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sprawa-przybyszewskiej · 3 years ago

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I cannot claim to know about this play more than some others (Ewa Graczyk, Jagoda Hernik-Spalińska, Kazimiera Ingdahl and Maria Janion, in alphabetical order, are the official Horsewomen of the Apocalypse in this topic), with a lot to bring to the table, and so I will sometimes discuss parts of it which are - at the very least at the first glance - absolutely and doubtlessly simple; but by discussing them I hope to be able to bring into the discussion some new material, new evidence, perhaps - for the contrary of the popular belief.

I remember when I first read the scene between Danton and Robespierre, I was completely mystified, just as Maxime. To somebody who at that point knew nothing about the historical events, the exchange between them was very logical (and everyone knows how hard it is to obtain, especially in a piece of media where the author blatantly favours one of the characters over another). I am very glad then, to be able to say that while Przybyszewska did everything she could to humiliate and belittle Danton in the more visual aspects of the scene - his gestures, movements, actions, mimicry, even the sound of his voice etc. - she didn't bother making him out to be a complete clown. His arguments are populistic, but that's not necessarily a bad thing when you're n politician aspiring to be even more than that. Perhaps she thought that painting him out to be a weakling would somehow diminish Robespierre's awesomeness, which is a valid concern. For Robepsierre has little left to do in this scene - it is made out to ba a confrontation between them, of sorts, but is it one, really? I don't think so, not for the large part of it. Robespierre comes in, dishes out few sarcastic lines, looks at Danton with disgust and contempt and then crushes him in a yet another sarcastic line and then leaves. There isn't that much he can do not only to participate in the exchange, but to be visually and audially appealing to the audience as a character in a play. And even though we all know staging The Danton Case is a secondary affair, the main thing you can do with it is to read it and ponder over it, when you do stage it, a lot of responsibility rests on the actors recreating the part. Which is why choosing a good actor can, potentially, make all the difference, sometimes going as far as completely changing the way you view the very same scene you read earlier.

I have always assumed by "the same man" they meant Robespierre. It makes some sense in the light of the conversation, altough I have to admit it makes little sense in the light of Robespierre's reaction. The question thus presented to us is: do we go by what is written, do we percieve a play as a piece of fiction in a real world, OR do we immerse ourselves in the fictional world, suspend our disbelief and for a moment treat it as an alternate reality of sorts?

Polish director Jan Klata has managed to put on stage a compelling retelling of The Danton Case and I would like to present to you a scene from his version, which we're lucky enough to have on YT, with translation courtesy of @that-one-revolutionary. I've seen the play in its entirety: some metaphors were heavy-handed to say the least, some aspects I wish he'd done differently, but all in all, when choosing the main protagonist, the director casted in the role a truly splendid actor (please note that Marcin Czarnik was young. Young! It made all of the difference and it's worth watching if only for that), who brought home some of the points of character of Robespierre's which could have easily been brushed aside in order to highlight some other aspects of the conversation (the most famous example of this would be the very same scene from Wajda's movie, where the appealing and in all aspects imposing Gerard Depardieu dominantes the scene, thus presentign it in a very different ligt). While it can be read as a political statement, or a match of two great personalities, or a display of cunning on either part, Klata (or Czarnik; it's hard for me to say what the director tried to do with it, a lot of Robespierre's quirks, mimicry, gestures etc. seemed to come directly from the actor, which I can only say because I've seen him in other things and that's sort of his style of acting; all in all, I'll try to treat this not as a discussion over this particular staging, because for that I lack needed data, but it's unavoidable in the long run at least at some points, so please bear that in mind) treats the conversation itself as a minor thing in comparision to what is going on in Maxime's mind at the moment. Just look at this: there is no significance brought into their meeting, no change of the scenery, nothing indicates this meeting is special in any way. The logical conclusion is, then: it's not special. Both Danton and Robespierre seem to treat this as a step which cannot be avoided, but which bears no great weight either. The only reason they agreed to make this step altogether is - for "the same man". For Camille.

I do think Przybyszewska's intention was actually to disguise Maxime under this vague title. If this is a play about love - as I will always state it is - she wanted to underline the fact some people will be hatefully loved by those who are beneath them, who have nothing whatsoever in common with the object of their affection simply because the loved one is so great, so genius, so shining and bright it is impossible not to love them. I think this is the relationship between Danton and Robespierre (that is, on Danton's part) up until this point in the play. Danton idolizes Robespierre against his will (against both of their wills, really), because Robespierre is truly made out to be a demi-god at the very least. If you could team up with a hero like this, you should. So Danton goes through a humiliating process of trying to reconcile with Maxime, because humiliation, if everything paid off in the end, would be worth it. That Robespierre doesn't reciprocate the affection is simply a further proof that he is above Danton in every way.

Klata-Czarnik duo seems to have gone into another, subtler direction though. The man that both politicians make an exception for seems to be Camille, moreso because Robespierre loves him than because Danton has any special feelings for him. What is his relationship with Camille, anyway? They are cordial enough, but always a bit on the edge, and we know that Danton doesn't know everything that Camille thinks and feels in regards to Robespierre, mostly because he doesn't care that much, but also because he is characterised as a brute, and this simply goes above his head, it's too subtle, too delicate of a feeling for him to know it. It is also clear he knows Camille pretty well, but he doesn't know his soul, so to say. Therefore, he cannot actually love him, not to the point to make him the one and only excpetion from his otherwise coldly and precisley calculated plans.

Is there, however, a scenario in which Camille could be Danton's exception? Yes, when it becomes more about Robepierre than about Camille. When Camille is sort of offered as a mean to lure Robepierre in. Danton could make this exception only if it meant getting what he wanted (which is later mirrored by his blatant admission that the only reason he lets Camille take the fall with him is to deny Robespierre any joy in life after this point).

Robespierre, however, doesn't see it this way. He actually makes the exception for Camille and I think Danton's words �� whatever he means by them, whichever interpretation we think is correct – put him on alert, for the fear of having his secret discovered. In the video linked above it is even more than that – once Robespierre hears Danton indirectly name "the same man", he gets aggressively defensive. For him to have someone like Danton talk almost openly about what he treats as his personal secret (a secret that Danton, being in great familiarity with Camille, could potentially know for certain) is equal with defiling it. I have violated your secret. Do you know what he says in the original? I have raped your secret. It really brings into the focus how much “the secret” needs to be protected, and how much it will hurt Maxime once it’s uncovered and destroyed.This is what he fears pretty much for the entirety of the conversation, his suspiscion somewhat confirmed when Danton says: No catchphrases, Robespierre. I know you.

As I mentioned earlier, the shift in my reading of the scene was prompted by the video. It is worth observing what exactly does Robespierre do when mentioing Camille by surname – he gets visibly more upset, he ponders for a split second for the best way to talk about him. His choice of words is interesting as well:

Both translations here are poor and I quite like what that-one-revolutionary did with it. "Katarynka" is a music-box, so "an instrument" fits much better (not to mention the obvious English connection to the phrase "play like a fiddle", which is adequate here). A parrots is after all a living being, something with a will of its own, if steered by more powerful handlers. But admitting that Camille, from his own free will decided to go against Maxime and everything that Maxime believes in is much harder for Robespierre than calling him an inanimate object, which can be unwittingly used by people with their own agenda. That leaves Camille almost blameless, perhaps careless and foolish, but not responsible fo anything that has transpired.Calling him names serves another purpose as well, which is to steer away the suspiscion that Robespierre protects Camille becuase he cares about him in a special way. He knows there are Danton's accomplices turning ears by the door, so he doesn't want to give himself away with his care and concern.

Ultimately, what do you believe, whom do you think they were referring to I think says a lot about what you think about Maxime's state of mind at the time. Danton's too, though, it can be used as a litmus test whater or not you believe he was honest in idolising Robespierre and offering him his adoration and obedience. In some stagings it will be presented as true, in some as a lie, and that's the beauty of adapting a piece of literature, there are so many options, all blooming from the same roots.

#sprawa dantona #the danton case #L'Affaire Danton #stanisława przybyszewska #stanislawa przybyszewska #maximilien robespierre #maksymilian robespierre #kamil desmoulins #camille desmoulins #georges danton #jerzy danton

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t100ficrecsblog · 4 years ago

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an interview with @easilydistractedbyfanfic (she/they)

what are you working on right now? I don’t typically take prompts, but after finding out about the Bellarke Writers For BLM Initiative and how their goal is to raise money for BLM via various fandom prompts that are requested by readers and written & illustrated by various writers and artists, I wanted to get involved. I’ve finished two prompts and am working on my third, which is a Murphy/Raven smutfic set during their years on the Ring. It’s definitely an idea I can work with - it’s over 10k at this point with a lot more to say, so hopefully the anon who requested it will end up pleased! Go check out the tumblr page and the ao3 collection - there’s various t100 pairings/ratings and you can choose the cause if you want to request a fic!

what is the fanwork you’re most proud of? I struggled with this question! My stories are all like my kids, and even if some of them could use a bit of improvement with pacing or dialogue or whatever faults I see when they age, ultimately I do love them all and I’m glad I wrote them. I do sometimes play favorites but that often depends on what I’m in the mood to read myself. That said, I really do always feel proud of my story called What You Need. It’s a darker version of Raven & Murphy, but one that I don’t find unrealistic under the circumstances of the fic. I surprised myself with where my head went on this one. In a good way, because it was really fascinating to dive into the minds of who these particular versions of the characters were.

I’m also pleased that I have over 500k on ao3 at this point. I never expected anything like this when I started writing, and it kind of blows my mind that this is my hobby now. It’s so strange to me that there are stories in my head at any given moment now.

why did you first start writing fic? I started writing in June 2018. Never wrote any fanfic before that, ever - though I did read plenty! I wrote three stories super fast, posted them all on ao3 on the same day and haven’t looked back. I think I started writing out of a combination of just really needing more content for my faves, but also I wasn’t in fandom before s5 and was quite desperate after s4 to talk to other people about Raven & Murphy. So I needed to get the stories out but also I had this hope that it would invite conversation when I didn’t know anyone in fandom.

what frustrates you most about fic writing? Just because I want to write doesn’t mean I can. Having prompts on my plate right now, I feel a real responsibility to finish them, but even when I carve time out to write, sometimes the words just don’t feel right. The muse doesn’t always strike when I have the time available. Also, it’s super ridiculously important to me that scenes and dialogue FEEL right based on the characterization I have in my head in any particular story. I can look at a scene I’ve written, especially an emotional one, and sometimes it’s just not resonating with me the way I know it could or should. It’s tough not to just push through and post it as-is, but I know that would never satisfy me, even if it means a much longer turn-around time on a story or chapter update. Often I will find that I get an a-ha moment that cracks open a better understanding of why a scene isn’t working for me, but this can take time and I have to trust in this process.

Not to preach, but it’s also frustrating when something you spend a lot of time and effort on doesn’t get much in the way of comments. I see posting fic on ao3 as a sort of conversation, so when there’s mostly silence even as the hits (and hopefully kudos) tick upwards, it can feel really...disheartening to feel like you’re talking into a void. And I say this as someone who has been fortunate enough to have regular readers who DO give feedback! I think every writer understands that they need to write for themselves first and foremost, but I wish more readers understood that feedback and enthusiasm will absolutely result in MORE CONTENT! I try very hard to follow this guideline myself by supporting and commenting on everything I read as time permits.

what are your top five songs right now? I listen to a huge mix of songs & my childhood influenced me a lot.

