which is inspired by Harry and Archie. She also

won the remainder of her privacy claim

against a British newspaper group. [CBC, BBC]

5. Christopher Geidt served as Queen Elizabeth’s private secretary for a decade. Now the former army intelligence officer, who has been described as charming and suave,

has a new role

: adviser on ethical standards for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. [The Guardian]

Cheers!

I’m always happy to hear from you. Send your ideas, comments, feedback and notes to

royalfascinator@cbc.ca

. Problems with the newsletter? Please let me know about any typos, errors or glitches.

💜🙏����🙂✝️💟PG💟✝️🙂🙏🏻💜

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇳🇿

[tomorrowusa]

Former President Vicente Fox of Mexico (2000-2006) has never been a big fan of Donald Trump. In fact, he enormously enjoys trolling Trump. One of the late night talk shows should hire him to do commentary about the Republican National Convention next week. Viewers would certainly get a more accurate view of the convention from Vicente Fox than from Fox News.

Trump has not made America great, he’s turned us into an international object of ridicule and pity. Under Trump, the only way America first is accurate is in the number of COVID-19 infections (and deaths).

It’s not just former leaders who mock Trump. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Emmanuel Macron, and others were overheard making fun of Trump at the NATO summit in 2019.

Once Trump is out of office, we’ll finally learn the full extent of how foreign leaders disrespect him.

[another-mexico-oc]

💖 What your favorite Mexico´s ship/OTP says about YOU ...

Spanish version —> AQUÍ

Hello everyone! The month of love is finally over, but before that, inspired by the “What your Favorite Hetalia ship says about you” and related; and since Mexico is one of the most shipped countries (at least by the Hetalia and Countryhumans latin fandom), I decided to make this in collaboration with my cousin. If you are not familiar with this, basically it is a recopilation of facts some people share when they ship Mexico with another country.

WARNINGS AND NOTES BEFORE WE START:

- This post is for both, Hetalia and Countryhumans fans. I clarify that in this blog we don´t discuss which one is better than the other, we enjoy the healthy part and avoid the toxic part. 

-  This is just for fun, and IT SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. Think of it as a horoscope, you can share some of the facts, maybe not. The main purpose is to have some fun. 

- We are aware that not all the ships will be here, or that not all of them will have the same extension. We tried to gather all we could. 

- This is an extra warning for the English translation: This post may contain a lot of mexican and latin american modern references. Also, the best known historical periods are going to be mentioned, so if you are not familiar with the history of Mexico, we invite you to watch this video, and to consult other articles and media.

Without further due, let´s begin: 

FIRST OF ALL, THIS IS ONE OF THE POSSIBLE REASONS YOU SHIP MEXICO WITH ONE, IF NOT, MORE COUNTRIES: 

- You are mexican, I don´t have a doubt. You have a Mexico OC and you make fanarts and write fanfics about him/her with your favorite character.

- You are latino, and you came from the Latin Hetalia fandom, or you are from the latin fandom of Countryhumans (obviously, Miss Sherlock Holmes).

- You are neither mexican or latino, but still you like Mexico. 

- If you are from Hetalia, you are still waiting the day Himaruya publish the official design of Mexico, so he/she can interact with your favorite character. 

OKAY, NOW LET´S GO WITH THE SHIPS:

IF YOU LIKE 🇺🇸 USAMEX (USA X Mexico) 🇲🇽

- Favorite fanfic genre: Angst.

- Your guilty pleasures are the toxic love, the impossible love or the unrequited love. Or perhaps you like stories about people who fall in love with their chilhood friend. Or you like the phrase “From hate to love...”

- If you are from Hetalia, (also applies to Countryhumans) probably you also like FrUK (France x UK) or SpUK (Spain x UK). Or you simply don´t support USUK (USA x UK).

- If you are mexican, probably you are from the North, and you love the North and South Mexico OC´s. (And obviously, you ship North Mexico with USA).

- If you are mexican, you probably have visited the United States or your have relatives living there. Going further, you are chicano.

- You love the states personifications of both countries, and you are fascinated by the idea that Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California are the USA and Mexico kids. 

- If you are from Hetalia, you like cowboy America, and you also like Mexico dressed as a revolutionary or adelita.

IF YOU LIKE 🇷🇺 RUSMEX (Russia x Mexico) 🇲🇽

- You hate USAMex and surely you don´t like United States if you are mexican.

- Your favorite historical event: the Cold War.

- Favorite word: Tripaloski.

- You like couples with a lot of height difference. Lil Mex is the most adorable thing in the world. 

- If you are a Countryhumans fan, probably you also ship Perú with USA.

- You like love triangles stories. (Cough… cough… USA x Mexico x Russia)

- You have seen Youtube videos of “Rusos Reaccionan a��” (Russians react to), and of mexicans in the Russia 2018 FIFA. 

IF YOU LIKE 🇨🇦 CANMEX (Canada x Mexico) 🇲🇽

- You like fluffy ships.

- You think Canada is a better suitor than the toxic USA and the distant and cold Russia. (Or if you are from Hetalia, you think Russia is too mad and unstable for Mexico)

- If you are mexican, you have visited Canada, you want to work or study there, or you have relatives living in Canadá. 

- If you´re from Hetalia, it is likely that you don´t like CuCan (Cuba x Canada).

- Also, if you´re from Hetalia, you got excited when in the anime and the manga, Kumajiro mentioned Mexico, and then you got mad because he/she was never showed up!

- If you´re mexican, you were into the memes of Peña Nieto and Justin Trudeau. 

- Like Russia case, you adore the love triangles, but in this case you like stories about brothers who have a crush on the same person.

IF YOU LIKE 🇪🇸 SPAMEX (Spain x Mexico) 🇲🇽

- You like sugar daddies. (Daddy Spain 😏)

- Your guilty pleasure are stories about possesive couples and couples with secret lovers. (Okay, that´s not healthy...) 

- If you´re from the Hetalia fandom, you do not like SpaMano (Spain x Romano), and if you are mexican, you will never accept (or you ignored) that canonically, Romano received better treatment than the rest of Spain colonies.

- If you are mexican, you like when Mexico (or New Spain) is represented as the spoiled kid, as daddy´s little princess, and as the best colony of Spain. (Sorry, the other Spain former colonies.)

- Your favorite Mexico periods are the Conquest, the New Spain colonial era and the Independence. 

- Probably you not only ship Mexico with Spain. Actually for some reason you like Mexico cheating Spain with another country, either England, France, a latin country and, why not? with the United States.   

IF YOU LIKE 🇫🇷 FRAMEX (France x Mexico) 🇲🇽

- You like to live the expensive life: Eating in gourmet restaurants, buying brand clothes, expensive trips with a five-star hotel stay. Or if you had money, you would love to live the expensive life. 

- You like fashion and architecture.

- Favorite Mexico period: The Porfiriato. If you´re mexican, you think that outside of the bad things, Porfirio Díaz made great contributions to the country, and his remains should return to Mexico.

- If you are mexican, you live in the capital, or/and you love to visit Mexico City downtown. 

- You like stories about characters who made the casanova to fall in love with them, or stories about the stalker gaining his crush´ heart. (Creepy...)

- If you like male Mexico, you like him to be a flirt and gallant. If you like female Mexico, you like her to be very femenine and dressing pretty outfits.

IF YOU LIKE 🇬🇧UKMEX (England x Mexico) 🇲🇽

- If you are from Hetalia, obviously you like tsundere characters. 

- You are fan of Harry Styles, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Queen, the Beatles, David Bowie, Alan Rickman, or any other english celebrity. 

- You´re a big fan of gentlemen like Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice or Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre. In fact, you have readed a lot of books from that period and from that genre.

- You like black humor, wordplay and double entendre phrases. 

- You hate Spain and you think England would have been a better sugar daddy. (Why would you think that?)

- You think England would have been a better colonizer than Spain (Why would you think that?)

- If you´re from Hetalia, you like pirate England.

IF YOU LIKE 🇩🇪 GERMEX (Germany x Mexico) 🇲🇽

- If you´re from Hetalia you think Italy doesn´t deserve Germany. In other words: No GerIta.

- You like dogs, and you want to adopt Paco from Countryhumans.

- Favorite historical period: WWI and WWII.

- You are one of those who think the Zimmerman Telegram was a love confession letter from Germany to Mexico.

- You think England and United States are the worst for intervening on your OTP. 

- You like stories Romeo and Juliet´ type: Two people who are from opposite groups who fell in love with each other.

- Also if you´re from Hetalia, besides you like the Doitsu, you like his BDSM side. (Fifty Shades of Germany, coming soon to your nearby bookstore)

IF YOU LIKE 🇦🇹 AUSMEX (Austria x Mexico) 🇲🇽

- If you are mexican, you think Maximilian I of Mexico would have been better governor than Benito Juárez. 

- If you´re mexican, you think Mexico should have been an empire since it´s independence.

- You like stories about arranged marriages, or stories about a poor character who marries a rich one, like in telenovelas!

- If you are from Hetalia, probably you prefer PruHun (Prussia x Hungary).

IF YOU LIKE 🇮🇹 ITAMEX (Italy x Mexico) 🇲🇽

- Congratulations! You are 1000% unique and different. Oh, and you are alone in your fandom too.  Barely there´s someone who shares your ship. 

IF YOU LIKE 🇯🇵NIMEX (Japan x Mexico) 🇲🇽

- You´re mexican and you are 100% otaku.

- You are tired of Mexico being shipped just with europeans, latinos and north americans. Asians also deserve time y admiration.

- You love cats. (You may be also in the furry fandom)

- If some of the previously mentioned ships have this feature, with this one you confirm that you like complete opposite couples.

- You love long distance relationships.

- If you´re from Hetalia, you like Japan quiet, shy, inocente tiene la mirada… 🎵 🎵 🎵Le tomo la mano, y siente algo extraño … 🎵(Okay, i´ll stop singing)

IF YOU LIKE 🇨🇳 CHUMEX (China x Mexico) 🇲🇽

- You don´t like neither USAMex or RusMex. 

- Or maybe you like the Rusia x México x China love triangle. You can add USA, and now you have some kind of love square.

- You have seen the Chumel Torres on HBO videos, specially those that are titled: “Mexicanos al Grito de Trump” and “Latinos Enemigos”.

- You like the apps Wish and Tik Tok.

- Unlike those who ship FraMex, you prefer to save money by buying good, pretty and cheap things. You have bought in Miniso and in other Chinese low-cost variety stores.

- You like couples with a lot of age difference (If you are an Hetalia fan, you know what I mean). In other words: 🎵A mí me gustan mayores, de esos que se llaman señores … 🎵

- You prefer Huawei rather than Iphone.

IF YOU LIKE 🇰🇷 South Korea x Mexico 🇲🇽

- It is more likely that you came from Hetalia than Countryhumans, and you think Korea needs more recognition alongside China and Japan, even more when this character was censored from the anime.

- If you´re mexican, your ship started when: “Hermano coreano, ya eres mexicano”. (Korean bro, you are already mexican)

- You like K-Pop.

- You have seen videos of El Coreano and Coreano Vlogs on Youtube.

IF YOU LIKE 🇧🇷 BRAMEX (Brazil x Mexico) 🇲🇽, 🇦🇷 ARGMEX (Argentina x Mexico) 🇲🇽, 🇨🇱 CHIMEX (Chile x Mexico) 🇲🇽, 🇵🇪 MEXRU (Mexico x Peru) 🇲🇽, or ANY OTHER LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRY X MEXICO.

- IN GENERAL:

    - If you are from Hetalia, obviously you are from the Latin Hetalia fandom. If you are from Countryhumans, obviously you are mexican and/or latino.

    - Your favorite characters are without doubt the latinos, and you prefer that all stays in family. In fact, you don´t like to ship Mexico with first world countries, or you use these last ones to create love triangles, love squares, or any other love geometric figure. 

    - You like Mexico being the dom of the relationship.

- BRAMEX: If you are from Countryhumans, you are most likely to be a fan of @torakashu. You don´t like Argentina x Brazil, or maybe you like the Argentina x Brasil x México love triangle. You also ship Argentina with Chile.

- ARGMEX: You don´t like Argentina x Brazil, or maybe you like the Argentina x Brasil x México love triangle. You also ship Brazil with Uruguay.

- CHIMEX: You live with roomies. You love tsundere characters like those who ship UKMex, but maybe not too tsunderes. And people who don´t like your ship, you smack´em with your guitar! ( 😁)

- MEXRU: If the people who ship RusMex like lil adorable Mexico, you think that Peru (who is even more short sized) is the most mega super 1000% kawaii thing in the universe. Probably you also like the Rusia x Peru x USA x Mexico love square.

IF YOU LIKE 🇺🇦 UKRAMEX (Ukraine x Mexico) 🇲🇽 or 🇧🇾 BELMEX (Belarus x Mexico) 🇲🇽

- Your favorite historical event: the Cold War.

- You think that RusMex is very overrated, and similar to the CanMex case, you think Russia siblings are better suitors.

- You don´t care to ship countries which do not share a lot of history and interactions compared to others.

- If you are from Hetalia you are a Belarus fan,and you ignore or hate her canon personality in the manga and the anime. 

IF YOU LIKE 🇳🇱 NEDMEX (Netherlands x Mexico) 🇲🇽

- You are from the Hetalia fandom, without doubt. 

- Favorite Mexico Historical Period: The New Spain Colonial era.

- You like mysterious guys and with aura of "bad boy" but romantic on the inside.

- Eh… you like tulipans???

IF YOU LIKE 🇵🇭Phillippines x Mexico 🇲🇽

- Favorite Mexico Historical Period: The New Spain Colonial era.

- More probably you are from Hetalia than Countryhumans. 

- You like dom Mexico.

- Is probably that you ship, both Phillippines and Mexico, with other countries, since this two have their own harems.

IF YOU LIKE PRUMEX (Prussia x Mexico) 🇲🇽,  🇵🇹 Portugal x Mexico 🇲🇽,  Scotland x Mexico 🇲🇽

- You are an Hetalia fan.

- PRUMEX: You don´t like GerMex.

- PORTUGAL X MEXICO: You don´t like SpaMex.

- SCOTLAND X MEXICO: You don´t like neither UKMex or USAMex.

- IN GENERAL: You don´t like popular Mexico ships, and you prefer to ship Mexico with the siblings of the popular countries. 

