Bitcoin Cash Tokenization Bolstered by the Creation of an SLP Foundation – Bitcoin News

On Monday, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) supporters were introduced to a Simple Ledger Protocol alliance called the SLP Foundation. According to the initial members, the SLP Foundation has been in the works since December 2019, and the primary goal is to foster SLP innovation and standards.

A new organization has been created called the SLP Foundation and it aims to bolster SLP development, growth, and common practices. The Simple Ledger Protocol (SLP) is an easy-to-use system that allows anyone to create tokens on top of the BCH chain. The new SLP Foundation will be a nonprofit group and it has already been funded by many crypto proponents since the idea came to life.

The foundation will be overseen by three directors including Peter NG, Joey Wong, and Bitcoin.coms former CEO Stefan Rust. Directors will help the foundation grow and assist in communications, according to the announcement. The SLP Foundation announcement states:

The SLP Foundations primary focus is to coordinate the common interests of the open-source developers working within the SLP ecosystem and to foster a healthy environment for growth and innovation.

The key developers will have the final say on SLP subject matter and the SLP Foundation believes this is the best way forward. News.Bitcoin.com spoke with Peter NG and he explained how the nonprofit envisions the foundation bolstering the SLP infrastructure and standards.

A foundation in a grassroots open source community operates as a constant tricky dilemma. We have to be aware of the existing developing community initiatives because sometimes funding deters open source development, Peter NG detailed during our conversation.

With regards to infrastructure, SLP 2020 was a no brainer, as we needed across the board performance improvements to keep up with the unexpected rapid growth of token usage. Future developments in infrastructure would first need ample understanding with businesses within our industry as well as beyond. We also have to be very careful that there is minimal bias so the benefit is more universal.

The SLP Foundation director added:

With regard to standards, SLP by design allows anybody to develop their own. So we are getting out of the way of that. Where standardization may be important is when were front-facing more traditional businesses that require this type of standardization to fit their existing business model.

Stefan Rust said that he believes SLP is an awesome protocol. Simplifying the tokenization on top of BCH. The foundation will continue to support the efforts of open-source projects enhancing the protocol fit to market needs while increasing its awareness among enterprise and consumers, Rust noted. The creator of Blockparty and a key SLP developer, JT Freeman, feels the same and believes coordination will be helpful.

SLP is the realization of colored coins on top of Bitcoin, making it easy to understand and to start building on almost immediately, Freeman said. Im very happy to see the coordination around the SLP Foundation to help this technology grow, and as a developer, knowing that the foundation will continue innovating and supporting SLP development makes it a safe bet to build on, the developer conceded.

What do you think about the new SLP Foundation? Let us know in the comments below.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, SLP Foundation, Simpleledger.cash

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

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The Crypto Daily Movers and Shakers -27/05/20 – Yahoo Finance

Bitcoin fell by 0.62% on Tuesday. Partially reversing a 2.20% gain from Monday, Bitcoin ended the day at $8,845.5.

A mixed start to the day saw Bitcoin rise to a late morning intraday high $9,013.3 before hitting reverse.

Falling short of the first major resistance level at $9,037.13, Bitcoin slid to a late afternoon intraday low $8,704.9.

Steering clear of the first major support level at $8,693.43, Bitcoin recovered to $8,800 levels to limit the loss on the day.

The near-term bearish trend, formed at late June 2019s swing hi $13,764.0, remained firmly intact, reaffirmed by the March swing lo $4,000.

For the bulls, Bitcoin would need to break out from the 62% FIB of $10,034 to form a near-term bullish trend.

Across the rest of the majors, it was another mixed day for the majors on Tuesday.

Moneros XMR rose by 0.24% to buck the trend.

It was a bearish day for the rest of the pack, however.

Bitcoin Cash SV slid by 2.57% to lead the way down.

Binance Coin (-1.04%), Ethereum (-1.58%), Litecoin (-1.61%), Ripples XRP (-1.20%), Stellars Lumen (-1.76%), and Tezos (-1.54%) also struggled.

Bitcoin Cash ABC (-0.18%), Cardanos ADA (-0.69%), EOS (-0.76%), and Trons TRX (-0.74%) saw relatively modest losses on the day.

Early in the week, the crypto total market cap fell to an early Monday low $238.04bn before rising to a Tuesday high $247.84bn. At the time of writing, the total market cap stood at $243.55bn.

Bitcoins dominance fell to a Monday low 66.38% before rising to a Tuesday high 66.86%. At the time of writing, Bitcoins dominance stood at 66.57%.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin was down by 0.24% to $8,824.0. A mixed start to the day saw Bitcoin rise to an early morning high $8,896.5 before falling to a low $8,822.7.

Bitcoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Elsewhere, it was a mixed start to the day.

Cardanos ADA and Moneros XMR led the way down, with losses of 0.87% and 0.53% respectively.

Ethereum (+0.28%), Litecoin (+0.17%), and Ripples XRP (+0.49%) bucked the trend early on.

Bitcoin would need to move through to $8,860 levels to bring the first major resistance level at $9,004.23 into play.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Bitcoin to break out from the morning high $8,896.5.

Barring an extended crypto rally, the first major resistance level would likely limit any upside.

In the event of an extended crypto rally, the second major resistance level at $9,162.97 would likely come into play.

Failure to move back through to $8,860 levels could see Bitcoin fall deeper into the red.

A fall back through the morning $8,822.2 would bring the first major support level at $8,695.83 into play.

Barring another extended crypto sell-off, however, Bitcoin should steer clear of the second major support level at $8,546.17.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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The Crypto Daily Movers and Shakers -27/05/20 - Yahoo Finance

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) Down $0.37 Over Past 4 Hours; Entered Today Down 1.06% – CFDTrading

Bitcoin Cash 4 Hour Price Update

Updated May 27, 2020 11:18 PM GMT (07:18 PM EST)

Bitcoin Cash closed the last 4 hour candle down 0.39% ($0.9); this denotes the 3rd candle in a row a decrease has occurred. Relative to other instruments in the Top Cryptos asset class, Bitcoin Cash ranked 3rd since the last 4 hour candle in terms of percentage price change.

228.11 (USD) was the opening price of the day for Bitcoin Cash, resulting in yesterday being one in which price moved down 1.06% ($2.45) from yesterday. This move happened on lower volume, as yesterdays volume was down 22.25% from the day before and down 34.24% from the same day the week before. Out of the 5 instruments in the Top Cryptos asset class, Bitcoin Cash ended up ranking 2nd for the day in terms of price change relative to yesterday. Here is a daily price chart of Bitcoin Cash.

Coming into today Bitcoin Cash is now close to its 20 and 50 day averages, located at 239.44 and 239.95 respectively, and thus may be at a key juncture along those timeframes. The clearest trend exists on the 30 day timeframe, which shows price moving down over that time. For additional context, note that price has gone up 7 out of the past 14 days.

Over on Twitter, here were the top tweets about Bitcoin Cash:

Bitcoin Cash adoption cant happen until-the govt changes regulations-the economy collapses-bull run-anything that relies on a third party doing us a solid or completely screwing upWRONGBCH success relies on BCH doing the workPeriod.#BuildBCH #BitcoinCash

Bitcoin Cash has the potential to become the most popular cryptocurrency in the world

@KTrzeszczkowski @EmergentReasons I think Mitra doesnt compromise on any of the amazing properties Bitcoin Cash has, and actually complements it nicely (eg by allowing us to do stablecoins) while giving Bitcoin Cash the ability to compete in the same market as Ethereum, thus giving BCH more utility.

As for a news story related to Bitcoin Cash getting some buzz:

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Bitcoin Cash (BCH) Down $0.37 Over Past 4 Hours; Entered Today Down 1.06% - CFDTrading

Bitcoin Cash Breaches More Supports after Rejection from $280 Resistance – Coin Idol

May 27, 2020 at 11:38 // News

Bitcoin Cash is trading and has fallen to a disappointing low of $228 after a series of downward moves. Originally, BCH was fluctuating between $230 and $280.

Unfortunately, BCH upward move was restricted below $255 resistance after May 10 bearish impulses. The bears were unrelenting as selling pressure pushed the coin to $224 low.

Now BCH trades in a tight range between $224 and $240. There is a possibility of an upward move if price rebounds and break s above $240 resistance. The price will rally above $255 and the momentum will extend to $280 resistance. Conversely, if the bulls fail to break above $240 resistance, the bears may break the $224 support level. This will further depreciate the coin to $216 low.

The BCH downtrend has pushed the coin above the 25% range of the daily stochastic. A further downward move will catapult the crypto into the oversold region. Meanwhile, the coin is in a bullish momentum but it is weak.

Key Resistance Zones: $440, $480, $520

Key Support Zones: $200, $160, $120

Bitcoin Cash has been in a downward move. The coin is fluctuating between $224 and $240 price levels. In this range, the price may encounter a breakdown or a breakout may occur. The current support at $224 has been tested by the bears on three occasions and it appears to be strong.

Disclaimer. This analysis and forecast are the personal opinions of the author that are not a recommendation to buy or sell cryptocurrency and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Coin Idol. Readers should do their own research before investing funds.

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Bitcoin Cash Breaches More Supports after Rejection from $280 Resistance - Coin Idol

The Crypto Daily Movers and Shakers -25/05/20 – Yahoo Finance

Bitcoin slid by 5.08% on Sunday. Reversing a 0.15% gain from Saturday, Bitcoin ended the week down by 9.91% to $8,710.10.

A bullish start to the day saw Bitcoin rise to a mid-morning intraday high $9,300.0 before hitting reverse.

Bitcoin came up against the first major resistance level at $9,295.47 before falling to a late afternoon low $8,859.2.

The reversal saw Bitcoin fall through the first major support level at $9,064.27 and the second major support level at $8,952.93.

Finding late support, Bitcoin briefly recovered to a high $9,075 before a final hour sell-off.

The sell-off saw Bitcoin slide back through the first major support level and second major support level to an intraday low $8,688.0.

The near-term bearish trend, formed at late June 2019s swing hi $13,764.0, remained firmly intact, reaffirmed by the March swing lo $4,000.

For the bulls, Bitcoin would need to break out from the 62% FIB of $10,034 to form a near-term bullish trend.

Across the rest of the majors, it was also a bearish end to the week on Sunday.

Cardanos ADA slid by 6.80% to lead the way down.

