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Virtual reality beats blockchain as the hottest job in tech – Decrypt

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Blockchain is no longer the most desirable job in the technology industry, according to a new report by the job site, Hired. Blockchains out, and virtual realitys in.

Job demand for augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) engineers increased by 1,400% in 2019. In comparison, the demand for blockchain engineers increased by just 9 percentfar lower than the 517% rise it saw in 2018.

While the blockchain sector grew rapidly in 2018, fuelled by the late-2017, early-2018 bull run, crypto prices stagnated across the board and many companies were forced to let staff go. However, without facing the same kind of difficulties, AR/VR has been able to flourish.

Is blockchain losing its allure? Image: Shutterstock.

We see the growth in AR/VR demand as a direct reflection of the technology itself coming of age for a broader swathe of business outside of gaming, wrote Hired. From beauty companies like Sephora to furniture retailers like Wayfair, many different types of companies are embracing the capabilities of these world building and enhancing technologies.

Hireds findings clash with those from another site for professionals, LinkedIn. In a report released last month, LinkedIn found that blockchain is the top hard skill that employers in the US, the UK, France, Germany, and Australia are looking for in 2020. And job postings for blockchain roles increased by 26% in 2019.

The different figures could be due to the different datasets: LinkedIn and Hired likely attract slightly different employers onto their sites.

But the good news for blockchain developers is that they still make top dollar. According to Hireds report, they are earning $162,000 per year in 2020. Perhaps they dont need a bull market after all.

Tavittcoin leaves Ethereum and Waves and migrates to the TRON blockchain – Crypto News Flash

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

According to a new post, Tavitt Co., Ltd, reported that it will enter the BitTorrent BTFS ecosystem. In addition, Tavittcoin will be transferred to TRONs TRC20 blockchain and will no longer use the Ethereum and WAVES platforms. Tavitt will establish a period in which Tavittcoin users can move to the TRON blockchain.

According to the publication, the main reason for the migration to the TRON ecosystem is the potential reach in number of users that will benefit Tavitt. Tavitt is a platform that provides recommendations and content about tourist sites around the world to travelers who can profit from their trips. Through Tavittcoin, users can earn revenue from travel and from travel routes they can design themselves. Tavitt Co., Ltd. was established on May 16, 2014 in Thailand.

About 100 million users worldwide use BitTorrent, and the BTFS ecosystem provides tools that are unmatched by its competitors. Tavitt is interested in applying these tools to develop new use cases for Tavitt and Tavittcoin. For example:

Tavitt users hope to get more information about traveling, they can download a wide range of contents from BTFS. Travelers can also manage these contents while traveling by using BitTorrent Remote. It is useful to be able to display desirable contents / media in the case that you are offline when there is no internet available while at the traveling destination.

According to the publication, the BitTorrent ecosystem and the TRON blockchain will be a must for the development of decentralized applications (DApp) in the future. Specifically, Tavitt hopes to develop better applications for travelers.

The crypto community has discussed the progress that TRON has made over its competitors, especially the advantages of the TRON blockchain against Ethereum. Blockstream CEO Adam Back said in a Twitter discussion that TRON is superior to Ethereum. In addition, the Tron Foundation has better funding for the development of its projects.

Back received criticism for his claims that became more controversial when he was seen posing in a photo with TRON CEO Justin Sun. This was the beginning of the rumor that TRON might move to the Bitcoin-based Blockstream liquid network. As of yet, this information has not been confirmed and remains a possibility.

Last Updated on 12 February, 2020

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Tavittcoin leaves Ethereum and Waves and migrates to the TRON blockchain - Crypto News Flash

HIVE Blockchain Updates on Anticipated Cost Reductions; Announces RSU and Option Grants – Yahoo Finance

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

ZUG,SwitzerlandandVANCOUVER, Feb. 10, 2020 /CNW/ - HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. (HIVE.V) (HVBTF) (the "Company" or "HIVE") is pleased to announce that it now anticipates an approximately 40% reduction in the Company's operating and maintenance costs at its GPU mining facility in Sweden , compared to such costs under its previous service provider agreement which it ended in November, 2019.

The updated cost reduction figure is higher than the approximately 25% that the Company had previously anticipated, as announced in its December 2, 2019 press release. This improvement is the result of locking in a lower than anticipated electricity rate, stemming from an unusually warm winter in Sweden , for a majority of the Company's electricity costs via hedging agreements that will continue through 2020. Electricity, which is provided through green energy, comprises the majority of the Company's operating and maintenance costs.

"We're extremely pleased to have locked in advantageous electricity prices in Sweden through our direct agreements with local suppliers, the result of HIVE assuming full control of its Sweden operations in November," said Frank Holmes , Interim Executive Chairman of HIVE. "This provides cost certainty and allows us to plan for our next stage of growth. It is another successful step in our efforts to increase our underlying mining profitability in 2020."

HIVE is one of the world's largest public miners on the Ethereum blockchain. The Company's Sweden facility comprises the bulk of HIVE's current mining operations, along with a significantly smaller GPU mining facility in Iceland . The Company has previously announced it is reviewing opportunities to improve profitability at its Iceland facility or relocate its GPU mining equipment there to a lower cost jurisdiction.

"For the past two years, HIVE's share price has been relatively correlated to the price of Ethereum, in part due to traders using our publicly listed and relatively liquid shares as a proxy for holding the cryptocurrency," noted Mr. Holmes. "That correlation unfortunately became decoupled last spring following our proxy battle. However, we are pleased that thus far in 2020, our efforts through 2019 to assume control of and improve our mining operations combined with the increasing adoption of the Ethereum blockchain and increasing investor interest in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, has resulted in similar investor interest in HIVE."

The Company also announced that the Board of Directors has approved the grant of 3,000,000 incentive stock options; 500,000 options each were granted to the Company's directors and certain officers which vest over 24 months. The options are exercisable into the equivalent amount of common shares of the Company at a price of C$0.29 per share. The grants are subject to the approval and rules of the TSX Venture Exchange and the Company's incentive stock option plan. All options will expire on February 10, 2030 . The Company's Board has also approved the grant of an aggregate of 3,100,000 restricted share units ("RSUs"); 500,000 RSUs each were granted to the Company's directors and certain officers, and 100,000 to a consultant to the Company which vest over 24 months. Each vested RSU entitles the holder to receive one common share of the Company.

Prior to the grants, the Company had approximately 327 million issued and outstanding common shares and approximately 18 million stock options.

The Company's Stock Option Plan and Restricted Share Unit Plan were re-approved by shareholders at HIVE's 2019 annual meeting of shareholders on December 18, 2019 .

AboutHIVEBlockchainTechnologiesLtd.

HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. is a growth oriented, TSX.V-listed company building a bridge from the blockchain sector to traditional capital markets. HIVE owns state-of-the-art GPU-based digital currency mining facilities in Iceland and Sweden , which produce newly minted digital currencies like Ethereum continuously as well as cloud-based ASIC-based capacity which produces newly minted digital currencies like Bitcoin. Our deployments provide shareholders with exposure to the operating margins of digital currency mining as well as a growing portfolio of crypto-coins.

Story continues

For more information and to register to HIVE's mailing list, please visit http://www.HIVEblockchain.com. Follow @HIVEblockchain on Twitter and subscribe to HIVE's YouTube channel.

OnBehalfofHIVEBlockchainTechnologiesLtd.

"FrankHolmes"

InterimExecutiveChairman

NeithertheTSX VentureExchangenor itsRegulationServicesProvider (asthat termisdefinedinpoliciesof theTSXVentureExchange) acceptsresponsibilityfor theadequacyor accuracyof this newsrelease.

Forward-Looking Information

Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. "Forward-looking information" in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding the anticipated reduction in the Company's operating and maintenance costs at its GPU mining facility in Sweden , its anticipated beneficial impact on the Company's gross mining profit, the increasing adoption of the Ethereum blockchain and increasing investor interest in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies; and, the Company's future plans and opportunities.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, recent upgrades and increased minted Ether coins may not have a positive impact on HIVE's revenues, or gross mining margin; the Company may never realize more efficient operations, a lower cost structure, or greater flexibility in operations; and other related risks as more fully set out in the Filing Statement of the Company dated September 13, 2017 and other documents disclosed under the Company's filings at http://www.sedar.com.

The forward-looking information in this news release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made assumptions about the positive effects of recent upgrades and increased minted Ether coins. The Company has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of the Company's normal course of business. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

SOURCE HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd.

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2020/10/c2687.html

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HIVE Blockchain Updates on Anticipated Cost Reductions; Announces RSU and Option Grants - Yahoo Finance

Tether Launches USDT Stablecoin on Algorand Blockchain – Cointelegraph

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Leading stablecoin operator Tether launched its U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin USDT on the Algorand proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain.

In a press release on Feb. 10, Tether announced that USDT on Algorand will feature confirmation times as low as four seconds and transaction fees of a fraction of a percent. Tether chief technology officer Paolo Ardoino said:

Our latest collaboration with Algorand leverages the speed and security of Algorands protocol to give traders fast settlement and reduced counterparty risk in their fiat to digital asset transactions.

