#channeling the 2012 life with personal welcome messages

[verywell-carryon]

#hello #welcome to my blog #endeavourson #channeling the 2012 life with personal welcome messages

[kicksaddictny]

Video: STAYME7O Propel SS21 “A BLACK FUTURE”

Carmelo Anthony presented the inaugural collection of the STAYME7O PROPEL Program, titled PROPEL SS21 “A BLACK FUTURE,” via a hyper-real 3-D digital show during New York Fashion Week. Anthony collaborated with emerging and established Black design groups including Barriers Worldwide, DIEM, The Brooklyn Circus, Demestik, Ghetto Gastro, TIER & Shakira Jovanni to create a piece of clothing that honors their shared vision of the Black movement.

Derived from Anthony’s passion for sartorial creativity and his desire to honor the Black creative community, the STAYME7O PROPEL Program reimagines the cultural landscape and creative spaces where diversity has been underserved, starting within the fashion industry. This unique platform will focus on the movement for Black independence, freedom of expression and how Black creativity always has, and continues to, move and change the world around us. This initiative champions not just emerging fashion talent but honors a vision of Black excellence that inspires a culture to create and move further, together. Throughout the design process for the PROPEL SS21 collection, the seven designers considered their visions for a Black Future and what it meant to them. Throughout history, Black people have suffered and continue to suffer discrimination and systemic oppression. At a time of unquestionable change, collective communities must intentionally reflect and unapologetically reawaken the civil rights movement to create transformation and opportunities that for so long were withheld or denied to the Black community. Anthony’s goal for the STAYME7O PROPEL Program is to amplify the historically marginalized and underrepresented voices to address their own message and carve the future they, themselves, plan to progress. The STAYME7O PROPEL SS21 collection featured in ‘A Black Future’ is now available for pre-order at www.stayme7o.com.

TIER TIER is a New York City based Creative and Fashion brand founded by Brooklyn-natives Nigeria Ealey, Esaie Jean-Simon and Victor James. Tier believes that “Art Never Dies”. What’s most important is the impact you leave on Earth; your impact is your art. What will you be known for? What did you accomplish? What change have you made? Tier’s sole purpose is to scale this impact by fusing design and culture with the lifestyle of everyday wear. It is important for us to share our stories and inspirations through our garments as a collective and as individuals. We design to create memorable moments and challenge artistic interpretation. When it comes to fashion, comfort is our standard while implementing functional and future-forward thinking.

Ghetto Gastro Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao and Lester Walker are the Bronx-born creative collective known as Ghetto Gastro, defining their own lane that transcends food, art, music, fashion, and design. The Bronx is part of the team's lifeblood, and every piece of the Ghetto Gastro universe is meant to uplift and celebrate the borough, and other places like it, as an unsung driver of global culture. Since inception in 2012, the collective’s work to explore global food traditions through the lens of the African diaspora has led to its masterminding events for fashion designers, artists, entrepreneurs, musicians, and organizations, including Virgil Abloh, Rick Owens, Naomi Campbell, the Serpentine Galleries, the Museum of Modern Art, and many more. After nearly a decade of breaking down boundaries between cultures and cuisines, Ghetto Gastro is making 2020 a marquee year— releasing a custom line of kitchen appliances, seasonings, and kitchenware, producing a forthcoming television series, and continuing to bring The Bronx to the world and the world to The Bronx.

Shakira Jovanni Shakira Jackson, founder and designer of Shakira Javonni, was born and raised in Queens, New York. Drawing inspiration from her immediate environment and “people watching,” Shakira is known for demonstrating her sartorial individuality by utilizing her creative foundation of garment construction, pattern-making, tailoring and most recently chainstitch embroidery. Her belief in sustainability has become central to her creative process. “With fashion being the second most polluting industry on Earth, I hope to impact the footprint any way possible”. By utilizing already existing garments over buying new garments she was able to vastly reduce the amount of waste from her process. Second to sustainability Shakira Jackson draws on the notion of artistic discovery. By merging textures, and being malleable with fit, she is able to make bespoke one of one garments that encourage personal style and individuality. Heavily committed to embracing and celebrating the culture, she desires to make an impact by continuing to create pieces that empower the Black imagination, the freedom of self-expression all while supporting greater unity within the community.

The Brooklyn Circus Ouigi Theodore, Creative Director, cultural connector & lead curator of The Brooklyn Circus has cultivated a unique style that has garnered recognition not only among the fashion pundits of New York, but also from streetwise fans across the world. He has established himself as a trend forecaster for advertising and marketing agencies looking to get an edge in the fashion market and consulted on campaigns for the likes of Hennessy/LVMH, Toyota, Casio G-Shock, American Express, PF Flyers, Liberty Fairs, ENVSN FEST, New Balance, Reebok, Deutsch Advertising, Sennheiser Audio. As founder of The Brooklyn Circus, he looks to tell the story of style throughout American history and to emphasize the power of presentation. In doing so, BKc wants to change the way Americans dress, one iconic silhouette at a time through the 100-Year Plan.

DEMESTIK Reuben Reuel is the Designer and Creative Director of DEMESTIK. A native of Virginia Beach, VA with ancestry from West Africa, his designs take inspiration from the past, present, and future to create a universal language all its own.Through a timeless-first focus, he pulls inspiration from his own cultural experiences and imagination merged with places unknown. His versatile and effortlessly chic designs encourage audiences to discover the truth of self-love and happiness; garments that lift your confidence and welcome grace from both yourself and the real world. Reuben Reuel believes how you feel in this life is significant. Define the feeling and design your life with DEMESTIK. 

DIEM DIEM Is a lifestyle brand that embodies the phrase “Does It Even Matter. The phrase is the pulse of the brand’s attitude which exudes a sense of assurance, justification of one's lifestyle and the individual's daily approach to life. Inspired by the cultural expressions and innovation present in Flatbush, Brooklyn— Michael Nicholas fuses his passion for design with his cultural history, using streetwear as a vehicle for tangible educational messaging. The brand’s core belief, aligned with their mission to empower through storytelling, is a continual investment in community and conversation. Nicholas resurfaces images of timeless, legendary figures such as Arthur Ashe and Peter Toshe, with heavily-scaled messaged campaigns that act as a call-to-action to those wearing the garments and for those who witness at a distance. These projects have led to further collaborations with Okay Player, Fabolous, Dreamville, Bleacher Report, and Fila. Mike with his wife and business partner Nicole, look forward to further innovating and expanding the potential of streetwear as a way of positively impacting a community with accessible, visceral word and image.

Barriers Worldwide Hailing from Valley Stream, NY— Steven Barter, pulls inspiration from almost every facet of his life. Examining the history of the African-American community is his primary draw, but he also attributes Barriers growth to his continual exploration of lesser known cultural revolutionaries and moments of change. Additionally, Barriers pulls from our zeitgeist’s nostalgia — from comics and cinema, to sneakers and toys. An unshakable drive has fueled his personal and professional growth, allowing Barter to refine his craft that has translated into his work for his brand, Barriers Worldwide. His design philosophy evolves as he ‘learns on the daily’ via his collaborators and their energy - as he channels it to help him evolve the future of the brand. In doing so, he hopes Barriers continues to inspire, energize, inform and grow as a creative hub for kids of all races.

#stayMelo #kicksaddict #clothing #collection

[shelovescontrol91]

New Camila Interview

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/interviews/camila-cabello-latin-revolution-immigrant-america-industry-got/

The interview is locked unless you have a user so I posted it below. Bolded are some interesting parts

One afternoon in March 2012, Simon Cowell was taking a cigarette break backstage at Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina, where he was judging auditions for the American X Factor, when he came across a girl lying on the ground, sobbing.

The girl was Camila Cabello. She had just turned 15, and for her birthday had asked her parents – Cuban immigrants living in Miami, who were making ends meet as a shop assistant and car washer – to drive her the 12 hours from their home to the auditions. Cabello explained to Cowell that, having been kept waiting for two days to see the judges, she had just been told by the producers that time had run out and she should go home.

“Apparently she was a reserve,” Cowell tells me over the phone. “So I said to her, ‘Listen, I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about, or what a reserve is, but since you’re here, come and audition.’ Five minutes later, she sang [Aretha Franklin’s Respect] in front of 7,000 people, and it was sensational.”

Cabello has a pint-size frame and a gigantic, intoxicating voice. What it lacks in technical finesse it makes up in youthful passion and romantic melodrama. Cowell installed his charismatic young discovery as the (unofficial) lead singer of a group comprising four other female contestants, and Fifth Harmony was born. After finishing the competition in third place, they signed to Cowell’s Syco label, becoming a sort of sister act to his other X Factor protégé group One Direction. Within months, Fifth Harmony had racked up a platinum-selling debut album of chart-friendly feminist anthems, a sold-out world tour, two performances at the White House and tens of millions of young fans.

For Cabello, that was just the start. Last year, Havana, the second single from her number one debut solo album, became the sound of the summer. An ode to the city where she was born and raised, featuring slow, sensual vocals layered over a Cuban-style piano riff, Havana made the singer the first female artist to achieve a billion streams for a single song. Whether or not you’re a fan of Cabello, you’ll have heard it.

This summer, the 22-year-old has repeated the impossible. Señorita, a Latino love song from her imminent second album featuring fellow pop star (and, as of July, boyfriend) Shawn Mendes, has once again conquered the charts. Talk about power couple: according to Spotify, the online music-streaming service, 21-year-old Mendes and Cabello, who picked up two MTV Video Music Awards for Señorita last week, are the most listened to artists in the world after Ed Sheeran. “Havana was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of success, and she’s just… done it again,” says Cabello’s manager Roger Gold, who first met the singer while serving as Fifth Harmony’s lawyer. “We never thought it would be this massive.”

When I repeat Gold’s words back to Cabello over an oh-so-millennial oat milk latte in a vegan café in Montreal – the latest stop on Mendes’s world tour – she grins. “It was the same with Havana,” she says, keeping an eye on the windows for the fans that have been camped outside her and Mendes’s downtown hotel since the couple were photographed ambling adoringly around the city together the day before.

“Everyone said to me, this is a Latin song, it could never be the single. Label heads and friends were saying I needed to add more production, that it was too slow,” continues Cabello, before absent-mindedly pouring coffee on her grey cashmere jumper and earnestly imploring me for laundry advice. We dab her sleeve with water as Cabello tries out my accent. “I’ll have a flaaat whiiite,” she drawls, mischievously, again and again until steer her back to the story. Persuaded that Havana would never get radio play, Cabello released Crying in the Club as her first solo single instead. But when the album was released, it was Havana that listeners pounced on. 