Bitcoin Cash ABC (-5.47%), Litecoin (-4.08%), Moneros XMR (-4.06%), Stellars Lumen (-4.74%), Tezos (-4.31%), and Trons TRX (-5.15% werent far behind.

Binance Coin (-3.09%), Bitcoin Cash SV (-3.77%), EOS (-2.84%), Ethereum (-3.38%), and Ripples XRP (-3.27%) saw relatively modest losses on the day.

Sundays sell-off delivered mixed results for the week, however.

Cardanos ADA and Tezos bucked the trend, with gains of 0.20% and 0.81% respectively, Monday through Sunday.

It was a week in the red for the rest of the majors, however.

Bitcoin Cash ABC and Stellars Lumen led the way down, with losses of 7.72% and 7.04% respectively.

EOS (-4.92%), Moneros XMR (-6.72%), Ripples XRP (-4.45%), and Trons TRX (-5.43%) werent far behind.

Binance Coin (-1.90%), Bitcoin Cash SV (-2.71%), Ethereum (-3.58%) and Litecoin (-3.75%) saw relatively modest losses for the week.

In the week, the crypto total market cap rose to a Monday low $268.50bn before falling to a Sunday low $239.63bn. At the time of writing, the total market cap stood at $242.29bn.

Bitcoins dominance rose to a Monday high 68.31% before falling to a Sunday low 66.51%. At the time of writing, Bitcoins dominance stood at 66.64%.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin was up by 0.83 to $8,782.2. A mixed start to the day saw Bitcoin fall to an early morning low $8,620.0 before striking a high $8,808.7.

Bitcoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Elsewhere, it was a mixed start to the day.

Trons TRX (+1.57%), Tezos (+1.20%), Ethereum (+1.06%), Bitcoin Cash ABC (+1.23%), and Binance Coin (+1.11%) led the way early on.

Moneros XMR was down by 0.15%, however, to buck the trend.

Bitcoin would need to move through to $8,900 levels to bring the first major resistance level at $9,110.73 into play.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Bitcoin to break out from the morning high $8,808.7.

Barring an extended crypto rebound, the first major resistance level would likely limit any upside.

In the event of an extended crypto rally, Bitcoin could revisit $9,300 levels before any pullback. We would expect Bitcoin to come up short of the second major resistance level at $9,511.37, however.

Failure to move through to $8,900 levels could see Bitcoin hit reverse.

A fall back through the morning low $8,620.0 would bring the first major support level at $8,498.73 into play.

Barring another extended crypto sell-off, however, Bitcoin should steer clear of the second major support level at $8,287.37.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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The Crypto Daily Movers and Shakers -25/05/20 - Yahoo Finance

Eight Countries That Don’t Tax Your Bitcoin Gains | Finance Bitcoin News – Bitcoin News

As world governments push through legislation to levy taxes on capital gains from bitcoin (BTC) transactions, seeking to earn more from an asset class that frowns on regulatory oversight, there are still a few countries that remain pro-crypto, allowing investors to buy, sell or hold digital assets at zero taxes.

Circumstances vary, but the real motivation leans more toward facilitating increased investment within the respective jurisdictions cryptocurrency industries, perhaps as a base for future taxation. For now, that has not happened yet. Heres a list of eight countries in no order of importance which may be considered as bitcoin tax havens, states that dont want your BTC investment gains.

In Portugal, tax authorities waived all tax on cryptocurrency trading and transacting meaning that individuals do not have to pay capital gains tax or value added tax (VAT), when buying or selling BTC and other digital assets. The Portugal Tax Authority (PTA) said an exchange of cryptocurrency for real currency constitutes an on-demand, VAT-free exercise of services.

While citizens are under no obligation to pay income tax when exchanging crypto for fiat, the PTA, however, indicated that businesses which accept digital currencies as payment for goods and services are liable to paying taxes such as VAT and income tax. The income tax relief makes Portugals laws some of the most favourable throughout the world, given how income tax is a huge expense on the accounts of most crypto traders.

If you hold bitcoin for one year or more in Germany, you wont have to pay any taxes. Regardless of how much money you make selling your BTC, you do not pay capital gains as long as you have held your coins for a period exceeding 12 months.

Europes biggest economy regards BTC as private money, contrary to the widespread view in most developed countries, which look at crypto as currency, commodity or equity. In Germany, private sales that do not exceed 600 euros ($654) are tax-free. Businesses, however, are still obliged to pay taxes on gains emanating from bitcoin through corporate income taxes.

Both individuals and corporates who hold BTC or other digital assets as a long-term investment are not taxed in Singapore simply because capital gains tax does not exist in the city-state itself.

However, enterprises based in Singapore are liable to income tax, should they be involved in cryptocurrency trading as a core business. Those that opt for bitcoin as payment for services rendered, or revenue, are subject to normal income tax rules. Companies are taxed on the profit generated within Singapore.

As with neighboring Singapore, there are no capital gains tax in Malaysia. Cryptocurrency trades involving cash or another digital asset are not taxed in the Southeast Asian country. However, this will likely change if BTC is recognized as legal tender in Malaysia, as has been rumoured in the local press in recent months.

In the Eastern European country of Belarus, a new law that came into effect in March 2018 legalized cryptocurrency, exempting individuals and businesses from any form of taxation for dealing in or with digital financial assets in whatever way, at least until 2023.

Individual activities such as mining or buying and selling of crypto, are considered personal investments, and therefore, are not subject to tax. Similarly, registered businesses operating in the special economic zone of High Technologies Park near the capital Minsk, involved in mining, trading, initial coin offerings or other crypto-related operations are not taxed.

For Slovenia, the tax system for individuals and companies involved with BTC is rather different. While no capital gains is levied on citizens for the sale of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, they are still expected to pay income tax regardless of the currency being exchanged. However, companies that receive payment in BTC or from crypto mining are required to pay tax at the corporate tax rate.

The taxation of corporations depend on the circumstances of a particular case and the information provided in the declaration: income recipient status; type of income. If profits are recognized as capital gains, then the tax is 19%, say experts.

The famed blockchain island of Malta does not tax long-held digital currencies, either for capital gains or VAT. However, crypto trades executed within the day are considered similar to day trading in stocks or foreign exchange, attracting tax as business income at the rate of 35%.

Malta is perhaps one of the most crypto-friendly countries in the world, initiating legislation that has legalized a variety of crypto operations in the country. The government recognizes bitcoin as a unit of account, medium of exchange, or a store of value.

In Switzerland, one of Europes crypto havens, qualified individuals that buy, sell or hold cryptocurrencies for personal benefit are not required to pay tax on their capital gains. However, income from mining, considered self-employment income, is taxed through income tax. Profitable crypto trading by qualified professionals is subject to corporate tax while wages paid in bitcoin must be declared for income tax purposes.

What do you think about bitcoin taxation around the world? Let us know in the comments section below.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

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Eight Countries That Don't Tax Your Bitcoin Gains | Finance Bitcoin News - Bitcoin News

We Are All Atheists – News Intervention

By Leo Igwe

It is now over two weeks since police detectives arrested Nigerian atheist, Mubarak Bala in Kaduna in Northern Nigeria. His arrest was in connection with posts that he made on Facebook. The petitioners said that the posts insulted the prophet of Islam, Muhammad. Mr. Bala was transferred to Kano the following day but since then his whereabouts are unknown. He has been held incommunicado without access to a lawyer and family members. The police have not charged him in court.

Meanwhile, there have been reports that a list of atheists, to be arrested and arraigned alongside Mr. Bala, is being compiled. There is an ongoing witch hunt for atheists, especially in Northern Nigeria. One source said that these were atheists who had allegedly made comments that insulted Muhammad or posted comments that annoyed Muslims.

Some atheists have received calls from strange numbers or from unknown individuals who tried to confirm their identities. Most atheists in Nigeria are in the closet due to fear of being persecuted or killed by extremists. The situation is worse and more dangerous in Northern Nigeria where sharia law is in force in most states. Until recently, the atheist movement in the region has been underground. However, there has been growing visibility of atheism in Northern Nigeria since Mubarak came out as an atheist in 2014.

The emergence of atheism in the region has worried Muslim leaders. And last year an Islamic institute organized a seminar to discuss the disturbing trend of Atheism and Social Media.

Following the arrest of Mubarak Bala, there have been numerous threats to expose and deal with other atheists. But those Muslims who are trying to clamp down on the atheist movement have not thought it through. It may not have occurred to them that they too are atheists. n this piece, I argue that we are all atheists because atheism entails a lack of belief in a god or gods. And everybody is an atheist in relation to one god or another. My submission is that if we are all atheists, why are some Muslims in Northern Nigeria persecuting fellow atheists? Why do they want to deny other atheists their rights to life, freedom of conscience, expression, and association?

First, lets establish how Muslims are atheists or unbelievers. Muslims believe in Allah and in that sense, they are theists. They are believers. There is no doubt about it. However Muslim relationship to the god idea does not end with the belief in Allah. In Islam, there is this saying: There is no other god but Allah. Take note, no other god. This statement is an affirmation of belief in god as well as a declaration of disbelief in other gods. So concerning other gods, Muslims are atheists. Muslims are unbelievers. They are infidels. Like atheists, Muslims do not believe in the Christian god. They do not have faith in Zeus, Vishnu, Osiris, Amadioha, Sango, Ogun, Urim, Tsumburburra, Haptu, and thousands of other gods that human beings have worshipped throughout history.The difference between Muslims and other atheists is that other atheists go one god further in their disbelief. They do not believe in the Allah-god. So all Muslims are atheists, even though all atheists are not Muslims. And to make a clearer distinction between Muslims and other atheists, Believers in the Allah-god will be described as Muslim atheists. n Nigeria, Muslim atheists exercise their rights to freedom of belief and unbelief- their freedom to believe in Allah/prophet Muhammad and to unbelieve in Urim and Ogun. Muslims exercise their right to freedom of expression including their right to express their belief in Allah and their unbelief in other gods such as Odin and Krishna. In declaring their unbelief in other gods, Muslims atheists make and could make statements that others could consider to be insulting, provoking and annoying. n seeking to penalize Mubarak and other atheists for statements and sentiments, posts, and comments that they made on Facebook, Muslim atheists are trying to deny other atheists the same rights that they enjoy. That is not fair. Is it? This inequity has been central to the entrenched Islamic privilege in Nigeria. This injustice has escaped the minds of those who are persecuting Mubarak Bala and other atheists in the region. Blinded by their theism, and forgetful of their atheism, Muslims who are threatening to kill and deal with atheists need to realize that atheists are human beings and the rights of atheists are human rights. More importantly, Muslims in Nigeria need to know that they are atheists too; that they belong to the family of unbelievers and infidels.

