Daily Archives: July 5, 2020

Letters: When the nation needs the Church to unite it, Justin Welby divides it – Telegraph.co.uk

Posted: July 5, 2020 at 10:01 am

SIR I sympathise with those who had to paint the prime-minsterial aircrafts tail-fin flag (report, June 26). These things need to be right.

In 1956, British Railways introduced a new emblem for its locomotives. It was a dignified thing, with a rampant lion emerging from a crown, holding a wheel in its paws, based on the heraldic achievement of the British Railways Board. Thousands were ordered, in two sizes. Each was left- or right-handed, so that the lion always looked towards the front of the locomotive.

The Garter King of Arms is said to have seen the emblem on a locomotives tender at Euston. He was impressed and toddled round the other side, but had an apoplectic fit when he saw this lion also facing forwards; according to heraldic convention, it should have faced left.

BR quietly used up the stocks of transfers and, from 1959, only used the heraldically correct version. This fact is useful for dating pictures of steam trains, if youre so inclined.

David PearsonHaworth, West Yorkshire

SIR Nikolai Tolstoy (Letters, June 26) draws attention to the indifference with which, after the war, the British delivered millions to be killed or enslaved by Stalins henchmen.

Harold Macmillan was responsible for turning over the Cossacks. But why? I doubt it was simply to demonstrate we were reliable allies.

Macmillan believed (as did many of his contemporaries) in world government. This was to be organised through regional governments under a new United Nations Organisation. Western Europe was to be one region; Eastern Europe under the Soviet Union another. America gave up on the idea under Harry S Truman. But Macmillan did not. He clung to the ideal, showing little concern about the Soviets running Eastern Europe.

As late as November 7 1957, one of his Foreign Office ministers, the Earl of Gosford, could still declare that Britain was fully in agreement with world government. In 1961, the Future Policies Committee, set up by Macmillan under Sir Frank Lee, concluded that, by 2000, it was questionable whether Britain would still be an independent state. By then it would be simply a province of a united Europe. The EU had an unhealthy history from the very start.

Professor Alan SkedLondon School of EconomicsLondon WC2

SIR In 1944, shortly after turning 20, my husband drove his tank on to the beach at Arromanches on D-Day.

During the campaign his sergeant was killed at his side. Later he lost comrades whose tanks were hit.

After the ceasefire, he had to drive a truck full of refugees to the Russians and hand them over. Even with everything else he had experienced, he found this greatly upsetting. He never forgot it.

May NuttallGreat Bentley, Essex

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Letters: When the nation needs the Church to unite it, Justin Welby divides it - Telegraph.co.uk

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10 DC and Marvel characters that deserve their own movies – The Indian Express

Posted: at 10:01 am

Written by Kshitij Rawat | New Delhi | Updated: June 29, 2020 4:13:42 pm Here are the 10 comic-book characters who need their own movies. (Photo: DC Comics and Marvel Comics)

It is no exaggeration to say that superhero films rule Hollywood these days. Nearly every movie based on characters from comic-books capitalises on the existing fan bases to earn millions.

But comic-books have more to offer, and the lore is far from exhausted. Here are five DC and five Marvel superheroes who need their own movies:

Formerly Batmans protege, Nightwing created his own, independent persona to fight crime in Gotham City. A live-action movie on the superhero has been in development since forever.

Not your typical superhero, Lobo is a mercenary and a bounty hunter who traverses the length and breadth of the universe. He is basically DCs Deadpool (while predating the Marvel character), in that he is a foul-mouthed master troll and likes to crack ironic, politically incorrect jokes.

At times, Lobo, also called the Main Man, is even more extreme than the Merc with a Mouth. His name literally translates to he who devours your entrails and thoroughly enjoys it. He committed genocide on his own people (the entire planet of Czarnia), and is now the final Czarnian. He also has a striking appearance, which is very comic-booky. He is a tall, totally white-skinned, brawny man.

After Aquaman, it is now Marvels turn to introduce their own amphibian superhero Namor to the world through movies. Contrary to popular belief, Namor inspired Aquaman instead of the other way around. Like Aquaman, Namor is the half-human king of the submerged ancient kingdom of Atlantis. But unlike Aquaman, Namor is more like an anti-hero than purely a hero. Marvel Studios could make an interesting movie on the character while keeping it different from Aquaman.

A superhero who uses a magic ring for his superpowers. The ring is given to him to protect a particular sector of the universe by mystical beings called the Guardians who watch over and protect the universe. The character there have been several Green Lanterns uses his imagination and emotions to create weapons and other objects to fight enemies. One Green Lantern appeared in Justice League movie, and we might see more in the upcoming Snyder Cut of the movie.

One of the most famous cosmic superheroes in Marvel Comics, Adam Warlock was an artificial human being who played a major role in taking down Thanos in comics Infinity Gauntlet storyline. Warlock is immortal, superstrong, superfast, heals quickly and can fly.

Basically Marvels answer to Superman, Sentry has the power of one million exploding suns. He does have one weakness his wife. She can be used against him to either manipulate him or calm him down.

Named Brian Braddock, Britains version of Captain America is imbued with mystical powers of his native country.

A mainstay of Justice League, Martian Manhunter is one superhero who can beat Superman. A green-skinned extraterrestrial humanoid from Mars (thus the name), he also has shapeshifting abilities. In addition to that, he can become invisible and make his body intangible to move through solid objects.

A man from the future who travels back in time and uses his knowledge of the events that have already occurred to prevent tragedies. A movie on him, with a good director, can be really interesting as a reflection of the lure of celebrity and celebrity culture.

We have seen how interesting Miles Morales can be if done well in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Spider-Man: Homecoming already hinted towards the possibility. Just give us live-action Miles!

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If you liked the Vikings, these 6 other series are similar to binger on Netflix News-Series TV – D1SoftballNews.com

Posted: at 10:01 am

Youve finished the Vikings and you are looking for similar series to watch ? Here are 6 of the series in the same sense, The Last Kingdom of Marco Polo, the binge-watcher on Netflix.

The Last Kingdom (2015-)

British series adapted from the historical novels The Stories of saxony Bernard Cornwell, The Last Kingdom tells the story of Uhtred, the son of a noble who has been kidnapped by the vikings in the Ninth century. Torn between England, his native country, and the warlike people who raised him, Uhtred is destined to be an extraordinary destiny. The Last Kingdom share a lot of common points, the characters, in particular, with the mythology of the Vikings to the point that some of you may think that this is a sequel, that is not the case. Fans of the Vikings found there necessarily.

The vikings (2016-)

When The Office meets with the Vikings ! If you like the universe of the Vikings, but you need the humor when the Vikings, is made for you ! With three seasons in the counter for the moment, this Norwegian comedy is as gory as it is funny and tells of the theft, plunder, and the struggle of the Vikings Norheim who do not code and that solve their problems through violence. Very gore and full of anachronisms, Scandinavians gave for his sense of humor and the absurdity of politically incorrect.

Ragnarok (2020-)

Notice to fans of norse legends and series for teens, Ragnarok mix of genres and offers an entertaining teen fantasy under the aegis of the gods. Follow Magne, a young man who discovers that the supernatural powers of his arrival in a small town in norway to be contaminated and in danger of extinction because of the melting of the glaciers. With his new group of friends, the young man understands that the survival of all rested on his shoulders and that his legend is one that will have to fight against an evil ancient and inspired by nordic myths, that embodies the climate emergency and the warming of the planet.

Knightfall (2017-2019)

Knightfall was one of the other flagship series of the chain of History that the emissions Vikings in the united States. For lovers of the series inspired by the historical events and bloody battles, Knightfall is a good alternative for people who have finished the Vikings. During the Middle Ages, Knightfall tells the complex missions of the knights Templar, a military order, powerful, rich and mysterious. You must protect the relics of christendom, the order of the knights Templar is facing the King of France refractory and multiple betrayals. But despite its fall, the fraternity of the legendary warrior monks strives to improve his coat of arms and thwart the political conspiracy.

Marco Polo (2014 To 2016)

If the expeditions of Ragnar and Floki you are missing, is served by Marco Polo ! This series follows the adventures of the famous Italian merchant after his journey of the silk route. He found himself servant to the court of Kublai Khan, and you must adapt to this universe, fascinating but dangerous because he doesnt know everything. Marco Polo used for his malice and skill to avoid traps and to gain the confidence of the Khan to help him in his expeditions and his conquest of the world. The intrigues and games of great wealth do of Marco Polo, a series of staples that can appeal to fans of the Vikings.

