#then you are ignoring the fight billions of women face on the daily

[insanityclause]

Zoe Saldana stars in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"SOURCE: MARVEL

That’s not to say Marvel — along with all studios and streamers — doesn’t face some hurdles going forward. But the nature of those obstacles for Marvel are frankly pretty obvious; it’s mostly things Marvel has overcome before; and regardless of those issues and the need to address them, Marvel is still actually doing pretty good right now even amid the problems they’ve had.

So let’s just unpack what’s really going wrong, and what it means for Marvel Studios.

The situation with actor Jonathan Majors — the star of several Marvel films and streaming shows, as the MCU’s time-traveling villain Kang the Conqueror — is that he faces multiple accusations of abuse, and is scheduled to stand trial for one recent case. After that case was initially reported, other accusations surfaced, as did previous public statements from years ago by performers who asserted accusations of abuse were already circulating about Majors.

So yes, Marvel will almost certainly recast Kang. Lucky for Marvel, the character literally exists across a near-infinite number of alternate realities where he takes different forms and changes appearance. Likewise, Marvel has had to recast characters in the past, just like lots of other franchise or TV/streaming series. This isn’t brain surgery, and the framing of this issue as something that could sink Marvel’s whole future plans is frankly nonsense.

Just one great example, Marvel could offer the role to John Boyega (who I’d argue should’ve been the top candidate for the role in the first place). Or maybe Denzel Washington as an iteration of Kang who sat out the in-fighting and collective efforts of the rest of the Kangs and grew older and wiser as he made his plans to take over. Or maybe Ray Fisher could be offered the role, if Marvel wants to poke DC and WBD while scoring a great casting option.

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Or perhaps Marvel could offer the role to Leslie Odom Jr., Lakeith Stanfield, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Daveed Diggs, Stephan James, or any number of other fantastic casting choices to take over the role of Kang in the MCU.

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The point is, the worst part of the situation with John Majors is if the allegations are true and women suffered this abuse while Hollywood ignored it. The casting “problem” is small potatoes by comparison, and is easy to solve.

So let’s look at the financials now, since a central claim to the “Marvel is in trouble” narrative is that the studio is struggling at the box office while streaming is an unpopular mess.

At the box office, it’s true Marvel hit a high point with their back to back releases of the two-part Avengers conclusion to the Infinity Saga. The $2.79 billion from Endgame and $2 billion from Infinity War elevated the final global gross for all 22 films in that saga to more than $20 billion, for a per-film average of around $935 million.

In 2018 and 2019, the MCU put up the following numbers: Black Panther hit $1.34 billion, then Infinity War topped $2 billion, then Captain Marvel scored $1.1 billion, and then Endgame took $2.79 billion. Ant-Man and the Wasp at $622 is the only MCU film in those 24 months that failed to top $1 billion.

Since the Infinity Saga ended, Marvel’s releases have taken north of $8.1 billion across 10 movies so far, with a Multiverse Saga per film average of about $815 million. The difference between $815 million and $935 million is not insignificant, but nor is it disastrous, and it’s certainly not hard to understand why it’s happening.

The 2018 and 2019 slates for the Infinity Saga benefited from a decade of build-up, and it was those last four (out of five total) blockbusters topping $1-2 billion each that provided the final heft and resulted in an even higher per film average. We are only in the first half of the Multiverse Saga to date, and so far we haven’t had a single Avengers movie in this new saga, while as noted the Infinity Saga ended with a one-two Avengers punch good for more than $2 million per film.

And then the fact of the Covid pandemic alone accounts for most of the rest of the downturn in Marvel Studios’ average box office performance. Even during the Covid pandemic, when films were flopping or going straight to streaming/PVOD, Marvel’s three releases that performed “badly” due to the global health crisis still managed to finish between $379.7 million on the lowest end and $432 million. That’s better than the DCEU can perform even after theaters reopened and box office started its climb back toward something resembling “normal” — at least for the right films, since 2023 has been a roller coaster ride for theatrical.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania underperformed earlier this year and wound up the weakest performer of that franchise at $476 million, but Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 scored blockbuster results with $845.5 million.

Indeed, Vol. 3 is currently the fourth-highest grossing movie of 2023, both domestically and worldwide. And for the record, as disappointing as its box office was, 2023 has been so cruel to theatrical releases that Quantumania is still a top-10 box office performer.

We’ve seen one would-be blockbuster tentpole after another face-plant or otherwise disappoint, and often when a tentpole has managed a healthy box office performance it’s at a more moderate level than expected or typically enjoyed by the given franchise and/or its prior financial trajectory.

Other than Barbie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Oppenheimer, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, nothing else truly put up top-tier results this year. Fast X topped $700 million, but is fourth film in a row from the series to suffer a decline from its predecessor’s box office gross, and the lowest box office for the franchise since 2011’s Fast Five, so it’s a mixed bag there.

Besides that, 2023 saw three films in the $500-600 millions range, four in $400 millions territory, and a couple of $300 millions.

The makeup of the top 10 this year looks like this: Barbie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Oppenheimer, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Fast X, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Little Mermaid, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, Elemental, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Notice, there are three Marvel superhero movies in the top 10. Yes, one of them underperformed, but the point is that it seems silly to talk as if audience are in any widespread or large scale way turning away from superhero cinema, or that Marvel is somehow reeling from a downfall and have lost control.

The Marvels is currently tracking toward a shockingly low debut this weekend, with most projections pointing to a $130-$150 million global opening. Without at least average holds, the film could struggle to get past $300-400 million. On the other hand, I think tracking has proven pretty unreliable these days, and I believe a significant part of these disappointing numbers is the fact a lot of people are confusing this film with being another new Disney+ Marvel show, or think it is coming to Disney+ as a film soon. There’s also the general 2023 ongoing curse to consider.

But regardless, The Marvels should’ve been a home run sequel. While we can point to the unethical shenanigans and toxic behavior of fans and of certain organized hateful online voices obsessed with attacking women-driven movies or shows, if this film flops or underperforms rather than merely suffering a downward adjustment consistent with the genre overall (which would mean a box office for The Marvels in the $700 million range, I’d say), then it’s entirely fair to call it a big stumble for the studio.

The large-scale tainting of superhero cinema by the DCEU’s overarching failure the past several years (eight films in a row across five years, all failing to reach $400 million and averaging in the roughly $250 million range) coinciding with the Covid pandemic and theatrical downturn, coupled with a leveling off — not uncontrolled free-fall or any other hyperbolic situation — of Marvel’s must-see “event” status in the aftermath of their 11-year Infinity Saga’s conclusion (and lack of any Avengers team-ups for four years and counting) has no doubt reduced the dominance of the superhero genre and audience’s previous high-level anticipation.

But that sort of heightened “event” status is impossible for any franchise or genre to maintain, and no serious person expected the genre or any one studio’s piece of it to be some perpetual ever-increasing profit machine

Neither Marvel nor the genre in general need to treat the usual ebb and flow of primacy in entertainment as if it’s some major crisis threatening the existence and profitability of the studio or genre. That’s just the natural clickbait mentality driving entertainment journalism. We should be able to report on and assess such situations without resort to exaggerated portrayals for melodramatic purposes, nor parrot claims from those with obvious incentives and ulterior motives behind any of that sort of hyperbolic claims. We know better, but that doesn’t mean the profession behaves better, and so we get clickbait and studio drama delivered up like silly reality TV, and everyone pretends not to recognize it as the nonsense it usually is.

Marvel has to recast a major lead actor, something we’ve seen plenty of times by studios and projects, including literally by Marvel themselves on more than one occasion. Marvel’s first two films of 2023 grossed a combined $1.3 billion in box office. Even if The Marvels only does about half the box office of Captain Marvel — a vastly bigger drop than the Ant-Man franchise experienced, but let’s just use a 50% dramatic decrease to make the larger point — the MCU will have grossed a total of about $2.45 billion for 2023, an average of $815 million per film.

If that figure sounds familiar, it’s because I mentioned it earlier since it’s the per-film average for the MCU ever since the end of the Infinity Saga. Marvel settled back a bit from the high per-film average of $935 million, and for four years we’ve consistently seen this same new average level of performance for their films. Again, not insignificant as a drop, but in context it’s easier to understand and recognize as not a sudden emergency situation, and I suspect most studios would be happy if they could average north of $800 million per film on average every year.

And let’s face it, once the latest Avengers movies hit the radar, we’ll see the average per film gross go up during those years, just like always, and in the long run if the two scheduled Avengers movies play at the $2 billion level, that will actually result in an increase in the final average per-film gross for the Multiverse Saga, just as those huge Avengers box office grosses at the end of Infinity Saga seriously raised the saga’s per-film average.

This is all fairly predictable, within an obvious margin of error but not frankly too far of deviation. Which doesn’t negate the fact of the downturn in average performances, but rather puts it into less histrionic perspective as solvable problems for a still overwhelmingly successful studio that’s seeing per film averages still far superior to what any other studio can claim.

On streaming, where audience trends and preferences have likewise evolved during the Covid era, Marvel

First we got the ABC broadcast series: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, and Inhumans. Want to take a moment to recall how did those all fair with audiences and critics?

Then came Netflix's slate, with Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher — half of those got mostly good or great reviews, a couple got mixed to negative reviews, and along the way different seasons of a given show had their ups and downs. Many fans and reviewers bemoaned the general lack of tie-in to the cinematic releases, a point that's amusing in light of how the same reviewers and fans completely reversed course a few years later to bemoan the fact the newer MCU shows often try to tie in to the MCU.

So next up are The Runaways and Cloak and Dagger, shows with younger casts and less direct connection to the rest of the MCU, but both were short lived and appeared on two different streaming services.

Which brings us to the MCU shows on Disney+, overseen by Marvel Studios itself and consisting of WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If...?, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Secret Invasion.

While The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and What If...? received mixed reactions, WandaVision and Loki got generally good to great reviews, as did Hawkeye and Moon Knight.

Ms. Marvel likewise received strong positive reviews, aside from resentful fans mostly motivated by racism or sexism who bashed the show (the same way angry bigoted fans harassed Brie Larson and tried to manipulate online reviews for Captain Marvel, and to this day engage in bizarre conspiracy theories pretending movies with women leads are secretly propped up by studios buying up tickets), and the same mob of boys and men perpetually upset that everything isn’t just a mirror reflecting themselves were incensed that She-Hulk dared make fun of them for being immature, bigoted, and all-around goofy.

Granted, She-Hulk did often have what looked like rushed and unfinished CGI, but it was also still miles ahead of most TV CGI and it didn’t detract from the entertainment value of the show and was generally fine. (Yes, plenty of folks just didn’t enjoy these shows, and I’m sure it’s entirely a coincidence that for many of them it always happens to be women-led shows that bother them or are declared “meh”).

Secret Wars is the most recent new MCU show (besides a new season of Loki), and it got mixed reviews that lean mostly positive but still point to trouble in the decision-making to develop the series, questions about

The point of all of this is, Marvel’s had a lot of superhero shows for a long time during the reign of the MCU, and the shows have tended to mostly get good or great reviews, while often suffering complaints of inconsistency in tie-ins vs stand-alone abilities, or iffy VFX, or questions about who is in charge and why certain decisions were made. Sound familiar? It should, because it’s a broken record of reality at this point, the sort that gets mentioned as if it’s a new development any time someone is pushing the latest version of the “sky is falling” narrative.

Not that there aren’t issues needing solutions. The budgets are too high, and Marvel — like many streamers — is discovering it’s simply not sustainable to spend $20 million or more per episode with rushed production schedules and increasingly unreasonable demands on VFX workers.

But the shows themselves are so far working and working pretty well, if you aren’t focused entirely on social media debates and media exaggerations. Most every MCU show on Disney+ has enjoyed positive reception from critics and viewers, enjoying good (and sometimes record-setting) viewership. Fixing the problems for the Marvel streaming plans is not really any more difficult than fixing the theatrical issues, because it’s easy to identify the problems, easy to see where the problems arose, and easy to see what is necessary to end those problems.

Nobody foresaw the Covid pandemic (or at least the extent of it) or the utterly shameful, failed public health response it elicited from governments and organizations that are paid and entrusted to prevent or deal with such crises. Marvel was caught off guard like every studio, Marvel suffered the same box office downturn as every studio, Marvel leaned into streaming like every studio, and Marvel is now having to make adjustments to adapt to the still-evolving environment theatrically and in streaming.

So media and fans and others in Hollywood pretending this is some shocking, Marvel-specific situation are making disingenuous claims, and they should know better. Most probably do, but the truth is more boring than doomsaying — and with everything else in the world falling apart, clickbait and hyperbole are the best way to get attention for entertainment news during a drought (caused by few new films/shows releasing, and the likelihood of strikes dragging into next year because studios put money toward bonuses, yachts, and private jets rather than pay artists, writers, and performers living wages from a fair share of the revenue they generate).

Marvel will recast Kang, they’ll reduce the number of shows and films in production at a given time, they’ll get budgets under control and allow more time for VFX work, and they’ll refocus on the approaches and measures that worked so well in the past to determine which projects to greenlight and how to return to the sense of a big shared world the Avengers have to team up to save.

Luckily, with the X-Men and Fantastic Four reboots around the corner, Marvel has a couple of big teams with lots of potential for precisely the sort of storytelling Marvel does best at the blockbuster level. They could even simply move toward a post-Secret Wars setup that lets Fantastic Four, X-Men, and a handful of other existing popular franchises carry the Marvel brand forward for a while.

We will also probably see the temporary return of Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson reprise their popular MCU roles for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and/or Avengers: Secret Wars.

And looking at the upcoming slate, it’s not hard to see there’s plenty of reason to feel confident Marvel will continue to enjoy success, even if it’s at a slightly moderated level due to the myriad factors we’ve discussed, including the idea that superhero genre films are settling into a more consistent long-term level of popularity and performance from now on.

The next four years brings Deadpool 3, Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, Blade, Fantastic Four, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars, and at some point thereafter Armor Wars and the X-Men. Of these films, the two Avengers movies are likely to be blockbuster hits, as is Deadpool 3. Captain America: Brave New World is an established franchise, lacking the original series lead but with a continuing cast and brand that I think are enough to avoid any significant downturn in box office, even if we see some drop from the peak levels of the Infinity Saga.

