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purplesurveys · 3 years

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1143

survey by brock-checkitout

Do you like cheese? Yeah but not to an obsessive extent like most people on the internet seem to be. I have a lower tolerance when it comes to cheeses with stronger or more pungent flavors, and I like sticking to those on the creamy side, like feta and burrata.

What type of shampoo do you use? Dove.

Do turtles make you happy? I mean not as much as dogs would but they are animals, so encountering one would still make me giddy and happy :)))

Name one person who snores in their sleep. Both of my parents, which is why I used to dread whenever we’d book a trip and there’s only one main room available for the 5 of us.

Would you walk around a grocery store with a bra as glasses? Sure, if I was gonna do it for like a cause or something. Or if I got paid for it. I can’t imagine why I’d ever have to casually/randomly do it. Also how would that even work, if it actually had to work as glasses???

Can you do the HoeDown ThrowDown? That movie came out when we were in the midst of moving houses and everything was super hectic in my little 10 year old life, so I never got to wach it, actually. I missed out on the whole Hoedown Throwdown craze and I distinctly remember jealously watching over my classmates as they danced it together.

Do you like Hershey's Chocolate bars? Just the cookies and cream variant.

What smiley face do you use the most? :) I very rarely use others.

What type of cell phone do you have? I have an iPhone 8.

Do you listen to rap? Not so much. For the most part, I stick to my tried and tested albums, like Jay-Z and Kanye’s Watch the Throne.

Look at something green, does it have batteries in it? That would be a nearby alcohol bottle, and no, it does not need batteries.

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when I say: PRINTER? Ink and paper.

What is the last cuss word you said out loud? Not so sure, but since I commonly say shit and fuck they could serve as safe enough guesses.

Do you like cows? Sure.

What kind of car does your mother drive? These days we split ‘my’ car between us since we sold our third car, which used to be the one she’d usually drive. The new arrangement used to bug me at first because it meant I now had to notify my mom in advance whenever I planned to drive out, but I’ve since gotten used to the setup.

What do you get in your tacos? I don’t eat tacos. Not that I dislike them; there are just many other Mexican dishes I find more filling.

What is your opinion on blueberries? As a flavor, it’s fine. But I actually tried an actual blueberry for the very first time last week when my aunt sent over a blueberry cheesecake - I really wanted to give it a chance, but I still found it nasty :( I really don’t know why I hate fruits so much lmao.

Are you currently wearing lip gloss/chap stick? Nopes.

Is there a bottle of lotion near you? There isn’t.

Name one person that you know that smokes. Sam smokes superexcessively. Like I’ve completely forgotten how much she can smoke in an evening until I hung out with her again a few weeks ago. It was half impressive and half terrifying; and my clothes ended up smelling because of it.

What's your favorite season? We don’t have the usual four seasons, but based on what I’ve seen in media, spring and winter look and feel the most pleasant to me.

Are any of your friends vegetarians? No.

What is one phrase that you hate hearing? “All lives matter” really pisses me off.

Can you name four presidents right now? Rodrigo Duterte, Ramon Magsaysay, Fidel Ramos, Diosdado Macapagal. But because I’m guessing this meant American presidents...George W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, Andrew Jackson, Harry Truman.

What is the first thing you think of when I say: HOOD? A jacket.

Do you currently own a cat? Nope.

What do you think of Ulta? I think of the fact that I’ve never heard of that before and I don’t actually know what this is referring to.

Have you ever walked into a club and asked for a Coke? No.

Do you like classical music? Sure, some.

What is your opinion on Oreos? I had the biscuits like a billion times as a kid to the point that I got sick of them. I will always pick the Oreo flavor in other desserts though, be it cheesecake, cupcake, cookies, milkshakes, tc.

Do you like Chips-Ahoy? No, tastes too artificial/processed. I’ll always go for freshly-baked cookies.

What did ya think of this survey? It was fine. I *think* I haven’t taken this before either, so that’s a plus lol.

survey by carolynnnnonia

1. What time did you wake up this morning? Around 6:30ish.

2. When did you take your default picture? It’s not a photo of me, it’s a still from BoJack Horseman. Years ago I saw someone on Twitter use it as a default and I found it hilarious, so I decided to do the same thing for this blog.

3. Are you hungry? Mmm not so much right now actually. I had a midnight snack that I only got to finish by like 2 AM so I still feel pretty filled.

4. Have you ever cheated on a test? Yup but just once. When I ended up perfecting the exam I cheated on, I felt like a fraud and I’ve never cheated since. I’d rather get an honest 99 than get a 100 that I’m ashamed of, lol.

5. When was the last time you ate ice cream? I think it had been last week when we had a cookies and cream tub in the fridge.

6. What computer game is in your CPU? I don’t play PC games and it’s been a hoooooot minute since I’ve seen a CPU.

7. Do you like Audrey Hepburn? You’ve come to the right person :))) Yup, obsessed. Have watched her entire filmography except for the ones that are impossible to find DVDs of or online.

8. What color is your winter jacket?

9. Do you have any siblings? Yup.

10. Would you call yourself skinny? Not anymore. I’ve filled up a bit over the last few years but I’m still usually seen as thin. I was a lot skinnier in my teens.

11. Does your phone take pictures? Yes, 2008 survey, it does.

12. Who is your favorite neighbor? They’re not really neighbors, but the construction workers who are currently working on a new house from across ours are crazy over Cooper and love to greet him and give him a few pats when I take him out. My actual neighbors are rather quiet and we tend to keep to ourselves.

13. Do you wish at 11:11? No.

14. Have you ever gotten a detention? We don’t have detention here.

15. Do you still watch Disney Channel? Nah, we took out our cable last year because no one was using it anymore. And I doubt there’s anything watchable on Disney Channel for a twentysomething?? Lmao I usually stick to the shows and movies I grew up with, so.

16. Who did you last IM? Angela.

17. Who is your least favorite teacher? Whoever hated me for no reason in middle and high school. Then in college, I had to power through a misogynist, sexist, delusional Duterte-supporting professor for an entire semester as well.

18. What were you doing six hours ago? I was winding down and watching Good Mythical Morning videos to eventually doze off.

19. What is your ringtone? Just the default iPhone ones.

20. Does your door have a dead bolt on it? I had to look this up haha but yeah.

21. Have you ever been to a show? Like, a live shooting of a show? Hmm....I don’t remember ever going to one yet. I remember being invited to one because they needed seat fillers, but I had school at the time and was never available on the day of the shoot.

22. What are some details about your first kiss? Innocent, pure. Even though that person ended up disappointing me, I don’t regret having my first kiss with them.

23. What college do you want to attend/currently attend? I went to UP.

24. Have you had any soda today? No and I most likely won’t.

25. What is your favorite scary movie? Carrie, The Shining, and Evil Dead are some good ones.

26. Do you own a Wii? We used to and it was a big part of my late childhood to my early teens. We had thrown it out years ago, though, because it stopped working.

27. Did you wear shorts today? I currently am wearing shorts, yeah, and I plan on wearing shorts for the rest of the day.

28. Anything fun happening this weekend? There’s an official Kim Seonho fanmeet happening tonight on Facebook and I’m so excited for it lmaaaaaaoooo

29. What shoes did you wear today? One of my sneakers.

30. What is your favorite type of Pop Tart? We only get 5 flavors here in the Philippines, but my favorite is the chocolate fudge one.

31. Do you subscribe to any magazines? Nope.

32. What was the last television show you watched? I didn’t watch it on TV, but I watched a few clips from this show called Caught in Providence on Facebook. I have such a soft spot for that show.

33. Do you know any other languages? If I’m not speaking in English, I use Filipino, yes.

34. Are you wearing anything green? No.

#survey #surveys

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halowastaken · 4 years

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Why I left (chapter 4)

Read on ao3

Summary:

“I stayed at Ned’s! Like most weekends! You know that!” Peter finally yelled back. May was constantly trying to make them stop yelling but they were too busy arguing “Oh really? That is funny because I called Ned’s mom yesterday! You didn’t stay there this weekend, or any other weekend!” Peter’s eyes widened. Now he was in actual trouble “Where do you think I was, Ben?! You tell me now that it seems like you know everything!” Ben’s yaw dropped “Do not talk to me with that tone young man!” Right. Peter forgot. He is arguing with Ben, not Tony. Normally Tony would just answer him with a similar comment. Ben avoided any kind of logic just to seem like he was right. Peter thought it was dumb because that just assures Peter that he, in fact, outsmarted Ben “God, this is easier with Tony” Peter murmured. He regretted it by the second it came out of his mouth

---

Friday, August ten. Two thousand one. The US president was George W. Bush. He was a republican. The UK Prime Minister was Tony Blair. The Pope St John Paul II was leading the Catholic Church. Lots of things happened that day. The number one song in the US on the day of your birth was "Bootylicious" by Destiny's Child. Ask your parents if they remember this popular song. The Los Angeles Lakers beat Philadelphia 76ers (4 - 1) to win the NBA Finals that day. But something else really interesting happened that most of the world doesn’t know about.

On the Afternoon of Friday, August ten in the city of New York, Peter Parker was born

And since then, the universe decided that their new favorite thing was to make his life miserable

Good thing Peter always knew how to say 'fuck you' to the universe

So when Peter woke up the day after feeling like he had another sensory overload on his sleep, he wasn’t surprised at all. He got dressed for school and went downstairs, but what Peter found was something that he didn’t see very often. Pepper was having breakfast in the kitchen. For Peter that was weird. She normally takes her coffee and goes straight to her office downstairs in SI. Today she was sitting in the kitchen counter drinking her coffee. Tony was in the other side making his coffee and Rhodey was looking for something in the fridge

“Good morning” Peter said hesitantly. Everyone turned to see him

“Peter. We were waiting for you” Pepper said with a smile. Peter raised an eyebrow because that was her passive aggressive smile. Pepper was mad at someone “How are you feeling? Better?”

‘Y-Yeah’” Peter was scared for his life. He turned to see Tony, but Tony immediately started pouring his coffee

“That’s good honey. So yesterday, after you fell asleep, Tony wanted to tell you something but he didn’t get the chance” After Pepper said that Tony’s eyes widened

“You know, I forgot! Sorry kid-”

“Tony!” Pepper yelled and Tony sighted

“Ok the truth is that I fucked up. Like I fucked up big time” Tony finally accepts. Peter raises an eyebrow in sense of confusion

“Did you drink one of Dum-E’s smoothies again?” Rhodes chuckles at that answer

“So yesterday when I called May, she didn’t answer. So I kinda called Ben” Tony says that and Peter just tilts his head. Sometimes he was hard to read and Tony hated that

“And what did you tell him?” Peter sounded so calm. Tony actually believed that he wouldn't be mad

“Well I didn’t have lots of options at the time, so I told him that you were in a party and came here because it was closer than your department” A thick silence follows that. Peter sights and pulls Tony’s shirt to his level

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Peter yells at Tony and then lets go of his shirt “Are you kidding me Tony?! He’s gonna ground me for something I didn’t do!! Thanks a lot!!” Peter yelled

“I’m sorry, was I the guy that decided not to answer their calls?! No I fucking wasn’t!! Tony said leaving his mug in the kitchen counter

“Because you told me not to! You told me to not use my phone while swinging around and you also told me you’ll put my phone my phone in the fucking suit!” Peter yelled

“Yeah and I am doing it at the same time I’ll update Karen so she can drop you off a building when you’re past your curfew again!” Tony yelled back. Peter just groaned

“Get over it! I was saving people! What were you doing then? Making another super killer robot?!” Tony literally gasped. Rhodey raised an eyebrow at that comment. Pepper was already used to this

“Boys, stop it. Both of you” Pepper said and they both turned to look at her “Both of you did wrong. Peter you have a curfew for a reason and Tony you should’ve said something less stupid. Now this is what is gonna happen. I am gonna call May and tell her that you just wanted to spend another night here. Pray that that’s enough to get you out of trouble” Peter and Tony looked at each other and then they both sighted

“Sorry bud” Tony says ruffling Peter’s curls

‘It’s ok Mr. Stark. Besides, May will talk to Ben. I’ll maybe get grounded but I deserve it. Sorry for ignoring my curfew” Peter then smiles apologetic and Tony smiles in reply

“Wait a damn minute” Rhodey said closing the fridge “Less than thirty seconds ago you guys were gonna kill each other” Peter raises an eyebrow

“No, not really” Peter says looking at Tony

“Yeah. I mean it was just an argument” tony adds. Rhodey just looks at Pepper and she nodded her head. Apparently this was normal for them. Huh

“Come on kid. Let’s wait for Happy in the lab” Tony says grabbing his coffee mug

“Oh I forgot to tell you Tony. I am taking Happy with me to England” Pepper says and gets up. Before Tony could say anything, she is already gone

“Damn. Well I suppose that I’ll drive you to school” Tony says and Peter raises an eyebrow

“Mr. Stark you have a meeting today. An important one. The secretary of state is gonna chop your head off if you don’t go to this one” Peter says and Tony groans

“The secretary of state is the reason I am avoiding the meeting in the first place. How do you even know that I have a meeting?” Tony asks and Peter shrugs

“You don’t have an assistant but you do have an intern. The fact that I actually get to do stuff doesn’t mean I don’t so the usual intern stuff” Tony raises an eyebrow

“You do realize you don’t get paid for doing any of that stuff, right?" Peter then smiles

"Oh Mr. Stark. Don't get the wrong idea. Someone needs to write my recommendation letter when I try to get to MIT" Tony dramatically opened his jaw as if he had been insulted

"You little shit. And just so you know, I like having you around too. Now, we have to figure it out. Who is gonna take you to school?" Before Peter could answer, Rhodes hoped in

"I can drive him" Peter raises an eyebrow "Yeah. I need to do some stuff anyways. I'll drive him" Tony sights

"Sure. Ok. If you want to" Tony answers. Peter then nodded hesitantly

---

“Thanks for driving me Colonel Rhodes” Peter said putting his seat belt on

“No problem kid. I actually wanted to get to know you-” Peter scoffed as if someone just made a bad joke. Rhodey just raised an eyebrow “What?”

