#spirit of service award

[archivecevans]

SEPTEMBER for CHRIS EVANS:

On September 11st, Chris Evans will receive the 'Spirit of Service Award' together with his partners from 'A Starting Point’ (ASP), Mark Kassen and Joe Kiani.

He starts the filming of the upcoming movie “SACRIFICE” along his co-stars, Anya Taylor Joy, Brendan Fraser and Salma Hayek directed by Romain Gavras in Greece and Iceland.

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[thisisyourprincipalspeaking]

do u think chris actually deserves the spirit of service award he's about to get or it's just part of his pr?

Or maybe its the work of his other partners in ASP, cuz i ain't see him put that much effort into it as the others , he's only the face of it,like a pr doll they take everywhere.

this is an interesting ask.i have some thoughts, but they are just mine.

i must admit, i had never heard of this award nor have i heard of the partnership for public service organization who is giving it. by giving the award to a notable name or celebrity, it is a decent way for a non-profit to gain press and attention.

do i think he deserves it? i'm on the fence. with the current state of american politics, i don't love that asp is giving a platform to people actively trying to take away health care, safety and civil rights from so many and doing so without real-time checks on their claims. i also don't expect an actor, no matter his interest in the topic, to be a good interviewer for these serious topics. it seems like a vanity project to me and i kinda miss some of the site's original, simpler goals. however they do claim asp has done much to bridge a gap in civic involvement and engagement for high school and college aged citizens. i personally feel like the award would have been better suited for a couple of years ago; after the avengers helped elect biden/harris and the shine and positive buzz around asp was newer and brighter. this, now feels a little calculated/ staged.

but, oh well. that's just me. i'm sure many will enjoy seeing him in a suit/tux when the time comes.

[allycat75]

"We have concepts of a plan."

[jesevans]

Chris Evans receiving the 2024 Spirit of Service Award for A Starting Point

[thatgeekwiththeclipons]

Happy 83rd Birthday to Academy Award Winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki! ^__^

[mostlysignssomeportents]

An end to the climate emergency is in our grasp

On June 20, I'm keynoting the LOCUS AWARDS in OAKLAND.

The problem with good news in the real world is that it's messy. Neat happy endings are for novels, not the real world, and that goes double for the climate emergency. But even though good climate news is complicated and nuanced, that doesn't mean it shouldn't buoy our spirits and fill our hearts with hope.

The big climate news this past week is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's clarion call about surging CO2 levels – the highest ever – amid a year that is on track to have the largest and most extreme series of weather events in human history:

https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/during-year-of-extremes-carbon-dioxide-levels-surge-faster-than-ever

This is genuinely alarming and you – like me – have probably experienced it as a kind of increase in your background radiation of climate anxiety. Perhaps you – like me – even experienced some acute, sit-bolt-upright-in-bed-at-2AM anxiety as a result. That's totally justifiable. This is very real, very bad news.

And yet…

The news isn't all bad, and even this terrible dispatch from the NOAA is best understood in context, which Bill McKibben provides in his latest newsletter post, "What You Want is an S Curve":

https://billmckibben.substack.com/p/what-you-want-is-an-s-curve

Financier and their critics should all be familiar with Stein's Law: "anything that can't go on forever will eventually stop." This is true outside of finance as well. One of the reasons that we're seeing such autophagic panic from the tech companies is that their period of explosive growth is at an end.

For years, they told themselves that they were experiencing double-digit annual growth because they were "creating value" and "innovating" but the majority of their growth was just a side-effect of the growth of the internet itself. When hundreds of millions of people get online every year, the dominant online services will, on average, gain hundreds of millions of new users.

But when you run out of people who don't have internet access, your growth is going to slow. How can it not? Indeed, at that point, the only ways to grow are to either poach users from your rivals (through the very expensive tactics of massive advertising and sales-support investments, on top of discounts and freebies as switching enticements), or to squeeze your own users for more.

That's why the number of laptops sold in America slowed down. It's why the number of cellphones sold in America slowed down. It's why the number of "smart home" gizmos slowed down.

Even the steepest hockey-stick-shaped exponential growth curve eventually levels off and becomes an S-curve, because anything that can't go on forever will eventually stop.

One way or another, the world's carbon emissions will eventually level off. Even if we drive ourselves to (or over) the brink of extinction and set up the conditions for wildfires that release all the carbon stored in all the Earth's plants, the amount of carbon we pump into the atmosphere has to level off.

Rendering the Earth incapable of sustaining human civilization (or life) is the ultimate carbon reduction method – but it's not my first choice.

