#its a high standard but like i said this is a very politically sensitive event that they all consented to | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

techcrunchappcom · 4 years

Photo

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/covid-19-news-live-updates-the-new-york-times-15/

Covid-19 News: Live Updates - The New York Times

Here’s what you need to know:

A high school in Eden, N.C., last month. President Trump and his team have remained defiant in their push for schools to open, even as coronavirus cases have once again ticked up.Credit…Pete Kiehart for The New York Times

While families across the United States this summer were on edge about the coming school year, top White House officials were pressuring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to play down the risk of sending children back to school, according to documents and interviews with current and former government officials.

The effort included an attempt to find alternate data showing that the coronavirus pandemic was weakening and posed little danger to children — a strikingly political intervention in one of the most sensitive public health debates of the pandemic.

A member of Vice President Mike Pence’s staff said she was repeatedly asked by Marc Short, the vice president’s chief of staff, to get the C.D.C. to produce more reports and charts showing a decline in coronavirus cases among young people.

Mr. Short dispatched junior members of the vice president’s staff to circumvent the C.D.C. in search of data he thought may better support the White House’s position, said Olivia Troye, the aide, who has since resigned.

In another instance, Dr. Deborah L. Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, pushed the C.D.C. to incorporate a document from a mental health agency inside the Department of Health and Human Services that warned school closures would have a long-term effect on the mental health of children and that asymptomatic children were unlikely to spread the virus.

Scientists at the C.D.C. pointed out numerous errors in the document and raised concerns that it appeared to minimize the risk of the coronavirus to school-age children, according to an edited version of the document obtained by The New York Times.

The gist of the mental health agency’s position — stressing the potential risks of children not attending school — became the introductory text of the final C.D.C. policy, leaving some officials there dismayed.

United States › On Sept. 28 14-day change Trend New cases 37,234 +15% New deaths 344 –3%

Where cases are highest per capita

A man suspected of having contracted Covid-19 being covered with a blanket by healthcare workers in Bergamo, Italy, in March.Credit…Fabio Bucciarelli for The New York Times

In the 10 months since a mysterious pneumonia began striking residents of Wuhan, China, Covid-19 has killed more than one million people worldwide as of Monday — an agonizing toll compiled from official counts, yet one that far understates how many have really died.

The coronavirus may already have overtaken tuberculosis and hepatitis as the world’s deadliest infectious disease. And unlike all the other contenders, it is still growing fast.

Like nothing seen in more than a century, the virus has infiltrated every populated patch of the globe, sowing terror and poverty, infecting millions of people in some nations and paralyzing entire economies.

But as attention focuses on the devastation caused by halting a large part of the world’s commercial, educational and social life, it is all too easy to lose sight of the most direct human cost.

More than a million people — parents, children, siblings, friends, neighbors, colleagues, teachers, classmates — all gone, suddenly, prematurely. More than 200,000 in the United States, which has the largest total number of coronavirus deaths in the world, followed by Brazil, with over 140,000.

Dr. Michael Ryan, the head of the World Health Organization’s emergencies program, said on Monday that the actual numbers were probably higher.

“When you count anything, you never count it perfectly,” he said at a news conference in Geneva. “But I can assure you that the current numbers are likely an underestimate of the true toll of Covid.”

Those who survive Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, are laid low for weeks or even months before recovering, and many have lingering ill effects of varying severity and duration.

Yet much of the suffering could have been avoided.

“This is a very serious global event, and a lot of people were going to get sick and many of them were going to die, but it did not need to be nearly this bad,” said Tom Inglesby, the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

At the height of the first wave, places like China, Germany, South Korea and New Zealand showed that it was possible to slow the pandemic enough to limit infections and deaths while still reopening businesses and schools.

But that requires a combination of elements that may be beyond the reach of poorer countries — and that even ones like the United States have not been able to muster: wide-scale testing, contact tracing, quarantining, social distancing, mask wearing, providing protective gear, developing a clear and consistent strategy, and being willing to shut things down in a hurry when trouble arises.

Time and again, experts say, governments reacted too slowly, waiting until their own countries or regions were under siege, either dismissing the threat or seeing it as China’s problem, or Italy’s, or New York’s.

Thomas R. Frieden, a former head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that a major failing had been in governments’ communication with the public, nowhere more so than in the United States.

“You have standard principles of risk communication: Be first, be right, be credible, be empathetic,” he said. “If you tried to violate those principles more than the Trump administration has, I don’t think you could.”

The world now knows how to bend the curve of the pandemic — not to eliminate risk, but to keep it to a manageable level — and there have been surprises along the way.

Masks turned out to be more helpful than Western experts initially predicted. Social distancing on an unheard-of scale has been more feasible and effective than anticipated. The difference in danger between an outdoor gathering and an indoor one is greater than expected.

And, crucially, people are most contagious when they first show symptoms or even earlier, not days or weeks later, when they are sickest — a reversal of the usual pattern with infectious diseases. That makes preventive measures like wearing masks and swift responses like isolating and testing people for possible exposure much more important. If you wait until the problem is evident, you’ve waited too long.

The Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn was hit hard by the coronavirus, reaching thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths by April.Credit…Jonah Markowitz for The New York Times

In the past two weeks, leading epidemiologists from many respected institutions have, through different methods, reached the same conclusion: About 85 to 90 percent of the American population is still susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the current pandemic.

The number is important because it means that “herd immunity” — the point at which a disease stops spreading because nearly everyone in a population has contracted it — is still very far off.

The evidence — both from antibody testing and from epidemiological modeling — runs strongly counter to a theory being promoted in influential circles that the United States has either already achieved herd immunity or is close to doing so, and that the pandemic is all but over. That conclusion would imply that businesses, schools and restaurants could safely reopen, and that masks and other distancing measures could be abandoned.

“The idea that herd immunity will happen at 10 or 20 percent is just nonsense,” said Dr. Christopher J.L. Murray, director of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, which produced the epidemic model frequently cited during White House news briefings as the epidemic hit hard in the spring.

That belief began circulating months ago on conservative news programs like those of Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham. It has been cited several times by Dr. Scott W. Atlas, President Trump’s new pandemic adviser. It appears to be behind Mr. Trump’s recent remarks that the pandemic is “rounding the corner” and “would go away even without the vaccine.”

But it is also gaining credence on Wall Street and among some business executives, said prominent public health experts, who consider the idea scientifically unfounded as well as dangerous; its most vocal adherents are calling for mask-wearing and social distancing to end just as cold weather is shifting social activity indoors, where the risk of transmission is higher.

Even in places where the pandemic hit especially hard — a French aircraft carrier, the Brazilian city of Manaus, the slums of Mumbai and a neighborhood in Queens, N.Y. — infections did not noticeably slow down until almost 60 percent of the inhabitants were infected. And even those levels may not suffice, given that cases are increasing again in Brazil and in Brooklyn areas that had seen cases spike and then drop off.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed the news media in Washington on Monday.Credit…Anna Moneymaker for The New York Times

Negotiators resumed talks on Monday over a coronavirus relief package in a final bid to revive stalled negotiations as House Democrats unveiled a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill that would provide aid to American families, businesses, schools, restaurants and airline workers.

The release of the legislation came minutes before Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, spoke on the phone Monday evening, as the pair seeks to end the impasse over another round of aid. The two agreed to speak again Tuesday morning, said Drew Hammill, a spokesman for Ms. Pelosi.

The moves appeared to be the most concrete action toward another stimulus bill since negotiations stalled nearly two months ago. But the sides remain far apart on an overall price tag, and with just over a month before Election Day, lawmakers and aides in both chambers warned that the time frame for striking a deal was slim.

Absent an agreement with the administration, the House could vote this week to approve the legislation, responding to growing pressure for Congress to provide additional relief and quelling the concerns of moderate lawmakers unwilling to leave Washington for a final stretch of campaigning without voting on another round of aid. But at roughly $1 trillion more than what Mr. Mnuchin has signaled the White House is willing to consider, the package is likely just a starting point, all but guaranteed to be rejected by the Republican majority in the Senate should the House pass it in its current form.

Democrats maintained a provision that would revive a lapsed $600 enhanced federal unemployment benefit and another one that would send a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks to Americans. And some measures were either added or expanded: $225 billion for schools and $57 billion for child care, an extension of an expiring program intended to prevent the layoffs of airline workers through March 31 and the creation of a $120 billion program to bolster ailing restaurants.

Officials are particularly concerned about eight neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens.Credit…Mark Abramson for The New York Times

After months of promising signs in its fight against the coronavirus, New York State on Monday reported a spike in its rate of new cases, including a rise in New York City and in its northern suburbs.

The rate of positive test results in the city reached 1.93 percent, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Monday, an increase from the 1.5 percent rate reported by the city a week before, as officials continued to warn about dangerous behavior in several communities.

The increase in the city, the onetime center of the pandemic, and some suburbs contributed to the statewide rate of approximately 1.58 percent — a jump from results reported on Sunday and in prior weeks.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, said on Monday that the increase was primarily because of clusters in Brooklyn, as well as in Rockland and Orange Counties, in the Hudson Valley, saying there was “significant action” in those areas.

Officials are particularly concerned about eight neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens, some with large Orthodox Jewish communities, that have accounted for about one-fourth of New York City’s new cases in the past two weeks, despite representing about 7 percent of the city’s population.

On Monday, Mr. Cuomo said that he would make 200 rapid testing machines available to schools and local governments in areas where rates were rising, saying “the key with these clusters is to jump on them quickly.”

All told, the state on Monday reported 834 new cases, out of nearly 53,000 tests, the governor said, adding that the spike in the positivity rate was largely confined to 20 ZIP codes, where the rate went as high as 30 percent, in contrast with the rest of the state, where the rate remained around 1 percent.

Ontario, the most populous province in Canada, on Monday reported 700 new infections, its highest one-day total. Premier Doug Ford said the province was beginning a second wave that would be worse than the first, but he resisted calls by experts for more stringent health measures. In the neighboring province of Quebec, which has also experienced a surge in infections, Premier François Legault said on Monday that Montreal, Quebec City and the administrative region of Chaudière-Appalaches would be designated as “red zones” for four weeks starting on Thursday. It means home visits will be mostly banned and movie theaters, libraries, museums, bars and casinos will be closed. Restaurants will be limited to takeout service, but schools will remain open.

The World Health Organization said Monday that 120 million rapid antigen tests for the coronavirus would be made available to low- and middle-income countries over the next six months. The diagnostic tests, produced by the American company Abbott Laboratories and SD Biosensor of South Korea, are priced at no more than $5 per unit and can provide results in 15 to 30 minutes, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the agency. The first orders for rapid antigen tests under the program, which is not yet fully funded, are expected to be placed this week.

The pandemic will keep this year’s growth rate in East Asia and the Pacific region to 0.9 percent, the lowest since 1967, the World Bank said in an economic update on Monday. The bank forecast that China — where the virus is contained and spending is recovering, especially among the wealthy — would lead regional growth with a 2 percent expansion, but output in the rest of the region would shrink about 3.5 percent.

Kenya on Monday extended its nationwide curfew for two months, though it will start two hours later, at 11 p.m. In an address to the nation, President Uhuru Kenyatta also said bars and nightclubs could reopen starting Tuesday. There will be no change to schools, which have been closed since March.

Twelve crew members on a cruise ship intercepted by the authorities in Greece tested negative for the virus on Tuesday, after initially testing positive. The ship, carrying more than 1,500 people and bound for the Greek island of Corfu, was docked in Piraeus, Greece’s main port.

— Jennifer Jett and Niki Kitsantonis

Police patrolling Amsterdam’s red-light district over the weekend.Credit…Ramon Van Flymen/EPA, via Shutterstock

The Netherlands tightened its coronavirus restrictions on Monday while warning that its most severe wave of cases yet was likely to get worse.

