text:
The N-Word Makes Elisabeth Cry
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My good friend the Negro Intellectual sent this to me this morning and I had two reactions to this um … heated weepy discussion of the dreaded "N-word:"
1) Sometimes I think this debate would go a lot easier if black people would just explain the "N-word" as being what it is, a racially charged curse word. Often (black) people leave the impression that all black people are "OK" with it when in my own household my mother has never used it and forbade us to use it. At the same time my dad and his brothers do use it amongst each other. I was always taught it was a "use at your own risk" word. Sort of like dropping the "C-word" or "fuck" in people's presence. There's a time and a place and sometimes there is no time and no place, but when you say it, you're responsible for it and whatever reaction you get — good or bad. So white people can say it. Black people can say it. Just be prepared to face the consequences.
2) I actually started laughing when Elisabeth Hasselbeck started crying. I think (she cried) because this isn't an issue can be dressed up with kittens and rainbows. It involves complex, deep drama that can't be worked through in 45 minutes on Dr. Phil. They want to be "done" with the issue of race and wonder why-oh-why can't we just be free, hug a tree and be all "the same" already, because she's there. She's cool! She's totally post-racial! What's your problem? But then there was the whole not realizing that saying "we're the same" and us actually being "the same" are two entirely different things. It think it's a combo of guilt and frustration because she knows she doesn't get it, but doesn't want to go down that scary path to finding out what the "real" problem is.
Crying over shit like this is a cheap way to show you care or that you take it seriously when you're really just crying because you think people are "picking" on you. It's a sort of luxury only white women of a certain caliber can afford. Mainly, non-poor, young and attractive white women. If you're an unattractive, old, broke white woman or if you're a non-white woman and you have the nerve to cry, no one gives a shit about you. No one feels sorry for you. No one tries to help you understand. Elisabeth is just using the tools given to her to demonstrate that she's a "good white person." Not one of those bad white people who teaches their children to hate us darkies. Her tears were trying to tell you that.
If Sherrie had started crying, everyone would have given her the "what is that bitch's problem?" face, as people are immune to black women's tears. Even if we're crying over something legitimate like our sons dying in unnecessary street violence, our elderly mothers drowning in Katrina, having our kids taken away, being rejected by our families or communities, getting our heart broken. SUCK IT UP, BLACK WOMAN! No one cares if you cry! I think I was that rare black girl who's parents allowed to be a "giant girl" and just cry over things from time to time. I wouldn't have cried over whatever Miz Liz's problem was ("Everyone is being so mean when I am a beacon of tolerance! Rodney King was right, ya'll! Why can't we all get along!"), but as I said before, those tears were for herself and wanting to demonstrate that she was not one of "those" white people, but an understanding one who hates the N-word and would never, ever use it.
Bangin' On Astroturf???
And the Parodies Get Weirder ...
37 thoughts on "The N-Word Makes Elisabeth Cry"
CT says:
"Crying over shit like this is a cheap way to show you care or that you take it seriously when you're really just crying because you think people are "picking" on you. It's a sort of luxury only white women of a certain caliber can afford. "This is so effing true…
Deedlelee says:
I agree with "ct said."I see it all the time. A white woman cries, and we are all supposed to rally around her and comfort her. And , it was no different here. If you noticed, Sherri grabbed her hand in a "supportive gesture" at the end of the segment. Why is that? Okay, now that she demonstrated her faux sentiments, I wonder if, when hearing the n-word bandied about in conversations with her contemporaries, did she raise such objections? I doubt it. she probably didn't call her friends on it.If she is progressive as she says, then she would have. Like you both, I doubt her sincerity.
I saw the show, yesterday, and Elisabeth's crying wasn't what irritated me, but Whoopi's explanation of why black people can use the word and white people can't. I don't agree with that re-claiming a word and making it your own and then tell others they can't use it. I don't think it should be used period, whether "endearing" or "with hatred". It just shouldn't be said and it makes me cringe when I hear it. I think Elisabeth's crying was not just a luxury she has as a young, white woman, but that she truly just doesn't understand this whole thing. But that's just me.
tiffany: I don't think she "got it" either, which was part of why she was so upset, but what you're criticizing Whoopi for was what I was outlining in my first point. I don't get the "reclaiming" thing either. It's just bad language. I don't know why some, specifically Whoopi, have to make it into the Manga Carta. The fact that black people don't agree on whether it is bad form or "reclaiming" something negative is further proof to me that it's an issue of taste. Like, you know you're not supposed to drop the N-word on "The View." It's not OK for anyone to drop it on "The View." You do so at your own peril. And at Whoopi's peril it made her look ridiculous and inarticulate.I don't know why people defend it. It's bad language and you will offend someone, but since we're all grown, use it at your own risk. How hard is it to just say that?
Great post. My sister called someone "a spic" once when she thought my father wasn't listening and she thought she was being cute and he slapped her, hard. (Not down with the slapping but read on). Racial epithets, of any kind, were just not acceptable. My dad was old enough to be my grandfather, so he grew up in the segregated south when it was bad, bad, bad, BAD and no matter how intelligent or wealthy or worthy a person you were, if you were Black person white people could call you anything they wanted and get away with it. You had to shut your mouth and keep stepping if you didn't want to end up at the end of a gun or a rope. So my dad thought using the world nigger was a horror. I can only imagine what kind of feelings Black people calling each other "nigger" brought up in him.
I have had to give up some friendships lately with white women who played the "crying/Mammy" card with me much of the time. Elizabeth was playing those cards. She wanted Whoopie to let her off the hook and say soothing words to her to let her know that she understood that Elizabeth wasn't racist. Whoopie didn't go there, so she broke out the tears. Hmphf. I've changed my relationships. None of my friends gets a mammy anyone. Understand your own damn self.
sdg1844 says:
The N-word wasn't allowed in my home either and I really despise Hasselback and pretty much can't stand The View either. This whole "taking it back" and it can't hurt my talk about the word never sits right with me. If it can't hurt you, then why is there a pblm when white folks use it?Oh, I know…it's a degrading, de-humanizing word that was and continues to be used to insult Black folk.
sdg1844: I just know I've been called the "N-word" by a black person and by a white person and it hurt both times. The word is what it is for me. People can put as many pink bows on it as they want. It personifies ignorance and self-hatred.
madame z says:
I see it all the time. A white woman cries, and we are all supposed to rally around her and comfort her. And , it was no different here. If you noticed, Sherri grabbed her hand in a "supportive gesture" at the end of the segment.Bump that! LOL. But yes, I see your point here. I grew up surrounded by the word, even using it when I was a kid and younger. And I knew it was a hurtful thing to say or belittling. The older I got the less I used it to the point where now it isn't even in my vocabulary. Even when I go back home and it is occasionally said (it was mainly exploited by extended family/friends but not in my home really), I still don't use it. Won't. Have no reason to. It's unnecessary.But I can guarantee you I won't be defending NOT using it. It's a bad word, much like other epithets used to describe folk or things. And I *cough* try to refrain from using so many bad word. *cough* LOL. You know what I mean? I mean 'those' kinds of words. LOL. With that said, in an overall response to this I must say: Elisabeth, please SHUT UP. And you too Sherri! LOL
Amadeo says:
I laughed loud and long. I figure it like this: My friends and I call each other loser. I would not recommend anyone walk up and address us as such. You can…but you have to deal with the consequence…I figure what people choose to call each other in their group is their thing. For outsiders…use it at your own risk.
*I meant defending why I 'can' use it…. LOL Sorry about that.
I was watching The View when this happened and honestly, I was more embarrassed for Sherri than Elisabeth. As soon as Elisabeth said that he didn't like the word and didn't like it being used, Sherri jumped on her. For what? What's that going to prove to the world? Nothing.I can't stand Elisabeth with a passion but you could tell that she was getting frustrated that no one was coming to her aid. 'Beth has a optimistic view of this country in where she thinks that everybody is equal.The reclaim argument is stupid. Nigga is Nigger, no matter which way you look at it.
blackgirlinmaine says:
Girl, you are on point especially about them crocodile tears that white women love to drop. Like you, my reaction to those tears was suck it up and woman up. Her point about teaching her kid also rang hollow to me as well. As a Black woman and mother, believe me I don't didn't need those lessons taught to me nor do I need to teach em to my kids. Kids are pretty bright.Her arguments to me just point to the fact that even factoring in educational/economics that white folks & black folks often reside in different worlds. Ugh…
the uppity negro says:
Well, I saw it live and I was laughing inside and out loud quite gleefully. Because as a 75% watcher of "The View" Whoopi is the ONLY one who's able to check Miz Liz on the issue of race. Sherri wants to and tries to, but ultimately she falls short on the intellectual side. Sherri's way of doing is prolly quite South Side of her.I think one should be aware that the snap from Whoopi didn't come from the issue about nigga, nigger or what have you, but rather from Liz's comments about "we come from the same world."This was a clear case of white privilege, prolly Joy and Barbara could see that, but Liz was clearly oblivious.I'm she cried, she needed to be publicly shamed in my opinion, but its good to see Whoopi put her in her place without losing her cool all the way like Rosie did, and ultimately her job.Furthermore, I think the problem is that Liz is just uninformed. If she were more put together intellectually I'd be fine with her p.o.v., but it's just that her p.o.v. is wacked in my liberal thinking conjoined with her ignorance.Yay for Whoopi!