When asked whether Tether plans to launch USDT on more blockchains, Ardoino told Cointelegraph that the firm is exploring launching Tether on two other major blockchains but could not say which. He also noted that also the firms gold-backed token Tether Gold launched in late January will be issued on more blockchains.

Per the release, Tether is the first stablecoin that launched on Algorands blockchain. So far, USDT has already launched on Ethereum, EOS, the Liquid Network, Omni and Tron (TRX).

USDT is the leading stablecoin on the market and as of press time it has a market value of $4.6 billion and reports a 24-hour trading volume of $46.1 billion according to CoinMarketCap.

Major financial institutions including central banks and major technology and financial services firms have entered the stablecoin space.

In March, Cointelegraph reported that six international banks have reportedly signed letters of intent to issue their own stablecoins backed by their national fiat currencies on IBMs now-live blockchain-powered payments network, World Wire.

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Tether Launches USDT Stablecoin on Algorand Blockchain - Cointelegraph

Figure Technologies Introduces New Blockchain Character Who Explains Benefits of DLT in Order to Help Firm Compete with Financial Giants – Crowdfund…

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Lending firm Figure Technologies is betting on an animated character, called Blockchain, which the firm is hoping will allow it to become more competitive against large financial institutions which currently control most of the businesses that the startup is planning to transform.

As explained via a video ad campaign scheduled to be released this coming Tuesday, Blockchain the character talks about how blockchain or distributed ledger technology (DLT) has been developed and why it might be beneficial.

Figure Technologies lending platform has been launched on a blockchain network. Its essentially a bookkeeping system operated by a network of computers. If people are able to understand how it works, then they might decide to use the companys products and services, Figures senior executives told Reuters.

Brad Simmons, Figure Technologies CMO, stated:

Now is the perfect time to educate consumers.

The firm didnt publicly share exactly how much capital it has allocated towards the development of the Blockchain character project. However, the company did confirm that its Ads would be broadcasted live on online and television platforms.

Figures mascot, which is notably four gray blocks with metal links hanging from its sides, aims to take on the personality of a young tech-savvy salesperson who explains how great of an invention blockchain or DLT is.

The Blockchain character talks to another character with a beard, who is eating instant noodles so hes able to save enough money to pay off his student loans (a huge problem in the US). Blockchain, the character, is also seen talking to a couple interested in obtaining a home loan at a brick-and-mortar bank branch.

Mike Cagney, former CEO at Social Finance (SoFi) Inc, established Figure Technologies back in 2018. Cagney had left his role at SoFi after company workers had claimed that the office environment had become increasingly hostile to female employees and was allegedly enabling senior executives to harass them.

Cagney claims he left the firm because he didnt want to distract the firm from its main focus, which would be its actual business operations.

SoFi managed to grow rapidly after a long recession by refinancing student loans at highly competitive rates for college graduates with potentially great careers ahead of them.

Cagneys new project, Figure Technologies, has mainly focused on managing home-equity loans and aims to streamline routine business processes, while making it more economical and secure compared to traditional lenders, by leveraging blockchain tech.

During the adverts, the Blockchain character points out that most people still dont understand how blockchain or DLT actually works.

The character remarks:

Youve either heard of me and you dont know what I do, or youve never heard of me and you dont know what I do.

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Figure Technologies Introduces New Blockchain Character Who Explains Benefits of DLT in Order to Help Firm Compete with Financial Giants - Crowdfund...

Tether on Algorand Algorand cements its position as a major Ethereum challenger for 2020 – Blockmanity

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Tether, the worlds most used stablecoin, with an estimated daily trading volume of 40-64 billion announced that they will be partnering with Algorand. Traders will now have the option to use the USD-backed stablecoin on the Omni, Ethereum, Tron, EOS, and Algorand blockchains. Regarding this collaboration, Paolo Ardoino Tether CTO said:

A key strength of Tether is that it is underpinned by a rich diversity of different blockchains, said Paolo Ardoino, CTO at Tether. Our latest collaboration with Algorand leverages the speed and security of Algorands protocol to give traders fast settlement and reduced counterparty risk in their fiat to digital asset transactions. Tether and Algorand both share a desire to keep building next-generation financial products and we feel our growing customer base will appreciate and benefit greatly from this collaboration.

Tether as an ASA (Algorands equivalent for ERC-20) opens doors for other stablecoins, security tokens and assets as well. Tether currently has a 44 billion-plus daily trading volume. Additionally, stablecoins capture more than half of ETHs current daily volume and can benefit greatly through Algorand Blockchain.

One of the most significant factors inhibiting the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies is its price volatility. Think about it, if the price of an asset fluctuates continuously, why would someone want to own it? This is why stablecoins are a critical part of this ecosystem. Fiat-collateralized stablecoins will act as a simple portal into the crypto world for both institutions and investors.

Traders and Exchanges extensively use Tether to conduct various trades:

However, the underlying blockchain architecture has hindered the widespread adoption of stablecoins, due to the following reasons:

Led by Turing award winner, Silvio Micali, Alogrand is a public, permissionless, proof-of-stake blockchain that is currently working on creating a borderless global economy. Algorands inherent design and architecture enables it to easily conduct 1000 transactions per second and a block production time of 5 seconds per block. To put those numbers into perspective, Ethereum manages <25 transactions per second and has a block production time of 15 seconds.

On top of that, Algorands pure proof-of-stake protocol ensures 100% finality. Blockchains like Ethereum, which execute the proof-of-work protocol, are always susceptible to forking i.e. when a blockchain diverges into two paths. The Algorand blockchain, on the other hand, can never fork due to a property called immediate transaction finality. You can go to the linked article to know more about this property, but to summarize two blocks can never be added to the chain since a block can only be added after it receives the minimum amount of votes.

Algorand will provide a highly scalable platform for Tether function at its maximum capacity. On the other hand, Alogrand can leverage Tethers immense popularity to attract more users and institutions to its platform. Not only will this increase the platforms usage, but potentially bring in more developers and applications as well.

In the process, Tether has also become the latest high-profile project to collaborate with Algorand. The well-known decentralized exchange, IDEX, announced that theyd be partnering up with Algorand to create a new version of their exchange. Algorand will also be collaborating with promising projects like AssetBlock, Reach, DUST Identity, and established organizations like the World Chess Federation and the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers. Its native token, ALGO, has also been listed on multiple exchanges like Binance, CoinBasePRO, Huobi, Kraken, and several others.

Disclaimer: Blockmanity is a news portal and does not provide any financial advice. Blockmanity's role is to inform the cryptocurrency and blockchain community about what's going on in this space. Please do your own due diligence before making any investment. Blockmanity won't be responsible for any loss of funds.

Get the latest news on Blockchain only on Blockmanity.com. Subscribe to us on Google news and do follow us on Twitter @Blockmanity

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Tether on Algorand Algorand cements its position as a major Ethereum challenger for 2020 - Blockmanity

The State Of Blockchain 5 Years From Now Feat. Josip Heit – Coindoo

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Blockchain didnt gain much attention until the price of Bitcoin reached parity with the price of gold. This was the start of the first institutional fear of missing out (FOMO) on blockchain technology in 2017. Many companies incorporated blockchain and the fascinating and intriguing use-cases that followed afterward caught the interest of institutional giants like IBM, Microsoft, JPMorgan, Accenture.

Since then, blockchain has found increasing use-cases in almost all aspects of human life. This technology is poised to get rid of middlemen, astronomically improve the transparency of business processes, improve security, lower the costs of operations, and improve efficiency in business transactions globally.

The more people argue that blockchain is a relatively new technology, the more it penetrates business processes as an enterprise technology, said the Chairman of the Board of GSB Gold Standard Banking Corporation AG, Josip Heit.

Josip Heit is a renowned blockchain proponent who has changed the face of the modern payments industry. An opportunist finds opportunities even if the situation doesnt presently look like it provides said opportunity. First movers in any industry always have greater benefits, and the blockchain industry hasnt been an exception.

According to Heit, any industry that values customers privacy and security will inevitably move to blockchain or face the risk of becoming redundant in the next five years.

The potentials that lie within the blockchain industry are boundless. This space has been identified as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the past and present decades. According to MarketWatch, the global market for blockchain was sitting at $708 million in 2017 and is anticipated to reach $60.7 billion in 2024.

Among the limitless applications of this technology, the following are three intriguing ways in which blockchain will transform the face of the business world.

A non-fungible token is a select type of cryptographic token that represents something unique. Consequently, non-fungible tokens are not mutually interchangeable. Regular digital currencies, on the other hand, are fungible and can be easily transferred. NFTs are commonly used to store much more complex and specific information.

The application of NFTs can be seen in making, managing, and transferring the rights of real-world assets securely and transparently.

Government-issued documents such as birth certificates, property registers, marriage certificates, scores for nutritional classes and drivers licenses, and more can all be tokenized via NFTs.

Consumers in retail may use blockchain to test the authenticity of luxury goods. Digital items, goods, or tickets can easily be stored as NFTs on blockchains.

According to Josip Heit, the Chairman of the Board at Karatbars, with the adoption of NFTs in the coming years, it will be easy for individuals and the governments to prove legal ownership of properties. The difficulties brought by missing land documents will be gone.

