#American National Red Cros

[henk-heijmans]

Feebleminded Honzik as he looked when admitted six years-supporting, Prague, 1919 - by American National Red Cros

[welanabananaworld]

Us and the voice of dystopia

Jordan Peele’s latest film, Us, is as uncanny and disturbing as his first movie Get Out which proved itself to be a cinematic feat at the time of its release in 2017. Rightly considered as one of the fathers of the horror film renaissance (see also Ari Aster), Jordan Peele has been succeeding not only in addressing societal issues and in adopting a critical stance toward his home country but also in injecting an artistic vision in what is unfairly and generally regarded as second-class films. 

In Us, Jordan Peele’s strong sense of composition and framing reveals the main theme of the film : the duality of human nature through the evil self. Nothing revolutionary so far. Many films of the genre have explored the mythology surrounding the figure of the doppelgänger from multiple angles. For example, Alfred Hitchcock’s and Darren Aronofsky’s use of the double has a psychological bent; to dig through Scotty’s perverse psyche in the haunting Vertigo (1958) and to explore a mental illness in Black Swan (2011), whereas in The Great Dictator (1940), Charlie Chaplin chose to play both Hynkel and the Jewish barber for satirical purpose. In Us, nothing of the sort. Remember what we said about Jordan Peele’s films? About how the horror genre disguises social subtexts? But before aiming at the true meaning of this human mirror, one should focus more on the narrative use of the voice which proves to be of utter importance to understand what is at stake, because if you really listen to the voice, you understand the whole film.

Us tells the story of Adelaïde Wilson’s family who goes on holiday at the seaside in Santa Cruz. A series of strange coincidences reminds her of the trauma she experienced there when she was a little girl while vacationing with her parents. She made a disturbing encounter in the hall of mirrors of a funhouse. She came face to face with a little girl who looked just like her. After this event, she could no longer speak for a while because of, it seems, a post-traumatic stress disorder. At present day, overwhelmed with fear, she confides in her husband about her past. The same evening, they discover four people standing outside their house, their doppelgängers. Ruthlessly hunted, the Wilson family will have to look inward in order to counter their own selves. 

What strikes first when they all meet is that Red, Adelaïde’s double, is the only one  who is able to speak, or rather utter words. She is struggling with very word she says, as if her speech production was failing her somehow. When she starts speaking, her voice happens to be hoarse, cavernous, husky, strained, even  choked. Her disorder of phonation makes her voice otherworldly such as of a creature’s coming straight out of hell. It feels like she is not used to talk, actually that this is the first time she tries to pronounce and articulate words to create sentences. In this perspective, it is worth stressing Lupita Nyong’o’s astonishing work to produce Red’s chilling croaky and guttural voice. She used spasmodic dysphonia to make a creepy voice, that is a neurological disorder that causes involuntary breaks or interruptions in the voice due to an irregular flow of air. This language impairment, however, does not prevent Red from telling her story; the story of a dystopian world.

Red and Adelaïde are two sides of the same mirror. One learns that everything Adelaïde does is mirrored and has an impact on Red’s life, only the other way around. Everything that is happening in Red’s life is a pale copy of Adelaïde’s achievements and takes on a nightmarish dimension. Red’s husband, Abraham, is rough and dumb; her daughter, Umbrae, is born laughing and her son, Pluto, is a dangerous arsonist. The ideal family meets the poor and sad version of themselves who now claims justice through revenge, hence the imagery of the good and evil self. 

Throughout the film, the mise-en-scène keeps referring to the double as a warning or rather a prophecy as to the coming of those doppelgängers clad in red jumpsuits, which strangely resemble the clothing of prisoners. The clues left by the director are the following ones : the twin sisters of the superficial WASP family friends, the shadow of each member of the Wilson family projected on the sand while they are walking on the beach, the recurring number « 11:11 »  featured here and there (an extract from the Bible, Jeremiah 11:11), Jason wearing a mask (maybe a reference to the iconic masked murderer of Friday the 13th whose name is Jason?), Jason’s drawing showing a kid who looks just like him, a toy plastic spider behind which a true spider appears crawling across the low table of the living room, and of course the daze of mirrors. 

All those elements evoke duplicity and foresee a parallel world unknown so far. Red’s voice, alone, embraces all that imagery and embodies the punitive prophecy hidden behind the verse from the Old Testament book, the Book of Jeremiah, whose verse alludes to God’s wrath : « Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them. » The invasion of the doppelgängers across the world is a divine plague orchestrated by Red from the underworld to take revenge. 

In fact, what the film tends to reveal all along is the existence of an underworld located inside « the thousands miles of tunnels beneath the continental United States », which are « abandoned subways systems », as stated at the very beginning of the film as an introduction. Those subways are inhabited by people who are the product of a failed governmental scientific experiment designed to replicate the bodies of those above to manipulate them. However, they discovered  that the « soul » could not be duplicated, hence the repudiation and neglect of that population now doomed to survive below the Earth’s surface, with raw rabbits as sole source of nourishment, and to « act out grim recreations of their respective partners’ above ground actions like sad little marionettes. »1 The scientific dimension of this governmental conspiracy is foretold in the opening credits by the camera progressively zooming out the caged rabbits. This shot conveys the idea of a sanitized laboratory. The existence of two opposite worlds is also mentioned by the shot which shows the funhouse twice, by night and day (darkness and daylight). 

The organised overthrow, which takes as an example the Hand Across America charity campaign of 1986 (giant human chain), can be interpreted in many ways : an uprising against social inequalities, such as racial, gender and salary based discrimination, which undermine the U.S (or Us); a country where climbing in the social ladder is more and more unattainable for under-represented ethnic minorities. It can also be seen as a denunciation of what America has become, unfair, poor and divided; a denunciation of the famous ideology of American exceptionalism through the ostentatious display of American symbols distorted by the horror genre. The « tethered » are done being downtrodden and ostracized. They want to embrace the American myth that had been promised to them by taking their rights back and by building a new world, hence Red’s assertive reply to Gabe’s question « Who are you, people? » : « We are Americans. » They claim themselves as being true Americans (to be connected to the Native American reference of the original funhouse’s sign), free from all materialistic concerns. 

Only, this does not constitute the twist ending of the film. Like all self-respecting horror films, Us is no exception in the matter and does offer a shocking one. And this is the voice which hints at it all along and that turns upside down the government’s theory about their human experiments. 

Red’s whistling while walking up the alley of the Wilson’s family with a pair of scissors in her hand in the dark is where the truth really lies. If one has well paid attention to the details, one would have noticed that Adelaïde whistled the same way when she was trapped in the hall of mirrors when she was a young girl, as if to ward off the coming threat. Do you see my point? Why is Adelaïde so reluctant and does have trouble engaging in a conversation with Kitty on the beach? Why would Red be the only tethered to be provided with the ability to speak? Why this eager for revenge? Because Red actually is the true Adelaïde. Back to the funhouse in 1986, young Adelaïde’s clone, Red, was lured to go to the surface as Adelaïde  progressively approached to her tragic destiny. 

What the film did not show is that Red strangled Adelaïde until she fainted, dragged her down the tunnel, attached her to her bed in the dormitory and switched place with her among Adelaïde’s family, hence her early language deficiency. While Red grew up like a normal little girl and learned how to speak, Adelaïde lost progressively her language abilities growing up among zombie-like human beings, which proves that the government’s theory is wrong. The soul cannot be duplicated but this does not mean that the tethered are « soulless creatures ». If given the chance, as Red has had, the tethered would have turned out perfectly okay. They would have followed the regular human evolution process called « hominisation » or « anthropogenesis », the process of becoming human. Indeed, the doppelgängers all look like primitive animals. Pluto, by his gesture, reminds of a monkey-like primate’s attitude and Abraham’s moans, groans and grunts are those of Cro-Magnon man. Their names evoke ancient times, something rough yet to evolve, and the mythology of the doppelgänger, Pluto being the god of the underworld, Umbrae the latin word for shadow. Abraham is the « Father of the nations » which can be connected to the human chain the tethered seek to initiate to rise up and find they own humanity. Red’s name could refer to the color of the tethered’ garments, and thus evoke the state of imprisonment which they have been reduced to until now. 

