TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

This is just me with my analysis hat on. 

1. 2023 = the year EVERYONE went outside their lanes

Everything went topsy-turvy this year in BL. 

For example, Korea gave us agonized yearning and outright queerness (The 8th Sense, The New Employee) while Japan served up soft office workers and tender family (Our Dining Table). 

The BL world went askew for a while, especially in the spring of 2023. 

Not that we still didn’t still get Korea’s soft angsty bubbles or Japan’s “what are you doing and why does it hurt?” kink-fests. But there were quite a few BLs that made us chronic watchers sit up in confusion and wonder if Korea was dabbling in Taiwan’s territory or Japan in Thailand’s. Then they fudged the kisses and we were like... okay, back in familiar territory. 

In contrast, Thailand stayed course-correcting for the damage they’ve done in the past with tropes (2022) and self referential meta criticism (2021), but also almost aggressively returned to their BL roots after last year’s series of shockers. Certainly, they are reexamining those roots, transplanting some, aerating others. But they really went back to classic Thai university and high school BL and pulps in a big way in 2023. 

Taiwan is always difficult to gage because they produce so few but they seem to have stuck with what they do best with no deviation while producing more this year than they have in ages. I’m happy for that, why change a good thing? But there is a tiny part of me that really wants them to hit it out of the part with a quality piece soon. For me, We Best Love still reigns supreme, but I would really like the HIStory franchise to give us that level but longer - like a happy version of Your Name Engraved Herein. I think Taiwan has the chops to give us something as good as The 8th Sense or Old Fashion Cupcake but in their style, and I would like to see them exercise their talent for good rather than just profit. 

I know, what a very odd thing for me to say. But if any BL is going to break into the mainstream American market, I genuinely think it’s most likely come from Taiwan. 

Vietnam and the Philippines are falling behind, in general. They just didn’t bring out very many shows in 2023, and what the brought out tended to fub the endings. This is forgivable in Japan (because of their style and quality) but not what watchers want in the lower production value propositions. In other words, if you do a pulp, you can’t mess up the ending (by romance standards). that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon. 

2. The Office Romance Dominated

After years of Thailand serving us an endless (and slightly bland) buffet of university (and a few high school) BLs, this year Korea was basically like...

Ofiice. We like the Office. It’s cheap to film we can use grown up actors, acting (mostly) their actual age. 

And yeah... it totally worked. 

To be fair, Japan has always given us office live action yaoi from the beginning (they had the source material) but this year everyone else, including Thailand, seriously started playing in this setting. 

3. Boys Danced with Boys

The darling @heretherebedork​ was a big fan of this one, and I rather like it myself. Prior to this boys dancing together was very very rare in BL, but this year we got way more than our fair share. It was lovely. 

Never Let me Go

My School President 

Bed Friend 

The Day I Loved You 

Step by Step

Be Mine Superstar

Tie the Not 

Dangerous Romance

I think there were a few more. These are the ones I remembered to write down. 

4. Getting (even more) Meta With Tropes 

BL has been getting more and more meta over the past few years but this year they really focused in on tropes specifically. Calling out their own biggest and most favorite tropes in a massive way, especially Thailand and especially GMMTV. 

Like they tunneled in on damaging tropes with Bad Buddy and the like over the past 2 years, and now they are just having fun with us. 

I mean they just started the dancing trope and already they are calling it out? That’s like rapid-fire regurgitated meta there, GMMTV. 

5. Cameos are the norm now 

Taiwan has always loved cameos but in the past the other countries have been show and steady with only one or two a year. (Unless Japan does a parody.) 

This year Korea got in on the game.

Korea rarely starts trends but they do adopt smaller and lesser known existing ones and make them super popular. 

This year they did that with cameo couple appearances, even borrowing a few of Thailand’s pairs (TutorYim and MaxNat traveled north). They did it so much I stopped tracking. Love Class 2, Why R U?, and Jun & Jun were the heaviest hitters. 

Taiwan, of course, came back swinging. Kiseki was the gum-ball machine of pair cameos. (In Taiwan mafia = gay.) 

6. We are entering the cross pollination age

The number of remakes picked up or started this year was startling, not just countries revisiting their own content (Thailand, Japan) but countries revisiting OTHER countries stuff.

Lemme explain...

Korea has started remaking Thai content (Why R U?) alongside cameo'ing Thai pairs.

Thailand is doing Korean IP (My Dear Gagster Oppa) and has 2 Chinese ones slated for next year. 

GMMTV acquired a lot of Japanese IP (Cherry Magic, Ossen, and My Love Mix Up) - and then had problems distributing it. 

This is probably the most surprising trend for me. Especially the Japanese stuff. I would have thought these properties well outside of Thailand's price range (even GMMTV's) not to mention Japan’s legendary IP issues (I swear I typed this pout before the pulled TayNew’s excellent Cherry Magic). 

Also why not option some of the older popular manga instead? Bet that's much cheeper. (I did see a NEW Thai translation of Finder into Thai, which is 90s yaoi, so I have my fingers crossed on that front.)

I shouldn't be too surprised. 

Thailand is running out of y-novel content. Their publication industry is just not robust enough (I was just talking to a friend about this at length recently). But I didn't think they had the funds to option, especially from Japan. 

Perhaps the option deals are for peanuts?

7. Korea got cheeky

I’m not sure quite how else to put this. 

After finally figuring out boys can kiss, Korea started to do not just higher heat but playful higher heat, with more aggressive word play and linguistic innuendo, like they are entering their racy rom-com teenage years (Why R U? Love Class 2 and Jun & Jun in particular.) 

I guess: Welcome to your BL teens, Korea? 

It’s cute of them. I am very much enjoying it. 

And now that comedy is warming them up, we get to see them play with actual queer burgeoning physicality in shows like The 8th Sense. 

It’s nice. I like seeing Korea stretch its wings. They still stick to their bubble, but that bubble seems to be expanding. 

8. The Amnesia Trope is back

And I, for one, would prefer to forget about it. 

9. BL got trendy 

I’m not quite sure how to articulate this category but basically we started seeing a lot of “modern” romance trends out of the west (like a/b/o) show up in our BL. Not a ton and sometimes quite small, but there has a been a steady rise of things like: no seme/uke, femme gay, out gay, condom use, messy gay. 

We also got an increasing range of sub genre frameworks (like mafia, office setting) that’s moved BL pretty firmly (even in Thailand) out of school and into the workplace, whether actual working is involved or not. 

It’s not to the point where it feels like we get more non-school BL than school BL (if I include all countries in this assessment).

Japan, in classic Japanese fashion, quietly started moving in the opposite direction. It’s what they do. 

10. The Vampires are coming 

This is an announcement trend, which I don’t usually report on but it’s so CLEAR. 

So last year we had a spate of announcements of possible Omegaverse (2 from China, 1 from Japan, 1 from Thailand - the only one that’s happened). 

This year we got 5 Vampire (or vampire-esk) Thai BLs announced including one from GMMTV. 

Whether all 5 will actually get made is unlikely, but having had (basically) none prior to this (Kissable Lips), I’m pretty confident that we will get at least 2 of them. And I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one other country made one as well. (Side eyes Taiwan with interest.) 

Final thoughts

It feels like we are also seeing a decline in BL (both by quantity and quality) from Vietnam and the Philippines. As you all know, I don’t track or really watch either of these two very closely. But it feels like, now, no one else is either. 

I think we have likely seen the BL heyday already in both places and their industries are now on the decline. 

We might be witnessing a thinning in the players in the BL field. 

FYI we had approximately 

136 BLs in 2023

Previous Years

2022: 117

2021: 95

2020: 62

2019: 40

2018: 30 

2017: 44 (China’s last gasp)

2016: 27

2015: 17 (50% micro)

2014: 17 (50% micro)

And that’s it! Let me know in the comments if you’ve spotted any additional trends you want to call out.

Last year, 2022′s trend report

2021′s Trend report

Last Year’s Stats & Predictions

(source) 

We March On. . . 21st Century Love During a Time of Violence: Wayne & Sabrina Chap. Seven

We March On. . . 21st Century Love During a Time of Violence: Wayne & Sabrina Chap. Seven

Left campus Sabrina late arrived home in time to only meditate on final exam's still sketchy state

as just before entering her door rain began it thundered yes poured.

Goodbye Stress to Sleep Instantly with Heavy Rain & Thunder on Old Metal Roof in Rainforest at Night

As she watched its magnificent display knowing pure deadliness with one should not play

as bolt temperatures hotter than the sun's distant plain plus shockwaves beaming bouncing in various directions

to venture out in it is suicidal insane a plan begins to formulate inside her electrified brain.

Thought Sabrina of life's necessity for nitrogen and added questions about other nature's origins:

"From what direction is light dispersed, And from where does the east wind blow on the earth?

Who has cut a channel for the flood And made a path for the thunderous storm cloud,

To make it rain where no man lives, On the wilderness where there are no humans,

To satisfy devastated wastelands And cause the grass to sprout?

Does the rain have a father, Or who fathered the dewdrops?

From whose womb did the ice emerge, And who gave birth to the frost of heaven

When the waters are covered as if with stone, And the surface of the deep waters is frozen solid?" are questions she reiterated just not out loud.

So, inside the solitude of her room with these musings she did resume

since admonished to 'make sure of all things' in defense of my beliefs do not 'shrink back' to delay or forever hesitate with nature I'll start."

Although, just for a moment she flicks on the tube to unwind, not turning on the light to relieve the dark

she does sigh as again pass her sheered windows

she remembers a globe groans and bemoans strains

shooting stars and galaxies galore beyond the storm still proclaim an intelligence, an energy

a power not to be disdained

as plays in the background Skillet's music score many a youth this band does adore

Sabrina enjoys also its lyrics and refrain:

Skillet -“Stars” (The Shack Version) Official Music Video

Afterwards she wonders:

Do they the Bible literally take teaching that everything in the universe, including the earth and all life on it, is only a few thousand years old given birth? Say that God created all things in just six 24-hour days?

Since the Bible's account of creation does not conflict with conclusions scientific about the universe's age.

Does not call their deductions a mathematic mistake.

Too, scientifically the Bible does claim as Christopher Columbus himself felt the same:

"There is One who dwells above the circle of the earth,

And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers."

Along with, long ago known: "Suspending the earth upon nothing"

even this later astronauts have shown.

These thoughts through Sabrina did again drone as a skippy hip beat lingers at first thought

maybe my phone...

Starts to dream...

Flight of the Bumblebee

her brain cells to stream...about how cross-pollination guarantees variety and thus healthier and more resilient plants.

Then grew she saw mounds of black and red ants

causing her to flinch...

When Angels Fall - Dark Emotional Piano Beat | Prod. by Dansonn

dark and melodic not as humanity screams after not given an inch.

Why they think God doesn't exist

because of war and its stench....

Like what Micah had to endure as in our day:

"The loyal one has perished from the earth; Among men there is no one upright. All of them lie in ambush for bloodshed. Each hunts his own brother with a dragnet. Their hands are expert at doing what is bad; The prince is making demands, The judge asks for a reward, The prominent one makes known his desires, And they work it out together. Their best one is like thorns, Their most upright one is worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen and of your reckoning will come. Now they will panic."

Also, prophesied a glorious occurrence:

"In the final part of the days, The mountain of the house of Jehovah Will become firmly established above the top of the mountains, And it will be raised up above the hills, And to it peoples will stream.

And many nations will go and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah And to the house of the God of Jacob. He will instruct us about his ways, And we will walk in his paths.” For law will go out of Zion, And the word of Jehovah out of Jerusalem.

He will render judgment among many peoples And set matters straight respecting mighty nations far away. They will beat their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning shears. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, Nor will they learn war anymore.

They will sit, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one will make them afraid, For the mouth of Jehovah of armies has spoken.

For all the peoples will walk, each in the name of its god, But we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God forever and ever.

“In that day,” declares Jehovah, “I will gather the one who was limping, And collect together the dispersed one, Along with those I treated harshly.

I will make the one who was limping a remnant, And the one far removed a mighty nation; And Jehovah will rule as king over them in Mount Zion, From now on and forever."^

Jubilant

Butterfly – Jab Harry Met Sejal | Anushka Sharma | Shah Rukh Khan | Pritam | Imtiaz Ali

She woke with a smile after laughter when it dawns on her

"Yes!... A Video."

To describe the varieties in men their thinking, dress, food, fashion

still on basic necessities all mankind does depend

unlike animals surviving by instinct. Man plans and conceives of love he does think.

So why if intelligence himself he does grant surely our grand universe even if not totally understood in his own ignorance would he not thank a Creator and not of him rant ungrateful of all that he gave: Oxygen, horizons and a ransom he paid to extend life eternal our earth Him to save? Then I'll end with a quote:

In the mid-1800’s, British biologist Alfred Russel Wallace agreed with Charles Darwin on the theory of evolution by natural selection. But even this renowned evolutionist is said to have stated: “For those who have eyes to see and minds accustomed to reflect, in the minutest cells, in the blood, in the whole earth, and throughout the stellar universe..., there is intelligent and conscious direction; in a word, there is Mind.”

Yes, this scientist wrote.

So, we must concede: God is a person, an individual.

Not a vague force devoid of personality, floating aimlessly throughout the universe

without purpose. Originality.

He has thoughts, feelings, goals.

Infinite power wisdom daily majestically unfolds.

Explains why complexity in design found everywhere in creation, especially in living things

should not boggle. It refines.

And although, Him we cannot see as He has created all physical matter.

Hence, these elements he cannot be. Rather, he is a spirit, or nonphysical in nature. Not limited by time.

Always has existed.

Will always exist.

Has a personal name.

Jehovah is He...

Divine... TO BE CONT'D

Write a poem for contest God? - KingdomOfXy

Isa. 40:22; Job 26:7; The Untold Story of Creation https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102014083?q=creation&p=par

Science and the Bible—Do They Really Contradict Each Other? https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2005241?q=circle+of+the+earth&p=par

https://tv.jw.org/#en/mediaitems/OriginsLife/pub-jwbiv_201604_2_VIDEO © 5 minutes ago, Lucretia McCloud    teen • nature • hope • love   

Coworking Spaces: Transforming Traditional Office Culture

In the past decade, the concept of coworking spaces has exploded onto the professional scene, revolutionizing the way people work and interact. These dynamic environments offer more than just a place to work; they are transforming traditional office culture in profound ways. From fostering collaboration to promoting flexibility and creativity, coworking spaces are reshaping the very fabric of how we approach work.

