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phynali · 3 years

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so not to ruminate on things that vex me, but the past 2 or so months have been kinda shit, and i’m trucking along and there absolutely are high points and good things and joys that balance some of this out, but i need to vent out some of the negative emotions somewhere to get ‘em out. so i guess i’m doing that here because -

we’re in lockdown#6 where i live (state of victoria) and it’s hard, this yo-yo of restrictions and swinging in and out of one lockdown after another.

for those who understandably won’t know, what we call lockdown here means not just restaurant and commercial closures and mandatory working from home unless you’re in an industry where that’s impossible -- it also means no guests (0) inside you’re home unless you’re both living alone and single or else romantic partners, it means not leaving your home at all except for one of 4-5 necessary reasons, not being outside for more than 2hrs per day even to exercise, and not going more than 5km from your home unless required for work/medical/etc required reasons.

it’s intense. we spent (i think) 128 days in this degree of lockdown in 2020, never mind how many we spent in other forms of restrictions and working from home. and we’ve been back in it four (4) times in 2021 already. in-out-in-out-in-out -

it’s taking a toll on the mental health of every person i know. we get weekly emails with wellbeing and resilience tips from my job -- not just “be productive or else” capitalism but heartfelt ones from wellbeing officers with copies of articles like this one on languishing from the NYT, acknowledging we’re all struggling and directing us to the plethora of wellbeing resources our workplace is trying to provide, not only to us but reminding us they offer it to our families too.

i’m one of the lucky ones. i’m really not trying to wallow here or to pretend otherwise. i appreciate that i can work from home, even though i can’t focus when i do and it this interacts with my adhd to fuck my productivity. even if i’m so behind and delayed it feels like i’ve lost 12-18 months worth of work and it will have long-term ramifications on my career -- even so, i still i have a job. i still get paid. and i even kept my job, a bit by the skin of my teeth but i did, when my sector downsized last year. yes, the way my employer went about lay offs left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth (my own included), but i made it through.

and my sector, while affected, is by no means the worst of the collateral damage.

the yo-yo of lockdowns is taking a very very real toll on industries like hospitality, tourism, commerce. and the economy does have indirect effects on health and mental health as well. my friend, a waitress, was on her way to work the evening shift at a restaurant when she got the call about the latest lockdown. she had to turn around and go home because the announcement came just hours before the lockdown was imposed, and every place suddenly had to close by 8pm. bye bye evening shift. so much of the government support for these industries has dried up, has been inadequate.

lockdowns save lives. i don’t begrudge my state for imposing one except that yes -- i’m resentful we’re here again with only six cases. i can be both accepting and grateful and also pissed and tired and more all at once.

even more than the latest lockdown, i’m pissed about the yo-yo. that we went into lockdown in june, came out in july, went back in in july, came back out in july, are going back in now, in the first week of august. three lockdown/re-openings in 10 weeks, as if this rollercoaster doesn’t completely incapacitate our ability to plan or prepare for anything more than a week out, more than a day out -- in this case, more than a few hours out. 4pm the lockdown was announced, with an 8pm start time. as if that doesn’t have more insidious consequences on individuals and industries than a more clearly articulated and consistent approach. as if all the restaurants that got to open up this week didn’t purchase large food orders for this weekend that will spoil because they were given 4 hours notice to close their doors.

that’s the part i hate, right now more than the lockdowns themselves. consumer sentiment was at a high in april, optimism was everywhere. people felt good, and like we had a plan forward. now -- well, now my job is sending me emails about how normal and okay it is that i might be ‘languishing’ because aren’t we all?

and i absolutely do begrudge my federal government, and i’m angry with them, and this is part of why:

youtube

but i also accept, to some extent, that these decisions have all been made in difficult circumstances, and i’m not really about to pretend i could do any better.

at the same time, australia’s vaccine rollout is among the slowest and lowest at least within OECD countries. i know that’s partly because we’ve managed the keep cases low and therefore we are prioritized less when it comes to who needs the vaccines most (and thus who is earlier in line to be able to purchase) among other geo-political reasons i won’t get into, but it still very much sucks. our timeline and ability to move forward and ability to stop having lockdowns requires a mostly-vaccinated population, and that’s not something we’ll have anytime soon.

and i am a visa-holder here and my family is back in canada and with our current border restrictions leaving to visit is honestly is not an option because i wouldn’t be able to return, to work. i’m managing that distance okay most of the time despite my homesickness and frustration but my partner’s parents are older and his mother’s health just isn’t amazing and it’s weighing on him a lot.

a phd student i work with just had a parent die in another country while stuck here, had to drop everything to return, is devastated by not being by their parent’s side when it happened because it came on sudden, and now won’t be able to come back into australia after, will have to finish their thesis remotely from abroad. stories like that are becoming commonplace in certain circles, here. this student is not the first or only person i know who has been in that exact situation in the past year.

it’s enraging, and upsetting, and instills a sense of helplessness because -- there’s nothing that can really be done about it. there’s no good answer, but it’s scary to think of what could happen. i know it scares my husband. if his mother’s health suddenly dips -- does he drop everything and leave? how can he not? would i go with him or hold the fort here? what ramifications does that have either way?

right now, we’re in the first stages of getting permanent residency, my job is putting in the nomination, and this is one of those awesome high-points i mentioned. it’s a very much needed sense of security in my career and my future in this country. but while a PR application is pending and under review, you can’t leave the country, even in pre-covid times. it takes months to get the application fully nominated, accepted, then submitted, and months on months to process.

in january 2020 we had agreed that for xmas 2020 we’d return home to canada. obviously the world changed and we quickly determined that wouldn’t be the case. we pushed that plan back to july-aug 2021, then to october 2021, xmas 2021. my partner’s sister asked him last week if we started making plans, booking things for xmas, was calling to check that we’d had our second jabs. he had to explain the situation to her, that we aren’t even eligible for our first vaccine yet, that we aren’t holding out any real hope of visiting, not this year, not until mid-next.

anyway - i’m just. languishing, i guess, if that’s the word for it after all. i know it’s not the same as depression -- i’ve had episodes of that, been treated for it in different ways. this is and feels different, even if there are obvious similarities. whatever to call it, it sucks, and i hate it. and i hate the other lows and anxieties and crap i’ve been dealing with in the past few months as well that didn’t make it into this post about covid. crap with work, with friends, with goddamn car rentals of all stupid things. crap that’s making me anxious and crap that just needs processing. crap that is, ultimately, massively exacerbated because lockdowns turn us into little rats gnawing on the bars of our cages.

and i guess i just needed to talk about it somewhere, to organize my thoughts and free up some headspace (emotion space?) currently being used to hold these thoughts and feelings in place. i kind of hate posting personal crap like this and always get the urge to delete but i also have a hard time organising my thoughts if i don’t write them out with this intent to post. sort of want to go outside and scream at god, sort of want to phone up a friend and yell at him for an hour for being an exhausting ass, sort of want to be alone for a day to curl up under a blanket with a movie that’ll make me cry because raging at the universe is always so much easier when i’m alone and unobserved. but i guess since those aren’t especially kind or feasible i’ll post this instead.

anyway - if you read to the end of this for any reason, i’m not trying to be maudlin, and there’s really no need to respond. it’s just a feelings dump, sucking some of the poison out, not really much different than journalling but i’ve always been better at that online than on paper.

#ugh #personal post #just organising thoughts and bitching about present circumstances #because i'm tired of 2021's bullshit and needed to vent a bit #gpoy

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itsdanystormborn · 6 years

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Sinbad no Bouken 182 [Final Chapter]

This is only a fan translation, don’t forget to support the official releases of Snb and the MangaOne app if you can, and

►[Please don’t repost without giving credits. If you use this translation, don’t forget to share the link to this post!]◄

Thanks to @soreita for the raw! ^^

The final night “ The adventures of Sinbad”

Night 182 “The adventures of Sinbad”

Page 1

Narration:

King Sinbad founded the new kingdom of Sindria.

He became known as “The high king of the seven seas”, and several years went by quickly…

The “Reim empire” on the west that still holds great influence.

And the “Kou empire” on the east that unified the three warn-torn countries.

The 2 major powers of east and west repeated aggressively invasive wars in order to expand their territory,

And their invasion deepened more and more…

Page 2

Narration: In response to that, a remote country that had a tribute relationship with the three countries before the unification of the Kou empire, declared their adherence to the “seven seas alliance”

TN: Takeru!! Haha

Narration: The far east island-country “The kingdom of Kina” allied themselves with another nation once again.

Page 3

…. Thus, the situation around the world was about to change little by little.

The former boy that headed towards the dream he had embraced….

The final night “The adventures of Sinbad”

TN: We see a ship on the seas…

Page 4

The king of Sindria. Sinbad.

Page 5

Ja’far: It’s unusual for you, Sin.

To take the trouble to be on the deck…. Is something up?

From the eight generals of the kingdom of Sindria. Ja’far.

Sinbad: … Well,

Somehow, I feel a little nostalgic.

Page 6

Sinbad: It’s been a long time since I’ve been on Balbadd, so…

I unconsciously started to remember the old days.

…

Ja’far: I see.

Sinbad: The way you were when I met you, well, you had a foul tongue and your attitude was awful too, huh.

Well… From that, you have come this far and grown up well.

(Little Ja’far’s manuscript: Shut up!! Idiot. / Sin’s manuscript: I seriously mean it.)

Ja’far: Wait…!! Please stop talking about old times!!

Ah, But what about you! Contrary to me, Who’s the one that has become careless since he became an adult?!

( Ja’far’s manuscript: mainly concerning the alcohol….)

Sinbad: drinking alcohol is adult’s behavior, Ja’far-kun.

Ja’far: I’m telling you to consider that there are limits!

Ja’far’s manuscript: It’s always that what gets you into trouble!

Sinbad: WAHAHAHAA

Sinbad: but, when I think about it, it has been quite long time since those days.

Page 7

Sinbad: I fought against you guys on Valefor’s “dungeon”, and then we became comrades and battled together….

And after that, we started trading in Reim and we launched our trading company…

We traveled across various countries, we met a lot of people and learned a great deal of things.

We were nothing but small merchants, and thus, now we are…

The king of the “Kingdom of Sindria” and its minister.

Page 8

Sinbad: A lot of things have happened to reach this point but,

All of that are irreplaceable experiences that made us become what we are today.

We’ve lost many things too, though…

Ja’far: ….

….

Ja’far: But even so,

You moved forward.

You held on to a “dream” that no one could have materialized…

And became “King”.

Page 9

Once, our country was destroyed, and when everyone was brokenhearted,

You guided everyone, and it’s undeniable that everything that we’ve been able to built up until this point, it’s thanks to you.

Ja’far: I know it.

I know how many hardships you have overcome, all the troubles, the pain,

All you have gone through to build up everything we have this very day….

Page 10

Ja’far: your “dream” is still on its way…

Let’s make it truth.

To make a “world” aiming towards true peace.

Page 11

Sinbad: That’s right.

Rather, our “dream” starts from here on.

Ja’far: Yes.

Anyhow, we are now heading towards Balbadd…

Since the demise of the previous king, there has been an internal disturbance,

And there are rumors that the citizens have been suffering due to the tyrannical rule of the current king.

In addition, strange situations have been happening.

we suddenly received an announcement of them discontinuing trade with our country the other day…

I can feel the hints of someone working from behind.

Sinbad: If this is something caused by that organization, we can’t overlook it…

Ja’far: …

Yeah.

If their plan is to raise up the abnormalities of the world, we must stop them without fail…

Page 12

Masrur: ….

Sin-san,

We’ll be arriving soon.

Sinbad: All right.

In order to make the world without conflict that we wish for…

Sinbad: Let’s go!