You were right on with the entire post (as usual), Snob,The whole "crying when my back is up against the wall and everyone's picking on me" is a common tactic for white women, rich or poor, young or old. I've seen the whole bit used many, many times. After awhile, you just roll your eyes at it and move on. That's how predictable and tired it becomes.Now, I only thing I semi-disagree with is the black American usage of the "n-word". Personally, I don't think it's too horrible if black folks use towards each other. I do understand, however, how many can get offended by it's use. (Especially older black folks).I'll be honest and tell you that I rarely use the word towards anyone. Just not my style, but I don't neccessarily object to other black folks using it towards each other, mainly because of context. The term is used among blacks in a very ironic sense, not a hateful one, I think. I think Whoppi was getting at that when she said that it's our way of "reclaiming" the word. A word that was/is used to break us, is now a term that we took back and made our own. I mean, I've heard gay guys call each other "faggot" in a casual way. Once, I overheard two Puerto Rican co-workers of mines jokingly calling each other "spic". That's different than if I say it, though. They're part of a circle, so they have a shared bond and again, they're taking a word that is used to break them down and they're reclaiming it and using it out of irony towards one another. (Kinda like a nod or a wink). Same as if your parents have an embrassing nickname for you. It's one thing if your family and friends call you that name, but if a stranger who is of no bond or kin to you calls you it, it comes across as insulting. You get what I'm saying?
Jamerican Muslimah says:
Why does it seem like some White people are upset because Black people get to use the word and they can't? I'm not sit here and justify its use. At the same time, I'm not going to act like I never used it either. I've said it in certain circumstances, dealing with family and others from the hood. Is it right? No, but I have to agree that it's not the same as when a White person directs it towards me.
Professor Tracey says:
Awesome post! My question is always this – Why do white people want to use the word at all in the first place? This should be a non-issue for them. They have absolutely no connection to the word except as an abuser, so what do they want?Black people have the ABSOLUTE right to debate, argue, struggle, and use this word. We have carried the burden of the word and white folks do not have the right to tell us what to do on this issue. We will get it figured out. The point that people missed is how dumb it is to try to "ban" a word. That is not adult, it is not intellectual. Jesse Jackson called on ALL black folks not to use the word and there he is using it. You can't ban words, you discuss them.
VOD says:
What a typical white girl/woman move. We had a sensitivity training at my job on Monday and the assistant director pulled the same exact move LOL.As far as the word itself, I'm in agreement with Amadeo, mynameismyname, and Jamerican Muslimah. It's a word that I've decreased using over the years and rarely say it.
Jaddadalos says:
I saw this mess live and immediately forgot about it the instant I turned the channel (after rolling my eyes). I love how this conversation is DEEP. I love the tears (I ate those tears for breakfast that day). I love the confusion from well-meaning white folk who always are on a mission to prove that they are progressive, non-racist, and will vote for a Black man. What I don't understand is how we as Black people need to answer for the usage of "nigger" and MUST come to a consensus as a people on whether or not we use or condemn the word. I, for one, do not like the usage, and I jump all over my high school students (99% Black) when they use it, yet, if I am going off with friends (Black) about some social happening concerning Black people and need to stress the context and reality, I will use "nigga" for satirical purposes (Is it satire or irony… eh?). But why should I have to explain this to white people? Are they burning to use it and want to reference a Black person's opinion when they tell their white counterparts that their "Black friend said…" whatever? I like the Snob's perspective: USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Leave it at that. There is no consensus. It is not a permanent item of the agenda for The Secret Council of American Negroes. Just USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Get Togetha says:
Elisabeth should've done what Joy did…just sit back in the cut. Joy knows the time.
PioneerValleyWoman says:
I find this fascinating.In a way, the tears and arguments are giving her a certain moral authority that the others lack in their support for the n-word's usage among blacks. She is saying: "the word is bad, blacks should not use it, whites should not use it…," but the others are trying to justify the use of a word which has always been used to disempower.Who has the real moral authority? Who looks like they are crazy and out of their minds?Justifying the use of a word which has always been intended to harm you?????
"… she was not one of "those" white people, but an understanding one who hates the N-word and would never, ever use it."Uh – huh. Right, yet she wants to address the double standard of black people being allowed to use it while white people can't because … Wah, it's so UNFAIR! I'm glad Whoopi called her on that shyt and about "we're all the same". Oh really? **snark alert** Let me try that delicate-sniffly-tear-up next time I'm in a jam and see how that works out for me, Missy Liz. Snort.@ Pioneervalleywoman: My problem with Miss overactive tear duct's position is that she is less concerned with the history of the word and what a horrible loaded insult it is than with dictating that no one can use it. White privilege much? I saw Sherri's initial snap as a direct response to that – "you don't tell me what I can and cannot say."In the end the Snob (and Field Negro) are right. Miss Lizzy can use the word if she really wants to, she just does so at her own risk. I guess since she's not the kind of person to use such a word the entire drama was academic. In my humble opinion that has always been stumbling block in any white/non-white discussion of race: for one side all discussions are primarly academic. The rest of us? We got skin in the game (pun intended).
One Very Attractive Nerd says:
I think we should just accept the fact that the N-word means different things to different people. I don't really use it and I probably wouldn't appreciate being called the N-word, but I'm not going to hold a press conference if I hear Black people drop the word. Just like I wouldn't hold a press conference if I hear mexicans using the term "wetback." And as far as using the word in a public forum, if you're willing to hear other curse words, then why the far-fig-newton would you expect this word to be off limits? Personally, I try to limit situations where I know I am going to be ear-raped (which is hard now-a-days).I know that personally, I hate the word "pussy." I think it's vulgar, disrespectful and just sounds gross. Maybe I have some deep seated issues with my vagina or cats or something…I don't know, but that word's not going anywhere anytime soon, unfortunately. And because of this, I try not to obsess over it or hang around people that would use this word.You can't control the world around you, only how you react to it. When you blow something up and make it forbidden and controversial, you draw attention to it, it never goes away and Elizabeth Hasselbeck starts crying on "The View." Let's end this madness, even though I enjoyed hearing Whoopi schooling her on the "we all live in the same world" business. lol Didn't it remind you of the part on the Color Purple when Sealy slams her hands on the table and says to Mister, "Did I ever ask you for anything?! I never asked you for nothing, not even your sorry hand in marriage!" Well, maybe not that dramatic, but it could have been, right? No? Okay.Oh and yeah, use the n-word at your own risk. If you use it in the wrong setting and/or context and/or in front of the wrong people, then you deserve what you get. Just like with any other inappropriate and foul language.
To One Very Attractive Nerd: Yes on the Color Purple flash… All it needed was the "'Til you do right by me…" part and the voudou fingers. Elizabeth needed the voudou fingers…On the point about Whoopi schooling her on the "we're all the same" comment, I wish that had been focused on more. It was a critical point, but it got lost in the typical, "I'm white. When can I say nigger, and if not, why not?"
Black American Princess says:
I find it hard to take Whoopi's views on race serious, considering the fact that she supported her then-boyfriend, Ted Danson's whole blackface act at the Friar's Club back in the day. She really is the last one to talk about racial issues.
AC:My problem with Miss overactive tear duct's position is that she is less concerned with the history of the word and what a horrible loaded insult it is than with dictating that no one can use it. White privilege much? I saw Sherri's initial snap as a direct response to that – "you don't tell me what I can and cannot say.BAP:I find it hard to take Whoopi's views on race serious, considering the fact that she supported her then-boyfriend, Ted Danson's whole blackface act at the Friar's Club back in the day. She really is the last one to talk about racial issues.My reply:Exactly, Black American Princess! And especially coming from Whoppi Goldberg who had no problem with her then partner doing a roast in blackface…Oh yes, she did a lot to support black people's image and consciousness with that. So somehow she is a "race woman" in trying to uphold the use of the "n' word? I don't think so. Cooning at its best and cooning for the audience of white women who watch! So even though Hasselbeck's statements seemed to be about white privilege, in that she wanted to dictate what others could say, that isn't the issue for me.I find it incredibly ironic that black people are running around trying to use words that have always had a hateful connotation, and no matter how much people want to seize it and pretty it up by saying "we're taking away it's power to hurt," the word is still what it is!And there are people around who will want to use it exclusively for their negative connotation. They might slip up and use the word when they shouldn't, or not. But blacks using the word always makes us vulnerable to being seen as somehow upholding the word, giving it a power it does not deserve!So somehow it is uplifting to deny them the use of the word, to strike at Hasselbeck's white privilege in that narrow context, as though that solves some problem?
To the previous posters, Whoppi actually WROTE the entire "n-word"-infused sketch for then-boyfriend Ted Danson's Friar Club sketch. The entire thing was satire, it was spoofing how many felt about Whoppi & Ted's relationship. The media distorted that entire incident and spun it much differently than it was actually presented. As I said to another poster on this blog (I believe the topic was the alleged colorism in Tyler Perry films), it would be beautiful is people actually tried to witness or research things for themselves instead of relying on a second-hand recalling. It's best to do this so one can have a clear, personalized, first hand perspective.