In this perspective, Red’s voice is not only the voice of dystopia but goes far beyond this sole and somewhat manichean opposition which is the driving force behind the narrative of the film. Red’s voice, by also being the voice of anthropological evolution, mainly serves to establish a connection between the latter subject and the current state of American society. With no equality of opportunity, people cannot equally seek higher social and intellectual status and end up being the slaves of the system. America has now no other choice but to drop her delusions and take her mask off. 

1 Bojalad, A., (2019, March 22). Us, Hands Across America, and the failed American experiment. Retrieved from https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/us-jordan-peele-hands-across-america/

[donald-clemons]

eCommerce in Brazil – How To Sell Online on The Brazilian Market

Although the worst of the coronavirus is hopefully behind us, COVID-19 has unarguably made some significant changes for online businesses around the globe.

This holds especially true for Brazil – a lucrative target for many eCommerce brands that are looking to expand.

  A Fast-Growing Digital Commerce Market

With a large population of over 211 million, 34% of which constitutes a relatively younger generation (36 to 50 years of age), Brazil is without doubt considered one of the most economically robust countries on the South American continent.

Brazil’s young demographic provides a plethora of opportunities to online businesses who wish to reach new customers within the market, in either B2C or B2B spaces. That’s because younger populations like millennials, xennials or generation Z spend significantly more time shopping online than older generations – whether for personal use or business.

To add to that, the pandemic has transformed the way Brazilians shop – with many resorting to online purchases for all their needs, whether essential or non-essential.

    Before the coronavirus took place, Brazil was forecasted to close the year 2020 with $17 billion in online consumer revenues. As a result of the pandemic effect, the Brazilian market has blown this 2020 online retail sales prediction with a staggering $20.5 billion by the end of May 2020.

Even now, with a post-pandemic regression, the local market seems to continue its steady and rapid growth for years to come.

Regardless of this booming trend for Brazil’s eCommerce, some of the country’s current regulations and demographic factors pose challenges that may negatively affect non-local online businesses.

  How international eCommerce businesses deal with the challenges of the Brazilian market

Understanding and catering to Brazil’s unique payment preferences, wisely navigating through duty and banking requirements, as well as aggregating, consolidating, and mapping local audiences for diversified marketing is what cross-border sellers need to start doing to wrestle market share away from giant retailers.

  Largest Latin American Mobile eCommerce Market

Brazil’s 150 million mobile phone users, in addition to the country’s high internet penetration rates, make it Latin America’s giant for mobile eCommerce. Brazil’s preference for conducting online purchases through mobile phones is a relatively recent trend. Just in 2012, there were only 1.3% of online transactions made through smartphones. Fast forward to the end of 2019, and that number has blown to a staggering 43.1%.

    The figures are steadily rising, with mobile online sales predicted to overtake purchases made through other mediums such as desktops and laptops, and bring in $25 billion in revenues by 2023.

This is great news for cross-border sellers who wish to dive into the Brazilian market. Now’s the time to leverage this opportunity by actively optimizing online stores, cart flows, and payment methods for mobile devices.

  Pandemic Drives Buyers and Sellers Online

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic saw an increase of Brazilians turning to digital commerce for their needs, both among B2C and B2B groups. End consumers flocked online to purchase essential and discretionary goods, driving orders up 70% in 2020 versus the previous year.

The same shift had been noticeable in B2B as well, with 68-84% of B2B decision makers in Brazil declaring they now prefer remote human interactions or digital self-service.

  Subscriptions Are on the Rise

Did you know that Brazil spends more than $200 million per year on recurring goods and services?

Subscriptions have been quite a big contributor to the country’s eCommerce market growth in the past years:

One out of every two Brazilians are subscribed to video streaming services;

42% of Brazilians opt for digital music subscriptions.

Investment firms are a big player, too, with SaaS startups receiving 15.1% of investment money.

  How Brazilian Shoppers Like to Pay

    Some of the most widely used payment methods in Brazil are:

Credit Cards Installments

Credit cards are the leading form of payment in Brazil’s economy, but that’s not all. Paying in installments is something local shoppers expect to have as an option either in brick-and-mortar retail stores or online.

As a cross-border retailer, providing your Brazilian shoppers with this choice can help you to gain their trust, and boost sales by 50%.

In addition, national bank cards are a prerequisite for any installment purchases, which would explain why a majority of credit and debit cards used by locals are issued within Brazil

It is essential therefore to have local acquiring, otherwise, your authorization rates will plummet, driving your ROI in the red.

  Boleto Bancário

Boleto is one of Brazil’s official payment methods that’s regulated by the Central Bank.

It substitutes cash payments by allowing locals to exchange their physical cash for a ticket in the form of a pre-filled slip that can be used online through mobile apps, or through ATMs and banks. The fastest variation is Boleto Flash, which provides the quickest payment confirmation in the market, even instantly confirmed when paid with Pix.

Boleto is also a popular payment option in the B2B space, chosen by businesses on account of its cost benefits.

Being quite popular, Boleto is only second to credit card payment methods and  is preferred by a whopping 21% of Brazil’s online shoppers in 2021.

  The local currency commands

Brazil’s strict currency regulations make it illegal for retailers to publish prices in U.S dollars. As a result, most transacted purchases occur in the local currency Brazilian Real because using any other currency for this purpose is extremely complicated and costly.

  eWallets – PayPal, Apple Pay, Pix, Google Pay

Popular local and global online payment platforms are quickly growing their market share among Brazilian shoppers.

Just as with Boleto, eWallets don’t require bank accounts to be used, which provides both convenience and security.

    Brazilians Lean Towards Localized Checkout Experiences

With five distinct regions, Brazil has a wide diversity in terms of its many cultures and languages.  This is why Brazilians usually like to go for fully localized, native stores that target their specific demographic group.

Cross-border sellers should make the most of this by using dynamic templates on their sites that localize language and pricing based on geographical locations.

  Stay Up to Date with the Compliance Landscape

As far as data privacy is concerned, the Brazilian General Data Protection Law (‘LGPD’) is the one regulating the processing of data in public and private sectors. The LGDP was passed in 2018 and entered in effect in September 2020, and is at present enforced by the Brazilian Data Protection Authority (‘ANPD’).

Another challenging aspect of cross-border business in Brazil is indeed its costly and complicated customs.

For one, when it comes to Brazil’s national post deliveries, any item valued between $50 and $3,000 may be subject to a 60% duty that’s payable by the customer.

A possible solution to this challenge is to work with a local fulfillment agent. Agents usually have licenses that allow them to help you import the items at much lower tax rates.

  Closing Words

Despite the few challenges that regulations, requirements, and regional diversity pose to cross-border sellers, Brazil’s demographic factors, as well as growing trends in the nation’s online preferences make it a lucrative region to expand one’s presence too. Finding a partner to help you overcome these hurdles is the smart way forward, allowing you to focus on marketing and customer experience.

Want to learn more about selling online in Brazil? Check out our eBook “eCommerce in Brazil: A Merchant’s Cross-Border Guide to Online Sales” to get a better understanding of eCommerce dynamics in the country and to expedite your plans to sell in Brazil.

      The post eCommerce in Brazil – How To Sell Online on The Brazilian Market appeared first on The 2Checkout Blog | Articles on eCommerce, Payments, CRO and more.

eCommerce in Brazil – How To Sell Online on The Brazilian Market published first on https://yousweetluxury.weebly.com/

[canadiangold]

30 Questions

Tagged by the brilliant @icameheretowinry​, thanks Nikki!

