Physics Friday #15 [DWQ]: Multiverse theories

Preamble: What is DWQ?

This is another mini-series that will be ongoing. Similar to opinion posts, there is another type of post that I want to explore.

DWQ - Dealing with Quacks (alternatively, Crackpots or Nuts)

Both crackpots and quacks are unified by what they do. They propose there is something "fundamentally wrong with physics" and that they have this new theory that will change everything.

Their theory is about some fundamental truth with the universe. That the "physics establishment" is constantly attempting to chase ridiculous theories because they don't want to accept reality.

A crackpot is someone who generally has expertise in physics, or a related field like chemistry or engineering. Often they are motivated by a desire for fame.

A quack is someone who has no experience in the field, often with a monetary interest in what they are selling.

"Nuts", which is short for "religious nuts" are those who promote their ideas out of faith and a desire to spread their beliefs. They are more likely to strawman existing ideas first.

I hope that you, the reader, can already understand why I don't like these people. They muddy the waters, mess around with science communication, and give the profession a bad rep. They also lie and pedal disinformation, which ends up acting as a gateway to more serious conspiracy theories within the medical or political realm.

It's also important to identify that this acts on a scale. Technically, some string theorists are a lite form of crackpot - particularly in the way they present their theories and ideas to the public.

But they are significantly more respectable than a flat-earther, or a self-help guru, or a evangelical apologist.

The Multitude of Multiverse theories, or the MultiMultiverse

Multiverse theor(ies) are usually strawmans made by religious fanatics. Think PragerU as a great example.

The argument goes like this:

Scientists have no empirical explanation for fine tuning or the reason for the existence of the universe

In order to explain it, they constructed multiverse theory to explain the source of it

By occam's razor, the simpler argument is the existence of a creator entity, that fine-tuned things for us

Of course you can see how bad the arguments are. The problem is of course that science hasn't accepted any multiverse theory.

Multiverse theories are neat explanations or consequences of other theories, but they are either limited in their explanatory power, or their efficacy to test.

But what are the multiple multiverse theories? Here's three that people claim are multiverse theories:

Many worlds interpretation (a QM thing, and only a multiverse theory in pop culture)

Inflation multiverse theory (one possible consequence of the cosmic inflation hypothesis)

Just an actual multiverse theory (arguable cosmic inflation can lie here)

Many Worlds Interpretation

I've already run through the main gambit of what the Everett interpretation is, so I'm going to tackle this from a pop sci perspective.

When you were younger, you might've heard that the many worlds interpretation literally means many worlds. That with every decision you make, you create a new seperate branching reality. And that multiple realities can simultaneously exist.

Of course, there is an issue with this. Mainly that there aren't multiple realities - there is just one reality, in a superposition of states.

This superposition dictates there is one reality, just that this reality is probabilistic. These realties aren't separated by physical space. It's just one big 'wavefunction'.

Decisions in the many worlds interpretations are also examples of when pop sci goes wrong. It's not necessarily the religious nuts who cause this misconception.

What causes more splits in the wave function is the interactions within it. When an electron collides with a positron, when a chemical in your brain goes from one end to the other. Interaction is what creates these splits.

Technically, decisions are caused by the interactions between electrical signals in our brain, and us making a decision often involves interacting with the world around us. This is how the misconception arises, but the reality is that the split occurs well before and well after a choice is made.

Of course, it's important to state that, the many worlds interpretation is still not the "correct" interpretation. What it posits hasn't been proven.

Inflation Multiverse theory

Inflation theory in itself is already a bit on the rocks in terms of an explanation of why our universe is the way it is. There isn't really any way we can use GR/the standard model to explain why inflation happened. At least, without having to add an extra field or constant in our equations.

Generally, inflation is explained using the addition of a new inflaton field, which in the higher temperatures of the early universe, caused a rapid expansion of spacetime.

This rapid expansion is generated by the field living in a heightened energy state.

At some point, the field reaches a sudden drop-off, at which point the expansion rate suddenly slows down to our expected GR level. The inflaton field then remains at a local minima.

Where does the Multiverse theory come into this?

The drop-off of the inflaton field is not universal. It only occurs at particular points in spacetime. This creates a 'bubble' of space that slowly expands in comparison to the surrounding ocean of space that is rapidly expanding.

We exist in one of these bubbles, which expands at a normal rate. But we aren't the only bubble.

There could be several bubbles surrounding us. All separated by physical space that expands at incredible rates. These bubbles create an effective multiverse.

It's not technically a multiverse because every bubble is still in one single physical universe.

Generally, this version of inflation multiverse theory is better accepted as it has inflation theory to back it up. But it's still not provable, so it's not regarded as truth.

The actual Multiverse theories

There are several multiverse theories. But the key thread linking the other multiverses, is that there is no physical way to traverse the space in-between worlds, and that each universe is seperate in beyond a physical capacity.

I can't go into many different multiverse theories, because the main point is that they're all either bullshit or thought experiments.

One example is the "temporal multiverse theory" which states that time is actually a 3-dimensional quantity, were our multiverses are caused by separations in time.

When you go back in time and alter the past, you end up in an alternate timeline future. This is a common way to interpret most time travel movies or scenarios.

Another is the "10-dimension" theory. There are 3 dimensions of space, 3 dimensions of time, and 3 dimensions of "universe". What is this universe dimension? Well it's effectively supposed to be an altering of the fundamental physical parameters.

The problem is that we don't think that the universe happens to perfectly have three degrees of freedom in it's construction.

The 10th dimension is usually unexplained in this theory.

So what was that fundamentalist strawman about?

There is an idea in physics called "quantum darwinism". This theory basically states that from the many worlds interpretation, there will be one probabilistic reality where human consciousness lives in. And thus that version of reality will be the one we see, as it was fit for human life.

This principle can be extended to various different versions of multiverse theory. That out of the many possible realities, we observe the reality that created the perfect conditions for human life.

This argument, that the universe was predisposed to observation, because it had to circularly, is called the anthropic principle. It can be said that it's an extension of the copernican principle.

And that's it. That's the strawman. Of course, this form of darwinism is not really an actual theory, more a thought experiment.

Conclusion

This post is slightly less long than the other ones but still a lot. Oops! Ruh roh!

Anyways, I hope y'all like this post with a different topic. They will be rarer because I want to take my time tackling these types of posts. Please lmk if you think this post was informative or if you'd like to see more!

Next week will probably be on Baryon Acoustic Oscillations. Follow if you wanna see more!

After All is Said and Done

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR EARTHSPARK!

Summery: "Please tell me I wasn't this bad when I was a sparkling." Bumblebee sighed. "No. You were a lot worse." Optimus teased.

ao3

Bumblebee was exhausted by the time they got back to the Malto farm. And it wasn't all due to the battle with Mandroid.

On the way he'd had to stop Jawbreaker from adopting the raccoon that seemed to follow them everywhere, Hashtag from fighting an inflatable wavy arm man and Nightshade from trying to chat up the non-sentient speed train. And now, despite the dark of dusk creeping over the horizon, the new young Terrans were in no rush to get some recharge, having started a game of hot cube with Twitch and Thrash, whilst using the human children as hot cubes.

Bumblebee collapsed onto the bed of hay, keeping one optic on the Terrans through the open barn doors. He felt the warm chuckle of Optimus' baritone as the Prime sat on the haystacks besides him.

"Please tell me I wasn't this bad when I was a sparkling." Bumblebee sighed.

"No. You were a lot worse." Optimus teased. His gaze was also on the choas outside but Bumblebee didn't think that it was the Malto children that his former mentor was seeing. "Do you remember when you trapped yourself in our rust stick cabinet? I worried that the Deceptions had kidnapped you."

Bumblebee groaned at the memory. He'd barely been a vorn old and had wanted more of the treats Ratchet had given him when Optimus had first brought him to the Arc. He'd managed to break open the supply cabinet in Rachet's medbay, only for door to lock itself when it swung shut behind him. Not wanting to face Optimus disappointment he'd stayed hidden for the next few jors until Ratchet eventually opened the cabinet again. Elita later called it his first scouting adventure. Although the stomache ache from surviving off rust sticks for jors hadn't been worth it. Neither had the guilt when he had grown old enough to understand the consequences of eating their ration supplies.

Bumblebee was glad at least that the new Terrans wouldn't have to worry about rations. At the dimming of Optimus' optics, Bumblebee guessed that the Prime had probably had a similar train of thought.

"Stop." Bumblebee told him.

"I'm not doing anything." Optimus replied in that polite mask he used when talking to politicians.

"No but you're thinking it so don't. It's not your fault I was born in a warzone. You did the best you could. So don't appologise for it because I will only ever be grateful."

"It is because of me that there was a war for you to be born into." Optimus sighed, but Bumblebee wasn't going to let him drown himself in unneeded guilt again. He tugged at the big bots arm, forcing Optimus to look at him.

"Hey, it's thanks to you that the Terrans weren't. Besides it was Megatron who striked first. You were the one who fought back. And no matter how long we debate over who started the war, everyone knows that you were the one who ended it."

The light returned to Optimus optics as he gazed down at him.

"How did you grow to he so wise?" Optimus asked.

Bumblebee shrugged, letting go of Optimus' arm.

"Well, I did learn from the best."

"Don't forget, after a battle like that it important to recharge. Rest, I will watch over the Terrans." Optimus said, wrapping an arm around Bumblebee and tucked him against his side.

At the sight of Optimus' smile Bumblebee couldn't hide back his own grin. It had been a long time since he had seen Optimus smile like that. It warmed his spark to be the one to cause it. Even if the moment was slightly ruined by his sudden yawn.

Although for some reason it seemed to make Optimus' smile grow even larger.

And for the first time since he was a sparking, Bumblebee let the beat of his mentor's spark lull himself to sleep.

I'm doing kinktober (AGAIN) - and I'm doing requests (AGAIN)

Hi guys! Cannot believe the year flew by this fast. But, as the title states, I will be doing kinktober again and I thought it was time to prepare - and thus see if you guys had any requests. Below the "read more" option is the whole list of kinks you can pick from!

How to request; send an ask with the following information:

Which day // which kink(s) // which ship/solo character // your idea (can be plot, universe, etc etc)

Ships I write: max/charles, max/carlos, max/lando, max/lewis, carlos/lando, lando/max fewtrell, charles/max/carlos, lando/max/carlos. In case the ship you were thinking about is not in this list, feel free to drop in a comment to confirm if I really do not write them.

This post will be updated with requested info and you are allowed to add to information already on here!

*When a prompt is bolt it means this kink is chosen for that day (if you wonder why some days have less options, it's because I removed the kinks that are hard no's for me)

*If you want to see what has been talked about, or the specifics of the given prompts, please check out the hashtag #missha's kinktober '23

Leather & Latex |Pegging -> versainz + charles

Roleplay | Inflation | Titfucking -> nortrell

Bootworship | Hate Sex -> lestappen (angry Charles)

Rimming | Prostitution -> 4433, also overstimulation

Collaring | Sweat -> 4433, also master/slave

Dubcon | Frottage | Chastity -> charlos

Virginity | Waxplay | Stuck in Wall -> nortrell

Breeding | Master & Slave -> part 1 = max/carlos/lando (max getting pregnant) , part 2 = carlando

Glory Hole | Lactation | Stripping -> lestappen, charles going feral over max lactating while pregnant.

Fucking Machine | Praise Kink -> carlando, carlos discovers lando's praise kink

Petplay | Humiliation | Sensory Deprivation -> 4433, blindfolds

Medical Play | Somnophilia | Costumes -> 4433, lewis comes home late from an event to see max all ready for him

Size Difference | Heartbeat -> strollonso

Armpit | Orgasm Denial | Cloning & Selfcest -> lestappen (maffia au)

Shotgunning | Temperature Play -> carlando, brother's best friend

Double Penetration in One Hole | Gags | Public -> max/carlos/charles; charles' birthday celebration on a boat

Threesome or moresome | Fisting -> lewis/max/fernando

Body Modification | Spanking -> lestappen, punishment for the following day

Uniform | Exhibitionish & Voyeurism -> carlando, watching each other

Watersports | Mind Control | Foodplay -> strollonso

Panties & Lingerie | Tentacles -> lestappen

Intercrural Sex | Bondage -> versainz, short on time

Collaring | Deepthroating & Facesitting -> lestappen

Sex Toys | Oviposition | Crossdressing -> nortrell

Human Furniture | Pregnancy | Edgeplay -> lestappen

Masturbation | Overstimulation -> mayhaps carlando w pregnancy and edging

Double Penetration in Two Holes | S&M

Daddy & Mommy | Body Worship | Cockbulge -> max/carlos/lando

Incest | Breathplay -> lestappen, discovering their love for choking

Free Use | Overstimulation -> max x everyone, for the 3rd wdc

Combination of any of the above, or free day -> versainz somnophilia

Bonus activities i'm mayhaps doing:

writing a sequel to this fic from last year's kinktober

Charles masturbating and self discovery!

max/oscar mind control

All The Random Thoughts (social media, blogging, tech layoffs)

I had three ideas for a blog this morning (it’s 3:30AM): *Write about how proud I am for waking up that early, with self-deprecating humor.  Heavily imply that I immediately fall asleep while writing it *Talk about over-sharing.  Talk about our tendency to experience vicariously instead of “looking into ourselves,” outsourcing our emotions *Finally, talk about IBonds as an investment.  Talk about that encounter with a YouTube singer who said she hates talking about money, so she decided to talk about personal finance...but in reality she was more comfortable talking to her youtube audience about it than she was to people in real life.  An IBond makes enough to keep up with inflation, period.  Full stop.  There are drawbacks to that When I blog now, it’s for money...sort of.  The blog has all but flatlined.  In 2022 it made $1300, pre-tax, and in February 2023 I think it’s made about $6.

There’s this weird thing that happens to me when I blog.  I suppose when I write, in my dream I envision this one person getting to know my thoughts and really benefiting and really feeling good because they found it.  That hasn’t been my experience.  When you blog, you write for the world - so in my first experience going viral, I remember how every single sentence of what I wrote on Medium was scrutinized, with whole Reddit threads spawning about a single number I included after a 5-second Google search.  In hindsight I’m glad, because it was quite a story and because the post was innocuous, but at the time it was pretty overwhelming and really not that fun.

Had I known about monetization, maybe I would have at least made a few thousand dollars from it.  Then again, maybe it would be much lower...and the people on HackerNews would probably have hated it more.

****

So someone on Medium wrote about a rude customer, as she works in service.  I thought, huh, if he filed a formal complaint and you feel it was unfair, maybe you shouldn’t blog about it to the world with your real name.

But who am I to judge?  I’m doing that right now.  The internet is not really that anonymous, and in many cases it is really not that hard to find out who people are.