That's where McKibben's latest newsletter comes in. He cites a new report from the Rocky Mountain Institute, which shows a major reversal in our energy sources, a shift that will see our energy primarily provided by renewables, with minimal dependence on fossil fuels:

https://rmi.org/insight/the-cleantech-revolution/

The RMI team says that in this year or next, we'll have hit peak demand for fossil fuels (a fact that is consistent with NOAA's finding that we're emitting more CO2 than ever). The reason for this is that so much renewable energy is about to come online, and it is so goddamned cheap, that we are about to undergo a huge shift in our energy consumption patterns.

This past decade saw a 12-fold increase in solar capacity, a 180-fold increase in battery storage, and a 100-fold increase in EV sales. China is leading the world in a cleantech transition, with the EU in close second. Cleantech is surging in places where energy demand is also still growing, like India and Vietnam. Fossil fuel use has already peaked in Thailand, South Africa and every country in Latin America.

We're on the verge of solar constituting an absolute majority of all the world's energy generation. This year, batteries will overtake pumped hydro for energy storage. Every cleantech metric is growing the way that fossil fuels did in previous centuries: investment, patents, energy density, wind turbine rotor size. The price of solar is on track to halve (again) in the next decade.

In short, cleantech growth looks like the growth of other technologies that were once rarities and then became ubiquitous overnight: TV, cellphones, etc. That growth isn't merely being driven by the urgency of the climate emergency: it's primarily a factor of how fucking great cleantech is:

https://rmi.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/the_incredible_inefficiency_of_fossils.pdf

Fossil fuels suck. It's not just that they wreck the planet, or that their extraction is both politically and environmentally disastrous. They just aren't a good way to make energy. About a third of fossil fuel energy is wasted in production and transportation. A third! Another third is wasted turning fossil fuels into energy. Two thirds! The net energy efficiency of fossil fuels is about 37%.

Compare that with cleantech. EVs convert electricity to movement with 80-90% efficiency. Heat pumps are 300% efficient (the main fuel for your heat pump is the heat in the atmosphere, not the electricity it draws).

Cleantech is just getting started – it's still in the hockey-stick phase. That means those efficiency numbers are only going up. Rivian just figured out how to remove 1.6 miles of copper wire from each vehicle. That's just one rev – there's doubtless lots of room for more redesigns that will further dematerialize EVs:

https://insideevs.com/news/722265/rivian-r1s-r1t-wiring/

As McKibben points out, there's been a lot of justifiable concern that electrification will eventually use up all our available copper, but copper demand has remained flat even as electrification has soared – and this is why. We keep figuring out new ways to electrify with fewer materials:

https://www.chemanalyst.com/NewsAndDeals/NewsDetails/copper-wire-price-remains-stable-amidst-surplus-supply-and-expanding-mining-25416#:~:text=Global%20Copper%20wire%20Price%20Remains%20Stable%20Amidst%20Surplus%20Supply%20and%20Expanding%20Mining%20Activities

This is exactly what happened with previous iterations of tech. The material, energy and labor budgets of cars, buildings, furniture, etc all fell precipitously every time there was a new technique for manufacturing them. Renewables are at the start of that process. There's going to be a lot of this dematerialization in cleantech. Calculating the bill of materials for a planetary energy transition isn't a matter of multiplying the materials in current tech by the amount of new systems we'll need – as we create those new systems, we will constantly whittle down their materials.

What's more, global instability drives cleantech uptake. The Russian invasion of Ukraine caused a surge in European renewables. The story that energy prices are rising due to renewables (or carbon taxes) is a total lie. Fossil fuels are getting much more expensive, thanks to both war and rampant, illegal price-fixing:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/an-oil-price-fixing-conspiracy-caused

If not for renewables, the incredible energy shocks of the recent years would be far more severe.

The renewables story is very good and it should bring you some comfort. But as McKibben points out, it's still not enough – yet. The examples of rapid tech uptake had big business on their side. America's living rooms filled with TV because America's largest businesses pulled out all the stops to convince everyone to buy a TV. By contrast, today's largest businesses – banks, oil companies and car companies – are working around the clock to stop cleantech adoption.

We're on track to double our use of renewables before the decade is over. But to hold to the (already recklessly high) targets from the Paris Accord, we need to triple our renewables usage. As McKibben says, the difference between doubling and tripling our renewables by 2030 is the difference between "survivable trouble" and something much scarier.

