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PayPal CEO Holds Bitcoin and Only Bitcoin – Cointelegraph

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

Dan Schulman, CEO of payment processor PayPal, revealed during an interview that he does indeed own Bitcoin (BTC).

On Nov. 20, Fortune reported that PayPal CEO Dan Schulman stopped by its offices where he discussed a variety of topics, including the reason for PayPals withdrawal from the Libra Association and whether he is the proud owner of any cryptocurrencies.

Schulman explained that PayPal withdrew from Libra because the company decided to put its attention elsewhere. According to the CEO it was a question of where do we want to put our attention, and what do we want to do today to advance our mission? He added:

You know, we think if we focus on our own roadmap, wed be able to advance financial inclusion faster than if we put all these resources against Libra.

Schulman added that Libra will start going down a road that his company remains very interested in looking at, and once Libra starts to figure things out, well take another look at where they are.

At the beginning of October, a PayPal spokesperson told Cointelegraph that the company had officially left the association, adding that they remain supportive of Libras aspirations and continue to look forward to dialogue on ways to work together in the future.

PayPals CFO John Rainey said in May that the firm has teams that are working on blockchain and cryptocurrency, and that they wish to participate in that technology in whatever form it takes in the future.

In the Fortune interview, Schulman was reluctant to share any significant details as to what exactly PayPal is working on in the sphere, although he was quick to point out that it is not necessarily competitive with Libra, adding:

We think theres a lot of promise to blockchain technology. Its intriguing to us, but it really needs to do something that the traditional rails cant do. Most people think that blockchain is about efficiency, but the system today is pretty efficient.

Regarding cryptocurrencies, the CEO said that it is still very volatile, and that they do not have much demand for it by merchants because merchants operate on very small margins. He said:

Until it becomes less volatile, it wont be a currency that is widely accepted by merchants on the web not the dark web, but the web.

As to whether he owns any cryptocurrencies himself, Schulmans answer was short and straightforward:

Yes, Bitcoin. [...] Only.

Excerpt from:

PayPal CEO Holds Bitcoin and Only Bitcoin - Cointelegraph

Bitcoin Analyst Identifies $6000 as a Likely Bottom – BeInCrypto

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

TheBitcoin price appears very close to reaching a bottom. A confluence of support areas suggests that the bottom will occur near $6000.

Even though yesterday the market experienced a rapid decrease, the current trading pattern and long-term support lines indicate that Bitcoin should be close to reaching a bottom.

Additionally, yesterdays decrease has not dissuaded investors to enter the market. On November 22, Bakkt reached a new all-time high at a volume of $13.4 million. This happened through the handling of 1863 Bitcoin contracts.

Therefore, if Bakkt is reaching such levels in a bearish market, the next bull run could bring extraordinary numbers.

As for when the bull market might begin, crypto trader and analyst @filbfilb tweeted the sole chart which he believes is the best one to predict the current market movement.

He is using a descending channel that shows the price bouncing on the support line.

Lets take a closer look at this channel and see where a reversal might occur.

Looking at the Bitcoin price movement, we can indeed see a descending channel in place since the June 24 high. Due to the presence of several wicks, the support and resistance lines could follow slightly different slopes.

Additionally, outlining a wave count we can see that the price is likely in the fifth and final wave of a 3-3-5 correction.

It is possible that the correction end near $6000, at the support line of this channel and previous support area.

The $6000 target also coincides with the long-term logarithmic support line in place since 2011.

There is a confluence of support from both the line and the channel right at $6000.

Looking closer at the movement, we can see that the price has found support above the 50-week moving average (MA).

While a decrease to $6000 would take the price below this MA, it would be right above the 200-week MA. We could see a scenario similar to that in January 2019 when the price bounced at the support line and the 200-week MA, which were at the exact same level.

Finally, the daily RSI gives us an interesting development.

First, it has reached oversold values. Every time it has done so previously, an upward move ensued.

Additionally, there is bullish divergence inside the oversold levels. The only time this happened was during the December 2018 low.

To conclude, the Bitcoin price is trading inside a descending channel. There are several strong support areas at $6000, making it a very likely place to initiate a reversal. This view is supported by the readings from the RSI and previous price history.

Disclaimer: This article is not trading advice and should not be construed as such. Always consult a trained financial professional before investing in cryptocurrencies, as the market is particularly volatile.

Images courtesy of Twitter, TradingView.

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Bitcoin Analyst Identifies $6000 as a Likely Bottom - BeInCrypto

Bitcoins Reversal Has Already Begun, Suggests Analyst – BeInCrypto

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

During the previous week, the Bitcoin price decreased by roughly 20 percent. However, it initiated a bounce near $6600 on November 25 and has increased by 10 percent in less than 12 hours.

While there are is no surefire explanation about the rapid decrease, there are several hypotheses.

A self-proclaimed co-founder of Bitcoin stated that it was him that caused the crash, in order to retaliate to the negative reaction of the cryptocurrency community towards some of his claims. Ironically, this claim led to even more backlash giving rise to challenges that he must prove some of his statements, such as his ownership of more than 100,000 BTC.

Today, the Bitcoin price reached a low around $6600 and began a reversal which is still ongoing. Cryptocurrency trader and analyst @scottmelker stated that the Bitcoin price has printed a beautiful reversal candle with a very long lower wick. Additionally, he noted the presence of bullish divergence in the oversold area.

The Bitcoin price has been trading inside a descending channel since reaching a high on June 24.

It reached the support line on November 21 creating a long lower wick. The ensuing decrease caused it to fall to the support line once more on November 25.

Another increase ensued and the Bitcoin price is currently in the process of creating a bullish reversal candlestick.

Looking at lower time-frames, we can see a strong bullish divergence in the RSI.

Additionally, the Bitcoin price is in the process of creating a morning star pattern. A price close above the previous bearish candlesticks open at $7300 would likely confirm the reversal.

In the short-term, the main resistance areas are at $7400 and $7600. It is likely that the Bitcoin price retraces slightly once it reaches them.

However, a daily close above the second resistance area would confirm the previous pattern and the reversal scenario.

To conclude, after a long and rapid decrease, the Bitcoin price seems to have begun a reversal. While this trend is not yet confirmed, it occurred at a likely reversal area and is supported by technical indicators.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock, TradingView.

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Bitcoins Reversal Has Already Begun, Suggests Analyst - BeInCrypto

Op Ed: Bitcoin Is the Key to Ethical AI – Nasdaq

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

The current development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) is fundamentally flawed. Peter Thiel recently described crypto as libertarian and Reid Hoffman describes AI as authoritarian. This speaks to the concentration of power and control that has taken place in AI and ML. Cryptocurrency, as a technology, and Bitcoin in particular, empowers people to own their digital assets, the same way people can own real estate property and intellectual property. The data and information that is needed to fuel and power AI and ML is, however, only owned by a select few firms. They are the only ones who have a meaningful amount of data to truly make an impact and train their algorithms.

The ownership and sourcing of this data is a problem, one that I think crypto can provide a solution for.

The first of its two major problems is source material. AI is nothing without the database it draws on. Tencent, Alibaba, Megvii, Sensetime, Facebook, Apple: It doesnt matter which giant corporations tech youre talking about, they all rely on the input of users faces into a massive database in order to function.

This can lead to interesting dichotomies, such as in China. Sensetime and Megvii each provide facial recognition tech to the north and to the south, respectively. Unless people are using both firms technology, then each company will only have half of the possible dataset. Due to this limitation, AI becomes not only vertical in its intelligence, but also very regional, reinforcing the very divisions and borders that the internet and networks have been trying to break down.

Lets do a thought experiment. Say, one day, Google is able to get the database of every human being and is able to recognize the faces of every nationality and human being in the world, accurately and reliably. Does Google deserve to own that all-seeing AI? What about the people that contributed their faces as data, thus training that algorithm?

This highlights the second major problem with AI power.

All the power is centralized and controlled by a handful of tech companies. How and why do they have this power? It goes back to the first problem. Without data, and lots of it, your AI is nothing. That means only a few companies that currently exist have true power in AI.

Why should they have complete control and autonomy over users data without any input from the public who have contributed so much? Sure, its just your face for now but what about your medical data down the line? Its a slippery slope to complete control of your life.

In AI, more often than not, and especially in deep learning and machine learning, the technology and algorithms are not the differentiating factors. The differentiating factor is data and how the data set is training the neural nets. There are pockets of data that are highly protected such as our health data. This is the reason why, even today, Google Health has not really progressed, but it could just be a matter of time before the data floodgates are fully open.

In an ideal world, those who have contributed data to train that AI should own a piece of that algorithm and potentially the profits it generates, just as a shareholder who invests their capital can share in its gains. However, unlike purchasing shares in Facebook itself, where, realistically, you have no control or say over how your data is used, having a share in the algorithm itself and, therefore, becoming part of its governance, the user actually has a say in how its used.

Owning data and being able to monetize it is not a new idea, but the real urgency is making sure that the crowd owns a piece of the AI algorithms generated by the data so it has input and a level of control. Its not just about how people can profit from their data, but also how they can be part owners of an AI that redistributes the power structure itself.

Its about governance but its also about the asymmetry of power. It is about taking back control from the large tech firms who, at the moment, run the whole show.

In the future, I see the appearance of vertical data trusts where representatives will be elected to govern the use of different data types for certain uses. I see trusts, the way they are set up today, as the best avenue for these vertical data silos to be governed.

The goal, then, is clear: We need a system that allows us to share our data, profit from it, and crucially, have a say in how it is used. Is there precedent for this? Is there a network where nobody owns the system but anyone can participate in this open, decentralized, borderless, and censorship-resistant network under certain terms and conditions? That precedent does exist, and it has become a part of our daily vernacular: Its called Bitcoin.

Now that AI/data companies have become five of the top-10 companies in the world, those companies will just grow bigger and more powerful. Often behind these successful businesses are AI algorithms trained by data sets. Now that only a few companies own these data sets, it will eventually also be just a few companies that own the most powerful and strategic AIs.

Bitcoin allows for the crowd to co-own and govern a huge digital asset, i.e, bitcoin.

Bitcoin serves as a model for the crowd to share ownership and, importantly, control that ownership. If AI and ML facial recognition algorithms were the same as bitcoin, i.e., public blockchains, that would allow people to be part owners and operators of these powerful and valuable AIs by owning tokens.