To Balbadd….!!

Page 13

Ja’far:

____ what?

Although You said those things just a while ago….

You’ve immediately gone to who knows where, haven’t you?

Sin!!

Hey! Come here now!!

Masrur: …

(Masrur’s memories: Masrur, I’m gonna go drink for a little bit, please don’t say anything!)

Page 14

People: Cheers!

Man: Well, Sir

You sure can drink, huh?

(Background Manuscript: service people: service, here’s your drink. People: Thank you.)

Sinbad: It’s been a long time since I’ve been in Balbadd. It’s become quite fun.

Page 15

Sinbad: Balbadd’s wine is certainly exceptional, huh.

Sir, can you give me once more cup? I came to this place because I wanted to drink a bit of this.

(Sin SFX: “smile, smile”)

Shopkeeper: I’m sorry… but that was the last cup .

Lately, customs have risen up, and our stock of good alcohol has decreased…

Not only in our establishment, but apparently in all of Balbadd.

As a consequence, lately customer visits have been decreasing too.

…

Sinbad: …. Sir. In that case, can you bring in your most expensive liquor?

For every person in this place.

Shopkeeper: What!!?

Sinbad: Something like not being able to drink delicious liquor…. There’s nothing as sad as that.

So, even if it’s just for this moment, I want you to enjoy it.

(Manuscript: specially now that economy is awful…)

Page 16

Sinbad: It’s my treat today. Please enjoy!

TN: Sinbad pays the shopkeeper, who apparently thinks so grateful for receiving so much money.

Page 17

TN: Later, Sin is out of the bar with a bit of liquor, he sits alone near the outskirts of Balbadd.

Page 18

Sinbad: ….

Master, it’s been a long time.

I’m finally back.

although I’ve come this far, it took me quite a while…

Ah, this is bringing back memories. This is the wine I used to drink so much back in the old days!

(Manuscript: I took the left-over with me)

Since I’m already here, I thought about having a drink with… with you master, though it seems like it’s the last one.

We used to drink like this in the old days.

Page 19

I’m truly grateful for everything you did for me master... (TN: I’m in great debt to you/I owe you so much)

We didn’t know anything about trading or anything else,

And you taught us how to stablish a company and the ways of trading.

That time in Parthevia and that time I rebuilt my country too, you’ve guided me all along,

Thank you… so much.

….

Balbadd,

Might be different from when you were here.

But still, I’ll help this country….

….

The country of the teacher that helped me so much….

……..

Without fail,

Page 20

One way or another, I will definitely do it.

…

TN: Cheers!

Sinbad: hmm, it’s really tasty!

Yay, I’ll drink it all!

TN: Later…

Sinbad:

Uh, hmmm

Page 21

David:

…..N

……. Bad

Sinbad

…….

Sinbad:

…..

Who’s there?

The voice that I can hear from time to time since that moment….

…..

Who are you?

….

David: I am you. Sinbad.

The only “Singularity” who can see the great flow of “destiny”

You and I are, so to speak, an identical existence that has been isolated from the world. My only supporter.

Page 22

You might not understand yet but, you’ll come to know that truth eventually.

And then, you and I will unite into one.

In the not far away future.... It will “certainly” happen!

Page 23

TN: Sun is up and so is Sin.

Sinbad: haa, haa, haa TN:*heavy breathing*

What was that? Just now, was it a dream?

What a strange dream…

Why am I dreaming this sort of stuff…?

That’s ridiculous. I am who I am, I’m not anyone else.

To have such dreams can only mean that I had quite a lot to drink yesterday, huh…

Huh?

TN: lol, nakey nakey

Page 24

TN: Where are my dragons Metal vessels !!? haha and then Sin spots the 3 brothers.

SNL Brothers:

1) Big bro! with this, we’ll be able to have lunch!

2) If we sell this out, we’ll be able to make a name for ourselves!

3) Let’s go, little brothers!

Sinbad: huh?

Wait… wait!!

Those are my….!!

Sinbad: I’ve been robbed….

Page 25

TN: Sinbad is looking for a leaf lol

Sinbad: huh…

It’s been a long time since I had to do this.

I’d rather if it were just the clothes, but when it comes to having my metal vessels stolen….

(In Sinbad’s imagination= Ja’far: what are you doing!!??)

……

He’ll absolutely shout at me, right?

Anyway, now I have to manage this situation somehow but …..

TN: Sinbad can hear noise.

Sinbad: people are coming!

I’m saved! If they can lend me some clothes, I’ll be lucky.

As one would expect from me. I got immediately lucky.

Reminds me of the good old days…

In those times I also came to face numerous dangers many times this way.

But, I’ll definitely overcome this new crisis, without fail.

Page 26 y 27

I, Sinbad, will do it…

Sinbad to Morgiana and Aladdin: Yo! You guys!

Nice weather today, huh?

If you don’t mind, can I join you?

Page 28

My name is Sin

I’m a merchant heading to Balbadd!

MAGI, SINBAD NO BOUKEN END.

And this is the end of the series!! As always, Thank you so much to for reading! and thank you so much for following these translations until now ^^ we still have the extra content of volume 18 and 19 to look forward! ;D

#Snb 182 #Magi #Sinbad no Bouken #Magi the Labyrinth of Magic #Snb Spoilers #Sinbad #David Jehoahaz Abraham #Rashid Saluja #Ja'far #Masrur #Morgiana #Aladdin Jehoahaz Abraham #My Magi Translation

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classyfoxdestiny · 3 years

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Europe recovers from double-dip recession but lags the United States.

Workers at a Volkswagen assembly line in Zwickau, Germany, last month.Credit…Matthias Rietschel/Reuters

Europe’s economy exited a painful double-dip recession in the second quarter, rebounding faster than expected from the ravages of the pandemic as consumers spent pent-up savings and restaurants, factories and other businesses sprang to life after pandemic control restrictions eased.

Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic output, grew 2 percent in the second quarter of the year in the eurozone, up nearly 14 percent from a year ago and reversing a 0.3 percent contraction in the first three months of the year, Eurostat, Europe’s statistics agency, reported on Friday.

But the eurozone’s recovery, while striking for its speed, is far from complete: It continues to lag the United States, which reported data Thursday showing it had returned to its prepandemic level of output in the second quarter. Europe is not expected to hit that marker before the end of the year.

The European Union recently increased its forecast for growth this year to 4.8 percent, but the United States economy is expected to grow by 6.9 percent in 2021, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Nonetheless, Europe’s recovery has gained speed as service and manufacturing sentiment and activity jumped among the 19 nations that share the euro currency, after governments worked to prevent new lockdowns in spring. Authorities also applied pressure on citizens to ramp up vaccinations that are seen as the key to sustaining a recovery — and winding down billions in pandemic support for workers and businesses.

The vaccination push has reaped benefits: This week the European Union pulled ahead of the United States in total vaccinations, adjusted for population, a turnaround from the spring.

Europe’s four biggest economies recorded expansions over the April-to-June quarter, with the most robust growth in southern Europe, in countries that suffered the brunt of Covid deaths last year.

Italy grew 2.7 percent and Spain grew 2.8 percent from the first quarter, while Portugal and Austria’s economies surged more than 4 percent, thanks to a rebound in tourism. But growth was weaker than expected in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, which grew 1.5 percent from the first quarter, perhaps reflecting supply chain problems as a shortage of electronic chips has slowed manufacturing in its massive auto industry.

The French economy, however, struggled to climb out of a recession, growing 0.9 percent from April to June following zero growth in the first three months. President Emmanuel Macron has been trying to coerce the French into getting vaccinated in a bid to cement a recovery.

Counting the 27 European Union countries, Eurostat said economic output rose 1.9 percent last quarter.

Europe’s revival has helped stoke a mild return of inflation, which rose to 2.2 percent in July following a 1.9 percent rate the previous month. The European Central Bank, which until recently sought to keep inflation below or close to 2 percent, has a new strategy that will tolerate inflation above its target if the price increases are considered transitory.

Keeping economies open is seen as crucial to sustaining Europe’s rebound. Since countries ended lockdowns earlier this year, order books for industrial goods have filled rapidly — so much that some European manufacturers have begun to express worry about keeping up with demand. And unemployment continued to fall, declining to 7.7 percent in euro area in July from 8 percent in June, Eurostat reported.

“Never before has sentiment been so positive among eurozone businesses and consumers,” Bert Colijn, senior eurozone economist at ING Bank, said in a note to clients. “This indicates that the economic rebound is in full swing.”

Since the pandemic arrived in early 2020, Europe’s economy has been rocked by two recessions — a double-dip recession. In the second quarter of 2020 alone, eurozone economic output shrank 12.1 percent.

But in a reflection of the return of economic fervor, many of Europe’s biggest companies reported bumper earnings this week, from a surge in aircraft delivery at Airbus, the world’s largest plane maker, to a consumer splurge in the purchases of expensive scarves and handbags at the luxury retailer Hermes. But the Delta variant, which has caused a jump in coronavirus infections across Europe, has recently caused consumer confidence to tick back down, increasing uncertainty among service sector businesses.

Vaccinations, though, are weakening the link between cases and hospitalizations, meaning the economic consequences of a new wave of coronavirus cases will be far milder than those of previous waves, Rory Fennessy, an economist at Oxford Economics, said in a note.

Nonetheless, depending on how the pandemic evolves, “the potential ramifications of the Delta variant are the main downside risk to the outlook,” he said.

Credit…Andrew Kelly/Reuters

In late 2018, Chelsey Glasson, a researcher at Google who had worked there for four years, moved to a new team. She was pregnant at the time and said she immediately felt she was being discriminated against. Her new boss suggested that her forthcoming maternity leave might “rock the boat,” and she was effectively stripped of her management responsibilities.

When she filed a complaint with human resources, she was offered 10 free sessions with a mental health counselor who was contracted by Google and available on campus.

At the time, she thought, “What a great resource, of course I’m going to take advantage of this.”

More than a year later, when Ms. Glasson filed a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit against Google, her counselor told Ms. Glasson that she was “really nervous and uncomfortable” seeing her after Google had asked for access to records of their sessions, Alisha Haridasani Gupta and Ruchika Tulshyan report for The New York Times. “She was concerned that affiliating with me would compromise her contract with Google,” Ms. Glasson said.

“That was an incredibly low, deflating moment in my experience,” she said. She added that Google had already been using those subpoenaed records to suggest that she was distressed for personal reasons, not because of a potentially toxic work environment or discrimination.

In interviews with The Times, six former and current Google employees recalled that when they spoke up against workplace misconduct, they, too, were offered free short-term counseling — called the Employee Assistance Program (E.A.P.) — or medical leave.

A Google executive, who asked not to be identified because he is not permitted to speak to reporters, said that when employees report difficulties at work with a colleague, Google’s human resources officers are instructed to remind those employees that the company offers up to 20 therapy sessions a year. (Google recently expanded the benefit to 25 sessions.)

Of course, offering counseling isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Nor is this kind of counseling unique to Google.

But counseling can become problematic when it’s used as a stopgap or a quick fix to resolve tense workplace situations that might not legally be considered harassment or bullying but that are nonetheless unacceptable, said Erica Scott, a human resources expert.

Tolerating bad managers while directing employees to a counseling program is a “shocking” way to “shield the employer from accountability,” she said. “These are employee matters that are the employer’s obligation to deal with, not a third party.”

A woman interviewing for a position at a job fair in St. Louis last month.Credit…Whitney Curtis for The New York Times

Economists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Chicago this week unveiled a vast discrimination audit of some of the largest U.S. companies. Starting in late 2019, they sent 83,000 fake job applications for entry-level positions at 108 companies — most of them in the top 100 of the Fortune 500 list, and some of their subsidiaries.