The US is experiencing a welcome surge in utility scale solar, but residential solar is stalling out as governments withdraw subsidies or even begin policies that actively restrict rooftop solar:

https://twitter.com/curious_founder/status/1798049929082097842?s=51

McKibben says the difference between where we are now and bringing back the push for home solar generation is the difference between "fast" and "faster" – that is the difference between tripling renewables by 2030 (survivable) and doubling (eek).

Capitalism stans who argue that we can survive the climate emergency with market tools will point to the good news on renewable and say that the market is the only way to transition to renewables. It's true that market forces are partly responsible for this fast transition. But the market is also the barrier to a faster (and thus survivable) transition. The oil companies, the banks who are so invested in fossil fuels, the petrostates who distort the world's politics – they're why we're not much farther along.

The climate emergency was never going to be neatly solved. We weren't going to get a neat novelistic climax that saw our problems sorted out in a single fell swoop. We're going to be fighting all the way to net zero, and after that, we'll still have decades of climate debt to pay down: fires, floods, habitat loss, zoonotic plagues, refugee crises.

But we should take our wins. Even if we're far from where we need to be on renewables, we're much farther along on renewables than we had any business hoping for, just a few years ago. The momentum is on our side. It's up to us to use that momentum and grow it. We're riding the hockey-stick, they're on that long, flat, static top of the S-curve. Their curve is leveling off and will start falling, ours will grow like crazy for the rest of our lives.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/12/s-curve/#anything-that-cant-go-on-forever-eventually-stops

[lilacstro]

pac: what big thing is coming next for you and when

on the suggestions of @darkbragance I would be making this post.

choose from 2 piles, idk why 2 and not 3 but yeah, choose as you like :)

paid readings open !

pile1 pile2

support me on ko-fi :)

⭐decks used: spirit speaks tarot, poesis oracle and vessel oracle for energy check

Pile 1

Energy check:

Did some of you travel to your childhood home or thought about it recently? Seems so. Some of you have been working on finding balance and structure in life I feel. Some of you could be overwhelmed with how tiring your life is, especially at home I feel. Maybe there is a responsibility on you all to always serve and be ready to give, to manage problems and give people structure either at your home or maybe even at your workplace. Some of you could also be tired of being stuck at home, finding work-life balance or wanting to travel somewhere that is not happening. Some of you could also be travelling back in time, thinking about the past a lot, especially childhood nostalgia. Did some of you like collecting stones or crystals as a child? Color green is coming through, an emerald crystal. There seems to be the thought of wanting to go back because the situation currently feels painful. There is a desire to go back in time, to travel somewhere mentally and physically and get out of this exhausting cycle. There is desire to escape and avoid pain. Some of you could be dreaming about your childhood home, children or even past memories, liking very old, as if digging the grave. There is a feeling of loneliness. Good luck babe is constantly playing in my head, maybe it is relevant to someone here? Special focus on "You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling" and this is what I have been feeling in this group. Someone here is distracted and definitely needs a wakeup call.

If this sounds like you, this is your pile<3

Main messages:

Someone here is definitely feeling isolated, or they have distanced themselves from other people, but they will find meaning in isolation. Someone here could be feeling frustrated, lashing out on small things. Ok so instead of writing a paragraph I would list out all the things I see happening! You may see what resonates with your situation :)

If you were willing to start a project or taking some kind of brave action (even if it is just a simple confession of love for example, or maybe going back to school because too much time has passed etc.) but was afraid of starting for whatever reason, you would get strength to start and take action!

if someone was wanting to travel somewhere, move somewhere, study abroad, travel abroad and if money became a problem, or maybe your father or some authority figure, say visa services became problem, you would be fine and would be able to travel regardless

If someone has been working hard to get some award, achievement or rank, especially globally, it could be happening!

If someone was willing to work with people all over the world, especially in regards to money, maybe working on a worldwide freelancing site or maybe even social media to get foreign customers to get money, that could also be happening :)

If someone felt hopeless about a situation, especially regarding finances, maybe lost money even for some of you, you guys would be able to recover the money and get the money arranged. Someone could be offering you money I feel :)

If someone was wishing to get stability especially in regards to their home and family, or maybe seek approval of a father or authority figure in family for something, they could be getting approval for what they've been wanting.

There is a happy ending to all the situations above :)

Expected Timeline:

This is happening very very soon, you could also be receiving some kind of communication too, especially. If we talk about particular date, we have November 23 - December 2 or 8 weeks of a time.