“With all due respect Colonel Rhodes, Ms. Potts already did this a while ago. You find really weird that Mr. Stark is close with a teenager. The only thing that crosses your mind is ‘What is the catch?’ and too that I have to say that I don’t know. After Germany, Mr. Stark had no reason to keep me around, yet he did” Peter said with a smile. Rhodey could sense that Peter wasn’t trying to be rude at all. That he just wanted to tell the truth. And as a matter of fact, Peter was right. Rhodey did think there was something going on. Instead of argue with Peter, he just sighted

“Well now I actually want to get to know you kid. And cut the Colonel Rhodes crap. Rhodey or Rhodes it’s fine” Rhodey said turning on the engine of the car

“Whatever you say Mr. Rhodes” Peter said and Rhodey just shook his head. Turns out that Rhodey actually likes the kid. He could see why Tony liked the kid. He also could see that the kid liked Tony very much

---

Today was a pretty good day for Peter actually. He was going to Ned’s house tomorrow to make a Lego set (The new Spider-Man Lego set. Epic) and he did good in the decathlon practice. It was a great day. After School he took the subway and went to his department

“I am home!” Peter said, opening the door. As always he walked to the Livingroom to put his stuff on the couch and then met with Ben and May at the kitchen, but to Peter’s surprise, Ben and May were in the Livingroom waiting for him “Hey guys. What is going on?”

“Peter Benjamin Parker, you have some explaining to do” Ben said almost yelling. Then Peter remembered. Tony said he went to a party. Right “Yesterday your aunt and I were worried sick about you. And in the middle of the night, Tony fucking Stark calls me and tells me that you were on a party?!? What the hell?!” Before Peter could defend himself, Ben kept yelling “I am gonna ask you this and don’t even try to fill me with your bullshit. Where were you this weekend?!”

“I stayed at Ned’s! Like most weekends! You know that!” Peter finally yelled back. May was constantly trying to make them stop yelling but they were too busy arguing

“Oh really? That is funny because I called Ned’s mom yesterday! You didn’t stay there this weekend, or any other weekend!” Peter’s eyes widened. Now he was in actual trouble

“Where do you think I was, Ben?! You tell me now that it seems like you know everything!” Ben’s yaw dropped

“Do not talk to me with that tone young man!” Right. Peter forgot. He is arguing with Ben, not Tony. Normally Tony would just answer him with a similar comment. Ben avoided any kind of logic just to seem like he was right. Peter thought it was dumb because that just assures Peter that he, in fact, outsmarted Ben

“God, this is easier with Tony” Peter murmured. He regretted it by the second it came out of his mouth

“How would you know?! You’re just his intern! I am your uncle and I am the one taking care of you-” Peter then snapped

“Hate to break it to you, Ben! But as a matter of fact, I’ve been staying at the Stark Tower! Sometimes even at the compound! You haven’t been taking care of me for the past four months! Mr. Stark and Ms Potts have! Hell, even May has been taking better care of me than you! And you want to know why?! Because you’ve been busy looking for excuses to yell at May instead of looking at the people around you!” Peter finally yells. Even May is speechless. Peter has never talked to them like that. That was how he normally argued with Tony. He thought it was ok

“You really expect me to believe that Tony Stark welcomed you in his house to stay in the weekends? What else does he do? Watch movies with you?!” When Ben said that it sounded almost as if he was making fun of Peter

“Yes actually! For your information, Mr. Stark likes finding Nemo!” Ben raises an eyebrow and Peter sights “May even knows about it! You are the only one that doesn’t know! How does that make you feel, Ben?!” Ben turns to see May

“Is this true?” Ben finally asks. May shrugs

“Ben, you hate Tony, but Peter doesn’t! And Tony actually enjoys spending time with Peter! I don’t see anything wrong with that” May finally says. Ben’s eyes widened

“I cannot believe it! You are in so much trouble Peter!” Peter rolls his eyes

“You know what?! Fine! See if I care!” And Peter finally decides to turn around, open the door, and leave their department. That’s when May started yelling

“Ben what the hell is wrong with you?! I told you to not be too hard on him!’ May yells

“That was before I found out that he’s been lying to me! And you too! You didn’t think that I would like to know where he is staying?!” Ben yells at her

“Well I told you and look how everything ended up! You will apologize to him!” May demanded

“Can’t you see it?! This is all Stark’s fault! He didn’t answer me like that before!” Ben yelled

“So what?! You are mad because Tony gave Peter confidence?! Because he was taking care of him?!” May yells

“I know what I am doing!” Ben yells and May groans

“Go look for him right now!” May demands and Ben scoffed

“Relax! If he thinks he can handle himself then let him do it! I bet he is gonna call us in like five minutes crying in some dark alley because he is scared” May couldn't believe what her husband was saying. Instead of arguing more, she grabbed her jacket and keys and went to look for Peter

---

He just needed to breathe. He got a little overwhelmed and he didn't want to cause another sensory overload. The number has been increasing more and more lately. He was gonna be ok. It was late at night. Not many people were out. He was walking through the streets of Queens at almost midnight. If Peter wasn't Spiderman, he would be scared of getting mugged or something

He was in front of a gas station sitting on a bench looking at the street. A guy was in the other side of the gas station smoking. Peter just waved at him and kept minding his own business.

"Peter?" He hears from next to him. He turned to see who was calling and there was Aunt May with her jacket. After a few seconds she walked towards Peter and hugged him "Oh thank god! You almost gave me a heart attack!" May says and Peter just smiles

"I'm fine May. I just needed some air" Peter said and May ruffled his curls

"Peter, Ben wants to apologize, ok? But I feel like you should apologize too" Peter widened his eyes

"Is that so?" Peter says amused

"I'm serious! He shouldn't have yelled, but we shouldn't have lied to him. Yesterday he was so worried about you. Not even I knew where you were. Then Pepper calls me to tell me you stayed for more internship stuff, which I get, but you should've told me. And we should've told him everything since it all started" May says and Peter sighted. He knew she was right

"Ok. You're right. I will apologize or something" Peter said and she smiled

"What do you say we go home and order some takeout?" May offered and Peter just got up. They started walking towards their apartment and they were talking about Peter's weekend

"You always have so much fun there! I wish Pepper didn't have that tight schedule. I like hanging out with her" May says and Peter laughs

"Ms. Potts is great! She is really nice" Peter said

"You know, I was thinking maybe you could spend the summer with them. Just if you want to, obviously. We don't have any plans and I bet Tony wouldn't mind adding you to whatever he wants to do" May says and Peter raises an eyebrow

"Mr. Stark's plans are always a little too much. Also I like spending time with you guys" Peter says. He kept walking and then there was a loud sound. It turned on every sense. He wasn't sure what was going to happen. Hell, he wasn't sure what was happening at the moment. He turned to see May. On the floor. A bullet wound in her neck. Blood all over the place.

Peter Parker was born in 2001. Since 2001 the universe had a new purpose: Fuck with Peter Parker. Peter was good at looking at the universe face and say 'fuck you' because he always stood up after he fell

But this?

This is where he finally breaks

And this is how it starts

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vrgamertc · 4 years

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John Prine was an Army veteran walking a U.S. Postal Service beat in Chicago and writing songs on the side when Kris Kristofferson heard him and helped spread the word about Prine’s gifts. Pretty soon, he resigned as a letter carrier; his supervisor snickered, “You’ll be back.” Nearly 50 years later, this January, he was given a lifetime achievement Grammy for his contributions to songwriting. The singing mailman almost always had the last laugh.

Prine, who died on Tuesday from complications of the coronavirus, was legitimately unique. He took familiar blues themes — my baby left me — but filled them with whimsy and kindness. He liked a saucy lyric, and wrote movingly, in character, of the quiet lives and loneliness of humdrum people. He seemed like a Zen sage and offered an uncynical live-and-let-live morality in his songs, writing in a colloquial voice that revealed a love of the way Americans speak. He showed how much humor you could put in a song and still be taken seriously. He had less in common with any other songwriter than he did with Mark Twain.

He grew up in Maywood, a western suburb of Chicago, and was reared by working-class parents from Kentucky, where he often spent summers with relatives and fell in love with country music and bluegrass. By 13, he was performing in rural jamborees. When he debuted in 1971, in his mid-20s, he sounded like an old man already, so years later, when he got old and went through two cancer treatments, he still sounded like himself. From his first to his last, he wrote songs that were tender, hilarious, and wise, without grandstanding any of these traits. Here are 15 of the best.

‘Angel From Montgomery’ (1971)

“Angel From Montgomery,” his best-known song, begins with a little declarative startle: “I am an old woman, named after my mother.” It’s an incisive and terrifying look at the dissatisfactions of a bad marriage and a woman’s sense of being economically trapped in her misery. Bonnie Raitt recorded it three years later and uncovered some of the song’s dormant melodies.

‘Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore’ (1971)

Prine’s self-titled 1971 debut album is a playlist all its own; it has more great songs than a lot of respected songwriters have in their entire careers. The moral stance of this sprightly folk-rock ditty is a response to what he saw as sham patriotism during the Nixon years, and it remains relevant: “Jesus don’t like killing/No matter what the reason’s for.” Prine, a former altar boy, stopped playing it live for a number of years, but when George W. Bush became president, Prine said, “I thought I’d bring it back.”

‘Hello in There’ (1971)

Some fans and critics are put off by this song and its slightly lesser companion, “Sam Stone,” which they see as performative displays of sensitivity toward the vulnerable, or what we now call virtue signaling. Yet somehow, we don’t ever criticize singers for signaling vices and meanness. Prine sings in the voice of an old married man with a dead son, who spends his days in silence and loneliness, and who at the end of the song, asks people to be kind to the elderly.

‘The Frying Pan’ (1972)

For his second album, “Diamonds in the Rough,” Prine assembled a small, mostly acoustic band and pursued a front-porch, Appalachian simplicity. Like a lot of his songs, this one takes a lighthearted view of domestic complications: A man comes home and discovers his wife has run off with a traveling salesman. He cries miserably, recounts what he loved about her (“I miss the way she used to yell at me/The way she used to cuss and moan”), and full of pride, comes to the wrong conclusion: Never leave your wife at home.

‘Please Don’t Bury Me’ (1973)

For people who love Prine’s music, there’s some small solace in listening to his songs about death, which have the same sense of mischief and acceptance as the ones about broken marriages. (Try “Mexican Home” or “He Was in Heaven Before He Died.”) The narrator is dead, and as angels explain to him how it happened, they also recap his last wish: to not be dropped into a cold grave, but to be put to practical use, as an organ donor: “I’d druther have ’em cut me up/And pass me all around.” A kind of recycling anthem from his terrific third album, “Sweet Revenge.”

‘You Never Can Tell’ (1975)

Almost like an apology, Prine concludes “Sweet Revenge,” a grieving, downhearted album, with an exuberant Chuck Berry cover, one great writer nodding to another. The Memphis R&B guitarist Steve Cropper produced the record and put together a crack horn section, which pushes ahead of some barrelhouse piano. Prine wasn’t a rocker, but he could rock.