I was thinking about that, and then that famous Google TikTok of someone who used to talk about how great Google was, then talked about how abrupt the layoff was.  Naturally, as this is the internet, people descended on her with all kinds of comments that were variations of, “maybe if you spent less time making TikToks and more times working, you wouldn’t have gotten laid off.“

Data point of one, but I know at least one person in a similar position (business) who DIDN’T make TikToks about the Google campus and was laid off.

*****

On a recent popular blog post on one of my three Medium tech blogs, one person wrote, be concise. Don’t waste my time. Consolidate that shit and deliver what your title said.

I didn’t like it.  It was too commanding, reminding me of a stern middle school writing teacher telling me why I got a C for my work.  But he had a point.  At least here, on Tumblr, I can feel a little more comfortable being a little less coherent.  No one really reads my Tumblr unless I use hashtag RWBY, so...again...I picture that one person reading it and really connecting to it.

Which is dumb.  That’s what journals are for.  I suppose my thoughts here are somewhat filtered, but not that filtered.

Which is a segue to the one on TikTok crying about Google.  Why would you record yourself crying?  It shouldn’t be judgment, it should be something said earnestly.  Why do people do that?  Why do I do that?  I suppose I wouldn’t make a TikTok, as video is not my medium, but I probably would feel the urge to write something about it, even if I didn’t state the company or the circumstances very explicitly.

Why would you first response, when you start crying, be to make a video of yourself crying?

******

I recall that in college, I once asked Sonya what she was reading.  She would spend her time reading actual literature, while I was stacking self-help.

Now I am surrounded by hundreds of dollars worth of self-help bullshit, all of which is relatively expensive, whereas you can get the complete works of Shakespeare for 50 cents if you’re feeling fancy or 0 cents if you know what a library is.  50 cents gets it to you on Kindle.

Maybe I should see what Shakespeare says about this, or at least one of the shit self-help books.

201002 Variety

BTS on the Decision to Donate to Black Lives Matter: ‘Prejudice Should Not Be Tolerated’

K-pop fans made headlines in the U.S. this summer for their political engagement, as their clever tidal wave of online organizing was credited with takeovers of racist hashtags, crashing a Dallas police app and even disrupting President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa by artificially inflating the headcount through bogus sign-ups.

While other K-pop artists and companies made statements in support of Black Lives Matter, BTS went a step further by donating $1 million to the cause — which their fans, collectively dubbed ARMY, rushed to enthusiastically match within 25 hours. The band drew back the curtain on the rationale behind their strong stand in an interview excerpted here, which will appear in further articles to come.

Your donation to BLM was meaningful to a lot of fans, particularly in the US. How did you come to the decision to speak out about the movement?

Jin: When we’re abroad or in other situations, we’ve also been subjected to prejudice. We feel that prejudice should not be tolerated; it really has no place. We started to discuss what we could do to help, whether it was a donation or something else. That’s where the conversation began — just trying to see what we could do to try to alleviate this prejudice.

RM: We were aware of the fans, the hashtags and their participation. It was a decision we thought about very carefully: what could we do, as part of our overall message of speaking out against prejudice and violence? We discussed it very carefully with the company and that’s how this came about.

Do you guys see yourselves as political? What are other causes you would like to advocate for in particular? Could you share one international issue that is important to you, and one local Korean issue?

Suga: I don’t consider ourselves as political. I don’t want to speak in political terms. Ours are initiatives that any person who wishes to live in a just world would want to pursue. We aren’t trying to send out some grandiose message.

[When it comes to supporting Black Lives Matter], I think it’s very simple really. It’s about us being against racism and violence. Most people would be against these things. We have experienced prejudice as well ourselves. We just want to voice the fact that we feel it’s the right of everyone to not be subject to racism or violence.

We are appreciative and thankful for our fans’ solidarity. Everyone wants to live in a better world and try to make this a better world.

j-hope: We always want to do what we can to make it a better world, whether in Korea or elsewhere, and go in as much of a positive direction as we can, whether through our music or charity.

RM: We are not political figures, but as they say, everything is political eventually. Even a pebble can be political.

Our goal and what we really want to see is for everyone to be able to lead safe lives. That’s the motivation for donating to BLM or our UNICEF campaign and other initiatives.

What we really want to focus on now is that a lot of young people around the world are suffering because of the pandemic. We feel that what we can and should do is try to give hope and energy to people — everyone, but young people, especially — suffering from this pandemic.

Source: Variety

FOR SUBSCRIBERS

Does Singapore have an overwork culture?

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/does-singapore-have-an-overwork-culture

The fuss over quiet quitting puts the spotlight on how different generations view work ethics.

Gen Z is forcing a rethink of an overwork culture.

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Some of us born in the 1960s, to pioneer generation parents with a strong sense of duty and dedication to work, tended to also adopt a workaholic mindset, believing that hard work, long hours and loyalty were payments to be made in one's youth, for the relative financial ease and professional autonomy in middle age.

This worked when careers were long, and predictable. But a new generation of workers is questioning such premises.

When the phenomenon of "quiet quitting" started to trend on social media, I was puzzled at the thought of 20-somethings already so disillusioned at work that they want to slack off. Are they just lazy?

But no, quiet quitting isn't about skiving. In quiet quitting, you continue working, but you give what your job is due and no more - you refuse to go "above and beyond" your duties. "You're no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality that work has to be your life," said Mr Zaid Khan, 24, a software engineer and musician in New York whose quiet quitting video went viral on TikTok.

In a sign of how the trend is striking a chord, attracting reams of analysis and commentary, the hashtag #QuietQuitting had over 17 million views on TikTok.

Of course quiet quitting is not unique to Gen Z or a new trend - there are always clock-watchers, or those who go slow at work. But the intense interest this is arousing now, opens up an opportunity for soul-searching about workplace norms. For Singapore especially, often rated both the least engaged and hardest-working workforce in the region, this is especially relevant.

But for genuine conversations to happen, managers, many of whom belong to Gen X, a generation that grew up in a more punishing work environment, have to work at understanding why younger workers feel differently about work.

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Quiet workers: Not lazy, just not motivated right

One narrative about quiet quitting is that Gen Z workers are entitled and lazy, slackers by another name. But this doesn't gel with survey data, which shows that many Gen Z people are motivated social justice warriors who go way "beyond and above" their duty, to spend personal time and money on social and environmental causes.

Personally, more contact with young people in recent years has forced me to rethink some of my own assumptions about work ethics and helped me appreciate Gen Z perspectives.

Young workers can't be called lazy if they want more from life than an all-consuming job. Maybe some have just not found their passion, or may prioritise family life and personal pursuits.

More pertinently, many are already burnt out. When I first read about this, I wondered - they have barely started their career and already they feel burnt out?

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Then I do a bit of perspective taking, putting myself in the shoes of a 25-year-old, who entered the workforce two years ago, facing immediate pandemic dangers, and the long-term existential crisis over climate and demographics. Even though things are better this year, waves of resignation mean he may struggle now with a higher workload. Meanwhile, inflation eats away at earnings. Many jobs these days are also on contract or outsourced, with little job security. Meanwhile, in law to finance to medicine to IT, junior staff live with a permanent "crunch" (a period of very long hours) to meet deadlines.

With such anxieties, no wonder burnout is common, despite short years at work.

A recent Deloitte survey of 14,808 Gen Zers and 8,412 millennials, found 40 per cent of Gen Zers saying they would quit in the next two years. Forty-six per cent of Gen Z workers said they were stressed all or most of the time. The top stressor: their long-term financial future.

Feeling stress over finances suggests that any quiet quitting springs not from a lack of motivation to work, but from disenchantment with the workplace system. Why work so hard if it is not recognised and won't be paid for?

Singapore workers are not immune to such trends. They are among the least engaged in Asia; and about one in two want to quit in the next year, according to some surveys. Even if they don't call it that, quiet quitters are in our ranks.

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Responses to quiet working

But perhaps Gen X managers can view quiet quitters differently.

Seen from another perspective, quiet quitting is really just about keeping to hours and doing their work, and refusing to do more. This should be called quiet working, without drama.

On their part, young workers also have to be practical. Employees are expected to engage in what managers call "citizenship behaviours" - pro-social activities that ease work ties, such as working extra hours to cover team members who are ill. And even if they want to keep to regulated hours, they must make sure they deliver excellent work in that time. If they are team-spirited when necessary, and do great work daily, it would be hard for their bosses to fault them for refusing to do overtime regularly.

If they refuse to perform even such duties, managers should ask themselves - are team members motivated? Can team dynamics or management style be improved?

Seen through this lens, quiet quitters can be valuable canaries warning of dysfunctions in the team or corporate culture.

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An overwork culture

For example, many workers choosing to go slow may be a response to a culture of overwork.

Most workers want to contribute, but most also do not want to be in hyper-hustle mode every day, every year, especially if they hope for a long career. Quiet quitters may just be protesting against unrealistic expectations.

It may not be easy for Gen X managers to admit, but surely the notion that work-life balance is something earned after decades of service creates a toxic environment of stressing young people to their limits. This is equivalent to the ragging culture at some campuses, where seniors justify degrading stunts on newbies because they had endured the same when new.

And yet such explanations are often trotted out to defend punishing work schedules.

In a commentary on the CNA website, starkly titled "We need to acknowledge that 'old' way of working was wrong", communications veteran Edwin Yeo wrote about how too many industries required long hours of their workers, including the media and communications industry he is from.

He said this had an impact on business costs: "If they are too used to 10 to 12 hours of effort for eight paid hours, essentially paying two staff to handle the workload of three (assuming a regular 12-hour day), it creates a dependency on non-paid hours for profit. Over time, the company may end up not knowing how to operate profitably without it.

"What happens when a generation of young people coming into the workforce no longer consider it acceptable? As more workers - young and old - increasingly seek out reasonable work-life balance, companies must find ways of pivoting to a model that caps work within an eight-hour day."

In medicine especially, young doctors are deliberately over-stretched. This is taken as the norm, but a new generation of doctors is demanding change.

A series of articles in Singapore on social and mainstream media over the past year has spotlighted the issue of long hours and arduous overnight call duties for young doctors, some of whom reported being unable to think straight after gruelling 30-hour shifts.

In response, the Ministry of Health said in Parliament in November 2021 that 84 per cent of residents complied with the maximum of working no more than 80 hours a week, and 90 per cent have at least a 10-hour interval between duty periods and after in-house calls.

But are 80-hour work weeks even conducive to good medical practice in the first place? This was not answered.

Young doctors are also rostered on four to seven periods of 30-hour night duty a month, each period consisting of 24-hour duty and another six hours for handover. MOH justified this as "a longstanding practice that all doctors have gone through to ensure a seamless continuity of care for the patients".

But patients are surely better served with a properly rostered and rested rotating team, than one that has been working non-stop for 30 hours. As common sense tells us, and many surveys show, fatigue distorts decision-making.

That something is "longstanding practice" can either be a defence of the status quo, or can be an invitation for a review of archaic practice. (After all, leeching was once also a longstanding practice among doctors.) In jurisdictions like the European Union, norms have changed and EU work rules stipulate a 48-hour work week, including for junior doctors.

In Singapore, a "national wellness committee" for junior doctors has been formed. Committee members must break out of the belief that "longstanding practice" is always a good guide for the future.

Concerns about long hours and overwork are also being expressed by teachers and social workers in Singapore. In fact, a culture of overwork may be national, cutting across industries: One survey in 2021 ranked Singapore the second most overworked city in the world (after Hong Kong).

So before Gen X managers and bosses throw stones at quiet quitters, I think we have to ask ourselves: Are there "longstanding practices" we are used to and defend, which are now damaging?

A culture of overwork, especially expecting younger staff to pull unhealthily long hours, might be a good place to start.

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Opinews

BTS on the Decision to Donate to Black Lives Matter: ‘Prejudice Should Not Be Tolerated’

K-pop fans made headlines in the U.S. this summer for their political engagement, as their clever tidal wave of online organizing was credited with takeovers of racist hashtags, crashing a Dallas police app and even disrupting President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa by artificially inflating the headcount through bogus sign-ups. While other K-pop artists and companies made statements in support of Black Lives Matter, BTS went a step further by donating $1 million to the cause — which their fans, collectively dubbed ARMY, rushed to enthusiastically match within 25 hours. The band drew back the curtain on the rationale behind their strong stand in an interview excerpted here, which will appear in further articles to come. (To read the full BTS cover story, click here).

Your donation to BLM was meaningful to a lot of fans, particularly in the US. How did you come to the decision to speak out about the movement?

Jin: When we’re abroad or in other situations, we’ve also been subjected to prejudice. We feel that prejudice should not be tolerated; it really has no place. We started to discuss what we could do to help, whether it was a donation or something else. That’s where the conversation began — just trying to see what we could do to try to alleviate this prejudice. RM: We were aware of the fans, the hashtags and their participation. It was a decision we thought about very carefully: what could we do, as part of our overall message of speaking out against prejudice and violence? We discussed it very carefully with the company and that’s how this came about.

Do you guys see yourselves as political? What are other causes you would like to advocate for in particular? Could you share one international issue that is important to you, and one local Korean issue?

Suga: I don’t consider ourselves as political. I don’t want to speak in political terms. Ours are initiatives that any person who wishes to live in a just world would want to pursue. We aren’t trying to send out some grandiose message.[When it comes to supporting Black Lives Matter], I think it’s very simple really. It’s about us being against racism and violence. Most people would be against these things. We have experienced prejudice as well ourselves. We just want to voice the fact that we feel it’s the right of everyone to not be subject to racism or violence. We are appreciative and thankful for our fans’ solidarity. Everyone wants to live in a better world and try to make this a better world. j-hope: We always want to do what we can to make it a better world, whether in Korea or elsewhere, and go in as much of a positive direction as we can, whether through our music or charity. RM: We are not political figures, but as they say, everything is political eventually. Even a pebble can be political. Our goal and what we really want to see is for everyone to be able to lead safe lives. That’s the motivation for donating to BLM or our UNICEF campaign and other initiatives. What we really want to focus on now is that a lot of young people around the world are suffering because of the pandemic. We feel that what we can and should do is try to give hope and energy to people — everyone, but young people, especially — suffering from this pandemic.

Ask Response. Sorta

"don't you think it's so sad that jikookers are saying jikook now have to hide and cheat and lie and pretend and go all the trouble to get into different cars, take a helicopter, wear a mask, act like james bond to hide the fact that they're together?"

"Like, do they really think any of that is better than just accepting they're not living together anymore? "

Did you take the truth serum I left on the counter by any chance????

Goddamn girl.

I don't know what's happening or why you are saying this but I feel caught between two sides of the argument you've presented. Two extreme opposite sides I don't agree or disagree with.

