#No Context Crow No. 110

[corvidsofthedeep]

No Context Crow #110: Surprised Crow

If this image is yours and you would like it credited or removed, let me know!

#crows #corvids #corvidae #birds #animals #surprised #scared birds #surprise attack #surprise #uhh.. #daily crows #crow queue #this one's silly #No Context Crow No. 110

[bookwrm99]

Preferred Music- OM! Brothers

Not that anyone asked me, but I was in the mood to write and I’ve gotten back into Obey Me! after a super-long hiatus.. so these are my thoughts on what the brothers listen to in terms of music. I’ve only finished S1, so forgive me if these don’t make sense in context of the later seasons T_T

Lucifer:

It’s established in canon that Lucifer loves listening to classical music and has an extensive record collection- the more cursed the better

I headcanon though that he also likes to listen to big band music, like the Glenn Miller Orchestra

I can imagine him putting one of his vintage Glenn Miller records on his grammy and asking his s/o to dance with him one night if he was feeling especially romantic. The song he’d initiate on would be Twilight Interlude, Moonlight Serenade, or Starlit Hour.

I also headcanon that Lucifer listens to crooners, like Nat King Cole or Frank Sinatra

If MC can play an instrument, especially if it’s the piano, Lucifer might lurk in the hallway for a while if he hears them playing music by composers like Beethoven, Mozart, or Chopin. He doesn’t know how or why, but he thinks their works sound best whenever MC plays them

I think Lucifer’s guilty pleasure is 50′s/60′s decade music, but only listens to them when certain conditions are met: he’s in an exceptionally good mood, his privacy is guaranteed for at least an hour, and it’s just him in his bedroom. He feels that artists like The Beach Boys, Elvis, and The Beatles don’t fit with his polished, high-class image, hence the secrecy around listening to them

You’ll know he trusts you when he allows you into his space while one of these artists’ records is on the gramophone

Doesn’t change MC’s ringtone in his phone, because one: he’s an old man and hardly uses the thing for anything besides communication anyway, and two: he wants to be the only brother who wasn’t prompted by Mammon’s ringtone change

Probably changes their ringtone after a few weeks, when his brothers have forgotten all about it

 Mammon:

The Black Crowes. Next-

It’s canon that Mammon likes R&B music

Mammon strikes me as a classic/90′s alternative rock kind of guy too, though. Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, U2, Deep Purple, The Black Crowes, Pearl Jam- that kind of vibe

If he’s feeling something a little more hard, he’d probably dip into Nirvana, Van Halen, AC/DC, or another band along those lines

“Money” by Pink Floyd is DEFINITELY his ringtone

If he’s trying to really focus to come up with a scheme to make Grimm, or is just in the mood for something really chill, he might pull up a lofi hip hop playlist/station to listen to in the background

If he and MC happen to be chilling in his room, though, he’d probably play whatever they’re into- not because he likes them and wants to learn more about them or anything, noooooo sir, definitely doesn’t want to know their favorite artists so he can maybe take them to a concert one day either

Probably starts listening to MC’s favorite bands and genres too as their relationship develops

I headcanon that as soon as he finds out whatever MC’s favorite song is, he sets it as their ringtone in his phone so he can distinguish them from modeling agencies and his brothers

Leviathan:

It’s canon that Levi LOVES anime music, which like- I 110% subscribe to

I think he’d also really like video game music as well. Especially if it’s a game he loves and their soundtracks are *chef’s kiss*

If the Devildom has an equivalent to K-pop, I could see him being into that too. BTS, EXO, SUPER JUNIOR, Girl’s Generation, and SEVENTEEN all give me Levi vibes

Because he used to play so many different instruments, I also headcanon that sometimes he gets in the mood to listen to some of the music he used to play

He might get started on a classical music kick for a couple hours, then be satisfied for a week or two until the craving comes up again

Like Mammon, he might try listening to MC’s favorite music to get to know them better- but if he’s too averse to it, he’ll just go back to listening to his usual music

As their relationship develops, he might change MC’s ringtone in his phone to the theme of an anime they’ve both watched together and loved, or to the theme of his favorite anime- not to be outdone by Mammon, of course

Satan:

It’s canon that Satan also enjoys classical music, especially symphonies

I headcanon though that Satan might resent this similarity to Lucifer, so listens to classical music in secret- or abstains from it until he cracks and binges for a few hours

I could also see Satan listening to music very loudly in his room to piss Lucifer off if he’s in a particularly vindictive mood, especially if it’s hard rock or metal

Three Days Grace, Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin, Disturbed, The Veer Union, Gojira, Beartooth, Steel Panther- and if he’s really mad at Lu, he’d pull out the stops and listen to some death metal

Lowkey kind of likes some of it, even though he started listening to it exclusively with the intent of making the eldest tear his hair out in frustration

For casual listening, though, I headcanon that he has soft indie playlists and stations that he’s favorited/subscribed to

I could also see him as the type to have a playlist built with all his favorite songs from his favorite Broadway plays (looking at you, Les Misérables and Cats)

When he catches wind that Mammon and Levi changed their ringtones for MC, he didn’t hop on the train to outdo them- he just thought it was a good idea. He changes it to a soft indie song that reminds him of MC in some way, whether the lyrics are explicitly about someone similar to them or the sound of the song gives them MC vibes

Asmodeus:

Asmo listens to healing music in canon

But I also imagine him listening to dance/EDM music, because it gets him pumped up for The Fall and reminds him of the good times he’s had there

I headcanon that Asmo listens to healing music when he’s pampering himself or doing spa sessions with MC, and dance/EDM when he’s getting primped up to go to the club

Asmo is DEFINITELY the type to put soft music on when he’s about to get it on with somebody to set the mood, but it’s not something he listens to on his own- he feels ambivalent about romantic music in general

With MC, though, if their relationship buds into something more than friendship- you can bet your ass that he custom makes the perfect playlist for spicy situations with them, and his opinion on romantic music changes into a more positive one

I also see him listening to Queens like Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé- really powerful women vocalists

Asmo might have an easy listening pop playlist/station subscribed on his app of choice, but probably has to be in the mood for it to put it on

Definitely changes MC’s ringtone to something cheeky at first, like “Sexual Healing”, but trades it for a romantic song that reminds him of them later as they get closer

Beelzebub:

The RAD newspaper reports that Beel likes the song in the “Hell’s Burger” commercial

But I headcanon that when the newspaper club asked him that question, he just didn’t know how to respond because he listens to so many different genres, so he blurted out the first thing on his mind (so of course it would be food-related)

Beel doesn’t strike me as the type to like one genre in particular to the exclusion of most others- he seems more like he’d have playlists of all different genres to switch between depending on the situation and his mood

He’d definitely have a workout playlist full of songs to hype him up, like “Eye of the Tiger”, “Welcome to the Jungle”,  “Seven Nation Army”, “Thunder”, etc.

Probably has upwards of thirty playlists/stations he’s subscribed to because of his broad tastes, but the ones I see him frequently playing are pop, indie, alternative, and punk rock

Because he shares a room with Belphie, he’s grown accustomed to listening to chill, soft piano music at night when the both of them are first falling asleep- so much so, he has a hard time falling asleep without it, so he always brings earphones with him when traveling so he can still listen to it

MC’s ringtone in his phone is the “Hell’s Burger” commercial song- the only other contact that shares the ringtone is Belphie. Hearing his favorite song helps him distinguish his favorite people from everyone else calling his phone, even if hearing the song makes him hungry and drool a little bit before he picks up

Belphegor:

Belphie likes chill piano music in canon

Makes sense to me, since he’s sleeping 99.999999% of the time

But I headcanon that he also likes punk rock, like Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, blink-182, Good Charlotte, All Time Low, Panic! At The Disco, Bring Me The Horizon, and more

He only listens to it if he has to stay awake for a long period of time- listening to piano music makes him sleepy, so that’s out of the question, even though he needs music to be able to focus

Belphie is another brother who will stick around if he hears MC playing the piano- he’s less covert about it than the eldest brother, though

He’ll straight up trudge into the music room, sit on the bench with them and lean his head against their shoulder as they play

Hope you weren’t planning on stopping anytime soon, MC

Belphie also seems like the type to have subscriptions to ASMR or soft storytelling podcasts/stations/playlists, for the times he finds he’s having a hard time falling asleep

Like Lucifer, is one of the last to hop on the ringtone train, and honestly didn’t really give a shit about it until he really thought about it. What if MC was in trouble and tried to call him while he was asleep? His normal ringtone wouldn’t wake him up in that scenario, which could end up being really bad

Changes it to something really loud and obnoxious at first, like “What Is Love” (the animal cover)

Eventually changes it to something more romantic as he and MC get closer in their relationship, like “Check Yes, Juliet”

~~

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. <3

BTW, this is the ringtone I HC’d for Belphie lmfao: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx5-aOGphII&t=53s

It’s my morning alarm and my family hates it, but I’m an extremely heavy sleeper sooooooo guess I’ll just keep being a menace to society

#obey me #obey me! #obey me! swd #shall we date? obey me #lucifer obey me #mammon obey me #levi obey me #satan obey me #asmo obey me #beel obey me #belphie obey me #headcanons

[destiniesfic]

Hey, as someone who grew up around horses, the whole, it only took several days of hard riding to get from Kribirsk to Os Alta the whole country must be impossibly small thing always seemed a little off to me. Anyway, I decided to do the actual math. There’s not enough room to fit it all in this ask, but I found that the whole country is actually somewhere between 1,920,000-2,040,000miles^2 of country. For context a like more than half the size of the U.S. Not huge, but not tiny.

Same anon as earlier, this is the raw math if your interested. 6 days on horseback middle just over a third of country 16-17 days on horseback east to west 12 days on horseback north to south Trotting speed of a horse 8mph Canter speed of a horse 10-17mph. Horses trained for endurance can carry 100 miles per day. 100miles*6days=600miles 100miles*16-17days=1600-1700miles east to west. 100miles*12days=1200miles north to south. 1,920,000-2,040,000miles^2 of country. Thought it might be useful/interesting.