“It was surreal: kids were coming up to me asking, ‘Are you Havana?’” she says. The song was nominated for two awards at the Grammys, where Cabello became the first female Latin artist to open the ceremony.

Cabello’s grip on the charts is part of what Gold calls “a ground shift”. “Latin artists have gained enormous global acceptance in the pop world in the last few years,” he says. Until 2017, a Spanish-language number one was vanishingly rare, limited to Enrique Iglesias, Shakira and novelties such as The Macarena. That changed when Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s 2017 Despacito, written entirely in Spanish, became the most-streamed song in history.

That same year, the number of Spanish-language songs in Billboard’s Hot 100 jumped from three to 19; this year’s tally is already at 16. Such is the influence of Latin culture on current pop that Madonna’s Madame X album single Medellin, released in April, featured Columbian reggaeton star Maluma, and breakout Spanish star Rosalia’s modern spin on old-school flamenco graced the John Peel stage this year at Glastonbury. In between, of course, came the juggernaut of Havana. 

Cowell says he never really thought about Cabello’s Latin roots when he met her. “And then of course it occurred to me years later, that she was turning things around.” He has since had success with another Latino group, CNCO. “So maybe I owe a lot to her.”

Even singers of non-Spanish heritage are now cashing in on the genre, as Justin Bieber proved with his hugely popular remix of Despacito. “It’s definitely annoying when people take things, but sometimes I’m inspired by things that aren’t necessarily my culture,” says Cabello. “I think with globalisation, genre doesn’t exist any more. It was surreal hearing people sing the chorus to Havana. So many young people had never even heard of the place.” 

Cabello donated the proceeds from the song’s music video to support young, undocumented immigrants known as DREAMers – those who entered the US as minors and are seeking resident status. Her YouTube channel has been inundated with messages from Latino fans thanking her for making them feel more welcome in America. Cabello suffers from anxiety and tends to steer clear of social media but when I mention the messages she clasps her face with both hands and her eyebrows shoot up under her curly fringe. “Really? That makes me so happy. That’s why I want to tell my story, because when I saw pictures of what’s happening at the border, my heart was broken. That’s my story too.”

Cabello was six years old when her mother, an architect, carried her across the Mexican border, telling her daughter that they were going to Disneyland. “I have this one memory of my mother taking me into a gas station, but that’s it,” she says. They were detained for 22 hours before being allowed to proceed to Miami. Her father, originally from Mexico City, joined them illegally a year later after swimming across the Rio Grande. “I didn’t know what was happening,” Cabello tells me. “I just had a Disney calendar and I crossed off every day until he arrived. 

“It’s why my mum loves that film, Life Is Beautiful,” she says, referring to Roberto Benigni’s Oscar-winning comedy about a Jewish father and son taken to a concentration camp during the Holocaust. “Obviously I’m not comparing my story to that in terms of, you know… but it’s the same idea of a parent pretending it’s a game to protect their child.”

Cabello’s as yet untitled new album, out later this year, is a tribute to first love. She describes the experience in terms of the 2001 film Amélie, which she watched for the first time last year. “Before, I was Amélie,” she says, comparing herself to the film’s titular dreamer, played by Audrey Tautou. “I was just living in my own imagination. I didn’t go out and meet people. I didn’t really make any friends. Amélie’s thrills are the smallest things, like being looked at.” 

As a child, she hated attention so much that she would cry when people sang Happy Birthday to her. Her X Factor audition was the first time she had sung in public, and helped her realise she could transform on stage. “Now I’m like Amélie at the end of the film, when she falls in love for the first time and breaks out of her shell.”

Of the 72 songs Cabello wrote for the album, only a small number will appear, each one dealing with the minutiae of relationships. Keen for me to hear some, Cabello summons her mother Sinuhe, who travels with her daughter everywhere and arrives at the café with an iPhone on which she plays me two new songs. One is a heavy, gothic ballad reminiscent of vintage Avril Lavigne; the other, a Latino song carried by a powerful brass section that makes you want to get up and salsa.

As with her last album, Cabello has a writing credit on every track of the new one – a rarity in an era when so many hits are manufactured by teams of writers and producers. Is she making a statement? “No, but I need to tell my own stories,” she says. “I still regret my first single, Crying in the Club, because I didn’t write it and it didn’t feel like me. I had the chorus to Havana, but I went with what was safe, what industry people said had worked before. Turns out, no one has a clue.”

When Cabello uses the word “industry”, her expression, usually warm and trusting, becomes uneasy. The absence of freedom she experienced early in her career as part of a label-curated girl group appears to have bred a distrust of the system. 

“Fifth Harmony was like its own separate person. It’s like we were serving Fifth Harmony,” she says, tugging on the sleeves of her grey cashmere cardigan. After Cabello left the group in 2016, she was accused of betrayal, and things got nasty – when the four remaining members opened the MTV Video Music Awards in 2017, an elevated platform showed the silhouettes of five women, until one was unceremoniously shoved off the stage as the performance began. “It’s so normal for groups to disintegrate. I think it has to be some miracle for five people to stay together,” she says. "I’m so interested to see what makes it different for Little Mix [and X Factor girl group still going strong since they formed in 2011]”. 

In 2020, Cabello will make her next career move – into acting. James Corden personally picked her to star in and contribute to the score of a modern musical version of Cinderella, which he is producing. “He saw my L’Oreal advert where I was basically just being an idiot, and he thought that was cool,” she explains. She sounds a little daunted – and is currently taking acting classes – but it feels like the obvious next chapter in a life that is taking on a fairy-tale dimension of its own. 

“You know what,” Cowell had told me before hanging up. “I would never have guessed, all those years ago, that when I met someone who was having the worst day of her life, who was crying at the back of that arena, that now we’d be having this conversation. Can you believe it?”Camila Cabello’s new single is out on Thursday

#camila cabello #camilizers #shawmila #simon cowell #james corden

[digitalwhirl-d-blog]

YouTube, the Wild Wild West for Trolls

Since its conception in 2005, YouTube.com has continuously grown to be a community of users sharing video content about anything and everything. Now, fourteen years later I don’t think anyone could have predicted what the site has become.

YouTube is one of the best examples of sociality occurring in the digital sphere. It has become a significant platform where individuals that agree with and value the same things come together to view a person - or multiple people talking about those things that they love. Whether it be gaming, cooking, beauty, reviews, music, lifestyle or a plethora of many other subjects, there seems to be a virtual community for everyone. Unfortunately though, there is one (very prominent) group that really aren’t welcome within any of the communities - trolls... and I’m not talking about these ones: 

Internet Trolls are online users who ‘deliberately make random unsolicited and/or controversial comments on internet forums with the intent to provoke an emotional knee jerk reaction from unsuspecting readers to engage in a fight or argument’. These “people” aren’t scared to fire their shots from behind their keyboard because more times than not, they aren’t going to receive any real life ramifications for doing so. Psychological studies have shown that people who troll have high levels of psychopathy traits like low levels of empathy, guilt and responsibility for their actions. They become obsessed and invested in making the people on the other side, reading the comments lives miserable. 

This is the Saccone-Jolys - a family from the UK who have a YouTube channel with nearly 2 million subscribers. 

Everyday for almost nine years Jonathan and Anna have uploaded videos documenting the intimate details of their lives like their proposal, wedding, and the birth of their puppies and all four of their children. The vlogs are lighthearted and family friendly, yet somehow they have been a major target for online trolls. In 2012, after the birth of their first daughter - the couple started to receive horrific comments from users saying they hoped the child would be stillborn, and this was only the beginning. Trolls continued to not only post hateful comments on their channel, but also continuously take their hate to real life, where the family have had to deal with their address being revealed, their car being keyed and people making reports to the RSPCA and local Child Welfare Services about their dogs and children living in ‘destitution and disorder’. After the miscarriage of what would have been their third child, Anna took a break from being in the videos after a slew of hate comments about how “she deserved it” understandably affected her mental health. 

Taking a break from videos has become a common pattern with YouTubers because as it can be seen, it isn’t as simple for the victims of trolling to simply “ignore it”, especially when it starts to affect their personal life and their mental health. Sure it’s easy to pose the question “why don’t these people just quit YouTube?” - but what a lot don’t understand is that this is a full-time job. YouTube for many is not only providing a means in which to live off (like any other job) but it’s also what these people love to do, its what makes them happy despite the hate they receive. In the end quitting would mean allowing the trolls to win so taking the steps to care for their mental health is what many YouTubers are now advocating for.

YouTuber and Blogger Victoria Magrath (or InTheFrow) writes that she is quite happy to block anyone from her feed who feels like they have the “right to spread hatred, incite hatred or insult me”. Over time YouTube, and other social media platforms have made it easier in becoming more vigilant in the monitoring of trolling with procedures being put into place to protect their content creators. YouTube has set up a system where content creators are able to block comments when certain words are being used or review them before allowing them below their videos. Another tactic more YouTubers seem to be adopting is hiring a ‘comment monitor’ who goes through and deletes and blocks any hateful comments they come across. This may seem ridiculous but big beauty YouTube stars like Stephanie Nicole and Jaclyn Hill who are notoriously known for receiving online hate have found that after doing so, YouTube is becoming an enjoyable place to be again.

At the end of the day it’s important for people to be happy, and do what makes them happy as long as no one is getting hurt in the process. As long as the internet exists, so will the trolls, but it is our job as digital citizens to take care of ourselves, promote positive messages to our followers and not let the haters bring us down.

#mda20009 #trolling #digital communities #social media #youtube #sacconejolys #jaclynhill #stephanienicole #inthefrow

[chynanigans]

2017: A Year In Review

So, since the footage for my New Year’s video is fucked I’ll be writing my thoughts about this year below. This contains some sensitive subjects so I’ll put it under a read more. I’m not making this as a way to get pity. I want this to be a message to everyone that there is still hope.

In short terms, for me 2017 was an emotional roller coaster.

So I’ll start off with January through April. This time was a mixture of stress and excitement. It was my last couple of months of high school, and I was really trying to work to make sure I would graduate and not have to take exams at the end of the year. Also, I was just starting to build back my relationship with my dad, stepmother, and brother. Things were going well.

May hit. I graduated! And I didn’t have to take any exams! I even graduated with honors and the highest average in some subjects. I cried more with my friends than I have in a while. I was so proud of them and myself. I had closed the door on one chapter of my life and had turned my attention to opening the door to the next chapter: college.

Then June hit.

And everything going well suddenly stopped.

I remember this year how we had the Every 15 Minutes thing at school. A simulation of what happens when you text and drive or drink and drive. I find it ironic because in a way, the events of June feel like an emotional car wreck.