"My question is always this – Why do white people want to use the word at all in the first place? This should be a non-issue for them. They have absolutely no connection to the word except as an abuser, so what do they want?"White priv. and the need to have access to everything….is the answer to your question
Udon Nomee says:
Ok, here's the deal on 'proper' use (i.e., other than a racial epithet) of the N-word, who can and cannot use it, and why. It's very simple, so it goes by kinda fast. If you miss it, read this post again until you get it. Ready? Here we go!!Synopsis:"When uttering the N-word, there is NEVER a question what a black person means by it, but there is ALWAYS a question what a non-black person means by it. Until that changes, black people can use it, non-blacks cannot." The full lecture: The issue here is the "intended meaning" of the person using the word. When spoken by a black person, regardless of who they are speaking to, their "intended meaning" is unequivocally clear and evident. Context and inflection leave no question as to what is meant, be it endearment, humor, anger, insult, etc.But when used by a non-black person there is ALWAYS a question as to the "intended meaning". The person who hears it, consciously or sub-consciously, almost always wonders "Did they mean that the way I think (and assume) they meant it, or is there 'something else' there?"And the same is true for the non-black individual who uses it. The person almost always wonders if others "know how I meant that…" It doesn't matter how well acquainted they are, or what kind of relationship they have. This is why the non-black use of the word almost always leaves a quiet uneasiness that hangs in the air "like a wet fart in a crowded elevator", and at some later point in time (be it moments, hours, days, or even years) must be 'qualified' with a statement to the effect of "Uhhh, you know I didn't mean anything by that, right?".This is not unique to the N-word, however. There was once a time (prior to the 1970's, specifically) when the same could be said for "brother" or "bro". At that time, a non-black person being greeted that way would have reason to wonder if they were being insulted or made fun of, no matter who said it to them.But times changed. Now there is little to no question what is meant by "brother" and "bro". And one day, no doubt, such will be the case with the N-word. But today is not that day.(I hope you all took notes, because there will be a quiz on this next week…)
willy says:
"As a middle aged, gay, middle America white man I find that what differences black people have concerning this word are really none of my business, just as straight black and white people are not allowed the right to use the words that I and my gay friends use at times in our conversations. Ms Hasselbecks histrionics go on..blah, blah, blah. How she can pull this an be aligned with a political party (Rep) and right wing ideals is beyond me. Those that she supports work daily to further racism, homophobia and make sure that those with less remain that way. Willy
Sorry mynameismyname, there is absolutely no excuse for a Black woman to write a sketch featuring her white boyfriend in blackface uttering racial eipteths about Black people. That is not satire, that is samboism and she willingly participated in it. Whoopi is what my husband refers to as a white man's whore. She is a disgrace…
Ms.Martin says:
I think the real story is Whoopi trying to justify on national television why it's okay if we use the word and they shouldn't – crazy!Please don't let her be the black folk's spokeperson because there is no difference. We are using a word that was used to desccribe us in a derogatory manner – more self hate.
I absolutlely see Whoopi's point. Remember, she is a comic. By taking the word and making it your own, you get rid of it's power. We are currently doing the same thing. We are running a comedy in NYC, "feminazi" (the n-word for women). By taking this word and holding it up to the light for what it really is, we are breaking it down and making it powerless.
LaJane Galt says:
jenn @ reappropriate calls this,Crying White Woman Syndrome
Airshipp says:
Associating words with such gravity really only makes them more powerful, no matter what qualifiers you apply to it. You cannot prohibit a word: you can only attach associations to it. What Whoopi seems to be advancing is that the word, when spoken by a white person, carries extra weight. No matter the context, if the word leaves a pair of white lips it is ultimately an expression of hate. It appears that this weight is attached as a kind of deterrent, however it is only a deterrent if you mistakenly believe that the speaker does not intend to hurt. The fact is there are people out there who seek to create racial tension.When someone on TV uses this word; when a celebrity uses it, people, both black and white immediately get uncomfortable. We are reminded of our country's ugly racist history, and for a time, it makes things quite uncomfortable. People begin to doubt their own "sensitivity," and ultimately issues that were previously nonexistent are manufactured. Now I don't advance the theory that not talking about racial issues will fix them, but airing such an ugly past is akin to showing graphic pictures of lynchings and calling them "racial dialogue." It does nothing but repulse, and is ultimately just plain in poor tasteUltimately, we are handing racists; those who seek to preserve the social difference between blacks and whites, a powerful weapon. All one has to do is say this word and a listener is imediately convinced of the rift that exists between the two races. Making priveleges to the word ultimately deepens this percieved rift, by making it very obvious that it is the difference between a white speaker and a black listener that provokes such offense.As an aside, racism in it's technical definition is the belief that there exist concrete, inextricable differences between ethnic groups, groups that in many countries are viewed as almost identical. I would say it is quite likely that every American is guilty of the crime of racism some way.There exist two solutions to this problem: the first would be to forget the word itself, entirely. If it is no longer a part of our language, it cannot be used as a weapon. However, as we are still using words that first appeared in Shakespeare I would posit the time this would take is longer than we would care to wait. Moreover, this would be akin to having a ticking bomb, and attempting to defuse it by locking it in the closet and forgetting about it (of course, letting select persons take it out to kick it around from time to time). The second, and more realistic solution, is to stop attaching such gravity to the word: actively defusing the bomb. Designating certain words as offensive only invites attempts at offense. Ideas can be offensive, but they are significantly different in that they can be purged or rendered impotent with relative ease. Words die much harder: it is the ideas behind them that merit attention and mending
Additionally, as far as Elisabeth's unseemly outburst goes, I agree it is a trick of some kind, but I would hesitate to say it was somehow a deliberate deception, and I would further hesitate to say that its reception was somehow altered by the fact that she was white, at least on a basic level.It is a tactic that all of us would develop, given the chance. People generally perceive women as fragile creatures. Seeing a woman in a delicate state, it is some primal instinct to want to comfort and protect that woman. Women for whom this look of "frailty" or "weakness" is especially pronounced often find that putting on this appearance will win them such sympathy, and even get them out of tricky situations. I say women do this because the unique sexual roles our society defines make it impossible for all but a few men.Attractive, pleasant looking women tend to be the most likely to exhibit this "defense," and several things arise as a consequence. Wealthy women, who appear more approachable, are often better groomed, and tend to be more well mannered than a middle class or lower class woman, tend to fill this role best. However, this does not stop a poor woman from doing it, it only makes it harder. Additionally, it seems that black women are less "permitted" to resort to this peculiar brand of cowardice. I would hazard that this is because, out of necessity, cultural differences, and a peculiar wisdom, black women have carved a more aggressive, self reliant image of themselves into the mind of the public than white women. The damsel in distress image was not something black women could afford to affect. Again, black women can resort to this: I've seen it, and it works. It is just that the image of the lost little girl who just wants everyone to be nice is not something many black women feel comfortable adopting. At least, I would hazardShe is putting on this tearstained face as a reflexive show of weakness, rather than as some kind of racial coup. It is indicative of the racism of the system, if it is indicative of racism at all
I believe the denegrating meaning behind the word has not yet changed no matter who uses it. However, I must agree with the Snob; use the word (as with any other curse word) at your own risk. Whoopie is not anyone I would choose to speak for me or any other person of color but I happily watched her shut down Bitsy insistence that we all live in the same world. The white gal's tears came because she was losing the argument, not because she was so sensitized by the black community's use of a controversial word. So much press has been generated for a twit. Does anyone care that Jesse Jackson demanded that no blacks use the word ever and still used it himself brotha 2 brotha; or that Fox leaked out his faux pas?


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What Are the Different Types of Holograms?
J. Gonzalez
Holograms are images that are captured in a three-dimensional form and are presented on a two-dimensional surface. When looking at holograms, one might have the sensation that the image being seen is actually right in front of him or her, when in fact, it is not. These holographic images are like looking at a three-dimensional movie without having to use the special three-dimensional glasses. There are many types of holograms, such as an embossed hologram, a reflection hologram and a rainbow hologram, to name a few.
Woman holding a disc
An embossed hologram is a transparent type of image that typically is used in security measures because the image is extremely complex and difficult to recreate. Embossed images have one single color for each light source being used. After an image is created, a mirror effect is placed behind the original picture, which creates an effect that makes it seem as if the original image has been multiplied. The image is embedded into an object by the heat and pressure of a metal stamp. Embossed holograms are more commonly seen in everyday life.
A reflection hologram forms an image by reflecting light. Reflection holograms are created when a white incandescent light is used to light the image, which in turn causes the holographic effect. Light is held at a precise angle and distance, and the holographic picture is shown on the same side as the person viewing the image. With this type of hologram, a person is seeing the image in a true three-dimensional form, up close and personal. Unlike others, this hologram can be seen in regular light.
Rainbow holograms are also known as Benton holograms, after Dr. Stephen Benton, who was the creator of this type of image. It is best described as a hologram of a hologram, with one light being shown in various directions. This causes the viewer to see different colors that change depending on the stance of the viewer when the image is being projected. If viewing this image from above or below, the image might not appear to change even though it has.
Holographic images are used in many different ways. Some are used on stationary items such as credit cards and stickers, and others are used as light sources in many light shows that are seen in places such as theme parks. Wherever one might see them, they can bring a sense of joy and excitement to people of all ages.
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What Is a Hologram Bracelet?
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What Are Holographic Stickers?
What Is a Holographic Decal?
