#i truly don’t think any part of it can compete with the other nominees except maybe original song (for billie eilish to be specific)

[claudeleine]

honestly i really enjoyed barbie but white women have annoyed me so much over the past week, i hope they lose every oscar nomination

[thespearnews-blog]

Exclusive: Mao's Inner youths expose autocracy within 3men NEC

New Post has been published on https://thespearnews.com/2017/05/28/exclusive-maos-inner-youths-expose-autocracy-within-3men-nec/

Exclusive: Mao's Inner youths expose autocracy within 3men NEC

The youth wing of the democratic party has expressed disgust of the selfish and dictatorial tendencies practiced by Mao administration at the headquarters.

The youths among others accuse Mao of running a 3 people NEC made of Him, Siranda and Mbidde, giving available youth opportunities selectively to only 3people, lack of proper training policy and usurping powers of youth leader as Okidi Christopher

At the helm of EALA elections Mbidde ordered all members not loyal to him and Mao be removed from official DP whatup group which was done.

The group is likely to tear again as concerns from the youth wing are filtering through and pausing serious damage to the already decayed leadership from within.

The SpearTip dug out chat between disgusted youth and administration.  We reproduce the hard chat here: 

D P youth on a sanitary campaign early 2017. This was the last known DP public activity

 [27/05 9:45 pm] Enock

I have learnt that you have also introduced a travel racket within the system and its only benefiting a few.it seems there are a few who are bright to attend some programs and others are too dense and cant attend

The 2 programs are Pypa and ebridge, iam told you nominated Nakyanzi for two programs running concurrently as if there are no other able youths, if you really meant to build capacity like you have always asserted then it shouldn’t be built on only two or three people. For my friend Katende you have made him a perennial beneficiary.

How come that at the same time and year you’ve nominated Nakyanzi, Katende and Sembajwe for Ebridge

Are these 3the only people in the youth

Why only this trio all the time, iam not asking to seek your attention for the same opportunities but kindly don’t narrow it to a few. I think the three of you were voted to rejuvenate the youth wing not to seek damn opportunities for yourselves.

Kindly respond here

 [27/05 9:47 pm] ‪Laker Moses Okot +256 782 559886‬: I had wanted to raise that too

[27/05 9:54 pm] KATENDE MOSES: Aaaaaah Enock put me out of your allegations. In fact to clear my name you should understand that this year I have only confirmed 2trips abroad… I have not been nominated by the party to attend any program this year so please get my name out of your allegations…… [27/05 9:56 pm] ‪+256 702 416792‬:

[27/05 10:18 pm] ‪+256 788 286750‬: Hahahahahaha. Mpagila Gwe boss if okidi is on this forum let him carry his own cross. Atuwe answer period no big deal unless it’s museveni’s government where there is no one else eligible to take off his seat ever sole candidate.

[27/05 10:22 pm] KATENDE MOSES: Enoch leave me alone Me my role is to give full expertise to the party…. Incase opportunities come in I always to to represent fully but also get capacity

[27/05 10:25 pm] Okidi C: Thanks Enoch for your concerned, I am responding to this because I have been pushing for a policy of capacity development. Let me clear my name on this. I think this is a legitimate concern that deserves a response.

First you may be aware that am out of office and there is no way I can make nomination. Am not even aware of any nominations to E Bridge. Even before I left office I disagreed with the top party leadership over discarding some of my nominees some thing I thought was patronising which I disagree with.

Even when I had pushed in management a policy of capacity building for youth and how it is not mere attending them but ploughing back the skills to the benefit of the party. I have been of very low morale since that disagreement.

I think your question can best be answered by the president and secretary general as the principal external contacts of the party. I have only nominated Sempijja because I was startled by his commitment to the party and kept wondering why his capacity was not being build.

Secondly My logic has always been to identify talent and deploy them accordingly, the only time I ever recommended other than Sempijja was last year of which Katende and Lillian Nyakuni were part and their performance was exceptional. I advised that they be taken for E bridge since it is a purely media platform and you remember my working committee approach.

