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mumbai-local · 3 years

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The Mirror Shaped Hole in Our Hearts

So this is it, this is where we get off.

There would be no Mumbai Mirror in our palms on weekday mornings, and even though we’d get it on Sundays and it would have a ‘strong digital presence’, we know they’re just ways to say ‘shop’s shutting, go home.’ For something that we spent no more than ten minutes on every day, it’s going to be a tough loss to digest. If you too have a hole in your heart, let me measure it for you.

At arguably one of the peaks of its 15-year life cycle, Mirror, the ‘compact’ daily from the Times Group, would break stories from IPL 2009 in South Africa that would read like nothing filed on the sports pages of The Times of India (TOI). Mirror held this cut-throat exclusivity as a filter for its news every day, across beats, to build a distinct voice for itself. The parent company, Bennett, Coleman and Co. (BCCL), would routinely fly separate correspondents to the same events, whether at Jamaica or Dunedin, and it was also common for the competing correspondents being friends and even sharing hotel rooms while despatching reports. The cumulative impact of TOI and Mumbai Mirror (MM), bundled together for distribution, years after Mirror’s 2005 launch, was a telling blow on competitors, most remarkably Mumbai’s oldest tabloid, Mid-Day.

At arguably another peak, MM had an extensive, snappily designed 16-page edition dedicated to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, put to bed hours after the main edition, which in itself would be of 56 to 64 pages. All this free-flowing newsprint, a continuously expanding market and most importantly, reams of full-page adverts, seems to be an obscene tale from another era.

To think that Mirror, from those highs, faced such a nosedive is ironically like one of the Bombay stories it loved telling. We know the arc well - the rise, the reign, the plot to bring it down, the fall and the end. It’s almost as if the ghosts of all those exclusive stories - of fallen industrialists, flopped film stars and failed society doyens - that Mirror unabashedly broke day on day, plotted this. BCCL attributes this closure to ‘the pandemic, lockdown and unprecedented economic crisis’ but we as Mirror faithfuls, take this as with a sack of salt.

This seems more of a jettison, and while not much is public as the BCCL empire isn’t a listed company, it’s safe to say the Jains wanted bleeding pets off their green books. There were reports of BCCL facing a consolidated net loss of Rs 451.63 crore in FY 19-20, a bungee jump from the net profits of Rs 484.27 crore in just the previous year.

Net-net, it’s this: Even before the ‘C word’ took the world economy down in 2020, the ‘bad news’ vibe was strong, and it must not have taken Mirror employees, adept at joining the dots while reporting on Bollywood’s love affairs, much time to update their LinkedIn profiles.

Hence, it’s intriguing that the official statement by The Times of India Group on this would mention a thing such as ‘the economy now officially in recession’. I’m no pink paper reader but to think that a behemoth such as the Times, running entities such as Medianet and Brand Equity Treaties and verticals such as Times Internet (which has brands such as Cricbuzz, Gaana and MX Player in its portfolio), is hurting from an ‘import duty adding to newsprint costs’... seems a wee… bit dodgy, much like Mirror’s famed ‘tailpiece’ blind items - you could only speculate the truth. But hey, what I’m sure of is this - that one primetime anchor going by the initials 'RSS’ on the Group’s alleged ‘news’ channel Times NOW, has not even mentioned the word ‘recession’ in a very long time, let alone cover it.

So to find out why the most profitable media house in the country with annual revenues of $1.5 billion and an average of over 30 per cent returns on investment in previous years did not want to ride out Mirror’s losses, you’d probably require a seasoned Mirror reporter, ideally from its film or crime beats.

But if you have been a reader of The Illustrated Weekly of India, Indrajal Comics or Times Crest, you are again disappointed, not surprised, that the owners have once again pulled the plug, but this time it’s on Bombay’s boldest voice. And no Saamna, you can’t come close.

In just April last year, MM was the only single edition newspaper to be among the top five newspapers in India, quite a feat given its perennial label of being a sibling to the older TOI beast. This younger one, and every younger sibling from Prince Harry to Hardik Pandya will agree, remained feisty, unabashedly self aware and delightfully anti-establishment through its lifetime, owing to the mother who raised it, the venerable Meenal Baghel.

Some credit this to ‘the nature of the beast’ that tabloid culture is - a naked, annoying, indelible aspect of big city life. But we - and by we, I mean those who got to work with Meenal - know that as the handler of this beast, she fed it meatloaf with one hand and held a whip in the other. That’s how the beast grew stronger every day and mauled the mighty.

The beast emboldened us to ask uncomfortable questions of our society and culture, and not in a Republic-reporter-chasing-Rhea’s-car manner, but in a civil, restrained one where Oxford commas and em dashes had pride of place.

It made photojournalist Sebastian D’Souza jump out his seat next to mine on the night of November 26, 2008, and dart out with his camera when we heard gunshots within metres of us, only to return with this photo.

It made us have the bravado to pick up the phone and call anyone in the country for an exclusive quote. “I’m XYZ from the Mumbai Mirror,” we’d say, not from The Times of India.

Mirror broke stories that stirred us in those ten minutes or less. Stories of blacklisted contractors winning road repair contracts using their wives’ names, of unscrupulous builders who’d unflinchingly steal lifetimes’ savings of retired peons, of principals who’d be sacked for exposing sexual harassment scandals, of everything adulterated - milk, water, air.

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Trigger warnings be damned - don’t like, don’t read if you can dare. While TOI and other dailies touched upon the city’s underbelly, Mirror thrived in it. It kept on showing us what’s under that flyover while we glided to work over it - the blood, gore and heartbreak. Wait, it literally did a story this year on cancer patients living under a flyover (and they promptly got help). Of course, there was gloss and fun and those ridiculous non-news about Kareena Kapoor juggling ‘work with motherhood’, but those were just the mixers to the other potent stuff.

You know what the real loss for Mumbai is, right? That most of these stories just won’t be reported in print. And no corrupt contractor or conniving criminal may lose sleep over a Sunday paper or a publication with ‘strong digital presence’ exposing them.

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The other ‘happy to see Mirror go’ could be Bollywood’s A, B and no-listers, who, once upon a time, would get palpitations if they’d see incoming calls from a certain Vickey Lalwani. “Dibakar, give me a story! Give me a sensational story! Mumbai Mirror has circulation of 750,000. Make it exclusive, okay?”

But I doubt they’d be too happy too - after all, if Mirror’s calling you, you’re hot currency.

(That said, there is a negligible number of people who are elated to see Mirror go, and they’re fans of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It so happened that on the morning of the launch of the much anticipated last book of the iconic series, Mirror carried a spoiler on its front page. ‘First things first, Harry Lives.’ Ouch. Younger siblings, after all, can also be incredibly cheeky and embarrassing at times. But we cannot do without them.)

In July 2019, I had asked Meenal, the finest editor I will ever work under, about just how she found the energy to run a tabloid compact like this every single day for so many years. “As long as the good days outnumber the bad, I keep going,” she’d replied. It was a fair way to convey how she and her team (me gratefully being a small part of it from 2005 to 2011) worked. We went out to battle every day and slept well every night, and the lakhs of readers, in return, gave us a high.

Now, when the dreaded ‘last edition’ is probably being wrapped around a vada-pav somewhere in Mumbai, all of us - Meenal, us former colleagues, the readers, the haters, the Mahinder Watsa fan club, everyone - will have our heads held up for knowing that the Mumbai Mirror era indeed had way more good days… well, even bloody good days, than the bad ones.

At least we won’t be shaking our heads and eye-rolling while looking at the front page of that old flagship broadsheet daily.

#mumbai #mirror #media #india #newspapers #tabloid

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kopykunoichi · 4 years

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The Legacy of Star Wars: An Open Letter to the Writers and Creators of A Galaxy Far, Far Away

“Suddenly the Rebellion is real for you. Some of us live it. I’ve been in this fight since I was six years old!” ~ Cassian Andor

I saw a great meme once that played off that quote, meant to depict an older fan describing to a newer fan how they had been invested in the story of Star Wars from childhood. I could relate. Though I am not old enough to have seen the original Star Wars movies in theater, they were a significant part of my childhood. I remember renting the original theatrical VHS from our local video store all the time when I was little. Then we bought the digitally remastered Special Edition VHS Box Set and I spent the next decade wearing them out! We would have popcorn and Star Wars marathons all the time. My friends and I would always pretend we were in the story. My swingset was the Millennium Falcon. I was that 11-year-old girl who would argue with my friends over who was hotter - Luke or Han. (The correct answer is Han, of course!) My mother would read the Expanded Universe novels to me in the afternoons and we would talk about the characters. All my spending money went to Jedi Apprentice books and 6 inch action figures. In short, I loved Star Wars.

I was 13 when The Phantom Menace hit theaters, and I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to get to see new stories from my favorite fictional universe play out on the big screen. Though I struggled a bit with some of the acting, the story was absolutely amazing to me. Star Wars felt all the more real to me with the amazing graphics and intense action sequences - not to mention the layers of politics and the complexity of the story. I watched Revenge of the Sith several times in theaters, and though it broke my heart to see Anakin’s fall, I never considered it to be a sad ending overall, when taken as a whole with the original trilogy.

When the Clone Wars aired in 2008, I was ecstatic. Here was an Anakin I could actually get into (sorry, Hayden). I loved him. I adored Ahsoka. I wanted to marry Rex. The character development and the plot deepened my attachment to that era, and made me question everything I had previously taken for granted as good and bad. The whole system was flawed - the Republic and the Jedi. It wasn’t just a matter of mistakes being made and the wool being pulled over their eyes, there was deep rooted corruption in the side that I once felt was “good”. The light side and the dark side were not as black and white as I thought. I found myself strongly disliking some of the “good guys” and deeply sympathizing with some downright detestable people (I don’t know how you got me to care for Maul, Filoni - but well done). While the series had not yet ended, we knew where it was going. But still, we had already lived through the pain of Order 66, and we knew that the story would eventually culminate in a victory at the end of Return of the Jedi.

I couldn’t believe our luck when the first installment of the sequel trilogy hit the theaters in 2015. It had some of the feelings of a reboot, but I was beyond thrilled to have a series of Star Wars movies that I could now share with my children, as my parents had shared them with me. Though it was hard to say goodbye to the first love of my life, Han Solo - I just knew that Ben would be redeemed and Han’s sacrifice would be worth it...

2016 brought us Rogue One. We knew how that one was going to end too, but we still ate it up. I fell in love with a whole new set of characters, only to see each and every one of them die in the end. Talk about tragedy. But Leia’s line about hope reminded us that five minutes later, a whiny little farm boy was about to have his whole life upended in the best sort of way...so it was okay. Sort of.

Four years of Rebels ended in 2018, and it was so, so lovely - but it hurt so, so much. My perfect, beautiful space family had been torn apart with Kanan’s death. Ezra was missing. Rex was a 29-year-old man who should have been in his prime, but was instead struggling with the wear and tear of a 60-year-old body. Ahsoka was separated from him - AGAIN - and then she left with Sabine to look for Ezra. The ending still held the promise of the fight to come with the Empire, but the majority of our characters were left in a place of grief and brokenness.