But first, allow me to address something that bugs me about your comment. Because I can detect a hint of several things that don't sit well within my soul, condescension being on top of the list. It's in your tone somewhere.

It's there. I can can feel it. Can't let it slide.

I don't know why you and certain jokers in general find the concept of hiding a relationship ridiculous. Is it so so ridiculous? Especially when you yourself say you are a closeted queer woman/man and think that Jikook are closested gay men...

I love you and I love your thoughts but sometimes I just wanna shake you up like

People swear up and down Jikook are closeted gay men doing the gawk gawk 9000 but are they out?? Are they out???

Did they tell you they are out???

And if they are not out then what do you think their doing or what do you think being closeted for them looks like??

What, you've not gone to lengths to hide that you are gay before??? You've not had a boyfriend or even agreed to go on dates with men occasionally to convince your strict Christian Aunty you are not gay before??

You've not lied about having vaginal warts and infections to prevent your 'boyfriend' from sleeping with you before?

You've not booked two separate hotel rooms and snuck into your sister's bestfriend's room at night to get slurped up before?

You've not saved your girlfriend's number Max a jerk to throw ppl off yo scent before??

Please we all lie. If Jikook are lying- all men do is lie. Nothing new there.

Just check tinder.

I think if these jokers hadn't inflated their egos and acted like they were a better superior species than Tuktukkers and other shippers because of their 'my ship don't have to hide' complex and hadn't totally demonized and ridiculed the concept of closets as pertains to queer relationships then they wouldn't be making an ass of themselves with this 360 turn around now that they are being forced to confront that Jikook might really be hiding their relationship.

I don't know why people clutch their pearls and make a big deal of this whole 'jikook are hiding' stuff. Like they are gay. They are supposed to be hiding💀💀💀

For heavens sakes, it's right there in your video edits: Jimin HIDING in JK's hotel room vol 786. The saga continues- good title by the way, if any one wants to use it. *wink. Lol.

Y'all don't see the irony in this??

When you live in a glass house, just don't throw stones sis. We are all in the same boat. We are shippers💀💀💀

Jokers want to distinguish themselves from Tuktukkers so bad they don't realize they are past the point of logic well into befoolery and making an ass of themselves everyday.

Worse they've become the most homophobic shippers I've ever come across in any fandom and I've been in quite a few. Cough cough.

They disguise bigotry as wokeness, homophobia as respect for others- I respect you so much now can you tuck your gayness in the closet where no one can see cos it makes sense and I care for your safety. No really stay in the closet and don't say you are gay or else I whistle to my friends and we will bully you off the internet. Hashtag Jikook supporter hashtag Jikook lives🤭

Jikook aren't out ergo they are hiding. it's not that deep. Maybe one day that will dawn on people and when they stand infront of the mirror, they will realize the trauma they put actual real gay people through by invalidating our lived experiences because it is incompatible with their sense of logic and outrightly downplaying the struggles we deal with being who we are just so nonshippers can applaud them and call them decent shippers when in reality there is no ethical shipping under shipping.

If you don't think the boys are actually gay but uWu when they grope each other and enact homoerotic fanservices then you are aiding them in queerbaiting and appropriating queer culture and even worse fetishizing queer people yourself in the name of entertainment.

Let's not take a saw to the branch we are perched on because we are all going down when the ship sinks💀

Jikook are not hiding that they have a relationship- nor should they- as they can and do play part of their relationship out openly by virtue of the fact they are coworkers and are expected to relate and even sometimes be homoerotic and intimate with eachother. We've gone over this several times sis.

They are definitely hiding aspects of their relationship including but not limited to their sexuality if they are indeed LGBTQ and dating.

I can understand those who theorize to this effect. I really can, even with the Tuktukkers. I don't agree with them but a lot of the time I see where they are coming from. Theories such as these are not rooted in heterosexual relationship politics. They are rooted in homosexual behavioral and relationship politics. There is a lot of hiding in gay ships more so than in straight ships due to the closet factor.

It's absurd and delusional to think two gay people who aren't out of the closet aren't hiding their relationship. It's absurd to think two gay celebrities who aren't out of the closet aren't hiding their relationship. Especially two gay idols in Kpop.

If someone were to tell you Kai and Jennie were hiding their relationship or Brad and Angie were hiding their relationships would that sound ridiculous to you??? If they told you, these celebrities in public pretend they don't know eachother, take separate cars to get to the same destination, wait five minutes after one has left the apartment before heading out themselves etc would you find that ridiculous???

I struggle to understand these cynicisms upo have I do.

They Lie and cheat- now ma'am, I know you are not throwing them shades cos if you are then me and you gonna have a problem😫

I really don't know what you mean by this but for someone who carries religious trauma and gets told this every time I come out to person's close to me I find that triggering af. My eye's twitching and errthang.

Not only am I told I'm going to hell for being gay, now I have to go to hell for lying and keeping the fact I'm gay a secret.

Either way, it's hell jail for me.

It's mental torture every single day.

If you've never been closeted and haven't beaten yourself up mentally for hiding and lying about who you are on a daily basis to the people you love out of fear for your life then good for you. Really, good for you. You're privileged. I can't relate.

Truth is, there is a dark side to all of this and it's not all bed of Roses being a closeted queer person.

If Jikook are really gay then yes they are 'cheating and lying' and not being honest about who they really because of their environment and if that makes you uncomfortable to hear and acknowledge them sue them and cry them a river. Or put your energy to good use and fix the system so some of us don't feel compelled to lie and hide who we really are.

There are idols being made to lie consistently about who they are in relationships and what they're sexuality status is. And the few who've come out have done so because they don't want to hide no more and were tired of hiding.

We've seen companies lie on their talents and coerce the idols to say and do certain things to hide stuff. It happens all the time.

"Most of my friends in Korea told me it was social suicide," MRSHLL shares with Billboard during an interview at a coffee shop in Gangnam. "I knew it wasn't going to be easy and I understood the risks going into it, but I just wanted to be authentic and be open from the get-go."While Bang was never secretive about his sexuality, he says he didn’t broadcast it either. "People just presumed that I was gay. It was kind of understood, I guess, for the things I would say, and it never really came up so I remained silent. And for the most part, I didn't say anything, because I didn’t really think it was in their vocabulary to really understand what it means [to be gay]. I know [Korea] is a lot more progressive than what it used to be, but there are still a lot of misconceptions about the LGBT community here."

Jikook are not above this struggle as privileged as they are. They can make a dent and push the boundaries but that doesn't erase the struggle.

The fandom made a big deal over Jungkook not covering his tattoos at UN and praised him for being honest and unapologetic about who he is all the while forgetting when he returns to Korea his tattoos are gonna be blurred out and covered with make up or digitally removed in certain contents and when that happens it's not because he is scared to be himself...

We praise Jungkook and Jimin for being bold and shameless and unapologetic sometimes when they interact with eachother without fear or regard for the cameras and we want that for them but we forget they are actually closeted gay men- if our theories about them is true- and that being closeted equally requires them to go out of their way to remain hidden whether as a general company policy that forbids artists to keep their relationships out of public consciousness or by their own volition by choosing not to broadcast, confirm or deny and letting presumptions about them run loose.

"I can't even imagine how I would have done it without my label," he says. "My sexuality was never an issue with them and it never came up. I was never forced or told to 'tone down,' or asked not to say something, and that means everything.”

The fact that he says he feels grateful to his label because he wasn't asked to and forced to "TONE DOWN" or "CENSOR HIS SPEECH" should tell you that other labels do in fact ask their artists to TONE DOWN, Censor their speech, take a car, not take a car etc and yet I recall you saying my claims of BigHit toning Jikook down was absurd and the most ridiculous thing you ever heard.

If Jikook are LGBTQ and not out then hiding would be part of their narrative unfortunately and it's ok to acknowledge that even if you fear that makes you come off as tuktukrish. They may be nut cases but a lot of them are just a bunch of closeted queer teens projecting onto their biases and I actually feel sorry for them as I often find myself doing same with Jikook.

Not acknowledging these struggles queer idols face and queer people face in general on a daily invalidates the lived experience of these people.

That also don't mean that hiding is all that there is to their relationship narrative because that takes away their agency and disregards the fact they are privileged than most given their wealth and their line of work, their cultural setting and their job requirements.

I feel there's never a right balance in the way their dynamic is perceived in the fandom.

Some jokers think they are being woke with these faux logics and syllogisms when they sneer at certain gay theories in the fandom in attempts to distinguish themselves from Tuktukkers but really all you do is come across as antigay and ignorant.

There. I said my peace.

Go ahead and drag me I ruv woo too🤣

PART B

JIKOOK NOT LIVING TOGETHER

Lemme ask you? Why do you believe they don't live together anymore??🤔

Is it because they don't share rides no more??

Lemme rephrase that. is it because we don't see them sharing rides anymore??? And at the airport when they went in separate cars and in different directions???

Honestly speaking, I haven't read too too much into them sharing rides more so than I do with the things they say that hints at their living situation: Jimin saying he loves to wake up next to Jungkook, describing how Jk snores to the members while they all listen keenly as if they've never shared a room with Kook too, saying he was with Kook at 4am caressing a phone in his hands and all those other moments.

I've gotten dragged by my edges for saying this in the past but I'll say it again, a lot points to or pointed to them cohabiting. Especially since Jimin didn't have his own habitable space in his name when everyone else had. They do live together.

BUT NOT ALL THE TIME.

OBVIOUSLY.

There literally are times they aren't even physically in the same geographical location. Should I weep then and yell Jikook don't live together no more? Isn't that bizarre??

I've not always been under the impression they lived together all the time, all year round- more so like yes they do share a living space from time to time and Jimin does sleep over at Kook's from time to time and more than occasionally too.

Do I think that has changed? HELL NO.

Contrary to what you've said in the past, I'm not one to overly romanticize them you know? I love them and I love their bond and bromance or whatever gay shit they have going on and sometimes it does cloud my better judgment- which is besides the point😭😭😭💀

My friend, she's a hopeless Romantic right and she made a big deal out of Jikook sharing cars and what not because it meant they lived together🙄

So I asked her... but they've always lived together. What makes this any special💀

From day one they've lived together. They hang out in hotels, dorms, cars, practice rooms- they are boyfriends. If one of them gets a place of their own of course the other will invite himself in. Is that a big deal?

She's like yeah but that is a huge step in a relationship if two people progress in their relationship in that way.

I guess.... that was my response.

That still is my response when I see people fighting over the internet about this car sharing thingy. Jungkook is not the only member Jimin stays with- now he has his own place so he must be living by himself. But historically, JK is not the only one he's stayed with.

I mean, I've joked one or two times about Jimin locking Kook out of his own house or even choosing to stay with friends for a while during arguments. Don't that presuppose I believe their living arrangement is situational?

If you watch Run episodes or the behind scenes you would know there are instances where they each arrive on set separately which seem to imply they arrive to set from different locations. Why come to set at different times if y'all are coming from the same place and share the same car??

Then sometimes the things the members would say would raise questions, like Taehyung saying he asked Jimin to come over on JK's birthday or Jin asking to wait for Jimin at the dorms after schedule on his birthday when Jimin was riding with Kook.

Of course Jimin told him he couldn't make it which implied to me he and Jin go home together sometimes too- either cos he lives around Jin's house or sleeps on Jin's couch. (Humor intended somewhere😅)

This of course is corroborated by moments he's shared videos of himself with Jin riding home together after work- having a sing song along the way etc.

And if you backtrack you'd notice its something that had been going on since his birthday in October. Because during the concert we saw them sharing a ride but in subsequent Run they were coming to set at different times and somewhere in December is when he'd told Jin he wouldn't be able to make it back to the dorm- someone did the walk of shame the next day I just know it🤭

Hoes everywhere 🤭

Good for him😊

But is that cause for alarm?? I don't know. Speculate away but I'm just observing things within the timeline- I'll share my findings when I've gathered enough information😊

Personally, I wouldn't make much of it as it's always been like that even before October. There are moments you see them consistently sharing rides and some moments they are not. Why? I don't know. Could be family visiting one of them, a fight, where need of personal space, literally a myriad of things. They are adults not kids anymore.

They share rides sometimes because it's convenient- whether because it takes them to the same vicinity or schedule. If it's not convenient for them to share a ride- either because they have different schedules or aren't going to the same vicinity- then what's the big deal?

When you say Jikook are not living together, I hope it's not to insinuate they are broken up or anything like that??

Other than that, I think the logic is simple, if you think they live together because they share a car then certainly now that they are not sharing are car then they don't live together. It's as simple as that.

Do you see the flaw in that argument??

I think for some of us, saying they live together is because of more than the mere riding a car together and more so about the things they say about eachother together with that carpooling situation. For instance, thanks to Jimin we know Namjoon has his own home and don't live with the others. If he shared a car with Suga it wouldn't mean he lived with Suga.

It's the same with Jikook.

Like I said, Jungkook is the one with the place. What if his family comes to visit and having Jimin there is inconvenient?? What if his friends come to visit? Or he just needs his space?? What happens to Jimin if they live together? Does he hide in the broom closet then??

We just learned he gifted his house in Seoul to his brother- what happens to Jimin then?

Did they break up and he got rid of the home and Jimin got himself a new apartment??

Is that what's on your mind?

I don't like that theory cos it's wack.

Really when it comes to these two, understand they are real, it's their relationship and no opinion can invalidate that. We can sit here and theorize all day about them but if they are doing the gay they are doing the gay no matter what we say.

Whether you think they live together or don't live together won't change the fact they are carrying out a relationship. When in a few days, weeks, months, bangtan releases content of them sharing a ride again, or if they accidentally let slip something about their living conditions then what???Are you going to eat your words?

I won't be surprised if Jungkook goes over with his mattress to wherever Jimin stays at night and perches with him sometimes too😂💀

From the way Jin asked if he should wait for him at the dorm, it seems Jin wasn't expecting Jimin to stay with Jungkook that dawn after schedule. Isn't it odd to have that expectation of someone who has a home and lives with his man in it????

One thing I know for sure, Jimin stayed with Jungkook that dawn and on the day of Jungkook's birthday when Tae had asked him to come over.

Make of it what you will.

To me, they do stay together most of the time but not always and it's really not a big deal.

As for BigHit hiding Jikook because they are not riding a car together... tag me in the post I'd love to read it🤣

Let me run for cover😂

GOLDY

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When embarking on a new venture, one normally does not think whether or not it will be an inspiring feat to others. Starting out, I looked to my blog as a means to collect all my thoughts and ideas to help with my writing of stories that will never see the light of day. As I’ve said in an earlier post, I’ve always entertained the idea of keeping a diary. Except, of course, there’s nothing all too exciting that happens in my daily life. But by chronicling all the things of interest to me, perhaps I could make something of this space that I’ve eked out on the internet.