People in the country’s three largest cities — Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague — are now advised to wear masks in stores, a step the government had not yet recommended. Bars and restaurants will be closed at 10 p.m., with no new customers allowed after 9 p.m.

No more than four people will be allowed in a group indoors, with a total capacity of 30 people, and just three visitors can be hosted inside a home. A limit of 40 people was set for outside gatherings, with exceptions for events like funerals and religious gatherings.

The new restrictions are effective as of Tuesday night and will be in place for at least three weeks.

The Netherlands, with a population of 17.4 million, never instituted a full lockdown, instead targeting more high-risk businesses for shutdowns. Its daily cases had topped out at 1,335 on April 10 before falling into double-digits in June and July.

But figures began rising in late July, and September has seen a dramatic, steady increase. Officials recorded nearly 3,000 cases on Sunday and Monday, and warned that the figure was expected to reach 5,000 in the coming weeks.

“We’re doing our best, but the virus is doing better,” Hugo de Jonge, the country’s health minister, said at a news conference on Monday.

#covid #World

0 notes

minpsone · 4 years

Text

Where are the curators in Myanmar’s art scene?

[featured in Frontier Myanmar ]

By Min Pyae Sone , Photos by Thuya Zaw - February 9, 2020

The development of contemporary art in Myanmar has been hampered by a paucity of curators, with most galleries asking artists to arrange, fund and promote their own exhibitions.

Arts reporters in Yangon have plenty of artists and gallery owners to interview, but one art world actor seems to always be missing.

Myanmar has been short on curators since the arts scene began a revival of sorts about 20 years ago. The word “curator” lacks a direct Burmese translation, and the role itself is little understood in Myanmar. Though attitudes are changing, the government and much of the public tends to view contemporary art as a novelty, with little precedent in Myanmar culture, and as an amateur passion where professional curatorship isn’t required.

Those wishing to become curators – or to work with galleries exercising a degree of curatorship – have few options. The national universities of art and culture in Yangon and Mandalay offer a degree in “Painting” that asks students to memorise only a few select details of global art history while focusing on painting techniques.

Ko Aung Khant Kyaw, 23, who graduated from NUAC Yangon three years ago with a bachelor’s degree in Painting and teaches Visual Arts at SKT (formerly Horizon) International School, participated in a group discussion at a workshop on curating hosted by the Japan Foundation last November in Yangon, which I attended. “I’ve been in many group exhibitions, but I have yet to participate in something I’m proud of,” he said, attracting agreement from the assembled artists and gallery managers..

After the event, Aung Khant told me about the exhibitions held at NUAC for graduating students. “There were no curators there, just students, parents, and other relatives,” he said. “Exhibitions in Myanmar are just for socialising; people come to drink, talk and enjoy themselves. Nobody even looks at the art anymore.”

Government patronage of the arts, such that it exists, has done little to raise standards or increase public appreciation of contemporary art. In the 2018-2019 fiscal year, the government allocated more than K35 billion (US$24 million) to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture.

Though most of this was spent on religious monuments and ceremonies throughout the country, the ministry is also responsible for funding the national universities of arts and culture and the National Museum in Yangon. However, the museum asks artists to donate works to its staid permanent display of contemporary art and curates just a handful of events each year, mostly about history and traditional culture.

With little help from the government, the contemporary arts milieu relies almost entirely on commercial galleries. Many of the owners of these galleries, who struggle to even pay the rent, see a curator as a luxury they cannot afford. Instead, they hand their spaces over to artists, or artist groups, to supply and display the artwork as they see fit, charging them rent and taking a cut of sales, and often leaving artists to do most of the promotion.

“We let the artists do what they want and do not interfere in any way; they are the ones who pay for our space,” said one downtown Yangon gallery owner, who asked me to leave when asked if I could interview him and record his name. “No hard feelings, but you really should be asking bigger galleries, not me,” he said as I reached the door.

However, a small number of talented curators in Myanmar have been behind a number of high-concept exhibitions in Yangon in recent years, which have taken place in large public venues like the Secretariat building rather than conventional art galleries. This rise in curatorial practice has been encouraged, directly and indirectly, by grants and funding from foreign cultural organisations in Myanmar.

Sai Htin Linn Htet, 28, is a Yangon-based curator, multimedia artist and human rights activist whose work addresses the themes of empathy, pollution, gender equality, identity and discrimination. He is also programme manager of the biennial My Yangon My Home: Yangon Art & Heritage Festival and co-curated the July 2019 edition, called “Building Bridges Yangon”, with Indian curator Ms Ushmita Sahu at the newly renovated, colonial era Tourist Burma Building opposite the Sule Pagoda.

Helped by a team of volunteers, Htin Linn Htet was responsible for curating many of the Myanmar artworks featured in the international exhibition. In an email interview, he described the challenge of developing an exhibition design “that is suitable to the venue” while also providing room for “the voice of the artists”.

Htin Linn Htet, who has now worked with several foreign curators, sees it as his role to advise them on the tastes, values and sensitivities of the Myanmar public, making space for stimulating foreign subjects and styles while making sure local culture is represented.

However, despite frequently conservative and dismissive attitudes from the public towards contemporary art, he insists that “things are rapidly changing here”.

“We are going no way but up,” he said. “I’ll continue to promote emerging artists, stepping between their artworks and the public, as a mediator, curator, and a friend, as long as there is a need for one to materialise their unrealised projects.”

Yet, Htin Linn Htet says the dividing line between professionalism and amateurism in Myanmar art remains thin. Artists, who have to depend largely on self-promotion, have little recourse to feedback or guidance from galleries and other institutions. However, River Gallery, which opened in downtown Yangon in 2006, bucks this norm.

“Rather than telling the artists what to do, we focus on helping the artists articulate the 'story' behind the artwork if they need assistance on that,” said River Gallery owner Ms Gill Pattison, a New Zealander who has been living in Yangon since 2002. “The language of art does not always readily translate into regular language, and sometimes we can help the artists find a way of conveying more of their thoughts and feelings about their works.”

Pattison and River Gallery work with some of the most internationally recognised Myanmar artists – most of whom have experience working with overseas curators and sometimes curate their own shows. Pattison said that when she was planning to open River Gallery in 2005 as a professionally curated gallery in the international mould, “I really didn't have much idea of whether it would be successful, whether anyone would visit, or whether anyone would buy.”

However, it helped that she knew many talented artists. In 2004, Pattison had organised the now defunct Myanmar Contemporary Art Awards in cooperation with Myanmar Times. “The artists entrusted me with their works at the outset, and then I think we repaid this trust through professional, transparent business practices and we did our best to promote their careers,” Pattison said.

An artist often featured at River Gallery is U Htein Lin, 53, a star in Myanmar’s contemporary scene, who has a satirical and sometimes controversial approach to social and political issues. His “Skirting the Issue” exhibition at River Gallery last year tackled misogynist taboos by featuring canvases made from htamein (a women’s longyi), which are traditionally seen as polluting for men and are handled only by women.

When I interviewed Htein Lin at a Yangon teashop late one evening in early January, he began on the subject of curatorship by talking about his six-and-a-half years as a political prisoner.

“In prison, I painted and even organised a solo show there for the prisoners. I suppose you can call it my first time curating,” he said. It was a risky venture because organising such an event in prison was prohibited.

“Dealing with the guards and prisoners for space and logistics was very hard,” he said. “First of all, it isn’t an art gallery, it’s a prison. Second, there’s the problem with the timeframe and finding the opportunity. Third, how we would invite people to my show.”

Htein Lin hand-drew the invitations on used snack packets and distributed them around the prison, a task made easier by the fact that inmates in each block of 15 cells had to change cells every day. “We asked a single-cell inmate to let us use his cell when everyone was getting ready to switch cells. The cell was nine feet by nine feet,” he said.

Htein Lin and some fellow inmates had to negotiate with the guards and arrange times when occupants of the 15 cells could view the works, which were displayed on torn plastic bags attached to the walls with toothpaste. When the day finally came, inmates showered, dressed up and visited the cell to view Htein Lin’s works.

Soon after Htein Lin’s release in 2005, one of his close friends, fellow artist Daw Chaw Ei Thein, curated and displayed a selection of the hundreds of works he created in prison. The exhibition at her house in northern Yangon, near the airport, ran for only one day because it attracted the attention of plainclothes intelligence officers.

When he returned to Yangon in 2013 after living in Britain for seven years, he started to curate exhibitions using ideas and curatorial principles gleaned from galleries in London, Paris and elsewhere. “A proper exhibition should make you feel and think differently about the things you saw after you leave,” he said. “That’s the curator doing their job.”

#art #artists #education #art scene #yangon #culture #curation

1 note · View note

designingprogress · 8 years

Photo

The End of Identity Liberalism

It is a truism that America has become a more diverse country. It is also a beautiful thing to watch. Visitors from other countries, particularly those having trouble incorporating different ethnic groups and faiths, are amazed that we manage to pull it off. Not perfectly, of course, but certainly better than any European or Asian nation today. It’s an extraordinary success story.

But how should this diversity shape our politics? The standard liberal answer for nearly a generation now has been that we should become aware of and “celebrate” our differences. Which is a splendid principle of moral pedagogy — but disastrous as a foundation for democratic politics in our ideological age. In recent years American liberalism has slipped into a kind of moral panic about racial, gender and sexual identity that has distorted liberalism’s message and prevented it from becoming a unifying force capable of governing.

One of the many lessons of the recent presidential election campaign and its repugnant outcome is that the age of identity liberalism must be brought to an end. Hillary Clinton was at her best and most uplifting when she spoke about American interests in world affairs and how they relate to our understanding of democracy. But when it came to life at home, she tended on the campaign trail to lose that large vision and slip into the rhetoric of diversity, calling out explicitly to African-American, Latino, L.G.B.T. and women voters at every stop. This was a strategic mistake. If you are going to mention groups in America, you had better mention all of them. If you don’t, those left out will notice and feel excluded. Which, as the data show, was exactly what happened with the white working class and those with strong religious convictions. Fully two-thirds of white voters without college degrees voted for Donald Trump, as did over 80 percent of white evangelicals.

The moral energy surrounding identity has, of course, had many good effects. Affirmative action has reshaped and improved corporate life. Black Lives Matter has delivered a wake-up call to every American with a conscience. Hollywood’s efforts to normalize homosexuality in our popular culture helped to normalize it in American families and public life.

But the fixation on diversity in our schools and in the press has produced a generation of liberals and progressives narcissistically unaware of conditions outside their self-defined groups, and indifferent to the task of reaching out to Americans in every walk of life. At a very young age our children are being encouraged to talk about their individual identities, even before they have them. By the time they reach college many assume that diversity discourse exhausts political discourse, and have shockingly little to say about such perennial questions as class, war, the economy and the common good. In large part this is because of high school history curriculums, which anachronistically project the identity politics of today back onto the past, creating a distorted picture of the major forces and individuals that shaped our country. (The achievements of women’s rights movements, for instance, were real and important, but you cannot understand them if you do not first understand the founding fathers’ achievement in establishing a system of government based on the guarantee of rights.)

When young people arrive at college they are encouraged to keep this focus on themselves by student groups, faculty members and also administrators whose full-time job is to deal with — and heighten the significance of — “diversity issues.” Fox News and other conservative media outlets make great sport of mocking the “campus craziness” that surrounds such issues, and more often than not they are right to. Which only plays into the hands of populist demagogues who want to delegitimize learning in the eyes of those who have never set foot on a campus. How to explain to the average voter the supposed moral urgency of giving college students the right to choose the designated gender pronouns to be used when addressing them? How not to laugh along with those voters at the story of a University of Michigan prankster who wrote in “His Majesty”?

