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REPORT: Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Announce Patriot QB Tom Brady Signing on Wednesday | – SpaceCoastDaily.com

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

REPORT: Two sources said the deal is almost doneThe news that many have been waiting for has reportedly arrived. According to award-winning reporter JP Peterson, the Buccaneers will be signing quarterback Tom Brady and make that announcement Wednesday. (Wikipedia image)

(BUCSNATION.COM) The news that many have been waiting for has reportedly arrived. According to award-winning reporter JP Peterson, the Buccaneers will be signing quarterback Tom Brady and make that announcement Wednesday.

On the broadcast, Peterson said the following:

Two sources earlier said the deal is almost done. Another source, a better source, says the deal is not official but they are working out the final details. This last source is the most trustworthy.

Brady has decided he wants to play for the Buccaneers. Now its just about the terms of the contract.

He later added that Brady instructed his agent, Don Yee, to get the deal done with the Bucs.

CLICK HERE to see the full story on BucsNations.com>>>

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DoD issues travel restrictions: What this means for military in Colorado Springs – KKTV 11 News

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

FORT CARSON, Colo. (KKTV) - The COVID-19 outbreak has affected all areas of life, and our military are no exception.

The Department of Defense has issued travel restrictions for military personnel. To read the full memo, click here.The restrictions include pausing official travel such as a move to a new base and any TDY travel.

11 News reached to Fort Carson and Peterson and Schriever Air Force bases to find out how the restrictions will affect troops' personal travel.

Fort Carson: Fort Carson tells 11 News they are restricting personal travel for soldiers to a 30-mile radius, defined in a letter from the post commander as within the limits of Fort Carson, Colorado Springs, Fountain, and greater Teller and El Paso counties. An exception will be made for soldiers who live outside the 30-mile radius who need to commute to Fort Carson.

To read a letter from 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson commander Maj. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, click here.

Schriver Air Force Base: Schriever tells 11 News mission-essential staff must remain in the Colorado Springs area. All others are restricted to a 200-mile radius, but must avoid Eagle, Summit, Pitkin and Gunnison counties.

Peterson Air Force Base: Airmen stationed at Peterson are restricted to a 200-mile travel radius. A spokesperson told 11 News travel further than 200 miles will be considered on a case by case basis. Examples given were deaths in the family and certain medical procedures.

The rules are in effect as of March 16 and go through May 11.

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DoD issues travel restrictions: What this means for military in Colorado Springs - KKTV 11 News

Former MTSU baseball coach Steve Peterson through the years – The Daily News Journal

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

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Former MTSU baseball coach Steve Peterson through the years - The Daily News Journal

Zoltan Istvan: The Transhumanist Candidate – Roads and Kingdoms

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

This week on The Trip podcast: Zoltan Istvan has come from the future with a message New Hampshire doesnt want to hear.

Here they are in the New Hampshire Secretary of States office, paying their thousand dollars to be on the official primary ballot. They are the lesser-known candidates, the dramatic fringe of each presidential primary election up here. And they are the stars of my quadrennial quixotic reporting project with photographer Shane Carpenter. And listen, they arent like Tom Steyer lesser-known, theyre like Vermin Supreme lesser-known, Mary Maxwell lesser-known, Zoltan Istvan lesser-known. Almost nobody knows these people, but theyre running anyway. This is the fifth primary that Shane and I have spent ducking out of mainstream campaign press events to track down the people who are just obsessive, idealistic, or imbalanced enough to think they should run for president, often with no money, no support, sometimes no platform really. Of course, the idea of a non-politician becoming president was distinctly more laughable before 2016, and now it doesnt seem that funny at all. But these candidates are something different, a wild bunch, far more entertaining and thought-provoking even than the scripted candidates. Shane and I just published a feature on the lesser-known and their radical approach to democracy on roadsandkingdoms.com; I hope youll take a look. But for now, in this episode, Ive got one of the most composed and compelling of this years fringe candidates, writer and transhumanist Zoltan Istvan. We drank some 15 year old Dalwinnie Scotch and talked about exoskeletons, being escorted at gunpoint from a megachurch, and why he let someone jam a horse syringe into his hand to give him a permanent bio-chip implant.

Here is an edited and condensed transcript from my conversation with Eva. Subscribers canlisten to the full episode here. If youre not on Luminary yet, subscribe and listen (and get a 7-day free trial) by signing uphere.

Nathan Thornburgh: What is transhumanism?

Zoltan Istvan: Transhumanism is a social movement, now of many millions of people around the world, that want to use science and technology to radically transform the human body and transform the human experience. Anything from exoskeleton suits to brain implants to even driverless cars. But whatever it is, its kind of the top 10% of the most radical technologies that are affecting the human race.

Thornburgh: You say there were many millions. Are these people who would actively knowingly define themselves as transhumanists, or you think its just aligned with the way that they look at the world?

Istvan: I think there are now probably millions that would say, if you ask them are you a transhumanist, they would now say, yes I am. When you ask them, is that what they consider themselves? Thats a little bit more challenging of a question. Google, for example, is probably the most transhumanist of all the companies out there, and they have the largest, what we call life extension company, a company worth billions of dollars, that wants to overcome aging. Its specifically designed to make people essentially live indefinitely. So we are getting to a point when you can now say millions and likely tens of millions who are supporters of the idea. Chinas probably leading the transhumanist movement in terms of innovationthey have the first designer baby babies and stuff like that. So there might be even many more.

But the word is just an umbrella term for many other ideas. Cryonics, singulariatism. Cyborgism. Singularity is the concept of transhumanists where they believe that AI will become so sophisticated that our human brains wont even be able to understand its sophistication. And at that point we get left behind.

The main goal of transhumanism is overcoming death with science and technology.

Thornburgh: The word itself, can you just break it down for me?

Istvan: Well, the Latin would say its beyond human.

Thornburgh: Okay, got it. All of our limitations are physicalchronological aging, mortality. Those are the things that youre going to supersede through technology.

Istvan: Basically, yes. And nobodys really sure like exactly what transhumanism means in terms of the specific agenda. Is it when a primate picked up a rock and made an axe millions of years ago, or is it a robot taking over a workers job, which of course is increasingly happening. Is that transhumanism, or is it brain implants? Nobody really knows, but whatever it is and it radical science is, is sort of changing the human species and the core of it is the microprocessor. It keeps evolving exponentially and we even have things like quantum computing now happening where, you know, that could revolutionize again, the microprocessor. So anything that applies to the human being, in terms of merging us with machines, is a transhuman event.

I think whats very important is that there are various versions of transhumanism. There are socialist transhumanists, there are libertarian transients like myself, and there are transceivers party transhumanism. Of course, Im, Im the founder of the transceivers party, but Im also now running as a Republican. But Ive also run as a libertarian, Ive said openly, I might run as a Democrat in the future. For me, its about the seed of transhumanism. You can take it whichever political way you want. Theres also Christian transhumanism, theres Buddhist transhumanist. So we want a worldwide movement. I want different factions. I want a decentralized idea of it. And I hope to influence it in terms of it grows and grows and grows. Because you have to understand about 80% of the worlds population believes in an afterlife. The main goal of transhumanism is overcoming death with science and technology. Were fighting 80% of the population. So its very important that we coalesce together as a movement that says we need to change that 80%. We need to change their mindset. And thats really where the cultural reform comes in, and why its so important to have a huge movements like environmentalism, where the trajectory is that one day we also become a billion person movement that really wants to move beyond our cultural heritage.

Thornburgh: So lets, lets posit success and you reach those 80% and flip them into transhumanists. What will that actually mean? Does that mean that they will vote for people who pour more resources into death-defying technologies or pass laws? What, practically, would having people be fired up about transhumanism do?

Istvan: Thats the best question. The great question. Thats exactly what Im trying to do. My main goal here with running for office and my main goal of spreading transhumanism is to get more money into the hands of the scientists who are making the movement happen. You have to understand, right now our United States Congress, all 535 members, all nine Supreme Court justices, believe in an afterlife, and they say they believe in God, so they have no real reason to pass laws to put money into the hands of the scientists who want to end aging and live indefinitely and upgrade ourselves to this new bionic future. Now the problem with that is if the entire government doesnt want to give money to it, it doesnt happen. Really only private industry does it. We need an American culture on board with transhumanism.

I run for office in hopes of saying, look, instead of giant military fighting warrants in Afghanistan and Iraq, were going to take that money and put it into creating a science-industrial complex in America dedicated to ending aging and upgrading the human being. Its a very different kind of way. Im interested in American healthcare, in terms of eliminating disease. And thats a very transhuman idea that our president right now doesnt share. A president whos cut the budget of the National Institute of Health.

Im running because, ultimately, I think that Trump has failed the most important part of America: the science and innovation part.

Thornburgh: Youre running as a Republican. This is your opponent.

Istvan: You gotta you gotta hit them hard on that. One thing Trump has done that hasnt been great is hes not only cut the budget of the National Institute of Health, but he hasnt made a culture where science really thrives. In China, its thriving. Chinas our main kind of competitor at this point. So probably within five years, China lead the world in AI and genetic editing. Its game over for America in terms of leadership, and who wants not authoritarian nation to be leading the world and in science and technology. So this is where I really fault Trump. In fact, this is why Im running. This is the singular reason Im running because, ultimately, I think that Trump has failed the most important part of America: the science and innovation part.

Thornburgh: What is your background? Take me way back.

Istvan: My career really began after I graduated from Columbia University, and I went into journalism at National Geographic. And so for five years I traveled around the world and I wrote something like 50 or 60 articles for their website, and also was on their National Geographic Today, show, doing a lot of documentary work. It was a great time in my life. I was in my twenties, I covered a lot of conflict zones, so saw some horrifying things. In Vietnam I was covering the demilitarized zone 20, 30 years after the war. And theres a bunch of rice farmers that now dig up bombs that were dropped in Vietnam from Americans, but theyre unexploded. They sell the metal. But to get there you have to go through these landmine-infested jungles. And I almost stepped on one. It freaked me out because my guide had to throw me out of the way and pointed to the ground. And after covering war zones for a while kind of gets in your head. And it was that moment in Vietnam when I said, you know, Im going to stop being a journalist and Im going to do something to try to overcome death. And of course transhumanism has been an ongoing movement since the 90s, and thats their primary job. Their primary purpose is to use science to overcome death.

Istvan: So I came home, joined the movement, wrote a novel, the novel did really well. It was called The Transhumanist Wager, became a bestseller, and it launched my career as a public figure. And because I was a journalist, I began writing some of the very first transhumanist columns. So Ive had an ability over six years to write over 230 opinion pieces and essays for major media, almost cheerleading transhumanism. Up until that point, no one had ever been optimistic about it. People had been kind of skeptical.

Thornburgh: That literally came from a near-death experience that you had.

Istvan: Its based on two or three years of covering other conflicts. Id covered the Sri Lanka conflict. I covered the Kashmir conflict between Pakistan and India. Id been doing some pretty harrowing stories and it made me, I think it kinda got in my head, I dont want to say its PTSD, but really it made me think, What if we could overcome death? And when it hit me that I could do this, I realized that this is why I want to dedicate my life to.

Thornburgh: Does transhumanism have any rights or rituals or holidays?

Istvan: Its secular. Its a very decentralized movement. A lot of the life-extension people are not interested in the robotics people, because life extension people want to biologically live longer, where the robotics people want to become machines and upload themselves. So even though they are both transhumanist and I like both groups, they dont really talk to each other. Then there are the biohackers, who are mostly young, tattooed people that are putting chips in. I have a chip in my hand. It opens my front door, starts a car, it sends a text message.

Thornburgh: You have this right now?

Istvan: I have it right now. You can touch it. Its right there. Push. Youll see. Youll feel a bump. Its a glass-enclosed microchip.

Thornburgh: Does that hurt when I press your chip?

Istvan: No. Its tiny. Its the size of a grain of rice. When you get these chip implants, you use a horse syringe you just put it in. Its kind of painful. But the chip itself is about the size of a grain rice.

Thornburgh: But that wasnt sexual what we just did?

Istvan: No. Its just a chip.

Thornburgh: How do you program this chip? Is this like a radio-frequency identification?

Istvan: Yeah. Unfortunately, the technology doesnt work with Apple phones, but it works with all Android. And so if you have an Android phone, you will actually be able to put it against my hand and then get my serial number. Of course, that freaks people out, because who has a serial number? But you can also put in medical information. So if youre unconscious and they find you, they can scan it. But in my case, Im a surfer and a jogger and when you go surfing you have to always hide your keys, and what a pain in the butt that is, because then someone can steal it when youre surfing and take your car. So in my case, its just great because all my keys are embedded into my hand and you can even do things like hold Bitcoin on it, but you cant pay it Starbucks yet.

Listen to the full episode at Luminary.

