#i wish this was more broad and diverse and just global

[kamreadsandrecs]

#books #history #book recs #this is VERY US-ian and Western history centric #but it ain't half bad if you're interested in that sort of history #spqr is good fun #i wish this was more broad and diverse and just global #but what can one expect from a us-based website?

[blacksunscorpio]

I have a stellium (Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) in Capricorn in the 11th house and I cannot for the life of me find any reliable resources on what this means, particularly in terms of the 11th house. I'd be grateful for any help.

Planets in the 11th House The 11th House

is Ruled by Aquarius/Uranus. It is a Succedent house which indicates the themes are purpose and stabilization [or lack thereof].  This house is ruling the area of group associations, network, community, friends/peers, philanthropy, & humanitarianism. When your planets fall in this house, it indicates the Planet in particular will play out themes regarding related to Aquarian/Uranian archetypes. A native with this placement in particular can often have a “mass appeal”. There can often be a “detached disposition as well. For more insight:

Sun in the 11th

A dynamic placement. Natives with this luminary can have immense social [Uranus] influence. They in particular operate in a society based manner. They feel driven to navigate social networks. They typically seek to make a change in the world. Driven to leadership positions, this native may head up Civic lab duties or general charity/philanthropy work. Typically this placement gifts natives with good public speaking skills-they excel in politics as well. No. 42 Bill Clinton, No. 44 Barack Obama, Margaret Thatcher, Britains “Iron lady”, etc are a few examples of eleventh-house Solarians. On a smaller scale, eleventh-house suns are the first to organize clubs in school, or as adults to lead or join an organization designed for social change.

Moon in the 11th

Finds “comfort” in groups. If they wish to communicate a message, there is a level of deep caring involved. These natives often use the moon's emotional nature to express their views artistically. They can often gain  trust in people. They are able to lea and enact social change by gaining said trust. There can be this “therapy” theme among groups they are associated with. The moon's caring nature has an equal but opposite need to be cared for in return. The give and take involved in social networking is comfortable terrain for eleventh-house moons. Oprah Winfrey, MLK, Bruce Lee, Winston Churchill, & John Lennon are among a few Lunar 11th house natives. 

Mercury in the 11th

Quick silver running the show in the 11th/working with Uranus indicates a native quick witted, rational, talkative and generally light on their feet in social settings. They thrive here, especially with communication involved. They can chat up a storm and gain the attention of crowds. This is often difficult for many but not for someone with this planet living in the 11th. They have an advantage actually.  Mercury loves to socialize and can be very chatty. They tend to keep conversations broad and non-personal which compliments the eleventh house's focus on social and group dealings. Debating over social issues is their forte but they can be detached as well. If harshly aspected, it can make someone a bit fanatical over social issues. However, Mercury here can keep track of facts and figures and keep their information accurate. They can also come up with original though processes and ideas on how the “collective” can operate at a higher frequency. They are the out of the box/original thinkers who come up with all kinds of new ideas and inventions. Social intercourse is very important to them.

Venus in the 11th

Powerful magnet placement. This native loves charming and associating with groups/friends/and peers. This is the person you want to host you when you’re visiting from out of town or just having some sort of housewarming. They are an agreeable, friendly, kind and gregarious individual that enjoys company. Nothing is too extravagant or too much for their associates and/or friends. They have an instinct for putting guests at ease, exercise tact in catering to their diverse needs, and delight in bringing congenial people together. You’ll often find this person is attracted to liberal movements and gravitates to art geared towards change or revolution. They enjoy theater, shows, concerts- anywhere there is a collective group of people loving on each other. The type of person who would have been a shoe-in at Woodstock. Etiquette is highly involved when dealing with groups. They are the ones who seek diplomacy among others. The type of person who tends to be the mediator between friends. Great effort is made to always consider the social consequences of actions and statements.

Mars in the 11th

Can indicate conflict or greatness. Because Mars is ruler of the first house, the native is pre-programmed in a way to be more “I” centered. Therefore, this attitude can class with the group oriented energy of the 11th house. If the Mars native is leading the group, they feel satisfied.  However, too many “group” projects or god-forbid, following the orders of social institutions can make Mars liable to get frustrated, and if pushed to the limit, erupt.  They can be a disruptive force because their independence can broil issues with cooperatives/peers. They can often be the center of controversies because of this. On the other hands, when harnessed or significantly well aspected, they can be demagogues or champions of the under-dog.  They should take care to follow standard rules though, because paying fines and in general, dealing with other punishments society inflicts due to rule-breaking [Uranus/Rebellion  & Mars/ War]  can be more common than the 11th House Martian may be comfortable with.

Jupiter in the 11th

Tis placement makes a native gifted with the power to beneficially influence the collective/friends/coworkers and peers. They will usually have ideas that inspire others. This makes them the perfect types to spearhead or lead out group events, projects, movements, and teachings. The great “socializer” who can often find success through networking. They will “know everyone”. It’s very common for these people to be quite popular. They’ll typically have a friendly and outgoing persona and may even have many friends outside of their native country. Jupiter's success [regardless of house] lies largely in its ability to roll with the punches things and keep a light, global outlook [Jupiter equals expansion]. In the eleventh house, this laidback style puts them far ahead of most people by not getting entangled in the drama of any particular person and instead focusing on the dynamic of the group. Charisma and confidence, live here, making them excellent in leadership positions. 

Saturn in the 11th

This placement is actually well-placed believe it or not. Why? Because of Saturn’s ancient relationship with Aquarius. It was actually the ruler before Uranus was discovered. A native with Saturn in the 11th is likely to be discriminating in their choice of associates/friends/colleagues, etc. Because of Saturn’s association with time, and longevity, the relationships that they do form will usually be long term and enduring. Not unheard of for them to associate with people older than them or groups that have a more austere vibe. Law and order are things they appreciate. If “age” isn’t a factor, they can often come across as distinguished intellectually or more Mature to their social group/peers/community. They can often perform more of the serious work and duties in organizations. However because rules are often broken or not adhered to in social groups, Saturn here can often be frustrated. So, Institutions like school and corporations where there is [traditionally] a good amount of structure makes Saturn more comfortable. If they are not IN said institution they will create it [Uranus/Innovation].

Uranus in the 11th

Uranus is in its ultimate bag placed here in the 11th. This planet rules this house. As a result, this native can be extremely friendly, but this disposition walks hand in hand with not wanting to become too attached to others. So they thrive in “acquaintance” like environments/relationships. The Uranian rebellious streak can rear its head as well and this native can often see frequent and/or sudden changes in their social circles, organizations, & communities. They hate complacency and are attracted to forward-thinking and out of the box, thinking associates. They hate to conform. They make even opt out of doing something/buying something/going somewhere if “everyone is doing it”.  Uranus placed here doesn't feel threatened by differences and believes their acceptance makes them superior to those who are unaccepting [you’ll usually see this with harder aspects involved]. They need to take care not to be too zealous in their quest for social change or they could risk leading others in the wrong direction.

Neptune in the 11th

A native with Neptune placed in the 11th will tend to be attracted to artistic, “boho” and quirky associates. Friends may often be Neptunian types. I.e dreamers, spacey, a tendencies towards idealistic thinking, or spiritual and inspirational. At the worst, they can attract friends who are disloyal, deceptive, or people with substance issues. Friendships can be murky here so they need to be sure to pay extra attention to whom they associate with. They also need to take care not to get swept up in group movements at the risk that they can be mislead easily–they can find it difficult to determine where their individuality ends and the group begins. However, they are the ones who want to heal the group. To find ways of inspiring and leading in creative and artistic ways.

Pluto in the 11th

Natives with The Lord of transformation living in the 11th often are drawn to radical social reform tend to be acutely aware of the power dynamics in groups, friendships and societal institutions. There is a deep obsession with these themes when placed in this house. Often when these natives step into a group setting, they immediately sense the power structure or others easily sense power with them. It can be unnerving to some. They need to take care not to think to deeply about what friends, associates, co-workers or peers think of them. Frankly, everyone is going to have an opinion and they will make themselves crazy obsessing over what others think. They may have difficulty trusting others/institutions/ or general “group-think”. They want to know the ins-and outs of why people do things. They can have a tendency to keep their guard up against the idea of someone exploiting them or by being exploited by the power of groups or organizations. To the point where they may downright avoid group situations as a whole. However when someone in their social circle passes the “trust test” they are very devoted.

Honorary Mention: 11th House Stelliums

When one has a convergence of planetary energy from 3 or more planets [a stellium] in the 11th, this indicates a native who may be “everyone’s best friend”.  They can be quite popular, take part in many groups or organizations, etc. They’ll often be the most social of the zodiac. They will often try to cater to their peers and society. They’re always wanting to help. They need to take care not to become “people pleasers” as a result. They think about the big picture and enjoy subjects that allow them to interact with groups/friends/peers. You may find people with this particular stellia  involved in protests, or working simply working to make significant changes in their communities. I want to mention, 11th house is where one can experience both inclusion as well as exclusion. Often simultaneously. They need to make sure they don’t set themselves up to be scapegoated. However, they often find their tribe at some point. Oddballs or people who are considered “strange”, “unusual”, “crackpots” which are all synonyms for “geniuses” ;). A stellium here may very well indicate 11th house dealings are integral to that person’s life. This is especially significant if the north node is placed among the stellium. 

#11th House Astrology #Uranus #Aquarius #Sun in the 11th #Moon in the 11th #Mercury in the 11th #Venus in the 11th #Mars in the 11th #Jupiter in the 11th #saturn in the 11th #uranus in the 11th #Neptune in the 11th #Pluto in the 11th #11th House stelliums #astro asks #hope this helps #astro tumblr #bruja tips #astrology

[tm0500042]

Creative Practice w/c 2nd November: Motion Graphics

This week we were introduced to After Effects, by playing with the face of an Emoji to get it to go around the body

The ultimate goal is to create AfterEffects Gifs on ethical matters such as sustainability, diversity and/or wellbeing.

My Research was as follows:

Sustainability What is it? “(ecology) A means of configuring civilization and human activity so that society, its members and its economies are able to meet their needs and express their greatest potential in the present, while preserving biodiversity and natural ecosystems, planning and acting for the ability to maintain these ideals for future generations.”- Wiktionary “Sustainability and sustainable development focuses on balancing that fine line between competing needs - our need to move forward technologically and economically, and the needs to protect the environments in which we and others live. Sustainability is not just about the environment (4), it's also about our health as a society in ensuring that no people or areas of life suffer as a result of environmental legislation, and it's also about examining the longer term effects of the actions humanity takes and asking questions about how it may be improved (2).”- Environmental Science Education & Careers (ESEC) ESEC notes of three pillars of sustainability: -        Economic Development Providing incentives to businesses, individuals and societal groups to adhere to sustainability guidelines and foster incentives to contribute. Giving people what they want without compromising quality of life, especially in the developing world -        Social Development Awareness of and legislation protecting the health of people from pollution and other harmful activities, and encouraging people to participate in environmental sustainability and teaching them about the effects of environmental protection through education -        Environmental Protection The study and protection of ecosystems, air quality, integrity and sustainability of our resources, focusing on the elements that place stress on the environment. Assessing how technology will drive our greener future Aardman Animations are an example of a company who have in recent years tried to promote sustainability through their work, by launching a Shaun the Sheep tablet game, launched while Bristol was the European Green Capital. Aardman note that the game “is designed to show children how they can create a cleaner, healthier and more ‘sustainable’ future for our cities and the planet”

Diversity What is it? “The quality of being diverse or different; difference or unlikeness”- Wiktionary “Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to monoculture, the global monoculture, or a homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural decay. The phrase cultural diversity can also refer to having different cultures respect each other's differences. The phrase "cultural diversity" is also sometimes used to mean the variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region, or in the world as a whole”- Wikipedia

Research Details I wish to focus on the idea of “cultural diversity” in a fairly broad sense as I feel trying to address some of the more specific matters in a 50-frame loop could oversimplify and trivialise the subject -         In their “toolkit for cross-cultural co-operation” Phil Wood, Charles Landry and Jude Bloomfield draw a number of conclusions, including: “literature and the discourse around cultural diversity in the UK (and much of Europe) is that it is generally portrayed as a problem to be solved rather than as an opportunity to be realised.”

-        The way to develop intercultural competence is to acquire cultural literacy  the ability to see and appreciate the different factors that influence the way an individual or a group will respond to their surroundings.

In a 2017 TED Talk Hilda Mwangi argues that diversity is about “diversity of perspective”, and that you don’t need to be from cultures to understand and empathises with people from other communities. Cites Higher Education as a place where there are a diverse range of perspectives which are often taken for granted by the people who are there.

Citations Cultural diversity in Britain (2006)- Phil Wood, Charles Landry and Jude Bloomfield Hilda Mwangi (2017) Cultural Diversity: The Sum of Our Parts

Wellbeing What is it? “A state of health, happiness and/or prosperity.”- Wiktionary “The World Health Organisation states that wellbeing is “a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”- Website of Wellbeing people

Research Details I want to focus on the links between Wellbeing and use of Social Media A study in the International Journal of Information Management found that “data sets have shown that compulsive social media was a significant predictor of social media fatigue among adolescent social media users maladaptive behaviour and excessive use of digital devices and computer-mediated communication platforms (e.g., social media) result in emotional exhaustion and fatigue. However Boyd (p.93) concludes that There ís also no reason to think that digital celibacy will help them be healthier, happier, and more capable adults so there seems to be some cause to strike a healthy balance Citations https://www.wellbeingpeople.com/what-is-wellbeing/ https://e-tarjome.com/storage/panel/fileuploads/2019-04-22/1555928922_E10949-e-tarjome.pdf Boyd, D., (2014). Itís complicated: The social lives of networked teens. USA: Yale University Press.

Following the research I sketched a number of thumbnails for Gif Ideas, which I put together as follows:

Sustainability

Idea 1) TV that shows writing saying “switch me off, save the earth” then shows graphic showing TV being switched off at plug, then graphic saying “save the earth” (globe with love hearts?) Idea 2) Gas pump with oil-sickly earth Gas pump with electricity- healthy earth Slogan- consider electric Idea 3) A modern fame with solar panels etc.; words read “the world is changing” and then “and so is farming” Diversity

Idea 1) Looping globe circled by images representing the seven continents Idea 2) Show key books from the seven continents as part of a “world library” Idea 3) Speech bubbles with words from different languages collide together and pop, saying “diversity”

Wellbeing

Idea 1) Show phone with multiple sad faces, phone goes down to show outside world, cloud says “take a break”. Goes back to phone with happy face? Idea 2) Speech bubbles with Social Media Icons collide- one speech bubble with “Zzzzz” “take a break before you *really* need it” Idea 3) Phone on the table with the sun outside; keeps ringing, ignored. Slogan; it can wait

I enjoyed researching and coming up with these ideas, and the feedback suggests I am on the right path

#creative practice #motion graphics

[heightkeener]

Discover the Famous Places of India

INCREDIBLE INDIA

We arrive at the territory of 1,000 languages along with 1,000 gods. In the Intercontinental, the ladies in my personal collection are well versed with marigolds and branded with all a standard red dot onto our foreheads. This lodge is an oasis of luxurious at a polluted metropolis of 14 million folks. Two times have been spent traveling Delhi. The sites comprise Gandhi's Tomb and lots of UNESCO World Heritage Web Sites. Wherever else have historic customs combined together using the present in the scale therefore clear as in Delhi. Extra fat sacred Brahma bulls block site visitors creating flaws. Within this land, cows guideline. Canines, monkeys, and kiddies cross their risk.

I really like spiced foodstuff and commence each evening with a3 alarm-curry breakfast. We mind through trainer for Rajasthan, the gorgeous desert country by which cattle are substituted with camels. The atmosphere will be sweeter and that which more vivid. Here's really a microcosm of everything India is. Many folks are refined having a stunt in the event soul and light at the sight of thieves. We always tide by way of our chimney to people that struggle with fascination and appear to mention "why should you ever come ?" Like being a lover of this 3rd universe, this spot was around my own fantasy record for ages. I vividly enter that area of traveling providing you with me astonishment.

We have begun to wait for the yearly Camel honest at Pushkar that's occurred for one million decades past Whilst the entire world's most significant, it's in its summit attracted 50,000 camels by 200,000 dealers. We all unpack at our camp identified as unique Adventures. Our spartan tents didn't en suite baths but bathroom paper has been in a top. That has been a 2-4 hour shield out who stingily rationed his or her quota. From the summer, nighttime is freezing and afternoons sweltering. I confided into some guests in your American Embassy I felt as though that I had been at an episode of"Survivor." She whined reassuring me it had been worth every penny. So on my jolt turns out into amazement since I input fairgrounds.

Place on kilometers of sand slopes using festooned camels plus also a flood of pilgrims, the spectacle appears utterly forgettable. It's such as a Condition Fair On-steroids. That clearly was really a flurry of horse, bullock and camel races, competitions such as milking, creature adorning, turban linking, tattooing in addition to snake-charmers, completely free carnival rides, mystics, astrologers and magnificent booths of handicrafts at reasonable rates. The earth reverberates using pursuits. Countless Rajasthani lady has came dressed up in their very best apparel in close sweet colors. I see illuminated monkeys, painted cows, and cobra's dancing. No words could adequately clarify this helter-skelter overwhelms my 5 perceptions. The others could possess Europe having its own cathedrals and museums. As an example personally, this really exotic vulnerability and ethnic immersion would be your best traveling!

Wrapped in the dust, and people come back. Every single night there's entertainment underneath the celebrities together with musicians, folk dancers, puppet present or flame fighters. No alcoholic beverages are authorized and all foods are vegetarian buffets. An Ayurveda middle delivers us treatment options to cleansing toxins. We reduce these induced throwing up, enemas, nasal drainage along with blood-letting.

We see the sacred town of Pushkar having its own sacred lake made by Lord Brahma. Pilgrims appear from afar to wash at the ghats and snore round-the-clock. We know about religions: Zorastrism,'' Sikhism, the mysterious Sufi's, Jainists who won't eliminate a mosquito, Hinduism that asserts no total accuracy and also the caste system. We see temples in the lake; a few really are"blessed" by priests. Later on, a highlight for me personally was 1 hour Camel Cart Safari supporting the scenes of this honest. Kiddies line our path yelling to us"Hello, 1 pencil remember to!" We view a slaughtered and half of nude folks washing daily. Straight back within the reasons we see an orphanage and scatter separately for lost from the frenzied revelry. We trip enormous spitting camels offering us an increased view of this all. I buy twelve garnet silver and necklaces ankle bracelets. Teen boys tactic Terry to picture him. He has 6'5'". One as him"Sir, what would you consume?"

Our collection proved to be all wonderful!

You will find infinite food however we ought to pass enticements to protect against"Delhi stomach." I detect that the cacophony of insanity lovely. Pushkar is quite an event affair for those sailors and also we have been an only captioning company. I am really so thankful to undergo this a while and energy to move with all our hectic trip.

We arrive at the famous"Pink City" of Jaipur, today a more profound maroon from contamination. Additionally vacationing its own palaces, architectural and fort marvels, we know of those amazing Amber rulers and maharajahs of this Moghul empire. Heritage will come alive and now also I locate myself interested because I cared for. And here's really a shopper's heaven for silk sarees, stone, marble, and jewelry crafts. I saw a creature refuge known as"Assist ." The most peculiar examples of species have been treated by volunteer veterinarians. Exotic 5 stray canines have been sterilized each day and that I see an operation. (Watch www.HIS-INDIA.com ) you are able to easily email them a test to provide help.

Only assist in Enduring' a puppy spaying Building a contribution Volunteer vets speak to Suzy

Onto observe the expansive Fatehpur Sikri, "Ghost Town of Akbar" which has been left as a result of lack of plain water. We reach Agra, a busted town of 2.5 million. Hawkers disturb us. Chained conveys dancing for rupees on the road. Starving kids ensue. We're grateful to marvel in the deluxe Sheraton the following along with its own western cuisine and also cheap massages at $20. It had been similar to a galaxy shift from your Caribbean.

Soon after seeing an eyeful of miracles on the way in which, we've spared the very best for final in the planet's biggest tribute to really like. Goose-bumps climb since I input the royal gate into the Taj Mahal. Morning sun warms it as just a perfect pearl...22 years to construct with 200,000 adult men with two million bits of wrought semi-precious stone. After having a lecture about which this ideal symmetry is made to get Queen Mumtaz, we distribute to picture exactly what looks like quite a mirage. It's poetry in design so that as glorious as is envisioned.

Straight back in Delhi, most of us like a completely free afternoon of leisure to research once we all choose! Most proceed shopping since deals will be low but just how lots of Pashmina shawls do you want? For the final day, we now enjoy a series known as"Dances of India" followed closely by means of a farewell banquet of the Last Day (Indian) Supper.

That I remise still another travel well done with great manuals, motorists, accommodations and assistance. I remember my favored time that happened in the reason when I employed two"human anatomy manuals" to aid me throughout the audiences, Jamal and also Ranchi. Both of these 11-year-old boys ensured me enjoy barnacles along with also their glistening grinning faces that will probably forever stay etched in my own memory of India. This excursion has revived my fascination with the earth reminding me that my love of traveling proliferates itself. The longer I visit, the longer I desperately wish to watch.