‘That’s the Way the World Goes Round’ (1978)

Prine seemed to have an unlimited ability to expand and vary songwriting structures and perspectives. This track, which has been covered by Miranda Lambert and Norah Jones, has two verses: In the first, the narrator describes a drunk who “beats his old lady with a rubber hose,” and in the second, the narrator gets stuck in a frozen bathtub (it’s hard to explain) and imagines the worst until a sudden sun thaws him out. Both verses illustrate the refrain: that’s the way the world goes round. Even when circumstances are bad in Prine songs, he favors optimism and acceptance.

‘Iron Ore Betty’ (1978)

A lot of Prine songs celebrate physical pleasure: food, dancing and sex, which he gallantly prefers to call “making love.” The working-class singer in this soulful, up-tempo shuffle feels unreserved delight at having a girlfriend (“We receive our mail in the same mailbox/And we watch the same TV”), and wants us to know he and Betty aren’t just friends (“I got rug burns on my elbows/She’s got ’em on her knees”). OK guy, we get it.

‘Just Wanna Be With You’ (1980)

A stomping number from “Storm Windows” in the style of Chuck Berry, with the Rolling Stones sideman Wayne Perkins on guitar. Prine’s lyrics don’t distinguish between reality and absurdity — they don’t clash, they mix — and here’s one more way to say you’re happy and in love: “I don’t even care what kind of gum I chew.” And another: “Lonely won’t be lonesome when we get through.”

‘Let’s Talk Dirty in Hawaiian’ (1986)

Prine had a sideline in novelty songs, which give full voice to his comic absurdity, throwaways that are worth saving, including the 1973 semi-hit “Dear Abby,” and this now-problematic number from “German Afternoons” inspired by a paperback book called “Instant Hawaiian.” Prine and his co-writer Fred Koller began making up Hawaiian-sounding nonsense words full of sexual innuendo, and Lloyd Green added airport-Tiki-bar bar steel guitar for maximum faux authenticity. You can say Prine’s loving disposition makes the song OK, and you can also say it doesn’t.

‘All the Best’ (1991)

After five years away, Prine returned with “The Missing Years,” a Grammy-winning album produced by Howie Epstein, Tom Petty’s bass player. The singer in this gentle, masterly miniature claims to want good things for an ex-lover, but feelings aren’t simple: “I wish you don’t do like I do/And never fall in love with someone like you” twists the knife. Now recording for his own label, Oh Boy Records, Prine was about to hit a hot streak.

‘Lake Marie’ (1995)

Bob Dylan, who was a huge fan, called the haunted, mysterious “Lake Marie” his favorite Prine song, and who are we to disagree with Dylan on the topic of songwriting? Even though Epstein’s booming production draws too much attention to itself, “Lost Dogs + Mixed Blessings” is full of winners: the simple, loving ballad “Day is Done,” the rapid-fire doggerel of “We Are the Lonely” and the calm, ornery “Quit Hollerin’ at Me,” where Prine tells his wife that the neighbors “already think my name is ‘Where in the hell you been?’”

‘In Spite of Ourselves’ (1999)

Prine was diagnosed with cancer, and doctors removed a tumor from the right side of his neck, which took away his already-modest ability to project his voice. But incredibly, his stolid singing was now perfect for harmonies, and he cut a duets album called “In Spite of Ourselves” with female country and Americana singers. On its one original song, Prine and Iris DeMent trade backhanded compliments (“She thinks all my jokes are corny/Convict movies make her horny”) that read like a divorce complaint, but turn out to be only pillow talk.

‘Some Humans Ain’t Human’ (2005)

At seven minutes and three seconds, this track from “Fair and Square” is the longest song on any of his studio albums. A cloud of slide guitar keeps this soft waltz afloat and allows Prine to express his disapproval of, if not contempt for, so-called humans who lack empathy for others. There’s a couplet that is clearly about George W. Bush, and Prine noticed that some audience members were surprised by it. “I never tried to rub it in anybody’s face, but I thought it was pretty clear that I wasn’t a closet Republican,” he told the Houston Press.

‘When I Get to Heaven’ (2018)

In 2013, doctors removed the cancerous part of Prine’s left lung, which sidelined and weakened him. It’s hard now to listen to his final album, “The Tree of Forgiveness,” which was nominated for three Grammys, and not think that Prine heard the clock ticking louder. There’s so much tenderness in “Knockin’ on Your Screen Door,” about a man whose family left him with only an 8-track tape of George Jones, and in the elegiac, reassuring parental entreaty “Summer’s End.” In the last song, “When I Get to Heaven,” Prine describes his ideal afterlife: a rock band, a cushy hotel, a girl, a cocktail (“vodka and ginger ale”) and “a cigarette that’s nine miles long.” He removes his watch, and asks, “What are you gonna do with time after you’ve bought the farm?”

#IFTTT #WordPress

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jerseydeanne · 5 years

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George Soros, the billionaire investor and liberal donor, sat in his hotel suite by Lake Zurich last week, lamenting the turn much of the world has taken in recent years: "Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong."

His favored presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, lost to President Donald Trump, whose "America First" platform runs counter to the globalism Soros embraces. Trump, he said, "is willing to destroy the world." The European Union, which Soros once hoped would be so successful that he could end his charitable work in the region, is contending with the impending loss of Britain and a rise of anti-immigrant sentiment. And Soros himself has emerged as a political target in elections from Hungary to California, where his donations have been used as a cudgel against the causes he supports.

The 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, who has poured much of his fortune into promoting liberal values around the globe, is now confronting a wave of nationalist sentiment washing against issues he has championed.

But rather than recede from public life in his twilight years, Soros has decided to push even harder for his agenda, he told The Washington Post in a rare interview

"The bigger the danger, the bigger the threat, the more I feel engaged to confront it," Soros said Thursday. Wearing an open-collar shirt, he spoke animatedly for an hour, sitting at a table in his suite after an appearance at a Human Rights Watch conference.

Confronting brick walls

Soros' willingness to remain in the fray comes as he faces renewed vilification from a wide-ranging group of opponents that includes actress Roseanne Barr and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has been accused of being an all-powerful puppet master, a Nazi sympathizer and the person controlling the Democratic Party.

He acknowledges that the attacks can blunt his impact.

"It makes it very difficult for me to speak effectively because it can be taken out of context and used against me," Soros said.

For all the billions of dollars at his disposal, Soros is also being forced to reckon with limits on his political influence in the United States. He acknowledged that he did not see Trump's election coming. "Apparently, I was living in my own bubble," he said.

Soros, who plans to spend at least $15 million in 2018 races, has already faced some setbacks this cycle. His bid to replace several district attorneys in California with challengers seeking changes to the criminal justice system was largely unsuccessful in Tuesday's elections. "We ran into a brick wall in California," he said.

Soros said he is certain in his assessment of Trump, whom he describes as a "narcissist" who "considers himself all-powerful."

But he does not appear settled on the strategy to defeat him. Soros said he disapproves of a campaign by fellow liberal billionaire Tom Steyer to push to impeach the president, saying he would only support such an effort if Democrats retake Congress this year and gain Republican support.

Soros, who said he wants to avoid dividing the party, also refused to pick favorites among the emerging crop of 2020 Democratic presidential contenders. But there is one prospective candidate he said he hopes does not get the nod: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.

He blames Gillibrand for pushing the resignation of former senator Al Franken "whom I admire," Soros said, "in order to improve her chances."

Franken resigned in January after a number of women alleged that he touched them inappropriately. Gillibrand was a leading voice urging her fellow Democrat to quit.

She declined to comment.

Earlier this year, Patrick Gaspard, the former Obama White House political director who now runs Soros' Open Society Foundations, said he asked the billionaire how he viewed the organization's role at a time when so much of Soros' work is under assault.

"This is the moment we were built for," Soros responded, according to Gaspard.

The Hungarian-born Soros, who became one of the world's wealthiest people by managing hedge funds and betting on currency changes, has given away billions of dollars to groups promoting human rights, democracy and liberal causes.

His New York-based Open Society Foundations now spends $940 million a year in 100 countries, promoting values such as free speech and free elections, according to the group. In the United States, the Open Society spends $150 million a year financing groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood.

For a period of time, Soros was the largest private donor in Russia, funding initiatives such as an anti-torture program, according to the foundation. Two years ago, Putin's government effectively banned Soros' group from distributing funds in the country, calling it "undesirable" and "a threat to the fundamentals of the constitutional system."

Last week, Putin suggested that Soros's spending around the world resembles the kind of political interference that U.S. intelligence officials blame on Russia.

"He intervenes in things all over the world," Putin told Austrian television. "But the State Department will tell you that it has nothing to do with that, that this is the personal business of Mr. Soros."

Elsewhere in Europe, Soros has also come under attack. This year, Viktor Orban, the right-wing prime minister of Hungary, won reelection after charging that Soros wanted to flood Europe with Muslim immigrants. Orban said one of his first efforts would be to pass a "Stop Soros" bill, aimed at cracking down on organizations he views as countering his agenda.

"I'm painfully aware that they are against the ideas that I stand for," Soros said of his critics around the world.

2016 and Trump

In the United States, Soros was initially seen as an ally by Republicans who shared his opposition to communist dictators. He made modest donations to support the GOP in the 1980s and 1990s, according to campaign finance reports.

But he turned decisively against Republicans after President George W. Bush invaded Iraq in 2003 based on faulty intelligence about weapons of mass destruction.

Since then, his political spending - a fraction of the money he gives away every year - has made him one of the Democratic Party's most reliable and generous donors.

In 2016, he poured at least $25 million into mobilizing Democratic voters in an effort to bolster Clinton and other candidates on the left, a Soros spokesman said.

In the final days of the White House race, Trump spoke in his closing television ad about sending a tough message to "global special interests" who wanted to control Washington, as images of Soros and other financial leaders who are Jewish flashed on the screen amid footage of Clinton.

Soros, who describes himself as an agnostic Jew, said he considered the ad "a coded anti-Semitic message."

On Election Day, Soros gathered with friends to watch returns in his Fifth Avenue duplex, overlooking the reservoir of New York's Central Park.

As the returns came in, "the party turned into a wake," said Anthony Romero, executive director of the ACLU, who was one of the guests.

Soros said he spent months studying what went wrong in the election. He said he concluded that while Clinton would have made a "very good president," she was not a good campaigner. "She was too much like a schoolmarm," Soros said. "Talking down to people . . . instead of listening to them."

But he said he also diagnosed a larger problem: the increasing ease with which people's opinions can be manipulated. "It is so much easier to destroy trust than to build it up," Soros said.

Soros has known Trump for years. Decades ago, the two men dined together several times at the Berkshire estate of a mutual friend, Soros said.

"I had no idea he had political ambitions, but I didn't like his behavior as a businessman," he said.

At one point, he said, Trump asked him to be the lead tenant in a new office building he was developing in New York City.

"Name your price," Trump said, according to Soros. Soros said he declined because he was concerned that being so closely associated with the developer, whose Atlantic City casinos were financially troubled at the time, would hurt "my reputation."

The White House and the Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment.

Soros said that if Democrats win in a "landslide" and forge a bipartisan relationship with moderate Republicans, as he expects, then he would favor impeaching Trump "because he is endangering the United States and the world."

But even then, there would be a cost, he said: "This would make [Vice President] Mike Pence the president, who is much more competent in representing the far right, whose views with which I disagree, than Trump himself."

Races, donations, defiance

This cycle, Soros has focused his political investments on congressional races and mobilizing voters on the left. His largest donation this year has been $5 million to Win Justice, a voter-mobilization group focused on minorities, women and young voters in Florida, Michigan and Nevada.

He has also continued to invest in district attorney races, saying prosecutors are "the linchpin of the judicial system" and key to his effort to reduce prison sentences. He sent $1.45 million to a group that supported civil rights attorney Larry Krasner in his successful race for Philadelphia district attorney last year. A spokesman said Krasner had never met Soros or anyone in his organization.

Soros' recent efforts in California were not so successful. Three of his candidates for district attorney in California lost their primaries, and a fourth faces a runoff.

His financial support became a political issue in some of the campaigns. Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert, who defeated her challenger Tuesday, claimed that the city was "under attack" from the billionaire, "who has brought his war against law enforcement" to Sacramento.

The breadth of Soros' spending has made him a frequent target of critics on the right, who suggest he is secretly backing movements that appear to be driven by the grass roots.