Several years later, my blog has still remained fairly small and unknown to the masses. True, I’ve amassed a number of followers (most of them my friends that are now essentially inactive on websites such as Tumblr to help inflate my actual number of followers) and a smattering of likes on posts. In fact, when I started out, I refused to use hashtags. Why?

Well, surely there was nobody that would be interested in reading my screams and rants into the void.

Imagine then, my surprise, to find people discovering this humble little blog on the internets with nary an assistance on my end. Of course, most of them were gaming related. In particular, niche titles that had captured the hearts and minds of those that flock to blog sites to find like-minded individuals. Off the top of my head, the two that grabbed the attention of so many were Tales of Berseria and Vampyr. 

But even this cold dark heart of mine could not help but twitch in excitement when I saw the number of notes climb in number. I might have started this blog for my own benefit but it warmed a little part of me to see that there were people who seemed to like some of the content. In fact, I even had someone start asking me questions about Concrete Genie (as if I were actually one of the developers and knew all that there was to know about the small indie title).

I say this because there are times when I want to shut it all down and return to my little hobbit hole. The insidious and critical voice in my head often tells me that my efforts, both on this blog and my other side projects of story writing are meaningless endeavours. Nobody will ever read my works. Nobody cares. Why do I even try and write stories that no-one will read or appreciate? People are just making small talk. 

‘You write stories? That sounds interesting. What’s your pseudonym?’ And after that first question, it all falls away. There is no sudden bump in reading numbers. The fact that I update on a weekly basis is forgotten.

Still, there have been moments when what I do in my free time seems to catch the eye of another fellow human. Take, for example, one of my work colleagues that actually seemed intrigued and almost invested in some of my stories. Every time, for a good month or so, I’d walk past her table, she’d have a grand idea for one of my short stories to be made into a short film.

Alas, my lack of equipment and actors on hand made it a difficult enterprise.

But even though I knew that such a thing would not come to fruition, I did feel seen. She even said, as an aside, that some of my work had inspired her to write more songs. That, in and of itself, made it feel like what I did was worth it.

Now, I’m no vainglorious social media hound with a YouTube channel or Tik Tok (though I swear I have some good ideas!). I doubt I’d be able to live such a lifestyle. My self-esteem, as it is, would hardly be able to survive the barrage of hateful comments that so many have had to endure. Nor do I have a Twitter account.

I may be a Millennial but there are times I feel that social media has gone out of control. Call me an old soul, I dare you. I probably am (though not old enough to desire a typewriter or a period where the internet was not so easily accessible).

Barring all of that, I have thoroughly enjoyed some of the rare comments that have peppered my stories and blog posts, the likes and favourites on FictionPress and the addition of another follower. 

And though I’m not the type that feels like my entire life would be turned around just by watching shenanigans on a YouTube channel, I like to think that my presence here - chipping away at my creative projects and writing blog posts that are enjoyable to read has touched someone else out there in the world. Or that it might have inspired other fellow amateur writers to start their own personal blogs to document the ups and downs of life. 

You don’t, of course, dear readers, have to credit me with pushing you to greater heights than even I could achieve. I’ll just leave that to my imagination. After all, as an only child that sought solace in books and video games, I’m quite comfortable with diving into rich fantastical worlds of my own making. 

But sometimes, and only very rarely, do I feel a pang of loneliness. That this was all for naught and I ought to scrub my hard drives of anything creative and burn it all down.

So, should you ever feel the urge to reach out and encourage a Millennial that has no self-confidence and her only brave moment was going to the United States of America by herself at the tender age of 24, I’d like to hear something from you.

And if you don’t feel that niggling urge in the back of your head...well, that’s all right too. This started off as a means for me to vent into the aether and was never about seeking an audience. I’ll keep on carrying on until the day that the novelty of writing and maintaining a blog finally fades.

2012’s successor, quarantine life, the Philippine government, and everything else in between

To begin with, 2020 seemed dreamlike – this year was somewhat a clash of heavenly entities and hellish forces. The universe was not kind to us this time. Doing activities and routines outside were put to a halt, but with humans' confinement in their houses, it made our situation worse. 2020 has been a fast yet long year, and we may all feel that time now is linear.

Allow me to borrow a line from the 1972 film Grease: This is the life of illusion, wrapped up in trouble, laced with confusion.        

Most would agree that the words above sum up the year 2020. An unfortunate series of events have taken place – from the Australian Bushfire crisis, the Iran-US conflict to earthquakes in Mindanao and the eruption of Taal Volcano in Batangas – and these events have transpired in the first quarter of 2020. It seems like a frightening state to begin the year.

Afterwards, life was starting to be okay. People were adjusting with initial solutions to problems and ready to start anew, but coronavirus emerged. Reports say the first local coronavirus case struck in January – and due to a rise in positive cases, collective fear transpired in March, thus declaring coronavirus as a pandemic.

During the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in March, changes were relatively minimal since people could continue their businesses at home. But some of which lost their jobs resorted to starting food businesses or grieve because of said situation.

It's funny yet disturbing to witness that the government officials thought of matters that are supposed to be "important", but negate the needs of ordinary citizens. There were also debates about the enforcement of travel ban during the first quarter of 2020, but to our disdain, it was never taken seriously. In the end, we suffered a lot from their gambit during people exclaiming for assistance.

People get nervous each time the government transitions to the loosened GCQ. Businesses, travel, and movement imposed some restrictions, but there's the liberty of people to go out and do [unimportant] stuff. Some boomers also mentioned that this pandemic is a divine intervention, telling us to step up our faith and keep praying until we see the hope of day. So weird to think of.

As time passes by, everyone has set and bat their eyes on social media. With boredom and temporary pleasure, the rose of TikTok dance challenges has become a trend, along with experimenting DIY recipes and snacks. The creation of support and humorous Facebook groups has also been a craze, helping us cope while in quarantine by sharing memes, tips, tricks, tutorials, and advice according to members' inquiries and concerns.

Though these temporary distractions made us somewhat feel on edge, social hurdles increased such as unemployment rates. A few lucky corporate employees are compelled to the transition to work from home; and for students to continue their education online. Some were not ready for this sudden change of lifestyle as they may lack the resources and mental capacity to keep moving forward. Along with financial issues inflating, hopes and dreams feel deteriorated.

2020 did not feel the need to stop, as it delivered more than we ever expected. There is the shutdown of ABS-CBN, the demise of George Floyd, hence advocating the socio-political movement #BlackLivesMatter, and the implementation of the Anti-Terrorism Bill, as it being unconstitutional inflicted dangerous implications towards the society.

Throughout the ber months, people thought of celebrating the holidays is something we all looked forward to, yet another shooting incident caused by the police emerged. Jonel Nuezca, an off-duty police officer, shot his two unarmed neighbors, Sonya and Frank Gregorio, due to a heated discussion over right of way and the use of a boga. The untimely shooting incident emerged on social media, along with netizens expressing their protest with the acronym A.C.A.B (All Cops Are Bastards), and the hashtags #StopTheKillingsPH, #JusticeForSonyaGregorio, among others. These phenomena struck us of the social realities we ought to face.

Not to mention some of the heart-breaking deaths of celebrities this year: NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, actress and singer Naya Rivera, and YouTube vlogger Lloyd Cafe Cadena, made us feel disposable. Netizens can’t help but spit these words with spite: GRABE KA, 2020!

Once a new year has come, people always claimed that it would be their breakthrough. 2020 was the most anticipated year for redemption, but unexpected turnovers left us clueless on what’s in store for us in the following days, dominating anxiety and resentment. It is then claimed that this pandemic may change our lives forever.

People could go all night, overthinking about the simplest and pettiest stuff. With chaos going on, the utmost priority should be safety, security, and survival. One's daily routine felt timid, hence the desire to feel free again. People are now forcing themselves to perform their duties and just call it a day.

No one gets ready for a pandemic. There may be warnings beforehand, but it isn’t the ordinary citizens’ fault – it’s the government’s accountability to look after. As much as possible, I do not want to sound overly political, but the government’s incompetence affects the rise of numerous COVID cases each day – why plenty of Filipinos still suffer and plenty of then-employees remained jobless.

It’s a good thing that searching for new ways to thrive is an innate feature we acquire. However, I also do not want to glorify our resiliency, as being a Filipino is commonly construed as “resilient people.” If there comes a similar situation in the future, people should use their “resiliency” to stay at their homes, and be careful at the very least. But one thing that needs to be changed is the decision-making and planning of our government officials. The birth of our chaos came from them, so it shall end from them.

We are close to bidding farewell to 2020, yet the glimmer of hope seems far away to be achieved. Ambiguity lingers as we ask ourselves “What does 2021 have in store for us?” Are there people still looking forward for more pains and unfavorable events and perceive them as a leeway to unlock the tool of growth and our power to keep moving forward? Are we still going to settle for the bare minimum and keep our “resiliency” intact?

With all these points elaborated, this now begs the question: did the world really end in 2012? Or these unfortunate events are just unusual to us and we are, more or less, capable of taking action to undermine our demons?

Listen, like, I’m a little sore here... not because I disagree with anything he posted, but because it infuriates me every time some sort of political landmine issue pops up and he predictably doesn’t offer his two cents about it because he clearly would rather just stay out of the volatile online discussion about it, and then asshats are like, “Yeah, I NEED you to comment on this, or else I’m gonna assume you’re the worst human being and have terrible opinions and don’t care about anything or anyone” and then he inevitably posts something, almost always something as innocuous as is humanly possible, because the poor bean just wants to exist and not offend anyone, but there he goes, he eventually does it, somehow manages to find something to say/retweet that is supportive but not incendiary, and the asshats all pile in like “thank you!” “I knew you cared!” like as if they didn’t just bully him about NOT doing it for the last week.

Like, if I bully my neighbor for a week about not trimming his hedges and then he goes out and trims the damn things, if I show up on his doorstep like, “Thank you! It means so much to me that you trimmed those hedges! Now I know you really care about me and the way those hedges affect the visual appeal of my property!” I would literally nauseate myself.

Maybe if folks can’t handle a celebrity who doesn’t give them soundbites every time something happens, they shouldn’t follow introverted celebrities who very clearly don’t want to use their platform to make soundbites every time something happens? Just a thought? It’s not like there’s a global shortage of over-inflated celebrity viewpoints out there. You can’t even go two feet on Twitter without tripping over a celebrity mouthpiece for one thing or another. Like, do we need more of them? Does anyone need more of them? Does anyone even want the ones we fucking have? Do they actually achieve anything aside from hosting World War III in the replies of each of their tweets?

And the thing is, a retweet or a hashtag or a soundbite doesn’t tell you SHIT about whether a celebrity actually cares or not. You don’t know what they really think behind closed doors. You don’t know what money they’ve donated to which causes. You don’t know how emotionally invested they are or aren’t in what’s going on. But it never fails. Every damn time. "We need ~ LE MAGICAL HASHTAG ~ to prove you ActuallyCare(tm) or else you’re dead to us!!” I’m sorry, but give me a closed-mouth celebrity who invests himself (emotionally, politically and financially) in the things that matter to him PRIVATELY over a blowhard on a soap box ANY day.

#QuitMakingPeopleShareTheirOpinionsWithYou2kforfuckingever

Starting Over Chapter 25 ~The Not So Wee Misunderstanding~

Geillis and Claire were sat in the waiting area of the A&E holding each other's hands. The doctor assured them, to their relief, that uncle Lamb had suffered only a severe case of indigestion, but they needed to do more test and find out why he'd collapsed outside his apartment. Claire surmised uncle Lamb must have thought he was having a heart attack and had decided to settle himself on the floor where he was more likely to be found. Uncle Lamb was clever and practical like that. Except of course for instances when he refused to have a mobile phone, and it frustrated the hell out of Claire whenever she couldn't reach him.

"Good ol' Lamby is going to be just fine," Geillis reassured her, squeezing her hand.

"Of course. Uncle Lamb is a tough cookie," Claire agreed, nodding. "I can almost see him fretting about all the fuss once he finds out he's only had indigestion. It's a good thing they're looking him over. He's far too stubborn to go and see a doctor or let me check him when something's not right. I worry sometimes." 

"Aye, and not to mention, he gave us a hell of a scare!" Geillis added, clucking her tongue.

"That he did, indeed." 

Geillis shook her head in amusement and checked her phone. "Still no answer from Joe. But dinnae fash lass ...he will see our message soon. He's usually always checking his Twitter account."

Meeting her eyes for the first time since they'd left the club, Claire gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Geillis."

She huffed. "For what?"

"For being such a great friend. For jumping into the taxi and coming with me without a second thought." Claire's eyes began to water, but she had a small grin on her face. "I'm sorry you're missing out on chatting up some cute guys in the club."

"Ach, ye would've done the same for me," Geillis remarked with a wave of a hand. "Jamie would be miffed though when he finds out ye're missing. But I'm pretty certain he'll understand. Lamby is yer family." Geillis gave her a dimpled smirk. "And save those tears for Jamie when he gives ye a hard time for running off just like that. He'll be out of his mind knowing ye're here at Frank's workplace."

Claire laughed nervously. "About that ...Jamie told me Frank is suspended from work and under investigation by the board. He even suggested I can probably come back and finish my residency program here." She sighed. "Jamie's lawyer is compiling a case against him so he wouldn't be able to hurt me in any way anymore. Frank will probably just end up going back to England to save face."

Geillis let out a huge breath. "I can so see Frank doing that. The board might be mostly his friends, but those hoity-toities wouldn't want to be dragged into his legal problems. Joe told me, Jamie's lawyer is a beast in court, and he'll pull all the stops to win. And ye have a solid case, and there's a picture of Frank attacking ye from those reporters who were lurking outside yer house. Frank's cronies will probably advise him to move to save himself from a full-blown scandal, especially now that they ken ye have the media's full attention because ye're with Jamie. Ye ken what Frank is like ... he's all about maintaining that clean image."

"Jesus, I wish it didn't have to come to this. I don't want Frank to lose his licence. He's too much of a brilliant doctor."

Geillis put an arm around her. "Dinnae feel sorry for him, hen. He made his own bed ...ye ken what they say. Just think of all those years Frank made ye miserable. Sometimes I wished it had been me who threw the vase at his smug face."

Claire laughed. "Enough of that talk," she gently chided. "Any news from the lads yet?" 

Geillis had left Joe several messages earlier that explained where they were and what had happened and asked him to call back before charging into the hospital. It was Joe's night, and Claire didn't want them worrying or ending their celebration. Nor did she want Jamie to leave the party abruptly when there was nothing he could do at the hospital.

