#close contender was maus

[weatheredleatherhat]

Not a request, but imagine Karl having a little petname for his S/O in german. which one would it be (besides Buttercup, of course), what would it mean and what would be the reasoning behind it? Plus, imagine Karl not wanting to tell them what it means cause he loves it when they keep guessing

Okay, so with a quick google, I think Bärchen might be the one. It means little bear, and I just... How cute is that? Fits even more when they get all grumpy over not knowing what it was. I like the thought that Karl sees his s/o in their sleepy state, hair all mussed and padding out of the bedroom on the hunt for something to drink, like a bear coming out of hibernation. He used it once, and you looked a little puzzled but there was a cute little wrinkle to your nose. Therefore, Bärchen was created and it... Just stuck.

His s/o has come up with many guesses over the time they're together. "Does it mean sweetheart?" they ask, eyes wide as they hope it's the right answer.

"Nope," he smirks, ruffling their hair. "You still buggin' me about that huh?"

"Honey," they blurt, nose wrinkled in determination.

"Close actually, but that's not it too."

They sigh dramatically as they fold their arms. "You're gonna have to tell me eventually.

"Sure thing, Bärchen."

Also, bonus points if their s/o is plus sized and/or hairy. Karl adores them just the way they are, and he would practically WORSHIP their soft thighs. His favourite things to grab onto when they're getting hot and heavy.

So yeah, got a little carried away. But I think Bärchen is the winner.

[asarunelson999]

The United Nuwabian Nation Of Moors - Why Did Judge Royal Close The Cour...

The FBI Sets Goals for COINTELPRO

Under Director J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI's COINTELPRO (Counterintelligence Program) was aimed at investigating and disrupting dissident political groups within the United States. In the 1960's, COINTELPRO's targets frequently included civil rights activists, both those who espoused non-violence, like Martin Luther King, and those that Hoover referred to as "black nationalist hate groups," like the Black Panthers. This document outlines the program's goals in attempting to limit the effectiveness of such groups. In practice, the FBI used infiltration, legal harassment, disinformation and sometimes extra-legal intimidation and violence against King, the Panthers, and other black activist groups in its attempt to discredit and disrupt them.

Goals

For maximum effectiveness of the Counterintelligence Program, and to prevent wasted effort, long-range goals are being set.

1. Prevent the COALITION of militant black nationalist groups. In unity there is strength; a truism that is no less valid for all its triteness. An effective coalition of black nationalist groups might be the first step toward a real “Mau Mau” [Black revolutionary army] in America, the beginning of a true black revolution.

2. Prevent the RISE OF A “MESSIAH” who could unify, and electrify, the militant black nationalist movement. Malcolm X might have been such a “messiah;” he is the martyr of the movement today. Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael and Elijah Muhammed all aspire to this position. Elijah Muhammed is less of a threat because of his age. King could be a very real contender for this position should he abandon his supposed “obedience” to “white, liberal doctrines” (nonviolence) and embrace black nationalism. Carmichael has the necessary charisma to be a real threat in this way.

3. Prevent VIOLENCE on the part of black nationalist groups. This is of primary importance, and is, of course, a goal of our investigative activity; it should also be a goal of the Counterintelligence Program to pinpoint potential troublemakers and neutralize them before they exercise their potential for violence.

4. Prevent militant black nationalist groups and leaders from gaining RESPECTABILITY, by discrediting them to three separate segments of the community. The goal of discrediting black nationalists must be handled tactically in three ways. You must discredit those groups and individuals to, first, the responsible Negro community. Second, they must be discredited to the white community, both the responsible community and to “liberals” who have vestiges of sympathy for militant black nationalist [sic] simply because they are Negroes. Third, these groups must be discredited in the eyes of Negro radicals, the followers of the movement. This last area requires entirely different tactics from the first two. Publicity about violent tendencies and radical statements merely enhances black nationalists to the last group; it adds “respectability” in a different way.

5. A final goal should be to prevent the long-range GROWTH of militant black organizations, especially among youth. Specific tactics to prevent these groups from converting young people must be developed.

#FreeDrYork #backtobasics #WhatIsFactology

[classyeclipseclamdonut]

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On Sightings

For those who failed to watch the 5:30 pm game yesterday, the CCS has been dealt its lone loss so far by the super strong power

packed team of F2 Logistics. Final Score above. First two sets is won by CCS but the 3rd, 4th and 5th frame, the mighty volleys and wellplaced floor defense strategy of F2 clearly spells the difference.

This is the same F2 that have won a championship after the Laoag edition in which Cherry Tiggo have beaten CCS in the similar 5setter thriller at Laoag. It was still a pandemic alert period

that has been held in between strong rains and wetted floors that needs to be mapped and wait for it to dry before any play resumes. Because time flies and still another closed door game is held in Lipa City in which CCS prevailed over the CM titans still led by Kat Tolentino and Dianne Wong. Chocomucho won over the still winless UA Army team in the first game that saw CM parading a new coach after Oliver Almagro quits his job to focus more on the Ateneo Volley Program.

The CCS parading a veteran player in Basa just can't solve the puzzling floor defense of f2 and went on to lose the next three sets. The usual ToTs Carlos, Valdez, Domingo, Galanza, de Guzman plus Basa though similarly agressive against any other team finally

succumb to the much taller f2 still with Lindsay Stalzer, providing

the damage to the hapless CCS yesterday. With the addition of Phil Am volleybelle in Iris Tolenada plus the sterling performance of Middle blocker Kim Keanna Dy, CCS scored less than what they are usually producing in their previous games, With the monstrous and powerful return spikes of Kalei Mau , the zooming spikes of Valdez, Carlos and Galanza has finally been put under control by the floor defenses of f2. Dawn Macandili still in charge of the back court and with a new coach in BenBen, f2 is seen to be climbing and clawing itself back into contention and can really be considered as one of the serious contenders to see action along with CCS and Cherry Tiggo whose only loss is from the CCS team likewise. Only the PetroGazz Angels and ChocoMucho can be seen as a strong contender to possibly make it into the semis. This early the UA army and PLDT are at the top two bottom of the team standings, Game day is tomorrow Thursday at the Big Dome.

Yesterday also saw the Big Dome filled up to the capacity crowd close to 15,000 in attendance. The atmosphere feels like the shape of things to come in the semis where CCS and CT has allready gained their place.

[layercrayon45]

Manchester Hotels - Cheap Hotels In Manchester

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Rose Subdivision Hoa Hong sub-area is located near South Ma River Boulevard, is the only community with 5 types of buildings: single villas, duplex villas, garden houses, townhouses and townhouses. The Rose subdivision was built according to French architecture, with a typical double roof system and solid cubes, in sharp contrast to the slender arched doorways. Nguyet Que sub-area Nguyet Que sub-area is located next to the new administrative area of ??Thanh Hoa city with two contrasting colors: one is the vibrant space of the busy European Boulevard, the other is the peaceful scene of the orchard. Lake. .. Nguyet Que district was built according to Greek architecture, with a triangular gable roof system, border columns and diamond decorative patterns. Phong Lan sub-area Phong Lan sub-area is located in the center of Vinhomes Thanh Hoa urban area, surrounded by four sub-areas of Rose, Nguyet Que, Huong Duong and Peony. Orchid area adopts Italian Mediterranean architecture, with slightly inclined eaves, rolling arch windows, curved iron railings and balcony railings harmoniously combined with slender columns... Sunflower sub-area Huong Duong sub-area is located along the Ben Thuy canal and Hung Vuong avenue and is likened to the "peaceful land of Vinhomes Riverside" in Thanh Hoa City. The Sunflower partition is built in an Italian-Mediterranean building, similar to the Orchid partition: free, free, but no less polite and elegant... Sub-division of Forms The peony complex is located in the heart of Vinhomes Star City, which is the most luxurious and expensive villa area in Thanh Hoa City, exclusively for the elite of Thanh Hoa City. The peony complex is built in the style of Monaco, the typical dome system and splendid and delicate decorative patterns are expected to bring the peak life and show the uniqueness of the country. homeowners. 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[gtop20]

TOP 20 COUNTDOWN January 12th, 2018 20) Bebe Rexha - Knees [Debut] 19) Empress Of - When I'm With Him (-2) 18) Sam Smith & Normani - Dancing With A Stranger [Debut] 17) Leslie Grace, Becky G. & CNCO - Díganle (-3) 16) Sebastian Yatra & Mau y Ricky - Ya No Tiene Novio (+4) 15) Lauren Jauregui - Expectations (-2) 14) Bazzi f/ Camila Cabello - Beautiful (+2) 13) Clean Bandit f/ Rita Ora & KYLE - Going Nowhere (+5) 12) Natti Natasha - Me Gusta (+3) 11) Camila Cabello - Consequences (+1) 10) Dinah Jane f/ Ty Dolla $ign & Mark E. Bassy - Bottled Up (=) 9) Christina Aguilera f/ GoldLink - Like I Do (+2) 8) Nicki Minaj f/ Lil Wayne - Good Form (+1) 7) Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes (=) 6) Halsey f/ Juice WRLD - Without Me (=) 5) Manuel Turizo - Ser Un Cantante (=) 4) Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper - Shallow (-2) 3) Ariana Grande - thank u, next (=) 2) DJ Snake f/ Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B - Taki Taki (+2) 1) H.E.R. - CARRIED AWAY (=)

Contenders: Kehlani f/ Ty Dolla $ign - Nights Like This Lauren Jauregui - More Than That Ellie Goulding, Diplo & Swae Lee - Close To You ​

[blackkudos]

Ezzard Charles

Ezzard Mack Charles (July 7, 1921 – May 28, 1975) was an American professional boxer and former World Heavyweight Champion.

Charles defeated numerous Hall of Fame fighters in three different weight classes. He retired with a record of 93 wins, 25 losses and 1 draw.

Career

He was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia, but is commonly thought of as a Cincinnatian. Charles graduated from Woodward High School in Cincinnati where he was already becoming a well-known fighter. Known as "The Cincinnati Cobra", Charles fought many notable opponents in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, eventually winning the World Championship in the latter. Although he never won the Light Heavyweight title, The Ring has rated him as the greatest light heavyweight of all time.

Career beginnings and military service

Charles started his career as a featherweight in the amateurs, where he had a record of 42–0. In 1938, he won the Diamond Belt Middleweight Championship. He followed this up in 1939 by winning the Chicago Golden Gloves tournament of champions. He won the national AAU Middleweight Championship in 1939. He turned pro in 1940, knocking out Melody Johnson in the 4th round. Charles won all of his first 15 fights before being defeated by veteran Ken Overlin. Victories over future Hall of Famers Teddy Yarosz and the much avoided Charley Burley had started to solidify Charles as a top contender in the middleweight division. However, he served in the U.S. military during World War II and was unable to fight professionally in 1945.

World heavyweight champion

He returned to boxing after the war as a light heavyweight, picking up many notable wins over leading light heavyweights, as well as heavyweight contenders Archie Moore, Jimmy Bivins, Lloyd Marshall and Elmer Ray. Shortly after his knock-out of Moore in their third and final meeting, tragedy struck. Charles fought a young contender named Sam Baroudi, knocking him out in Round 10. Baroudi died of the injuries he sustained in this bout. Charles was so devastated he almost gave up fighting. Charles was unable to secure a title shot at light heavyweight and moved up to heavyweight. After knocking out Joe Baksi and Johnny Haynes, Charles won the vacant National Boxing Association Heavyweight title when he outpointed Jersey Joe Walcott over 15 rounds on June 22, 1949. The following year, he outpointed his idol and former World Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis to become the recognized Lineal Champion. Successful defenses against Walcott, Lee Oma and Joey Maxim would follow.

Charles vs. Marciano

In 1951, Charles fought Walcott a third time and lost the title by knockout in the seventh round. Charles lost a controversial decision in their fourth and final bout. If Charles had won this fight, he would have become the first man in history to regain the heavyweight championship. Remaining a top contender with wins over Rex Layne, Tommy Harrison and Coley Wallace, Charles knocked out Bob Satterfield in an eliminator bout for the right to challenge Heavyweight Champion Rocky Marciano. His two stirring battles with Marciano are regarded as ring classics. In the first bout, held in June 1954, he valiantly took Marciano the distance, going down on points in a vintage heavyweight bout. Charles is the only man ever to last the full 15-round distance against Marciano. A number of fans and boxing writers felt that Charles deserved the decision. In their September rematch, Charles landed a severe blow that literally split Marciano's nose in half. Marciano's cornermen were unable to stop the bleeding and the referee almost halted the contest until Marciano rallied with an 8th-round knockout.

Later career

Financial problems forced Charles to continue fighting, losing 13 of his final 23 fights (He held a record of 83 wins, 12 losses and 1 draws before financial problems became a factor in his career). He retired with a record of 93-25-1 (52 KOs).

Charles was also a respected double bass player who played with some of the jazz greats in the 1940s and 1950s at such notable places as Birdland (jazz composer George Russell wrote the famous tune "Ezz-Thetic" in his honor). He was very close with Rocky Marciano and a neighbor and friend of Muhammad Ali when they both lived on 85th Street in Chicago. Charles also starred in one motion picture: Mau Mau Drums, an independent (and unreleased) jungle-adventure film shot in and around Cincinnati in 1960 by filmmaker Earl Schwieterman.