The advent of the internet brought an astronomical increase in identity theft and cyberattacks, which have eaten deep into the fabrics of our cyberspace. Blockchain brings a new form of identity verification to the forefront to protect users information.

Self-sovereign identity would enable users to maintain a single digital identity through multiple platforms while selecting specific details that they wish to share publicly.

This is the future of privacy. Users will no longer be at the mercy of data brokers and data collection centers. This identity management approach will radically change the current digital economy, which has before now made personal data a commodity.

The United Kingdom reportedly spent approximately 3.3 billion euros on identity management processes in 2014. In addition to the benefits that blockchain brings to an ordinary user, it could also cut down government spending.

With the blockchain identity management system, data related to Know-Your-Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money-Laundering (AML) will be transferable from one bank to another in a cost-effective way, without compromising security.

A smart contract is a code designed to remotely initiate, validate, or execute a contract or agreement. Smart contracts enable trusted business deals to be carried out without the need of third parties that could negatively influence the process.

Not only does this system get rid of hefty fees charged by third parties, but it also eliminates bias as well as human factors and ultimately brings a higher degree of transparency. Heit claims that smart contracts are fast becoming the 21st-century digital lawyers.

While there are many critics of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, this space continues to find use cases across various industries. Its interesting how nations like China, the UAE, and Singapore are currently competing on who will lead the age of the digital economy and blockchain.

This signals a mass adoption of blockchain technology. Sooner than later, blockchain is going to rise and get the long-awaited attention and interest it deserves.

Featured image: naaim.org

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The State Of Blockchain 5 Years From Now Feat. Josip Heit - Coindoo

Millennials are ready to break the golden rule of home-buying – The Real Deal

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Home buyers have for decades been advised to never put a less than 20 percent down payment on a house, but 70% of young home-buyers are willing to break that rule this year (Credit: iStock)

Add the 20-percent-down-payment rule to the list of norms millennials are tossing out the window.

Around 70 percent of millennials said they would put down less than 20 percent of the price of a home as a down payment this year, breaking a rule of thumb thats stood for decades, according to Business Insider. More than a quarter said theyd put down less than 10 percent, which was almost unheard of in their parents generation.

Its not surprising that its an appealing option. It could take a renter in a high-cost city like Los Angeles nearly a decade to save up enough money for a 20 percent down payment on a home in their city.

Some agents are advising their clients not to wait, arguing its better for a homebuyer to get their foot in the door now and start building equity rather than wait to save up for a 20 percent down payment. It could all work out for a buyer if their home quickly increases in value.

Putting down less than 20 percent means homebuyers will have to pay private mortgage insurance a monthly payment on top of a mortgage thats usually between 0.3 percent and 1.2 percent of the homes value.

But that payment is automatically cancelled once a mortgages loan-to-value ratio hits 78 percent or lower, which can happen if a home value increases enough. Still, appreciation could slow in the future and either way, a lower down payment means higher monthly payments.

Regardless, it seems many home-buyers dont see much of a choice. [Business Insider] Dennis Lynch

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Millennials are ready to break the golden rule of home-buying - The Real Deal

The Golden Rule of Hiring: Hire for the Anniversary Date, Not the Start Date. – Thrive Global

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

In their landmark study First Break All of the Rules: What the Worlds Best Managers Do Differently Gallup introduced their Q12 employee engagement survey. The Q12 describes in priority order what the best managers do and need to do to create high performing teams. Number one on the list is, Clarify Expectations Up Front.

Ive lived this idea for 40+ years as a recruiter and trainer. In my first search project for a plant manager, the president and I walked through the factory and identified the top six things the person needed to fix over the first 6-12 months to be considered successful. This list of performance objectives became the job description.

More recently, I worked with a Board consisting of investors and founders for a $150 million food manufacturer getting ready to hire a new CEO. After a few hours of wrangling we finally agreed on these two critical performance objectives:

Now Im working with the founder of a recently funded startup looking for a head of engineering. I asked him what the biggest thing the person has to accomplish in the first year to be considered successful. This is what he came up with:

Last month I asked a team of hiring managers to define success for a customer success manager for a complex business process application. Heres what they came up with as the major objective:

Every job can be fully defined by 6-8 performance objectives like the above describing the major objectives and their critical subtasks. Heres why this is essential information for everyone involved in the hiring process including the candidate.

Sourcers: You dont need to be a Boolean expert to find people who meet the performance requirements of the job.By being creativeits easy to find 15-20 highly qualified people who have the right titles, worked for comparable companies and who have progressed rapidly AND would see the job as a likely next step. These steps increase the likelihood the person will respond to your message AND the hiring manager will want to see the person.

Recruiters:Persistence is criticalin order to engage with at least half of the 15-20 prequalified people the sourcer has found. Then during the first conversation figure out if you can make a strong case that one of your openingsputs the person on a better career trajectorythan other opportunities being considered. If not, get at least two prequalified referrals. None of this is possible without knowing the job.

Hiring Managers. Since hiring managers need to clarify job expectations after the person is hired, they might as well do this before the hire.

Interviewers. When members of the hiring team dont know the actual performance requirements of the job, they overvalue first impressions and assess people on factors that are too generic to make a difference.

Candidates. The strongest people wont waste time with recruiters or hiring managers who cant answer the question,What are some of the tasks and challenges involved in this role?Thats why every candidate should ask it early in the interview to ensure theyll be accurately assessed.

It has been proven time and again, e.g.,Googles Project Oxygen, that clarifying expectations upfront is the key to successful management. Whats surprising is that its not a prerequisite for hiring. Unfortunately, too many people are still hired based on their depth of skills, first impressions and if their salaries are consistent with the budget. By following the Golden Rule of Hiring things will finally begin to change:Hire for the Anniversary Date, Not the Start Date.

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The Golden Rule of Hiring: Hire for the Anniversary Date, Not the Start Date. - Thrive Global

Say hello to Lo-Lo Jr’s, the newest restaurant in the White family fried chicken empire – AZCentral

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

"Lo-Lo's" means one thing in metro Phoenix:hot, crispy fried chicken. So when a store front popped up on Van Buren Street with a sign reading "Lo-Lo Jr's," questions started to fly.

Yes, it is the same Lo-Lo's restaurant family, this time run by Larry White III, the son of Larry "Lo-Lo" White and great grandson of Mrs. White, the Southern food chefand owner of Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe on Jefferson Street.

"I just wanted to help continue my family legacy," Larry Jr. says, sitting in a red booth inside his newly opened fast-casual restaurant.

The space, currently quite bare, features a row of booths, a few bar stools and awalk-up order window whereLarry Jr. cooks chicken and fries for customers.

Lo-Lo Jr's first day of business was Wednesday, Jan. 29, and the restaurant is in a soft open phase. Larry Jr. says he hopes to have a grand opening in about a month.

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The White family hasbeen cooking Southern food in Phoenix for decades, since Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe opened in 1964. The restaurant quickly became known for its fried chicken, pork chops, oxtail and catfish. Although Mrs. White now takes more of a backseat role, the restaurant is still open every day.

Her grandson, Larry White, known to his friends and family as "Lo-Lo," worked in the cafe, busing tables until he was old enough to help in the kitchen.

HUNGRY?:Metro Phoenix's best chicken sandwiches

In 2002, heopened Lo-Lo's Chicken &Waffles using many of his grandmother's tips to create his own recipes. Now the restauranthas locations in Scottsdale, Gilbert and the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Larry also runsMonroe's Hot Chicken, which opened in downtown Phoenix last year.

An affinity for food runs in the family. Another of Mrs. White's grandsons, Christian Buze, has opened multiple locations of his Southern restaurant Root and Soul in downtown's DeSoto Central Market and another in Scottsdale. Both locations have since closed, buta third may be in the works.

Larry's son, Larry White III, also worked at Lo-Lo's as a server and then a manager before branching off to create Lo-Lo Jr's.

"I was working there since I was a kid," he says. "I just love serving people, giving them a smile."

On a chilly Wednesday afternoon, a worker donning ahard hat and orange vest walksinto the new spot. While looking at the menu, he jokesaround about wanting Mrs. White's oxtails before ordering some chicken.

"She was just in here yesterday," Jr. replies, chatting about his great grandmother whileloading the customer's to-go box with extra spicy sauce.

The new restaurant is in its early days, but name recognition is drawing customers inside. Larry Jr.and one employeechatwith friends through the order window at the new fast-casual joint as chicken sizzles in the fryer behind them.

NEW IN PHOENIX:Restaurants that opened in January 2020

Larry Jr. learned the spice mixes and recipes from his family, and soonhe says, he'll hang their pictures on the walls.Currently, the restaurant is a work in progress, he says of thelocation just east of the I-10.

"I love this spot," Jr. says about the area. "But it could do with some life, some good golden, Southern fried chicken."

While Lo-Lo Jr's has an extensive menu listed on its website, Larry Jr.is starting off with a condensed version of essentials.

The menu includes:

The restaurant is currently open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and Larry Jr.hopes to expand to include late night dining to catch the "after club crowd." But for now, he sticks to serving lunch and dinner.

Details: Lo-Lo Jr's, 2145 E. Van Buren St., Phoenix.lolojrs.com.

