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Reflections of a Tsinoy expat: Six wonderful months in PH
Life / By Richard T. Chu
Dec. 15, 2015 marked the start of my six-month teaching/research grant in the Philippines. It is also my longest continuous stay since I left home in 1996 to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. In the 20 years since I graduated, I had taught at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, obtained American citizenship, reapplied for Philippine citizenship, published my first book, obtained tenure and taught for 12 years.
I always had this desire to use my skills and talent to help bring about a closer relationship between the Chinese and the Filipinos. I decided to major in history and focus on research on the Chinese in the Philippines. In my first book, Chinese and Chinese Mestizos of Manila: Family, Identity, and Culture 1860s-1930s, I examined the historical factors that led to ethnic tension and conflict.
While I am very happy where I am presently teaching, nothing compares to teaching a course in a Philippine university about the history of the Chinese in the Philippines. So I applied to US Core Fulbright Scholars Program for a teaching and research grant, and was fortunate to obtain it. The grant entailed teaching a course at the Ateneo de Manila University, my alma mater. It was a combined undergraduate and graduate course with eight undergraduate and 12 Master's degree students.
In 2015, I edited the book More Tsinoy Than We Admit and this became the main textbook used in class, supplemented by readings from various experts in the field. Essays included Edgar Wickberg's groundbreaking piece on the Chinese mestizos, Teresita Ang See and Go Bon Juan's essay on Chinese participation in the revolution against Spain; Raquel Reyes' study of Chinese accused of sodomy in 17th century Manila; Caroline Hau's insightful analysis of the "Mano Po" and "Crying Ladies" movies; and my own essay about my visit to my father's ancestral home in Jinjiang, Fujian province while an exchange student at Xiamen University.
To ensure that students read the two essays assigned per class meeting, I gave a quiz the beginning of each class. Students were also assigned a role to play in the reading discussions. For example, one student would play the role of the facilitator, while another summarizes, and yet another would be the "connector" who finds links in the themes or topics of the readings to other readings or to current events.
The discussions were often stimulating, if not impassioned, and I learned a great deal from the insights and stories my students shared about their own experiences. I learned that the term "Great Wall" pertains to the opposition of some Chinese-Filipino parents against their children forming relationships with Filipinos; and that Chinese schools continue to face the challenge of making Mandarin-language learning palatable to their students.
The students at Seng Guan Temple.
I organized a field trip to Manila's Chinese Cemetery, Seng Guan Buddhist Temple and the Bahay Tsinoy Museum. While at the Kaisa Heritage Center, the students had an hour-long conversation with Ang See, executive trustee of Kaisa Heritage Foundation, and Meah Ang See, director of Bahay Tsinoy.
At the end of the semester, the students were required to submit original research papers on the topic of the Chinese in the Philippines, and I must say that some of the papers were first-rate.
Compared to my students at UMass and the Five Colleges, the Ateneo students are comparatively smarter and easier to handle. There was a special synergy in teaching Filipino students who can relate more easily to the topic being discussed. More importantly, I felt that teaching the history of the Chinese in the Philippines to Filipinos had more direct impact not only on the students but on me as well, since what we were discussing was immediately relevant to what was going on in and around the Philippines.
Indeed, teaching at Ateneo was one of the high points of my Fulbright grant. The other component of the grant provided me time and resources to conduct research for my next book project, about the social history of the Chinese in the Philippines during the early American colonial period.
In the past few years, I had been collecting newspaper clippings and articles from early American colonial period newspapers that talked about the Chinese in the Philippines. For instance, during the Philippine-American War (1899-1902), there was a report from The Manila Times on Feb. 27, 1900 that 20 Chinese were beheaded in Daraga, Albay province by "insurgents" who then paraded their heads on poles to the "fierce shouts and cheers" of the local populace.
Another news article, dated March 15, 1902, from the Manila American reported that as the possibility of the Chinese exclusion act being implemented in the Philippines loomed, many Chinese were being smuggled in through agents in Amoy and Canton who charged exorbitant fees for a passage to Manila.
The students at Bahay Tsinoy Museum in Intramuros, Manila.
The Chinese were smuggled on board a ship from Hong Kong dressed as sailors to avoid detection, and once in the harbor of Manila Bay, a banca would be sent out to the ship at night to "sneak" the Chinese onto shore "under the very noses of the harbor patrol." These and other stories will form the bulk of my next book, and will deal mainly with marginalized individuals, such as laborers, criminals, women – people who we do not usually read about in history.
The decision to focus on less well-known personalities or individuals in my next book comes from a desire to expand our knowledge of the history of the Chinese in the Philippines.
Being in the Philippines allowed me to gather feedback from people who share my research interest in history and the Chinese diaspora, including some faculty members from Ateneo's history department, as well as scholars from East and Southeast Asia who attended the conference on "Coping with transnational crisis: Chinese economic and social lives in East Asian Ports-Cities, 1850-1950" organized by the History Department of the City University of Hong Kong last June 10-11.
One big advantage of being in the Philippines for six months was it allowed me to connect and network with many scholars who shared or appreciated my research interests, which doesn't occur in Western Massachusetts.
In all, I gave 11 lectures during my six months' stint. The Fulbright grant provided travel money which enabled me to give lectures in Zamboanga, Cebu, Bacolod and Iloilo. I also presented papers at conferences in Jakarta, Indonesia and Hong Kong.
Each lecture provided an opportunity to reach a broader audience outside the classroom – from members of the UP Chinese Students Association to the De La Salle University Debating Society; from teachers of University of St. La Salle in Bacolod and Iloilo Tiong San High School to Ateneo de Zamboanga University; and from other Fulbrighters assigned in Southeast Asia to scholars from different Southeast Asian universities.
Taken together, these lectures allowed me to reach more than 900 people from a broad range of backgrounds. I would never be able to replicate such an experience in the U.S., where interest in my research is limited to people in academia.
Ateneo students on a field trip to the Chinese cemetery in Manila.
Thoughts/reflections
The six months allowed me to affirm some life choices I have made. To return or not to return to the Philippines?
After a painful breakup in 2012, I was thrown into a mid-life crisis about what to do with my life. Living in a part of the US where population is homogeneously white and life is at a very much slower pace had been a struggle for someone like me, who is accustomed to living in big cities and in a more heterogeneous society. In other words, it was a lonely and alienating existence.
Furthermore, while I love my job at UMass/Five Colleges, the satisfaction of being able to directly apply or share my research has been minimal, as fewer people where I live are directly interested in the study of the Chinese in the Philippines and my job primarily involves teaching undergraduates, not graduate students who could potentially share my research interests.
The question of whether I wanted to be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond dogged me. I started consulting people about living and working in the Philippines. I discovered that unless I work two or three jobs, the salary I would be making teaching at a university in the Philippines would not afford me the kind of lifestyle I had envisioned for myself.
Furthermore, it would not give me the time to research and write. To make things more complicated, before I started my Fulbright, I met someone and we started dating seriously.
True, the six months of living, teaching, lecturing, writing and traveling in the Philippines met if not surpassed my expectations. I had never felt more connected and at home in the last 20 years than I had during this brief stay in the Philippines.
Ironically, I came to realize that I am more effective and appreciated by being away. A certain cache is attached to being "stateside." But more importantly, I am able to focus on doing research and writing in the US.
What I dearly miss most is being close to my family (all six sisters and their families) and being able to share my knowledge and feel that I am somehow making a contribution to the betterment of Philippine society.
So, I have decided that for the next five to 10 years, or until such time that I retire from teaching in the US, I will spend my winter (December to January) and summer (June to August) breaks in the Philippines.