IF YOU LIKE 🇲🇽Mexico x Any other country which is not on this post 🌎

You like random ships, you are unique and different, or you simply are a mexican who has visited or likes certain country. 

IF YOU LIKE 🇲🇽 Mexico x Mexico 🇲🇽

- You are a 100% patriot mexican.

- You like the North, South, and even Central, Mexico OC´s. 

IF YOU LIKE 🌎THE MEXICO HAREM (Everyone x Mexico) 🇲🇽

- You are mexican without doubt.

- You like submissive Mexico, or you like the flirty Mexico OC´s. 

- You think Mexico is the best country in the world and everybody should know it. 

- You get excited everytime a foreigner speaks well about your country. You often read the news about Mexico and it´s negotiations and agreements with the other countries.

- You have thoroughly investigated the history of Mexico and its relations with other countries. You've watched the YouTube channels of MainWatchers, Yolo Camotes and The Nopal Times Tops

- You are studying or you are interested on the next careers: International relations, History and Languages. 

- If you´re a fan of Hetalia, you like all the male characters and you fantasize about them. 

————

We finish! If you like it and you had fun with it, I invite you to reblog it with this emoji: 💟. We also invite you to reblog it so you can share it with more fans :) 

I still have a lot of work and it seems it will get more hard, but I´ll do my best to keep active. Without anything more to say, see you all on the next post. 

[timomajere]

Just a rant

I’m sorry if you see this. No one is following me so I’m just gonna get this crap off my chest so i don’t keep it inside and it erupts unexpectedly. I can't be the only one to realize that online conversations aren't always a quick relay session and that sometimes, people have things to do like work, family, kids, OTHER things to do.So why some folks go all ape shit because they were not answered IMMEDIATELY when they wanted to is simply a symptom of the overall issue we have today. Everyone thinks they're special,but if that is true then. NO one is special at all! Seeing a lot of people of all age groups, walks of life and gender choices who believe that all they have to do is humiliate or have someone pity them so they will get whatever they want and when that doesn't work, severe hostility enters the picture. When did foolish self-indulgence become a societal issue and simply stay a social CLASS issue dependant on money? Broke ass people thinking a few followers on Instagram somehow merit them to have someone work for free and give them stuff.seeing twitter pictures of people pissed off because their loved one gave them something OTHER than the exact thing they wanted and in some cases, they even get vengeful or spiteful and sell or destroy the item THINKING the other simply just has to get them the one they wanted now. I'm actually very happy I was born in 1972 now. I got to enjoy being a child in the 70's, a teenager in the 80's and an adult in the 90's.As far as I'm concerned, those were the best years humanity ever had.. and I was blessed to have existed for them. Saddens me to see so much negativity and hate out there now because people profit off it.Sensationalizing stupidity seems to be the order of the day.Even the news pretty much stopped reporting the good things that happen in the world and instead waste their 90 minutes showcasing the worst the world has to offer instead of the best we can. I believe I can nail down exactly WHEN this ALL started... 1983. I clearly remember in school we used to do these Terry Fox Runs. It was Elementary. Grades Primary through to 6. We would have Intramurals.. as it was called   but essentially impromptu Olympics. We would receive medals too.. well Patches we’d sew onto our clothing. However.. one year, they started giving out.. Participation awards.. for those who .. for other reasons, were incapable of doing the Olympics. Handicapped, Mentally Challenge.. amputees.. and in some cases... just being fat. Yes.. this is where i think it all started. When kids started receiving awards simply for being under-achievers that planted the seeds where these kids now realize, they can get stuff they want, simply by having others pity them. So all they have to do is just act pitiful and whiny and.. someones gonna shut them up by caving in!. It took what was supposed to be a marvelous idea of inclusion for those who otherwise would be left out of all the fun and merriment and instead some people exploited it for personal gain. Scroll ahead 10 years. 1993 Those kids who learned to use pity and whining now have kids of their own and they will grow up seeing their parents actions and do the same thing and THEY believe it is simply the way it is to be out here. 911 still hasn’t happened yet.. .. oh wait.. now it did. enter 2001. 911 destroyed the innocence of the entire world it seems when a few passenger planes flew into a few buildings and Political locations. All because the NSA and CIA were too busy having dick measuring contests over who’d get to seize and arrest the terrorists who.. during that measuring contest, entered the USA from canada (Canada alerted them almost a year beforehand when they had immigrated to Canada but there was still a lot of dick stroking going on so... that information blew away like dust in the wind. Now.. everyone sees others with hostility.. as if your neighbor is no longer a friend but an enemy just at the gates. We’ve become paranoid, delusional and reactionary. There is a misogynistic Businessman in the seat of the President of the United States. Was known to be a bad person LONG beforehand.. yet he’s President. Now America is crying out about how terrible it is.. yet they don’t accept the fact they put him there themselves. They took it all as a joke.. They even Nominated a fake person called Deez Nutz into the senate circle.. and they almost won. The United States Trolled itself. Now they’re butthurt over it. Canada didn’t do much better with Justin Trudeau.. seems like that person has NEVER had anything but affluence his entire life, yet tried to tell us how he struggled. He never did. His DAD struggled so HE could give his family a better life! Our own Prime Minister is more involved in Dressing up for political gatherings and taking selfies as he crashes Kids proms. The worlds broken. Moreso now than it ever has. Politicians using our own rules against us when they were made to Protect us signifies that we need to change dramatically if we ever to escape this Big brother Dystopia where we can’t smoke a cigarette in our back yards, but we can burn as many steaks and hamburgers to cinders as we like! Again, I’m sorry if anyone's reading this.. I’ll expect some hate for what i believe to be the truth about our existence as it is right this very minute. I needed something to sound off to and twitter and Facebook are just bastions of trolls and haters. At least here, only people LOOKING for this sort of stuff will find it.

[leoninapelliolovesconchitawurst]

ENGLISH TRANSLATION (by me)

ZEITUNG ONLINE 11/11/19

Interview: Rabea Weihser

https://www.zeit.de/kultur/musik/2019-11/conchita-wurst-tom-neuwirth-queen-of-drags-heidi-klum

Conchita Wurst : "For me as a man, this is very difficult to discuss"

Is drag cultural appropriation? Tom Neuwirth alias Conchita Wurst sits on the jury of the new Heidi Klum show "Queen of Drags" and must hear many allegations.

Tom Neuwirth just turned 31 years old. At 17, he reached the second place in the Austrian talent show "Starmania" and was a member of the boy band Jetzt Anders for a short time ! In 2012 he took part in the Austrian preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) for the first time in the guise of his art figure Conchita Wurst. The protest was big: Should a woman with a beard represent the country? Two years later he tried again and won the biggest singing competition in the world for Austria. Now Neuwirth has gotten rid of the long hair and released his third album "Truth over Magnitude". As of November 14, he will appear on the screen of the casting show "Queen of Drags" alongside Heidi Klum and Bill Kaulitz on ProSieben. Since the announcement, there has been strong criticism of this broadcast format - especially from the queer community. How does Neuwirth handle it? We meet him in October in a hotel in Berlin, he sits down and hums a happy fanfare.

ZEIT ONLINE: Mr. Neuwirth, you have short hair and now appear as Wurst, without Conchita. From the press release for your new album, we take that is now your "masculine-edged" contrast program. Does it always need an art figure that embodies a certain facet, or at some point you can sometimes say, "My name is Tom Neuwirth and that's all"?

Tom Neuwirth: I have the feeling that I am now as close to my private person as never before. Maybe last was when I was 17 and at Starmania. I constantly get the question: Is it him or her now? I then always entice myself to open a drawer to explain to people what is actually going on. In the end, it's just me, and sometimes with a wig, sometimes without, sometimes masculine, sometimes feminine.

ZEIT ONLINE: Without this glamorous costuming you are probably much more approachable, even for the fans.

Neuwirth: Of course, I notice that without the wig the situations in which people recognize me become more and more frequent. And I'm not sure how funny that is. Barbara Schöneberger once said that she would not be recognized on the street if she did not wear make-up. I'm trying that too. (laughs out loud)

TIME ONLINE: Not really, right?

Neuwirth: Of course it's a double-edged sword. I have understood in recent years: The lightness and the world in my head are not always compliant with a First Lady Conchita in a pencil skirt and well-shorn hair. What I'm doing now is part of my personality that I have not lived up to now in a female appearance. I've always danced to electro music privately and thought to myself: Why do not I make music that I like?

ZEIT ONLINE: Does Truth over Magnitude mean a musical cut or is it more in your production?

Neuwirth: I had created a President's wife and worked and lived according to this protocol. I lost myself after the song contest. Musically, of course, it's a different sound, although on my first studio album, I already had numbers that were relatively electronic. But they did not get that much attention. And so, yes: it was probably the larger cut optically. It was the bald spot. It freed me.

ZEIT ONLINE: With this bald head you were in February at the side of the Austrian Minister of Justice Josef Moser (ÖVP) at the Vienna Opera Ball. When you won the ESC as a bearded lady five years ago, especially conservative politicians made a derogatory remark. Heinz-Christian Strache, Vladimir Putin, Jarosław Kaczyński ...

Neuwirth: Everyone was there. Thanks for the attention. (Laughs)

ZEIT ONLINE: How do you assess the situation of trans people and homosexuals in Europe today? Could you do something with your presence?

Neuwirth: I think that something has changed in the media mainstream. Even when I talk to teenagers, I notice a sensibility that I did not know before - that's when I'm being reprimanded when I say something wrong. And that, I think, is a beautiful development. But I tend to forget that I live in a bubble too.

ZEIT ONLINE: We have to talk about the great mustard yellow lacquer stilettos you are wearing right now.

Neuwirth: You can tell that I'm from Los Angeles. I looked at myself today and thought: Ah, there is a bit left over!

ZEIT ONLINE: You were in California to shoot with Heidi Klum and Bill Kaulitz the new ProSieben show Queen of Drags. This is a format inspired by Ru Paul's Drag Race, a talent show for drag queens that is very successful in the USA.

Neuwirth: Let's say what it's like: Ru Paul's Drag Race has shown a growing generation that individualism is great. This has been consumed in my community for ten years. And that has also made us a bit stronger. But when I see a couple of two women or two men in Vienna, I think it's nice, but I still notice how special that is. And I believe, as long as that is still the case, we can not say that there is equality.

ZEIT ONLINE: The German audience knows Dragqueens rather in the form of Olivia Jones, Lilo Wanders or Mary from the jam advertising. They called them Tunten and always liked to bring them as birds of paradise in front of the camera, if it should be colorful or even slippery. So, if you've only seen this before, you may be wondering, what is Drag?

Neuwirth: We all make drag. We go out in the morning with our worklook, our working face, and that is already a form of metamorphosis. In this culture of stage performance, drag is a total work of art by a person who must have an incredible number of talents. In the most understandable sense, it is the illusion of a female figure.

ZEIT ONLINE: ... portrayed by someone born in the body of a man?

Neuwirth: Not mandatory. There are also women who make drag. There are also heterosexuals who make drag. There are no limits, and that's great. At Queen of Drags, we have guys who portray their version of a female illusion. This is sometimes very close to reality, with beard, others have rather created an alienesque being. I said to all my friends, they have to try dragging once.

ZEIT ONLINE: Why is that important?

Neuwirth: This mask you put on makes you uncompromisingly yourself.

ZEIT ONLINE: If you put them back then ...

Neuwirth: No. Quite simply said: You disguise yourself and this shield is a bit unrestrained. You have other conversations, you are safer in your skin. One alienates and then comes to himself. The next day, when the make-up is down, you may not be as sassy as last night. But you have learned something emotionally, and you take that with you. To see how far your own character is, how much fun you can have with you: this is one of the most beautiful experiences you can do.

ZEIT ONLINE: Cologne Carnivalists would probably say so synonymous. Is it important for this borderline experience to change into the opposite sex?

Neuwirth: No. But the illusion of the opposite sex is a bit stronger than, for example, a toadstool costume. Because, in this case, you get in touch with your female side, which is what many boys do not do, gay or heterosexual.

ZEIT ONLINE: Drag is really a pretty committed subculture. Were you traveling in this scene before you thought up Conchita Wurst?

Neuwirth: I think I was in Drag for the first time when I was 15. I went out and never felt better and more comfortable. The Drag scene in Austria is not really big, but I was looking for my stages somehow. I moderated or sang shows, danced wherever I was allowed to. When I took part in the preliminary round of the Song Contest for the first time in 2012, suddenly there were so many opportunities for me. And I was allowed to travel. Here in Berlin, I met and understood Barbie Breakout, Melli Magic and Gloria Viagra: Ah, that's the sisterhood that everyone is talking about. I love this drag community so much because we can all be a little bit more than we want. With all our emotions and sensitivities and our ego sense of being. But when the going gets tough, we stand up for each other.

ZEIT ONLINE: Every year at carnival time is discussed whether in view of the colonial history, children are still allowed to disguise as Native Americans. Miley Cyrus was scolded in 2013 because she was twerking, and actually only black women with round butts do. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in for trouble because he went to the carnival 20 years ago with a dark face as Aladdin. If one wishes to continue this thought, one could also call drag a kind of cultural appropriation: men, who are generally in a stronger social position than women, play womanhood for entertainment. How do you see that?

Neuwirth: That's very interesting. And in certain parts that's probably true. I also found myself in situations when I worked with colleagues and the press afterwards wrote: I was great and she was vulgar. Then I realized: Oh, I'm still a white man. This imbalance prevails and it is absolutely right to think about it. It is true in part, it is an appropriation. But I think skin color is not a costume.

ZEIT ONLINE: What fascinates you about this appropriation of femininity?

Neuwirth: I was raised by strong women, I love women. The first almost 20 years of my life I listened almost exclusively to female singers, everything else I found boring. Empress Elisabeth or Maria Theresia were also such inspiring personalities, and that cultures inspire me is just as legitimate. But it is incredibly sensitive and difficult to handle properly.

ZEIT ONLINE: A flow of feminism criticized the Drag especially the representation of exaggerated female characteristics, while fighting for equal rights and reduce gender stereotypes. In modern societies, men become slightly more feminine and women more masculine. Why does the drag scene love the conservative female look?

Neuwirth: I breathe individualism. And I would find it terrible if suddenly we were all unified. I'm not concerned about gender roles. My point is that everyone recognizes his own color and paints himself with it. But why should not an overly feminine woman like Pamela Anderson be a feminist?