Geillis shook her head. "He's no' picking up. I left him five voicemails already. I'm sure he'll get back to me when he sees it."

So they settled down in their seats, grabbed a couple of magazines left lying about and browsed while they waited.

After two hours, uncle Lamb was wheeled out, ready to be taken home. 

And after all this time, there was still no call from Jamie or Joe. So they decided to take uncle Lamb home and help him settle for the night.

..........

It was 2:00 AM, and uncle Lamb persistently refused to go to bed. After they all arrived at his apartment, much to Claire's mounting frustration, her uncle immediately went to his study to go through some paperwork. Resigned, she and Geillis sat in the kitchen drinking herbal teas, the alcohol from earlier already wearing off.

Claire's thoughts drifted to Jamie, getting more worried that Joe hadn't responded back. At first, she thought maybe Joe had lost his phone, but then Geillis had already left two messages on Jamie's number after she'd given it to her. Perhaps they're all too drunk and having too much of a great time to realise they're missing.

"Ye're staying here for the night?" Geillis asked in-between bites of shortbread cookies. "If ye are, ye willnae be able to charge yer phone."

"I'll stay here for the night, and I'll just have to do without a phone. You already sent a message to Jamie and Joe we're here with uncle Lamb. No need to chop and change and confuse them unnecessarily, especially if they had a lot to drink."

"Weel, then if ye're staying here, I better get going soon ..."

"It's late Geillis. You can stay. There's plenty of room. And I have a few clothes here you can borrow."

Geillis shook her head and smiled. "Thanks but no thanks. I like my own bed. I'll finish my tea, and then I'll go."

"Uncle Lamb makes a mean fry-up, and he's got proper coffee," Claire proffered, making a funny face at her friend.

Geillis laughed. "Aye, he does too. The breakfast is tempting, but I have a few gigs coming up for a back to back children's party, and I really need to organise that tomorrow."

"Fine, let's finish up and get you a taxi. I'm getting tired, myself."

They were just washing down their butter cookies with tea when the phone on the table began to vibrate non-stop. Thinking it could Joe or Jamie, Geillis quickly swiped the screen. 

Claire apprehensively watched her friend's face changed from eagerness to read the message to utter shock. "What? What is it? Is it Joe?"

"Holy Mother of God! My friend just messaged me. Ye're never gonnae believe this," she muttered, furiously swiping the screen. "There's a photo of ye circulating in Twitter saying ye left the club hastily because Jamie was caught cheating on ye. Someone must have recognised ye at the club, took a picture and posted it ..."

"Oh, bloody hell!" Claire bristled, raising her hand in the air in frustration. "Turn that off, Geillis. Jamie was right. I shouldn't read what's written about him online. People will always translate a photo into something that's not. Let them speculate. By the time weekend is over, Jamie's fans will be onto something else."

"B-but ..." Geillis face had turned red.

"What?!?"

Geillis handed her the phone.

Claire glanced at the grainy photo of Jamie with Morag leaning close to his ears as if she was whispering something, and she enlarged it to get a better look. She shrugged and thought nothing of it as it had been evident from the start, blondie was openly throwing herself at her boyfriend. Then she read the comments, skimming through every hashtag about Jamie.

Jamie Fraser getting cosy with a blonde who is most definitely not his girlfriend.

Already trouble in paradise for new couple Fraser/Beauchamp.

Poor Beauchamp left the club crying.

We all know how the saying goes: "A leopard can't change its spots."

And then more photos began to emerge, and what she saw next, she definitely didn't like. "Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ ...I swear to God I'm going to cut off his balls and make Haggis out of it!!"

..........

"Hey, buddy, wake up!"

Joe?

Jamie tried to push through the haze and open his eyes, but the mounting pressure on his skull was like a balloon slowly being inflated under his cranium. Efforts to move, to breathe or to think, made the ache in his head ebb and flow like a cold tide and caused nausea to tumble in waves. 

He felt deft fingers pressed the pulse on the side of his neck and heard the scuffling of shoes. 

"I think we should get him to the hospital or call the emergency," an unfamiliar voice said.

"I'm a doctor. He'll be alright. Can you get him a bottle of water please?" 

Joe's calm response soothed him. Knowing he was in good hands, Jamie began to relax and tried to slip back into the depths of unconsciousness where his head didn't hurt. Joe had been his former rugby team's doctor and had mended him countless of time during sporting injuries. Without question, Joe would take care of him. 

He felt a light tap to the side of his face. "Jamie, I need you to wake up. Can you hear me?"

He forced his eyes open. "W-what? ..." he rasped, the brightness of the light above him hurting his brain.

"Alright, easy now, buddy," Joe hushed, helping him sit upright.

He squinted at Joe's worried face, and then slowly scanned his surroundings. He was half-lying on the club's sofa in the VIP room. Through the glass wall, he saw Willie and Rabbie talking to a distressed-looking Morag and the bouncer. The place was lit, the music low and all the clubbers were gone except for the staff who were busy clearing up. He jolted up, and the sudden movement brought a stabbing pain to his head.

He groaned out loud.  Christ Almighty, how much did I have to drink?

Joe took the cold bottle of water from the bartender, opened it and gave it to him. "Here, drink this first."

Nodding gratefully, Jamie took the bottle, pressed it against his temple before drinking the whole thing to the last drop. He slumped back and grimaced. He felt like he had been run over by a truck. "Where's everyone else?"

"How do you feel?" Joe asked, ignoring his question and taking the empty bottle from his hand and placing it on the nearby table.

"I feel like shit," Jamie muttered. Then he looked up when Willie and Rabbie walked into the room. They didn't look any better than he did. "Where's Claire?"

"Listen," Joe cut in before Willie or Rabbie could say anything. "How about you go to the bathroom first and splash some cold water to your face? And then we'll talk."

Jamie frowned. "Joe," he said in a low voice. "I asked where Claire is."

There was a long silence as Jamie watched his brothers and Joe gave each other a knowing look.  Why couldn't they just give me a straightforward answer for fuck sake?  Jamie began to worry as his breath got caught in his chest and knew fear for Claire's safety was rapidly gaining in on him.

"Oh for crying out loud! I asked a simple question! Where is Claire?" Jamie pressed, hoping that their behaviour had to do with Claire having had too much to drink and wanted to hide it from him. "I swear to God if I..."

"She's with Geillis!" Rabbie finally said, throwing his hands in the air like he was annoyed or something. 

The look Willie and Joe gave Rabbie didn't go unnoticed. Straightening himself up, Jamie gave them all a warning look. "And where are they?" he demanded, raising his voice a notch, even though it hurt his head to do so.

"Look before anything else," Joe began, "We have a bit of problem we need to address. I think your drink has been spiked. In fact, I'm a hundred per cent sure your drink was spiked."

What the fuck?  

"What?!? What do ye mean spiked?" he shouted, shakily pushing himself up to his feet and ignoring the sharp pain that shot through his brain. He faced Willie, who seemed to be looking at him oddly. "Where is Claire? Why isn't she here? Please tell me I didn't do anything stupid," he said in a low voice to his brother.  Please, please let Claire still be here!  But Willie's face was already telling a totally different story.

"What was the last thing ye remember?" Willie asked calmly, searching his face.

Jamie cudgelled his brain, trying to think back, but something was off. Where there should have been recollections was a blank space, like a white wall bereft of photographs.  What the hell was the last thing I remember?  He remembered entering the private room with Claire and the rest of the group. He remembered Geillis coming to take Claire away and watching them head to the main bar. He hadn't liked the looks from men that followed them, but Claire seemed oblivious and so happy. He also remembered refusing the champagne given to them by the club, opting for a bottle of water instead. And then Morag came in with someone in tow.  Fuck! That was it?  That was all he remembered, and after that was nothing.

Jamie shook his head, hoping the action would clear some of the cobwebs in his addled brain. "I remember everything up to ye giving me grief for drinking water, and Joe ordering whisky and then Morag coming in with someone behind her. But that's it. The rest is blank."

"That's it?" Willie asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Aye. The rest I cannae remember."

"Sit down," Willie ordered.

Jamie hesitated at first but did as he was told. He plopped down on the sofa and massaged his temples, steeling himself for whatever was next.

"It was Forbes that came in with that blonde hostess," Willie explained. 

Jamie's head shot up. "What? What was he doing here?"

"Shut up and listen, will ye," Willie barked. "When ye asked Forbes what he was doing here, he said he'd seen Claire and thought to go looking for ye. He apologised for his behaviour at the awards, and then ye both shook hands. And then Forbes insisted on ordering a round of drinks as a peace offering. When both of ye started to talk shop, we all got up and headed to the dance floor to meet some lassies, and Jen and Ian left." Willie looked at Joe. "Want to take it from here, mate?"

Joe nodded, taking the seat opposite Jamie and bracing his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands. "After a while out there at the main bar, I started to wonder where Geillis and Claire were. Rabbie and I looked everywhere, and we couldn't find them. We even checked the ladies' room. So I pulled out my phone and realised I had missed calls from Geillis. She left a voice message saying she and Claire had gone to the Royal Infirmary because Quentin was taken ill and that Claire's phone battery had died. Since it was an emergency and the club was crowded, they've decided not to waste time and took a taxi. They didn't know how serious the situation was, and Claire wanted to be by her uncle's side without further delay. Geillis instructed me to relay the message to you as soon as possible. Knowing you would want to know immediately, I came here at once and saw ..." He jerked a thumb towards the main bar outside and swallowed hard. "...blondie sat on your lap. It looked like you two were making out. Her hands were all over you."

"What?!?" Jamie's eyes widened in shock, and his heart began to pick up speed, hammering so hard he thought his chest would burst. He got up from the sofa and clenched and unclenched his hands, unsure what to do with them. He noticed the bartender from earlier had already slipped out of the room, and Rabbie unusually quiet, was sitting with his head bowed. "Are ye all messing with me? This better be a fucking joke!" he roared. When no one replied, he clasped his hands behind his head. "Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck! I wouldnae! I swear to God, I didnae. I wouldnae do that to Claire!" He picked up a whisky tumbler that was on the table and threw it at the glass wall, bleakly watching it smash into pieces. That's when he saw Morag being escorted out of the club by the bouncer.

"Jamie for fuck sake! We believe ye!" Rabbie finally spoke up, making Jamie spin around and look at his younger brother. "I was right behind Joe when we saw that lass in yer lap. Ye didnae look like you were doing anything except leaning back and looking daze. But she was all over ye and Forbes was gone. The look in yer face made Joe realised yer drink was spiked. Ye didnae look yersel', and ye were muttering, Sassenach. Even if ye werenae with Claire, ye wouldnae have made out at a place like this. I was about to punch the daylights out of ye, but Joe convinced me ye were acting weird. As soon as I asked the lass what the hell she was doing, she just jumped up from yer lap and left the room. Willie and I warned her already that if we found out she had something to do with spiking yer drink, she'll never work in Edinburgh again."

Jamie absorbed what his younger brother just said and let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know what he would have done if his own family and Claire's best friend accused him of cheating on his lass. "Have ye tried calling Geillis again?" he asked Joe, calmly this time, his breathing and heart rate somewhat back to normal.

Joe winced, and Jamie didn't like the look. "Yes we've tried several times, but there's no answer. And..." he added hastily as if afraid Jamie would explode all over again. "I tried Claire's phone too just in case she managed to charge it up. But no answer as well. They're at Quentin's apartment now. The last update I got, he suffered severe indigestion mistaking it for a heart attack. I'll keep calling, and maybe ...meanwhile, you can head ..."

"Tell him the rest of the story," Willie said in a solemn tone.

"What rest of the story?" Jamie glanced between the three of them.

Rabbie sucked in his breath and grimaced as Willie's face remained impassive.

Joe gave Willie and Rabbie a look of exasperation. "Fine, I'll tell him." Then he turned to Jamie. "A photo of you and blondie has already leaked out on Instagram and Twitter, and some moron with a fake account tagged you. It's only a matter of time before the news outlet gets hold of it and they ran the story of you cheating. We reckon it was Forbes who spiked your drink after catching on blondie having the hots for you and took the pictures. That man is a snake and is set to ruin you. We should have thrown him out when he came in here and ..."

Before Joe could finish his sentence, Jamie was already out the door. He needed to find Claire and sort this mess out. He didn't want to wait the following day because there was the possibility if he did, it would be too late. 

...........

Jamie rang the doorbell of Claire's uncle's apartment. He figured Claire and Geillis would still be up after reading what's been going on the social media. To his surprise, he was immediately buzzed in. By the time he reached Quentin's floor, the apartment door was open, and Claire's uncle was in the hallway waiting for him.

"Quentin, ye're alright. Thank God." Jamie had been expecting resistance, anger and probably at the least, Quentin's disapproving look. But there was none of that. He'd come prepared already bracing himself for the retribution that he expected to come his way. But there was nothing.

"Yes, yes. Just indigestion. Must have been the curry takeaway I'd eaten," Quentin dismissed with a wave of his hand. "I suppose you're here for my niece."

Jamie swallowed hard. "Aye, is she still here?"

"She's asleep already. Come in, come in, I have the kettle on for tea."

Jamie warily followed the older man inside and closed the door behind him. "Ye're not by any chance making stock at this time of the morning are ye?" he asked.

Quentin laughed. "No, don't be daft," he replied, leading the way to the kitchen. "I'm just about to crush some walnuts, and while I'm at it, ye can tell me what the hell is going on."

Jamie winced at his reply the moment he saw a handful of walnuts in a ziplock bag on the kitchen counter, all ready to be crushed with a hammer.

media democracy

                          media democracy

   Here I want to talk about the media democracy.

   From Wikipedia, the mean of the media democracy is “a democratic approach to media studies that advocates for the reform of mass media to strengthen public service broadcasting and develop participation in alternative media and citizen journalism in order to create a mass media system that informs and empowers all members of society and enhances democratic values. ”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_democracy

     First, let me talk about what is my thoughts about the media democracy, it is a very simple thought, that we have the right to know those things which we are supposed to know. I mean, not those classified secrets, what can I do with those secrets? What I expect is “ The True Fact” but not the fake data and details which are been created to appease or to deceive the public. I will give my further opinions after I give some examples.

  <In Turkey, Media Bosses Are Undermining Democracy>

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/opinion/sunday/in-turkey-media-bosses-are-undermining-democracy.html?searchResultPosition=1

   It is a article from New York Times which is written by Yavuz Baydar and published in July 19,2013.

   In this article, it mainly describes the influences to the public by the “cooperation” between the Turkey government and the local media companies.

   The result of this actions is that the influences even reach far beyond Turkey. Across the globe, and especially in young or struggling democracies like Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, the Philippines, South Africa, Hungary and Albania, the lack of media independence is doing real damage. Their handshakes behind closed doors damage journalists’ role as public watchdogs and prevent them from scrutinizing cronyism and abuses of power.

