#we’ve known each other since 2017 and have had no issues in our friendship

[cheekyboybeth]

I stand with my canceled wife (my homophobic best friend)

[jaceyneedsabetterusername]

Insecurities

Pairing: Sokka x Gender Neutral! Reader 

Warnings: None

Summary: Being a non-bender in the gaang isn’t always easy but your best friend Sokka always has ways of cheering you up. 

Word Count: 2017

A/N: This is my first A:TLA fic! I hope Sokka isn’t OOC but please let me know if he is so I can write him better in the future! 

__________________________________

No matter much you insisted to yourself and everyone around you that being a non-bender didn't bother you, it was a bold faced lie. You hated it. 

Back home, it hadn't been an issue. In the little earth kingdom village you hailed from, bending was forbidden because the fire nation had soldiers there that would imprison any earth benders. Even those who had the gift didn't tell anyone so you never felt different or less than. 

But now that you were with Team Avatar, as Sokka liked to call it, there were constant reminders about your lack of powers.

You sat on a rock on the bank of the river you'd all camped next to, staring at the point where the string of your fishing pole entered the water. It was your job to provide food tonight and after much begging from Sokka for “real food”, as he called it, you found yourself trying to fish instead of forage. The sun was beginning to set, still in the pale blue stage of descent. In a little creek that split off, Katara moved smoothly, guiding water into the air with ease as she practiced a new move she'd been working on. 

Toph was just lying against a rock pillow that she'd willed up into just the right, perfectly comfortable (for a rock) form, shade being cast down on her from another sheet of rock she'd bent into a half tent form. Having secretly been a standing champion in an earth bending fighting ring, beating full grown men five times her size at the age of twelve, she seldom felt the need to practice. 

Zuko was being Zuko. He stood off away from everyone in a clearing of dirt at the edge of the woods, practicing perfectly posed movements as he tried to force more and more power into the fire leaving his palms. 

It wasn't until Aang swooshed past you on a ball of air, sending your hair and the fabric of your clothing blowing in the wake of his pure youthful laughter, that the weight of your insecurities really hit you. 

You sighed, setting your makeshift fishing rod down and wedging it between two rocks. You scrunched your knees up and rested your chin on them, imagining what your life would be like if you had been born with such power. "Hey, you okay?" Sokka appeared from seemingly nowhere, coming up from behind to sit beside you. 

You perked up and tried to shake off the painful thoughts and shrugged, "Yeah, I'm good." You lied with a smile. 

"Please tell me you caught something. I am dying for some meat. We've been eating nothing but berries for days and I think I might die." Sokka begged, plucking at the string coming from the rod. 

You smacked his hand away and reprimanded him, "You're gonna scare the fish, idiot!" 

Yours and Sokka's relationship had always been full of sarcasm and insults but always from a place of love.  As the only non-benders, you often found yourselves paired up for everything which gave you a lot of time to develop a pretty solid friendship. But your idiot, meat obsessed best friend should have known better than to disrupt your fishing. 

Sokka put his hands up in defense, "I'm sorry! I'm just hungry, okay?!" He whined, plopping his face into his hands in 

As he sulked about the hunger you all shared, you looked over, your attention drawn by Zuko's groan of frustration. A tree he was facing was slightly charred but it was clear that he had intended to cause much more damage. He was distracted and frustrated but those seemed to be fairly frequent emotions for him.

Sokka noticed the unusual silence between the two of you and glanced over, chin still on his palm, and noticed you looking sadly at Zuko. He knew very well though that the look wasn't longing for Zuko himself but rather his powers. It was a feeling Sokka was well familiar with himself, "I know how you feel." He began simply, knowing you were reading each other's minds. 

You knew exactly what he meant. It was an unspoken bond of frustration that was only ever brought up verbally when someone underestimated your competence as fighters but it was there. "Do you ever wish you could bend?" You asked, looking over at him.

Sokka leaned back, his usual air of casual cockiness fading into a more sincere version of himself that didn’t shine through as often, "Not so much anymore. I mean, when we were younger, Katara was the only bender in our village so I guess I was jealous that she had this amazing power and I didn't. But I think now I've come to accept my place in the group. Katara and you are the brains. Zuko, Toph, and Aang are the brawn. And I'm the beauty." He put his hand under his chin like a child trying to pose cutely and he pulled his "cutest" face (although you weren't sure if that's what you'd call it - more like cheesy).

You chuckled a little bit, your tone becoming a slightly lighter, "Well, if you could bend, what kind of bender would want to be?" 

Sokka chewed his lip and thought for a moment, "I think I'd stick with my roots and be a water bender. What about you?" 

Your brows furrowed, "I don't know… I mean I know I'm from the earth kingdom so I should say earth bender but I just… I don't know! My whole life would just be rocks. I mean, don't get me wrong, the powers are amazing and definitely one of the most powerful as far as I'm concerned but it's just rocks. Everything is rock." 

"I know exactly how that feels! My whole life has been ice! Everything is freaking ice! I lived in an igloo made of ice!" Sokka spoke animatedly, flailing his arms around to further his point. 

Normally, you might have giggled or rolled your eyes at his dramaticness but instead you became more enthusiastic about your words as well. "Exactly! I mean I lived in a wooden hut but we used to take trips to Omashu and everything is just rock! At least the air kingdom and fire kingdom don't just have air and fire for everything." 

"You know what?" Sokka asked, putting his hand on your shoulder, "They may have superpowers but you know what they don't have?" 

You raised your eyebrows, waiting for him to continue his sentiment. "A kick ass boomerang or a freaking awesome bow staff!" He finished, whipping out his boomerang and using it to point to your bow staff that was leaned against the rocks beside you, your main weapon of choice. 

"Aang kind of has a staff." You interjected, rolling your eyes to look over at your friend. 

"No, Aang has a magical flying stick." Sokka was clearly unamused by your attempt to fault his logic, “Just accept the fact that you’re cool too!” 

His compliments made your cheeks turn red and you laughed, “Yeah, I s’pose you’re right. I am pretty awesome.” 

Sokka’s arms went out in triumph when you finally admitted your true value, “Exactly! Besides, we’re better at hand to hand combat than them too.” 

Your head wavered side to side as an expression of unsureness swept over your face, “Eh, I don’t know about that. Have you seen Zuko with his swords?” 

“Shut up!” He whined, exasperated, “If you’re going to keep being like this, I’m going to stop trying to make you feel important.”

Your mouth fell open a little bit at his last comment, “Are you saying I’m not important?!” Obviously, you knew that wasn’t what he meant. He’d been your best friend since you joined the group so you knew that Sokka valued you just as much as you did him. But still, as such an easy target, he was so much fun to pick on sometimes. 

Your best friend quickly backtracked, “Not that you’re not important! Just- agh! You know what I mean!” His face fell dramatically and his arms dropped to his side, finally stilling from their usual expressive flailing. 

You reached over and grabbed his arm in reassurance, laughing at his flusteredness, “I know what you mean, Sokka! I’m just kidding Gosh, you’re so easy to pick on.” Sokka groaned as you pulled him in close, giving him a side hug. “Thank you for trying to help me feel better. I know that we’re a vital part of the team and that we have specialties that others don’t. I just can’t help but feel insecure sometimes when everyone else can bend the elements to their will and we can’t.” 

Sokka leaned into your touch, awkwardly side hugging you back while you held onto his arm, “Yeah, I know. Me too sometimes. But then I just remember how awesome I am and then I feel better. You should try it sometime” He let you go and pulled his boomerang out from behind him, inspecting the sharp blade with a cocky smirk you knew was just there to mask his insecurities. 

“Maybe I should.” You pondered his words as you leaned back against the rock you’d used as a back rest while you fished and looked out at the setting sun’s reflection on the water. Mentally, you took notes of all the things you were good at. Sure, Katara could move water, Toph could fling rocks, Zuko could conjure fire, and Aang… well Aang was the avatar. But you were a master fighter, capable of taking down ten men with your bowstaff alone. Not only that but you were highly skilled in hand to hand combat. Since your father had been a high commanding officer in the vigilante brigade in your village against the fire nation before he was arrested, he’d instilled a lot of knowledge crucial to survival, on and off the battlefield. Things like scavenging and foraging, making shelter and weapons from next to nothing, battle strategy, natural healing remedies, and keeping a good head in combat were all things that came naturally to you. The bender’s didn’t have that. 

Yes, they were amazingly gifted and talented people but they relied on their abilities for all things. You were able to do almost just as much, if not more, without the powers. Sokka was right: you two were total badasses. 

When you looked back at him, he was sharpening his blade on the rocks and then held it up to the light to inspect it, repeating the process a few times. An idea popped into your head and you looked over at him coyly, “Y’know, Sokka, we are total non-bending badasses. But we don’t know who’s the best non-bending badass.” 

Sokka side eyed you suspiciously, “Is that a challenge?” 

You sighed and leaned back, stretching your body out to show how little you were afraid of him, “Yeah, I think it is. Unless, you’re scared you’ll lose.” You taunted, knowing the rise you were getting out of your best friend. 

Sokka was well aware of what you were doing but he couldn’t resist the temptation of a little friendly battle. “I’m not scared!” His voice cracked, making his comment harder to take seriously, “Just be warned. There’s only gonna be two hits. Me hitting you and you hitting the ground.” He stood up, cracking his knuckles and back as he spoke. 

“Oh, is that so? Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is Water Boy?” You stood up too, grabbing your bowstaff and stamping it firmly onto the earth beside you. 

He grabbed his boomerang and gripped it tightly. He stepped closer, his nose almost touching yours as he locked you into a glare-off, a twinkle of friendly competition in his vibrant blue eyes. You knew that friendly competition was sure to come with a “friendly” amount of scuffs and bruises to both the loser and the victor, though you were positive you’d be the latter of those two. 

Sokka nearly growled as he spoke, raising his eyebrow in challenge, “It’s on.” 

[viostormcaller]

Hey, can you update me on the Jse lore? Since you were talking about the story of it I assume lots of revealing stuff has happened, because for me I remember the theories were all over the floor and nothing actually made any sense...

Of course I can! A great place to go to is also @isas-theory-wall since Isa has a LOT more information than I can wrack up in my sleepy brain, but I am more than happy to provide the basics!

So, for starters, there are 6 Egos Total. These Egos are Antisepticeye, the opposite of Jacksepticeye and the main villain of this story; Jackieboy Man, a superhero who wears a blue mask and red hooded full-body jumpsuit; Marvin the Magnificent, a magician who dons a cat mask; Dr. Henrik von Schneeplestein, a doctor who has saved both Jack and Chase from dying; Jameson Jackson, a silent film actor from before our time who also happens to be mute; and Chase Brody, our protagonist, who is also a single father of two kids and suffers from depression and alcoholism.

So, with the character introductions out of the way, let's get on with the basics of the lore, shall we?

For starters, our primary character of interest (but not the protagonist) is Jack, aka Jacksepticeye. While we have no idea his relation to the other Egos, he is very close with both Henrik and Chase. The three of them have a close friendship with each other.

Antisepticeye, our main villain, is out for the other Egos (and us) and poses a constant threat. He's already attempted to kill Jack twice, both in Say Goodbye and Kill Jacksepticeye, two videos that are currently up on the channel. On his second attempt, he successfully put Jack in a coma, and he's been that way for two years now as of August 3rd, the date KJSE dropped back in 2017.

Henrik, of course, was trying to save Jack from Anti's takeover by trying to medically treat him. He failed, sadly, and was kidnapped for nine months before we saw him again.

During KJSE, we learned that Chase Brody was alive and went to see his family. Now, let me backtrack a bit. Each Ego has their debut videos (which is how we determine the Egos' birthdays, and yesterday was Marvin's). Chase's video is called Bro Average (or, at least it WAS, but I believe the title has changed since then). In any case, we learn that Chase not only is struggling to upkeep his channel, and not only this is struggling with relationship troubles with his wife at the time, named Stacy. Stacy eventually divorces Chase and takes the kids, and Chase attempts suicide by a gunshot to the head.

Back to KJSE, Henrik let us know that Chase was still alive. After his kidnapping, it was later (later as in, a year later) revealed that it has been Chase running Jack's channel in his absence. In addition, before Henrik made his brief return, there was a "doctor" (whose true identity is unknown) that went by the name Dr. Jacksepticeye, and was acting as an impostor in Henrik's stead before he was stopped. We currently don't know where Henrik is now, however.

In the video called Tie - A Game About Depression, this is where we learn that Chase has been upkeeping the channel since Jack fell into a coma, and it's ALSO where we learn about Jack's coma in the first place. We also learn about Chase's issue with alcoholism, and that he has two kids that he gets to see on weekends and that he's trying to get Stacy back.

Now, back to Mayhem. A main, very decisive series as well that you should look at is called Stories Untold. We hear Chase during this, telling Jack that "he needs to wake up", no doubt from his coma. At the very end of Mayhem in a video called Dark Silence, which I believe is the second-to-last video we saw during that time period, Anti directly, physically attacks someone. We didn't know who, and we all assumed it could have been Jack in a nightmare until not Seán, but Robin, Seán's editor, pointed out that it was Chase (bless him for that, because that was VERY decisive evidence and we would have never known had he not said anything) and not Jack in Dark Silence. Since then we don't know his canonical wellbeing or if he's actually okay.

We don't know much about the other Egos, besides the little bits of lore dropped during the Ego Art Weeks, charity streams, and from the tiny glimpses we've seen them in during Mayhem in 2018. We know, however, that both Marvin and Jameson were trying to get in contact with Jack through his coma. Besides that, however, the rest is all just theories and speculation, as we haven't canonically seen them since their debut videos. There have been major videos

The main story's direction now, knowing that Chase is the protagonist, is based on how all the Egos tie into this story, what their goals are, and what Anti's motive is. I'm certain we will find this all out in time, but for now, them's the basics!

I love infodumping, so thank you so much for allowing me that chance. I hope I was helpful!

If I got the order of things wrong concerning Mayhem, anyone, feel free to reblog this post with corrections and also, feel free to add onto this! I don't have ALL the information (partly because I just woke up), but I'm positive more community members will have bits of info that I didn't touch upon.

[bisexualstokes-archive]

Is it too personal or may I ask what the long story that got you back into George is?

honestly i could use this ask as a way to really sit back and reflect on what’s going on in my life so yeah here’s the story:

(warnings for depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts)

so going way back to my junior year of high school, september 2009-may 2010, that was like…one of the happiest years of my life. I had some really great friends at the time, family life (from what i remember) was more or less going okay (although i remember my parents were pissing me off when i was in driver’s ed), i was getting out more, things changed in my youth group and over all it was just a great year?? and CSI?? Season 10?? was so good?? 

and then my senior year of high school started, I got into some shit with not just one, but TWO of my friends, one of which I was like..in love with, and I was getting scared because Things Were Changing and I had all this pressure on me to get a job, go to college, etc, etc. (I also did start a job in the summer between my junior and senior years and I had a crush at this job and our relationship got Complicated and we never did anything, I sort of pushed him away cause I thought I was too young to be with someone who was a couple years older than me, and I was just scared about it in general.) But I was still watching CSI. I still loved it. I still loved Nick Stokes/George Eads.

And then came my first year of college, again, still watching CSI, and I was trying–oh god I was trying so hard to keep my anxiety under control as everything was changing, I was in a brand new school where I knew like…nobody (well a few people here and there–I went to a popular community college in my vicinity so I did see a few people from high school) and again getting this pressure to succeed in college cause college just wasn’t a thing people did in my family–not until everyone began to realize how important it was (some of my cousins went back to school and got degrees and such)

and I was also trying to do my best to keep in touch with my friends, trying to mend the cracks in the two friends I had beef with, but another friend–who I had since seventh grade at that point–and I were getting closer and closer (she’s my absolute BEST friend at this point in my life tbh and uhm yeah I don’t know where I would be without her but I’ll get to that later)

and I was still watching CSI, still in love with nick, etc etc–but I was also getting into another obsession…Doctor Who

Sophmore year of college?? I think this is where depression was starting to get to me a bit. 

I had absolutely NO idea what I wanted to with my life. Family still pressuring me to succeed, things were getting Complicated with that guy at work, I started another job–so I was working two jobs at one point in my life and going to school which is uh Fun. I can’t remember much but I do remember in general being a bit freaked out over having to change schools cause that was a New thing and I was not good with change (because of my anxiety)

SO then we come to my junior year of college, and so began my dangerous Apathy phase, where I didn’t give a shit that I was failing tests because I wasn’t studying because Doctor Who basically consumed my life. I didn’t care about myself–It’s such a little thing, but I stopped brushing my hair at one point and wasn’t taking care of my body the way I should have–I had never gone to the doctor since my high school days, so I never had regular check-ups 

things at this point had ended with my first job and I’ve never seen or spoken to that one guy that I have Regrets with–to this day I wish we gave it a shot tbh, cause he seemed like a geuninely caring, nice guy? (not without his faults of course) 

and also uh…I think this was the year I stopped having a regular period. 