Blade and Thunderbolts are the riskier properties here, but the former is a previously successful cinematic brand and the latter is a team-up movie including some recognizable characters and stars. Still, this is where we might see more underperformances. Fantastic Four could likewise either perform at a blockbuster levels, or might wind up in the $700 million range, but as a key property getting lots of attention and must-work oversight, I think it’ll avoid being a problem.

Armor Wars as an extension of the Iron Man movies — and possibly/probably coming after we see Robert Downey Jr. again in some Avengers action — should perform well, and X-Men is a known successful brand getting an MCU reboot and polish as a big team franchise including younger cast members, so I think it’ll at least be capable of playing at the Guardians of the Galaxy level, if done right.

This isn’t a debacle, it’s not doomsday, and Marvel isn’t in disarray. The internal difficulties they’ve faced are frankly typical and easy to identify and solve, as much as everything else we’ve discussed here. The bottom line is this: we’ve seen Marvel Studios kick off with a big hit in Iron Man and an outright flop with The Incredible Hulk, after which Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor performed at okay levels but didn’t set the box office on fire by any stretch.

We got the original Avengers movie off the strength of Iron Man and Iron Man 2, and to really help put this into perspective I’ll point out the average per film box office of Phase One was $634 million. Phase Two’s per film average was $876 million.

Marvel worked hard to build what they created, and it’s a tremendous historic success full of ups and downs that so far have ultimately maintained an impressive level of successful across a large slate of films and series. To look at this history, this math, and think Marvel Studios is in deep trouble, struggling, or never really was very good to begin with, is unreasonable and contrary to the data and any serious considerations.

#exactly the kind of data we need to remember #Thor TFA and TDW weren't huge hits

[the-necessary-unnecessary]

(Un)friendly reminder that today isn't just about celebrating. It's about demanding, changing, protesting, reclaiming, educating, recognising, organising, fighting, taking up space - for all women.

#mostly not on here but ive seen so much shit about today being for all women including those with racist homophobic ableist etc views #with an emphasis on congratulating and thanking and celebrating #rather than one on inclusive intersectional and critical feminism #and so actually by saying this day is a space for all one actually makes it a completelt unsafe space and not one for all women #but rather a priviledged and elitest day where people post purple ig stories celebrating herself and others that look just like there #also another friendly reminder that 8M was first international working women's day #and with the pandemic more than ever is the precariousness of women dominated sectors being highlighted in this male white dominated societ #also pt2 if you feel like this is a day of celebrating an end of the road position of equality #then you are ignoring the fight billions of women face on the daily #8M #international women's day #iwd2020 #og #sorry for the rant instagram just really got to me

[dippedanddripped]

For more than a year, Los Angeles-based streetwear designer Tremaine Emory had been working with Converse on a red, green and black sneaker inspired by Jamaican political activist and Black nationalist Marcus Garvey’s Pan-African flag and artist David Hammons’ 1990 work “African-American Flag,” an original of which was acquired by the Broad museum in Los Angeles last year.

Emory’s brand, Denim Tears, tells the story of Black people in the United States starting in 1619, when the first documented enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia; according to the designer, the brand’s logo, a cotton plant, is a direct reference to slavery. That’s why the proposed packaging for his Converse sneaker collaboration depicts a coffin covered with Hammons’ flag and a cotton wreath, as a tribute to Black Americans who have died under unjust conditions. The image is based on an art installation, “A Proper Burial, Thanks America,” that Emory debuted in London last year.

However, in late May, as protests spread across the country after George Floyd’s death in police custody, Emory announced on Instagram that he and Denim Tears couldn’t go forward with the partnership until Converse’s parent company, Nike, went beyond its plan to donate $40 million over four years to support the Black community. (Michael Jordan, through his Nike subsidiary Jordan Brand, is donating an additional $100 million over 10 years.)

Emory called the move by Beaverton, Ore.,-based Nike, which reported $37.4 billion in revenue last fiscal year, a very expensive Band-Aid. He said he wanted to use his voice to push Nike to look inward at its own record on diversity and inclusion.

“It’s accountability,” Emory said in a phone interview. “It’s about Fortune 500 companies and how they are run under the guise of white supremacy and patriarchy and how I take accountability, that I need to see the steps — and brands that I work with dispensing that — or guys won’t work with me.”

In recent months, nearly all major industries, including entertainment, journalism and sports, have been forced to confront how closely their statements opposing systemic racism align with their treatment of Black and brown employees. The fashion industry, which has frequently been criticized for cultural appropriation, instances of blackface and a lack of diversity, is no different.

According to a count by trade publication Women’s Wear Daily, Black people make up only 4% — 19 out of 477 members — of the invitation-only Council of Fashion Designers of America, whose new chairman is Tom Ford. In an email to The Times, a CFDA spokesman said, “The CFDA does not record nor require members to state their race upon application, but it is estimated that members of color make up approximately 25% of the total membership.”

June 8, 2020

In anecdotal comments, Black streetwear designers from L.A. to New York told The Times that their subset of the fashion industry is no different.

“You can’t ignore the fact that there aren’t many Black brand owners in the streetwear space,” said Scott Sasso, who founded 10.Deep in 1995 while he was a student at Vassar. “And [at] some of the biggest companies, I don’t know if they’ve even had Black employees.”

Streetwear brands such as Denim Tears and 10.Deep offer casual clothing, primarily for men, that blend the styles of various subcultures, including hip-hop (as popularized in the 1990s by brands such as FUBU, Walker Wear and Phat Farm) as well as surf and skate motifs. It’s an identity that can be found in the clothing from brands such as Supreme and Stüssy. Instead of offering widely available, mass-produced products, streetwear brands tend to offer limited-edition drops for consumers who hear about companies through social media or by word of mouth.

Although Black style — from hip-hop to sneaker culture — has played a major role in shaping the fashion industry while bringing new designers and brands to prominence, Black fashion professionals and streetwear brand owners said in interviews with The Times that the clothing industry has failed to elevate and promote Black creatives in a way that reflects that influence.

Several designers also questioned the sincerity of corporations promising to invest in Black communities. They reflected on their own experiences trying to explain Black art to predominantly white company leaders.

Chicago-based designer Joe Freshgoods started selling T-shirts in high school and has been selling his designs out of Fat Tiger Workshop, the streetwear retail hub he co-owns, since 2013.

“I feel like a lot of these brands are in these boardrooms having these talks about how to fix this or how to just clean up their mistakes real fast, and it’s just like, ‘Hey, let’s just fill in the blanks real quick and see if this will make them happy,’” Freshgoods said.

He said he tried to include the logo of the Black Panther Party on a design for an Oakland-themed collaboration with an apparel brand last year. The company’s legal department rejected his proposal. At the time he went along with it, but now he’d push back, he said.

“A lot of Black collaborators are the reason why a lot of brands are super successful right now, so that’s a lot of power to have,” Freshgoods said.

Emory, who has partnered with New Balance and Levi’s, called on Nike to stop supporting Republicans while President Trump is the party’s leader. He also wants the company to release more information on its record of hiring Black employees and assist in “the defunding and total reform of all the police departments across America.”

Since his initial Instagram post in June, Emory has spoken to Converse Chief Executive G. Scott Uzzell or Uzzell’s team about a half dozen times over the phone or in video-conference meetings. In those discussions, Emory said the company acknowledged it hasn’t done everything it could in terms of creating a diverse corporate structure and laid out its hiring plan, especially in its executive suite. The designer said he discussed current initiatives at Nike to invest in Black communities and to address systemic racism and police brutality. “They want to get involved in all that, and we will see,” he said.

The release date for his red, black and green Converse sneaker has been moved up from February to October, ahead of the November election. Emory said the marketing for the shoe will focus on promoting voting. The shoe will be available in North America, Europe and online for $95 to $100.

“We respect and encourage the efforts of any collaborator or athlete we work with to raise their voice against racial injustice,” a Converse spokesperson said in a statement to The Times. “We have spoken with Tremaine and look forward to working through these issues together.”

At its core, streetwear is about authenticity and the personal connection between consumers and the designers and labels they love.

The push by larger brands and corporations — specifically in the fashion industry — to meet the current moment with statements, donations and new initiatives is in direct contrast to what many Black streetwear designers have been doing since the inception of their brands. Those designers have been hiring diverse staff, speaking up about political issues and infusing their works with references to Black culture.

“Now I feel like everybody’s rushing to make some type of relevant shirt or make some relevant message on their Instagram,” said Zac Clark, a Black designer who started his brand, FTP, while in high school in Los Angeles. “To me, a lot of this stuff right now seems very unnatural and just forced from a lot of these brands, so they won’t get ‘canceled.’”

Olivia Anthony, the designer behind the Livstreetwear brand, said the turning point for her New York-based company was her 2017 My Love Letter to Our Culture collection, which paid tribute to Black trends of the ’90s — think long nails, grills and slicked-down baby hairs — that were largely considered unfashionable until they were adopted by other races.

“It was so beautiful, but it was looked down upon,” said Anthony, adding that she wanted her brand to reflect how those Black trends, now featured in magazines including Vogue, have been “shown in a different light.”

Kacey Lynch said he created his South L.A.-based streetwear company, Bricks & Wood, after years of working at streetwear brands where he felt Black representation was missing.

“They wanted a lot from us, but they didn’t want to do the work, what it took to understand us,” Lynch said of his past employers. “Whether that’s Black culture, South-Central, minorities … wherever the cool came from, they all wanted it but they didn’t really know how to identify with it.”

In May 2019, fashion website Hypebeast and Strategy&, a consulting firm in the PwC network, released its Streetwear Impact Report, based on interviews with more than 40,000 Hypebeast readers and 700 global industry insiders. The survey found that 70% of respondents said they care about social issues, 59% said brand activism is important and 47% said they would stop shopping from a brand because of inappropriate behavior.

“It’s fine as a starting point for corporations to say, ‘This is what we stand for and this is what we believe,’” said Elena Romero, a fashion journalist and author of 2012’s “Free Stylin’: How Hip Hop Changed the Fashion Industry.”“But that’s not going to be enough.”

Romero, an assistant professor at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, said companies likely will face questions over where they invest their profits, the diversity of their staff and how they’ve helped build the communities from which their dollars are coming. She said many companies will realize they’ve fallen short because the answers to those questions weren’t a priority until their profits were at risk.

“Now the consumer is saying, ‘You can’t fool us anymore,’” she said. “If you’re not authentic and truly supporting the very same things that these young people believe, your business will suffer.”

The result has been an industrywide push to make those investments now but also to make amends for past inaction. After Black Adidas employees criticized the company’s response to racism, Adidas announced June 9 that it would add more diverse staff, start a scholarship program for Black employees and invest an additional $20 million over four years in programs that serve the Black community. A day later, Adidas upped its $20 million pledge to $120 million. (In addition to those changes at Adidas, the company’s global head of human resources, Karen Parkin, resigned at the end of June after facing criticism for her handling of racial discrimination.)

Adidas also apologized for its past silence. “For most of you, this message is too little, too late,” a tweet from the Adidas account read. “We’ve celebrated athletes and artists in the Black community and used their image to define ourselves culturally as a brand but missed the message in reflecting such little representation within our walls.”

In the broader fashion community, various organizations and members of the industry have offered different strategies for creating a more inclusive environment. Aurora James, a New York-based creative director, started the Fifteen Percent Pledge, which calls on companies to provide at least 15% of their shelf space or contracts to Black-owned businesses.

After the CFDA announced its plan to promote diversity, a group called the Kelly Initiative called for the CFDA to adopt its proposal to conduct and publish a census of diversity in the industry, audit its recruitment practices and release an annual list of top Black talent, the Kelly List. The initiative is named after the late Patrick Kelly, a Black fashion designer who rose to prominence in the 1980s with work that played with Black cultural symbols and racial stereotypes.

April Walker, whose New York brand Walker Wear was worn by ’90s hip-hop stars including Method Man, Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G., stressed that Black designers need to look outside the fashion industry for success by collaborating, mentoring and sharing resources with their counterparts.

“We just need to not look for the fashion industry, as it’s been very oppressive for the last 30 years, to be the end-all, be-all for our opportunities,” she said, “but to create our own.”

Among streetwear companies, the effort to fight systemic racism in the country and the fashion industry has been on an individual basis, with brand owners of all races deciding how much they’re willing to give back and how comfortable they are using their platforms to discuss and condemn racism.

For some, that means speaking up in solidarity with the Black community. Bobby Kim, cofounder of the Hundreds, a Vernon-based clothing brand, teamed with Pharrell Williams’ brand Billionaire Boys Club to raise money for Black Lives Matter and the Black Mental Health Alliance with a shirt that was available for 48 hours. After the Fairfax shopping district where his shop is located was vandalized in late May, Kim, who’s Korean American, defended the right to protest.

In an interview, Kim said, “If you have been given a lot of money, and especially if that money has come by way of participating, contributing, or even stealing or borrowing from Black culture, then you — more than anybody else right now — need to tithe, need to pay up, in a sense, in order to reflect how influential Black culture has been in your career and your profitability as a company.”

Sasso’s 10.Deep stopped selling its regular collection for most of June and instead offered a new line of 10.Deep products to draw attention to activism against racial injustice and police brutality. The profits went to national bail funds for protesters.

“Streetwear, in its truest form, is about shooting yourself in the foot as often as possible but also just doing what you think is right,” Sasso said.

He said he was drawn to streetwear because it was a multiethnic community of different countercultures, a blend of the skate, surf, hip-hop and graffiti scenes, with a dash of punk rock, united by an exclusive knowledge of where to find and buy certain brands.

However, he has noticed a shift among streetwear consumers. For some shoppers, it’s not about the community. It’s just about the clothes.

He said he lost “several thousand” social media followers after he posted about Black Lives Matter and has received comments asking him to just stick to fashion.

“My thought is: If you want just some regular clothes, go buy Banana Republic, go buy Levi’s,” he said. “Those are companies that aren’t gonna take political stances. They’re providing basic stuff. This space is about a culture. If you want to participate in it, this is what it’s about.”

#@latimes on instagram #black streetwear brands #bobby kim #blm #nike #denim tears #cfda #elena romero #how hip hop changed the fashion industry #streetwear blog #olivia anthony #aurora james #fifteen percent pledge

[the-odst-that-could]

Journal entry [Redacted]: Forgiveness was never the option

The recording buzzes in, cutting out the initial parts of the meeting.