This way, I would be able to continue giving lectures on my research and/or teach a short-term/summer session graduate course at Ateneo or at another university, not to mention being close to my family and enjoying our beautiful country.
For now, this decision would give me the best of both worlds. — First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digest 29, no. 3 (July 5-18, 2016): 16,14.


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"Anti-Semitism may be a good starter but it is a bad finisher", Winston Churchill (1932)
Saving Civilization From Itself - Churchill understood that the Jews are the bedrock of Western tradition.
Arthur Herman reviews Churchill and the Jews by Martin Gilbert in the WSJ:
"A student of history, Churchill came to feel that Judaism was the bedrock of traditional Western moral and political principles - and Churchill was of a generation that preferred to talk about principles instead of "values." For Europeans to turn against the Jew, he argued, was for them to strike at their own roots and reject an essential part of their civilization - "that corporate strength, that personal and special driving power" that Jews had brought for hundreds of years to Europe's arts, sciences and institutions.
To deny Jews a national homeland was therefore an act of ingratitude. Churchill became a keen backer of the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which broached the idea of creating a Jewish homeland in Palestine. As a friend to Zionist leader Chaim Weizman, and as colonial secretary after World War I, Churchill made establishing such a homeland a matter of urgency. "The hope of your race for so many centuries will be gradually realized here," Churchill told a Jewish audience in Jerusalem during his visit in March 1921, "not only for your own good, but for the good of all the world." …
Churchill was to be disappointed by the results of his Middle Eastern efforts, as Arabs hunted down and murdered Jewish settlers by the hundreds in the 1920s and 1930s - just at the time when Adolf Hitler was building his own regime around the persecution of the Jews in Germany. As early as 1930 Churchill realized that the Nazis' anti-Jewish policies carried the stench of an ancient evil. "Tell your boss from me," he said to a Hitler acquaintance in the late summer of 1932, as the Nazi Party was on the verge of power, "that anti-Semitism may be a good starter but it is a bad finisher." …
Today the existence of Israel is apparently something to be regretted, even deplored, not only in Arab capitals but in European ones and on American university campuses. Paradoxically, such feelings intensified after 9/11, an event that should have made us all aware of who the friends of Western civilization really are - and who its enemies. Martin Gilbert's book reminds us that anti-Semitism is the dark turn of the modern mind against itself, and a form of cultural patricide."
Arthur L. Herman's "Gandhi & Churchill" will be published by Bantam in April.
Labels: Israel/Zionism, U.K., U.S.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


An unprecedented number of colleges and universities were accused in 2013 of mishandling sexual assault cases, but the only people who know exactly which schools were accused are a handful of attorneys and their staff at the U.S. Department of Education.
In the absence of an official report, The Huffington Post tracked the colleges that are under investigation, face complaints or have received significant criticism for their handling of sexual violence on campus, and plotted them in the map below.
In fiscal year 2013, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights received 30 complaints against colleges and universities alleging failures in the way the schools handled cases of sexual violence. That was nearly double the previous year's tally of 17.
The complaints that the OCR received include allegations specifically related to sexual violence and failures to address them under the gender equity law Title IX, the Education Department disclosed to The Huffington Post. However, the Education Department does not publicly disclose a list of all colleges that are under investigation.
A group of 39 lawmakers penned a letter to the department Wednesday asking that it become more transparent in this regard.
Since Oct. 1 of last year, OCR has already received 13 complaints alleging Title IX violations, making a total of 60 in less than three years.
Colleges and universities receiving federal funding -- which is nearly all of them -- are required under Title IX to respond to incidents of sexual misconduct, assault and harassment on campus, and to have policies in place that attempt to prevent such incidents. The OCR is tasked with enforcing Title IX, and it can open an investigation either proactively or in response to a complaint.
Nearly two dozen schools are currently under investigation, with at least 11 the result of complaints filed by students, faculty and recent alumni. Between 2009 and the present, the OCR opened another 11 proactive investigations with a specific focus on Title IX sexual violence.
If the OCR opens an investigation and finds fault on the part of the higher education institution, the agency often attempts to reach a resolution agreement where it lays out policy reforms the college or university should take. Such an agreement was reached at Yale University in 2012 and at the State University of New York system in 2013. Alternatively, the OCR may refer the case to the U.S. Department of Justice.
In extreme cases, the agency can cut off a school from all federal funding, including Pell grants and student loans. This has never happened.


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Home - Sports - Netball
41-60 of 153 Back | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Next 20
Netball: more books (100)
Netball Venues in New Zealand: Westpac Arena, Arena Manawatu, Stadium Southland, Tsb Bank Arena, Trusts Stadium, Te Rauparaha Arena
Jamaican Netball Players: Althea Byfield, Simone Forbes, Carla Borrego, Nicole Aiken, Romelda Aiken, Elaine Davis
Netball Fundamentals by Toy Martin, 1977-01-01
Malawian Sportspeople: Malawian Athletes, Malawian Boxers, Malawian Footballers, Malawian Netball Players, Malawian Swimmers, Luke Milanzi
Sport in Uganda: Uganda at the Olympics, the Kids League, Pearl of Africa Rally, Uganda at the Commonwealth Games, Uganda National Netball Team
Netball Biography Introduction: Leana de Bruin, Carla Borrego, Nicole Aiken, Pamela Cookey, Romelda Aiken, Mary Waya, Amanda Newton
Netball: The Skills of the Game by Betty Galsworthy, 1996-08-01
Netball People: Netball Administrators, Netball Players, Martina Bergman-Österberg, Clara Gregory Baer, List of Netball Players, Lois Muir
Netball People: Australian Netball Biography Stubs, Australian Netball Coaches, Australian Netball Players, English Netball Players
New Zealand Netball Players: Irene Van Dyk
Netball: History of Netball
Netball in Wales: Welsh Netball Players, Wales National Netball Team, Welsh Netball Association, Nicola Lewis, Celtic Dragons, Helen Weston
Netball Venues in Australia: State Netball and Hockey Centre, Acer Arena, Hisense Arena, Challenge Stadium, Brisbane Entertainment Centre
New Zealand Netball Biography Introduction: Temepara George, Vilimaina Davu, Waimarama Taumaunu, Te Amo Amaru-Tibble, Lois Muir
State Netball Hockey Centre - Royal Park Melbourne
Venue for all types of functions, meetings and sporting activities. Offers photos and details of facilities.
http://www.snhc.com.au
WA Netball
Governing body for netball in Western Australia. Also home of the Perth Orioles netball Team. Includes Category Sports netball Regional AustraliaWesternPower. Vivid Design Interactive, Vivid Design Interactive,
http://www.wanetball.com.au/
St. Andrews University Netball Club
Fife girls' team detail their club structure and efforts to give netball national recognition. Includes fixtures and equipment requirements.
http://www.freeyellow.com/members/netball/
Extractions: we now have 2 teams entered into the Scottish Unis League and another created for friendlies! (Hopefully against some more cute rugby boys!) We also have more practises per week - on the lovely beach, perhaps! - and a local SNA club member has offered to be our team coach for *FREE*!!! For those basically wanting a fun way to exercise, this sport is highly reccommended! Plus, the inter-disciplinary games are simply amazing! (Boys are such bad losers!)