Former congressman Jack Kingston, a Georgia Republican who is a CNN commentator, suggested on Twitter in February that Soros and other activists, rather than students, were behind a protest in the wake of a Florida high school shooting in which a gunman killed 17 people.

A spokesman said Soros had no involvement with the protest.

Kingston said in an interview that he was merely raising the question of whether Soros was involved.

"Some names invoke an emotional outcry from the red-meat crowds, and certainly he is one of them on the right," Kingston said. "The left has theirs. He does get that sort of sinister, that is, that kind of myth about him, that he plays in the shadows. Maybe that's wrong."

Last month, Soros' name went viral again when Barr tweeted that he is "a nazi who turned in his fellow Jews to be murdered in German concentration camps & stole their wealth."

Among those who retweeted her was the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.

Soros, who said he used false papers at age 13 to survive the Nazi occupation of Hungary, calls such claims "a total fabrication," adding that they "annoy me greatly."

But he is not fazed, he said.

"I'm proud of my enemies," Soros said. "When I look at the enemies I have all over the world, I must be doing something right."

The Washington Post's Alice Crites and David Weigel contributed to this report.

Europe

George Soros

Russia

Elections

Donald Trump

Republican Party

#europe #george soros #russia #elections #donald trump

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theliberaltony · 6 years

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

The fight over Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination looks much different after Christine Blasey Ford came forward in a Washington Post interview and said that he attempted to sexually assault her when the two were in high school. What happens next? Will President Trump and Senate Republicans stick with Kavanaugh? Right now, we have more questions than answers. Here are the big ones …

How do the looming midterms affect Republicans’ choices? A big part of this story comes down to timing. An investigation of the allegations, as Democrats have called for, would almost certainly take at least a few weeks. And if Republicans decided in mid-October that they could not move forward with Kavanaugh’s nomination, they might not have time to choose a new nominee and get him or her through the confirmation process before the current Senate session ends in December. The Supreme Court nomination process for Kavanaugh was scheduled to last about three months — from Justice Anthony Kennedy’s resignation in late June to a full Senate vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination, which was expected in late September — at least until this news broke. So if Republicans want to move on from Kavanaugh and try to get a different nominee confirmed, they probably need to pick that person during the next two weeks in order to finish the process by the end of December.

What’s wrong with waiting till January? Well, Republicans are expected to maintain control of the Senate — they’re 2 in 3 favorites according to our latest Senate forecast — but if Democrats gain control, it’s hard to imagine them confirming a second Trump appointee to the court. So the GOP has some incentive to either fully stand behind Kavanaugh — or abandon him very quickly. Remember, the current Senate, which has 51 Republicans and 49 members aligned with the Democrats, is in operation through the end of the year. The people elected in November don’t start serving immediately. So Republicans, no matter what happens in the midterms, can push a Supreme Court nominee through until the end of the year. There would be strong criticism of Republicans if they pushed through a Supreme Court nominee in December if the voters had elected a Democratic Senate a month earlier, but Senate Republicans have ignored such norms before and I expect would be fine with doing so again for the purpose of ensuring a solid conservative majority on the Court.

What other details come out? This is still a developing story, which makes predicting what Senate Republicans will do basically a fool’s game. For example, what will Kavanaugh say next? Are there other women with similar accusations? A second woman accusing Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct would likely sink his nomination. Yes, Trump won the White House despite numerous accusations against him, but other political figures have faced consequences.

What do the Republicans controlling the nomination process do? Ultimately, only two people have the singular power to end Kavanaugh’s nomination: Mitch McConnell and Trump. McConnell could decline to take it to the Senate floor. Trump could withdraw it. And you could argue that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley should also be in that category. If Grassley indicated that he was uncomfortable with bringing Kavanaugh’s confirmation to a vote, I think that would push McConnell toward reconsidering it.

Grassley and the White House have already said they are standing behind Kavanaugh. But McConnell was dubious about the judge before Trump picked him, arguing privately that his long paper trail in the George W. Bush White House would prove problematic. McConnell is close to White House Counsel Don McGahn, a major figure in Trump’s judicial nomination strategy. Could McConnell get Trump to nominate someone else? Remember, the White House has likely already vetted other candidates.

What do the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, particularly Sens. Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Jeff Flake of Arizona, do? The Senate Judiciary Committee has a 11-10 Republican majority. So one Republican refusing to back Kavanaugh would at least briefly stall the nomination. Flake and Sasse are regular Trump critics. The Arizona senator has already indicated that he is no longer comfortable backing Kavanaugh — at least for now — and wants a scheduled committee vote on Sept. 20 delayed. That is big. McConnell could still bring the nomination to the full Senate if it fails in the Judiciary Committee. But if Flake is a “no,” I think that might have a real impact on other potential swing senators in this process. Speaking of swing senators ….

What do the red-state Democrats do? Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia voted for Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation to the high court last year. They are up for reelection this fall in fairly conservative states. I had assumed they were likely to back Kavanaugh. Now, I’m not so sure. Doug Jones of Alabama, who is in a very conservative state but not up for reelection until 2020, has already said that the Kavanaugh vote should be delayed until a formal investigation is conducted. As I mentioned, asking for a formal investigation, because of the timing, is tantamount to opposing Kavanaugh. But calling for a full investigation (and then opposing the nomination if one is not completed) is a much easier stance for red-state Democrats than voting for a nominee accused of sexual misconduct or opposing him on policy grounds. I think Kavanaugh’s number of Democrats votes may be shrinking, unless he can convincingly dispute the allegations.

What do the moderate and/or iconoclastic Republicans do? Sens. Bob Corker, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski are not on the Judiciary Committee. But Collins and Murkowski are two crucial swing votes, part of a trio of senators who brought down the Obamacare repeal last year. Collins, up for reelection in 2020 in a blue state, was under tremendous pressure from the left in her state to oppose Kavanaugh even before Ford went public. At the same time, torpedoing a GOP Supreme Court nomination probably wouldn’t play well with the party base. It would increase her odds of being challenged in a GOP primary. Remember, an Alabama congresswoman nearly lost a primary this year in part because she was critical of Trump after the emergence of the Access Hollywood tape in 2016.

Corker, meanwhile, is occasionally skeptical of Trump’s priorities and has already suggested that the party should slow down the confirmation process.

What do the Democrats do? The Democrats are taking the logical political step of calling for an investigation into Ford’s allegations and urging Republicans to slow down the confirmation process. I don’t think they have any other tools to stop this nomination. But if Democratic leaders can make sure that all 49 of their members, including those in red states, commit to opposing Kavanaugh unless there is a real investigation of Ford’s charges, that will ramp up the pressure on Republicans, in particular Collins and Murkowski.

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #Perry Bacon Jr.

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talbottowearing · 2 years

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Mini research: Alec Soth

I choose to research the work of Alec Soth. Alec Soth is a magnum photographer, famous for his large-scale photographs featuring the midwestern United States. His photographs have a unique style that is both simple and provocative. When you look at his photographs, you would not be confused by lots of details and elements. Soth is very simplistic, he carefully planned every element in his photographs. The colors in his photographs are clean and usually low in saturation. However, he sometimes intentionally puts details in the photographs that serve a storytelling purpose. I would first feel very comfortable looking at his photographs, and then my attention would be drawn to several interesting details. Then I naturally started to come up with a story based on all the details I just observed. With his ability to apply those storytelling elements in his photographs, his depiction of midwestern lives in the United States is very unique. I choose two projects from Soth, “Sleeping by the Mississippi”, and “Last Days of W.”

In 2004, Alec Soth published his work “Sleeping by the Mississippi”. In this work, the Mississippi acts as a physical start and endpoint, but also, as a metaphor for the unfulfilled dreams of those who live on its banks. He drove his car and stops when he sees something interesting. His journey focused on those marginalized people who live along the river bank. With crisp detail, his works revealed the dreams of those forgotten people. In my opinion, instead of directly depicting the dreams and realities of those people, he presents details that are the results of their lives. “Mother and Daughter” and “Charles” are my two personal favorite photographs. “Mother and Daughter” were shot in a brothel, Soth asked them to write down their dreams on a piece of paper before he took the picture. The mother said that she was too old for dreams, but the daughter wrote down that she wants to be a nurse. “Charles” is one of the most famous photographs of Soth. Both of the photographs focused on their dream and reality. As an audience, I can feel their dream is delivered to me in a subtle way by details. For example, with no background information, I can speculate their social-economic status just by looking at them. In “Charles”, we can see the spot of paints on Charle’s suit, and also the construction materials laying on the ground. Charles is firmly holding on to his model airplanes, trying to imagine that they are flying. For me, airplanes are naturally metaphorical. They represent curiosity, freedom, and exploration. Moreover, Soth showed the audience that even for a marginalized person like Charles who lives on the river back, he is still able to pursue his curiosity. In “Mother and Daughter”, we can also see a lot of crisp details that revels identities. The nail polish, the tattoos, the similar clothing of the daughter and her mother. Moreover, I found the different facial expressions of the two people very interesting. The daughter seems to be angrily looking at the audience, while the mother seems a lot more calm. The daughter might be angry because she still had an unfulfilled dream, while the mother is “too old for dreams”, which seems more clam.

“Last Days of W.”, published in 2008, features photographs that have been taken in North America over the last decade and which, in the artist's words, “represent a panoramic look at a country exhausted by its catastrophic leadership”. Again, Soth travels across the country to make this project. “The Last Days of W.” critiques the devastating impact of George Bush's presidency on the American people. focus[ing] predominantly on landscapes, taking a broader look at the social crisis and urban decay that has been Bush's legacy. “Ron” seems similar to “Charles” at first glance. Indeed, they are very similar, two men holding two aircraft models. However, the emotions that are delivered by Soth is really different. I feel significantly more depressed when looking at Ron. I believe this is the way Ron looks down at the Rocket, and there is much less environmental information in this photograph. Then, when I started to notice the facial expression, I feel that Ron is more angry and unwilling to accept his unfulfilled dreams. Ron suddenly became more powerful. The two photographs may be similar in structure but delivered two different emotions. The second picture, “Kylie”, really spokes to me because I once witnessed a similar situation in China before. The gesture, the empty car, the opened door, all those sharp details remind me of the night I met the child left alone in the car several years ago.

Soth had said that he believes storytelling is not strong in photography. When the audience is looking at the portraiture, we are not seeing the subject in the portrait. Instead, we are seeing the point of view of the photographer. In this situation, the original subjects in the photographs can never be really convincing and sound. In order to make the real subjects of the portrait as prominent as possible, and also eliminate the effects of the photographers’ point of view, I believe that Soth applies specific details that work for storytelling. In the work I discussed above, there are numerous details that naturally bring out the characteristics of those people. More than directly showing what kind of life they are experiencing, Soth showed the signs and marks that their lives imprinted on them. This is what I learned from Alec Soth.

works cited:

Wei Guo

2022/4/18

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patriotsnet · 3 years

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What Color Ties Do Republicans Wear

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-color-ties-do-republicans-wear/

What Color Ties Do Republicans Wear

The History Of Party Colors In The United States

Tie-Dye 101: Tips & Tricks

Prior to the United States presidential election of 2000, which party was Red and which was Blue was largely a matter of which color a news outlet chose. On the October 30, 2000, episode of the Today show, Tim Russert coined the terms red state and blue state.

As far back as the 1888 election blue was used to represent the northern Union states and red the south, but this wasnt consistent throughout time . In the 70s and 80s the major networks starting using lighted maps to illustrate election results. Democrats were often coded blue and Republicans red, but it wasnt consistent. This inconsistent coloring continued throughout the Clinton years and up to the Gore Vs. Bush. This can all be varied by old videos and articles.

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Red White And Blue: How Color Defines Politics

In early October, Pew Research Center noted a 1.2-point increase in voters for Republicans and a 4.6-point increase for Democrats.

Turnouts for early voting amongst young voters, ages 18-29, have been proving astronomical versus 2014, particularly in red states.

According to The Hill, as of November 2, 2018, early voting polls showed:

Arizona: +217%

Tennessee: +767%

Texas: +448%

But why do we Americans associate political leanings with a specific color? Why do we know what it means to discuss voting in a red state or blue state? And what impact does the psychology of color have on individuals and communities?

Recommended Reading: Can Republicans Vote On Super Tuesday

A Final Word On Colors

Many political parties around the world often choose their colors because of their connections to political stances, groups, or ideologies.