This nation will be for the traveler. I'm exceptionally impressed with all the fortitude and persistence of my bunch of sixty persons in a property of infrastructure that is jagged. For a while, it had been their very first trip to this next world nevertheless all of them lived to enjoy experts. To see discomfort hand would be your most economical approach to love dwelling. We watched matters both dreadful and joyous. The phrase"intriguing" but would amount up the whole holiday season. I have to reunite back again.

MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE ON EARTH - INDIA

If you're planning about one's next holiday, then think of India. Probably one among the absolute most vibrant states on the ground, India has a lot of offers you will simply not need to return straight back! The broad array of civilizations, customs, heritage and also the all-natural splendor of this position are guaranteed to create your trip most notable! The glorious Mogul monuments, the most enchanting splendor of its own temples along with temples of this splendor and attractiveness of this Rajput predominate really are a couple of explanations for why tens and thousands of people arrived year after year. A property of ethnic diversity,'' India is still amongst the biggest democratic nations on the planet. From luxurious locales to calm countryside, this remarkable vacation destination is packed with surprises! From hiking at the hardest Himalayan peaks, to ride from the huge desert stretches and out of wild-life Safari in a National Park into some relaxing shore family vacation at Goa, there's therefore far to adventure! During the time you're here usually do not miss sites including Agra -- home for the globally renowned Peninsula, the Taj Mahal, Rajasthan - the property of architectural marvels and also Goa - a sexy place for anyone that really like sunlight'n' Sand. One other place which may catch your spirit would be Kerala. Called the god's own country', the stunning shores here offer you a refreshing escape. Due to many nations within a governmental border, every single invest India is comparable from one other. The northwest includes its own very own gaudy civilizations and also the south-east beckons people to watch the most intricate spiritual festivals. A heady combination of this older and also the brand new, you fulfill get the price approach of this past heavily maintained from the existing. India can be renowned for adventure trekking. Hiking, hiking, river rafting, hockey and also the wildlife shore at Jim Corbett playground are those actions you may have pleasure inside! Whether you're coming alone or together with family, then you may always receive yourself a package on the web to coordinate with your vacation requirements. Still another benefit of reserving your trip on the internet is the fact that a few internet sites also supply you with vacation insurance plan, therefore you never need to think about receiving you. Using all growth of tourism business, the united states features lots of all lodges spa hotels and resorts to earn your stay at ease. Whether you're searching to get a luxurious lodge with world-class facilities or even some wonderful budget lodging, then you are going to readily come across one yourself. But until you measure from one's hotel space, choosing a vacationer counsel is extraordinarily recommended. You'll find many types of excursion choices to traveling India. You may pick those tours determined by the specific regions you'll prefer to go to. Should you want to know more about the cultural heritage of the united states afterward choosing a trip that ensures the most outstanding historic destinations will probably provide you exactly what you really want. However, if you like to experience, then you have to reserve an experience excursion to go through the optimal/optimally adrenaline match betting. The other famous excursion would be that the Golden Zone tour, which covers major metropolitan areas in Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra. The scenic landscapes, gold beaches, blazing deserts, even the early temples and also the civilization of this contemporary era have manufactured India - a land of dramatic contrasts. Nowhere on the planet, you'll locate incredible charm and fascination since you'll discover throughout your visit to India.

I'm firmly confident that the united states of India were transplanted from the other world. You may locate no other place just like it around this particular world.

India can be a nation at which you can notice all you may see right now. What's more, that which you may observe will likely be more intense. You are not going to observe a beggar that you are going to notice countless of those. You are not going to observe a gorgeous shore, you are going to realize the very gorgeous beaches on earth. Spots of riches really are over the top you are going to be shocked. The shantytowns of this inferior, on the opposite side, will put you straight back to your own bites.

India could be the 1 location you may travel to and come off entirely enthralled and laughing in an identical moment. In case your notion of travel is sitting down at a posh lodge, India has these kinds of hotels nevertheless, you are going to not be able to steer clear of the attractive locations. In the event you would rather get outside and also choose a civilization that's totally unfamiliar for you, you won't ever locate a greater place compared to India.

India is truly numerous states in just a political border. The southeast of India is completely distinct compared to the northwest. The exact same holds for that east-west and west. In the event, you really don't enjoy the region you are in, then only get to the train to get a time or 2 and also you are going to be on a totally different planet.

Among those largest passenger complaints concerning India could be that poverty. In fact, it's lousy. There's just no way across the actuality. All you've got seen, where you might have done nothing fits with the poverty in India. The majority of cities are cities and also the states are far less than the best. To receive a very first-hand account, I recommend you examine the superb publication, "Shantaram", by Gregory David Roberts. Roberts dwelt in a few of those shantytowns for a long time busy by law enforcement. The publication is enormous and provides you with an alternative outlook in the poverty circumstance. No matter you'll have issues addressing all the poverty in India. Additionally, it can destroy your journey in case you are not attentive.

In case you are contemplating seeing India, then you want to simply accept the simple fact life is much different, and also you also have to return to grips on this specific until you're gone. In fact, India can be a remarkably attractive state of all beauty, magnificent websites and unbelievably humorous men and women.

#Travel

[larsmaischak]

The Mind of the Covid Deniers

Don't dismiss open-up protests as "crazy fringe"

May 13 2020

We should resist the temptation of dismissing the open-up protesters, whose violent side has been on display in Fresno this week in the assault on a police officer and the harassment of a Democratic member of the City Council, as a misguided or even misinformed fringe cause.  That does not mean that we should go looking for the kernel of truth or the morsel of legitimate civic concern in the open-up protests.  Quite the contrary.  We should recognize these protests as part of a global fascist movement as dangerous as any virus.

While there has been some recognition by the media that the "open-up" protests are funded by the usual suspects in the network of far-right propaganda sources and organizations, there is still a strong willingness to discuss the motivations of the protesters in terms of the "legitimate concerns of citizens."

It is important to recognize that whatever legitimate concerns are cited by the protesters, the underlying causes of the protests are to be found in far-right, ultimately fascist, ideology. Certainly, the organizers of the protests have been actively attempting to nudge their followers towards main-stream messaging about economic hardship and individual liberties. And yet, what is on the protesters' minds is quite distinct from these concerns that might be regarded as legitimate, if perhaps a bit misguided.

A closer look at messages worn on the protesters' sleeves demonstrates this point.  Consider placards and t-shirts, but also social media comments.  The virus is "made in China," one shirt worn by a prospective patron of the north-west Fresno Waffle House proclaimed.  This echoes the conspiracy theory claiming the virus was manufactured in a lab in Wuhan, either escaping accidentally, or set loose deliberately.  In some accounts, development of the virus was funded by Bill Gates, as part of a scheme to impose a lockdown on America, damage the country's economy, and harm Trump, politically.

It is easy to dismiss this as a "crazy, fringe opinion," and certainly liberals have been busy explaining away every sign of fascist ideology in the past ten years as just that - a marginal phenomenon, best ignored.  This dismissal is blind to the widespread dissemination of this and other conspiracy theories.  They may originate on the fringes.  But as soon as they prove their appeal among a small sub-set of the Republican base, they graduate quickly to mass appeal on YouTube, Fox, and other sources that convey legitimacy and purchase.  Next thing, yesterday's "fringe" theory becomes the main subject of a Trump twitter fit.  Tomorrow, it becomes the basis of national policy.

The three main views represented among the open-up activist can be classified thus:

 There is no virus, just media fear-mongering motivated by a wish to harm America, which is to say, Trump.

 There is a virus, but it is no more harmful than the flu.  Liberals just want to lock you up at home, as a dry run for their eco-socialist dictatorship, aka the Green New Deal.

 There is a virus, and it is extremely dangerous.  It was manufactured in China, possibly with Bill Gates's money, in order to bring down America, and thereby harm Trump's chances of reelection.

Just because these theories cannot all be true, won't keep Trumpists from believing and repeating them, all at once.  The consistency is not in the specific claims, but in the premise:  Whatever is going on here, somewhere, someone with a lot of money, power, and malicious intent is doing this to harm Trump.  And whatever harms Trump, harms me, that is to say, it harms America.

A glance at the daily digest of news items from realclearpolitics.com, where headlines from a broad field of far-right media outlets get play, shows the promiscuous pluralism of propaganda on the far right:

There's the Falun Gong-associated "Epoch Times", whose German-language edition has been busy promoting the neo-Nazi AfD Party, hammering home the Republican talking point about the Chinese Communist Party.  This effort has been augmented by a professionally produced, well-financed video ad campaign on YouTube.

There's the smear of Democratic governors (Cuomo killed all the old people in nursing homes) and the praise of Trump (he has been calmly in charge, keeping us safe in spite of the haters), as if the playbook of the Hungarian fascist leader, Victor Orban, had been literally translated into English.  If ever an opposition politician is elected mayor anywhere in Hungary, count on a deluge of articles in government media revealing his love of pedophelia, immigration, bestiality, and atheism.  If not for Orban to keep us safe from these vile demonic creatures, where would Hungary be!

There's the gratuitous skepticism amplified to discredit science, and the ad hominem attacks on those who apply science in public policy.  Fauci is an agent of Bill Gates and the Chinese, the charts were all wrong (and Trump had it right, all along), the whistleblowers were silenced by an overbearing expertocracy.  This attack on science connects seamlessly to the established tropes of anti-vaccination paranoia and climate-change denial.

All these angles on the theme of conspiracy reflect the agenda and bias of their financers and backers.  There's the foreign fascists with an axe to grind with the Communist Party of China, there's the rich right-wing Republican donors who just want to hold on to power in November, and there's the specific sub-set of these donors who make their money with fossil fuel and related industries, like real-estate and the urban-sprawl business in general.  There's the opportunistic YouTubers and local politicians (hi, Gary Bredefeld!) who are auditioning for a more well-paid gig.  Maybe a slot on Fox, or at least a radio program of your own?

For the common follower, the appeal is a mix of generic fascist tropes.  There's the heroic posturing and sense of victimization by unseen, malicious powers.  There's the strength-through-joy display of health and vigor, paired with disdain for the weak, expressed in slogans like "I refuse to let your fear take my freedom."  There's xeno- as well as Sinophobia.  And yet, this global fascist movement is a beautiful caleidoscope of diversity. Chinese, Hungarian, Hindu, German, Arab and American can all agree that the Jews are to blame.  Or some other international cabal, if you're not ready to go there, quite yet.  But ultimately, it will be the Jew again, that is for sure.

So whatever this movement represents, fringe it ain't.  It floats comfortably down the broad mainstream of global fascism, in pleasure crafts decked out with all the amenities the funding from Uihlein, Mercer, Koch, deVos and all the others will purchase, and propelled along by the same stream of capital in search of valorization.

From the helm of the party boat to piloting the ship of state as part of the Trump administration, far-right groups and individuals move freely back and forth.  Either way, they're in the Republican Party's organizational orbit, and the designation "fringe" becomes less and less plausible.

It is incumbent on those who wish to keep Americans safe from global contagion to take seriously the danger.  Not merely the danger from the virus, but also the danger from the longer-running contagion of global fascism, with its many local and sub-cultural mutations.  Fresno surely is a hot-spot of the latter.

#Fresno #fascism #Covid-19 #Virus denial #anti-vaxxers #conspiracy theory #Republican Party #Trump #anti-lockdown protests

[djchucklaross]

Baptizing American Sin

As I sit here I reflect on a conversation I had with my friend. He began this conversation with me by simply asking “Charles what do you think of all of this”?  I took a moment to gather my thoughts but it was at that moment I was momentarily paralyzed with a loss of words. I remained silent for a little while longer. Noticing the silence he asked “Bro like what are your thoughts with the shit that's going on”? Hearing the question phrased in this fashion I was able to formulate some thoughts. I moved to change these thoughts into words.  I began to answer his question by saying “ I wish I could say that I am surprised but sadly that is not the truth. In fact, I am not.” This response caught him off guard a little so he asked me “ What do you mean by that” I told him “look what do you expect? A pandemic has caused people to remain in isolation in their homes since the beginning of March. And even in this nationwide and global pandemic, Black Americans continue to face the same racial injustices, marginalization, inequities, and inequalities they have experienced for the past 400 years”.    

    Now for the purpose of this, I do not want to go into the conversation that ensued following this statement I made. However, I want to focus on the element that I was not surprised.  Let me tell you why these murders, public killings, and spectacle lynchings are just scratching on the surface. Do not get it twisted I am not making light of these deaths. But what I am saying the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmed Aubrey, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Paris Cameron, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Brooklyn Lindsey, Mike Brown, Tony McDade, and so many countless other Black Americans are parts of a much greater evil system. And these deaths are enabled and are permitted by the greatest sin of America which was the institution of legalized slavery which lasted as a legal institution from 1619 until 1865. Following the abolishment of slavery America has never repented for this great sin, in fact, America continues to commit sins against Black Americans. These sins only are perpetuated and sustained by the White Capitalist Supremacy Patriarchy which manifest systemic racism. And, in this manifestation, Black Americans continue to face inequalities, inequities, disenfranchisement, marginalization, hatred, and death. These traumas are apparent and urgent. But how do we move forward and transform?             

Before we transform we must remember something. And, that is before we are Black, White Latinx, Arab, Asian, etc we are HUMANS. And, I don’t write this to be corny, cliché, or ‘colorblind’. However, I say this as the realization we are humans who coinhabit this planet, and currently, the way we are living is not sustainable. With this realization, we need to figure this out! In addition to this realization that we are all humans, we must address that there is a system in place to keep Black Americans from gaining economic and political freedom. Also, this same system restricts Black Americans from truly living free in a country they built. WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THIS FACT. WE CAN NO LONGER REMAIN PASSIVE. IT IS CRUCIAL THAT WE CALL A SPADE A SPADE. The spade is the WHITE CAPITALIST SUPREMACY PATRIARCHY.              The system of the  WHITE CAPITALIST SUPREMACY PATRIARCHY is a system that affects our daily lives. Racism is not the only kryptonite that suffocates Black lives, but it is a part of a system. Capitalism, patriarchal masculinity, American hegemonic values, and racism are the variables that drastically hinder Black life. However, I firmly believe we can change this system. I have faith in the people of this country. America has rallied on multiple occasions. Now more than ever is a time to rally. Our rally call now is liberation. We must liberate every American citizen to create a society in which every citizen feels to live free.      

  So how do we move forward? How does America get baptized to wash away its original sin? To be honest I do not have a real answer to this question because the system of oppression has existed for centuries. But, what I do have is a start to dismantling this system. Like I said previously we must first address and acknowledge that such an institutional system exist. And then something different. It’s a very philosophical and abstract idea because we live in a world that operates on a binary either you’re right or wrong, you are good or bad, you are Black or white, there is just and unjust, and finally yes or no. But the reality is no one truly lives on one side of the spectrum the majority of people operate in the grey. And given this fact, people have their own ideas, experiences, biases, prejudices, and perspectives. However, given this binary, we are conditioned to think and believe certain ‘truths’ the problem with this way of thinking it avoids conversations and discourse.  We need to enter the zone of proximity and have deliberate and challenging conversations.         

    Therefore in these conversations, it is imperative that we do not cancel people. Meaning, we cannot call people out but we must call people in. Calling a person out is a tool of alienation. Therefore, we must call people in. If a person goofs up don’t criticize or chastise them but rather provide constructive criticism. With this being said, it is vital, WE CANNOT BE SOFT WE HAVE TO ACCEPT CRITICISM AND LEARN FROM IT. Now, conversations only go so far.WE MUST ALSO QUESTION and ACT. What should we question and act upon? To begin with, how can we create equitable economic opportunities for EVERY CITIZEN? How do we educate our children? How do we fund our public school system?  How do we police our citizens? How do we disrupt the current housing structure that systematically displaces Black folks? These questions are very broad strokes on the painting of oppression. However, I believe these strokes are important. Along, with these questions, we must also act. We act by voting, and not just for presidential elections but also for LOCAL ELECTIONS. In addition, we need to be politically active writing and calling our local politicians.We must fight for representation and diverse voices and faces in every field. We must write and create! We must work to educate. Not only do we educate but we must also be liberatory educators. Meaning, we allow for folks to question and to think.                 

Ultimately, I believe it comes down to seeing the world and your life in a different way. We begin to see differently we enter the zone of proximity. We have to get close to people. We have to have conversations that are hard and uncomfortable. More than anything we have to know each other. Like the magnificent bell hooks said “ When we drop fear, we can draw nearer to people, we can draw nearer to the earth, we can draw nearer to all the heavenly creatures that surround us”. That is how we baptize ourselves.

#blacklivesmatter #sayhername #Forward Change

[uspatriot4liberty]

What Are We Becoming?

Let me begin this blog, this very first blog, by very clearly stating that I am not a racist, a white supremacist, a bigot, homophobe, misogynist, sexist or hater of any sort.  I am brutally honest and I can only come to the conclusion that PC stands for Pure Crap.  Doubtless, as I post to this blog there will invariably be those who take my words out of context, who classify me in one or more of the above categories, or any others they believe they can hang on me, and who will direct hatred and hateful speech at me.  So be it.  I have broad shoulders and any who wish to dissent against my opinions are welcome to do so.  I am always happy to engage in intelligent debate and have no problem ignoring comments that are thrown at me with the intent of getting a rise from me or pushing some idiotic agenda.  

Now, the meat of the matter.  We, as a nation, have endured and are still in the midst of one of the greatest challenges we have ever faced.  A global pandemic that has altered the way we live every aspect of our life.  But we weren’t happy to just contend with that.  Oh, no, we had create mass social upheaval as well leading to protests and the requisite rioting and looting that always seem to make their way into “peaceful” protests.  Before you jump off the deep end here, I do not support any action by police or any other public safety/peace keeping organization that utilizes brutality and violence to the point of the death of a detainee.  That said, I also cannot condone the actions of looting, rioting, mass destruction, setting fires, forcible take overs of “autonomous zones”, and the defacing and destroying of public statues representing history, whether we like that history or not.  

I also cannot condone the choices we’ve made as our poster children for police brutality.  George Floyd was originally approached by officers because he was allegedly trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill.  During that encounter, he resisted arrest.  Lesson number 1, when the police issue commands, obey them and don’t resist.  I promise the experience will be much smoother that way.  

On to Rayshard Brooks.  This man was passed out drunk in a drive through lane at a Wendy’s, which was subsequently burned down by associates of his.  The entire encounter is caught on body cam showing him to be calm and easy to deal with, until, the officer goes to arrest him at which time he resists, punches an officer in the face and steals his TASER.  Everything other action aside, at the point he forcibly took the TASER and pointed it an officer he became 100% responsible for loosing his life.  Police officers routinely carry lethal and non-lethal weapons.  These officers tried to use a non-lethal option, which inadvertently was turned on them.  Had Brooks incapacitated either of the officers and grabbed his side arm, we might well have been mourning the loss of a dedicated public servant rather than Mr. Brooks.  Refer to lesson number 1 above.  

Two men who violently resisted arrest are held up as martyrs to society and become the face of a movement for social change.  Why them?  Why didn’t these protesters take up the cause months ago when Breonna Taylor was mistakenly shot and killed in her own apartment?  Why, not? Well, because it didn’t happen on a crowded street or busy drive thru lane where it could be recorded by all comers and sold off to every major media outlet for the shock value it would create when aired.  

When Miss Taylor was killed, COVID-19 was ramping up and the media was too busy crafting its campaign of doom and dire outlooks regarding just how many of us this novel coronavirus was going to kill before it had run its course.  Plus it was much too soon to stoke a political fire that could be used to the advantage of a certain party we know that would literally do anything to win the next election.  So, the tragic death of Breonna Taylor slipped quietly to the wayside until we got a little closer to election time and we could find new events that allowed us to create even more division and dissent in our country.  

We are blessed to live in a country that allows us to protest peacefully, to share diversity and to be free to pursue any interest we may have as long as it isn’t illegal.  And what do we do with these liberties, we use them as a gateway to make role models of those we ordinarily would present to our children as cautionary tales and we burn, riot, loot, destroy and occupy because some people in power have neither the will nor the desire to stand up and do what is right.

If you cannot look at your fellow man, no matter the color, creed or religion, and say “All Lives Matter”, then I don’t understand how you can look at yourself in the mirror.  BLM is pushing an agenda that is not going to end racism and bigotry.  Instead, it is going to create a new breed of racism that is legal and sanctified by much of the Democratic leadership wherein history is erased and re-written and anyone of non-ethnic heritage becomes the target for the same slights and injustices that are being protested today.  

My friends, what are we becoming?

#uspatriot4liberty #racism #blm

[excathedras]

Hold Onto Your Butts: I’m Coming Out

     Oftentimes, when I look back at myself, it seems like who I am now is the product of a coalition of different people all taking control of my life for different periods of time. Who I am now and who I once was are, at times, unrecognisable, though a number of central things about me remain. I can remember writing stories when I was six years old, imagining characters and a world vastly different from my own. I have pictures of myself in a purple velvet leotard at ballet, and in pink lipgloss at my first orchestra concert playing in an elementary school cafeteria. These are the big ones that come to mind, but sometimes, it is very difficult for us to look back and understand how the smaller things have snowballed over time. For me, these include trust issues that have accumulated from constant moves, a changing world, and the selfishness of humanity that seems so new to me. Another one is my adoration of classics, which began during the Scholastic Book Fair at my school, when my English had finally gotten good enough to read the popular “Goddess Girls” series, which has led me, almost a decade later, to pursue that sort of thing as a career. 

