#i used to be an editor and so I know this isnt an instance of cutting around bad takes and splicing together a workable scene

[garashir]

just another of the multitudes of voices but yeah the way the confession scene is edited there is 100% percent stuff missing everytime cas or dean start to move closer to each other it cuts to something else and then when it goes back to them they’re back at their original distance and the throw is so wrong etc etc I could go on they’re hiding something I wanna see the tapes!!

#i used to be an editor and so I know this isnt an instance of cutting around bad takes and splicing together a workable scene #there are beats moments being cut OUT #and theres a good chance all of deans stoic reactions could have been from any other point in the conversation #that would explain why he’s suddenly crying when he turns and sees the empty #because maybe we didnt even get the actual reaction jensen was giving to whatever moment of cas’ confession it was intercut with #not to be tinhatting but it is POSSIBLE #re: the reactions that is #I KNOW there was more there that they cut I bet my life on it #jensen release the tapes #supernatural #deancas #destiel #spn 15x18 #spn #my posts

[ghostmaggie]

hey so in your MKAT post (which you’re 100% correct about) you also mention you’ve had some issues with RT in the past. i’m fairly new in the fandom and also watch his other show iZombie, but i wanted to ask what issues they were?? i like to be informed about the media i consume lmao

Oof okay so I'm on mobile and therefore this will probably be more rant-y and opinion-based than you might be looking for, so I invite anyone with opinions or sources or thoughts or contradictions to reply or shoot me asks and I'll share them (plus I'm curious of other thoughts) but,,

Idk if this was clear in my original post, but my issues are mainly contained within the actual show as opposed to things about him irl, because idk that much outside of secondhand info, so take it with a grain of salt I guess, lol

Also, I feel like I need to say that this is really negative about vmars--which, to be clear, is a show I love dearly--and I know sometimes I like to avoid negative commentary on things I enjoy because it gets stuck in my head and ruins my enjoyment. So if that's you, feel free to skip this! I wont be offended and you shouldn't feel bad about it! It's also just one person's opinion, and I'm most definitely not always right :)

So mostly setting aside the brand new season because I have no clue how to talk around spoilers effectively, in short (with spoilers up through the movie and maybe some spoilers for the books and new season, I cant really tell at this point):

(Editor's note post finishing writing: it's not even all my thoughts, but it's not short. Sorry.)

RT shares in the grand tradition of showrunners I do not care for along with Steven Moffat and Jason Rothenberg, for many parallel reasons. Moffat thinks hes cleverer than he really is, jroth is a douche about romance and character motivation, and both are smug jerks who drove me away from shows I used to love, so.

So number one I guess would just be the sense that he really fucking does not care about the fans. It's especially egregious, as I've seen others point out, when he literally would never have gotten his show back (after driving it to the ground) without the LITERAL MONEY donated by devoted fans. I'm not saying you have to do things just because fans want them, but to go out of your way to do things you know fans will hate just to be contrary is,, yeah.

He thinks he's so very smart, and yet his plots are riddled with holes and inconsistencies (hello, Moffat). It speaks, to me, of a lack of respect for everyone involved--fans, writers, actors, crew, critics, just everyone. Write down a timeline. Something. Try.

One of my bigger issues, though, is that the misogyny in vmars is just...beyond appalling. Not just narratively--i understand representing the flaws in society, I guess, but veronica is honestly one of the most misogynistic parts of the show, and she is never ever ever held accountable for it. Ever. The show never sends the message that she's wrong for the atrocious way she treats, to name a few, Madison, Kendall, Gia, and even Carrie during the s1 plot with Adam Scott. The carrie thing is especially fucked up bc iirc the narrative only condemns her for guessing the victim wrong. (As another note, her treatment of other marginalized groups or basically anyone she ever treats badly--logan, Keith, Wallace, weevil, the list goes on--is rarely or never narratively critiqued. Veronica mars can do no wrong, apparently, even when she's obviously wrong.)

She's far from the only example of misyogny, of course--duncan's s2 dream about madonna/whore meg/veronica comes to mind in screaming color, yet donut is somehow treated like a prince forever and ever and v's lost true love even though he's basically the scum of the earth (pardon, my true feelings are coming out a little here).

Somewhat connected is, of course, the show's treatment of rape in general (hi, season 3), but especially Duncan's rape of veronica. I'm still not over the way they walked it back to "not a rape" and took back holding him accountable. I live for all the fanfiction that addresses it, because at least there people remember that, whether he "thought she could consent" or not, he literally thought she was his sister and didnt know. That's uninformed consent at best, babe!

And if that wasn't bad enough, to "resolve" that plotline and then come back at the end of season 2 to be all, "jk! You WERE raped, by SOMEONE ELSE [too]! Enjoy that reenabled trauma, and some chlamidya to boot!"

Speaking of retconned instances of sex, how about that piz/veronica tape that suddenly became full on sex in the movie? Fun times.

My favorite bout of misogynistic writing, you ask? That would have to be "narratively-enforced nicest girl in school who stands by her friends and is sweet and loyal becomes a raging hell bitch yet also the representation of misogynistic virginal innocence because she was knocked up and abandoned by Mr. Narratively-Claimed-to-be-Perfect-but-Actually-the-Worst and completely undergoes a 180 personality change then dies for plot reasons" because holy fucking shit.

Okay sorry I got way more into that than I meant to. I'll try to wrap up.

RT does a very jroth job of treating fans like shit for giving a shit about a romantic relationship he created. He acts like fans are a bunch of stupid girls for caring about romance, but then pushed it at every level of promo to reel us back in. Make up your mind, asshole. It's desperately unfair to bait fans with romantic promo (even in the form of an inane and ooc love triangle) and then snap back with "oooh it's noir, shut up about the romance!"

If that's how you feel, stop making every other plot point and promo about the fucking romance.

RT seems to want to be making a show that he isnt. He wants to be grimdark and angsty and awful, I guess, and while there have been elements of effective darkness throughout vmars, they have been tempered by the show as a whole. That made it (mostly palatable) for people like me. To flip the script now does a disservice to long term fans and does nothing to attract new viewers. If you want to make a different show, make a different show. Don't drive beloved characters into the ground because you're bitter about how your work is perceived post-death of the author.

To wrap up--he hates character growth. He must really hate it. This is dipping a little into the new season, but he just. Won't let anyone develop. Well. Maybe some people. A very few. But not veronica. Never veronica. Because heaven forbid your main character, the person we've followed for 15 years, be anything other than she was at 16. Her personality, her approach to the world, none of it has changed. Which begs the question: what has been the fucking point?

Sorry this is so long. I'm not sure I even answered your question, so feel free to ask me to try again 😂

#post #vmars #vmars spoilers #maybe #thanks for asking

[amberfall]

I have 2 questions about edits 1. If someone makes a Jonah beck Edit but they take a pic of asher and cut it out, paste it on a background, would it be appropriate to call it a Jonah edit or is it just an Asher edit 2. How do you feel about adults making edits of the actors?

1. If they take a picture of Asher for an icon, I'd say its Asher, not jonah, but that doesnt mean someone cant use an Asher icon with the intent that it would represent jonah. I think that using actor pictures is flexible.

2. I think it really depends. I'm actually 21, so, technically adult. I dont really think much when I make icons. I see no difference making icons for bex than I do for making pictures of cyrus or andi. As long as the adult editor isnt romanticizing a character, or obsessed I dont think its creepy. I do icons casually. For instance, if I see a character hugging, I might make an icon for the sake of someone else using it. I'm not a pure tyrus blog, but I know some blogs would like tyrus content. I make more icons by requests of others rather than on my own idea anyway.

To sum it up, character icons can be what you want them to be, actor or not, and I dont think it's much of an issue to make icons as an adult as long are you are not obsessed or attracted to the character. Again, I do it casually as a hobby, so I dont think much when I make the icons.

#andi mack icons #andi mack

[patriotsnet]

Are Republicans More Racist Than Democrats

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/are-republicans-more-racist-than-democrats/

Are Republicans More Racist Than Democrats

How Should We Address The Uss History Of Slavery And Racism Heres What Americans Think

Are White Republicans Really More Racist Than White Democrats?

Reddit

Discussion of racial issues has intensified in recent years, with vigorous debates emerging at the national and local level over once obscure academic arguments such as critical race theory. At the core of much of the discussion is how we should confront Americas history of slavery and racism. As this debate continues, a recently released report from the Pew Research Center sheds new light on the question.

Here are the core findings: Although 48% of Americans think that the country has made real progress on race over the past 50 years, 50% say that a lot more needs to be done, 57% believe that whites benefit from advantages that Black Americans lack, and 53% view increased attention to slavery and racism as positive for society.

Beneath these aggregate statistics, there are significant differences among different groups in the population, mainly along racial, partisan, age, and educational lines. For example, 46% of whites think that giving increased attention to slavery and racism is a good thing, compared to 75% of Blacks, 59% of Hispanics, and 64% of Asians. The partisan gap is large: 78% of Democrats favor highlighting slavery and racism, versus just 25% of Republicans. Young adults are 19 percentage points more likely to approve than seniorsno doubt a reflection of the fact that, as we know from the recent census results, younger Americans are more diverse than older Americans. The same gap divides the most- and least-educated Americans.

White Republicans An Outlier On Views About Race In America

Data: Axios/Ipsos poll; Chart: Axios Visuals

A new Axios-Ipsos poll on race relations one year after George Floyd’s murder shows in stunning detail how there’s no such thing as “what white Americans think,” with Republicans and Democrats seemingly living in two different worlds.

Why it matters: Such a vast gap between the left and right inside the majority U.S. racial group belies the notion of a compromise view, and it shows why Congress has been so slow to act.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets.

It also helps to explain why Donald Trump still has such a hold on the GOP.

Watch: Axios’ race and justice reporter Russell Contreras and managing editor for politics Margaret Talev discuss the poll’s findings on “Axios on HBO” on HBO and HBO Max.

Details: Black Americans are the most dissatisfied or worried about the status quo on issues from policing to employment to politics.

57% of white Americans say that “the events of the past year have made me realize there is still a lot of racism in our country,” but that breaks down as 35% of white Republicans and 93% of white Democrats. By comparison, 80% of Black Americans agreed with that view.

The poll also examined racial and ethnic disparities around policing and the criminal justice system, which Axios’ David Nather unpacked as part of our Hard Truths series.

This same split between white Democrats and Republicans can be seen across most of those questions as well.

Not A Generalization But The Majority Of Racists Are Republican

OK, as current proof of my point, http://img3.allvoices.com/thumbs/image/609/480/95031869-vote-romney.jpgSorry for the long link, but it completely proves my point. RACIST!Also, it is not uncommon for people to hold up highly offensive posters at rallies, speeches etc. For example, one said ‘Impeach the half-breed Muslim’ . Tell me again that that isn’t racist. I also want to make the point that NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS! PEOPLE SHOULDN”T CARE IF THEIR PRESIDENT IS MUSLIM ANYWAYS!!!!!!!!! I actually know many Muslims and they are awesome and some of the nicest people on earth . Just because some Muslims screwed up doesn’t mean that every Muslim is the same way. Don’t pull the argument about slavery, the parties have morphed and current examples are better.

Read Also: Did Republicans And Democrats Switch Names

Democrats Or Republicans Who Do You Think The Happier Group Is Overall

Based on my unofficial research and that of some of our readers, the Republicans and Conservative Democrats appear to be the winners. Why do I say that?; Well, just by their demeanor. During interviews they generally seem to be the calmer, more respectable of the two. Republicans certainly arent perfect, and they certainly dont always have the right idea or say or do the right thing.; And, they tend to exaggerate a bit .

Analysis: A Reckoning On Racism Not For Many Leaders Of Gop

NEW YORK If the nation is in the midst of a historic reckoning on racism, most leaders of the Republican Party are not participating.

On the day last week that a jury convicted the police officer who killed George Floyd, Republicans in Washington focused much of their energy on condemning the longest-serving Black woman in Congress. In the days since, former President Donald Trump attacked what he called the racist rants of basketball icon LeBron James. And some of Trumps staunchest supporters on Capitol Hill are considering forming a new group that initially planned to champion Anglo-Saxon political traditions.

Beyond simple rhetoric, Republican state lawmakers are pushing forward with new voting restrictions that disproportionately affect people of color and are resisting legislation designed to prevent police brutality.

The moves reflect a stark political reality: As America grows more diverse, the Republican Party continues to be led almost entirely by white people, particularly men, who cater to an overwhelmingly white base. And despite fierce criticism from civil rights leaders and growing concern from business leaders who are traditional allies, many Republicans see no problem.

Its unfortunate that more in the Republican Party are not willing to stand up for what I would define as creating a more just and humane system, Martin Luther King III told The Associated Press. It makes you wonder if they really even care.

Passage remains uncertain, however.

Recommended Reading: How Did The Republicans Take Control Of Congress

More Than Half Of Republicans Think Minorities Are Favored Over Whites In The United States

At its heart, the Black Lives Matter movement is focused on the ways in which racism is embedded in American law enforcement, resulting in a disproportionately large number of deaths of Black people at the hands of police. This idea that racism may be embedded in governmental or social systems is the crux of critical race theory. Racism, the theory postulates, isnt simply a function of racist people acting out against others because of their race. Instead, some of racisms most significant effects are felt from long-standing systems that have integrated, often invisibly, race-specific differences.

That the Black Lives Matter movement has been so successful at drawing attention to issues of race and racism, though, means that its much easier to notice complaints about systemic racism than it is to notice the racism itself. It means that there are good-faith but clumsy efforts to draw attention to issues of race that have little to do with critical race theory but which become a focal point of aggravation. It also means that groups that benefit from systemic advantages mostly White Americans may feel that they are the ones being criticized. If you dont see the purported racism but feel that youre being held to account for it, frustration would naturally result.

In 2017, fewer than half of Republicans said that minorities are favored over Whites. Now, a majority say they are.

But When You Watch The Republican In The Media Being Attacked The Majority Tend To Handle It With More Grace Then The Majority Of The Democrats

I dont think its because the Republicans have more money because the Democrats tend to be the wealthier group.; The majority of the richest people in the world are Democrats or Liberals.; Yet, they sure dont look like a happy group of folks .; I think a lot of people who are rich were their happiest when they were working hard coming up through the ranks and earning their money.; I also think sometimes the social issues they get caught up in when they become wealthy can be frustrating causing many people to lose their tolerance over time.

Don’t Miss: How Many Republicans Would Need To Vote For Impeachment

Why Did The Debate Become A National Controversy

Arguably, a large part of the debate has been inflamed and muddled by the activism of a conservative documentary filmmaker named Christopher Rufo.

As detailed in an extensive New Yorker profile, Rufo built a cottage industry exposing government racial awareness training across the US. While doing so, he discovered the academic writing behind it – and set out to raise awareness about what he saw as an organised effort to “re-engineer the foundation of human psychology and social institutions through the new politics of race”.

He labelled all of the various episodes and instances he was cataloguing as examples of “critical race theory” in practice, even though the academic discipline was not always an exact fit for what he was documenting.

“The goal is to have the public read something crazy in the newspaper and immediately think ‘critical race theory’,” he wrote . “We have decodified the term and will recodify it to annex the entire range of cultural constructions that are unpopular with Americans.”

The term, he told the New York Times, made for the “perfect villain” because it sounded academic, elitist, racist and divisive.

How far have African Americans come since 1960s?

Legislative as well as grassroots rebukes of public-school teaching labelled as CRT have cropped up around the country.

Because it is a concept, not a stand-alone subject, opponents have assembled lists to help parents identify what they see as harmful terms and topics in the classroom.

What Do Supporters And Opponents Say

Who Do YOU Think Is More Racist, White Democrats or White Republicans?

There’s a cartoon that circulates among critical race theory supporters showing children, one tall and one short, trying to peer over a fence to watch a baseball game. Equality, the illustration explains, is giving children the same sized box to stand on – with one child still unable to see over the obstacle. Equity, on the other hand, gives the shortest child the most boxes, so that everyone can see the field.

The idea of equity is to provide more to those who are perceived to have the greatest disadvantage in order to achieve better equality of outcome and to compensate for the historical wrongs of discrimination and systemic racism.

“A key part of the argument of critical race theory is that racism is endemic to American society because of the way society is structured,” says Lynn. Teaching with the framework addressed issues that “people have been trying to do for a long time to correct some of the problems we have in schools” he says.

It’s a view that animated affirmative action programmes – race-based preferences in hiring and college admissions – in the past, and currently influences everything from road repair in Oakland, California, to the Biden administration’s vaccine outreach efforts.

He says the idea of “equity” is more than just policy prescriptions, it’s about “abandoning the broad political philosophy that has traditionally held this country together”.

Read Also: How Many Republicans Are Needed To Vote For Impeachment

How Is Critical Race Theory Taught

How – and even whether – CRT is being taught is the subject of contention that lies at the heart of the current debate.

As a curriculum subject, critical race theory is largely the purview of university law schools and graduate programmes.

The concepts, however, have influenced historians, journalists and educators in school districts across the US who say they want to do more to teach the public about the US struggles with discrimination rooted in race.

One high-profile effort, the New York Times magazine’s 1619 Project, was a series of essays and articles that sought to “reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very centre of our national narrative”, per the paper’s description.

It received mixed reviews, including sometimes sharp criticism from historians who disputed its accuracy.

How the concepts translate into a public-school curriculum and teacher training have become the flashpoint of the CRT controversy.

