#is giving r. kelly tactics

[blaqueswanzaghouliishiilikeda]

what’s sad is it’s gonna be 15-20 years before we get a Surviving Aubrey “Drake” Graham and the extent of his grooming behavior (and most likely more) comes out, so know that i want him [REDACTED] rn!!

[blamebrett]

MHJ v HYBE: A Tyler Perry Production

That's right, y'all! From the studio that brought you the Madea series and Testimony, we now have

Diary of a Mad Hype Girl!

Let’s first put that into perspective. Min Hee Jin has had 2 press conferences to HYBE’s ZERO press conferences. And yet she wants HYBE to stop the media play…moving along.  She calls two national emergency conferences and did an exclusive KBS interview. Fortunately, she kept this one brief, less than 2 hours. There are a few things I want to discuss about the first and second press conference: 

Presentation is the Key to Manipulation 

Min Hee Jin showed up to the first preference channeling her inner Felicia from Friday wearing a oversize shirt and hid under a Dodgers hat. She did this to remind everyone that like Gwen Stefani, she’s just the only girl in the world. Which was smart in a way, no one would ever sympathize with two power hungry people vying for power. She knew what she had to do to gain the public, or so she thought. Even though she went to the Tyler Perry school of acting, most people did not feel empathetic to her cause. So she switched tactics and came dressed modestly, and pretty simple, if I must say.  She dressed like a modern woman, but not too elegant, and her demeanor shifted from frantic to polite. 

The Two Faces of Min Hee Jin 

This woman to ramble and rave without a clear thought pattern in her first. I mean, she was only two seconds from channeling R. Kelly and screaming “I’M FIGHTING FOR MY FUCKING LIFE.” This time, she was so polite, but her arrogance was also in full display.  As she stated during the press conference, she felt vindicated by the courts. Even Korea is feeling whiplashed from her changes in personality. She’s so weird and manipulative, and it leaves many question “who are you.”

Well, here’s what I think about her. 

Apple Music currently playing “I’m just a girl” next song, “Human nature” by Michael Jackson

Let’s make a drinking game out of every time she said she was human. 

Reporter: “How do you feel about how Le Sserafim is being treated?”

MHJ: “I’m getting targeted to!”

Reporter: “What about New Jeans”

MHJ: “I love them…they checked on me and comforted me because I’m human and I have emotions”

Reporter: “What about BTS now being questioned about their album sales”

MHJ: “I didn’t want to tarnish their names, but I’m human”

Somehow, this grown ass woman has found a way to always make herself the center of the conversation, and no other victim can exist outside of her. It’s maddening. And while I’m not an Army, those men have worked hard to keep their brand rather clean, the girl groups are just starting out so they need to build their brand to be as clean, and yet, here comes MHJ like a racking ball, not giving a fuck. 

I’m so over her. I’m so over this drama, and quite frankly, she’s not even getting more than half of my hanger in the situation. 

BIG BACK ASS BANG YOU’RE NEXT~

Overall, Tyler Perry did a great job with this production. MHJ surely learned from his acting and has manifested into a great actress. I find Jigsaw to be the next best role for her. Tell me what y'all think.

[magicmoon65]

Why didn’t the backlash against “copaganda” happen so loudly when the Ferguson incident happened in 2014? And what about all the other scandals that happened before George Floyd?

I... don't know? I'm not a social analyst, I wasn't particularly involved in BLM, I can't tell you why Geoge Floyd has a bigger reaction than other deaths. All I can do, and is what I did, is observe that it did happen.

I did not try to say that this was the first death that mattered, that this was the first death that deserved an uproar.

To answer your question, since my theory is that George Floyd's death led to the change in copaganda perception, why didn't Ferguson? Because there weren't riots in response to it at nearly the level that Floyd's got. That is my theory.

I also got this ask, not sure if it's the same person:

I’m sorry but, by your logic about George Floyd single-handedly prompting a backlash against “copaganda”, R. Kelly should have started a backlash against r&b multiple times over

This is... a very weird corralary? Why are you bringing this up? Why is this at all relevant?

First of all. I know very little about R. Kelly or R&B. I am not going to pretend to in order to prove why this is or isn't a good metaphor. To me it seems very random, and I'm sure if I looked I could find a corollary that reflected exactly my logic just like you found an example that (I'm assuming) doesn't.

I really don't get how this is such difficult logic. Like maybe they have nothing to do with each other, but give me a legit alternative. But I'm failing to see why it doesn't make sense.

Let's talk logic, then. Which of these points do you disagree with or not follow?

A). OP's observationof a once niche idea: media with police as sympathetic characters =Copaganda

B.) OP's: point A became more commonly beleived after 2020

C.) After Geoge Floyd's death, there were BLM protests and riots in response

D.) C occurred in 2020

E.) these protests and riots were on a larger scale than previous ones

F.) The police responded to C with extreme measures, not new tactics but witnessed by many who had not been previously aware of these tactics

G.) E and F led to more Americans being aware of Black social issues, aware of the corruption of the police, aware of the extent to which Black people are targeted, the horrors of the prison system, and aware of alternatives to the current system

H.) Point G could have led to Point B

If you respond, please indicate the letter or letter that you fail to understand or follow. If you cannot, or attempt to get me to discuss something other than the logical expression above, than I don't want to hear it, as you would be a) pulling me into a conversation I don't have the energy, knowledge, desire, or place for; b) trying to make me look bad for some reason, and/or c) enagaging in various argumentative fallacies.

Also... do me one favor before having any conversation with me about this again. If I feel like you haven't attempted to honestly discuss in a mature and respectful way, I really don't want to continue.

Ask yourself these questions: am I trying to find a reason magicmoon65 is wrong, or am I honestly attempting to understand what she said? Do I think that magicmoon65's comment is actively harmful to others? Do I have an alternative explanation that I can share in a reasonable way, or do I simply think that she's wrong and need to prove it is so? Is continuing this argument worth my time and energy? Am I trying to change magicmoon65's mind or simply attempt to expose her or call her out in some way?

Here's the thing: I don't mind rewording things that may have been confusing. I know that sometimes my brain goes in a different direction than others. And I'm willing to try to better communicate because I think it's really important.

But these asks seem aggressive and accusatory, not looking to clarify. I've attempted to explain my logic. I suspect that you interpreted what I said to be speaking on how Floyd's death casued the riots. I can't really speak on why that happened. But it did. I'm not talking about why. I'm talking about the fact that it happened, and what that has to do with people's views on copaganda.

[kingjaffejoffer]

I used to watch hours of EYL , then they started bringing in a bunch of celebrity guest who financial input I do not care for at all, I don’t care what Jim Jones has to say about crypto, (nor do I care for crypto), guest who do not have good reputations with their customers, now Rashard walk around dressed like he from Star island in Miami, with a questionable Beijing beard. I think I’m a move on from them.

I completely agree, and I'm in the same boat. I used to watch every single episode but now I drop in every few weeks or so for the exact things you mentioned.

I've battled with myself to give them grace and let them live out their dream. But for me it's HARD for them to be so unabashedly capitalist. They're completely agnostic about investing in unethical companies, bigging up unethical people, shit they even let quearionable guests come on the show and shill snake oil. They've let scammers like Jay Morrison and niggas like Him300 give illegal advice.

Black Americans always default to "But white people do it too!!!" when it comes to calling out Black scammers, or even criminals in general (Talk about R. Kelly and Bill Cosby with Black people and they'll say "what about Harvey Weinstein?" eventually).

Allowing the worst white people to be our barometer for what's acceptable is gross, and it should be beneath us.

But ultimately, this is America. The only thing that matters to Americans is money. Poor people are treated like shit, exploited, and are at risk of dying earlier. The United States has no soul outside of Black people and the indigenous, and neither one of us are in control. Since we cannot change the rules of the game, we have no choice but to play.

I think there's a decent amount about the EYL niggas that's seeming a little unsavory. But I can't fully shit on them because, ethics aside, financial literacy is a survival tactic in 2021 America. This country will absolutely leave you behind.

I'd recommended Mark Monroe. He's worth a follow.

[consciouskingdom]

Surviving R. Kelly....

This was hard to watch. Since the six part series premiered on Lifetime it has created a firestorm and we as a people have got to unpack all of this! To begin: I believe Every. Single.One. Of. These. WOMEN! And we ALL should.......BUT we don’t..... because the painful cries of Black Women fall on deaf ears. The series featured personal accounts from everyone including his security guards, back up dancers, his own brothers and most importantly, the survivors of his abuse. Their vivid and descriptive depictions of what they endured set social media on fire and everyone had an opinion to share. For everyone writing post, sharing memes blaming young black girls or still in support of Robert Kelly in any way - please read the following bullet points and get your life!

· Young Black Girls are not “FAST”, They are prematurely overly-sexualized, manipulated and preyed upon.

We can not attack young black girls for “seducing” older men. I’ve seen the memes shared with captions demeaning teenage girls that had older “boyfriends” picking them up from the high school parking lot...everyone is laughing & sharing their memories of this but ignoring the fact that these same men are aware of their power over a younger woman and exploiting it for benefit. A dominant dynamic is established when someone such as a young girl in poverty/lack thereof to basic necessities encounters a manipulator who will target that and use it to their advantage. Most of these young girls were thinking with a scarcity perspective fueled by desperation, craving more out of life and unfortunately predators were the respondents to their pleas as opposed to someone who could help.  These type of men willingly and strategically use their age, money and perceived power to manipulate a younger naive mind. Preying on their need for emotional attention, financial support and validation; young girls are met with psychological brain washing tactics that they are in no way prepared to fight against.   As early as I can remember - my body changed as I matured and older adult men were the first to comment and notice it. “Oh girl, you really starting to fill out”.....”You getting some hips and legs on you”...”You grown up now”.....”Come on over here and give me a hug, let me look at you”...comments like these occurred at family events, school and even my church growing up. Young black girls are objectified and violated in plain sight! And unfortunately because of that mindset that translates to our bodies are disposable and serve as an object of pleasure - no one acknowledges the pain endured when our innocence is stolen before we can even fully comprehend the full implications of the actions that are transpiring. Ask any black woman you know, she has a story in her childhood where this or something similar has occurred. The common misconception is that because it happens so often, the young girl is to blame because she is being “fast” or “frisky” and pursuing an older man but we ignore what the older man is doing to persuade and manipulate her to be there in the first place! Stop labeling her a whore, slut, fast or frisky! A young girl could be as "fast" as Sonic the Hedgehog but no child is promiscuous enough to entice an older person into being intimate with him/her if that older person did not have an attraction to children initially. We never question the motives of the predator but question the actions of those being preyed upon. In victim blaming, we blatantly ignore the psychological damage that young girls and women are suffering through daily. Predators are stealing their innocence resulting in damage to their self esteem and their ability to have agency over one's own body and life. That type of damage will literally permeate every aspect of her life until she is able to heal. Many who endure sexual traumas hide their hurt in the nearest bottle or whatever substance will numb the pain as they spend their lives drowning in shame. 60% of young black girls have been sexually violated before the age of 18 and the Black community can not just keep dismissing it as  “Oh, She just acting grown.”