Of the border (2016-)

The border is a historical drama that narrates the adventures of Declan Harp (Jason Momoa), a law of the half-the half irish-cree (aboriginal nation in North America). The last fight with the hunters against the contractors to break down the trading monopoly of the fur trade to the Company of Hudson Bay in Canada in the Eighteenth century. The series american-canadian who is studying the historical facts, little-known with a gallery of engaging characters and dourhands in stunning landscapes, like that of the Vikings.

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Hafta letters: Diversifying Hafta, ideological divides, healthcare and bed occupancy – Newslaundry

Posted: at 10:01 am

Hi all,

I would prefer if you keep this anonymous.

I am a long-term follower and not-so-long-term subscriber. I started following you because of the association with Madhu and soon became a fan of Hafta, as you always mentioned it was an exercise in letting the listeners know of your biases.

My father is a librarian and I had the privilege of reading 6-7 Hindi newspapers everyday during my childhood. We always used to discuss how Navbharat Times had a slightly different take on the same headline as compared to Dainik Bhaskar due to their ideological bends. How editorials of different papers choose different stances or ignore certain topics. Following Newslaundry has educated me about "journalistic rigour" and how editorial biases or journalists' own views often colour the views of its readers/viewers, which I often used to ignore earlier. So, thank you for that.

At the same time, after six years, I now feel that Hafta has become somewhat repetitive because on each issue, I can pretty much anticipate what your positions are. Unless you get credible alternate views on subjects, the views on Hafta range from left of centre (Manisha) to Left (Mehraj) to rants (Abhinandan), without any deep insight. It's still informative but there's no invigorating discussion or counterpoints thrown on the subjects by anyone. Anand, as your sole source of right of centre, is too polite to counter your group. Moreover, his views are too nuanced for even right-wingers to understand.

Since you mentioned in this Hafta that it's your media critique vehicle and not a news source for the week, I would recommend you pick media reports in the last two or three weeks, or interviews (maybe one good and one bad), and discuss what went right/wrong and how it could have been improved, rather than discussing all headlines. If you can invite those journalists for reports, it's even better.

As a subscriber, I would like to know more about the work journalists do and how they do it. I don't just want to keep listening to all the wrong the media is doing, as even Peeing Human now has two channels to do it and you have Newsance. Moreover, pretty much everyone knows which channels are pro-government and which ones are still trying to balance their views.

Lastly, I'm not on your Europe subscribers' group so can you please add me?

***

Dear NL team,

My wife and I are long-time subscribers and occasional contributors to the science desk, which says it all about what we think of NL. Coming to a substantive point of discussion related to the question of NL catering to a wider audience and being more Left in Hafta 282, we make the following brief points:

1. We have tried to introduce NL content to our friends and family who are educated and relatively well-off but mostly failed, not because of their Left and Right leanings. In fact, they have no clue what Left or Right means, but rather think in terms of pro- or anti-government stances, and refuse to see any facts presented that oppose the governments line. This is simply due to them NOT having skin in the game, in the words of Nassim Taleb. In other words, they dont have any costs or harm associated with their belief in these falsehoods. I would love to unpack this but for the word limit.

2. Manish's concern on NL being classified as more leftist is misconceived as you are falling for the propaganda trap of Left-Right dichotomy. NL should instead be educating about the fallacy of applying over-simplistic Left-Right categories, especially to Indian politics.

3. Another reason you should not be bothered about pandering to a wider audience is the fact of history that a truth-seeking person or organisation has always been marginalised in society ,and never became mainstream until people realised and accepted it much later.

The above point implies that the number of subscribers NL will have will always be inversely proportional to the inconvenient truth-content of NL, as it is improbable to get a majority to subscribe because most refuse to see facts. Rather, they turn into sheeple due to a combination of our evolutionary past and the psychology of groupthink (this also needs more explanation but can't due to word limit).

NL should instead stick to fact-based critiquing and reporting as it has been, and there will always be a critical minority of people who would support this endeavour.

Here are a couple of useful links to think about the Left, Right, communism, socialism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4Tq4VE8eHQ - Chomsky's take on socialism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Uc4DI-BF28 - Nassim Taleb on skin in the game

Best,

Shobha and Niranjan

***

Hello Team NL,

This is Sagar. Ive been following you people for four months as of now as a subscriber. I'm very happy to be a part of this organisation; I can truly say that it represents my aspirations as a news consumer.

I want to thank you so much for giving me the student subscription. Being a student truly sucks in this corona lockdown period as all the money sources are dried up, and being locked up in home along with family isnt the best thing.

NL has become my saviour: Every day I wake up and visit NL. I wait for the weekend to come up so that I can get Newsance and Hafta. Tippani is also a great initiative. All of you are my favourites, though I would want to point out that Raman Sir should be given more time as he is the most experienced one. Manisha, Meharaj, Abhinandan, Anand, you all rock.

Coming to one of the suggestions: I want my father to be involved with NL as much as I am but at the end of the day, he is the same average person who watches TV news because of the range of topics covered. Though I get that there is a resource constraint, I think a daily podcast in Hindi on the lines of Daily Dose should be encouraged.

This being my first mail, I want to keep it short. Wishing you all the very best, stay safe, and stay mad, thats the only way.

Sagar

***

Hello NL. Due to the extensive word limit, I am not going to dwell on a detailed appreciation of NL. I have been a subscriber for about four years and a listener of the Hafta podcast for about five years now. Please dont unread this feedback.

I have been meaning to write this for a long time and gave up, thinking it's of no substance. This is regarding how the reporting and podcast stance of NL is slowly shifting. Also recently, there was a discussion about so-called monkey balancing. But since the last few Haftas, Manisha has been wondering about the reasons why people think so.

Here is my input.

While I am okay with personal ideology and individual bias, I do feel that some sort of balance in the reporting, the discussion you pick up for Hafta, or the people you choose to criticise, is necessary. You are not perceived as Left-leaning just because you criticise the Right. It is also because you choose not to criticise the prominent local Left.

For example:

- You criticise Swarajya for their stories that have been written with a predetermined government-friendly stance and sometimes, selected aspects of the stories are highlighted to give it right-wing flavour. Which is okay and should be done. But what you dont do is criticise their mirror image, the Wire, whose few reports have been in the past with added flavour to give it certain colour.

I can understand that NL has some sort of ties, where their people appear on our podcast and things like that, but then it comes at a price. We listeners and readers notice that. We can do better in that area.

- You criticise Jaggi and a few journalists for their right-wing outbursts on Twitter. But I am sure you follow people like Sid Varadarajan, Arfa Khanum, Rana Ayyub, Sagarika Ghose (pity she blocked Nikku ), and many more. Often on Twitter, they have been caught sharing unverified, half-baked and sometimes fake posts as they might have believed them to be true because of their prejudices. We subscribers see that these people are never questioned openly by platforms like NL. And thats where you are perceived as Left-leaning. They are always questioned by right-wing loonies and that only gives these personalities a sense of being right (pun unintended).

- Another reason is the strong personal bias of NL contributors which hardly gets checked when used unnecessarily. While Mehraj is the one of the finest in the lot, he often gets away by his biased remarks, often without interventions.

For example, recently while discussing the authorities brutalities on reporters in Kashmir, he loosely said see what happened to Shujaat Bhukhari, he was killed. I mean, he was killed by terrorists, not by the authorities. It was a totally wrong example in the discussion and no one corrected him. On the other side, Anand Vardhan often has to clarify his ground observations as not being his own opinions, just because other panelists would not let those politically incorrect ideas go unchecked. Nothing critical, but these things add up in how listeners perceive.

- Now my last point is regarding Abhinandan ridiculing this idea of giving equal weightage as monkey balancing. No, it may be not the case all the time. Only, you said that because Hafta is the conglomeration of individual opinions and that brings the balance discussion. But you never table the issues up for discussion that will involve people or platforms that I have mentioned earlier. And if there is already a pattern of what you put up for discussion, how are you going to bring that balance flavour?

I am conscious of word count so will stop here. Few quick notes:

- Prateek Goyal and Manisha are assets. Please make sure you retain them.

- Please add me to the Australia/New Zealand WhatsApp group. I am already part of the NL general subscribers' group.

Bhavesh Bhatt

***

Hi Team Newslaundry!