Firstly, due to certain things not getting done like they were suppose to, I had to give up on going to college this year and take a gap year. I was pretty bummed out about it. I decided to focus my attention on trying to get a job and have a steady source of income.

Then there was a death in my family. My stepmother died. Just when I was starting to repair my relationship with them this happens. It turned my whole family upside down. I had never seen my dad so emotional in all of my life.

The least I can say is that at least this happened after I got out of school. With how many people involved this situation either try to help or turn on you, I don’t know how I could’ve dealt with it then.

It’s made me realize something about myself. I really am the foundation when it comes to my relationships with others. Regardless of the situation, when something happens, I’m the one people lean on. I don’t mind it so much, but for lack of a better phrase, so much weight has fallen on the foundation this year that it cracked. I was emotionally a mess, and anyone who knows me knows I feel emotions very deeply. One minute I was fine then another I was crying like a little baby again. I’m a crybaby, but those months I had cried more then I have in the past 6 years.

It felt like I was being torn up from the inside out. Others tried helping me, and for a time they helped. I really have to thank my mother and best friend for that. They tried their hardest regardless of their own problems.

I was home a lot, and definitely not taking care of myself. I have been a fan of Mark and Jack for many years, and I tried watching their videos. It help made me a little better. I decided to start watching Crankgameplays since I kept seeing him in Mark’s videos with the others. He quickly became someone I enjoyed watching along with Mark and Jack. Then I stumbled upon his You Can Do This video.

Something about it just hit me. I don’t really know what exactly it was. Something just felt personal about it. Maybe it was because of how the recent events in my life were happening. Because it’s not like I haven’t heard those words before, especially from my mom.

But something about that video somehow hit a switch in me. I started feeling motivated again. I started slowly taking care of myself again. I finally decided to start my youtube channel, something I wanted to do since I began watching Youtube in 2012.

I started not really caring about what others think.

I just wanted to make life for myself and others happy. So that’s basically what I’m throwing myself into doing.

I tried recording videos. And it was hard, I kept messing up at the start. There are plenty of deleted videos from the beginning because something messed up, like the audio or the video. But I couldn’t give up yet.

Then October rolled around. I was facing my 19th birthday. My birthday present this year was being able to go to Markiplier’s You’re Welcome Tour in Nashville. I absolutely loved it. I was crying from happiness and how good the show was. And the tour really inspired me. I came back home and threw myself into overdrive. I got everything to work and recorded my first series, the Seven Nights Of Frights for Halloween.

And from there, well, you can go to my channel and see.

My life is slowly climbing back up onto a better path. A happier one. But I wouldn’t have been able to do it without those close to me, and those who inspire me and who I look up to and admire.

The foundation’s cracks were repaired. There are still scars, still traces, and sometimes it can get really hard again. But I’m making progress.

And for anyone out there who happens to read this, there’s hope for you too. There are some other instances around my other friends I haven’t mentioned in this, but it’s been a rough year for them too.

I just want you to know that you can do this.

Find something that motivates you. Find people who support you. Find something you enjoy doing.

You can do this, I know you can.

Look life in the face and smile when it smacks you down and tell it to fuck off, and get up again.

Let’s make 2018 a great year.

#chynanigans #personal #my thoughts

[easyobsession]

dwts25 cast announcement (aka lo is STILL recapping this crap?)

Jesus lord help us all, the shit storm covered in glitter is back for its 25th season and while I’m highly doubtful I’ll post weekly because I’m still upset over last season and pretty fed up with a certain pro at the moment, I’m feeling generous and somewhat indebted to tradition to at least do a post on the cast reveal.

Wow, that was a long ass sentence.

 *A quick sidenote before we start- you guys, I actually know who all except 4 of these people are!! This might be a record. Good on you, ABC.

The Guys

DEREK FISHER with pro partner SHARNA BURGESS

Speaking of people I don’t know… He’s an athlete, what do you expect? He used to be a basketball player, right? Does he still play? Was he any good? They got Kobe Bryant to send a message, but is that because of Derek or just ABC’s connections? I have no clue. Instant judgment says he won’t be great.

DREW SCOTT with pro partner EMMA SLATER

Who doesn’t love the Property Brothers? When I first heard about Drew as a possible contestant, I wasn’t shocked. He and his brother seem pretty easygoing and willing try almost anything- and out of the two I think Drew is a little less likely to worry about the stereotypical possibility of looking “less masculine.”  I think Drew could be good- he’s insanely tall, which might work against him, but he seems really excited and I bet he works hard. I’m excited about him.

FRANKIE MUNIZ with pro partner WITNEY CARSON

Loved Malcolm in the Middle. And Agent Cody Banks, with Hillary Duff? AND BIG FAT LIAR, WITH AMANDA BYNES BEFORE SHE LOST HER MIND? And that Disney Channel movie (back when they were DCOMs) where he was in a kid in a wheelchair that raced in a soapbox derby? God, what a throwback. Apparently since then he’s gotten pretty into racing for real, however I don’t see us having another James Hinchcliff on our hands. Even in the 2 second intro they did on GMA he looked stiff and awkward. I don’t see this lasting long at all. Shame.

JORDAN FISHER with pro partner LINDSAY ARNOLD

Forget Hamilton, this boy is from the Disney Channel! Liv and Maddie, anyone? TEEN BEACH MOVIE? It’s Seacat, y’all! He’s gonna kill it and it’s gonna be so fun to watch. I think he and Lindsay (who shall from this moment on be known this season as LindsAY, not to be confused with fellow contestant LindsEY) will be a great team with a lot of energy. He won’t win though, due to the Disney Channel curse. In true Disney star tradition though, he will likely get second place. (Somewhere in the distance Kyle Massey, Zendaya, and Corbin Bleu are having a Disney Kid/DWTS Runners Up club meeting. Meanwhile Sabrina Bryan is nearby plotting to burn down ABC headquarters.)

NICK LACHEY with pro partner PETA MURGATROYD

First One Tree Hill, now this. The man is out to conquer the world. I don’t think he’ll be as good as Drew (his brother, not the other contestant this season) and I almost think his wife will outdo him by just a hair. That said, I don’t see him being awful. Along the lines of boyband members, I can see him maybe a little behind the others like Nick Carter and Lance Bass, and probably not nearly as good as Wanya Morris or Joey Fatone. I think Nick will start off okay and slowly work his way up, but I don’t think it’ll be a fast or easy process. But as long as he and Vanessa don’t bitch and moan about their spouses like Carlos and Alexa PenaVega did, I’ll be happy.

TERRELL OWENS with pro partner CHERYL BURKE

It’s Terrell like Cheryl, not Tuh-rell. He is (was?) in the NFL. That sums up my knowledge of this man. I assume he was (is?) pretty good from the way people talk about him? He looks pretty graceful and I doubt they’d give Cheryl anyone too shitty since it’s such a big deal she’s back. I don’t know. The only football knowledge I have is from Friday Night Lights. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t fuck it up in the ballroom.  

The Girls

BARBARA CORCORAN with pro partner KEO MOTSEPE

I actually have watched quite a bit of Shark Tank since Robert Herjavec’s season, so I know Barbara! She’s 68, so good for her, though since she’s with Keo we know she won’t last long. Though I doubt she’ll be much good, I know Barbara is very spunky and look forward to seeing her.

DEBBIE GIBSON with pro partner ALAN BERSTEN

One of the 4 I don’t know. Apparently she had a hit in the 80s that I’ve never heard of and she’s currently battling Lyme disease, which I also know nothing about. But after a quick trip to the trusty Mayo Clinc’s website, I learned that Lyme disease is basically a bacterial disease transmitted by deer tick bites (check yourself, kids!), with symptoms that can include a rash, flu-like symptoms, joint pains, and neurological problems. So Debbie has a lot going on. All of that said, I can see her being a bit like one of the higher-skilled housewives when it comes to skill- not epic, but not too bad.

LINDSEY STERLING with pro partner MARK BALLAS

I think I’m rooting for her to win. Of course we’ve all seen her- she’s performed on the show multiple times (Maks and Meryl, week 3 Foxtrot. Look it up.), She’s cute as button and apparently she and Mark have known each other for a while. I’m excited. I think she’ll do well. It’s gonna be weird seeing her dance with a person though instead of her violin.

NIKKI BELLA with pro partner ARTEM CHIGVINTSEV

I’m a WWE girl, so I know Nikki. Since the proposal at Wrestlemania in April she’s taken time off from wrestling, but she’s still around starring on the WWE reality show Total Divas as well as the spinoff Total Bellas, starring her and her twin sister Brie. Whether or not she’ll be any good is a huge question mark, because while being in amazing physical shape, obviously wrestling has a little less finesse than dancing. Fellow WWE superstar Chris Jericho competed in season 12 with Cheryl and came in 6th (he wasn’t great, and he’ll gladly tell you that himself), however I think Nikki being a woman gives her an advantage over the male wrestlers. The guys in WWE don’t have to worry about being sexy (though some are- Seth Rollins, call me) but the girls, while times have progressed and are now seen as equals in terms of talent, do have to be a little more graceful, so to speak. All of this being said, I’m not sure how well she’ll do. But I’m excited to find out.

SASHA PIETERSE with pro partner GLEB SAVCHENKO

I didn’t watch Pretty Little Liars, but I know who she is. Another one too cute for words. I hope she does well.

VANESSA LACHEY with pro partner MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY

I don’t really know what Vanessa has done aside from being a wife/mom and a TRL VJ back in the day. But she looks like she can shake her booty and I think she’ll do well with Maks. I can see them being a lot of fun. I also think she and Nick seem less timid than Carlos and Alexa, and I’m crossing my fingers that they understand the concept of the show is to win with your partner, not cry about how much you wish could be dancing with your husband instead (because that’s NOT HOW IT WORKS, ALEXA). So I’m pumped. I also hope the troupe is prepared to open the DWTS daycare for all of these children that will need watching while the mommies and daddies go to work.

VICTORIA ARLEN with pro partner VAL CHMERKOVSKIY

The final cast member I do not know. I looked up her story though, and I can see why Val has been so pumped about her. She seems AMAZING. For those of you also in the dark, here’s some info I’m copying from the internet:

“At the age of 11, Victoria developed two rare conditions and lost the ability to speak, eat, walk and move. She slipped into a vegetative state in which recovery was unlikely. She spent nearly 4 years "locked" inside her own body, completely aware of what was going on, just unable to move or communicate. Doctors believed there was little hope of survival and recovery was unlikely. In 2010, Victoria began the nearly impossible fight back to life. She learned how to speak, eat, and move all over again. She competed in the 2012 Summer Paralympics held in London as a member of Team USA and she won four medals: one gold and three silver. In April 2015, she made the transition from professional athlete to sportscaster and joined ESPN as one of the youngest on air talents hired by the company. In April of 2016, she defied yet another odd and learned to walk after spending nearly a decade paralyzed from the waist down.”