An elementary school in Cupertino, California, for instance, asked third-graders to label their own power and privilege in an “identity map”. At least 30 schools recommended that students should read Not My Idea, a children’s book that called racism “a white person’s problem and we are all caught up in it”.

Instances like these have led to what has become an increasingly intense criticism.

Reagan’s Neshoba County Fair States’ Rights Speech

Aistrup argued that one example of Reagan field-testing coded language in the South was a reference to an unscrupulous man using food stamps as a “strapping young buck”. When informed of the offensive connotations of the term, Reagan defended his actions as a nonracial term that was common in his Illinois hometown. Ultimately, Reagan never used that particular phrasing again. According to Ian Haney Lopez, the “young buck” term changed into “young fellow” which was less overtly racist: “‘Some young fellow’ was less overtly racist and so carried less risk of censure, and worked just as well to provoke a sense of white victimization”.

Recommended Reading: What Happens If Republicans Win Midterms

There Is A Lot Of Flawed Logic Here

Anyone who equates conservative or Republican with racist is the exact thing they are projecting on others. Plain and simple.Racism is simply the lumping together of large groups of people and claiming they all have the same traits. Anyone who says that all conservatives are racist is exactly the same. The most racist people I have ever met have been liberals. But that doesn’t mean I think all liberals are racists. That’s absurd. But you continue on making generalizations about people you don’t even know. That just shows how tolerant and open-minded you really are.

When Minorities Vote Gop The Media Smears Republicans As Racists

The racism smears stink of fear.

Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic terrorism.

In just one week, the Washington Post churned out two op-eds on the same theme, “The GOP is Now Just the Party of White Grievance” and “The Republican Party is Making Jim Crow Segregationists Proud”. The D.C. Democrat paper doesnt bother clarifying why Democrats from two generations ago would be thrilled that 1 in 5 black men voted for President Trump.

Ever since the election, the media has been beating its narrative drum with one message.

CNN howls that Republicans are the worst racists. The New York Times insists theyre even more racist than that. And MSNBC will counter that only white racists would vote Republican.

The most famous media exponent of the white grievance line is Stuart Stevens: Romneys senior strategist, who went on to join the Lincoln Project. Stevens claimed on MSNBC that the GOP, “went down a path to embrace white grievance as its core” and that, “of the Americans who are 15 years and under, the majority are nonwhite. They’re gonna be nonwhite when they turn 18 and start voting and that’s the end of the Republican party as we know it.”

My party obviously has an embarrassingly small share of African American votes, Senator Romney claimed after embarrassingly participating in a Black Lives Matter rally.

Recommended Reading: What Do Republicans Believe About Taxes

Americans Who Say A Lot Has To Be Done To Ensure Equal Rights For All Split Over Whether Many Laws And Institutions Need To Be Completely Rebuilt

While half of Americans say that a lot needs to be done to ensure equal rights for all Americans, those who express this view are divided over what needs to be done.

A quarter of Americans say that to ensure equal rights for all Americans, most U.S. laws and major institutions need to be completely rebuilt because they are fundamentally biased against some racial and ethnic groups. A nearly identical share says while there are many inequities in U.S. laws and institutions, the necessary changes can be made by working within the current systems.

Overall, nearly six-in-ten Black adults say that in order to ensure equality for all Americans regardless of their racial or ethnic backgrounds, most major U.S. institutions need to be completely rebuilt because they are fundamentally biased against some racial and ethnic groups, while just 19% say necessary changes to address inequities can be made within the current systems; about two-in-ten say little or nothing at all needs to be done. Among other racial and ethnic groups, smaller shares overall say a lot more needs to be done; those who do are roughly evenly split between those who say changes can be made within current systems and those who think most institutions need to be completely rebuilt because they are fundamentally biased. As a result, Black adults are significantly more likely than Hispanic , Asian American and White adults to say most institutions and laws need to be completely rebuilt.

Democrats Are The Real Racistsand Minority Americans Are Taking Note

Who are the real American patriots?

Who are the real racists?

These two questions will play a big role in the 2020 election.

The left is desperate to turn any traditional patriotic appeal into an act of racism. The left is desperate to smear Republicans and moderate Democrats as racists.

This past week, between Sunday and Tuesday, CNN and MSNBC reportedly used the word “racist” more than 1,100 times.

Part of this desperation is in the left’s inability to debate the facts and their hope that strong smears can shame their opponents out of broaching the argument.

Part of this desperation is in the left’s growing realization that President Donald Trump and the Republicans are beginning to attract minority support in a serious way.

The 2018 election was a watershed in the shift of minority voters toward Republicans.

Consider the example of the very left-wing African American female candidate for governor in Georgia, Stacy Abrams. She alienated enough African American males with her platforms that the Republican candidate got a significant percentage of African American male votes.

In Florida, a left-wing African American candidate for governor lost almost one out of five African American female votes because of his opposition to school choice.

All around the country, Trump is attracting Latinos to his rallies. There is strong support in the Latino community for job creation, income growth, small business prosperity and enforcing the law.

Read Also: How Many Republicans Are Now In The House Of Representatives

[statetalks]

Are Republicans More Racist Than Democrats

How Should We Address The Uss History Of Slavery And Racism Heres What Americans Think

Are White Republicans Really More Racist Than White Democrats?

Reddit

Discussion of racial issues has intensified in recent years, with vigorous debates emerging at the national and local level over once obscure academic arguments such as critical race theory. At the core of much of the discussion is how we should confront Americas history of slavery and racism. As this debate continues, a recently released report from the Pew Research Center sheds new light on the question.

Here are the core findings: Although 48% of Americans think that the country has made real progress on race over the past 50 years, 50% say that a lot more needs to be done, 57% believe that whites benefit from advantages that Black Americans lack, and 53% view increased attention to slavery and racism as positive for society.

Beneath these aggregate statistics, there are significant differences among different groups in the population, mainly along racial, partisan, age, and educational lines. For example, 46% of whites think that giving increased attention to slavery and racism is a good thing, compared to 75% of Blacks, 59% of Hispanics, and 64% of Asians. The partisan gap is large: 78% of Democrats favor highlighting slavery and racism, versus just 25% of Republicans. Young adults are 19 percentage points more likely to approve than seniorsno doubt a reflection of the fact that, as we know from the recent census results, younger Americans are more diverse than older Americans. The same gap divides the most- and least-educated Americans.

White Republicans An Outlier On Views About Race In America

Data: Axios/Ipsos poll; Chart: Axios Visuals

A new Axios-Ipsos poll on race relations one year after George Floyd’s murder shows in stunning detail how there’s no such thing as “what white Americans think,” with Republicans and Democrats seemingly living in two different worlds.

Why it matters: Such a vast gap between the left and right inside the majority U.S. racial group belies the notion of a compromise view, and it shows why Congress has been so slow to act.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets.

It also helps to explain why Donald Trump still has such a hold on the GOP.

Watch: Axios’ race and justice reporter Russell Contreras and managing editor for politics Margaret Talev discuss the poll’s findings on “Axios on HBO” on HBO and HBO Max.

Details: Black Americans are the most dissatisfied or worried about the status quo on issues from policing to employment to politics.

57% of white Americans say that “the events of the past year have made me realize there is still a lot of racism in our country,” but that breaks down as 35% of white Republicans and 93% of white Democrats. By comparison, 80% of Black Americans agreed with that view.

The poll also examined racial and ethnic disparities around policing and the criminal justice system, which Axios’ David Nather unpacked as part of our Hard Truths series.

This same split between white Democrats and Republicans can be seen across most of those questions as well.

Not A Generalization But The Majority Of Racists Are Republican

OK, as current proof of my point, https://ift.tt/3jpQSob for the long link, but it completely proves my point. RACIST!Also, it is not uncommon for people to hold up highly offensive posters at rallies, speeches etc. For example, one said ‘Impeach the half-breed Muslim’ . Tell me again that that isn’t racist. I also want to make the point that NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS! PEOPLE SHOULDN”T CARE IF THEIR PRESIDENT IS MUSLIM ANYWAYS!!!!!!!!! I actually know many Muslims and they are awesome and some of the nicest people on earth . Just because some Muslims screwed up doesn’t mean that every Muslim is the same way. Don’t pull the argument about slavery, the parties have morphed and current examples are better.

Read Also: Did Republicans And Democrats Switch Names

Democrats Or Republicans Who Do You Think The Happier Group Is Overall

Based on my unofficial research and that of some of our readers, the Republicans and Conservative Democrats appear to be the winners. Why do I say that?; Well, just by their demeanor. During interviews they generally seem to be the calmer, more respectable of the two. Republicans certainly arent perfect, and they certainly dont always have the right idea or say or do the right thing.; And, they tend to exaggerate a bit .

Analysis: A Reckoning On Racism Not For Many Leaders Of Gop

NEW YORK If the nation is in the midst of a historic reckoning on racism, most leaders of the Republican Party are not participating.

On the day last week that a jury convicted the police officer who killed George Floyd, Republicans in Washington focused much of their energy on condemning the longest-serving Black woman in Congress. In the days since, former President Donald Trump attacked what he called the racist rants of basketball icon LeBron James. And some of Trumps staunchest supporters on Capitol Hill are considering forming a new group that initially planned to champion Anglo-Saxon political traditions.

Beyond simple rhetoric, Republican state lawmakers are pushing forward with new voting restrictions that disproportionately affect people of color and are resisting legislation designed to prevent police brutality.

The moves reflect a stark political reality: As America grows more diverse, the Republican Party continues to be led almost entirely by white people, particularly men, who cater to an overwhelmingly white base. And despite fierce criticism from civil rights leaders and growing concern from business leaders who are traditional allies, many Republicans see no problem.

Its unfortunate that more in the Republican Party are not willing to stand up for what I would define as creating a more just and humane system, Martin Luther King III told The Associated Press. It makes you wonder if they really even care.

Passage remains uncertain, however.

Recommended Reading: How Did The Republicans Take Control Of Congress

More Than Half Of Republicans Think Minorities Are Favored Over Whites In The United States

At its heart, the Black Lives Matter movement is focused on the ways in which racism is embedded in American law enforcement, resulting in a disproportionately large number of deaths of Black people at the hands of police. This idea that racism may be embedded in governmental or social systems is the crux of critical race theory. Racism, the theory postulates, isnt simply a function of racist people acting out against others because of their race. Instead, some of racisms most significant effects are felt from long-standing systems that have integrated, often invisibly, race-specific differences.

That the Black Lives Matter movement has been so successful at drawing attention to issues of race and racism, though, means that its much easier to notice complaints about systemic racism than it is to notice the racism itself. It means that there are good-faith but clumsy efforts to draw attention to issues of race that have little to do with critical race theory but which become a focal point of aggravation. It also means that groups that benefit from systemic advantages mostly White Americans may feel that they are the ones being criticized. If you dont see the purported racism but feel that youre being held to account for it, frustration would naturally result.

In 2017, fewer than half of Republicans said that minorities are favored over Whites. Now, a majority say they are.

But When You Watch The Republican In The Media Being Attacked The Majority Tend To Handle It With More Grace Then The Majority Of The Democrats

I dont think its because the Republicans have more money because the Democrats tend to be the wealthier group.; The majority of the richest people in the world are Democrats or Liberals.; Yet, they sure dont look like a happy group of folks .; I think a lot of people who are rich were their happiest when they were working hard coming up through the ranks and earning their money.; I also think sometimes the social issues they get caught up in when they become wealthy can be frustrating causing many people to lose their tolerance over time.

Don’t Miss: How Many Republicans Would Need To Vote For Impeachment

Why Did The Debate Become A National Controversy

Arguably, a large part of the debate has been inflamed and muddled by the activism of a conservative documentary filmmaker named Christopher Rufo.

As detailed in an extensive New Yorker profile, Rufo built a cottage industry exposing government racial awareness training across the US. While doing so, he discovered the academic writing behind it – and set out to raise awareness about what he saw as an organised effort to “re-engineer the foundation of human psychology and social institutions through the new politics of race”.

He labelled all of the various episodes and instances he was cataloguing as examples of “critical race theory” in practice, even though the academic discipline was not always an exact fit for what he was documenting.

“The goal is to have the public read something crazy in the newspaper and immediately think ‘critical race theory’,” he wrote . “We have decodified the term and will recodify it to annex the entire range of cultural constructions that are unpopular with Americans.”

The term, he told the New York Times, made for the “perfect villain” because it sounded academic, elitist, racist and divisive.

How far have African Americans come since 1960s?

Legislative as well as grassroots rebukes of public-school teaching labelled as CRT have cropped up around the country.

Because it is a concept, not a stand-alone subject, opponents have assembled lists to help parents identify what they see as harmful terms and topics in the classroom.

What Do Supporters And Opponents Say

Who Do YOU Think Is More Racist, White Democrats or White Republicans?

There’s a cartoon that circulates among critical race theory supporters showing children, one tall and one short, trying to peer over a fence to watch a baseball game. Equality, the illustration explains, is giving children the same sized box to stand on – with one child still unable to see over the obstacle. Equity, on the other hand, gives the shortest child the most boxes, so that everyone can see the field.

The idea of equity is to provide more to those who are perceived to have the greatest disadvantage in order to achieve better equality of outcome and to compensate for the historical wrongs of discrimination and systemic racism.

“A key part of the argument of critical race theory is that racism is endemic to American society because of the way society is structured,” says Lynn. Teaching with the framework addressed issues that “people have been trying to do for a long time to correct some of the problems we have in schools” he says.

It’s a view that animated affirmative action programmes – race-based preferences in hiring and college admissions – in the past, and currently influences everything from road repair in Oakland, California, to the Biden administration’s vaccine outreach efforts.

He says the idea of “equity” is more than just policy prescriptions, it’s about “abandoning the broad political philosophy that has traditionally held this country together”.

Read Also: How Many Republicans Are Needed To Vote For Impeachment

How Is Critical Race Theory Taught

How – and even whether – CRT is being taught is the subject of contention that lies at the heart of the current debate.

As a curriculum subject, critical race theory is largely the purview of university law schools and graduate programmes.

The concepts, however, have influenced historians, journalists and educators in school districts across the US who say they want to do more to teach the public about the US struggles with discrimination rooted in race.

One high-profile effort, the New York Times magazine’s 1619 Project, was a series of essays and articles that sought to “reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very centre of our national narrative”, per the paper’s description.

It received mixed reviews, including sometimes sharp criticism from historians who disputed its accuracy.

How the concepts translate into a public-school curriculum and teacher training have become the flashpoint of the CRT controversy.

An elementary school in Cupertino, California, for instance, asked third-graders to label their own power and privilege in an “identity map”. At least 30 schools recommended that students should read Not My Idea, a children’s book that called racism “a white person’s problem and we are all caught up in it”.

Instances like these have led to what has become an increasingly intense criticism.

Reagan’s Neshoba County Fair States’ Rights Speech

Aistrup argued that one example of Reagan field-testing coded language in the South was a reference to an unscrupulous man using food stamps as a “strapping young buck”. When informed of the offensive connotations of the term, Reagan defended his actions as a nonracial term that was common in his Illinois hometown. Ultimately, Reagan never used that particular phrasing again. According to Ian Haney Lopez, the “young buck” term changed into “young fellow” which was less overtly racist: “‘Some young fellow’ was less overtly racist and so carried less risk of censure, and worked just as well to provoke a sense of white victimization”.

Recommended Reading: What Happens If Republicans Win Midterms

There Is A Lot Of Flawed Logic Here

Anyone who equates conservative or Republican with racist is the exact thing they are projecting on others. Plain and simple.Racism is simply the lumping together of large groups of people and claiming they all have the same traits. Anyone who says that all conservatives are racist is exactly the same. The most racist people I have ever met have been liberals. But that doesn’t mean I think all liberals are racists. That’s absurd. But you continue on making generalizations about people you don’t even know. That just shows how tolerant and open-minded you really are.

When Minorities Vote Gop The Media Smears Republicans As Racists

The racism smears stink of fear.

Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic terrorism.

In just one week, the Washington Post churned out two op-eds on the same theme, “The GOP is Now Just the Party of White Grievance” and “The Republican Party is Making Jim Crow Segregationists Proud”. The D.C. Democrat paper doesnt bother clarifying why Democrats from two generations ago would be thrilled that 1 in 5 black men voted for President Trump.

Ever since the election, the media has been beating its narrative drum with one message.

CNN howls that Republicans are the worst racists. The New York Times insists theyre even more racist than that. And MSNBC will counter that only white racists would vote Republican.

The most famous media exponent of the white grievance line is Stuart Stevens: Romneys senior strategist, who went on to join the Lincoln Project. Stevens claimed on MSNBC that the GOP, “went down a path to embrace white grievance as its core” and that, “of the Americans who are 15 years and under, the majority are nonwhite. They’re gonna be nonwhite when they turn 18 and start voting and that’s the end of the Republican party as we know it.”

My party obviously has an embarrassingly small share of African American votes, Senator Romney claimed after embarrassingly participating in a Black Lives Matter rally.

Recommended Reading: What Do Republicans Believe About Taxes

Americans Who Say A Lot Has To Be Done To Ensure Equal Rights For All Split Over Whether Many Laws And Institutions Need To Be Completely Rebuilt

While half of Americans say that a lot needs to be done to ensure equal rights for all Americans, those who express this view are divided over what needs to be done.