Answer 30 questions and then tag 20 blogs you would like to know better

Nickname: Don’t really have one... I guess “Alex” counts, technically :/

Gender: Male

Star sign: Taurus

Height: 5′9.5″ (I will fight for that half-inch)

Time: 9:11

Birthday: May 5th

Favorite band(s): Disturbed, The Offspring, Sabaton, Five Finger Death Punch, SDP, Rise Against, Klaypex... so many

Favorite solo artist(s): CRO, Omnitica, S3RL 

Song stuck in my head: Facade by Disturbed... again

Last movie I watched: Oh jeez... I don’t think I’ve actually watched a movie since my family watching A Charlie Brown Christmas together on Christmas Eve... 

Last show I watched: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (at Nikki’s stream, coincidentally enough)

When did I create my blog: September 2013... pretty sure 

What do I post: Haha i have no clue :)

Last thing I googled: C++ math commands for my compsci homework (that I’m currently putting off...)

Do you have other blogs: Sure do! My writing blog is @thesoldiersmyriad where I don’t post much writings, but plenty of fun stuff with my OCs. I have a couple others that remain private.

Do you get asks: Yeah, but not nearly as often as I’d like :P 

Why did you choose your url: it’s just the handle I use everywhere because “GoldenCanadian” was too long when I was making it

Following: 224

Followers: 229, though plenty of them are dead/bots 

Favorite color: Really depends on the application, but usually deep reds 

Average hours of sleep: 8-ish 

Lucky number: 323 I guess... it was the number of my apartment when I lived away from home for the first time 

Instruments: Had a lot of piano lessons as a kid, but it never really stuck  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯   I can kinda play some bass guitar, and I’m slowly getting better at it 

What am I wearing: Gray sweats and a ragged sleeveless sweater

How many blankets do I sleep with: 2 through the winter, none when summer hits and it gets above 80 in the dead of night. honestly CenCal is the worst 

Dream job: CEO of a small engineering firm, English teacher in Japan, or a food critic 

Dream trip: JAPAN (which is almost-definitely gonna happen when I get my BA) or another tour of New Zealand

Favorite food: Mac n cheese, salmon nigiri, crispy pata

Nationality: Canadian-American. Let me tell you, crossing that border is a treat xD (headed North: “Oh, welcome home!”  headed back: “Welcome home.” The Canadian border guards are always nicer, but you can tell they take their job seriously, and they typically move faster.)

Favorite song now: Couldn’t tell you... maybe Chamber the Cartridge by Rise Against. That’s a good one.

No way I can tag 20 folks... @xennariel @perhaps-mr-collins-has-a-cousin @goat-s0n @thedeepseaprisoner @hawkeyedflame @jouissezduprintemps @saxinpjs @shiny-gyarados @the-heart-alchemist

[captdondingman]

When natural disasters such as Hurricane Dorian hits, we all wonder what we can do to make a difference. Salt Life has teamed up with the American Red Cross to help the people of the Bahamas and we invite you to help, too. Proceeds from the sale of our Forward Upward Onward Together Bahamas Tee will benefit those most affected by this storm. Follow the link below and order yours today! #SaltLife #BahamasStrong Click the link in my bio to go straight to the page on Salt Life’s website Salt Life will donate to the American Red Cross $14. for every Bahamas Relief tee shirt sold between 9/6/2019 and 10/31/2019. This purchase is not tax deductible. Salt Life, LLC is helping people affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. Your donation enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster. The American Red Cross name and emblem are used with its permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied, of any product, service, company, opinion or political position. The American Red Cross logo is a registered trademark owned by The American National Red Cross. For more information about the American Red Cro https://www.instagram.com/p/B2FXVdIgQt4/?igshid=ucro3mxh7f6b

[nigeiadigitalmarketingcompany]

Britain After Brexit: Welcome to the Vulture Restaurant

Digital Elixir Britain After Brexit: Welcome to the Vulture Restaurant

Yves here. We pointed out some time ago that the idea that the UK would get a favorable trade deal with the UK post-Brexit, and particularly post a crash-out, was bonkers, so it’s good to have official confirmation, even if it comes from the likes of Larry Summers. The US typically dictates terms in bi-lateral trade deals, allowing at most only a bit of face-saving terms-tweaking at the margin. The power imbalance will be even more pronounced in trade negotiation in the wake of Brexit because the UK will be desperate to cinch a deal quickly, and the urgency will give the US even more leverage.

More quotes from the Summers interview on BBC Radio 4, courtesy Al Jazeera:

“I’m not sure what Britain wants from the United States that it can plausibly imagine the United States will give.”

“If Britain thinks that the American financial regulators – who have great difficulty coming together on anything – are going to come together to give greater permissions and less regulation of UK firms, I would call that belief close to delusional.”

Nevertheless, the Wall Street Journal found a whimsical Brexit angle today, although it could just as easily have been spun as gallows humor: Tired of Waiting for Brexit, Britons Munch Through Nutella Stockpiles (any Northern Ireland readers may take umbrage at “Britons”):

Britain’s Brexit preppers have been stockpiling for months. Now their revolution is eating itself.

Fed up with waiting for the U.K. to leave the European Union and mindful of product expiration dates, stockpilers are using up foodstuffs they had squirreled away in case of a blunt exit leaves them cut off from imported treats, or spikes the price of necessities, like toilet paper and tea.

The chance of a no-deal divorce hasn’t diminished and may only have been postponed until Oct. 31, but some preppers can’t resist breaking into their stashes.

Elizabeth Priest, 29, found it easy to eat into her stockpile because she had socked away delectable items such as Nutella and mozzarella from Italy, lactose-free milk from Denmark and an awful lot of tea—not, say, Spam.

“Because we bought nice things, we weren’t facing down this nasty stockpile of tinned ham,” says the writer from Hastings on Britain’s southern coast. She brewed the last of her 200 stockpiled tea bags on June 29, three months to the day after Britain was meant to leave the EU.

Returning to the theme of this post, it’s not clear what could be strip mined from the UK. Unlike Russia post the collapse of the USSR, there aren’t natural resources that to be bought on the cheap and sold in world markets. North Sea oil is largely played out. UK manufacturing capacity will become much less valuable due to post-Brexit non-tariff trade barriers. Sadly, the big wealth opportunities may lie in moves like acquiring real estate and squeeing already not-well-housed working people with higher rents, and dismantling the NHS.

By Adam Ramsay, the co-editor of openDemocracyUK and also works with Bright Green. Before, he was a full-time campaigner with People & Planet. You can follow him at @adamramsay. Originally published at openDemocracy

“Britain has no leverage, Britain is desperate … it needs an agreement very soon. When you have a desperate partner, that’s when you strike the hardest bargain.” So warned former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers on Radio 4 ‘Today’ programme this morning, as new foreign secretary Dominic Raab jets off on a tour of North America to investigate potential trade deals.

“Britain has much less to give than Europe as a whole did, therefore less reason for the United States to make concessions,” said Summers, a senior figure in both the Clinton and Obama administrations. “You make more concessions dealing with a wealthy man than you do dealing with a poor man.”

Summers is of course right. But he makes a key mistake. He assumes that Raab, Johnson and the new cabinet care about defending the interests and autonomy of most people in the UK. He seems to be under the impression that Brexit was about taking back control.

In reality, the brand of Brexit promoted by Tory hardliners has long been about pulling Britain under the shadow of American capital. Not as a 51st state, with votes and constitutional rights, but as an outhouse for US business, a sort of colder, paler version of Puerto Rico.