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Zoltan Istvan: The Transhumanist Candidate - Roads and Kingdoms

Sleeve Into Altered Carbon: The Role Playing Game – Nerdist

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

Based on the 2002 novel Altered Carbon, the self-proclaimed neo-noir cyberpunk series is expanding into a tabletop roleplaying game. The Netflix show just launched its second season. Combining a healthy mix of Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Transhumanismthe setting rocks as an RPG. Apparently, the Kickstarter did too, raising over 1000% of their funding goal and hitting over 3,900 backers by the end of its run. Hunters Entertainment (Outbreak: Undead) headed up the design with an amazing team of people, so its no surprise that this Kickstarter slew expectations.

The Kickstarter page contains the vital information any prospective player could need. We still wanted to take a moment to highlight some things that are unique to a world in which you cant die. Imagine the prospects for a moment. Villains can be killed only to return later, potentially wearing the face of the partys friends. A full TPK can happen, and the adventure continues with the consequences of that folly. Or bar fights suddenly become far more bone-breaking. Not only does this concept present interesting ideas for storytelling but Altered Carbon RPG is also flipping our dice on us.

Using the Hazard system, the game encourages you to roll natural 1s. Which is frankly, glorious blasphemy. I think this gameplay difference is important to differentiate the setting and game for long term roleplaying game players. If youve been rolling D20s for a while, changing the dice mechanics on your table does work as a tangible reminder of the new world.

For as long as Ive been a storyteller; Ive often been running Cyberpunk, Transhumanism, or modern settings as long-term campaigns. I love high-tension, cheeky, dystopian conspiracy games so naturally Altered Carbon stole my interest. But every group needs one person to take up the mantle of Gamemaster. Lets take a look at how two major aspects of storytelling in a Transhuman or Cyberpunk setting in order to inspire other storytellers!

In this transhumanist world, the human mind is Digital Human Freight. Stored in a small, diamond-hard device at the base of the skull, everyone calls a cortical stack it. Some people have their brains sliced and scanned in layer-by-layer while others take a more digital approach. The end result is the same: you can re-sleeve your entire consciousness into a new body. With remote digital back-ups, needle casting your mind to other planets, or having a variety of custom bodies on handyou can become an immortal god. The ability to change bodies or sculpt your frame like an automobile is a dream for many.

Permanent death is possible for anyone whose stack is destroyed, but namely, you focus on an uplifting style of storytelling. Re: The characters backstories. Create elaborate backstories with wonderfully fleshed-out characters with full narratives by spending time with your players. The concept of a session zero is infinitely more important in settings like AC. Once created, weave those delicious backstories together into one yarn-ball of a plot. Since characters can be hundreds of years old, its okay to hop a few decades. Long-term gameplay in a transhumanist setting isnt going to be about TPKs, rather, about the parties choices around that ball of yarn. Some threads will get tugged, others will get knotted, and at least one will be hacked with a chainsaw. Meanwhile, villains at the beginning of the game can become allies later on. Only to swap sides again later. Embrace this fluidity as a storyteller.

Since the characters and NPCs will remain under the campaign spotlight for a long time, time invested into them is well spent. This also opens several new tactical options for both sides of that storyteller screen. For example, if the party knows they will resleeve they might consider one-way-ticket missions with no extraction. Nothing says a salty faction cant strike at the partys prized bar in the same way.

Cyberpunk worlds are both storytelling gold and a daunting task of finding where to start. Altered Carbon gives us a major campaign focal point called Bay City. Focused into three, easy to identify, and easy to dabble in factions: The Ground, the Twilight, and the Aerium. Poor, middle, and methuselah godlike rich respectively. Narrowing down a multi-planet cyberpunk setting to former San Francisco is exactly what gamemasters need to focus on a campaign. I couldnt be happier with the QuickStart guide for doing exactly that, and I really want to give a special shout out to the designers for making that call.

Well done chaps.

To prevent getting lost, shine a spotlight on local beats. Basically, in a setting with billions of people teeming on top of each other location bloat can be a major design problem. Its easy to fall into the pit of infinite information, and your players suffer from the noise. Cities are nearly infinite in story, filled with vast sprawling segments, and can make the PCs feel tiny. Unlike fantasy campaigns, the pulse of an urban fantasy or cyberpunk campaign beats inherently different. Less territory control or nation wars, and more investigation and fights containedjust out of sight.

Keeping everything setting wise sorted into factions or companies creates instant bonding with players. The Meths and the Grounders are easy factions to grasp onto and weave into a story. For added flair, toss in some company products and branding on your player characters weapons and youve seeded your immersion. Instead of having named NPCs, simply use faction representatives. If a pair or duo of them keeps recurring, feel free to start fleshing them out a little more. By keeping motives and goals orientated around the faction or company, you can brand it, and use that branding in the world. Plus your party will naturally start to separate the employees, from the company. Pelican Corp is an evil weapons manufacturer, but Debbie in shipping is a heckin saint.

Have you tried the Altered Carbon RPG yet? Try the Quickstart Guide here and let us know your adventure in the comments!

Featured Image: Altered Carbon The Role-Playing Game

Image Credits: Altered Carbon

Rick Heinz is a storyteller with a focus on D&D For Kids, and an overdose of LARPs, and the author of The Seventh Age: Dawn. You can follow RPG or urban fantasy related thingies on Twitter or reach out for writing at [emailprotected]

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Sleeve Into Altered Carbon: The Role Playing Game - Nerdist

Which Malaysian Telco provides the best roaming experience in Singapore? – SoyaCincau.com

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

Travelling right now is not possible as Malaysia announced a restriction of movement for the entire country from 18th March to 31st March 2020. With that being said, when travelling, roaming is definitely a thought that crosses the mind to stay connected. Of course, everyone wants the best deal for the most affordable price and of most importantly, a telco that provides the best data experience. Opensignal, a mobile networks analytics company, has revealed the best telco provider for Malaysian 4G users travelling to Singapore.

Out of the four largest operators in the country, Digi users apparently enjoyed the experience more as compared to the rest. Digi emerged as the winner on a few factors, download speed, upload speed and latency experience. They had also discovered key differences between mobile experience by Malaysian roamers in Singapore and domestic Singaporean users.

Malaysian service providers provide roaming services by having agreements with host networks. This will enable customers to stay connected abroad when they are connected to the their partner telco for that country. Digi and Maxis users roam on Singtel and StarHub whereas Celcom users roam on M1 and StarHub. Meanwhile, U Mobile users roam on StarHub and Singtel.

The most notable element of the graph is that Singaporean domestic users download speed is higher than the Malaysian roamers. U Mobile has the least ideal experience of the lot as the download speed was a mere 16.6 Mbps while Digi users experienced the highest download speed at 46.8Mbps when roaming in Singapore. Taking second place is Maxis at 33.5Mbps, followed by Celcom at 30.9Mbps.

The upload speed for domestic Singaporean users is somewhat the same for all the providers. Digi again had the highest upload speed at 13.5 Mbps and U Mobile is the lowest at 7.3 Mbps. Maxis and Celcom also continues to maintain 2nd and 3rd place respectively.

Latency is measured in milliseconds and is essentially the response time that it takes to send information. The longer the time, the bigger the delay which isnt ideal for applications like mobile gaming. From the graph above, Malaysian roamers experienced higher latencies than their Singaporean counterparts. Celcom observed the highest latency at 48.8ms which is almost double of what Singaporeans are getting, followed by Maxis at 42.2ms and U Mobile at 40.9ms. Digi has the lowest latency among the four at 36.4ms. This latest report was generated by Opensignal based on data obtained between 1st January to 31st December 2019.

Overall, it is evident that Digi offers the best experience for roaming in Singapore. On top of that, Digi has one of the most affordable roaming plans where you can get 2GB and 30 minutes of calls for RM25 for 3 days.

You can check out the full report here.

[IMAGE SOURCE]

Five Features Your Next CRM Needs To Maximize Your Sales – Forbes

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

If youve launched your business in recent years, you probably know this very well: Choosing a CRM is almost as difficult as choosing your industry, product and target market. Every developer with some free time seems to have built one, and as a result, there are now thousands of CRMs to choose from.

Instead of telling you which one to choose, lets do something better. Here are the main features that a great CRM needs to have before you consider it your sales tool of choice.

1. Interaction Tracking

The path from a cold lead to a repeat customer is not a straight line. In fact, it can take months before someone who found your product decides to buy. And unless you know each step they take before handing over their cash, you wont know how to improve your sales process.

A great CRM needs to have the option of tracking each interaction that a lead makes with your business. From the very first time they view your website, when they open your email and when they get a call from your reps, you need to be able to see which moves they make. That way, you can spot your weaknesses and hone your strengths.

On a different note, its also easier to see who handled what in your sales process. One rep could talk to a lead through email, and another one could pick up their inbound call. There is no way for the person receiving the call to know the previously exchanged information unless the interactions were tracked from the very start.

2. Document Management

It can be a nightmare to upload all of your sales documentation to the cloud. Things can get slow and messy and sorting through your most important documents can get complicated.

If you want to connect your marketing and sales teams and have all your most important documents in one place, you need a CRM with a document management feature. This way, you can upload all the documents in a single location and avoid the potential information mismatch that could ruin your sales. Moreover, you can also upload documents for your customers, such as proposals, contracts, technical specifications and anything else that comes to mind.

3. A Mobile App

Lets be honest here you wont do any hardcore selling on your phone when youre out and about. However, a good CRM needs to have a mobile version of its app, especially if you have a strong outside sales team; a mobile app can be a game-changer for them. They could update their lead data on the go, view alerts and deal updates, and check up on everything they need without opening up their laptop.

4. Integrations Galore

The ultimate goal of any sales professional is to work smarter, not harder. That requires plenty of integrations and the ability to automate tasks. In other words, your CRM should play well with a variety of different tools if you want it to save you time and money.

Some examples include integrations with email marketing software, lead generation software, project management apps, and website and landing page builders. I would argue that an email marketing integration is the most crucial because you need to see each interaction you had with a lead (through email) when you pull up their file. Finally, its crucial to be able to receive payments through your CRM. Some customers prefer paying immediately instead of dealing with complex invoices and bank processes.

5. A Dialer

Perhaps your business doesnt rely heavily on outbound or inbound calls. However, the phone is still one of the primary ways to get in touch with the right decision-makers, especially in B2B. If you rely heavily on calls, its an absolute must to have a built-in dialer in your CRM app.

The benefits are numerous: From being able to call many more numbers than you could with a stand-alone phone app, to being able to add calls to your list of lead interactions, there are plenty of reasons a dialing feature should be a part of your CRM.

When you figure out the features you need in a CRM, the list of thousands of available apps shrinks down to just a handful of the best ones for you.

Here’s an easy method to install the Google Play Store on your Huawei phone – comments – GSMArena.com

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

Anonymous, 11 hours agoSo whats the matter if google monopolize the app bussiness? They still give the best service t... moreHow you'll know it's the best service if they don't have any competition?

a292

Locking bootloaders is like forcing people to read the Bible only in Latin.

a292

Anonymous, 11 hours agoSo whats the matter if google monopolize the app bussiness? They still give the best service t... moreBecause freedom?

k17863

Anonymous, 11 hours agoGoogle didn't want to accept Chinese political censorship, which is the only right thing to do... moreI'm sorry, that is completely wrong. It is the US government banned Google from supplying Huawei. And the reason was to protect the sales of Apple and Qualcomm.The impact of coronavirus on the US economy could make them go even more protectionist, but then the US risks losing sales all around the world.

Anonymous, 11 hours agoGoogle didn't want to accept Chinese political censorship, which is the only right thing to do... moreGoogle WANT to continue the relation with huawei..its the USA (Trump )..who did the ban ..For god sake ..Google ask Trump if they Please have permission to continue the relation with Huawei.....read before you type something nitwit

Anonymous, 11 hours agoMaybe because if they unlock bootloader, people can enter their phones system and software and... moreNo its because Huawei will give us a open door to install GMS and maybe it goes against the US Ban ...

Anonymous, 11 hours agoSo whats the matter if google monopolize the app bussiness? They still give the best service t... more They are not monopolizing ........... huawei still can use android .

Anonymous, 14 hours agoAnd don't forget amazon store, it's good application store too. Google don't need to be the on... moreSo whats the matter if google monopolize the app bussiness? They still give the best service than other app stores. I dont mind about the monopoly of google as long i got best service i want and what i expected from them and i still satisfied with that

aeldor, 15 hours agoI bought a Oneplus (6t) to install a degoogled OS (LineageOS). I would have bought a Huawei if... moreMaybe because if they unlock bootloader, people can enter their phones system and software and eventually will find out their spyware that they put in their phone which of course they dont want that lol. Maybe....

Anonymous, 17 hours agoBut they didn't ban Google. Google didn't want to accept the terms which many other companies ... moreGoogle didn't want to accept Chinese political censorship, which is the only right thing to do. They gave up large potential profit, but showed that they have principles.

Good for Google. But I guess some people think authoritarianism and censorship are good....

First, it's crazy to trust your sensitive information to this.