   You may ask this question, “what is for?”, the answer is quite simple— for the money. The government or those people who have great power will “take care of” those who show benefit to them, prevent them from being published by the journalists, as a result, a little bit “reciprocation” is been required. That’s what we called “corruption”.

   It’s not possible to conduct serious journalism in such a polluted system. These conflicts of interest have transformed Turkey’s major newsrooms into prisons: coverage of economic corruption in Turkey today is almost zero. There are a few tiny, brave independent outlets, which break stories that are critical of the government, but these stories are hardly ever picked up by the mainstream media and therefore have little impact.

   The second article is called: <Stop the Manipulation of Democracy Online> which is also an article from New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/opinion/fake-news-russia-kenya.html?searchResultPosition=5

   In the beginning of this article, one example of “Using the internet to drown out dissent and undermine free elections” is been employed. Governing parties used paid commentators, bots, false news sites and propaganda outlets to inflate their popular support and essentially endorse themselves.

   In the Philippines, members of a “keyboard army” said they could earn $10 a day operating social media accounts that supported Rodrigo Duterte or attacked his detractors in the run-up to his May 2016 election as president. Many of those social media fabricators have remained active under his administration, amplifying the impression of widespread support for his brutal crackdown on the drug trade.

   During the 2017 election season in Kenya, political camps set up teams of paid bloggers, social media influencers and bots to shape public opinion online. Overt disinformation, propaganda and hate speech targeted individuals and organizations affiliated with the opposite political camp via Twitter hashtags, Google Ads and Facebook sponsored posts.In the lead-up to presidential elections in Ecuador, social media accounts belonging to politicians, journalists and opposition activists were hijacked and used to disseminate messages against the opposition’s vice-presidential candidate.

   All those behaviors they did were to keep their power. Just like the sentences in the novel 《1984》 by George Orwell, “Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power.”

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/153313-nineteen-eighty-four

   Now, I want to talk about the China’s Media Democracy since I am a Chinese. In my thoughts, I think that compared with other countries,  the media democracies in China are quiet unbelievable opaque. I will give two instances. First is the current situation:Coronavirus.

https://voice.baidu.com/act/newpneumonia/newpneumonia

   The Coronavirus first comes into the public’s vision is around the beginning of the January. The internet exposures several infected people and then the government confirmed the Coronavirus’s presence. But anyway, this is a late report. At present, there are over seventy thousands people are infected in China, but I do believe that it is not a exactly real number. There must be much more numbers which are concealed by the government.  Though that we know the reason for this is to prevent the public from panic, but we also have the right to know the true data.

   Another example I want to use is the sensitive words which are created and been used in all kinds of social medias in China. Let me give an instance for this. “学习” which has the mean “study” in English. If I want to type this word, the result will come out like this “学** ”，the second word is been eliminated automatically by the media system for the reason that “习” is the second name of our president. Even though I just want to express a simple mean of “study”.

   I mean, it is quite unbelievable right? But it is the truth in many social media websites. In the U.S.A , I can find some spoof pictures about Donald Trump in google or in other searing websites, but in China, jokily said, do you want to go to prison by doing this?

   I just want to prove that how “democracy” shows in different countries.

   I do believe that media democracy is important, it do has relative to our lives.

prompt: royalty/arranged marriage

ship: maxian

(wtf did i just write?)

Sometime in the Future....

Ian sighed, scrolling through the internet on his holo-screen. Earth’s own Overlord Jr. was set to be married in only a few days. Something he had absolutely no choice in. He felt he was far too young to be married, especially to someone he hardly knew. She was M’xx, Princess of the planet Diomia. She was known across the galaxy for her beauty, and her oafish clumsiness. That girl walked like she was trying to start an earthquake! But Ian had only seen her a handful of times at diplomatic events. The wedding was completely cynical. 

“Mom!” He remembered arguing. “I don’t wanna marry that loud-mouthed cunt! She get’s totally shit-faced at every event! She’s a complete disaster!”

“Ian, you’ll thank me when you’re the richest and most powerful man in the Universe!” 

Of course, she was right. Ian, known by many as the Google heir, was pretty much destined to marry the Disney heiress herself. And when they did, the couple would effectively own every single company and corporation in the known universe. But come on, weren’t they rich and powerful enough? 

“Miss Google?” Ian asked his super-computer.

“Yes, master?” it answered in a robotic tone, it’s screen (the size of an entire wall of Ian’s room) lighting up as it did. 

“Is Princess M’xx hot?”

“Princess M’xx was voted 7th Sexiest Organism Alive in 4998 and 1st in 5000 and 5002.”

Ian grumbled. He could only imagine some stupid teenage boy, getting his rocks off to the Princess. If only they knew... 

“Image search,” he commanded. Instantly, the screen showed a layout of results. A regular green skinned, purple eye’d space babe. Those short locks of hair perfectly framed her soft face. Even Ian had to admit it. Those big, pouty lips, that thicc round ass. “Okay, okay. She’s hot, I admit it. So what?” At least he’d have exclusive rights to that ass. 

.....

Historic First Ever Earth-Diomia Wedding Could Improve Planetary Relations

While the Galaxy is captivated with Princess M’xx’s dress, or the Overlord-to-Be’s shoes, leaders across Solar Systems are looking forward to the Royal Wedding for other reasons. With Diomia and Earth, historically being at odds with one another, leaders hope that the love between M’xx* and Mr. Carter will bring the two planetary superpowers together. Earth was forced to apologize to Diomia for the Meme Embargo in 4923, resulting in the gifting of the Walt Disney Company and it’s assets to the planet in an attempt to mend their economy. Left in shambled after unfair, inflated Meme Taxes. Princess M’xx has long been known for her dedication to preserving and spreading memes, stating; “It’s hard to imagine a world without memes, but so many across the Galaxy go without. Like clean water and Marvel DVD’s, Memes, at least spicy ones, are a basic right.”   An enquiry conducted by the #DramaAlertJournal found that Earthlings were overwhelmingly supportive of the Princess. Diomian’s however, are mostly skeptical of the marriage. Many raising concern that Mr. Carter possesses an inadequate penis. Either way, the merging of the two planets will effect us all in the months to come.

More Articles: Ian and M’xx’s Million Dollar Wedding Cake, Why the Princess Named “My Name Jeff” Her Favourite Historical Meme, What to Expect From Ian As Overlord

Cameras flashed, reporters and members of the public crowded the couple as they exited the Church. Ian smiled his biggest, brightest fake smile, the alien Princess on his arm. The wedding had been excruciating. Unbearably awkward. But this was going to be even more awkward.

Waving to the crowd, the couple crawled inside the hover-limo. He was about to spend more than an hour, alone with someone he’d never spoken two words to. And of course, that someone now being his wife. 

As the car pulled away, off to the reception, Ian chose to stare silently down at his feet. How much did his parents blow on these shoes? 

“Uhh....” Oh God. M’xx was trying to start a conversation. Ian cringed. “Sorry if that kiss was awkward... I’ve never kissed anyone before....”

Ian forced a laugh, looking over at his bride. “Don’t worry. I don’t think there was any way to have made that kiss any less weird.”

She laughed in return. “Yeah. I didn’t even want this wedding to happen, if I’m honest.”

“What? You think I did?”

“Well... My parents said you did. They kept guilting me with how excited you were.”

“Those lying bastards...” Ian muttered, though his tone remained playful. M’xx giggled. She really did look great today... Her bright purple eyes sparkled as she laughed, and her flower adorned brunette locks clung to each side of her face. But that was just the problem. It was about the only thing he knew about her. M’xx was the Princess of Diomia, she liked memes and every time Ian saw her at an event he pictured himself bending her over a table. But he couldn’t tell anyone what she was like day to day. What the alien liked to eat, or watch, or even a favourite colour. 

“Worst part. They’re going to print close-ups of that awful kiss everywhere!”

“Yeah....”

Over the course of the reception, the couple did get to know each-other. Or rather, speak to each-other and learn superficial facts. Though, Ian had to admit, as the night went on he was becoming more and more comfortable around his bride. Of course, the two were also becoming drunker and drunker. By the time the limo made it’s way back, Ian was all set for a goodnights sleep. That is, before a stern reminder from his parents. “I don’t care if you think it’s embarrassing! It is extremely important you go back to that hotel room and consummate your marriage!”

...

“This hotel room is fucking crazy! It’s enormous!”

“Aren’t you used to being rich yet?” Ian yawned, kicking off his dress shoes. 

“My species doesn’t spend money on luxuries like this.” The Princess explained. The honeymoon suite was not only needlessly large, but fuzzy and pink. Coupled with her green skin, it looked absolutely eye-bleeding. At least to Ian. “Unzip me!” the alien commanded. Ian did, her wedding dress falling to the floor. She flopped down on the sofa, unstrapping her shoes and massaging her swollen feet. Ian was leaning on the arm of the sofa, struggling to shed his many layers.

“Hellooooo Drama Alert Nation!”

“Turn that shit off!” The blare of the TV was already giving him a massive headache. M’xx didn’t listen, just turning the volume down a little instead.

“It’s about us,” she said.

Ian raised an eyebrow, glancing at his own picture on screen. He plopped down beside the bride, admittedly curious. 

“But was the marriage a set-up?” asked the Gnomarian host. “For more on that, we go to Xana and Leafy in our New York studio. Guys?”

The scene cut to two anchors in another studio with the same obnoxious hashtag and popcorn branding decorating the walls. A three eyed blonde woman and a typical Grey with emo hair stared into the camera. “Thank you, Keem. Leafy and I attended the wedding, and let me tell you that couple did not seem like they even knew each-other, let alone were in love. ”

“What would that blonde cunt know about love anyways?” Ian scoffed. “She’s the most hateful bitch on the planet!”

“I didn’t even know they were there....”

“I hate this whole news network. It’s just a bunch of gossip.”

“I kinda like Leafy.... “

“Ugh! Why!?”

“He tells it like it is.”

“He’s just an insecure jackass...”

“....Couldn’t agree more, Leafy. If Ian lost all his money and broke both his legs, I would be genuinely happy. Now, talking about the kiss...” 

Like an instant reflex, M’xx switched the TV off as soon as he saw a glimpse of the kiss photo. “No fuckin’ way!” Tossing the remote away, she lifted one leg onto the sofa so she could lean against her knee. “This is so much more stressful than I thought it would be....”

Ian turned to her. The way she was sitting drew his gaze to her crotch. The sheer-white panties left nothing to the imagination. Though, not quite what Ian had been expecting.

“Why are you staring at my penis?”

“I just.... Didn’t expect you to have one....” He looked back to her face, a perplexed look crossing her features.

“Why?”

“Well, I.... I just....”

“Everyone on my planet has a penis....”

Ian blinked. Couldn’t anyone have given him a little information before the wedding? How was he supposed to know that? Even Drama Alert didn’t know. “Then why are you a Princess?” Why would a species like that use gender’d terms? 

“Princess is just a rough translation. It’s easier than saying, ruler with one penis.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? No offence, but your species if fucking stupid.”

“Fuck up. Your species is way fucking worse than mine....” 

“Are you even a she? Or a he? Or what do I call you?”

M’xx shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Those words don’t exist in my language.”

“Well... Do you feel like a guy or a girl?”

“What a stupid question. I feel like a Diomian with one penis. I’m a Princess, but that doesn’t make me an Earth-girl.”

“Wait.... Does that mean other Diomian’s have more than one...?”

M’xx’s eyes widened a little. “You mean... You don’t have more than one!?”

“No!”

“I’ve only ever seen porn with a one-penised one and a four-penised one. I wasn’t expecting this to be a same-penis number marriage.....”

“Me either....”

“What were you expecting?”

“Well. I guess I just assumed you had a pussy. Course, you’re not even from Earth I don’t know why I’d assume that. But if you all have dicks, how do you have kids?”

“What do you mean? The couple spits in a tube and sends it to the lab, where they grow the baby.... What the fuck is a pussy!? I thought this was an Earth creature! Like a Pokemon. ”

Ian sighed. “Miss Google....” The hotels computer lit up. “Image search Earth Woman.... Uhh, painting...” He didn’t want to freak M’xx out with some pornographic image. The computer pulled up an Ancient stature of some Goddess, her name lost to time. The Princess tilted her head, staring at the image in utter confusion.

“There’s nothing there!” Ian just shrugged in response. Ian was not going to go all into human anatomy right now. “Disney-Assist!” M’xx’s watch lit up. He held it up, showing off it’s projected holographic planet. “Image search, Diomian penis!” Ian’s eyes practically bulged out of his head at the series of images suddenly flashed before his eyes. It was horrible! Like a nightmare! Green, lumpy penises. On top of each-other, growing out of one another.... It was downright disgusting... Was he going to have to look at something like....

“T-take off your panties... Show me your dick....”

M’xx giggled. “If you insist!” He turned his watch off, standing before Ian and wiggling his hips. Sliding down the lacy panties, his penis spring out as he did. Ian felt relieved. It was an ordinary, human looking penis. Well, apart from being mint green. Still, nothing Lovecraftian. “What do you think?”

“It’s very nice...”

“That didn’t sound very enthusiastic.”

“Sorry. I’m tired....”

“But it’s our wedding night. Aren’t we going to at least fuck?”

“Ugh, no. Just.... Put that away and go to sleep.”

“What the hell? You can’t order me around. I’m a Princess, remember?”

“Yeah, and now you’re my wife.”

“So?”

“Don’t you remember your vows, dear? Love, honour and obey?” He asked with a cheeky grin.

M’xx scowled. “Fuck up. I don’t take orders from you, or anybody else!”

“Oh, really?”

“Really!”

The Princess was awfully cute when she was worked up. Ian thought to himself for a moment, concluding maybe he wasn’t as tired as he thought. “So... You don’t take orders, huh M’xx?”

“No.”

“You’re not gonna be a good little bitch, and do what I tell you?”

“Don’t call me a bitch...”

“Give me your panties.” For someone who didn’t like taking orders, M’xx sure obeyed that one fast. “You wanna get fucked?” M’xx nodded. “Then get in bed.” Again, without hesitation, M’xx did as Ian told him. Ian threw off his boxers, climbing on top of his bride. He ran his hands along her smooth, nipple-less chest (different, but not bad, Ian decided.) M’xx shuddered at the touch. “Do you like that?” M’xx bit back a moan, nodding. Purple pupils dilated. Ian took the Princess’s delicate wrists in one hand, tying them to the bar of the bedpost with her panties. “How many of those giant alien dicks have you sucked?”

“None,” M’xx answered honestly. “I only know from porn...”