University Of Warwick Mixed Netball
Mixed Sunday netball club. Site features notice board, social event info, alumni, rules, and related links.
http://www.mixednetball.co.uk/
ABC Sport - Netball - Top Stories
Adelaide's Jacqui Delaney will leave the Thunderbirds after this season.FULL STORY netball Essentials. The Grand Final full report.
http://abc.net.au/netball/default.htm
Extractions: Posted: Tuesday, March 18, 2003 The Adelaide Thunderbirds may try to have a new rule introduced to allow some players to continue playing for their sides, even if they live in another state. [FULL STORY] The Grand Final: full report Melbourne Phoenix met a revitalised Adelaide Thunderbirds in the 2002 Commonwealth Bank Trophy final. The Phoenix won an epic contest 49-44. [MORE] The GF in pictures Relive Phoenix's grand final victory in pictures. [MORE] Solid gold In a match that had everything, the Australians retained their status as Commonwealth Games champions. [MORE]
Netball. ABC News Online.
Contax coach named netball's best. The coach of the South Australian netball team,Contax, has been named the best in Australia. SA national netball champions.
http://abc.net.au/news/sport/netball/default.htm
Extractions: News Home Top Stories Just In World ... Help/Site Map Programs RADIO AM Back. Briefing Business Report Corresp. Report Go Asia Pacific NewsRadio PM Sunday Profile World Today TV 7.30 Report Asia Pacific Focus Aust. Story Bus. Breakfast Foreign Corresp. Four Corners Inside Business Insiders Landline Lateline Stateline ARCHIVED FORUM Whither the World Cup? Have your say on the World Cup matches set for play in Zimbabwe
CaribbeanSports.com | News, Sports, Events, Community, Caribbean Island Vacation
Definitive quick reference site for Caribbean sports and sporting events and personalities. Cricket, football, netball, track and field and other sports.
http://www.caribbeansports.com/
Extractions: CARIBBEANSPORTS.COM has merged with CTENEWS.COM . You will be redirected momentarily. Click on the sports link for the latest Caribbean sports and other interesting features. The sports section covers all of today's leading Caribbean athletes and sporting events. We publish the latest sports and news, on and off the playing field. Check out columns by our contributing writers - as well as articles by other awardwinning-affiliates from across the world. This page will redirect you to our new location in 5 seconds.
Netball NSW Home Page
Contains state league and interdistrict information. Also contains associations in New South Wales.Category Sports netball Regional Australia inetball » netball NSW » Home Page, 2003 Season.
http://www.isport.com.au/netball/netnsw/
Netball Queensland Home Page
Contains information on team, events, links, sponsors and contact information.Category Sports netball Regional Australia inetball » netball Queensland » Home Page, Season 2003. netball Queensland. netballQUEENSLAND Welcome to the official website of netball Queensland.
http://www.isport.com.au/netball/qld/
Extractions: Ski D'lite Yogurt to Go are offering your netball team the chance to win a trip to the 2003 World Netball Championships in Jamaica! All you have to do is collect the outer wrappers from Ski D'lite Yogurt to Go bottles to be in with a chance to win the grand prize valued at over $48,000! Click here for more details.
Welcome To Cantrav West
Sporting events for those 35+ held in exotic locations worldwide. Rugby, netball, field hockey, cricket and soccer. Fun, friendship fraternity.
http://www.cantrav.com/
Extractions: I n the spirit of our forefathers, Cantrav West recreates the excitement of discovery and challenge by seeking out the best experiences for visitors to British Columbia and Alberta. We are the destination experts with nearly 20 years experience and a single, driving goal: to be the best destination management company in Canada.
Netball.html
netball is a team sport adapted from the game of basketball. In 1970the name of the game was changed from basketball to netball.
http://www.cybersydney.com.au/kids/sar/netball.html
Extractions: Netball is a team sport adapted from the game of basketball. The official rules for netball, which used to be known as 'women's basketball' were formulated in England in 1901. The game was first played by women, outdoors on grass and was essentially the game we now recognise as netball. The rules of the game travelled with the British colonialists and is predominantly played in countries of the British Commonwealth including Australia, New Zealand and the West Indies. The game has even spread to Japan, Canada and America. In 1970 the name of the game was changed from basketball to netball. Australia is ranked number one in the world and has won six out of eight World Championships which are held every four years. Netball is the most played sport by females in Australia and has produced legends like Anne Sargeant, Vicki Wilson, Carissa Dalwood and Nicole Cusack to name just a few. The rules are simple. There are seven players in each team and each player has a position. The positions are:- Goal Shooter, Goal Attack , Wing Attack, Centre, Wing Defence, Goal Defence and Goal Keeper.
Poynton Netball Club
Manchesterbased netball club. Events, news, teams.Category Sports netball Regional United Kingdom EnglandHome, Poynton netball Club was established in 1975. There are 4 teamscurrently registered with the Manchester Evening netball League
http://homepages.tesco.net/~poynton.netball/
Extractions: There are 4 teams currently registered with the Manchester Evening Netball League, playing in various divisions. Practice night is on Wednesday between 7.30 and 9.30, at Poynton Leisure Centre. For more details please ring Louise Wilson 0161 483 6518, or pop along on a practice night and see for yourselves. Events News Teams Web site designed by You can really get paid to surf the web - We do!!
AUSTRALIAN SPORTS CAMPS - Simply The Best Sporting Camps In Australia
Sports coaching camps in cricket, football, netball and tennis for children aged 6 to 17.
http://www.australiansportscamps.com.au/
Tacklesport (Consultancy) Ltd, Specialists In Sports Coaching Multimedia, Physic
Visual graphical aids to developing coaching and training drills for basketball, soccer, rugby, cricket, hockey, football and netball.
http://www.tacklesport.com/
Extractions: Tacklesport (Consultancy) Ltd sell a wide range of coaching and teaching equipment, including its own unique multimedia Animated Skill Drills CD-ROMs. Current tiltes in the series cover Rugby Union, Soccer, Cricket, Hockey, Netball, Basketball and Rugby League. There are monthly special offers so why not visit us to find out more.
Pontlottyn
Providing sporting and social activities for local youth. Includes news, history, photo gallery, and rosters of football and netball teams.
http://www.geocities.com/pontlottynbgc
Active Sports Bucks
Events and contact details for coaching, disability sports, athletics, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, rugby, swimming and tennis. Links to all participant Local Authorities within the county.
http://www.activesportsbucks.co.uk/
Extractions: The aim of this website is to keep you informed of the activities of Active Sports Bucks and to encourage interaction and participation in the events organised for you. The site will continue to grow and develop and we value your opinions, if there is anything you would like to see on the site, or you would like to comment, please use the contact us section.
Nevis Netball
2000 Caribbean netball Championships. Also sections on netball history and regulations.Category Sports netball Events June 2000 June 26th 2000. © 2000 The Nevis netball Association All rights reserve See great Info at The Afrocentric Experience.
http://www.nevisculturama.net/nevisnetball/
What Is Netball
What Is netball? netball is a particularly fast and highly skilled sport. Someof these teachers travelled the world teaching netball in other countries.
http://www.nevisculturama.net/nevisnetball/whatis.htm
Extractions: What Is Netball? Netball is a particularly fast and highly skilled sport. It was created by an American basketball coach attempting to improve the skills of Basketball. He worked at Luton Teachers College in England where he introduced the sport to many of the graduating teachers. These teachers gained positions in schools all over England bringing this new and exciting game with them. Some of these teachers travelled the world teaching Netball in other countries. Netball is now played predominantly by women in 25 countries throughout the world, particularly in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. So how do you play Netball? There are seven players on each team and the aim of the game is to get the ball in the opposing goal hoop as many times as possible throughout a 60 minute match. The netball court is 100 ft long by 50 ft wide, approximately the size of a tennis court. The court is split by two lines that divide the court into thirds. At both ends of the court there is a shooting semicircle and a ten ft goal post with no back board. Each team member has a specific position that is restricted to an area on the court. These restricted areas have an attacking and defending player in them, each from an opposing team. Some of the main rules are What Is Netball Netball History Committee How To Play ... Links
Hallett Cove Uniting Netball Club Inc - Shockwave Intro
netball club situated in South Australia. Site features a list of achievements, club information, favourite links, and contact details.