Their insights can provide valuable evidence about violations of Black workers’ civil rights, Eduardo Porter reports for The New York Times.

The researchers — Patrick Kline and Christopher Walters of Berkeley and Evan K. Rose of Chicago — are not ready to reveal the names of companies on their list. But they plan to, once they expose the data to more statistical tests.

In the study, applicants’ characteristics — like age, sexual orientation, or work and school experience — varied at random. Names, however, were chosen purposefully to ensure applications came in pairs: one with a more distinctive white name — Jake or Molly, say — and the other with a similar background but a more distinctive Black name, like DeShawn or Imani.

On average, applications from candidates with a “Black name” get fewer callbacks than similar applications bearing a “white name.”

This aligns with a paper published by two economists from the University of Chicago: Respondents to help-wanted ads in Boston and Chicago had much better luck if their name was Emily or Greg than if it was Lakisha or Jamal.

This experimental approach with paired applications, some economists argue, offers a closer representation of racial discrimination in the work force than studies that seek to relate employment and wage gaps to other characteristics — such as educational attainment and skill — and treat discrimination as a residual, or what’s left after other differences are accounted for.

The Berkeley and Chicago researchers found that discrimination isn’t uniform across the corporate landscape. Some companies discriminate little, responding similarly to applications by Molly and Latifa. Others show a measurable bias.

All told, for every 1,000 applications received, the researchers found, white candidates got about 250 responses, compared with about 230 for Black candidates. But among one-fifth of companies, the average gap grew to 50 callbacks. Even allowing that some patterns of discrimination could be random, rather than the result of racism, they concluded that 23 companies from their selection were “very likely to be engaged in systemic discrimination against Black applicants.”

Uber will only allow employees to come into its offices if they are vaccinated and wear masks, a spokesman said.Credit…John Muggenborg for The New York Times

Uber told employees on Thursday that it would require them to be vaccinated, and it postponed a mandate to return to the office, joining a group of tech companies that have delayed reopening and stepped up vaccine requirements in response to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

On Wednesday, Google postponed its return-to-office plans until October and said employees in its U.S. offices would be required to be vaccinated. Lyft, Uber’s largest U.S. competitor, said it would not require employees to return to the office until February. Twitter shut down its San Francisco and New York offices, and put an indefinite halt to its reopening plans. Last week, Apple postponed its reopening until October.

The changes come as coronavirus cases have surged in the United States. Cases in the country increased 146 percent in the past two weeks, according to a New York Times tally.

Uber will also require employees to be vaccinated in order to work from the office. The mandate will begin with employees in the United States, and the company will assess its requirements for employees in other countries based on vaccine availability, Uber’s chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, wrote Thursday in an email to staff seen by The New York Times. Unvaccinated employees will be required to work from home.

Uber had already opened some offices for employees who wanted to return voluntarily, and a spokesman said that employees could continue to come into Uber’s offices if they are vaccinated and wear masks. But the company said it would not require employees to return until Oct. 25, a delay from its initial September return date.

“It’s important to say that this date is a global target, and local circumstances will continue to dictate when it makes sense to bring employees back in a given city,” Mr. Khosrowshahi said. “Rising Covid cases in our communities are a real reminder that we still need to be cautious, look at the data, and listen to experts as we return to offices. Every day, teams across the company are closely monitoring the rapidly changing global situation.”

Uber’s return date could be pushed back further if cases continue to surge, Mr. Khosrowshahi wrote.

Uber has not said whether it will require its drivers or riders to be vaccinated. It does require them to wear masks.

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omfgtrump · 4 years

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The Tale of Two Viruses: Part 11

“Open Sesame” says the Very Stable Genie Genius Don. “Your wish is my command,” reply Republican governors, as they open their states for business, even though none of them have met the administration’s own guidelines for phase one opening up. ( A few Democratic states have opened as well.)

In a move so outrageous and unconscionable, he has not allowed a CDC report to be released that details specifically step by step actions to enable states to open up safely.

The Don believes his only chance for re-election is to return to the economic glory days of his administration (Read that as: the rich got richer ,and the rest…meh?). The problem is he is doing it the wrong way; his delusional nature, coupled with his inability to listen to the facts, will backfire on him. Anyone worth their two cents has made it clear that the only way to steadily and securely bring the economy back is to effectively deal with the health crisis first: more testing, tracking, isolating those exposed, and repeat!

Let’s face the facts, Don.

Businesses opening doesn’t mean customers will patronize them.

The most recent polls show 65% of the country against opening up too soon.

Customer 1: Mr. President, I think I’ll take a pass at getting that ice cream cone or new pair of Levis, as from where I sit it ain’t worth dying for.

As soon as someone goes into a business and there is a Covid infection reported, that business will become a pariah.

Customer 2: Hey, you can’t drag me out my own home and force me to go to the mall.

Customers 3-100: Oh shit, see that store over there, we are never going in that place again no matter how much they clean it.

For businesses to make money, people need money. 33 million people are now unemployed and that probably isn’t the true number because millions have not been able to file, not to mention the workers who have had their pay and hours reduced.

Customers 101-1000: I spent 3 hours in my car waiting for food from a food bank so I don’t think I’ll be buying new tires for my pick-up, Mr. President. And why won’t you increase food stamp allowance? Are you trying to starve us to death?

Fintan O’Toole from the Irish Times wrote: “The country Trump promised to make great again has never in its history seemed so pitiful. Will American prestige ever recover from this shameful incident?”,

Say what about America the Great? Who ya callin pitiful? I am going to makes some calls and round up my posse and we are going to show Ireland what pitiful is. Them is fightin words and America will kick your ass for even thinking that.

But sadly, O’Toole is hauntingly correct.

Fact: In early March South Korea and the U.S. both had the same small amount of cases. As of a few days ago, South Korea had 250 deaths and we have over 70,000. Even if you multiply South Korea’s population by 7 (which would equal the U.S’s population) the total number of deaths would come to about 2,000. How did South Korea achieve this: testing, tracking and isolation of those exposed and repeat! (By the end of April, new cases in South Korea were down to less than 10 a day. In the United States at that time, the pandemic raged at a daily rate of more than 25,000 newly sick.)

So yes, The Don’s response has been pitiful, dreadful and “deadful.”

When asked about the impact of opening up too soon, The Don said:

“Will some people be affected? Yes. Will some people be affected badly? Yes, “but we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon.

Wow, some will be affected badly. Is that bad like I got an F on a paper? Has it ever crossed your mind to equate bad and dead? Said like the true amoral creature (was going to use the word human) he is. It reminds me of the classic scene in Monty Python’s Holy Grail where the night is having his limbs dismembered one by one and nonchalantly saying: “It’s just a flesh wound”.

youtube

Mr. Bone spurs encouraged Americans to be “warriors.”

How about this Mr. Wartime President: I’ll go in to the mall if you go? I’ll go to work at the meat plants if you go. So? Don’t think so, you pathetic pusillanimous pea-head!

And Mr. President, you would have to wear a mask. “Not for me”, you say.

“I didn’t even wear a mask when I went to the mask factory in Arizona. That’s what a warrior I am.”

That’s true. The Don and his feckless musketeers toured the factory without masks despite signs saying:

Please wear your mask at all times.

However, he did wear goggles, as he thought they were kind of cool. Made him feel like an Olympic swimmer.

Rumor has it that he had this conversation with an aide.

“Have I ever told you about how great a swimmer I was?

“But Mr. President, these are construction site goggles.”

“Nah, I saw Michael Phelps wearing them in the Olympics. How many medals did he win? He’s lucky I became a real estate billionaire or else the record would have been mine.”

“I don’t doubt it Mr. President. You were an amazing athlete. If I recall, the best baseball player in New York during the time of Mickey Mantle.”

“Very impressed you remember that. Come see me later I have a cabinet post for you.”

“Anyway, this mask thing is so silly. Maybe I would consider a Batman mask. Maybe this factory should be making those kind of masks. Make people feel more like warriors when they get out there and restore the economy. Batman is a hero. Maybe I’ll bring that up with the head of the plant. What a genius idea, don’t you think?”

“Like you, he is a man who saves people’s lives. But a couple problems with that kind of mask, sir.”

“What’s that?

“Well, the virus is thought to have come from bats, so wearing a Batman mask might not be the best look.”

“Um, and what’s the second problem?”

“The Batman mask doesn’t cover your nose or mouth.”

“And that’s important?”

“Mr. President, let’s keep this genius idea between you and me for now, as they are waiting for you to continue the tour.”

And to think the tour of the mask factory was accompanied by Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die.” Honestly, you can’t make this shit up.

Reigning in the pandemic is so old news and boring for The Don that he decided to disband the Coronavirus Task Force. After all, we are focused on the economy now, so who needs a bunch of people wasting their time trying to manage a pandemic that is now predicted to take 130,000 lives? We are witnessing what I am calling a genocide of neglect. There is no outrage that more will die; there are no tears. Instead we have a malignant narcissist akin to Hitler himself who is annoyed that people don’t want to go shopping at malls and forcing people to go to work where there is a chance they could die. Hannah Arendt called this The Banality of Evil.

After pronouncing the end of the task, The Don received feedback from some of his people that it might be bad optics to shut it down. Some were saying that people might get the impression that he really didn’t care about people dying, that the virus was just a bug he could just ignore without a plan to get rid of it. So he changed his mind.

“I thought we could wind it down sooner,” Mr. Trump told reporters as he hosted nurses in the Oval Office to sign a proclamation honoring National Nurses Day. “But I had no idea how popular the task force is until actually yesterday. When I started talking about winding it down, I got calls from very respected people saying, ‘I think it would be better to keep it going.’”

Once again, The Don is all about ratings. Like a terrible TV show with a cult following the producers convinced the network to create more episodes. The new iteration may have new characters. Perhaps they will kill off some current cast members. You know, the ones who try to tell the truth. (Watch your back Fauci, there may be poison in your club soda!)

And in a cruel twist in “Survivor,” The Don will continue trying to toss out all of the Affordable Care Act, even as some in his administration, including Attorney General William “Lower the Barr” have privately argued parts of the law should be preserved amid a pandemic.

“We want to terminate health care under Obamacare,” said The Don. Rumor has it that he whispered to an aide : “I don’t care how many people have to die because they lose their healthcare as long as I kill everything that is connected to that black president.”

And on a positive note, Joe Biden is leading The Don by 10% points among older voters. At this point, Hillary was down by 5%. If this disparity continues The Don can’t possibly win his re-election.

The Don didn’t take this news well. He was perplexed that the most vulnerable population might be concerned about his handling of the pandemic. So The Don’s people came up with a strategy.

Standing in the ornate East Room at the White House earlier this month, for instance, Mr. Trump surrounded himself with health officials as he signed a proclamation declaring May to be “Older Americans Month.”

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maewestside · 7 years

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LIVE! SHOTS! FIRED! Or Each Day I Wake Up Drownin (Ten Ways to Combat the #Bot45 Blues)… by heidi siegmund cuda, aka @maewestside

I once asked a tv reporter in a local market how she handled the sturm und drang of the nightly gore. She said, “Beats being the guy with the machete in his head.”

Point. Well. Taken.

Bleading meant leading, til that one fateful day, the sales guys who’d taken over the front office determined vapidity sold better in the 18 to 49 demo$ than even the quadruple axe murder bits, and by then, new$ had already lost its way. Truth wasn’t factored into the rating$.

LIVE. SHOTS. FIRED.

A famed erstwhile entertainment reporter said she knew there was trouble afoot when each night, she had the lead story in a local hourlong newscast. During sweeps.

As live shots at death scenes and backlots became normcore, and the procession of vapidity, with occasional interludes of gore, is what passed for news, brains suffer dry rot.