Some floating in my head include -

Chris Cornell’s live cover of Nothing Compares 2U Indigo Girls - Romeo & Juliet The Decemberists - Once In My Life Tori Amos - Silent All These Years The Chicks - March March

what are your inspirations (books, songs, other fic)? I find inspiration in a lot of things, which I think is lucky. One of my biggest is the characters themselves. I love getting deep into understanding who I think they are, what their motivations are and why they’d make certain decisions, whether in canon or in an AU. What parts of their personalities do they keep when they aren’t tortured and under trauma on the regular? What would happen if I change this one scenario in their lives? I could probably go on forever just based on these sorts of thoughts, but I do also find inspiration in simple things like tropes, or song lyrics and the lore of the show itself. Quite a lot of my ideas in my inspiration notebook have sci-fi themes too. A few of my stories have already touched on sci-fi topics, and I absolutely plan more of them because I love how creative that can be. I also love the idea of suspended belief - can I have sentient plant life from an alien planet that can mindread & communicate by projecting thoughts into characters' heads? Yes, yes I can! (I wrote this story, fyi - Flora Incognita, part of a series)

what attracts you to Murven? what first attracted you? Hey, do you have all day? Ha! Seriously, I could talk about this until everyone wants to strangle me! I loved Raven immediately - not so much Murphy! But I really disliked Finn, so ep 1x10 when Raven finally broke up with him had me interested. In that ep, you can see that Murphy is present, awake & nearby in the Dropship and probably overhears everything Raven says. Then he gets up and looks at her to make sure she’s still sleeping before he carries out his revenge plans. I’m not kidding - that one look absolutely and completely hooked me! Murphy was still awful then but he was so much more interesting than Finn, and back then I remember thinking how I’d really like to see them interact as two stubborn, strong personalities, because no doubt sparks would fly. And then when they did interact more, their dynamic was exactly what I’d hoped for and then some!

I love that they’ve seen each other at their worst and at their weakest and most vulnerable, yet they’ve built a strong foundation of trust, faith and understanding. They have so much in common but they’re also different sides of the coin in some ways too. Fandom talks about Bellarke being the head & the heart, but to me Raven and Murphy are the intellect & the instinct - they complement each other, provide some of the qualities that the other needs, their differences improve each other. For me, nobody gets Raven like Murphy & nobody understands Murphy like Raven. Maybe not a lot of people notice, but Raven & Murphy check in with each other a lot - Raven tends to say “I got this” but Murphy is the only person who replies to her “Do you?”. And Raven listens to Murphy’s ideas and suggestions and plans even when she’s known as the genius because she knows that he has valuable things to say. They have fun together, make each other smile and enjoy each other’s company, which is in such short supply in this show!

I know there’s parts of fandom that don’t ship them because Murphy shot Raven in s1. I have a lot of thoughts on it and have had quite a few tumblr posts about it. This is a fictional show - it does not reflect reality. I’ve been on the fringes of fandom for a long time and I know shipping doesn’t always mean yes, I want to see this relationship in real life. For me, I think it’s absolutely fascinating that someone Raven should hate has become one of her closest and most trusted friends. That she forgave him, and we as the audience get to see this dynamic change and grow, and that Murphy has always felt guilty about it even though he was being presented as selfish and out for himself - it’s such a huge, huge part of each of their character’s journeys. This is getting rather meta, but I don’t think either of these characters would have survived this long or evolved to the extent that they each have without specifically being around each other.

And I absolutely can not discuss my love for Raven & Murphy without mentioning the whole way these two LOOK at each other! OMG have you SEEN it?!?? How could I not ship them when they look at each other like that! LOL! Also, I want to keep talking about this but I’ll stop now because I truly could go on forever and anyone who follows me already knows I’m wordy.

BESIDES Murven, what’s your favorite ship in t100? Honestly, nothing else comes close to Murven for me, but I did like Kabby before the show just eviscerated their characters. I like the possibilities of Niytavia still. I can see why people ship Murphamy in the earlier seasons. Definitely think Echo/Roan could’ve been something intriguing. And I’ve got this weird thing going right now where I wouldn’t hate Murphy/Russheda, but admittedly that’s mostly about the aesthetic! I tried really hard to like other partners for Raven & Murphy since they’ve always been my faves, but I’ve been meh about all the possibilities except Luna as a partner for Raven or as a Luna/Raven/Murphy threesome. At some point I might write that. Otherwise I’d say I tend to like the friendships more than the ships.

what are some things you’d like to recommend? I always hesitate to recommend other stories & authors because I can’t stand the idea of people feeling left out if I forget to mention them! But I would like to say that I really and truly love my fellow Murven shippers who read & support my stories and who create content like fic and art and gifs and fanvids. I find so much inspiration in them even though sometimes I can’t get through 30 seconds of a fanvid before I have to pause it because the angst is too much for me!

Since you’re kind enough to ask me this question and maybe a few people will read this answer, please - I recommend that everyone educate themselves on social justice and climate change and Black Lives Matter and capitalism and unions and what intersectionality & solidarity truly mean! Vote like your lives depend on it because THEY DO!

ed’s note: compiled a few resources -Rebel Well: A Starter Survival Guide to Trumped America -Jacob and Al’s Intergalactic Intersectionality Adventure -Get involved in your local chapter of DSA -Join Your Local Mutual Aid Group -Keeping Yourself Safe Online In This Capitalistic Hellscape -Angela Davis’ book Are Prisons Obsolete? -Resource about defunding the police

You can find @easilydistractedbyfanfic here on Tumblr, on Twitter, and on AO3. You can also a request a fic written by her via @bellarkefic-for-blm!

#bellarkefic4blm #raven reyes #john murphy #murven #murven fanfiction #bellarkefics for blm interview

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fizzyxcustard · 5 years ago

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Etiquette

Fandom: Pilgrimage (2017)

Summary: Raymond has found himself in 2019, somehow time travelling 800 years into the future. You have taken him in, but you must teach him modern etiquette to keep him safe.

Pairings: Raymond de Merville x fem!Reader (I say this now as I may just write more to this if it proves interesting)

Warnings: Language, modern day setting, comedy, banter, slight flirting

Word count: 1254

Comments/Notes: Requested from the imagine ‘Raymond has time travelled to 2018 and you must teach him modern etiquette and manners’ by @meganlpie and @lokilove3112. If you wish to be added to my tag lists for a particular fandom, character, or even everything, please send me an ask or a private message and I will add you.

Raymond woke with a start, jumping up from the warmth of the sheets which were suspending him on the bed. He cursed in French, forgetting for a moment where he was. Then his eyes focused on the vase of flowers on the chest of drawers directly opposite.

“Pfft, still in this godforsaken pit of a place,” he growled.

You were in your kitchen, cooking breakfast and dancing to your music which played through the Alexa system. “Alexa! Play songs by Bon Jovi,” you called.

A blue light lit up on the edge of the black sound system. “Playing songs by Bon Jovi,” replied a robotic female voice.

You went back to preparing the food, not noticing Raymond as he came wandering into the kitchen. A shape caught your vision in the corner of your eye and you jumped, soon after realising who it was. “Morning Ray--,” but you stopped dead in your tracks, holding a pan with sizzling bacon. There, directly in front of you, Raymond stood completely naked. “Um,” you coughed.

Raymond smirked at you, noticing your eyes travel south down his body.

“Please, put some clothes on!” you snapped, breaking from the embarrassment. “Whatever you want to do in the privacy of your own space is up to you, but when you’re staying with someone else, for fuck sake, cover up!”

You turned away, a blush vivid red across your cheeks. The pan in your hand was moving, shaking with your nervousness, which you desperately tried to hide. Men knew how to use that against you, you thought.

After a few seconds you could still sense Raymond behind you. “Have I got to come and dress you again?” you barked.

“Now that is a proposal I would not turn my nose up at,” Raymond chuckled.

“Just get back in your room and get dressed. You’re a grown man, not a child!”

It was still a mystery how this man had suddenly appeared in your garden one night. There had been a flash of blinding light as you stood in your kitchen, washing dishes and then a raving lunatic of a man was stood at your window, banging on it. He was wearing old style knight clothing, looking like something from a medieval reenactment.

What was the light? That was the one aspect of this whole insane scenario that made you cling to a shred of belief in that Raymond really was from the year 1209.

Raymond appeared back in the kitchen a few minutes later, wearing the clothing you had brought for him the day previously. And again, the zip on his jeans was down. You sighed and stomped over to him. “You’re going to have to master this, Raymond,” you hissed. “You can’t walk around with your zip down.” As you reached out to attack the zip, you noticed that he was not wearing underwear. “Uhh, oh God,” you grimaced. “I brought you underpants!”

“Why should I wear an extra layer when they are not needed?” Raymond replied, narrowing his eyes and standing to his full height. He was considerably taller than you, standing a foot taller.

“Look, I’m not going to keep explaining everything to you,” you replied sternly, crossing your arms. “It’s for cleanliness. Our time is a lot different to yours. We’ve come along in terms of hygiene. Going commando isn’t exactly practical and especially with jeans. That’s going to rub something awful.”

“You’ve overcomplicated things,” Raymond said.

“Oh, like with toilet paper? You’re telling me that it would have been better if that hadn’t of been invented? What are you going to do, go back to wiping your arse on your hands and having skid marks in your trousers?”

Raymond smirked at you again. He did that a lot.

Finally, Raymond began to eat his breakfast, enjoying the bacon and eggs you had fried for him. He seemed happy to be eating something that reminded him of his own time period. You decided on a bowl of cereal.

“What is that?” Raymond asked as you poured granola into a bowl and poured on milk. “It looks like the food we use to feed horses.”

Irritated, you dropped your spoon into the bowl with a loud clank and stared at Raymond. “Have you finished? You eat your food and I’ll eat mine. Now, shut up!”

After breakfast you tidied the crockery away. Raymond, as usual, was asking what everything was and raided your pantry, holding up cans of macaroni cheese and spaghetti hoops. Then he looked down at an ugly looking contraption with a metal pole on the end. He kicked it, almost certain that it would rise up and begin attacking him.

“Would you mind not breaking my vacuum, please? It was my mum’s and is already about fifteen years old. And before you ask what it does,” you began sarcastically, still drying plates and utensils, “it sucks up bits out of the carpet.”

“Sucks?” Raymond asked, pulling a puzzled face. Then he nudged it again with his foot.

“Yes, it has air which pulls all the dirt out of the carpet,” you explained.

There came a knock at your door so you quickly dried off your hands and dashed to your front door. It was the postman, holding a parcel for you. The smiley man who was easily ten years older than you offered the parcel to you, his eyes not leaving you. You knew full well that he liked you.

“Thank you, Martin,” you said, giving him a smile.

He stood for a few extra seconds, waiting for you to say something else.

“Thanks again,” you said, feeling uneasy, and began to shut your door.

“Wait,” he said, his arm stretching out to stop the door.

“Yes?”

“Would you like to maybe go out one of the nights?” Martin asked, adjusting his bag of letters on his shoulder.

Suddenly a loud voice echoed down your hallway. “I have put the underpants on as you said!”

“Oh,” Martin said softly, seeing the tall form of Raymond soon appear. “I didn’t know….”

“No, it’s not like that, Mart,” you replied. “Raymond is my roommate for a while.”

“Who is this?” Raymond asked, his voice drifting towards the open front door. “Has he brought you a gift? Does he wish to court you?”

“Raymond, shut up!” you growled. “Get back in the fucking house now!”

“Have you asked her father before you consider courtship?” Raymond asked, stepping up beside you. He looked down at the short, startled postman. “Or do I need to draw my sword?”

“Um, I’m sorry for bothering you,” Martin said sheepishly and turned away, half running down the path.

You stormed back into the house and threw your parcel down on the kitchen table. “One piece of advice, Raymond. When you see me talking to someone: shut up!”

“That man wants to court you. It was plain to see,” Raymond replied.

“I know that. But did you have to start with your courtship and drawing your swordspiel? Courting isn’t the same now, and you’ve got to understand that. And don’t you dare take your sword anywhere with you. You’ll get arrested and jailed for that. It’s illegal to carry weapons; I’ve already told you that.”

“I enjoyed watching him squirm,” Raymond said with a grin.

“You’re a cruel man,” you scoffed. “Now, get ready because we’re going to get you a haircut. You can’t walk around with your hair like that. We need to get it more up to date and styled.”

Follow Forever tag list:

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Richard Armitage tag list: @inkededucatednnerdy @crazytxgradstudent

Raymond de Merville tag list: @hails270105

#raymond de merville #request #pilgrimage #pilgrimage 2017 #raymond x reader #raymond x fem!reader #raymond x you #raymond de Merville x reader #raymond de Merville x you #one shot #may possibly write more

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geekwiththegoggles · 5 years ago

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Hey,

As we get closer to the Spoopy Season™, and haunted attractions start being a thing,

just wanna send some good vibes out early and say, please,

Don't be a dick to scare actors,

Deffo don't be a dickish scare actor, but mainly ...