·  “Consent” received from coercion and manipulation of a naive underage mind makes it null & void!

Many opinions argue that the women involved all participated willingly - I Call Bullshit! Within the black family that type of ideology runs rampant. By definition, consent is to give permission for something to happen or an agreement to do something. If someone is granting their permission for a sexual act to occur but it’s prompted by emotional manipulation, promises to aid in career advancement, physical abuse and fear: That’s. Not. Consent! Young black girls in under-served and inner cities are in circumstances in which older men are preying on their naïve nature, immaturity and survival needs. Living in poverty creates a scarcity mindset that forces you to result to desperate measures for basic necessities and financial support. Aside from being under the influence of substances I believe there is nothing stronger than being under the influence of mind manipulation. R. Kelly used vulnerability, power, money and persuasion to ultimately create their dynamic; just as an older family member or someone’s boyfriend will offer money and attention in the midst of their abuse of a young girl. Molestation followed by providing money and/or physical abuse is a form of control, NOT CONSENT! A known pimp & womanizer once said “Any boy can control a girl’s body but a Grown Man can control her mind” To see the parents of Joycelyn Savege and Domonique Gardner crying out for their daughters, popping up on Kelly's residences seeking their children was heartbreaking. They wouldn't speak to their families because that's how deep psychological manipulation is, its classic "Pimp" culture and was  heartbreaking to watch. The survivors are not to blame here! (Yes I'm saying it AGAIN just in case you missed it in the last paragraph)

· R Kelly’s personal experience with sexual abuse is a deflection tactic & does not justify him repeating the cycle.

During the series, R Kelly’s brother admitted that he and his brother were both molested as children. My heart mourns for all black children who endure sexual, physical, emotional abuse. We NEED to discuss the sexual abuse Black boys go through as well! Black boys are sexualized as early and often as young girls.  Calling a young black boy “sexy” or your “boyfriend” or stating you’ll be waiting for him when he turns 18 is predatory behavior. Unfortunately society encourages it when it’s revealed that a teenage boy has slept with an older woman but it’s still perverted! A real discussion about sexual abuse with black boys and the trauma they endure must occur BUT not at the expense of Black girls. During the series his own brother, Bruce Kelly, stated Kelly's attraction to young girls were a “preference”. Pedophilia isn't a preference, its a choice! Truly examine the amount of time, effort, money and energy put into creating the "pimp" dynamic of power that Kelly enforced; that's intentional, calculated and strategic. Being a victim to sexual trauma and knowing the damage it caused, could lead to a mindset of NOT repeating those same heinous activities....R Kelly didn't make that choice. He is wealthy, he could have pursued counseling/therapy and he didn't. To use his own abuse as an excuse is a defense tactic, his predatory ways cannot be justified because of a traumatic upbringing. This is precisely why I constantly stress the importance of therapy and counseling. The entire Kelly family needs help to not perpetuate this cycle.

· You can not separate the artist from the “art” when the art is a detailed description of his perverse actions and predatory lifestyle.

Seeing the comments online still crowning him as the “King Of R&B” literally sickened me. I personally recall being taught “I Believe I Can Fly” in elementary school, flapping my arms to scream the empowering lyrics. I recall my Mom cleaning our entire house with his songs crooning as we all sang along as I washed the baseboards. R Kelly provided a soundtrack for our lives. As much as we love “Step In the Name of Love” We absolutely must step away from this nigga! We can’t turn a blind eye to his actions because we love his musical genius. His security guards, producers who have worked with him, background vocalist and dancers ALL confirmed he had multiple bedrooms intentionally installed in his musical production studios. Read that again… he had multiple bedrooms *IN* the music studio…meaning he was sexually engaging and abusing young girls in between song takes. One of the survivors revealed that Kelly penned “You Are Not Alone” for Michael Jackson detailing her miscarriage of Kelly’s child while she was 17. Analyzing the lyrics he had Aaliyah sing for her debut single: “Boy be brave, don't be afraid, Cause tonight we're gonna, go all the way. Don't mean to be bold, gotta let you know, I gotta thing for you, and I can't let go my.. Age ain't nothing but a number, throwing down ain't nothing but a thang, This loving I have for you it'll never change”......

I know the music is catchy but don't compartmentalize just to serve what benefits you and undermines the severity of damage these women endured.

There is absolutely no way we can continue to separate the art from the artist when his art depicts the life he manifest and the young girls who are a part of it!

· Everyone surrounding Aaliyah during her time with him had concerns but no one took action!

A stage manager, his body guards, his entourage, his family, producers who created music for her, friends of Liyah who were also background dancers and toured with her all witnessed her relationship with Kelly. Per the docuseries, they all stated they had concerns but no action occurred to protect her. The bodyguard openly admitted he forged documents to aid in their marriage; at the time Aaliyah was only 15 years old. After Aaliyah's mother heard the background dancer Jovante Cunningham openly stated she saw Kelly having sex with Aaliyah she immediately denied it in a statement stating she and her husband were always with Aaliyah as she toured. With all respect to the Haughton family and the legacy of Aaliyah, her family failed her and everyone around her failed her. It seems her mother is afraid to admit the truth of this situation, not every parent can be around their teenagers 24/7 and that's okay. BUT don't shame others for speaking their TRUTH. It dawned on me after watching the details be described that perhaps he likely married Aaliyah so that she could get an abortion without having to get parental consent. If a murder is committed and someone witnesses it - they are an accessory to the crime. I'm demanding a legal reform that applies the same logic to everyone who enabled R Kelly!

After we've watched the episodes and read the countless memes, status post and tweets let us remember: Listen to Black WOMEN! Tears don't flow that easily nor does pain resonate in someone's voice like that without reason. Even if you deny the claims, we have legal documents that show Robert Sylvester Kelly married Aaliyah when she was 15. You can be pro-black and still hold Black men and women accountable for their wrongdoings.  A black girl’s life is more important than some hit songs. I commend dream hampton and the superb cinematic efforts she executed in creating this docu-series! It highlights a truth so basic it pains me that I even have to state it: Anything that harms Black Women harms black PEOPLE in our entirety....and R Kelly must be added to that list.

Bye Robert, Get some help!

(Note: If this was triggering for you or you need someone to talk to, please email us at ConsciousKingdomCK@gmail.com, confidentiality guaranteed...I love you)

ShopConsciousKingdom.com

[linhgd9]

Global Steam Heaters Market 2021 With (COVID-19) Impact Analysis, Industry Demand, Top Trends, Forecast 2028 – By MRS

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[arplis]

Arplis - News: Politics with Michelle Grattan: Anthony Albanese on his new frontbench, Joel Fitzgibbon, and Labor’s imminent workplace policy