So here we are.

MEAN STREETS

While admiring the dewy mug of a very young Harvey Keitel in “Mean Streets,” his enlightened thuggy character Charlie utters these words: “You don’t f**k around with the infinite.”

Do you hear that Scamalot? That’s the thunderous gallop of karma approaching, catching up to each and every player that figgered he could game the system with impunity, while the Great Unwashed was none the wiser. Chaaa.

With the outing of each pervy anchorhack, a Very Vichy MSM, and digital CEO$ who bent over to the pick up the rubles from enemie$ both foreign and domestic while profiting off the mining of our data, things are looking clearer.

Not.

Time keeps on slipping… slipping… slipping… Kochdrip… drip… drip… drip. The Un-Mercer-ful bot and weaponized our data… Churchy Stinklair is buying more local tv new$. Our media is owned by churchy billionaire misanthrope$ and run by corporations.

REAL FAKE NEW$

But let’s make no mistake about it: when Scamalot cries “Fake”… that’s on a whole notha level.

Fringe Media still flatters the Real Fake President because it’s owned and operated by those who installed him as a pukey puppet #burpfarthurl. Fux und Blackbart profited bigly off the ascent of Dummkopf45, but alas, so did the rest of the media which is why it’s swi$hy. Sometimes excellent, but mostly shit. Money vs Truth… a conumdrum.

EACH DAY I WAKE UP DROWNIN’

Having spent the holiday weekend mining the brains of intellectuals, activists and good cooks to combat the blues of our country’s Current State of Fuckery, I’ve comprised a list of Ten Things that may help those who wake up to this shite each day and feel like they’re drowning, i.e., sensitive to the crushing enormity of the labor of Democracy as real fake new$ pounds our shores, while Really Bad Men (and a Few Ponzi Women) disrupt all that is good about our country to line their own pocket$ and the pocket$ of those who put them in power #sad pffft.

TEN THINGS TO PONDER AS YOU BATTLE THE KLEPTOCRACY IDIOCRACY:

1. BACK TO THE FUTURE How to End the Oil + War Economy Now and Clean Up Our Air in About 100 Years: Use Fossil Fuel exclusively for commercial air travel. We’ve known how crushing greenhouse gases are on our environment for decades but we’ve allowed penny loafered lobbyists paid for by Big Oil a seat at the science table. Enough.

2. ELECTRIC AVENUE In two decades, electric cars will be normcore. Start now. Working from home and/or giving up your wheels best thing you can do for the environment; monitoring your own carbon footprint, big step.

3. SEEK REAL NEWS Until the Fourth Estate is Truly Unshackled to Do Good Work Always, Rather Than Just Spotty Sometimes, learn who owns your news outlets. For example, the Guardian is an excellent source for American news (it’s run by a trust and doesn’t need to run truth past the sales dept) and follow our twitter crew at @foxycuda and @tahoesquaw1… while Tahoe curates the critical news from around the world and finds the truth within Vichym MSM, I try to explain its import in verbiage suitable for a postmod CyberRevo. (Thus the comparisons to Charles Dickens and Hunter S. Thompson, for which I am grateful, but also blame Anita Loos, Dorothy Parker and Lenny Bruce for illiciting my pen-to-jugular style.) We are at war for truth and that requires wit in the form of better catchphrases i.e. #treasonsgreetings

4. WE ARE THE SANE MAJORITY We, the Sane Majority, are constantly told our countrymen and women are devolving into apey, when in fact, the Sane Majority is kind, and da small base comprised of the greedy, the churchy, and those who haven’t gotten off their block of un-opportunity. Those numbers are shrinky dinking as truth grows from the concrete street art. But you wouldn’t know cuz it Vichy MSM is still writing puffpieces on Not-Zees and the various Thug$ of Scamalot, while terrifying us with continual closeups of dictators, including our own. Move along. Or just join the Fringe Apey and watch the reboot of “Jersey Shore” as your Democracy burns and more journos die globally whilst trying to warn us of fascism #sad pffft… a better idea: flip the House in 2018 and #nullify45.

5. MAFIA STATE OF MIND Thank you to Tahoesquaw1, who wouldn’t rest until she knew I watched all three Zembla docs on the Fuckery of Dummkopf45 (“The Dangerous Friends of Donald Trump”), and a new doc on the radiation poisoning of UK citizen Alexander Litvinenko (”Hunting the KGB Killers”), whose dying image serves as a reminder that radiation sandwiches are coming if we don’t speak truth to power collectively. I feel compelled to be among the twactivists that remind the kindly people who are being brainwashed by Fux und Blackbart und Churchy Stincklair, that dictator$ and anchorhack$ aren’t our friends. We are combatting evil in the form of well-OIL-ed infotainment amplified by Bots preprogrammed by enemies both foreign and domestic, and it’s leading to a major identity crisis of the churchy, who give pederasts a pass if it serves their tax bracket or real fake narrative. Peel it back and seek the truth. Eyes wide open.

6. SING TOGETHER Who among you doesn’t have a brazen friend with a guitar? I joined Artivists LA and activist Samuel Curtis for some Resistance Caroling on Black Friday in Santa Monica, and the song we sang “We Shall Not Be Moved,” is still on heavy rotation in my mind, soothing me hourly as I recall revolutions of my youth sparked by peaceful music. Resistance Caroling is good for the soul. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX7OW2MJRO0&t=10s

7. BE HAPPY Although many of us haven’t felt joy due to the deranged Pageant Owner in the White House and his sub par toadie$, it’s our duty to manage self care during this time, and that means doing things that bring you some semblance of happiness. I interviewed Dr. David Reiss, one of the 27 mental health experts who authored “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,” and he said it’s imperative we manage self-care during these dark days and to never lose site of truth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5XGeJ5Y8UI&t=26s

8. BREATHE Please be patient with humanity and remember everybody hurts, sometimes. As battle fatigue sets in for those who can’t believe a Pageant Owner Mobster is still our Real Fake President, despite how much factual information on the corruption from within we spit daily, it takes its toll on fractured nerves. If we divide troops now, we lose. We are the Sane Majority, and we will only win if we invite everyone to the party and keep them there. Even the glory hunters. Practice humility daily and realize those who don’t get it now, will eventually.

9. MOTHER EARTH Give us the keys. Y’all fukcin shit up. Imperative, we mandate the Nosferatu Cabinet of Scamalot to wear branding patches on their sleeves: #bigoil #bigtobacco #bigprison #nra #churchyfuckery #botbymercer #botbykoch #rupertscurvy etc. We can’t allow denier creeper$ to ruin our fragile environmental protections and continue to embarrass us on an international level. We already fought for these protections. GOP becoming the official doosh party poopers of the environment ramped up recently, as billionaires bot lobbyists to run interference on truth using God’s name so they could get one last $wig off the Oil + War economies. (See number one.) Use the system to get Scott Pruitt out of our EPA where he does not belong. And further, use the system to oust all the Real Fake President’s cozyboy$, aka war mongering pals thirsting for arms deal$. Old paradigm dies hard but it’s time.

10. BE DISGUSTED I was horrified to learn by a gal whose grandfather was stiffed by Trump, that many of her peers just think the Meinshit Show is funny. Ya, it’s a “Pussy” riot. Our Real Fake President cozie$ up to his dictator pal$ who kill, incarcerate, poison, torture or have people killed because they can. Go ahead, please remain comfortably numb while waiting for the door knock. Me? I’m gonna remain disgusted so I can continue fighting. Even for those who don’t get it. Especially them.

(Below, the author in Laguna Beach Nov. 2, 2016; last photo before the election. She wants her happiness back.)

#resist #resistmas #treasonsgreetings #maewestside #heidicuda #heidsiegmundcuda #tahoesquaw1 #selfhelp #resistancetips #resistancecaroling #singtogether #artivistsla #blackfridayprotest

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meeedeee · 7 years

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Shin Godzilla: Disasters, Tropes & Cultural Memory RSS FEED OF POST WRITTEN BY FOZMEADOWS

Warning: spoilers for Shin Godzilla.

I’ve been wanting to see Shin Godzilla since it came out last year, and now that it’s available on iTunes, I’ve finally had the chance. Aside from the obvious draw inherent to any Godzilla movie, I’d been keen to see a new Japanese interpretation of an originally Japanese concept, given the fact that every other recent take has been American. As I loaded up the film, I acknowledged the irony in watching a disaster flick as a break from dealing with real-world disasters, but even so, I didn’t expect the film itself to be quite so bitingly apropos.

While Shin Godzilla pokes some fun at the foibles of Japanese bureaucracy, it also reads as an unsubtle fuck you to American disaster films in general and their Godzilla films in particular. From the opening scenes where the creature appears, the contrast with American tropes is pronounced. In so many natural disaster films – 2012, The Day After Tomorrow, Deep Impact, Armageddon, San Andreas – the Western narrative style centres by default on a small, usually ragtag band of outsiders collaborating to survive and, on occasion, figure things out, all while being thwarted by or acting beyond the government. There’s frequently a capitalist element where rich survivors try to edge out the poor, sequestering themselves in their own elite shelters: chaos and looting are depicted up close, as are their consequences. While you’ll occasionally see a helpful local authority figure, like a random policeman, trying to do good (however misguidedly), it’s always at a remove from any higher, more coordinated relief effort, and particularly in more SFFnal films, a belligerent army command is shown to pose nearly as much of a threat as the danger itself.

To an extent, this latter trope appears in Shin Godzilla, but to a much more moderated effect. When Japanese command initially tries to use force, the strike is aborted because of a handful of civilians in range of the blast, and even when a new attempt is made, there’s still an emphasis on chain of command, on minimising collateral damage and keeping the public safe. At the same time, there’s almost no on-the-ground civilian elements to the story: we see the public in flashes, their online commentary and mass evacuations, a few glimpses of individual suffering, but otherwise, the story stays with the people in charge of managing the disaster. Yes, the team brought together to work out a solution – which is ultimately scientific rather than military – are described as “pains-in-the-bureaucracy,” but they’re never in the position of having to hammer, bloody-fisted, on the doors of power in order to rate an audience. Rather, their assemblage is expedited and authorised the minute the established experts are proven inadequate.

When the Japanese troops mobilise to attack, we view them largely at a distance: as a group being addressed and following orders, not as individuals liable to jump the chain of command on a whim. As such, the contrast with American films is stark: there’s no hotshot awesome commander and his crack marine team to save the day, no sneering at the red tape that gets in the way of shooting stuff, no casual acceptance of casualties as a necessary evil, no yahooing about how the Big Bad is going to get its ass kicked, no casual discussion of nuking from the army. There’s just a lot of people working tirelessly in difficult conditions to save as many people as possible – and, once America and the UN sign a resolution to drop a nuclear bomb on Godzilla, and therefore Tokyo, if the Japanese can’t defeat it within a set timeframe, a bleak and furious terror at their country once more being subject to the evils of radiation.

In real life, Japan is a nation with extensive and well-practised disaster protocols; America is not. In real life, Japan has a wrenchingly personal history with nuclear warfare; America, despite being the cause of that history, does not.

Perhaps my take on Shin Godzilla would be different if I’d managed to watch it last year, but in the immediate wake of Hurricane Harvey, with Hurricane Irma already wreaking unprecedented damage in the Caribbean, and huge tracts of Washington, Portland and Las Angeles now on fire, I find myself unable to detach my viewing from the current political context. Because what the film hit home to me – what I couldn’t help but notice by comparison – is the deep American conviction that, when disaster strikes, the people are on their own. The rich will be prioritised, local services will be overwhelmed, and even when there’s ample scientific evidence to support an imminent threat, the political right will try to suppress it as dangerous, partisan nonsense.