Second, according to XDA Google is plugging the magisk exploit and no secure apps will work on any phones with Android 8 and up.

Why would anyone spend their money on a Huawei is beyond me.

great info gsmarena !

Anonymous, 21 hours agoNo thanks, I would rather use Huawei appgallery or apkpure. And don't forget amazon store, it's good application store too. Google don't need to be the only application's store for Android otherwise it would monopolize the business.

Anonymous, 15 hours agoIt is the fact that these permissions are required by an unkown app, that has people wondering... moreChecking the "leakster" it seems more of a leak reposting twitter account and he found the third Google cloud link on a youtube video he also linked to, but the chain can be found in the video description as well

a292

I bought a Oneplus (6t) to install a degoogled OS (LineageOS). I would have bought a Huawei if they had an unlockable bootloader. But I'm glad I have the Oneplus now. A remarkable device too. Shame on you, Huawei. Why not be honest and make the bootloader unlockable ?

Not working. It keeps pushing for the play registration. Also, Mate30 Pro works just fine without Google Apps.

It is the fact that these permissions are required by an unkown app, that has people wondering where it is from, but let's focus on the origin. Besides the GMX cloud link that has no details, I have found Google cloud links from tgdd News, Nguyen Katie and Lm Ph Thingh (I do not know if the last are accounts by people named that, the first is listed by tgdd), uploaded on 10, 15 and 17 February respectively. It certainly is not centralized and doesn't seem like they recieved it on email but picked it from other sites and reuploaded it (to seem more legitimate?). The leakster that linked to the third one had sources, including tgdd, that listed to the other ones so it probably is kind of a chain, and said that Vietnamese stores use it to sell devices (tgdd has an article and also sells Mate 30 Pro, so it is plausible). It goes deeper than tdgg though. Tgdd itself used as a source the EMUI Vit Nam facebook page (doesn't seem official), that had two mediafire links, a regular uploaded 2 hours before tgdd and a lite 9.34MB version uploaded on 7 February, both uploaded from Vietnam. There was also a supposed Google Cloud backup link there, though with "(qc)" commented, that went you through 3 sites to lead you to an unrelated one. The website link on the description of the facebook page didn't work. There were some other branches along the way that didn't take somewhere, someone might be able to find an older upload, but that is where I got with just some simple browsing. So it seems like it probably originated from Vietnam, though who is the developer isn't obvious.

Come one man just forget about that headache and buy any Xiaomi phone.

Nick Tagataka, 19 hours agoSo GSMArena is essentially promoting this suspicious app to the readers as an "easy method" to... moreChat Partner fixes your phone by installing the Google Play Store. That's so hilarious.

wasox, 19 hours agoCCP banned google from entering china, that is ok, (for them of course), then, it is fair ... moreBut they didn't ban Google. Google didn't want to accept the terms which many other companies have done, so they withdrew from the Chinese market.

Here's an easy method to install the Google Play Store on your Huawei phone - comments - GSMArena.com

Learning must continue – Daily Times

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has disrupted the worlds operations in drastic ways. We had never thought that all major cities of the world would become ghost towns. The doctors are suggesting people limit their social activities and remain at home. Educational institutions have also been closed across the world. The situation is not different in Karachi and around Pakistan. Students are at home and they must be guided and informed to lead a healthy, productive life even when the world in a state of lockdown. Here are a few ways students and professionals can remain productive, creative and active at home.

While learning a new skill can be a productive pastime, you must also spend time reading. The importance of reading cannot be emphasised enough. Read novels or newspapers. You can also download the PDF versions of your favourite books and read them on your smartphone. When reading, you can also go through the news and gain information pertaining to the world. The habit of reading will enhance your knowledge and give you a feeling of confidence, which is a psychological impact of reading.

Apart from learning a new skill, you can also learn a new language. With the world becoming a global village, you can never be too sure of where the future may lead you. As a student, you might pursue your higher studies in Europe, Canada or the USA. As a professional, you can land a job in Turkey, Japan or Egypt. Even if you stay in Pakistan, learning a new language will add value to your CV (resume). Where learning a skill is an activity that will help you at some point in life, learning in its essence must continue. You can learn how to do digital marketing and how to create designs in Photoshop. You can learn how to create objects from wood or learn how to paint. You can learn how to cook food or how to sew. The possibilities are endless if you have a vision of what you want to accomplish and have identified the areas of your interest.

When you are at home you can also pursue a freelance revenue-generation mechanism. You must find an activity of your interest and turn it to earn a profit. For instance, you can sell your services as a content writer, a translator (from English to Urdu and vice versa), or can perform other tasks including graphic designing, software development, website development, data analysis and reporting among others. You can create an account on Fiverr or Upwork, attract clients from across the world and complete their tasks to earn money.

Speaking of money, you can also create your YouTube channel and upload short videos where you share words of wisdom, personal experiences, product reviews or information that the viewers can benefit from. While the process of gaining subscribers to a point that you can start earning money from people viewing your video is a long and tedious one. However, you can begin creating videos and uploading them from today. All your need is a smartphone camera and the internet. However, the catch to create a successful YouTube Channel is to regularly upload videos. These videos must ideally be six to eleven minutes in duration.

Living in the confinement of your home will also make your lethargic. However, you must not come under the influence of being lazy. You must wake up early in the morning, take a bath, have a nutritious breakfast and begin your work at home. If you are a student, you can revise your syllabus and if you are a professional, you can work-from-home. Furthermore, you must keep a things-to-list to keep you active throughout the day.

You should also spare time to do exercise. You do not need to buy any exercising equipment. All you need is loose clothes. A t-shirt and a trouser will do. The exercises that you can do in your room include push-ups, jumping jacks, lunges, walkouts, plank, side lunges, single-leg deadlifts, sit-ups and squats. You have to keep your body in shape and your mind active to remain emotionally stable at a time when spending time at home is the wisest thing to do.

The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist

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Learning must continue - Daily Times

City of Cape Town will shut down these facilities due to coronavirus – The South African

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

The City of Cape Town has on Tuesday 17 March announced that the following facilities will no longer be in use due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

The city has noted the key containment and mitigation measures that are being implemented across the world and in South Africa in an effort to reduce the spread of the COVID-19. We have taken note of best practice from other affected countries and the success they have found in social distancing and improved hygiene practices, it said in a statement.

These facilities will be closed from Wednesday 18 March:

Furthermore, visits by the Citys Mobile Office have been suspended until further notice.

Library operating hours (including mobile services) will be reduced incrementally and these facilities will provide only basic services, namely, taking out and returning reading material. The number of persons allowed into the library will be controlled due to the rapid spread of coronavirus. Needless to say, this might change at short notice.

Cemeteries will remain open, although residents are advised upon making bookings to be mindful of the number of persons at the graveside during burial and to please stick to their allotted times. The Recreation and Parks Department is working to keep gravesites as far apart as possible to limit contact between mourners during burials.

The City also reminds the public that an announcement was made by the National Minister of Social Development that all Early Childhood Development Centres will close on Wednesday, 18 March 2020, in line with the schools.

The City realises that, due to the closure of sporting facilities, there will be an impact on community sporting culture and especially on the municipal facility management committees (MFMCs) who work with the City on the management and maintenance of the facilities. We plead for their understanding and request the support of MFMCs to ensure that all non-essential contact is avoided and that social distancing is strictly enforced to avoid the coronavirus.

Please note all public meetings and non-critical meetings, gatherings and site visits will also be postponed indefinitely unless an emergency meeting is called which we will communicate on. The situation is being assessed on a daily basis and is subject to frequent and rapid change, it said.

Offices that provide city services like cash offices, driving licence testing centres and housing and planning offices will remain open for now.

Residents are advised that all events at the citys nature reserves have been cancelled and staff are currently working on refunding affected stakeholders, we will provide a full refund for any bookings and also permits to Steenbras Gorge.

The city encourages account holders to make use of the citys online service offerings, where it is possible to do so, rather than visiting city customer centres for over the counter transactions.

Customer offices will remain open, however, strong precautions will be taken to ensure a heightened level of hygiene and customers are encouraged to rather conduct their business online or via telephone than over the counter if possible. The number of people going to the offices must be limited to limit the spread of coronavirus. Customers are reminded that accounts still need to be paid.

The city encourages account holders to use the citys online e-services portal to pay their accounts. Other payment options available to account holders include paying online using their banks website or via ATM, at Nedbank.

The city is already listed as a beneficiary with all major banks, so account holders do not need to load bank details when paying online. Account-holders can also register with http://www.paycity.co.za or http://www.easypay.co.za to pay accounts.

To pay via ATM, account holders can simply contact their bank to add the City as an ATM beneficiary.

If account holders have any questions related to their account, they can please call 0860 103 089 for more information. Account-holders should keep the reference number theyre provided with to track the progress of their query.

The Citys Motor Vehicle Renewal which includes motor vehicle licence renewals, vehicle registrations and licence payments can be done online. An online licence application takes approximately 14 days from the date of application to receiving it in the post, so residents must please bear this in mind and act in a timeous fashion.

Residents who would like to go this route can do so via the Citys online services portal (http://www.capetown.gov.za//Vehic/Pay-your-vehicle-licence).

Residents are reminded to take along their proof of address when renewing their motor vehicle licences. This must be done annually as per National Government requirements. It is very important for customers to have all of the required documentation with them when they apply for licence disc renewals to prevent any additional delays.

Driving License Testing Centres remain open; however, strong precautions have already been instituted to ensure a heightened level of hygiene. All eye testing equipment is sanitised after each user to slow the spread of coronavirus. Staff have been issued hand sanitisers, and gloves and masks are on order.

Additional sanitation of all work surfaces has been implemented. The number of occupants have been limited as per the queuing system. Notices have gone up at all DLTCs, advising the public of precautions to take to promote good hygiene and limit the spread of the virus.

One can pay traffic fines online via:

The following can be done via e-Services:

We know that this will prove inconvenient for some of our residents but in the interest of containing this highly contagious virus and for the protection of all our residents, we trust our residents will understand the need for these measures, it said.

Numerous resources have been made available to the public regarding the coronavirus. These include:

How to do home office without going crazy – Thrive Global

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

Complicated days are coming and new routines that are sure to alter our mood. We know it, yes, but the difficult thing is to go through it and leave unscathed along the route.

If you are already in quarantine, it is likely that one of these tips will help you survive gracefully. If you are not quarantined, what are you waiting for?

Today we dedicate 5 tips to managing your HomeOffice life without altering your chacras, your peace and above all, without losing the ability to enjoy it.

1. Organized snacking:

If you are tidy enough and planned well, your fridge and cupboard are full of delicious, non-perishable items available 24/7. Beautiful, but risky. Being at home all day can distort your usual anxiety and make you want to eat the entire refrigerator in a day, or the opposite, erase your natural metabolism agenda and go hours without eating. Neither option is a good plan.

Tip: Schedule a start and end time for work, lunch, dinner and breaks. It helps you plan necessary stops and also not to be working all day without stopping.

2. Sneaked:

Yes, working in pajamas and slippers is the dream of your life, we know it. The first day of quarantine seems like a gift: pajamas, washed face, slippers and in this city even the weather seems to fit, because not even a ray of sunlight came out.- Being isolated does not seem so bad at the end of the day-. Stop there, its a trap. The dream idea collapses a few hours after the start of the day, this moment sounds very nice but when we do it for several days, we fall into the sense of feeling completely abandoned and enter a vicious circle of ceasing to occupy ourselves for feeling good physically and mentally. (Also: how many pajamas do you have?).

Tip: Comfortable clothes and slippers are the allowed combination. Who tells you, you can even make a face mask while answering emails.

3. Loosen multitasking.

Youve started home office with an ultra productive energy and it is very tempting to put a washing machine and prepare the food, while you upload the file to drive and you have a work call (without camera, obviously). Yes, suddenly you see everything there is to do and fix at home, your brain works at 1000 miles/hour and you want to do everything in one day. Calm down sister, that energy does not last forever and its better to manage it throughout the week. Think about organizing the day as if you were in the office. It is great to feel motivated and inspired to do many things, but at the end of the day you can feel that you couldnt do everything that your mind processed very quickly but your body and the limited hours of the day did not cover. Frustration alert.

Tip: Get blocks for household chores outside of work. There is no need to collapse.

4. Cancel Bed-Office: Dont fall into the clutches of the bed, Dont fall into the clutches of the bed, Dont fall into the clutches of the bed.

Another mirage from afar pleasant and from a treacherous fence. The idea of working in bed is undoubtedly a fantasy that we have all had (or not?) But beware, after an hour, it becomes an octopus that catches you and makes you forget all the ideas and desires you had when you started the day. If it hasnt happened to you yet, get out just in time. If it happened to you and you fell asleep, activate a coffee, mate or tea, a shower, put some clean clothes and move to the dining room to continue the day.

Tip: If your work allows you to work from home, work in the living room, dining room, armchair, on the balcony or wherever you want, (at home, obviously ) but lets set the sheets free during the day.