The two have led in that committee which you Enoch were part of and E-bridge I was thinking was going to build media capacity. My nominees Katende emerged the best and will join them as faculty member to Tutor. Even Lillian Nyakuni the former VP of MUBS Guild performed extremely well and KAS on their own motion recommended her to the Media Summer School and are considering her for the Youth Think Tank.

These are the qualities of my people, and if you see you find that I carefully do these and if the people who have taken over nomination can only follow that logic Eversince I disagreed on this matter with our party leaders. I nolonger do recommendation for such. So I think the President and Siranda can be in better position to answer you on this years recommendees

Am not selfish at all, not inconsiderate, I love talent, and love dispersing opportunities to young people. I dont even compete with young people I lead over opportunities. I have been in this party, never done any of those training. All the trainings I have heard and academic opportunities were outsourced by my non political network.

I was approached by the organisers to attend them. Emmy Otim particularly called me saying all youth leaders in uganda have attended except me and I told him that doesnt justify my attendance. And that is the difference between me and them. I dont compete for opportunities with people I lead. My outlook is different.

Thanks for your concern Yours truly Christopher Okidi

[27/05 10:32 pm] Enock: So with due respect the duo does select?!

[27/05 10:40 pm] ‪+256 752 724282‬: Young Democrats, oh no, stop being the betty nambooze follower from within, otherwise you are acting as such.

[27/05 10:41 pm] Kijjambu: When you are in the bed you get to know the stings of the bed bugs, seeing lifetime allegations flying once again. Musa wama you are in position to know and clear lies.

[27/05 10:50 pm] Saulo nsongambi: Ahh siranda to respond to this so you people here still think that guy can do things in a proper and democratic way anyway I wish you the best

[27/05 10:50 pm] Okidi C: I thought u needed an explanation which I did in all honesty.

[27/05 10:51 pm] Saulo nsongambi: In DP everything is possible

[27/05 10:55 pm] Enock: Hmmm

[27/05 10:58 pm] Saulo nsongambi: It my opinion I know okidis powers have been usurped but he can’t mention it here but with UPC guys just expect the worst just watch the space [27/05 11:01 pm] Enock:

[27/05 11:04 pm] KATENDE MOSES: I have known Okidi Chris and his working approach for a long time Instead of pinning Okidi just understand that this is a strong policy problem that can be addressed to relevant offices I also want to remind you that the President ,PRESIDENT NOBERT MAO had the heart of working with young people unless if you question his power, willingness @Enock which i beg you should restrain from

[27/05 11:11 pm] KATENDE MOSES: I accredit this Statement from the top to bottom [27/05 11:12 pm] KATENDE MOSES: For the time I have known Okidi since 2008 Resignation is not one of his virtues however hot it is [27/05/ 11:15 pm] Enock: Willingness—youth!!

[27/05 11:27 pm] KATENDE MOSES: Enoch why are you fighting the President………?????? Does this mean to say that you’re questioning both willingness and his heart to work with young people [27/05 11:28 pm] Dp kiwanuka: Its an abomination in African leadership [27/05 11:30 pm] Enock: Ofcourse I can’t fight the PG all I did is just to seek illumination of your statements [27/05 11:31 pm] Enock: Hihihihihi actually to comrade Gatende, resigning is for weaklings. [27/05 11:32 pm] KATENDE MOSES: Aaaahh you people Pur me out of your fights My loyalty to the president is Paramount and I don’t want to engage in your noise [27/05 11:33 pm] Enock: ​​​​

[theworstbob]

yellin’ at songs, 2.25.2017

or should i say, yellin’ at seangs this week! you know, ‘cuz of all the big sean they put in there, these are seangs this week, i say! my wit is grand and deserving of mass attention.

22) "No Favors," by Big Sean ft./Eminem 70) "Sacrifices," by Big Sean ft./Migos 74) "Halfway off the Balcony," by Big Sean 76) "Jump out the Window," by Big Sean 86) "Owe Me," by Big Sean 97) "Light," by Big Sean ft./Jeremih