We will be forced to accept US-style deregulation, with its poor standards for workers and consumers. We will have our assets stripped clean off the bone. Even before Brexit, we are fast becoming a pawn in the Pentagon’s global games.

We won’t become Americans, though. We’ll have no say in the standards that will govern our new Atlantic common market. Nor will we be permitted to help decide who stands in the planet’s biggest pulpit. Nor will we have much significant say in our own foreign policy. The UK has chosen to shift from participating in one power block to sitting on the outer edges of another.

Victory of the Lobbyists

If that wasn’t clear before (though it was), the events surrounding the arrival of Boris Johnson in Downing Street have confirmed it.

During the leadership election there was, of course, the failure to defend Kim Darroch, the British ambassador to the US. Then there is the ongoing confrontation with Iran, in which Britain’s post-empire is being enlisted in the schemes of US neoconservatives. There is the revelation that a new US pro-Brexit campaign group has launched, and Steve Bannon’s insistence on ‘Today’ that Boris Johnson should deliver a “no deal, hard out”.

Over the past three years, we’ve seen Britain’s lobbying industry and think-tanks auction their access to our politicians off to US corporations and oligarchs – from the firm which ran Johnson’s leadership campaign bragging in Washington about its ability to shape Brexit for US business, to the Institute for Economic Affairs offering to broker meetings between senior ministers and US companies wishing to get their piece of the Brexit pie.

We’ve seen one former Washington lobbyist – Shanker Singham – move to London and secure unprecedented access to our politicians, even writing the so-called Malthouse compromise, while lobbyists also drove the team that ensured their preferred candidate was elected prime minister.

And now that they’ve got their Johnson in place lobbyists have taken over the cabinet.

We’ve seen Trump confirm that “everything” – including the NHS – “will be on the table” in a US trade deal, before his spin-doctors reminded him that he’s not supposed to say that out loud.

“Britain Trump”

We see it in the ascent of Johnson himself – a rise which has coincided with the arrival in the UK of the sorts of institutions and culture we’re more used to watching from a safe distance across the Atlantic. On openDemocracy, we’ve revealed how Definers Public Affairs, the smear machine which destroyed Hillary Clinton, has set up shop in the UK, how a US-style super PAC is being rolled out across Europe and how Brexit is the biggest outsourcing of public policy in British history.

Johnson, who has surfed this wave, has been anointed “Britain Trump” by his US admirer. It’s a fair nickname, not because they have the same character, but because they both epitomise the elitist myths embedded in their respective national characters. Trump is the millionaire’s son who pretends to be rich because of merit, the brash bully-boy billionaire in a culture whose dream equates wealth and cruelty with merit and success.

Johnson, on the other hand, comes from the school on whose playing fields the battle of Waterloo was mythologically won. He epitomises an Anglo-British exceptionalism built on a mystical link between nation, royalty and aristocracy: a link forged in the failed revolution of the civil war and bought with imperial plunder, and which reminds the British bourgeois of an era when you didn’t need to do your homework to attain power – you got it by dint of your nation, gender, class and skin colour.

Likewise, their identikit ideologies are the same: oligarch enrichment woven round national mythologies.

Johnson pretends to be a free trader in the way that earlier British politicians claimed to support free trade whilst using their military might to force China to buy opium, commit genocide in Tasmania and smash up cotton looms in India. Trump claims to be a protectionist just as earlier US presidents used a pretence of isolationism to pretend they weren’t building an empire, at the same time preaching that the US was manifestly and justifiably destined to conquer the whole North American continent, committing genocide against Native American peoples as they did so.

Both Trump and Johnson have been contorted by the distorting lenses of their respective nationalisms, confusing many into thinking that they ooze truth or charm or talent. Strip off those red white and blue tinted goggles and you quickly see them for what they are: rich racists willing to trample anyone to secure the world for their kind.

Ultimately, they both represent the same interwoven set of interests: oligarchs, mafiosi, disaster capitalists, Gulf oil millionaires, hedge fund speculators and any other corner of the elite which has spotted that the neoliberal era is coming to an end, they have few places left to invest and their best option is to hide away as much money as they can behind the biggest walls they can build.

This is what Johnson meant when he said “fuck business” – that he and his friends no longer have anything invested in traditional industries, so are happy to see them disappear. It is why Trump is perfectly happy to fuck America’s car industry as he slashes tax for the hyper-rich.

Useful Scraps of Empire

At openDemocracy, we’ve revealed how millions of pounds were pumped into the Leave campaigns in the first place. That money came through the same British Overseas Territory and Crown Dependency secrecy areas that the billionaires of the world use to stash the cash they can no longer figure out how to get a return from – the same post-empire that the Pentagon is so keen to get a closer grip on.

For while the UK’s network of semi-colonies is useful as a money-laundry for the world’s oligarchs, we’ve seen in recent weeks how it plays a different strategic role, too – why America might see it as a valuable asset to begin to enclose under its wings.

When the British territory of Gibraltar captured an Iranian tanker, supposedly to enforce an EU embargo against oil to Syria, it did so despite the fact that Iran isn’t in the EU, and the EU doesn’t force non-members to comply with its embargoes. The Spanish have, according to The Guardian, claimed that the UK is acting under the influence of the US, and the former Swedish prime minister and senior EU figure Carl Bilt has hinted as much. It looks very much like this wasn’t so much an act of British foreign policy as one of submission to the US Department of Defense.

Britain captured Gibraltar in 1704 because of its strategically important location. To this day, one-third of the world’s oil and gas passes through its straits. Likewise, another strategically vital waterway will define this conflict: the Gulf of Oman, which connects the Strait of Hormuz to the Arabian sea. Oman isn’t formally a British territory, but it has been a de facto UK colony since the nineteenth century, with London helping to prop up the slave-owning ruling family over two centuries. As Ian Cobain has outlined, its current sultan was put in place by an MI6 coup in 1970.

The relationship remains strong. Shell owns 30% of the national oil company and Britain’s military presence is significant. According to Duncan Campbell, the journalist who originally revealed the existence of GCHQ, the Snowden leaks revealed Oman hosts a vital British intelligence base, tapping the vast number of communications cables that run under the Gulf. Last year, the UK opened a permanent naval base in the country, and in February this year, the British government announced it had signed an historic defence agreement with the sultanate, “bringing us even closer to one of our most important partners”.

For those with long memories, this might start sounding familiar: the 45-minute claim intended to frighten the British into accepting the 2003 Iraq war was based on the claim that Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction could be ready to deploy not against London, but against the British Overseas Territories in Cyprus.

If the Pentagon is to keep a firm grip on the world, Britain’s post-imperial web of semi-colonies will be vital fingerholds, and Brexit offers the US a unique opportunity to expand its control over the UK and its overseas assets.

The Great British Asset Striptease

This wasn’t inevitable. In theory, Brexit could genuinely have been about ‘taking back control’ for the British people. It would be possible to turn the UK into a new Cuba, for instance, substituting home-grown products for international imports. Not a suggestion that would please the millions of Leave voters who opted to quit the EU essentially because they wanted to become another Japan instead: wealthier than the UK, industrialised, with less income inequality, richly forested and deeply racist.

But these are not the options before us.

Instead, Brexit means plonking the corpse of post-imperial Britain in a vulture restaurant for US asset strippers, and pretending not to notice that China perches nearby, ready to pluck at whatever it fancies too.

The Great British Asset Striptease isn’t new, of course. For decades, the country has mostly stayed afloat in the world by auctioning off the plunder we accumulated through centuries of empire. As Joe Guinan and Thomas Hanna point out, the Treasury has calculated that Britain sold off 40 per cent of all assets privatised across the OECD between 1980 and 1996.

