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brooklynblerd · 5 years ago

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So You Want To Be An Ally

Over the last 2 weeks, I have been fielding many white-guilt questions at work and having very interesting conversations and Zoom calls. Overall, they have been well received, but I am not sure if anything will happen once this is no longer a hot topic. I hope we keep up the momentum, but the media and Politicians and other power holders will try to silence us as quickly as possible. All of the companies realizing that #BlackLivesMatter will inevitably fade away as well. WE HAVE TO KEEP THE PRESSURE ON. So I made a list of talking points for the company that I work for, I hope they put it to use. I will begin sending this to anyone that reaches out to me to “talk” or “to see if I am ok”. While I appreciate the concern (if it’s genuine), I cannot continue being your only Black friend or the only Black person that you feel comfortable speaking to.

I saw this on Twitter recently, White privilege doesn't mean that your life hasn't been hard, it just means that the color of your skin isn't one of the things that makes it harder. I think this pretty much sums up what white people need to understand, what those people calling themselves our allies need to understand. Having Black pride & saying Black Lives Matter should not offend anyone. It does not mean that we are anti white people.

Black people are not a monolith. While we have all experienced racism in some form or another, we do not share the exact same experiences with it. To try and get an overall view of the different types of racism, you need to speak to many different Black people. Stop treating us as a collective, we are all individuals. Racism has permeated every single institution in this country. Education, Housing, Banking, Healthcare, Criminal Justice, Entertainment, etc. Racism is very much systemic, not always overt. There are also many different microaggressions that do not present as overt racism. Also, if we are going to have these discussions, please make sure that we feel safe, that we will be heard without reprimand or cynicism or disbelief. Our silence is the reason why this has gone on for so long. We want to be heard. We are no longer willing to stay invisible. Fear makes many of us stay silent, not willing to upset the status quo.

Revamp your hiring strategy/quota. People and organizations tend to conflate diversity and inclusivity. They are NOT the same. While there are many women, LGBTQIA members, Black and other People of Color, the Executives, Sales Management, and HR do not reflect this.

Conversations about race and other social justice issues are uncomfortable. Having these conversations without any Black and People of color present is pointless. Make sure you have Black people and other People of Color in any discussions you have regarding race relations and any other social justice issues. Empathy and sympathy is great, but it will not replace an actual experience.

Understand that the current state of the world has been a long time coming. George Floyd was the straw that broke the camel's back. The only difference is that everyone has a camera now and the police aren't doing themselves any favors by brutalizing everyone who is protesting police brutality.

Acknowledge your privilege. Acknowledge that the system is built to benefit you more than it does us and that it always has.

Saying "I'm not racist" isn't enough anymore. You have to be anti-racist. You have to stop the jokes, stereotypes, etc amongst your circle of friends and family members. This will be hard. But Black and Brown lives have to matter more than offending anyone that is unwilling to change.

Racism is not up to Black people and other People of Color to solve. This wasn't created or instituted by us and as we remain the "minority" in positions of power, we are unable to change it. We only have the ability to fight it, to rise up and demand change. To show that we will no longer take it. We will no longer be silent. We were all taught to be quiet and hold our feelings in to make sure that white people are comfortable. To make sure that we don’t appear threatening or angry. That is changing. Things will not go back to the way that they were.

Books to read in your journey of becoming an ally:

How To Be An Antiracist - Ibram X. Kensi

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - Robin Diangelo

So You Want To Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo

Me and white Supremacy - Layla F. Saad

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age of Colorblindness - Michelle Alexander

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America - Ibram X. Kendi

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates

Notes of A Native Son - James Baldwin

Born A Crime - Trevor Noah

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower - Brittany Cooper

Reproductive Injustice: Racism, Pregnancy, and Premature Birth - Dana-Ain Davis

Racism without Racists: Colorblind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in the United States - Edwardo Bonilla-Silva

Towards the Other America: Anti-Racist Resources for White People Taking Action for Black Lives Matter - Chris Crass

Two Faced Racism: Whites in the Backstage and Frontstage - Leslie Picca and Joe Feagin

How To Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy and the Racial Divide - Crystal Fleming

The Ethnic Project: Transforming Racial Fiction into Ethnic Factions - Vilna Bashi Treitler

Race and Racisms: A Critical Approach - Tanya Golash Boza

Racist America: Roots, Current Realities, and Future Reparations - Joe Feagin

White Rage; the Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide - Carol Anderson

Black Americans - Alphonso Pinkney

Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to Present - Harriet Washington

The Hollywood Jim Crow: The Racial Politics of the Movie Industry- Maryann Erigha

Code of the Street - Elijah Anderson

The Wretched of the Earth - Frantz Fanon

The Mis-Education of the Negro - Carter Woodson

UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol.1 - Joseph Zerbo

UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. 2 - G. Mokhtar

Black Wealth/White Wealth - Melvin Oliver and Thomas Shapiro

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race - Beverly Daniel Tatum

Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice - Paul Kivel

Witnessing Whiteness - Shelly Tochluk

Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence: Understanding and Facilitating Difficult Dialogues on Race - Derald Wing Sue

The Emperor Has No Clothes: Teaching about Race and Racism to People Who Don't Want to Know - Tema Jon Okun

Understanding White Privilege: Creating Pathways to Authentic Relationships Across Race - Frances Kendall

The Possessive Investment in Whiteness: How White People Profit from Identity Politics - George Lipsitz

Waking Up White, and Finding Myself in the Story of Race - Debby Irving

How I Shed My Skin: Unlearning the Racist Lessons of a Southern Childhood - Jim Grimsley

Everyday White People Confront Racial and Social Injustice: 15 Stories - editors = Eddie Moore, Marguerite W. Penick-Parks & Ali Michael

Understanding and Dismantling Racism: The Twenty-First Century Challenge to White America - Joseph Barndt

Beyond the Pale: White Women, Racism, and History - Vron Ware

Charleston Syllabus: Readings on Race, Racism, and Racial Violence - editors = Chad Williams, Kidada E. Williams & Keisha N. Blain

We Have Not Been Moved: Resisting Racism and Militarism in 21st Century America - editors = Elizabeth Betita Martinez, Matt Meyer & Mandy Carter. Forward by Cornel West. Afterword by Alice Walker & Sonia Sanchez

killing rage: Ending Racism - bell hooks

Acting White? Rethinking Race in Post-Racial America - Devon W. Carbado and Mitu Gulati

Towards Collective Liberation: Anti-Racist Organizing, Feminist Praxis, and Movement Building Strategy - Chris Crass

White Like Me: Reflections on Race form A Privileged Son - Tim Wise

White Trash: Race and Class in America - editors = Annalee Newitz & Matt Wray

Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces - Radley Balko

Race Traitor - editors = Noel Ignatiev & John Garvey

Feeling White: Whiteness, Emotionality, and Education (Cultural Pluralism #2) - Cheryl E. Matias

Disrupting White Supremacy

Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels, and Black Power: Community Organizing in Radical Times - AmySonnie, James Tracy

For White Folks Who Teach in The Hood...and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education (Race, Education, and Democracy) - Christopher Emdin

Benign Bigotry: The Psychology Subtle Prejudice - Kristin J. Anderson

Subversive Southern: Anne Braden and the Struggle for Racial Justice in the Cold War South (Civil Rights and the Struggle for Black Equality in the Twentieth Century) - Catherine Fosl

How Jews Became White Folks and What That Says About Race in America - Karen Brodkin

America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America - Jim Wells

Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge

Living Into God's Dream: Dismantling Racism in America - editor = Catherine Meeks

Promise And A Way Of Live: White Antiracist Activism - Becky Thompson

What Does It Mean to Be White?: Developing White Racial Literacy (Counterpoints #398) - Robin Diangelo

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willoblogs · 4 years ago

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Is AI the Fix We Need?

AI: The Silver Bullet To Deepfakes?

Terrorist propaganda? AI will remove it. Pornographic content? AI again. Violence and hate-speech? AI. Fake news and deepfakes? Well…

Deepfakes refers to content (data), that is artificially generated, but intended to look authentic. ‘Data’ can refer to anything, but is commonly videos, audio-recordings and pictures.

Coined in 2017, deepfakes since have evolved at an alarming rate; drastically increasing in accessibility and sophistication. US Congress has officially recognised this threat, specially in the manipulation of public opinion and political discourse, after footage of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was edited to make her appear intoxicated went viral on Facebook. Calling for social-media companies to take heed, meeting Chairman Adam Schiff stated “Now is the time for social media companies to put in place policies to protect users from this kind of misinformation, not in 2021. By then it will be too late.”

This immediately made me think of David Collingridge’s ‘Dilemma of Control’: that the introduction of new technology often leads to unanticipated and unwelcome social consequences - consequences only preventable in the technology’s infancy, but noticed only after its too far entrenched into society to make large alterations.

Facebook’s intended mission was ‘to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together’. However with over 44% of internet users turning to Facebook as their primary news sources, these platforms have led to aiding in the spread of misinformation to reach millions in seconds: an unanticipated and unwelcome consequence. With social-media sites being too ingrained in society to ‘delete’, what is the solution?

Facebook seem to think, you guessed it: AI.

And this is not the first time Facebook has considered it the solution.

When Congress previously questioned Zuckerberg on Facebook’s privacy problems and involvement in spreading fake news, he mentioned ‘AI’ over twenty times: a promised technological solution to fake news was on the horizon.

And this hasn’t changed.

To tackle deepfakes, Facebook has invested over $10 million into developing deepfake detection software - labelling their first solution the ‘Deepfake Detection Challenge’. Secondly, is policy action: after AI detects deepfakes, they are scrutinised and removed if they fulfil certain criteria. However, Facebook’s policy doesn’t directly inhibit the spread of false information; any content which is flagged as ‘fake news’ is reviewed by fact checkers, being reduced in user’s feeds if proven fictitious. Fitting such criteria, the mentioned video of Nancy Pelosi cannot be removed.

This use of deception AI to solve the deepfake problem can be regarded as a ‘technological fix’: a term coined by Alvin Weinberg to mean the idea that technology can solve complex social problems. And its undeniable this approach can have real value - think vaccines ‘solving’ viral infections.

However, in order to effectively apply a ‘technological fix’ requires an assessing of the problem at hand: technological fixes aren’t appropriate in all circumstances. If thought of as the ‘solution’ in such circumstances, the risk is this ‘fix’ will neither provide effectiveness in the short or medium term.

So, how can we tell if this AI fix is appropriate to the fake news deepfake problem?

Sarewitz and Nelson lay out three rules for technological fixes that must be met if a technologic fix is to be effective, with their first criteria being that the technology must largely embody the cause–effect relationship connecting problem to solution. In the context of deepfakes, the ‘effects’ potentially caused, as expressed by in Congress, is manipulation of public opinion affecting political discourse through misinformation through social media feeds.

Whilst deepfakes definitely potentiate this issue, amplified through the global connection social-media brings, they arguably aren’t the cause and merely a symptom of wider problems: thus this technological fix will prove ineffective.

Early critics too, scrutinised technological fixes for oversimplifying complex problems due to a tendency to focus too greatly on measurable outcome, or success; failing to take into account non-quantifiable values. Weinberg was aware of these critiques, stating “technological fixes do not get to the heart of the problem; they are at best temporary expedients.”

Linking this to Sarewitz and Nelson’s cause-effect, viewing AI as the technological fix social-media sites need not only might prove ineffective, but also fail to overlook the very causes of the issue. I believe these problems are multifactorial and complex, with two key contributors coming to mind.

Firstly media literacy: if deepfake content depicting malicious portrayals of public figures (alongside with fake news) weren’t believed by general public, deepfakes wouldn’t pose a threat. A key mode in combating deepfakes and fake news in general, would be to increase online media-literacy: approaching news content with further skepticism and ensuring believed media is from creditable sources.

Secondly, are fundamental flaws in the structure of social-media sites themselves. Whilst ‘aiding spread of misinformation’ wasn’t an anticipated effect of Facebook, public acknowledgment that through fundamental design, the site can, and is, being used to exacerbate spread of misinformation is key. This opens the door to accepting that Facebook is responsible for how it is used by its users and the content that is shown. And this opens the door to self-reflection: giving room for the Facebook to holistically review its software, how it’s being used and its current relationship with our society.