I’m talking like…I didn’t have a period for months, and I sure as hell wasn’t pregnant

I also stopped watching CSI, for many reasons, for the way GSR was being handled, for the way Nick was getting the promise of all these interesting storylines but NEVER DID and watching Nick/George obviously going through his own shit (cause he definitely gained weight in that season–and NO JUDGEMENT FROM ME TBH cause I’m, uh…technically classified as obese myself), and again, I was also SUUUPER obsessed with doctor who to the point where it was probably hindering my life

at some point in 2015 i did get my period again and was like “OH LOOK I’M ALL GOOD ON THAT FRONT” probably cause this is when I entered my first almost-relationship, a frequent customer at the store I used to work at asked me out and it didn’t work out in the end cause he was um…idk just Not For Me (and a gross ass kisser) but then after that one period, it disappeared again.

OH but in 2015, when CSI ended, I did watch the finale–Immortality even though I was SUPER pissed about Nick being gone (I did go back and watch just his final scene and cried like a baby) and then proceeded to rewatch grave danger for the first time in years at that point–I actually documented that on my blog here lol (and I did all of that instead of studying for a test that I failed the next day lmao)

so blah blah blah had tons of shit going on until 2016, which was possibly the lowest point of my life in terms of depression/anxiety, even though I had finally graduated college, I got a full time job (the same one I’m in now, three years later, very successful I might add–I just got promoted last year and I’m held in very high esteem by many of my superiors so it gets happy)

but in this full time job, I was moved to third shift for a few months, and was forced to work with this one woman who I like DESPISED–although not completely at the time, but to this day I really just can’t stand her (thankfully she quit lol) 

so the third shift transition was rough enough, but at least I was into a new show–Person of Interest and I was having the Time of My Life with it but it really did start getting me to think about my depression and mental health, which up until that point I had been ignoring, despite that one friend I mentioned earlier having pointed out to me many times throughout 2015-2016 that I needed to go to therapy (and I just didn’t think it would work, I didn’t want to do it, my social anxiety was screaming FUCK NO the whole time)

also the trump election thing happened and uhm yeah there was that. Got into a LOT of heated discussions…and lost like ALL respect for my step-father (who you’ll still see me refer to as “dad” but i’m pointing out he’s my step father in this instance because I would be ashamed to be blood related to him)

and despite our uh, troubles, my dad did try to get me to watch Macgyver, telling me that “hey, nick stokes is in it!” 

but my depressed dumbass was like “oh really? nice” AND THEN DIDN’T WATCH IT LIKE A FUCKING MORON

and on top of that, my house got INFESTED with mice and my parents did nothing outside of setting up mouse traps but it was getting to a point where we found like…five mice in a day and I was starting to see them in the daylight (which is a sign you have an INFESTATION) and ALL of my belongings were getting mouse shit and pee on them (my room is right next to the kitchen) and I ended up purging A LOT of things (including a binder of friendship from the one friend I had trouble with in senior year–which man that hurt to get rid of ((side note, you know what really fucking hurts the most about breaking away from that friend? we’ve known each other since pre-school and I mentioned in tags before about how we do still talk and shit and i am one of her wedding bridesmaids and shit but yeah…not like it used to be)))

and i was getting to a point where I honestly?? just wanted?? to die??

I would say it was like, late 2016 where I was even starting to think of scenarios where I could just…like…disappear? kill myself? I just did not want to exist anymore

2017 came along, fresh start, I kept telling myself. Still had mice in the mouse, but I was fully aware of my mental health issues at this point, and was starting to really listen to my friend more and more, really starting to consider going to therapy (especially now that i had health insurance)

(and also I was beginning to realize I have Feelings for this friend as well–although I gotta wonder if it’s actual romantic love and just not intense friendship cause we really are close friends but like…I could also see us as more? if she were open to it? but I know she doesn’t feel that way about girls and she’s got her own shit to deal with, and i respect that so I never push it or bring it up)

and then? twin peaks: the return came along. Season 3, episode 3, “Call for Help” a fucking masterpiece of an episode and something just…CLICKED in me. Something made me realize, I need to call for help

and so I did. 

2017 was the year of therapy, in which I talked about a lot of the shit above, and then I stopped going in I think 2018? when the therapist moved away, but my sessions were getting farther and farther apart anyway, and I felt like I was finally in a better place in my life. I had more coping mechanisms, more awareness of how to handle myself, and I began to realize I really needed to take care of myself more

so i went to the doctor for the period thing, seems like it was some hormonal imbalance cause i was put on birth control to get my hormones back in order (this is my first month off of them so fingers crossed it still works) and by the time august/september rolled around? 

I started writing again

and I’m not talking fan fiction, I suddenly had the inspiration to write this original story idea I have for a series that was HEAVILY inspired by CSI–in which the third book in the series is about a guy getting buried alive (and a girl trying to save him but doesn’t because ANGST but that’s another long ass story lol)

which, naturally, made me want to watch grave danger again, for the first time in three years. and then…I suddenly wanted to watch more csi?? from the very beginning??

and so I watched the first four episodes of season 1 again, and Nick/George was back in my life again. And it felt SO FREAKING GOOD.

Then, I watched Macgyver because I wanted to see new George content, and immediately fell in love with jack

Caught up with Macgyver and then finished my csi rewatch, this time watching all of season 13 (which I STILL HAVE MIXED FEELINGS OVER just like season 9) and 14-15 (which i regret not watching when it first aired cause it’s SO GOOD)

and I’m not saying like…Nick/Jack/George is the sole cause of my happiness, the cure for my depression/anxiety (cause that shit never goes away, you just learn to manage it better), nor is he the sole love of my life or anything, but…he’s a huge part of who I am, because in those years, when I was struggling, I lost myself. I lost Nick. But now I found myself again, I re-discovered my passion for Nick Stokes, and i’m just as happy as I was back in 2009/2010, and life is just so good

[dropintomanga]

Faith Is Restored - An Interview With “Anime For Humanity”

Ever since I started this blog, I thought to myself whether I or someone else can start up a mental health organization that helps people using anime. I had some optimism at first, but grew jaded after seeing people’s impressions of anime and how anime was treated under the geek hierarchy over the years. Yet I found out that someone or should I say, a group of fans is doing what I envisioned in my head and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect

While I was reading up on the sudden “mental health” question that popped up in an “anime census”, I found out about an organization that anime fans should support when it came to mental health discussion. That organization is known as Anime For Humanity. They are based in Los Angeles and have been traveling throughout California at various conventions since starting in 2017.

I went to their site immediately and I was amazed that AFH are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to using a medium that many fans love to promote mental health awareness. So I decided to get an interview with AFH and their outreach manager, Ruby, got back to me. Here’s what she had to say on Anime For Humanity, their beginnings, a couple of their projects, the hashtag movement they started, and more.

Q: How did Anime for Humanity get started? What made you see that anime was inspiring for anyone with mental illness?

Ruby: Before Anime For Humanity (AFH) started, we were an anime club with a passion for anime and community. We volunteered with local charities and hosted events that people enjoyed. Then we realized there were specific ways anime could have an impact and make a difference in people’s lives.

When we first thought about the causes Anime For Humanity should tackle, we took a moment to reflect on what anime brought and changed in our personal lives. We found out that most of us suffered through depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. Only a few us did get professional help and others didn’t because of the so-called “stigma."

Q: What professional backgrounds do you have in mental health?

Ruby: Since AFH started as an anime club, we all came from different backgrounds, including artists, teachers, computer scientists and therapy counselors.

We do close work with other LPCCs (licensed professional clinical counselors) and LMFTs (licensed marriage and family therapists) that volunteer to host panels, speak at events and run support groups.

As a member of the Anime For Humanity Clinical Advisory Board, it is very important for AFH to work with therapists and counselors who understand the fandom and use it as to a tool to help people find healing and recovery.

Q: Clinical Advisory Board?

Ruby: The Clinical Advisory Board is an initiative made by Anime For Humanity. It is still under the work and part of the Anime Therapy Project.  Since we attend a bunch of cons, a lot of licensed therapists stop by our booth and ask us to be involved in what we do. We call them the "Anime Therapists." :) 

The purpose of the Clinical Advisory Board is to discuss scientific research done on anime and help polish Anime For Humanity’s upcoming projects/programs. We also have been working on building a "find an anime therapist near you" (which is similar to our “Find Healing” resources, but with a twist) where the anime/geek community can find a therapist near them who understands the fandom and maybe uses it as a tool for therapy. 

So far, the project is still on alpha mode and local to LA. We are hopeful it will expand to other cities, states and around the world.

Q: With anime consumption almost completely online and anime conventions sometimes being the only spot to get fans together, how did you come up with ideas to get fans to come to your programs offline?

Ruby: Here in SoCal (Southern California), it happens that there is a convention every month where we get to be in touch with the attendees and tell them about what we do.

We are very grateful for all the convention organizers in our area because not only does the anime scene keep growing, but we also get to hand out local resources for people to get professional help.

Q: Describe what a typical workshop/support group session from Anime for Humanity is like.

The AFH support group is part of the Anime Therapy program, which is still under the works.

Q: What challenges came along the way as Anime for Humanity began to grow?

Ruby: One of the challenges Anime For Humanity faced when we first started was we weren't able to collaborate with other organizations because there wasn't much acceptance and support towards anime when discussing our mission and purpose.

Q: What did it take to get some of those who were skeptical onto your side? How did you convince them? I always felt anime has better acceptance in a place like California due to a large Asian population, Hollywood celebrities loving it, and a vibrant arts scene.

Ruby: At first, we couldn't convince them due to what they have been told about anime (ie. anime containing violent and sexual content) - things that didn't go with their mission and values. 

But once we showed them how conventions were growing (especially the growth of Anime Expo) and how anime presents themes such as kindness, courage, and friendship. We also told them our story of how anime gave us a purpose to make a change in our community. That gave a spark to start the conversation and change their minds about anime. And yes! You’re right about anime being more accepted in California. As I mentioned earlier, there is more than one convention happening each month here in California, where people celebrate their fandom (comics, anime, cosplay, etc) Seeing cosplayers on the train/metro, cons popping up everywhere; that made it easy to promote Anime For Humanity!

Q: I liked how you involve gamers of all kinds to support Anime for Humanity via the "Play Anime Project." In your opinion, what is it about gamers that make them the most charitable people out there?

Ruby: Gamers are a great community. They are passionate and empathetic. Especially when gaming with a purpose comes to play. Everyone would love to do what they are passionate about and help others at the same time.

The "Play Anime Project" is about taking and promoting new and fun anime games to non-anime conventions and start the conversation about the stigma of mental health with attendees.

Q: I found out about a program you had to combat illiteracy called “Take a Manga, Return a Manga Project." Given that manga literacy and comprehension can translate well into reading non-visual material, how did the program work and which series were the most helpful for fans struggling to read?

Ruby: “Take a Manga, Return a Manga” is a unique and exciting program we launched when we first started Anime For Humanity. Here are the 3 reasons why:

1. We wanted to promote anime/manga to a community who aren't familiar with either. Because as mentioned earlier, reaching out to that community was/is still one of the challenges we are facing.

2. We all have a bunch of manga collecting dust in our shelves. We thought how can we put those manga into use and make a space where values like sharing, friendship, and community are built in the anime community.

When we took the AFH library to a couple of conventions, we would invite the attendees to build one in their community, college, high school, etc. to bring those values and show the rest what anime is about.

3. Like you mentioned in your question, manga literacy and comprehension can\translate well into reading non-visual materials.

We have a special box for people to donate manga that will be taken to kids in orphanages as a way to fight illiteracy. Since the donated books were random, we do pick and choose the appropriate ones that will be given to the kids while the rest go back to the library.

Q: I wanted to ask about your thoughts about the recent Flying Colors Foundation situation where the now-defunct organization asked a question regarding users' mental health. There was a good amount of criticism towards FCF about that particular question. What concerns did you have over how they presented it?

Ruby: We believe the question about mental health could have been worded better or not have been asked at all. The survey was to show Japanese animation studios what most Westerners think and want in an anime, and not about personal mental health issues which are generally unrelated to their survey.

Q: I love the #SavedbyAnime hashtag you started, but there are times, as you and I know, where anime consumption can be harmful to someone. We've seen toxic situations involving fandom. How do you tell someone who may be letting anime or anime fandom take over their daily life that it's a good time to step back?

Ruby: “Too much of a good thing is good for nothing.” Moderation is always the key. Over-consumption of anything such as food, exercise, entertainment, and also medicine can be harmful. Finding balance in our lives is so important, yet it is so hard.

This is one of the complex questions that we face at conventions most of the time, since we have encountered many people saying “If it wasn’t for over-consuming anime, I'm not sure if I would be here right now.”

We tend not to judge or give advice to people, but paradoxically, our first approach is to invite people to watch an anime that would speak to their situation in life (Naruto, Welcome to the N.H.K, etc. for example). 

Then we follow up with them to ultimately help them understand what they are going through and hopefully get professional help. We believe all the struggles anime characters go through is to share with us their experiences that we can learn from and use it in our daily lives.

This is where we start the conversation and and educate people about the hashtag #SavedByAnime which is about how to use anime to find balance, growth and purpose in life.

Q: I noticed that there's an upcoming program called "Anime Therapy" on the front page of your site, which looks like screenings with some conversations afterwards, I believe? Can you talk more about it?

Ruby: We will keep you updated once it's ready for launch.

Q: Given that mental illness is becoming a popular topic in graphic novels and manga like “My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness” have hit mainstream success, what would like to see going forward in terms of anime covering portrayals of characters with mental illness?

Ruby: We would love to see more of the kinds of anime that cover characters with mental illness. For example, Welcome to the N.H.K depicted the struggles of a person who was suffering from mental illness. We also hope to see anime touch on the subject of getting professional help when in crisis.

This interview has been edited for clarity. 

You can visit Anime For Humanity at http://www.animeforhumanity.org.

[ivandancel-blog]

University of Santo Tomas Senior High School Music, Arts & Design Strand Pioneer- Grade 12 Graduate

Dancel, James Ivan Baluyut Music, Arts & Design-2 2016093273 #11

15 June 2018. Today marks the end of my shs chapter but also the start of another chapter, my college chapter. Today was so full of memories, realizations and feels. I felt happy but I also felt sad at the same time because this is it!! the chapter wherein I finally say goodbye to all the memories I had with my friends, classmates and profs and to say goodbye to all the people who I used to see, meet, bond, fight, and laugh with, my classmates. My block had a rough start but I’m happy that we ended very close to each other, very open to each other and very loving to each other. I must say, My block wasn’t really that kind of ‘ideal’ but my block is worth it, worth more than anything because after all the challenges we had together, we remained united, and strong together.

Senior High School is hell of a roller coaster ride. There are times that happy happy lang kami but there are also times din na sobrang hirap igapang ng lahat, requirements, schedules, quizzes, petas and everything but still, We managed to survive because we chose to believe na we can kaya we really did survive! After all, We get to choose what will happen to our lives kaya let’s always choose the best option so that we can turn out din as our best version. To be honest, there are times that I really doubted myself, I doubted myself that I can finish and survive senior high school because there were times where in problems combined all in all like life & acads probs, then there came my anxiety attacks too, then eventually I also had depression. I must and should say, It’s really hard for me before… but then there are friends who told me that I am stronger than what I think or what I feel. It took me so long to realize what’s the real meaning of that advice but eventually I realized that my friends are correct. As long as I stay positive or optimistic and as long as I choose to be happy, I can overcome anything negative or I can overcome my problems in life.

I’m really thankful for the friendships that I gained and for the family that I have discovered and obtained because of this Senior High School. Thank you to my blockmates for making my Shs life extra & memorable, for being my partners in crime whenever some professors are not around, for tolerating all “kalokohans” and everything. Thank you to my squad families, BAROBA & EMOJI 7 for the continuous support and unending love and care.

For BAROBA, Thank you so much to you Bern Palacio for the unending support, care and love that you have given me despite my trashy attitude sometimes. Thank you so much to you Rian Lagdameo for being so charitable for sharing all your foods and resources whenever I want or need some. Thank you to you Steffany Catubig for all the laughters and harsh moments together. Thank you to you Terrence Santiago for all the warm hugs & spontaneous shopping sprees. Last but not the least, Thank you to you Esmeralda Bautista for giving me so much joy, advices and guidance. For always pushing me to try harder with everything I do. Thank you for all the memories and the roller coaster ride journey that we had together.