TIME ONLINE: This feminist current would now answer: she can not be a feminist because her looks are based on the satisfaction of the male sex drive. If she keeps dressing like that, she betrays women fighting toxic manhood.

Neuwirth: But why ... For me as a man, this is very difficult to discuss because I will never understand it authentically.

ZEIT ONLINE: This is the core of the discussion about cultural appropriation. The social or psychological pressure on marginalized people can not be understood from the outside. Do you have the right to disguise yourself as her?

Neuwirth: How could one find an answer to that? I put on clothes, because I find it stunningly beautiful. And not because I think about stepping on someone's neck ...

ZEIT ONLINE: ... or, if you agree with the image of those who may find it beautiful?

Neuwirth: Yes! I'm sorry, in my world it's all about me. I have only one life and I would like to have it as nice as it gets.

ZEIT ONLINE: The criticism of your participation in Queen of Drags must have met you. Especially drag queens have publicly lamented the sell-out of their subculture. Is not it also a kind of cultural appropriation by Heidi Klum, who is not a drag queen, to profitably use this subculture as an entertainment program?

Neuwirth: Maybe. I take this opportunity to bring the drag theme into mainstream and find that Heidi, even if she is not from that scene, has an absolute right to judge a performance. She comes from entertainment and is probably one of the most famous German-speaking people. Would this format have been achieved without her? Maybe not now, or maybe never. Or maybe on a slot, where nobody would have been interested. She is of course a multiplier and a very sensitive one. The criticism was incredibly loud, and I was a little bit confused, because our community always strives to be inclusive, inclusive and without prejudice towards people.

ZEIT ONLINE: I read a quote from the drag queen Dita Whip regarding the jury constellation: "Finally Conchita Wurst will sit next to the extrovert over the top Heidi and watch, powerless how Klum and ProSieben clog their pockets at the expense of queer culture."

Neuwirth: (laughs softly) I would not let that "powerless" stand. (laughs louder) I talked to my friends because I too needed to be sensitized, especially with regard to this cultural appropriation. I am relatively naive and draw my inspiration from everything I see and experience. I was told that financial enrichment was the main problem. And I can understand that for a while. I hope, but also that our Queens have careers according to this format and can do what they like most every day. I focus on that. Not that this statement is now total nonsense, but I think the truth is in the middle.

ZEIT ONLINE: Can I accuse you of opportunism?

Neuwirth: opportunism? I need a translator now, please.

ZEIT ONLINE: Once you said in an analogous sense: Maybe my career will last another 20 years, I just take everything with me. Let ProSieben pull you out of the car to bring credibility to the show?

Neuwirth: Oh, opportunism!

ZEIT ONLINE: There is money, attention, airtime. Is it justified to offend parts of the sisterhood? Or say, "Yo, run with me, that's the business"?

Neuwirth: I have received many such inquiries in the last few years. It took us until we got to the point of being able to realize this show. And I'm probably not an opportunist. I'm just fired up if anything interests me. I am a drag race fan and I come back from L.A. with a full heart. Of course it's a huge show and I love to be in the limelight, I love being in the spotlight. At the same time, I consider myself selective and do not do everything. I hoped that this project would be more personal to me than just a TV show. And that's what it actually has become. It was so much fun that I just hope it translates to the audience. It was just awesome.

[political-fluffle]

SPOILER: Devin Nunes is not on this list. Maybe he is not feeling well?

Rachel Maddow's Wednesday night show alerted us to a little vote that happened in the House this week that most didn't notice, what with Trump crying himself to sleep on Air Force One after Justin Trudeau made fun of him, and oh yeah, impeachment.

The House voted this week on H.R. 546 -- just a simple resolution, really. It was introduced by Democratic Rep. Albio Sires of New Jersey and says NO, Donald Trump, you cannot try to sneak your boyfriend Vladimir Putin back into the Group of Seven (G7), not even as a guest and definitely not as a member, no matter how much he begs and/or promises you more sweet election interference in 2020. (As Yahoo! News notes, Russia decided to quit the group for good in 2017, because of how they definitely don't want to be invited to your party, you fuckin' betcha no they never. Yahoo! News also reports that French President Emmanuel Macron actually agreed with Trump at the NATO summit that they should invite Russia to the G7 next year as a guest. Emmanuel, WHAT R U DOIN?)

It passed, of course. But 71 (71!) House Republicans voted against it. (...)

Here at Wonkette, we believe in naming and shaming, so here is a list of the 71 Republicans who voted against the resolution. (All the Dems present voted for it. Tulsi Gabbard did not show up.) One name you'll note that's not on the list? Devin Nunes! Even a stopped cow is right once a day, as the old expression goes! Also missing is Louie Gohmert. For real!

Jim Jordan is definitely on the list, though. Is your Republican congressman? If so, you need to call their office and yell at them even more than you usually do. (...)

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy joked last night on Maddow that maybe they just want some of that sweet sexxxy Russian election interference for themselves. Or maybe they're just selling out America, because that's the Republican thing to do these days.

In the article: a list of all the Putin Boyz and Galz in the House! Minus Tulsi and Nunes.

[alamiasuperman]

reaction to “to all the boys I've loved before”

Gen is such a bitch

Chris is such a queen omfg “I’ll be looking at pictures of justin Trudeau shirtless” GIRL THATS A BIG MOOD

Lara Jean’s outfits are so cute what the fuck like I would totally be her friend in hs 

I feel so bad for josh :(( he doesn’t deserve that heartbreak omg my precious baby

JOSH SANDERSON DESERVES BETTER IM SORRY

Okay margot and josh have been dating for two years and he’s a junior in hs and she’s a freshman in college?? So they started dating when she was a junior in hs and he was a freshman?? DAMN

Okay that kiss on the lacrosse field HOLY SHIT I HAD TO WATCH THAT SCENE OVER AND OVER

This is the stereotypical thing where people pretend to date just to make other people jealous but actually end up falling in love im

PUTTING HIS HAND IN HER BACK POCKET DAMN GIRL GETTING REAL STRAIGHTFORWARD 

Omfg they’re gonna watch sixteen candles and fight club together how cute

THEY’RE EACH OTHER’S PHONE BACKGROUNDS I AM SCREAMING

Okay that thing where he had his hand in her butt pocket and then spun her around THAT SHIT WAS SO CUTE WHAT THE FUCK 

HE COMPLIMENTED HER STYLE AND TOLD HER HER BOOTS ARE HOT AKSHFLK I AM DECEASED 

HE POSTED ABOUT HER ON INSTAGRAM SDKHFAKLBHASF

You can tell how much it hurt him when she said they were just pretending oh fuck

Omfg and all of peter’s interactions with kitty are so wholesome mY HEART

Omfg okay poor josh doesn’t deserve to be ghosted like that by both Margot and Lara jean… damn 

And now Lara jean’s just using josh to rant about her issues with Peter ASFKAHG I actually feel so bad for this boy

Omfg all of these awkward conversations with Lara’s dad I’m SCREAMING LOL THIS MAN IS A GYNECOLOGIST WTF

“Like you’re a sexy little Rubik’s cube… he can’t figure you out but he’s having fun trying” oh my god I love Lucas 

HE WANTED TO SIT NEXT TO HER

HE EVEN PACKED THE FUCKING SNACKS

THIS MAN IS IN LOVE OH MY GASDHFA

THE WAY HE MADE HER STRADDLE HIM IN THE HOT TUB WHAT THE FUUUCK

Omfg Lara jean’s phone background of them cuddling THAT IS THE CUTEST SHIT I HAVE EVER SEEN

Omg he stood up for her in front of the entire school :’)) 

I love how she was like “this is a fight I have to handle myself” YES QUEEN screw the stereotype of the guy saving the girl 

Aw josh came over for her MY HEART

Omg Peter and lara jean made each other better people I’m so :’)) 

Like Peter wanted to write love notes every day because he didn’t when he was with gen, and Lara finally learned how to stop living in a fantasy world and open herself up to real love AH

THEIR DORKY SMILES AT THE END IM SO

HES IN LOVE WITH HER AHHHH 

[shae-ster93]

“Yes, my Queen”

T’Challa x Black Reader

Warnings: Smut, language

***Re-upload since it got deleted in #TumblrPurge2k18

Plot: Your husband has kept you waiting and that just won’t do

Wow, that was amazing Y/N.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau exclaimed rubbing his full stomach.

“Well, you know what they say, fastest way to a mans heart and all that jazz.” You replied. You grinned at your husband and gently squeezed his thigh under the table. You felt T’Challa stiffen up under your grip. He shot you a look and you gave him a sly smile back.

You and T’Challa were hosting a dinner at the palace and the Prime Minister of Canada was a special guest. The dinner was to discuss the healthcare policies of the two nations and to possibly figure out a way to make them even better. Canada and Wakanda were in the Top 5 countries with the best healthcare systems and you and your husband were determined to keep it that way.

“Yes, my wife is very talented in the kitchen.” T’Challa explained while placing another forkful of cheesecake in his mouth.

“That’s not the only room I’m talented in.” You mumble under your breath.

“Ahem.” You looked over and saw your husband staring at you curiously. You didn’t think he’d heard you but you’re glad he did. You and T’Challa were throwing subtle hints at each other the entire night and the comments were getting more and more risqué as the dinner went on. It’s been almost a week since you got your back blown out and you wanted to make sure your husband knew you wanted the dick ASAP.

You finished your wine and dessert and watched as a servant removed the dishes from in front of you.

“Well gentlemen,” you began, “Its getting late. I think I’m going to retire to bed early. Apologies, Mr. Prime Minister but I have a busy day ahead of me tomorrow. I’m sorry I can’t stay later.”

“Oh no worries Y/N.” He replaced with a smile. He glanced down at his watch. “Oh wow, it is getting late. I’ll be finishing up here soon myself.”

You gave him a polite nod and stood up from the table. As you walked past T’Challa you placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to whisper in his ear.

“Bedroom. 15 minutes. Don’t keep me waiting.” You placed a small kiss on his earlobe and squeezed his shoulder. T’Challa immediately felt his dick stiffen underneath the dinner table. You continued to walk out of the dining hall but made sure to shoot your husband a seductive look and tapped the invisible watch on your wrist before disappearing out of the grand double doors. You had your mind made up. Your husband was going to break you off some of his chocolate TONIGHT.

****

“Where the hell is he at?” You thought to yourself. You glanced at the clock that hung on your spacious bedroom wall. 15 minutes was up 10 minutes ago.

“I could’ve sworn I told that nigga not to keep me waiting.” You whispered to yourself. You sat at the edge of your bed in a sexy lingerie two piece and were covered up by a silk bathrobe.

You were starting to get impatient. 6 days was way too long to go without sitting atop your favorite throne. You tapped a finger absentmindedly on your knee when suddenly an idea popped into your head. A deliciously nasty and filthy idea at that. A smile spread over your face. “Oh hell yeah.”

**** 10 minutes later

“Entle! I’m so sorry I’ve kept you waiting!”

You tilted your head and listened as you heard your husband offer his apologies from the hallway before swinging the bedroom doors open.

“The Prime Minister and I got caught up talking about-“ T’Challa paused his sentence when he didn’t see you in bed.

“Ahem.”

T’Challa turned to his left and saw you sitting at one of the desks in the large room. You were sitting cross legged and swirling a glass of red wine in your hand. The hem of the robe you were wearing was sitting dangerously high on your thigh. Something that didn’t go unnoticed by your lover.

“Baby I-“ T’Challa started to explain.

You raised a hand to stop him. “Take your clothes off and sit in the chair.” You demanded. T’Challa looked around the room and found a sole chair sitting at the foot of the bed that he hadn’t noticed.

“My love-“

“Clothes. Chair. Now.” You repeated with more force in your tone. T’Challa froze. He’d heard you make demands before but never to him personally. Who the hell gives demands to a King? He took notice of the serious look upon you face and remembered the request you’d made just seconds ago. T’Challa didn’t know where you were going with this....but he liked it.

He slowly removed the jacket he wore and tossed it to the ground. Next, came the shirt. He lifted the garment over his chest and above his head giving you an eyeful of his chiseled abs, large pecs, and broad shoulders. You felt a familiar churn in your lower midsection that signified your juices had begun to flow.

T’Challa slowly stepped out of his sandals while sliding down the zipper on his pants. He slid the them down his thighs, releasing the object of your affection: 10 inches of thick dick that fit inside you perfectly.

You watched as you husband walked over to the chair and promptly sat down.

“Y/N-“

“The only words I want to hear leave your mouth from here on out are ‘Yes, my Queen’. Do you understand?”

T’Challa froze again. Hearing you talk to him like he was anything other than the king was intriguing. His dick began to bob slightly as he thought about how you were speaking to him. He smirked to himself, “Yes, my Queen.” He silently urged you to continue.

“Fold your arms behind your back.”

T’Challa silently did as he was told and crossed his arms behind the back of the chair.

“Your hands do not move. Do you understand?”

“Yes, my Queen.”

You got up and slowly walked over to where he was sitting. You lightly dragged your fingernails across his shoulders and back making his dick bounce some more as you walked behind him and soon took a seat directly on the bed in front of him and looked directly into his eyes.

“So you kept your Queen waiting.” You stated.

“Yes, my Queen.” He stared back.

“Even after I asked you not to?”

“Yes, my Queen.”

You shook your head. “Tsk tsk. What kind of King refuses to keep his Queen happy? After all, the Queen is the most powerful chess piece.”

You leaned back on your palms. “I think my King needs to be taught a lesson on punctuality. Don’t you think?” You lightly swirled a finger around your knee and up your thigh.

“Yes, my Queen.” T’Challa felt his throat tighten.

“I agree.” You leaned forward and dragged your fingernails across his chest. Shoulder to shoulder and down to his belly button. He inhaled sharply. The light scratches from your nails drove wild. You watched as his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

“Does that feel good, my love?” You asked innocently.

“Yes, my Queen.”

You continued you exploration of His Majesty’s body and ran your nails along the insides of his outspread thighs. You noticed your mans dick bounced faster the closer you got to touching it. Hmmm you thought. You encircled your nails around the base of his dick and lightly dragged them up the base to the head.

“Oohhh.” T’Challa groaned. His dick bounced at a feverish pace. It yearned to be touched, gripped, held.

That’s right baby,” You whispered, not to T’Challa, but to his third leg. “Dance for Mommy.” You watched your husbands face as it twisted and contorted at the sensation of your nails against his skin.