Traditionally, work was confined to traditional office settings, characterized by cubicles, fixed desks, and rigid schedules. However, the rise of technology and the gig economy has led to a paradigm shift in how and where work is done. Enter coworking spaces — shared work environments that offer a blend of flexibility, community, and resources.

One of the most significant ways coworking spaces are transforming office culture is by fostering collaboration over competition. Unlike traditional offices where employees often work in silos, coworking spaces encourage interaction and idea exchange among diverse professionals. This cross-pollination of ideas and skills leads to innovation and creativity, benefiting individuals and businesses alike.

Coworking spaces offer members the flexibility to choose when, where, and how they work. This freedom empowers individuals to design their workdays around their unique preferences and schedules, promoting better work-life balance. Whether it’s working remotely, choosing non-traditional hours, or taking breaks to recharge, coworking spaces accommodate diverse lifestyles, resulting in happier and more productive professionals.

At the heart of coworking spaces is a vibrant community of like-minded individuals from various industries and backgrounds. Unlike the isolation often experienced in traditional offices, coworking members have access to a supportive network of peers, mentors, and collaborators. This sense of belonging fosters camaraderie, reduces loneliness, and provides valuable networking opportunities, essential for personal and professional growth.

Another hallmark of coworking spaces is their commitment to diversity and inclusion. These environments welcome individuals of all ages, genders, races, and backgrounds, creating a melting pot of perspectives and experiences. By embracing diversity, coworking spaces challenge traditional office hierarchies and foster a culture of respect, acceptance, and equality.

Coworking spaces serve as incubators for entrepreneurship and innovation, providing resources, support, and a fertile ground for new ideas to flourish. Whether it’s through workshops, mentorship programs, or access to funding opportunities, coworking spaces empower aspiring entrepreneurs to turn their visions into reality. Moreover, the collaborative nature of these spaces often leads to unexpected partnerships and groundbreaking ventures.

In conclusion, coworking spaces are not just places to work; they are catalysts for change, transforming traditional office culture in profound ways. By promoting collaboration, flexibility, community, and diversity, coworking spaces are redefining how we approach work and interact with one another. As they continue to evolve and expand, coworking spaces will undoubtedly shape the future of work, fostering innovation, creativity, and connection in the ever-changing landscape of the modern workplace.

Things You Should Know About Bee Removal

How Pest Control Organizations Eliminate Bees

Proficient bee removers are not coldhearted. They utilize chemicals to eliminate, not annihilate, honey bees. Some utilize insect poisons in restricted amounts or sprinkle carbaryl or diazinon powder around hives or settlements to make the region inhabitable for the bugs.

Honey bees that form settlements in walls, like bumble bees, are precarious to eliminate. The wall before the hive must be eliminated for admittance to the hive. A Do-It-Yourself task will cause more damage than great, thus will pausing. Bumble bees duplicate and gather honey quickly. With time, a settlement can have more than 100 pounds of it in your walls alongside pounds of beeswax brushes.

While some bee removers use bug sprays to kill them, the arrangement is counterproductive. The honey bees will simply fall into an enormous heap that will ultimately spoil and produce a foul scent. The fluid that the mass of decaying honey bees delivers can enter your walls, prompting expensive fixes.

A deep-rooted state is more difficult to eliminate contrasted with another one. Unattended honey stores can age and make gas which can harm the cells holding the sweet stuff set up. At the point when that occurs, that tacky honey can saturate your drywall.

Experienced and sympathetic bee removers eliminate bees without killing them. The primary thing they do is find the settlement in the walls by tapping it with a little mallet. Some likewise exceed everyone's expectations and utilize a stethoscope to find it, while others might embed a dainty wire through the wall to find the state.

An expert worker for hire can eliminate the wall hindering admittance to the hive. The honey bees are then vacuumed and put away in one more hive or moved into an edge briefly. A few experts likewise trap the honey bees into a cross-section wire before migrating them to another hive. They can likewise fix the wall they needed to destroy for an additional expense. Ensure you inquire as to whether they offer this help before your wall descends so you can plan likewise.

What You Ought to Be familiar with bee Expulsion

Bees can feel like an irritation on the off chance that they attack your home, however earthy people conflict. These bugs are normal pollinators. Without them, entire environments can vanish, and hunters that feed on them can likewise go wiped out. This, thus, can affect the pecking order adversely, bringing about starvation. At the end of the day, their presence is fundamental for the vegetation of the world. While honey bees can turn into an issue inside, they are innocuous for however long they are not irritated.

Additionally, don't overreact assuming that you see one honey bee in your home. Simply check if there is a hive present before calling honey bee removers. On the off chance that there isn't, the odds are the honey bee is lost or is searching for a spot for another settlement.

If you get another state each season, proficient pest experts, for example, "Town and Country Solutions" a reputed Rochester Pest Control, NY agency can likewise obstruct section focuses to forestall a re-pervasion.

Bees are the explanation for the planet being green, and why we have food on our plates. In any case, assuming you have a hive on your patio that should not be there, you and your family can get stung. A sting that is innocuous for you can be dangerous for any individual who is sensitive to honey bees.

Except if you are a beekeeper, dispensing with honey bees all alone is an impractical notion. A hive contains a huge number of these buzzy bugs, and they assault in a multitude. Ensure you recruit experts for the task to forestall a misfortune or an outing to the trauma center. Get your free bug inspection today.

Fig Tree

By Mike Shanahan

17 January 2017 BBC Earth

Over 2,000 years ago, an important tree had one of its branches removed on the order of Indian emperor Ashoka the Great. It was under this very tree that the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment. Ashoka bestowed kingship on the branch, and planted it in a thick-rimmed solid gold vase.

He then took the branch over mountains and down the Ganges River to the Bay of Bengal. There, his daughter carried it aboard a ship and sailed for Sri Lanka to present it to the king. Ashoka loved the plant so much that he shed tears as he watched it leave.

This story, from the epic poem The Mahavamsa, is about a kind of fig tree scientists call Ficus Religiosa. True to its name, an unbroken line of devotion towards it stretches back to thousands of years before Ashoka's time.

But F. Religiosa is not alone. It is just one of more than 750 fig species. No other plants have held such sway over human imagination. They feature in every major religion and have influenced kings and queens, scientists and soldiers. They played roles in human evolution and the dawn of civilization. These trees have not only witnessed history; they have shaped it. If we play it right, they could even enrich our future.

Most flowering plants display their blooms for all to see, but the Ficus species hide them away inside their hollow figs. And while most plants bury their roots underground, the strangler figs and their kin show them off.

They can even smother and kill giant trees, growing into colossal forms.

Take Ashoka the Great's F. religiosa. Buddhists, Hindus and Jains have revered this species for more than two millennia. The same tree featured in battle hymns sung by the Vedic people 3,500 years ago. And, 1,500 years earlier, it appeared in the myths and art of the Indus Valley Civilization.

Elsewhere in Asia — indeed across the tropics and subtropics — cultures have adopted fig trees as symbols of power and places of prayer. These figs feature in creation stories, folklore and fertility rites. The champion is the Indian banyan (Ficus benghalensis), a tree so big it can resemble a small forest from afar.

Banyans grow so large because the roots they drop from their branches can merge into stout pillars as thick as English oak trees. These false trunks support the banyan's huge branches, enabling them to grow longer and send down even more roots.

One banyan in Uttar Pradesh is said to be immortal. Another in Gujarat is said to have grown from a twig used as a toothbrush. A third is believed to have sprung up where a woman threw herself onto her husband's burning funeral pyre and died. That tree, in Andhra Pradesh, can shelter 20,000 people.

The first Europeans to enjoy a banyan's shade were Alexander the Great and his soldiers, who arrived in India in 326 BCE. Their tales of this tree soon reached the Greek philosopher Theophrastus, the founder of modern botany. He had been studying the edible fig, Ficus Carica.

Each Ficus species has its own wasp pollinator.

Theophrastus had noticed tiny insects entering or emerging from figs. Their story would turn out to be one of the most astounding in all of biology. More than 2,000 years would pass before scientists realized that each Ficus species has its own wasp pollinator, while some even have two. Likewise, each fig-wasp species can only lay its eggs in the flowers of its partner figs.

This relationship began more than 80 million years ago and has shaped the world ever since. Ficus species must produce figs year-round to ensure their pollinator wasps survive. This is great news for fruit-eating animals that would otherwise struggle to find food for much of the year. Indeed, figs sustain more species of wildlife than any other kinds of fruit.

More than 1,200 species eat figs, including one-tenth of all the world's birds, nearly all known fruit-bats and dozens of species of primates, dispersing their seeds as they do so. Ecologists therefore call figs "keystone resources". Like the keystone of a bridge, if figs disappeared everything else could come crashing down.

Figs do not only nourish animals. The year-round presence of ripe figs would have helped sustain our early human ancestors.

High-energy figs may have helped our ancestors to develop bigger brains. There is also a theory that suggests our hands evolved as tools for assessing which figs are soft, and therefore sweet and rich in energy. While the first humans benefitted from fig biology, their descendants mastered it. Ficus species are among the first plants people domesticated, several thousand years ago.

Farmers even trained monkeys to climb trees and harvest them

The ancient Egyptians seized upon a species called Ficus Sycomorus, whose pollinator wasp was either locally extinct or had never arrived. By rights, this species should not have yielded a single ripe fig. But through a stroke of luck or genius, farmers worked out that they could trick the tree into ripening its figs by gashing them with a blade. Before long, the figs were a mainstay of Egyptian agriculture. Farmers even trained monkeys to climb trees and harvest them.

Egypt's fig trees fed both bellies and beliefs. The Pharaohs took dried figs to their graves in order to sustain their souls on their journey into the afterlife. They believed the mother goddess Hathor would emerge from a mythic fig tree to welcome them into heaven. 

To the north and east, the Egyptian fig's sweeter cousin, F. Carica, became an important food to several other ancient civilizations. The Sumerian King Urukagina wrote about them nearly 5,000 years ago. King Nebuchadnezzar II had them planted in the hanging gardens of Babylon. King Solomon of Israel praised them in song. The ancient Greeks and Romans said figs were heaven-sent. Their allure can perhaps be explained by another crucial point. Aside from being sweet and tasty, they are also packed with fibre,vitamins and minerals. These nutritional benefits have long been known. "Figs are restorative," wrote 1st-century Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder, "and the best food that can be taken by those who are brought low by long sickness."

A famous example of the healing power of figs appears in the Bible. Hezekiah, King of Judah, was "sick even to death" with a plague of boils but recovered after his servants applied a paste of crushed figs to his skin.

These chimps may have been self-medicating

The healing power of fig species is not limited to their fruit. Medicines developed over millennia by people throughout the tropics make use of their bark, leaves, roots and latex.

The use of fig trees as living medicine cabinets may even pre-date the origin of our species. Our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, also appear to turn to these trees for their curative powers, suggesting our common ancestor with them did too.

Researchers working in Uganda occasionally observed chimps eating unusual foods, such as the bark and leaves of wild fig trees. These chimps may have been self-medicating, the researchers concluded. And for good reason, tests show that compounds in the fig leaves and bark are effective against bacteria, parasites and tumours. 

Fig trees have not only helped civilizations and cultures rise. They have also watched them fall, and have even helped to hide their ruins. For instance, the great cities of the Indus Valley Civilization boomed between 3300 and 1500 BCE, but they were lost to history until 1827, when a deserter on the run from the East India Company called Charles Masson arrived there. The fig trees helped forests return and overwhelm the abandoned buildings Giant Strangler trees dominated the landscape. Ruins poked out of mysterious mounds. Local people told Masson they were relics of a society that collapsed after some divine intervention corrected the "lusts and crimes of the sovereign". In fact, it was a prolonged drought that brought down the Indus Valley Civilization Strangler figs also replaced drought-stricken people at the Mayan pyramids at Tikal in Guatemala, and the Khmer temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. In each case, the fig trees helped forests return and overwhelm the abandoned buildings.

 Their seeds germinated in cracks in the stonework. Their roots ripped masonry apart and crushed walls with their weight. Their figs attracted animals that in turn dispersed seeds of dozens of other tree species. And so, the forest reclaimed these sites. This power has also been observed on volcanoes like Krakatoa, whose 1883 eruption purged the island of all life. Fig trees that recolonized the bare lava were instrumental in encouraging forest to form anew. Across the tropics scientists are now replicating this effect, planting fig trees to accelerate rainforest regeneration in areas where trees have been lost due to logging. All this means fig trees can provide hope for a future with a changing climate.

Fig trees could also help us adapt to extreme conditions.

In north-east India, people encourage fig roots to cross rivers, enlace and thicken to form robust bridges, saving lives in monsoon rains. In Ethiopia, fig trees are helping farmers adapt to drought by providing vital shade to crops and fodder to goats. These two approaches can also be applied elsewhere.

In all, fig trees can help us limit climate change, protect biodiversity and improve livelihoods, as long as we continue to plant and protect these trees, as humankind has done for millennia.

Many cultures around the world developed taboos against felling fig trees. Unfortunately today, these beliefs are fading from memory. We would do well to revive them.

Their long history serves as a reminder that we are the ones who are recent arrivals on an Earth in an 80-million-year-long Age of Ficus. Our future will be more secure if we put these trees in our plans.

Mike Shanahan is a freelance writer with a doctorate in rainforest ecology. His new book about fig trees is out now (published in the UK as Ladders to Heaven and in North America as Gods, Wasps and Stranglers).

A thread by Seth Abramson (Attorney. Newsweek columnist. Professor.

This thread summarizes the major-media investigative reporting on the TRUMP-CHINA SCANDAL, a bribery scandal involving Trump's hunt for dirt on Joe Biden in China, his debts to the Chinese government, and his decision to ignore life-saving COVID-19 intel.

We begin with the context: Trump's history of viewing his endeavors as entwined and mutually reinforcing. For instance, despite contest-rigging being a felony, Trump has been accused of picking Miss Universe finalists based on where his businesses are.

Just so, the Trump-Russia scandal was at its heart a *bribery* scandal: Trump's pre-election establishment of a pro-Russia foreign policy in conjunction with secretly pursuing the most lucrative deal of his professional life: a Kremlin-blessed deal for a "Trump Tower Moscow."