Reach the reporter at tirion.morris@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @tirionmorris, on Facebook at Tirion Rose and on Instagram at tirionrose.

Support local journalism andsubscribeto azcentral.com today.

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Be You: Christy Cormier’s work involves her heart as well as her hands – The Advocate

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Christy Cormier remains intentionally calm even when the world around her is crazy. She is the owner and licensed massage therapist at Aura Massage and Wellness. It feels like its the perfect work for her. Christy is determined, strong, and works with her heart as well as her hands. She sets an intention before a massage knowing her work heals more than just the body.

Christy is happily engaged he romanced her by showing up with family-sized peanut butter cups and a big heart. She is working on being the best version of herself, and like most things she does, she is taking deliberate steps to get there. She is a great example for her children, and for the rest of us.

What was your first job? I was a Hostess at Prejeans. My oldest son worked there as well. Full circle

Describe a typical day in your life.I'll usually wake up really early; somedays I go to bootcamp at Empire Fitness. Every day I get the kids off to school. I dont like rushing us; the morning sets the tone of the day. So I have coffee, check social media, have a big breakfast and head to the salon. When I get there, I go in my office to set my intentions to heal my clients and I just relax a bit to focus my energy on all the possibilities and experiences the day may bring. Every day varies, there are many different reasons people will come in. From pain management to relaxation, my goal is to help each one. There is a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, when I've brought someone comfort.

What advice would you give the younger you?Dont give up so easily, you're stronger than you think.

What event in your life most shaped who you are now?Becoming a mother changed my path. I'm so grateful for my kids. I needed them.

What values do you live by?Golden Rule. Treat others the way you want to be treated.

What do you most appreciate?Laughter. This world can be so heavy. Theres nothing better than laughing with loved ones.

What is your favorite journey?The one back to myself. For a long time the last thing I wanted to "be" was me. After long periods of darkness and toxic relationships. I was able to find healing and peace in sobriety. I began taking care of and value myself and I was able to extend that care to others.

Where is your favorite place to be alone?In my room at work. It is a very soothing and peaceful space. I'll meditate and do yoga in there.

What living figure most inspires you?My kids. They've overcome so much at such young ages. They inspire me to be better.

What was the best advice you were ever given?"What if everything goes well" and "you've gotten through much worse."

What book would you tell everyone to read?"How to make s*** happen" by Sean Walen. Obviously some language in there, but such a no nonsense approach to improving your life.

What is the best thing about where you live?Food, culture and hospitality.

How do you "let the good times roll"?With my friends and family. I love festivals, live music and art.

What did you want to be when you grew up?Mom, teacher, artist, contortionist.

What is your motto?No act of kindness is ever wasted.

How would you like to be remembered?As someone who helped. Who made people feel better. Who understood.

What do you say to yourself when you doubt yourself?What are you learning? What do you need to do?

What three things are vital to BEing YOU?Peanut butter cups; empathy; awkwardness.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?Awesome

What is your favorite word? Awesome

What do you collect?Nothing really but I was gifted owls for a while. I never turn down a blessing or good luck trinket

What food could you live on for a month?Sushi

What would you change about yourself?My confidence

What literary, movie or cartoon character do you most identify with?Vanellope. I have glitches too but we're both still kinda awesome.

Describe yourself in five words.Compassionate, awkward, humorous, stubborn, growing.

What is your idea of happiness?Laughing with my family and friends with food!

What is your favorite movie? "Singles." Such a '90s movie.

What music defines who you are?I love all genres, I'm really eclectic. My family will play "3 little birds" for me, though, so I guess that's it.

Who is your style icon? Stevie Nicks

What do you most regret?Allowing myself to be mistreated by others and myself. Not letting go of things I should have, not believing in myself. I guess it was part of my process though. I try to use what I've been through to help others.

What question do you wish I'd asked?What is your favorite local nonprofit.

What would the answer be?Faith House

Be You: Christy Cormier's work involves her heart as well as her hands - The Advocate

‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Stumbles in Season Seven Premiere – The Heights – The Heights

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Following its inter-season hiatus, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has returned to NBC, this time without the direction it once had. Fans of the show are well-versed in the many storyline changes the show has undergone in recent seasons. Amy Santiago (Melissa Fuermo) and Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Baugher) have found themselves in new positions, isolated from their former detective colleagues, and Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti) has departed from the 99th precinct entirely. Going into the premiere, it could only be suspected that the dynamic of the show would receive a notable jolt given these recent changes.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine, like nearly every comedy on television, has, until recently, followed the golden rule of sitcoms: Dont change a thing. Sitcoms are largely expected to remain consistent throughout their runs without significant character evolution, lest producers risk upsetting the dynamic of the show viewers have come to be familiar with. After six seasons, however, Brooklyn Nine-Nines writers were clearly getting bored, but they werent sure where to goand it doesnt look like Season 6 helped them find any direction.

The first episode of the two-part premiere focused on a manhunt assigned to the shows protagonist Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), who must track down a suspect in the attempted assassination of a local Brooklyn politician while Holt begins serving his year-long demotion as a patrol officer. What initially appeared to have been a last-minute joke inserted into the Season 6 finale turns out to be a long-running plot arc for the former captain, and as one could predict, he has trouble adjusting to his low-ranking position. Most of the episode follows Jake as he is constantly undercut by Holt in his investigation, dampening Jakes excitement as he attempts to solve the high-profile crime.

Over the course of this procedural plot, we see Holt acting as the wise authority figure guiding Jake, the brilliant yet immature detective, to the cases conclusionin other words, its no different than a typical episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Despite clear attempts at reworking the shows existing dynamic, it appears the writers are unable to let go of the familiar format. While the plot aims to demonstrate how uncomfortable the characters are in their newfound roles, little of the storyline has actually changed. Furthermore, this was all done at the expense of the other shows characters, with Charles (Joe Lo Truglio), Amy, Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz), and Terry (Terry Crews) all being sidelined to highlight the more-of-the-same plot disguised as a shake-up.

The second episode introduces the precincts new captainJulie Kim (Nicole Bilderback). While an improvement from the first episode in terms of character inclusion, as Amy, Rosa, Charles, and Terry all assume larger roles, the lack of direction in the show is even more glaring. As Kim has now replaced Holt, Jake and his former captain try to sleuth out her alleged sinister motive. By the end of the episode, Kim quits after Jake makes it clear how unwelcome she is and, once again, the 99th precinct is left without a captain, which leaves us wondering what the point of the episode was.

A number of multi-episode plots in recent years, such as Jake and Amys marriage, Holts job changes, and the departure of Gina, have indicated the writers are attempting to move Brooklyn Nine-Nine toward serialized plots. With this episode, though, they erase their progress.

It feels as though Brooklyn Nine-Nine has lost its direction. The writers are unsure how much change they are comfortable with or if they even want to change the show at all, while simultaneously making it clear that they have become bored with what they have created. This disinterest can be seen when Amy and Jake, in the first episode, discuss having a child, only to completely drop the idea by the second episode.

This experimentation has also come at the expense of Holt and Jakes characters. Holt has long been characterized as resolute, having endured decades of racist and homophobic discrimination within the NYPD to attain the title of captain. In one of the early episodes, he attributes his success in spite of adversity to doing [his] job, and doing it right. However, in breaking into Kims house to uncover dirt in an attempt to undercut her, Holt is portrayed as petty, vindictive, and selfish, the antithesis to the upstanding captain we have known since Season 1.

Then, Jake makes Kim feel so unwelcome that she transfers to another precinct. Jakes behavior is attributed to his daddy issues, given that he had seen Holt as a father figure. Up until this point, Jakes childhood abandonment had been a prominent aspect of his storyline and character, but the writing of this episode turned what once made Jake more complex into something extremely ugly, made worse by the lack of resolution offered between Jake and Kim.

The episodes, however, were still enjoyable. The moment where Jake and Amy agreed to have a child showed a new, more mature side of Jake, and there were a number of notable references to Cheddar, Holts beloved corgi who died last year. The best part, however, was Vanessa Bayers guest appearance as Officer Debbie Fogle, Holts temporary new sidekick who is borderline obsessed with her pedometer app Foot Friends.

Season 7 had an awkward beginning to be sure, but there remains plenty of room for the Brooklyn Nine-Nine writers to make up for the initial stumble.

Featured Image by NBC

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'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Stumbles in Season Seven Premiere - The Heights - The Heights

Treating people with respect goes a long way – Theredstonerocket

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Does rank or status determine how successful a person is? Some may think so, but according to one Space and Missile Defense Command leader, it does not.

Kendal Cunningham, the integration synchronization chief for the Space and Missile Defense Command Center of Excellences Capability Development Integration Division, says success can be measured by the Golden Rule treating others the way one would want to be treated.

People think the higher they are in rank is what makes them successful, Cunningham said. In actuality, the higher you get, the less important your rank is; its your ability to work with others and how you treat people and interact with them that really makes you successful.

Cunningham, a retired colonel, decided to join the Army after his brother, who served as his role model, enlisted in the Air Force. He wanted a way out of small town life, but he did not know the Army would become a 30-year career, turning into a civilian career after retirement.

I wanted to serve my country, but I didnt know itd be for that long, he said. I got in the Army and started having so much fun, next thing I knew itd been 30 years. I had some thoughts about going to law school but ended up on a different path.