Therefore, if deepfakes and fake news is continued to be seen by Facebook and other social-media companies as requiring ‘technological fixes’, it risks not only ineffectively dealing with such problems, but also overlooks the greater picture - that deepfakes and fake news are symptoms of a larger problem and the key hand social-media sites themselves play in distributing fake news. Perhaps only once this is realised, then the source of the problems deepfakes and fake media present be seen, discussed and effectively handled.

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catholicartistsnyc · 5 years ago

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Meet DC Metro-Based Artist Colin O’Brien

(Assumpta)

COLIN O’BRIEN is a Hyattsville, MD (DC Metro area)-based artist, whose disciplines include painting, choral singing, writing (poetry, essay), and fashion design. (O'[email protected])

CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION (CAC): Where are you from originally, and what brought you to the DC area?

COLIN O’BRIEN (CB): I was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minn. and lived in Minnesota until I was 25. I moved from St. Paul to New York City in 1999 and lived there (Harlem and then Woodside, Queens) until 2010 when I moved to DC. I went east from Minnesota to have an adventure and to distance myself from a difficult family situation. I moved to the DC area because I was in a relationship with someone who was established here; I was also a little tired of the noise and pace of New York after 11 years. The relationship didn't result in marriage, but we're still close and dear friends, and I have a strong community in the DC area that supports me. I feel at home with the people here in a way I've not felt before.

CAC: How do understand your vocation as a Catholic artist? Do you call yourself a Catholic artist?

CB: I would say I'm a Catholic artist. My faith is both central and foundational to my daily life; I'm a professed Benedictine oblate, which means I have made a promise to live according to the Rule of St. Benedict according to my state in life. From that monastic basis, I strive to live a life of "ora et labora" (prayer and work) that is central to Benedictine spirituality. My painting and writing is an expression of that faith, though I rarely paint works with explicitly "Catholic" themes. My paintings, however, have a noticeably religious spirit about them that viewers enter into.

My personal mission as a Catholic working in the arts is to use my talents in service of evangelization; I wish to depict the Hope of life in Christ to viewers in fresh, accessible ways. Additionally, I hope to show to fellow Catholics that modern, contemporary art can still be a vehicle for evangelization. I think many people are tempted to look back to earlier periods, such as the Baroque, and remain fixed there as ideal time periods for Catholic art. To me, that strikes me as an admission of defeat; the Gospel is relevant to our own time and can be conveyed ever new using contemporary themes as a jumping-off point.

CAC: Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?

CB: I have to give credit first and foremost to Leo Feroleto, owner of Six Summit Gallery, who curates the art display at the Leo House in New York City. Leo House is a Catholic guest house/hostel in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, a vibrant arts community. I've been blessed to have Leo invite me to display my paintings there, where hundreds of guests pass by them.

I think, however, that the Church needs to do much better generally in supporting the arts. By this I mean that religious education should incorporate an artistic dimension. A painting or sculpture needs to be "read" in order to understand the fullness of the symbolism contained within. We direct much effort toward literacy with regard to text, but very little toward understanding visual symbolism, which leaves us bereft.

In addition to education, we need to cultivate an understanding of art as a common good: it's not enough for artists to be trained to make beautiful works that convey the faith or that enhance the liturgical life of the Church. We also need to foster a spirit of communal support by encouraging people of faith to buy pieces by contemporary artists, for example. We need gallerists, impresarios, and collectors who are willing to give material and spiritual support to artists.

CAC: Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?

CB: Among the artists here in the Route 1 community, it has not really come up as a topic of extended conversation, I'm sad to admit. During open studio tours, I've mentioned the faith aspects of my paintings. I talk about faith with one of my artist acquaintances; he talks about the church he goes to, and one time he came to evensong that I sang with the Anglican Ordinariate community.

CAC: How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?

CB: Recognize our contributions and being willing to pay for our works. I know many church musicians who volunteer their time, or who are asked to sing for friends' weddings and the like on a volunteer basis because it's "for the church." Musicians ought to be compensated fairly. I volunteer to sing in my parish choir, as well as in the schola with my Benedictine oblate community, and also for evensong once a month with the Anglican Ordinariate community; I'm at home with those and it's a way of doing service. However, especially for weddings, couples ought to be willing to budget the musicians' time into their wedding plans, rather than to expect friends to volunteer.

For the visual arts, as I said earlier, I think educating Catholics on their own artistic heritage is fundamental. This can, at the practical level, mean having discussion groups or retreats at the parish with artists or art historians who can talk about the importance of art in supporting evangelization. Paintings and sculpture can strengthen devotion serve as catechetical works as much as they are beautiful adornments.

Additionally, we need to know that there are current, living artists of faith who are creating beautiful works reflecting and illuminating our faith; we ought to showcase those works and support the creators where we can. An example of this that comes to mind is the case of a couple from Ukraine who wrote icons on pieces of wood salvaged from ammunition crates from the war currently going on in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian Catholic cathedral in Philadelphia displayed had those icons on display inside the church in conjunction with the recent enthronement of their new archbishop. Through efforts like this, the Church exposes the faithful to contemporary artists and also potentially draws in people to view the works who might not otherwise go inside the church building. This can be a win-win situation where artists get exposure and support and the Church can introduce people to the beauty of her own artistic traditions.

CAC: How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?

CB: I think approaching artists of faith on their artistic merits is a good starting point, and the artists I've worked around have been good about that and supportive.

CAC: Where in DC (and beyond) do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment?

I am a member of St. Jerome's parish in Hyattsville, and I sing in the choir there. Additionally, I'm a Benedictine oblate of St. Anselm's Abbey in northeast DC. I periodically go to pray the liturgy of the hours in choir with the Dominican brothers at the Dominican House of Studies, which I find particularly refreshing. The chapel is beautiful, and the brothers welcome the laity to pray with them. I also have friends who are members of the Anglican Ordinariate, which is in full communion with the Catholic Church but retains the Anglican liturgical and cultural traditions. Lastly, I also worship with the Ukrainian Greek Catholics at the Shrine of the Holy Family, particularly during Lent. The Byzantine liturgy has fullness and grandeur to it that I deeply appreciate; almost all of it is sung, with the congregation responding to the priest in harmonies. It's a transcendent experience.

I periodically visit New York City and enjoy going to Mass at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, which is an exceptionally beautiful Gothic church with stained glass windows, paintings, and statuary that make you feel like you've stepped into a medieval cathedral.

CAC: Where in the DC metro area do you regularly find artistic fulfillment? Where do you go to get inspired?

CB: Washington, DC is a great area for free museums: the National Gallery of Art, the National Portrait Gallery, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, and the Renwick Gallery are all favorite places for me to go spend an afternoon.

A lot of my work is inspired by things I've seen in dreams or by things I read, so often any place that's quiet where I can have some time of silent prayer or reading is where I can exercise my imagination. Periodically I will see an image or a phrase will come to me while I'm at Mass, and I tend especially to pay attention to those things that come to me while I'm praying.

CAC: How have you found or built community as a Catholic artist in the DC metro area?

CB: My parish has a rather strong community, so when I moved here I was already dialed in through the woman I was seeing at the time. Over the years, I've been able to build a large and supportive network of friends, including with people I've met from social media. Ironically, I don't have much of a network of artists that I socialize with regularly, so I'm in some ways an outsider to the artistic community. I'm an introverted person, so "networking" type events are not something I tend to seek out, preferring instead to spend time with close trusted friends. I have 24-hour access to my studio space, so I work there on weekends or at night; my favorite time is when I'm there by myself and I can turn up my music while I work.

(Phthalo Blue)

CAC: What is your daily spiritual practice? And if you have a spiritual director, how did you find that person?

CB: As a Benedictine oblate, my primary devotion is to pray the liturgy of the hours each day. I do my best to pray morning prayer and evening prayer, as well as the office of readings. Additionally, I go to daily Mass at noon, which is the center and focus of my work day. Sometimes I pray the rosary, too, but it's not a regular daily practice. I carry a pocket copy of the Rule of St. Benedict around in my backpack and periodically take it out to read and meditate upon. Though it's primarily a rule of governing religious life, it's also a rich spiritual text that has many principles worth emulating and incorporating into your life.

My spiritual director is one of the Benedictine monks at St. Anselm's. He is also the oblate director, so it is through him that I came to be an oblate. I met him at the recommendation of one of the other monks, who recommended him to me as a spiritual director.

CAC: What is your daily artistic practice?

CB: I'm a little embarrassed to admit that my practice is very much start-and-stop. I've had some health problems over the past year or so that have left me easily fatigued. As a result, I'm often tired out after a full day of working at my full-time job. However, I've noticed that my mood significantly improves if I do even about an hour's work in the studio. I try to get in a couple of hours each week, even if it's just to put a coat of gesso on a panel.

CAC: Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist.

CB: I recently was in New York in conjunction with the High Line Open Studios Tour in Chelsea, as the Leo House was one of the stops on the tour. I enjoyed visiting other artists there and also interacting with people who came to see the works on display at the Leo House. A thing that moves me is when people ask me about my work and I explain to them the symbolism or the meaning I'm trying to convey, and they open up about their own spiritual lives or emotions. To have an experience of knowing I've reached the heart of the viewer is a very special feeling.

CAC: How do you afford housing as an artist?

CB: I work a full-time job that allows me to pay my bills including my rent, car insurance, and expenses. I live in a house with roommates, after a time of living in an apartment by myself. I room with two of my closest friends, both of whom are self-employed. One of them was diagnosed this past winter with cancer and so I moved into a spare room upstairs at her house to help her out with expenses and to be of support while she undergoes treatment.

I've sold some pieces, but at this point, I work primarily for my own pleasure rather than with a financial motive or an eye toward supporting myself through my work.

CAC: What other practical resources would you recommend to a Catholic artist living in the DC metro area?

CB: I would encourage people to visit the studios and galleries along the Route 1 corridor just outside Washington in Prince George's County. There are new restaurants opening there these days, as well as craft breweries and Vigilante Coffee in Hyattsville, which is an artist-friendly space with the SoHy Gallery next door. We have an art supply shop, Artist & Craftsman, that is a bit of a hub for local artists to get supplies and to banter with the friendly staff. We're just down the road from the University of Maryland campus in College Park, and the Catholic University of America in Northeast DC, so there's a nearby college scene.

(The Lovers)

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teawiththeot · 2 years ago

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United Nations: Due 2030 Also United Nations: Oh we meant Do 2030?

In September 2015, 193 countries met at the United Nations (UN) to plan and adopt 17 global goals and basically ‘transforming and healing the world’. This is how we’ve learnt of the sustainable development goals such as ending poverty and hunger and ensuring everyone has access to clean water, affordable services by 2030. But are ready to have the conversation of that these goals have been all talk and no action? 1) In 2021, global hunger had risen for the third year in a row, according to the latest UN’s world food security report. The National Income Dynamics Study – Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey (NIDS-CRAM) revealed that during April/May 2021, approximately 2.3 million households reported child hunger, while an Ipsos study found that more than 40% of South Africans of all age groups were affected by hunger. 2) According to researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Global Carbon Project (2018) global carbon emissions were also set to rise by 2% in 2018 to hit their highest ever level. The trend is driven by rises in the use of coal, oil and gas. In South Africa, the petrol price hike is hitting us even if we don’t have cars.😢 3) According to the United Nations, globally, the gender gap has stagnated over the past 20 years. 62% of women are in the labour force, compared to 93% of men. According to the unemployment figures released by Stats SA, unemployment rates for males were 31.4% and females were 34.0%. 4) Globally, at least 773 million youth and adults still cannot read and write, and 250 million children are failing to acquire basic literacy skills. According to nationally representative surveys, more than half (58%) of South African children do not learn to read fluently and with comprehension in any language by the end of Grade 4. A staggering 29% are illiterate. You don’t want to hear anymore statistics, right? Me neither. 😠 the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, these findings are disheartening.

Image 1: sourced from the article: social media Memes as Commentary in Health Disasters in South Africa and Zimbabwe. I have used this image to show how the current living situation through laughter – this cartoon critiques, questions, desensitize and rebels yet taps into the reflection of the living economy of SA. – we are promised change yet no where to be seen.