This is really interesting! Thanks, anon! I am always down for raw math. And I'm especially glad to have this reference for the speed of horses from someone who knows them well. In my original post (I think this is the one you mean?) I do agree with you, too! The few days of hard riding metric that you used to calculate distance makes the most sense for how big Ravka should be. I think a country of 2 million square miles would be a good size for the worldbuilding accompanying it.

It's funny that you sent this today, though, because I actually just did a Twitter thread on the size of Ravka based on the only solid distance info that we have (which is from King of Scars) between two cities marked on the map. Using the distance that we have stated in the text actually does work out to Ravka being too small. Comically small, in fact, for a country that's meant to be based on Russia.

The unfortunate thing about using horseback riding distances (and I agree that the "several days of hard riding" metric does yield the most reasonable country size) is that they've been inconsistent with even themselves. If those two cities are ~110 miles apart, it shouldn't have taken Alina and the Darkling as long as it did to ride from Kribirsk to Os Alta in the books. It might take the Crows 3 days' travel in the caravan to get from Kribirsk to Os Alta in the show? I do think that feels too short, though, for how big the country should be if it’s fulfilling a Russia-esque role.

(I always felt like the distance between Kribirsk and Os Alta was more like half or 2/3rds of the length of the country, but I just looked at 3 different versions of the map and it looked different on every single one. :/)

Anyway, thank you again for the horse math — I appreciate the work and thought you put in and wish that Ravka was indeed that big! I'm gonna go with your version of dimensions no matter what the books say.

#grishaverse #anonymous #ask

[silver-wield]

I wanna hear your thoughts on the scene where Cloud, Tifa and Barret just finished fighting that big machine when the were scaling the wall to go save Aerith. (Sorry I totally forgot the name of the boss) Where the platform they’re on totally gives way and they all start falling.

Just finished the fight, or pre and post fight? Imma do the latter anyway cause I love being validated when I saw something and had people tell me I was seeing things.

Ok, spoiler warning for ppl who haven’t played – do I still need to do this? Eh ok, (I tag FF7R spoilers as final fantasy 7 remake spoilers) and it’s gonna be reasonably long.

Also, this is one person’s interpretation of the scene, so if you disagree that’s cool and we’ll agree to disagree.

You’re also gonna have to excuse the janky quality on some of the screens, I’m grabbing them from Youtube and it’s frustrating af trying to get the exact moment I want.

Other analyses if anyone’s interested.

Shinra HQ vision scene (Cloti/plot analysis) 

Chapter 3 (Cloti reblog) 

Tifa character analysis 

Aerith Resolution (plot analysis/theory – I should probably update this since I’ve had other ideas since then) 

Train graveyard (not really an analysis, but I got some sweet screenshots of Cloti) 

Clotiscrew tunnel analysis 

Cloti reunion analysis 

The Promise Analysis 

Andrea’s approval (Cloti ask response) 

Leslie analysis (not mine, but a good read) 

Cloti action touching 

Aerti friendship analysis 

Cloti body language chapter 3 

Cloti healthy disagreement 

Now, strap in and enjoy the ride.

Recap time! So our trio have made it almost to the top of the collapsed plate in Sector 7 and they stop to take in the view. After that there's some banter and a boss fight and more action touching. I just wanna say before I start that a lot of this is at a distance, so it's not gonna be much of an analysis since there's so few close ups and all the body language is geared towards protective/rescue type movements, which is pretty obvious.

Gonna start with the pre battle image here of Cloud smiling after making a joke because certain people like to get it in their heads that he's being serious here because it’s a callback to the whole “merc/money” thing. The fact both Tifa and Barret chuckle and Cloud literally smiles – DO YOU SEE HIM SMILING HERE?! – has a pretty simple meaning that he's grown close to them. He's no longer that cold af mercenary who only goes on about money in a serious way. This is his version of camaraderie which suits his dry af sense of humour.

Ok, so our heroes are triumphant and pretty pleased about it. Just throwing this one in for context since what comes next is pretty fast paced.

While Barrett's crowing, Cloud's already noticed something's wrong. That's just how quick his reflexes are. Frowning, looking at the mech. He can tell something's about to go sideways.

KABOOM! Platform starts collapsing, taking Tifa with it. Cloud's speed off the mark here is almost too quick to capture. He goes after her before she even realises she's falling. He wasn't even facing her when she slipped. She made a noise and he turned. That's how attentive he is towards her. Like, fucking hell, man, I'm blown away more and more with every in-depth look at their interactions.

We know Cloud's graceful af from watching him fight (not to mention that dance scene), but honestly, this looks next level even for him! I think this is the only time he goes this far with his body language. He's got his arms wide for balance, legs bent, I mean, he is literally using the tilting platform to increase his speed. This takes so much skill I'm super impressed! And he did this without even stopping to consider what he needed to do. He just did it.

Tifa's reaching for the ground, not Cloud, btw. I don't think she's noticed him yet – he's not quite in her field of vision – so she's attempting to save herself because she's not some damsel.

And if you think this screen was easy to get, you're wrong. I've literally never seen this bit of this scene before, it happens that quick! Cloud leaps without even being able to see if he's lined up with Tifa. This looks like an instinctive action from him. This isn't something he's been taught, this is all him wanting to protect Tifa and going above and beyond to do it.

To further reiterate the last screen, he's just leapt at her and hoped for the best. I mean, he could've knocked into her and sent her flying, but he got his arm around her, swung them both around and then shot a grappling hook all in one smooth action. This is definitely SOLDIER!Cloud in the driver's seat if anyone was wondering. There's no way our poor flawed real!Cloud could do this without second guessing himself. That's why he's got the false persona, so it'll give him confidence in situations like this to protect the woman he loves.

Cloud's totally focused in the moment and relying on Tifa to hang onto him now he's got her. For her part, I think she's a bit “wtaf where am I?” because everything happened so quickly. She's got her eyes squeezed shut, so she was clearly scared she was about to die.

Well, I was trying to grab a different shot that proved my point Tifa had her eyes closed and opened them when she heard the grappling gun fire, but this one's better. Yet another part of this fast paced scene that I didn't quite catch because it all goes by so quickly.

Cloud's got his arm around her waist, while she's clinging to his shoulder. To be fair, this isn't a very secure hold by either of them, but highlights the urgency of the moment. He's not been able to get her in a secure hold so he needs to get her to safety quickly.

Tifa's not even gripping him, which validates how quickly everything happened and how she's not caught up to what's going on. Not surprising, really. This all went by in milliseconds.

I honestly wasn't going to screen this either. It's the part where Barrett's line breaks, but I caught sight of Cloud and Tifa in the corner and thought why not? You'll see the hold still isn't that secure and Tifa's legs are all over the place. I will say it looks like she's got a tighter grip on his shoulder from this angle, so that's something. And...is Cloud’s hand splayed on her butt? I don’t wanna say yes, but the angle of his arm is suspicious.

And this is why Cloud's so damn good at what he does! Barrett's line snapped and he saw him falling from his peripheral vision! How on the ball is this guy?!?! Damn, with everything he does throughout Midgar and – we can assume -- beyond I honestly don't know how he can think he's not a hero. He is definitely a hero. Not a perfect one, but damn, he absolutely brings 110% to everything he does!

Omg Tifa's hold is worse than I thought! She's got her hand flat against his chest. I mean, at least grab hold of his shirt or something! She's barely holding onto him, so this is all him with his arm around her waist making sure she doesn't slip. I've gotta forgive her, I mean, it was quick action and I sure af wouldn't move anything in case I fell whatever the distance is between them and the ground lol

Even though Tifa's position is precarious af, Cloud's still relying on her to be his partner in this situation. He can't save Barrett, so she has to.

This is just a nice shot of how graceful they both are. Reminds me of when they're in the drum separately and Tifa and Aerith fall off the pipe – Tifa lands on her feet, Aerith lands on her face – and then Barrett and Cloud fall off a platform and Cloud lands on his feet and Barrett lands on his ass lol

It's telling that these two have similar balance and grace in a fight – probably why they combo so well.

And if I said the above screens were hard to get it's nothing on this one! This happened between one second and the next! I replayed it a million times to get that shot of Cloud going to put his hand on Tifa's back because I knew that's where he had one of them, but damn, if that wasn't boss level rewinding to get!

Okay, obviously the focus is saving Barrett here, and with that in mind the second Cloud's feet hit the ground he tosses the grappling gun to one side and goes to help Tifa haul him up. He puts one hand on her back and grabs her forearm with the other, lending her his strength and support.

And there's the proof in case anyone doubted my eye. That is Cloud's hand on Tifa's lower back. His other hand is gripping her forearm out of frame. I mean, does he need to have his hand there? Is that supportive in the context of the situation? Wouldn't it make more sense that he has his arm fully round her to stop her slipping? I know some of yall would be like “yes, that's better” from a ship pov, but from an action pov it does make more sense that he's got her in a firmer grip. It's almost like part of him doesn't want to make that closer contact because it's too intimate and he's trying to be professional. It's SOLDIER!Cloud basically. Mr “I keep my distance”. The guy who got them through that whole mess. Which does go to show that Cloud relies on that SOLDIER persona to save everyone's asses, but it also makes him more detatched. However, when there's no danger, he's more himself again.

I'd like to point out that if he'd actually had a better hold on Tifa, like I pointed out, she wouldn't have fallen over because Cloud would've been bracing her more. As it is she's on her ass and after checking Barrett's in one piece – quick look – Cloud's offering his hand to Tifa. We can't see his face in this moment, but we could guess there's an element of oops about him since it was kinda his fault she fell over.

Some quick banter and it's onto the Shinra building.

Conclusion:

Ofc this is an amazing action sequence! Everything happens so quickly that you definitely have to back and watch it again, pause it and examine everyone's faces and body language to really break down the sequence of events and motivations – besides rescue.

Cloud is definitely living up to the SOLDIER hype, even though he's never been one. I wonder how he got so skilled. Is this CC stuff? Or is he just going for broke and getting lucky? It says a lot that he'll just dive into whatever danger is around when Tifa's life is on the line. But, he also trusts her to come through in a pinch too. He just had to say her name and she got his meaning. That's some beautiful synchronisation from them. They're showing how much of a unit they are. Battle couples are one of my favourite tropes and that whole mind reader part of it is just perfection to me.