Last year, Anthony Albanese was criticised for his lack of cut-through during the COVID crisis, as Labor was sidelined by a hyperactive government. This year, amid ALP leadership speculation and now a shadow ministry reshuffle, Albanese is seeking to assert himself more forcefully, declaring last week “I will be leader of this country after the next election”. With that election possible within the year, the need for Labor to outline its policies, including on climate change and industrial relations, is becoming more pressing. Albanese is still intent on taking his time on climate policy, where international developments are fast-moving, but the IR policy is imminent. This week, the opposition leader joins the podcast to discuss the reshuffle, and his and his party’s goals. “Labor will always stand up for the interests of working people,” he says, and that commitment will be at the heart of its workplace policy. The policy’s “priorities are very much on job security and income security.” “Whether it be people in labour hire companies…working next door to someone but earning less money… whether it be people in the new gig economy who are sometimes working for almost nothing in some cases, whether it be issues of workers who are having to bid against each other.” Albanese says the policy will be in direct contrast to government legislation, drafted last year and now before parliament, which would “cut wages and conditions”. Will the ALP definitely vote against the government’s measures? “We’ve said we will not vote for any legislation that cuts wages or cuts conditions such as penalty rates.” Transcript (edited for clarity) Michelle Grattan: Anthony Albanese has had a rough start to 2021, the serious car accident and speculation about the future of his leadership. He’s hoping for some reset from the frontbench reshuffle he undertook last week, which saw Chris Bowen replace Mark Butler as spokesman on climate and energy. And at least this week’s Newspoll brought some encouragement, showing the Coalition and Labor commencing the year 50-50 on the two-party vote. The opposition leader joins us today. Anthony Albanese, your reshuffle didn’t quell the leadership talk. Did you expect it to? Anthony Albanese: I was determined to do the right thing. The advice that I had of some people before the reshuffle was you don’t make changes. If you don’t make changes, no one can complain. But that’s not the right thing. The right thing to do is to put in place the team with the right people in the right jobs in the lead up to the election. And that contrasts with Scott Morrison’s reshuffle that he talked up when Mathias Cormann was leaving the parliament and which left Angus Taylor in place, left Stuart Robert, the person who presided over the robodebt debacle in place, Melissa Price, still there in charge of defence procurement when we have real issues with the subs, made no changes of any substance. So I did the right thing by the Labor Party and that is making sure that we maximise our potential to winning the next election. MG: Now, Covid obviously made things extraordinarily difficult for oppositions last year, but even allowing for that, have you been surprised at the extent of angst within the Labor Party, given that federal Labor is polling not too badly, obviously on a two-party basis, the latest poll has you 50/50. AA: Well, I reject the premise of the question. The fact is that overwhelmingly my colleagues and the caucus is focused on holding the government to account, on putting forward constructive suggestions and developing a clear alternative at the next election. That’s overwhelmingly what people are focussed on. MG: Do you accept that Labor’s primary vote, around 36% is too low? And what can you do to get that up? AA: Well, I want it to be 100%, Michelle, but it’s worth saying that that’s 3% higher than it was at the last election. And if anyone thinks that if we get 3% higher primary vote across the board, we won’t win the next election, then they’re wrong. The fact is that we, of course, need to continue to work on that, but it’s heading in the right direction. And one of the things that will continue to argue for is that this is a do nothing government. We’re seeing today the prime minister give a speech at the National Press Club where once again, there’s no reform, no plan for the economy or for social policy. We still don’t have an energy policy. No plan to deal with the challenges of the future. We’ll continue to hold the government to account. During 2020, we put forward practical ideas and policies such as wage subsidies, support for mental health programmes, including telehealth, the issue of the vaccine, issues of quarantine and our borders, the need to have a plan to deal with aged care. We put forward all of those suggestions, some of which were adopted by the government, such as wage subsidies, the increase in unemployment benefits. It’s not like we weren’t focused on policy, we were. It’s just that we were focused on the immediate needs, and that’s what the Australian people expected of us. We were constructive. And that stands in stark contrast to the attitude of the Coalition during the global financial crisis. And that will put us in good stead at the next election. And what we need as well now, and we’ve started to do that, as I said we would on your podcast when I became leader, when we received the review of the election defeat last time around, that we would have more strategy and less tactics. We would roll out our policies from the time of the budget reply. Now, that budget reply was delayed, but we certainly did that with major childcare reform, a major initiative, a building on just as Labor made universal health care through Medicare, universal superannuation, universal provision of child care, working towards that is a major economic reform and as well a future made in Australia, recognising that whilst the pandemic has shown the strength of Australian society and the strength of people being prepared to look after each other, it’s also exposed some of the underlying economic weaknesses, our lack of economic resilience. Our need to actually be able to manufacture more things for ourselves, the weakness that’s there in the labour market to increase casualisation and all of those present opportunities for Labor to present clear alternatives at the next election. We’ve done some of that, we’ll be doing more of that in coming weeks and months. MG: They’ve obviously become increasingly frustrated with the criticisms by Joel Fitzgibbon. But do you at least agree with him that labour, L-A-B-O-U-R, needs to be put back into the Labor Party. AA: The Labor Party has never walked away from looking after working people. We’ve been around for some 130 years, we are Australia’s oldest and proudest political party and I reject the idea that we don’t look after working people. The last Labor government got rid of WorkChoices and put in place reforms in the interests of working people. What we’re advancing now in terms of childcare is about working people as well. Workers these days aren’t all blue collar males. They are women. They’re men, they’re young people, they’re older, older workers. You’ve seen the economy transition and we need modern solutions, we’ll continue to do that. But Labor will always stand up for the interests of working people. MG: Do you think it’s possible that Joel Fitzgibbon might leave the Labor Party, join the crossbench? AA: Look, no, I think that Joel Fitzgibbon actions will speak. People will make their own judgement about the role that he’s playing and whether he’s trying to be constructive or not. MG: But you don’t think he’d jump. AA: People will make their own decisions. Joel has said himself he made the decision some time ago, just after the last election, that he would stay on the frontbench for 18 months. And we had discussions about the timing of his departure. He chose to depart in a way that was different from what he had indicated to myself as leader and to others over a long period of time. And people will make their own judgement about that. I mean, the Coalition have Barnaby Joyce, have Craig Kelly, they’ve just knocked off Kevin Andrews, the longest serving member of the House of Representatives. They have a whole range of people on their side who are out of step with the mainstream opinion, on the LNP side. The difference is that Labor, when we’ve had an issue, we’ve dealt with it. We’ve intervened into the New South Wales and the Victorian branch whilst I’ve been leader, making necessary reforms and made those branches stronger as a result. Scott Morrison’s just sitting back watching the sort of chaos that’s seen, frankly, Kevin Andrews humiliated after a long period of time in the parliament. MG: The coronavirus supplement stops at the end of March when JobSeeker would return to the old level. The base, at the moment, for JobSeeker is $565 a fortnight and the supplement currently is $150 a fortnight. What level do you think the ongoing JobSeeker should be struck at? AA: Well, what we say is that it should be more. That $40 a day isn’t enough to live on, the government acknowledge that. We’re not in a position to change the level of JobSeeker in April and we’re not going to let the government off the hook. We’re going to continue to say that they should not be reducing JobSeeker to $40 a day because they themselves have acknowledged that this drives people into poverty. MG: This is not a complicated policy issue to nominate what you think would be a reasonable level. AA: There are costings, that are required of that process, we will have… MG: You could make them. AA: We’ll have, well we could make things up, Michelle, but I don’t want to do that. Just make things up without proper costings and without proper processes. And I haven’t done that. We will be in a position, I would hope, to make changes to a whole range of policies after the next election when we’re in a position to form government. But what we’ve said under my leadership very early on was that $40 a day wasn’t enough to live on. That was acknowledged by the government that that was the case. MG: You mentioned Scott Morrison’s speech today in which he’s very optimistic about Australia’s economic recovery. Are you as optimistic? AA: Well, one of the things that I wouldn’t do, what Scott Morrison said that today and Josh Frydenberg has been saying as well, is that everything is all hunky dory. The fact is, a whole lot of people have been left behind during the pandemic. So, yes, some people have done well, some businesses have done well. They’ve not only received JobKeeper, they’ve had their profits increased and being able to give big bonuses to corporate representatives. But other people are really struggling and people who are in casual employment didn’t receive any JobKeeper payments. They were the first ones to be laid off, and you have around about two million Australians today are either unemployed or want more work than they’re getting at. They’re being left behind. A whole lot of people are struggling to pay their rent or to pay their mortgage. And a whole lot of other people, because of problems with the labour market, are really doing it tough. The costs of childcare are something like four or five times the increase this year than the inflation rate. You have circumstances whereby in some cases people working, doing the same job in the mining sector, some will be earning around about 30% or in some cases more, less than their counterparts simply because of the use of labour hire. There are people in the gig economy who are basically working for third world conditions. There’s no minimum rates for them and they’re being left outside the system. Now, some people choose and it’s convenient for them and will continue to use new technology. And that’s not a bad thing at all. But some people who are in the case of people driving around on bicycles, delivering food and other products to people, have seen a considerable loss of life because they have to take risks because they’re not being paid enough to get by. When you have all those sorts of issues, I think that Scott Morrison as the leader of the nation should speak up on behalf of those people who need assistance and are struggling, not just those people who’ve done well. MG: Do you think JobKeeper should go beyond the end of March when it’s due to end? AA: I think for some sectors that are needing of support, if the logic of wage subsidies was to keep relationships between employers and employees so as to avoid businesses failing and workers being unemployed, then if those circumstances are still there, why would you prematurely withdraw support. MG: Which sectors? AA: So areas, for example, like the tourism sector that are continuing to struggle, particularly in sectors that are reliant upon international tourism like far north Queensland. MG: Now, obviously, climate policy was much talked about during your reshuffle with the move of Mark Butler and Chris Bowen being the new spokesman. What difference do you think this move will make? AA: Well, Chris Bowen is a former treasurer. He will focus, as he has already. You’ve seen him focus not on diminution of our commitment to action on climate change, but emphasising, for example, that Deloitte Access Economics says that 250,000 jobs will be created by moving, over coming decades, by moving to net zero emissions by 2050, and that, by contrast, hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost if we don’t act on climate change. It’s that link that I’ve continued to say since my time as the environment and climate change spoke. A person under Kim Beazley, I argued the action on climate change was good for jobs and good for the economy, the policies that were put in place under the Rudd and Gillard governments that I developed in Kim Beazley’s blueprint we published in 2006, were significant, such as the most important of which was the 20% renewable energy target by 2020. At the time opposed by the Coalition, questioned by a whole lot of people, including some people in the Labor Party. The fact is that was the right thing to do that helped create jobs not just directly in terms of the renewable sector, but also in terms of reducing costs of energy for manufacturing sector. MG: So this move, does it represent a change of substance or a change in how the substance is presented? AA: Well, the Labor party policy is decided by the Labor Party, not by an individual spokesperson. And the Labor Party believes in climate change and that it’s real and that by acting, you produce more jobs, lower emissions and lower energy prices. The Labor Party is very consistent on that. And we’ve been consistent on it for a long period of time since we advocated well before we, of course, signed up to the Kyoto Protocol. But we argued, of course, for ratification. And that was the first action of the Rudd government in December 2007. So we’re absolutely committed to action across the board. And I’ve seen some commentary that says that a member of the New South Wales right wing grouping somehow won’t take action on the environment. Well, Graham Richardson, Bob Carr, Tony Burke were three outstanding advocates for our natural environment and for action. They all have a proud record of achievement in that area. Chris Bowen’s absolutely committed to strong action. And and I think he will do an outstanding job. MG: You’ve justified waiting to produce a climate policy on the grounds that a lot is happening this year. Now, that includes the Glasgow climate conference towards the end of the year. If we don’t have an election this year, will you delay announcing your policy until next year? AA: Look, we’ll make our policy announcements at the appropriate time. They probably won’t be, with due respect, on a podcast, there’ll be a full scale press conference for all to see and to assess. But it’s not like we’ve delayed policy announcements, Michelle, I have very clearly stated in one of my earliest speeches and policy announcements as leader, net zero emissions by 2050, and that we would act consistently with that. We have argued and I wrote to the prime minister before I addressed the National Press Club in the middle of last year, saying that we supported a mechanism to drive change through the economy and that that should be a bipartisan mechanism and then people could disagree on what the ambition was within it. But we’ve done our best to try to be constructive, but we’ve made it very clear that we will be ambitious when it comes to climate change. We’ve made specific policy announcements as well, opposing the changes and and the attempts by this government to get rid of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. And we announced in the budget reply last year the Rewiring the Nation policy. Now, that was a $20 billion fund to be made available to make sure that you fix transmission in this country. And what the, all the experts, the Australian energy market operator, no less, and all of the major energy companies say is that, that would address the major challenge because what that would enable it to do is for the renewables sector, which is, the problem there is one of storage and and reliability to be a part of the grid, to operate more effectively, which would, of course, assist the renewable sector. Now, because that wasn’t couched in terms of a percentage or what have you, maybe it didn’t receive the focus of something like the net zero emissions by 2050. But that was a very, very significant announcement. And indeed, the most significant thing that could be done according to the energy sector itself. MG: One policy you are going to announce soon is on industrial relations. Now, obviously, you’re not going to be revealing the detail of that today, but can you just tell me, what are the topic headings, as it were, that you’ll concentrate on - the priorities? AA: The priorities are very much on job security and income security, the fact that workers currently feel vulnerable, that if you’re in insecure work, that means you have difficulty getting a mortgage. It means you have difficulty planning for your first child or future children. It means that businesses suffer because they don’t have the certainty either of people being able to spend money and keep that flow, which then flows on to the economy. So that’s a big challenge. The wage stagnation that has been there since 2013, we have never seen since records were kept, wages being so constrained as they are. We need to deal with people who are in secure in work, in the workforce, whether that be people who work in labour hire companies and are working next door to someone doing the same tasks but earning less money, whether it be people in the new gig economy who are sometimes working for almost nothing in some cases, whether it be issues of workers who are having to bid against each other. And that’s one of the things we’re seeing as to areas like the NDIS, workers are being essentially putting in a bid to provide services, but the lowest cost is the successful bidder. Now, that puts a real downward pressure on wages, but also in the delivery of the services and the quality of that service delivery. MG: The issue of insecure work will be a centrepiece of this policy… AA: It will be front and centre because that’s a big challenge. And that’s something at the same time as, what Scott Morrison’s solution? Well, we know they’ve produced legislation last year which would cut wages and conditions. MG: Will you vote against that legislation… AA: We’ve said we will not vote for any legislation that cuts wages or cuts conditions such as penalty rates. MG: So you will vote against it in the Senate. AA: We will try to, of course, amend legislation and then we’ll make decisions, but we won’t be. Labor will always stand up for working people and their wages and conditions. MG: Well, it will be a lively industrial relations debate in the next few weeks. AA: It certainly will be, and that will be a major focus of Labor, which is consistent with the approach that I’ve always held and my Labor team holds. MG: Anthony Albanese, thank you very much for talking with us today. Additional audio A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/politics-with-michelle-grattan-anthony-albanese-on-his-new-frontbench-joel-fitzgibbon-and-labor-s-imminent-workplace-policy