And she’s TWENTY-TWO, Y’ALL. Let’s all take a quick moment to examine our lives- WE’RE ALL FAILURES. LOOK AT THIS GIRL. SHE’S A REAL LIFE SUPERHERO. Also one of the ones I’m excited to see and rooting for (despite some shit I won’t get into. Check my twitter. It’s there somewhere).

The Troupe and Pro Decisions

TIME TO POP BOTTLES, Y’ALL. YOU KNOWN DAMN WELL WHY I’M CELEBRATING. However I’m also hesitantly holding back bc until the first episode airs and a little blonde man doesn’t magically come out dancing with his celebrity partner along the lines of Michelle Obama, Ellen DeGeneres, Christ himself, I won’t be 100% convinced we’ll get such a huge season without God’s Gift To Movement. (#SQUEREK- MY VALDAYA FAM CAN ENJOY THAT THROWBACK. YOU’RE WELCOME.)

On a completely different topic, Mark is back. Woot! With his creativity and LindsEY’s talent with a violin, I’m super pumped to see what he comes up with.

Also Alan has been upgraded to a pro. Yay Alan!

I’m sad Sasha isn’t a pro this season because we all love him and he’s done so great with his past partners, but I think a large part of him being a pro depends on if they can find someone that balances will with his height. So I’m sad, but happy he’ll be around at least on troupe.

On  a similar note though, who cares about height? Sasha is clearly a great teacher. Keo, however, though I’ve got mad love for the man, has proven time and time again that he needs some time on troupe to work on his teaching skills. I realize Barbara won’t ever be the next Laurie Hernandez, but regardless. I’m not happy they moved him up.

I’m also sad that a few favorites won’t be around like Karina and Tony. (dude, Karina went from this to attempting to date Chad from Jojo’s season of the Bachelorette on that new E! show. What the hell happened to our girl?)

The Judges

As far as I know they’re the same. Yippee -.- but guess what I’m pissed about y’all! SHIRLEY BALLAS IS JOINING THE JUDGING PANEL OF STRICTLY COME DANCING. WHICH IS NOT DWTS. WHY DO THEY GET HER AND WE’RE STUCK WITH CARRIE ANN AND JULES? What sick form of bullshit is this? I’ve said before I want both of Mark’s parents on the panel, plus Anna Trebunskaya (who just had a baby boy- CONGRATULATIONS ANNA!!!) and if Maks is competing and can’t judge, then Bruno, because I love his insanity and inappropriate innuendos. So damn you, Strictly!!

Predictions (in no specific order)

EARLY EXIT/THE BILLY RAY SCHOOL OF DANCE: Barb, Derek, Frankie

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD/BE GLAD YOU DON’T HAVE TO LEARN 46 NUMBERS FOR THE FINALE: Nikki, Terrell, Nick, Sasha, Debbie

GOING ALL THE WAY/STILL FINDING GLITTER IN YOUR DRAIN 6 MONTHS LATER: Jordan, LindsEY, Vanessa maybe, Victoria, Drew

For the final 3? As of lately I’m questioning damn near everything in my life, but I’ll give it a shot. Final 3 LindsEY, Jordan, Victoria. I’d normally guess Jordan for second, but with these girls I’ll guess Jordan 3rd and…. gah, this is hard. I want to say LindsEY will win, but I almost think Victoria will get it. I have a feeling this will flip-flop a lot. Okay, final guess pre-premiere is Jordan 3rd, LindsEY 2nd, and Victoria wins. But I’m not 100%.

Whew. Thank god I’m finally done writing this. If you actually read the whole thing, god love ya.

I’m still on social media @lauthom93 and love a good discussion, debate, or argument- not just about DWTS but anything at all, so hit me up there or right here on tumblr.

Back to my regularly scheduled madness. You know I’m sending love and gestures kids shouldn’t mimic.

Lo.

#dwts 25 #dancing with the stars #dancing with the stars season 25 #valdaya #opinion piece #lo recaps things

[psychic-readingonline]

Psychic Workshops Near Me

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[verywell-carryon]

#hello #welcome to my blog #oh-horatio #channeling the 2012 life with personal welcome messages

[geneticandunattainable]

I hope the next ten songs help to ensure the diversity of this year’s list, but lord knows there’s even more to come.  This chunk is home to indie folk, hip hop/R&B, Icelandic rock (with a distinctly American sound), and several electro-pop tracks.  I hope the 20 tracks you’ve seen at this point continue to confound and delight, with plenty of new songs you’ve never had the opportunity to hear.

40. Honeysuckle – “It’s Getting Late”

Boston produces yet another independent folk group – this one a trio, with outstanding three-part harmonies to boot. Comprised of Holly McGarry, Benjamin Burns, and Chris Bloniarz, Honeysuckle performed at Newport Folk Festival in 2015 and continues to tour New England in support of other folk acts.  This track specifically grabs you straight from the start with the warm banjo; the charm offensive continues with multiple instances of highlighting the harmonies, instrumentation, and arrangement, with lyrics focusing on the nature of time and change.   Their profile continues to grow with attention from NPR, among other publications, so keep your ears open for future success. 

39. Tep No – “Me and My Guitar”

Not much is known about producer Tep No besides the fact that he briefly sought an acting career in LA before moving back to his native Canada.  Now based in Toronto, his music typically blends several genres, utilizing electronic sounds with pop sensibilities and fusing melodies with otherworldly synth beats. The vocals on this track are practically spoken word, delivered over a swirling mix of looped chants, samples, and – you guessed it – guitar.  The result is an outstanding choice for any low-key summer mix you have planned for a few months from now.  This song is so great, it wouldn’t be out of place on a new season of The OC; those of you who know me personally realize the weight of that statement. 

38. Hayley Kiyoko – “Gravel to Tempo”

I almost feel embarrassed to love this song as much as I do, and initially placed it higher on the list before finding stronger tracks.  I had never heard of Hayley Kiyoko before this song, but it turns out she has a DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie for those of you past puberty), CSI spin off, and ABC Family Freeform show under her belt already.  The Japanese-American actress and singer dropped this gem in late summer, with slick production that doesn’t feel heavy handed.  The track utilizes more electro-pop sounds with Kiyoko’s breathy vocals to highlight the insecurity everyone feels at different points in their lives.  She channels teenage angst in a way that feels validating; a standout line being “I thought I was depressed/But I think I just needed to cry.”  Regardless of how other people talk about her, Kiyoko is determined to do things her way, sporting a middle finger to the world. Given the grief we all faced in 2016, it was a message that felt particularly appropriate.  

37. Brian Fallon – “Nobody Wins”

The Gaslight Anthem’s lead vocalist decided to work on a solo album during a recent hiatus from the band.  This classic return to American anthems shows his time off was time well spent.  His signature raspy vocals carry a buoyant and bouncing song with a surprisingly dark subject of acceptance after death. The guitar strums and steady backing rhythm sound straight out of a John Cougar Mellencamp album in the 80s, complete with the unexpected lyrical content.  What shouldn’t be surprising after listening to the track is that he recorded it in Nashville with the help of producer Butch Walker, who co-wrote the song and also played guitar for the entire album.  This song is a welcome blast from the past from an artist who hopefully has a bright future.

36. Ben Abraham – “I Belong to You”

"I Belong to You” is a love song for the ages from Melbourne-based singer/songwriter Ben Abraham.  There is something absurdly charming about the fact that his Australian accent is front and center in his singing voice, which CMJ described as “delicate yet booming.”  His parents are Indonesian folk stars, which may have influenced his own style, integrating harmonies and poignant arrangements.  “I Belong to You” is yet another song that makes it difficult to listen along without tapping your foot, incorporating a lilting guitar, a xylophone, and even hand snaps to woo the audience.  It certainly doesn’t hurt that this wonder from Down Under is rakishly handsome.  There’s little not to like here, as this burst of sunshine will leave you smiling all day. 

35. Solange feat. Q-Tip – “Borderline (An Ode to Self-Care)”

A Seat at the Table is an outstanding album from a consistently strong artist who just so happens to be sisters with Beyoncé.  Her song “Losing You” placed fourth on my list for 2012, and while “Borderline” doesn’t quite match that track, it’s still incredible in its own right.  Solange makes allusions to Aaliyah and A Tribe Called Quest, with Q-Tip working multiple levels of production.  The song itself is an interpolation of “Electric Relaxation,” a gem from the group back in 1993.  Aaliyah comes through when Solange references the 2001 hit “More Than a Woman” near the end of the song.  “Borderline,” though, is so much more than its musical references; it’s a track that directly addresses police brutality against black Americans.  The political track reminds its listeners that it’s okay to temporarily ignore the violence in an attempt to stay sane.  As Solange told W magazine, “To be able to get up and tell my child to have a wonderful day and know that he’ll be protected and nurtured and loved and treated like an equal contributor to society, I sometimes have to choose to not look.”

34. Kaleo – “Way Down We Go”

Icelandic rock band Kaleo has been bubbling under since 2012, but finally achieved moderate success with “Way Down We Go” in 2016.   It’s been used on myriad television shows, and most recently popped up in trailers for The Good Fight and Logan.  The four members of the band grew up in Mosfellsbær, near Reykjavík, but are now based in Austin. The blend of blues and rock are a strong production choice, with hard-hitting drums, strong guitars, ubiquitous reverb, and haunting looped vocals all working to make the song one you can’t forget.   The chorus alone will be stuck in your head for days, making this a solid choice for playlists in the year to come.

33. Chance the Rapper – “Blessings”

Chance had a huge year, breaking out into the mainstream to unprecedented success - especially without a label - in no small part due to his legendary verse on Kanye’s “Ultralight Beams.”  It’s fitting then, that the arguable highlight of his Grammy-nominated (and history making) mixtape.  As an avowed atheist, I can contend you don’t need to feel particularly pious to enjoy the conviction of Chance and vocalist Jamila Woods, who has collaborated with him in the past. Pitchfork agreed, noting it as "one of the strongest rap albums released this year, an uplifting mix of spiritual and grounded that even an atheist can catch the Spirit to.”  The keyboard is strong throughout, invoking a soulful church service only augmented by the improvisations from Donnie Trumpet.  The laid-back vibe of the track seems to personify Chance’s illustrious grin, with the end product more a profession of faith than a prayer.