Newbie: We cannot think about forgiving them, they are monsters!

There is a pause, following the ONI agent pinching her eyebrows together.

076: Captain Reynolds, you can’t-

She tries to finish her sentence but is interrupted by an abrupt movement from Captain Reynolds. There are sounds of guns getting readied following some choking, someone fires off around and after a few seconds, the ONI agent is dropped- Captain Reynolds walking back to his seat.

Newbie: The Covenant and its many races are nothing more than heartless monsters that slaughtered countless billions all in the name of a religion, they are no better than our race when we were nothing but religions brutes killing innocents for gods that never came to help us.

The Agent ignores Captains Reynolds words and responds after catching her breath.

076: Captain do that again and I will have you-

Newbie: Killed? Like the last three times? Ask your questions before I walk out of here, I have better things to do than make a fake interview.

Captains Reynolds interrupts the agent once more, slamming the table to silence the agent. This agent has been with ONI for 4 years and she is being intimidated by an ODST captain. Note#673 Taken.

The captain inhales slowly, walking around the room, inspecting the 4 Guards in each corner of the room.

Newbie: They have killed more innocents than ONI has in all of their adventures capturing children and torturing them to what end? Two whole multi-billion programs were made just for making child soldiers, influencing them and making them fight our wars.

The ONI agent is caught off guard, it seems that Captain Reynolds has used his “Social” skills once more, introduction to Section 2 will be considered for the  [REDACTED] time.

076: “Our” war captain?

He inhales deeply, glancing at her with little care. a gentle exhale can be heard as he makes a swift movement, his elbow hitting a man that was dressed in an active camouflage suit. He disables the man with the swift movement to the liver, as almost ten guards come out of cloak with lasers pointed at his head. 

Newbie: Cheaping out on me [REDACTED], I thought you did your research?

076: How did you know my name-

Newbie: To answer your question, We are soldiers. some are more cowardly than the rest but regardless we are not civilians. Civilians are the only reason we fight, it separates us from the Rebels, the Covies and all the other Terrors we face on a daily basis. People that want to live their lives in peace, they don't want any part of our bloody wars, our senseless fighting, we only defend for them. They have no part in wars, they have no part in what we do and it's our sole responsibility to die for the protection of others. 076 there are people out there that Sympathise for those bastards, that they too have lost brothers and sisters in wars. Their “Feelings” have no meaning!!

There is a moment of silence as he inhales softly, taking a seat after setting up the chair he knocked over, gesturing the agent to be seated.

Newbie: I ended that by sounded arrogant, and I apologize. But a human that has a hole in his or her gut, a missing limb and somehow still fights on just for the knowledge of protecting those that cannot protect themselves is a hero, regardless of how many of the enemy they kill they die for the honour of protecting the innocent.

He takes a slow breath

Newbie: A spartan that has no proper knowledge of free will, and is led to believe that they are nothing more than weapons, CHILDREN that are influenced to think that they are soldiers is a damn lie. They are nothing more than slaves, good people, good children that ONI forces into slavery. some of my closest friends are spartans so know that I love my family, regardless of where they come from. but that doesn't change that they are not heroes they are slaves. forced into a lifestyle none of them wanted.

076: So you are ungrateful for the spartans, and how they have saved us as a race?

At this point, the agent has forgotten the script and is now asking her own questions.

Newbie: The next time you put words in my mouth I will make you and the rest of this room the 4th reason im a contract, clear 076?

The agent clears her throat, failing to hide her fear, some of the guards lower their guns and have slow breathing, the air seems thick, as only Captain Reynolds was calm.

Newbie: I love the spartans, and they are the main reason we are still alive. you never let me finished to my comparison Agent, please do not interrupt me and hold all questions until after I am done, apologize for raising my voice.

In but mere moments Captain Reynolds went from being as angry as the sun to more calm then a spring breeze, his skills in masking his emotions are confusing. 

Note#674 Taken.

Newbie: Danger to Civilians are why we have soldiers. a weakness in soldiers compared to the URF and Covenant causes us to use children, slaves, to fight our wars. When a Marine loses a battle brother its something that will tear most men and women apart, it separates the soldiers from armed civilians in armour.  Its something that brings out the purest parts of our race. 

He takes a deep breath to contain anger.

Newbie: When a [CENSORED] Covie piece of [CENSORED] [CENSORED] loses a worthless no good [CENSORED] excuse for a criminal scummy “Battle brother” its nothing. 

He does not succeed and the guards have guns on the ready.

Newbie: They are a group of races that kill civilians with no worry or care in the worlds, and even keep some as trophies. One grunt that fires off a fuel rod that kills a whole room full of soldiers and civilians is considered a strong warrior with the covenant. But ONI hides its murders, and any Marine, ODST, anyone that is apart of the UNSC kills an innocent Elite or grunt is seen as a villain, can you tell me why that is 076? 

The agent is silent, no clarity on how to answer as Captain Reynolds stands up, walking to the door of the room.

076: You would be an amazing spartan, Newbie.

Newbie: I get that a lot.]

076: That was not a compliment.

There is a moment of silence

076: It never is, is it?

Outside the door once unlocked, stands a tall woman in [Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor]. She puts a hand on Captain Reynolds shoulder as they both walk out, the recording ends there

Termination of 076 following scrubbing is heavily recommended.

-End of log-

#Newbie #Halo #Story #Fanfiction #He is not a mean person just angrey ;-;

[womenofcolor15]

Ice Cube Responds To Folks Who Want To Cancel Him For Working With Trump On That 'Platinum Plan' For Black Americans

When Trump advisor Katrina Pierson announced Ice Cube helped the administration with this last minute “Platinum Plan” for Black Americans, folks began to drag him online. Soon after, Cube clarified his involvement with the plan. Deets inside…

N.W.A. to….MAGA?

Ice Cube previously developed a "Contract With Black America" plan, which we're still not clear on how it will help black women specifically. It seems Cube believes the Trump campaign when they said they would take it in, despite the fact we see barely any of his initiatives in the finalized "Platinum Plan."

Trump advisor Katrina Pierson hopped on Twitter to shoutout rapper/producer/actor Ice Cube for his involvement in developing the “Platinum Plan” alongside the Trump administration.  And it caused a sh*t load of controversy on social media. The White House advisor thanked Cube for “his willingness to step up and work with” Trump on the “Platinum Plan,” which promises to help black businesses.

  Shoutout to @icecube for his willingness to step up and work with @realDonaldTrump Administration to help develop the #PlatinumPlan

ICYMI: https://t.co/V0qOAp0lwR

Leaders gonna lead, haters gonna hate. Thank you for leading!

— Katrina Pierson (@KatrinaPierson) October 13, 2020

  "Shoutout to @icecube for his willingness to step up and work with @realDonaldTrump Administration to help develop the #PlatinumPlan ICYMI: https://cdn.donaldjtrump.com/public-files/press_assets/president-trump-p... Leaders gonna lead, haters gonna hate. Thank you for leading!,” she tweeted.

It's interesting who the Trump Administration chooses to "listen to" and who they chose to ignore, as multiple black people from academia and politics attempted to Work with Trump early on in his candidacy and Presidency.  All have been ignored except for entertainers who don't come tot he table with experience and academic expertise in the areas they speak on.

Trump’s “Platinum Plan” promises to “increase access to capital in black communities by almost $500 billion” by creating 500,000 black-owned businesses and 3 million new jobs for the black community. It also claims to give the black community “access to better education and job training.” The Platinum Plan pledges to strengthen Trump’s immigration and policing policies in order to protect jobs and communities.  It's important to note, this is not $500B of new money.  This is almost all money that is already in place for various roads to help certain groups, and Trump's administration has yet to use it for what it is there for.  But, suddenly, a month before the election, he suddenly remembered it's there.

You can read the full plan here.

Cancel culture didn’t waste any time on calling Cube out for working with Trump on the “Platinum Plan,” so he took to Twitter to explain. He said he reached out to both the Republicans and the Democrats to discuss the development of policy plans to aide the black community. He said Republicans responded while Dems said they would address his "Contract with Black America" after the election.

  Facts: I put out the CWBA. Both parties contacted me. Dems said we’ll address the CWBA after the election. Trump campaign made some adjustments to their plan after talking to us about the CWBA.

— Ice Cube (@icecube) October 14, 2020

  “Facts: I put out the [Contract with Black America],” Cube tweeted. “Both parties contacted me. Dems said we’ll address the CWBA after the election. Trump campaign made some adjustments to their plan after talking to us about the CWBA.”

It's also important to note, the Biden Harris platform (WHICH HAS BEEN AVAILABLE HERE SINCE EARLIER THIS YEAR) already addresses much of what Cube is asking for. The rapper/actor continued to explain himself on Twitter, responding to fans who questioned why he would align himself with the Trump administration who has proven to be liars and proven to use black people for photo ops and smoke screens to prove they're not racist.  People also have been pointing out that Trump gives them nothing they ask for in the end.

Peep the tweets:

  Every side is the Darkside for us here in America. They’re all the same until something changes for us. They all lie and they all cheat but we can’t afford not to negotiate with whoever is in power or our condition in this country will never change. Our justice is bipartisan. https://t.co/xFIXXpOs8B

— Ice Cube (@icecube) October 14, 2020

    Black progress is a bipartisan issue. When we created the Contract With Black America we excepted to talk to both sides of the isle. Talking truth to power is part of the process.

— Ice Cube (@icecube) October 15, 2020

  Cube said he did it for the betterment of the black community:

  I will advise anybody on the planet who has the power to help Black Americans close the enormous wealth gap. https://t.co/l0HylC5JCV

— Ice Cube (@icecube) October 15, 2020

  And he made it clear he didn’t endorse anyone:

  I haven’t endorsed anybody. https://t.co/kmP99DdZug

— Ice Cube (@icecube) October 15, 2020

  We're playing semantics with the word endorse.  If you're saying you want an administration to incorporate your platform, and you claim they did, you certainly aren't going to disavow people from voting from them to enact your plan like they promised.  Cube, by the wway, was encouraging people NOT to vote at all just a few motnhs ago.  We guess it's ok to vote now that a set of demands he came up with to speak on behalf of the black community is being "looked at" by Trump?  Even though these demands are already in the Biden harris plan in far more detail?

A few days before the controversy, he shared a video talking about his “agenda for black Americans” with his “Contract with Black America” and said he was pushing it on everybody.

“The problems facing America are too deep and wide to simply reform one area or another,” the contract said. “Long-lasting solutions demand a comprehensive thorough ‘rethink’ of America so that each new approach in each area supports the success of the others. This Contract with Black America will provide conceptual approaches in several areas.”

The contract details 13 areas of improvement, including prison reform, bank lending, police reform and the elimination of all confederate monuments.

  DON'T KILL THE MESSENGER #CWBA #ContractWithBlackAmerica pic.twitter.com/8NqthXp268

— Ice Cube (@icecube) October 11, 2020

Again, almost all of this is directly and better addressed by the Biden Harris plan.

Political commentator Bakari Sellers said Cube got tricked by the Trump administration:

  Biden has a black agenda & a racial equity agenda.

He has a black female VP who will help oversee COVID recovery for a virus which from a health & economic POV devastated black communities.

He will appoint a black woman to the SCOTUS.

& @icecube fell for something shiny.

— Bakari Sellers (@Bakari_Sellers) October 14, 2020

  "Biden has a black agenda & a racial equity agenda," he tweeted. "He has a black female VP who will help oversee COVID recovery for a virus which from a health & economic POV devastated black communities. He will appoint a black woman to the SCOTUS."

Civil rights activist Shaun King hopped on Twitter to point out Cube never endorsed Trump:

  Ice Cube didn’t endorse Donald Trump. Period.

Never has. Never would.

— Shaun King (@shaunking) October 15, 2020

Black Americans have expressed their thoughts about Cube working with the Trump administration on the policy plan. Here are some reactions below:

  The wild thing is that Eazy E went to a fundraiser at the George HW Bush White House in 1991 and got criticized about *for the rest of his life.* Ice Cube apparently forgot about that when he decided to collaborate with an infinitely worse administration.

— jelani cobb (@jelani9) October 15, 2020

    Black men are breaking my heart with this caping for Cube-cum-Trump. Apparently y’all want to be to 2020 what white women were to 2016. And this is why to be Black+Woman is to have to serious consider DAILY, what it means to get too close to either group. Traitorous MFs.

— Brittney Cooper (@ProfessorCrunk) October 15, 2020

    I am anti Trump. I believe he’s an existential threat to the nation.

I’m sure he’s giving Ice Cube @icecube nothing more than lip service to siphon Black votes.

But it’s not Cube’s fault Dems don’t want to talk specifics about Black people until after they get our votes. https://t.co/CGlWJ1IEJc

— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) October 15, 2020

    The Tr*mp administration gave people rent money for one month in the midst of a pandemic as unemployment skyrocketed and Ice Cube thinks he about to aid black people in the fight for economic liberation cause he said so?.... THIS IS WHY HARRIET COULD NOT FREE ALL OF THE SLAVES.

— jiggaman (@jiggyjayy2) October 15, 2020

    Ice Cube dissed Eazy E on "No Vaseline" for having dinner with HW Bush. Nearly 30 years later, here he is palling around with a massively worse and more racist President. It's pretty damn shameful to see... https://t.co/XPPKKQIWrX

— Kevin D. Grüssing (pronounced Grew-Sing) (@KevDGrussing) October 14, 2020

    We already knew Ice Cube was working for donald trump, it's only official now.

— Black Professor (@WonderKing82) October 14, 2020

    What's fucked up about this Ice Cube situation, he didn't have the courage to say he was working with Trump, he used BLACKNESS as his platform to speak on Trump behalf. He's a coward, we had to learn about his partnership with Trump from a white woman 20 days before an election.

— Black Professor (@WonderKing82) October 14, 2020

    3 weeks ago Ice Cube acted as if he was still vacillating between Biden and Trump while quietly working with Trump. I called it manipulation of the Black Male Vote and I was right.

— . (@shOoObz) October 14, 2020

  Anyone else find the timing of the release of the “Platinum Plan”…sketchy? Trump has been in office for the last four years and Black Americans are just now being presented with a policy plan days before the presidential election? And none of this plan was enacted these previous 4 years?