RoyalSpyder
@Chmander - Despite the tragedy of what happened to Philip Hoffman, I'm sure technology is more than capable of handling itself, and there's probably nothing to worry about. After reading this article about holograms, I'm now convinced that technology has advanced so much, that some "illusions" are basically the real person. It's disturbing, but true.
Chmander
@Viranty - Wow, really? I had no idea he passed away. On the other hand, I find it kind of disturbing that he's being digitally recreated for the movie. I understand that he has a very important role, but it just doesn't seem right. It's as if they're creating an illusion that he's there, when he's really not. Due to how advanced technology has become in this day and age, maybe we won't even be able to tell he was digitally recreated. However, I still feel a bit uneasy about this.
Viranty
@Chmander - I've never heard of the Gorillaz before, but I do know how that sort of technology works. In fact, it can even be used to bring people back to life, figuratively speaking. Let's use Philip Hoffman as an example. About a week ago, it was reported that he passed away. Considering how he plays a major role in the Hunger Games movies, this is very unfortunate. However, it's been rumored that he's being digitally recreated for Mockingjay parts one and two. That's very interesting, isn't it?
Holograms are quite fascinating. Has anyone heard of a virtual band called the Gorillaz? They are entirely fictional, but they've "performed" on stage several times through the use of holographic technology. It's quite a freaky sight, especially considering how they aren't real. Nonetheless, it's also very interesting. One can only wonder where holographic technology is headed for the future. Only time will tell.
Ariestack
An amazing thing about hologram pictures made on glass is that the entire image of the hologram can be seen in even a small part of the glass. So if the glass negative shatters, by picking up a small piece a person could see every part of the holographic image. And, by turning the shard and looking through it at a different angle, the image can also be seen from that angle of perspective.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Pours a medium amber with a smallish head like most pumpkin ales. Aroma is subtle but nice with cinnamon and pumpkin in front. As for the taste you can definitely taste the pumpkin in this one, it has that vegetative pumpkin taste, also some cinnamon and clove come through. This beer is not sweet, actually on the dry side and not one specific ingredient jumps out at you. Overall if you like an authentic pumpkin flavor and you don't want that artificial pumpkin pie taste this may be your beer.


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Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index
IKEA is a Swedish home furnishing retailer. It has 179 large stores in 36 countries as of spring 2003. Most are throughout Europe, the rest are in the US, Canada, Asia and Australia.
The company was founded by Ingvar Kamprad at age 17 in 1943. The name is a composite of the first letters in his personal name, the names of the property and the village where he grew up: Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd.
Originally IKEA sold pens, wallets, picture frames, table runners, watches, jewellery and nylon stockings or practically anything Kamprad found a need for that he could fill with a product at a reduced price. The first furniture was introduced into the IKEA product range in 1947 and in 1955, IKEA began to design its own furniture.
At first Kamprad sold his goods out of his home and by mail order, but eventually a store was opened in the nearby town of �lmhult. It was also the location for the first IKEA "warehouse" store which came to serve as a model for IKEA establishments elsewhere and in 1963 the first store outside Sweden was opened in Oslo.
IKEA furniture is well-known for its modern (often unusual) design, and because much of it is designed to be assembled by the consumer, rather than being sold pre-assembled. IKEA claims that this permits them to reduce costs and use of packaging by not shipping air (the volume of a bookcase, for example, is considerably less if it is shipped disassembled rather than assembled).
See also: List of Swedish companies
Fact-index.com financially supports the Wikimedia Foundation. Displaying this page does not burden Wikipedia hardware resources.
This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.


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FeaturedKid Friendly
The Best, Educational TV Shows All Young Children Will Enjoy
Tarryn S Published on 04/04/2021
Not all parents fancy the idea that their children experience screen time, even if it really is a last resort. Perhaps you will feel a whole lot better if the TV shows they are watching are educational and actually good for young kid's minds. Keep reading to see some of the best and hugely popular TV shows that children will not just enjoy but will benefit from too.
The Best TV Shows All Young Children Will Enjoy
Sesame Street is a pretty obvious number one for our list. And it stands to good reason too, Seasame Street has been a golden, educational TV program for children for many years. This fantastic show actually debuted back in 1969m and has been a massive hit ever since. One of the most remarkable things about it is that over the years its had the ability to adapt to the times. This longtime favorite is suitable for children aged 2 years and older, however, Seasame Street is often enjoyed by adults too.
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
Since its first episode debuted in 2012, the adorable character, Daniel Tiger has been hugely popular all over the world. This animated program is generally geared towards children aged 2 to 4 years old but of course, older kids can benefit too. Little Daniel Tiger shares many relatable preschool discoveries and challenges with his family and friends. Young viewers are invited into his world to experience many different age-appropriate social, emotional, and practical life skills. The best thing about this so how is that the little tigers make kids feel as though they are truly one of their friends.
Blue's Clues & You
Blue's Clues & You is actually based on the American, educational series called Blue's Clues. This fantastic show is about Josh who follows up on clues from his dog Blue and her friends to solve different, adventurous puzzles and problems. One of the biggest reasons why kids love this show so much is because it is a live-action, interactive animated show. Both the original series and the reboot have been so successful and extremely loved by so many children.
Barney & Friends
Everyone knows Barney, America's favorite purple dinosaur. Even though this brilliant series started back in 1992, it has been a huge hit and so many children still love to watch Barney and his adorable, young friends. What is so great about this educational program, is that Barney shares so many amazing adventures that feature songs, dances, and games that make learning so much fun for kids of all ages. The main focus of the series is sharing, caring, and education. Barney and his dino-pals, Baby Bop and BJ, are also joined by a cast of children. Barney & Friends has also been said to have the best educational, content for children.
The Magic School Bus
Another timeless classic on our list…none other than The Magic School Bus. The original series aired back in 1994 and even though this classic show was so massively popular, in 2017, Netflix debuted a remake of the show called The Magic School Bus Rides Again. Ultimately, both shows are based on the best-selling book series of the same name which follows an eccentric teacher, Ms. Frizzle along with her class. In every episode, they all set off on field trips via a virtual bus ride in 'The Magic School Bus'. Children love this program as they get to laugh and learn about it so much. This TV show is aimed at children between the ages of 6 and 12 years old but can be enjoyed by kids who are older too.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Here's the Nonsense: President Obama is a leader whose motives are to do what's best for the American people.
Here's the Horse Sense: President Obama has shown his true colors. Some say he's an amateur, some say he's naïve, but his actions show him to be neither. He is a deceiver.
President Obama is pushing to keep the Bush tax cuts through 2013 for those making under $250,000 a year. For years the president has told us how awful President Bush's tax policy was, but this move sure looks like President Obama is compromising his stand on taxes. Is he such an amateur that he can't hold his ground on any issue? Or is he so naïve that he doesn't know what to do and is wishy-washy? Or maybe he's simply a deceiver who changes positions to match the circumstances much like a chameleon changes its color to match its surroundings.
Now that we're down to 4 months before the election and President Obama isn't doing as well as he'd hoped, he has decided to compromise his beliefs and embrace some of the Bush tax cuts…but only until he's reelected. That's called hypocrisy.
Amateurs aren't hypocrites. Hypocrisy comes from intentional choices that are made with foreknowledge. Amateurs are just incapable because of a lack of learning and often because they think they know more than they do. They often get over-confident or so egotistical that they can't hear anything but their own voice for advice.
Those who are naive aren't hypocrites. Like amateurs they make decisions from a lack of knowledge but the naïve are in that position because they have simply never learned. It's actually a position of innocence, much like a child.
But a deceiver tells people what he thinks they want to hear. The deceiver's goal is not to do the right thing, but rather to do the thing they think will best achieve their goals.
In my new book, No Tomorrows: How To Halt America's Imminent Collapse And Return To The American Dream – And Why It Must Start With The 2012 Elections, I define the 3 core problems facing America and driving us to an imminent collapse. These are not symptoms of problems like so many authors address, but rather are the deep underlying core issues that are destroying America. But there is hope. I also introduce the way to fix America and return to our glory days.
One of the core problems facing our nation is that we do not know how to choose true leaders. We have very few anywhere in our government. Yet these are the people who will lead the way for us to save America. In No Tomorrows I discuss the characteristics of true leaders. One of those is that a true leader will do what is right regardless of the cost, even if that cost is losing their elected office.
This tax proposal differs from the one Obama called for six months ago in his 2013 budget. In that document, Obama said that the lower Bush tax rates for Americans making less than $250,000 per year should be made permanent.
His proposal today does not make the current lower tax rates permanent--it gives those making under $250,000 only one more year at those rates before they would automatically snap up to the higher rates that prevailed before Bush cut them.
This is not integrity. This is greed for the money that the taxpayers have worked hard to earn. He thinks he knows what's best for your money and he can't stand it when you get to keep too much of it. And he believes that he knows best what "too much" is.
Another example wasn't too many years ago when then-Senator Obama said that President Bush increasing the national debt by $5 trillion in 8 years was unpatriotic. Yet President Obama increased it by $5 trillion in less than 4 years. Maybe Mr. Obama meant that it was unpatriotic for Bush not to have increased the debt faster! This is not a true leader.
This president changes his opinions as he thinks they will serve his purposes. No stability, no knowledge or wisdom, no character. This is anything but character traits of a true leader. This is the trait of a deceiver.
Voters in November do not have the choice of reelecting a leader. With this president they must decide whether they want to reelect a deceiver. It's that simple.