Death

In 1968, Charles was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The disease affected Charles' legs and eventually left him completely disabled. A fund raiser was held to assist Charles and many of his former opponents spoke on his behalf. Rocky Marciano in particular called Charles the bravest man he ever fought. The former boxer spent his last days in a nursing home. A chilling 1973 commercial showed Charles in his wheelchair horribly disabled by the disease. Charles died on May 28, 1975, in Chicago.

Legacy

In 1976, Cincinnati honored Charles by changing the name of Lincoln Park Drive to Ezzard Charles Drive. This was the street of his residence during the height of his career.

He was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

In 2002, Charles was ranked #13 on The Ring magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years.

In 2006, Ezzard Charles was named the 11th greatest fighter of all time by the IBRO (International Boxing Research Organisation).

The "Cincinnati Cobra" was a master boxer of extraordinary skill and ability. He had speed, agility, fast hands and excellent footwork. Charles possessed a masterful jab and was a superb combination puncher. He was at his peak as a light-heavyweight. His record is quite impressive. Against top rate opposition like Archie Moore, Charley Burley, Lloyd Marshall, Jimmy Bivins, and Joey Maxim he was an impressive 16-2 combined. Despite being a natural light-heavy he won the heavyweight title and made 9 successful title defenses. Nearly 25% of voters had Charles in the top 10. Half of the voters had him in the top 15. Two thirds of voters had him inside the top 20.

In 2007, ESPN online ranks Ezzard Charles as the 27th greatest boxer of all time, ahead of such notable fighters as Mike Tyson, Larry Holmes and Jake LaMotta.

In 2009, Boxing magazine listed Ezzard Charles as the greatest Light Heavyweight fighter ever, ahead of the likes of Archie Moore, Bob Foster, Michael Spinks and Gene Tunney.

Prominent boxing historian Bert Sugar listed Charles as the 7th greatest Heavyweight of all time.

Wikipedia

[topmixtrends]

CRITICAL CONSENSUS HOLDS that Wes Anderson movies are about loss. For some artists, aestheticism acts as a kind of spider’s silk: a complexly structured beauty proves best for binding and healing whatever wound. As with a play by the unloved Wilde or a mazurka by the exiled Chopin, the sheer symmetrical precision of an Anderson film knits up and covers over trauma the way that Richie Tenenbaum’s bandages knit up his slashed wrists.

But Isle of Dogs, the director’s most recent stop-motion effort, is not a movie about loss. It’s not even about losing, nor about the ethical and aesthetic miracle of sustaining a marvelously well-ordered fantasy in the face of devastation — you know, that whole Anderson thing.

By contrast, Isle of Dogs is a movie about finding: finding a dog, finding your friends and family, finding your purpose and your identity. So it is slightly difficult to integrate it into the Anderson oeuvre: its primary affect is not sorrow or melancholy but anger, its aesthetic a kind of closely controlled, roiling ickiness: packs of grimy dogs explode into fights, samurai heads fall off, planes burst into immaculate balls of cotton-fluff smoke, sushi fish are hacked up squirmingly alive. At every point in the film (and the film is surprisingly unpleasant to watch for precisely this reason), Anderson seems to ask what forms, what styles, are commensurate to rage — and not just to rage but to a double-pronged, rage-driven teen quest to defeat the patent unfairness of the world.

A first answer would appear to be taiko drumming: in a well of light, surrounded by darkness, three well-fleshed, bare-chested adolescents hammer out a theme by Oscar-winner Alexandre Desplat. We are then drawn into an epic expository sequence about a centuries-old conflict between the dogs of Japan and the cat-loving Kobayashi dynasty, which still controls the fictional Uni Prefecture, which in turns contains the fictional city of Megasaki. Cut to the issuing of a municipal decree by the mayor of Megasaki, who is also the current head of the Kobayashi dynasty, 20 years in the future, as measured from our heterodiegetic present: infected with something called “Dog Flu,” all of the city’s dogs are to be quarantined on Trash Island, now known as the Isle of Dogs. The mayor’s ward, Atari Kobayashi (Koyu Rankin), aged 12 — granted, not quite a teen, but pissed as hell, a classic Anderson pubescent — watches from the shadows as his beloved guard dog, Spots (Liev Schreiber), is sent off in a crate as proof that his guardian means business.

Revealed mostly in flashbacks, Spots’s fate furnishes one of the film’s intricate, Andersonian subplots; just as crammed with reversals, the A story details Atari’s quest to find Spots on Trash Island. He’s helped by a pack of alpha dogs voiced by regular Anderson collaborators: former house pets Rex (Edward Norton), King (Bob Balaban), Boss (Bill Murray), and Duke (Jeff Goldblum), plus Chief (Bryan Cranston), a former stray. If this sounds cute, well, it isn’t. The film’s violence is remarkably violent. Chief’s a scrapper: in his first scene he chews off another dog’s ear. It sits like a hot-sauced chicharron in the center of the screen, vaguely horrid and blood-spotted, until it’s dragged away by a rat. As they journey, the dogs pass through a series of gorgeously bleak landscapes, arguing among themselves all the while. The group’s conflicts usually center on Rex, head of the pets — who wants to help Atari — and Chief, sole gutter spawn, who’s keeping an open mind on the question of whether the dogs should just eat him. Cranston-as-Chief sometimes sounds so threateningly grumpy his performance sometimes loses its comic touch.

The B plot follows Tracy Walker (Greta Gerwig), a foreign exchange student from Ohio and the second prong of Anderson’s preteen anger force. Tracy is a cub reporter on the Megasaki Senior High newspaper; she is also very noticeably pissed. She declares she’s angry at several points. She hates the mayor, hates that he’s corrupt, hates that no one in Megasaki can see how corrupt and unfair the treatment of its dog population might be. She chews her gum so hard you can hear it — that’s how pissed she is. As she discovers that a massive conspiracy lies behind the dogs’ expulsion, she only gets madder. On the hunt for a serum to cure the dogs of Trash Island, she bursts into a bar and screams down a bereaved scientist voiced by Yoko Ono. The scene is almost unwatchably unpleasant: anger is, based on the scantiness of its representation, more unsettling than fear or grief. On the other hand, there’s a certain bravery in showing us a character’s outrage, even at the cost of showing — or trying to show us — things atrocious enough to outrage both the character and the audience.

Unlike cats, who conspire with the corrupt Kobayashis, the dogs of Megasaki are fundamentally innocent — and so, of course, people would send them to hell, misdirection of our own pain or culpability onto the nearest possible Other being the single great talent of humankind. Thus scapegoated, the dogs form their own raggedy community. And again, an ugliness, an ickiness, holds the day despite the ingenuity, the sheer (and familiar) beauty of certain of Anderson’s shots. The emaciated, dirty, insomniac creatures we see in an early montage flirt with the Burton-esque. The atrocities perpetrated on another subcommunity of Trash Island dogs — the survivors of a medical facility where they were experimented on — leaves many of them with glass eyes, tubes sticking out of their necks, or, in the case of the old, much-bereaved dog Gondo (Harvey Keitel), a face that’s half-bald and decorated with medical tattoos. (Keitel’s monologue about the loss of his own fellow canine best friend — riven by instinctive howling — is the film’s best performance.)

Anderson has never shied from medical horror, torture, arterial blood, knives, arrows, severed heads, severed fingers, small arms, pepper spray, flamethrowers, sabers, shoves out of windows and down stairs, punches to the nose, and bigtime scuffles of the squad-of-baddies-on-squad-of-hapless-heroes or bro-on-bro or even the kid-on-kid kind. In Moonrise Kingdom, Social Services threatens 12-year-old Sam Shakusky with electric shock for refusing to betray his true love, Suzy Bishop; Anderson’s previous stop-motion film, Fantastic Mr. Fox, also sports with amputations and gory gallows humor. But Isle throbs with a much darker and more disturbing intensity than any of Anderson’s other films. It flirts with the thin representational line between slapstick and cruelty. In two different instances, we are left to think that our favorite characters — sweet innocent dogs — have either starved to death or been incinerated. Audible gasps of adult discomfort accompanied both scenes both times I saw the film. Not for nothing is its PG-13 rating for “violent images.”

But that makes the film a challenge — its nearest animal-tale analogue, so far as I can tell, is Art Spiegelman’s Maus. At the very least, it helps furnish some internal answer as to what to do about movies that, like this one, seem to make people very mad.

¤

Upon the film’s release, some heralded Isle of Dogs as prescient; they celebrated it, for example, for its celebration of student protest. But the idealism of the pro-dog movement as headed by the gum-snapping, conspiracy-busting Tracy doesn’t much resemble anything that young people might find to protest. In a certain sense — although no one in the film can know this, since the humans and the dogs in Megasaki don’t speak the same language — Chief and co. are quirky but loyal old-fashioned, white-sounding dudes who want nothing more than to find masters. Counterpoised against this wholesome if utterly outdated modus vivendi is a vision of fascist evil decidedly incomplete — a vision of camps and complete dog extermination that conjures up the Holocaust but that leaves aside other ways that fascism has expressed itself in any moment closer to Tracy’s and Atari’s or our own.

Whether it is appropriate to aestheticize the Holocaust is one question (shades of Maus again — but the film has none of the comic book’s claim to history); strong views on both sides would make for a real conversation. But the film has attracted even stronger takes. Though the critical dust has mostly settled, the film’s reception was hampered by charges of cultural appropriation: Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times wrote a scathing review of what he saw as Anderson’s failures. But as a recent piece at The New Yorker rightly points out, Anderson did not invent the commodification or appropriation of Japanese culture, and Japonism was often aided and abetted by the Japanese. Indeed, the mayor of Megasaki is a thundering Asian dictator — very close to racist stereotype — but then again, he looks not a little like the thundering dictator-to-be who runs our country. And if Anderson’s fictional Megasaki is no more than a Japanese-ish place outside of history, that’s for better and for worse, too. We learn that Trash Island was repeatedly destroyed by the natural disasters to which the Japanese archipelago is in fact susceptible — volcanoes, tidal waves — but the film’s Japan does not seem to have known the unnatural disaster that killed twice as many people as the nearest natural contender. There is something moderately disturbing about a Japan that has never known the American atomic bomb — and then again, there’s something beautiful about it, too.

To me, there is nothing (or maybe only one thing) about Isle of Dogs that seems finally vehemently unjust. In many of its aspects — perhaps especially in its complex idealization of a universal emotion — the film is a reminder that our representations can adopt a playful, inter-cultural permeability. One hopes that at the same time, though, we are still pursuing, honing, and revising a better understanding of what kinds of representations by what kinds of people are just. This knowledge — which is made and assembled and broken down and reassembled collectively, like all other forms of knowledge — involves an awareness not only of race or ethnicity or nationality but of the intersections of those constructs with gender and class and then, too, with history and with the way that historiography is shaped by power relations. And at the same time, a person has to grapple with the idea that elite internationalist culture of the kind Anderson now incarnates exploits anyone who has no access to the free movement of capital between countries.

Which is to say that that process is long and complex as hell. No one artist can be expected to manage all of these relations; no one artist ever has. Ideally, too, no critic should fly off the handle without understanding what the purpose of their flying off the handle might be.

So here I go flying right off the handle. Watch me.

Wes Anderson might or might not want to know that his film’s vision of gender struck me as frankly awful. We have Tracy and Yoko in Isle of Dogs’s human population, but there are only three “bitches” in the film. And yes, “bitch” is the word the dogs use. It’s a joke that never lands anything but awkwardly, the kind of obsolete and embarrassing joke my dad would make to utter silence at the dinner table. One, the pug, Oracle (Tilda Swinton), is sexless; the other two, Nutmeg (Scarlett Johansson) and Peppermint (Kara Hayward), function purely as love interests for alphas — or rather, and more grimly, as prospective mates. Nutmeg’s character arc consists solely of reversing her original objection that no one should bring puppies into the world of Trash Island and becoming a mother. (The change? The dogs escape from Trash Island.)

Nutmeg is a fancy show dog, and she sometimes does amazing tricks for Chief — balancing on her front paws while juggling invisible bowling balls or bowling pins — but this finally incomplete attempt to make her seem interesting only makes it too easy to imagine that with slightest story tweaks she could, er, actually do something. As it is, she exists solely to suggest to Chief that he should help Atari find Spots — that is, to use her sexual magnetism to help an emotionally stunted alpha male remember what’s important about life. And yes, Chief does eventually find a job and become a family man, a bizarrely schlocky outcome for any Anderson protagonist. Worst is that the proposition and subsequent worship of these sorts of faux-interesting female characters is an easily solvable problem, one that could have been fixed in any number of ways without altering the film’s vision.

Unless that vision is finally and most importantly the sad, worn-out vision of indomitable American masculinity. Chief can’t make a good house pet because, as he reminds us frequently, he bites. And why does he bite? He doesn’t know. He’s aggressive, he’s never known love — and even when he does, at film’s end, become a “good boy” and agree to serve as Atari’s new guard dog, he still struggles not to bite the shit out of visiting dignitaries. His ultimate virility is verified at the end of the film by Nutmeg, who assures him that she isn’t attracted to tame animals. Fine: Wildness is a virtue. But the film’s characterological structure suggests that Nutmeg only understands Chief because she is the tamest possible animal (that is, a show dog). The story of Chief and Nutmeg feels like a warmed-over Lady and the Tramp — when so much more might have been possible in terms of either character and in terms of their relationship.