http://www.geocities.com/cove_netball/
Includes news, history, registration, teams, coaches, empires, results, draw, life members, past executives, meetings, sponsors, bingo, and photos.
http://www.DaptoNetball.org.au/


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Published by: Julia K. Johnson
Category: Agriculture & Agribusiness, Government Relations, Uncategorized
Food Security is National Security in a Time of Crisis – Phase One and Phase Two Coronavirus Stimulus Bills
Home » Agriculture & Agribusiness » Food Security is National Security in a Time of Crisis – Phase One and Phase Two Coronavirus Stimulus Bills
By Julia Johnson
The Coronavirus Pandemic has dramatically changed life as we know it in the United States. Government from the local to the federal level, the private sector, and non-profit organizations alike are practicing unprecedented levels of partnership and cooperation to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, or COVID-19. Recent bills passed by Congress and signed by the President to respond to COVID-19 have not forgotten about the food and agriculture industry's essential role in ensuring the continuity of functions critical to public health and safety, as well as economic and national security. More legislation is expected in the days and weeks ahead, but what is in the first two bills for food and agriculture?
On March 6th the President signed H.R.6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act. Less than two weeks later on March 18th, the President signed H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Both bills came together under rapid mobilization by U.S. lawmakers, exemplifying the bipartisan desire to contain the virus and equip Americans to tackle resulting challenges.
The first bill, also known as "Phase One" provides $8.3 billion in emergency funding for federal agencies to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. The funds are directed towards agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), among others, to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19. For small business, the bill provides $20 million for the Disaster Loans Program operated by the Small Business Administration and defines the coronavirus as a disaster.
The second bill, or "Phase Two" provides over $100 billion to combat the virus and mitigate its impacts. The bill provides paid sick leave and free coronavirus testing, expands food assistance and unemployment benefits, and requires employers to provide additional protections for health care workers.
Phase Two places a heavy emphasis on domestic food security programs. It specifically provides $500 million for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), $400 million for the Emergency Food Assistance Program, and $100 million in USDA nutrition assistance grants for several U.S. territories. While schools are closed, the bill provides nutrition assistance for children who normally receive free or reduced school meals. It authorizes Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to issue nationwide school meal waivers, waivers to child and adult care centers that allow them to provide meals to those in their care, and waivers that allow people to be certified for WIC more easily. The bill temporarily lifts all work and training requirements under the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and authorizes Secretary Perdue to grant states waivers allowing emergency SNAP benefits to households currently covered by the program. In addition to these food assistance provisions, Phase Two provides emergency family and medical leave, emergency unemployment insurance, emergency paid sick leave, and tax credits for paid sick leave, and paid family and medical leave.
While debate continues in Congress on the next phases of the coronavirus response, including the possibility of more stimulus packages, one thing remains clear – Congress views food and agriculture as a critical piece of maintaining social, political, and economic security in this time of crisis. OFW Law will continue to track the U.S. government response and will provide updates on what is in future legislation for food and agriculture.
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This performance takes the form of a platform medium ritual. Guided by the Semi-Tropic Spiritualist symbology contained within the second Semi-Tropic Spiritualist Tract, we engage the audience in a participatory lecture, activating unconscious responses through the use of spirit bells.
We first performed this work as part of the exhibition Haunted, curated by Cindy Rehn at the Cultural Alliance of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, on October 5, 2013.
A second version of the performance was created for The White Album, curated by Gladys-Katherina Hernando at Richard Telles Fine Art, Los Angeles. The performance took place on July 19, 2014, with an installation of performance objects remaining on view for the duration of the exhibition. An exhibition catalog, with texts by Gladys-Katherina Hernando, Lia Trinka-Browner and Itza Vilaboy was produced for the occasion.


Saving electricity and energy costs in your wooden house is important if you are looking for more ways to make the most out of your rustic living. Living in a log home is healthy and eco-friendly but it is also a great way to significantly cut costs on your electricity consumption. How do you save electricity while enjoying log cabin living and still experience the benefits of modern conveniences?
The wood that you choose to manufacture your wooden house out of plays a crucial role in your energy-saving ventures over time. Consider the R-value of wood that could affect how much electricity you can save by skipping the use of your heating or cooling system. Wooden species are not created equal. There are woods that have thermal mass or resistance to heat flow, giving them higher insulation properties than other species.
The R-value of wood may vary between over an inch for softwood and 0.71 inches for hardwood. Logs are the main materials of a wooden house and they primarily act like thermal batteries, storing heat during hot days or seasons and releasing the heat at night.
Trees have higher absorption properties, allowing them to capture and maintain a large quantity of liquid of water as they grow through their cells. A wooden house is hygroscopic or can quickly absorb water, which could lead to insect infestation and wood rotting. Controlling the moisture through protecting the logs makes your log home waterproof. Log houses that have no issues with wood rotting and insect infestation maintain their insulation, which allows you to save on your energy costs.
It is important to apply insecticide treatment and waterproofing to the wooden house and reapply them after several years in order to lengthen the log cabin's lifespan. Proper size of the gutters, generous roof overhands, drainage plains, and downspouts are critical features that could help control the moisture in your log cabin and avoid expenditures for your electricity.
A wooden house does not typically have insulation and conventional wood-stud walls, thus, making them unsatisfactory for building code energy standards. Building code energy standards adhere to the insulation R-values that are prescribed for modern buildings. Make sure that your log home makes sense especially when it comes to energy efficiency. You can first research for the building code standards for wooden houses before you invest in your log house, whether it is a residential or vacation property.
Hiring a reputable and trusted contractor could help you with this requirement because they have the expertise in this armoury. They can contact the county or municipal building code officials on your behalf for the submission and approval of your cabin construction. The state energy office may provide the necessary information regarding energy codes in your area.
Professional wooden house manufacturers have a wide array of log home designs that have a high energy score when it comes to the energy efficiency of your home. The home design includes the structure, cooling, heating, as well as the hot water systems that all work together in order to help you save electricity in the long run. You can choose a home designer that can provide all the facts and details regarding the systems and structures that allow you to significantly cut down on your energy loss and boost your savings instead.
Energy-efficient homes are not only money-savers, but they also help you live in a durable and comfortable home. Homes with remarkable energy efficiency have good insulation and the logs undergo sealing treatment allowing them to maintain or regulate the temperature inside the home. You can enjoy a comfortable and cosy home no matter what the season of the year may be.
A home energy audit or home energy assessment is a process where you can find out how much energy your home utilizes. Energy evaluation allows you to know the most effective and essential ways to save energy costs and consumption in your home operation. There are free calculators and tools that could help you save on your electricity through home energy audits. You can also hire the experts that specialize in home energy assessment for a more accurate report.
Designing and building an energy-efficient wooden house requires you to know about the whole-house systems approach in order to optimize your electricity cost-cutting venture. There are different details, variables, and interactions that could affect your energy consumption in your log home. Site conditions, climate, and occupant behaviour also have crucial roles in the overall energy cost and use.
A whole-house systems approach include the importance and functions of appliances and home electronics, air sealing, insulation, lighting and day-lighting, space cooling and heating, water heating, and doors, windows, and skylights in your overall energy consumption.
What does a home energy audit involve and how can it actually help you with your energy cost and consumption? Home energy assessment includes the location of air leaks and the sealing of air leaks or ventilation. Energy assessors check the insulation of your home and how effectively it works in order to prevent heat loss and enable a reduction in your electricity costs. The experts will inspect your cooling and heating equipment, lighting, appliances, and electronics.