A quarter of Americans say that to ensure equal rights for all Americans, most U.S. laws and major institutions need to be completely rebuilt because they are fundamentally biased against some racial and ethnic groups. A nearly identical share says while there are many inequities in U.S. laws and institutions, the necessary changes can be made by working within the current systems.

Overall, nearly six-in-ten Black adults say that in order to ensure equality for all Americans regardless of their racial or ethnic backgrounds, most major U.S. institutions need to be completely rebuilt because they are fundamentally biased against some racial and ethnic groups, while just 19% say necessary changes to address inequities can be made within the current systems; about two-in-ten say little or nothing at all needs to be done. Among other racial and ethnic groups, smaller shares overall say a lot more needs to be done; those who do are roughly evenly split between those who say changes can be made within current systems and those who think most institutions need to be completely rebuilt because they are fundamentally biased. As a result, Black adults are significantly more likely than Hispanic , Asian American and White adults to say most institutions and laws need to be completely rebuilt.

Democrats Are The Real Racistsand Minority Americans Are Taking Note

Who are the real American patriots?

Who are the real racists?

These two questions will play a big role in the 2020 election.

The left is desperate to turn any traditional patriotic appeal into an act of racism. The left is desperate to smear Republicans and moderate Democrats as racists.

This past week, between Sunday and Tuesday, CNN and MSNBC reportedly used the word “racist” more than 1,100 times.

Part of this desperation is in the left’s inability to debate the facts and their hope that strong smears can shame their opponents out of broaching the argument.

Part of this desperation is in the left’s growing realization that President Donald Trump and the Republicans are beginning to attract minority support in a serious way.

The 2018 election was a watershed in the shift of minority voters toward Republicans.

Consider the example of the very left-wing African American female candidate for governor in Georgia, Stacy Abrams. She alienated enough African American males with her platforms that the Republican candidate got a significant percentage of African American male votes.

In Florida, a left-wing African American candidate for governor lost almost one out of five African American female votes because of his opposition to school choice.

All around the country, Trump is attracting Latinos to his rallies. There is strong support in the Latino community for job creation, income growth, small business prosperity and enforcing the law.

Read Also: How Many Republicans Are Now In The House Of Representatives

source https://www.patriotsnet.com/are-republicans-more-racist-than-democrats/

[sweetlifetownsville]

'Disaster Management' Or 'Management Disaster'? We Have A List ... So Far

And it will be hard to argue that the whatever management disaster from the council is determined after this is all over, it started long before the rain. Suddenly Mayor Mullet has an unexpected and unwelcome election campaign issue on her hands will her inevitable spin as heroine of the hour hold up to scrutiny? At The Astonisher, has the worm turned? Jenna Cairney took an early swipe at the mayor, even before it got really bad and allows a developer to stick in the boot as well two more another reasons its called the Astonisher. And heres another are you sitting down? The Magpie gives the paper top marks for its coverage of the floods. No, seriously. Theres a very good explanation for it and therein lies a glaringly obvious and valuable lesson for editor Cairney (when shes doing her job, she editor, when not, shes iditor). and The Magpie points out how tomorrows (Monday local) American Super Bowl organisers have missed the ratings bonanza of a lifetime, which couldve doubled their already massive audience. But to start this week The Irony Award of the Decade. To head up this weeks offering, pride of place goes to the great Bentley, who counts among his many skills a very sharp memory which recalls things that some would rather he forget.

Which swiftly brings us to the nub of things for this week. Its The Vision Thing, Stupid There are those poor agitated souls who suggest the The Magpie writes with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. To which the obvious reply is that of course he does, because he doesnt make the decisions that affect us as a community, and merely comments on those decisions that have been made by others. While being wise after the event is always irritating (The Magpies mission) what this town REALLY needs is a big dose of decision-makers being wise BEFORE the event. This weeks excessive dampness and the public doubts that have appeared over the councils disaster management ability brings up a case in point. There will most certainly be a post-monsoon post-mortem into the disaster management decision-making process and crucially the timing of opening the Ross Dam flood gates; when a legal authority like a council deliberately floods ratepayers homes and businesses, there sure as hell MUST be a post mortem as legal eagles start circling. For the greater good doesnt always cut in matters of compensation. Then there have been confidence-sapping instances like this, too, after flooding had started.

That, and many comments to this blog about timing and pre-organisation of sandbags some places plenty of sand but no bags, others, plenty of both but no shovels, and a dearth of relatively inexpensive mechanical bagging machinery have been sent in. And there is a dire warning for all property owners even when the waters recede any insurance premiums are likely to be through the roof, if they can be obtained at all more on that in a moment. And the responsibility for this situation must lie somewhere. It has all led one frustrated leading businessman who wishes to remain anonymous for prudent reasons considering the current vindictive regime in Walker Street to post the following to The Nest: Jenna Cairney who I believe moved out of her unit on the Strand to a house at Railway Estate affected by the flood wrote on the Bulletins Facebook updates 31/1/19 that the Bulletin forecasts on rain have been running since 6 am on the 30th, yet the disaster centre didnt start updating until more than seven hours later1.36 pm . Jenna claimed the $8.5 mil disaster centre was left flat footed with residents having to reach out to the Astonisher for advice.

Jenna concludes with We are constantly told to be prepared for major weather events . The local Disaster Co-ordination Centre also needs to heed the advice. Our angry commenter continues: Jenna isnt the only person commenting negatively on the new $8.5 mil centre. I have just received a text to mobile and recorded messages to both my home and business landlines but it seems too late. My daughter in Hermit Park woke to over a foot of water Friday 1st at 7 am, today its up to her shoulders and her car totally submerged! Conjecture will continue but my concerns are: -did former TCC CEO Adele Young cut back on preventative maintenance, and, with over a third of T.C.Cs staff made redundant, did they lose invaluable experience to leave us more susceptible to flooding, and other natural disasters and -if they knew the rain would continue, did they have the technology to predict they should have opened the flood gates earlier. If not, why not? I think there is going to an absolute bun fight with insurance companies wanting hydrologists reports and my concerns is more Townsville residents will be left with an inability to get contents/ house insurance. While to some it may seem churlish to be looking at this questions and failings before the danger is not yet over, it is legitimate for them to be considered in the light that there are yet many more decisions to be made including the alarming but necessary fore-warning that much further rain could threaten 20,000 homes

thats one quarter of all dwellings in this city. The performance so far on the ground and water has been the usual efficient, industrious and courageous efforts by selfless men and women fire, police, defence forces and just ordinary citizens helping where they can as we always do but some of the decisions from the Disaster Center HQ so far do not inspire confidence that we are in safe competent hands. The timing and extent of opening the dam gates is sure to be the subject of future debate. A Touch Of Timely Humour Highlights The Magpies Point

And An Urgent Clarification Needed From Premier Palaszczuk Surely there cant be a deliberate bit of political game-playing by the premier at a time like this. She has declared Townsville a disaster zone but apparently not a natural disaster. The difference is crucial to Townsville businesses, already suffering a severe economic down turn, who will be up for an extra crippling financial liability if we are just a disaster zone.

The premier needs to step up now and ease the minds of some businesses that may be teetering on the edge. The mayor should immediately ask for a clarification, and if necessary, a switch to a natural disaster for what else could it be when a Sydney Harbour of water is dumped on the city is such a catastrophically short time. This option is the fairest to all. But The Astonisher Has Well Astonished Given the on-the-run nature of reporting our unfolding disaster, The Magpie gives a emphatic up-tick to Jenna Cairney and her crew of substantially inexperienced journos for wide and consistent coverage. Certainly theres been blips but, far fewer than one could have expected. And why might that be, you ask? Simple because this is real, rolling hard news, on-going, mixing constant reporting with solid information (well as solid as reporters are told). No time or need for padding, opinion or bias, of which there has been precious little. Apart from Ms. Cairneys presient hand-slap at the Disaster Center, things have been happening too swiftly. And generally, given the circumstances, all platforms have performed well. Little things like pics of kids playing in floodwaters can be tut-tutted over later. From his own professional experience, The Pie predicts a traumatic event like this can be the foundation of many a solid journalistic career, and some of the tyros, and even those who think themselves already seasoned, will gain insights into real reporting to be the better for it Ms Cairney, The Pie knows how much you, like our mayor, appreciate the The Magpies wise counsel, so if you can guide your troops on this new path of professionalism, you will go a long way to restoring some of this once proud papers tattered reputation. Alas, the downside is that there will shortly be many a job application winging south with a CV justifiably boasting I covered the Townsville flood disaster of 2019. Who Says Mayor Mullet Is The Cause Of Townsville Economic Woes? Well, highly successful developer Peter Tapiolas, that who, for one.

In a bruisingly frank interview with Tony Raggatt, Mr Tapiolas showed hes as mad as hell and not going to take it any more especially not from politicians. He didnt miss many of em, either.QUOTE: Townsville recorded 573 approvals about 1.4 per cent of the share of major Queensland centres and second-last to Rockhampton, which had 369.The figures are alarming. We have never seen it as low as last year, Mr Tapiolas, a director of the Parkside Group, said. (Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill) should be screaming from the rooftops on Adani but she cant because shes scared of (Premier) Annastacia Palaszczuk, and the three local (Labor State MPs) wont support Adani. Mr Tapiolas said home building had ground to a halt because people lacked confidence about their current and future job prospects. When that happens people just bunker down and hang on, Mr Tapiolas said. UNQUOTE Crikey, Pete, want to guest edit The Magpie sometime no one will be able to tell the difference. But the story held other surprises, like Townsville state MP Scott Stewarts frank admission of being a self-interested Labor toady.

And even our old favourite Mayor Mullet was in danger of fence sitting bum splinters.

Reports? Madam, if you had the courage of your supposed convictions, you should be clambering up to the rooftops as Mr Tapiolas suggests, on this one too, since you no doubt read this in a story in which you yourself were quoted. Director of the National Threatened Species Recovery Hub Brendan Wintle has been engaged to lead the review, and is able to appoint up to six people on a panel to examine Adanis plan.Mr Wintle last year participated in a climate strike and has authored several articles critical of governments using biodiversity offsets to allow development. (TB Jan 22 2019) Even the Emerald Isle aint that green, sweetie. What is disturbing, though, petal, is when you come out with cowardly political twaddle like this. Other Stuff The Pie has thought about this SMH headline all night, and can only see visions of Soylent Green.

What they gunna do, pop the babies back in until a spot becomes available? Or employ alcoholic surgeons who dont try to hard on oldies (oh, sorry, the hearts over THAT side oops.) And then this that mightily confused this Aussie:

Ummm nice tan, Singo. Its Super Bowl Sunday, (Monday In Oz) And What A Missed Opportunity Americas annual play a bit, chat a bit, smack a few bums a bit extravaganza known as the Super Bowl, between someone or other and somebody else, is now famous for many other things beside football. There are the eye-watering numbers of global viewers 103 million last year resulting the equally eye-watering $5.2million that advertisers are happy to pony up for a 30 second commercial. And the half-time entertainment is now almost of more interest that the game, famous for fails and malfunctions, most notoriously the latter one of what is prissily referred to as a wardrobe malfunction (Justin Timberlake groped Janet Jacksons boobs which made them play wall-eyed peek-a-boo with the goggling audience, resulting in more computer slow motion replays and gummed up keyboards than any exploit on the footy field.) But the organisers have missed an ideal opportunity this year to create an all time viewing record, if only they had chosen the half time entertainment with a little vision. Bob Eckstein of the New Yorker illustrates a massive missed opportunity.

Which is a neat way to get into this weeks round-up from Trumpistan.

And this comment and tweet by The Magpie during the week brought all manner of mania out of the woodwork. Cold comfort perhaps, but just to remind you that whats happening here isnt by any means Gods biggest joke on humanity.

She is of course right if we accept that God invented ebola, cancer, earthquakes, tsunamis and Clive Palmer. Finally, here';s an ad from London that will get the thin-lipped humorless gals balling their fists and clenching their buttocks in rage.

.. Its been a this soggy, soggy week, folks, stay safe and dry if you can. Let fly in the comments if something is bugging you, its your space to vent, laugh or decry. And as always, a donation to help defray blog expenses is always welcome, the how to donate button is below. http://www.townsvillemagpie.com.au/disaster-management-or-management-disaster-we-have-a-list-so-far/

[i-am-very-very-tired]