Even though this is a scene of SOLDIER!Cloud at his best, that side of him also knows he can trust Tifa to support him, and even while he's being all business there's part of him that still yearns to be close to Tifa and has to resist.

#cloti #final fantasy 7 remake spoilers #final fantasy 7 remake analysis #battle couple at their best

[sarcasticcynic]

It’s a Crime

Image credit: Alex Brandon/AP/Shutterstock, via Rolling Stone

Republican and conservative apologists for Trump have adopted a two-prong strategy in their efforts to defend the indefensible, i.e., Trump asking multiple foreign governments to investigate his chief political rival, Joe Biden. First, they are trying desperately to redirect attention away from Trump and onto Biden. Second, they are proclaiming that, regardless of whether what Trump did was proper, “there’s no crime here.”

SIDE NOTE: Trump apologists find themselves saying that a lot. For example:

On July 8, 2017, Donald Trump Jr. issued a formal statement insisting that his infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian government lawyer was “primarily” about Russian adoptions.

Within 24 hours, Donald Jr. admitted that the statement was false, and that the meeting’s true purpose was to get dirt on Hillary Clinton for his father’s campaign.

Trump and his lawyers repeatedly denied that he’d had any advance knowledge of or anything to do with his son’s false statement.

On June 2, 2018, Trump’s lawyers admitted that Trump had actually dictated the statement himself, and lied to the public for nearly a year. They then argued that “misleading journalists is not a crime.”

This time, they’re wrong.

There is a crime here. Two, in fact (three if you count Trump’s efforts to conceal them as yet more obstruction of justice). They’re the very same crimes for which Special Counsel Robert Mueller originally declined to indict anyone due to lack of sufficient evidence to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Since then, Trump and his surrogates have been falsely proclaiming that the Mueller report was “Total EXONERATION,” and that all of the allegations against him and his campaign were entirely false, fake news, a witch hunt, a conspiracy theory, and the like. Trump apparently believed his own press, and ignorantly thought the lack of indictments meant he was free to ask foreign governments to interfere in U.S. elections on his behalf with impunity. The law begs to differ, as the Mueller report itself confirms.

(Please feel free to reread the Mueller report for yourself, if your recollection needs refreshing.)

Collusion

Volume I of the Mueller report spelled out that there is no such thing as the crime of “collusion,” the term that Trump and his team kept tossing around until everyone else adopted it. The actual criminal act would be “conspiracy.” From page 2 of the report:

“In evaluating whether evidence about collective actions of multiple individuals constituted a crime, we applied the framework of conspiracy law, not the concept of ‘collusion.’ ...collusion is not a specific offense or theory of liability found in the United States Code, nor is it a term of art in federal criminal law. For these reasons, the Office’s focus in analyzing questions of joint criminal liability was on conspiracy as defined in federal law.”

The crime of “conspiracy” requires “coordination” between two or more parties. The Mueller report also explained the specific legal meaning of “coordination” in this criminal context. From page 2 again:

“We understood coordination to require an agreement--tacit or express--between the Trump campaign and the Russian government on election interference. This requires more than the two parties taking actions that were informed by or responsive to the others actions or interests. ”

The Mueller report detailed multiple instances in which the Russian government took actions that it knew would benefit the Trump campaign. It also detailed multiple instances in which the Trump campaign had knowledge of the Russian government’s activities and took steps to maximize the extent to which they would aid the campaign. Finally, it detailed numerous instances in which the Trump campaign was “receptive” to offers of assistance from the Russian government, and actively concealed those offers. From page 5:

“[T]he investigation established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome, and that the Campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts.”

What was missing was evidence proving “coordination” beyond a reasonable doubt. The fact that Russia knew the Trump campaign would benefit from its actions didn’t prove that the Trump campaign had requested those actions. The fact that the Trump campaign knew that Russia was the source of stolen  information and capitalized on its release also didn’t prove that the campaign had asked Russia to do it. And although the report confirmed that Russia did expressly make “offers of assistance to the Campaign,” none of those particular offers ever came to fruition. Some examples:

Dmitry Klokov is a communications director for a large Russian electricity company, who had previously worked for Russia’s energy minister and had contacts in the Russian government. In November of 2015, Klokov offered his assistance to the Trump campaign, specifically offering the campaign “political synergy” and “synergy on a government level” by setting up an informal meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin himself. It never happened, because Michael Cohen erroneously thought Klokov was a former Olympic weightlifter of the same name so he never communicated the offer to anyone else on the campaign. (Pages 72-75.)

The Trump campaign spent months in 2016 trying “to arrange a meeting between the Campaign and the Russian government” regarding information “damaging to candidate Clinton.” But “No meeting took place.” (Pages 6 and 89-92.)

In the spring of 2016, a Russian named Henry Oknayansy a.k.a. Henry Greenberg contacted the Trump campaign and offered to sell “financial statements demonstrating Clinton’s involvement in money laundering.” The campaign declined to pay for it, however, and the purported documents never materialized. (Page 61.)

When the Trump campaign set up and attended meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian government lawyer on June 9, 2016, the campaign expected to receive “official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary.” But Russia provided no such information. (Pages 6 and 110-119.)

A Republican named Peter Smith spent almost a year leading up to the 2016 election trying to recover Hillary Clinton’s emails. He claimed to be working on behalf of the Trump campaign, and also claimed to be interacting with people “with ties and affiliations with Russia.” But Smith never received any emails, and moreover the Mueller investigation found no evidence to support Smith’s claims that he was actually in contact with Russian hackers. (Pages 62-64.)

Now, however, the Ignoramus-in-Chief has publicly solicited involvement in the 2020 election from multiple foreign governments. This is express evidence of “coordination,” the only piece Mueller was missing to prove a crime in connection with the 2016 election. And Trump just graciously supplied conclusive evidence of doing just that. If any foreign government takes action that could impact a U.S. election after Trump has requested it, that constitutes the “tacit” agreement that Mueller previously lacked--the final element of an illegal criminal conspiracy.

Knowledge

On June 9, 2016, Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort met with Russian representatives at Trump Tower, for the specific purpose of obtaining information from official Russian sources that they could use to help Trump’s presidential campaign and damage his opponent, Hillary Clinton. This violated federal campaign-finance law, because the campaign was expecting a “thing of value” from a foreign government. The reason Mueller did not charge them with any crime is that “the government would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that that the June 9 meeting participants had general knowledge that their conduct was unlawful.” From pages 187-188:

“The investigation has not developed evidence that the participants in the meeting were familiar with the foreign-contribution ban or the application of federal law to the relevant factual context. ... Additionally, in light of the unresolved legal questions about whether giving ‘documents and information’ of the sort offered here constitutes a campaign contribution, Trump Jr. could mount a factual defense that he did not believe his response to the offer and the June 9 meeting itself violated the law. Given his less direct involvement in arranging the June 9 meeting, Kushner could likely mount a similar defense. And, while Manafort is experienced with political campaigns, the Office has not developed evidence showing that he had relevant knowledge of these legal issues.”

In other words, Mueller concluded that the government could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that they specifically knew trying to get dirt on a political opponent from a foreign government was a violation of federal election law. Unfortunately for Trump, that anticipated defense is no longer valid.

Back in June, after the release of the Mueller report, Trump crowed that he would absolutely accept damaging information on a political opponent from a foreign power in the future: “There’s nothing wrong with listening. It’s not an interference. They have information. I think I’d take it.” When reminded that FBI Director Christopher Wray told political campaigns to notify the FBI if a foreign entity contacted them, Trump insisted: “The FBI director is wrong.”

Both Democrats and Republicans roundly criticized Trump’s remarks. The very next day, in response, the chair of the Federal Elections Commission promulgated a formal statement “reiterating, emphatically, that foreign assistance is illegal in U.S. elections”:

“Let me make something 100% clear to the American public and anyone running for public office: It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election. ... Anyone who solicits or accepts foreign assistance risks being on the wrong end of a federal investigation. Any political campaign that receives an offer of a prohibited donation from a foreign source should report that offer to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

Trump can no longer claim he doesn’t know soliciting damaging information on a political opponent from a foreign government is illegal. Nevertheless, he has directly solicited damaging information on his political opponent, Joe Biden, from multiple foreign powers. He is therefore guilty of not only a criminal conspiracy against the United States but also a violation of federal election laws. Either of these alone constitutes “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors”--i.e., an impeachable offense.

Not that any of this matters, of course. Trump will never resign, as Nixon did; that would make him a “loser,” his deepest fear. House Democrats will surely impeach him, but just as surely Senate Republicans will (as usual) elevate party above country, disregard all of the evidence, attack the Democrats, scream about Obama and supposed “deep state” conspiracies, and ultimately refuse to vote in favor of a conviction. The End.

#Trump #Donald Trump #President Trump #abuse of power #crime #impeachment #Trump impeachment #Trump lies #Lying Liars Who Lie #Biden #Joe Biden #Ukraine #law #legal analysis #elections #2020 election #foreign interference #Mueller #Robert Mueller #Special Counsel Mueller #Mueller investigation #Mueller report #Clinton #Hillary Clinton #2016 election #collusion #conspiracy #Trump campaign #Trump Tower #Trump Tower meeting

[desert-dyke]

I was tagged by @justnevilledup to post 10 songs I’ve been listening to (and then tag ~ten people to do the same but I’ll do what I want).I love talking music but overall I go through some weird music moods (which is why I think I’d be the worst dj ever) and lately its been a lot of lyricless electronic music and trying to branch out and listen to more music besides take on me by a-ha, even though everyone knows its the only good song ever created but im gonna attempt to do a decent survey of things ive been listening to

1. Take the Money and Run - Modulogeek

speaking of electronic, this is one of the songs ive recently discovered thanks to spotify and listening to video game soundtracks and going through my weekly discoveries, which includes a lot of OST from games i dont play but im still into it and somehow it got me here. I like the ~expressiveness~ of the song or whatever its cool and theres a link for ur enjoyment

2.  Run from Me . - Timber Timbre

Do you see a theme here? (Its gonna end with this one, I promise). Anyway a Timber Timbre has to make the list, and while Western Questions was a strong competitor, Run from Me is a more recent discovery. I’ve been listening to this band since hs but I’m still making my way through its entire discography and its always good to find a new jewel like this (or new in the sense that I’ve only started listening to its recently).