The Trump-Ukraine scandal was another bribery scandal—Trump receiving illegal foreign donations and false statements on Biden from corrupt Ukrainians in exchange for military aid, a White House visit, and help toppling the anti-Kremlin CEO of Ukraine's state-owned energy firm.

Trump's hasty retreat from Syria—the Trump-Turkey scandal—was likewise underwritten by bribery: Trump's major business interests in Turkey interfering first in the federal prosecution of the Turkish Halkbank and then in his capitulation to an illegal Turkish invasion of Syria.

The Trump-Saudi, Trump-UAE, and Trump-Israel scandals—which all saw Trump receive illegal aid from these nations pre-election in exchange for favorable policy post-election —were *likewise* accompanied by Trump pursuing business deals in these nations.

It's important to underscore that Trump has confessed to almost all of this. For instance, he confessed pre-election that if he ever had to set policy with respect to Turkey post-election—which of course he would—he would have a "conflict of interest."

trump has called the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act—which prevents businessmen like him from participating in bribery schemes with foreign nations—a "horrible" and "unfair" law that he wants repealed by Congress. And he's made efforts to orchestrate it:  his own officials—even ones loyal to him—talk openly about his conflicts of interest, which see him commingling his business interests and U.S. policy and (with persistence and impunity) acting to advance his interests. Bolton and Barr both agree on it.  trump no longer even pretends to deny that he was seeking a major tower deal in Moscow while running for president—co-mingling his business interests with foreign policy decisions he'd have to make as POTUS. It's key context for the Trump-China scandal.

Presented by ABC News with a hypothetical in which he participates in a bribery scheme—a foreign government offering him a personal political benefit even as he is setting U.S. foreign policy with respect to that country—Trump said he would go for it. (Stephanopoulos interview … ��I think I’d take it”.  https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/id-exclusive-interview-trump-listen-foreigners-offered-dirt-63669304 )

In the Ukraine scandal, Trump simply drew *no distinction* between official acts he'd taken to benefit himself personally and the idea that a president must work on the nation's behalf—a novel claim his trial attorney then explicitly and publicly made.

COVID-19 has stopped none of this. During the pandemic, even as Europe—per reporting by the NYT—was the actual source of the new February infections in NYC, Trump issued a European travel "ban" in March that excluded any country he had golf courses in.

No one disagrees that—per endless major-media reporting—in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, other nations like Egypt, his pageants and more, Trump cross-pollinates his operations so that everything works hand-in-glove with everything else to make him money.

Trump told Cohen—per Michael Cohen's congressional testimony, un-contradicted on this—that Trump's POTUS run was intended as an "infomercial" for his "brand" (i.e., domestic/foreign actors would later pay him based on what he included—like policy—in the brand).

The Steele dossier was not the first—or the *twentieth*—document to claim Trump's business dealings in *China* significantly *supersede* in size and scope his many failed dealings in Russia, his many failed dealings in Ukraine in the 2000s, or his Middle Eastern golf courses.

You can read all about Trump's conflicts of interest in China here—mind you, just a *few* of the ones we know about, as most are hidden within Trump's tax returns. The most obvious piece is scores of valuable trademarks timed to Trump policy decisions.  https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/security/news/2017/06/14/433915/trumps-conflicts-interest-china/

That's right: Trump—and Ivanka—get valuable Chinese trademarks in a way that appears timed to coincide with Trump's decisions on issues in which the Chinese government is invested. In this we see the *same trend* as with his pro-Kremlin foreign policy.

But it's more than just trademarks: Trump *owes the Chinese government hundreds of millions of dollars*. And the Trump-China scandal coincides with some of those debts coming due and some of Trump's income *from* China entering a period of uncertainty.

It was in this context—in the middle of a trade war with China *Trump started*—that Trump spoke with Chinese president Xi Jinping in June 2019 and did something a U.S. president never does: discussed *both* U.S. policy and his political rival (Biden).

Two notes about this CNN report: Trump's call with Xi came not long after his hand-picked AG "exculpated" him of wrongdoing in Russia—meaning he felt free to exchange in such conduct again. Trump's team *hid the transcript of the Trump-Xi call*.

If you track the calls we know Trump improperly used the NSC ("NICE") archive to hide from even his own administration—calls with Putin, MBS and Xi, plus the call with Zelensky that got him impeached—you can see that Trump *knows* when he's done wrong.

So in June 2019, Trump had a call with Chinese president Xi Jinping in which he talked about a trade war he (Trump) had started—a war which gave him leverage over China—and Biden's political prospects. And then Trump's team worked feverishly to hide what Trump had said to Xi.

We don't have to *wonder* what the connection is between Trump's trade war and Biden—Trump told us in October 2019. In that month, he discussed—in the same 30 seconds—his *leverage* with China and his request for Biden dirt from China. Watch the video: https://c-span.org/video/?464931-

So the question is not whether Trump commingled the trade war and Biden; or whether he wanted to hide that fact; or whether what he wanted from his "leverage" with China was dirt on Biden. All that is clear—and public. The question is: did Trump get the deal that he demanded?

The answer is *yes*. One of Trump's top men on trade negotiations in China, Michael Pillsbury, said he received *dirt on Biden* from *the Chinese government* the *very same week* Trump tied his "leverage" with the Chinese to his demand for Biden dirt.

Pillsbury: "I got quite a bit of background on Hunter Biden from the Chinese." The FINANCIAL TIMES reports "[it] relate[ed] to a $1.5bn payment from the Bank of China"—which "matches the amount Trump last week claimed Hunter Biden received from China."

In Trump's public statements, he has said that the money Hunter Biden received in China somehow implicates Joe Biden in corruption involving the Chinese government—an accusation that follows Trump's career-long pattern of accusing others of whatever he himself has been doing.

As the summary of Trump's conflicts of interest by the Center for American Progress details, when Trump made his demand of the Chinese not only did he have "leverage" from the trade war he started to consider—a war which has hurt Americans—but also his rent at NYC properties.

Trump makes tens of millions of dollars renting to the Chinese—and one of his biggest payments was up for renegotiation in October '19, the month he talked about leverage over the Chinese and demanded dirt on his top political rival. But there's some context to consider here.

Remember that Trump and his family had long ago learned from major-media reporting that the Chinese were actively looking for clandestine ways to shift Trump's China policy using the business/personal interests of him and his family. All D.C. knew it.

Consider, then, that the $200+ million Trump owes the Chinese government is due "soon," per POLITICO, meaning Trump knows he has China's support for his re-election—as it has leverage over him it wants to keep—*and* that now is his time to cut a deal.

It is in this context—(1) Trump owing the Chinese $200+ million; (2) having them as a major renter bringing him tens of millions; (3) he and his family knowing they want to cut a clandestine deal; (4) him having coupled personal and U.S. policy and tried to hide it... (5) Pillsbury getting Biden dirt from the Chinese during the same 7-day period Trump demands it; and (6) Trump warning the Chinese that he has "leverage" to get what he wants because of the trade war *he* started—at the moment coronavirus appears in China in November 2019.

In November 2019, just a few weeks after Trump gets the Biden dirt he demanded from China, U.S. intelligence tells Trump that there is a virus emerging in China that could be dangerous. The intelligence is urgent and comes from multiple U.S. agencies.

Trump inexplicably rejects the intelligence. Indeed, his administration has so little interest in hearing the intelligence that *U.S. intelligence agencies* must focus on sharing the intelligence with NATO and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), instead.

But here's the rub: Trump receives intelligence on the novel coronavirus *as he's in the middle of trade negotiations* with the Chinese. And weeks after Trump learns of the virus, he makes the most stunning decision imaginable with respect to those negotiations—and the virus.

At a time Trump knew of the virus, per the senior White House correspondent at HUFFPOST China inserted in its trade negotiation with him an exceedingly rare trade-deal clause that excused China from compliance in the event of—for instance—a pandemic.

So at a time the Trump administration had received *and rejected* urgent U.S. intelligence on the coronavirus, it received from *China* a request for an exceptional, entirely unexplained "out" clause that would cover a pandemic. And what did Trump do? Nothing—he permitted it.

But he didn't just permit it—though he knew from the DHHS Crimson Contagion simulation, the NSC pandemic playbook, and papers submitted by White House economists that the virus he'd learned of in November could devastate the US, he sent China our PPEs.

WP: "US manufacturers shipped millions of dollars of face masks and other PPEs to China in January and February with encouragement from the federal government—a move that underscores the Trump administration’s failure to recognize and prepare for the growing pandemic threat."

It was *after* that WASHINGTON POST report, of course, that we learned from ABC and THE TIMES OF ISRAEL that in fact Trump's team *did* recognize the growing pandemic threat—in November 2019—it's just that it did nothing about it (nor China's pandemic-oriented trade demands).

But it's more than this: Trump was being told by a cadre of Americans at the World Health Organization in December that there was a virus in China that could come to the U.S. and be devastating—further confirming the intel reports from 2 U.S. agencies.

It's with all of this in mind that we must consider the *80-day lapse* from Trump receiving intelligence about the virus in November 2019 from multiple agencies and the February 2 execution of Trump's China travel "ban"—which 40,000 got through no problem after it was issued.

Why did Trump reject—for *80 days*—bad news involving a nation he was involved in clandestine dealings with, despite having been told that the toll for his decision could be millions of US lives? What could've been worth so much to him? The same thing as ever—money and power.

There are so many details I've not included here. For instance, Pillsbury knew his revelation to FT that he secretly received Biden dirt from China was such a screwup, he *lied publicly* and said he'd never told FT *any* such thing. Then FT revealed they'd kept his emails

The pattern of conduct here is of course *identical* to every *other* Trump bribery scandal: secret communications; destruction/hiding of evidence; public lies about meetings or exchanges; inexplicable official acts; public and private demands for illegal election assistance.

But there's a difference this time: 52,000 Americans (and counting) are *dead*. Many of them because Trump's response to the COVID-19 threat began in earnest in *mid-March 2020* rather than *mid-November 2019*. A fact that appears attributable to his deals with the Chinese.

For years, criminal attorneys online and off have been warning America that when the most powerful man in the world can be bribed with money, land deals, and promises of illegal election assistance, the result will be stolen elections, policies that harm America... and *war*.

We already hit Stage 1: as detailed in my books PROOF OF COLLUSION and PROOF OF CONSPIRACY (which combined have 7,500 in-text major-media citations), Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel aided Trump in 2016. The Ukraine scandal was—and is—about getting such aid for 2020.

Stage 2 of the threat America was warned about: a bribery scandal that costs us dearly on domestic policy. We're here now: a pandemic Trump didn't fight because he wanted a deal with China. Trump *thanked* Xi on COVID-19 in January/February even as US intel said Xi was lying.

CONCLUSION/ A significant percentage of the U.S. COVID-19 outbreak is attributable to a federal response hobbled by Trump's secret side communications with China. That changed only in March—after it was too late. And the next time Trump is bribed, America is likely to go to war.

‘For artists, work ethic and intelligence are just as important as talent.’

Scroll through the blue-ticked Instagram accounts of most major-league US music executives, and you’ll tend to find the same old schtick: images of their artists playing career-boosting stages; flattering snaps of their newly decked-out office; a smattering of vacation/weekend shots accidentally-on-purpose showcasing that sleek second home in the Hills.

Mike Caren’s Insta feed, however, offers a little something more – a little something indicative of the inquisitive mind of the man himself. A swift perusal of Caren’s page throws up graphs, charts and textual provocations covering themes like ‘10 trends that will reshape the music industry’, how fast TV watching is declining amongst Millennials, the average ages of social media use in 2019, and the ‘share of ear’ that radio claims amongst US consumers over 13.

This all fits because Caren, as well as being obsessive about the A&R process, is also obsessive about media trends, and how consumption of everything from HBO to Fortnite and Instagram are munching into the daily music habits of today’s teenagers.

Such compulsive attention to detail is serving Caren’s businesses well. The Beverly Hills-raised exec founded Artist Publishing Group back in 2006, followed by the launch of Artist Partner Group in 2013. Warner Music Group and Atlantic Records, with whom Caren has worked for more than 20 years, injected a multi- million dollar investment into APG three years ago.

Since then, APG, which now employs more than 40 staff, has developed and broken stars including Bazzi, Charlie Puth, Kehlani, Kevin Gates and NBA Youngboy, as well as an electric array of songwriters such as Hitmaka, Yung Berg, Amy Allen and Madison Love.

Most recently, Los Angeles-based APG unleashed Ava Max, who hit No.1 in many territories this year including the UK, Sweden, and Germany with international smash “Sweet But Psycho”.

Caren began his career aged 17 with Atlantic Records, and later served as Co-President – alongside John Janick – of the relaunched Elektra Records (Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Cee Lo Green) between 2009 and 2012.

MBUSA recently sat down with Caren within APG’s Fairfax studio complex to ask him all about his A&R philosophy, and where he sees the future of multimedia going in the next few years…

Tell us a truism about the music industry.

So much of what moves the needle in this business is just about listening – really listening. When a label or publishing exec has a 60 minute meeting with a producer or songwriter, once you’ve caught up with each other, you’re already 30 minutes into it, and only then do you start listening to music.

That leaves you 25 minutes to listen, and consider eight to 10 ideas. Then the meeting is over – and you haven’t even cracked the surface. If you’d allowed for 90 minutes of music, you would probably have found something really special.

So for that last 20 minutes, I might ask you to [hand over] everything you haven’t played me – whether you think I might or might not like it. Then I’m actually going to listen to it all and hear the stuff that other people don’t get to.

You employ more than 40 people at APG, and you’re expanding. Can you actively keep the roster here capped at certain size?

Yes. We started in the publishing world, where I felt that one A&R executive couldn’t really have a high impact on every one of their writers unless they were limited to approximately 10 writers.

I noticed that at most of the major publishing companies, when I talked to executives, their personal roster would be over 50 writers. I found it hard to believe that they would be able to deliver something significant for every writer with that roster size. Records is about a smaller amount of artists, but it’s also about building teams.

People with different perspectives, different skill sets all working together, learning from each other and bringing different things to the table. I work with people that have so much passion and intelligence and determination. This company is a sum of those parts. There’s 40 people here that have the impact of 150.

What would you say is the defining A&R philosophy of APG?