Then again, their love could be read as an incarnation of the two central columns of Andersonian filmmaking and of Isle of Dogs itself: the unpredictable and chaotic in Chief, his rage and sorrow, is elaborated out into the exquisite comical expertise of Nutmeg’s tricks. And that is neither objectionable nor regrettable but rather the mark of a mature film, one that figures its own making inside itself.

The point, I think, is that any film is only ever the film that it is. But it also lives differently in each historical moment and persists or dies differently in the way that, not just each culture, but each one of us remembers or forgets it — how much we choose to argue and about what. For now, Isle of Dogs is, for me, memorable as one of the few testaments to how important it is to be pissed, how it is surprisingly possible to make and explore within a state of outrage, of conviction usually considered too much, too large, and too loud for complex and careful thought, much less for beautiful form.

¤

Marc Dragon lives and works in Los Angeles.

The post The Madness to Wes Anderson’s Method appeared first on Los Angeles Review of Books.

from Los Angeles Review of Books https://ift.tt/2KJd61j

[didanawisgi]

Horus, the God of Kings

by Jimmy Dunn

From the very earliest of times, the falcon seems to have been worshipped in Egypt as representative of the greatest cosmic powers. Many falcon gods existed throughout Egypt, though over time, a good number of these assimilated to Horus, the most important of the avian deities. Yet, from all his of many forms, it is nearly impossible to distinguish the "true" Horus. Horus is mostly a general term for a great number of falcon deities.

Horus is one of ancient Egypt's best known gods, as well as one of its oldest. His name is attested to from at least the beginning of theDynastic Period, and depictions of falcon deities on earlier artifacts, such as the Narmer Palette, probably represent this same god. The Turin Canon, which provides some of our most important information on Egypt's early history, specifically describes the Predynastic rulers of Egypt as "Followers of Horus".

The use of his name was also widespread in personal names throughout Egyptian history, and Hor, as a personal name, survives into our modern era in a number of different forms.

Forms of Horus

Horus is a complicated deity, appearing in many different forms and his mythology is one of the most extensive of all Egyptian deities. Indeed, he has so many different aspects that we must limit our discussion to those that are significant. At the same time, a judicious examination of the various Horuses and the sources relating to them supports the possibility that the roles in question are closely interrelated, and so they may be understood as different aspects of the same divine persona.

The original form of Horus was probably that of a sky god, known as "lord of the sky". The Egyptian word " her" (hor, har), from which the god's name is derived means "the one on high", or "the distant one", probably in reference to the soaring flight of the hunting falcon, if not a reference to the solar aspect of the god. Mythologically, the god was imagined as a celestial falcon, whose right eye was the sun and left eye the moon. The speckled feathers of his breast were probably considered to be the stars, while his wings were the sky that created the wind. In this form, Horus was apparently worshipped at some of Egypt's earliest shrines such as at Nekhen (Heirakonpolis), where he was assimilated with a number of other local falcon gods. In this capacity, Horus was the patron of the Nekhen monarchy that grew into the historical pharaonic state and hence, the first known national god.

A natural outgrowth of his role as "lord of the sky" was his aspect as a sun god. An ivory comb of the 1st Dynasty king Den depicts a falcon in a boat riding on outstretched wings, suggesting the falcon traversing the sky as the sun god. The early Pyramid Texts specifically refer to him in solar terms as "god of the east", and he appears in at least three forms in this guise.

As Horakhty (Harakhty), or "Horus of the two horizons", Horus was the god of the rising and setting sun, but more particularly the god of the east and the sunrise. In the Pyramid Texts, the deceased king is said to be reborn in the eastern sky as Horakhty. Eventually, Horakhty became a part of the Heliopolis sun cult and was fused with its solar god as Re-Horakhty. As Behdety, or "he of [the] behdet", Horus was the hawk-winged sun disk which seems to incorporate the idea of the passage of the sun through the sky. As Hor-em-akhet (Harmachis) or "Horus in the horizon", Horus was visualized as a sun god in falcon or leonine form.

Horus was also seen and worshipped as the male child of Osiris and Isis (Har-pa-khered, literally "Horus the Child", from which the Greeks created the name of Harpokrates), though either this god was originally a separate deity with whom the ancient falcon god was fused, or the falcon deity was incorporated into the Osirian family in very different form, because here he is depicted as a divine human infant. Another reference to him as a child of Isis is as Harsiese who, in the Pyramid Texts, performs the vital "Opening of the Mouth" ceremony on the dead king.

Horus was also directly linked with the kingship of Egypt in both his falcon aspect and as son of Isis. Both his sponsorship of the monarchy and, probably, his identification with the king were shown on early decorated monuments from Nekhen.

From the earliest Dynastic Period, the king's name was written in the rectangular device known as the serekh, which depicted a falcon perched on a stylized palace facade and which seems to indicate the king as mediator between the heavenly and earthly realms, if not the god manifest within the palace as the king himself. This was the "Horus name" of the king, who took other names in time, including a "Golden Horus" name in which a divine falcon is depicted upon the hieroglyphic sign for gold.

Many other forms of Horus also appear in one way or another. Horus the successor was also referred to as Iunmutef (Pillar of His Mother), which was used as a funerary priestly title. By the New Kingdom, the Great Sphinx of Giza, originally a representation of the4th Dynasty King Khafre (or possibly Khufu), was interpreted by the Egyptians as an image of Hor-em-akhet (Harmakhis), or "Horus in the Horizon". In the person of the Sphinx and elsewhere, Horus was also identified in the New Kingdom with the Syrian Canaanite deity, Hauron, which some regard as contributing to the choice of the Arabic name for the Sphinx, "Father of Terror".

Another of Horus is the Egyptian "Har-nedj-itef, or "Horus the savior of his father" (Greek Harendotes), which refers to the vindication of Horus' claim to succeed Osiris, rescuing his father's former earthly domain from the usurper Seth.

The Eye of Horus must also be mentioned. The injury inflicted by Seth on the eye of Horus is alluded to in the Pyramid Texts, where royal saliva is prescribed for its cure. The restored eye of Horus became the symbol for the state of soundness or perfection, known as the Udjat Eye. Used as an amulet, it became the symbol for protection and painted on the sides of rectangular coffins.

Furthermore, Horus was combined, synchronized and closely associated with deities other than the sun god Re, such as Min, Sopdu,Khonsu and Montu.

Mythology

The textual and mythological material related to Horus are very rich, comprising hymns, mortuary tests, ritual texts, dramatic/theological texts, stories and even the Old Coptic and Greek magical papyri.

Interestingly, the most complete ancient exposition of the Osiris narrative is Plutarch's De Iside et Osiride, in a Latin translation from the original Greek. Other accounts include the Memphite Theology or Shabaka Stone, the Mystery Play of the Succession, Coffin Texts Spell 148, the Great Osiris Hymn in the Louvre, the Late Egyptian Contendings of Horus and Seth, the Metternich Stela and other cippus texts, and the Ptolemaic Myth of Horus at Edfu, also known as the Triumph of Horus.

These texts take the reader, with variations and a number of contrasting perspectives, from the god's conception and birth, through his childhood hidden in the marshes (as Har-hery-wadj, or "Horus who is upon his papyrus plants"), his protection by Isis, his conflict with Seth and his followers, and his succession as legitimate king.

With the rise of the complete Horus-Osiris-Isis mythological complex, visible in the Pyramid Texts during the late Old Kingdom, the living king was identified as an earthly Horus and the dead king (his father or predecessor) as Osiris. As the son of Isis and Osiris, Horus was also the mythical heir to the kingship of Egypt, and many stories surrounding this struggle to gain and hold the kingship from the usurper Seth detail this aspect of the god's role. Harwer (Haroeris), or "Horus the Elder" was the mature god represented in these stories who battles Seth for 80 years until the tribunal of gods finally awards him his rightful place on the throne of all Egypt. Finally, as Har-Mau or Harsomptus (Horus the Uniter), Horus fulfills this role of uniting and ruling over Egypt, though he is sometimes identified as the son of Horus the Elder and Hathor in this role, for example, at Edfu and Kom Ombo, and called by the name Panebtawy "Lord of the Two Lands".

However, there was a vital relationship between Seth and Horus. Seth was the embodiment of disorder, and was predominantly seen as a rival of Horus. However, Seth was also portrayed in a balanced, complementary role to Horus, so that the pair represented a bipolar, balanced embodiment of kingship. Therefore, on the side of the throne, Horus and Seth, symmetrical and equal, tie the papyrus and lotus around the sema-sign.

Since about the turn of the twentieth century, Egyptologists have debated the issue of whether the struggle between Horus and Sethwas primarily a historical event, or purely symbolic. This issue is complicated by the geographical polarities of the two gods' cult centers. While Horus was venerated throughout Egypt, his primary cult centers were in the south, while Seth's cult centers tended to be in the north, and perhaps particularly in the Delta. According to the Turin Canon, the late predynastic rulers of Egypt were "followers of Horus". By the time of the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, the ruler was Horus. On the palette in the Cairo museum that shows King Narmer, considered a candidate for the first ruler of a unified Egypt, Horus is shown holding a rope that passes through the nose of the defeated northern rival. Hence, some Egyptologists believe that the source of the mythological conflict between Horus and Seth may have been the predynastic struggle to unite Upper and Lower Egypt.

In fact, during the 2nd Dynasty, there seems to have once again been a Horus and Seth conflict, which was eventually resolved under King Khasekhemwy. While the nature of this conflict is not clear, it is reflected in the use of a Seth-name instead of the usual Horus-name by King Peribsen (Seth-Peribsen). There are indications of warfare during this period, culminating perhaps by Khasekhemwy, who combined Horus and Seth above the serekh containing his name.

Genealogy

The most common genealogy of Horus is as the son of Osiris and Isis, as the tenth member of the family tree of the Heliopolitan Ennead. However, one must remember that this god's worship spanned some three thousand years, during which time he was venerated throughout Egypt, as well as outside of Egypt. Therefore, the full picture of his genealogy is more complex. Hathor, herself sometimes identified with Isis, also appears as the mother of Horus.

Haroeris, or Horus the Elder, can appear in the Heliopolitan family tree as the brother of Osiris and the son of Geb and Nut. Osiris can also be equated with Haroeris, who in that scenario is the murdered victim of Seth. At Edfu, Horus appears as the consort of Hathor and the father of another form of himself, Harsomtus, or "Horus Uniter of the Two Lands". Horus and Seth are sometimes described as nephew and uncle, but at other times as brothers.

At Nag'el Madamud, just north of Luxor, a temple was built in honor of the god Montu, his consort Raettawy, and their son Harpokrates, the child deity more often associated with Isis.

Iconography

The roles, local cult foundations and titles or epithets of Horus are sometimes correlated with distinct or preferred forms in iconography.

The form of Horus that we are perhaps most familiar with is as a full falcon, probably the lanner (Falco biarmicus) or peregrine (Falco peregrinus). This is the original avian form of Horus, typically shown in two dimensions as a profile except for the tail feathers which were turned towards the viewer according to the canons of Egyptian composite perspective. Early examples sometimes show the falcon leaning forward in a later position but the upright stance became standard in later times. Sometimes the falcon is shown in direct association with the Seth animal or one of his symbols, particularly in the Late period, as in the nome sign of the 16th Upper Egyptian nome where the falcon is depicted with its talons sunk into the back of an Oryx. Though Seth may have typically taken the form of a canine, the Oryx was an ancient symbol of that god.

As the hawk-winged Behdety, Horus became one of the most widespread images in Egyptian art, an image perhaps foreshadowed in the time of Den, and which became virtually ubiquitous as a motif used in the decoration of temple walls and stelae throughout Egypt. In this guise, he had the epithets "Great God, Lord of heaven, Dappled of Plumage".

As Horakhty, he may appear as a falcon or sometimes even as a falcon-headed crocodile. Most often, Re-Horakhty has a sun disk on his head.

In the fully anthropomorphic form Horus appears as an adult god or more usually as a child, wearing the sidelock of youth, who is the son of Isis. Horus as a boy also appears dominating crocodiles, serpents and other noxious animals on cippi. Sometimes on cippi, the head of the child was often surmounted by a Bes-head, or perhaps a Bes mask.

Yet, it is in the combined zoo-anthropomorphic form of a falcon-headed man that the god most frequently appears, often wearing the Double Crown signifying his kingship over all Egypt.

In various forms, Horus often wore the Double Crown, as befitting his status as king of Egypt, the Atef, the triple atef and a disk with two plumes was also used.

One of the most famous kingship imagery related to Horus is found in the statue of Khafre, seated with the Horus falcon at the back of his head with the wings of the bird protectively wrapped around the king's neck.

Cult Worship

Frequently, we can identify a specific, strong cult center for an ancient Egyptian god, but because Horus was worshipped in many forms, and because he assimilated many other gods, it is difficult to summarize the sites associated with his worship. Clearly, he was associated with the area of Nekhen in southern Egypt (Greek Hierakonpolis or "City of the Hawk") from very early times. he was probably the falcon deity worshipped there since pre-dynastic times.

However, Horus was worshipped along with other deities at countless Egyptian temples and the important sites of his worship are known from one end of Egypt to the other, dating to the earliest of times to the latest periods of pre-Christian Egypt. In fact, he continued to be venerated in some Old Coptic (Christian), ritual-power or magical texts. In northern Egypt, the Horus god was particularly venerated in the Delta at the ancient site of Khem (Greek Letopolis, modern Ausim) since at least the beginning of the Old Kingdom. There, he was known as Horus Khenty-irty, or Khenty-khem, "Foremost One of Khem". Chapter 112 of the Book of the Dead tells how the Delta city of Pe (historical Buto) was given to Horus as compensation for his eye which was injured by Seth, which explains why this was such an important cult center for the god. Behdet also became a center of Horus worship in the Delta.