This campus-diversity consciousness has over the years filtered into the liberal media, and not subtly. Affirmative action for women and minorities at America’s newspapers and broadcasters has been an extraordinary social achievement — and has even changed, quite literally, the face of right-wing media, as journalists like Megyn Kelly and Laura Ingraham have gained prominence. But it also appears to have encouraged the assumption, especially among younger journalists and editors, that simply by focusing on identity they have done their jobs.

Recently I performed a little experiment during a sabbatical in France: For a full year I read only European publications, not American ones. My thought was to try seeing the world as European readers did. But it was far more instructive to return home and realize how the lens of identity has transformed American reporting in recent years. How often, for example, the laziest story in American journalism — about the “first X to do Y” — is told and retold. Fascination with the identity drama has even affected foreign reporting, which is in distressingly short supply. However interesting it may be to read, say, about the fate of transgender people in Egypt, it contributes nothing to educating Americans about the powerful political and religious currents that will determine Egypt’s future, and indirectly, our own. No major news outlet in Europe would think of adopting such a focus.

But it is at the level of electoral politics that identity liberalism has failed most spectacularly, as we have just seen. National politics in healthy periods is not about “difference,” it is about commonality. And it will be dominated by whoever best captures Americans’ imaginations about our shared destiny. Ronald Reagan did that very skillfully, whatever one may think of his vision. So did Bill Clinton, who took a page from Reagan’s playbook. He seized the Democratic Party away from its identity-conscious wing, concentrated his energies on domestic programs that would benefit everyone (like national health insurance) and defined America’s role in the post-1989 world. By remaining in office for two terms, he was then able to accomplish much for different groups in the Democratic coalition. Identity politics, by contrast, is largely expressive, not persuasive. Which is why it never wins elections — but can lose them.

The media’s newfound, almost anthropological, interest in the angry white male reveals as much about the state of our liberalism as it does about this much maligned, and previously ignored, figure. A convenient liberal interpretation of the recent presidential election would have it that Mr. Trump won in large part because he managed to transform economic disadvantage into racial rage — the “whitelash” thesis. This is convenient because it sanctions a conviction of moral superiority and allows liberals to ignore what those voters said were their overriding concerns. It also encourages the fantasy that the Republican right is doomed to demographic extinction in the long run — which means liberals have only to wait for the country to fall into their laps. The surprisingly high percentage of the Latino vote that went to Mr. Trump should remind us that the longer ethnic groups are here in this country, the more politically diverse they become.

Finally, the whitelash thesis is convenient because it absolves liberals of not recognizing how their own obsession with diversity has encouraged white, rural, religious Americans to think of themselves as a disadvantaged group whose identity is being threatened or ignored. Such people are not actually reacting against the reality of our diverse America (they tend, after all, to live in homogeneous areas of the country). But they are reacting against the omnipresent rhetoric of identity, which is what they mean by “political correctness.” Liberals should bear in mind that the first identity movement in American politics was the Ku Klux Klan, which still exists. Those who play the identity game should be prepared to lose it.

We need a post-identity liberalism, and it should draw from the past successes of pre-identity liberalism. Such a liberalism would concentrate on widening its base by appealing to Americans as Americans and emphasizing the issues that affect a vast majority of them. It would speak to the nation as a nation of citizens who are in this together and must help one another. As for narrower issues that are highly charged symbolically and can drive potential allies away, especially those touching on sexuality and religion, such a liberalism would work quietly, sensitively and with a proper sense of scale. (To paraphrase Bernie Sanders, America is sick and tired of hearing about liberals’ damn bathrooms.)

Teachers committed to such a liberalism would refocus attention on their main political responsibility in a democracy: to form committed citizens aware of their system of government and the major forces and events in our history. A post-identity liberalism would also emphasize that democracy is not only about rights; it also confers duties on its citizens, such as the duties to keep informed and vote. A post-identity liberal press would begin educating itself about parts of the country that have been ignored, and about what matters there, especially religion. And it would take seriously its responsibility to educate Americans about the major forces shaping world politics, especially their historical dimension.

Some years ago I was invited to a union convention in Florida to speak on a panel about Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous Four Freedoms speech of 1941. The hall was full of representatives from local chapters — men, women, blacks, whites, Latinos. We began by singing the national anthem, and then sat down to listen to a recording of Roosevelt’s speech. As I looked out into the crowd, and saw the array of different faces, I was struck by how focused they were on what they shared. And listening to Roosevelt’s stirring voice as he invoked the freedom of speech, the freedom of worship, the freedom from want and the freedom from fear — freedoms that Roosevelt demanded for “everyone in the world” — I was reminded of what the real foundations of modern American liberalism are.

Mark Lilla, a professor of the humanities at Columbia and a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation, is the author, most recently, of “The Shipwrecked Mind: On Political Reaction.”

#new york times #mark lilla #humanities #identity politics #liberalism #diversity #challenge #evolution #perception

1 note · View note

sheminecrafts · 4 years

Text

Triller aims for TikTok with additions of influencers like Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae

Triller had been poised to benefit from a potential TikTok ban in the U.S. Though that may not happen now, given the apparent Oracle deal, the chaos around TikTok has increased the attention given to alternative apps such as Triller. As TikTok users sought out a new home — or at least hedged their bets in the event of a full ban — Triller’s app shot up the app store charts. It even became the No. 1 across 80 different countries at some point, Triller CEO Mike Lu says.

At Techcrunch Disrupt 2020, Lu today spoke of Triller’s growing potential and what makes its app unique. He also touched on Triller’s involvement in several high-profile additions, including influencers and public figures like TikTok star Charli D’Amelio and family, and even Trump himself.

Lu also noted another top TikToker, Addison Rae, will make her way to Triller this week, as well.

Though Triller has often positioned itself as a different sort of app than TikTok, the company has steadily worked to onboard the same set of influencers that made TikTok so popular. TikTok star Josh Richards recently joined Triller as both an investor and chief strategy officer, despite being only 18, for example. Other TikTok stars Noah Beck and Griffin Johnson also joined Triller earlier this summer.

And just this week, Triller snagged TikTok’s queen herself, Charli D’Amelio, whose current TikTok account has 87 million followers.

Though Triller often benefits from influencers setting up their own accounts, Lu confirmed Triller reached out to D’Amelio to establish the relationship and to learn how the company could help her create a different type of presence on the Triller app.

Deal terms were not disclosed but Lu said that, “up until a month ago, we had never paid anyone to make a video.”

follow my triller teehee

— charli d’amelio (@charlidamelio) September 15, 2020

TikTok stars aren’t the only notable new additions. Last month, Donald Trump launched his own official Triller account, as well, to promote his political campaign.

Lu said he welcomes all the new users, including Trump.

“We’re an open platform and what we really strive for is creativity. So, we welcome anyone — regardless of whether you’re on the left side or the right side of the fence — to express yourself on the Triller platform,” he said. “Seeing some of the world leaders and also some of the biggest influencers in the world join the platform is very exciting for Triller.”

Lu also explained how Triller differentiates itself from the broader social media app lineup, noting that much of the focus of older social networks had been on allowing users to post status updates, not creative content.

Triller’s identity, Lu added, “has always been around music, around content, and around creative discovery.”

“I think that we will always shine more than your traditional status updates — which I think that the world of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter has done really well” he said. But today’s users “really don’t post creative content to those old platforms anymore,” he continued. “They’re actually posting them on platforms like ourselves, where they’re looking for an expressive and creative outlet.”

Lu claimed Triller also benefitted from older social networks’ attempt to enter the short-form video space.

When Instagram launched its TikTok competitor, Reels, Triller saw a 20% spike in usage, Lu said.

“We realized that a lot of users who were waiting for Reels…they saw what it was. And they decided they’re sticking to Triller,” he said.

On the topic of business matters, Lu declined to speak about recent reports of its supposed billion dollar valuation, but did confirm Triller is in the process of raising new funding. He also declined to speak about the status of Triller’s reported $20 billion bid with Centricus for TikTok assets, but said the company believed it would have been a good home for TikTok creator content from an infrastructure perspective.

Not surprisingly, given Triller’s potential growth in the midst of TikTok concerns, Lu also supported the idea that TikTok could be a security threat to U.S. users.

“Given the sensitivity of the data [and] the amount of data that they collect, it does pose a national risk,” Lu said of TikTok. “This is a Chinese-owned company. The data is sitting, probably, not here in the States…” he added, seemingly refuting TikTok’s claims that its U.S. data was on U.S. servers.

“We take that stuff very seriously. We are a U.S.- based company,” he said, noting how Triller was complaint with U.S. regulations, like COPPA. “Something we actually take very strong pride in is making sure that we uphold [Triller] to the right standards that we’re used to, and as well as the privacy of our users and our citizens,” Lu said.

from iraidajzsmmwtv https://ift.tt/3hzdQoS via IFTTT

#IFTTT #iraidajzsmmwtv

0 notes

bloggerjoedoe · 4 years

Link

Lu also noted another top TikToker, Addison Rae, will make her way to Triller this week, as well.

And just this week, Triller snagged TikTok’s queen herself, Charli D’Amelio, whose current TikTok account has 87 million followers.

Deal terms were not disclosed but Lu said that, “up until a month ago, we had never paid anyone to make a video.”

follow my triller teehee

— charli d’amelio (@charlidamelio) September 15, 2020

TikTok stars aren’t the only notable new additions. Last month, Donald Trump launched his own official Triller account, as well, to promote his political campaign.

Lu said he welcomes all the new users, including Trump.

Triller’s identity, Lu added, “has always been around music, around content, and around creative discovery.”

Lu claimed Triller also benefitted from older social networks’ attempt to enter the short-form video space.

When Instagram launched its TikTok competitor, Reels, Triller saw a 20% spike in usage, Lu said.

“We realized that a lot of users who were waiting for Reels…they saw what it was. And they decided they’re sticking to Triller,” he said.

Not surprisingly, given Triller’s potential growth in the midst of TikTok concerns, Lu also supported the idea that TikTok could be a security threat to U.S. users.

Source: Tech Crunch

#Gadget #Gizmo #technology #tech news

0 notes

technicalsolutions88 · 4 years

Link

Lu also noted another top TikToker, Addison Rae, will make her way to Triller this week, as well.

And just this week, Triller snagged TikTok’s queen herself, Charli D’Amelio, whose current TikTok account has 87 million followers.

Deal terms were not disclosed but Lu said that, “up until a month ago, we had never paid anyone to make a video.”

follow my triller teehee

— charli d’amelio (@charlidamelio) September 15, 2020

TikTok stars aren’t the only notable new additions. Last month, Donald Trump launched his own official Triller account, as well, to promote his political campaign.

Lu said he welcomes all the new users, including Trump.

Triller’s identity, Lu added, “has always been around music, around content, and around creative discovery.”

Lu claimed Triller also benefitted from older social networks’ attempt to enter the short-form video space.

When Instagram launched its TikTok competitor, Reels, Triller saw a 20% spike in usage, Lu said.

“We realized that a lot of users who were waiting for Reels…they saw what it was. And they decided they’re sticking to Triller,” he said.

Not surprisingly, given Triller’s potential growth in the midst of TikTok concerns, Lu also supported the idea that TikTok could be a security threat to U.S. users.

from Social – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/3hzdQoS Original Content From: https://techcrunch.com

#Technical Solutions #SEO #Online Earning #Youtube Marketing #Android Developer

0 notes

lucids · 5 years

Text

‘Rules’ For Being Friends With An Introvert

13 ‘Rules’ For Being Friends With An Introvert

Introverts need friends too — but we socialize in a very different way than extroverts. Due to the way we’re wired, socializing (and life in general) can be extremely draining for us.