We believe that work ethic and intelligence are just as important as talent. A smart and hardworking creative will keep improving whereas someone without that work ethic or vision might creatively just tread water, or even decline in their quality.

“We work with [talent] for days, weeks or even months before we sign a deal.”

The biggest thing is getting to know writers and artists personally. We work with them for days, weeks or even months before we sign a deal. We will often lose a deal because somebody – after working with APG – is rushed elsewhere in the industry by a bidding war or whatever. And if that happens, it’s okay. It wasn’t meant to be.

Why is getting to know artists properly so important to you?

Ideally, you want to enter a relationship that’s a decade or decades- long. You can marry the first person you kiss, but I think it’s better to go on more dates and ask a lot of questions to see if your vision of the future is aligned. When you have tough conversations upfront, it leads to better conversations for years to come.

Give us an example of a tough conversation with an artist.

Those conversations revolve around expectations, timeline, patience, vision. I love artists that have huge goals and who know several moves they want to make to get there – who aren’t expecting to make it all in one single play. I love songwriters turning into artists too, because they’ve had this passenger seat in other artists’ careers to which they’ve contributed. The writer-turned-artist has seen other artists making tough decisions, and what the results were, which helps them avoid their own mistakes and pitfalls.

“If you just try to protect artists from making those mistakes, it doesn’t help, because when they become very successful, they will ultimately take all the big decisions; your job is to prepare them to make great ones.”

APG is the best at amplifying, investing in and turbo-charging artists who have a lot of ideas. And the best ideas always come from artists. It’s always better to let an artist make a mistake, because when a smart artist makes a mistake, they learn from it. If you just try to protect artists from making those mistakes, it doesn’t help, because when they become very successful, they will ultimately take all the big decisions; your job is to prepare them to make great ones. You can’t shelter talent early on, then expect people to act like an experienced artists when they’re successful.

How do you feel about the number of songwriters behind the majority of hits today?

The other day somebody sent me a video with Bob Marley, One Love and said, ‘What an incredible song and songwriter.’ I said, ‘Yeah, Curtis Mayfield was a fricking genius.’ They said, ‘Are you kidding? That song was written by Bob Marley!’ It’s a co-write. Curtis Mayfield and Bob Marley. And if Bob Marley can co-write, anyone can co-write.

One defining modern A&R trend is that of collaboration. Two people from largely different genres cross-pollinating fan bases. What do you make of that trend, and does it ever concern you?

I saw an exhibit of Picasso and Matisse years ago. They were friends and they did interpretive pieces of each other’s work. Their artistry was so clear when they did so. Anything that allows someone to demonstrate creativity and originality is an amazing vehicle – but the song [has to be] organic and creative.

Why did you started APG in the first place?

First, I had been working as an A&R person at Atlantic for 10 years. Having been in one company for so long, I wanted a different experience and I wanted an entrepreneurial experience.

I built a lot of trust at Atlantic, so they allowed me to create a partnership venture with them. But I operated it independently, and I love to experiment. Every session is an experiment; every marketing idea is an experiment; every day here is about experimentation.

“I had this philosophy, this is 15 years ago, that songwriters and producers are artists in their own right.”

And second, I had this philosophy, this is 15 years ago, that songwriters and producers are artists in their own right – and that a publisher could publish their songs and get them paid, but could also treat them as an artist and A&R them in that way, providing the introductions, the insights, and the resources that labels provide to artists.

It was a learning process because I didn’t know about publishing, and I didn’t have the budget to chase hits, so we had to be bold.

Why is so much A&R focused entirely on the new – the thrill of ‘breaking’ something?

Out of anything in this business, I get the most satisfaction from seeing other people with their first big successes: their first hit song; their first platinum record; their first sold out tour; their first song on the radio.

Every time a new artist, a new writer has an experience like that, it’s contagious. To me, that’s more powerful than congratulating someone on their fifth of sixth platinum album. It’s an honor to make music – it’s exciting and it’s an adventure.

I’m really proud of the artists and writers that have been successful, but I’m just as proud of the executives. That goes for the team here, but also people that have previously worked or interned here and moved on. I root for their success.

“Every time a new artist, a new writer has an experience like that, it’s contagious.”

Right now, I’m in awe of A&R moves from Miles Beard (pictured), Jeff Vaughn, Tizita Makuria, Eli Picarretta, Edgar Machuca, Matt MacFarlane, Lisa Mottahedeh, David Phung, and Dan Snyder, all of whom landed their first A&R roles here – several starting as interns or assistants – and all of whom have signed Gold or Platinum artists or writers, or had hits this year.

But I’m also thrilled to see fast career growth and broadening responsibility from vets that joined us such as Elyse Rogers, Angie Pagano, Mike Mathewson, Olly Sheppard, Jessica Kelm, and the list can go on. Fifteen years in, I look around and see our team members thriving, and people who’ve cut their teeth with us at pretty much every label, from A&R Executive to Chairman.

APG takes a white label approach with its artists – your brand is kept on the sidelines. Why?

We’re too broad to create a single, forward-facing brand. The great labels that I love had, and continue to have today, sonic consistency. They had a cultural voice and a specific niche, with a sound or a through line.

I lean in to creative people; we’re not going to not sign an artist just because they don’t fit in with other artists on our roster, or not work with an executive because they’re a certain type. There are no rules and no limitations to who APG works with. We just want to work with people for whom we can deliver more than anyone else out there.

Also, I love our entrepreneurial artists and I don’t want to take away from their opportunity to build their brand – both their artist brand and their company brand. I love it when an artist’s dreams include everything from festivals to clothing to charitable organizations. If I can help build an artist’s brand, it’s one more resource that we’re providing that I don’t think many others offer.

What makes a good artist manager?

One, they have to have enough experience to know that everything changes every year. Two, they have to listen to their artist but also speak the truth to them. And, of course, work ethic and intelligence are so important – especially the work ethic, because managers have to provide an example for their artist. Great managers are also great communicators; people who bring people together.

“there’s this ‘Napster Gap’, as I call it, 2002 to 2014, where only a few people invested into the business, and only a few people got hired – so there was not as much opportunity for mentorship for a lot of people versus what had come before.”

It’s a weird time for the music business because there’s so much opportunity now. But there’s also this ‘Napster Gap’, as I call it, 2002 to 2014, where only a few people invested into the business, and only a few people got hired – so there was not as much opportunity for mentorship for a lot of people versus what had come before. There are some incredible managers out there who are just so smart, and had to learn the game on their own.

The head of Netflix, Reed Hastings, said earlier this year that Fortnite was a bigger competitor to his company than traditional rivals like HBO. What do you make of the idea that other media is stealing attention from artists and music?

It’s something I think about a lot. I heard about something recently that said that Americans have over 11 hours a day of media consumption because of how much multitasking they do – like how they will play video games while listening to music. Their consumption is literally doubling.

I see incredible opportunity there, because if you work in the music business and you’ve never played Fortnite, you’re going to fall a few steps behind.

“If you work in the music business and you’ve never played Fortnite, you’re going to fall a few steps behind.”

How Fortnite makes its money is worth thinking about: the short windows of items being for sale; the opening for other platforms [as the game can be played across different devices]; the live events; how [Epic Games] updates and changes the game’s dynamic to keep things so exciting. There are so many amazing things to learn from it.

As far as competing in media, there’s going to be huge L.A. production competition. You have Netflix, Apple, Amazon, Hulu, Spotify and a bunch of other companies with endless amounts of money going to go into content production. It’s going to mean a whole new competition for creative talent, and it will be interesting. It could be incredible for talent – and it will definitely fortify L.A. as the creative capital of the world.

How do you counter that with the value of labels?

There’s no one-size-fits-all, right? Some people love business. Some people love managing people and administration. Some people love to be creative. Some people can do all of those things together. And there are some people who are just true artists who want to color outside the lines and break rules. They don’t want any of the administrative burden. They don’t want to reconcile tours, or deal with Social Security or 401ks, you know?

Some of that’s to do with different points in your life. You may be young; you may want to have fun and be creative and break the rules and not deal with turnover and all of these things. And later in your life, you may want to be more stationary and operate a company and a business. People just need to know what things entail.

“Staying independent is probably the right thing for a lot of artists and it’s probably the wrong thing for a lot of artists.”

There are an increasing number of artist managers who now say that running an independent operation for an artist isn’t ‘management’ – it’s a business partnership, so it shouldn’t be 15 or 20% commission, it should be 50% across everything, including touring. And that all depends on how much of an artist’s business is just music – whether they need a manager who’s just doing music, or managing several businesses.

Staying independent is probably the right thing for a lot of artists and it’s probably the wrong thing for a lot of artists. It all has to do with individual ambition, and how you actually want your 16 to 20 waking hours to be spent.

In an age awash with A&R data, how do you feel about the reduction in signings based purely on based on gut instinct?

I love data… partly because so much of the major label business is focused on it, which leaves all this open territory for us. But, also, I will say data can definitely show more than just momentum, it can reveal a pool of artists who didn’t wait for anyone to move their career forward, who got out of bed every day and worked hard to move the needle.

Somebody can tell me they’re going to work hard all day long, but an artist that had no resources that went out and built some fans? That’s someone you know wants it. I’ll never discount that, as work ethic is so essential.

Where do you get your work ethic from?

My mom’s creative. My dad’s organized. I love this job – this isn’t work, look how soft my hands are! The worst part of my job is sitting waiting for someone to show up who’s late. That’s it! And nowadays, I can always fill those hours by listening to music anyway.

I’m very sure you could have capably run an established major label group. Contemporaries like John Janick are doing it…

He’s awesome.

Why did you choose to build something from scratch, rather than run a big frontline label during this period of your career?

I don’t think anyone ever offered me a job that had the freedom that I now enjoy as an entrepreneur. As an industry, we need to empower people and trust them. There’s always a lot of oversight and structure in majors – and it’s probably needed. But now, we’re facing an ever-evolving future, we have to experiment and to do R&D.

“Change is inevitable. Change is good. But you have to try things in order to figure out what works with change.”

Change is inevitable. Change is good. But you have to try things in order to figure out what works with change. It’s inevitable that artists are going to change the way they make music and market music – and anyone who clings on to the past will get left behind. I love nostalgia like anyone else; we can still tell great stories of the good old days, but we have to be open to try new things all the time.

Let’s talk about the future, then. What are you excited about?

We are a very de-centralized company; I’m trying my absolute best to build the most entrepreneurial organization possible. I want everyone here to think like entrepreneurs, and to make decisions. I choose to run this company differently from, say, the way the legendary Clive Davis ran Arista. He’s incredible, but I hear he personally approved every piece of art and every mix.

Again, just like the artists here, everyone should be making decisions, seeing the results and learning from them. I want every executive I work with to feel that their career grew twice as fast in this organization than it did anywhere else.

What’s going to change at APG over the next five years?

We’re trying to reorganize the entire approach to being a global company. Many major labels don’t seem like singular global companies; they’re a bunch of companies, around the world, that license to each other. Spotify is a global company; they have editors in different offices, but they are a global company.

That’s something we’re a couple of steps ahead on and I don’t think it will take five years. I think it will happen way before then.

The above interview originally appeared in Music Business USA – MBW’s new annual magazine featuring some of the smartest people, with the best stories, in the Stateside music industry.

Subscribe to MBW’s premium bundle to ensure you never miss one our physical magazines in future. Click through here to find out how.Music Business Worldwide

Source: https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/for-artists-work-ethic-and-intelligence-are-just-as-important-as-talent/

june’18_bunches of flowers_SODAK

Holy shit. I’ll be honest with y’all. I didn’t think I was gonna be able to do this. 

Sometimes combining lists of songs feel empty & egotistic. like deciding based on my completely_solely--see also, arbitrary--opinion, which songs are more deserving than others. While all that mIgHT by true, what stands is that I think these songs are connected by something other than my arbitrary opinion. These songwriters, producers and performers are **killing** the game. They are creating thought-provoking production, delivering performances sure to drive goosebumps, and networking with each other that cross-pollinates in a way that fans cannot deny. (EX: Kids See Ghosts, Charli XCX, EVAN GIIA, Rostam)

I pick songs that I think are meaningful on multiple levels. It’s my aim to showcase music that I think it breaking down sonic boundaries. I also hope to point out how the creative spheres of our world are smaller than we think. Thanks to the streaming age and the new internet age, artists are making more of what they want, with whomever they want. As audiences recognize and support this -- I think we’ll enter into a new golden age for recorded music. 

CHECK OUT THE FULL LIST HERERERERERE: : : 

OR HERE E E E E

Or even H E RRRE E E E

Key Tracks: 

“5 In The Morning” - Charli XCX 

Mixtape-Era Charli has been getting a lot of press recently. FINALLY. As an artist and creative in her own right, Charli has captured the art of the re-invention cycle. Since the top of 2017, she’s reentered the public sphere to delivers consistent strong releases--mixtape, music vids, singles--and to invite the world into her collaborative projects. Charli embraces the spirit of the streaming age releasing projects at her own pace, and at whatever volume she desires. Ex. see Number 1 Angel, “Boys”, “Focus”, Pop 2 etc etc etc. Charli’s departure from the normal album cycle, and the personal dialogue she shares via Twitter describes how her struggle to breach the norm in fact creates meaningful artistic energy. Wow. She rules. 

Also watch the music video here: : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qyUb4OU_P8

“Panic Room” - Au/Ra, CamelPhat

This song has taken quite the trip. Au/Ra, a brilliant songwriter in her own right crafted the creepy, mysterious OG version of Panic Room. House music hot shots, ChamelPhat catapulted the track to every house playlist/set in the year 2018. CamelPhat took the sly and coy feelings of anxiety and mashed them into a slurry house bassline to create a pulsating jam that grooves at any time. 

“Lost” - MorMor

This Canada-based songwriter released his debut EP at the end of June. With a tuned ear for hooks, MorMor carefully layers clipped guitars, air-tight percussion and wavy basslines to move the listener through a variety of emotions. Much like a genuine job interview, MorMor has give us a look into his world and left me wanting and waiting for more. 

“Let’s Find An Out” - Snail Mail

Budding songwriter, Snail Mail has just released her long-awaited full-length, Lush, via Matador Records. Reading like writing in a diary, Lindsey Jordan creates emotional intimacy that pulls the listener in with crafty hooks and soothes them with raw, emotive language. While this whole record is a must-listen, “Let’s Find An Out,” hits me square in the feels of finding an end to a situation that simultaneously hurts and heals. 