I hope it resonated, take care xoxo

Pile 2

Energy check:

This feels like a rather hopeful, accepting energy, both in a happy and a sad way, as if you are hopeful but at the same time you have accepted the current circumstances. There is not a turbulence like pile 1. I am hearing "its just the way life goes, I push my luck it shows" from Gracie Abram's song I love you, I'm sorry. There is a fresh energy here, a very good chance to grow and evolve, you are growing and changing and I may rather say, blooming. Someone here may like spring or sitting in the sun in winters, it may feel healing. You guys have absolutely not given up, there is a silent rebel kind of energy, you know it is not over and that you will rise back up again, but for now you are not mad and turbulent about it, but rather calm and peaceful and accepting, as if, "what worse can even happen, its fine" There is a lot of wisdom you are gaining currently that would helping you for the fresh start of your journey you would be preparing. I am seeing you would be ready to take a leap and go seek what it is that you want. But for now, it is important to let your emotions out and grieve, even if it means that you will lose your composure. I am constantly seeing the message that says "it gets better". If you were wanting something to happen, know you'd have many choices, either it can be done some other way you do not know yet, or maybe people would help you or you find better things, so many that you can literally choose from them. Keep your heads up:) it would be fine I promise :) Seeking out support with people you love is a good idea for now, and if you are alone, I would suggest joining support groups or maybe creating an account that just follows motivational, uplifting content, but you need to open yourself, there is a possibility to find help between people. If this sounds like you, congrats this is your pile :) Keep your heads up princess by Anson Seabra is playing in my head especially the line,

"Yeah, keep your head up princess, it's a long road And the path leads right to where they won't go I know it hurts right now but you don't got far to go So keep your head up Yeah, keep your head up"

Main messages:

I feel some of you could be grieving a loss of something falling down, and maybe you just let it fall altogether before picking it back up once again. Maybe you held onto something that you are letting go, releasing for now.

If any of you were stuck onto something in life, especially mentally, you would be able to find your answers, find balance and finally move ahead in life

There is a mental clarity that may come on why did something not work out for you. Someone may also get clearer decision making skills on their current choices, and may also find contentment in their current choices and how to find a way to move on with current options

Some of you could be calming down the chaos by finally being able to get control and authority, either it may be mental conflict or conflict with someone else, especially people who you may work with is one thing I see

If someone was trying to manifest a love offer, to find a new romantic partner that seems to be happening !

if someone was looking to start a new creative project, a passion project that they wanted to start for a long time, that seems to be happening too!

Some of you could be breaking out of cycles of substance abuse or maybe something toxic in your life, breaking free from falling back into some kind of addiction, breaking free from spiraling and that can be any sabotaging habit

One intuitive message I am getting is the ground is fertile, whatever you sow, you would equally gain back, what I mean is whatever is it you are wanting to do right now, putting your efforts into, your fruits and flowers would blossom. It would reap you rewards, whatever it is that you are working for, a relationship, healing, money etc.

Some of you could also be getting out of depression or a depressed mental state after a long time, spring after the winter is what I am hearing

you could also be getting clarity or news about someone or something that troubled you in the past, some truth about why did it not work out

many options would be available to something that stressed you out mentally, a job, college, relationship, you name it, you would be able to chose rather being stuck with a single option. Wait, I think I did something in the energy check as well, interesting!

someone could also be getting into their dream school or travel somewhere for education is one other thing I see.

Expected Timeline:

As long as you are taking fearless action is one thing I see. Apart from that Fixed sign season (Leo, Aquarius, Scorpio, Taurus), Sagittarius Season/Capricorn Season, November, 1 month from now, 11 weeks from now or quite unexpectedly are the messages that I see, There is definitely an element of divine timing here, and your actions and both of them seem to influence each other. Damn that is a lot of timings.

thank you for reading, have a good day :)

[hunnam]

Chris Evans 2024 Service to American Medals: Spirit of Service Award

[jstor]

Effie Lee Morris stands as a towering figure in the realm of children's literature and library services, leaving an indelible mark through her visionary leadership and tireless advocacy. Born into an era marked by racial segregation and systemic barriers, Morris defied the odds, rising to become a beacon of change and progress. Her journey began as a public librarian in Cleveland and later in the Bronx, where she cultivated a deep appreciation for the transformative power of literature and education.

In 1971, Effie Lee Morris shattered barriers as the first African-American president of the Public Library Association, a milestone that underscored her commitment to equity and inclusion in library spaces. Her groundbreaking work extended beyond administrative roles; Morris played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of children's literature by spearheading the establishment of the Coretta Scott King Award. By crafting the original selection criteria in 1970, she laid the foundation for recognizing and celebrating African-American authors and illustrators, ensuring their voices resonated prominently in the literary world.