In The Day After Tomorrow, which came out in 2004, an early plea to announce what’s happening and evacuate those in danger is summarily waved off by the Vice President, who’s more concerned about what might happen to the economy, and who thinks the scientists are being unnecessarily alarmist. This week, in the real America of 2017, Republican Rush Limbaugh told reporters that the threat of Hurricane Irma, now the largest storm ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean, was being exaggerated by the “corrupted and politicised” media so that they and other businesses could profit from the “panic”.

In my latest Foz Rants piece for the Geek Girl Riot podcast, which I recorded weeks ago, I talk about how we’re so acclimated to certain political threats and plotlines appearing in blockbuster movies that, when they start to happen in real life, we’re conditioned to think of them as being fictional first, which leads us to view the truth as hyperbolic. Now that I’ve watched Shin Godzilla, which flash-cuts to a famous black-and-white photo of the aftermath of Hiroshima when the spectre of a nuclear strike is raised, I’m more convinced than ever of the vital, two-way link between narrative on the one hand and our collective cultural, historical consciousness on the other. I can’t imagine any Japanese equivalent to the moment in Independence Day when cheering American soldiers nuke the alien ship over Las Angeles, the consequences never discussed again despite the strike’s failure, because the pain of that legacy is too fully, too personally understood to be taken lightly.

At a cultural level, Japan is a nation that knows how to prepare for and respond to natural disasters. Right now, a frightening number of Americans – and an even more frightening number of American politicians – are still convinced that climate change is a hoax, that scientists are biased, and that only God is responsible for the weather. How can a nation prepare for a threat it won’t admit exists? How can it rebuild from the aftermath if it doubts there’ll be a next time?

Watching Shin Godzilla, I was most strongly reminded, not of any of the recent American versions, but The Martian. While the science in Shin Godzilla is clearly more handwavium than hard, it’s nonetheless a film in which scientific collaboration, teamwork and international cooperation save the day. The last, despite a denouement that pits Japan against an internationally imposed deadline, is of particular importance, as global networking still takes place across scientific and diplomatic back-channels. It’s a rare American disaster movie that acknowledges the existence or utility of other countries, especially non-Western ones, beyond shots of collapsing monuments, and even then, it’s usually in the context of the US naturally taking the global lead once they figure out a plan. The fact that the US routinely receives international aid in the wake of its own disasters is seemingly little-known in the country itself; that Texas’s Secretary of State recently appeared to turn down Canadian aid in the wake of Harvey, while now being called a misunderstanding, is nonetheless suggestive of confusion over this point.

As a film, Shin Godzilla isn’t without its weaknesses: the monster design is a clear homage to the original Japanese films, which means it occasionally looks more stop-motion comical than is ideal; there’s a bit too much cutting dramatically between office scenes at times; and the few sections of English-language dialogue are hilariously awkward in the mouths of American actors, because the word-choice and use of idiom remains purely Japanese. Even so, these are ultimately small complaints: there’s a dry, understated sense of humour evident throughout, even during some of the heavier moments, and while it’s not an action film in the American sense, I still found it both engaging and satisfying.

But above all, at this point in time – as I spend each morning worriedly checking the safety of various friends endangered by hurricane and flood and fire; as my mother calls to worry about the lack of rain as our own useless government dithers on climate science – what I found most refreshing was a film in which the authorities, despite their faults and foibles, were assumed and proven competent, even in the throes of crisis, and in which scientists were trusted rather than dismissed. Earlier this year, in response to an article we both read, my mother bought me a newly-released collection of the works of children’s poet Misuzu Kaneko, whose poem “Are You An Echo?” was used to buoy the Japanese public in the aftermath of the 2011 tsunami . Watching Shin Godzilla, it came back to me, and so I feel moved to end with it here.

May we all build better futures; may we all write better stories.

Are You An Echo?

If I say, “Let’s play?” you say, “Let’s play!”

If I say, “Stupid!” you say, “Stupid!”

If I say, “I don’t want to play anymore,” you say, “I don’t want to play anymore.”

And then, after a while, becoming lonely

I say, “Sorry.” You say, “Sorry.”

Are you just an echo? No, you are everyone.

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daltonomup511-blog · 5 years

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10 Things Everyone Hates About bitcoin revolution

The technology is likely to have the greatest impact Over the next few decades Have arrived. They are not social media platforms. Not big data. And not robots. Not even artificial intelligence. You will be surprised to find out It is the basic technology for digital currencies such as Bitcoin. Which are called string blocks. Chain blocks. Currently, it is not the most resonant word in the world, But I believe it represents now The new generation of the Internet, They carry very high promises for every business and every community Each of you has one individual. You know, over the last few decades, we've had Internet information. When I send you an email, a PowerPoint file, or something else, I don’t actually send you, I send you a copy.

And that is great. This is information that has been democratized. But when it comes to assets - Things like money, Financial assets such as stocks and bonds, Loyalty points, intellectual property, Music, Art, Voting, And carbon certification, and the rest of the other assets - Sending a copy is a really bad idea. If I sent you a $ 100 paper, It is really important that I no longer have money - (Laughter) And that I can't send it to you. Secret code writers called it “double spending” Long time. Therefore, today we rely entirely on big intermediaries - Brokers like banks, government, And huge social media companies, credit card companies and so on - In order to establish confidence in our economy. These brokers perform all business logic and transactions For all kinds of trade, From verifying and identifying people, So settle accounts, settle and save records.

Overall, they do a very good job. But there are growing problems. To begin, they are central. Which means they are vulnerable to hacking, and increasingly - JP Morgan, the US federal government, And LinkedIn, and Home Depot et al They all knew it the hard way. They excluded billions of people from the global economy, For example, those who do not have enough money To get a bank account. They slow things down. It may take one second to send an email to the world, But it can take days or even weeks The movement of funds through the banking system across a city. And they take a big share to do that - 10-20% to send money to another country only.

Seizing our data, That means we can't turn it into money Or use it to better manage our lives. Our privacy is being undermined. In general, the biggest problem is, They dedicated the generosity of the digital age asymmetrically: We have created wealth, but we have growing social inequality. So what if there is something other than the Internet of information, What if there is an Internet value - Something like a wide, global and distributed book of accounts Works on millions of computers And available to everyone. Where any asset type, from money to music, It can be stored, transferred, handled, exchanged, and managed All without strong intermediaries? What if there is an original mean of value? Well, in 2008, the financial industry crashed And maybe that was promising, An unknown person named Satoshi Nakamoto or several people He created a paper where he developed a protocol for digital money Which used a basic cryptocurrency called Bitcoin.

This cryptocurrency enabled people to establish trust and make transactions Without the need for a third party. This seemingly simple act sparked Ignited the world, The thing that made everyone either eager, panicked or otherwise interested In several places. Now, don't confuse it for Bitcoin - Bitcoin is out; This should be your area of interest if you are speculative. More broadly, it is a cryptocurrency. It is not a state-controlled paper currency. That is very important. But the real dowry here is the underlying technology. It is called a series of blocks. So for the first time now in human history, People everywhere can trust each other And conduct transactions peer-item.

And trust is available, not because there are some huge institutions, But because of cooperation and encryption And some smart cipher. Because trust is home to technology, I call this, "Trust Protocol." Now you might ask: How does this work? very good. Assets - technical assets like money and even music and everything that falls between them - Are not stored in a central place, But distributed across a global account book, Using the highest level of encryption. When a transaction is made, Are being published globally, Across millions of computers. And there, around the world, There is a group of people called "prospectors." These are not adults, they are the miners of Bitcoin.

Have enormous computing power in their fingertips - 100-10 times larger than the entire Google global network. These miners do a lot of work. And every ten minutes, In something like a pulse to a network, A block is created All transactions made within the previous ten minutes are booked. Prospectors then began work, trying to solve some dlt trading difficult problems. They compete among themselves: The first explorer to discover the truth and verify the validity of the mass, Are rewarded in cryptocurrency, In the case of Bitcoin wallet is rewarded Bitcoin.

And then - this is the basic part - The block is connected to the previous block And the former have To create a series of blocks. And each one is sealed at a certain time, In what looks like a digital wax seal. So, if you want to penetrate one of these blocks So for example, if you want to pay you and the same currency, I have to penetrate that block, In addition to all the previous blocks, And all the trade record on that block chain, Not just on one computer but across millions of computers, together, They all use the highest levels of encryption, Based on the world's most powerful computing source And who's watching me. Something difficult to do. It's very safe Compared to the computer systems we are dealing with today. It's a chain of blocks. That is how it works. So the bitcoin wallet is just one of them. There are many others. A Canadian named Vitalk Butterin developed the Ethereum Coin Block Series. He's 22 years old, This block chain has exceptional capabilities. One is that you can build smart contracts. That's what it looks like.

It is a contract that is executed in person, This contract addresses implementation, management and performance And payment - this kind of contract has a bank account as well, For agreements between people. Today, for the Ethereum coin chain, Projects are being done to do everything From creating a new alternative to the stock market Even creating a new model of democracy, Politicians are accountable to citizens. (clap) So, to understand how much radical change this will bring, Let's look at one area, financial services. You know this? It's Ruby Goldberg's machine. It's a ridiculously complex machine that does something really simple, Such as breaking an egg or closing the door. Well, it kind of reminds me of the financial services sector, In all honesty. I mean, your card goes into the store, A stream of information then travels in binary form across dozens of companies, Each has its own computer system, Some are computers from the 1970s Bigger than many people in this room, Three days later, the settlement takes place.

Well, with the help of the financial sector block chain, There will be no settlement, Because payment and settlement are in the same movement, Is just a change in the ledger. So on Wall Street and everywhere around the world, The financial sector is in a major upheaval in this regard, I wonder, can we be replaced, Or how do we embrace this technique to succeed? Now, why should you care? Well, let me browse through some applications. Prosperity. The first era of the Internet, Internet Information, Bring us wealth but not common prosperity, Because social inequality is growing. This is the essence of all anger and extremism And protectionism and xenophobia and worse Which we are seeing rising in the world today, Brexit is the latest case.

So can we develop some new approaches to this social inequality problem? Because the only approach today is to redistribute wealth, Tax people and spread them more widely. Can we distribute wealth before that? Can we change the way wealth is created from the ground up? By democratizing wealth creation, And involve more people in the economy, And then make sure they got fair compensation? Let me outline five ways in which this can be done. number one: Did you know that 70% of the people around the world own land They have a Wahi title for her? So you own a small farm in Honduras, a dictator takes over He says, "I know you have a paper showing that the farm belongs to you, But the government computer says my friend owns your farm.

" This happened extensively in Honduras, This problem exists everywhere. The great Latin American economist (Hernado de Soto), He says that this is the number one issue in the world In terms of economic mobility, More important than getting a bank account, Because if you don't have a valid address for your land, You cannot borrow under it, You can't plan ahead. So companies today work with governments To put land titles on the block chain. If so, this is unchangeable. You can't penetrate it. This creates the conditions required for prosperity Maybe for billions of people. Second: Many writers talk about Uber Airbnb, Tusk Rapt, Lift and others As a kind of shared economy. This is a very effective idea, Together enables users to create and share wealth.

My point is ... These companies do not actually share. In fact, they are particularly successful because they do not share. They bring services together and sell them. What if, instead of Airbnb being worth $ 25 billion, There was a distributed application on a block chain, we'll call B-Air BNP, It is essentially owned by all people Who have room for rent. And when someone wants to rent a room, Enters the block chain data and all the criteria, They help them find the right room, Then the chain of blocks helps in the contracts, They recognize the limb, Handles payments Through digital payments only - built-in system.