But as the new foreign secretary heads off on his ‘everything must go’ tour of North America, the people of the UK are going to have to fight hard to stop him selling the whole country to Trump and his friends. Just as thousands mobilised against the EU-US trade deal known as TTIP, we’re going to have to stand together and fight against any UK/US trade deal. We’re going to have to fight to protect our public services and our workers’ rights and our ecosystems from the new plunderers of the planet. Because Britain doesn’t have any power in its negotiations with Trump. And we have a government that will be delighted to turn the country into an offshore theme park for American, Saudi and Chinese billionaires.

Britain After Brexit: Welcome to the Vulture Restaurant

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[sapanas]

Immortalized Cell Line Market Growth Prediction, Industry Trends, Opportunity Assessment, Worldwide Growth, Key Players, Analysis

Immortalized Cell Line Market Overview

Immortalized cell lines have wide application in the field of healthcare and life science. Increasing adoption of cell line system in cancer therapy, increasing research and development activities and growth in biotechnology sector drive the global immortalized cell line market. The global immortalized cell line market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.30% is anticipated to reach USD 4,105.62 million during 2017-2023.

Demand for organ transplant has been on the rise but there is a scarcity in the availability of organs. For instance, according to the American Transplant Foundation, as of 2019, nearly 114,000 people are waiting on the organ transplant list in the U.S. alone and nearly 20 people die every day due to the lack of viable organs. Researchers have therefore been working to develop artificial biological cells which would in turn drive the immortalized cell line market.

Moreover, the rising incidence of cancer and urgent need to find effective treatment for the various types of cancer, are factors that will potentially boost the immortalized cell line market. Researchers and scientists often study the cells from an extracted tumor to understand what are the conditions that are triggering the growth of cancerous cells and develop means through which it can be ascertained how much cancer is in the body and predict how the cancer will behave and in what way it will respond to treatment.

The high cost of equipment and difficulty in stable cell line development can prove to be some of the obstacles in the growth path of immortalized cell line market but increased financial support provided by government and private entities would be suffice to overcome such hurdles and lead to future industry growth.

Immortalized Cell Line Market Segmentation:

Immortalized cell line market research has been segmented according to method, application, and end user.

According to method, immortalized cell line market is classified into virus hTERT expression, induction, inactivation of tumor suppression genes, and others.

By application, immortalized cell line market, is divided into drug discovery, diagnostics, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, vaccine production, and others.

End user segmentation of immortalized cell line market includes Contract Research Organizations (CROs), pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, and research laboratories. The pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies segment amassed a revenue of approximately USD 1,323.79 million in 2017.  

Immortalized Cell Line Market Regional Analysis:

Regional segmentation of immortalized cell line market has been done on the basis of Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa.

The Americas is expected to hold a dominating position in the global immortalized cell line market owing to the presence of well-established pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry in the region as well as greater incidence of cancer, expansive research funding and increasing awareness about immortalized cell lines.

Europe immortalized cell line market size is anticipated to be second to that of the Americas during the forecast period. Robust government support, technology advancements in healthcare, and rising incidence of cancer would boost market growth in the region.    

Asia-Pacific immortalized cell line market is anticipated to record fastest-growth due to the increasing expenditure by governments on enhancement of healthcare facilities. Expanding research for betterment of healthcare offerings and expansive patient population have attracted key players to shift their focus to the region which has helped Asia Pacific to register a market share of 17.8% in 2017.

Immortalized Cell Line Market Competitive Overview:

Some of the prominent players in the immortalized cell line market include Thermo Fisher Scientific, American Type Culture Collection Inc., Valneva, Sartorius AG, Lonza Group, AG, Merck KGaA (Germany), Selexis SA, WuXi App Tec, European Collection of Authenticated Cell Cultures, and Corning Incorporated.

Immortalized Cell Line Industry News:

Immortalized cell line market will witness expansion owing to the varied application of the process in development of novel therapeutics for diseases ranging from cancer to malaria. For instance, researchers at the Imperial College London and University of Bristol have established a system that utilizes lab grown red blood cells to study the mechanism that is adopted by malaria parasites to invade red blood cells.

The work, which is aimed at facilitating understanding and disruption of the mechanism of red blood cell invasion by malaria parasites, is funded by NHS Blood and Transplant and the National Institute for Health Research.

Browse Complete Report with TOC at https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/immortalized-cell-line-market-751

Plasmodium falciparum is the malaria parasite that infects nearly 200 million people and causes half a million deaths each year around the world. For the experiment, researchers have used immortalized cell line technology to produce unlimited numbers of immature 'progenitor cells' that can be manipulated to produce new red blood cells (reticulocytes) in the lab. The researchers were able to show that cells produced in the technique could support both invasion by and intracellular development of Plasmodium falciparum.

[cutshawsnidowoa]

Why Do People Hate Cats?

The post Why Do People Hate Cats? by Steve Dale appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

Why do people hate cats? Let’s begin with just one example. In the mid-1300s, the Black Death was responsible for up to about 25 million deaths in Europe. Many people, including political and religious officials of the day, blamed cats for the plague. As a result, cats were annihilated. This turned out to be a costly mistake. Medical officials finally figured it out: The plague was transmitted to humans from Oriental rat fleas that live on black rats.

Unfortunately, that’s how it’s been for cats through the ages. As the great world philosopher, cat lover and pop-and-country music artist Taylor Swift has said, “Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play; And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.”

The players of the day finally embraced the cats, who killed the rats, and deaths as a result of the plague, of course, quickly declined.

However, the cat haters continued assailing cats. So, why do people hate cats? Let’s look at some reasons.

Why do people hate cats? We humans are technically closer to dogs.

Why do people hate cats … but love dogs? Photography © chendongshan | iStock / Getty Images Plus.

Ethologically speaking, we’re closer to dogs. We co-evolved with that more slobbery species. Cro-Magnon men and women blossomed when relatives of today’s wolves began the domestication process into dogs. Perhaps we’re still hardwired to like dogs.

While some cultures on the planet consider dogs dirty, in the United States and the Western world, most people say they like dogs, even if they don’t have one. The exceptions to that are people who are allergic or who have had bad experiences.

Why do people hate cats? They haven’t been around for too long.

Another answer to “Why do people hate cats?” is that domestic kitties as we know them haven’t been around for too long. Unlike dogs, who we domesticated, cats pretty much domesticated themselves. Of course, they lived with us on their own terms. Cats took advantage of our grains that attracted vermin dinner and thus, over time, people and cats realized the benefits.

Today’s domestic cat has experienced about 5,000 to 8,000 years of living with humans, a relative blip in evolutionary history, and far less than going back circa 40,000 years when dogs lived side-by-side with Cro-Magnon humans. If you’re over 60 years old, you remember when most cats in the United States lived both indoors and outdoors, a very different lifestyle than the vast majority of today’s cats.

Why do people hate cats? They may have had a negative experience, such as an allergic reaction.

People who dislike cats may have had a negative experience, such as having extreme cat allergies. This is when their body’s immune system reacts to the proteins in the cat’s dander, saliva or urine. Photography © Zinkevych | Getty Images.

Unlike dogs, which for some can do no wrong, cats sometimes can’t win. And most humans don’t feel ambivalent about cats; they either love them so much that they can barely only have one or they scorn them. It’s amazing how the human brain works.

People who hate mustard, for example, and really just can’t tolerate the taste also typically can’t tolerate the smell. And sometimes even a TV commercial for mustard causes an aversive response. Cats are like mustard. For example, people with extreme allergies learn to dislike them so much that even TV commercials with cats may make them uncomfortable. Their disgust is unreasonable to cat lovers but is cemented into the amygdala in their brains. And it’s real.

Why do people hate cats? There are lots of (untrue!) rumors about cats out there.

An unfortunately popular answer to “Why do people hate cats?” is misinformation. Spread rumors about dogs, and they have little traction. Unsubstantiated reports about cats are another story. And to Taylor Swift’s point, “cat haters” just gonna hate and fan the flames. With the advent of social media, it’s become an inferno but without substantiation.