32. The Head and the Heart – “All We Ever Knew”

With every album this sextet releases, one can note an upward trend of rising confidence. The group originally formed in Seattle, but the bulk of this album was written in Los Angeles - Montecito Heights, to be specific.  Previous albums had the group compared to the Avett Brothers and Fleet Foxes, but the production on their third signaled a clear direction change, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros wouldn’t be completely off base as a point of reference.  However, this song is in its own world for the band in regards to its success, topping two separate alternative charts on Billboard.  Starting with a simple vocal and piano, the song builds to an explosion of noise within the first fifty seconds.  The consistent build of instrumentation and playful tone are such a joy to hear. They’re truly firing on all cylinders at this point, and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us next.

31. Banks – “Trainwreck”

Here’s a thought guys – respect the women in your life.  I’d hate to be on the other end of a song like “Trainwreck,” apparently penned as a kiss-off by Banks to “a guy I never wanted to kiss.”  The doom-filled beats and almost trap texture on display here is a newer sound for Banks, who previously appeared on my 2014 list. Taylor Swift doesn’t have shit on her lyrics, though, with lines like “It’s quite depressing, there is no fixing to the problem when you’re talking to an idiot,” and a chorus that simply repeats “I had to get away” over and over again.  The entire aesthetic here is glamour noir, leaning into the darkness without ever sacrificing an ounce of the snarly pop that’s become her signature sound.  “Trainwreck” is a clear standout from the year, and a rare track that would find itself at home on a workout playlist just as easily as a compilation for Halloween.

#Music #Best Songs of 2016 #Best of 2016 #Honeysuckle #Tep No #Hayley Kiyoko #Brian Fallon #Ben Abraham #Solange #Q-Tip #Kaleo #Chance the Rapper #The Head and the Heart #Banks

[equalrightsforfathers]

Seeking no more and no less than legal equality and genuine equity under the law

If you are facing Family Court Abuse and Children Protection Services Agency: CPS-DFYS / DCP&P / DCF / DHHS [whatever name CPS is called in your state]  is involved in your case please join us to help defeat their fraud, pain and suffering, emotional, physical, psychological and financial abuse -racket.

United we can! This is NOT Fathers Rights groups but FAMILIES fighting together the system. There are woman and men protecting our children's future that understand that Judges are destroying us all for money.

Men's Rights Internet Statement

– Living Document Born March 2013

General

principles that we believe are a forming, coalescing consensus.

A working group formed in December of 2012 through a variety of men’s rights publications, forums, and YouTube channels. Over four dozen people from around the globe participated in making suggestions and giving general input. Despite the large number of people from diverse backgrounds, and the fact that almost none of the participants knew most of the others, its development was shockingly un-contentious, even on some of the more contentious points.

This is not a document anyone is expected to sign or pledge to. It is an effort to identify a general consensus.

This document is not released with the intention being the definitive statement of goals for all men's advocates, but rather, a set of goals and ideas that we believe represent common sentiments within the movement. People will be free to agree with all of these, most of these, some of these, or only one of these; if they'll work with us on any of them, then we'll work with them on that. Furthermore, other groups are welcome to take these goals and adapt and change them for their own purposes.

The gender war is a destructive social construct. Viewing the other sex as an enemy to be fought, or an oppressor to be overthrown, does not benefit men or women. Only a select few will profit from the hostility and distrust this creates. The interests of both men and women are best served by ending the gender war, and to working together to alleviate the iniquities visited upon all human beings, regardless of sex.

Feminism is not necessarily what feminists say it is

Many prominent individuals who self-identify as feminists espouse ideals of equality and equity, but often act against an ethic of equality under the law. For this reason, many men’s advocates have come to the conclusion that feminist activism is dependent on identifying women as victims and men as perpetrators of oppression. While those not solidly entrenched in the day to day gender struggle tend to think “feminism is about equality,” professionals at universities, in government, and in political action  groups often act against legal equality and genuine equity through their decisions and actions--and do so in the name of feminism.

Furthermore, anyone genuinely working under the “feminism is about equality” mentality should be natural allies in the collective fight for men's rights. But those feminists with actual power frequently endorse and exploit sexist ideas in order to promote their divisive ideology, and to raise money, and dismiss, marginalize, or outright mock men’s issues, occasionally even with violence.

For these reasons, self described feminists should not necessarily be considered de-facto experts on what constitutes gender equity. Men's voices must be heard, even if women aren't always comfortable with what they hear.

Traditionalism is a choice, not an obligation

No one can speak for all men's advocates, but most try to be accurate, objective, and honest about masculinity and femininity. They recognize that men and women are different, but they don’t want to promote discrimination, stereotypes, or prejudices that would limit anyone’s ability to exercise their own ability and talent.

Chivalry, a concept in which men have a social obligation to put their interests below women's, is common in many countries. Failure to adhere to this code can result in significant social backlash against men. We reject a code that ascribes greater value to one sex or the other. When men's advocates attempt to describe differences between the sexes, they are not trying to prescribe  them. Men's human rights advocates look to the future, they don’t cling to the past, and they agree that your genitals should not determine your lifestyle or your rights. If you want to be a traditionalist, be one. If you don’t, that’s fine too.

Misandry is real, and pernicious

Most

respected dictionaries now recognize that misandry - the hatred or contempt of male humans - is a real word. Some gender ideologues continue to insist that misandry does not and cannot exist, but MRAs, by and large, understand that misandry is real, and is being used to strip men and boys of basic human  rights and dignity. Misandric messages invalidate boys and men by telling them that they are guilty by association to all the harmful acts committed by other men, for no other reason than that they are male, but ignoring the corresponding association to positive acts by other men, of discovery, invention, daring, bravery, sacrifice, loyalty, love, and kindness. Misandric messages also tend to ignore negative and harmful actions by women. In general, misandry tells men and boys that part of what defines who they are, their very identity as male, is something dangerous and shameful. These messages are culturally toxic and psychologically harmful to men and boys.

Men

deserve the right to dignity, just as much as women. Men deserve the same right as women to not be associated with despicable actions simply because they were committed by members of their sex. Men’s rights advocates agree that misandry is real, and that it should not be tolerated any more than  isogyny would be, and have taken on the responsibility for acknowledging, exposing, and opposing misandry. Because if they don’t do it, then who else will?

Strong, independent women are helpful, not helpless

Most men's human rights advocates love seeing strong, capable, and independent women as part of society. But they are disappointed to see the rise of idealized, infantilized, sheltered, and fearful women. Men's human rights advocates understand that power and authority should come with responsibility and accountability.

Rewards come with risks: if you take credit then you should also accept blame. If you criticize, then you should also be able to accept criticism. Making excuses for bad behavior by women, or blaming it on men, is condescending. Women who want equality should speak out against such attitudes and behaviors. The only way people experience personal growth is through life experience and our present society stunts women’s growth b  coddling them.

Men's rights advocates object to feminism’s narrow focus on women’s problems and fears, and to feminism’s track record of treating human issues as divisive gender issues. Men's advocates object to gynocentrism (focusing only on the female perspective) and female supremacism. We respect skill and maturity, regardless of whether the person is male or female.

General Men’s Rights Movement Goals

When it comes to men’s activism, some have already decided that their role will mostly be passive: become Men Going Their Own Way, by refusing to participate in marriage or even cohabitation with the opposite sex, or otherwise defining their own lives outside the dominant gender discourse, and nothing more. This is fine, as we are all free to make our own choices as to what role(s) we would like to play.

Others feel that "defeating feminism" is the only goal. Our view is that even without feminism, many of the problems we face would remain.

As in any movement there will be people with significant influence  and authority even if this authority is informal. Who these people are will change constantly. As a result “We” can just mean “I.” There is nothing preventing you from deciding to care about one of these items, or three of them, or half of them, or all of them. The point is, they are goals not dogma.

Some of the goals for the men's movement are (in no particular order):

We stand for all boys and men. Questions of race, creed, color, nationality or sexual orientation are completely irrelevant to us. This is non-negotiable: we are a movement for the needs, well-being and interests of all men and boys everywhere, seeking no more and no less than legal equality and/or genuine equity under the law.

We are a human rights movement, and as such concepts of universal human rights are a part of that movement. Addressing the needs of men and boys is not a zero-sum game. Our focus is on men and boys because we believe men and boys are in particular need of help at this time.

We have no interest in legally denying anyone the right to control their reproduction; however we seek equitable reproductive rights for all persons regardless of sex. As a movement we believe no one should be forced into parenthood by the state or another individual, and that sexual intercourse is not consent to parenthood. As such, mothers seeking arbitration from the courts in order to collect child support from a man she names the father should be required to submit a written instrument of consent signed by him, in which he explicitly accepts responsibility for, as well as defines his rights to, his child/ren. This will allow him to positively establish paternity through a DNA test before signing and allow both mother and father to define the rights and responsibilities of both parties rather than allowing the state to do so. Furthermore, if a mother conceals a pregnancy and subsequent birth from a father and he learns of this afterward without being given the opportunity to negotiate parenthood with the mother then he should have redress to obtain paternal rights and responsibilities.

Development and availability of a male fertility control device, drug or method that is safe, affordable, effective and reversible should be a top priority.

Paternity testing should be a standard practice when a father is added to a birth certificate or otherwise formally (legally) recognized as the child’s father. Where there is a willfully false claim of paternity, prosecution should occur.

If a woman opts to give up a child for adoption, all reasonable efforts must be made to allow the father the option of being that child’s sole parent before the child can be given over to any adoption agency.

Women are frequently pedestalized, and men demonized, when it comes to criminal arrest, conviction, and sentencing. This is an injustice against men and infantilizes women. Laws and legal practices and customs which establish lighter or heavier sentences based on sex should be abolished.

Foster the emergence of a new cultural narrative where all men and women are encouraged to live their lives as they see fit, without preferential treatment, while also being expected to bear the responsibility for their personal choices.

Default physical and legal co-parenting must be the norm where both parents are competent, willing, and do not endanger the child’s physical or mental well being. We wish to promote a narrative of recognizing fair custody arrangements towards fathers as an important issue, both in terms of fair treatment of fathers, and as being in the best interest of all children's healthy development and quality of life. In divorce or separation of non-married parents, daily contact with both parents, and living arrangements which strive to be as close as practical to 50/50 time with both parents, should be the norm.

If there is strong evidence that children shouldn’t be with one or both parents, regular review of the conditions for access and visitation should occur to recognize that circumstances can and do change; the child’s right to both parents must be protected unless one or both has given up the child for adoption (i.e. legal surrender).