3. Gathering - the Horrors

speaking of bands ive been listening to since hs, we have the Horrors. While Something to Remember Me By was an immediate favorite from their latest album, this non-single has stood out as one of my favorites to drive through. From a band where its always a fun game of “is this a guitar or a synth I am listening to: the answer may surprise you” hearing an acoustic guitar gave me whiplash

4. Desert Song - My Chemical Romance

this will be the last from Bands I Listened to In HS and still do in Adulthood (or maybe not. Idk i am making this up as I go). Desert Song I only learned to appreciate more recently, but then again listening to it while in an actual  desert did put it into context. Plus it was the first MCR song I listened to after their reunion. 

5. See America Right - the Mountain Goats

This is the ultimate roadtrip song. I don’t have anything else to say, but i’m in that ~*~roadtrip headspace~*~

6. Bitch - Muddle

I’m copying this one from Allie, but I did only recently hear it like four days ago when I saw this band play live. They’re local (for me) female fronted punk band and the only downside of this recording is that it does not capture the sheer energy I felt seeing it live. There was an audience of fifteen people at the show, but I was ready for a pit. The song is about being called a bitch

7. Bike Ride - the Brobecks 

this song is just a mood. I am in Hell and yes I do have to tell someone now

8. Elegia - New Order

you can listen to the full 18 minute version of this song, or you can admit defeat and listen to the four minute abbreviated version. When I open my goth club, this will be the only thing that plays on repeat

9. Touch Tone Telephone - Lemon Demon

I can’t believe I am putting Lemon Demon on this list, but every song I’ve listened to by them has been A Fucking Experience. This song is about romance in its finest form and that is obsessively calling in to a radio station with ur conspiracy theories (and having a Big Gay Crush on the host)

10. M4 Part II by Faunts

this is the credit song for Mass Effect and I only recently actually listened to all eight minutes of its glory and while it wasnt my thing when I first beat the first game, it is 110% the type of music I am into now. I’d also argue its a big Shakarian Mood (or I guess whoever u ship shepard with)

I tag @thedarknessofheaven @dashcon-baby-official ​ @gayngel6 6​ @retired-crow @primary-colour​ @uranium-raye​ @nevermors @truck-sheperd​ to do this if you want

#thank you for the ask #i actually listen to i dont know how but they found me more than i listen to the brobecks but ive been enjoying bike ride a lot recently #and i kinda listened to idkhows ep to death at this point #i chose people i thought might enjoy an ask game but if its not ur thing thats ok just ignore this lol

[architectnews]

"We thought it was the end of New York City" say architects on anniversary of 9/11

Today marks 20 years since the World Trade Center in New York City was destroyed in a terrorist attack. In the final part of our 9/11 anniversary series, architects share their memories of the traumatic event and the impact that it had on architecture.

On 11 September 2001, the 110-storey World Trade Center towers in lower Manhattan, New York City, were struck by two planes hijacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists.

The attack, which claimed the lives of 2,753 people, sent shockwaves across the world and led many people to question the future of New York and high-rise buildings.

Today marks twenty years since the World Trade Center terrorist attacks. Photo is by Wally Gobetz

That day, a third plane also hijacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists struck The Pentagon, while a fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania as passengers attempted to regain control.

The four coordinated hijackings claimed the lives of 2,996 people.

"You knew immediately that something was not right"

Ung-Joo Scott Lee, the New York partner of US studio Morphosis, had just arrived at his office in the city after the first plane had struck the North Tower.

"You could see this gigantic black smoke in the sky because it was a beautiful, clear blue sky day and you knew immediately that something was not right," he told Dezeen.

In the office, he said "everybody hurtled around the conference room" where they watched the second aeroplane hitting the World Trade Center live on television.

"We thought it was the end of New York City," Lee recalled. "It was this crazy escape from New York situation that day, you were trying to run away from anything that had significant cultural value."

The 110-storey World Trade Center towers were once the tallest buildings on the planet. Photo is by Jeffmock

His memories are echoed by many other architects working across the US that day, such as Adrian Smith of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, who was "stepping into a meeting with the Trump executives" regarding Trump Tower in Chicago when he heard about the attack.

Upon hearing the news, they also turned on the television and watched the tragedy unfold.

"We saw the building collapse," he recalled. "Everybody was in shock, in shock about that and how could a building like that actually collapse," he continued.

"That was a very significant moment in time for architects and structural engineers in particular. Initially, they all wondered whether we're going to do any more supertall buildings."

Architects felt "involved with the problem"

James von Klemperer, president of Kohn Pedersen Fox, describes the event as what felt like a "direct assault".

"It had a visceral effect because you woke up and the ash was in the air," he told Dezeen. "It was this kind of inescapable feeling that you were part of the disaster."

He added that architects everywhere felt "involved with the problem because we're the ones who design buildings".

"The shock that comes with seeing the most robust and unassailable structures turned into powder was almost tangible," he explained.

The site of the Twin Towers has now been rebuilt. Photo is by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Eui-Sung Yi, the Los Angeles partner of US studio Morphosis agreed, stating that the event serves as a continual reminder of the role of architecture.

"For architects, 9/11 always reaffirms in somewhat of a macabre way the relevance of architecture in terms of its role, not only in terms of symbolic nature but in terms of history," he told Dezeen.

"We're always just reminded of the responsibility, that impact on the community and the people."

"It changed everything for me"

For some architects, the impact of the event was more personal.

"At the time, my six-year-old daughter was living on the lower east side," recalled Andrew Waugh, co-founder of London studio Waugh Thistleton. "It was two days before I knew she was ok."

"I managed to get a flight about a week later and stayed in an empty hotel and the ash still thick on the ground," he continued. "It changed everything for me, I grew up."

For Dan Winey, chief operating officer at Gensler, the event made him reassess his role as an architect and "think a lot about why we do some of the things we do".

However, one of his most harrowing memories of the tragedy came in the weeks following when he went to view the site of the Twin Towers from a neighbouring high-rise.

The buildings surrounding the area had been covered in protective shrouds of fabric, he said, but because of the debris and dust, they had shredded and turned black.

Read:

"Everything changed in architecture" after 9/11 attacks says Daniel Libeskind

"These surrounding buildings looking down on the site with this shroud waving in the wind, it looked like a veil over somebody mourning," Winey explained. "It was just... it was something that I'll never forget."

Studio Fuksas' founder Doriana Fuksas said that after the "deeply shocking and tragic day" she "tried to seize 9/11 as a new starting point from which we could restart and move forward".

"Architecture is not conceived for war or violence," she told Dezeen, "in my vision architecture belongs to everyone, it is a space for peace and participation."

She added: "Experimentation and innovation had to keep up, facing the emergency and offering new scenarios for architecture and people."

9/11 exposed "inescapable symbolism of architecture"

Italian architect Carlo Ratti, who had just joined MIT at the time of the attack, said he was struck most by how the tragedy "exposed the inescapable symbolism of architecture".

"It is not unusual for a casus belli to cast the built environment at the centre of the scene," he told Dezeen.

"However, the way in which the World Trade Center towers embodied the American values, as well as the sheer scale of destruction – not to mention how fast the images were broadcast globally – made this event unique on so many levels," he explained.

The rebuilding followed the Ground Zero masterplan by Daniel Libeskind. Photo is by Hufton + Crow

Founder and director of FOOD Dong-Ping Wong recalled a similar feeling from when he watched the events unfold with his roommates as an architecture student.

"I never understood how powerful the symbolism of buildings could be until that point," he told Dezeen. "That it could directly result in life or death."

"That the destruction of a building and what it represented could change an entire country's philosophy on nationalism and foreignness for decades."

Trust "will take decades to rebuild"

At the time of the attack, Alexandra Hagen was a newly employed junior architect at White Arkitekter, where she now holds the position of CEO.

She remembers 9/11 as "one of those markers in time that so clearly has a defined before and after" and believes that its impact on the built environment is still clearly felt today.

"In a few hours it robbed us of trust that will take decades to rebuild," she said. "Doors to many public spaces that were previously open to explore were locked for security reasons and have since not been opened."

She continued: "Where trust was damaged it was replaced with surveillance and control. However, it is only through rebuilding trust that we will be able to maintain the open and democratic society that we strive for."

One World Trade Center was built on the site of the attack. Photo is by Hufton + Crow

For OMA partner Reinier de Graaf, "the real significance of the moment only manifests in hindsight".

"At the time of the attacks, I was in Brussels presenting our proposal for the Image of Europe," he told Dezeen, "I remember the presentation being interrupted by someone storming into the room holding a bunch of printed news from the internet."

"Since 9/11, the US has progressively lost its global dominance facing China as an ever-more assertive contender," he explained. "In the context of an increasingly polarized world, Europe was and is an important project to pursue."

Ground Zero architects felt "moral obligation to do good"

Despite the initial feelings that the tragedy could lead to the end of New York, just two years after the attack, Daniel Libeskind won a competition to masterplan the rebuilding of the 16-acre World Trade Center site.

One of the first buildings to be constructed there was the One World Trade Center, which was completed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in 2014.

SOM partner Ken Lewis, who was project manager for One World Trade Center, describes working on the tower as "one of the greatest honours" of his career.

"It was an emotional experience in every way," he told Dezeen. "It had to be a symbol of New York's resilience in the face of disaster, a building that replaced the void in our skyline, as well as one of the most advanced towers in the world in terms of technology, life safety, and security."

Read:

9/11 anniversary: how the World Trade Center site was rebuilt

Georgina Robledo, a partner at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners who led the design of the 3 World Trade Center tower, described working on Ground Zero as "emotional" and "one of my top experiences".

Meanwhile, the director in charge of 4 World Trade Center, Gary Kamemoto of Maki and Associates, said the project was "a tremendous honour".

"We felt such a moral obligation to do good for the general public," he told Dezeen.

"Out of the tragedy has come a very positive outcome"

Kamemoto added that, while 9/11 was a tragedy, he sees "something wonderful that has emerged from it".

"The beauty of the redevelopment was the memorial park... it is not a cemetery, it's actually a public asset," he explained. "We do miss the great architecture that Minoru Yamasaki had built, but out of the tragedy has come a very positive outcome."