I do not want to belittle the importance of having the SDGs. These goals are very important, and it will take time, dedication and only with collective effort can change the face of South Africa. However, let’s not wait for change to start at the top to come in our communities because we might be waiting forever; instead let’s convert their promises to action from the bottom. We have a role as individuals and society to attempt to solve our societal problems. I, as a community Occupational Therapy student intend to work towards the following SDGs:

Goal 4: Quality education: in the community we see many children with learning difficulties in the classroom from reading, writing, maths or paying attention in class. I attempt to encourage creche and primary teachers and parents to play a crucial role in shaping a child's success by teaching them how to speak two languages at young age, teach reading books and cultivate that love for books at a young age.

Goal 5 Gender inequality + Goal 10: Reduce inequalities - To reduce inequalities, attention to the needs of disadvantaged and marginalized: Gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by advocating for change. By educating men how they will do differently to help other women, plans to protect women against violence, and denouncing the structures of cultural oppression that women belong in the house. It is the one of ways to dismantle patriarchy we attempt to teach men is to question their daily practice and work through systems they have grown accustomed to.

Goal 3: Good health and well-being: I attempt to focus on maternal health at PHC clinics by equipping pregnant women and all women with the knowledge of having their children’s health and development frequently checked and at the same time looking after their own health. We are having these conversations around mental health, breaking the stigma of ‘having it all together’, adherence to HIV medication and risk of taking substances during pregnancy and encouraging peer support

Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth: attempt to providing capacity building and growth opportunities by providing Work skills training in the community we are working in. The training looks at empowering people especially women with skilled labor to obtain employment for themselves. With the economic and political system of South Africa, we cannot always wait for the government to give us jobs, but we can make our own. I also plan to encourage women to draw business ideas from their strengths, hobbies such as starting a vegetable garden – sell fresh produce

Image2: This is image sourced from UN SDG website of how to achieve the targets of SDG3. The image shows just how superficial the solutions planned are. I am looking at the actions and thinking okay but how? when? How are you including the community who are on the ground?

Image 3: this is from unknown source. A white male is holding this sign in front of the President of South Africa. This is it- to teach men is to question and work through systems they have grown accustomed to

To conclude, we am attempting to do this against a political and economical system that have all forgotten about its people. Working with the minds of individuals who have been in poverty and oppressed and being told for many years to just ‘deal with it’. There is no transformation without breaking ‘its been like that, and it will be that’. To our leaders: I just wanna say: You have met the wrong generation. We are here to breakdown those walls of inequality, patriarchy – no matter how long it takes.

References

https://www.uea.ac.uk/news/-/article/strong-growth-in-global-co2-emissions-expected-for-2018

https://www.un.org/en/un75/women_girls_closing_gender_gap#:~:text=Globally%2C%20the%20gender%20gap%20in,93%20per%20cent%20of%20men

Akala B. (2019). Gender inequality in education is still an issue in Kenya and South Africa. Available at: https://theconversation.com/gender-inequality-in-education-is-still-an-issue-in-kenya-and-south-africa-125747 (Accessed: August 12, 2022)

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patriotsnet · 3 years ago

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What Are The Republicans Afraid Of

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-are-the-republicans-afraid-of/

What Are The Republicans Afraid Of

What Are Republicans So Afraid Of

Elizabeth Warren: ‘Republicans are AFRAID of voters!

Instead of conspiracy-mongering about an election they did well in, they could try to win real majorities.

By Jamelle Bouie

Opinion Columnist

There was a time, in recent memory, when the Republican Party both believed it could win a national majority and actively worked to build one.

Take the last Republican president before Donald Trump, George W. Bush. His chief political adviser, Karl Rove, envisioned a durable Republican majority, if not a permanent one. And Bush would try to make this a reality.

To appeal to moderate suburban voters, Bush would make education a priority and promise a compassionate conservatism. To strengthen the partys hold on white evangelicals, Bush emphasized his Christianity and worked to polarize the country over abortion, same-sex marriage and other questions of sexual ethics and morality. Bush courted Black and Hispanic voters with the promise of homeownership and signed a giveaway to seniors in the form of the Medicare prescription drug benefit. He also made it a point to have a diverse cabinet, elevating figures like Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Alberto Gonzales.

Whether shrewd or misguided, cynical or sincere or outright cruel and divisive these gambits were each part of an effort to expand the Republican coalition as far as it could go without abandoning Reaganite conservatism itself. It was the work of a self-assured political movement, confident that it could secure a position as the nations de facto governing party.

‘nobody Is Afraid Of Their Grandfather’

Many Republicans expect Americans will become dissatisfied with record levels of government spending and debt, an increasingly crowded U.S.-Mexican border;and new rules and regulations promulgated by the Democratic Congress and the Biden administration.

Pledging to work with the Biden administration on an infrastructure bill, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he is “hopeful” that “we may be able to do some things on a bipartisan basis; but they got off to a pretty hard left-wing start.”

“We don’t intend to participate in turning America into a left-wing,;kind of Bernie Sanders vision of what this country ought to be like,” McConnell told Fox News after the meeting between Biden and congressional leaders.

Fiscally conservative groups are stepping up campaigns against Biden and his spending proposals.

The organization Americans For Prosperity is preparing ads for competitive House districts in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia. Biden wrested those states from Trump in the 2020 election, providing him his margin of victory in the Electoral College.

Some Republican criticism plays off Biden’s age and his occasionally mangled syntax, but that strategy has met limited success. Some of the attacks mirror the ones Trump made in 2020 against “Sleepy Joe.”

“Trump never found a salient way to brand Biden, and Republicans continue to struggle after the election,” Republican strategist Alex Conant said.

Opinion: What Are Georgia Republicans Afraid Of

It wasnt so long ago that disenfranchised Blacks and activist Whites were beaten and killed for attempting to secure the right to vote.

Among the better-known victims were civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, three young men who were abducted, shot at close range and buried in an earthen Mississippi dam on June 21, 1964. Part of the Freedom Summer, the three had hoped to register Black voters and educate them so they could pass the literacy tests required to vote.

When their bodies were discovered nearly two months later, one of the dead men had red clay in his lungs and clenched in his fist, indicating he was probably still alive when buried. The perpetrators included members of the local Ku Klux Klan and the Neshoba County Sheriffs Office.

This incident was but one of many leading up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but is illustrative of how bloody and hard-won the right to vote was. Weve come a long way, as they say, but some people are still determined to make voting more, not less, difficult. Georgias recent 98-page voting reform legislation, signed into law on March 25 by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, is a case in point. These red-clay legislators dont require a literacy test, but theyve created a host of new regulations that potentially make voting more difficult for minorities.

Also Check: How Many States Are Controlled By Republicans

Opinion: What Are Republicans Afraid Of

Its almost funny, in a twisted sort of way. Election after election, Republicans have based their core political appeal on fear.

And yet as dual gun massacres this weekend starkly illustrate they refuse to offer solutions to any of the mortal threats Americans actually face.

President Trumps closing message;in the midterms was Be afraid, be very afraid; he and his co-partisans have lately doubled down on it for 2020. Of course, the perils that Republicans promise to rescue us from are often fictional, or of their own making.

We must fear the coming scourge of socialism . Trump likewise stokes public anxiety;over;a Market Crash the likes of which has not been seen before if anyone but me takes over in 2020 .

;Trump and allies urge us to cower in trepidation from helpless parents and children seeking asylum, a threat so grave they needed to be separated from one another and caged. We must also fear the supposed Muslim and Latino hordes, who threaten to;wipe out;Anglo-European culture and displace white babies with their own.

These are hardly the only foreigners who should inspire existential dread, according to right-wing fever dreams. Rogue nations should, too, thus justifying enormous increases in our defense budget. Of course, all the nukes and jets in the world wont protect us from the assault our enemies abroad are currently waging against us, and that Republicans;resist;confronting: the one on our electoral system.;;

Senate Republicans Use Filibuster To Kill Jan 6 Commission

Only six Republicans joined Democrats in a procedural vote.

Senate Republicans block Capitol riots commission

In a remarkable political moment, Republicans on Friday blocked the Senate from moving forward on a bill that would establish a bipartisan, independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 assault by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol.

Six Republicans joined Democrats in the 54-35 vote, but that fell six votes short of the 60 needed to start debate on establishing a commission — which then, normally, would require only a simple majority to pass in a final vote.

“Out of fear or fealty to Donald Trump, the Republican minority just prevented the American people from getting the full truth about January 6,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said right after the vote.

“Senate Republicans chose to defend the ‘big lie’ because they believe anything that might upset Donald Trump could hurt them politically,” he said.

The Senate leader reminded GOP senators they “all lived the horrors of January 6.”

“I was no further than 30 feet from those white supremacist hooligans. Do my Republican colleagues remember that day?

“Do my Republican colleagues remember the savage mob calling for the execution of Mike Pence — the makeshift gallows outside the Capitol? Men with bulletproof vests and zip ties, breaking into the Senate gallery and rifling through your desks. Police officers crushed between doorways?” he said.

“Not so today,” he concluded.

No Republican spoke.

Also Check: Who Controls The Senate Republicans Or Democrats

Gop Lets Trump Fight Election For Weeks Despite Bidens Win

WASHINGTON Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday theres no reason for alarm as President Donald Trump, backed by Republicans in Congress, mounts unfounded legal challenges to President-elect Joe Bidens election victory a process that could now push into December.

Republicans on Capitol Hill signaled they are willing to let Trump spin out his election lawsuits and unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud for the next several weeks, until the states certify the elections by early December and the Electoral College meets Dec. 14.

McConnells comments show how hard Republicans are trying to portray Trumps refusal to accept the election results as an ordinary part of the process, even as its nothing short of extraordinary. There is no widespread evidence of election fraud; state officials say the elections ran smoothly. The delay has the potential to upend civic norms, impede Bidens transition to the White House and sow doubt in the nations civic and election systems.

Trump remained out of sight at the White House, tweeting his views, but the social media company Twitter swiftly flagged the presidents tweets that he actually won the election as disputed.

Its not unusual, should not be alarming, McConnell told reporters on Capitol Hill. At some point here well find out, finally, who was certified in each of these states, and the Electoral College will determine the winner. … No reason for alarm.

What Do Republicans Fear

What do Republicans fear?

Muslims? Political correctness? Taxes slightly higher than zero?

Having to adapt and compete with everyone, not a select few? Fully funded and functional public goods? Obamaphones?

Hearing strange languages? Waiting a little longer at the all-you-can-eat buffet line? Not being able to hunt deer with a rocket launcher?

Equality? Opportunity? Their own aging genitalia? Falafel?

Or maybe they fear for their wallets. Fair enough. I worry about my economic future, too. But, you know what? Economics is a policy question. Economics is not a science. If it were, we’d be doing the optimal thing all the time.

You know what is a science? Medicine. Reproductive health. Environmental studies. Geology. Biology. Meteorology. Science is a frikkin’ science! Believe me!

I think they’re scared of losing a dream of what they could have been. They’re nostalgic for a past that never existed. Norman Rockwell–painter of Great America–was married three times and one of his wives tried to burn his house down with him inside. There was never a perfect world.

“Make America Great Again”? America’s been great forever, but that doesn’t mean it’s been great for everyone.

I would love to be proven wrong. I mock, but I’m eager to learn, because right now, it makes no sense:

Republicans seem to fear being slightly uncomfortable. The rest of us fear being slightly dead.

I’m afraid of nuclear war and having to learn Russian or Mandarin.

Hooray.

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Primary Election Snafus Show Challenges For November Vote

Republicans’ and Democrats’ vastly different starting points help explain why the politics over voting and elections have been and likely will remain so fraught, through and beyond Election Day this year.

Sometimes it seems as if the politicians involved barely live in the same country. It has become common for one side to discount the legitimacy of a victory by the other.

And the coronavirus pandemic, which has scrambled nearly everything about life in the United States, makes understanding it all even more complicated. Here’s what you need to know to decode this year’s voting controversies.

The Rosetta stone

The key that unlocks so much of the partisan debate about voting is one word: turnout.

An old truism holds that, all other things held equal, a smaller pool of voters tends to be better for Republicans and the larger the pool gets, the better for Democrats.