In the south, Horus enjoyed the attention, together with his consort Hathor, and their son Harsomptus, in the important Ptolemaic temples at Edfu and also at Kom Ombo. At Edfu, the god's many ceremonies included the annual Coronation of the Sacred Falcon at the beginning of the 5th month of the Egyptian year in which an actual falcon was selected to represent the god as king of all Egypt, thus uniting the ancient falcon god with his form as Horus son of Osiris and with the king.

Even outside of ancient Egypt proper, south in Nubia, we find temples dedicated to various forms of Horus at Quban (Horus of Baki), Buhen and Aniba (Horus of Miam), as well as the inclusion of the god in many other monuments such as Abu Simbel and elsewhere.

As the object of popular veneration throughout Egypt, Horus was often represented by amulets depicting him either in the form of a falcon or as a falcon-headed man, in both cases often wearing the Double Crown of Egypt. His widespread worship is also seen in the many healing plaques, or cippi, which aimed to utilize his power. The cippi of Horus were a common manifestation of the importance of Horus in healing rituals and popular ritual practice.

The Survival of Horus

It should be mentioned that some Egyptologists see, in the iconography of Christian art, a precursor in Horus. For example, Isis and the baby Horus are sometimes seen as the model for Mary and the infant Jesus, while Horus dominating the beats may have a counterpart in Christ Pantokrator doing the same. Horus spearing a serpent may survive in the iconography of Saint George defeating the dragon.

[hashtagfarrakhan]

Day 10: FBI’s Involvement

  It’s not a secret that the U.S. government were heavily involved in trying to dismantle Civil Rights and Black Empowerment Movements. In 1956, the FBI began the COINTELPRO, short for Counterintelligence Program, to disrupt domestic political organizations. FBI director, J. Edgar hoover became increasingly frustrated by U.S. Supreme Court decisions that limited the Justice Department's ability to prosecute people for their political opinions, thus formalizing a covert or “dirty tricks” program. The COINTELPRO was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects aimed at spying on, infiltrating, and destroying domestic organizations considered “subversive”. Some of the groups and individuals that they saw as a threat and were targeted were anti-Vietnam War organizers, activist of the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr., The Black Panther Party, Huey P. Newton, Fred Hampton, The Nation Of Islam, Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), some feminist organizations, anti-colonial movements such as the Puerto Rican Independence movement and the Young Lords among others.

  J. Edgar Hoover issued directives governing COINTELPRO, ordering FBI agents to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, neutralize or otherwise eliminate" the activities of these movements and especially their leaders. COINTELPRO tactics included discrediting targets through psychological warfare, planting false reports in the media, smearing through forged letters, harassment, wrongful imprisonment, extralegal violence and assassination. Covert operations under COINTELPRO took place between 1956 and 1971, however the FBI has used covert operations against domestic political groups since its inception.

(As stated in the photos above) Some of the long-range goals of the COINTELPRO were to:

“Prevent the coalition of Black nationalist groups. In unity there is strength; a truism that is no less valid for all its triteness. An effective coalition of Black nationalist groups might be the first step toward a real “Mau Mau” (uprising) in America, the beginning of a true Black revolution.

Prevent the rise of a “Messiah” who could unify, and electrify the militant Black nationalist movement. Malcolm X might have been such a “messiah”; he is the martyr of the movement today. Martin Luther King, Stokely Carmichael, and Elijah Muhammad all aspire to this position. Elijah Muhammad is less of a threat because of his age. King could be a very real contender for this position should he abandon his supposed “obedience” to “ white, liberal doctrines” (nonviolence) and embrace Black nationalism. Carmichael has the necessary charisma to be a real threat in this way.

Prevent violence on the part of Black nationalist groups. This is of primary importance, and is, of course, a goal of our investigative activity; it should also be a goal of the Counterintelligence Program. Through counterintelligence  it should be possible to pinpoint potential troublemakers and neutralize them before they exercise their potential violence.

Prevent militant Black nationalist groups and leaders from gaining respectability, by discrediting them to three separate segments of the community. The goal of discrediting Black nationalist must be handled tactically in three ways. You must discredit these groups and individuals to, first, the responsible Negro community. Second, they must be discredited to the white community,both the responsible community and to the “liberals” who have vestiges of sympathy for the militant Black nationalist simple because they are Negroes. Third, these groups must be discredited in the eyes of Negro radicals, the followers of the movement. This last area requires entirely different tactics from the first two. Publicity about violent tendencies and radical statements merely enhances Black nationalists to the last group; it adds “respectability” in a different way.

 A final goal should be to prevent the long-range growth of militant Black nationalist organizations, especially among youth. Specific tactics to prevent these groups from converting young people must be developed. Besides these five goals counterintelligence is a valuable part of our regular investigative program as it often produces positive information. 

Targets

          Primary targets of the Counterintelligence Program, Black Nationalist- Hate groups, should be the most violent and radical groups and their leaders. We should emphasize those leaders and organizations that are nationwide in scope and are most capable of disrupting this country. These targets should include the radical and violence-prone leaders, members, and followers of the :

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM)

Nation Of Islam (NOI)

Offices handling these cases and those of Stokely Carmichael of SNCC, H. Rap brown of SNCC, Martin Luther King of SCLC, Maxwell Stanford of RAM, and Elijah Muhammad Of NOI, should be alert for counterintelligence suggestions.”

   J. Edgar Hoover, made no secret of his desire to see Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. discredited. King received a letter from the COINTELPRO calling for him to kill himself. The F.B.I.'s entanglement with King began not as an inquiry into his sex life but as a “national security” matter. They planted wiretaps in his home and offices and bugs in his hotel room because they were searching for a “Black nationalist Messiah.” The FBI and Memphis police eventually admitted their role in the assassination of Dr. King. Since revealing its illegal COINTELPRO harassment of Dr. King and the existence of at least 5 paid informants, the FBI also Disclosed that Dr. Kings trusted friend and renowned photographer, Ernest Withers, had been secretly working as an FBI informant.

  Another major threat in the eyes of the FBI’s COINTELPRO was Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party. Fred Hampton was the deputy chairman and the chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party. Because of his connections, Hampton was building a broad-based coalition in Chicago and that was what they saw as the threat. J. Edgar Hoover feared young whites uniting with the Black struggle, so he had the COINTELPRO plant informants as his personal bodyguards.  The informants name was William O’Neal. Akua Njeri, then known as Deborah Johnson, was 8 and a half months pregnant sleeping next to Fred Hampton during the police raided their apartment. During the raid Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were assassinated while Akua Njeri was roughed up by the police. The apartment was described as a slaughterhouse. The Black Panther Party knew it was a political assassination but of course the FBI denied it, told their made up story to the media, and produced propaganda against the Black Panther Party.

  In their reports the COINTELPRO they sent in informants to gather whatever information they could of the Nation of Islam. The COINTELRPO were afraid of a “Black Messiah” in the ranks of the NOI. The FBI monitored Muhammad Ali and his membership in the Nation of Islam. The F.B.I. said in the 142 pages of documents that it had informants close to the Nation of Islam who let them know the details of Ali’s involvement in the Nation. The FBI’s focus was on the Nation of Islam, which a hodgepodge of agency documents refer to as an “all-Negro, semi-religious, anti-white” organization. The records, which refer to Ali as Clay, show that the bureau was paying particularly close attention to the group’s leader, Elijah Muhammad. Any sign that Ali was growing closer to the group received scrutiny. His ordering and wearing of a captain’s uniform from the Fruit of Islam, the group’s paramilitary wing, was worth an entire memo. The FBI Vault also has many pages of reports on Malcolm X, alot of which are blurred out. They tried to openly approach Malcolm X, after he announced he left the NOI, in hopes that he would turn on his former allies in the Nation.

[Note: In this January 22, 1969 previously classified memo, the FBI takes credit for counter intelligence efforts leading to the murder of Malcolm X. The following is a text reproduction of original FBI Document.]

[Click Here To Download Original Document – PDF]

DATE: 01/22/1969

TO: DIRECTOR, FBI (100-448006)

FROM: SAC, Chicago (157-2209) (P)

COUNTERINTELLIGENCE PROGRAM

BLACK NATIONALIST – HATE GROUPS RACIAL INTELLIGENCE (NATION OF ISLAM)

ReBulet has been thoroughly studied and discussed by the SAC, the Supervisor, and Agents familiar with facets of the NOI which might indicate trends and possible future direction of the organization. The Bureau’s concern is most understandable and suggestions appreciated.

Over the years considerable thought has been given, and action taken with Bureau approval, relating to methods through which the NOI could be discredited in the eyes of the general black populace or through which factionalism among the leadership could be created. Serious consideration has also been given towards developing ways and means of changing NOI philosophy to one whereby the members could be developed into useful citizens and the organization developed into one emphasizing religion – the brotherhood of mankind – and self improvement. Factional disputes have been developed – the most notable being MALCOLM X LITTLE.  

Prominent black personages have publicly and nationally spoken out against the group – U.S. District Court Judge JAMES BENTON PARSONS being one example. The media of the press has played down the NOI. This appears to be a most effective tool as individuals such as MUHAMMAD assuredly seek any and all publicity be it good or bad; however, if the press is utilized it would appear it should not concentrate on such aspects as the alleged strength of the NOI, immoral activities of the leadership, misuse of funders by these officials, etc. It is the opinion of this office that such exposure is ineffective, possibly creates interest and maybe envy among the lesser educated black man causing them out of curiosity to attend meetings and maybe join, and encourage the opportunist to seek personal gain – physical or monetary – through alignment with the group. At any rate it is felt such publicity in the case of the NOI is not overly effective.

[Note: The following is a text reproduction of original FBI Document.]

SAC, Chicago (157-2209) January 7, 1969

Director, FBI (100-448006)

COUNTERINTELLIGENCE PROGRAM BLACK NATIONALIST – HATE GROUPS RACIAL INTELLIGENCE (NATION OF ISLAM)

Although the Nation of Islam (NOI) does not presently advocate violence by its members, the group does preach hatred of the white race and racial separatism. The membership of the NOI is organized and poses a real racial threat. The NOI is responsible for the largest black nationalist newspaper, which has been used by other black extremists.

The NOI appears to be the personal fiefdom of Elijah Muhammad. When he dies a power struggle can be expected and the NOI could change direction. We should be prepared for this eventuality. We should plan how to change the philosophy of the NOI to one of the strictly religious and self-improvement orientation, deleting the race hatred and separate nationhood aspects.

In this connection Chicago should consider what counterintelligence action might be needed now or at the time of Elijah Muhammad’s death to bring about such a change in NOI philosophy. Important considerations should include the identity, strengths, and weaknesses, of any contenders for NOI leadership. What are the positions of our [BUREAU DELETION] informants in regard to leadership? How could potential leaders be turned or neutralized?

The alternative to changing the philosophy of the NOI is the destruction of the organization. This might be accomplished through generating factionalism among the contenders for Elijah Muhammad’s leadership or through legal action in probate court on his death. Chicago should consider the question of how to generate the factionalism necessary to destroy the NOI by splitting into several groups. [BUREAU DELETION]

IJD: ekw

– END PAGE 1 of 2 –

Letter to SAC, Chicago RE: COUNTERINTELLIGENCE PROGRAM; (NATION OF ISLAM) 100-448006

Legal action against the NOI on the death of its leader depends on the answers to several questions:

1. Does Elijah Muhammad have a will?

2. Is the NOI incorporated?

3. In whose name and where are NOI bank accounts?

4. In whose name are other NOI assets, such as mosque buildings, school buildings, the newspaper, Elijah Muhammad’s homes, and NOI businesses?

Depending on the answers to these questions, probate law in Illinois, and whether Chicago might have a confidential source in probate administration, tying up the NOI in probate administration might be possible.

Chicago should examine the NOI from the above counterintelligence angle and advise the Bureau. Consider the possibility of drawing up specific counterintelligence recommendations, to be acted upon when necessary, with various contingencies covered.

– END PAGE 2 of 2 –

  In 2009 the Nation of Islam was targeted by Homeland Security. They improperly gathered information in 2007, as part of its speculation about who might succeed the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan as the Leader of the Nation of Islam. The agency admitted that on October 12, 2007, the Department of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) released a document titled Nation of Islam: Uncertain Leadership Succession Poses Risk. The fear of Black people rising and preventing us from true Justice, is seen throughout the U.S. government’s history. They go to extreme lengths to try to keep us as a docile people.

[diarynz]

Rugby: Heartland Championship's third round sees several tryscoring thrillers

New Post has been published on https://diary.nz/rugby-heartland-championships-third-round-sees-several-tryscoring-thrillers/

Rugby: Heartland Championship's third round sees several tryscoring thrillers

West Coast and North Otago continued their unbeaten runs on top of the Mitre 10 Heartland Championship table, but not without clawing their way back from big deficits after the third round was marked by a number of 80 minute thrillers on Saturday.

After last week’s round was split across Friday evening and Saturday afternoon games, most fixtures were back in their regular 2.30pm timeslots, and for Greymouth fans who chose to go to John Sturgeon Park instead of staying home to watch the All Blacks vs Tonga, they got their money’s worth.