“Yikes” - Kanye West 

Yikes. While this was many of our first reactions to West’s latest solo release, Ye. This track and album has carved a special place in this current run of G.O.O.D. Music releases. Offering something way different than Daytona or Kids See Ghosts, Ye shows a West in mid stride; making crazy mad beats and talking about the current state of his life. In ALL of its messy glory. Yikes stands out as the most potent summation of his situation. TMZ, political affiliation, and mental health references liter the track as they’ve littered his Twitter feed since April. Yet, as an artist, West harnesses the energy, and ability of this music economy to record, produce and release a project that, while messy, embodies an creator in their natural element. 

Three Key Ingredients

Every cup of coffee contains three ingredients: beans, water, and community. The coffee bean, the caffeine king, a powerful ingredient that it is beloved all on its own. Steeping in hot water,  the beans emit aromatics that spark the senses, “it’s morning!” The coffee is excited to see you, it’s a warm presence in your hands as you pick it up from the barista or off of the kitchen counter. Sometimes it’s too excited, and needs to be tempered with something creamy or something sweet, or maybe both. Coffee is not judgemental. It doesn’t care that you’re drinking it because you need to get through your morning meeting, or increase your ambition to create art. Warming up on a cold day or excited to meet someone new, coffee is hopeful. Rojo’s Roastery owner J. David Waldman has made it his mission to create the best start to your day. Using his highly trained palate, a background in chemistry, and a lifelong curiosity of coffee.

The coffee shop, formerly Lambertville Pottery from the early 20th century, has high ceilings and a beautifully exposed skeleton. Waldman embraced the look with large shelves stocked full of 150lb burlap bags of raw coffee at the back of the shop. The bags sit next to a three barrel sample roaster from the 1930’s, used to test new coffees. Instead of firing up the large roaster and possibly over-roasting the beans, the sample roaster allows for more control and smaller batches. Waldman explains, “You’re evaluating small batches before you start buying massive amounts [of coffee].” He has retrofitted the vintage roaster with modern technology: adding a digital readout with a temperature gauge and flowmeter in each barrel. It looks like something out of a science fiction novel, “But it’s not steampunk, for appearance. This is actually a fully working, state-of-the-art, 1930’s, super rare machine that I resurrected.” Waldeman has meticulously rebuilt the machine, finding parts through friends of friends, and even hand-making his own leather strap to help turn the compartments that roast the coffee.

Past the sample roaster, there is a large, orange forklift, flaunting a Rojo’s sticker. “I bought a forklift, which I jokingly say is the reason why I wanted to do this.” Next to the forklift, you’ll notice a small area of the roastery that is occupied with a stainless steel table covered with meters that measure TDS (total dissolved solids), density, color, and everything in between to narrow in on color and taste along with lab glassware and laboratory grinders. Waldman calls this his laboratory where he tests his coffees and decides what to put in the shop. “People will argue that you walk the line between art and science at the level of coffee that we’re doing it.”

Near the entrance, the shop softens its look with an assortment of wooden tables, couches, and a tall granite counter for people to work. Near the couches, there is a bin of children’s books. Mixing form and function, there is always something to look at while you’re visiting Rojo’s. He wants to spark your curiosity entering his shop. He wants you to be asking questions, “What is this place? Why is there a forklift? What are these machines?”

Waldman was introduced to coffee at a young age. His father was stationed in Turkey as an army medic and as a result, brought Turkish coffee into the Waldman household; David was hooked. His dad would prepare the Turkish coffee after dinner and, as he got older, was honored when his dad asked him to prepare the coffee himself, “The smell got me...I thought the ritual was awesome, the aromatics were awesome, the taste was awesome.” It quickly turned into a passion. He recalls, “I remember as a kid using a Chemex and a french press in the 60’s. And going to the Reading Terminal Market [in Philadelphia] and watching them roast coffee. Then using my family’s oven and a baking sheet pan I tried to roast my own coffee. I was always on a mission, buying better grinders and asking the next set of questions ‘How can I make this better?’”

Rojos offers both brew and bean, all roasted in-house. On some days, you can smell the coffee being roasted blocks away. Bosco’s Blend is a milder well-balanced bean, perfect in a French Press alongside your favorite pastry, while Midwives’ Moonshine sits on the other end of the spectrum. It is more intense and some say it could, “burn your eyebrows right off.” (in a good way!). Waldman has traveled the world to pick out the perfect beans and flavors to provide in his shop.

In an effort to better understand the coffee that he is importing and roasting, Waldman visits microlot farms old and new along the coffee belt. These farms, which are generally no larger than a hectare, are better for the coffee. Farmers have been tending to these lots for generations and have familiarized themselves with the local soils. These generational farmers produce the highest quality beans found at Rojo’s. When a promising farm is found, he imports samples from the farms he visits and roasts them in his modernized sample roaster.

In his lab, he’ll taste up to 8 different beans at a time, which sounds exhausting, especially when it’s something as flavorful as coffee. “After 50 or 60 I start getting fatigued.” he says with a warm smile. To give his palette a break, he’ll use cleansers such as plain wafer crackers or carbonated water.

The water used in coffee deserves just as much respect as the beans themselves. To the left of the barista counter, there is a ladder leading up to a narrow, unassuming loft. Waldman points to the opening at the top and explains that there is a state-of-the-art water purification system just beyond the rungs. “We actually manufacture [water] so to speak, in all of our cafes.”

Through the process of controlling the TDS (total dissolved solids) in PPM (parts per million), Rojo’s can independently control the pH to any specification of water in their shop. “It’s basically a process where since coffee is 98.5% water, the water has to be good.” If the water is too hard, minerals in the water overpower the coffee, too soft, and the coffee itself will be too strong. The manufactured water needs to be well-balanced to have the correct “flavor exchange” with the coffee. These flavors range from nutty to fruity and everything in between.

In order to find this range of flavor, one needs to first know how to taste. Waldman, in addition to being a musician, beekeeper, and business owner, is a licensed coffee taster. He is a master in the art of cupping, a process which involves the use of your sight, smell and taste to evaluate coffee. Understanding the entire flavor profile of each bean and the quality of the water is important when deciding on which coffees to sell at Rojo’s. It’s a process much like wine tasting, using certain sipping techniques to find specific notes in each cup. Waldman honed his cupping and sensory skills through the Specialty Coffee Association of America and the Coffee Quality Institute resulting in the certification of a Licensed Q-Instructor.

A Q-Instructor’s promise is to maintain the integrity of coffee and the farmers who produce it. Waldman practices this mantra, “If we don’t like it [the coffee], because of our social responsibility, we’ll give very specific comments back to the farmer. One of the skills I have is my ability to correlate farming practices with my taste to give improvement. And our goal, under our social contract, is to pay farmers more money so they can make a better living.” It is the duty of a licensed Q-Instructor to provide a fair trade; for a coffee that is unlike any other in the world, the farmer gets valuable feedback from a certified expert, a fair living wage and a sustainable partnership.

When he is not testing coffee, Waldman uses his well trained palette to collaborate with other small business owners who are experimenting with flavor, “I really like meeting and collaborating with the Thought Leaders in whatever field it might be; whether it’s cross-pollination, or just taking things to where things haven’t been done before.” He likes to ask his favorite question, “What role do you want the coffee to play in this?” He’s teamed up with a number of breweries, including Troon, Riverhorse, Tired Hands, Triumph and Vault. Bringing people together is an undercurrent at Rojos.

Every time you walk into Rojos, there is light music playing, usually the latest indie band. There are always people working, with laptops plugged into the industrial, yellow outlets hanging from the ceiling. Friends are meeting up, first dates unfolding, people running in and out; it’s a true watering hole. There will be Rojos employees having a staff meeting at the couches, tasting new coffees, and discussing new products coming into the shop. Next to them are cafe tables looking out over the neighborhood through a large garage door. People outside are walking their dogs and moving to and from their destinations. If you take a closer look at the garage door frame, you will notice notches on the wall, where children’s heights are recorded from years past.

After Waldman was laid-off from Sony Music in New York City, he decided he wanted to start a project closer to home. “When I left the music business in 2005, it took me almost a year to figure out what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it and where. I took a compass and made a 40 mile radius around Hopewell.”

After exploring different areas within his radius, Waldman found Lambertville, and the large industrial building in the North End of town that he nicknames “NoLa”. Waldman describes, “I had a vision that this could become a community center, and where people of all walks could come to this safe haven. Where no matter what was going on in their lives, no matter what they were doing or wrestling with, this would be a place where we’d open our arms and welcome them. Just relax, look around, and you’re going to meet some amazing people here. The idea was that this was going to be the hub.” When the shop opened in 2005, he gave the building life, and others followed suit. Now in addition to his roastery, “NoLa” has been built up with a specialty wood-fired pizza restaurant, a rowing studio, a dance studio and a number of creative work spaces, the building is also only a stone’s throw away from Owowcow, a fantastic gourmet ice cream parlor. Waldman’s dreams of a center for community have become a reality.

For thousands of years, coffeehouses have been the hub of society. Philosophers, artists, and thought leaders would gather and have meetings, wax poetic, and discuss their passions all while sipping the age-old beverage. Coffee brings energy, ideas, and ambition to the fabric of humanity. It’s where the Encyclopedia was born and where the founding fathers discussed annexing from England. Rojo’s is an honest representation of this history. It’s a place for conducting business and exchanging ideas. Whether it’s forming a new country or just answering day to day emails, interviewing for a job or catching up with an old friend, meeting at a coffee shop is made of three ingredients: water, beans, and community.

The Rose & Crown: Chapter Twenty-Two (Part Four)

Rating: M Chapters: 22/24

Summary: The Doctor finds himself unable to decide which future he should choose.

Read this story on another platform: Archive of Our Own Fan Fiction WattPad

Clara caught herself staring at the shadows draped across her ceiling as if she had never seen them before. Her arm was loosely wrapped around her lover’s head as she absent-mindedly ran her fingers through the strands of his silver hair. His head rested against her chest as he listened to the calming sound of her heart beating beneath him. Her thoughts teetered between the events of the evening and the soothing sensation of his thumb stroking the surface of her middle. “I’ve missed this,” she finally spoke, breaking the silence in the room.

“Me too,” he admitted, taking in her scent as his glance drifted towards the sight of his hand resting low on her belly.

“It smells so different in here. I almost forgot what the rest of the world smelled like beyond metal consoles and chalk dust.”

“Now that you mention it, there does seem to be a particular Clara-esque aroma floating around in here,” he noted.

“If that’s code for I could do with a wash, I’m going to smack you,” she threatened playfully.

“I’m glad you brought that up. I was worried I would have to break it to you,” he teased her.

“Shut up,” she hushed him, covering his mouth with her hand. She felt him quietly laugh against her and attempted to ignore his humour. Taking a look around the room, she tried to remember how it felt to have lived and breathed a normal life within those walls. “It’s so strange being back here again,” she continued. “I wonder how long I’ve been gone.”

Lifting her hand from his face, he kissed it tenderly and held it in his grasp as he removed himself from under her arm. “Well, that depends,” he started, shifting to her side and supporting his head with his other arm as he looked to her. “Technically speaking, I’d say about four months, give or take a day or two. Realistically, a few hours.”

She tried to wrap her thoughts around his words, finding it difficult to grasp the fact that so little time had passed by on Earth when so much had happened to her since she had last been seen by another human being. As far as anyone else was concerned, she was still grieving over the loss of her recently departed boyfriend while her body continued to expand with the growth of another man’s child. As much as she wanted to see her friends and family again, even if only to hear their voice, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what to tell them. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that the Doctor was right. They shouldn’t have come back there. The memories were far too painful. Distracting herself, she took a moment to look around the room as if searching for anything out of the ordinary. “Should we even be here? Won’t that like, I dunno, implode the universe or something?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he scoffed. “It’s a bedroom, not a black hole.” His eyes scanned the room as if taking into consideration that they had crossed beyond the threshold of safety by leaving the TARDIS and were currently vulnerable to the outside world. “But, just to be safe, perhaps it would be best if we didn’t extend our stay any longer than we have to.”

“Is there time to put the kettle on?” she asked with a bit of excitement. “I haven’t had a decent cup in ages.”

“What are you suggesting, that the TARDIS isn’t capable of making tea?” he eyed her playfully. “You two have never gotten on, have you?”

“Or maybe she just never liked sharing,” she countered with a smile. “Can’t say I blame her though. You’re quite the catch.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Miss Oswald,” he smiled back.

“Good, I’ll only be a minute then,” she assured him. She placed her hand on his cheek and leaned in to kiss him. Rolling to the side, she removed herself from the bed and rummaged around the floor for something a bit more than her nudity to wear. Finding his buttoned shirt, she placed it on and flipped her hair from under the collar. “I hope you don’t mind. Mine seems to be, um, misplaced at the moment.”

“It looks better on you anyway,” he stated, admiring her from the bed.

“A compliment? That’s new. Someone’s being naughty,” she grinned.

“I wouldn’t dare,” he replied with a smirk.

Returning to the bed, she braced her hands on the surface and leaned down to kiss his cheek before taking her leave of the room. Heading towards the kitchen, she passed through the hall and entered the small space. She quickly located the kettle sitting idly atop the counter and began to prep it. As she waited for the water to boil, she took a moment to look around the familiar place as if peering into a part of her past. She ran her hand across the utensils and appliances as if trying to remember how it felt to have utilized the space for its intended purpose. She recalled every unsuccessful attempt at making her mother’s soufflé, the countless number of good times with her closest friends, the laughs she had laughed and the tears she had cried. All the memories of her previous life were there waiting for her return.

After a moment, she sensed the Doctor’s presence approaching her from behind and assumed he was there to check on her. Leave it to him to worry about the potential danger lurking in the cupboards. She felt the warm sensation of his hands reaching around her waist to caress her bare middle as he pulled her closer to him. She leaned herself against him and allowed him to explore every bit of how different she must feel in his grasp now that she was no longer expanding with his child. “Did you miss me being so small in your arms?” she asked coyly.

“You’ve always been desirable to me. Even more so when you’re carrying,” he answered, breathing her in.