This isn’t mathematically ironclad, as politicians learn and relearn regularly. But this assumption is the foundation upon which much else is built.

The Goal Is To Undermine Confidence In Elections

Why Are Republicans Still So Afraid Of Trump? | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

Underscoring the point, Rep. Jim Banks , the chair of the Republican Study Committee, made an extraordinarily disingenuous appearance on Fox News Sunday. Banks had endorsed the Texas lawsuit, which would have invalidated millions of votes in four states based on fictions, and voted to overturn President Bidens electors in Congress.

Pressed by Foxs Chris Wallace to admit Biden won fair and square, Banks kinda sorta acknowledged it, but immediately pivoted to claiming those actions were entirely justified, by insisting that his serious concerns about the election were still valid.

This is not the act of a coward who fears Trump, and would vouch for the integrity of the election if only he could do so without consequences.

Rather, it is the act of someone who is fully devoted to the project of continuing to undermine confidence in our elections going forward.

This is for purely instrumental purposes. Republicans are employing their own invented doubts about 2020 to justify intensified voter suppression everywhere. Banks neatly crystallized the point on Fox, saying those doubts required more voting restrictions after reinforcing them himself.

Indeed, with all this, Republicans may be in the process of creating a kind of permanent justification for maximal efforts to invalidate future election outcomes by whatever means are within reach.

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No More Distractions Maybe Maybe Not

Republicans said they were distracted in making the case against Biden by a lack of cohesion, including internal disagreements over what to do about Trump.

Some blamed Cheney, the now-former House Republican Conference chair who argued that the party should move past Trump and stop echoing his lies that the 2020 election was stolen from him. She said those claims triggered the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, an incident Democrats would surely use against Republicans when elections roll around.

House Republicans voted Wednesday to demote Cheney from her role as third-ranking Republican. She responded that the GOP would struggle against Biden and his agenda if it continues to embrace Trump and his conspiracy theories.

“To be as effective as we can be to fight against those things, our party has to be based on truth,” Cheney told NBC News.

House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., who supported demoting Cheney, said voters are disenchanted with Biden and the Democrats. Scalise told Fox News he sees “a lot of really serious concern about the direction that the socialist Democrats are taking us,” and “Biden has embraced that far-left Bernie Sanders;agenda.”

“People don’t want this to become a socialist nation, yet you see how far theyre moving,” Scalise said.

“It’s always difficult to generate a unifying message when you’re the party out of power,”; GOP pollster Whit Ayres said.

New Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Support Voting By Mail Amid Pandemic

Traditionally, Republicans have tended to support higher barriers to voting and often focus on voter identification and security to protect against fraud. All the same, about half of GOP voters back expanding vote by mail in light of the pandemic.

Democrats tend to support lowering barriers and focus on making access for voters easier, with a view to encouraging engagement. They support expanding votes via mail too.

The next fight, in many cases, is about who and how many get what access via mail.

All this also creates a dynamic in which many political practitioners can’t envision a neutral compromise, because no matter what philosophy a state adopts, it’s perceived as zero-sum.

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Blinken Cracks Up At Hearing Over Gop Senator’s Conspiracy Theory

Days after a bipartisan agreement was reached in the House to form a commission to examine the roots and events of the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced Tuesday that he opposes the bill.

) McCarthy doesn’t want to testify under oath about his phone conversation with former President Donald Trump on January 6“What I talked to President Trump about, I was the first person to contact him when the riots was going on. He didn’t see it. What he ended the call was saying — telling me, he’ll put something out to make sure to stop this. And that’s what he did, he put a video out later.” 2) McCarthy wants to be speaker badly.

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scientificphilosopher · 7 years ago

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Some reflections on 2017:

As we usher in the new year, I thought I’d give some thoughts on the past 365 days. Much of what I wrote at the beginning of 2016 still stands. We still have a great deal of strife and pain and struggle. America and the world at large continue to contend with the incompetence and half-baked belligerence of the man who occupies the White House. An endless stream of bad news flows in from media outlets. But, just as last year, good news, though underreported, still persists. There continue to be promising and hopeful global trends, including some of the lowest recorded rates (ever) of violent crime and people living in absolute poverty, as well as some of the highest rates of overall literacy and children receiving an education. Cancer rates are down. Honeybee populations are up. Child labor rates continue to decline. The list goes on. It’s all too easy to get weighed down by the bad news. It’s what we’re inundated with. It packs an emotional punch. And, perhaps most notably, we can’t report on all the things that don’t happen. Oftentimes good news is precisely that: something bad that didn’t happen. Which brings me to the main thing I want to reflect upon in this new year: gratitude.

It’s easy to get caught up in the vastness and indifference of the world around us. It can make us feel powerless. Hopeless. Dejected. Fatalistic. So it can be heartening to hear good news like that above. These global trends and stories that are largely independent of our daily affairs are surely a justified reason for gratitude. But it’s also important for us to find personal sources of gratitude. Though it can take effort and creativity, it’s possible to discover all sorts of surprising things to appreciate. For instance, just as we can’t receive news reports on all the things that don’t happen—because there are an infinite number of things that don’t happen—we are also predisposed to be unaware and unmindful of all the things that don’t happen to each of us as individuals. And this, my friends, can be an overflowing reservoir of gratitude, a reservoir that, with practice, can be returned to in our most harrowing moments of thirst. When we work to be grateful not just for the tangibly positive things that happen to us, but also the infinite amounts of rotten things that don’t, or haven’t, happened to us, we can begin to appreciate things like not feeling ill or being injured. Not feeling a stomach ache, or a toothache. Not having a sore throat or a stuffy nose. And we can appreciate those things in our loved ones too. How great it is that your best friend didn’t get sick today. Or that no one you know was in a car accident. Or what a thing to celebrate that you didn’t die! Or that you just made it through the day without choking on your spaghetti! How lovely that you’re in a moment of respite from mental illness. Or that you got to spend some time today to engross yourself in beloved TV reruns, or to take some time to relax and to breath, or to read a thought-provoking article, or to share a connection with a family member, or to lend a hand to a stranger in need—all of these moments brought to you by the things that did not happen to you. After all, you couldn’t do a whole lot if you were dead or incapacitated. It’s intuitive, and easy, to trivialize the significance of these things. But I think that’s just because we’ve evolved to shut this out. It wasn’t practical for us to be aware of these innumerable contingencies. But this doesn’t make them, in fact, trivial. We are often ignorant of all the exquisiteness in which we’re immersed.

What can be truly amazing about following this line of thought is that it begins to reveal the fact that everything that has ever happened to us is wrapped up in a thick, entangled thread of pure luck. It’s all luck. It’s all something that, in some really important ways, just happens. And yet here we are. This, I submit, means that every moment of bliss, along with every unfortunate event that doesn’t occur, represents the winning of some sort of cosmic lottery. Lewis Thomas wrote that ‘Statistically, the probability of any one of us being here is so small that you’d think the mere fact of existing would keep us all in a contented dazzlement of surprise.’ Of course, this doesn’t mean that we will actually be perpetually dazzled or grateful. Nor should we be. It’s important, and inevitable, to be drowned in pain and sorrow. That’s part of being a human animal, it’s part of the complex tapestry of a fulfilling existence. However, since we do in fact exist in an indifferent universe, pain and sorrow threaten to become the default. There is no shortage of suffering, and there’s nothing that necessarily prevents it from being the only meaningful experience in all the cosmos. But that’s not the case. We happen to be creatures that can access a breadth of experience. We are kaleidoscopic in our range of emotions and feelings. So we must work for and foster the ones we deem worthy, like contentedness and dazzlement and gratitude and compassion and connection. We are here for a brief flash. We are, as Carl Sagan wrote, snowflakes fallen on the hearthfire—but so very much happens in the brief time that it takes for that snowflake to fade. So much to be grateful for, even when it’s hard to see.

So, as we look over our shoulder at the smoldering wreckage of 2017, let us take some time to appreciate the innumerable things that could have happened—but didn’t. And let us strive to be grateful for things both large and small, seen and unseen, existent and non-existent. Cheers to 2018, a year that will most assuredly be filled with a medley of exquisite wonders and devastating sorrows!

#happy new year #new year 2018 #gratitude #mindfulness #carl sagan #luck #perspective #responsibility #nich

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sleepdragon · 7 years ago

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Media Literacy and Fandom

I've been reading a lot of misinformation that speaks to lack of understanding of the media and how it works which leads to unnecessary outrage or premature outrage. I’m just going to try and shed a little light on some of the problem areas I have witnessed lately and hopefully challenge some of the outrage discourse surrounding these.

First, regular, recurring and guest star. The definition of these are a little different than they used to be, but here’s the general gist.

Regular The star is contracted for a set number of episodes, not necessarily every episode, and is in the title sequence. Title sequence =‘s regular.

Recurring Recurring characters often start as guest stars, but sometimes can be a former regular. They play major characters that often return periodically in order to further the story. They usually reappear when both story and schedule permit.

They’re billed as guest star or special guest star. Special guest star billing incurs a greater fee and is usually reserved for well known actors. It can also be negotiated or given to other actors who have played an important role in the series.

Guest Star Someone that appears usually for an episode or 2.

Recurring has become the new regular in some cases. They don’t get the benefits (or pay) of the regulars, but the story gets the benefit of their character. Additionally it works for the actor too because they get the freedom to pursue other interests/jobs when not at work.

When Floriana was announced as a recurring for season 3, for many reasons a lot of fans assumed that would mean she would be a regular presence within the series. Speculation based on interviews, or other various sources (many of which were questionable) lent itself to this too. Unfortunately the truth is when someone wants to move on a recurring role is a great way of keeping their foot in the door, but ultimately they intend to pursue other opportunities.

Ratings Ploy

This is a term I have seen thrown around a lot recently, specifically in relation to information that the fandom has been fed by paparazzi. Events that occur for ratings lets be honest that’s actually the point of television are promoted through official sources. This is either through official promotions, or interviews, it is not through the paparazzi. I’ll address the issue of the paparazzi later in the piece.

This leads into the issue of -

Queerbaiting

Queerbaiting is intentionally luring queer fans to a show on a promise of a queer relationship they don’t intend to have. Or, like the 100, it was a concerted and continued effort to go into fan spaces and promote a relationship they they knew they were going to kill off. Literally.

Supergirl did not enter fan spaces with the promise that Sanvers was a forever relationship. Nor did they lure people into the show on the promise of a relationship that wont happen.

The ship sailed.

What I see as the issue here is there is a misunderstanding between fan and exec. For example, the exec will state that the coming episodes will “honour the love” of these characters - this leads the fan to believing that the only way to honour that love is through a long term committed relationship. Just because fan expectation of that phrase seems counter to what we may get (we don’t know anything until we see the episodes, in context), it doesn’t mean the execs have lied or that they are queerbaiting - it just means that there is a different reading of the same phrase. Speaking solely for myself, it’s actually possible to honour a relationship and have it end. They are not mutually exclusive.

To that end I also want to quickly address the fandoms catch cry of -

CW is trash.

There is this general idea that because the show is on the CW that the show suddenly became shit (I think this is majorly from people who didn’t watch first season as it aired) and a more poorly represented on than we would have on CBS. It’s important to note that if the show was still in CBS that Alex would not be gay, that Lord and Alex would be baited like hell even though Maxwell Lord was a sociopath, and the show would not have been written better.

From episode one the show has used a sledge hammer for it’s social commentary, it’s writing has been all over the shop. It has never been a good tight show, but it had heart. It had the Danvers Sisters, Cat and Space Dad. Season 2 just built on the problems and inconsistancies of season 1, and created some new ones by isolating the characters into relationships. Same thing would have happened if it stayed on CBS.

Ali Adler leaving the show didn’t instantly make it a worse show either... There is zero evidence her continued presence of show runner would have changed anything unfortunately.

Yes, I am aware of the history of CW in killing of gay characters and their mistreatment of POC - but the reason why we attribute it more to CW is because they have more of both in the first place. Every other network have the same problems, but their level of representation is far lower so is sneaks under the radar in a way the CW doesn’t.

Additionally, CW don’t own the show they broadcast it. It’s a WB and Berlanti Production, so while CW can gives notes, ultimately they aren’t responsible for the decisions.