As always, cant resist writing in when I hear discussions about healthcare.

To Raman Sirs point that bed occupancy has remained relatively stable over three months, while that may appear reassuring, the details are more troubling.

Hospitals make most of their money from surgeries and procedures, and not as much money from treating medical problems. For the same reason, surgeons are paid much more than physicians.

During this pandemic, most patients as well as doctors are postponing elective, non-urgent surgeries such as knee replacement. That is why the bed occupancy may be stable: same number of patients, but now mostly Covid and very few non-Covid.

However, the healthcare system (in most countries with a capitalist healthcare system, including the US where I practise) is so flawed, that not having many surgical patients cannot be sustained by the hospital for more than a few months without incurring severe losses, which will result in them shutting down. So, while the numbers are being made to look good, the overall situation remains grave. This pandemic has exposed all kinds of problems in the healthcare system that people in power have chosen to ignore for the last several years, but this road through hell is paved with hope and good intentions.

On a side note, would like to sponsor Newslaundry subscriptions for 10 students. Please let me know how to go about it.

Also, Abhinandan, let Manisha get her time off. 🙂

Cheers and stay safe,

Shaunak Kulkarni

***

Mail 1:

Hi NL team,

Long-time subscriber.

I was quite disappointed at the China border issue discussion, specifically towards the end when the entire panel agreed that India should not do anything, or words to the same effect.

China is stronger, but we aren't a pushover either. The gap is not like US-Afghanistan or US-Iraq. China will beat India in a full-scale war, but it will be long and costly for them too. Right now, it's a case of a stronger bully flexing. That's not the time to take flight, we should at least be willing to take a few bruises on our nose before we do that. We are weaker, but if we don't fight now, we are timid as well, and they will keep taking whatever belongs to India without much of a fight.

Yes, 20 lives killed in action is tragic but scale matters. And a country with 1.2 billion people should be willing to fight more. Make them lick their wounds at least before trying to take us on. Especially shocking to hear phrases like "we should be friendly with our neighbours" from Mehraj; are you guys that delusional? Neither Pakistan nor China is interested in friendship with us. They have shown repeatedly that no matter how poor Pakistan is, or how prosperous the Chinese are, it's only India who is wooing them with dates in Mahabalipuram and Lahore bus hookup and similar bullshit.

High walls and wide moats is the only way, apart from of course working to become a richer state as well. Grow some spine.

Mail 2:

I am writing a second mail in the same week because of this tweet from a former NL journalist.

In case the tweet gets deleted, here's what he said about Shahrukh, the guy who pointed a gun at the police in Delhi during the CAA protests: "I am proud of Shahrukh bhai. He fought for the community when the entire state machinery and Hindutva army was involved in killing and looting our community. He is our hero!"

This tweet was brought to my notice by one of my friends who considers NL a loony Left. I have disagreed with him every time. But I was wondering what would NL do in such a case, if it was by a currently employed journalist? Put out a statement or fire or just ignore, because the tweet itself is not inciting violence nor bigoted, but really in bad taste by supporting a violent protester. Would like to know thoughts by the Hafta panel.

Prakash Iyer

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Hafta letters: Diversifying Hafta, ideological divides, healthcare and bed occupancy - Newslaundry

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Karma or overkill? Harvard grad fired by Deloitte after threatening to stab anyone who thinks all lives matter – RT

Posted: at 10:01 am

A Harvard graduate has reportedly lost her job after posting a now-viral TikTok video in which she vowed to assault anyone who didnt support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The internet had mixed feelings about her firing.

Claira Janover became an overnight sensation after several news outlets caught wind of a video in which she threatened to attack anyone entitled enough to believe that all lives matter.

Ima stab you, and while youre struggling and bleeding out, Ima show you my paper cut and say, My cut matters too, she declared in the TikTok clip.

The video sparked pandemonium on social media, and according to Janover, uprooted her life. In a follow-up message, the recent Harvard graduate said she had been fired by Deloitte, an international accounting firm, over the stabbing threat. In it, she claimed the threat wasnt literal but rather an analogous joke.

Holding back tears, Janover said shed worked really hard to receive a position at the company, and complained that her contract had been terminated even though Deloitte claims to stand against systemic racism.

She blamed her sudden misfortune on Trump supporters and said her future has been completely compromised by the incident. Despite the setback, she insisted she was too strong for racist Trump supporters and would continue to use social media to advocate for social justice.

The internet was split over Deloittes decision to ax her. Andy Grewal, a professor at Iowa Law School, said he was not a fan of Janovers initial video, but she didnt deserve to be fired over it.

Others warned that Deloitte would suffer financially for firing an employee speaking up for Black Lives Matter.

However, there were plenty of commenters who said Janovers fate was richly deserved.

File under Schadenfreude or Karma, noted conservative firebrand Michelle Malkin.

Her follow-up video shows her to be mentally unstable and unwilling to take personal responsibility for her actions, argued similarly amused observers.

Janovers firing is unusual as it marks a rare case of reverse cancel culture. Social-justice activists have typically been the ones using social media to attack anyone who is suspected of holding politically incorrect views.

Last month, the chair of the University of British Columbias board of governors stepped down after a student group publicized that he had retweeted posts by Donald Trump and messages critical of BLM. Similar campaigns have forced apologies and resignations from a multitude of celebrities and public officials.

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Wrexham doctor speaks of personal battle with COVID-19 and how the disease robbed him of seeing his dying father – Wrexham.com

Posted: at 10:01 am

A senior doctor today told of his personal battle with Covid-19 and how the diseaserobbed him of seeing his dying father.

Wrexham Maelor respiratory consultant Dr Stephen Kelly revealed how most of his colleagues became infected with coronavirus and risked respiratory failure and death, simply for doing their job as they battled the pandemic.

And he told how unreliable tests meant in the early weeks we moved many false negative patients to safe areas where they were likely to haveinfected other patients.

The British Medical Association Welsh Consultants Committee member also issued a stark message about funding, saying he didnt know how the public had put up with the level of NHS service over the last 30 years.

Sat in his office Dr Kelly nodded to a window to his left as he explained how his father Gary, 77, had been ill for some time and lay in a ward just a few hundred yards away.

He said his father had not contracted the virus but it stopped Dr Kelly from being able to visit up until his death in May.

He said: I can pretty well see the building he was in from here. Its not a place I normally go to, so literally he spent a month, month and a half just a few hundred yards from my office.

I would literally walk past the ward going to other parts of the hospital. I didnt see him until he passed away I got there too late for him ultimately. Thats sad but its an experience lots of people have had.

I suppose its hard whenyoure walking past the ward but its not easy when youre at home and cant come anywhere near the hospital that experience is very tricky for people.

Dr Kelly told how staff quickly had to learn how to don and doff PPE from colleagues who had worked with Ebola and be fit tested for face masks as they ran up to five wards at the height of the crisis.

He revealed how early swab testing of patients was not as reliable as they would have liked.

We learned as patients came in, so some things we could have done better with hindsight, he said.

We initially did not know how sensitive the swab tests were and in the early weeks we moved many false negative patients to safe areas where cross infection then likely occurred.

Now, if we suspect Covid-19, we swab and swab again.

He said the disease was unlike normal influenza and staff became good at spotting Covid patients.

He said: We could see those at risk of being ventilated on the day they came in, but I was caught out by several patients who had been very ill seeming to get better for a couple of days to then suddenly crash in the now recognised cytokine storm and need ITU.

I learned not to be reassured until seeing 3-4 days of improvement.

Dr Kelly said he had to make difficult calls to people but then felt guilty because people were so nice to him. Two of those calls stood out, he said.

I cant forget telling a soldier just leaving his house to help build a rainbow hospital that his father was not likely to make it to the end of the day, and one to an elderly lady to tell her that her husband was deteriorating when I knew her son was also ventilated on ITU and at serious risk, Dr Kelly said.

Most of his colleagues caught the virus as they treatedpatients with many medical staff feeling there was not enough PPE to go round initially.

Dr Kelly said national PPE guidance matched the stock they had rather than what they needed to be safe.

He added: The false belief of safe patient areas filled with those early false negative patients led to inadequate protections for staff and close working conditions likely spread the virus among us quickly.

Many of us faced the very real risk of respiratory failure and death, simply for doing our job.

Thankfully my wife and I recovered after a few quite unpleasant days and our two children had no symptoms despite high exposure.