5. Man does not live by stalking alone: You have been in quarantine since the weekend, you did an intensive social network scan, you already got all the emails for today and the tasks you had. You finished the plans, the blueprint, the design work, you sent quotes, you planned your content, you listened to beautiful music all day and you already took the daily tour of social networks. Great, congratulated 10. Buuuuut, how many people did you talk to today? Being isolated can have us several days without talking, and not necessarily with your coworkers, but without your friends and family. Think that someone may be alone or simply bored, in this quarantine, do not forget to interact.

Tip: Activate video calls with your groups and stay connected with your loved ones.

No one said that working from home was easy, but it has many benefits, and more if you know that it is for a short time.

Bonus: Get inspired in your house or in other houses, write down 1 thing you want to do per day and do it at your breaks. Oh and if you want to share it, upload it with the hashtag #ForMeMoment.

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How to do home office without going crazy - Thrive Global

How Tik Tok affecting Youth: Tik Tok Negative Impact On Young Generation – Tech Chums

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

One of the most trending apps among teens is Tik Tok. If your kid is also a fan of Tik Tok then the post worth reading. Being a parent there are lots of things to consider and today we will discuss the Tik Tok negative impact on young generation.

Tik Tok is a lip-syncing video maker app that allows you to choose the background music track and mix your day to day activities with the music track. Tik Tok is good if you create videos for fun only but a wide array of teens and kids are becoming addicted to Tik Tok and busy creating Tik Tok videos. Boys, girls, adults and even old aged people used to spend their valuable hours making Tik Tok videos. Creating videos is not bad at all but creating vulgar and violent videos can spoil your kids future. He/she can become an ill-mind person. So not to avoid Tik Toks bad impacts on Youth and to understand how Tik Tok affecting youth just scroll down.

Before describing the Tik Tok negative impact on young generation lets check out what is Tik Tok and what makes it so addictive.

How to become popular on Tik Tok?

Tik Tok is a social media app where you can create 15 seconds short lip sync videos with the available background music. You can also watch other users videos on Tik Tok. Tik Tok is created for both Android and iOS users and like other social media platforms, you can make followers, follow others, comment and like others videos.

The app is created by the Bytedance and introduced in 2017. In a very short span of time, the Tik Tok secured its place in almost everyone smartphone. From funny to emotional you can create and upload every type of video on Tik Tok. Here are the few astonishing facts about Tik Tok:

As you know Tik Tok is massively trending and the sole motive is to create and upload different videos. When someone signs in for Tik Tok then their profile remains Public by default means anyone can watch what you uploaded. Apart from music and dancing videos, there are many themes which are suitable for 16+ age group and if your kid is under 16 and he/she is using those themes then what would happen!

If your kids account still public then there are higher chances that they will get messages from strangers. To ensure the security of your kid while using Tik Tok you need to keep an eye on:

How to restore deleted Instagram messages?

Because of the rising trend of Social media platforms, people are becoming less social in reality and more active on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok. Even young mids losing their interest in studies and used to show off via Tik Tok and other social channels. It is good to connect with other people through social platforms but if you use them to get popularity then they may risky. And such type of apps is Tik Tok where kids and teens trying to attract others attention with their videos.

Here are the Tik Tok bad effects that should not be ignored:

Tik Tok is a really good app if it is used in the right way but for kids and teens, it is not safe at all. Above we have discussed how Tik Tok affecting youth but with few precautions, we can make it better:

Tik Tok is one of the best platforms to post different videos including dance, funny, singing and many more. But videos that are full of vulgarity and violation can leave a negative effect on young minds. Thats the reason Tik Tok is risky for kids and teens and here we discussed the Tik Tok negative impact on young generation and solutions as well.

If your kid wants to use Tik Tok then you need to be alert and follow the certain instructions that we have described above. Monitor your kids activity and aware about the possible side effects of such apps.

Agree with me or not? Let me know below in the comment section. What are your views about Tik Tok? Should teens use it or not?

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How Tik Tok affecting Youth: Tik Tok Negative Impact On Young Generation - Tech Chums

To all the women with dreams- Dream on! – Thrive Global

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

With the womanhood fervor coloring us purple and feminism wind blowing all strong and powerful, the month of March, also coined as Womens History Month has kicked off on just the right and vivacious note. In a society that has long favored men, the special day, 8th March, just like the previous year, woke up to the celebration and recognition of women and their accomplishments all across the board.

Amidst all the feminist and womens liberation messages making the rounds this month, I want to take a moment to share my two bits on the same.

As we all know, this years theme #eachforequal signifies equal rights, equal opportunities and equal benefits for both the genders. It is majorly about strengthening the idea of creating an equal world which makes perfect sense as the equal world is indeed the enabled world.Put simply, it is predominately about levelling the playing field between genders and bridging the gap between sexes.

And as much as I respect this quest for equality, there is something I consider just as much significant.

And it is:

Empowering oneself on a personal level aka self-empowerment.On a humorous note, just as the equality phrase is all the rage this month, this self-empowerment also holds equally good for both the genders:).

Nevertheless, for now, lets not deviate from the topic at hand and keep the spotlight on women specifically.

Here is the thing:

Feminism and Womens day means a million things to a million people. But by my reckoning, Womens Day is synonymous to the personal empowerment of all women.

Self empowerment is what I consider foundational to all-round success in life. Not only it is about getting a grip on life back and taking control of it but it also extends to enabling and transforming the lives of fellow females around you.

Bit by bit, a tribe is formed.

A tribe of independent, motivated and empowered women who believe in together we soar mantra.

So here is something to chew on, for all the ladies out there!

This life is a gift and it is absolutely yours to shape.

# Fill your cup first

While juggling multiple roles at home and work, dont loose yourself.

Note that a strong footing in a relationship with yourself guarantees smoother and saner relationships with everyone around you. Love yourself. Celebrate yourself.

Sign an agreement to endow yourself with self-love. The time is now.

As they say, you cant pour from an empty cup.

# Let no one imprison your dreams. Dont forget that they are yours

Take charge of the wheel of your life and keep driving it along a direction that well aligns with your goals and happiness.

To be able to do that, you need to tap into your psyche and identify what triggers your happiness. Once you find that, keep treading towards it, in defiance of all the odds and ambiguities that keep popping up on the way.

# Be a trooper. The Unshakable one

In the face of all the odds stacked against you, keep pushing through.

Never settle when it comes to self-respect. and for that, the first thing you need to do is to brush aside the self-depreciating attitude that is ingrained in us through generations.

For long enough, we have been settling for crumbs when what we deserved was the full cake.

# Keep doing you

Be bullet proof to all the unsolicited, uncalled-for opinions and counsels while you are on a march towards your dreams. We women are not meant to be tossed around based on the perspective of others.

# No stamps of approval needed

Dump the attitude of seeking validations of well thought out decisions for yourself. As long as you are clear about the choices you make, no stamps of approval are needed.

Borrowing a quote from Madonna here:

Im tough, ambitious and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.

# Brace yourself

.Whenever your personal or professional decision would involve the crushing of stereotypical views

Eyebrows are bound to be raised.

Debates are bound to be sparked.

And

You are bound to be judged.

Dont fear them. Be a rebel but with a cause!!!!

In a nutshell-

We all have that unyielding spirit within that lays hidden inside all of us, without us having the faintest idea about its existence. It is only when push comes to shove that we encounter our inner gem of fortitude and grit. Time to say hi to her.

Make your voice count. Be the change-maker. Not only for your life but also for fellow women around.

Dont forget that the change starts with you.

THE TIME IS NOW!

FEED YOUR DESIRES!

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To all the women with dreams- Dream on! - Thrive Global

Religion news March 14 – The Republic

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

Services and studies

Dayspring Church Apostolic Worship begins at 11:15 a.m. at the church, 2127 Doctors Park Drive, Columbus. Every visitor will receive a free gift.

The Sunday Education Session starts at 10 a.m.

Bible Study is Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. and is a group session sponsored by Heart Changers International, LLC on Depression, Perfection and Anger with hand out questions. These help build our Personal Empowerment and walk.

Our Prayer of Power starts at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and is preceded with requests and instructions on prayer. The Celebrate Recovery Group session starts at 6:30 p.m. for about an hour.

Ignite is the Youth Growth Session that happens every third Friday.

For more information please call (812) 372- 9336, or email dayspringchurch@att.net.

East Columbus United Methodist Sunday events begin at 9 a.m. at East Columbus United Methodist Church at 2439 Indiana Ave., with fellowship time in the foyer with beverages and snacks. Worship begins at 9:30 a.m.

Sunday School begins at 10:40 a.m. for all ages and Bible interests.

Faith Lutheran The Sunday service will start at the 9 a.m. with Pastor Todd Riordan preaching, with Sunday school at 10:30 a.m.

Mens Bible study on Romans at Lincoln Square restaurant on State Road 46 West, 11 a.m. to noon Wednesday. Womens Bible study on Romans at Faith Lutheran from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Choir meets on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and all are welcome!

Preschool enrollment is open now and after school care is also offered, call 812-342-3587.

Lenten services have begun and are every Wednesday, until March 25, at 6:30 p.m., with communion. They will be preceded by a meal at 5:30 p.m. The theme for our Lenten series is The Body of God.

Services are available on our Facebook site: Faith Lutheran Church Columbus. More information is at Faithontheweb.org or call 812-342-3587.

The church is located at 6000 W. State Road 46, Columbus.

First Presbyterian As we continue with passages from Mark this Lent, we come across another contrast Jesus is highlighting between the Realm of God and the way humans do things. Mark 12:1-17 will be the focus, with a sermon titled Which Bucket? All are welcome!

Worship begins at 9:30 a.m., 512 Seventh Street in Columbus. Infant and toddler care is available 9:15 a.m. to noon. The Mens and Womens Support Groups meet on Fridays at 7 a.m., and a second Mens Support group (working age men) meets every Monday at 6:15 a.m.

People in the community in need of a meal are invited to our Hot Meals offered Friday at 5 p.m. (please enter through the glass doors on Franklin). We are an LGBTQ-friendly church. Open and affirming to ALL.

Information: fpccolumbus.org

First United Methodist On Sunday, March 15, at the 9 a.m. Traditional Service and 11 a.m. The Table, Rev. Howard Boles will deliver the message, Life as Worship: Passing the Peace at the church, 618 Eighth St. The scripture will be John 4:5-42.

Sunday School for all ages begins at 10:10 a.m. Childcare is available during the service.

Every Wednesday at noon through April 8 there will be a Lenten organ recital at various churches throughout Columbus. March 18 will feature Lindsey Fugill and John Simpson at St. Peters Lutheran.

On Friday, April 3, as part of our Fridays@First series, FUMC will host the group Echoing Air at 7 p.m. Echoing Air is an ensemble of voices with Baroque instruments that is dedicated to the exploration of and advocacy for music and features the pairing of two countertenor voices. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged and appreciated.

On Sunday, April 5, FUMC will host a Life Planning Seminar: Help with Estate Planning, Trusts, and Wills at 6 p.m. (Dinner will be served at 5:15). Lorie Mount of Voelz Law and other experts will lead a discussion on estate planning, trusts, and wills. This session is free and open to anyone in the community. Contact Rob Heathcote at 812-344-8437 with any questions.

Information: 812-372-2851 or fumccolumbus.org.

Flintwood Wesleyan The church is located at 5300 E. 25th St.

Sunday services are Amplify (non-traditional) at 9 a.m. and The Well (traditional) at 11 a.m. Both Amplify and The Well are in the main sanctuary and led by the Rev. Wes Jones, senior pastor. Sunday School classes meet in their regular rooms at 10 a.m.

The Prayer Team meets at 8 a.m. Adult Choir Practice is 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday evenings Celebrate Recovery begins with a meal at 5:25 p.m. in The Friendship Center and the meeting starts at 6 p.m. upstairs in Curry Hall.

Connections, a ladies study group, is led by Pastor Teri Jones. The group meets the second and fourth Monday of each month at 10 a.m. in The Friendship Center.

In the Beginning, a small group Bible study, meets Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m. They are now meeting in the basement of the church in the young adult classroom. They are studying the book of Genesis. You can start at any point so new members are welcome to join.

Wednesday activities begin with a meal at 5:30 p.m. The program, iKids (Ignite Kids) On Fire For Jesus! starts at 6:15 p.m. This program is for kids in Pre-K through the sixth grade. The Prayer Team meets at 6:15 p.m. in the Prayer Room and youth meets at 6:30 p.m. downstairs in the church. Bible study is at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary.

On Thursday, Cub Scout Pack #588 will meet at 7 p.m.

Small group Cover to Cover is a Christian book club that meets the second Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. to select a new book and discuss the book they just read. Group meets in The Friendship Center. If interested contact Kim Rutan at 812-343-2217 (call or text) or via email at flintwoodoffice@gmail.com.

March 8 is Baptism Sunday. If you wish to be baptized, please get in touch with Pastor Wes.