They also take charge of even reputable, Because if the room is classified as a five-star room, That room is chosen, It is classified as immutable. So, those who are confusing the common economy in Silicon Valley They may be confused, This will be a good thing to thrive. Number three: The largest flow of funds from developed countries For developing countries Not a corporate investment, Nor is it even foreign aid. They are cash transfers. This is the global diaspora; People who have left the land of their ancestors, They send money to their families back home. Equals this 600 billion a year, and the number is growing, These people are being circumvented. Annalie Domingo is a homemaker. And she lives in Toronto, And go every month to the Western Union office. With some money To send her remittances to her mother in Manila. It costs about 10%; It takes money from four to seven days to get there; Her mother never knows when the money will arrive.

It takes five hours a week to do that. Six months ago, Annalie Domingo used a series of blocks called Apra Using her mobile phone, she sent $ 300. Which went directly to her mother's mobile phone Without going through a mediator. Then her mother looked at her mobile phone - It is similar to the Uber interface, where there is an "ATRA" teller that moves around. I pressed the five-star teller, Which was seven minutes away. The young man arrived at her door, giving her a Philippine peso, She put money in her pocket. It takes minutes, It costs 2%. This is a great opportunity for prosperity. Number four: Data is the most effective asset in the digital age.

Data is actually a new class of assets, Probably larger than previous asset classes, Like land under the agricultural economy, Or an industrial facility, Or even money. And for all of you - we - create this idea. We create this asset, And we leave this digital gesture trail behind As we move forward. These crumbs combine to form a mirror image of you, You are the default. Maybe it will help you recognize yourselves more than what you knew, Because you can't remember what you bought last year, Or say last year or your exact location last year. And you are the default not your own - That is the biggest problem.

So today, there are companies working To create an identity in a black box, You are your virtual king. This black box moves with you When you travel around the world, He is very stingy too. It gives only a small amount of information That it takes to complete something. A lot of transactions, The seller does not even need to know who you are. What they need to know is that they have been paid for. This idea is then embodied in all this data And let you turn it into cash. This is wonderful. Because we can also protect our privacy, Privacy is the foundation of any free society. Let us reclaim the origin we create Under our control, So that we have our own identity We manage it responsibly. Finally -- (clap) In conclusion, number five: There are a large number of content producers Who do not receive fair compensation, Because of that queer IP system. The first Internet age is the reason for being a queer. Take music as an example. Musicians are left crumbs at the end of the entire food chain.

You know, 25 years ago, if you were a songwriter, and you wrote a successful song, Out of a million individual songs, You can get equity for about $ 45,000. Today, you are a songwriter, composed a successful song, You get a million views, You don’t get 45,000, But for 36 dollars, Enough to buy a delicious pizza. So Imogen Hipp. Grammy-winning singer and songwriter, She is currently laying songs on a cluster ecosystem. I called it "Maesilia." It protects intelligent holding songs. The songs themselves protect their proprietary rights. Do you want to listen to a song? It's free, or maybe for a few cents flowing into a digital account. If you want to use the song in your own movie, that's different. IP rights are fully defined. Do you want to make a ringtone? That's different. She explains that the song becomes a business. They are available on this shopping platform for themselves, Protect the rights of its author, And because the song has a push system In the sense of a bank account, All the money flows back to the artist, And so they control the industry, Substitute for these powerful intermediaries.

Now, this. These are not just songwriters, But any content product, Like art, And like inventions, And scientific discoveries, journalists. These are examples of people who don't receive fair compensation, With the help of block chains, They will be able to make money flow in the chain of blocks. And that's wonderful. So, these are five chances Among the dozens To solve one problem, which is welfare, It is one of an infinite number of problems That block chains can be applied to. Now, technology certainly does not create luxury - but humans do But the situation I am presenting to you is, again, That the technical gen has escaped from the bottle, He was called by an unknown person or persons In this vague time of human history, Which gives us another chance, Another opportunity to rewrite the network of economic power And the old order of things, And to solve some of the world’s insurmountable problems, If we do that.

youtube

#Renewable energy #Permissioned Blockchain #Green Energy #Energy #Green #Renewable

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jeffreyczrf355-blog · 5 years

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Why It's Easier to Succeed With bitcoin solar Than You Might Think

And trust is available, not because there are some huge institutions, But because of cooperation and encryption peer to peer energy trading And some smart cipher. Because trust is home to technology, I call this, "Trust Protocol." Now you might ask: How does this work? very good. Assets - technical assets like money and even music and everything that falls between them - Are not stored in a central place, But distributed across a global account book, Using the highest level of encryption. When a transaction is made, Are being published globally, Across millions of computers. And there, around the world, There is a group of people called "prospectors." These are not adults, they are the miners of Bitcoin.

Have enormous computing power in their fingertips - 100-10 times larger than the entire Google global network. These miners do a lot of work. And every ten minutes, In something like a pulse to a network, A block is created All transactions made within the previous ten minutes are booked. Prospectors then began work, trying to solve some difficult problems. They compete among themselves: The first explorer to discover the truth and verify the validity of the mass, Are rewarded in cryptocurrency, In the case of Bitcoin wallet is rewarded Bitcoin.

youtube

#Renewable energy #Permissioned Blockchain #Green Energy #Energy #Green #Renewable

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fernandoasht607-blog · 5 years

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Will peer to peer energy Ever Die?

Have enormous computing power in their fingertips - 100-10 times larger than the entire Google global network. These miners do a lot of work. And every ten minutes, In something like a pulse to a network, A block is created All transactions made within the previous ten minutes are booked. Prospectors then began work, trying to solve some difficult problems. They compete among themselves: The first explorer to discover the truth and verify the validity of the mass, Are rewarded in cryptocurrency, In the case of Bitcoin wallet is rewarded Bitcoin.

It takes five hours a week to do that. Six months ago, Annalie Domingo used a series of blocks called Apra Using her mobile phone, she sent $ 300. Which went directly to her mother's mobile phone Without going through a mediator. Then her mother looked at her mobile phone - It is similar to the Uber interface, where there is an "ATRA" teller that moves around. I pressed the five-star teller, Which was seven minutes away. The young man arrived at her door, giving her a Philippine peso, She put money in her pocket. It takes minutes, It costs 2%. This is a great free energy opportunity for prosperity. Number four: Data is the most effective asset in the digital age.

youtube

#Renewable energy #Permissioned Blockchain #Green Energy #Energy #Green #Renewable

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jasperjlry563-blog · 5 years

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The 3 Biggest Disasters in blockchain and energy History

Have enormous computing power in their fingertips - 100-10 times larger than the entire Google global network. These miners do a lot of work. And every ten minutes, In something like a pulse to a network, A block is created All transactions made within the previous ten minutes are booked. Prospectors then began work, trying to solve some difficult problems. They compete among themselves: The first explorer to discover the truth and verify the validity of the mass, Are rewarded in cryptocurrency, In the case of Bitcoin wallet is rewarded Bitcoin.

They also take charge of even reputable, Because if ledger definition the room is classified as a five-star room, That room is chosen, It is classified as immutable. So, those who are confusing the common economy in Silicon Valley They may be confused, This will be a good thing to thrive. Number three: The largest flow of funds from developed countries For developing countries Not a corporate investment, Nor is it even foreign aid. They are cash transfers. This is the global diaspora; People who have left the land of their ancestors, They send money to their families back home. Equals this 600 billion a year, and the number is growing, These people are being circumvented. Annalie Domingo is a homemaker. And she lives in Toronto, And go every month to the Western Union office. With some money To send her remittances to her mother in Manila. It costs about 10%; It takes money from four to seven days to get there; Her mother never knows when the money will arrive.

youtube

#Renewable energy #Permissioned Blockchain #Green Energy #Energy #Green #Renewable

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trevorhehz192-blog · 5 years

Text

3 Reasons Your freebitcoin Is Broken (And How to Fix It)

Have enormous computing power in their fingertips - 100-10 times larger than the entire Google global network. These miners do a lot of work. And every ten minutes, In something like a pulse to a network, A block is created All transactions made within the previous ten minutes are booked. Prospectors then began work, trying to solve some difficult problems. They compete among themselves: The first explorer to discover the truth and verify the validity of the mass, Are rewarded in cryptocurrency, In the case of Bitcoin wallet is rewarded Bitcoin.

It is a contract that is executed in person, This contract addresses implementation, management and performance And payment - this kind of contract has a bank account as well, For agreements between people. Today, for the Ethereum coin chain, Projects are being done to do everything From creating a new alternative to the stock market Even creating a new model of democracy, Politicians are accountable to citizens. (clap) So, to understand how much radical change this will bring, Let's look at one area, financial services. You know this? It's Ruby Goldberg's machine. italy renewable energy It's a ridiculously complex machine that does something really simple, Such as breaking an egg or closing the door. Well, it kind of reminds me of the financial services sector, In all honesty. I mean, your card goes into the store, A stream of information then travels in binary form across dozens of companies, Each has its own computer system, Some are computers from the 1970s Bigger than many people in this room, Three days later, the settlement takes place.

youtube

#Renewable energy #Permissioned Blockchain #Green Energy #Energy #Green #Renewable

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cesarllim845-blog · 5 years

Text

The Worst Advice You Could Ever Get About green blockchain

Have enormous computing power in their fingertips - 100-10 times larger than the entire Google global network. These miners do a lot of work. And every ten minutes, In something like a pulse to a network, A block is created All transactions made within the previous ten minutes are booked. Prospectors then began work, trying to solve some difficult problems. They compete among themselves: The first explorer to discover the truth and verify the validity of the mass, Are rewarded in cryptocurrency, In the case of Bitcoin wallet is rewarded Bitcoin.

They also take charge of even reputable, Because if the room is classified as a five-star room, That room is chosen, It is classified as immutable. So, those who are confusing blockchain definition the common economy in Silicon Valley They may be confused, This will be a good thing to thrive. Number three: The largest flow of funds from developed countries For developing countries Not a corporate investment, Nor is it even foreign aid. They are cash transfers. This is the global diaspora; People who have left the land of their ancestors, They send money to their families back home. Equals this 600 billion a year, and the number is growing, These people are being circumvented. Annalie Domingo is a homemaker. And she lives in Toronto, And go every month to the Western Union office. With some money To send her remittances to her mother in Manila. It costs about 10%; It takes money from four to seven days to get there; Her mother never knows when the money will arrive.

youtube

#Renewable energy #Permissioned Blockchain #Green Energy #Energy #Green #Renewable

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dadsontour · 8 years

Text

Dads on tour: Things operate a little differently in Argentina

My dad loves to write a holiday letter. And they’re usually too funny not to share. Names have been changed to protect fellow passengers (you’ll understand why)…

This letter is the latest update on the current jaunt around South America.

“It was interesting that the passports were processed overnight on the boat by the Argentineans, content to put a stamp inside, and then assume everyone found their way off the boat and onshore at Ushuaia. Then, on passing through security to board for El Calafate, no need to take out the computer, “just go through!”

El Calafate is quite a few degrees north of Ushuaia and finds itself at the southern end of the northern Patagonia if you get what I mean.

Clearly not enough pre travel research done here as it came as a surprise to be out on the Argentinean steppe, with snow covered mountains in the distance. Not too much grows here, even the sheep are sparsely spread.

The calafate berry however is fairly common across all environments in this part of the world – a fruit very similar to a blueberry but growing on an incredibly threatening bush best described as a cross between a box thorn and a blackberry, but more thorns! Needless to say it is possible to load up on its jam, wine, soaps and anything else that can be flavoured.

Argentina seems to be grappling with tourism as a means of boosting the floundering economy in these parts. Prices are all over the place. Yes staple items seem cheap (the humble empanada, Sth America’s answer to the meat pie, is everywhere) but then anything with a scent of tourism about it, starts at $150 (that would be 150 Argentinean Pesos - roughly $10USD).