2019 brought an end to the sequel trilogy. Once again, we had characters who pulled at our heartstrings, and an interesting struggle between “light” and “dark” that reminded me of the complexities introduced in The Clone Wars. It became more apparent than ever that balance in the Force did not mean the light triumphing over the dark, but instead a harmony between the two. At least, that’s what I thought. Until I watched every person I loved from the original trilogy die, Palpatine come back (and die) again, and the same exact ending of Return of the Jedi played out before me - except not as happy. Why? Because Anakin’s legacy had been reduced to ashes - his rise, fall, redemption, and sacrifice rendered null and void. The last Skywalker was redeemed and promptly killed, just like his grandfather. But because Rey Palpatine decided that she identified as Rey Skywalker, it was supposed to be okay. She then went to go hang out (or live?) alone on Tatooine because that’s where it all started. I was dumbfounded. This was the satisfying, hopeful, ending we were promised? How?

Believe it or not, I’m not here to trash the sequels - I enjoyed them very much - right up until the last 20 minutes. But in that space of time, the entire legacy of the Skywalker family went up in smoke, and the legacy of Star Wars along with it. Since Return of the Jedi, there have been no happy endings to a Star Wars movie trilogy or TV show. And with the ending of The Rise of Skywalker, that one happy ending we did have was ripped from us as well. Star Wars is now a never ending series of tragic endings. The lessons we are left with: Don’t fall in love in Star Wars, it will end badly. Your actions ultimately result in failure. As soon as you turn good, you die. There is no balance in the Force, just a pendulum swinging back and forth for all time.

Then The Clone Wars finally got her last season. I didn’t think Order 66 could have hurt worse, but Filoni set out to prove us all wrong...and succeeded. I’m still not over it. And once more, the bitterness I felt over the ending to the sequels (which had begun to subside) flared up all over again. What was it all for? All that pain. All that sacrifice. No happy endings.

I still love Star Wars. Nothing can take that away from me. No amount of bad writing can change that. And there are still plenty of good writers and creators working on Star Wars content. But good writers spinning tales of tragedy and endless pain negates the power of good writing. The Star Wars of my childhood is not the Star Wars of today. We wore out those VHS tapes because we loved the stories and the people. But my kids are not going to wear out DVDs where everyone they love dies or ends up alone. They aren’t going to queue up those digital movies and series over and over - because who wants to subject themselves to that kind of torture?

Just about the only safe space for Star Wars fans right now is fanfiction archives where the people who love the characters are busy writing fix-it fics to squeeze some sort of satisfying ending out of the canon content. The Mandalorian is literally our last hope for a Star Wars story that has the potential to end well. I swear, if Din Djarin ends up dead or alone at the end of this series, I’m going to lose it. The overwhelming sentiment of the Star Wars fanbase - from original trilogy fanboys to Tumblr blogging Reylos, and everyone in between - is that of dissatisfaction with canon content (with the exception of The Mandalorian). So much so, that many fans are just saying “screw it” and churning out a myriad of fanfiction AUs because there is no way to salvage what has been written. Half of Tumblr is in therapy after The Rise of Skywalker ending and the last episode of Clone Wars - but they weren’t exactly stable to begin with. The other forums and social media platforms are not much better, though.

It’s not just about the quality of writing - because Filoni and co. have done exceptional work with The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Mandalorian. It’s the tragedy, guys. We can’t take it anymore. Is this really what we want the Star Wars legacy to be? Sadness? Despair? It’s a story about war - people are going to die. I get that. Victory comes at a price, but the cost can’t be worse than the victory. I want to sit down with my kids and watch Star Wars over and over again. The Mandalorian has given us a taste of that - but I’m almost afraid of where it will go. We’ve been burned so many times, I’m beginning to know what Anakin felt like on Mustafar - writhing in agony and screaming “I hate you” to someone he once loved.

I remember happier days when Luke and Leia and Han were laughing and smiling with their friends while Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Anakin looked on. I want that back. Filoni. Favreau. Creators. Writers. Producers. Directors. You are our only hope for canon content. Use The Mandalorian wisely. Use Din’s story to bless other characters. Here’s some ideas:

Let Din have a happy ending! Preferably with someone he loves and respects at his side (like Cara).

Let Cara become a Mandalorian - and put Paz Vizsla in charge of her training (we need to see them spar).

Let what’s left of the Tribe establish a new Mandalorian colony - and let Sabine Wren lead it. And give her that Darksaber back - she earned it.

Let Ezra come back from regions unknown with a deeper understanding of the Force, and have him train the child in the new colony.

Forget the Jedi and Sith, let’s start a medical training center/hospital run by Force users who can help heal people when modern medicine fails!

Ahsoka can use her talents for that too.

Find the rest of the child’s race and bring any of their Force sensitives onboard.

Let Boba Fett and Din have their epic showdown, but then use a sample of Boba’s unaltered DNA and some mystical Force healing to restore Rex’s body to what a 43-year-old should be (and then he can marry Ahsoka so we can have the Clone/Jedi couple we always wanted...thanks to you, Filoni).

Let the Mandalorians partner with the New Republic in the Outer Rim as law enforcement instead of bounty hunters, so they can get their reputation back.

They can train new recruits and pilots, just like Fenn Rau trained clones.

Let them keep their autonomy and traditions, while helping keep the New Republic honest.

Let them be a force for good in the galaxy, for once.

The Mandalorian could serve as the vessel to give a lot of characters with unresolved or tragic storylines some closure and better endings. If not The Mandalorian, then other new shows. My 6-year-old daughter wants nothing more than to be Ahsoka Tano. My 3-year-old son asks me to watch The Mandalorian every day. My 18-month-old daughter walks around in her brother’s Mandalorian helmet babbling “Way”. Please let me share the Star Wars legacy that I grew up loving with them. Let me show them the happy endings I enjoyed. Let me show them that even in the midst of conflict, not every life has to be ruined. Let me show them a Star Wars story with a satisfying ending. Hope. Redemption. Love. That’s what Star Wars means to me.

May the Force be With You (and your pens),

Rebekah, A Star Wars Fan

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uwmspeccoll · 5 years

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Flag Day - June 14, 2019

This Flag Day we’re taking a look at a patriotic book published during a time of turmoil—in 1918 during WWI. The pamphlet is titled 'Greetings to Those Who Love This Flag and These Ideals' and was published in Denver, Colorado by the Society to Keep the Schools Safe for Democracy and it addresses issues of obedience and allegiance that were brought up when teachers at Denver public schools were asked to sign a pledge that contained two parts. Two teachers declined to sign the second part of the pledge and were fired.

The first part was a pledge of loyalty to the United States, which both teachers signed gladly. The second part of the pledge was a promise “to promote by precept and example obedience to laws and constituted authorities.” The teachers took issue with that aspect of the pledge, on the basis that it goes against the values of freedom of thought, expression, and the ideals of the founding fathers that one ought to question laws and authorities when they go against human rights and reason. The quote on the front of the pamphlet from Woodrow Wilson sums up the arguments therein nicely:

“I can imagine no greater disservice to the country than to establish a system of censorship that would deny the people of a free republic like our own their indisputable right to criticise their own public officials.”

For the two teachers, Ellen Kennan and Gertrude Nafe, they weren’t only being fired from their jobs, but were also having their allegiance to their country challenged during wartime. Each made a statement to the school board in regard to the situation, and those statements make up the bulk of this pamphlet. In her statement, Ellen Kennan makes the point that the founders of the United States were law breakers, that even Milton broke the law when he felt it was unjust, and that Lincoln called for the same thing:

“The country with its institutions belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it.”

The teachers argue against “autocratic obedience” or automatic obedience to all laws and authorities, whether just or not, and for “democratic obedience” which appeals to a higher reason and conscience to know whether or not to obey laws and authorities. What’s more American than democracy, reason, and questioning authority?

Happy Flag Day!

#Flag Day #obedience #authority #democracy #liberty #Alice #question authority

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borisbubbles · 5 years

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Eurovision 2010s: 90 - 86

90. Suzy - “Queiro ser tua” Portugal 2014

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~Huawei Wa Wei~

I have mentioned earlier that Moran Mazor is arguably the saddest NQ, but Suzy is definitely up there in people whose success I was rooting for. Indeed, I mostly love Suzy because she was a TRAGICALLY ROBBED UNDERDOG.

You see, Suzy was ~BULLIED~ from the moment she had won FdC, and beaten Catarina in the F2. Now, I personally don’t mind “Mea Culpa” itself (my favourite was the drunken pirate hag known as 😍 ZANA 😍, but that’s for another ranking). However, I don’t think I’ve *EVER* witnessed a fanbase as downright evil as the Catarina stans. These ‘people’, by the lack of a better term, make the Beyoncé and Ultimo fans appear like kind and rational people. These... self-proclaimed ‘eurovision fans’ tried to intimidate Suzy into quitting by sending her death threats, all because she DARED to beat their erstwile female-mediocre flavour-du-jour. Who the fuck does that? Human pieces of shit, that’s who. 😤

There’s an *additional* sociocultural connotation to the entire Suzy vs Catarina debacle, but my friend André, who is Brazillian and has Suzy in his 2014 top three made a great post about the issue back in the day, so I’ll just quote him for those who want more backstory:

Quero Ser Tua belongs to a music genre called "pimba", which is perceived by the Portuguese middle and upper classes as tasteless and vulgar because of simple melodies and dirty metaphors (the latter not present in Quero Ser Tua). So they despised Suzy and (...) went in a fucking frenzy [when she won FdC], attacked the composer of Quero Ser Tua (also the father of pimba music), and accused him to rigging the televote and even started dozens of petitions (alol) and regularly vandalised Wikipedia writing that Portugal's entry was "disputed" or that Catarina was the real winner (holy alol). This drama speaks to me because Quero Ser Tua and pimba music in general sound like other genres of popular music we have here in Brazil that are also derided by the snotty-nosed middle class as vulgar and devoid of "culture", often with racial connotations on top of the social class ones. To me, Suzy's victory (rigged or not) has a political message: pimba IS culture, like any other kind of music, and it deserves to represent a country as great as Portugal because it's part of their culture and they should be proud. It's definitely a bigger statement than the bourgeois, mediocre Mea Culpa and I am proud of every Portuguese that voted for Suzy to win. <3

As for ~my~ layman’s opinion, well, I just think the song possesses some great summer sprit.😊 It’s a colourful explosion of cheerful accordeon, moody percussion and ethnic frivolity. 😍 Listening to “Quero ser tua” makes me very happy about 100% of the time, almost as much as the knowledge that, after being disliked for most of the pre-show, Suzy won everyone except for her most diehard haters over, becoming someone who is now almost unanimously deemed one of the most robbed NQs. STAY PRESSED, HATERS. >pasta :victorydance:

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89. Jana Burcheska - “Dance Alone” F.Y.R. Macedonia 2017

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[2017 Review here]

Like many of the 2017 entries, my passion for Jana dropped over time. Make of it what you must but I think the live of “Dance alone” kind of cheapens it... and you know what I think about cheap and trashy, I LOVE THAT OBVIOUSLY.😍

However, I also think the cheapness does Jana dirty, because “Dance alone” also happens to be one of my favourite songs OF 2017. Its 80s synth sound and high voltage fierceness left me bald and straight UPON IMPACT, with madly quotable lyrics that I STILL use in friendly banter to this day. 😍

The awesomeness is only further enhanced by Jana, who is -independently from her song- also one of the best humans in 2017. I absolutely ADORED this goat-voiced gremliness from the SECOND she spent her first interview shading the fuck out of Rykka 😍 (check the 2017 review for the dirt) and then proceeded to troll the press people by teasing that she actually couldn’t sing for no reason. 😍

Which brings me to the live act which.... conceptually is a match to the song, but which also doesn’t do it justice. Don’t get me wrong, Jana contorting her body as she’s assaulted by a Carolean windmachine sustains the crap out of me, but I have always thought “Dance alone” had more potential than shown in the live. (Getting rid of the “Wishing you could hold me close” closer is particularly upsetting imo.) Moldova and Azerbaijan would’ve turned “Dance alone” into an EASY top 30 in this ranking, but in the hands of Macedonia it’s a mere top 90 for me. 😭

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88. Lake Malawi - “Friend of a friend” Czech Republic 2019

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only a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend

Lake Malawi live the ultimate BorisBubbles dream: IMMENSELY annoying song whose appeal hinges entirely on how uncomfortable it makes other people, somehow convinces about ~95% of the loyal eurofans that it’s a fantastic masterpiece. 😍 ADVERSI-DEITIES 😍

Of course, the axis around which Lake Malawi spins is Albert, a human spark plug and mankind’s youngest thirty year old. Seeing Albert fling himself around the stage, never losing his entheusiasm is the main reason why “Friend of a friend” exceeded my already high expectations! Another, slightly-less awesome reason however is the D-sound-like staging:

It really just is a clever, likable entry. Of course, that doesn’t take away that “Friend of a Friend” is objectively one of the most irritating songs ever, making it anathema to the televoters’ tastes <3 😭(😍)

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87. Jamala - “1944″ Ukraine 2016

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It is only FITTING that Jamala and Lake Malawi rank alongside each other, star-crossed lovers that they are. ALBERT x JAMALA 5ever:

A greater love story than even Alfred x Amaia. However, this post is mostly about Jamala, so LET US discuss a great, if controversial winner. I will start with a small caveat and say that “1944″ isn’t the song for me. One of the biggest dealmakers in Eurovision songs for me is replayability “1944″ just doesn’t have that quality for me. I only really relisten to it when I must, for rewatching purposes. However, that does make the few times I DO revisit “1944″ all the more magical to me. If we take on board that songs are a means of expression, then “1944″ is one of the best songs ever, for the themes it expresses are all too real. I don’t even NEED the gutwrenching, defiant lyrics to *FEEL* the pain the nation of Ukraine is going through. The act sends shivers down my spine, body aching all the time. The Jamala Tree is one of modern Eurovision’s most iconic visuals:

Of course, that ALSO makes “1944″ one of the most notoriously political entries of all time. Now, other fans of Jamala might argue that, “No, it’s not about the Crimean war at all, just the historic deportation” and well... no? There is a reason why Jamala wrote this song *NOW* and not the last time she entered Vidbir. It *is* Jamala’s way of coping with the Russian invasion, something which *also* ties into her own family history. “1944″ is a very elegant, tasteful middlefinger aimed at Putin, but it’s a middlefinger nonetheless. However, what if it is? The Ukraine vs Russia conflict is a notoriously heated one and potshots are to be expected. If I have to chose between an open attack and a backhanded one (such as that rubbish entry from the Tolmachevy Sisters, or the two rubbish ones by Julia Samoylova), I will always pick the former.

Overall, I greatly appreciate “1944″ and think it’s a great winner. The composition is evocative of both Ukraine’s history and musical traditions, as well as their current predicament, making “1944″, despite pertaining to a specific year, a timeless experience. It is very deservingly considered one of Eurovision’s best winners by the fanbase, and I hope it remains a favourite for future generations to come.

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86. Joan Franka - “You and Me” The Netherlands 2012

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Yes, Joan ranks one spot above Jamala lmfao. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!!! 😈

Back in 2012, I obviously was a feverish Joan stan, mostly for Ironic reasons: “LMFAO JOAN TARD... it’s YOU... and ME! SO SILLY <3″ -- me Circa 2012, when my wit amounted to calling lovable dimwits “tards” and quoting song lyrics.

In 2019, I can say that... I still love Joan for her ineptitude and frivolity, but with the added layer of *genuinely* loving Joan for Joan. From the consistently offkey singing, to dressing up like a Lakota warchief (completely oblivious to how inappropriate this is 😍), to the bonfires (pandering to the Land Of Fire, Azerbaijan 😍) and the general-happy-go-lucky vibe, “You and me” just feels so.. real? Like a real person regaling real stories of a real romance with a real (boy)friend. It is so disarmingly earnest, which of course, being stuck in 2012, meant that it was unceremoniously offed by the professional juries. TOO PURE FOR THIS DAMN’ WORLD. 😭

Since this update booted the final entries from Portugal, Macedonia and the Czech Republic, I’ll disclose my final thoughts below, as to not disrupt the ranking:

PORTUGAL:

Honestly, a pretty good chart for Portugal, despite being the fourth country to be fully eliminated from the ranking. I was hoping that Salvabrat would have started a hot streak, but alas. Portugal just keep getting screwed over by subpar staging and their own stubborness, leading to insistent dismissal by the fanbase. I fucking hope people (Portugal deniers) come to their senses though because they are consistently robbing one of Eurovision’s best fucking countries.

NORTH MACEDONIA:

Sean Tarbuck from ESCUnited nailed Macedonia the best: they are a country of amazing music and utterly disastrous lives. They are probably the single worst stagers in Eurovision? The numbers don’t lie, with a qualification rate equivalent worse than San Marino’s. Just look at what Slovenia and Serbia are doing, Maco, and you’ll be fine!!!

CZECH REPUBLIC

There isn’t much to say about the Czech, but they’ve finally contributed with an entry I not only liked, but loved. I do think we are in the beginning years of a Czech Golden Age though and if they can keep that hot streak going, Eurovision might be coming to Prague very soon (ie: within the next five years.)

#Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #Netherlands #Ukraine #Czech Republic #Macedonia #Portugal #Joan Franka #Jamala #Lake Malawi #Jana Burceska #Suzy #You and me #1944 #Friend of a friend #Dance alone #Quero ser tua

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rkmg · 5 years

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〈♦〉JUNE 30TH, 2019 → kim mingyu. royal boys acting opportunity. ↳ marius pontmercy scene from the play les misérables. ↳ we are the republic monologue. ( 00:02 - 2:02 )

on that wednesday when they were first called out of practice for a special announcement, mingyu felt his heart rate increase to about ten times as fast as usual. it was odd when things happened out of the ordinary, and being a trainee, it felt so much more terrifying. he was both excited and scared to hear what the news was, which just left him a big ball of trembling nerves by the time he was actually seated in the auditorium.

truthfully speaking, everything got a lot worse instead of better the moment that one of the coaches began speaking. it was almost like they wanted to play tricks with the boys, not allowing them the comfort and satisfaction of knowing what was going on. all mingyu could focus on was the fact that whatever he heard, he was supposed to keep a secret. that didn’t bother him, however. it’s not like he actually had any real friends outside from another royal boy, so there wasn’t a risk there. still, the seriousness of it all make him uneasy.

much to mingyu’s delight, some of his worries are put to rest after an unnecessary pause that causes him to feel even sicker, once it’s stated that none of this is regarding a debut. although he wanted that to happen eventually, obviously, this didn’t feel like the best time. he had so much going on right now and he is convinced he would literally lose his mind and work himself into the ground if... he had to think about that. this was better. he could relax a bit now, nothing was going to be as horrible as he originally imagined.

another thing that makes mingyu feel a hell of a lot better is discovering that this won’t be anything else variety-related. he hasn’t even finished this month and he already felt like he never wanted to try to make himself appealing again. he felt like he was being tossed into the deep end with no actual preparation or advice. of course, that wasn’t totally true given the endless training that he’s met with on a daily basis, but that was beside the point.

once he hears what is actually going to be happening, he feels mixed emotions. perhaps the biggest is disappointment, though not at what he’s being made to do... it was really directed at himself. acting was something that was so important to him, even if he hasn’t had the opportunity to do it himself. it was a dream of his and something he aspired to get better at... yet he’s always so busy. now, he has the chance to do something involving it, which would make him so incredibly grateful and happy, but he knows he doesn’t have what it takes.

after all of the boys were dismissed and sent back to training, mingyu did his best to avoid the conversation topic with anyone. he didn’t want to talk about it or face it, and he especially didn’t want to hear the other boys’ plans of what scene they would be doing. this was something he would just think about obsessively on his own and try not to feel too much bitterness about. it was his own fault, really. he should have expected an opportunity like this to arise eventually. it would have been smart for him to take it upon himself to get better and sharpen his abilities, chasing his dreams of wanting to acquire the talent... it was on him that he didn’t.

for a while, he told himself that it wasn’t something that he should even do. he practically decided against it, knowing that he wouldn’t get anything out of it. he would just be wasting everyone else’s time, so what would even be the point? but, no matter how much he tried to convince himself that it wouldn’t matter, he kept hearing that voice in the back of his head that would remind him that “initiative is about as important as your actual talent.” what if he just skipped this opportunity and it came back to bite him later? he really didn’t want to unintentionally doom future mingyu... then he would think about this exact moment and regret it forever.

even if nothing came of it, mingyu had to give it a shot. it was hard for him to believe that he was worth all of the added effort, but he couldn’t just do it for himself. this was for won and for his mom, too. they would want him to take any opportunity that he has to both shine and get himself ahead. it was bad enough that he was so far behind in the first place... he felt like he had a lot of catching up to do in comparison to the other royal boys. perhaps he would make a total fool out of himself, but at least it would look good to the coaches that he tried his best.

as soon as he was on his laptop and trying to figure out a scene, he felt like giving up again. it was such a quick switch from optimism to pessimism that it practically gave him whiplash. it was then that he really processed that he had no idea where to start. this was something he wanted to do on his own, since he didn’t want to have to share the failure with anyone if he messed up, but he wasn’t familiar enough with dramas or movies to even come up with a solid idea. frustration took over him rather quickly, both inwardly and outwardly. in defeat, he leaned forward and put his head on his desk, though it was there that his line of sight aligned with the les misérables book on his shelf... so then he wondered...