Lastly I want to address the issue of -

Paparazzi

The paparazzi’s job is to stalk people for money, literally. Think about it for a moment, the people that are spreading the rumours on what may happen in future episodes is stalking your fave. Is cornering them at airports, on the street

and outside their homes

. So why are they being listened too? Why are we, as a fandom who brags about how much we love our fav still have the gumption to apply such cognitive dissonance?

It confuses me.

The particular paps who are promoting the upcoming episode narrative are also on selling to fans. This means that if they are actively hooking fans into their sphere in order to continue to make money from them through the sale of photographs and autographs. Many of which were obtained by violating the privacy of your fave.

Now even if the rumour mongering is true, it lacks context and it also is highly preedited information. We do not know what we are going to ultimately see, neither do they. But really, they don’t even care.

One of the paps likes to report that Melissa was seen at the airport, but she was suffering from anxiety so we respected her and didn’t take photos. Really?!?

You don’t get a prize for being a decent human being.

You were there to stalk her, so still no prize.

You have camped out outside of her house, any option of anything that resembles a prize is withdrawn in perpetuity.

Yet fans thanked him for being respectful. Thanked him. And hey, it totally worked for him long term because he himself now has a fanbase. The stalker who is making money of our faves private moments is getting rewarded both financially and with a virtual pat on the back.

And that’s why they spread the outrage. That’s also why logically you should take everything with a grain of salt.

#supergirl #Floriana Lima #Chyler Leigh #melissa benoist #kara danvers #Alex Danvers #Alex is still super gay #so is Maggie #Super Fandom Panic #maggie sawyer #outrage for outrages sake #words actually mean things #not all ships sail long term #and thats okay

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bethestaryouareradio · 5 years ago

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Do You Believe in the Gift of Abundance?

https://smoothsale.net/do-you-believe-in-the-gift-of-abundance/

Attract the Right Job Or Clientele:

NOTE: Cynthia Brian, Be the Star You Are! Founder and Executive Director, provides today’s post, The Gift of Abundance.

The Gift of Abundance Excerpted from Be the Star You Are! 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference By Cynthia Brian. is available at .

Cynthia is a New York Times best-selling author of several books, TV/Radio personality/producer, lecturer, and enrichment coach specializing in acting, media, writing, speaking, and life success.

Cynthia is the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® The mission is to empower women, families, and youth through increased literacy, improved positive media messages, and skills for living. Since 1998 she has produced and hosted the weekly upbeat, lifestyle international radio broadcast, StarStyle® (www.StarStyleradio.com and she produces the young adult radio show, Express Yourself!™ for the Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel. Cynthia writes for magazines, newspapers, and on-line sites. In her spare time, Cynthia can be found working in her garden or playing with her barnyard of adopted animals.

___________

Cynthia’s Story: Do You Believe In The Gift Of Abundance?

I grew up on a farm, the eldest of five children. Our parents taught us specific values: hard work, loyalty to family and friends, responsibility, and keeping our word. We learned to be independent and self-sufficient. Although we had few possessions and even less money, we were content in our simple, natural surroundings. I can’t imagine a better upbringing for a child.

Our playground was vineyards, hills, and dales. Our companions were horses, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs, and cats. As we hiked the mountains and paddled the creeks, we pretended we were explorers discovering new worlds. We had caves in which to hide. The mustard fields were our dollhouses. We drove tractors, plowed fields, and picked fruit until our hands were raw. The nearest neighbor children lived two miles away, so our life was mostly within our family. Without much money, we believed we were living the gift of abundance.

Work hard, dream hard, laugh hard, live abundantly.

Every season brought new adventures and excitement—preparing the vegetable garden in spring, going on camping trips in the summer, hayrides and harvest festivals in the fall. I have fond memories of enjoying the warming fires and holiday magic of winter. Life on the farm was fun, challenging, hard work, and full of promise.

We didn’t have fancy clothes. We did have a pair of Levis, a pair of boots, a couple of shirts, a school uniform, and a Sunday church outfit. Twice a year, at Christmas and Easter, our Auntie Cleo would take us shopping and buy us a new outfit. These were thrilling excursions. I learned to sew in high school so that I could have a bigger wardrobe. Since I was the oldest, my sisters inherited my hand-me-downs. We always felt another gift of abundance; our family. We were surrounded by delicious, homegrown food, a close-knit family, plenty of trees, and land to roam. We were truly rich in spirit, if not in money.

The Power Of Belief

From my first awareness, I knew I was important. I grew up believing that I had the power to achieve anything I ever wanted. Of course, it meant I was willing to work diligently to get it. It never occurred to me that I could or should be handed something free simply because I wanted it.

Yes, I am an optimist. My glass is always half full, even when it’s filled with bitter medicine. My life has been a rose garden, albeit with lots of thorns and tragedies. As a child, I almost died of encephalitis. Many people I have loved died at an early age from accidents or illnesses. My youngest brother was crushed and killed when a tractor on our farm turned over on him when he was sixteen. My gentle grandfather was killed while mowing his lawn when a tree toppled over on a windless day. And, my hero, my Dad, died from a rare cancer at a young age.

Because of these experiences and many more, I have learned that our most significant failing is not to follow our dreams, not to sing our song. I admit that living expansively and exuberantly isn’t always easy. Sorrow and pain make us want to contract and withdraw, not expand and excel. We live well only when we embrace the following fact. The very fragility, pathos, and unpredictability of life make every moment precious.

Embrace The Gift Of Abundance

I aim to persuade, push, and compel you to live every minute fully and consciously. We never know how many chances we’ll have to “get it right.” Life is finite. The drive seen in my mission is due to my agony in dealing with loss. I have learned that pain, suffering, emptiness, and loneliness are an important part of the human experience. Everyone, rich or poor, weak or powerful, endures these emotions. We are here on earth to learn, laugh, cry, feel love and pain, and to be. Most important, we are here to live and make a difference. Part of getting it right is getting it wrong. We are not the same, but we are all one.

Abundance is not about acquiring a luxury house, a fancy car, expensive clothes, and a jet-set lifestyle. Instead, the gift of abundance is about feeling that there is enough in life for everyone. My early years taught me that a sense of abundance goes far beyond material things. It spans our spiritual life, emotional stability, intellectual stimulation, and physical closeness to the earth.

Having abundance means having fresh air to breathe, clean water to drink, food in our stomachs, a roof overhead, somewhere to walk, and feel the beauty of nature. It includes someone to love and someone who loves you in return. Other elements of abundance are laughter, learning, and the wealth of health. As children, the teaching is to be happy for another’s success, and to believe that there is abundance in all things. If someone else can achieve greatness, so can I. So can you.

We rarely lack abundance, just the ability to understand its meaning in the purest form. The world is a place of emotional and spiritual plenty. Abbondanza, as my mother always said in Italian. Notice and be grateful for everything you have. The gift of abundance is everyone, everywhere, everything.

The 3 Step Exercise: Abbondanza

Shut your eyes. Imagine in vivid detail everything you feel you need to have a fulfilled life. Your list will be unique to you. It can include loving relationships, children, animals, a home to live in, food on the table, clothing, a car, enjoyable work, and so forth. Once you see yourself surrounded by everything you need, add some of the things you want.

Open your eyes, get out your pen, and make three columns: “What I need,” “What I want,” and “What I have.”

Every day, write down the things that you give thanks for: sunrises, beautiful gardens, a pillow on which to lay your head. Recognize the gift of abundance around you. Tell yourself frequently, “I have abundance in all things. There is enough to go around.”

Sales Tips: The Gift Of Abundance

Assess where you are at and what makes you happy

Expand the areas that bring a smile

Use your knowledge to provide community support

Welcome feedback to improve your endeavors

Each evening analyze what you did well, and what needs improvement

On a daily basis acknowledge your gift of abundance

Even day revisit your goals to be inspired and move forward

Each week review your accomplishments and set new goals for the following week

Always revise and improve your strategy for tomorrow including upcoming job interviews.

Celebrate Success!

More at

#cynthiabrian abundance betthestaryouarestarstylefarmingrichinspiritlovedreamplay #family

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goddessgardener · 5 years ago

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Do You Believe in the Gift of Abundance?

https://smoothsale.net/do-you-believe-in-the-gift-of-abundance/

Attract the Right Job Or Clientele:

NOTE: Cynthia Brian, Be the Star You Are! Founder and Executive Director, provides today’s post, The Gift of Abundance.

The Gift of Abundance Excerpted from Be the Star You Are! 99 Gifts for Living, Loving, Laughing, and Learning to Make a Difference By Cynthia Brian. is available at .

Cynthia is a New York Times best-selling author of several books, TV/Radio personality/producer, lecturer, and enrichment coach specializing in acting, media, writing, speaking, and life success.

___________

Cynthia’s Story: Do You Believe In The Gift Of Abundance?

Work hard, dream hard, laugh hard, live abundantly.

The Power Of Belief

Embrace The Gift Of Abundance

The 3 Step Exercise: Abbondanza

Open your eyes, get out your pen, and make three columns: “What I need,” “What I want,” and “What I have.”

Sales Tips: The Gift Of Abundance

Assess where you are at and what makes you happy

Expand the areas that bring a smile

Use your knowledge to provide community support

Welcome feedback to improve your endeavors

Each evening analyze what you did well, and what needs improvement

On a daily basis acknowledge your gift of abundance

Even day revisit your goals to be inspired and move forward

Each week review your accomplishments and set new goals for the following week

Always revise and improve your strategy for tomorrow including upcoming job interviews.

Celebrate Success!

More at

#tags: cynthiabrian abundance betthestaryouarestarstylefarmingrichinspiritlove

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gryneos · 7 years ago

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ISP Alternatives

Until things are returned to ‘normal’ after the removal (or attempted removal) of Net Neutrality, what are some alternatives available to us for connecting to the Internet?

Here are a few I’ve looked over, mostly because I’m still on DSL due to an uncaring landlord. I have considered Calyx and may go with them next year.

So, other than the ones I have listed/linked below, what are our alternatives?

Also, what could be “Internet Alternatives” as in other ways of making the Internet? I know of “Internet over Power Lines” as well as one system a former ISP had tried to create by means of their own radio towers installed on the homes of rural subscribers.

As for the links below, I am including all that are listed on Cheap Internet because I know how "lazy" some of y'all can be ;-) Also, the links are for pages within the Cheap Internet page that further describe the low-cost Internet programs. You can then navigate to the company page after that if you're interested.

Now, as I know most who read this will be age-20 and under, maybe show it to your parents as options for their parents (or themselves) due to the few listed below which are for seniors. There are some good low-cost choices for them. *********************************************************************************

Cheap Internet Low-Income Internet Service Providers

Cheap broadband internet plans have been created by public-private partnerships, to bring high-speed, wireless internet access to those on government assistance or who are low-income.

There are several major, “competing” low-income internet service programs designed for financially-struggling Americans – Comcast’s Internet Essentials, CenturyLink’s Internet Basics, and Cox and Bright House Networks’ low income internet plans. In addition, Connect2Compete’s site may help in finding low-income internet service, although it is best suited for finding training.

If you qualify, these low-income internet service providers can help you get online, with broadband internet speeds for a very, very low monthly rate and no contract hassles.

Affordable Internet service not requiring low-income Don’t qualify for the low-income plans? These internet service providers offer fast internet plans from as low as $9.95 a month. Even free plans for light users.

If you do not qualify for any of the low-income internet programs available, and you cannot afford any of the expensive standard internet plans that can run you anywhere from $40 – $60 a month, there are still other inexpensive options that may work for you. There are even some absolutely free internet plans, believe it or not.

The internet service providers listed below will be able to give you a cheap wireless internet connection from as low as $9.95 a month (or free). And these are not teaser rates — they are the normal monthly rates.

(4GCommunity.org Internet has ended their service.)

Major Programs

Access from AT&T AT&T, America’s first communications conglomerate, is now offering high-speed Internet service to low-income Americans for just $5 per month. No, that’s not a typo. If you meet the eligibility standards and you live in an area served by AT&T, you can now get high-speed Internet service for a mere $5 per month.