With a change to a conservative government just over 12 months ago there is an attempt to cool down inflation but the figures were released yesterday showing that the inflation rate for the year just gone was 36% with 25% expected in 2017.

That is a country in turmoil, which under the previous government just printed more money and claimed inflation was not a problem. The Big Mac index was manipulated by doing a deal with McDonalds that the Big Mac had to be the cheapest in the world here if they wanted to trade in Argentina.

To fill in an afternoon waiting for the bus to head further north, what better than a long walk to and around a wetland, supposedly displaying local birdlife – yes 150 Pesos later and having seen a few gulls and 3 stray dogs a contribution to the economy had been made! A few days later I subsequently found the birdlife in abundance further around the bay – they too seemingly didn’t want to pay admission.

“The buses are an experience in themselves. Both the buses and the drivers are oversized.”

From here a short bus ride of 210 kms finds the far north outpost of Patagonia at El Chaten. The buses are an experience in themselves. Oversized (both the buses and the drivers), the buses come with an air horn that seems to be the driver’s main weapon as he blasts it incessantly to terrorise smaller vehicles as well as greet all his friends along the way.

It was not difficult to translate the airhorn messages. The road (Ruta 40) has its own “legendary” history, snaking north to south through Argentina as far as politics and waterways will permit. It is well made but comes with painted sidelines only, lending itself to some degree of negotiation (for want of a better word) about where the centre of the road is.

The buses work on Sth American time of course (as one Argentinean said to me, there is no word in Spanish that literally means NOW, rather than say sometime in the next 15 minutes).

“The lottery of preallocated bus seating”

Having paid the 20 pesos tax to “use” the bus terminal, the lottery of preallocated bus seating had me seated beside an Italian traveller who was couch surfing through South America whilst doing his PhD in Taiwan, before returning to his Italian roots mid year (only child and his parents wanted him back!) to set up a permaculture business.

Of course his supervisor was not aware he was out of Taiwan and Piedro was still contemplating how he would explain unavailability for a meeting in Taiwan next Friday, let alone that he wouldn’t be back until March! Adding new meaning to “working from home”, his thesis on the impact of radiation on permacultures near power stations hit hurdles getting any radiation data from the Government, but of course the PhD was going on.

El Chalten is a small village of 600 people in winter, exploding to backpacker central in summer. If you are not compressed between an oversized backpack and a day pack on the chest, then there is an uncomfortable feeling of being out of place.

Of course this is way beyond the travel plans of the American traveller – not too many backpacks there! Apart from Argentineans in large numbers, French, German and Australian accents abound. With a degree of embarrassment I extracted my suitcase with wheels from the luggage pit of the bus and headed off directly over the road to a hostelia as the burdened down back packers headed off into the distance to find their hostels much further along the one main (paved) road that joined the 15 blocks of El Chalten.

So what is the difference between a hostelia and a hostel? I suspect it starts with being opposite the bus terminal and having an ensuite, but let’s not get too carried away, having the proportions of a typical Japanese hotel room, where the walls can almost be touched from the centre of the room and in this case where the walls and ceilings are so thin that the snoring above and beside booms in!

A hostelia, as with a hostel no doubt, has a friendly feeling. People talk! On the first morning I met some Brits sharing a transfer out to a strategic starting point on the walk to Mt Fitzroy. The conversation was interrupted mid sentence by “Is that a British accent I hear?” directed at the people behind. Oh the excitement - they had not met a single Brit in the last two weeks.

“Brits can’t afford to travel now you know”

I was dropped like a hot spud as they shared their stories of what they managed to book pre Brexit and how they are now suffering. “Brits can’t afford to travel now you know” My immediate thoughts were of a penniless Barmy Army unable to make the journey to Australia next summer.

The fellow Brit behind was contemplating how she could face up to ever working full time again – she liked her travel. “We thought we met some Brits the other day but they turned out to be Australians” said in disgust! Needless to say I met them many times over, he craving for a “good feed of hake” and she for wi-fi. Alas they would be back in Bath by mid week.

Armed with a “hostelia lunchbox” (150 pesos of course!) the walk to Mt Fitzroy o Chalten provided another set of stunning landscapes with the physical challenge of a rise of 400 metres in the last 1 km to the glacial lake at the base of the peak.

They were deciding to take a naked plunge into the glacial waters to test the impact of glaciation on the human appendage “

With many many people doing this walk at this time of year the stage was set for an extrovert or two, so there they were deciding to take a naked plunge into the glacial waters to test the impact of glaciation on the human appendage – they soon found out! I guess by now the whole performance is across Facebook many times over.

The second most popular walk is of similar distance, but supposedly up a much more gentle slope to Lago Torres, another glacial lake, containing lots of icebergs.

A gentle walk in a glacial valley – there is an oxymoron with boulders to be dodged and climbed over. Nevertheless, another meeting with Piedro along the track indicated that the PhD wasn’t progressing too far. Once at the lake with some great views, which could have been even greater had the cloud blown away (but not to be), the option existed for a short climb further up the moraine to look down on the glacier as it breaks off into the lake.

Welcome Demitrios, who has travelled to these parts from Greece, joining a camping trip in a yellow truck which started back in Quito in November and will finish at Rio for the Carnivale. Now Demitrios asked if he could follow me up this track as he was scared of heights.

“I must be in the centre of the photo, everytime!”

I soon found out why he wanted to follow. “Could you take a photo of me here please?” ... and here...and here! “I must be in the centre of the photo, everytime!” OK he has a photo of himself hiding the glacier, etc, etc. I left Demitrios at the top contemplating if he would break away from his camping trip as he didn’t really like camping anyway. “You know I am a winter swimmer” No, before you think it there were icebergs in this lake!

An early morning departure from El Chalten back to El Calafate with a bus driver obsessed with his air horn ensured that those bedraggled backpackers some of whom looked like they had slept on the hard earth with their thin sleeping mats (I do remember!) one night too many could not get any rest onboard.

I travelled beside an Argentinean student who had studied law and decided he could not change the world by that means so had turned to studying his passion (music) and doing the things he really wanted to do. Interesting conversation as he spoke of life in B.A. post the election a year ago where as he put it a bad government took over from a poorly performing one.

He was genuinely concerned for his future as a young person in Argentina. All of that said he reminded me of how safe a place Argentina is for travel (“but be very careful in B.A.”)

So, back to El Calafate for one last dose of Patagonia to visit the amazing Perito Moreno Glacier, the glacier of all glaciers in the park. A quick check in to the hotel which seemed to waver between being upmarket and mutton dressed up as lamb. It is located on the Avenue of the Liberator –South American cities seem to make big statements in their street names.

With a small degree of pain and suffering in the calves from the previous few days of walking, taking the elevator up the one floor seemed a good alternative. Good, until it refused to open at piso 2.

“The lift is stuck, get me out of here!”

Now here’s a challenge, Spanish classes didn’t extend to “The lift is stuck, get me out of here!” No phone available so what does a person do? Ringing the alarm bell and thumping on the door didn’t produce the desired result. In time the sound of a vacuum cleaner was in earshot and with increased intensity of bashing on the door, eventually a room service man came to the rescue forcing the door open. Needless to say the lift has been out of service since.

Perito Moreno Glacier lived up to expectations, even if it came after grappling with a bus load of “locals” who had to be first off the bus, first on the boat, in the best positions for selfies on the boat for the first 5 minutes before going back inside and then first off the boat.

What an amazing sight to see pieces of ice calving off the front of the glacier and crashing to the water with a noise equivalent to a clap of thunder. At 70 metres in height at the front, it is a lot of ice coming into the water.

Wow! Patagonia has been absolutely amazing and has certainly lived up to all the expectations I had prior to the trip.

Dad

#travel #travelblog #travelblogger #Patagonia #argentina

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highvoltagearea · 4 years

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Biden and Trump: Battling For The Soul of A Nation With Different Strategies

‘We Are in a Battle for the Soul of This Nation’-

Those were the words of former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden as seen and heard in a video announcing his campaign for the White House. In the video, Biden speaks about “an abhorrent moment in time” with regard to Trump’s presidency.

These words are true. Both Biden and Trump are indeed battling for the soul of a nation- in their own different ways. It is unclear now who among these two fighters will win the battle. Come November 3rd, a winner will emerge.

Both parties have presented to the nation, persons whom they deemed fit to engage in the battle. Last week, the Dems presented Joe Biden as a decent, good, and principled guy who eats ice cream for dinner and calls his granddaughters daily. This week, the GOP is pitching Trump as Voltron that defends the universe from evil and the lone ranger… because he alone has the power the save and fix things.

But wait a minute. I need to talk to you about something. I think there’s a problem with the strategies being adopted by one of the warriors. But before you give me that look, hear me out.

The Fear Strategy

I think the GOP wants to remind us of something- just in case we have forgotten. And that which they want us to know is ‘very scary’. But before we go further, let me quickly inform you that

“Least doers are the greatest boasters.”

Watching the Republican National Convention, it seems they want everyone to know the president is engaged in spiritual warfare against principalities and powers, “deep state” factions, powerful satanic pedophiles, anarchists, and Antifa who are seriously plotting against and determined to destroy the United States.

They also want us to know that there’s only one man born of a woman that has the power to stop the aforementioned. He is not hiding in a bunker or basement but is mighty to save and defend the entire universe from total annihilation.

I know that few of you will doubt and want to know how possible it is that one man alone can stop an entire army of Antifa anarchists. Maybe he is Zeus and Voltron combined in one.

But while you’re still thinking about this, others, mostly the followers have already discarded the Bible which many of us hold so dear to embrace fear and heightened anxiety. declare his words yes and amen. Only him alone. Yes, Master.

The Fear Strategy continues

I brought up this little observation of mine with some ardent followers with the hope to get some understanding, have a conversation, and perhaps see things from their perspective. But was almost chased outta town and called a zombie that has been brainwashed by the liberal fake news media led by CNN and MSNBC.

To make things more interesting, I was reminded of having joined the bandwagon, lacked the ability to think, and have allowed others to do the thinking for me. I was also reminded of being blind since I cannot see the anarchy that has been unleashed in the land. Portland and Minnesota were referenced.

The looting, rape, and destruction that has overtaken the land was given as examples. The chaos and death that will soon consume me and my entire generation were not left out.

And the good news- there is only one man alive that can stop that from happening, and that man is currently engaged in a battle for the soul of the nation- against all the liberals. I was told he needs my prayers and support because he’s the best thing that happened to humanity.

Me aside and saying to myself- If he’s actually battling to defend the nation, it then means there are two men in this battle.

Do you know what this country could have been if he had not defeated that crooked lady; I was asked, not rhetorically but was expected to answer immediately. I was also reminded of weak Sleepy Joe’s agendas- to defund the police, allow the anarchists to take over the land, and hand over the country to China.

I have a problem with your hero, sir. He said he alone is mighty to save, I continued. Is he supposed to say that? Don’t we trust in God again…

Before I could finish, I was reminded that he never said that he ‘alone can fix it’- because you never listen to him. It is the liberal fake news media that said it. In fact, you don’t understand when he speaks. All he says are about policies, jobs, economy, and how he will Keep America Great. Policies that will make the jobs boom, economic boom, stock market boom…. and perhaps COVID boom, I managed to add.

We know it- you don’t listen to what he says. You are a condescending, disrespectful, and amoral liberal.

That’s it, folks. I don’t understand what he says because he speaks in a coded language that only the initiated ones understand. His language though not elevated- but filled with unmeaningful and convoluted adjectives- is of the spirit, and only the initiates and those filled with the spirit can understand. I am not initiated so I can’t understand.