clearly, he wouldn’t be able to do any singing. for one, that wasn’t part of the plan and he wasn’t sure if he would be penalized, but also... he was just a really shitty singer. still, it was a play and productions were typically riddled with monologues. it took him a while to find the perfect one for him to perform and he wasn’t totally sure if it’s what the coaches were looking for, however... they never told him that he couldn’t do something from a play.

mingyu did feel like he had a little bit of an advantage choosing something from his favorite story ever written since he was already so familiar with it. he didn’t know the scene word for word yet, but he knew bits and pieces and it wasn’t hard for him to connect the dots. when he was younger, he liked to pretend that he was an actor and he would stand in front of a mirror, examining his expressions and trying to make himself believable. since then, he has given up on trying so hard, but it was still a good tactic. being able to see himself meant knowing when he was making mistakes. it also just helped to think about the character for a long time and picturing yourself in their shoes. you are no longer quoting the character, you have to become them. their struggles are your struggles, their joy is your joy. you have to understand why they feel the way that they feel... think about their motives, their desires, their fears...

in this particular scene, marius was angry. he was angry and tired because basic freedoms were being taken away from people, innocents just trying to write and learn being arrested because of the king and his laws.

mingyu practiced religiously, more than he should have been for the monthly evaluations. for the first time in a long time, he was so genuinely excited for something. still, his brain was cruel and wanted him to believe that it was going to be pointless and that he was just going to take up more of the coaches’ time than necessary, but he had no choice but fight those intrusive and invasive thoughts. for once, he just wanted to be able to look forward to and enjoy something that was so important to him. he couldn’t allow himself to ruin this.

the 30th finally rolled around, and mingyu was so ready for the evaluations to be over and done with so he would finally get to perform his scene and stop thinking about it so much. it was constantly on his mind, even when he desperately needed to be focusing on something more important at that particular moment in time. needless to say, he was over the moon after he was eliminated from the running man game and everything for that month finally came to a close... well, everything except for acting out his scene.

he imagines that this is similar to what an audition must feel like. he never has experienced one for himself, but he doesn’t picture it being vastly different. clearly, he wasn’t auditioning for anything here, or if he was, he didn’t know about it... but it gave off the aura that he has always viewed for hopeful actors looking to land a role in something that they’ve been wanting for an extremely long time.

once he was in the room with those he was meant to perform the scene in front of, he greeted them with a smile and a soft, nervous laugh. but, he knew he was going to have to quickly shift from being kim mingyu to marius pontmercy if he wanted to do well. he took a moment, trying to ignore the shaking of his hands and the fast beating of his heart, closing his eyes and imagining his life as no longer as his own, but as the secretly wealthy boy that fights for freedom and love. he becomes someone that is greater than himself, then begins when he is instructed to.

“we can’t strike. why not? because it’s against the law to strike! the king has declared that everything is a crime! writing is a crime. two weeks ago, the police destroyed the galaty, the worker's newspaper. they smashed the press. they burned over two thousand newspapers but that didn't satisfy the king...” he was already beginning to raise his voice as he spoke, getting into the part and feeling himself feel frustrated and angry just as marius did. he felt as though he was talking to a crowd of people, trying to both inform, warn, and rally, instead of the coaches that were actually carefully watching him.

“three days ago at a student meeting, a peaceful meeting, soldiers broke it up and arrested two of my friends. writing... talking... going to class, speaking out is a crime.” at this point, it was too early for him to know how it was going, though it’d be a lie to say that it was even on his mind at all. the only thing that mingyu was focused on was what he was supposed to say, as well as getting across the emotions that he felt. he wanted them to be just as angry and upset... he needed them to feel what he felt so that they may stand with him.

his expression shifted from one that was merely frustrated to one that was both angry and hurt. he sorrowfully shook his head, almost as if he hated to admit what he was going to say next. his volume went down several notches, almost as if he was pitifully and sadly whispering his next line. “being poor is a crime...” then, his anger intensified once again, indicating how upsetting all of this was for him. “being poor is the worst crime of all. and if you commit these crimes, you are condemned for life. our government has no mercy... no pity... no forgiveness. and there's no work for us. and because there's no work, our children are starving.” after that line, he paused for the dramatic effect that he was going for, taking just a moment to harshly breathe, though he never broke character once. it was all just a part of the act.

“tell me... why are we powerless to save the people we love? all of you know. tell me — why? the king betrayed us. we were promised the vote, do we have it? do we have the vote?! where is the republic our fathers died for?!” after he shouted the question, he angrily scoffed, shaking his head in disappointment.

there is a short pause as he waits for it all to sink in, giving those watching a moment before continuing with a subtle smile. it’s hopeful and full of determination... desire for a better future. “it is here, my brothers. it lives here in our heads. but most of all... best of all, it's here in our hearts. in our hearts — we are the republic!”

once the scene has ended, there is a visible shift in mingyu’s expression as he transitions from playing the part to being back to himself. it’s only then that he can fully process what’s just happened and how he feels slightly embarrassed. a large grin forms on his face, his cheeks heating up and probably reddening. he laughs just a little as he bows, expressing his gratitude with a quiet “thank you.”

#rkrbact #; solo.#( love my son )#( love his love of acting and les mis )#( i worked harder on that than i have on a solo in a while )#wc: 2214

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dentalinfotoday · 5 years

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Want to comfort and celebrate your child losing baby teeth with a memorable tooth fairy tradition? Well, don’t tell anyone…But, since he’s a dentist, my dad knows her personally. 🧚

I’m here to fill you in on the best ways to celebrate the tooth fairy, plus what she’s paying out these days and how to get her to email your child a personal congratulations on losing a tooth.

(Want us to send your child an email from the tooth fairy? You can skip to the section on how to write a tooth fairy letter, or just fill out the form right here.)

Get an Email from the Tooth Fairy

Disclosure:

Ask the Dentist is supported by readers. If you use one of the links below and buy something, Ask the Dentist makes a little bit of money at no additional cost to you. I rigorously research, test, and use thousands of products every year, but recommend only a small fraction of these. I only promote products that I truly feel will be valuable to you in improving your oral health.

When the Tooth Fairy is Your Dentist Dad

The tooth fairy remains one of my most vivid memories from childhood. Perhaps having a father as a dentist will do that.

When I was seven years old, I accidentally swallowed a loose tooth during a baseball game. I was devastated that the tooth fairy wouldn’t be able to come. My parents acted disappointed along with me.

Yet, lo and behold, that night, she did come. The next morning, I woke up to a hand-written note explaining that she had flown down my mouth to retrieve the tooth. This magical visitor warned me to be more careful next time, as it was quite the ordeal for her and she had many other children to visit that night.

But this was all over 20 years ago. As I prepare to carry on the tradition with my own daughter, I wanted to find out—what’s changed? What hasn’t? What does playing the tooth fairy for my child look like in 2019?

And, to be honest, I had some reservations about “lying” to our daughter. Personally, I was devastated when I learned that Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and the tooth fairy weren’t real at the ripe old age of 10 (I know, I know).

What does a tooth fairy do?

First, a child loses a baby tooth and places it under their pillow or on their nightstand. The tooth fairy visits while the child sleeps, taking the tooth and exchanging it with a coin, a note or receipt, or a few dollars.

But is that all the tooth fairy does?

I’ll be honest…Even though I had happy memories of this mystical experience from childhood, I questioned whether I wanted to carry on the tradition with my child. Isn’t it lying? And isn’t it a bizarre thing to be exchanging old body parts for money?

But the more I learned, the more I realized that the tooth fairy is actually a crucial part of a child’s development during what can be a scary time.

Perhaps that explains why the origins of the tooth fairy extend hundreds of years back. Some report the Tooth Fairy showing up in print as far back as 1927, and perhaps as far back as the beginning of human history.

According to Michael Higston, a reporter from Salon, “Every recorded human culture has some kind of tradition surrounding the disposal of a child’s lost baby teeth.”

Here are a couple stories shared with me in a Facebook group of fun tooth fairy experiences:

“I didn’t grow up in the U.S. and there’s no tooth fairy where I come from. You sing a song for the mouse to take your tooth and bring you a nice, shiny one instead and throw it on the roof. That’s what I’ve been doing with my kids. Nowadays they ask why the tooth fairy doesn’t come to our house.”

“Our tooth fairy is named Lucinda. She’s a good fairy, but she’s a bit absent-minded, as fairies tend to be. Sometimes she’d lose her way and may take a few days to get here; sometimes she’d leave a coin but forgets to take the tooth. Last night she took only 1 of the 2 teeth under the pillow but left a few gold coins. We talk about Lucinda’s antics endearingly. We think she is Lucinda in Ella Enchanted and we think she will come back for the tooth she absent-mindedly left behind last night.”

To Provide Comfort in Pain & Fear

The tooth fairy myth offers comfort during this strange and uncomfortable time, and provides magic and even meaning for children in a developmentally appropriate way.

Losing a tooth can be quite scary, especially for younger children.

This is something I had forgotten as an adult—but there’s the anxiety of the long period where you have a wiggly tooth and you’re waiting for it to come out. I remember refusing to let anybody touch by wiggly tooth, even as my parents begged me to let them just take it out—it got so loose that it was actually leaning to one side!

I was protective of the tooth, anxious about the pain, and unsure of what it would be like to lose it. Once the tooth did come out (my dad had to pull it out), there was pain and blood.

The tooth fairy is the celebration of a milestone as well as comfort to children through what can be a scary or uncomfortable transition. It’s traumatic for a child to lose a body part, especially for the first time!

To Celebrate and Motivate

And for other kids who aren’t afraid, losing a tooth is something to celebrate. The tooth fairy marks the occasion for both parents and kids. Who could complain about adding a little magic to a child’s life?

Some tooth fairies leave a note along with money to praise the child for good dental hygiene habits and oral health. This can be extremely motivating for a child and provides motivation to brush and floss.

What does the tooth fairy look like?

Depending on where you live, the tooth fairy might not be a “fairy” at all. Children’s teeth are taken night after night by mice, tissues, and even trees. We share some stories from around the world in the next section, but here’s a fun map of a few of the ways the tooth fairy is depicted.

Ask your child! “What do YOU think she looks like?” Guaranteed, you’ll get an interesting answer!

Tooth Fairy Stories & Traditions Around the World

Since nearly every culture in the world marks the loss of baby teeth in different ways, I searched for what this looks like in countries around the globe.

In Spanish-speaking countries, France, as well as Belgium, children leave their lost teeth under their pillow for a little mouse. The American tooth fairy is not dissimilar from el Ratóncito Pérez. This mouse collects the tooth in exchange for a coin, similar to the tooth fairy.

In many Asian countries—including India, China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam—children throw their lost tooth on the roof or bury it, depending on whether the lost tooth came from the upper or lower jaw.

Hence the title of this book, which details traditions from all over the world when children lose a tooth: Throw Your Tooth on the Roof.

Here are some of the ways the “tooth fairy” celebrates lost baby teeth in various countries, quoted from Throw Your Tooth on the Roof:

North America

United States/Canada: We celebrate with the tooth fairy, who visits during the night to pay us a few dollars for losing a tooth. Sometimes, she leaves a note!