You bit your bottom lip. “It’s a shame baby. I had a lot of fun planned for us tonight.” You continued the assault on his skin.

“Hell,” You continued “I still have a lot of fun planned. But, since you can’t be on time...you won’t be participating.” T’Challa’s eyes snapped open and stared at you questioningly.

“That’s right my love. You get to watch... and ONLY watch.” You watched as T’Challa realized his hands were still behind his back and therefore wasn’t allowed to touch you. You knew one of T’Challa’s favorite activities during sex was to run his hands along the curves of your body. Down your spine, over your hips, across your breasts. He loved exploring your body and now that you’ve taken it away from him, you get to watch him squirm.

You slowly untied the silk belt that was holding your robe closed. You pulled it off your shoulders and smiled as T’Challa took in the beauty before him. The lace bra accentuated your breasts perfectly making them look deliciously full while the accompanying thong just barely covered up your sweet stuff.

Next, you slid one bra strap down your arm and then moved on to the other strap, never taking your eyes off the man in front of you. You unhooked the clasps in the back and watched T’Challa thickly swallow as you pulled the undergarment away from your body. Your tits sprung free and lightly bounced as you threw the bra to the floor.

You took your bottom lip into your mouth and rolled your left nipple in between your thumb and index finger. T’Challa fought the urge to reach out and rub the other nipple. Even though he wasn’t physically restrained, he knew to keep his hands right where his Queen asked him.

You gave your nipple a pull and a light smack before giving your right nipple the same treatment.

T’Challa was fully erect now and you licked your lips as you imagined him fucking your throat.

You stood up and turned so your ass was mere inches away from T’Challa’s face. You slid your thumbs inside the hem of your thong and slowly slid it off your hips and down your legs making sure to bend over and give your lover an eye full as you removed the thong from your ankles.

You turned back and sat in your same spot at the foot of the bed. You traced your tongue across your top lip as you leaned back on your hands and ever so slowly, lifted your right leg and placed it on the bed extending it as far to the right as it would go. You repeated this motion with your left leg and soon you were in child birthing position with T’Challa at eye level with your dripping wet center.

“You like what you see?”

T’Challa gulped. “Yes, my Queen.” He answered not taking eyes off his second home. T’Challa licked his lips as he eyed the slick sheen of moisture coating your lower lips and thighs.

“Do you see how wet I am?” You asked voice dripping with seduction.

“Yes, my Queen.” He whispered.

“Do you want to touch me?”

“Yes, my Queen.” T’Challa’s eyes met yours and you could see the desperation on his face. He wanted to touch you. Badly. And yet you teased him.

Too bad.

You inserted your index and middle finger into your mouth to prepare them for their next destination. You withdrew your wet fingers from your mouth and began to rub your clit.

“Mmmm.” You moaned feeling the first waves of pleasure course through your body. You inhaled sharply as you began to pump the same two fingers in and out of yourself.

T’Challa knew you were close to orgasm as your breathing quickened. The pace at which your fingers slid in and out increased as you felt the first orgasm approach.

“Mmmm. Ohhh God” You drawled, your eyes rolling to the back of your head. Your hips bucked as you rode out your first orgasm of the night. T’Challa watched as you tried to catch your breath while simultaneously trying to control his own. Watching you finger-fuck yourself with a front row seat was a glorious sight. He didn’t know how long you were planning to keep this up but he hoped it wouldn’t be too much longer. He was ready to pounce. He needed to have you NOW.

You removed your fingers from your pussy and held them up to T’Challa’s face. You slowly pulled your fingers apart showcasing the wetness that coated your fingers. Juices stretching from finger to finger.

T’Challa stared at you and you stared back just as intently as you sucked the sweet nectar from your fingers. T’Challa loved when you tasted yourself.

“Mmm, sweet like honey. Just how Daddy likes it. Isn’t that right baby?”

“Yes, my Queen.” T’Challa spoke lowly. It seemed impossible but T’Challa Jr. grew even stiffer. He could probably cut glass with it if there was any available. You reached behind you and retrieved a box that was underneath the pillows. T’Challa eyes grew wide when you pulled a red rubber dildo from the box.

You didn’t think it was over did you?” You asked him. “Oh no, my love, you need to be punished some more.”

You gathered saliva in your mouth and used it to coat the apparatus for easier use. You laid back completely on the bed, legs still spread eagle, and gently slid the sex toy up and down your slick folds.

“Yesss,” you groaned. You picked your head up and watched T’Challa through the space between your legs. You could tell from the way he watched the dildo slide up and down your slit that he desperately wished it was his own member and not some rubber toy that got to experience the honey pooling between your legs. T’Challa’s eyes trailed up your body and when when his eyes met yours, you shot him a devilish grin. You slowly slid the rubber toy inside your opening and began to pump it in and out of yourself at a feverish pace.

Neither of you broke eye contact as you fucked yourself into a frenzy. You wanted him to watch you and you wanted to watch him, watch you.

Your brought yourself right to the brink of orgasm when suddenly you removed the toy with an audible *pop*

T’Challa flinched and writhed in his chair. His cock was fully at attention and he was certain there were nail marks in his wrists. His breathing was ragged and there were sweat beads forming at his brow. Damn it Y/N he thought. Your ass is mine when I get out of this chair.

“The next time your Queen says ‘15 minutes’ that means 15 minutes right?” You questioned.

T’Challa just stared at you. Rage, lust. passion, desperation flashing across his face like a billboard. 

You reached in the box again and this time pulled out a massage wand. You clicked the switch and the hum of vibrations filled the room.

“Right?!” You asked again.

“Yes, my Queen.” He spoke through gritted teeth. His tone definitely meant you were in for it once he got ahold of you. You shrugged internally. You didn’t care. Serves him right you thought. Let this be a lesson learned. You placed the vibrating head gently on your clit while pumping the rubber dildo in and out of your throat. You imagined all the filthy ways T’Challa would get his revenge and it turned you on even more.

Your husband sat between your legs and watched the show taking place two feet in front of him. Ripples and shudders began to flow through his body as he watched you deep throat a dildo covered in juices while holding a vibrator to your pearl.

“Oh! Oh G-“ You whimpered. A familiar churning in your belly made you bite down hard on your lip. T’Challa silently clawed at his hands trapped behind his back as he saw your legs begin to shake the way they do before a big orgasm. He closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing.

“Oh God,” You whined. T’Challa’s eyes shot open. The noises and purrs you made in the throes pleasure were music to his ears. “Oh shit, oh shit!” you panted. Your legs were shaking furiously and you casually tossed the spit and juice covered dildo to the floor not knowing or caring where it went.

“Ohhh..” you moaned. Here it comes you thought. You inhaled sharply through your teeth. “OHHH SHIT! Yes! Yes! Fuck!” You screamed. Your hips bucked and your entire lower half shot off the bed. T’Challa fought with everything in him not to spring out of the chair you had him confined to and thrust into you. Your orgasms belonged to him and him only and that one had his name ALL over it. If his dick could cut glass before, it was definitely capable of cutting diamonds now. Baby boy was STIFF.

You groaned softly and flicked the vibrator switch to the OFF position.

“Whew.” You panted. “My goodness.” You tossed the vibrator onto the bed and sat upright. “Wasn’t that fun?” You asked the Wakandan King.

You looked down between your legs and gasped at the mess you made. “Oh wow.” You looked up at your husband through your eyelashes. “Here.” You scooted even further to the edge of the bed. “Clean your plate.”

T’Challa growled lowly. “Yes, my Queen.” He stared up at you as he leaned forward in the chair and nestled his face right on your nani. His wide and thick tongue did laps from your clit, to your center, and back again. He gently swirled his tongue in and out of you making sure to get every drop of your sugar. “Mm. Right there baby.” You whispered grabbing a handful of his coils and gently grinding your hips against his face trying to get his tongue as deep as possible.

T’Challa relocated his mouth from your pussy to your inner thighs lapping up any remnants of your endeavor and leaving light kisses and nibbles behind. The King of Wakanda removed his face from between your legs and licked his lips. You marveled at the glossiness that coated his cheeks and beard. Looking down you nodded your head. “Good job baby. All clean.”

He just stared at you. Face covered in pussy juice, hands reluctantly behind his back, and a 10 inch cock standing fully at attention. He watched you as you spoke. “Now do we see what happens when we keep the Queen waiting?”

“Yes, my Queen.”

“Good, I’m glad we understand each other. Are you ready for your turn?” You asked. T’Challa perked up in his chair and grinned. “Yes, my Queen.” Anticipation dripping from his words. You smiled and patted his cheek. “Welp, that’s too bad, I’m getting in the shower.”

You chuckled to yourself when you saw T’Challa’s face go from elated to disappointed in 0.02 seconds. You stood up and gathered the discarded dildo and lingerie off the floor. You glanced at T’Challa still sitting in the chair with his jaw sitting in his lap. You patted his head as you swayed past him on your way to the bathroom putting extra oompf in your step since he was no doubt watching you from behind.

Oh,” you called out over your shoulder to him “You’re free to get up and go, or do whatever now.”

The sound of the chair hitting the floor made you turn around and within three strides T’Challa was hovering above you. He wrapped an arm around your waist and lifted you up to straddle your legs around him.

“Oh, you’d better believe I’m going to do ‘whatever’.” He groaned menacingly. And with that T’Challa ran to the bathroom with you in his arms and slammed the door loudly behind you.

******

Tags: @captiansaveasmut @kumkaniudaku @royallyprincesslilly @ororowrites @brianabreeze @bosemanforever @dreamingoftchalla @eerythingisshaka @elixirtchalla @sisterwifeudaku @dramaqueenamby @afro-royalty @sarahboseman

[sage-selfships]

Sage H. D. - Bully Self-Insert

This is my Self-Insert for Bully/Canis Canem Edit! I made the art myself and would appreciate if you didn’t use it! The Template was created by Silkvale and found here! I will post updated versions to @kitty-selfshipping so uhm yeah, follow that blog to read it when it’s totally finished or edited.

If you are interested in reading the current info about my Bully Self-Insert, please read under the cut!

Biographical Information Full Name [& Pronunciation] - Sage Holland Drage ( S AI J ) ( H AW - l uh n d ) ( d r ai j ) Meaning - Herb or Prophet, Ridgeland, Dragon Set Age - 14-15 Certified Birthdate - 12 January 1992 (not my real birth year, but shh) Astrological Sign -  Capricorn Pronouns - They/them or He/Him Aliases & Preferred Nicknames – Dumbbell - Sage might not actually like the nickname, but Mandy WIles insist on calling Sage it whenever Mandy sees Sage, so Sage is  Dragon - As some people may not be able to pronounce Sage’s surname, Sage just call themselves Dragon to make it easier for everyone. Ms. Shy - Even though Sage prefers to go by he/him or they/them pronouns, people insist on calling them ms, and many people consider them shy because of how they seem terrified of new people Puppy - A nickname Sage got from Kirby Olsen, that they claim matches their general personality Ethnicities Distant Descendants : American, British,  Dominant Descendants : Norwegian, Swedish, Danish Physical Description Hair Color - Brown Eye Color - Blue Weight – Height - Typical Clothing Wear :  Maroon or pink vest, purple skirt, blue bow, purple bow, pink shoes - School   uniform  Red stained dress and blonde wig - Halloween costume, that is supposed to resemble Carrie White from the movie Carrie Faux fur coat, faux fur ushanka - Winter attire Figure/Build - Distinguishing Features/Scars/ or Birthmarks – A mole just over their lip Explain: Tattoos: Piercings: Frequently Worn Jewelry: Choker belt around their neck Personal Information Current Living Arrangements - Sage currently lives with three of their American relatives, but also they technically live at Bullworth, in the girl’s dorm Originated from - Vestfold, Norway Traveled Territories - Hobbies -   Fears – Spiders, snakes, insects, heights, scarecrows, most of the jocks Religion/Beliefs – Atheist Why?: Sage grew up in an atheist family, as simple as that. Health Behaviors Physical Ailments/ Disabilities/ Issues – Addiction(s) [Sex, Drugs, Smoking, Alcohol, Other]  Why?: Any regular medication taken? – Medication for their Iron Deficiency and for their Hives Chronological Information Profession - Student Likes - Dislikes - Goals/Ambitions – Most Instructive/Painful/Memorable Experience - Story behind experience: Weapons/Equipment - Sage mostly fights using their hands but can use a baseball if they need to Personal Attributes Personality - Strengths - Weaknesses - Good Habits - Bad Habits - Fetishes/Strange Behaviors - Stereotype - Shy kid with few friends As you know them better(and you like them) : As you know them better(and you hate them) :   Ratings on Personal Qualities (don't go overboard make reasonable stats for your character) Physical Strength : 4/10 Sage might not regularly train, but surprisingly Sage is stronger than they seem Attractive : 5/10 Sage doesn’t consider themselves the most beautiful and mostly blames it upon their parents and grandparents for how they look Honesty : 7/10 Sage hates lying in general, but still does lie if they need to. Rule Abiding : 3/10 Sage thinks certain rules are to be broken and others are to be broken. Sociability : 3/10 Sage is quite shy when it comes to meeting new people, but if they muster up enough confidence they can make new friends. Bullworth Academy Information Reason for enrolling: Sage has lacked disiplince and Sage’s parents had relatives that lived close Bullworth, so they decided on sending them to a Clique - Standing and Rank in Social Circle  - Room Number – 4 Roommate(s)-  Zoe Taylor & Beatrice Trudeau Favourite Subject(s) – English,  & Art Why?: Sage loves English because they’ve felt so motivated and  Least Favorite Subject(s) – Why?: Favourite Teacher – Mr. Galloway & Mrs. Philips Why?: Mr. Galloway - Sage takes a liking to Mr. Galloway, mostly because he encouraged and gave Sage a warm welcome to the school, during Sage’s first day at Bullworth Mrs. Philips - Sage got a few compliments Least Favorite Teacher –  Mr. Slawter Why?: Sage is quite afraid of Mr. Slawter, mostly because he yelled at Sage during their first class Knowledgeability Language(s) – Norwegian, English Schooling Level - Grade 8-9, Expertise – Chemistry - Math - English - Geography - Sage knows a few things, like where certain European countries are, but after that, nothing more Politics/Law - Economy - Cooking/Culinary - Shop - Botany/Biology - Mythology - high / Sage knows a lot about Norrøn Mythology and enjoys learning more and more about it Art - high / Sage highly enjoys Art and feels that they know a lot about the rules about realism and perspective Photography - Sage knows how to use a camera, and what settings look good or not, so they consider themselves at a 5/10 Reading Level - Overall Intelligence Level(s) - Interpersonal and Naturalistic. Relationships Statuses   (once you list characters here, delete them from the other list near the end of this information sheet, makes things less confusing) (Also, please describe the relationships of your character with other characters) Trusted Companions Closest Friend(s) –   Milliz - “I trust her with my life. Nothing more or less to say. And might I add that her and Earnest are really freakiNG ADOREABLE?” (Jeg beklager ikke for at du er satt på denne lista, Milliz) Friend(s) -   Kirby Olsen - Despite Kirby being a jock and Sage being afraid of most of the jocks, Kirby and Sage are pretty close and    