For further information, call 812-379-4287 or email flintwoodoffice@gmail.com. Church office hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Our website is flintwood.org.

Garden City Church of Christ On Sunday, at the 10 a.m. service, Garden City Church of Christ will begin the four-week sermon series called Grace is Greater. The message this week is Grace is Greater Than Your Guilt.

Garden City Church of Christ is located at 3245 Jonesville Road, Columbus.

For more information, visit gardencitychurch.com or call 812-372-1766.

Grace Lutheran The Rev. John Armstrong will preach on Sunday. Worship is at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., with Sunday School for all ages at 9:30 a.m.

Alpha, an introduction to the Bible continues Tuesday, March 17, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. with the topic Why & how should I tell others?

Searching Scripture begins Tuesday, March 17, 6 to 8 p.m. with the topic The Apostles Creed.

Midweek Lenten Service Eating your way through the Bible, from Genesis to Jesus continues on Wednesday, March 18, 6:30 p.m.

Lenten fellowship meal is Wednesday at 5:45 p.m.

The church is located at 3201 Central Ave., Columbus.

Old Union United Church of Christ Scriptures for the 10 a.m. Sunday service will include Matthew 20:20-26 and Luke 13:18-19. The message will be Small Things, Great Love.

Sunday school will be at 9 a.m. with fellowship at 9:40 a.m.

The church is located at 12703 N. County Road 50W, Edinburgh.

Petersville United Methodist Church The Rev. Stormy Scherer-Berry will give her message, The Teaching: Risking Challenge, on Sunday morning at the Petersville United Methodist Church at the 9 a.m. worship service. Scriptures from Matthew 22, Mark 12, and Luke 20 will be shared by the liturgist Deborah Loper. The focus will be on the fact that Jesus had the ability to draw the people to his teachings, and that posed a threat and challenge to the authorities. Had we been in the crowd, what would we have seen, heard and felt, and what would we have done?

Teresa Covert will share the childrens story, and the choir will present special music. A time of fellowship will follow the service, and the pastor will continue with the study of Shaped by Gods Heart at 10:30 a.m. Anyone is welcome to join the class.

The Bakers Dozen Bible study group will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday night at the Nolting home, while the Journey study group will meet at the same time and day at the Kimerling home. The Sit and Stitch Tuesday night group will be on hiatus through the month of March.

Choir practice will be held Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m.; persons wishing to sing with the choir during the Easter season are invited to join the choir.

Bible Study/Prayer Time will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday morning at the church; anyone is welcome to attend.

The United Methodist Womens group will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 19 with Kathy Pershing as hostess. President Kathy Bush will conduct the meeting and Chris Kimerling will be in charge of the program. The group will discuss the Community Easter Egg Hunt to be held on the church grounds Saturday, April 4 at 1 p.m. Toddlers thru sixth graders are invited to attend.

At 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 21, Movie Night will be held at the church; the movie will be appropriate for both children and adults. Those attending are invited to bring a comfortable folding chair if they wish, but metal folding chairs will be available. Snacks and drinks will be provided.

Information: 812-546-4438; 574-780-2379.

Sandy Hook United Methodist The church will be having a Bible study on the book of Jonah for seven spring Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. from April 1 through May 13. This video-based study is part of the Epic of Eden Bible studies.

Please contact the church office at 812-372-8495 or office@sandyhook.org if interested in participating (so books can be ordered)

The church is located at 1610 Taylor Road in Columbus.

St. Paul Lutheran Grace Upon Grace will be the theme during Lent at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 6045 E. State Street, as Pastor Doug Bauman presents the message Grace for The Woman At The Well based on John 4:5-30, 39-42 Sunday at the 8 & 10:45 a.m. services.

Christian Education classes begin for all ages at 9:30 a.m. The Spanish Worship Service begins at 10:45 a.m. in the Fellowship Room led by Vicar Fickenscher with Spanish Sunday School following at Noon.

The theme for the Wednesday 6:45 p.m. Lenten service will be based on Chief of Sinners Though I Be with Vicar Fickenschers message entitled Sin Is A Debt.

A meal of various soups with appropriate sides will be served in the Fellowship Room from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for a free-will donation benefiting evangelism projects. Prior to the service a hymn sing will begin in the church at 6:30 p.m.

Open enrollment for the 2020-2021 preschool and kindergarten registration continues. Classes are for children who are 3-, 4- or 5-years old by Aug. 1. Information: 812-376-6504 or stpaulcolumbus.org.

Information: 812-376-6504.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus On Sunday at 10 a.m., What Moves You? will be presented by Rev. Nic Cable and Pam Lee.

Everyone, at some point in life, has had a moving experience. It may be the birth of a child or seeing a powerful piece of theater. It might be from the death of loved one or in response to a crisis or injustice in community. As a congregation, we dont stay put, we move. So whatever moves you, whatever gets you up and engaged in this life, lets gather to explore this theme in community.

The church is at 7850 W. Goeller Blvd., Columbus.

Information: 812-342-6230.

Westside Community Pastor Dennis Aud will lead the service this Sunday at 10 a.m. at the church at the corner of 46 West and Tipton Lakes Blvd. This Sundays sermon will be the fifth in a series titled, The Malicious 7: Lust.

The childrens program for birth through sixth grade meets at the same time as the 10 a.m. worship service.

For more information on studies or small groups that meet throughout the week, contact the church office at 812-342-8464.

Music

North Christian Church The church is looking for singers to join their Chancel Choir. Rehearsals are Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at the church, 850 Tipton Lane, Columbus.

For more information, contact the Music Director, Travis Whaley, at music@northchristianchurch.com.

Events

Community Church of Columbus An eight-week parenting course entitled Parenting with Love and Logic is designed for parents of children ages 6 and under. The course will be offered at Community Church of Columbus, 3850 N. Marr Road, as part of the Tuesday Connection series. Dinner is also available each week at 5:30 p.m. along with child care at no cost.

East Columbus Christian Church Meal is at 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, with a menu of pulled Pork BBQ, slaw, baked beans, chips, desserts, and drinks.

The program will start at 7:15 p.m., lead by Brian Ebersold of Flat Rock Christian Church.

Acts 2:17 In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. The theme song is Be Thou My Vision.

The church is located at 3170 Indiana Ave., Columbus.

Eckankar of Southern Indiana The public is welcome to attend a Spiritual Discussion meeting on Sunday, March 15, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. The topic of discussion will be Eckankar Wisdom on Dreams.

Why do we dream? And how can dreams help us in our daily life? Well discuss these questions and also ways to explore and understand our dreams more fully.

The meetings focus on an aspect of Eckankar and will feature readings from the books of Eckankar with group discussions of the spiritual principles at work in our lives. Please join others to bring more spiritual insight and divine love into our daily lives.

The Spiritual Discussion group meets the third Sunday of each month at 1:30 p.m. Fellowship and light refreshments will follow. The meeting is at 7850 W. Goeller Blvd. located in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus building.

For more information, please see eckankar.org

Information about this meeting: 812-418-8392.

North Christian Church The Centering Prayer Group that meets in the North Christian Prayer Chapel, Lower Level #6, on Friday mornings from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. This is a drop-in prayer group, meaning that you can come as your schedule allows. Familiarity with Centering Prayer and its spiritual practices is not necessary. For more information, consult the Centering Prayer page at northchristianchurch.com.

The church is hosting the senior project of a Columbus North High School student who is collecting items for children who are in the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. The CASA program helps children who have been the victims of abuse and neglect. Items being collected include things to help comfort the kids like stuffed animals, blankets, etc., and hygiene items like toothbrushes, shampoo, lotions, etc. Donations should be brought to North Christian Church 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Thursday.

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Religion news March 14 - The Republic

Me, myself and I, the subject of Beyonc on the empowerment of women, it was 1 of LOS40 | LOS40 Classic – Matzav Review

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

Me, myself and I is one of the favorite songs of Beyonc. He was part of their first solo-cd, Dangerously in love (2003), and conveys a message of female empowerment: Tells the story of a girl whose boyfriend is cheating on you. Usually women feel stupid and silly and self-blame. And this song is a kind of celebration of the fraction () of women listen to their inner voice and know that you will never disappoint yourself.

Beyonc he reigned in LOS40 Me, myself and I between the 3. and 9. April 2004 and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks in the top 40 songs in the main music system. It was not the first time that the ex Destinys Child was in the nr. 1, the previously Crazy in lovand on 16 august 2003. Later, the man returned to in the first post If I were a boy and with Halo.

One of 15 songs, the Beyonc recording his solo debut. Was as the third single from the album, then Crazy in love and Bad boy. The decision for this theme as well as a third single was the own artist, because I wanted a song is more deep and personal relationship.

It is a ballad, R&B/ funk the Beyonc sings with passion and certainty. More than one regret, it is a hymn to the independence and liberation of women. Describes a habitual reality. Its really energetic. Speaking of women, basically listen to your inner voice and know that you will never be disappointed in yourselfBeyonc MTV News commented. His writing is rich in messages of empowerment of women to keep the head high, after a rupture traumatic, adds the artist.

Beyonc Johan turned Renck, so that the address of the video would. If premiere described the singer as it was designed: The video and also the song I wrote, it is for women, because I know that sometimes we have relationships that dont work and blame the guy or blame it on other girls, or blame us, we. And we listen to the inner voice that warns us, the right decision. I want the video reflects that. I tried to do something different, something fresh, something new in the optically. Exceeds the 66 million visualizations.

According to Beyonce, the video was made more difficult and never. In principle, it is not worked and the singer had to re-burn in your the most part. During the post-production, decided to Beyonc, its more artistic if the development of the story would have went backwards. The plot of the clip, Beyonc discovers that her fianc is unfaithful, if the red panties of her lover. Then all the memories, gets rid of the hair cuts and barefoot running, freed, transformed into a new woman. This whole story is backwards on the video rewound to the scene at the end of the first

/ Beyonce Knowles acts live in New York city in the year 2005. / (Joe Shield, Horn/Patrick McMullan)

The album Dangerously in love fed Beyonce as a soloist worldwide. 317.000 copies in its first week and debuted sold at number 1 on the Billboard 200 charts and made it five Grammy Awards. Has sold 11 million copies in the whole world.

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Me, myself and I, the subject of Beyonc on the empowerment of women, it was 1 of LOS40 | LOS40 Classic - Matzav Review

3 Keys To Mindfulness In Love Every Guy Should Follow For A Healthy Relationship That Lasts – YourTango

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

Spread the love by practicing mindfulness!

Mindfulness can be a powerful tool for men dissatisfied with dating, wondering how to get a girlfriend, or how to improve their current relationship. When practiced consistently, this method of thinking iseffective way of attracting and building the relationship you want.

With that said, mindfulness is the key to a loving and healthy relationship that will help you be a better husband and partner.

And the good news isyou can learn how to practice mindfulness in all your relationships.

RELATED: 15 Real Men Reveal Their #1 Struggle When It Comes To Relationships

In my personal empowerment coaching practice, I've had the opportunity to partner with some really brilliant, hardworking, and amazing men from physicians to corporate executives to the "Mr. Moms,"if you will.

Interestingly, the number one reason why men seek me out for relationship advice is togain clarity and direction in shifting their current relationship experience with their significant other into what they desire to experience.

So, how do you employ mindfulness to shift your relationship from where it is now to what you truly desire?

1. Be grateful.

Every day, list at least 10 things you are thankful and grateful for about your mate.

When we're able to sincerely and authentically express our gratitude, we are opening ourselves up to experiencing and receiving even more opportunities to express our gratitude.

After mastering the ability to express gratitude for what you see in your mate now, I challenge you to express gratitude for the qualities in them that you desire to see.

2. Just say no to the "blame game."

Unless we're mindful of the power of our speech, it is not always innately easy to keep our focus on the positive aspects of our mate.

In fact, I would venture so far as to say that it is much easier to point our finger and play the blame game when our relationships fall apart.

But where does that get us, really?

Energy flows where our attention goes. By engaging in the blame game, we focusour energy on everything we dont like about what our mate did or did not do, said or did not say.

All this behavior actually creates more of what you dislike. There is no sense in blaming yourself either, so dont even go there.

Say, "no" to the blame game, find out what you're grateful for about your partner, and then choose to shift your focus to what actually went right is it your children, pets, adventures, or experiences?

RELATED: Men, Here Are The 10 Most Important Things You Should Do On A First Date (And 6 Things You Should Never Do)

3. It's not your job to make your partner happy.

Of course, we want our mate happy. For most of us, it is our pleasure to contribute to anothers happiness.

At the same time, however, happiness is an individual choice that is not dependent upon any external forces.

A person may live in luxury and still be unhappy, while another person may have no idea where the next meal is coming from and still be able to "count it all in joy."

If we find ourselves exhausting our own energy trying to satisfy the happiness factor of our mate, it is past time to turn inward and start focusing on what makes us happy.

When we are able to step into our own joy, we become like the light of the candle shining for others who are receptive.