Yes, we are all atheists!

Photo by Marcos Paulo PradoonUnsplash

Assistant Editor, News Intervention,Human Rights Activist.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the Founder of In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal and In-Sight Publishing. He focuses on North America for News Intervention. Jacobsen works for science and human rights, especially womens and childrens rights. He considers the modern scientific and technological world the foundation for the provision of the basics of human life throughout the world and advancement of human rights as the universal movement among peoples everywhere. You can contact Scott via email, his website, or Twitter.

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I Believed That I Would See Her Again – The New York Times

This months conversation in our series exploring religion and death is with Karen Teel, who has been a member of the department of theology and religious studies at the University of San Diego since 2007. Her research and teaching focus on the essential beliefs of Christianity and the theological engagement with the problems of racism and white supremacy. She is the author of Racism and the Image of God. George Yancy

George Yancy: Id like to start with a personal question. What does it mean for you to embody the teachings of Roman Catholicism?

Karen Teel: I grew up Catholic, and I continue to practice Catholicism not out of obligation but because I claim it as my home. I try to live faithfully by what is highest and best in my church. This actually means that my allegiance is not first and foremost to the Roman Catholic Church, a human and imperfect institution, but to Jesus and to his God of love and justice. So, for me, embodying the teachings of my church means trying to love deeply, to live with integrity, to treat every person as beloved by God, and therefore to work passionately for justice in the world.

One way that I have chosen to demonstrate fidelity to my church is by raising my children Catholic. I want them to know in their bones what it means to belong to a faith community, so that when they grow up that is a real option for them. Embodying the teachings of Catholicism means living the truth that I believe, and really believing that this is the truth, while respecting and honoring the fact that others also live according to what they believe is true.

Yancy: What do you consider some of the essential teachings of Roman Catholicism?

Teel: Roman Catholics share the basic beliefs that all Christians hold in common. We believe that God is a Trinity, one god in three persons. We proclaim that Jesus saves. And we use the Bible, both Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, as our sacred text.

For me, the most important distinctively Catholic belief is the Eucharist. My church teaches that when we celebrate communion, Jesus becomes present in the bread and wine that we share. The way the people come together every week to be nourished by this concrete reminder of Gods presence with us in the struggle is really beautiful.

Yancy: We are concentrating in these discussions on learning about and understanding religious conceptions of death. How is the reality of death conceptualized in your faith?

Teel: Death is conceptualized as a transition from this life into eternal life. Christianity teaches that God is eternal; this world came from God and will eventually return to God. In that sense, this life is temporary. Moreover, God created humans with immortal souls, so the death of a human being is not the end. The body dies while the soul continues to live.

When this world comes to an end, Christianity teaches, Jesus, who has already been raised from the dead, will return to oversee the general resurrection of the dead and the last judgment. The bodies of those who have died will be resurrected rendered alive anew in a glorious, immortal state and reunited with our souls. The bodies of those who have not yet died also will be transformed into this new state. And Jesus will separate us into two groups, those who will be eternally rewarded and those who will be punished. Christians traditionally believe that heaven is where God is and hell is where God is not, but I like the idea, suggested in the teaching of one of my graduate school professors, Father Michael Himes, that we may all have the same destiny to spend eternity being loved by God. For those who want Gods love, this will be heaven; for those who dont, it will be hell.

For Christians, everything that God created is good, and God will not allow anything that is good to pass away. We are never alone, in this life or in eternity. The death of a loved one brings profound sadness. But it is a temporary separation; we hope and believe that we will see each other again. Death is not a separation from God but a return to God. When a Christian dies, we say that they have gone to be with God. And when we die, we will join them.

Yancy: This all seems to work out well for faithful Christians, but what about atheists? Should they fear death?

Teel: No more than anyone else. In the 1960s, the Catholic Churchs teaching on non-Christian religions developed beyond the ancient notion that only Christians could be saved. Now the church teaches that, under certain conditions, people who do not identify as Christians may be saved. Personally, I believe that whenever a person does their best to live rightly, according to the principles they know to be true, God honors that effort. Nothing good will be lost.

Yancy: Speaking of atheism, I read recently that cosmologist Stephen Hawking said, I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. He also added, There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark. How do you respond to the charge that Christians who believe in an afterlife are just really afraid of the dark, that is, afraid of facing the inevitability of nothingness?

Teel: Thats very logical. I can see why a nonbeliever might think that. The question here is whether we are going to allow people to be the authorities on what they feel.

When my mother was 59, she was diagnosed with A.L.S., Lou Gehrigs disease. Hawking had it too. Theres no cure for A.L.S. Its a neurological disease in which the mind usually remains sharp, but the voluntary muscles gradually stop working, leaving you totally dependent on others. Hawking lived for decades after his diagnosis; most people live two to five years. My mother lived for three years.

Moms decline never hit a plateau. The diseases progression was gradual and relentless. Her arms went first, which seemed particularly cruel, since she was a pianist. When she could no longer climb stairs, she and my father moved to be near me and my children. She began to need help with everything: eating, using the bathroom, controlling her wheelchair, breathing.

During Moms last weeks especially after she asked us to stop feeding her, when we took turns sitting with her around the clock, so that she would not die alone I realized two things: She was going to die soon, and I believed that I would see her again. This had nothing to do with being afraid of losing her. I was losing her. We had known for three years, with reasonable and devastating certainty, the precise manner in which we were going to lose her. But I also believed, with a conviction I had never before felt, that she would not cease to exist upon her death. She was going to join her parents, and one day I would see them all again.

Before facing my mothers death, I never really knew that I believed that life continues. I still dont expect others to believe it. But I know it as I know the sun will come up in the morning, as I know Ill get wet in the rain, as I know I love my own children. It isnt about fear. Its a gift and a mystery, this conviction that we come from love and we return to love.

Yancy: That is a powerful story and I thank you for sharing it. How do we explain the fact that even Christians continue to fear death despite the fact that they believe that there is so much more after we die?

Teel: Well, Christians hope to go to heaven, but ultimately its not up to us. Perhaps the outcome of the last judgment will not be in our favor, or a loved one wont make it. Thats a pretty terrifying scenario. Then again, some of us probably imagine that heaven will be boring because we will no longer be doing any of the exciting stuff that we had feared might land us in hell.

Change is scary, and death is a big change. Many ways of dying involve pain. Even if we expect a good death and something better beyond, this life is familiar and beloved, and we are in no hurry to go. We also fear for the loved ones we leave behind. Who will take care of them when were gone?

Yancy: It has occurred to me at times that the atheist belief expressed by Hawking that there is no afterlife, that there is nothing after we die, might have an upside of adding value to our current lives. For example, I might treat people differently knowing that I will never see them after this life. Given that, do you think believing that one will exist forever could negatively impact how one lives in the present?

Teel: I suppose there are Christians who use their hope of heaven as an excuse to be lazy or immoral, though I dont know very many. More common, and more problematic, is our tendency to look down on people who dont believe what we do. Yet believing that life ends at death can also lead to nihilism, or to treating people horribly. Neither belief guarantees good character.

Yancy: Do you think that people lose anything by taking an atheist stance? And if they dont, why should they invest in the belief that we exist beyond the grave?

Teel: Im not terribly interested in convincing others to believe what I do about life after death. I may turn out to be wrong; and anyway, whatever is going to happen will happen whether or not anyone believes in it. Im much more interested in working to make our world more just.

In this life we have right now, people are suffering. This is not new. In his Urbi et Orbi blessing in March, Pope Francis, praying with the world from a dark and empty St. Peters Square, suggested that perhaps we can learn from the pandemic what we have failed to learn from war, injustice, poverty and environmental catastrophe: We need each other. If God is love, then we must do everything we can to reduce one anothers suffering, now and always. In fact, Jesus says that God cares far more about whether we do that than about whether we invoke God as our reason to do it. So, if believing in life after death motivates you, great. If not, then lets find another reason, pick a cause, and get to work.

Yancy: You say that your views on death and the afterlife could turn out to be wrong. If so if death were in fact final would it render life meaningless for you?

Teel: No. I dont believe that life matters because it continues. I believe that life continues because it matters. If it doesnt continue, it still matters.

We love each other imperfectly, yet love remains. My mothers love for me did not begin or end with her. She could love me because others loved her, they could love her because they had been loved, and so on. Her love is with me now. And it will continue, through me, through everyone I love, through everyone they love, long after we are all forgotten. Whether I actually see my mom again, in the specific way I anticipate, doesnt change that. As love, we live forever, we always will have lived.

George Yancy is a professor of philosophy at Emory University. His latest book is Across Black Spaces: Essays and Interviews from an American Philosopher.

Now in print: Modern Ethics in 77 Arguments, and The Stone Reader: Modern Philosophy in 133 Arguments, with essays from the series, edited by Peter Catapano and Simon Critchley, published by Liveright Books.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com.

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I Believed That I Would See Her Again - The New York Times

The Eagle and The Cross: Religion and the American Republic – The Yale Politic

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10 describes how God is the apex of all knowledge, the end goal of human reason. Naturally, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) takes a different view of the matter. The FFRF website asks will I join to promote nontheism and defend the constitutional separation between religion and government? One could be forgiven for being unsure what precisely the constitutional separation between church and state is, and why one ought to promote the lack of belief in something. An article they published helps illustrate precisely what they mean. In writing about a slew of laws proposing various religious activities in the public sphere, such as Bible studies or public prayer, they use pretty charged language. When describing Project Blitz, a concerted effort to promote such bills, they say the following: It seeks to inject state legislatures with a whole host of religious bills, imposing the theocratic version of a powerful few on We The People. Their proposals signal an unvarnished attack on American secularism and civil libertiesthose things we cherish most about our democracy and now must tirelessly defend. Earlier in the article, they state that Project Blitz seeks to destroy the separation between church and state, and advance a false notion that America was founded as a Christian nation.