News24 How coloured are you? 2008-06-30 13:07 Cape Town - I am fairly dark-skinned with dark hair and have often been mistaken for being Portuguese, Greek, Italian and Israeli (but mostly Portuguese). I am actually half-German and half-Afrikaans. So when I told friends at the office that I had once also been mistaken for being coloured, they all burst out laughing. I was deeply and profoundly offended. So they took pity on me, and a few of my coloured co-workers began introducing me to the complex and evolved life of the Cape coloured. (I was told if you want to be coloured, you have to be from Cape Town). Apparently coloured people from Joburg don't really qualify. Sorry. The coloured lifestyle is an intricate and complicated puzzle with millions of confusing little pieces. It involves things like gatsbys, the Galaxy club, where you live, not only how you drink, but what you drink - and where. You've gotta like gatsbys For instance, a gatsby (for the uninitiated, this is a large roll with polony - I'm not calling it ham - and deep-fried chips. If it doesn't spill onto the ground when you try to eat it, it's not a gatsby). I like gatsbys, no problem. Ok, says a friend, but you have to drink brandy too. "With Klippies?", asks another colleague innocently, joining in the Coloured Education of Andrea. "No!" scream the coloured friends in horror...(as all Afrikaners know, Klipdrift is the exclusive domain of the Boerevolk.) No, I'm informed, with Betrams. So far so good, I'm prepared to do all that. The problem starts when I hear that I wouldn't be able to be a sturvey (that's an uppity coloured), which I was gunning for of course. I don't want to be a gangster from the Badlands! But my colleague is firm on this, I couldn't be a sturvey because apparently, I "rafel uit too much". At this point I'm beginning to get despondent. Then I hear that, as a coloured, I wouldn't be able to take my gatsby home and eat it with a knife and fork in front of the telly. No, it must be eaten on top of the bonnet of your car. Also, this has to happen late at night when you come back from a night at the Galaxy club. This is another problem - I'm not a clubber, after all, I'm virtually in an old-age home, being over thirty. How big are your mags? Then it gets more complicated - I'm asked how big the mags are on my car, what kind of music I listen to and whether I'd be prepared to undergo an intensive language course. Because, yes, for those of you who thought coloured people speak Afrikaans and English, think again. If you are really coloured you will know that anyone asking you "waar brand dit" is not referring to a fire in the neighbourhood, but is asking you where "it's happening" or the party is going on. I couldn't help wondering if the Chinese community in SA would be feeling the same sort of despair I was. In the past week, a Pretoria court ruled that they should from now on be classified as coloured and be included in the definition of "black people" in laws, including black economic empowerment legislation, which has been established to help previously disadvantaged groups. Following this groundbreaking ruling, the Labour Minister made some strange comments in the media, saying that he was now expecting Chinese people to behave more like black people (seeing as how they are now coloured people, I assume he meant - behave like coloured people.) I'm not sure if he thought they should start eating gatsbys and going to the Galaxy club. He also said they should start assimilating the coloured culture by learning a local language, which put in my mind some Chinese people driving up to an Asian noodle bar in a car with huge, shiny mags and asking the fella behind the counter, "Hoezit my bra, ek't lis vir 'n dite".* *Translation. Dite (pronounced like "date" with an i refers to being hungry and wanting some grub, mostly though, it refers to - you guessed it - a gatsby." (** Oh, before you type me the hate mail, I know not ALL coloured people drink Betram's and eat gatsbys or go to the Galaxy. Only the cool ones, of course...) Send your comments to Andrea. Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received. Comments Former Cape Coloured - 2008-06-30 15:13 So all the bruinmense in Worcester, PE, Noord-Kaap, George, Beaufort West, East London, Plett, etc don't count as coloured? Tell your narrow-minded TIK-brain friends to travel and see the world, and along the way to get an education. If they stare at you blankly, just tell them: "Djy moet wys raak". Smile back in a friendly manner but don't encourage further engagement. Boetie Buck - 2008-06-30 15:13 Nay Nay jtulle klippies brand a man se keel. LOL :) dis viceroy met water. Betrams is virrie sturvies. En die Space het geruk. Boetie Buck Monique - 2008-06-30 15:20 Geez dude chill with the whole "I'm educated" schpiel. You're embarrassing yourself. Degree, degree, whiskey but you can't spell to save your life. I'm coloured and also have a degree. Difference is, my english are very good hahahaha. Why is it so important for sturvy coloureds to "other" themselves from the bertrams-drinking, gatsby-eating, slang-spewing lot? In doing so you imply that they are less than you. And in that you prove them to be already better. Poepol - 2008-06-30 15:20 Looking at some of these comments I have no more doubt that there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow nation. We are so sensitive and self-centered we cannot see the funny in anything. Kolobe, please find another hobby. duidelik - 2008-06-30 15:21 Cape coloured now staying in Durban for the past four years.This article diffently took me back to home to Gatsby and Bertys not forgetting the Gala as we use to call it. Coloured people in Durban are secluded to Wentworth i hardly get to see them much in the city...dont know why Marcy - 2008-06-30 15:24 Your article is light hearted and should be interpeted as such. Please people, stop pulling out the race card every time someone says something you don't like. PS... I do believe it should be Red Heart Rum & Coke, not so? Ladnar - 2008-06-30 15:26 The whole race classification thing is crazy, man! Although in order to get BBBEE clearance it is very important to get this right. And all the comment posters (or should I say posers) with their negative comment - Get a gatsby en coke, en chill. jack - 2008-06-30 15:32 Hey Kolobe, In every column you deign to say something, it's always complaining. Do you have anything nice to say? Do you perhaps have a contribution to make? Well, if the answer to either question is yes, don't be shy - make a positive contribution or put a sock in it! Skapie - 2008-06-30 15:33 nice humour well written!! You forgot one thing we wash that gatsby down with frulatie or Double O. This suites my pallet. And that proud coloured with his accounting degree that drinks whiskey that tell him my Nike takkies cost more than his education. Dee - 2008-06-30 15:34 This is to Colin, I'm also an educated coloured but that doesn't mean that I've lost my sense of Humour. Andrea is writing about stereotypes, which if you didn't know doesn't apply to every single coloured! So no need to take offence! Dale - 2008-06-30 15:36 It's awesome to see, from a South African, living abroad that we can still have a laugh at ourselves. (well some of us of course). I would think that if we as the youth, 18-30's can have a laugh at each other, in reason, surely you guys could too? nicky - 2008-06-30 15:40 Small things amuse small minds and you 2 are at the top of the line when it comes to stereotyping your own. Sies!!!!!!! Don't call me names cause I don't do what you do.... CPT - 2008-06-30 15:42 I went to primary school in the 80's, Afrikaans with fair skin, blue eyes and light hair. Shape of my eyes looks Oriental and some of the kids used to tease me and ask if my father was a Chinese? Even the Grade 1 teacher contacted my mother to ask if my father was an Asian. As a 7 year old I had first hand experience of how racist people can be and I always felt like a outcast among my "own people". Education starts at home, parents should be a role model for their children.... cL - 2008-06-30 15:43 I must say, people have lost their sense of humour, i reaLLy enjoyed this piece..very funny, peepLe must wake up and LOL a bit...One thing that this article has proven is that we dont stand together. Look at the remarks you are making to each other, does this describe unity to you? Proudly Coloured - 2008-06-30 15:43 Well it must be said, we are the best looking people on the planet, best looking guys and great looking honey's. Most people are to scared or ashamed to say this...BUT THIS IS A FACT!! Al - 2008-06-30 15:51 YOU'RE COLOURED!!! What up with half and half ? We all half and half..PLZEE Coloured..Yes the coloured from Joburg are Fakes.LOL ...byebye Coloured mp3's mentor - 2008-06-30 15:53 judging from your spelling i'd say your degree isnt worth the paper its printed on "my bra"... SQ - 2008-06-30 15:54 Clearly the people complaining that this is racist are the sturvy 'kullits' or the non-coloureds - lol. Just because we love gatsbies and use our own slang, doesn't mean we're barbaric. A lot of us can relate and for goodness sake, with all the depressing news we have to read every day and see on the news, articles like this are a good laugh. And for the record I'm a Cape coloured living in Jozi now - the thing I miss most is coloured people. Cape Town Coloured - 2008-06-30 15:54 I fully agree with Franman, we dont stick together. I too have the degree and moved out of the hood a long time ago but like it or not - a large majority of our people DO eat still gatsbys and drink Berties... trust me, there is nothing better than a gatsby from Dish after a big night out(that was last Saturday night - IN 2008). Our slang English/Afrikaans combo is colourful and I am not offended by the article at all. Would it have been different if the article was written by a coloured person? vanniekaap - 2008-06-30 15:55 We be more than the Sister on the wireless tirelessly feeding perceptions deceiving herself that she be representing the mindset of us. We be more. We be more than the slaves, jiving to the rhythm of the tik, tik, tik, fogging our minds as it dims the instruments of illumination casting darker shadows in the recesses of our castles hiding my blood that sits in the chair downing his Castle confining his dreams within the golden bricks of his mind. We be more. We be more than the toothless ones enriching the tooth fairies and the goldsmiths enslaving us with ideas of climatic passion of our toothless smiles. We be more. We be more than the merchants and charlatans of impossible dreams riding the intoxicating perfumes of the white-pipe offered at the altars of the self-proclaimed high priest and priestesses. We be more We be more than the rainbow-coloured-sun-umbrella swirling masses with their technicolour costumes dancing the dance of the oft forgotten forebearers immersed in the strings of the banjo and calling of the goema drums. Singing Hie ko die Alabama! We be more. We be more than the places where we rest our tired bodies crammed in like sardines eking out an existence educating our young to be more. We be nurturers of young minds defenders of the law gazers of the stars explorers of the worlds creators of governments masters of letters and numbers. We are more. Roger - 2008-06-30 15:56 All coloureds are different. Don't stereotype. Not all coloureds drink and talk kombuis Afrikaans or are gangsters. This article might be funny but it is racism in disguise. Ferril - 2008-06-30 15:57 Ayeyaaaaa... You know my website has gotten flack for being too coloured!! What is being coloured? I think the author of this article got the basic, but then also mentions the complexities of being a coloured! And there are so many people that would love to discuss this topic further, so should you wish to... don't hesitate to go to www.kakduidelik.co.za and praat julle in julle ma jits van kullid wies! LOL!!! Nunzio - 2008-06-30 16:00 Good article I must say. Remembered the days we used to go to Goodhope centre for the Cape malay choir fest. then go down to the Grand Parade for a lekker gatsby and Fiesta juice. Dredger - 2008-06-30 16:01 Very funny,a good read after all the other depressing news around. We know its just stereotypes on the coloured community,but all races have stereotypes which get used for humour. Ferril - 2008-06-30 16:02 Exactly... I agree with Ekke!! Its not to degrade anyone. The article, and many more people like to reminisce about the good old days. Never to forget where they come from! Good grief, and what makes coloureds 'kwaai' in my opinion... is the fact that they are people who think for themselves and BETTER themselves not forgetting where they come from! Respek n disiplinne! Puffy - 2008-06-30 16:03 We the only country in the world where there are blacks, coloureds. Everywhere there are only two groups you either black, asian, caucasion or latin. I hate this term coloured. It make people think like in the past that they are better than a certain race. tauzty - 2008-06-30 16:16 I'm pne proud coloured not blck but coloured lekker article bra... You forgot to mention the car's soos die Toys Opel bins aka datsuns nissans and die res... soe Next time stiek uit by us and we'll gooi you some moves . Kevin - 2008-06-30 16:20 No wonder South Africa is stuffed. All those who took this article seriously and thought that "coloured" people in general are being stereotyped, have had a sense of humour failure. You are not as important as you think you are and if your sensitivities have been offended, then all I can say is.. shame, you poor, serious, sanctimonius, boring as hell, filled with self-importance plonkers much like the accountant fellow who drinks whiskey (I rest my case). bogi - 2008-06-30 16:23 I'm a 27yr old coloured male from Corrie. I'm educated, successful and a home owner in a 'white area'. Most of my coloured friends are in the same position. But, I love my coloured people. I loved my childhood. Walking home from s'gal, visiting the meddies, oupa specials, rum dashed with coke and a china fruit... I could go on! Weather it's Athlone, Eldo's, Eersterust or Die Kas, keep on keeping on, my bruino's. Oh, before I forget, you cannot touch the beauty of a coloured sister. HOLA HOSH!!! Lemming - 2008-06-30 16:24 Loved the article Andrea. Sounds like you have a great sense of humour. Coupled with your "fairly dark skin", you're probably my type. Are you busy Friday night? The fisherman - 2008-06-30 16:25 What the hell is wrong with people? Half of you are a bunch of sensitive ar*e wipes with no sense of humour. I don't cry when I get called "soutie" or "rooinek" or whitey etc. I laugh along and respond accordingly. STOP BEING ANAL South Africa. Zola - 2008-06-30 16:27 people this is funny and nice those who say this is racist needs to get a life dont take everything personal pleaseee Jaco - 2008-06-30 16:29 This was a very, very enjoyable piece and I thank you for it. Scanning the comments, it is clear that so many of our citizens are filled with bitterness and nothing else, but please know that anyone with a decent sense of interpretation will know that you intended absolutely no malice or stereotyping, and your affection for the 'gam' lifestyle was also well evident between the lines. High fives, and thanks once again. Tygerburger - 2008-06-30 16:38 They were not white enough in the bad days, however, they are black enough in the new days. Congratulations my Chinese brothers and sisters! kaiser - 2008-06-30 16:38 the only thing i know about coloured they get drunk,fight..swear's break things, stabs sanything that moves Valda - 2008-06-30 16:39 read the article in anticipation that after your sensless steriotypical drivel there would be some positive highlights to being coloured...like our contribution to the struggle, the arts and Cape Towns positive charms in general. Names like Taliep Petersen spring to mind. I dont know about being a "sturvey". In all other races its considered progress to rise above - get an education and speak proper English but no not when you are coloured! U know nothing so "HOU JOU BEK" Hows that for coloured? Mokaobere - 2008-06-30 16:41 I think I appreciate the diversity of S.A. and the passion of humanity. To me personal identity is very important. I am a proudly Mosotho South African, Finish en klaar. I am not gonna be fooled by people who preached about abolishing of the colour. I am always aware what other races' perceptions are on S.A. Africans. So I won't turn a blind eye on that... kam - 2008-06-30 16:42 Butbutbut now I wanna be a coloured from Cpt :( nWo - 2008-06-30 16:43 Comeon get a sense of humour and stop being so tight arsed out everything... Q80 - 2008-06-30 16:50 Now pay attention, this is how you spell: educated, coloured,neighbourhood, won't. The free lesson ends here. So, here is also the answer to your question: YOU BET we don't believe you! Dom doos. Pensive - 2008-06-30 16:54 Maybe what she meant was: "she was offended that ppl were laughing at her being mistaken for a colored" and not "she was offended at being mistaken for a colored" Why not clarify first before you jump to conclusions? Pensive - 2008-06-30 16:58 Colin, i believe she states at the beginning that her "education" was from her "colored co-workers". Whats with you ppl not reading the entire article. Your like a dog with a bone, you pick on something and cant let go... JR - 2008-06-30 17:13 There is a lot love/hate going on about being a coloured or not,but in all honesty if you have not experienced the culture then you will not and cannot understand the humour in it. Identifying with your culture is as important as breathing, some things are instinctive and this often mistaken as being racist.Black, brown, white or coloured I am proud to be South African. So what if you have not eaten a gatsby or had some klippies and cola.Proudly SA Confused - 2008-06-30 17:16 Amien : What do you prefer to be referred to as regards to racial group then? LMAO - 2008-06-30 17:22 The best thing about this article and the reason why so many people seem offended by it, is that it in so many aspects so true. If you cannot laugh at this then it proves that you are not from Cape Town or just don't get Cape Town. Here in the Cape we can laugh at ourselves. And if I may be blunt without the people being described in this article Cape Town will stop existing, next you will start shouting that the klopse on new years is racist. Dubai Expat - 2008-06-30 17:23 What a lekker article. I'm not from CT but did the Gal and Gatsby and ooh so many Bertrams. So the article brought about a chuckle and fond memories of a funfilled youth as a coloured laaitie. so far from home it's great to have a laugh at who we really are, even if now we drink Blue Label and wear Armani - dont forget your roots and stop being so damn touchy... Fast Dave - 2008-06-30 17:27 I can't believe the okes beetching and moaning here... This is quite a funny article (although I've seen funnier). Come now, chill out, have a laugh. Stereotypful jokes can very funny. If you don't see the funny side of this, you can't be a true South African... GailC - 2008-06-30 18:24 As one of the educated coloured poets of our country would say, Christopher van Wyk, we can learn to laugh at each other. I was born in Zambia in the same year of apartheid creation and I want to get to know the people I wasn't permitted to know then and yes I have been into a township or two or three. People need people, race should be unimportant, that's what we voted for. We're all one blood when we are cut. I have friends of varying colours. GailC - 2008-06-30 18:31 like crazy, retard, racist. I walked past a display in a big bookstore not so long ago and got sick to my stomach for the people who were so discriminated against because of colour and hair. Can you believe it was a bench with "Whites Only"? What poor and offensive taste they showed using that as their centrepiece even if it was to do with 16 June and SA week. Rodders - 2008-06-30 18:50 Couldn't agree more, our coloured honeys are some of the best - but that's what I like best about our Rainbow nation: we've got gorgeous chocolate babes, lovely coloured honeys, stunning Indian chicks, and that's before I even get on to the Asian and pale-skinned ladies that live here... ...Damn, but it's good to live in SA!!! pages: 1234

[fazeupmag-blog]

New Post has been published on Fazeup

New Post has been published on https://www.fazeup.tk/2019/05/the-huawei-ban-isnt-simply-unhealthy-for-the-corporate-its-unhealthy-for-android-normally/

The Huawei ban isn’t simply unhealthy for the corporate, it’s unhealthy for Android normally

Opinion submit by

C. Scott Brown

Over the weekend, Google introduced it might stop all enterprise with Chinese language smartphone producer Huawei. After Google’s announcement of this Huawei ban, different firms adopted go well with in a technique or one other, together with Qualcomm, Intel, Microsoft, and even Arm.

The Huawei ban is a results of a number of elements all coming to a head when United States President Donald Trump issued an government order successfully forbidding Huawei from shopping for or promoting merchandise from U.S. firms. To atone for how this all got here to be, seek the advice of our roundup right here.

How will this have an effect on Android as an entire? Many individuals may have a look at this Huawei ban and say, “I don’t own a Huawei phone and don’t ever plan to buy one, so this has no effect on me.”

Nothing could possibly be farther from the reality. This Huawei ban impacts us all, and — if it sticks — the damaging unwanted side effects may do some critical harm to the world of Android.

This Huawei ban goes to be pricey

When Google introduced this Huawei ban, it was straightforward to assume that Huawei — not Google — was in deep trouble. In spite of everything, Google doesn’t make a lot cash from China (no less than indirectly) since Google merchandise are primarily non-existent within the nation.

Nevertheless, Google has loads of money invested in China, together with an AI analysis facility it introduced on the finish of 2017. Mission Dragonfly — Google’s supposedly shelved ambition to deliver Search again to China — is on the very least proof that the corporate has its sights set on the nation.

After this Huawei ban, although, you may wager Google isn’t going to be too welcome in China, which is able to undoubtedly throw its monetary plans right into a tizzy.

Google’s China ambitions at the moment are troubled much more than earlier than, and U.S. firms stand to lose a variety of money.

Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Microsoft, and different U.S. organizations all have funds tied into Huawei indirectly. This Huawei ban signifies that money stream is getting choked which is able to damage the underside line for everybody. Earlier at the moment, we additionally discovered that Arm is pulling all enterprise away from Huawei, which could possibly be much more detrimental to the corporate’s sustainability than shedding Google.

Whereas these firms shedding income doesn’t instantly have an effect on the world of Android, it actually does not directly. When the very pillars of the Android-based smartphone business are feeling monetary stress, that impacts every little thing, normally beginning with R&D. With much less money to burn, we’ll see much less innovation, fewer releases, and better costs for Android merchandise.

May a brand new Android challenger seem?

We already know that Huawei has a “Plan B” within the works in the case of the Android working system. Rumors level to a Huawei-branded OS working Android apps natively and getting prepped to launch as early as this 12 months.

Will this new working system be any good? In all probability not, no less than at first. Android has a ten-year head begin on Huawei, to not point out the advantages of the open supply nature of Android (one thing which Huawei and China would nearly actually by no means assist). When you want proof of how probably it’s that the Huawei cellular OS shall be fairly horrible, simply have a look at the truth that we’ve by no means seen it earlier than — Huawei has relied on Android for years as a result of, frankly, it’s probably the most effective system for the job.

The gloves are off now. If this Huawei ban sticks, the corporate could have no alternative however to go all-in by itself OS. It’s not like Huawei is solely going to cease making smartphones.

If Huawei cannot use Android, it’ll use one thing else. Its smartphone enterprise is just too massive to desert.

It gained’t occur in a single day, however the Huawei OS would finally be a menace to the dominance of Android. Even when it’s a nominal menace at first, that menace will develop as a result of industrial may of Huawei mixed with the backing of China itself. That’s one thing you may’t neglect by way of all of this: Huawei and the nation of China are so intrinsically tied collectively that a struggle with one is invariably additionally a struggle with the opposite.

Editor’s Choose

New particulars emerge on Huawei’s potential plans to go ahead with out Google

The smartphone business was rocked to the core over the weekend when Google revealed it’ll stop all enterprise with telco firm Huawei. This would come with the removing of Android assist on Huawei smartphones, leaving …

Are you able to think about what it might be like if there have been a state-sponsored cellular working system getting pushed out to China’s roughly 1.four billion residents? That’s an enormous portion of the world’s inhabitants who now now not use Android. Even when the OS is horrible, it’ll solely be a matter of time earlier than it’s a steady challenger to Android.

Some may say that competitors within the cellular OS world is welcome as it’ll simply push Android to be that a lot better. Don’t neglect that there have been loads of instances over the previous 20 years the place there have been many cellular working programs duking it out: numerous Home windows programs, BlackBerry OS, Palm OS, Symbian, and many others. All of them are gone now as a result of Android noticed vast adoption at an alarmingly quick tempo — similar to we’d probably see with this Huawei OS.

Now, I’m on no account saying that this Huawei OS goes to kill off Android. I’m merely mentioning that this Huawei OS is probably going not the form of competitors that can make Android any higher.

Huawei is just too massive to fail

Assume again once more to what I stated earlier about how Huawei and China are so linked that they’re almost interchangeable. That’s, after all, one of many massive causes this ban is in impact within the first place.