“That’s okay, that’s okay....” Ian ran his fingers through M’xx’s soft hair. “You’re gonna use all that porn you watched, you slutty little Princess, and suck my Earth-Cock. You wanna be just like those porn star’s, huh?” M’xx nodded. “That’s a good girl,” Ian praised. M’xx would usually find it disrespectful to be referred to with an Earth word like ‘girl’. But being disrespected was turning him on.... Ian shifted, so he was on M’xx’s left, kneeling on the bed. “You better be good, bitch.” M’xx grinned, taking Ian’s dick in his mouth, trying to do just what she remembered. She was relieved honestly. An Earth dick was probably much easier to take in her mouth than the one’s she had seen online. Just as she was getting the hang of it, Ian pushed her off by the forehead.

“Was I doing it wrong...?”

“No, Princess. You’re a natural,” he breathed. “I just... Ever since I first saw you, all I could think about was burying my dick in your juicy fucking alien ass!”

M’xx stared up at him, his mouth forming an o shape. “Really?”

“Yeah... Fuck, it just looks so fucking good in your slutty little outfits...” 

M’xx yelped as Ian entered him. Ian’s dick slid in easily, thanks to the slick alien spit. But M’xx had never been stretched like this before. “Ian...”

“Shh, shh.... Just hang on, I promise...” Ian got a little deeper with each thrust. Hitting M’xx magic spot sooner than he anticipated, judging by the change in expression. Diomian anatomy, he guessed. He felt M’xx relax around him. 

“Fuck... Ian.... That’s.... I never felt anything that good....”

Ian smirked. “That’s why.... You should trust me, Princess. I know what’s best for you better than you do...”

“Mmm....”

He could feel himself getting close. He would have happily cum deep inside M’xx’s ass, but had a better idea. He pulled out, the Princess letting out a whimper at the loss. He gave his dick a few last tugs, cumming all over M’xx’s chest and face.

“W-what.... What is that?” The Princess looked confused, but still blissed out. Of course, they reproduced with spit in a laboratory. They had no reason to ejaculate.

“It’s cum... Try it...” He commanded, untying her.

M’xx, eyes still locked with Ian’s, obeyed. Swiping some from her face with a finger, she tasted it. 

“You like it, bitch?”

“It’s weird....”

“Well, you better get used to it. You’re gonna do what I tell you, aren’t you Princess? And you’re gonna be covered in that a lot more than you aren’t.”

“Oh, really?”

“Fuck yeah.”

“Think again...” Before Ian could even think of a response, the Princess had grabbed his wrists, flipping the two over so he was now in the vulnerable position. She must have been hiding that strength.... “Alright Ian, you pathetic one-penis earth gir-BOY!”

“Come on, M’xx...”

“That’s Princess M’xx, cunt!” She slid upwards, sitting on Ian’s chest. “What the fuck are these?”

“Those are my nipples! And you’re fucking hurting them!”

“Good, they’re fucking weird! Anyways... You’re gonna suck your Princess’s dick!”

“Oh, that’s what you want? Desperate to get off, are we?”

“Shut up! Get on the ground! On your knees. Kneel before your Princess!” She demanded, rolling off. Ian could use the oppurtunity to get back the upper hand, but decided to play along. He kneeled down on the fuzzy pink carpet, M’xx sliding off the bed and looming over him. “Go on,” Just like before, M’xx found himself overwhelmed with the feeling. Who could ever anticipate such a weakening, overload of pleasure. Ian grabbed her ass from behind, and M’xx didn’t complain. Course, it was weird to suck someone off without the ‘big finish’ so to speak. Still, at least M’xx could still orgasm from his dick.

“Mmm.... Ian that was so good....”

“You give a mean one yourself.”

“Is this what love feels like?”

“Umm... Let’s see how we feel about that in the morning....”

Third Time’s the Charm

For just a four-week (and relatively gentle) cut, this most recent adventure was definitely more of a roller coaster than anticipated! It started and ended on relatively high notes, but with a great big dip in the middle. This was my third time through the Renaissance Periodization gauntlet, and the logistics feel pretty familiar by now, yet I still somehow manage to come away from each of these with progressively deeper insight into my own physiology. I feel like one of the official RP hashtags should be #alwayslearning! I've definitely posted a lot more in the Facebook groups than anywhere else lately, so this post is going to be long, even by my standards — apologies in advance! :) Quick background recap. I finished my second cut in late January 2018 with an all-time low scale weight of 133.7# — and also with a lot of metabolic and hormonal issues. I couldn't sleep, was freezing all the time, had a nagging back injury, my hair was falling out, I had through-the-roof anxiety, and I lost my period for nearly four months straight. The goals had been to (1) get my first ring muscle-up, and (2) get below 20% body fat (read: lean enough to eventually do a massing cycle), and while I did meet both those goals, it was clear to me in hindsight that I should have stopped that cut about 3-4 weeks sooner than I did. It was also clear that I subsequently needed a LONG maintenance period, both to let my body heal and to regain some of the barbell strength I'd lost over the previous year (while focusing on gymnastics and fat loss). The immediate post-cut period was a mixed bag. Physically, I certainly started feeling better in every respect. My back pain completely disappeared within a week, and I also ultimately got my muscle-up about two weeks AFTER the cut was over (a testament to the magic of a smaller body that is ALSO properly fueled!). Furthermore, I finally listened to my coach and began rating my workouts appropriately (generally 'Moderate', not 'Light') in terms of my carbohydrate consumption, which helped performance and recovery tremendously. However, despite a fairly slow and careful reverse-diet progression, the scale definitely climbed higher than I'd hoped — my Cut Week 12 average had been 135.8#, and I finally plateaued at 140-141#. Objectively, I'm 5'5" with an athletic build (and literally haven't been in the 130s since puberty), so this wasn't unreasonable on the part of my biology by any means, but after 12 weeks of such close analysis of scale data, it took a while for my brain to settle down about it. However, in mid-April, performance finally started to hit its stride — I was still feeling pretty light and efficient on gymnastics, and when we tested a few barbell maxes, I shocked myself by easily recapturing almost all of my old numbers (most of which had been attained more than a year earlier, when I was 30-35# heavier) and even exceeding a couple (crushed my overhead squat PR by 15 lb!). After that, I finally accepted that the 140-142# range seemed to be a good all-around functional spot for me. And then I went to Cuba, on the same wonderful health professionals' trip that I took last year. Leaving aside the mojitos, beaches, and classic cars, one unfortunate wrinkle to this year's trip is that almost every single one of us developed some degree of GI issues. Apart from being rather irked that my famously iron gut had let me down, what this meant in a practical sense was that I could barely eat for almost a week (while still doing a ton of standing, walking, and other low-level activity). I had rolled my eyes at myself while obsessively packing a cache of nonperishable RP-friendly snacks, but I was ultimately grateful that I had done so, because I knew I needed to at least force myself to gag down a casein shake every night no matter how nauseated I was! I came home having dropped back to 138-139# territory — and, in hindsight, I think this served as a 'mini-cut' in the true sense of the word, in that it predisposed me to gain weight. I wasn't fully recovered from the metabolic aftereffects of my previous cut (had literally just gotten my period back for the first time while we were in Cuba... because of course that would happen), and so that week of unintentional severe restriction, combined with (undoubtedly) a major shift in gut flora, PLUS my coach putting me on a strength cycle... well, it was the perfect storm to lead to a bit of a rebound weight gain. I had stopped checking the scale daily or even weekly at this point, but throughout late May and early June, most of the numbers I saw on my spot checks were in the 143-146 range. Beyond just the scale, my clothes were also starting to fit differently (my hard-won 34C bras were getting a bit tight), gymnastics were feeling tougher than they had in months, and I was suddenly feeling self-conscious in my gym clothes. Something had to be done — but with the aftereffects of January still fresh in my mind, and with heavy barbells now the focus of my training, I had more than a little PTSD about the idea of embarking on yet another cut. The quirk of fate that provided my 'accidental' acceptance to the 2018 New York City Marathon (which is a whole other story) is what ultimately nudged me into pulling the trigger. I’ve run marathons before, but not since starting 1:1 CrossFit programming or since following RP. Knowing that a shift in my training would be coming soon, I posted a question in the RP Endurance group about my situation. I had the vague idea of combining a cut with the early or middle phase of the marathon training plan, when a calorie deficit would be easier to hit. One of the endurance coaches promptly replied — with exactly the opposite of what I'd expected to hear. "Cut now. Start today. Finish as far out from the marathon as possible." I blinked for a second, and then it clicked. For some reason, it took someone ELSE saying it to trigger the light bulb. Of course. For goals like mine — maintenance of strength and muscle mass — heavy barbells are actually the perfect time to cut. Marathon training, by comparison, would be the WORST time for someone like me to cut, because although the scale would certainly drop, I'd also be a lot more likely to lose precious muscle along with fat. I started back on strict Base the very next day. If nothing else, this made me very aware of all the tiny luxuries I'd managed to work in — no more extra glasses of milk, sneaky spoonfuls of PBfit, or "tastes" of Reddi Whip squirted directly into the mouth! :) However, because I was still fearful of pushing the limits too far and knew that I objectively didn't have very much weight to lose, I also set myself some parameters. My three 'hard stops' were that I wasn't going to go below 138#, wasn't going to extend the cut beyond 8 weeks, and wasn't going to utilize the third/harshest phase of the cutting plan (since slashing carbohydrates would be counterintuitive to my performance goals). Week 1 Starting weight: 147.2 lb Week 1 Average: 144.2 lb The first thing I noticed was that my mental state calmed down tremendously. I hadn't fully acknowledged how much this situation had been worrying me, and I had also forgotten how lovely the 'control' of a cut can feel. From day one, I was no longer afraid of the number on the scale, because now — rather than being passive (and therefore frightening) information — it was a tool that I could use to make changes. Further, I knew I got to look forward to watching it go DOWN! :)

I also knew I had a peak week programmed in (what would have been) Week 5 of this cut, so every time the scale showed a number that was higher than I'd hoped, I felt an odd mix of disappointment AND reassurance that "at least that's more mass with which to move the barbell!" Oddly, I think the fact that I had a rationale for not entirely WANTING to see a massive scale plunge helped me to approach this whole thing with a bit of a healthier mental state. The second thing I realized during this first week is that I had drifted further from my templates than I'd thought. In many instances, I was habitually shorting my fats and (not always consciously) exceeding my prescribed carbs. I made sure to write this down, so I could correct it when I started to work my way back up towards Base; however, I also didn't re-add all the fats I had dropped, because that seemed like a silly thing to do in the first stage of a *cut*. As such, my first week of this adventure was spent on an imaginary 'gray zone' tab that I named 'Cut 0.5'. :) This first week was, honestly, pretty smooth sailing. My parents had been in town for a visit, and we'd eaten at a couple of restaurants, so my starting weight of 147.2# was a bit artificially inflated; however, this meant that I had a very gratifying water weight drop across the first week (five pounds!). This made my clothes start to fit better AND my gymnastics feel instantaneously better, both of which were big morale boosts. I started to wonder if maybe, just maybe, I might be able to knock this out in six weeks instead of eight. Week 2 Average: 143.8 lb This was where the plateau started to hit; that lovely five-pound drop was (naturally) followed by a RISE of 4# across 4 days. This was partly being driven by hormones (PMS week), but in a shorter cut like this, you don't wait around if you don't have to. Midweek, I could tell that my average was going to stagnate, so I went ahead and moved onto the first fat loss tab. This impacted my sleep almost immediately (hello darkness my old friend...), and also led to that annoying, familiar feeling of weakness and shakiness on non-training days when carbs were low. However, in general, I continued to feel pretty good — handstand push-ups in particular were suddenly feeling awesome, and although barbells FELT noticeably heavier, my hard numbers hadn't actually backslid. I had two notable non-scale victories in week two. First, I had two unavoidable restaurant meals in the span of 4 days (a dinner and a post-workout breakfast), wherein I managed to (1) stay compliant and (2) calmly enjoy myself and my company in the process, feeling neither deprived NOR the usual overwhelming creeping dread about the unpredictability of the food in front of me (green salad with grilled shrimp/veggies for the dinner, an egg white omelet with salsa, veggies, and toast for the breakfast). It sounds so simple, but I just never learned how to do that very well on my first couple of cuts — how to simultaneously make good nutrition choices in a social setting AND truly FEEL okay mentally about those choices, rather than anxious or apologetic or defensive or self-conscious. This set of coping skills would have been a worthy takeaway no matter where the scale ended up. Second, this week made me recognize and appreciate the value of cycle tracking. Losing my period for so long after my last cut was admittedly nice on one level, but was also incredibly annoying, because I had no hormonal context in which to confidently interpret my day-to-day physical and mental fluctuations. That experience prompted me to start paying MUCH closer attention to such things during maintenance, and now that I have a couple months' worth of notes, I absolutely see a very strong correlation between where I am in the month and how I feel (both gym-wise and mood-wise). It's pretty neat to write a description that says (for example) that I woke up roasting hot overnight, or the scale went up, or my mood was calmer than I expected, or my skin started breaking out — and then flip back to the previous month and realize I'd written the exact same thing on the exact same cycle day then, too. In addition to being just plain cool information (female bodies are weird and frustrating and also kind of incredible!), this is also extremely comforting, because it reminds me that I often have additional reasons to feel 'off' that aren't necessarily directly correlated to cutting. 

Week 3 Average: 142.1 lb This third week was where I really started hurting. Training started to feel like utter garbage — I could still hit my expected/prescribed numbers on MOST things, but it was taking significantly more physical and mental effort to do so, and every so often I'd run headlong into an unexpected wall. Despite ZMAs and melatonin and even the occasional Flexeril, I couldn't sleep through the night at all anymore. My right shoulder got 'tweaked' and refused to calm down (much the same as my low back had done, during my second cut). And non-training days felt absolutely horrible — I wasn't "hungry" per se, but I felt persistently weak, and would get lightheaded every time I stood up. I checked my BP at work on one such occasion, and it was way down at 86/63.