So, once you begin practicing mindfulness and take the above relationship advice to heart, you'll be able to find love and build the relationship you truly want in your life.

RELATED: Men, Here's 16 Traits That Women Are Really Looking For In A Partner

LeNae Goolsby is a lawyer turned intuitive personal empowerment life coach. If you would like LeNae to help you create the love relationship of your dreams, visit her website.

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3 Keys To Mindfulness In Love Every Guy Should Follow For A Healthy Relationship That Lasts - YourTango

Empower people to fend off surging inequality – DAWN.com

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

The Aurat March manifesto revolves around Khud Mukhtari or independence of women. It envisages a right recognised centuries ago in the early phase of the industrial revolution: that every individual has the right to mould the quality of his life as he deems fit but no one has the prerogative to usurp the rights of others.

Implicit in this concept is that rights and responsibilities go together. For example, in a representative democracy, the right to govern is linked with the duty to honour the electoral mandate. Though still hamstrung by a stubborn status quo, the space for individual rights is widening with growing pluralism within national societies. The fast-emerging multi-polar world is creating room for a more effective exercise of national sovereignty.

The footprints of individual self-determination (autonomy or Khud Mukhtari) are becoming more pronounced in semi-industrialised Pakistan, though not yet comparable to the extent observed in developed economies. The countrys women are choosing life partners, rejecting arranged marriages, even at the threat of losing their lives. Professionals are building their life-long careers through job-hopping instead of sticking to one institution or one country, helped also by managements flexible labour policy.

The footprints of Khud Mukhtari are becoming more pronounced in semi-industrialised Pakistan, though not yet comparable to the extent observed in developed economies

Corporate enterprises are no longer able to offer life-long careers to many of their employees owing to frequently recurring crises. To become lean, thin and agile, business outfits, helped by the latest technologies, quite often prefer to outsource jobs for other than their core activities. To suit the personal convenience of the staff, the rigid office timings are blended with flexible working hours. The wage labour system is being eroded by contract labour. Enabled by IT, individuals run businesses or work for foreign firms from their home with access to particularly developed markets. The labour market is undergoing a transformational change.

The movement for autonomy has gained much ground against over-centralisation over the past few decades. Institutional autonomy is generally recognised as a superior mode of governance. The State Bank of Pakistan wants more autonomy to manage its monetary policies. Many government activities are conducted through semi-autonomous organisations or corporate entities which operate within the policy framework and regulations set by the authorities. Similarly, all businesses enterprises enjoy operational freedom.

In the realm of political economy, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto says the separatist movements ran out of steam when the provinces were granted financial, legislative and administrative autonomy under the 18th Amendment. In fact, autonomy and majority are two inseparable aspects of democracy. Autonomy has provided huge space for sub-nationalities to make their own decisions at the sub-federation level. Institutions are also in place for functional coordination of economic activities between the federation and the federating units and among the provinces.

However, the provinces, managed largely by the sub-nationalities, are denying the local governments the financial and administrative autonomy provided under the 1973 Constitution. Even though it is well recognised that grassroots development can be best be carried out through participatory democracy.

In the conduct of external affairs, the issue of economic sovereignty (Khud Mukhtari) crops up from time to time, particularly when popular discontentment against externally influenced domestic economic policies hit its peak. One may recall here the title chosen by Ayub Khan for his autobiography, written after a decade of rich experience in governance, was Friends and Not Masters.

With domestic pressure mounting for moderating the pace of ongoing reforms, State Bank Governor Dr Baqir Raza says the building of foreign reserves with hot money will help the country exercise sovereignty and, coupled with the undergoing reforms, obviate the need to go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) again. On the other hand, the womens manifesto has demanded an immediate end to the IMF policies, inflation of food prices and called for an increase in workers minimum wages to Rs40,000.

The inequality among and within nations widened by globalisation has been followed by a return of nationalism and protectionism. The world is entering a new phase of globalisation whose course is being set by growing self-assertion of nations while, with rare exceptions, not losing sight of the spirit and benefit of collectivism. It is cooperation between independent entities, not conflict, that stimulates economic and social development.

In his book, The Price of Inequality, Joseph Stiglitz, winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, wrote that though microeconomic policies affect the wellbeing of most citizens, standard macroeconomic models dont even recognise that distribution of incomes matters. In the US, productivity is growing six times faster than wages. The eminent economist is of the view that inequality cannot be eliminated but it can be reduced by better policy options.

Addressing the first women conference on Economic Empowerment of Women held in Karachi on March 7, the former caretaker finance minister and ex-central bank governor Shamshad Akhtar informed the audience that cumulatively only 7 per cent of the women in Pakistan have access to financial inclusion services out of the total female population of 49pc. A mere 2pc of females are part of corporate boards. She emphasised that the empowerment of women requires massive investment in female education, literacy and healthcare.

Speaking at an event organised jointly by the Food and Agricultural Organisation and the International Labour Organisation, development economists called for implementation of the Women Property Rights Act 2019. They considered access to land and property crucial for empowering rural women who have been left behind.

Economic progress is hamstrung by a lag in social progress. The womens manifesto calls for an end to economic exploitation and social oppression. Quoting an IMF report, a businesswoman says if gender discrimination in workplaces is removed, Pakistans GDP would go up by 30pc The womens demand for their rights is an inseparable part of an international movement to build an equitable, egalitarian, right-based and prosperous society.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, March 16th, 2020

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Empower people to fend off surging inequality - DAWN.com

Women champions: The changing face of philanthropy – Salaam Gateway

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

This Q&A is with Kimberly Gire, Founder of Global Women Leaders Strategic Philanthropy. It ispart of Salaam GatewaysInternationalWomen's Day 2020series that isco-designedand curated byNyraMahmood, MD of UK-based Simply Sharia Human Capital (SSHC LTD), the publishers of the 2016 report "Women in Islamic Finance & Islamic Economy.

1. Salaam Gateway: What is the biggest gap and hence biggest opportunity for women and philanthropy?

Kimberly Gire: I feel it is important that I start off by framing this conversation in the context of global events. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened awareness for all of us on just how interconnected our world is, highlighting the need for immediate response and the importance of ensuring all countries are well-prepared with strong primary health systems.

TheBill & Melinda Gates Foundationhas moved quickly and joined forces withWellcome TrustandMastercardto create a COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator backed by $125 million to identify potential treatments for COVID-19, accelerate their development, and prepare for the manufacture of millions of doses for use worldwide. This is an example of the critical role philanthropy can play, through pooled funding as well as through catalysing innovation and leveraging well-respected voices to draw in additional partners and funds.

This agile leadership and expertise stems from the role the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and founding partners, demonstrated in establishing GAVI - the global vaccine alliance. GAVI has helped countries broaden vaccine coverage and very importantly - strengthen their primary health systems. This makes them less susceptible and better able to prevent disease outbreaks that pose a threat to people in these countries, protecting millions of others around the world.

For many women, philanthropy often starts very close to home, and women throughout history have supported the most vulnerable, giving their time, voices and raising much-needed resources directed to causes in their own communities. In our increasingly interconnected world, and with women leading at the highest levels in business, government and beyond, there is both the need and the opportunity for women to contribute to regional and global challenges on a much larger scale, leveraging their expertise, voices and funds both at home and beyond borders.

2. Do we need to look at womens philanthropy differently for Muslim-majority countries, compared to how organisations in the Western hemisphere work with female philanthropists in Europe and the U.S.?

Womens collective giving is an extremely popular and effective model of philanthropy in the Western hemisphere, which I can speak to from my personal experience founding and leading womens philanthropic initiatives - including giving circles, advocacy collectives and skills-based strategic philanthropy.

When looking at the opportunity to accelerate and grow the impact of womens philanthropy in Muslim-majority countries, it is important to recognise that many womens collectives and Quranic groups around the world make their own donations and fundraise for those most in need, therefore women are active givers and receivers of philanthropic efforts and of Islamic charity including zakat and sadaqah.

Muslim women are increasingly changing the wealth and economic landscape. For example, women in the Middle East now control 22% of the regions wealth, and women in Saudi Arabia hold a combined fortune of $11.9 billion, in cash. Working Muslim women are now a trillion-dollar market, representing 30% of the 450 million women in Muslim-majority economies.

There is a need to create new spaces where Muslim women can take the lead as decision-makers in expanding their philanthropic efforts, impacting lives and creating pipelines for sustainable action regionally and globally.

3. Following on from the Question 2,how do we leverage the growing wealth, influence and expertise of women in Islamic countries?

It is important to mention that Muslim women are already involved in global philanthropic activities. Indonesian philanthropist, PeggyMelati Sukma has devoted herself to charitable endeavours, collaborating withAksi Cepat Tanggap or ACT, a charity focussed on social care and humanitarian relief. In a project with ACT,Peggy launched the Akhwat Bergerak or Sisters Who Moveaimed at raising awareness among Muslim women and inviting them to contribute to humanitarian activities. Incidentally, Indonesia topped theCAF World Giving Index in 2018 with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates named in the top twenty most generous countries.

New pathways for womens giving have neither been properly identified nor framed by Muslim women as donors and leaders, enabling them to accelerate their own collective journey towards critical impact, addressing the needs of people and other women and girls at the margins in the region and globally. There is an opportunity to mobilize Muslim women's collective giving and strategic philanthropy, empowering, enabling and listening to women in Muslim-majority countries through an approach which gives them the tools to lead.

4. Are there specific Islamic social financial tools you think are suitably matched to Muslim women philanthropists across the OIC?

It is not often that you find a financial tool which embodies the holistic empowerment of society, alleviates poverty and examines the long-term and continued benefit of communities and sustainable development. Waqf - a voluntary and irrevocable dedication of a persons wealth or a portion of it in cash or in kind for the perpetual benefit of a community is the embodiment that does just that. It is probably one of the mostunderutilizedtools in Islamic social finance.

What is even more remarkable is that the tradition of waqf investments was once the domain proliferated by women across 16thand 17thcentury Ottoman empire. In fact at one pointin Jerusalem 56% of waqf fundswere run by women, notable women with means supporting the most vulnerable in their communities, whether through a physical endowment in the shape of a property (shelter) or though cash endowments. This was all made possible because of the frameworks established through Islamic law and traditions, which facilitated women to serve as waqf managers, foundation officers, and beneficiaries.

Reviving that once rich Islamic tradition, which became a practice of solidarity, cultivating civic duty and moving outside the traditional purview of women as only care-givers, legitimized the invested stake women had in their community and wider society.

5. How can women use the tools of finance, including Islamic social finance, to take the lead and drive transformative changes needed to support the most vulnerable communities, which are disproportionately women and girls themselves?

Based on my personal experience - leveraging my global banking and finance career and expertise gained in structured finance women can use the tools of finance and Islamic social finance to bridge the gap between philanthropy and finance.

Women in finance and business can work together to create new pathways to support the most vulnerable communities, especially women and girls at the margins.

There is an amazing cohort of women in finance, including Islamic finance, in the GCC and Malaysia, for example, who bring a depth of experience, and local, regional and global perspectives. Women such as Saudi Arabias Rania Nashar, the first female CEO of Samba Financial Group and named as one of Forbes Worlds 100 Most Powerful Women 2019 who in 2020 is also leading the B20 Saudi Arabia Women in Business Action Council. Maya Marissa Malek, Executive Director for Global Shariah Advisory and Compliance business for Amanie Group and the Chief Executive Officer of Amanie Advisors global office, UAE who is passionate about innovating solutions though Islamic finance. And Elissar Farah Antonios, CEO for Citi UAE since 2016 and Citi Cluster head for UAE, Levant & Iraq from 2019 who is a seasoned banker with over 25 years of experience focused on the Middle East.

There is no shortage of women of talent and expertise in Muslim-majority countries to lead transformative change.

6. You are resolute in the belief that women should be at the centre of design, when it comes to mechanisms which look at sustainable and scalable solutions for areas disproportionately affecting women, such as health and education. How do we make this a reality?

Absolutely. It is critical to look at solutions through a gender lens when it comes to issues and areas impacting women and girls.

We are achieving this by creating new spaces, such as our Global Women Leaders community, with women at the center of the design process. To have long-term sustainable impact, it is imperative to include women from not only business and philanthropy, but also from NGOs, grass-roots organizations, and with input from the women and girls we seek to support.

As a member of the B20 Advocacy Caucus, I also believe the lead up to the B20 Saudi Arabia in October 2020 offers a high-profile, global platform to bring more women leaders in finance and business to the philanthropy design table. I am excited by the opportunity to work in partnership with women leaders from the MENA region and OIC countries, pooling and leveraging our skillsets, connections and knowledge to create new philanthropic pathways to contribute to global public goods, including key challenges in health, education and emotional and economic empowerment.

7. In your experience, have you seen women become more strategic in their philanthropic efforts and reaching beyond traditional giving pathways, pivoting to grassroots communities and causes?