For example, red has historically been a color often linked to socialism and communism after a red flag was used by the revolutionaries during the Paris Commune. Revolutionaries may have picked red flags during this time as a possible reference to the 13th century red naval flags of defiance that meant a ship would kill any enemy it saw and so was flying a bloody flag.

As another example, many environmentalist parties around the world will often use the color green to symbolize nature. Finally, fascist parties have often used the color black such as Adolf Hitlers Nazi party and Benito Mussolinis Italian Fascist party because the black color represents what they intend to bring to their enemies: fear, intimidation, and death.

Lets finish with a quick trip around the globe to see the colors associated with some prominent political parties. In the United Kingdom, the colors are flipped compared to the United States: the right-leaning Conservative Party uses blue and the left-leaning Labour Party uses red, as do the Canadian parties of the same names. Australias oldest party, the Australian Labor Party, uses red while the Christian Democratic Union of Germany has used orange and black, and Emmanuel Macron of Frances En Marche! uses yellow.

Why Is Hillary Clinton In Red And Why Is Donald Trump Wearing A Blue Tie

Id expect the republican candidate to wear red and the democrat to wear blue, but its quite the opposite. Why is this?

The color red is thought to convey strength and aggression, which is why a lot of men use that color for power ties. The Clinton camp probably wanted to her appear commanding and authoritative, particularly when debating a loud and aggressive opponent.

Blue is viewed as more calm and soothing. Trumps camp may have wanted him to appear calm and restrained.

The whole red/Republican, blue/Democrat thing is a pretty recent association anyway, starting in the 2000 election. Its not as if those are the official colors of those parties.

It was around before that but iirc they switched colors every election.

i did not realize red/blue as party association was only that recent

Clinton was expecting Trump to wear his red tie its a power color. So she preemptively wore a red suit. He was expecting her to expect that, so he wore blue as a counter-power move.

You know, I think you might have said that as joke but with consultants and strategists and yadiyadiyada, I might just be what happened.

If he wore a red suit he would have appeared dangerously unstable, for what he wore, not what he said.

These are no official colours of either major party. Neither has official colours of any kind. Both have used red, white, and blue for their entire histories.

Also Check: What Caused Republicans To Gain Power In Congress In 1938

The Color Psychology Behind Inauguration Fashion

Inauguration day isnt just about politics, its also all about fashion.

All eyes were on Donald Trump Friday as he took oath as the 45th president of the United States, but it was hard to miss the stylish outfits surrounding his inauguration.

Dressing for a major political event is an event in itself. Outfits worn by powerful leaders and their families are carefully selected and crafted by high-profile designers and stylists. Fashion experts often dig deeper into the meanings behind the colors picked for outfits that will be seen by millions around the globe.

Public image is important for all politicians, especially for the first lady, said Dr. Dong Shen, professor of Fashion Merchandising and Design at California State University, Sacramento. Colors and brands are very important.

The first lady is often an American icon but traditionally, their main role is to support their husbands presidency. Their outfits tend to balance or compliment their husbands attire, avoiding to overpower.

Shen explained, for this reason, first ladies are usually seen in softer colors or floral patterns.

Blue is often associated with the sky and the ocean, Shen said of Mrs. Trumps inauguration outfit. It often symbolizes loyalty and trust.

Why The Red Tie

So why do so many politicians wear red power ties?

Unless we ask them its impossible to know for sure. Some journalists have speculated that red is a popular color because it features in the American flag and so advertises its wearers patriotism. If this is true, though, we should see as many blue ties as red.

Perhaps the clue is in the name: power. Could it be that politicians suspect that a red tie makes them appear more powerful, dominant, and authoritative?

Read Also: Are There More Democrats Or Republicans In The Senate

Gop Candidates Stick To Red Ties At Debate

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney stood out at last night’s GOP debate, mainly for his $10,000 gaffe.

But we couldn’t help but notice the former Massachusetts governor’s other major distinction: a blue tie.

While its exact point of origin is murky , the color-coding of American politics has become common knowledge: red for Republicans, blue for Democrats. The primary-hued shorthand has extended from election night dry-erase boards to candidates’ closets, as male candidates have been known to indicate their party alignment by tie color.

And though it’s not an exact science , the red-blue divide was on full display at last night’s GOP debate — with one exception. Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Ron Paul all wore red ties, while Mitt Romney wore light blue.

Michele Bachmann, for the record, wore a royal blue blouse.

Romeny’s blue wasn’t too surprising, as it’s been his go-to hue throughout the debates. Men’s fashion expert Hendrik Pohl, the CEO of ties-necktie.com, told ABC, “Blue is the color that people most commonly name as their favorite color and it has very calming effect on people” — and sure enough, eight out of the ten major debates have seen Romney in the safe color.

What gives? Afraid of standing out, Newt? Is wearing anything other than red an affront to Texas, Rick? Trying to prove your Republican affiliation, Ron?

See pics of the candidates’ ties below… what style of ties would you like to see at the next debate?

How Did Red And Blue Come To Represent The Two Major Us Political Parties

What To Wear To A Formal Event | 3 Suit Options

It all started with television. In the early 1970s, networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS were seeking a way to demarcate which states in the electoral college had been won by each candidate. More American households had color TV sets than ever before, giving news programs covering the election an opportunity to show splashy graphics when a state was called in favor of a given candidate.

The first network to color-code states during an election results broadcast was CBS in 1972. However, at that time, blue represented the states won by the Republican incumbent Richard Nixon, and red stood in for those taken by challenger US Senator George McGovern of South Dakota.

Theres a good reason why those colors were chosen for each party at the time: global precedent. In Great Britain, red had long been used to represent the more liberal party, which in this American use case were the Democrats. Blue stood in for Republicans by default, in part because the colors in contrast were striking on screen.

But by the late-1980s and early 1990s, those color assignments reversed. Blue became more consistently used for Democrats and red for Republicans.

Nevertheless, it still wasnt until 2000the race between Democrat and Vice President Al Gore and Republican Texas Governor George W. Bushthat those colors became synonymous with the name of each party.

Recommended Reading: How Many Republicans In The New Senate

Which States Are Considered Red And Which Are Blue

To go along with the colors, the terms red state and blue state were popularized by anchorman Tim Russert during and immediately after the 2000 election. Today, these terms are used to refer to which party a state voted for during a presidential election.

Generally speaking, the Northeast and the West Coast are considered a collection of blue states as most of them have sided with the Democrats since the early 1990s.

The Southern states have sided with Republicans since the 2000s, while the Midwest tends to be tougher to predict. For example, Illinois and Minnesota are currently considered blue states, while Missouri and Nebraska are red. Hawaii and Alaska have been traditionally considered blue and red respectively as neither has switched parties since the late 1980s .

The Southwest has been split since 2000 with Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado going blue more often than red and Utah and Arizona voting predictably red. Finally, we come to the coveted purple states or swing states, such as Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan. These states switched colors in recent elections and are often a key focus of electoral campaigning and strategy. Swing states can vary by election year.

Shopping On A Hill Staffers Salary Means Deal

Kate: A lot of people dont realize how little Hill staffers make, so they probably dont realize what a struggle it is to find clothes that youre able to wear to work and that are still acceptable. Im just trying to make rent! I make $65,000, but I know some staff assistants that make $25,000.

I shop at , T.J. Maxx, and Nordstrom Rack I go to the Nordstrom in the mall, and then I go to the Rack and find the same stuff. I would never pay full price for something. On birthdays and Christmas, I try to get as many clothes as I can.

Heather: I typically shop at Marshalls and Nordstrom Rack. I still shop at H&M, but some of their stuff is more expensive and wears out quickly. Ill only shop at J.Crew Factory and Banana Republic Factory if its something that I love and fits me really well. Otherwise, I wont splurge on it. Anthropologie is where I wish I could shop if I had that kind of money, but I dont.

I wont spend more than $80 on one particular item of clothing, unless its a coat. For dresses, I wont go over $70 unless I love it. Tops I like to be $20 to $30. Pants and shirts, $40.

In a place like this, with a lot of powerful people, you want to sprinkle in items that do cost a lot of money. Ill wear a Burberry scarf with an overcoat; I carry a Tumi bag. If they see items on you that they can recognize and that they know the value of, they then assume that is expensive, when little do they know you got your suit for under $300 and your shoes were on sale for $50.

Also Check: Who Is The Speaker Of The House For Republicans

From Pleather To Puffy Coats Swapcom Uncovers The Hottest Fashions Trending Across The Country For Red And Blue Voters

October 26, 2016 05:00 ET | Source:Swap.comSwap.com

CHICAGO, IL– – With less than two weeks to Election Day, the candidate’s personal style and wardrobe has been an ongoing talking point for politicos and news anchors. From patriotically-themed pantsuits and ties to poor tailoring to disheveled hair, it is clear fashion plays a powerful role in politics. For a less serious spin on politics and fashion, Swap.com — the largest online consignment store-dove deep into millions of previous purchases to uncover how style preferences of Democrats and Republicans sized up. Based on a breakdown of how red and blue counties voted in the 2012 election, Swap.com has revealed the most popular picks among liberals and conservatives.

That’s A Lot of Look

When it comes to clothes, both Republicans and Democrats are buttoning and bundling up in interesting ways. Republicans prefer dresses to skirts and, when it is warm, buy more Capri pants and Bermuda and cargo shorts. Meanwhile, Democrats are pairing jeggings with a blazer and their favorite sports jersey topped off by a puffy coat.

Democrats are

69% more likely to wear jeggings

39% more likely to wear jerseys

31% more likely to wear sweaters

30% more likely to wear blazers

22% more likely to wear puffy coats

21% more likely to wear button-up shirts

14% more likely to wear skirts

Republicans are

Methodology:

Color And Clothing Choices

When we see certain colors, they produce chemical reactions in our brains that can make us feel certain emotions. For example you are more likely to order more food in a restaurant that is decorated with a lot of red because that color makes us hungry. Sports teams often paint the opposing teams locker room pink because that color makes people tired. Guests on late night TV hang out in the Green Room before coming on stage because that color is the most calming and relaxing. So what could certain candidates be trying to sell you via their color and clothing choices?

Read Also: What Cities Are Run By Republicans

The Psychology Of Tie Colors In The Race For President

Have you ever asked yourself the question why we only see red and blue ties on presidential candidates as of recently? Some might argue that candidates will choose those ties that best reflects their partys identify, meaning red ties for Republican Romney, and blue ties for Democrat President Obama, but this is only partially true.

Take Tuesdays Presidential debate for instance. Romney wore a bright blue and white striped tie while Obama opted for a burgundy-red piece, a change that I was very happy to see. Pre-debate I was actually hoping that Obama would be wearing a red tie a color that is synonymous with power, confidence, and excitement all things Obama lacked in the first debate.

Obama is Taking Charge, Wearing a Burgundy-Red Tie

I am now making the argument that Obamas red tie helped him step up his game during the last debate. Not only did the tie grabbed the audiences attention, but I strongly belief that it gave President Obama a boost of confidence after taking a look in the mirror.

The psychology & emotional effects of colors is definitely nothing new. In fact, psychologists have been researching the meaning of colors for decades, if not centuries, and evidence does indeed prove that certain colors do evoke certain emotional responses in people. This is nothing new to presidential candidates who pay attention to what colors to pick out for a public appearance.

Other Suggested Articles:

No Consensus On Colors Before 2000

According to Smithsonian magazine:

The explanation Archie Tse, a senior graphics editor for the Times, gave to Smithsonian for his choice of colors for each party was fairly straightforward:

I just decided red begins with r, Republican begins with r. It was a more natural association. There wasnt much discussion about it.

Also Check: What Republicans Voted Against The Wall

Red Vs Blue: Why Necktie Colors Matter

ByRobert Roy Britt01 March 2017

Few world leaders or CEOs want to be seen as aloof.

But does it matter whether one wears red or blue? Yes, suggest several studies, including one published in the journal Science on Feb. 6, 2009. More on that in a moment.

First, some color:

Republican Party Platform 2016: We Fact-Checked the Science

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How To Tie Dye

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The Best Presidential Suits Ever Worn

Barack Obama

The former President explained the logic behind this routine:

John F. Kennedy

Harry S. Truman

Ronald Reagan

Vladimir Putin

Blue Ties Symbolic As Bush Democratic Leaders Meet

Story Highlights

NEW:

I assured the senators that we will cooperate as closely as we can to solve common problems, Bush said after the meeting.

From our side, we think that is a symbolic indication, and were off to a good start, Durbin said.