Internet Essentials Comcast, the cable TV giant, is the biggest name in the low-cost internet business with a program called Internet Essentials. If you live in areas of the country served by Comcast and you qualify, you can now get Internet Essentials for just $9.95 per month instead of the $40–60 (after teaser promotions) the company charges for its lowest cost basic plan. As of August 2014, over 1.4 million kids from 350,000 families now are online thanks to the wonderful program.

Cox Low-Income Internet One high-speed internet plan for participants of SNAP, TANF and School Lunch programs. And another plan for residents of HUD-assisted housing with school age children.

Cox Communications is now offering two different plans that bring high-speed Internet to financially-struggling Americans. One is aimed at families that participate in SNAP, TANF and the National School Lunch Program. The other is aimed at residents of HUD-assisted housing with school-age children. And they both deliver high-speed Internet for just $9.95 per month.

Spectrum Internet Assist — Low-Income Internet Former rivals Charter Communications, Time-Warner Cable and Bright House Networks have joined forces. That’s great news for America’s neediest citizens because the new company, now renamed Spectrum, is introducing a brand new high-speed Internet plan for low-income Americans. If you qualify, the service will cost just $14.99 per month. Spectrum has promised that this great service will be available in 38 states — everywhere the three companies currently offer service — by mid-2017.

PCs for People — Unlimited and Nationwide It’s fast. It’s cheap. And it’s available to a lot more low-income people than any other program. We think you’ll love it as much as we do.

Instead of being severely geographically-limited like Internet Basics or Internet Essentials, PCs for People is available virtually nationwide (anywhere the Sprint network is available).

PCs for People is offering high speed 4G LTE internet service through Mobile Beacon for as low as $10 per month. Plans are prepaid with no credit check or hidden fees. You can visit our office to purchase a device or purchase it online and receive the device within 3-5 business days.

Devices purchased through PCs for People are for recipients who meet our eligibility requirements only. These devices can not be resold or redistributed to individuals who are not qualified PCs for People clients.

Internet Basics CenturyLink’s Internet Basics is exactly what so many families and individuals need to help them search for and apply for jobs, to follow up on job applications, to find medical care and communicate with their doctors, to help their kids with their homework, and to help them with so many other tasks that can only be done on the internet.

CenturyLink’s Internet Basics costs just $9.95 per month for qualifying low-income families. You’ll also be eligible to receive a personal computer for just $150.

Mediacom Low-Income Internet In 23 states, Connect2Compete partner Mediacom offers high-speed internet service for just $9.95 to families who are struggling with low household income.

Their internet plan provides a 1.5 Mbps speed cable connection, and an option to be able to purchase a computer for as low as $162 and a tablet for as low as $142.

Bright House Networks Low-Income Internet Bright House Networks is the sixth largest cable company, with about 2.5 million customers. Under the Connect2Compete banner, they offer internet service to people who could otherwise not afford it.

Bright House’s low-income internet plan provides unlimited cable internet at speeds of a minimum of 1 Mbps download. While that’s not exactly super fast, it’s certainly fast enough for $9.95. And there are no contracts or extra charges. Additionally, they offer an option to purchase a computer for $150.

Suddenlink Low-Income Internet If you are a senior citizen who qualifies for SSI (Supplemental Security Income) or if a child in your home qualifies for the National School Lunch Program, you may be eligible for very affordable broadband service.

Now that Altice, the French communications conglomerate, has taken over Suddenlink, the company is introducing Economy Internet, a new low-income internet plan in all 16 of the states it serves. Economy Internet costs a bit more than Suddenlink’s former $9.95 per month plan, but it also gives you more. Here is what you get: $14.95 per month (with no annual contract) Broadband speeds of up to 30 Mbps downstream In-home wi-fi at no extra cost A free modem No data caps (The same above for Cablevision Economy Internet)

Eagle Communications Low-Income Internet in 3 States, for just $9.95/month and free modem. Eagle Communications is a small media conglomerate (well, small when compared to cable giants like AT&T and Comcast Communications) that owns and operates 59 cable systems in Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado (plus 28 radio stations in the same states). It is now offering a $9.95 per month Internet plan for qualifying residents of those states.

Midco Lifeline Offering Lifeline Broadband plans at $9.95 per month. Midco is an internet, home telephone (no wireless) and cable TV company that serves more than 300,000 customers in 335 communities in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. It is the first company we have found that is advertising discounted Internet service as part of the new Lifeline Broadband program. The price? Just $9.95 per month for high-speed Internet.

Connect2Compete Internet Program for Low Income Americans Connect2compete (often written incorrectly as Connect to Compete) is one of those rare organizations formed by a combination of private companies and non-profit organizations.

Its goal is easier said than done: To bring high speed internet, low-priced computers and digital literacy to low income communities across the United States in order to improve lives in those communities. They do this by connecting either a) low-income families who have a child in school, or b) anyone living in any of the over 14,000 zip codes where the annual median income is under $35,000, with internet companies willing to give them a special deal. (Also under the Connect2Compete umbrella, Cox Cable has expanded it’s eligibility to include participants of SNAP and TANF.)

Lifeline Broadband The Internet access plan low-income Americans have been waiting for Your selection of really cheap internet options is about to get broader. Much broader. Because the Lifeline Broadband Program will begin delivering free or very heavily-discounted internet access to millions of needy Americans beginning December 1, 2016.

If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Lifeline Broadband is an expansion of the wildly successful Lifeline Assistance free government cell phone program. The expanded program will deliver the kind of high-speed internet service America’s neediest citizens so desperately need in this digital age PLUS more minutes, more texts, more data, and smarter phones to customers of the free government cell phone program. In fact, it would not be inaccurate to say that the entire emphasis of the Lifeline program is being changed from free government cell phones to inexpensive Internet service.

Senior Internet Service – Is there an Internet for Seniors plan? Too many of America’s senior citizens have trouble paying their bills these days. Many have had their savings wiped out, others have seen their income decline sharply due to low interest rates, and some live on their social security payments and simply can’t keep up with rising expenses. Through no fault of their own, many seniors can’t afford even the most necessary of things, like a broadband internet connection. Yes, being connected to the internet is necessary in today’s world.

School2Home Pilot program offers free computers and home internet to California students School2Home internetSchool2Home is a pilot program rolling out across California that’s designed to reduce the technology gap between rich and poor. It’s the gap that’s also known as the “digital divide.”

The program started in Southern California’s Los Angeles and Riverside county school districts and has now expanded to Northern California’s Oakland Unified School District.

Interconnection: cheap internet for Washington low-income residents A great new way for low-income Washington residents to get cheap internet.

We’ve written many articles about the big, national cheap internet programs like Comcast’s Internet Essentials and CenturyLink’s Internet Basics, but now there’s a new, independent program that looks very interesting in the state of Washington. Well, to be absolutely accurate, it’s not new. We’ve actually mentioned it briefly in other articles, but now Interconnection deserves an article of its own.

Interconnection now offers needy Washingtonians a variety of low-priced services: High speed mobile internet for just $8 per month or internet service only for $10 per month, plus a laptop computer for just $149.

Don’t Qualify? If you don’t find that you are eligible for any of these low-income internet plans, either by income level or by participation in a government assistance program, take a look at the other affordable internet plans we have found.

((4GCommunity is still listed, but they have ceased operations.))

FreedomPop - Home Internet and Mobile Internet FreedomPop provides disruptive mobile services including the world's first 100% free mobile plan so that no one is left off the "connected grid." Founded in 2012, FreedomPop is rewriting the rules of the global telecoms industry accelerating the convergence of Internet models and technology with traditional Telecom. It has closed more than $109 million in funding from Intel Capital, DCM, Mangrove Capital, Partech, Axiata and Skype Founder Niklas Zennstom's Atomico. In addition to free mobile service, the company offers a suite of devices, digital services, and innovative social sharing allowing users to share data across accounts. Services are currently available in the U.S. and U.K., with plans to expand to a dozen more countries this year.

NetZero - DSL, 4G Mobile Broadband

NetZero offers a set of “home Internet” plans and a set of “mobile Internet” plans. The home Internet (NetZero DSL) gives you a fixed wireless router at home that beams signals to any local device, and their mobile Internet (NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband) is portable and will travel with you.

The NetZero DSL system is a much better value for the cost-conscious web surfer, and so we highly recommend those plans for you. But if you really must have mobile Internet, you can take a look at the NetZero Mobile Internet offerings, which provide internet via 4G/3G wireless networks.

As some of their competitors have done, NetZero has embraced the “freemium” model for it’s wireless offerings. Their plans begin with a free service for very light users, and then move up in price for plans more maximum data usage.

Karma’s “Social Bandwidth” Internet Karma’s unique cheap internet plan: The more you share your hotspot, the more free internet you get. The more you share your personal hotspot, the more free internet usage you get from Karma. In theory, if you are a social person, you can have free internet forever.

Cheap internet options are springing up like daisies in April. Please meet Karma, the a company who has come up with its own unique cheap internet plan.

Unlike income-based cheap internet programs such as Internet Basics or Internet Essentials, Karma is what we call a “non-income-based” program. In other words, your ability to qualify for Karma is completely unrelated to your income level.

Karma offers a unique three-step approach: Step #1: You pay a very affordable, one-time up-front fee of $149 (there may be $99 deals for new customers) for your own personal hotspot device Step #2: You pay just $10-14 for each gigabyte you consume Step #3: You can earn free internet access by sharing your personal hotspot with friends, neighbors and even strangers.

Not listed, but very similar to the now defunked 4GCommunity:

The Calyx Institute The Calyx Institute now has access to Sprint's 4G / LTE data network and you can get a full year of wireless data for FREE with membership * !! Submitted by admin on Wed, 04/06/2016 - 9:35pm For legal reasons, we can't call it unlimited data service, but..... We are supposed to refer to it as 30 GB+.. however when you pass the 30GB mark during the month, the Internet service does not slow down (throttle), or cut you off, and there are NO overage charges.

The plan only works in the USA in Sprint's 4G/LTE service area (see instructions to check the map below). It does not include off-network roaming, and it is subject to any standard network management that Sprint may apply to commercial broadband data-only account users.

Do the math yourself. Find out what a 30GB/month mobile data service plan normally costs (link is external) (and that plan will shut off after 30GB!) and you will see what an amazing value this is. * We are giving away these really unique year-long 4G / LTE data plans, along with a Netgear Fuse Mobile Hotspot to Calyx members who join at the $500 ("Contributor") level or higher. (more at linked headline)

tl;dr - Well, I can’t help you with that problem. Click the links at the very least and read.

#ISPs #Net Neutrality #net-neutrality #isp-alternatives #low-cost internet

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news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog · 6 years ago

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Remembering some of John Dingell's greatest moments on Twitter

John Dingell, the longest serving congressman in U.S. history, died on Thursday at the age of 92, surrounded by family at his home in Dearborn, Michigan.

Dingell, a Democrat, served in the House of Representatives for 59 years, stretching from 1955, when he took over the Southeast Michigan seat from his father, until he retired in 2014. Debbie, his wife, won the seat in the election following his retirement and is still serving.

SEE ALSO: These Twitter accounts are killing it in Trump's America

During his time in office, Dingell saw 11 presidents come and go (Eisenhower through Obama) and was involved in an incredible number of landmark bills, from the Endangered Species Act (1973) to the Affordable Care Act (2010).

But Dingell will also be remembered for his sharp sense of humor. He often shared his wit on Twitter and became something of a viral sensation known for his hilariously cantankerous observations, especially those directed at President Donald Trump.

The best job in America is the guy who gets to tell Trump he misspelled a bunch of words in his stupid tweets. I’d come out of retirement if you promised me I could do that every day.

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) December 13, 2017

He’s becoming self-aware. https://t.co/49Qv7iW0nU

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) September 5, 2018

Trump can't even get Mexico to sit down for a meeting, let alone pay for an idiotic $15,000,000,000 wall. The art of the deal, I guess.

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) January 26, 2017

Be “Best” https://t.co/k73MwooX60

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) October 26, 2018

But he didn't shy away from showering just about everyone with his acerbic wit.

99% of you people don’t even deserve 140 characters.

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) November 7, 2017

Delete your damn account. https://t.co/WDRLW6zlki

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) November 19, 2018

We should have all just stared at the eclipse.