False and malicious accusations of rape or other violence, when they can be distinguished from mistaken accusations, must be subject to strict penalty under law. Laws against lying under oath or wasting time (of the police or courts) must be enacted where there are no such laws in place, and/or enforced without gender bias where they do exist.

The presumption of innocence must be seen as a fundamental right for anyone accused of any crime and restored to anyone accused of domestic violence or any form of assault, sexual or otherwise. So-called “rape shield” laws must either be extended to cover the accused as well as the accuser, or abolished entirely.

Debtor’s prison has been abolished in most civilized nations except in one crucial area: men who are unable to pay support payments due to disability or other impoverishment. This practice must be abolished, and debts owed due to support must be treated like any other debt to be paid, and subject to reasonable negotiation and renegotiation when circumstances do not make payment of support practical. Throwing men in jail for being unable to pay not only violates their fundamental human rights; it often robs children of their fathers and leaves those fathers unable to work to pay the debts they owe. This is an abomination and must be ended.

We seek to promote social recognition that men can be victims and women can be sex offenders, and that statements which belittle or marginalize the experiences of male victims of sexual assault, including male victims of female sex predators, are likely based on a worldview that pedastalizes women and demonizes men. Such attitudes are hateful and toxic, and must be opposed.

Standards for what constitutes illegal violence - domestic, sexual, or otherwise - should not discriminate on account of sex or such things as size or weight. Violence is violence. Assault is assault. Sexual assault is sexual assault. The law must be neutral regarding sexual characteristics or physical traits. Zero tolerance policies which fail to differentiate between a heated argument and a crime must be abolished. Mandatory arrest policies must either be abolished or must treat both parties as potential co-criminals and both parties should be arrested. So-called “primary aggressor” policies which presuppose the existence of one “victim” and one “abuser” have been repeatedly shown to be wrong in most cases, and should be abolished as standing policy.

Mandatory restraining orders which isolate and intimidate couples who wish to communicate and cooperate with each other must be recognized as damaging, and the law must be made to recognize that such orders may damage career and reputations and as such should be expungeable if found to be fraudulently or frivolously obtained, or no longer needed.

Abuse of restraining orders by anyone seeking to use them as a weapon to deny access to children or gain an upper hand in divorce or custody disputes should not only be recognized, but subject to penalty under law.

Policies which allow alleged victims to be punished for refusing to cooperate with prosecution must be abolished.

Financial incentives for prosecution of any crime by the state must be abolished.

In divorce or separation of non-married parents, efforts should to be made to promote mediation and solutions that do not involve the court or other state agencies wherever possible.

Recognizing that marriage cannot be abolished by the state, because cohabiting persons will still have disputes over children and finances if they separate, “marriage” should be viewed as an enforceable contract. Couples wishing to marry should be allowed to negotiate what their marriage contracts involve to include issues such as child custody, any theoretical support, education, support payments in case of severance, and so on. Marriages are agreements between people, and contracts should spell out specifically what is and is not agreed to. In the absence of a formal contract, presumption of shared parenting must be enforced as noted above.

Any government funding towards health research and services, should such funding exist, should be allocated in a way that gives equal and fair consideration to the health needs of men, women, and children, recognizing that while maternal health influences the health of both boys and girls in the future generations, so too the health needs of boys and men should be recognized as equally important to all of society. We may argue later whether or how much government should spend on public health measures; in the meantime, men and boys must be given equal consideration under the law when there is such funding.

Government-funded educational programs (such as scholarships), if they exist, should either do away with preferential treatment by sex, or, be expanded to include programs to encourage males to enter fields where they are under-represented and or continue their education as they see  it. One way or the other, the double standards in education must end.

Abolish medically unnecessary genital mutilation or surgery on infants and minors. If a person wishes to have their genitals altered, they may make this decision when they come of age.

There are documented and growing gender disparities in education with boys in particular lagging behind girls in multiple areas across much of the developed world. This must be addressed  directly by looking at areas where boys as a group may have different educational needs from girls, and where teachers may be discriminating against boys consciously or unconsciously. Conscription or registration for conscription (“selective service”) must either be abolished or be an equal requirement for both sexes. One or the other…

We are under no illusion that all of these items will be automatically accepted overnight by everyone in the world, nor even that every men's advocate will necessarily agree with every word here. Nevertheless we believe it represents a road-map to a better future, and hope others will join, in whole or in part, in helping make these things happen.

This document last revised 3/11/2013. It is now considered “final,” although others remain free to copy and use it to their own purposes. However, modified copies must be clearly marked as modified from this original. Further discussion and debate is not only allowed, it is encouraged!

The initiator and primary editor of this document was Dean Esmay, who is solely responsible for any errors, omissions, or oversights. Others who wish to be identified as having given suggestions, input, or other collaboration should contact the author and let him know if they want to be publicly acknowledged.

3/13/2013: minor typo fixed, “deciding care” changed to “deciding to care,” removal of unneeded colon and a couple of unneeded periods in titles.

3/17/2013: Stray HTML tags that crept into the original removed. Addition of numbers to each of the goal statements, not for priority purposes but solely to make them easy to distinguish in discussion.

4/3/2013: Removed stray tag.

[entergamingxp]

Down and out in Orgrimmar and London • Eurogamer.net

Spend any amount of time on any popular gaming message board when the issue of LGBT+ representation raises its head, and you can guarantee there’ll be someone waiting in the wings to, at the very least, remind LGBT+ players that it’s 2020 and ‘nobody cares they’re gay anymore’ – oh, and ‘Would you mind keeping your sexuality out of my video games?’. It’s not exactly surprising then that countless LGBT+ gamers around the world are still seeking the comfort of like-minded individuals and social spaces, both in-game and in real-life, where they’re free to be themselves without abuse, judgement, or fear of repercussions – and to simply enjoy the games they want to play.

“I think in mainstream culture there is this wishful idea that because we’ve had too many seasons of Will & Grace…things are just fine and dandy for the queers in our society,” Benjamin Bon Temps, founder of the long-running Rough Trade Gaming Community tells me, “Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth. While things are better, and the average Bubba Beercan Gamer might be more open-minded and respectful, there is still the same slew of tired asshats firing off verbal fag bombs and ‘this stupid dungeon is gay’ type bullshit.”

It’s a sentiment shared by Matthew Hardwick, co-founder of the on- and offline LGBT+ community London Gaymers; “Online spaces can be generally quite a negative experience for minorities as it is,” he says, “but with insults like ‘fag’, ‘queer’, and ‘gay’ often thrown around in a derogatory manner, it can be particularly hard for LGBT people.” By way of illustration, Hardwick relates one of his own experiences, when someone he’d played online with for over a year immediately bombarded him with abuse on finding out he was gay in party chat. “[He] said I should ‘die of AIDS’ and ‘ass cancer’ before threatening to come to my home to murder me.”

Although Hardwick admits this is one of the more extreme responses he’s encountered, the constant minefield of anti-LGBT+ vitriol can be exhausting for players – and he points to an academic study by Jason Rockwood, backed up by London Gaymers’ own research during MCM panels, which found 80% of people have heard anti-LGBT+ slurs online. When I ask Hardwick to describe these encounters in his own words, he simply responds, “Dehumanising”.

It’s for precisely these reasons that countless LGBT+ gaming communities have been established around the world in an effort to provide a safe, welcoming space for LGBT+ players and allies, and remain as popular as ever. The London Gaymers, for instance, started life as a Reddit community and Google group back in 2012, with the goal of providing a means for LGBT+ players to easily find others to enjoy video games with. “What online spaces existed already were toxic, and not very welcoming to any minority that was open about their identity,” explains Hardwick.

And if proof were needed as to how much demand there still is for welcoming social spaces for LGBT+ players, the London Gaymers has, from its humble beginnings, now grown to over 3,750 people on its Facebook Group and over 1,800 regularly visit its Discord channel. Additionally, it has active guilds and clans hosting regular gaming nights for the likes of Minecraft, Final Fantasy 14, and Sea of Thieves; it has one of the largest LGBT+ WoW guilds in Europe; there’s a dedicated space available for women, including non-LGBT+ players, looking for somewhere to play, and for other women gamers to talk to. And London Gaymers even has a pretty large Animal Crossing Turnip Exchange community too.

“Many LGBT people face an increased risk of Mental Health issues,” explains Hardwick, “Isolation, anxiety, and depression are all issues many LGBT people face. Having a group that can knock down some of the barriers to battling those by providing a friendship group and space to express yourself is important”.

Some of London Gaymers members attending real-world Pride.

Inevitably too, these online communities have gradually spilled out into the real-world, and London Gaymers now hosts LGBT+ nights focussed on everything from board games and ping pong to bowling and laser tag. Crucially, these activities help provide real-world connections and spaces some may struggle to find ordinarily. “They may be feeling isolated or nervous, and not be willing to attend gay bars without people they know they can talk to about things they are interested in,” says Hardwick, “or they may be nervous about their appearance or perception in a traditional gaming space. The group provides that intersection for LGBT people to be themselves in both their nerdy-ness and their queerness.”

These days, thanks to London Gaymers’ size and scope, the group is able to use its influence and community to assist other gaming and LGBT+ organisations. It’s hosted panels on games industry representation at MCM, given talks to studios and government departments, and it regularly embarks on fundraising efforts with its members, for charities including the likes of SpecialEffect, the Terrance Higgins Trust, LGBT Hero/GMFA, and the Albert Kennedy Trust.

In real terms though, the London Gaymers reaches but a small fraction of LGBT+ players online and around the world, and thousands of other LGBT+ gaming communities continue to thrive, each catering to different audiences and niches. One of the oldest and most established of these is the MMO-focussed Rough Trade Gaming Community, described by its founder Benjamin Bon Temps as a “counterpoint to and escape from the general immature, homophobic bro culture that still permeates gaming spaces” and, more importantly, a “fun, safe, relaxing space where people can bring their authentic selves and play together” .

“Any queer can tell you that being seen and accepted feels awesome,” he says, “and we do what we can to help make that happen for our members.”

Real-world events are an important part of London Gaymers activities.

The RTGC had its unofficial beginnings over 17 years ago, when Benjamin joined a Dark Age of Camelot guild “comprised of mostly gay dudes and a few ‘mo-friendly military guys”. The group was eager to move over to superhero MMO City of Heroes but, says Benjamin, “I knew from somewhat bitter experience in DAoC that the gaming community at the time was absolutely rancid with frequent expressions of homophobic slang. Furthermore, there was, and still is, a ‘don’t tell, don’t share’ attitude from players claiming to be tolerant and accepting, yet [who] lose their collective minds if a queer character options or storyline is introduced in their favourite game, or if you reveal the gender of your partner in guild chat.”