How I see this working is quite simple. As a consumer or user, we already invest in the AI by contributing our data. Now imagine that data was a bitcoin token, and you can own it the same way as you own a bitcoin token. Then the profits that the AI produces can be paid to the users as tokens. What Bitcoin provides is the crowd ownership of something huge. Think of any AI system or ML system each being a bitcoin that can be borderless, censorship-resistant, neutral and open for anyone that contributes their own private data.

It is not simply about making money or profiteering from your own data; its about making sure that data is used responsibly and in line with a majority of the people who contributed.

You would own a piece of the AI software, not the company over it.

This would be a far cry from the lack of accountability in the large public companies who control this data today. Let us not forget that when Facebook was fined for mishandling its users data, the companys share price increased. Accountability among big tech is a pipe dream.

Bitcoin is the first instance where one can own and control a piece of a digital asset through private keys. Id like to see that happen with data, where people can govern that data and, ideally, get what they deserve for training an AI a seat at the table and a say in how its used. We need to turn these AI and ML algorithms into Bitcoin so that the crowd can own and get what they deserve for contributing control.

This would be an important step for us as a society as we continue to push back against the monopolies and oligarchies that big tech has fostered and allowed to fester over the years. As a society, we need to understand the value of our data, because we can be sure big tech does.

But what about the future? Its very clear that users will be able to sell their data to companies. However, that's not whats important and will not solve the fundamental issues. We need to ensure that when contributing data we have a say in how its used. We may still disagree with the outcome, but at least we have a voice.

Bitcoin, through the model of true ownership, can bring that: a voice to the individual thats as loud and clear as the biggest players in the room.

It may seem like a distant dream, but with the power and proliferation of Bitcoin, its a lot closer than you might think.

This is an op ed by Phil Chen. Views expressed are entirely his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Bitcoin Magazine or BTC Inc.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Bitcoin Price Will Rip to $50,000 But Only After a Nauseating Purge – CCN Markets

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

The worlds dominant cryptocurrency appears to have lost all bullish steam. The momentum that the bitcoin price generated when it printed a 2019 high of $13,880 has vanished, giving way to a rapid downturn.

This week, the cryptocurrency crashed through support at $7,400. This triggered a technical reversal on the daily chart. As much as I hate to say it, the bitcoin hater, Peter Schiff, finally got it right.

A head-and-shoulders structure is one of the most reliable reversal patterns in technical analysis. Thus, from a technical perspective, bitcoin is now in a downtrend, and many expect that it would plummet to $6,000.

For instance, Clem Chambers, CEO of ADFN and Online Blockchain Plc, predicts that capitulation will strike at $6,000. He told CCN:

Bitcoin is entering a capitulation phase as you can more easily see when you remove the recent dump and bump from the chart.

Nevertheless, Peter Brandt says that bitcoin bulls will likely face an even worse scenario, at least in the short-term. The analyst predicts a move below $6,000, which would usher in an extended bear winter.

Even though bitcoins fundamentals have been making numerous advancements, Brandt says that a strong buy signal would only come once the Crypto Twitter bulls have all but disappeared. A thorough cleansing might be required to jumpstart a full-blown bull market.

Once the nightmare is over, Brandt expects that bitcoin would be ready to soar to $50,000.

If youre a bitcoin investor whos hoping for the halving to catalyze the next bull market, Ive got bad news for you.

Brandt sees the purge lasting until July 2020, two months after the May 2020 halving. At that point, the analyst expects bitcoin to be trading around $5,000 which is not far from todays price.

If youre accumulating bitcoin, can you see yourself holding the digital asset for another eight months while taking losses?

For most bitcoin holders, this is a dreadful scenario. Many will likely cut their losses and move on. Brandt banks on the pain of waiting rather than the pain of losses to wear out bulls.

Peter Brandts forecast agrees with PlanBs popular stock-to-flow model, which analyzes the bitcoin price according to available supply (stock) and new units entering circulation (flow).

A look at bitcoins stock-to-flow chart suggests that the top cryptocurrency will likely trade below $10,000 until the latter part of 2020. Consequently, investors who are looking for quick gains would be flushed out.

The good news is that this model also suggests those who HODL could be richly rewarded eventually.

Both the stock-to-flow model and Brandt predict that bitcoin would soar to all-time highs after the prolonged purge. Brandt sees the possibility of bitcoin trading at $50,000, while PlanBs model could see a parabolic BTC surge as high as $100,000.

But dont get too excited. Months of pain may lay ahead before you can even hope to enjoy significant gains.

Disclaimer: The above should not be considered trading advice from CCN. The writer owns bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. He holds investment positions in the coins but does not engage in short-term or day-trading.

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Bitcoin Price Will Rip to $50,000 But Only After a Nauseating Purge - CCN Markets

Calvin Ayre Reveals New Bitcoin SV Headquarters in Carribbean – newsBTC

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

Gambling business mogul and Bitcoin SV proponent Calvin Ayre has just opened a decadent new headquarters on the island of Antigua. Ayre describes the new building as being the home of Bitcoin SV in the Caribbean.

The Canadian entrepreneurs new global headquarters appears to have pleased Antigua and Barbudas government. Prime Minister Gaston Browne described it as the most impressive building on the island, hands down.

According to a report in the Antigua Observer, Calvin Ayre has just opened an extravagant new global headquarters. The five-storey building, called Canada Place, will be home for various pioneering technologies, the iGaming entrepreneur said at the buildings opening on Friday.

In a post to Twitter earlier today, Ayre stated that one of these pioneering technologies would be Bitcoin SV.

The new building is certainly impressive. It boasts a games room, employee lounges, a library, gym, and daycare centre. Calvin Ayre Group media relations representative Anika Potter claims the whole building can be run on solar energy alone. The employee car park roof houses a solar farm capable of transmitting 500 kilowatts.

This, and other environmentally-friendly touches throughout Canada Place, led Antigua and Barbudas Prime Minister to call it the the most impressive building on the island, hands down. At its opening on Friday, Gaston Browne also acknowledged Ayre as a true partner of Antigua.

Ayre described the building as a $40 million investment into the Antiguan economy. The Bitcoin SV proponent claims that the Calvin Ayre Group plans to employ greater numbers of locals throughout next year, with a hope to bring the total up to 600.

With regards the buildings purposely low environmental impact, he added:

[I] fully endorse the governments policy of seeking to transition from the use of fossil fuels to green energy. This magnificent complex is a symbol of this commitment to a pollution-free Antigua.

It comes as little surprise to see Ayre making the island of Antigua his business headquarters. After all, the nation has long offered very favourable legislation for online gambling companies and Ayre himself has had business interests there for many years. However, its less clear how Bitcoin SV fits into Canada Place.

Ayre himself describes it as the new home of Original #Bitcoin #BSV in that part of the world. However, its not immediately obvious why a supposedly decentralised asset would need a central hub of operations in any part of the world.

Related Reading: Ripple Completes $50 Million MoneyGram Investment, Supporting XRP Use for Global Payments

Bitcoin’s Three Biggest Elephants in the Room – Dash News

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

The markets still rise and fall with Bitcoin, and this latest cryptocurrency crash centered once again around China is no exception. While proponents of this store of value may remain hopeful as to an eventual price recovery, theres a few glaring concerns about Bitcoins fundamentals that may be lingering in the back of the minds of any investor honest enough to admit such.

Long ago, at the resolution of the block size wars, Bitcoin became locked into a hard 1MB block limit as the ultimate ceiling to its scaling potential. This was done under the general idea that on-chain scaling would be infeasible or would create too great of a compromise in the decentralization of the network. Years later the network remains at capacity, and much-vaunted solutions such as the Lightning Network stagnating. There still remains a significant degree of underlying uncertainty as to whether Bitcoin will ever scale as it is now.

The more troubling part is, what if the present price of Bitcoin reflects in some part belief that Lightning will indeed eventually become functional? What if it never effectively scales, and much of the price is made up of investors who believe that it will, but will give up at some point with no real progress made?

Particularly as a result of the above, the narrative behind Bitcoin shifted over time from utility as a payments system and decentralized money to utility as purely a store of value. This is now considered its primary use case, as an investment that will reliably increase in value long-term. Since then, weve seen some pretty epic price dumps over the past couple years, including the present cryptocurrency crash, drawing out the time needed for a buyer to barely break even on their investment, let alone watch it grow. While a spectacular price turnaround may be in the cards for the near future, the question remains: What if long-term value growth requires utility, and what if Bitcoins utility in storing value isnt sufficient to justify its price? Similar to the scaling question, much of the assets current pricing may be wrapped up in the idea that it is good at storing value regardless of whether or not it actually is. A shift in this belief without underlying fundamentals could be worrisome.

Finally, we go back to the go-to concern around Bitcoin: China. For many years in a row, the infamous headline China Bans Bitcoin has taken its momentary toll on market prices while the more educated among us rolled our eyes. No, China hasnt banned Bitcoin, and its a global fully-decentralized system that doesnt rely on one country anyway. Or so we keep telling ourselves. Yet year after year, headline after headline, the same thing keeps happening, without the diminished effect to be expected from a boy who cries wolf.

However, research has shown an overwhelming majority of infrastructure for the network may be based in China, and that an attack on major mining pools could threaten the entire network. What if the structure of Bitcoins security model has resulted in an inadvertent centralization of network power within an authoritarian jurisdiction with the power to seriously disrupt the network? What if the projects decentralization and censorship resistance have turned out to be quite different than what was previously believed?

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Bitcoin's Three Biggest Elephants in the Room - Dash News

Bitcoins climate change impact may be much smaller than we thought – New Scientist News

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

By Adam Vaughan

Getty Images

Bitcoin mining consumed enough electricity last year to release carbon emissions on a par with Estonia, according to a study that suggests the climate change impact of the cryptocurrency isnt as bad as previously thought.

Past research has suggested that the emissions from mining bitcoin where computing power is used to solve mathematical problems to create new currency may be as high as 63 megatonnes of CO2 per year. Some researchers have even claimed the cryptocurrency alone could bust global climate goals.

Susanne Kohler and Massimo Pizzol at Aalborg University in Denmark found that earlier estimates had made blanket assumptions that carbon emissions from electricity generation were uniform across China, where they estimate just over half of all bitcoin mining takes place.

But breaking down the emissions within China to a more regional level produced a much lower global footprint for the crytpocurrency, of 17.29 megatonnes of CO2 in 2018. While coal-heavy Inner Mongolia accounted for just 12.3 per cent of bitcoin mining, it resulted in more than a quarter of the total emissions. The reverse effect was seen in the hydropower-rich Chinese province of Sichuan.