However he said the way the service got things done, in a way hed never seen before filled him with hope the NHS can work in a better and faster way, with more funding from those who hold the purse strings.

Dr Kelly, who has been at Wrexham Maelor for 16 years, pulled no punches about lack of NHS funding.

He said: Before Covid-19 we lacked staff, beds, were swamped with patient numbers and my actual take home pay was less per day than 16 years ago when I was still at the bottom of the salary scale.How we will be able to function with Covid-19 still here and needing so much more working space to allow safe practice and let alone catch up with months of inaction will be the real hard work.

So at the next election perhaps clap a door stepping politician in the face to wake them up to provide the funds and allow a service the country can really applaud.

I dont think its terribly politically incorrect for me to say you go to hospitals, were not flush with beds, were not flush with staff.

Being completely apolitical, I dont understand how the British public has put up with the kind of level of service in the NHS that they have for the last 30 years.

By Jez Hemming BBC Local Democracy Reporter (more here on the LDR scheme)

Spotted something? Got a story? Send a Facebook Message | A direct message on Twitter | Email News@Wrexham.com

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Ephemerisle is Burning Man on boats in the Sacramento River Delta – San Francisco Chronicle

Posted: at 10:00 am

Id just finished chopping up a watermelon with a dull hatchet on the wing of a floating platform called Siren Island when a party boat named The Entanglement motored over to offload a group of half-naked passengers.

Guests of Siren Island, a two-tiered wooden isle affixed with four spindly maple tree branches, were relaxing in the late-afternoon sun on the calm waters of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. They took turns plunging their hands into a steel basin of black lagoon mud then spreading it on one anothers skin limbs, torsos and faces. The dozen or so passengers aboard The Entanglement had spotted the action from across the channel and were eager to indulge themselves.

Permission to come aboard? one hollered.

It was about 5 p.m. on a cloudless day at the height of summer one of the last days of the annual weeklong floating festival known as Ephemerisle. The event, which just concluded its tenth year, draws a menagerie of watercraft and makeshift rafts to a remote corner of the delta for what is, depending on whom you ask, a weeklong art party, a spiritual retreat from earthbound society, a social experiment in self-governance or all of the above.

One longtime Ephemerisle-goer, Adam Katz, described it in an email: The gathering is all of the inconvenience of Burning Man, plus the risk of drowning.

At the center of Ephemerisle (pronounced eh-FEM-er-ile) was a one-of-a-kind craft, planned on land then assembled on the water and housing dozens of grungy delta campers. It was the multilevel island called Elysium, a compendium of barges, docks, platforms and pontoons all anchored and lashed together into a 3,000-square-foot Frankenmarvel of aquatic engineering. Among its amenities were an outdoor kitchen with gas grills and running water, a living room area replete with fireplace and antler mount, sleeping platforms loaded with camping tents and, to one side in a neat row, four orange portable toilets.

Off one end of Elysium, across a 20-yard floating plywood track, was a massive black tugboat covered in camping tents, the sides of its hull draped with tractor-size rubber tires. Another short dock led to a row of boats tethered in a solid floating block. There were smaller, independent islands of various forms with fun names like the Washed Up Yacht Club, DIYsland and Siren. But Elysium was the event hub, the sun around which the Ephemerisle solar system orbited.

There is no central leadership at Ephemerisle, no entry fee or sign-up sheet, and no admission tickets.

Theres this roll-up-your-sleeves, were-just-gonna-build-it attitude that shines through here, said Tom W. Bell, a law professor at Chapman University in Orange County and author who attended Ephemerisle the past two years. Its a very Silicon Valley ethos: Were just gonna do this. Its everywhere here.

The people who put together the islands arent just building a temporary respite. Many Ephemerisle participants view the event as an evolving experiment in competitive governments that could serve as proof of concept for a future in which human civilization migrates into the ocean. To them, each gathering represents an opportunity to inch toward a new vision of society.

The island of Elysium at Ephemerisle in 2019.

Early on, I was informed that the founding principles of Ephemerisle were long lost, and the only surviving rule from the events first years is the most important: No Dying.

The area of the delta where the event takes place is overseen by the U.S. Coast Guard and San Joaquin County Sheriffs Office and patrolled by local police boats. For several years including this year authorities have been called to respond to medical emergencies (in my reporting, I didnt hear about any deaths at the event), but by and large, the floating colony has maintained a strong measure of self-reliance, a trait hardcoded into the events DNA.

Ephemerisle was founded in 2009, the brainchild of an ex-Google engineer named Patri Friedman (grandson of the late Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman), as a small-scale trial run of a concept called seasteading. A year earlier, with funding from tech mogul Peter Thiel, Friedman had founded the Seasteading Institute, an advocacy and research group that consults with governments around the world on creating new jurisdictions.

Imagine a future of floating man-made island-states, each independently governed and economically self-sustained. A person could select from a range of options on where to pledge citizenship, based on their taste for that colonys philosophy and lifestyle. That was the genesis of Ephemerisle.

The original intention was: Hey, we want to make new countries on the ocean, Friedman said. That sounds really hard. What if we can find an incremental path? What if we start a festival on the ocean where people get together for a week and live under different systems?

But launching full-fledged atolls on the rollicking Pacific would have demanded a level of engineering savvy and, in Ephemerisle parlance, saltiness that participants just didnt have. So Friedman and a large group of friends settled on an out-of-the-way estuary a short drive from San Francisco where currents are chill, access is easy and boat traffic is minimal. Then they started building.

Seren JV Elston (top) and two friends aboard Siren Island at Ephemerisle in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

Seren JV Elston (top) and two friends aboard Siren Island at Ephemerisle in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

Seren JV Elston (top) and two friends aboard Siren Island at Ephemerisle in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

Seren JV Elston (top) and two friends aboard Siren Island at Ephemerisle in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

Ephemerisle festival is Burning Man on boats in the Sacramento River Delta

The learning curve was steep that first year, Friedman said. He built a small wooden pyramid out of hardware-store materials, buoyed it with empty water jugs, stuck a motor on one side, strapped on a life jacket and set sail. But there was so much drag that the thing barely moved. After a while puttering along, he got bored, tried climbing one of the pyramid pillars and flipped over.

I swam to the shore, Friedman said. I had my cell phone in a waterproof bag and called for rescue and they brought me in.

Other participants fared better, and Friedman spent the week on a houseboat. In a short video documentary of that first year, you can see glimmers of unique crafts and a community spirit taking shape. Still, the end result a collection of houseboats and some rickety wood structures was a far cry from the grandiose ideal of a floating libertarian Waterworld.

I am not entirely certain I can see the throughline between this and the ultimate end seasteading goal of independent freeholds out in international waters, Brian Doherty, an early Ephemerisle participant, said in the documentary. Seasteading, to be viable moving forward, has to have all of the aspects of a human civilization. The most important aspect of which is it has to be productive, not merely consumptive.

Friedman officially gave up on the event a year later to focus on the Seasteading Institute. But the seed had been planted, and Ephemerisle has carried on without Friedman at the helm. (He has attended for fun several times since then.)

The gathering has shape-shifted each year since, depending on who shows up and what creations they bring.

Ephemerisle founder Patri Friedman floats on a homemade pyramid raft at the inaugural Ephemerisle event in 2009.

Dubbing the event Burning Man on water wouldnt be quite fair, although there is crossover between the two communities, a similar bohemian aesthetic and a certain appeal among alternative thinkers and audacious engineers. Its less a gathering of seasoned sailors (though there are some delta rats) than a weeklong DIY raft-up of free-spirited city dwellers in funky outfits. Self-expression and its accoutrements are rampant.

Toward the end of the festival in July, I spent a day exploring the gathering on a Jet Ski. It takes place at the tip of Mandeville Point, about 15 minutes (give or take) from Korths Pirates Lair Marina, south of Isleton. Unlike the setting at Burning Man, Ephemerisle is within easy reach of civilization. While launching my boat, I spotted festivalgoers loading up on water jugs and bags of ice at a local shop. More waited for a ferry pickup from a person at the event. A small group loaded a barge with art supplies and building materials, including a small maple tree in a wooden planter box. One woman in the group planned to install it in a buoy and set it free on the delta.

Bounding through the channels, the gathering wasnt hard to spot. I throttled down to cut my wake and take in the scene.