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These Luxury Swimwear Brands Are Minimizing Plastic Use With Biomaterials
Sustainability comes in gradations. While many brands are taking commendable steps forward in becoming more eco-friendly, the use of plastics, even recycled, can come with downsides. After all, washing plastic-based fabrics can result in microplastic shedding, which can be harmful to both human health and the environment — and especially detrimental to ocean habitats. And, even if a company is using materials made from recycled plastics, most still rely on some new plastic as part of the blend used to construct swimsuits.
Swapping out plastic-based materials for biomaterials can be a more sustainable decision, although it's mostly small brands going this direction right now, as bigger brands seem to be embracing recycled plastics (which is still a good start). When it comes to finding an alternative to plastic, however, not all biomaterials are created equal. Water use, energy consumption, renewability, and pollution also have to be taken into the equation and compared with the impact of recycled plastic, which can be difficult to factor. The following swimwear brands are using biomaterials to promote sustainability and minimize the use of new plastic.
SLO Active
One Piece (Yulex Zip Front Swimsuit) by SLO Active, $258
As an alternative to a plastic-derived nylon or spandex, SLO Active uses natural rubber that is Forest Stewardship Council® certified by the Rainforest Alliance to certify sustainability. Not only is the rubber eco-friendly, it's also durable for regular ocean use and contours to the body for a flattering fit. Designed in the U.K. and produced ethically in Italy, SLO Active's swimwear is designed to be timeless and break the fast fashion cycle with pieces that can be worn for years instead of a single season. The company even offers mending services for swimsuits that need repair. And, SLO Active donates to one of three ocean charities with every purchase.
Enya Top by Vitamin A, $190, Elena Bottom by Vitamin A, $180
Vitamin A offers a line of swimsuits made with a biomaterial derived from castor beans. Even so, the material is a blend that also includes Lycra — which is derived from plastic. As it turns out, even the swimsuits utilizing biomaterials generally rely on some plastic-derived materials to maintain shape and support. Nonetheless, cutting plastic out of 77% of the blend is still a step in the right direction and is helping to cut overall plastic consumption when compared with most swimwear on the market.
Natasha Tonic
Prince Bikini by Natasha Tonic, $100 Top, $78 Bottoms
Instead of using synthetic materials, Natasha Tonic uses hemp, which grows quickly and produces more fiber than cotton or flax. Hemp also requires 75% less water to grow than cotton, which is important when it comes to sustainability. And, hemp also helps to detoxify the soil, removes CO2 from the air, and doesn't need pesticides, further establishing it as an eco-friendly option. As a bonus, it's also antimicrobial.
She Made Me
Essential Crochet Crop Bikini, $79.92 Top, $79.92 Bottom
The main material used for She Made Me swimsuits is 100% cotton. While cotton isn't always the most sustainable biomaterial because of the crop's need for water and sometimes pesticides, She Made Me keeps its production sustainable by having artisan women in Bali hand-knit its suits in small batches under ethical and eco-friendly conditions. Purchasing a suit from the company supports the company's mission of empowering women artisans and cutting back on the use of plastics in swimwear.
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Welcome to our online bingo room page. I think most of my experience in playing bingo online has been very positive, for many reasons. One of the main reasons, I like playing in the online bingo rooms as opposed to the real world bingo rooms is the health aspect. In real world bingo you have to deal with lot of smokers at the tables whether it is played at a church, social function or gambling casino. When you are playing bingo online there is no smoking allowed in your room lol.
Bingo used to be a game where people over 70 just played but this is starting to change. As families grow together they can find time to play against each other at the popular online bingo rooms. Now with the advent of the chat feature in most bingo rooms, family members and friends can talk with each other while playing online bingo; this gives the online bingo rooms the added dimension of an online social network.
The other feature that makes bingo even easier online is the Auto-daub feature. Auto-daub is a new feature that automatically checks off the numbers as they are being called in your bingo room so that you don't have to worry about keeping track of them or missing a number as you would do in real life bingo. It is things such as this that are making online bingo the newest and fastest growing fun game online for people of all ages.
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With the 2018/2019 Brut Australian Baseball League season done and dusted, now it's time to look back at how each team fared in reverse finishing order. Today we look at the Melbourne Aces.
Melbourne bounced out of the blocks and had one hand on the South-West Division crown all season, but their campaign ultimately ended at the hands of Canberra in the inaugural ABL Wildcard Game.
The Aces took all four games against the Cavalry in Round 1 behind stellar pitching, and made the league sit up and take notice.
From there, they duked it out with Perth for South-West supremacy, but fell short after a disappointing round 10 loss to Auckland.
Dushan Ruzic put together his best year in the ABL to-date, as the 37-year-old lead the Aces rotation with five wins and a 2.82ERA.
Royals farmhand DJ Burt put together an exceptional campaign, finishing with a .338 average, a team-high two triples and league-leading 18 stolen bases.
The Aces compiled a 16-8 record against their South-West Division rivals, but struggled against inter-divisional rivals, finishing 7-9 against North-East Division teams.
Melbourne owned the second lowest team ERA (3.55), but struggled offensively, hitting .239 as a team (down from .268 in 2017/18).
Their bullpen was lights out.
Jon Deeble had a number of high-quality options at his disposal, most notably Tyler Fallwell and Hiromasa Saito.
Despite struggling in 16 games for the Seibu Lions (1-3, 7.02ERA) in 2018, Saito was untouchable in Melbourne, striking out 21 in 16 1/3 scoreless innings of relief.
Tyler Fallwell was equally as impressive, allowing no earned runs in his 14 innings, striking out 17 and surrendering one walk.
Melbourne coupled those two mainstays with the likes of Byung-Hyun Kim, Josh Tols and Dan McGrath, and put together a high-quality arsenal of relief pitchers.
DJ Burt (.338/.437/.466), Darryl George (.329/.374/.530) and Luke Hughes (.309/.407/.602) were outstanding, but the remainder of their lineup struggled.
Jake Romanski tallied 39 hits, but Melbourne's next best was Garrison Schwartz with 26.
Schwartz and Jarryd Dale each hit under .200, and despite record 15 stolen bases, Rudy Martin finished with a .119 batting average in 39 games.
Defeated Adelaide 2-0 at West Beach on November 22.
Melbourne capped off their best start to an ABL season with a shutout victory against arch-rivals Adelaide away from home.
The Aces survived 5 2/3 innings of Markus Solbach, as Luke Westphal anchored the narrow win.
Westphal scattered four hits in 6 1/3 innings, while DJ Burt and Luke Hughes claimed the only RBIs on the day.
In his first year on the east coast, Hughes thrived and was one of Jon Deeble's key offensive weapons.
Hughes recorded double digit home runs for the second consecutive year, with seven of his ten coming at the pitchers friendly Melbourne Ballpark.
The former MLBer put Geelong-Korea to the sword on 28 December, becoming the first player in the modern ABL to record two grand slams in the same game.
Hughes also became the first player to record 50 homers in the current ABL, after a solo home run in Melbourne's 11-1 victory over Geelong-Korea on 2 December.
You can't go past two grand slams in a game, can you?
Their best was championship calibre, but the Aces struggled to string together consistent wins.
Melbourne recorded six more wins than last season, and were only a game-back of South-West Division winners Perth.
Dropping three of their last four regular season games to Auckland put them behind the eight-ball, and they ran into a red-hot Frank Gailey in the Wildcard Game.
They have the local core to be successful in season 2019/20, with more regular innings from young guns Dan McGrath, Jon Kennedy and Josh Tols pending their availability.


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Sounders: US Open Cup
Kitsap Pumas "Realize the realities of what we are up against"
Facing the Seattle Sounders will be Kitsap's toughest test of 2016.
By Dave Clark@bedirthan Jun 14, 2016, 6:00pm PDT
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Mike Russell Foto
The Kitsap Pumas are already the best PDL team in the 2016 US Open Cup, but their goal is to do more than take that $15,000 prize. Up next are the Seattle Sounders FC, a team just across the Puget Sound from the pro PDL team that features two former Sounder Academy players and a former S2 player. Former soccer analyst (SI, soccerwire, Sounder at Heart, others) and now Assistant Coach Liviu Bird told Sounder at Heart on Monday, "It's a good chance for us to show what we can do. It's a good chance for everybody from the top to the bottom. to the front office to everybody to get some more exposure."
There are several players with pro experience and/or familiarity to Seattle Sounders fans.
"Obviously, I work with the goalkeepers," Bird said. "So Matt Grosey is somebody I think is better than a lot of MLS goalkeepers already. We've got Nick Hamer in midfield has been really solid for us, really good, just a reliable consistent player. Joel Waterman is an interesting one, a 20 year old Canadian kid. He tried out for the Whitecaps residency program and didn't make it. But he's a player who we think as a staff is going to be very good in the near future. Players like that. I'll name some more experienced guys. Jesus Sanchez who played with Oklahoma city for a year. Javiar Castro who also played for Oklahoma City and has been around PDL and had some tryouts with the Mexican first and second divisions. A number of players really. Hamza Haddadi who Seattle fans will be familar with. Ian Lange is another one. It's a roster of guys with good potential."
Going up against an MLS side is possibly a one-time chance. While scouts will watch PDL games, there is national media in town because the USMNT is playing in Seattle on Thursday night. Many of those will be in attendance on Wednesday. A strong performance by a Kitsap player will not go unnoticed outside of Seattle's soccersphere.