DON'T BE A DICK TO SCARE ACTORS

More constructively, if you are going to visit a haunt this year, hey, have fun! It's a great way to get your thrills in. Blacklights! Torches! Soundtracks in minor keys! The fear of the unknown in bite sized encounters! Brushes with darkness only to come out the other side smelling like fog juice! Instant new friends with a random group of strangers because your friends abandoned you while running away! Fake guts are a hoot! Clowns...? Erm, yeah no. Still no to clowns...

But it's also a place where you're gonna encounter a lot of uncomfortable stuff, too: tight spaces, dimly lit/totally blacked out rooms, flashing lights, the sensation of being in situations where you don't have the ability to be in control, jump scares, bangs and knocks, unpleasant sights and noises, and of course... clowns. I think you get my point here. Now, a lot of people hate being called out or caught off-guard in front of strangers, let alone their buds. Can't be cool if you're jumping eighteen inches off the ground grabbing your crotch and screaming at top volume (not judging but also... well, dudes, you've been warned. This is a common occurrence).

I get it! But that's also what you kinda paid for, in a way. To be caught off guard. To feel, for the briefest moment, vunerable and scared. To enter a place that oozes smoke and resonates with screams and find yourself amongst the decay and delight in it because hey, cursed mirrors and undead fiends aren't real! It's fake! And we all know it's fake! That lady with the missing eye is fake! That dude with the demon horns is fake! That janky and 'cursed' animatronic is fake!

Now, your Insta account might blow up because, herr derr, you ripped the juke off of your third attraction that night to reveal the lightboard switch or a random dude waiting to pop out because, hey, ha ha, it's fake! But hey, do you also know what happens when you do that?

You become That Dick™ because now only you are laughing.

You become that person that needs to be monitored by security and someone's manager because you don't know how to get over yourself and have fun.

Live a little!

Get spooked!

Be scared!

Laugh afterwards at yourself! It's okay! Guess who, thirty seconds prior to popping out of the dark corridor, got spooked by their own reflection because they misjudged how close to the mirror they were! That's right! Probably the scare actor!

Listen, easiest way to know you're not getting touched or separated forcibly from your group is this: did you sign a consent form saying the spooks can touch you? No? Cool, the least they're probably gonna do is tap your shoulder. They have rules, my dudes, to protect them from you! Yeah that's right, because in here, YOU are the unknown. YOU hold the power. YOU are the reason a scare actor is scary by either running away or screaming or standing there with your phone out asking about their Fortnite handle or some shit. And... flossing. Or whatever this is...

But I am mondo serious. This is a judgement-free, genuinely concerned for your well-being statement. You think you can't handle the scenario because hey, zombie-virus apacolypses conceptually bum you out? Flashing lights and sudden noises ain't your thang? Clowns?

And YOU also bring in the dangerous element of kicking and punching and and possibly shoving someone's face into a tray full of vomit and condiments (I am ABSOLUTELY judging here, y'all, you sick fucks out there are just mean). Crowds of civilians are far more frightening than crowds of scare actors. Know why? A scare actor has a set of parameters to work in: Zombie, Demon, Clown, Ghost. We all know and accept what those roles entail. Know what role the patron has? Self-aware target. And when you take yourself too seriously? Entitled person who thinks they have, because "they pay for them to have a job", a captive audience. Gag. They're the biggest monster. They're the ones who kick and tug and touch and throw and wreck shop because... they're bored? Okay, sure.

Right. This has gone a bit too barbed and a bit too long...

I feel you. Take it from the BIGGEST mark. I get tachycardia from just thinking about telling someone they dropped five bucks. But take it also from someone who has been a fairly successful spook. It's an agreement that we're both entering here: you suspend your belief, and in return, I respect your boundaries. Granted, there will always be outliers and jerks. I'm not speaking for them. I'm asking on behalf of the folks who like to have a little fun and get a little scared, and with an unspoken wink and nod, share that moment with you.

TL;DR: If you can't take the scare, please, stay out of the haunt.

Okay, keep it weird, and thanks for coming to my TED talk.

#gg ramble #long post #woops i got on a soapbox #i know I'm screaming into the void here #but please #be kind #scare actors #haunted attractions

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promptsforthestrugglingauthor · 7 years ago

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Hi, first I love this blog so much! It’s so amazing! 💕 Second, I’m writing about a werewolf-ish pack (there are seven werewolves “children” + an alpha 1998 years old and her wife, a 3006 years old mermaid), and I a teenage girls (neighbor of them) gets sick, but no one knows what does she exactly has (because a bad faeries made her ill, but the only ones that know it are the wolfs)... do you have any tips for how could I make it more “realistic”? (I know nothing of this is realistic) Please💝

I mean, I’m not entirely certain what you’re aiming to make more realistic (the illness, the scenario, or something else). I’m afraid I can’t target specific advice because of that, but I can do my best to give you some baseline advice!

Give each character a relatable/realistic personality. Whether or not your characters are creatures that actually exist, their personalities are doing to determine how readily the reader buys into the premise. If they’re enjoyable, realistic, and relatable, readers will gladly suspend belief for the duration of the story.

Don’t quickly solve/dismiss problems. With this girl’s illness, you probably want to have to take some time analyzing and attempting to figure out what’s wrong before trying to heal her. Just brushing over this point of conflict will make things unrealistic.

Establish rules for your creatures. If you keep consistent rules/limitations/lore for your creatures, then things will appear far more realistic than if you don’t.

#asks #writing help #writing tips #writing advice #writing realistically

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arabellafaith · 7 years ago

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Prompt 19 "The paint's supposed to go where?" for S.O.S. please?

Ok, this one threw me for a minute I'll admit. I could see how it could go in Bodyguard, but it took some thinking for S.O.S. Anyway, hope you like how it turned out!***“The paint’s supposed to go WHERE?”Yuri snorted and took the little pot of paint from Otabek’s outstretched hand. “Just shut up and let me put it on. You’re such a baby sometimes!”“Hey, yours doesn’t have any questionable paint placement!”“That’s because there’s not much to mine.” Yuri grinned wickedly.“Remind me again why we’re doing this?”“Because it’ll be fun. Because you haven’t been out of the house in three weeks, which is a week longer than what we agreed would be the longest you’d stay inside for. And because-” Yuri chuckled when Otabek yelped, the cold paint raising goosebumps on his skin. “Because you look hot in this.”“I’m offended on behalf of monks everywhere.”“At least it’s not a REAL monk’s robes.”“There’s only so much sacrilege I’m willing to commit in the name of festivity.”“See? It could be worse. Now shut up before you make me smear the paint.”Otabek obligingly sealed his lips. Five minutes later, Yuri stood and proclaimed his masterpiece finished. Otabek twisted to look down at the foux tribal tattoos Yuri had painted along his ribs and over his right pectoral. He very studiously ignored the bit of silver at his nipple that made it look alarmingly realistically pierced.“So. Tell me again what our story is.” Yuri tightened his ponytail and then began lacing up his boots.“I’m a monk who’s taken a vow of silence. Which I don’t think is actually a thing they do, by the way-”“You’re a fantasy writer. Suspend belief for a minute, will you?”“Fine. Anyway, I’ve taken a vow of silence, and you’re an assassin-”“A slutty assassin.”Otabek rolled his eyes. “A slutty assassin, sent to kill me.”“But then our eyes meet, and even without words, we know that we were meant to be together.” Yuri put both hands over his heart dramatically.“Can monks even get married?”“Married? Who said anything about marriage? Maybe I just want you for your hot monk bod.”“Pretty sure if they’re not allowed to get married, then they’re not allowed to fuck.”“Well the vow-of-silence-taking, tattooed types of monks can stick their dick wherever they want. It’s convent law.”“I don’t think monks live in a convent.”“Whatever. The point is, bow chicka wow wow.” Yuri shimmied his hips seductively and Otabek laughed.“You know, we could just play out this scenario in bed,” Otabek suggested hopefully. Yuri scowled at him.“And not get to show off this outfit? No fucking way. You’re the one who said I should try to make nice with the old man and the piggy. I’m making nice by going to their Halloween party, and I’m not going alone. Now put your shoes on, monk, or we’re gonna be late.”“Fine,” Otabek huffed, wrapping the bright orange length of fabric that was serving as his top more tightly around his torso. “But when we get home, this monk wants to ravish you in a very un-monk-like way.”“Maybe the assassin will ravish you first,” Yuri purred.Otabek swallowed hard. “Are you SURE we can’t just stay in bed?” Yuri laughed again and shook his head, pulling Otabek through the door. “Alright, alright. One more question. Why would anyone want to kill a monk who doesn’t speak?”“Stop poking holes in my story,” Yuri demanded. “You’re the writer here. You come up with a reason!” Otabek laughed and kissed him.

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terranoctis · 4 years ago

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epic i

I am going to attempt to sum up my personal thoughts every so often on stories I consumed during a period of time. If my reading habits are sustained in the next period of my life as I take personal time to read, write, and relocate my belongings (I’m currently in the process of moving into another room), these thoughts will be recorded every week or two. Since it’s been my first week, I thought I’d start it off to get a sense of how I shape these thoughts. There will be spoilers for stories if you have not yet read them, so please be warned.

1. The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

I did not know what to expect starting this novella, but I was pleasantly surprised by the story and writing as a whole. Any time a story ventures into a narration style that differs from standard first-person or third-person, I find it quite refreshing at times and fun to analyze. The oral storytelling weaved within written storytelling for this novella is handled beautifully, and adds a layer to the conclusion the story comes to.

The novella has two modes of narration. One follows Chih, a non-binary individual who is interacting with an older, former serving lady of the titular empress. The other mode exists in the old lady telling events of her life with the empress to Chih. There are touches in the narration of storytelling within the story that flow and fit so well into the larger arc of the story, and namely, the sort of pleasant surprise we, as a readers, are unaware of. I enjoyed that the novel was a series of vignettes in the lady’s life and her empress’ life, along with Chih’s understanding of it as someone who is recording history.

I’m fond of the writing-style Vo has in this novella, so I’m looking forward to reading the sequel novella and her future novels as time allows me to do so.

2. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

It’s difficult to characterize this novel as solely science-fiction (as it is not). If one had to place it in a genre, there is something about this story that feels more like poetry and romantic fiction at times than the umbrella science-fiction genre it falls under. By the time I finished the novel, I was struck with how romantic the entire story was. It’s less about time-traveling and wars between two time-traveling species than it is about how two individuals caught between these hostilities and how their relationship develops as they leave letters for one another on battlefields, in places they inhabit, and in manners that are quite unique to them.

If you can suspend your belief a bit for the specific technicalities of the time traveling, and look at in a more abstract manner, the writing works beautifully--and hauntingly--so. This novel is less about the story and a war than it is about the emotions these two evoke from one another, though the war is definitively the backdrop to their relationship.

As mentioned above, there’s something wonderful in reading narration that strays away from standard conventions and this story is written largely in part as letters between two people. It’s a bit soppy if you’re not a romantic, but lucky for me, I can be a ruthless romantic at times, and the few days I read this happened to be a time when I was in that mood. If you can let yourself just simply fall into a world of love letters and longing, then this is a beautiful novel.

I wonder how I would feel about this novel if I was bitter over love and the future. I cackle at that thought.

3. Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson

Truthfully, I started this novella awhile back, but only recently had the chance to finish it. Lift is probably one of my favorite newly introduced characters to the Stormlight Archive books, and this novella introduces her beautifully. I could gush on about how much I enjoy Sanderson’s writing for days, but right now, I want to emphasize how Sanderson has these key beats in his stories and dialogue that never fail to make me laugh. After having read all the seriousness of shardblades and how they are formed from spren, the sheer hilarity of Lift turning her spren Wyndle into a shard fork is one of the funniest things I’ve read all year.

Stories I’m Currently Reading/Listening To:

1. Listening To: Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

I’ll write more thoughts as I finish the story, but I have to say I love how the narrator (and the actress who is reading this audiobook for that matter) frames it much like a dark fairytale. It’s eerie and has that classic gothic feel to it while still being wonderful and humorous. The audiobook has been great company for me to have while I’m moving books into my new room.