Morris's impact reverberated within the walls of the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), where she assumed the role of the first coordinator of children's services. During her tenure, she revolutionized children's literature by establishing a research collection of out-of-print books, meticulously documenting the evolving portrayals of ethnic and culturally diverse groups. This collection, later renamed the Effie Lee Morris Historical and Research Collection in her honor, served as a testament to her unwavering dedication to preserving diverse narratives and fostering cultural understanding.

Beyond her professional achievements, Morris's advocacy extended into the realm of social justice and community engagement. She founded the San Francisco chapter of the Women's National Book Association and actively participated in the American Library Association's Social Responsibilities Round Table, championing causes aimed at combating racism, inequality, and poverty. Her contributions were met with widespread recognition, as evidenced by numerous accolades, including the Silver Spur Award and the Grolier Foundation Award, affirming her status as a trailblazer in the literary landscape.

Effie Lee Morris's legacy transcends generations, inspiring future leaders and storytellers to uphold the values of diversity, inclusion, and equity in children's literature and library services. Her visionary spirit lives on in the countless lives touched by her work, serving as a timeless reminder of the transformative power of literature in bridging cultures, fostering empathy, and igniting change.

Read more about Effie Lee Morris here.

[thisisyourprincipalspeaking]

A few things here:

1) he has never done something like post IG montages for any other public relationship. Even before he had IG, unless I am mistaken he never did any of this with his past GFs, and they all had IG even if he didn’t. In fact, I believe he never even posted about any partner publicly in the past and very rarely spoke about them except in passing.

He did, however, publicly engage in SM with his ex Jenny and it was wholesome and cute for the most part. He was seen out and about with her and other exes and there are photos from fans and lots of sightings. He even attended a family fueled red carpet with Jenny. These are all things out in the open.

The montage IG stuff has never felt genuine and I think that’s why red flags and questions were brought up.

Ryan and Eva and Chris and Elsa - both show their relationships with tons of PR. They’re both well received by the public and probably the fans too so whatever they do you most likely won’t find it too cringe.

People have hated the PT person since the start so no matter what, people were going to hate this. It’s clear in a lot of anon’s comments that they feel negatively about this situation so now he’s a “teenager” with her but Ryan and Eva are very mature. I agree that Ryan and Eva have been together much longer but if you saw “his” past relationships and how this stuff didn’t happen with those women - it should raise a question of why now this looks vastly different.

2) there’s a bit too much of claiming he likes attention when all the celebs just mentioned here also like attention and pick and choose what they post. Using cillian Murphy as a comparison also makes little sense to me because yeah he doesn’t have SM and he appears private but he’s also in the public eye when he needs to be. You don’t know if he’s getting comped trips and private parties (he most likely is) because you haven’t seen him post anything about that. Hence because he doesn’t have SM. All celebs who get to a certain point in their career will get comps and free trips and they’re allowed to take advantage of that if they wish. It’s not like “he” is flaunting his trips - he posts a thank here or there for comps in the past and he’s seen with his family at Disney and pictures are taken. What’s the big deal? Why is he not allowed to like these things?

“He” likes certain things he can get like trips and etc. ok? And? Does this make him any different than any other person? I don’t see him in the headlines or being papped every other day.

Suddenly he loves attention since this lame relationship appeared and fans are mad they have to know about it. For two years nobody ever saw these two and yall were mad but now they did some pap walks and you’re still mad. To claim he gets a pass from people makes little sense to me because all I see on tumblr are people criticizing him 24:7 and coming onto pages like yours to vent.

He doesn’t really do much or show much when he’s not being seen publicly and so I don’t believe he’s out there thriving for meaningless attention. And his fans are viewing him under a microscope so they’re going to zero in on him in all ways.

Lastly, he and his cofounder for his website did the legwork leading up to launching the platform. They did months of backend work and went to DC to knock on politician doors and conduct interviews and who knows what else behind the scenes. Some of you claiming he didn’t do much work and is only the face is also wrong because if that were true, then why is it always his fault the site didn’t mention this or didn’t post this? It’s either he didn’t do anything and has nothing to do with the content being presented or he’s in charge of all decisions and because they didn’t discuss ABC topic or they let certain politicians have a platform it means he’s the reason this is happening.