Clearly, this organization has a particular view of the separation of church and state. To them, religion ought to play no role in the public sphere. Laws which are religiously motivated, or promote any sort of theism, are unconstitutional. Firstly, the framing of their claims is quite telling. Apparently, religious law is the machination of a powerful few. Apparently, religion is not something held by the vast majority of Americans; rather it is foisted upon those citizens who would otherwise be secular and free. Nevermind that, according to Gallup polling, nearly four-fifths of Americans are religiously affiliated. The FFRF is advancing a claim that Americas founding was an entirely secular affair, that the Founders envisioned a nation free of religion, and that religion has no place in the public sphere. No matter their claims, their beliefs do not hold up to scrutiny on historical, legal, and logical grounds.

What does the Constitution say about the separation of church and state? The obvious place to look regarding religious practice is the First Amendment. Regarding religion, it states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. How are we to interpret the establishment of religion? Here it may be useful to look to the model the Founding Fathers were rebelling againstGreat Britain. Since the 16th century, Great Britain has had an established church, led by the Monarch as Supreme Governor. Under the Act of Supremacy and Act of Uniformity passed by Parliament under Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I, all office-holders had to swear an oath recognizing the Queen as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and individuals were fined for not attending church weekly (that is, at a parish of the Church of England). Further, the Test Act of 1673 required office-holders to deny transubstantiation, a staple of the Catholic Faith. The Test Act of 1678 required all members of Parliament, with some exceptions, to deny the Mass, invocation of saints, and transubstantiation.

All of this demonstrates that the Founders were rebelling against a specific intersection of church and state. They were rebelling against an established state church, of which membership was coerced by force of arms, and in which alternate faiths were punished or denied office. This is the thrust of the First Amendment; it was feared that America would follow the mold of England (or Scotland with the Kirk) and have a mandatory state church. It seems an interpolation into the history of our more secular time to say that the Founders were concerned with the irreligious and atheists. While that may be desirable, explicit atheism, especially in the public sphere, is largely a product of later times. It seems a stretch to say that they had the freedom not to worship, rather than freedom to worship, in mind when crafting our Constitution.

Despite this, if one is not of an originalist bent, the FFRFs position is still redeemable if modern court decisions espouse the freedom from worship path. However, this is not the case. In American Legion v. American Humanist Association, the Supreme Court decided that the Bladensburg Cross, a symbol of memorializing fallen WWI soldiers, could remain despite being an unmistakably Christian symbol. In the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote, The cross is undoubtedly a Christian symbol, but that fact should not blind us to everything else that the Bladensburg Cross has come to represent. Here, religion is at least accepted in the public sphere, provided there are other legitimate reasons for its existence. This already discounts the view that the Constitution demands that religion be limited to the private sphere. However, the Town of Greece v. Galloway goes further, where the Supreme Court ruled that chaplains could open legislative sessions with sectarian prayer in the town. Here, religion is explicitly allowed to intersect with the public sphere. Interpreting the Constitution to mean that we must excise religion from the body politic like a tumor is simply wishful thinking.

Now, it should be noted that the position I have laid out is a far cry from the religious theocracy that the FRFF is afraid of. My position is merely that religion cant be fully removed from the public sphere. Public prayer and religious symbols are acceptable in this Republic. However, what the FRFF is afraid of is the capture of state power by Christianity. If one looks at their Legal Challenges page, all of the challenges which are against a specific religion are against Christianity. They fear both oppression and bad policy. They fear the oppression that a state religion may bring. One need only look at history to see their fear. They also fear religiously-motivated policy. After all, if one doesnt believe in God, then the Catholic Churchs teachings on a whole host of issues are misguided at best. To allow for such policy is to deny women reproductive rights, all to coddle those who foolishly believe in an Old Man in the Sky.

However, there are good practical reasons to allow for religiously-motivated politics. In its political nature, religion is a mechanism for forming beliefs. Many people take political actions for explicitly religious reasons, from abortion to prison reform to public prayer. To cordon religion off from politics, the government must assert that it is categorically unfit for forming beliefs. It is important to note that there is a difference between believing in something and thinking it is valid. For example, as a religious person, I think any non-theistic formulation of the world is categorically wrong. However, it is a valid way of generating political positions. As such, beliefs formed as a result of atheism should be welcome in the public sphere. To separate church and state in a way that groups like the FRFF would like, we would have to say that religion is so invalid as a way of forming beliefs that no reasonable person would use it to form opinions. This seems like an overly strong position from the non-theists.

Beyond this attempt to box out those with different priors, it seems odd to single out religion as an improper grounding. There are plenty of people who may form their beliefs wrongly in the eyes of some, yet they should be able to participate in the political process. Any pluralistic society must allow for various first principles, even if one does not personally agree with them.

Lastly, it seems a concerning proposition to have the government adjudicate which beliefs are acceptable. At the risk of communist-baiting, this sounds like requiring Leninism from all of our voters. If we are to say that religion has no space in the public sphere, the government is necessarily adjudicating what beliefs can be expressed there. It sounds like the elected deciding their electorate. If the government can decide who is valid in a democratic society, that seems like one is begging to disenfranchise those with whom they disagree. Such a position is authoritarian and unfit for a liberal society. People dont lose their voice merely because they are wrong. Even if we accept all of the FFRFs premises, the conclusion would not be to ban religion in politics. After all, the point of democracy is that the people get to decide, not the people get to decide but only if they make the right decision. To defend their position, the FRFF would have to claim religious people are so wrong that they do not deserve to have their voices heard. No matter their professed fidelity to the Constitution, such a position seems wholly un-American to me.

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The Eagle and The Cross: Religion and the American Republic - The Yale Politic

China: victory over coronavirus will be heralded as boost for Xi Jinping’s brand of Marxism – The Conversation UK

In the run-up to Chinas 13th National Peoples Congress (NPC) on May 22, the chairman of its Standing Committee, Li Zhanshu, said how important it was that the session was being held in the middle of the global coronavirus pandemic. Li remarked the session was being held at a time when overseas COVID-19 epidemic situations remain grim and complex, while in China major strategic achievements have been made.

Such differentiation between China and the rest of the world is likely to become more prominent in Chinese Communist Party (CCP) rhetoric as the nations success is attributed to its socialist political system. The English version of the Peoples Daily commented in its coverage of the NPC that foreigners will be looking to Chinas socialist system for enlightenment and guidance as they emerge from the shadow of the pandemic.

The CCP is now proclaiming its success over COVID-19 as a victory for President Xi Jinpings brand of Marxism.

Read more: China's new coronavirus recovery strategy explained

Early in the war against coronavirus, it was predicted that the CCP would be one of the most high-profile casualties. But rumours of the CCPs demise were premature. As China deployed an increasingly vast and sophisticated surveillance system, the pandemic has accelerated the partys authority and control, not caused it to crumble.

While many countries declared war on COVID-19, China stressed it was a Peoples War. Such an analogy recalls the rhetoric of Mao Zedong, who called for a Peoples War to liberate China from the Imperial Japanese in 1938.

By talking about the pandemic in the same language, Xi identified the magnitude of the threat posed by COVID-19. But he also signified that the war would be waged according to the spirit, ideology and beliefs of the CCP and in an effort infused with Chinese socialist characteristics. Victory in this war will be a vindication of Xis Marxist strategy.

As a researcher of the uses of contemporary Marxism in bolstering ideas of citizen obligation and state legitimacy, Im looking at how China channels revolutionary analogies. Seventy years after the founding of the Peoples Republic,Xi has been notable in his efforts to re-establish Marxism at the heart of Chinese politics.

One of the key rationales Xi gives for the strengthening of Marxism is that the ideology can restore Chinas social cohesion. This is required to address the ills of hedonism, extravagance and corruption which have infected China as an inevitable result of opening up to the West.

As China recovers, its success in containing the virus is being put down to the devotion and solidarity of the people. Such claims are not unfounded: a WHO-China joint mission report particularly praised the Chinese peoples solidarity and collective action during the pandemic. Such praise for solidarity will doubtless vindicate Xis efforts in creating a more cohesive and collectively minded populace.

Read more: The urban history that makes China's coronavirus lockdown possible

Xi consistently asserts that Chinese leadership is guided by Marxisms scientific truth. An ambiguous term, Xi often explains this approach as one that uses Marxist theory to identify the best way to solve practical challenges. As the CCP deploys a mix of advanced technology and traditional socialist organisational models to tackle COVID-19, this will doubtless exemplify such practical use of Marxism.

Successfully tackling the outbreak is vital for the CCPs domestic legitimacy. Since the early years of the Peoples Republic of China, the promise of eradicating disease and improving the health of all has been at the centre of communist propaganda. Such focus has created an inextricable link between health and Chinese politics. Given this link, the war against COVID-19 was of vital importance for the CCPs legitimacy.

Nonetheless, the global nature of the pandemic means that the success China has will also be judged in relation to how other countries, especially Western liberal states, handle the crisis.

Chinese state media claimed Chinas low death rate relative to other hard-hit countries was due to the superiority of socialist Chinas institutional framework. Such assertions have been made in the context of an ideological war with the West, stressing the benefits of Chinese socialism in relation to the weaknesses of Western capitalism.

In the Hong Kong edition of the China Daily, this political message was explicit: COVID-19 should make the people of Hong Kong, who have long been under the influence of Western ideology, recognise the benefits of the alternative socialist system.

In Marxist philosophy, progress comes through conflict. Chinese officials have evoked such belief, quoting Friedrich Engels in particular to claim that Comrade Xis new era will emerge stronger from its struggle with COVID-19. The CCP is already in the process of drafting a book to be published in multiple languages showcasing the key role of the CCP and Chinas socialist system in defeating the virus.

Rather than causing communist China to crumble, the virus will likely serve as a catalyst in Xis bid to present his brand of Marxism as a challenge to the global capitalist system.

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China: victory over coronavirus will be heralded as boost for Xi Jinping's brand of Marxism - The Conversation UK

Party Skills for the End of the World review a wild night out without leaving the sofa – The Guardian

Two months into lockdown, it is an exciting prospect to be sent an invitation to a Zoom meeting with a dress code of party wear, along with instructions to drape festive lights across the screen. As a result, the gallery view of this interactive theatre show starts off looking like a virtual hen party, with participants bopping to Gloria Gaynors Its Raining Men in glittery tops, feather boas and elaborate headdresses. Everyone, it seems, is delighted to find an occasion to be out in their glad rags.