British architect Thomas Heatherwick said: "Twenty years on, either despite 9/11 or maybe directly in defiance of it, the city's special confidence seems to have come back".

A memorial was also built on the site. Photo is by Alejandro Gonzalez

He added that the attacks illuminated the value of shared community spaces, which have become more important than ever.

"The only light that can come from the shadow of a horrific tragedy such as 9/11 is that perhaps we can all realise the intense importance of cherishing each other a little bit more," Heatherwick said.

"And in this new time of global loneliness, where the digital realm can unwittingly keep us physically apart from each other, the role of shared space where we can all truly see each other is more critical than ever."

9/11 anniversary

This article is part of Dezeen's 9/11 anniversary series marking the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

The main image is by Michael Foran via Wikimedia Commons.

The post "We thought it was the end of New York City" say architects on anniversary of 9/11 appeared first on Dezeen.

#Architecture – Dezeen

[auskultu]

Records of the Year: The Beatles, The Beach Boys

David Griffiths, Record Mirror, 6 January 1968

The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

THIS ONE has historical value as a milestone in pop music, and in the art of recording, so it ought to be on everybody's list and in every pop fan's home. An obvious choice.

Still, I have a few things against it. The packaging, while fairly inventive and lavish, is not as attractive as it might be: dull, routine label, uninspiring reds on the inner sleeve and on the back cover, lack of clarity on the centre photograph.

Some of the lyrics have made me feel a trifle uneasy. The general level is so high that the whole album deserves to be judged by more stringent standards than one would normally apply to pop songs, and therefore sloppiness in Sgt. Pepper is all the more jarring. 'Getting Better' seems to me (I have to be careful because there's always the fear that I've failed to grasp a meaning!) to be badly put together: the person being addressed by the song is confusingly changed: teachers at school are spoken about, and directly addressed, the narrator confesses "I used to be cruel to my woman" but concludes with the line sung directly to her (or, perhaps, her replacement) "It's getting better since you've been mine."

Elsewhere in the lyrics there's a tendency to rely too much on ideas that are nonsensical rather than genuinely humorous, or on wild, haphazard juxtapositions (such as "newspaper taxis") rather than using imagination to make more logical connections. However. I'm not objecting to "newspaper taxis" or any other piece of whimsical imagery it's just that over-reliance on this device is not very creative. At times, the album gets a bit (self-consciously?) "poetic" and moves into that absurd, vague world where the hippies and the Eng. Lit. students meet, where words – rendered fuzzy with unmeaning – are used to intoxicate rather than illuminate the senses. Perhaps what I'm really deploring is not a certain aspect of Lennon and McCartney's talent but its effect on lesser imitators – songwriters, and journalists, less intent on communicating than on making a different-at-all-costs effect, gazing deep for their inspiration into round objects. I refer, of course, to crystal balls.

What is most admirable about Sgt. Pepper is the range, both musical and verbal. So very much is there – psychedelia, nostalgia, romance both real-life ('She's Leaving Home') and comedy-fantasy ('Lovely Rita'), death, and life-enhancing philosophy. George Harrison's 'Within You Without You' is a beautifully successful and adventurous statement in song of a Yoga truth. 'Fixing A Hole' strikes responsive chords in all of us concerned with problems of controlling our minds and making them work efficiently for us. Yet these ingredients (which could have been merely pretentious) are presented in a context of fun – for The Beatles have not forgotten how to be entertaining and enjoyable. I'm particularly grateful for the excitement of the cock-crow turning into the kicking off of the return of the Lonely Hearts Club Band, for the waltzing of Henry The Horse, and for the solemn style used in the daft finale of 'A Day In The Life' when we learn exactly how many holes in Blackburn (Lancashire) can be packed into London's Albert Hall.

This album points the way for the development of long-playing pop. Pop artistes with enough ability to sustain long-playing pop. Pop artistes with enough ability to sustain 40 minutes or so can think in terms of telling lengthy musical stories. Recording managers should now be much more prepared to use assorted sound effects and to make LPs (as advocated by George Martin) as artistic productions in their own right rather than as reproductions of concert performances.

The stereo copy of this record makes the effects much easier to hear than the mono but, after comparing both versions, I have to complain that the stereo mixing at the end of Sgt. Pepper's reprise is poor: Paul's spade-like screaming–terrifically exciting in mono–has been buried.

The Beach Boys: Smiley Smile

THE IMMEDIATE appeal of this record is (like Sgt. Pepper) its tunefulness. Unlike the West Coast's acid rockers — and their British imitators — The Beach Boys retain that fundamental human affection for pretty, melodic sounds. The play about with freaky effects (such as speeding up tapes on 'She's Goin' Bald' while making them still fit into the key — no mean feat) but don't go all out to hammer our ears into submission. Their harmonies don't go hurtfully far out and on the whole they stick to cunning use of SIMPLE noises — wind chimes, pouring water, bottle-blowing, chewing and laughing.

The ideas are (with the exception of the rather embarrassing 'She's Goin" Bald') funny and charming. The wistful craving for a little pad in Hawaii, for instance, is amusing to intellect and ear. The tempo changes, notably on 'Good Vibrations' and 'Vegetables', are luscious — and I still smile at every playing of 'Vegetables', which ends: "I know that you'll feel better when you send us in your letter and tell us the name of your favourite vegetable." (Anyone wishing to improve himself by this method should contact The Beach Boys, c/o P.O. Box 110 Hollywood, California 90028).

To enjoy the blend of voices to the full, I'd say stereo was essential for Smiley Smile. It's well recorded, though there's a slight lack of technical finesse. Doesn't matter, though — it's the genial, home-made mood that's so delightful. The cover paintings are primitive, suggesting (in the best way) childish enthusiasm. They're a worthy indication of the musical joy to be found within. The origin of the title is credited to Indian Wisdom: "The smile that you send out returns to you." You'd better believe It! My Christmas greeting to The Beach Boys is "Cheese."

P.S.: I've only been able to hear a small percentage of the enormous pop LP output. Commercial considerations have caused too great an output; we're not listening to the good discs enough, we're developing grasshopper ears. Most of the avowedly "progressive" (and usually "psychedelic") entertainers have, so far, proved disappointing. They prefer the bizarre and the ear-splitting to the attractive. Cultists who swim resolutely away from the mainstream have to found their cults on puny material. What's all this about Captain Beefheart? If Pepper can only make the rank of Sergeant we're not getting any nearer to justice!

#the beatles #beach boys #sgt. pepper's lonely hearts club band #smiley smile #LPs #albums #record mirror #psychedelic rock #1968 #1960s #sixties #60s

[viking369]