Yeah, this milk isn’t clean at all. Thoughts?

Photo: Tinseltown/Shutterstock.com

  [Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2020/10/15/ice-cube-responds-to-folks-who-want-to-cancel-him-for-advising-trump-on-platinum-plan-for

[clarencenicholsonata]

6 Effortless Ways Facebook Marketing can Increase Sales

With billions of monthly users and the option to create highly targeted ads, it should come as no surprise that Facebook is an effective sales channel for marketers.

However, just because it’s easy to run a marketing campaign on Facebook doesn’t mean you are going to get a return on investment from your efforts.

In this guide, we’re going to cover six ways that Facebook marketing can increase sales and generate revenue for your business. These will be actionable tips you can apply to your business. Let’s start at the beginning.

Facebook Offers Low Costs per Lead

For marketers, Facebook’s key selling point is the sheer number of users. When using display advertising, this essentially means the cost of reaching people is much lower than traditional media.

However, just because you can make money through advertising on Facebook doesn’t mean you’ll see an ROI. Plenty of people waste money on ineffective Facebook ads.

The success of a Facebook ad can be broken down into two components. The ad itself, your targeting, and the landing page where you are sending traffic. Your goal is to optimize each of these for the highest possible conversion rate.

Then Facebook’s massive user-base lets you scale effective ads to your heart’s content. One way to test your copy and targeting is through A/B testing.

Most people know to do this for your ad copy and visuals. Less people think to do it with their target audience too. As an example, here’s the Ad Library page for a Starbucks ad:

There are 41 different versions of this. They each have the same copy and image, but they’re targeted at different combinations of men and women in various age groups.

Now, the eagle eyed among you will realise that this kind of detailed audience A/B costs money. For all we know, Starbucks could have spent thousands on this testing exercise.

Small businesses don’t have that kind of cash. This doesn’t mean you can’t optimize your Facebook targeting. In fact, you still have a couple of great options for doing this. Firstly, you can use the data from your CRM or ecommerce platform to create a copycat audience.

This allows you to go after people who share characteristics with your existing customers. Alternatively, Facebook also allows you to target users based on interests rather than demographics. Because of this, you can target people who like one of your larger competitors. You then refine your targeting through trial and error.

1. Use Facebook to Run Retargeted Ads

One common challenge companies face is potential customers finding your site and leaving without signing up to your mailing list or making a purchase. However, the real mistake is letting these prospects go without a fight.

Facebook is a great tool for winning these leads back. This involves using retargeted ads.

This applies when you’ve got a new visitor to your site through inbound search. You then use ad retargeting to make an improved offer to them which is related to the page they initially visited. For B2C customers, this might be a discount on the product they viewed to push them over the line.

For B2B leads, it’s best to use a content upgrade. This can be presented on a dedicated landing page in exchange for an email signup. You then warm these retarget leads through an email marketing sequence.

The benefit of this approach is you start collecting leads who might not be ready to buy. In the B2B space, this approach can help you get leads to a stage where you’re ready to book a sales meeting and subsequently formulate a business proposal.

2. Create a Group Where You Are the Teacher

Creating private communities is the top priority of many marketers in 2020. This is unsurprising given the benefits. For example, private communities provide outstanding organic reach. They essentially give you a direct line to your customers.

They’re also an effective way to build brand loyalty and encourage repeat orders.

Facebook Groups are one of the easiest ways to create brand communities. But wait. Aren’t Facebook groups for giving away free sofas, or sharing niche memes that no-one actually understands?

Sometimes, but not always...

Facebook groups are also popular among people with specific interests, and increasingly among people who love certain brands. In fact, these days many brands run their own Facebook fan groups. Take Peloton for example:

This group for Peloton users has over 300,000 members, and around 300 daily posts. On the one hand, this means that Peloton are able to promote their content and products directly to 300,000 people for free.

They can educate their customers to get the most out of their Peloton subscription, ensuring that they keep using it. This also allows them to upsell accessories and merch.

Even better, they have 100s of devoted fans discussing their product and how to get the most out of it too. No wonder private brand communities are on the rise.

3. Run a Contest to Gain Email Signups

Of course, there are strategies you can use to grow your audience and make sales at the sale time.

One of the most effective ways to do this is using Facebook competitions. These can take many forms.

For example, you’re probably familiar with the like and share this post to enter format, which is often used by local businesses. These are usually ineffective and they look pretty amateurish.

To make effective Facebook contests, it’s best to use a dedicated platform.

This will offer you a bunch of different options for creating contests. For example, you can enter your followers into a sweepstake in exchange for performing a certain action, normally signing up to your mailing list.

In fact, this is where competition marketing comes into its own. Ultimately, the real value of Facebook contests is to get email signups. You can then target these people with email marketing to increase your sales.

The key to this is a killer landing page. Some common mistakes for competition landing pages include too many signup boxes, and unclear terms. Normal landing page best practice, like clear CTAs and compelling copy still apply. And as always, there’s no substitute for A/B testing.

Need help with your next contest ?

Book a free call to learn how our team of contest experts can help you create high converting Facebook contest today.

4. Use Facebook as a Customer Support Channel

You can also use Facebook to increase sales by making it easy for customers to interact with you. This may not feel like ‘marketing’ as such, but it’s an important part of your overall social strategy.

This is all about handling customer queries in a way that directs them towards making a purchase.

An easy and cheap way to implement this is using a Facebook chatbot. Scientists at IBM say that modern chatbots can answer about 80% of customer questions without any human help. This can be utilised to field common customer queries, and redirect to sales pages.

On top of that, modern chatbots are hard to distinguish from real customer service agents. This helps you to build better brand relationships with your customers, through more valuable interactions. This approach is already being used to great effect by brands like PrAna:

Customers also love Facebook chatbots, as they make it easy to connect with their favourite brands 24/7.

5. Gain New B2B Leads with Free Webinars

Facebook’s value for B2C marketers is well understood. Its role as a B2B tool, not so much. As we already know, Facebook has more top earners as users than LinkedIn.

In short, if you’re a B2B marketer, you can’t afford to ignore Facebook.

Most often, Facebook ads are used as an initial entry point into a B2B funnel. But what kind of funnel works best?

These days, one of the most popular B2B funnels utilises webinars to gain email signups. This works because you’re offering value to potential leads straight off the bat. You then use the webinar itself to promote a content upgrade, like a course or white paper.

To access this, they’ll need to sign up to your mailing list.

Facebook offers an extra benefit here. That is, they’re desperate to promote their own live video platform. As such, if you run your webinars through Facebook live, you’ll get engagement benefits, like notification going out to your followers that you have a stream scheduled.

Amy Porterfield has this down to a fine art. Here’s one of her live streams:

The title is 5 Reasons Most Online Courses Fail. In reality, she spends the video talking about the benefits of her online course strategy, without delving into what this actually is. This is done to promote her online course starter kit.

That link in the description leads to the following landing page:

Once a user signs up, they’re then fed standard educational content aimed at promoting paid premium content and courses.

6. How to Increase Sales with Facebook Marketing

There are two main ways that Facebook marketing can increase sales. Each of the strategies we’ve looked at today does one or both of these. First, you can increase the overall size of your audience.

Seconds, you can increase engagement among your existing audience.

We’ve looked at a mixture of free and paid strategies to achieve both of these goals. These include Facebook’s built-in advertising features, the use of third-party apps, as well as simply sharing the right content.

The right mixture of these strategies will see healthy sales increases, from new customers and old ones alike.

About the Author

Petra Odak is a Chief Marketing Officer at Better Proposals, a simple yet incredibly powerful proposal software tool that helps you send high-converting, web-based business proposals in minutes. She's a solution-oriented marketing enthusiast with more than 5 years of experience in various fields of marketing and project management.

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[politicaltheatre]

The Boy In The Bubble, pt.3

“Nobody would have ever thought a thing like this could have happened.” - President Donald Trump, March 26, 2020

If that quote sounds ickily familiar, it’s because those were the same words, more or less, repeated twelve years ago by men and women working in Washington D.C. and on Wall Street, all of them seeking to avoid accountability for their role in an economic meltdown that ruined the lives of tens of millions of Americans and that spread, not unlike a virus, overseas, crippling the entire, interconnected world economy for years.

In many ways, our world has yet to recover from the 2008 sub-prime mortgage crisis. Action taken was short sighted and narrowly focused, aimed more at rescuing those responsible for causing the crisis - investment banks, insurance companies, debt-laden corporate investors - than those caught in its ever expanding wake.

The notion that nobody knew or could have known wasn’t about looking the man on the street in the eye; if anything, it was a legal defense. They had just been bailed out by the federal government and didn’t want to let anything resembling accountability get in the way of capitalizing on it, least of all civil liability for their own, short sighted thinking.

It’s no coincidence, then, that Donald Trump has repeatedly used that same defense to excuse his own incompetent handling of the COVID-19 outbreak. This is, for him, not a matter of serving the public good but of winning and losing, of profit and loss, credit and blame. Mostly, avoiding blame.

Bully that he is, Trump believes the best defense is any offense. That means finding others to blame. Everyday no, he steps in front of a microphone to speak to the nation, and everyday he finds someone to blame for something. It’s very much a ritual, like repeating that old defense that ignorance is a defense.

His appearances feel somehow incomplete if he hasn’t found someone to blame for something. It might be a journalist, or a foreign leader, or a particular presidential predecessor, or a city or state that hasn’t shown him enough deference or appreciation. For a second there, it was old people.

Trump’s failed proposal of a 14 day quarantine for the entire New York metropolitan area was part of that blaming ritual. It would have had to include an undetermined portion of the city’s suburbs and rural areas in New York state, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and would have cost an amount of money no one wanted to calculate. Surely, the states would have paid for it.

Hours later, with Trump safely away from any microphones, the CDC instead issued a “travel advisory” for the area, which carries about the same weight as Congress passing a non-binding resolution. In other words, it was no change at all.

If the idea of blockading New York at this point seemed ridiculous, that’s because it was. For one thing, it was a lot like closing the barn door after the cows had all escaped; for another, the Florida beaches jam-packed with spring breakers probably did as much damage or worse in spreading the infection than New York, and nobody’s talking about walling off Florida from the rest of the country, are they? Are they? Well, not seriously.

Of course, no one took Trump seriously. Well, no one beyond his base. On top of being a maniacally stupid waste of resources, the source of the outbreak in the United States can’t even be traced to New York. The first cases that gained public awareness were on the west coast, and those were just the first ones reported. The odds are extraordinarily high that there were cases on both coasts and places in between for weeks before anyone was diagnosed.

Rationally, it will take years to discover, if ever, where the actual ground zero for this pandemic was in the United States, but when it comes to proposals from Donald Trump, rational thinking is never the point.

The point of making that quarantine proposal was the same as the point of proposing to reopen the country by Easter: for Trump to be seen to be doing something by his base.

That those proposals had as much weight as a non-bonding resolution doesn’t matter; his proposing them does. This, he believes, will restore confidence in him and his leadership.

In a sense, he may be right. His base will and surely does now feel more confident reading and hearing that action was proposed and by him. It reinforces the image of him they have clung to with all their might. His base is his base because they need that image, because they need to be reassured, because they need to see and hear his confidence in order to feel it in themselves.

This is why Trump’s daily press conferences feel like campaign rallies: they are. What the rational mind sees and hears and recognizes as incompetent and irresponsible, Trump’s supporters see and hear as a reflection of their own needs. Does a competent, responsible leader bring out the My Pillow guy to tell the world he’s doing a great job? Of course, not, but a man looking to be seen to be praised does.

Trump, for all his reckless stupidity, understands this all too well. He understands that his poll numbers will rise and fall not on his demonstration of ability and compassion but on how he looks and sounds in front of a microphone. The only performance he cares about or cares to hear about is the one that makes his numbers rise.

His focus is shallow and short term, seeking out the kind of pure speculation that sees stocks rise and fall for exceeding or failing to meet expectations. If all the news is good news, he and those surrounding him tell themselves, his stock will only ever rise.

Anyone who’s ever traded stocks knows better. You can bluff a stock higher in the short term. People do it all the time. That’s a kind of bubble. You draw attention, you draw speculation, and you draw suckers in to raise the price of your stock, and then you get the hell out before reality comes crashing in and the value of the stock you no longer own comes crashing through the floor.

Trump’s rise in politics has been a lot like this. He sold those who voted for him on a brand: the billionaire businessman who will bring that to government and fix it. He used confidence in that bubble to draw in speculators, members of Congress and executives on Wall Street. They pumped up his stock even more, hoping to use his rise to push their own agendas and thereby increase their own profits.

The results of Trump’s 2016 election were predictable. The federal tax cuts of 2017 funneled money away from the poorest Americans and towards the wealthiest. They also funneled money away from the government, making deregulation and de facto deregulation even easier.

Laws that forced businesses to be accountable to others were gutted by Republicans in Congress. Those left on the books either couldn’t be enforced because the agencies responsible couldn’t be properly funded or wouldn’t be enforced because the agencies were now headed by men and women with an interest in seeing those laws fail.

That, for anyone looking to get rich and have others pay for it, is a win-win. It came as no shock, then, that Paul Ryan, architect of that tax bill, and other congressional Republicans who benefitted both from it and newly lax regulations left Congress the very next year. Now was the time to enjoy the fruits of their labors. Now was the time to get out before the bubble burst and those who had bought in after them wanted answers.

Which bring us to now. In the last few weeks, at least 10 million Americans have lost their jobs, a number that could potentially triple in just the next month. With that loss, most of them now face hard questions about rent, health coverage, and simply feeding themselves. Oh, and the Dow Jones and other stock markets have dropped 29% from their February high.

Never fear, massive, debt-laden government spending is here to help. But to help whom? The Senate bill was delayed because a $500 billion slush fund needed regulations and oversight to prevent it from simply going to corporations that could just as easily secure a nearly interest free loan or, you know, Trump, his family, and anyone kissing his ass.

The perception that America needs to be protected from its president’s corruption isn’t something that’s going inspire confidence in stock trading. Sure, passage of the bill boosted stocks for a day - well, part of a day - but no sooner than they went up, they came straight back down.

That’s the problem with running a country (or business) on perception; it’s short term solution at best. It relies on how good you looked the last time people saw you. If people take you seriously, maybe you can parlay good news into that ongoing narrative, but, if you’re fighting bad news, bad news you can’t hope to control, well, good luck with that.