     Some things, however, are even more difficult to understand, let alone recognise. With the increasing attention of the general public to the inner workings of the LGBT community, especially with understanding gender on a global stage, this allows a place for a personal reflection of my own self and how I feel and how I want to be perceived and, in some ways, how happy I am with the body I was born into. For me, those questions have been incredibly difficult to answer. The way I see them and myself has changed many times over the years, and, though it seems backwards, has become more confusing to me the more I learn about what gender truly is and how I choose to define it for myself. 

    When I was little, my hair didn’t grow much. It is wild, Greco-African, and my white adopted mom had no idea what to do with it, so we left it to it’s own design, and it made like unkempt undergrowth. In my second grade class, I remember my teacher splitting the class in groups or halves in different ways, sometimes by eye colour, birth month, patronymic name, and, occasionally, length of hair. In that case, all of the girls were on one side, and all of the boys, plus myself, were on the other. My mother complained to the school once I asked her if that made me a boy, or less of a girl. What I couldn't articulate at the time, and haven’t been able to until recently, is that I never saw it as a degrading or empowering thing. It is just how things were and just who I was, and I didn’t think more of it than a cisboy about being a boy or a cisgirl about being a girl.

     There are hours, days, months, where I feel trapped in my own body, out of place distinctly not who I am. I look at government forms and don’t know how to label myself. I see transmen’s transition diaries and I wish that could be me. I look at ancient statues of men both virile ( The Antinous Braschi ) and dumpy ( any visual art of Socrates ) and I know that I would be happy with bodies like theirs. My schedule of ballet classes includes classes with the men just as they do pointework. I think of men, and I include myself. Yet, at the same time, I take a lot of pride in my femininity and the parts of me that are distinctly womanly, whether they be from my physical self or from within. There is power in me that comes from feeling effeminate, and the history of women is something that instills a great sense of identity and belonging in me. A great part of me takes solace in my desire to be masculine and in the ways that I am masculine. Another part of me is quelled by my feelings of femininity. This is all well and good, and many people can relate, but the issue is that these parts are not created equal, not all the time, and the presence of both is dominating in my scholastic, artistic, natural, and spiritual life. 

     For so long, I thought of transgenderism as an ensnaring commitment for me, in which fulfilling my view of myself as a man meant that I would have to sacrifice my femininity, or to stay a woman would mean lying and suppressing a large part of me for the rest of my life. I didn’t want to do either, so I ignored it. Which, as it turns out, is also not a great thing to do. I faced a manic number of years going through reinventions and obliterations of myself as I tried to force myself into a binary I knew would never make me happy. I bullied myself with the words of ignorant people with my own form of “self - help conversion therapy”. I told myself it was a phase. I told myself I was just doing it for attention. I told myself that I was making this all up, and that there are only two genders, and that I was between the phase of committing to being a transgender man or just staying a woman. I told myself to just settle for what I have because I’m beautiful and because it’s easier to just stay put and that it’s safer to stay put, and that, if I’ve already lasted this long ignoring these strange wills, I can live the rest of my life like this too.

     I found myself a few months ago taking a myriad of “Am I Transgender?” and “What Should My Gender Be?” and “Am I Nonbinary?” quizzes, as if cisgender people need to validate their gender so many times. The last time I did something like that, I was asking if I was a lesbian, and here I am, a decade later, still liking women. For some reason, I didn’t (or more accurately wouldn’t) put those pieces together. I would lie on some of the tests, seeing two answers for each question. One answer described, albeit shallowly, how I felt. The other answer was perfectly how I wanted myself to feel. One allowed for dynamic personality and the room for me to feel comfortable, and the other sought to place me in a box. Some tests came back saying I was distinctly male or distinctly female, and these were only a temporary comfort. Some tests came back saying that I exist out of the gender binary. And somewhere along the way, I figured that lying to myself or denying myself was no longer going to get me the answers that I wanted, so I started to research. 

     Instead of telling myself that I was nothing more than an attack helicopter who would never be taken seriously, I started reading articles and hoping that they would reassure me, in a healthy way, that I was simply cisgender and trying to protest societal norms. Considering this post, I’m sure you can assume that the effect they had on me what the exact opposite of that. Instead, they taught me about the history of gender across numerous societies and its presence in nature, as well as what gender means in a practical sense, and how to find what it means in a self - centric sense. As strange as this sounds, the most prominent and most important thing that my research gave me is validation in my confusion. I hardly understand how I identify myself; there is no word to encompass me and my identity entirely, but, in real life, there are no labels like that. We have broad ones, such as being transgender, being a student, being an American, but those experiences are different and beautifully undefined (You may have noticed an influx in my use of this word in my writing, in fact, as it has shifted for me from being something to be afraid of to something take refuge in.) for everybody. I don’t have all the answers about myself, but nobody has the answers for themselves either. To want to conquer those mysteries is to not want to enjoy youth, or enjoy life, or enjoy the intricacies of humanity and the human experience as a whole. 

     Some days are better than others, some days are filled with confidence and pride in my diverse self, and others have me feeling out of place and lost. The hardest step in this journey has been being able to come out to myself. I had a very distinct idea of who I was, and deviating from that and re-examining that meant being unsure and admitting that I am not as strong as I like to present myself as. I revel in the good days, and in the bad days, I remind myself that I should be happy with my confusion and my vulnerability; I am too dynamic and too broad to ever fit in a box. I don’t know how I define being nonbinary yet, but I have a long time to figure it out. And in the meantime, I know where I belong, I know who my friends are, I know where I want to go, and I know who I want to be, and that’s more than enough for me. <3

TL;DR

     I would like it if you referred to me with they / them pronouns and any variation on the name Frankie you want. Gendered terms of endearment like “gal”, “bitch”, or “bro” are just fine. I’m begging you not to treat me any differently akdakjdsa

#x. memoirs of an egg 》 mun. #it probably wasnt necessary to write all this but this is the only recorded entry i have of organised thoughts about my transition #my diary is just incoherent flailing and name lists. lots and lots of name lists

[thevividgreenmoss]

Obama occasionally denounced the ‘fat cats’ of Wall Street, but Wall Street contributed heavily to his campaign, and he entrusted his economic policy to it early in his tenure, bailing out banks and the insurance mega-company AIG with no quid pro quo. African-Americans had turned out in record numbers in 2008, demonstrating their love of an ostensible compatriot, but Obama ensured that he would be immune to the charge of loving blacks too much. Colour-blind to the suffering caused by mortgage foreclosures, he scolded African-Americans, using the neoliberal idiom of individual responsibility, for their moral failings as fathers, husbands and competitors in the global marketplace. Nor did he wish to be seen as soft on immigration; he deported millions of immigrants – Trump is struggling to reach Obama’s 2012 peak of 34,000 deportations a month. In his memoir, Dreams from My Father, he had eloquently sympathised with the marginalised and the powerless. In power, however, he seemed in thrall to Larry Summers and other members of the East Coast establishment, resembling not so much the permanently alienated outsider as the mixed-race child of imperialism, who, as Ashis Nandy diagnosed in The Intimate Enemy, replaces his early feeling for the weak with ‘an unending search for masculinity and status’. It isn’t surprising that this harbinger of hope and change anointed a foreign-policy hawk and Wall Street-friendly dynast as his heir apparent. His post-presidency moves – kite-surfing with Richard Branson on a private island, extravagantly remunerated speeches to Wall Street and bromance with George Clooney – have confirmed Obama as a case of mistaken identity. As David Remnick, his disappointed biographer, said recently, ‘I don’t think Obama was immune to lures of the new class of wealth. I think he’s very interested in Silicon Valley, stars and showbusiness, and sports, and the rest.’

Embodying neoliberal chic at its most seductive, Obama managed to restore the self-image of American elites in politics, business and the media that had been much battered during the last years of the Bush presidency. In the updated narrative of American exceptionalism, a black president was instructing the world in the ways of economic and social justice. Journalists in turn helped boost the fantastical promises and unexamined assumptions of universal improvement; some saw Coates himself as an icon of hope and change. A 2015 profile in New York magazine describes him at the Aspen Ideas Festival, along with Bill Kristol, Jeffrey Goldberg, assorted plutocrats and their private jets, during the ‘late Obama era’, when ‘progress was in the air’ and the ‘great question’ after the legalisation of gay marriage was: ‘would the half-century-long era of increasing prosperity and expanding human freedom prove to be an aberration or a new, permanent state?’ Coates is awkward among Aspen’s panjandrums. But he thinks it is too easy for him to say he’d be happier in Harlem. ‘Truthfully,’ he confesses, ‘I’m very happy to be here. It’s very nice.’ According to the profile-writer, ‘there is a radical chic crowd assembling around Coates’ – but then he is ‘a writer who radicalises the Establishment’.

For a self-aware and independent-minded writer like Coates, the danger is not so much seduction by power as a distortion of perspective caused by proximity to it. In his account of a party for African-American celebrities at the White House in the late Obama era, his usually majestic syntax withers into Vanity Fair puffs: ‘Women shivered in their cocktail dresses. Gentlemen chivalrously handed over their suit coats. Naomi Campbell strolled past the security pen in a sleeveless number.’ Since Clinton, the reflexive distrust of high office once shared by writers as different as Robert Lowell and Dwight Macdonald has slackened into defensiveness, even adoration, among the American literati. Coates proprietorially notes the ethnic, religious and racial variety of Obama’s staff. Everyone seems overwhelmed by a ‘feeling’, that ‘this particular black family, the Obamas, represented the best of black people, the ultimate credit to the race, incomparable in elegance and bearing.’ Not so incomparable if you remember Tina Brown’s description of another power couple, the Clintons, in the New Yorker in 1998: ‘Now see your president, tall and absurdly debonair, as he dances with a radiant blonde, his wife.’ ‘The man in a dinner jacket’, Brown wrote, possessed ‘more heat than any star in the room (or, for that matter, at the multiplex)’. After his visit, Joe Eszterhas, screenwriter of Showgirls and Basic Instinct, exulted over the Clinton White House’s diverse workforce: ‘full of young people, full of women, blacks, gays, Hispanics’. ‘Good Lord,’ he concluded in American Rhapsody, ‘we had taken the White House! America was ours.’

A political culture where progress in the air was measured by the president’s elegant bearing and penchant for diversity was ripe for demagoguery. The rising disaffection with a narcissistic and callous ruling class was signalled in different ways by the Tea Party, Occupy, Black Lives Matter and Bernie Sanders’s insurgent candidacy. The final blow to the Washington (and New York) consensus was delivered by Trump, who correctly read the growing resentment of elites – black or white, meritocratic or dynastic – who presumed to think the White House was theirs. Writing in Wiredmagazine a month before Trump’s election, Obama hailed the ‘quintessentially American compulsion to race for new frontiers and push the boundaries of what’s possible’. Over lunch at the White House, he assured Coates that Trump’s victory was impossible. Coates felt ‘the same’. He now says that ‘adherents and beneficiaries’ of white supremacy loathed and feared the black man in the White House – enough to make Trump ‘president, and thus put him in position to injure the world’. ‘Every white Trump voter is most certainly not a white supremacist,’ Coates writes in a bitter epilogue to We Were Eight Years in Power. ‘But every Trump voter felt it acceptable to hand the fate of the country over to one.’ This, again, is true in a banal way, but inadequate as an explanation: Trump also benefited from the disappointment of white voters who had voted, often twice, for Obama, and of black voters who failed to turn out for Hillary Clinton. Moreover, to blame a racist ‘whitelash’ for Trump is to exculpate the political, business and media luminaries Coates has lately found himself with, especially the journalists disgraced, if not dislodged, by their collaboration in a calamitous racist-imperialist venture to make America great again.

As early as 1935, W.E.B. Du Bois identified fear and loathing of minorities as a ‘public and psychological wage’ for many whites in American society. More brazenly than his predecessors, Trump linked the misfortunes of the ‘white working class’ to Chinese cheats, Mexican rapists and treacherous blacks. But racism, Du Bois knew, was not just an ugly or deep-rooted prejudice periodically mobilised by opportunistic politicians and defused by social liberalism: it was a widely legitimated way of ordering social and economic life, with skin colour only one way of creating degrading hierarchies. Convinced that the presumption of inequality and discrimination underpinned the making of the modern world, Du Bois placed his American experience of racial subjection in a broad international context. Remarkably, all the major black writers and activists of the Atlantic West, from C.L.R. James to Stuart Hall, followed him in this move from the local to the global. Transcending the parochial idioms of their national cultures, they analysed the way in which the processes of capital accumulation and racial domination had become inseparable early in the history of the modern world; the way race emerged as an ideologically flexible category for defining the dangerously lawless civilisational other – black Africans yesterday, Muslims and Hispanics today. The realisation that economic conditions and religion were as much markers of difference as skin colour made Nina Simone, Mohammed Ali and Malcolm X, among others, connect their own aspirations to decolonisation movements in India, Liberia, Ghana, Vietnam, South Africa and Palestine. Martin Luther King absorbed from Gandhi not only the tactic of non-violent protest but also a comprehensive critique of modern imperialism. ‘The Black revolution,’ he argued, much to the dismay of his white liberal supporters, ‘is much more than a struggle for the rights of Negroes.’

Compared to these internationalist thinkers, partisans of the second black president, who happen to be the most influential writers and journalists in the US, have provincialised their aspiration for a just society. They have neatly separated it from opposition to an imperial dispensation that incarcerates and deports millions of people each year – disproportionately people of colour – and routinely exercises its right to assault and despoil other countries and murder and torture their citizens. Perceptive about the structural violence of the new Jim Crow, Coates has little to say about its manifestation in the new world order. For all his searing corroboration of racial stigma in America, he has yet to make a connection as vital and powerful as the one that MLK detected in his disillusioned last days between the American devastation of Vietnam and ‘the evils that are rooted deeply in the whole structure of our society’. He has so far considered only one of what King identified as ‘the giant American triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism’ – the ‘inter-related flaws’ that turned American society into a ‘burning house’ for the blacks trying to integrate into it. And in Coates’s worldview even race, despite his formidable authority of personal witness, rarely transcends a rancorously polarised American politics of racial division, in which the world’s most powerful man appears to have been hounded for eight years by unreconstructed American racists. ‘My President Was Black’, a 17,000-word profile in the Atlantic, is remarkable for its missing interrogations of the black president for his killings by drones, despoilation of Libya, Yemen and Somalia, mass deportations, and cravenness before the titans of finance who ruined millions of black as well as white lives. Coates has been accused of mystifying race and of ‘essentialising’ whiteness. Nowhere, however, does his view of racial identity seem as static as in his critical tenderness for a black member of the 1 per cent.

#this review still slaps #essays #*

[your-dietician]

Gates Split Casts Harsh Glare on $170 Billion Money Manager

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/markets/gates-split-casts-harsh-glare-on-170-billion-money-manager/

Gates Split Casts Harsh Glare on $170 Billion Money Manager

(Bloomberg) — For almost three decades, Michael Larson has quietly shuffled around one of the world’s biggest fortunes with a chief priority: Keep his fabulously wealthy bosses out of the headlines.

The conservative bets, the nondescript office, the investment firm’s generic-sounding name; they were all carefully designed to shield Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates from criticism and produce steady, if seemingly unimpressive, returns.

The couple’s divorce announcement last month cracked the curated image. Unflattering details spilled out, including a report that Larson had allegedly harassed and bullied some employees.

On Monday, a spokesman said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments — the 100-person strong team led by Larson that’s overseen their personal fortune and the endowment of their namesake foundation — changed its name to Cascade Asset Management Co. The moniker closely resembles Cascade Investment, which historically has been the part of BMGI that manages the Gateses’ personal wealth.

The rebranding is the latest step in the unfolding story of what will happen to one of the world’s largest fortunes when Gates and French Gates finalize their divorce. Larson was hired by the Microsoft Corp. billionaire in the mid-1990s to oversee that wealth.

The sprawling portfolio under his purview, estimated by Bloomberg News to be valued at about $170 billion, has over the years generated returns that beat the broader stock market by about a percentage point, according to financial filings and people familiar with the matter.

The record illustrates the priorities of the uppermost strata of the ultrarich, where investment horizons span generations and riskier bets often don’t outweigh the value of a good reputation. Part of Larson’s job was to help Bill Gates uphold his image as a wonky billionaire devoted to fixing the world’s challenges, rather than make bold moves that could draw scrutiny.

“The price some of these guys are willing to pay to stay out of the news is high,” said Tayyab Mohamed, co-founder of family office recruiting firm Agreus Group.

Story continues

The divorce and recent revelations about Cascade’s workplace culture, reported by the New York Times, raise questions about what’s next for Larson and the fortune he oversees. A spokesman for Cascade said BMGI is changing its name “to allow for the evolving needs of the Gates family and their philanthropic work” and that the group’s investment strategy and organizational structure won’t change.

French Gates, whose name was added to BMGI in 2014, has been in focus after Cascade transferred equity stakes worth more than $3 billion to her, leading some in the industry to speculate she’s in the process of claiming an even larger control of her share of the riches. Their combined wealth stands at more than $140 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Larson, 61, has admitted that he sometimes used harsh language, as alleged in the Times reporting, but denied that he mistreated staff. A Cascade representative has said the matters were examined and didn’t warrant his dismissal. A representative for Gates didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Mohamed said it’s of little surprise that Larson has remained in his role after the allegations, given his decades-long tenure with Gates and the loyalty it has likely engendered.

“Had Larson not had the professional impact he had, it would be a simple yes, he should resign,” said Mohamed, whose company helps family offices fill leadership positions.

Larson, often clad in a pink shirt, shies from the limelight and rarely attends conferences for family office professionals. A former bond-fund manager, he won Gates’s loyalty by delivering consistent returns and instilling in employees the notion that their primary focus was to protect their benefactor’s good name, according to people familiar with Cascade, who asked not to be named speaking about the company’s inner workings.

The manager had broad leeway from Gates on investment decisions, they both have said. French Gates rarely attended meetings in Cascade’s early days aside from the annual in-person gathering, and when she did she tended to be a passive participant, according to one of the people familiar with the firm.

She was unaware of most of the allegations involving Larson “given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI,” her spokeswoman, Courtney Wade, said in a statement.

It’s unclear where French Gates is keeping her money, including the more than $3 billion that has been transferred from Cascade, and whether she’s now setting up a family office of her own. She also runs Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation firm founded in 2015 that focuses on gender and racial equality and employs roughly 90 people.

Conservative Mandate

Being the investment chief for one of the world’s biggest family fortunes might seem like an enviable job for an investor mulling creative bets. There’s hardly a worry about fundraising, client withdrawals or onerous regulations. But it often instead involves simply keeping wealth steady.

Aside from detracting attention from the Gateses, Larson’s main mandate has been to invest conservatively — try to maximize returns but don’t lose money, one of the people said.

That reflects the typical investment approaches of big family offices and foundations, said Raphael Amit, professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

“The No. 1 objective is preservation of capital,” he said, adding that’s why family office portfolios are so diverse, including not just public equities, but also fixed income, commodities and assets such as art.

In a Fortune story from two decades ago, Larson explained that much of his strategy boiled down to countering the swings of Microsoft stock. At the time, the portfolios both for the foundation and for the Gateses’ personal money mostly consisted of bonds, with some bets on private equity, commodities, Florida real estate and British hotels.

That has shifted. Today Cascade holds about $57 billion in public equities, ranging from farm-equipment maker Deere & Co. to track operator Canadian National Railway Co. to waste management firm Republic Services Inc. — companies rooted in the physical world of making, moving and selling goods, and cleaning things up.

Cascade also owns around 270,000 acres of land, enough to make it the single biggest owner of U.S. farmland, according to the Land Report. The firm also has been involved in currency and commodities trading, venture capital and the development of a property complex in downtown Tampa.

The foundation’s most recent tax returns also shows $804 million of corporate bonds and $5.8 billion of other investments like mortgage-backed securities, bank loans and sovereign debt.

Stable Returns

Cascade doesn’t disclose its overall investment performance, but financial reports from the foundation offer clues. The foundation’s assets under management have returned an average of about 8.6% per year since 2001, according to a person familiar with the matter, beating the S&P 500 Index’s average annual 7.5% gain over the past two decades. That track record is broadly representative of Cascade’s overall returns, another person said.

Cascade’s assets have periodically been boosted by proceeds from the sales of Gates’s Microsoft stock. And Warren Buffett, the founder of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., has periodically given shares in the conglomerate worth billions of dollars to the foundation. Buffett is one of the Gates Foundation’s three board members alongside Gates and French Gates, but has no involvement in investment decisions of the endowment, according to the foundation.

One remarkable feature of the portfolio is how little it changes. Of the 15 stocks listed in the foundation trust’s most recent filing, which discloses positions traded on U.S. exchanges, 10 of them were in the portfolio a decade ago.

The holdings haven’t uniformly jived with the Gateses’ charitable endeavors or priorities, which include global health and, more recently, climate change.

Cascade held investments in oil and gas companies until 2019, Gates said in his recent book about climate change. It was long the biggest owner of Signature Aviation Plc, the world’s largest operator of private-jet bases, before joining a consortium that took the company private this year. And it’s the biggest shareholder of Republic Services Inc., which for years has feuded with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union, whose members are employees.