...I prepared myself for a lot of things when I decided my weekly routine would include this silly project. Did I know I'd be listening to and thinking about a lot of songs I otherwise never would have made time for?  That couldn't be avoided. Was I aware a song I loved and would stand up for could fall off the chart the very next week? It hurts that we lost "Run Up," but yes, I know no pop song is destined to hit the top 40. ...Did I prepare myself for six Big Sean songs. I was cognizant of a newly-released Big Sean album. Did I realize relatively deep Big Sean cuts would make their way into my life. Did I realize that, thanks to this fractured world where major artists give their preferred streaming service the right to be the sole host for their album, how difficult it would be to find a song with an Eminem feature on The You Tube. I worked harder to listen to "No Favors" than I ever otherwise would have. I could have said, "Eminem is on this track! I bet that's bad to listen to." Nope. I had to spend three minutes clickin’ on various YouTube videos until I found the actual song so I could confirm that Eminem is still not worth anyone's time, to say nothing for the time it took to find this song. Eminem describes himself as "rapey" and describes beating Jamie Lee Curtis with a spaceheater. Eminem, still incredibly not cool with the fact women are alive and breathing the same air as he does! Still thinking as he ever has, that one. Eminem turns 45 this year.

And then I remembered that I have Amazon Music, because I am a 51-year-old office manager who needs all the Steely Dan he can handle and is thus in the Amazon Music target market, and a cursory search showed that Big Sean did not make his album exclusive to one streaming service. So while I am not thrilled to put four other Big Sean songs into my life (there's an Official Video for "Halfway off the Balcony"), I am elated to give you a version of Yellin' at Songs which is complete and honest in its evaluation of every pop song to make its chart debut in 2017, except for the 1.7.2017 chart, that chart doesn't count for... some reason, don’t ask, I’m weird I AM PLEASED however, to report that my opinion on Big Sean is the same as it was when we discussed "Moves:" Big Sean has made great strides as a rapper, and while I wasn't looking forward to hearing any of these songs, I didn't mind them! Why, I downright enjoyed "Light," though I'm just a big fan in general of the first song of albums. (I like introductions. I like starting things. It's the middle and end parts here I'm like, enh, I don't know how to do this, but beginning a new thing is always a rush.) "Sacrifices" was also somewhere better than okay. So we have one song I'd be okay listening to again, one song I mostly enjoyed, one song that might end up being the worst thing I'd heard this year (remember that this year has included a Brantley Gilbert song and "Body Like a Back Road," and know that we're about to get to "Look at Me!"), and three other songs. Given that this easily could have been 24 minutes of nothing, I'll gladly take three songs I could have thoughts about!

43) "Believer," by Imagine Dragons

Listen, we have our fun with Imagine Dragons. It's pretty nuts that this is the biggest rock band we have going, imagine going back in time and playing this for Chuck Berry and telling him this song is a direct descendant of his work, but this song, it's pretty okay! It's a nice "love letter to the fans" sort of song, there's nothing terribly offensive about anything that's happening, it's a perfectly competent rock song that is going to serve well as the walk-up music for the Kansas City Royals' back-up utility infielder in two years' time. My opinion of this is absolutely colored by the fact that this song contains an itemized list. 1) I'll say the words in my head. 2) Don't tell me who you think I could be. 3) Thank God for the haters. 4) We made it, you and I, and I gotta give mad love to you, the fans. I dig any song with a list. I still defend Jay-Z's verse in "Monster" on the grounds that rap could use more lists.

68) "My Old Man," by Zac Brown Band

Before the Grammys hit, I went through every nominee field for Record of the Year to see how representative the Grammys had ever been of trends in pop music (spoiler: THEY NEVER WERE), and something I wanted to do was go through each year and determine the true Record of the Year field. I didn't have time for that because I started writing the post early Saturday morning and wanted to get it out before the Grammys started, but I ended up doing it anyway, and I present this to you: "Chicken Fried" absolutely would have been an ROTY nominee for the year 2009 if the Grammys had any got damn sense. I don't know if there's been a country song this country has been more in agreeance with since. Everything about that song works, it even earns the ode to the flag! 2009 wasn't one of the best music years in recent memory, either, you don't have to stretch the imagination to see a nice song about how great fried chicken getting ROTY consideration. Zac Brown Band puts out really solid country music. They're not Chris Stapleton-y throwbacks, they're not trying to revolutionize the genre, but they have their niche, and they know exactly how to operate within that niche. Most country songs about a strong paternal figure would be insufferable, but this is about as good as that sub-genre gets! Zac Brown Band, generally pleasant to hear since 2009!