Cunningham first came to SMDC in 2006 where he served as the deputy chief of staff G-3 Operations and then chief of staff until he retired in 2010. After retirement Cunningham began his civilian career at Army Materiel Command, first serving as a senior strategic planner, then as the deputy chief technology officer.

He returned to SMDC in 2017, and found that many of his former co-workers were still at the command.

There are people Ive come to know, some now maybe 10-plus years, who are still here, and theyre still doing great things for the command, he said. Its always good to work with good people.

Since returning to SMDC, Cunningham has taken an active role helping his co-workers and staff members become more successful in their everyday lives and careers by teaching them what he has learned about being successful.

I really take pleasure in seeing the people who work for me be successful. And I try to help them reach that success, he said.

Cunningham said his years of military service taught him that collaborating on projects can be difficult, but the way to success is working together and leaning in when others need help.

Because I know that if I come to you, youll help me; and you know if you need something from me, Ill do what I can to help you, he said. The little old lady in tennis shoes can say no for various reasons, but if you treat her with respect and dignity, itll go a long way.

Cunningham said his experiences during his career gave him a fresh perspective on the way people view success in a persons career and life and that the best way to measure success is the way someone treats others, because people never forget the way they are treated.

I just think were losing the respect we have for each other, he said. One of the things I tell my people here in the integration office is when youre trying to do your job remember that everybody works for somebody. What makes you successful is how you treat people. How you answer a tasker or support others in need is how they will react when you are in need.

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Treating people with respect goes a long way - Theredstonerocket

The betrayal of Democratic voters: Many ‘liberals’ need Trump to win | TheHill – The Hill

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

After surveying the wreckage of the Iowa caucus clown car, scattered in pieces by the side of the road to defeat, a liberal friend of mine asked, This has to be on purpose, right? Nobody is this incompetent. Do they want Trump to win again?

The answer to that pained rhetorical question is yes.

For a number of liberal authors, editors, speakers, professors, celebrities, organizations, unions, political action committees, newspapers and cable networks, hating President TrumpDonald John TrumpWinners and losers from the New Hampshire primary Sanders on NH victory: Win is 'beginning of the end for Donald Trump' Biden, Warren on ropes after delegate shutout MORE has become a cash cow on steroids. They cant rake in the money fast enough before the next pile crashesin front of them.

With regard to the embarrassing meltdown in Iowa, the companies tied to the fiasco Acronym and the Shadow app seem to be doing quite well for themselves, if not for Democratic voters, since Trumps election.

Thats exactly the point: Many liberal operatives have never made this much money, and, for that reason, some need if not want Trump to be reelected. The We Hate Trump gravy train must not be allowed to derail.

Will they ever acknowledge that to thedesperate base of the Democratic Party, the supporters of Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersWinners and losers from the New Hampshire primary Sanders on NH victory: Win is 'beginning of the end for Donald Trump' Buttigieg congratulates Sanders on 'strong showing' in New Hampshire MORE (I-Vt.), dubbed the Bernie Bros, or the progressives who have pledged allegiance to The Squad? Of course not.

Those entrenched elite liberals purposely manufacturing, manipulating and exploiting the hatred and rage directed at President Trump, for personal gain or that of their organizations, will continue to utter pejoratives against Trump and publicly wish him ill will. But privately? Theyre probably thanking their lucky stars that the most unorthodox, boastful political outsider in the history of the presidency came their way.

It is a relationship forged by King Midas.

If you are one of the millions of Americans liberals have conditioned to hate President Trump regardless of his positions or any verifiable successes hes had that may positively affect your life you need to remember the golden rule of politics: Follow the money.

Instead of parroting the rumors about collusion with Russia, the need for his impeachment or how the president is a national embarrassment, take a long, hard look at those who profess to have your back.

Liberal authors are getting six- and seven-figure book advances for hating Trump. Their liberal publishers make millions off those books. The liberal political action committees have enjoyed record-setting fundraising for the past three years. Marginal celebrities tweet self-serving hateful comments. Liberal speakers command thousands of dollars in fees. And the liberal cable TV hosts and their networks are realizing millions of dollars in profits from attacking Trump.

Do you honestly believethey want the riches money, career advancement, personal recognition to stop? Do you think any of them would sacrifice that gain to rectify the pain and suffering that might be plaguing downtrodden Americans?

Beyond that, look at the politicians who swear they are advocating on your behalf chief among them House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Reps.Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Their public profiles and power bases grew exponentially with Trumps election and their constant vilification of the president.

Imagine where they would be now had Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonWinners and losers from the New Hampshire primary Sanders wins New Hampshire primary Trump swipes at resigned prosecutors, judge in Roger Stone case MORE won in 2016. They would be but a shadow of their manufactured selves.

Make no mistake: This same formula existed when former President Obama was in office and scores of conservatives and Republicans got rich by attacking and demeaning him. During the Obama years, the Republican Congress and elite GOP establishment did next to nothing for their base. We can only imagine how many of them secretly prayed for Obamas reelection in 2012.

As the Disney song tells us in Beauty and the Beast, its a tale as old as time.

And precisely because of that sort of fairy tale, Trump was elected president. Across the country, millions of Americans realized that both political parties and their respective power brokers have played them for chumps for years for their own gain. They decided to cast the elites aside and vote for Trump.

Its likely to happen again in November maybe even in greater numbers. And you can bet thatsome liberal Democrats who stand to profit from Trumps reelection will secretly root for that to happen.

Douglas MacKinnon, a political and communications consultant, was a writer in the White House for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and former special assistant for policy and communications at the Pentagon during the last three years of the Bush administration.

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The betrayal of Democratic voters: Many 'liberals' need Trump to win | TheHill - The Hill

The Tories are courting disaster by flirting with a tax raid on wealth – Telegraph.co.uk

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Taxing existing property ownership much more heavily would turn freeholders into leaseholders, weaken property rights, change the historic relationship between state and citizen, and mortally damage the foundations of British society. It would be toxic for capitalism and conservatism, the two systems that it is this Governments historic mission to save.

Most economists believe that taxing property is less economically damaging than taxing income. They are wrong. People and companies arent prisoners in one country or home. Imposing a meaningful wealth tax would lead to massive, negative behavioural changes.

It is true that longstanding homeowners have made vast, untaxed capital gains as prices have shot up; but the answer to housing affordability is to build a lot more homes and, when appropriate, hike interest rates. Taxing unrealised capital gains via a mansion tax would see equity-rich, cash-poor pensioners forced to extract equity, sell up, or roll over their liabilities into a whopping inheritance tax bill.

Council tax was higher in real terms in the 1970s and 1980s, but that is no reason to return to those sorry days. Its purpose is to contribute to local services, not to confiscate wealth. Adding extra bands one version of the proposals discussed in recent weeks would mean revaluing all homes. Millions would pay more: it will make the poll tax look like a tea party. Local government finances need to be overhauled, but not in this way.

Hitting the rich with higher taxes is popular, but the Government is doing lots of unpopular things: HS2, retaining foreign aid, banning petrol cars and gas boilers, Huawei. Johnson has rejected populism in these areas, rightly or wrongly, and he should do the same on tax. None of his Northern voters backed him because they thought he would hit the better off: they just want their own families to prosper. They bought into the Tory message of levelling up, and rejected Corbyns socialist levelling-down.

The Government grabbed 43.6 per cent of the vote last year; its potential market is even greater if it can unite the centre-Right from North to South, Brexiteers and Remainers, graduates and non-graduates. While these groups disagree on much, such as the environment or immigration, one policy could unite all of them: keeping taxes low. A similar approach has helped hold the Republican coalition together in the US and saved conservative parties elsewhere.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph last year, Johnson quoted Ibn Khaldun, a great medieval Arab intellectual and early supply-side economist. The PM paraphrased him beautifully: If you cut taxes on the olive harvest, or whatever it was in 14th-century Tunisia, actually people grew more olives, and tax yields went up. It doesnt apply in every case but he is making a valid point. Johnson should ask Mr Javid, who also understands the role of incentives, to order every Treasury bureaucrat to read Khaldun, and then tear up their daft plans. Here is another golden rule: there can be no such thing as a successful tax-raising Tory government.

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The Tories are courting disaster by flirting with a tax raid on wealth - Telegraph.co.uk

The Best New Novel Was Written 90 Years Ago – Vulture

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Our critics on great artists who might've been lost to the canon.

Claude McKays Romance in Marseille is a modern masterpiece. Photo: Courtesy of Penguin Random House

Did you know theyre doing spoiler alert warnings in books now? There it is, printed in the first pages of the preamble to Claude McKays Romance in Marseille: New readers are advised that this introduction makes details of the plot explicit. Its interesting to imagine what prompted this forewarning. Had readers been rage-tweeting about plot points of novels being spoiled by scholarly intros? Or was the publisher, Penguin Classics, merely protecting itself from hypothetical complaints? Im embarrassed by the implication in either case were readers, not babies! But I dont blame Penguin Classics for following the golden rule of public relations: When in doubt, play it safe.