Women do not simply want to donate, but they want to see proper governance and be involved in impactful projects which can be scaled and sustained. What theyve managed in the last decade is to democratize philanthropy through collective giving circles, which is changing the face of philanthropy. Giving circles are not a new concept and have existed throughout history in different forms globally and across traditions, including within Muslim women-led groups.

What is also important to note is that women, especially in the GCC are also playing a vital role in family businesses. A Strategy& report conducted a GGC-wide study of family-run offices and found that 50% of those interviewed said women are leading their families philanthropic activities, and 90% expected women to take on even larger philanthropic roles in the coming years. These women, like many young millennials in the region, want sophisticated ways in which their philanthropy can enable and engage wider audiences and create sustainability as well as bring technical know-how and innovations to their regions.

To build on the work and success of women within philanthropy, and across Muslim-majority countries with rising social mobility, increasing labor participations and women taking the lead in philanthropic activity in family-run businesses - we need to lay down more direct pathways for them to navigate beyond local charity, enabling them to build that value chain of impact, so they can support local community and grassroots charities, when they choose, but also participate as global citizens.

8. There is an opportunity to engage and draw in Muslim women philanthropists in the OIC by institutions government, NGOs, private foundations why is this not happening on a large scale and how do we change that to engage more women?

To date, there has been very little engagement with Muslim women philanthropists due to a lack of visibility / profile and lack of obvious pathways for them to engage. For the past three years, Global Women Leaders has stepped in as a global collective of strategic philanthropists, sharing experiences from around the world and collaborating with Muslim women diaspora and particularly with women in MENA.

It is important for women in the region to explore new philanthropic models, with the narrative they want to create and lead, mapping out their expectations, how they can take ownership of their philanthropic efforts, while shaping their own agenda. Taking ownership, steering conversation, shaping agendas and being decision-makers in philanthropy through a MENA women-lens. Finding the language that tells their story demonstrates the value sets and ideas of the region and its women.

9. As women advance in the workforce and their wealth increases, they are more likely to give to charity than men (according to the Institute of Fundraising research 2017 and the US Trust Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy 2018), so how do we utilize and develop the pipelines for more strategic giving among women?

Women are not new to the philanthropic space both in the OIC and across the globe. They have arguably lacked the visibility on par with their male counter-parts, despite womenvolunteeringtheir time and expertise to philanthropic activities and making75% of the non-profit workforce. In creating the pipelines and developing strategic thinking for women donors and philanthropists, first we need to understand the motivations behind womens giving - what are the expectations of this key audience and how do you as an organization facilitate that deeper and long-term connection with women.

One of the critical successes for developing womens giving, especially at an institutional level, is to have strong, engaged and knowledgeable women as a part of the process in advisory, on boards, in decision-making and in designing tools and mechanisms for scale and impact.

In my experience women are much more practical and hands-on in their approach to giving, so pipelines and pathways for giving must engage women on the issues that matter to them and look further than the dollar amount raised, connecting with their expertise, networks and influencing power in a meaningful and authentic way.

10. What personally drives you in this space and to work with women specifically?

From a personal perspective, I know that the skills and expertise built up through a career in banking and finance is a valuable and largely untapped philanthropic asset that can be given back alongside traditional giving.

As demonstrated by the GAVI model, innovative, collective models of giving can be extremely effective and impactful. There is an enormous opportunity for women to step forward and contribute on a significant scale, with a gender lens, to creating new philanthropic models tailored to the OIC and utilizing finance and Islamic financial mechanisms.

The time is now, to elevate, amplify and accelerate the collective action of Muslim women, who are defying labels and definitions constructed on their behalf.

Global Women Leaders are committed to working collectively - supporting an environment, based on equity and equality, that helps create the pathways needed to mobilize women donors and design mechanisms they can access and direct. It is my absolute privilege to do all I can to encourage and inspire more women to join us on this collective journey.

Continue reading Salaam GatewaysInternationalWomen's Day 2020series.

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Women champions: The changing face of philanthropy - Salaam Gateway

Nutrition and Fitness Experts Precision Nutrition, Renaissance Periodization, the Online Trainer Academy, Trainerize, Girls Gone Strong and Others…

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

Toronto, March 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Precision Nutrition, the worlds largest online nutrition and healthy lifestyle coaching and certification company is partnering with Renaissance Periodization, leaders of science-based nutrition and exercise, the Online Trainer Academy, the worlds first certification for online fitness and nutrition training, Trainerize, a client engagement mobile app for fitness professionals, and Girls Gone Strong, a global leader in womens health, fitness, and pre- and postnatal education to share their knowledge with professionals in the nutrition and fitness industry in an effort to help them navigate challenges resulting from COVID-19. As individuals are exercising social distancing, these companies have created new, free resources to help fitness professionals address concerns from their clients, and also evaluate the steps required to maintain a business remotely.

In recent weeks, our community has raised real concerns about how they will continue their livelihood in the midst of closing gyms and cancelling appointments. Precision Nutritions more than 20 years of experience coaching nutrition online, combined with the expertise and support of our partners has encouraged us to try to help nutrition and fitness professionals with the challenges presented by COVID-19, said Tim Jones, Precision Nutrition Chief Executive Officer. During these stressful times, we are proud to continue focusing our efforts on helping fitness professionals take care of themselves, so they may help others do the same.

An unprecedented, rapidly changing business environment has emerged and new, urgent client concerns are being faced by coaches and personal trainers. In response, Precision Nutrition, Renaissance Periodization, the Online Trainer Academy, Trainerize, and Girls Gone Strong have formed the Coalition of Health and Fitness Leaders (CHFL). This coalition aims to share their collective experience in coaching hundreds of thousands of clients with nutrition and fitness professionals navigating these challenges, as well as identifying opportunities to build more resilient business practices. These companies hope to help those coaches and trainers seeking additional support to move from fear, uncertainty, and confusion and towards empowerment, clarity, and productive action.

Dr. Spencer Nadolsky of Renaissance Periodization added, At times of worry, it is imperative that we evaluate our priorities to understand how we can have the largest impact on those who need it most. The creation of this coalition is the beginning of a unified movement within our industry to support the communities we serve.

The first initiative of the CHFL is a free digital panel discussion that will provide coaches with guidance on how to transition from in-person to online training and how to maintain and support their clients. Facilitated by Precision Nutritions director of curriculum, Krista Scott-Dixon, PhD, the panel of experts will include:

The panel discussion will be available on Thursday, March 19, 2020 at 1:00pm EST. Those interested in viewing the discussion can do so by clicking the following link at the aforementioned date and time: get.pn/CHFL-Expert-Panel-Discussion.

With quarantines imminent and a growing general fear surrounding crowds, fewer and fewer people are venturing outside and they definitely arent going to the gym, said Jonathan Goodman of the Online Trainer Academy. People who work in fitness are facing serious financial trouble. That, and its more important now than ever to keep our population healthy during this trying time. Effective remote training is paramount right now for fitness industry personnel and exercisers looking for ways to stay engaged with their fitness and training regimens.

Following the panel, complimentary resources will be made available with actionable next steps coaches can immediately take. This includes programming recommendations, answers to common client FAQs, and the latest medical information available.

The current situation we are all facing is uncharted territory in many ways, but I know we will all get through this and come out on the other side stronger for it. To do that though, we will need to collaborate as one unified community to raise each other up, share our knowledge, and use every tool available to us, said Sharad Mohan of Trainerize. Were proud to be part of the Coalition of Health and Fitness Leaders during this time when the industry now more than ever needs to work together.

To help extend the reach of these resources, the CHFL is looking for other companies and organizations within the larger health and fitness industry to join as partners of the Coalition. Those interested in exploring this opportunity are encouraged to reach out to partners@healthandfitnesscoalition.com to learn more and receive additional information.

"At Girls Gone Strong, we're proud to be working alongside Precision Nutrition, Renaissance Periodization, the Online Trainer Academy, and Trainerize as part of the Coalition of Health and Fitness Leaders. Together, we have a powerful opportunity to create a platform from which we can share evidence-based, practical, and compassionate information and concrete steps health and fitness professionals can use to navigate these uncertain times, said Molly Galbraith of Girls Gone Strong. We hope you accept this invitation to join us in our mission of getting this valuable information to as many professionals as possible."

About Precision Nutrition

Precision Nutrition offers a sustainable, practice-based approach to losing fat, building strength, and getting healthy. As a global leader in providing health and fitness professionals the education, tools, and coaching they need, nearly 100,000 coaches in 120 countries use the Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certificationalong with ProCoach, the companys proprietary coaching softwareto improve client results, increase operational efficiency, and drive business growth. Precision Nutrition offers the only nutrition certification endorsed by CrossFit, the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The American Council on Exercise (ACE) and The National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) also approve Precision Nutrition for its professionals continuing education credits.

In addition, Precision Nutrition Coaching for Men and Women is a personalized, evidence-based healthy nutrition and lifestyle program, which has been validated in multiple peer-reviewed studies, and helped over 100,000 people improve their nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle. For more information, visit http://www.precisionnutrition.com.

About Renaissance Periodization

At Renaissance Periodization (RP), we see our mission as that of delivering the most effective, scientifically sound and reliable diet and training consultation to anyone who wants to use it to achieve results. When it comes to your goals and aspirations in the areas of physique alteration, sports performance, and health, we're passionate about helping you target your time and efforts doing what works, and avoiding what doesnt.

With a staff comprised of an unrivaled number of PhDs, RDs, physicians, top researchers, and athletes in the industry, RP is proud to leverage the collective knowledge and experience of our staff to guide you towards success on your fitness journey. The transformations we're well-known for on social media are more than skin deep, but also help our clients make permanent, healthy lifestyle changes. We've helped more than 100,000 people across the globe change their lives with our diet and exercise templates and app along with more than 10,000 clients one-on-one with our highly educated coaches. For more information, visit http://www.RenaissancePeriodization.com.

About the Online Trainer Academy

The Online Trainer Academy (OTA) is the premier online training certification for ambitious, passionate fitness professionals. Founded by Jonathan Goodman in 2013, OTA has now certified coaches in 83 countries. Accompanying the certification is the first-ever textbook for online fitness trainers, The Fundamentals of Online Training, now in V2.0. OTA is a preapproved continuing education provider endorsed by most worldwide accredited certification bodies including NASM, ACE, CanFitPro, PTA Global, UK Reps, and Fitness Australia. For more information, visit http://www.theptdc.com/ota.

About Trainerize

In this digital age, working out is no longer connected to a physical space. Trainerize is a client engagement mobile app for fitness professionals that empowers fitness professionals and fitness studios worldwide to reach, engage, and motivate people to change their lives for the better. Trainerize is making fitness more accessible by connecting more people to fitness professionals who can help them workout, eat better, and improve their habits. By combining online workouts, nutrition tracking, meal planning, client communication, and access to the world's best fitness add-ons, Trainerize allows fitness professionals to focus on what they love to do most: train and motivate their clients.

To learn more about Trainerize visit: http://www.trainerize.com.

About Girls Gone Strong

Girls Gone Strong (GGS) is the world's largest platform dedicated to providing evidence-based, interdisciplinary, women-specific health, fitness, and nutrition education for women and the professionals who work with them. At GGS, youll find industry-leading education materials, certification programs, and coaching, all focused on women and designed to help you reach your goals whether youre a health and fitness professional looking to level up your knowledge or a woman wanting to feel stronger, healthier, and more confident.

Thousands of health and fitness professionals in more than 70 countries use our Pre- and Postnatal Coaching Certification and Women's Coaching Specialist Certification to help keep their pre- and postnatal clients safe, healthy, and strong, and to confidently help their female clients with issues like body image struggles, pelvic floor dysfunction, menopause, and more all within their scope of practice. For more information, visit: http://www.girlsgonestrong.com.

Nutrition and Fitness Experts Precision Nutrition, Renaissance Periodization, the Online Trainer Academy, Trainerize, Girls Gone Strong and Others...

Matt McGorry Talks Money And Inspires Justice – Forbes

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Danzig

Activist and actor Matt McGorry is the co-founder of Inspire Justice.

Netflix may not be one of the first things that comes to mind when you think about inspiring social change but maybe it should be. Increasingly, writers, actors, and directors are considering the social implications of their content. Its why in the midst of the immigration crisis at our southern border, we saw actors from TV prison-drama Orange is the New Black lend their platforms to our Real Money Moves campaign, keeping money out of private immigrant detention centers and instead, looking at ways to invest back into communities. And why (spoiler alert) the plot of season three takes on the issue of for-profit incarceration, by demonstrating the potential real consequences for inmates when the prison is bought by a private company.

Another of the original OITNB cast members, known for his role as Corrections Officer John Bennett, Matt McGorry has made a name for himself as an artivist constantly looking for opportunities to use his celebrity and media presence to illuminate the struggles of the most marginalized, and to ask people to join him in examining their own power, privilege, and opportunities to create change. His company Inspire Justice sets out to educate, organize and train celebrities, influencers, and media companies to best leverage their hearts, creativity, and platforms to transform culture toward social good. I sat down with McGorry to learn more about this venture, and dive into the role of money and cultural change in forging a better future for all of us.