There is a level of intrigue, too, given that the organisers have also asked us to collect together a long list of household materials, which range from tinned fruit for cocktails to less explicable items such as pliers, padlocks and gaffer tape. What kind of virtual party is this, exactly?

A fun, feelgood one, it turns out one that captures the spirit of a night out. Party Skills for the End of the World was originally commissioned for the Manchester international festival in 2017 as a site-specific performance in a building in Salford. This version, which is part of an online series created by MIF to keep theatre alive during lockdown, squeezes itself into the 2D realm of the screen.

Like the cocktails, which are made from the remains of our store cupboards (mine is a mocktail of ginger ale and mashed banana, very tasty) the hedonism has a blitz spirit, make do quality to it.

Our hosts, Nigel Barrett and Louise Mari, who are from the theatre collective Shunt, encourage us to drink up, and later to gulp down shots. There are resident DJs who blast out synthesiser music, and we drink and dance together while intermittently convening in break-out rooms to be taught skills that might help us to live and to party after an imagined Armageddon.

Most of these are tongue-in-cheek, with one lesson in self-defence teaching us how to turn keys and pens into weapons against an assailant. Others feel like a craft-making session from Blue Peter, with demos on how to make party poppers from a balloon and an empty toilet roll, or paper flowers (newspaper, Sellotape and an elastic band).

Barrett and Mari offer philosophical snippets about life and death in the interludes between the organised revels. We are told to close our eyes and imagine ourselves together. They advise us on how to stop recurring nightmares, and leave dark thoughts to hover in the air: What do we fear? That we will be forgotten? That we knew it was not what we wanted to do but we never had the courage to change? We will all die. What sort of world will we build? These sober reflections come unexpectedly and have the potential to go deeper, but the scenario switches too soon and suddenly.

The show seems to deliberately work against building a cohesive narrative and veers away from becoming too serious. It is a picknmix bag of fun and frolics. There is a long dance at the end, which has the feel of a silent disco we are a collective body yet still in our own isolated worlds. There is a welcome relief in coming together this way, though the virtual hedonism, for all its fun, has a melancholy side too.

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Party Skills for the End of the World review a wild night out without leaving the sofa - The Guardian

The 500 home tasting menu from Hedonism and Hide: is it worth it for a birthday or anniversary? – Telegraph.co.uk

As a very welcome contrast to the past few weeks, the only cooking I had to do was to heat the main course on defrost for one minute in the microwave, and put the baked Alaska in the fridge while we ate the rest of the meal.

There was an element of shyness around the laptop screen as we started with a toast ofthe pink champagne and dipped into Dabbous first starter which was strawberries, avocado, basil and pistachios in a chilled pine broth.

But Sarrasin kept things going with lots of information about the wine and food pairings, and the more gourmet of our new dinner companions chipped in with their own tasting notes and suggestions for wines that could also have worked well with the dishes.

Following the broth, Dabbous had provided a scallop tartare with Exmoor caviar and then a breast of cornfed chicken poached in Champagne with sptzle and black truffle.

We ate the first courses out of the bowls they had arrived in - not wanting to tip the scallop out to dislodge its hearty dollop of caviar. But we served the chicken off our own china and I preferred that in the end.

As we gradually got to know our fellow diners, we discovered that one couple was celebrating an anniversary, another a 50th birthday. They were from around the world, from South Africa to South America, but the thing everyone had in common was a love of delicious wine and a desire to make the evening feel special.

By the time wed arrived at the port and pudding, wed all resolved to recreate the evening in the flesh when lockdown is over.

As Sarrasin said, these are very tough times for restaurants and their employees. It is clearly our moral duty to support them as best we can. And if that means a Michelin-starred feast at home, Im all for it.

Hedonism and Hide at Home dinner, 500 for two. Dates of upcoming tastings will be released at hedonism.co.uk or to be added to the waiting list customers can call +44 (0) 207 290 7871 or email events@hedonism.co.uk

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The 500 home tasting menu from Hedonism and Hide: is it worth it for a birthday or anniversary? - Telegraph.co.uk

Virtual gigs a noble initiative, but . . . – sundaymail.co.zw

The Sunday Mail

PRAYER is always part of our daily life, especially before leaving home and after returning safely.

It is something that we need to do as often as possible for the mercy the Almighty continues to show us despite our numerous transgressions.

A hedonists life depends on a strict code involving the relentless pursuit of pleasure and sensual self-indulgence.

But believe it or not, hedonism, though satisfying, is dicier than some of the duties performed by our esteemed security services. The pursuit of happiness always leads to places where you are unwelcome at times or get to mingle with people that have a bone to pick with you.

In most cases, you are in the dark and will only get a rude awakening.

The confrontations are seldom peaceable.

Talk of occupational hazards!

Protection from foes is one of the reasons we believe in the power of prayer.

However, we have of late been earnestly praying for Covid-19 to disappear.

We miss our real live shows!

Perhaps let us start by commending the brains behind all the recent live studio acts that are currently screening on the national broadcaster and various other online platforms.

The shows have given the public, both within and outside our borders, something to cheer about in this Covid-19-induced lockdown. Insofar as the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation-Television (ZTV) is concerned, at least viewers are having an opportunity to watch some fresh content.

ZTV, as we highlighted a few weeks back, is in the habit of repeating the same programme(s) up to a point where one can recite word-for-word most of the lines in the productions.

This applies to both locally and internationally sourced programmes.

Anyway, that is not the agenda of the day.

While the live studio shows are exposing artistes to a much wider audience and generating online traffic/viewership for handlers, they are still far from satiating real show-goers cravings for gigs.

There is a big difference between these on-screen gigs and our traditional live shows the ones that remain banned by the ongoing lockdown measures.

The studio milieu just does not bring the best live act zeal in artistes that are used to perform in front of bumper crowds.

Probably this explains why sungura king Alick Macheso gave a subdued act one that is not even a quarter of his known capacity on one of the studio sets, or why Jah Signal did not deliver his trademark euphoria jump.

The studio acts concept can work perfectly for sound movements like Judgement Yard that make use of DJs and an MC or some of the dancehall acts that make use of backtracks. There is a reason why our kind is prepared to endure cold nights at live gigs.

A reason that can never be found on television or online.

I never knew Mhere (Mathias) has such a solid act, confessed Mai Panashe during Mheres lockdown performance.

And indeed, thousands, if not millions of people, are witnessing some of these artistes perform live for the first time.

This is a group that is certainly enjoying this initiative more.

But for some of us, we realise pane zviri kushota (there is a missing link).

The energy that drives artistes in front of crowds is not easy to create in front of cameras and studio lighting alone.

Some of us have resorted to making use of video albums (DVDs) or live recordings of gigs on YouTube and various other social media platforms to quench our longing for the real deal.

The videos are way better than most of the current live studio gigs that appear too artificial.

We continue praying that God gets rid of this pandemic for us.

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Virtual gigs a noble initiative, but . . . - sundaymail.co.zw

Metallica, Megadeth and Def Leppard guitar techs discuss survival on the road and life 20 feet away from stardom – Guitar World

Metallicas members performed more than enough hijinks and shenanigans to earn their reputation for alcohol-fuelled hedonism. For the past 16 years, Chad Zaemisch has been along for that ride - just dont count on him for too many debauched stories from the road.

While James Hetfield is playing the opening riffs to Nothing Else Matters or Master of Puppets to thousands of adoring fans, Zaemisch is the guy who made sure the guitar was set up, restrung and in tune, that the ever-evolving amp and effects rig was in order, that the wireless system isnt pulling a Nigel Tufnel and that the metal god is, in general, a happy deity.

Zaemisch is one of the all-too-often anonymous guitar techs, a profession that is done best when nobody in a gigantic audience realizes he exists. Going by stereotypes perpetuated by pop-culture oddities like 1980 comedy Roadie (a forgotten film whose unbelievable cast includes Meat Loaf, Alice Cooper, Roy Orbison and Blondie) or the Tenacious D song of the same name, life running the backline is a cycle of shlepping amps and then partying till you puke.

The reality, according to Zaemisch, is far more mundane. On Metallicas recent summer tour, his day started at 9 a.m. to load in and didnt stop until well after tens of thousands of fans had filtered out of the venue.

By that time, it can be 11:30 or 12 at night. It can be a little hard to wind down after all that excitement and work and that level of energy, he says. Next thing you know it, its 2 a.m. and youre thinking about having to get up at 7:30 so youd better try and get some sleep.

As with rock stars, its a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll. But for guitar techs, its also a path marked by insane hours, lots of manual labor and constant, tedious re-stringing. Its not for everybody, but helpers to some of rocks biggest names told Guitar World the truth about life 20 feet away from stardom.

For somebody whose life revolves around guitars and guitar accessories, it comes as a surprise that Zaemisch started off as a drummer. While his mom taught him a few guitar chords, he focused on the skins, playing in bands through high school and eventually drifting through a few jazz classes.

A course in sound engineering led to a revelation - a life was possible that combined the creative and technical aspects of creating music. Drawn by the energy of live performances, he started working live sound.

I wanted to tour, I wanted to get out and see the country and whatever else I could see

I wanted to tour, I wanted to get out and see the country and whatever else I could see, he says. That was sort of my path to doing that.

During a stint with one company around 1993, he met a fellow roadie gearing up to work on an upcoming Lollapalooza tour. They passed along word that '90s alternative rockers the Breeders were looking for a guitar tech. Zaemisch once ran the bands monitors, so the gig seemed like the perfect fit.

The festival turned out to be a perfect networking opportunity. On the road, he met people working for the Breeders management. Another of their clients, Hole, were looking for a guitar tech and they turned to Zaemisch.

You tour, you meet people and work with people, you can find other bands through management companies or friends or people you know, he says. Thats how you get a lot of the not-so-serious people weeded out as you start working for bigger and bigger bands.

The connections soon paid off in a big way. While Zaemisch was on tour with Garbage, Kirk Hammetts longtime tech Justin Crew came aboard as a fill-in drum tech. The pair hit it off.

We got along famously - we had a good time working together and had a lot of laughs, Zaemisch says. It was a few years later where I saw Justin, I think I was filling in for him with Tori Amos. He said, James let his guitar tech go last night. I said, Well, put my name in the hat, and he did.