She lowered her glance to where his hands were protectively pressed over the place their child once flourished and smiled fondly. “Are you so eager to see me like that again?”

His lips found their way to her cheek and kissed her tenderly. “As many times as you wish,” he whispered, stroking her between her hips as if encouraging her body to embrace the essence of life he had placed inside of it. His paternal desire to ignite the spark of motherhood within her was far too enticing. His powers of persuasion were desperate to feel the electricity and warmth emanating from within her once more, knowing it would only be a matter of time before she’d start to swell for him again. The part of him that should have been ashamed for putting her at risk of another pregnancy during this dangerous time was greatly outweighed by his eagerness to share this life with her. To be able to care for her and their children. To protect them.

The sensation of his hands on her body attempting to lure her in awakened the arousal within her. Placing a gentle hand over his, she took a deep breath and cleared her mind hoping to take command over her diminishing willpower. “Well, Doctor Careful. If you keep that up, it may happen sooner than we expected,” she replied, softly reminding him of his warning against her carrying another child for him while they were still at war.

“Yes, well, maybe the next one won’t grow up trying to discover the best way to kill us,” he added.

“The next one?” she asked, turning towards him to read his expression carefully. “You actually sound as if you want this to be a thing. Do you?”

He inhaled a deep breath and thought for a moment about his answer. She hadn’t made his decision to choose between their two possible futures any easier on him, but he couldn’t deny the fact that one was far more desirable over the other. “Maybe so.”

She smiled and felt her cheeks flush brightly as his intimate confession became the headline of her thoughts. “Are you trying to charm me into having another baby with you, or is your nostalgia from the last time you pollinated me speaking for you?”

Grinning sheepishly at the question, he removed his hands from her middle and gently turned her around to face him. His arm wrapped around the small of her back as his other hand tenderly lifted her head by her chin to meet his gaze. “Perhaps it’s both,” he admitted sincerely, matching her wide smile with his own.

“What about Missy?” she asked, raising her brow.

“What about her?”

“Aren’t we still at war? Don’t we still have a mission to complete?”

“That could be ages from now!” he exclaimed childishly. “There’s no telling what we could accomplish before then. Who knows. By the time we finally get around to it, perhaps we’ll have created an entire army together,” he grinned, holding her tightly against him.

“You seem pretty sure of yourself,” she noted with a laugh. “A Time Lord with baby fever. Now there’s something you don’t see every day. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were under a spell,” she implied harmlessly.

He felt his smile quickly fade away as his guilt of keeping her in the dark about their illness returned to the surface of his mind. He could not nor wished to fault her for her accusation in this matter. She was purely innocent. It was the virus’ control over them that deserved the full force of his rage. As he peered down at her brightly lit expression, he realized he no longer recognized who he was anymore nor could recall what his old self would have done in this situation. Perhaps he would have already chosen the path to save them from the grip of their altered reality at the cost of their relationship by now. But now that everything had been left up to this version of himself, being forced to choose between their two futures was tearing him apart. The Clara he knew never would have allowed him to become so selfish. The moment she would have discovered the existence of their illness, she’d have found a way to do away with herself to save them long ago. She was so much stronger than him in nearly every way. Which was the main reason he knew he’d never be able to bring himself to tell her the truth.

Willing a small smile to his face, he leaned down and lovingly kissed her forehead. “Don’t be long,” he finally replied. Looking to her one last time, he reluctantly released his hold on her then took his leave of the room before he had fallen apart in front of her any further.

Clara tried to determine what she’d said that suddenly darkened his mood but was easily distracted by the sound of the kettle whistling beside her. She took the time to prepare her cup then exited the small space. Returning to the hallway, her feet were comfortably reacquainted with the vibrant red carpet guiding the way in either direction. A rather nice change from the cold metallic flooring she was used to. Her attention was pulled towards the portraits of her family hanging on the wall. She smiled as she approached them. Her fingers grazed along the surface of their frames as if she hadn’t taken the time to look at them before. Finding her way to the living room, she leaned against the threshold and casually sipped her tea. As she glanced around the tiny room, her focus was drawn towards the coffee table in the middle of the floor. Atop its surface sat a singular chess piece, one she had never seen before. “Doctor?” she instinctively called to him from the doorway.

After a moment, he approached from the bedroom. His hands worked to fasten his belt and trousers around his waist as he returned to her. “What’s wrong?” he asked, taking notice of the worried expression on her face.

“Was that there before?” she inquired, gesturing towards the unfamiliar game piece.

Following her gaze, he felt his face frown as his eyes met with the object in question. “Seriously? Have you seen this place?” he asked, raising his arms to call attention to the mess around him. “Frankly, I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a body buried somewhere in here. Let alone a chessboard.”

“Very funny,” she replied, frowning at his humour. “Except, I don’t own a chessboard.”

“Are you sure? Perhaps you just never noticed it under all the clutter,” he suggested.

Annoyed by the accusation, she squinted her eyes in his direction. “I’m sure.”

His brows furrowed suspiciously as his interest became piqued by the apparent mystery unravelling before them. Entering the room, he headed towards the object and reached for it cautiously as if it might explode upon contact. Assuring himself that it was not a danger to them, he picked it up and brought it closer for inspection. Twirling the piece in his hand, he quickly identified it as a pawn. A smile spread across his face as he suddenly realized who had left the mysterious gift there for them to find.

a backdoor into childhood • Eurogamer.net

It must be the sense of anonymity that compels people to share secrets with strangers. I was having a conversation with a woman in a bookshop when she decided to tell me something I could tell was troubling her about her nine-year-old son. “The thing is,” she said (she had a twitch in her lower lip), “he’s a bright boy, but… he still likes books with pictures in.” As a children’s bookseller, I hear things like this all the time. Proud parents like to tell me that their children no longer ‘need’ pictures in their books, as though they had just collected their children from a clinic specialising in the treatment of visual withdrawal. Sometimes it’s the children themselves that need reminding: “You don’t need books with pictures in- remember?” In either case, the message seems clear: pictures are mere training wheels for text, and the sooner we’re done with them, the better.

This idea often goes hand-in-hand with the view that children’s literature is merely a simplified version of adult literature, the literary equivalent of a Playmobil fire engine. On the contrary, I think picture books in particular have their own grammar and perspective that you simply don’t find in such abundance elsewhere. In fact, I would argue that if picture books have a torchbearer anywhere in the creative arts, it’s not to be found in literature all. For that, you would need to look to video games.

In the heyday of printed games magazines, we ate with our eyes. In the absence of video, we studied still images and tried to animate them in our minds. It’s hard to imagine now but seeing a game in motion for the first time really was just as big a revelation as how it played. In the years since, video games have made art critics of us all. We even learnt a new vocabulary to talk about them: references to pixel density, shading, style and perspective made themselves at home in even casual conversation, and how could they not? Try explaining these four images without them:

Video games thus provide a level of engagement with visual art most people never get to experience once they’ve ‘outgrown’ picture books. Even in the internet age, a game with a distinctive art style still has that power to grab a player’s attention and make them ask: What are you? How do you work?

People (adults and children alike) respond to picture books in much the same way. The work of David Litchfield, for example, never fails to capture people’s attention, and it is easy to see why:

In Lights on Cotton Rock (above), a spaceship evoking a gumball machine descends upon a clearing in forest; in When I Was A Child, a grandmother and child sit by a sherbet pink lake; in The Bear and The Piano, sunbeams spotlight a bear in a tuxedo leaning over a piano. The varied textures, digital effects and distinctive colour palette bring to mind the bewitching art style of Moon Studios’ Ori games.

While Ori belongs to a special genre of game that actively requires backtracking, I think it’s fair to say of most games that they invite us to linger in their spaces. While prose cannot help but push us forward word by word, cinema frame by frame, the default state of a picture or video game is inertia. The world, or at least its aperture, stands still until you move it. So, not only do picture books and video games share a focus on the visual, by their very nature, they encourage us to explore their visuals at our own pace.

Another way in which video games echo the pleasures of picture books is their commitment to exhausting every inch of an idea before letting it go. One of my favourite examples of this is Nanette’s Baguette by Mo Willems’, a picture book whose text almost entirely rhymes with the word ‘baguette’. As you can imagine, this is a text with a difficulty curve.

Things start off simply enough, though you’re soon juggling lines with multiple internal rhymes (“Will mom regret she let Nanette get the baguette?”). But as soon as the idea reaches breaking point, it ends. For a more visual example, we might look to Emily Gravett’s Orange Pear Apple Bear, a picture book told in four words.

As the words are rearranged, the illustrations keep pace, resulting in a gentle cross-pollination of ideas. Once the combinations have been exhausted, a fifth and final word is used to bring things to a close: There!

So many of my favourite picture books are like this: they take a simple idea and play with it until it breaks. So many of my favourite video games are like this, too. Super Mario Bros is a game about a jump. Portal is a game about a portal gun. The designers ask themselves, what can we do with THIS? And the very best of them know that when there is no new answer to that question, it’s time to call it a day. There! This explorative design philosophy inevitably leaves a mark on a game’s narrative structure. In Papers, Please, for example, the story unfolds as the gameplay loops, growing in moral complexity alongside the game’s mechanics. The question should you let this person pass? is the same each time, but, like the length of a chasm, or the velocity required to clear an obstacle, it is the shifting context that gives the game shape.

If you spend enough time comparing video games to picture books, you’ll find some surprising similarities in the stories they tell. Even a story as bleak as Papers, Please has its picture book cousin. In Don’t Cross The Line (Isabel Minhos Martins and Bernardo P. Carvalho ), a guard stands at the centre of each spread to prevent characters crossing from one side to the other.

“I’M SORRY, I’M ONLY OBEYING ORDERS,” he says, explaining that the other side of the page is reserved for The General. As in Papers, Please the guard is both the instrument of an oppressive state and a victim of an oppressive state, provoking feelings of contempt as well as pity.

Another example: towards the end of Ori and The Blind Forest, we learn the tragic backstory of Kuro, the game’s primary antagonist. A devoted mother, she spends her days gathering food for her offspring. One day, events beyond her understanding cause the forest’s Spirit Tree to release an intense flash of light, destroying her nest. She rushes home, only to find her offspring killed, setting her on a path of vengeance.

This reads very much like a dark inversion of Martin Wadell and Patrick Benson’s modern classic Owl Babies in which three owlets, lonely and afraid, huddle together while they wait for the mother to return from the hunt.

I believe similarities such as these are more than just coincidence. I think it has something to do with the fact that picture books and video games excel at telling stories from a particular vantage point. It’s all a matter of zoom. Their often limited storytelling space privileges ‘Big Ideas’ over, say, the intricate portraits of life that novels make possible. Perhaps my favourite example of this is Journey – the title alone invokes an aggregate perspective on life. It presents a tale shorn of life’s details, a wordless experience where bodies are concealed beneath robes. In Aaron Becker’s book of the same name, a girl uses a crayon to draw a door into another world. Becker’s Journey is also wordless, and even features a silent encounter with a secondary character who becomes an unexpected source of companionship. It seems that when we tell stories at this altitude, certain ideas crop up time and time again.

I still think it is a mistake to ‘outgrow’ picture books. I much prefer Maurice Sendak’s take: “Kid books… Grownup books… that’s just marketing”. Thinking of things left behind in childhood reminds me of Phillip Pullman’s essay on Heinrich Von Kleist’s On The Marionette Theatre. In it, he outlines a vision of adolescence that became central to his fantasy series, His Dark Materials:

“Having eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge, we are separate from nature because we have acquired the ability to reflect on it and on ourselves – we are expelled from the garden of Paradise. And we can’t go back, because an angel with a fiery sword stands in the way; if we want to regain the bliss we felt when we were at one with things, we have to go not back but forward, says Kleist, all the way round the world in fact, and re-enter Paradise through the back door, as it were.”

And that, I think, is what video games have to offer us: a backdoor into childhood that is separate from nostalgia, giving us the opportunity to once more play with pictures, to see the world from afar, and do all this with all our intellect and experience intact.

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Types of Honey Bees

The Italian Honeybee (Apis Mellifera Ligustica)

The Italian honey bee originated from the continental part of Italy, south of the Alps, and north of Sicily, and brought to the United States in 1859. We know them for their prolific brood cycles and production, gentle nature and reluctance to swarm. Drawbacks include: resource consumption at a rapid pace; robbing stores in weaker or neighboring hives; difficulties with natural pests; can’t cope up with the cold. The noted beekeeper, Thomas White Woodbury, first introduced the Italian bee to Britain in 1859 and regarded it as vastly superior to the Old British Black bee ( A.m. mellifera).

Italian Queen Bee

Italian queen bees make up the heart of the American beekeeping industry, originating in the Apennine Peninsula of Italy, and brought to the United States in the late 1850s. We well know them for their gentle disposition, abundant brood production, and the excellent foraging abilities of their workers.

There are some subspecies of Italian Bees present across the globe: 

The Yellow Honeybee (Apis Metlifica )

Yellow bee’s species are a subtype of Italian bees, and then Cyprus, Syrian, Israeli, Egyptian and Saharan bees. They imported these to the United States before the other bees. It’s widespread in U.S.A & gives the largest amount of honey.

Their nature is hardy, industrious and prefers to sit quietly on the combs. Most of the U.S. Italian bees have three yellow stripes with black edging. Some bees have four and sometimes five stripes. Aboriginal races of Italian bees have only 2 yellow stripes, and the third, near the breast, is not always clear. US-Italian bees are more yellow than the bees in Italy.

Imported yellow bees have muddy or dark shade. We've known that the darker the Italian bees because of a more peaceful nature. Rarely, the abdomen of the queen is entirely yellow. Most often, the upper body is yellow, but the lower part and the end of the abdomen are black whereas drones & worker bees are striped, but usually their body is dark, sometimes with one or two yellow stripes. Italian bees can live with wax moth larvae in their hives, but we cannot say it about the American black bees. Italian bees clean the hive from wax moth. The young Italian bees quickly destroy moth. Weak black bees or Dutch bees cannot cope with moth.

Syrian Honeybee 

We divide Syrian bees into two groups, which are externally indistinguishable. The first group is very evil bees, and another–gentle bees. Syrian bees, found in Syria and Lebanon, subspecies of Italian and Cyprus bees. Syrian bees are very prolific, they work well. The peculiarity of their color is pale bands on the first three segments of the abdomen. Yellow fluff covers chest and the base of the wings. Crescent is visible. Some darker color is due to the influence of bees entering into Syria through the mountains. Like Cyprian bees, Syrian bees are nervous, but less evil, if you work with them—use a large amount of smoke.