Huawei is already the second-largest smartphone producer on the planet. It’s additionally already the world’s largest telecommunications firm. If you mix that form of pedigree with the forever-loyal backing of the Chinese language authorities, you’ve the very definition of “too big to fail.”

China and the U.S. have had frosty relations for a very long time. That is solely going to make that worse.

It’s a positive wager that this Huawei ban goes to be the beginning of one thing akin to a chilly warfare. China has already seen the U.S. as an enemy — possibly not an enemy at warfare, however actually as a menace. This simply pushes that dynamic even additional.

China will struggle tooth-and-nail to defend Huawei, that a lot is for certain. Will the U.S. authorities do the identical in the case of firms like Google or Qualcomm? Actually not, no less than not on the similar stage. This Huawei ban is in regards to the U.S. authorities vs. China — and that places U.S. firms in a really intimidating place within the center. When you don’t assume that can have an effect on the world of Android, you’re in for a nasty shock.

Will or not it’s value it?

It’s very straightforward to have conflicting opinions on Huawei. I believe the corporate makes some really distinctive smartphones but additionally know that it has a historical past of some extremely shady enterprise practices. I attempt to not give my cash to firms with such poor moral standing, however a few of their merchandise are fairly tempting, I’ll admit.

With that in thoughts, I’m partially OK with this Huawei ban because it feels a bit like the US standing up for the remainder of the world and saying, “No, you can’t get away with this anymore, Huawei.” In that respect, I’m a supporter of the ban.

It is onerous to take sides with this struggle, however it’s not onerous to hope there will not be an excessive amount of collateral harm.

Alternatively, the US — and the businesses therein, together with Google — don’t have the cleanest of histories both. It’s not troublesome to see some hypocrisy in banning Huawei for actions the U.S. ignores when dedicated by one among its personal.

Editor’s Choose

Must you purchase a Huawei system proper now? (Up to date)

Replace #3: Might 20, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. ET: The U.S. Commerce Division has created a brief 90-day license that restores Huawei’s capability to supply software program updates to current Huawei handsets. Learn extra right here. Authentic article: …

If the moral standing of this Huawei ban is ambiguous at finest, the query then turns into whether or not or not it will likely be value it. We’ll have to attend and see how Huawei handles this to know the reply to that query.

Will Huawei make some concessions and switch issues round as we noticed just lately with ZTE? Will Huawei give the U.S. the metaphorical finger and go its personal method, igniting commerce wars and tech wars in its wake? Will the U.S. understand the gravity of the scenario and make its personal concessions with the intention to preserve the peace? We don’t know but, however right here’s hoping Android doesn’t get completely broken within the meantime.

NEXT: Huawei and the Trump debacle: The story to date

Supply

#additional #again #ahead #already #alternative #amd #and #android #Android apps #apple #ARM #assist #based #begin #beginning #branded #chilly #china #choose #comes #coming #companies #company #competition #computers #could #created #defend #different #distinctive

[richmeganews]

The Atlantic Daily: All Politics Isn’t Local

What We’re Following

The European project: One mayoral candidate in Barcelona used to be the prime minister … of France. Manuel Valls was born in Barcelona to a Catalan father, but at an early age he moved to France before ascending the ranks in the country’s Socialist Party. After stepping down as prime minister in 2016, he decamped to Barcelona. His campaign, like his dual identity, is centered on the ideal of a global, transnational Europe—but in the age of Brexit, that notion seems almost quaint. Valls has so far skirted charges of carpetbaggery. In a crowded field, does the Frenchman really have a shot?

What’s the matter with Wisconsin? After Trump surprisingly won the purple state in 2016, it overwhelmingly swung blue in 2018 with the victory of a Democratic governor. This week, that momentum hit another roadblock. In a crucial race for a state supreme-court seat, the conservative Judge Brian Hagedorn narrowly beat the liberal Judge Lisa Neubauer—an upset that gives conservatives control of the court for the foreseeable future. The victory should serve as a warning sign to Democrats, argues Charles J. Sykes.

One more thing: Last month, we asked you to help us vote on a new holiday, one that we could celebrate together. Would Lend a Hand Day win out over Get Back in Touch Day? Would Crafter All Day win out over Deadline Day? We have a winner: Step Away Day! Take a little tech sabbath this month (including from, gulp … TheAtlantic.com), and let us know how you unplugged by writing to us at [email protected].

—Saahil Desai

This Week in Numbers

Americans still dragging their feet when it comes to filing their tax returns have good reason to dread doing so: The Internal Revenue Service offers this many different types of forms. (Many other countries approach tax filing differently. In Japan and Great Britain, for instance, people don’t actually file.)

In 2018, happiness among young adults in the U.S. seems to have reached a record low: Only this percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 in the General Social Survey reported being “very happy” in life. That number was lower among young men than women. Researchers interrogate the potential reasons.

“Legacies” get a bump in the college-application process for being the children of alumni. But what do colleges get in return? They claim that the practice helps with fundraising efforts, but the numbers don’t add up: From 1980 to 2010 at Yale, the percentage of freshman students who are legacies halved, yet Yale’s endowment grew by roughly this many dollars.

800 | 25 percent | $16 billion

Our Critics’ Picks

(HBO)

Watch: Richard Wright’s Native Son gets the HBO treatment, and the James Baldwin treatment, in Suzan-Lori Parks’s new adaptation. In theaters now is another superhero movie, Shazam!—but this one is actually joyful and family friendly. And Our Planet, Netflix’s stunning and unsparing answer to the BBC’s nature series Planet Earth, is now streaming.

Read: Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, at 50, “never gets old, is the point. It never wanes in energy,” writes James Parker, who’s read and reread the novel countless times. “I appreciate, more than ever, the exultant brokenness of this text.”

Weekend Read

(Wenjia Tang)

This is the story of the lifelong friendship between Fernando Baldazo, 51, and Elizabeth O’Conor, 49, who grew up on opposite sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, attending high school together in Texas:

Elizabeth O’Conor: Back then, there really wasn’t a border. Some of my friends lived in Nuevo Laredo, like Fernando, and came to the school in Laredo, Texas, and vice versa. Going to Nuevo Laredo for lunch or dinner was no big deal. We would do that all the time, without even really realizing we were crossing a border. In high school, I had friends that lived on that side of the border, so I would go to their houses, go to their parties, and at one of those, somewhere, I met Fernando.

Fernando Baldazo: Yeah, my earliest memories are getting together at different parties. When she was a senior in high school, I was living in Mexico. As soon as I finished high school, I moved back to Nuevo Laredo, but I was working and going to school in the U.S. I was working at an electronics store at the local mall here in Texas. I would make her mixtapes for her graduation or for her parties. I had all these electronics and I loved playing with them, so I would just record a tape for her and her friends.

→ Read the rest

Poem of the Week

Happy National Poetry Month. This Friday, an excerpt from “Truth-Seeker, Half-Naked, At Night, Running Down Beach South of San Francisco” by Robert Penn Warren, from our December 1978 issue:

On the beach, flat I fall by the foam-frayed sea That now and then brushes an outflung hand, as though In tentative comfort, yet knowing itself to be As ignorant as I, and perhaps as feckless, also.

→ Read the rest

Looking for our daily mini crossword? Try your hand at it here.

Comments, questions, typos? Email newsletters editor Shan Wang at [email protected]

We have many other free email newsletters on a variety of other topics. Find the full list here.

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#Breaking News

[sheilalmartinia]

Link reclamation: A practical guide for turning unlinked brand mentions into links

Your latest content campaign has been covered by a top-tier global publication… but there’s no link! Your brand (or your client) has been mentioned, but that’s all.

At this stage, do you simply accept the brand value of a mention and move on to target your next link prospect? Or is there a process you can follow to at least try to get a link added in?

Sadly, unlinked brand mentions are one of the biggest challenges when building links through content marketing and digital PR. It’s more common than many link builders would like to admit.

But, seeing a link added in to an article after it’s been published can be easier to achieve than many assume.

You just need to know when it’s right to ask for a link, who you need to reach out to and what you should say. We’ll cover all these things below.

Content-led link building is hard — don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

It often takes blood, sweat and tears to launch a campaign which earns significant numbers of links. And it’s for that reason that link reclamation should be a tactic which is executed as standard. After all, if you’ve put the effort in to land coverage in the first place, it makes sense to follow additional steps to secure a link if that’s what it takes.

How many people use link reclamation?

To demonstrate a point: I recently reached out to my Twitter and LinkedIn networks. I asked a simple question: ‘Do you use link reclamation alongside your content marketing campaigns?’

The responses surprised me…

Always: 29% Sometimes: 47% Never: 24%

Of those who took the time to respond, only three in ten are executing link reclamation as standard on every campaign.

Perhaps more surprising is that one in four aren’t using it at all.

Given some of the comments left alongside the poll, this is something which many turn to if they have time — rather than working it into a wider link building process.

Think of the links which could have been earned but which were simply let lie as brand mentions.

What is link reclamation?

Link reclamation is a simple but efficient tactic to turn brand mentions into links; usually those earned as part of a content marketing or digital PR campaign.

As SEOs, we understand the value of authoritative, editorial links and the impact which they can have upon our campaigns — just as much as we understand how hard it is to even earn coverage from top-tier publications in the first place.

That’s why it can be frustrating when we discover a brand mention which doesn’t link.

What’s really important to remember, however, is that, in many instances, journalists aren’t purposefully avoiding linking to you or your client. For one reason or another (whether that’s trying to speed up the publishing process, a question as to whether a link is really needed to tell the story or others…) articles sometimes go published without a link.

As an industry we need to accept that there’s little we can do to change a journalist’s own processes and publication criteria. What we can do is take action and follow a series of tried and tested steps to try to land that link.

After all, the hard work of getting the coverage in the first place is already done. Turning a brand mention into a link is surely easy in comparison, right?

I’d like to say yes. And in many cases it is. However, I’ve also seen some horrendous examples of link reclamation gone wrong, usually because of a lack of understanding as to whether a link is actually deserved or not.

How do you find unlinked brand mentions?

One way to find unlinked brand mentions is to use ahref’s content explorer and follow their tutorial here. Combining a CSV export with Screaming Frog to compile a list of web pages which mention your brand but which don’t link.

If you’re actively promoting a content marketing or digital PR campaign, however, you’ll undoubtedly already be looking for the latest coverage.

One of the easiest ways to find this is through Google News. Filter by ‘Past 24 hours’ to see coverage picked up in the past day, or set to ‘Past week’ if you’re looking to find additional articles and features.

This will often throw up a number of unlinked brand mentions  which you then can use link reclamation tactics for to try and turn them into a link.

Don’t forget to set up Google Alerts both across your brand name and campaign headlines as well to easily be alerted to further unlinked mention opportunities to explore.

When should you ask for a brand mention to be linked?

It’s not always right to ask for an unlinked brand mentioned to be turned into a link.

Despite what many may say, a journalist doesn’t owe you a link. Not even if they cover your campaign.

A link’s purpose is to take a user from A to B and, in order for that to make sense to be in place, it typically needs to add value of some sorts.

To put this into a working context, let’s look at a few different scenarios here.

Your brand (or client) has been mentioned in an article in reference to a study which you conducted and which the article directly mentions. There’s no link but many of the statistics and findings have been revealed.

A journalist has featured an infographic which you produced (and embedded it) but hasn’t linked. They have credited your brand.

Your brand has been referenced alongside a quote which you supplied to a journalist to add further weight to their story around a subject.

Your brand has been mentioned out of context. In this case, let’s base it around a Tweet which circulated last year; one of your physical stores has been mentioned in an online newspaper, only in reference to a robbery taking place over the road from it.

In which instance would you say you’re well-deserved of the link?

Scenario one. 

When there’s a clear opportunity to add value with what’s on the other end of the link, there’s no debating that a link should be in place and it’s easy to justify why. The good news is that, in many cases, the link will already be in place when there’s clear value to the user and is an important part of the wider article.

Scenarios two and three are the ones where most link reclamation activity happens. Those where a link references the original campaign or the brand who has supplied a quote. In most cases, the link isn’t already in place here because it isn’t vital to the story. However, the link is in context and can be requested as a way to cite a source.

Scenario four is where link reclamation should be avoided. The link is of no value to readers and doesn’t make contextual sense.

Always be mindful as to whether it makes sense for a link to be added in to an article. Ask yourself; “would a link add value to a reader?” Otherwise, you’re wasting your time trying to reclaim an out-of-context mention.

You need to be able to clearly outline where a link should point to.

Note: requesting homepage, category or service page links is often not as successful as those to content pages as it can be seen as overly commercial.

You also need to be able to justify why it makes sense to be in place to maximize your success rate at link reclamation.

Who should you approach with your request?

You need to make sure you’re making your request to the right person to increase your chances of seeing a brand mentioned turned into a link.

Your options of who to approach are usually:

The journalist who wrote and published the article

Their editor

The publication’s corrections desk

You see, most go straight back to the journalist who they pitched the original story to, however this isn’t always as successful as it could be.

Why?

Journalists are busy people.

Once they’ve hit publish there’s a good chance they’ve moved onto writing their next article and have more or less forgotten about what they last put together. And we simply have to accept that. They have new priorities and they’re not about to go and drop everything to add your link back in.

Of course, that’s not to say that reaching back out to a journalist doesn’t work, simply that they’re not always the best option.

You could reach out to the editor of the section. However, again, they’re busy individuals and adding your link in likely doesn’t come as a high priority.

A corrections desk’s role is to make amends to articles which have already been published.

This makes them, at least for me, the first people to reach out to.

You’ll find corrections contacts listed for most publications. If we take a look at Metro’s ‘Contact Us’ page (found in their footer), we see:

The address clearly states that the purpose is for complaints or corrections. sSending your link reclamation request here often ensures both quick action and an increased chance of success.

Say you send to the corrections desk and either get no reply after three days or you don’t see the link added in. (Note that you often won’t be notified that a link has been added to the article after you request it through the corrections desk — so be sure to keep checking yourself.) In this case, you might go back and reach out to either the journalist or the editor (or both; essentially giving you three chances at getting that link).

What should you say to maximize your chances of getting the link?

I’ve spent hours in the past reworking emails, but am confident that the approach which I now take works well, at least across my own clients and campaigns.

I’ve learned that a successful link reclamation email includes the following:

A polite THANK YOU for covering your campaign, brand or client (manners really do go a long way)

A clear reference to the title of the article which contains the brand mention

A link to the article which contains the mention

The link which you want added in to the article

A simple justification as to why the link adds value to readers

And, in practice, here’s what that looks like for me:

It’s simple, straight to the point and polite; however what it does perfectly is justify why a link would add value to the article and should be added in.

In this particular example, the link was added into an article on USA Today within 2 hours of sending the email.

Earning extra links for your brand

Link reclamation is something, as far as I’m concerned, should be done alongside all content marketing and digital PR campaigns to help you maximize the number of quality links earned.

Once you understand what works (and what doesn’t) in terms of who to approach and what to say, you’ll find that it’s something you can spend half an hour on each day and see results from.

At the end of the day, links still work in SEO. And there’s every argument to be made to put in that extra bit of effort to earn more from your (already put in) hard work.

James Brockbank is Managing Director of Digitaloft, a multi-award winning SEO, PPC & Content Marketing agency. You can find him on Twitter @BrockbankJames.

The post Link reclamation: A practical guide for turning unlinked brand mentions into links appeared first on Search Engine Watch.

from Search Engine Watch https://searchenginewatch.com/2019/02/15/link-reclamation-a-practical-guide-for-turning-unlinked-brand-mentions-into-links/

[itsjessicaisreal]

Almost 60% of marketers haven’t implemented AMP, see why (and why it’s no excuse)

When it comes to page speed, a few seconds of slowdown can cost you. Slow load times cripple conversion rates, raise the price you pay for ad impressions, and even drive qualified traffic to your competitors.

All this being true, Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) would seem like the hail mary pass that marketers have been waiting for. Essentially, AMP is a Google-backed framework for creating web pages that deliver near-instant load times, even on mobile. I say “near-instant” here, but I like how the AMP Project itself puts it: AMP pages are “so fast they appear to load instantly.”

What does AMP mean for marketers? Faster delivery of your content, for one thing. The end of waiting altogether, maybe. Ultimately, AMP can result in a significant uptick in traffic and improved conversion rates overall.

So, naturally, every marketer is planning to adopt it in 2019, right? Right!?

*record scratch*

Marketers have been slow to adopt AMP for a variety of reasons (via Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report).

Wait, wait, I can explain. As part of our 2019 Page Speed Report, we asked marketers if they planned to implement AMP in the near future. 57% of them told us they have no plans to implement it, while 23% are still considering it.

Those who haven’t adopted the framework have a range of reasons why, but they fall into three broad categories:

AMP requires a significant investment of developer resources.

AMP is poorly understood (or perhaps poorly messaged).

Google’s past behavior has made some people wary of AMP.

I’ll explore these reasons in further detail below. For now, it’s worth saying that each has some validity. But I don’t think any of them—alone or together—should be your excuse not to implement AMP for your marketing campaigns.

In the long run, businesses who overcome these objections will be better positioned than those who don’t, despite perceived drawbacks. As I wrote elsewhere, “Turbo-charged landing pages result in more traffic and higher engagement, boosting conversions and helping PPC campaigns win increased ad impressions for less.” The AMP framework helps you achieve this kind of performance, even on a smartphone.