For EMOJI 7, Thank you so much to you Allison De Guzman for being so sweet and very straight forward. Thank you so much to you Abigail Esguerra for all the jammings & sweet talks! Thank you so much to you Maron Pillejera for all the wara wara jk! for all the kainans with you! Thank you so much to you Saira Dequito for all the balasa, baraha and pusoy memories! Thank you so much to you Kris Diaz for all the spontaneous dinners, for all the laughters and for giving me so much joy everytime I feel down. Thank you for all the hugs and for all the fights together! I’ll definitely miss your kabingihan and kabaliwan and ka free-loader-han. Thank you to you Pamela Dauba for all the cheating sessions Jkkk! For all the laughters, secrets, and memories we’ve shared together. You’re indeed one of the best seatmates I’ve ever had!!! Thank you for being so true always and for always being so maldita & you’re welcome sa pagpapabuhat lagi sa ROS or Rules of Survival and you’re welcome sa pagubos ng LTE ko lagi. Lastly, Thank you to you Karl Santiana for being my all around buddy, my financier, my eating buddy, my sundo, my study buddy and all the spontaneous adventures that we had togehter!! Thank you for all the wonderful memories that we had and I’ll definitely miss you!!! Tbh, I can’t still imagine my college life without a Karl Santiana huhU, jeep buddy :-( Maceda or Avida buddy. I love you all so much Emoji 7!!!

also to my og friends,

Thanks so much Shaznae Litan, for being strong with me since day 1!! Thank you for literally everything like lahat lahat, lammonayan lahat. Sometimes, I see myself in you kasi napaka attitude mo and yun parang ako lang pero ang funny kasi lagi tayo nagaaway like nagsasabihan ng harsh messages pero at the end of all of it, we find each other laughing lagi sa lahat. Thank you for being on of the most trustworthy friends din na meron ako. Thanks so much Aly Gaffud for being one of my og friends sa ust. Thank you because you stayed despite my changing moods and all my rants. Thank you for all the laughters, lamunans and syempre ang nomi nights. Thanks so much Athena Garcia for being one of my og friends din sa ust. Thank you for all the laughters, ka-sabaw-an moments with you and for all the compliments that I get from you even though I find them unbelievable at times. You’re one of the most genuine person I’ve ever known and also one of the most down to earth. Thanks so much Caila Gonzales for all the laughters, stories and secrets that we’ve shared together. I’ll surely miss your laughs and all your jokes. Thanks for always believing in me aswell. I love you four so much!

to my brother x bestfriend,

Thank you so so so so so much to you Lawrence Competente for almost everything. Thank you because you didn’t gave up on me despite all my mood swings, rants, and issues with everything. Thank you for all the help, care, love and support, I really appreciate them all. Thank you for introducing me your family which eventually became my home as well. Thank you for guiding and always believing that I am more than who or what I think I am. Thank you for always bringing me up everytime I’m down. Thank you for being my partner in everything. Thank you for the continuous and unending love and most specially, Thank you for being the best best best friend sa buong mundo! Goodluck sa future endeavors mo!!! Godbless you always!

and also, to all my friends from ABM, STEM, HUMSS & MAD!!! Thank you to you all for being with me sa journey kong to!! (you know who you are guys!!! di ko na imention baka sobrang humaba nito huHu)

and that’s it, That sums up everything or my entire shs journey.

“After every storm is a beautiful rainbow.”

I’ve encountered and went through so much during my senior high school chapter but despite all that, Here I am, a pioneer & proud graduate of Senior High School, Music Arts & Design Strand batch 2017-2018.

[flauntpage]

Thinks: Mel Potter on EthnoFeminist Art

Interview and visual essay by Lise McKean

Melissa Hilliard Potter is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, writer, and co-founder of the Papermaker’s Garden at Columbia College in Chicago, where she is an associate professor of Art and Art History. We began our conversation in the Papermaker’s Garden on a late afternoon in June, just after a sudden shower made the soil fragrant.

Mel Potter in the Papermaker’s Garden at 620 S. Wabash in Chicago

Lise: Since we’re starting out in the Papermaker’s Garden, let’s begin with hearing about what you are growing this year in your raised bed garden here in the Loop?

Mel: I’m focusing on a perennial bed dedicated to the idea of pleasure for women. Last year’s Papermaker Garden included the Roe v. Wade and Bosnian Magic beds. After much focus on women’s biology, I decided that the most feminist investigation I could do this year would be to investigate pleasure.

The plants I’ve selected are for pleasing the nose and eyes—and for psychotropic recreation. For example, I’m growing absinthe and burdock in my Plants of Pleasure bed. My partner in the Papermaker’s Garden, Maggie Puckett, has a bed for growing plants she discovered while investigating witches, some of whom were her ancestors. She calls it Witchcraft and Colonial Warfare.

Poster for 2017 Plants of Pleasure Garden

Lise: I’m curious about the psychotropic plants—what brings them to your garden?

Mel: I’ve been doing research on women shamans because a lot of the psychotropic vision work in traditional societies is very male-centric. I’m interested in the intersection of psychotropic recreation, visionary quests and experiences, and consciousness-raising. I’m going to explore how these plants can be turned into psychotropic materials. I’m also looking at some of them for their calming and anti-anxiety effects. Some of these plants can be recreational as well.

Lise: Being around plants is intensely sensual, engaging our senses of touch, smell, taste, sight, and even hearing. Culture shapes the experience and use of plants, too. How do the plants in the Papermaker’s Garden mesh with your work as an artist?

Mel: All my work is about female culture. It ranges from contemporary feminist practice to female ethnobotanical and intangible heritage, which is made up of traditional craft practices. I explore how these are distinct languages and forms of communication and history-making. They parallel recorded history, but are completely different ways to interpret the world. I’m always on a quest to search for practices with the potential to reveal something that could be transformative. We’re unaware of them because they’re not included in dominant narratives.

The craft practices I explore range from bio-culinary traditions and handmade felt rugs to women’s tattoo cults and hand papermaking. These are tremendously under-recorded practices that reveal fascinating narratives.

2015 Food, Sex, and Death dinner party in the Papermaker’s Garden celebrating the Hull House Wage Worker research on brothels located at garden’s site at the turn of the 20th Century

Lise: Mention of tattoo cults appear here and there in ethnography. Tell me more about the one that interests you and how you came across it.

Mel: When I was in the Republic of Georgia I saw a pagan ritual taking place on the street that I identified as similar to a film I had done in South Serbia. My colleague Clifton Meador bought the book, Tattooed Mountain Women and Spoonboxes of Daghestan in preparation for our work in Georgia. I wrote to Robert Chenciner, one of the book’s authors, asking him whether the designs I saw in the pagan ritual were the same as those in the women’s tattoo cult in the same region. He wrote back a long email and so began our friendship.

Women use similar symbols from the “book of life” for her children, her parents, her illnesses. It’s an old tradition. There are still many tattoo practices. All the symbols come down to a few basic things. Don’t mess with my crops. Don’t mess with my family. Protect me from evil and the evil eye. A lot of the designs are plant based and burdock is one of them. Some ethnobotanical designs are used over and over. A traditional woman has repertoire of images. Through color and image she can tell a specific story, just as a rug can tell a story about its family.

Ethnographer Robert Chenciner holding a rare hand-felted rug from Daghestan

Lise: These tattoo cults give women a way to record on their own bodies events in their lives that are important to them. Tattooed Mountain Women must be fascinating. Traveling back to your garden here in downtown Chicago, what happens to all the plants at the end of the growing season?

Mel: We’ve learned that a perennial garden is a year-round phenomenon. We let some of the plants go to seed because it’s good for pollinator bugs. Many of the crops are cut and cooked and made into paper to use for artwork. During the winter months, I work on making the paper at the Center for Book and Paper Arts.

Lise: How do you run the garden as a collaborative project?

Mel: We invite people as guest gardeners and community guests. The South Loop Alliance has a bed with us. We invite graduate students at Columbia. We help out each other with watering, weeding, and events here at the garden. Running a ten-bed garden would be impossible without a group of collaborators. My project with Maggie Puckett, Seeds InService is the garden’s other main project.

Flax handmade paper laminates, pulp painting, and electroluminescent (EL) wire embeds by Melissa Potter

Lise: You describe yourself as an interdisciplinary artist. Did you start out that way?

Mel: I’m the director of the Interdisciplinary Arts MFA program at Columbia. Interdisciplinarity is naturally collaborative. My personal interdisciplinary practice is ethnographic. I don’t consider myself a botanical expert.

I started in print and paper because it’s a family legacy. My grandmother was a printer and painter. My aunt was a letter press printer. My mother is a quilter, knitter, and crafter. It started there. My high school yearbook said I wanted go into anthropology. Everything I’ve done since then goes into that direction.

Lise: As an anthropologist, I’ve known some who knew from childhood that’s what they wanted to do. Where did your interest come from at such a young age?

Mel: My grandmother, aunt, and I aunt studied a lot of pre-Christian goddess cults. Women scholars were starting to write female-centered ethnography. My grandmother and I went to Crete and drew at goddess sites. She called her journal, “Melissa, the Minoans, and Me.”

Lise: How did you find your way to merging art and ethnography? Were you doing that in art school, or did it come later?

Mel: I have to credit Columbia primarily. After finishing grad school, I spent 12 years in New York City leading a traditional art life showing in alternative galleries and collaborative spaces. When Columbia hired me in the Interdisciplinary program, I was given free rein to explore curatorially, artistically, and critically the interdisciplinary space. It’s a distinctive program. It’s no accident that my strongest work comes out of my time here when I was institutionally supported to do these off the grid things like tattoo cults and paper cultures. I’ve been here now for 10 years.

Lise: From the wide world of peoples and cultures, where did your interest in Bosnia and Serbia come from? Is that your ethnic background?

Mel: My grandmother and I sponsored a Bosnian refugee in the 1990s. She was in Croatia as a refugee. Her village was ethnically cleansed and then the Serbian militia turned it into a rape camp. I was reunited with her in 2015. By then I had spent 20 years exploring the arts, culture, and ethnography of the larger Balkan region. I didn’t work in Bosnia until recently.

Poster for the 2016 Bosnian Magic Garden, dedicated to Potter’s grandmother and Zejna. View is from Zejna’s front window.

Lise: That’s an intense commitment.

Mel: It was obsessively captivating to me. I used to go two or three times a year. I’ve been there 35 times, staying up to six months at a time.

Lise: I haven’t yet had a chance to see your film, Like Other Girls Do. Congratulations on all the attention it’s been getting since it came out in 2015. You’ve told me it grew out of your interest in the custom of sworn virgins in Montenegro and Albania.

Mel: The film is a collaboration with the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade. It’s 30 minutes and explores another female-centric traditional cultural practice. When there are no boys born in a family, a girl is raised as a boy to inherit the father’s property. I interviewed Stana Cerovic, the self-proclaimed last sworn virgin of Montenegro. I was exploring Stana’s legacy. She died in October 2016. The film also includes my interviews with five women in the Balkans under the age of 40, and their thoughts about personal identity and gender expression.

I’m working on a second part of the project about how to create a legacy in an environment that doesn’t record us. Stana isn’t in her family tree, even though she made the sacrifice to be a boy. In all likelihood, she was not buried as a man even though she wanted to (I am waiting for confirmation from my ethnographer colleagues in the region). I find it heart breaking that they’re not only forgotten, but if they’re remembered, it’s falsified. There’s no reward for the sacrifice.

  Lise: What does the role of virginity play in this tradition?

Mel: They’re called sworn virgins because they take an oath of virginity. They don’t marry. They usually live with their families or alone. They can’t have a heteronormative relationship.

Lise: How does the film contextualize this tradition within contemporary culture?

Mel:  Like Other Girls Do is about Stana’s village and about death. The story shows her visit to the cemetery where her family members are buried and explores the issue of how she will be remembered. I asked a graffiti artist to make a tag for Stana. The film ends with her making Stana’s tag on the streets of Belgrade. I wanted the women I interviewed to connect with Stana in a two-way conversation.

Stana Cerovic with photograph of herself dressed as a man. Photo by Melissa Potter

Lise: Did they make the connection? What happened between the women?

Mel: I think they reflected on Stana’s story. They asked themselves about their own willingness to engage in traditional Balkan society and the sacrifices they’re already making. I included the queer narrative—and the way society restricts full development of an identity. This was true for Stana and the five women. The queer activist was the most liberated in some ways. To live as a queer-identified person in the Balkans is a radical act of self-assertion.

Lise: The film has been widely screened. What are some highlights of its travels over the past couple years?

Mel: It’s had a nice life. Last year it was shown in Paris at Cineffable, the world’s largest feminist film festival. It’s also traveled to around the U.S. and the Balkans and to Denmark, India, China and Slovenia. It’s been featured in some exhibitions too, including Becoming Male, a show featuring artists like Adrian Piper and Eleanor Antin at Albright College.

Making a film is a huge project. I loved every minute. My collaborator was Saša Sreckovic at the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade. My editor, Jelena Jovcic is my better half. Editors don’t get the credit they deserve. Composer Aleksandra Dokic created the music for the film.

Lise: We’ve talked about your work as an interdisciplinary artist in terms of ethnography and ethnobotany, paper making and film making. What else are you working on?

Mel: I pray it’s not going to be another film. I’m going do something on my grandmother and Zejna, the Bosnian woman refugee. I recently obtained my grandmother’s O.S.S. file. The O.S.S. was the US office of intelligence during World War II. She was an O.S.S. operative. I’m curious to see where that goes. I met with Zejna twice. I started a four-part narrative, with my grandmother, Zejna, myself, and a fictional version of Zejna’s daughter. It will be a study of women and war and how women experience war in a gendered and particular way.

Lise: Am I hearing that you have another film on your hands?

Mel: Do you want to take me and shoot me right now! I’ve been doing some prints of my grandmother and Zejna and writing annotations. I’m building a visual archive. It probably has to be a film. It could be a book. I like working in film, but it’s a hard medium. I’m not wealthy enough to play in it. If you don’t have money, you have to wait for it.

Equal Pay 4 Equal Work, designed by Melissa Potter in handmade felt

Top 5 Weekend Picks (12/9-12/11)

Forest for the Trees

Episode 172: John Jennings and Damian Duffy

Top 5 Weekend Picks! (5/31-6/2)

The Glitch is the Thing

Thinks: Mel Potter on EthnoFeminist Art published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[meeedeee]

http://ift.tt/2iKwRKc

Michelle Obama gave her final remarks as First Lady on Friday, choking up as she urged young Americans to remain hopeful and engaged in the country’s future.

“I want our young people to know that they matter, that they belong, so don’t be afraid. You hear me? Young people, don’t be afraid. Be focused, be determined, be hopeful, be empowered,” Obama said at the White House, speaking at an event honoring the 2017 School Counselor of the Year. “Lead by example with hope, never fear, and know that I will be with you, rooting for you and working to support you for the rest of my life.”

She called serving as First Lady “the greatest honor of my life.”

Here are her full remarks:

OBAMA: Hey! (Applause.) What’s going on? (Applause.) Thank you all so much. You guys, that’s a command — rest yourselves. (Laughter.) We’re almost at the end. (Laughter.) Hello, everyone. And, may I say for the last time officially, welcome to the White House. Yes! (Applause.) Well, we are beyond thrilled to have you all here to celebrate the 2017 National School Counselor of the Year, as well as all of our State Counselors of the Year. These are the fine women, and a few good men — (laughter) — one good man — who are on this stage, and they represent schools from across this country.

And I want to start by thanking Terri for that wonderful introduction and her right-on-the-spot remarks. I’m going to say a lot more about Terri in a few minutes, but first I want to take a moment to acknowledge a few people who are here.

First, our outstanding Secretary of Education, John King. (Applause.) As well as our former Education Secretary, Arne Duncan. (Applause.) I want to take this time to thank you both publicly for your dedication and leadership and friendship. We couldn’t do this without the support of the Department of Education under both of your leadership. So I’m grateful to you personally, and very proud of all that you’ve done for this country.

I also want to acknowledge a few other special guests we have in the audience. We’ve got a pretty awesome crew. As one of my staff said, “You roll pretty deep.” (Laughter.) I’m like, well, yeah, we have a few good friends. We have with us today Ted Allen, La La Anthony, Connie Britton, Andy Cohen — yeah, Andy Cohen is here — (laughter) — Carla Hall, Coach Jim Harbaugh and his beautiful wife, who’s a lot better looking than him — (laughter) — Lana Parrilla, my buddy Jay Pharoah, Kelly Rowland, Usher —

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Woo!

MRS. OBAMA: Keep it down. (Laughter.) Keep it together, ladies. Wale is here. And of course, Allison Williams and her mom are here.

And all these folks are here because they’re using their star power to inspire our young people. And I’m so grateful to all of you for stepping up in so many ways on so many occasions. I feel like I’ve pestered you over these years, asking time and time again, “Well, where are you going to be?” “I’m going to be in New York.” “Can you come? Can you come here? Can you do this? Can you take that? Can you ask for that? Can you come? Can we rap? Can we sing?” (Laughter.) So thank you all so much. It really means the world to this initiative to have such powerful, respected and admired individuals speaking on behalf of this issue. So congratulations on the work that you’ve done, and we’re going to keep working.

And today, I especially want to recognize all these — extraordinary leadership team that was behind Reach Higher from day one. And this isn’t on the script so they don’t know this. I want to take time to personally acknowledge a couple of people. Executive Director Eric Waldo. (Applause.) Where is Eric? He’s in the — you’ve got to step out. (Applause.) Eric is acting like he’s a ham, but he likes the spotlight. (Laughter.) He’s acting a little shy. I want to recognize our Deputy Director, Stephanie Sprow. Stephanie. (Applause.) And he’s really not going to like this because he tries to pretend like he doesn’t exist at all, but our Senior Advisor, Greg Darnieder. (Applause.) There you go. Greg has been a leader in education his entire life. I’ve known him since I was a little organizer person. And it’s just been just a joy to work with you all. These individuals, they are brilliant. They are creative. They have worked miracles with hardly any staff or budget to speak of — which is how we roll in the First Lady’s Office. (Laughter.) And I am so proud and so, so grateful to you all for everything that you’ve done. So let’s give them a round of applause. (Applause.)