That’s why we need some ground rules. Here are 13 of them. Suggested use: Sharing this article with your friends and talking about which “rules” resonated with you and which ones didn’t. Highly discouraged: Nailing these rules to your friends’ doors and demanding unwavering compliance.

‘Rules’ for Being Friends With an Introvert 1. Unless something’s on fire, don’t show up at our home unannounced. Most extroverts seem to have no trouble suddenly being “on,” and they love — even welcome — an unexpected social surprise. But not so for us introverts. We need time to mentally prepare to see people. And to us, our homes are private spaces where we let down our guard and relax. Do not, I repeat, do not infringe on our sacred space — without getting permission from us in advance.

2. If it’s supposed to be just the two of us, don’t invite other people. It’s hurtful if we feel like we’re just another warm body in your entourage. We want to mean something to you, because if we’re friends, you mean a lot to us. Due to our limited people energy, we don’t let just anybody into our inner circle. As Adam S. McHugh puts it: “Introverts treasure the close relationships they have stretched so much to make.”

If you have to invite other people, at least give us a heads up. There’s hardly anything worse for introverts than being ambushed by a raucous crowd when they were expecting a quietly intimate chat.

3. Skip the crowd. Hang out with us one-on-one or in a small group. Want to make an introvert disappear? Put them in a large group of strangers, and they may quietly fade into the background. Pretty soon it’s like they’re not even there.

But when you get introverts alone, it’s a different story. Introverts thrive in intimate settings because when we’re talking to just one person, it drastically reduces our stimulation level — we only have to pay attention to the words, body language, and tone of voice of one person. For our minds, which are already quite busy with the internal stimulation that comes standard with being an introvert, paying attention to one person is plenty.

Plus, one-on-one, it’s easier to talk about more meaningful topics. Group talk tends to revolve around “safe” topics like what you did this weekend or how the new work project is going. Introverts crave diving deep, sharing big ideas, and talking authentically about things that actually matter.

4. Give us a tiny moment of real connection over hours of polite chitchat. How are you really? What’s actually on your mind? Don’t just say it was a good weekend. Tell us about the existential crisis you had over the fact that you’re getting older and your life isn��t where you thought it would be. We’d rather know what’s going on inside you — what’s really going on — than just see the polished, “social media friendly” front that you display to everyone else.

As Laurie Helgoe writes, “When an introvert cares about someone, she also wants contact, not so much to keep up with the events of the other person’s life, but to keep up with what’s inside: the evolution of ideas, values, thoughts, and feelings.”

5. Encourage us to share our thoughts. As an introvert, I’ll be the first to admit that I often need encouragement to chime in, especially when I’m with a group of people I don’t know well. Often, I won’t talk about myself or give my opinion about XYZ unless asked. It’s just in my nature to keep my thoughts to myself and only speak if I think I have something of real value to add to the conversation. Honestly, sometimes it just don’t even dawn on me to say what’s running through my mind. Plus, like many introverts, I’ve been cornered by an overly chatty extrovert countless times, so I’m especially sensitive to dominating the conversation. Don’t pry, but do ask how we are or what we think.

6. Don’t judge when we go quiet or get lost in our inner world. The introvert’s inner world is vivid and alive, and we process things deeply. This means we’re prone to daydreaming, suddenly going quiet, needing extra time for word retrieval, and just all-around getting lost in our thoughts. If we drift off for a moment, or need a few extra beats to think, don’t slap us with a “Helloooooo come back to Earth!” or a “Why are you so quiet?” This will only make us feel extremely self-conscious.

7. Let us talk, too. I have an extroverted friend who will go on and on about her life if given the chance. Suddenly 20 minutes have gone by and I’ve barely said anything. I like to listen and support her, but of course I have my limits, as all introverts do.

Introverts like to talk, too, but we’re often loathe to interrupt, because we know just what it feels like to have your deep-processing train of thought derailed. Make sure your quiet friend gets their turn, too.

8. We need more than 10 minutes to mentally prepare to hang out. Spontaneity can be fun, and it has its place. But seriously, we need time to mentally prepare to be “on” — even if it’s with a close friend. Every introvert is different, but I prefer to be asked at least a day in advance.

9. We’re probably going to head home earlier than you. You have to be okay with that. The introvert hangover is real, so don’t expect us to stay at the party as long as you do (if we go at all).

10. Don’t expect constant contact. Unlike your more extroverted friends, we’re not going to text you every day — or even every weekend. That doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten about you. On the contrary, you likely float through our busy mind quite a bit when we’re apart. But we know we’ll soon see each other again, and we’d rather catch up in a way that’s meaningful — in person, favorite beverage in hand, one-on-one.

11. Text, don’t call. It’s no secret that introverts absolutely loathe talking on the phone, so use your “call” feature sparingly.

12. Understand that even though we had fun hanging out yesterday, we probably don’t want to hang out again today. If you’re an extrovert, socializing energizes you. But we feel tired, even when we enjoy ourselves. That’s because our brain is wired differently than your brain; we don’t get “high” off socializing and excitement like you do. Give us time to recharge, and we’ll want to see you again soon.

13. Seriously, we’ll be at home. There will be a lot of nights and weekends when we’re just too drained to go out. Trust us when we say it’s nothing personal — we still love having you in our life.

Source: https://introvertdear.com/news/9-rules-for-being-friends-with-an-introvert

0 notes

mikemortgage · 5 years

Text

Trump’s Moore/Cain sideshow is precisely what the Fed doesn’t need right now

Who knew the Federal Reserve could be so much fun? Fed officials typically go out of their way to be equivocal in their views and boring in their language, because they recognize the dangers of misinterpretation and the awesome power they wield. I mean, this is a world where the word “patience” can move markets and economies. But now — well, the world’s most important central bank is getting a dose of wackiness, thanks to Donald Trump. What a cut-up.

Clearly seeing two vacant Fed governorships as a chance to exercise his comedic instincts, the President has floated a couple of brazen partisans as potential nominees. One is Stephen Moore, a Trump economic policy adviser during the 2016 campaign, who served as his “surrogate” on campaign events. Moore’s bona fides don’t end there: he’s also the guy who co-authored (with Arthur Laffer) Trumponomics, a paean to the president and an exercise in what one conservative reviewer (economist N. Gregory Mankiw) called “economic tribalism”; who suggested as a CNN contributor that many of the 800,000 federal workers furloughed during the longest government shutdown in history considered it a “paid vacation”; who claimed that Trump’s tax cuts and deregulation would result in at least four-per-cent GDP growth for five years (they haven’t) and push down the budget deficit (it rose by 17 per cent in fiscal 2018); and who is currently a “Distinguished Visiting Fellow for Project for Economic Growth” at the conservative Heritage Foundation, where he has said he’s working on a project about “how President Obama has discredited liberal ideas more than anyone.”

While Moore acknowledges he is no expert on monetary policy, he does have views on it that are both strongly voiced and subject to change. During the recession, Moore warned of the dangers of accommodative policy, but today he argues (like Trump) for looser money. So it looks like, should he end up at the Fed, Moore would advocate for less monetary stimulus during recessions and periods of high unemployment, and more of it during economic expansions and periods of full employment like the one the U.S. is enjoying now. To hell with John Maynard Keynes, indeed!

We still don’t understand the post-crisis economy, so don’t expect it to behave like the past

Markets have recovered, and then some — but a lot could still go very wrong

“You don’t have to believe China’s economic data to see that the world’s growth engine is slowing down” is locked You don’t have to believe China’s economic data to see that the world’s growth engine is slowing down

At least Moore has some economic credentials. (He holds a master’s degree in economics, which doesn’t qualify him to be called an economist by the usual definition, but let’s not quibble – Powell doesn’t have a PhD in economics, either.) Herman Cain, the other fellow floated by Trump for a Fed governorship, has a master’s degree in computer science, and his achievements are largely in business and politics. Yet he does have some experience with the Federal Reserve System. When he was CEO of Godfather’s Pizza back in the ‘90s, he served as chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City — a not-altogether-vital “role that is often given to local business leaders,” as the New York Times has noted.

Back then, he reportedly was an “inflation hawk,” who argued for higher rates, but now (like Moore) he has pulled a 180 and has said he wants to fight deflation, not inflation. In the past, Cain has also proselytized the virtues of returning to the gold standard, which would effectively constrain monetary policymakers’ power to influence the economy through, you know, monetary policy.

Crazy economic views, however, are clearly no barrier to receiving praise from Donald Trump, who called Cain “a truly outstanding individual.” On that note, there’s the little matter of allegations of sexual misconduct from several women during Cain’s failed bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. He has denied all of them, but they will no doubt come up at his Senate confirmation hearing, should he get that far.

Unsurprisingly, however, Cain’s partisan credentials are impeccable. For instance, he set up a political action committee called America Fighting Back, “created by a group of President Trump’s most committed supporters to fight (the) vile and uncalled for (sic) propaganda” that accosts Americans every day with “a stream of disrespectful, dishonest and destructive news about the 45th President of the United States,” according to its website. AFB “is chaired and spearheaded by Herman Cain one of the most masterful communicators of our time.” (Apparently, he or his people aren’t that masterful at proofreading.)

The Cain thing is reportedly too much even for Senate Republicans: the current thinking is that they will ixnay him but let in Moore, so as to give Trump at least some of what he wants. Some have also pointed out that there are seven governors at the Fed and 12 members on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee, so the presence of one or two Trump lackeys is unlikely to change policy.

Feel better? You shouldn’t.

For starters, the Moore/Cain sideshow is precisely what the Fed doesn’t need right now. Like other central banks, it is on the horns of a real dilemma. On the one hand, it’s found that easy money is much better at stimulating asset prices than at stimulating the real economy; on the other, recent experience has shown the economy to be far more sensitive to increasing rates than lowering them. And even with full employment, there is no sign of inflation approaching the two-per-cent target. If there’s an easy solution to this dilemma, we haven’t seen it yet.

So perhaps it is time for some fresh thinking, and there must be at least two smart, qualified, independent and available people out there who could provide it. But does anyone seriously think that Moore and Cain represent the best and the brightest?

A more general but no less legitimate concern is that the appointment of either of these guys would undermine the principle of central bank independence, ipso facto. With his repeated criticisms of Powell and the Fed, Trump has already opened the door to political interference; with these nominations, he would walk right through it. And yet White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow has said, with a straight face, “we’re not trying to damage the Fed’s independence.”

It’s so funny I forgot to laugh.

from Financial Post http://bit.ly/2KskHoG via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

#IFTTT #Financial Post

0 notes

lilymoxharkness · 6 years

Text

ADVOCATE PERSONALITY (INFJ, -A/-T)

ADVOCATE CAREERS

Advocates are likely to find that most corporate career paths are not designed for them, but for those focused on status and material gain. This doesn’t mean that people with the Advocate personality type struggle to see viable options though. In fact, they are likely to face the opposite problem – many Advocates struggle to begin a career early on because they see ten wildly different paths forward, each with its own intrinsic rewards, alluring but also heartbreaking, because each means abandoning so much else.

Truth, Beauty, Purpose

First and foremost, Advocates need to find meaning in their work, to know that they are helping and connecting with people – an Advocate Ferrari salesperson is a non-sequitur. This desire to help and connect makes careers in healthcare, especially the more holistic varieties, very rewarding for Advocates – roles as counselors, psychologists, doctors, life coaches and spiritual guides are all attractive options.

Advocates’ needs don’t end at meaning though – any productive work can be rationalized to be meaningful, as any productive work helps someone, somewhere. Advocates crave creativity too, the ability to use their insight to connect events and situations, effecting real change in others’ lives personally.

For Advocates, money and Employee of the Month simply won’t cut it compared to living their values and principles.