Want more insights about page speed? You can explore all the findings in the complete 2019 Page Speed Report for Marketers here. Access is free and ungated, so take a look.

Reason 1: Limited development resources

A significant hurdle that marketers face when it comes to adding AMP to their site has to do with technical resourcing. Four of the answers to our survey question touched on this problem:

Developers are not experienced with coding for AMP (12% of respondents)

No developer capacity to implement it (32% of respondents)

Too time-consuming to implement it (12% of respondents)

Validation issues with AMP pages we did create (2% of respondents)

It’s no secret that AMP comes with a steep-ish learning curve.

By using a restricted version of HTML and a custom JavaScript library, the framework ensures an optimized (read: fast-loading!) experience. Using Google’s AMP Cache (a content delivery network that stores your page on Google’s servers) further accelerates your pages.

But it also requires your developers to dedicate time to learning and mastering AMP-HTML and the AMP JavaScript library. And since Google’s AMP Cache requires validation once you’ve built an AMP page, there’s really no “good enough” moment here. Either your page works and goes live, or it doesn’t and you need to find your error. Who feels motivated to learn under those conditions?

AMP validation in action—or should I write, “inaction”? (via The AMP Project).

By its very nature, the limitations of AMP also demand a certain, let’s say, technical dexterity. Because bloated scripts tend to be a major contributor to slowdown, AMP’s JavaScript library puts the brakes on the third-party scripting that people have gotten used to using. (And AMP HTML comes with its own quirks.) Working within these constraints can often produce innovation, but it’s also a source of frustration for many who just wanna get stuff done.

Finally, poor analytics has been significant speed bumps on the road to AMP adoption. Tracking and analyzing visitor behavior is an integral part of running an online marketing campaign, but early in its life, AMP asked us to go blind. No thank you.

Why time and dev work are no excuse…

First, let’s be real: the AMP framework is a set of restrictions. That’s the point. So wishing for an AMP without any limitations at all doesn’t make sense.

In addition, many of the difficulties that plagued developers in the early years of AMP are no longer an issue. Tracking, for instance, has improved dramatically since AMP launched in 2015. Today, by using the AMP Analytics tag, you can isolate and analyze AMP traffic in Google Analytics. Though it can’t yet do everything that standard tracking can, it will collect data about users, pages, browsing, and (most significantly) events. As Search Engine Journal points out, “for most content marketers, that’s sufficient.” Not a ringing endorsement, sure, but tracking is now good enough for most marketing purposes.

As AMP development has continued, scripting has also become more robust, and the options available have expanded. Unfortunately, many people rely on scripts from third parties for tracking and integrations, but a lot of companies have been slow to deliver AMP-compatible versions. As adoption has increased, however, so too has the pressure on these companies to deliver.

That said, some of what AMP asks us to leave behind is also inessential. Pages clogged by unoptimized script may soon be looked upon we look at the tailfins on the back of a 50’s Cadillac. (Or, hey, remember the heady days when every site seemed to require Macromedia Flash? When it comes to the web, more isn’t always better.)

Reason 2: Some marketers really don’t get this whole AMP thing

Despite having a mouth to Google’s megaphone, the AMP Project has struggled to be heard beyond web development or publishing circles. When we asked marketers in The Page Speed Report, we discovered the following:

There’s a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to AMP (via Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report).

While 54% of the digital marketers said they have some understanding of AMP, the rest assuredly did not. A quarter of ’em hadn’t even heard of Accelerated Mobile Pages before taking our survey.

Why misunderstanding is no excuse…

First, AMP is hardly floundering, despite the fact that you may not have heard about it. It has the combined might of Google, Pinterest, Twitter, WordPress, and Bing backing it. And AMP already covers more than 31 million domains serving billions of AMP pages. If you browse the web on your smartphone, in other words, chances are very strong you’ve visited an AMP page.

AMP pages appear in the search results with a lightning bolt icon.

Second, if you hadn’t heard of AMP until you read this article, no worries—because now you have. That gives you an advantage over the 24% of marketers who’re still in the dark. It’s always best to think competitively about page speed. Knowing about AMP (and implementing it) can put you out in front of your competitors by dramatically improving your load times.

EDITOR’S NOTE. There’s a lot of misinformation or misunderstanding out there about AMP. You can read more about AMP and its myths in this blog post from Unbounce’s Larissa Hildebrandt.

Reason 3: Google is “evil” now

Even before they stripped the “don’t be evil” clause from their official code of conduct last year, Google earned a reputation for shady doings.

With the launch of the AMP Project in October of 2015, though, they stirred up a controversy that they didn’t seem to anticipate. Critics were quick to argue that AMP represents yet another move to lock down the web, gallingly disguised as an open-source project.

Many of these accusations point to the Google AMP Cache, which speeds up delivery of content by storing your pages on Google’s servers. AMP doesn’t actually require using Google’s cache—people can create their own—but this tends to be how it’s done. In most cases, the content lives with Google, and a searcher may never touch your actual website. As Daniel Miessler puts it, this is potentially “poisonous to the underlying concept of an open internet.”

Why it’s no excuse…

The language of dissent can get a little, uh, heated (see Barry Adam’s colorful “Google AMP Can Go To Hell”) but a free and open internet is a public good we should be all getting behind. Keeping Google from controlling the entire universe is a definite good for free speech and democracy. (And it’s better for business too.)

But so is delivering fast speeds so that more people can access the web. And AMP helps with that, big time. Remember, the loss of net neutrality means providers can potentially throttle speeds, offering “slow” and “fast” lanes depending on what customers can afford. And 70% of connections globally will remain 3G or slower through 2020 regardless. For these reasons, AMP seems downright necessary, and that’s why news organizations—like The Guardian and The New York Times—were among the first to adopt it.

For what it’s worth, Google has pled innocent in the court of public opinion. In September they took steps to distance themselves from the AMP Project by adopting a new governance model that includes other companies. What this means is that—though Googlers conceived and shepherded AMP—its future is now squarely in the hands of a group that may not always act in the tech giant’s interests. That’s a very good thing.

Why marketers should implement AMP

It’s well-known that delays can create anticipation. But make no mistake, your sluggish website in no way resembles the slow, sultry, seductive pour of Heinz ketchup onto a plate of golden french fries. In fact, the experience has more in common with waiting for your number to be called at the DMV.

By making prospects sit through delays, you’re serving up a heaping helping of frustration, annoyance, and uncertainty. All before they ever even see your content…

…or, rather, if they ever see your content. Because many of ’em won’t make it that far. In Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report for Marketers, a majority of consumers told us that they’ll wait 4-6 seconds before giving up on a slow page.

A majority of consumers say they’ll wait 4-6 seconds before clicking away (via Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report).

Data gathered by Google says the actual number is closer to 3 seconds. After that, many consumers told us they close their browser or even go to a competitor’s site instead. 45% of them told us that a slow loading site makes them less likely to make a purchase. If you want to get fast—like, really, really fast—AMP can get you there.

Unbounce + AMP

It’s no secret we’re bullish on AMP at Unbounce. That’s because Accelerated Mobile Pages have many tangible benefits as a quick way to create a near-instant visitor experience. Not only can they have a dramatic effect on your conversion rates, but they can also increase organic traffic overall and improve Quality Scores in Google Ads.

We were surprised to learn in the Page Speed Report how many marketers are avoiding AMP due to difficulty with developer resources. So, as part of our initiatives to improve page speeds, we’ve sought to make AMP friendlier to the non-developer, reducing or eliminating frustration. You can now drag and drop together AMP experiences, and we’re walking you through what AMP is, why you need it, and how to implement it.

So what’s the ultimate reason you no longer have an excuse for not implementing AMP?

Because we’re making it much easier.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be making AMP landing pages available to all Unbounce customers. Using them can still mean choosing efficiency over flashy scripts, but we’ve already seen our beta test community finding new ways to balance beauty and speed. We’re excited to hear how AMP landing pages impact your conversion rates when they hit. And I’m excited to start sharing some success stories (and actionable takeaways) with readers of this blog.

from Marketing https://unbounce.com/online-marketing/why-marketers-should-implement-amp/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[roypstickney]

Almost 60% of marketers haven’t implemented AMP, see why (and why it’s no excuse)

When it comes to page speed, a few seconds of slowdown can cost you. Slow load times cripple conversion rates, raise the price you pay for ad impressions, and even drive qualified traffic to your competitors.

All this being true, Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) would seem like the hail mary pass that marketers have been waiting for. Essentially, AMP is a Google-backed framework for creating web pages that deliver near-instant load times, even on mobile. I say “near-instant” here, but I like how the AMP Project itself puts it: AMP pages are “so fast they appear to load instantly.”

What does AMP mean for marketers? Faster delivery of your content, for one thing. The end of waiting altogether, maybe. Ultimately, AMP can result in a significant uptick in traffic and improved conversion rates overall.

So, naturally, every marketer is planning to adopt it in 2019, right? Right!?

*record scratch*

Marketers have been slow to adopt AMP for a variety of reasons (via Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report).

Wait, wait, I can explain. As part of our 2019 Page Speed Report, we asked marketers if they planned to implement AMP in the near future. 57% of them told us they have no plans to implement it, while 23% are still considering it.

Those who haven’t adopted the framework have a range of reasons why, but they fall into three broad categories:

AMP requires a significant investment of developer resources.

AMP is poorly understood (or perhaps poorly messaged).

Google’s past behavior has made some people wary of AMP.

I’ll explore these reasons in further detail below. For now, it’s worth saying that each has some validity. But I don’t think any of them—alone or together—should be your excuse not to implement AMP for your marketing campaigns.

In the long run, businesses who overcome these objections will be better positioned than those who don’t, despite perceived drawbacks. As I wrote elsewhere, “Turbo-charged landing pages result in more traffic and higher engagement, boosting conversions and helping PPC campaigns win increased ad impressions for less.” The AMP framework helps you achieve this kind of performance, even on a smartphone.

Want more insights about page speed? You can explore all the findings in the complete 2019 Page Speed Report for Marketers here. Access is free and ungated, so take a look.

Reason 1: Limited development resources

A significant hurdle that marketers face when it comes to adding AMP to their site has to do with technical resourcing. Four of the answers to our survey question touched on this problem:

Developers are not experienced with coding for AMP (12% of respondents)

No developer capacity to implement it (32% of respondents)

Too time-consuming to implement it (12% of respondents)

Validation issues with AMP pages we did create (2% of respondents)

It’s no secret that AMP comes with a steep-ish learning curve.

By using a restricted version of HTML and a custom JavaScript library, the framework ensures an optimized (read: fast-loading!) experience. Using Google’s AMP Cache (a content delivery network that stores your page on Google’s servers) further accelerates your pages.

But it also requires your developers to dedicate time to learning and mastering AMP-HTML and the AMP JavaScript library. And since Google’s AMP Cache requires validation once you’ve built an AMP page, there’s really no “good enough” moment here. Either your page works and goes live, or it doesn’t and you need to find your error. Who feels motivated to learn under those conditions?

AMP validation in action—or should I write, “inaction”? (via The AMP Project).

By its very nature, the limitations of AMP also demand a certain, let’s say, technical dexterity. Because bloated scripts tend to be a major contributor to slowdown, AMP’s JavaScript library puts the brakes on the third-party scripting that people have gotten used to using. (And AMP HTML comes with its own quirks.) Working within these constraints can often produce innovation, but it’s also a source of frustration for many who just wanna get stuff done.

Finally, poor analytics has been significant speed bumps on the road to AMP adoption. Tracking and analyzing visitor behavior is an integral part of running an online marketing campaign, but early in its life, AMP asked us to go blind. No thank you.

Why time and dev work are no excuse…

First, let’s be real: the AMP framework is a set of restrictions. That’s the point. So wishing for an AMP without any limitations at all doesn’t make sense.

In addition, many of the difficulties that plagued developers in the early years of AMP are no longer an issue. Tracking, for instance, has improved dramatically since AMP launched in 2015. Today, by using the AMP Analytics tag, you can isolate and analyze AMP traffic in Google Analytics. Though it can’t yet do everything that standard tracking can, it will collect data about users, pages, browsing, and (most significantly) events. As Search Engine Journal points out, “for most content marketers, that’s sufficient.” Not a ringing endorsement, sure, but tracking is now good enough for most marketing purposes.

As AMP development has continued, scripting has also become more robust, and the options available have expanded. Unfortunately, many people rely on scripts from third parties for tracking and integrations, but a lot of companies have been slow to deliver AMP-compatible versions. As adoption has increased, however, so too has the pressure on these companies to deliver.

That said, some of what AMP asks us to leave behind is also inessential. Pages clogged by unoptimized script may soon be looked upon we look at the tailfins on the back of a 50’s Cadillac. (Or, hey, remember the heady days when every site seemed to require Macromedia Flash? When it comes to the web, more isn’t always better.)

Reason 2: Some marketers really don’t get this whole AMP thing

Despite having a mouth to Google’s megaphone, the AMP Project has struggled to be heard beyond web development or publishing circles. When we asked marketers in The Page Speed Report, we discovered the following:

There’s a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to AMP (via Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report).

While 54% of the digital marketers said they have some understanding of AMP, the rest assuredly did not. A quarter of ’em hadn’t even heard of Accelerated Mobile Pages before taking our survey.

Why misunderstanding is no excuse…

First, AMP is hardly floundering, despite the fact that you may not have heard about it. It has the combined might of Google, Pinterest, Twitter, WordPress, and Bing backing it. And AMP already covers more than 31 million domains serving billions of AMP pages. If you browse the web on your smartphone, in other words, chances are very strong you’ve visited an AMP page.

AMP pages appear in the search results with a lightning bolt icon.

Second, if you hadn’t heard of AMP until you read this article, no worries—because now you have. That gives you an advantage over the 24% of marketers who’re still in the dark. It’s always best to think competitively about page speed. Knowing about AMP (and implementing it) can put you out in front of your competitors by dramatically improving your load times.

EDITOR’S NOTE. There’s a lot of misinformation or misunderstanding out there about AMP. You can read more about AMP and its myths in this blog post from Unbounce’s Larissa Hildebrandt.

Reason 3: Google is “evil” now

Even before they stripped the “don’t be evil” clause from their official code of conduct last year, Google earned a reputation for shady doings.

With the launch of the AMP Project in October of 2015, though, they stirred up a controversy that they didn’t seem to anticipate. Critics were quick to argue that AMP represents yet another move to lock down the web, gallingly disguised as an open-source project.

Many of these accusations point to the Google AMP Cache, which speeds up delivery of content by storing your pages on Google’s servers. AMP doesn’t actually require using Google’s cache—people can create their own—but this tends to be how it’s done. In most cases, the content lives with Google, and a searcher may never touch your actual website. As Daniel Miessler puts it, this is potentially “poisonous to the underlying concept of an open internet.”

Why it’s no excuse…

The language of dissent can get a little, uh, heated (see Barry Adam’s colorful “Google AMP Can Go To Hell”) but a free and open internet is a public good we should be all getting behind. Keeping Google from controlling the entire universe is a definite good for free speech and democracy. (And it’s better for business too.)

But so is delivering fast speeds so that more people can access the web. And AMP helps with that, big time. Remember, the loss of net neutrality means providers can potentially throttle speeds, offering “slow” and “fast” lanes depending on what customers can afford. And 70% of connections globally will remain 3G or slower through 2020 regardless. For these reasons, AMP seems downright necessary, and that’s why news organizations—like The Guardian and The New York Times—were among the first to adopt it.

For what it’s worth, Google has pled innocent in the court of public opinion. In September they took steps to distance themselves from the AMP Project by adopting a new governance model that includes other companies. What this means is that—though Googlers conceived and shepherded AMP—its future is now squarely in the hands of a group that may not always act in the tech giant’s interests. That’s a very good thing.

Why marketers should implement AMP

It’s well-known that delays can create anticipation. But make no mistake, your sluggish website in no way resembles the slow, sultry, seductive pour of Heinz ketchup onto a plate of golden french fries. In fact, the experience has more in common with waiting for your number to be called at the DMV.

By making prospects sit through delays, you’re serving up a heaping helping of frustration, annoyance, and uncertainty. All before they ever even see your content…

…or, rather, if they ever see your content. Because many of ’em won’t make it that far. In Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report for Marketers, a majority of consumers told us that they’ll wait 4-6 seconds before giving up on a slow page.

A majority of consumers say they’ll wait 4-6 seconds before clicking away (via Unbounce’s 2019 Page Speed Report).

Data gathered by Google says the actual number is closer to 3 seconds. After that, many consumers told us they close their browser or even go to a competitor’s site instead. 45% of them told us that a slow loading site makes them less likely to make a purchase. If you want to get fast—like, really, really fast—AMP can get you there.

Unbounce + AMP

It’s no secret we’re bullish on AMP at Unbounce. That’s because Accelerated Mobile Pages have many tangible benefits as a quick way to create a near-instant visitor experience. Not only can they have a dramatic effect on your conversion rates, but they can also increase organic traffic overall and improve Quality Scores in Google Ads.

We were surprised to learn in the Page Speed Report how many marketers are avoiding AMP due to difficulty with developer resources. So, as part of our initiatives to improve page speeds, we’ve sought to make AMP friendlier to the non-developer, reducing or eliminating frustration. You can now drag and drop together AMP experiences, and we’re walking you through what AMP is, why you need it, and how to implement it.

So what’s the ultimate reason you no longer have an excuse for not implementing AMP?