Hated Rivals Worst Enemies – Intolerable Students - Harmless Acquaintances Tolerated Students - Tolerated Townsfolk - Hot Encounters Hinted Attractions - Crush(es) - Lover(s) - Gary Smith, Jimmy Hopkins and Petey (Ey, don’t judge me please or make comments about this please, I just ship myself with all of them :( I will also make like another post or tweet where I just describe everything from lore to headcanons about this ) Ex(s) - None Extra Information Eating Habits Omnivore/Carnivore/Herbivore – Favorite Food(s): Favorite Drink(s): Disliked Food(s): Disliked Drink(s): Added Information Proclaimed Theme Song(s) - Either Dancing Queen by ABBA or Scent – Favourite Color: Favourite Season: Favourite Animal: Sage  Favourite Music Genre: Sage can’t really choose, but they are very fond of country and Pop Most Memorable Quote – Various Quotes Through Interaction :  “ Walking around – “I sure hope Mandy was joking when he called me a dumbbell...” “I don’t know jack dritt about math, how am I supposed to get a good grade?” “Gary mentioned something about rats, wondered what he was on about.” “I’m considering joining a clique... but which one?” “ “ “ “ When the fire alarm goes off – “Stuff like this always happens when you least expect it.” “Sure hope this isn’t a drill, I don’t want my slippers to get wet again without reason.” Greetings Good Terms: “Hiya!” “Hey there, best friend!” “How ya doing, sweetie?” “How are you doing, buddy?” “Hey, anyhting fun happen recently?” “Bro! What’s up?” “Heisann!” (Norwegian for ‘Hey there’) Bad Terms: “Please leave me alone” “I rather not talk.” “Ew.” “Get out of my face!” “Leave me alone!” “Continue being around me and I’ll beat you up! Or cry!” Saying goodbye – Good Terms: “Have a good day! “See you later!” “Hope you have a good night!” Bad Terms: “”See you in Hell, I uhm mean class.” “Leave already.” “I’m getting a headache, gotta go.” “Byyeee, see you never.” When Flirted With – Good Terms: “I uhm...” “Thank you....” “Well I uhm, thank you so much! I uhm haha, we should hang out or something!” “I feel flattered. I’ll uhh have to go over there until the blushing stops.” “Continue acting this sweet and you’re going to be getting ladies really quickly.” “ “You’re such a sweetheart!” “If I were of age, I would marry you right here on the spot, but I’m still too young.” Bad Terms: “I wouldn’t say I don’t like you, but I’m not that interested.” “Not to be rude, but no.” “That better not be trying to make me blush, because it didn’t work at all.” “ “

Watching a fight – “I know I shouldn’t watch this crap, but damn it feels so right, right now!” “ Attacking – “I’m sorry!” “I have no choice in this situation, so I apologize beforehand!” “I learnt this one from my friend!” While Fighting – “I really wish it didn’t have to end with one of us being hurt!” “Ouch! Thanks, I guess!”

Chasing someone – “You can run, but you can also hide!” “Come back here! please...!” Out of breath – “This always happens....” “Why do I have to have iron deficiency? When hidden from – “ Knocked out – “ Stinkbomb explodes – “I can’t see shit!” “I should be happy I can’t smell anything from before!” Opinions on students who reside at Bullworth Academy– (in alphabetical order) Bullies   Davis White: Ethan Robinson: Russell Northrop: Tom Gurney: Trent Northwick: Troy Miller: Wade Martin: Zoe Taylor: Greasers Hal Esposito: Johnny Vincent: Lefty Mancini: Lola Lombardi: Lucky De Luca: Norton Williams: Peanut Romano: Ricky Pucino: Vance Medici: Jocks Bo Jackson: Casey Harris: Damon West: Dan Wilson: Juri Karamazov: Luis Luna: Mandy Wiles: Ted Thompson: Nerds Algernon Papadopoulos: Beatrice Trudeau: Bucky Pasteur: Cornelius Johnson: Donald Anderson: Earnest Jones: Fatty Johnson: Melvin O'Connor: Thad Carlson: Non-Cliques Angie Ng: Christy Martin: Constantinos Brakus: Eunice Pound: Gloria Jackson: Gordon Wakefield: Ivan Alexander: Karen Johnson: Lance Jackson: Melody Adams: Pedro De La Hoya: Ray Hughes: Sheldon Thompson: Trevor Moore: Preppies Bif Taylor: Bryce Montrose: Chad Morris: Derby Harrington: Gord Vendome: Justin Vandervelde: Parker Ogilvie: Pinky Gauthier: Tad Spencer: Opinion on Adults who teach and patrol at Bullworth Academy – (in alphabetical order) Miss Danvers: Miss Peters: Mr. Galloway: Mr. Luntz: Mr. Matthews: Mr. Wiggins: Mrs. Carvin: Mrs. MacRae: Mrs Peabody: Ms. Phillips: Neil: Prefects – Edward Seymour II: Karl Branting: Max MacTavish: Seth Kolbe: Opinions on People in the cities of Bullworth – (in alphabetical order) Townies Clint(aka Henry): Sage doesn’t like saying it, but they’re quite afraid of him and  Duncan: Edgar Munsen: Gurney: Jerry: Leon: Omar Romero: Otto Tyler: Residents in the city of Bullworth – Bethany Jones: Denny: Dr. Bambillo: Krakauer: Mihailovich: Miss Abby: Mr. Brekindale: Mr. Buckingham: Mr. Castillo: Mr. Doolin: Mr. Huntingdon: Mr. Johnson: Mr. Martin: Mr. Ramirez: Mr. Salvatore: Mr. Smith: Mr. Sullivan: Ms. Rushinski Mrs. Lisburn: Osborne:

[shihtzuman]

GM set to start 4,000 white collar layoffs - CNN

Layoffs for about 4,000 salaried staff at General Motors are due to start Monday -- a previously announced move that comes just as President Donald Trump prepares to trumpet American manufacturing at next week's State of the Union address.

The layoffs are part of a 15% reduction in white collar jobs in North America that the automaker first announced back in November. At the same time, it announced plans to close four US plants as well as a fifth in Canada.

The job cuts and plant closings are part of ongoing cost reductions to free up $6 billion annually to invest in a new generation of autos, such as electric and self-driving vehicles. It is also making a push to develop a ride hailing service that will allow GM to make more money by selling rides to customers rather than vehicles.

But the move enraged Trump, who repeatedly lambasted GM CEO Mary Barra over the decision. In his rebuke of GM, Trump focused on the closures in Ohio, a state he won in the 2016 election. The company also announced plans to shutter facilities in Maryland and Michigan.

He said the company would face punishment for the closures, which included a plant in Lordstown, Ohio, that Trump personally promised to revive during the 2016 campaign.

The president said he was "very tough" on Barra in a phone call after the company announced the closures, and referred to the federal auto bailout money the company received in 2008.

"You know, the United States saved General Motors, and for her to take that company out of Ohio is not good," Trump said in November.

'We are the magic wand,' former GM worker of 40 years tells Trump

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He commiserated about the closures in a series of phone calls with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau. And he claimed GM would soon announce steps that could counteract the effect of the plant closures, though what those actions are remain unclear.

Trump is due to tout his economic successes on Tuesday during the annual State of the Union address to Congress. A senior administration official said Friday the speech's theme would be "Choosing greatness."

Overall, Trump is presiding over a strong American economy. Friday's job report beat expectations, showing more than 300,000 jobs were created last month. But trade tensions and global economic anxiety have led some companies to rethink their business plans and sparked concerns about the risk of a slowdown.

The GM plants, which include about 6,000 hourly jobs, have yet to close, GM is moving ahead with the salaried staff reductions, a GM spokesman confirmed Friday. The timing of the layoffs was first reported by the Detroit News.

The company had about 2,300 salaried staff accept voluntary buyout packages that were offered to 18,000 employees. In addition, there were 1,500 contract employees who were not retained by the company.

GM workers will have job options — but they may not be as good

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That leaves the remainder of the 8,000 planned job cuts to be accomplished with the involuntary layoffs.

GM (GM) is due to report financial results Wednesday and it is expected to report lower earnings.

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It's been nearly 200 years since white performers first painted their faces black in minstrel shows. It was racist and offensive then and still is today.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/01/business/gm-layoffs/index.html

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Mark Jaccard, professor at Simon Fraser University, has done energy-climate analysis for all of Canada's major political parties.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley accuse B.C. Premier John Horgan of sabotaging Canada's climate plan, making him responsible for our continued planet-threatening greenhouse-gas emissions. But what exactly is Mr. Horgan's climate crime? He is resisting the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, a GHG-increasing fossil-fuel project. George Orwell would have fun unpacking this black-is-white logic.

First, Orwell would note how three previous Canadian prime ministers made dishonest GHG promises. In 1988, Brian Mulroney made a promise for 2000. In 1997, Jean Chretien made a promise for 2010. And in 2007, Stephen Harper made a promise for 2020. But all three failed to immediately implement the regulations and carbon prices necessary to achieve their promises. Independent experts, myself included, noted a decade before each deadline that the promise would not be kept. In 2002, I co-wrote The Cost of Climate Policy, detailing why Mr. Chretien would fail his Kyoto commitment. But he knew this from his own staff.

Orwell would not need energy expertise to know that emission increases from major industries cannot occur if a prime minister is to keep his promise. Yet all three, and now Mr. Trudeau, have countenanced Alberta's oil sands expansion, the single biggest reason for missing targets. With oil output growing from one million barrels per day in 2005 to 2.5 million barrels in 2015, Alberta's contribution to Canada's emissions increased from 230 to 270 megatonnes of carbon dioxide. And Alberta's emissions will reach 290 megatonnes by 2030 if projects like Trans Mountain are completed. National studies by independent researchers (including my university-based group) consistently show that Mr. Trudeau's 2015 Paris promise of a 30-per-cent reduction by 2030 is unachievable with oil sands expansion. His staff know this, so he knows it, too.

Continue Reading.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

BOING BOING GIFT GUIDE 2017

Here's this year's complete Boing Boing Gift Guide: dozens of great ideas for stocking stuffers, brain-hammers, mind-expanders, terrible toys, badass books and more. Where available, we use Amazon Affiliate links to help keep the world's greatest neurozine online.

Gadgets + Gear

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Books + Music

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Home + Kitchen

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Toys + Games

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Naughty + Nice

Gadgets

CORY

Edu-Toys Night 'n Day Mechanical GlobeElenco's Night 'n Day Mechanical Globe uses a system of translucent, exposed gears to rotate an internally illuminated globe that displays the seasonally adjusted, real-time night/day terminator as it spins.[Read More]

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XENI

iPhone 8 PlusNow on its eighth numbered generation, the iPhone remains my entire creative studio and almost everything I need to do my work: it replaces my fancy camera, my audio gear and everything else I had to lug around. This thing really is everything. I go big on screen size and storage capacity, with that in mind: the Plus, and 128 GB.

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DAVID

Audio Technica AT-LP60Forget those vinyl-destroying, vintage-inspired all-in-one units. They're all crap. The Audio Technica AT-LP60 is a fantastic beginner (or revivalist) turntable for the price. Its built-in pre-amp means all you need to do is plug it any powered speakers with an audio input.You won't find a better turntable than this for under $100 unless you hit the second-hand market.

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MARK

Flitt Flying Pocket Selfie Camera Drone ($100)I honestly didn't expect that this tiny fold-up drone would perform as well as it does. It does a great job of hovering in place, and is easy to control with a smart phone. It's the first drone I can fly without crashing it into a wall or getting it stuck in a tree.

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ROB

Kano Computer KitBuild your own computer and learn to code art, music, apps, games and more with the Kano Computer Kit, an introduction to the bare metal you just won't get with crap-laden commercial machines. Hundreds of schools use them, and Includes everything you need, including the Pi that acts as its brain, case, speaker, wireless keyboard, RAM, and cables. And unlike most edumuacational computer gear, it looks absolutely cool as heck.

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JASON

An airbag for your motorcyclistDo you love your motorcyclist? This simple, tether activated airbag inflates less than .10 of a second after a rider becomes separated from their bike. Helping to secure the neck, and protect the torso and internal organs, the Helite Turtle, is a top choice for next-generation motorcycle safety.

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DAVID

Kindle E-reader loaded with free classicsFor $50, the entry-level Kindle E-reader is priced right, and comes in black or white! This model has a 6” display and the battery lasts for ages between charges. (If you want to get fancy, go for the Kindle Paperwhite with a built-in reading light so you don't bug bedmates.) Load it with free classic books from Project Gutenbergbefore gifting!

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MARK

Igloohome Deadbolt2 ($238)The Igloohome Deadbolt2 has a programmable keypad instead of a keyhole. It took me about 20 minutes to install on my door. You can send your friends or other people single-use PINs. The smartphone app can also be set so the door unlocks when you touch the keypad - no PIN needed.

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MARK

Mixcder Wireless & Wired Over Ear Headphones ($80)I bought these relatively inexpensive headphones for my daughter, who wanted wireless headphones for when she paints and sculpts. These are comfortable, have good sound quality, and pair easily with an iPhone.

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MARK

PacSafe Transit Travel Hoodie ($130)The thing I like about this pocket-covered hoodie is that the interior pockets have little line drawings indicating what you should put in them - pen, eyeglasses, tablet computer, phone, passport, earbuds, wallet, etc. I like having a garment that tells me what to do, it keeps life simple while traveling.

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Elf ear earbudsOnce hard to find, these low-end but unique earbuds are now at Amazon. For elves who can't quit their record collection even for a moment, they're still, sadly, only available in lily white. But cheap, at just $13.