Music and Politics Rant

This is a long one. If you're looking for the TL;DR version, sorry oh denizens of Short Attention Span Theatre, there isn't one. This is cross-posted from my other blog. My oldest (Thing 1) and I recently had a debate over the relative musical merits of Kate Bush: I think she has merit, Thing 1 thinks she does not. It was one of those debates and ultimate disagreements that reasonable, educated people have that, far from being destructive, add the sort of spice to life to keep it from being an unrelieved death march. I'm not a fanboy for anyone, including Kate Bush. I long ago started thinking of her as the Charles Ives of pop music: a pile of interesting ideas that often deliver something significant but at least as often get in each other's way. Like Ives, people tend to either love her or hate her and have legitimate reasons for both positions, but tend to simply entrench for "reasons." And this sort of "debating" got me thinking (a dangerous prospect). The whole discussion with Thing 1 started when I watched a 2014 BBC documentary on Kate Bush. I thought it was pretty well done. It showed a number of intelligent, talented people who find merit in Bush's work. It interviewed Lindsay Kemp, who still had four years left in the tank at that point, and showed his influence on art rock at the time (basically everybody from Bowie on) (It also showed a couple of other things, perhaps without meaning to. It showed through Kemp's gestures the extent of mime vocabulary's influence on what might be characterized as "gay mannerisms", Kemp being a dancer and choreographer with heavy mime influence, having studied with Marcel Marceau. It also shows the difference between European artists and intellectuals and US pseudos. In the interviews, several people casually remark on having seen Kemp's "Flowers", based on Jean Genet's "Notre Dame des Fleurs". You would be hard-pressed to find any in the US to this day, outside of core LGBTQ+ culture, who have heard of Kemp, "Flowers", or even Jean Genet other than by reference.). And then toward the end it shows why rock critics as a group are ignorant, vicious little parasites. More on that below the fold, wherever the Hell that might be. Once upon a time I was in newspapers, and one of the things I did was write music reviews. It was a paycheck, and as I’ve noted elsewhere, I’ve always been closely involved with music. I wrote by two rules: 1) Be consistent, and 2) make it about the music on its own terms. On the first point, it doesn’t matter if the readers agree with you; they just need to know what to expect from you. If they know you don’t like a particular artist or a particular type of music, they can read you through the appropriate filter. The second point breaks in two. First, it’s about the music, not the people. I did not savage Van Halen because they were pricks who brutalized the little people who had to service their every whim. I went after Eddie Van Halen (who let’s face it was the real core of the band) who went shredding up and down the fretboard at random with no regard for chordal or modal structures (In fairness to Mr. Van Halen, he no longer plays like that and is a far superior musician than when every blockhead with a K-Mart electric six-string thought Eddie was God and gave us a generation of speed monkeys with zero musicianship.) (The speed monkey syndrome unfortunately spread to other instruments. It was the overwhelming norm among the Celtic fiddlers who followed Bonnie Rideout to Ann Arbor and insisted on playing faster than their talents, compensating by dropping notes out at random, and then blaming all the rest of us for all the ensemble issues. To all of you, I give an eternal, “Fuck you and the banshee of an instrument you tuck under your hiply stubbled chins and rape with your bows.”). Second, you have to put it in the music’s own frame of reference. It makes no sense to pan a Metropolitan Opera performance of Cosi fan Tutte because it isn’t a Black Sabbath concert. I realized early on that almost no rock music critics could grasp either of my rules (From this point on, you may assume that “Robert Christgau is a wanker” is flashing subliminally in the background.). From the beginning of such things, Rolling Stone has been the center of rock criticism (I just damned near wrote “crock recidivism”. I’m not a nice person.). It has also been the center of what is wrong with rock criticism for just as long. These guys were groupies. They were wannabes who couldn’t cut it, so they hung out with the guys who could, basking in the limelight. The reviews weren’t reviews, they were hagiographies. “The music must be great because I party with these guys.” “They must be significant because I party with these guys.” Everything was on a chummy, first-name-only basis (“Mick and Keith were really rockin’ it Thursday night.”) that became the norm for roughly forever (Cam Crowe slipped a screamingly funny joke about The Rocket’s review style in his movie Singles.). As tastes changed and their substance-abuse buddies died, faded away, or became arena bands (and now nostalgia bands playing the Peppermill in Wendover), Rolling Stone found itself unsuccessfully playing catch-up, jumping on every bandwagon that rolled down the street in a desperate attempt to get in front of The Next Big Thing and failing miserably. If it weren’t for Matt Taibbi, that rag would have no reason to exist. In the 70s other rags stepped into the breach, but they took the Stone’s style sheet and were all clones of one another. They couldn’t comprehend my rules, either. I remember one of these rags (probably Circus, but who honestly gives a shit at this point, they were fungible) going after every Harry Chapin recording because it “wasn’t rock.” Well no shit, Sherlock. Chapin wasn’t a rocker, he was a folkie, self-proclaimed, and condemning him for not being what he wasn’t was…well…not even wrong. Congratulations, rock critics, you just earned Stephen Frys’s second-greatest insult, right after “I almost care.” There was one exception to the Clone Wars: Creem. But that didn’t make it good, just different. Admittedly, Creem was covering a lot of things no one else was, including the early days of punk and all that was happening over at CBGB. But my gods the pretension. Memo to Lester Bangs: Just because you covered something doesn’t mean you invented it. Just because you came up with the label “punk rock” doesn’t mean you created punk rock. Punk rock was created by garage bands (US) and pub bands (UK) (I always envied the UK guys because no matter how, frankly, BAD you were, there was someone willing to book you. Here in the US? Not so much. Although you could always get homecoming and prom gigs if you were just another shitty cover band.) (Punk was spawned by my half-generation, the Late Boomers. The reason was simple: We were fucking sick and tired of the hypocrisy of the Early Boomers, our big brothers and sisters. They were the 60s Children, the Flower People, and they were still peddling that bullshit even though the wheels had fallen off the wagon and there was a global recession. They accused us of being self-centered for not “working for change” like them while they busily leveraged the huge advantage of having sucked up everything before we ever got on the scene. They took their 60s, corporatized, commoditized, packaged, and slapped a smiley face on them, and expected us to swallow it all without question. The problem was that we just didn’t believe hard enough in the dream. Meanwhile we were saying, “The fuck? Our dreams hit the wall at 110 per in Fall ’73! The wreckage is everywhere, but you dicks and everybody else is just stepping over it like it isn’t there!” We wanted to wave our private parts at them, so we did. Which is a long way of telling you Millennials that, if you lump the Early and Late Boomers together, your ignorance is showing. Yeah, there are plenty of Late Boomers who sold out [You hear me, Barry Obama? You sold us all out, but history will always remember you fondly because you landed between the Texas Turd Tornado and Hitler 2.0.], but we were the first ones to face the New Normal you folks are now dealing with. You need old wise men and women for your villages? Trust me, we’re available in hordes.) As yet another aside, there were garage bands, and there were garage bands. None of us were very good, but most of us wanted to improve to something resembling competency. The early punkers simply didn’t care (Hell, a lot of them, such as the New York Dolls, were so bad they made The Kingsmen sound like conservatory virtuosos. And the Noo Yuck critics, apparently on permanent bad acid trips from frequent visits to Andy Whore-wall’s Fucktory, kept rubbing out one after another for them all. “Daringly campy!” “A raw, animal sound!” Shit-shoveling by rapidly deteriorating white guys desperate to continue being perceived as bleeding edge.). Fortunately, this only lasted a few years before a lot of the punkers decided it maybe would not be so inauthentic if they actually learned how to play their instruments. I don’t care what John Lydon continues to blow out his ass, Black Flag was never boring. But I really can’t leave the topic of pretension without a mention of The Village Voice, the self-proclaimed font of all things cool and hip for over six decades and running. In reality The Village has been overrun with gentrifying yuppie scum straight off the set of Thirtynothing since before Rudy Giuliani parked his malignancy in the Mayor’s Office, and The Voice has followed suit. And Robert Christgau was at the center of it all. It has never ceased to amaze me how someone so admittedly ignorant could be such an expert on everything. He admits he is “not at all well-schooled” (understatement) in 50s and 60s jazz, yet he has reviewed jazz artists such as Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, and Sonny Rollins without any of that context and has declared Frank Sinatra the greatest singer of the 20th Century (A meaningless statement. How can you compare Sinatra and, say, Pavarotti? You can’t, and anyone with a lick of humility and two brain cells to rub together doesn’t even try.) while apparently ignorant of Nelson Riddle’s role in creating Sinatra’s best albums. He was an early promoter of punk, right through all the “authentic vs. poseur” wars, blissfully unaware that this was not a rebellion unique to punk but rather was a recurring fight in music, most recently before that in the “this is jazz/this is not jazz” that started with the rise of bebop after the Second World War, that caused a butt-ton of damage to the genre, and that Miles Davis was a pivotal player in until he finally got over it and put on that shiny red leather suit and released Bitches Brew, which Christgau unironically nominated to Jazz & Pop as jazz album of the year in 1970. He considers the New York Dolls one of the five greatest artists of all time. Please. The Dolls were influential, true, and for two reasons: 1) Their show was cheap and entertaining and so readily copiable and copied, and 2) their musicianship was so crude a half-trained baboon could cover it. Not exactly reasons to put them in GOAT contention. Finally, Christgau doesn’t like and is nearly completely ignorant of classical music. This tells me so many things, but two bubble immediately to the surface: 1) He has neither the music history nor the music theory to hold 90% (at least) of the opinions he’s been paid for over the last half-century, and 2) he’s a shallow little shit who needs to sit in a corner and STFU. And believe it or not, all that was just a warm-up to get around to John Harris. Toward the end of the Kate Bush documentary is a roundtable discussion of her latest album (Aerial) by several UK rock critics, including Harris. Harris makes the remark that the music sounds like something you’d hear in a department store and that it’s obvious Bush hadn’t been in a studio for 12 years. I’ll start with the statements themselves and then turn to their wider ramifications. Department store music? I’d like to know where Harris hangs out that this is the ambient Muzak. Let’s chalk this one up to hyperbole and move on to the “12 years” remark. He doesn’t really elaborate on this (not entirely his fault, given the roundtable format) so we can only speculate on his actual point. Do her pipes sound rusty? Not really. Does the technology sound dated? No (And trust me, I keep up. It’s not like I sit around listening to Sergeant Pepper’s going, “Oh wow, they played those tapes backwards!”), and even if it did, that would be one to lay on the producer and the engineer. Is the music dated? An ambiguous word, “dated”, but I’m afraid we’ve finally reached what Harris was driving at. By “dated” do we mean it doesn’t sound like other music being produced now? First, when has Kate Bush ever sounded like anyone else, and second when did sounding like everyone else become a standard of musical quality? It hasn’t and it shouldn’t, but I’m afraid this is the point Harris is trying to make. Perhaps, though, he meant this sounds like her old material. Saying that an artist is repeating themself is a helpful criticism, especially if you explain why you think so. Frankly that’s a point I can agree with; I find a certain sameness in her work since Hounds of Love. But that isn’t even remotely what Harris says. He says she sounds old-fashioned, which is never a useful comment, merely a pejorative one, and worse, a pejorative aimed not just at the artist but at the listener. You are listening to old-fashioned music. You are old-fashioned. You are outdated. Catch up! Under the best of circumstances, this is unmitigated bullshit. Coming from Harris, it is unmitigated bullshit that is part of a career full of it. Harris’s cred as a “serious person” essentially rests on his 2003 book The Last Party: Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock (repackaged in 2004 as Britpop: Cool Britannia and the Spectacular Demise of English Rock) and the follow-up BBC Four 2005 documentary The Britpop Story. His thesis is that 90s Britpop was the last great shining moment for UK pop. No, really. At this point, let facts be placed before a candid world. The UK has been a popular music powerhouse for quite awhile, and by “powerhouse” I mean a global influence. Let’s start arbitrarily with Gilbert & Sullivan, pass the baton to Ivor Novello, and then to Noel Coward. The Second World War made hash of it all, and the post-war generation found that the US had stolen the baton, but rather than going gentle into that not-so-good night, both the rockers and the mods invaded the US and stole much of the thunder back. This continued into the 70s, whether you’re talking about arena bands, metal, prog rock, or punk, and on into the 80s, again whether you’re talking about power pop, synthpop, or New Wave. Big influences that can still be heard around the world. Compare Britpop. The whole point of Britpop was to be a calculated foil for Grunge and as safe and marketable as possible, the perfect theme music for the Tony Blair years. It has so little edge it couldn’t leave a mark on a piece of talc. Its influence has been negligible except as a template for profitable pap. In 1997 the whole sham came unraveled as Oasis released the bloated disappointment Be Here Now and Blur abandoned the field to join the US “lo-fi” movement. Their lasting influence is Coldplay, and let’s be honest, if Coldplay is your gold standard, I’m afraid you actually have a pyrite mine. But Harris thinks Britpop was the shining end of UK rock. There are a number of holes in this assertion; two are glaring. First, there are still plenty of new bands in the UK churning out good stuff (That Harris seems blissfully ignorant of these bands makes me wonder just who is out-dated and needs to catch up.). Look them up yourselves; I’m not falling into the trap of naming a few here. Suffice it to say they’re diverse, and you’re likely to hit on several you consider acceptable regardless of your musical tastes. They’ve even been having an influence in the EU, but we’ll see what Brexit brings (Influence in the US? Not so much since we have reached a level of insularity here that rules out anything beyond our borders having merit, in spite of having access to it all on The Interwebz.). And these bands have a Hell of a lot more to offer than the Britpop slag did. Which brings us to glaring hole two. As noted previously, Britpop didn’t really have an impact. None outside of the UK, and damned little in the UK on any time scale longer than the life of a mayfly. Britpop was a nothingburger with a side of flies and a So? Duh! Harris, though, raises this localized, ephemeral phenomenon and turns it into the last scion of the UK pop tradition. This should just be considered a bad case of the sillies, except that Harris’s new schtick is political commentary, especially for The Grauniad. In keeping with The Graun’s policies, his position is “Support Remain but maintain that ‘both sides have merit’.” Which raises his Britpop position from silly to ironic, because Harris’s thinking on Britpop (“It was important in the UK, ergo it was IMPORTANT!”) is just the sort of insular, UK=World mentality that made Brexit possible. Brexit happened, for the most part, because of a bunch of people who believed that, whatever the puzzle was, the UK was the only piece that mattered. Harris’s elevation of Britpop on so high a pedestal rests on the same belief, even though he’s a Remainer. So it’s unintentionally ironic. It’s symptomatic of a malignant mindset. And it’s still silly. And so I give you Christgau and Harris, Exhibits 1 and 2 in my case for the beyond-uselessness of rock critics. And the former is still being allowed to write revisionist histories of the music of the last half-century while the latter is still being allowed to…well…write. What a world.