On one motor yacht, people took turns diving off the high bulwark. A man in a small skiff cruised the channel on a gust of wind. Someone had fashioned an old RV shell into a small houseboat. On the black tugboat, a man in a Speedo played what sounded like a recorder while a shipmate on deck behind him fumbled around in a VR headset, arms outstretched. Sunbathers lazed about. Many people were napping in houseboats or below decks, avoiding the sun and recovering from the previous nights party. A long black craft called Venom Sound Ship made endless loops through the fractured colony of boats, spouting dance music.

Several people I spoke to heard about the event through the Burning Man community. Some, like Tom W. Bell, are compelled by the seasteading element. Others, like Venom Sound Ship captain Scott Rizzo, regularly appear at maritime events around California. A few stumbled upon it and were intrigued enough to stick around.

Martha Esch, a tan woman moored on the shore of the channel in her cabin cruiser, first attended Ephemerisle three years ago after learning about the gathering while attending a nearby Fourth of July fireworks show. Several young people from the Bay Area I spoke to learned about Ephemerisle via Facebook.

One foursome on a houseboat had never heard of the event but happened upon it during their vacation in the delta and wound up hanging around for the spectacle.

We have binoculars, so weve been keeping ourselves busy, said Sandy Carter, calling across the water from the rear deck of the boat, where she and three friends were sipping cocktails and playing cards. Someone had motored over to them when they arrived and explained the gist of the gathering. Most of us dont know what Burning Man means but well go home and look it up on our phones, Carter said.

About 50 yards away, a couple dove off the rear of a boat and began swimming across the channel to Elysium, where an ad hoc presentation forum was getting under way. A handful of people busied themselves preparing Siren Island to receive guests while an enormous freighter coasted across the channel just south of the gathering.

Overall, the attitude was live and let live. Some people had been living the life all week, others were new arrivals, just in time for the closing party. Boaters helped each other with building projects and resupplies and were generous with invitations to host visitors. Katz, the longtime festivalgoer, summed up the vibe to me in an email: If they came for Ephemerisle, theyre part of Ephemerisle.

Ephemerisle founder Patri Friedman.

The event in July would have felt fractured and unmoored if not for the gravitational pull of Elysium, the big island at the center of the gathering.

While most boats at the festival kept their captains and maybe a small handful of guests, Elysium was responsible for boarding and feeding dozens of campers for as long as a week. That kind of operation doesnt come together without careful planning and, above all, rules. For that, the island represented the closest embodiment of the seasteading ideal upon which Ephemerisle was founded.

To me, rules are to Ephemerisle what art is to Burning Man, Friedman said. He called the process of forming cohesive group identities and drawing parameters around acceptable conduct and behavior Ephemerisles artistic spirit.

All of those challenges thats the heart of the festival, Friedman said. Some people will get it and be enthusiastic, and some people will ignore it and party.

Tom W. Bell is the former. His book, Your Next Government?,is an account of how special jurisdictions may come to replace nation states. He has consulted on seasteading proposals in French Polynesia and elsewhere. I want to be involved in this experiment in governance, Bell said. I want to see how it happens in this highly decentralized, truly voluntary environment.

He signed up to work as a guide on Elysium at night, during party time. The basic job description: patrol the island, hand out flashlights and whistles to guests who may need them, and make sure no one hurts themselves. Its risk mitigation, he said.

Bell worked in tandem with a greeter, who walked new arrivals through initiation and presented them with documents to sign which focus in part on the importance of enthusiastic consent among people on the island and handed them a wrist band. Its really border control, Bell said. We have to protect our boundaries so no one comes and hurts the people we have there.

(I couldnt get a firmer read on the inner workings of Elysium because of one of the islands core principles: No Media.)

Previously, the area where the greeter met new arrivals was called the immigration station. Some people were questioned about consent in a way that felt like interrogation, Katz wrote in an email. It broadened the divide between islands and made some people feel very unwelcome. Elysium later dropped the immigration station name. Arrivals this year were greeted at a welcoming station.

At one point during his stay this year, Bell encountered a greeter in what looked to be a heated exchange over the islands documentation with a woman whod just arrived. He sat down to help ease the tension, patting the greeter on the back. I want them to see he has people on his side, and I say to him, Youre doing right here. Youre protecting the people who are taking the huge risks to put this place together, Bell said. After that, the woman and her partner signed the paperwork.

I dont know if that helped. But I think thats how governance works here, Bell said. Its not about goose-stepping these people off the barge. Lets do this in a gentle, sociable way."

One of the things I love about this is it plays out, on a very small scale, the issues we deal with on a national scale, Bell said. Who does government perfectly? No one. If humans are involved, its going to be a mess.

The floating festival of Ephemerisle takes place each year at Mandeville Point near Isleton in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The festival in 2019.

A stream of dance beats flowed over the warm delta channel as The Entanglement, loaded with passengers and outfitted with a makeshift DJ booth, made its way toward Siren Island.

Boaters are taught to dock by lining up their bow parallel to the docking platform, approaching slowly, then swinging in their stern. But The Entanglement approached the low bow of Siren Island head-on, landing with a hard thud and crunch of party-boat metal grating against the islands redwood planks.

Hey! Serena JV Elston, Siren's creator, hollered at The Entanglement. She turned to me. This is the s I hate.

In no time, the boatload of partiers had hopped onto the islands flat nose, straining the ballast of the pontoons supporting Siren and causing the island to pitch and yaw. The islands wings began taking on water, house music from The Entanglement playing over the commotion.

Elston, a woman with wild wavy brown hair and wearing a blue bathing suit, turned to the small crowd, instructing them to spread out and distribute their weight. The Entanglement shifted into reverse, ripping a plank off the island with a loud crack.

OK, time for you to leave! Elston yelled to the skipper, a blond man with headphones around his neck. You dont even have bumpers, dude!

Many, if not most, Ephemerislers live full-time on land, so inter-vessel visitations can have a bumper-boats quality. Making human life happen on the water is a fundamental challenge of the event, and without proper instruction, Ephemerisle participants muddle through on messy experience.

In hosting visitors to Siren Island nonstop, Elston was keenly aware of that knowledge gap. She pointed to a cleat at my feet tangled in a thin silver chain that a visitor had attached with a small combination lock to secure his kayak. This is exactly what Im talking about, Elston said. What the f is that?

A man with curly hair named Adam replied: Its people bringing their terrestrial s with them.

People build Siren Island at Ephemerisle in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta while a cargo ship passes in the background.

Whether Ephemerisle is growing or shrinking is tough to say. There are no ticket sales or census numbers, and while longtimers say there was a big drop-off several years ago when the local houseboat rental industry folded, numbers appear to have bounced back a bit. Best guess? Its roughly stable, with at least a few hundred participants each year.

In many ways, it has come to inhabit the purpose assigned by its creator: a hodgepodge of flotsam and philosophy that amasses at the same time and place each summer, with certain communities gaining strength and stability while neglected ones atrophy. It draws people who are curious and audacious enough to give themselves over to a communal experience with no central leadership. Your safety net is your neighbors.

Yes, there are glow sticks, tents, onesies, didjeridoos, psychedelics, dubstep, mohawks, fishnets, tattoo stickers, cuddle puddles, pirate flags, dreadlocks, gurus, Buddhists, DJs, Buddhist-DJs and armchair libertarians galore. Why wouldnt there be?

Theres also live improvisational music sets, collaborative art projects, ad hoc engineering solutions, presentation forums, deep conversations, communal sunset howlings, bonds forged and a constant swirl of innovative ideas and institutional wisdom.

Some people I interviewed think the spirit of Ephemerisle is dead or irrelevant, the core principles rendered moot, the excitement of venturing into unchartered waters neutralized. To others, its alive and intact, buzzing with activity and brimming with potential. But cultural phenomena are fluid and amorphous, and a persons perspective on their potency and authenticity depends on the timing and circumstances of an individuals point of entry. Whats clear is that the experience is special to everyone who goes whether thats to party or to dabble in low-level world-building.

In my short time there, I found that I was most happy when I was contributing. Hacking away at the watermelon under the warm sun on Siren Island, ferrying a friendly stranger over to Elysium, sharing information about the event with the people I encountered. Everyone had an opinion, everyone was trying to figure Ephemerisle out what it was, what it is, and what it could one day become.

***

Early on my first day at Ephemerisle, before the snafu with The Entanglement, I jet-skied over to Siren Island to say hello to Elston. Reclining on the bow was a pale, naked woman with long wavy ginger hair and gray eyes Botticellis Venus, I thought. My approach was too fast and before I could maneuver Id set the nose of my boat on a collision course with one of Sirens wings.