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) August 23, 2017

Perhaps best of all, he got Twitter, showing an impressive level of social media literacy — especially for a politician. Whether it was live-tweeting the games of his beloved Michigan teams, getting in on the memes, or quoting Taylor Swift, he was on it.

Holy hell that’s a huge cow.

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) November 27, 2018

Woke up yanny and ended the day laurel. The internet can be an incredibly stupid thing.

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) May 17, 2018

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 92. Thank you all for the kind birthday wishes.

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) July 8, 2018

And he was always happy to laugh at himself, first and foremost.

Keep your friends close and your gigantic scooter mirror even closer. https://t.co/TwKIxf0vgf

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) May 31, 2018

Even towards the end, he kept the hits coming hard and fast, cracking jokes about Howard Schultz's presidential run and throwing tweet-punches at Trump.

Someone told me that the man behind everyone's favorite cup of coffee might run for President and I just want to wish @TimHortons the very best. You have my support.

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) January 29, 2019

Buddy, I think you might want to sit this one out. https://t.co/tURD30IYNj

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) February 3, 2019

Whatever one thought of his stance on issues and his votes, there's no denying Dingell's legacy and that, with his passing, the country has lost one of it's most original voices.

WATCH: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is giving Twitter classes to fellow Democrats

#_uuid:efd05214-9d03-3bdf-83f8-573feb742810 #_category:yct:001000002 #_lmsid:a0Vd000000DTrEpEAL #_author:Marcus Gilmer #_revsp:news.mashable

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rjzimmerman · 8 years ago

Link

If you care about climate change, then read this media report from InsideClimate News. It’s a comprehensive analysis across the proposed trump budget of the elimination of all components of climate change as a focus of the federal government. It’s not just the EPA; the cuts affect climate change budget expenditures across all federal agencies.

Even though this budget is DOA in Congress, according to Republicans and Democrats, it reflects this man’s warped values. Basically, all climate change research, preparation, and funding for the Green Fund under the Paris Climate Accord. Some adaptation measures are preserved, telling us that trump does not give a shit about preventing the effects of climate change, but he is willing to spend millions and eventually billions to hold back the rising seas, etc.

Here are the details, from the InsideClimate News report:

EPA

About $100 million would be saved by discontinuing funding for the Clean Power Plan and any international climate change, climate change research and partnership programs. Trump seeks to eliminate the $50 million Energy Star program, a 25-year-old voluntary labeling program that saves consumers and businesses an estimated $24 billion to $34 billion a year by helping them choose more efficient appliances.

Department of Energy

The White House would eliminate the $291 million Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), created in 2007 to spur research into alternative energy systems. The agency recently reported that 74 projects it has funded have attracted more than $1.8 billion in private sector funding.

NASA

The White House would terminate the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3, an instrument that was to be installed on the International Space Station later this year, and three other Earth-science missions that would have aided in climate research. The instrument was designed to show for the first time a geographic distribution of carbon dioxide sources and sinks on a regional scale. Also axed would be the not-yet-launched PACE mission (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem), designed to deliver comprehensive global ocean color measurements to monitor the health of the ocean; DSCOVR, the Deep Climate Space Observatory; and the Pathfinder mission for the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory, designed to improve climate models and inform policy.

NOAA

The proposal includes $250 million in cuts to grants and programs supporting coastal and marine management, research and education, including the entire Sea Grant program supporting university research into coastal ecosystems, fisheries and aquaculture, climate resilience and environmental literacy. A part of the Sea Grant program's mission is to prepare for and communicate the threat of climate change.

Department of State/U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

The two leading agencies for international climate work would be cut by a combined $10.1 billion, or 28 percent. The budget eliminates the Global Climate Change Initiative, which funds all climate-related bilateral efforts, such as partnerships with China and India. It also funds the U.S. contribution to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the global body administering the Paris climate agreement) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the international group assessing the latest climate science). GCCI programs also include helping developing countries track and reduce their emissions and grow their renewable energy capacity. The budget eliminates the U.S. contribution to the Green Climate Fund to help developing nations prepare for climate impacts, to which it had pledged $3 billion. Only $1 billion has been paid out.

Department of Interior

The department that manages the nation's federal land and oversees a broad array of climate research would see its funding cut by 12 percent, to $11.6 billion. The blueprint calls for increased funding for programs that support energy development on federal lands, including offshore, but provided no spending figure. The U.S. Geological Survey would see a cut of roughly 10 percent to $900 million, although continued funding is promised for the Landsat 9 system, a satellite monitoring program being built in conjunction with NASA as part of the USGS's climate change and land use division. Also preserved is support for natural hazard risk reduction, supporting research into helping coastal communities deal with sea level rise, melting permafrost in the Arctic and severe storms.

Department of Agriculture

The department would see a 29 percent cut over the 2016 budget, the third biggest of any agency. The blueprint calls for slashing agency service centers where farmers go for information and technical support, including conservation measures through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. [I know that his budget probably increases funds for fighting wildfires. Again, it’s ok for the forests to burn down, but we won’t be preventing that from happening.]

#trump #federal budget

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yummraj · 4 years ago

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A delivery pop up (delhi NCR) of fusion onam sadya , bengali dishes by Pritha sen & Malayali dishes by Prima Kurien)

This is a series about how eating out is, post COVID lockdown. Read about the previous dining out / takeaway / home delivery experiences after the COVID pandemic lockdown here – amar Jyoti tres spectra threesixtyone Tenali bagundi potbelly divine cafe lungta

In a NUtshell

An OUT OF THE WORLD experience – food (heaven), everything else (hell) – meeting expectations, items promised in the menu missing, logistics, packaging. Lunch arrived at 3.30 pm!!! No expectation setting, no warnings, no proactive updates.

Address & other details: onam pronam

Meal for 2: ₹ 2600

Cuisine type : vegetarian

Disclaimer: All restaurants / eateries reviewed by YUMMRAJ were visited by YUMMRAJ himself & he has paid for the full Bill & tips also. http://www.yummraj.com does not have even one featured / sponsored reviews. YUMMRAJ believes in going to a restaurant in anonymity, as a normal guest, experience everything & give a honest account of the same to you.

I rate all the food items & then give a final overall rating which is a simple average of the individual item ratings. What the ratings stand for: 5 = Excellent, 4 = Very Good, 3 = Good, 2 = Fair, 1 = Disaster

Short description- in case u r in a hurry

Our first onam sadya was at our friend Dilip Jayaram’s house in mumbai 5 years back. We were floored the the amazing food that we had that day. The standards were set just too high. We’ve had many more sadyas since then – some great, some good.

Kerala has a more plural religious mix than most other states of India – slightly more than 50% is the hindus & 45% is Muslims & Christians put together. Onam is a harvest festival (originally based on Hindu mythology) that is celebrated by people from all religions. Interestingly sadya is eaten during this festival by malayalis from all religions & the food is vegetarian for all.

Traditionally this multi dish meal is served on a banana leaf. There is a certain logic to which curry / item is served in which part of the banana leaf. A ripe small banana is also served along with the rice & Curries. Sadya has a sweet dish as well. We were told that most people eat the Curries / chutneys in a certain sequence.

We have been to many pop ups by food historian, journalist & food artist Pritha Sen & have always loved them. Each of her pop ups are unique & totally different from the past ones. We vividly remember food that we had a 7 years back, by Prima Kurien, at Dastkar haat, Delhi. She runs a catering business, serving some great Kerala food in Delhi NCR.

So when we heard about the collaboration by these two ladies for onam, we were super excited. The idea was to have onam sadya with Kerala dishes & bengali dishes that go with the theme.

When we read the social media post further, we got to know that the event is being organised by THE SOUL FOOD COMPANY. We had a slightly strange experience with them few weeks back. Nevertheless onam pronam seemed to be way more interesting, to avoid.

We paid the full amount for onam lunch (Sunday 30th August) in advance 6 days before the lunch. Payment options were google pay or bank transfer. The guy from SOUL FOOD told us that he will send details of delivery on Sunday.

On Sunday morning we checked. We were told that lunch will reach by 1.30 pm. At 1.05 pm, we were told that the lunch will arrive between 2-2.15 pm due to ‘extreme delay in kitchen’. When we connected with them at 2.20 pm, we were told ‘delivery guy got caught in rain. He will reach really soon’. The really soon of course did not happen. We thought at that point – Even the best in the hospitality industry make mistakes, but the best ones make up for it (I always admire TAJ hotels on this front).

We were thinking of calling friends to share the food. Thanking our luck that we did not do – else we wud have had to keep our guests waiting till 3.30!!!

The food came in a torn paper bag. Inside the bag were two kinds of paper/papier-mâché containers. The paper ones were un-sealed (2 of them were closed using cello tapes).

Many liquid items had spilled out. In a situation where restaurants are going the extra mile to deliver safe food, I don’t even know if someone has drank some of the sambhar onway, or ate some curry, before delivering to us.

There were 6 items for which we paid but did not receive – Payasam, Pachadi , Aumbole, Samandhi podi (totally unacceptable), Mango pickle (ok, don’t mind that much), Ripe Banana (no worries). The courier boy either ate lunch from those or he just threw them away to reduce weight of the bag.

SOUL FOOD company’s actions led to us getting FOUL MOOD on an otherwise lovely Sunday . Second time in a row!!!

The way I see it is SHIT HAPPENS. But what one does in such situation, (‘to set expectations’ / update / proactively communicate/ make it up / apologize etc) differentiates the serious long term players vs. the non serious/ inexperienced players. The guys in question here did not bother to do any such thing – it’s the worst thing to do, to keep people sitting & waiting for food. An intimation & expectation setting would have led to arranging alternative options.

The heavenly food made up for all the torture. We were speechless after eating the food.

Detailed description – in case u hv the time to njoy reading:

The choice of bengali dishes was stunning. It blended beautifully with the concept. For someone who did not know this was fusion, he/she might not have understood that this is a marriage of two different cuisines from two places 2400 km apart, with almost everything different but for the love for CPIM & literacy (Ha Ha).

All bengali Curries except malai curry were cooked without onion & garlic.

Teetar daal (daal with karela, this making it bitter – meaning teeta in bengali) – it was outstanding, the grains of daal cud be felt, grated coconut gave it texture, ginger made its presence felt – we just cud not stop raving about it. Rate it 4.75/5

Inji curry (Kerala) was made from ginger juliennes, tamarind & jaggery. It was neither too sweet nor too sour. Infact the ginger pieces, when chewed, tasted a bit bitter. Very different from the ones we have had before. Enjoyable. Rate it 3.5/5

Chenchki (Bengal) was made from stem of banana plant (called thore in bengali). This was mind blowing. Juicy, crunchy, minimally spiced. Flavors of methi made its presence felt. Grated coconut added texture & flavor. Absolutely stellar. Rate it 4.95/5

Sambhar (Kerala) was thick (maybe due to leakage as well). It hit the perfect spot when it came to the balance of taste & flavors. Absolutely loved the vegetables – they were able to retain their texture well. Rate it 4.75/5

Thoran (Kerala) was made with French beans, topped with grated coconut. This was good but we have surely had much better. The beans were crunchy, on the borderline of being sub optimally cooked. Rate it 3/5.

Morich jhol (Bengal) – I guess the thin gravy from this had leaked away too. What remained was a thick dry gravy that climbed to the vegetable – jhinga tori/ ridge gourd. The split yellow pea dumplings were daanedaar & absolutely wonderful. Loved it. Rate it 4.75/5

Theeyil (kerala) was whole shallots in thick gravy of roasted coconut, dhania & tamarind. This one was one of the few dishes which had more spices. The texture was grainy. The taste was a medley of sweet, sour & salt. Very enjoyable. Rate it 4.5/5

Chorchori (Bengal) – this is a melange of vegetables, bori (vadi/ lentil dumplings) & a saag. Pumpkin, gourd, brinjal etc were the veggies, pui shaak (Malabar spinach) was the saag. Spicing was apt. The vegetables retained their main texture, yet mixed beautifully with other vegetables. It was like the best of orchestra. Rate it 4.5/5

Pachidi (Kerala) – we did not receive.