Part of me was sufficiently freaked out that I almost wanted to go ahead and call it right here — not because I was struggling with hunger or cravings, but because I was extremely leery of (potentially) losing muscle or impacting performance without (by this point) any particularly good reason for continuing to do so. However, I also knew that the wise RPer overshoots slightly, when feasible. I was also able to recognize the fact that, since I'd already made the mistake once of not stopping a cut when I should have, I was probably a bit hypersensitive to discomfort this time around, from the perspective of not wanting to make the same error twice. I decided I had at least one more week in me. And this third week wasn't all bad: I practically danced a jig when I started my period (on time!), because I knew it would be sending the scale on another nice downward trend. This was also the week when I started to feel really good about my physical appearance — which I guess shouldn't have surprised me, but did, probably just because my first two cuts had felt like such long slow slogs. But the very reason that this one was shorter was because I didn't NEED to lose very much — and it was definitely gratifying to feel this degree of satisfaction so early in the process, comparatively speaking. I also measured myself this week and compared the numbers to my old log, which made me realize that — though I was (fortunately!) not as tiny as I was at the very end of my second cut, I was generally matching up with where I'd been about three weeks from its end — at a point when I had weighed (wait for it) 138#, a.k.a. the weight I had picked as my 'hard stop'! Given this — essentially the same measurements as before, while also 4# heavier — I realized I'd probably increased my lean body mass significantly during maintenance (hooray!), and therefore should probably adjust my boundary lines accordingly.  After some thought, I decided the cutoffs should be: — an average of 140# (rather than 138#) — since, along with performance, my other highest priority was (and is) muscle preservation. If I was measuring the same at 142# as I had been at 138#, then willfully cutting all the way to 138# this time might have been flirting with the edge of diminishing returns. — a maximum of SIX weeks rather than eight — because, the shorter the cut, the less it would spill over into marathon training (which was *definitely* the setting where I'd be more likely to lose muscle). — a plateau on the FIRST cutting tab, or possibly a 'gray zone' of tab 1.5, rather than going fully onto the second tab... a decision that was also related to my impending marathon training. I have a prior history of metatarsal stress fractures as it is, and hence am highly motivated to NOT screw up my hormones again at the moment, which made me reconsider the wisdom of dropping my fats all the way down to 7g/day (as I'd have done on the second tab). All of the above is perfectly reasonable from every angle. However — although I didn't quite say so out loud — in my mind, by the end of this third week, I had already made the decision to call it at the end of week 4. That certainly wasn't how I'd initially planned for this adventure to go, but I was feeling rotten, I had a peak week coming up, and it was seeming pretty obvious that the cutting process was serving neither my body nor my priorities very well. Privately, as this week drew to an end, I was feeling like a bit of a failure, knowing that I was going to ‘quit’ sooner than I had planned. I'm accustomed to thinking of myself as 'strong' on all levels, more than capable of pushing through discomfort — and the cutting process is pretty familiar to me at this point, not particularly difficult or intimidating anymore — so I truly did not expect to be experiencing the physical effects quite so strongly at this stage of the game. Even though it wasn't a terribly logical thing to feel, I was definitely more than a little disappointed in my body for 'letting me down'.  However, this is one arena where my loquaciousness served me well; I started writing a blog post about the negative things I was feeling — and by the end of it, I had convinced myself that (1) it's also a victory to recognize the point of diminishing returns and know what the responsible decision is, and (2) the fact that I was 'feeling' the cut this strongly this time could, in fact, be viewed as a direct reflection of the tremendous progress I've made in my training over the past year, how very hard I'm working every day, and how well my current baseline nutrition habits are serving me. In other words, the major impact I feel when I mess with my homeostasis is itself a testament to the healthy habits I've developed in SUPPORT of that homeostasis. Looking at it that way made me feel better.

Week 4 Average: 140.2 lb Nadir: 138.3 lb ...So then, of course, things immediately improved. :) The gym started feeling closer to normal, AND the scale took a nosedive (both of which always happen in cycle week 2 — note to self: structure ALL future cuts this same way! :)). I also saw a new sports massage guru for my shoulder, who did some cupping (which I'd never had before — interesting experience) and was able to help the discomfort pretty significantly. It's not gone, but it's better, and I bet a few days of higher calories will be the tipping point. As per my mental wrestling match last week, I was always going to choose to stop today, regardless of the numbers. HOWEVER... my average for this week has ultimately ended up being 140.2#, with this morning's weight being the lowest I've seen so far, 138.3#. Meaning, based on my parameters above... it's officially time to stop ANYWAY! ...Which just makes me laugh and shake my head at the workings of the universe. :)

Numbers: This Cut: — Starting weight (Day 1): 147.2# — Ending weight (Day 28): 138.3# — Highest to lowest: down 8.9# — Weekly averages: down exactly 4# across 4 weeks — Inches: down 6" total (1" off bust, under-bust, and hips; 1.5" off waist and belly) DEXA, January 2018 vs July 2018: — Weight (on their scale): up exactly six pounds since January, from 134.8 to 140.8 — BUT, get this — LEAN mass has INCREASED by SEVEN pounds since January (!), AND — body fat is also DOWN another 1.5% since January (from 18.6% to 17.1%)... which is probably primarily from the efforts of these past four weeks. I mean... I'm just saying... it basically doesn't get better than that! Takeaways:  — As I mentioned, the process of strictly dialing in my macros again has definitely helped me identify some places where I'd drifted further from template on maintenance than I should have (often shorting fats and exceeding carbs). Since I haven't left FL1 on this go-round, I'm now in a very good position for a 'controlled reentry' over the next couple of weeks, which will be a chance to correct this and hopefully end up with EVEN MORE FOOD/calories on my new base. As of today, I could technically jump to New Base all in one go — but in the interest of optimizing the final macro result (and rebounding as little as possible, weight-wise), I'm going to split it into two jumps of about 150-200 calories apiece. I'm sure I'll end up adjusting as I go, but my tentative plan for right now is to add 1.5 servings fat to NTD, and 0.5 serving fat plus 20-25g carbs to training days (to bring me back to ‘Light-Plus’ territory); the second jump (in probably 1-2 weeks, depending on what the scale does) will be adding back the rest of the fats. — Related: this experience also confirmed for me that, on maintenance, I was definitely rating my workouts correctly as (for the most part) Light-Plus or Moderate. I don't discount the RP approach of resistance training being the primary driver of ratings; however, my personal experience (yet again) is that INTENSITY matters also. I'm on the 2.0 version of the templates, meaning my first tab has only cut my fats, not carbs — but I've rated almost every single day as Light for these past four weeks, and in terms of how beat up and under-recovered I've felt, I do think the carb deficit has likely played just as much of a role as the overall calorie deficit. — We all know this already, but I think my degree of success here really speaks to the power of a long maintenance in terms of repairing our metabolism. Last time, I saw zero change on Base, then plateaued on FL1 in the middle of Week 4 and had to move to FL2 for the remaining 8+ weeks of the cut. This time, after five months of maintenance, I actually LOST a bit of weight on Base (!), and then Week 4 was where I saw the overall BIGGEST scale drop... without ever leaving FL1. — Going forward, I'll be very interested to see how well this all 'sticks' — how the degree of rebound compares to previous cuts. For obvious reasons, mentally and logistically, I found this cut DRAMATICALLY easier than either of my first two, so it'll be useful information to know whether a commitment this short in duration actually has any lasting effect to make it worthwhile as a potential future approach. (Based on this experience, if I keep training at this level, I also may need to give a bit more consideration to trying 1:1 for future cuts.) — Overall, I definitely 'got what I needed' out of this, which is: back to feeling proud of my body in all respects — happy with the fit of my clothes, with my visual appearance, and with my performance. I mean, we always want to push the envelope just a bit further — the hints of actual abs that I've been able to see this week are admittedly tantalizing! — and I certainly COULD push further if that were the priority, but right now, it isn't. And after all the ups and downs of the past few years, it's comforting on some level to know that "this is all I had to do" in order to get back to a place where I'm at peace with my body. Although this won't be my first marathon, the training for it is going to be a brand-new learning curve now that I'm on individualized CrossFit programming as well as following RP, and it'll be a huge help to know that I'm starting from the best possible place, physically speaking. — Also, although it may sound a bit silly, it's oddly mentally reassuring to know that I seized this opportunity to 'dial it in' and shave off just a couple pounds during an (admittedly brief!) window when it logistically made sense to do so. The scale is fickle and the amount of actual fat loss was certainly small — but I won't have the opportunity to cut again for another few months, and knowing I did everything I reasonably could during THIS phase — not to mention, everything I learned from that stellar DEXA result! — lets me feel a bit more emotionally okay about fueling my body purely for training and performance over the challenges to come. It's gratifying to watch the swing of this pendulum get progressively narrower as I hone in on the ideal spot in terms of both appearance and performance. Honestly, in so many ways, I barely recognize myself compared to a year ago. I'm happy right here, and this is a great spot to sit and breathe for the moment, but I'm also already curious — and optimistic — about whatever may come next. #massing? ;)

“The MCA Blows It” in Visual Art Source

by Robin Dluzen

Diane Christensen and Jeanne Dunning with Steve Dawson, “Birth Death Breath,”2016, inflatable opera. Installation view, Elmhurst Art Museum, Elmhurst, Illinois "The Long Dream"  Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois, continuing through May 2, 2021

Wrapping the corner walls of the entrance to “The Long Dream” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago are the names of the more than 70 local artists exhibiting work in the exhibition. Some of these names belong to my friends and colleagues, and there are others I don’t personally know but greatly admire. Rather than feeling vicariously buoyed by reading these names, and appreciating the institutional recognition of a segment of Chicago’s arts community, I instinctively flinched. It should be noted that I did not come to the MCA on this day in possession of the optimistic curiosity with which I typically approach an exhibition. The MCA and “The Long Dream” are at the center of a labor crisis, as extensively reported by Kerry Cardoza in The Chicago Reader (March 3, 2021). With my facemask and timed-entry ticket, I came to find out what happens to a show, stockpiled with excellent and timely work, when site-specific ethical turmoil takes over as context. My flinch at the threshold of the exhibition was the result of knowing that the artists whose names are on the wall must feel involuntarily complicit in the controversy. The curatorial statement of “The Long Dream” explains that the show, which borrows its title from the Richard Wright novel, highlights artists whose work “offers us ways to imagine a more equitable and interconnected world” — an institutional attempt to acknowledge the revolutionary zeitgeist. That would be all well and good were it not for the fact that MCA staff (organized under the moniker MCAccountable) has been calling on the museum to address its own racism, ableism and poor labor practices, especially in the midst of operating during COVID, only to face layoffs twice — the latest round in January, coinciding with a sickly hypocritical article by MCA Director Madeleine Grynsztein in Art in America (January 22, 2021) bragging about diversity practices at the MCA and how “[w]hen most institutions were furloughing their front-facing employees, we went in the opposite direction.” Cardoza pointed out, however, that “[t]he day prior, the MCA laid off 41 employees.” MCAccountable’s open letters from July 16 and August 21, and one from the artists in “The Long Dream” presented to the Director on March 11 outline the museum’s offenses, and the demands made by the artists and staff. 

Some of the artists slated to exhibit in “The Long Dream” — Maria Gaspar, Aram Han Sifuentes, Folayemi Wilson and the For the People Artists Collective — withdrew in protest before the show even opened. Initially, I worried for the artists in “The Long Dream”: that the show’s context had been proven a sham, and subsequently, that powerful work about racial justice, disability activism and LGBTQ+ equity would be grievously undermined. Indeed, the pretense that the museum was in solidarity with these causes was shattered, and an atmosphere of irony, sadness and outrage over the current situation envelops the show. But the convictions within the works reverberate. 

Artworks that hinge upon elements of vulnerability thrive in the exhibition’s shifted context. “Birth, Death, Breath,” an installation by Diane Christiansen and Jeanne Dunning with Steve Dawson, features a collection of seasonal, inflatable lawn ornaments: snowmen, ducks dressed in hunting gear, and parts of various animals frankenstein-ed together. All rise and fall as their air supply fluctuates in cadence with original songs. The artists take advantage of how these colorful, smiling forms bob, almost lifelike when filled with air; and the ominous way that they collapse when their supply is cut. Lyrics like “I will not survive / Where am I going / Where will I be” underscore threads of fear and uncertainty — feelings that have become all too familiar, especially during the pandemic when crucial lifelines and livelihoods suddenly became tenuous. While Christiansen and Dunning keep us at a conceptual arms length as we watch a narrative play out, Derrick Woods-Morrow closes the distance between the audience and the work. In “How much does this moment weigh for you?”, the mangled mass of a compressed police car is suspended from a steel frame by chains. The rusted heap no longer bears any resemblance to a Crown Victoria, but the police spotlight, aimed head-height, is unmistakable. In the darkened room, the sudden, blinding light stuns and disarms. Stepping away from the spotlight, it’s easier to focus on the disembodied voices in the room: two men tentatively discussing race, queerness, law enforcement and their shared memories of childhood. Woods-Morrow doesn’t simply tell a story here, he puts us right in the middle of it, both physically and emotionally. The sensation of being in someone else’s shoes takes us one step beyond mere awareness, and closer to understanding. 

Amanda Williams, “What black is this you say?—‘You thought getting Obama elected meant you could take a break from blackness’—black (study for 08.09.20),” 2020, watercolor on paper, 7 x 10”

But the piece in “The Long Dream” that resonates the most, in light of the collapse of the exhibition’s original intention, is Amanda Williams’ “What black is this you say?” series of watercolors on paper. Her series began in response to “Blackout Tuesday,” the social media event of June 2, 2020, in which Instagram feeds were flooded with blank, black squares by individuals, institutions and corporations alike, in what everyone thought was solidarity with Black Lives Matter. Quickly, it was realized that these posts stifled the crucial communication that was taking place online with the #blm hashtag, and people everywhere seethed at the superficiality of the gesture. Williams, known for her mastery of color in form and concept, began her own Instagram project that day, coupling abstractions of varying tones and palettes of black with captions that added humanity and individuality to a trend that was otherwise populated with flatness and sameness. The artist translated her posts into the small, intimate paintings seen here. And, with the addition of handwritten inscriptions, such as “I cain’t go swimming today, I just got my hair done black”; “Obama break from blackness black,” they capture the best aspect of social media — the window into someone else’s everyday — while infusing it with the slow-paced contemplation of abstract painting.

A portion of what Williams so adeptly addresses in this work is in close parallel to what is playing out at the MCA and beyond: jumping on the chance to show public solidarity in theory, while continuing to actively harm individuals and disregard their experiences. There have been other major exhibitions in recent years in which artists have withdrawn work in protest of morality issues at the institution. The 2019 Whitney Biennial is one example. But the hypocrisy of “The Long Dream” is particularly explicit. The museum fails on the precise grounds by which the exhibition was conceived. In bringing together 70 artists with the most concrete of convictions, how could this NOT have happened? In hindsight, it seems inevitable that the museum would try, and fail. I checked my Twitter feed on my walk back to the El on the Friday afternoon of my MCA visit. The algorithm brought me Kerry Cardoza’s Tweet from several hours prior: a link to the open letter from the artists, with the announcement that 57 of them would be withdrawing their work from the exhibition. This story is not yet complete. But hopefully what started as an exhibition will be remembered as a sea change, with artists and workers serving as the catalyst.