Mexico: “I leave my tooth in a box on the bedside table in hopes that El Ratón, the magic mouse, will take my tooth and bring me some money. He leaves more money for a front tooth.”

Navajo: “My mother saves my tooth until my mouth stops hurting. We take my tooth to the southeast, away from our house. We bury the tooth on the east side of a healthy young sagebrush, rabbitbrush or pinyon tree because we believe that east is the direction associated with childhood.”

Yellowknife Déné: My mother or grandmother takes my tooth and puts it in a tree and then my family dances around it. This makes certain that my new tooth will grow in as straight as a tree.

Central America & the Caribbean

Costa Rica: “My mother takes my tooth and has it plated with gold and made into an earring for me to wear.”

Dominican Republic: “I throw my tooth on the roof of my house so a mouse can come take it away and bring me a better one. Sometimes I get money when I do this.”

El Salvador: “I put my tooth under my pillow. My father says that during the night a rabbit will come. It will take my tooth and leave me some money.”

Guatemala: “I put my tooth under my pillow and wait for El Ratéon to leave me some money.”

South America

Argentina: “I put my tooth in a glass of water. During the night a little mouse called el Ratóncito will come and drink all the water, take my tooth, and leave me some coins or candy in the empty glass.”

Brazil: “I throw my tooth outside and say this poem: Lovely birds, dear birds, take away this tooth of mine and bring another one to me.” The birds only take clean teeth so I must brush my teeth every day.”

Colombia: “I put my tooth under my pillow and wait for a mouse called El Ratón Miguelito to take my tooth and leave money in its place.”

Chile: “I give my tooth to my mother. She will have it made into a charm, set in gold or silver, so I can wear it as a necklace or an earring.”

Venezuela: “I put my tooth under my pillow. While I am asleep, a mouse will take the tooth and bring me some coins.”

Europe

Turkey: “If my parents want me to grow up to graduate from school, they might bury my tooth in the garden of the university. If they hope I will become a doctor, they bury it in the garden of a hospital, or they bury it in a soccer field so I will be a good soccer player.”

Denmark: “I put my tooth under my pillow at night and wait for the tooth fairy called Tand Feen to take my tooth and leave me some money.”

England: “When I go to sleep, I put my tooth under my pillow and wait for the Tooth Fairy to come.”

France: “I put my tooth under my pillow. A mouse, La Petite Souris, will come to take it and leave a gift for me.”

Sweden: “I put my tooth in a glass of water. In the morning my tooth will be gone and a coin will be in the glass.”

Africa

Cameroon: “I throw my tooth over the roof, shouting, “Take this bad tooth and bring me a new one.” Then I hop around my house on one foot and everyone laughs.”

Egypt: “I wrap my tooth in some cotton or a tissue and take it outside. I say, “Shining sun, shining sun, take this buffalo’s tooth and bring me a bride’s tooth.” Then I throw the tooth high up, at the eye of the sun. (The Arabic word for bride is aroussa, which also means a candy or sweet.)”

Mali: “I throw my tooth in the chicken coop. The next day I might find a big fat hen in the coop and my mother will make chicken soup.”

Nigeria: “I hold my tooth in my fist with eight stones to make a total of nine (a girl will hold six stones and her tooth to make seven). Next, I close my eyes, say my name out loud, count to the number in my fist, and say, “Oh, I want my tooth back!” Then I throw them and run away. It is very important to run away.”

South Africa: “I leave my tooth in a slipper in my room. Tonight a mouse will come, take my tooth, and leave me a gift. My sister is afraid of mice so she left her slipper outside her door. The mouse left her a present anyway.”

Asia

China: “I put my upper tooth at the foot of my bed and the bottom tooth on the roof. My parents say that it will make my new tooth grow in faster.”

Kazakhstan: “I drop my tooth under the bathtub and say, “Mouse, mouse, bring me a new tooth, please.” We don’t have any mice in our apartment but I do it anyway.”

Kyrgyzstan: “I roll my tooth in bread and give it to an animal, preferably to a mouse because they have healthy sharp white teeth that grow quickly. If I feed it to a dog, I might get ugly yellow dog teeth.”

Russia: “My mother said to put my tooth in a mouse hole in the ground.”

Lithuania: “I keep my tooth as a keepsake.”

India: “I throw my tooth on the roof and ask the sparrow to bring me a new one.”

Sri Lanka: “I close my eyes and say, “Squirrel, squirrel, take this tooth and give me a new one.” Then I throw the tooth on the roof and run into the house without looking.”

Philippines: “I hide my tooth in a special place and make a wish. A year later, if I can still find my tooth, I can make another wish.”

Australia & New Zealand

Aboriginal Australians: “My family helps me put my tooth inside the shoot of a pandanus plant so that when the pandanus grows into a tree, my tooth will grow too. There are spirits in the pandanus leaves that will look after me while my tooth is growing.”

Australia: “I put my tooth under my pillow and wait for the Tooth Fairy to take my tooth and bring me some money.”

New Zealand-Maori: “I put my tooth under my pillow. My parents will collect the tooth and give me a small gift. Then they will throw my tooth into the mighty river, the Waikato. My tribe is named after the river.”

Want to see more countries and beautiful illustrations from these stories and more? I highly recommend sharing Throw Your Tooth on the Roof with your child!

8 of Our Favorite Tooth Fairy Ideas to Celebrate Losing Baby Teeth

1. Use foreign currency.

A coin from Canada or Mexico could indicate where the Tooth Fairy’s last visit was, and maybe spur a fun conversation for a kid who loves travel or geography!

2. Give a toy or book instead of money.

You know your kid best—and hey, wouldn’t it be fun to get to be Santa more than once a year?

I also love this toothbrush to encourage fun toothbrushing time, if you’d like to get a more dental-specific gift.

3. Use Sacagawea coins for added whimsy.

Go to the bank and stock up with a roll of gold Sacagawea coins. A $1 coin costs $1 and you can get them at the bank. They’re legal tender!

There are 20 primary teeth, so get 20 coins if you don’t want to make a second trip to the bank.

4. Have the tooth fairy send your child a gift.

Gift a tooth pillow or a fun monster pillow with a tooth fairy receipt notepad. I love these for anyone worried their child will recognize their handwriting but who still wants to leave a note! Plus, it comes from the tooth fairy herself.

Have a more tech-loving child? Especially as your little one loses baby teeth and is learning to read, we’d love to send them a personalized email from the tooth fairy.

All you have to do is click the button below and enter your email, name, and child’s name.

Get an Email from the Tooth Fairy

5. Use a printed tooth chart.

Print out a chart to let your child see their tooth losing progress. This lets them take an active part in their mouth.

When kids do this, they take care of their teeth for life, so it’s much more than just a fun tradition!

6. Write down how it fell out in a little journal.

These stories are fun! Snap a photo of your child for the baby book for memories they’ll one day be able to share with their children.

7. Share the reality of why the good fairy is a celebrated fictional character.

For parents like me who are worried about “lying” to their children, check out this book which was recommended to me by several moms: The (Wonderful) Truth About Santa.

One reviewer put it best:

“Miraculously, this book tells the real truth about Santa Claus in a way that makes it even more joyous and beautiful. If you have young children and celebrate this aspect of Christmas, you need this book at some point.

“If you’d rather not deceive your children about the reality of Santa, you can begin reading this book to them now. If you prefer to take the “Santa is real (and literal)” approach, this book can help you explain it to them once they discover the truth.”

8. Go all out with the fairy experience.

Amazon sells pixie or fairy dust that you can sprinkle on the money left by the bedside, around the house or, if you really want to go all out, you can sprinkle the dust outside the window and down the street!

Whatever your particular brand of whimsy, leaving “evidence” of the tooth fairy’s visit can help create a magical and exciting experience.

How much does the tooth fairy leave these days?

Ever wondered what the going rate is for the Tooth Fairy? We decided to run a tooth fairy poll of over 1700 US parents and find out…

Here’s a chart of what we found. Scroll below to see the map!

State Average Payout Alabama 3.08 Alaska 3.83 Arizona 2.97 Arkansas 3.72 California 3.61 Colorado 3.47 Connecticut 3.23 Delaware 4.46 District of Columbia 3.71 Florida 2.97 Georgia 3.7 Hawaii 3.57 Idaho 3.36 Illinois 3.41 Indiana 3.42 Iowa 3.91 Kansas 3.62 Kentucky 3.2 Louisiana 3.22 Maine 3.06 Maryland 3.2 Massachusetts 2.56 Michigan 3.33 Minnesota 3.29 Mississippi 3.12 Missouri 3.43 Montana 4.35 Nebraska 3.27 Nevada 3.93 New Hampshire 3.77 New Jersey 3.21 New Mexico 3.6 New York 3.53 North Carolina 2.97 North Dakota 4.15 Ohio 3.11 Oklahoma 3.86 Oregon 2.87 Pennsylvania 3.28 Rhode Island 4.02 South Carolina 2.75 South Dakota 3.62 Tennessee 2.8 Texas 3.56 Utah 3.25 Vermont 3.98 Virginia 3.12 Washington 3.23 West Virginia 3.86 Wisconsin 2.74 Wyoming 4.33

How to Write a Tooth Fairy Letter

There WILL be a time when you are busy and forget…so tell the kids you have to email the fairy for a tooth pick up. That way, they know to blame you for forgetting to notify the tooth fairy instead of the fairy for having fallible magic.

If you’d like to send us an email, we have a partnership with the Tooth Fairy herself and will respond to your child! Just click the button below to enter your information.

Get an Email from the Tooth Fairy

Have a forgetful Tooth Fairy in your house? You’ll want to hang on to this email address so you’ll be able to send a note to her supervisor and act just as disappointed along with your child. (You’ll even be able to respond to the tooth fairy’s email here at Ask the Dentist!)

The tooth fairy also sometimes leaves notes in tiny cursive, written with a sparkly purple gel pen. The notes can answer anything! Think about these options:

Questions left by the kids (Where do you live? How old are you?)

Comments on how long it had been since she has visited

Plights about how tough it was to get to our house on a windy night

How excited the tooth fairy was to see a clean room

Resources

If you love printables and creative giveaways as much as me, you’ll love these resources for celebrating the tooth fairy:

Scholastic’s Letter to the Tooth Fairy — Help your child write a letter to the fairy about their lost tooth experience and teach them good vocabulary!

Party with Unicorn’s Printables — From a tooth fairy certificate in pink or blue, to a printable door hanger, to a box to store a lost tooth, these free printables are a ton of fun.

Party with Unicorn’s Tooth Fairy Coloring Pages — Got a little one who can’t get enough of creating art? These sweet coloring pages are perfect for celebrating a visit from the good fairy.

Momdot’s Tooth Fairy Receipt — Train ‘em young to keep those receipts! 😉 Seriously, though, your kid may love a personalized reminder of the tooth they lost.