Because we’re making it much easier.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be making AMP landing pages available to all Unbounce customers. Using them can still mean choosing efficiency over flashy scripts, but we’ve already seen our beta test community finding new ways to balance beauty and speed. We’re excited to hear how AMP landing pages impact your conversion rates when they hit. And I’m excited to start sharing some success stories (and actionable takeaways) with readers of this blog.

[patriotsnet]

Are Republicans More Racist Than Democrats

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/are-republicans-more-racist-than-democrats/

Are Republicans More Racist Than Democrats

How Should We Address The Uss History Of Slavery And Racism Heres What Americans Think

Are White Republicans Really More Racist Than White Democrats?

Reddit

Discussion of racial issues has intensified in recent years, with vigorous debates emerging at the national and local level over once obscure academic arguments such as critical race theory. At the core of much of the discussion is how we should confront Americas history of slavery and racism. As this debate continues, a recently released report from the Pew Research Center sheds new light on the question.

Here are the core findings: Although 48% of Americans think that the country has made real progress on race over the past 50 years, 50% say that a lot more needs to be done, 57% believe that whites benefit from advantages that Black Americans lack, and 53% view increased attention to slavery and racism as positive for society.

Beneath these aggregate statistics, there are significant differences among different groups in the population, mainly along racial, partisan, age, and educational lines. For example, 46% of whites think that giving increased attention to slavery and racism is a good thing, compared to 75% of Blacks, 59% of Hispanics, and 64% of Asians. The partisan gap is large: 78% of Democrats favor highlighting slavery and racism, versus just 25% of Republicans. Young adults are 19 percentage points more likely to approve than seniorsno doubt a reflection of the fact that, as we know from the recent census results, younger Americans are more diverse than older Americans. The same gap divides the most- and least-educated Americans.

White Republicans An Outlier On Views About Race In America

Data: Axios/Ipsos poll; Chart: Axios Visuals

A new Axios-Ipsos poll on race relations one year after George Floyd’s murder shows in stunning detail how there’s no such thing as “what white Americans think,” with Republicans and Democrats seemingly living in two different worlds.

Why it matters: Such a vast gap between the left and right inside the majority U.S. racial group belies the notion of a compromise view, and it shows why Congress has been so slow to act.

Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets.

It also helps to explain why Donald Trump still has such a hold on the GOP.

Watch: Axios’ race and justice reporter Russell Contreras and managing editor for politics Margaret Talev discuss the poll’s findings on “Axios on HBO” on HBO and HBO Max.

Details: Black Americans are the most dissatisfied or worried about the status quo on issues from policing to employment to politics.

57% of white Americans say that “the events of the past year have made me realize there is still a lot of racism in our country,” but that breaks down as 35% of white Republicans and 93% of white Democrats. By comparison, 80% of Black Americans agreed with that view.

The poll also examined racial and ethnic disparities around policing and the criminal justice system, which Axios’ David Nather unpacked as part of our Hard Truths series.

This same split between white Democrats and Republicans can be seen across most of those questions as well.

Not A Generalization But The Majority Of Racists Are Republican

OK, as current proof of my point, http://img3.allvoices.com/thumbs/image/609/480/95031869-vote-romney.jpgSorry for the long link, but it completely proves my point. RACIST!Also, it is not uncommon for people to hold up highly offensive posters at rallies, speeches etc. For example, one said ‘Impeach the half-breed Muslim’ . Tell me again that that isn’t racist. I also want to make the point that NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS! PEOPLE SHOULDN”T CARE IF THEIR PRESIDENT IS MUSLIM ANYWAYS!!!!!!!!! I actually know many Muslims and they are awesome and some of the nicest people on earth . Just because some Muslims screwed up doesn’t mean that every Muslim is the same way. Don’t pull the argument about slavery, the parties have morphed and current examples are better.

Read Also: Did Republicans And Democrats Switch Names

Democrats Or Republicans Who Do You Think The Happier Group Is Overall

Based on my unofficial research and that of some of our readers, the Republicans and Conservative Democrats appear to be the winners. Why do I say that?; Well, just by their demeanor. During interviews they generally seem to be the calmer, more respectable of the two. Republicans certainly arent perfect, and they certainly dont always have the right idea or say or do the right thing.; And, they tend to exaggerate a bit .

Analysis: A Reckoning On Racism Not For Many Leaders Of Gop

NEW YORK If the nation is in the midst of a historic reckoning on racism, most leaders of the Republican Party are not participating.

On the day last week that a jury convicted the police officer who killed George Floyd, Republicans in Washington focused much of their energy on condemning the longest-serving Black woman in Congress. In the days since, former President Donald Trump attacked what he called the racist rants of basketball icon LeBron James. And some of Trumps staunchest supporters on Capitol Hill are considering forming a new group that initially planned to champion Anglo-Saxon political traditions.

Beyond simple rhetoric, Republican state lawmakers are pushing forward with new voting restrictions that disproportionately affect people of color and are resisting legislation designed to prevent police brutality.

The moves reflect a stark political reality: As America grows more diverse, the Republican Party continues to be led almost entirely by white people, particularly men, who cater to an overwhelmingly white base. And despite fierce criticism from civil rights leaders and growing concern from business leaders who are traditional allies, many Republicans see no problem.

Its unfortunate that more in the Republican Party are not willing to stand up for what I would define as creating a more just and humane system, Martin Luther King III told The Associated Press. It makes you wonder if they really even care.

Passage remains uncertain, however.

Recommended Reading: How Did The Republicans Take Control Of Congress

More Than Half Of Republicans Think Minorities Are Favored Over Whites In The United States

At its heart, the Black Lives Matter movement is focused on the ways in which racism is embedded in American law enforcement, resulting in a disproportionately large number of deaths of Black people at the hands of police. This idea that racism may be embedded in governmental or social systems is the crux of critical race theory. Racism, the theory postulates, isnt simply a function of racist people acting out against others because of their race. Instead, some of racisms most significant effects are felt from long-standing systems that have integrated, often invisibly, race-specific differences.

That the Black Lives Matter movement has been so successful at drawing attention to issues of race and racism, though, means that its much easier to notice complaints about systemic racism than it is to notice the racism itself. It means that there are good-faith but clumsy efforts to draw attention to issues of race that have little to do with critical race theory but which become a focal point of aggravation. It also means that groups that benefit from systemic advantages mostly White Americans may feel that they are the ones being criticized. If you dont see the purported racism but feel that youre being held to account for it, frustration would naturally result.

In 2017, fewer than half of Republicans said that minorities are favored over Whites. Now, a majority say they are.

But When You Watch The Republican In The Media Being Attacked The Majority Tend To Handle It With More Grace Then The Majority Of The Democrats

I dont think its because the Republicans have more money because the Democrats tend to be the wealthier group.; The majority of the richest people in the world are Democrats or Liberals.; Yet, they sure dont look like a happy group of folks .; I think a lot of people who are rich were their happiest when they were working hard coming up through the ranks and earning their money.; I also think sometimes the social issues they get caught up in when they become wealthy can be frustrating causing many people to lose their tolerance over time.

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Why Did The Debate Become A National Controversy

Arguably, a large part of the debate has been inflamed and muddled by the activism of a conservative documentary filmmaker named Christopher Rufo.

As detailed in an extensive New Yorker profile, Rufo built a cottage industry exposing government racial awareness training across the US. While doing so, he discovered the academic writing behind it – and set out to raise awareness about what he saw as an organised effort to “re-engineer the foundation of human psychology and social institutions through the new politics of race”.

He labelled all of the various episodes and instances he was cataloguing as examples of “critical race theory” in practice, even though the academic discipline was not always an exact fit for what he was documenting.

“The goal is to have the public read something crazy in the newspaper and immediately think ‘critical race theory’,” he wrote . “We have decodified the term and will recodify it to annex the entire range of cultural constructions that are unpopular with Americans.”

The term, he told the New York Times, made for the “perfect villain” because it sounded academic, elitist, racist and divisive.

How far have African Americans come since 1960s?

Legislative as well as grassroots rebukes of public-school teaching labelled as CRT have cropped up around the country.

Because it is a concept, not a stand-alone subject, opponents have assembled lists to help parents identify what they see as harmful terms and topics in the classroom.

What Do Supporters And Opponents Say

Who Do YOU Think Is More Racist, White Democrats or White Republicans?

There’s a cartoon that circulates among critical race theory supporters showing children, one tall and one short, trying to peer over a fence to watch a baseball game. Equality, the illustration explains, is giving children the same sized box to stand on – with one child still unable to see over the obstacle. Equity, on the other hand, gives the shortest child the most boxes, so that everyone can see the field.

The idea of equity is to provide more to those who are perceived to have the greatest disadvantage in order to achieve better equality of outcome and to compensate for the historical wrongs of discrimination and systemic racism.

“A key part of the argument of critical race theory is that racism is endemic to American society because of the way society is structured,” says Lynn. Teaching with the framework addressed issues that “people have been trying to do for a long time to correct some of the problems we have in schools” he says.

It’s a view that animated affirmative action programmes – race-based preferences in hiring and college admissions – in the past, and currently influences everything from road repair in Oakland, California, to the Biden administration’s vaccine outreach efforts.

He says the idea of “equity” is more than just policy prescriptions, it’s about “abandoning the broad political philosophy that has traditionally held this country together”.

Read Also: How Many Republicans Are Needed To Vote For Impeachment

How Is Critical Race Theory Taught

How – and even whether – CRT is being taught is the subject of contention that lies at the heart of the current debate.

As a curriculum subject, critical race theory is largely the purview of university law schools and graduate programmes.

The concepts, however, have influenced historians, journalists and educators in school districts across the US who say they want to do more to teach the public about the US struggles with discrimination rooted in race.

One high-profile effort, the New York Times magazine’s 1619 Project, was a series of essays and articles that sought to “reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very centre of our national narrative”, per the paper’s description.

It received mixed reviews, including sometimes sharp criticism from historians who disputed its accuracy.

How the concepts translate into a public-school curriculum and teacher training have become the flashpoint of the CRT controversy.

An elementary school in Cupertino, California, for instance, asked third-graders to label their own power and privilege in an “identity map”. At least 30 schools recommended that students should read Not My Idea, a children’s book that called racism “a white person’s problem and we are all caught up in it”.

Instances like these have led to what has become an increasingly intense criticism.

Reagan’s Neshoba County Fair States’ Rights Speech

Aistrup argued that one example of Reagan field-testing coded language in the South was a reference to an unscrupulous man using food stamps as a “strapping young buck”. When informed of the offensive connotations of the term, Reagan defended his actions as a nonracial term that was common in his Illinois hometown. Ultimately, Reagan never used that particular phrasing again. According to Ian Haney Lopez, the “young buck” term changed into “young fellow” which was less overtly racist: “‘Some young fellow’ was less overtly racist and so carried less risk of censure, and worked just as well to provoke a sense of white victimization”.

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There Is A Lot Of Flawed Logic Here

Anyone who equates conservative or Republican with racist is the exact thing they are projecting on others. Plain and simple.Racism is simply the lumping together of large groups of people and claiming they all have the same traits. Anyone who says that all conservatives are racist is exactly the same. The most racist people I have ever met have been liberals. But that doesn’t mean I think all liberals are racists. That’s absurd. But you continue on making generalizations about people you don’t even know. That just shows how tolerant and open-minded you really are.

When Minorities Vote Gop The Media Smears Republicans As Racists

The racism smears stink of fear.

Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic terrorism.

In just one week, the Washington Post churned out two op-eds on the same theme, “The GOP is Now Just the Party of White Grievance” and “The Republican Party is Making Jim Crow Segregationists Proud”. The D.C. Democrat paper doesnt bother clarifying why Democrats from two generations ago would be thrilled that 1 in 5 black men voted for President Trump.

Ever since the election, the media has been beating its narrative drum with one message.

CNN howls that Republicans are the worst racists. The New York Times insists theyre even more racist than that. And MSNBC will counter that only white racists would vote Republican.

The most famous media exponent of the white grievance line is Stuart Stevens: Romneys senior strategist, who went on to join the Lincoln Project. Stevens claimed on MSNBC that the GOP, “went down a path to embrace white grievance as its core” and that, “of the Americans who are 15 years and under, the majority are nonwhite. They’re gonna be nonwhite when they turn 18 and start voting and that’s the end of the Republican party as we know it.”

My party obviously has an embarrassingly small share of African American votes, Senator Romney claimed after embarrassingly participating in a Black Lives Matter rally.

Recommended Reading: What Do Republicans Believe About Taxes

Americans Who Say A Lot Has To Be Done To Ensure Equal Rights For All Split Over Whether Many Laws And Institutions Need To Be Completely Rebuilt

While half of Americans say that a lot needs to be done to ensure equal rights for all Americans, those who express this view are divided over what needs to be done.

A quarter of Americans say that to ensure equal rights for all Americans, most U.S. laws and major institutions need to be completely rebuilt because they are fundamentally biased against some racial and ethnic groups. A nearly identical share says while there are many inequities in U.S. laws and institutions, the necessary changes can be made by working within the current systems.

Overall, nearly six-in-ten Black adults say that in order to ensure equality for all Americans regardless of their racial or ethnic backgrounds, most major U.S. institutions need to be completely rebuilt because they are fundamentally biased against some racial and ethnic groups, while just 19% say necessary changes to address inequities can be made within the current systems; about two-in-ten say little or nothing at all needs to be done. Among other racial and ethnic groups, smaller shares overall say a lot more needs to be done; those who do are roughly evenly split between those who say changes can be made within current systems and those who think most institutions need to be completely rebuilt because they are fundamentally biased. As a result, Black adults are significantly more likely than Hispanic , Asian American and White adults to say most institutions and laws need to be completely rebuilt.

Democrats Are The Real Racistsand Minority Americans Are Taking Note

Who are the real American patriots?

Who are the real racists?

These two questions will play a big role in the 2020 election.

The left is desperate to turn any traditional patriotic appeal into an act of racism. The left is desperate to smear Republicans and moderate Democrats as racists.

This past week, between Sunday and Tuesday, CNN and MSNBC reportedly used the word “racist” more than 1,100 times.

Part of this desperation is in the left’s inability to debate the facts and their hope that strong smears can shame their opponents out of broaching the argument.

Part of this desperation is in the left’s growing realization that President Donald Trump and the Republicans are beginning to attract minority support in a serious way.

The 2018 election was a watershed in the shift of minority voters toward Republicans.

Consider the example of the very left-wing African American female candidate for governor in Georgia, Stacy Abrams. She alienated enough African American males with her platforms that the Republican candidate got a significant percentage of African American male votes.

In Florida, a left-wing African American candidate for governor lost almost one out of five African American female votes because of his opposition to school choice.

All around the country, Trump is attracting Latinos to his rallies. There is strong support in the Latino community for job creation, income growth, small business prosperity and enforcing the law.

Read Also: How Many Republicans Are Now In The House Of Representatives

[sweetlifetownsville]

'Disaster Management' Or 'Management Disaster'? We Have A List ... So Far

And it will be hard to argue that the whatever management disaster from the council is determined after this is all over, it started long before the rain. Suddenly Mayor Mullet has an unexpected and unwelcome election campaign issue on her hands will her inevitable spin as heroine of the hour hold up to scrutiny? At The Astonisher, has the worm turned? Jenna Cairney took an early swipe at the mayor, even before it got really bad and allows a developer to stick in the boot as well two more another reasons its called the Astonisher. And heres another are you sitting down? The Magpie gives the paper top marks for its coverage of the floods. No, seriously. Theres a very good explanation for it and therein lies a glaringly obvious and valuable lesson for editor Cairney (when shes doing her job, she editor, when not, shes iditor). and The Magpie points out how tomorrows (Monday local) American Super Bowl organisers have missed the ratings bonanza of a lifetime, which couldve doubled their already massive audience. But to start this week The Irony Award of the Decade. To head up this weeks offering, pride of place goes to the great Bentley, who counts among his many skills a very sharp memory which recalls things that some would rather he forget.

Which swiftly brings us to the nub of things for this week. Its The Vision Thing, Stupid There are those poor agitated souls who suggest the The Magpie writes with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. To which the obvious reply is that of course he does, because he doesnt make the decisions that affect us as a community, and merely comments on those decisions that have been made by others. While being wise after the event is always irritating (The Magpies mission) what this town REALLY needs is a big dose of decision-makers being wise BEFORE the event. This weeks excessive dampness and the public doubts that have appeared over the councils disaster management ability brings up a case in point. There will most certainly be a post-monsoon post-mortem into the disaster management decision-making process and crucially the timing of opening the Ross Dam flood gates; when a legal authority like a council deliberately floods ratepayers homes and businesses, there sure as hell MUST be a post mortem as legal eagles start circling. For the greater good doesnt always cut in matters of compensation. Then there have been confidence-sapping instances like this, too, after flooding had started.

That, and many comments to this blog about timing and pre-organisation of sandbags some places plenty of sand but no bags, others, plenty of both but no shovels, and a dearth of relatively inexpensive mechanical bagging machinery have been sent in. And there is a dire warning for all property owners even when the waters recede any insurance premiums are likely to be through the roof, if they can be obtained at all more on that in a moment. And the responsibility for this situation must lie somewhere. It has all led one frustrated leading businessman who wishes to remain anonymous for prudent reasons considering the current vindictive regime in Walker Street to post the following to The Nest: Jenna Cairney who I believe moved out of her unit on the Strand to a house at Railway Estate affected by the flood wrote on the Bulletins Facebook updates 31/1/19 that the Bulletin forecasts on rain have been running since 6 am on the 30th, yet the disaster centre didnt start updating until more than seven hours later1.36 pm . Jenna claimed the $8.5 mil disaster centre was left flat footed with residents having to reach out to the Astonisher for advice.