2. Reading: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

I’ve heard numerous good things about this trilogy and having gotten through like the first fifth of this novel, I absolutely understand why. I envy the way Arden has written snow because her style of writing for the world that this takes place in makes me wish I could write my scenarios in snow half as well.

3. Listening To: The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

I started this before all the stories mentioned above, but because I had to pause listening to it for awhile to focus on work, I’ve been slowly bouncing back to listen to it between shorter stories. I’ve been starting with shorter stories to help me relax and focus. R.F. Kuang still is an amazing writer and I just want to know what happens to Rin and Kitay.

4. Reading: Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson

Now that I’m done with Edgedancer, I can fully dive into the behemoth that is Oathbringer, and Rhythm of War after.

#personal #.chrysalis.#reading and ramblings

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delhi-architect2 · 5 years ago

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Journal - One Rendering Challenge 2020: Competition Winners Announced!

Architizer is thrilled to announce the winners of the inaugural One Rendering Challenge! Reviewing a stellar shortlist of 100 architectural renderings and their stories, our esteemed jury have selected 2 top winners — one non-student and one student entry — along with 10 fantastic runners-up.

The top winner in the Non-Student category was “Zoom to the Future” by Carlotta Cominetti, Tamás Fischer and Camelia Ezzaouini of visualization studio Virginlemon. Their rendering tells the story of an elderly man resting his weary feet in the courtyard of his residence … with a futuristic twist. Mengyi Fan, One Rendering Challenge juror and Director of Visualization at SHoP Architects, had this to say about the image: “Sometimes it’s satisfying to see artists use the incredible arsenal of tools we have today to create scenarios beyond those that replicate reality. The artist of ‘Zoom to the future’ has used them creatively to literally and metaphorically create a thrill ride without sacrificing craftsmanship and interesting composition.”

The top winner in the Student category was “Lifting Longyearbyen” by Brandon Bergem, a student at the University of Toronto. Bergem’s image was inspired by the dramatic, barren landscape of Svalbard, Norway. Mengyi Fan loved the composition, describing it as “a complex construction built of layers on layers, tied together seamlessly with skillful control of color and lighting. I love the muted color story presented here — the subtle bit of muddiness reinforces the artificial nature of the carefully crafted environment.” Visualization expert and juror Peter Guthrie commented: “This is not the sort of image I would typically be drawn to, but on repeated viewing, it keeps giving more and more. I love all the details and obvious effort that has gone into it.”

In partnership with Fiverr’s new architecture and building design services, we’re delighted to present each top winner with a grand prize of $2,500, along with pro rendering software from the likes of Chaos Group, Adobe Substance, Evermotion and Quixel. Without further ado, take in the winners of the 2020 One Rendering Challenge, including both the renderings and their accompanying stories…

Non-Student Winner: “Zoom to the Future” by Carlotta Cominetti, Tamás Fischer and Camelia Ezzaouini (Virginlemon)

This rendering is mostly about the future: A future project, a future vision, a future situation. There’s always something that persists, protecting our life’s routine. Imagine waiting for your dear to come back home after work; it’s late and cold, your courtyard (in need of a refresh for years) is dark, and you have to keep a safe distance from the trash. Neighbors are chatting behind enlightened windows. You’ve been living in this building for almost 14 years. You know by heart every crack, every leak, every pot containing every dead plant. You have seen dozens of families moving out and moving in. The world outside is speeding up.

The elevator is out of service, again; you have to take the stairs and that’s f***ing annoying!

Please take your time to zoom in! #full3D #zerophotoshop

Student Winner: “Lifting Longyearbyen” by Brandon Bergem (University of Toronto)

This is a scene from the incomplete Museum of Natural History to Ultima Thule. An official from the governor’s office exclaimed: “The ground is melting!” She cautioned the town folk that “We can no longer trust the permafrost.” The governor needed to devise a strategy simultaneously mitigating the unrelenting bombardments by natural forces while maintaining the town’s natural heritage.

Her innovative solution was to remove and lift the houses from their foundations and insert them into a mega-structure, tall enough to hover above the impending flood. The townsfolk were relieved to see that their cheerfully painted homes were unharmed. A collective pride inspired the community to rename their town from Longyearbyen to Askeladden, a name derived from Ashlad, a small child from Norwegian folklore who succeeds when all others failed.

Commended Entry: “Joey Loves Monday” by Adonis Gabriel Gumba (Binyan Studios)

A big house with an open plan. A swimming pool on all sides. Magnificent views all day long. A hot sun and breezy nights. Seafood all the time. Joey lives here … He’s in fifth grade, loves to draw and is good at math. He’s very good in class. He never misses school; in fact, he’d be in school even on weekends if it was allowed. He promise himself he’ll go to college and finish study. He wants to be an astronaut. He’s certain he will be.

Must be realistic. Create the non-existent. Emphasize the beauty. Highlight the potential. Visualize a dream. Make it feel real…

This is my attempt to render something more than realistic. Inspired and referenced from ” stilt houses” in Philippines, Myanmar, China and Bangkok.

Commended Entry: “The Vent” by Dennis Allain (Dennis Allain ADI)

The Vent is an architectural exploration based on a world overcome by structure. From a design perspective, I had been interested in this idea of construction and how it can overcome that which was once thought valuable and beautiful. The object of past idealism is portrayed in the white structure placed in middle ground.

In setting up the composition, it was important to use the bridge to extend the viewer into the image. The water and refuse in the foreground was also an attempt to add depth. The background also played a role in creating depth and defining silhouette of the city. As an artist, I am constantly trying to perfect a color pallet and examine how form, color, value and texture work in concert to tell a story that resonates with the viewer.

Commended Entry: “Electric Rain” by Vittorio Bonapace (Vittorio Bonapace Studio)

A moment, suspended in time. Feel the vibe in the rain. Get inspired by city night reflections. Moody, cinematic and a little futuristic, this image aims to express one’s lonely feelings on a cold rainy night, and the desire for a warm, safe place where one can find energy again, after walking in solitude. The rendering represents the continuous relationship between what a city gives you and what a city takes from you.

Commended Entry: “The First Day of Spring” by Maciej Józefiak and Rafał Stachowicz (AESDE)

This image is a reflection on architectural visualizations in general. Architectural visualization aims to present architectural visions in an attractive, interesting and complete way. Its task is to show how the architectural design will become a finished, existing building. The attractiveness of visualizations, with a superficial approach to the subject, is usually limited to showing the object within fake and unreal scenery. However, is bending reality necessary to create a successful frame? Does a good visualization have to mean a caricatured image full of happy people?

The reality that surrounds us is completely different. This does not mean, however, that it is less interesting. On the contrary, the world around us is full of inspiration to create an image which, in addition to the banal external appearance, presents the world in an intriguing and truthful way.

Commended Entry: “Urban Farm Temple” by Duy Phan (Monash University)

Melbourne will be home to 8.5 million people by 2050. Infrastructure does not keep up with the population, leading to the construction area of residential areas. More and more people have to expand their homes into farming areas, while the demand for food constantly increases to meet the daily consumption needs of the population. The picture of the food supply becomes even darker when the bushfires kill millions of animals and plants and cause severe air pollution.

In the near future, food will become a new religion, where hungry megacities devour dozens of tons of vegetables and meat every day, continually running out of supplies. In the heart of the city — the deepest place in the desert of concrete created by ourselves to be isolated from nature — the Temple of Urban Food offers a picture of the future tense, where the green of vegetables brings belief in urban people’s survival.

Commended Entry: “Deadline” by Erik Peter (Pixelateit)

We’ve all been there. It is the last day of the last week before holidays — the busiest time of all. You can not wait to go home. But there is still so much work to get done before that happens … So let’s just do it! While we are working hard and having fun, there is no time to notice how cold it is outside, how steam and smoke from traffic and chimneys is rising above the rooftops, and how the snowflakes are flying about. There will be enough time for all that, on our way home … Once we meet the deadline.

The building’s façade is inspired by the Greifswalder Office Building designed by Tchoban Voss Architekten in Berlin, Germany. The rooftops are akin to typical Berlin scenery, to be true to the original location of the building.

Commended Entry: “Time Traveling” by Tigran Hakobyan (theRENDER)

It’s an interesting and challenging thing: To tell a story with one still image. During thoughts about it, I saw ”Antwerp Port House” designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, which has amazing contrast of an old building and a new futuristic shape. It perfectly demonstrates the connection between centuries. That’s why I chose to show time traveling.

Like the movie ”The Time Machine (2002)” in which the main hero time traveled using a Machine that stays static in its location, the rendering shows how the atmosphere and the surroundings are changed by going back in time, while the main building stays the same.

Commended Entry: “Dog, Bird and Man” by Toni Schade (sonaar)

There is no rational concept for this image, but a strong reference with a strong feeling: The movie Nostalghia (1983) by director Andrej Tarkowskij and its magical final scene — A Russian farm house, a man and a dog and a camera that is slowly moving backwards to reveal that this very scene is embedded in the ruin of a seemingly enormous Italian cathedral. It is an image about home and outland, one so strong and so emotional that it stuck in my mind ever since I watched the movie for the first time about 15 years ago.

Commended Entry: “Orchard Jenga – Start of the Night Shift” by Duy Phan (Monash University)

To cope with urban heat island effect and lacking trees canopy coverage in cities cramped context, on top of the existing two-level car park, Orchard Jenga proposes to plant not only trees but eatable vegetations vertically, casting healthy shadow for open public space underneath. The facility produces organic fresh foods for the nearby Queen Victoria Market by applying the technology from the adjacent University of Melbourne research centre.

Covered by the transparent water tank, the unique façade allows semi visual connection from in and out by caustically reflecting and refracting the light when it passes through. The image is captured at the moment of a night shift begins to start. As those last sun rays pour on the side façade, the aquaponic lights illuminate from the inside. It is not intentionally blending itself with the context but is proudly vivid, stating the message of the city’s sustainable future.

Commended Entry: “Architecture Survives the Idea” by Yuliya Arzhantseva (A+I)

Architecture is function combined with esthetic. And when architects create something, they make an assumption of how people are going to interact with their brainchild. This bus stop is an example of how architecture storytelling changes with time. Made in the soviet time bus stops like this one also had an ideological function – to tell a story of the country people were living in. But architecture lives longer than ideas.

With time the USSR’s brutalist oasis in the middle of nowhere became a shabby reminder of the past. Instead of a buzzy crowd of local workers, there is a cow grazing on grass. And the modern man is standing, detached, near the stop. He doesn’t want to interact with the idea of what this bus stop embodies. It’s now better for the cow – they don’t care. Because ideas pass by, but architecture stays.

As our two top winners, the Virginlemon team and Brandon Bergem will each receive:

$2,500 prize money

Annual Pro subscription to Substance, Adobe’s 3D Texturing Software

1 annual license for V-Ray or Corona Renderer, users’ choice

200 Chaos Software Ltd. Cloud credits

5 3D model collections by Evermotion

6-month subscription to Quixel 8K resolution Megascans

Access to Quixel Bridge and Quixel Mixer

Featured entry in the inaugural “One Rendering” eBook

Further to this, the 10 commended entries shown above will receive a prize package of professional rendering software worth over $700. Revealed last week, the top 100 renderings will feature in the first “One Rendering Challenge eBook, to be distributed to thousands of architecture firms via newsletter and social media channels. Watch out for this stunning publication, coming soon! There will also be further features on the winners in the coming weeks.

Thank you to all participants for their hard work in creating these amazing renderings and telling fascinating stories about architecture. If you are interested in entering next year’s One Rendering Challenge, be sure to sign up for updates by clicking the blue button below.

In the meantime, keep on rendering!