[orbemnews]

Massive corporations pause their political contributions. Massive companies usually donate to each political events and say their help is tied to slim problems with particular curiosity to their industries. That observe turned more and more fraught final week, after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol and a few Republican lawmakers tried to overturn Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s win within the presidential election. A flurry of corporations have since reviewed political giving through their company political motion committees: Morgan Stanley is suspending all PAC contributions to members of Congress who didn’t vote to certify the outcomes of the Electoral Faculty, a spokesman mentioned. Marriott mentioned it might pause donations from its PAC “to those that voted towards certification of the election,” a spokeswoman instructed DealBook. She didn’t say how lengthy the break would final or how the resort chain would determine when to renew donations. The chemical compounds large Dow mentioned it was suspending all PAC contributions “to any member of Congress who voted to object to the certification of the presidential election.” The suspension will final for one election cycle — two years for representatives and as much as six years for senators. AT&T, one of many largest political marketing campaign contributors in the US, mentioned in a assertion on Monday that its political motion committee had determined to droop contributions to members of Congress who voted towards the certification of Electoral Faculty votes final week. Hallmark requested the return of marketing campaign contributions its PAC made to Senators Josh Hawley Missouri and Roger Marshall of Kansas, each of whom voted towards certifying the presidential election outcomes. “Hallmark believes the peaceable transition of energy is a part of the bedrock of our democratic system, and we abhor violence of any variety,” the corporate mentioned in a press release. “The latest actions of Senators Josh Hawley and Roger Marshall don’t replicate our firm’s values.” Airbnb condemned the violence in Washington, saying in a press release that it “will replace its framework and withhold help from those that voted towards the certification of the presidential election outcomes.” The Coca-Cola Firm mentioned in a press release that it might additionally droop political giving: “These occasions will lengthy be remembered and can issue into our future contribution selections.” Blue Cross Blue Protect, Boston Scientific and Commerce Bancshares are taking an analogous, focused method to donation freezes. The publication Standard Data is monitoring the responses of those and different corporations that donated to lawmakers who challenged the election outcome. Some massive banks are pausing all political donations — to those that voted to uphold the election in addition to to those that sought to overturn it — a tactic that’s elevating eyebrows. Goldman Sachs is freezing donations by way of its PAC and can conduct “a radical evaluation of how folks acted throughout this era,” a spokesman, Jake Siewert, instructed DealBook. JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup additionally mentioned they might postpone all marketing campaign contributions. Fb will pause all of its contributions to political motion committees representing both social gathering for not less than the rest of the primary quarter of 2021, the corporate confirmed in a press release on Monday, citing the necessity to evaluation its insurance policies. A spokesman for Microsoft confirmed that it might do the identical. Different corporations, together with Financial institution of America, FedEx and Wells Fargo, mentioned they might evaluation their company contribution technique. In different fallout, the P.G.A. of America mentioned it might now not maintain its signature championship on the Trump Nationwide Golf Membership in Bedminster, N.J.; the social app Parler, standard amongst conservatives as a substitute for Twitter, went darkish this morning after Amazon lower it off from computing companies; the fee processor Stripe banned the Trump marketing campaign from utilizing its companies; YouTube blocked Steve Bannon’s podcast channel; and the debate continues over tech giants’ affect over public speech. Kate Kelly, Jenny Gross and Mike Isaac contributed reporting. Supply hyperlink #Big #Companies #contributions #Pause #Political

[unfilteredpatriot]

New Post has been published on Unfiltered Patriot

New Post has been published on http://unfilteredpatriot.com/gop-senators-want-doj-to-investigate-new-trend-of-racial-segregation/

GOP Senators Want DOJ to Investigate New Trend of “Racial Segregation”

Over the last few months, the woke quest for racial equality has taken some strange and disturbing turns. Nowhere are these turns more twisted than on our nation’s college campuses – a fact that stands to reason when you realize that these universities are the birthplace of all of this critical race theory in the first place. Looking to these campuses is an excellent way to get an idea of what’s headed to mainstream America in just a few years. And there are at least a couple of Republican senators who don’t like what they see in their crystal balls.

In a letter to the Justice Department this week, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) urged Attorney General William Barr to investigate the “alarming trend of apparent racial segregation in schools.”

“Sadly, racial segregation is a growing trend on campuses in residence halls, cultural centers, ‘safe spaces,’ & even classes,” tweeted Cotton. “Segregation is abhorrent. It’s also illegal under federal law. I’m urging AG Barr to investigate this harmful practice.”

In the letter, the senators wrote, “College administrators often rationalize these forms of racial segregation, claiming they give members of certain racial groups, especially minority groups, spaces where they can discuss shared concerns and issues. Thus, these defenders attempt to portray racial segregation as a tool to further diversity. Some defenders of these practices further claim that segregated facilities and events protect racial minorities from racism that supposedly is endemic in our nation’s schools.”

“Whatever the rationale,” they continued, “the effect of racial segregation is to divide the student body on a college campus, creating racial or ethnic enclaves. This practice heightens racial consciousness while discouraging students from thinking of themselves as part of one nation that encompasses members of all races.”

The Daily Wire documented two of the recent incidents that the senators referenced:

The first incident, which involved the University of Michigan-Dearborn, was a virtual “cafe” for minority students and another for non-minority students. The university has since apologized for “the framing and presentation of the purpose and intended outcomes of these events,” saying they were “poorly conceived and executed.” They also said the “events were never intended to be exclusive or exclusionary” on account of race.

The second incident involved the University of Kentucky’s resident advisor training sessions, the existence of which was reported by the Young America’s Foundation. Two documents obtained by YAF show that RA’s were asked to attend a joint bias training session that included separate breakout sessions: One for minorities, and another for white RAs.

This kind of stuff has no place in a modern, thoughtful, diverse society. As much as they like to call themselves “progressive,” today’s leftists are regressive to their very bones. As much as they like to call themselves “woke,” they are far behind the civil rights leaders of the 1960s in their awareness of what racial progress really means. In both their tactics and their language, they are taking America backwards.

We may or may not be able to do anything about this cultural wave, but at the very least, we don’t have to fund it. And we certainly don’t have to stand by and watch racial grifters reinstitute illegal practices like forced segregation.  

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[go-redgirl]

Conservatives Set Up Website to Monitor Tech Censorship

A website aimed at monitoring what it considers to be the censorship of conservatives and conservative political opinions has been launched by the media watchdog the Media Research Center, "designed to help prove the extent of that censorship and rally supporters to stop it."

CensorTrack.org is an initiative of the MRC's #FreeSpeechAmerica effort, a coalition of conservatives from former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and ex-Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., to First Liberty Institute CEO Kelly Shackelford and Rappahannock Ventures Managing Partner Bill Walton.

"Our position is that if they can do it to the president of the United States, they can do it to anyone, and in fact that is exactly what is happening . . . every platform in Silicon Valley today is censoring conservatives," Brent Bozell, the founder and president of the MRC, said during a virtual launch of the website Thursday.

The website has five sections, including an analysis of tech companies and their methods of stifling conservatives from firms such as Facebook to financial platforms and specialty sites; "Fact-Checker Spin," noting the tactics of so-called fact-checkers to restrict content; "Censorship by Issue," highlighting the subjects which it says are particularly targeted form abortion to what has been deemed "hate speech;" "Key Players," featuring profiles of the major figures that influence technology companies and regulation; and "Policy Remedies."