Zaemisch ended up being shortlisted and was soon flown out to California to meet with Hetfield. He asked me about who I was and what I had done and what my philosophies were. It was the first job interview Id been on in probably 20 years or something. It was a little nerve wracking. They called me half an hour later and said, Youre hired; James likes you.

Zaemischs band-hopping experience isnt unique. While hes now exclusively on the Metallica payroll, other techs jump from tour to tour, looking to keep the income coming in when the band theyve been working for takes a break or is in the studio. Take Willie Gee, a self-described jaded, grouchy, boring roadie whose career has been anything but boring.

Over the course of several decades, if a band plays guitars and has long hair, Ive either worked for them or toured with them, he says, adding with a laugh, I also worked with Black Eyed Peas.

if a band plays guitars and has long hair, Ive either worked for them or toured with them

Most famously, he spent years teching for Megadeths Dave Mustaine but also did time with Anthrax and Slayer. As we speak, hes prepping for a Whitesnake tour, though hes run into some slight roadblocks. Hes having a headache of a time dealing with a late shipment of a pickguard. This comes after another snafu involving late picks. Things like this tend to happen. Im just cursed, he jokes.

Despite, or possibly because of, his history of misfortune, Willie Gee has learned some pretty valuable lessons about how to survive on the road, especially with a boss as notoriously prickly as Mustaine. Rule one: Understand who your boss is so you can anticipate their needs.

People say, How did you work for Megadeth for so long? I say, You guys never met my family. Ive been around crazy a long time. I can deal with a lot of different or extreme personalities because Ive been around it my entire life, he explains. But I also happened to be a Megadeth fan. By the time I started working for them I was really well versed in his entire catalog.

David Bernson, who has worked for everyone from Jewel to Paramore to Adele to the Offspring, sees himself partially as a therapist whose ultimate task is keeping their artists head in the game: As a guitar tech, no matter who youre working for, one of the most important things is to be able to give them the confidence they need to be comfortable on stage and put on a performance in front of 20 to 100,000 people, he says.

As that persons tech, youre the first person between that person and the rest of the world. If theyre having an issue with anything, someone in the audience, a personal issue, youre the only one that directly communicates with them. Being able to keep them happy and in the state of mind they need to be in is more important than the actual music being played.

Aside from amateur psychologist, there are a wide array of technical skills needed. Gee was well equipped to take on his first tour in the mid-'90s, having spent years tinkering with guitars and pedals at home; he was recruited by a buddy for that first tour partially because of his skill with a soldering iron. Staying up to date on the latest tech can be a challenge by itself.

Gee says that while hes still hoping to master more of his job by attending a luthier school, hes picked up a lot of knowledge by watching peers while they work. He recalls watching a tech for Slipknot rebuild a blown-out amp head using spare parts and having the rig ready to go by showtime, with nobody the wiser about the brush with catastrophe.

Ive got an insane amount of guitars. The amount of gear I have makes some people nervous, he says. Id work on my own things mostly out of curiosity or not being able to afford to get someone whos more qualified to do it. By trial and error, you figure some things out. I ask a lot of questions and read a lot of magazines.

You have to figure out what they need as an artist and how to accomplish what they need to do in the show

Having spent a few years with Journeys Neil Schon before joining up with Alex Lifeson of Rush, techie Scott Appleton now finds himself helping out Def Leppard. Learning the intricacies of new rigs is part of the challenge that keeps the job fulfilling. Thats the challenge - you have to get inside another guitar players head, he says.

There are obviously basic things every guitar player needs, but you still have to figure out what they need as an artist and how to accomplish what they need to do in the show.

Those minutiae can take some time to learn - while some players are ready to rock as long as they have an instrument in their hand, others can be picky about how each guitar is set up, what kind of tubes they have in their heads, how a pedalboard is organized.

Theres a lot of what they like as a setup on their instruments. Are you heavy handed or a light touch? Do you like the action high or action low? Appleton says. Then you get into small things like where do you want picks on stage or what kind of beverage do you want?

Good techs also need to be able to multitask. Once a band is on stage, a tech could find him- or herself replacing a broken string or retuning a guitar for the next song while still needing to focus on the current song as they handle their boss patching and effects switching. Bernson says just learning the material well enough to be an offstage part of the performance can be a challenge.

Its different with each band. When I walked into Trans-Siberian Orchestra, they didnt tell me I had to do that, so I had no preparation at all. I had to learn the songs and I wrote charts for myself of where I needed to hit distortion, he says. I learned songs while I was rehearsing. I messed up a few times before the show but by the time the show was there, I nailed it.

With gigs coming and going at a rapid pace, some guitar techs find themselves becoming generalists, equally able to help out a bassist or drummer. Aside from the guitarists hes worked for, Bernson has also been the long-running bass tech to No Doubts Tony Kanal. But while hes gained a lot of technical knowledge, he says the skill thats most important to longevity in the job is simple, yet elusive for some people: knowing how to not be a jerk.

Youre living on a tour bus with 12 guys. Youre in a different city or country every day, dealing with the technical side of things live. In outdoor venues you can be freezing cold one day or rainy and hot the next day, and maintaining instruments with those weather changes is a challenge, he says.

When youre on a tour, youre in a bubble. You see the same people every day and you get to know people very quickly. A lot of my friends, even if I only toured with them for a year, it feels like youve known them for 10 years.

Ive seen a few guys over the years that think they can play better than the guy in the band, which has nothing to do with anything.

Being nice enough to not openly spit in your bus-mates faces is one thing. Its another thing to remember your role - something that can be difficult for some when theyre so close to the spotlight. Because of the nature of the job, techs tend to be musicians themselves.

Gee spent time in wedding bands before hitting the road, while both Appleton and Bernson were touring musicians before turning to the tech life. People who cant put aside their own dreams of stardom can fizzle out in a hurry.

Ive seen guitar techs who are frustrated musicians, and it is not a good place to be, Zaemisch says. Ive seen a few guys over the years that think they can play better than the guy in the band, which has nothing to do with anything.

For guitar nuts who think they can get along in that kind of selfless position, a career as a tech might sound appealing. But just as a wannabe musician can find themselves puzzled about how to get their career started, it also can be overwhelming to consider how you go from adjusting intonation at home to getting paid to do the same thing for Hetfield.

Zaemisch says aspiring techs should come ready to work, and that means being properly equipped. When youve figured out a likely band that needs a tech, go work for them and be prepared - be the guy with the extra set of strings, a spare 9-volt battery and some reasonable expectations of what awaits you.

Ive seen a lot of people start at the local level and know people who are in the bands you like in your area, he says. Go try and work for them and try and see whos up and coming and going places. Try and get involved with them at the starter position, which might include setting up all the gear by yourself and driving the van and selling merch. If thats what you want to do, you gotta pay your dues.

The one thing a tech knows at the start of every tour is that theres an end date. Eventually, everybody has to go home. While it could be easy to get sick of guitars after months focusing solely on the technical aspects of the instrument, some techs still find joy in sitting down with a six-string once theyre off the bus.

Bernson gigs with a rockabilly band when hes off the road and Gee says he still gets joy from messing around with his gear. Zaemisch rebuilds old motorcycles and cars to relax, but he tries to spend as much time as possible with his family. The very nature of the job makes maintaining family ties incredibly difficult; Bernson says he never thought hed get engaged - until he met his fiancee, a wardrobe coordinator, while working on an Adele tour.

It weighs more heavily on some people than others, Gee says. I cant jam with any friends, I cant be in a band because nobody wants the guy whos never around in the band. I cant have a dog. Theres certain things you take for granted.

When the show is over and everything went well and the gear is packed up in the truck, its satisfying to see 75,000 people leave with smiles on their faces

Its not an easy path - as Gee says half-jokingly when asked for advice for those looking to follow in his footsteps, Other than looking for something else, you mean?! Its an often thankless role, where your boss gets all the glory and youre left to do whatever it is that needs to be done to keep them happy.

Youre the technician, sometimes youre the bartender, youre the psychiatrist, youre the babysitter, youre the bodyguard. I call myself the finder of impossible objects, Gee says.

But even after decades of endless restringing, carrying heavy amps and a zillion bus rides, Zaemisch says its still worth it to be part of something great.

There are some people that have larger egos that are fueled by being with the band. When the show is over and everything went well and the gear is packed up in the truck, its satisfying to see 75,000 people leave with smiles on their faces, he says. Youre part of the whole experience. If youre a fan of music in general, its really satisfying. Besides, I couldnt handle an office job.

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Metallica, Megadeth and Def Leppard guitar techs discuss survival on the road and life 20 feet away from stardom - Guitar World

The Chattanooga Film Festival: RED, WHITE & WASTED – The Role Of Florida Will Be Played By Florida – Birth.Movies.Death.

You have to see it to believe it, and you still might not believe it.

By Evan Saathoff May. 25, 2020

RED, WHITE & WASTED begins with its primary subject, Matthew Burns, dumpster diving in the shadow of Disney World with his two daughters, looking for scrap metal he can later sell. One daughter gets hungry when she smells pizza in the trash while Matthew marvels over an unused credit card swiper like he just found a brick of gold. If this were fiction, youd accuse it of being way too on the nose. Instead it is a documentary, telling you right off the top what your next ninety minutes will look like.

There are no good people in the film, but Burns is the easiest to watch. A near-perfect mixture of Geoffrey Lewis and Dana Carvey, Burns sad eyes and soft-spoken demeanor automatically make him the most likable of anyone else we see, despite still being awful. He also centers the films two very vague stories: the eradication of his beloved Florida mud holes and the birth of his first grandkid.

With this mudding stuff, you might think the documentary will offer insight into a subculture filled with nuance and rules people outside of it just dont understand. Documentaries do this all the time. But thats not this film. Directors Andrei Bowden-Schwartz and Sam Jones have no interest in this Florida pastime except as an extreme example of redneck hedonism. From Burns perspective, the act of taking big trucks into muddy swamp areas and getting drunk with friends has fallen downhill since modernity barred him and his friends from doing this stuff on private property. Now young people do it on a much larger scale in sanctioned spots, but the events have supposedly devolved into a sea of white trash sex, drugs and violence. He does not make a strong case that anything of importance was lost or that it wasnt a sea of white trash sex, drugs and violence to begin with. At times he comes very close to realizing this but never quite gets there.