"I think it's something where the guys will really take a look and try to grasp it firmly and make it there own because for some of us this might be the only chance we get like this. So, you don't want to end up at the end of the day thinking I should have done more or I could have done more. So I don't think our guys will want to come away from the field on Wednesday thinking that."
The Pumas will not be their normal proactive stance. The Sounders are not their normal PDL competition.
"We realize the realities of what we are up against. I mean an MLS team, as a PDL team you're probably not expected to have as much possession as you like. You're probably going to be a bit more defensive. It is what it is."
Coach MacDonald and his staff have a tough job. Seattle has a deep roster, is coming off a two-week break, and varies their lineup greatly in Open Cup matches. In their victory against the Sacramento Republic they had a good idea what they would face. Instead they will focus on themselves, their philosophy and style.
They also know Starfire Sports Stadium. In 2015 they played lost 4-2 (aet) to S2 at Starfire. Back in 2011 they faced the first team and lost 2-1. Kitsap's overall Open Cup record is 5-5-1.
"We're looking forward to it obviously and I think it's going to be a good matchup," Bird ends with some confidence.
Sounders vs Kitsap Pumas US Open Cup 4th Round: News, updates, highlights, analysis
On closer inspection, Cristian Roldan scored a pretty good goal
Pumas recognize the challenge of facing Sounders
Sounders to face Kitsap Pumas in US Open Cup
Major Link Soccer: Vlatko announced the USWNT roster for the SheBelieves Cup


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I'm trying to get all of my Montgomery posts out, they are a little dated at this point and I just haven't been feeling well enough to finish them (Insert sick GIF here ;)). I finally got to see one of my favorite plays performed by an actual company. I've wanted to go to the Shakespeare Festival for a while, but because of travel and children it wasn't really in the cards. I got to see A Midsummer Night's Dream! It was awesome, the cast was phenomenal, and it was also Shakespeare's B day.
This park is where the theater was. It was also were the museum was. Did I mention that one of the ways to get there was through the back lot of an apartment complex and the entrance was through a shady metal fence? Again, freaking Montgomery.
We went to the Montgomery Museum of Art. The benches were always placed in front of small works, not the major centerpieces of the room, that's all I'm going to say. The fountain above reminded me of our "satanic fountain" in Birmingham Southside. Turns out it was the same artist. I thought the fountain and animals were super cute. A pic of our local fountain is below with a link. I used to walk past this thing everyday.
Below are random pics of downtown.


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Rhytidosteoidea es un clado extinto de temnospóndilos que vivieron a principios del período Triásico.

Referencias
A new tiny rhytidosteid (Temnospondyli: Stereospondyi) from the Early Triassic of Australia and the possibility of hidden temnospondyl diversity. Yates, A. M. (2000) J. Vert Paleontol. 20:484-489.
The phylogeny of the «higher» temnospondyls (Vertebrata: Choanata) and its implications for the monophyly and origins of the Stereospondyli. Yates, A. M. & Warren, A. A. (2000) Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 128: 77-121.

Enlaces externos
Rhytidosteoidea en Mikko's Phylogeny Archive

Temnospondyli

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Jennifer Hope: "Bring Me To Life" – This heavy, sensuous, bass infested sound is like nothing you have experienced
By Jeena Johnson On February 19, 2016 No Comments
In 2013, Jennifer Hope released her ten-track LP, "Velvet Fire". In 2014, she recorded and released her follow up EP, "X-Tremities". Both projects were sponsored by Eddie Van Halen and produced by Warren Huart (Aerosmith, The Fray, Johnette Napolitano, James Blunt). On April 21, 2015 Cleopatra Records released Hope's five-track covers EP, "Love Blooms to Black". Jennifer Hope's latest single and first duet, "Bring Me To Life," was released, February 5, 2016.
Evanescence burst onto the scene thanks to the song "Bring Me To Life" from the Daredevil movie. Bands that become popular because of a song in a movie generally don't last too long and it would be easy to say that Evanescence was just a flash in the pan based on that alone, but that would be an unfair assessment. Their music tended to be a bit moody, provocative, and had some dark undertones, which made them perfect for the Goth crowd. On the contrary "Bring Me To Life", seemed to be perfect for just about every crowd, as it became a major international hit.
Now just how do you cover a mega-hit song led by Amy Lee's powerfully haunting vocals and Ben Moody's rocking guitar riffs? Rarely – if ever – does an artist burst onto the scene with such refined, cultivated, and delicately manipulated talent to even attempt such a feat – never mind pull it off. Jennifer Hope uses every bit of her signatures from more widely-distributed tracks – including piano breakdowns, crunchy guitar chords, and ethereal synths – to enhance every verse and chorus on "Bring Me To Life".
The creative use of male and female vocals and harmonies, as well as heavy bass lines and slamming drumbeats, lends a depth to their re-creation unmatched by any cover band that I have ever encountered thus far. If you have trouble defining Jennifer Hope's proper place in the genres, after hearing this track, don't feel ashamed. She's anywhere and everywhere. Hope is an artist that distorts definitions, upends conventions, and enthralls the listener.
This cover of "Bring Me To Life" – if nothing else – completely deconstructs the popular notions of several types of alternative rock covers. At times Jennifer's voice plays off in such a way that you might think you're listening to a delicious version of new age music. But just when you're settling into total mesmerizing fixation, the guitar wails in the background and the percussion thunders to center stage with staggering fortitude.
This production of heavy, sensuous, bass infested sound is like nothing you have experienced. Make no mistake, all of the instrumentation and arrangements, are there for one purpose, and that is to support Jennifer Hope's amazing vocals. Even in the song's heaviest moments Hope's voice is front and center and not obscured by anything.
Jennifer Hope doesn't fall into the "formula" trap, where she just releases a rehash of a former glory. Everything about this cover just sounds right. It is slower, dreamier and more hypnotic, as opposed to the thunder and lightning arrangement of the original. She has the same crayons, and the same sketch but she has colored the picture quite differently.
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Tags:Alternative Bring Me To Life Evanescence Jennifer Hope Review rock
MARS: "Call For The Knights" – beautifully melancholy rock n' roll
Matt Gibbs (Vocals, Keys, Lyrics), and Ryan Paul-Henry Sainsbury (Guitar, …
Sequential Music radically distinguishes itself from conventional music
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CHANKS' singular brand of ambience hypnotizes one second, and stuns the next!
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Article first published in The Lawyer, click here to view.
7BR's Hugh Preston QC is acting on behalf of around 1,000 claimants in the PIP Breast Implant Group Litigation relating to breast implants manufactured by French company PIP and alleged to be substandard; recently placed at the top of The Lawyer's top 20 cases in the pipeline for the year ahead.
Instructed by Mark Harvey partner at Hugh James, the Group Litigation Order (GLO) was granted by the High Court in Cardiff in 2012 in relation to personal injury claims being made by women who received breast implants manufactured by French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP). The company used purportedly cohesive silicone gel breast implants.
The GLO is for the final determination of whether the supply of PIP implants by clinics breached the implied terms of the Sale of Goods or Supply of Goods and Services Acts in that the implants were not fit for purpose.
The case has already been in court a number of times over preliminary issues and the trial has been adjourned more than once.
Solicitors for the lead defendants, Transform Medical Group, recently changed. The group went into administration in June last year and Charles Russell Speechlys was instructed on the administration. The firm has now also come on the record for the litigation, replacing Transform's advisers BLM.
You can read the original article and the other cases listed here.


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text:
Conde Nast sues over Doc Savage works (not) in public domain (see update)
Mark Frauenfelder 9:20 am Sat Apr 8, 2006
Dan says: "The novels featuring the '30s pulp characters Doc Savage and The Shadow have been freely available on Blackmask.com for many years, with the owner of that site saying that the copyrights were never renewed (back before auto-renewal of copyright). Conde Nast, the owner of the trademarks on Doc Savage, is suing the owner of the site, and the owner isn't backing down."
Reader comment: Jonn says:
I just saw the BoingBoing article about Blackmask getting sued
over their Doc Savage and Shadow books, which BoingBoing characterizes
as "works in the public domain".
It's not clear to me, though, after reading the BoingBoing article
and David's summary, what the basis is for this claim. In particular,
it looks like there *were* renewals filed for the copyrights of the
early books, and if they're valid (and it's not clear to me why
they wouldn't be) the copyrights would still be in force today.
You do have to look for the renewals in the right place. In
particular, they're *not* in the Copyright Office's "books"
renewals, but the "periodicals" renewals. (It turns out that pulp
fiction publications were often registered as periodicals.) And they're
*not* in some widely disseminated copyright renewal compilations,
such as those from Project Gutenberg, that included
"books" renewals but not "periodicals" renewals (which weren't
digitized until relatively recently.)
On this page, for instance, you can find renewal records for the first 5
issues of _Doc Savage Magazine_, which (cross-checking against
Wikipedia) appears to cover "The Man of Bronze" through
"Pirate of the Pacific"
Similarly. _The Shadow_ appears to have been renewed as a periodical
right from issue 1, and the predecessor serial that featured the
Shadow, _Detective Story Magazine_ was renewed at least as far back
as 1923. You can look up these and other renewals from and you might find of particular interest the inventory of
publications renewed as periodicals between 1923 and 1950.