Tooth Fairy Pressed Penny — No printer? Want a more tangible gift your child can keep through adulthood? This pressed penny keepsake is a perfect option.

Celebrating Childhood

It’s not just an outdated tradition—it’s important to help kids with a major milestone.

Some parents don’t make it so literal—they tell the kids, “we pretend the Tooth Fairy comes.” Some parents go all out. Some parents abandon the tradition altogether—who needs yet another thing? You know your kid and yourself best.

“For this kind of thing, we love to do the traditions, but I say something like “we pretend the tooth fairy comes and does x y z” instead of “the tooth fairy comes and does x y z”. It’s like a fun game we play together which kids love to do with adults, and still feels real and very magical to small children, but also doesn’t set us up for a potential moment of betrayal down the road.”

Our daughter is only two years old, so I don’t know what we’ll do for her when she loses her first tooth.

But what I do know is that the Tooth Fairy will definitely be paying her a visit—whether it’s with a toy, a note, a little Tooth Fairy door, or a shiny gold coin.

I can’t wait to give her the same magical experience that I shared with my dad when I was a kid. Yes, it’s kind of an odd tradition, but why not create a new memory with your child and have fun with it? Otherwise, it’ll be just another day.

My advice—you do you! With our daughter, we like to make every tradition our own with a little spin on it. Lower your expectations and see where it leads you.

You and your child may have funny stories to laugh about years from now!

The post 8 Fresh Tooth Fairy Ideas + 2019 Rates by State [Parent’s Guide] appeared first on Ask the Dentist.

from Ask the Dentist https://askthedentist.com/tooth-fairy/

#Dentistry #Blog

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d2kvirus · 5 years

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Dickheads of the Month: January 2019

As it seems that there are people who say or do things that are remarkably dickheaded yet somehow people try to make excuses for them or pretend it never happened, here is a collection of some of the dickheaded actions we saw in the month of January 2019 to make sure that they are never forgotten.

It seems that Rachel Riley is quite smart at maths but a complete moron at anything else, what with her accusing Noam Chomsky of antisemitism in spite of the fact that Chomsky is a little bit Jewish, before following it up by encouraging her far-right Twitter followers to dogpile onto anyone voicing different opinions to her - which mainly involved a 16-year old girl bearing the brunt of it. However she wasn’t finished there, as when she was rightly being criticised for encouraging her followers to dogpile onto people she then went whinging to the press about being bullied by left-wing trolls before announcing she needed personal security for when she was attending Countdown tapings, which sounds uncannily similar to the same stunt Laura Kuenssberg pulled a couple of years ago

Starting the year with a bang we had Chris Grayling first try and defend the Seaborne Freight farce by saying he was supporting up-and-coming British business (while omitting the parts about them being owned by the brother of a significant Tory donor, or not having any ships or trading history, let alone the fact the contract wasn’t even put out to tender) and followed that up by claiming the rail fare hikes are entirely the fault of the unions and definitely nothing to do with shareholder dividends or years of rail services taking the piss with fare hikes on January 2nd every year. Of course, Grayling being Grayling, he also helped out the Britait debate by saying that a second referendum shouldn’t take place because if the result came back in support of Remain it would go against The Will Of The People™ - which apparently said people willingly voting to remain wouldn’t be

It didn't help Grayling that those checking the Seaborne Freight website found that their Ts & Cs were from the template used when setting up a website for a takeaway food outlet, the timetable for services was blank (and, for some reason, in Latin), while their privacy page had forgotten that the fields marked [Business Name] are supposed to be filled with the name of the business using the website

Overly sensitive snowflake Piers Moron Morgan spent a hell of a lot of time and energy yelling from the rooftops how appalling it was that Greggs are selling vegan sausage rolls, which is apparently the downfall of humanity as we know it and definitely not the hourly cry for attention from an attention-seeking lunatic - and while some claimed it was a stunt because he and Greggs share a PR agency, that theory appears to have been ever so slightly undermined by him then spouting off about McDonalds selling vegan Happy Meals

It’s funny how James Goddard demonstrated just how much of a difference a day makes, with him threatening Anna Soubry and Owen Jones on January 7th and bellowing at police officers that if they so much as touched him he’d start a a war...yet on January 8th he was bawling his eyes out on Twitter because his Facebook and PayPal accounts had been terminated

Lying (through his teeth) in front of a tractor Boris Johnson claimed he never mentioned Turkey at any point during the EU Referendum campaign - and when confronted with his numerous comments about Turkish immigrants flocking into the UK if the country voted Remain by Channel 4 journalist Michael Crick, he ran away to hide like an utter coward

Proving that gaslighting is the in thing at the BBC, Director General Tony Hall stated in an interview with the Financial Times that there is no need to discipline Andrew Neil for referring to Carole Cadwalladr as a “mad cat woman” as he had apologised - except for the fact that, while it may be plausible that Neil apologised to the BBC, there has not been a public apology for his comments

Sticking with the BBC, it took just two editions of Question Time before Fiona Bruce showed her true colours as she spent ten minutes making jokes about Diane Abbott (including suggesting that she only became Shadow Home Secretary because she once slept with Jeremy Corbyn) prior to one edition which Abbott was a guest on, and for the remainder of the episode constantly talked over Abbott while letting the other guests speak uninterrupted, including allowing Isabel Oakeshott to not just make a patently false statement but use said patently false statement to attack Abbott. It wasn’t helped that when the BBC finally got around to admitting fault almost two weeks later, their statement actually said it was a joke - you know, like the school bully tries to claim when they get caught

Oh boy, there were so many triggered manbabies were up in arms about a Gillette advert for suggesting that maybe, just maybe, being a toxic dickhead isn’t any way to behave - to which they responded by acting like a bunch of toxic dickheads throwing a temper tantrum all over social media not seen since Nike featured Colin Kaepernick in an ad campaign

I’m going to assume AnonymousQ1776 thought they were being really, really clever when posting that video clip of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez coupled with their sneering comment that made them sound uncannily like a teenage edgelord who doesn't know what communism is but throws the word around a lot. I’m also going to assume they weren’t happy when the stunt backfired on them by not only making Ocasio-Cortez look like a normal human being who does normal things, but doing so also reopened the can of worms about what Brett Kavanaugh was up to when he was younger...

Middle England’s favourite edgelord Rod Liddle obviously needed to be extra quote-unquote provocative this month after using his column in The Sun to suggest that what Britain needs is a new political party that represents traditional values - which means neither Muslims nor the entire LGBT spectrum are not allowed

Just when you thought John Humphreys couldn’t sound any more like a pompous windbag with the credibility of a arthritic toad, he only goes to suggest that the Republic of Ireland should rejoin the UK - because who gives a toss about centuries of history or the minor inconvenience of 92% of irish people preferring to remain in the EU when Radio 4′s most jumped-up presenter suggests they swallow their pride and return to the warm chokehold of the British Empire?

It appeared The Daily Star had a real scoop when they printed an interview with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in which he made scathing comments about the “snowflake generation” and how they were “looking for reasons to be offended” - that is until Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson issued a statement saying that not only did he not say those things, but he also never gave that interview

It seems The Board of Deputies of British Jews never got around to reading The Crucible judging by their going Full Baddiel and accusing Tottenham fans of antisemitism and, in the same statement, said they should follow the model of Chelsea fans - yes, the same Chelsea fans who have subjected Spurs fans to songs about Hitler and gas chambers for decades, who just so happen to be under investigation by UEFA for their anti semitic chanting during a Europa League match against Vidi in December

This month’s worst case of Trump Derangement Syndrome comes from Sarah Huckabee Sanders after she said that God wanted Donald Trump to become President in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network

Lucky for Lara Kollab there’s nothing in the hippocratic oath forbidding being an anti semitic bigot on Twitter. On the other hand, there certainly was in the employment contract at the hospital she worked at, which is why they fired her

Somehow the British Army paid £1.5m on an recruitment ad campaign that was so successful that it led to members of the army quitting when finding out their photos were used to recruit “Snow flakes" (sic) and “Me me me millennials” - but that didn’t stop Gavin Williamson claiming it was “a powerful call to action” (rather than “bloody patronising”) while James Cleverly mouthed off like an idiot on Twitter in support because mouthing off like an idiot on Twitter is all that somebody who makes their surname fair game on a regular basis like James Cleverley knows how to do

It took a while but Jake Paul finally found a way to reclaim his crown of Most Odious Paul Brother by hitting upon a loot box scheme to encourage his viewers to, in effect, gamble - because apparently he (and Ricegum) only paid attention to the part where the likes of Electronic Arts were making money hand over fist when they were shoving loot boxes in all their games, but didn’t bother listening when various gambling commissions began looking into the practise

To prove my point James Cleverly took it upon himself to take to Twitter and sneer “You do realise that it’s not a documentary” when I, Daniel Blake was airing on TV - because it's better to score points on Twitter than admit that a UN report late last year was damning of the Tory government’s treatment of their less well-off citizens, isn’t it?

Trying to explain away his dickheadishness saw Wayne Hennessey claim he wasn’t doing a Nazi salute in a photo that happened to be taken by German teammate Max Meyer, he was actually waving at somebody - and the reason he had his finger on his top lip wasn’t the well-known mimicry of Hitler’s ‘tache but he was putting his hand to his mouth so somebody on the other side of the room could hear him. For some strange reason nobody was convinced...

Attention-seeking loon Laura Loomer didn’t learn from the humiliation conga line that was her so-called protest at Twitter HQ judging by her protest against illegal immigration that involved her climbing over the fence around Nancy Pelosi’s property and setting up a stall on Pelosi’s lawn - at which point she appears to have forgotten what she was protesting about and instead kept yelling for Pelosi to respond to her, even though anyone with C-SPAN would’ve told her Pelosi was currently in the Senate

In order to promote her UK tour Azealia Banks thought the best idea was to vomit a long string of invective about the Irish on her social media all because she got irked by one Aer Lingus flight attendant

Can somebody tell Bill Maher that he doesn’t make himself sound more correct every time he regurgitates the “adults shouldn’t read comics” rant he first brought it up in the wake of Stan Lee’s death? Because it appears nobody has

Out of curiosity, is Gregory Prytyka Jr. still popping over here in an attempt to find material to try and attack me with because they can’t handle the fact I called them out for their tedious shitposting, or have they crawled back under the rock they usually live under?