Among the many policy remedies is the removal or at least modification of what is known as "Section 230" protection of social media companies and platforms. The reference is to Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which shielded many Internet companies from lawsuits by giving them incentive to eradicate or minimize pornography accessible to children.

However, artificial intelligence has made much of the law obsolete, and some claim the web companies are using the law as a blanket, no longer acting as neutral repositories for information but rather – similar to news sites – editors of content. Calls have increase for them to be treated as active participants by removing their liability protection.

"What we are doing with Section 230 reform is clarifying who can use it, when they use it, how they are going to use it, and what it can apply to," Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said during the event. "And we're changing language, removing that otherwise objectionable language that has caused or allowed big tech to say, 'Well we find this, that or the other objectionable.'"

[newstfionline]

The Goal of ‘Not Losing’ in Afghanistan

By Jonathan Marshall, Consortium News, August 18, 2017

“Let’s get out of Afghanistan. Our troops are being killed by the Afghanis we train and we waste billions there. Nonsense!”--Donald Trump, January 11, 2013

Taking a break from his defense of the “very fine people” who marched with Nazis in Charlottesville, President Trump will reportedly meet with his national security team today (Friday, August 18) at Camp David to discuss a far deadlier but ironically less controversial issue: the war in Afghanistan.

That war, the longest in our history, has cost the United States more than 2,350 killed, 20,000 injured, and a trillion dollars. Yet unlike Charlottesville, it arouses little passion. It gained impeccably bipartisan credentials through successive Republican and Democratic administrations. Although a huge majority of Americans today oppose the war, they lack sufficient conviction to prevent Congress from continuing to appropriate tens of billions of dollars each year to fund it.

Trump is in a bind. As Taliban forces continue to rack up military and political gains across their country, no serious expert can possibly believe that continued U.S. intervention will deliver “victory.” Sixteen years of experience show that almost every U.S. tactic has not only failed, but backfired.

Far from winning hearts and minds, nighttime Special Forces raids and bombing runs have turned countless villagers against the Afghan government and its foreign backers. Far from bolstering Kabul’s resources, tens of billions of dollars in U.S. aid created an epidemic of corruption that decimated the government’s credibility and put money and weapons in the hands of the Taliban.

Far from defeating Islamist tyranny, the United States has empowered viciously cruel warlords. Far from promoting law and order, U.S. anti-drug campaigns turned poppy-growing peasants into allies and funders of the Taliban. And far from closing off Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan, Washington’s surly relations with Islamabad have amplified dangerous anti-American sentiments in that nuclear-armed, Islamic state.

“It is most disturbing to find that after [many] years [the country] appears less, not more, stable than it was at the outset,” said one prominent U.S. senator. “It appears more removed from, rather than closer to, the achievement of popularly responsible and responsive government.”

That was actually the observation of Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield, D-Montana, reporting on a study mission to Vietnam in the fall of 1962. It applies just as well to Afghanistan today.

Yet as Trump’s national security experts huddle with the President, most are almost certainly advocating an increased troop commitment to Afghanistan--not to bear the brunt of the fighting, but ostensibly to train government forces to stand on their own. That, of course, was the mission of U.S. military advisers sent to Vietnam in the early 1960s, before that war ballooned into a national disaster.

Trump’s generals--McMaster, Mattis and Kelly--know this history as well as anyone. (H. R. McMaster’s book, Dereliction of Duty, is considered a classic history of failed military leadership in the Vietnam War.) So does John McCain, the Senate’s most famous Vietnam veteran, who nonetheless insists on doing whatever it takes to “turn the tide” in Afghanistan. So why do they--like Obama’s team before them--keep calling for throwing away more lives and money on a lost cause?

The answer to that also lies in Vietnam. As former Defense Department official and Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg argued in a seminal 1971 essay, “The Quagmire Myth and the Stalemate Machine,” U.S. leaders knew full well, every step of the way, that their successive escalations of that war would not bring victory. Instead, their goal was to prevent defeat--and with it, a repetition of the political traumas that followed the “loss of China” and the rise of McCarthism in the early 1950s.

“If I tried to pull out completely now, we would have another Joe McCarthy red scare on our hands,” President John F. Kennedy told Sen. Mansfield in 1963. The assassination of Kennedy that November precluded any possibility that he would pull out after his reelection. Two days later, President Lyndon Johnson told a White House meeting, “I am not going to lose Vietnam. I am not going to be the president who saw Southeast Asia go the way China went.”

Forty-six years later, a Washington Post story on America’s longest war reports, “talk of ‘winning’ is scarce. The goal now seems more akin to ‘not losing.’” Pundits like former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta now talk of staying in Afghanistan for decades. It’s a replay of the Vietnam stalemate--but with more manageable costs, little TV coverage, and no mass anti-war demonstrations.

Most Washington leaders hardly know or care whether any U.S. “national interests” are actually at stake in Afghanistan. But they view the political risks of pulling out as worse than the risks of keeping the stalemate going. They don’t dare face charges that they allowed Afghanistan to become once again a haven for terrorists. No matter that Islamist jihadists operate just fine today without bases in Afghanistan--in our post-reality world, what counts are not the facts, but what fire-breathing analysts on Fox News will say about any apparent retreat.

No one knows what would happen if the United States were to pull out of Afghanistan. But if the Vietnam analogy holds, the consequences, though not pretty, would surely be less disastrous than many pundits predict. It’s hard to dispute the (admittedly self-serving) words of one Taliban spokesman, who said a U.S. withdrawal “will prevent further loss of its manpower and economy . . . This will be a means of salvage for us Afghans, too. . . Therefore, if America’s occupation comes to an end, it means that the problem between the two nations will end, too.”

Donald Trump, who had no trouble advising President Obama to quit the war, has reportedly ruled out a withdrawal from Afghanistan and complained to his military advisers that they aren’t giving him a strategy to win. If those reports are correct, he will forfeit his last opportunity to blame the war on his predecessor and cut his losses.

Senator McCain had it partly right when he said in July, “Eight [try 16] years of a ‘don’t lose’ strategy have cost us lives and treasure in Afghanistan. Our troops deserve better.”

So do American taxpayers--and Afghan civilians. Unfortunately, McCain, like most members of the Washington foreign policy “blob,” can only envision further military escalation to maintain the stalemate. What the United States desperately needs now is a mass movement to resist not only racism and plutocracy at home, but endless militarism abroad.

[arplis]

Arplis - News: Politics with Michelle Grattan: Anthony Albanese on his new frontbench, Joel Fitzgibbon, and Labor’s imminent workplace policy