Thump.

A few strangers on the island shot dirty looks my way. Heat flashed into my cheeks and a pang of embarrassment wrenched my stomach. I was so clearly a newb, a kook, a landlubber so obviously not salty dead weight at an event that needs all the buoyancy it can get.

I stammered out a few quick apologies. At the bow, Venus seemed unfazed.

Eh, she shrugged. You live, you learn.

Gregory Thomas is Travel Editor at The Chronicle. Email: gthomas@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @GregRThomas.

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Brexit fishing battle: Britain and Ireland ‘to clash over ownership of tiny rock’ – Express.co.uk

Posted: at 9:59 am

The latest round of Brexit trade talks between the UK and EU finished a day early this week, with significant differences still remaining between the two sides. A statement from the UK's chief negotiator David Frost confirmed he is still committed to coming to a principle agreement for a future trade deal this month. This round of talks was the first to be held face-to-face since March, which, according to Mr Frost, injected extra depth and flexibility to our discussions".

However, negotiations are still at a standstill in several key areas.

Sticking points between the two sides include the so-called "level-playing field" to ensure businesses on one side don't have an unfair advantage over the other fishing rules and the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

As tensions are set to rise in the incoming weeks, unearthed reports shed light on what could be another tortuous Brexit battle.

The Irish border is one prominent area but another is Rockall a rock with a colourful history of claim and counterclaim involving the UK.

Rockall is situated in a remote part of the North Atlantic and is about 160 nautical miles west of the Scottish islands of St. Kilda and 230 nautical miles to the north-west of Donegal.

The uninhabited rock is 25 metres wide and 17 metres high and is actually the remnants of an extinct volcano.

The tiny islet has been the source of an ownership dispute involving the UK, Ireland, Denmark and Iceland.

The dispute has not been so much about the ownership of the rock but the potential for oil and gas reserves in the surrounding seabeds and the lucrative fishing grounds.

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Rockall fishing is reportedly a multi-million-pound industry with a large supply of haddock, monkfish, and squid.

According to a recent report by IrishCentral, last year, Scottish authorities claimed that Rockall was a UK territory and attempted to prevent Irish fishermen from coming within the 12-mile international limit.

The Irish government, on the other hand, contended that the island was not subject to an international boundary as it was simply a large, uninhabitable rock in the middle of the ocean.

Irish claims are backed up by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) 1982.

The law states that rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf.

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Consequently, Irish boats have fished in the area for well over 30 years.

The Scottish Government, in turn, claimed that it has never been legal for other nations to fish within 12 miles of the islet.

The UK first claimed ownership of Rockall in 1955, but Ireland, Iceland, and Denmark have long challenged that ownership.

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney took a firm stance on the issue in June last year and said that Ireland had never recognised British claims to the island.

He said: "We have never recognised UK sovereignty over Rockall and accordingly, we have not recognised a territorial sea around it either. We have tried to work positively with the Scottish authorities and to deal with sensitive issues that flow from it in a spirit of kinship and collaboration."

Scotland's Fisheries Minister Fergus Ewing told BBC Scotland at the time: "This is a routine enforcement matter to ensure that illegal activity within the UK's territorial waters, namely within a radius of 12 miles of the islet of Rockall, ceases.

"We have been engaging with the Irish government for a considerable length of time because we would prefer that this matter is resolved by discussion and negotiation amicably, and that remains the case."

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The All-American Glory of Yacht Rock – National Review

Posted: at 9:59 am

Kenny Loggins performs in Las Vegas, Nev., in 2002. (Ethan Miller/Reuters)Saluting the mellow sound that signals all is right with the world.

They say jazz is Americas musical signature: As Ken Burns wrote, the genius of America is improvisation, our unique experiment a profound intersection of freedom and creativity. . . . Nowhere is this more apparent than in jazz the only art form created by Americans, an enduring and indelible expression of our genius and promise.

Stirring words. Jazz is inventive, vibrant, and complex. Everything about it is great, except the way it sounds. Listening to jazz is like trying to chase down a housefly. Theres a reason why only French tourists pretend to like it. To quote a more honest writer, John OFarrell: Music is a journey. Jazz is getting lost.

Americas truly sublime musical innovation is Yacht Rock. Savor the wit of that oxymoron: How hard can you rock if youre on a yacht? The boat itself rocks like a baby, not like Led Zeppelin. So Yacht Rock is gentle, but it cant be sad. There is no moping on a yacht. If you want to be glum and wear black, get off the boat and go find a jazz club. Not that anyone would ever invite you on their yacht in the first place.

The essence of a Yacht Rock song (my Spotify playlist is here) is that you can picture it being blasted on the deck of a yar and saucy watercraft circa 1981. Girls in cut-off shorts and bikini tops toss their arms in the air and say, Whoo! while the owner and host a guy named Brad or Chad or Gary, who struck it rich with, say, a string of Camaro dealerships and is himself a sort of Camaro in human form high-fives the guests, bites his lower lip, and moves a little off the beat, occasionally interjecting, Awesome, man! Brad or Chad or Gary drinks only the classy beers such as Lowenbrau or Michelob and has a cooler stocked with colorful wine coolers for the girls. Only his one very special lady will be present later when he opens up a perfectly chilled bottle of Aste Spumante. His captains chair is made of rich Corinthian leather.

Yacht Rock isnt what youd call real rock, angry rock, rock with a point or an attitude or a message or even a smirk, because Brad or Chad or Gary is just here to have a good time (and here is on earth). There is no edge to Yacht Rock any more than there is an edge to the round, rolling sea. However, Yacht Rock is not Loser Rock or Wimp Rock. It may be smooth, but it isnt limp. When the Yacht Rock is blasting out of the JVC boom box, the sun is shining, the girls are swaying, the waves are rolling, and all is well. Any song about lost love or thwarted longing or the girl that got away is inadmissible unless it reminds Brad or Chad or Gary about that time he almost met Cheryl Tiegs in Puerto Vallarta, and hell tell you about this incident at length.

The line between Yacht Rock and Wimp Rock is, alas, being eroded daily by the programmers of Sirius XM, whose Yacht Rock station (Channel 105 at the moment, and also available on the app if you happen not to be driving much these days). Siriuss Yacht Rock station is a sort of National Archives of Yacht Rock, one of Americas greatest innovations since the development of the backyard bug zapper. But thanks to some programmers inability to grasp that no one wants to listen to ow-my-broken-heart songs on a yacht, Channel 105 Rock is programmatically almost indistinguishable from Channel 17, the Wimp Rock station dubbed the Bridge. Bridge over whiny waters, that is. The Bridge is nothing but moany-groany lovey-dovey songs by the likes of Air Supply and Bread and America, and I love it inordinately. But Im not playing anything as embarrassingly low-T as Baby Im-a Want You on a yacht, unless I want to invite mutiny.

Yacht Rock has to have a pulse; its got to make you feel like youre scything through the waves while youre enjoying a classy snack like cottage cheese on melba toast. Its got soul, but not real soul, just the blue-eyed kind. You cant play Marvin Gaye on a yacht because Marvin Gaye was a genius. The Eagles are not Yacht Rock: Theyre too great. Same for The Police and The Rolling Stones. (Most Europeans are automatically disqualified anyway; a European on a yacht conjures up an image of a 200-foot monster docking in Nice and skippered by a man named Baron von Ruprecht of Wienerwald. Who can party down in a white dinner jacket while holding a snifter of brandy?)

Yacht Rock is the unchallenging, mood-brightening background music of the ordinary Chad who struck it rich enough to get a starter yacht, albeit not rich enough to compete with Baron von Ruprecht, who had a 200-year head start. America is the land where anyone might get rich enough to own a yacht, and so Yacht Rock is a celebration of America. It makes you lift your foam beer-can insulator to the cerulean skies and bawl out, Meet you all the way or Yah mo B there.