The Russian Bee (from Primorsky KRAI region of Russia)

They brought Russian Bees to the United States in 1997 by the USDA in response to the increase in colony collapse due to parasites. Russian bees rear brood only during times of nectar and pollen flows, making this subspecies heavily reliant on the surrounding environment.

Russian Queen Bee

These Russian Queen bees are available in an instrumentally inseminated Breeder queen or open mated pure Russian queen from an Instrumentally Inseminated Russian Breeder Queen. The open mated. They are excellent producers and winter well and Russian Bees that have shown mite resistance naturally

The Carniolan Bee (Apis Mellifera Carnica)

The Carniolan Bee is one of the top 2 most popular bee stocks in the United States. This strain is favored for: explosive spring buildup; extremely docile nature; has one of the longest tongues at 6.5 to 6.7 mm; adjusting worker population to nectar availability. Finding the origin of this stock from central and Eastern Europe, these bees are tolerant of colder climates and rank among the best stocks for overwintering.

Carnolian Queen Bee

We well know carniolan queen bees for their ability to winter well in severe climates and for their quick spring build-up. They mate these black queens to our Italian drones to provide a hybrid colony with beautiful brood patterns and highly productive hives.

The Buckfast Bee (The mutt of honeybee stock)

The Buckfast Bee stock, originates in Buckfast Abbey, in Devon in the United Kingdom. During the early 20th century, populations were being decimated by tracheal mites. The Buckfast bee, a cross of many subspecies, is developed by Brother Adam, a beekeeper. The advantages being: a resistance to natural parasites; a knack for foraging; doesn’t tend to swarm.

Buckfast Queen Bee

The Buckfast bee is a strain of honeybee. Most of the breeding work in Europe is done by breeders belonging to the breeders' association Gemeinschaft der Europäischen Buckfastimker.

The Caucasian Bee (Apis mellifera caucasica)

The Caucasian honey bee originates from the high valleys of the Central Caucasus. Beekeepers who understand the need for keeping in cold climate keep them.

Caucasian Queen Bee

The Caucasian honey bee originates from the country of Georgia in the Caucasus mountain region. Advantages: a propensity to fly earlier, later, and in cooler conditions; exceptional honey production; gather larger amounts of propolis

The German Bee (Apis mellifera mellifera)

The European Dark Bee, or German Dark Bee- defensive in nature- was brought from Northern Eurasia in the colonial era. For beekeepers in the US, this strain is most likely not available, and would not be a good choice unless you are familiar with natural diseases and parasites in the hive.

German Queen Bee

The Western honey bee, German queen bee, has a variety of subspecies, due to the pollination rate of 90%; The European dark bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) is a subspecies of the western honey bee, have unusually short tongues (5.7-6.4mm). The A.M. mellifera is descended from the M lineage of Apis mellifera, of which all bees to a greater or lesser degree have aggression when compared to the C lineage.

The Africanized Bee (The Misunderstood Bee)

The Africanized, or Killer Bee as most know it, is not even from Africa  – it originated in Brazil. This honeybee strain was a hybrid designed in a lab with the goal of increasing pest and parasite resistance, while at the same time increasing production.

Africanized Queen Bees

African Honey Bees are native to the Savanna country of eastern and southern Africa are referred to as Africanized honey bees (AHB). These bees’ genetic roots come from “Apis mellifera scutellata”. The African honey bee was first introduced to Brazil in the 1950s to increase honey production; but, in 1957, 26 swarms accidentally escaped quarantine and, since then, have spread throughout South and Central America and arrived in North America in 1985.

Egyptian Honey Bees (Apis Fasciata Latr.)

We consider egyptian honeybees the best bee for beekeeping in the hive. Therefore, the Egyptian drones are mated with the Krajina and Caucasian queens, and vice versa. First-generation hybrids are very productive bees both in the United Arab Republic, and in countries with cold climates. Although Egyptian bees are less than the European bees, they willingly take and adjust the standard honeycomb cells. Egyptian queens are very fertile and suitable for the formation of nucleus, especially when pairing with gray drones (Krajina or Caucasian). Each of these queens is equal to the queen of the larvae of Egyptian queens mated with Krajina or Caucasian drones. In spite of smaller families, purebred Egyptian bees provide a high amount of centrifugal honey, they are not suitable for sectional honey. 

Indian Honey Bees

There are 3 types of Indian honey bees mainly found in Punjab, which have adapted to adverse climatic conditions.

Indian HoneyBee (Apis Indica F) Indian bees are not good workers unlike giant Indian bees or Italian bees. Average honey yield is 3.64-5 kg from one family. Flights and thefts are common for Indian bees, particularly thefts get enhanced when a family of giant bees rob the family of Indian bees. Indian bees particularly like gatherings. Often you can see in the air entire families of Indian bees. Sometimes the causes of the gathering are fasting, wax moth, ant attack, excessive heat, disappearance of queens, and appearance of laying worker bees. A family with fetal queens and brood of all ages can leave their hives to join another swarm, flying by.

Dwarf HoneyBee (Apis Flora F) is much less than Indian bee. Families build a single cell usually in the bushes, on fences, on the branches of trees, under the eaves of houses, in chimneys, in folded cotton stalks, in the empty boxes and in other places. Cell area is slightly higher than the palm area of the hand or equal to it. Dwarf bee is so peaceful, that sometimes we refer them to stingless bees. These bees cannot live indoors, so they build honeycombs mostly on high, well-lit areas. Dwarf bees have a greater tendency to swarm and flights. Families gather very little honey, their single cell contains about 450 grams of honey. Honey is liquid, but has healing properties. Indian bees usually settle in the hollows of trees, often peasants leave indentations in the walls of their homes, so the bees build their honeycombs there

Giant Bee (Apis Dorsata F) are very hardworking. They work early in the morning and finish later than the Indian bees. From one family you can sometimes get up to 36 kg of honey. Bees are very evil. Their stings are very painful and sometimes lead to death. They are reluctant to leave the victim, even if it jumps into the water. Some individuals can handle the giant bees, and the body of these people, apparently, is not so swollen from the stings. Families migrate from one place to another and during the flight they produce a characteristic loud. Attempts to keep the giant bees in hives have been unsuccessful.

Chinese & Japanese Honey Bees

Both bees are sub-species of Indian Bees, Italian Bees & European bees. The honeybees of south-eastern China are the largest species of Eastern honeybee (Apis Indica var. Peroni). These bees are promising for industrial beekeeping. Worker bees have a dark color, but the front part of the abdominal segments is brownish-yellow. As the queen, and the drones are black.

Drone cells differ from worker bees cells, they are much taller and have conical caps with small holes that can be opened inside the cells. Chinese bees are very hardworking and fly even in cold weather. The Italian bees do not work at such temperatures. Chinese bees produce a lot of wax.

They have beautiful white seal of honey. Bees collect nectar hard during low harvest they economize on their holdings and better resists predatory wasps, than Italian bees. However, Chinese bee form small families, often swarm, usually fly off with a lack of food, are nervous. It is more difficult to calm them with the smoke than the Italian bees. Chinese bees gnaw holes in the honeycomb and cannot resist attacks of wax moths. The average production of good families in the hives is about 67 kg of honey per year but using modern methods can yield 23-27 kg of honey monthly. Chinese bees are terrible thieves who rob Italian bees, however in summer they are robbed by the Italian bee. 

Apis Honey Bees

The genus Apis—into which all honey bees fall—is a beautifully diverse bee species, with at least 44 known sub-varieties.

Apis Queen Bee

In the U. S., queens have been failing at a high rate; with 50% or greater of queens replaced in colonies within 6 months when historically a queen might live one to two years. This high rate of queen failure coincides with the high mortality rates of colonies in the US, some years with >50% of colonies dying.

Apis Mellifera Iberiensis Queen Bee

They exhibit quick defensive reaction, nervousness, and a propensity to swarm. They abundantly use propolis. One or two sentry bees are always present at the entrance of the hive. If a colony is disturbed, the sentries raise a persistent alarm.

Apis Mellifera Scutellata- The Africanist honey bee species

Although now synonymous with the “African killer bee” title, apis M. Scutellata is in fact not a great deal genetically different from its European cousins. The East African lowland honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata) is a subspecies of the western honey bee. The introduction of the Cape honeybee into northern South Africa poses a threat to East African lowland honey bees.

Apis Mellifera Scutellata Queen Bee

The subspecies of honeybee indigenous to the Cape region of South Africa, Apis mellifera capensis, is unique because a high proportion of unmated workers can lay eggs that develop into females via thelytokous parthenogenesis involving central fusion of meiotic products. They are able to influence the kind of second-division meiosis that occurs in their eggs postpartum.

Apis Nigrocincta

The Apis nigrocincta is a honeybee species living in the Philippine island of Mindanao, Sulawesi, and Sangihe in Indonesia. The bees build medium-sized cavity nests with multiple combs that are nearly equidistant from each other. The nesting sites are close to the ground. The subfamily Apinae includes a majority of the honey bee species, with 19 tribes.

Apis Nigrocincta Queen Bee

Apis nigrocincta is one of the nine species of honeybees. Apis nigrocincta occur on the islands of Mindanao and Sangihe of the Philippines and the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Like the closely related species Apis cerana, Apis nigrocincta builds their nests in caves.

Apis Koschevnikovi

Apis koschevnikovi is a honey bee species that are found in the Borneo island of Indonesia and Malaysia. The bees are all dark and brown banded. The queen and the drones have light brown bands on the abdomen while the workers have light orange abdominal bands.

Apis Koschevnikovi Queen Bee

The workers, the queen, and the drones of A. koschevnikovi are all dark brown banded. The workers, however, have light orange abdominal bands while the queen and the drones have light brown abdominal bands.

Apis Cerana

Apis cerana, the eastern honey bee or the Asiatic honey bee, is a species of honey bee native to southern, southeastern, and eastern Asia. This species is the sister species of Apis koschevnikovi and both are in the same subgenus as the western (European) honey bee, Apis mellifera.

Apis Cerana Queen Bee

The colony of Apis cerana, a typical honey bee, consists of several thousand female worker bees, one queen bee, and several hundred male drone bees. The colony’s annual cycle in cold temperature regions begins shortly after the winter solstice, when the colony raises the core temperature of its cluster to about 34 degrees Celsius and starts to rear brood.

Apis Dorsata

Apis dorsata belongs to the family Apidae, and to the subgenus Megapis. There are a few hypotheses as to when Apis dorsata diverged from both Apis florea and Apis cerana, as it is unclear which divergence occurred first. Currently, the consensus hypothesis provides a family tree that claims that Apis dorsata diverged from both Apis cerana and Apis florea at the same time.

Apis Dorsata Queen Bee

The queen lays all of the eggs for the colony and is usually the mother of all of the workers and drones within the colony. She is the sole reproductive female in the colony and has a larger abdomen as her reproductive organs are more developed. Queens are usually darker than workers.

Apis Florea

The red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea) is a small honey bee species found in parts of southern and southeastern Asia, as well as Africa. The bees build open nests and form small colonies which make them more susceptible to predators. The bees dance to reach a decision to build a new nesting site.

Apis Florea Queen Bee

A. florea is called the dwarf honey bee due to its small size compared to other honeybees. A. florea produce honey that is harvested and eaten in Thailand and Cambodia. They are excellent pollinators, and the females produce no mucus as a sign of mating. A. florea males use a clasper organ at the hindleg to hold the queen’s leg during mating. Thus, A. florea uses the more energetically efficient method of sperm transfer.

Apis Andreniformis

The black dwarf honey bee (Apis andreniformis) lives in the tropical and subtropical areas of southeast Asia. It is a relatively rare species and has been recently classified as a separate species. The species is utilized by humans to prepare some commercial products like honey, wax, royal jelly, and bee venoms. They are important pollinating agents in their region of occurrence. Apis andreniformis is a part of the family Apidae, which includes honey, cuckoo, carpenter, digger, bumble, and stingless bees.

Apis Andreniformis Queen Bee- the Black dwarf honey bee

Apis andreniformis is a species of honey bee whose native habitat is the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia. A. andreniformis queen bee was the fifth honey bee species to be described of the seven known species of Apis, and its biology, geographic distribution, and its specific status was recognized by many authors.

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6 Top Software Solutions For Small Businesses

A small business has to be every bit as streamlined and diverse as a big business if it hopes to succeed these days. That often means that a single person has to wear many hats or that departments need to cross-pollinate ideas and resources. Small businesses certainly aren’t the siloed, specialized machines that many big companies can afford to be, so they need all the help they can get.

Luckily, in the age of automation and business software, there are solutions for small businesses to remain as competitive and streamlined as their larger counterparts. From accounting to sales, from communication to project management, and everything in between, there are tried and tested software solutions available to small business owners.

In this post, let’s look at six such software solutions, each applying to a separate department or business concern, and each top of the line in terms of performance.

Communication: Slack

There’s a reason businesses both big and small have flocked to Slack over the past half-decade. The communication software, developed initially with small businesses in mind, is notable because of its channel-focused approach to intercompany communication. Channel communication allows your company to operate in a more compartmentalized fashion, siloing separate departments, teams, projects, etc. Its intuitive design and easy-to-use interface are another selling point — it doesn’t require any specialized training, just a beginner’s grasp of technology.

Accounting: QuickBooks

Developed by Intuit back in the ’80s and honed over decades, QuickBooks now enjoys its hard-earned status as perhaps the best accounting software on the market. It allows accountants (or is in charge of money) to monitor cash flow, send and accept invoices, track accounts receivable/accounts payable, and prep the company for tax season. QuickBooks is a one-stop shop that — relative to other accounting platforms, which pretty much preclude non-professionals on the basis of how tricky they are to understand — is pretty straightforward and easy to use.

Sales Engagement: VanillaSoft

It used to be that sales departments would rely on their sales development reps (SDRs) to manually choose leads from the CRM, and then manually call them, manually set up a time to follow up, and manually log all the info. It wasn’t just an ineffective use of an SDR’s time, but it resulted in quality leads slipping through the cracks. Thankfully, VanillaSoft put out a simple and effective lead management software that addresses those issues. The software organizes the SDRs’ list of leads in real-time, constantly shuffling the best leads to the top, so SDRs are always working the best possible leads. It then auto-dials the leads and auto-schedules the follow-ups. Sales engagement has never been simpler.