It hasn’t helped that the rich and powerful seem to have it a lot easier than the rank and file. Few things reveal the haves and have nots better than a crisis. If celebrities and professional athletes are getting tests when doctors, nurses, and other first responders can’t, that’s more than just a problem of perception. It’s a statement about the failure of the American healthcare system as it currently stands, one that makes an even stronger case for the failure of the American economic system on which that healthcare system is based.

Systemic failure. Not words you want to hear.

What we’ve seen, however, has not been the start of the long anticipated Next Great Depression (That may still come; more on that below). No, what we’re seeing now with the spastic volatility of stock markets, beleaguered supply chains, and GoFundMe pages for first responders and out of work restaurant workers sprouting up like spring daffodils, is just how unhealthy our current economy already was long before this pandemic took place.

When we talk about a “healthy” economy, we talk about moderation. Money is spread around. Power is spread around. When money and power become more concentrated, it throws the health of the economy out of whack.

Too much concentration in any one stratum, such as the wealthy, or any one sector, such as energy, and it ruins what we may think of as an immune response. It isn’t that if that stratum or sector goes down that we have no ability to respond, it’s that our response is likely to favor a strata or sector that doesn’t need help.

It’s important to state that this is not something the comes out of capitalism. Even a cursory look at nominally “communist” economies of the 20th century shows a concentration of money and power in the hands of a corrupt and often cruel elite, with destructive results for everyone else stuck living under those systems.

It is corruption, not capitalism or communism, that was and remains the problem. We can and should be enraged at recently appointed Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler, who along with her New York Stock Exchange-managing husband appears to have profited 18 million dollars through insider trading while telling the American public that nothing was wrong.

The essential question we need to ask, though, is would Loeffler have done something like this in the Soviet Union? Would she have seen a crisis coming and lied about it in order to profit from it? Of course, she would have. Of course, she would.

The systemic corruption in present day Russia has a name: oligarchy. The oligarchs, however, started long before the fall of the Soviet Union. They did so with the patronage of men and women in the Soviet government. Their corruption hastened the collapse of that government, syphoning off funds, undermining the rule of law and with it government accountability and oversight, and setting the stage for calamities such as Chernobyl.

In this way, the kleptocracy made itself. It emerged from its Soviet cocoon fully formed, the government patrons selling off government-owned institutions to their friends, who then supported their hold on power. This is how the oligarchs became the oligarchs and how Vladimir Putin became Vladimir Putin.

We must remember, too, that corruption isn’t just a moral or ethical failing, like Loeffler’s, but a systemic one, too. In the case of the United States, too much money and power has become concentrated in an under-regulated, speculative, market economy. We have become wholly dependent on it. Coupled with the unfettered rise of online sports betting (and the corresponding rise in sports cheating), we have embraced gambling as a core element of our economic system, and are doing so mired in debt.

Short term debt is just fine. Use your credit card, pay it off at the end of the month. It’s a short term solution to short term problems. Long term debt, on the other hand, is bad, the longer the term, the worse. Just ask anyone with student loans, or any country owing the IMF, or anyone stuck still holding one of those toxic sub-prime mortgages after all this time. They’re in a never ending cycle of paying it off. They can’t move forward. They can’t build anything. They can’t live, not really.

Of course, we don’t have to ask. Not now. We all lived through that. The memory is still fresh. It’s burned into our memories. We couldn’t possibly be that stupid, stupid enough to do it all again. Right? Right?

And yet. And yet.

Even now, even in the midst of all this suffering, there are men and women continuing to make billions on nothing but debt, including government debt, leaving billions of suckers holding the bag when another catastrophe hits and the bubbles burst.

Just reading that, it sounds bad - it should, it really, really should - and yet we have convinced ourselves that because so many other people are doing it we must also do it or get left behind. That’s what systemic corruption does. That’s the feeling it embeds in each of us. And, because we tell ourselves that we’re gambling with other people’s money, we convince ourselves that it’s going to be somebody else’s problem.

Nope. That’s not how that works.

As mentioned above, the economic crisis we’re living through isn’t the collapse that was already coming. That one, which could actually be worse, could still come if safeguards aren’t put in place. It would more likely be triggered not by a natural disaster but by a change of parties in the White House and, more importantly, in the Senate.

Not what you wanted to read? Read on. Please.

That change, given the Republican advantage in the Electoral College and the strength of incumbency in Republican-held Senate seats, would likely have come just before the election of 2024, in anticipation of Republican losses, or sometime towards the end of the 2025 fiscal year, when Democratic rollbacks of Republican deregulation and tax policies took full effect.

At that time, those who have pushed deregulation and de facto deregulation would begin “profit taking”, which is to say, selling off as much as they can, first under the radar while telling suckers that all is well and then as fast as they could once word got out that the market was about to collapse. And then it would collapse, a race to the bottom leaving tens of millions out of work, facing homelessness and starvation, and nothing to fix it but massive, debt-laden government spending.

Sound familiar? Of course, it does.

This is what happens when the immune response within an economy breaks down. For decades, Republicans have vilified regulations as killing jobs and stifling freedoms. The Democratic leadership, to their shame, has never truly called them out for that lie. Bill Clinton never did. Barack Obama didn’t, either. Neither did Hillary Clinton or this round’s likely nominee, Joe Biden. And it is a lie, a big, fat one that actually threatens the very things it claims to want to protect.

What regulations actually do, and why they’re so easy to vilify, is require us to be accountable to others. Traffic lights and stop signs, those are regulations. They don’t belong at every intersection, but where there are accidents in which cars hit people or other cars we absolutely need them and we know it.

Yes, it is possible for regulations to be poorly thought out and poorly written. They are written, as all things are, by people. Whenever you hear a politician or cable news personality say we have to get rid of them, though, what they mean is people shouldn’t have to be accountable to other people.

That’s their pitch. Well, that’s every right wing’s pitch. People love to hear it, almost as much as people love to hear that people they don’t have to accountable to will still have to be accountable to them. Oh, how we all love to hear that. Let us be the ones, the only ones, who get to blow past the stop signs. Who wouldn’t love that?

We’ll never not run to the ballot box and elect the buffoon offering us that and an easy life with easy solutions to complicated problems. At least, we’ll never not until that moment the world around us forces us to learn why we were so very, very stupid to do so.

This, like all things, comes in cycles. We go through periods, like the one the one twelve years ago and the one we’re in right now, in which we are forced to realize that we need to be more accountable to each other. No running red lights, no taking the easy way out.

Action is taken. Regulations that could and should have protected us are restored. More regulations, ones we hadn’t thought to ask if we needed but now understand that we do, follow. Time passes, we haven’t faced a catastrophe like this in a while, we forget, we remove our protections, and the cycle starts again.

The cycle kicks off like fireworks. Everything is great. We are euphoric, we are in the moment, the bubble keeps growing and keeps rising, and we keep rising with it. Nothing can go wrong.

At some point, however, the laws of thermodynamics set in, especially the third one: entropy.

Nothing lasts forever, certainly not any economic system built on an imbalance of power. In order to protect the advantage they have, those benefitting from the status quo will spend available resources, first just a little and then more and more and exponentially more.

Why exponentially more? The more resources they spend, the more it destabilizes their position. That’s entropy. This is partly because the stability of their position depended on that reserve of resources and partly because in order to maintain an imbalance of power they must abuse not only those in protest but those potentially in protest, which only draws more protesters to the cause of removing them.

So, the more they spend, the more they keep having to spend, and that just to maintain what they thought they had. Eventually, the resources required to hold it all together are exhausted and the bubble collapses.

This doesn’t just apply to markets; it applies to every relationship based on an imbalance of power. It’s their life cycle.

It’s also a lesson we can’t seem to learn without failing. Failing is a big part of how we learn. It’s our species’ special talent. In a lot of ways, it mimics our immune system: we allow potential threats in so we can test changing environments and learn how to adapt to them. We’re seeking out failure, or at least he chance of it.

This is how we’ve learned for hundreds of thousands of years, perhaps even longer, and despite our countless mistakes and our countless failures, we only in the position we’re in as the planet’s most evolved species because of it. In that sense, it isn’t just mimicking our immune system, it’s a vital part of it.

This is what we need to remember: immune systems of any kind exist to help us to adapt to changing environments.

If we can adapt, we can survive. We can’t go all one way or all another. We must avoid extremes as much as we must avoid locking ourselves into the center.

Balance is not stasis. It requires movement, making adjustments large and small. It means having the ability to accept being wrong and to accept necessary change. Without that, we fail. Our systems fail. And we’ve failed enough to know better.

”Nobody could have predicted something like this”? 

Anyone could have. Plenty did.

- Daniel Ward

#covid-19 #covid19 #coronavirus #politics #corruption #accountability #republicans #democrats #immune system #immune response #economy #economics #wall street #corporations #corporate welfare #regulations #deregulation #de facto deregulation #paul ryan #mitch mcconnell #kelly loeffler #donald trump #long read #long reads

[deguardian-blog]

I welcome you to the modern generation, a computer age, the 21st century, the insanity coeval, where everything or anything you can possibly think of is possible. A generation where reality is slowly becoming an illusion.

Where we mistake knowledge for wisdom, destruction for improvement, deception for compassion, manipulation for affection and passion for love.

Where we go to schools to learn pride, and become better liar's.

Where If you can't convince them, then confusing them is the only option.

Where the western educational system is used to keep people inline and under control.

Welcome to the 21st century. Where people are rated by what they have and not what they have done for the betterment of humanity. Where people still don't understand the difference between equality and equity. Where no one truly what equality, yet all are yelling for it. Where religion helps separates humanity from uniting and people completely depend on technology instead of each other.

Welcome to the 21st century. Where almost everything has changed for the worst, and people find it hard to accept that virtue is fading away. Where sacred things are no longer sacred, and people accept the truth only when it favours them.

Where we have a price for everything.

Welcome to the 21s century. Where abortion is no longer evil or a sinful and women can do it as much as they like without any regrets. Where butt enlargement is better than having a simple natural body figure. Where breast, noise and lips implants make women feel more beautiful and attractive.

Welcome to the 21st century, where fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.

Where we knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.

Where we cling on to the images of people from when we knew them best, forgetting the fact that they too can also change.

Where searching for the truth is easier,  but accepting it is always hard.

Welcome to the 21st century where men marry their fellow men, women marry their fellow women, someone marries his or herself and people get marred to animals, plants, dolls, furniture's, even to a dead person, in fact anything that arouses them sexually.

Where some children will never enjoy and understand what it really feels or means to have a male father and a female mother "the real package as it was really designed to be."

Where they deprive children the chance to willingly choose the part to take in life.

Where love is just an excuse to commit all sorts of shameful, abominable, and disgusting acts, while get married is nothing more than fulfilling all righteousness.

Welcome to the 21st century where finding a new house is easier than rebuilding our home. Where we use our God giving talents to outsmart, destroy, suppress and brainwash each others, instead of using it to make the world a better place.

Where we blame everyone else but ourselves for the evil that have swallowed the heart of humanity.

Welcome to the 21st century, where humans literally act and think like animals, and the wisest amongst us have completing forgotten the true meaning or the values of life.

Welcome to the 21st century where our leaders are the greatest enemies that we face. Where leaders vote themselves into office. Where we have personal government, instead of federal government. Where our governments kill hundreds yearly all in the name of justice, peace and freedom. Where the true meaning of democracy is "government of some people, by some people, for some people. Where democracy was invented to help fool the people into thinking or believing that their votes and opinions count's or matters."

Where the first casualty of any war is the truth.

Where millions die for the sake of one man's greed.

Where hundreds of noble and innocence men & women are brainwashed into believing, that sacrificing themselves just to save one evil, bloodthirsty man or woman, that calls his/herself a leader is doing the right thing.

Where it's on heard of, that a leader purposely sacrificed himself or any of his family members for the good and betterment of his country.

Where leaders and generals always cowards away in some far away bunker and give useless orders that will be the death of many good soldiers in the battlefield.

Where the will and wishes of the people are never ever the same with that of their governments.

A world where humanity prefers lies to the truth, chose to be controlled and manipulated than to have real freewill, favours pain and misery to genuine happiness, vote the oppressors in, yet keeps complaining about them.

Where the oppressed masses embrace fear and division, but underestimate how powerful they can become if united under one vice and are acting as one.

Welcome to the 21st century. Where death is preferable to life. Where it's easier to kill than to forgive. Where failure is a person, not an event. Where social media brought humanity together, but destroy their connection to the real world, and helped build these discriminating, condemning, manipulative little minded, controllable fame seeking robotic people, that ended up isolating themselves from reality.

Welcome to the 21st century where killing animals is easier then loving them, where hate is much more powerful than love. Where peoples souls are darker than polluted air. Where water is thicker than blood.

Welcome to the 21st century were spending trillions flying to the moon or Mars is easier then providing common foods for the poor or restoring and rebuild Earth to her natural beauty.

Where we spend billions looking for prove of life in other planets, while we ignore the dying lives on earth.

Where war is the new sign of peace. Where learning is abandoned because of arrogance. Where books are being ignored and reading a book makes you look weird and crazy.

Welcome to the 21st century where we now have Evolved Christians.

where preachers preach disgrace and call it grace.

Where people seek the faces of pastors, instead of the face of God.

Where preachers steal the glory of God.

Where what we have are motivational preachers instead of salvation preachers.

Where many preachers harvest more souls for hell than the demons themselves.

Where we have millions of churches and millions of preachers yet all manners of sins has gained more power over the hearts of people than ever before.

Where the definition of God in every churches is very different. Where God's words are only used to gain all manners of wealth, popularity and fame. Where different churches and cultures are condemning, fighting and killing each other over whose definition of God is real.

Where pastors and church leaders are more diabolical, manipulative and controlling than the devil himself.

Where the house of God is the comfort zone for all types of sinners.

Where trillions claim to be children of God, but God feels childless.

Where most Sunday or weekly service is mostly excitement and entertainment galore from beginning to the end.

Where Churches are so busy with church activities while evangelizing and winning over lost souls which is the main thing is the most neglected.

Where many preaching the gospel are only mocking God by the way they interpret his words to work in line with their selfish needs and to suit the itching ears of doomed sinners.