Here are just two examples:

Community cats wiping out birds: Some reports from bird conservation groups have suggested outdoor cats are responsible for the destruction of 3.7 billion birds in the United States. According to data from Anne Beall’s book Community Cats: A Journey into the World of Feral Cats, 32 percent of what outdoor cats kill are birds, but most cats don’t kill birds or at least not very often. Community cats have been around for a long time, and in the United States there may actually be fewer community cats.

Scientists not involved on either side of the argument agree that habitat destruction, light and air pollution, and climate change are the biggest ones to blame — and the issue is global because many songbird species migrate.

Toxoplasmosis: Reports of schizophrenia occurring in adults, and particularly in children, as a result of cats carrying toxoplasmosis keep popping up. Sadly, some consider these reports credible despite the lack of documentation in a peer-reviewed journal. Or even careful reading. For example, one study noted children with schizophrenia are more likely to have cats. But even the study’s researchers conceded they were not in any way suggesting a link to cause/effect.

The real truth is that a specific series of events must occur in order for any person to contract toxo from a kitty. The cat must be infected in the first place, and most cats (in the United States) are not infected with the organism, especially as most U.S. cats live indoors (71 percent in 2016 according to the 2017-1018 American Pet Products Association’s Pet Owners Survey). Cats can only pass the disease seven to 14 days their entire lives (when there’s an acute infection and the organism is in what is called the oocyst stage).

If the cat is shedding the organism (one of those seven to 14 days), all you need to do is to scoop daily because it takes at least a day and typically several days for the virus to become infectious to people.

Now, if that does happen to someone who is pregnant, it’s very true that an infected unborn baby can suffer severe harm during the first trimester of pregnancy. Of course, avoiding this even remote possibility makes sense, but this is as simple as scooping promptly with gloves and hand washing, or having another household member scoop. (See the Center for Disease Control and Preventions FAQ on toxoplasmosis at cdc.gov/parasites/toxoplasmosis.)

Why do people hate cats? Because they’re a little difficult to understand.

Why do people hate cats? A part of the problem is that we understand and therefore trust dogs. Maybe we’re “born that way,” as another philosopher and music artist Lady Gaga suggests. Cats are less understood, and we don’t like all their habits — like those darn hairballs or their fondness for cozying up to the one person at the party who is most disgusted by cats. Are they really conniving? Or is it just miscommunications with humans. I suggest it’s our problem, more than the cats.

What you can do … be a cat ambassador

Be respectful. If someone doesn’t like cats, don’t force them to be around your cats. On the other hand, if you love cats and someone is negative and unkind about cats, that’s a big red flag. Never allow a cat to be abused by a hater.

Share the love. Humans fear what they don’t understand. Share funny videos, positive stories and interesting facts with non-cat people. Don’t overshare, as too much can have the opposite effect.

Don’t become a hater. Support cats and people who help cats through kind words and actions.

Thumbnail: Photography by fotostok_pdv/Thinkstock. 

About the author

Steve Dale is a certified animal behavior consultant who’s authored several books, including the e-book Good Cat, and has contributed to many, including The Cat: Clinical Medicine and Management, edited by Dr. Susan Little. He hosts two national radio shows and is heard on WGN Radio, Chicago, and seen on syndicated HouseSmartsTV.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in Catster magazine. Have you seen the new Catster print magazine in stores? Or in the waiting area of your vet’s office? Click here to subscribe to Catster and get the bimonthly magazine delivered to your home. 

Read more about cat behavior on Catster.com:

Why Do Cats Bite?

Is Your Cat Nursing on Herself, Blankets or Other Objects? Should You Worry?

What is a Cat Flehmen Response?

The post Why Do People Hate Cats? by Steve Dale appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

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[cleansweepus]

Top 13 hiking trails in NC

This weeks article is in praise of 13 amazing hiking trails in NC! This was hard to narrow down with the amount of amazing outdoor activities to do within NC, but rest assured, a trip to any of these spots will definitely melt the stress away!

1. Craggy Gardens

The Craggy Gardens Trail can be accessed from the south end of the visitor center parking area or from the north end of the picnic area. From the parking area, the trail begins as a self guided nature trail with a moderate uphill climb for .3 mile to a large trail shelter. The self-guiding portion ends at the trail shelter, and a short spur trail to the left crosses the rhododendron bald to an unobstructed view of the town of Montreat and the lofty Black Mountain Range.

The main trail descends gradually from the shelter to enter a mixed-hardwood forest and in another .5 mile reaches the picnic area. Half-way from the shelter to the Picnic area a narrow loop path to the right leads to a small gazebo nestled in the forest and overlooking the valley below. Many wildflowers embellish the Craggy Gardens Trail from spring through fall, and blueberries on the bald offer an excellent late-summer treat.

2. DuPont Waterfalls Tour

The DuPont State Recreational Forest is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains between Hendersonville and Brevard, North Carolina. Its 10,400 acres of forest feature four major waterfalls on the Little River and several on the Grassy Creek.

The original 7600 acre forest was established in 1996 through a generous bargain sale from the DuPont Corporation. In 2000, the Forest was expanded by two property additions, including the spectacular 2200 acre tract in the center of the Forest containing High Falls, Triple Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls.

3. Camp Alice Trail

This strenuous trail intersects the Old Mitchell Trail ¼ mile from the summit and descends the south side of Mount Mitchell to an area called Camp Alice, an old logging camp for the early 1900’s. The railroad serving Camp Alice was torn up in the early 1920’s and a road opened for vehicles.

Between the 20’s and 40’s tourists drove to Camp Alice and then hiked the remaining mile to Mount Mitchell’s summit. Today, nothing remains of Camp Alice and in spite of it’s name, camping is not permitted here. ALERT : Hikers should wear appropriate clothing and carry proper gear as the high altitude makes the climate of Mount Mitchell chilly, even in summer. Beware of ICE on trails.

4. Hickory Nut Gorge and Falls

The popular Hickory Nut Falls trail takes you out to a platform at the bottom of our 404-foot waterfall, the second highest of its kind east of the Mississippi River and a backdrop for several scenes in the movie The Last of the Mohicans. It’s a cool, refreshing stop and a “must see” during your visit to Chimney Rock.

This 3/4-mile trail offers a leisurely walk that’s chock-full of wonder. Hardwood forests of oak, hickory, maple, beech, poplar, locust and basswood harbor abundant plant life, which includes rare and endangered wildflowers as well as old favorites like Jack-in-the-pulpit and Solomon’s-seal.

Listen and look for the resident and migrant birds that take cover high above in the forest canopy. Up a few small hills and you’re near the grand finale: Hickory Nut Falls, all 404 feet of it! Dainty white blossoms of Lady Rue thrive in the waterfall’s mist during the spring and early summer.

Look for fronds of Deerhair Bulrush a grass-like plant with small knobs at the end of shiny, wiry leaves, growing out of the cracks along the rock and cliff wall of the Falls.

5. Craggy Pinnacle Overlook

The Blue Ridge Parkway meanders along a towering ridge crest, offering some pretty exceptional roadside views from this historic and iconic American drive. Given the Parkway’s lofty elevations, many hikes off the Parkway don’t need to trek far to score some fantastic panoramic views or explore unique, high-elevation forests.

The Pinnacle Trail at Craggy Gardens is a prime example: it’s a short trail, spanning less than a mile round trip, but the trail’s pinnacle views are simply stunning, offering sweeping summit vistas from a pair of high-elevation overlooks.

6. Linville Falls

Linville Falls is the most popular waterfall in the Blue Ridge Mountains because of its accessibility to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a spectacular three-tiered waterfall plunging into Linville Gorge, the “Grand Canyon of the Southern Appalachians.”