Trailing 31-14 at halftime, West Coast engineered a stunning comeback to beat Mid Canterbury 43-41 in a 13-try shootout.

The home side had their first converted try inside of five minutes, but Mid Canterbury dotted down three times to take a 19-7 lead out of the first quarter.

West Coast closed the gap to five points with another seven-pointer, but Mid Canterbury went over two more times before the break, their first-five Corey McKay having converted three of their five tries, to raise a 17-point buffer.

Returning from NZ Heartland XV duties, Mid Canterbury flanker Seta Koroitamana would score a double in the match, as did winger Manasa Bari, who like fullback Matt McAtamney posted tries for the second week in a row.

The visitors would get their sixth try in the second stanza, with McKay converting it plus popping over a penalty, but they were now desperately trying to hold back a red and white tide, as the West Coast came charging home.

The hosts dominated the third quarter with three tries, one converted, to tie the scores up 31-31, and although Mid Canterbury traded tries with West Coast to move back ahead 41-36, the Coasters were good for one more seven pointer.

Sweating on the conversions, the home side used three different kickers as fullback Todd Struthers, centre Sean McClure and first-five Jesse Pitman-Joass all added crucial extras.

Lock Sam Liebezeit scored two tries, having also dotted down last week, while West Coast welcomed home their NZ Heartland reps in captain Troy Tauwhare and second-five Sione Holani to grab five pointers.

Taking maximum points from a match which at one point they looked like getting nothing, West Coast kept the top spot from likewise unbeaten North Otago, who performed their own miraculous comeback for an important North Island tour win, beating Poverty Bay 34-30 in Gisborne.

The home side would lead by ten points at halftime, as they opened the scoring through a penalty from fullback Andrew Tauatevalu, about to have another high-scoring day, as he also got their opening converted try for 10-0.

North Otago closed the gap with first-five Mike Williams dotting down and his proficient goal-kicking halfback Robbie Smith adding the extras, before the teams traded seven pointers through Poverty Bay winger Scott McKinley and visiting No 8 Charles Elton.

In what could have been the decisive moment, Poverty Bay got an automatic seven-point penalty try on halftime when North Otago deliberately knocked the ball down in front of the line.

Not discouraged, North Otago began the second half with a Smith penalty, before Tauatevalu responded in kind for 27-17.

North Otago then kicked it up a gear as centre Clement Gasca scored, with Smith coolly adding the extras and then another penalty to lock up the scores 27-27 with 15 minutes left.

Poverty Bay moved ahead again with Tauatevalu’s third penalty, but North Otago kept coming and who else could be the hero but their local legend Ralph Darling – as the centenarian-capped player and former skipper came off the bench to score the match-winning try in the 76th minute.

Underneath the unbeaten sides, there was considerable movement on the points table, as the teams who picked up their second win from three games made rapid advancement.

After being disappointing last week against King Country in Taupo, Buller welcomed back lock Jeff Lepa and their talisman first-five James Lash from NZ Heartland XV duties, and it was Lash brought the magic again with a penalty 8m in from touch to get his side up 22-21 over a gutted Wanganui at Victoria Square.

Perennial Meads Cup contenders, Wanganui have now dropped their three opening games for the first time in 14 seasons of the Heartland competition.

The visitors started well enough to lead 14-0 as winger Vereniki Tikoisolomone scored two tries, the first coming off a three vs one overlap and then winning the race to the ball after a kick ahead into the same corner.

First-five Craig Clare, back from being the NZ Heartland XV fullback, converted both tries from near touch, and Clare’s absence would be keenly felt after he could not play the second half following an injury to his pectoral muscle.

After a mistake-riddled first half, Buller gave themselves some hope while Wanganui conceded points right on halftime for the third straight game, as home town winger Alex Paterson scored down the short side after buildup from Lash and centenarian-capped halfback Andrew Stephens.

Buller closed up to 14-12 after the break as they put the ball through the hands for the other winger Petaia Saukuru to score, with Lash converting from touch, before Wanganui took advantage of a scrum ball popping out for halfback Lindsay Horrocks to feed his prop Raymond Salu, who dashed 30m under the posts.

Down 21-12 with 15 minutes left and trapped in their own half, Buller needed something and Lash provided it with a quick tap and dash through the defenders to run deep into Wanganui’s 22m, with the ball then spread back towards the middle for second-five Iliesa Ravudra to cross on the other side the posts.

From the kickoff, Wanganui foolishly tried to spread the ball and run out of their own 22m, but got trapped in the ruck near the sideline and Lash raised the flags with his pressure three pointer.

Wanganui had a penalty opportunity of their own on a similar angle approaching injury time, but reserve first-five Dane Whale could not connect.

James Lash was the hero again for Buller in their one-point win over Wanganui in Westport.

Their second home win was not quite enough to move Buller into the top four, as Thames Valley continued to shake off their shock start from the Poverty Bay loss to pick up a comfortable 43-15 win over a brave East Coast in the early 12.50pm kickoff match in Paeroa.

In the battle between the defending Meads Cup champions and winless wooden-spooners, Thames Valley made a swift start to lead 17-0 after the first quarter, but the visitors hung tough to get their three unconverted tries on either side of halftime to close the gap to 24-15 after 42 minutes.

However, Thames Valley, playing without NZ Heartland XV captain Brett Ranga, stayed composed to run in three more tries, converting two, while keeping East Coast from their second bonus point in as many games.

Bay of Plenty import second-five Danny Kayes picked up a double, as did returning NZ Heartland XV winger Harry Lafituanai, while flanker Laulea Mau, promoted into the starting XV, scored for the second game in a row.

After his Heartland record-equalling seven penalties against Wanganui, this time first-five Regan Crosland just had to kick three conversions.

The visitors five-pointers came from second-five Tawhao Stewart, flanker and captain Hone Haerewa, and winger Epeli Lotawa to follow up last weekend’s fine try.

South Canterbury have also shaken off their stumbling start, while Horowhenua-Kapiti will need to go away and have a rethink, as the Lochore Cup champions were smashed 57-7 in Timaru.

The visitors welcomed back all four of their NZ Heartland XV reps into the starting lineup, but they fell apart in the third quarter as South Canterbury raced away for 38 points in 20 minutes, with Horowhenua-Kapiti having a man in the sinbin at that time.

South Canterbury had led 12-0 at the break through tries by fullback Zac Saunders, for the second week, and flanker Cam Russell, with Theo Davidson adding a conversion before he would make way for returning NZ Heartland XV halfback Willie Wright, coming on at halftime.

Wright would kick with 100 per cent accuracy for six conversions, plus a penalty, as his side went roaring into the head wind in the second stanza.

Tries came from the other Heartland XV returnee in Kalavini Leatigaga, winger Clarence Moli to follow up last week’s double, along with Joel Smith and Solomone Iavaka.

A seven-point penalty try added to Horowhenua-Kapiti woes.

Both team’s ran on their benches for the final quarter, where the visitors finally got a reply converted try from centre Junior Laioifi off a kick and chase, although the home side had the last word when prop Tokomaata Fakatava dotted down.

And after playing in a prime time televised match under the big lights of Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium last week, Wairarapa Bush were back home in Masterton and pulled out a 37-31 win over King Country in another high try-scoring thriller.

On their fast-running artificial turf, Wairarapa Bush score 15 unanswered points to start and would then take a 25-14 lead into halftime, before King Country came charging back with two more tries to lead 26-25 with quarter of an hour remaining.

It would be an eventful 15 minutes, as the home side scored to regain the advantage, and then seemed to have sealed the match with a converted try for 37-26 in the 72nd minute. However, King Country went hunting from the kickoff and gave themselves a chance with their fifth try to close back to within six points with four minutes left.

The home squad held out, despite the squad missing a few injured players, with skilful winger Tristan Flutey getting a double to make it three tries in two home games, while Brendon Campbell came off the bench to also get a brace.

King Country’s tries were shared around the park through No 8 Chulainn Mabbett-Sowerby, lock Josh Balme, second-five Brad Armstrong, winger Tayne Tupaea and reserve Alex Thrupp.

Tristan Flutey runs in one of his two tries in Wairarapa Bush’s narrow win over King Country in Masterton.

Results, Week 3.

Buller 22 (Alex Paterson, Petaia Saukuru, Iliesa Ravudra tries; J Lash pen, 2 con) bt Wanganui 21 (Vereniki Tikoisolomone 2, Raymond Salu tries; Craig Clare 2 con, Dane Whale con). HT: 14-5 Wanganui.

North Otago 34 (Michael Williams, Charles Elton, Clement Gasca, Ralph Darling tries; Robbie Smith 4 con, 2 pen) bt Poverty Bay 30 (Andrew Tauatevalu, Scott McKinley tries; penalty try; Tauatevalu 3 pen, 2 con). HT: 24-14 Poverty Bay.

South Canterbury 57 (Tokomaata Fakatava, Cam Russell, Joel Smith, Kalavini Leatigaga, Clarence Moli, Zac Saunders, Solomone Iavaka tries; penalty try; Willie Wright pen, 6 con, Theo Davidson con) bt Horowhenua Kapiti 7 (Junior Laioifi try; Ethan Reti con). HT: 12-0.

Thames Valley 43 (Danny Kayes 2, Harry Lafituanai 2, Laulea Mau, Ben Bonnar, Bobby Motuliki tries; Regan Crosland 3 con, Cole Berridge con) bt East Coast 15 (Tawhao Stewart, Hone Haerewa, Epeli Lotawa tries). HT: 24-10.

West Coast 43 (Sam Liebezeit 2, Troy Tauwhare, Sione Holani, Jared Mitchell, Logan Winter, Amenatave Tukana tries; Todd Struthers 2 con, Sean McClure con, Jesse Pitman-Joass con) bt Mid Canterbury (Seta Koroitamana 2, Manasa Bari 2, Matt McAtamney, Jackson Donlan tries; Corey McKay 4 con, pen). HT: 31-14 Mid Canterbury.

Wairarapa Bush 37 (Tristan Flutey 2, Brendon Campbell 2, Johan van Vliet, Ueta Tufuga tries; Tipene Haira pen, con, Tim Priest con) bt King Country 31 (Brad Armstrong, Chulainn Mabbett-Sowerby, Alex Thrupp, Josh Balme, Tayne Tupaea tries; Evaan Reihana 3 con). HT: 25-14.

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[coin-river-blog]

Top hedge fund managers weren’t scared away from the popular FAANG stocks during a dreadful Q4 for the U.S. stock market. Facebook (FB), Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Netflix (NFLX), and Alphabet (GOOGL) are among the 20 stocks most favored by a select group of over 400 large hedge funds analyzed by WalletHub.

Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet are in the top five on WalletHub’s list for the second straight quarter. All three stocks have gains of at least 400% over the past decade.

Facebook jumps into the top 5 after Mark Zuckerberg’s company fell short in Q3 amid ongoing privacy concerns. Hedge funds appear more confident now that user numbers show the Cambridge Analytica scandal hasn’t stopped the social network’s growth.

Facebook’s daily users in North America are the same size as Snap’s entire user base. But given what we know about Twitter’s MAU to DAU ratio, Snap is most definitely the 2nd biggest social network in North America. pic.twitter.com/aaDZIErlMp

— Alex Heath (@alexeheath) February 5, 2019

Netflix was the only FAANG stock to miss the top 10. Hedge funds have been slow to warm to the streaming site, with some expressing concern about its spending. And that was before Netflix plunked down $100 million for a single year of “Friends.”

Let’s check out which ten stocks hedge funds were betting the most money on heading into 2019.

Hedge Funds’ Top 10 Stock Market Picks

10. Wells Fargo (WFC)

Market Cap: $230.75 billion

2019 Returns (through February 22): +5.58%

Wells Fargo drops from ninth on the Q3 WalletHub list. Warren Buffett is one of the investment bank’s biggest hedge fund supporters, owning nearly $20 billion in shares. The value investing legend isn’t fazed by Wells Fargo’s accounting scandals, telling CNBC it will likely outperform most competitors over the next decade.

9. Bank of America (BAC)

Market Cap: $281.18 billion

2019 Returns (through February 22): +17.35%

Bank of America flips spots with Wells Fargo and is the second of three banking stocks on this list. Warren Buffett owns massive stakes in all of them and bought another 18.92 million BAC shares in Q4.

8. JPMorgan Chase (JPM)

Market Cap: $349.12 billion

2019 Returns (through February 22): +6.20%

JPMorgan rounds out the run of banks that hedge funds love the most. The Fed’s dovish turn was confirmed this week, but rate concerns aren’t slowing banks from enjoying the market’s rebound to start 2019. JPMorgan is the first major U.S. bank to launch a cryptocurrency. It’s also the first major U.S. bank to launch a cryptocurrency that major media outlets have so badly misunderstood, as CCN exposed this week.

7. Visa (V)

Market Cap: $320.49 billion

2019 Returns (through February 22): +8.34%

Credit card companies Visa, Mastercard (MA) and American Express (AXP) all made WalletHub’s top 25. Cash is still king at global checkouts, leaving lots of growth potential for all three that hedge funds appear bullish on. Visa is billionaire investor and best-selling author Ken Fisher’s top stock pick. Fisher is predicting a good year for the stock market, noting among other things its strong historical performance during the third year of U.S. presidential terms.