Last year, Anthony Albanese was criticised for his lack of cut-through during the COVID crisis, as Labor was sidelined by a hyperactive government. This year, amid ALP leadership speculation and now a shadow ministry reshuffle, Albanese is seeking to assert himself more forcefully, declaring last week “I will be leader of this country after the next election”. With that election possible within the year, the need for Labor to outline its policies, including on climate change and industrial relations, is becoming more pressing. Albanese is still intent on taking his time on climate policy, where international developments are fast-moving, but the IR policy is imminent. This week, the opposition leader joins the podcast to discuss the reshuffle, and his and his party’s goals. “Labor will always stand up for the interests of working people,” he says, and that commitment will be at the heart of its workplace policy. The policy’s “priorities are very much on job security and income security.” “Whether it be people in labour hire companies…working next door to someone but earning less money… whether it be people in the new gig economy who are sometimes working for almost nothing in some cases, whether it be issues of workers who are having to bid against each other.” Albanese says the policy will be in direct contrast to government legislation, drafted last year and now before parliament, which would “cut wages and conditions”. Will the ALP definitely vote against the government’s measures? “We’ve said we will not vote for any legislation that cuts wages or cuts conditions such as penalty rates.” Transcript (edited for clarity) Michelle Grattan: Anthony Albanese has had a rough start to 2021, the serious car accident and speculation about the future of his leadership. He’s hoping for some reset from the frontbench reshuffle he undertook last week, which saw Chris Bowen replace Mark Butler as spokesman on climate and energy. And at least this week’s Newspoll brought some encouragement, showing the Coalition and Labor commencing the year 50-50 on the two-party vote. The opposition leader joins us today. Anthony Albanese, your reshuffle didn’t quell the leadership talk. Did you expect it to? Anthony Albanese: I was determined to do the right thing. The advice that I had of some people before the reshuffle was you don’t make changes. If you don’t make changes, no one can complain. But that’s not the right thing. The right thing to do is to put in place the team with the right people in the right jobs in the lead up to the election. And that contrasts with Scott Morrison’s reshuffle that he talked up when Mathias Cormann was leaving the parliament and which left Angus Taylor in place, left Stuart Robert, the person who presided over the robodebt debacle in place, Melissa Price, still there in charge of defence procurement when we have real issues with the subs, made no changes of any substance. So I did the right thing by the Labor Party and that is making sure that we maximise our potential to winning the next election. MG: Now, Covid obviously made things extraordinarily difficult for oppositions last year, but even allowing for that, have you been surprised at the extent of angst within the Labor Party, given that federal Labor is polling not too badly, obviously on a two-party basis, the latest poll has you 50/50. AA: Well, I reject the premise of the question. The fact is that overwhelmingly my colleagues and the caucus is focused on holding the government to account, on putting forward constructive suggestions and developing a clear alternative at the next election. That’s overwhelmingly what people are focussed on. MG: Do you accept that Labor’s primary vote, around 36% is too low? And what can you do to get that up? AA: Well, I want it to be 100%, Michelle, but it’s worth saying that that’s 3% higher than it was at the last election. And if anyone thinks that if we get 3% higher primary vote across the board, we won’t win the next election, then they’re wrong. The fact is that we, of course, need to continue to work on that, but it’s heading in the right direction. And one of the things that will continue to argue for is that this is a do nothing government. We’re seeing today the prime minister give a speech at the National Press Club where once again, there’s no reform, no plan for the economy or for social policy. We still don’t have an energy policy. No plan to deal with the challenges of the future. We’ll continue to hold the government to account. During 2020, we put forward practical ideas and policies such as wage subsidies, support for mental health programmes, including telehealth, the issue of the vaccine, issues of quarantine and our borders, the need to have a plan to deal with aged care. We put forward all of those suggestions, some of which were adopted by the government, such as wage subsidies, the increase in unemployment benefits. It’s not like we weren’t focused on policy, we were. It’s just that we were focused on the immediate needs, and that’s what the Australian people expected of us. We were constructive. And that stands in stark contrast to the attitude of the Coalition during the global financial crisis. And that will put us in good stead at the next election. And what we need as well now, and we’ve started to do that, as I said we would on your podcast when I became leader, when we received the review of the election defeat last time around, that we would have more strategy and less tactics. We would roll out our policies from the time of the budget reply. Now, that budget reply was delayed, but we certainly did that with major childcare reform, a major initiative, a building on just as Labor made universal health care through Medicare, universal superannuation, universal provision of child care, working towards that is a major economic reform and as well a future made in Australia, recognising that whilst the pandemic has shown the strength of Australian society and the strength of people being prepared to look after each other, it’s also exposed some of the underlying economic weaknesses, our lack of economic resilience. Our need to actually be able to manufacture more things for ourselves, the weakness that’s there in the labour market to increase casualisation and all of those present opportunities for Labor to present clear alternatives at the next election. We’ve done some of that, we’ll be doing more of that in coming weeks and months. MG: They’ve obviously become increasingly frustrated with the criticisms by Joel Fitzgibbon. But do you at least agree with him that labour, L-A-B-O-U-R, needs to be put back into the Labor Party. AA: The Labor Party has never walked away from looking after working people. We’ve been around for some 130 years, we are Australia’s oldest and proudest political party and I reject the idea that we don’t look after working people. The last Labor government got rid of WorkChoices and put in place reforms in the interests of working people. What we’re advancing now in terms of childcare is about working people as well. Workers these days aren’t all blue collar males. They are women. They’re men, they’re young people, they’re older, older workers. You’ve seen the economy transition and we need modern solutions, we’ll continue to do that. But Labor will always stand up for the interests of working people. MG: Do you think it’s possible that Joel Fitzgibbon might leave the Labor Party, join the crossbench? AA: Look, no, I think that Joel Fitzgibbon actions will speak. People will make their own judgement about the role that he’s playing and whether he’s trying to be constructive or not. MG: But you don’t think he’d jump. AA: People will make their own decisions. Joel has said himself he made the decision some time ago, just after the last election, that he would stay on the frontbench for 18 months. And we had discussions about the timing of his departure. He chose to depart in a way that was different from what he had indicated to myself as leader and to others over a long period of time. And people will make their own judgement about that. I mean, the Coalition have Barnaby Joyce, have Craig Kelly, they’ve just knocked off Kevin Andrews, the longest serving member of the House of Representatives. They have a whole range of people on their side who are out of step with the mainstream opinion, on the LNP side. The difference is that Labor, when we’ve had an issue, we’ve dealt with it. We’ve intervened into the New South Wales and the Victorian branch whilst I’ve been leader, making necessary reforms and made those branches stronger as a result. Scott Morrison’s just sitting back watching the sort of chaos that’s seen, frankly, Kevin Andrews humiliated after a long period of time in the parliament. MG: The coronavirus supplement stops at the end of March when JobSeeker would return to the old level. The base, at the moment, for JobSeeker is $565 a fortnight and the supplement currently is $150 a fortnight. What level do you think the ongoing JobSeeker should be struck at? AA: Well, what we say is that it should be more. That $40 a day isn’t enough to live on, the government acknowledge that. We’re not in a position to change the level of JobSeeker in April and we’re not going to let the government off the hook. We’re going to continue to say that they should not be reducing JobSeeker to $40 a day because they themselves have acknowledged that this drives people into poverty. MG: This is not a complicated policy issue to nominate what you think would be a reasonable level. AA: There are costings, that are required of that process, we will have… MG: You could make them. AA: We’ll have, well we could make things up, Michelle, but I don’t want to do that. Just make things up without proper costings and without proper processes. And I haven’t done that. We will be in a position, I would hope, to make changes to a whole range of policies after the next election when we’re in a position to form government. But what we’ve said under my leadership very early on was that $40 a day wasn’t enough to live on. That was acknowledged by the government that that was the case. MG: You mentioned Scott Morrison’s speech today in which he’s very optimistic about Australia’s economic recovery. Are you as optimistic? AA: Well, one of the things that I wouldn’t do, what Scott Morrison said that today and Josh Frydenberg has been saying as well, is that everything is all hunky dory. The fact is, a whole lot of people have been left behind during the pandemic. So, yes, some people have done well, some businesses have done well. They’ve not only received JobKeeper, they’ve had their profits increased and being able to give big bonuses to corporate representatives. But other people are really struggling and people who are in casual employment didn’t receive any JobKeeper payments. They were the first ones to be laid off, and you have around about two million Australians today are either unemployed or want more work than they’re getting at. They’re being left behind. A whole lot of people are struggling to pay their rent or to pay their mortgage. And a whole lot of other people, because of problems with the labour market, are really doing it tough. The costs of childcare are something like four or five times the increase this year than the inflation rate. You have circumstances whereby in some cases people working, doing the same job in the mining sector, some will be earning around about 30% or in some cases more, less than their counterparts simply because of the use of labour hire. There are people in the gig economy who are basically working for third world conditions. There’s no minimum rates for them and they’re being left outside the system. Now, some people choose and it’s convenient for them and will continue to use new technology. And that’s not a bad thing at all. But some people who are in the case of people driving around on bicycles, delivering food and other products to people, have seen a considerable loss of life because they have to take risks because they’re not being paid enough to get by. When you have all those sorts of issues, I think that Scott Morrison as the leader of the nation should speak up on behalf of those people who need assistance and are struggling, not just those people who’ve done well. MG: Do you think JobKeeper should go beyond the end of March when it’s due to end? AA: I think for some sectors that are needing of support, if the logic of wage subsidies was to keep relationships between employers and employees so as to avoid businesses failing and workers being unemployed, then if those circumstances are still there, why would you prematurely withdraw support. MG: Which sectors? AA: So areas, for example, like the tourism sector that are continuing to struggle, particularly in sectors that are reliant upon international tourism like far north Queensland. MG: Now, obviously, climate policy was much talked about during your reshuffle with the move of Mark Butler and Chris Bowen being the new spokesman. What difference do you think this move will make? AA: Well, Chris Bowen is a former treasurer. He will focus, as he has already. You’ve seen him focus not on diminution of our commitment to action on climate change, but emphasising, for example, that Deloitte Access Economics says that 250,000 jobs will be created by moving, over coming decades, by moving to net zero emissions by 2050, and that, by contrast, hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost if we don’t act on climate change. It’s that link that I’ve continued to say since my time as the environment and climate change spoke. A person under Kim Beazley, I argued the action on climate change was good for jobs and good for the economy, the policies that were put in place under the Rudd and Gillard governments that I developed in Kim Beazley’s blueprint we published in 2006, were significant, such as the most important of which was the 20% renewable energy target by 2020. At the time opposed by the Coalition, questioned by a whole lot of people, including some people in the Labor Party. The fact is that was the right thing to do that helped create jobs not just directly in terms of the renewable sector, but also in terms of reducing costs of energy for manufacturing sector. MG: So this move, does it represent a change of substance or a change in how the substance is presented? AA: Well, the Labor party policy is decided by the Labor Party, not by an individual spokesperson. And the Labor Party believes in climate change and that it’s real and that by acting, you produce more jobs, lower emissions and lower energy prices. The Labor Party is very consistent on that. And we’ve been consistent on it for a long period of time since we advocated well before we, of course, signed up to the Kyoto Protocol. But we argued, of course, for ratification. And that was the first action of the Rudd government in December 2007. So we’re absolutely committed to action across the board. And I’ve seen some commentary that says that a member of the New South Wales right wing grouping somehow won’t take action on the environment. Well, Graham Richardson, Bob Carr, Tony Burke were three outstanding advocates for our natural environment and for action. They all have a proud record of achievement in that area. Chris Bowen’s absolutely committed to strong action. And and I think he will do an outstanding job. MG: You’ve justified waiting to produce a climate policy on the grounds that a lot is happening this year. Now, that includes the Glasgow climate conference towards the end of the year. If we don’t have an election this year, will you delay announcing your policy until next year? AA: Look, we’ll make our policy announcements at the appropriate time. They probably won’t be, with due respect, on a podcast, there’ll be a full scale press conference for all to see and to assess. But it’s not like we’ve delayed policy announcements, Michelle, I have very clearly stated in one of my earliest speeches and policy announcements as leader, net zero emissions by 2050, and that we would act consistently with that. We have argued and I wrote to the prime minister before I addressed the National Press Club in the middle of last year, saying that we supported a mechanism to drive change through the economy and that that should be a bipartisan mechanism and then people could disagree on what the ambition was within it. But we’ve done our best to try to be constructive, but we’ve made it very clear that we will be ambitious when it comes to climate change. We’ve made specific policy announcements as well, opposing the changes and and the attempts by this government to get rid of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation. And we announced in the budget reply last year the Rewiring the Nation policy. Now, that was a $20 billion fund to be made available to make sure that you fix transmission in this country. And what the, all the experts, the Australian energy market operator, no less, and all of the major energy companies say is that, that would address the major challenge because what that would enable it to do is for the renewables sector, which is, the problem there is one of storage and and reliability to be a part of the grid, to operate more effectively, which would, of course, assist the renewable sector. Now, because that wasn’t couched in terms of a percentage or what have you, maybe it didn’t receive the focus of something like the net zero emissions by 2050. But that was a very, very significant announcement. And indeed, the most significant thing that could be done according to the energy sector itself. MG: One policy you are going to announce soon is on industrial relations. Now, obviously, you’re not going to be revealing the detail of that today, but can you just tell me, what are the topic headings, as it were, that you’ll concentrate on - the priorities? AA: The priorities are very much on job security and income security, the fact that workers currently feel vulnerable, that if you’re in insecure work, that means you have difficulty getting a mortgage. It means you have difficulty planning for your first child or future children. It means that businesses suffer because they don’t have the certainty either of people being able to spend money and keep that flow, which then flows on to the economy. So that’s a big challenge. The wage stagnation that has been there since 2013, we have never seen since records were kept, wages being so constrained as they are. We need to deal with people who are in secure in work, in the workforce, whether that be people who work in labour hire companies and are working next door to someone doing the same tasks but earning less money, whether it be people in the new gig economy who are sometimes working for almost nothing in some cases, whether it be issues of workers who are having to bid against each other. And that’s one of the things we’re seeing as to areas like the NDIS, workers are being essentially putting in a bid to provide services, but the lowest cost is the successful bidder. Now, that puts a real downward pressure on wages, but also in the delivery of the services and the quality of that service delivery. MG: The issue of insecure work will be a centrepiece of this policy… AA: It will be front and centre because that’s a big challenge. And that’s something at the same time as, what Scott Morrison’s solution? Well, we know they’ve produced legislation last year which would cut wages and conditions. MG: Will you vote against that legislation… AA: We’ve said we will not vote for any legislation that cuts wages or cuts conditions such as penalty rates. MG: So you will vote against it in the Senate. AA: We will try to, of course, amend legislation and then we��ll make decisions, but we won’t be. Labor will always stand up for working people and their wages and conditions. MG: Well, it will be a lively industrial relations debate in the next few weeks. AA: It certainly will be, and that will be a major focus of Labor, which is consistent with the approach that I’ve always held and my Labor team holds. MG: Anthony Albanese, thank you very much for talking with us today. Additional audio A List of Ways to Die, Lee Rosevere, from Free Music Archive. Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Arplis - News source http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Arplis-News/~3/6soqoHQ4Byc/politics-with-michelle-grattan-anthony-albanese-on-his-new-frontbench-joel-fitzgibbon-and-labor-s-imminent-workplace-policy