And finally, harrumphing to himself in a way that everyone can hear (although they wish they couldn’t) is Donald Trump and his banquets that look suspiciously like those given by the megalomaniacal villain of Kingsmen, continuing to throw a diplomatic temper tantrum over a wall he said Mexico would pay for

#dickheads of the month

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celticira-blog · 5 years

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Republic Day Quotes

The Beating Retreat ceremony is officially kept after the end of celebration of Republic Day celebrations. It is held on the evening of January 29 on the third day after the Republic Day. It is made by the army, the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the band of three wings of the Indian Air Force.Anyway copy these Republic day 2019

The main guest of this work is the President of India, who is escorted by the Horse riding unit. When the President comes, the PBG Commander asks the unit to give a national salute, then the Indian National Anthem, Jan Gana Mana, is played by the Army. Exhibition ceremonies have been developed by large bands in the Army

The main Republic Day is celebrated in the national capital, New Delhi at Rajpath before the President of India. On this day, the religious parade takes place on the Rajpath, which is done as a tribute to India; Its diversity and unity in rich cultural heritage. Cultural and social heritage is showing

Then the Indian National Anthem, Jan Gana Mana, is played by the Army. There has been an expansion of exhibition ceremonies by large bands in the Army, in which military bands, pipes and drum bands, bagels and trumpeters participate in addition to various army regiments, besides the Navy and Air Force bands,

India was based on the Act of 1935. On 28 August 1947, the committee of the Drafting Committee was appointed to prepare a permanent constitution, in which Dr. B. R . Ambedkar was chaired. 26 days, after which was on 26 January 1950

That day Dr. Rajendra Prasad's first office as the head of the Indian office started. Parliament's legislature became the Parliament of India under the new constitutional provisions. This date is celebrated as the Republic Day of India.By the way grab these Happy Republic Day Quotes from below.

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shinytyrantbanana-blog · 6 years

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Best Republic Day images 2019

70th Happy Republic Day Animated 3d GIFs Glitters for Whatsapp 26th January 2018:- Hello Reader. The main Republic Day celebration is held in the national capital, New Delhi , at the Rajpath before the President of India On this day, ceremonious parades take place at the Rajpath, which are performed as a tribute to India; its unity in diversity and rich cultural heritage.

A range of traditional and cultural programs are performed by the professionals from different states to focus on the history and culture of our country. During this grand celebration, prime minister's rally and Lok Tarang - National Folk Dance Festival is also held from 24th to 29th of January.

Happy Republic Day 2018 Status : Hii Friends Today I am going to share with you a Happy Republic day Images and Republic Day wishes Quotes in Hindi. Republic Day India is Celebrated on 26 Constitution was adopted in india by the India Constituent Assembly on 26 Nov 1949, and its came into effect on 26 January 1950 with a democratic government system. So You can pick the Best Republic day status for whatsapp and Republic Day Images in can also get Republic day Quotes & Republic day Wishes sms can also pick the Republic day Wallpapers and Status wishes in Hindi from given below.

On 26 January the governing document of India was replaced by a New Governing document and this is why the day is celebrated in India. The old Governing document was made by Britishers and the new document by Independent Indians. So, Every person of India should be aware of this day and what happened on this blog.

Indian performers walk alongside a float representing the state of Mahrashtra as they participate in the country's Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 26, 2015. Rain failed to dampen spirits at India's Republic Day parade January 26 as US President Barack Obama became the first US president to attend the spectacular military and cultural display in a mark of the nations' growing closeness.

Republic Day in India is commended on 26 January yearly since, 26 January 1950, when the Constitution of India came into constrain came into drive. Autonomy Day is seen on 15 August yearly in India. It is a National Holiday commending the country's autonomy from the British Empire on 15 August 1947.

The flag is unfurled at the India Gate followed by 21 gun salute and marching of regiments. Tableaus of each state representing the culture, are also demonstrated at the Republic Day celebrations. The President visits the Amar Jawan Jyoti in the beginning of the day and pay homage to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the well-being of their country. The gallantry awards are also awarded to those who demonstrated immense bravely and courage and inspired us to into selfless acts.

If you can't make it to the main Republic Day Parade in Delhi, there are other big events in capital cities across India. Unfortunately, Mumbai's grand Republic Day Parade, which took place along Marine Drive in 2014, returned to Shivaji Park in central Mumbai in 2015 due to road resurfacing. The state government has decided that Republic Day celebrations will remain at Shivaji Park due to security concerns.

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satisfaction-explorations · 4 years

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Suppose that a bigger problem is made up of a million points. Each of these points is breaking through something hard (whether by 1 go or by 100 different pushes) to get to the final solution. And these points are ranked from the #1 hardest block to the millionth hardest block.

Because if there’s a million, it’s motivating that we move as many points as we can, isn’t it? At the end of the day, we didn’t just move 1, we moved 100 or 1000 or 10000 or 100,000. That’s motivating if you’re working on several things right (e.g. Venezuela and Yemen)?

The problem with the million points method is how to figure out which group of people should solve each group of points, because, well, there’s a million points.

Maybe you use the million points method to motivate yourself when you’re working on multiple problems (e.g. I’m going to focus on 20 this week- you might focus on 3 or 6- or 1,2,10- whatever motivates you),

And the 10,000 problems method is for figuring out what group of people should solve what types of problems (as it’s not overwhelming)

And it helps to always stretch yourself a bit- aim for the harder points, the harder #s, in a sustainable (i.e. motivating way)

Maybe the easier parts of the 1 million aren’t that hard, they’re pretty easy

And in a more overall way, I wonder what the best worldwide methods could be for:

Effectiveness- 1 million best points

Safety- 1 million best points

Rewards/Motivations- 1 million best points

Self-care/Health/Take not aging much seriously Please- 1 million best points

Because it looks like there is a strong likelihood for the sanctions to continue on the PDVSA in Venezuela, how would you create 100 new ethical, safe income sources for the most vulnerable Venezuelan people? As in, what would some of them be, in a way that covered all or most of the most vulnerable people, income wise?

They would need to be “incomes that cover all of a family/person’s needs, at the different levels going for- e.g. going for level 1, going for level 2, going for level 3”- e.g. a whole income/business/self-employed with low capital startup that employs a tonne of Venezuelans- especially those that bring in export money.

And how can Venezuelans (and foreigners- although treat this like a boost rather than any kind of dependency) intensively train Venezuela’s most at-risk and vulnerable to quickly get the skill level to do these?

For example, it seems like 4 potential income sources for Venezuelans are (1) contracts in ship parts, and anything to do with ships- how do you win contracts with these, (2) anything that makes the other Latin American countries better off with transportation- how do you win contracts with these, (3) manufacturing cleaning goods, (4) IT skills or app development- we don’t need computer science or IT degrees- we just need job tasks that need to be done, and we can export them and everyone can get enough money for food, gas and needs; and people who organize these (high value), (5) ethical ways to optimise your immune system and survive the coronavirus.

For people in Venezuela, it would be incredibly important to build (ethical) relationships with the outsiders who could help a lot and see them as potential boosts in the points up to solutions that cover everybody- but do not be dependent or sit around and wait for outsiders- in very, very, very safe ways, keep creating momentum yourselves too.

Therefore, money comes into the country via these exported sources. Then the people working in these export businesses also spend some of their disposable income on local businesses. Then some of the local businesses support local businesses. That’s the idea. Money flowing in, with a % spent on internal businesses.

And what are the 5 structural things that most need to be done to support this- e.g. do people in more vulnerable areas have more access to

Because considering the recent report and what is happening with not allowing elections that genuinely reflect what the people need and want (as well as the drug and crime related risks to the international community), the sanctions might be there for another 4-8 years.

It is also worth all Venezuelan focusing 99% of their emotions and energy on the things that they Can Do, Control or Influence (currently existing and to be created/thought of), and avoiding thinking about things that they can’t Do, Control, or Influence (stoicism).

World help would also be greatly be appreciated as this is one of the world’s biggest humanitarian disasters.

What are the hardest one million points that need to be solved and implemented for persuading the 150 most powerful and influential people in government to genuinely do what is best for the people?

The one million hardest bits that need to be solved and implemented?

What are the hardest one million points that need to be solved and implemented so that the most vulnerable 40% of Venezuelans- and especially the most vulnerable 5%/10%/15%- have enough to get by/ aren’t too stressed- and for real reasons, not false ones.

I have given it about 20 goes so far, most reaching maybe 10-10,000 points each. But every time I reach something that creates huge points (e.g. 100,000) I’m feel really excited and happy.

Work done in the spirit of service is the highest form of worship. Abdul Baha

The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony. Abdul Baha

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fbahaiteachings.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F08%2Fmona-jamali-love-is-a-light-wooden-piece.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fbahaiteachings.org%2Fhow-to-creatively-share-unifying-teachings-bahai-faith%2F&tbnid=9hCKur4-acOqVM&vet=12ahUKEwjouN68pq_sAhX-zXMBHX_cBUsQMygTegQIARA6..i&docid=Z5QdZVAQf0FUoM&w=900&h=900&q=baha%20quote%20if%20you%20meet%20those%20of%20a%20different%20race%20and%20colour%20from%20yourself&ved=2ahUKEwjouN68pq_sAhX-zXMBHX_cBUsQMygTegQIARA6

https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2020/10/02/venezuela-the-fourth-worst-alimentary-crisis-in-the-world/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-25/a-fifth-of-food-output-is-wasted-in-famine-threatened-venezuela

https://www.infobae.com/america/venezuela/2020/10/10/los-metodos-de-censura-en-venezuela-tenemos-detenidos-hasta-por-sus-estados-de-whatsapp/

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/2/23/venezuela-the-military-and-its-support-an-explainer

https://www.infobae.com/america/venezuela/2020/09/25/el-reclamo-de-un-militar-retirado-a-vladimir-padrino-lopez-no-recibimos-pension-sino-una-pequena-ayuda-que-no-cubre-el-5-de-la-canasta-basica/

https://reliefweb.int/report/venezuela-bolivarian-republic/venezuela-crisis-response-situation-report-september-2020

https://www.stabroeknews.com/2020/09/27/opinion/letters/guyana-will-only-support-a-democratic-change-that-brings-better-outcome-for-all-venezuelan-people/

https://www.peacepalacelibrary.nl/2016/01/essequibo-the-territorial-dispute-between-venezuela-and-guyana/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/24/venezuela-hungry-food-insecure-un-world-food-program

https://www.infobae.com/america/venezuela/2020/09/27/el-bid-destinara-8000-millones-de-dolares-para-reconstruir-venezuela-durante-la-transicion-democratica/

https://www.stabroeknews.com/2020/10/13/features/project-syndicate/taking-venezuelas-human-rights-crisis-seriously-2/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/venezuelas-food-chain-is-breaking-and-millions-go-hungry-11601544601

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2020-10-12/in-venezuelan-rural-heartland-angry-maduro-supporters-fuel-protest-wave

https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/we-are-judged-by-the-way-we-treat-the-weak

Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Let’s also all memorise that superficial appearances mean nothing. We are all individuals: all of us.