In Partnership With

The post One Rendering Challenge 2020: Competition Winners Announced! appeared first on Journal.

from Journal https://architizer.com/blog/competitions/one-rendering-challenge-2020-winners-announced/ Originally published on ARCHITIZER RSS Feed: https://architizer.com/blog

#Journal #architect #architecture #architects #architectural #design #designer #designers #building #buildings

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supertrendingnewsarticles · 6 years ago

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For Love of My People I Will Not Remain Silent: On the Situation of the Church in China, published in English this year, is a series of eight lectures by Joseph Cardinal Zen. Cardinal Zen delivered the lectures in Hong Kong in 2017. The lectures are an account of the state of the relationship between the Church within and the Church outside China from 2000 to 2017, focusing on a letter written by Pope Benedict to Chinese Catholics in 2007 and on diplomatic relations between the Vatican and the Church in China.Though the plight of faithful in China may currently be overshadowed by the many high-profile sexual-abuse scandals within the Church, the persecution faced by Catholics in the avowedly atheist country should not be disregarded. But it is not the Chinese government’s oppression of religious minorities that Zen focuses on. In his lectures he details the incompetence and corruption of Church officials in their handling of the complex and tense relationship between Vatican officials and diplomats, the state-run Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (PCA), and the underground Catholic Church in China.The PCA has historically operated under the auspices of the ruling Communist party rather than Rome, appointing its own bishops without Vatican approval and thereby rendering those bishops latae sententiae excommunicants. Pope Benedict XVI in 2006 formally excommunicated two PCA-appointed bishops and the two bishops who had ordained them. The underground Catholic Church in China is in good standing and full communion with Rome but lacks the approval of the Chinese government and therefore suffers persecution.Some Chinese Catholics loathe the state-run Church as an empty apparatus intended for control rather than sincere devotion, some believers trust only the state-sanctioned Church, and some do not bother to distinguish between the two, since the difference is not in rite or theology but in ecclesiological administration. Zen, who is still outspoken in his disapproval of the provisional agreement signed on September 22 of last year, criticizes the prevarications of the Vatican in its dealings with the Church in China in For Love of My People. He condemns the strategy of “compromise and surrender” and says that the “Curia has always tried to please the Chinese government.”In 1988, the Vatican issued eight points on Catholicism in China. The provisional agreement signed last year is in discord with them. In the eight points, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples decreed that PCA ordinations were valid but not licit. But under the agreement, in what Pope Francis has claimed is an attempt to foster healing and unity among Chinese Catholics, the distinction between PCA and Catholic bishops has been erased. Francis has recognized eight bishops (one deceased) appointed by the PCA in Beijing as in full ecclesial communion with Rome, even though they were appointed with flagrant disregard for the Vatican and, in some cases, had been previously excommunicated.While the agreement is a step toward repairing the rift within the Chinese Church, it has left Catholics who have long fought for the underground Church in China feeling subverted and betrayed. Pope Francis has admitted that the agreement will not necessarily end the suffering of Chinese Catholics. The pope has also lamented “the suffering for those who don’t understand, or who have so many years behind them of living clandestinely.” Catholics such as Cardinal Zen who have long encouraged opposition to the PCA suddenly find the Vatican itself seeking common ground with the organization.Unity of believers is a worthy and principal goal, but proper form and the authority of the Church should not be sacrificed in achieving it. Zen decried the agreement before and after it was signed, seeing it as an attempt by the Church to ingratiate itself with China’s ruling party rather than defend true believers. Zen rightly notes of Vatican officials that “if today they go along with the regime, tomorrow our Church will not be welcome for the rebuilding of the new China.”Zen discusses myriad examples of the incompetence that plagues the Church. One is that Pietro Parolin, the secretary of state appointed by Francis, has allowed the Catholic commission for the Church in China to lapse, no longer facilitating its meetings. Zen also mentions that Father Federico Lombardi, the former director of the Press Office of the Holy See, allowed himself to be interviewed by Phoenix Television, one of the few private television networks officially permitted by Hong Kong’s government. Zen suggests that Phoenix is not a neutral outlet. The channel has come under criticism in recent years for the government influence in its programming. In 2016, the channel suspended airing of several popular political-commentary shows because of “ideological mistakes” by the hosts.Zen also tells of Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, who at a Vatican symposium on organ transplants invited as a guest of honor Dr. Huang Jiefu, China’s former deputy health minister. Huang has publicly taken credit for a decade-long reform effort in the Chinese medical community. In 2005, as vice health minister, he admitted that over 90 percent of the transplant organs in China were harvested from executed prisoners, but he promised reform of the medical system.His high rhetoric notwithstanding, Huang did not seem to effect much change. In June 2016, the U.S. Congress unanimously condemned China’s "state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting," in a resolution alleging that the Chinese Communist Party was continuing the practice in secret and that it was killing “non-consenting prisoners of conscience,” including religious and ethnic minorities.Zen is a dedicated, orthodox Catholic and he indicates no disobedience to the pope by his criticisms. In his last lecture, Zen says, “I will never lead a rebellion against the Pope” if he signs an agreement with the Chinese government. “I will quietly withdraw to the monastic life of prayer and penance.” But a weak and feckless Church that is not willing to fight brazenly for the truth will not inspire many future witnesses like Zen. A Church that does not devote itself to its own teachings is an empty institution.Zen does not leave us without hope for the Church, or for the Church in China. He is our hope. He is the voice crying out in the desert, refusing to be satisfied with half-truths or cowardly deference. Like Christians in other countries hostile to Christianity, Zen in his unwavering dedication to God is an example and testament to all Christians.Zen concedes that there is true belief in both the underground and the official state Church in China. “We came to realize that our categories were too sharply divisive,” he says, “when in reality there were so many healthy forces.”He does not hesitate to point out the failure of the Church to communicate adequately with Chinese Catholics. In 2007, Pope Benedict wrote a letter intended to provide clarity to the Church in China. The letter was meant to be ready by Easter, Zen says, but the final copy was not published until the end of June. Moreover, the final Chinese copy had mistakes and sentences mistranslated. “What a shame that a letter addressed precisely to the people of China had so many errors in the Chinese translation,” Zen laments.In the last of his eight lectures, given on June 28, 2017, Zen, compares being a Catholic in China to living in a cage. He says that the provisional agreement between China and the pope, which was not yet signed at the time of his writing, will further stifle Chinese Catholics in their ability to worship: “To us, a terrifying scenario is unfolding, the sellout of the Church! Not reconstituted unity, but a forced cohabitation in the cage. From the point of view of the faith, we cannot see any gain.”If Catholics have learned anything from the recent crimes propagated in the Church, it should be that there is no mercy without justice. Passivity and capitulation among clerics in the face of injustice or persecution should not be tolerated; and no government or institution, including the tangled bureaucracy of the Catholic hierarchy, is above reproach.These criticisms of the Church’s entreaties to China come not from an aggrieved anti-cleric but from a cardinal in good standing. Zen’s lectures are not a condemnation of authority but rather a call for the Church to act as a strong authority and an uncompromising garrison of virtue. Clerics should not shy away from their commitment to Christian teaching. They should be fortified by it.Hope for Catholicism in China lies in the hands of Cardinal Zen and those who, like him, are willing to defend the faith even without strong support from the Vatican. The Church on Earth will be preserved not by equivocations and incompetent bureaucracy but by the Church Militant. Zen reminds us that it is the Catholics who are steadfast in their devotion to the sacraments and doctrine who will preserve the Church, and that nothing less than martyrdom, be it red or white, is the seed of the Church.

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harryandmeghan0-blog · 6 years ago

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Meghan Markle has gone from being a breath of fresh air for the Royals to the wicked witch - The Sun

New Post has been published on https://harryandmeghan.xyz/meghan-markle-has-gone-from-being-a-breath-of-fresh-air-for-the-royals-to-the-wicked-witch-the-sun/

Meghan Markle has gone from being a breath of fresh air for the Royals to the wicked witch - The Sun

WHEN Meghan Markle moved from the set of a little-known television show to the pink and golden world of the Royal Family, everyone seemed to be very happy.

She went out once while not wearing tights and many people jumped up and down with glee, saying this was a radical departure for the royals.

Splash News

Where Meghan Markle’s smile was said to light up a room – it’s now often described a sneer

Meghan Markle joins Prince Harry for annual Boxing Day shoot quashing rumours she’d banned him from royal tradition

Then she turned up at a party wearing burgundy nail polish. And everyone who noticed immediately fainted with joy.

“Yes!” they squeaked. “She is someone the Royal Family needs — a black, American, Roman Catholic divorcee with bare legs, racy fingernails and healthy views on feminism!”

There was even a suggestion that if you looked carefully on the internet, you could find a picture of her wearing no top. Brilliant.

But then, after about seven minutes, everyone suddenly decided she’s actually a witch.

Splash News

The country literally stood still when Meghan and Prince Harry wed back in May

These days, there are always those willing to have a pop at beautiful women, writes Jeremy Clarkson

First came news she’d complained about the smell in the church where she was married.

And that she’d gone out in public with a price tag still attached to her frock.

And that she was bossing Prince Harry about and having arguments with her sister-in-law.

When a couple of members of her staff announced they were leaving, everyone knew for sure this was because she is a terrible woman who sits in her kitchen every night hitting puppies over the head with a shovel.

Getty – Pool

The gloom was lifted – briefly – when Meghan and Harry announced that they were having a baby

Meghan Markle laughs and says she is ‘very pregnant’ during visit to Royal Variety care home

And all the time, we had her ridiculous father cropping up on every TV show to say he loves her and is so sad he wasn’t at the wedding and even more unhappy that she never responds to his texts.

Which, translated from media-speak, means: “I hate her! I hate her! I hate her! And can I have a bit of money, please?”

At this rate, it won’t be long before she is stripped and forced to walk naked through the streets of York while people with skin diseases chant “Shame!” and throw excrement at her.

I can’t understand why this is happening. You don’t know her. I don’t know her.

Getty Images – Getty

Ultimately, there is little evidence that Meghan and Kate Middleton are at odds with each other

Kate Middleton says she’s very excited for Meghan and Harry’s baby

So why have we all suddenly decided she should be mocked and pilloried for every little thing she ever does?

When all is said and done, she is just a very pretty girl who’s married a former Army officer who will never, ever be king.

As a result, she will have less impact on your life than your postman’s wife.

You don’t hate her. So why on earth should you hate Meghan?

Getty – Contributor

Beautiful actress Meghan is now finding out how difficult stepping into the British royal family can be

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton brush off ‘rift’ rumours as they arrive side-by-side for Christmas Day service

It’s ridiculous, cruel and heartless — and unless she proves me wrong by going around at night urinating on homeless people, it needs to stop.

Santa’s Z-listers

Anyone who’s been paying any kind of attention over the last few days will have noticed that every single celebrity is currently on a sun-kissed beach with their bikini bottoms shoved halfway up their a**e.

I don’t get this. Christmas, New Year’s Eve and the “festive gooch” – as my son calls it – in between is a brilliant time to be at home.

BackGrid

Can’t think why celebs like Lauryn Goodman would rather sun themselves at Christmas than stay her in the cold and rain

Long, lazy days in front of the television, great food and endless trips to the pub, all garnished with a veneer of friends and family. It’s brilliant.

And I suppose if you think about it, it’s even better when you know that when you go to the supermarket, you’re not going to bump into a reality TV “star”. Because, like Lauryn Goodman, they’re all in Barbados.

What Price a new face?

BackGrid

Some might say that ‘broke’ Katie Price has got a lot of cheek

Katie Price chats to the camera as surgeon operates on her face in exclusive video

Katie Price has decided the best way to deal with her money worries and the possibility she might lose her driving licence is to . . . drum roll . . . have a face lift.

I fear this may be a mistake because in my experience, anyone who has their face moved about by a surgeon always looks worse afterwards.

What’s she done? Looked at a picture of Barry Manilow and thought, ‘Yes, that’s worked a treat’?

Penguin plan in a pickle

Over the last few years, the fish that used to swim about off the coast of southern Africa have all decided to move further south.

This has meant the number of fish-eating penguins on local beaches has fallen from more than a million to just 15,000.

E+ – Getty

Penguins appear more interested in the fish than the photo opportunities in southern Africa

Penguin chick abandoned by its mum in David Attenborough’s new BBC wildlife show Dynasties

Needless to say, local eco-mentals have decided they can address this – so they’ve built decoy penguins and are bombarding the beaches with lots of penguin squawking and squeaking.

It’s hoped real penguins will be fooled into thinking there’s a huge colony there and will come back. Where, because there are no fish, they will starve to death.

You’ve got to admire the ecos for their efforts. But sometimes you can’t help thinking the world would be a better place if they just left it alone.