Gates has occasionally made it clear that Larson has broad discretion to make investment decisions. In a March “Ask me anything” event on Reddit, a user asked about his purchases of farmland. His response: “My investment group chose to do this.”

Two decades ago, Larson put it more bluntly.

“When people find out that Cascade has made an investment in something, that’s not Bill Gates,” he said in the Fortune interview. “I wish everyone understood that.”

(Adds detail on French Gates and BMGI in 10th paragraph.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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[chinawire]

[White Paper] China’s International Development Cooperation in the New Era

The unprecedented level of interconnection and interdependence among countries binds them into a global community of shared future. Guided by this vision, China’s international development cooperation in the new era has a more profound philosophical basis and clearer goals, which lead to more concrete actions.

China’s International Development Cooperation in the New Era

 January 2021

Contents

 Preface                                                                                                                  

     I.  International Development Cooperation in the New Era and a Global Community of Shared Future                                                                                                                    

    II.  Achieving New Progress in International  Development Cooperation    

  III.  Boosting International Cooperation on the Belt and Road                  

  IV.  Contributing to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

   V.  Responding to Global Humanitarian Challenges Together                  

  VI.  Supporting the Endogenous Growth of Developing Countries          

 VII.  Strengthening International Exchanges and Tripartite Cooperation  

VIII.  Future Prospects for China’s International  Development Cooperation  

Conclusion                                                                                                           

Preface

China is the largest developing country in the world.

Since its founding in 1949, the People’s Republic of China has always demonstrated a spirit of internationalism and humanitarianism following and supporting other developing countries’ efforts to improve their people’s lives and achieve development. From the outset, even though China was itself short of funds, it started offering assistance to needy countries in support of their fight for national independence and liberation, and their effort to promote economic and social development, which laid a solid foundation for long-term friendship and cooperation with those countries. After launching reform and opening up in 1978, China has provided other developing economies with even more aid in more diverse forms to boost common development.

China entered a new era after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012. President Xi Jinping has considered China’s responsibilities from a global perspective, and proposed the vision of a global community of shared future and the Belt and Road Initiative. China is committed to pursuing the greater good and shared interests, and upholding the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith for developing relations with other developing countries and the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, and inclusiveness for expanding relations with neighboring countries. To this end, President Xi has taken advantage of many major international occasions to announce a broad range of cooperation measures. These present China’s approach, offer its vision, and contribute its strength to resolving global development issues and implementing the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In response to the call of the times, China has been upgrading its foreign assistance to a model of international development cooperation, taking on new initiatives and achieving greater results in this new era.

The Chinese government is publishing this white paper to introduce China’s views on international development cooperation[1] in the new era, the actions it has taken, and its plans for the future.

I. International Development Cooperation in the New Era and a Global Community of Shared Future

The unprecedented level of interconnection and interdependence among countries binds them into a global community of shared future. Guided by this vision, China’s international development cooperation in the new era has a more profound philosophical basis and clearer goals, which lead to more concrete actions.

1. Cultural and Philosophical Origins

China has a cultural foundation and national character that attach great importance to good faith, friendship, justice and righteousness. This is an inherent force driving China’s development cooperation, which is based on the following notions:

– The Chinese nation’s ideal of universal harmony. China pursues an ideal world where the Great Way rules for the common good, respects the principles of good neighborliness and harmony in relations with all other countries, and advocates cooperation and mutual help. Deep rooted in Chinese culture, these are the firm beliefs that inspire China’s development cooperation. Upholding the belief that all countries are members of a global village with shared future, China advocates fairer and more equitable international relations, and steadfastly contributes to global development.

– The Chinese idea of repaying kindness with kindness. The Chinese people will always remember the support and help that China has received from other countries and international organizations. Chinese culture admires those who return the favor of a drop of water in need with a spring of water indeed. China is willing to share its successful experience without reservation to boost development in other places and benefit more countries and peoples.

– The Chinese tradition of internationalism. The Chinese people always preserve a sense of justice and a feeling of sympathy. In 1950, just one year after the founding of the People’s Republic, China did its utmost to support other countries in their campaigns for national independence in spite of its own difficulties. Over the past seven decades, the Chinese nation has forged ahead, moving from poverty and backwardness towards strength and prosperity. The Chinese people hope that other peoples will also lead a good life while theirs is improving, and are willing to contribute as much as they can to other developing countries’ efforts to satisfy their people’s aspiration for a better life.

– China’s sense of responsibility as a major country. China is a founding member of the United Nations and also a permanent member of the UN Security Council. It upholds the universal values of humanity – peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom – and sticks to a development path that is peaceful, open, cooperative and inclusive. China considers it a duty to actively engage in development cooperation as a responsible member of the international community. China considers it a mission to contribute more to humanity. Its wish is to offer more public goods to the international community and join forces with other countries to build a better common future.

2. China’s Approaches to Development Cooperation

Based on its experience in international development cooperation since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has formed distinctive approaches in keeping with the new era while maintaining its fine traditions, as elaborated below.

– Promoting a global community of shared future is the mission of China’s international development cooperation. Humanity shares a common stake in development, and world stability and prosperity cannot be achieved unless developing countries can progress. By helping other developing countries reduce poverty and improve their people’s lives, China works together with them to narrow the North-South gap, eliminate the deficit in development, establish a new model of international relations based on mutual respect, equity, justice and win-win cooperation, and build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security and common prosperity.

– Pursuing the greater good and shared interests, with higher priority given to the former, is the underlying guideline. This represents one of China’s cultural traditions and embodies its belief in internationalism. Under this guideline, China strives to make the cake of prosperity bigger, and hopes developing countries will advance faster to share the opportunities and benefits offered by open development. Observing the principle of mutual benefit for win-win outcomes, it offers as much assistance as it can while taking into consideration of the interests and needs of other developing countries.

– South-South cooperation is the focus. In spite of China’s tremendous achievements, two realities have not changed: China is in the primary stage of socialism and will remain so for a long time to come, and China is still the world’s largest developing economy. China’s development cooperation is a form of mutual assistance between developing countries. It falls into the category of South-South cooperation and therefore is essentially different from North-South cooperation. China is a staunch supporter, active participant and key contributor of South-South cooperation. It will continue to shoulder the international responsibilities commensurate with its development level and capacity, and further expand South-South cooperation, so as to promote joint efforts for common development.

– Belt and Road cooperation is a major platform. The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road are significant public goods China offers to the whole world and a major platform for international development cooperation. China has joined hands with other countries to promote policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity, to build the Belt and Road into a path towards peace, prosperity, opening up, innovation, green development, cultural exchanges, and clean government.

– Helping other developing countries to pursue the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a key goal. The 2030 Agenda is a guiding blueprint for development cooperation around the world and has a lot in common with the Belt and Road Initiative. The international community has made initial progress in achieving the agenda’s goals in recent years, but global development remains unbalanced and inadequate. The Covid-19 pandemic has posed a serious threat to the 2030 Agenda, making it a tough task to achieve its goals in all countries and for all people as scheduled. Through international cooperation on improving development capacity and optimizing development partnerships, China has helped other developing countries mitigate the impact of the pandemic, so as to accelerate action for the 2030 Agenda and achieve common prosperity.

3. China’s Principles for Development Cooperation

China’s principles for international development cooperation are as follows:

– Respecting each other as equals. China always supports development cooperation on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. It holds that all countries, regardless of size, strength and wealth, are equal members of the international community. When cooperating with other countries for development, no country should interfere in their efforts to find a development path suited to their own national conditions, interfere in their internal affairs, impose its own will on them, attach political strings, or pursue political self-interest.

– Doing the best we can to help. Taking both the domestic and international situation into consideration, China gives full play to its comparative strengths, and perform international duties compatible with its national strength. Within the framework of South-South cooperation, it provides as much assistance to other developing countries as it can. China respects other developing countries’ opinions, and determines cooperation projects through friendly consultation and mutual agreement. It does not launch projects in conflict with its partners’ development level and needs. China is always true in word and resolute in deed. It honors its commitments and ensures all projects achieve good results.

– Focusing on development and improving people’s lives. Development is the top priority of all countries. When carrying out development cooperation, China emphasizes coordination of plans and strategies with partner countries, and responds to the priority needs of developing countries for social and economic progress. Aiming to improve people’s wellbeing and provide them with tangible gains, it increases investment in poverty alleviation, disaster relief, education, health care, agriculture, employment, environmental protection, and climate change response, and actively participates in emergency humanitarian relief operations.

– Providing the means for independent development. Fully considering the resources, development level and needs of other developing countries, China shares unreservedly its experience and technologies with them by various means, and trains local talent and technicians for them, so as to empower them to tap their own potential for diversified, independent and sustainable development.

– Conducting effective cooperation in diverse forms. China has developed distinctive forms of foreign assistance throughout its long-term experience, including:

• complete projects,

• goods and materials,

• technical cooperation,

• cooperation in human resources development,

• South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund (SSCAF),

• medical teams,

• outbound volunteers,

• emergency humanitarian aid, and

• debt relief.

In accordance with its partners’ actual needs and conditions, China chooses the optimal forms of cooperation to maximize the results. It champions the efficient use of funds to their best value.

– Ensuring delivery and sustainability. China prioritizes implementation management, supervision and evaluation to ensure the quality of projects. In order to maintain the reputation and credibility of China-aid projects and increase their overall efficiency, China pays close attention to the operation of completed projects, provides follow-up technical support, and boosts the integration of investment, construction and operation. To ensure lasting impact, it promotes vocational training and technical cooperation, and helps countries to improve the skills of their project management personnel and localize project management. China seeks solutions through bilateral consultations with countries in difficulty for repayment of debts, and helps low-income countries to achieve debt sustainability.

– Being open and inclusive to promote exchanges and mutual learning. China furthers its international communication on development cooperation to dispel doubts, increase mutual trust, and seek mutual learning. It respects the wishes of countries in receipt of aid, and discusses and launches cooperation with other countries and international organizations based on the principle that projects should be proposed, agreed and led by recipient countries. In a spirit of openness, China explains through various channels its policies, funding and management for development cooperation to the rest of the world.

– Advancing with the times and breaking new ground. Following the trends of the times and the changes in the domestic and international situation, China introduces reforms and innovations to its development cooperation while remaining true to its own principles. Absorbing the experience of other countries and international organizations in this field, and based on the development goals and needs of developing countries, China makes institutional reforms, improves regulations, diversifies forms, and expands areas of interest to increase the quality and effectiveness of cooperation.

4. Practical Measures for Development Cooperation

Respecting its solemn commitments, China has taken practical actions in development cooperation. President Xi Jinping has announced measures for development cooperation on many international occasions, which will contribute to global development.

– Fulfilling its duties as a major country and providing global development with public goods.

During the summits commemorating the UN’s 70th anniversary in September 2015, President Xi announced the following commitments for the next five years:

• supporting “six 100 projects” – 100 poverty reduction projects, 100 agricultural cooperation projects, 100 aid for trade projects, 100 ecological conservation and climate change response projects, 100 hospitals and clinics, and 100 schools and vocational training centers;

• helping implement 100 maternal and child health care projects and 100 “happy campus” projects;

• setting up an assistance fund for South-South cooperation and a China-UN peace and development fund;

• launching training and scholarship programs for people from other developing countries to study in China;

• writing off debts on eligible countries’ interest-free loans; and

• establishing an institute of South-South cooperation and development and a center for international knowledge on development.

At the opening of the virtual 73rd World Health Assembly on May 18, 2020, President Xi announced measures for supporting international cooperation against Covid-19, including:

• providing an assistance fund of US$2 billion over two years;

• working with the UN to set up a global humanitarian response depot and hub in China;

• establishing a cooperation mechanism for its hospitals to pair up with 30 African hospitals;

• making Covid-19 vaccines available as a global public good once they have been developed and applied in China; and

• working with other G20 members to implement the Debt Service Suspension Initiative for the poorest countries.

– Increasing aid to other developing countries within the Belt and Road framework.

At the First Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2017, President Xi announced that China would:

• provide assistance worth RMB60 billion to launch more projects to improve people’s wellbeing in the following three years;

• provide emergency food aid worth RMB2 billion;

• make an additional contribution of US$1 billion to the SSCAF;

• launch 100 “happy home” projects, 100 poverty alleviation projects, and 100 health care and rehabilitation projects; and

• provide relevant international organizations with US$1 billion.

At the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2019, President Xi announced that China would:

• implement the Belt and Road South-South Cooperation Initiative on Climate Change;

• expand cooperation in agriculture, health, disaster mitigation and water resources;

• invite 10,000 representatives to visit China;

• encourage and support extensive cooperation on public wellbeing projects among social organizations of participating countries; and

• continue to run the Chinese government scholarship Silk Road Program.

– Proposing cooperation schemes with developing countries through regional cooperation mechanisms.

President Xi Jinping has proposed many aid plans to boost economic and social development and people’s wellbeing in recipient countries at bilateral and multilateral conferences such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation Between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries, the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum, the Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum, and the China-Pacific Island Countries Economic Development and Cooperation Forum.

At the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit in December 2015, President Xi put forward ten major cooperation programs with Africa for the following three years, covering industrialization, agricultural modernization, infrastructure, finance, green development, trade and investment facilitation, poverty reduction, public health, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and peace and security.

At the FOCAC Beijing Summit held in September 2018, President Xi stated that China would launch eight major initiatives in the next three years and beyond, covering industrial development, infrastructure connectivity, trade facilitation, green development, capacity building, health care, people-to-people exchanges, and peace and security.

At the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against Covid-19 in June 2020, President Xi said that China would continue to do everything possible to support Africa’s response to Covid-19, work with Africa to accelerate the follow-ups to the FOCAC Beijing Summit, give greater priority to cooperation on public health, business reopening, and people’s wellbeing, and build an even stronger China-Africa community of shared future.

The Chinese government is actively fulfilling its commitments to development cooperation. All the measures listed above have been completed or are progressing as scheduled, turning into solid contributions to global development.

 II. Achieving New Progress in International Development Cooperation

China has continued a steady increase in the scale of its international development cooperation, giving high priority to the least developed countries in Asia and Africa and developing countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. To adapt to changes in the domestic and international situation, China has reformed its management system and is exploring new ways to promote international development cooperation with better results.

1. Steady Growth

China has steadily increased the scale and further expanded the scope of its foreign aid. From 2013 to 2018, China allocated a total of RMB270.2 billion for foreign assistance in three categories – grants, interest-free loans, and concessional loans. Grants of RMB127.8 billion, accounting for 47.3 percent of the total, mainly went to help other developing countries build small and medium-sized social welfare projects and to fund projects for cooperation in human resources development, technical cooperation, material assistance, and emergency humanitarian assistance, as well as projects under the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund. Interest-free loans of RMB11.3 billion, constituting 4.18 percent of the total, were mainly allocated to help developing countries construct public facilities and launch projects for improving local people’s lives. Concessional loans of RMB131.1 billion, making up 48.52 percent of the total, were provided to help developing countries undertake industrial projects and large and medium-sized infrastructure projects that yield economic and social benefits, and for the supply of technical services, complete sets of equipment, mechanical and electrical products, and other goods and materials.

      From 2013 to 2018, China extended assistance to 20 regional and international multilateral organizations and 122 countries across the world – 30 in Asia, 53 in Africa, 9 in Oceania, 22 in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 8 in Europe.

   2. Diverse Forms

In addition to undertaking complete projects, providing goods and materials, and conducting technical cooperation, China set up the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund in 2015 to launch development cooperation programs, and continues to explore new models and methods of foreign aid.

– Complete projects. From 2013 to 2018, China undertook the construction of 423 complete projects, with the focus on infrastructure and agriculture. In addition to the traditional “turnkey” model of assistance, China also launched pilot projects in some countries and regions with sound tendering processes and experience in organizing and implementing such projects. Under this model, China provided both funds and technical assistance to those projects, and the recipient countries were responsible for site survey, design, construction, and process management.

  Table 1: China-Funded Complete Projects by Sector, 2013-2018

Sector

Number of projects

Sector

Number of projects

Public facilities:

306

Agriculture:

19

hospitals

58

agricultural  pilot centers

5

schools

86

farmland  water conservancy

2

civil  construction

19

agricultural  processing

6

well-drilling  and water supply

20

others

6

public  infrastructure

60

Industry

5

others

63

Climate change programs:

13

Economic infrastructure:

80

wind  and solar energy

10

transport

56

biogas

1

broadcast  and telecommunications

13

small  hydropower

2

electricity

6

  others

5

  Total

423

  – Goods and materials. From 2013 to 2018, China provided 124 countries and regions with 890 deliveries of goods and materials, most of which comprised mechanical equipment, inspection equipment, transport vehicles, medicine and medical devices.

– Technical cooperation. From 2013 to 2018, China completed 414 such projects in 95 countries and regions, mainly covering industrial production and management, agricultural planting and breeding, culture and education, sports and training, medical and health care, clean energy development, and planning and consulting.

– Cooperation in human resources development. From 2013 to 2018, China held more than 7,000 training sessions and seminars for foreign officials and technical personnel and in-service education programs, training a total of some 200,000 people. Such projects cover more than 100 subjects in 17 fields, including politics and diplomacy, public administration, national development, poverty reduction through agricultural development, medical and health care, education and scientific research, culture and sports, and transport.

Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development

President  Xi Jinping announced a plan to establish the Institute of South-South  Cooperation and Development (ISSCAD) during the High-Level Roundtable on  South-South Cooperation co-hosted by China and the United Nations in  September 2015. In April 2016, ISSCAD was set up in Peking University. Its  goal is to share China’s experience in state governance and train talent from  other developing countries to modernize their governance capacity. Since its  founding ISSCAD has enrolled around 220 doctoral and master’s candidates from  59 developing countries, representing governments, academic institutions,  news media and NGOs.

In July 2017, when the first 26 students of ISSCAD  graduated with their master’s degrees, they read out a thank-you letter to  President Xi Jinping. On October 11, Xi wrote back to congratulate them on  their graduation, encouraging them to make the best of what they had learned,  keep going, aim high, and work hard to explore a sustainable development path  suitable for their own countries, and become leaders of reform and  development. Xi hoped they would cherish their friendships with teachers, classmates  and friends in China, play new roles in promoting friendship and cooperation  between China and their countries, and achieve new successes in South-South  cooperation.

– South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund. By the end of 2019, China had launched 82 projects under the SSCAF framework in cooperation with 14 international organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Organization for Migration (IOM), and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). These projects cover agricultural development and food security, poverty reduction, health care for women and children, response to public health emergencies, education and training, post-disaster reconstruction, migrant and refugee protection, and aid for trade.

South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund

In  September 2015, President Xi Jinping announced at the United Nations  Sustainable Development Summit the creation of the SSCAF with an initial  contribution of US$2 billion, to support developing countries in carrying out  the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In May 2017, President Xi  announced an additional contribution of US$1 billion to the SSCAF at the  First Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.

By  pooling resources from China and the international community, the SSCAF aims  to promote South-South cooperation, and support developing countries in  participating in global economic governance on an equal footing. It is an  innovative initiative for the Chinese government to champion the 2030 Agenda  and facilitate sustainable development in other developing countries. It  embodies China’s effort to value and bolster South-South cooperation, and  demonstrates that as a major country, China honors its responsibilities and  welcomes other countries to board the express train of its development to  achieve common progress.

The  SSCAF gives priority to humanitarian aid, agricultural development and food  security, health care, poverty alleviation, disaster preparation and  mitigation, education and training, sustainable industrial development,  eco-environmental protection, trade promotion, and investment facilitation.  It focuses on micro and small public wellbeing projects in cooperation with  mainly international organizations, think tanks, and social organizations  from China and recipient countries.

  – Medical teams. By the end of 2019, China had dispatched 27,484 medical workers in 1,069 groups to 72 countries and regions. They worked in all departments of medical and health care, including internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, traditional Chinese medicine, anesthesiology, patient care, pathology, clinical laboratories, and public health. Currently there are nearly 1,000 Chinese medical workers providing assistance at 111 health care facilities in 55 countries across the globe.

– Outbound volunteers. From 2013 to 2018, China dispatched more than 20,000 young volunteers and volunteer Chinese-language teachers to work in over 80 countries around the world.

– Emergency humanitarian aid. From 2013 to 2018, China extended emergency humanitarian assistance to 60 countries. This included providing supplies and equipment, dispatching international rescue teams and medical expert groups, and repairing damaged facilities.

– Debt relief. From 2013 to 2018, China canceled RMB4.18 billion of debts involving 98 mature interest-free loans to least developed countries, heavily indebted poor countries, and landlocked and small island developing countries.

3. Groundbreaking Progress in Reform and Management

To better adapt to the new circumstances, China has reformed its foreign aid systems and mechanisms to improve management and promote international development cooperation in the new era.

– Institutional reform. In April 2018, the Chinese government set up the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) directly under the State Council. This is a significant move to safeguard world peace and promote common development. It serves to better plan and coordinate efforts on international cooperation and build synergy for development. The establishment of such a specialized agency represents a milestone in China’s foreign aid journey.

– Better management. China has improved its evaluation mechanisms for foreign aid projects, so as to raise the quality and depth of feasibility analysis. To make feasibility studies more forward-looking, environmental impact, future management and other long-term factors are taken into consideration.