Real liberty can exist only where exploitation has been abolished, where there is no oppression of some by others, where there is no unemployment and poverty, where a man is not haunted by the fear of being tomorrow deprived of work, of home and of bread. Only in such a society is real, and not paper, personal and every other liberty possible. Joseph Stalin

img.libquotes.com/pic-quotes/v3/j-stalin-quote-lba6o2y.jpg

quotes.thefamouspeople.com/images/quotes/joseph-stalin-79745.jpg

A true revolutionary is not one that demonstrates value in the period of the victorious uprising, but who knows how to fight not only at the time of the victorious advance but also at the retreat of the revolution; that demonstrates value in the period of the defeat of the proletariat, which does not lose the head, which does not abandon the road when the revolution suffers a defeat and the enemy records successes; which is not dominated by panic, or falls into despair in the retreat of the revolution period. Joseph Stalin

revolutions seem unsafe and scary

Quantity has a quality all it’s own. Joseph Stalin

quotes.thefamouspeople.com/images/quotes/joseph-stalin-61626.jpg

There needs to be a better way than sanctions though. If a country is a dictatorship, there is very little the people can do to remove it. Dictatorships frequently just don’t give a shit and ignore the worst suffering of their people. because they can. people dont have the power to change much in these contexts, other than help themselves and their communities.

Rather than doubling down on cruel policies and draconian economic sanctions that squeeze the Venezuelan people -- but benefit the regime by giving them false excuses for economic failures (e.g. hyperinflation and the most at risk, not being able to diversify ethical industries, and public services) - a new US-Venezuela policy should seek to help the people. America's failed policies on Cuba should be a lesson, and Venezuela should not fall victim to a repeat of that approach. For decades, provided the Cuban regime with an excuse for failed local economic policies, and now doing the same for Venezuela. Never-ending sanctions on Cuba have not resulted in regime change. That tactic will not work in Venezuela either. Sweeping economic sanctions primarily hurt the people of these countries.

Targeted sanctions on specific individuals in the Maduro government, military, and security services would be more effective. By the end of 2019, and almost a year after the United States imposed broad economic and oil sanctions on Venezuela, 96% of households in Venezuela were living in poverty, and of that number, 79% in extreme poverty. Yet, Maduro remained in power. US sanctions should target Venezuelan nationals supporting and funding Maduro; those who commit human rights violations; those who undermine democratic processes and institutions like the National Electoral Council (CNE); and those who run drug trafficking and money laundering operations.

However- the PDVSA is (1) a huge source of tax- for public services and (2) a huge employer and a (3) a huge source of exports for the imports that Venezuela needs. Also, focusing only on not importing anything is a short term strategy but not a medium or long term strategy. The highest income and product value benefits come from exporting and importing, as most sea-based countries learn over time.

The blunt tool of general sanctions further degrades the poor economic conditions in which the majority of Venezuelans now live. We are deepening their suffering rather than providing leverage for a solution.

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aestheticvoyage2019 · 4 years

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Day 352: Wednesday December 18, 2019 - “Impeachmas”

One generation had the vietnam war, one had the cold war. One generation had the war on terror, and this generation will have the war on sanity. War on democracy? War on decency? War on normalcy? War on common sense? Not sure how to cut this or label it. Any way you cut it, today wasnt a positive benchmark on anyone’s history as the house passed resolution to impeach Trump on 2 articles of impeachment. I cant say he didnt deserve it. A classic case study in Karma and Law Of Attraction. But I fail to see the positives in any of this ongoing divisive drama. Its embarrasing, and disenchanting even as I put the flag for the republic out to shine bright in the Arizona sun and hope for a better day. I soaked it all in, all day long, as I worked, all the good the bad and the ridiculous - I made sure I was a part of it, in so much that I dont understand. I dont understand how in the world a great country gets here, and just cant help but wonder how much more f’ed things will get before they get better. Break to build? We need a hero, man. We need a hero. Life rewards all of the time, right?

Song: Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused

Quote: “I predict future happiness for Americans, if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” ― Thomas Jefferson

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food-and-culture-by-elze · 5 years

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The History of a Drink

“After the first glass of absinthe you see things as you wish they were. After the second you see them as they are not. Finally you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.“

Oscar Wilde

According to A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition, absinthe is a “herb liqueur flavoured with wormwood”. However, this emerald green spirit is not usually known for its ingredients. It is infamous for its bad reputation, misunderstanding, controversiality that have been weighing its name down for centuries.

History

Throughout the years, wormwood had become a frequent component of different medicine, mostly for its anti-inflammatory compounds (Indigo Herbs, 2018). However, the first person to use the herb for the making of an alcoholic drink was a Swiss man - Dr. Ordinaire (Absinthe101, 2017). During the French revolution time, he developed a recipe for something that we now call absinthe. In his deathbed, he gave the secret away to his sisters, who later on sold it to Henri-Louis Pernod. After that, Pernod was able to successfully open distilleries in Switzerland and France, gaining popularity for the green elixir and quickly becoming one of the most influential names in the absinthe franchise, even to this day. Back then, absinthe was not consumed only for leisure purposes. Doctors treated French soldiers’ malaria with the green spirit. However, because of massive shortage of wine, by 1910, absinthe quickly grew into the drink of choice for artists, writers, intellectuals (Cranmer, 2019).

L’heure verte (“Green hour”) soon became a part of every bohemian’s evening. Everyday, at 5PM, they had what we now call “The happy hour” where the green fairy flowed freely, intoxicating many. The French absolutely loved absinthe, which lead to other countries picking it up as well. Spain, Czech Republic quickly became hot-spots of the drink. The spirit that started off as a medicine to treat illnesses was now motivated by experiential, utilitarian factors (Charters 2006). People drank it to intoxicate themselves (as wine was not as widely available). Absinthe was also enjoyed as an experience – the ritual attracted many individuals.

Cros, C. (n.d.). L'heure verte

Absinthe was a major muse to many writers, artists and is up to now considered the drink of literature (Ciabattari, 2014). Oscar Wilde, Vincent Van Gogh, Ernest Hemingway all regularly indulged in the drink, believing that it affected their creativity, helping them create their masterpieces, which made them famous (Hopkins, 2014).

What happened?

After years of heavy drinking, different issues started coming up. More and more people were sick with deadly illnesses, such as epilepsy, tuberculosis. Since the drink of choice at that time was absinthe, everyone started putting the blame on the components of the spirit, not the amount of it consumed. In 1905, a tragic event took place, which resulted in absinthe being banned in most countries (Swigonski, 2013). A heavily intoxicated man killed his wife and two daughters and according to him, the Green Fairy was the one to hold accountable. The murderer was explaining about the hallucinations that made him commit the crime and from then on, everyone started to believe that absinthe causes hallucinations. However, it does not. Thujone – a chemical component of some plants and herbs that are used in the recipe of absinthe was rumoured to bring people vivid dreams and make them see things, that were not real. Briefly, the dose of thujone in the spirit is simply not enough to attract hallucinations. On the other hand, the high content of alcohol absinthe has can easily lead people to a high level of intoxication (Marcelis, 2017).

Absinthe today

Since 2007, absinthe remains legal worldwide (Absinthe 101). Now, absinthe is not widely consumed among the population. It is mostly served in bars, that specialise in absinthe. A great example of those is a bar/museum “The Last Tuesday Society” based in London. There everyone can choose from a wide variety of absinthes to try. They also organise absinthe tastings, where a specialist introduces the visitors to the history of the spirit and lets them taste all different types of the drink. As well as that, they have the “L’heure verte”, which through out the years was moved onto a later time – 6PM (The Last Tuesday Society, 2019).

Personal photo: me in front of the Last Tuesday Society

The absinthe ritual

Perhaps the most mysterious, fascinating part of drinking absinthe is what is called the absinthe ritual. From historical evidence, it is known that every person, who drank absinthe, enjoyed it with an absinthe ritual - no matter of their social class, income, age or gender (Absinthes, 2019). This activity is still commonly practised in absinthe bars today. So what is the absinthe ritual?

Firstly, a fountain with ice cold water is vital for the ritual. If not mixed into cocktails, absinthe is usually drunk with cold water. Secondly, a special absinthe spoon has to be balanced on the glass, with a sugar cube on top. The purpose of the water fountain is to slowly let the ice water drip into absinthe. This part cannot be performed quickly or sped up, because all the essential oils, ingredients need a chance to let out their aromas. As the water drips onto the sugar, it starts to collapse, falling into the green spirit, because of the holes in the absinthe spoon. When all sugar is dissolved, the drinker may stop the water fountain and enjoy their drink.

The ritual is what attracts most people to try absinthe. It is very aesthetic, fun and different. Although, some people consider the ritual to be the only joy of drinking absinthe, the drink itself is very unique and worth trying (Sangvhi, 2010).

My experience with absinthe

If I had to choose my poison of choice, without a doubt, I would pick absinthe. I first tried absinthe about a year ago. I did it, because I am a fan of trying new, infamous foods and drinks, putting myself into discomfort zones. Previously, I had heard that absinthe causes hallucinations, that it is so strong that one drink will knock a person out. I wanted to clarify these opinions myself and I was pleasantly surprised to know that none of the things I had known about absinthe before were true. I enjoy the drink, because of its taste. Mixing it with water and sugar, it sounds as a very strange, yet simple combination, but the taste is so unique. It gives you different sensations too. Compared with other alcohol, which burns your throat, absinthe softly pinches your tongue, numbing it. As well as that, the absinthe ritual is glamorous. I love sitting next to a large absinthe fountain, watching the cold water slowly drip into absinthe, changing its colour into pale green. It takes me a few centuries back, making me feel that I am sitting amongst a group of bohemians, discussing the books we have recently read, diving deeper into the poetry books by famous writers.

The Absinthe Ritual - Photo taken by me

References:

Absinthe. (2014). In A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Retrieved from www.oxfordreference.com.

Absinthe101. (2017). The History of Absinthe. Retrieved from www.absinthe101.com

Absinthes. (2019). The Classic French Absinthe Ritual. Retrieved from www.absinthes.com/en/absinthe-encyclopedia/the-absinthe-ritual/the-classic-french-absinthe-ritual/

Charters, S. (2006). Wine and Society. Retrieved from www.dawsonera-com.libaccess.hud.ac.uk

Ciabattari, J (2014). Absinthe: How the Green Fairy became literature’s drink. Retrieved from www.bbc.com

Cranmer, M (2019). The history of absinthe, the once forbidden drink. Retrieved from www.https://www.thegoodlifefrance.com

Cros, C. (n.d.). L'heure verte. Retrieved from www.arbrealettres.wordpress.com.

Hopkins, A (2014). The 10 most famous absinthe drinkers. Retrieved from www.thespiritsbusiness.com

Indigo Herbs. (2018). Wormwood Benefits. Retrieved from www.indigo-herbs.co.uk

Marcelis, D. (2017, November 25). Absinthe’s popularity is just a hallucination. Weekend Australian. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.libaccess.hud.ac.uk

Sangvhi, V (2010). I suspect that the joy of drinking absinthe lies in the rituals rather than the taste. Retrieved from http://virsanghvi.com/Article-Details.aspx?key=533

Swigonski, F (2013). Why Was Absinthe Banned For 100 Years? A Mystery As Murky As the Liquor Itself. Retrieved from www.mic.com

The Last Tuesday Society. (2019). L'heure Verte: Absinthe hour. Retrieved from www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org

Wilde, Oscar. Oscar Wilde quotes. Retrieved from www.goodreads.com

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