The researchers also found that it is overwhelmingly the electricity use of bitcoin mining that contributes to the cryptocurrencys carbon emissions, not the production and disposal of the computers doing the mining, which accounted for just 1 per cent of the emissions.

Kohler says the findings dont mean we can stop worrying about bitcoin especially given electricity use per new bitcoin is growing but we should put it in perspective. On the one hand we have these alarmist voices saying we wont hit the Paris agreement because of bitcoin only. But on the other hand there are a lot of voices from the bitcoin community saying that most of the mining is done with green energy and that its not high impact, she says.

Getting a better handle on bitcoins carbon footprint will remain tricky until we have more accurate data on where mining takes place information which Kohler and Pizzol say is scarce today.

Camilo Mora at the University of Hawaii, who wasnt involved in the work, says the results show the need for more transparency on the location and equipment used in bitcoin mining. Even though the new estimate of the cryptocurrencys climate contribution is smaller, he says it is hard to believe the impacts from mining are trivial, given many countries, including China, are considering regulating the activity because of its large electricity consumption.

Journal reference: Environmental Science and Technology, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b05687

MVIS and CryptoCompare Launch the MVIS CryptoCompare Institutional Bitcoin Index – Business Wire

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

FRANKFURT, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MV Index Solutions (MVIS) in partnership with CryptoCompare, the global leader in digital asset data, today announced the launch of the MVIS CryptoCompare Institutional Bitcoin Index (ticker: MVIBTC), an index designed to measure the performance of a digital assets portfolio which invests in Bitcoin, priced on select exchanges.

The MVIS CryptoCompare Institutional Bitcoin Index is a robust and transparent benchmark for Bitcoin, which will be used by Canadian investment fund manager, 3iQ Corp., for the purpose of NAV calculation of The Bitcoin Fund.

We are pleased to launch this index with our partner CryptoCompare, said Thomas Kettner, Managing Director at MVIS. The index follows our long-term mission in supporting new product developments with the aim of providing investors access to bitcoin.

Our mission is to bring greater transparency to the digital asset class by providing high quality, trusted data and indices. Together with our partner MVIS, we are excited to offer investors a reliable tool to better measure the performance of their Bitcoin exposure, said Charles Hayter, CEO and Co-Founder of CryptoCompare.

Key Index FeaturesFull Market Capitalisation (bn USD): 127. 61Number of Components: 1Base Date: 12/31/2013Base Value: 100

Note to Editors:

About MV Index Solutions

MV Index Solutions (MVIS) develops, monitors and licenses the MVIS Indices, a selection of focused, investable and diversified benchmark indices. The indices are especially designed to underlie financial products. MVIS Indices cover several asset classes, including equity, fixed income markets and digital assets and are licensed to serve as underlying indices for financial products.

Approximately USD 14.48 billion in assets under management are currently invested in financial products based on MVIS Indices. MVIS is a VanEck company.

About CryptoCompare

CryptoCompare is the global leader in digital asset data. Institutional and retail investors rely on the company for real-time, high quality data spanning 3,200+ coins and 150,000+ currency pairs. By aggregating and analysing tick data from globally recognised exchanges and seamlessly integrating multiple datasets, CryptoCompare provides a comprehensive, granular overview of the market across trade, order book, historical, social and blockchain data. For more information, please visit https://data.cryptocompare.com.

3iQ Corp.

3iQ is a Canadian investment fund manager focused on providing innovative investment products. 3iQ currently manages two digital asset funds including the 3iQ Bitcoin Trust and the 3iQ Global Cryptoasset Fund, two private investment funds which hold Bitcoin only and Bitcoin, Ether and Litecoin respectively. These funds are eligible for investment by accredited investors in Canada or in reliance on other exemptions from the prospectus requirement. Founded in 2012, 3iQ is currently focused on disruptive technologies and the digital asset and blockchain space. Please visit http://www.3iQ.ca to learn more.

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MVIS and CryptoCompare Launch the MVIS CryptoCompare Institutional Bitcoin Index - Business Wire

How Bitcoin Applies to The Sovereign Individual Thesis – Bitcoin News

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

Just before the internet became a massive display of human ingenuity and networking, a few individuals anticipated the emergence of tools that would help progress the end of politics and the nation states. 22 years ago, much like Nostradamus, Isaac Newton, Gerald Celente, and Carl Jungs forecasts, a book called The Sovereign Individual predicted the growing autonomy of the individual but also noted the development of the worlds largest economy flourishing in cyberspace.

Also read: Bitcoin Is a Viable Way to Remove the State From Your Life

Since the inception of Satoshi Nakamotos Bitcoin, many people have come to believe that cryptographic technology is meant to progress freedom and liberty by separating money from the state. The concept is similar to when the church was separated from the state but when the power of the church dissipated, the nation states quickly took its place. Cryptocurrencies now provide the means to transact financially without a middleman and this removes the great wealth of power from the states arsenal. More than two decades ago, the cypherpunks started spreading the seeds of crypto-anarchy after envisioning that the internet would help remove the parasites that stem from governments.

Just as the technology of printing altered and reduced the power of medieval guilds and the social power structure, so too will cryptologic methods fundamentally alter the nature of corporations and of government interference in economic transactions, cypherpunk Timothy May wrote in 1988. Humans have always tried to predict the future and forecasting trends has been popular since medieval times. People predicted the world wars decades beforehand, global economies collapsing, and monumental events that have changed society a great deal years before they happened.

Most people know about the cypherpunks from Silicon Valley and the great crypto-anarchist manifestos that were published at this time. In addition to these new philosophers, in 1997 two well-known investment advisors and authors, James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg, published a book that also predicted a huge change coming to society over the next century. Within the book of forecasts, the two authors of The Sovereign Individual predicted the coming of cryptocurrencies and economic realignment. Rees-Mogg and Davidsons book does not specifically mention Bitcoin, because it was published 12 years prior to the cryptocurrencys inception. However, the predictions do note the coming existence of an uncontrollable cybercash and that with technology we will see the growing autonomy of the individual and taxing capacity will plunge by 50-70 percent.

[Society will] develop what promises to be the worlds largest economy by the second decade of the new millennium, The Sovereign Individual states. If we were to look at the invention of Bitcoin as being part of the Sovereign Individuals timeline, we can see that things are just getting started. The cryptoconomy, for instance, is a $200 billion dollar economy that is not backed by a sole individual or endorsed by a corporate entity. Governments do not support the electronic borderless money, and ever since it was created the nation states have met the technology with adversity.

The open web has allowed online economies to flourish and financial epicenters like New York and technological regions like Silicon Valley have no hierarchy over the internets borderless and faceless power. Governments feel threatened by these technologies and The Sovereign Individuals predictions suggest that the nation states will push back just like the church did. At the time, during its predominant institution, the church, saw its monopoly challenged and shattered authority that had been unquestioned for centuries was suddenly in dispute, Rees-Mogg and Davidsons book highlights. The Sovereign Individuals timeline predicts the next millennium will be very similar. With economic tools like cryptocurrencies and other forms of technological advances like autonomous software, drones, defense groups, meshnet technology, Tor, VPNs, and influencer/gig economies, society can begin to remove the bureaucracy from their everyday lives. Davidson and Rees-Moggs novel states:

We believe that change as dramatic as that of five hundred years ago will happen again. The Information Revolution will destroy the monopoly of power of the nation-state as surely as the Gunpowder Revolution destroyed the churchs monopoly Like the late-medieval church, the nation state at the end of the twentieth century is a deeply indebted institution that can no longer pay its way. Its operations are ever more irrelevant and even counterproductive to the prosperity of those who not long ago might have been its staunchest supporters.

Right now, many people believe we are entering the initial phase of change that books like The Sovereign Individual predicted decades ago. On page 160 of the book, the two authors stress that as commerce takes hold on the internet it will lead inevitably to cybermoney. This new form of money Rees-Mogg and Davidson explain will reset the odds, reducing the capacity of the worlds nation-states. Unique, anonymous, and verifiable, this money will accommodate the largest transactions. It will also be divisible into the tiniest fraction of value. It will be tradable at a keystroke in a multi-trillion-dollar wholesale market without borders.

It is interesting to watch the forecasts written years ago come to fruition and especially ones that are changing society for the better. The advent of Bitcoin and the economy behind the thousands of digital assets out there shows that a massive transformation is indeed happening right now. Past predictions from the cypherpunks and books like The Sovereign Individual may help us understand why. Moreover, failing economies and protests worldwide clearly indicate the demand for freedom is just getting started.

What do you think about how Bitcoin and other tools apply to the Sovereign Individual thesis? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.

Op-ed Disclaimer: This is an Op-ed article. The opinions expressed in this article are the authors own. Bitcoin.com is not responsible for or liable for any content, accuracy or quality within the Op-ed article. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the content. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any information in this Op-ed article.

Image credits: Wiki Commons, Shutterstock, Pixabay, Fair Use, and Twitter.

Did you know you can buy and sell BCH privately using our noncustodial, peer-to-peer Local Bitcoin Cash trading platform? The local.Bitcoin.com marketplace has thousands of participants from all around the world trading BCH right now. And if you need a bitcoin wallet to securely store your coins, you can download one from us here.

Jamie Redman is a financial tech journalist living in Florida. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. He has a passion for Bitcoin, open source code, and decentralized applications. Redman has written thousands of articles for news.Bitcoin.com about the disruptive protocols emerging today.

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How Bitcoin Applies to The Sovereign Individual Thesis - Bitcoin News

Does Sexual Wellbeing Lead to Better Life And Leadership Skills? This Sextech Company Wants To Find Out – Forbes

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

The connection between sexual well-being and mental and physical health has been recently attracting more interest. Sexual wellness brands -many of which endure constant advertising censoring- advocate to position sexual health and wellness as part of the health conversation, to make it more accessible to all.

A rich body of research confirms that sexual satisfaction affects relationship satisfaction, which is key to earning potential. For example, in one longitudinal Harvard study, the data revealed that fulfilling relationships are the key to happiness, health and longevity. And not only that: Those with the most fulfilling relationshipsearned an average of $141,000 a year more at their highest earning point.