Mostly because Romance in Marseille plays it safe in no other ways. Reading it, I got the sweaty, panicked sensation of wanting to do something with the information I had (This book is incredible) before anyone else did. This is how I imagine it feels to be a jewel thief who finds a key to the museum, except what Im empowered to do with this hot tip instead of stealing a fortune is composing a review. Well, I made my bed.

Lafala is a sailor born in West Africa (an unspecified part of it) who moves to the port of Marseille and gets fleeced by a Moroccan prostitute. Filled with self-loathing over the incident, he stows away on a ship to New York but is caught and imprisoned next to a toilet, where he gets frostbite. Upon arrival, both lower legs have to be amputated. Its just like one of those shirts you see for sale to tourists on Canal Street: WELCOME TO NEW YORK. NOW GO HOME. A clever and unscrupulous lawyer (Jewish, of course, in the books sole nose-wrinkling stereotype) gets wind of Lafalas case and together they sue the shipping company. Lafala receives a windfall and heads back to Marseille to take up a footless moneyed version of dockside life and to locate the treacherous siren who jilted him.

The book is newly available, but McKay, who died in 1948, started writing it 91 years ago. Its history is a rats nest of logistical bloopers. First the book was called The Jungle and the Bottoms. The manuscript was abandoned for a couple of years while the author suffered from syphilis and other distractions. Then he moved to Morocco and took it up again, reworking the story and retitling it Savage Loving. This he swapped for the current title after his agent deemed Savage Loving too obscene, before abandoning the novel again, seemingly for good, in 1933. McKay barely mentioned it in his 1937 memoir and apparently forgot about the project entirely until an 87-page draft popped up again in the hands of a collection to which McKay had donated his papers. (He was not an ardent organizer of his own work.) McKay left a longer, 172-page draft in possession of his only child, who eventually donated it to the New York Public Librarys Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The shorter one wound up at Yales Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The two have now been reconciled for the first time to yield the book as published. Romance in Marseille, in other words, was never actually a lost or forgotten novel; it was just peculiarly hard to track down.

If you skipped the introduction and surrendered access to Google, you could easily mistake it for a novel written last year. Its about bodies, disability, sex, Islam, slavery, and capital. There are lesbians. There is gender-bending. There is socialism. All of this in 130 pages custom-designed, it would seem, for the modern obliterated attention span! But as with any novel, the themes are only bits of thread unless woven into a dazzling tapestry of a character, which is what we have in Lafala.

In one of many brain-rupturing pieces of data embedded in this editions introduction, it turns out that Lafala was based on a real person of McKays acquaintance: a Nigerian seaman named Nelson Simeon Dede who had stowed away on a steamer from France, gotten captured, lost both feet, won restitution, and returned to Marseilles with prosthetics and an upgraded net worth. McKay recognized the stowaway as a piquant racial metaphor for the philosophical condition of the fugitive. Lafala, his fictional version, is handsome, charismatic, very black, not particularly saintly, and pretty zen about the distribution of his fortunes and misfortunes. In the misfortunes column hes got the trauma of being locked in a freezing toilet-jail and having both legs sawed off so that he can never dance or breezily stroll again. On the plus side, the money isnt terrible and having cork prostheses is interesting and women love to fondle his stumps. Life is a tragic joke, is Lafalas operating thesis.

After the amputations have healed, Lafala sails back to Marseille courtesy of the same shipping company that de-footed him. Hes eager to be back where the thick scum of life forms and bubbles and breaks in a syrup of passion and desire. The port city is home to a thicket of bums, peddlers, pimps, fishermen, sailors, barflies, idlers, dockers, gangsters, leftists, and families, and the news of Lafalas fortune travels quickly. Hes set upon by a wide range of mercenaries, most of whom he cheerfully repels. At a caf he spots Aslima the prostitute who originated this whole fiasco and confronts her. She apologizes and claims some responsibility for his lack of feet; after all, if she hadnt robbed him, he wouldnt have had an international meltdown. They call a truce and become joyfully re-entangled, but the prostitutes motives are murky. The hardiest hustler on the shore, Aslima is a canny handler of the local male population. Is she aiming to regain Lafalas trust only to rip him off again? Is she in it for love this time? Will she return to Africa with Lafala, as he wishes? Only chapters eight through 23 will tell.

Prose-wise, there are a lot of superlatives to be highlighted in those chapters. In Romance in Marseille there is the best description Ive ever read of human legs, as well as the best description of waking up and feeling like shit, the best description of erotic satisfaction, and to dip into extravagant specificity for a moment the best description of a Corsican pimp fretting that his girlfriend is mentally distancing herself from him.

McKay, who was born in the hills of Jamaica in 1889, was a headliner of the Harlem Renaissance. The son of farmers, hed worked up an interest in English poetry Milton, Keats, Shelley, Pope thanks to his older brother, a schoolteacher, and an English neighbor who encouraged McKays literary experiments. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1912, enrolled at Tuskegee and Kansas State College, and left the South two years later for New York. His first American poems were published a few years later, and his first novel, Home to Harlem, was the movements first official American best seller. But he spent nearly as much time out of the country as in it, traveling from England to Russia to Germany to France to Spain to Morocco over the course of 12 years.

Home to Harlem got mixed reviews. Langston Hughes loved the book. W.E.B. DuBois wrote that it nauseated him and made him feel like taking a bath. It depicts what McKay called the semi-underworld of single black working-class men in New York City after World War I: a landscape of pool halls, cabarets, SROs, labor disputes, and women in Champagne-colored stockings. Like Romance in Marseille, its a picaresque starring a working-class single man. Unlike Romance, the world its characters, its economy is entirely black. Its very good, and it reads like it was published in 1928, which it was not a complaint, just a fact. Marseille, on the other hand, is a novel out of time.

Romance in Marseille by Claude McKay (Penguin Classics, February 11)

The title is not a misleading title, exactly, but Romance in Marseille does conjure the image of a genteel divorce on a soul-affirming Mediterranean frolic instead of an otherworldly queer fuckfest. The cover design colludes in this trickery with its illustration of a demure lady and an expressionless man, neither of whom can be found in the text. But hey. Maybe it will fool some demure and expressionless people into reading the book. They wont know what hit them.

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The Best New Novel Was Written 90 Years Ago - Vulture

Caught in the middle again: That’s me – By Reade Brower – Courier-Gazette & Camden Herald

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

John Pavlovitz wrote this piece in late September 2019.

His website describes John as a writer, pastor, and activist from Wake Forest, North Carolina." In the past four years his blog, "Stuff That Needs To Be Said," has reached a diverse worldwide audience.A 20-year veteran in the trenches of local church ministry, John is committed to equality, diversity, and justice both inside and outside faith communities.In 2017 he released his first book, A Bigger Table. His newest book, Hope and Other Superpowers,arrived Nov. 6.

I have always considered myself a moderate; sometimes the feeling lately is that being a moderate is moving from center to far left, as judged by the power of the conservative movement.

This essay speaks to this beautifully; questioning: when is the middle left and will the pendulum swing back before its too late?

I’m Not The Radical Left, I’m The Humane Middle

***

Im not the Radical Left, Im the Humane Middle

By John Pavlovitz

Apparently, Ive been radicalized and I wasnt aware.

Certain people call me the Radical Left all the time.

I never considered myself radical before.I just thought I was normal, ordinary, usual.

I thought equity was important to everyone.I imagined America was filled with people who took that Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness stuff seriously for all people.I thought the Golden Rule was actually mainstream.

Recently I took an inventory of my positions, screening for the extremism:

I believe in full LGBTQ rights.I believe we should protect the planet.I believe everyone deserves health care.I believe all religions are equally valid.I believe the world is bigger than America.I believe to be pro-life, means to treasure all of it.I believe whiteness isnt superior and it is not the baseline of humanity.I believe we are all one interdependent community.I believe people and places are made better by diversity.I believe people shouldnt be forced to abide by anyone elses religion.I believe non-American human beings have as much value as American ones.

I believe generosity is greater than greed, compassion better than contempt, and kindness superior to derision.

I believe there is enough in this world for everyone: enough food, enough money, enough room, enough care if we unleash our creativity and unclench our fists.

Im not sure how these ideas became radical, though it seems to have happened in the last few years.

I grew up being taught they were just part of being a decent human being.

I grew up believing that loving my neighbor as myself, meant that I actually worked for their welfare as much as my own.

I was taught that caring for the least in the world, was the measure of my devotion to God.

I thought that inalienable rights of other people were supposed to be a priority as a decent participant in the world.

I dont think Im alone.

In fact, Im pretty sure most people reside here in this place alongside me: the desire for compassion and diversity and equality and justice; that these things arent fringe ideologies or extremist positions but simply the best way to be human.

I think most people want more humanity, not less.

I think the vast middle is exhausted by the cruelty of these days.

That these aspirations seem radical to some people, is probably an alarm that theyve moved so far into the extremes of their fortified ideological bunkers and been so poisoned by the propaganda, that normal now seems excessive, that equality now seems oppressive, that goodness feels reckless.

Maybe the problem is, these people are so filled with fear for those who are different, so conditioned to be at war with the world, so indoctrinated into a white nationalistic religion of malice that theyve lost sight of what being a human being looks like anymore.