Fracking ban due a shake-up

As we know, there is enough gas under the hills of Lancashire to keep everyone in Britain warm for about 1,000 years.

There is also the technology to get it out.

AP:Associated Press

In the UK, fracking is on shaky ground (if you’ll pardon the pun), writes Jeremy Clarkson

Geophysicist Heather Savage on geological connections between fracking and earthquakes

And there’s good reason, too. Because if we are producing our own gas, we aren’t reliant on Russia for supplies.

However, the fracking industry is held back by legislation saying if they cause an earthquake measuring 0.5 on the Richter scale, they must suspend all operations for the next two days. And if you want to know what an earthquake measuring 0.5 feels like, it’s simple.

Find a hardback dictionary. And drop it on the floor.

Slur’s a Brigitte too far

AFP

Mrs Macron, pictured with the French President, has come under fire for standing next to a homophobic man, writes Jeremy Clarkson

Emmanuel Macron kisses his then teacher Brigitte Trogneux who became his wife

The president of France’s wife, Brigitte Macron, is in trouble with the nation’s gays after posing for a picture with a man who is known to be rabidly homophobic.

So Mrs Macron doesn’t like gay men. Really?

Any sign of a bacon butty?

A pub manager who put up a sign in his window saying “NO VEGANS” has been slammed by vegetable enthusiasts who have climbed on to the discrimination bandwagon, saying it’s a hate crime.

No it isn’t. If you choose to spend your life eating seeds and licking rocks for moisture, you are obviously mad.

Getty – Contributor

It turns out vegetarians do have the strength to climb on the hate crime bandwagon

And no pub manager wants a raving lunatic rampaging around in the saloon.

I have a sign on my front door saying: “NO COLD-CALLERS.”

Yes, this means I’m discriminating against door-to-door salesman.

But I really don’t fancy heaving myself out of my armchair every night to be faced with a gurning imbecile who wants to sell me a rug.

Any port in a storm

I’m delighted to say that at no point over Christmas did my family bring up the subject of Brexit.

Reuters

Few were droning on about Brexit when they became stranded at Gatwick Airport

Gatwick airport chaos: ‘Drone killer’ used to fight ISIS shown in action in an army training exercise video

This is because we were all far too busy talking about the two days of chaos at Gatwick Airport.

And we all decided that by far the most likely scenario is there were no drones at all.

It was just a lot of people in high-visibility jackets saying, “I’ve just seen another one,” so they could have a day off work to do a bit of extra Christmas shopping.

Almighty is out of favour

Getty Images – Getty

You have to be sure people who seek power don’t have a God complex

Oh dear. It seems only 29 per cent of British people believe in God.

That seems very low . . . until you remember that only 27 per cent believe in Jeremy Corbyn.

Comment

THE SUN SAYS

EU citizens who have built lives in the UK must be welcomed – not threatened

Comment

BRENDAN O’NEILL

Sajid Javid is politician with guts — who stands by his words and beliefs

Comment

LEN MCKINSTRY

Will ANYONE rid us of the grotesque stealth tax of parking in a hospital?

Comment

THE SUN SAYS

Brussels have realised they’re forced to plug the gap if we leave with No Deal

Comment

THE SUN SAYS

Exercise is a more effective obesity cure than experts meddling with calories

Comment

QUENTIN LETTS

How UK will prosper after Brexit as countdown is to boom day not to doomsday

Not such a cunning plan

Worrying news from the front line. It seems Britain’s ports are seeing a huge rise in the number of clean, untraceable guns coming into the country.

Getty – Contributor

People are being shot, but let’s make sure this little chap is not harmed

This is obviously something the police must take very seriously.

But sadly, they were told this week that if Labour gets into power, they should use all their resources to catch people fox-hunting.

Sometimes you just want to give up.

Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8077312/meghan-markle-wicked-witch-controversy-jeremy-clarkson/

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morrisbrokaw · 6 years ago

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Lies We’re Told As Working Mothers

Preface: I am writing from my own experience because it is impossible for me to truly know what it is like to mother full-time. I would LOVE to hear similar takes on this post from different perspectives. It is so important to understand and empathize with each other’s struggles— not to compare but to support the different obstacles we face as caregivers.

The other day I was chatting with a friend of mine who was about to give birth to her first baby. She fretted over all of the things most of us do— what will happen once the baby is here? The sheer amount of “what ifs” is overwhelming to all of us and perhaps that is why these little lies we tell each other have become a part of the motherhood vernacular. Because I have worked through all of my pregnancies and early after the birth of both of my babies, there is a particular set of lies that are told to women who are worried about what kids will do to their trajectory in a professional sense. Much like my 20s, motherhood has been a series of experiences that have opened my eyes to the truth about being human— and that there is no sure thing in life except death. In all the lies we tell ourselves and others, we perpetuate the belief that things will always work out for the best. And you know, most often they do. But does it help to avoid considering the worst case scenario, too?

You’ll feel torn between your career and wanting to stay home with your kids.

Truth: You’ll feel guilty about enjoying the time you spend at work. You may find yourself looking forward to having the time and space to shed your “mommy” title for an hour or two only to feel saddled with regret an hour later. Motherhood changes us but it doesn’t strip us of who we were before we brought our babies home.

You’ll find a new support group through other working mothers.

Truth: You’ll find support in unexpected places, not always with other working mothers. Some feel your experiences should mirror their own, and others had an easier time adapting to the change. The important thing to remember is that what you are experiencing NOW is your journey. Anyone who doesn’t see that or tries to change your outlook or view of what you are experiencing isn’t going to give you the support you need.

You’ll be the person you were after baby.

Truth: It is impossible to predict the ways pregnancy and childbirth will change you. But if you can lower your expectations for the kind of mother you WANT to be and focus on becoming the mother you can be, with all your hopes, dreams, passions, and preferences in mind, you are able to focus on what you care about. The key is to give up control because we really can’t worry or hope our way into having the child we want. Motherhood helps you understand that control is never truly tangible, it’s something we invent to deal with the uncertainty of what we cannot change or influence.

Your instincts will kick in.

Truth: It takes longer for some of us to connect with our babies. No pregnancy, birth, or adoption is the same and many of us have mixed feelings when the baby does arrive. That doesn’t make you any less loving or able to give your baby what they need. Emotions are not black and white. The breadth of the human condition is constantly living in the gray area between these extremes.

It gets easier!

Truth: It’s a rollercoaster. There are moments of relief but in many ways, it gets harder. Trust that we become more experienced and with experience comes the ability to endure hardship with greater ease because we trust that we can survive it.

If you’re not breastfeeding, you’re not committed to giving your baby the best.

Truth: There are so many reasons mothers elect not to breastfeed. In my case, I was healthier and my family was safer when I was able to manage my ADHD with medication when already sleep deprived. That meant choosing to stop breastfeeding. Please do not let anyone make you feel like less of a mother because you made a choice that was right for your family. There is no room for shaming when you’re already struggling to find your own rhythm in this life. We cannot control the guilt that other mothers project on to us, so we all have to figure out how to use good boundaries or remove ourselves from toxic relationships masked by friends and family who believe they have the best of intentions.

You’ll never sleep again.

Truth: You’ll never feel fully rested again. But you will sleep. And you’ll get used to being tired and find ways to cope.

Your baby will come before everything else.

Truth: You will be conflicted about putting the baby’s needs before your own because intuitively you know your baby’s survival depends on you staying well. Unfortunately, so much of our attention goes towards what the new baby needs we fail to understand, unpack, or process what we’ve been through both physically, mentally, and emotionally. It can take some of us years to realize there is trauma behind the most beautiful moments of our lives. The trauma doesn’t have to be intertwined with our babies, but when we don’t turn inward to ask ourselves what we need, we begin to resent our babies and our partners.

You can be fulfilled and happy with your roles at home and at work.

Truth: There will be moments, even days and weeks when you feel like the balance is just right. But that’s the tricky thing about balance— it takes an amazing amount of work to stay in that position and none of us can do it forever. At some point, something has to give. The trick is to know that’s just part of life. Harmony and balance are to be enjoyed when we achieve them because it’s special— fleeting even, and if we’re so busy trying to suspend that feeling we forget to enjoy it when it arrives.

Postpartum depression feels like the baby blues but more intense, and it happens right after giving birth.

Truth: It can happen anytime within the first 18 months of giving birth and is also triggered when life feels like it gets to be too much. Postpartum depression can also look a lot like anxiety. They’re related and so often we think worrying is just part of being a mother, but excessive worry isn’t something you have to endure day in and day out.

Your relationship with your partner will improve.

Truth: I like to think of marriage— or any commitment you make to another person— is a whole separate entity that plays a role in your nuclear family. When you share in the role of parents, naturally someone is left doing a little more heavy lifting than the other. When you throw your work life into the mix, especially if you are managing people or have a high-pressure career, when you have to carry the burden of the brunt of childcare, it is really easy to feel used or unappreciated. Even if your partner expresses appreciation, our love languages are all different. Having a child can dig up all sorts of emotional baggage that plays out in bizarre ways. Knowing this may happen is half the battle.

The takeaway I’ve gotten from writing this list is this: When we— as mothers, put everyone else before ourselves, we carry a weight that even the strongest cannot bear to hold forever. You have to dictate your own standards by which you navigate the role of mother and career woman. When we are in tune with ourselves, we are better in tune with our babies and the people in our lives. When we can advocate for our needs, we teach our children to do the same. There is no type of mother that does this better than the other. It’s about looking inward and knowing what we need to be the truest version of ourselves. When we treat ourselves with respect, we give ourselves room to fail, room to feel a range of emotions, the permission to be irrational, petty and childish at times. We are able to make room to mother ourselves in a way that is so instrumental to being human. When we have empathy for our own struggles, we are able to have empathy for the struggles our children, spouses, friends, and co-workers face.

If you are struggling with any one of these examples above, please comment below. I’d love for us to be able to help each other by sharing our experiences, both positive and negative in a way that promotes empathy.

The post Lies We’re Told As Working Mothers appeared first on Wit & Delight.

Lies We’re Told As Working Mothers published first on https://workbootsandshoes.tumblr.com/

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colorfulsuitdestiny-blog · 6 years ago

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Humboldt Minnesota Cheap car insurance quotes zip 56731

"Humboldt Minnesota Cheap car insurance quotes zip 56731

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Im a 19 year old male and I have my own suzuki swift sport which I have worked hard for for the last few years. The only thing is my insurance is around 3000 a year (brand new car)........ I dont mind going on my mothers insurance for example, im not worried about not being able to build my own no claims bonus............................. I have done a small amount of research into going onto my mothers policy and it wasn't that much cheaper........................are there and other ways of legal going about this? Thanks for your time, Matt.""

How much does insurance cover?

I have blue cross shield insurance I am fourteen how much would I be for Invisalign On my bottom teeth? I got braces on my top years ago The insurance covered all of my tonsilectomy we paid nothing out of pocket.

Can i canel my ex-partners car insurance?

A month before we split up my ex but a whole years car insurance on my credit card. Now we are apart, and i have asked her to get a credit to refund as i dont drive and dont have the means to pay for this? Am i being unreasonable, she has said as we were together it is irrelevant, but as i havent paid for it yet and its essentially a pre-payment what should i do? It was made in my name (the payment) so can i simply unmake it?""

""If you have full insurance, and the car is totaled, will the insurance cover the car?""

I have full insurance, and got in a pretty bad accident. The car is totaled... wrecked. I had full insurance... but since it is almost completely destroyed, how will the insurance handle it? I got rear ended, and the car spun out of control, going 50 miles an hour. It knocked me out... By the way, I'm lucky I'm alive! And will never drive again in my life! I am 19...""

I crashed my vehicle and the auto insurance company will buy it from me. Next car = New Insurance company?

I crashed my vehicle and the auto insurance appraiser said AllState will purchase the vehicle from me because the cost to fix it will be more than what the car is worth. When I buy my next car, should I go with a different auto insurance company because my premium would go up if I stayed with AllState for the new vehicle?""

Cheap auto insurance?

I am looking for auto insurance......i have a dui on my record and im about to get my license back....so i need some suggestions on some cheap insurance.....i have already tried the general and dairy land....

Car mod insurances?

does a body kit cost alot on your insurances.if you no what percentage it increces. thanks

""I am looking for a good,affordable place to rent out to throw a party.In sacramento and surrounding areas?""