This study, however, was focused exclusively on male subjects, and it inspired a recent study conducted by sexual wellness company Womanizer (WOW Tech) in partnership with The What Collective, a women-centered organization founded by dot com entrepreneurs Gina Pell and Amy Parker. The former co-founders of Splendora (acq. by JOYUS) recently hosted a gathering called The What Summit at the secretive and exclusive Skywalker Ranch. The survey was completed by over 200 high-earning attending women. 80% of respondents were ages 35-64 and in director, management and C-suite positions.

The preliminary results showed some interesting insights: More than 50% of respondents perceived that having a healthy fulfilling sex and relational life would positively impact all other aspect of their lives, including their careers.

Pixabay - provided by WOW Tech

The Deficit in SexEd Addressed By Wellness Brands

When it comes to sexuality only 3% of respondents said they had learned at school or with their families. The majority cited the following sources of sex education: peers and friends (34%), magazines and books (28%), and the Internet (10%). In fact, 77% of women who received some sex education stated that it never mentioned that sex should be pleasurable and 70% say there was no discussion about consent. Additionally, 62% state that they have experienced shame around sex and sexuality.

Global expenditure on wellness products and services is on the rise, highly driven by women, and the womens empowerment movement has added to the conversation issues such as the orgasm gap between men and women, and the right to body autonomy and pleasure of women. This context creates an opportunity for Sextech and Femtech businesses to create innovative solutions to educate and offer resources in underserved categories for people of all ages. Both industries have been estimated at $30 and $25 billion, respectively.

Stephanie Keating, Head of Marketing of WOW Tech, which comprises Womanizer and We-Vibe, said: Womanizer partnered with The What Summit to facilitate conversations amongst women about pleasure and all that it brings our lives. For many women, experiencing self-pleasure builds confidence, comfort, and agency yet 75% of us were not taught that sex should be pleasurable. Traditional sex education has failed us. For too many women, pleasure is associated with shame. That limits us in so many other aspects of our lives. The conversations that Womanizer and our experts are having with women free us to talk to each other about this essential part of our lives.

Personal Fulfillment As A Source Of Confidence And Wellbeing

When asked about the impact of their personal sexual wellness in other areas of life, the majority of women believed that feeling fulfilled positively impacted how they showed up in other areas of their lives. Specifically, 51% stated that this translated into a positive impact on their professional lives. Many respondents pointed to the correlation between fulfillment and confidence, lowered stress, increased overall happiness and motivation, feeling empowered and powerful, and the positive correlation with overall well-being.

Emily Morse, Doctor of Human Sexuality, relationship therapist and author, says Sexual wellness impacts body image, confidence, ... These factors can put a strain on our mental health. If you are not connecting with your partner, it is going to affect your day to day life. Additionally, being able to ask for what you want is a skill that translates into other areas of life.

Sexologist and relationship expert, Dr. Jessica ORielly, PhD, said: Sexual fulfillment, relationshipfulfillment and lifefulfillment are all positively correlated. It follows that investing in your relationships and sex life (however you define it) and fulfilling those needs leads to greater self-assurance, improved mood, increased motivation and even greater assertion skills all of which can benefit your career.

Educators, researchers, entrepreneurs The business of sexual wellness is a growing one and the merger of Womanizer and We-Vibe, which is about to become the largest sexual wellness toy manufacturer, approaching $100 million in sales, wants to push forward a healthier narrative around sexuality: Our flagship products were created to help women achieve personal sexual fulfillment and their pleasure potential. WOW Techs mission is to be the premier provider of sexual health and wellness products products that enable people all over the world to increase the satisfaction of their personal and sexual well-being, concludes Keating.

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Does Sexual Wellbeing Lead to Better Life And Leadership Skills? This Sextech Company Wants To Find Out - Forbes

Things To Do: A Review of The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley – Houston Press

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

Ladies, slip into your gauzy Empire-waist gowns. Gentlemen, don your frock coats and high-collared shirts. Proceed post-haste in your barouche to Main Street Theater to re-live those bygone days of civilized social dysfunction, witty repartee, and biscuits with orange bits.

Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon's The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley (2018) is a warm and comfy immersion in Jane Austen, a sequel to their fantastically successful Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, which was itself a sequel to Austen's immortal novel Pride and Prejudice.

The new play is delightful, engrossing in a light entertaining way, and non-threatening in any way. It is what it is: a clever rehash of everything Austen and a winking nudge to the PBS crowd who can't get enough of Downton Abbey or the nostalgic ghosts of Upstairs Downstairs. Apparently, there are a lot of fans out there, for Main Street already has several sold-out performances. Like Miss Bennet, the run of The Wickhams has already been extended. It is easy to see why.

This time, Gunderson and Melcon place the Regency comedy of manners downstairs in the copper-potted roomy Pemberley kitchen, overseen by maternal Mrs. Patmore...I mean Mrs. Reynolds (Claire Hart-Palumbo.) In mob cap and brown satin ensemble, she is the heart of the play and master of the house, popping out boatloads of savory crackers, planning the holiday menu, and solving an assortment of personal problems both upstairs and down. She has a heart of gold and an iron will. If an ox ever got ill, she would probably hitch the plow to herself and finish the harrowing.

The authors throw a distaff net over the proceedings, which is a much more contemporary interpretation of Austen's original intentions. This #leanin underpinning adds a bit of friction to an era not renowned for female emancipation or empowerment. But it's a lovely fiction and easily preps us to embrace these lively characters in their struggle for personal independence.

In Gunderson and Melcon's recasting, the woman subtly hold the power. All they need do is realize it, then act on it. Cassie (rosy-cheeked Alyssa Marek, fresh and lovely) is the new hire as scullery maid. Poor and orphaned, she realizes that she may attain a foothold out of her situation by innate intelligence, sympathetic nature, and love of reading. Underneath, she's one tough cookie and, once the plot spins into overdrive, she holds her own against her betters. She has a prickly relationship with valet Brian (Nathan Wilson, deftly naive) who spends his time inventing kitchen gadgets and warding off her sharp barbs that usually leave him reeling. You know right off where their banter will lead.

Other women rule upstairs. Mistress of the house Elizabeth Darcy, ne Bennet (Leslie Lenert), is independent, fiercely loyal to her family, and deeply in love with Darcy (picture-perfect Alan Brincks), who you may remember won her hand in the novel by shedding his noble pride and prejudice. Of course, Elizabeth had done the same when she dropped her prideful prejudice over his insufferable noblesse oblige. The other lady upstairs is self-dramatic Lydia Wickham (Skyler Sinclair in daffy comic mode). To the consternation of her family, she had run off with cad George Wickham and with a lot of behind-the-scenes pressure from Darcy, subsequently returned with a wedding ring. The family still does not approve.

So the entire Bennet family is due at any moment, the downstairs crew is harried, the Christmas tree must be put up in the library, and the stage is neatly set for a series of intertwining misadventures, budding romance, and family secrets. The authors drop these nicely at the appropriate moments.

The entire affair gets a lot more interesting when bounder George (Blake Weir, all toxic bully) bursts into the kitchen bloodied and hell-bent on uniting with his wife. Well, if Darcy finds out who's below, all hell will break out, so George must be kept hidden until this mess can be settled. Weir's presence brings a needed twinge of danger into the play. The authors juggle the various balls with sweet agility (as does director Robin Robinson), if somewhat predictable fashion. There are secret letters found and read, a hasty offstage journey to London, a scandalous accusation, tea poured, a blow to the jaw, and plenty of raised eyebrows and indignant reactions.

Regency dash is aptly supplied by Donna Southern Schmidt's exquisite costumes (Lydia's flower-embroidered muslin shift is museum worthy), Janel J. Badrina's harpsichord and pipes sound design, Eric Marsh's downstairs lighting, Ryan McGettigan's well-appointed kitchen set, and those tins of cheese biscuits everyone nibbles on. Wish they had passed out samples. How savory.

The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley. Performances are scheduled through December 22 at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; and 3 p.m. Sundays. Because of high demand with several performances already sold out, Main Street Theater has added performances on Sunday, December 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, December 14 at 3 p.m. (I'm certain more will follow.) Main Street Theater - Rice Village, 2540 Times Boulevard. For information call 713-524-6706 or visit mainstreettheater.com. $36-$55.

D.L. Groover has contributed to countless reputable publications including the Houston Press since 2003. His theater criticism has earned him a national award from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (AAN) as well as three statewide Lone Star Press Awards for the same. He's co-author of the irreverent appreciation, Skeletons from the Opera Closet (St. Martin's Press), now in its fourth printing.

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Things To Do: A Review of The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley - Houston Press

Plea in HC accuses police of forcing petitioners to furnish personal info – The Hindu

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

Three citizens knocked the doors of the Telangana High Court alleging that Rachakonda police were summoning them to police stations and compelling them to fill up some forms without following due procedure of law.

The writ petition, which is likely to come up for hearing, has been filed by a lawyer, a private employee and a tailor. The petitioners sought instructions to restrain Rachakonda police to compel them to furnish personal information without adopting legal procedures.

The petitioners -- lawyer D. Devendra, private employee M. Swapna and tailor Atmakur Annapoorna -- are activists of Chaitanya Mahila Sangham, a women organisation. Claiming that their organisation works for womens rights and their empowerment, the petitioners accused the police of bearing a grudge against them as they fought against the high-handed behaviour of the police and their inaction in some cases.

Though fighting for rights is a democratic process, the police are foisting false cases against the organisation and its members accusing them of being frontal organisations of some banned outfits, the petitioners said. The petitioners said they had opposed privatisation of TSRTC and pledged solidarity with the striking workers of the corporation.

The lawyer maintained that late on the night of November 22, two persons came to his house claiming themselves as constables of Medipally police station. They allegedly told him that an inspector had summoned him to the police station and declined to divulge any details behind the reasons for calling him to the police station.

The next afternoon, two policemen again came to his house and allegedly took his father to the police station where he was detained till evening. The advocate charged that police told his father that they would not set him free until his son personally appears before them and filled-up some forms.

An officer of the police station, the advocate claimed in the petition, had called him through his fathers mobile phone, summoning him to the police station. According to the lawyer, the police officer told him that they require to secure details from him as per the instructions from the Intelligence Department.

Mr. Devendra alleged that the police declined to give him a copy of the form which they wanted him to fill up. The details they sought was private information, he said. The lawyer, along with the other two petitioners, alleged that police did a similar exercise six months ago.

Forcing people to furnish personal information without following the procedure of law is violation of fundamental rights of an individual, they said.