Two Roads Diverged in a Yellowed Wood

These needs are hard to meet in a corporate structure, where Advocates will be forced to manage someone else’s policies alongside their own. For this reason, people with the Advocate personality type are more likely to, despite their aversion to controlling others, establish their independence by either finding a leadership position, or simply starting their own practice. As independents, sole proprietors in the parlance of business, Advocates are free to follow their hearts, applying their personal touch, creativity and altruism to everything they do.

This is the most rewarding option for Advocates, as they will step out of the overly humble supporting and noncompetitive roles they are often drawn to, and into positions where they can grow and make a difference. Advocates often pursue expressive careers such as writing, elegant communicators that they are, and author many popular blogs, stories and screenplays. Music, photography, design and art are viable options too, and they all can focus on deeper themes of personal growth, morality and spirituality.

Where Advocates fall flat is in work focusing on impersonal concerns, mundanity, and high-profile conflict. Accounting and auditing, data analysis and routine work will leave people with the Advocate personality type fidgety and unfulfilled, and they will simply wilt under the scrutiny, criticism and pressure of courtroom prosecution and defense, corporate politics and cold-call sales. Advocates are clever, and can function in any of these fields, but to be truly happy, they need to be able to exercise their insightfulness and independence, learn and grow alongside the people they are helping, and contribute to the well-being of humanity on a personal level.

ADVOCATES IN THE WORKPLACE

Advocates have pretty tall demands when it comes to a satisfying work environment. Not only does this personality type need to be able to express their creativity and insight, Advocates need to know that what they are doing has meaning, helps people, leads to personal growth and, all the while, is in line with their values, principles and beliefs.

Oftentimes the best way for Advocates to achieve this is to not have to answer to others’ rules at all – to be their own boss, neither above nor below anyone else, just directly interacting with the people and ideas that are important to them. All that being said, Advocates are a clever and inspired group, and with a few of the right conditions, most any position can be made to work.

Advocate Subordinates

As subordinates, Advocates are likely to chafe under hardline rules, formal hierarchies and routine tasks. People with the Advocate personality type value diplomacy and sensitivity, and the more democratic and personal their manager’s style is, and the more they feel their independence and input are valued, the happier they’ll be. Advocates act on their convictions, so when they do something, it’s something that has meaning to them – if those actions come under criticism, even justified complaints, but especially unwarranted ones, their morale is likely to tank spectacularly.

A manager’s values need to be naturally aligned with their Advocate subordinates for both parties to be most effective. Though usually idealistic, if they feel in conflict, Advocates can lose touch with that sense and end up all too bitter. But if it’s a balance they can handle, with a little encouragement every now and then, Advocates will be hardworking, trustworthy, and more than capable of handling their responsibilities and professional relationships.

Advocate Colleagues

As colleagues, Advocates are likely to become quite popular, being seen as positive, eloquent and capable friends, identifying others’ motives and defusing conflicts and tension before anyone else even senses a disturbance. Advocates are likely to prioritize harmony and cooperation over ruthless efficiency, encouraging a good, hardworking atmosphere and helping others when needed. While this is usually a strength, there is a risk that others will take advantage of Advocates’ commitment to their responsibilities by simply shifting their burdens onto their more dedicated Advocate colleagues’ desks.

It should also be remembered that at the end of the day, Advocates are still Introverts (I), and their popularity isn’t always welcome – they will need to step back and act the lone wolf from time to time, pursuing their own goals in their own ways. An unhealthy version of this tendency may pop up if Advocates sense that their values are being compromised by a more ethically relaxed colleague.

Advocate Managers

As managers, Advocates are often reluctant in exercising their authority, preferring to see their subordinates as equals, coordinating and supervising people, leaving the technical systems and factual details to more capable hands, and working hard to inspire and motivate, not to crack the whip. That’s not to say that people with the Advocate personality type have lax standards – far from it – as Advocates’ sense of equality means that they expect their subordinates to be as competent, motivated and reliable as the Advocates themselves.

Though sensitive, understanding, principled and just, able to appreciate individual styles and to make accurate judgments about others’ motivations, if a subordinate’s actions or attitude undermines Advocates’ ethics or values, they will find little comfort in these qualities. Advocates have no tolerance for lapses in reliability or morality. But, so long as no such lapse occurs, Advocates will work tirelessly to ensure that their subordinates feel valued and happy.

#about lily #lily Moira Harkness | The Immortals child #headcanon #INFJ-A #INFJ #long post #dont be a lasagna | Qued

0 notes

i100 · 6 years

Text

Forex Market Financial Fundamental Analysis

Main Categories of Fundamental Analysis The economy is definitely a very interesting thing!

The financial market is extremely sensitive to macroeconomic events, which is why you should never dismiss fundamental analysis of the market. Nevertheless, an analyst does not spend all day on checking out the news feed. I should remind you, once again, that everything you read on this website results from my own experience and practice.

I divide fundamental analysis into the following categories.

Analysis of The Main Macroeconomic and Political Trends

An analyst does not keep close tabs on the economic statistics day in and day out in this case. The main data sources necessary for understanding the global balance of power are as follows:

View and opinions of the international experts. Ratings and assessments given by the independent publishers;

speeches by national leaders, heads of the key political and economic institutions, and the scientists; and

news bulletins.

Such an approach provides a trader with the general idea of the prospects for investment in a foreign currency. From the basic point of view, the main market changes occur while expecting a major political or economic event to happen. Let me give you an example.

The European economic downfall caused by the expectations of the Greek economy to go bankrupt. Fear of the upcoming negative events led investors to withdraw funds from European assets and give up using the euro as an investment tool. As a result, EUR/USD quotes were plunging over the long term against the backdrop of growing risks of the European country’s economy going bankrupt.

The Presidential elections may cause economic volatility. Though one doesn’t know for sure who would be the next head of state, investors are a bit afraid of the risk that a protest candidate can win, which will bring a medium-term economic downfall.

The growing protest movements may signal worsening of the economic and political situations. The historical record is peppered with examples of the strikes organized by doctors, taxi drivers, public service drivers, miners, or enterprise workers. They managed to cripple entire cities and even countries, which definitely affected the national currency value.

Said otherwise, an analyst must keep an eye on the soaring trends and foresee how an event may affect the currency exchange rates.

Corporate Sector Analysis

First, we need to figure out what the term “Index” stands for. If you have already visited the brokers’ websites I mention in my list, you could not help but notice that almost all of them offer to trade stock market indices. Before you start trading something, you should study what exactly it is.

The stock market index (the index basket) is a composite indicator, which expresses price changes for an asset group. The most popular stock market indices show how the stock basket price of the national champions from different fields may vary. Let me tell you a bit more about the most popular stock market indices.

Dow Jones Industrial Average.—The blue chip companies of the American economy. Deals with the stocks of almost all the fields except for the transport and the utilities branches.

S&P 500—500 large companies having common stock listed on the NYSE or NASDAQ which capitalization makes up 75% of the whole US stock market.

NASDAQ—All the companies traded on the American NASDAQ stock exchange.

S&P/TSX—The large-cap companies traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (Canada).

Mex IPC—The large-cap companies traded on the Mexican Stock Exchange.

BOVESPA—The large-cap companies traded on the B3 Stock Exchange (São Paulo, Brazil).

Euro Stoxx 50—The European blue chip companies from 12 Euro-zone countries.

Euro Stoxx 600—The large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap companies from 18 Euro-zone countries.

FTSE—The Blue chip companies of the London Stock Exchange.

CAC 40—The Blue chip companies of the Euronext Paris pan-European Stock Exchange.

FTSE Eurotop 100—100 most highly capitalized blue chip companies in Europe.

FT30—30 largest British companies.

DAX—The blue chip companies of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

IBEX 35—The blue chip companies of Bolsa de Madrid (Madrid Stock Exchange).

FTSE MIB—The blue chip companies of Borsa Italiana (Italian Stock Exchange).

AEX—The blue chip companies of the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange.

SMI—20 largest companies traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

ATX—The blue chip companies of the Vienna Stock Exchange (Wiener Börse AG).

OMX STKH30—The blue chip companies of the Stockholm Stock Exchange.

MICEX Index—The blue chip companies of the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange. All transactions are calculated in rubles.

RTSI—Russian stocks traded on the Moscow Exchange, calculated in the US dollars.

Nikkei—225 largest companies of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

TOPIX—All the companies traded in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Hang Seng—The blue chip companies of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

S&P/ASX 200—The large-cap companies traded on the Australian Securities Exchange.

you might have noticed the term blue chips. I think we should clear it up. A blue chip is stock in a largest and most reliable corporation of the highest stock liquidity. The term itself originates from the blue casino chips, which are of the highest value.

How Can We Use the Stock Indices for Analyzing the Stock Market?

If you trade shares of a separate company, the stock index may be a leading indicator for you. For example, your trading tool is a share of Apple Inc. (the U.S. technology company). In order to analyze, you should compare dynamics of the stock change with dynamics of the S&P500 index. If the share grows faster than the index, it may be too late to open a long-term position. If the index grows faster than the share, you can make purchase with no doubts.

Which Indices Should a Forex Trader Work With?

A forex trader should pick the indices that match his trading tools same as one does in the stock market. Let’s have a closer look at the most popular currency pairs, which are EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, USD/CHF and USD/CAD.

Every mentioned currency pair works with the US dollar, which is why we may use the S&P500 and Dow Jones Avg (DJA) indices for analysis.

We may add the European indices for the EUR/USD currency pair. The French Cac40, the German Dax, the Dutch AEX and the European FTSE Eurotop 100 will be good enough for us to cover the European side.

We may use the FT30 index for the GBP/USD currency pair. However, as practice shows, a trader tracks the same indices used in case of the euro.

We should pay attention to the main European indices and the SMI index (SIX Swiss Exchange) in case of the USD/CHF currency pair.

We should analyze the USD/JPY currency pair by examining the Nikkei 225 index dynamics.

How Do Traders Use the Stock Indices?

A trader uses the stock indices as a trading and analytical tool. I think we should consider a few trends that might work in the market economy conditions.

A trader applies an index as the leading indicator of the upcoming changes in the national currency price.

For example, if the S&P500 index uptrend shifts to a descending trend, we will see the dollar fall against the primary world currencies. Is such case, the index should be considered the leading indicator for the U.S. currency. A trader may open a short position and keep tracking the changes in the index.

You should never forget that our trading instrument is a currency pair, not a national currency. If the dollar is weakening because of some macroeconomic events and the situation in the eurozone is much worse, with the euro being under great pressure, the EUR/USD currency pair quotation may go up or down unpredictably. It is most likely we will see a wide price range with great volatility. It is unwise to expect a clear up or down trend in these conditions.

A trader uses a stock index as a trading tool catering on any other asset’s rate.

Suppose you see that the oil is on an uptrend. In addition to buying a derivative (CFD or the oil future), you can also buy the CFD or the index future, which are based on the largest oil companies’ quotation.

Naturally, the first option is the most popular scenario. Many traders keep several index charts indices in the workspace designed to help them to comprehend the actual trends of the national markets. Sometimes the indices react faster than the currencies in case of an unexpected international event. We use the term “correlation” for such phenomenon.

The term “correlation” stands for the dynamics ratio between two assets. If you see that the Canadian dollar rate repeats the movement of the US dollar rate with high accuracy, you can say that they are correlating and a trader is looking at a positive correlation of the two assets.

Catastrophes, Wars, or Terrorist Attacks

Unfortunately, one cannot imagine the modern world having no emergencies that bring influence to bear on the lives of a large number of people and on the economy of the states. If we take a currency chart and analyze it throughout its existence, we will see that the largest price movements were caused by the global accidents that triggered enormous shock in the society.