Where Christians forget that sin is a reproach that will never allow them to approach God, and Grace is divine enablement for godliness, and it should never be used to make people of God relax in their sinful ways.

Where the new definition of most pastors now is;

pretenders telling the untruth with intent to deceive, manipulate, wrongly influencing to gain power, to have control over others mostly to defrauding them of their money and freewill with fake gospel.

Where church members fear, obey and respect any laws or commands of their pastors more than the once from God.

Where pastors go unchallenged and their disgraceful methods and questionable teachings are completely accepted by their members.

Where churches no longer provides answers or solutions but creates more problems and confusions. Where churches spend billions on building projects, while their poor members suffer and endure starvation or accommodation problems.

Welcome to the 21st century where having great knowledge automatically makes you appear weird and people look at you like an insane person. Where arguments and fighting are the best way to understand and resolve any situation. Where we can't giving common food to a bigger without posting it on social media, to make a big deal out of it, so people will know that we helped someone.

Where you see people making and post all types of short films daily on social media, showing themselves helping the less privilege in one way or the other, simply for more likes, more viewers and subscriber.

Where this same people uploading these videos, in reality have never helped anyone in their entire life.

Welcome to the 21st century. Where depression is a normal feeling, while suicide is also a preferable option. Where quitting is much more better than try. Where spending is better than earning. Where speaking or taking any decision is best without thinking.

Welcome to the 21st century. Where technology is rising and the earth is dying. Where it's easier to make a mess of everything than fixing it. Where we can easily make hundreds of promises in a seconds without fulfilling any of them in our life time, even if we can.

Welcome to the 21st century where all you see are people completely believing and depending on other's perspective, ideas and opinions. Where fake news spread easily then the real news. Where speaking the truth makes you the enemy or a target.

Welcome to the 21st century where we place so much values on nonsignificant things, but neglect the most important affairs; Where any sports men or women and entertainers, earns more money, lives a more comfortable lifestyle, are well recognised and honoured in the society. These people gets millions of dollars worth of awards and contracts, their names goes down into history books, and their entertaining achievements, are thought in schools. They are regarded as heroes all over the world. Meanwhile a soldiers, police officers, doctors, firemen, nurses, teachers, farmers, inventors, scientists etc, these real important heroes, the people that helped kept our world safe, built and are still doing so till date, most of them die of abject poverty and homelessness.

These great men and women that sacrificed so much, so we can have a better world, most of them never received any gratitude for their services, not to talk of an awards. Their salaries and pension withheld for months or years and even slashed for no reason, "that's for the lucky once." These people that actually did the heavy lifting, that deserves the recognitions, lived and died like common church rats, with no one ever knowing even their names or how much they sacrificed for their country, societies or the world at large.

Welcome to the 21st century where our smartphones grows more smarter and the people go dumb and senseless everyday.

Where handwritten notes were completely ignored.

Where we make our life on social media, to be way more fun than the real world.

Where you are friends with so many stranger on social media, but in the real world, you don't even say hello to each other.

Where you've got thousands of friends on social media, but in the real world you're lonely.

Where having fancy gadgets makes you look cool and rich. Where our only reason for helping anyone, is just so we can show it off online, to make us famous and popular, and not because we truly care about them.

Welcome to the 21st century where our so-called justice system is only blind to the truth.

Where the poor and innocent are found guilty, but the rich and powerful are always innocent because of their influence in the society. Even if found guilty, they can easily buy their way out of any crime they or their friends and families commits.

Welcome to the 21st century. Where smile turns to tears, and tears turn to suicide. Where having selfies is much better than having a family photograph, and rants and all manners of insults on social media are the best way to settle any family or relationship disputes, instead of talking it over in person privately.

Where all you daily activities can be seen on social media.

Where it's very easy for a serial killer to get all the information he or she needs to harm someone.

Welcome to the 21st century, where people organise show's telling you to come so they will show or teach you how to turn 2k into 2million, while they themselves have never seen 50k in their entire life.

Where you see people written, selling and advertise books on how to become billions, but they are dying poverty.

Where most products you buy are way different from what was advertised

Welcome to the 21st century where children willingly engage in sexual act at a very little age. Where female teenagers love dating men seven times their age, and woman enjoy going out almost naked.

Where sex with a total strangers is no longer a big deal. Where we have baby mamas/papas, but not mothers and fathers.

Where sleeping with or dating a celebrity is something of honour and pride, that we want the world to know.

Where fashion is nothing but complete madness.

Where one can marry and divorce as much as the wants, without any shame whatsoever, and still have a lot of people supporting them.

Where technology has imprisoned children indoors, and women allowed their value and worth to depreciate by throwing it under the bus just for money and fame.

Where education is no longer the key to success, but just an accomplishment to brag about.

Welcome to the 21st century.

Where having a pretty face is much more valuable than having a good quality and a well reasoning brain to go with it.

Where people will do anything just so they can get more likes on social media.

Where being fake is now the best way to make all your dreams come true.

Welcome to the 21st century. Where sex is no longer sacred, and being a virgin makes you feel ashamed and stupid, but not proud, because it makes you look immature before your friends.

Welcome to the 21st century where our mean reason for helping anyone, is for our own selfish gain. And when we can't find any or have gotten what we need from them, all they get from us are all manners of excuses.

Welcome to the 21st century where lies are more valuable than the truth. Where women are more fearful of pregnancy than HIV. Where girls markets their virginity to the highest bidder on social media, and the only way they believe to succeed is by doing something illegal, incriminating, unthinkable or abominable.

Where having a sex tape makes you feel famous, while releasing it pays big and helps make you popular.

Where releasing your sex tape is nothing to be ashamed of anymore, in fact they purposely release it online, just to be famous.

Where shameless people with no regrets for their immoral lifestyle, who should be hiding their faces in shame, are regarded as celebrities in the society and are roll models especially the younger ones..

Where if you are an actor/actress and have not done a sex scene yet, you are not regarded as a talented actor..

Where mothers and father really go necked and act all manners of shameless scenes in a movie, without any care that one day their children, grandchildren and so on will get to see their shameless acts just because of money and fame.

Where these same shameless entertainers ends up blaming other's for the uncontrollable rising of sexual immortality and all kinds of evil act in the society, especially with the young once.

Where most ladies act, dress and behave shameless in movies, without any self-respect for themselves or their families, yet expert, "in fact demand to be treated with respect."

Where most men only care about sex and will do anything to get it, nothing more.

Welcome to the 21st century where it's hard to believe in those who are really seeking the truth, but easier not to doubt those who claim to have found it.

Where we fake ourselves just to look perfect, even though perfection is never real and reality is never perfect!

A generation where we idolize and worship human beings.

Where people are real good at pretending!

Where trust gets you killed, love gets you hurt, and being real gets you hated.

Where smoking, drinking and doing drugs make you feel cool and invincible, even if it will be the death of you.

Lastly, welcome to the 21st century where the world no longer makes sense.

Welcome to the 21st century, the robotic, bloodthirsty and fornication generation,

Welcome to the 21st century, where the world was destroyed by humanity's stupidity.

[riichardwilson]

3 Strategies to Create More Inclusion in Business

Diversity impacts your bottom line, and there are plenty of resources at your fingertips.

Grow Your Business, Not Your Inbox

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July 22, 2020 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

At the heart of business is relationships. Entrepreneurs succeed by nurturing relationships with their customers, suppliers, partners, and families. But how often do you shine a light on those relationships to identify potential inclusion gaps? Probably not too frequently unless there’s a specific reason.

The current moment is causing lots of businesses to review, reflect, and take action on inclusion practices. This includes everyone from small businesses to corporations and entertainment institutions. America’s Got Talent faced backlash when actress and guest judge Gabrielle Union left the show, citing the need for more inclusion. An accusation like that no doubt impacted ratings and ultimately revenue dollars. Inclusion gaps can surface in the form of missing diverse perspectives (gender, race, sexual orientation), and they can actually damage your bottom line. In McKinsey & Co.’s “Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters” report,  they found evidence that inclusive practices yield a competitive advantage for companies. Diversity Best Practices Inclusion index cites companies like Accenture, Verizon, and Sodexo as leading the way in inclusion.

Entrepreneurs pausing to add diversity and inclusion as a priority will benefit from this strategy. With current racial tensions at an all-time high, inclusion is top of mind and likely to impact your business whether you like it or not. Some of the negative impacts could include unwarranted publicity and reduced sales. Conversely, positive impacts include innovative new products, favorable employer branding, and increased sales.

Proactively, here are 3 strategies for creating more inclusion in your business.

Related: Want to Improve Your Company’s Diversity? Go Remote.

1. Take a stand

Now is the time to review your company’s mission and values to ensure that your business stands for something more than revenue. This is the right time to invest in learning more about inclusive leadership. The new customer will be scrutinizing your company before parting with their hard-earned dollars. Facebook, for example, is feeling the heat with loss of advertising revenue ($7 billion and upwards) from the momentum of the #Stophateforprofit movement.  Verizon, Coca-Cola and Unilever are amongst the companies who’ve taken a stand against Facebook by withdrawing their advertising.  Another example is Nike, who took a stand against racial injustice and embraced Colin Kaepernick when other brands turned their backs. Nike’s recent ad featured strong messaging against ignoring racism in America.  Ben & Jerry’s and Penzeys Spices have long advocated for equality. What you stand for now will play a role in the future, so choose wisely.

2. Make your advisory board inclusive

Board diversity has long been an opportunity for impact. Advisory boards are guiding forces for businesses, yet too often keep diversity at bay. Mellody Hobson, Co-CEO of Ariel Investments, has championed efforts to create more board diversity. In a recent interview with CNBC, she suggested accountability, setting targets, and incentives as strategies to fight inequality. The Alliance for Board Diversity research suggests that, given the current low numbers for minority groups (Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and African American/Black), there’s plenty of room for change. Harvard Business Review suggests that taking intentional steps to recruit diverse board members makes good business sense. Reddit Founder Alexis Ohanian was recently lauded for stepping down from his board role with a follow-on request to concede his seat to a Black board member. Bold moves like this are just a start on the inclusive journey. Consider the innovation that varying perspectives could yield for your business results. Create an intentionally inclusive board that takes advantage of differing gender, race, sexual orientation, and multigenerational perspectives. Some companies take the approach of having a multicultural advisory group in place to bounce decisions off before releasing products to market. This is a good way to avoid embarrassing decisions that signify lack of appreciation for inclusion.

Related: Why Diversity Is Necessary For Innovation At the Workplace

3. Cultivate diverse relationships

Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone writes about the power of relationships for business success. Most business owners are keen to nurture these relationships. As you grow your network, intentionally seek out opportunities to diversify your relationships. One idea is to challenge yourself to leverage diverse vendors in your business dealings. Organizations like National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC),  US Pan Asian Chamber of Commerce (USPACC) and National Veteran Owned Business Association (NVOBA) are prime partners that can support you on this quest. These organizations offer structured networking, education, business growth opportunities, and more.  If you’re an entrepreneur who is already a member of any of these groups, you too can spread your wings and seek to cross-pollinate in service of expanding your inclusive network.

No question about it, inclusion is here to stay. Factoring inclusion strategies into your business is a must for future growth. Choosing to turn a blind eye to non-inclusive cultures and practices will undoubtedly impact customer acquisition and retention.

Related: The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion During Uncertain Times

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/3-strategies-to-create-more-inclusion-in-business/ source https://scpie.tumblr.com/post/624407556897619968

[scpie]

3 Strategies to Create More Inclusion in Business

Diversity impacts your bottom line, and there are plenty of resources at your fingertips.

Grow Your Business, Not Your Inbox

Stay informed and join our daily newsletter now!

July 22, 2020 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

At the heart of business is relationships. Entrepreneurs succeed by nurturing relationships with their customers, suppliers, partners, and families. But how often do you shine a light on those relationships to identify potential inclusion gaps? Probably not too frequently unless there’s a specific reason.

The current moment is causing lots of businesses to review, reflect, and take action on inclusion practices. This includes everyone from small businesses to corporations and entertainment institutions. America’s Got Talent faced backlash when actress and guest judge Gabrielle Union left the show, citing the need for more inclusion. An accusation like that no doubt impacted ratings and ultimately revenue dollars. Inclusion gaps can surface in the form of missing diverse perspectives (gender, race, sexual orientation), and they can actually damage your bottom line. In McKinsey & Co.’s “Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters” report,  they found evidence that inclusive practices yield a competitive advantage for companies. Diversity Best Practices Inclusion index cites companies like Accenture, Verizon, and Sodexo as leading the way in inclusion.

Entrepreneurs pausing to add diversity and inclusion as a priority will benefit from this strategy. With current racial tensions at an all-time high, inclusion is top of mind and likely to impact your business whether you like it or not. Some of the negative impacts could include unwarranted publicity and reduced sales. Conversely, positive impacts include innovative new products, favorable employer branding, and increased sales.

Proactively, here are 3 strategies for creating more inclusion in your business.

Related: Want to Improve Your Company’s Diversity? Go Remote.

1. Take a stand

Now is the time to review your company’s mission and values to ensure that your business stands for something more than revenue. This is the right time to invest in learning more about inclusive leadership. The new customer will be scrutinizing your company before parting with their hard-earned dollars. Facebook, for example, is feeling the heat with loss of advertising revenue ($7 billion and upwards) from the momentum of the #Stophateforprofit movement.  Verizon, Coca-Cola and Unilever are amongst the companies who’ve taken a stand against Facebook by withdrawing their advertising.  Another example is Nike, who took a stand against racial injustice and embraced Colin Kaepernick when other brands turned their backs. Nike’s recent ad featured strong messaging against ignoring racism in America.  Ben & Jerry’s and Penzeys Spices have long advocated for equality. What you stand for now will play a role in the future, so choose wisely.

2. Make your advisory board inclusive

Board diversity has long been an opportunity for impact. Advisory boards are guiding forces for businesses, yet too often keep diversity at bay. Mellody Hobson, Co-CEO of Ariel Investments, has championed efforts to create more board diversity. In a recent interview with CNBC, she suggested accountability, setting targets, and incentives as strategies to fight inequality. The Alliance for Board Diversity research suggests that, given the current low numbers for minority groups (Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and African American/Black), there’s plenty of room for change. Harvard Business Review suggests that taking intentional steps to recruit diverse board members makes good business sense. Reddit Founder Alexis Ohanian was recently lauded for stepping down from his board role with a follow-on request to concede his seat to a Black board member. Bold moves like this are just a start on the inclusive journey. Consider the innovation that varying perspectives could yield for your business results. Create an intentionally inclusive board that takes advantage of differing gender, race, sexual orientation, and multigenerational perspectives. Some companies take the approach of having a multicultural advisory group in place to bounce decisions off before releasing products to market. This is a good way to avoid embarrassing decisions that signify lack of appreciation for inclusion.