A wooden house is undoubtedly one of the best investments you could venture into if you want a lucrative project that could give you more than you paid for. One of the most important things to consider in investing in a wooden home is to learn how to live comfortably in it while saving electricity.


Although PS VR requires just a PS4 console, PC VR tech has quite a high demand of power needed to run it. With the minimum requirements being pretty high, you need to be careful when buying VR before you can make sure your PC can run the devices. Let's look at the cheapest VR Ready PC we can built, and see just how much it would cost us to create a VR experience on PC, on a budget.
Let us take a look at the requirements for Oculus Rift, the most popular VR PC headset.
While these are not bankruptcy specs, they are still pretty high for some consumers. Considering the specs, let's build a VR PC that will match these, or even better.
Although the recommended CPU is an Intel Core-i5 4590, you can pick up an Intel Core-i5 6500 for just the same price. Both CPUs go for around R3 500.
Probably the most important part of the VR PC experience is the graphics card. Although the recommended specs point to a GTX 970, there are a new range of cards on the market that will be a better buy. Looking at a GTX 1060 would be the best bet, while if you have extra cash, a GTX 1070 or 1080 would be a perfect fit.
While the motherboard does not need to fly you to the moon and back, it still needs to have the recommended USB ports to power the VR PC headset. The MSI B250 Krait Gaming Motherboard would be the cheapest option. It is box-standard and really has very little extraordinary features to it, but we are on a budget here.
The min specs for VR PC is 8GB RAM, so we are not going to go any higher. The cheapest, and best for its price would be a good 2400MHZ 8GB stick. The motherboard listed above will be able to get more RAM, but start off with 8GB.
Apart from the main pieces of hardware needed for your VR PC, you will also need a CPU Cooler, a copy of Windows 10, PSU, storage space, and of course a case to store it into. These are the cheapest we could find.
OnTapTV.com – Is it worth it?


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Sally Ann Howes, who really excelled in 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', dies aged 91
1 Moins d'une minute
She also received a Tony nomination for her role in the musical revival of "Brigadoon."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2021/12/23/sally-ann-howes-dead/ Sally Ann Howes, who really excelled in 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', dies aged 91
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Feasting and Fasting
Why denial tastes so good
20 January 2015,
Alexandra Emanuelli
Apples and Raisins, Zena, Blic
My TV set bombards me with images of falling, flaky pastries and chocolate cascading from whisks [1] in imaginary workshops (why so much moving food?) Every grocery store, clothing store, and pharmacy, has a box of something sweet and festive lining their displays. And worst still are the invitations to bake and eat, with friends, family, work. There is no safe space, no refuge.
I'm Ukrainian Catholic and as of November 16, it is Advent. Most people, upon hearing the word Advent, think of Advent calendars, the decoratively designed cardboard calendars for children, filled with chocolates to mark each day of December leading to Christmas. And isn't that what December has come to mean to most people? A binge month of holiday parties and general noshing. But for those of the Eastern Christian faiths, Advent is a time of fasting. Explained by the Church as a way to prepare our souls and bodies for the coming of Jesus Christ, I've come to see this as the smartest holiday eating strategy. But first to the actual fasting.
The rules of the game are as follows:
1. Are you fit to fast? As long as you're not a child, pregnant, could become pregnant, sick, or elderly, you can start.
2. What's not ok to eat? There is no meat, no meat products, no dairy, no oil, and no fish with a backbone. So immediately, you've become a vegan, but also, a sober vegan, because there's also no alcohol. Now pick up your calendar, because this is a doozy. The answer also depends on the day of the week. Tuesdays and Thursdays fish is not allowed. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday there is no oil or wine. If a Saints day happens to be a Tuesday or Thursday … I'll stop there.
There are two times a year as an Eastern Catholic that we are seriously expected to fast, during Lent, the forty days before Easter, and during Advent; also known as the Nativity fast, the forty days before Christmas (my Christmas being Jan 7th). I had never tried to fast before, believing that it was an antiquated idea. But, that changed last spring when I became more serious about my spiritual life and was curious as to whether I could in fact, complete the forty days.
After my first day, I was feeling pretty righteous, but by seven thirty that evening I wanted to eat anything sweet and was imagining myself chugging a bottle of maple syrup or indulging in a box of chocolates that had been on the table for a week.
I craved sweets above all else. I hadn't noticed them before they were verboten. I found ways of cheating. Dried mangos and grapes were my favourite, highly concentrated packets of natural sugar. I felt like I was on some sort of weight watchers diet of my own making. I remember reading an article about René Redzepi's restaurant Noma, and how the kitchen restricts the use of sugar in the desserts, so much so that the palates of the chefs have become sensitized to even the slightest sweetness. I soon found that in myself. Like acquiring a superhuman palate, I tasted hidden sugar in the most mundane places, and once the fast was over, anything processed was cloying. Removing meat from my diet rarely bothered me. Many times I would look at the bounty of a meal in front of me; like roasted vegetables, almost caramelized and coated in a homemade pesto, and creamy golden polenta, and more eagerly consume dinner than before. Perhaps it is because this exercise in restriction forced me to be creative, and in so doing, pushed me out of my recipe ennui, rotating those golden oldies over and over until they too, have lost any specialness.
In order to get a better understanding of the Nativity fast, I interviewed Father Michael Winn; Professor at Saint Paul's University in Ottawa on Eastern Christian Studies and also a priest of the Archeparchy of Winnipeg, to contextualize the situation.
Why do we fast?
Fr Michael, "Some may fast for dieting or cleansing … All cultures have a fasting aspect." "When we say fasting, we mean two things. We mean fasting and abstinence. Abstinence means not eating a certain type of food. Fasting has to do with the reduced number or the amount you eat." "It's not a disregard for food that we fast. We think that it's important. [It] plays a role, not just because it tastes good, it plays a role in relationships, in moments of gathering, so giving things up helps us realize the absence of it and the longing for [it]."
What are the foods we are and are not allowed to consume?
"There are no meat or meat products, milk, butter, and cheese, yoghurt, sour cream, buttermilk, and so forth. When it means meat, it means things with a backbone, so fish would be included in that, but octopus, would not, nor would shrimps. Also, you would not have any oil or wine. And when it says wine, it just says generally accepted wine. What does that mean? Can you have beer? I think that's being legalistic. Wine would entail all alcoholic beverages."
Wouldn't people at the time of Jesus only have had wine and beer as potable drinks?
"Why would we abstain from wine, for example, if that's something that is every day? For the same reason we would abstain from meat. Because they are good for us. People think you must hate yourself because you're fasting. No. We actually affirm the goodness of this food and actually it shows how important that food is."
Nearing the end of this experiment, apart from feeling full of life and energy, and noticeably a few pounds lighter, I was enjoying my break with decadence. I was looking forward eagerly to Christmas itself, when I could indulge, and really mean that. So often, food is about everything other than its actual purpose; nourishment, whether that be entertainment or an emotional substitute. Stripped down to the core, this ancient tradition taught me a lot about my modern relationship with food, and reminded me of how easily its abundance and availability is taken for granted. Like most traditions, I felt connected to the people throughout history who had practiced it, but also to the wider global population for whom food is a daily concern.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpLtQDbnWEs
Alexandra Emanuelli is an Ottawa (Canada) based freelance writer who has lived and worked in Italy and Panama. A graduate of the University of Gastronomic Sciences, she writes about food, travel, and the people she meets.