China has formulated clearly defined project management rules and regulations, improved procedures for governmental procurement, contract performance, and qualification assessment of enterprises bidding for foreign aid projects, and endeavored to establish a tendering system focusing on high quality and competitive pricing. To guard against corruption, China has strengthened the performance appraisal mechanism for entities undertaking projects.

China has optimized its rapid response mechanism for emergency humanitarian aid to ensure prompt and effective assistance, and strengthened supervision and evaluation to improve the overall efficiency of its foreign aid.

 III. Boosting International Cooperation on the Belt and Road

Since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, China has carried out development cooperation and contributed to policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity based on the needs of individual countries, creating space and opportunities to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

1. Enhancing Policy Coordination

Policy coordination is the foundation for Belt and Road participants to strengthen political mutual trust, develop pragmatic cooperation and integrate their interests. Based on the principle of seeking and expanding common ground while reserving and resolving differences, China has invited foreign officials to participate in training sessions, and dispatched experts and advisors to participating countries, to promote bilateral communication and understanding and create synergy for common development.

– Building platforms for the Belt and Road Initiative to dovetail with the development strategies of participating countries. China has held over 4,000 training sessions for officials from participating countries on Belt and Road topics such as infrastructure connectivity, industrial capacity, equipment standardization, trade facilitation, and technological standardization.

The training programs serve as a communication platform for coordinating policies among countries within the Belt and Road framework. Participants of the programs discussed and planned jointly on ways to link the Belt and Road Initiative with regional and national initiatives, such as Agenda 2063 of the African Union, the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, EU’s Europe-Asia connectivity strategy, Pakistan’s vision of a new Pakistan, Laos’ initiative to transform from a land-locked country to a land-linked country, the Philippines’ massive infrastructure projects under its Build, Build, Build program, Kazakhstan’s Bright Road initiative, and Mongolia’s Development Road program.

– Creating opportunities for regional economic and trade integration. China has sent experts and advisors abroad to offer technical consulting services, and propose feasible plans for development based on an in-depth understanding of the national conditions, policies and laws of each partner country, laying the groundwork for effective cooperation.

The China-Belarus Great Stone Industrial Park, an overseas economic and trade cooperation zone, has been hailed as “a pearl on the Silk Road Economic Belt”. China implemented technical support programs for the industrial park, shared its experience in managing development zones, and invited experts from Belarus to visit the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area and the Suzhou Industrial Park. Through field trips and in-depth communication, the experts of the two countries jointly formulated policies on the management, operation, investment promotion, and industrial development for the park, laying solid foundations for its long-term development.

2. Strengthening Infrastructure Connectivity

Infrastructure connectivity is key to Belt and Road cooperation. China provides full support to participating countries in building trunk lines including highways, railways, ports, bridges and telecommunications cable networks, in order to build a connectivity framework consisting of six corridors, six routes, and multiple countries and ports.

– Connecting the six corridors and six routes. China supports Belt and Road participants in infrastructure connectivity projects to revive the ancient Silk Road. To support the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and promote overland trade between the two countries, China participated in the upgrading and expansion of the Peshawar-Karachi Motorway and the Karakoram Highway. To support the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor and the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor, China is helping to build infrastructure such as highways, bridges and tunnels in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, promoting connectivity and integrated development between Southeast Asia and South Asia.

China’s help with the construction of sections of Kyrgyzstan’s North-South highway and Tajikistan’s road renovation project on the China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor has improved the local transport conditions. Connecting over 100 cities across more than 20 countries in Europe and Asia, the China Railway Express to Europe has made an outstanding contribution to stabilizing international industrial and supply chains during the Covid-19 pandemic.

– Building logistics corridor on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. China supports the construction of a smooth and efficient transport corridor on the Maritime Silk Road with the key ports as major links. With China’s assistance, the Friendship Port expansion project in Mauritania has significantly improved the handling capacity and alleviated cargo congestion and delays in the port, making it an important trade logistics node along the Maritime Silk Road.

– Building air transport hubs. To meet the increasing needs of air transport, China has assisted Pakistan, Nepal, Maldives, Cambodia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Togo in upgrading and expanding their airports, thereby improving operational capacity and safety, increasing the passenger and cargo throughput, promoting local tourism, facilitating cross-border passenger and trade flow, and bringing more opportunities for their integration with the Belt and Road Initiative.

3. Promoting Unimpeded Trade

Trade is an important engine for economic growth. China has aided countries to improve their trade infrastructure and capacity, laying a solid foundation for Belt and Road participants to achieve unimpeded trade.

– Facilitating trade. To enhance the competitiveness of developing countries in the global supply chain, China has taken proactive measures to help Belt and Road partners improve their trade infrastructure and modernize their trading systems.

To speed up the customs clearance process for goods and combat smuggling, China has donated container inspection equipment to more than 20 countries including Georgia, Armenia, Tanzania, Kenya and the Philippines. China has also assisted Bangladesh’s purchase of shipping vessels, delivering three oil tankers and three bulk carriers to the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation and thus helping to increase its overall transport capacity.

– Improving trade capacity. China is helping Laos to build its rural e-commerce policies, plans and systems, and helping Myanmar and Cambodia to build their systems for the inspection of agricultural products, inspection and quarantine of animals and plants, and grain storage, to enhance their export competitiveness.

From 2013 to 2018, to coordinate trade policies of different countries and build a free trade network, China held over 300 trade-related training sessions for participating countries on trade facilitation, international logistics, multimodal transport, e-commerce, border health and quarantine, border inspection and quarantine of animals and plants, and safety of imported and exported food. It has set up funds in the World Trade Organization and the World Customs Organization for building trade capacity and helping developing economies and particularly the least developed countries to integrate into the multilateral trading system.

4. Deepening Financial Integration

China actively helps participating countries to improve their financial systems and build cooperation platforms for financing, paving the way for financial integration.

– Supporting the improvement of financial systems. China assists Belt and Road participants in optimizing their financial environment, a prerequisite for their integration into the international financial system.

In 2015, China helped Laos to build its national bankcard payment system, a constructive step in maintaining the financial stability of Laos and promoting financial connectivity with neighboring countries. The China-IMF Capacity Development Center has provided intellectual support to Belt and Road participants to improve their macro-economic and financial frameworks. China set up the Research Center for Belt and Road Financial and Economic Development, which serves as an important think tank for enhancing capacity building in financial integration.

– Building multilateral cooperation platforms for financing. The Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF) was jointly established by China, the World Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Development Bank of Latin America, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The MCDF aims to promote connectivity among international financial institutions and relevant partners, and attract more investment in the Belt and Road through sharing information, supporting project preparation and building capacity.

5. Fostering Closer People-to-People Ties

People-to-people friendship is the cornerstone of sound state-to-state relations, and heart-to-heart communication holds the key to deeper friendship. China promotes people-to-people exchanges and cultural cooperation with partner countries through projects designed to improve the lives of local people, thus increasing mutual appreciation, mutual understanding and mutual respect, and reinforcing the social foundation of the Belt and Road Initiative.

– Improving people’s lives. China has launched a series of people-oriented projects in Belt and Road countries to address such issues as housing, water supply, health care, education, rural roads, and assistance to vulnerable groups, helping to fill gaps in infrastructure and basic public services.

China has assisted Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Ethiopia and Djibouti in building water supply systems to ensure access to safe drinking water. It has aided Sri Lanka, Senegal, Guinea, Niger, Mozambique, South Sudan, Jamaica, Suriname, Dominica and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in building hospitals to improve local medical services and make it easier for local people to access medical treatment.

China has helped Belarus build government-subsidized housing to improve the living conditions of the vulnerable. From 2016 to 2019, it provided over 2,000 free cataract surgeries in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

– Furthering people-to-people exchanges. China has invited representatives from Belt and Road countries such as Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Kazakhstan to engage in people-to-people exchanges in China, increasing their knowledge and understanding of China’s national conditions and culture. It has also sent youth volunteers to other Belt and Road countries such as Laos and Brunei to foster closer people-to-people ties and facilitate cultural exchanges and mutual learning.

– Strengthening cultural cooperation. China has participated in 33 projects for the joint preservation of cultural relics with 17 Belt and Road countries. These include the protection and restoration projects for Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Bagan Buddhist pagodas in Myanmar damaged in earthquakes, and the ancient city of Khiva in Uzbekistan, as well as joint archaeological activities at Rakhat Ancient Ruins in Kazakhstan and the Bikrampur ruins in Bangladesh.

China has launched a project known as Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages aimed at providing digital TV connection for rural communities in more than 20 African countries, opening a new window for them to see the world. It has provided assistance to projects for radio and TV centers in Seychelles, the Comoros, Tanzania and Mauritius to improve the transmission capacity of local radio and television networks, making them important vehicles for cultural communication in their respective localities.

  IV. Contributing to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

As an active contributor to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, China has been assisting other developing countries to reduce poverty, boost agricultural progress, support equal access to education, improve infrastructure, and speed up industrialization.

1. Poverty Reduction

Eliminating poverty is the common aspiration of all peoples and a shared mission of the international community. The primary goal of the 2030 Agenda is to “end poverty in all its forms everywhere”. China has been helping other developing countries to reduce poverty and improve people’s lives, by providing assistance in the construction of rural public facilities, sharing experience in agricultural governance, and offering technology transfer.

– Implementing poverty reduction pilot projects. China has been assisting other developing countries in alleviating poverty. In Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia, China has launched pilot projects to promote its experience in village-by-village poverty reduction, improving local villages’ organizational ability, encouraging farmers to combine their efforts in agricultural activities, and cultivating a new vision for development to shake off poverty.

China has organized training programs and co-hosted seminars with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, to share ideas and actions in targeted poverty alleviation with other developing countries.

– Raising rural incomes. China has been assisting some countries in improving their rural living environment and meeting local needs in transport, work and life. For example, it helped Mauritania to build a highway in its Hope Delta to support local agriculture and animal husbandry.

China has also provided training in handicrafts based on local conditions. In Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Lesotho, Rwanda and the Central African Republic, China launched pilot projects on Juncao planting techniques, to help rural households to increase their incomes. In Liberia and Ethiopia, China imparted bamboo weaving techniques, encouraging farmers to tap local bamboo resources and start furniture businesses as a new source of income.

– Protecting special groups. Special groups are the most deserving recipients of poverty alleviation. China has been supporting other developing countries in formulating policies concerning people with disabilities, improving rehabilitation services for them, and enabling them to share the fruits of social development.

In Mongolia, Ecuador and Libya, China organized training programs on health care policies and rehabilitation services for special groups, which improved these countries’ capacity to alleviate poverty and provide better health care services for such groups. In Samoa, China helped set up a training center for people with disabilities, with the number of trainees rising from 150 to over 400, providing them with opportunities for basic education and skills training.

2. Food Security

Agriculture is the foundation of economic growth and social stability. China assists other developing countries to leverage their own strengths to accelerate agricultural progress and ensure food self-sufficiency and food security.

– Improving agro-productivity. By the end of 2019, China had dispatched 81 agro-technology teams composed of 808 experts to 37 Asian and African countries; China had assisted African countries in setting up 22 agro-technology pilot centers to promote high-yield crop varieties, helping farmers increase productivity and boost their confidence in development.

In Georgia, Chinese experts on plastic greenhouse vegetable cultivation rolled out solar greenhouse planting techniques among farmers, which increased vegetable yields and ensured self-sufficiency. In Kyrgyzstan and Chad, China launched assistance projects to upgrade their irrigation systems, and offered agricultural machinery and supplies to ease local shortages.

In Laos, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, China provided timely aid during locust plagues to help restore agricultural production. In Cambodia, China offered assistance in modern agricultural planning, and supported the Stung Chikreng water resources development project, ensuring an 80 percent water supply rate for irrigation and replacing single cropping with double cropping in rice production.

– Cultivating agricultural research and technical personnel. Agricultural upgrading requires a talent pool. China has helped to build platforms to train rural technical personnel, including an agricultural school in Kratie, Cambodia, a Sino-Africa Joint Research Centre for scientific cooperation in agriculture with African countries, and a number of agro-technical cooperation programs in Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Grenada.

China has sent agricultural specialists overseas to offer technical training programs on raising rice yields in Côte d’Ivoire, upgrading aquaculture in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and improving coffee varieties and processing methods in East Timor. To provide technological support and services for agricultural development in Africa, China initiated a “10+10” cooperation mechanism between Chinese and African agricultural research institutes for the joint development of new crop varieties, technologies, and equipment suited to the African continent.

– Developing agro-industrial chains. China attaches great importance to offering assistance in post-agricultural production. It helped build a pig and cattle slaughterhouse in Cuba, an agro-product preliminary processing center in Cape Verde, a corn flour production plant in Zambia, and grain processing and storage facilities in East Timor, to improve their capacity to process and store agro-products, reduce post-production waste, and increase the added value of agro-products and farmers’ income.

In Tonga and Samoa, China promoted biogas technology and pig-biogas-vegetable circular agro-technology, and used agro-technology pilot centers to demonstrate how to develop a full industrial chain from production, storage, processing to marketing, share comprehensive agro-management experience, and support circular agriculture and sustainable production. In response to initiatives and campaigns by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), China has helped some countries to improve their food security.

3. Health Care

China always puts the people first and prioritizes the protection of lives. It has been supporting other developing countries in building their public health systems, improving their medical and health care services, and protecting people’s lives and health.

– Building public health systems. To help Africa improve its public health system and build the headquarters of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), China dispatched health experts to support its emergency command, epidemiological analysis, and disease control during a number of epidemics.

In tackling infectious diseases such as malaria and schistosomiasis, China assisted Africa in carrying out a raft of disease control and health improvement programs. In Zanzibar, Tanzania, China provided technical assistance in schistosomiasis control and helped design prevention and treatment protocols, which lowered the local infection rate. In the Comoros, China assisted its malaria elimination program with an Artemisinin-based combination therapy, which ensured zero deaths and reduced the morbidity rate by 98 percent.

– Improving basic medical service capacity. In the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Cambodia and Kyrgyzstan, China provided aid to more than 50 medical infrastructure projects, playing an important role in protecting public health and training medical professionals. China offered medicines, equipment and consumables to other countries to ease their shortages of medical supplies.

China launched paired cooperation with medical institutions in over 20 countries, helping them to set up specialized hospital departments or improve the performance of existing departments. China assisted Trinidad and Tobago in establishing its own microneurosurgery and endoscopic neurosurgery departments. The Chinese medical team in Dominica introduced minimally invasive surgery to the country. Through such efforts, China has brought advanced treatment concepts and filled many medical technology gaps in the Caribbean region.

– Strengthening human resources for medical services. From 2015 to 2019, China dispatched 3,588 medical workers overseas in 202 groups, who provided treatment to 11 million patients, organized professional training for local medical staff, offered free mobile clinic services, and donated medicines and equipment; more than 1,500 of these Chinese medical workers were awarded presidential medals or other honors by the recipient countries, while one of them died on duty.

China has also sent short-term medical specialist teams overseas for particular diseases. In 25 countries, including Botswana, Eritrea, Morocco, Ghana, the Bahamas, Maldives, and Antigua and Barbuda, China launched 42 sight recovery activities under the Brightness Action program, providing 9,752 cataract surgeries. In Ghana and Tanzania, China carried out 170 heart surgeries under the Heart to Heart program.

4. Quality Education

Education is the foundation of development. China has been assisting other developing countries in providing fairer access to better education, by opening schools, training teachers, and increasing scholarships.

– Supporting basic education. Access to good education is the common aspiration of all children and teens in developing countries. It is also an important means to improve population quality and advance national development. In Nepal, Armenia, Mozambique, Namibia, Peru and Uruguay, China assisted in the construction of a number of primary and secondary schools, and offered computers, lab equipment, stationery and sporting goods to improve their basic education conditions.

In South Sudan, China provided technical assistance in education, including compiling customized primary school textbooks on mathematics, English and science, and printing 1.3 million copies of them for 150,000 teachers and students. In North Macedonia, China provided distance education equipment to 27 schools, helping improve local education, particularly in mountainous and rural areas, and promote balanced distribution of education resources.

– Developing higher education. China has been assisting other countries in improving higher education facilities and training high-caliber talent. China assisted construction projects such as the Emalus Campus of the University of the South Pacific in Vanuatu, the Malawi University of Science and Technology, the teaching building of the Chinese Department at Kabul University in Afghanistan, the library at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and the Kabala Campus of the University of Bamako in Mali. At Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya, China helped establish the Sino-Africa Joint Research Centre, offering courses on the protection and utilization of biodiversity and remote sensing of natural resources to improve local technology levels.

China has provided part-time degree and non-degree programs for foreign trainees. Since 2013, the Chinese government has sponsored more than 4,300 people from other developing countries to obtain master’s and doctoral degrees in China. To strengthen research cooperation and academic exchanges with partner countries to jointly train high-caliber personnel, China has launched the “20+20” Plan for higher education cooperation with Africa, and established the Atomic Energy Scholarship of China.

– Promoting vocational education. Vocational education is an important means for developing countries to generate demographic dividends and increase employment. In Laos, Cambodia, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, Egypt, Sudan, Liberia, Equatorial Guinea and Vanuatu, China helped set up technical schools and vocational training centers. In Azerbaijan, Ethiopia and Madagascar, China provided material support for improving their vocational and technical education.

The Omdurman Friendship Center for Vocational Training, supported by China, has become Sudan’s national vocational training base for teachers. In Djibouti and Egypt, China has established Lu Ban workshops to provide practical technical training to local youth through paired cooperation with Chinese vocational schools. China’s technical assistance to the vocational training center in Burkina Faso has helped boost the local vocational education market.

5. Gender Equality

Women are an important driving force for social progress. China has assisted other developing countries in promoting women’s development, creating more opportunities for women to succeed in life.

– Safeguarding women’s rights and interests. China has begun to implement the 100 maternal and child health care projects in developing countries, initiated by President Xi Jinping at the summits celebrating the UN’s 70th anniversary in 2015. Some of these projects are already in place in Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Malawi and Cape Verde, effectively ensuring basic health care services for local women.

In Zimbabwe, China launched a program for the prevention and treatment of cervical diseases, donated medicines and equipment for early diagnosis and treatment, and dispatched specialists to improve the expertise of local medical staff. China provided training programs to some countries on maternal and child health care, to help improve their clinical services in obstetrics and neonatology.

– Empowering women. China has reinforced its efforts to assist training for women in other developing countries, promoting vocational and technical training to increase women’s employment and their participation in political and economic activities.

Since 2013, China has offered over 60 capacity development and technical training programs for women in developing countries, and provided part-time degree and non-degrees programs on women’s leadership and social development, aiming to expand female officials’ capacity to participate in political and economic activities.

6. Infrastructure

China has assisted other developing countries in building public facilities and energy infrastructure, enabling their people to enjoy a better life.

– Supporting the construction of public facilities. China aided the maintenance and renovation of public facilities such as the Algiers Opera House in Algeria, the National Wrestling Arena and the Museum of Black Civilizations in Senegal, the Culture Palace of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire, and the Cotonou Convention Center in Benin. It provided assistance to some countries and the African Union in building conference centers and support facilities. It assisted Grenada, Guinea-Bissau and Tunisia in building, repairing and upgrading sports venues. All these projects aim to increase cultural and sporting activities in these countries and regions and enrich local cultural life.

The Development Center for Children with Disabilities in Mongolia, constructed with China’s assistance, is the largest multi-functional rehabilitation center of its kind in the country, and is renowned as “a happiness project”.

– Improving urban living environment. In Sierra Leone, Burundi, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Nepal, the Philippines, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Serbia, China helped build urban arterial roads and upgrade congested sections to ease traffic flow. The China-Maldives Friendship Bridge, built with China’s assistance to connect three adjacent islands, has become an artery of traffic in the Male Atoll, providing an alternative to the ferry as the only means of local transport.

In Syria, China provided 100 buses to expand urban transport capacity, which has facilitated travel and reconstruction in the recipient cities. China-aided projects on road repair and residential drainage in Sao Tome and Principe and those on water supply and sewage treatment in Kurunegala, Sri Lanka, have addressed urban waterlogging and separated sewage from rainwater, thereby reducing pollution and improving local life quality.

– Expanding energy access. Depending on resource availability, China has assisted other countries in developing hydro, solar, wind, nuclear and geothermal power, and helped them to build power transmission, transformation and distribution networks.

In Cuba, China assisted the construction of a solar power station with an installed capacity of 9 MW and an annual power output of 12.85 million kWh, which filled a sizable gap in the local power supply. China aided Kyrgyzstan in rebuilding its power grid in the south, aided Tajikistan in a 500 kV power transmission and transformation project in the Districts of Republican Subordination, aided Laos in building a 230 kV power transmission line between Thavieng and Laksao, and aided Zambia in building a power transmission line between Kariba North and Kafue West. These projects have improved power grid connectivity in these countries, and played an important role in boosting their energy independence and industrialization.

7. Sustainable and Innovation-Driven Economic Growth

China has supported other developing countries in advancing industrialization, increasing the added value of their resources, boosting industrial employment, releasing the potential of the digital economy, and improving economic creativity and inclusiveness.

– Advancing Industrialization. Industrialization is a prerequisite for economic independence and an important means of creating employment and ending poverty. China has been supporting other developing countries in tapping their potential for competitive industrial capacity, modernizing their industrial systems, and increasing the added value of their resources, to accelerate the process of industrialization.