“Much of the social aspect in gaming happens during the downtime,” he points out, “waiting on other players, recouping between battles, repairing armour etc., and that’s when chatting about our lives happens. I’ve heard countless stories from other members of RTGC about how they’d have to lie about the gender of their partner and other details so as not to instigate the possibility of harsh comments from other intolerant players.”

While some groups prefer to offer a somewhat sanitised space for their members, Benjamin notes the RTGC is relatively unique in that it has never shied from the subject of sex. “There always seems to be a secondary censoring of queer lives and stories by the mainstream,” he explains, “something along the lines of ‘Okay, you are gay and you can talk about it a little, but nothing about your sexual acts, preferences or fetishes please’…but I’ve always been at least mildly interested in what excites people, whether it be geekery or in the sack or sling.”

And so, from that goal of building a community that didn’t just enjoy games, but celebrated all kinds of sexual expression, the Rough Trade Gaming Community was created as an “unapologetically queer [place to] celebrate geekdom and fetish life.” Benjamin admits the group “might not be everyone’s cup of tea” thanks to its openness to fetish and kink, but says he believes it’s a “good fit for the queer person who may feel too queer, too kinky, too hardcore in mainstream gay social spaces.” What’s more, it happily welcomes “heterosexual-identified players who, because of their own kink, political views, spiritual practices, or whatever else, don’t feel comfortable in standard gaming social spaces” too.

RTGC’s Taint guilds continue to have a significant presence in WoW.

“We’re also a great testing ground for those of us emerging, or considering emerging, from the closet,” says Benjamin, “We are a very welcoming bunch for the most part and online experimentation in a gaming environment can be a fun and safe way to experiment with self-expression.”

It’s a social mix that’s clearly working; the group now organises real-life meets around the likes of San Francisco and New Orleans, and Benjamin is proud to have helped build a community that can cater to both younger gamers and “an older and more mature player”.

These days the RTGC has over 9,000 active users online, split across six officially supported games (World of Warcraft, World of Warcraft Classic, Final Fantasy 14, Guild Wars 2, Elder Scrolls Online, and Phantasy Star Online 2), alongside a variety of forums and social media sites including Facebook. “Our Xtube channel has close to 2 million views,” notes Benjamin, “but honestly most of those are probably from me.”

One of the RTGC’s most high-profile activities comes in the form of Pixel Pride, an annual virtual Pride event that started out back in the group’s City of Heroes days and is now celebrating its 16th year. “We wanted to show how many players in the game were queer,” says Benjamin of that initial event, “so every queer superhero in the game wore the colour red and we flew, leapt, and teleported to a central meeting place, and had a great time.”

These days Pixel Pride takes place every July on World of Warcraft’s Proudmoore server that many of the group’s guilds calls home, and this year’s pride celebrations – which occurred last weekend – passed in a flurry of ‘donations, support, dancing, laughing, flirting, and duelling in their skivvies’.

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“Pixel Pride,” explains Benjamin, “is important because of the ease of accessibility for folks who can’t and don’t want to find parking at real world Prides, for folks who for whatever reasons can’t be fully out in the real world, and to also remind the non-queers on our servers that we are here, and we are legion, and that the toon tanking in your party, or healing your ass in a dungeon, or peeling aggro off you in PvP might be one of us, so watch your fucking language.”

Benjamin also believes Pixel Pride is valuable for those group members in rural areas too. “We know that queers can tend to flock to big cities to find their tribe, but we also have tons of players who live in remote areas as well”, he says. “I’ve heard from folks like that who are grateful for our Pixel Pride celebrations because, due to distance, or being in the closet, or mobility challenges, that is the only Pride they can safely or reasonably attend. This has, of course, become even more important during the current pandemic.”

Yet despite the obvious demand for the kind of LGBT+ communities and spaces fostered by the likes of London Gaymers and the RTGC, resistance still remains in the wider gaming community to the idea that visibility for LGBT+ players is even necessary, usually, and tellingly, alongside the declaration that ‘politics doesn’t belong in video games’.

“In much the same way a fish can’t really tell you what ‘wet’ feels like, because it is all they’ve ever known, straight folk can be blind, and sometimes stubbornly and wilfully so, to how inextricably enmeshed expressions of affection, sexuality, longing, romance etc. are in our everyday lives,” says Benjamin. “It permeates everything we experience, games included. Every game I’ve played has some element of a love interest storyline, an unrequited romance, etc. It is just fair play that some of those reflect our lives as well.”

A note from an RTGC member attesting to the importance of Pixel Pride.

The good news, though, according to London Gaymers’ Matt Hardwick, is that attitudes do slowly seem to be shifting. “Anecdotally, I would say things have improved over the years, certainly within some areas of online gaming,” he tells me, “[but] there is still a long way to go.”

“I think that developers play a big part in this. Weeding out toxic behaviour is something that a few studios say they are dedicated to but is seldom reflected in their feedback loops or reporting processes,” Hardwick continues. “Gamers at large can help by calling out the behaviour when they see or hear it. Remind them that whilst they may think it’s trash talk they have no idea how their words affect those around them. I do however appreciate this is often easier said than done and that’s why spaces like London Gaymers exists – nobody wants to paint a target on their back – but using reporting processes is always one small step that doesn’t require you to interact with trolls.”

Yet while a harmonious gaming future will ultimately benefit everyone, and is a goal worth aiming for, Benjamin doesn’t think it will spell an end to LGBT+ gaming spaces.

“It can obviously be challenging to be your true queer self, in the ‘real’ world and in-game, and a lot of old, tired attitudes and beliefs can get in the way and make that difficult to attain,” he says. “Once we have though, one of the great blessings about being queer, for me anyway, is the ability to be a little left of centre, to be slightly outside what is considered ‘normal’ or ‘average’. I think that is intensely valuable, both for queers and for the heteronormative, relative ‘centre’, to have that perspective and space for folks who don’t feel they fit in with whatever the fuck ‘normal’ is.

“For that reason, I think and hope we’ll always occupy that space, to question and challenge expected norms, ‘common wisdom’ and convention. To not have that, to have everything and everyone in one homogeneous space, would dilute the colourful and diverse part of the human experience and that would just be boring as fuck…Things could be, and certainly might be, better than they are today, but whether that happens or not, the Rough Trade Gaming Community will be here as a space for anyone fun, friendly, and ready to play.”

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/06/down-and-out-in-orgrimmar-and-london-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=down-and-out-in-orgrimmar-and-london-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net

[joebustillos]

JBB’s Final Thoughts Episode 37: The Endless Assault of “New Normals”

Pondering the challenges of finishing the school year in “work from home” mode and how the world might change “after this is done.”

MP3 Version: https://joebustillos.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/jbbsfinalthoughts_e037_the-endless-assault-of-new-normals.mp3 Enjoy and please subscribe to my YouTube channel or subscribe to all of my blog posts (scroll to the bottom of this page, click the red FOLLOW button in the “Follow blog via email” box).

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Past JBB’s Final Thoughts Podcast Episodes

Resources/Credits:

music: Social Blindness – 22K by Smart Sound Music

All images and screen grabs by Joe Bustillos ©2020 except where noted

Nevada schools will stay shut the rest of school year (image by Rachel Aston), Las Vegas Review-Journal, 04-22-2020

CCSD Chromebook Deployment (images), CBS 8 News Las Vegas, 04-22-2020.

EduBlogs screens (images), retrieved  01-22-2020

Empty Las Vegas by Josh Metz, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2932568266766674&set=pcb.2932568556766645&type=3&theater, retrieved 2020-04-08

Episode Notes/Script/Post:

Joe Bustillos here.

Toward the end of last week I found out that the rest of the school year is going to continue in the current “work from home”/“emergency learning” mode. Side Note: many districts are calling this current mode “remote learning,” but those of us who have conducted actual online or remote learning reject the use of those words to describe what we’re doing because it wasn’t begun with any planning or guidance or technology support that actual remote learning requires. And any successes in this endeavor is entirely because teachers are determined to stay connected with their students and quite frankly we are used to being told to do the impossible and make it happen without the means to be successful.

2020-04-22 RJ: CCSD schools closed for the rest of the year

2020-04-22_NCTA: CCSD schools closed

Stickam Session 2009 – joe bustillos

2012-08-22 Full Sail University EMDT Wk4 Wimba at 7.53.06 PM

Henry Price works on a Pepperdine OMAET project while we edit the video(s)

Last week was also the week when Chromebooks were being distributed to families attending my school who do not have technology at home. Since week two, home room teachers have been calling homes to connect with their students and to verify contact information. The word was that a large portion of our students and families didn’t have any technology at home including any kind of smartphone. So the decision and implementation of distributing technology is a good thing. I just wish that this could have happened before we began the fifth week of our current situation (sixth week if you count the week of Spring Break that we still got). So, that leaves four more weeks until the beginning of the Summer Break. I’m curious how much can be done in that time, given the lack of direct contact.

2020-04-22 CCSD chromebook deployment1

2020-04-22 CCSD chromebook deployment2

2020-04-22 CCSD chromebook deployment3

2020-04-22 CCSD chromebook deployment4

I’ve been working like crazing creating instructional videos and trying to figure out how I might get students to access the curriculum. One of the other specials teachers, the music teacher, has been championing using the Seesaw platform because it’s not dependent on student email addresses and can be accessed with a smartphone. Before this began I had created individual blogs for the 4th and 5th graders to teach Internet communications and digital citizenship, but that got a little derailed. So I’m thinking that I will jump on the simpler Seesaw bandwagon for the primary grades (K through 3) and use Google Classroom with the intermediate grades (4 and 5) with the option for any 4th or 5th grade students to use the blog accounts I’ve already created if they want to. Now to figure out how to get the personal login information to each student without creating a security leak. Oh yeah, during the second week of this situation district IT decided to change how student passwords could be updated and/or recovered and I was locked out of that process altogether, making it impossible for me to assist my teachers in getting student emails up and running (another reason I am going with Seesaw with the primary grades…). Then toward the end of last week, I was able to update a student password, so I’ll be busy working on those classes that didn’t get setup after I was locked out.