87) "Beauty and the Beast," by Ariana Grande ft./John Legend

The least necessary thing on the planet is pop remixes of signature songs from Disney musicals. It only worked for Elton John, but those were songs he was writing, so that is a CLEAR EXCEPTION. The pop remix didn't work in the '90s, it didn't work with "Let It Go," and it doesn't work here. I REPEAT: Angela Lansbury or GTFO.

89) "I Don't," by Mariah Carey ft./YG

The most amazing line on Wikipedia is "Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1969 or 1970)." That says so much, and not all it says is about Mariah Carey, but we learn so much about Mariah Carey from that biographical tidbit. But why was I on Wikipedia looking up Mariah Carey's age? Because I just had to listen to a 39-year-old man sing a love song with a woman 15 years younger than him, and one of the reasons that Mariah Carey is a legend is that she is nearly 50 years old but still getting in those slinky dresses and getting 27-year-old gangsta rappers to write guest verses about how hot she is. That’s amazing. Like, think about female romantic leads in Tom Hanks movies for a second, or in Woody Allen movies, or in any movie, literally any movie, it’s always, the dude is hella old and the woman is portrayed by an early-20s ingenue, and here Mariah Carey is FLIPPING THE FUCKING SCRIPT. That’s what you get to fucking do when you’re a legend. Think about YG for a second. In the same 12-month span, YG released a song called "Fuck Donald Trump" and wrote a verse about proposing to Mariah Carey. That's not a mark against YG, that is a testament to Mariah Carey's legend, that we’re nearly 20 years removed from “Heartbreaker” but she still wields the same influence. I did not start writing this series about pop music to besmirch Mariah Carey's good name. What I think of this song is immaterial. She is a goddess come to earth, and her every movement is a blessing.

93) "Now & Later," by Sage the Gemini

So, I don't know about this song's long-term ability to stay on the chart. It's been out since last October, and it's apparently part of a popular Snapchat filter, and I'm not sure I'm ready for a world where songs can get big via Snapchat. I barely got used to Vine hits, now I've gotta worry about Snapchat? Anyhoo. Take a trip with me. On last year's year-end Hot 100, the hip-hop entries were all either trap or Drake, with the exception of "All the Way Up." It's been way too long since we've had a solid pop/rap song hit the charts. And this is such a blast! Even the rap singles I've enjoyed over the course of this project, they're still slightly ponderous. This young man just wants to eat candy, and it's like "Cake by the Ocean," yeah candy is a metaphor for something but this dude doesn't want you to think about it too hard, he just has this dope song you can enjoy. It's nice to hear music that isn't taking itself seriously. Bless you, friend.

94) "In Case You Didn't Know," by Brett Young

Meanwhile, the world has hundreds of versions of this exact pop/country song. We're all good. We don't need more. This is a new dude! How do they keep finding dudes like this to sing songs like this? Are they just in a mall somewhere scouting dudes like this in line at the Auntie Anne's? Do they just go to baseball games and look for tall dudes with stubble? Do they just carry guitars to karaoke bars, and when they hear a voice just nasally enough to be considered twangy they give him the guitar to hold for a few minutes and evaluate how hot he looks while holding that guitar and smiling? “Oh, yeah, that could be an album cover. I could see that on an album cover.” “So y’all from ar” “Shhh, shh shh shh, you talking ruins everything we like here.” Where do these guys COME FROM even?

95) "Look at Me!" by XXXTENTACION

But I kind of understand the appeal of bro country. At this point, when I see a white dude's name on the Billboard chart, I know I can expect one of two things: a fast jam about a hot summer night in a Chevrolet truck, or a slow jam about a hot girl the bro truly loves. And there's a certain safety when you know what to expect. If you feel safe enough in an environment, you'll want to spend more time in that environment, and if you spend enough time in that safe environment, you'll eventually call that place your home. This is all to say that, as I listened to "Look at Me!" I found myself appreciating the mundanity and predictability of "In Case You Didn't Know," and it takes a certain kind of aggressive unpleasantness to make me consider the bro-country universe's redeeming qualities. This song is horrendous. There's no musicality, the lyrics are the most misogynistic thing I've heard IN A WEEK WITH A FUCKING EMINEM VERSE, there's nothing here that suggests this is something meant to be enjoyed. Who is this for? Who's listening to this song that would subject themselves to it more than once? There is neither creativity nor artistry, just a horrible worldview presented abrasively. Y'all rejected "Run Up" for this and I will never forgive you.