Related: Why Diversity Is Necessary For Innovation At the Workplace

3. Cultivate diverse relationships

Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone writes about the power of relationships for business success. Most business owners are keen to nurture these relationships. As you grow your network, intentionally seek out opportunities to diversify your relationships. One idea is to challenge yourself to leverage diverse vendors in your business dealings. Organizations like National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC),  US Pan Asian Chamber of Commerce (USPACC) and National Veteran Owned Business Association (NVOBA) are prime partners that can support you on this quest. These organizations offer structured networking, education, business growth opportunities, and more.  If you’re an entrepreneur who is already a member of any of these groups, you too can spread your wings and seek to cross-pollinate in service of expanding your inclusive network.

No question about it, inclusion is here to stay. Factoring inclusion strategies into your business is a must for future growth. Choosing to turn a blind eye to non-inclusive cultures and practices will undoubtedly impact customer acquisition and retention.

Related: The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion During Uncertain Times

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/3-strategies-to-create-more-inclusion-in-business/

[laurelkrugerr]

3 Strategies to Create More Inclusion in Business

Diversity impacts your bottom line, and there are plenty of resources at your fingertips.

Grow Your Business, Not Your Inbox

Stay informed and join our daily newsletter now!

July 22, 2020 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

At the heart of business is relationships. Entrepreneurs succeed by nurturing relationships with their customers, suppliers, partners, and families. But how often do you shine a light on those relationships to identify potential inclusion gaps? Probably not too frequently unless there’s a specific reason.

The current moment is causing lots of businesses to review, reflect, and take action on inclusion practices. This includes everyone from small businesses to corporations and entertainment institutions. America’s Got Talent faced backlash when actress and guest judge Gabrielle Union left the show, citing the need for more inclusion. An accusation like that no doubt impacted ratings and ultimately revenue dollars. Inclusion gaps can surface in the form of missing diverse perspectives (gender, race, sexual orientation), and they can actually damage your bottom line. In McKinsey & Co.’s “Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters” report,  they found evidence that inclusive practices yield a competitive advantage for companies. Diversity Best Practices Inclusion index cites companies like Accenture, Verizon, and Sodexo as leading the way in inclusion.

Entrepreneurs pausing to add diversity and inclusion as a priority will benefit from this strategy. With current racial tensions at an all-time high, inclusion is top of mind and likely to impact your business whether you like it or not. Some of the negative impacts could include unwarranted publicity and reduced sales. Conversely, positive impacts include innovative new products, favorable employer branding, and increased sales.

Proactively, here are 3 strategies for creating more inclusion in your business.

Related: Want to Improve Your Company’s Diversity? Go Remote.

1. Take a stand

Now is the time to review your company’s mission and values to ensure that your business stands for something more than revenue. This is the right time to invest in learning more about inclusive leadership. The new customer will be scrutinizing your company before parting with their hard-earned dollars. Facebook, for example, is feeling the heat with loss of advertising revenue ($7 billion and upwards) from the momentum of the #Stophateforprofit movement.  Verizon, Coca-Cola and Unilever are amongst the companies who’ve taken a stand against Facebook by withdrawing their advertising.  Another example is Nike, who took a stand against racial injustice and embraced Colin Kaepernick when other brands turned their backs. Nike’s recent ad featured strong messaging against ignoring racism in America.  Ben & Jerry’s and Penzeys Spices have long advocated for equality. What you stand for now will play a role in the future, so choose wisely.

2. Make your advisory board inclusive

Board diversity has long been an opportunity for impact. Advisory boards are guiding forces for businesses, yet too often keep diversity at bay. Mellody Hobson, Co-CEO of Ariel Investments, has championed efforts to create more board diversity. In a recent interview with CNBC, she suggested accountability, setting targets, and incentives as strategies to fight inequality. The Alliance for Board Diversity research suggests that, given the current low numbers for minority groups (Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and African American/Black), there’s plenty of room for change. Harvard Business Review suggests that taking intentional steps to recruit diverse board members makes good business sense. Reddit Founder Alexis Ohanian was recently lauded for stepping down from his board role with a follow-on request to concede his seat to a Black board member. Bold moves like this are just a start on the inclusive journey. Consider the innovation that varying perspectives could yield for your business results. Create an intentionally inclusive board that takes advantage of differing gender, race, sexual orientation, and multigenerational perspectives. Some companies take the approach of having a multicultural advisory group in place to bounce decisions off before releasing products to market. This is a good way to avoid embarrassing decisions that signify lack of appreciation for inclusion.

Related: Why Diversity Is Necessary For Innovation At the Workplace

3. Cultivate diverse relationships

Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone writes about the power of relationships for business success. Most business owners are keen to nurture these relationships. As you grow your network, intentionally seek out opportunities to diversify your relationships. One idea is to challenge yourself to leverage diverse vendors in your business dealings. Organizations like National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC), National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC),  US Pan Asian Chamber of Commerce (USPACC) and National Veteran Owned Business Association (NVOBA) are prime partners that can support you on this quest. These organizations offer structured networking, education, business growth opportunities, and more.  If you’re an entrepreneur who is already a member of any of these groups, you too can spread your wings and seek to cross-pollinate in service of expanding your inclusive network.

No question about it, inclusion is here to stay. Factoring inclusion strategies into your business is a must for future growth. Choosing to turn a blind eye to non-inclusive cultures and practices will undoubtedly impact customer acquisition and retention.

Related: The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion During Uncertain Times

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/3-strategies-to-create-more-inclusion-in-business/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/07/3-strategies-to-create-more-inclusion.html

[bountyofbeads]

Acosta Defends Role in Brokering Epstein Plea Deal

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/us/politics/acosta-epstein.html

The Acosta press conference ran 53 minutes and he never offered any kind of apology to the victims, even when asked if he would.🤬🤬🤬🤬

Acosta today’s world is not 1902. Rape is rape, and victimizing children is obscene and wrong. You made an OATH to uphold the Law. Just admit you did not.

If you’re 5 innocent brown kids accuse of raping a women in a NY park, it’s death penalty or life in prison. If you’re a rich crony of Presidents, who rapes 65+ children, than it’s 13 months in day camp.#Acosta

This issue came up at #Acosta press conference but deserves a lot more attention.

"Congress appropriates $53.8 million for Labor Dept. to fight "exploitative child labor" around the world. Trump's 2020 budget proposes to eliminate all of that funding" CHRIS LU, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR https://t.co/TzEj3gFTZ2

#Acosta tried to slash anti-trafficking program by 80%. Human trafficking generates a global profit of $32 billion every year. Why does Acosta want to facilitate trafficking? #AcostaResign #Epstein DAILY BEAST

https://t.co/lmlmZesaVG

I will agree with #Acosta on one thing. Sex crimes can be hard to prosecute. But he closed off further investigation. Why? He met with #Epstein attorney alone & out of the office. Why? He fails to mention corroborating evidence or to leverage other witnesses. Why? #ICallBS MAYA WILEY, FORMER PROSECUTOR

#Acosta suggesting #Epstein would’ve gotten away without his shocking plea deal flies in the face of the evidence at the time! More importantly, it ignores the considerable resources he had to keep investigating. And why protect unidentified co-conspirators? MAYA WILEY, FORMER PROSECUTOR

"I’m so hung up on Acosta’s answer about how not notifying victims would help them get restitution. How are girls, who according to Acosta would likely been destroyed by Epstein’s legal team, supposed to go after Epstein all by themselves?" AMANDA CARPENTER

Acosta summary: "FL was going to give a bad plea & I was the hero who swept in & gave him a slightly less bad plea because my prosecutors were too scared to go to trial & times were different then & FL did this crazy work release thing I couldn’t possibly have seen coming." MIMI ROCHA, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR

"Acosta's suggestion that his obligation to protect victims was somehow different 12 years ago, because of changing societal attitudes, than it would be today is ridiculous. The more he defends his conduct the worse he sounds." JOYCE VANCE, FORMER PROSPECTOR

Acosta Defends Role in Brokering Epstein Plea Deal

By Katie Rogers, Maggie Haberman and Peter BAKER | Published July 10, 2019 | New York Times | Posted July 10, 2019

WASHINGTON — Labor Secretary R. Alexander Acosta on Wednesday publicly defended his role in overseeing the prosecution of Jeffrey E. Epstein for sex crimes committed in Florida over a decade ago, bucking a growing chorus of Democratic calls for his resignation.

Mr. Acosta said he faced a tough choice between accepting a plea deal that was not as tough as he wished it would be and going to trial with witnesses who were scared to testify in what he described as “a roll of the dice” that might not result in a conviction and prison term.

“I wanted to help them,” Mr. Acosta said of the victims during a nationally televised news conference at the Labor Department headquarters. “That is why we intervened. And that’s what the prosecutors of my office did — they insisted that he go to jail and put the world on notice that he was and is a sexual predator.”

Mr. Acosta’s appearance before cameras was seen as a crucial test of whether he will keep his job, with an audience of one as President Trump watched and came to a decision. Mr. Acosta said he has spoken with Mr. Trump and believes he has his backing.

“My relationship with the president is outstanding,” he said. “He has very publicly made clear that I’ve got his support.”

He also denied that Mick Mulvaney, the White House chief of staff, has suggested he be forced out.

Mr. Acosta, who served as United States attorney for the southern district of Florida, remained defiant amid criticism that he had brokered a sentence for the New York financier in 2008 that was too lenient. In February, the Justice Department opened an investigation into the handling of that case, which resulted in Mr. Epstein serving 13 months in jail after being accused of sexually abusing dozens of young women and girls.

Mr. Epstein was indicted on Monday by the United States attorney in Manhattan, Geoffrey S. Berman, on child sex trafficking charges.

In recent days, Mr. Acosta has weathered calls for his resignation from Democratic leaders, even as President Trump has defended him. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump told reporters gathered at the White House that he felt “badly” for Mr. Acosta, adding that his administration would look into the handling of the matter “very carefully.”

But behind the scenes, Mr. Trump has been closely following the news coverage surrounding the Epstein case, and has faced new scrutiny over his own personal relationshipwith Mr. Epstein, also a Palm Beach fixture.

Those latest charges, along with the discovery of hundreds of nude images of young women or girls at Mr. Epstein’s New York residence, have created an angry public debate that has severely called into question Mr. Acosta’s past work to broker an initial plea deal.

Mr. Acosta has remained adamantthat the proper evidence was not available at the time to bring a harsher sentence. The Miami Herald, which revealed the details of the plea deal in February and has called for Mr. Acosta to resign,  persuaded several women who were abused as girls or young women to talk.

Mr. Acosta has privately reached out to allies for help handling the public relations debacle, and inquired into potential post-government work should he be forced out, according to two people familiar with the matter.

In the end, Mr. Trump — who has dealt with harsh criticism engulfing several of his cabinet aides before — signaled that it was up to Mr. Acosta to defend himself, according to several White House officials familiar with that discussion.

In a sign that congressional Democrats are seeking to increase pressure on Mr. Acosta, Representative Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the chair of the Oversight and Reform Committee, sent a letter to the labor secretary Wednesday afternoon, requesting that he testify before the committee later this month about his decision to authorize a non-prosecution agreement for Mr. Epstein.

“Your testimony is even more critical now that federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York unsealed a new indictment earlier this week outlining a host of additional charges against Mr. Epstein,” Mr. Cummings said in the letter, “including luring dozens of teenage girls to his homes in New York City and Palm Beach, Florida, and paying them to engage in sexual activity with him.”

A handful of Mr. Trump’s allies are not so sure that he will remain supportive as the news coverage continues. Chris Ruddy, the chief executive officer of Newsmax and a confidant of the president’s, said in a CNN interview on Tuesday evening that administration officials who have encountered the sort of coverage that Mr. Acosta has attracted generally do not last long.

“My experience with Donald Trump is if he sees somebody is a bad apple,” Mr. Ruddy said, “he will stay as far away from that person is possible.”

#donald trump #u.s. news #politics #trump administration #president donald trump #politics and government #trump #white house #republican politics #republican party #us: news #legal issues #trump scandals #maga #2020 candidates #civil-rights #donald trump jr #u.s. department of justice #corruption #criminal-justice #united states department of justice #impeachthemf #sex crimes #impeachtrump #racisim #fourth of july #4th of july #trumpism #jeffrey epstein #alexander acosta

[marymosley]

In conversation with Syed Asif Iqbal, co-founder advok8.in on Third Party funding in Litigation

Adv. Syed Asif Iqbal, Advocate, High Court of Delhi who practices in the field  of Contracts, Land acquisition, Consumer &  Arbitration matters. He is also Co-founder, advok8.in; a technology and Artificial Intelligence driven company making legal profession easier and ensuring access to justice for all.

Interviewed by Anuj Kumar, Founder- Legal Desire

  Anuj: Would you like to introduce yourself to our readers?

Asif: In last few years the legal domain has witnessed an acceptance for technology and has created a new branch of professionals, who are lawyers by profession and entrepreneurs from heart.  I would like to associate myself in that club.

I graduated in law from Lloyd Law College in 2015 and started practising litigation with some reputed senior lawyers. My practice areas were arbitration, IPRs, consumer and commercial disputes. While I was practicing law I got associated with advok8, which is a legal tech start-up. I was fascinated by the vision of this start-up, which is now an integral part of my life.  I also work as an RTI activist and have raised many important issues with the Government. I am glad to share that I also contribute as a columnist for Legal Desire.

I have actively worked on Third Party funding for the past two years and aided in making it a reality for the Indian scenario. As I got the chance to lead Third Party funding with advok8, I tried and was able to develop an indianised version of Third Party funding. I love working on innovations in the legal sector and believe that advok8 will come out with many path breaking developments in the legal sphere.

‌ Anuj: How did you become interested in Legal Innovation and Legal Tech?