Chhokka (Bengal) – pumpkin & Bengal gram curry. Slow cooked. Lovely texture. The Bengal grams & pumpkin had become soft, yet retained their texture. Methi flavor made its presence felt. Rate it 4.5/5

Okan (Kerala) – this was a curry of cow peas (a kind of lentil) & ashgourd. Two distinct textures. Two distinct mouthfeel. They came together very well. Rate it 4.5/5

Malai curry (Bengal) – this was bottle gourd cooked in coconut milk & with onions. This was very good on its own. Coconut milk flavor or texture did not make its presence felt. Never had this earlier. Always have tasted chingri malai curry (prawns) or evening crab. Rate it 3.5/5

Kootu (Kerala) – this was a dry curry of green banana & full moong dal, cooked in coconut oil. Fabulous. The robust flavors of curry leaf & coconut, the fantastic texture of both the main ingredients & the beyond perfect taste. Rate it 4.95/5

Rice (Kerala) was outstanding. Never had this as good outside Kerala. Perfectly cooked. Did not leave a grain of it. Rate it 4.95/5

Aumbole (Bengal) – we did not receive

Sambharam (Kerala) – this had a thin raita kind of base, with raw onions, ginger in it. Ginger made its presence felt.

Absolutely loved the jujube pickle (Bengal). Could not stop eating that. Sticky. Sweet & sour. Flavor of ginger. Perfect. Rate it 4.95/5

Til badam jhuri (Bengal) – very interesting, like podi. Loved having it with rice.

Payasam (Kerala) – did not receive.

Samandhi podi, mango pickle – did not receive.

Overall rating of food at this pop up averages out to 4.43/5

A phenomenal score for such a long menu.

Rating of the organisers – 0/5

Wud be wary to order again from SOUL FOOD, fearing FOUL MOOD. Hope they learn from their mistakes.

Onam pronam (SOUL FOOD COMPANY) A delivery pop up (delhi NCR) of fusion onam sadya , bengali dishes by Pritha sen & Malayali dishes by Prima Kurien)

#bengali traditional food #food pop up #onam #onam pronam #prima kurien #Pritha sen #sadya #soul food company

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warninggraphiccontent · 5 years ago

Text

26 June 2020

We're jammin'

Back in 2018 (remember 2018? simpler times), a number of us from the IfG, some of our friends from Full Fact and Nick Halliday spent 90 minutes trying to map the government data ecosystem. That is, we had lots of pinpoint cards and scribbled the names of organisations that had some sort of responsibility for data in government on them.

You can find that original effort here. It was a bit rough and ready, we never turned it into anything beautiful, but it was useful for understanding the data landscape across government (and more than supporting our hunch that one of the challenges of data in government is the multiplicity of meanings of 'data' and the proliferation of players involved).

Just over two years on, and with a National Data Strategy expected later this year, I thought it was time to revisit the map. Since we can't physically come together around some post-its, I've turned the old 'map' into a series of slides using Google Jamboard (the first time I've used it). Please do take a look - and add, copy, edit, remix, amend as you see fit (within the parameters suggested on the first slide, of course).

We know lots of people found the original helpful for navigating government data - I hope this one can be even more useful.

And if you're in a collaborative mood, I'm always looking for additions to the following open spreadsheets:

Reports related to data in UK government

A 'data' reading list

Data-related developments in the UK's coronavirus response.

Briefly:

If you can't get enough of the words 'jam' and 'data' being juxtaposed, then you must check out DataJam North East...

...and if you can't enough of public sector-related data meet-ups, then we have a fantastic Data Bites for you this Wednesday, 1 July at 6pm. Register here. Previous events here. It's an admin data special courtesy of ADR UK.

Have a good weekend

Gavin

Today's links:

Tips, tech, etc

Will Covid kill off the office?* (The Spectator)

Don’t expect a flexible work revolution (HR Magazine)

Make video conferencing tools work across government (GDS, via Oliver)

#dontgobacktonormal

Graphic content

Viral content

COVID-19 VACCINE TRACKER (Milken Institute)

How the Virus Won* (New York Times)

An expanding epidemic (Reuters)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK (GOV.UK)

Coronavirus: How does the UK's death toll compare with other countries? (BBC News)

Revealed: data shows 10 countries risking coronavirus second wave as lockdown relaxed (The Guardian)

Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count* (New York Times)

How Somalis in east London were hit by the pandemic (FT)

Understanding excess deaths: variation in the impact of COVID-19 between countries, regions and localities (Health Foundation)

Rainy days (Resolution Foundation)

Air pollution rebounds in Europe’s cities as lockdowns ease* (FT Data)

What are the symptoms of COVID-19? Only 59% of Britons know all three (YouGov)

The government's daily Coronavirus briefings (Oliver for IfG)

Viral content: consequences

Summer brings hope and fear to Britain’s beaches and seaside towns* (FT)

Corona Shock – June* (Tortoise)

Prospering in the pandemic: the top 100 companies* (FT)

Scandinavian and Asian countries are on the way to normal everyday work - economic recovery in real time (Neue Zurcher Zeitung)

The last three months of Citizens Advice data (Gemma)

UK government and politics

Labour councils in England hit harder by austerity than Tory areas (The Guardian)

Dominic Cummings could face inquiry over special advisers (The Guardian)

Freedom of information; civil service staff numbers (IfG, now updated)

Environment and energy

UK and global emissions and temperature trends (Commons Library)

PIPE DOWN: How gas companies influence EU policy and have pocketed €4 billion of taxpayers’ money (Global Witness)

AMAZON GOLD RUSH: The threatened tribe (Reuters)

Sport and leisure

Why Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool are on cusp of Premier League glory* (FT)

Pyramid scheme: This should have been the week of Glastonbury at 50 – will music festivals ever make a comeback?* (Tortoise)

Everything else

Seventy-five years after the UN’s founding, the world order is at risk of collapse* (The Economist)

The Human Genome Project transformed biology and medicine* (The Economist)

The N.Y.P.D. Spends $6 Billion a Year. Proposals to Defund It Want to Cut $1 Billion.* (New York Times)

Where Banks Don’t Lend (WBEZ)

Mapping London’s ethnic diversity (Niko Kommenda - though note this)

Aid Transparency Index 2020 (Publish What You Fund)

Thread (David McNair)

Trump vs Biden: who is leading the 2020 US election polls?* (FT)

What to consider when visualizing data for colorblind readers (Datawrapper)

Meta data

Viral content: contact details

Coronavirus recovery - six data protection steps for organisations (ICO)

The data rules for reopening pubs and restaurants... (me)

Concerns raised about pubs collecting data for coronavirus tracing (New Scientist)

Businesses face privacy minefield over contact-tracing rules, say campaigners (The Guardian)

The UK needs a track-and-trace system we can trust with our data (Institute for Global Change)

Viral content: I call app Britain (and elsewhere)

Google and Apple's diktat to governments on coronavirus contact-tracing apps is a troubling display of unaccountable power (Tom Loosemore for Business Insider)

The UK’s contact tracing app fiasco is a master class in mismanagement* (MIT Technology Review)

Tracking and tracing covid-19—what are the promises, limitations and risks? (Babbage, The Economist)

Apple 'not told' about UK's latest app plans (BBC News)

Does any country have 'a functioning track and trace app'? (Full Fact)

NHS Covid app didn’t pass the test but it still points way to the future (Evening Standard)

The public inquiry... (medConfidential)

No, the government hasn’t installed a coronavirus app on your phone (Which?)

Coronavirus: Ireland set to launch contact-trace app (BBC News)

French give cool reception to Covid-19 contact-tracing app* (FT)

Viral content: local data for local people

Whitehall not sharing Covid-19 data on local outbreaks, say councils (The Guardian)

Local data for local places can help save lives (ODI Leeds)

City-wide data in London: pandemic response & recovery (Part 1); Where we want to get to (Part 2) (Smart London)

Viral content: everything else

“Agreeing to do it in four weeks must’ve been a moment of madness”: Inside the team that built the UK’s furlough scheme (NS Tech)

Covid-19 has made me rethink how I publish, share and coordinate UK food data (UK Data Service)

This open source project is using Python, SQL and Docker to understand coronavirus health data (ZDNet)

Coronavirus: Artificial intelligence to 'rank' NHS patients to help clear post-COVID backlog (Sky News)

Covid-19: The Disaster Automation Was Waiting For (Tribune)

'We're using data during this crisis like never before' (via Sir Chris Ham, via Graham)

How coronavirus reshaped the NHS* (Wired)

Covid-19 and lack of linked datasets for care homes (BMJ)

Uber, WeWork, Airbnb – how coronavirus is bursting the tech bubble (The Conversation)

International Public Health Identity Systems Monitor (Ada Lovelace Institute)

Viral misinformation

Damian Collins MP: Social media firms must take responsibility for harmful Covid-19 disinformation (Press Gazette)

Coronavirus misinformation, and how scientists can help to fight it (Nature)

Countering Disinformation (Cardiff University)

Canaries in the Coal Mine: COVID-19 Misinformation and Black Communities (Shorenstein Center)

UK government

Digital Secretary's closing speech to the UK Tech Cluster Group (DCMS)

The UK’s digital strategy should be the wholesale elimination of administrative burden (Richard Pope)

Helping service teams make decisions about authentication and identity assurance (Technology in government)

Home Office faces court challenge over 'discriminatory' visa algorithm (Civil Service World)

Amazon UK executive to advise GDS on gov.uk (NS Tech)

We’re creating a DfE Service Manual (DfE Digital - discussion here)

If government is mostly service design, is most government service design databases and rights (Richard Pope)

Making it easier to access and use earth observation data (Defra digital)

Questions: Data Strategy (House of Lords)

Big tech

Andrew Yang is pushing Big Tech to pay users for data (The Verge)

CEO of Open Technology Fund Resigns After Closed-Source Lobbying Effort (Motherboard)

Why on Earth did Facebook Just Acquire Mapillary? (Joe Morrison)

Data justice

Data Justice Lab publishes guidebook on data literacy tools (Data Justice Lab)

If the idea of tech not being neutral is new to you, or if you think of tech as just a tool (that is equally likely to be used for good or bad), I want to share some resources & examples in this thread... (Rachel Thomas)

Wrongfully Accused by an Algorithm* (New York Times)

Everything else

Data sharing, US style (Wojtek Kopczuk, via Tom)

Data-informed/enabled vs data-driven (Amanda)

Combining Crowds and Machines: Experiments in collective intelligence design 1.0 (Nesta)

360Giving’s Datastore: a coming-of-age story for open data infrastructure (Open Data Services)

Why ‘digital’ is not separate from organisational resilience. (Cassie Robinson)

WHO DO THEY THINK WE ARE? Political Parties, Political Profiling, and The Law (Open Rights Group)

Tool (Open Rights Group)

How the BBC’s Shared Data Unit teaches journalists to find the news 'hiding in plain sight' (The Drum)

Dealing with rejection (FOIMan)

Opportunities

EVENT: Data Bites #12: Getting things done with data in government (IfG)

JOB: Head of (or Director of) Advocacy (Open Contracting Partnership)

JOB: Grade 7 Developer (MHCLG)

JOBS: Big Brother Watch

JOB: Data Engineer (The National Archives)

We’re hiring engineers! (EBM DataLab)

JOB: Ethics Research Scientist (DeepMind)

JOBS: Ethics Team, Public Policy Programme (The Alan Turing Institute)

JOB: Senior Data Scientist (Business Intelligence and Analytics) (Ordnance Survey)

INVITATION TO TENDER: Demonstrate the impact and value of tools developed within the OpenActive initiative (ODI)

CALL TO ACTION: Audit reform (Luminate)

And finally...

#dataviz

Body language... (Wired/Reuben Binns)

While listening to council meetings in Montreal, local mayor Sue Montgomery decided to knit in red when men spoke and in green for women... (#WOMENSART, via David)

19 Data Graphs All About Disney That Are Beyond Fascinating (Ranker, via Heather)

Coronavirus in Florida (Dare Obasanjo)

Watch the impact of the internet in 3 mins (V1 Analytics, via David)

Everything else

Cryptography... (Josh Glendinning)

Stickers (Andrew Newman)

A Woman On TikTok Sang A Song Calling Out People For Using Racist Statistics, And It's Gone Super Viral (BuzzFeed)

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