2020-04-06-COVID-19 Work From Home-week4: Spring Break edition

2019-08-28 twinsies with Mr. Sharp

edublogs1

edublog-dashboard-post-view-original

edublogs2

It’s not exactly a “new normal” for me to work from home or begin and end my day sitting at my computer desk. I taught online for six-years at Full Sail University before coming to Las Vegas and have been an online student since working on my masters with Pepperdine beginning in the summer of 2001. That said, I do miss going to the local micro-breweries Friday evenings after work or going to the movies at the Orleans with my girlfriend, Deb. And I really wish that I hadn’t sold my trusty treadmill when I moved from Orlando in 2016. Before I sold it, I got a lot of mileage on that bugger because I had it set up so that I could work on my laptop, create assignments and grade student work while getting in my daily walks. I notice that most of the treadmills are sold out on Costco’s website. When I was working face-to-face in the classroom I was on my feet continually, so I’m going to have to find some solution before I put on too much quarantine-weight. I also recognize that concentrated creativity requires routinely stepping away/physical activity to keep the brain fresh and engaged. Oh, and we’re now in that time of year when it’s getting over 80° by 9am. Ugh.

jbb video editing

2010-05-12 Work space iPad-ified

2011-04-01 Office Still Life (keyboard)

2020-02-22 Sand Dollar Lounge with Deb

2014-06-14 Treadmill Workout/Tech Pix

2014-09-12 Treadmill Workout Pix

Alas, a little physical discomfort is nothing compared to the challenges many are facing particularly unemployment and job loss because few service businesses like restaurants, casinos and theaters (the bread and butter of Las Vegas) can be done from home. I am lucky that there is an “emergency learning from home” possibility, but as I noted earlier, there’s a lot of families who don’t have the means to do at home learning and are falling through the cracks and might not come back when things turn around. And who knows what this “turn around” might look like. The number of students re-enrolling in the Fall might drop tremendously, shrinking the number of teachers needed in the Fall. Just after the work-from-home order was given, I was lucky enough to secure a position teaching at a Middle School close to my place beginning in the Fall, but things are far from certain given that we have no idea what enrollment is going to be in the Fall or what challenges we’ll face when we’re hit by COVID-19’s second wave. Given my health history, I’m certainly not in a position to not take precautions and be very concerned about getting back into the business of working in close proximity with hundreds of potential walking germ factories. I hope they like me in my fashionable face-masks.

2020-03-24 Josh Metz – empty-vegas

Learning from Home – robots

2020-03-03 Reading Week – funny Hair Day

2020-04-28 n95-busted

2002-06-04 Twain computer lab teacher

2020-04-07 costco with bandana

I have been working in technology (officially) for over 40-years, since I hired on with the phone company in 1979, so I’ve made a study of the constant change brought about by the continuing changes in technology. I’m used to this and I’m always looking for benefits and challenges. But most of my fellow teachers do not easily welcome change. One year after one of my schools became a video-journalism magnet school, ten of the thirty teachers left that school for other teaching positions at other schools. Hell, my change of schools has nothing to do with the current COVID-19 challenge, but it certainly doesn’t help with the difficulty of starting something new at a new school, new grade levels, new administration and the possibility of the second wave of COVID-19 rearing its ugly head just after the beginning of the new school year. So, yeah, I’m okay with the computer stuff/working from home stuff, but I worry that the world outside my door will never be the same again and I am getting a bit old for this shit. Really. I appreciate a good challenge, but this is getting ridiculous.

pacbell by joe bustillos

1979-1995 The Pacific Bell Years-04-ANHM01 ITT T-CXR equipment

Kaypro II

Non-Linear Systems Inc., Kaypro 10

2001-04-15 FACT TV screen shots – 12

2020-03-30 teach from home

How are you coping? How do you keep your sanity? I do find myself watching way too many Graham Norton videos on FaceBook when I need a break from other computer things. What’s your guilty pleasure? Please leave a comment or a like where ever you are seeing or hearing this podcast.

Also, if you haven’t done so, please subscribe to either my blog or to my YouTube channel. If you found this on Facebook and clicked the link to my blog to watch this, please scroll to the bottom of the blog page and click the “Follow” button. Enter your email address and whenever I post another podcast you’ll get a message in your email. Because I recently moved my videos to a new YouTube account, I have very few subscribers. So, if you’re watching this on YouTube, please feel free to go to my channel, click the subscribe button and the little bell icon, so that you get an email message whenever I post a new video podcast to my channel. Alas, thanks to FaceBook’s precious little algorithm, it’s not enough to be my friend on FaceBook, if you are interested in getting these podcasts when they come out (which I’m working on getting one out every two-weeks)… So, it works better if you either subscribe to my blog or my YouTube channel (or both!). Enjoy.

JBB's Final Thoughts Episode 37: The Endless Assault of “New Normals” JBB's Final Thoughts Episode 37: The Endless Assault of “New Normals” Pondering the challenges of finishing the school year in "work from home" mode and how the world might change "after this is done."

#CCSD 2019-2020 school year #Chromebooks #COVID-19 #COVID-19 second wave #digital divide #education #educational technology #educator #featured #JBB&039;s Final Thoughts (podcast) #Jbb’s final thoughts #jbbsfinalthoughts-podcast #joe bustillos video podcast #leaving Fitzgerald #life issues #life&039;s journey #life&039;s passions #life&039;s plan #online teaching #post-COVID-19 #remote learning #teaching #unanticipated changes #working from home

[jesseneufeld]

Top 10 | Best Team Performance

The 2019 WEGO Health Awards turned out to be our biggest celebration yet! With over 6k nominations and 130k endorsements, we were able to celebrate more Patient Leaders than ever before.

The program celebrates the top 5 finalists in each of the 15 WEGO Health Awards categories, but with so many nominations, it’s nearly impossible to shine a bright light on all these deserving nominees! In hopes of recognizing even more nominees, we’ve compiled the Top 10 Patient Leaders in each category based on community endorsements.

WEGO Health Awards Best Best Team Performance Award

Advocating doesn’t have to be a one woman/man show. This category is for those teams who work better together. Whether it be a group that runs an online chat, a non-profit organization, or a caregiver and patient duo – these teams take their activism to new heights because of the assistance from one another.

Burning Nights CRPS Support | CRPS Patient Leader

2019 Best Team Performance Winner

“We raise awareness and support anyone who is affected by the poorly understood chronic condition, CRPS through awareness sessions for health and legal professionals as well as the general public, so that patients are diagnosed quicker and treatment started sooner to give patients a better prognosis. We provide a number of frontline support services including up to date, evidence based website, telephone helpline, an annual national conference, access to legal support, a dedicated email support system, 24/7 online community forum and social media support across 6 social media channels.”

Learn more about the WEGO Health Award winner.

Fibromyalgia Care Society of America, Inc. | Fibromyalgia Patient Leader

2019 Best Team Performance Finalist

The mission of the Fibromyalgia Care Society of America (FCSA) is to provide education, care and supportive services to individuals living with fibromyalgia, their families and the community at large. FCSA will also work to educate medical providers on the appropriate diagnostic, care and treatment of those living with this condition.

Click here to follow this passionate team.

ArmiahUniqueWorld | Optic Nerve Hypoplasia Patient Leader

2019 Best Team Performance Finalist

Ar’miah and her family use social media to share a positive and joyful perspective about life with health challenges. It’s a message that resonates with their large community of followers.

Brighten up your feeds by following ArmiahUniqueWorld.

Lupus LA | Lupus Patient Leader

2019 Best Team Performance Finalist

“Every life touched by lupus reveals a unique and important story. At Lupus LA, we are bringing these powerful stories to the forefront of lupus awareness in order to shine a light on this invisible illness.”

Check out the important advocacy work this team is doing.

Triage Cancer | Cancer Patient Leader

2019 Best Team Performance Finalist

Triage Cancer is a national, nonprofit organization that provides education on the practical and legal issues that may impact individuals diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers, through events, materials, and resources. A cancer diagnosis can be a life altering event, not only for the individual diagnosed, but also for an individual’s family, friends, caregivers, and community of support. Triage Cancer helps people move beyond diagnosis.

Find out how to follow this advocacy powerhouse.

Gynaecological Awareness Information Network | Women’s Health Patient Leader

“We are the Gynaecological Awareness Information Network Inc. Also known as GAIN Inc. We are run by a fantatsic team of volunteers who are passionate about raising awareness and education of all Gynaecological conditions. Our team look forward to carrying on our work for many years to come.”

Learn more about GAIN and follow them on social.

Cathy Pederson – Standing Up to POTS | POTS Patient Leader

Cathy Pederson, Ph.D., is the Elizabeth E. Powelson Professor of Biology at Wittenberg University. She founded Standing Up to POTS® in 2014 after her daughter became ill with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome shortly after turning 10. Cathy has published eight papers on POTS/chronic illness and quality of life issues since 2016. Through Standing Up to POTS, more than $100,000 has been raised for POTS research. Standing Up to POTS has awarded grants to five POTS research teams in four different countries. They host an annual Standing Up to POTS 5K/2K event in Springfield, Ohio.

Stay up to date on the important advocacy work Cathy is doing.

Barby Ingle | Chronic Pain Patient Leader

Cheerleader of HOPE – Barby Ingle, BSc, is an Amazon bestselling author, reality television personality, and president of International Pain Foundation (iPain) sharing her powerful story about life-changing events that forced life reflection, purpose, and her journey from wheels to heals. Barby has a degree in Social Psychology from George Mason University and more than 20 years of living with chronic pain and 30 years of motivational speaking experience.

Want to learn more about what Barby and her team are up to?

Lena Morsch | Congenital Heart Disease Patient Leader

“In 2012, I saw a great need for women with CHD to have a private, safe place to talk about their issues and concerns. Many women with CHD were frustrated or intimidated about opening up due to unsolicited advice or judgement. It’s extremely difficult to talk about self-image issues, child-bearing, birth control, relationships, and finding the right care in “mixed company”. In 2012, I created a sisterhood of women with CHD. I based my idea of a “sisterhood” on my college sorority days. I started with a few of my close friends with CHD, and we now have over 2000 members from all over the world! We are growing every day! We screen each member before they join, to keep the group safe and genuine. I’m very proud of our accomplishments! We help our members find the right care in adulthood, we listen to them during health crisis, we inspired them to seek the most out of life, and most importantly, they know they are not alone!”

Add Lena to your feed.

Endometriosis Memes Community – Andrea Wesche | Endometriosis Patient Leader

“We started as a simple Facebook group that focused on memes and being able to have humor when dealing with chronic illness. Over the last year, we have grown to over 14,000 members and are one of the most inclusive communities for “endofam”. We welcome trans endofam, patients, partners and loved ones. We laugh, we cry, we vent, we support. We operate on the principle that our disease affects us all differently, and not all treatment options are available to every patient. We work to help members make the best decision available to them, and understand that their decision is theirs alone.”

Keep an eye on how this group uses humor for advocacy.

Don’t miss out – connect with these dynamic teams on social!

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