[hnotcommunity]

BLOG 1:

utilise readings to describe factors that allow communities to flourish and then compare these findings to low socio-economic townships/inner city and the life within the context you are working in. 

A week ago, if somebody asked me what a community is, an eager Henna would've probably jumped at the opportunity to provide the oxford dictionary definition! She would've said with her head held high, a community is defined as a group of people who live in the same place and share certain commonalities (Oxford Learner's dictionaries, 2019). I may have even included some OT jargon in my definition; adding that they share similar values, beliefs and cultures. The truth is, before entering the community block, I had my own preconceived ideas about what a community comprises of.

Spending a few days in community A and B has made me realize that my highly prestigious, oxford dictionary interpretation of a community has been quite shallow. In reality, a community is both simple and complex, it is isolated yet intertwined and it most definitely cannot be defined in a single sentence. Being a community based occupational therapy student, it is vital to understand what a community is so we can promote positive change. Which brings me to the question, what actually makes a community flourish? And how can I, as an OT student facilitate prosperity in the communities of which I have been placed in.

After day 1 of being in the community, I knew the first thing I had to do was let go of Oxford dictionary!!!! Upon research, I stumbled upon a concept - Community wellbeing. Community wellbeing speaks to the social, economic, environmental, cultural and political factors which are necessary for a community to thrive (University of Minnesota, 2016). It was noted that for a community to be successful, there needs to be; equity, livability and connectedness.

So what is equity? Equity is concerned with justice; it is the idea that all individuals should be treated equally and allowed the same life opportunities. I thought long and hard about this term, and the more I thought, the more frustrated I got. Within a week at the community I was able to identify so many inequalities which have just become the "way of life" for so many community members.  

Which made me think: WHY ???

I narrowed it down  to the legacy of apartheid. Historically, communities A and B were areas where non-white South Africans were displaced and forced to live during the Apartheid era. Owing to this, many community members grew up in an environment where they were denied their basic human rights and were disadvantaged by inadequate resources and opportunities. In an article I read about Equity in development, Jones talks about how there is a pattern of inequality that is reinforced through each generation owing to inherited circumstances (Jones, 2009).

Upon a school visit in community A, my colleagues and I were trying to arrange a 4 week programme with the grade 9 students. In speaking to the grade 9 coordinator, I casually asked her "Well, in which periods are their free's held?" … to my embarrassment, she was very confused. It was my understanding that all schools have free periods where students could either get extra help from teachers, catch up on assignments or study for tests and exams. I was well aware of this free period, because it helped me get through matric!! However, in community A where the schools are underfunded, over crowed and run by overworked teachers; having a "free" period is unheard of.  The schooling environment and opportunities is just one example of an evident inherited inequality which was noted when I compared my schooling career with a student from the high school in community A.

   Moving past equity, the next concept identified was livability. While this was a foreign word to me, I realized that it was just a fancy way of referencing a communities infrastructure. According to AARP, a livable community is one that is safe and secure, has affordable and appropriate house and transportation options and offers supportive features and services (AARP LIVABLE COMMUNITIES, 2019). Once again, owing to the effects of apartheid, both communities A and B have inherited land which comprises of RDP housing and a growing number of informal homes. A problem which I found in the community, is gaining access to supportive services.

For example, both communities have clinics available. When screening at the clinic in community B, a lot of the individuals said that they would be unable to return to the clinic within the next 5 weeks. As most community members live below the poverty line (which to my better understanding, was GREATLY inherited) a majority of the community members do not have money to take a taxi and come receive the offered services. If they cannot access health care, they do not have the opportunity to be educated on their health nor can they receive the necessary interventions. This effects their function across all areas of occupation, which further contributes to the cycle of poverty. In my opinion, and from what I've observed, the livability of any community is highly dependent on ACCESS and EDUCATION.

The last concept was connectedness, which refers to the connection fostered by a communities social networks (University of Minnesota, 2016). In a nutshell, it is understood that a community will flourish, if it is supported. This refers to concepts such as social cohesion, civic engagement, and social support.  In both communities, I was overwhelmed by the welcome I received as an OT student. When walking along the street, you are 110% guaranteed to be greeted with a "How are you".. When in the clinic, I received referrals for friends and neighbors who were considered during health promotion speeches. The support that community members have for one another is commendable, and is also one that goes over and above when compared to the community in which I grew up in.

The concept of community was redefined for me in the past week. According to UNIVERSITY …. a community clearly requires systemic things to flourish. Initially, I believed that as an OT I needed to be the vehicle to affect change for the community and by the end of my block, the community would be great! However, I have soon come to realize that it takes a movement. And the way forward is not to be the OT WHO IS MAKING CHANGES but rather the facilitator who is empowering community members, listening to the CCG's and working alongside the NGO's to promote sustainable growth, even after the block has finished.

With that being said, I look forward to the journey which awaits in the next few weeks and I anticipate working WITH the community rather than FOR the community.

 AARP LIVABLE COMMUNITIES. (2019). Retrieved July 12, 2019, from What is a livable community: https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities/about/info-2014/what-is-a-livable-community.html

Jones, H. (2009, November). Equity in development: Why is it important and how to achieve it.

Oxford Learner's dictionaries. (2019). Retrieved July 12, 2019, from Oxford univeristy press: https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/community

University of Minnesota. (2016). Retrieved July 12, 2019, from What is community wellbeing: https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/enhance-your-wellbeing/community/what-community-wellbeing

[theeprogression]

A Guardian at the Gates of Harlem

Naqi Cruz

October 6th 2017

 A Guardian at the Gates of Harlem

Black America is in the process of reevaluation, conducting a critical analysis of its existence. It is not an unprecedented phenomenon for us to experience this state of mass reflection. We have replicated it throughout the generations. It is a necessary evolutionary experience that leads to organized action such as Abolitionism, the 1964 Civil Rights Act and even today’s #BlackLivesMatter movement. Furthermore, there’s a correlation between our mass reevaluation and the occurrence of once seemingly unfathomable revelations about the American ethos, the condition of humanity and Black identity. From these revelations come targeted organized action, a natural progression. So it should be no surprise we are casting a critical gaze upon the symbols of white supremacy so blatantly apparent in our society, such as certain flags and monuments. This is a noble and absolutely necessary endeavor. Nonetheless, it is also important to appreciate artworks that pay tribute to the progress of Black America. This past September, I chose to evaluate the form and content of the Frederick Douglass Memorial in what I once considered the Southern border of West Harlem in New York City.  This memorial symbolizes Black perseverance overcoming detrimental circumstances.  

I discovered this memorial in the summer of 2010, the year it was constructed. The six year anniversary of the site’s official dedication was on September 20th, 2017. I cannot thank sculptor Gabriel Koren and designer Algernon Miller enough for this priceless work of art. The entire memorial sits atop a traffic circle surrounded by residential buildings, specifically located on Central Park North and Frederick Douglass Blvd. (West 110th street and 8th Avenue). The bronze sculpture of Frederick Douglass is considered to be of “heroic scale” according to its official description. However, it is of relatively modest size compared to its Central Park South-Columbus Circle counterpart. That is, the memorial site and statue itself is much less grand than the Christopher Columbus monolith that dominates Columbus Circle, just a few miles south of the Douglass memorial. The seventy-six foot Columbus construct dwarfs the eight foot Douglass statue. Although they are two separate works, their scale ratio is symbolic. The Columbus statue towers over the affluent traffic circle, surrounded by high end retailers, corporate giants like Time Warner and even President Donald Trump’s International Hotel. It is fitting the Columbus monolith is located among a concertation of phalli named after the pirate himself.  Relative to other statues of notable leaders, one could argue the Columbus monolith projects a scaled hierarchal concept. This glaring inconsistency becomes more obvious when one contemplates the individuals' merits and experiences in the context of their era and circumstance.  Christopher Columbus is infamous for spending the better years of his life orchestrating the oppression of others and pillaging their native lands. Mr. Douglass on the other hand experienced unfathomable hardships throughout his life-long battle to rid himself and others of oppression, an oppression birthed in the superiority complexities like “Manifest Destiny.” As the case with the majority of Black Americans in the early 1800s, Mr. Douglass was born into slavery and raised not to know his heritage. Illiteracy, malnutrition and bodily harm are but a few of the affects caused by enslavement he endured. He ultimately seized his freedom and became magnificently successful in spite of unparalleled physical and psychological oppression. Undeniably the Frederick Douglass memorial symbolizes much more than the amount of construction materials used or land allotted for the project. It is a portrayal of his intellect, perseverance and honor. Three ideals Douglass upheld while withstanding several adversarial ideologies. He was subjected to systematic psychological oppression and overcame it. Such comprehensive oppressive ideology produces violent manifestations like slavery and the Jim Crow laws. This memorial signifies our powerful heritage and the protracted war of Black Americans to protect our heritage.