It can be difficult to take the film at face value because the interview subjects speak as though every sentence is dialog in a comedy written by someone who hates them. Mudding is not some cherished pastime but a stupid thing enjoyed by stupid people. The films most frequent topic is not mudding at all but the values of being a redneck and why this or that racist view does not make this or that person racist. We get a lot of guns, a lot of talk about Lord Trump, and a lot of twerking.

I cant speak for the filmmakers, but there doesnt seem to be any search for hidden value amongst the subjects of RED, WHITE & WASTED. We are invited to look in terrified awe at the America represented here, not find ways to relate to fellow human beings. But at ninety minutes, it becomes an exercise in tedium. Person after person self-seriously offering the most perfectly ironic proof of their own idiocy, occasionally cutting to a SPRING BREAKERS-level montage of redneck partying. The ugliness of it all - with no hints of redemption or humanity hiding under all the rebel flag posturing - grows wearisome. The point, made nice and loud in the films opening minutes, never evolves into anything bigger, so youre just stuck stewing in the pessimism until it finally ends. It doesnt strike me as valuable or worthwhile. Youre not learning anything, and its not entertaining. Mostly you go through feelings of disgust and fear, followed by guilt for even watching.

The film concludes with Matthew Burns wearing the Confederate flag andtaping a homemade music video of him singing Hank Williams Jr.s A Country Boy Can Survive. Its impossible not to recall TIGER KING, which seems like a Disney production by comparison. The thing is, TIGER KING had a story. It was filled with wild people who occupied a strange subculture we got to know and upon which the real world eventually intervened (sort of). RED, WHITE & WASTED doesnt have any of this. Its just a worst-case-scenario look at America in its present form, and I feel like I get enough of that on the news already.

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The Chattanooga Film Festival: RED, WHITE & WASTED - The Role Of Florida Will Be Played By Florida - Birth.Movies.Death.

Opinion: We need to unify against insurance companies that won’t pay out – Imbibe

Despite paying 300,000 in insurance per annum, Tatiana Fokina, CEO of Hide restaurant and Hedonism Wines finds her insurer of eight years unwilling to pay out over coronavirus. She tells Imbibe why hospitality businesses like hers shouldnt give up

Do you want to ask questions or shall I just rant? asks Fokina when we speak about her experience claiming insurance following the closure of Mayfair's Hide due to lockdown.

Having paid 300,000 a year in insurance to the same insurer over eight years, and having never had to claim during that time, we never doubted wed be covered, she says.

That certainty has been shaken since she first contacted her insurers, whom she is declining to name for now, on 17 March.

We said, Look its obvious we are going to be closed imminently and feel there will be a claim for business interruption. It took until 24 April to get any kind of response from them. I just find this appalling.

During that time, official advice was changing all the time, things were very uncertain and we were trying to work out what we were going to do, above all else, for our 200 staff bearing in mind the furlough scheme at this point wasnt in place. Could we keep any of them on? What were the resources we had? To be kept in limbo for so long was terrible.

Having chased on several occasions, once the claim had been denied on 24 April, the decision was taken to instruct lawyers to pursue the case.

We all need to have a definitive answer on certain wording in certain policies, she says. The claim for Hide is around a clause concerning the actions of competent authorities, which essentially means the police closing you down due to an incident. The dispute here is whether that incident has to be local or not.

Id far rather be spending money on topping up furlough wages than legal bills.

I think hospitality needs to speak with a unified voice on this and its important to share information as well, so wed be happy to share learnings from our experience and any details. I know theres a larger group of operators who are looking at taking joint action on this. Wed already instructed our lawyers before that all happened so are continuing down this path at the moment, though I dont rule out joining them in the future.

What would really help operators like Fokina, of course, would be for the government to put pressure on insurers to pay out. That would result in less pressure on the furlough scheme and far more job security for thousands of workers, Fokina points out.

For now she is working on the assumption there will be no pay out. As we also have Hedonism Wines, which has been able to continue to operate, we are in a far better position than most others. Without that the future for us would look far more glum but Id far rather be spending money on topping up furlough wages than legal bills.

In any event, Hides policy is up for renewal in a few months and Fokina says she will almost certainly be looking for a new insurer.

It will be very interesting when this is all over, as people will be looking at how insurance companies reacted during this crisis and how they treated their customers. That will be a defining factor in which companies people choose to go with in the future.

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Opinion: We need to unify against insurance companies that won't pay out - Imbibe

What Is a Chunky Dunky, and Why Is It $1,600? – GQ

So, another theory: the Chunky Dunkys success is due less to its specific design or quantity than its lineage. Nikes last eye-poppingly popular release was the Travis Scott Dunk that peaked at $1,522 on StockX. Scotts shoe was also an SB Dunk designed without restraintthe shoe brazenly mixed plaid and bandana prints. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it shot to the top of every sneakerheads wishlist. Forget the design, thoughwhat might matter most is its designation as a Dunk. Because so far, 2020 has been the year of the Dunk: beyond Scotts and Ben & Jerrys, to name just a few, Nikes released the green-and-yellow Brazils, a collaboration with Comme des Garons, and a pair of collegiate editions that borrow colors from Syracuse and Kentucky. There's been this massive reemergence around the SB Dunk and particularly the SB Dunk Lows, and obviously Travis was a big part of that, says Luber. If it had been reversed, if [the Chunky Dunky] came out before [Scotts] Dunk, then this one probably wouldn't be as big. In other words: the Dunk is being groomed for success, and the Chunky Dunky is the latest and biggest beneficiary of that process.

And the Dunks rise is connected to a broader shift in the kinds of sneakers we love. The reason why the Dunk has always been this canvas for great designs, and is such an iconic shoe, is the same reason the Jordan 1 is: it's just very, very wearable, says Luber. He points out that later Jordan models, and even the Kobes that are very popular among pro basketball players today, look like athletic shoesand basketball shoes now comprise less than 4% of athletic shoe sales, compared to 13% in 2014, according to NPD data. Dunks, on the other hand, have universal appealand their popularity in the early aughts makes them ripe for a comeback. Nike is king at picking winners by selling a story, bringing back a shoe like the Dunk from the graveyard, and catering to a consumer who buys shoes based on pop culture versus athlete recognition, explains influential sneaker reseller Corgishoe.

Im willing to admit that the shoes success may be a mystery only to me, the old man screaming at Ben & Jerrys idyllic blue skies. All those kooky colors, Corgishoe says, are carefully calibrated to work together: Strictly in terms of design, Corgishoe says, the shoe is executed incredibly well. (Still, he notes: As an adult male of a certain age, he adds, I would never consider wearing them.) Luber is a fan, too. In todays crowded social media-driven sneaker era, no shoe travels as far as an instantly recognizable one.

But maybe the appeal of the Chunky Dunky is even simpler. Ive pounded a carton or two of Phish Food in my dayso I guess I should understand that, when it comes Ben & Jerrys, immoderation to the point of hedonism is kind of the whole point.

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What Is a Chunky Dunky, and Why Is It $1,600? - GQ

Zombies, Blaxploitation and Heavy Metal, Now Available to Stream – Nashville Scene

Heavy Metal Parking Lot

I hope youve found a way to figure out how to manage and express your emotions during this global crisis. This weeks offerings share a common theme of outrageousness. Nothing is sacred, and all emotional responses can be useful in figuring out the absolute moral truth of yourself (or as I call it, Mulholland Drive Syndrome). Check out this week's recommendations, along with links to trailers, below. Stay safe if you can, and visit past issues for more recommendations of what to stream:March 26, April 2, April 9, April 16, April 23, April 30, May 7, May 14.

One of the most essential and beloved documents of suburban 80s culture, Heavy Metal Parking Lot is a slice of life in the Landover, Md., Capital Centre parking lot before a 1986 Judas Priest concert. Its a portrait of humanity that never fails to entertain, to endear and to induce cringe. This is the joy of metal, and hedonism, and the power of power chords, and it has rightfully become immortal. Its also a trenchant illumination of Reagan-era white America that provokes necessary questions for the viewer watching with a critical eye. Its the sound of addled youth communing with their pleasure centers underneath the yoke of the daily fear of nuclear annihilation. Its also a testament to Rob Halfords power as a (then-closeted) icon who moved hearts and bodies in the midst of the AIDS pandemic, during which the emotionally lazy ignored an entire community to death with homophobia. Heavy Metal Parking Lot is all of that, but its also a great deal of fun, and if you havent found some kind of fashion inspiration whether a do or a dont by the time it winds up, then as your film-critic abstract friend, Im concerned.

Blood Quantum

Theres a worldwide outbreak of degenerative zombiism, and the only place where civilization is entrenched and resistance against the shredding, flesh-eating menace is holding is in a Mikmaq reservation in Canada. Something about the genetic markers in this plague have left First Nations peoples immune to this bite-borne pathogen, and so hordes of rampaging white zombies are out to destroy and consume everything. Director Jeff Barnaby made the singular Rhymes for Young Ghouls back in 2013, and he has a gift for artfully visceral mayhem as well as expressing the social history of indigenous people in a way that feels like an expos and an exorcism at the same time. If at times Blood Quantum slips into nihilistic Walking Dead-adjacent territory, it remains an essential horror film that gives the viewer unexplored angles on a scenario we think has been done to death. The first half-hour of this film is close to perfect, and it serves up gore and bleak atmosphere with style and verve. This was one of the secret surprises at the Belcourts 12 Hours of Terror overnight horror marathon in October, and it knocked the theater on its emotional ass.

Darktown Strutters is a legendary blaxploitation sci-fi musical allegory that deserves all the trigger warnings and content warnings despite having a playful and sweet spirit at its depraved core (and a 1975 PG rating, which can mean absolutely anything). The fact that this movie is even available to stream is staggering. Syreena (Trina Parks), leader of a Frazetta-ish motorcycle gang, is out to rescue her mother Cinderella (Frances E. Nealy) from a deranged and racist fast-food entrepreneur and his plantation fantasies. Along the way, there are pie fights with the police, car chases with the KKK, funk throwdowns, imprisoned R&B groups, a science-fiction conspiracy and amazing outfits that will inspire your deepest sartorial dreams. Darktown is for anyone who saw Blazing Saddles and thought, Are there any other movies that do this? With Frankie Crocker, The Dramatics and Dick Miller!