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Plea in HC accuses police of forcing petitioners to furnish personal info - The Hindu

What’s driving homophobia in Uganda – The Conversation Africa

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

In recent years homosexuality in Uganda has become an increasingly volatile political and social issue. Last month an LGBTQI activist was murdered in his home and Ugandan police detained 16 men on suspicion of homosexuality and human trafficking.

These events followed rumours that Uganda might be reintroducing an anti-homosexuality bill. An earlier attempt at legislation, introduced in 2009, became known as the Kill the Gays bill because it proposed the death sentence for acts of aggravated homosexuality. It was passed by Ugandas parliament in 2013 but eventually overturned by the constitutional court on a technicality.

As an anthropologist, I wanted to understand what contributed to the rising tensions concerning homosexuality in Uganda and why it endures as a politically divisive issue.

In a paper I wrote in 2013, I examined the local factors that contributed to the political and social ferment over sexuality in Uganda. This adds to growing research on homosexuality in Africa, much of which focuses on understanding homophobia in the local context.

A great deal of publicity has focused on efforts by conservative American religious groups to guide political arguments on homosexuality. But, drawing on long-term fieldwork, I argued that anti-homosexual rhetoric in Uganda is more than a parroting of American homophobia.

Many Ugandans, irrespective of their religious beliefs, oppose homosexuality. They see it as a result of Western influence and against their culture.

This means the key to addressing the rise in homophobia is to change the narrative about homosexuality. The language used to talk about sexuality needs to more accurately reflect local perspectives. And more meaningful connections need to be drawn between the rights of LGBTQI people and Ugandan notions of humanity, dignity, and respect.

Over a period of 15 years, I carried out research on sexuality, AIDS prevention, and religious activism in Uganda. My work focused on churches in Kampala at the centre of the growing political mobilisation of Ugandas born-again Christians.

These Christians interest in homosexuality debates intensified in the wake of the 2009 anti-homosexuality bill, which was publicly supported by several high profile pastors. Today, about 30% of Ugandans identify as born-again and their leaders are prominent in the media and politics.

Like their evangelical counterparts in the US, they view the church as a platform for social protest. This is particularly the case when it comes to sexual conduct.

But I found that while Ugandan anti-homosexuality activism drew support from some US Christians, it was largely driven by local concerns.

The idea of sexual identities is well developed and accepted in the West. But it is not well established in Uganda. Some Ugandan queer activists have tried to advance locally meaningful terms such as kuchu to speak about same-sex attraction. For most Ugandans, though, sexual identity as something distinct from a sexual act or desire remains a foreign concept.

In Uganda sexuality is shaped by family and kinship relationships. This tightly binds sexuality to reproduction and gender identity. This is not to say that sex is understood to be only for procreation. But while sexual acts may vary widely, sexual identity generally does not.

Many Ugandans also associate homosexuality with sexual freedom, choice, and individualism. This chafes against a cultural perspective that emphasises the social, political, and moral importance of hierarchical family relationships.

For instance in Buganda, the largest of the traditional kingdoms in Uganda, traditional ideals are expressed by the term ekitiibwa, or respectability. This emphasises a persons place in a hierarchical social system. For women, honour is historically marked by marriages arranged through bride wealth and having children.

This is still the case today. Like most countries, relationships and households have changed over time in Uganda for instance unmarried couples live together. But formal marriage and parenthood still signal moral and social status. Homosexuality is posed as a threat to these norms.

Ugandan activists and government sponsors of the bill drew on these concerns. Street demonstrations have come out in support of the African family. Bumper sticker slogans on boda boda motorcycle taxis read: Say No 2 Sodomy, Say Yes 2 Family.

This public vilification of homosexuality is relatively recent in Uganda. Same-sex acts were not always viewed as disruptive to social norms or a threat to marriage and sexual reproduction.

One anti-homosexual activist pastor told me that it was not the existence of homosexual sex that he found disturbing. It had always been there, he admitted. What he objected to was the new public presence, and assertion, that this sexual identity was equal to all others.

The pastors claims point to how anti-homosexual activists have been successful in directing criticisms outwards, to a global realm that is seen as having an outsized role in shaping Ugandan social life. These arguments position international projects, that promote equality and personal empowerment, as threats to local moral values.

Anti-gay activists have also benefited from Ugandans ambivalent attitudes about human rights discourse. While Ugandan human rights activists have had successes, particularly in the womens movement, their language is not universally embraced.

There is a persistent perception that human rights organisations, dependent on donor aid, represent the selective concerns of Western governments rather than local interests.

This was reflected in the 2009 Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which had a clause that targeted organisations promoting homosexuality. Foreign NGOs are often framed as potential drivers of homosexuality.

These conditions pose challenges when it comes to advocating for the equality and rights of the Ugandan LGBTQI community. Communities must feel ownership of arguments for sexual equality.

Rights-based claims need to be placed into a meaningful social and moral context. For instance, they would have to draw on a sense of shared humanity with sexual minorities.

An emphasis on the human costs of discrimination, and the moral obligation to fellow community members, may have more power than a straightforward rights-based argument.

9 cool things to do this week in Pittsburgh – NEXTpittsburgh

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

Here are the events that willhelp you have a fantastic Thanksgiving week in Pittsburgh: November 25-28.

Monday, November 25: Marie Benedict at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall7 p.m.Its Andrew Carnegies 134th birthday and youre invited to celebrate with bestselling author Marie Benedict. In her work of historical fiction, Carnegies Maid, Benedict tells the story of an immigrant who inspired the industrialist to become one of the worlds first philanthropists. The event will include a dessert reception and book signing.

Monday, November 25: Reza Aslan at Carnegie Music Hall7:30 p.m.Next up for Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures Ten Evenings series is a special lecturepresented in conjunction with The Warhol Museums newest exhibition, Andy Warhol: Revelation. The internationally renowned writer Reza Aslan explores the history of religion to comprehend the divine and develop a universal spirituality.

One Night in Miami. Photo by Kristi Jan Hoover.

Tuesday, November 26: ASL Interpretation Night for One Night in Miami at City Theater Company7 p.m.Looking for ASL interpretation for one of contemporary theaters hottest new plays? Experience a life-altering night in 1964 via Kemp Powers momentous play, which re-imagines the true story of Cassius Clays friendships with civil rights activist Malcolm X, legendary singer Sam Cooke and football star Jim Brown.

Tuesday, November 26: Empower Me Summit at the Rivers Club5:30-8:30 p.m.Join African-American leaders from a wide range of fields for an evening of collaboration, education and inspiration. Designed to help promote personal development and advancement and empowerment within the black community, the summit will include keynote talks, panel discussions, networking, special giveaways and more.

Tuesday, November 26: Les Miserables at the Benedum Center7:30 p.m.Les Mis mania will sweep the Burgh when this brand-new 25th-anniversary production lands Downtown. Created by the acclaimed Cameron Mackintosh, the epic musical features dazzling scenery inspired by writer Victor Hugos paintings.

Red Panda. Photo courtesy of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

Wednesday, November 27: Free For All at Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium9 a.m.-5 p.m.Theres never been a better time to visit the remarkable residents at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. The Highland Park destination is offering free admissionthrough December 1 plusthe animals are more active and a lot of fun to observe during cooler temperatures.

Wednesday, November 27: Robert Ramirez at Liberty Magic7:30 p.m.Find out why Robert Ramirez really is The Musical Theater Magician in this tour-de-force production created exclusively for Liberty Magic. Ramirez who starred in Lin-Manuel Mirandas nationally touring musical, In the Heights will dazzle you with this unforgettable mashup of magic and theater. Tip: watch out for the disappearing piano.

Robert Ramirez. Photo by Greg Gregory Neiser.

Wednesday, November 27: Dance Nation at barebones productions8 p.m.What happens when an army of pre-teen competitive dancers plots to take over the world? Find out if this competitive crew has what it takes to reach the top at Tampa Bays Grand Prix and what they learn along the way when barebones presents Clare Barrons bold play starring David Conrad, Hope Anthony and Mei Lu Barnum. While in Braddock, pair the play with dinner at Superior Motors or drinks at Brew Gentlemen.

Thursday, November 28: YMCA Turkey Trot at PNC Park7 a.m. 12 p.m.Before filling up on turkey or tofurkey, get moving and do some good during this beloved Thanksgiving Day tradition. Thousands of Pittsburghers will don goofy costumes and run together while donating 10,000 pounds of food. Your trotting will provide food security to children, families and seniors served by the YMCA and Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. One of the countrys largest Thanksgiving Day races, the event includes four route options.

Looking for moreevents and live music? Read ourtop weekly and weekend events, Top 11 things to do in Pittsburgh this November, 33 great Pittsburgh concerts in October and NovemberandNovembers top 12 kid-friendly events in Pittsburgh.

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9 cool things to do this week in Pittsburgh - NEXTpittsburgh

Know Your Worth. Then Live Like You Know It. – SWAAY

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

Self-care is not selfish.

What do you believe you deserve? That's a pretty loaded question, isn't it? In more than twenty years working as a women's life coach, I've asked it thousands of times, and I've received countless answers. The majority of responses I've received have been disheartening, and they've revealed a startling truth. Women - even very successful, accomplished women - doubt their deservingness.

Deservingness is not to be confused with entitlement. Entitlement is about believing you have a right to something. Deservingness is about how much you believe you're worth.

When you doubt your deservingness, what you're really uncertain about is whether or not you measure up. Are you good enough? (YES.) You've made some pretty big mistakes. Do those bad blunders make you a bad person? (NO.) Are you a good enough person to deserve good things? (YES. YOU ARE.)

Many women carry around a secret shame that impacts their feelings of self-worth and deservingness.

At some point in your life, someone told you there was something wrong with you. This is inevitable, of course, because there's something wrong with all of us, but it gets to dangerous and disempowering territory through repetition.

If even one person in your life tells you over and over again that there's something wrong with you, well, you can start to believe them. Being rejected or criticized hurts, and it has a cumulative effect. Imagine every criticism you've ever received is a tiny little pin that landed right in your heart. (Seriously bad visual, right? Wouldn't your heart look like a pincushion if that was the case?) Beyond hurting like hell, a heart full of pins holds you back and makes you play small. YOU ARE NOT SMALL. I want you to stop acting like you are.

Tweet this!