In Bangladesh, China assisted the construction of the Shahjalal Fertilizer Factory. Since it was put into operation in 2015, the factory has achieved a total output of 1.1 million tons and saved over US$400 million in foreign exchange. The China-aided fruit and vegetable processing plant in Cuba and the sulfuric acid plant in Tajikistan have raised local production efficiency and boosted local income and taxation revenues. Prioritizing localization, these programs have increased employment and improved labor skills for local people.

– Promoting the digital economy. China has assisted other countries in implementing 37 telecommunications infrastructure projects covering telecommunications networks and government information networks, to help them develop information and communications industries and narrow digital gaps.

Kenya’s national fiber optic cable network, built with China’s assistance, has greatly increased transmission speed, reduced communication costs, and boosted e-commerce, marking a great leap in the development of Kenya’s information and communications industries. China assisted the construction of the police command center and government hotline in Laos, and the integrated government information system in Papua New Guinea, helping the two countries to raise their administrative efficiency and increase the application of IT in governance. China assisted the third-phase project of Bangladesh’s e-government network, extending high-speed information and communications connectivity to 64 districts, 488 sub-districts, and 2,600 unions to cover 62 percent of its territory and population.

8. Eco-environmental Protection

Upholding the vision of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, China has proactively assisted other developing countries in promoting new energy, protecting the environment, and addressing climate change. China has shared its experience in green development, fulfilled its commitments under international conventions, and expanded international cooperation on wildlife protection and desertification control, to join other countries in preserving our beautiful planet.

– Developing clean energy. China has increased its support for renewable energy projects and assisted other developing countries in implementing clean energy programs.

In Gabon, China launched a clean energy pilot project to increase power supply while minimizing environmental impacts. In Kenya, China assisted the construction of the Garissa solar photovoltaic power plant, providing an average annual generation capacity of 76 GWh and an annual reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 64,000 tons. In Fiji, China supported the construction of a number of small hydropower plants, to provide clean, stable and low-cost energy and replace annual diesel imports worth RMB6 million, helping the country to work towards the goal of making renewable energy 90 percent of its total energy consumption by 2025.

– Protecting biodiversity. Biodiversity is the foundation of human survival and development. China attaches great importance to biodiversity conservation, fulfilling its international obligations, and promoting international cooperation on wildlife protection.

China provided Zimbabwe, Kenya and Zambia with wildlife protection supplies, upgrading their equipment for combatting poaching and illegal wildlife trade and improving their wildlife protection capacity. China provided Mongolia with technical assistance for the management of Gobi bear habitats, by helping improve environmental quality and offering specialist equipment, to protect its “national treasure” from imminent extinction.

– Addressing climate change. China has promoted South-South cooperation on the response to climate change, helping other developing countries – particularly small island countries, African countries and least developed countries – to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

In 2015, China announced the establishment of a South-South Climate Cooperation Fund, and the plan to set up 10 pilot low-carbon industrial parks, start 100 climate mitigation and adaptation programs and provide climate change response training programs for 1,000 people in other developing countries, which have to date involved cooperation with 34 countries.

China assisted Laos and Ethiopia in formulating plans on environmental protection and clean energy development to accelerate their green and low-carbon transformation. China provided Myanmar with home solar power systems and clean cooking stoves, which reduced carbon emissions and protected forest resources. Ethiopia’s microsatellite, donated by China, was launched into space, helping the country improve its capacity for disaster monitoring and alerting, and for climate change response.

From 2013 to 2018, China organized over 200 training programs on climate change response and environmental protection, set up targeted degree and non-degree programs on environmental management and sustainable development, and trained some 5,000 people from other countries.

– Curbing desertification. China is happy to share with other countries its desertification control technology and experience, and has organized a number of training programs on curbing desertification and soil erosion.

China launched an international platform for technical assistance and exchange on desertification control in its Gansu Province, organizing 36 international training sessions on this topic. In 2006, China held the first training session on desertification control technology for Arab states, and up to now has organized 12 such sessions. China has also imparted bamboo and Juncao planting and processing techniques in other countries, which have effectively contained soil erosion and land degradation and protected the eco-environment.

– Conserving marine and forest resources. Oceans and forests are valuable natural resources. China helped countries like Jamaica with programs for hydrological and meteorological observation, assisted Uzbekistan in establishing pilot automatic weather stations, and supported research on marine disaster preparedness and mitigation.

China assisted Cape Verde in developing its plan for a maritime special economic zone and designing a blueprint for the exploitation and conservation of marine resources on Sao Vicente Island. China has launched cooperation with African countries on afforestation and forestry research, and provided Tanzania and the Comoros with fire engines and patrol vehicles to improve their forest resource management capacity.

   V. Responding to Global Humanitarian Challenges Together

Public health risks, natural disasters, migrant and refugee crises, and many other humanitarian issues represent an ever greater threat to the whole world today. Pursuing common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, China always renders assistance to the best of its ability to countries in need, and contributes its strength to tackling major global challenges and improving the global governance system.

1. Providing Emergency Disaster Relief

Actively responding to the calls of the international community, China provided emergency humanitarian aid, including relief materials, rescue teams, and funds, to Indonesia, Mexico, Chile, the Solomon Islands, the Bahamas, El Salvador and other countries that had been struck by earthquakes, hurricanes or other devastating natural disasters.

In 2015 when Nepal was hit by an 8.1-magnitude earthquake, China rushed three batches of materials and more than 1,000 people to Nepal’s aid. The China International Search and Rescue Team was the first foreign heavy search and rescue team to arrive in Nepal to help with the relief work. In 2016, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake jolted Ecuador, China promptly delivered emergency humanitarian aid to the country, with five chartered flights loaded with relief materials to Quito, capital of Ecuador. When Cyclone Idai caused catastrophic damage to Southeast Africa in 2019, China also provided immediate emergency humanitarian aid in the form of goods to Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi, and sent a rescue team to Mozambique.

2. Responding to Public Health Emergencies

China provided emergency aid to the countries struck by Ebola, yellow fever, Zika, plague and other epidemics. It sent five rounds of emergency humanitarian aid worth US$120 million to 13 African countries immediately after Ebola broke out in West Africa, and dispatched nearly 1,200 medical workers and public health experts to Guinea and other affected countries. Standing together with African people through these tribulations, the medical teams quarantined and treated more than 900 cases, conducted tests on nearly 9,000 samples, and trained 13,000 local health workers. China built more than 10 laboratories and treatment centers in Ebola-hit countries. The Ebola treatment center in Liberia was finished in around 20 days, and the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biological Safety Laboratory was designated as a national reference lab for viral hemorrhagic fever and a national biosafety training center.

In 2020, Covid-19 broke out in many places around the world and spread quickly. China not only ensured its own effective response and sufficient supplies, but also did all it could to aid and assist more than 150 countries and international organizations based on the severity of the outbreaks, their medical and supply capabilities, and their actual needs. This was China’s most intensive and largest-scale emergency humanitarian assistance mission since 1949.

China’s Foreign Assistance for Combating Covid-19

–  Offering medical materials and equipment. China has provided test kits, face  masks, medical gloves, ventilators, protective suits, goggles, medical shoe  covers, infrared thermometers and other anti-epidemic supplies and assistance  to 150 countries and 10 international organizations.

–  Sending medical expert teams. By October 2020, China had dispatched 35  medical expert teams to 33 countries. Risking their own lives, these experts  worked hard on the anti-epidemic front line and did not hesitate to provide  guidance and consultation in epidemic prevention and control, clinical  diagnosis and treatment, and community management.

–  Accelerating the construction of public health infrastructure. Construction  on the Africa CDC headquarters started in December 2020 ahead of schedule.  The outpatient building for infectious diseases at the Grand National  Hospital of Mauritania, the dormitory building of the Dominica-China  Friendship Hospital, and some other Chinese-aided projects were completed and  delivered ahead of schedule to support local services in the fight against  Covid-19. China also assisted Pakistan and other countries in building  temporary isolation hospitals to help contain the epidemic.

–  Supporting multilateral mechanisms and organizations in fighting the  epidemic. Responding to the fundraising calls of the UN and WHO, China  donated US$50 million to the WHO, and announced a US$50 million contribution  to the UN Covid-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan. It also earmarked US$10  million in its Poverty Reduction and Regional Cooperation Fund to support the  Asian Development Bank’s efforts to help member countries to address the  Covid-19 challenge, and donated US$2 million worth of materials to the  International Atomic Energy Agency to support its anti-epidemic effort. The  Chinese government is working with the UN to set up a global humanitarian  response depot and hub in China.

–  Providing debt relief to countries in financial difficulty. Together with  other G20 countries, China implemented the Debt Service Suspension Initiative  for the poorest countries, and exempted African countries qualifying under  the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation from repaying  zero-interest rate loans due at the end of 2020.

 3. Providing Food Aid to Cope with Famine

Extreme weather and military conflicts are threatening global food security. Strong El Niño events have caused famines in many places around the world. To help feed countries with poor crop yields, China has provided emergency food aid to over 50 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America since 2016, which has benefited over 10 million people. In cooperation with the World Food Programme, by the end of 2019 China had provided food aid to 24 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean through the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund, to protect the most vulnerable populations from food shortage.

4. Assisting Post-Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction

China plays an active role in international emergency response to natural disasters, and continues to offer its assistance in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction after the emergency rescue phase. Following its relief operations in the Philippines responding to Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, China helped build 166 temporary buildings for 20 severely-stricken schools in the devastated city of Tacloban. It assisted Dominica in a rehabilitation project for the West Coast Road and a roof restoration project for the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital, and rebuilt six local schools after the passing of Hurricane Maria in 2017. China also cooperated with the UNDP in the Recovery Project in Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Balochistan of Pakistan, which benefited almost 10,000 families and 20,000 school children.

China emphasizes the importance of comprehensive recovery schemes for disaster-affected countries, providing systematic reconstruction support. In 2015, it developed a package of medium- and long-term aid plans for Nepal’s post-quake rehabilitation, covering infrastructure repair, support for people’s daily needs, cultural relics restoration, disaster preparation and response capacity, and other fields.

5. Improving Disaster Preparation and Mitigation

China has assisted many countries to overcome obstacles in funding and technology to help them improve their disaster response capacity. China’s support takes the form of building disaster management facilities, providing materials for their disaster relief reserves, supporting local communities in disaster preparation projects, offering response capacity training, and devising policies and plans for coping with disasters.

To strengthen the capacity for disaster monitoring and alerting, China established the Working Mechanism for the Belt and Road Earthquake Risk Reduction Cooperation together with 22 countries and international organizations, helped to build earthquake monitoring stations and networks in Nepal, Laos and Kenya, and established the China-ASEAN Earthquake and Tsunami Monitoring and Early-Warning System. In cooperation with the UNDP, China helped Maldives to use drones to monitor rising sea levels and floods to enable better disaster preparation and response in the country. Working with the United Kingdom and UNDP, China implemented the Community Based Disaster Management in Asia Programme, to reinforce the comprehensive disaster mitigation capability of Nepal and Bangladesh.

6. Easing Migrant and Refugee Crises

China always pays close attention to countries and peoples affected by wars, turmoil, hunger, or poverty, and renders selfless assistance to them. In cooperation with the UNHCR, UNICEF, WHO, International Organization for Migration, International Committee of the Red Cross, and other organizations, it has provided emergency humanitarian relief materials such as food, daily necessities, power generators and temporary housing to refugees from Syria and other countries and displaced people in many places, in order to help countries concerned to overcome their difficulties. China also donated anti-epidemic supplies to assist refugees through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

China supports the efforts of countries affected by migrant and refugee crises to restore their economic and social order and to address deep-rooted causes of the crises through development. It has funded the rehabilitation of an activity center for Palestinian refugees in Iraq to improve their living environment, and opened two schools in Lunda Norte Province of Angola to give refugee children access to education there.

   VI. Supporting the Endogenous Growth of Developing Countries

Guided by the conviction that “it is more helpful to teach people how to fish than to just give them fish”, China aims to help developing countries to enhance their capacity for independent development. It has increased targeted assistance for this purpose through human resources development and technical cooperation, in new forms and with new measures, to share its experience and approach with other developing countries, help them improve their capacity for governance, planning, and economic development, and train technical professionals and capable personnel in governance.

1. Improving Governance

China has helped other developing countries increase their governance capacity by assisting with their national planning, sharing its governance experience with them, and implementing capacity building projects through bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms.

– Assistance in planning. China has assisted other developing countries to draw up sound blueprints for growth, dispatching 39 senior planning consultants to a number of countries to help formulate plans, policies, and regulations regarding the economy, infrastructure, and the power sector. It helped Grenada to draw up a national development plan and submitted the draft in 2017. It dispatched a team of senior experts in customs, taxation and agriculture to Ethiopia and Cambodia to provide intellectual support for trade and investment facilitation. China worked jointly with Cuba to compile a medium- to long-term development plan which outlined the vision and development path for Cuba’s machinery, metallurgy, chemical and recycling industries. It helped Cambodia to improve its transport system and agricultural productivity by formulating plans for a national road network and modern agriculture. It also helped Laos with its land resources and environmental protection planning, and assisted Bangladesh and other countries with plans for river management and flood control to develop their water resources.

– Sharing experience of governance. Through seminars and academic programs, China has shared its experience in strengthening law-based governance, its reforms to streamline administration, delegate powers, improve regulation, and strengthen services, and its experience with industrial innovation and upgrading and the digital economy, to help officials in the public sector in other developing countries increase their policy-making capacity. It has also strengthened the mechanisms for bilateral human resources development and cooperation, signing memorandums on this issue with 31 countries, including Rwanda, Kyrgyzstan, El Salvador, Papua New Guinea, and Trinidad and Tobago, to provide targeted support in these countries based on their needs.

– Building skills under multilateral frameworks. China has been actively cooperating with international organizations to build skills in other developing countries. Through the Trust Fund Project on Statistical Capacity Building launched together with the UN, China has provided training for some 900 government statisticians from 59 developing countries. It has also built skills in some countries in the form of joint studies and international seminars through funds and scholarships set up with the African Development Bank, West African Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and the Organization of American States. In cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization, China has trained some 600 senior civil aviation managers from 105 developing countries through the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund. Working with the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has trained more than 2,000 people from over 70 developing countries to engage in the peaceful use of nuclear energy and nuclear technology.

2. Promoting Technological Progress

Science and technology are the primary productive forces. China has strengthened technology transfer and application to help other developing countries improve their capacity for technological innovation and their workers’ industrial and vocational skills.

– Sharing technological achievements. China has shared its achievements in science and technology with other developing countries, and opened training programs on space and satellite applications, 3D printing technology, metering technology, and marine biotechnology. It has run more than 1,000 intergovernmental technical exchanges programs. Through a program for international outstanding young scientists, 755 scientists from Egypt, Pakistan, Myanmar and India came to work in China on various research projects, and more than 7,700 people from over 100 developing countries and regions were trained in China. Under the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme, China has transferred more than 450 applicable technologies to Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and conducted experiments on some 300 strains of crops and vegetables, benefitting more than 30,000 farmers.

– Promoting technology transfer. Technology is for people to use. To make technology useful, China has founded transnational technology transfer centers targeted at ASEAN, South Asian and Arab countries to introduce advanced and applicable technologies through technical dovetailing, demonstration and training programs. It has set up joint laboratories and research centers with Ethiopia, Indonesia, Tajikistan, Mongolia and Serbia, to localize applicable and mature technologies from China, such as biopolymer application and small hydropower stations.

– Improving vocational skills. To ensure other developing countries have a qualified workforce with more technical personnel supporting sustainable growth, China has organized training in a wide range of fields, including agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, fisheries, processing and manufacturing, construction, science, education, culture, health, and arts and handicrafts. The Belt and Road International Skills Competition, held in May 2019 to promote skills cooperation for common development, provided a sound platform for developing countries to demonstrate their workers’ skills and boost employment and entrepreneurship. Through technical cooperation and training, China has supported Morocco and Ethiopia in geochemical mapping, and trained skilled workers for their mining industry.

– Increasing sports competitiveness. China has sent experienced table tennis and badminton coaches to Uruguay, Samoa, Myanmar and Cambodia, to help train their athletes and coaches in theory and in the field. At the 16th Pacific Games in 2019, Tongan athletes trained by Chinese coaches won 9 gold, 5 silver, and 14 bronze medals, and the Papua New Guinea table tennis team won 2 silvers, the team’s best ever performance. China has offered assistance for developing countries organizing large cultural and sports events, such as technical training for the mass performance and assistance with the opening and closing ceremonies at the 27th Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar, the 50th anniversary of Zambia’s independence celebrations, and the 11th African Games in the Republic of the Congo.

   VII. Strengthening International Exchanges and Tripartite Cooperation

The global development partnership is an important part of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. China is an active advocate and practitioner of this partnership. We have held dialogues and exchanges with international institutions and bilateral donors to explore and conduct tripartite cooperation with an open and pragmatic attitude, thus injecting new impetus into international cooperation.

1. China’s Position on Exchanges and Tripartite Cooperation

China is open to exchanges and tripartite cooperation in the field of international development, and will, as a developing country, seek such cooperation with various parties to extend international development cooperation and enhance its capacity in this field.

– Working for a more equitable and balanced global development partnership. China upholds the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” and regards North-South cooperation as the main channel for international development cooperation and South-South cooperation as its complement.

We urge developed countries to honor their official development assistance commitments on time and in full, provide more assistance to developing countries, especially the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and small island developing countries, and help them to explore development paths in line with their national conditions.

We encourage developing countries to expand South-South cooperation and strive to achieve unity and self-reliance. We believe international organizations with the UN at the core should make full use of their strengths, extend information sharing and coordination with all parties, and actively promote international development cooperation through multilateral channels. We encourage the private sector, NGOs and social groups, and charitable organizations to play a greater role.

– Steadily advancing tripartite cooperation in international development. China has accumulated a lot of experience in the process of its own development, while developed countries and international organizations have an edge in capital and technology. China is ready to explore cooperation approaches with other parties that will complement the strengths of each and achieve greater synergy, so as to bring maximum benefits to recipient countries.

All parties should advance tripartite cooperation in steps, as it covers a wide range of areas and involves hard work, and countries differ in their models of and approaches to cooperation. In tripartite cooperation, we should fully respect the policies, ideas and models of all parties, uphold the principle of mutual respect and mutual learning, enhance mutual understanding and trust, and lay a good foundation for trilateral cooperation. China is ready to draw on successful international experience and effective practices.

– Fully respecting the controlling voice of recipient countries in tripartite cooperation. In the final analysis, the goal of tripartite cooperation is to benefit the recipient countries. It is thus necessary to fully respect their sovereignty and controlling voice based on the principle that projects should be proposed, agreed and led by the recipient countries. The criteria are whether the recipient countries welcome, approve of, and are satisfied with the cooperation programs. Cooperation should focus on meeting the humanitarian and employment needs of the recipient countries and improving local people’s lives, and enhancing their capacity in independent and sustainable development.

2. Advancing Dialogue, Exchanges and Pragmatic Cooperation

Based on the principle of openness and inclusiveness, China has advanced communication and exchanges with countries and organizations and carried out pragmatic and tripartite cooperation.

– Holding in-depth dialogue and discussions. China has actively participated in international conferences and activities such as the Second High-Level UN Conference on South-South Cooperation and the Fifth International Meeting on Triangular Cooperation.

In 2019, China participated in the European Development Days, communicating with all parties on strengthening international development cooperation and on helping developing countries achieve inclusive growth. China co-hosted seminars with the UN development system in China to exchange views and build consensus on South-South cooperation and sustainable development.

China has actively advanced reform of the World Bank’s governance structure to increase the representation and voice of developing countries. To expand understanding, mutual learning, mutual trust and cooperation, we have strengthened exchanges with bilateral donors and conducted exchanges and visits with more than 10 countries and regional organizations, including Japan, Switzerland, the UK, France, Norway, New Zealand, and the European Union. In 2019, China held bureau-level policy consultations with Japan and the EU on international development cooperation.

– Carrying out pragmatic cooperation with international organizations. Since 2016, China has cooperated through the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund with more than 10 international organizations and NGOs such as the UNDP, WFP, UNHCR, UNICEF, WHO, and ICRC. Through these organizations and leveraging their expertise and channels, China has helped implement development cooperation programs in the fields of food assistance, post-disaster reconstruction, refugee relief, and health for women and children in nearly 50 countries in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and some other regions, benefiting more than 20 million people in developing countries.

For example, China worked with UNICEF in providing assistance to about 250,000 Somali women and children with severe acute malnutrition. We worked with the UNDP on case studies and jointly published research reports at the UN headquarters, presenting China’s effective agricultural aid and experience through an agro-technical cooperation program in Guinea-Bissau and an agro-technical pilot center in Mozambique, making our aid process more transparent. The UNESCO-China Funds-in-Trust Project was launched, which has benefited over 10,000 teachers from more than 10 African countries.

– Carrying out tripartite cooperation programs. China has carried out cooperation programs with official and unofficial donors such as Switzerland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to meet local needs in agriculture, health and other areas.