Does anybody know a good place.I just want to have fun and make sure people are safe ,but at an affordable price ?""

How much would i pay for car insurance? Estimate?

I know that it depends on a lot of factors but can you estimate how much i would pay for car insurance on a monthly basis - I am 18 years old - will be driving either a 1999 or 2000 model - will be attending college after the summer - clear background - this will be my first car - I live in a very wired and exotic place called MARYLAND

How to Find Quickly Best Term Life Insurance Quote?

What's a good place in california for insurance?

Can the car insurance find out that I have been in a car accident?

I have just gotten a new job and I said I havent been in a car accident, but I did twice. Are they gonna find out about it when they add me in their car insurance?""

Cheap UK car insurance for 22yr old?

Hi everyone, I'm looking for cheap UK car insurance for a 22 year old, who has had his license for 4 years, but with no NCB (been driving under company insurance). Any help would be greatly appreciated? Thanks, Matt""

If I add business to my car insurance?

and I have an incident/accident is it held against me on my policy. Situation is the company i work for want me to use my car for doing errands for them and they said there willing to pay the extra on my insurance if i add business use. My argument is if i have an accident will it go against the business or my insurance policy

Do all car insurance rates drop when you turn 25?

When I turned 25 everyone told me congrats that my car insurance rate would drop. I never heard of this. I asked around and some people said that that is not ALWAYS true. Is it? I use Esurance Auto Insurance. Do i need to call to get the discount. Is there even a discount. Do insurance companys automatically do it? Hmm.

Whats the difference between molina & caresource health insurance?

Which of these is the correct Republican opposition to universal healthcare?

A. The government can't run anything right B. Government-run healthcare will be too successful, and private insurance companies won't be able to compete As with the Obama is simultaneously a Muslim, a Radical Black Christian, and Godless Communist argument, sooner or later you are going to have to pick one and go with it...at least in this place some of us like to call reality ...""

Quick question about car insurance?

I would like to buy a car but the comprehensive insurance is going to be too expensive as I am a P-plater and inexperienced driver. The car is also too dear to place under 3rd party insurance only. I would like to put it under my parents insurance, but to put the car under my parents insurance, does that mean I will have to put the car under my fathers name when I actually buy and register the car at the RTA? Does my father also have to list me as frequent driver of the vehicle?""

How do i find my previous car insurance providers?

all the different car insurances details how can i track them?

Cheapest car to insure?

im looking to buy a car but im a 18 yr old male and my insurance will be very high. so im trying to find the cheapest car out there to insure and something good on gas. i know ill probably be paying around 3000 a year. but any ideas?

Anyone have experience with Western and Southern life insurance co.?

I am looking to purchase term insurance

Where is the best place to get an online car insurance quote?

Well, I just got a new car and need to get insurance. I was wondering what the best site is for insurance quotes and where I can get the cheapest insurance? Thank you in advance!""

Humboldt Minnesota Cheap car insurance quotes zip 56731

Can I dispute my insurance adjuster's estimate of value of a totaled vehicle?

I have a vehicle which was totaled. Insurer is Progressive. I live in WA, so the adjuster is not allowed to use NADA or KBB to determine value. He's supposed to provide fair market value. He got two estimates, both of which seem very low to me--less than half the replacement cost of a vehicle from the same year in the same condition. I've asked whether I can submit Craigslist listings from my half of the US to prove the value is higher. He says any documentation must be from within 150 miles of my home, which puts me at a disadvantage since I live in a rural area. I'm wondering: 1) Is my insurance company obligated to accept competitive estimates of value in determining my vehicle's value if I can find local shops that determine that the value is higher? 2) What mechanisms are in place to ensure that value estimates made by dealers are accurate, and can a dealer's estimate of value be disputed? 3) What other options do I have if my adjuster refuses to budge on value?""

Would car insurance be expensive for a Mazda RX-8?

expensive being around sportscar/ muscle car range or like a regular cars insurance?

Insurance for Kids?

I work at an insurance agency and have to give a presentation about insurance to grade school kids. Does anyone know where to find interesting info about insurance that kids would understand?

Next step after finding out your being kicked from auto insurance?

My boyfriend was on his parents policy with Met life and has been in 2 MINOR accidents in the last year and they told his dad either my boyfriend goes or everyone under that policy goes and they didn't tell us until a few days ago. Here's the kicker, he will be off the policy the end of the week. Will this make it harder for us to get him insured? How can a car incarnate company do this? He can't work without driving there and he can't drive there without car insurance. I don't know what to do. I currently have State Farm with my parents, would they let us open our own thing together even though we are not even technically engaged yet?""

Is there anyway to lower insurance rates after a traffic violation is on file?

Cheap Car insurance in Montreal?

Hi, I moved to Montreal on a new job and would like to take new insurance for my Toyota Corolla S 4DR. Any idea which insurance is cheap??""

How can i find a low cost insurance for my car?what are deductable and premium?

i have a insurance for my car and i want to know if i can pay less for the same coverage (basic or minimum)

How much will my insurance cost?

Im 18 and wanting to move out this august for college. The apartments im looking to rent is on average about 500 a month for me and im trying to figure out how much a month its going to cost me to live on my own. I have a 2002 Chevy trailblazer which is completely paid off. I dont know what insurrance company my parents have right now but i know for sure its not geico or progressive. I think its like blue shields or something or other. Any help is areciated! Thanks in advance!

How much does one pay per year for auto-insurance for a small city car in the UK?

UK car insurance for 17 year old male... Please Help...?

Hello, I am 17 and I am a male and now I am learning to drive and when I pass my test (well I hope I do) I want to get a car for transport to and from college and if I can get an Apprenticeship then also for use to get to that job. I want a car that will be safe and cheap to insure that has low running costs. Been 17 and male I know that insurance is high and this is why I am posting here for advice on cheap insurance and low running cost cars. Please do not say things like you are 17 and no car will be cheap or any stupid comments as this is not helpful. The lowest quote I have had is over 4,800 and that is on a Chevrolet Matiz. Thanks for any help and advice.""

Car Insurance Renewal - cooling off period?

My insurers have renewed my car insurance policy because I mistakenly thought the previous policy ended 5 days after it did. Their policy was considerably higher than I could get elsewhere. I have had 5 days cover - can I cancel without penalty?

Fully comp car insurance?

Hello wondering if I am covered to drive another car if we both have fully comp car insurance and if engine sizes have to match thanks

Regarding Health Insurance?

If I leave my employer and I have a health insurance from united healthcare for myself + my spouse. WIll it be possible that I can continue getting the insurance coverage......If Yes, how much more would I have to pay then?""

Need help with car insurance quotes?

i wanna get a used 2004 mazda rx-8. it has 68,000 miles on it and is a coupe, 2 doors. i really need just a guess, cause my online effort on all those sights is really driving me crazy. i don't know what half the stuff means. i'm 16 and would prolly be on my parents insurance, cause thats what my brothers doing. any ideas at what it would be per month?""

Car insurance and car note?

OK, I'm nineteen. I've been saving up for my first car. But the thing is, I have to pay insurance, and a car note on my own. My mother became homeless, and my father I do not know. My godparents took me in, and they can't afford to add me on their insurance. So, being that I have a part time job at McDonald's, and go to college, It seems as if I have no way of affording a car and insurance. I haven't checked the rates of insurance, but I do understand that they are high for teenage males, and always vary on the type of car you have. I don't want anything fancy, a four door car that gets me from A to B. Is there anyway I can afford this? Please and thanks!""

Insurance on a 2005 hyundai tiburon?

17 year old guy First car Blue exterior Automatic car 4-cylinder Allstate insurance

Will the check from the auto insurance company be in my name or my mom's?

under name of insured it has my mom's name and my name. the car is in my name. I hit a car and the insurance company is sending a check for the repair costs after the deductible. will the check be in my name or my mom's name??

Whats the cheapest way to get car insurance for a 17 year old male?

im a 17 year old boy learning to drive whats teh best car for me to get and cheapest way to insure it cheapest companies best cars for my age to insure thanks

DUI - charged but not convicted (yet) do I need to tell my insurance now or wait until conviction?

Help me find health insurance quick!! please!?

I dunno if I'm overreacting, but I've been researching esophigal cancer ( I was sick a lot a couple years ago, but I never thought it was long enough period of time, or frequent enough to cause any damage) and I would like to be checked out. It actually seems the more I read, the more i seem to feel like I'm having symptoms right now... I have been known to be a worrier... Could I worry myself to the point of feeling like my throat is burning? or that I'm burping a lot? (i'm probably swallowing lots of air right now ] and coughing (i've been known to gag and cough when I worry myself) I would like to go to the doctor asap, could someone please help me find an affordable health insurance plan. My zip is 16066, if that matters.. Thank you""

Cheapest car to insure/ run in UK for a 21 year old female?

Someone said Renault Clio. Then someone said no, because they're branded boy racers. Then someone said Vauxhall Corsa. But then they're supposed to break down frequently. I don't like Ford Ka's or Micra's. Help me please! Aha x""

Car insurance first time owner?

Hi, I'm an international student with USA drivings license in Fl. I'm covered by my boyfriends car insurance company in order to drive his car but that's everything what I have as insurance. I'm on my way on buying a new car and I don't know what to do. Because I have my driving's license for an less than year the rates are pretty high. Almost 500$ for a month. Does anybody know any cheap insurance company that will help me to overcome this obstacle and moreover is there any other trick that I can use in order to reduce the rates. Thank you in advance.""

Does anybody know where i can get very cheap car insurance?

i am a 17 year old driving who own a Tax Exempt Landrover. I have been quoted 3000 just about everywhere. I know that this should not be the price for a car made in 1972. could anybody help?

Insurance Quotes?

So i just started driving and my parents put my name under the title of our van because the insurance was cheaper. Well i would like to save up and get my own car, but they keep bringing up that the insurance would sky rocket. The van is a '03 Honda odyssey and the car i'm looking at is a '91 Toyota 4runner. If anybody could give me a ballpark estimate of how much the insurance will cost for one verses the other. I'm 16 and live in the zip code 80127. Dont know if any other info is needed. Thanks.""

Will insurance be different on any of the 5 Camrys?

My dad wants to get a new Camry. I really want the SE (i'm a 16 yr. old guy) But he doesn't want to pay a whole bunch more insurance. We have Allied. Our options are CE, LE, SE, XLE, Hybrid. Will there be a huge insurance difference?""

Humboldt Minnesota Cheap car insurance quotes zip 56731

""TRAVEL INSURANCE for South America, USA, Europe!?""

I have been quoted an obscene amount for travel insurance. I'm traveling from Australia and will be overseas for 12 months (1 day USA, Europe 2 weeks and Colombia the rest of the time). I need medical/valuable/flight cancellation etc insurance. The medical must include dental and not only emergency (I want to be able to go to the doc's for a checkup if need be). I would like an affordable price...""

Sr22 insurance Texas?

I need an sr22 insurance for Texas, but a cheap one. Any tip?""

What's the cheapest way of getting hire car insurance?

I don't really want to pay $25 a day for insurance excess reduction!!

What would happen to the insures if a private insurance company withdraw business from india or got bankrupt?

recently i have insured myself under private life insurance co for 35 years. at present i am 32 years. i want to know that supposed after 20/25 years the company got bankrupt or withdraw their business from india. will i get protection for my rest of life.

Female car insurance companies?

does any1 know any good cheap female car insurers?

Car Insurance Question?

First, I recently passed my road test and I am allowed to drive by myself. The problem is that the pink card (car insurance) has my parent's names on it and not mine. But, my parents recall putting me in a car insurance plan with them. So technically without my name on the card, I would be driving without insurance? And that's illegal right? (At least in Canada, Alberta) Would I be able to drive or no?""

""Can you give me an estimate of what it will cost to repair this dent in my car, picture included?""

A large tree limb fell on my car last night. I would like to have an idea of what it might cost to fix this before calling the insurance company. If it cost less to pay out of pocket that is the route I would like to take. Here is a link to the pic of the damage, which is on the passenger side of a 2001 Hyundai Accent. http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a163/janezanaddict/IMG_3079.jpg Thanks for your help!""