      The three-dimensional bronze Douglass sculpture is in a naturalistic style despite being increased in scale to eight feet. The surface is smooth to the touch. It is flanked by geometrical cubic and triangular blocks made of granite and a bronze fountain wall complete with flowing water (all of which are three-dimensional constructions). Mr. Douglass’ facial expression can be described as hardened. His gaze is aimed northward up Fredrick Douglass Blvd, overlooking Harlem, like a lighthouse overlooking its harbor. The free-standing Douglass sculpture is leaning slightly more on his left leg with his left arm relaxed. His right hand is resting firmly on a lectern, he was a renaissance man and a noteworthy orator.

           The memorial consists of two-dimensional aspects as well. A constellation of stars depicting the Big Dipper and the North Star are engraved along the fountain wall. These inscriptions represent the stars that were utilized as navigational tools to reach the Underground Railroad, the elaborate network of secret routes and safe houses organized by revolutionaries, abolitionists, and humanitarians so slaves could escape bondage and seize their freedom. The written words are another aspect of two-dimensionality and are engraved on the memorial. These words are actual quotes from Fredrick Douglass himself! Many of them express powerful ideals with letters all capitalized such as, “RIGHT IS OF NO SEX – TRUTH IS OF NO COLOR…” part of the motto for a weekly paper he published called The North Star.

           This memorial and the life of Fredrick Douglass are invaluable testaments. Still, almost 200 years since the birth of Frederick Douglass in 1818, America still struggles with achieving equal rights and enforcing justice. Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist, activist, orator, writer, publisher, and statesmen among many things. He would have been an enemy to someone like Columbus. The pioneering actions of Mr. Douglass are prime examples of so-called American values. As a leading forefather not only in advocating for Black people, but on behalf of advancing the rights of women and the preservation of the union through his consultations with President Lincoln, Frederick Douglass is among those who dedicated their lives to the multifaceted battle for collective emancipation of body and mind. This can seldom be compared. This battle is one Black people around the world still struggle with today and this memorial represents the infinite potential one can conjure even in the face of the bleakest circumstances.  

#BLM #blackHistory #ows #frederick douglass #abolotionist #art #memorial #Harlem #New York City

[architectnews]

9/11 led to "a renaissance of tall building design" say skyscraper designers

The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center threw the safety of skyscrapers into the spotlight, but since then they have become taller and more ambitious. As part of our 9/11 anniversary series, we look at how skyscraper design has changed over the past 20 years.

Following the attack on the Twin Towers on 11 September 2011, which caused the pair of 110-storey skyscrapers in lower Manhattan to collapse, many people questioned the future of tall buildings.

"We thought [9/11] would put an end to the ambitions to build tall for a long time," said James von Klemperer, president of Kohn Pedersen Fox, which is responsible for designing four of the world's 10 tallest skyscrapers.

However, instead, there has been a surge of skyscraper buildings in the past 20 years.

"It's not a question of opinion, the fact is it hasn't stopped us from building tall," Von Klemperer told Dezeen. "Since then, more tall buildings have been built than existed before."

"So you could say it's kind of a renaissance of tall building design and development that happened after September 11."

"Idea of skyscrapers as a symbol of progress has really never gone away"

Alongside a surge in the number of tall buildings over the past 20 years, the height of skyscrapers being built has also dramatically increased.

According to Ken Lewis, partner at architecture studio SOM, which designed the world's tallest building, "one of the most significant changes" to skyscraper design over the last two decades has been the rise of supertalls – buildings that are over 300 metres in height.

"The immediate response to 9/11 as it relates to skyscrapers was that no one would ever want to build above a tabletop again," Lewis told Dezeen.

"Obviously that has not been the case, in fact, the proliferation of supertalls around the world has been unprecedented."

The collapse of the Twin Towers led architects to reconsider the safety of skyscrapers. Photo by UpstateNYer

"In 2000, there were about 25 supertall skyscrapers in the world," he continued. "Today, there are more than 200, with many more under construction. The idea of skyscrapers as a symbol of progress and power has really never gone away."

Eui-Sung Yi, partner at Los Angeles and New York-based Morphosis, told Dezeen that the 9/11 attacks directly led to the creation of ambitious supertall buildings.

"The reason why the towers were targeted was because of their symbolic and iconic stature," he told Dezeen.

"So that reason a skyscraper exists has not gone away, and if anything it probably proliferated it."

Attacks brought building security to "front and centre"

Assisting this increase in skyscrapers and supertalls have been significant improvements made to both their physical and operational security.

Some architects attribute this directly to 9/11, which Chris Lepine, director at UK studio Zaha Hadid Architects, said placed security and life safety at the "front and centre" in the immediate aftermath.

"Physically, protection to the base of a building with vehicle barriers and blast-resistant cladding was a predominant criterion," he told Dezeen.

"Logistics and building access were scrutinized with no parking below sensitive portions of any building."

The supertall Burj Khalifa began construction just three years after the attacks. Photo is by Wael Hneini

KPF's Von Klemperer believes this led to a proliferation of closed-off buildings that became "untenable as citizens in the cast of characters in the city".

As such, architects now have to work "extra hard to look for ways to contribute to the well being of the public" when incorporating security measures into a building, he said.

Techniques include disguising bollards as seating and implementing smart building technologies such as facial recognition that track building occupants without slowing their entry.

"No one wants to build an unwelcoming fortress," added Lepine. "So clever solutions continue to be developed with security systems greatly enhanced by smart technologies that control all levels of building access."

Egress route designs were revisited

In SOM partner Lewis' opinion, "the most direct way that [9/11] impacted skyscraper design is not viewable from the outside", with many countries beginning to collaborate on sharing building codes and best practices for skyscraper designs.

"The aftermath of that day precipitated the incorporation of international building codes into the local codes around the world," he said.

"Today, there is extensive overlap among building codes everywhere. The fact that there is a more universal standard has allowed architects and structural engineers to share information and lessons about successes and efficiencies in core and life-safety design."

Georgina Robledo, associate partner at UK studio Roger Stirk Harbour + Partners, which designed a skyscraper on the World Trade Center site, told Dezeen that one of the biggest changes to the building codes relates to egress, following a review of the evacuation of the Twin Towers.

There were only a few narrow staircases in the World Trade Center, which led to a slow evacuation after the attacks.

Scissor stairs are now discouraged and more logical pathways to multiple egress points are required. Wider stairways and backup lighting have also become mandatory.

A dedicated elevator that is protected for firefighters to use in an emergency is increasingly common, alongside lifts for occupant evacuation as an alternative to stairways.

"So there are alternate means of egress and the separation of those," Robledo said. "So you can always enter a stair core, and if that stair in the lower levels gets compromised, you can re-enter the floorplate and change."

The elevator technology used in skyscrapers has also vastly improved in terms of velocity and efficiency in moving people across floors, meaning people can be moved out of a building quicker than before.

High-strength concrete has become commonplace

The materials that are used to build skyscrapers have also been reconsidered in the past 20 years. The building cores that contain these egress routes are now typically built with high-strength fireproof concrete.

At the original World Trade Center, the stair cores of the Twin Towers were contained within low-strength Gypsum-board sheets or drywall. Following the attacks, this meant they disintegrated at the impact zones and trapped building occupants above them.

"9/11 really drove home the critical nature of the building's core and of everything that is within the core," said SOM partner Lewis.

High-strength concrete cores are now commonplace, and large amounts of specially designed reinforcing bars are typically incorporated to help shield them.

One World Trade Center by SOM was built on the site of the Twin Towers. Photo is by Hufton + Crow

Staircases in modern skyscrapers are highly pressurised too, meaning they prevent smoke from seeping through closed doors to better facilitate escape and firefighting access.

"The hardening and the pressurisation of the stairs allow for space that is ventilated, but is not compromised by the risk of smoking during a fire event," Robledo added.

Built-in redundancy used to prevent collapse

Over the past two decades, engineers have also developed ways to create structures with built-in redundancy – meaning skyscrapers are typically designed against progressive collapse.

Progressive collapse is the structural failure of a building that results when a key structural element fails and causes the failure of adjoining elements. This is what happened at the World Trade Centre following the attacks, as the fires and high temperatures that resulted from the collisions led to sagging floor plates and in turn, the buckling of the steel structure.

Adrian Smith, who designed the world's tallest building while working at SOM and co-founded skyscraper specialist studio Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, said that built-in redundancy prevents structural failure as damaged elements transfer their load elsewhere.

"If there was another plane strike on a supertall, the idea is that if it takes out a column or so that the other columns are strong enough themselves to pick up the load that's displaced by the missing structure," Smith told Dezeen.

This played a big part in Smith's design of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, which began construction just three years after the terrorist attacks.

"Bigger effort" to create mixed-use highrises

Other changes to skyscraper design over the past 20 years that are not attributed to the events of 9/11 include the increase of towers with a mixed-use programme, rather than those dedicated solely to offices.

Morphosis partner Ung Joo Scott Lee said this is one of the most positive changes in skyscraper design as it ensures that these structures are a benefit to the wider community.

Mixed-use skyscrapers such as KPF's Azrieli Tower have become increasingly common

"From a positive point of view, I think the discussion of the tower typology has changed a lot into one where programmatically, how do you make things that can help the communal aspect of a tower," he told Dezeen.

"There's a much bigger effort in cautiously understanding how to truly create mixed-use tall towers...to allow multiple tenants and different kinds of spaces to come together."

Skyscraper design conducted "in a virtual world"

Envelope design has also improved, with the aim of enhancing the environmental performance of skyscrapers.

"The performance of the envelope has been enhanced, and that allows for better solar control, better energy efficiency on these buildings," Robledo explained.

"It's about energy efficiency," she continued. "You are at a point that the higher you go, the less of the context you have to create shadow or to create protection."

According to SOM partner Lewis, this improvement has been guided by digital technology, which ensures towers can be built "in a way that makes more economic sense than it used to".

"Computational design has advanced so much that we are able to work on these supertalls in a way that is far more efficient – iterating them hundreds, if not thousands, of times more than we could at any point in the past," he explained.

"The design is done fully three-dimensionally in a virtual world in which we create digital twins for operational and environmental efficiency."

9/11 anniversary

This article is part of Dezeen's 9/11 anniversary series marking the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

The main photo is by Ahmed Galal via Unsplash.

The post 9/11 led to "a renaissance of tall building design" say skyscraper designers appeared first on Dezeen.

#Architecture – Dezeen