And finally, I want to recognize all of you who are here in this audience. We have our educators, our leaders, our young people who have been with us since we launched Reach Higher back in 2014. Now, when we first came up with this idea, we had one clear goal in mind: We wanted to make higher education cool. We wanted to change the conversation around what it means and what it takes to be a success in this country. Because let’s be honest, if we’re always shining the spotlight on professional athletes or recording artists or Hollywood celebrities, if those are the only achievements we celebrate, then why would we ever think kids would see college as a priority?

So we decided to flip the script and shine a big, bright spotlight on all things educational. For example, we made College Signing Day a national event. We wanted to mimic all the drama and excitement traditionally reserved for those few amazing football and basketball players choosing their college and university teams. We wanted to focus that same level of energy and attention on kids going to college because of their academic achievements. Because as a nation, that’s where the spotlight should also be — on kids who work hard in school and do the right thing when no one is watching, many beating daunting odds.

Next, we launched Better Make Room. It’s a social media campaign to give young people the support and inspiration they need to actually complete higher education. And to really drive that message home, you may recall that I debuted my music career — (laughter) — rapping with Jay about getting some knowledge by going to college. (Laughter and applause.)

We are also very proud of all that this administration has done to make higher education more affordable. We doubled investments in Pell grants and college tax credits. We expanded income-based loan repayment options for tens of millions of students. We made it easier to apply for financial aid. We created a College Scorecard to help students make good decisions about higher education. And we provided new funding and support for school counselors. (Applause.) Altogether, we made in this administration the largest investment in higher education since the G.I. Bill. (Applause.) And today, the high school graduation rate is at a record high, and more young people than ever before are going to college.

And we know that school counselors like all of the folks standing with me on this stage have played a critical role in helping us get there. In fact, a recent study showed that students who met with a school counselor to talk about financial aid or college were three times more likely to attend college, and they were nearly seven times more likely to apply for financial aid.

So our school counselors are truly among the heroes of the Reach Higher story. And that’s why we created this event two years ago, because we thought that they should finally get some recognition. (Applause.) We wanted everyone to know about the difference that these phenomenal men and women have been making in the lives of our young people every day. And our 2017 School Counselor of the Year, Terri Tchorzynski, is a perfect example.

As you heard, Terri works at the Calhoun Area Career Center, a career and technical education school in Michigan. And here’s what Terri’s principal said about her in his letter of recommendation. He said, “Once she identifies a systemic need, she works tirelessly to address it.”

So when students at Terri’s school reported feeling unprepared to apply for higher education, Terri sprang into action to create a school-wide, top-to-bottom college-readiness effort. Under Terri’s leadership, more students than ever before attended workshops on resume writing, FAFSA completion — yes, I can now say FAFSA — (laughter) — and interview preparation. I can barely say it. (Laughter.) They did career and personal — personality assessments. They helped plan a special college week. And they organized a Military Day, hosting recruiters from all branches of our armed forces. And because of these efforts, today, 75 percent of Calhoun’s seniors now complete key college application steps, and Terri’s school has won state and national recognition.

And all of this is just one small part of what Terri does for her students each day. I can go on and on about all the time she spends one-on-one with students, helping them figure out their life path. Terri told us — as you heard, she told us about one of those students, so we reached out to Kyra. And here’s what Kyra had to say in her own words. Kyra wrote that “Mrs. Tchorzynski has helped me grow to love myself. She helped me with my doubts and insecurities.” She said, my life has changed “for the better in all aspects.” Kyra said, “She held my hand through my hardest times.” She said, “Mrs. Tchorzynski is my lifesaver.” That’s what Kyra said. (Laughter.)

And this is what each of you do every single day. You see the promise in each of your students. You believe in them even when they can’t believe in themselves, and you work tirelessly to help them be who they were truly meant to be. And you do it all in the face of some overwhelming challenges — tight budgets, impossible student- counselor ratios — yeah, amen — (laughter) — endless demands on your time.

You all come in early, you stay late. You reach into your own pockets — and see, we’ve got the amen corner. (Laughter.) You stick with students in their darkest moments, when they’re most anxious and afraid. And if anyone is dealing with a college [high school] senior or junior, you know what this feels like. These men and women show them that those kids matter; that they have something to offer; that no matter where they’re from or how much money their parents have, no matter what they look like or who they love or how they worship or what language they speak at home, they have a place in this country.

And as I end my time in the White House, I can think of no better message to send our young people in my last official remarks as First Lady. So for all the young people in this room and those who are watching, know that this country belongs to you — to all of you, from every background and walk of life. If you or your parents are immigrants, know that you are part of a proud American tradition — the infusion of new cultures, talents and ideas, generation after generation, that has made us the greatest country on earth.

If your family doesn’t have much money, I want you to remember that in this country, plenty of folks, including me and my husband — we started out with very little. But with a lot of hard work and a good education, anything is possible — even becoming President. That’s what the American Dream is all about. (Applause.)

If you are a person of faith, know that religious diversity is a great American tradition, too. In fact, that’s why people first came to this country — to worship freely. And whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh — these religions are teaching our young people about justice, and compassion, and honesty. So I want our young people to continue to learn and practice those values with pride. You see, our glorious diversity — our diversities of faiths and colors and creeds — that is not a threat to who we are, it makes us who we are. (Applause.) So the young people here and the young people out there: Do not ever let anyone make you feel like you don’t matter, or like you don’t have a place in our American story — because you do. And you have a right to be exactly who you are. But I also want to be very clear: This right isn’t just handed to you. No, this right has to be earned every single day. You cannot take your freedoms for granted. Just like generations who have come before you, you have to do your part to preserve and protect those freedoms. And that starts right now, when you’re young.

Right now, you need to be preparing yourself to add your voice to our national conversation. You need to prepare yourself to be informed and engaged as a citizen, to serve and to lead, to stand up for our proud American values and to honor them in your daily lives. And that means getting the best education possible so you can think critically, so you can express yourself clearly, so you can get a good job and support yourself and your family, so you can be a positive force in your communities.

And when you encounter obstacles — because I guarantee you, you will, and many of you already have — when you are struggling and you start thinking about giving up, I want you to remember something that my husband and I have talked about since we first started this journey nearly a decade ago, something that has carried us through every moment in this White House and every moment of our lives, and that is the power of hope — the belief that something better is always possible if you’re willing to work for it and fight for it.

It is our fundamental belief in the power of hope that has allowed us to rise above the voices of doubt and division, of anger and fear that we have faced in our own lives and in the life of this country. Our hope that if we work hard enough and believe in ourselves, then we can be whatever we dream, regardless of the limitations that others may place on us. The hope that when people see us for who we truly are, maybe, just maybe they, too, will be inspired to rise to their best possible selves.

That is the hope of students like Kyra who fight to discover their gifts and share them with the world. It’s the hope of school counselors like Terri and all these folks up here who guide those students every step of the way, refusing to give up on even a single young person. Shoot, it’s the hope of my — folks like my dad who got up every day to do his job at the city water plant; the hope that one day, his kids would go to college and have opportunities he never dreamed of.

That’s the kind of hope that every single one of us — politicians, parents, preachers — all of us need to be providing for our young people. Because that is what moves this country forward every single day — our hope for the future and the hard work that hope inspires.

So that’s my final message to young people as First Lady. It is simple. (Applause.) I want our young people to know that they matter, that they belong. So don’t be afraid — you hear me, young people? Don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered. Empower yourselves with a good education, then get out there and use that education to build a country worthy of your boundless promise. Lead by example with hope, never fear. And know that I will be with you, rooting for you and working to support you for the rest of my life.

And that is true I know for every person who are here — is here today, and for educators and advocates all across this nation who get up every day and work their hearts out to lift up our young people. And I am so grateful to all of you for your passion and your dedication and all the hard work on behalf of our next generation. And I can think of no better way to end my time as First Lady than celebrating with all of you.

So I want to close today by simply saying thank you. Thank you for everything you do for our kids and for our country. Being your First Lady has been the greatest honor of my life, and I hope I’ve made you proud.

[ladystylestores]

The Community That Covid-19 Built

The wagon on Jennifer Ois’s front porch is a symbol of the coronavirus’s silver lining. It’s red and wooden, with black rubber wheels that once fell off, when Ms. Ois was towing her first child and a frozen turkey home from a store many years ago.

These days, the wagon is crowded with homemade things like fermented turmeric soda, ginger-berry kefir water, lemongrass ice cream and fresh lettuce from the garden, all waiting to be picked up by a neighbor.

“Now it’s got a whole other purpose,” says Ms. Ois. It’s carrying kindness down her street.

Since visiting her neighborhood on Hiawatha Road a few weeks ago, I’ve returned to it many times in my mind. I find it comforting. It reminds me that despite the virus’s darkness, it has offered some illumination — a slowing of time and a return to life’s essentials. The people on this street have used that time to learn old-fashioned skills like fermentation and growing vegetables, and in the process they’ve become a community.

They’ve been lucky, too — while some on the street have lost employment to the virus, this part of the city has been relatively unscathed by Covid-19 infections and deaths.

The street is classic east-end Toronto — three long blocks of houses huddled together, as if for warmth. It was once part of a 600-acre farm owned by the Ashbridges, an English Quaker family from Pennsylvania who fled to Canada as Loyalists after the American Revolution. It remained a farm outside the city limits for more than a century, until the land was parceled and sold off — for shacks for the immigrating poor and for planned subdivisions.

Walking down the street, you can see the signs of that history in the architecture — old working-class bungalows wedged beside gentrified two-story brick homes. You can also see locals homesteading in ways that Sarah Ashbridge, the matriarch of the Quaker settlers, would likely recognize.

Ms. Ois is known locally as the “fer-mentor.” On her stove, a pot of water, grated ginger and molasses cools next to her “ginger bug” — the makings for ginger ale. Her slow cooker is warming milk for yogurt. She pulls colorful jars out of her “fermenting cupboard” — homemade vinegars, kombuchas and pickles.

For many years, she bugged her neighbors to try her hobby, but they were too busy, rushing from work to children’s hockey practices. When the country went into lockdown in March, she found a captive audience with long days to fill and anxiety to expend.

“When this all happened, everyone else came into my world,” said Ms. Ois, 43, a stay-at-home parent. “Many said, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ Well, I know what to do. I’m an expert at it.”

She offered kombucha scobies, sourdough starter, and seeds for her neighbors’ nascent vegetable patches. She left them all in the wagon on her front porch, and texted pictures of her handwritten recipes.

Just down the street, Guillermo del Aguila had set up a hydroponics nursery in his basement for the first time, to supply the seedlings for his family’s backyard greenhouse. He was better at it than he expected. He joined in the exchange, issuing his own community offerings: eggplant, sweet pepper, tomato and leek seedlings.

Jon Harris lives a few doors down. Both he and his wife had been deemed essential workers, so time had not stopped still for them. But he found making bread soothing. The baking section of grocery store shelves was bare, but he knew of a commercial mill and put out a call to the street. His first order was for 300 kilograms of flour and 25 pounds of yeast.

“There’s something magical happening,” said Mr. Harris, 44, an electrician.

He added, “I wonder if there is something about watching the world spin around you and thinking about your mortality. We have a little more space to grab onto the things we want to be important.”

The trading and pioneer hobbies have continued, even as the city has begun slowly to open up. Ms. Ois set up a swap page on Facebook, and offers went up from neighbors for homemade granola, freezer strawberry jam, lavender, eggs, espresso syrup, bitters for cocktails. Deborah MacDonald ventured to the red wagon to pick up champagne yeast to make raspberry mead, with Ms. Ois’s handwritten recipe. She left fresh-baked bread.

“I used to joke I didn’t know anybody on the street,” said Ms. MacDonald, a film producer who often clocked 11-hour days at the office. While there was a sense of community before, many of her neighbors barely knew each other before the virus stitched their friendships.

“We’ve all helped each other get through this crazy time,” said Ms. MacDonald. “In some respects it’s allowed us to forget a little about all the terrible.”

Ms. Ois’s husband hammered together a greenhouse in their backyard that she called “the house Covid built.” She and the del Aguila family plan to grow seedlings for their neighbors’ bursting gardens next spring.

“There’s no going back,” said Kara del Aguila, Guillermo’s wife, who considers the street her “precious lifeline.”

“We don’t order flowers for delivery anymore,” she said. “We go to our neighbors’ homes and knock on the front door and give them something we made.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized again this week — this time for taking part in a decision to award a no-bid government contract to a charity deeply connected to his family. The country’s ethics commissioner is digging into the affair, marking the third time Mr. Trudeau has been investigated for breaking conflict-of-interest rules since coming to power in 2015.

Since a New Jersey hedge fund quietly assumed ownership of Postmedia, Canada’s largest newspaper chain, the company has cut its work force, shuttered papers across Canada, reduced salaries and benefits, and centralized editorial operations in a way that has made parts of its 106 newspapers into clones of one another, my colleague Edmund Lee reports.

Catherine Porter is the Canada bureau chief, based in Toronto. Before she joined the Times in 2017, she was a columnist and feature writer for The Toronto Star, Canada’s largest-circulation newspaper. Follow her on Twitter at @porterthereport

How are we doing?

We’re eager to have your thoughts about this newsletter and events in Canada in general. Please send them to nytcanada@nytimes.com.

Like this email?

Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up here.

Source link

قالب وردپرس

from World Wide News https://ift.tt/2OzKlr5

[brittney-brutal]

Hi guys!

So recently I’ve gained more followers and I just want you to know that I appreciate each and every single one of you for coming with me on this crazy adventure.

I’ve had this blog for.... 9 years this August? I never thought it would have the impact that it does, and I never imagined anyone would care enough to follow.

So for all my followers, new and old, anonymous and known, here’s some of those famous “tumblr questions” so you guys can get to know me more. I also haven’t done any of these in YEARS so I’m actually excited to see the answers and compare them to my old ones.

My ask box is always open ❤️

1. What is your name and what does it mean?

- my name is Brittney and it simply means that my parents chose that name for me instead of Samantha or Jordyn like they wanted to.

2. How long have you known your best friend?

- well I have three, and I’ve known one since 2009, and I met the other two in 2017.

3. What position do you sleep in?

- uh, on my side/stomach with my one leg bent and the other under the pillow? You know, the “girl” position?

4. Were you in a clique in high school?

- LMAO yo I was the girl that wore pink/zebra Osiris skate hi-tops with black/white TIE DYE jeans. And band tees. I had a bracelet that I made from zebra DUCT TAPE. I was also in the top 10% of my graduating class, coming in at #77 with a 4.257 GPA. I was NERDY AND WEIRD. But I had friends from every clique.

5. Favorite high school teacher and why?

- I mean it’s been... 7 years since I graduated but I think it’s still Mrs. Nash. She was my astronomy teacher in 11th grade and then I also was her teaching assistant in 12th grade. She was so beautiful and sweet and the best mom to her kids.

6. Name a few places you’d want to travel to if money wasn’t the issue?

- Bora Bora, Germany, Australia, The Grand Canyon.

7. Did you or do you play any sports?

- I used to dance jazz and hip hop, I used to play soccer, I could do a mean jump rope routine in grade school. Was even part of a team lmao. Recently I’ve really wanted to learn how to skate again.

8. Things you find attractive?

- in general? Being able to hold a conversation and actually put forth enough effort. Street smarts. Knowing how to cook and take care of yourself. Knowing and setting and keeping boundaries. Nice eyes. Good sense of humor, the protective possessive type. Always considering my thoughts and feelings, even when I don’t seem to have any.

8. Where did you grow up?

- Sunny, humid, hot, sticky, rainy Florida. Born and raised unfortunately.

9. Do you have any embarrassing stories?

-FUCK THIS QUESTION. Yes. One time in 8th grade I had a crush on this guy named Erik. We were great friends and he was littleraly the biggest prankster around. So one day in science class we’re all taking a test and our teacher suddenly looks up and asks “do you hear that” and we start looking around and everyone starts to hear it and Erik asks me “what is that, is that you?” And to my ABSOLUTE FUCKING HORROR, my iPod started playing Sexy Can I by fucking Ray J DURING THE TEST. thankfully Erik took the blame so my life wasn’t completely ruined after that. I also got catfished by someone when I was....14-16. Eventually she came clean and we’ve spoken before here on tumblr. No hard feelings.

10. When is your birthday?

- January 28, 1996. I’m the ripe old age of 24 with arthritic bones and an ankle that cracks every few steps I take. I’m knocking on heavens door rn.

11. How many pillows do you sleep with?

- why is anyone asking this question lmao but I sleep with 9. I have a queen bed.

12. Name 5 things about your appearance

- I mean I have a whole page dedicated to my selfies so check that out I guess.

13. Favorite drink?

Alcoholic? Rum runners or bahama mama’s. Non alcoholic would probably be.... cherry coke or Mountain Dew code red.

14. Strange talent you have?

- I guess you could call it a talent in some aspects, but I have mockingbird syndrome where I can imitate just about anyone’s singing voice.