You'll sabotage, procrastinate, and excuse the good right out of your life if you don't believe you deserve it. Happily, you can raise your sense of deservingness, and deepen your feelings of personal worth. I'm going to show you how today. It's time to start believing in you again.

On the face of it, you'd think this advice would be obvious and unimpeachable. Of course you have to take care of yourself. The problem with this truth is that there are whole communities of people who will try to convince you that prioritizing your needs makes you a selfish person. (And who wants to be seen as selfish?)

I've never encountered a woman who hadn't heard some version of this self-care-is-selfish-nonsense. The thing is, these messages are about control, and they come from people who are happy to keep you down and disempowered. (Which makes it easier for them to manipulate you.) Do not fall for this line of hooey.

Self-care is not selfish. Self-neglect is selfish.

Self-neglect tells you that you don't matter. It asks you to stuff your wants and repress your emotions. When you chronically neglect yourself, eventually, you turn into a repressed, angry, self-doubting zombie (or banshee depending on your anger level). Nothing about self-neglect is attractive. I want you to stop doing it. TODAY.

We need you in top form. There is purpose in your life. To make good on it, you need to connect with your SELF. The most fundamental way to begin that process is to take care of your physical body. When I'm working with a client, we practice four physical care basics. (I practice these guys too. Religiously.)

Notice I said, "you need." These are non-negotiable requirements. If you're tempted to argue against your ability to practice them, please pause. I've heard every excuse known to woman. And I don't buy a single one of them. We're in a no-excuses zone now. You don't get to argue against yourself and also be empowered. It doesn't work that way. You have to choose.

If you haven't taken care of yourself in a long time, this topic can feel totally overwhelming. I understand, and I want you to do it anyway. Remember, I'm your coach. A loving boot-in-the-butt will sometimes be required in our relationship. Consider this my velvet tipped toe, making contact with that booty of yours.

Take a deep breath and start tackling your care basics. You DO have time. You are NOT selfish, and there's no wrong way to do this except not to do it at all. Practice makes powerful. SO PRACTICE!

Okay, time to up the ante a little bit. This next step is harder.

You can't think your way into believing in your own worth, but you can act your way there. As it turns out, keeping the commitments you make to yourself increases your feelings of worth and deservingness, and strengthens your confidence too.

Think about it. You make countless commitments every day. The trouble bis that most of them are for other people. When you don't have a strong sense of your own worth, you agree to most incoming requests. Which means you're probably way overcommitted.

When your calendar is crowded, and something's got to give, you're the one who usually goes. Because it's easiest to break commitments to you, right?

WRONG.

Every time you break a commitment to yourself, what you're really doing is showing yourself, through your own inaction, that you don't matter. NO! Bailing on yourself is like giving your hopes and dreams a big middle finger. (Please stop doing it.)

It's time to start following through FOR YOU. Don't panic. I'm not suggesting you stop doing things for other people. As a woman, you're a natural-born nurturer. Of course, you're going to do it for other people. I just want you to add yourself to the list of people-you-do-for.

The best way to get a handle on showing up for yourself is to start paying attention to what's going on when you don't. What causes you to cross yourself off your own list? When you bring your triggers into your awareness, you'll notice a pattern, which will give you the power to make changes.

Take things one choice at a time. Whenever possible, choose to follow through for you. Every time you do, you remove one of those tiny little heart pins and strengthen your sense of worth and deservingness.

Now for the hardest part

When you don't believe in your own deservingness, you become an earner. Meaning, you spend your time and energy earning love. This can show up in a lot of different ways. We'll talk about three of them here.

It gets worse. When you live as an earner, you attract users. (That's just as bad as it sounds.) There are unfortunately people in the world that will live at your expense without giving it a second thought. If you're willing to give it, they'll take it, and even talk themselves into believing they deserve what they're taking. These kind of people like to keep you small, scared, and doubting your deservingness. (Then you do whatever they want. Whenever they want you to.)

YOU MUST STAND UP FOR YOURSELF.

Start by catching yourself in the act of playing the earner. What and who triggers the earner response in you? What are you afraid of? What are you trying to prove? If you feel drained or bad about yourself after you're with a specific person or in a certain place, you need to think twice about being with that person or in that place.

I know this is easier said than done. It's possible the people who make you feel bad are co-workers or family members. It's not like you can just stop seeing them, right? If you find yourself in this position, there is only one path. You need to speak up for yourself. Stat.

For help, you can check out three of my other blogs. They'll show you how to stop living like a pleaser, set some boundaries, and say no like you mean it. Will you be uncomfortable? Yep. You will. Can you handle it? Yes. You can. Be willing to be uncomfortable. Speak up. Stand up. Stop accepting less than you deserve.

Every time you speak up for yourself, you remove another pin from your heart, raise your sense of deservingness and you deepen your own sense of worth. You also show other women what it looks like to know your worth and live like you know it. Which encourages them to do it too. (THAT is female power.)

You are good, and you deserve good things. You deserve acceptance, belonging, and love. There's no mistake in you, my sister. YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH. Just as you are.

My mission is your empowerment. That's why I'm here. If you haven't already joined my community, please do it by entering your email (www.kimberlyfulcher.com). Until we meet again, know that life is happening for you.

You've Got This!

Kim

From Your Site Articles

First Lady decries exclusion of women in tourism – The Herald

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

The Herald

Tendai Rupapa in ACCRA, Ghana

ZIMBABWES Environment and Tourism patron, First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, has voiced concern at the exclusion of women in tourism despite forming a huge base of the workforce in the sector.

She said in the tourism sector, the percentage of women who work in the industry was high, but they occupy unskilled and lowly-paying jobs.

The First Lady decried the low representation of women in decision-making positions in the industry.

Addressing delegates at the inaugural Regional Congress on Women Empowerment in the Tourism Sector Focus on Africa here yesterday, Amai Mnangagwa said in most developing countries, women were excluded in mainstream tourism, in spite of them being natural hospitality players by virtue of their warm and welcoming nature.

The First Lady, who is a champion for women empowerment, is leading a delegation of Zimbabwean women in the tourism sector.

The tourism sector definitely provides various entry points for womens employment and opportunities for creating self-employment, thus creating paths towards the elimination of poverty in women and local communities, she said.

Tourism presents both opportunities and challenges for gender equality and womens empowerment.

The contribution of women in the business world has increased in recent years, although women are under-represented in management and leadership.

The First Lady paid tribute to United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Secretary-General Mr Zurab Polikashivili for his sterling leadership that has seen UNWTO partnering with Ghana to host this event on Women Empowerment in the Tourism sector.

Gender stereotyping and discrimination, the First Lady observed, meant that women mainly perform jobs such as cooking, cleaning and hospitality.

Much tourism employment is seasonal and fluctuates according to the volatile nature of the industry. If a strong gender perspective is integrated into planning and implementation processes, tourism can be harnessed as a vehicle for promoting gender equality and womens empowerment at the household, community, national and global level.

At the same time, greater gender equality will contribute to the overall quality of the tourist experience, with a considerable impact on profitability and quality across all aspects of the industry. I have no doubt that this platform will allow us to share and exchange the various strides being made to ensure inclusion and empowerment of women through the Women in Tourism Empowerment Programme (WITEP), which was set-up by the UNWTO.

In Zimbabwe, Amai Mnangagwa said, the Government supported the inclusion of women in the tourism sector and has supported the creation of a Women in Tourism National Chapter.

She said this development has been taken to the grassroots through the launch of Provincial Chapters of Women in Tourism.

These local chapters have enabled us to organise the women in the sector for better access to finance and capacity building to enable the economic empowerment of women in the tourism sector from the grassroots level.

I am happy to advise this gathering, taking advantage of the fact that tourism is a low-hanging fruit, most women in Zimbabwe have been involved in the setting up of tourism businesses, especially in the accommodation sector, said the First Lady.

She cited the example of Bulawayo, where 80 percent of lodges are owned by women and were operating successfully.

Zimbabwe is a signatory to a number of declarations aimed at increasing the number of women in top decision-making positions in politics and other spheres.

A study conducted in 2011 funded by the World Bank revealed that about 28 percent of workers in the tourism sector were women and 11 percent of these were in leadership positions.

As Women in Tourism, we continue to engage Government to provide more incentives to empower women to participate in the tourism sector and ensure more are employed in leadership positions in the sector.

I am glad to note that our current private sector organisation in the tourism sector, the Tourism Business Council, is currently being led by a woman, which is a vote of confidence to our abilities to lead as women.

Amai Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was intensifying its focus on cultural and heritage tourism promotion to diversify the tourism product base and promote domestic tourism.

This type of tourism, she said, had resulted in tourists interacting with communities and having a personal encounter with traditions, history and culture.

Zimbabwean women and the youths have been spearheading these projects in our less developed communities. The participation of women through community-based tourism programmes has resulted in creation of employment at grassroots level, development of infrastructure in our rural communities and promotion of social cohesion and environmental responsibility. Through the community-based projects, a total of 50 community-based tourism projects have been implemented in Zimbabwe, benefiting close to 200 000 households in Zimbabwe.

Speaking at the same occasion, Mr Pololikashvili acknowledged that tourism in Africa was on the rise.

The number of international tourist arrivals to African countries has been growing by 6 percent annually since 1995 and we are confident arrivals will reach 134 million a year by 2030.

We estimate that tourism supports more than 20 million jobs. It also helps build schools and roads and promote natural and cultural heritage, he said.

He added: The true potential of tourism as a driver of change for Africa is yet to be realised and this cannot happen without true gender equality. Women are at the forefront of development in Africa, therefore, this congress, a first of its kind, is our opportunity to discuss the importance of gender mainstreaming in tourism.

Ghanaian Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who officially opened the congress, said the event was taking place at a significant moment when international tourism was reaching new heights globally.

He said tourism constituted one of the fastest growing sectors in the world.

The industry has become a global and highly competitive socio-economic and environmental activity in both developed and developing countries.

It is a labour-intensive industry creating skilled and unskilled jobs in the supply value chains. (The) tourism market has shown strong growth across Africa in recent years.

It has a great potential to accelerate progress across the sustainable development goals.

Well-managed, the sector can generate quality jobs, reduce poverty and offer incentives for environmental conservation.

Dr Bawumia said tourism was one of the major sources of foreign exchange in many developing countries.

He added that he was informed the UNWTO was working hard to harness tourisms immense contribution to develop the most vulnerable members of society. The three-day congress aims at analysing the challenges and opportunities for women empowerment in the tourism sector, creating a synergy among African countries and key stakeholders.