Anyway, we’re a month and a half into this thing, and I think we’ve encountered enough Cs and C+s to expand the Top 10 into a Top 20! 20) "Road Less Traveled," by Lauren Alaina (2.11) 19) "I Don't," Mariah Carey ft./YG (2.25) 18) "El Amante," by Nicky Jam (2.18) 17) "Timeless," by A Boogie Wit da Hoodie ft./DJ SPINKING (1.14) 16) "Beibs in the Trap," by Travis Scott (1.21) 15) "My Old Man," by Zac Brown Ban (2.25) 14) "Castle on the Hill," by Ed Sheeran (1.28) 13) "Call Casting," by Migos (2.18) 12) "Running Back," by Wale ft./Lil Wayne (2.11) 11) "I'm Better," by Missy Elliott ft./Lamb (2.18) 10) "Way Down We Go," by Kaleo (1.14) 9) "Light," by Big Sean ft./Jeremih (2.25) 8) "Guys My Age," by Hey Violet (2.11) 7) "Good Drank," by 2 Chainz ft./Gucci Mane & Quavo (2.11) 6) "Now & Later," by Sage the Gemini (2.25) 5) "Shape of You," by Ed Sheeran (1.28) 4) "Despacito," by Luis Fonsi ft./Daddy Yankee (2.4) 3) "Issues," by Julia Michaels (2.11) 2) "iSpy," by KYLE ft./Lil Yachty (1.14) 1) "Run Up," Major Lazer ft./PARTYNEXTDOOR & Nicki Minaj (2.18)

[realestate63141]

The Distracted, Dysfunctional Presidential Transition and the EPA

Watching the presidential transition from what I hope is a safe distance, I continue to find the process to be the strangest I have ever seen. Despite Russian hacks, FBI interference, and a three million vote loss in the popular vote, Trump won the Electoral College and that makes him president. While his birther nonsense was designed to question the legitimacy of Barack Obama's presidency and the attacks on Trump's legitimacy are a little ironic, the attacks on legitimacy miss the point. Trump will soon be the president, and that is a simple fact. The odd part is that I suspect he knew that the legitimacy of President Obama's election was established. He knew Obama was born in the U.S.A. These are distractions and deceptions. His tweets are not random and it's time that we learn the strategy behind his messages. His misguided and ill-informed attack on Congressman and civil rights hero John Lewis on the eve of the King Holiday is the kind of head fake we should be getting used to from our soon-to-be president. When the political attacks on him are starting to hit home, he always manages to pull the media away from substance, to some absurd symbolic fire, ignited by his latest tweet. The media can't resist covering a train wreck, so Trump just attacks an icon: John McCain, John Lewis, the family of a deceased veteran--whoever's handy. The page is changed, the station flipped, the agenda moves on. Last week the Republicans in Congress began the process of dismantling the Affordable Care Act, with no discussion of how they would ensure that parents could continue to keep their 26-year-old kids insured, or how they would guarantee that insurance companies couldn't drop coverage for people with "preexisting conditions." Forget about how the 20 million newly insured will maintain coverage, let's focus the media's attention on an unverified report about the President-elect's alleged personal misconduct. Trump attacks the CIA and hopes to draw attention away from health care policy. Obamacare is far from perfect, but this circus in Washington is incapable of fixing it. As the confirmation process for the Trump cabinet gains momentum, I expect more disinformation and distraction, all of which adds to the sense of unreality about the process. In my own field of environmental policy and sustainability management, I feel like I am watching EPA enter an alternative reality that bears little resemblance to the America I think I know. In my America, families pay attention to the air, water and food their children ingest, and environmental protection is seen as a basic policing function of government. I agree that some environmental regulators are incompetent bureaucrats and sometimes the government can be too aggressive. But then we have companies like VW that will lie and cheat on compliance until they finally get caught. We need to strike a balance between assertive policing of environmental compliance and reasonable accommodation to businesses trying to adjust to new conditions and rules. But the fact is, we need the rule of environmental law or we will end up with air like China or India. So, who is the President-elect proposing to run the U.S. EPA? Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt. Pruitt has a habit of suing the U.S. EPA. He's not alone; many states sue EPA, often to get the federal government to more aggressively enforce federal environmental laws. Not Mr. Pruitt. Pruitt wants the rules on local companies lifted. In fact, according to a recent report by Eric Lipton and Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "In total, Mr. Pruitt filed 14 lawsuits challenging federal environmental regulations. In 13 of those cases, the co-parties included companies that had contributed money to Mr. Pruitt or to Pruitt-affiliated political campaign committees." I don't know what they call it in Oklahoma, but in New York and New Jersey we call that pay for play. The piece notes that Mr. Pruitt and his supporters believe that the best place to make and enforce environmental rules is at the state and local level and that the best way to assure a clean environment is to work with companies to achieve compliance. I agree, and that is actually how most environmental rules are administered. The exceptions include companies whose pollution crosses state lines making it difficult for the affected state to regulate pollution caused in other places; or when we are trying to influence companies like VW, whose sophisticated methods of noncompliance require the resources of the national government. The best analogy is law enforcement. In my home town, the NYPD takes care of nearly all the crime we endure. But some cases require the FBI or Homeland Security. In New York, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) or New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are often all we need. But sometimes we need EPA. Removing the possibility of national enforcement of environmental rules is a very bad idea. Suing EPA in response to the wishes of campaign donors is an even worse idea. It is astonishing that a 21st century American president would trust this man with formulating and enforcing national environmental law. What is truly strange about this approach to policy and to the environment is that it is decades out of date. Modern, sophisticated management these days includes sustainability factors in routine operations. Competent manufacturers, retailers, nonprofits, real estate developers, and investors are asking these questions about companies they run and about the organizations within their supply chain:

Do they use energy, water and other raw materials as efficiently as possible?

Do they manage their waste flow to ensure low potential environmental damage and minimal risk of costly environmental liability?

Do they recycle and reuse materials they produce or consume?

Are they working with customers to ensure that products at the end of their life cycle are recovered?

Does sustainability make or cost money?

Does the organization have a reputation for environmental stewardship--of increasing importance in the marketplace--especially to millennials?

Companies that pollute and then pay elected officials to lobby for them remind me of that Gary Larson cartoon, "Why Dinosaurs Became Extinct"...the one that shows dinosaurs lighting up and puffing away. It's true that cigarettes came after the dinosaurs, but you get the point: well-managed companies can and should comply with environmental rules. It's weird when companies think that pollution is acceptable. We are way past the point that Americans actually believe we have to tolerate pollution to grow economically. The President-elect is a real estate developer; he certainly understands that you can't sell apartments if people can't see the view they paid for, they can't breathe the air without getting sick, and their tap water is unfiltered sludge. Appointing Scott Pruitt to run EPA is like making a pacifist the head of the Department of Defense. It makes no sense and it will not work. While one can hope the process of Congressional advice and consent will stop this appointment, there is no assurance that the next nominee will be any better. The problem is this outmoded idea that environmental protection is a luxury and that we have too many cumbersome, bureaucratic rules holding back economic growth in order to protect the environment. If anything, we need to do more to develop advanced technologies that allow us to enjoy the benefits of modern life, without damaging the planet's ecosystems. Environmental protection is not the enemy of economic growth; it is a prerequisite for that growth. When we develop our economy, and ignore environmental impacts, eventually we pay the costs of that damage. Clean-up is always more expensive than prevention. And that is before we pay the cost of health care, lost productivity and the emotional damage suffered when our children get sick or, god forbid, die from the wanton poisoning of the planet. The individual who runs EPA needs to understand this fundamental fact of modern life. They need to understand it deeply and be able to communicate it to the President. The transition process will continue to contain distractions, disinformation and dysfunction. I see no prospect of that changing. My hope is that the people running our national government remember that humans are biological, living creatures. We need clean air, water and food to live. Government's fundamental function is ensuring our security and health. Environmental rules must be enforced for that function to be performed.

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