15. How did one of your friendships end?

- I found out I had feelings for her in high school and she was my best friend. I was in love with her like bro I was fucked up over this girl. I mean, let me clarify. At the time she was in the process of figuring out her identity and she was identifying as a male, and was really confident in that role. Her appearance changed drastically but her person never did, and I loved every bit of whoever they decided to be. Through three different name changes and back and forth pronoun changes. I loved this person. My first real hard love. We would walk around holding hands and if anyone knows me, I hate physical touch unless I’m dating you bc my trauma is fucking up my head, but I let them do that. Long story short we stopped talking, I moved away, I reached out years later and we started hanging out again. She changed. I say she because they had decided that they were in fact female, and that didn’t bother me, but something just felt extremely off. I went home one night and she texted me hoping to see me again and that scared me. It scared me and confused me bc my feelings were coming back after so long and I didn’t know what to do. So I didn’t do anything. Stopped answering the calls and the texts and the crying voicemails. I felt like shit for what I did and reached out again just recently a few months ago. Hoping to at the very least clear the air. I anon’ed her on here and she knew it was me, bc who else can’t let things go. So she basically said stop reaching out to me I hate you I don’t want you to talk to me ever again. So, I haven’t. And I miss her. But I deserve it.

16. Are you still figuring out who you are?

- Every single day. I am constantly changing and it’s so interesting that I’m not the person I was ten years ago. I’m not who I was three years ago. I’m not who I was when anything bad in my life happened, but yet I still hold onto it. I know my sexuality I’ve come to terms with it and I embrace it but I don’t make it obvious. I love who I am as a person and my core values and what is important to me at the end of the day.

17. Favorite restaurant?

- Cheesecake Factory.

18. Favorite pizza?

- fun fact I hated pizza before I got pregnant with my son, and now I LOVE it. I’ll crave pizza even still. I love pepperoni, green pepper, mushroom, pineapple, and crushed red pepper with a stuffed cheese crust. Ooh with the garlic sauce from papa johns.

19. Do you collect anything?

- knives. I used to collect snow globes when I was younger but my innocence has died and now I’m emo as fuck.

20. Biggest lesson you’ve learned the hard way?

- Your pride will get in the way every single time.

21. Your favorite band?

- A Day to Remember

22. What are your top three favorite albums?

- Voicenotes by Charlie Puth, I listened to this album on repeat my entire pregnancy. It means a lot to me.

- Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight by Travis Scott, I know every single word to every single song. It got me through one of the worst breakups from the most toxic relationship I’ve had back in 2016.

- What Separates Me From You by A Day to Remember, the cover art is what I’m basing my next tattoo off of.

23. What’s your dream car?

- Chevrolet Camaro SS. Hyper Metallic Blue with black carbon fiber accents. All black interior.

24. What’s your sign and do you believe in astrology?

- I’m an Aquarius, my moon is Taurus and my ascendant sign is Gemini. I read my horoscope often but I don’t base my every move off of what it says y’know?

25. Where do you go or what do you do when you’re sad?

- I like to drive. I drive at night and I play my music and I allow myself to feel whatever I want. Driving clears my head and it lets me think about things I usually push away. If I’m feeling really bad I’ll drive to the beach and sit by the water and just watch the sunset by myself and watch people live their lives and think about when I was happy.

That turned out much longer than I wanted it to be but there’s 25 things about me that you now know.

[ccyza]

Make Us More Civil

Prior this mid year, New York Times White House journalist Maggie Haber man declared she was taking a break from Twitter. This, in spite of the reality she has in excess of 900,000 devotees and has routinely utilized the web based life stage to track breaking news, get tips, and connect straightforwardly and in a flash with her per users. It was energizing and appealing—quick, dynamic, cool. In any case, she was venturing without end, she stated, in light of the fact that Twitter has regressed into an "outrage computer game."

Imprint that as another triumph for the trolls, the phony NeWSes, and the perpetually bothered. Civility Is For Losers.

Twitter is only the most recent of numerous innovations that guaranteed to separate old progressive systems, democratize data, and unite individuals. Facebook, Instagram, Snap chat, Oik Yak, Digg, MySpace—all guaranteed new, increasingly lively, virtual networks. Rather, they have pushed us further separated, and our metro life is riven by snark, bile, and harassing.

A promising new device for structure common society

My humiliating admission: I was before a urban disapproved of techno-self assured person. Almost 20 years prior, at the stature of the tech blast, I was an alumni understudy and approach consultant to the senator, transporting between my office in the Capitol complex and my understudy desk area in the University of Texas Tower, while a significant number of my friends were beginning on the web organizations. Some were wanting to get rich, however others set up organizations to cultivate beneficent giving, network commitment, or online voter enlistment. It appeared as though everybody was keen on changing the world with these bewildering new instruments.

A few years sooner, Harvard educator Robert Putnam distributed his original and questionable book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, where he contends that America's city establishments have been in free-fall since the 1960s. His reminiscent model was that a large number of Americans were in bowling groups in the Fifties however at this point bowled alone. Rather than social occasion in bowling alleys or rotary clubs, or even around the family supper table, Americans were ending up progressively secluded.

His despondency about the decay of urban life didn't impact me. I didn't know any individual who had a bowling shirt, yet I knew bunches of individuals attempting to have any kind of effect. Things being what they are, I pondered, did Putnam's regret make a difference? Definitely, this new innovation and all these fiery youngsters I saw dashing about would supplant that stodgy old request with something much better. Who needs bowling when you have Friendship?

I composed a thesis that later become a book about these abundant Gen-Xes: Civic Life in the Information Age. I contended that urban life did not need to be established in old foundations that ordered customary gatherings and tired pecking orders. I felt that young vitality and innovation would supplant that tired social capital with another rendition. I called it "in the nick of time social capital."

As it does today, media inclusion in those days ts-tasked the way that youngsters didn't end up voting—"loafers!" But the youngsters I profiled were utilizing innovation to associate in new, progressively lithe ways. No dyspeptic breakfast buffets in an inn gathering space to arrange for that philanthropy golf competition. These mystical online devices (email!) empowered individuals to get together "without a moment to spare"— to tidy up a recreation center or react to a storm—at that point proceed onward to the following issue. Like Haber man and her initial fascination with Twitter, I saw just energizing upsides. It didn't turn out that way. Rather, we've gone from Bowling Alone to Angry Birds, and on to Pizza gate and Unite the Right mobilizes in Chancellorsville.

Innovation today: breaking as opposed to authoritative

Innovation has not stimulated city life; it has attacked it. My Gen-Xes are presently moderately aged, and have been replaced by an age significantly increasingly spellbound by innovation. The present social stages—Twitter, Facebook, and each one of those remarks areas spiked with death dangers—have supplanted talk with debate, reason with fierceness. The guarantee I expounded on 20 years prior is broken. Rather, these new devices keep us on screens, and far from our networks and even our companions. That willful sequestration has fed outrage, invigorated tribalism, and prepared online crowds.

We are presently a country of suspicious personalities. Only 33% of Americans state they have "incredible" or even a "decent arrangement" of trust and trust in the political intelligence of their kindred natives. Just 18 percent of them trust the administration to "make the best choice." This doubt breeds inaction: Only around 29 percent of qualified Americans castes a ballot in the 2016 presidential primaries. What's more, that bodes well; fundamental this doubt and latency is across the board municipal obliviousness—just 43 percent of Americans can name a solitary Supreme Court Justice, and 37 percent can't name even one of the five rights ensured under the First Amendment.

This brokenness has prompted a disturbing flood of political ill will. The incongruity is that in ill will lies opportunity, since annoyance can goad activity. The issue is that outrage can begin things, however infrequently completes things.

Showing civics for a common society

My extreme suggestion: You need politeness, instruct civics. The test—and the expectation—is that we can use this political annoyance into something gainful for our majority rule government by modifying community learning, aptitudes, and organization. Decent municipal training assembles each of the three—it outfits youngsters with a comprehension of majority rule government, the abilities to successfully give that information something to do in their nearby networks to take care of issues, and the certainty that their endeavors will have any kind of effect.

City training has been disregarded in K-12 for an age, yet last September, the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools,  i Civics, and different associations required its recovery, pushing a crusade to guarantee access to quality community instruction in each school. At the September 2017 Democracy Now Summit, 20 associations freely dedicated to expanding community information, administration, and casting a ballot support in youthful Americans. As a piece of that occasion, we at the College Board focused on making a "urban declaration" for understudies who complete the civics venture prerequisite in the overhauled Advanced Placement US Government and Politics course. That activity pursued the 2016 overhaul of the SAT Suite of Assessments, where the Reading segment of each test requests that understudies read and dissect a section from US establishing reports, (for example, the US Constitution) or a discussion they motivated, (for example, Martin Luther King Jr's. Letter from Birmingham Jail or the Seneca Falls show).

We trust the thoughts at the core of America's establishing are as crucial today as they were over 200 years back; it is our errand as teachers to make them distinctive yet again. The College Board is along these lines additionally cooperating with gatherings including Generation Citizen and We.org to support teachers and understudies configuration ventures important to their lives and their networks. We are likewise working with the National Constitution Center's Interactive Constitution to expedite the best established reasoning both the privilege and left to instructors and understudies for nothing.

Obviously, civics isn't only for children. A more extensive municipal commitment crusade could get the remainder of us to step far from our screens, reconnect with our normal story, and reinforce affability. Associations, for example, Better Angels and Difficult Conversations unite people for common discussions about confused issues. National administration associations, for example, the Service Year Alliance, which needs to expand the quantity of understudies completing a time of administration from 65,000 to 100,000, and unite assorted youngsters to chip away at extreme network issues.

Civics, similar to consideration, can sound like a curious ancient rarity in this time of "outrage computer games," however don't have a go at advising that to Lin-Manuel Miranda, the maker of the melodic Hamilton. We might be the nation that concocted Twitter snark and Facebook deception, but at the same time we're the nation that turned the tale of an eighteenth century US Treasury Secretary into the most well known rap-melodic in an age. The nation whose most prominent ball player invests his free energy making dynamic new schools. The nation where Supreme Court judges rouse images. Civics has dependably been a profound established piece of our way of life. It's an ideal opportunity to get it once again into our study halls.

[pisati]

I think where I was confused was how you talked to me at first.

you did say you wanted to be more than friends, though that was a while ago. there’s a lot you said that ‘just friends’ don’t say to each other. the dreams, the voice thing, getting jealous over dave and what happened over festivus. my impression was that maybe it was the case that you felt things but I messed it up. I did like you. took me a while to figure it out. not head-over-heels or anything, but I actually felt an emotion for the first time in literal years, and it wasn’t sick to my stomach. I enjoyed the time we spent talking and watching things together. I like seeing your name pop up on my phone, and I like when you tag me in posts you think I’ll like (because I do like them!). I don’t mind you joking around; I need a good laugh every once in a while. I like having the hope that someone might not get sick of me. you don’t want me falling for you or trying to ‘fix’ you, so, you got it. no prob. easy enough.

maybe I hoped you still felt the way you did at first. that I could fix what I messed up. but I guess I can’t, and that’s okay. you’re right though; we do still barely know each other. it’s kind of easy to lose sight of that when we spend so much time talking anyway; when we’ve already seen a lot of each other. you do talk to me differently now than you did before, but you’re right. we’re not anything. I’ve been well aware of that. I’m sorry that it’s been weird for you, but I do wish you would have brought that up sooner. I’m generally pretty laid-back too, which... maybe isn’t so obvious now. I’m also the kind of person who’s very open. I don’t mean to talk to you like we’ve been dating for years, but I’m comfortable talking to you and there’s not a lot I’m super uncomfortable talking about, with anyone. you can absolutely tell me if it’s too much. I should probably learn to stfu more, honestly ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I didn’t know how stressful work was for you, but I suppose I should have known better. the devs at my last job were going nonstop too, but at least they were allowed to listen to music. geez. I didn’t know it was like that for you. I guess it set the wrong kind of... expectation? when you started talking to me during a break, when you had lots of down time. I really do appreciate you taking what time you do take to talk to me-- more than I let on. but I guess I did overestimate the time you have; not everyone’s life is as empty and boring as my own is right now, ha. I don’t want you to wear yourself too thin, and I don’t mean to demand any of your time, especially not more than you have. I feel really bad now about you taking more out of your down time to write out that post when you didn’t want to. but I really do appreciate that you at least value me enough to give me a thought-out response.  

about that 20min message... I don’t even think I realized I’d been talking for that long. I’ll try not to do that again, ha. I do need to be better about remembering that you’ll get to things when you get to them too. I have that same issue with another one of my friends. it’s those kinds of things I want to improve on more than anything; I don’t want my friends to feel smothered or like I’m being demanding. that’s not how I see myself, my personality, and I need to learn how to embody it better. 

I really am sorry that I made you uncomfortable. I wasn’t upset about you not wanting to watch Bobs Burgers last night, I guess I was more upset that you said “maybe” so many times that it felt like you didn’t want to watch anything at all with me anymore. I hate feeling like I’m falling out of favor with anyone. but, like... I know you can’t predict the future or what kind of energy you’ll have. I need to not let things like that upset me, and that’s on me. you’ve reassured me enough. also I don’t want you feeling bad for taking a day to yourself; I didn’t know that’s what it was that one day. you’d been talking to me every day and then one day you weren’t; I pick up on breaks in patterns like that and it can stress me out. you don’t owe me your time, you’re right. with how stressful work is... you do need time for yourself. please don’t think I don’t want that for you, or that I can’t handle it when you do take time for yourself. I’m really not that needy, I just didn’t know. you don’t owe me an explanation either, but like.. if we’re talking every day, it’s just nice to know if you’ll be gone for a bit.

and you’re right, I don’t have a right to your attention. that’s another thing I need to work on: internalizing that people talk to me because they want to. you reserve the right to put your foot down, and you need to, for your sake. I don’t want to be overbearing. I think in trying not to be overbearing, though, I’ve actually retreated entirely from a lot of my friends, which isn’t healthy either. I want to find a healthy middle, where I feel good and where my friends are comfortable too.

as far as my tone... I apologize for that too. I’ve had to adopt that edge because often when things get tense I’m met with even harsher energy. I don’t know how other people have talked to you but you said it was “familiar” and not in a good way, so I can imagine. I really don’t mean to be like that. I would like you to let me know if my tone or word choice or something upsets you, so that I can become more aware of it. not just for your sake, but so I know when I’m crossing boundaries. not everyone is as abrasive as my friends can be, and not everyone handles that abrasiveness well. it’s not going to upset me more to say something to the effect of ‘hey, watch your tone’; it might even help me take a step back, take a breath, and approach whatever the issue is more calmly. which is the approach I want to take when it comes to things like this. I know you said not to try to ‘fix’ myself for other people, but this is just.. me wanting to be better so I can have healthier relationships in general. I grew up with my mom getting angry and letting things escalate her anger until she’d take it out on me and I don’t want to be like that. with anyone. I’m not always the most self-aware. I’ve had people ask me what’s on my mind when I didn’t even realize I was making a really obviously confused/annoyed/dissatisfied face. I don’t always respond to my own feelings in a healthy way, as you’ve seen, and I want to improve that for myself primarily, but also because it does affect other people.

maybe not a lot is wrong with me necessarily, but I know there are things I can improve on. I lived alone for my last two years of college, and I’ve been basically socially isolated for almost the last two years since I graduated, being at my last job and now just being at home. I think in some ways I’ve reverted to some unhealthy ways of thinking and acting and I don’t like it, at all. I know I can be better, because I have been better. and you said that there’s nothing I did wrong, necessarily, but you were just about to tell me we can’t be friends anymore. I did misstep, and it was absolutely something I did and can be better about. also I didn’t mean “please tell me if I do something wrong so I can be better” to sound like we were dating; there’s things I can improve on in any relationship I have with anyone, friendly or otherwise. I ask the same thing of my other friends, too. friendships don’t come packed in neat little boxes; sometimes you gotta work on them too, if you want them to work. I didn’t realize that the way I was talking was overstepping a line for you, as my friend, but now I do, because you told me. see? learning. doing better.

as far as my friend (and I know you said this didn’t matter, but I still want to be clear)... his name is Alec. different A. he is ridiculously attractive, and all our friends say so, in a friendly way of course. I think you’re allowed to appreciate that in someone regardless of how you feel about them. I didn’t say I’d ‘never say no’ to him, what I said (and meant to say) was that if things had gone differently, if he hadn’t been with Mere, his now-ex-wife, for the entire time I’ve known them, if then he had put the moves on me? he’s absolutely the kind of person I could see myself falling for. he’s sweet, charismatic, and a genuinely kind and caring person. that is what I see primarily. the reality is, he’d been with Mere for at least 5 or 6 years before they got engaged in 2016 and married in 2017, and I hardly spent much time with either of them until... about the last year or so. we’d hung out, but always with other friends when I’d visit between 2014 and now. so friends, yes, but not terribly close. it did make me uncomfortable to think about Alec dating someone else, and I wondered if Mere was aware of what was going on. if that were me instead, now? it wouldn’t have even happened. not just because of Mere. even if she and I fell out, over what, I couldn’t imagine, and the opportunity were there, I’d still be deeply uncomfortable with it for reasons I can’t quite put a finger on. 

anyway, I don’t think it’s at all unusual to ask yourself what if [such and such] were to happen? about people you’re friends with. if you could potentially like them. and it’s healthy, I think, to be able to think about it and say, no, I’m good where things are, for such and such reasons or no reasons at all, and still genuinely enjoy their friendship. I shouldn’t have brought it up in that post at all; it wasn’t relevant, it was just a thought that would never, ever play out. but I do ramble sometimes. just talk to talk. things pop into my head, I write them down. it honestly wasn’t even something I’ve ever given much thought to, let alone serious thought. which is why it took me til today to realize, oh geez, no, if anything did happen now, with the way things are, it would actually make me very uncomfortable. not to mention he’s polyamorous and I’m very much not. even if my hypothetical situation had been reality, neither of us would have been happy with each other. that was a thing I didn’t give much thought to either. I do think he’s attractive and a wonderful person, definitely things that lend to my ability to be attracted to someone in that way, but... still no. again with the “I’m not always good at wording what I mean” thing. 

but more generally, I don’t think about my friends in that way. maybe I’ve asked myself what if? a few times, but it feels like a thought experiment more than an actual desire of mine. in that way I suppose it could be unusual to entertain the idea at all. if I think about anyone in that way in any seriousness, it accompanies the thought of having a relationship with that person. I wish to god I could call A my ex, but I can’t. we’re only still “just friends” because I valued our friendship more than anything, and I would rather have had that than nothing at all. even that hookup I almost had at farm jam; even if I did it and regretted it, I’m sure I still would have wanted to get his number, talk to him, see if I would actually like him. but you’ll see me how you want to see me, plus you already said it doesn’t really matter anyhow, so. I guess I’m just putting it out there to put it out there. it does bother me when people have the wrong impression of me, and especially when it’s because I can’t explain what’s going on in my head well enough. I don’t think that how I see these things is unreasonable, but also you and I do have very different relationships to attraction, that I’ve noticed. that would be an interesting conversation to have, honestly. purely for understanding. you’re right, my brain really is in the way. 