This inventory has been online since earlier this year; it and its
contents were fresh in my mind because I'm giving a talk on it in a few
days to the Digital Library Federation, and was just finishing a draft
of the slides when I saw the article.
David's piece mentions a few other reasons he has for going to
court instead of settling. I'm not clear on the background of
these reasons– there may well be other information I don't have,
such as whether Street and Smith were entitled to renew the copyrights
on their own. But I'd hate to see folks put through painful and
potentially ruinous litigation if it's because of a mistake.
John (as always, I am not a lawyer and should not be relied on for
legal advice) Mark Ockerbloom
Reader comment: Robotech Master says:
It's a common misconception that those books are in the Public Domain.
However, it has previously come out, even before this, that they are
*not*. You might want to post a correction on the story…
"The reason you won't find [The Shadow novels] listed [in the Library
of Congress web site at www.loc.gov], is that the Library of Congress
hasn't updated those files. You have to go to the Madison Building,
4th Floor and into the Copyright Card Files to find the renewal. I can
tell you…you will find the renewals and the original copyrights. The
Shadow is under copyrights and all those text files are illegally
posted and reprinted. This is a problem, when someone assumes. If
these are all public domain, why hasn't some decent publisher rushed
to reprint these stories? I can tell you why…Advance Magazines, Inc,
which is a subsidary of Conde Nast Publications hasn't granted
permission. That's why!"
Furthermore, if you read the Blackmask article to which you linked,
even the Blackmask guy admits they're not in the public domain; he
refers to the lawyer having sent him copies of all 506 renewal notices
(presumably the ones that are not in the online database but have to
be found in the Copyright Card Files) and mentions that he's filing to
get the copyrights *transferred* to him under Adverse Possession. If
they were in the public domain, there would be no copyrights to be
transferred.
It was only a matter of time before they got around to suing BlackMask
over this.
Jim Kosmiki says:
I would actually have expected this more from Cory, since their control of this copyright while not allowing access to the material is exactly what EFF has been arguing forever. The copyright argument was never very convincing to me, as Bantam's paperbacks listed the copyright renewal on their title pages, IIRC. Bantam wouldn't have paid the fees they paid if the material was PD. As popular as the Doc reprints were in the late 60's/early 70's, somebody else would have been reprinting them too.
However, having said that, the fact that they AREN'T being made available is a shame. Blackmask has set up a proven distribution system for this material, but Conde Nast can't be bothered to even discuss the appropriate licensing. Adventure House puts out High Adventure magazine and C2C reprints of various pulps, and they clearly indicate that Argosy still has the copyright to most of what they reprint. However, Argosy is clearly interested interested in making some money (not necessarily Hollywood level money) and having the properties actually OUT THERE for people to read.
I'm interested in this notion of adverse possession mentioned at the end of the post and how that works – any links to that concept?
Forced by shortages to sell chipless ink cartridges, Canon tells customers how to bypass DRM warnings
Printer ink company Canon was forced by the silicon shortage to sell cartridges without the DRM chips used to dissuade customers from using third-party tanks. Accordingly, it is reportedly telling customers how to bypass its "genuine" ink bullshit. (translation) We value you as a customer and a constant user of Canon products. Due to the… READ THE REST
Retiring "Lena", the Playboy nude used to calibrate imaging tech
Losing Lena is a 2-minute film about a nude photograph from a 1972 issue of Playboy, an image often used by software and hardware developers as a test card. It's long past time to retire it. It's a poor-quality photograph no good for its overt use, and its covert use—sneaking a nude into the workflow—highlights… READ THE REST
Big names flee Consumer Electronics Show as Omicron variant bites
The Consumer Electronics Show, where some 100,000 industry and media folk mingle as they coo over next year's gadgets, is still scheduled for early January 2022. But many big names have pulled out and the shelves are beginning to look threadbare. The latest to withdraw are chip maker AMD and PC manufacturer MSI. Amazon, Facebook,… READ THE REST


text:
The Bartlett School of Architecture
David Roberts is a Teaching Fellow in Architectural Design and Architectural History & Theory Tutor. David is also a Research Ethics Fellow at the Bartlett Faculty of Built Environment.
David Roberts is a Teaching Fellow in Architectural Design and Architectural History & Theory Tutor. David is also a Research Ethics Fellow at the Bartlett Faculty of Built Environment. Alongside his work at UCL, he is part of collaborative art practice Fugitive Images and of architecture collective Involve.
David uses poetry and photography to explore the relation between people and place. He has exhibited, lectured and published work related to public housing, architecture, critical methodologies and site-specific practice.
David's PhD thesis in Architectural Design, Make Public: Performing public housing in regenerating east London, explored the history and future of two east London housing estates undergoing regeneration: the Haggerston Estate, a 1935–8 London County Council neo-Georgian perimeter block demolished in 2014; and Balfron Tower, a 1965–7 Brutalist high-rise designed by Ernö Goldfinger facing refurbishment and privatisation in 2016. It won a RIBA President's Award for Research 2016 and received a High Commendation.
David's research, art and cultural activist practice engages community groups whose homes and livelihoods are under threat from urban policy, and extends architectural education to primary and secondary school children. Through this collaborative practice he co-wrote and co-produced the feature-length documentary/fiction film, Estate, a Reverie. He co-curated a six-week project Real Estates, opening PEER up as a social, discursive and imaginative space around issues of housing and spatial justice in East London through a constantly changing series of exhibitions, screenings, discussions, readings and workshops. He developed an interactive website Balfron Tower: a building archive and co-coordinated a successful campaign to list Balfron Tower at Grade II*. Slab, a collection of concrete poems about life and loss in language and stone, will be published by Copy Press.
David is driven by an aspiration to defend welfare state architecture and salvage the principles at its foundation.
Research subject
Make Public: Performing public housing in regenerating east London
First and second supervisors: Professor Jane Rendell & Dr Ben Campkin
The history of housing the working population in Britain has a predictable circularity in architectural form; one generation's panacea becomes the next generation's problem, only to be reappraised with remorse after it has passed.
My thesis is a practical and theoretical research project into this cycle. It explores the history and future of two east London housing estates undergoing regeneration; the Haggerston Estate, a 1930s London County Council neo-Georgian perimeter block demolished in 2014; and Balfron Tower, a 1960s Brutalist high-rise designed by Ernö Goldfinger facing refurbishment and privatisation in 2016.
To 'make public' expresses a demand and an aspiration; materially – to protect and extend public housing provision at a time when austerity measures are dismantling it in ideal and form [Phillips and Erdemci, 2012]; procedurally – to make visible problematic processes of urban change that are increasingly hidden from public view under the pervasive metaphor of regeneration [Campkin, 2013], and; methodologically – to make public the act of research through long-term collaborations with residents and other practitioners, using archival research and socially-engaged performance practice that reveals spatial changes and their affects on social relations [Harvie, 2013].
The thesis draws on the idea of 'multiple publics' to re-conceptualise a constructive approach to public housing and to evaluate the ethic of 'making public' [Fraser, 1990]. It works between architecture and performance to forge new connections with the research of Forty, Rendell, Schneider and Roms, and choreograph relationships between buildings, texts and residents through critical acts of writing, dramaturgy and re-enactment.
The practice is conducted through performative workshops that open a social, discursive and imaginative space for residents to re-enact the histories of each estate and build collective knowledge and experience. This collaborative work is shared with wider publics through a feature-length artist's film Estate, site-specific performance Empty Words Build Empty Homes, and six-week exhibition Real Estates, and is documented in the thesis as two acts, comprising scenes interspersed with reflective essays. The evidence gathered is fed into formal and legislative frameworks with the aim of influencing housing policy: in Haggerston, a redesigned housing survey Housing Alternatives and at Balfron Tower, a successful Grade II* listing bid and online archive Balfron Tower: a building archive.
David was awarded a UCL Graduate Research Scholarship and an AHRC Studentship in Architectural Design.
David Roberts, ''We felt magnificent being up there': Ernö Goldfinger's Balfron Tower and the campaign to keep it public', in Peter Guillery and David Kroll (eds.), Mobilising Housing Histories: Learning from London's Past (London: RIBA Publishing, forthcoming - 2017).
David Roberts, 'Housing Acts: performing public housing', in Andrew Filmer and Juliet Rufford (eds.), Performing Architectures: Contemporary Projects, Practices and Pedagogies (London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, forthcoming - 2017).
David Roberts, 'Three Demands', RIBAJ (December 2016).
Anne Louise Buckley, Briony Campbell, Chantel Forrester, Elam Forrester, Jahcheyse Forrester, Lorna Forrester, Rosie Fowler, Taina Galis, Steve Hart, Therese Henningsen, Lasse Johansson, Gillian McIver, Lewis Osbourne, Eric Phillip, David Roberts, Adam Rosenthal, Georgia Sangster, Ruth-Marie Tunkara, Smart Urhiofe, Julie Vandemark, Julia Vandemark, Cathy Ward, and Andrea Luka Zimmerman, 'From 'Heroin' to Heroines', in Ben Campkin and Ger Duijzings (eds.), Engaged Urbanism: Cities & Methodologies (London: IB Tauris, 2016), pp. 73-82.