Best choice of car for 18yr old male FOR INSURANCE?

Im looking for a first car, but being a 18yr old male, all the insurance companies just look at that, deem me a Boy racer and whack an extra 600 average to my insurance! (I know this as i did the research.) So im actully asking 2 questions 1) What is the best cheap/cheapest car to run? 2) What is the best insurer to buy from? I dont really mind what sort of car i drive, so long as its not pink.""

Who took over an insurance company?

who now administers insurance policies previously administered by american health and life insurance company of new york

Insurance rates on sporty cars ?

Would insurance be absolutly insane for a 16 yr old in a 91 toyota mr2 turbo or a 95 mitsubishi eclipse gst or a 95 mustang gt or a 91 toyota mr2 non turbo? Does anybody know about the difference in rates for these cars ir cars like acura integras. Thanks

Would you pay 7.00 per gallon for gas if you could have universal government provided heath care insurance?

What is the average cost of Health Insurance adult woman who is a Registered Nurse per month?

Health Insurance for a healthy, non-smoker, fit woman???????""

Do parking tickets make your insurance go up?

i just got one last night for $40. guess i didn't have a permit to park on that street during those hours. i have state farm auto insurance. i'll pay it right away, but will it raise my insurance rate?""

Car insurance question. UK only please?

Me and my husband went bankrupt in NOV 2010 (long story) and basically, the things like car insurance and cable and internet and energy companies were fine as there were no credit checks as we were already with them. But now we have had a car insurance quote from our company to renew in mid-May, and it has gone up from 37 a month to 60 a month. So firstly, I wonder if the bankruptcy may have affected this new quote? And also, if we try and move to another company, will our bad credit caused by the bankruptcy and home repossession make companies refuse us? I don't see why, as our credit score is irrelevant to our driving, and we have never made a claim in the 20 years of driving, and have many years of no claims bonus. But someone we know said some companies may refuse us car insurance! Help anyone? Thank you.""

Question about sr22 insurance?

Ok I got into an accident back in 2003 and my license was suspended because of it I filled a sr22 with my insurance company and got my license reinstated but now their trying to suspended my license again can they do that?

Ok I don't udersrtand why for car insurance!?

I add my own details on car insurance, no accidemts etc and my quote is 190. i add my partner as an extra driver with a speeding fine and it goes down to 152""

Insurance for 1 day...?

I'm going to prom and I have a car but I can't drive it till the summer because that is when my parents wanted to get me insurance for me. The problem is I have prom this Saturday and I really want to go by myself without my parents dropping me off. I can't ride with friends cause I have a date. Just rule that idea out. Please help. Is there anyway I can have insurance for a day or something? It's just for one night and I have my license.

If I'm on someone else car insurance am I liable?

My old boy friend put me on his car insurance so I could drive his car. We are no longer together. If he gets in an accident could I get sued? He has nothing, but I do.""

Ca insurance rates question ?

My car insurance for me is almost $300 a month !! I have the chevy cruz ! Im 18 right now how long will it be till my rates go down a bit ??

Car Insurance when selling Car?

Ok the situation is as follows: I am selling my car for a new one. I have asked my current insurer to transfer my policy to the new car which is fine. However I then questioned about temporarily insuring my old car under the policy and they wanted a ridiculous amount of money for a week - I also do not know how long it will take to sell the car. I questioned the amount and asked what customers generally do when they wish to keep an old car insured. I was told that I could drive my old car on a 3rd party basis as my policy going forward covers me fully comprehensive. I thought fantastic - but then I was shocked when I was told that if I drive the car it is insured 3rd party only but as soon as I park it up somewhere it is uninsured and could be towed away by the police. I have since read my policy document which claim that I can drive any other car 3rd party providing I do not own the car and that there is already insurance in place? Can anyone clarify the above or provide advice. I am so confused and unfortunately are unable to call my insurer back now or over the next couple days? Thanks in advance

What legally and financially happens if your car is totaled? How much would insurance go up?

Would it be better fiscally to not tell the insurance company? What are they suppose to do if your car is totaled? I have Geico.

Cheapest car insurance for 1.4L Polo - 17 years old.?

i have a 2001 Volkswagen Polo 1.4 Automatic i cant get any automatic small engine cars, the smallest is 1.4L, theres the 1.0L auto Vauxhall Corsa - but i don't want that, everyone has it. What company does the cheapest insurance? Quinn Direct have gone bust. UK""

""Any companies you would recommend for cheaper car insurance rates (in Ontario, Canada)?

I've been calling around some of the major companies and the quoted rates have been sky high despite my spotless record. Maybe there's some hidden gem companies out there? I hope!

Is AARP a good health insurance plan?

I'm in my 20s, any suggetions of a good health insurance coverage plan? hospital, perscription, the whole nine!?!?""

Added my newborn to my insurance after 30 days?

help ! after i had my new baby things wre so hectic for me. he had jaundice and in and out of doctors.. my toddler had dental promblems . i had post partum issues myself and by the time i called to add baby to insurance it was abt 12 days after the 30 day period . my insurance is united healthcare thru my previous employer that im currently on cobra with.. they denied adding my newborn and said they wll send me a letter so i can appeal but im afraid that wont help . any advice on what i can do .. i cant imagine nt hvng insurance for my baby..especially we just got home from the hospital yestrday bcz he has broncholitus .. so i wl be billed for that . i know i called to add him late but hopeflly there gtta be something i can do. i means its for a child i live california .. any advice on how to handle this

Humboldt Minnesota Cheap car insurance quotes zip 56731

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cheapest-car-insurance-i-can-get-10-points-daniel-duke/"

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nicholemhearn · 6 years ago

Text

After Singapore

With a few days to digest the outcome of the meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un now a wrap, what can be said about the summit? For one, it could have been worse. The two leaders, who famously traded insults for much of the fall of 2017, seem to have developed a congenial relationship. There was legitimate fear that, between the escalating rhetoric, and North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests, the end result would be a mushroom cloud. While the odds of war were still generally low for a variety of reasons, the risk seemed elevated enough to create legitimate concern. Fortunately, the summit does seem to have led to a diplomatic process. That said, not allowing reckless behavior to escalate to a nuclear war is the lowest of bars by which something can be judged.

So with the prospect of conflict between two nuclear-armed states receding, at least for the moment, here are three thoughts on the summit and a recommendation for what comes next.

First, the consensus among experts seems to be that the summit produced no tangible results, with the vague promises of North Korean denuclearization in the statement fall short of even the unrealized promises North Korean leaders have made to past American presidents. There is also little indication of agreement over what “denuclearization”actually means. Traditionally, Americans have viewed it as North Korean disarmament, while Pyongyang believes it should also encompass American extended deterrence. Nor was any timetable given for when the Kim regime would give up its nuclear arsenal or a mechanism for verification articulated (though Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said this morning that they were looking for disarmament to take place over the next two and a half years). As Mira Rapp-Hooper of Yale University wrote after the summit, the lack of specifics in the joint statement means the “loophole remains big enough to for a road-mobile ICBM.”

The Trump administration has repeatedly said that it wants the “complete verifiable irreversible denculearization” (or, CVID) of North Korea. And, in remarks to the press released yesterday, Pompeo stated clearly that, though the joint statement did not include the words “verifiable” or irreversible,” they were encompassed by the word “complete.” However, in a testy exchange, the secretary of state would not provide clues about how the administration hoped to achieve verification. Doing so is notoriously difficult in authoritarian states like North Korea due to limits on their willingness to be transparent.

According to President Trump, North Korea will also destroy a site for testing rocket engines. However, no indication of which test site was given at the time. The agreement on the test site was not included in the joint statement because, according to the president, he secured a pledge from Kim after it was already signed. However, this morning, it was reported that North Korea will destroy a test facility at Tongchang-ri, and analysts are calling it a significant concession (though some have expressed mild disagreement about the significance of the facility to North Korea’s nuclear program at this point).

In return, President Trump agreed to suspend joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises because he said they are provocative and costly. As I noted on Twitter, Trump’s attitude toward exercises is bizarre. While the president may be right that the exercises are provocative, he also stated plainly his desire to end them because they are too expensive. He went further on Twitter today, claiming the United States would save a “fortune” by forgoing them, but according the Government Accountability Office, the combined cost of three military exercises in the Pacific region in 2015—only one of which include took place in South Korea—was just $34.5 million (h/t Paul MacDonald).

There is also a question of whether offering to suspend exercises was a spur of the moment addition by the president. Reports say that neither the South Koreans, nor U.S. Forces Korea were informed beforehand. President Moon might be okay with that given that he has been the driving force behind these talks, but U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis has been adamant that the U.S. military presence in South Korea is not going anywhere.

There are reasonable arguments to be made for trading military exercises—even the U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula—for a peace agreement and North Korean nuclear disarmament. But it is also reasonable to ask how much value they have as a bargaining chip now that the president has publicly he stated he would like to be rid of them anyway?

Second, Trump continues to show his affinity for authoritarian leaders over America’s democratic allies. The president lavished praise on the North Korean dictator. He bizarrely claimed that Kim loves his people and that his people love him. Given the country’s gulag system, and the desperate measures some North Koreans take to defect from the country, the president’s statement is in many ways grotesque. That the president gushed over the leader of a brutal and murderous regime to a perplexing degree is particularly strange in juxtaposition to Trump’s treatment of America’s allies at the G-7 summit just a few days prior. Nor does it seem to have bought the United States any additional concessions in the talks. While it is perfectly reasonable for a U.S. president to sit down with leaders of unsavory regimes if it means deescalating a crisis or achieving some other positive outcome, but one would hope they would be more circumspect when doing so.

Third, President Trump has already claimed that the summit is a major achievement—tweeting yesterday morning that the nuclear threat from North Korea is no more. This claim is inexplicable—not a single missile or warhead has been dismantled—but it should not be unexpected. And while we should all be pleased that a diplomatic process is taking place, it this summit represents the beginning of it—at best—not the end.

And what is the likely outcome of that process? It is difficult to say for sure, but experts are not sanguine about the prospects for North Korean nuclear disarmament. As political scientist Vipin Narang and nuclear weapons analyst Ankit Panda wrote yesterday for the New York Times that North Korea stepped onto the world stage in Singapore and walked away recognized as a nuclear power. Narang and Panda write,

North Korea declared its nuclear weapons force technologically complete at the end of 2017, with its third successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Now, less than a year later, North Korea’s nuclear power is politically complete, thanks to the legitimacy that comes from a handshake with an American president. Mr. Kim did what neither his father nor grandfather could do before him: sit down and negotiate with a president of the United States. The Singapore summit meeting looks indistinguishable from a meeting between the leaders of two states with normal diplomatic relations. But this is far from where Washington and Pyongyang have ever stood. It was Mr. Kim’s development of nuclear weapons — and the credible means to deliver them to America — that made the meeting possible.

In a rare moment of self-awareness after the meeting, President Trump noted that he may realize down the line that he was wrong to put his faith in the North Korean leader’s words. During his press conference after the meeting, the president said, “I think he will do these things. I may be wrong. I may stand before you in six months and say, hey, I was wrong. I don’t know I’ll ever admit that. I’ll find some excuse.” If Narang and Panda are right, and Kim Jong-un proves as unwilling to follow through on its vague promises as his predecessors given the credibility and legitimacy they now provide him, the president finding some excuse to cover up what will then be a failed summit will likely be the best case scenario.

Assuming negotiations will continue though, Secretary of State Pompeo needs to focus on getting the process right. President Trump’s post-summit triumphalism suggests he may be ready to spike the football and move on. However, Pompeo has been at the helm of this effort since taking over at Foggy Bottom. And that might be for the best. As Rapp-Hooper writes, “there is no substitute for a good national security process.” I have always been skeptical of that claim, but Trump’s chaotic approach to the negotiations (which allowed Pyongyang to, if nothing else, score major propaganda victories) has put that belief to the test. If the negotiations move forward, and the United States is willing to make concessions that present a realistic opportunity for denuclearization, then it is imperative that some type of process is in place to ensure both the U.S. military, and its allies in the region, are informed and prepared.

The post After Singapore appeared first on Niskanen Center.

from nicholemhearn digest https://niskanencenter.org/blog/after-singapore/

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