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Episode 172 | "The Van Guard" by The Joe Budden Podcast .... On this episode, Joe, Rory and Mal return and begin with recapping their week off. They also discuss new music from Travis Scott, DJ Khaled, H.E.R, YG and more (14:55). Although the guys don’t agree with all of 6ix9ine’s tactics it appears he’s changing his image and Joe reveals why he has become likable (53:50). The guys also catch up on things that happened while being away, Joe gives R. Kelly the lifetime Nasty Award (2:24:46), Demi Lovato (2:18:58), and Tristian Thompson Slapping Draymond Green (2:27:27). The wait is over, enjoy! Other topics include: People dissing Funk Flex (33:50) LeBron surpasses Michael Jordan (44:40) 50 Cent vs Floyd Mayweather (1:16:39) Kendrick Lamar’s acting debut on Power (1:31:44) Sleeper Picks of the Week Joe K. Roosevelt - “Feelings Don’t Change” | https://youtu.be/gO5M-Ee3VbA Kalin White - “More Than Just a F*ck” | https://youtu.be/7xvCvJ1bI3M Rory Newchie - “Spilling Feelings” | https://youtu.be/DCGT6clKYyc Mal Jayla Darden - “Between Us” | https://ift.tt/2vnNfoI

[savetopnow]

2018-04-06 09 CELEBRITY now

CELEBRITY

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Read The Following Tips Prior To Buying A Volkswagen

With so many variables that go into it, Volkswagen in Lynchburg VA buying can be a hassle. You need to know the difference between a need and a want. This article is filled with useful tips that will help you get the Volkswagen in Lynchburg VA you want.

Before you leave to buy a car, you have to know certain things about what you need. What is your budget? How many passengers do you need to drive around? How many miles per gallon would you like? Consider if you want a two door or four door car. Make note of everything you are interested in and carry the list around with you.

What do you want out of your new car? Do you have your budget in mind? How many passengers do you expect to have? What kind of gas mileage do you want? Do you want a sedan or minivan? Jot down all the things you want, and take the list along so you are not likely to forget any.

Paying sticker price is like flushing money down the toilet. Don’t ever pay sticker price for a vehicle. They purposely inflate the value to dicker with you, and you need to remember this fact.

Secure your financing online prior to setting foot in a dealership. Getting a car from a dealership takes a long time because your dealer needs to find you a loan. By having a loan in hand in advance, the whole process is sure to move fast.

When negotiating, concentrate on the final price rather than the monthly payments. Dealers will do anything and everything to get you that monthly price, even if it means saddling you with higher expenses and interest over the years. You should instead focus on negotiating the best deal on the overall price of the car and the financing you get. Then you can adjust the monthly payments.

Monthly Payments

If the car you own is fairly pricey, do not take that car with you when visiting a car dealership with the intent of making a purchase. No matter how good you are at negotiating, they will reject any lower offers you put forth. If you are going to trade in that nice car, then that is the only reason you would bring it with you.

When you haggle, do not focus on the monthly payments, but on the total purchase price at the end of the terms. The dealer can set the monthly payments at any amount, but this will extend your terms, resulting in a very high purchase price. Instead, think about getting the best price you can on the full price, as well as the financing. Then you can determine what the monthly payment will be.

Never commit yourself to buying only from dealerships. You can go to smaller lots or buy from private owners and get some really good deals. Check out the classified ads in your area for great deals on local cars.

Prior to purchasing a used Volkswagen, make sure that a mechanic inspects it thoroughly. If the dealer vetoes this, veto them. Good mechanics will be able to see major problems like previous wrecks or water damage.

Check the car that you purchase for any imperfections before buying. Look for scratches or dents on the outside. Check the interior area for upholstery tears and carpet stains. Know that once you buy this vehicle, it’s your problem. Ownership extends to any damage, stains or blemishes in or on the vehicle.

Don’t take it for granted that the sticker price is the lowest you’ll pay. The dealer does not expect anyone to pay the sticker price. If you do not feel comfortable with your negotiating techniques, bring a friend with you who is. You can determine the most you’re willing to pay by researching the value of the cars you are interested in ahead of time.

If you have a certain model in mind, call to see if there is one on the dealer’s lot. Going to the lot may cause the sales staff to offer you other cars you don’t want just to get a sale. You’ll just be wasting your time if they don’t have the car that you want. Call the dealer first and ask.

Make sure your budget is determined prior to visiting a dealership. Do not go over what you planned to spend, no matter what payment plans your dealer offers. You are going to be the one who has to pay it off.

If you feel that you are being intimidated or bullied, make your exit. They may try to talk you into staying, but you should leave immediately. If you need to, lie! Don’t waste another minute of your time there. The marketplace has so many choices for you that there is no reason to stick out any uncomfortable situation.

Test Drive

Avoid purchasing a brand new vehicle as soon as it hits the showroom. If you purchase a vehicle as soon as it is released, you will end up paying more for it than if you wait a few months. Take your time and then check it out down the road.

Prior to purchasing a Volkswagen, test drive it. You may have already driven the same model and make, but you should drive the exact Volkswagen you plan to buy to ensure its quality. There may just be something going wrong with it that you didn’t know about until you took it for a test drive first.

Prior to negotiation, figure out what incentives are available. You must learn about bank fees, warranties, trade-in values, rebates, and other incentives. You will be able to haggle better if you know what they are offering before you walk into the dealership to buy your car.

Don’t overlook gas mileage when considering a new vehicle. For instance, you may want an automobile with a V-8 engine and the ability to tow. But, ask yourself whether your truly need that additional power.

If there are advertising fees associated with the car’s main price, inform the dealer that you’d like it removed. There is no good reason for the customer to be responsible for that fee. If you are being forced into it, you should not buy that car. You will not get away!

Bring someone with you if you don’t think you can withstand sales pressure. A friend can provide relief and reduce the amount of stress that you face. Talk to this person ahead of time, and make sure they understand how much you are willing to spend and what you have to have in a car.

When shopping for a car, try waiting until the last days of the month. All dealerships need to meet quotas. If you purchase your car during the last week of the month, salespeople will try generating more sales so they can meet their quotas. You can get a better price this way.

Salesmen typically have goals they must reach every month. Use this fact to your advantage by shopping for a Volkswagen in Lynchburg VA toward the end of the month. Salesmen who have yet to make their expected number of sales will be eager to close another sale. Doing so gives you an advantage during negotiation.

Consider how the vehicle will be used before you decide which to buy. For instance, if you’re mostly driving to and from work via the highway, try and get a car that gets good gas mileage. If you drive in the city or on short trips only, you may want something with more pep.

Don’t say a peep about your trade-in. Only reveal this after the negotiation process is complete. The dealer will give you a worse deal if you tell him about the trade-in too soon.

Don’t dress up when you go to the dealer. The more bling you have, the less likely a good interest rate is headed your way.

Research is key to a used Volkswagen purchase. It is not hard to find out what the model you want is worth. Use NADA or Kelly Blue Book to find out what the vehicle is worth. If a dealer is overcharging based on these sources, shop elsewhere.

Review the car’s “hidden” costs. There are varying costs pertaining to the insurance, gasoline and resale values for different vehicles. Look into the car’s maintenance and miles per gallon. These hidden costs can make a substantial difference in the total cost of owning the car.

Salespeople simply want to maximize their profit. Although this should be obvious, it can be easy to forget this fact if the salesperson is very friendly. Beware of all the extra stuff that they try to add onto a sale. Good deals can quickly become bad deals in this way.

Don’t let the sales staff take your money. On the surface, they may seem like they are looking out for your best interest. While it is fine to be friendly with your salesman, don’t let feelings of camaraderie lead you into making a bad decision.

Incentives need to be understood before negotiations begin. Research topics like bank fees, rebates, trade-ins, and warranties. It will facilitate negotiations if you’re knowledgeable about various offers and come across as an educated consumer.

The car you choose should be known to need few, inexpensive repairs. You want to avoid spending a lot of cash every few weeks just so it works! Check the Internet for make and model reviews to learn what your ideal next vehicle might be.