The Falls Trail distance is 1.6 miles round trip and easy. The Gorge Trail distance is 1.4 miles round trip and strenuous. The Plunge Basin Trail is 1 mile round trip and moderate. Pets are welcome but must be on a leash.

7. Flat Laurel Creek-Sam's Knob Trail

Flat Laurel Creek flows near Sam Knob in Haywood County, close to the Graveyard Fields, Black Balsam Knob, and Tennent Mountain areas off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are several cascades along Flat Laurel Creek. A couple of them are fairly easy to access with some rock hopping. Seeing all of them requires some extreme rock scrambling skills and is only recommended for skilled creek waders.

This is a very popular hiking and primitive camping area and the parking areas become very overcrowded during the summer months. Get here early and you shouldn't have any problem finding a parking spot. You'll need the Pisgah Forest trail map to fully explore all of the hiking possibilities in this area. Several hikes offer some of the best high elevation and view hikes in western North Carolina.

8. Pink Beds Loop

Pink Beds Loop has only minor elevation changes, so it is popular for family hikes. The trail passes through a portion of the Pink Beds Valley, named by the settlers who first cleared the area when the abundant blooms of local plants were visible from the surrounding mountainsides; now that the area has been reforested, the name is more historical than descriptive. The trail is well marked, but it is still important to follow the orange blazes.

The north side, somewhat higher and drier than the south side, follows an old road much of the way and has a series of wildlife fields at its near (western) end. These wildlife fields afford views of the nearby mountain ridges if one hikes the trail in a clockwise direction. Camping is not permitted in the wildlife fields. *The north side is closed to bikes from April 16 through October 14. At the far (eastern) end of the loop, a spur trail of 0.8 miles goes to the Wolf Ford gaging station, which is on the South Fork of the Mills River near the end of FS 476 (Wolf Ford Road). The south side of the loop, open to foot traffic only, crosses the South Fork of the Mills River several times, and all crossings have foot bridges. Low areas have bog bridges, though your feet may still get wet during rainy periods. An intersecting trail, Barnett Branch (#618), crosses this trail near its middle, and offers additional loop hike opportunities. (See map on reverse side.) Bikes are not allowed on Barnett Branch Trail

9. Whiteside Mountain

The sparkling white cliffs of Whiteside Mountain, in the  Nantahala National Forest  near Highlands, North Carolina, have long been a landmark along the eastern continental divide. The 750 feet tall cliffs are the highest shear cliffs in the eastern United States.

Geologists estimate the mountain to be more than four hundred million years old. Traces of ancient hunting camps have been found in the area. According to Cherokee legend, the monster Spearfinger made her home here, and the exposed cliffs were created when a large rock bridge to her dwelling place sheared off.

Hikers can enjoy the moderate two-mile loop trail that leads around Whiteside Mountain to its summit at 4,930 feet. The high ridgetop above the steep south-facing cliffs offers spectacular views of other mountains in the area. An old-growth forest of northern red oaks, with trunks twisted by strong winds and ice storms, is found at the summit.

10. Green Knob Trail

Green Knob/Sims Creek is another loop trail in Julian Price Memorial Park, however it is not connected to the main Boone Fork/Price Lake hike. The Green Knob Trail is a short 2.3-mi loop that can be hiked from the Sims Pond Overlook or Sims Creek Overlook.

From the Price Lake Overlook, Sims Pond Overlook is 0.8-mi north on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is suggested to begin the loop at Sims Pond and head northeast along Sims Creek. This hike is not especially scenic, the highlights are walking under Sims Creek Viaduct, and one view from a meadow of Grandfather Mountain (morning is best for this view).

11. Looking Glass Rock

The Looking Glass Rock Trail climbs about 1700ft in just over three miles.  The many switchbacks along the way help make for a long, but only moderately difficult climb.Looking Glass Rock from high above on the Blue Ridge Parkway  The views from the top are well worth the effort!  The trail is well blazed and easy to follow all the way. The trail starts off following a stream with some small cascades along the way, before beginning a series of switchbacks up the mountain.  Much of the trail takes you through tunnels of rhododendron and mountain laurel.

12. Harper Creek Falls

A wilderness experience awaits along Harper Creek. This is not your typical, easy hike to Harper Creek Falls. However, this is a relatively gentle encounter with wilderness due to its short length, moderate grade, and sparse (but useful) trail blazes.

From intimate creekside scenes, to long-distance views, to close-up encounters with two major waterfalls, excellent scenery awaits along this hike. You'll follow a major, free-flowing stream for several miles and cross it a total of 12 times, getting you wet up to your knees. Not recommended in winter or during high water.

13. Grandfather Mountain

Ascending a bout 1,775 feet over 3.1 miles, this trail begins at the Profile parking area on Highway 105 and ends at the Grandfather Trail at Calloway Gap. Beginning as a scenic, rolling pathway through seasonal wildflowers, this trail crosses the Watauga River and travels under a hardwood canopy for much of its length. Upper sections, beginning around Foscoe View, get steeper.

Shanty Spring, at 2.7 miles, marks a transition into a strenuous pathway of tumble-down rock that joins the Grandfather Trail after a climb of 0.4 miles. It makes the transition out of the hardwoods and into the Canadian fir zone of the crest area. T he upper section is steep and rocky and calls for careful footwork. The upper portion of this trail is not recommended for pets. The first mile is a Track Trail ( www.kidsinparks.gov). Use extreme caution on stream crossings - do not attempt in high water.

When you finish with your hike, what better way to cap the day then to nestle down at your house with your loved ones while grilling wonderful food on your new Big Green Egg? Learn more by visiting our Big Green Egg Page Here.

Do you know of some hiking spots that are gems that we missed? If so, feel free to post them below! We are always looking for a new adventure!

[this-could-be-anywhere-blog]

Shows for the end of July and August. If there’s something missing or details changed email me at thiscouldbeanyemail@gmail.com 

Thursday 7.20.17

The Menzingers, Captain, We’re Sinking, Reservoir Chameleon Club. Doors at 6:30 - $20/25 Facebook event

Friday 7.21.17

Break City Drowwners, Bittered, Night, Thanonaught The Depot. Doors at 8 pm - $3. 21+ Facebook event

Saturday 7.22.17 *BENEFIT FOR GOOD OLD TAILS SENIOR ANIMAL RESCUE* Bitter Taste, Chalmers, Godot, Symptoms Skid Row Garage. Doors at 7 pm - $5 Facebook event

Friday 7.28.17

Couch Jackets, Analog Watts, Dean Thomas Parliament Arts Organization. Doors at 7 pm - $8 Facebook event

Saturday 7.29.17

*BENEFIT FOR EQUALITY AND POLITICAL PRISONERS* War Orphans, Bitter Taste, Emily Del Rio, Matt Pless, Emme Tredici, The Twindows, Pleasure Kills Underground Bike Shop. Doors at 5 pm - $5 Facebook event

Sunday 7.30.17

The Ultramarines, Las Pinas, Trio Agave, Up and Up Tellus360. Doors at 7 pm - $5. 21+ Facebook event

Monday 7.31.17


Extinction A.D., Flesh Of The Lotus, Ralph Skid Row Garage. Doors at 7 pm - $7 Facebook event

Tuesday 8.1.17

Mannequin Pussy, Sleepy Limbs, Future Dinosaurs Fruition Collective. Doors at 6 pm - $10/12 Facebook event

Hemingway, Small Pollen, Spiderglass Underground Bike Shop. Doors at 7:30 - $5 Facebook event

Thursday 8.3.17

Guilt Trip, Sativa Cult, TIEM, A Day Without Love, Leg Day Lizard Lounge. Doors at 6 pm - $5 Facebook event

Friday 8.4.17

Iron Cages, Bitter Taste, The Grip!, Porklord Skid Row Garage. Doors at 7 pm - $5 Facebook event