For example, China cooperated with Portugal to organize training courses in East Timor on mariculture technology. We worked with the US to train health officials for African countries and to support these countries in fighting the Ebola virus. We cooperated with the UK in implementing pilot projects – a cassava industrial chain in Uganda and a tilapia industrial chain in Malawi. In cooperation with Australia, we carried out a malaria prevention and control program in Papua New Guinea and helped the country to found a network of provincial-level malaria laboratories, thus enhancing its capabilities in routine malaria diagnosis and monitoring.

– Increasing donations. China has increased its donations to the World Bank’s International Development Association, Asian Development Fund, Global Environment Facility and other international organizations to support poverty reduction and sustainable development in developing countries, especially the least developed countries.

By the end of 2018, China had donated US$939 million and RMB800 million to the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, US$356 million and RMB59 million to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, and US$49 million and RMB41 million to the Caribbean Development Bank to support Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean in many areas including poverty reduction, food security, trade, medical care, disaster management, education, and environmental protection. China donated US$80 million to establish a FAO-China South-South Cooperation Trust Fund, which has supported agricultural cooperation projects in some 30 countries, benefiting more than one million local farmers. China also provided US$50 million and US$4 million respectively to the project preparation funds of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank, to support member countries in their pre-project design.

– Promoting co-financing. China has strengthened exchanges and cooperation with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other multilateral and bilateral financial institutions to provide financial support to some countries.

We established the China-World Bank Group Partnership Facility with the World Bank, and set up the People’s Republic of China Poverty Reduction and Regional Cooperation Fund in the ADB. We invested US$2 billion to establish the Africa Growing Together Fund with the AfDB and the same amount to establish the China Co-Financing Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean with the IDB.

By the end of 2018, these co-financing mechanisms had invested about US$3 billion in nearly 200 projects covering water supply and sanitation, transport, agriculture, youth employment and other areas.

   VIII. Future Prospects for China’s International Development Cooperation

The Covid-19 pandemic poses a huge threat to the lives, safety, health, and wellbeing of people throughout the world, creating significant challenges for global public health security. Implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development remains a long and uphill journey. In the future, China will continue to uphold the vision of a global community of shared future, and follow the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests. It will do everything within its means to promote cooperation and inject Chinese strength into global development.

1. Contributing to a Global Community of Health for All

We will continue to support developing countries in their fight against the pandemic according to their actual needs and to the best of our abilities, thus making our contribution to safeguarding global health.

– Doing all we can to support developing countries in the fight against Covid-19. China will continue to offer medical supplies to all parties concerned, engage in cooperation on medical technologies, and dispatch medical expert teams. We will give US$2 billion of international aid over two years to countries hard hit by Covid-19, especially developing countries, in supporting their fight against the virus and their efforts to resume economic and social development. China will continue to share without reserve information and experiences with the WHO and the international community, and engage in international cooperation on the research and development of testing methods, clinical treatments, drugs and vaccines to stem the global spread of the virus as soon as possible and safeguard global public health.

– Helping developing countries to improve their public health systems. Since Covid-19 appeared, deficiencies and weak links have been exposed in the public health systems of many countries. We should jointly strengthen public health systems through solidarity and cooperation. China will work with the WHO to help developing countries, especially African countries, fortify their public health defenses and improve the speed of their response and their capacity for disease control, through establishing a cooperation mechanism for Chinese hospitals to pair up with 30 African hospitals and accelerating construction on the Africa CDC headquarters.

– Supporting the WHO and other international organizations in playing key roles. The WHO has made a significant contribution to the fight against the pandemic by leading and encouraging global cooperation. To support the WHO is to support global cooperation in the fight against the pandemic and support the effort to save lives. China will continue to support the WHO in playing its role, and call on the international community to give it more political and financial support, so that it can mobilize the necessary resources worldwide to defeat this virus. We will continue to support multilateral organizations, including the G20, APEC, BRICS, and SCO in increasing exchanges and coordination and in carrying out international cooperation on joint prevention and control.

2. Promoting Implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda

China will persevere with a people-centered approach, focus on improving living standards, and join forces with other developing countries in responding to global challenges.

– Fulfilling commitments and international obligations. We will earnestly implement the cooperation initiatives announced by President Xi Jinping at major international events including the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the summits commemorating the UN’s 70th anniversary, the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, the 73rd World Health Assembly, and the high-level meetings marking the UN’s 75th anniversary. In keeping with its comprehensive national strength and due international responsibilities, China will steadily increase assistance to other developing countries, especially the least developed countries, helping them to reduce poverty and improve people’s lives.

– Upholding coordination and promoting common development. In the face of the impact of Covid-19, the Belt and Road Initiative has continued to show great vitality, giving confidence to participating countries and providing a realistic choice. China will work to integrate its responsibilities in building the Belt and Road and in implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, strengthen coordination of international macroeconomic policies to respond to the concerns of developing countries, support more pragmatic approaches to the resumption of work, and safeguard the stable and smooth operation of international industrial and supply chains.

– Improving lives and sharing happiness. China will take eliminating poverty and improving people’s lives as its ultimate objective, and implement more projects for improving living standards in developing countries, especially the least developed countries, to ensure food security and guarantee basic needs, and prevent secondary disasters in the world economy. Special attention will be given to creating more jobs for young people, safeguarding the interests of vulnerable groups including women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities, and launching more initiatives to benefit the wider public so that they can have a stronger sense of fulfillment and happiness.

– Promoting South-South cooperation and acting as a major and responsible country. China will continue to share without reserve its governance experience and all appropriate technology. We will increase the supply of global public goods, channel more resources to developing countries to support their sustainable economic and social development, and do more to help them remove development blockages. China will increase assistance to participating countries of the Belt and Road Initiative, the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing countries and heavily indebted poor countries, help reinforce the South which is a weak link in the global governance system, and push for the integration of more developing countries into international division of labor and cooperation.

– Strengthening solidarity to meet global challenges. China firmly supports multilateralism, and takes an active part in bilateral and multilateral dialogue and cooperation on international development. We work to improve global governance in international development cooperation, and safeguard the international system with the UN at its core. We will give more financial support to international organizations, helping them work together to meet global challenges including public health crises, food security threats, and economic recession. We will enhance communication and coordination with other countries and international organizations, discuss and advance tripartite cooperation with countries and international and regional organizations on the basis of fully respecting the sovereignty and will of recipient countries, and seek to break new ground in international development cooperation.

3. Improving the Capacity for Cooperation

China will optimize management, improve its policy-making and management skills, and strive to enhance the quality of international development cooperation.

– Reinforcing planning and strengthening the institutional framework. We will devise medium- and long-term foreign aid plans and targeted plans for different regions, countries and projects as needed, while taking full account of other developing countries’ development priorities and needs, and the goals of the Belt and Road Initiative and the UN 2030 Agenda. China will continue to improve relevant laws, regulations and institutions, providing a legal guarantee for international development cooperation. The inter-ministerial coordination mechanism for foreign aid will play a more active role, and we will forge synergy at all levels, coordinate efforts by central departments, local governments and social organizations, pool premium resources, and enhance cohesion and efficiency.

– Improving project management and exploring new approaches to aid. We will strengthen the whole process of managing aid projects and increase their overall efficiency. We will invest more on the feasibility studies of aid projects, analyzing their environmental impact, and evaluating post-project operation and management, so as to make sound and rational decisions and improve the reserve of projects. We will steadily advance the model where the recipient countries implement the projects with funding and technical support. This will help fuel local employment and improve the ability of the recipient countries to sustain their own development. China will continue cooperation on human resources development, share development experiences, and disseminate appropriate technology, providing intellectual support for sustainable economic and social development in other developing countries. We will enrich the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund with diversified partners and cooperation models, and build partnerships for international development cooperation.

– Enhancing supervision and evaluation to improve project efficacy. Coordinated supervision and management mechanisms will be put in place, in which each party performs its own functions and power carries accountability. We will strengthen oversight over key links and improve project management through routine and special supervisory measures. We will develop complete systems of impartial and independent project evaluation, set sound and effective evaluation standards, conduct comprehensive evaluation and special evaluation, and strengthen the application of evaluation results. Based on its own national conditions and drawing experience from international practices, China will work to revise and improve the statistical indicator system of foreign aid, and develop a modern statistical information system for foreign assistance.

 Conclusion

The world is undergoing rapid and unprecedented change unseen in a century. However, peace and development remain the theme of our time, and mutually beneficial cooperation for common development remains the way forward. Confronted by acute global challenges, no country can achieve lasting stability and development without solidarity, cooperation, and a partnership featuring peaceful and mutually beneficial cooperation, equality, openness, inclusiveness and shared growth.

China has entered a new development phase and is about to embark on a quest to fully build itself into a modern socialist country. It always considers its own growth in the context of the common development of all humanity. It closely relates its future to the fortunes of other countries, and binds the interests of the Chinese people to the common interests of all peoples. China will stay true to its original principles regarding international development cooperation. As a builder of world peace, a contributor to global prosperity and a defender of international order, it will continue to cooperate on international development and contribute even more to improving the common wellbeing of humanity and building a global community of shared future.

[1] In this book, “international development cooperation” refers to China’s bilateral and multilateral efforts, within the framework of South-South cooperation, to promote economic and social development through foreign aid, humanitarian assistance, and other means.

http://english.www.gov.cn/atts/stream/files/5ffa69cac6d0cc300eea77af

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[myawrites]

HOW TO MAKE YOUR TRAVEL WRITING MORE INCLUSIVE

A guide to avoiding writing solely from the Western gaze.

BY MARIANA ZAPATA

2020 changed every aspect of how we travel, from our ability to do so to the safety measures we now take.

As the world comes to grips with the failings of many of its systems, particularly as they pertain to marginalized communities, especially people of color, who have been disproportionately affected by the double pandemic of COVID-19 and police brutality, there is one more aspect of travel that needs to change: how we write about it.

The origins of travel writing are frequently tied to colonizers meandering around the lands they’ve taken, reporting on the customs of the locals, who are often portrayed as less civilized or even as “savage.”

Our idea of travel today may not be all that different. Online travel groups are often filled with fantasy posts about laying on a beach while a sexy Brown person serves you drinks or pictures of White people surrounded by Black children whose lives they claimed to have changed on their two-week trip to “Africa.”

Travel writers aren’t responsible for the behavior of tourists, of course, but we are partly responsible for the images that inform collective perceptions of places. The beach fantasy and the white savior complex were most likely first concocted by travel writers of yore, then sustained by travelers.

When we write for a white Western audience that we assume to be cis, heterosexual, and able-bodied, we effectively close the door to everyone else – and that’s not acceptable. Here are some steps travel writers can take to ensure a wider, more inclusive lens.

Stop and consider

Hold yourself accountable at every step of the writing process, beginning on the road.

“Make sure that the places you’re exploring aren’t just white-owned and operated. Instead, seek out local businesses and places of interest that are owned by members of the community…and that are inclusive of people of all abilities,” says Priscilla Blossom, a queer Latina journalist specializing in travel, culture, health, and parenting.

But don’t tokenize these places in your articles to earn diversity points – authors need to treat them with the same respect as they would a white-owned space.

Before pitching a story, “consider if you are the right writer for an assignment,” advises Uruguayan-American travel journalist Lola Méndez, adding that writers should consider whether they should write about places they’ve never been to or have merely passed through.

Don’t promote places or tourist practices in your content that are disrespectful or exploitative. For example, as a Colombian-American, I find it painful and infuriating to see promotions for Pablo Escobar tours that glorify a mass murderer. Would mass-shooting tours in the U.S. ever be OK? Would you want foreign tourists coming to gawk at the poorest neighborhoods in your city? I hardly think so. Grant other places the same courtesy you’d want for your own community.

Diversify your sources

“Whose voices do you value in your trip planning and research?” asks Bani Amor, a gender-queer Ecuadorian travel writer, in the Bitch Media piece “Check Yourself Before You Wreck Someplace Else.” They add that “travel guides overwhelmingly reflect those who hold the most power in this world – white folks from the West.”

To combat this, Black travel blogger Kay Kingsman advises writers to diversify the media they consume. When you do this, she says, “your writing naturally becomes more inclusive.”

Award-winning travel journalist La Carmina from LaCarmina.com uses her personal experience to inform her approach to writing. “[I] think about the broad spectrum of individuals in my life and include perspectives that they would find most helpful and meaningful,” she says.

But you have to do more than follow a couple of bloggers of color and pat yourself on the back. While researching and interviewing, use local sources and experts who represent marginalized perspectives. Kingsman does this by reaching out to travel bloggers who are local to the destinations she covers on her blog, The Awkward Traveller, and actively smashing stereotypes and misconceptions in her content. Seeking the most authoritative voices to speak about a particular place is essential in travel writing.

Watch your tongue

“In addition to proofreading for grammar and flow, we should look over our writing carefully and consider whether our words are thoughtful to all,” says La Carmina.

Countries are not static postcards but complex webs of intersecting histories, cultures, values, and identities.

Blossom nails the heart of the language problem as “anything that really embraces white culture but ‘others’ the culture of non-white [people] or anyone/anyplace deviating from the standard.”

For example, American writers often use the word “exotic” to describe eating bugs, even though it’s a common global practice. Yet the word is rarely used to describe unusual European dishes like calf’s head. This sends a message that travel content is meant for a Western traveler.

The way we write can and often does erase and invalidate the culture, history, and experience of marginalized groups and locals. One of the best examples of this is the use of the word “discovered,” both in a historical context and as a personal claim of travelers. It is often said that Western settlers discovered the giant sequoias of the Sierra Nevada in California, despite the fact that indigenous groups had known about them for centuries. Likewise, travelers don’t “discover” a spot that locals have always known about, they simply become aware of it. Calling instances like this a “discovery” implies that something only matters when outsiders (usually Westerners) know and care about it. Local knowledge and perspective is not given importance and is thus erased.

It’s not enough to avoid problematic words. You can cut out all controversial words and still write a narrative that focuses on the Western gaze and treats locals as caricatures that simply provide flavor to the story. Again, treat locals with the same nuance and respect usually given to white Western communities.

Don’t glam things up

Countries are not static postcards but complex webs of intersecting histories, cultures, values, and identities. The tendency to glamorize destinations to appeal to fantasies of leisure effectively prioritizes the wants of Western travelers over the lived experiences of locals.

“Be honest about the complicated history that formed the place – colonization still impacts each and every place around the globe that was conquered by foreign forces. Don’t erase that history in favor of gushing over beautiful architecture,” says Méndez.

For example, many solo female travel writers tout their safe experiences in Mexico as proof that the troubles in the country have been exaggerated. This ignores the crisis of trafficking and femicide that local women have suffered for decades.

Black travel writer Teresa Lynn Hasan-Kerr explains that while we don’t want to perpetuate incorrect stereotypes about the countries that former President Trump would call “shithole countries,” we also shouldn’t use our limited experience in a country to gloss over its realities.

Acknowledging problems is also a way to keep readers safe, particularly travelers of color, who often experience discrimination and harassment around the world.

Before moving to Morocco, Hasan-Kerr thoroughly researched the country. None of the information she found prepared her for the anti-Blackness she faces daily. “I really wish someone had briefed me about the racial harassment [in Morocco],” she says, stating that having that information available would have been helpful to her.

Guidebooks already include disclaimers and warnings pertaining to the safety of female-presenting travelers, so extending the courtesy to travelers of color should be a given.

Inclusivity in travel writing goes well beyond the scope of writers’ influence. However, we do have some say in how we present our own work, in the sources that we use, and in the nuance we add to our content. The lack of diverse editors in the industry is not an excuse to continue writing from a Western gaze.

Mariana Zapata is a Colombian-American travel, sustainability, and lifestyle writer. She has lived and worked around the world, making a home in cities like Miami, Paris, Seoul, and Bogota. You can usually find her at street food stands, judging fashion inaccuracies in period films, or falling victim to her non-existing sense of direction

[stabigail]

11 questions meme

1tagged by @myrkks, tagging....... @pentaughast @ghoste-catte @beamkatanachronicles anyone who wants to ig :V

1. how would you describe your writing style or “voice” as a writer?

HONESTLY i still feel like i’m growing into my style, lol! and i often feel inconsistent, but i think part of that is a lack of confidence, still, forever #justwritingproblems. being more realistic, i would say that i tend to write from a very firm point of view and my narrators tend to be quite unreliable; i also tend to focus a lot on sensory details. generally i’m very much a stream of consciousness writer! it’s what i love 2 do.

2. do you prefer to write in first person, second person, or third person, and why? which tense do you prefer?

it depends on what i’m working on, and i definitely flip-flop some, but i almost always write in third person. for me, first person works really well for Very Unreliable Narrators who are trying to skew their story in a certain light, or for stories that are literally one person talking to other people. i love love love first person in podcasts! alice isn’t dead is probably my favorite podcast that utilizes first person, and i really love the depth of emotion that it conveys as a result, so i am more likely to us first person for projects like that.

generally, though, i struggle with first person because it limits narration in a way that i struggle with at times. second person kind of creeps me out as a writer because i feel like a soulbonder?? WHICH IS NOT A KNOCK ON SECOND PERSON, i think it makes for beautiful work, but it’s just not for me. so 3rd person limited is my favorite and has been for a while!

as for tense, i used to write exclusively in past tense but now i write exclusively in present tense and i couldn’t even tell you why. is it because the focus on the present makes for more dynamic writing? is it because i’m pretentious? is it both? likely.

3. what is one thing that inspires/motivates you as a writer these days?

oh man haha . . . spite . . . no not really, it’s a little spite but more feeling a lack and a motivation to fill it! my original work right now is based around a lot of feelings i have about both personal and global uncertainty, and while it isn’t a political piece at all, i’ve definitely found motivation to explore topics that i wish were easier to talk about. when it comes to fandom stuff, it’s usually “i love this pairing, but i never see work for it” or “i love this pairing, but i wish there was more diversity of work around it,” because i like filling gaps and also just always fall for pairings few other people care about. i’m also deeply motivated to write character exploration pieces for fandom because holy shit, nothing makes me happier than picking apart a character’s motivations and rearranging them in a new form. i’m the sylar of other people’s characters.

that being said, sometimes my motivation is “why are there only like 2 smut fics of this lesbian pairing and 238974293874 of this pairing of 2 dudes” and that is spite and i’m not sorry for it.

4. what is one of your strengths as a writer?

uhh,,,, i think i have a good attention to detail? is that a cop-out answer? maybe. i have a good grasp of figurative language, i think, and i actually am quite proud of that now that i think about it. i used to write super purple prose, and through the past few years i’ve been able to really neaten my writing up so that it’s . . . still flowery! always will be! not sorry! but it’s not overbearingly so, and the figurative language i use enhances the story rather than drowning it. shoutout to @pentaughast who has been writing with me for like five years and giving me feedback until my writing stopped being a horrible disaster thicket of metaphors, you’re a pal.

5. what is something you’d like to improve about your writing?

(rolls out scroll)

no but seriously: my number one thing to improve right now is learning to stop editing while i write. every writer is their own worst critic, but i will literally write half a sentence and then go back and change the whole thing, because i’m convinced that everything has to be Perfect the First Time. which is in fact a microcosm of my entire personality. so, anne, don’t edit while you write! also, your first draft is not your final draft! i don’t feel a need to just barf out a certain number of words per writing session, but i do think it’ll benefit me to have momentum and iron out kinks later.

6. what is one genre you enjoy writing in, and why?

hmmm this is interesting because genre is such a broad and subjective thing. that said: urban fantasy is and has always been my jam! i wouldn’t say i’m particularly good at it simply because 1) it is a super vague genre with few hard and fast rules, so i’m not sure how much of my stuff is urban fantasy even, and 2) i’ve been struggling a lot with writing original stuff over the past few years, which is where i have written urban fantasy stuff in the past.

overall i enjoy writing in fantasy or fantasy/sci-fi most of all genres, but never high fantasy because it causes me physical agony. aspects of f/sf i like a lot are basically f/sf as a mirror to our world or otherwise connected to our world (without necessarily using f/sf components as a substitution for actual discussion of oppression cuz, nah,) as well as f/sf as satire, that is my FAVE. discworld (t. pratchett) was the first fantasy series i really locked onto and it was v formative, obviously; also gaiman, stiefvater, jemisin. this question was not about my influences but too bad here they are!!!!!!!!!!

7. what would be the biggest compliment someone could give you about your writing?

the biggest, biggest compliment would be: while i was reading this, i forgot the world existed. because that has always been the biggest thing for me as a reader! the way reading can just take you somewhere, so no matter how shitty things might be in your actual situation, you can just take a break from that and follow bilbo around, or whatever. another really excellent compliment that i actually have gotten (both in writing fic and rp) is “i can hear their voice,” either in narration or dialogue. that’s huge! and it makes me really happy to hear. basically i would love for my writing to be an immersive experience for people, and that’s what i’m always striving to improve.

8. what is one piece of advice you’d give someone experiencing writer’s block or feeling stuck with their writing?

READ

idk, for me, fighting my writer’s block literally does not work. just staring at a piece of paper or a computer screen makes me upset and frustrated. reading, though, is both enjoyable and relatively passive; you don’t have to come up with ideas, you just have to take in someone else’s. as a writer, too, you can read both as an audience member and as a fellow writer observing. what does this author do that works or doesn’t? how does this style work in this context where it might not in another? how does it relate to your style? etc.

more generally, do something nice for yourself cuz sometimes that will boost your creative spirit. self-care is huge!