Asif: I think the simple answer for this would be the timing. Around 2016, India was witnessing a huge wave of start-ups. OLA, OYO, PAYTM were a few such start-ups who were making it big like never before. Almost in every segment there was disruption. I had been reading daily about them and their success stories when I was approached by advok8 and I just fell for it. Also when you are first generation lawyer you look for a chance to make quick growth in this limited lifespan, while everybody around you will push you to wait for 5-6 years to start something of your own. I believe that if you want to do it, you must make a move for it, and the people around will gradually start accepting it.

‌Anuj: What is Advok8? Tell us about Advok8 and how it all came about?

Asif: Advok8 is a legal cum fintech start-up which is devoted towards making justice and legal services accessible to all at an affordable price.

In the initial stages, advok8 mapped courts, the inflow of cases and the readiness of legal infrastructure to deal with the growing number of cases. Kundan, who is one of the founders of advok8, attempted to understand these potential threats which would hit the Indian legal dispute resolution system in next few decades, and wanted advok8 to be a platform to minimize the harm and reduce the increasing number of cases through technology while promoting access to justice.

‌Anuj: What is the common line that your start-up works on? What is the pain area you want to resolve for people at large?

Asif: The pain area which we want to resolve for people is legal cost.

In my opinion, high legal cost or legal expense is a barrier for access to justice. If the cost of accessing justice is high then the taste of justice for different strata will be different. So, advok8 started helping out litigants with legal cost and making it a neutral factor.  

Keeping this is as its mission and vision, advok8 started Third Party Funding in India and is currently working on certain other products to resolve the issue of cost in litigation.

‌Anuj: Third Party Funding has witnessed a sudden rise in India. Tell us about it as you are the first movers?

Asif: Before I discuss more about Third Party funding, I would like to explain it to the readers. Third Party funding is the funding of litigation costs of a claimant, by a funder, in exchange for a share in the successful litigation or settlement amount. There are a few reasons why there is a sudden rise in the popularity of Third Party funding. The first is awareness after the Supreme Court judgment. The second is the interest of international litigation funders in India for exploring the Indian multi-billion dollar litigation market.  The third is clarity on law that, unlike other countries Third Party funding was never illegal, so there is no point legalising it. Fourth, India is trying to become an Arbitration hub and Third Party funding accelerates arbitration as a dispute resolution mechanism.

‌Anuj: How you are planning to take Third Party funding to a bigger scale? How does it help individuals and Businesses?

Asif: We need to understand that Third Party funding is not just a necessity for individuals who don’t have money and to fight cases but it is a strategy for businesses to cope with legal costs and expenses. Scaling Third Party funding will require two things; greater involvement of corporates and creating a new investment class where individuals can invest in cases and earn high returns in comparison to any other mode of investment.

Individual are benefitted by Third Party funding as they can avail it to fight for their rightful claims without worrying about the deep pockets of the opposite party. On the other hand, Third Party funding is a tool to manage huge legal costs for businesses. Businesses can improve their EBITDA and cash flow by availing Third Party funding, and by using the previously allocated resources of the legal department in operation.

‌Anuj: Recently you came up with another line of product, tell us about that?

Asif: As we work to make legal cost a less relevant factor for access to justice, we are trying to introduce something by which individuals can pre-plan their legal expenses or cost. Of course, if you can pre-plan your legal expenses, like other potential expenses, your pocket will not get hurt when you face legal problems.

Our product is currently in process and is not ready to be delivered yet. It will take few weeks to hit the market.

‌Anuj: What is your vision and mission?

Asif: Like most start-ups who made elite products accessible to masses by introducing technology in a viable business module, our vision is to provide standardised, affordable and reliable legal services to masses. Our team is also working on introducing AI and ML in certain existing processes which will make legal systems more accessible and efficient. Most importantly, we encourage ADR and ODR as methods of dispute resolution as we would like to prevent petty cases from entering in the system by resolving disputes through ODRs as this will reduce burden of the judiciary.

‌Anuj: What impact do you think your product will have on the society?

Asif: I foresee that over a period of time the most important impact would be a shift in the mindset of litigants or masses about legal disputes.

Today anything related to legal is considered a woe unlike a blessing in the developed nations. Running away from the legal and justice system will not help rather understanding the empowerment it can provide will make us a better nation, because it’s not only rights but also the enforcement of rights that matters in a democracy. If we can contribute in bringing a slight shift in this, we will be happy that we have done something worth.

‌Anuj: Will that help generating opportunities for lawyers?

Asif: Of course, this is one of the most delightful aspects of advok8. We already have a very big network of panel lawyers who are diligently pursuing cases for us and various parties associated to us. With our new line of products we believe that many more opportunities will hit the market specially for young talents, who find it difficult to start their independent practices due to lack of clientele.

To make legal services cost efficient, distribution of cases among lawyers is an important aspect.

Over the period of time a pyramid is formed whereby 80 % of cases are handled by 20% of lawyers in every state. This structure somehow ignores many talented minds and they fail to survive in the long run. We are trying to provide opportunities to those who are in the middle of this pyramid; this will ensure low cost and high quality legal services without effecting the practice of the group at the top.

‌Anuj: What is the real need for this product? Does it target any specific need of the people/society?

Asif: Our services enable access to justice which drives it to be a product for the masses. Here I would like to borrow a famous quote from Robert Kennedy as he said, “The glory of justice and the majesty of law are created not just by the Constitution – nor by the courts – nor by the officers of the law – nor by the lawyers – but by the men and women who constitute our society – who are the protectors of the law as they are themselves protected by the law.”

‌Anuj: What constraints, challenges and opportunities exist in the development, design and usage of Third Party funding?

Asif: Third Party funding has been in existence for a few decades in other jurisdictions, but the legal position was very unclear in India in spite of the fact that no law bars Third Party funding in India. So the biggest constraint was to find the legitimate scope of Third Party funding in Indian legal system. When we entered the market, it took a lot of time and effort to confirm that Third Party funding is legally possible in India. Our second challenge was to communicate that Third Party funding is different from litigation finance by a lawyer, which is not permissible as per the BCI Act. Third, of course, was the trust of people. Nobody believes you when you are a first mover of something. People were very sceptical when we first pitched crowd fund based Third Party funding, however things have started working for us. The traction is encouraging.

The market of Third Party funding is of around 80 billion US dollars in India and with nearly 3.3 crore cases pending in the courts, the opportunity is huge. Therefore, one can find that India is becoming a place of interest for international funders.

‌Anuj: Recently CAM has started “Prarambh”. How do you see it?

Asif: I think it’s a wonderful move and I am really inspired by this step of Cyril Amarchand & Mangaldas. CAM has always taken the lead in shaping the legal sphere.  This will encourage students from legal background to get into entrepreneurship with confidence. I think the idea behind this is to create greater acceptance for technology in the legal sector and to make a shift from traditional exhausting processes.

‌Anuj: Do you encourage Entrepreneurship as a career to lawyers?

Asif: Yes, of course!  I firmly believe that lawyers can be great entrepreneurs. Aditya Ghosh, who recently joined OYO as CEO, is a role model on how big you can make as an entrepreneur with a legal background.

‌Anuj: How can we deep root entrepreneurship at the law college level? Are you doing something for it?

Asif: The most successful entrepreneurs are coming from IIMs or IITs. The reason behind this is that these institutions celebrate entrepreneurship and innovation. Entrepreneurship is a part of their curriculum. If we want to deep root entrepreneurship in law colleges, we need to make it a part of the curriculum, like moot courts and client counselling. Colleges must encourage Entrepreneurship cells to promote innovations in legal and non legal sectors.

Yes, I am working with some influential leaders who are also entrepreneurs with a legal background, to establish and promote end-to-end entrepreneurial setup for law students.  When I say end-to-end I mean that when a law student has decided to take entrepreneurship as a career, he must have multiple opportunities waiting for him in the market.

Anuj: What is your message to young lawyers?

Asif: I will say let’s stop cribbing, blaming the seniors, hoping for clients, planning for independent practices and expecting magic to happen which will change your life. Believe me when I say, that you are the magician in your story. It is human nature that if you compromise once in your life, you will make a habit out of it.

    Send your feedbacks/leads for interviews to [email protected]

The post In conversation with Syed Asif Iqbal, co-founder advok8.in on Third Party funding in Litigation appeared first on Legal Desire.

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[ethelbertpaul444-blog]

12 Longreads To Get You Through A Snow Day

If you live in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic, a gigantic winter storm is about to screw up your weekend plans. On the bright side, a snow day is one of the best excuses for finally getting around to tackling your Pocket or Instapaper queue. Need some inspiration? Here are 12 fascinating stories we’ve published over the past year to get you started. “Dying To Be Free,” by Jason Cherkis Recently nominated for a National Magazine Award, Cherkis’ in-depth investigation is a wrenching look at Kentucky’s heroin epidemic and why existing treatment standards are falling short. It’s also a true example of how journalism can make a difference. Since the story was published, state legislatures, Congress and the Obama administration have all taken steps toward getting opiate addicts the medication they need to save their lives. “How Cosby’s Accusers Are Fighting To Fix The Legal System That Shut Them Out,” by Jessica Samakow For years, the women publicly accusing Bill Cosby of assaulting them were ignored and silenced — and many more remained in the shadows. By the time many of Cosby’s alleged victims came forward, finding strength in numbers as the public finally acknowledged the earlier accusations, the statute of limitations on their cases had run out. Now, those women are pushing to make sure other women don’t face that same legal barrier. Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images HuffPost’s Michael McAuliff reported on why Jon Stewart lobbied on behalf of 9/11 first responders — and the dispiriting lessons the former “Daily Show” host learned while on Capitol Hill. “Why Jon Stewart Fought So Hard For 9/11 Responders,” by Michael McAuliff Jon Stewart didn’t need to get anywhere near politics ever again after leaving his post at “The Daily Show” last summer. But instead of retreating to his New Jersey farm, Stewart went to Capitol Hill to help 9/11 first responders lobby to get their health benefits reinstated. Once there, he saw firsthand the ugly and demoralizing reality of 21st century politics. “Welcome To Beautiful Parkersburg, West Virginia,” by Mariah Blake Blake exposes how DuPont, one of the world’s largest chemical companies, poisoned an entire city — and tried to cover it up. “DuPont deceived as many people as they could deceive as for as long as they could,” said one resident whose cows began dying after the company put a landfill near his farm. (This story also earned a National Magazine Award nod.) “‘Brokeback Mountain,’ 10 Years On,” by Maxwell Strachan A decade after its release, the makers of “Brokeback Mountain” look back on the making of a film that now holds a key place in LGBT history. The cast and crew reflect on how the story of two cowboys who fall in love first jumped from the page to the screen, what it was like to film the movie and, perhaps most poignantly, their memories of Heath Ledger, who died less than three years after the film was released. “Buried In Baltimore: The Mysterious Murder Of A Nun Who Knew Too Much,” by Laura Bassett In 1969, Sister Cathy Cesnik went missing and was later found dead on the outskirts of Baltimore. While some investigators suspected priests at the Catholic school Cesnik taught at were behind the brutal murder, police found it nearly impossible to investigate individuals protected by the powerful church, and the case eventually went cold. Decades later, the school’s alumnae began connecting the dots between Cesnik’s murder and widespread sexual abuse at the hands of the school’s priests and other men in the community. Those women are now determined to find out what really happened to the nun who tried to protect her students. Carlos Osorio/AP Residents of Flint, Michigan, are relying on bottled water as the city’s drinking water remains contaminated with lead. HuffPost’s Arthur Delaney and Philip Lewis reported on how the federal government mishandled the ongoing crisis.  “How The Federal Government Botched Flint’s Water Crisis,” by Arthur Delaney and Philip Lewis Flint’s water crisis is now national news and a federal emergency, with many pointing fingers at Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and other leaders in the state. However, federal authorities are also deeply involved in the problem. Delaney and Lewis detail the ties between Flint’s contaminated water and a similar issue that plagued Washington, D.C. in the early 2000s — and how in both cases, it took action from outraged citizens to make a difference. “They Burn Witches Here,” by Kent Russell In Papua New Guinea, witch hunts aren’t a metaphor or a relic from the past — they are a brutal, fatal reality. People, mostly women, accused of witchcraft are publicly tortured, murdered or ousted from society — and in a grotesque 21st century twist, the outcome is sometimes shared on social media. Russell’s story is a horrifying but gripping look at “an island caught between the ancient world and 2015.” “How U.S. Hospitals Are Defending Themselves Against The Next Big Outbreak,” by Anna Almendrala The Ebola outbreak that left thousands dead in West Africa is now over. But what happens when the next epidemic breaks out? In this story, Almendrala details how American hospitals are attempting to answer that question — and how the Ebola scare exposed major flaws in the ways U.S. hospitals treat infectious diseases. “Sports At Any Cost,” by Brad Wolverton, Ben Hallman, Shane Shifflett and Sandhya Kambhampat This investigation, reported with the Chronicle of Higher Education, found that public schools are pumping billions of dollars from mandatory student fees into athletics — essentially, having the student body subsidize the growing cost of operating sports programs. As coaches’ salaries soar and universities draw up blueprints for stadiums that seat tens of thousands of fans, many of these schools are cutting academic programs and raising tuition. This data-driven piece looks at exactly how much schools are willing to sacrifice to achieve success on the field. “When Colleges Threaten To Punish Students Who Report Sexual Violence,” by Tyler Kingkade For many victims of sexual assault, reporting violence to campus officials is a difficult and painful process in and of itself. But when the threat of discipline for doing so is added, speaking out becomes even more challenging. Kingkade examines how schools’ misguided approach to addressing such allegations is contributing to the culture of silence and effectively puts victims on trial. “Here’s What It’s Like To Live Next To California’s Gas Blowout Catastrophe,” by Matt Ferner and Lydia O’Connor The massive gas leak in Porter Ranch, California, is on track to be one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. Here, Ferner and O’Connor find out what the residents of this Los Angeles neighborhood are going through, and explore how much is still unknown about the leak’s health impact on both Porter Ranch’s residents and its environment. Want more? Follow HuffPost Must Reads for great stories from our writers and other publications, or check out HuffPost Highline’s complete archive. Read more: www.huffingtonpost.com http://dailybuzznetwork.com/index.php/2018/08/23/12-longreads-to-get-you-through-a-snow-day/