David Roberts, 'Make Public: a building archive of London's Balfron Tower', in Yasminah Beebeejaun (ed.), The Participatory City (Berlin: Jovis, 2016), pp. 65-73.
David Roberts, 'None of the Lively Detail', in Eduardo Padilha and Torange Khonsari (eds.), My Home is Your Home (London: public works publishing, 2016), pp. 18-29.
David Roberts, Balfron Tower: a building archive (2015).
Fugitive Images, Estate, 83 min, LUX artists' moving image agency, 2015. A feature-length documentary/fiction film.
Theron Schmidt, John Pinder, Louise Owen, Andrea Luka Zimmerman, David Roberts and Sophie Hope, 'Beyond Glorious: The Radical in Engaged Practices', Contemporary Theatre Review, v. 24 n. 2 (2014), pp.284-288.
Thomas-Bernard Kenniff, Christian Parreño, Mariana Pestana, David Roberts and Danielle Willkens, 'Lobby foreward', in Lobby (London: Aldgate Press, 2014).
David Roberts, 'Telling Stories / Empty Words Build Empty Homes', Opticon1826, v.16 (2004).
Ben Campkin, David Roberts and Rebecca Ross (eds.) Regeneration Realities (Northampton: Belmont Press, 2013).
David Roberts and Andrea Luka Zimmerman, 'The Certainty of Uncertainty', in Ben Campkin, David Roberts and Rebecca Ross (eds.) Regeneration Realities (Northampton: Belmont Press, 2013), pp. 11-12.
Elam Forrester, Rosie Fowler, David Roberts and Polly Rodgers, Moving: An oral history of the Haggerston Estate (London: Printed, 2013).
David Roberts and Amy Thomas, 'Harmony and Discord', in PhD Research Projects 2013 (London: Bartlett School of Architecture, 2013).
David Roberts, Empty Words Build Empty Homes: A play for estates (London: Victory Press, 2012).
David Roberts, 'Collaberate', in Magda Fabianczyk and Sophie Hoyle (eds.), We were trying to make sense...: Exploring Artist and Non-Artist Collaborations (London: An Endless Supply, 2012), pp. 33-36.
Jon Anderson, Kye Askins, Ian Cook, Luke Desforges, James Evans, Maria Fannin, Duncan Fuller, Helen Griffiths, David Lambert, Roger Lee, Julie MacLeavy, Lucy Mayblin, John Morgan, Becky Payne, Jessica Pykett, David Roberts and Tracey Skelton, 'What is geography's contribution to making citizens?', Geography, v. 93, n. 1 (2008), pp. 34-39.
Ian Cook, James Evans, Helen Griffiths, Lucy Mayblin, Becky Payne and David Roberts, ''Made in... ?' appreciating the everyday geographies of connected lives?', Teaching Geography (Summer 2007), pp.80-83.
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text:
Blame Congress for tax complexity: Our view
Cutting the IRS budget hurts taxpayers, helps crooks.
Blame Congress for tax complexity: Our view Cutting the IRS budget hurts taxpayers, helps crooks. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/1NbnGNz
The Editorial Board, USA TODAY Published 6:37 p.m. ET April 14, 2016 | Updated 7:00 p.m. ET April 14, 2016
IRS(Photo: J. David Ake, AP)
As Americans scramble to finish their tax returns this weekend, it's safe to say that many are fuming at the IRS. On the presidential campaign trail, "abolish the IRS" is one of Ted Cruz's signature promises and applause lines.
Yes, the agency richly deserves voters' anger for providing ghastly customer service, being a too easy mark for fraudsters and failing to prevent the theft of a mother lode of personal information from its website. But most of the reasons people hate the IRS are really the fault of Congress.
It's Congress, after all, that wrote the maddeningly complex tax code. The statutes and regulations, which span 4 million words and 9,000 pages, reach into almost every facet of American life, including home ownership, health care, college costs, retirement and even the appliances in your home and the fuel that goes into your car.
And it's Congress that has repeatedly slashed the IRS budget in recent years, while expecting the agency to do more work with less money. For fiscal 2016, Congress gave the agency $11.2 billion — about $950 million less than its budget in 2010 — to collect $3.3 trillion to finance the federal government. Just to stay even with inflation, the IRS would need nearly $13.3 billion this year.
Who suffers when the IRS doesn't have the resources to do its job? Taxpayers. The IRS' customer service has been better than last year, but that's not saying much. About one-third of taxpayer calls have gone unanswered this tax season.
Sen. Moran: Overhaul tax code, abolish IRS
And who benefits when the IRS doesn't have the resources to do its job? Crooks. The enforcement staff has been cut by nearly one-quarter since 2010. Fewer personnel means less ability to collect billions in taxes from those who fail to declare income or cheat in other ways. Such collections are down by $3.4 billion since 2010.
Congress' latest bright idea is to sic private bill collectors under contract to the IRS on the American public. The plan — suggested by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and adopted with bipartisan support — is abysmal on every level.
Some players in the debt-collection industry are known for shoddy, aggressive, even illegal tactics that have been penalized by other federal agencies. No matter how well such collectors are vetted, the IRS' reputation, as bad as it is, will suffer more when it is identified with bill collectors.
Nor is this approach likely to accomplish the goal of collecting more money. The IRS has tried this twice, and the experiment failed twice, according to the National Taxpayer Advocate. After costs, the program ended up losing money.
If all that's not enough, this new plan could make it easier for fraudsters, who've been impersonating IRS "collectors" on the phone and demanding credit card payments. How are taxpayers supposed to distinguish between criminals and authorized collectors?
Some of the congressional anger at the IRS is deserved. It grows from the agency's inept handling of Tea Party groups' applications for tax-exempt status, its expensive conferences and its failure to guard private taxpayer information that deserves protection worthy of Fort Knox.
But the way to handle such lapses is to write necessary changes into law, demand appropriate action and, yes, give the agency the money it needs to fix problems. Whipping and starving the IRS is less punishing to the agency than it is to all those confused taxpayers left holding on phone lines when there's no one to take their calls.
USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature.
To read more editorials, go to the Opinion front page or sign up for the daily Opinion e-mail newsletter.
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On Monday, I reluctantly supported the debt ceiling compromise for several important reasons. First, America will run out of money in early August, putting us at risk of a default. The ratings agencies have threatened to downgrade our AAA credit rating, which would drive up interest rates, shrink our GDP, and collapse our economy. For every 1% increase in interest rates, we lose a trillion dollars worth of spending cuts we enact.
Recognizing the very real threat of default and downgrade, we had to find a way to avoid this disaster while preserving our core principles. Constitutional conservatives only control one half of one third of the government, and the federal government has been hardwired for decades to spend ever increasing amounts of our tax dollars, so we were facing very long odds in the fight to control spending.
Despite these daunting obstacles, Speaker John Boehner managed to forge a solution that preserved our core principles.
First, this agreement prohibits any new tax increases. Second, it enacts enforceable spending caps for the next decade that will restrain future spending. It cuts more than one dollar of spending for each dollar the debt limit is increased, with spending cuts totaling $2.1 trillion over 10 years. Finally, this legislation guarantees a vote on the Balanced Budget Amendment by requiring each chamber of Congress to vote on the amendment before the end of the year.
I have co-authored the Balanced Budget Amendment every year since 2001, and I am an original cosponsor of the Cut, Cap and Balance Act. I am fiercely committed to balancing Washington's checkbook the same way that most states and American families do.
You can always count on me to do the right thing for the right reasons and to approach every vote as a free market, constitutional conservative. While Speaker Boehner was accurate in saying this plan is far from perfect, he deserves credit for the extraordinary job he did negotiating the largest possible package of cuts that could pass the Democrat Senate and the White House.
We have much more work ahead of us to balance the budget and improve our economy. We need to get the federal government out of our way and let Americans save, invest, and create jobs. Texas is proof that tax cuts, deregulation, and tort reform are the best ways to create jobs and grow the economy. I am committed to these goals, but it will take a conservative majority in the Senate and a conservative in the White House to work alongside our conservative majority in the House.
This battle was the first in a much longer fight to restore the constitutional limits on the federal government and eliminate the roadblocks to job growth created by decades of unrestrained spending, taxation, and over regulation. This agreement moves America in the right direction, and you can count on me doing my part to keep us moving in the right direction.


Here's just what the world needs: a designer chainsaw. Forget about that dorky and utilitarian Stihl and take a look at the latest thing in lumberjack hotness, the Nok Gear.
The Nok Gear is the perfect "tool" for the country hipster, or "Fakerjack". Even the description is fittingly pretentious. The designer – Next of Kin Creatives – calls it a "lightweight chainsaw for the functional-luxe tribes." That, if you were wondering, is a sentence completely devoid of meaning.
Why heft an ugly orange and white monstrosity when you can use a bare-metal sculpture with the "juxtaposition of two adjacent rectangular frames"? Why put up with old fashioned hard, smooth plastic when you can enjoy "textural materials creates a new aesthetic for tools in used in the outdoor domain"?
This concept design is certainly good looking, but who in hell will buy it (apart from Canadian hipsters)? If there is any tool which should look mean, chunky and dangerous, it's the chainsaw. I'm terrified of the things, and rightly so. If you start making dangerous weapons that look like high-end kitchenware, then all kinds of unqualified people are going to start lopping off their own limbs.
And seriously, can you see Leatherface using this thing? He'd be laughed out of Texas.