I am pretty sure that I dont represent the Radical Left, but the vast, disparate, compassionate, Humane Middle; people who are not threatened by someone elses presence, who do not see another persons gain as their loss, who dont worship a Caucasian, American god.

I suppose humanity feels radical to inhumane people.

In that case, Ill gladly be here in my extremism.

***

Fear prophets and those prepared to die for the truth, for as a rule they make many others die with them, often before them, at times instead of them. Umberto Eco, philosopher, novelist (1932-2016)

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Caught in the middle again: That's me - By Reade Brower - Courier-Gazette & Camden Herald

Why sports can be so toxic to boys and how we unravel that culture – Gwinnettdailypost.com

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Organized sports provide boys with what is probably the most influential education on masculinity.

There are plenty of good lessons being taught to our sons out on the field or the court. They learn focus, grit and the importance of teamwork.

There are also, sadly, a lot of bad ones too. Sports' informal curriculum on masculinity is often a crash course in machismo. It teaches boys to suppress vulnerability, and harness aggression and dominance. Winning is everything. Don't cry like a girl, don't throw like a girl, and don't run like a girl; do any of the above and you will, pejoratively, and maybe even violently, be called "gay." Also, don't be gay.

This education starts early. At the end of one of my first-grade son's soccer games this past fall, the opposing team aggressively chanted "we won" over and over again as they high-fived our team at the end of the game. No matter that this league doesn't keep score for this age group, nor that this goes against the most basic understanding of human decency. Neither their coach, nor a single one of their parents, told them to stop.

We are amid a much needed reckoning with masculinity, and have begun thinking hard about the way certain elements of the gender education boys receive can be harmful to them and others. As part of this reckoning, many coaches and parents (my son's former rivals notwithstanding), have begun to consider what they are getting right with young male athletes, and what they are getting wrong.

How to talk to young athletes

Dan Blitstein, a volunteer youth soccer coach and coach advisor, can easily recall the unsettling emotions he felt as a child while playing sports.

"There was this one time, before a soccer game, when a player on my team pushed me. I remember feeling these conflicting desires. On one hand, I want to beat the [you-know-what] out of him, because I was a boy and that is what I was supposed to do. But I didn't want to. Then I started crying because I felt so conflicted and confused, and didn't know how to articulate how I was feeling."

Today, Blitstein tries to make sure that the boys he coaches have a decent emotional vocabulary to avoid the jumble of rage and confusion he felt as a child. In addition to helping them express themselves, he also gives them the space and time to share their thoughts and feelings, and treats them as though these thoughts and feelings matter.

Such an attitude is increasingly common among youth coaches but not yet the norm, said Ruben Nieves, National Director of Training at the Positive Coaching Alliance, a national nonprofit aimed at making youth sports a more positive and character-building experience.

One of PCA's key messages is that coaches should value player growth over winning, and a big part of helping children grow as athletes -- and people -- is by listening to them.

"There should be no, 'Because I told you so,' which can teach kids not to worry about other people's feelings," Nieves said.

When it's time for a pep talk, he added, coaches should focus on character and team-building traits, rather than taking down the opponent.

"The modern coach is more willing to talk and engage with their players about kindness, friendship, love and empathy," he said, explaining that these touchy-feely subjects used to feel off-limits in the traditionally tough and stoic atmosphere of sports. "These coaches know that athletes who have a strong emotional intelligence are going to be more emotionally healthy and are going to perform better together."

Part of building emotional intelligence, Nieves said, is making room for crying. He's seen more tears in competitive sports in the past decade, and tries to tell the athletes in his life that when someone cries they are showing just how much they care and caring is a good thing.

Nieves also suggests keeping the pep talks gender-neutral. "Talk about being a better person, not a real man," he said. Doing this makes it less likely that they will see their worth as an athlete and worth as a male human being as one and the same. The fewer prescriptive messages boys hear about what it means to be a man, the less they will feel pressure to live up to certain masculine ideas and the less they will feel like a failure if they don't.

Also, keeping the language gender neutral makes sports a more hospitable place for LGBTQ boys and young men, who may not feel comfortable with binary gender labels, or the gender essentialism compressed into a phrase like "real man."

Though even as sports teams might shed some of their hierarchical elements, sports will always be, by nature, hierarchical. There are winners and losers; bests and worsts.

Lesle Gallimore, a former Division I women's soccer college coach and past president of United Soccer Coaches, an organization for soccer coaches of all levels, said there is a way to foment competition and facilitate confidence and even a little swagger, without excessive cockiness.

"You can teach kids to celebrate the win, without demeaning the other team," she said. What qualifies as demeaning? Gallimore suggests considering the Golden Rule. How would I want to be treated if my team lost?

Coaches can also, in the case of a hard match or a loss, use sports to teach boys about humility.

"The best thing about sports for me is the unpredictable nature of it. You can train and train, but there will always be an element that you can't control," Blitstein said. "You have to roll with it, work together, adjust, and keep going."

This is also, of course, the case with life, and it's a lesson that counteracts so much of what is often labeled as the "toxic" elements of masculinity. Boys need more opportunities to learn that we don't always get what we want; that it's okay to, fairly and respectfully, fight for things. But sometimes a loss is a loss, and "no" means "no," and those moments demand acceptance and even a little grace.

Coaches and parents need to watch their own behavior

Many of the lessons on masculinity taught in sports come not through what adults say to kids, but how adults act with one another.

Today, coaches and parents tend to treat youth sports as extremely high stakes -- never mind the absolutely tiny chance that any single kid will become a college (let alone professional) athlete.

Winning is everything to so many adults, and if getting there seems to demand rage, they will rage. Parents scream at coaches and other parents, and coaches scream at parents and other coaches. Everyone screams at referees.

"If you listen and look, it's questionable whether people are enjoying this," Nieves said about a number of recent youth sports matches he attended. "People are angry. The kids are crying ... because adults are yelling at them. Because mom is embarrassing me and making a scene on the sidelines, and the coach never lets me handle the ball," all because he or she only cares about winning.

When youth players see the adults getting angry, behaving disrespectfully and prioritizing winning above everything else, it gives them permission to behave the same way.

Another problem with today's coaches is that they are, in the case of male teams, rarely women. Sexism in the world of coaching is still ubiquitous; it's commonplace to see men coaching girls and women, but rare to see women coaching men.

"The more boys can be coached by women, the less toxic masculinity" you will see, Gallimore said. "With female coaches, they are typically held more accountable for the way they talk about the opposite sex."

When boy athletes are coached by women, they learn to respect women, and also might be exposed to different models of leadership.

Men are socialized to lead by force, whereas women are socialized to lead by way of relationship building. This latter model tends to involve more listening, and taking the time to understand who the athlete is outside of sports. Gallimore doesn't think these skills are limited to women by any means, but they could become more commonplace if more women were given high-level coaching jobs with both genders.

Until there are more women coaches, and fewer alpha-male ones, parents will have to take some of this into their hands. They might consider having the same behavioral expectations for their sons on the field or the court as they do off it. Excessive aggression or rudeness should be no more tolerated during a game than it is during family dinner.

They should also respect their children's feelings during or after a game, and encourage their kids to respect the feelings of others, be it their teammates, their opponents, coaches or referees. If the culture of the team makes any of this difficult, it's probably time to switch teams.

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Why sports can be so toxic to boys and how we unravel that culture - Gwinnettdailypost.com

A 10-step plan to end the Jets’ long playoff drought – The Athletic

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Jets CEO Christopher Johnson has one golden rule he sticks to: No playoff mandates.

It doesnt matter what happened the year before, nor what optimism the offseason brings. In his opinion, its counterproductive to tie someones job to the playoffs. So he refuses to do it.

Is it the right call? It doesnt matter. Thats how Johnson feels.

Still, its been nine long years since the Jets last made the postseason. Its the third-longest drought in the NFL behind just the Browns (17) and Bucs (12). Johnson has admitted hes an impatient man. Considering he now has GM entering his first full offseason in Joe Douglas, a second-year coach in Adam Gase, and a third-year quarterback in Sam Darnold, his already-low patience is undeniably wearing thin.

The Jets should begin free agency in a few weeks with roughly $80 million in cap space. Douglas will have four draft picks in the first three rounds of the draft.

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A 10-step plan to end the Jets' long playoff drought - The Athletic

We’re All In This Together: A Case For Not Giving Up On The American Dream OpEd – Eurasia Review

Posted on February 12, 2020 by Danzig

Listen: we dont have to agree about everything. We dont even have to agree about most things. We dont have to love each other. We dont even have to like each other. And we certainly dont need to think alike or dress alike or worship alike or vote alike or love alike. But if this experiment in freedom is to succeedand there are some days the outlook is decidedly grimthen weve got to find some way of relating to one another that is not toxic or partisan or hateful or so self-righteous that were doomed to failure before we even start.

America has been a warring nationa military empire intent on occupation and conquestfor so long that perhaps we, the citizens of this warring nation, have forgotten what it means to live in peace, with the world and one another.

Wed better get back to the fundamentals of what it means to be human beings who can get along if we want to have any hope of restoring some semblance of sanity, civility and decency to what is progressively being turned into a foul-mouthed, hot-headed free-for-all bar fight by politicians for whom this is all one big, elaborate game designed to increase their powers and fatten their bank accounts.