Recommended Reading: Who Was The Leader Of The Radical Republicans

How The Colors Came To Be Red White And Blue

Of the 205 sovereign nations in the world, 21 share red, white and blue as their flags colors. But why do so many share the same trio of colors, and what do they represent?

On July 4, 1776, a resolution was passed by Congress authorizing the development of a seal for the new country which reflected the Founding Fathers values.

According to TIME Magazine, however, Mike Buss, a flag expert with the American Legion, points to the red, white and blue used in the Union Jack of England.

They come from the three colors that the Founding Fathers had served under or had been exposed to, said Buss.

source https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-color-ties-do-republicans-wear/

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softloading413 · 3 years

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Download Trump Driver

This book investigates the drivers, tactics, and strategy that propel the Trump administration’s foreign policy. The key objective of this book is to look beyond the ‘noise’ of the Trump presidency in order to elucidate and make sense of contemporary US foreign policy. It examines the long-standing convictions of the president and the brutal worldview that he applies to US foreign policy. Aug 23, 2020 Singer Jaheim recently took to the internet to show his support for Donald Trump, praising his actions since he entered the White House. Posting a video on Instagram, Jahiem noted that Trump has. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics. The 1992 footage was shot by NBC for Faith Daniels’ talk show, “A Closer Look,” for a profile of the then-newly divorced Trump. WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats on Monday begin their drive to force President Donald Trump from office, kicking off a week of legislative action that could end with a vote that would make. Washington — President Trump on Monday lashed out at NASCAR and driver Bubba Wallace, suggesting Wallace should apologize after a noose was discovered in his garage stall at a speedway in.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Stroll through the Daytona infield and fans can grab a seat next to President Donald Trump and get a sweet taste of impeachment.

Debi Ringhaver is mixing cocktails for curious NASCAR fans who stop in their tracks at the sight of her lifesize mannequin of Trump, chilling on a lawn chair, holding a book titled “The Truth Behind Trump” and wearing a red “Donald Trump 2020″ baseball cap.

Hundreds have stopped by her RV this week for a selfie or a chat or a sip of “The Impeachment,” a blend of peach vodka, champagne and peach nectar. The “Subpoena Colada” also is in the blender, but Ringhaver concedes “it’s just a pina colada with a better name.”

Ringhaver placed a book in Trump’s grip because so many of her friends sat on his lap when she kept him at her Florida home, they broke his hands.

“They get real enthusiastic,” she said, laughing. “They get kind of excited about having Donald at the ranch.”

NASCAR fans are ecstatic about the real deal crashing the Daytona 500 this weekend.

When Trump arrives Sunday at Daytona International Speedway to deliver the command for drivers to start their engines, the race’s grand marshal might as well be at one of his campaign rallies. High above banners flying for NASCAR stars like Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, Trump flags wave atop row after row of flashy RVs.

NASCAR, which has a complicated relationship with politics and social issues, doesn’t dare sell the kind of merchandise the president’s loyalists wear to the track. One guy standing in a food line wore a T-shirt with Trump’s image superimposed over a “Sons of Anarchy” homage, tattooed arms folded and smiling as part of the 2020 MAGA Chapter. Two others in a golf cart stopped in front of a makeshift bar in Trump/Pence shirts, getting shoutouts from fellow revelers.

Matt Mansfield, lounging in the infield in nothing but a pair of athletic shorts and camouflage Crocs, was pumped for the president.

“I don’t know if he’s a NASCAR fan,” Mansfield said of Trump. “I think it’s more for the voter base. Get some more votes. ‘Oh yeah, Trump’s here, woo hoo!’” Vs company driver download for windows 10 64-bit.

Fan after fan asked about Trump’s presence were thrilled he was attending the race. Kristi Bodnaruk, who has attended every Daytona 500 since 2005, was one of the few dissenters in the infield.

“I’m annoyed,” she said. “It’s Trump. Eh. It’s all show. They’re Republicans. They’re all from the Midwest. It makes sense. But, eh.”

Trump is the second sitting president to attend the Daytona 500, joining George W. Bush in 2004.

Trump’s dip into sports has been mixed. He has tangled with some of the biggest names in sports over social justice protests during the national anthem, racial issues and White House visits for champions. Sim pc driver download windows 7. He was booed at the World Series in Washington, but cheered at the Army-Navy game as well as the national championship game between Clemson and LSU.

Auto racing is a completely different ballgame: Trump has hosted previous NASCAR champions at the White House and last October awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to motorsports giant Roger Penske.

Former NASCAR Chairman Brian France in 2015 tried to ban the flying of Confederate flags at race tracks, a proposal too broad to enforce and one that angered stock car racing’s fan base in the Deep South. Later that summer, then-candidate Trump was critical of Mexican immigrants and Marcus Lemonis, the Lebanese CEO of the title sponsor of NASCAR’s Truck Series, lashed out at the remarks. NASCAR canceled its season-ending awards ceremony scheduled for Trump’s Doral property in South Florida.

Months later, France recruited several drivers to attend a Georgia rally for the candidate. France, Chase Elliott and Hall of Famers Mark Martin and Bill Elliott spoke from the stage in support of Trump as they flanked the candidate.

France later that week penned an email to the entire NASCAR organization saying his endorsement was personal and he was not speaking on behalf of NASCAR.

Two Cup Series champions, Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano, have been honored at the White House. Kyle Busch, the reigning series champion who visited the White House and President Barack Obama following his 2015 title, said he would go again if invited by Trump. Logano said it was “amazing” Trump was attending “The Great American Race.”

“The leader of our country is coming to the Daytona 500. How cool is that?” Logano said. “That kind of solidifies what our sport is. It’s a huge event. We’re a big sport, and to be able to have the president come here, that’s something we all should be proud of. Whether you support him or not, it doesn’t matter. It shows the unity in our sport and how big our sport really is.”

Had Trump toured the track this weekend, he might have spotted one driver in NASCAR’s second-tier series in a Trump/Pence 2020 paint scheme: Joe Nemechek’s Chevrolet was sponsored by The Patriots PAC of America.

The Daytona 500 is a sellout for the fifth consecutive year, the booze, the flyovers, the celebrities, the flutter of the flags all part of the pageantry for more than 100,000 fans at the kickoff of NASCAR’s season.

Daytona fans were more absorbed with hitting the next party than debating politics as the race approached. The tailgating feast at one stop was fit for a president who served fast food at the White House to college football champions: deep fried honey buns and deep fried Oreos were on the dessert menu -- or maybe it was dinner? -- and cheap domestic beers easily slipped into NASCAR koozies.

Trump’s supporters have hunkered down at Daytona, comforted by the fact that while their favorite drivers may be different, their love for the president is a deep tie that binds.

“We’re a different group of people,” said Georgia native Scott Gregory, attending his fifth straight Daytona 500. “When you walk around and talk to all these folks, we’re all pretty much of the same mind of what we think of the U.S., leadership, our president, and we’re all pretty much in line as far as that thinking. I don’t think it’s true of other sporting events.”

___

More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Researchers at the Cornell Alliance for Science have found that articles that mention President Donald Trump in the context of COVID-19 misinformation make up the “largest single component of the infodemic.”

“Infodemic” is a term used to refer to the rapid spread of inaccurate information related to the coronavirus.

The study analyzed 38 million articles published by English-language traditional media and online news services between Jan. 1 and May 26 to identify the most prominent topics of COVID-19 related misinformation.

The study, published Oct. 1, was in the peer-review process when the authors decided that the information needed to be made public immediately.

The 11 sub-topics of misinformation targeted by the study comprise of widely-publicized unsubstantiated claims, such as unproven cures to COVID-19 and conspiracy theories — claims which the report stated have been “amplified” by widespread coverage of “prominent persons whose views and comments are considered newsworthy.”

The study found that approximately 1.1 million of the news articles analyzed had some relationship with misinformation related to the pandemic. About 16 percent of those articles were fact-checking misinformation itself.

Conspiracy theories, such as the one that emerged at the beginning of the pandemic purporting that the COVID-19 outbreak could be traced to consumption of bat soup in Wuhan, China, made up almost half of the misinformation found.

However, while most conspiracy theories and other false claims tended to rise in popularity and fall rapidly — the topic of “miracle cures” comprised the bulk of the misinformation coverage.

Miracle cures included claims that UV light, disinfectant and hydroxychloroquine could potentially cure COVID-19.

“One of the surprising findings of the study was that the president’s name was associated with much of that miracle cure misinformation.” said Sarah Evanega, the director of the Cornell Alliance for Science and the lead author of the study.

The study found that the coverage of miracle cures had three separate prominent peaks from March to May of this year.

The first occurred in March, when Trump began to advocate for the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine as COVID-19 treatments, even though there was no peer-reviewed clinical data proving that the drug would be effective.

However, the largest spike in misinformation coverage was on April 24 — at nearly 18,000 articles — when Trump suggested that injecting bleach or other disinfectants into oneself could potentially cure COVID-19 infections.

According to the researchers, this spike dwarfs the reaction caused by all other incidents of misinformation throughout the analyzed time period.

Further, the data collected suggests that the sub-topic of “miracle cures” accounts for more misinformation coverage than the other 10 combined, making it the second-largest contributor to the misinformation conversation after Trump himself.

Trump mentions comprised 37.9 percent of the overall infodemic, while “miracle cures” comprised 26.4 percent.

Going forward, Evanega believes that as a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, journalists and consumers need to be very careful about preventing a second infodemic, especially in light of the active anti-vaccine movement.

Download Trump Driver App

“Journalists have to do their part to focus on reputable science sources for information and to amplify the recommendations, the data and the science from bonafide experts, and to not give too much airtime to the information that’s coming from non-experts,” said Evanega, adding that consumers had to be mindful of the information they spread on social media, as well.

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talabib · 3 years

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How To Improve Your Time Management Skills

Modern life is full of time thieves. Whether it’s your phone buzzing in your pocket with the latest tweet, a colleague interrupting you in the middle of an important task or the daily barrage of emails, your time is constantly being stolen from you, minute by minute, hour by hour. And once you’ve lost that time, you can never get it back again.

To remain focused and make sure these time thieves don’t get the upper hand, you need to keep a few tricks up your sleeve.

Here are a few ways to improve your time management skills

Do you ever wish you could have an extra hour in the day to read, exercise or hang out with the people you love? Well, you can and there’s no magic required! But first, you need to understand how precious time is.

That’s why the first secret of time management is learning that time is your most valuable asset and that, once it’s lost, you can never get it back. A good way to monitor this precious resource is by breaking it down. For instance, there are 1,440 minutes in a day, each of which should be invested wisely.

To remind yourself of this fact, you can tape a” 1,440” poster to your office door. It would remind you of the limited time in each day. But why use minutes? Why not think about the 86,400 seconds that every day offers?

Well, there are a bunch of daily tasks that you can actually do in a minute, like knocking out 30 sit-ups, reading a poem or watering a plant. This fact makes minutes key to monitoring your time.

Okay, now that you appreciate how valuable time is, it’s time to start prioritizing it. This is where the second secret comes in: determine and prioritize your most important task, or your MIT. This is the single task that will have the biggest impact on your life or work.

Just take Therese Macan, a professor at the University of Missouri-St Louis. She found that one of the most important productivity determinants is the ability to identify priorities. So pinpointing an MIT is central to time management.

For instance, if a senior executive sets a goal of developing a new app, her MIT might be to hire a new programmer. Or the MIT for a start-up CEO could be to prepare a great presentation to land a major investment. Research has shown that having a daily MIT, whatever it is, results in greater levels of happiness and improved focus.

Never-ending to-do lists weigh down lots of people. Take a look at yours. How many of the tasks have been lingering there for weeks, unnecessarily stressing you out?

You probably have at least a few such tasks, and the best way to deal with them is by pulling out a good old fashioned calendar. Here’s where the third secret comes into play: ditch your to-do list and pick up your calendar to de-stress your day.

Research has found that an average of 41 percent of items on to-do lists never actually get completed. One of the reasons for this shocking statistic is that a note stating how long it’ll take to complete them usually doesn’t accompany the tasks on such lists. As a result, tasks that are more difficult or less important generally get left undone.

That might not be such a problem, except for the fact that the unfinished items on your to-do list will inevitably produce a lot of stress that could just as easily be avoided. In fact, researchers from Florida State University discovered that you can avoid this stress by simply coming up with a plan to complete a task.

The Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller offers a good example. She succeeded at spending time with her family, completing her school obligations, training for the Olympics and even doing media interviews, all by scheduling time for important tasks.