Yacht rock has its own Lennon and McCartney, except they are named Loggins and McDonald. I know what youre going to say, but Ive done the research and it turns out that Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald are not the same guy. McDonald offered a foretaste of the smooth-it-down Eighties on the Doobie Brothers Takin It to the Streets (1976). This was the first hit single ever sung by McDonald, and was there ever a more adorable track about urban unrest? If you blasted that over loudspeakers in the midst of an actual riot, the looting and smashing would stop immediately, and everyone would beg you to stop ruining the mood. As McDonalds profile was rising, Loggins came by like the guy in the Mr. Microphone commercial: Hey good lookin, Ill be back to pick you up later! Soon the pair were collaborating on What a Fool Believes, (1979), which despite being about a loser is just bouncy enough to qualify as Yacht Rock rather than loser rock. Loggins and McDonald combined again for This Is It (1979), a spectacularly non-specific paean to get-er-done Americanism on the cover of which Loggins is depicted holding what appears to be a magical glowing orb obviously the mystical power cell of Yacht Rock. With Im Alright, the following year, Loggins crafted a tune that was not only the perfect Yacht-Rock track, complete with misspelled title, but inspired the perfect Yacht-Rock conversation: Did anyone see Caddyshack ?

The summer of Caddyshack 1980 was Yacht Rocks annus mirabilis. Along came a third natural master of styrofoam wave-coasting: Christopher Cross. Released at the tail end of 1979, his eponymous rookie album became the lodestar of Yacht Rock, containing both of the quintessential examples of the form. Not only did Cross come up with Ride Like the Wind, which actually sounds like the internal soundtrack playing in Brad/Chad/Garys mind as he rips across the water (and features McDonalds epic backup vocal), but at the same time gave us Sailing, a song without which no one ever would have thought up the term Yacht Rock. Sadly, Cross would later become a casualty of Wimp Rock with Arthurs Theme (The Best That You Can Do) and Think of Laura.

Yacht Rocks subtle distinctions sometimes elude even dedicated students of the form. For instance, Fleetwood Macs You Make Lovin Fun (Fun! Lovin!) is Yacht Rock. Fleetwood Macs Go Your Own Way (cutting, bitter) is not. Rockn Me (Steve Miller Band) is Yacht Rock. Rock the Casbah (The Clash) is not; its too good.

References to actually being on a boat definitely add Yacht-Rock cachet, because no one will ever accuse you of being too obvious on a boat; if anything, use of irony on the water will earn you nasty looks and maybe an order to clean out the bottom of the cooler. But Rock the Boat (Hues Corporation) is not Yacht Rock, its disco. Its a dance song. On a yacht, you dont dance, you dance around. Big difference. Dancing requires skill, or at least rhythm. Dancing around you can manage even if youre a Camaro in human form. Cool Change, with its serene lyrics about sailing on the cool and bright clear water, is Yacht-Rock splendor despite being an import, from Australias Little River Band. Australia, though, is the most American of all overseas countries big, confident, friendly, and party-minded. Australia is Americas honorary little brother. Love Will Find A Way is pure yachty bliss, not only because of the gentle, undemanding optimism of the song, not only because of the not-too-fast-buddy tempo, but because the band that performed it was Pablo Cruise. Pablo Cruise! They might as well have called themselves Boaty McBoatface.

Yacht Rock lyrics are not allowed to be profound, equivocal, or thoughtful. Paul Simon and Carole King are not Yacht Rock. Acceptable Yacht-Rock sentiments include:

While you see a chance, take it.

Ride into the danger zone.

Were still havin fun, and youre still the one.

Believe it or not, Im walkin on air!

You make-a-my dreams come true.

And if your yacht hasnt come in yet? Not to worry; all of these songs make the ideal soundtrack for backyard barbecuing, which is basically yacht-rocking on land. The ideal accessories are a badminton set, a Weber grill, a Coleman cooler. Get out the Bluetooth speaker, bring it into the yard, and revel in Americas glorious Yacht-Rock inheritance.

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Pride-inspired accessories you can rock all year round – Hindustan Times