Monetary Reforms by the National Authorities

A cenrtal bank do increase / decerease interest rate to stimulate the economy Economic Statistics

Daily economic statistics is the most intelligible fundamental analysis tool for a trader. You can find a daily updated economic calendar on the website of your broker

A standard economic calendar usually contains five columns:

Exact local (for your location) time of the news publication;

the title of the news or the identifier’s name. For example, “Statement by the Bank of France director” or “The inflation rate in the Eurozone;”

previous indicator value;

consensus forecastis the result of the expert analysis, which determines the most probable consequences of the news;

current value. It is the real value, which is filled immediately after the news is released; and

the news importance level.

Usually you see this indicator in displayed in a clear view (as stars or bars) in the broker’s economic calendar. The lowest value (for instance, marked with one star of three possible) means that the news will probably not affect the foreign exchange market while a three-star news has every chance to cause strong volatility.

I feel quite confident in recommending that you focus on the consensus forecast if you are planning to keep a close watch on the economic statistics. Do a little research and find the important news release dates on the currency pair chart. You will see that the strongest movements occur when the real value turns out to be very different from the predicted one. In other words, the experts made a mistake and their forecasts did not work well.

Remember this trend as it will come in handy in your work.

What is truly difficult about fundamental analysis of the forex trade market is a huge amount of information and a large list of sources that might be wise for you to follow.

This is not only about the newsfeeds. I am also talking about expert publications, analytics and forecasts. As it always has been, the key task of a trader is to identify the essentials, so as to not waste time and energy. Let’s try to gain insight on the main economic indicators that you will often see in the news feeds, and which have the strongest impact on the currency pairs quotation.

10 Most Important Macroeconomic Indicators

I have looked through the economic calendar over a long period and wrote out the macroeconomic indicators that I found essential to explain to my readers. If you find that some indicator is missing, please, feel free to write about it in the comments. I will add them to the article if necessary. Let’s begin!

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Gross domestic product is a macroeconomic indicator reflecting the market value of all the final goods and services (ready for consumption), produced for consumption, export and accumulation by all the economic fields on the territory of a country within a year, regardless of the national affiliation of the factors of production used.

In other words, GDP displays evaluation of all the goods and services produced in the country. This is a key indicator of the national economy used by a trader. The GDP news in the economic calendar are usually marked as important.

Key Interest Rate

Key interest rate is the minimum interest rate on which the central bank provides the commercial banks with loans. It plays a critical role in setting the interest rates on the bank loans and exercises influence on the inflation rate and the funding costs of the banks.

From my perspective, this statistical indicator has the strongest impact on the foreign exchange market, since it is actually the main monetary policy tool of the central banks.

Durable Goods Orders

Durable Goods Orders (DGO) is the indicator reflecting the order volume of the durable goods that the manufacturers have. Durable goods are the types of goods that can be used for three years or even longer.

The analysts use this indicator for forecasting the GDP level of the country. The greater the demand for the durable goods, the better the economic situation of the state is. The slump in demand may indicate the end of upturn in the economic cycle and the beginning of recession.

Leading Indicators Index

LEI is a composite indicator used for complex analysis of the national economy and making a three to six months forecast. The index is built upon the following indicators:

Factory orders level;

amount of the jobless claims;

money supply overall indicator M2;

workweek average duration;

stock value of the largest enterprises;

durable goods order level; and

consumer confidence index

A trader/analyst should track first the index dynamics pattern instead of watching the absolute index value. If you see a downfall in several reports, you can be sure about a slowdown in economic growth of the country.

Purchase Managers Index

I am talking about the whole group of indices based on the surveys of the professional associations. The specialized institutions survey the managers of various industries and make a conclusion about the current state of the industry out of it.

Of course, surveys cannot be considered an accurate indicator and the market almost never reacts strongly when they are published. However, if you work in a specific field, for example, trading shares of pharmaceutical the companies, the surveys among the managers of this field may help you to understand the true state of the field.

Consumer PMI

This indicator is very much the same as the previous one and the whole group by its meaning and influence over the market. In case of the PMI, the analysts survey the workers of a particular field. In this case, we are dealing with the poll conducted among the families in order to figure out their consumer expectations.

Respondents to the survey can give only the “worse” or “better” responses to a number of questions:

Financial situation of the family comparing to the previous period;

expected financial situation of the family during the year;

evaluation of the economic situation during the year;

estimation of the expected unemployment and economic downfall; and

evaluation of the family purchases (clothes, household appliances, etc.).

A trader-analyst may derive benefit from this indicator only in case of estimation of the long-range investments.

Consumer Price Index

CPI is the key indicator reflecting the underlying inflation in the country. It displays change of the aggregate price in the group of the most important consumer goods that form the so-called consumer basket of goods and services. For clarity’s sake, I must say that the basket includes more than just food.

There are also minor consumer price indices used for evaluation of changes in a separate economy sector. CPI Ex Food & Energy is a most popular indicator, which does not include the most volatile fields such as food and energy.

Industrial Production Index

This indicator reflects the change in the factory output volume. I think you understand perfectly well what conclusions can be drawn if the manufacturing output of a country keeps falling. I would like to clarify a couple of things before we talk about the next index.

If you take into account the sectoral indicators, figure out what share of the GDP a given field makes up. In other words, a significant change in the factory output volume would not much affect the economy of a country that gains 95% of its revenue from tourism.

We are talking about the so-called low base effect. I will explain it by giving you an example. Let’s say you have had $10 on your account and you earned $20 extra. You got a 200% profit, which is a fantastic result but I do not think you can really say that you have become a lot richer.

Conclusion: take into account the GDP structure of a country before analyzing the sectoral indicators.

Personal Income

The more people earn, the more they spend. If the people cannot afford to spend money, there is no sense for the state and the enterprises to drive up production. Therefore, such indicators as the consumer income and expenditure behavior or the level of unemployment are important for fundamental analysis.

The greater the income and expenditures of the people, the higher the economic growth rate of the country is.

Initial Jobless Claims, Nonfarm Payrolls and Level of Unemployment

This group contains the indicators reflecting the as-is state of the U.S. labor. Three indicators get the statistics simultaneously on the first Friday of each month and it is always a momentous event for each trader. Over the years, the news about the U.S. citizens’ employment have always caused a leap in the exchange market volatility.

I think it’s about time for you to have a break and make an analysis of the main currency pairs charts behavior at the moments of the news release about the unemployment in the US. Take a short-term time frame such as M1 or M5 for visual clarity.

If you are not planning to make fundamental analysis, you need to pay attention to increasing volatility and widening of spreads at the time of the most important macroeconomic statistics released.

Balance of Trade

Balance of trade is a key indicator of a country’s foreign economic activities. In fact, that is the balance between exports and imports, or in other words, the ratio of the value of all the goods exported abroad and the goods imported from other countries.

There are two key points a trader must understand:

The indicator is to be analyzed over time, that is, in comparison with the previous periods.

The greater the export of the country, the greater the need for its national currency is. Consequently, trade deficit can reduce the demand for the national currency, which will lead to the decline in the national currency value against foreign currencies.

I think I have given you my list of 10 most important macroeconomic indicators, which you will often see in the newsfeed. Of course, there are many other indicators but after you are through with this lesson, you need to draw the following conclusions:

Conclusion #1

The indicators have different degrees of reliability. The results of the surveys are less reliable than the mathematically calculated indicators.

Conclusion #2

The same indicator may have the varying degree of importance in different countries. You should carefully make an analysis of the importance of a sectoral indicator before building a trade forecast on its basis.

Conclusion #3

The news affects the price in different ways. Some of them just pass unnoticed while others start a tremendous volatility in the market. If you want to have true and fair view, you need to analyze the quotation changes occurred at the time of the different news releases.

Expert Reports and Researches

The MetaTrader 4 platform will intermittently provide you with notifications on the published researches in addition to the macroeconomic statistics. A title may look like this:

Report by the German Research Institute;

OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries);

International Energy Agency Monthly Oil Market Report.

Each of these reports contains a large amount of information, which is mostly interesting for the analysts working in specific fields. I have never seen the trader who were interested in studying detailed reports but you need to understand that any unpredictable data or unexpected statements can cause a great stir in the market.

The main conclusion you should make is that a trader should keep an economic calendar in plain view and take into consideration the time of the news release marked as important by the news agencies in his trade.

Speeches of the Officials

Speeches of the officials contain a lot of useful information that may come in handy for the analysts and investors. As you might have guessed, sometimes the statements of the officials may influence the market greatly by the rise of volatility. Let us have a look at the few examples from the economic calendar:

Speeches of the head of the Central Bank or the US Federal Reserve System;

speeches of the top public officials (e.g. Presidents, Prime-ministers, Chancellors, Kings, etc.); and

speeches of the parliament members and the members of various sectoral committees.

The substantive content of such speeches may consist of:

Report on the indicators over a certain period;

judgement and attitude to a problem;

answers to the questions of the journalists or professional associations;

personal assessment of the certain events; and

future plans and prospects.

As my practice shows, when the top public officials express their opinion about a certain problem or answers a question, you can see the strongest reaction of the market. At the moments of big pressure, they often betray themselves and as we know even an misinterpreted phrase can cause an explosion in the market volatility.

I recommend you to track the currency quotes during the press conference of the ECB or the FRS heads and make a conclusion about how the market reacts to the certain words.

Key Conclusions of the Lesson

I think we should now finish this lesson on fundamental analysis and go directly to the key conclusions.

Stability of the national currency directly depends on the state of the national economy.

The strongest impact on the market may be caused by:

Unexpected events such as catastrophes, terrorist attacks, bankruptcy filings, etc.;

macroeconomic data that appeared to be worse or better than the expected one; and

speeches by the top public officials of the country.

You can evaluate the real importance of the news only by putting together the time of the news release with the currency chart. Today, the release of data on any indicator can influence the market a lot while in a year it will not mean anything to the investors.

The volatility growth is the main thing you need to pay attention to when news is released. This results in the difficulties that the traders may encounter while opening or closing positions and widening of spreads. Besides, the market becomes less predictable when news is released.

Adherents of technical analysis may not track the news content, but they have to take into account the time of their release for the further trade planning.

Macroeconomics is a global environment and nobody can fully understand all its aspects. Usually an analyst would pick a specific specialisation and become an expert in one or several trading instruments such as oil, gold, bitcoin or the U.S. industrial stocks. When one decides to become a trader, they usually learn the ropes and then develop main patterns of how the currency pairs’ quotes react in one case or another.

Home assignment

I do not think I can force you to make the home assignment but I do advise you to spend 10 minutes to consolidate the lesson. The home assignment on fundamental analysis will be like this:

Recall a natural catastrophe (a hurricane, tsunami, earthquake, etc.), find out the exact date and find it on the chart . See how it affected the currency pairs’ quotes.

Make an analysis of how the U.S. unemployment statistics release (published on the first Friday of each month) affected the the EUR/USD currency pair quotations over six months.

Look at the economic calendar over the next week (you can find it on a broker’s website from my list) and make a schedule when the most important news will be released.

#forex fundamental #fundamental analysis

0 notes

nookishposts · 6 years

Text

Contentedly Cooing

30-40 hrs a week, my sweet and savory life is carefully measured in grams. It’s a bit of an art really, the delicate balance of flavor and consistency, the trial-and-error distillation of generational recipes handed-down from the days when things were measured by a handful, a pinch, or just enough, to the finely-tuned specialties that make the eating of aforesaid sweets and savories accessible to folks previously denied the pleasure. Gluten, for some, is a bitch...and refining one’s diet to reduce or remove it is not a bandwagon fad as has been suggested by certain headline physicians.Many people with food sensitivities/allergies or inflammatory diseases have been stunned at the difference taking gluten from their diet can make. The two gentlemen who opened Turtledoves Bakery 8 years ago, did so in large part because of frustratingly real health and digestive issues of their own. They understand all too well the literal pains of gut inflammation and the turbulence of navigating a dietary maelstrom just in order to eat, let alone heal. For many, Turtledoves has become a beacon of hope and relief.