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Raspberry Pi 3 Model BThe best $35 you can spend on a wee yet straightforward and accessible barebones computer, Raspberry's Pi is now in its third generation and lives atop a vast and growing ecosystem of accessories, cases and general craziness to have fun with. The latest flagchip model has a 1.2GHz 64-bit quad-core CPU with twice the Pi 2's performance, integrated WiFi and Bluetooth, and backward compatibility with earlier models.

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XENI

Black & Decker CHV1410L 16-volt Lithium Cordless Dust Buster Hand VacStill the best selling hand vac for keeping your office, home, workshop or hackerspace tidy. CHV1410L has strong suction, and a bagless dirt bowl that's easy to see and empty. Holds a charge for up to 18 months when it's off the charger. High efficiency Lithium ion chargers protect it by automatically shutting off when the battery is charged, so you can store it on the charger.

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ArduboyBeautiful 1-bit graphics in your wallet! Arduboy is an open-source platform to create and share games and the hardware is made to the dimensions of a business card. Best of all, this tiny toy is only $50. Want more? The PocketChip, at $70, plays Pico-8 games with a dazzling 16 colors; the dev community is more mature and there are countless games already.

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Second-gen Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inchWith the lastest 12.9" model I've changed my mind about Apple's biggest iPad. Its unmatched pencil latency and powerful processor leave Microsoft (and even Wacom) trailing, while markedly improved third-party applications make Photoshop less critical, at least for me. Finally.

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Books and Media

MARK

The EC Artists Library Slipcase (Vol 3 $54)This high quality box set of four hardbound books has 904 pages of the very best comics of the 1950s. Volume one of this series is out of print and sells for over $250. Volume three is just $54. With art by greats like Wally Wood, Joe Orlando, John Severin, and George Evans, this set is a must-have for comic book aficionados.

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CORY

Canadaland Guide to Canada (Published in America), by Jesse Brown and friendsBrown finds plenty of hilarious awfulness in Canada's past and present, especially in the way that Canadians talk about themselves when they expect Americans might be listening to them. From Justin Trudeau (who talks about refugees abandoned by Trump but takes no action to improve their lot, because he's too busy taking away the citizenship rights of naturalised Canadians with objectionable politics, greenlighting climate-destroying pipelines for the Tar Sands, and making the most of the sweeping surveillance powers he promised he'd abolish after taking office) to Rob Ford to Quebec separatism and the long, deplorable traditions of drunken, racist Canadian leaders who are remembered as wise, even-handed leaders, Brown punctures ever bubble that Canadians have ever blown over the border toward our American cousins.

I laughed aloud at many of these jokes, and they got under my skin, in just the same way that a perfect Samantha Bee rant will. This is a book of weaponised jokes about a country that has spent more than a century burnishing its credentials by blithely asserting its moral and temperamental superiority to its erratic and flamboyant southern neighbour -- and every shot hits its mark. [Read more]

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Briggs Land Volume 1: State of Grace, by Brian WoodStories matter: the recurring narrative of radical Islamic terror in America (a statistical outlier) makes it nearly impossible to avoid equating "terrorist" with "jihadi suicide bomber" -- but the real domestic terror threat is white people, the Dominionists, ethno-nationalists, white separatists, white supremacists and sovereign citizens who target (or infiltrate) cops and blow up buildings. That's what makes Brian Wood's first Briggs Land collection so timely: a gripping story of far-right terror that is empathic but never sympathetic.

Briggs Land builds on the empathic -- but not sympathetic -- portrayals of far-right separatists in Wood's seminal graphic novel DMZ. It's timely: the Trump era has been a moment of uneasy glory for white nationalists and their fellow travelers, who, having long craved the spotlight, aren't entirely sure what to do with it.

Briggs Land is also in development as an AMC TV series, further evidence of its zeitgeisty nature. Being a Brian Wood comic, it's also gripping as hell, a nonstop crime novel that involves rogue FBI agents, ruthless skinheads, closet racists and overt ones, doting parents who also happen to be unspeakable monsters. [Read More]

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Kindred (Graphic Novel), adapted from the novel by Octavia ButlerKindred is the story of Dana, an African-American writer married to a white man in 1976, who finds herself being violently yanked through time and space to the side of her distant ancestor, Rufus, the son of an enslaver who lives on a plantation in antebellum Delaware. Rufus -- a self-destructive, traumatized and spoiled child -- periodically puts himself in mortal danger, and when he does, Dana is torn from 1976 to save him, and is stranded in the violent, totalitarian south until she experiences mortal terror, whereupon she returns to her present, only moments after she left. Luckily for Dana, mortal terror is a commonplace occurance for black people in Delaware in the 19th century.

Dana's relationship to Rufus, and to Rufus's freeborn, African-American friend Alice -- whom Dana knows to be her ancestress -- is wrenching and claustrophobic, as she is enlisted to help Rufus sexually assault and eventually enslave Alice, revealing the deep violence lurking in Dana's own distant past.

For many years, Dana and her white husband, Kevin, are stranded in history, together and separately, and this affords Butler a chance to add yet more nuance to her tale, weaving in the point of view, privileges and horror of a white ally who, nevertheless, enjoys a measure of safety his black wife cannot claim.

The graphic novel adaptation is extremely faithful to the Butler novel, and does brilliant things with color-palettes, using different tones to demark the present and past, and also the belowstairs and abovestairs places in the lives of the enslaved people. The lines are vigorous and rough, conveying emotion and urgency.[Read More]

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MARK

The Magic Machine: A Handbook of Computer Sorcery ($4)This 1990 BASIC programming book is long out-of-print, but is still valid and a great way to explore fractals and artificial life. I loved this book when it came out and just bought a replacement for my lost copy. Use copies are cheap on Amazon. Get it for a smart kid in your life.

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DAVID

Voyager Golden RecordIn 1977, NASA launched two spacecraft, Voyager 1 and 2, on a grand tour of the solar system and into the mysteries of interstellar space. Attached to each ofthese probes is a beautiful golden phonograph record containing the story of our planet expressed in music, sounds, images, and science. It’s a message for any extraterrestrial intelligence that might encounter it. And now you can experience on Earth as a lavish 3xLP Box Set or 2xCD-Book edition.

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DAVID

The Photographs Of Charles Duvelle - Disques OCORA And Collection PROPHETDecades before the term "world music" became common parlance, Charles Duvelle was traveling the globe recording the sounds and sights of indigenous people around the world. To enable us see the world through Duvelle's eyes, Sublime Frequencies' Hisham Mayet in collaboration with Duvelle released this magnificent tome contains field photographs from 1959-1978, a deep interview, a report he prepared for Unesco in 1978, and two CDs of music that will move you.

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DAVID

Art Sex Music by Cosey Fanni TuttiThe stunning memoir of musician, artist, and cultural provocateur Cosey Fanni Tutti is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of avant-garde music, performance art, underground culture, radical living, and female empowerment. Best known as co-founder of pioneering industrial groups Coum Transmissions and Throbbing Gristle (famously called “wreckers of civilisation” by a British MP), Cosey has also explored the fringes of sex, music, and creativity as a pornographic model, video artist, electronic composer, and, yes, writer. This is her story so far and it’s a doozy.

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DAVID

Little Book of Wonders: Celebrating the Gifts of the Natural World by Nadia DrakeNational Geographic contributor Nadia Drake’s science writing sings with knowledge, rigor, and her own infectious curiosity. This slim and delightful book is no exception. A lovely miniature wunderkammer of Earth’s magical places, startling phenomena, and amazing wildlife, it pairs beautiful photos with Nadia’s poetic and informative captions that spark the imagination and instill a sense of wonder about our world.

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DAVID

Dalí: The Wines of GalaFirst published in 1978, Salvador Dalí’s The Wines of Gala is a stunning and strange guide that groups wines “according to the sensations they create in our very depths” such as “Wines of Frivolity,” “Wines of the Impossible,” and “Wines of Light.” Featuring more than 140 of Dalí’s surrealist illustrations, this is the most bizarre, sensual, and sensational book about viticulture and libations that you’ll ever experience.

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CORY

THEFT: A History of Music, by James Boyle and Jennifer JenkinsTheft traces millennia of musical history, from Plato's injunction against mixing musical styles to the outrage provoked by the troubadours who appropriated sacred music and turned it into bawdy songs about wanting to have sex with hot teenagers (a trick Ray Charles repeated hundreds of years later!); from the racist outrage over rock and roll's challenge to white supremacy to the fights over sampling and the exploitation of African-American musicians who were ripped off 40 years ago versus the interests of their musical progeny whose sample-based music has been distorted and even outlawed by the same musical corporations that screwed the R&B artists, in the name of defending those artists (!).

Jenkins and Boyle are two of the staunchest defenders of fair use and remixing -- their first comic, Bound by Law, was a kind of Understanding Comics for the legalities of fair use -- and it shows: Theft is as laden with visual, textual and musical references as a Dizzy Gillespie solo, an early Public Enemy wall-of-sound, an illegal Girl Talk mashup.[Read More]

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CORY

The Free, by Lauren McLaughlinIsaac West is a mixed-race kid who never knew his dad; he and his sister have raised their alcoholic, abusive mother as much as she's raised them. But Isaac has a plan: his little sister Janelle is smart, better than he'll ever be, and he's going to get her out of their mutual hellhole and into a private school -- and to make that happen, he's graduated from petty theft into grand theft auto, under the supervision of his high-school auto-shop teacher, a cut-rate Fagin who trains and oversees a gang of junior car thieves.

It's this teacher who insists that Isaac should plead guilty to beating a man comatose in a car-heist that went wrong, though the kid who actually did the beat-down was the teacher's cousin, a hulking giant of a kid who has already got a conviction under his belt and faces being tried as an adult if he goes down.

For Isaac, it's an easy choice: spend 30 days in juvie, complete his rehab program, and in return, he'll get enough to send Janelle off to private school. All he has to do is survive, and he's been doing that all his life.

From here, McLaughlin has all the elements for a tight, claustrophobic novel that veers between the terror and camaraderie of incarceration; the brutally honest drama therapy group that Isaac must attend if he's to be released; the mounting danger to his sister and all of the repressed feelings and guilt that weigh Isaac down.

While there's some revenge and redemption here, mostly what there is is unblinking reality, a willingness to confront the impossible without denying it. The kids in Isaac's world are in trouble, and that trouble isn't going to get better for most of them, and maybe not for Isaac. Some of those kids are pretty terrible, but even at their worst, they're still kids, and still rounded people with their own virtues and stories.

I don't know when I've read a more empathic novel, and it's been a long time since I read one that was more sorrowful and joyful at the same time. [Read More]

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ROB

The Complete Elfquest Vol. 4Fresh out in November, this volume contains some of the most exquisite and touching episodes of Wendy and Richard Pini's Elfquest saga, a great alternative to genre fantasy and its grim 'n' gritty modern counterparts. One of America's best indie comics, it's illustrated by Wendy's wonderful artwork – even at its most lighthearted, unanswerable questions of identity, family and freedom lurk between the lines. (Newcomers should not feel they have to start at the beginning, but it sure helps.)

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CORY

The Hardware Hacker: Adventures in Making and Breaking Hardware, by Andrew "bunnie" HuangThe book draws heavily on Huang's own hardware projects, which have included substantial manufacturing in south China, with many hard-won lessons about how things can go wrong and how to make them go right. This is more than a checklist or memoir: it's nothing less than a masterclass in modern manufacturing, and even if you never plan on manufacturing anything, reading these chapters will explain the material world around you like few other texts.

This dovetails neatly into a meditation on the differences between Western and Chinese approaches to "intellectual property" and the way this has informed the manufacturing processes whose outflows are all around us. In these chapters, Huang proves himself to be a thoughtful and incisive critic of law as well as technology, and the thorny questions he raises show up the normal discussion on these subjects up for a shallow scrape over the surface of something deep and difficult.

Huang uses these broad legal and technical passages as a foundation for the second half of the book, which lay out the detective work that Huang did to realize his various hardware challenges, from stick-on soft circuits to an insanely clever device that circumnavigates the law through tight and unsuspected secret creeks that allow him to enter territory that no engineer has ever seen by legal means.

The book concludes with its most speculative and future-looking chapter: a disquisition on the similarities (and differences) between computational bioscience and hardware hacking, based on his work with his "perlfriend" -- his perl-hacking, bioscientist girlfriend -- on hacking genomes. [Read More]

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New York 2140, by Kim Stanley RobinsonIt's 2140 and trillions of dollars' worth of the world's most valuable real estate is now submerged under fifty feet of water, resulting from two great "surges" where runaway polar melting created sudden, punctuated disasters that displaced billions of people, wiped trillions off the world's balance sheets, and turned the great cities of the world into drowned squatter camps.

But it's 2140, and the cities are coming back. The combination of financial speculation, desperate refugees willing to do anything to find shelter, and new technological innovations are spawning "SuperVenice"s where boats replace cars and high-rises connect to each other with fairytale skybridges, and pumped-out subway stations become underwater leisure clubs. No SuperVenice is more super than New York City, where the boats ply midtown Manhattan's skyscrapers and everything from Chelsea down is an intertidal artificial reef where, every now and again, hundreds of squatters die as the buildings topple.

The forces of finance are deeply interested in the intertidal zones. These great cities were once the world's ultimate luxury products and now they're marine salvage, waiting to be dredged up from the tidal basins, dusted off and monetized. Yeah, there's millions of inconvenient poors hanging out in them, but they're a market failure, producing suboptimal rents on some seriously distressed assets that need a little TLC, capital infusion, and ruthless securitization to bring them back.

Robinson is a master of turning stories about zoning disputes and local politics into gripping, un-put-down-able adventure tales (his novel Pacific Edge remains the most uplifting book in my library). New York 2140 is a spectacular exemplar of the tactic: the financial shenanigans form a backdrop for submarine drone-wars, black-ops kidnappings, private security assassinations, non-state actor cyberwar and economic terrorism, buried treasure hunting, and big, muscular technologies from giant dredging barges to aerosolized diamond sprays. [Read More]

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WAKE UP!, by Rick Lieder and Helen FrostLife is a continuing cycle of newness, then growth, and then gone: then birth and growth again. Photographer Rick Lieder started thinking about that theme of new life and new beginnings several years ago, and WAKE UP!, published by Candlewick Press, is the result. Working with his collaborator, poet Helen Frost, our book is about opening eyes—our own, first—and pointing to the world that’s right here, containing us all. Helen and rick are both based in the US Midwest, so we started there, with a world that we didn’t need to travel far to explore, only wake up enough to actually see. [Read More]

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Penguin Galaxy Boxed Set, introduced by Neil GaimanLast October, Penguin released its Galaxy boxed set, a $133 set of six hardcover reprints of some of science fiction's most canonical titles: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K LeGuin; Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A Heinlein; 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C Clarke; Dune by Frank Herbert; The Once and Future King by TH White; and Neuromancer, by William Gibson.