You can’t have it both ways.

when you say "you" at the end, anon, i'm not sure if you're addressing the proverbial, collective you or if you're specifically addressing the principal.

if you're addressing the collective you, aka the fandom, then in a way you're correct. not everyone (the proverbial you) can be satisfied all at the same time. it's impossible. but remember that much of what is shown is intentionally crafted to create conversation- whether that conversation is good/bad cannot be controlled and those who craft the stories count on there being some people to fall on each side in order to elongate the discourse.

on your list item 1): while i agree with your overall point, i don't agree with your supporting details. twitter was not created for sharing photos. that's what instagram was created for. twitter was originally created as a way for users to use short messaging services (SMS = texting) to microblog their random thoughts to groups of followers. it was 4 years before the site had the functionality for pictures/videos. so these comparisons are not evenly yoked. people also act differently in different relationships.

i agree with your point about jenny and that the ig montage did not feel genuine.

on your list item 2): all celebs like attention when it comes to their careers. they want their projects to do well so that they are profitable and are more likely to get future job offers. cillian, as you said, is public when the job calls for it. not having social media is his prerogative, and that's fantastic. but his not having social media isn't necessarily why you don't see whether or not he receives comped perks. part of the deal with comped offers is that the company/venue is allowed to advertise your visit in order to attract attention to their business. which is why you see chris, and other celebs, posting about their trips to these "great places" or how they "love this particular restaurant/product/service" because that's part of the exchange. it's not because the celeb wants to invite the public into their daily lives or their private vacations. your questions:

what’s the big deal? >>> there isn't one

why is he not allowed to like these things? >>> he is

does this make him any different than any other person? >>> different than any other person? yes, very much so. different from any other celebrity? no, not at all.

chris doesn't have to do much in order to get himself out there because the fandom- and for a long time, the gp- does it for him. you even said so yourself when you mentioned how his relationship with jenny was documented by sightings coming from fans. this doesn't make him "thriving for meaningless attention" it makes him smart. he has previously, and still does from some fans, get a pass for a lot of behaviors because he was so well-loved and paraded around the idea of him as the all-american boy next door. when someone has been feeding that narrative for a long time, and fans have eaten up that narrative to the point of defending him, giving him the benefit of the doubt, covering for his oopsies, and talking up his projects as to keep his name relevant and constantly trending to then have that long-supported image shattered, fans are allowed to be upset by that. and yes, they are allowed to vent about it here (to an extent, see the rules).

on your last item: i agree with you that chris and mark did a lot of legwork, prep, and collaborating for asp for a good while before launch. i think the anon ask you're referencing, the anon was speaking more regarding recent content and promotion. chris has been noticeably absent. in defense, early on the objective was made clear that the plan was for ce to take a backseat once the project was up and going. while i understand that was always the goal, and that he has had a lot of other professional and personal things happening that have taken his attention, the state of america (and the world) hasn't really been an ideal time to take a backseat. based on previous behavior in recent political tribulation, the chris that really roped in a lot of fans would have spoken up. now, with asp's reputation paired with his wife's association with racism and bigotry, his silence is that much louder - especially for these allied fans and any fans of color or minority.

the principal isn't asking to have it both ways. the principal is asking for students to see it both ways and realize either is plausible. chris is a very privileged white man who doesn't need an army of troops and i could be wrong, if so i apologize in advance, but your ask has a tone of defense to it and feels like you are wanting everyone to give chris a break because he's not a bad person. the principal has never said he's a bad person; he's a human. so if your ask is specifically addressing the principal, then it's dangerously misdirected.

[allycat75]

[archivecevans]

Full video of Chris Evans, Mark Kassen and Joe Kiani accepting the Spirit of Service Award

[harryandmeghansussex]

"I stand here not as Prince Harry, Pat Tillman award recipient, but rather a voice on behalf of the Invictus Games Foundation and the thousands of veterans and service personnel from over the 20 nations who have made the Invictus Games a reality. This award belongs to them, not to me." That said, it's of great importance to me to highlight these allies, athletes and their amazing families for their achievements, their spirit and their courage at every opportunity. Especially on nights like this in front of people like you.

Moments like these help us reach those that need Invictus most and reduce more than 20 veterans a day taking their own lives in this country alone.

We're celebrating ten years of witnessing life changing impact and healing through sport. While so much progress has been made since those first games, the world outside seems to be in an even more precarious state. We live in an age marked by polarization and division. Conflicts rage around the globe, anger and resentment towards those who are different seem to pervade societies everywhere.

Our community challenges that. Our community proves that unity is not just possible, but formidable. The beauty of the Invictus Games lies in how it brings people together. No matter one's nationality, background or personal struggles. It is a collective built from courage and mutual respect, where athletes discover time and time again the common denominator of their humanity.