Maybe Robert Fulghum, author ofAll I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, was right: maybe all we really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be is as simple as remembering the basic life lessons we were taught as children.

What were those lessons? Fulghum reminds us:

Share everything. Play fair. Dont hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Dont take things that arent yours. Say youre sorry when you hurt somebody. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cupthey all die. So do we. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learnedthe biggest word of allLOOK. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living. Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we allthe whole worldhad cookies and milk about three oclock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. And it is still true, no matter how old you arewhen you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

The powers-that-be want us to forget these basic lessons in how to get along. They want us to fume and rage and be so consumed with fighting the so-called enemies in our midst that we never notice the prison walls closing in around us.

No matter what happens in the next presidential election, no matter how many ways the powers-that-be attempt to sow division and distrust among the populace, no matter how many shouting commentators perpetuate the belief that there is only one right view and one wrong view in politics, the only us vs. them that will matter is whether we the people care enough to stand united in our commitment to the principles on which this nation was founded: freedom, justice, and equality for all.

The rest is just noise intended to distract us from the fact that life in America has become a gut-wrenching, soul-sucking, misery-drenched, demoralizing existence, and its the government that is responsible.

Even so, heres why Im not giving up on the American dream of freedom, anddespite all the reasons to the contrarywhy you shouldnt either: because this is stillourcountry.

Im outraged at what has been done to our freedoms and our country. You should be, too.

We have been subjected to crackdowns, clampdowns, shutdowns, showdowns, shootdowns, standdowns, knockdowns, putdowns, breakdowns, lockdowns, takedowns, slowdowns, meltdowns, and never-ending letdowns.

Weve been held up, stripped down, faked out, photographed,frisked, fracked, hacked, tracked, cracked, intercepted, accessed, spied on, zapped, mapped, searched, shot at, tasered, tortured, tackled, trussed up, tricked, lied to, labeled, libeled, leered at, shoved aside, saddled with debt not of our own making, sold a bill of goods about national security, tuned out by those representing us, tossed aside, and taken to the cleaners.

Weve had our freedoms turned inside out, our democratic structure flipped upside down, and our house of cards left in a shambles.

Weve had our children burned by flashbang grenades,our dogs shot, and our old folks hospitalized afteraccidental encounters with marauding SWAT teams.

Wevebeen told that as citizens we have no rights within 100 miles of our own border, now considered Constitution-free zones.

Weve had our faces filed in government databases, ourbiometrics crosscheckedagainst criminal databanks, and ourconsumerist tendencies cataloguedfor future marketing overtures.

Weve seen the police transformed from community peacekeepers to point guards for the militarized corporate state. The police continue to push, prod, poke,probe, scan, shoot and intimidate the very individualswe the taxpayerswhose rights they were hired to safeguard. Networked together through fusion centers,police have surreptitiously spied on our activities and snooped on our communications, using hi-tech devices provided by the Department of Homeland Security.

Weve been deemed suspicious for engaging in such dubious activities astalking too long on a cell phone and stretching too long before jogging, dubbed extremists and terrorists forcriticizing the government and suggesting it is tyrannical or oppressive, and subjected toforced colonoscopies and anal probesfor allegedly rolling through a stop sign.

Weve been arrested for all manner of crimes that never used to be considered criminal, let alone uncommon or unlawful, behavior:letting our kids walk to the playground alone,giving loose change to a homeless man,feeding the hungry, andliving off the grid.

Weve beensodomized, victimized, jeopardized, demoralized, traumatized, stigmatized, vandalized, demonized, polarized and terrorized, often without having done anything to justify such treatment. Blame it on a government mindset that renders us guilty before weve even been charged, let alone convicted, of any wrongdoing. In this way, law-abiding individuals have had theirhomes mistakenly raided by SWAT teamsthat got the address wrong. One accountant found himself at the center of amisguided (armed) police standoff after surveillance devices confused his license plate with that of a drug felon.

Weve been railroaded into believing that our votes count, that we live in a republic or a democracy, that elections make a difference, that it matters whether we vote Republican or Democrat, and that our elected officials are looking out for our best interests. Truth be told,we live in an oligarchy, politicians represent only the profit motives of the corporate state, whose leaders know all too well that there is no discernible difference between red and blue politics, because there is only one color that matters in politics: green.

Weve gone from having privacy in our inner sanctums to having nowhere to hide, withsmart pillsthat monitor the conditions of our bodies,homes that spy on us(withsmart meters that monitor our electric usage and thermostats and light switches that can be controlled remotely) and cars that listen to our conversations,track our whereaboutsand report them to the police. Even our cities have becomewall-to-wall electronic concentration camps, with police now able to record hi-def video of everything that takes place within city limits.

Weve had our schools locked down and turned into prisons, our students handcuffed, shackled andarrestedfor engaging in childish behavior such asfood fights, our childrens biometrics stored, their school IDs chipped, their movementstracked, and theirdata bought, sold and barteredfor profit by government contractors, all the while they are treated like criminals and taught to march in lockstep with the police state.

Weve been rendered enemy combatants in our own country,denied basic due process rights, held against our will without access to an attorney or being charged with a crime, and left to waste away in jail until such a time as the government is willing to let us go or allow us to defend ourselves.

Weve had the very military weapons we funded with our hard-earned tax dollars used against us, fromunpiloted, weaponized drones tracking our movementson the nations highways and byways andarmored vehicles, assault rifles, sound cannons and grenade launchersin towns with little to no crime to an arsenal ofmilitary-grade weapons and equipment given free of charge to schoolsand universities.

Weve been silenced, censored and forced to conform, shut up infree speech zones, gagged byhate crime laws, stifled by political correctness, muzzled by misguidedanti-bullying statutes, andpepper sprayedfor taking part in peaceful protests.

Weve been shot by police forreaching for a licenseduring a traffic stop,reaching for a babyduring a drug bust,carrying a toy sword down a public street, andwearing headphonesthat hamper our ability to hear.

Weve had our tax dollars spent on$30,000 worth of Starbucksfor Department of Homeland Security employees,$630,000 in advertising to increase Facebook likesfor the State Department, and close to$25 billion to fund projects ranging from the silly to the unnecessary, such as laughing classes for college students and programs teaching monkeys to play video games and gamble.

Weve beentreated like guinea pigs, targeted by the government and social media for psychological experiments on how to manipulate the masses. Weve been tasered for talking back to police, tackled for taking pictures of police abuses, andthreatened with jail time for invoking our rights. Weve even beenarrested by undercover cops stationed in public bathroomswho interpret mens shaking off motions after urinating to be acts of lewdness.

Weve had our possessions seized and stolen by law enforcement agencies looking to cash in onasset forfeiture schemes, ourjails privatized and used as a source of cheap laborfor megacorporations, ourgardens smashed by policeseeking out suspicious-looking plants that could be marijuana, and ourbuying habits turned into suspicious behaviorby a government readily inclined to view its citizens as terrorists.

Weve had our cities used for military training drills, with Black Hawk helicopters buzzing the skies, Urban Shield exercises overtaking our streets, and active shooter drills wreaking havoc on unsuspecting bystanders in our schools, shopping malls and other soft target locations.

Weve been told that national security is more important than civil liberties, that police dogs noses are sufficient cause to carry out warrantless searches, that thebest way not to get raped by policeis to follow the law, thatwhat a police officer says in court will be given preferenceover what video footage shows, that anupright posture and acne are sufficient reasons for a cop to suspect youof wrongdoing, that police canstop and search a driver based solely on an anonymous tip, and that police officers have every right to shoot first and ask questions later if they feel threatened.

You should be. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and right these wrongs.

Stop waiting patiently for change to happen, stop waiting for some politician to rescue you, and take responsibility for your freedoms: start by fixing whats broken in your lives, in your communities, and in this country.

Get mad, get outraged, get off your duff and get out of your house, get in the streets, get in peoples faces, get down to your local city council, get over to your local school board, get your thoughts down on paper, get your objections plastered on protest signs, get your neighbors, friends and family to join their voices to yours, get your representatives to pay attention to your grievances, get your kids to know their rights, get your local police to march in lockstep with the Constitution, get your media to act as watchdogs for the people and not lapdogs for the corporate state, get your act together, and get your house in order.

Appearances to the contrary, this country does not belong exclusively to the corporations or the special interest groups or the oligarchs or the war profiteers or any particular religious, racial or economic demographic.

This country belongs to all of us: each and every one of uswe the peoplebut most especially, this country belongs to those of us who love freedom enough to stand and fight for it.

As I point out in my bookBattlefield America: The War on the American People, we are fast approaching the point at which we will have nothing left to lose.

Dont wait for things to get that bad before you find your voice and your conscience. By then, it will be too late.

As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyns character reflects inThe Gulag Archipelago:

How we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand? The cursed machine would have ground to a halt! IfifWe didnt love freedom enough. And even more we had no awareness of the real situation. We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.

Take your stand nowusing every nonviolent means at your disposalwhile you still can.

Dont wait to reflect back on missed opportunities to push back against tyranny.

Dont wait until youre the last one standing.

Time is running out.

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We're All In This Together: A Case For Not Giving Up On The American Dream OpEd - Eurasia Review

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