Meeting Management: Fuze

There are countless communication and meeting management platforms out there, often with overlapping capabilities, but Fuze has to be among the best. You can use Slack for the majority of your intercompany communication, but when it comes to more serious meeting management, go with Fuze. While Skype (the leading competitor in the field) is probably easier to use, Fuze is more business-minded, with flexible video conferencing and real-time content sharing. It’s perfect if you have remote employees or clients that you meet with regularly.

Project Management: Trello

Trello is a simple tool, but an effective one. It may not have the wide range of functionality others on this list boast, but its minimalist “board” system for task management is simple to use and simple to track. Trello allows you to create boards for different projects, within which you can list separate cards corresponding to tasks or notes. It’s not expensive nor is it particularly earth-shattering, but as a small business project management tool, it’s on the money.

Hiring: Workable

Without the aid of software, the hiring process can be both protracted and costly. It’s a good ROI therefore to get a hiring management tool. Workable, one of the best hiring/HR tools out there (Workday and BambooHR are strong competitors) helps you with job posting, organizing candidates, communicating among the hiring team, approving candidates, and a lot more. Best of all, it lets you detail a hiring plan, complete with a budget, so that you can monitor spending. Some small businesses unwittingly sink up to $10k into hiring an entry-level position, which is far too much. Know your budget, know what kind of candidate you’re after, and let the software do the heavy lifting.

With these six software solutions in your small business tool belt, you’ll be able to save money, maximize efficiency, and grow your company without losing control of operations.

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Throughout the USA corporations are the most widely used legal vehicle for operating a business. A corporation has the same rights and obligations under US law as a natural person. Among other things, this means it can acquire assets, go into debt, enter into contracts, sue or be sued, and even be found guilty of committing a crime.

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This Article first appeared in techtimes

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I’ve known, over the years, hundreds of human beings, born into and ensnared by the crime against humanity known as poverty, broken by the culture of greed and social degradation, and blamed by the clueless and the callous for the tragic trajectory in which impersonal fate and the wounding culture, by no fault of their own, has placed them. Thus arrive: Tears of rage; tears of outrage. Tears unloosed by passion and tempered by compassion…fall. If poverty was not so profitable for the greed head elite, both punitive-minded conservatives and affluence-ensconced liberals alike, the situation would be addressed and rectified. The cause of the reprehensible situation, it should go without saying, is not the fault of the poor but the poverty of spirit at the core of capitalism. Truth is, the system, a hierarchy of ghouls, is maintained by harvesting the corpses of the powerless, by means of imperial slaughter and domestic, economic exploitation. Deep down, we know it. The system’s psychopathic beneficiaries, in particular, are aware of the reality. In fact, their desiccated hearts require being irrigated by blood. From the evidence of their actions, it appears, they revel in the knowledge of the damage they incur. They appear to believe they will enter the golden dominion of heaven by climbing a mountain of corpses. It is time we dragged them back down to earth and subjected them to our earth-borne fury. Or so goes my own (powerless) revelry. Of course, we the powerless, at this point, have been left with scant little but a dreaming heart. When we allow heartless power to subdue and usurp our longings, we languish. Thus many die of a broken spirit. The world itself can appear to be depleted of mercy. In turn, all too many begin to mirror the malevolence of the upper castes thereby losing their own measure of mercy. Hostility directed at the poor is the shopworn, demagogic sleight of hand trick used to distract from realities such as: Every mcmansion and high end luxury high-rise constructed creates multitudes of the homeless. Every low pay, no benefits, no future mcjob serves to decimate an individual, heart and spirit. Moreover the beneficiaries of the system promote the lie, that shame should be the exclusive dominion of those broken by their system, a system, which is, in essence, a form of government-sanctioned gangsterism, by which they, the ruthless few, and they alone, benefit. As a result, in an age of denial and duplicity, change tends to arrive violently. Reactionary, racist soreheads, brandishing Tiki torches, construct an ambulatory klavern in the hateful night. Maledictory tweets rise and roil the imperial air like a nimbus of locust. Unmoored from their sense of humanity by lashing angst and alienation, gunmen, in acts of warped libido, raise assault rifles and kill with no more connection to the strangers they slaughter than do stateside deployed pilots of the empire’s predator drones. We human beings, as as species, have arrived at a profound point of demarcation: paradigm shift or perish. Yet, and the fact is mortifying in its implications, there is not a sign of the emergence, even an incipient one, of a viable resistance to the present order. Weekend marches and boutique protests might promote (ephemeral) feelings of affinity and jack the adrenal systems of participants. But the events have proven woefully inefficacious in regard to the rising and raging tides of adversity we face. (In addition, monopolist, internet corporations, such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter, at the behest of US governmental forces, are further marginalising the already almost vaporous left by means of presence abridging algorithms of leftist websites and outright censorship of social media content. Dissenting voices are being ghosted into oblivion.) An aura of bleakness prevails. Hope seems a fool’s palliative. The victims of drug overdoses and, in general, the large and rising, without precedent, untimely deaths of middle aged, labouring class people should be regarded as canaries in the coal mines of the late stage capitalist order, an augury of calamities that loom due to the exponentially increasing harm being inflicted upon both humanity and environmental forces crucial to sustaining the continued viability of the human race. Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate. ― C.G. Jung Although it does not have to be the case. If reality is met head-on, if empire, external and its inner analog, is renounced and challenged, then a liberation staged by the heart’s partisans can begin, thereby freeing up a great amount of acreage — a fructifying landscape — wherein both the earth’s ecosystem and the architecture of human desire can begin to co-exist and cross-pollinate; thus a crucial re-visioning of oneself and the culture can begin. http://clubof.info/

Why love Hurts – and what you can do about it when it does.

***From the StarTalk Website***: Now extended with Neil, Chuck, and Natalia Reagan exploring the International Transgender Day of Visibility and answering fan-submitted Cosmic Queries on the spectrum of sexuality, gender-fluidity, and more! They tackle your toughest questions about the biology and physiology of love, from whether human love is more than just a chemical interaction involving dopamine and oxytocin, to whether romantic love is more effective, evolutionarily speaking, than choosing a mate intellectually. Discover whether there are genes for promiscuity, and whether evolutionary forces favor polyamory or monogamy. You’ll even find out why love hurts – and what you can do about it when it does.

Morgaan Sinclair Much as I love you, NDGT, you will never be able to knock the stuffing out of mystery, though I profoundly love it that you try. But remember ... "Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin ...

Tim Osmundsen Tim Osmundsen ... You can believe that you have an inner reptile or an inner fish and that we are still developing from beasts . But what makes man different ? Hmmm ? ... Thank goodness we can detect a lie ! ... And there is a smart devil and many clever demons out there in case you have not noticed . As real as we know that lies and propaganda exist . But we can choose . And the favorite devilish trick these days is to make man believe there is no Creator of life and all we see and experience is only the result of a mindless process . Then there can be no purpose , no spirit world , no life after death and then no hope for righteousness to ever be established . It will end up in the dark . ... And then , in that conception , the liar can walk right over you ! And some don't even notice ... some even think they are smart ... some even like it , and some willingly take a part in it ! Hmmm ? One can believe and feed on lies , it has happened in the whole history of the world . Entire empires and many a country full of men , women and children have been totally deceived . It happens in a sly way folks . And the old boy is still at it like never before as it is written . And in this day and age mankind is getting bombarded through all kinds of media with nicely wrapped up lies , packaged in all kinds of so called " scientific " theories that are not more than imaginations . Like the all from nothing illusion . The base for that kind of philosophy when one tries to evade the necessity of a constructor and designer behind the living things we all can see , and also experience with our well thought of senses , are outstandingly unlogic and absurd . Yet it is all nicely wrapped up in deceiving packaging and designed to enter into man's mind and heart in such a powerful way the world has never seen before . Indoctrination straight from the pit . And don't you dare to question those high priests of evolution and big bangers , for they have the authority and know whats the truth . They sit in their high places lifted up in their carnal minds , wise in their own eyes thinking they know the mystery of life . But do they ??? ... To not acknowledge the Creator , is to miss the source of life , love , truth , wisdom and understanding ! And you can not then even trust in your own mind , if there is no intelligence behind it . So who want's to be a flatlander around here ? Look at the mess . But even with all of life's trials and tests , heart aches , sorrows , sickness and pain , there can be found reasons , and we are not creatures without feelings and the ability to choose and experience the good and bad without there being a plan and lessons to be learned . So on our journey , there is a way out of here to be found , and a better place in another realm with a different environment to be heading for , believe it or not !!! Check it out ! Tim

M AL Filliol M AL Filliol I'd honestly prefer to read than listen to people talk... I can read faster than you can talk. Plus you should have something for people who are deaf. I enjoyed the segment , but I never heard the part about what to do when love hurts.

Eve Marie English Eve Marie English I absolutely adore Neil (uber fan) however, I'd like to say that as someone who is also interested in biology some of us science minded people do not object to GMO's based on fear that they are harmful to humans but rather because of their negative impact on beneficial INSECTS. Last time I checked, biology, entomology are still sciences. You don't have to ignore science to be concerned about the effects of GMO's on biological diversity.

Ozzie Godoy Ozzie Godoy Love is patient. Love is kind. Love rejoiced in Truth. Love is long suffering. Love holds no grudges nor keeps a record of wrongs. Love never fails for God is Love. But Love is not God. 1 Corinthians chapter 13. The chapter of Love. Now there things remain. Faith. Hope and Love. But the greatest of these is Love.

Randy Perrin Randy Perrin have any of you seen this Niel Neil deGrasse Tyson shilling for the GMO's that corporations are poisoning us with. he said that modern genetic modification was the same as cross pollinating. he is bought and paid for by the corporations.

Aaron Crews Aaron Crews I hate when you correct something on here and it shows edited below. It's pretty much telling people to click on it to see what you really wanted to say. Like · Reply · 1 · June 25 at 3:49am · Edited Manage Danielenrique Hernandez Danielenrique Hernandez our sun is consuming or eminnating some unseen yet unidentified particle..as all these particles are rushin towards the sun or emminating outwards from within it they displace around our earths magnetic field in to allow us to gravitate the sun.. now t...See More

Babu G. Ranganathan Babu G. Ranganathan (B.A. Bible/Biology)*

DOES THE BIBLE ALLOW FOR SEX IN HEAVEN?

Will there be sexual relations in heaven? Some say “No” because Jesus says in Matthew 22:30 that we will be like the angels. But, in the context of what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 22:30, what Jesus meant is that we will be like the angels in that there will be no marriage in heaven. That doesn’t mean there won’t be sexual relationships in heaven. Marriage is required for sex only in this life. Heaven is another issue.

A question was given to Jesus concerning a woman who had several husbands in her lifetime (each husband having died and the woman outliving them all). The question given to Jesus was who will be the woman’s husband at the resurrection since she had several husbands. Jesus responded by saying that, like the angels, there won’t be marriage in heaven.

We won’t be like angels in every other way. For example, Scripture says that believers (Christians) in their next life, in their resurrected (immortal bodies), will enjoy food and drink, even though eating and drinking won’t be necessary anymore, but believers in glory will still be able to enjoy those and other pleasures. After His resurrection, Jesus Himself ate and drank with the disciples. Jesus said that in the future Kingdom He would enjoy wine with His disciples again. Angels, on the other hand, are strictly spirit beings and don’t consume food or drink.

How can God allow sexual relations in heaven without marriage? In heaven there’s no need for anyone to belong exclusively to another because there will be no building of families as marriage involves. Scripture also teaches that marriage is a unique test and a picture of faithfulness between us and God, but in heaven no such test is necessary because only the faithful and, thankfully, the forgiven will be there.

There is no logical reason for why there won’t be sex in heaven. If other bodily enjoyments like eating and drinking will be there then, most certainly, it is reasonable to expect that there will be sexual enjoyment also. Sex in heaven will be driven spiritually and by perfect love.

Human sexuality is so powerful because it is not only for reproduction. It involves intercourse of spirit and soul, as well as body. The Song of Solomon in the Bible is filled with sexual imagery. Human sexuality has meaning beyond marriage and having children. Seniors have sex beyond childbearing years! Animals only have sex during mating season and only for reproductive purposes. Animals don’t have sex all the time, but humans do.

The Bible teaches that there will be both spiritual and bodily enjoyment in heaven. Psalm 16:11 tells us that in God’s presence there will be fullness of joy (this is spiritual) and at His right hand there will be pleasures (plural) forevermore (pleasure is something experienced physically). In fact, various passages in Scripture imply that for believers all human faculties (spirit, mind, and body) will be actively engaged and fulfilled throughout eternity. Eternity won’t be boring!

Doesn’t the Bible say we will have spiritual bodies in heaven? In context, what the Bible means by a spiritual body is that our physical bodies will be under total control of our spirit. In the case of Jesus, after His bodily resurrection, He as able to appear and disappear before His disciples at will.

We’ll be able to control our appetites (i.e. when we want to be hungry and how much we want to be hungry) so that we can enjoy food and drink during fellowship with one another in those mansions above.

Because Jesus Christ, God’s eternal and only begotten Son, paid the penalty for sin on our behalf, that we can never fully pay, and because He rose from the dead, the Bible says that through genuine faith in Christ we can be forgiven of our sins and perfectly enjoy God’s presence and everything He has for us in heaven. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16, KJV).

Just as a co-signer to a loan takes the responsibility to pay someone’s else’s debt should the loan go into default so too Christ took the legal and moral responsibility of paying the debt for mankind’s sins. Because Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins, God can be just in forgiving us our sins when we put our trust in Christ as Lord and Savior.

Love and follow God first, and some day everything and all enjoyment, physical as well as spiritual, will be yours for eternity, my friend. “No good thing will He (God) withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).

Author of popular Internet article, TRADITIONAL DOCTRINE OF HELL EVOLVED FROM GREEK ROOTS

Visit the author's newest Internet site: THE SCIENCE SUPPORTING CREATION

*The author, Babu G. Ranganathan has his bachelor’s degree with concentrations in theology and biology, and has been recognized for his writings on religion and science in the 24th edition of