Youve made your mark in Hollywood not only for your contributions to hits like Orange is the New Black and How to Get Away With Murder, but for your role as an outspoken advocate for social justice across the board. How do you see the fight for economic justice intersect with the fight for racial and gender justice?

Quite simply there is no racial and gender justice without economic justice. In order for people to even have a chance to thrive, they need to be able to meet their basic needs. And in a country where the number-one cost of bankruptcy is people trying to pay their medical bills, its impossible for people to really live their best lives if they have to worry about how to pay for the basic costs of living.

Because of systemic racism and sexism, women of color are more likely to be in poverty. So really gender justice without economic justice means that at the end of the day, wealthy white women may benefit, while leaving poor women and especially poor women of color behind. My understanding of how all these different pieces come together was definitely a journey, and was not something that I initially knew as I began stepping into my role as an activist.

I think for many of us, theres this fear of talking about money. Whether we grew up with it or without it, theres a lot of money trauma that perpetuates in communities. I wanted to ask what your personal money story has been over time. What was your relationship to money at a young age, how did that shift, and then how is that impacting your activism?

I grew up in a family that had money, and I was not given a political analysis of how that money accumulated. And I think when we dont understand the systemic factors, were left to fill in the blanks. And those blanks are usually filled with ideas of individualism and this American bootstrapping mythology. Simultaneously, I had a feeling of guilt that my family was able to be comfortable while knowing that other families were not. And that of course had made it difficult to talk about.

It was about six years ago when I first became aware of the concept of feminist politics and my own privilege as a man like when I realized I projected an expectation on a woman that I would not have on a man. And at the same time, I was talking to a woman in my life about being an entrepreneur, trying to start a business, and having to deal with all of the things that women have to deal with, including riding this fine line between not being so friendly to not seem like youre flirting, while also not being too cold. I realized, though I might not necessarily be as bad as some of the people that I was hearing about, , the ideas that I had and the ways that filtered into my being were of the same system.

My initial foray in getting into activism was looking at feminist politics solely through a gender lens. I had been unconsciously looking to mostly white women to understand how to be an ally. It shows how systems of privilege filter into all areas, right? And as I began to grow, reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, for example, I came to understand that anti-racism was a really essential part of this as well. My own analysis and politics was actually inadequate. Because women of color experience both sexism and racism, its a unique combination that is not just the sum of its parts, but becomes something entirely different.

bell hooks wrote a book called Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center that talks about racism historically even in the feminist movement. Feminist women like Betty Friedan for example, wrote the Feminist Mystique which rang true for many women of the time and was an important experience to be talking about but at the same time it was erasing the experiences of many poor and working class Black women. Over time I was able to understand that essentially if I wasnt being explicit with really fighting racism and classism in my feminism, then I would be tending to be lifting up those who still have the most privilege.

And now youre in business with lots of amazing women. Tell me more about Inspire Justice, how it came together, and what are you looking to build.

JLove Caldern became a social impact advisor to me about two years ago. At the time I had met her I was in a place where I frankly wasnt sure if I was going to be able to continue being an actor or not. There was so much personal development work that was lacking, so much lacking in terms of really understanding how to move through conflict and have conversations in a productive and generative way. As I began to really understand more and more about how systems of power operated and how I was complicit with them, the specific model that she used and that we ended up developing together really completely changed my life. Its a combination of both social impact advising and empowerment coaching. And really to be able to hold people accountable with love in the way that JLove did for me.

We start with our core values: we believe that accountability plus love equals liberation. Some of what we see in our coaching a lot is that the Hollywood industry is just like the industry of the world of business or non-profits. Theyre all very ripe with racism and sexism and are primarily controlled by white men who are not necessarily aware or are trying to actively de-construct those things. Theres been a great hunger and gratitude for the integrity that were able to bring to the work. And to support people to act in integrity with their values, while still being able to live in this career.

As social entrepreneurs, we have a triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit. We do one-on-one coaching as well as trainings. For example we were able to lead a series of trainings for How to Get Away With Murder, that were aimed toward producing a more thriving culture for the entire cast and crew and creatives.

When we recognize the system has been designed to exploit, we also know that we must do the best that we can. And unfortunately in the non-profit system, a lot of times harm can be reproduced by those who are funding the work, by maintaining a really tight grip over how much money will get spent. And in order to truly move resources in a way that empowers people, communities, and grassroots organizations, we believe that money should not be contingent on it being used in a certain way. Ninety-two percent of foundation CEOs are white, and 98% of foundation boards are white. It means that those who are farthest from the problem, from the pain of how the systems impact them, are not the ones making those decisions we need to shift this dynamic.

Decolonizing Wealth Event with Inspire Justice co-CEO's and Social Impact Advisors. Left to right: ... [+] Dayanara Marte, JLove Caldern, Siva Kaneswaran, Edgar Villanueva, Favianna Rodriguez, Matt McGorry, Ella Turenne, Richard Reseda.

Knowing that a number of people that youre advising, whether or not they came from wealth, have had the opportunity to have thriving careers as cultural influencers, Im curious what youve been learning or sharing with folks about how they can use their role as wealth owners for good.

A big part of how we do this work is advising folks on where to put their time, their creativity, and their resources. Specifically, our model of change at Inspire Justice is one that supports grassroots organizing. In order to make the largest changes that we really believe are necessary, in order to shift the country from the way that its been for the last several hundred years, we believe it requires deep and radical work. And we find oftentimes that grassroots organizations are the ones doing that work. And they tend to exist outside the nonprofit structure as well. Obviously the nature of 501(c)(3)s is that they are apolitical but at the end of the day, nothing is apolitical.

Can you share more in terms of the decision to make Inspire Justice a for-profit as opposed to a non-profit? I think nowadays a lot of young folks are looking at the landscape of social enterprises and trying to figure out what structures are best. Theres so many different options; you could be a non-profit, a for-profit, a co-op, or a collective how did you decide which organizational structure was going to best serve your purposes?

Often, activists dont get paid for the work that they do. Id see this with other friends of mine who are actors or artists or public figures where they would ask folks who were primarily organizers or activists questions about should I take this project? And its beautiful and great to be able to have a deep relationship and connection with folks across the spectrum from organizers to artists. But at the same time, there ends up being a lot of unpaid labor. And its an injustice to see people who are fighting so hard for the world that we all need, sometimes not even be able to make ends meet.

Obviously theres important work thats done in the non-profit sector, including services that are provided in the meantime while our government does not provide those services. Through this work, though, to be able to have folks be supported, we can also allow them to continue in the more radical politic that they have, without feeling like they may have to regretfully go to a nonprofit or be in a place where they might have to shave off the more radical edges of the work that they are doing.

As a business, folks who have class privilege and can pay us are doing that, and out of that were also able to run a reparations platform and use a profit-sharing platform.

Amen to paying activists. Were a fan of that philosophy. And I think that goes back to really thinking about how your work can not just transform money, but also transform the culture of money.

Edgar Villanueva, author of Decolonizing Wealth, is a part of your very robust team of social impact advisors. Im curious how you think about decolonizing wealth when youre talking to some of your clients about what their relationship to money should be. Knowing that a number of actors or athletes might be first-time wealth holders asking Where do I donate? or Where do I invest? for the first time how do you help this process become transformational both for them and for communities?

Edgars an incredible thinker and activist, and his work has obviously had such a huge impact in the world of philanthropy and beyond. The part of Edgars message that really resonated with me and is a part of my own personal politic and the way that we work at Inspire Justice is this idea of mutual liberation. The mindset I grew up with, which is often what is propagated in the nonprofit world, was that poor people were underserved or needy. And these words often come with the connotation that its unfortunate. And I think that its a real problem when we begin to see injustice as unfortunate, because injustice means that there is the possibility of justice to be done, and it means that people have been deprived of that by the system. Viewing people with pity I think actually reinforces separation between people.

I love that Edgar really talks about money being medicine. Its not inherently evil. And it opens the opportunity for healing. Theres this sort of scarcity approach that still exists that even if theres not real scarcity, there's a hoarding of resources and power and control. That actually is really detrimental to everyone in a way, though poor and working class folks are affected by it most. For me it actually feels like a spiritual harm. To be out of integrity with my deepest values is to mean that I cant face the truth. And if I cant face the truth about the world around me, facing my own truth is going to be that much harder, and therefore my evolution as a human being is going to be much harder.

In our Real Money Moves campaign, we talked a lot about expanding our definition of legacy as it applies to ones personal investment philosophy. That its great to look at your kids and your grandkids one day and be able to say, Here is the wealth that I built for you but that joy is greatly diminished, in the context of, for instance, investments in private prisons and immigrant detention centers, that may mean you have to lock up someone elses family in order to serve your own.

Im curious in particular, working with people in the public eye, do you feel like youre able to shift that concept of legacy and how it connects to capital accumulation? Can we build legacies for our own families, without hurting the families of others?

I do. And obviously different folks of different identities have all sorts of different relationships with money as well, and rightly so. Because even if one person in a family that came from a poor working class background is doing well, that often might mean that they are supporting other folks, for example, in a way that I would not necessarily have to.

What was a big realization for me a couple of years ago was that the accumulation of privilege and that sort of general wealth that youre talking about was building before I was born, from the racist policies that were in place, that might not even be in place anymore. So if members of my family benefited from the New Deal, bank loans, and policies that were pretty much exclusively for white people that is part of how the wealth got accumulated.

Theres this great quote from Edgars book:

White supremacy is a story that humans created. Race is just a story that humans created. Resources and scarcity, greed, as an inescapable aspect of human nature, and that money is the root of all evil, are all stories. Over time these stories have become so solidified and familiar and true, that they begin ruling our view of the world and our choices.

I think that theres so much in that. That again, even if, for example, folks with class privilege are not necessarily materially impacted by the systems of scarcity that exist even the fact that we live in a country where frankly the possibility of destitution can get so real, so deep, and so scary I think it makes us cling on to control in a way thats even toxic for those that have wealth. And I do believe in this idea of being able to redistribute wealth as fulfilling, even for those who have class privilege in the first place.

Absolutely. I really appreciate what you were saying through Edgars work around the need for new stories around money and policy. Thats been really integral to the energy that Bernie Sanders has brought to this election, and you've been an active supporter of his campaign for President. Could you talk about why you think hes the best candidate to dismantle the inequity so entrenched in our country?

I love that he has essentially been for all of the things were currently talking about, for as far back as we can look. Hes had a consistency in values. Oftentimes these ideas of justice and equity and fairness seem radical, but more people begin to accept them. It requires someone really willing to stay the course of that over the long haul.

Its been really great for me to see these ideas that hes been pushing for since the 2016 election, and really since Occupy Wall Street, that started to come to the forefront of consciousness around the 99%. And the need to redistribute wealth is exciting to me that these have now become topics that are part of the mainstream conversation. That through organizing workers, Bernie was able to raise the minimum wage for a number of the largest corporations in the country, is huge and very telling about the energy that he brings, and the energy that he creates and sustains in those who are following him.

We have in this country three men who own more wealth than the bottom half of the entire country. And its an unsustainable model, it doesnt make sense. To be living in a city like Los Angeles where there are so many billionaires and yet there are close to 60,000 unhoused people, I think theres a new story that needs to be told. Its not just unfortunate that people are having to sleep out in the streets, but its actually an injustice. And in this political system, where money buys power and power buys leverage, its so important that those who have that power and that leverage are willing to redistribute it in the most effective way possible.

In order to be able to do that, as part of the model of change at Inspire Justice, folks on the ground who are closest to the pain of the problems and really have the solutions are the ones who drive them. Because no matter how many books Ive read and Ive read many books trying to figure it all out or how many direct actions Ive been to, or lectures Ive been to at the end of the day, there needs to be a community that is supporting this work and its critical for me as an actor to be able to lean on our community of incredible advisors to say I dont actually have to do this all myself. This is what I have this community for. To show me the areas that I cant see, and to point me in the right direction.

Share a bit more about some of the specific initiatives with Inspire Justice that youre excited about, and how people can connect with your work.

For folks that are wanting to follow on the journey and the development, social media is a great tool for that. Our instagram is @weinspirejustice. A lot of times well help people plug into campaigns, like the Measure R campaign which just passed in LA and is really exciting.

For folks that are artists who have public platforms, who are interested in doing this deep work of personal transformation towards collective liberation, they can reach out through the website: weinspirejustice.com.

Were going to continue expanding and we have so many brilliant minds in the company who just blow me away in terms of their ideas for building out the organizing capacity. So I think its been an exponential growth process as new ideas are born and created and interacted with. Im excited to see where that continues to grow.

Thanks to Jasmine Rashid for her contributions to this piece. Full disclosures related to my work here. This post does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice, and the author is not responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.

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Matt McGorry Talks Money And Inspires Justice - Forbes

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