Among the dignitaries attending the congress is the First Lady of Spain, Begona Gomez Fernandez.

See the article here:

First Lady decries exclusion of women in tourism - The Herald

Live review: New Rules and Mae Muller at the Manchester Arena – The Mancunion

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

British boy band New Rules and singer-songwriter Mae Muller performed as support on the British leg of Little Mixs LM5 tour. The 14th of November was the first of three nights at the Manchester Arenaand will have been the largest audience that either act has performed to.

It was probably for this reason that the three-piece, guitar playing New Rules started off a little nervous. Their opening song, an original entitled Call It, was a little flat but still a catchy, light-hearted pop song that got the crowd on their feet. The band made a real effort to make the performance feel a little more personal, with each member introducing themselves and talking to the audience.

It was clear that not many people watching were aware of the band before, so their decision to include some covers, such as Dominic Fikes 3 Nights, was the right decision as it allowed people to sing along. The crowds reaction allowed New Rules to become more comfortable on stage and gain confidence, their vocals vastly improving. By their final song, their biggest hit 24 Hours, they were performing much less like a support act and more like an established boy band who knew their sound and were excited to be sharing it.

New Rules supporting of Little Mix, where a vast proportion of the audience was below the age of 12, and consistent promotion of their TikTok, made it obvious that they are trying to present themselves as the next generations heartthrobs. However, in doing this, they put themselves at risk of isolating those slightly older in the audience who would arguably be more able to spend money supporting them or attending their headline tour next February.

The second supporting act of the night was Mae Muller. Her songs have strong themes of female independence and feminism, so her support was very fitting to the LM5tours empowerment message. The highlight of her performance was the unreleased song entitled Therapist, which is about how it is not a womans job to help fix her boyfriend, and her comments about her own experiences between tracks made the whole set much more personal.

Her most successful track Anticlimax ended what was an exceptional vocal performance perfectly,setting the audience up for the main event. The only downside was that the style of music, a slower pop reminiscent of Jorja Smith, was maybe not entirely fitting for a large arena venue.

7/10.

Live review: New Rules and Mae Muller at the Manchester Arena - The Mancunion

Operation Bootstrap: Empowering the African American Community through Entrepreneurship – KCET

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

Learn more about this groundbreaking toy company that changed the industry forever on "Lost LA" S4 E6: Shindana Toy Company - Changing the American Doll Industry

A police stop of a black motorist may have set off the 1965 Watts Riots, but segregated schools, joblessness and poverty have widely been identified as the social factors that drove residents of this South L.A. community to take to the streets and resist. For six days beginning on August 11, community members overturned cars, set fires and confronted police. In the end, 34 people died, 1,000 suffered injuries and property damage topped $40 million. The massive devastation left in the rebellions wake led to hopelessness about societys race problem, but it also spurred African Americans such as Louis Smith and Robert Hall to take action.

On November 24, 1965, the duo launched an organization called Operation Bootstrap on 4161 South Central Avenue in Watts. It would work to enhance the educational and professional skills of residents and connect them to the career networks that eluded them in South L.A. Fifty-four years after Operation Bootstrap began, the project is most remembered for starting a variety of businesses namely Shindana Toys that put community members to work and allowed them to witness economic empowerment through an African American lens. While Operation Bootstrap ended in the 1980s, its contributions to black life reverberate today. The organization emphasized the importance of black entrepreneurship and used its business initiatives to shift public perception of black identity and uplift the community.

While walking down Central Avenue in the late 1960s, a young man named Lewis Kisasi discovered Operation Bootstrap. Seeing a group of people gathered in an empty warehouse piqued his curiosity enough to prompt him to walk inside. Barely out of his teens, Kisasi was welcomed when he stepped into the Bootstrap offices, which had an open-door policy.

"I was excited about the possibility of Operation Bootstrap," said Kisasi, now 75. "Lou was the intellectual powerhouse, and Robert also had great strength. He was more of a people person and was easy to relate to. Right off the bat, people liked his personality and Bootstrap's philosophy of people doing for themselves. That really was the genesis of Bootstrap to do something for self."

While Operation Bootstrap was certainly a team effort, much of the credit for its success has been given to its charismatic president Lou Smith, who started out in the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Born to a Philadelphia police officer and homemaker in 1929, Smith revealed an activist streak when he was just a small child, according to his son, Lou Smith III.

In fourth grade, his school tried to expel him because he said it was impossible for Christoper Columbus to have discovered America when there were already people there, his son said. He wouldnt come off that, so the school called his parents in for a big meeting. He was an interesting guy. He was a funny guy.

A portrait of Robert Hall and Lou Smith, founders of Operation Bootstrap from a Jet Magazine storypublished by Johnson Publishing Company| Still from "Lost LA" Shindana Toys

Smith may have been a nonconformist, but that didnt stop him from joining the racially segregated armed forces in 1947. Years later, he bragged about flouting military rules, drinking whiskey on the job and farming out his clerical work to his latest romantic conquest, according to the paper Operation Bootstrap: Beginnings. But the Army wasnt just fun and games. While riding in a jeep, Smith suffered a back injury that would cause him chronic pain.

Although hed hoped to pursue a career as a commercial artist, his career path changed when a friend invited him to a CORE function circa 1959. He quickly became an active member in the Philly chapter and, later, its chairman, according to his son.

My father always had a sense of fairness, Lou Smith III said. He was always for the underdog, and he skyrocketed up the CORE ranks.

He participated in sit-ins and sleep-ins targeting trade unions and housing programs that excluded African Americans. David Crittendon, a fellow CORE activist, said that the trade union campaigns particularly inspired him.

It had a huge effect on Lou Smith, Crittendon said. He really admired the trade union activists who were asking, Why cant black workers have the same opportunities as white workers? It made him a genuine civil rights activist.

By 1963, CORE officials asked Smith to go to Mississippi to serve as a leader there. He was in Mississippi the following summer when white supremacists abducted and killed civil rights workers Michael Scwherner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney. Since Schwerner and Goodman were white Northerners, their murders garnered national media attention, but 41 years would pass before anyone was held responsible for the crimes. In 2005, a jury convicted klansman Edgar Ray Killen of manslaughter for the killings.

After the gruesome 1964 murders, Smith headed to California to serve as COREs West Coast and Midwest regional director, his son said. His supporters urged him to run for national director of CORE, but Smith enjoyed interacting with the public and loathed the idea of sitting in an office all day.

In Los Angeles, he found a fragmented CORE, with traditional and radical factions who couldnt agree on the best approach to serving the community. The left-leaning members formed a group called the Non-Violent Action Committee (N-VAC), which met on Central Avenue in the heart of black Los Angeles. In contrast, the established CORE chapter met in the largely white San Fernando Valley. Smith first met Robert Hall at an N-VAC event protesting COREs national leadership, but the two didnt share their philosophies on social justice with each other until the Watts Riots. In the aftermath of the violence, they sat in a cafe and exchanged their ideas about how to better the community.

"South Central Los Angeles it was an extremely isolated black neighborhood," Crittendon said. "The city was extremely segregated, and there was a real sense of just being shut out and overpoliced living in very poor conditions with very few opportunities to break out of those situations. Say you were a young black teen who wanted to be employed in a department store; you wouldn't get that job. And the aerospace manufacturing companies that had been in South L.A during World War II had moved far away. South Central was left as kind of this desolate area with poverty and poor infrastructure."

Three months after Smith and Hall's brainstorm session, Operation Bootstrap kicked off. With Smith as president, Hall served as executive vice president, and the board included members Woodrow Coleman, Linda Clark, Clarence Price and Sheila Tucker. Working with psychologists and other professionals, Operation Bootstrap identified the Watts community's main needs, primarily jobs and remedial education classes. Via a press conference and leaflets, the organization then publicized its plans to help the deprived neighborhood. A racially diverse mix of groups, including the Pacific Palisades Hadassah, the Soroptimists Club of Alhambra and the Laguna Beach NAACP, offered to help Operation Bootstrap with its mission. In addition, more than 50 volunteers agreed to teach reading, writing and speaking classes to the Watts community. Instructors also led courses on electronics assembly, key punching, and computer programming.

Kisasi, who would eventually become a Bootstrap board member, recalls the organization offering sewing classes and holding community dialogues.

Wed have these sensitivity sessions where people from various communities, mainly the white communities, would have these dialogues about fixing the problems in the black community, he recalled.

The systems approach diagram that Operation Boostrap operated under | Southern California Library

Operation Bootstrap attracted not only concerned citizens and volunteer teachers but also politicians such as the national Office of Economic Opportunity director Sargent Shriver, California Gov. Pat Brown and Ronald Reagan, who would serve two terms as the state's governor beginning in 1967. Although politicians visited the organization, Smith strongly opposed taking the government's money to support Bootstrap financially.

All money was raised through personal or public outreach, Crittendon explained. Lou Smith, being a very astute activist, realized that there were individuals and communities outside of South Central L.A. who wanted to do something to aid the citizens in the Watts rebellion zone.

Friends of Bootstrap clubs fundraised enough money to allow Bootstrap to start various business ventures, including the clothing store Bootstrings; daycare and educational center, Baby Bootstrap; the Afrocentric boutique Kiwanda; and even a gas station.

People showing off the Boostring clothing collection | UCLA, Library Special Collections,Los Angeles Times Photographic Archives

By far, Shindana Toys stands out as the most commercially successful Bootstrap business. In 1968, it opened and became so profitable that it allowed the operation to run almost totally autonomously. An infusion of cash, including a $500,000 loan from Mattel and a collective $1 million in funds from Chase Manhattan Bank, Sears Roebuck & Co. and Equitable Life Assurance, gave Shindana (Swahili for "competitor") a strong start. The toy company featured black dolls, such as "Baby Nancy," with features modeled on actual black children's faces.

That was the ultimate company, Kisasi said of Shindana. It started because of a young black girl who only had little white dolls. That gave Lou the idea for the Shindana Toy Company.

A woman manufacturing Shindana Toy dolls from a Jet Magazine story published by Johnson Publishing Company | Still from "Lost LA" Shindana Toys

According to the Los Angeles Times, Nancy was the first doll marketed as black by a toy company. Shindana would subsequently debut Asian and Native American dolls in addition to a line based on black celebrities like Flip Wilson and O.J. Simpson. Debbie Behan Garrett, a doll collector and author of books such as The Definitive Guide to Collecting Black Dolls, is a fan of Shindanas career doll line.