I appreciate your friendship very much, and all the effort you’ve given to me; probably more than I deserve. and I’m sorry things took a weird turn. part of me wants to say, “start over?”, but there’s no second chances, really. if you want some more time away from me that’s okay too. I’m sure if I had to deal with me that’s what I’d want, ha. but uh. I do want to stay friends. the thought of you being out of my life entirely did upset me a lot. I meant it when I said you’re one of the most positive things in my life as of late. after the year I had last year... talking to you was like a breath of fresh air. I do need to work on being a better friend, and not just for your sake. I’d hope we’re not incompatible on a friendship level, because I agree with what you’ve said before: I also think we bond well. but you’ve seen some pretty ugly sides of me by this point and if we’ve finally hit your breaking point, then that’s that. I’m not going to beg you to stay in my life if you don’t want to. I’m not going to bend over backwards or try to change myself to be someone you’d like more. if it seems like I’ve done that, I apologize for that too. I don’t think I do it consciously, if I do it at all. our conversations have gotten me to introspect a little more, and it’s always nice to learn more about yourself, I think. but I’m not that desperate to keep anyone around. it’d suck if you left. like, majorly. but I’ve hurt worse. you gotta take care of yourself too. 

[blockheadbrands]

Why the Women of Broad City are the Stoner Heroines We’ve Been Waiting For

Jennifer Boeder of High Times Reports:

As we embark upon the premiere of the final season of Broad City, we recount all the reasons why Abbi and Ilana are the weed queens the world so desperately needed.

When the cultural history of marijuana is recounted, the women of Broad City will be ranked alongside Willie Nelson, Dennis Peron, Bob Marley, and Jeffrey Lebowski as some of its most groundbreaking and influential 420 icons. Lead characters Abbi Abrams and Ilana Wexler (played by the show’s creators, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer) have given us a completely original entry in the cannabis canon: a female Stoner Duo.

Stoner Heroes have been with us since the release of Easy Rider in 1969. The archetype arose with the ’60s counterculture, but much like cannabis itself, the trope evolved into an array of countless strains. Cheech and Chong’s Up In Smoke, however, spurred a seismic change in stoner screen-history. Released in 1978, the film not only invented the stoner comedy genre, it expanded the archetype of the lone Stoner Hero into the even-more-iconic Stoner Duo.

Up In Smoke laid the blueprint for Half Baked, The Big Lebowski, Pineapple Express and a plethora of other films. It birthed iconic duos like Bill and Ted, Craig and Smokey, Method Man and Redman, Harold and Kumar, Jay and Silent Bob, and Shaggy and Scooby.

While these onscreen Stoner Duos have been remarkably diverse in terms of age, race, and socioeconomic status they’re almost inevitably male. Historically, the rare stoner chicks we’ve seen in film and television are bit players, adjacent to male leads. Exactly one woman made Ranker’s Top 20 Most Influential Stoners In Film History: Annie Hall, a Woody Allen character from 1977.

All of the above explains why, when women saw Broad City for the first time, millions of us nearly dropped our bongs. Finally, we were seeing ourselves onscreen for the first time–and not as desperate suburbanite widows driven to drug-dealing; or cute, pixie sidekicks to leading male characters. Broad City puts fully-realized lady dope fiends center stage. 

The show also treats pot differently than any series that came before it. While weeddrives the plot of some episodes, it’s also just a part of the landscape–like bodegas, graffiti, and the subway. Whether Abbi and Ilana are partying, FaceTiming, masturbating, working, eating, managing sprained ankles, or coping with heartbreak, getting stoned is portrayed as essential– but also ordinary. Like regular trips to Bed Bath and Beyond as well as the love and loyalty of dear friends, cannabis is experienced as an integral accessory for the human condition.

In honor of this iconic, trailblazing duo (and the fifth and final season of Broad City), here’s a breakdown of the ways in which Abbi and Ilana are the weed queens we didn’t know we needed:

Abbi and Ilana Take Pot Seriously 

In Season 1, Episode 2, Abbi embarks on the heroine’s journey of buying her own pot like a grown adult—a quest inspired by the sight of Ilana pulling a bag of weed from her own vagina.

In Season 2, Episode 9, Ilana plunges into a fiery romance with Adele, a mirror image of Ilana who seems perfect in every way—but when Adele wrinkles her nose and announces that she doesn’t smoke pot, Ilana promptly shows her the door.

Men might compromise on this issue, but weed queens have their priorities straight.

Fast forward to Season 3, Episode 4, in which Ilana throws a party at her apartment to raise funds for a rat exterminator. She rummages through her belongings, apartment, and hair in search of spare nugs she can sell. And the weed bar she assembles is truly a sight to behold.

They Also Overdo it

In a quest to be an adult who purchases her own pot, Abbi gets mistaken for a weed dealer and ends up scoring from a middle schooler. Then, she decides to smoke in the bathroom at the dentist’s office– and triggers the smoke alarm and sprinkler system. Then there’s Ilana, who frequently smokes joints before napping at work and is known to steal office supplies that she uses to barter for grass.

Then there’s the time in Season 2, Episode 9, when the duo gleefully vape at their coat check job and lose Kelly Ripa’s coat. There’s also that classic moment while attempting to swipe an air-conditioner from an NYU dorm room in Season 2, Episode 1, that they decide to teach some undergrads about “the dangers of ripping underage bongs.” How they do this? By ripping bong hits with them, of course.

Obviously, no one should steal, or vape at work, or purchase weed from eighth-graders, or get underage boys high; yes, these are unarguably foolish decisions. But it’s liberating to watch female fuckups act irresponsibly. Male stoners onscreen (and in real life) have always had permission—nay, encouragement—to be libertines and jackasses. As Broad City’s executive producer Amy Poehler noted, Abbi and Ilana’s transgressive behavior is intentional: “Women always have to be the eye rollers, as the men make a mess. We didn’t want that. Young women can be lost, too.”

Abbi and Ilana are messy, and while their weed-fueled debauchery may not always be wise, it’s both subversive and funny-as-hell. And it’s genuinely refreshing to watch women who don’t care about their jobs get high and eat cereal. Abbi and Ilana DGAF about the grind: they’re too busy looking for the grinder.

Abbi and Ilana are Role Models for Women

Okay, capitalists. Maybe they’re not role models in terms of their non-striving, just-lie-and-leave approach to their jobs. And, sure: they probably shouldn’t have gone on that creepy Craigslist, housecleaning-in-your-underwear job to raise funds for a Lil Wayne concert. Or substituted weed shakes for Vicodin post-surgery. Or made out with super-stoned minors. Or tried to sneak pot into Israel by hiding bags of weed in their vaginas. These are all horrible ideas.

But I would argue their defiance, rule-breaking, and risk-taking is admirable and something females need to see more of–regardless of age. As Abbi Jacobson told theNew York Post, “Maybe not a lot of women on TV act the way we do—but a lot of the women we know act that way.”

Broad City hasn’t just broken boundaries around sex, nudity, queerness, and bodily functions– it’s also shattered the archetype around who’s allowed to be a slipshod stoner.

Weed is part of Abbi and Ilana’s unapologetic pursuit of pleasure, which is radical and deeply feminist. But their love for the herb pales in comparison to their love for each other. Their adoring friendship, both in front of and behind the camera, truly makes our Grinch heart grow three sizes.

“Where people of my rapidly advancing age had Jay and Silent Bob, millennials have Abbi and Ilana as their Stoner Superheroes, and thank Weed Jesus for that,” says Samantha Irby, comedian, blogger, and New York Times bestselling author of Meaty and We Are Never Meeting In Real Life. “It’s a shame that it feels revolutionary to see female friendship depicted in such a real and honest way, but it totally is. Abbi and Ilana have filled a little nug-sized hole in my heart and for that I’m forever grateful.” 

The Duo Prove Pot is a Feminist Issue

Season 4, Episode 1 opens with Abbi and Ilana strolling whilst casually discussing hairstyle choices. The camera pulls back to reveal they’re actually escorting a woman through an enraged throng of pro-lifers to the door of an abortion clinic. Ilana bids the woman farewell by saying, “Your body, your choice”—and then whips out a bowl and lights it. A protester yells at her, causing Ilana to blow dope smoke in his face and shriek, “You don’t know how much you need that!”

Abbi follows suit, exhaling smoke all over the infuriated crowd. Ilana puts the bowl in her pocket, and they walk off into the sunset, chatting with smiles on their faces. The camera cuts to the first protestor, standing in shock: “Why are we doing this?” he says to himself, munching on a cookie.

It’s 59 seconds of pure, smoke-laden genius. In under a minute, Abbi and Ilana somehow manage to convert a religious nut bag with the power of pot. They show us that young women can be stoner slackers while still stepping up to take direct action to defend women’s rights. The sight of them smoking grass in their clinic escort shirts is like manna from feminist stoner heaven.

Broad City is first and foremost an absurdist comedy. But despite its surreal silliness and ridiculous antics, it’s had a real impact on women.

“I can definitively say that if it weren’t for Broad City, I might not be in the cannabis industry today,” says Tiara Darnell, Oregon’s 2017 Budtender of the Year and host/executive producer of the podcast High, Good People. “These weed queens busted through the D.A.R.E. wall in my mind and helped me define my relationship with the plant. In the show and in real life, Abbi and Ilana have inspired me to define ‘normalization’ on my own terms and to create the smart stoner content I want to see in the world.”

And that’s exactly what the ladies of Broad City have instilled in canna-loving women across the world: be the Weed Queen you want to see in the world.

Jennifer Boeder is a content specialist at Grasslands: A Journalism-Minded Agency. She writes about cannabis, music, politics, and culture. Her work has appeared in Cannabis Culture, The Weed Blog, Oxygen, Chicagoist, Wonkette, Built In Chicago, Cuepoint and The Urbaness. She lives in Los Angeles.

TO READ MORE OF THIS ARTICLE ON HIGH TIMES, CLICK HERE.

https://hightimes.com/culture/why-women-broad-city-stoner-heroines-weve-been-waiting-for/

[therewillbesparkles]

mature singles dating agency

They're Older Cougar Chat some of the questions that may aid you make the correct site determination. Singles Over 60’site makes certain that all of your private information is safely secured and are usually not ship to some other platforms or corporations. Some pessimists suppose life stops when you get over sixty. And when that occurs, you are extra likely to fulfill the precise particular person who's going to complement the amazing life you’ve created for yourself. You need to actually begin by figuring out what you are looking for therefore you are able to gauge the site's potential of serving to you obtain the outcomes that you are on the lookout for. This is a web based relationship site that makes a speciality of bringing together folks over 60. From all around the world, numerous online customers are in search for their significant different, in an effort to spend their years collectively. All singles over 60 that are utilizing this site can ensure that their most delicate information are handled properly. Many singles within the Boomers demographic are single-again after having divorced or been widowed after a former marriage. Relationship sites for singles over 60 are designed to let you be your self and they honor the fact that you've a whole lot of expertise underneath your belt.

Howdy justom, how are you guys retaining? Attempt to be yourself, but not someone you aren't. Just give it a strive. Writing an excellent courting profile is the important thing to on-line relationship success and you'll find some tips on how to write a superb profile from the hyperlink on menu bar. Type of relationship they result in can be used to set the websites apart. I have noticed that it seems to take no less than one year in a dedicated relationship earlier than the true particular person begins to be unveiled .. Typically repeating issues or seeming disconnected from communications.Does the person your chatting with have a tough time following the thread of the conversation? It is because they could be considering dating an older particular person. Blogger is dead in my guide, hey betcha your courting site would rock! Some of the options of the positioning are much like these of different senior relationship sites.

There are lots of additional features obtainable with an upgraded membership however basic becoming a member of is completely freed from charge. You probably have particular preferences along with your courting, you should ensure the site you be a part of it can make you easy to search out the date you are waiting for and quick for that matter. I find it very attention-grabbing. Also, Sara sounds like a wise gal and I'm certain she'll find the correct man in time. Sara still waits for the appropriate one .. Todd continued to name Sara all through that subsequent week. Todd was HEARTBROKEN and clueless. Each men and women have this as a problem. You might have seen a few nicely-recognized names that we didn’t embody in this table corresponding to OKCupid, Tinder, Tinder app, Tender, Plenty of Fish (pof), MatchDoctor, Christian Mingle and DateHookup. But it surely doesn’t should be that difficult. The sites also have singles from across the globe and from the completely different races too. Moreover, it's important to create a profile of your personal first. One in every of the sooner Australian basic rock tunes to make it into this record, Eagle Rock is always a crowd pleaser. Up to date on August 23, 2017 Invoice moreContact Writer Rock On Aussies!

Angry Anderson and the boys definitely knew learn how to pump out a thumping rock n roll tune. I will never ever get married! Along with our comprehensive critiques, we've compiled solutions to a number of the mostly requested questions that will help you get began. Then, with out giving her time to respond, he turned again toward the door and requested her to stay put he had yet one more factor. Which was the only recommendation on the internet at the time. Between the "not responding" factor and the chrome "busy" it is typically so maddening I simply shut the thing down. He proceeded to kneel down beside her and then, to Sara's utter amazement, began singing to her. Hello karmicfilly, I positive will go to your hubs to read Napkin Man. Cut back your demands. It is sort of normal as a girl who can be over 60 to really feel like you need your man so far you in a particular way or to do things in a selected method. Mature Dating Tip - How to Flirt

Friends are a good thing that can last for a long time. There are many who with that you have a very long association being a coworker or perhaps a family friend or just an old acquaintance. For many dating someone you might have known in the past without sexual relationship seems odd and difficult, but this could possess a different meaning for upwards of 60 dating. Well, individuals are. Although many won't boost the comfort, even to their loved ones and friends, lots of men and ladies who find themselves single again later in life (for reasons unknown) Older Cougar Chat are not that thinking about reconciling into the dating scene. Perhaps it's been several decades since you last went on the date and also the steer clear of most is always to play any teenage games in clubs and bars. Normally, when looking for love we have been likely to loaf around pubs, supermarkets and shops with the hope that we'll bump into someone that we connect to over a deep level. Now, obviously, this works best for some very lucky people but for the everybody else mere mortals it could be a scary experience looking for individuals to share our lives with. That's where I think online dating is for these use to mature daters, it's really a place where compatible individuals gather and many types of have similar aims; to find friendship, companionship and possibly even love.

Have a profile ready: Your online dating profile needs to be the best representation people. Choose a recent picture (not from 2 decades ago, please) that actually reflects what you look like today. If you want to dating over 60 years old other daters to be honest for your requirements, in fact, you have to tell the truth to them too. Talk about your interests - whether it's hiking, sailing, gonna museums, etc. Keep it light and friendly.

Take home improvement classes. Nothing says "you're single" more than you being forced to discover ways to use the hammer. You might just meet an unattached male instructor also searching for love. Even if you don't, you'll probably need to go on the shop to obtain supplies, right? Many single men 50 plus frequent these aisles. You just might meet someone special.