You can benefit from buying a car at month end. Nearly every dealership sets sales quotas that must be met at the end of the month. If you make a purchase near the end of that month, you will be assisting them to meet their monthly quota. You can use that, sometimes, to find a superior price for what you want.

There is no hurry when you are buying a car. Dealers try to make up a fake urgency to try to get you to buy now instead of later. Do not let this happen to you. There’s a 90% chance that the “special promotion” will remain when you’re ready to buy.

Do not let salespeople trick you. Make sure that you are in control of the negotiation at all times. Never allow their friendliness to convince you to buy a Volkswagen in Lynchburg VA that you really don’t need.

If you want to buy a new car you need to know what you can afford. You need to write a list to see what is in your budget. Not doing so can cause you to buy a car that really puts you in debt.

Consider using your bank to purchase your Volkswagen in Lynchburg VA. You will be saving money by avoiding high interest rates other lenders will charge you. Banks usually have a lower interest rate.

You should not let the salesman know you are in a hurry to get a car. This is a sure sign that they may succeed by using pressure tactics. Rather, act as though time isn’t an issue for you.

Lynchburg Va

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from Terry Volkswagen Showroom - Blog https://terryvolkswagenshowroom.weebly.com/blog/read-the-following-tips-prior-to-buying-a-volkswagen

[newyorktheater]

  I was struck in seeing “The Great Society,” which depicts President Lyndon Johnson’s turbulent full term in office, how Robert Shenkkan’s play represents political theater in more ways than one.

Now, search the news these days for the phrase “political theater” and it is used as an accusation by people on the political right: The young people demonstrating to demand something be done for climate change, the antagonists say, are “props in political theater.” Above all, they label the impeachment inquiry of President Trump as “political theater”

We live in such a polarized time in our history that we can’t even agree on the meaning of words – as the theater artist known as Dyalekt pointed out in his (political) show, which I saw last week, The Museum of Dead Words. But I suppose political theater has long meant different things to different people. Political theater on stage is as old as theater. The Ancient Greek satires are said to have influenced public opinion, and Shakespeare is full of the politics of his day. The British critic Michael Billington recently named the Bard’s “Coriolanus” as  number one on his list of favorite political theater of all time (or, since he’s British, his favourite political theatre.)

Political theater is currently happening on and off the stage in New York – and throughout the world. London, for example, is reportedly full of new political plays: In  “Hansard” by Simon Woods, a couple during the Thatcher era bicker over politics in a way that critics see as commenting on the current Brexit polarization; “A Very Expensive Poison” a chlling satire by Lucy Prebble, features an actor portraying Russian Vladimir Putin and riffs on the 2006 murder in the UK by radioactive poison of the onetime Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko; “Faith Hope and Charity” by Alexander  show the people desperate for a meal who gather at a community center that may soon be shut down.

New York has always been a center of political theater – both on stage, and off stage, and a hybrid of the two. Both Arian Moayed and Robert Schenkkan have dramatized politicized issues  using verbatim transcripts  — in, respectively, “The Courtroom,” about a deportation case, and “The Investigation,” about the Mueller Report.

That’s why I Tweeted this a week ago

The non-verbatim transcript of call between Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky, in which Trump urges him to investigate Biden.

How long will it take before a theater artist — @ROBERTSCHENKKAN? @ArianMoayed? — produces a staged reading of it?https://t.co/gVxdPlzuvz pic.twitter.com/1ywBOjl7d1

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) September 25, 2019

“The Great Society” both embodies and depicts political theater.

There is the speech that Brian Cox as LBJ gives near the end of the play, which is verbatim announce that Johnson delivered in 1968:

“I feel strongly that I should not permit the Presidency to become involved in the partisan divisions that are developing in this political year. Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President.”

Since the play opened on Broadway exactly a week after the launch of the impeachment inquiry against the 45th president, it’s hard to avoid wondering whether The Great Society is intentionally designed to offer a contrast between the two men. After all, it’s impossible to imagine Trump voluntarily saying a single word from that announcement.

But the play also includes something of a subplot in the ways that Martin Luther King Jr. (portrayed by Grantham Coleman, pictured above in a clash in Chicago) pushed for civil rights, and especially for voting rights. He did so by….political theater: “We have to up the stakes. We’ve got to make people aware.” Political theater makes people aware. Even LBJ saw that (at least in the play): “We don’t disagree on tactics, Dr. King, just on timing.”

There are other plays about politics, and politicians coming up this month, such as Bella Bella, Harvey Fierstein’s solo show about Rep. Bella Abzug

October 2019 New York Theater Openings

New York Theater Quiz for September

The Week in New York Theater Reviews

The Great Society

The Great Society…is a sequel to All The Way, the Tony-winning play that was on Broadway five years ago (and is currently being shown on Netflix.) It starred Brian Cranston and chronicled the first year of LBJ’s presidency, starting in the immediate aftermath of the assassination of John F. Kennedy and ending with LBJ’s election. The new play offers some of the same pleasures. It too employs a big cast — 19 actors portraying some 50 characters — for a sweeping lesson in history and politics. It is smoothly directed, competently acted, and often fascinating, But it is ultimately less satisfying than All The Way.

Why?

Those for whom theater is their religion are more likely to appreciate “Why?,” a 70-minute theater piece about theater that, aptly, begins with a whimsically modified Biblical tale: God proclaims “There shall be theater” on the seventh day, because the humans had gotten bored on the day of rest….Written and directed by Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne, “Why?” is less a play than a kind of elliptical lecture-demonstration of, and paean to, the beauty and danger of the theatrical arts…more

The Height of the Storm

The same playwright who gave us “The Father” with a demented Frank Langella and “The Mother” with a depressed and possibly deranged Isabelle Huppert now offers us…dead Jonathan Pryce and Eileen Atkins?  Or maybe just one of them is dead? Or maybe neither?… Maybe we’re the ones who are dead – or wish we were by the end of “The Height of The Storm.”….

Both British actors of great renown… offer memorable moments of emotional power and clarity…But their performances were not enough compensation for sitting through Zeller’s trickster writing, which feels progressively less like a sensibility and more like a shtick.

Antigone

Ethereal, stylized and visually stunning, Japanese director Satoshi Miyagi’s production of “Antigone,” at the Park Avenue Armory through October 6, fuses several theatrical traditions, some of them thousands of years old, some newly created. Twenty-nine performers, ghostly in flowing white kimonos, glide slowly and gracefully through the ankle-deep water that covers the stage of the Armory’s massive Drill Hall. Placed around them in this pool of shimmering water (made with 18,000 gallons of water) are boulders, meant to resemble a Buddhist stone garden. This is the setting in which Sophocles’ 2,500-year-old play unfolds….more

  The Museum of Dead Words

The artist known as Dyalekt (pronounced dialect) greets us looking like a young Allen Ginsberg in his Yippie Uncle Sam phase, holding up a bucket labeled “dead words,” asking us for words that we don’t think work anymore. He will be our rapping guide to The Museum of Dead Words, which is not really a museum and not really about dead words. It is a show about 11 red-hot words that are used in combat rather than conversation….more

Work in Progress: A Hill on Which to Drown

Three generations of black, queer theater artists – actor André De Shields, 73; playwright Kevin R. Free, who is 50;  and director Zhailon Levingston, 25 —  are collaborating on a play about a black, queer character inspired by August Wilson’s Century Cycle. From the very first Wilson play he ever saw, a community theater production of “Fences” in the early 1990s, Free has had the same two reactions to  Wilson’s epic 10-play cycle, each play taking place in a different decade in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.

“I love the productions I’ve seen, but have never really felt a part of the world,” Free says. “The Cycle is genius, beautiful and resonant, but it features no fictional LGBTQIA* characters.”

So Free set out to create one.

The Week in New York Theater News

Here’s the stellar cast just announced for Sondheim/Weidman Assassins at Classic Stage Company next Spring:

  “Girl from the North Country,” an Off-Broadway musical set to a score of Bob Dylan songs, will feature Jay O. Sanders when it moves to Broadway, opening in March, along with original cast members Todd Almond, Jeannette Bayardelle, Matthew Frederick Harris, Caitlin Houlahan, Robert Joy, Marc Kudisch, Luba Mason, Ben Mayne, Tom Nelis, David Pittu, Colton Ryan, John Schiappa, Kimber Elayne Sprawl, Rachel Stern, Chelsea Lee Williams and Mare Winningham

Theater artist Annie Dorsen is one of this year’s 26 winners of the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” grants

Ben Platt at Marie’s Crisis

“Thanks to The Politician on Netflix, Marie’s Crisis Is suddenly the hottest piano bar on TV” (Is there much competition?)

A look at Patreon and its founder musician/techie Jack Conte

Here’s how Patreon works: You, a creator in search of funds, keep producing and distributing things wherever you usually do—Medium, SoundCloud, YouTube, whatever. But you also set up a Patreon page and direct your fans there in the hope that they will become your “patrons,” committing themselves to recurring monthly payments. (Unlike on Kickstarter, where supporters pitch in toward the completion of an individual project, on Patreon the money goes toward a creator’s ongoing output and livelihood generally.) In turn, Patreon encourages creators to treat these patrons less like charitable benefactors and more like members who have purchased admission to a club—entitling them to exclusive perks, whether it’s gated chat sessions, bonus content, or early peeks at a work in progress.

The 17th annual Broadway Stands Up For Freedom, benefit concert for ACLU/NYCLU, on Monday October 28 at The Town Hall,  will have the theme “My Body, My Business” and feature performances by Kelli O’Hara, Phillipa Soo, Montego Glover,  Eva Noblezada among others.  The concert is directed by Tony-winning director Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown).

Jessye Norman, regal American soprano, has died at 74

  🙏🏾❤️ https://t.co/ztcTRKa19V pic.twitter.com/JIyE46wL9q

— Audra McDonald (@AudraEqualityMc) October 1, 2019

Political Theater in an Impeachable Age. #Stageworthy News of the Week I was struck in seeing "The Great Society," which depicts President Lyndon Johnson’s turbulent full term in office, how Robert Shenkkan’s play represents political theater in more ways than one.