[justenjoythegossip]

THE ONE WHERE HE SAID HER NAME

For people who aren’t aware, Chris was just interviewed on Access Hollywood where he is promoting his dog food brand and talking about his wife’s connection and relationship with “their” beloved dog. Go Portugal! 

First remark, she will no longer be known as Voldemort as it’s the first time since the start of this shitshow that he has ever said her name. Good for her and shame on him. 

Second remark, his background has been blurred for more… privacy (sarcastic coughs).

Apart from those 2 new elements, it’s pretty much the same old stuff. Let’s dig. 

THE TIMING OF THE INTERVIEW

This interview takes place at a time where Chris is gaining a lot of momentum. He just made a very talked about cameo in a huge Marvel hit. As a positive sign, he is gaining followers again, which at least looks organic whether they are real or bots or a combination of both. He is working hard, doing stunts with ASP, in order to look deserving of the Spirit of Service award he is going to receive on September 11th which, by the way, coincides with the one-year anniversary of his wedding. 

This interview is about promoting his dog food brand and their partnership with a giant retail store. Because obviously why not ride this wave of publicity, make more bucks and get more attention? Especially after that planned story on his Insta about his Deadpool cameo and the variety article that suspiciously followed so quickly after it. 

Not coincidentally, this date was supposed to be the one when a BUA was to be announced, as Team PR blogs were insisting. (By the way, that fact alone should enrage Chris’ fans as his team clearly looks in cahoots with them, as many suspected.) 

TEAM PR AND THEIR LASTEST DECEPTION

Team PR blogs have been claiming the contract expired on July 26th, that the BUA was imminent and was to happen before the end of July.

They were clearly lying like they have been lying since the start of this shitshow. Particularly about the ending which was supposed to happen after the Ghosted premiere, after the Peter Holmes interview, after he came back to Insta, after theForbes article, after the papwalk in December… …during the shooting of the Materialists… 

The fact people actually gave credence to their most recent claims is not a testament to their “cunning” manipulation techniques or people’s gullibility but to how much this fandom wants this shitshow to be over. 

As you noticed, one key and vicious member of Team PR was explaining yesterday that Chris’ wearing the ring meant nothing and “was insignificant”. How hypocritical, isn’t it?  When Team PR, Team Real & Team Middle have all been talking & trolling about the precious for months. 

Notice how those Team PR blogs are now deflecting once more with silly diversions such as dog behavior or how allegedly his family will suffer for it (oh please), or play the victim card as they are allegedly receiving threats and hate messages. All of this is meant to distract from the fact that they lied once more. And they did it for several reasons, the most important being... 

ANOTHER CLASSIC BAIT & SWITCH FOR ADDED SHOCK VALUE

We have seen this movie before and repeatedly, haven’t we? The pattern is so similar to what we have witnessed in February with the ski trip. 

And even recently, with all the time she was seen spending in her home country without him (the concert, the birthday), her furnishing an apartment in Portugal, his wearing and hiding the ring every chance he got, and more importantly the stunt at the walk of fame of Kevin Feige where she was seen to be a no show so ostentatiously… Look at how staged that was, and you will realize what the purpose for it was. 

So, what they did was to try to breadcrumb a separation once again, to build up the fans’ anticipation before pulling the rug out from under them in order to add shock value. 

Well done! But FYI the aftereffect might prove very counterproductive for Chris, as his complicity looks more and more obvious and his playing the victim card looks more and more infuriating. 

CHRIS’ COMPLICITY

Chris claimed in his SMA interview how much he hates any forms of manipulation. He should have added that he was fine with it as long as he was the one doing the manipulating.  Indeed, his complicity is absolutely undeniable. 

I have written a post about this topic, if you want to check it out. 

Let’s add to this his recent shenanigans and more precisely what he did with the precious ring. I won’t go too far back and will just use 2 recent examples. 

Do people remember the Jinx commercial where he uses his pinkie to “hide” the ring as he gives food to Dodger? What he is actually doing here is to draw more attention to the ring and promote his relationship with Alba, he also looks ashamed to gain sympathy from his fans and manages to feed the discourse (real or not?) in the process. 

Isn’t it exactly what he did again for that walk of fame ceremony where he allegedly arrived without the ring (like he would forget to wear it) and then get photographed with it from every angle while his wife was a no-show?

Now let’s move on to the most interesting aspects of it all: the brand deal.