It represented different occupations to aspire to, she said. One may have been a receptionist, another a race car driver or a stewardess or ballerina.

Click right or left to see some of the career options presented by the Wanda doll:

Catalog for the Wanda doll showcasing her many different careers | Courtesy of Billie Green

Catalog for the Wanda doll showcasing her career as a nurse | Courtesy of Billie Green

Catalog for the Wanda doll showcasing her career as a ballerina| Courtesy of Billie Green

Catalog for the Wanda doll showcasing her career as a stewardess | Courtesy of Billie Green

In the 1960s, realistic-looking black dolls were scarce, with most resembling white dolls in darker hues. Before then, many of the black dolls on the market looked like racial caricatures of African Americans. Garrett said that growing up in North Texas in the 1950s and '60s it was nearly impossible to find black dolls with realistic features. When she discovered Shindana dolls years after they were first released, she felt overjoyed.

I was shopping at a store that carried overstock or discontinued items, and I saw Shindanas Baby Janie doll that had ethnically correct facial features that werent exaggerated. She had the little pug nose and fuller cheeks and fuller lips. She didnt have curly hair, but you knew this was not a white doll painted brown. I was so excited.

During the 1974-75 fiscal year, Shindana earned $2 million in revenues, with sales representatives in major cities across the country. Shindana's success allowed Operation Bootstrap to launch other projects, such as Honeycomb Child Development Center, designed to educate the children of South L.A. while instilling a sense of racial pride in them. But Shindana's huge profit margin would be short-lived. Aware that Shindana was thriving by serving black clientele, rival companies began to sell black dolls of their own, having previously ignored African American consumers desperate to find positive images of themselves. The 1970s recession marked a downturn for both Shindana and Operation Bootstrap, as consumers were less likely to spend their disposable income on nonessentials or donate to social justice causes.

Lou Smith devoted almost all of his time to running Shindana, and Bootstrap faltered without his leadership. Meanwhile, Robert Hall struggled to adjust to the corporate environment of Shindana, which employed 50 to 60 workers. His difficulties resulted in him being asked to resign as the companys CEO and president. This led to his departure from both Shindana and Bootstrap overall. Just six months after his exit, Hall had a fatal heart attack in 1973 at age 42. Three years later, another tragedy occurred when a car wreck claimed the lives of Lou Smith and his daughter Matilda; Smith was 47.

The loss of Smith hit Shindana hard, but the company remained in business until 1983. With its assortment of dolls of color, the toy company was ahead of its time. Lou Smith knew that representation mattered decades before consumers could easily find dolls in a range of skin tones, body types, and hair textures, as they can currently.

With no black dolls to play with as a child in the 1940s, Portland native Laverne Hall grew up to manufacture a line of black paper dolls, organize a show called LaVerne's Original Holiday Festival of Black Dolls, and publish the DOLL-E-GRAM newsletter about the toys in the 1990s. She applauds Lou Smith for his contributions to black dolls and has presented a Shindana award at her former doll show.

His story was such a marvelous story, she said of Smith. The political part of this thing for me is that the major toy manufacturers were making millions of dollars on black dolls that were the same as the white dolls, just painted over. There was nothing authentic about them. While theyre making millions of dollars on us [African Americans], we were not getting anything out of it.

Its important for black children to play with toys that resemble them because it fosters self-esteem, Hall said. Shindana recognized this need and became a competitor in an industry that had traditionally overlooked African Amerians.

Laverne did not have the chance to meet Lou Smith in person but described his approach to Operation Bootstrap and Shindana as progressive.

He was very forward-thinking, she said. He was creative, and he didnt mind stepping out and taking a chance in the interest of his community. Whatever he could do to move his people and his community forward, thats what he did.

Without Operation Bootstrap, of course, Shindana would never have come to fruition. Crittendon said it saddens him that both the toy company and the economic empowerment organization behind it have largely been forgotten.

"Bootstrap it has gotten lost just like a lot of black history gets lost," he said.

But Smith and Hall led lives that deserved to be remembered, Crittendon added.

Lou Smith and Robert Hall were absolutely unbelievable as individuals, he said. They meant what they said and showed it in their actions. They walked their talk, and that made all of the difference.

Top Image:Shindana's Little Friends collection represent children from around the world. A scan from the Shindana catalog | Courtesy of Billie Green

Original post:

Operation Bootstrap: Empowering the African American Community through Entrepreneurship - KCET

How To Support People With Disabilities On Black Friday And Giving Tuesday – Forbes

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Danzig

Getty

How can we use our dollars most effectively this holiday season to effectively support and empower disabled people?

Black Friday marks the start of the holiday shopping season. Four days later, #GivingTuesday kicks off the holiday charitable giving season. Shopping and donating both offer opportunities to support people in society who could use some extra help. Here are four different ways to support disabled people this holiday season:

1. Shop at businesses that are staffed or owned by disabled people

Its common enough now that a kind of media narrative is taking shape. A disabled person, anxious to work but finding employers unwilling to give them a chance, starts their own business, and local news runs an inspirational story about it. Even more often, its the story of parents of a disabled son or daughter who start a business for them and for other disabled people who struggle to find work. While the often sentimental tone of these stories can be off-putting, particularly to disabled people themselves, disability-centered businesses can be a great way to support disabled people in a simple and natural way.

2. Buy gifts online from disabled craftspeople

Disability entrepreneurship thrives online. Craft sites like Etsy and swag store sites like Zazzle make it easy for disabled creatives to make money selling their jewelry, artwork, t-shirts, and other items online, without physical barriers or the upfront capital required to open a bricks-and-mortar business. Each year, disability blogger Emily Ladau publishes a Holiday Gift Guide focused on disabled people selling products online. Our goal is to shine a spotlight on their work, she explains, giving people a meaningful way to support the disability community by doing something they were likely already going to do - buy holiday presents for the people in their lives.

3. Support disabled freelance content creators

Another way to support online disability culture is to contribute to disabled bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, and freelance journalists. Most creators have donation links, or Patreon and Ko-Fi accounts where you can make one-time donations, or pledge a small amount per month to help sustain their work. Online disability culture has enriched the disability community immensely, and its well worth supporting your favorites. If you arent familiar with any yet, just search terms like disability in your favorite online media platforms, and explore.

4. Give to disability charities

The most traditional way to donate to disability causes is to support disability nonprofit organizations. There are of course the big, disability-specific organizations everyone knows about, through their professional PR campaigns, high-profile and popular fundraising events, and celebrity spokespeople. But while many of these do good work, on closer examination, you may find that some of them dont fit well with your interests and ethics, or those of the people they are supposed to help. This is especially true if you value authentic empowerment of disabled people themselves, and strong, visionary advocacy. Disabled blogger, (and mother of a disabled child), Meriah Nichols has an informative list of links to disability organizations you may not have heard of, but are well worth a look.

At a time when social and political hazards are everywhere, supporting people with disabilities seems like a fairly easy call. But disabled people and disability culture are just as complex as any other parts of society. Its not always immediately obvious to casual observers, but there are some disability causes, trends, and organizations that sizable numbers of actual disabled people feel ambivalent about ... even despise.

How can you be sure the disability-connected businesses or charities you want to patronize are truly responsive to the disability community, and consistent with your values? Here are some key questions to ask:

Are disabled employees paid at least minimum wage?

This is a crucial question to ask about businesses that promote themselves as employment initiatives for people with disabilities. Some businesses have certificates allowing them to pay disabled workers less than minimum wage. And while some continue to argue that the practice has its place, its an approach that is steadily being phased out, as the inequity of it becomes harder to reconcile. At the very least, asking about it helps ensure that businesses and organizations appealing to our goodwill towards disabled people continue to wrestle with important ethical questions about their methods.

Are disabled people working in visible, integrated settings, or are they segregated and invisible to the public?

Payment of sub-minimum wage often goes hand-in-hand with sheltered workshops and other employment models that keep disabled workers away from public contact. Its another practice that is rapidly falling out of favor ... a relic of the past. As such, its not something these businesses tend to advertise. So although you may be buying products made by disabled people, you may want to find out under what conditions, and think about how they match up with your own values and how you would want to be treated in your job.

Are there disabled people in leadership and decision making positions?

This doesnt necessarily have to be a strict litmus test. But there is a potential difference between a restaurantwhere all the employees are disabled, but the owner and managers are not and one owned and/or managed by people with disabilities. Its also a critically important question when exploring disability nonprofits. There is no more important place to apply the disability rights principle, Nothing about us without us, than in disability organizations. Being staffed and governed by disabled people not only provides employment and leadership opportunities for them, but also helps ensure that disability charities pursue goals important to actual disabled people, using strategies that disabled people themselves have developed and approved.

Does the business or charity present an empowering, unsentimental image of disability and disabled people?

You can raise a lot of money by presenting disabled people as either sad, pitiful, and burdensome to care for ... or as almost inhumanly angelic and inspirational for literally anything they do. On the other hand, its possible to recognize a business or organization where disabled people are truly liberated and empowered, where you want to help, not to rescue disadvantaged people or pick up some sort of vague good karma, but because they offer a good product in a positive atmosphere, and a mission that puts disabled people themselves at the center. Its often hard to see the difference, but developing a more discerning eye towards these intangible qualities is crucial for making good charitable choices, especially in the disability field.

Finally, it helps to ask yourself what, exactly, you want to support. Disability charities in particular can have a variety of different missions and approaches. Sometimes its hard to tell up front what an organization actually does. Before choosing what to support, think about which of these aims you care about most:

Disability activism - Working towards changes in laws, policies, and practices to make life better more accessible, and more liberated for people with disabilities.

Individual services and advocacy - Providing direct, individual services to disabled people, including counseling, individual advocacy, information, accessibility modifications, and education.

Individual care - Providing one-on-one physical assistance to help disabled people with everyday activities, including personal care, household chores, and transportation.

Cultural and awareness activities - Promoting greater visibility, better understanding, and disability representation in everyday life and culture.

Medical and technological research - Striving to cure, prevent, or alleviate disabling conditions, and developing assistive devices for people with disabilities.

Preferences and opinions on disability causes vary a great deal, even on foundational issues as segregation and fair wages. But responsible givers and patrons will at least explore these issues, and make their disability contributions consciously, deliberately, and consistent with their values.

How To Support People With Disabilities On Black Friday And Giving Tuesday - Forbes

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