6. UnitedHealth (UNH)

Market Cap: $256.30 billion

2019 Returns (through February 22): +9.41%

UnitedHealth falls to sixth from fourth on WalletHub’s list. The most popular healthcare stock trades at a reasonable forward P/E of 16 and could be a contender to purchase Magellan Health. Magellan is exploring a sale after activist hedge fund Starboard Value built a 9.8% stake and started pressuring it to sell itself.

5. Alphabet (GOOG/GOOGL)

Market Cap: $773.66 billion

2019 Returns (through February 22): +4.89%

Alphabet remains fifth on the list and begins a run of four straight FAANG stocks. Michael Burry surprisingly reemerged as a Google shareholder in Q4 after not filing for over two years. Burry’s incredible bet against the housing market before the financial crisis hit was documented in “The Big Short.”

4. Facebook (FB)

Market Cap: $462.03 billion

2019 Returns (through February 22): +17.95%

Facebook moves into the top five and has been the best-performing stock on the list in 2019. Facebook is the favorite stock among the 50 largest hedge funds according to Citi Research, being owned by 15 of them.

3. Apple (AAPL)

Market Cap: $815.60 billion

2019 Returns (through February 22): +8.32%

Apple maintains its grip on third place despite several big-name fund managers unloading it in Q4, including George Soros and David Tepper. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire sold a small number of shares (relatively speaking) as well, which made headlines.

Apple may have lost its innovative edge, but Oakmark Fund portfolio manager Bill Nygren still loves it. He also thinks it’s being misjudged by the market, saying in his Q4 commentary:

“Many investors appear to treat Apple as just a consumer electronics company. In contrast, we see Apple as a more valuable integrated hardware, software and services company, which is both a growth company and a value stock. It sells for just 12 times expected earnings (updated for slowing China demand)—11 times if you value its cash separately. That means investors are, incorrectly in our opinion, pricing Apple as a below-average business.”

2. Amazon (AMZN)

Market Cap: $801.43 billion

2019 Returns (through February 22): +5.22%

Amazon remains stuck between Apple and Microsoft on WalletHub’s list again in Q4. Famed hedge fund manager Bill Miller sees Amazon having top-line growth of 20% to 25% per year over the next three.

1. Microsoft (MSFT)

Market Cap: $851.39 billion

2019 Returns (through February 22): +8.20%

Microsoft remains hedge funds’ most popular stock according to WalletHub’s list, holding off every FAANG challenger in Q4. Microsoft is still growing its cloud business by 75% and is staying out of trouble more than the other tech giants. Add its fortress balance sheet of over $50 billion in net cash, and it’s easy to see why hedge funds love Microsoft.

Hedge Fund Portfolio Crushing the Market by Double Digits in 2019

Goldman Sachs’ “Very Important Position” portfolio of 50 stocks that are popular among hedge funds is crushing the market with 14% gains in 2019. The strategy tracks the top 10 picks of 880 fundamentally-driven hedge funds.

“Goldman’s Ben Snider explains why in this note released Friday: “Recent hedge fund returns have benefited from the outperformance of the most popular long positions as well as the decision to increase net length ahead of the equity market bottom in December 2018.”

Most hedge funds aren’t doing all that well though. The average fund lost 5.7% last year, including 1.9% in December according to preliminary Bloomberg data.

The awful returns did have a silver lining, being enough to beat the S&P 500 (SPY), something hedge funds rarely manage of late. The HFRI Asset Weighted Composite Index also topped the SPY (with dividends) in 2018 for the first time in a decade.

The average hedge fund outperformed the S&P 500 in 2018 for the first time in a DECADE (albeit, only 31 basis points…but still…)

— via @CNBC & @HFRinc pic.twitter.com/1NElJ0XuNa

— Leslie Picker (@LesliePicker) January 8, 2019

It’s no big secret the $3 trillion hedge fund industry has collectively stunk up the investing joint since the financial crisis. It’s rarely beaten benchmark indexes, and even passive funds have begun consistently outperforming it, stealing both its thunder and assets under management.

Yet as the Goldman Sachs portfolio shows, dismissing any data coming out of the industry is foolish. Focusing on smaller groups of better performing hedge funds can uncover stocks that yield great results.

Hedge Funds are Cash Printing Machines for Biggest Managers

The biggest and most successful hedge funds all but print cash for their billionaire managers. Jim Simons’ Renaissance Technologies charges performance fees of 44% on the returns its Medallion Fund generates. He was the top-earning hedge fund manager last year, pulling in $1.6 billion.

Investors aren’t complaining about the high fees RenTech’s signature fund charges though. It’s returned 40% each year on average since its 1988 inception, after fees.

All those fees raked in by 2018’s other top-earning money managers also paid off for their clients last year. The flagship funds of Ray Dalio’s (2018 income: $1.26 billion) Bridgewater Associates and Ken Griffin’s ($870 million) Citadel Advisors were up by 14.6% and 9.1%, respectively, in 2018.

Hedge Fund Legend Takes $4 Billion Hit

A stock which didn’t make the top 10 is Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B), which has fallen to 25th on the list. Berkshire is investing legend Warren Buffett’s holding company, and the 88-year-old billionaire isn’t immune to huge losses either, as CCN reported Friday.

Berkshire Hathaway has taken a hit of over $4 billion this week based on the number of Kraft Heinz (KHC) shares it owned on December 31 (over 325 million). KHC shares are down by 27% since Thursday’s close, devastating Berkshire’s $15.7 billion position. Berkshire’s own stock has fallen by 2% in response, shaving $10 billion from its market cap.

Kraft stunned the market Thursday afternoon by taking a $15.4 billion impairment charge in its Q4 results and slashing its dividend payments. Some of Kraft’s brands haven’t aged well in the changing food landscape, especially Kraft itself and Oscar Mayer.

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[seotraining875]

Web-based social networking Marketing Is a Joke - It's Time We Admit It

Web-based social networking Marketing Is a Joke - It's Time We Admit It

The main expectation: we should return to its underlying foundations.

The best thing that at any point happened to online networking promoting was the hacking of the 2016 US decision of Donal Trump by the Russians. Why? Since it uncovered what numerous in online life promoting has known for a long, long time: that web based life stages are a joke, their valuations depend on nonexistent clients, and their trustworthiness lies somewhere close to Lucifer and that person who eats individuals' appearances in the motion pictures.

For advertising specialists, for example, myself, suggesting existing social stages, for example, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram has been progressively troublesome, in light of the fact that - truth be told a significant number of us don't confide in the measurements.

What's more, for what reason would it be a good idea for us to? Facebook doesn't.

This is from Facebook's 2017 SEC recording (accentuation mine):

The numbers for our key measurements, which incorporate our day by day dynamic clients (DAUs), month to month dynamic clients (MAUs), and normal income per client (ARPU), are ascertained utilizing inward organization information in light of the action of client accounts. While these numbers depend on what we accept to be sensible evaluations of our client base for the pertinent time of estimation, there are inalienable difficulties in estimating use of our items crosswise over extensive on the web and versatile populaces around the globe.

The biggest information administration organization on the planet says it doesn't generally know whether its numbers are precise. Assessments? What promoting proficient needs evaluated outcomes afterward?

It deteriorates. Accentuation mine:

In the final quarter of 2017, we assess that copy records may have spoken to roughly 10% of our overall MAUs. We trust the level of copy accounts is definitively higher in creating markets, for example, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, when contrasted with more created markets. In the final quarter of 2017, we evaluate that false records may have spoken to roughly 3-4% of our overall MAUs.

Give that sink access. Facebook is conceding that "around" 10% of its month to month dynamic clients are phony. Curiously, they don't say what level of their every day dynamic clients are phony.

Furthermore, that is the issue with internet based life. You don't have a clue about what's genuine and what's phony any longer.

Online life hasn't been genuine for some time.

As advertisers and sponsors, we pride ourselves on exactness. In past circumstances of showcasing and publicizing, we fixated on rating quantities of network programs, readership for print advancements, and conveyance achievement rates for regular postal mail.

In all cases, the stages of the day were vigorously reviewed. You knew, with reasonable assurance, was the gatherings of people were for a specific medium or channel in light of the fact that there was normally a state of audit some place for the numbers.

Customary media, for example, radio, TV, and print had been around sufficiently long that there were a large number of contextual analyses one could think about the achievement or disappointments of individual battles. Since these mediums were a piece of the general population record, it was anything but difficult to work in reverse to perceive what blend of media and spending plan worked and what didn't.

As an industry, we could rapidly build up benchmarks for progress - not simply in view of our own encounters but rather in the aggregate encounters of clear procedures revealed for everybody to dismember.

Indeed, that all went out the window with internet based life.

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram's numbers were dependably a joke.

In long periods of yore, organization valuation depended on incomes, resources, and human capital, and execution.

That all switched when somebody concocted the idea of "every day dynamic clients."

The race to pick up  Seo training certification clients turned into the main impetus for internet based life stages in a way that we've never observed. Presently, the fixation on client development opened the way to promoting and advertising extortion on a scale that simply wasn't conceivable beforehand.

We should get something clear: any stage that takes into account individuals to make a large number of phony profiles so others can purchase likes, adherents, retweets, or shares is poisonous to sponsors and brands alike.

Presently, I comprehend that "permits" is completing a great deal of work in that sentence, so let me grow a bit what I mean.

I don't think I'll get numerous contentions when I say that - paying little respect to what I consider them-the best web-based social networking stages on the planet are additionally the absolute most modern mechanical undertakings on the planet. They have - seemingly a portion of the best AI around, as their whole plans of action rotate around having the capacity to do the math, actualities, and darken bits of information a great many times each second.

They are additionally gigantic enterprises, with a multitude of legal counselors and IP bulldogs holding up to ensure their image against any antagonistic outside powers.

So disclose to me, how is it, that even after all we have found in the news individuals can at present purchase Facebook likes, or Twitter devotees, or Instagram fans?

The reason: it was dependably a trick. What's more, we got conned alongside every other person.

On the off chance SEO training course that your organization is esteemed on your number of clients and the movement of those clients on your stage, what do you give it a second thought on the off chance that they are phony or not? On the off chance that you did, you'd procure a naval force of examiners to guarantee the trustworthiness of your userbase. I don't trust they at any point did and will never do this.

Social stages send their nectar trap.

At first, social stages, for example, Facebook and Twitter baited brands and organizations onto their stages with guarantees of free showcasing and promoting. The capacity to rapidly grow a fanbase and supporter base, without the need of procuring advertising shmucks like me. Why sit around idly on procuring an expert when you can do everything yourself to no end?

At in the first place, I was a supporter of this. I trusted that showcasing and publicizing was regularly something that lone bigger organizations could bear, and that private venture promoting was as a rule deserted. Internet based life promoting took into consideration even a mother and pop shop to contend on the web.

Such a large number of organizations spent innumerable hours and a huge number of dollars in HR to develop their devotees on the web SEO Training .

Having tricked them into their nectar trap, online networking organizations at that point held adherents and fans prisoners. You needed to pay to approach the userbase that you developed and developed.

All of a sudden the numbers didn't bode well. You needed to pay to advance or lift posts when already it was free. The outcome was grievous for some organizations. The ROI's didn't make any sense, yet with such a large number of their clients on these wedding sherwani stages, they had minimal decision yet to proceed to attempt and get whatever esteem they could for them.

Additionally, the move to such advancements opened up the Pandora's case to additionally mishandle. The drive for income apparently made social stages keep on looking the other path on counterfeit profiles and online life bots since they drove promotion deals. Individual information was gathered and controlled in ways that clients couldn't comprehend and did not consent to.

For the most part, it accomplished brief comment that I don't know we can recuperate. For some, computerized promoting firms and showcasing organizations, it black men in suits constrained us to down the Kool-help with every other person. Individuals that ought to have known better multiplied down via web-based networking media advertising for our customers when we knew - for the greater part of them-it was superfluous.

Showcasing and publicizing organizations moved toward becoming assistants sometime later.

Like I said before, showcasing and promoting offices and specialists should fixate on precision. We need our customers to have the simple best ROI accessible.

Be that as it may, similar to experts in any business vertical, we're self-serving.

One of my most loved cases of how individuals who might know better will state anything for a buck is land operators.

Have you EVER heard a land operator reveal to you it's a wrong time to purchase a house? In the majority of my days, I have never perused an article by a land operator saying that individuals should hold off on a buy. House costs going up? An awesome time to purchase; you'll profit back quickly! House costs going down? It's a purchasers showcase! Secure your reserve funds now!

Promoting and publicizing experts accomplished something comparative with internet based life advertising.

We saw the stages' ascent in fame and would not like to get captured in a stagger. The buzz was blue suits for men working behind them, and customers were regularly requesting us to encourage them. So - despite the fact that Facebook and Twitter were generally doubtful with practically zero real contextual analyses to talk about numerous organizations advised their customers to toss cash into the dark gap of social.

What was the outcome? The greater part of web based life crusades are catastrophes. I just know about a small amount of organizations that proceed with any earnestness via web-based networking media contrasted with the rates organizations did with customary promoting or even SEO and non-social computerized advertisements.

You see it in the situating. At the point when computerized advertisers discuss web-based social networking, they talk about it in regards to "achieve," "presentation," "nearness," "mindfulness." That's code word for "discard your cash." Do an online hunt of business suits for men the adequacy of web based life, and you will discover the outcomes loaded with SEO and internet based life advertisers applauding the stages and the techniques.