9. what is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you started writing?

lskdjfskld uh . . . don’t follow any of the advice people give you because most of it either only works for specific people or is entirely bullshit? i suppose more specifically i wish someone had been more supportive of fantasy/sci-fi as a legitimate genre with meaning, although of course that is a societal view rather than a specific one that surrounded me as a kid. it’s shitty, though, because until fairly recently i viewed the type of writing i enjoyed as “less than”/less meaningful than like, i don’t know, anything written by racist old dead white guys.

also, young adult fiction is fucking valid and doesn’t make you a less “serious” writer. i, a Fucking Grown Up, am still most captivated by YA fiction because there are fewer restrictions on it and writers tend to experiment more and, most importantly, because stories about transformation and trying to figure out who you are will never not be compelling.

10. what is a common piece of writing advice you disagree with, and why?

rubs hands together

one: write what you know. what the fuck is that, i want to know who came up with it because fuck? you??? definitely it’s fine to write about things that you have a personal perspective about, or to write in a way that reflects your worldview or emotions or whatever. but write what you know is literally the stupidest, most limiting garbage, and i have met so many grown ass adults who believe in it so strongly. curse that mess.

two: you must construct x type of work in y format following z formula. a lot of times this is really great and works well for people, but other times it can be, again, really limiting. beginning-middle-end is great, but even that can be inappropriate for certain stories, depending on what they are? for me, strictly following writing formulas made me overly focused on “”accuracy”” and less focused on writing what i enjoyed.

three: this one isn’t quite as cut and dry as the previous two, but: write protagonists that people can relate to. here’s the thing: i feel like this often gets translated to “protagonists that are charmingly aware of their own assholeishness, totally perfect and always right, or bland,” and it’s kind of a shitty trap to fall into? this is another reason i love unreliable narrators, bcause you can have that nuance and imperfection without the entire story being about how shitty the character is. their imperfection is part of the story and perhaps even a driving force, but they aren’t just sort of a paper cutout used to drive the story along. hello i’m anne and i struggle writing protagonists.

11. what writing projects are you working on these days?

excited buzzing. a couple! i am really shy about talking about original stuff, but i am working on scripts for (tentatively) a podcast about a very apathetic and cynical gal who is one of a very few survivors of a series of natural disasters and also may?be the one who made them happen. Whoopsie.

fanfiction-wise, i am working on finishing . . . christ on a raft let me count. four! one-shots. there’s a fifth one that i wrote 10k words of in like 2015 and still haven’t finished and i don’t know if i’ll trash it or not lol. regardless, i am working on those! there is a fic that i started working on a while back that was meant to be a multi-chapter fic called reverse about giorno tripping into vampirism and fugo having 0 idea what to do about it; i’ve let it dangle for ages, but i am slowly fleshing out the plot again and getting it going. i’m very excited to do this! i love giorno having to figure out how to vampire and i love fugio.

finally, @relares and i are starting to work on a reset fugiomis fic which, weeps into tea, will kill us both.

#writing meme #writing #??? i dont know what else to tag this i never do memes help

[thinkingcraft-dianne]

Literature Reflection (Bridle & AI bias)

I found the podcasts by James Bridle in combination with the literature review on gender, race and power in AI give more in-depth information on topics that I have theoretically (as well as in person) touched the surface on before. Both works illustrate why it is important we mindfully use and design technology.Something that stuck with me is how less visible important institutions have become; my local bank has closed and is now almost fully operating digitally and many municipality cases can I handle online. What does this mean for societies' grip and understanding of them? Visibility and transparency are ground principles for and of our liberal and democratic system, so why not here? Visibility = responsibility: this ranges from the power relations visible in the internet cables that run under the oceans to tech companies making diversity reports publicly available. 

I never realized how John Berger's theories on seeing art can be applied to modern day technology.  Especially the radio analogy I find interesting; the same can be said for social media nowadays, where only a small percentage of its users produces content that is viewed by millions. it is often a one-way conversation which leaves its participants feeling isolated instead of conencted. This has become even more apparent during covid-19, where online friday drinks have not felt the same as in real life. Also, the power of tech companies have increased even more now more and more people are dependent on them. I have a feeling that the increase of living in this digital period will have a huge impact on the mental health of people. On the other hand, the digital realm has democratized information and discussions on this information, as there is a variety of free webinars, festivals and conferences available online, from the comfort of people's homes. This will in the end also democratize new tools and how we perceive the world around us. The way James Bridle described our relation to technology was in line with Donna Haraway's idea about living in the terrestrial. If we would see and care for technology as how we do certain animals, we would be able to re-evaluate what we can get from it. Bridle mentions that artificial intelligence can help us escape the Anthropocene and to reconnect ourselves to nature.  Though he does not mention how. However, I thought of how our living world is progressively supplied with sensors and with the resulting data, and how we can gain insights into the complexity of the interdependencies between living organisms. For instance, sensors and the datafication of forests have laid bare the complex web of communications between trees. When  researching I came across this TED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvBlSFVmoaw.

This mention of changing the way we connect to our technologies reminded me of the term automation bias; the urge of humans to favour suggestions from automated systems and to ignore contradictory information made without automation, even if it is correct. Especially in covid times, people have this idea of a 'technofix', which is  based on a combination of trust in technology and limited trust in the ability, and the willingness, of humans to adapt their behaviour. We are looking for the fastest solution which will cause us to make the least amount of sacrifices; technology will fix our problem and we do not have to think about it any longer. A “quick fix” for the corona crisis, in the form of a vaccine, would quickly silence the debate on the structural causes of the pandemic and allow us to revert to our pre-corona practices in a heartbeat. Comparable to the way medication often takes away the necessity of aspiring to a healthier lifestyle. Because of this apparent lack of any human sacrifice, the idea of the techno-fix goes hand in hand with a feeling of guilt, as if, like in the myth of Prometheus, we really don’t deserve to use technology. 

The crisis is slowly taking away our illusion of the tech fix. The essence of these (false) solutions is the illusion they create that we can “save” the climate without having to change our lifestyle. The underlying belief is that we’re not willing to make a sacrifice such as travelling less, for example, or reducing our total energy use. In fact, the main notion seems to be that human beings are not or barely able to adjust their behavior at all without the clear prospect of a reward. It would be interesting to make the climate crisis sensed evenly as immediately as current pandemic. This circles back to the notion that visibility calls for understanding, thus responsibility. As it is talked about in the Bridle podcasts: technological agency and climate change are both visual problems, or rather the lack of visibility. An artwork that succeeds in visually raising awareness for this is terra0, a forest that can autonomously sell its trees and eventually, using the accumulated capital, buy itself and become a self-owned economic unit. For now, it remains an artistic experiment designed to raise awareness, but in theory you could build such a program on the blockchain to make a forest represent itself.

For me, as a woman enrolled in a technologically-focused minor in a class in which the majority of the people identify as male, the text on gender, race and power in AI was really interesting and had contained some familiar frustrations. By connecting the unequal representation of women in the tech industry to and bias systems in AI, the author suggests two versions of the same problem. I find data violence, which enacts forms of administrative power which affects some of us more than others, a relevant modern day problem. In a world in which data and facts reign and where systems are trained upon existing data sets, representation is of uttermost importance. The authors stresses that, because AI systems play a important role in our political institutions (like healthcare), we need to re-asses the relationship between workplace diversity crisis and the problems with bias and discrimination in AI. In a future and ideal world, a supervising board would examine the politics of the design of such a system. It would check how a system was constructed and whose interests shaped the metrics for success or failure. 

Understanding 'bias' in data requires accounting of the social context through which the data was produced: how humans make data in context. It is also interesting to note that companies also use data violence to shape reports on diversity to their wishes. Only accounting the 80% of the full-time workforce is data manipulations with major implications and should in my eyes therefore be considered a crime or at least punished. Again, transparency is the only way for people to know what is going on inside a company and enables the to hold them accountable and to make knowledgeable  (consumer) decisions. To say that women are inherently less confident in their computing skills, is to totally ignore the male-dominated and therefore male-designed social institutions in which many obstacles have to be overcome. This week, I found a poc female on youtube talking about her career in coding and who recommended many resourced while talking about it in a transparent and non-elite way. This made me much more interested in it, and most importantly made me feel as if I could also find my place in male-dominated sectors. Also, talking two girls who participated in a summer residency of V2_Lab for Unstable Media and seeing their work made me feel more comfortable in that area already. Seeing yourself being represented certainly boosts your confidence in your own abilities. As stated in the article, "the inclusion of women becomes the solution for all gender problems, not just those of exclusion or absence. .. their mere presence builds the table they sit at in the first place." The ultimate goal is cognitive diversity, and cognitive diversity is correlated with identity diversity. That means it's not just about women in tech. It is about broad voices, broad representation.  

I have been thinking about my internship lately, which was unpaid and in a male-led studio. I worked really hard and participated in many interesting projects. But by giving me the feeling I should already feel rewarded and appreciated by this mere participation felt empty in the end. I have been thinking about students who might not have done the internship because they could not pay their rent that way and how this influences the diversity within a studio. I believe that if you appreciate an intern, care for quality of work and giving everyone an equal chance to grow as a designer, you would pay them. This would in the end contribute greatly of cognitive diversity in the field of design, which is also has been male-dominated in the recent past.Biological determinism, as mention by the authors, is also something that is interesting during these times inn which the political landscape is under pressure. There is more unrest and focus on the pandemic, both reasons for governments to 'silently' change important laws within a country. Example of this is the current situation in Poland, were abortion rights have been almost entirely taken away from women. Former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk  also criticised the judgement. "Throwing the topic of abortion and a ruling by a pseudo-court into the middle of a raging pandemic is more than cynical". The coronavirus crisis will be global and long-lasting, economic as well as medical. However, it also offers an opportunity. This could be the first outbreak where gender and sex differences are recorded, and taken into account by researchers and policy makers. Also for too long, politicians have assumed that child care and elderly care can be “soaked up” by private citizens—mostly women—effectively providing a huge subsidy to the paid economy. This pandemic should remind us of the true scale of that distortion and how balancing unpaid work out between all genders can lead to more diversity in fields such as tech and design as well.

[johnmaheractor]

I can't believe it's Christmas time again already! That means it's time once again to remind you that The Salvation Army is NOT a charity - it is an evangelical protestant church with a history of abuse and discrimination. When you give money to the Salvos, you don't know what it's going to be used for.

This is why every year I curate a list of secular charities which I personally support. This year the list is bigger than ever with a whopping 16 charities over 5 different categories! I'll go into a little more detail about each charity below.

To all my friends and loved ones, have a happy and safe Christmas and I wish you all the best for the New Year! xoxo

Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) MSF provides critical health services in the most hostile environments on earth, including war zones and disaster areas. https://www.msf.org.au/donate-now The Fred Hollows Foundation Dedicated to curing preventable blindness in poverty-stricken communities. Just $25 can restore sight to someone. https://www.hollows.org/au/donate Guide Dogs Australia Raising and training assistance dogs for the vision-impaired. https://www.guidedogs.com.au/how-you-can-help Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) Australia's largest nonprofit autism-specific service provider. https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/donate/ Royal Flying Doctor Service Providing emergency and general health services to remote communities throughout Australia. https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/support-us/donate/  Barnardos Originally founded by an evangelical Christian, Barnardos is now a secular charity providing support and care for children in need. They officially support same-sex adoption and they openly welcomed the Child Abuse Royal Commission as a way to ensure all children in foster care are as safe as possible (The same Royal Commission uncovered over 600 child abuse cases in the Salvation Army, which the church actively tried to bury). http://www.barnardos.org.au/get-involved/ways-to-donate/ The Smith Family  An independent Australian charity for disadvantaged children and their families. The Smith Family focuses strongly on education as the best way to save children from poverty. https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/donate Save the Children Promoting Children's rights and fighting child poverty across the globe. https://www.savethechildren.org.au/donate/monthlydonation Amnesty International The premier global human rights organisation, focusing on preventing torture, supporting refugees and promoting awareness of human rights. https://www.amnesty.org.au/donate/ Oxfam Australia Focused on eliminating global poverty. https://www.oxfam.org.au/my/donate/general-fund/ Lifeline (13 11 14) A crisis support and suicide prevention hotline which I cannot recommend enough. https://www.lifeline.org.au/support-lifeline/donate/donation Headspace Providing mental health services to Australians aged 12-25. I used the services at Headspace frequently in my youth and I can say, hand on heart, that I probably wouldn't be here without them. https://headspace.org.au/donate/ Beyond Blue Dedicated to providing support and awareness for depression, anxiety and related mental disorders. https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-involved/make-a-donation Twenty10 incorporating GLCS A Sydney based service working across New South Wales, providing a broad range of specialised services for young people 12-25 including housing, mental health, counselling and social support. For adults they provide social support and for people of all ages and they offer telephone support as the NSW provider for the national QLife project. http://www.twenty10.org.au/total-donations/ Acon Providing HIV support and prevention and LGBT health services. https://www.acon.org.au/get-involved/donate/ The Gender Centre Committed to developing and providing services and activities for the transgender, gender questioning and gender diverse community. I've had a bit to do with these people and they are absolutely wonderful. https://gendercentre.org.au/donate

#health #disability #human rights #poverty #mental health #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqi #queer #charity #charities #salvation army #christmas

[mfmagazine]

Ideologie

Article by Lauren Weigle

Photo by Carrie Woomer

Photo, Hair and Makeup by Carrie Woomer

The power of self-expression. That’s what fuels Ideologie…a fashionable take on promoting global awareness for the greater good of the environment. Built on a foundation of hope, awareness, creativity, and other positive influences, Ideologie believes in bringing an artistic edge to the environmentally conscious. This is just the ticket for those who wish to wear only raw materials or eco-friendly products on their backs without shelling out all the money they have in their pockets. Ideologie doesn’t just stop with fashion though. Through networks, blogs, and organizations, Ideologie remains a constant in the lives of all they touch with their vision for the world…which is probably why the company refers to all its customers as members of the family.

Tell me about your mission as an organic clothing company.

Our Mission is to become a premium organic clothing company with the pursuit of making a positive impact on the collective global conscience. Our Vision is channeled by our choice to embrace the power of self-expression, promote awareness of self and impact on our environment, relish on the effects of art, manifest the importance of education, and ultimately create a strong influence through the application of positive communication. Basically, we want to throw good vibes out in to the world, but we want the customers (Ideologie familie members) to be the change-makers. The epicenter of our movement. Clothing gives us that opportunity. It’s a completely new take on Fashion!

What made you decide to produce a label solely made up of raw materials?

Ideologie is founded on the beliefs of LOVE, HOPE, AWARENESS, EDUCATION & ART. It was born as a way to express a positive message and create/expand positive thought put into tangible action. The clothing industry creates a heap of harm, we try to mitigate this as much as possible through the factors of environmental sustainability, social responsibility, philanthropy and close work with different NGO'S, Not-for-profits and social groups around the world, also there is a very important artistic side to all of our work which we very passionately believe in expressing.

Who would you say is your target market?

Given the social side of the project (which is our main pursuit) we try to cater to a broad target of individuals. However, most our family members range in the 16-34 year old range. It’s young people who feel a connection to their surroundings and are aware of the purchasing power and their individual ability to create and inspire change. Family members usually look and feel good because they are regularly doing good. People have started calling us "eco-hip", it’s funny...I like to think of the term "hip" as in "aware" people who are thinking and feeling and constantly expressing themselves to the world around them.

Let’s talk about some of the companies philosophies that are listed on the website…

Ideologie is comprised of much more than the products. There is a heavy philosophical input behind the concept as a whole, it’s the blend of philosophy, sustainability, spirituality, art, social action, and sheer possibility that makes this project so special (at least to us). We are pretty young, and we started Ideologie while still in college, in some ways I feel like this is our young "idealistic" answer to the things we see in the world. From capitalism to nature to the sheer ways in which people communicate amongst themselves. We believe that change can be created and better worlds can come about. Ideologie is our positive action against the negative aspects we confront that we think can be better. It is our take on social entrepreneurship. We are very much aware that all change begins with individual action and that there is a lot of work to be done on a huge basis, were trying to invite you and everyone you know to join us, and inspire us and the rest of the world as we create and experience a flow of positive actions in a direction where the effects created, benefit the majority.

How do you think the lifestyles and fashions of today have influenced your brand?

The lifestyles around us are very palpable, very tangible, one need only to see. It’s a beautiful time in the sense that there is so much going on, and that people at large are being very expressive, open and creative, this definitely fuels our creative process. We see fashion as one of the branches of personal expression so we are always trying to look out and based on what we see create our internal interpretation. I think we are heavily influenced in terms of lifestyle and fashion but we try to tweak it in our own way.

Tell me more about some of your fabrics and your design aesthetic.

We keep it strictly sustainable. Until now we've only produced 100% certified organic cotton textiles. We think it’s the best way to go in terms of full-scale sustainability and quality. We have really great quality cotton....could compete with any in the world and we have also achieved low impact-dyes and recycled water based inks, so it’s a fully sustainable product. You can even plant our tags and wildflowers will grow...LITERALLY! Our design has constantly been moving; we started out with just T-shirts, now we've grown into a broader perspective of clothing line. Hoodies, cardigans, different styles of tops, different cuts in T's etc. We are learning as we go along and we are trying to push it in a direction we feel is fresh and innovative but still under the Ideologie realm.

Your jewelry is awesome too. I love that it's all made from things like seeds and eucalyptus.

The Jewelry Collection is amazing; it’s something we are really excited about. We work with a fascinating artist called Maria Jose Fabrega. She is just so creative and talented. Our main point is to make people aware of the beauty in nature, so we pick up plants from the Amazonian forest in Ecuador (such as Huayruro, Eucalyptus and different seeds) and give them a second life. Some of the pieces are extremely unique as there are no two pieces which are ever the same. Turning them into jewelry and wearing them around is quite the experience, apart from being aesthetically beautiful some of the pieces hold particular smells and even Inca or indigenous beliefs behind the main components. It’s a very holistic view on jewelry!

What goes into making these pieces?

All our pieces are hand-picked and hand-made; each one. All pieces our limited creations as there is zero machinery or mass-production processes behind them. Apart from that, we are guided by nature as we can’t always find the same pieces, seeds or plants so it’s a very artisans creation behind every piece.

Where do you get ideas for your jewelry pieces to begin with?

The ideas are strictly driven by the pieces nature allows us to use. Fabrega (the designer and creator) literally treks through the amazon jungle picking up pieces from the ground. Once she has a decent amount of seeds, plants, etc she begins putting them together it’s a truly harmonious work between nature and artist.

Any new ideas in the works?

We are always coming up with new ideas… Whether working with different social projects, designing new products, building new websites, creating new collections, or finding new perspectives to express the message. We did a very cool project for the 2011 Coachella Music and Arts Festival, we created 3 very exclusive limited edition graphic models for the festival only...very few are out there and apparently quite a bit of peeps are trying to score them... I'm not going to leak any info, but be sure to check our facebook site for updates on little projects like this.

Can you tell me a bit about the Ideologie network?

Ideologie is created constantly by a network of like-minded individuals with diverse backgrounds, towards the expression of the positive goal. From philosophers to musicians, designers, artists and anywhere in between… We are always looking to hear new perspectives and collaborate with different people. We work very closely with Acumen Fund and Entiende Mas Logra Mas, to whom we donate a percentage of our sales and really try to support. Apart from that we have what we call our "extended familie" a collective of projects with whom we collaborate on a regular basis from Art labs, to artists to restaurants....a big family of vivid dreamers with progress in in their hearts and minds.

I’d also like to hear more about your blog.

The NEW blog is a place to share ideas. We usually update our entries once or twice a week and want people to comment, give opinions and refute or contrast ideas. It’s about opening up a medium for people who are into what we like (environment, art, social resp, etc) to exchange thoughts. It’s a matter of opening up communication and hopefully share, learn, speak and listen freely.

Your products are extremely well-priced, especially for the high quality of them.

We try. It's tough times for the clothing industry given the high prices of cotton. For us, because of the sustainability, social responsibility, and philanthropic sides it’s more costly to produce. We had the choice of offering our products at higher prices and making the same margins as industry standards, or cutting our prices and letting the consumers give our pieces the value we think they deserve. In the end, we looked deep within ourselves as a company and decided that our main goal was socially driven and we wanted to create the best products, with the least possible harm at the best possible prices. So it’s a risk in its superficial level as we are not making half as much money as the people around us, but it’s a blessing as we could possibly create a higher perspective on the market and pursue our goals as social entrepreneurs and kind of defy the industry....and that always gives us a little adrenaline rush!

How do you manage to keep your costs on the lower side?

Our production is quite costly. We are fully sustainable and even produce through vertical integration. We don’t exactly keep our costs "on the lower side", but we manufacture products on the high side of quality, art, sustainability, concept etc. The value is really generated on the streets where family members wear our pieces and procreate the message.

What would you say your main goal is when it comes to Ideologie?

Our main goal is to create positive change; to inspire YOU to express yourself and become a catalyst of change in the right direction; to set the customer as the main piece of a fast-paced world in need of progression and care for mother-nature, cultures, and people around the globe. To connect, inspire and be inspired by our surroundings, to create value, and demonstrate that individual ideas are the stepping stone towards communities of value and growth… And to enjoy the process!