Jenna concludes with We are constantly told to be prepared for major weather events . The local Disaster Co-ordination Centre also needs to heed the advice. Our angry commenter continues: Jenna isnt the only person commenting negatively on the new $8.5 mil centre. I have just received a text to mobile and recorded messages to both my home and business landlines but it seems too late. My daughter in Hermit Park woke to over a foot of water Friday 1st at 7 am, today its up to her shoulders and her car totally submerged! Conjecture will continue but my concerns are: -did former TCC CEO Adele Young cut back on preventative maintenance, and, with over a third of T.C.Cs staff made redundant, did they lose invaluable experience to leave us more susceptible to flooding, and other natural disasters and -if they knew the rain would continue, did they have the technology to predict they should have opened the flood gates earlier. If not, why not? I think there is going to an absolute bun fight with insurance companies wanting hydrologists reports and my concerns is more Townsville residents will be left with an inability to get contents/ house insurance. While to some it may seem churlish to be looking at this questions and failings before the danger is not yet over, it is legitimate for them to be considered in the light that there are yet many more decisions to be made including the alarming but necessary fore-warning that much further rain could threaten 20,000 homes

thats one quarter of all dwellings in this city. The performance so far on the ground and water has been the usual efficient, industrious and courageous efforts by selfless men and women fire, police, defence forces and just ordinary citizens helping where they can as we always do but some of the decisions from the Disaster Center HQ so far do not inspire confidence that we are in safe competent hands. The timing and extent of opening the dam gates is sure to be the subject of future debate. A Touch Of Timely Humour Highlights The Magpies Point

And An Urgent Clarification Needed From Premier Palaszczuk Surely there cant be a deliberate bit of political game-playing by the premier at a time like this. She has declared Townsville a disaster zone but apparently not a natural disaster. The difference is crucial to Townsville businesses, already suffering a severe economic down turn, who will be up for an extra crippling financial liability if we are just a disaster zone.

The premier needs to step up now and ease the minds of some businesses that may be teetering on the edge. The mayor should immediately ask for a clarification, and if necessary, a switch to a natural disaster for what else could it be when a Sydney Harbour of water is dumped on the city is such a catastrophically short time. This option is the fairest to all. But The Astonisher Has Well Astonished Given the on-the-run nature of reporting our unfolding disaster, The Magpie gives a emphatic up-tick to Jenna Cairney and her crew of substantially inexperienced journos for wide and consistent coverage. Certainly theres been blips but, far fewer than one could have expected. And why might that be, you ask? Simple because this is real, rolling hard news, on-going, mixing constant reporting with solid information (well as solid as reporters are told). No time or need for padding, opinion or bias, of which there has been precious little. Apart from Ms. Cairneys presient hand-slap at the Disaster Center, things have been happening too swiftly. And generally, given the circumstances, all platforms have performed well. Little things like pics of kids playing in floodwaters can be tut-tutted over later. From his own professional experience, The Pie predicts a traumatic event like this can be the foundation of many a solid journalistic career, and some of the tyros, and even those who think themselves already seasoned, will gain insights into real reporting to be the better for it Ms Cairney, The Pie knows how much you, like our mayor, appreciate the The Magpies wise counsel, so if you can guide your troops on this new path of professionalism, you will go a long way to restoring some of this once proud papers tattered reputation. Alas, the downside is that there will shortly be many a job application winging south with a CV justifiably boasting I covered the Townsville flood disaster of 2019. Who Says Mayor Mullet Is The Cause Of Townsville Economic Woes? Well, highly successful developer Peter Tapiolas, that who, for one.

In a bruisingly frank interview with Tony Raggatt, Mr Tapiolas showed hes as mad as hell and not going to take it any more especially not from politicians. He didnt miss many of em, either.QUOTE: Townsville recorded 573 approvals about 1.4 per cent of the share of major Queensland centres and second-last to Rockhampton, which had 369.The figures are alarming. We have never seen it as low as last year, Mr Tapiolas, a director of the Parkside Group, said. (Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill) should be screaming from the rooftops on Adani but she cant because shes scared of (Premier) Annastacia Palaszczuk, and the three local (Labor State MPs) wont support Adani. Mr Tapiolas said home building had ground to a halt because people lacked confidence about their current and future job prospects. When that happens people just bunker down and hang on, Mr Tapiolas said. UNQUOTE Crikey, Pete, want to guest edit The Magpie sometime no one will be able to tell the difference. But the story held other surprises, like Townsville state MP Scott Stewarts frank admission of being a self-interested Labor toady.

And even our old favourite Mayor Mullet was in danger of fence sitting bum splinters.

Reports? Madam, if you had the courage of your supposed convictions, you should be clambering up to the rooftops as Mr Tapiolas suggests, on this one too, since you no doubt read this in a story in which you yourself were quoted. Director of the National Threatened Species Recovery Hub Brendan Wintle has been engaged to lead the review, and is able to appoint up to six people on a panel to examine Adanis plan.Mr Wintle last year participated in a climate strike and has authored several articles critical of governments using biodiversity offsets to allow development. (TB Jan 22 2019) Even the Emerald Isle aint that green, sweetie. What is disturbing, though, petal, is when you come out with cowardly political twaddle like this. Other Stuff The Pie has thought about this SMH headline all night, and can only see visions of Soylent Green.

What they gunna do, pop the babies back in until a spot becomes available? Or employ alcoholic surgeons who dont try to hard on oldies (oh, sorry, the hearts over THAT side oops.) And then this that mightily confused this Aussie:

Ummm nice tan, Singo. Its Super Bowl Sunday, (Monday In Oz) And What A Missed Opportunity Americas annual play a bit, chat a bit, smack a few bums a bit extravaganza known as the Super Bowl, between someone or other and somebody else, is now famous for many other things beside football. There are the eye-watering numbers of global viewers 103 million last year resulting the equally eye-watering $5.2million that advertisers are happy to pony up for a 30 second commercial. And the half-time entertainment is now almost of more interest that the game, famous for fails and malfunctions, most notoriously the latter one of what is prissily referred to as a wardrobe malfunction (Justin Timberlake groped Janet Jacksons boobs which made them play wall-eyed peek-a-boo with the goggling audience, resulting in more computer slow motion replays and gummed up keyboards than any exploit on the footy field.) But the organisers have missed an ideal opportunity this year to create an all time viewing record, if only they had chosen the half time entertainment with a little vision. Bob Eckstein of the New Yorker illustrates a massive missed opportunity.

Which is a neat way to get into this weeks round-up from Trumpistan.

And this comment and tweet by The Magpie during the week brought all manner of mania out of the woodwork. Cold comfort perhaps, but just to remind you that whats happening here isnt by any means Gods biggest joke on humanity.

She is of course right if we accept that God invented ebola, cancer, earthquakes, tsunamis and Clive Palmer. Finally, here';s an ad from London that will get the thin-lipped humorless gals balling their fists and clenching their buttocks in rage.

.. Its been a this soggy, soggy week, folks, stay safe and dry if you can. Let fly in the comments if something is bugging you, its your space to vent, laugh or decry. And as always, a donation to help defray blog expenses is always welcome, the how to donate button is below. http://www.townsvillemagpie.com.au/disaster-management-or-management-disaster-we-have-a-list-so-far/

[sweetlifetownsville]

'Disaster Management' Or 'Management Disaster'? We Have A List ... So Far

And it will be hard to argue that the whatever management disaster from the council is determined after this is all over, it started long before the rain. Suddenly Mayor Mullet has an unexpected and unwelcome election campaign issue on her hands will her inevitable spin as heroine of the hour hold up to scrutiny? At The Astonisher, has the worm turned? Jenna Cairney took an early swipe at the mayor, even before it got really bad and allows a developer to stick in the boot as well two more another reasons its called the Astonisher. And heres another are you sitting down? The Magpie gives the paper top marks for its coverage of the floods. No, seriously. Theres a very good explanation for it and therein lies a glaringly obvious and valuable lesson for editor Cairney (when shes doing her job, she editor, when not, shes iditor). and The Magpie points out how tomorrows (Monday local) American Super Bowl organisers have missed the ratings bonanza of a lifetime, which couldve doubled their already massive audience. But to start this week The Irony Award of the Decade. To head up this weeks offering, pride of place goes to the great Bentley, who counts among his many skills a very sharp memory which recalls things that some would rather he forget.

Which swiftly brings us to the nub of things for this week. Its The Vision Thing, Stupid There are those poor agitated souls who suggest the The Magpie writes with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. To which the obvious reply is that of course he does, because he doesnt make the decisions that affect us as a community, and merely comments on those decisions that have been made by others. While being wise after the event is always irritating (The Magpies mission) what this town REALLY needs is a big dose of decision-makers being wise BEFORE the event. This weeks excessive dampness and the public doubts that have appeared over the councils disaster management ability brings up a case in point. There will most certainly be a post-monsoon post-mortem into the disaster management decision-making process and crucially the timing of opening the Ross Dam flood gates; when a legal authority like a council deliberately floods ratepayers homes and businesses, there sure as hell MUST be a post mortem as legal eagles start circling. For the greater good doesnt always cut in matters of compensation. Then there have been confidence-sapping instances like this, too, after flooding had started.

That, and many comments to this blog about timing and pre-organisation of sandbags some places plenty of sand but no bags, others, plenty of both but no shovels, and a dearth of relatively inexpensive mechanical bagging machinery have been sent in. And there is a dire warning for all property owners even when the waters recede any insurance premiums are likely to be through the roof, if they can be obtained at all more on that in a moment. And the responsibility for this situation must lie somewhere. It has all led one frustrated leading businessman who wishes to remain anonymous for prudent reasons considering the current vindictive regime in Walker Street to post the following to The Nest: Jenna Cairney who I believe moved out of her unit on the Strand to a house at Railway Estate affected by the flood wrote on the Bulletins Facebook updates 31/1/19 that the Bulletin forecasts on rain have been running since 6 am on the 30th, yet the disaster centre didnt start updating until more than seven hours later1.36 pm . Jenna claimed the $8.5 mil disaster centre was left flat footed with residents having to reach out to the Astonisher for advice.

Jenna concludes with We are constantly told to be prepared for major weather events . The local Disaster Co-ordination Centre also needs to heed the advice. Our angry commenter continues: Jenna isnt the only person commenting negatively on the new $8.5 mil centre. I have just received a text to mobile and recorded messages to both my home and business landlines but it seems too late. My daughter in Hermit Park woke to over a foot of water Friday 1st at 7 am, today its up to her shoulders and her car totally submerged! Conjecture will continue but my concerns are: -did former TCC CEO Adele Young cut back on preventative maintenance, and, with over a third of T.C.Cs staff made redundant, did they lose invaluable experience to leave us more susceptible to flooding, and other natural disasters and -if they knew the rain would continue, did they have the technology to predict they should have opened the flood gates earlier. If not, why not? I think there is going to an absolute bun fight with insurance companies wanting hydrologists reports and my concerns is more Townsville residents will be left with an inability to get contents/ house insurance. While to some it may seem churlish to be looking at this questions and failings before the danger is not yet over, it is legitimate for them to be considered in the light that there are yet many more decisions to be made including the alarming but necessary fore-warning that much further rain could threaten 20,000 homes

thats one quarter of all dwellings in this city. The performance so far on the ground and water has been the usual efficient, industrious and courageous efforts by selfless men and women fire, police, defence forces and just ordinary citizens helping where they can as we always do but some of the decisions from the Disaster Center HQ so far do not inspire confidence that we are in safe competent hands. The timing and extent of opening the dam gates is sure to be the subject of future debate. A Touch Of Timely Humour Highlights The Magpies Point

And An Urgent Clarification Needed From Premier Palaszczuk Surely there cant be a deliberate bit of political game-playing by the premier at a time like this. She has declared Townsville a disaster zone but apparently not a natural disaster. The difference is crucial to Townsville businesses, already suffering a severe economic down turn, who will be up for an extra crippling financial liability if we are just a disaster zone.

The premier needs to step up now and ease the minds of some businesses that may be teetering on the edge. The mayor should immediately ask for a clarification, and if necessary, a switch to a natural disaster for what else could it be when a Sydney Harbour of water is dumped on the city is such a catastrophically short time. This option is the fairest to all. But The Astonisher Has Well Astonished Given the on-the-run nature of reporting our unfolding disaster, The Magpie gives a emphatic up-tick to Jenna Cairney and her crew of substantially inexperienced journos for wide and consistent coverage. Certainly theres been blips but, far fewer than one could have expected. And why might that be, you ask? Simple because this is real, rolling hard news, on-going, mixing constant reporting with solid information (well as solid as reporters are told). No time or need for padding, opinion or bias, of which there has been precious little. Apart from Ms. Cairneys presient hand-slap at the Disaster Center, things have been happening too swiftly. And generally, given the circumstances, all platforms have performed well. Little things like pics of kids playing in floodwaters can be tut-tutted over later. From his own professional experience, The Pie predicts a traumatic event like this can be the foundation of many a solid journalistic career, and some of the tyros, and even those who think themselves already seasoned, will gain insights into real reporting to be the better for it Ms Cairney, The Pie knows how much you, like our mayor, appreciate the The Magpies wise counsel, so if you can guide your troops on this new path of professionalism, you will go a long way to restoring some of this once proud papers tattered reputation. Alas, the downside is that there will shortly be many a job application winging south with a CV justifiably boasting I covered the Townsville flood disaster of 2019. Who Says Mayor Mullet Is The Cause Of Townsville Economic Woes? Well, highly successful developer Peter Tapiolas, that who, for one.

In a bruisingly frank interview with Tony Raggatt, Mr Tapiolas showed hes as mad as hell and not going to take it any more especially not from politicians. He didnt miss many of em, either.QUOTE: Townsville recorded 573 approvals about 1.4 per cent of the share of major Queensland centres and second-last to Rockhampton, which had 369.The figures are alarming. We have never seen it as low as last year, Mr Tapiolas, a director of the Parkside Group, said. (Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill) should be screaming from the rooftops on Adani but she cant because shes scared of (Premier) Annastacia Palaszczuk, and the three local (Labor State MPs) wont support Adani. Mr Tapiolas said home building had ground to a halt because people lacked confidence about their current and future job prospects. When that happens people just bunker down and hang on, Mr Tapiolas said. UNQUOTE Crikey, Pete, want to guest edit The Magpie sometime no one will be able to tell the difference. But the story held other surprises, like Townsville state MP Scott Stewarts frank admission of being a self-interested Labor toady.

And even our old favourite Mayor Mullet was in danger of fence sitting bum splinters.

Reports? Madam, if you had the courage of your supposed convictions, you should be clambering up to the rooftops as Mr Tapiolas suggests, on this one too, since you no doubt read this in a story in which you yourself were quoted. Director of the National Threatened Species Recovery Hub Brendan Wintle has been engaged to lead the review, and is able to appoint up to six people on a panel to examine Adanis plan.Mr Wintle last year participated in a climate strike and has authored several articles critical of governments using biodiversity offsets to allow development. (TB Jan 22 2019) Even the Emerald Isle aint that green, sweetie. What is disturbing, though, petal, is when you come out with cowardly political twaddle like this. Other Stuff The Pie has thought about this SMH headline all night, and can only see visions of Soylent Green.

What they gunna do, pop the babies back in until a spot becomes available? Or employ alcoholic surgeons who dont try to hard on oldies (oh, sorry, the hearts over THAT side oops.) And then this that mightily confused this Aussie:

Ummm nice tan, Singo. Its Super Bowl Sunday, (Monday In Oz) And What A Missed Opportunity Americas annual play a bit, chat a bit, smack a few bums a bit extravaganza known as the Super Bowl, between someone or other and somebody else, is now famous for many other things beside football. There are the eye-watering numbers of global viewers 103 million last year resulting the equally eye-watering $5.2million that advertisers are happy to pony up for a 30 second commercial. And the half-time entertainment is now almost of more interest that the game, famous for fails and malfunctions, most notoriously the latter one of what is prissily referred to as a wardrobe malfunction (Justin Timberlake groped Janet Jacksons boobs which made them play wall-eyed peek-a-boo with the goggling audience, resulting in more computer slow motion replays and gummed up keyboards than any exploit on the footy field.) But the organisers have missed an ideal opportunity this year to create an all time viewing record, if only they had chosen the half time entertainment with a little vision. Bob Eckstein of the New Yorker illustrates a massive missed opportunity.

Which is a neat way to get into this weeks round-up from Trumpistan.

And this comment and tweet by The Magpie during the week brought all manner of mania out of the woodwork. Cold comfort perhaps, but just to remind you that whats happening here isnt by any means Gods biggest joke on humanity.

She is of course right if we accept that God invented ebola, cancer, earthquakes, tsunamis and Clive Palmer. Finally, here';s an ad from London that will get the thin-lipped humorless gals balling their fists and clenching their buttocks in rage.

.. Its been a this soggy, soggy week, folks, stay safe and dry if you can. Let fly in the comments if something is bugging you, its your space to vent, laugh or decry. And as always, a donation to help defray blog expenses is always welcome, the how to donate button is below. http://www.townsvillemagpie.com.au/disaster-management-or-management-disaster-we-have-a-list-so-far/