I met Peter and Doug through local community interests in about 1997, when I was managing a local bookstore. They are both wise and lovely guys who understand high value and quality of products and service. We have crossed paths many times in 20 years. About 3 weeks ago, they took me on as an employee, and I am having a blast as a baker-in-training. I am learning how to graft new skills onto the stems of old ones.My apron is testament to how much I throw myself into my work, a kind of Jackson Pollock of pastry. (We are working on curbing my enthusiasm for self-decoration. But boobs and bellies provide an involuntary canvas, whether zesting lemons or stirring strawberry rhubarb pie filling.) The place always smells divine. The people who work there believe 100% in the value of what they do, and they do it extremely well. I get to regularly sample the results. I won’t even pretend the guise of quality control, the stuff is just plain yummy ( and not painful!) in the tummy.

Standards at Turtledoves are exceptionally high and never to be messed with. Doug will show you how something works and Peter will tell you exactly why. I have come to think of their patient instruction as “Doug’s Details and Peter’s Particulars”. They take teasing very well, but it all translates into success based on freshly-made product from fresh ingredients, hard work and careful customer consideration. Each daily bake starts as early as 6am, ensuring lots of variety and freshness by the time doors open to the public. The environment itself is also fresh; spotless and colorful and caring.Staff are encouraged to try everything, discover their strengths, and allowed shine in their own way. I have learned that I cannot pipe baguettes to save my life; they come out looking like staccato-pinched ghost turds. Peter, who pipes the loaves with both flair and perfection, has agreed that I’d best stay with muffins, fillings and pie pastry, though lately I am expanding into cookies. (Hell, given where I’m working, its safe to say I am expanding in all directions.) One day I may graduate to squares, but lets not get too far ahead of ourselves. The experts aren’t ready for me.

The secret is really in the grams; the guys’ Grandmothers from who many recipes have originally sprung, down to the careful accurate-to-the-gram measures of critical ingredients. One day recently, I hand-squeezed 100 key limes for their juice, because real key lime pie wouldn’t be the same without it. I have discovered it takes approximately 22 lemons to get 40 grams of zest for blueberry lemon muffins. 1350 grams of combined grated zucchini and carrot goes into each chock full batch of carrot/raisin/zucchini muffins. The food processor and I have stopped swearing at one another and learned to play nicely. Eggs come in crates full of 48-count trays, and I get laughs when I am caught fetching up a dozen in the gathered pouch of my apron...as much for the Granny Clampett nuances as the fact that I need to make several trips. Carrying out a tray at a time is much easier, but I seem to learn the hard way.

Assembling recipes can run the gamut from aromatic to eye-watering. Jalapeno chopping is not for the faint of heart. Dicing onions is best approached with a scuba mask. (Matching fins are optional.) There are several work stations busy at all times and we dance a polite dough-see-dough around one another, carrying hot pans, large bins of sorghum or featherlight , trays of squares and breads, fillings and frostings. Oven Door Limbo is a quickly acquired skill, as is Pin The Oven Mitt in the find-em spot.You can learn a lot about a person when you are making sausage rolls or Jamaican patties together. Doug the one is most likely to catch me doing something dopey, like losing control of the power sprayer at the sink and soaking myself in a quick blast. That thing could strip paint! There is laughter, every day. It is encouraged. Who knew how many ribald one-liners could emerge from pounding, plopping, poking and pinching? So much mouth-watering comedy is possible on a 750 square foot stage.

For me, the opportunity to learn is always a welcome thing. I worked at many a coffee shop, cafeteria, or pizza place getting through school. I love a well-run kitchen. Who doesn’t like to bake? There will always be satisfaction in starting from scratch, fully-focused attention to every detail, the smell of fresh butter and cinnamon, the beauty of a delicately-browned crust and an end result as nourishing to the eye, the nose, and the soul as to the belly. But when a harried parent is able to get their severely-allergic child a luscious birthday cake made without all the stuff that hurts them, everybody wins. When the Winona Peach Festival orders a couple of thousand pie shells for their annual event, you know you are doing something right.When Lakeside ala Carte at Spencer Smith Park on August 12, where the wineries and breweries that strut their stuff promise your pizzas as a go-with, you’re on fire. When local restaurants wish to offer their customers choices, and your flatbreads are so popular you can’t keep up with the demand....or your Nanaimo bars/butter tart/lemon/raspberry/ chocolate cheesecake squares get scooped up by the tray rather than individually...you know your audience is fully on board. Wedding cakes are stunning works of art. (I am not allowed near those and with good reasons). Recently, someone came in to get gluten-free bread for a event they were hosting; for a guest with food sensitivities. “I’ve got lots of REAL bread for the others.” they said. And was gently corrected: “This is real bread. We just make it without gluten.” And it tastes so good, you’d never know.

Shameless plug:

Turtledoves Bakery 175 Plains Rd East, Unit 5. Burlington ON

http://www.turtledovesbakery.ca/

0 notes

ivehungtheskywithstars · 7 years

Link

To the men reading: You may already do some of these things, and others you may not be in the position to do. But a good place to start is by, at the very least, reading the list through—in its entirety. And remember: These apply all year, not just during the annual 24 hours dedicated to half of the planet’s population. 1. Before explaining something to a woman, ask yourself if she might already understand. She may know more about it than you do. 2. Related: Never, ever try to explain feminism to a woman. 3. Trans women are women. Repeat that until you perish. 4. RESPECT PEOPLE’S PRONOUNS. It’s not hard. 5. Remember that fat women exist and aren’t all trying to get thin. Treat them with respect. 6. In fact, just never comment on a woman's body. 7. Be kind to women in customer service positions. Tip them extra. (But not in a creepy way.) 8. Trust women. When they teach you something, don't feel the need to go and check for yourself. And especially do not Google it in front of them. 9. Don’t maintain a double standard for… anything, ever. 10. CLOSE YOUR LEGS ON PUBLIC TRANSIT, OH MY GOD. 11. Trying to describe a woman positively? Say she's “talented,” “clever,” or “funny.” Not “gorgeous,” “sweet,” or “cute.” 12. Examine your language when talking about women. Get rid of “irrational,” “dramatic,” “bossy,” and “badgering” immediately. 13. Don't think to yourself, I describe men like that too. A) You probably don't. B) If you do, it's to criticize them for acting like a woman. 14. Do you love “fiery” Latina women? “Strong” Black women? “Mysterious” Asian women? Stop. Pick up a book on decolonial feminism. Read. 15. Stop calling women “feisty.” We don't need a special lady word for “has an opinion." 16. Recognize women's credibility when you introduce them. “Donna is lovely” is much less useful than “Donna knows shitloads about architecture.” 17. Think about how you describe the young women in your family. Celebrate them for being funny and smart, not for being pretty and compliant. 18. Examine the way you talk about women you’re attracted to. Fat women, old women, queer, trans, and powerful women are not your “guilty crush.” 19. Learn to praise a woman without demonizing other women. “You're not like other girls” is not a compliment. I want to be like other girls. Other girls are awesome. 20. Share writing by women. Don't paraphrase their work in your own Facebook post to show us all how smart or woke you are. I guarantee the woman said it better in the first place. 21. Buy sanitary pads and tampons and donate them to a homeless shelter. Just do it. 22. How much of what you are watching/reading/listening to was made by women? Gender balance your bookcase. 23. Feeling proud of your balanced bookcase? Are there women of color there? Trans, queer, and disabled women? Poor women? Always make sure you’re being intersectional. 24. Don't buy media that demeans women’s experiences, valorizes violence against women, or excludes them entirely from a cast. It's not enough to oppose those things. You have to actively make them unmarketable. 25. Pay attention to stories with nuanced female characters. It will be interesting, I promise. 26. If you read stories to a child, swap the genders. 27. Watch women's sport. And just call it “sports.” 28. Withdraw your support from sports clubs, institutions, and companies that protect and employ rapists and abusers. 29. Stop raving about Woody Allen. I don't care if he shits gold. Find a non-accused-abuser to fanboy over. 30. It's General Leia, not princess. The Doctor has a companion, not an assistant. It's Doctor Bartlett, not Mrs Madame First Lady. 31. Cast women in parts written for men. We know how to rule kingdoms, go to war, be, not be, and wait for Godot. 32. Pay for porn. 33. Recognize that sex work is work. Be an advocate for and ally to sex workers without speaking for them. 34. Share political hot takes from women as well as men. They might not be as widely accessible, so look for them. 35. Understand that it was never “about ethics in journalism.” 36. Speak less in meetings today to make space for your women colleagues to share their thoughts. If you're leading the meeting, make sure women are being heard as much as men. 37. If a woman makes a good point, say, “That was a good point.” Don't repeat her point and take credit for it. 38. Promote women. Their leadership styles may be different than yours. That's probably a good thing. 39. Recruit women on the same salary as men. Even if they don't ask for it. 40. Open doors for women with caring responsibilities by offering flexible employment contracts. 41. If you meet a man and a woman at work, do not assume the man is the superior for literally no reason. 42. If you're wrongly assumed to be more experienced than a woman colleague, correct that person and pass the platform to the woman who knows more. 43. Make a round of tea for the office. 44. Wash it up. 45. If you find you're only interviewing men for a role, rewrite the job listing so that it’s more welcoming to women. 46. Make sure you have women on your interview panel. 47. Tell female colleagues what your salary is. 48. Make sure there's childcare at your events. 49. Don't schedule breakfast meetings during the school run. 50. If you manage a team, make sure that your employees know that you recognize period pain and cystitis as legitimate reasons for a sick day. 51. If you have a strict boss (or mom or teacher) who is a woman, she is not a “bitch.” Grow up. 52. Expect a woman to do the stuff that's in her job description. Not the other miscellaneous shit you don't know how to do yourself. 53. Refuse to speak on an all-male panel. 54. In a Q&A session, only put your hand up if you have A QUESTION. Others didn’t attend to listen to you. 55. If you have friends or family members who use slurs or discriminate against trans or non-binary people, sit them down and explain why they must stop. (This goes for cis women, too.) 56. If you have friends or family members who use slurs or discriminate against women of other races, sit them down and explain why they must stop. (This goes for white women, too.) 57. If you see women with their hands up, put yours down. This can be taken as a metaphor for a lot of things. Think about it. 58. Raising a feminist daughter means she's going to disagree with you. And probably be right. Feel proud, not threatened. 59. Teach your sons to listen to girls, give them space, believe them, and elevate them. 60. Dads, buy your daughter tampons, make her hot water bottles, wash her bras. Show her that her body isn't something to be ashamed of. 61. But dads, do not try to iron her bras. This is a mistake you will only make once. 62. Examine how domestic labor is divided in your home. Who does the cleaning, the childcare, the organizing, the meal budgeting? Sons, this goes for you, too. 63. Learn how to do domestic tasks to a high standard. “I'd only do it wrong” is a bullshit excuse. 64. Never again comment on how long it takes a woman to get ready. WE ARE TRYING TO MEET THE RIDICULOUS STANDARDS OF A SYSTEM YOU BENEFIT FROM. 65. Challenge the patriarchs in your religious group when they enable the oppression of women. 66. Challenge the patriarchs in your secular movement when they enable the oppression of women. 67. Trust women's religious choices. Don't pretend to liberate them just so you can criticise their beliefs. 68. Examine who books your trips, arranges outings, organizes Christmas, buys birthday cards. Is it a woman? IS IT? 69. And if it is actually you, a man, don't even dare get in touch with me looking for your medal. 70. Take stock of the emotional labor you expect from women. Do you turn to the women around you for emotional support and give nothing in return? 71. Remember that loving your mom/sister/girlfriend is not the same as giving up your own privilege to progress equality for women. And that gender inequality extends beyond the women in your direct social group. 72. Don’t assume that all women are attracted to men. 73. Don’t assume that a woman in public wants to talk to you just because she’s in public. 74. If a woman tells you she was raped, assaulted, or abused, don't ask her for proof. Ask how you can support her. 75. If you see a friend or colleague being inappropriate to a woman, call him out. You will survive the awkwardness, I promise. 76. Repeat after me: Always. Hold. Men. Accountable. For. Their. Actions. 77. Do not walk too close to a woman late at night. That shit can be scary. 78. If you see a woman being followed or otherwise bothered by a stranger, stick around to make sure she’s safe. 79. This should go without saying: Do not yell unsolicited “compliments” at women on the street. Or anywhere. 80. If you are a queer man, recognize that your sexuality doesn’t exclude you from potential misogyny. 81. If you are a queer man, recognize that your queer women or non-binary friends may not feel comfortable in a male-dominated space, even if it’s dominated by queer men. 82. Be happy to have women friends without needing them to want to sleep with you. The “friend zone” is not a thing. We do not owe you sex. 83. Remember that you can lack consent in situations not involving sex—such as when pursuing uninterested women or forcing a hug on a colleague. 84. Champion sex positive women but don't expect them to have sex with you. 85. Trust a woman to know her own body. If she says she won't enjoy part of your sexual repertoire, do not try to convince her otherwise. 86. Be sensitive to nonverbal cues from women, especially around sex. We’re not just being awkward for no reason. (You read “Cat Person,” didn’t you?) 87. It is not cute to try to persuade a woman to have sex with you. EVER. AT ALL. Go home. 88. Same goes for pressuring women to have sex without a condom. Go. Home. And masturbate. 89. Accidentally impregnated a women who doesn't want a kid? Abortions cost money. Pay for half of it. 90. Accidentally came inside a woman without protection? Plan B is expensive. Pay for all of it. 91. Get STD tested. Regularly. Without having to be asked. 92. Examine your opinion on abortion. Then put it in a box. Because, honestly, it's completely irrelevant. 93. Understand that disabled women are whole, sexual human beings. Listen to and respect them. 94. Understand that not all women have periods or vaginas. 95. Believe women's pain. Periods hurt. Endometriosis is real. Polycystic ovaries, vaginal pain, cystitis. These things are real. Hysteria isn’t. 96. If a woman accidentally bleeds on you, try your absolute best to just keep your shit together. 97. Lobby your elected officials to implement high quality sex education in schools. 98. Uplift young Black and Indigenous girls at every possible opportunity. No excuses. 99. Do not ever assume you know what it’s like. 100. Mainly, just listen to women. Listen to us and believe us. It’s the only place to start if you actually want all women to have a “Happy International Women’s Day.”