The series is curated and introduced by Neil Gaiman, whose essay on the charm and value of science fiction appears at the start of each of the handsome volumes. It's a fine essay, placing each book in its historical context, and turning a writerly eye to their construction and techniques, as well as some of the memoir that makes Gaiman essays such fine reads (see, for example, his 2016 essay collection The View From the Cheap Seats).

As nice as that essay is, it's eclipsed by the gorgeous design, courtesy of Spanish designer Alex Trochut, whose impressive CV includes a Grammy nomination for Best Recording Package. Trochut does away with fussy book-jackets and prints his titles straight onto the books' boards in stylized, embossed gold leaf type -- with clever type-art for every cover. [Read More]

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Brutal London: Construct Your Own Concrete CapitalBrutal London: Construct Your Own Concrete Capital tells the stories of nine of London's greatest brutalist structures (with an intro by Norman Foster!), including the Barbican Estate, Robin Hood Gardens, Balfron Tower and the National Theatre -- and includes pull-out papercraft models of these buildings for you to assemble and display. [Read More]

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SHADE THE CHANGING GIRL v.1: Earth Girl Made Easy, by Cecil CastellucciLoma Shade, as her own unique character, was a way of being steeped in the world of Shade the Changing Man, while being its own thing. Some people say that Shade the Changing Girl seems to be a direct sequel of the Milligan run. I say not so. I’ve always approached it as a kind of side-quel. Creator Cecil Castellucci wanted to take care to have nods and echoes to them both, but to be able to stand narratively on its own. It was a way of striking out in a new direction while plucking elements from the Ditko original and the Milligan run.

Our Shade the Changing Girl is a way of changing the changing.

The body of a teenage girl was a great place to start that change. The body of bully was the way to take it to the next level. The idea of a real alien, who moves like a bird in human form was the best way to express it. Add in Marley Zarcone’s wongld. They are blooming and bursting with feelings and big body changes. They are confident and awkward. They are experimenting with identity. They are constantly changing.

When we are teenagers, we are figuring out how to become who we are. To throw down and figure out what it really means to be human and to break free from our parents and to think for our selves. This is why Castellucci loved writing Shade, because as an alien, she mirrors our own growth in this world. She can see the quotidian with eyes that we can’t see the world with. She has to figure out how to transform herself from who she was to who she isn’t. And through her we dive deep into her attempts to discover the meaning of humanity. Loma Shade is changed profoundly by being this mean girl and having to navigate the fall out of living in Megan’s body and in her world. [Read More]

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Paper Girls 1, 2 and 3, by Brian K Vaughanhttps://boingboing.net/2016/12/14/brian-k-vaughan-and-cliff-chan.html https://Paper Girls stars an all-girl cast of newspaper delivery kids for a fictional Cleveland newspaper, circa 1988 -- they are instantly and wholeheartedly likable, like the Goonies or the cast of Stranger Things. They convene on November 1, when the mean teenagers of Cleveland are still out an about and making mischief, picking on the likes of them, and they band together in mutual self-defense.

Then things get weird.

The girls are assaulted by a group of costumed teens, who rip off a Radio Shack walkie-talkie that one of them saved for months to buy. The girls chase down these goons, ending up in a partially built house, whose basement holds a spaceship of some kind, or maybe it's a time-machine -- and after a flash and a bang, they emerge to a transformed neighborhood, overcast with a tornado out of which flap huge, monstrous dinosaurs ridden by lance-wielding, argot-speaking warriors who kill and kidnap all they meet.

Before long, the girls are hurled into a mystery tale of Vaughnian complexity, chased through time and space, meeting ambiguous heroes and villains, including several who may be clones of them -- or older versions, or neither. (Don't foreget books Two and Three) [Read More]

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Bitch Doctrine: Essays for Dissenting Adults, by Laurie PennyIf you've followed Penny's work, you'll know that the thing that sets her apart from other enraged columnists is her empathy: her ability to understand the self-serving rationalizations, radioactive bullshit, and emotional damage that drives men to threaten her with rape and murder for pointing out that things aren't exactly fair.

But while Penny is perfectly capable of understanding her ideological opponents -- better than they understand themselves, without a doubt -- she doesn't offer them any sympathy. This sympathy -- no less well-informed, no less analytical -- is reserved for people who are getting the shittiest end of the stick: trans people, people of color, poor people, disabled people, other women. Even when she feuds with them, even when she is laid low by anger from her allies, she does the hard work to look past her own hurt feelings, to the missteps that let her to a place of conflict.

Penny is a bridge between two modes of political writing, a hybrid that gets the best of both and offsets their deficits: on the one hand, she's clearly in the Hunter S Thompson gonzo tradition (her adventures running down violent neo-Nazis in Greece are a match for anything HST wrote about Hell's Angels or police detective conventions); on the other hand, she's got the scholarly habit of finding and presenting an issue from every side, even the ones she disagrees with. But while the gonzos reduce their opponents to caricatures, and while scholarly work can dissolve the point of view into a view from nowhere, wishy-washy and free from any kind of thesis or real muscle, Penny is able to forcefully convey her point of view, and back it up by showing that she understands exactly what her opponents are thinking, and why, precisely, they are full of shit. [Read More]

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Lizard Music, by Daniel PinkwaterLizard Music is a novel about Victor, a kid who falls asleep while doing a model airplane and wakes up when the local TV station is going off the air, who discovers that the true late-night programming comes from humanoid lizards who live in a secret nearby volcano and worship Walter Cronkite.

Victor travels to the land of the lizards with the Chicken Man, a recurring Pinkwater character: a kind of hobo figure whose pet chicken is wise beyond her years and dander. What happens next will... Well, it will make you weirder.

No author has ever captured the great fun of being weird, growing up as a happy mutant, unfettered by convention, as well as Pinkwater has. When I was a kid, Pinkwater novels like Lizard Music made me intensely proud to be a little off-center and weird -- they taught me to woo the muse of the odd and made me the happy adult I am today. It's one of those books that, in the right hands at the right time, can change your life for the better and forever. [Read More]

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Landscape With Invisible Hand, by MT AndersonIn 2002, MT Anderson blew up the YA dystopia world with Feed, his zeitgeisty, prescient novel about "identity crises, consumerism, and star-crossed teenage love in a futuristic society where people connect to the Internet via feeds implanted in their brains" -- in his latest, Landscape with Invisible Hand, Anderson takes us to a world where neoliberal aliens have sold Earth's plutocrats the technologies to make work obsolete and with it, nearly human being on earth.

Now we all have to live with that reality: former superstar luxury car salesmen, bank tellers, teachers, programmers -- everyone except for a tiny elite of financial engineers, really -- have been replaced by technology sold by the vuuv (that's the alien race) to the world's 1 percenters when they inducted the human race into the galactic prosperity sphere.

Landscape is told as a series of acerbic, short vignettes -- latter-day Douglas Coupland riffs -- in the voice of Adam, a teenager living in a rotting suburban home amidst the remains of his rotting suburban life, scrounging for rice and beans and painting, painting, painting, the only escape he has. Each chapterlette opens with Adam describing a painting that sets the scene, part of the blasted, wasted dystopia that 99% of the human race lives in while sneering aliens and financial executives tell them to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, get jobs, and stop looking for handouts. [Read More]

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Stories of Your Life and OthersTed Chiang's writing is rare and precise, weaving threads of science fiction into something so haunting and humane I've woken up dreaming about it more than once. Here you can read most of his published work, including the novella that was recently filmed as Arrival and is currently in U.S. theaters. But my favorites are the Borgesian "Tower of Babel," about an engineer breaking through the vault of heaven, and "Division by Zero."

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The Power, by Naomi AldermanIn The Power, a day dawns, not so long from now, in which every 15-year-old girl finds herself with the power to deal out electric shocks, emanating from an unsuspected organ called "the skein," which rests along the collarbone. What's more, any woman can do the trick, once a 15 year old shows them how.

Chaos. Glorious chaos.

The world's sex-slaves kill their pimps. The women of Saudi Arabia foment revolution. Women whose husbands beat them strike back. Girls whose fathers rape them find themselves able to defend themselves -- with lethal force, if it comes to that.

Concerned parents ask to have their boys separated from the vicious girls who stalk them through school. Mean girl cliques take on a new, deadly overtone. Law and order teeters.

Against this background, a cast of characters: Roxy, the daughter of a ruthless British gangster; Joc, the daughter of an ambitious midwestern politician; Allie, a much-abused foster kid whose foster father has a surprise in store for him, and Tunde, a Nigerian lad whose workshops of storytelling through digital photography just took on a new significance.

Through these characters, a plot as intricate and fast moving as any thriller, with lots of grace notes and seeming detours that converge with the main storyline, giving it energy and velocity.

And throughout, when you're finished, the realization that there was so much more going on, stuff I can't discuss without spoilers -- a story within the story that is chilling, thrilling, disturbing. [Read More]

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Archangel, by William GibsonFrom the start of its run in 2016, Archangel went from strength to strength, packing in so many goddamned O.G. cyberpunk eyeball kicks per page that it felt like some kind of cask-strength distillation of all the visual and action elements that gave the original mirrorshades stuff its dark glitter.

Now that the comic's run is done, the five-issue tale is revealed as a masterful, beautifully plotted war story set in three different wars: WWII as we know it, WWII as it might have been, and a distant all-out nuclear conflagration that may or may not have been an inside job.

This is a time-travel story, but it's one that sets out to break the genre's conventions: it opens with the ruthless son of America's power-grabbed president-for-life traveling back to Berlin at the end of WWII to murder his grandfather and take his place. Take that, grandfather parodox.

Hunting the president's son and his goons is "The Pilot," a USAF ninja in a camouflage suit who must prevent Junior from destroying another world without giving Junior the chance to detonate the belly-bomb all US armed-forces members must have implanted when they enlist. Thankfully, it has a 30 foot range.

Archangel is visually stunning, with all the dark romance of war-torn Berlin as a setting: deviant cabarets, black marketeers' dens, chop-shops, makeshift Soviet command-posts and secret airfields. Then there's the futuristic world of Junior and the president, seen in a cramped bunker in which a rogue scientist is scrambling to support The Pilot from the distant future and a different timeline. [Read More]

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Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches, by John HodgmanMy first impression of Vacationland was that I'd found a modern version of Steve Martin's classic Cruel Shoes. Hodgman is so very witty, and as he sets up his memoir -- the story of how he was a weird kid raised by loving but largely unconcerned parents -- he has so many tinder-dry asides and beautifully turned sentences and jokes with long fuses that unexpectedly detonate paragraphs later that I was really getting ready to relive my own childhood.

Right as I was getting comfortably settled into Vacationland, I discovered that Hodgman had smoothly transitioned me into some really profound emotional truth -- it's where he starts talking about his mother's untimely death and how he reacted to her terminal illness -- and then back into that dry, comedic mode, slipping the knife in and pulling it out so smoothly that I hadn't even noticed until the blood started to drip. That kind of maneuver requires both a steady hand a very sharp knife, and Hodgman has both.

This sneaky book pulls that move over and over, using comedy and narrative confidence to make important points about privilege, self-delusion, parenting, death, birth, cities, alienation, love -- the whole gamut.

All without ever losing the comedy, which is funny stuff, and it's not a spoonful of sugar that helps all that serious medicine go down, it's perfectly blended into those serious themes.

This isn't a book like Cruel Shoes: it's the book Cruel Shoes gets to be when it grows up. [Read More]

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Home

XENI

Sport-Brella XLPortable wind, sun, and rain shelter that's easy to set up. Can you open an umbrella? Can you drive a couple stakes into the ground? You got this, then. Haul it to the beach, outdoor gatherings or events, camping, sports, and you feel like you have a little private room outdoors. Comes in 6 different colors. Provides UPF 50+ shade. Opens to 9 feet wide, has a metallic undercoating for additional sun protection, internal pockets for stakes, valuables, and gear, plus top wind vents and side zippered windows for efficient airflow. Water resistant, weighs only 11.5 pounds. I first saw someone else on our local beach use it, and asked them where they bought it. Amazonned one for myself. Now I use it nearly every weekend, and love it.

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ROB

3" Glass PyramidMade of "optically clear crystal" and three inches tall, Amlong's Crystal Pyramid is the best Crystal Pyramid. My bacon is fresh, my airspace dangerous, and my undertakings favored.

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MARK

OXO Good Grips Solid Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop ($15)The old ice cream scoop we had wasn't really an ice cream scoop. It was a disher, and was more suited for scooping mashed potatoes than ice cream. When the trigger mechanism on it finally broke, I happily got rid of it and replaced it with the OXO Good Grips Solid Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop($15). This surprisingly heavy scoop is made from a solid chunk of stainless steel with a comfortable rubber grip, and comes with a pointed end that digs right into hard ice cream, especially if you run hot water over it. It's supposedly dishwasher safe but why put it in the dishwasher? Just rinse it and dry it with a towel.

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XENI

Brondell SourceI bought the Brondell Source in 2015 and it alleviated allergy symptoms; here's the latest model, adding a touchscreen, remote control and an adjustable air quality sensor. Rids the air of dust and dander and tiny particles you don’t need to be breathing—but also filters volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Three-stage advanced purifier system includes certified True HEPA and Granulated Carbon technology. Glowing light indicator tells you when it’s working. One time my dog farted a particularly noxious plume and this thing kicked into high gear with an emergency red glow. That’s when I knew I’d be giving it a five star recommendation.

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Lynx Sonoma Stainless Steel Countertop Natural Gas Smoker ($2500)This capacious, ultra high-end smoker has a digital control panel, smoker chip box, an instant-reading meat probe. It's got built-in Wi-Fi, of course, so you can monitor the process wherever you are.

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JASON

Wise Owl Camping HammockThe comfort to weight ratio of a good camping hammock is off the charts. Durable and easy to set up, you'll be happy anyplace you can find two appropriately spaced trees.