Petey Wheatstraw, the Devils Son-in-Law

The cinematic legacy of Rudy Ray Moore is thankfully within reach for pandemic-era streaming culture. The original Dolemite endures as a testament to persistence and recognizing an unfulfilled audience, but sometimes its OK to want a little more from the films you enjoy when it comes to narrative intricacy. The end result can often be something like Petey Wheatstraw, the Devils Son-in-Law. A riff on the story of Faust that also at times feels like a takedown of The Devil Went Down to Georgia, this film finds our murdered protagonist Petey pledging to wed the devils daughter in order to avenge himself (and the massacre of his funeral party) with the power of Satans pimp cane. Theres an army of kung fu demons, children in crisis, a punishing audition sequence and surrealist exercises of supernatural power. Its pretty awesome. And if you havent seen Dolemite Is My Name on Netflix, then you really should.

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Zombies, Blaxploitation and Heavy Metal, Now Available to Stream - Nashville Scene

An A to Z of old words to calm and inspire hope – The Guardian

Like language, our emotions are universal and whatever fears and anxieties we are now experiencing, someone else in centuries gone by has felt the same way. Here is an A-Z of archaic and forgotten words that at some point in the past exactly described an elusive sense of peace, calm and delight. So, if you want to know your agathism from your euneirophrenia, read on and draw comfort from these linguistic oddities

Agathism Its hard to be an optimist knowing that there are tough times ahead. But in lieu of optimism, theres always agathism a word coined in 1830 for the belief that all things eventually get better, though the means by which they do is not always easy. It is a word to remind us that though we may be in for hard times, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Bummel Our daily constitutional neednt be an exhausting run around the block. Derived from a German word for strolling, a bummel is nothing more than a relaxing leisurely walk or wander.

Concubium Adopted into English from Latin in the 1600s, the concubium is the soundest, calmest, deepest part of your sleep. That time of night when all men are at rest, as one 17th-century dictionary put it.

Dolorifuge Whatever it is that makes you happy, that is your dolorifuge: this 19th-century term describes anything or anyone that alleviates feelings of pain or sadness.

Euneirophrenia One of the strangest side-effects of our curtailed routines at the moment is that our brains are working overtime while we sleep, so the word euneirophrenia might come in useful. It describes the wholly pleasing feeling you have on waking from an equally pleasant dream.

Focillation Derived from the Latin for nourish, a focillation is a momentary act of comfort or refreshment. Take it as a reminder that it is perfectly fine to take some time out, whenever you need it.

Glee-dream If you find solace in films or music, or find that youre dearly missing the theatre or cinema, the word you are looking for is glee-dream. The modern form of the Old English gleodream, the Oxford English Dictionary defines this as delight of minstrelsy that is, the pleasure that comes from a musical performance or similar entertainment.

Heterocentric How we all should and, thankfully, how a great many of us currently are living our lives: if youre heterocentric then youre more concerned with other people than you are yourself.

Interfulgent A fitting metaphor for the triumph of light in dark times. Derived from the Latin word for shining, something that is interfulgent shines through or between that which would otherwise obscure it as sunshine through clouds or the leaves of trees.

Jamb-friend A jamb is a supporting timber, of course, which makes a jamb-friend an early 19th-century word for a friend with whom you could quite happily sit by a fireside talking and relaxing well into the early hours.

Kaffeeklatsch Borrowed from German in the 1800s, a kaffeeklatsch is a chattering catch-up with friends and family over endless cups of coffee. Its a lot more poetic than the Victorian alternative: according to one contemporary dictionary, scandal-loving women who like to meet over a cup of tea were once known as muffin-wallopers.

Back in the 1600s, laetificate meant to lift someones spirits

Laetificate Its a word not much used since the 1600s, but its one you might need today or might be called on to offer to someone else. Quite simply, to laetificate is to lift someones spirits.

Meliorism George Eliot coined the word meliorism to define her outlook on life, once writing to the psychologist James Sully to explain that: I dont know that I ever heard anybody use the word meliorist except myself. Operating halfway between optimism and realism, meliorism is the belief that the world no matter what shape it may be in can always be improved by the concerted effort of mankind.

Nikhedonia Nike was the Greek goddess of victory. Hedone (as in hedonism) was a Greek word for pleasure. Put those two together and you have nikhedonia a term from psychology for the inspiring, adrenalin-raising excitement of anticipating a future success.

Omnibenevolence Just as an omnipotent person has power over everything, an omnibenevolent person exhibits kindness to everything and everyone. That endless, all-encompassing compassion is omnibenevolence.

Peeled-egg Were all guilty of worrying that the worst could suddenly befall us, but rarely imagine that something just as unexpectedly wonderful could take place. JRR Tolkien coined the word eucatastrophe to describe an unforeseen event of sheer good fortune, but the Scots beat him to it. First recorded in Scottish proverbs dating from the 1800s, a peeled-egg is: A stroke of good fortune which one has not had to strive for. It was once a popular name given to farms established on land with unanticipated natural advantages.

Queem Something described as queem is perfectly calm or serene or by extension, perfectly smooth and level. Queemness, likewise, can be used to describe perfect serenity, or perfect smoothness and levelness, while two things that work queemly with one another are either perfectly harmonious, or, like two parts of a joint, snug and well adapted to one another.

Adopted from French, retrouvailles literally means 'refinding'

Retrouvailles Adopted from French, retrouvailles literally means refinding but its more usually understood as the French equivalent of what we might call a reunion or homecoming. Recently the word came to be used more imaginatively to describe the utter happiness or joy sparked by reuniting or catching up with someone you havent seen in a long time. A word well worth recalling in the months ahead.

Supernaculum It might be a fine glass of wine or whisky or nothing more than a perfectly brewed and timed cup of tea. A supernaculum is a drink so appreciated that it is savoured to its very last drop.

Traumatropism A tree partly felled by gales or lightning can often continue growing albeit in some ever more unwieldy or implausible shape. That undeterred response to earlier damage is an example of a phenomenon called traumatropism. Taken literally, it reminds us that nature is stronger and more resilient than we could ever imagine; metaphorically, it tells us that harsh setbacks need not end our progress.

Unsoulclogged Its not the most handsome of words, but were all striving to be unsoulclogged. It is total contentment, peace of mind, and freedom from sadness and dejection or, as one 1881 dictionary defined it, the state of not being weighed down in spirit.

Villeggiatura When youre tired of the city or your usual routine, its time for a villeggiatura. Adopted into English from Italian in the 18th century, a villeggiatura is a restorative trip or holiday to the countryside, taken to lift the spirits and unwind the mind.

Worldcraft Ageing is hardly the most welcome of lifes certainties. But for every word to remind us of its drawbacks (to be eildencumbered is to be held back by age), there is one for its seldom considered positives. Worldcraft is an 18th-century word for the unmatched cumulative wisdom of an aged person whose long life has given them unique and much venerated insight far beyond anything a younger, less experienced person could ever imagine.

Xenodochy Hospitality offered to strangers. The prefix xeno comes from the Greek word for strange or foreign, but we only tend to encounter it today in xenophobia. Now seems an apt time to highlight one of its overlooked opposites.

Yahrsider We are all looking out for our yahrsiders at the moment. A dialect term from the 18th century, a yahrsider is someone from the same family or town as you, or who shares the same community spirit.

Zenobia A courageous and effective third-century queen of Palmyra, Zenobia expanded her kingdom into the almighty Palmyrene Empire, stretching from Ankara to Aswan. Her name has been adopted as a term for a powerful, unstoppably determined woman.

The Cabinet of Calm: Soothing Words for Troubled Times by Paul Anthony Jones (Elliott & Thompson, 12.99) is out now

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An A to Z of old words to calm and inspire hope - The Guardian

ICYMI: Gucci’s new art space in Seoul, Erykah Badu’s inventive social distancing measures, Alexander Wang’s DIY white t-shirt tutorials, and more -…

#StayingInWithAlex: Styling a white t-shirt

Since last month, Alexander Wang started an IGTV series where he invites another celebrity to share tutorials with him over a livestream and his viewers can join him. These tutorials featured personalities such as Alexa Demie with a glow-up makeup tutorial and Normani with a dance. One of the more prominent tutorials is his DIY White T-Shirts where he has done a three-part series. Check out the most recent one starring Taraji P. Henson.

P.S. While you're there, check out how Anna Kanyuk's incredibly long and agile legs come in handy when taking out trash.

A full hazmat suit with customised spray-painted logo of Louis Vuitton, it was the ultimate "social distancing couture" as Erykah Badu calls it. Paired with sky-high feather and fringe boots, Badu's fashion statement reached people's hearts since it was so relatable to the current pandemic situation. Hopefully, more will follow suit with her initiative to brighten up such dreadful times and show how high fashion can be an inspiring source of motivation.

No Space, Just A Place is a multi-layered project powered by Gucci to support the rich cultural landscape and contemporary art scene in Seoul. It is an independent and alternative art space for humans to relate to each other and to their surroundings, laying the foundation for the perspective on the act of "being together" while not being a single entity. Every project is thematically tied to the idea of the alternative spaces as a utopian place in which to set new empowering narratives, dwelling on the understanding of otherness, the exploration of minoritarian identities, and queer politics. In order to allow everyone to enjoy the exhibition despite the current situation, Gucci has uploaded a virtual tour of the exhibition with a voiceover audio guide in Korean by Gucci ambassador, Kai from EXO.

Summer arrives in breezy, warm shifts that see LOEWE's legendary basket bag transformed, encompassing a greater diversity of cultures and taking to the dedicated artisans from the countries of Morocco, Ecuador, and many more. The full Paula's Ibiza 2020 collection is completed with clothing, shoes, accessories, and fragrances. Fusing bohemian coastal dressing with playful prints, it captures the breezy spirit of the Balearics and celebrates a moment in time that saw the hedonism of these islands expand to influence subcultures across the world.

In support of children affected by COVID-19, LOEWE will be donating 40 to educational projects for every product sold in the Paula's Ibiza collection between May and August 2020, starting with an initial donation of 500,000. Shop Paula's Ibiza 2020 on LOEWE's website.

The Maison Chlo has committed to producing and supplying Paris hospitals with medical gowns with the help of several Atelier employees who have volunteered to support the project. They will also be donating fabrics to the Atelier Lazar Cuckovic who partnered with Paris hospitals in response to the continued shortage of medical gowns.

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ICYMI: Gucci's new art space in Seoul, Erykah Badu's inventive social distancing measures, Alexander Wang's DIY white t-shirt tutorials, and more -...