THE BRAND DEALS CONNECTED TO THIS SHITWHOW

First observation. You can see the similarity to the interview he did on The View sponsored by Jinx when he came back to Insta just in time for the Black Friday. 

I am not privy to any private information and haven’t seen the contracts but it’s safe to assume that certain businesses of his are directly connected to this shitshow for the simple reason that they have been getting an incommensurable amount of “free” publicity from many prestigious publications & media outlets. 

And by the way, it started before Alba even entered the scene. We can safely deduce Chris had already cashed in on those checks (“free” publicity) and this shitshow was also used as a payment for it. 

Because clearly, dog food and a civil engagement platform are not the “sexiest” businesses. And, the amount of media coverage those companies have been getting seems totally disproportionate compared to Chris’ status and the marketability of those businesses.

Compare this to the media coverage his fellow Avengers have been getting, like Jeremy Renner’s cigar and alcohol businesses, or Scarlett’s The Outset. 

Obviously, Chris gets to promote his businesses Jinx or ASP when he talks or breadcrumbs his relationship to Alba because this is far more selling and salacious for the media and the public. 

Sidenote, now observe the media coverage his commercial for a much “sexier” brand like Audi got, a commercial where he did not have to wear the ring by the way. 

So if you guys are enraged by this shitshow and how it is conducted, not looking at this train wreck won’t change a thing or the timeline but what might have an impact is to boycott the protagonists and the brands that are playing and manipulating you. 

THE ENDING OF THE SHITSHOW

Clearly this shitshow is long-term and won’t be ending anytime soon. And the reason for that is simple. The optics of this relationship aren’t great as he looks like her old uncle and the power imbalance is all over the place. He HAS to stay married to her for a while to give value to this relationship. 

Because clearly, he looks like another Hollywood cliché going through a midlife crisis. The only thing that could salvage a part of his public persona is to make this marriage last so that he doesn’t look like a “one-dollar Leo but without the talent”. 

In fact, it will likely last for much longer and might even escalate (DM is breadcrumbing baby rumors) because one thing appears crystal clear at this point: this marriage seems to be much more than a rebrand and a publicity stunt.

WHAT MIGHT BE COMING NEXT?

There is a rumor that Chris might be selling his LA home after he just sold his Concord house. Not so long ago it was the one in Vermont.

Like some Team PR blogs rightfully said, it was purposefully leaked to the fandom after the house had already been sold. It was a great and very smart PR move. Suddenly, Chris seemed like he was at a crossroads, like it was a new start where anything is possible. 

But as you guys noticed, the background was purposefully blurry for this interview, which gives the illusion he is private when he is really not, also puts emphasis on the crazy fan narrative (Chris has to hide to protect his family from his crazy fans) and more importantly helps to present any fabricated life he wants to the general public. It is a white canvas so to speak. 

[usnatarchives]

The Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP): Soaring Through Gender Barriers 🛩🐝

During World War II, while the world battled on various fronts, a quieter revolution took flight in the United States. The Women's Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP, were a pioneering group of female aviators who defied traditional gender norms, proving that women could excel in roles historically reserved for men.

Origins of the WASP

With many American men serving overseas, the country faced a need to tap into underutilized domestic resources. The WASP program, initiated in 1943, merged two existing women's flying programs: the Women's Flying Training Detachment (WFTD) and the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS). These women, under the guidance of aviators like Jacqueline Cochran and Nancy Love, would play a critical role in the war effort.

Duties and Contributions

The WASPs were trained pilots who contributed in non-combat roles. They ferried military aircraft across the country, tested planes, instructed male pilots, and even towed targets for live anti-aircraft artillery practice. They fulfilled the non-combat roles formerly occupied by male pilots, so more male pilots were available for combat roles. Women were not allowed to fly combat missions until [many years later, in 1993.. By the end of the war, WASPs had flown every type of military aircraft, logged over 60 million miles, and transported nearly 12,650 aircraft of 78 different types.

Challenges and Gender Biases

Despite their significant contributions, WASPs constantly faced skepticism and discrimination. They weren’t considered members of the military but were seen as civil service employees. They had to pay for their own uniforms, lodging, and sometimes even their way home after the end of their service. If a WASP pilot died during service, her burial costs fell on her family or fellow pilots.

Recognition and Legacy

In 1977, after years of advocacy by WASP veterans, President Jimmy Carter signed legislation granting WASP pilots veteran status. Later, in 2009, they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their service, sacrifice, and pioneering spirit. The legacy of the WASP program not only paved the way for women's integration into the U.S. Air Force but also demonstrated the capabilities of women in high-pressure, technical roles.