[ronaldmorton]

Fidose of Reality 2017 Pawer Women

The pawer women have made their mark in 2017! The ending of one year and the beginning of another brings with it great joy and reflection: This is our year-end tradition wherein Fidose of Reality announces a list of women in the pet industry who go above and beyond. In some way, shape, or form, these ladies did something to impact the lives of dogs in 2017 (and no doubt long before that and for many years to come). This year, we are switching things up. We’ve kept track of dog moms in general this year; maybe they are employed in the pet industry or maybe not. The 10 ladies you are about to meet have done something, either one random act, or throughout the year, that touches the lives of a dog(s) in some capacity. This is the first time Fidose of Reality has put a spin on Pawer Women, and we have all the feels in doing so.

In a year when Wonder Woman officially became the highest-grossing superhero origin film in history, a crown it should wear proudly and loudly, these ladies are a dog lover version of Wonder Woman. If you meet them, you may not see their crown or magic lasso, but trust us, they embody the Wonder Woman spirit.

For the Second Year in a Row, we are naming the Dog Parent of the Year: This is a dog mom who goes above and beyond and through actions, hopefully inspires others to make a difference in the life of a dog. Without further ado, here are the Fidose of Reality 2017 Pawer Women. As an aside, my wife and I gather names of dog women throughout the year and together we discuss who makes the top 10. We do NOT sit in judgement of anyone; rather, we believe in spotlight amazing women who do good things in the dog world, and for their lives to be a celebration.

Dog Parent of the Year: Neely Bryanne

Neely Bryanne Elvidge loves bulldogs. I knew this the moment I met her. Our dogs first crossed paths at a New York City Pet Fashion Show years ago. You will notice a theme here that dogs bring people together, and Neely’s life intersecting with mine is another example.

Neely lived in South Florida for the last decade or so, but moved up to Indianapolis, Indiana last year after marrying her wife, Jen. Though Neely has a doctorate in clinical psychology, when she moved, she decided to go where her heart was calling… with dogs of course! Neely is a patient care advocate at a veterinary hospital outside of Indy. She works at a fear-free clinic and offers integrative medicine including acupuncture, herbal therapy, and cold laser therapy.

The couple has five of their own dogs: Four English Bulldogs and one French Bulldog. They also have 2 cats (a domestic short hair and a Sphynx), as well as an African Grey parrot and several fish. Neely is President of Hoosier Bulldog Rescue, so they often have anywhere from one to five fosters in their home as well. Currently they have three fosters – a special needs French Bulldog with mega-esophagus disorder, as well as a puppy mill mamma with severe skin issues who is about to start heart worm treatment, and a beautiful young bulldog who was used as bait for dog fighting. She’s about to go off to her forever home in New Jersey next month.

Neely and her wife foster and here is her story as to why, in her own words: “After adopting my first English bulldog “Girl” in 2010, I was immediately hooked on bulldogs. I should mention I was originally looking through shelter websites for a shihtzu when I stumbled up on this ancient, scrawny, bloodshot eyed, pathetic bulldog. And I instantly fell in love. She had been in rescue for 6 months and not a single inquiry. Let’s be honest, she wasn’t much to look at back then and she was already 10 years old! But something about her touched my soul. I was going through a breakup and had the typical feelings of being unwanted. I felt connected to her. People kept trying to convince me to get another dog but I kept going back to Girl. After I adopted her, the rescue asked if I wanted to volunteer. Within a month I accepted a position as Vice-President with that rescue and of course fostering came along with that! My first foster was the hardest to part with of course. But when you know they’re going to another amazing home, it’s honestly not that hard to let them go. And sadly, there’s always another one waiting to be rescued. I’ve only had two foster failures in 7 years, so that’s not a bad average!”

Neely says Champ was her everything, her heart dog and  soul mate dog. He came to Neely in 2009. He was found in Miami after being dumped as a bait dog. It took months to recover both physically and mentally. He eventually became a therapy dog and they visited schools, juvenile detention centers, and hospitals. The duo taught Dog Safety & Dog Bite Prevention at local schools and community programs through our Dog Scouts of America troop. Champ also went to work with Neely every day at a psychiatric hospital where he brought a little joy into the patients’ lives. She worked primarily with chronic mental illness (Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Severe Depression, as well as Drug Abuse), and Champ provided so much positivity to a normally stressful unit. They started a campaign called Bullies Against Bullying which was the primary focus of so much of our therapy work. She says when Champ passed,  a lot of her ideas and goals were never finished. She recently started working on the series of books that she started a few years ago. Even after his passing, his story continues to inspire others. One of his most well known endeavors was being “Champcasso” – he used his paws to paint on canvas, which they then sold or auctioned off to raise money for rescues.

Meeting Neely and Champ with me and Dex on right

Does she mostly rescue bullies or are there other dogs/breeds, too? Neely says, “Our rescue takes in French and English Bulldogs, as well as bulldog mixes. I’ve helped rehome other breeds also, including shihtzus, pit bulls, and a pugs, but our focus is mainly bulldogs. Although I love all dogs, I do have a fondness for the flat faced kids. ”

Connect with Neely and consider donating to her wonderful rescue:

On Facebook: http://ift.tt/2Eknmdh

Website: DivaDogs.com

Hoosier BullDog Rescue

http://ift.tt/2EiN69A

Congratulations, Neely! We raise our sparkling water dish to you!

Tammy Donly: Pet Blogger, Dog Rescuer, Mega Huge Heart

We first had the pleasure of getting to know West Coast gal, Tammy Donly, through the BlogPaws social media and pet blogging community. Tammy and I became fast online friends due to our shared loved of Cocker Spaniels. Her Cocker, Annie, would coyly flirt with my Cocker, Dexter, and she pined for the two to sometime meet.

The other half of the RosyReports.com team is a cute poodle named Rosy. Here is how Rosy describes meeting Annie, “I was named after Rose Street in Memphis where I was found as a stray in 2010.  I was lucky enough to cross the path of my Mom walking Bear and Fuzz (my two Golden brothers who have since crossed the Bridge.)  We moved to San Diego in 2011 and I officially proclaimed myself a California Princess.  In 2012 we saw a Cocker Spaniel on Facebook and my parents went to get her at the shelter. I claimed her as my dog and named her Annie. (FYI, Annie and I are both forever young seniors- Annie is 15+ and I am at least 14 years old. I will never tell exactly!)”

Sadly, in December, the beautiful Annie lost her brave battle with canine cancer, and of course, Tammy and family are devastated. She will always be remembered and loved.

In true Tammy style, imagine our glee and tears flowing when we recently logged onto her RosyReports blog and discovered this:

His name is Titus. He is my new brother with fab highlights.I know some of you will be very surprised since we just lost Annie. And while our hearts are still broken, we found out about a dog that was also heartbroken after losing his family. So we decided we can help mend each other’s hearts and he now has his forever home.

Indeed, Rosy is honoring the life of another dog and welcomes the beautiful Titus home. Congratulations on being selected as a Pawer Woman, Tammy.

BTW, yes, Dexter did get to meet Annie, the two got along famously, and I will cherish these memories forever.

Learn more and follow along with Tammy and her pack at RosyReports.com and RosyReports on Instagram.

Rebecca Tolbert Smith: Dog Mom, Dog Rescuer, Online Mega Friend

Some people you never had the opportunity to meet in person, and yet you feel as if you have known them forever. You just click, and you know that when the day comes and you do meet, the connection of friendship will be instant. This is how I feel about Rebecca Tolbert Smith.

Rebecca and I first crossed paths on Instagram, as we are both mega Cocker lovers. Her account name recently changed on Instagram from “JacktheBlackCocker” to “JacktheBlackCockerandElliot,” and you can probably guess why.

Rebecca recently moved to Colorado with her family and we followed her adventures on the way. Her love for rescue dog, Jack, and her witty, funny comments are a bright spot to our days. They recently decided to add another dog to the family, a former trucker’s dog who was no longer wanted…and now has his happy ever after.

Beyond this love affair with Cockers and her big heart to rescue, Rebecca is one of the most loyal people I have never had the pleasure of meeting. She is forever tagging me, alerting me of things, sending folks to me for advice with dog issues, and is the true meaning of giving.

You can follow the Adventures of JacktheBlackCockerandElliot on Instagram.

Marlene Ness: Dog Show Pro, Dog Mom, Working to Eliminate Cocker Cataracts

I first met Marlene Ness at my 2016 fundraiser, Wigglebutts Uncorked, but Marlene and I have been online friends a pretty long time. I always admired her kindness, courtesy, and overall warm demeanor she presents to anyone she encounters. She travels the world with her dogs and is well know and revered in the dog show ring. In fact, here’s a photo of her gorgeous Cocker, Ace:

  Marlene works tirelessly to help fundraise so that cataracts in Cockers may be eliminated. So prevalent are cataracts in Cocker Spaniels that a molecular genetic study of inherited cataracts in the Cocker Spaniel has been underway. Cocker Spaniel parents simply take their dog to have their eyes examined and submit a blood sample to help find a DNA marker to eliminate cataracts in Cockers. This, in turn, helps humans who are affected by cataracts.

Interested Cocker parents can call OptiGen at 607-257-0301 or email at genetest@optigen.com for questions about sample submission. Also, visit the Optigen website for complete details. Marlene is helping with fundraising in this capacity, and Fidose of Reality recently partnered with the American Spaniel Club Foundation in an online auction that raised several thousand dollars. If you’d like to help, please visit the ACSF site for more information.

Join Club Cocker on Facebook, too!

Bryn Nowell: Dog Blogger, Visionary, Heart of Gold

Bryn and I have had an instant connection. You meet her and think she is this quiet, reserved intelligent gal, and then you get to know her and follow her online and she surprises you with wit, candor, a hysterical sense of humor, a passion for pets, and a true friend of the highest order.

Bryn is the brainchild of A Dog Walks Into a Bar, which is oh so savvy and a site you need to follow. Here’s how Bryn describes her blog, “A Dog Walks into a Bar will educate and entertain visitors by sharing informative and fun weekly posts that focus on pet ownership and the adult beverage industry.  We aim to share a variety of posts focusing on dog friendly locations and events, fun adventures, DIY projects, recipes, giveaways and charitable causes.  Our primary aim is to assist animal rescue organizations and philanthropic causes that help animals and our local community. ”

Bryn also will give you the shirt off her back, as she helps both animals and people in need. She is a rare combination of humility and humor and one of these people in this crazy world you meet and say to yourself, “now here is someone I can count on.”

From her fundraising efforts to homeless dogs, supporting our Wigglebutt Warriors fundraising events, emails and direct messages, snail mail, and more, Bryn Nowell you are the epitome of a Pawer Woman. I look forward to watching you grow and soar! P.S. She takes fabulous images, as Yoda and Bean showcase here:

Follow Bryn: A Dog Walks Into a Bar blog

A Dog Walks Into a Bar Instagram

Katharine McMahon – Marketing and Growth Expert, Dog Mom, Survivor

I’ve known Katharine McMahon through her attendance at BlogPaws Conferences, and I have met her many times, she and her Iggy, Duff. McMahon overcame some personal struggles in 2017 and granted herself the fresh start she and her dog so very much deserved.

Duff was diagnosed with IMT, which is immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, the same autoimmune disease that my dog, Dexter, was diagnosed with in October. Both dogs are in remission.

McMahon reached out to me, with everything she was going through, and extended herself, her resources, her knowledge, and her friendship. When a woman going through struggles and can reach out to help others in need, that is a true Pawer Woman and Wonder Woman to me!

Follow Katharine on Twitter

Get to Know Katharine on Chance to Grow

Dr. Laurie Coger – Wholistic Veterinarian, Dog Trainer, & Dog Lover

Dr. Coger, or Laurie as I call her, is the real deal. She loves dogs, imparts knowledge from a wholisitic standpoint, and over the years, we’ve developed an online friendship. Not only is Laurie a friend, but a trusted resource and thought leader.

Dr. Coger’s practice and dog care philosophy emphasize natural methods and care. She regularly integrates chiropractic, low level laser, herbal, nutritional, and physical therapy techniques into her treatment plans. She is a staunch advocate of raw, natural diets. Her first book, “Vaccines Explained: The Wholistic Vet’s Guide to Vaccinating Your Dog” is currently available on Amazon. She is well known in the media, having been featured in USA Today, Dogs Naturally Magazine, Pet360, PetMD, and numerous nationally known blogs and websites. She has been nominated for a Dog Writers’ Association of America award for her work in the Australian Shepherd Journal.

Laurie is the founder of The Healthy Dog Workshop, too. She gives pet parents an alternative way of looking at pet food, vaccines, and more. She more than deserves to be a Pawer Woman!

Get to know Dr. Coger: 

The Healthy Dog Workshop

Dr. Coger on Facebook 

 Nancy Brisebois: Dog Mom, Supportive Friend, Dog Lover of the Highest Order

Some people enter your life and you feel like it’s just simply meant to be. Nancy BG, as she is known online, is one of those people. Nancy is dog mom to rescued Cocker, Mayor, whom I self-admittedly have a dog crush on.

Nancy, however, is oh so much more. Hailing from Canada, Nancy is a Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor. She rescued her dog, Mayor, from the fine folks at OBG Cocker Spaniel Rescue, whom we have held fundraisers for several times. Nancy is one of the best and most engaged fans a dog blogger/dog writer like me could ever ask for. She is loyal, appreciative, leaves comments and tags me here and there, plus she genuinely uses the information we share. This gives us the warm fuzzies and all the feels in the world. Nancy, your love of animals, your commitment to Mayor, and the love and respect you show others online are some of the many reasons we are naming you a Fidose of Reality Pawer Woman.

We know this has been a rough year for you, and most recently, you donated to our birthday fundraiser to help homeless Cocker Spaniels. This small act is a huge example as to the mighty spirit you are. Oh and us Christmaholics, Elvis Fans, must stick together!!

Congratulations, Nancy! We love you.

 Amy Cox – Fashion Trendsetter, Dog Rescuer, Dog Mom, Shining Star

Amy Cox is the president of The Paws Cause in McKinney, Texas. I first met Amy at the Women in the Pet Industry Conference a few years ago. She is a dynamo who you remember.  She and her husband founded and developed The Shot Spot. Amy and her husband, Dr. Danny Cox, a Veterinarian, have traveled the United States and foreign countries including Mexico, Turkey, Greece, and Italy to participate and spearhead projects in animal rescue, disaster relief, spay and neuter programs and other animal related projects for over a decade.

She is a dedicated dog mom, travels the country with her pack, is well known in the pet fashion circuit, and is a genuinely kind soul. You know this the moment you meet her. I am honored to call her my friend. Congrats, Amy!

Learn more about The Shot Spot

The Shot Spot on Facebook: http://ift.tt/2q1gv5n

Learn more about The Pet Vet

Dolores Rodrigues – Dog Lover of the Highest Order, Founder of Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue

Dolores Rodrigues once told a reporter, “My goal is for people to share the same love and happiness that my first Cocker Spaniel, Rudy, gave me. He is my driving force and although this work can be very heartbreaking at times, seeing a dog get adopted into a loving family makes it all worthwhile.”

And oh how she shines and shares the love.

The mission of Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue, Inc. (AACSR) dba NY Abandoned Angels Rescue (NYAAR) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the rescue and re-homing of Cocker Spaniels and other dog breeds in need of loving forever homes. AACSR will not reject any dog due to age or health reasons and often accepts dogs with temperament and/or medical issues. AACSR relies solely on donations whether through adoptions or the generosity of the public to help pay for the veterinary care of sick, physically disabled, and behaviorally challenged dogs.

I have been a fan and friend to Dolores for many years, but something she did this year really touched my heart and will never be forgotten. When my Cocker Spaniel, Dexter, was diagnosed with an immune disease earlier this year, Dolores from Abandoned Angels Cocker Rescue called me and also called her vet for advice. She was one of the first people to reach out to me. So I dedicated my Christmas birthday fundraiser to Abandoned Angels Cocker Rescue.

Consider donating and learn more about Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue.

Dolores struggles with some physical ailments and that does not stop her from saving and rescuing and continuing to help dogs in need.

How You Can Help…

​The best way you can help us is to provide a loving, permanent home for one of our Abandoned Angels. Please also make sure that each of your pets is spayed or neutered. Spaying and neutering helps reduce pet overpopulation and reduces the risk of certain diseases, including certain types of cancer and pyometra in females. We are also desperately in need of foster homesfor our pups. Some of our dogs are boarded, which is not ideal for the dog (despite the wonderful care provided by our vet and his staff) and costly for us. If you cannot adopt or foster a dog, we also need: $$$$ (for food, boarding and vet expenses), collars and leashes, treats for the dogs, dog food Beds, blankets and towels dogwalkers, who are willing to socialize the dogs, help w/transport (to help with pulling dogs in more distant shelters and transporting area cockers to other rescues when we don’t have the space). Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue.

Congrats to the 2017 Pawer Woman from Fidose of Reality!!!!! Long may you shine, soar, affect dogs lives, and stay pawsome!

  The post Fidose of Reality 2017 Pawer Women appeared first on Fidose of Reality.