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Pride-inspired accessories you can rock all year round - fashion and trends - Hindustan Times "; forYoudata += ""; forYoudata += ""; forYoudata += ""; count++; if (i === 7) { return false; } }); forYouApiResponse=forYoudata; $(forutxt).html('Recommended for you'); $(foruContent).html(forYoudata); } } }); } else if(forYouApiResponse!=''){ $(forutxt).html('Recommended for you'); $(foruContent).html(forYouApiResponse); } } function getUserData(){ $.ajax({ url:"https://www.hindustantimes.com/newsletter/get-active-subscription?usertoken="+user_token, type:"GET", dataType:"json", success: function(res){ if(res.length>0) { $("[id^=loggedin]").each(function(){ $(this).hide(); }); } } }); } function postUserData(payLoad, elm){ var msgelm=$(elm).parents(".subscribe-update").nextAll("#thankumsg"); $.ajax({ url:"https://www.hindustantimes.com/newsletter/subscribe", type:"POST", data:payLoad, contentType: "application/json", dataType: "json", success: function(res){ if(res.success===true){ $(msgelm).show(); $("[id^=loggedin]").each(function(){ $(this).css("display","none"); }); $("[id^=loggedout]").each(function(){ $(this).css("display","none"); }); } else if(res.exceptionResponse.alreadySubscribed===true){ $(msgelm).show(); $("[id^=loggedin]").each(function(){ $(this).css("display","none"); }); $("[id^=loggedout]").each(function(){ $(this).css("display","none"); }); $(msgelm).find(".subscribed-successfully:first span.msg").text(res.exceptionResponse.message); } } }); }function captchverification(captchaResponse) {$('#captchaResponse').value = captchaResponse;$("#captcha-div").removeClass("block");$("body").removeAttr("style");var payLoad=JSON.stringify({ "domain": "HT", "emailId": email, "googleCaptcha": captchaResponse, "subscriptionTypes": [ "daily" ] });postUserData(payLoad,activeElm);} function subscribeNewsletter(inputText) { activeElm=inputText; var mailformat = /^w+([.-]?w+)*@w+([.-]?w+)*(.w{2,3})+$/; if(inputText.val().match(mailformat)) { inputText.focus(); email=inputText.val(); $("#captcha-div").addClass("block"); $("body").css("overflow","hidden"); return true; } else { alert("You have entered an invalid email address!"); inputText.focus(); return false; } } //DFP Ads var $dfpRightAd1 = $('.dfp-rightAd1-' + storyUuid); var $dfpRightAd2 = $('.dfp-rightAd2-' + storyUuid); var $dfpRightAd3 = $('.dfp-rightAd3-' + storyUuid); var $dfpRightAd4 = $('.dfp-rightAd4-' + storyUuid); var $dfpRightAd5 = $('.dfp-rightAd5-' + storyUuid); var $dfpStoryAd1 = $('.dfp-storyAd1-' + storyUuid); var $dfpStoryAd2 = $('.dfp-storyAd2-' + storyUuid); var $dfpStoryAd3 = $('.dfp-storyAd3-' + storyUuid); var $dfpStoryAd4 = $('.dfp-storyAd4-' + storyUuid); var $dfpStoryAd5 = $('.dfp-storyAd5-' + storyUuid); var $centerAd = $('.centerAd-' + storyUuid); getPersonlizeData(''); displayAd($dfpRightAd1,'/1055314/HT_StoryPages_300x250_Top',[[300, 250], [300, 600]]); displayAd($dfpRightAd2,'/3106570/HT_Desk_Story_BS_Multisize',['fluid', [300, 100]]); var rightMiddleScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd3.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd3, '/1055314/HT_StoryPages_300x250_Middle', [[300, 250], [300, 600]]); $(window).off("scroll", rightMiddleScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightMiddleScrollHandler); var rightTabRepTopScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd4.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd4, '/1055314/HT_Desk_Story_TabRep_Top_Multisize', [[300, 250], [300, 600]]); $(window).off("scroll", rightTabRepTopScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightTabRepTopScrollHandler); var rightTabRepBottomScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd5.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd5, '/1055314/HT_Desk_Story_TabRep_Bottom_Multisize', [300, 250]); $(window).off("scroll", rightTabRepBottomScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightTabRepBottomScrollHandler); var storyCenterScrollHandler = function () { if ($centerAd.isInViewport()) { displayAd($centerAd, '/1055314/HT_Desk_Story_ES_Top_728x90', [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyCenterScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyCenterScrollHandler); //Inline story ads var storyAd1ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd1.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd1, storyAdList[0].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyAd1ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyAd1ScrollHandler); var storyAd2ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd2.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd2, storyAdList[1].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyAd2ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyAd2ScrollHandler); var storyAd3ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd3.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd3, storyAdList[2].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyAd3ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyAd3ScrollHandler); var storyAd4ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd4.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd4, storyAdList[3].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyAd4ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyAd4ScrollHandler); var storyAd5ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd5.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd5, storyAdList[4].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyAd5ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyAd5ScrollHandler); validateUser($("#loggedin"),$("#loggedout")); if(user_token){ $("#loggedin .subscribe-text").html("Subscribe to get our daily newsletter in your inbox"); $("#loginSub").click(function(){ var udata=JSON.stringify({ "domain": "HT", "userToken": user_token, "googleCaptcha": "string", "subscriptionTypes": [ "daily" ] }); postUserData(udata,this); }); }else{ $("#loggedout .subscribe-text").html("Enter your email to get our daily newsletter in your inbox"); $("#subscribeBtn").click(function(){ subscribeNewsletter($(this).prev()); }); } function ScrollMe(uuid) {var id = uuid.replace('story_','').trim(); id = id +"_story";var newid = uuid.trim();$('#ulInfinite').each(function() {var phrase = '';$(this).find('li').each(function(j, lix) {var myid = $(lix).attr('id');if (myid.trim() == newid.trim())$(lix).addClass("active");else$(lix).removeClass("active");});});var element = document.getElementById(id);element.scrollIntoView();element.scrollIntoView({behavior : "auto",block : "start",inline : "nearest"});$('html, body').animate({scrollTop : $("#" + newid).offset().top - 800}, 800, 'swing');}function InfiniteScroll() {var nextURL = listUrl[urlCount];var $container = $('.articles').infiniteScroll({path : function() {return nextURL;},append : '.article',status : '.scroller-status',hideNav : '.pagination',loadOnScroll : false,scrollThreshold : false});$container.infiniteScroll('loadNextPage');$container.on('history.infiniteScroll', function(event, title, path) {var currentID = "article_" + getStoryIdByUrl('https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/pride-inspired-accessories-you-can-rock-all-year-round/story-X9rCQXr0R04XSUyC9nOMQO.html');var articleID = "article_" + getStoryIdByUrl(path);document.title = title;var temp = path.replace('.html', '').split('-');temp = temp.reverse();var forNid = temp[0].trim();$('#ulInfinite li').removeClass("active");$('#story_' + forNid).addClass("active");var n = gatag.includes(articleID, 0);if(n==false){gatag.push(articleID);showSkippablePopup();ga('send', {hitType : 'pageview',location : window.location.hostname.trim(),title : title.trim(),page : window.location.pathname.trim(),dimension15 : title});}window.snowplow("trackPageView", title);window.snowplow('resetPagePing');if (typeof COMSCORE != 'undefined'&& typeof COMSCORE.beacon !== 'undefined') {COMSCORE.beacon({c1 : "2",c2 : "6035286"});}});$container.on('load.infiniteScroll', function(event, response, path) {urlCount++;});var counter = 1;var uuid;$container.on('append.infiniteScroll', function(event, response, path, items) {uuid= $(items).find('.get-uuid').val();var elmLogin=$(items).find('#loggedin');var elmLogout=$(items).find('#loggedout');getPersonlizeData(items); validateUser(elmLogin,elmLogout); if(user_token){ getUserData(); $(elmLogin).find(".subscribe-text").html("Subscribe to get our daily newsletter in your inbox"); $(items).find("#loginSub").click(function(){ var udata=JSON.stringify({ "domain": "HT", "userToken": user_token, "googleCaptcha": "string", "subscriptionTypes": [ "daily" ] }); postUserData(udata, this); }); }else{ $(elmLogout).find(".subscribe-text").html("Enter your email to get our daily newsletter in your inbox"); $(items).find("#subscribeBtn").click(function(){ subscribeNewsletter($(this).prev()); }); }var $dfpRightAd1ES = $(items).find('.dfp-rightAd1-'+uuid); var $dfpRightAd3ES = $(items).find('.dfp-rightAd3-'+uuid); var $dfpRightAd4ES = $(items).find('.dfp-rightAd4-'+uuid); var $dfpRightAd5ES = $(items).find('.dfp-rightAd5-'+uuid); var $centerAdES = $(items).find('.centerAd-' + uuid); var $dfpStoryAd1ES = $('.dfp-storyAd1-' + uuid);var $dfpStoryAd2ES = $('.dfp-storyAd2-' + uuid); var $dfpStoryAd3ES = $('.dfp-storyAd3-' + uuid); var $dfpStoryAd4ES = $('.dfp-storyAd4-' + uuid); var $dfpStoryAd5ES = $('.dfp-storyAd5-' + uuid); var isVideoExists = $(items).find('.video-js'); var isVideo=false; if (isVideoExists.length > 0) { isVideo=true; } var rightESTopScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd1ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd1ES, rightAdList[0].ad, rightAdList[0].adsizes); $(window).off("scroll", rightESTopScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightESTopScrollHandler); var rightESMiddleScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd3ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd3ES, rightAdList[1].ad, rightAdList[1].adsizes); $(window).off("scroll", rightESMiddleScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightESMiddleScrollHandler); var rightESTabRepTopScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd4ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd4ES, rightAdList[2].ad, rightAdList[2].adsizes); $(window).off("scroll", rightESTabRepTopScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightESTabRepTopScrollHandler); var rightESTabRepBottomScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpRightAd5ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpRightAd5ES, rightAdList[3].ad, rightAdList[3].adsizes); $(window).off("scroll", rightESTabRepBottomScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", rightESTabRepBottomScrollHandler); var storyCenterScrollHandler = function () { if ($centerAdES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($centerAdES, '/1055314/HT_Desk_Story_ES_Top_728x90', [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyCenterScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyCenterScrollHandler); //Story Inline ads var storyESAd1ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd1ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd1ES, storyAdList[0].ad2, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyESAd1ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyESAd1ScrollHandler); var storyESAd2ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd2ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd2ES, storyAdList[1].ad2, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyESAd2ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyESAd2ScrollHandler); var storyESAd3ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd3ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd3ES, storyAdList[2].ad2, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyESAd3ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyESAd3ScrollHandler); var storyESAd4ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd4ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd4ES, storyAdList[3].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyESAd4ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyESAd4ScrollHandler); var storyESAd5ScrollHandler = function () { if ($dfpStoryAd5ES.isInViewport()) { displayAd($dfpStoryAd5ES, storyAdList[4].ad, [728, 90]); $(window).off("scroll", storyESAd5ScrollHandler); } } $(window).on("scroll", storyESAd5ScrollHandler); counter++;if (urlCount = n && o = n ? t.play() : t.pause()) : console.log("iOS") }) }); }}else if(isVideo){$(items).find("video[id^='myPlayerID_']").each(function(t, e) {var n = "myPlayerID_" + $(e).attr("data-video-id");bc(n), videojs(n).ready(function() {this.scrollIntoView()}) });}$(items).find("div[id^='right-swiper-']").each(function(i, e) {var swipID = $(e).attr("id");var storySwiper = new Swiper('#' + swipID, {pagination : {el : '.swiper-pagination',clickable : true},preloadImages : false,lazyLoading : true,simulateTouch : false,autoplay : {delay : 3000,}});});var ind = 0;$(items).find('.read-more').each(function(ind, obj) {ind = ind + 1;var html = $(items).find("#inlineStory" + ind).html();$(this).html(html);});$(items).find('img.lazy').each(function(i, e) {$(e).lazyload({effect : "fadeIn",effectTime : 20,threshold : 200,failurelimit : 0});});//getSeoContent(items);});}var reqOpen = true;$(document).bind("scroll",function() {var viewport = {top : $(document).scrollTop(),left : $(document).scrollLeft()};viewport.bottom = viewport.top + $(document).height();lastScrollTop = viewport.top;var bot = viewport.bottom - $(document).height();if (viewport.top > 200 && (showInfinite)) {if(isCorona && !loaded){var s= document.createElement('script');s.setAttribute('async','');s.src="https://chat.amplify.ai/plugin/5e77327dd8722a5cf17170be/chat_plugin.js?pluginId=5e77327dd8722a5cf17170be";document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(s);loaded=true;}$('.footer-scroll-main').show();if (reqOpen == true) {$('#ulInfinite li:first').addClass("active");$('#ulInfinite li .stroy-link').each(function(i, t) {if(i>0){listUrl.push($(t).html());}});InfiniteScroll();reqOpen = false;} } else if (bot

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Pride-inspired accessories you can rock all year round - Hindustan Times

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