Fasting food, Blackberry cake © idejopedija
Church of the Theotokos with belfry, 17th century, Drohobych Raion in western Ukraine
Fasting food, Pepper and Mushroom rolls
Fasting food, Lentils © Maja Babić
Christmas Eve Feast, Zena, Blic
Fasting food, Cherry Cake © Minja Bogdanovski
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Could blockchain projects benefit from sandbox scheme?
The Financial Services Commission held a briefing session Friday ahead of the Special Law on Financial Innovation Support and the regulatory sandbox system that will go into effect on April 1. Still, however, it remains to be seen whether blockchain companies and cryptocurrency projects will benefit from the regulatory sandbox scheme.
The top financial regulator organized the meeting to gather feedbacks on the Korean government's fintech policies at D.Camp in southern Seoul. "This year will be a precious period to promote fintech. We will strive to connect fintech with the capital market by softening regulation through sandbox," said Kwon Dae-young, head of the financial innovation bureau at the FSC.
The Special Law on Financial Innovation Support is intended to exempt or shelve financial firms and fintech startups from various regulations. Its major contents include innovative financial services (regulatory sandbox), designated agents, swift confirmation of regulations, commissioned tests and budgetary support.
The financial regulatory sandbox is a mechanism that would allow companies to test innovative financial services for markets and consumers by applying exceptions. Specifically, they can offer innovative financial services without separate financial licenses within the given framework. Exceptions can be applied if there are no relevant laws and it's inappropriate to apply related rules to innovative financial services. That's why the blockchain community, which pleaded for regulation, has keen interest in this scheme.
Blockchain startups, which had counted on the simplification of licensing rules and eased qualifications in the law, expressed regrets. "Blockchain was hardly mentioned in today's meeting. There seems to be no progress in the financial sector except nurturing talented people," said an official at a blockchain startup who attended the meeting.
Blockchain companies keep knocking on the door of the FSC. An official at InstaPay that developed InstaCoin said, "We applied for an innovative financial service last year, but to no avail. We will try once again this year." Some blockchain-powered projects reportedly have been filed since the government began to review innovative financial services Jan. 21.


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Finally, I found a reliable produce!
One of the most important aspects that I consider when it comes to food is to be able to trust the people who make it. Of course, the same applies to supplements. It was at that moment I found OM-X! When I think of natural beauty, I not only care about external beauty, but also consider inner beauty to be just as important. Even though I started to take OM-X, it may take some time to achieve beauty and health. However, I can keep taking OM-X because it is a reliable product created by a reputable company.


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Home Entertainment Examining The Onion's Tweet, Quvenzhane Wallis, and Comedic Tact – How Do You Know When Your Joke Has Gone Too Far?
February 25, 2013 Dr. J 28
Examining The Onion's Tweet, Quvenzhane Wallis, and Comedic Tact – How Do You Know When Your Joke Has Gone Too Far?
Pretty rough day for The Onion. I don't want to give the story too much more play because I think it was actually a publicity stunt that they knew would incite this reaction and drive a ton of traffic their way. I've always said, the best way to treat situations like these is to completely ignore them. If nobody retweeted The Onion's stupid ass tweet or started talking about it at the rate of a reality TV viewing party on Twitter, we would have never heard anything about this story and it would have just went away.
That said, I can't pronounce that girl's name or tell you what she does. I do know one thing, you can't just be calling little girls names like that. As a man, I only took offense to it because if someone had said that about my daughter, I'd punch them in the face. It's not because she's Black, it's not because of the word that was used, it's solely and only because it was because she's a child. And the proper punishment should be a punch in the mouth – nobody was oppressed, nobody lost any money, that's it. In fact, (and again, I don't know how to pronounce that girl's name, that's important), Quvenzhané Wallis just gained more exposure than she's ever had in her life in 24 hours.
Also, in a few years when this girl is a star, nobody will remember this even happened.
Lastly, when are people going to learn that when you make jokes about Black girls they EXPLODE into stardom! (See: Gabrielle Douglass)
I started thinking about comedy, jokes and what the actual line is associated with comedy. We've all seen comedians' careers completely end because of a bad joke. Tracy Morgan's soon-to-be gay son comments, Michael Richards joking about stringing negros up on trees, or the infamous "nappyheaded hoes" fiasco. I began to wonder, how do you know that the joke has gone too far?
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Not too long ago I was watching a documentary on Patrice O'Neal and they brought up the time when he went to bat for a fellow comedian who had recently made some jokes about rape. They were talking about how in addition to being funny; Patrice was actually very smart and intelligent.
This is the background: Radio shock jocks Opie and Anthony were recently suspended from XM Satellite Radio "when they broadcast May 9 the rantings of a character they call Homeless Charlie, who fantasized about having violent sex with Laura Bush, Condoleezza Rice and Queen Elizabeth II."
This is what happened: On Monday, "stand-up comic" Patrice O'Neal appeared as a guest on John Gibson's Fox News show, The Big Story, and defended Opie and Anthony. He said they were just "trying to be funny."
This is an excerpt from the conversation:
GIBSON: How can you — Patrice so here is my question — how can you justify a bad joke, a joke that isn't funny — wait a minute, that isn't funny, doesn't get any laughs, and is about raping the first black woman to ever become the secretary of state of the United States?
O'NEAL: Don't throw that at me.
GIBSON: Well why not?
O'NEAL: The attempt is what I'm trying to fight for. The joke may or may — funny jokes and unfunny jokes come out of the same birth. You don't know if anything is going to be funny. You should attempt to be able to make anything funny.
GIBSON: Don't you think a joke about rape is doomed to be not funny?
O'NEAL: It's possible, but I've heard them. I've heard them.
OSSORIO: No, no. He said a violent act of hitting her in the back of her head, her body freezes up, which will then –
O'NEAL: It's called the donkey punch.
OSSORIO: Which will then –
O'NEAL: Why are you laughing? She's outraged. It's called the donkey punch, its called humor that she has no clue what it is.
GIBSON: We have the same problem that Opie and Anthony does. You can't say just anything on the air.
O'NEAL: You can say anything you want. It might not be funny, you might get in trouble for it, but you should be able to be attempting — and plus, when is a crazy bum going to get an opportunity to rape the president's wife John? It was trying to be funny.
And then after I watched that clip, which you can watch right here, I concluded – Patrice was actually right. While it's troubling that Patrice O'Neal was able to defend a joke about rape, he was spot on about a few things:
The issue was whether it was funny or not. Patrice stated that you never know which jokes will be funny or unfunny. That's true, they are all birthed out of the same place.
It's important to note that there was no possible way that Opie & Anthony could ever follow through on what they were saying; it's obvious they were just trying to be funny.
People laugh about things that are allegedly not funny all the time. (Example: Donkey Punch and Gabrielle Douglass's hair.)
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I guess I kind of walked away from the experience and the thought process thinking that Patrice was right but that you'll never know where the line is until you cross it. I typically give people a pass when I know they're only trying to make a joke. It wasn't meant to be hurtful, but I hold out chance that someone may get hurt. When i'm hurt I always make sure to note the person's intentions to determine my reaction and actions.
To end on a lighter note, I used to love Bad Girls Club that show was so dope. I think there was this episode where two of the girls got in a fight because someone got called a "Black b*tch" by a white lady. When they panned to her private interview she exclaimed, "What's wrong with that? She's Black and she's a bitch!" I died laughing because she was right but it wasn't going to fly. You can call a Black woman, "black" and you can call one a "bitch" (not really, but I'm saying if you were a woman) but if you ever put them together it's fighting words. That's how jokes are. It's a confusing matrix and mixture of rules and guidelines to making jokes. It's completely confusing. You have two choices, don't make jokes or accept that at some point you're going to offend some people.