Again, whatever it is you saw or heard on liberal fake news media is fake. It’s not what he said. The only place to get the truth and hear him clearly is Fox News. All others are fake media.

More Fear, Doom, and Anger

But seriously speaking, it’s been fear, anger, and doom from the first night of the convention until its climax on Thursday night.

They have shown us families and individuals who will die if the mighty Voltron gets defeated in the polls. They told stories of people who died when the messiah wasn’t on the throne. We were shown those who could have died but didn’t because the savior was crowned.

They brought before the camera these individuals to appeal to us all to do the right thing–save them and ourselves from the impending doom.

But what they deliberately refused to mention- those who had died since the King ascended the throne. The anger and unrest in the land. The division, lies, and unfulfilled promises.

Has it gotten this bad in America? That wasn’t me talking but a concerned relative in a faraway land who happens to see clips of the convention. What is going on? Are you guys safe? he went on to ask. I could sense his concern and fear. But you aren’t saying a word, he queried.

No, I am not. In fact, I’m hiding under the bed right now, afraid to speak- that is why you can’t hear me. There’s a masked man with a crowbar in the room–I think he’s what they say will happen. The prophecies are manifesting already.

Why can’t you guys allow him reign, he continued. He seems to be a nice guy and the best thing that has ever happened to the country. Can we talk when this monster leaves, lest he hears me whispering and finishes the job he was sent to do by Sleepy Joe. Please stay safe he told me.

As I was saying before I got interrupted by that call, we have been warned of what will happen should the mighty man get defeated. Imagine what they will do to your kids, wife, father, and grandparents.? Imagine and visualize that. Everything you worked for will be taken away from you and your home won’t be safe, the gun-totting couples warned.

Pardon me but I thought you were going to talk about the strategies being used to battle for the souls of the nation.

Sorry, I got distracted because I thought I heard a bang outside my home- it sounded like someone was trying to forcefully break into the house. But it’s at my neighbors. I’m afraid the police will take 6 days to answer the phone because they have been defunded. The anarchists are on the loose.

Anyway, let’s look at the Bible briefly

Did you not notice how his supporters responded when he boasted that he alone has the power to fix it? They cheered. Even the brightest of them and the most Biblically versed among them believed him. I thought they would remember the six things that the Almighty hates and seven that are detestable to Him:

haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. Proverbs 6:16-19

Rather than believe the God who made the heaven and earth and whom the forefathers believed when they collectively said, ‘In God We Trust” they believed that the messiah has finally arrived, and he alone can fix humanity.

To be clear, the above didn’t come from fake news media, if still in doubt, check your Bible.

Moreover, all the things that the Lord detests most notably lies, can be found in him.

Have they also not found for themselves another god if they cannot trust in the Almighty God? Have they not molded for themselves a graven image and trusted in a man? People are bowing down in total submission and humility while believing that God’s incarnate has been sent to redeem America from destruction.

But wait a minute, aren’t they supposed to remember the words of prophet Jeremiah,

‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: Jeremiah 9:23.

Jeremy was letting us know that the wise man must not boast in his wisdom, the strong man in his strength and the wealthy man in his wealth. Is he boastful or not?

Didn’t the Bible say that boasting is a form of dishonesty? Because by boasting, one praises himself for something God has done because He alone gets the glory.

In case you have forgotten, let me remind you that intelligence, power, and wealth are gifts from God.

“For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

The above clearly says that whatever power anyone has, is granted by God and Him alone; therefore, no man should boast.

To Boast or Not to Boast.

What is wrong with boasting- Boasting is showing pride and glorifying yourself above God whom America has trusted. Let’s look at what happened to a man who once boasted.

The Bible recorded in Daniel 4:28-37 that King Nebuchadnezzar,

while walking on the balcony of his royal palace in Babylon boasted and said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”

Verse 31 says

that the words were not out of his mouth when a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone, he wishes

And guess what, the Bible notes that it happened at once.

Nebuchadnezzar was driven away from people and ate grass like the ox. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.

Guess why it happened- he boasted and gave to himself glory and praise meant for God. He believed that he single-handedly did everything. He trusted in the works of his hands forgetting that the Bible says it’s ‘not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:9-10

In God We God.

Do we? Not anymore because “Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it”.

Here, we have a man boldly and shamelessly claim that he alone can fix everything. He tossed aside the fact that America has always trusted God for the power and wisdom to lead. Instead, he wants you to believe in his magical powers to fix the system. It’s very sad that nobody called him to order. It’s a shame that people trust in the one who boasted that he alone has the power to fix America’s problem.

This reliance and belief, sadly by those who claim to be worshippers of the Almighty God, that only the president has the power to save America from the hands of the terrorist, vagabonds, and Antifa anarchists he conjured will take away the glory from God whom America trusts.

While you believe, worship at his temple, and proclaim that he has done a fantastic job that is unmatched in the history of the universe, a man named William Gurnwall wants you to know that “Least doers are the greatest boasters.”

Again- whether you believe it or not, “Least doers are the greatest boasters”. Reflect on it for a moment. And just like King Nebuchadnezzar, their punishment awaits them.

Finally- while they battle for the soul of the nation, stay safe and remember it’s the grass that suffers when two elephants engage in a wrestling bout.

source https://highvoltagearea.com/biden-and-trump-battling-for-the-soul-of-a-nation-with-different-strategies/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=biden-and-trump-battling-for-the-soul-of-a-nation-with-different-strategies

#highvoltagearea #HVA

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thebusinessbeast · 4 years

Text

Week Four

Hello everybody! This week we will take a deep dive into the lives of essential workers. We will look at their pay, and their health. I will also be answering the big question of, how can I help essential workers? I also interviewed the owner of Ubergrippen Climbing Gym, who had to shut down do to the virus. This is the article I analysed; Essential workers have found their power during the coronavirus pandemic

Let’s start with some great vocab!

Key Term #1: Neoclassical economics

Neoclassical economics is an approach to economics focusing on the determination of goods, outputs, and income distributions in markets through supply and demand.

Key Term #2: Bipartisan

Bipartisan is of or involving the agreement or cooperation of two political parties that usually oppose each other's policies.

Key Term #3: Walkouts/strikes

In labor disputes, a walkout is a labor strike, the act of employees collectively leaving the workplace as an act of protest

Here are the main passages of the article

Main Passage #1:

“As the self-quarantines would be able to tell you, being completely on your own isn't generally a good feeling. It’s bad enough when life is normal, but the pandemic is giving the non-wealthy a raw, undiluted taste of what “there is no society” really means. It means poor people can die an “honorable death” in service of the economy. Workers in “essential” jobs, which tend to be hourly and poorly paid, are risking their lives and those of their family members for $12 an hour, $10 an hour, $7.25 an hour.”

Earlier in this article, Vox states that America is a “you’re on your own” country. This is very true during the Corona Virus Pandemic, the presidential administration just had each local state government get the supplies that their state needed. This obviously isn't working very well, and it is causing essential workers to risk their lives for a very cheap paycheck. Due to this, essential workers everywhere are finally having enough and going on strike until their workplace is clean and everyone is healthy. I know this effects the economy even more, but in opinion, people who are putting their lives in danger are far more important than the economy.

Main Passage #2:

“You can bet that these chronically undervalued workers are having a common experience right now that’s unprecedented in American history: the simultaneous realization that all of their bosses are more than willing to trade their lives for money. And workers are starting to question why, if they’re so essential, their lives and paychecks are so cheap. They’re realizing that they’re the foundational Jenga blocks, without which the tower would fall. The “essential” designation is a blueprint for which workers, if they got together and withdrew at the same time, could completely topple the country.”

Essential workers such as deliver workers, and grocery store workers have very low pay and are risking their lives in order to make the lives of people who are quarantined much easier. This passage is very very important because we have to value our low pay essential workers more than usual. So please when you order anything or go grocery shopping, make sure you tip the essential workers, because they are getting paid less than you and are putting their lives and livelihood in danger for you.

One Big Question: How can I support essential workers?

First of all, in terms of helping doctors, just stay home, stay home, stay home, stay home. If you do have to leave, make sure you wear a mask and you don’t come into contact with anyone else. In terms of helping the essential workers like deliver people and grocery store cashiers, make sure you wear a mask to protect them, and if there is an opportunity to tip them, make sure you do so. You can also contact the manager of a company that is not following the health protocol and you can leave a complaint, in order to keep the workers safe.

Interview with Kim Crine - Co-owner of Ubergrippen

Background: Ubergrippen is an indoor climbing gym in northeast Denver Colorado. Unfortunately they had to shut down do to the virus, I interviewed Kim Crine the co-owner of Ubergrippen.

Zoe Maysmith: How has your daily life been impacted by covid-19?

Kim Crine: Definitely weird! My day to day for work goes from much less to much more depending on the day and week. I usually worked about 50 to 60 hours a week before C-19, now the amount has gone down, but so has my efficiency and what I am doing! There is a lot of reading to try to keep up with the science of C-19, the rules and best practices, the loans and what we can get from the government to help us, and trying to figure out how to help our full time staff with work and keeping them doing ok (with work and their emotional well being) I am helping Griffin (my youngest son) with school from 9am to 3 pm while working (wow -that's been a challenge!). Then trying to also get more things done around the house and making face masks with the boys! And save money on our personal life since we've taken a big hit with our salaries!!

Zoe Maysmith: What will Ubergrippen doe differently in terms of health and safety once quarantine is over?

Kim Crine: That is a good question too!! We are currently working through a plan for many different aspects. We are trying to follow guidelines that are slowly coming out from CDC, NIH and our state and local agencies. But also we have been working with other climbing facilities across the nation and world to figure out the best way to open. From developing a "sign-up" online for timed sessions for people to come in (meaning signing up on RGP calendar - maybe 10 people every 20 minutes or something) and limit the number coming in at one time and total number over a 2 hour period. Spacing people throughout the facility, so setting will come into to play. Managing how we are cleaning the facility, keeping staff safe, hand-washing stations, requiring masks, temperatures, etc. THere are a lot of moving parts on this! We have about 6 people on a committee determining what we need to focus on, and what it will look like! Then lots of training!!

Zoe Maysmith: In what ways has the federal government helped you during this time and in which ways have they not?

Kim Crine: Biggest impact for us is that we were approved for the PPP loan through the CARES act. This will let us pay staff for 8 weeks while we are still close and having to not only NOT have income but we are giving refunds so this helps our biggest expense which is payroll!!¿I would say the lack of information and guidance from a federal level is the biggest concern. I feel our state overall has done a pretty good job with that with what they have. They have been much more clear for sure!

Zoe Maysmith: What other measures have you taken to insure that your full time employees are financially stable?

Kim Crine: We kept all full time staff paid since we closed. We had everyone working on what they could and paid for those hours, then had to get creative after that... Until the loan came, we had asked them to let me know what they could make work for their finances and kept everyone at that minimum. To make up for the time they didn't work and get to the hours they needed to, we gave everyone 2 weeks of what we called "COVID Allowance" to help make up the hours that they weren't able to work from home and used PTO in addition to that. We have gotten creative with the work we have for people, but have lots we have had to do for supporting the programs and the initial closure. And we have had lots of things we have been wanting to get done that no one had time for before. For most of our full time staff, they had been paid their normal average of pay (close to 40 for most). Some staff decided they didn't want to work from home and applied for unemployment. We have still paid them out of PTO and that COVID Allowance, but with the loan now, I think they all feel a little more comfort!

Thanks so much for reading! I know this topic isn't always easy to read, but thank you so much for being here with me today! As a reminder we looked at essential workers and how they are being impacted by the worldwide pandemic. Stay safe everybody!

#EssentialWorkers #Ubergrippen LoveEveryone!

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