Fidose of Reality 2017 Pawer Women syndicated from http://ift.tt/2k1J2Eq

[worldtopnewsoftheday]

Adrienne Lawrence's Claims Underline Alleged Culture of Sexual Harassment, Misconduct at ESPN

Play

Mute

Current Time0:01

/

Duration Time1:00

Loaded: 0%

Progress: 0%

  Share

Fullscreen

YOU MIGHT LIKE

MIKE FRANCESA'S EPIC RANTS THROUGH THE YEARS

FORMER YANKEE OF DUSTIN FOWLER SUING WHITE SOX, BALLPARK

JAZZ CENTER RUDY GOBERT SUFFERS KNEE INJURY

By MICHAEL MCCANN AND RICHARD DEITSCH 

December 15, 2017

An investigative report by The Boston Globe’s Jenn Abelson on allegations of mistreatment of female ESPN employees suggests that the network could face significant legal consequences. Abelson’s report depicts ESPN as a hostile work environment for women, some of whom feel they have been targeted for unwelcomed sexual advances and others of whom believe they have encountered pregnancy discrimination.

Along those lines, Abelson describes accounts of women hiding pregnancies from bosses and co-workers. They do so out of fear of the impact of being pregnant on their continued employment. These concerns have only amplified as ESPN downsizes in response to cord cutting and other market shifts that disrupt the “worldwide leader in sports.”

ADRIENNE LAWRENCE’S COMPLAINT AND POTENTIAL LAWSUIT—AND ESPN’S POSSIBLE DEFENSES

Abelson’s report names one former ESPN on-air talent who recounts suffering blatant sexism and who has since taken legal action. Adrienne Lawrence, who is an attorney, filed a discrimination complaint with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities this past summer. Lawrence charges that her male colleagues “marked” her and other female employees for unwanted sexual advances. Lawrence claims that ESPN anchor John Buccigross texted shirtless photographs of himself. He also sent her flirtatious messages, such as “Thank you, dollface. You’re wonderful” and “#dreamgirl.” Lawrence, who is now a Madden 18 sideline reporter, further contends that ESPN retaliated against her for speaking up. The network gradually reduced her airtime and later denied her a permanent job.

The fact that Lawrence filed a complaint means that she swore under oath as to her claims against ESPN. This is an important distinction from a person who only raises assertions during a media interview. A person who swears under oath does under penalty of perjury. If he or she knowingly lies, they can be charged with the felony crime of perjury. A sworn statement by no means guarantees the veracity of the allegations—a complainant often recalls the past in an unintentionally distortive or inaccurate way; perjury is also a difficult crime to prosecute since the prosecutor must prove that a defendant knowingly lied. Nonetheless, such a statement lends some degree of credibility to the complainant’s assertions. A person who speaks with a journalist, in contrast, does so without risk of perjury and thus may be more inclined to exaggerate or even lie.

Under Connecticut law, ESPN had 30 days to respond to Lawrence’s claims or risk a default judgment. In the months that followed Lawrence’s filing, the Commission was expected to perform a case assessment review. The review evaluates the basic merits of a complaint and its factual contentions. If a complaint passes this hurdle, the Commission then attempts to settle the matter. To that end, the commission uses a neutral mediator who tries to bridge differences between the two sides. A mediator typically attempts to resolve the complaint by suggesting that the respondent (in this case ESPN) offer some sort of compensation, such as back pay, to the complainant.

TECH & MEDIA

Breaking Down the Disturbing Details, Implications of NFL Network Sexual Harassment Claims

No resolution was reached in Lawrence’s complaint, as it was dismissed at her request earlier this month. The dismissal enables Lawrence to file a lawsuit in federal court. If Lawrence sues, she would likely include claims for sexual harassment, hostile workplace and defamation. To prevail in those claims, Lawrence would likely argue that ESPN management knew or should have known about conduct that created a hostile environment for her and other women. She might also contend that ESPN executives badmouthed her and have made it more difficult for her to land comparable employment with another network.

Lawrence would use her own experience and other available evidence to portray a pattern of misconduct. She alludes to this strategy in a tweet on Friday on Friday in which she claims that ESPN “knows” her allegations consist of far more than “text messages and photos.”

View image on Twitter

Adrienne Lawrence

✔@AdrienneLaw

Regarding the @BostonGlobe report:

8:42 PM - Dec 15, 2017 · Los Angeles, CA

 164164 Replies

   187187 Retweets

   317317 likes

Twitter Ads info and privacy

Lawrence would then assert that ESPN had a duty to take reasonable steps to eliminate such pervasive hostility. These steps would likely include firing, suspending or re-training male employees who engaged in wrongful conduct. If ESPN failed to take such corrective steps, Lawrence’s argument would be strengthened. Lawrence would also describe her departure from the network as a reflection not of merit or performance but rather of not acquiescing to the company’s misogynistic culture.

Along those lines, Lawrence could be armed with a dossier of material that suggests ESPN not only tolerates a culture of sexual misconduct but perhaps also encourages it. The 2011 book Those Guys Have All the Fun is a window into this world. Authored by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller, the book depicts ESPN as a place where sexual harassment, extramarital affairs and a “frat boy” culture was rampant for years. In 2001 Mike Freemen, now of Bleacher Report, authored ESPN: The Uncensored History, which, among other points, describes sexual harassment complaints at ESPN and their accompanying litigation. Although both books are slightly dated, they could prove valuable for an attorney seeking to identify potential witnesses for a sexual harassment lawsuit.

ESPN aggressively responded to The Boston Globe story with multiple statements via its PR department. “We work hard to maintain a respectful and inclusive culture at ESPN,” said a spokesperson. “It is always a work in progress, but we’re proud of the significant progress we’ve made in developing and placing women in key roles at the company in the board room, in leadership positions throughout ESPN and on air.”

The company’s public relations staff alerted this column on Thursday evening to a public relations website that had portions of text messages exchanged between Lawrence and Buccigross. An ESPN spokesperson declared that “it’s clear that they had a consensual, personal friendship that spanned months.”

On Thursday night, SI.com learned that an ESPN human resources official posted on the company’s internal website about the Globe story.

“This afternoon a story broke in The Boston Globe that raises questions concerning the culture at ESPN and how we have handled difficult situations, specifically those involving alleged harassment and discrimination,” the post read. “You should know that we cooperated with the Globe to address their questions, and provide a fuller accounting of events. This process included revisiting and reviewing the investigations surrounding each of the incidents referenced; and vigorously defending the steps we took, the outcomes of those investigations and our culture. Unfortunately the Globe chose to ignore our responses and instead pursue a clear agenda against the company.  Their “investigation” lacks important and relevant context. Maintaining a respectful and inclusive culture is paramount at ESPN. As outlined in John Skipper’s recent message, we have many resources in place for employees to report complaints and concerns. We encourage you to utilize those resources to address issues as they arise.”

Said Lawrence, in her tweet on Friday morning: “As for ESPN’s recent behavior, its decision to (i) single me out, (ii) ignore my key allegations, which ESPN knows are far broader than text messages and photos, and then (iii) release select, self-serving text messages, only further evidences the culture of this network and the lengths it will go and the unethical means it will employ to try to silence woman.”

In fairness to ESPN, the network might offer a very different account of Lawrence’s experience at ESPN and more broadly the culture of the ESPN workplace. ESPN might contend that Lawrence has exaggerated the problems she experienced. It might also share performance evaluations of Lawrence and others competing for the same permanent job and use them to explain why the job went to someone else. As to unflattering books and articles about ESPN, the network would stress that such materials sometimes exaggerate and distort in order to increase sales. Also, comments made to journalists and authors are not under oath and thus should be taken with a grain of salt.

Further, ESPN would likely contend that it has severely sanctioned employees who are accused of sexual harassment. For instance, earlier this week ESPN suspended Eric Davis and Donovan McNabb from their radio shows amid allegations they and others employed by the NFL Network sexually harassed a former colleague, Jami Cantor. ESPN likely also would point to workplace discrimination policies and stress that management aggressively enforces them.

In any lawsuit, electronic evidence would be crucial. Personal texts between Lawrence and Buccigross were released by ESPN, as noted above. Other personal texts, along with friendly or flirtatious emails and social media direct messages sent while under the false assumption of privacy, would likely surface as well through the pretrial discovery process. Prominent figures at ESPN may also be required to testify under oath about sensitive topics. Many careers could be forever tarnished, regardless of the outcome of litigation.

OTHERS WHO COULD SUE ESPN AND HOW ESPN MIGHT RESPOND

Lawrence’s experience does not appear to be unique among women recently employed by ESPN. To that end, Abelson’s article details the experiences of former SportsCenter anchor Sara Walsh and former ESPN employment applicant JennSterger. The account of Walsh—and how her pregnancy impacted her employment in 2014—is especially disturbing. According to Abelson, Walsh’s boss, SportsCentervice president Mike McQuade, questioned Walsh’s commitment to her responsibilities to SportsCenter since Walsh also appeared on The Fantasy Show. In order to prove her commitment to SportsCenter, Walsh reportedly performed her scheduled broadcast at the same time she began to bleed from a miscarriage. She did so while on assignment in Alabama and sick from pregnancy complications. Walsh felt that calling in sick could have cost her a coveted job on SportsCenter.

My mother bought them these onesies because she thought they were funny. For us, they're especially poignant. Finding a good egg didn't come easy for me, and I suspect there are many people out there facing the same struggle. The road down a dark path began while hosting Sportscenter on the road from Alabama. I arrived in Tuscaloosa almost three months pregnant. I wouldn't return the same way. The juxtaposition of college kids going nuts behind our set, while I was losing a baby on it, was surreal. I was scared, nobody knew I was pregnant, so I did the show while having a miscarriage. On television. My husband had to watch this unfold from more than a thousand miles away, texting me hospital options during commercial breaks. It would get worse. Two more failed pregnancies. More than once, I'd have surgery one day and be on SportsCenter the next so as not to draw attention to my situation. We then went down the IVF road of endless shots and procedures. After several rounds, we could only salvage two eggs. I refused to even use them for a long time, because I couldn't bear the idea of all hope being gone. I blew off pregnancy tests, scared to know if it worked. It had. Times two. It was exciting news, but we knew better than to celebrate. So I spent a third straight football season pregnant, strategically picking out clothes and standing at certain angles, using scripts to hide my stomach. There would be no baby announcement, no shower, we didn't buy a single thing in preparation for the babies, because I wasn't sure they'd show up. We told very few people we were pregnant, and almost no one there were two. For those that thought I was weirdly quiet about my pregnancy, now you know why. For as long as I can remember I hosted Sportscenter on Mother's Day, and the last couple years doing that have been personally brutal. An hours-long reminder of everything that had gone wrong. I wasn't on tv today, and I'm not sure when I will be again, but instead I got to hang with these two good eggs. My ONLY good eggs. And I know how lucky I really am. #twins #ivf #2goodeggs

A post shared by Sara Walsh (@sarawalsh10) on May 14, 2017 at 5:57pm PDT

This horrific experience led Walsh to complain internally at the company. She was angered that McQuade allegedly failed to respond to her email while she received hospital treatment for her miscarriage. Walsh complained about McQuade’s conduct to human resources, but ESPN apparently did not take action. Instead, Abelson asserts, ESPN appears to have retaliated against Walsh by reducing her on-air appearances and, this past May, laying her off.

Walsh could consider a lawsuit under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. The Act is a federal law that prohibits employers from unfavorably treating employees on account of their pregnancy or childbirth. Plaintiffs who successfully using this law can receive compensatory damages for the harm they suffered as well as punitive damages that reflect a just punishment for the company.

In response to such a lawsuit, ESPN would likely argue that it never discriminated against Walsh—it didn’t take her off the air or require her to change her job. ESPN would also contend that Walsh is ultimately responsible for her choice to not call in sick. The company might further stress that it has treated other pregnant employees in accordance with the law and basic decency. In addition, ESPN might insist that the pressure Walsh felt is one that all broadcasters and journalists feel, particularly in an era of downsizing. Most importantly, such job pressure is not a legal harm but rather comes with the territory in any ultra competitive industry like broadcasting and journalism.

In May, SI.com reported, according to multiple ESPN staffers, that Walsh flew from Florida to Connecticut with her three month-old twins under the working presumption that because she was scheduled to work that week, she’d be fine from layoffs. But the morning after she landed in Connecticut with her twins, the anchor learned she was part of ESPN’s layoffs. She made public via Instagram that she had been laid off following her maternity leave. That incident stung many ESPN staffers; Walsh was popular among her colleagues.

As to Sterger, once a columnist for this website, she says that she was sexually harassed while auditioning for ESPN back in 2006 and 2008. Male employees who played some role in whether ESPN would hire Sterger placed her in completely inappropriate situations, such as taking her to a strip club. In a post she wrote on Twitter in October, Sterger said part of her interview process included a strip club outing with Matthew Berry, who was interviewing as a contributor for The Fantasy Show, in Charlotte in 2006, and being brought up to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., in 2008 for what she described as a bogus interview. In an interview with SI.com in October, Will Carroll, a sportswriter specializing in the coverage of medical issues who has worked for ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and other publications, confirmed he was in Charlotte at the strip club outing in 2006. He said he was brought to Charlotte to talk to ESPN talent coordinators and that Sterger was also trying out for shows during the Charlotte trip. Carroll eventually became an on-air member of The Fantasy Show, a short-lived ESPN program that ran for 11 episodes in 2006. He said that Sterger told him that ESPN managers admonished her for going to a strip club the next day and that she believed it impacted her chances on that show.

Given the passage of time and the relevant statutes of limitation, it’s unlikely that incidents taking place in the 2000s could give rise to a winnable legal claim in 2017. However, as a more general point, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects job applicants from pre-employment discrimination on the basis of sex, among other protected categories. It is a law that all employers ought to consider when interviewing candidates.

ESPN declined making a senior management executive available to SI.com on the contents of The Boston Globe story. A ESPN spokesperson said that “our investigation is ongoing” regarding Berry. An ESPN spokeperson also said that Buccigross and McQuade both continue in their current roles.

Michael McCann is SI’s legal analyst. He is also an attorney and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of New Hampshire School of Law, and co-author with Ed O'Bannon of the forthcoming book Court Justice: The Inside Story of My Battle Against the NCAA.

  SPONSORED STORIES

The Easiest Way To Find Anyone's Email Address.Connect

Things Besides Cheating That Feel Like BetrayalMadameNoire

You’d Be Smiling Too If You Paid These Prices For A Hotel Roomwww.tripsinsider.com

Best Gifts Under $10Coupons

[Gallery] This one photo changed everything for the pole vaulter, Allison StokkeOMG!

Which Evil Character Are You?WomensForum

Recommended by

YOU MAY LIKE

0:46

Breaking Down the Disturbing Details, Implications of NFL Network Sexual Harassment Claims

by Michael McCann

The Best Sports Movies of 2017

0:44

ESPN President John Skipper Discusses Social Media Policy, Priorities at 'Talent Gathering 2017'

0:46

Breaking Down the Disturbing Details, Implications of NFL Network Sexual Harassment Claims

The Best Sports Podcasts of 2017

0:46

Marshall Faulk, Heath Evans, Ike Taylor Suspended by NFL Network After Sexual Harassment Claim

  YOU MAY LIKE

Who is your celebrity soulmate?WomensForum

Top Leaders Avoid These Killer TraitsGROCO CPAs & Advisors

[Gallery] The Most Shocking Photos From Burning Man 2017OMG!

(2018) Top 5 Trusted Antivirus Providers. You won’t believe #1.My Antivirus Review

by

MORE TECH & MEDIA

TECH & MEDIA

Mike Francesa's epic rants through the years

What is on SI TV in December?

TECH & MEDIA

Female employees detail experiences with sexism at ESPN

Female employees detail experiences with sexism at ESPN

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

Don't get stuck on the sidelines! Sign up to get exclusives, daily highlights, analysis and more—delivered right to your inbox!

SIGN UP NOW

TAGS

ESPN SEXUAL HARASSMENT

  ESPN PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION

ADRIENNE LAWRENCE

  JOHN BUCCIGROSS

  JENN STERGER

  MATTHEW BERRY

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Subscribe to Sports Illustrated today and get 2 FREE gifts.

SUBSCRIBE NOW

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

Don't get stuck on the sidelines! Sign up to get exclusives, daily highlights, analysis and more—delivered right to your inbox!

SIGN UP NOW

NFL

MMQB

Scores

Schedules

Standings

Stats

Odds

Tickets

NBA

The Crossover

Scores

Schedules

Standings

Stats

4FOR4 DFS Optimizer

Odds

Tickets

MLB

News

Scores

Schedules

Standings

Stats

Odds

Tickets

NHL

News

NHL 100

Scores

Schedule

Standings

Stats

Odds

Tickets

NCAAB

News

Scores

Schedules

Standings

Rankings

Stats

Odds

Tickets

NCAAF

News

Scores

Schedules

Standings

Rankings

Stats

Odds

Tickets

SOCCER

News

Scores

Schedules

Standings

Tickets

OTHER SPORTS

Golf

Boxing

MMA

Racing

Tennis

Olympics

Sports Illustrated may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. A part of the Sports Illustrated Network Copyright © 2017 Time Inc. Sports Illustrated Group. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy (Your California Privacy Rights). Ad Choices