See Also: The Thin Line of Dating Anonymity Online
– Dr. J
What are your thoughts on The Onion's tweet about Quvenzhane? We all know it was across the line, but do you think The Onion was trying to be satirical or tell a joke that failed miserably? How do comedians tow the line of funny and not funny? Appropriate and Inappropriate? Is it wrong to attack them when their jokes fail? Place your thoughts in the comment section.
tags: academy awards comedy Oscars patrice oneal quvenzhane wallis the onion twitter
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Animate says:
I generally see no problem with the Onion. This is one instance where I think they crossed the line. The target of the joke was a 9 year old. It's generally bad taste to go after minors, especially if there are high chances that the joke wouldn't possibly be understood by the target. They could have made other jokes about her dealing with her age or something but calling her a cunt was over the line to me.
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Hmmm…there was a time when I was weirdly obsessed with comedians and comedy. To the point that I watched a lot of randoms do their standup acts on Comedy Central and wanted to open a Comedy Club.
I think most comedians or people who are funny know what it takes to get a basic laugh. But those who are committed to their craft want to do more than that, go deeper as it were. This is where I think things break away from what's "funny" to a matter of taste. Once you get past what is humorous, it becomes all in the delivery. Is it hit you on top of the head, obvious comedy? Is it physical comedy? Subtle and sarcastic comedy? Is it looking at the everyday things of life and making them funny comedy? There are so many ways you can do it, and there is an audience for every way you try to play it. Because somebody whether we like it or not laughed at that Onion tweet. Someone doesn't think it was inappropriate because their taste meter sees nothing wrong with it. But their taste meter might reject a high brow type comedian. This doesn't excuse the Onion tweet, that ish was not cool, but they know they have an audience and up until now things had been working in their favor. They overplayed their hand. But such is the case when you are providing "funnies" for the masses.
I think any time you put something out for public consumption then you will have to deal with the accolades and the criticism. If you don't want people to talk badly about your jokes then keep doing stand up in your living room. But I think it's those who aren't in the industry who are the most offended and quick to call it "hating." People who create know the work they produced has the potential to be loved, praised, critiqued, barely considered, picked apart, hated or ethered. And right or wrong, if it's what they're meant to do, they get up the next day and create again.
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Dr. J says:
To follow up on your point. When I found out about the tweet, the first thing I said was, "I've heard white people say that to kids before." My homegirl was like totally astonished when I said that. But I was right… it's also in a movie too and a lot of people just laughed. They probably forgot all about it last night because groupthink took over and everyone wanted to take a stand.
13-Year-Old Girl in Jewelry Store: You're weird.
Annie: I'm not weird. OK?
13-Year-Old Girl in Jewelry Store: Yes, you are.
Annie: No, I'm not! And you started it.
13-Year-Old Girl in Jewelry Store: No, you started it! Did you forget to take your Xanax this morning?
Annie: Oh, I feel bad for your parents.
13-Year-Old Girl in Jewelry Store: I feel bad for your face.
Annie: OK… well, call me when your boobs come in.
13-Year-Old Girl in Jewelry Store: You call me when yours come in.
Annie: What do you have, four boyfriends?
13-Year-Old Girl in Jewelry Store: Exactly.
Annie: OK… yeah, have fun having a baby at your prom.
13-Year-Old Girl in Jewelry Store: You look like an old mop.
Annie: You know, you're not as popular as you think you are.
13-Year-Old Girl in Jewelry Store: I am very popular.
Annie: [sticks tongue in cheek and mimics fellatio] Oh, I'm sure you are… very… popular.
13-Year-Old Girl in Jewelry Store: Well, you're an old, single loser who's never going to have any friends.
Annie: You're a little cunt!
That's from Bridesmaids.
I didn't find Bridesmaids to be that funny at all but a WHOLE BUNCH of people laughed from beginning to end. But trust, and I agree, somebody laughed at that shit last night. Probably the people who really follow Onion, the first 100 or so who RT'ed were shocked and chuckled.
ladygoo105 says:
To me, I feel different because the comment was made about a real child, not a movie character. If people are having trouble separating reality from fiction, yikes…
That's almost the way people react to Django.
Also, the little girl in the movie actually WAS acting like a c*nt – or at least like a disrespectful brat.
The tweet about Quvenzhane seemingly came out of nowhere and attacked a child who had done nothing wrong. (yes, I know that it was satire and there's a "story" behind the tweet which provides context, but most people didn't/don't understand this.)
Rox Fontaine says:
This is a quote from a comedy… one where you expect everything to be over the top. That's number one. Secondly, this just further proves the point that we're making in defense of Quevenzhane. When Annie ran out of clever things to say, she reached into the bag of extreme ugly and pulled out the most vile and offensive thing she could think of.
Interesting perspective… but it makes absolutely no sense. I can understand the argument that you expected the quote in Bridesmaid to be comedy. But why would you read anything The Onion produces as anything but comedy. That's 100% of their material. That's what keeps getting lost in confusion. The joke just wasn't funny, but it was intended the same way the other was intended to be a joke.
I think that people think that the mode of presentation matters, but I would just argue that movies like Django are meant to be comedies, but it doesn't make the jokes any less offensive, racist or sexist. People should remain consistent is all i'm saying.
I'm not saying I agree or support The Onion, I am just saying that people who attack them are inherently flawed in their argument. All that to say, some inherently flawed arguments are not always dismissed.
Payne Well says:
Now I have watched Bridesmaid and thought that movie was hilarious. However, when you are looking at comedy, I guess you have to compare it to beauty and art. It's all in the eye of the beholder. I think for the young in my opinion it is disrespectful but with that press may come additional opportunities and keep her in the spotlight for a little bit longer for other roles if that is what she choses to do.
amaris79 says:
The difference is SETUP. You are very aware why the fictional character was being called out their name. Without context and setup, it is assumed they called a real life child out their name simply because they thought they can.
Addressed this several times already and I posed the counter that regardless of setup, offensive is offensive. Django was racist and offensive but it was setup as a comedy. It didn't make it any more or less right or wrong. A lot of things have to do with your sense of humor. I think the key takeaway is that it just wasn't funny to you You didn't find it amusing and that's all.
So that's why someone can see that scene in Bridesmaids and say, "hey that's just a movie." But that same person can see Django and say, "hey this is really messed up material." There's people out there who didn't think the comment by The Onion was all that serious, some people did. It is just what perspective you come from.
I understand what you are trying to say, I just disagree.
when people make a comment like this go into the negative it lets me know that we really have trolls on this site… there really wasn't anything wrong with what I said. it takes away from the validity of our conversations when we have childish games like this going on. when we stop responding to our readers because they act immature and silly, it ends the culture we try and breed here. but i'm chilling.
Kate Spade says:
Over on MN, most of the women over there got up in arms because they felt like it was another attack on black women and our overly sexualized image. I was just thinking — really? I'm pretty sure the person(s) who wrote that wasn't even thinking that deep this time around. But the crude name-calling was totally uncalled for. Leave the kids alone for goodness sake.
I don't recall anyone ever coming at Dakota Fanning this way. Or McCaulay Culkin before her or even Raven Simone for "fairness." A VERY small sampling but those are names that were very well known. There was something about this dark skinned girl who made a brilliant and gritty movie that evoked an UGLY emotion in a person that had a platform too great. What is "cunty" about her? Let's entertain the idea for the sake of argument. Have you seen her interviews? The girl is a complete darling.
This was over the top. It came from a subconscious place soaked in white privilege that sincerely thought that the statement might be funny. The sincerity of "I wasn't trying to be hurtful." does not trump the reality of it being incredibly disrespectful and based in darkness and not humor.