This strategy is known as time blocking or time boxing and, incredibly, all it requires is maintaining a detailed calendar. By doing so, Miller forced herself to prioritize tasks that would bring her closer to achieving her goal and, to this day, she keeps an almost minute-by-minute schedule.

However, you’ll inevitably encounter tasks on your calendar that you can’t accomplish. When this happens, instead of letting them drift into the past, simply reschedule. For example, if you usually make it to the gym at noon, but have a flight to catch at the same time, simply move your workout to earlier in the day.

Everyone’s been there: an important deadline is creeping up and, instead of working on the project at hand, you’re planted in front of a screen – scrolling through Facebook, texting a friend or watching your favorite TV show. Procrastination is a tough one, but, luckily, there are strategies to break free from it and start getting things done.

This is where the fourth secret comes in: procrastination can be overcome by imagining your future self. After all, you don’t procrastinate because you're lazy, but because you don’t have sufficient motivation. Imagining yourself in the future can fix this problem and it’s as simple as asking yourself two questions: “What pleasure will I get by doing this thing?” and “What pain will I feel if I don’t do it?”

For instance, if your goal is to work out every single day, but you can’t get yourself to exercise, just imagine having a huge beer belly and feeling totally sluggish. Such a mental routine will get you off the couch and onto the treadmill.

At the same time, being honest about the actions your future self will take can also help you achieve your goals. For example, if you know you’ll be inclined to eat unhealthy snacks during a future break, you can protect yourself by throwing out all the junk food in your house. You could even go a step further by filling the house with healthy options like baby carrots and hummus.

From there, you can move on to the fifth secret: there will always be more to do; you can’t do everything. And, actually, that’s fine!

In fact, prioritizing and scheduling the tasks you want to do is much more valuable than crossing off as many items as possible. Just take President George W. Bush as an example. He knew there would always be more to do. So instead of trying to do everything, he made it his priority to read tons of books, since he found it therapeutic and educational. As a result, he read some 95 titles during his presidency!

Have you ever had an incredible idea while shopping for groceries or walking the dog? Wouldn’t it be great if, instead of straining to remember it later, you could just jot it down right then and there?

That’s why the sixth secret is to always have a notebook handy. After all, writing down your thoughts helps you hold onto them. Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson says he never would have built his business empire without his trusty notebook.

He was so committed to writing down his ideas that, one time when he had a business idea and no notebook, he wrote down the thought in his passport! For him, if an idea doesn’t get written down, it could be lost forever.

Taking notes by hand also helps your memory. For instance, the psychologists Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer found that students who hand wrote their notes during a TED talk were better able to recall the material than students who took notes on their laptops.

Writing down your thoughts is crucial – as is maintaining control over your schedule, which is where the seventh secret comes into play. It says that you should avoid checking your email too often, lest other people dictate how you spend your time.

In fact, contrary to popular belief, constantly checking emails is unproductive. That’s because the anticipation felt when checking your inbox is comparable to pulling the handle of a slot machine. Often, you check your messages, and there’s nothing new. But sometimes there is a new message. This unpredictability is addictive, and one begins to check more and more often, hoping for the hit of dopamine that a message affords. Obviously, this costs you time and interrupts your focus.

A good way to untether yourself from your email is by unsubscribing from newsletters by using a program like unroll.me. But you can also adopt the 321-Zero system. To do so, just limit yourself to three email checks per day, while trying to get your inbox to zero in just 21 minutes.

If you’ve ever had an office job, you know how incredibly boring meetings can be. But that’s not the only problem with meetings. The eighth secret is that most meetings are inefficient and you should only schedule them as a last resort.

In fact, a 2015 survey found that 35 percent of respondents considered weekly status meetings to be a waste of time, for these two primary reasons:

First, in accordance with Parkinson’s law of triviality, meeting participants tend to waste lots of time on insignificant issues. Second, extroverts usually dominate meetings, making others less likely to participate. As a result, valuable information might not be shared during such gatherings.

That being said, if you absolutely have to have a meeting, opt for a stand-up affair rather than a sit-down one. This might seem odd, but researchers at Washington University found that meetings during which participants stand result in better collaboration, less attachment to ideas, higher levels of engagement and more effective problem-solving.

The Yahoo CEO, Marissa Mayer, offers another good tip: by scheduling meetings based on increments of five or ten minutes, she’s able to have up to 70 meetings a week. If she stuck with the standard 30-minute block she would never be able to accomplish this.

In other words, controlling the timing of meetings will prevent people from sucking up your time. This is key since other people will constantly ask you for things, a fact that dovetails nicely with the ninth secret: achieve your immediate goals faster by saying no to most things.

After all, every time you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else. The Olympic rower Sara Hendershot is a good example. She’s a pro at saying no to social and other engagements. This hard-learned skill enabled her to keep her eyes on the prize in the lead up to the 2012 Olympics in Rio, where she qualified for the finals.

As a cherry on top, research has even found that people who tend to say no in response to requests for their time are happier and have more energy.

By now you know that it’s essential to spend your limited time on tasks that will have the greatest impact. The tenth secret can help you do that. It says that by applying the Pareto Principle you can uncover shortcuts to success. Here’s what that means:

In the 1890s, the Italian philosopher and economist Vilfredo Federico Damaso Pareto found that 20 percent of the pea plants in his garden produced 80 percent of his healthy peapods. He extrapolated this 80/20 rule into the general principle that now bears his name. It can be applied to a number of areas.

For instance, by applying the 80/20 rule to your employees, you might decide that the majority of your salespeople should be let go since they’re your lowest performers. From there, you could focus your energy on the remaining 20 percent, who already generate 80 percent of your sales, by giving them rewards and greater levels of support. The end result will likely be an overall improvement in sales.

Or you could use the 80/20 rule in your personal life by analyzing the tasks you do on a weekly basis, then identifying which of them has the greatest impact.

That being said, you can also accomplish more by critically assessing the tasks in front of you. The eleventh secret is designed to help you do that. It says that leveraging your skills and delegating work will increase your productivity. Just take a 2013 experiment published in the Harvard Business Review by the professors Julian Birkinshaw and Jordan Cohen. It found that 43 percent of workers were unsatisfied with the tasks they do at work.

By simply training employees to slow down and ask themselves a few questions, the study’s authors were able to identify important tasks, freeing up an extra eight hours per week. The first question they had people ask themselves was, “How important is this task to the company?” Then, “Is there anyone else who can complete it?” And finally, “How could this task be accomplished if I had half as much time?”

On a normal day in the office, do you ever have difficulty focusing? Most people do and a little bit of advice here can go a long way. This is the twelfth secret, which says that grouping your work into recurring themes each week will make you more effective.

A great example comes from Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter and founder of Square. He says that the secret to running both his companies was to have a theme for each day. For instance, on Mondays, he would focus on management; Wednesdays would be dedicated to marketing; and Sunday would be reserved for reflection, feedback and strategy for the next week.

Or take the entrepreneurial coach Dan Sullivan. He recommends theming each week based on three types of days to stay focused and remain invigorated. The first type is called a focus day, which is for vital activities like revenue-growing tasks. The second type is called a buffer day, which is for catching up on emails, returning calls, having meetings, delegating tasks and doing paperwork. And finally, a free day is one on which no work should be done. This last type is reserved for vacation, family time and charity work.

Another simple way to boost your efficiency has to do with tackling small tasks. This is the thirteenth secret, which says that you should immediately take action on tasks that’ll take fewer than five minutes to accomplish and avoid returning to the same task over and over.

Just consider the straight-A student Nihar Suthar. He completes five-minute assignments right away, avoiding a long list of tiny tasks.

Or take Jeff. His sister Debbie recently emailed him, but instead of writing her back, he called her to make sure they could talk. By scheduling a call in his calendar and thereby saving the mental energy he would otherwise spend trying to remember to get back to her, he decided to handle this task immediately. If he had instead put it on a to-do list or left it in his inbox, he probably would have never remembered to address it.

Imagine waking up at six in the morning, working out for 45 minutes and then whipping together a delicious, high-protein breakfast. It might sound difficult but the fourteenth secret shows why it’s essential. It says that dedicating the first hour of each day to a morning routine will enhance your health – mind, body and soul. In fact, starting the day with a workout is a great way to get your creative juices flowing.

Just consider the New York Times best-selling author Dan Miller, who starts off each day by meditating for half an hour, then working out for 45 minutes while listening to audio programs. He avoids checking the news or looking at his phone during this time, devoting his first hour to positive and inspirational experiences. He even claims that his most creative ideas come to him during this daily “me time.”

From there, you can further increase your energy and well-being by eating a healthy breakfast and drinking lots of water. This is huge for the best-selling author and podcast host Shawn Stevenson. He considers energy to be everything, and so he starts off each day with what he calls an inner bath. He simply drinks 30 ounces of purified water to jumpstart his metabolism by flushing out waste.

In fact, according to the fifteenth secret, energy is paramount. The secret is that productivity isn’t about time, but about maintaining focus and energy.

That’s why Francesco Cirillo came up with the Pomodoro Technique – a method designed to reduce distractions and boost productivity. His approach involves setting a timer for 25 minutes, devoting your full attention to a single task for the full 25 minutes and then taking a five-minute break before repeating the cycle.

Author Monica Leonelle found ample success with the Pomodoro Technique after realizing that she didn’t have a single spare hour in the day. By using the Pomodoro Technique, she recharged during her breaks, maintaining steady energy throughout the day and, with the help of other techniques, went from writing 600 words per hour to 3,500!

Highly successful people consider time to be their most valuable asset. By applying their most effective life hacks – which do everything from prioritizing tasks to boosting your energy and keeping you focused – you too can make the most of your time.

#How To Improve Your Time Management Skills

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1962dude420-blog · 3 years

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Today we remember the passing of George Jones who Died: April 26, 2013 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee

George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", as well as his distinctive voice and phrasing. For the last two decades of his life, Jones was frequently referred to as the greatest living country singer. Country music scholar Bill Malone writes, "For the two or three minutes consumed by a song, Jones immerses himself so completely in its lyrics, and in the mood it conveys, that the listener can scarcely avoid becoming similarly involved." Waylon Jennings expressed a similar opinion in his song "It's Alright": "If we all could sound like we wanted to, we'd all sound like George Jones." The shape of his nose and facial features earned Jones the nickname "The Possum".

Born in Texas, Jones first heard country music when he was seven, and was given a guitar at the age of nine. He married his first wife, Dorothy Bonvillion, in 1950, and was divorced in 1951. He served in the United States Marine Corps and was discharged in 1953. He married Shirley Ann Corley in 1954. In 1959, Jones recorded "White Lightning", written by J. P. Richardson, which launched his career as a singer. His second marriage ended in divorce in 1968; he married fellow country music singer Tammy Wynette a year later. Years of alcoholism compromised his health and led to his missing many performances, earning him the nickname "No Show Jones". After his divorce from Wynette in 1975, Jones married his fourth wife, Nancy Sepulvado, in 1983 and became sober for good in 1999.

George Jones has been called "The Rolls Royce Of Country Music" and had more than 160 chart singles to his name from 1955 until his death in 2013. Johnny Cash once said, "When people ask me who my favorite country singer is, I say, 'You mean besides George Jones?'"

In 1990, Jones released his last proper studio album on Epic, You Oughta Be Here With Me. Although the album featured several stirring performances, including the lead single "Hell Stays Open All Night Long" and the Roger Miller-penned title song, the single did poorly and Jones made the switch to MCA, ending his relationship with Sherrill and what was now Sony Music after 19 years. His first album with MCA, And Along Came Jones, was released in 1991, and backed by MCA's powerful promotion team and producer Kyle Lehning (who had produced a string of hit albums for Randy Travis), the album sold better than his previous one had. However, two singles, "You Couldn't Get The Picture" and "She Loved A Lot In Her Time" (a tribute to Jones' mother Clara), did not crack the top 30 on the charts, as Jones lost favor with country radio, as the format was altered radically during the early 1990s. His last album to have significant radio airplay was 1992's Walls Can Fall, which featured the novelty song "Finally Friday" and "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair", a testament to his continued vivaciousness in old age. Despite the lack of radio airplay, Jones continued to record and tour throughout the 1990s and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame by Randy Travis in 1992.