Genuine advertisers discuss ROI. Effect on deals, and effect on lead age. You can't pay the lease on mark mindfulness. I'm stating this as somebody who assembles brands as a profession.

What's more, it's not simply me saying this. One of the biggest brands on the planet, Proctor and Gamble, gutted their promotion spending plan and left a large group of organizations as a result of advanced publicizing and showcasing extortion.

Social sharing has been computerized to death:

As indicated by Buzzsumo, normal plus size leather jackets social offers per article had declined by 50 percent in 2017 in contrast with 2015. Their information additionally demonstrates how quick most hotly debated issues wind up immersed with articles, prompting just a moderately couple of victors getting most of the societal offers and hyperlinks.

Another found that, that bots robotize about 66% - 66%-of all HTML joins posted on Twitter.

Once more, if web biker leather jackets based life stages genuinely esteemed their client encounter and thought about social being social, they would have restricted such practices years prior. Not any more social computerization. In the event that you need to draw in with your fans and supporters, you must be there for them. You must be live, on the web, prepared to interface.

Be that as it may, bots are useful for business. They help their day by day dynamic client accounts; they influence their stages to look more prevalent than they are. Bots post content, bots like substance, bots share content, bots take after individuals, bots message individuals - it's unending.

Bots represent an indecent 52% of web activity in 2017. That number is just set to rise further as internet based life keeps on being a weapons contest. Gotten amidst the majority of this are organizations who think their advanced showcasing measurements have any importance.

Your Influencer isn't that persuasive.

I'm a firm adherent to cool leather jackets influencer promoting in light of the fact that I trust it is a characteristic augmentation of relationship showcasing. Individuals will purchase from individuals they trust and will acknowledge the recommendations of individuals they like.

Be that as it may, with the development of online influencers, things have taken a turn for the strange.

For one thing, numerous fans and supporters of web based life influencers are as phony as anything. Web based life bots take after superstars as a way to spam their pages or potentially a way to rub a rundown of individuals to spam later with content.

Furthermore, as advertisers and sponsors, we should think about precision. Yet, the capacity to check the fan base of an influencer is relatively incomprehensible inside the stages. You host to go to third-get-together applications to attempt and get any genuine comprehension of the authenticity. Additionally, and still, at the end of the day, you are helpless before the outsider to furnish you with exact information. Should Instagram choose to close down the API to these applications, you will have no clue how famous your influencer is.

The eventual fate of internet based life: live, coordinate, and straightforward.

The best approach to tackle the web based life issue we're confronting today is straightforward: web based life was extraordinary when it was social and individual. An arrival to the essentials is required.

No more computerization

In the event that you don't have room schedule-wise or the vitality or the intrigue really to ENGAGE with individuals, at that point online life isn't for you. Furthermore, you're not for online networking.

Mechanization should stop. Period. How about we come back to a more characteristic commitment between brands, organizations, clients and leads. Human association is the most ground-breaking driver of income and deals, just like the best sherwani metric for the genuine estimation of a stage.

See and be seen

The utilization of live video to build up realness during a time where everything is mysterious will be a predominant driver of progress in the following five years. Rather than taking cover behind images, and curated content, organizations should use influencers and their workers to champion their brands. Reconnect with the rudiments: balanced or leather jackets one-to-numerous interchanges.

The revolt of financial specialists

I really trust that the greater part of web-based social networking firms have fudged the books with regards to their userbase, action, and notoriety. It's the ideal opportunity for financial specialists to request outsider reviews of the information before the whole place of card falls on individuals' heads.

See, I'm a showcasing expert. I appreciate utilizing online life. It enables me to keep in contact with the general population and the brands I think about most on the planet. In any case, at its core is a defect - a glitch in the Matrix-that should be dealt with.

There's a rise out there, and web based life firms that take into consideration counterfeit profiles and unknown clients are at its core.

Yusuf Gad is an advertising and Men suit marking strategist and official with more than 15-years' understanding. He is the Chief Marketing Officer for TRYBL and President of Ronin Multimedia Inc - a counseling firm that gives vital guidance to brands and enterprises and additionally content advancement for film, TV and computerized media. You can discover him as an advertising expert contracted weapon at Toronto Marketing Consultant.

[aioinstagram]

Bom Sydney Thats one way to beat the heat! The ingenious ways Australians are keeping … is Trending on Wednesday December 20 2017 http://www.aioinstagram.com/bom-sydney-thats-one-way-to-beat-the-heat-the-ingenious-ways-australians-are-keeping-is-trending-on-wednesday-december-20-2017/

Daily Mail says: Thats one way to beat the heat! The ingenious ways Australians are keeping

Top 1 articles about Bom Sydney:

… a southerly cool change moving along the states south coast is predicted to bring relief during the day as it tracks north. The southerly change is heading north and should hit Sydneys coast between 1pm and 2pm before heading to the citys south

Trending Images of Bom Sydney on Instagram:

This Bom Sydney’s photo Trending 1 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: FUCK. ME. UP. IT’S REALLY HAPPENING @bookofmormonau #bomsydney #bomau #bookofmormon Arsenal, Carabao Cup, is Trending on Wednesday, December 20, 2017https://www.youtube.com/ Mon, 18 Dec 2017 15:44:34 +0000https://queryfeed.net/instagram?q=%23Arsenal99Arsenal, Watford and West Ham The Guardian says: Arsenal ease past West Ham but Olivier Giroud suffers hamstring injury

Top 2 articles about Arsenal:

Meanwhile, its also bad news for Arsenal, who will be without striker Olivier Giroud as they welcome fellow top four contenders Liverpool to the Emirates. The French striker went down clutching his hamstring in the closing stages of the Gunners 1-0 Olivier Giroud pulled up in the 76th minute and when the Arsenal striker shot his hand back to the hamstring on his right leg, it did not look good. Wenger suggested the forward would be out for three weeks – in other words, the whole of the congested

Trending Images of Arsenal on Instagram:

This Arsenal’s photo Trending 1 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: Happy birthday to Alexis Sanchez. Regardless of what ever happens in the future,I will forever be grateful to see this man play for us.

This Arsenal’s photo Trending 2 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: Arsène Wenger has confirmed that Aaron Ramsey was out running today and will return at the beginning of January.

This Arsenal’s photo Trending 3 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: Happy birthday Alexis! . . never miss a post, turn on post notification | follow @m10_daily for more

This Arsenal’s photo Trending 4 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: James Rodriguez Uruguay | Tag Friends | Follow @Futbol.Faze

This Arsenal’s photo Trending 5 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: @falcao12oficial Vs @ronaldinho ! via: @footyhero

This Arsenal’s photo Trending 6 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: Cristiano #Ronaldo training with kids Follow for more! @cris7fx

This Arsenal’s photo Trending 7 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: Aaron Ramsey will be out until January 2018 due to a hamstring injury.

This Arsenal’s photo Trending 8 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: @leamssiofficiel is a savage via @street_panna Follow @golazohub for more content, tag your friends!

This Arsenal’s photo Trending 9 on Instagram, Photo credit to Instagram

Description: Hallo bro…disini kamu bisa pesan casing hp sesuai selera kamu Bisa tambah gambar, foto, clipart, tulisan, nama, dll. Dijamin barang bagus. Kualitas terjamin Tersedia banyak jenis dan merk hp  iPhone,Samsung,Oppo,Acer,Advan dll JENIS CASING : 1. Softcase BAHAN silikon / lentur, Samping transparan. 2. Hardcase BAHAN mika / cetak sampai samping Pengiriman ke seluruh indonesia && mancanegara (jne, pos, j&t) Jadwal cetak 3x dalam seminggu, senin / rabu / jumat,  close setiap jam 6. Proses pengerjaan kurang lebih 3hari Cocok buat hadiah untuk orang tersayang, pacar, ORANGTUA, adek, kakak, sahabat dan yang lain. Buat kado Yang anti mainstream. Mau? Tapi bingung caranya  pesan gimana ? Langsung hubungi kami disini Wa : 0857 7329 2065 ( fast respon) BBM : Line : @ Fb : #customcase #casinghp #casinghpbola #realmadrid #acmilan #barca #juventus #arsenal #manchesterunited #manchestercity #persija #persib #maung #psis #persipur #persipura #persela #arema #persiba #baliunited #psm #sriwijaya #intermilan #bvb #liverpool #bayernmunchen #westhamunited #semenpadang #sriwijayafc

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

Mark Zuckerberg’s “We’re making the camera the first augmented reality platform” was the most important step so far towards mass market AR. Where Pokémon Go gave consumers their first taste of mobile AR, and Google Tango ushered in the race towards high end mobile AR phones, Facebook’s AR Platform now democratizes mobile AR regardless of hardware. Apple launching an AR enabled iPhone this year or next year could combine with Facebook to kick-start the mobile AR market at scale, and also be the final step towards the next great platform war. Consumers will win as usual, but there will be blood (as detailed in Digi-Capital’s new Mobile Augmented Reality Report).

The burning platform question

Hardware and software platforms are so intertwined that it can be hard to tell the difference, and if you’re Apple this played in your favor for the last decade. But Apple, Samsung and other phone makers have done such a great job with existing hardware, that they might have stacked the deck against themselves for mobile AR. Facebook’s AR Platform has shown exactly how the major social and messaging platforms can play the game using nothing more than a standard smartphone camera. So while device manufacturers roll out new hardware to build an installed base for AR phones, established and startup social/messaging platforms could build a mobile AR ecosystem and user base in a fraction of the time at a fraction of the cost. They’ll also be able to leverage this advantage as dedicated AR phones come to market.

What is mobile AR anyway?

At one end Pokémon Go is what some industry insiders call “the best worst example of AR”, because its ambient mobile AR is pretty basic. Lovely graphics positioned approximately against the real world on your phone screen, using basic computer vision and positional tracking. Nonetheless mass consumers think it’s mobile AR, and they’ve loved playing with it.

At the other end of the spectrum is Google Tango, with hardware based immersive mobile AR driven by integrated hardware and software. Without diving into the technical weeds, Tango phones enable accurate motion tracking, area learning and depth perception in a device that looks much like any other smartphone. The difference comes from a motion tracking camera, a depth sensing camera, an infrared projector, computer vision and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) software. So virtual objects superimposed on the real world appear as you would expect them to if they were really there. But Tango’s time is yet to come in terms of consumer awareness and app ecosystem (no disrespect to Google, Lenovo or Asus).

Facebook and Snap’s software based immersive mobile AR is a serious contender, as it combines the ubiquity of ambient mobile AR with some of the computer vision and SLAM that previously required dedicated hardware. While Google Tango’s sensors enable heavier duty mobile AR apps, that’s not the problem Facebook and Snap are solving. By plugging immersive software based mobile AR into the largest consumer platforms on the planet, they’re democratizing mobile AR for everyone for free. And free is a good price point. This hasn’t escaped the notice of Tencent in China either. Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel and Pony Ma didn’t get to where they are by being dummies, and so it is with software based mobile AR.

The cool kids

There’s another factor in the democratization of mobile AR that Pokémon Go highlighted – demographics. 68% of Pokémon Go users are between 13 and 29 years old. Even though that came from a very specific set of circumstances, it is the largest sample set of mobile AR mass adoption to date.

For comparison in terms of major consumer platforms: 88% of Americans from 18 to 29 use Facebook (2/3 of them use Messenger), 76% of US teens own an iPhone (81% want their next phone to be one),  75% of WeChat users are between 20 and 30, and 60% of Snapchat users are between 13 and 24. Spot the pattern?

Mobile AR will be adopted by the young. Platforms that can scale mobile AR with 13 to 29 year olds will win.

Apple of my eye

Tim Cook loves AR, but Apple has been characteristically enigmatic about its plans. We wrote back in January that Apple could launch an AR enabled iPhone this year or next year, with Samsung and others following. But until Tim Cook says “one more thing” about mobile AR, we really don’t know. So let’s think this through.

For the last two years we’ve said that Apple is the best-placed of all major tech companies to drive AR, with its end-to-end ecosystem of hardware, software, app store, developers and retail. Combined with iMessage and its renewed push with stickers, an iPhone AR looks like a pretty compelling proposition.

But Apple has a problem. Apple.

Apple’s closed ecosystem is a huge advantage, but it’s also a weakness. Apple could provide the best and most complete experience for mobile AR, but only for folks who’ve bought a new iPhone AR. Apple expects users to replace iPhones every 3 years, which is a major driver of 200 million plus annual sales. But iPhone 7/7 Plus only makes up around 2/3 of the total. Assuming the iPhone AR is a range-topper that stimulates growth (converting Android users, reducing replacement cycles), we’re looking at an installed base of at first tens and then hundreds of millions of iPhone ARs in a few short years.

But Facebook Messenger has 1.2 billion MAU, WeChat has 768 million DAU, Instagram has 400M DAU, WhatsApp Status has 175 million DAU, Snapchat has 160 million DAU. This means it could take Apple well over 5 years to deliver the mobile AR reach Facebook and Tencent potentially have today. Marc Andreessen remains right – software is eating the world.

Do androids dream of tangoing sheep?

Samsung and Huawei are the largest Android phone makers globally (not forgetting Oppo and Vivo in China), and these two companies could drive the hardware based mobile AR market for the larger Android ecosystem. But Samsung’s S8 and Huawei’s P10 aren’t AR enabled phones, having neither Tango nor their own proprietary AR platforms. So as discussed in January, we’re looking at 2018 as the likely inflection point for Android hardware based mobile AR. There is also the Android ecosystem challenge of the separate Google Play dominating outside China, and a fragmented set of changing players ruling app stores in China. In other words, none of the Android hardware players has the dominant end-to-end mobile AR potential of Apple.