Thantophobe, Wanderer, Night, Disappoint The Depot. Doors at 8 pm - $3. 21+ Facebook event

Saturday 8.5.17

*PAPERSKIN BENEFIT SHOW* Olde Tigers, Punktual, Human Collateral, Chumps Skid Row Garage. Doors at 7 pm - $7 Facebook event

Monday 8.7.17

Breaking Wheel, Vatican, Momentum, High Water Skid Row Garage. Doors at 7:30 - $10 Facebook event

Tuesday 8.8.17

Casual Burn, Treadles, Tomato Face The Kaleidoscope. Doors at 8 pm - $8 Facebook event

Friday 8.11.17

Mid Rats, Edgewood, Whoopi Sticks, Stupyd Cow Blue Moose Bar & Grille. Doors at 9 pm - FREE. 21+ Facebook event

The Blandinas, Deletions, Battle at Sea River City Blues Club. 9 pm - $5. 21+ Facebook event

Trench, Heartside, Seasonal, Crash the Calm The Kaleidoscope. Doors at 6:30 - $8 Facebook Event

Thursday 8.17.17

Future Dinosaurs, Leg Day, Bluffs Underground Bike Shop. Doors at 8:30pm - $5-10 donation Facebook event

Friday 8.18.17

Metalwulf, Punktual, USVSW, Human Collateral, BrucexLee David’s Outlook. Doors at 5 pm - $7 Facebook event

* FUNDRAISER FOR THE DROP J20 LEGAL FUND* Oak House, New Mutants Vol. 1 Issue 87, Easter Island, Logan Mara Bath House. 8 pm - $5. 18+ Facebook event

Sheavy, Beelzefuzz, Spillage, Witch Hazel The Depot. Doors at 7 pm - $10. 21+ Facebook event

Friday 8.25.17

Glazer, Secretary Legs, Future Dinosaurs, Small Pollen Skid Row Garage. Doors at 7:30 pm - $7 Facebook event

Narrow Grave, Ralph, Whiskey Dicks, Warhawk The Depot. Doors at 8 pm - $5. 21+ Facebook event

Flatfoot 56, Last Call Hooligans, Oldham Boys, Hold Fast HMAC. Doors at 7 pm - $15. Under 21 must be accmpanied by a guardian. Facebook event

Saturday 8.26.17

Night (record release), Outer Heaven, USVSW, Dean Thomas Skid Row Garage. Doors at 7:30 pm - $7 Facebook event

Night Birds, ExMaid, Disappoint American Bar and Grill. Doors at 8 pm - FREE. 21+ Facebook event

Percussor, Preserved Human Head, Harbinger, Fatal Agent David’s Outlook. Doors at 5 pm - $7 Facebook event

Saint Brendan and The Navigators, Please Parliament Arts Organization. Doors at 8 pm - $8 Facebook event

Monday 8.28.17

Minor Moon, Half Gringa, New Mutants Vol. 1 Issue No. 87 Little Amps. Doors at 6:30 - $5 Facebook event

EyeHateGod, Cro-Mags, Symptoms, Goat Skull Rebellion, Split Chameleon Club. Doors at 6 pm - $18-20. 18+ Facebook event

Friday 9.1.17

Avery, The Twindows Seventh Wave Studio (Palmyra). Doors at 6:30 - $10 Facebook event

Sunday 9.3.17

The Ultramarines, New Suede, Justin Angelo Band Tellus360. Doors at 7 pm - $10. 21+ Facebook event

Friday 9.8.17

Tyler Burkhart, Bad Heaven, Dean Thomas The Kaleidoscope. Doors at 8 pm - $8 Facebook event

Saturday 9.9.17

Human Collateral, Death Squad 89, Olde Tigers The Depot. Doors at 8 pm - $3. 21+ Facebook event

None Given, The Tracys, Sherwin American Bar and Grill. Doors at 9 pm - FREE. 21+ Facebook event (no event yet)

Monday 9.11.17

Dronez, Death Sex Advocates, War Orphans Skid Row Garage. Doors at 7:30 - $7 Facebook event

Friday 9.15.17

Baby Brains (EP release), Matt Kelly, High Heels Parliament Arts Organization. Doors at 8 pm - FREE (donations encouraged) Facebook event

Saturday 9.16.17

Dark Thoughts, QWAM, Whiff Skid Row Garage. Doors at 7 pm - $7 Facebook event Michale Graves, Wrath of Typhon, Metalwülf The Depot. Doors at 7 pm - $15. 21+ Facebook event

Sadistic Vision, Behead the Betrayer, Down to Ruins, Wrath of Typhon, Atomic 26 David’s Outlook. Doors at 5 pm - $10 Facebook event

Tuesday 9.19.17

Battalion of Saints, Nobodys, Cryptics, Mid Rats Skid Row Garage. Doors at 7 pm - $15 Facebook event

Dollar Signs, Future Dinosaurs Fruition Collective. Doors at 7 pm - $8 Facebook event

Porter, Wrath of Typhon, Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re, The Many Collored Death The Depot. Doors at 6 pm - $5. 21+ Facebook event

Wednesday 9.20.17

The Dead Boys, The Blandinas HMAC. Doors at 7 pm - $15. Under 21 must be accmpanied by a guardian. Facebook event

Friday 9.22.17

Paws, High Heels Lizard Lounge. Doors at 7pm - $10-12 Facebook event

Thursday 9.28.17

Dinosaur Jr., Easy Action Chameleon Club. Doors at 7 pm - $25-28. 18+ Facebook event

Friday 9.29.17

Dusty Booze and The Baby Haters, Phantom and the Killers, El Flyin and the Heathen Troubadours American Bar and Grill. Doors at 9 pm -FREE. 21+ Facebook event

Saturday 9.30.17

The Jukebox Romantics, From Parts Unknown, Flabbercasters, The Bro-Mantics Skid Row Garage. Doors at 7 pm - $8 Facebook event

*Lancaster NORML benefit show* Metalwulf, The Ultramarines, Off the Wagon, Main Street Sweep, The Hilltop Gamblers The Village (Lancaster). Doors at 7 pm - $10. 21+ Facebook event

Sunday 10.8.17

Zao, Jesse Smith & The Holy Ghost, Tonka Tuff, Flesh Of The Lotus, VoidHidden The Capitol Room (@HMAC). Doors at 6pm - $15/20. All Ages/21+ to drink Facebook event

Friday 10.13.17

The Gone, Nothingmen The Depot. Doors at 8 pm - $5. 21+ Facebook event

Saturday 10-14-17

Wrath of Typhon, Sonic Creeps, Darrow Chemical Company, Dead N’ Wasted The Depot. Doors at 8 pm - $5. 21+ Facebook event

Friday 10.20.17

Pissed Jeans, War Orphans, USVSW Chameleon Club. Doors at 7 pm - $12-15 Facebook event

Saturday 10.21.17

*3rd Annual Halloween Cover Show Skid Row Garage. Doors at 6 pm - FREE w/ costume, $10 w/o costume Facebook event

Racquet Club, Jared Hart, Young & Heartless Lizard Lounge. Doors at 7pm - $12-15 Facebook event

Red Scare Records “League of Nations Tour” American Bar and Grill. Doors at 8 pm - FREE. 21+ Facebook event

Tuesday 10.24.17

Citizen, Sorority Noise, Great Grandpa Chameleon Club. Doors at 6pm - $20/25 Facebook event

Sunday 11.12.17

This Will Destroy You, Sannhet, Bells The Capital Room (@HMAC). Doors at 6 pm - $15-18 Facebook event

Tuesday 11.21.17

Balance and Composure, The Stonewall Vessels, Young and Heartless Chameleon Club. Doors at 6:30 pm - $12-15 Facebook event