I can not imagine thinking that line up and saying to myself, "I'd be totally cool with this if somebody said it about my child."
Kinectic says:
Oh please! It has nothing to do with her skin color. This little girl has a rude mouth and a very disrespectful, sassy, diva-like attitude, which I'm certain she gets from her mom. Have you seen her give an interview? Nothing but snide comments and a lot of neck shaking. She needs to behave more age appropriate and learn to respect her elders. Stop pulling the race, skin color card.
Rude mouth… do you have anything to back this up? Links to videos? Every interview I've seen of her, she's been friendly, pleasant and respectful.
Also, in case you didn't understand, the tweet was meant to be SATIRE, meaning that even though the Onion called her a c*nt, they really meant the exact opposite.
Satire? Oh really? They knew what they were doing when they made such a comment. Don't fool yourself. Any yes, she has a rude mouth. But of course her speech and behavior is nothing out of the ordinary for you because you most likely speak in the same manner and think it is "cute".
LOL, gotta love trolls. Have a nice night, sir or ma'am.
Of course, how immature. Whenever someone differs in opinion, they are always called a "troll". I would bid you a goodnight as well, but I simply do not care for you or your night lol. Good riddance.
Nope, it's not that you had a different opinion. It's that you a) twice refused to back up your claim with any sort of proof, and b) attacked me by calling me "rude" when you know absolutely nothing about me. In fact, I was the opposite of rude in my original response to you. I engaged you in a respectful manner yet you felt the need to hurl personal insults. These are the signs of a troll in my opinion.
Ma'am/sir, I am entitled to my own opinion, which is clearly stated in my first comment. She is a rude and sassy little girl. You can do your own research by looking up many of her interviews (either through google or youtube) and read many of the comments made about her starting from months ago by others. Even John Legend's girlfriend called her "cocky". If you feel that I am a troll, that is your own personal delusional and belief. Again, this is my own opinion of this girl, and if you don't like it, so be it.
I personally don't know anything about this strange named child…I saw the comment and well I just don't care….who knows maybe the little girl is a c*nt maybe she's not. Yes the comment is in bad taste, but it was said, get over it…there are worse things happening right now than a little strange named child get called out her hard to pronounce name…..I really can't with her name though…how in the h*ll do you pronounce that sh*t, is she from another country?? smh
Simply, the backlash was warranted. We need to let other people know that insulting our children, regardless of the intent will not be tolerated.
I ask myself how would a Jewish react if we insulted their children & that is the proper response.
They called a 9-year old child a c*nt….Whoever pressed "Send" on the tweet needs to be identified, met in the parking lot of the The Onion's headquarters, and dealt with….that's the only appropriate action here…Period.
T.Q. Fuego says:
Maaaaan….Dude real talk. This might be the best article I've ever read from u homie. Completely agree. U should have the right to take that chance and people have the same right to react and possibly do you harm because of your words. Equal opportunity outchea lol
My recent post Do You Believe In Conspiracy
JanieCrawford says:
There are several opinions floating around and I can't choose one:
1. The tweet was extremely offensive because Quvenzhane is a child and/or black (for varied reasons).
2. The tweet was meant as satire and The Onion actually meant the opposite of what they said.
3. People need to stop being so politically correct and sensitive all of the time.
4. People are so passionate about killing the ant on their living room floor and there is a tiger in their basement.
Mostly four for me- Yet here I am typing a comment. So definitely 5. Human beings love distractions.
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Home Reviews Can't Access Your Favorite Content Because of Geo-Blocking? Here's How to Fix...
Can't Access Your Favorite Content Because of Geo-Blocking? Here's How to Fix That
Rajesh Jhamb
The number of hours spent online is increasing every year. People live their lives on Facebook, politicians promote themselves on Twitter, and we've all become addicted to streaming services.
Even public TV companies have decided to upload their programs to the internet and jump on the digital bandwagon. However, most streaming providers and T -stations use geo-blocking to restrict their content in different areas.
Stay with us if you want to find out how to dodge these limitations in the shortest time possible.
The reasons behind geo-blocking
The Benefits of Using a VPN
Can You Trust a Free Service?
The legal matters
Every streaming service feels the pulse of the market and adapts its offers accordingly. Let's say that Netflix or Hulu experts realize that piracy isn't properly sanctioned in a certain area in the world. They might decide to apply geo-blocking to that region because they want to prevent their content from being recorded and shared illegally.
What's more, every streaming service needs to sign special contracts with the studios whose materials they stream. If a country or a region wasn't included in the initial agreement, they're not allowed to broadcast that content there.
Of course, there are certain financial reasons behind geo-blocking. In a nutshell, this feature allows streaming platforms to charge their services differently in different regions. In the case of state-owned TV stations, like the BBC, their programs are financed by UK citizens. As a result, they don't want to allow people outside the UK to watch that content for free.
The internet is still the paradigm of freedom incomparable to any other platform in history. Therefore, internet users aren't used to any kind of restrictions, especially those who are willing to pay for the services they like.
That's why many people worldwide don't hesitate to remove the obstacle called geo-blocking. The most practical way to do that is to use a virtual private network (VPN).
The usual way to access the web is through the ISP-provided internet connection. In that case, your IP address is visible to other parties on the web. Since it reveals your location, that's how various platforms know where users come from. So, a visible IP address is the basis for geo-blocking.
But if you use a VPN, you mask your IP address, and no one can tell where you come from. What's more, you can choose your location in the VPN settings. That's how people from different parts of the world manage to dodge geo-blocking. They connect to servers in the US so they can access the content available to US residents.
Using a virtual private network means that you access the internet through an alternative route. Metaphorically speaking, you don't use the most popular highway (the path ensured by your internet provider), but you fork off to an alternative route.
VPN users connect to servers located in the same country as the website or streaming service that they want to access. Some VPN providers offer free service. However, in such a case, people might be exposed to many ads, and their private information can end up being collected.
Others have a price tag on them, which usually doesn't go beyond $5 a month. It's up to users to decide whether the monthly fees for a streaming service and a VPN will pay off through the content they use.
Another way to elude geo-blocking is to use a DNS system. This acronym stands for a domain name system. The principle is similar to a VPN. Your internet connection is redirected to a server located in the country where the desired website is registered. As a result, the device's DNS changes and a user gets access to the restricted content. However, the Smart DNS doesn't change the device's IP, and it doesn't provide encryption.
Now that you've read all these tips, one question is probably bothering you: are VPNs legal in the first place?
There's no unison answer to that question.
Some legal experts claim that every attempt to pass by a regulation imposed by a seller is copyright infringement. Others say that this principle doesn't apply to geo-blocking because users don't steal goods. As a matter of fact, they even need to invest more assets to access the desired content.
On the one hand, they need to pay the fee to the streaming platform. On the other, there are VPN or DNS expenses.
Unless you live in China, Russia, or Iran, where VPNs are forbidden, you're not breaking the law directly. Still, if the website whose services you're using discovers that you're doing it via a VPN, they can find a way to block you.
To cut a long story short, using a VPN doesn't make you a criminal, but it might cause some inconveniences.
The internet has been an area of unlimited freedom for almost three decades. Geo-blocking changes the face of the global network. Those novelties are mostly frowned upon by the global audience.
However, people are coming up with new ways of avoiding limitations. Those alternative paths might be a bit inconvenient from a UX point of view. Still, they allow millions of people worldwide to watch the content they like. So, we hope that our tips will be useful for people who are yet to join this global tribe of geo-blocking dodgers.
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Rajesh Jhamb is Co-Founder of TechStorify and a passionate blogger. He loves new Gadgets and Tools. He generally covers Tech Tricks, Gadget Reviews etc in his posts.
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