In 1996, Jones released his autobiography I Lived To Tell It All with Tom Carter, and the irony of his long career was not lost on him, with the singer writing in its preface, "I also know that a lot of my show-business peers are going to be angry after reading this book. So many have worked so hard to maintain their careers. I never took my career seriously, and yet it's flourishing." He also pulled no punches about his disappointment in the direction country music had taken, devoting a full chapter to the changes in the country music scene of the 1990s that had him removed from radio playlists in favor of a younger generation of pop-influenced country stars. (Jones had long been a critic of country pop, and along with Wynette and Jean Shepard, he was one of the major backers of the Association of Country Entertainers, a guild promoting traditional country sounds that was founded in 1974; Jones's divorce from Wynette was a factor in the association's collapse.) Despite his absence from the country charts during this time, latter-day country superstars such as Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, and many others often paid tribute to Jones, while expressing their love and respect for his legacy as a true country legend who paved the way for their own success. On February 17, 1998, The Nashville Network premiered a group of television specials called The George Jones Show, with Jones as host. The program featured informal chats with Jones holding court with country's biggest stars old and new, and of course, music. Guests included Loretta Lynn, Trace Adkins, Johnny Paycheck, Lorrie Morgan, Merle Haggard, Billy Ray Cyrus, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Charley Pride, Bobby Bare, Patty Loveless, and Waylon Jennings, among others.

While Jones remained committed to "pure country", he worked with the top producers and musicians of the day and the quality of his work remained high. Some of his significant performances include "I Must Have Done Something Bad", "Wild Irish Rose", "Billy B. Bad" (a sarcastic jab at country music establishment trendsetters), "A Thousand Times A Day", "When The Last Curtain Falls", and the novelty "High-Tech Redneck". Jones' most popular song in his later years was "Choices", the first single from his 1999 studio album Cold Hard Truth. A video was also made for the song, and Jones won another Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The song was at the center of controversy when the Country Music Association invited Jones to perform it on the awards show, but required that he perform an abridged version. Jones refused and did not attend the show. Alan Jackson was disappointed with the association's decision, and halfway through his own performance during the show, he signaled to his band and played part of Jones' song in protest.

On March 6, 1999, Jones was involved in an accident when he crashed his sport utility vehicle near his home. He was taken to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he was released two weeks later. In May of that year, Jones pleaded guilty to drunk-driving charges related to the accident. The crash was a significant turning point, as he explained to Billboard in 2006: "when I had that wreck, I made up my mind, it put the fear of God in me. No more smoking, no more drinking. I didn't have to have no help, I made up my mind to quit. I don't crave it." After the accident, Jones went on to release The Gospel Collection in 2003, for which Billy Sherrill came out of retirement to produce. He appeared at a televised Johnny Cash Memorial Concert in Jonesboro, Arkansas, in 2003, singing "Big River" with Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson.

In 2008, Jones received the Kennedy Center Honor along with Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who, Barbra Streisand, Morgan Freeman, and Twyla Tharp. President George W. Bush disclosed that he had many of Jones' songs on his iPod. Jones also served as judge in 2008 for the 8th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers. and Rolling Stone named him number 43 in their 100 Greatest Singers of All Time issue. An album titled Hits I Missed and One I Didn't, in which he covered hits he had passed on, as well as a remake of his own "He Stopped Loving Her Today", would be released as his final studio album. In 2012, Jones received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement award.

On March 29, 2012, Jones was taken to the hospital with an upper respiratory infection. Months later, on May 21, Jones was hospitalized again for his infection and was released five days later. On August 14, 2012, Jones announced his farewell tour, the Grand Tour, with scheduled stops at 60 cities. His final concert was held in Knoxville at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum on April 6, 2013.

Jones was scheduled to perform his final concert at the Bridgestone Arena on November 22, 2013. However, on April 18, 2013, Jones was taken to VUMC for a slight fever and irregular blood pressure. His concerts in Alabama and Salem were postponed as a result. Following six days in intensive care at VUMC, Jones died on April 26, 2013, at age 81. Former First Lady Laura Bush was among those eulogizing Jones at his funeral on May 2, 2013. Other speakers were Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, news personality Bob Schieffer, and country singers Barbara Mandrell and Kenny Chesney. Alan Jackson, Kid Rock, Ronnie Milsap, Randy Travis, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Travis Tritt, the Oak Ridge Boys, Charlie Daniels, Wynonna, and Brad Paisley provided musical tributes. The service was broadcast live on CMT, GAC, RFD-TV, The Nashville Network and FamilyNet as well as Nashville stations. SiriusXM and WSM 650AM, home of the Grand Ole Opry, broadcast the event on the radio. The family requested that contributions be made to the Grand Ole Opry Trust Fund or to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Jones was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Nashville. His death made headlines all over the world; many country stations (as well as a few of other formats, such as oldies/classic hits) abandoned or modified their playlists and played his songs throughout the day. The week after Jones's death, "He Stopped Loving Her Today" re-entered the hot country songs at number 21.

#april 26 #2013 #r.i.p.#george jones #possom #he stopped loving her today

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theliberaltony · 6 years

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Welcome to Pollapalooza, our weekly polling roundup.

Poll of the week

We at FiveThirtyEight hope you had a very patriotic Fourth of July — whatever that means to you. A YouGov poll, released this week, checked in on Americans’ feelings on patriotism and revealed some stark differences along — what else? — partisan lines.

Overall, the survey found that 76 percent of Americans consider themselves “very” or “somewhat” patriotic. But between Republicans and Democrats, there were pretty big differences: A whopping 97 percent of Republicans placed themselves in the “very” or “somewhat” categories, compared with 71 percent of Democrats. That’s a gap of 26 percentage points. Even more starkly, 72 percent of Republicans consider themselves to be “very” patriotic (the highest level of patriotism), compared with 29 percent of Democrats — a 43-point gap.

The poll also suggests that Democrats may define patriotism differently than their conservative counterparts. Specifically, YouGov found that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to believe that patriotism can include dissent:

52 percent of Democrats told YouGov that someone can criticize U.S. leaders to foreigners and still be considered patriotic, compared with 35 percent of Republicans.

51 percent of Democrats say disobeying a law they think is immoral doesn’t detract from their patriotism, compared with 33 percent of Republicans.

34 percent of Democrats think a person can still be a patriot even if he or she burns the American flag in protest, compared with 10 percent of Republicans.

And 55 percent of Democrats think an American can refuse to serve in a war he or she opposes and still maintain his or her patriotism, compared with 25 percent of Republicans.1

The “patriotism gap” is nothing new. Gallup has asked its respondents how proud they are to be Americans periodically since 2001. According to those polls, one year after the Sept. 11 attacks, 93 percent of Democrats and 99 percent of Republicans said they were either “extremely” or “very” proud to be Americans. The GOP number stayed comfortably in the 90s for the duration of George W. Bush’s presidency, but by January 2007, amid an unpopular war in Iraq that sparked no small amount of liberal dissent, the share of Democrats who were “extremely” or “very” proud to be Americans had shrunk to 74 percent — 21 points lower than the Republican share (and, to that point, the widest gap since Gallup started asking the question). The Democratic share increased during Barack Obama’s presidency (reaching a high of 85 percent in 2013) but was still consistently lower than the GOP’s: The share of Republicans who said they were “extremely” or “very” proudly American never dipped below 89 percent despite the extremely low opinion GOP voters had of Obama.

After the election of Donald Trump, the share of “extremely” or “very” proudly American Republicans ticked upward,2 but the share of Democrats saying the same thing plunged to 67 percent in 2017 and 60 percent just last month (the chart above has not been updated with the 2018 data). The current 33-point gap now holds the record for the widest gap between the two parties since 2001. (YouGov’s data also seems to suggest that Trump is contributing to the patriotism gap: The difference between the shares of Democrats and Republicans who said they were “very” patriotic rose from 29 points in 2013 to the current 43-point difference.)

So do Democrats’ feelings of patriotism rise and fall depending simply on who is in the White House? Data that Pew Research Center collected from 1987 to 2003 suggests that might not be the case. Throughout that time period, more Republicans than Democrats told pollsters that they “completely” agreed with the statement, “I am very patriotic.” In 1987, 51 percent of Republicans completely agreed, compared with 40 percent of Democrats. The two ticked up in tandem to Gulf War-era highs in 1991, but then, during the Bill Clinton administration, the gap widened: Democrats fell back into the 40s, while Republican agreement with that statement remained around 60 percent.

So what accounts for the persistent difference? It could just be that Republicans are more comfortable with the most obvious manifestations of patriotism these days. Public displays of patriotism often assume a pro-military dimension (sometimes purposefully and tactically so), which may be more likely to appeal to Republicans (other polls show they are generally more hawkish than Democrats). Singing “God Bless America” and military flyovers at sporting events also first came into fashion in the years immediately following 9/11, when rallying around the flag coincided with rallying around a Republican president. By contrast, funding AmeriCorps or paying taxes probably aren’t the first things many people think of when they think of patriotism, but lots of Democrats would argue they should be. Even apple pie and baseball aren’t the unifiers they once were: Pumpkin pie beat out apple as Americans’ Thanksgiving dessert of choice in 2015, and football blasphemously beats out baseball as Americans’ favorite sport to watch, 37 percent to 9 percent. In sum, we’re a big country, and there are just as many ways to enjoy America as there are Americans.

Other polling nuggets

A Quinnipiac University poll found that 63 percent of registered voters (84 percent of Democrats and 36 percent of Republicans) agree with the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which established a woman’s right to an abortion, while 31 percent disagree.

Quinnipiac also found that 91 percent of registered voters, including large majorities of Democrats and Republicans, think “the lack of civility in politics” is a serious problem. When asked who they blame more, “President Trump or the Democrats,” 85 percent of Democrats said Trump, and 76 percent of Republicans said the Democrats.

According to a SurveyMonkey poll, 62 percent of Americans believe the Senate should vote on President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court before the November elections. Sixty percent say the process of confirming nominees has become too partisan.

A YouGov poll found that 46 percent of Democrats support abolishing the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and replacing it with a different organization — a position that has been advocated by some Democratic lawmakers. Twenty-seven percent of Democrats said they opposed the move, and an additional 27 percent said they weren’t sure.

According to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 76 percent of Americans said they’re in favor of requiring TV ads for prescription drugs to include a statement about how much they cost, a proposal that is part of the Trump administration’s plan for reducing drug prices.

43 percent of women say they do more than their fair share of house work in their households, according to a YouGov poll. That’s compared with 26 percent of men.

A Pew Research Center poll found that 24 percent of Americans say legal immigration should be decreased. That’s a significant decline since 2001, when 53 percent said so.

A Florida International University poll of 1,000 Puerto Ricans in Florida found that the majority have either a “good” or “very good” opinion of Republican Gov. Rick Scott despite very high levels of disapproval of the president, whom Scott was an early supporter of. People who moved to Florida between 2017 and 2018 were more likely to have a “very good” opinion of Scott than those who arrived earlier. Scott has repeatedly visited Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria hit the island in September 2017 and campaigned to welcome evacuees from the island.

A Gallup poll found that only 3 percent of India’s population was “thriving”[f00tnote]Gallup groups people into three categories: “thriving,” “struggling” and “suffering” based on their responses to two questions. The first asks people to rate their present life situation on a scale of 1 to 10, and the second asks them to use the same scale to assess their views on the next five years. Those who are categorized as “thriving” rate their present life situation as greater than or equal to 7 and their future as greater than or equal to 8. In 2017, Gallup found that 56 percent of Americans were “thriving.”[/footnote] in 2017. That’s an 11-point decrease from 2014, when 14 percent of the population was “thriving,” despite a 24 percent increase in GDP during that time.

Are you obsessed with polls? Check out FiveThirtyEight’s new polls dashboard, where we’re displaying all in one place the polls we’re collecting for the 2018 U.S. Senate, U.S. House and gubernatorial elections!

Trump approval

Trump’s approval rating is currently 41.9 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight’s tracker. His disapproval rating is 10.8 percentage points higher, at 52.7 percent. Trump’s job-approval numbers have generally held steady over the past month. One month ago today, his approval rating was 41.3 percent, and his disapproval rating was 52.6 percent (a net approval rating of -11.3 points). One week ago, his approval rating was 41.8 percent, and his disapproval rating was 52.3 percent (a net approval rating of -10.5 points).

Generic ballot

This week, Democrats are ahead in polls of the generic congressional ballot by an average of 47.3 percent to 39.6 percent — a 7.7-percentage-point lead, according to FiveThirtyEight’s model. One week ago, Democrats led 47.0 percent to 39.8 percent (a 7.2-point edge). One month ago, it was Democrats 46.3 percent and Republicans 39.9 percent (a 6.4-point edge).

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #Nathaniel Rakich and Dhrumil Mehta

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