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XENI

Cuisinart 14-Cup Food ProcessorThe latest model of the best food processor for people who are serious about broadening their happy foodie horizons. Shove entire fruits and veggies into the giant feed tube. Listen to the 720-watt motor fill a 14-cup work bowl with steel slicing and shredding discs. It still comes with a free recipe book.

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Toys and Games

ROB

Rainbow SlimeA glittery additive mixed with kid-safe Elmer's glue, Rainbow Slime is what you make of it. Fun when forming and flexible when dry, the results are beautiful, weird and extremely cheap at $6 or so.

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JASON

The Intellivision Flashback ConsoleRemember the unlucky kid with the parents who got them an "Intellivision" instead of an Atari? Make someone that miserable again! With games no one can remember except maybe that OK one with a snake that couldn't touch its tail but isn't SNAFU, the Intellivision really sucked.

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DAVID

Ejector Seat Button For Your CarA perfect stocking stuffer, this very clever eject button fits into most automobile cigarette lighter sockets. Unfortunately, the product listing clearly states that it's "designed for show only." It is a functional cigarette lighter though so I guess they mean it won't actually trigger your ejector seat.

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DAVID

Swish card gameA beautiful and deeply compelling card game, Swish is challenges your spatial perception to find matches of balls and hoops on transparent cards. It’s a wordless game of pattern recognition that has entranced my entire family including our youngest child, age 8.

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Bulk Generic LegoYou can get 1000 random pieces of off-brand building bricks for less than $30, guaranteed to "fit tight" and come with "less filler" than the even-cheaper bulk buys.

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Palomino Blackwing 602 Pencils ($23/doz.)This is a faithful reproduction of the Eberhard Faber original, which is no longer being made. Blackwing 602 have dark, soft lead (the motto printed on the pencil reads"Half the pressure, twice the speed") and features a unique eraser holder. I've been using them for years.

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JASON

Make your own Crazy Aaron's Thinking PuttyThe one thing my 10-year-old enjoys more than making her own floam or slime is playing with Thinking Putty. Textured quite like the legendary Silly Putty of yore, Crazy Aaron's putties come in a rainbow of colors and styles. This set lets you design your own! I am pretty sure Mark could be easily distracted by a can of magnetic Thinking Putty.

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Copic Ciao Marker SetAt about $200, a full set of 72 Copic markers is a pricey proposition. But that's because they're the absolute best, with perfect colors, easy blending, and a big brush tip good for detail and wash alike. Dip an elbow in the water with a relatively inexpensive 12-marker set; great deals on partially-used sets can also be found haunting eBay.

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JASON

Because cats are totally down with the Dark SideYoda and Chewie as mice for your cat to attack, because all cats align with the Dark Side. Except for Loth-Cats for some reason, but I wouldn't exactly trust them either.

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JASON

Star Wars Viewmaster gift setI am not sure how the whole putting gifts in a sock thing works, but this Darth Vader themed Viewmaster Viewer looks like it'd fit in a traditional Christ inspired gifting sock. Star Wars Viewmaster reels are always pretty sweet. This also makes a good Hanukkah day 4-7 gift for kids who can pull off the entire 8-day challenge. My kid starts getting a hug after day 3.

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JASON

You sank my holiday experience!While it doesn't look much like the genre-defining 'This game isn't as much fun as a commercial made it look' toy of our youth, Electronic Battleship is now more exciting looking while boastin' the same old lows in game-play disappointment! Eeeeelectronic Battleship is no more fun than regular old Battleship, which is also a pretty god damn boring game. This is an excellent gift for someone you do not like, but want to appear you gave a cool gift at opening time.

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JASON

Prison Life RobloxKnow a kid that just can't behave? Maybe a co-worker? Make sure they understand a life of crime will come to no good.

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Mysterious and Indistinct ShirtFabulous yet classy, the Mysterious and Indistinct Shirt is a premium youth tee and "wears rough and tough for kids who play the same way."

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MastermindInvented in 1970 by an Israeli telecom expert, Mastermind is still the terrific game of strategy, logic, and deduction that you might remember from childhood. True, the packaging lacks the Bond-inspired photo of the dignified man and woman that appeared on the original box, but the game is just as elegant and addictive.

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Largemouth bass sandalsYou will look amazing in sandals that look like gasping largemouth bass, seriously (max size is a Men's 10, so only the dainty of feed need apply, e.g., not me). [Read More]

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Blank Playing CardsMake your own games! Or just stare at them. Whatever.

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Naughty + Nice

MARK

Wink Plus ($79)In William Burroughs' novel Naked Lunch, Steely Dan III from Yokohama was the name of a stainless steel sex toy. The USB-chargeable Wink Plus vibrator from Crave is probably not what Old Bill Lee had in mind, because it is quite small, but it is made from stainless steel, and packs quite a vibrational wallop, with five intensity levels and two patterns.

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Wolf Crotch UnderwearWith a "convex design, large space and breathable," the 3D Wolf Head Crotch Underwear "make man looks sexy and wild" and can be yours for as little as five American dollars.

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JASON

Spend your holiday season TwistedThe Twisty Glass Blunt is a brain-hammer. Fill the glass chamber with your favorite herb, screw in the brass mouthpiece, and you are prepared to smoke a lot of weed. Perfect for a day at the beach, or an outdoor music festival, the Twisty Glass Blunt is an absolute favorite. I've got the mini as well.

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JASON

Poop emoji Santa HatWar on Christmas? Christmas seems to be integrating into todays meme-filled emoticon world. Now your Santa can proudly display his favorite emoji, or perhaps this is mean to signify something else.

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https://boingboing.net/2017/11/25/giftguide2017.html

[megacircuit9universe]

Venom

FRI JAN 10 2020

Ho-kay!.. the first full working business week of 2020 came to a close today.  You know how that first week back after the holidays goes... everybody just gettin’ back into the groove.

Impeachmas, if you’ll recall, was Wednesday, December 18th 2019... just one week before Christmas, and the Speaker of the House decided then, to hang on to the articles of impeachment... for a little while.

Actually, she said, until the Senate was ready to proceed with a fair trial, but most people heard, until after the holidays.

At any rate, that was a little over three weeks ago now, and as predicted by me here, and by others out there, those three weeks from Impeachmas through the Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Years Day (collectively known as, Orbital Completion Time) did allow America the chance to have a nice long conversation at home about the Impeachment, and the trial to come.

Not only that... it allowed some FOIA requests to come through, revealing that Trump himself ordered the suspension of the aid to Ukraine just 90 minutes after the phone call... and that everybody in his inner circle tried to talk him out of it because they all knew it was illegal and could get them in trouble with Congress.

Not only that... but John Bolton, who was National Security Adviser at the time this all went down, declared publicly that he would indeed testify to the Senate in the coming impeachment trial, if he were subpoenaed to do so.

Not only that... but a week ago, on only the second of January... or, the first day back to work after New Year, Trump was so desperate to change the national conversation from impeachment, that he had a guy murdered with a drone strike.

What followed, after the unprovoked killing of Soleimani, was a really fun few days of total mayhem and confusion, in which Trump first threatened to bomb 52 cultural sites in Iran, if they dared to retaliate, adding that it would not be proportional at all... after which he was told by his advisers that, actually, disproportionate retaliation... especially on cultural sites, would be a war crime of the highest magnitude... 

...and then Secretary of State, Pompeo and some generals had to go on TV to promise they would never obey such a monstrous order, so just relax.  It was just a kooky tweet.

Meanwhile, all the teens on TikTok... many of whom are eligible to vote right now, in this year’s primaries and general election, published non stop memes about being drafted to fight in WWIII. More about that later.

Meanwhile, all of our allies were backing away from Trump... because he’s an indefensible war criminal, and all of the Millennials on Twitter began screaming at the top of their lungs about how this was just like Iraq in 2003, and GenZ better stop making jokes about it because we were at war now and everybody was going to die!*

Meanwhile, servicemen and women all over the country were scrambled to their bases to stand by for further instructions.

Finally, Iran fired a bunch of missiles over the Iraq border at an American military base, and... made a huge light show, but didn’t really do much damage, and didn’t kill anybody... but claimed revenge was theirs.

Trump then tweeted, “All is well,” and both sides walked away.

It took the world another two days to cautiously realize that... we weren’t actually going to war after all... huh?..  Whuh?... Okay?

Over those two days, Trump’s team gave a closed presentation to Congress about why they’d killed Soleimani, and... stuff... and it had pissed off many in attendance, most visibly, Senators Mike Lee, and Rand Paul, who spouted off angrily to reporters outside the conference room, that Trump was trying to usurp the power to declare war, from Congress.

The House, then, passed a War Powers resolution the next day... as a kind of symbolic gesture to put Trump on notice that he’s not allowed to do shit like this without talking to them first... and the Senate is expected to do the same next week.

Meanwhile, the media, of course, has been trying to get Trump and his current Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to explain to the public exactly what the rationale was for killing Soleimani, and... they have nothing but a bunch of vague, mismatched excuses... the likes of which you might get from two 6th grade boys in the Principal’s office... just... off the cuff bullshit that doesn’t line up, or seem remotely plausible. 

Trump said Soleimani was gonna blow up an embassy... then he later changed that to four embassies.  Meanwhile Pompeo said nobody was allowed to know what Soleimani was gonna do, but it was gonna be... in the next few weeks or months or... actually even he didn’t know. 

Almost lost in the chaos of the whole thing was the fact that, on the night Iran was performing their mock retaliatory strike, to save face, but not kill any Americans, so that they could both walk away from the brink of war... they accidentally shot down a passenger plane, leaving Iran, bound for Ukraine, and killed everybody on board.

No Americans on that plane, but several Canadians, leading Canadian President Justin Trudeau, with a very long face, and a very somber tone, to announce that according to his intelligence, and that of other countries, the plane was shot down by Iran... perhaps by accident.

What he didn’t say was... that Boing 737 had the same radar profile as a version of the Boing 737 the American Military uses for military purposes, and probably had flying in the area that night... so the mistake was understandable... given the warlike atmosphere of the moment... as created by the recklessness of Trump... in his bid to do something... anything... to distract from his Impeachment.

But then today, in the aftermath of this whirlwind of war panic, and the collateral damage of those poor people on that plane... the media got right back to the matter of Impeachment anyway.

Hey!  Why hadn’t Nancy Pelosi handed over those articles this week?  

What the fuck, Nancy!  It’s been three weeks!  Mitch McConnell just said he’s not backing down on the sham trial thing so just hand them over, you idiot!  You lost this one!

And today, she came out and said, basically, fuck that, I will hand the articles over when the Senate is ready to conduct a fair trial... but hopefully soon.

And while others argue that she has no leverage here, and is just being stubborn for no good reason... I’d argue the past three weeks prove just how much leverage she has right now, by hanging on to these articles of impeachment.

Polls show the majority of voters want witnesses at the trial.  More damning information has come to light. Bolton now says he’s willing to sing. And Trump did go crazier than ever before, causing a very visible and very angry crack to form in his Senate support in the form of Mike Lee and Rand Paul.

These are all things that would not have been thought possible before Christmas, but here we are.

Clearly... all the Speaker need do, is hold fast, and allow this deterioration to continue until McConnell says, uncle... no matter how long it takes.

As outlined in the entry entitled, Poison Dart, House impeachment is the stinger with the venom.  

Senate acquittal of Johnson didn’t save him from being a one term president. It never got the chance to try and save Nixon, and for lame duck Clinton, it was largely a formality that still could not stop his party from losing power for sixteen more years.

McConnell may be hell bound and determined for the Senate to acquit Trump no matter what, but... that’s not an antidote for the venom of impeachment.

Senate conviction and removal, however, as has happened to many a state governor over the years, is something else.  That sends a powerful message, that reverberates through the generations to come... though it’s never happened on the level of the President... yet.

Let’s put a pin in that, and get back to those TikTok youngsters... the GenZ teenagers who’ve been cranking out, “WWIII Draft,” memes, as relentlessly as they did with the, “Storm Area 51,” memes last summer.

Many older adults, while acknowledging that memes are fun, have been trying to let these youngsters know that we don’t actually have a draft anymore.

But... GenZ already knows that... and these memes, while hilarious, are not just fun and games.  This is their way of raising political awareness across their generation.

Yes, they know there is not currently a draft.  But they also know that they’re still compelled to register for the draft, and that the only reason there is not currently a draft, is because the voting age was lowered to 18, back in the Vietnam days.

They’re not stupid, and these WWIII memes are their way of saying, “This is what would be happening to us right now, if we... who have been compelled to register... did not have a say in who was President.”

If that’s not spelled out plainly enough for you, they’re saying that they’re gonna be showing up at the polls in 2020... not just in the General, but also in the Primaries... and that Donald Trump just fucked himself by threatening to send them all to war.

And that brings us back around to Bernie Sanders, who continues to be polling better and better as we approach the first Caucuses next month... even though those polls do not reflect his legendary support among the youngest voters... who now have a very existential reason to show up and vote like never before.

Well certainly, you may think, these youngsters will forget all about this Iran conflict by next November... if not by next month!  They pose no threat in this election.

That, I believe, would be a grave misunderstanding of this new generation.  Millennials, it’s true, have always felt more comfortable bitching on Tumblr, or occasionally protesting in the streets... than actually showing up to the polls on election day.

But GenZ knows what the stakes are... for climate change, health care, and now... world war three.  And despite how carefree they may appear to the casual observer, they are not about to sit this next election out... or any other in their long lives to come, I’d bet.

Tying this all back into a bow... as it’s getting late for me here, tonight... 

I said in the, Poison Dart, entry, that the discussion about a fair impeachment trial in public would be the impeachment trial itself.  And this is proving to be more true every day.

Only this public trial, is now one which includes the Senate, and unless they can pony up an amazing defense... Trump’s Senate sycophants, now more visible as such than ever before, will go down with him in November.

It’s only still early January, and already the Junta is looking worse than ever before, and there is no bouncing back from the horrendous shit Trump just took with his failed bid to start a war... on top of everything else.

It will only get worse for them, as we march toward November.

*Millenials were all children during the horrendous days leading up to the start of the Iraq war in 2003, and only know what a dark time it was from watching reruns of the Daily Show and talking to Gen X, who had to live and fight through that tortuous period as 30-something adults.

It’s a bit ridiculous to see them on Twitter decrying the onset of a new war as if they were there for the last one... especially after having proven themselves the most apathetic voting block of all demographics over the past sixteen years.