Who dares wins

Sun Tzu’s “victorious warriors win first, then go to war” is a way of thinking about Mark Zuckerberg kicking off the mobile AR platform war at F8.

Facebook’s mobile AR Platform wins outside China. Its user base, platforms (Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp Status), developer ecosystem, mobile AR developer tools, mobile market experience and financial muscle guarantee its success. Plus Mark Zuckerberg’s got something to prove, justifying his $3 billion entry into VR/AR in the first place (even if that was for a VR company). It’s a really smart move, and it’s going to pay off. Big time.

Tencent wins in China. The potential dominance of WeChat mobile AR when launched in China is as exciting as Facebook’s AR Platform outside it. The battle has already kicked off during Chinese New Year with Tencent’s versus Alibaba‘s mobile AR Hongbao (traditional red envelopes filled with cash). But the Alibaba opportunity looks very different, as it will be the AR eCommerce leader in China rather than the mobile AR platform leader. Baidu is also layering its wealth of data on the real world, but it too has a different opportunity to Tencent.

Apple could become the dominant and most profitable hardware enabled mobile AR player, scaling from zero to hundreds of millions of iPhone AR users by 2021. This could become the innovation for which Tim Cook is remembered, and potentially lead towards Apple’s long term smartglasses dominance going into the next decade (assuming smartglasses solve their 5 big challenges). Apple has been looking for a catalyst to take it beyond Steve Jobs’ legacy, and this could give it a real chance of becoming a 100 year company.

Samsung, Huawei and other phone makers could do very well when they start to sell AR phones, but don’t have Apple’s inherent ecosystem advantages. To do more than maintain the status quo, they might need to invest in or acquire totally new capabilities. Otherwise they could miss out on the profits others will make using their mobile AR phones.

Google’s Tango is currently geared to enabling a large open mobile AR ecosystem to drive its core search advertising and Google Play revenues, similarly to its current Android approach. However as with Baidu, the mobile AR opportunity to layer its data on the real world could improve its position.

Snap is already in the mobile AR business, even if it doesn’t call it that yet. But with a user base much smaller than Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp Status and a closed platform, Evan Spiegel might think about copying Mark Zuckerberg for a change.

No dog in this fight

Microsoft still hasn’t announced any play for mobile AR. They’ve got massive assets in mixed reality (HoloLens) and VR (Windows VR), so it depends on whether they see themselves as a consumer or enterprise company long term. Steve Ballmer’s biggest regret is missing out on mobile. Hopefully mobile AR won’t become Satya Nadella’s.

Amazon has also stayed quiet on mobile AR, despite reports of experiments with AR stores. If they’re not already working on it, this might be an area where Jeff Bezos could learn from Jack Ma.

Know your enemy, know yourself

The battle lines for mobile AR have been drawn, and some of the winners were clear before the first shot was fired. While it’s not too late for incumbents and startups in mobile AR, again in the words of Sun Tzu, “I have heard that in war haste can be folly, but have never seen delay that was wise.”

Time to saddle up.

[You can read more, including how mobile AR could hit over a billion users and $60 billion revenue by 2021, in Digi-Capital’s new Mobile Augmented Reality Report]

(Image credit: Father.io)

[gtop20]

TOP 20 COUNTDOWN

January 5th, 2019

20) Sebastian Yatra & Mau y Ricky - Ya No Tiene Novio

[Re-Entry]

19) Carly Rae Jepsen - Party for One (+1)18) Clean Bandit f/ Rita Ora & KYLE - Going Nowhere

[Debut]

17) Empress Of - When I'm With Him

[Debut]

16) Bazzi f/ Camila Cabello - Beautiful (+2)15) Natti Natasha - Me Gusta (+3)14) Leslie Grace, Becky G. & CNCO - Díganle (+2)13) Lauren Jauregui - Expectations (+2)12) Camila Cabello - Consequences (-1)11) Christina Aguilera f/ GoldLink - Like I Do (+3)10) Dinah Jane f/ Ty Dolla $ign & Mark E. Bassy - Bottled Up (+2)9) Nicki Minaj f/ Lil Wayne - Good Form (+4)8) Rita Ora - Let You Love Me (-2)7) Panic! At The Disco - High Hopes (-2)6) Halsey - Without Me (-2)5) Manuel Turizo - Ser Un Cantante (+2)4) DJ Snake f/ Selena Gomez, Ozuna & Cardi B - Taki Taki (+4)3) Ariana Grande - thank u, next (=)2) Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper - Shallow (-1)

1) H.E.R. - CARRIED AWAY (+1)

Contenders:

Imagine Dragons - Bad LiarNatti Natasha - Lamento Tu PerdidaEllie Goulding, Diplo & Swae Lee - Close To You

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

Mark Zuckerberg’s “We’re making the camera the first augmented reality platform” was the most important step so far towards mass market AR. Where Pokémon Go gave consumers their first taste of mobile AR, and Google Tango ushered in the race towards high end mobile AR phones, Facebook’s AR Platform now democratizes mobile AR regardless of hardware. Apple launching an AR enabled iPhone this year or next year could combine with Facebook to kick-start the mobile AR market at scale, and also be the final step towards the next great platform war. Consumers will win as usual, but there will be blood (as detailed in Digi-Capital’s new Mobile Augmented Reality Report).

The burning platform question

Hardware and software platforms are so intertwined that it can be hard to tell the difference, and if you’re Apple this played in your favor for the last decade. But Apple, Samsung and other phone makers have done such a great job with existing hardware, that they might have stacked the deck against themselves for mobile AR. Facebook’s AR Platform has shown exactly how the major social and messaging platforms can play the game using nothing more than a standard smartphone camera. So while device manufacturers roll out new hardware to build an installed base for AR phones, established and startup social/messaging platforms could build a mobile AR ecosystem and user base in a fraction of the time at a fraction of the cost. They’ll also be able to leverage this advantage as dedicated AR phones come to market.

What is mobile AR anyway?

At one end Pokémon Go is what some industry insiders call “the best worst example of AR”, because its ambient mobile AR is pretty basic. Lovely graphics positioned approximately against the real world on your phone screen, using basic computer vision and positional tracking. Nonetheless mass consumers think it’s mobile AR, and they’ve loved playing with it.

At the other end of the spectrum is Google Tango, with hardware based immersive mobile AR driven by integrated hardware and software. Without diving into the technical weeds, Tango phones enable accurate motion tracking, area learning and depth perception in a device that looks much like any other smartphone. The difference comes from a motion tracking camera, a depth sensing camera, an infrared projector, computer vision and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) software. So virtual objects superimposed on the real world appear as you would expect them to if they were really there. But Tango’s time is yet to come in terms of consumer awareness and app ecosystem (no disrespect to Google, Lenovo or Asus).

Facebook and Snap’s software based immersive mobile AR is a serious contender, as it combines the ubiquity of ambient mobile AR with some of the computer vision and SLAM that previously required dedicated hardware. While Google Tango’s sensors enable heavier duty mobile AR apps, that’s not the problem Facebook and Snap are solving. By plugging immersive software based mobile AR into the largest consumer platforms on the planet, they’re democratizing mobile AR for everyone for free. And free is a good price point. This hasn’t escaped the notice of Tencent in China either. Mark Zuckerberg, Evan Spiegel and Pony Ma didn’t get to where they are by being dummies, and so it is with software based mobile AR.

The cool kids

There’s another factor in the democratization of mobile AR that Pokémon Go highlighted – demographics. 68% of Pokémon Go users are between 13 and 29 years old. Even though that came from a very specific set of circumstances, it is the largest sample set of mobile AR mass adoption to date.

For comparison in terms of major consumer platforms: 88% of Americans from 18 to 29 use Facebook (2/3 of them use Messenger), 76% of US teens own an iPhone (81% want their next phone to be one),  75% of WeChat users are between 20 and 30, and 60% of Snapchat users are between 13 and 24. Spot the pattern?

Mobile AR will be adopted by the young. Platforms that can scale mobile AR with 13 to 29 year olds will win.

Apple of my eye

Tim Cook loves AR, but Apple has been characteristically enigmatic about its plans. We wrote back in January that Apple could launch an AR enabled iPhone this year or next year, with Samsung and others following. But until Tim Cook says “one more thing” about mobile AR, we really don’t know. So let’s think this through.

For the last two years we’ve said that Apple is the best-placed of all major tech companies to drive AR, with its end-to-end ecosystem of hardware, software, app store, developers and retail. Combined with iMessage and its renewed push with stickers, an iPhone AR looks like a pretty compelling proposition.

But Apple has a problem. Apple.

Apple’s closed ecosystem is a huge advantage, but it’s also a weakness. Apple could provide the best and most complete experience for mobile AR, but only for folks who’ve bought a new iPhone AR. Apple expects users to replace iPhones every 3 years, which is a major driver of 200 million plus annual sales. But iPhone 7/7 Plus only makes up around 2/3 of the total. Assuming the iPhone AR is a range-topper that stimulates growth (converting Android users, reducing replacement cycles), we’re looking at an installed base of at first tens and then hundreds of millions of iPhone ARs in a few short years.

But Facebook Messenger has 1.2 billion MAU, WeChat has 768 million DAU, Instagram has 400M DAU, WhatsApp Status has 175 million DAU, Snapchat has 160 million DAU. This means it could take Apple well over 5 years to deliver the mobile AR reach Facebook and Tencent potentially have today. Marc Andreessen remains right – software is eating the world.

Do androids dream of tangoing sheep?

Samsung and Huawei are the largest Android phone makers globally (not forgetting Oppo and Vivo in China), and these two companies could drive the hardware based mobile AR market for the larger Android ecosystem. But Samsung’s S8 and Huawei’s P10 aren’t AR enabled phones, having neither Tango nor their own proprietary AR platforms. So as discussed in January, we’re looking at 2018 as the likely inflection point for Android hardware based mobile AR. There is also the Android ecosystem challenge of the separate Google Play dominating outside China, and a fragmented set of changing players ruling app stores in China. In other words, none of the Android hardware players has the dominant end-to-end mobile AR potential of Apple.

Who dares wins

Sun Tzu’s “victorious warriors win first, then go to war” is a way of thinking about Mark Zuckerberg kicking off the mobile AR platform war at F8.

Facebook’s mobile AR Platform wins outside China. Its user base, platforms (Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp Status), developer ecosystem, mobile AR developer tools, mobile market experience and financial muscle guarantee its success. Plus Mark Zuckerberg’s got something to prove, justifying his $3 billion entry into VR/AR in the first place (even if that was for a VR company). It’s a really smart move, and it’s going to pay off. Big time.

Tencent wins in China. The potential dominance of WeChat mobile AR when launched in China is as exciting as Facebook’s AR Platform outside it. The battle has already kicked off during Chinese New Year with Tencent’s versus Alibaba‘s mobile AR Hongbao (traditional red envelopes filled with cash). But the Alibaba opportunity looks very different, as it will be the AR eCommerce leader in China rather than the mobile AR platform leader. Baidu is also layering its wealth of data on the real world, but it too has a different opportunity to Tencent.

Apple could become the dominant and most profitable hardware enabled mobile AR player, scaling from zero to hundreds of millions of iPhone AR users by 2021. This could become the innovation for which Tim Cook is remembered, and potentially lead towards Apple’s long term smartglasses dominance going into the next decade (assuming smartglasses solve their 5 big challenges). Apple has been looking for a catalyst to take it beyond Steve Jobs’ legacy, and this could give it a real chance of becoming a 100 year company.

Samsung, Huawei and other phone makers could do very well when they start to sell AR phones, but don’t have Apple’s inherent ecosystem advantages. To do more than maintain the status quo, they might need to invest in or acquire totally new capabilities. Otherwise they could miss out on the profits others will make using their mobile AR phones.

Google’s Tango is currently geared to enabling a large open mobile AR ecosystem to drive its core search advertising and Google Play revenues, similarly to its current Android approach. However as with Baidu, the mobile AR opportunity to layer its data on the real world could improve its position.

Snap is already in the mobile AR business, even if it doesn’t call it that yet. But with a user base much smaller than Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp Status and a closed platform, Evan Spiegel might think about copying Mark Zuckerberg for a change.

No dog in this fight

Microsoft still hasn’t announced any play for mobile AR. They’ve got massive assets in mixed reality (HoloLens) and VR (Windows VR), so it depends on whether they see themselves as a consumer or enterprise company long term. Steve Ballmer’s biggest regret is missing out on mobile. Hopefully mobile AR won’t become Satya Nadella’s.

Amazon has also stayed quiet on mobile AR, despite reports of experiments with AR stores. If they’re not already working on it, this might be an area where Jeff Bezos could learn from Jack Ma.

Know your enemy, know yourself

The battle lines for mobile AR have been drawn, and some of the winners were clear before the first shot was fired. While it’s not too late for incumbents and startups in mobile AR, again in the words of Sun Tzu, “I have heard that in war haste can be folly, but have never seen delay that was wise.”

Time to saddle up.

[You can read more, including how mobile AR could hit over a billion users and $60 billion revenue by 2021, in Digi-Capital’s new Mobile Augmented Reality Report]

(Image credit: Father.io)