0 notes

nancyedimick · 7 years

Text

What did the ‘Crown prosecutor’ know, and when did he know it?

The now justly-famous “Russia — Clinton — private and confidential” email thread began on June 3, 2016, with Rob Goldstone writing to Donald Trump Jr. that

“the Crown prosecutor of Russia … offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father. This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump…”

Trump Jr., as everyone knows, responded a mere 17 minutes later:

“if it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer. Could we do a call first thing next week when I am back?”

So who’s this “Crown prosecutor,” who’s offering up the information, anyway? As it happens, Russia doesn’t have a “Crown prosecutor,” because it is no longer a monarchy. Presumably, Goldstone — who is British — was using a somewhat imprecise Anglicism, based on usage in Britain (where all prosecutors working for national government are known as “Crown prosecutors,” the basic equivalent of our “federal prosecutor”).

Most analysts seem to think Goldstone was referring to Yuri Chaika, who holds the title of “Prosecutor-General of the Russian Federation” — Russia’s chief prosecutor, akin to our attorney general — though it’s hard to be sure. It could just mean “some Russian prosecutor,” I suppose, though the use of the definite article — “the Crown prosecutor” — certainly suggests he’s referring to the top guy. Chaika is known to have close contact with both the Agalarovs (to whom, according to Goldstone, the Crown prosecutor made the offer) and Vladimir Putin. (And if you want to know what kind of a guy Chaika is and the sort of politics he likes to engage in, Julia Ioffe’s piece in the Atlantic is a good place to begin; he is, let’s just say, not the kind of guy you want to fool around with).

It is not, by any stretch of the imagination, the most interesting or important question that arises from the Goldstone email and all of the subsequent events — although it would, of course, be nice to know for certain to whom Goldstone was referring, and I’m sure he’ll be asked that question, under oath, in due course.

More interesting, to me, than the question “to whom was Goldstone actually referring?” is the question “Why didn’t Trump Jr. even ask him to whom he was referring?”

“Rob: I love it. But one question: who is this guy – the ‘Crown prosecutor’ – you say has all this great stuff for us?”

It’s odd — don’t you think? Wouldn’t that have been the natural thing to do? Precisely because “the Crown prosecutor” doesn’t have any ordinary accepted meaning in connection with the Russian legal system, you’d think Trump would want to know — no? If you got an email from an associate with whom you had some contact in the past, and it said something like “The Philadelphia district prosecutor has some information for you that could be really important” in connection with some matter in which you’re engaged, wouldn’t you ask “Who? Do you mean the Philly DA? The federal prosecutor in Philly? The attorney general?”

It just seems a little odd that Trump Jr. didn’t ask. It couldn’t be — could it? — that Trump Jr. and Goldstone had communicated prior to this email about “the Crown prosecutor” and that therefore no explanation was necessary?

And while we’re on the subject of questions Trump Jr. didn’t ask, there’s also this one: “Russian government support for my father? The Russian government supports my father? What’s up with that?”

I guess it was just political inexperience, or naivete, not to show the slightest surprise upon hearing that a foreign government — and a foreign government with which our own government has a very complex, and often very hostile, relationship, to put it mildly — was “supporting” one candidate over another in our presidential election.

And surely it was just a coincidence that on the evening of June 3 — a few hours after Trump Jr. and Goldstone have their initial exchange — Trump Sr. publicly announced [transcript here] that he would be delivering “a major speech on probably Monday of next week” on how “Hillary Clinton turned the State Department into her private hedge fund — the Russians, the Saudis, the Chinese — all gave money to Bill and Hillary and got favorable treatment in return.” It can’t possibly be that Trump Jr. had mentioned something to him about “the Crown prosecutor” and the information he was trading?

I understand that this is all rather idle speculation at this point. I happen to believe that (a) this meeting was not the only contact that Jared Kushner et al. had with Russian government operatives, that (b) there was some degree of cooperation between them established at those meetings, and © Trump Sr. knew (a) and (b). But I certainly can understand readers who don’t believe any of that; I don’t regard any of it as proven as of now by the facts that have been made public. Only that it is plausible, in the sense that it is consistent with known facts, and that for any number of reasons I happen to believe it is, factually, true.

The good news is that we’ll find out. Lying on television is easy; lying to an experienced and talented federal prosecutor when you’re under oath is not so easy. From what I understand, Robert S. Mueller III is himself, and has surrounded himself with, very experienced and talented prosecutors. I’ve seen enough really good prosecutors in action to know that they can be a very effective way — often, the most effective way, by far — to get at underlying facts and to uncover what did and did not happen, and it doesn’t much matter whether those of us looking in from the outside think this is a “nothing burger” or evidence of some deeper criminal conspiracy. I reserve the right to say “I told you so” if [when] the facts swing my way, and you are certainly free to chastise me if they don’t.

Trump Sr.’s June 3 comments came on the night that he won the final round of Republican primaries. His speech makes for depressing reading. “The Clintons have turned the politics of personal enrichment into an art form for themselves. They’ve made hundreds of millions of dollars selling access, selling favors, selling government contracts, and I mean hundreds of millions of dollars.” In light of the manner in which Trump and his family have behaved in connection with their own financial interests, this borders on self-parody.

One of the many things I may never understand about our current political climate is this: On the one hand, I do understand (and to a large extent share) the outrage that many people felt about the Clintons’ exercise of the “politics of personal enrichment.” (Although, to be fair, Trump’s ridiculous claim that the Clintons made “hundreds of millions of dollars” selling access and favors is just that, a ridiculous (and completely unsubstantiated) claim; we have their tax returns, remember?) I get the outrage, though, about the obscene speaking fees, and the foundation “contributions,” and the rest. But what I cannot understand is how many of the people who were the most outraged by the Clintons’ financial shenanigans just shrug off Trump’s far more blatant efforts to use the presidency to promote his personal brand and enrich himself and his family. “We voted for him because he’s a successful businessman — and you can’t expect him to drop all his business activities just because he’s the president” doesn’t quite work, to my mind. It smacks too much of a double standard — it’s okay for the millionaires to keep doing the things they did to become millionaires when they’re in public office, but not okay for those who want to become millionaires to do those things?

Originally Found On: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2017/07/18/what-did-the-crown-prosecutor-know-and-when-did-he-know-it/

0 notes

wolfandpravato · 7 years

Text

What did the ‘Crown prosecutor’ know, and when did he know it?

The now justly-famous “Russia — Clinton — private and confidential” email thread began on June 3, 2016, with Rob Goldstone writing to Donald Trump Jr. that

Trump Jr., as everyone knows, responded a mere 17 minutes later:

“if it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer. Could we do a call first thing next week when I am back?”

More interesting, to me, than the question “to whom was Goldstone actually referring?” is the question “Why didn’t Trump Jr. even ask him to whom he was referring?”

“Rob: I love it. But one question: who is this guy – the ‘Crown prosecutor’ – you say has all this great stuff for us?”

I understand that this is all rather idle speculation at this point. I happen to believe that (a) this meeting was not the only contact that Jared Kushner et al. had with Russian government operatives, that (b) there was some degree of cooperation between them established at those meetings, and (c) Trump Sr. knew (a) and (b). But I certainly can understand readers who don’t believe any of that; I don’t regard any of it as proven as of now by the facts that have been made public. Only that it is plausible, in the sense that it is consistent with known facts, and that for any number of reasons I happen to believe it is, factually, true.

Originally Found On: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2017/07/18/what-did-the-crown-prosecutor-know-and-when-did-he-know-it/

#Law #Lawyer

0 notes

sheminecrafts · 4 years

Text

Triller aims for TikTok with additions of influencers like Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae

Lu also noted another top TikToker, Addison Rae, will make her way to Triller this week, as well.

And just this week, Triller snagged TikTok’s queen herself, Charli D’Amelio, whose current TikTok account has 87 million followers.

Deal terms were not disclosed but Lu said that, “up until a month ago, we had never paid anyone to make a video.”

follow my triller teehee

— charli d’amelio (@charlidamelio) September 15, 2020

TikTok stars aren’t the only notable new additions. Last month, Donald Trump launched his own official Triller account, as well, to promote his political campaign.

Lu said he welcomes all the new users, including Trump.

Triller’s identity, Lu added, “has always been around music, around content, and around creative discovery.”

Lu claimed Triller also benefitted from older social networks’ attempt to enter the short-form video space.

When Instagram launched its TikTok competitor, Reels, Triller saw a 20% spike in usage, Lu said.

“We realized that a lot of users who were waiting for Reels…they saw what it was. And they decided they’re sticking to Triller,” he said.

Not surprisingly, given Triller’s potential growth in the midst of TikTok concerns, Lu also supported the idea that TikTok could be a security threat to U.S. users.

from iraidajzsmmwtv https://ift.tt/35DZ2CZ via IFTTT

#IFTTT #iraidajzsmmwtv

0 notes